We've Only Just Begun

This past Friday John and I closed on our house. We were able to have our furniture moved on Thursday so as soon as we finished up paper work I was able to head over and start unpacking boxes. Overwhelming. Let. Me. Tell. You. The front two rooms were completely packed full! I believe we likely unloaded 75% of the boxes this weekend - so it was filled with both excitement and exhaustion.

The past year has been filled with so much activity I cannot help but to reflect. In one month we will celebrate our one year anniversary. A huge milestone, no doubt - people who say the first year is the most difficult are right on point! We have sold a house (closing is this week), purchased our first home together. We are losing one job - and in that are able to put in perspective the things that are important to us.

I hope that everyone is well - and enjoying life! More to come later...

Spreadsheet Anyone?

Depending on how often you read this, or how often I manage to write, you will sometimes see my incessant rambling about my husband and his spreadsheets. In the words of John, Spreadsheets are the answer to everything! And he truly, truly believes this...

Example: John goes to Denver, CO (very cool place, I hear) on business... He visits friends from high school or college (I can't remember)... I anxiously await stories of catching up, cool restaurants, bars, something that 30-year olds do... Not my husband! He instead fills me in on how the office where he was working uses Excel 2007!!!! Excel 2007, people! This isn't just any 'ole excel program, this program holds One Million line items! We're both nerds in our own way, so this is ok. I'm sure he enjoys hearing about yarn textures, fibers, colors, etc. and my latest bag idea...

Today, I have a new appreciation for the spreadsheets. You may also know that we have been house hunting. Why? I don't know, because in one month only ONE person has looked at our house so if you ask me today, I doubt we'll be purchasing another home anytime in the near future... But, hey, I guess stranger things have happened. At any rate, I digress. Since we have been house hunting for one month we have looked at and liked a lot of houses. As you can probably guess, they are neatly organized in a spreadsheet. MLS#, Address, Stats, Subdivision.... Well he added a column with a hyperlink to the house page!!! LOVE THIS FEATURE!!! This feature has given me a new appreciation for my husband's spreadsheets!!!

And onto RoseKnits news... I have a new bag idea brewing in my head! With any luck, I'll have one in the shop tonight!!! Stay tuned... Also, if you are a RAVELER - join our group 'RoseKnits'! For the month of August all group members who 'refer a friend' to join the group will be entered into a drawing with their friend for a bag out of the shop! Who can pass that up??

Reasons Why John is the Best Husband Ever!

Well, maybe he is not the best husband for you, but he certainly is for me! He knocks my socks off all of the time! Tonight, though, was a first for us... John always says that he is really proud of the sewing and RoseKnits and all of that good stuff :-D that is, of course, what husbands are supposed to say...

This July, in good 'ole Kelleyville, Oklahoma the third annual Fiber Christmas will be held (www.fiberchristmas.com). I'm really nervous because the date is fast approaching, and like everything else in life, I don't want it to creep up on me! My 'goal' is to make 100 items to take to Fiber Christmas. I keep telling John that cutting fabric, ironing interfacing, etc. all takes time. Something I will surely have less of in the near future ~ so I really want to get crackin'! After dinner I asked him to iron on interfacing for, oh, 20 box bags... He did it!!! And after that, he turned about 10 handles or so... (I should have taken photos of this event - drats!)

I think he secretly enjoyed it so I promised him more fabric fun this weekend where we are going to have a sew-a-rama at our house! And this, folks, is the reason for today why he's the best husband ever!

We're Still Alive, I Promise!

It has been awhile since I have taken a seat to talk to you from blogger land... Here goes nothin'!

I suspect that you all thought that John and I killed each other in an effort to prepare our house for sale. We did not. The things that have been transpiring in the Saltsman household are much, much more interesting than death!

I only wish I could tell you the details of what has been going on; but I cannot. Maybe a little later, we'll have to see how it all unfolds!

An update, nonetheless. We listed our house last Wednesday only to remove it from the market Thursday evening. I am excited to report that TWO people viewed our house on Thursday and a few others drove by this past Saturday searching for a 'For Sale' sign only to find nothing. We've dug St. Joseph out of the front yard and placed him in the kitchen ~ in hopes of using him in the future. Yesterday, my dad took us to breakfast and brought his truck so we could make two grueling trips from mini-storage to our house. Our garage looks much like it used to, only cluttered with boxes of stuff rather than the stuff. I plan to bring those back into the house one at a time in hopes of getting rid of some of the stuff.

