fresh friday

I completely forgot about fresh friday today.  That is the state of my life lately...slightly chaotic.  However, with the chaos comes a lot of excitement about beginning my fall classes and some incredibly good news...

My one and only bit of fresh friday news this week is that my absolutely amazing husband found out that he got a job as a music teacher at Midd-West Middle School last Friday.

It was the only music position open this year within 30 miles of Lewisburg.  There were evidently well over 100 applicants and some stiff competition, but he got it!!

I am the proudest wife!!

Before I go, I want to wish my father a very, very, Happy Birthday tomorrow!!  I love you Dad!!

Everyone have a great weekend.

So Long!

fresh friday

1.  I feel very ill prepared to complete a fresh friday today.  I have no idea what happened to this week.

2.  Well I do sort of have an idea.  I attended a workshop on course design and pedagogy for three days.  It was great to meet other new faculty members and really think about teaching and how I would like to develop my classes.

This was the gorgeous view on campus yesterday morning as I walked to the library.

3.  I picked up my Bucknell ID yesterday.  It says Faculty/Staff on it which is awesome!  

4.  Devin and I have gone on several walks this week.  It is amazing to be somewhere that everything in town is so assessable.  We walked for breakfast on Sunday, ice cream on Tuesday and dinner on Wednesday.  I am sure we will also walk a few more times this weekend as it is supposed to be beautiful.

5.  The house is still coming together.  We need some things (like closets Tony!), but all in all, it is a put together house that is starting to feel like our home.

6.  We have HBO GO thanks to Bridget.  I am so happy that I get to finish out this season of True Blood.  I am not quite feeling where things are going though.  Bad thing are happening to all of my favorite people.

We have also started watching Newsroom which I am a HUGE fan of.  It is an incredibly interesting show.  I highly recommend getting into it!

7. Next week I have a lot of work to do preparing for my classes and I have a few workshops/orientations to attend.  It should be a busy but exciting week.

8.  I am obsessed with Etsy lately.  I want to buy everything on it, and yet I buy nothing.  Well that isn't quite true.  I got a print off of Etsy, well, it was bought for me as a gift (thanks Mom).  I am going to buy a custom window cushion however.  We bought a trunk and I painted it and turned it into a window seat, so we need a cushion.  It is a random size, so why not special order it off Etsy?

9.  Another website that I am obsessed with is Joss and Main.  It has discount home stuff.  If you want to join it, shoot me an email and then I will send you a link so I can get some $15 credits.  There have been like one million things that I have wanted to buy on that site.  It just really is not practical since apparently I can expect to get paid for the first time September 15th.

10.  I forgot last week to say that I also bought Dinosaur BBQ sauce at Wegmans.  We had it yesterday with some BBQ Pulled Chicken. Yum!  Recipe modified by How Sweet.

11.  I've got a couple recipes that I have been wanting to try.  Hopefully this weekend.  This one, but especially this one.

12. And as usual, some pictures of the girls in their new home.

Janey likes to scale the fireplace which is at least 5 feet tall.

She also still loves the bathroom sinks.

Here she is completely passed out on the kitchen counter.

Deeley likes the new chair.

They secretly love each other now.

So Long!

fresh friday

1. We are officially in Lewisburg, settled into our new home.

2.  Mostly settled in.  There is still a lot to do, and a lot to buy.

3.  The girls had a very tough time the first few days, but they are coming around.  While I love there not being carpet in the house, they definitely miss it.  Especially on the steps.

4.  I will try to get pictures up of the house once it all comes together.  It is definitely a slow process.

5.  I have finally gotten to do some antiquing and I am so glad that I waited until I got here.  There are some crazy (world renowned) antique stores around Lewisburg.

6.  Whenever I have a great idea for the house, like using an old door for a headboard (it looks awesome) or using a shutter to hold the mail (also truly awesome), Devin asks "did you come up with this, or was it on pinterest?"  Of course I have to say it was on pinterest…

7.  I went in and got the keys for my office yesterday.  It is crazy, seeing my name next to the door of my very own beautiful office.  Sometimes (most of the time) none of this seems real.  I feel so very lucky to have this life.

8.  My kitchen in the new house is AMAZING!  The appliances work so well and there is so much counter space, I even have a baking section where I get to keep my mixer out.  Unfortunately, the kitties immediately took a liking to the kitchen.  I am hoping we can teach them that they are not allowed on the counter while I am cooking.  

Can you find Janey and Deeley??

9.  We took a trip out to Wegmans earlier in the week.  It is about a half hour from our house.  I love that in Central PA, you can go to Wegmans and get Chiavettas and Pelicanos.   We spent a lot of time and a lot of money in there.

