September Already?

(Photo found via Pinterest)

Can you believe the Summer is officially over? I can't. As usual, the Summer flew by. I'm not TOO sad to see it go though, because Fall is far and above my favorite season of the year!

As we are celebrating Labor Day and peering into a new season, I have lots on my mind! As usual, when I have lots on my mind I must resort to lists. So here goes:

• I worked at the Minnesota State Fair for 4 days straight last week, selling Fish and Chips at a booth owned by some family friends. It was awesome and excruciating at the same time. Awesome because I got to work with some good friends and some ridiculously cool kids that make me wish I was a teenager again, and excruciating because I spent 8 hours a day yelling things like "I NEED A FISH!" and "WHERE IS MY LOBSTER, YO?" Yup. It was a week to remember!

• I start teaching again this very week. I am excited to get into a routine again, but I feel rather unprepared. However, I feel unprepared for just about everything so I'm learning to just go with it. As a wise professor once told me, "You may not feel like you know much, but you always know more than they do!" Amen. 

• Pinterest is going to be my undoing. I realized a while ago that I have been on it too much when I suddenly started having nightmares about wreaths. Seriously, have you SEEN the ridiculous amounts of wreaths that people have been pinning lately? I've been awaking in sheer panic because I don't have one yet for my front door.

• I painted the trim in our bedroom white finally, it's been a project that has been looming over my head since we bought this place. It took me 2 days to do one room, but I'm so glad it's done! Of course, pictures will be coming soon.

 How about you? Are you excited for the arrival of Fall? Have you been doing anything exciting or different these days? And perhaps most importantly, do you have a wreath for your front door yet??? 

Project Week- Recap

So, you may be wondering how I did with my self-proclaimed "Project Week" last week. I had a laundry list of things to do, and I was aiming at finishing them off before the end of the week. So, did I make it?

Well, almost. =) I was SO close. Here's the list of things that I had to do:

• Paint Bookshelf #1
• Paint Bookshelf #2
• Finish Curtains
• Organize and clean music room
• Prettify music room using things I already have
• Finish wooden tray (I found an awesome wooden tray at Goodwill that needs a makeover!)

And here's what got done.

Bookshelf #1 got a nice new paint job to transform it from this:

 

 To this:

Bookshelf #2 gave me a bit more trouble.

After priming it and painting 2 coats, I went to put the polyeurethane finish on and the stupid stuff turned my white bookshelf yellow. I may or may not have cried in angst at that. So bookshelf #2 will probably be repainted sometime in the near future. Grr.

#3 on my list was to finish the curtains I had started a couple months ago. I'm happy to say that they are all done and doing their job quite nicely!

#4, organize and clean the music/craft/office space went pretty well too. It really helped to finally have a functional place to put things! All of my teaching books are now happily housed on the new bookshelf.

#5, prettify (is that a word?) the music/craft/office space, is off to a good start as well. I used things that I already had on hand to try and bring some continuity to the space.

 

One of the biggest changes in that area was the addition of an oversized print that I purchased a few years ago. I didn't have anywhere to put it for a long time, so it was sitting in the garage! I didn't know if the colors would work in here since I'm going for more of a green and white combo, but I really like the zap of color that the teal brings. 

There's definitely more that I would like to do in that regard, but at least it's off to a decent start!

Project #7 was also derailed by a bad paint job. I found this tray at GW and planned to give it a makeover, but the paint I chose did a really poor job of covering it, and then I decided I hated the color anyway. You win some, you lose some!

All in all, I'm really happy with how the project week turned out. It's nice to know that the Summer didn't completely get away from me before I was able to carve out some time and get things done! Just in time for some Fallish weather, it seems.

Just to jog your memory, here's what that room used to look like:

The wall where the piano is still looks pretty much the same and will need more work, but I think it's definitely come a long way! So, what projects are you finishing up this Summer?

Roughin' It

Until this past weekend, it had been about 10 years since I had been camping. Let's face it, I'm one of those girls that doesn't really get along with nature. I like my bed, my shower, my sparkly clean toilet, and being able to kill every spider that dares to set an appendage over my threshold.

But when our dear friends Nick and Cindy (you can read their account of the trip here) asked us if we would be interested in an end-of-summer camping trip, I finally caved. Well, I have to admit, part of it was the sheer stubborn will that I've had ever since I was a child. If other people can camp, then so can I. Even if I die trying.

So, since we are all quite adventurous (read: ignorant), we thought it would be a great idea to book a backpacking campsite. For all you other non-campers out there, that means you have to carry everything in on foot. No backing up your u-haul and unloading all your crap, you have to strap it on your back and carry it in. 1 mile, 1/4 of which was a pretty extreme uphill hike.

We also realized, after booking the site of course, that there were no flush toilets or shower facilities. Oops.

 But although we got off to a rather rocky start, the trip was really amazing. Our campsite was so remote, we barely heard or saw anyone else. It was up on the bluffs of the St. Croix river, so the views were stunning!

We got to chop our own firewood, and haul water back and forth from the well.

We also had some of the most amazing food ever. Like these banana desserts, ohmygoodness. I'm still dreaming about them! Cindy has the deets on how to make these over at her blog, The Flipping Couple. 

There were some beautiful sunsets, here's one we saw as we were heading back up the trail to our campsite.

