Mildly Amusing Musings

I Thank Thee With Pot

2009-11-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

Last week, as I sent off five more thank-you cards, I noticed that there was something vaguely familiar about the leaf on the front of the card. I had bought the cards after my bridal shower and since I liked them I had bought a great quantity of them, anticipating a future need for thank-you cards. I used them for thank-you cards for my bridal shower and more recently as thank-you cards for wedding gifts.

In my mind I was associating the leaf with something important but I was at a complete loss to recall what it was. Then, suddenly, while discussing the issue of the legalization of drugs with some friends, it came to me. There was a stylized marijuana leaf on the front of the thank-you cards I had been sending out.

This is a marijuana leaf:

This is one of the cards in question:

I find this utterly hilarious. (Or as Silas would say "I was hilarified.") For half a second I was worried about certain people of my acquaintance being offended by this strange resemblance. But I decided that no one would notice except the people who live in Eugene and the people who live in Eugene wouldn't care anyway.

Right? I mean, that's a totally logical conclusion...

The point of it all (is really to use more bullets).

2009-11-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

Death Cab for Cutie is playing from Silas's macbook pro as I stare at the screen of my own macbook, thinking about what I want to blog. Silas is sitting next to me, also blogging. We're kind of competing for blog hits right now. We're kind of total and complete geeks.

Not that this will surprise any of you.

You are all quite aware of this, I'm sure.

In fact, that statement of fact was totally unnecessary.

As was that one.

Anyway(s?), the point of this post is to tell you about something very important that happened this evening; I had ice cream for dinner.

In fact, not only did I have ice cream, but I had ice cream covered in reeses cups, kit kat bars, and milk duds.

And not only that, but I topped it off with chocolate fudge sauce and swedish fish.

Oh, yeah.

And you know what I had for dessert? Chocolate brownies made by my husband, who is a freaking amazing cook.

Tomorrow night he has promised to make me his long bragged about family recipe of "Spaghetti Without Meat" or what he sometimes refers to as "Mayonnaise Spaghetti".'

Can. Not. Wait.

I love my husband.

From the Depths of Woe

2009-11-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Psalm 130
From the depths of woe I raise to thee
The voice of lamentation;
Lord turn a gracious ear to me
And hear my supplication;
If thou iniquities dost mark
Our secret sins and misdeeds dark
Oh who shall stand before thee?

To wash away the crimson stain
Grace, grace alone availith;
Our works, alas, are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth;
No man can glory in thy sight
All must alike confess thy might
And live alone by mercy.

Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On him my soul shall rest, his word
Upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort and my sweet support
I wait for it with patience.

Though great our sins and sore our woes,
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our utmost need it soundeth.
Our shepherd good and true is he,
Who will at last his Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.

This psalm is like a sweet and soothing ointment spread over all the cracks and sores caused by living in a sinful world. "His promised mercy is my fort, my comfort, and my sweet support. I wait for it with patience."

Picture via Craig Stephens.

Jason

2009-11-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

I tend to talk about pretty inconsequential subjects here on my blog. I post silly pictures of my husband and I, of the food that I bake, the places that I visit, and anything else that I find amusing. Some might claim that these subjects are actually of eternal importance. In fact, I'm pretty sure that some very scholarly papers have been written on the subject of the delights of vainity. An entire book of the Bible if I recall correctly (Which I do.). But as Elizabeth Bennet in says "Of some delights, a little goes a long way."

Today, however, I'd like to take a short break from my usual silly fare and talk to you about something a little more serious and close to my heart. This is my cousin Jason and he's four years old.

This picture was taken just a few months before he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He was misdiagnosed for a long time before they finally ran blood tests to discover the cause of his mysterious sickness. By the time he started chemo, the day after Christmas, he was a very sick little boy.

Those of you who have been reading my blog for longer than 8 months will recall that I ended up flying from Oregon to Iowa to help my aunt and uncle look after my cousin at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.

I spent three months in the hospital with Jason. I learned all sorts of things about the hospital and caring for sick children. I also got to know several of the other children who were cancer patients on Jason's floor. He gradually improved over the period that I spent there and by the time I left he was in remission. None of his immediate family were bone marrow matches, so the doctors decided it was best to not pursue a transplant at that time. Jason left the hospital a healthy little boy.

A few days after Silas and I got married the news reached us that Jason has relapsed and was scheduled to return to the hospital the next week. Silas and I were really glad we had decided to stop and visit on our way to Pittsburgh. Jason looked great when we saw him. It was hard to believe that his body was actually fighting cancer. Shortly after we left he returned to the hospital. As you can see, his hair had barely started to grow back from his last round of chemo when he had to return to the hospital.

One week ago he had a bone marrow transplant. Someone we don't even know donated bone marrow for Jason so that he can have a chance to live. We're hoping and praying that this will mean Jason will be rid of his cancer forever. You can follow his story here.

