Spring Cleaning

Hello friends!  I've been quiet on here, as is usually the case this time of year.  Work becomes very hectic and my work-life balance gets thrown off a bit {or a lot}.

The good news is we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  The bad news is it may be another month before things get closer to normal.

The great news is that I've been working on a new website and am building that right now to debut before our great European Summer Adventure!  I'm pretty excited about it {both the new site and the adventure}.

Oh and another thing... back in early Fall my hard drive containing all my photos crashed, which was beyond devastating. More good news:  I was able to rescue about 90% of the photos!  BUT, not the processed photos, mainly just the originals in raw form.  My grand plan of Wander Wednesday kind of nose dived after that... and my Mindful Monday would have been a bit bitter. haha.

I hope to resume those endeavors with the launch of the new site design.

In the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram.  I've created a couple accounts, one for Whispering Whims and one for my glorious pups! :)

Whispering Whims

A collection of my favorite photos taken on past and present adventures.

Pipson Adventures
The life and leisure of Pippa and Watson.
Pretty much just playing and sleeping. :)

Spring is Here

Peach blossoms and sweet Carolina skies tonight. 

Guess it's time to come out of hibernation. 🌸

We've been pretty busy around here this past winter. 

A few house projects, but mainly we've both been working on our classes.

Pretty much it's been study, study, study!

Luckily, Paul's nearly finished with his last semester 

and I have a couple more classes left. 

Even though we've had our noses stuck in our books, 

we do have some projects to update you on.  

Our kitchen counters/backsplash was finished this December. 

We finally finished up our dining room, but are looking for the right chandelier.

We've also been working on some changes to our master bedroom. 

This weekend I'll be working on redoing a barrel cane chair I rescued. :)

Even though we've been a bit quiet these past few months, 

we are doing well, keeping busy, and planning some great projects and adventures.

BIG NEWS: Summer 2016 will officially be spent in Europe! 

Home base will be Copenhagen, Denmark.

We are beyond excited for this opportunity and have SO much to plan. 

Autumn Hibernation Time

Ahhh it's that time of the year again. 

It's officially reached the South.  

It's cooled down.  

The humidity is gone {thank goodness}. 

Our grass is finally recovering from the terrible drought. 

The leaves are changing color.  

The skies are brilliant blue.

It's the season of Pumpkin everything, wonderful boots, and coziness.

It's also that time of the year where the mornings are so darn dark and cold 

that I cannot bear to get out of bed and into the shower.  

I love that in the South, summer seems to last for 6 months of the year 

and spring and autumn last for a couple months as well; 

winter is the shortest season.

It was one of the BEST discoveries I made the first year living down here. 

The simple fact that we get adequate warm months, 

makes it easier to survive the change of seasons.

With that in mind,  I still find it funny how I turn into a complete bear this time of year. 

Walks at 5:00am with the dogs are not so bearable. 

It's totally dark and cold,

and getting dressed takes more effort and more layers. 

Pippa, our eldest fur baby, is just like me.

Alarm goes off and she is straight under the covers. 

Adamantly denying that it is time to wake up.

The struggle is real. 

I remember in kindergarten we were instructed to all bring in a little stuffed bear,

and in an effort to teach us about animals that hibernate

our stuffed animals had to stay in our little cubbies until spring.  

{Except during nap time.. then our bears could come out and cuddle.}

This will be my little cuddle bears and me until next year...

On a bright note... I heard it snowed in New York last weekend.  haha :) 

Mindful {Monday} | Well Hello Again...

I've been skimping on the mindful Monday posts.. and well my posts in general.  It's not that I haven't been mindful, but instead that I have been really trying to live so much in the moment recently {honestly, I've been forced to} that I don't always have a moment {or always want to spend a rare moment} writing here.

Our new schedule has been a bit of a challenge and getting used to it {am I used to it?} has taken a bit of time.  I really have the easy job in this whole Paul going back to school thing.  It's keeping us both busy, but like always, I am amazed at the speed of time.  That speed is both a relief, as we can see the end in sight, and a bit scary with exam deadlines, papers, and non-stop homework always looming.

I do love how organized it has forced us to be. There is nothing like rising to meet a challenge and I feel like that is what we have both been doing; me on the home-front and him in the classroom.

Here is the schedule we have settled into lately:

Monday & Tuesday: 
5:20 AM - Wake up, walk the dogs, shower and get ready.
7:00 AM - Rose to work
7:15 AM - Paul to work
12:30 PM - Paul to Library
5:30 PM - Paul to class
5:30 PM/6:00 PM - Rose to home
6:30 PM - Eat, feed pets, walk dogs, shower
8:30 PM - Paul, class ends
9:00 PM - Paul home
9:30 PM - 10:30 PM - Bed please.

