Enjoy the journey

Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. 

Appliqué

One of my goals this year is to become a better seamstress.  Which shouldn't be too hard since my sewing abilities are rather limited.  As in sew in a straight line.  So I started looking for projects and different basic things I could do in my free time.  Luckily there are some amazing women in my neighborhood who are willing to help me on my way, in addition to blogs, YouTube videos, books and the fabulous Craftsy website.

Unfortunately 

I did not recruit their help soon enough.  

I started Quilt Doodle Designs 2015 block of the month quilt that looks whimsical and fun - just up my ally!   I am familiar with interfacing - but I didn't realize that heat n bond is different.  Ha!!!  So needless to say I made it a little harder than necessary for my first two blocks! As I was cutting interfacing for these tiny pieces I thought there has got to be a better way.  There just has to be!

Then I found a video that shows how to do what took me 3 hours only took her 6 minutes.  Bah!!! 

Needless to say I have learned my lesson.  And I am loving the appliqué process now!  It is as easy as 1-2-3-4. Trace, press, cut, sew. 

1. Trace your pattern on the heat n bond.  It is pretty thin so you can see through it without shining a light.   The pattern I'm using is backwards so when I'm done it will be the right way.  Cut out your pieces is a general manner.  You do not need to be too precise at this point.  

2. Press the cut out piece on the chosen fabric. 

3. Cut it out according to your traced pattern, peal off the backing and then press it in place on your base fabric! 

4.  Sew.  This is the hardest part depending on how many curves and such your pattern has.  Please do not judge my final pieces as I am still improving!  Hopefully as I do each block it will get a little better.  :) 

I did end up buying a spray version of heat n bond so that I would not have to recut everything out for my tree and snowman.  It worked wonderfully.  :). 

Please note there are cute buttons and little additions that I will put on the blocks at the end. 

Amber

Packing

Did I mention I hate packing?  I am sure I mentioned that somewhere.  Well I am about to be in full packing mode.  Typically I avoid packing for as long as possible.  If possible I enlist others to assist cough cough do it for me.

So in that spirit here are the top 3 ways I have successfully had others pack for me:

1. I can't get it to all fit.

  One of the times I went back to college from home I remember complaining to my mom that I could not get everything to fit in my suitcases and boxes.   She generously showed me (meaning did it for me).  Somehow it all fit!!!

2. I'm running out of time!

  I'm pretty sure my best friend from college packed up most of my kitchen, bathroom and misc decorations one year because I was running out of time.  She of course had been packed for almost a full week before we had to move.   

3. I have to work!

  This one I feel is the most ligitament reason.  I mean a full time working gal only has so much time to herself. Add in a little baby. And yep. Absolutely zero time for packing.  I am proud to say that I have used this a few times.  In our most recent move my husband did a lot of the packing before he left to attend his class.  I did some packing here and there, my mother-in-law did more packing while I was at work.  Ultimately though it came down to while they were loading the truck I was finishing packing up the last few things.  This one can be the most stressful.  

I assume you now understand why these reasons are all very good ones! 

Unfortunately I do not think they will fly this move.  Good thing half my stuff is still in boxes from our move in Novemeber.  I mean ultimately I probably should start packing earlier than last minute - and there are many good and different ways to do this. I found quite a few excellent blog posts on the subject which can be found on my Pinterest board entitled "Moving". 

Wish me luck!!!  

El Mundo de Elmo

ZZ and I do not watch a lot of T.V. However sometimes she only can read the same books so many times or play with her toys so many times.  (Or maybe it's me...take your pick) We usually just watch Fraggle Rock - and she dances and is captivated by the musical numbers.  But I was thinking it might be time for a new show. So I searched Hulu for a new tv show.  ZZ loves her Elmo she picked out for Christmas, so I thought Sesame Street - but I was more interested than she was.  So I was like isn't there an Elmo show?!?  And yes! There is.  Except on Hulu it is only in Spanish.   

ZZ loves El Mundo de Elmo.  