His chance, however, was only possible because someone, somewhere wanted to share life and joined the "Be The Match" bone marrow registry. I'd like to encourage you to think about joining the registry if you are in a position to donate bone marrow. They send you a little kit in the mail and you just swab your mouth and send the kit back in, no needles required.

In addition to bone marrow Jason requires platelets and blood while he recovers from his transplant. These things are often in very short supply and hospitals sometimes try really hard to put off transfusions so there is enough blood for everyone. Recently at the University of Iowa hospital they were down to 4 units of platelets for the entire hospital. So if you are in a position to give blood, I encourage you to consider donating.

There are so many resources available with information about doing either of these things. So I hope if you take an interest in helping people with conditions like Jason's, you will do the necessary research to make an educated decision regarding donating and sharing life with your fellow man.

"Freely, freely, you have received. Freely, freely give."

The Fifth of November

2009-11-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

Remember, remember the fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I know of no reason the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

On the fifth of November, 1605, Guy Fawkes, along with several other plotters, attempted to blow up Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder concealed in a cellar beneath the house of lords. His plan, however, was foiled when he was discovered and arrested. He and his fellow conspirators were exicuted the following January.

Great Britain still celebrates November 5th as "Guy Fawkes Day", the day when a terrorist was thwarted from causing massive destruction to his country. Today they shoot off fireworks, hold bonfire parties, and burn effigies of Guy. I can't tell you why, but I LOVE this holiday. I'd so much like to be in Britain on Guy Fawkes day at some point in my life. It's one of my life goals, I think.

Silas and I had a little Guy Fawkes party this evening where we watched "V for Vendetta" (Among my top ten movies ever.) and ate cake. I wanted to burn effigies in our living room. Silas said no. Sad face. Such a kill joy, is my husband.

So, anyway, happy Guy Fawkes Day to you, however you choose to (or not to) celebrate!

(And may we all raise our voices to proclaim DEATH TO TYRANTS!)

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

2009-11-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

Without a doubt, my favorite Pittsburgh feature (next to my husband, obviously) is the Carnegie library, a massive structure in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh. It was built in 1895 with money donated by Andrew Carnegie, the second richest man in modern history.

The Carnegie library, unlike most libraries till that point in history, was an open stack library, which meant that patron could browse through the books rather than requesting a clerk to retrieve a certain book from closed stacks accessible only to the librarians. What's more, there was no charge for using the library. Boldly emblazoned across the front of the library are the words "FREE TO THE PEOPLE".

Andrew Carnegie had an interesting philosophy on life, it is what's known as the "Carnegie Dictum" and it follows thusly:

A) To spend the first third of one's life getting all the education one can.

B) To spend the next third making all the money one can.

C) To spend the last third giving it all away for worthwhile causes.

I wish, at this moment, that I had taken pictures of its amazing staircases and the beautiful antique painting on its walls and arches, but alas, I failed. Not that any pictures I could have taken would have done it justice anyway. You just need to come and visit me so we can take the bus to the library together.

Whenever I have any free time I take the 54C to Oakland to get lost in the library. There are rooms upon rooms upon rooms of books. Not to mention the sheet music collection and the extensive music, recorded books and movie collection. Recently I've been on a documentaries kick, so I've really enjoyed selecting documentaries on a variety of subjects for me to watch as I sew, do dishes, or do general housework. And did I mention the volume of books contained in the library? I did? Well it bears repeating.

I remember once searching two huge rooms of non-fictions books only to not find the section I was looking for. There were so many books in these two rooms I figured it had to be here and I was just missing it. I finally glimpsed a sign on the the wall that read "Not finding what you're looking for? It's down the hall." Sure enough, down the long corridor of books was a small doorway I had missed and it opened up into three more huge rooms of non-fiction.

It reminded me of the Children's song "In my Father's house there are many mansions." The song is talking about heaven and the place that God is preparing for us there. I know it's small minded, but sometimes I can't help wondering if heaven is something like The Carnegie Library.

Glazed Apples and Sausage

2009-11-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

Silas recently introduced me to a book called "More with Less" a cookbook of his childhood. He told me that as children he and his eight siblings dubbed it the "Less with More" cookbook. But don't let its trite title and modest cover fool you, this book is a fabulous resource. It's a collection of recipes from Mennonites that focus on the creation of simple foods that are both healthy and inexpensive.

Most of the recipes have specific measurements etc..., but as I was flipping through the book I saw this recipe submitted by a woman who described herself as "An old Mennonite grandmother" and there were no measurements, just a series of instructions. What's more, her recipe sounded amazing. Here is my version of her recipe.

Begin with four apples sliced and cored Leave the skins on, though, as they are vital for keeping the apple together as it cooks.

