Life on Sam's Road

Beauty Find and Bag Want

2010-07-31T07:09:00.005-04:00

Over the past year thanks to my good friend Zoe, I've started to take more of an interest in beauty products- in fact I'm a Beauty Insider at Sephora. I like to get all the samples to try new products! Don't get me wrong, I've always loved make-up, clothes and accessories but there were a quite a few years here that I just stuck with my standard routine and same looks. Lately, I've felt like I wear the same things to work all the time - khakis and a black fleece mostly. Although you have to keep in mind my work place isn't a high powered office, but I wanted to start stepping it up.

Last year for my birthday Zoe sent me a Philosophy skin care trial set. I instantly became hooked, my two favorite products have been Purity Made Simple and The Present.

I use both of these daily - The Present is a clear make-up that perfects your skin. I don't use any foundation during the summer, just this product. It hides the imperfections - yes there are a few!

Purity Made Simple has helped gotten rid of any small blemishes I had that seemed like there were never going to go away. While both products are more costly than drug store cleansers - they last forever. A little goes a long way!

The Maine Mall just opened a Sephora and I had a free gift offer they sent me for my birthday. Last weekend I finally had the opportunity to check the store out. I was more than a little overwhelmed - mostly by the seventeen year old girls working there covered in make-up that looked like they were from the early 1980's. However, I enjoyed walking around and looking at everything and ended up with this lip color. I've used it for a week and love it! The color is perfect for me and it's a soft pencil so I have more precision. It's also smooth like a lipstick and lasts a long time. So if you are looking for a new lip color I recommend the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick. The color I bought is Brooklyn.

And finally, I'm not a photographer but I would love to have this bag found over on Kelly Moore's website. The pic is really small so I recommend checking out her website!

Happy 4th of July!!!

2010-07-04T10:40:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend! Stay safe and remember how we came to be a country. I replicated this quote that was on Heather Drive - I love it.

"Throughout our history, it's been our cities that have helped tell the American story.
It was Boston that rose up against an Empire,
and Philadelphia where liberty first rung out;
it was St. Louis that opened a gateway west,
and Houston that launched us to the stars;
it was the Motor City that built the middle class;
Miami that built a bridge to the Americas;
and New York that showed the world one clear September morning
that America stands together in times of trial.
That's the proud tradition our cities uphold.
That's the story our cities have helped write."

-Barack Obama
June 21, 2008
Miami, FL

Rangeley 2010

2010-07-01T17:28:00.018-04:00

We just returned from our annual Poulin family Rangeley trip. There is something about getting back from vacation and having a three day weekend!

Let me start by saying if you haven't been to Rangeley, Maine - you should go. Seriously, we enjoy it so much and you are pretty much guaranteed to see a moose (sort of)! Although as it turns out the moose made their own vacation plans and went here and here.

Enjoy the photos!

This is our cabin which we stay in - we've been lucky to have the same one the past few years - just a short walk down to the dock and waterfront.

Chris fishing on the dock - it was definitely breezy - but so pretty.

Shalimar treated everyone to their Christmas present early this year - a boat ride on the Oquossoc Lady and dinner at The Loon Lodge Inn and Restaurant! It was such a wonderful night on the water.

Mom and Dad Poulin

Chris and myself

Shalimar and Scott

The Oquossoc Lady formally used to be known as the Shady Lady - Kevin the owner was convinced to change it by his family (bad luck in the boating world). Kevin was also a P-3 pilot stationed in Brunswick - it really is a small world here in Maine. We could all see my brother-in-law Keith doing something similar when he get's out of the military.

A loon family - it's somewhat rare to be able to get close enough to see the baby loons.

There was also a night of Guitar Hero at the Cabin - some were naturals...others were not.

Chris and I took a 'moose-looking' drive our last night in Rangeley.

This was our first moose we saw.

This was our second (we were stopped in the truck).

Sunset over the mountains.

A view from our way home...we hit a lot of rain shortly after this picture was taken.

Doggies got a brand new collar

2009-09-28T17:07:00.006-04:00

made using Amy Karols Bend the Rules Sewing.

Oh Harry....

2009-09-22T17:55:00.003-04:00

How I've admired you for so long..well before your days on "Will & Grace" when you were crooning words from your album She and your recent performance in New in Town made me fall for you all over again. You've kept entertaining and now you are back with a new album called Your Songs.

Through One to One Network I had a chance to review Harry Connick Jr's latest album as it was released. I popped it in the CD player this past Saturday afternoon as we were having a lazy afternoon at home. I wasn't disappointed. Starting with the Frank Sinatra cover of "All the Way" and ending with a cover of "Mona Lisa" by Nat King Cole the songs had a lot of variety and some surprises. One of my all time favorites is "The Way You Look Tonight" and Harry's smooth voice has moved his version to the top of my play list. Only one song disappointed me on the whole album and made me think "huh, sounds like something in a piano bar" but then I realized it was a cover of Elton John's "Your Song" and realized that it was somewhat fitting (sorry to the Elton lovers our there)! Overall, this is an album that I will keep on hand to pop in during lazy Saturdays, dinner parties or just as I'm whipping something up in the kitchen.