10.  I have to be at school (work?) most of next week (and every week after that).  It seems that my summer is definitely over.   

11.   This adorable thing happened in Pittsburgh before we left.  I think that the traumatic experience of packing and moving to a new house has actually brought them closer together.  At least for the time being.

12.  Also before we left Pittsburgh, we did sort of a bucket list - restaurant/coffee house style and ate out nearly every day for like two weeks.  I tried to document most of it for your viewing pleasure.

Union Pig & Chicken - Incredible!

Counter clockwise from top left - Primanti's (duh), Nakama,
Big Jim's and Thai Place (top and bottom right)

Belgian Waffles from Waffallonia - My most favorite dessert ever, without question.

Last but not least, our favorite restaurant in Pittsburgh - Piper's Pub

Definitely going to be missed.

We will miss the coffe the most.  Taza, Espresso a mano, CommonPlace (not pictured)
and our favorite for Sunday morning coffee, 21st Street

Time to discover all the great things that Lewisburg has to offer.

So Long!

fresh friday

1.  Yea so I totally missed fresh friday last weekend.  It was with good reason.  I spent 15 hours on Friday and the day before and the day after, painting and cleaning the new house.

2.  Yes that's right, we closed on the new house!!

Unlocking the house with my keys for the first time.

Very excited!!

3.  Liv came with me and did so so so so so much work.  She is getting one (or many) awesome Christmas present(s) this year.

4.  My mom and Tony also came to help out.  My mom did some great painting and among a million other things, Tony took down a wall and put up a different one.  Pictures of that reno to come.

5.  I have sense come back to Pittsburgh knowing that we really need to start packing.  I am rather sick of people asking me if we are all packed yet.  We are not even close to being 'all packed' yet, though each day we get a little bit further.  It helps that we are basically selling or throwing everything out.  I refuse to be a hoarder.

6.  I did just buy this great new antique dresser that matches the tall dresser that my mom bought for us.  I am going to put it in the dining room as our buffet (because we are adults and need a buffet (actually it is just a big room and it needs something other than a table)).  I think I am going to organize all my craft/wrapping stuff in it.  It will be perfect!

Dresser I just bought.

Dresser from my mom.

7.  With all this cleaning/packing/painting, I think I finally have my first bout of arthritis in my hands.  I knew it was coming.  My mom had arthritis in her hands in her twenties and I already have it in my knees.  It is painful and uncomfortable.  Hopefully once things settle down it will go away.

8.  I spent my last day at CMU on Tuesday.  I have mixed feelings about it.  I am not sad or anything, it just feels weird.  At least I got to spend my last day watching Tracy become Dr. Sweet!

9.  I am so excited because in just a couple hours, I am going to breakfast with Caroline and to see Magic Mike.  We talked about going at Dave and Jen's wedding and it is finally happening.

10.  I really hope that you have been checking out this blog.  This kid cracks me up every morning.

11.  The Etching's put out an awesome music video.  Check it out! 

12.  Here are a couple cute ones of the girls.  I know you haven't seen them in awhile.

Deeley using my open computer as a pillow.

I wish I had Janey's life.

I am not sure if fresh friday is going to happen next week.  That is the day all of our belongings get loaded onto a giant truck.  If it doesn't work out, then I will see you in August!

Time for our last weekend in Pittsburgh!

So Long!

fresh fridays

1.  Alright, so I have had one week off of class, and I already forgot what day it is.  fresh friday coming at you a little bit late today.

2.  Devin and I went out to brunch at The Porch last Saturday.  I chose lunch, he chose breakfast.  It was all delicious.  I highly recommend heading over there.

3. Dave and Jen had a beautiful (if not a little hot) wedding that evening.  It was a great night!  

4.  I headed home on Sunday.  This is how I graded my exams Monday…

5.  This is how Monday ended…

6. Also on Monday, I picked out all of the paint for the new house.  I showed all of the house pictures to my Mom and Tony and they had some great ideas.  I am so excited!!

7.  Tuesday, Liv and I built a fire pit down on the beach.  We carried rocks from all the way down the beach.  It was exhausting.  Especially after hours of the Black Eye Pea Experience.

8.  But we made this awesome fire that night.  And made some delcious smores (those are marshmallow sticks).

Liv and David

9.   Fourth of July I spent some time at my dad and Bridget's in the pool and then did some work on some furniture for the house.  I refinished an old door for a headboard for our spare bedroom and I also refinished a table.  Turns out I am super crafty.

10. Liv is spending the next week with me in Pittsburgh.  I am not sure what we are going to do for the next two days that does not involve being outside.