Get out a largish skillet. This is the skillet I used. It's the biggest one I own and if I was going to be making dinner for more than Silas and I the stockpot would have to have been pulled out. (Also, isn't that tea kettle LOVELY!? It was a bridal shower gift. Every time I look at it I get happy.)

Slice up four five inch sausages and add them to the skillet. We happened to have these chicken sausages in the freezer from before Silas and I got married, so I used them. But anything of the "conglomerated meats stuffed in intestines" variety would work.

Next, add a white syrup. One could use corn syrup, but that stuff ~~will kill you~~ scares me. So I suggest you make a simple sugar syrup. I didn't end up doing this because Silas had made a big batch of simple syrup for mixed drinks about a week before I made this recipe, so I had some on hand. I added roughly 1/2 a cup.

Then I added 1/3 a cup of sugar, a tsp. of salt and a stick of butter.

Just look at these ingredients. How could this NOT be good?

Now just let it simmer until there is a glaze over everything.

Mmmmmm. This picture is all steamy.

I served this with corn bread and Silas and I both loved it.

This made enough for Silas and I to eat for dinner and enough for him to pack the leftovers for lunch the next day. So roughly four servings. The only thing I didn't like was that if felt too sweet to me. So next time I make this I think I'll use less sugar and syrup and I will add something savory, like onions or broccoli.

A To-Do List Of Sorts (My husband taught me how to make bullets and then regreted it.)

2009-11-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

Write thank-you cards for wedding gifts.

Silas and I are so incredibly thankful for the gifts we recieved upon our marriage. Those of you who have heard us speak on this subject know the depth of our gratitude towards our friends and family for all the support, kind words, and gifts they have bestowed upon us. (Seriously - we're some of the most blessed people we know.) This gratefulness, however, has yet to translate to paper.
I think, though, that this is still ok. According to the offical rules of etiquette, a thank-you card for a wedding gift is not tardy until more than three months after the wedding.

I pretty much adore etiquette books. Silas makes fun of me for this and he has some very witty philosophies concerning the irrelevancy of said books to society at large. My response sums up my philosophy: "Love of my life, I will do your laundry, your cooking, and your cleaning. I will watch Gossip Girl, Weeds, and Stargate with you. I will even listen to the Backstreet Boys with you. But I will not abandon the time honored tradition of guilting one's self into following a bunch of silly rules in a book."

And that, my lovelies, is that.

(Also spellcheck tells me "guilting" is not a word. To which I say "Bah!")

Finish the window quilt for our living room.

This hasn't happened yet because I've been engaged in mortal combat with my dishes this week and all last week was spent working on costumes for a friend's party.

We went as Pierre and Marie Curie. I actually made Silas a top hat.

It/we was/were awesome.

As we drove home from party on Saturday I commented on all the novelty costumes the college girls were wearing and exclaimed " You have one chance a year to research a famous historical figure and recreate the person. WHY GO AS A TART!?!?!" "And that" said my friend "is why you are a nerd."

Why is this under "Finish window quilt for our living room"?

I digress.

Finish unpacking upstairs

The downstairs (Which is still the second floor. Don't ask me to explain.) of our home has been unpacked for several weeks now. We entertain frequently (Read: two to three times a week.) so I have had much motivation to make it so. The upstairs, on the other hand, which houses our bedroom and my studio, has not received the attention it is due and there remain half unpacked boxes, sheets of watercolor paper, and random pieces of clothing, shoes and hats all over the place.

I am, therefore, resolved to take care of this mess once and for all. Or, at the very least, once.

Buy a vaccum.

The fact that our friend, James, refuses to lay on the floor at our house for fear of his sweater emerging looking not unlike Nellie Olson covered in leaches (Name that book!) convinced me of this fact. He stated, matter of factly, "Your carpet sheds."

And it actually does. It's not dirty - it's just new. And you know how new carpet is. (I didn't, actually, until we moved here. At home we had 50 yr. old poop brown carpet.)

I just said "poop" in a blog post. I'm really sorry. Or at least ashamed.

And if we don't buy a vaccum we should, at least, get a couch so our poor friends aren't forced to sit on the floor, on piles of books, or on any small defenseless animals.

I don't know where the animal part came from.

Find more ways to rudely abuse bullets.

My husband just explained to me how to use these.

My favorite thing about them is that they map my digression beautifully.

I mean really, how awesome is this?

Really, freaking awesome.

I love my husband.

Alot.

But he hates it when I use the expression "alot" so I should probably stop using it alot.

Probably...

Happy November First! (NaBloPoMo)

2009-11-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

Today is the first of November, which means the official start of NaBloPoMo or National Blog Posting Month. As I said in my previous post, the idea is to post every day during the month of November. 30 days, 30 posts. Tada! Easy. Mostly. Slightly less easy for someone as forgetful as I happen to be.