If you'd like to see more Harry - and how can you resist - check out these upcoming television appearances:

9/25 - Oprah "Live Friday"
9/28 - Today Show
9/29 - The View
9/30 - Imus in the Morning
9/30 - Letterman
10/1 - Today Show
Week of 10/5 - Rachael Ray

To have a little Harry with you every day run to your local music store to pick up his latest album. Can't wait? Try here, here or here.

Sweet Basil

2009-09-20T13:10:00.005-04:00

Taken from the garden with the fear of a frost last night..went from this

added to these

to make this pesto to store in the freezer. (If you are freezing pesto - be sure to put a layer of oil on the top to keep the basil from turning black).

I used this recipe from Heather Drive. I highly recommend this recipe - I'm not a fan of store bought pesto I also find it too grainy and oily. This was perfect. Hopefully I'll remember to take a photo when we use it this winter.

Happy Birthday Peter!

2009-09-08T16:51:00.003-04:00

So I had fully intended to do a post about the long Labor Day weekend and all the great relaxing fun we had, but that will have to wait until we download our camera!

But what better reason to post than to wish my brother Pete a very happy birthday! Pete turns 35 today (the gray hairs through people off)! Peter if you are reading this - I wish you all the best this next year and the coming years. We love you!

Now, on to the Day 10 update...a little late due to the long weekend. So Days 1-5 I was very consistent and then I went downhill over the long weekend. But this is why it's a 45 day challenge!

Day 1 - Shred Level 1
Day 2 - Shred Level 1
Day 3 - Yoga
Day 4 - Run/Walk
Day 5 - Shred Level 1
Day 6 and 7 - N/A
Day 8 - Walk
Day 9 - N/A
Day 10 - Shred Level 1

In the first 10 days my stats have remained the same but I've noticed some changes. My endurance for the Shred is higher today than it was on Day 1. I also felt much better about myself and energy level when I worked out all those days. Having the feeling of power as my push ups get stronger is definitely worth the sore muscles.

The 45 day Challenge....

2009-08-30T11:20:00.003-04:00

...to myself. So I need a little (okay a lot) of motivation to keep up on working out. I do okay most of the time but not great. Lately my average has been two to three days a week. It's just not cutting it.

About a month ago I really started to notice my clothes not fitting as well...pants getting tighter and a lot of my summer clothes from last year just do not look great (in my own opinion). This is when I started to get concerned. I knew over the past three years I've put on a few pounds. A couple pounds here and there really adds up over three years. Three summers ago I weighed 152. Last week I weighed myself and I was 172. TWENTY POUNDS. 20. Veinte. Vingt. Zwanzig.

It's not easy for me to put the fact that I gained twenty pounds out in the public eye(or rather the five people that look at this blog). In fact, its really emotional to do so but I have to have more accountability.

Although in the past three years I've also become more athletic - running a lot more and have more endurance. Before you say it could be muscle...maybe some of it but believe there is a lot there that isn't muscle.

So they say (whoever 'they' are) that it takes twenty days to build a habit. I'm going to go with 45...starting today Sunday August 30th.

The challenge: Complete Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred in 45 days.

Why 45 days: In between doing the Shred I also have to keep up on doing my weekly yoga and running. On September 20th I'm running in the Trails to Ale 10K. And I'm a realist knowing some days I may not have time/energy to run and Shred.

Why the 30 Day Shred? Well, I've done the workout before although only a couple of times. It's quick and its effective. And if you have ever seen The Biggest Loser Jillian is tough. Although in this video I like her honesty and encouragement. It keeps me going during all those push-ups.

The Stats (posted weekly for accountability as well as a recap of the week):
Weight: 172
Height: 5' 11"
Waist: 33.5"
Hips: 40.5"
Bust: 38"
Thighs: 23.5"
Arms: 11"

Day 1: Completed

Eat - Die - Indiana

2009-08-24T16:39:00.007-04:00

Wow! It has been a while since I've posted here - so many things have been going on this summer it's hard to know where to start. I have so many photos I want to share from our summer, but seeing as how I just spent the weekend in Rockland, Maine with Valori, Shalimar and Anita I'll start with the highlight of the trip and the inspiration for the title of this post!

Robert Indiana. I'm officially obsessed with the artist right now. Heading up to Rockland Shalimar had provided an article that talked about his EAT piece but it wasn't until we were at the Farnsworth Museum on Sunday that I really delved into his art work. Maybe I was brought in by the Indiana/Maine connection - but the stories behind his painting and sculptures really moved me...and I'm not normally a person that art moves. If anyone gets a chance to go to a Robert Indiana exhibit I highly recommend attending!

LOVE sculpture created for a MOMA Christmas card and now found worldwide.

