Button holes!

While I haven't gotten to do any quilting since monday, I did sit down for a few min today for a simple project. And I think it was fitting that I made my first button holes for a little whipped-up button pouch! :D The sewing machine Tandy gave me, while coming without a manual, did have about six extra feet and I'm slowly trying to figure out what they are for! One, for button holes! Makes them super easy! The pouch itself is simple and not very exiting, but it gets the job done and the button holes look great!

I'll show a picture hopefully sometime tomorrow, along with the other projects I finished last week. Gotta hit the hay now as I work at 8!

Night everyone!

Halloween

So I guess halloween with no kids around doesn't do much. :P We had some good friends over for dinner (a normal monday tradition for the past couple months-until I have to work mondays starting in dec!), ranch chicken, rice pilaf, zucchini. Yum! Then the five of us played our Settlers of Catan for the first time since we got it for our wedding, and part way though had mint brownies with ice cream. :) Not even a mention of halloween! Since our apartment is in the back: no kids came by. Still a great night though.

I actually have quite a few pictures and quilting to blog about, but I have to do that another time. :P should probably be turning out the light.

But I got a new job! Quit my 10 hour a week job just a few weeks ago because I wanted to work with kids-and starting friday I get to! I'm going to be working 10 hours a week to start, then possibly some full days! A cute little 6 child montessori in Templeton. I'm so excited! And I am already fingerprinted so I don't have to pay to do that again, and tomorrow I am going in for my tb test, and hopefully get to start monday! God is so great!

And our car is in the shop again, but the $4000 hybrid barry is under warranty! :)

Andrew and I started walking last week. We walked ten miles in the four days we walked. My goal for us is to build up every week. Today started this weeks-and its a good start, but probably a little too much. We dropped off the car and walked home. Thought it was only four miles, but turned out to be five and we had to hurry-my hips bothered me a lot. We did the five miles in exactly an hour and 23 seconds. I remember when it took me an hour to walk a 5k. haha. Tomorrow we'll probably only walk two miles. I should turn out the light so we have time to before work.

G'night y'all!

Sew Close!

All I have to finish for Brett's quilt is the binding...and I have to go to work! It's a good thing I like my job. :D

Actually, before work I have a play date with Ana, so two pluses, and I'll finish the quilt tomorrow. :)

And then I get to start one of the two quilts I designed last night!

Of Quilting and Exercising

Well, I've been working away on Brett's quilt. I have put all the pieces together, and been quilting the top! Free motion quilting is so much fun! I was a little worried that I would be terrible at it, and worried because I hadn't tried it at all...and I was just going to jump in on Brett's quilt. Finally I decided just to do a little practice...and it wasn't perfect, but I'm having so much fun and getting better! I'm almost done quilting the top! I'll show pictures soon. Hoping to finish it (binding and all!) on Friday.

In other news...since I quit my second job, I have been looking for something working with kids. I have applied to many, and a few positive responses! Hoping for an interview with a montessori in the next week - it's looking very promising! Hopefully it pays more than $8. :P

Andrew and I are trying to get more exercise. We walked three miles this morning. And this is the fourth morning (not in a row, but in the last week and a half), and the first that we've added some jogging! I love being married to that boy! He is so encouraging and willing to do so much for me! I like my jobs of personal chef, personal shopper, housecleaner...and now adding personal trainer! :D If only I could find a way to quilt while exercising...now that would be great!

Brett and I have started an Etsy shop. Not much on there now, but a few things from the wedding. The prices are a little high, but I'm a little worried about how much the shipping will cost and I put the shipping kind of low for what I'm estimating it'll be. There will eventually be lots of cute and comfy things from me, Brett and Megan! If you want to just take a look, here is the link!

Lots O' Pictures!

I know I haven't updated in a while, but I brought you a lot of pictures!

My new quilting buddy!

Last week when I helped Brett cut out her blocks, I also finished the top of her quilt! Isn't it great! So full of color and very unique! I love it much more than I thought I would!

When I was at the conference in SF, Danny and I walked around and visited two fabric stores. Fabric Outlet and Discount Fabric. Fabric Outlet was having a 40% off entire store sale...and so I bought the green and brown trees in 3 yards for the back of my parents future quilt. :) Wanted to, and didn't buy anything from Discount Fabric! Proud of myself, thankful for Danny's help. :) But then when driving home, stopped at Joann's for the first time and bought these other five! The dark red and blue in jewel tones for the yo yo quilt, the bright red for Kelly's future I Spy quilt...and the others just for fun. :P

This past weekend in Auburn...I visited two quilt stores while Andrew and the boys were busy getting ready for Rob and Allison's wedding...

The first one I visited was called Runs with Scissors. Very cute, pretty new. A little ridiculous in their many signs for not allowing anyone to use their five parking spaces, but the shop was a Moda lovers heaven! For all the quilters who love Moda, it had many, many of the lines and designers I've heard about. Not seen that in a quilt store before, and it was pretty exciting (read a lot about those designers in my other quilt blogs...). :) They had a class going on. There were four older, overweight women sitting around and sewing...didn't seem super open to younger people. However, the woman was very friendly! I generally liked the vibe. Bought three fat quarters. I haven't ever used words before, but I've seen these prints and envied them a little, and the green one...just loved the little hummers!

I also visited The Tin Thimble. It was a wonderful little vintage place. Didn't have as much fabric as others, but had vintage and previously used patterns, as well as new and old fabrics and other crafty things. :) They had a class going on as well, and a nice big room set up on the side with wide tables, and there were about 8 women making these fun new scarves. It had both a modern and a vintage feel, and very friendly. Bought a couple fat quarters as well. Spent less than $10 in the two stores!

Oh man! I need to start dinner! But one more picture! My wonderful mother in law visited a quilt store for me while she was visiting Seattle! Brought me lots of things!

Upcoming Reviews

I have visited several quilt shops recently, and plan to review them here, as well as a couple that I plan on visiting tomorrow! But I haven't had a ton of time this week.

Brett is back and spent the day with me yesterday! I got her into quilting and we cut out her twin sized top, as well as finished the quilt top I've been working on for her! It was a good day. I have a quilt buddy!

I am currently in Roseville with Andrew and Jason for our friends wedding! We are heading to the rehearsal in a few minutes. The boys are groomsmen, and I going to try to spend some of tomorrow morning driving myself around looking at the quilt shops!

Tomorrow for the wedding, then sunday with Andrews parents!

A Week of Colds

Andrew came home from the bachelor party with sore shoulders and a terrible cold. So I didn't get much done at the beginning of the week with taking care of my boy...and thought by Thursday morning I was safe...but then Thursday night hit and I was just down for the count. Still worked Friday...

Anyway. I finished little Layman's quilt! :) I'm quite proud and Kate was happy. She loves polka dots, so it was perfect.

Saturday Andrew and I went on a date to Santa Barbara! It was a wonderful day. We were both sort of sick, but Andrew was getting over it and I was hopped up on daytime cold medicine...We went kayaking in the harbor (no pictures), had a nice lunch, sadly didn't make it to the zoo, but walked around State Street and got ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. :D

Sunday Jeff came to visit! Arrived 10 min after Andrew and I got back from SB. Went to church, then lunch with friends, then to the beach...then relaxed at home.

And I have gotten a little quilting done. Mostly my yo-yo quilt, but also have been cutting some pieces for Brett's quilt! (She is moving back to town! Whoot!) I've made about 300 yo-yos, only 2700 to go. :P

And another week has started...