Sunday, July 22, 2012

Getting back to it

I've been sewing a little, cooking a little and walking a little. Feels like I'm getting back to it. You know the "it" you are suppose to do. The "it" that makes you happy. Tomorrow I go back to work and I'm excited to get back to "it" also. I finished two more rows on the granny square quilt you see in the picture above and will be putting it together sometime......

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

New website to share

Today I discovered www.shrinkingkitchen.com  This is an awesome site. It has a menu planning section with lots of ideas. So here's my menu for the week:

Wednesday: Hamburgers
Thursday: Grilled Steaks and Salad
Friday: Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Saturday: Cheeseburger Pasta
Sunday: Grilled Veggie Salad
Monday: Sloppy Joes
Tuesday: Chicken Enchiladas

3 Weeks 5 Pounds

Three weeks. That doesn't seem like a huge amount of time right? Well..... You can't complain about something unless you are ready to do something about it right? Each time I talk to my girlfriends the subject of our weight comes up and how we are not happy with it. So today my girlfriend said, "What are we going to do about it?" Five pounds seemed like a good place to start. Three weeks seemed like a safe amount of time to do it in. Want to join us? We are getting pedicures WHEN we reach our goal. SO tracking food, moving more, lots of water. What things do you do to help you lose weight- And keep it off?

Monday, July 16, 2012

Summer is Flying By

We took the girls and pups for a drive this weekend and went over the mountains to a town called Madrid. Small little town on Turquoise Trail filled with galleries and restraunts.
 Some of the pieces that caught my eye. Really love the one below.
Been doing a little sewing too. Got the granny square quilt started that the Old Red Barn Quilt Along group is doing

Also played with a few stars

The girls and I went to the zoo this past week too. Riley and I saw the movie Brave. Great mother / daughter movie and yes I cried. We also saw Dark Shadows at the dollar theater.

One week left before I start back up at work so going to make the most of it. Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

My addition to Dena's quilt

Look at how far it's come. So exciting! Thank you ladies of Around the Bend and Across the Pond!

Monday, July 9, 2012

It's been a year

I got a text from my old neighbor saying our old house is going to have a new family in it and this got me thinking - We've been in New Mexico a year now. In some ways it seems a lot longer. We feel at home, have a great church, great jobs, good schools and great friends. In some ways it seems so short. There is still so much of the state I want to see, so many places we don't know and things we haven't tried. So here is to a year in New Mexico, may we discover alot of this state.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Across the Pond and Around the Bend

 I was busy yesterday. Sewing to my little heart content. This little treasures are for a quilt bee I am in called- you guessed it- "Across the Pond and Around the Bend". I am in a group that does Free Form Quilting. You start with a 12.5 block and it travels, well Across the Pond and Around the Bend and each person adds to it as they wish and send it on. LOVE IT!!!! The quilt top pictured above is for our friend Lynz in Scotland. It's all castles and dragons and whimsy yumminess. I added the graassy bottom in my fav fabric line Hope Valley.
 A week later I get Trudi's quilt top. It's theme is floral, scrappy and again anything goes.
The first thing I noticed was this quilt needed some volumne so during pool time I stitched flowers that were from her inspiration fabric and then went about finding fabrics that would add nicely. We have hedghogs and birds, not to mention flowers. It's going to be a lovely quilt.

Cant wait to see these two finished. We have one more month of this swap and then I will get my scrappy star quilt. Tee hee can't wait. By the way, just so you know, it's never a good idea to start quilting before your first cup of coffee. I may have ironed my fingers this morning. Well I tried anyway.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Scotsdale, AZ

In a word- HOT. Not just a little hot, I'm talking makes you sick when you go outside HOT.
Our room was beautiful and so romantic- It had me wishing the kids would disappear. ( shhhhh I didn't say that out loud)

We took the kids to the pool at 9pm thinking maybe it would be cooler. Soulmate and I were sweating sitting by the pool and finally stuck our feet in to cool off. It was still unbelievably hot.
We cut our stay a day short and went home sweet home.
This place is definately on  my radar to take my sweety (without the kids of course) Shhhh They can't hear me.

Los Angeles

I forgot to mention that Soulmate flew into Oakland and we picked him up and all drove to Monterey. He just didn't just appear- although sometimes I think he is magic:)
From Monterey we drove to L.A.. This is where Soulmate grew up and we thought it would be fun to show the kiddos where his home and schools were, eat at his old haunts and it was halfway to Scotsdale- our next stop. L.A is a crazy place. It is pretty, but so stinking intense and busy. Traffic like I've never seen. We left the next morning at 5am to get out and on the road again.

Monterey

Avery, Grandpa, Riley and Grandma Wayne

My Soulmate and his Pop

My Inlaws- They are so sweet. I'm a lucky girl.

We went to the Aquarium

My favorite part of the trip. Beach therapy. Watching the girls get along, hold hands, giggle and jump waves. Absolute favorite.

There was a cruise ship in the harbor. It was a residence ship. Can you imagine? Leaving on a ship?
Monterey- a slice of heaven.

Operation Backyard

While we were in Sonora I felt the huge need to go see my parents again. I knew that there was work to be done in there backyard and with my sisters, me and our children we went over the mountains and made our way to my parents for Operation Backyard

The kids were so good and I was so proud of them. We got the yard work knocked out in no time. The kids planted, Leah mowed, Megan and I watered. Teamwork is a wonderful thing

Sophie is still proud of her new looks and tries to give Dad a big kiss

We cooled off with some card games and then made our way back over the mountains for some yummy cheese fondue (made by Megan)

My Home Town

From Nevada we got in the car and headed over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We spent some time in Sonora, California where I was born and raised and where my sisters live. All these monkeys above are the children of Megan, Leah, Dee Dee and I.

Dee Dee, Me, Leah and Megan

Me with Nana. She is 94 yrs young and beautiful!
I wish we had more time in Sonora. There never seems to be enough of that between cousins, sisters, aunts and friends. Thankful for the time we did get.

Nevada

It's summer time and the girls and I took a road trip from New Mexico to Stagecoach Nevada to see my parents and spend some time. The girls enjoyed ice cream at Virginis City - a old mining town.
We also enjoyed watching the wild Mustangs that tend to hang around my parents house and nearby. We saw them each day in different locations and Mom just sent me a picture of a group of three eating her neighbors yard.
This is Sophie, Dad's dog for sure. She follows him whereever he goes and lays next to his chair. For Fathers Day we got her groomed and she is so proud in this picture. Her markings give her a half smile.
My Dad, Avery, Mom and Riley
Me and my Pop. I enjoyed every moment with them. Thank you.