The yarn, well, it never made it to the garage... It went right back to the room that it was packed from, but did manage to find some new shelves that hubby installed Saturday night. That room has the appearance of being a bit more tidy and organized.

In the near future John and I are looking at some changes in both of our lives, and YES, we will be making the changes together vs. apart just in case some of you were thinking the worse!

So we are alive, well, and plugging onward! Hope to have more updates for you soon!

Adventures in the Saltsman Home

John and I have spoken, joked, hinted around on numerous occasions that maybe we should be in the market for a new home. While we realize this may not be the 'ideal' time to buy a home, we are both still gainfully employed (knocking on wood), and John's job seems to have something that resembles stability.

Currently we are living in my first home - my starter home - a home definitely made for one person, not two. I love this house - it was my first introduction into the adult world, and the first substantial thing that I purchased that was not a mistake :-) My little starter house is 1127 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. It's so cute! Unfortunately, I think John and I are outgrowing this house - and with any luck, we'll be growing our family next year. We joke that we can stay in this house until someone else needs to use the restroom - but we risk a potential homicide occuring in this house if we do not choose to part with it.

I mentioned that John and I have discussed this before - where I am quite sure he dismissed me and went about his daily business. Well - Grant (John's buddy at work) and John went to lunch on Friday - and Grant says, "John, this really is a great time to buy a house... blah... blah... blah..." I can hear the conversation now. Saturday morning John casually saunters up to me, "So, honey, Grant and I were talking yesterday at lunch and I think it would be a great time for us to start looking for a new home..." You could just see the little glimmer in his eye as he made his very proud statement, that I am sure he still thinks that he came up with... Whatever! You have to pick and choose your battles in a marriage and the realtor is coming this week. We're preapproved for a new home... And we'll see what happens.

While I may not get to shout, "H-E-L-L-O, that's what I have been saying..." or "Do you ever listen to me..." I do get to look for new homes. I've won this one, even if I don't get to brag about it - to him...

How to Pimp Your Husband - Unintentionally, Of Course!

Hello Everyone! It's been awhile since I blogged... This week I am going to make an attempt to go 5 for 5. We'll see how that works out...

This weekend I spent time doing something that I'd not done in awhile. On Saturday while it was a rainy mess here (I promise it rained 12 hours on Friday - and Saturday morning John was still insisting that he was going to play golf <-- he did not... I digress, back to me!) since it was a rainy mess... I did what any girl would do. I went for a morning facial and then trotted off to Starbuck's and Loops to settle in for some knitting... When I say settle in, I mean it! I stayed at Loops from 11 AM - 3 PM. It was SO MUCH FUN! I thought, why have I not done this in so long? I made some pretty good progress on my pleated neck t. With any luck and a few lazy evenings that should be finished this week! I've not tried it on - so I hope that it all works out ok.

To the topic, though. How to pimp your husband! In case John sees this, I say this lovingly and with a bit of humor. By writing this, I am totally risking John never helping me untangle another ball of yarn - again - ever! He may not want people to know of his secret untangling powers...

Last week I was chatting along with RobinM. She was telling me about all of the goodies that she purchased at Stitches South (I'm not jealous) and she purchased a skein of ribbon yarn that just kind of blew up when she opened it. Ribbon yarn is slick and tension must be maintained while winding it... It seems like it would be really cool to use - but a mess to wind up. It has to be hand wound.

So I started bragging about how wonderful John is at untangling yarn and how he always keeps a lot of my yarn clear of the trash can. I offered Johns services to her... Totally pimped him out! Well, Robin, being thoughtful as she is, included some lovely fabric in the box of yarn (the fabric was clearly for me). Definition of pimping: offering someone elses services for personal gain. So, you can see I pimped the hubs.

Let us remember, though, that Robin is thoughtful... When John's golf surprise arrived Saturday morning he untangled the yarn with enthusiasm I have never quite seen while untangling yarn (note to self: keep golf rewards on hand when faced with tangled yarn). Needless to say - yarn is all untangled and will go in the mail on Tuesday back to the rightful owner!