EAT famous for being at the Worlds Fair in NY - had to be taken down because people thought it was a restaurant. The real story is here.

Myself, Valori, Shalimar and Anita at the Breakpoint Lighthouse - we didn't have time to walk all the way to the lighthouse which is about a mile but I've added it to my to do list.

No-Knead Bread

2009-05-26T16:59:00.002-04:00

I've tried my hand at making homemade bread a couple of times. The last time I was going for a whole wheat bread and spent the better part of a Sunday kneading and waiting. When it was finally ready at 9:00 pm as soon as I picked up the pans I knew....they weighed a good 10 plus pounds it seemed a piece. A sturdy bread knife was no match for these loaves. Since then I haven't attempted a yeast bread..until now.

This recipe was in the New York Times a while ago and I tried it. This particular recipe is your standard white bread but I'm going to work on adding some herbs in and purchase a sour dough starter from King Arthur (which is the best flour for baking in my opinion).

Enjoy!!

No-Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery (via the Times)

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1¼ teaspoons salt

cornmeal as needed *I skipped this and just used flour*

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Things I love right now...

2009-05-08T18:22:00.005-04:00

- Whole Foods Italian Soda - specifically the Cranberry (although it is the only flavor I have tried so it wins by default).

- The paint color in our bathroom. I was unsure at first but Chris put the first coat on today and I love it.

- That it is almost gardening time. We have some stuff in the ground already - but I've been starting seedlings indoors too. This picture is of some Okra we're adding to the garden for our friend George.

- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I picked this for my hosting month for the book group I'm in. I loved this book - it was so vivid and descriptive.

- Our fur-baby. She is just the best. We recently spent a weekend fencing in our entire backyard. It has made such a difference to be able to let her run freely. And our back yard looks amazing.

Sunday Musings

2009-04-05T10:54:00.008-04:00

So it's been a long time since I wrote a real post. I'm going to take after some other bloggers and do many bullet points (some with photos!)

- The first big news is GP HomeWorks! Chris is officially in business. So if you are in the area and need some work done - please call the best! Seriously, this is very exciting for us - especially in this economy starting a business is difficult but the timing seemed to work out that is was something that needed to be done.

- If you have a couple minutes check out this video. We had our six months of being married on Friday March 13th and Chris made this for me. I thought it was very appropriate!

- The other news is our bathroom renovation is in effect. We (and by we I mean Chris) are midway through and should be finishing within the next week or two. Here are some photos of the transformation. When it's all complete I'll post a full montage of before and afters.

Before:

During Tile:

Tile Complete with New Sink:

- The weather is finally getting to be somewhat nicer out, although we are expecting rain this week. I spent part of this morning outside raking - which is really unheard of for me. I'm not a big fan of yard work but for some reason all week I just wanted to be outside raking.

- The attic. I'm about to go spend an hour in our attic. It's a crazy mess and it's all because of me. Chris had organized it to perfection a little over a year ago. Then between the holidays and the wedding planning I have destroyed it. I've thrown so much stuff up there. We're planning on having a big yard sale next month so my job is to organize the stuff up in the attic. It will also help Chris when he's up there to start renovating and finishing the upstairs so its livable space.

- I just started reading Water for Elephants. I'm not that far in, but I love it so far. I heard really good things about the book and chose it for my book group pick this month. Has anyone out there read it?

- And I'll close with a couple of dog photos!

Takin' a break

2009-03-31T17:32:00.002-04:00

I've taken quite the blogging break, but I'm working on a post with what has been going on lately. In the meantime - our sweet doggie!

Our new floor

2009-02-17T19:04:00.007-05:00

Chris was hard at work last week putting in the new flooring in the kitchen and the hallway much to my surprise...here are the photos.

Chris midway through the project.

The finished result - facing the office!

The kitchen side.

Today

2009-01-20T07:24:00.002-05:00

Yummy Brownies

2009-01-18T14:16:00.004-05:00

A friend passed this recipe along that she got from an issue of Glamour magazine awhile ago...I made them today for Chris to take to his poker game and they are great! One change I made was that I baked them for 30 minutes instead of 50 and they came out perfect - slightly less cooked in the center which is how I like them.

Recipe:

14T Butter
2T EVOO
8 1 oz squares of bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2T vanilla
1 cup flour

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a double boiler (I don't have one so I just stacked pans and it worked just fine) melt butter, chocolate and EVOO.

In a separate bigger bowl - whisk the eggs. Add the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix well.

Add the melter chocolate mixture and mix well. Fold in the flour. Transfer to a 9x13 pan and bake for 30 minutes. Edges should be slightly crisp with a soft center. Enjoy!

Hello Again

2009-01-17T09:25:00.009-05:00

It's officially been too long since we've posted anything and the holidays have come and gone. December and the first part of January actually seemed like it lasted forever for me personally. The sickness that everyone seems to have here in Portland caught up with Chris first and then lingered for quite a while with me. The past week is the first week I've truly felt 100%.

