Posts

11.07.2012

anybody there?

I wouldn't blame you if you aren't! Boy, it has been long since my last post. So much has changed in the last year or so that at times it makes my head spin, but it simultaneously makes me stop in my tracks in awe.

I have finished graduate school and have made the switch from teaching special education to teaching in my own classroom. There have been days when I leave (hours after school has been let out) and have to pause as I begin to turn out the lights because I can't believe how much I love what I am doing and how fortunate I am to be given the ability and opportunity to do this awesome job every day.

I went from being engaged to the greatest man I know, to being married to this man who gives me a new reason every day to love him.







We had an entire weekend to be surrounded by the people we love and enveloped in a spirit of celebration that we will never forget! It poured buckets during our ceremony, but that just added to how special it really was.

We are still working on renovating our home. We were in a lull for a while with everything else going on, but slowly we are getting back into it.

And the biggest change (and surprise!) of all is that we brought this amazing souvenir home from our honeymoon....




Yup, in what is probably the biggest surprise of our life we found out that we are going to become parents in May! 

So my crafty friends...I'm looking for suggestions on how to document our little one. My lovely blogging buddy, Sharyn, has suggested Project Life and I have to say that I really like that idea. Have any of you used that format to preserve the memories of your pregnancy and child? If so, what kinds of things have you included? If not, what have you done that you really like? I can't wait to hear your thoughts!


3.26.2012

hi there!

You know those good friends that you have that you can go for a long time without speaking with and then go and pick right back up where you left off? 

Let's be those. Yes?

My, oh my it has been a long time since I've been blogging, but lately it has been on my mind a lot and I'm hoping to be able to pop in over here more often. I've got some yummy wedding craftiness going on and can feel it in my bones that I am 'bout to dive into some major scrapbooking time real soon. I've also been trying out some delicious recipes that I'd love to share too. 

So what else have I been up to?

Well I am happy to report that I have finally finished graduate school! WOOT! 
Wedding planning has been keeping me quite busy. 
mmb & I have been doing a bit of work on our house. 
Well, then there's pinterest.....
And I've done major overhaul of my health which has included a 12 week program at the gym and training for a 5k that I am doing in April with some friends. 
Also job searching with that fancy new degree I've got now ;-) But that's not as much fun as the other stuff, so let's concentrate on those things....

I think to get back into the swing of things I will be inspired by many of you and jump on the regularly occurring "currently" posts. 

So here goes....
I AM CURRENTLY


LISTENING
To mmb type on his computer, the wind howling outside and a rather inappropriate episode of Family Guy that is playing in the background

EATING
Just finished two veggie dogs and some rice. Note to self: have better prepared meals for late gym nights.

DRINKING
A big ole refreshing glass of H2O

WEARING
Yoga pants, a tee shirt and a sweatshirt

FEELING
Tired and thirsty

WEATHER
Cold and windy...such a huge difference from last week's 70-80's and sunny!

WANTING
A vacation with mmb and a job for next year 

NEEDING
A few more hours in the day

THINKING
That I should pack my lunch for tomorrow so I don't have to do it in the morning

ENJOYING
That my cat seems to be feeling better 

And because it just doesn't feel right to have a picture-less post, here you go, one of our engagement shots... :) 



So what's new with you?

8.03.2011

I said yes!

Well here is the long and (not so) short of it…





It was a dream come true.





Even as I sit here typing this, with this gorgeous ring on my finger, I sometimes need to pinch myself to make sure that this dream that I seem to be living in, is actually a reality.





Matt and I have been together for almost six years, and although yes, I knew this moment was coming some day, I was taken completely by surprise by this man and his awesomeness.





For our date night this week we decided to go to our old stomping grounds in Waltham to our favorite sushi restaurant, which is now called The Sushi Box, but it will always be Sushi Yasu to us. We ordered some sashimi and some sushi rolls and enjoyed a delicious dinner old-school style. After dinner we took a ride by the old house to see it for nostalgia purposes, and laughed at the irony that we used to live across the street from a Benjamin Store- funny since we now spend most of our time and money at one near or new house ;)





After that ride we decided to stop by Gore Place- a gorgeous historical estate right near where we used to live. We would go there on our evening walks, especially during what I have coined “golden time” when the sun begins to set. I would always joke about how the view from the bench we would sit at looked like my favorite scene from the Pride and Prejudice movie when Mr. Darcy would come out and meet Elizabeth Bennett in the early morning mist and they agreed to marry(my favorite book!). I also spent a lot of time there myself, reading in the gardens, especially in one in particular which I like to call “The Secret Garden” (after my favorite childhood book) due to the fact that this gorgeous space is surrounded by about 20 foot hedges that surround and enclose it.





