Some Young Lovin'

That's Young House Lovin' to be exact!!

Anyone ever heard of the Awesomeness that is the blog Young House Love?  Well if you've known me for more than 5 minutes you've probably heard of it, because I'm kind of obsessed!

How obsessed you ask...

Well, I'm obsessed enough to have DIY art inspired by them hanging in my bathroom:

And, obsessed enough to have trudged my butt out in this:

For 2 minutes of this:

And a very special this:

Yes people, that is Sherry & John Petersik, next to Moi, at West Elm in Boston after they just signed my copy of the DIY handbook they wrote together.

This couple is truely amazing.  They have been married 5 years, have a beautiful daughter at home, and the make their living, TOGETHER, both working at home writing this amazing blog.  Somehow they have time in their days to do multiple projects, take photos before, during, and after said projects, edit those photos, upload those photos, and write 2 blog posts per day, all while taking care of their 2 year old.  Did I mention that they do all of this together, 24/7 as husband and wife and they both work at home...and they haven't killed each other!

That alone is worthy of a drive out in the snow people, but honestly, they are so super cool in person, totally exactly how they sound on the blog.  They make you feel as if you really know them and you're their new bff.

Even though listening to their suggestion to buy the book at the signing location instead of online cost me an additional TEN dollars more than I could have gotten it for on Amazon...I guess I still like them since their book is so great!

So glad I could make it to the signing and get to meet them, and I can't wait to start doing some projects from their book!

(don't worry I'll keep you posted on any projects that get done!)

Thanksgiving Again

I have no idea how this year has flown by so fast that it's already Thanksgiving... but nonetheless

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

I hope all of you readers out there are celebrating this holiday warm and safe and dry with family and friends.  I know there are many people out there that have been devastated by storms in the past few weeks that may find it hard to be thankful this year which just makes me even more thankful for what I have been blessed with in my life.

Among many, many other things...I am thankful for....

These awesome ladies!

 This very special man!  :)

Love you Babe.

 Amazing vacations!

 This beautiful, perfect, little angel.



Organize Much?

I don't pretend that I'm a great housekeeper, or that I make the absolute best use of space in our Condo., but occasionally I do break out the "Organize/Clean/Clean-Out" gene.  Last weekend was one of those times.

With Mr. Man driving his oil truck all over MA on a Saturday, I was left with some time on my hands.  What did I do with that time you ask?  Well, I did this.....

 That's right, I took everything out of that pesky corner cabinet.  You know the one, where you can't really reach everything, and You're never really sure what's made it all the way to the back of that top shelf waaaay back in the corner.

Well I discovered my friend that what made it to the back of that shelf... was 3 boxes of Baking Soda!  Yea, apparently 3 separate trips to the store I had Baking Soda on the brain, but not quite enough to remember that I was experiencing deja vu.  So if any one was thinking of getting me Baking Soda for Christmas... don't, I'm good.

There was one good thing that came out of this realization...

The corner cabinet that started out as this:

Became this: 

I dunno about you, but I call that a Saturday well spent!

Let's just hope it can stay like this and that the organization is contagious and all the other nooks and crannies of this house catch that fever!!

Project for Baby

As you all know my best friend had a baby recently.  I have been very much enjoying making things for this new little "niece" of mine!  There have been quite a few Pinterest inspired happenings.

The first one was the "string of name" that you saw in a previous post.  Her mama and dada have since hung that up as part of their nursery corner decorations.

My favorite project though I think has to be awarded to the Mobile!

This is such a simple idea, though time consuming, and I'm already working on another one for another special baby in my life since I loved it so much!

First starting out with a template from Pinterest I traced and cut out all my needed circles and lay them out like the tutorial instructed. [sorry couldn't get the pic to turn in blogger land]

Then I painted a Dowl, and with hubby's help, cut it in half to create the perfect launch point for all of my strands.

I LOVE the way it looks from the adult view... I just hope Milana likes it as much as I do!!

"Man, getting awesome gifts from Auntie Julie is hard work!!"

 

btw: baby sleeping on my chest =  one of the best feelings in the world!

White Dress?

This picture is from our Engagement party.  We took a few of just the two of us before the party got goin'.  The pictures don't do it justice, but I Loved this dress!!

I didn't love it as much as my wedding dress, obviously, but this dress was fun and flowey and even had some Bling-Bling to it.  Tell me what girl wouldn't like that right!?!

Just this past weekend we attended a friend's wedding, wishing them well on their new path together.  When trying to figure out what I wanted to wear for this joyous event, my mind kept roaming back to this dress!  I know, I know, I can't wear a white dress to someone else's wedding, that's so not cool!  But... what if I had this dress in another color....?

