Santa Love

Warm wishes for a happy holiday tomorrow! Hopefully some crafting pics to post soon from presents we made this season!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!!!

Wow! Where has this month gone? It seems as though the whole month has just been a whirlwind and now here we are the first day of winter and Christmas is next week! We've had an exciting month - Chris's sister Shalimar and her boyfriend Scott hosted a lovely engagement dinner of Indian food for us. Chris has been working in the basement on Christmas gifts -- which means it's off limits to me. The bonus is he is on laundry duty!

A Christmas cookie exchange last weekend left us with lots of cookies and full bellies. Deena cooked enchiladas and rice, combine that with Ed's salsa and some guacamole and I fell asleep during the movie..A Christmas Story.



So in Portland we have about 25 inches of snow accumulation from three big storms! It's a little much even if you do love snow we wonder what is to come -- last year we had a huge snow storm in April. I have the feeling it's going to be a loooong winter.

I also broke out the bears. Boyds bears. I have quite a collection and Chris had never really seen them so for the holiday I put the nativity out...luckily he didn't want the ring back ;-) I figure a couple out at a time are okay. He's not really a knick knack kind of guy!



I leave you with our tree and sending warm holiday thoughts to our service men and women doing their job for our country and giving up their holidays with THEIR family so we can have a holiday with ours!

Blog (and other) laziness

I've been in a blog funk lately - and a workout funk- and a work funk. It seems the busiest season of the year has left me wanting to do nothing but relax and enjoy! So I have. I aspire to have big weekend plans of putting some Christmas stuff together. We're going up to Shal and Scott's for a family engagement celebration on Saturday. Shal makes some of the best Indian food I've had! Sunday will be the crafty day! So as I haven't taken any photos of late -- I am sharing one of a sunrise here in Portland that a work aquantance took on his bike on a very cold morning (-5 F -- he's dedicated). It does show our wastewater treatment plant, but I personally love it because that is the industry I am in.

Silly kids....

I had to post this picture of my two nephews with Chris and I - we couldn't keep ourselved together!!

Engaged

Many of you know already but Chris proposed to me on November 17th. Of course, I said yes! We had talked marriage before and my girlfriends were asking if I thought he would propose on this day - our third dating anniversary - and I honestly thought no. I figured he had a plan but wasn't thinking he would put it in action until next spring or summer (why I thought I knew what his plan was I still don't know). This man continues to amaze me. He can keep a secret better than anyone I know. I should have realized this when he planned a surprise party for my birthday this past year. So imagine my surprise when he put the box in my hand and I realized what was happening. Exactly how I wanted it to be - where I didn't know it was coming - and in our home.

For those of you who don't know Chris, he is the most wonderful man I know. He is kind and cares about people and is genuine. He makes me want to be a better person in life and he supports my goals and puts up with my cheesy sense of humor. He loves me exactly how I am, even when I freak out. He is the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with and THAT makes me the luckiest woman on the earth.

Midwest Morning

We've been here in Indiana since Thanksgiving morning and enjoying our time. We fly back tomorrow morning and then it will be back to the 'real' world -- which includes work. Chris and I have really enjoyed spending time with family, eating too much and trying our hand at the casino :-) We're very fortunate to have the families we've been given and the love and support they give us every day. I leave you with a picture from a midwest morning.

Christmas CD Swap

The CD's are all ready and going in the post tomorrow! I have gotten some really great Christmas CD's so far although Im trying to hold off on playing them until after Thanksgiving Day! I forgot to print off the song list for you gals in the swap so here it is here:

Track 1: It's the most wonderful time of the year - Andy Williams
Track 2: Mele Kalikimaka - Jimmy Buffet
Track 3: I'll be home for Christmas - Frank Sinatra
Track 4: Ava Maria - Chris Cornell
Track 5: It's a Marshmallow World - Dean Martin and friends
Track 6: Christmas Day - Dido
Track 7: I've got my love to keep me warm - Dean Martin
Track 8: Bringin' in a brand new year - B.B. King

I hope you all enjoy it!!!!