Wednesday
5:20 AM - Wake up, walk the dogs, shower and get ready.
7:00 AM - Rose to work
7:15 AM - Paul to work
12:30 PM - Paul to Library
5:30 PM/6:00 PM - Rose to home
6:30 PM - Paul to class
6:30 PM - Rose eat, feed pets, walk dogs, shower, cook
9:15 PM - Paul, class ends
10:00 PM - Paul home
10:00 PM - 10:30 PM - Bed please.

Thursday
5:20 AM - Wake up, walk the dogs, shower and get ready.
7:00 AM - Rose to work
7:15 AM - Paul to work
12:30 PM - Paul to Library
5:30 PM - Paul to class
5:30 PM/6:00 PM - Rose to home
6:30 PM - Eat, feed pets, walk dogs, shower
8:30 PM - Paul, class ends
9:00 PM - Paul home
9:30 PM - 10:30 PM - Bed please.

Friday
5:20 AM - Wake up, walk the dogs, shower and get ready.
7:15 AM - Rose to work
7:15 AM - Paul to work
5:00 PM - Rose to home
5:30 PM - Paul to home
Some time after work: Grocery Shopping/Dinner

Saturday
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM  - Wake up, walk the dogs, shower and get ready.
12:00 PM - Paul to library, Rose cleans home & HOPEFULLY works on projects!!
5:30PM / 6:00PM - Dinner
Hopefully time to hang out after this... just depends on homework

Sunday
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM  - Wake up, walk the dogs, shower and get ready.
12:00 PM - Paul to library, Rose cooks dinners and packs lunch for the week & HOPEFULLY works on projects!!
5:30PM / 6:00PM - Dinner
Hopefully time to hang out after this... just depends on homework

So you can quickly see where our time now goes each week. Also, Pippa {our dog} has been getting into a strange habit of jumping up onto the bed in the middle of the night and waking us up.. sometimes multiple times.  On these nights we wake up so sleep deprived... we wonder how people that have kids do this???

Anyway, our schedule isn't anything special, but it has forced us to really get into a better habit of being more efficient with our time and schedule things as much as possible.  Planning meals and cooking large batches has been essential to making sure we are eating well... Which means we stay away from the fast food.  I mean... maybe a pizza here or there on a Friday ;) 

We are both definitely looking forward to a break during Thanksgiving and Christmas {which you know I'd love to pack with projects}... but, honestly, I'm really looking forward to just hanging out and binge watching movies with my hubby, whom I miss quite a bit. ❤

Not Absent - Just BUSY!

The past month has been one of the greatest examples of how the measurement of time is truly inadequate it terms of how it is experienced.  I know it's only been a month since Paul began his master's classes, but it feels like it's been AGES!

His classes are keeping him busy, and I've been busier than ever as well.  I don't know how all those single mama's {and papa's} out there do it!  I am just taking care of a couple fur babies, a house, and a husband and it feels like there is little down-time now.

One thing I can say, is that my crock-pot has been indispensable!!  I have been making everything from stews and potatoes to oatmeal and hot chocolate.  I've been learning some new shortcuts and getting more organized (and disorganized) than ever.

Right before Paul started classes in August, we started a series of projects that we thought we could get finished in a weekend or two, but they have been now getting whittled away during nights and spare moments during the weekend when he's not in the library. Luckily, we are more than 75% of they way done and I am hopeful that in a couple weekends it will be 100%.  :)

Here is the list that has been consuming my time:
Posts coming soon...

1. Gray Conundrum: I painted my dining room... now I'm painting it again. Gray - the most difficult color ever.
   
   
   
   
2. Wine Rack Cabinet DIY: Transforming our unused cabinet above the refrigerator into a space for wine!
   
3. Filing Cabinet Makeover:  We had an old filing cabinet in the garage, I got inspired by some Pinterest pins, and then decided... let's do this. :)
   
4. Rustic Pottery Barn Ladder DIY:  In the pursuit of cozy... I needed a place for blankets, but not for a $250 price tag.
   

Aside from all that, I'm planning/packing for a couple upcoming trips to NY!  It's going to be great to get some time with good friends and family, not to mention the crisp Autumn weather and Fall foliage. 

Almost Back in Action

It's been a rough few months at work, which meant I needed to cut back on my creative time. 

MAJOR bummer!

However, just because I cut back, doesn't mean I've stopped!

Oh no...

It just means that I have been spending that time dreaming up and planning.

Places to go, things to do, rooms to paint, projects to finish and start,
as well as all sorts of fun crafts that I am bursting at the seams to begin. 

Here's a brief summary of what's been keeping me so busy (work excluded)....

One.  A bun in the oven! Not my oven, my dear cousins', but that is still a lot to celebrate! 

Two.  3 Trips home to NY! = 4,800+ miles of driving! (because we're crazy like that.)

Three.  A new addition to our family! (Meet Watson. He has big puppy eyes and he barks.)

Four.  We took another vacation. (Can there ever be enough?)

