Surprise :]

Umm ... did I mention Nick got me a special present?

About a month ago a big box came in the mail.

And in that box was .....

a bag!

And in that bag was .....

a Silhouette SD!!! Weeeeee!!!!!

I am so so happy with it! This machine is incredible!

Yesterday I made a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law. I loved how it came out and it was so easy!

Mom had made one of these at a relief society activity. I loved it and had to copy it. 

I am working on another project for another sister-in-law now. It should be done today :] And then I will make my mom's birthday pressie! I will let you know how they turn out!

Christmas

Even though the tree was up and decorated, presents were wrapped, and I was listening to Christmas music it didn't feel like Christmas until ....

and

Nick got me a DVD pack of these [my favorite] Christmas classics! Yay yay yay!

Love these movies!

What makes you feel like Christmas is here???



busy busy busy

Christmas is almost here!!!

We bought and wraped most of our presents and we got a {fresh, yay!} Christmas tree ... but there is still so much to do!

I want to make another rag quilt for baby cousin! I have the fabric now I just need to find time to put it all together.

But for now I will settle for writing a blog post update on what we've been up to!

Over Thanksgiving weekend I got to see my bestie KelKel!!! Yayayayay!

We went to dinner and then went to Barnes and Noble like old times. In high school our go to places to hang out were Barnes and Noble and Target where we would spend hours being silly.We also got together with our good friend Chelsea!

While we girls gabbed away we found our husbands reading Star Wars books to each other haha how cute!

Poor Scotty (Kelsey's husband) looks so tired! 

It was so good to see them! After years of seeing Kelsey on a daily basis we are down to about 2 times a year :( Thankfully we have things like skype and blogs to keep us updated in eachothers lives!

Last week Nick and I went to opening night of Wicked at the Pantages Theatre. I love getting dressed up and going to the theatre! The musical was AMAZING! I loved loved loved it!!! Too bad our cameras aren't working so we didn't get any pictures. Guss we'll just have to go again so we can document the experience haha

In other news, I tried out some new recipes from Pinterest which I highly recomend!

The Oreo Truffles were so so easy to make and everyone loved them! You can find the recipe here.

And the forzen hot chocolate is my new favorite thing to make! So yummy! That recipe can be found here. My husband is a big fan now too!

And last but definately not least, we got to meet our baby niece! We're so happy to have the newest addition the the family with us for the holidays!

Thanks Emily for the not so subtle hint to update my blog :)  Sorry this post is so long!

What I've Been Doing ...

I started making a quilt,

My FIRST quilt!

I read over a tutorial and was surprised to find I have the skills to accomplish such a task.

If you can cut, measure, and sew a straight line you can make one too!

I ordered two Cape Ann charm packs from Fat Quarter Shop and as soon as they arrived I got to work!

I was a little nervous, this would be my first sewing project without mom's help ...

{{and when I say "help" I mean that I pick out a project & ask mom for help, get defeated by the sewing machine, and end up keeping mom company while SHE makes it hah!}}

In the past, it seemed that all sewing machines had conspired against me... No matter what I did they never seemed to do what I needed them to do ... that is until mom sat down at the machine. Then it would run smooth and easy until I came back. How frustrating!

This time I was determined to do all the work so I would be able to show mom a finished project!

Annnnnd I DID IT!

I was so so so happy!

And I took pictures at every step to show I didn't just give up and buy one on etsy haha!

1. I cut the batting and back fabric (since I ordered the charm pack those were already cut so that saved a little time)
2 - 3 I made "batting sandwiches"
4. I sewed an x through the sandwiches
5. I laid out how I wanted the quilt to look
6. I sewed the squares into their rows, then sewed the rows together and sewed a straight stitch around the whole thing
7 and 8 I snipped every seem, this took a long time! I was getting so anxious!
9. I threw it in the wash and then dryer and the snipped seams came out nice and fluffy

Annnnd that's it! It was a lot of fun!
And now Baby Niece has a lovely Christmas present :) 
Kara's tutorial was great!! She explained every detail and it was very easy to follow!

Linked to:

Step in time!

This year for Halloween we were Mary Poppins and Bert!

For the costumes I took lots of trips to the DI (thrift store) and picked up what I could find. I got my skirt, bag, and jacket there and got Nick's blue and black shirts and his suspenders there.

We got our hats at Walmart.

Then we got the rest of our supplies at Dollar Tree. I got some daisies there to sew onto my hat and we used a broom stick and some floral supplies to make Nick's chimney sweep.

Mary Poppins looks a little short ... next time I will wear heels :)

But other than that I like how they turned out!

Happy Halloween!

Linked to: Made by you Monday,

 

Silhouette Cameo

Trying to win the Silhouette Cameo over at Tatertots and Jello! Check it out here!

There are so many projects I could do with thisssss!

This weekend ...

This weekend Nick and I stopped by Winchester Farms to eat after I picked him up from school. Too bad the restaurant was closed! We enjoyed ice cream from the market instead. I love the country feel of that place.