I participated in NaBloPo Mo last year and completed with a total of 12 posts. Shameful, I know. But this year, this year I am putting on my big girl panties (the modern equivelant of girding up one's loins) and am determined to complete with flying colors. (Also, this year I have no bedtime. DUN DUN DUN!)

What's more, I'm beginning with a clean slate. Mildly Amusing Musings has been redesigned and is now reachable at www.mildlyamusingmusings.com (Yayness!). And clean slates make me happy. Very happy. It reminds me of that Anne of Green Gables quote I love so much "Tomorrow is a brand new day with no mistakes in it."

Peace out!

Blogging and Life in General

2009-10-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

I wish I could properly convey my enthusiasm for my new life here in Pittsburgh. I'm trying to keep this blog updated and make the changes necessary to portray the changes that have take place in my life, but it's taking some time, so please be patient.

I have several new ideas for Mildly Amusing Musings and they include getting a domain name and redesigning the blog. You might have noticed that there are now ads. I don't know if those are something I will keep forever, but I'm trying them out for awhile to pay for the costs associated with getting my own domain name. Pretty soon you will be able to reach this blog via www.mildlyamusingmusings.com (How exciting is that?)

NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) is coming up very soon! The point of NaBloPoMo is to post every day for a month. Last year I did pretty well so I'm very optimistic for this year. I have several posts lined up to be published soon and I have many projects I am currently working on that will probably make their way to posts in the very near future.

One of my recent project is making window quilts for all the windows in our house. I will be the first to admit that my quilting skills are pretty much zero. I have never made a quilt in any way shape or form. But none of the windows in our house seal well at all, so cold air comes right in and I'm hoping that window quilts will help to put and end to this problem. At the very least they will be nice to look at and I'm learning a great deal about quilting. Below is a picture of my first completed window quilt for the kitchen:

I leave you with this observation: Life in general = A generous gift from an omnipotent and benevolent Father.

Wordless Wednesday; Perfect pie crust - Mother please be proud!

2009-10-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

Snider Wedding Photos Part 4; The Party!

2009-10-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

Before the wedding, whenever anyone asked us what our idea of a good wedding was, Silas and I would say "A huge party with lots of food, drink, and friends." Seeing as how the party aspect of the wedding was most important to us, it makes sense that this will probably be the longest post of this wedding series. But I trust you will all enjoy it, nonetheless.

As soon as the ceremony was over we had about five minutes to rally ourselves for the receiving line.

Relishing our first few moments after we took our vows.

The receiving line/squiggle. Can you see the little creek? There were footbridges that led to the other side, where the food was set up.

Asking Silas a question about one of his friends I had just been introduced to.
After the receiving line guests milled over to the food...
We had meat and cheese trays - Omnomnomnom!

Guests eating.

Enjoying ourselves with feasting and friends.

Flowers were provided by various friends and family who had gardens they shared with us.

Silas and I making fun of someone. (Why yes, we ARE two peas in a pod, it turns out.) Note that Margaret and Ellie are also evaluating someone...

Relaxing.
Sweetness!

I kind of wish that hour had lasted forever. Next to the kiss, this is my most treasured part of the day.

But on to toasts!

The best man, Ian, gave his toast in which he basically said "Silas, I would toast to you and Elisabeth not having any fights, but knowing you both I know that's not going to happen. So here's to getting over it."

The maid of honor, Ellie, gave a toast in which she toasted to us now being sisters.

Silas's brother, Paul, gave a toast. I don't remember much of it honestly - but I got warm fuzzies.

Margaret toasted to many bearded children.

And my brother gave the classic "Live long and prosper."

I'll drink to that; so say we all!

Except Maggie, who is exhausted from having to be a good girl all day. But she better wake up because we're about to cut the cake!

I made three cakes, this was the largest and it was white cake with raspberry filling.

I'm not sure what is going on in this picture, but I like it.

The two smaller cakes I made looked like this. And they were chocolate.

Cutting the cake. There was no cake feeding or smashing as neither Silas or I felt it was required. We prefer to laugh at people, not be laughed at. Besides, dancing is next!

Our first dance was "I will follow you into the dark".

We both knew all the words and sang it to each other. "If there's no one beside you when your soul departs, then I'll follow you into the dark."

The kiss after the first dance.
Preparing for the bridal party dance/waiting for Ryan to cue up the music.
Ryan, our DJ for the night. (His brother is Ian, the best man, and his sister is Margaret, my bridesmaid.)

Goofing off while we waited for music. You'll notice that the two on the end are not part of the bridal party. We needed one more couple to perform the dance, so we asked my brother, Rainor, and Silas's sister Autumn to dance with us.

We danced "Hole in the Wall".

I love dancing.