 It was such a wonderful trip. The views, the weather, the food, and especially the company were perfect. So after such a successful camping trip, I think I will have to do it again!

How about you? Do you enjoy camping?

Project # 2

It took me a good 4 hour chunk of time on Tuesday, but the curtains are finally done! I was hoping to finish them in under 2 hours, since they were already mostly sewn, but as I tweaked the design a little to incorporate features I wanted it got to be a bigger project! For instance, I added tabs at the top of the curtain for hanging so it would be easier to move the curtains. Originally, I had just folded the fabric over and sewn a loop for the rod to go through, but it made the curtains to difficult to open and close. The tabs are much better, plus I like the way the curtains lay now more! 

The green and cream fabric was from a friend that I helped with her sewing machine. She made curtains for her kitchen and had a ton of fabric left over, I think I still have 2-3 yards left!

Here's that list again- I'm still hoping I can power through the rest of these things before the week is out!

• Paint bookshelf #1
• Paint bookshelf #2 (post coming soon!)
• Finish curtains
• Organize and clean music room
• Prettify music room using things I already have
• Finish wooden tray (I found an awesome wooden tray at Goodwill that needs a makeover!)

Week of Projects

I've started quite a few projects in the past few weeks, and I'm planning on using this week to finish them all up! After a fun and busy Summer, it's time to focus on getting the house in order for Fall, especially since I will be teaching piano again from our home. So, most of the projects are geared towards the music room!

First off, Josh and I found this wonderful specimen at a garage sale last weekend. Isn's she a beaut?

Actually, using my supreme detective skills (a la Hercule Poirot), I have deduced that this was once used in a clubhouse of some sort. Why? Because someone scratched in the surface "Boys Rule" and "No Girls Allowed." Awesome. 

Well, I couldn't really have that kind of propaganda in the house, considering that I am in fact a girl, so I sanded it down and gave it a coat of primer, 2 coats of a lovely off-white shade, and a protective polyurethane coat.

This bookshelf fits the room perfectly! Originally, I was going to buy something from IKEA for this space, but really, this bookshelf was only $5 (plus $50 for materials I will be reusing on other pieces). And, it's solid wood!

The bottom shelf fits the boxes I store sheet music in perfectly. It's so nice to finally have a little storage in that space! 

Are you curious about what other projects I am working on this week? Well, here's my list (so far): 

• Paint bookshelf #1 (done!)
• Paint bookshelf #2 
• Finish curtains (yes, I started this project 2 whole months ago...)
• Organize and clean music room
• Prettify music room using things I already have
• Finish wooden tray (I found an awesome wooden tray at Goodwill that needs a makeover!)

So, here's hoping that I can check a few more projects off this list before this week is out!

Opera, Schmopera

I talk very little about "the other part" of my life. I know, that sounds creepy, like I'm a serial killer or something. I promise you, that is most definitely not the case! In fact, I am a music teacher + a wannabe someday grad student in the field of Vocal Pedagogy and Opera Performance.

This blog was originally a way for me to delve into some other interests besides music- since being a music major in college was all-encompassing and didn't give me much of a chance to do anything else! But, music is such a huge part of my life that I can't NOT talk about it, at least once in a while. =) 

Last week, I got to finish up a 2-week Italian Opera study program. It consisted of several lessons and language classes with Maestro Leonardo Marzagalia and his wife Cristina, who come here every couple of years from Italy to do this program. I was one of 12 lucky participants, ranging in age from 16 to 60-ish. It culminated in a recital where we all sang the pieces we had been working on. Here's a photo taken after the recital, of all the participants + the Maestro (at the piano).

And just for fun, here's a wee clip of me singing. It's not the whole song, some parts of the beginning got cut off, but here's a least part of it!

Bledded Wiss

Yesterday, my honey and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary! I can't believe it has already been 2 years since I walked down the aisle and married the love of my life. My, how time flies!

We celebrated by getting dressed up, and going out to one of my favorite restaurants (Josh had never been there, but I'm assuming that now he has experienced it he loves it too!), The Loring Pasta Bar. I seriously love that place. The food is to die for, and the ambience is spectacular! 

I love the rustic look of the building- lots of exposed brick and industrial texture mixed with some lavish, moroccan style furnishings. Yummy. 

Of course, I did not spend the whole time taking pictures of the restaurant. I focused on the dinner with my hubs, but what can I say, I am a home-decorating blogger and can never completely switch off that side of myself! =D

See what I mean though? Gorgeous. I wonder if they would let me move in? 

Here's what we ate, because I know everyone loves looking at pictures of delicious food that someone else ate:

Artichoke Ramekin with Garlic Bread.

Saffron Chicken Linguine with Cilantro and Basil (!).

Portobello Stuffed Ravioli. Oh my.  

It really was the perfect date. As wonderful as the food + atmosphere were, it's always about who you're there with, and my hubby is my favorite person to spend time with. We laugh, pray, cry, commiserate, work, go on adventures, and do just about everything together. Ok, with the crying, I must admit, it's usually only me. But he is a good soother and always has a spare hankie.

We both have a pretty healthy sense of humor as well, and an innate ability to mess up the words that we are trying to say. So at one point during our date Josh proposed a toast and said, "To 2 years of Bledded Wiss." I think he meant to say Wedded Bliss. AH, we had a good laugh over that one!