here a bird, there a bird

The Hubs loves to feed the birds, so when we were visiting my dad a few weeks back, we scored some bird feeders to hang from our trees. One feeder I wanted needed a new glass pane, so my dad fixed it up, and dropped it off last week.

 Yesterday...

I found the perfect tree, visible from our family room window.

Added the seed.

And hung the feeder. (Daisy helped :)

Since the birdies are such piggies, this whole feeder will be emptied by week's end. From Cardinals and Woodpeckers to my Grandma Herschelman's favorite, the Chickadee, it's fun to see the many different types of birds that land to stuff their beaks. 

Growing up, bird feeders were placed outside a window in just about every room on our main level. And at our family's cabin in Northern Michigan, putting birdseed out was the first task completed upon arrival. So it's fun to now have a home of my own with trees that beg for a feeder. Next up, finding a feed store that sells seed in bulk!

on life...at the moment

I'm back! Sorry about that almost-two-month-long hiatus. Here I am, ready to get this blog back on track. The thing is, I really, really like everything about blogging...writing posts, thinking of new posts, catching up on all my "blog friends", chatting with my best friend about all the mutual blogs we read. But, I sit in front of a computer all day. At my desk, during meetings, in my laptop bag strapped to my body, this computer of mine is always with me. So, when I get home to my country retreat, and the weather is beautiful and the dogs want to play and Jennette is ready for our nightly three-mile walk, the last thing I feel like doing is sitting in front of my computer. And this absence is actually no surprise to me, as I have found, looking back through the archives, a couple of other times I briefly disappeared.

So, with no further adieu...catching up.

The big move from city to country was a success, and honestly, I can't remember a time I've ever been happier. I love living on acres of land, looking out the window and seeing nothing but green, having a window open and hearing..well, silence. Wait! Birds! That is what I hear. Chirping, singing, happy birds. And at any given time, I can look out my kitchen window and see deer, turkeys or cranes. I love country living, and moving back to Manchester was the best decision we've recently made. 

The floorplan of our new home is very open, and perfect for having people over. There have been countless nights where we've had all our friends over, and I even hosted Easter for my family and Ryan's (my home before was much to small for that). Being with my very best friends or all of my family under one roof makes my heart happy, and I'm thrilled to live back in a location closer to everyone I love. 

Speaking of friends, my bestie Jennette lives right next door. Literally. It's so, so fun to live next to someone who is basically your sister. We do crafty things, go for walks, cook lots, and sit on the front porch and watch our dogs babies play. Sigh, no complaints :) 

The hubs is great and, from what I can tell, liking his new job. If there is one thing about Ryan, it's that he doesn't complain. Sometimes I have to pry info out of him, but every time I ask him how work is going, I get a good response. It was a good decision for him to leave his previous job and take this one, as he is definitely happier and more relaxed.

All is still, unfortunately, quiet on the baby-front. We've basically been trying since the day I walked down the aisle, but my body is being plain stubborn. While I'm trying to remain positive and optimistic..."Oh, when the time is right, we'll have our baby" or "I've been pregnant before, so I will again"...it is frustrating. It's hard to want something so bad, something that longs to be and aches deep inside, but be denied month after month. So I'm trying to have fun in this foot-loose-and-fancy-free period of my life alone with my husband, knowing (praying) it won't be like this for long. In the meantime, I've started a string of appointments at the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility clinic in Ann Arbor just to make sure I'm healthy and everything is the way it should be, ahem, down there, and so far, from bloodwork panels to ultrasounds, all is checking out perfectly. I'm taking comfort in that and trying to do what everyone is telling me to do...relax.

And finally, work. My job at Team Detroit is going good. Much like every other agency I've worked, there are those really busy days that make me want to pull my hair out, and then there are a few days of sanity. Thank goodness for those sane days, since it reminds me why I love this industry so much. Much like my previous two stints in the Detroit ad world, I'm solely digital, but with all my focus on site work (ford.com) rather than OLA (online advertising). I do appreciate how much I'm learning- something new everyday. As for my commute, it's actually much more tolerable than I thought it was going to be. I just pop in my Harry Potter audio book, and I'm at work/home before I know it!

In a nutshell, that's about it for us Novesses. As I type this, it doesn't seem like we've been up to a whole heck of a lot since we've moved, but I swear I feel busier. Perhaps just happier ;) 

goodbye city, hello country!

In one short week, the u-haul will be packed and our little home in Royal Oak will be empty. It will be goodbye  city, hello country. Five acres to spread out on rather than a postage stamp sized lot. The dogs will be in heaven, and we simply cannot wait. As excited as we are, there are things about the city that truly will be missed. In no particular order:

1. Target- there's one in every direction, and the closest is literally a mile and a half away.
2. Restaurants, bars and night life- take your pick, there's anything to suit your mood. 
3. My commute to work- 25 mins. Can't beat that. 
4. CVS/Walgreens- I remember a few months ago when I ran up to CVS (a mile away) at 10pm for some cold medicine. I was home 10 mins later. In Manchester, the closest CVS is...hmmmm...20 mins away. 
5. Hospitals- our closest hospital right now, is- no joke- within walking distance. When I hit my head, it felt like it took forever to get to the ER (in reality it was only 20 mins), and that was just a small hospital in the next town over. A larger hospitals are 30 to 45 mins away. 
6. Shopping- one of the best malls EVER is right around the corner. 
7. Target- oh wait, I mentioned that. 
8. Grocery stores- West Born, Market Fresh, Kroger, Meijer, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods- take your pick. 
9. Starbucks- or any coffee house for that matter. Sometimes you just don't feel like making it at home!
10. Convenience- see 1 through 9. It will be missed!

Our country life is going to be some simple, and I wouldn't trade it for all the convenience in the world. One grocery store, no stop lights, a bar where the locals gather, great schools for our babies, everyone knows everyone. It'll be good to get back to my roots!

Happy Saturday, y'all :) 

is there any calgon in the house?

Stressed. Stressed at work. Stressed with life (moving...gaaaaaah!). Stressed about feeling stressed. Here's to hoping work slows down, the boxes get packed (by themselves would be nice), and the next two weeks fly by.

That's about it on a Saturday morning. My brain, thanks to all this stress, is complete and utter mush.

it's one of them

Around 8:15 this morning, I realized I was running 15 minutes behind schedule. Sigh. Running late is not a good way to start the day.

At 8:43, when literally running out the door and cursing that I'm 13 minutes behind schedule, I fell down the (two) stairs that lead from our kitchen to the back door. Um- ouch.

Got to work, and was told one of my projects that was supposed to go-live on ford.com tomorrow was now not going live. Put that fire out, got the project back on track.

Immediately after, I found out another project that was going to have a three-day turnaround time now has a one-month turnaround time. Perfect.

Upon realizing the only thing that was going to make me feel better at that moment was an overpriced pop-tart, I headed down to the store on the first floor but saw the line was out the door and around the corner. At this point, I didn't have the time nor the patience to wait it out. Geez, I couldn't even stuff my face with a caloric, crappy breakfast!

Yup, it's one of them days. BUT! I have a hot date with my handsome Hubs tonight. Thank goodness for sushi, wine and love.

Hope your day is going better than mine :)