Peach Streusel Pie

The end of the year.

Fall Reading List

Today is the first day since early September that I feel like I can breath.  I feel like I'm able to get back into my own skin.  Today, I cleaned my pantry, kitchen, and dinning room.

Happy Friday!

Life has a way of running away from you.  We've been in Portland for two months now.  I've been working non-stop and so has Alex I've had little time for this space and that makes me a little sad.  Though I've started instagraming.  This is a new development in my life and I'm still getting to know my new apple product!

Here are some snipets of my life.

Getting back to normal

The apartment is almost done.  Just a few little things still need to be taken care of, but for the most part everything has a place and it feels like a home.  Even the kitties are getting back to their normal selves.

Mamasita exploring her new favorite place to sit

Updated About Page!

Welcome!

I'm Dianna.

At the end of July 2012, my husband, Alex and I packed our car with as much of our possessions as we could fit and drove off into the sunrise.  We left behind books, plates, shoes, desks, wine glasses, and our beloved kitties.  Don't worry, the kitties and everything else are staying with Alex's parents.

After a long five day drive (which took us six days), we landed in our nation's capital, Washington, DC.

Read all about our Journey, Day One , Day Two , Day Three , Day Four , Day Five , and  Day Six .

We are now settling into our new home in the basement of a DC suburb house.  As we do this we await the arrival of our kitties, search for a job for Alex and I prepare myself for the year ahead of grad school.  On September fifth I begin a Masters of Montessori Education at Loyola University Maryland.  I am truly blessed to have this opportunity, if you had asked me last year where I would be right now I would have never guessed that I'd be this far away from California, let alone starting a graduate program.

For this year I'm unsure what direction this blog will go, but I hope you stick around.

This will be our journey together.

Thank you for visiting my blog, I hope you enjoy your stay.

The Players:

Dianna:

Blogger, Dancer, Reader, Sewer or Sewist, Photo taker, Maker of things edible and not so edible, Lover of things old.



Alex:

Husband, Video game player, Pasta Maker, Griller extraordinaire.



Mamasita:

Cat, Breaker of dishes, Player of cat toys, Catnip aficionado.



Zoey:

Baby Kitty, Snuggler, Nuzzler, Biter, Lover of laps and laptops. 

Going Away

We are leaving... All too soon... But the great thing about leaving is people give you wonderful gifts to remember them by. Here is what we have received of late (of course they have to come with us on our journey)

 

Saturday

Today we are cleaning, organizing, packing, anything else that needs to be done,

And we are listening to

Joy the Baker Podcast.

Episode 55: Taco-fy

Episode 56: Why is your dog in a purse?

Episode 57: Dodged a Fairy Bullet. 

Today's Progress

Today

Today's mess is brought to from moving to the East Coast!

Because 3,000 miles is a long way to go.

Zoey helps sorting and packing.

Sorting

I took a needed break from packing to have lunch and a shopping trip with my dearest Shannon.  

Then it was back to the grind stone.  

Here are some pictures of the progress.

This is how we do it.

Tuesday.

Tomorrow is Wednesday (my favorite day of the week) and it's going to be the fourth of July.  So a day off with pay in the middle of the week.  I cannot say no to that.

Since, both Alex and I worked today I just did a little packing/sorting.

And of course Zoey helped.

Circle Quilts

My original idea for my circle quilt struck me as too much for me to handle currently, with the big move and everything.  So I decided to make two smaller quilts with the materials that I had laying around.

Today, After breakfast with Steph from Hope Sewing is Genetic, I laundered and pressed all the pieces that still needed that.

Then, I cut the backing, fronts, and batting to fit the dimensions I decided on.

Then, I laid out the circles and pinned them to one of the quilts.

Piles

And Piles!

Of Stuff.

There are piles of papers.

Piles of Books

Piles of random things that I really don't know why we have it.

This is my life right now.

Sorting all of our things into piles of keep, donate, and trash.

All in preparation to move.

A Good Day

I'm finally done with my class.  I do not generally stress over classes, but this one (the first class in two years) threw me for a loop this past month.  

But not today.