The biggest news and best present we could have received was from my brother Peter who brought to us a new member of our family. Peter got married on December 26h to a wonderful woman named Chie (pronounced Chee-a - long a).Here is a photo of the happy newlyweds!

So first some Christmas photos:

This was our tree with the amazing tree skirt that my mom made us for Christmas (we exchanged gifts while we were home for Thanksgiving). As you can see Katana enjoyed a few presents underneath the tree...

These are our little families stockings...the littlest one is for our turtle Red - as soon as his new filter system comes in we'll take an updated photo of him (one of the power outages killed his old one).

Our friends George and Rusty brought over a little present so we could turn Katana into one of Santa's helpers!

And this somewhat blurry photo I just love...mostly because my love is in it :-)

Here is the face you get when you put peanut butter on your dog's nose - we had a slow Friday night a week ago!

And this photo is just too cute!

Hope everyone is staying warm in these freezing temps that have seemed to grip much of the northern part of the United States!

Family Photo

2008-11-30T20:27:00.003-05:00

Il Divo: The Promise - CD Review

2008-11-29T11:26:00.005-05:00

A little while ago I signed up for the One2One network which I heard of through Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry. You should really check out both links - I promise you will not be disappointed.

My first product review is on the CD The Promise by Il Divo which was released on November
18th. I just got to listen to the CD in full over Thanksgiving and it was the perfect setting for this CD. I really wasn't sure what to expect as I had only briefly heard of Il Divo as Simon Cowell's project. I was impressed by the rich voices (and let's face it - good looks on the cover). The CD is not something I would pop in while I'm getting ready for a night on the town - but is perfect if you are having a group over for dinner and would like some rich background music. The songs on the album that really stood out for me was Amazing Grace and La Promessa. The music is full of emotion and when you listen to the sound of their voices blend together it's really beautiful. This is really a CD to sit down, relax and enjoy a glass of wine too. You can check it out here.

Katana

2008-11-18T19:03:00.003-05:00

Meet the newest member of our family - she's been in our lives for three weeks now and we are starting to settle into a routine! Already I am deeply attached to her - she's just too cute not to love!

Back in Action!!!

2008-11-15T15:58:00.001-05:00

We've found our honeymoon photos - so look for the Honeymoon Diaries to continue! I've updated the previous posts so they have photos!

Change

2008-11-05T08:31:00.004-05:00

He won! He won! He won! I cannot put into words how I feel right now - so full of hope and emotion for our country. Reading the transcript from his speech last night puts tears of hope and joy in my eyes. America made the right choice. They just called my home state of Indiana for Obama - a first for Indiana since 1964!

Honeymoon Diaries: Part Two (very long!)

2008-10-17T18:02:00.010-04:00

When you are flying from the East Coast to the West Coast it is almost guaranteed that you will wake up at an early hour. We were both awake a little before five in the morning and decided to find a little local diner to have breakfast.

The only place open was Denny's.

I kid you not. We drove around until about 5:30 or so and decided to eat at Denny's. We're spoiled here in Portland with Becky's Diner being open so early.

After resting a little bit back at the room - we stocked up on groceries at the local store after fueling up with Jamba Juice - which we both loved!

Now it was time to do some sight seeing! Chris and I packed a lunch and some beers and headed for the Heavenly Gondola - which happened to be right outside our hotel. I was really nervous because it's a 2.5 mile ride to the top. Chris was moving around a bit, but he reassured me it was perfectly safe - so I relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the ride.

The gondola makes two stops - one at a viewing platform and then a little further up. What they don't tell you is that the viewing platform is where the views of the lake stop - when you go further up it is more of a recreational area.

Once we reached the top - we sat and cracked open our beers and enjoyed our lunch. They had music playing and a lot going on so it was good to people watch for a while. We then hiked around a bit - on the path and then we strayed a little.

When we had enough we took the ride back down. I shopped around Heavenly Village for a while and Chris rested before we headed on our sunset champagne cruise.

The cruise was on the Windjammer II which is a catamaran and included free champagne and beer for drinking. It was cool once you got out on the lake but they provide bean bags and blankets for you to use!

So being on boats before, I know I will get sick so I took a pill before getting on the boat. Chris also packed some green apples because he had read somewhere that it helps settle your stomach on boats. There was a fellow passenger who was feeling the waves....or the alcohol rather. So Chris offers her a green apple. She got sick after eating part of the apple. Time goes on and we're hanging out and we hear: "That asshole who gave me the green apple". Both of us start laughing and tell her it was Chris.

She of course was very apologetic and we chatted with them a while and then we took her photo to be published on this blog!

Our cruise ended and Chris and I headed for Harrah's to play some roulette - we actually did pretty well overall. I used to be a slot player, but after consistently losing have switched. Chris has his own method for betting roulette which usually is lucrative. What is not lucrative was the cost of drinks! $6.00 for a Corona...little did we know we could have gotten the drinks for free at the table. We were going to the bar!