Blanket Goodness

So many friends and family are having babies lately so it's nice to give something that is home made and also that they can use. Following this tutorial http://craftapple.wordpress.com/2006/07/23/chenille-backed-blanket-tutorial/ for what is probably the easiest blanket to put together, I bought the supplies last night and started on my projects. It is a chenille on the backing and a soft flannel on the front.

Did you know that over on Sew, Mama, Sew blog that there is a tutorial a day for projects all through November. You can check it out here: http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/. Happy crafting this weekend!!! I'll be working on getting my Christmas Mix CD's out in the post for the swap!

Pins and Needles

Were getting everywhere. I've officially been sewing for over a year now (off and on) and I didn't have a pin cushion - so yesterday amidst my other sewing I followed this tutorial http://whipup.net/2006/03/01/stickin-it-to-the-pincushion/ and made a pin cushion. The fabric is an Amy Butler fabric although I cannot remember the name.
The weekend on a whole was nice. I got a chance to catch up with some girlfriends on Friday night. We had a great time catching up and enjoying some quality girl time. But before meeting them out I checked out this http://swallowfield.typepad.com/swallowfield/ opening at Edith and Edna in Portland. Jennifer's work was amazing and there were lots of great people there for her opening. Congratulations to her!

Happy Halloween (a day late)

So I had hoped to have cool photos of how I set up our walkway (or lack of a walkway) for the trick or treaters last night, but I forgot to bring the digital camera home. If you can imagine I made paper bag luminaries and lit the candles as our neighborhood is sort of dark so it looked really nice and lit a path for the kids. It was a great Halloween - we handed out candy, ordered great Brit-Indian food from Haggarty's (which is becoming a Halloween tradition as we did the same last year), drank some Autumn ale and finished our evening with Hitchcock's Psycho (the original).

So tonight is the first meeting of our dinner and a movie group. I have already been involved in a book group for a while but we've branched out to do dinner and a movie once a month. I believe we are watching either Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or Whos's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. It should be a lot of fun.

Happy November!

Busy busy busy

It's been a while since I've posted. Things have been extremely busy both work related and home related. Last weekend we hosted our charity poker event to raise money for the Kidney Foundation here in Maine. It was so much fun and great to have so many people that were willing to give to charity. The Kidney Walk is this Sunday at Deering Oaks Park if anyone is around and wants to join. Please check out our website as well - I am pleased to announce we have gone over our goal of raising $1,000. People have been so generous that I feel my words cannot express the gratitude I feel. http://www.firstgiving.com/TeamPoulin is the website.

I've also been working on a Halloween costume for my niece. I had a lot of trouble with this one because it was from an actual pattern. Usually I've used tutorials and have done okay, but real patterns are like reading blueprints to me. Weird, because I look at blueprints all the time at work - but it took me a long time to be able to understand what I'm looking at. All in all it turned out well. I think she'll just be happy because it's pink.

Tie Dye Turtle

I made this soft toy turtle from Amy Karol's book Bend the Rules Sewing (see my books on the right). He's not finished yet - but this was the last chance I had to photograph him before I gave him away.

Peter

Have you met him? This is my wonderful brother Peter (I have two - Terry is the other one and equally as wonderful). Peter is the handsome fellow on the right if you are looking at the photo. You see, Pete left for Afghanistan a couple weeks ago and will be there for a while. We are very lucky to be able to email each other and keep in touch. I am so proud of him although he will state that he is doing his job as he has with other missions. As you go about your day and spend time with your loved ones, please remember there are men and women all over the world that would love to be home with their families, but recognize the importance of doing their jobs so we have the ability to be with our families. We love you Peter!

1666

This was the number I recieved when I signed up for the half-marathon back in August. I tried not to take it as a sign, but I think now it may be my good luck number! This was the first half-marathon I had done in about three years since having knee surgery and struggling to finish the other two I had done back in that time frame. Believe me I am not a natural runner - never have been. So after doing the Beach to Beacon in August I decided to do this and am happy that I did. I trained more than I have before but yet not to the point I should have, however I had such a great experience yesterday and a lot of fun. Thoughts go out to fellow runners who braved the heat in Chicago. After training for five months for an event, it's not an easy decision to stop running. Congrats on finishing the marathon Marjie!

