Saturday, October 30, 2010

mad Paint skillz

i love this song and the fact that someone microsoft painted a video is......awesome.

(looks like I need to step up my game)

Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful fall Saturday! I'm currently:

*sippin' on coffee next to our new WOOD STOVE (this deserves it's own post...soon.)

*making housework "lists" (boooooo)

*thinking of cooking bacon alone (dangerous)

*wishing Andrew didn't have to go get hay and unload it today (so is the life of a farmer--but I do get to eat bacon alone, a bonus of saturday morning chores)

have a beautiful day!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Engagment Par-tay

I couldn't let this week come and go without sharing some photos of our engagement/housewarming party held last weekend!

I had friends come in all the way from Wisconsin, Texas, Richmond, and Norton and everything was exactly how I imagined it would be!

We wanted everyone to come, relax, chill out and enjoy a beautiful fall day. We held the party in our front yard and decorated with items around the farm. Andrew fixed up an old wagon that we found in our woods and an old water trough held the ice and beer. Hay bales were stacked all over the yard with old quilts and a bonfire was set up in the middle of the yard. Friends spent so much time helping with little glass and tin jars that became twinkling lights and chalkboard painted arrows that we placed all around the farm.

This party gave me confidence that a DIY wedding can be done and look beautiful!

If this is just a glimpse into what your wedding day feels like....I need to start preparing myself now. What an amazing feeling to be surrounded by so much love!!!





2 of my beautiful bridesmaids :)



Happy Friday!!!


Thursday, October 28, 2010

good 'ole boys

If you ever venture into Virginia (which I hope you do) and you mosey on down to the city of Staunton (which I hope you do) you have to go down to Marino's on a Tuesday night.

For over 30 years this has been the best place for burgers, beers and bluegrass pickin'!

I have been for the burgers before, but never the bluegrass. This past Tuesday, Andrew and I went with two of our friends, Michael & Kim for....you guessed it....burgers, beers and bluegrass.

It was an amazing night. We don't usually leave the farm for the city at night (like, ever?) but this is one place that Andrew and I felt at home in. Here's some proof:










I must have been so caught up in singin' and smilin' that I had to give a HALLELUJAH!

Here's a little video from the night. Everyone was singin' "Long Black Veil". It makes me happy.


Untitled from Valerie McQueen on Vimeo.



Who's comin' next Tuesday?

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

city folks


another favorite page here.

happy hump day.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Woman Cave


image found here


I am going to make Andrew build this for me.

I don't think it looks that hard.

And I need it for secret meetings.

Like this. (although it's not secret & we want you to join)

How perfectly dreamy.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

hello old friends



You know how you have that one room that just collects unopened boxes after a move? Oh you know that room. Due to an upcoming event at la casa de trailer, I was forced into going through these boxes that sat in a barn for over 9 months after the move from Richmond.

Talk about piles of just....you know what. When did I acquire all of these nicknacks? It was a beast of a project that took me almost an entire day of watching "Moulin Rouge" over and over to clean the boxes out. (I clean to my favorite movies...it inspires me).

Then I found a box full of old journals. I have lugged around these suckers for years. They are just dripping in college & post college ANGST. Oh, how I wish I could just go back and shake my shoulders and tell myself how it was all going to be O-K.
I couldn't help but get a little sad last night, as I sat reading a journal that I wrote my senior year of college. I was so wrapped up in my own insecurities & how I didn't think I was good enough for this...or why aren't I good enough for that.... I don't know how I ever graduated.

And then it inevitably happens: I read something that I wrote 5 years ago that I am still writing in my journal today. The same negative thoughts or "problems" that I have with myself. Will I look back in ten years and want to shake the shoulders of my 26 year old self? Probably. But what I did learn from reading through my old friends last night was that I want to be kind to myself. Maybe if I am just a little more gentle with my soul then I will grow past these thoughts that have not disappeared from my journal entries.
Or, maybe I need to write a letter to myself like this .

I don't think that I need to make it a habit to read my old journals. I want to keep them for the memories but I also like clean fresh pages that aren't soaping wet in anxiety. I just need to fill those new pages with more compliments and less judgments.

ps. I am jessie spano




Monday, October 18, 2010

i run for covers.


Is it me or is it incredibly hard for anyone else to get up when the alarm clock goes off on Fall mornings?

Especially when you are the first one who gets out of bed.

Did I mention that I am the first one out of bed? I really don't like the responsibility of it all.

coffee maker
dog taker-outer
cat feeder
official clock watcher

nah. I'm done. I resign, starting today.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

our announcement (yesterday)


We set a date!

this seems very official and REAL.

and I'm sooooo excited about the planning! It seems like all of the sudden every single one of my friends have become master wedding planners and have the best ideas and suggestions to help on our DIY wedding. (did I mention it was going to be very DIY? yes, indeed.)