Saturday morning I rode 13 miles to the beach ... on a bicycle! Mom convinced me to join her cycling group on this trip and it was a lot of fun!

That's me as my thighs and bum were screaming at me to stop.

That's mom! Twice my age and she can ride circles around me! She would ride and stop to wait for me along the way. The 26 mile round trip didn't phase her at all. GO MOM! 

This is a picture they took of the whole group.

It was a beautiful day at the beach and there were a lot of surfers out.

When I came back from the beach Nick and I went to BJ's for a dinner date and then to visit my cousin Ashley and Baby Jasmine! It was the first time we got to see Jasmine awake. She's such a cutie! 

Sunday we relaxed, had Mike and Taylor over for dinner and played some games and watched a movie.

It was a GREAT weekend :)

Gordon B. Hinckley

<picture from google>

I miss this man!

I love running into printables [on pinterest or blogs] with his wise words on them!

They just warm my heart.

So, I made my own. This is one of my favorite quotes:

Let me know if you would like it in a different color and I would gladly e-mail it to you :)

And now, it is time for YOU to have your heart warmed! These are some great printables I have found in the great blogosphere. Enjoy.

Amy from Our Daily Obsessions  provides this printable in a couple different colors!

 Bobbi-Jo from It Works For Bobbi! gave us this printable in different colors as well! What a sweet quote that pays tribute to all you wonderful moms out there!

Thanks Dandee for this one from Fall Dandee.

And last but not least I love these simple words:

Shelby Mae from Day To Day With Shelby Mae made this so cute! I love the color! She has a poster print of this for sale in any color.

What is your favorite Gordon B. Hinckley quote?

Linked to: Show and Tell Link Party, Look What I Made! Linky Party, Whatever Goes Wednesday,

"God smiles on my little brother. Inside and out he's better than I am"

My BABY brother turned 17 yesterday! Seventeen! I can't believe he will graduate next year! And that he's getting his license next week!

Where does the time go?

I love you Drew!

Food Glorious Food!

While we're waiting for the leak old faithful to be fixed in our backyard we had to turn off the main water supply. Unless we want to have a mud run course in our backyard we have to only turn on the water when absolutely necessary, which means only showers and brushing teeth.

Which means ...

no washing dishes.

Which means ...

no cooking!

WAH!

I'm sick of eating out && ready to get back in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, I'll just look up the glorious food I could be making online.

Oh what fun!

My favorite sources for recipes are: Skinny Taste, All Recipes, Food Gawker, The Food Nanny cookbook, and of course Pinterest.

Some tried favorites are:

Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

Baked Zucchini Sticks

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Avocado and Tomato

                                                  [all above photos from skinnytaste.com]

Yummy yummy!

And I'm not the only one that's missing home cooked meals ...



Love You Forever

Remember this book?



I didn't grow up with this book. I first read it when I was a teenager, and I thought it was creepy! But now just seeing the picture below brings tears to my eyes.

"Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, 'You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick.' So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:
I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always...
But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick. The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my Mommy you'll be."

Is everyone feeling sentimental now? I am! I can only imagine how this will make me feel when I actually have kids!

kid 1: What is mom blubbering about now?

kid 2: She just read me Love You Forever

It'll probably go something like that. Hah! But seriously, I love the song the mom sings to her son. Precious. So I decided to write up the quote and frame it.

 Feel free to save the image and use it if you likey!

(I used Penny Springmann's 100% Recycled  to make this)

Pin It

Linked to: Time Travel Thursday

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Halloween!

I am TOTALLY a summer girl!

But unfortunately, as it seems to do every year, things are starting to cool down around here.

As we are in the last week of summer, it is time to look forward to the cold months.

And what gets me through these months?

Holidays.

HALLOWEEN

THANKSGIVING

CHRISTMAS

Ok, now I'm getting excited :]

Last week I made my first Halloween decoration!

I found a $1 frame at Michaels, and decorated it with scrapbook paper and ribbon. I drew out a pattern on paper, and then stitched it onto muslin. I used some blending chalk to color in the pumpkin and stem. Stuck it in the frame, and voila, I had made a cute little Halloween decoration.

What do you think? I love the end result! And it was so cheap and easy, always a plus! Below is a closeup of the stitching:



 LIKE THIS IDEA?
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Linked to: Motivate Me Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Market Yourself Monday, Craft-O-Maniac Monday Link Party, Halloween Imagination Station , Get Your Craft On Tuesday,

Reunited and It Feels So Good

Last week I got to see these lovely ladies! My best friends!

Kelsey's mom was going up to Utah so I hitched a ride with her to surprise Kelsey! Kami lives in Utah too so the three amigas were able to reunite! YAY!

We had fun at the state fair and rodeoooooo! We also had a sleepover at Kami's house! I miss these girls so much, and I'm so glad I got to see them for a couple days.

Until we meet again ... weekly oovoo parties! YES!