And after the bridal party dance there were dances for everyone.

I love the two little kids (J. and S.) dancing!

--------------

As we prepared to leave, Silas's brother, Paul, sidled up next to me and whispered "Stay away from Silas for a few." "What?" I responded. I totally was not getting the picture. "Look" he whispered, just don't..." Silas gave Paul a suspicious look. "I don't know what you're..." but before I could finish my sentence Paul, Nathan, Luke, and some of their friends suddenly mobbed Silas and lifted him up on their shoulders and carried him to our get away vehicle. We all laughed hysterically and then my brother, Rainor, came up behind me and carried me as well. He handed he over to Silas, who was on his own two feet once more, and exclaimed "And we're not taking her back!" I'm only sad that there appear to be no pictures of this stunt.
--------------

Then Silas and I drove into the sunset...

... in our budget truck.

The party continued into the night with more English Country Dancing and later with more modern dancing, I am told. I wouldn't know, as Silas and I were long gone by then.

Ah, this day was so perfect.
I didn't plan for it to be. I stated several times in the wedding planning that weddings were over-rated. They cost too much and are too bride focused and tend to be boring and lacking in good food. What's more there is too much emphasis on the whole day being "perfect". It's ridiculous. But you know what, our wedding day was perfect.

P.S. I may also be posting pictures from our photobooth at the wedding at a later point in time.

Pictures in this post courtesy of Natalie Poindexter, Jenny Bunch, Mrs. Rumry, Jessica Swan, Kari Nelson, and Britt Harvey.

Snider Wedding Photos Part 3: The Ceremony

2009-10-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

As we finished taking pictures the guests started to arrive and I retreated to my tent. It had been set up for the purpose of concealing me from the guests before the wedding. And so that I could have a place to just sit (and not answer any questions) until the ceremony started.

It was in the tent I started to get jittery. Not because I was marrying Silas, but because it was the first time it occurred to me that there would be a great many people looking at me. That was when I started thinking things like "I will NEVER be able to make it down this aisle without fainting." My bridesmaids and flower girls kept me company, calmed me down, and prayed with me.

Silas's father was to conduct the ceremony for us. He started talking, he prayed, then the congregation started singing "It Is Well With My Soul". This was it.

My brother, Rainor, and Silas's brother, Peter, were the tent guards. They also told each bridesmaid when to come out of the tent and proceed down the aisle.

Then my brother, Rainor, escorted me down the aisle.

And there was Silas at the end of it, just waiting and smiling.

Mr. Snider began the very traditional wedding ceremony and my brother gave me away.

We prayed.

And smiled.

Silas and I knew we wanted a very traditional wedding. There is meaning in tradition, after all. But we couldn't find a single order of service that had all the elements of the traditional vows we wanted, so we compiled several.

We spent as much time editing our vows as most couples spend writing their own.

"I, Silas, take you, Elisabeth, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and heath, in sadness and joy, to comfort and keep, to love and to cherish, forsaking all others and keeping only to you, until death do us part."

"Silas, with this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee honor, and with all my earthly possessions I thee endow."

Mr. Snider then blessed us.

Then "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Silas Snider. You may kiss the bride."
Silas and I kissed for the first time.

Everyone had previously been instructed that they should make a very joyful noise upon this pronouncement and everyone performed satisfactorily. Since the wedding people have asked us what was our favorite part of the wedding and both agree this was it.

The congregation started singing "Blessed the Man that Fears Jehovah" and we walked/skipped/ran back up the aisle, man and wife.

We were followed by Ellie and Ian. (Ellie bawled through the entire service.)

Then Margaret and Paul. They look oh so suave and smug.

Katie and Nathan.

Christa and Luke. I can't get over how pretty my sister looked that day. (That would be Christa, not Luke, in case any of you are having issues.)

Mr. and Mrs. Silas Snider.

Stay tuned for Snider Wedding Photos Part 4; The Party

Photos in this post courtesy of Natalie Poindexter, Mrs. Rumrey, Britt Harvey, and various other persons I stole pictures from.

Snider Wedding Photos Part 2; The Wedding Party

2009-10-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

I am really excited about this post because these are pictures of our dear families and best friends. We took pictures before the wedding so we would have time to party uninterrupted afterwards. Like I said before, Silas and I had no superstitions about seeing each other before the wedding. Enjoy!

The entire wedding party.

Row 1: Christa Joy, Katie, Margaret, Ellie, Myself, Silas, Ian, Paul, Nathan, Luke

Row 2: Johannah, Maggie and Peter

Silas and his best man, Ian. Silas and Ian have been friends since childhood.

Myself and my maid of honor, Elspeth, who also happens to be Silas's sister.

Myself and the flower girls, my sister Maggie, and Silas's sister, Johannah.

Silas and his groomboys. Ian excepted, they are all his brothers.