Here is a quick pic of the fabric that Robin sent (thank you!!) and the pattern that I plan to use with said fabric.



Hope you guys have a Happy Monday and I look forward to talking more tomorrow...

Another Day in the Life...

Yesterday afternoon was the TU Conscious Consumer Marketplace event! Sales were minimal, but not non-existent. We did hand out some cards with the web address as well; it was fun because my girlfriends Angie and Vonchelle came to hang out and keep me company... Who doesn't like extra time with their girlfriends? Also, I was pleasantly surprised at my dear hubby - he helped me set up, stayed the entire time, and would run to the other side of the time whenever a wind gust would occur and blow something off of the table. He's great, isn't he?? I think so ;-)

Here's a photo of Angie and I right after setting up - we ended up having to anchor the stands to the table due to the wind. All in all, a great learning opportunity - and good time with friends!

 

Today we are hosting a type of 'thank you' for our employees where we will cook their lunch; I anticipate this taking the greater part of my day! More to come tomorrow...

XO

Weekend In Review

This weekend proved to be very uneventful (which is a good thing!) Friday evening John and I actually went OUT - on something that resembled a date, which we have not done in awhile! We dined at Senor Tequila's, then being the fabulous husband that he is he rushed me right over to JoAnn's to purchase the latest edition of Debbie Bliss knitting magazine (he really is a keeper, isn't he??). While we were there I picked up two skirt patterns since they were only $1 each!

Saturday we exchanged Valentine's (since when is Valentine's a gift day??) John bought me some really great Miss Babs superwash merino - I'm going to make the Textured Shrug from Stephanie Japel's Glam Knits. I purchased a Bobby Flay grill book for him... Which he used Saturday night to make our Valentine dinner... I also went pattern shopping, again, with my mom and picked up some doggy bone cookie cutters that I used on Sunday to make Chandler Mason doggy treats!

Our Valentine's dinner consisted of: Calamari, Grilled Shrimp and Lobster, steamed broccoli and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert!

Sunday - well, we rolled out of bed and went to the corner diner for some breakfast :-) Great way to spend a Sunday with your hubby! And I sewed quite a bit while John relaxed and watched television... Oh, and read up on potty training grown animals. Chan and John seem to have their own pissing contest going on right in our house!

I leave you with photos of the beautiful yarn!! More tomorrow...

Well Laid Plans

When I think of my life in relation to what I always thought it would or should or could be, I always think I'm behind the curve. The curve is relative though, right? In college I had a well mapped out plan. Graduate at 21 (check), Married at 22 (uncheck), Finished producing offspring at 26 (uncheck). And that was the loftiness and full extent of my goals and plans. I can't believe I'm writing this because as I do I now realize that I did not have a clue.

I am 8 weeks away from my 27th birthday - and if I compare to my previous expectation, I have failed in every sense. Well, I did graduate college :-) After completing my bachelors degree - and my engagement to my college boyfriend went kapoot (thank goodness) I needed a new map. After all, when the marriage portion and everything thereafter --- which wasn't much --- failed, I needed a back up plan. Instead of getting married I got a masters and a job. In place of the babies that I most certainly was not having, I got a dog. And instead of working on my 2nd child, which was difficult because none of the preceeding existed, I bought a house. And instead of turning off my human incubator at age 26, I am able to comfortably entertain the idea of really turning it on. I am only one month into my marriage - instead of 6 years OR divorced for 3 (the latter would have definitely been an idea entertained).

It is funny how plans, as we all know, can turn out so incredibly different and so much better than we ever intended. I think all of my so called failures can today be merited as successes.

So, in 2009, I resolve to live a day at a time and do what is in front of me. Oh, and to do it well :-)

Marriage and Money

My husband is an accountant. I work in human resources. If you had to make an assumption based on this little bit of information, who would you bet on for being detail oriented? The accountant, right? Well, for some reason, my accountant husband trusted his human resources wife to balance the checkbook.

I have managed my own checkbook for oh, ten years. While I do not bounce checks, I do not claim that my checkbook is good to the penny. I prefer the 'round up' method. Well, managing the sheer number of entries from the use of two debit cards proved to be more than I could handle. When John looked at our checkbook he was utterly disgusted at the inaccuracy of the whole thing.