Highlights from my half marathon:

- The people were all amazing and friendly.
- The weather - cool and cloudy makes the best running conditions
- Valori and Chris cheering me on along the course
- The guy in the chicken suit at mile 10 handing out beer - yes I took it.
- Finishing in 2:29:45 which makes my goal of finishing in under 2:30:00

And the biggest highlight all running season and in my life is Chris. Multiple times this summer he has woken up early (and I mean early) on the weekend to come see me finish a run or take me to the run. He's encouraged me in my training and also has been supportive on my lack of drinking beer during training by letting me have sips of his. He is my biggest fan.

Have you been here yet?

If you live in Portland you may have been here http://www.zfabric.com/? I stopped in yesterday afternoon after a nice walk on the Eastern Prom and fell in love immediately. They have been open about a year (the same time I moved out of the neighborhood) and are growing as a business. They offer great fabrics that you just can't find at the commercial fabric store and it's supporting our local economy. I would show you what I bought but I'm making wedding presents for the weddings that we went to in September.

One Year Ago....

One year ago we closed on our house. We made the decision to move in together and buy a house effortlessly. There were no big conversations on if the time was right....we just knew it was. I drove and looked at this house the day before we were scheduled to go inside and peeked in the windows (it had been empty for a while). I knew then that this was our place. We looked at it together the next day and talked to a neighbor who was outside and we both knew this was where we belonged. Here are some before and after photos from the past year!

.

Every cook deserves....

Their own special apron. So my nephew Nathan looooves to help out in the kitchen. No matter what you are doing he has to be there...he even wants to do dishes - which I'm hoping will stay with him when he's older! His fourth birthday is this coming week and all he's asked everyone for is a red car....so hopefully he'll be surprised by this apron.

Back in the craft

So I haven't had much crafting time lately with everything going on in our lives up here. Family visiting, weddings, and preparing for the half marathon which is coming up on the 7th. However, I have started a birthday present for this little guy (my godson and nephew) which I hope to finish tonight so I should be able to post a picture tomorrow. Then its onto many projects that I've been wanting to start - one of the reasons I love fall is that things seem to slow down a bit. I love being able to bake, craft and really take time to enjoy this season (which can be quite short in Maine).

Wedding Weekend

We had two weddings on Saturday. Shana and Chris got married in the early afternoon at their house in Gray. It was a beautiful ceremony outdoors and I know I certainly had a hard time keeping myself composed as the ceremony truly represented them -- it had a Scottish flair, casual but elegant and included their two dogs Aja and Prince. Then it was across town to Nicole and Jason's wedding where the party was about to begin. They had a private ceremony before the reception and we're ready to celebrate! Chris caught the garter and I caught the bouquet (even though Nicole swears it wasn't planned). We had a great time at both weddings and we wish both couple the best of luck as they continue their lives together. Congratulations!!!

Maine Life...

Things have been extremely busy - in a good - way this past week. We went to a wedding last Friday night and have been non-stop ever since. Actually we've been busy before with painting and what Chris called "The big push" for getting the house ready for my parents visit from Indiana. My parents arrived Saturday and we have been having a great time with them all week. We had lobsters, have done some sightseeing, relaxed and all in all have been enjoying family time with my parents. Here are a couple of photos from Monhegan Island which is about 12 miles off the coast. Mom, dad and I had a great time there on Monday and yesterday they spent the day in the Bethel area while I was attending a conference at Sunday River.

I want to say that I love ALL of the mix Cd's that I've gotten and everyone I have in my office at work and I have on while working on data. Love them! You ladies rock!

Trading Music

The mix CD's have gone in the post. I'm involved in a Mix CD swap organized by Justine http://www.62cherry.com/. I believe there are 12 women involved in the swap split into two groups to make it more manageable. I added a little crafty flair with the CD cover and by using a photo of the Portland Head Light I had taken a couple months ago to make the tags. It's exciting to know that within the week I'll have six new CD's to listen to with music picked from women from around the US and Australia.