Myself and my bridechicks.

Groomsmen silliness.

Bridesmaid silliness.

I'm particularly fond of this picture. The groomsmen are such a bunch of good looking guys.

And the bridesmaids are just gorgeous.
Silas and I and my three eldest siblings. It was just us four for many years.

Silas's family.
Row 1: Ellie, Autumn, Mrs. Snider, Mr. Snider, Silas, Myself, Luke, Paul, Nathan
Row 2: Johannah, Peter, Abraham

My family.
Silas, Myself, Mom, Sam, Christa, Daniel and Rainor
In arms: Tommy, Walter and Maggie

The bride and groom.

Stay tuned for Snider Wedding Photos Part 3; The Ceremony

Photos courtesy of Natalie Poindexter and Jenny Bunch.

It's Monday

2009-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is my solution to Monday blues.

Snider Wedding Photos Part 1; Getting Ready

2009-09-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

August 22nd dawned beautifully. It was immediately clear that the weather would be splendid for the outdoor wedding Silas and I had been planning for the past three months. The morning was spent setting tables at the wedding site, making signs that said "Snider Wedding", pom poms, and finishing the paper flower bouquets for the bridesmaids.

My Nana had prepared a brunch for the wedding party, our families, and our out of town guests from Pittsburgh and Kentucky. So before we all started getting ready for the wedding, which started at four, we ate the delicious meal she prepared for us. Yes, Silas and I ate together, and as such, we saw each other before the wedding. Ha. Take that, convention and superstitious lore!

Then the fun begins. My bridesmaids, Ellie (Silas's sister), Christa Joy (My sister), Katie (My childhood friend from Kentucky), and Margaret (Good friend of both Silas and I), along with my friend Natalie who was going to take pictures for us, headed up to the house we had planned to prepare for the wedding in.

Margaret lacing up my corset.

Elspeth and Katie fixing their hair.

Ellie had some trouble, so Margaret gave her a hand.

I got to fix my sister's hair. She'd been worried about how to do her hair for the wedding since Silas and I got engaged.

I'm not quite sure what Margaret is doing in this picture... Possibly applying cover up over mosquito bites? Possibly just admiring her striking figure in the mirror.

While I'm doing my own hair there is some emergency (which I do not now recall) which required the employment of my problem solving skills.

I'm so glad the girls were there to help me get dressed. I would never have accomplished it on my own without hurting myself.

Emergency #2

Elspeth helping me fasten my over skirt in place.

Details from the front of my bodice.

The inside of my bodice.

Buttoning up the bodice. "Margaret... I think my phone is ringing again...""Elspeth can you please take care of it!? My phone is in my purse."

"She can't talk right now, she's being buttoned into a bodice and is not capable of exhaling at the moment."

Donning stockings.

Christa put my shoes on for me. I wasn't capable of bending over far enough to do it myself.

Katie tying my shoes.

She's such a dear.

All ready to head to the wedding site. Only thirty minutes late!

Stay tuned for Snider Wedding Photos Part 2; The Wedding Party

All photos in this post courtesy of Natalie Poindexter.

G20 protests and the forthcoming multitude of wedding photos.

2009-09-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of the G20 here in Pittsburgh. Things were pretty crazy during that time. There was an anarchist march/protest and tons and tons of fascist riot police all over the place, not to mention security helicopters etc... In case my words are not painting the picture for you - check this out:

Thankfully, the Pittsburgh populace seems to have slipped back into their former peaceful ways since then and I am hoping very much that when we take the bus downtown tomorrow, to attend church, that all is right with the world once again. Or at least as right as it was 4 days ago. You know.

As of Monday I plan, as promised, to begin posting pictures from our wedding. I've been slowly sifting through the many that I have and I am now ready to begin sharing them. There are, however, such a number that I am going to post them in a series of posts instead of one monstrous one. So I'm just giving you a heads up about that.

It's weird to be going through our wedding pictures because I look at them and think "Ha! Look at us - that was such a long time ago." when it was, in fact, just a little over a month ago. I asked Silas about it and he agreed, our wedding seemed like forever ago. And yet, old married couples look at us and laugh and remark on us being newlyweds. I can't wait till Silas and I are an old married couple.

Wordless Wednesday; Things I've Been Baking

2009-09-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

My Husband and I

2009-09-21T11:11:00.001-07:00

My sister called this weekend to (among other things) complain about the lack of pictures of Silas and I together on my blog. This was originally the case because my camera broke. But this ceased to be the case when one of Silas's very amazing friends was so kind as to gift us a camera (!!!). So because I love my sister and because I never tire of posting pictures of my husband (Who is pretty much the most adorable thing ever!), I am going to post some pictures.