Five.  A lot of lawn work, puppy proofing, and project planning


Six.  I was gifted a vintage sewing machine.  Do I love it? YES! 
(pictures coming soon).

Seven.  I got a Mac. Which means, I get to begin processing all our 
trip photos that I haven't had time for!  
I'll be updating my photos section with more than just 
unprocessed test images soon, and this makes me very happy!  :) 

I'll be back soon.

Liverpool FC in the USA

Soccer Fever has finally hopped across the Pond! 

Last weekend Liverpool FC played A.C. Milan in Charlotte, NC. 

There were so many chants, songs, shouts, and fevered pride that I thought we might not be in the US.

Here was a view from our seats:

It was amazing and so wonderful to be a part of the experience. 

Charlotte was a sea of red, where most people showed up in support of Liverpool!

This was right below us and really captures the spirit:

Brief Interlude

We have been working hard the past few weeks.  

The pergola is up and about 75% complete. 

All that is left are the end caps (fancy scrolled pieces) and to stain it. 

Our grass is coming in gorgeous and our vegetable garden is completely assembled and planted. 

We will share some photos of all these things soon, I promise. 

In the meantime, we took a Saturday afternoon off to go frolic through a field of flowers! :)

Yes, seriously!

Our WONDERFUL neighbor is an AMAZING photographer [Uriah Baet Photography]. 

He agreed to help us get some photos to celebrate our 1 year of marriage, 

which was in September, but with busy schedules, travel, and house projects... 

time kind of got away from us. 

So we finally got around to this photo project, 

and we were blessed with lovely weather 

and a breathtaking scenic landscape as our backdrop. 

So blessed to be married to my best friend! 

In 1 month we will be celebrating 5 years since we met! 

Time flies when you are having the time of your life.

So here is to more happiness, love, laughter, travel, and projects! ;)

Pippa's First Cone Head

Our poor Pippa pup had her first, second, and third trip to the hospital this week. 

Earlier this week we brought her in after noticing her peeing excessively on our walks.
It turned out to not be anything TOO serious, a UTI, which apparently is common in dogs,
but she was still experiencing some discomfort and concerning symptoms on Friday.
Since she was not drinking or eating,
she was prescribed a half day Saturday and all day today in the pet medical center getting an IV.

Now we need to wait for her shaved cuffs to grow her pretty fur back.

We were very happy that she appears to be doing better now and she was the cutest and clumsiest pup in a cone we'd ever seen.  We are very biased.  

We couldn't help but smile when she hobbled down the road battling with the cone and bandage. 

Snow Day! Snow Play!

Snow and cold weather were not something I ever enjoyed in my "adult" life.
I was always a pretty bad "Yankee" in the winter.
I don't ski or snowboard, and I'd only go sledding if you dragged me out of the house. 

I do like ice skating, but the most I can do on skates is try to stay upright and not crash into anything.

But now..living in the South means that even a little bit of snow, or ice, could result in a day of working from home or just enjoying your snow day by the fire and going outside to play!
It can be quite enjoyable and pretty!

We have just gotten some pretty historical snowfall in NC this week.  6 inches + ice does not happen around here in one winter snow event.  We made sure to take some pictures before it all melts!

After a business trip earlier this week, a couple canceled flights, and a 5 hour drive, I made it home before the snow began to stick in NC. I'm glad I made it home last night to be able to enjoy my snow days this week with my adorable Husband and pup.  

She is just out of her mind with happiness about playing in the snow. 

Almost makes me wish we had more of it each year... almost. 

Tomorrow we will be finishing up the quarter round installation and posting photos of our new floors. 

 Yay!! :)

Twenty Thirteen You've Been Kind

As the year is getting ready to close, 

I am very thankful for all the wonderful moments and memories that have been created along the way. 

2013 has been a year of so many blessings, adventures, and learning.

Here are some that I reflect on with joyful nostalgia. 

It was the first year of my marriage.
Filled with much laughter, so much happiness, and THE BEST adventures!

It was the first time we traveled through Europe.  

17 days of wonder, walking 'til you drop, and tasting everything!

It was the first time I took a MOOC.  

I "graduated" the BioChem MIT course. It was A LOT of work and very satisfying to finish!

(I'm circled in yellow).

My first (and probably last) trip to the Superbowl!

We didn't end up winning, but it was still such an amazing experience. 

 One which we will never forget!

Pippa experienced her first snow storm! It was so sweet to see her frolic in the snow!

In fact, we frolicked too!

I went on my first ocean fishing trip.  I didn't so much catch what we were fishing for! haha

We did our first 5k!  We chose to make it a really fun one! 

Tip: Don't laugh or smile when the color is thrown at you... I did eat this stuff.  It didn't taste good.

It was the year we bought our first house.

Now we understand that dreaming and projects never end. 

The year that we first traveled to the Pacific North West.
We made the most of every moment there and
covered the coast in one jam-packed weekend!  

Here's to hoping that 2014 will be just as kind and at least half as fun! :)