grow: where i've been

so my google reader is alerting me that my readership has plummeted...i suppose i should be alarmed, but i think i deserve it....my silly dog (see below) and i have been traveling a lot, leaving my blog neglected and full of old entries....if i were you i would stop checking back every day too!
but as you can see from the photo below, my blog is not the only thing neglected....my poor plants...brittle and dying...begging for water....is it too late?

when i am not traveling, i am slaving over this: my mosaic table top project...the top of the patio table is currently covering our dining table (yay for eating every meal in the living room!)...i have got to finish it...these little ceramic pieces are taking over my life...slicing up my fingers....and keeping us from dining like normal grown ups....i will post more once i finally grout and finish it...this week? perhaps.

grow: must blog...eventually....

i just wanted to drop a note to say a big I AM SORRY for being so absent....i could tell you that life is crazy, but the truth is that it has settled down significantly....and i have actually been doing a lot of crafting....but alas, no blogging....so now i have this overwhelming list of projects to blog....here's a preview:

....DIY room divider from shutters/screen door.....

....photo transfer plaques.....

.....patio set revamp (mosaic table top?).....

.....my alphabet magnets!.....

.....and several other smaller projects that are slipping my mind currently.....

so i promise to start blogging about these things soon....

...while you are waiting though, hop over to Pioneer Woman (if you havent visited)....try out one of her recipes, drool over her photography, or simply be entertained by her commentary on life....and while you are at it, submit your name (along with 22,000 other hopefuls) to win a full FIESTAWARE SET!!!! (and if you win, you are obligated to send the set my way....just kidding....sort of....not really....)

grow: meet our new pup!

This weekend, we met Jack (also known as Pavlov), a one-year border collie/spaniel mix discovered living outside the STL Science Center a few months back. He was rescued by Stray Rescue of St. Louis, and you can read his story here. Long story short: Jack eluded rescue attempts by Science Center employees for weeks, preferring instead to run and play in the parking lot, soccer fields, and sprinklers on the grounds....but since being rescued, he has turned out to be an incredibly loving, intelligent, gentle, playful, cuddly little guy!

Stray Rescue, from what I have learned, is an AWESOME organization. If you click through their website or facebook page, you will quickly see the amazing good that they do for stray dogs in the city of STL. And if you have a VERY strong stomach, find the album on their facebook page of "Before and Afters"...it will just break your heart...and make you want to join their organization!

So thanks to their efforts, and the efforts of the many employees of the STL Science Center, Jack is no longer a stray! He is currently staying with us, on what they call a "Rent-A-Pet" basis...basically, before the adoption is complete, there is a one-week period where he lives with us...we adjust to each other...and make sure that we are a good fit for each other....

i think this is a BRILLIANT idea, as so many shelter dogs are adopted before the new owners have a chance to REALLY get to know them....

...in my own experience, so many dogs that I would visit in shelters would come across so sedated and depressed....i figured that probably wasnt their typical personality but i had no way of knowing how the dog would be at home, or at a park, or with kids, etc...

Jack has proven to be an amazing fit for our family...so when our one week is up, Jack is ours forever! He is such a beautiful dog...here are some pics I took as he explored our home...

Jack and my husband playing in the yard...that dog can jump!

sniffing out the neighborhood....i just love his beautiful coloring...

so i am sure in the coming months, you will hear more on Jack at create.love.grow....i already have a project up my sleeve to turn an old WWII storage trunk into a super cool dog bed....but more to come on that later!

and i promise, i wont humiliate him by sewing him any ridiculous dog clothes or anything of that nature....i can just hear my husband groaning as i type this :-)

grow: we are finally moved!

so i has been a full TWO WEEKS since I have blogged....and the more time that passes, the less motivated I am to post....does that make sense?

heres an update on us: we had a very drawn-out move over a two week time span....but we can now say that we OFFICIALLY live in STL....goodbye suburban chicago.....hello southern midwest...

so heres a quick pic that I snapped as we were closing the door for the last time on our old place....
and during our 5 hour trip down to STL, we first encountered an ugly rainstorm, followed by this lovely symbol of promise....a rainbow...and not your typical rainbow which is merely a colorful strip beginning in one cloud and ending in another...no, we were able to see the beginning and end...like it was coming up out of a cornfield...so lovely :-)

we stopped half way and spent the night with family....here is our UHAUL monster parked in their driveway....

and the inside of said monster....

then the UHAUL monster's contents became magically stacked in the center of our new living room...