Well, we park at Gore and I went over to check out the bulletin board of what was happening at the estate in the coming weeks. Matt joined me and we went for a walk around the side of the house where the bench where we would sit is. Unfortunately they were setting up a carnival on the grounds below and mmb grumbled something about this “being a mood killer” and I joked about getting away from the clowns. At that point we decided to walk on back over to the garden area and stopped to check out a giant tree that we had carved our initials into about 3 years ago- we even have a picture of that tree on our bureau in our bedroom! Apparently he was about to propose there, but people started to walk by and he says he knew I would like this to be a private moment. At that point we kept walking and he was walking really fast and I told him to slow down a little bit and he kind of laughed at me. We walked into the secret garden and looked around a bit, as much as we could in the dark anyhow, and he began to tell me the most beautiful things he has ever said to me.  
Before I knew it, it began to lightly rain (which was amazing because not only do I love love love the rain, but it rained on our first date when we went on a walk in the park near his college)  and he was down on one knee and asking me to marry him! I was stunned at first and didn’t respond and when I finally did I said “Are you serious?!” and he laughed! I did a little happy dance around the garden and he asked me if I wanted the ring and started laughing again. I said yes and he put the ring on my finger and we were engaged!





After that we sat on the bench that we sat on the night before we moved from Waltham and talked for about 45 minutes , basking in the glow of what just happened before we began making the phone calls. It was undoubtedly one of the greatest moments of my life :)





Now under normal circumstances I probably would have caught on to his plan before he had a chance to enact it, but my mind was quite busy planning some surprises for him. I had arranged for one of his best friend’s from college to fly in with his wife and surprise Matt for his birthday and to attend his surprise birthday party the next day! They were supposed to stay with us on Friday, but fortunately mmb’s parents knew of both surprises and arranged for his friend and his wife to stay in the city for Friday night and to meet up with us for drinks we all had dinner so that Matt could propose! 

After we left Gore, I told him it would be a great idea to go have champagne at one of our favorite restaurants, Tempo, on Moody Street- little did he know that the real reason was so that Vick and Renuka could meet us there and surprise him. I sat facing the door so that I could see them arrive and when I noticed them told Matt “boy, the surprises just keep coming…” then Vick tapped him on the back and he turned around and was stunned! It was so great! We spent the night celebrating with them and then went home. The next day was a surprise party for mmb’s birthday which worked out great because we are able to spend and celebrate with many of the people we love!





 It was a CRAZY weekend! 


 


Now I know that this initial “engagement glow” is going to wear off. And I am smart enough to know that although I plan on thoroughly enjoying the wedding planning process, there will be inevitable bumps in the road and it won’t be all bliss all the time. But I know I am going to savor it now, while it is. And what I know above all of else if that the love I share with this man is like nothing I could have ever imagined. Yes, we disagree and we don’t always see eye to eye on things and our relationship is certainly not perfect, but I can say with absolute certainty that we are perfect for each other.  And that is why I am going to marry him.





Oh my goodness. I am going to marry him! <3

7.24.2011

I'm IN!





I might just be crazy to take this on with all I have going on this week, but hey...why not ;-)

5.22.2011

thrifty additions to my crafting space

I've been busy. 
Turning this...





into this...


and this...

into this...

They are the perfect additions to my crafting room and for a combined total purchase of price of $54.98, they are a bargain at 10 times the price. 
Yup, you read that correctly. 
The chair was $19.99 and the dresser- turned- scrapbooking- supply- storage unit was $34.99 at a local thrift store. 

Sure, they were both in less than optimal condition when I bought them, and if we're being honest, the chair smelled pretty awful, but with a little elbow grease, a staple gun, some paint and some febreeze, I was able to turn them into the perfect affordable additions to my room. 

My favorite part?
Once I removed the drawers and knocked out the middle bar of the middle area, my paper storage cubes fit in perfectly! 

It's coming along so nicely.
I can't wait to get up to my elbows in paper and glue and tackle the 12 unopened studio calico kits I have lingering around (that's just embarrassing ;-) ) 

I feel a scrapbooking day coming on!

4.19.2011

this is me.

Hello everyone.  While reading through the prompt for Shimelle's newest class, Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers, the thought crossed my mind that there may be a lot of people popping over here who are not familiar with this little spot or myself, so I though I would take the opportunity to introduce myself. 

Hello! 
I'm Melissa. 

I like to scrapbook. 



and cook and bake for my friends and family

I am head over heels for this guy...




and renovating our house together is one of my favorite things to do 



I am a teacher and a tutor

and a sucker for a good cup of tea

I'm beginning to garden

I like to take pictures 

and I have amazing friends and family! 
 
I'm a pretty lucky lady :)

...And that there is a tiny snapshot of me.


 I'm so glad you've stopped by my little place to share some projects, soon to be projects, and affinity for things that make me smile.

I do hope you'll stop by again!
Oh, and I would love to learn a little bit about you. Please leave a comment telling me a little something about yourself and a link to your blog, if you have one, so I can check out your little place too!

3.18.2011