For what it's worth - we both have only gambled when we go back to Indiana and there are no free drinks there!

So after a full day of events - we microwaved some burritos and headed to bed!

Honeymoon Diaries: Part One

2008-10-13T15:39:00.011-04:00

I'm finally starting to chronicle our honeymoon trip out west. No time like the present and I really want to get it all down before I forget.

Our first day was a travel day starting off with a very early (6:00 am EST) flight out of Portland. After a bumpy first leg at which Chris and I were dreading our next six hour leg - we had some food and waited for our next flight at JFK. We flew Jet Blue which was great because they had the televisions in the back of the seat. For a long flight you cannot beat watching TV the whole time.

We landed in Oakland, CA around 1:45 pm their time (4:45 pm EST) and picked up our rental car and got on the road for the three hour drive to Lake Tahoe. And on the road we stayed - we hadn't factored in it was a Friday in California and that means a lot of traffic (which this picture does not show).

After about two hours in traffic and our stomachs growling. We stopped here:

For fast food, it really is a good burger - but I didn't know until this past week you could custom make your burger with sauce and onions. We hit the road again and Chris and I were confused, have we been on the road so long we've driven to Indiana???

This happened when we went to Montreal too. As soon as we hit the Canadian border, the hills flattened into farmland and it looks just like where I grew up. Finally, we hit the El Dorado National Forest which we got to drive through to get to South Lake Tahoe. The smell of the pine trees filled our car and we just took in all the lush forest and the land.

Finally, around 7:00pm (10:00EST) we were in Lake Tahoe. It took us a little while to get to our hotel and settled. The best part was the valet parking was free because we were owners of the time share! It's really the small things that make me happy.

Our villa was great - we had a full kitchen, fireplace, a jacuzzi in the bedroom, and a huge bathroom!

Once we got settled in, Chris and I headed downstairs where they have these huge fire pits set up. We relaxed with some Fat Tire and enjoyed the fire for a while and walked around before retiring to our room for the night! Let the honeymoon begin!

In the next installment: Why do I have this look on my face?

Butternut Squash Risotto

2008-10-07T12:22:00.003-04:00

Since returning home on Saturday was also our introduction into fall, I have been trying to experiment with new recipes. Personally, I've never really been a fan of butternut squash - I always eat a little but it's never been something I have been crazy about - until this recipe! I got the recipe off of Simply Recipes (as well as the photo - but mine looked the same I promise).

Ingredients
6-8 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced
2 cups arborio rice (can substitute medium grained white rice, but arborio is preferred)
1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped chives or garlic chives
Salt

Method
1 Heat broth in medium sized saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan; add onion and butternut squash. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2 Add rice to onion and squash. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly until wine has been absorbed by the rice or evaporated. Add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely cover rice. Cook over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes.

3 During the last minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon of butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and chives. At this point the rice should have a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste. Serve with remaining grated Parmesan.

Serves 4 to 6.

Pictures!!!

2008-10-05T11:33:00.004-04:00

Our professional pictures are up and ready to be viewed. We own the high resolution photos - but our wonderful photographer set up a great website to go through them with ease. I can't say enough about Cristina Hajosy. She was great to work with and helped us get through our shots and to the reception on time! So go here to view the photos. To log in use portland and wedding day as the password!

This week I plan on updating the blog with our adventures from the honeymoon - there is a lot to write about and some great photos!

Chris and Char are married!

2008-09-16T12:42:00.008-04:00

The day was so amazing! I cannot begin to put into words how much fun the whole day was and the gratitude we have for all the hard work people put into the day to make it special. Here are a few photos - more as they come in:

The reception hall sign:

Arriving at the reception hall:

After the first dance (which we did at the beginning of the reception - the lights were not dimmed at all - I needed a beer):

With our good friends George (next to Chris) and Rusty (next to me):

Cutting the cake:

OH MY COD!!! (as in Codzilla)

2008-09-09T14:36:00.009-04:00

Now it's time to recap the bachelorette weekend. So I knew we were going to Boston for the b-party but that was about it. I'm going to use photos to try to bring you into the weekend and the debauchery it entailed.

This is our group at the train station - bright and early on Saturday morning. We have Kate, Michelle, Valori, me, Julie, Nicole, Shalimar and Shana. Not pictured are Deena and Amanda.

Starting off our train ride was me giving Shana a shoulder massage - I was curious as to how many of these I was going to have to do.

The real fun started when our gracious bartenders Shana and Julie made us all mimosas...now the party was starting.

Now, I'm going to skip ahead but when we got into Boston we met my good friend Amanda who flew up from North Carolina at the hotel and headed out to brunch at a fabulous place call Aquataine. We then went down to Long Wharf and took a ride on Codzilla. It was high energy and great fun for everyone.

We hung out a bit and had some drinks before heading back to the hotel to get ready. Getting ready in bachelorette terms=Champagne funnels.

