Phew! What a month it's been...

Well, things have been quiet around the blog, and that's not necessarily a bad thing! Lots going on, and very busy days turn into very busy weeks, but I'm thankful for this weekend to relax and catch up on some things around the apartment (mostly, laundry. yuck).

The past three weekends have been full of family activities and events.

Weekend #1: Brother-the-Younger graduated from college (summa cum laude, whoo!!), so of course we made the trip back to my old stomping grounds to help celebrate. We enjoyed an absolutely delightful weekend with my family, a delicious celebratory dinner, and the chance to finally go home for the first time in over 6 months.

Weekend #2: Brother-the-Youngest graduated from high school! Not. Allowed. My baby brother is not allowed to grow up yet... because I'm not ready to admit that I'm getting older. He obviously didn't get that memo, haha! He's off to college in the fall, and I've already got some friends lined up to take care of him in college (he doesn't know that yet...). One of the most memorable events of that weekend: Brother-the-youngest trying coffee. His critique: "Very strange. It's like it's trying to be water, but just can't." Haha! This kid cracks me up.  My grandparents also came to visit us on their way home that weekend, so we enjoyed a nice dinner out with them and church in the morning. :)

Weekend #3: This was the weekend I've been looking forward to for almost an entire year. We finally got to meet our niece, and this may be the auntie pride speaking, but she's a cutie! D remarked that he's pretty sure she liked hanging out with me more than him, to which I responded that I'm E's aunt, and as such, I'm automatically cool. :) I've got some great ideas already for her Christmas and birthday presents... this kid sure is spoiled already... and not just by me!

Now it's back to work and house hunting, which is taking up most of our time (plus, you know, the 75 other things we have going on at the same time). Hopefully we'll find something and move in this summer! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. That's natural, right? The hardest part has definitely been trying to plan for our future while having absolutely NO IDEA what that holds. We could get a call that we decide to take in a year, or we could be here for 15 more years. And that makes it more challenging to know what to look for in a house and plan for the needs of our future family. What I do know is that God already knows what we need and what is in store for us, and he's taking care of us each and every step of the way. Not always easy for me to remember, but it's truly the most comforting thing ever!

Oh, P.S. I made this delightful Strawberry Almond Coffee Cake a few weeks ago (I substituted strawberries for the raspberries the recipe called for), and it was a hit! Just looking at this picture makes me want to make it again.

The doldrums of January

Well, here we are. Almost halfway through January (really?! It feels like just last week was Christmas!), and I'm not sure how much I have to show for it. All in all, it's been an eventful year so far. I've survived the nasty noro virus going around, started my new job, adjusted to life with said job (but really, that's a work in progress), and ... yeah, that's about all I have to show for it.

Christmas decorations are still up, because surprise! I'm too tired and have too many other things to do when I get home from work. And honestly, I like them up. There's something comforting and peaceful about coming home and seeing a Christmas tree in my living room, displaying our favorite ornaments from years past. I rather like it. :)

Work is going wonderfully well. I feel very much at home and really think this position will be a good fit for me. The early mornings and commute are worth it, and that's a wonderful feeling! D has been so supportive during this entire process, and I'm so thankful he's there to help pick up the slack as we make all these adjustments as a couple to our new post-school life.

This week should be a somewhat normal, albeit busy, week (when is a normal week NOT busy??). I'm starting shifts on the reference desk, and very much looking forward to it! I've got one meeting this week after work, a few things to research and put together for an upcoming Helping Hands event, and of course, Knit Night! To be honest, though, I don't exactly have much to show off this week........ hoping to get a chunk of D's vest done tonight though. I'm ready to be finished with that project, and of course have more things waiting to cast on!

I'm not someone who typically makes New Year's Resolutions, and I didn't this year either. However, one of my goals this year is to try and be a bit more organized around the place. I've been looking into various methods for organizing bills, important paperwork, appointments, recipes... you name it. A few things look promising. Not that I'm in really bad shape right now, but there's always room for improvement, right? And with my loan payments in the near future, I figure it can't hurt to be proactive about this sort of thing. So add that to my mental list of things to do. (Soon to be physical list of things, thanks to a helpful tip I got from my friend Raelynn's blog. P.S. See that adorable sheep mug she made? It's mine. She got my name in our Secret Santa gift exchange. :) )

A Splendid Fall Weekend

What a splendid fall weekend! The weather was perfect, the company delightful, and the fall colors absolutely gorgeous! First, I met up with my mom and aunts in Historic St. Charles. As a child, I always looked forward to our trips out there on Saturdays during the fall, and I was so excited to go back and explore it as an adult with a different sense of appreciation.

Daniel Boone Statue, a truly noteworthy pioneer 'round these here parts.

Main Street, Historic St. Charles

As always seems to be the case, some things are very much different than I remember them, but some things never change. Like the Ice Cream Parlor tucked back on a side street in the building's lower level. They were closed, but oh, what a treat it was to get an ice cream cone after walking around for hours as a child! ;)

The Gazebo! When I was a little girl, I dreamed of getting married here...

Two worlds colliding. The MKT RR built Sedalia in the 1860s.