They are only 15 min long and she watches the whoooole thing.   Score!  I'm expecting a bilingual child any day now.  

But really.  Now Spense tries to say things in Spanish and English.  I might need to research more how to teach your children in two languages.  :)

Change is hard

Change is hard.  Whether you are trying to change your diet, your spending habits, a process or preceding, the people you spend time with. Whatever it might be the fact of the matter is change is just part of life.  This is something I am still coming to terms with.

For my little family having Zz was a huge change and adjustment.  My husband and I loved going out to movies, out to eat and just being social in general.  Since Zz  came we have had to adjust our budget, spending habits, as well as our schedule.   And it has been hard - rewarding - but hard.  I found our priorities shifted - we are still social we just hang out with others at their/our home instead of at the movies. I feel like Zz was one of the easiest- hard changes I've made.

I wrote the above in August.

It is now Feb 2nd and I stand by my previous thoughts.

Change is Hard.

Luckily - I am provided a lot of opportunity to learn from it right now.  When I started this post I was a full-time working mom, my husband was in the process of a major career change, and that was only the beginning.  Since then we have sold our first home in Vegas and moved to our current temporary home in Utah while my husband gains experience and knowledge in his new field of choice.  Did I ever mention how much I hate moving?  Despise it.  I am now a full time mom, and I am on a new adventure.

Sometimes I miss working - I mean you get a break from your kids.

Every day.

Being a mom is exhausting.  When does she learn to put her toys away?!  Sick Days? No Longer!  Days off?  I laugh - really?  I can honestly say that I have never worked like I am working now.

But the rewards of staying home are priceless.

Happy fourth

One of my favorite holidays is the Fourth of July.  Everything I love about summer wrapped up in one day.  It is warm, there is parades and fireworks, family and friends get together to eat, play games and have a wonderful time.  As a kid we would travel across country for a few weeks every other summer to spend time with family and we usually spent the fourth in a small town called Malad with my grandparents.  I just love 'small town' holidays.  In college I was so excited when I got to be a part of the parade and walk down Main Street waving, smiling and handing out candy.  I love getting all decked out in red white and blue also.  As an adult - not much has changed.  I hope at a chance to be in a parade.  And not to mention I just get to dress up a little baby! Whoot!   

What is your favorite holiday?

*just realized I never posted this. Whoops!*

The Grand Adventure

Hey there - it's been a while - I know.  A lot has happened in the past 18 months. A-LOT.  Most importantly - I've had a little baby.  Zz (for that is what I shall call her her) is cute.  I mean I am biased - but other people say she is legitimately cute. (Because some babies just are not really cute.  You just say that because they are a baby).  Anyways - 

I love being a mom.  More than I thought I would ever like it.  Really and truly.  It is so exciting to experience life again thru someone else's eyes.  And Zz - She is curious - even for a little 6 month old.  She has complete trust in her dad and myself and I love the way her face lights up when I come home from work.  Such a joy!!

But it is hard also.  It is hard to be at work all day. It is hard to be away from my little family. And it is hard to find time for everything I used to be able to fit in. I just would rather sit around and play with the baby. - I mean really - who could blame me with this cute face?  

So I think I will use this blog to track my journey as a working mom.  We will see how it pans out.  

Keep smiling!

Amber

Happy Holidays!

Thanks to LazyDaisy Designs for creating these awesome Holiday cards for me!  I found this cute designer via Pinterest during Black Friday weekend.  She has so many designs to pick from, and she was so nice to work with.  

Thanks to Cariann w/My Little Monkeys Photography for taking our 1 year anniversary pictures!  I've know Cariann since college, and she does awesome work!  

Happy Holidays everyone! 

Benji

Have you met Benji?

He's our new 11 month Wheaten Terrier/Poodle Mix.  We got him almost 4 weeks ago, and what a joy he is so far.

Trixie is growing to love him, and doesn't mind sharing some of her little stuffed animals with him that much.