I thought about dyeing the dress, but with the many layers of different fabrics, and the bling-bling all together, that was not a viable option.  So taking a long shot in the dark, I went to the store where I got my White Dress (Mom picked it out for me, Thanks Mom!), even though it had been over a year since my white one was purchased... and what do you know, on a Clearance rack, in the back, all alone, was One dress, in my size, and...in exactly my color!!

 

Thank You to the Retail Gods!
Oh, and her dress was kinda pretty too! :-)

Ch..Ch..Changes

There are a lot of things that have changed since my Man and I have gotten married.  Some psychological and some concrete, some have been harder to get used to than others, but some have been fun to look forward to.

One thing that I've been looking forward to is this project that I've had on my mind for quite a while now.  When I first moved into the condo, I went with a friend to the "Plaster Fun Time" nearby and painted an "F" which has hung on the door for the past 3 years proudly boasting my last initial and my artsy nature.  But now that that "F" is no longer my last initial, I had to come up with another boastable product...

So the "C" was born:

Below you can see it's infancy stages:

I printed a basic block letter from online, and put my nails in at regular intervals.

Toddler:

Once I had all the nails in, the paper was pulled off, pretty much clean with minor tweezer pulls for those pesky minor pieces that I could get off.



Full Grown:

Embroidery thread is then looped around the nails in succession, trying to keep the pattern relatively even and balanced.

This baby now hangs on our front door!!

I am so happy to have it done, and to have had my Hubs hang it on the front door yesterday while I was at work.  It's still makes me do a little double-take when I get to my new front door, but then it makes me smile as I learn to own my new last name.

I also used this technique to make a gift for my favorite baby girl:

Babies!

No, I'm not pregnant!

But, it seems like everyone around me is!  And I'm thoroughly enjoying basking in their excitement and filling up my days and nights with coos and baby smiles.

Sunday, October 7th, one of my bridesmaids had a beautiful baby girl!!  Her name is Milana! And I love her!  She is the perfect little gem, and I'm happy to welcome her into the world via cyber-space.  Which let's face it, is going to play an even bigger part of her life than is has in my generation.

Hmmm, generation...that word has taken on whole new meaning to me now that I feel like there's officially a generation that's younger than me!  This baby will not have lived through September 11th.  She won't ever (most likely) see $2 on a gas pump.  She will never know what it was like to not have the internet.

Yea, life is weird.  But I'm so happy to be sharing in hers :)

(Please ignore the crazy hairdo...it was a long day!)

(Oh no one was looking at me because Milana is so cute!  ok then, that's  good.)

Mini Post-Wedding Project

Can I just say...I wish it was my wedding again!!

Our wedding day was Amazing!  There were so many people from all corners of our lives that came out to celebrate with us.  I wish I could remember every second, every conversation, every facial expression, and every hug.  Alas, my memory's not quite that good, so I rely on the collective memories of those around me, and of course, all of the photos!

One thing that I have to concretely remember everyone who was there, are the cards.  The cards that people are generous and thoughtful enough to bring for us on our Wedding day.  But what do you do with these cards once the wedding's over, you've gone through them all, and sent out all of the thank you notes?  These cards, some with just a simple "congratulations" and some with heartfelt words written on every inch...what do you do with these now that the wedding is over?

Well we all know I wasn't going to throw them away!  So I went to my friend Pinterest!  Anyone heard of her?  She's got so many Amazing ideas, I figured she had to have something to help me.  And low and behold I found a simple picture here and had my inspiration!

One trip to AC Moore and an hour later I had this:

I have plans for where this is going to live, and don't worry babe, I already have a spot on the wall I've been saving for it.  This little mini project is going to combine on the wall with another wedding memento project...but that one deserves it's own post, so stay in touch.

I promise I won't go MIA for the next 2 months if you won't :)

Summer, oh How I Love Thee

Summer is my favorite time of year, without a doubt.  There's warm weather, boating weekends, beach trips, full coolers, and lots and lots of trips to the Cape.  This summer is flying by, as it usually does, but we've managed to pack quite a bit into these couple months.  So, at the risk of having the entire summer fly by without a summer post, here it is:

(These are in no particular order btw)

Boating with friends:

Great seafood, and sunset walks on Uncle Tim's Bridge:

Red Sox Games in Balcony Area B:

Visits with the family, and fun with the newest little cousin:

Two of my favorite people in the world getting married:

[and starting a family, I can't wait to be an Auntie!]