Friday night two lovely and wonderful friends and I met up for pizza at Pi. Of course, we forgot to take a picture, but the hours we spent together were so relaxing and enjoyable. I do so cherish time with my girlfriends and always look forward to the next time we'll meet again.

Saturday, my parents and I spent the day in Hermann for some good old fashioned Oktoberfesting. We toured Stone Hill Winery, sampled the wines (and came home with a few bottles), and enjoyed some delicious German food. How can you say no to brats, sauerkraut, applesauce, and potato salad? :)

In the Apostles' Cellar. Named such because of the twelve archways in the room.

Some of the oldest bottles of wine vinegar.

Wine press with old, old wines in the background.

One of the many portions of the vineyard. The Germans originally planted their grapes on these hills, but they were burned during Prohibition. Replanted they provide not only grapes for the wine, but a glimpse into the past and a lovely view.

Star Crossed Oktoberfest Hat, knit for the occasion.

And of course, what's a trip without buying some new wooly goodness? These lovely purchases came from Knit and Caboodle, and I can't wait to see what they'll become! {Above: Manos del Uruguay Maxima, in the colorway Fire. Below: Classic Elite Yarns Liberty Wool, colorway Sunrise.}

Mondays, Lutheran Mugs, and Homework, oh my!

After a weekend that was nothing short of amazing, today is a particularly rough case of the Mondays. It's one of those Mondays that makes me want to curl up with soft, squishy knitting projects and tea, not digital libraries and metadata readings and homework assignments.

This is what my Monday looks like so far:

At least there's knitting tonight! That keeps me a little more motivated to get some homework done this afternoon! :)

And yes, that is the awesome Lutheran Mug my husband received for his birthday from brother-the-younger. I borrowed it this afternoon, since he obviously isn't using it right now.

Pictures from this weekend coming soon! For now, I'll leave you with a few photos of my gorgeous view on Saturday. Couldn't have asked for more perfect weather!

Arrow Rock Heritage Festival

Whew! This weekend turned out to be even busier than I imagined, but I also had a ton of fun! On Saturday, my friend Carol and I headed over to Arrow Rock for their annual Heritage Festival. I loved it! It was so nice to get away for a bit from all the homework and normal stresses of life and escape to one of my favorite "best kept secrets." (Well, what I like to think is a secret, anyway.) Arrow Rock is this adorable little town tucked back off the highway, and it's like walking back in time when hard work and honesty still made a man (or woman) successful. The history major in me loves it every time.

I'd never been to their festival before, but I'm so glad we went! Even if we did get chased away by the rain and storms that rolled in earlier than expected... :) I was impressed with how much there was to see and learn! (And yes, we found the yarn. First, and completely by accident. I only came home with one skein, but it's so soft and squishy and pretty...) Enjoy just a few of the highlights from our adventure:

 Broom making!

 A visit with the blacksmith! (Did you know the metal is still about 900º F when it turns from red to black?)

 And of course, the pretty yarns from That'll Do Ranch. :) Mine isn't pictured... I bought it before I thought to take a picture, but it's from the pinkish-orange section.

Natural, undyed yarns. Look at how many won ribbons at the State Fair!

A festival's not complete without some dancing!

Monday Love Letters

Monday. The day everyone simultaneously dreads... I'll be honest. Lately I've found myself enjoying Mondays. Not because it means a new school week, and not because it means another week where I have multiple projects, meetings, and errands every single day. Monday means I've survived another incredibly busy weekend and I can once again restore a little order to our apartment. Seriously, every weekend in October has at least one thing planned both Saturday and Sunday -- it's busy, and although we all know how much I love being busy, it's also exhausting.

So Monday. I can ease into my day, finish up the laundry from the weekend, pick up from the weekend (because although I love my husband, the apartment's always messier by Monday morning), finish up any last-minute discussion questions/homework assignments, and of course, Monday means Knit Night. :)

In the spirit of Mondays as my juxtaposition of weekend and week, I thought I'd take the time to write a few love letters for the awesome things in my life right now.

Dear Husband, although we're both busy, I really appreciate you making supper the other night while I was finishing up an assignment. And for putting up with my random chatter about metadata and digital library things you don't understand or care about as much as me.
Dear wool socks, thanks for keeping my feet warm this weekend now that Fall is here. You know I always love you.
Dear Percy Grainger Pandora Station, lots of love for you. Every time I listen to you, you not only play excellent study/knitting music, but transport me back to my high school and college band days. You're my favorite recent discovery.
Dear Autumn, thanks for arriving. The incredibly hot and dry summer wasn't much fun, and I love all the opportunities you give me to wear sweaters/scarves/hats, not feel guilty for knitting with wool, decorate with adorable pumpkins and owls, and make delicious crock pot meals. Oh, and you're awesome because you bring back the pumpkin spice lattes.
Dear Crock Pot, you know I rely on you more than ever once school starts, and thanks for making supper easy, mess-free, and being the cause of my entire place smelling delicious. I don't know what I'd do without you. P.S. I'm featuring your latest wonder later this week on Tasty Thursday.
Dear Friends who Randomly Text Me, thanks for letting me know you're thinking of me and appreciate me. Your unexpected messages always bring a smile to my face and make the study sessions more bearable.
Dear Knitting Friends, thanks for helping me adjust the first few months we lived here, and for giving me something to look forward to every Monday night. I love our conversations, our creativity, and the support we have for one another.

