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 :)