in this photo, you may notice the blue tape....husband is spending this week at home, painting our walls a lovely mix of gingerbread and burlap....yum! but even with painting, we set up our dining table first thing....partially because it was a hand-me-down gift from family, and partially because I had been itching to find a table to match my salvation army revamped chairs....the colors make me so happy!

so i promise, my next post will not be two weeks away...i am so glad to be back in the swing of things....finally out of that transitional phase of life that makes me crazy.....i have so much to share...projects I am working on...etc....check back!

grow: my life in boxes

my weekend has been slightly depressing....nothing creative to blog about......it started with a failed attempt at making cute picture frame refrigerator magnets....too many colors...they just look like slop....when i am feeling a little more inspired, perhaps I will resurrect them and post them again....
so the failed frames were on friday night....then saturday was spent packing up every last bit of my belongings....or at least it felt that way.....so my life, or at least 3/4 of it, is now sitting in the garage ready to be U-Hauled down to STL....

and while i strive to not be defined by that which i own, it is a little depressing to see all your DIY projects and crafty creations boxed and stacked....even if its just for a short time....i would much rather enjoy them on my walls :-)

then sunday was spent saying goodbye to the church that we have called home for the past 3.5 years.....not a fun or easy thing to do....and while we are SO EXCITED about the opportunities for us in STL, part of us still wishes things could have worked out so we could stay in Chicago....

so after our many goodbyes, my hubby napped in our big comfy chair....which is one of the last remaining pieces of furniture in our house....and i turned to my blog for comfort :-)

so this was my weekend....boxes and goodbyes.....and hope for the journey ahead :-)

grow: finding a place in STL

So i have been a little MIA the past few days.... we have been apartment hunting in Soulard! There are so many things that I love about Soulard... starting with the brick sidewalks, ivy covered fences and walls, and vibrantly painted windows on every building....

Along with the aesthetics, i LOVE the idea of walking to the Soulard Farmers Market to get my weekly groceries....I love the feeling of handing my money to the person that planted, cared for, and harvested my produce.

I remember on our first visit, I handed a wad of crumpled bills to a baker in exchange for a loaf of bread, and he looked at his wife and said, "Thanks for helping us out. We really appreciate your business." I have never heard that from the teenage checker out Jewel!

For those of you who haven't visited, below is a photo of inside the Farmer's Market. If you come on a Saturday, it is PACKED. Be prepared to battle the crowds! The vendors sell everything from produce, to meat, to flowers, to handmade goods....its such a fun place!

When looking for a place to call home, we knew that location is important to us. We looked at SOOO many places... but all of them had to be within walking distance of the Market, as well as this local coffee shop, The Soulard Coffee Garden...

We looked at one apartment above this place, below, called the Shanti. It is a fun pub with a large outdoor bar area...the apartment was way too small for our needs, but a super fun location!

The place that we are almost 100% certain we will pursue is just a few blocks away, close to McGurk's...a beautiful Irish pub and garden... we hear it is one of the best in the country!

This apartment is beautiful....high ceilings, huge windows, a fenced yard....i can just SEE us here.....opening our home to friends and family, getting a puppy, starting a family....it makes sense to me here.....

Not to mention the fact that it is the PERFECT canvas for my thrifty-crafty-rustic approach to home decor... or as my sister likes to call my style, "country time".....

Hopefully we will be signing a lease soon and I can post pictures of our new home!

*all photos courtesy of flickr.com

grow: flower headband...rejected

So i took a chance and wore my flower headband to work today...
At 8am, as my students are coming into the classroom, one says,

"OH MY GOD, MRS. U, WHAT IS THAT UGLY THING ON TOP OF YOUR HEAD?????"

thank you, student. thank you.

(i labeled this post as grow seeing as how it was a growing moment for me...

I took a breath, and gently explained to my student that his use of the word "ugly" makes me feel badly, and that he could say something more encouraging, as people have different tastes and what looks good to some may not look so good to others...and so on and so forth....

What i didn't tell him is that I MADE THIS HEADBAND AND I AM VERY PROUD OF IT! That statement would have been a little self serving. :-)

my advice for the day: if you want to be challenged to be a better person, teach :-)

grow: my blog-baby is born!

Welcome to create.love.grow!

After a few years of mulling around the idea in my head,
(along with a nudge from my hubby) create.love.grow is finally born!

This little blog-baby will attempt to chronicle a few key areas of my life:

create: all things crafty, thrifty, repurposing, DIY...

love: my roles as wife, sister, friend, teacher, daughter... plus all the things I love!

grow: challenges, opportunities, and dreams for the future...


there is much more to come!