After showering and heading out to dinner it was on to Jaques Caberet. Where there was a little of this:

And this:

And that is where we start to get fuzzy...I do know that I had a great time and enjoyed four bites of my food when we went to Chinatown at 2:30am. I don't remember the last time that I was out that late and I paid for it the next day.

It was a rough morning and train ride back to Portland. But NOW I can get married!

Our weekend

2008-08-25T10:28:00.004-04:00

Our weekend was stupendous here in Maine! The weather was great (after a not so great first half of August). As usual our weekend was filled partly with working on the house and what I thought was my last trip to the craft store before the wedding. However, I think one more will be in store later this week - most of our stuff is DIY so I should have gotten stock in AC Moore. Chris's bachelor party was on Saturday - the guys have kept this 'top secret' from all of us women and Chris. I can say that a great time was had by all. It was all at Rico's place and included poker, horseshoes, wiffleball, tons of beer funnels. I'll leave the other stuff out - this is a family blog after all - but he had a great time and even came home with a blow up 'mini-char'.

Yesterday aka recovery day we went down to Pirates Cove and played a round of golf. Chris won, but I did score a hole in one on the 18th hole. Now, as a kid if you did that you won a free round - I guess times have changed. We then went out for sushi and got to sit outside and enjoy the weather and then we walked around downtown Portland for a while.

I haven't talked to much about the wedding on here, but wanted to share a few things. One is this great photo from the shower here in Maine. Shalimar, my soon to be sister had just opened the umbrella I had gotten her and the other girls for hosting as the photo was taken. I love this photo. I had two wedding showers - one in Maine and one in Indiana with my family. The one in Indiana was great because Chris was there with me and got to meet a lot of my family that he hadn't met in prior visits. It was great to be home and see everyone as most will not be making the journey here in a couple of weeks. Or rather 19 days. I don't know where the time has gone but I'm trying to hold on to every moment. I feel like I'm on a train that is going to fast. I can't wait to be married to Chris but want to savor all the moments leading up to our wedding day.

Oh - and look at Boston the bachelorette party is headed down there this weekend!!!

Time to read!

2008-08-11T09:57:00.002-04:00

So this is a fun little book list - I don't know that I will have a lot of them read as they are mostly classics but there are some fun ones on the list too!

The rules:
1) Bold those you have read.
2) Put an asterisk next to those you started but didn't finish.
3) Italicize those you intend to read (or have started and intend to finish).
4) The ones you LOVE are Green. (My fonts are not working right so I didn't do this!)
5) Reprint this list in your own blog.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling*
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible*
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare*
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez* - sorry this book was just SLOW
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (Such a unique book!)
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Farm Aid!!!!

2008-07-28T11:21:00.003-04:00

About twenty minutes ago I get an email from our good friend Ed - as an early wedding present Ed and his wife Deena got us all tickets to go to Farm Aid which is taking place in Massachusetts this year! This is SO exciting for me - I support the local family farmer over factory farms any day of the year so the support is going toward a great cause. But DAVE MATTHEWS and JOHN MELLENCAMP?!?!?! A girl is in loooove. Chris has never seen Dave Matthews live - so that means he's never seen how much of a freak I am when I hear his sweet sweet voice - it's like he's singing to me! Although I may have to contain some of that love for Chris's sake - the concert is the weekend after we get married :-) Look at all that great talent in the photo below! I just heard that Kenny Chesney is going to be there too!

Cherry Tomatoes

2008-07-21T13:14:00.005-04:00

When I was little, probably about three, I remember going to my grandparents house in LaPorte, Indiana and my Grandpa Woody letting us go into the garden for one cherry tomato. And I remember sneaking out to get more. This is one of the very vivid memories I have from that time and of him as he passed while I was young. Now I'm all grown up (so to speak) and for the first time in a long time have a garden where I live.

This garden is amazing - last year I did a small plot with herbs which turned out to be one of the best things I did. A lot of those herbs rooted and came back this year even with the 100+ inches of snow we received this past winter. That's pretty much still my contribution to the garden. Oh I planted a few flowers, but mostly I hand out the cold ice water and provide sustenance!

Chris and our friend Maurice have worked countless hours on our garden - they have staked out cool plots that utilize and enhance our yard and on many weekends will put all the love into these plants which we are beginning to enjoy. Maurice has put so much care into starting a lot of these crops back when there was still snow on the ground. He's taught me a lot about plants and gardening and has helped Chris add to his knowledge. We have all kinds of crops - onions, pumpkins, sqaush, tomatoes (even cherry), carrots, lettuce and on and on. It's wonderful!

The magnificent photos you see in the post were taken by Maurice!

Did you know...

2008-05-21T08:05:00.004-04:00

that today is National Employee Health and Fitness Day? I didn't either until I started getting emails about a lunchtime walk around Back Cove. Our company has recently decided to incorporate more wellness programs and it's been really refreshing. They have brought in chair massage and Pilate's on a regular basis!
Deena and I have been doing Pilate's on the Ball for about a month now here: Pure Movement Portland www.puremovementportland.com (For some reason I cannot hyperlink right now).
I love the class and we tried out the Barre class last week. Naive us thinking it was going to be very ballet like - it kicked our butts. We'll go back though!