Just a few photos I took last year on our conference trip to Tan-Tar-A.

Weekend Wrap-Up, September Edition

Things have been kind of quiet around here lately. I suppose that's because life got super busy this past week and I found myself with little energy to blog by the end of the day. Somehow, relaxing on the couch watching episodes of How I Met Your Mother was more enticing. But...


This weekend:
How is it that we always seem busier on weekends than possible? Apparently this weekend has been the inauguration of our busier than possible fall weekend schedule. BUT. We had a good time with some friends at the young adult mini-golf outing, and an enjoyable dinner with some other friends who couldn't make it to the outing. Quite a few loads of laundry, catching up on cleaning and dishwashing, and the ever-present homework. Sounds like a pretty typical weekend for the fall, huh? I'm excited about some of the other activities we've got planned, both with others and by ourselves. Oktoberfest, Renaissance Fair, a fellowship breakfast and luncheon with some other ladies from town, dinner with friends, a few craft/heritage festivals, and hopefully apple picking! I think we'll get around to relaxing sometime in November... or maybe after Christmas.

Speaking of which, by Christmas I will be officially graduated, and (as of right now) completely free to spend my days however I wish. That will, of course, include job hunting, but in the mean time... I'm planning on relaxing and getting some projects finished up as well!

In the Kitchen:
I made this Chicken Salsa Chili and probably shouldn't have added quite so many jalapenos! It sure was spicy... In my defense, I didn't have the green chiles I thought were in my cabinet, so ... we decided to substitute jalapenos instead. They provided some good flavor, and definitely helped clear out some sinuses.

On the Needles:
I've got some new projects going, and have been working on small (think, one evening) projects lately, which is great for feeling productive! Currently plowing through a scarf I plan on donating to the Country Store held in conjunction with our church's chili and soup supper. I hope whoever goes home with it enjoys wearing it as much as I've enjoyed knitting it. (That, and I'm really loving the fall colors of the scarf -- yellows, oranges, purples, and brown.)

This Coming Week:
Look forward to some delicious breakfast ideas on Tasty Thursday. And I've got some finished object posts to share with you all, too!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Classes have been back in session for a week, and it's been interesting getting back into the swing of things. The start of every semester always takes a while for me to get my "library brain" back and start thinking and processing like a grad student again. Although things are easier now than they were at the beginning of last week, there are still times when I find myself needing to take a break from the computer and all this reading and discussing.

One pleasant surprise is discovering just how much I've learned through this program. Two and a half years is a long time to take online classes (especially when you're usually a full-time student), and there are days when I feel as though I haven't really learned as much as I should by this point... such is the nature of the grad student, I suppose. This week in my Digital Libraries class, we've discussed issues ranging from participatory digital libraries (and archives) to copyright issues to digitization and preservation concerns. Guess who's excited that she's already taken classes relating to these three exact things and actually feels like she has something to contribute to the conversation outside of the required readings?! This girl!

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Around Town this Weekend:
This weekend, D and I spent a delightful afternoon at the Cole Camp Fair. We went last year, but were so new to the area that it was all a blur. This year, we enjoyed walking around, taking in the sites, shopping at some of the cute boutiques (and found a few items to add to my fall decoration collection), wine tasting, and of course eating one of the best home cooked meals I've ever eaten at the Maple Street Cafe!

We've got tons of plans for the upcoming weekends, and I can't wait to get out and explore more of the beautiful country! Autumn is definitely my favorite season... the sites, smells, colors, and produce are some of the best. :) I'll try get a few pictures posted soon of our adventures and travels...

In the Kitchen:
Tonight I made some honey mustard glazed chicken with a crunchy coating (so yummy!), green bean casserole, and leftover pretzel rolls. I think it's about time to have an ice cream sundae to top off the evening! Hopefully I'll have a chance to get some fresh picked apples soon. I've got a recipe for crock pot applesauce I want to try, and apple pie sounds really good right about now. You know, with some ice cream on the side... Hungry yet? :)

On the Needles:
I've got a few projects I'm finishing up, and already have about 5 more in the queue, both gifts and selfish knitting. (Finished object posts coming in the near future!) Of course, ideally they'll all be completed this fall, but my knitting group is starting up a Baby Surprise Jacket knit-a-long, and I'm excited for that as well! We're starting October 1, so I'll try keep you all updated with the progress. Good thing I've only got two classes this semester so I'll have more time to knit.... wait. That's not how it works, is it? (Because guess who's also involved with three new things at church starting this fall? Yay for being busy!)

This Coming Week:
Goals for this week include: finishing a knitting project and getting it in the mail; working on my swap package for a little swap I joined on Rav; getting all my homework completed earlier in the week; getting my new power cord (I know! It's been two weeks now.... so much for 1-2 days, eh?) so I can finally use my computer again. Most of these should be pretty reasonable. I'll let you guess which one is out of my control. ;)