the teal-est pantry around

…and it’s finally finished!

We received the smaller shelving unit (on the left) today and Andrew wasted no time in assembling them. I just placed the last item and hung the hooks for my aprons.

The paint color is darker than we both anticipated, but now that everything is inside, I think it works. Andrew said he’s pleased with how it turned out and that it is ‘exactly how he imagined it.’

Despite only gaining a few inches on either side, it’s definitely bigger than before. Here’s what it looked like when we moved in:

WAY more room, WAY better lighting and overall just better use of space. The best part? I can walk in and grab something without hitting my right shoulder on a shelf. And the floor matches the kitchen. And way more space. I can’t believe how much space these new (well, one is new, the other is old) shelving units brought to the pantry.

You know how whenever you spruce up/improve/clean a room in your house it makes you want to just spend lots of time in the new space? That’s how I feel with the pantry. If I could put a chair in there and just sit, admiring Andrew’s handiwork and my organizational skills (and the beautiful teal walls), I would.

But that would be weird.

1000 Islands and teal-on-teal

Ever wonder where Thousand Island salad dressing came from?

Yup, here in the 1000 Islands. I didn’t know that before I read it in one of the travel magazines I found this weekend. Guess people from here take it for granted that outsiders don’t know that…

Andrew and I rode up with two of his friends from work on Friday for a wedding. It’s about a 5-hour drive (6 with a stop for a sit-down dinner), so we got in a bit late. There was a bonfire out back and some socializing before I headed back to the room (the cigar smoke was making me nauseated) to do my nails before bed. I cannot even tell you how in need of a manicure I was; I thought I might need a jackhammer after this month of house-projecting and painting!

After brunch the next morning, we all suited-up and headed to the ferry that would bring us to Heart Island and Boldt Castle.

The island and castle have a really rich history and it’s kinda tragic–basically a millionaire was building this beautiful castle for his wife and then she died (sad), and so he abandoned it. It’s been like that ever since until recently when the state started restoring it to what it would have been. It’s a tourist attraction, and (apparently) a beautiful place to get married.

We were blessed (truly–there has been rain all over the forecast this week!) with sun for the ceremony despite some cooler temps. I wore my beautiful trench coat the whole time!

But, between the ceremony and the reception we were able to head back to the room, which gave me a chance to lighten the load and switch jackets for the short walk to the reception…

I match!

I got a TON of sleep Saturday night (probably too much) and I feel rested for the week ahead… At least I say that now. I’m off to swimming and then a busy day of school, grocery shopping and a Target run!

mr. nye’s birthday, and other happenings

This post was originally supposed to just be about Mr. Nye’s birthday get-together (which was Sunday afternoon), but so much has happened since then! Note: This post is in no way chronological.

(Edited to add: Yet again, I’ve delayed a day… It’s now Saturday morning and mom arrived last night to visit. We already made a Bed, Bath and Beyond run for a couple small items–blast! Andrew took my coupons in the Pilot on his trip to Ohio this weekend–and are planning lots of house-y things today. We’ve already reorganized my small kitchen appliances and it’s not even 10 a.m.)

And speaking of the Nye’s… I took Hadrian on his first walk in the village yesterday–I can’t believe it’s taken almost a week–to their house to stop by their yard sale. I walked away with a well-loved cookbook of Mrs. Nye’s in which she marked some muffin recipes. Those are always the best kind to have–the marked-up and splattered ones.

Getting him in the shot was surprisingly difficult…

This…

…and this is what you see when you round the park (which is across the street) on your way to the Nyes’ house.

What a beautiful view! I started off in a sweatshirt (can you believe you can wear sweats and pants here in summer?! I LOVE IT.)

In other news, we put our bed together. (I use “we” loosely here; I mostly watched.) And in true pet-fashion, Hadrian had to be in the middle of everything. We had to force him out of the bed so Andrew could finish putting the slats in!

Check out this pint glass. I LOVE pint glasses with fun logos and things, except that I need to curb my habit of ‘collecting’ things I love; my mug, glass, scarf and Le Creuset collections are getting dangerously large…

Anyway, I bought two of these at Hallmark (I much rather would have liked to have found them at some neat store or Goodwill or something, but oh well, Hallmark does have cute stuff) LAST SUMMER almost as soon as we moved into the hotel. I couldn’t bear to break them out until we were in our “forever home,” so they’ve been living in a paper bag shoved in a bin ever since.

I busted them out the other night as we ate leftover pizza and celebrated getting both the extra fridge and freezer into the basement. (There I go again with this “we” business; I had no part in that victory. Andrew, his dad, and a couple other engineer friends from Moog graciously helped move our appliances this past week.) And a victory it was! They had to take the doors off both of them, plus the basement door AND doorframe, and even get a special tool. But I’m happy with them in the basement, which is all that matters 🙂

Now, onto the party!!

We’ve been ‘adopted’ by the Nyes, especially since Alex had to go and move to Pittsburgh, just as we moved back to EA. We find ourselves over there once every week or two–invited or not–and Mrs. Nye force-feeds us homemade cookies and Kone King ice cream she keeps stocked in the freezer. We have it rough, I know.

So, when we heard Alex would be in town for his dad’s birthday and that his little get-together would be Sunday afternoon–as in, the Sunday we were in the middle of moving–there was no question we’d be taking a break to attend. These celebrations are always ‘intimate’ affairs–late lunches in which family (immediate, cousins and grandma) and Andrew and I–crowd into the eat-in kitchen. This time we feasted on steak, pork, potatoes, green beans, rolls and fruit.

I know posting this picture of Andrew is dangerous–what with the Nye boys being loyal readers and all–but I had to. Let’s just hope it doesn’t end up on a blanket!

We sang and Mr. Nye blew out his candles before we enjoyed some of the best chocolate cake (or should I say best icing) I’ve had in awhile. Mrs. Nye, I’m (almost) ashamed to admit that I single-handedly ate all the leftover cake you sent home with us…in one sitting. Do you have more? I might need some soon.

And the event wouldn’t be complete without one of Adam’s ‘Andrew creations.’ This time, Andrew’s blanket presided over us, hanging from an upper window, akin to a poster of Kim Jong Ill or something.

You just never know what you’re gonna get with Adam. You just never know.