Halloween Kidney Walk

Team Poulin has officially formed for the 2007 Kidney Walk to benefit Kidney research throughout the great state of Maine. The website for donations is up: http://www.firstgiving.com/TeamPoulin

Here you can read about our team and see a great photo of Larry. If you would like more information on the National Kidney Foundation please go to:http://www.kidneyme.org/

Long Weekend

This past weekend we had a long and lazy weekend which is exactly what both Chris and I needed. We started off Saturday doing some work we needed to get done -- and by work that would be me going to the farmers market at Deering Oaks. Tough job, eh? We then met Donna and Chummy at their sail boat on Sebago. The wind was all wrong for sailing but we had a great time visiting on the boat and spending the day with them.

On Sunday we had friends over in the afternoon/evening for a cookout and some cards. We had a wonderful time just relaxing and enjoying our backyard. I went on a long run in the morning in preparation for the half marathon which is coming up in October.

Monday was spent being lazy, watching movies and resting. The weekend was great -- between relaxing, spending time with family and friends and some sewing it was all we could ask for. Oh and this little squash has appeared on our plant - we noticed it on Sunday morning!

Handbag Goodness

I had made a bunch of these handbags for Christmas for some friends and family. This one is for my mom - hopefully she gets the package before she sees this post! The tutorial is courtesy of Tiny Happy http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/2006/06/shoulder_bag_tu.html

It's a great site to check out and you can see what projects she is working on. I apologize for the photo - I took it in my office this morning.

Summer Music - Indigo Girls

Seeing concerts in the summer is great, especially when they are free and you are with good company. LL Bean hosts free concerts almost every weekend and this past Saturday night it was the Indigo Girls. I've been to these concerts before and never have I seen it like this: shuttle buses, tons of people, and opening act Brandi Carlile (who has a great voice). The atmosphere was alive...and cold. I met Valori up in Freeport and we were not prepared for the weather (which just meant a little shopping at Beans). The Indigo Girls were fantastic. I had never seen them in concert before and was not disappointed. They sounded amazing and played all the songs I wanted to hear! It was a nice evening to enjoy the music and spend some time with Val.

Wednesday Musings

Things have been very busy for us this past week - we've been doing a lot of work on the house (well Chris has) as well as spending time with family and trying to decide what things we should do before more parents come to visit in September. Our back steps are almost finished - Chris did the railing last weekend and we'll need to paint and weather proof.

I made this card last night for a girl I work with - simple and I used what I had around the house. I promise more crafting pictures soon, but the projects I've been working on are for my mom when she comes next month - I'd love to share, but don't want to ruin the surprise in case she peeks in on the blog.

The last photo is just of some gladiolas I picked up at the farmers market last Saturday. They are just so pretty I had to take a photo. My next update will cover the Beach to Beacon highlights as well as the running future!

Turning 30

So I celebrated turning 30 starting last week. I say starting because of the wonderful people in my life my birthday started a day early with ice cream cake. I had a great birthday day (work included), donated blood, spent some time with girlfriends and went home to a wonderful boyfriend who was cooking lobsters for dinner. The basement has been off limits to me for a couple of weeks now while Chris has been working on a project for my birthday. My birthday was filled with wonderful home made gifts, which are by far better than anything someone can buy. My parents put together a cookbook with pictures of family included that contains special recipes to our family and ones we just plain love. Chris's hard work resulted in these:

Are you jealous? These were not bought at a store - hard labor resulted in these wonderful chairs which we are enjoying immensly. So continuing with a backyard them he also bought a hammock for us to lay on and read, embroider or just look at the stars. The birthday goodness continued Saturday when after running the Beach to Beacon and going out to a lovely birthday lunch at Mims in Portland with my good friend Deena discovering Chris had planned a surprise birthday bbq. I really had no idea and was surprised by all the people in the backyard. It was wonderful. The time and effort it takes to plan a party, let alone a surprise party is so great. I feel very loved and special. Chris's dad also made a house for our bird friends - complete with tin roof!

Over all I feel very positive about being in my thirties mostly because of the people I love in my life.

Starting off....

Welcome! I'm new to the blogging scene and have really decided to start blogging because of the many wonderful ones I read every week. This is also a great way for our friends and family to keep up on what we've been up to and a great way to show our many projects. I'll be posting later about turning 30 and the wonderful handmade gifts I received. Look for changes and additions in the next few days. Again, welcome and I hope you check back often!