Have you looked at my book links? I've changed them - I highly recommend Love Walked In. It is the first book in a while that moved me. I finished it and needed to talk about it with someone - so I passed it on and then it got passed on again. I should have chosen it for a book group pick, but at first I didn't think it would be that great. It was though

An A to Z

2008-05-16T09:50:00.002-04:00

A - Attached or single? Engaged
B - Best friend? Am I dork right now if I say my fiance?
C - Cake or pie? Cake.
D - Day of choice? Sunday
E - Essential item? Chapstick - all natural
F - Favorite color? Purple, but I love brown right now
G - Gummy bears or worms? Bears
H - Hometown? Michigan City, Indiana
I - Favorite indulgence? A frosty mugged microbrew
J - January or July? July
K - Kids? Ah...some day.
L - Life isn’t complete without? Taking time to enjoy it!
M - Marriage date? 9-13-08
N - Number of brothers and sisters? Two brothers
O - Oranges or apples? Oranges
P - Phobia and fears? Snakes and Looking down from a high point
Q - Quote? "Be the change you want to see" -Ghandi (It may not be exact)
R- Reason to smile? Spring is here
S - Season of choice? Fall
T -
U - Unknown fact about me? I hate public speaking - oddly I do it all the time
V - Vegetable? Corn
W - Worst habit? Finsihing peoples sentences
X - X-ray or ultrasound? X-ray
Y - Your favorite food? Mexican
Z - Zodiac sign? Leo

A Meme

2008-05-05T12:56:00.003-04:00

Amy and Beth have both done this meme and as I really want to write a lengthy post my brain might explode which I don't think would be a great idea.

So here it is!

Where is your cell phone? Sitting in front of me on my desk. My work cell is sitting about five feet away on a table.

Your significant other? Chris is my best friend and companion. He's very patient and understanding (most of the time) when I'm cranky. He loves me for me which is something I didn't think I'd find in someone. He can make me laugh when I'm sad or frustrated. He's so talented it's scary. He can do almost anything. He's very modest.

Your hair? Long and driving me crazy. It's past my bra straps which is the longest it's been in a while. I think after the wedding I will cut it and donate it.

Your mother? She is my other best friend. I love her so much. It's hard being so far away when all you really want is a hug from your mom. I get my worrying and panic mode from her ;-)

Your father? My dad would do anything for me (and my brothers). He's strong and someone you can talk to. Both mom and him are so hardworking. He can be stubborn and we are very similar when we get upset - I get this from him.

Your favorite thing? The people in my life.

Your dream last night? I had a stress dream about work.

Your favorite drink? Water and milk. I love love milk.

Your dream/goal? I'd like to pursue my creative side more. I am good at making things when I put the time and care into them. I'd like to make this my primary income someday.

The room you are in? My office at work.

Your ex? The guy I dated before Chris I think is still in Portland. We don't talk and just say hi when we run into each other.

Your fear? Losing the people I love.

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Hopefully Chris and I will have a child or two and we'll still be in Portland.

Where were you last night? I got home from spending time with Val and the kids and I worked for a couple hours. Chris and I watched Atonement.

What you are not? Patient.

Muffins? I love muffins but don't make them a lot. I made lemon poppy seed muffins Saturday before I went to Val's but our oven burned the bottom.

One of your wish list items? A king sized bed.

Where you grew up? Michigan City, Indiana

The last thing you did? I ate my lunch.

What are you wearing? Khaki pants and a black fleece. I wear this probably three days a week.

Your TV? It's old, we don't watch a lot. We only have 13 channels.

Your pets? A turtle named Red.

Your computer? It's a mac. It's Chris's and I think it can be slow. But I use a PC all day so it's hard to go back and forth.

Your life? Is blessed.

Your mood? Slightly cranky. I've felt this way the past couple of days and have my reasons (bloating, work, household work). I'm anxious about my work load right now and not having enough time (yet here I am doing this). I'm good though at just being cranky for a few minutes and getting over it.

Missing someone? Yes

Your car? 2000 Ford Focus

Something you are not wearing? Short sleeves - what gives it is May?

Favorite store? Jcrew - I'm always on the sale section.

Your summer? Busy. We're going camping and to Rangeley lakes again. Wedding stuff, birthdays. It's all fun stuff but we are trying not to overbook. We say this every year and we always overbook.

Like someone? Most people I meet.

Your favorite color? Purple

When is the last time you laughed? At lunch today. We were talking about elderly people that lip kiss.

Last time you cried? Last night when I got home and saw the pile of laundry sitting there.

Lillian and big brother Quinn

2008-04-16T18:51:00.004-04:00

Lillian Rose

2008-04-14T14:30:00.002-04:00

Is the newest member of our family. Valori delivered her on Thursday morning April 10th. She is 20 inches long and 8.5 pounds. We are very excited to be her Aunt and Uncle!