He loves to play, go for walks/runs and chewing bones.  He does like to take things outside through the doggie door and the BURST back in like he found the greatest treasure outside.  He loves to snuggle, and its pretty well mannered for being a rescue puppy.

We do not know his back story, but he has pretty teeth, obeys pretty well, and sleeps in his own bed.  (Trixie sleeps on my pillow, which means I have just a small portion for my head.)


We Love Benji!!

Before Grooming

Adoption day! 

After a trip to the Groomer

The Happy Boy

Black Friday 2012

Did you see my new TV in the last post?

Well that was my first Black Friday experience.  And what an adventure that was!

We have been in desperate need of a new TV.  For the past year and half we have been fortunate to 'baby sit' various flat screen TVs, but alas, our good fortune came to an end when 3 different people got married, moved, or got engaged.  For about the past month we have been watching TV and playing video games on a small tube tv inherited from my family. (thanks fam!!)  I remember thinking "This TV is awesome!" when we got it.... before I went to collage - almost 10 years ago. Now however, not so great.  While we were mighty grateful for my parents generosity  we could endure no longer.  By we I mean Spense... I mean really - who can play Halo or Call of Duty on a tube TV - he was dying all the time!  ?But to be honest Once Upon a Time, Revenge and Glee just weren't the same.

SO

We (by we I mean Spense) scoped out all the black Friday ad's looking for the best deal on a TV.  Then on Thursday evening, after our fabulous Thanksgiving feast at the Rio Buffet (best in town... so yummy was their Crab & Shrimp... yum yum.. b/c lets be honest I was not ready to do Thanksgiving  my own quite yet.) we (this time it was Spense, my sister-in-law Erica & I) set up our borrowed lawn chairs to stake our claim.  That was about 6:30 pm Thursday evening.

The next 12 hours went something like this:

6:30 pm - Spense and I hang out with about 16 people in front of us.  We catch up on TV shows on Hulu via his Phone.  Thank you smart phones!   Erica catches a movie with Spense's Brother & Nephew.
9:00 pm - Spense and I trade spots with Erica & head over to catch "The Rise of the Guardians" (great movie)
11:15 pm - Walk back over to Frys, notice line at H & M and Hollister - thought to myself "I got time"
11:30 pm - I take over holding our spot in line, while Spense & Erica obtain food and air mattress to sleep on since Spense & I had to be at work at 8 & 8:30am Friday morning.  Took a look at the line, it was around the building, only about 50 people at this point.
12:30 am - Erica and Spense return, line a little longer, we settle in for a Nap.
1:00 am - I can't sleep so I start surfing the web for good deals.
1:45 am - Try to take a nap after looking at various websites and running my battery low.
2:03 am - Decide to go for a walk around Town Square (outdoor mall that we are in) and check out various stores that are now open for "Black Friday Sales".  Erica accompanies me, she couldn't sleep either.  Spense napping pretty well.
2:45 am - Return to Fry's line with small bag of Loot from American Eagle, namely workout clothes and a few other items.
3:00 am  - fall into restless sleep where I wake up every 20 min or so until...
5:00 am - woken by the RUSHING of feet next to my face.  I thought I had 30 min. to pick up my stuff and put it away before they closed the line.  What appeared to happen was everyone in back of the line (at least 150+ ppl) thought it was time for Fry's to open since the people in the front of the line were starting to take down camp.  They rushed to the front, causing about 100 ppl to CUT us and everyone else in line before us.
5:15 am - Almost have to get in someones face as I try to maneuver my way back to where Spense & Erica were holding a spot in line after cleaning up our area.  By this point they had gotten so they were about 80th in line, but let's just say that the middle-of-the-line crowd was not happy with the 5am turn of events.  But everyone was civil, just a few snide loud remarks here and there from those of us who had been there for 11+ hours.
5:30 am - Fry's employees come out to close & monitor the line - not an easy job.  Poor guys got a ear-full from a few slightly disgruntled patrons.  All and all no one got kicked out of line, and line-cutters stayed.
6:00 am - Doors open with Police, Fry's Management & Employees manning the front doors.  Spense rushes to the TV area to get in line.  I tried to get with him with the cart, but ended up having to wait in a different spot b/c there was not room with the cart.
6:30 am - Spense obtains 2nd to LAST Sony 50" 240 htz 1080p LED TV for only $500, we place it in the cart and head to pay.  Slight frustration that we almost missed out on the deal b/c of a few dozen rude people, but Grateful & Excited that we did get it!
6:50 am - TV purchased, and we have loaded it in the car (thanks Kim & Geoff for letting us borrow your vehicle!).
7:15 am - Change, Trade cars back, grab Peppermint Hot Choc and Croissant from Starbucks - and make it to work by 8:15 AM.  SHEW!!!