But then you have moments, like last Thursday when I was checking out of my hotel. A girl was at the front desk going over a box full of goody bags with probably her mother and sister/friend. I asked her the obvious question and she replied that she was getting married that weekend. I told her I was just starting to plan for this next year.

Her advice:

"I just can't wait to get this over with."

and she laughed and said, "I'm kidding."

Friday, October 15, 2010

I lied.



There is one kind of shopping that I really l-o-v-e.
I could walk around vintage/antique shops for days. Really, I could.
It is the only kind of shopping that actually calms me down. My body gets more loose and I feel so much more creative and open when I leave.

Free therapy people. Free therapy.

I drove by this store in Lucketts, VA and had to stop, turn the car around, and head back in. Sometimes I feel like stores speak to me. (craaazy train) Really, this store wanted me to come in and explore it.

If you are ever in the area you have to go to Old Lucketts Store. I could wander around that place for days. The store is an old converted farm house so there are tiny little rooms that vendors rent out. I found one room full of vintage clothes and I was in heaven.



I snapped some pictures of a few things that caught my eye on my not- so- fancy- schmancy phone. I am always looking for crafts that I can re-create (a quilt in a frame? Yes yes yes)

There were a million things I probably could have taken pictures of. I'm planning a girls trip back up to Lucketts! I can't wait!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

shopping blues


I just dropped into the Leesburg Outlets on my way out of town to try and find some boots and it was a complete failed mission.

I just start sweating and I get really nervous and I just want to run to the nearest exit.

I don't understand how anyone can find joy in shopping. Maybe if I had a credit card with no spending limit it would make things better.

Nah. I think I would still sweat bullets.
Maybe next time.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Rachel Portman


(picture from "Rural Virginia", a book that my friend Amy thrift-ed for me because she is amazing and thinks of me when she thrifts)

On one of my favorite blogs, NieNie Dialogues, Stephanie mentioned listening to the Rachel Portman station on Pandora.

I'm always looking for an "outlet" to calm my mind down. Sometimes it goes into overdrive. Okay...well, a lot of times it goes into overdrive. This station is my new *favorite* getaway. I highly suggest listening to it, especially at night when you need to wind down.

Tonight, I'm staying in a hotel in Leesburg, VA for work and I won't be back home until Friday.

I miss my cat. I miss Andrew. I even miss the farm dogs and the 1,000,000 stink bugs that have invaded my trailer. I think it's time to turn on Pandora, dream about being home, and drift off to sleep.

xoxo

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Lady, aka "Grandma"

Yesterday I got a call at work.
Lady, or Grandma as most everyone at the farm called her, had laid down in the riding ring and it didn't look like she was going to get up this time.

Lady was 37 years old which is VERY old in horse years. Andrew's mom has had her longer than both of her children. She was the first horse that Andrew rode and the first horse that he fell off of. Needless to say, Lady is a member of the Crummett family and loved by everyone at the barns.

Lady walked around doing whatever she pleased in her last years. She earned that freedom. You would often find her waiting by the feed room in hopes that someone would give her a little extra grain. Or you would find her scratching her belly on a bush. I think the most important thing that Lady did in her later years was care for all of the foals and their mothers. Lady was the only horse that a new mama would let around her baby. It was really incredible to watch. She was a Grandma in every way possible.

Horses are just not horses at our barn. They are part of our community and many are part of our family. Yesterday was sad for everyone. I have never been around such a large animal at the end of it's life. You could really feel her spirit leave as she took her last few breathes. But we know she was ready to go. It was time and we are all grateful that she went without suffering.

Rest in peace Grandma, it just won't be the same around here without you.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Shannon Miller Engagement Photos












We're just a wee-bit obsessed with Shannon's work.

So many beautiful shots to choose from and don't even get me started on the video that she made. Tears were a'flowin'.

We are so happy to have captured our *love* on the farm.

Friday, October 8, 2010

TRC



sometimes I walk around thinking thoughts in my head. but i do it in a british accent.

do you ever do that?


sometimes I try to do a french accent in my head, but I always sound like pepe le pew.


pepe le pew always made me feel uncomfortable.

testing...testing...is this thing on?

I have been oh-so-busy with life.

The good. The bad. The ugly.

I plan on getting my all my eggs in one basket tonight at 5:45 p.m.

Why 5:45 p.m.? Because that is the E.T.A when I should pull up into my little gravel driveway with hand fulls of groceries and skip into the trailer and make dinner for my love.

He deserves it. He did not get one stinkin' homemade meal this week. And...I might have been a screaming banshee at certain points of the week.
woopsie.

I saw this today and it made me laugh because I had to have a pep talk from my Mom recently that was somewhat structured like this (replace boys with like...people in general.)


Found here.

Happy Weekend!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...