Over the break, John has spent only 5 hours or so reconciling our entries to the PENNY. Needless to say, my banking privelages have been revoked and all I am to do now is insert receipts into register for hubby record and balance. This is fine with me, really.

This may actually be a result of some very good advice that I received from Mrs. Sims. If there is ever something that I do not truly want to do, mess it up so bad that your husband has to spend his time fixing it... Then you'll never be asked or expected to do it again :-)

Marriage Presents a Lifetime of Firsts

This is our first Christmas together as married people. We bought our first tree - a frasier fur. Not only is this our first Christmas being married, it is also our first Christmas together period. Last year we enjoyed our last 'single' Christmas' where John traveled to Detroit to be with his family and I stayed home.

John and I are clearly still in a state of wedded bliss, as we should be seeing as though we are only 2.5 weeks into this new gig, but everything we now do together is a first. Being married has presented many new opportunities for firsts. It feels like an undiscovered world to us - and as we navigate our way through our new lives together the opportunity is increasingly exciting.

As we begin this journey, and embrace the opportunity to have so many firsts - each one just as exciting as the last (we evidently haven't had any major 'first' married arguments yet) ~ I really am thankful that he is the one that I get to be with!

Here's a photo of our first Christmas tree!! More later...

Back to Work and Reality

I have not blogged in almost two weeks due to our wedding, honeymoon, and an attempt to get back into the swing of things at work (which is extremely hectic at the moment). In my few years of working, I can count on one hand the times that I have worked past 6:30 PM - I prefer mornings instead of evenings, and last night, I was here until 6:50 PM! Amazing, I know. I either managed to lose my wallet or someone stole it. BOO! The upside, it forced me to call and change my names on my credit cards, and I will have a license with my new last name much sooner than anticipated.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving - and is happily preparing for the Christmas holiday. John and I have been home for almost a week and so far so good on married life :-) I am actually starting to feel a bit more relaxed, definitely more secure and settled. It's a nice feeling!

I did manage to make a creep scarf one evening this week for a Christmas gift (thank you LoopsScoop for the link to the pattern) and hope to accomplish more this weekend! I will post pics in small doses, as I am sure they will get annoying at some point!



Love My Daddy :-)

Counting Down

Thanksgiving update... Thanksgiving did not turn out too bad after all. John's parents, sister, my niece, John and I went to my dad's house around 11:30 and hung out until about 3:00. After that we went back to our house to prepare for John's other sister and her spouse, as well as all of my brothers and sisters. I know, I'm crazy... We hosted Thanksgiving for 20 only 48 hours before our wedding. It was a long day. But in the end, I think it was worth it. Everyone brought something, so that was good... And John's mom was a tremendous help peeling potatoes, clean-up, etc.

Our neighbor's car alarm went off last night around 11 PM and he was not home. Guess what happens to car alarms when they are not manually turned off? They continuously reset! Sometimes until 3 AM. I'm hoping this means that after a long day of running around and handling last minute wedding preparations I am so exhausted tonight, that even through my own anxiousness, I crash.

I've decided to only take one knitting project on the plane. This means I may actually finish it. It's the Bono Kimono pattern from Loops, and it is for my mom's Christmas present. I can finish the hats for everyone else when we return.

Tomorrow I will be someone's wife - yikes! Keep us in your prayers, and I'll post pics when return!

Presidential Elections and Marriage

John and I probably fall in the majority as we sit in front of our television and anxiously await the outcome of the presidential election. We woke early this morning so that we could make it to the polls early enough so not to disturb our busy work schedules... I guess this is what married life is? We're not married yet, but we have been living together for a year and a half.

As our wedding day nears (25 days to go), I don't think the reality of what is going to happen has really settled in. I know that we are getting married, and aside from John being unwilling to help with thank you's, he really is a wonderful man! I feel fortunate that he's going to be my husband and that I get to spend the rest of my life with him, I guess it just seems further away than a mere 25 days.

It probably will not fully hit me until I am walking down the aisle minutes away from accepting a sacrament - with someone else. Scary! My reality probably isn't helped by the fact that I refer to our 'honeymoon' as a 'vacation' and John as my 'boyfriend.' Ah, well! All minor details...