Things I would change:

1. Take the day off.  Going to work after basically being up all night - not fun b/c I closed, so I was at work until about 6:45 pm.
2. Have a better plan to use the hours before for other shopping, online, in the mall etc. That way I make better use of the waiting time.

Was it worth it?   YES - the TV is INCREDIBLE.  As a result of the smoke'n deal, we were able to afford a wall mount & new entertainment center to go with it.  Yahoo!  (See previous post for pictures)

Was it Stressful?  YES - esp being woken up - that isn't my best side to see. I almost chewed some guy out because he thought I was one of the cutters.  He let me through when I (with a slightly raised and frustrated voice) explained that I was going to stand with my family that had ALSO been there since 6:30PM the evening before.  He looked at me, and quietly let me through.  Later he came to find me (after I had calmed down) to ask if we had really been there that long, and how many people were in front of us at that time?  I apologized for snapping at him, and explained that I had been woken up by everyone rushing past us, and I am a little grumpy when I wake up.  He told me he prob would have done the same thing had roles been reversed.

Would I do it again?  MAYBE - the TV was worth it - the 5am wake-up call - not worth it.

Christmas Decorating

I love this time of year. Last year I didn't get to do much decorating. This year I took advantage of the sales and got a fabulous amount of stuff for smaller amount of dollars! This is what we have so far ... (Please disregard the cords, we also got a sweet tv, story forth coming.)

Smile for the day

Hot Pads

So when I got married I did not get any hot pads, but I got lots of small towels that I have been using.  For Christmas my parents gave me a sewing machine (so wonderful!!!), and with it a pattern for "Fast & Fun Hot Pad" from my mom.  I thought I would try some and break in my machine before I finished the 'easy' baby-blankets I started many moons ago.  I made some for Valentines day - and they turned out okay.  So I start on a few more with some fabric I picked out for patriotic holidays and summer.  I am excited for them, they are so easy, it only took me two hours from start to finish (and it takes me a bit when it comes to sewing and cutting) and I can customize them for any time of the year.  I just get cute fabric and viola! hot pads!  Those precut fat quarters are nice also if you are into matching fabrics.

If you follow the directions they come out a little bigger than would fit in my skinny-skinny kitchen drawer, so I just did them a little smaller 9" squares instead.

Here are the almost finished products for your viewing pleasure!

Things that make me Smile...

I love coming home to this smile.....

Who couldn't love that smile... yep it's real!

Wouldn't you!?  

For your viewing pleasure, other random pictures I love of Trixie Sue.  I love her almost as much as my husband.  shhhh - don't tell him - wait I think he already knows.  

Most recent new sleeping pose.  How does she BREATH?

Do you see the Alf-Alfa Hair?!?!

Pinning

I gave in.  I have been avoiding it because I knew I did not have time for a pinterest.  But last night I needed some place to store my ideas for a guest book I am creating for a friend's wedding next weekend.   It is such a handy tool!! I could not believe how simple and easy it was.  And I'm hooked.  

So much for my "free time."  

Wedding Collage

Newly Wed - not dead.

I tried to upload a picture of me today for you.....

but that is all I could make happen tonight.

Try as I may --- only half the picture would come up. I do not even know....