I've been kind of overwhelmed with unpacking and settling into a routine here in Pittsburgh, so that is why I haven't blogged all that often of late. But I'll be getting back into the swing of things in the next week or so; hang on, I'll start producing mildly amusing content presently. I have a bunch of funny stories and tons of wedding pictures to post. Until then, enjoy pictures of myself and my bearded husband.

These last two pictures make me happy. The first is a picture of Silas's parents, the second is a picture of Silas and I. The similarity cracks me up.

Our house - From the middle of the street.

2009-09-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

I happen to be a huge fan of the adorable little mail box attached to the front of our house. (These little things about the city make me positively giddy.)

Just ignore the Pittsburgh Penguins banners in the window... that part of the house belongs to our psychotic neighbor. (No, really, he actually has issues.)

Isn't our street just the cutest thing ever!

Silas's amazing piece of pottery plus citrus.

View of the kitchen through the room we are calling the den. Note the awesome bar. Perfect for entertaining.

Front stairs.

I like this little shelf.

The living room isn't exactly tidy and neat just yet...

I get a kick out of the fact that the books on top of the speakers consist of my poetry collection and Silas's computer programming books.

Our whole house is filled with gifts from people that we love. It's such a blessing to look at everything around us and see that this thing that we use everyday is from this person, and this from this person. It's like our friends are all around us even though they're far away. We are very blessed people.

A glimpse into our home

2009-09-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our home, this is the front door. We have the top two floors of a row house, so our entrance is on the first floor and these are the stairs that lead up to our living room.

Our blue and brown bathroom. (Yes, I skipped the living room and the office/den.) This is because I cannot wait to show you the kitchen!

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love our kitchen. Silas said that the kitchen was the reason he decided to get this place. It's twice the size of the kitchen at my parents' house. Oh yes, this kitchen makes me so happy!

When Silas rented the house our land lady said "I have a china hutch in the house, you can use it while you're there." So here is my pretty little teacup collection.

The stairs that lead up to our bedroom, which is the whole third floor. It's pretty awesome.

I'm not posting pictures of the bedroom because it's kind of a wreck at the moment. The same reason I'm not posting pictures of the living room or the office/den. Eventually I'll get around to unpacking the rest of my stuff and such and then maybe I'll post more pictures. But for now this is all you get.

As to whether I'm liking Pittsburgh, let me just say this; Yes, yes, yes. Our neighborhood is really spiffy. It's the "Little Italy of Pittsburgh". There is a coffee shop 300 feet from our house, and a couple blocks away there is this cool Italian grocery store. Everything is so close and I can't get over how convenient it is to live in the city! One can walk almost anywhere, and if that's not practical one can take the bus. It's loud all the time, but that doesn't bother me at all. I can't wait to see more of the city.

Bubble Gum and Busted Cameras

2009-09-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are all five pictures from our cross country road trip.

The bubble gum pictures are a result of me have to pee really, really bad in the middle of nowhere in the state of Washington. There was only this one gas station with a huge sign plastered over the door that read "Bathrooms for customers ONLY!" So. I bought a pack of strawberry bubblicious. Turns out to be the funnest thing we bought on the trip.

My husband, Silas, blowing an enormous bubble.

Stupid delay on my camera. My bubble popped just as it finally took the picture.

Silas climbing into the truck, wondering why I'm pointing a camera at him. As you can see, my camera is already beginning to die.

Silas took this picture of me fighting with his suitcase. It weighs an unfathomable amount. He was trying to fix my camera... it kinda didn't work.

My honeymoon sandals. Best thing I've bought in the past month (next to the pack of bubble gum).

You will all be thrilled to know that Silas and I messed with my camera some more and we think we have it kind of, sort of, barely working again. So I'm going to try to post pictures of our lovely kitchen soonish.

Adventures in Marriage

2009-09-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

Silas and I are now safely home in the Burgh of Pitts after roughly 12 days of road tripping/honeymooning. When either of us are asked how our trip was we both respond "Amazing." Two more laid back than Silas and I, there are not. And let me tell you, a laid back attitude is what makes a road trip enjoyable. (Besides, you know, being with the coolest bearded (or non-bearded) dude ever.)

In our travels we went from Eugene, Oregon, to Portland, Oregon, to Spokane, Washington, to Moscow, Idaho, to Helena, Montana, to Wall, South Dakota, to Iowa City, Iowa, to Indianapolis, Indiana, and finally we arrived in Pittsburgh.

We stopped along the way to see friends and family and we saw country that neither of us had seen before. It was decided that Wyoming was definitely the most boring/loathsome state that we drove through and that South Dakota was the most unexpectedly nice. I loved Silas's friends that we visited, he loved my family that he met for the first time. There were no accidents and almost everything went smoothly.

Note, I said "almost". There have been two things that have gone every so slightly awry, and I fully intend to share these unfortunate/hilarious happenings with you.

