A whirlwind month!

Wow! It's been over a month since I've posted, but at least I've got a good excuse. We're all moved in to our new house! The boxes are all mostly unpacked. The furniture is in, including our brand new couch and loveseat that my mom and dad purchased for us. We actually have a guest room with a full size bed (thanks Alyson!) so that guests can sleep on a bed instead of a 10+ year old futon. It's starting to feel more like home every day.

My new job is going really well. I'm very happy with the change and I feel like I'm doing pretty well at it. I really enjoy working from home although I get pretty restless in the evenings when I haven't gone anywhere all day. I know this will become less and less of a problem as my caseload continues to grow.

Jeff was offered the HS English teaching position at Premier Academy of Ohio for the 2010-2011 school year. We are both excited and relieved. He's teaching 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English.

Finally, Jeff and I have a mini-vaca planned for mid-August. We're spending 2 nights on Kelley's Island at Sunrise Point. Jeff and I purchased/won the trip last summer during a silent auction for a Batten Disease fundraiser. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to getting away, even if it's just for 3 days! We haven't really had a real vacation since our honeymoon. We've taken small trips here and there but this is the first trip where we can do nothing but relax.

Hopefully I'll have pictures to post soon. I spent yesterday making valances for the kitchen. They turned out really well. I'm planning to make some placements that coordinate for the kitchen table. I also need to get working on my Etsy shop! As soon as it's up and running I'll let everyone know.

Until next time...

Amy

Officially Home Owners!

As of 12:00pm yesterday, Jeff and I are officially home owners.

Yes friends, you heard right! After almost 6 months of this home-buying process we have reached the finish line. Jeff and I figured out we probably looked at over 30 houses, put an offer on two and have finally claimed one as our own.

We'll be moving in next week and let me tell you, it's not soon enough! We gave the seller 7 days to move out and she's taking all 7 days. Jeff plans to pick up the keys from the seller's realtor on Tuesday morning at 7:30am. My dad is driving down with his truck to help us move as well.

Right now we're living among boxes. We're probably 80% packed. Jeff's parents came down this past weekend to help us organize and pack. It was a HUGE help! We'll be very glad when these boxes can officially make it over to the new home.

My biggest worry now is hoping the cats adjust well. I think they'll be fine and I'm sure after awhile they'll really enjoy all the space!

I'll post pictures of the move-in once it happens. Thank you to everyone who sent good thoughts or said small prayers for us during the entire process. We needed it and it finally paid off!

Restaurant rave!

I wanted to give a restaurant rave to a great place that we tried for the first time this weekend. Jeff and I always enjoy trying new places (either brand new or new to us) and we are rarely disappointed. One thing I can say about Columbus is that we are never at a loss for great restaurants that serve fabulous food!

My shout out goes to The Burgundy Room in the Short North. Jeff and I were in the Short North for ZombieWalk Columbus (an entirely different post) and after having a few drinks with friends at MoJoe Lounge, said goodbye to our friends and grabbed dinner at The Burgundy Room.

The atmosphere seems 2-fold. The front of the restaurant is bright and friendly. Definitely where you'd want to sit if you were there with friends. The back of the restaurant is dark and romantic. A great spot for a romantic night out on the town. If you're a wine love, this is your restaurant! They have tons of great selections for both white and red wine lovers. Jeff claims that he had the best glass of wine he's had in his entire life. My glass of white was amazing as well.

The Burgundy Room is a tapas bar meaning that they serve small plates (tapas) meant for sharing and passing. You're meant to order 2-3 different dishes. Jeff and I got the french fries with garlic aioli dipping sauce, shrimp and grits with bacon and pork belly in a marinara jus and pulled confit of duck leg with cheese tortellini in duck jus. One word describes them all = OHMYGOD! They were each amazing and very rich which is why the small plates are so great. You get just enough of each plate with stuffing yourself.

Price-wise, this place is a little more expensive. For two glasses of wine and three tapas we spent $49. I would consider this a special occasion restaurant.

So if you're looking for a great place or something new to try, check out The Burgundy Room in the Short North.

So much to catch up on!

I've been a neglectful blogger lately. Luckily I have a TON to report!