Good times at the Range with great people:

Goofy Newlywed Photo shoots in the sand:

And of course, lots of family time at the beach:

What are you doing with your summer?

New & Improved!!

Sorry for being so MIA lately.. I've been a little preoccupied, you know, with getting Married, going on a honeymoon, coming back to work, and enjoying Summer!

Our wedding day was so incredibly wonderful I can't imagine there are words in the English language to describe it.  The calmest moment for me of the entire day, was being up on the alter with my Man as we recited our vows to each other.  If you've experienced it yourself you know what I mean, and if you haven't, I hope you do some day!

Our friends and family made us feel like royalty all day long.  It's truly a blessing to be able to have a day like this to celebrate with All of the people that we love.

I made an observation that still rings true while at our reception... Usually when I go to a wedding, I'm at a table with people that I know, and I want to be with them and we laugh and talk and probably dance together, and it's great, and I don't give too much thought to the other tables of people around me.  But at MY wedding, I wanted to be at every table, all night long, because I know and love everyone who was there.

It's a very impressive feeling.

 

See the people in this picture above, a.k.a. "The Bridal Party".....

They were amazing!  These 8 people, along with their significant others, took care of all of the unforeseen crap that comes up on a wedding day that you just don't know and can't possibly anticipate...like needing pushpins to hold down the aisle runner at the church, like my mom wanting to decorate our hotel room for when we got back after the reception, and like driving random grandparents from the church to the reception... They were amazing!!

And then there was a honeymoon...

This was also amazing, as not only was it my Man's first vacation ever that lasted more then 3 days, but we did everything that we wanted to do, we stayed in paradise, and we spent 8 solid days with no one but each other.  Although I was legitimately worried that we'd come home wanting a divorce.., we survived with flying colors and came home refreshed, tanned, and looking forward to the next 80 years together!!

I Remember...

 I remember The day I got engaged.

I remember ordering breakfast sandwiches for the 4 of us before we went on a walk, I remember the annoyance I felt at having to go on this walk while my parents were preparing for a party at home and I wasn't there to help.  I remember the look on my mom's face when I arrived home after the walk and she was waiting for me.  I remember what I said on the phone when I called those who were to far away to tell in person.

 I remember trying to get a date to go Bridesmaid dress shopping with all of my girls at once.  I remember how great it was to have us all together and how many awful ugly dresses they tried on before finding anything we liked.  I remember how excited I was when they all came out of the dressing room with "the dress" on and were dancing even though there was no music.

I remember getting ready for my Bridal Shower, not knowing where I was going, what I'd be doing, or who I'd be doing it with, but knowing it would be special.  I remember what it felt like to walk into a room and know that everyone in that room was there for me, and to celebrate with me.

I remember how amazing my girls were at planning my Bachelorette party and keeping it a surprise until we walked through the door!  I remember how great it felt having all (well, most) of my favorite girls in one place, all having a great time together.

With all of these wonderful memories flooding me, I go into this Memory-Making week with a full and open heart.  This is going to be the most wonderful memory yet, and I can't believe it's only 5 days away.

Thank you to all who have filled my heart throughout this year.

Bryan, I can't wait to make more Memories with You!

Showers of Love! ~Friends~

It's time to give more Thanks!

There are so many ladies who had a part in my lovely day, but these 4, they took the cake!  Actually... I believe they bought the cake!  But either way, I'm very lucky to have them around me.

This picture is a preview of my Bridal party, and makes me smile every time I look at it just thinking about how much fun they made this day.  There were also incredibly generous gifts that I received from them, and will help the memories of this day last years and years to come.

Everyone hopes that as life goes on they don't lose touch with friends and connections don't fade away.  I have known these ladies for a combined 36 years... I think we're good :)

I'm also lucky to have so many people from different times in my life supporting me, and loving me, and celebrating with me.  My friend Liz definitely stands out for me in the photo below, as she traveled a whopping 2,045 miles to celebrate with me!  How did I get so lucky?

All of the ladies in this photo have played a special role in my life these past few years, and I am truly blessed to have them all to help guide my path as Mr. Man and I figure out this thing called "marriage."

And that brings me to the role models.  Each of the women in this photo have taught me something about life and love.  They are part of my Cape Cod family, and it's truly incredible to me that they take the time out of their busy lives to think of me and be a part of my day.

And just because it has to be said... one of these ladies is directly responsible for our little venue-switcheroo that we pulled just 5 months before the wedding!!  And so to her I say.... "Thank You!"

And there you have it, the part of the party that falls into the "family you get to choose" category.  And boy oh boy did I chose well!!