SIGH

Well here I am...


I finally have slowed down enough, that I thought I might try to post some of the much anticipated pictures. since I just went through them myself... And I realized I never downloaded the web versions.





So....

Guess you will have to wait some more.

I was going to post some pictures of my house. But I realized, I have not taken any yet.


So....


Guess you will have to wait for those too.




So... What do I have to offer you tonight?


I suppose you'll have to live with -

I'm newly Wed!!! And I'm not dead!!!

Until my next free moment while Spense plays Call of Duty!!!


PS--- 3 days till KEVIN COMES HOME!!! I can't wait to see my brother!!! :)

Almost MAY!!!

My goodness how time flies when you are having fun!!

A little update:

*Church - somehow if you put that first - the rest actually all fits!

*Wedding plans - consume my life when I am not at work... only TWO MORE WEEKS!!! whoot whoot!

*Work - system conversion to a new system!!! JOY!!! - consumes most of my day.

*Extra time? -- WHAT IS THAT?!

*New side business -- Have you heard of AreoGarden?

Check it out HERE!!!

It is soo cool! You can grow a garden, in your kitchen, without water!! Let me know what you think!

TA DA!

around the corner

I should be sleeping...

But instead I am here blogging for the first time in 4 months (give or take a few).
So here is the little update on my life for those who follow... in no particular order

*Guy from awesome collage in previous post & I no longer (hence a few melancholy posts...)
*that guy went to serve our country - good luck!
*New incredible job opportunity
*New calling in church
*Two new pseudo nephews... SOO CUTE! I love them and I just met them.
Well One I've met - one I'm going to meet soon!
*One amazing new guy. And after the last one, I wasn't sure it could get better. :)
*An incredible holiday season filled with family, fun games, my dad coming home, and movies with the family!
*Baby Sister turned 18... GAH!!
*Stress, and lots of learning time.
*The world's best, and most ridiculous puppy!!! I love Trixie Sue!!!! :D
*I love love love my family.

Those are just a few of the fun things that are going on in the crazy life of Amber.

Eat, Pray, Love

Recently my life has taken a few turns that I was not exactly planning on. I went to see Eat, Pray, Love with two of my really good friends right before the domino effect started in my life. This is now one of my favorite movies. It is really good, it made me laugh, cry, sigh, smile, and reminded me that sometimes when a door closes, there is usually a window open to new possibilities.

I had two favorite parts in the movie, the first of which I have been dwelling on. There is a part where Liz's (Julia Roberts) friend Robert (I believe that is his name) gives her the following advice:

"If you miss them - miss them. You love them, so Love them.

Then send them love and light. and then drop it." (it might be messed up a little... but you get the gist.)

At the time I thought that was profound, but when would I need that? Well, of course I did. Last week I decided that instead of trying to harbor all the feelings for myself that I was feeling, it was time to try a little of his advice.

My mom also had some fabulous advice. She told me to "let my friends and family serve me. To go out, and do things, and let them help me heal."

It is amazing how I feel like putting that advice combined with sending light and love has helped. I still have a way to go, but it made a huge impact to recognize that those feelings are still there, but there are other things in my life that are more important. Since I put it into action, I have literally watched as a new path opened up with options and opportunities that I would have never anticipated before.

I am grateful for good movies, good advice, incredible friends, and family, and friends who will always be more like family than friends.

(and if you want to see that movie... I would go again!)

Onions

Have you ever forgotten to ask for No onions on your sandwich or burger?

Well - as you can probably guess - I forgot to ask for No onions today - so I removed them with my little fingers. and now - 3 1/2 hours later anytime I start to ponder and bring my fingers close to my face, I can smell the onion. It is amazing what a potent and lingering smell those little things have.

I washed my hands in attempt to rid my fingers of the smell... and no! it is still there.

I put on the hand sanitizer --- no! still there!

I put on my fabulously smelling lotion -- no! still there!

I am not sure what to do now.

wish

'Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?
Because I could really use a wish right now.'