First and foremost, WE GOT THE HOUSE! Yay! We found out last Tuesday that the bank finally accepted our offer. We had our home inspection on Friday and we head to the mortgage broker today. We're hoping to close by the middle of June and be in to the new house by the third or fourth week of June. This next month is going to be a whirlwind!

I've been sewing like crazy for the Nesting Bazaar on June 19th. You'll see plenty of goodies from me! I'm in the process of setting up an Etsy Shop as well (SeamsEasy). So far I have burp cloths, taggie blankets, plastic bag holders, and coasters. I'd still like to work on a few coffee cozies and maybe some checkbook covers. So much to sew, so little time!

I started my new job last Monday. I've had one week of orientation and I'm feeling overwhelmed pretty good. I start week two today. There are a ton of forms, databases, and terms to learn. Luckily I have a lot of medical social work background and I know it will be extremely helpful! I have another 2 weeks of orientation and then a 6-month probationary period while I continue to get my feet wet. So far, so good.

On a food note, have you ever been to Northstar Cafe in Clintonville? OMG! If you have not, you need to drop all your plans and get down there IMMEDIATELY! Jeff and I had breakfast there with my parents on Sunday morning. I have four words for you - scrambled eggs with chevre. Maybe one of the best things I've ever eaten. Jeff had a poached egg with prosciutto on a delicious Parmesan herb focaccia. Whoa. That dish was life-changing! Moral of the story, go to Northstar Cafe soon!

So that's the update around here! Hope all of you have been doing well. Have a great week!

Until next time...

Amy

Well, it's Monday...

....And we still haven't heard anything about the house.

Correction: We haven't heard anything we'd like to hear about the house. On Friday night we heard that they were STILL reviewing the file and found that a page was missing! Missing! The seller's agent was working to get them the page they needed.

We've been in contact with our realtor and she's optimistic that we'll hear something by Friday, if not by mid-week.

Again, not holding my breath.

Jeff and I did have a good weekend. We saw Iron Man 2 on Friday night (if you see it, be sure to stay all the way through the credits), went to North Market on Saturday and had a friend over for dinner on Sunday. Just the right mix of busy and relaxing.

We also found out that our good friends, Josh and Deanna, are having a baby! Josh is one of Jeff's best friends and was his college roommate at BG. With all these baby announcements lately, I'm beginning to think we're the only ones left on the No-Baby Boat. However, I'm perfectly happy on the No-Baby Boat so I don't think we'll be getting off the ship for quite awhile. In the meantime, I'll just keep making adorable taggie blankets, burp cloths, and bibs for all my new mommy friends.

Frustrating house news

Today was supposed to be the day we were going to hear about our house. The seller's bank was going to let us know whether or not they accepted our offer.

Our realtor told us she would call the seller's agent at 10:00.

The seller's agent didn't know anything yet.

Fast forward to 2:30 and we've just heard that the seller's bank needs AT LEAST another 48 hours before making a decision.

Seriously?! ANOTHER 48 hours??????

So now you need 10 weeks AND another 48 hours?!

However, the seller's agent told our realtor that the bank does see this as a priority.

You can understand, then, why I'm having a hard time believing that they're seeing this as a priority.

Ugh. Just ugh.

This weekend's sewing projects

I had two projects I wanted to do this weekend. Both turned out super cute and were fairly easy to do.

First up? Quilted coasters from a cute blog called "a pretty cool life."

My mom let me have some awesome floral and goldenrod fabric that complimented each other so well. It was just a matter of cutting out some squares, sewing inside out and then adding the finishing touches by sewing straight lines in a square around the coaster. They make a fun and simple gift for someone, which is exactly why I made them.

The next project was for my friend A and her beautiful daughter E. A had asked me to make a "taggie blanket" for E. It seemed fairly simple and VERY cute! This project only took me about 1 hour from start to finish. I have quite a few friends with babies due this summer so I can see me knocking these things out for quick and cute gifts.

And the best part is that it's only Saturday! I have an entire day tomorrow to dedicate to a fun and new project. Not sure what it will be yet, but I'm sure I'll think of something I can work on.

Until next time...

Amy