Thing #1. My dear readers, you will be grieved to learn that my camera stopped working two days after the wedding. And as such, I have a total of 4 pictures from our honey moon and what's more, they consist entirely of Silas and I blowing huge bubbles out of chewing gum.

I remembered that we had bought a one year warranty for the camera from Sears, so when we arrived in PA I rifled through the boxes until I found it. I made this discovery. My warranty expired on August 24th. THE SAME FREAKING DAY MY CAMERA BROKE!!!
(Insert mad/frustrated/ironic dance.) Gah! So on top of not having any honeymoon pictures, it looks like it will be quite awhile before I will be able to post pictures of Pittsburgh or our adorable little apartment.

Thing #2. As we rolled into Pittsburgh we called up our landlady to pick up the key to our apartment as we were supposed to take possession that day. She gave us the information we needed then asked "Well, you're not planning on staying there tonight, are you?" to which we responded "We are paying this thing called rent to stay there, so yes I THINK WE ARE?" There was a pause. "You know that the power is not hooked up, right?"

So began our experience of unloading a moving truck in the dark, taking showers by flashlight, and hanging out at coffee shops to charge up laptops. (I am writing this from the apartment where I have wifi, but no power. Thank goodness for decent macbook batteries.) Initially, it seemed we would not be able to get power till next week sometime but Silas and I made some phone calls and they are supposed to send someone out tomorrow. That would be really nice. Really, really nice.

But despite these funny little hangups (which have amused me greatly) it has all been a fun adventure! I'm loving being married to Silas and can't wait to get the kitchen unpacked, get a sewing machine, and meet the rest of Silas's friends. (Thank you, Lville people, for helping us move. I owe you all cupcakes. But first I need electricity. So they will be a little delayed.)

I'm Married

2009-08-25T09:42:00.001-07:00

More pictures and stories to follow. At some point.

So.

2009-08-20T08:14:00.001-07:00

I've been busy. Very blissfully busy.

On Monday we picked up Silas and Katie from the airport in Portland. It was, without a doubt, the LONGEST drive to Portland of my life. (Did I mention my immature loathing of waiting?) But, amazingly, I survived. Silas's plane did not crash, so all the nightmares that kept me from sleeping the night before were, in fact, ridiculous. (You probably already knew this. Leave me alone. Neh. Did I ASK for your opinion? No.)

I can't even tell you how much I enjoy their company. It's funny to have my childhood friend and my fiance both here at the same time. It makes for some interesting conversation, especially as they've never met before. After Katie and Silas finished discussing Paradise Lost and The Divine Comedies Katie turned to me and said "You didn't tell me he READS!?" (Katie is going to be an English major this year.) I said "I told you he was awesome." To which she replied "Yes, but you didn't tell me he READS!!!!"

The list of things I still have to do before the wedding, while manageable, is somewhat long. I claim that I am doing a pretty good job of getting things done while socializing with Silas and Katie. Last night I assembled all the wedding cakes while they ran errands for me, Katie and I reminisced about our childhood, and Silas filled me in on his friends from Pittsburgh. (I meet a good number of them tomorrow - super nervous. If any of Silas's friends are reading this; please like me, I have cupcakes. And I can pat my head and rub my stomach at the same time. See! I'm cool!) Today I'm decorating the cakes.

I wish I had pictures of all the stuff I've been doing lately to show you. But I just don't. Been too busy to even think about getting out my camera. (Plus, my camera kind of sucks. And eats batteries. Consumes is better. No, devours is really a better word.) I wish I was documenting all of this craziness. But I just haven't had the time. I could be doing that instead of blogging. But, I mean, that's kind of a ridiculously rhetorical suggestion.

The marriage license has been gotten. It was SUPER easy. We didn't even need ID. How crazy is that? I mean, what if we were actually Bonnie and Clyde. Would they know? NO THEY WOULD NOT! First of all, everything was filled out on a computer before we went up there to the counter, which was great because it made sure we didn't miss fields and we didn't have to spell out names to anyone. Silas was beside himself with the bureaucratic efficiency of it all. I was amused by the fact that the drop down menu where you stated how many times you'd been married before went all the way up to eight. If you've been married more than eight times though, you're kind of out of luck and just have to choose "other".

Everything is coming together now, and the fact that there isn't that THAT much for me to do is kind of freaking me out because I feel like I've missed something major. I can't seem to explain to myself that I actually did not leave everything till the last minute. It's so unlike me. Plus, the whole not having a ton to do means I have time to think about the fact that the day after tomorrow I'm going to be Elisabeth Snider. And while that makes me wildly happy, it also makes me feel kind of strange. But then, I am kind of strange, so maybe it's my normalcy. Ha!

Anyways, I foresee myself being too busy to blog for the next couple days. See you on the other side!