Showers of Love! ~Family~

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Thank you to all who made my Bridal Shower possible!  It was an amazing day full of loving gifts and lots of laughter.

There is too much to be thankful for in one post... so I'll spread it out... this first one:

Family

So many times in my life I have taken for granted the amazing family that I have.  Every one of them traveled hundreds of miles to share in this day of celebration with me, and I couldn't be more grateful.  There was nothing taken for granted this weekend, that's for sure!

These amazing ladies took a train from Manhattan to be here with my mom and me, and they enjoyed every minute of the corsage pinning, veil wearing, gift opening, lingerie sharing, favor opening extravaganza!

This is the Curly haired side of the family... My Dad's family, whom I couldn't possibly say enough wonderful things about.  They will be making the 300 mile journey from NYC 3 times in the next 2 months to celebrate various Family occasions with us MA dwellers.

How lucky am I?

And the young-in in the photo above?  Yup, that's my flower-girl!!  Whom my friends, even 3 days after party, are still commenting to me how amazing she is.  Best comment: "She could totally be a 25 year old, and if she was, I would totally hang out with her!"

Oh, and you see my cousin with me in this photo below?  She's an artist!  Hang on, let me re-phrase that... She's an AMAZING Artist!  She took a 4x6 favorite photo of Mr. Man and Me from 2004 and turned it into a magical oil painting.  Yes, she painted that!  Complete with my summer highlights and wispy hair.

Incredible!!

And again, how lucky am I, that my cousin would spend Months working on something this special for me?

And of course the new family.  3 Generations of Mr. Mans, and me, their new DIL & GDIL.  These men came all the way to the shower, to spend 4 hours sitting in the next room over, just to be close by to the festivities and in case Mrs. Nana needed anything during the party.

Now that's Love & Dedication!

So there you have it, the first installment of my undying gratitude for the family members that made my Bridal Shower what it was...

AMAZING!!!

Re-Cap

I kind of realized recently that there were no Easter updates here in the Julie BlogShell, so I figured I'd fill in that blank before this very busy weekend ahead that I'm sure I'll have much to post about.

 

So, remember when Mr. Man's Dad gave us the Xbox Kinects for Christmas?  Well we made good use of this toy over Easter Weekend.  We were visiting my folks on Cape and definitely got our Kinects on!  I received  the bowling game for my birthday just a couple months ago and hadn't played that much, so we brought it with us and explored all aspects of that disc.

When the little cousins (forever to be referred to as FG = "Flower Girl" and RB = "Ring Bearer" from now on) arrived on Easter day, we decided this was the perfect way to occupy some time.  The whole family, and momentary visiting friends, joined in the fun.  We set records for number of pins down, how far below Par we could get, least number of darts thrown to certain score, and number of bubbles popped.

It was a good time all around.

Facelift

No, the title of this post does not mean that I'm having work done before the wedding. ;)

What it does mean is that after over 2 years of living in this condo, we're finally getting around to thinking about how to make it "Ours."
There's one wall in the living room that's been painted since week 2. That room was the focal point of many a Housewarming Visitor and when the first few photos highlighted the yellow-ness of everything, I painted!

What that one wall failed to do, though I'm not sure how, was to clue me in on the fact that the rest of the house also had this problem of Yellow. When I woke up one particularly sleepy morning a few weeks ago and walked into the bathroom with my eyes still squinty, I realized how very yellow our bathroom was. not only were the walls in this room yellow, but the tile and counter-top had those hues as well...

Now I'm all for browns and warm colors, but this was pushing it even for me. So we discussed, brought home paint chips, compared, and ultimately bought a gallon of paint.

Now, I haven't painted a room, um... ever. That one wall in my living room, with 3 windows on it, so there's really not that much wall space (can be seen here) is the extent of my painting history. The one thing I absolutely knew how to do... prep the room.

Everything came off the counter, pictures came down nails pulled out of the walls, the shower curtain rod came down, and the bathmats were rolled up.

Then the real work began.
We taped off every edge that wasn't the ceiling, cut in around all edges & fixtures, and painstakingly got artsy with the door. I started the cutting-in while Mr. Man was at the gym, then he came home and took over while I rolled the walls.

After 2 days of taping, sanding, painting, drying, sanding, painting, drying, shopping for a new shower curtain, removing tape, vacuuming, mopping, and hanging up the new curtain...
We now live in this:

For a weekend's worth of work, it's definitely brightening our lives!
We each showered for the first time this morning in our new bathroom, and it was much less squinty! The blue adds a darker element to the bathroom, but the lighter shower curtain allows the light to come through.
It's only day 1 after completion, but we're happy!

Which room can we paint next?