Photos to come shortly (but trust me she is too sweet!).

Alive

2008-04-09T13:42:00.002-04:00

So I should start by saying that before we left on vacation we had yet another snow storm. This winter alone we have broken many records and gotten over 100 inches of snow. Our plane went to take a turn and slid on ice (nothing big, if you didn't look out the window and notice we weren't on the runway path you would have never known) the morning we left and we were stuck for an hour. We were DONE with winter.
Returning home, most of our snow is gone and birds are starting to live in our birdhouse but yesterday was the day I felt the most alive.
I've been running indoors all winter and while its still a little cool (40's) I went around Back Cove yesterday. As soon as my feet hit the trail and I took a deep breath of the cool fresh air - I felt energized. Alive with energy. That is the only way I can describe the feeling. It was so powerful that even when I was tired I was so appreciative that my body ables me to do this that I am alive to be able to do it. I hope I can recapture that same feeling today, but if I can't I know it's there in me all the time.

Where we have been

2008-04-08T09:09:00.003-04:00

Chris and I just returned from our vacation. We went on a cruise for 7 days with my parents. From swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman, to relaxing on a beach in Honduras, mountain biking in Belize and a scooter ride around Cozumel it was absolutely wonderful! The best part was being able to spend time with my parents - my mom was awesome on the bike!

Ahem...Check...Check

2008-03-15T21:12:00.003-04:00

So I really didn't think anyone was actually checking in here -- but as my sister-in-law commented and a few others have told me I needed to update. Not only to keep in touch, but also for myself. I haven't really done any projects this year and tomorrow I am breaking the sewing machine back out as I've made a little space for myself in our office. It feels as though we've been pretty busy here in the WirePoul household - work has been extremely busy for me and Chris has finally gotten over the flu bug that it seems everyone has been infected by. He's also been redoing our cabinets while I tackle the wedding plans.

I'll take photos - I finally have broken into the digital camera age and ordered a camera that will be here shortly! I don't like posting without putting photos on the site.

So don't give up on my blog yet - there is more to come!

Goals....

2008-01-16T07:25:00.001-05:00

So with the new year - I put a goal to try to finish a project a week. These projects can range from organizing our coat closet in the entry way to organizing our spices to finishing a project that we may have started at an earlier time. I assume given our history that there will always be multiple projects going on and it's nice to be able to say I finished that project. The first one that I really finished this year was a wedding present for our friends Shana and Chris. They were married on September 22nd last year. The fabric is from Amy Butler. The pattern for the pillows I improvised as I went. The coasters are based from Bend the Rules Sewing (see link at the right to purchase the book!).

I have a few projects that I would like to work on this weekend...so hopefully another one will be completed!

Long time, No post

2008-01-09T12:29:00.000-05:00

Hi! How have you been? It's been a really long time since I've posted a real post with news and pictures - I thought it was time for a little update. The holidays were wonderful. We spent a lot of time with friends and family and ended with a quiet New Years Eve celebrated with only each other....and my cold. And now the New Year brings relaxation and a lot of actual work. This is the busy time of the year for me with reports due to the Maine DEP by March. It's a lot of year end wrap up - which will mean working some weekends - luckily though its only for a couple months. Luckily I get to come home, relax in our living room and enjoy my new end tables that Chris made me for Christmas! They are absolutely beautiful.

He's also started refinishing our dining room table. I helped a little bit by sanding with him late one night. Photos to come when it's all finished!

Oh and other new - we set a wedding date which is exciting and plans are under way. We are actually getting married in a cemetery. There is a chapel - the Wilde Memorial Chapel - in the cemetery that the City rents out and it is perfect for what we want. Great woodwork and stained glass windows and it's a little smaller to make for a more intimate ceremony. Very Exciting!

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-04T13:12:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me that I hadn't posted in 2008. More news and pics to come later this weekend, but for now Happy 2008!

Santa Love

2007-12-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

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

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!!!

2007-12-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-06T17:35:00.000-05:00

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....

2007-11-26T17:54:00.001-05:00

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

Engaged

2007-11-26T17:41:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-25T17:33:00.001-05:00

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

2007-11-20T17:41:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-09T07:56:00.001-05:00

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

2007-11-05T08:22:00.001-05:00

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)

2007-11-01T08:08:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-25T08:05:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-12T07:19:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-09T08:41:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-08T10:41:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-10-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

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....

2007-10-01T08:16:00.000-04:00

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....

2007-09-27T14:03:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-26T07:54:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-24T14:26:00.001-04:00

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...

2007-09-21T12:43:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-11T12:10:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-10T11:30:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-04T08:41:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-22T08:09:00.001-04:00

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

2007-08-21T14:16:00.001-04:00

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

2007-08-15T12:47:00.001-04:00

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

2007-08-07T07:57:00.000-04:00

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....

2007-08-06T09:47:00.000-04:00

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!