11. I'm thinking Monday will be spent at the zoo.

12. This sunset happened in Pittsburgh last week.  Can you believe those colors???

Have a great weekend everyone!

fresh fridays

1.  Today is my last day of class!!  I am giving my final exam.  In fact, I have someone taking it early right now.

2.  I have just under 2 months until my first day teaching at Bucknell.  I have a bunch of workshops and other fun things in August before I start teaching, but I am really exciting to not have a job for the next 7 weeks.  It has been years (like maybe since my first year of grad school) since I just took some time off.

3. Although, I highly doubt this can be considered time off.  Since in my time off, I have to get our new house ready, pack up the old house and move, plus prepare for the classes that I will be teaching this fall.  Oh and I would like to start getting some articles together for publication.  Sound like time off?

4.  Plus, I want to try to enjoy my last 4 weeks in Pittsburgh.  Yes, 4 weeks.  We move in less than a month.   Honestly, I am so ready.

5.  But, I am really going to miss these:

6.  I really want to make myself a bunch of these bracelets.  Oh and while I am talking about making stuff.  I decided that I am going to buy a sewing machine and make all my decorative throw pillows and curtains.  I have never sewn anything in my life.  And I am thinking about learning how to build a studio in our garage loft for Devin.  Thank goodness I have all this time (she says sarcastically).

7.  Last night was Ms. Jen Kushner's bachelorette party.  We were down at Station Square.  It turned out to be biker night.  That was a (fun??) surprise.  I had a really great time.  Jen has some very fun girlfriends!  And I got carded, which is really exciting since I am way on the plus side of 25.

8.  Tomorrow is the Friedenberg wedding.  With how fun the bachelorette party was, I cannot wait for the craziness that is sure to be their wedding!!

9.  I convinced Devin into letting me get Snickers ice cream bars this week.  We do not ever keep unhealthy snacks in the house unless I make them, so this was a big deal.  I love Snickers ice cream bars.  They are heaven.  Especially for the 90-95 degree evenings we have been having.

10. My mom blackmailed me into coming home for a few days.  It is not really blackmail, but more she made me an offer I couldn't refuse.  I will not get into the details, but needless to say I am going to be in Hamburg, Sunday - Wednesday, FYI.  Then I am bringing Liv back to Pittsburgh with me for one last fun trip.

11. Still cannot stop thinking about buying old dressers and things and refinishing them.  Hopefully as I am writing this, Tony (my step-dad) is at an estate sale for me buying an old trunk that I can fix up as a window seat and possibly a dresser.

12. One (or both) of the kitties chewed through my iPhone earbuds yesterday.  I was not very happy with them.  But that didn't last long, because they are so cute.

Oh hey...yeah we eat your stuff...but we are so cute, we can get away with it...

So Long!

fresh friday

1. The beginning of this week seemed to move so slowly, but then I blinked and it somehow became Friday.

2.  Perhaps the relentless heat/humidity had something to do with it.  Holy Smokes it was hot this week.  Consistently over 90 and humid.

3.  There is a brand new blog that promises to give daily pictures of TheFaceBaby.  If you have not seen or heard of the TheFaceBaby, you are seriously missing out.  If you want to smile each day, take a second to look at this blog.

4.  So, last Friday I found out that the sellers agreed to meet all of our requests and that our mortgage was approved!   So, I think that it is safe to say that we have a house!!  We are going to be closing in about 3 weeks (Ahh!) and moving in about 5 (Ahhhh!!!).

5. Did you know that when you hire movers they give you a delivery date of between 2-4 days after they load all of your things?  What are we supposed to do without any of our things for 4 days?  We finally found someone that guaranteed delivery on the next day.  It has been a stressful process.

6.  I have one week left of teaching! It has been a great class, but I am looking forward to having some down time before starting the new job.

7.  This is something that I absolutely have to make this week.

8.  I have an overwhelming desire to go antiquing.  Like buy some old dressers and then sand them down and paint them some outrageous color.  I am not sure if I should start doing this now and then move everything to Lewisburg or wait until we move.  I need to buy a palm sander.  And about a billion other tools.

9.  I bought some pink pants.  They are like super neon pink.  I think I love them, but I might be wrong.

10.  I had an iced americano this week that tasted like strawberries.  Commonplace has an espresso blend that somehow or another tastes exactly like strawberries.

11.  Devin and I went out for mexican this week.  This is how we started dinner.

12.  I made my very first hollandaise sauce this week.  It was so yummy!

Have an amazing weekend!!  I am looking forward to a couple relaxing days and some more gorgeous Pittsburgh sunsets.

So Long!