Today, was the last day of class.  I'm free.

I can start planning for our big move.  So much to do, so little time.  

Today, I walked around down town for an hour.  

Wondered into a used book store and found one of the books I need for school for only $3.00.  What a steal.  I picked up a couple more Montessori books while I was there and they were inexpensive.

After that I walked up Seven flights of stairs.  Nothing like stairs to make you feel really out of shape.

And to round out the day, I finally had enough energy to clean the house while listening to Joy the Baker Podcast

I haven't done this for awhile.  I've been very busy.  

So strange as it sounds.  This makes me very happy!

Today, the kitties and I listened to...

Episode 45: Like Nobody's Blaziness

Episode  46: Tiers of Tears

Big News

Big, Big, Big, News...

I got into graduate school...

I have been accepted to a Master's degree program in Montessori Education at Loyola University Maryland.

WOW!!!

Now, I just need to figure out how to get me, Alex, Zoey and Mamasita all the way across the country.


View Larger Map


And, how to pay for it all.

But, for now I'm going to be happy and celebrate!

Saturday

What to do on a Saturday?

Clean house?
Laundry?

 Nope. 

 Not motivated.

But I put on my house cleaning listenings and things start to get a little bit done.  

Today, Zoey and I listened to...

Joy the Baker Podcast:

Episode 38: Shucker

Episode 39: Sexy in Sexy Out

Episode 40: Book Baby

Episode 41: Close to a Third Party

Episode 42: Would You Rather

Episode 43: Like the Movie "Ghost"

I finished all the house cleaning, which is good because tomorrow is Easter and Alex and I are attending a Tea Party!

Here are our matching tea cups

Fancy.

I hope everyone has a great Easter!

Small Blog Meet: April

April...

 Wow. 

 March just flew by. I had so much planned and nothing got accomplished. 

 A few weeks ago I purchased these beautiful fat quarters.

Wordless Wednesday: Zoey spies on Mamasita

Zoey

In December I brought home this basket.

The idea was to put my knitting things in it.

Well for Christmas my wonderful husband gave me this amazing basket for my knitting.

And the other basket was down-graded to a catch all of sorts.

It had some diffident threads and scraps of fabric.  Even my large clunky headphones wound up in this basket.

Then the other day Zoey decided that the basket was for her.

She laid right on top of all the other things in the basket.  All the hard uncomfortable things.

So, I gave in and took everything out except the fabric scraps.

Now Zoey can lay in the basket in comfort.

Book Gods

 Oh, how the Book Gods are taunting me.  It has only been a week since I last purchased a book, but I feel the need today more than others.

I know I sound like an addict and well there are worse things to be addicted to than buying books, but I don't want to be a slave to my passions.

Today my story goes a little like this...

I was being good going to the library to return two books and order two more from another branch. What do I find when I get there?  A book sale!  To benefit the library. Oh, Book Gods how you torture me.  So what is a girl to do?  What I did was text Steph at Hope Sewing is Genetic.  I really wanted her to come over to the library and buy a book while I was there.  Is that so wrong of me?  This plan backfired since I have sworn off the book buying so has she in solidarity.

Shaking that off I go to the local yarn store to use my $20 gift certificate I received from my secret Santa at work.  I was being so good.  I walked in straight to the needles. Since my plan was to just get in and out with twenty dollars worth of needles.  Easy right?   No looking at the books or their evil cohorts magazines.  There was no one else in the store this will be easy I though as I was picking out my needles. However, right as I finished picking out my choices (see picture below) someone swoops upon the counter in front of me.  No worries I am strong.  Then as I watched the counter person wind the yarn for this counter swooping person my eyes wonder and fall upon the rack of knitting magazines.  Before I know it I'm picking them up and looking at them.  Thinking this one would be nice to have and maybe I'd like to spin my own yarn someday so I should get this other one.  Just before it was my turn I realized what I was doing and promptly put away the magazines I was just about to purchase.

You see what I mean, the Book Gods are devious in their allure, but even though I wavered today I did not give in. 

 Book Gods today I am the victor!

 

Wordless Wednesday