Wednesday, December 29, 2010

New Beginnings

It has been awhile since I posted, so I thought it was time. 

I had a wonderful Christmas at home with my parents, my brother and his girlfriend.  Unfortunately it was much too short a time, as I worked until 6 pm on Christmas Eve and 9:30 am the day after Christmas-with an hour drive to get to my parents home.

I had made homemade goodies for everyone-and they went over quite well.  The pumpkin pie I made for my brother was the first pie I had ever made and I am quite proud of how it turned out.  It was quite a "sacrifice" for me to make that as well because I detest the taste and smell of pumpkin foods.  But it was worth it since it turned out so well and I know that my brother enjoyed it. 

Anyway, on a different note; I got a new sewing machine!  And a very large cutting mat and very long ruler.  I also got a nice light for my sewing area-so I don't have to use a lantern meant for camping.  I got a nice carrying case for my new machine as well.  In my stocking on Christmas morning were some fat quarters in pretty brown and blue patterns.  Another gift I got was the Taste of Home-Winning Recipes cookbook; I can't wait to try some of them out!

Today I did a lot of cleaning and organizing in the kitchen.  After all the baking that was done in the few days before Christmas, there wasn't a lot of time to clean beforehand and both my roommate and I worked right after Christmas as well.  So today was the first day I could really spend time on it.  I also have tomorrow off so I will be cleaning the rest of the apartment as well as doing laundry-then I'm going to pack for going home on Saturday morning for my mom's side family Christmas.  Then on Sunday we are going to visit some cousins who can't make it on Saturday.  On Monday morning I have an eye doctor appointment and then hanging out with mom (she is going to be my chauffeur after my eye appt. because of the drops that dilate my eyes so I can hardly see.  I have a regular doctor checkup in the afternoon, then I'll probably head back to EC since I work at 7:30 Tuesday morning.  So it will be a good few days.

My roommate left Monday morning for home and is gone for 2 weeks.  So next week after I get back and done working, I'm sure I will be bored.  But it will be nice-I'll maybe do some sewing-I have some clothes to mend and I can work on my quilt too!

As of today, it has been a week and a half since I had a soda-and as a result, caffeine.  I don't plan on completely cutting out caffeine-but it might end up that way-we'll see how that goes once I do have some caffeine again and how it affects me and my system.  It has also been about a year and a half since I had any alcohol.  I feel really good too.  I'm drinking more water, I'm sleeping better at night, I am eating better as well-my body isn't craving soda like I thought it would.  It started last Monday-I didn't have any more soda...and I just didn't feel the need for it-like the Lord was guiding me towards healthier choices.  Last Tuesday and a little of Wednesday I had a headache because of the caffeine withdrawal-but by Thursday I was back to normal.

But sort of on the note of sleeping better, it's bedtime for this lady.  Have a wonderful New Year's and weekend. 

God bless.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Domestic Thursday

Today I'm spending the day doing laundry, baking and sewing.  I baked Oatmeal Raisin cookies yesterday, they are my dad's favorite.  So today I'm baking Turtle Bars for my mom, pumpkin pie for my brother, and chocolate chip cookies for my brother's girlfriend.

Then I'll be sewing sweater mittens to give to family and friends as part of their Christmas gift.  Then I need to wrap gifts and I think I'll be done and ready to go home right after work tomorrow!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone.  And remember the reason for the holiday.  Remember that our Savior Jesus Christ was born and has saved us all. 

Monday, December 13, 2010

"Snowmageddon"

Here in Eau Claire (and certain parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin too) Saturday and part of Sunday brought 22 inches of snow within 24 hours.  The previous record for a 24 hour period was 14 inches.  When I was at work on Saturday, we heard news that the Mall had closed, that Best Buy had closed, banks closed, fast food places closed, many churches canceled their Saturday and Sunday services.

Here are some pictures I took on Sunday night.


This is my roommate as she is all bundled up to make the trek to her car and dig it out.

The "steps" up to my apartment building's front porch. They are just caked with snow so the steps have just disappeared.

An area where a car used to be-until the owner was able to dig it out.

A sidewalk about a block away from my apartment-someone used their snow-blower and this wall is how much snow we got in 24 hours.

A different but similar sidewalk.

My roommate's "snow" shovel. It was literally the only type of shovel of any kind in the store-a fireplace shovel.  She had even looked at other stores first but everywhere was sold out.

Our friend's door from their kitchen out onto their little porch area.  Snowed in!

My roommate writing a note to leave for the church whose parking lot her car was stuck in. 

We are planning on baking them some cookies or muffins to say thank you.

The wall of snow after the snowplow went by.  Up to the windows on the car.
 The alley on the right got plowed, but when the big plow came through on the street, it created a nice big wall of snow at the end of the alley.

Standing in the snow behind our building-up to my roommate's knees.  
My roommate showing the car behind her-buried under lots of snow!
















This is just some of what the Midwest has dealt with.  It pretty much went straight through the middle of Minnesota, then Wisconsin.  Friends in the northern areas of the states hardly got any snow.  This just shows what God is capable of when He wants to show us.  This weekend definitely tested my patience.  I just tried to pray my way through.  I made it through and now I'm studying for a final that I have at 8:00 tomorrow morning!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Terry Cloth Caddy

So for some of the Christmas gifts I will be giving away, I want to sew some things for family and friends.

I found some good ideas from Martha Stewart.

One is a terry cloth caddy-using a simple bath towel. 
The second is just some sweater mittens using old sweaters.

I went to Goodwill and bought some inexpensive towels and some neutral colored sweaters that seemed like they would make good mitten material.

I will be working on them intermittently along with my final projects and exams.

If they turn out well, I will post pictures!

But until then, here are the links to the projects online.

Terry-Cloth Caddy

Sweater Mittens

Thursday, December 9, 2010

A Chest of Hopes addition...

Another frugal way to "prettify" notebooks would be to find some inexpensive wrapping paper at a dollar store.  Then you could use one solid piece for the whole notebook, rather than 2 different pieces.

Just a thought I had on my last post subject.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A Chest of Hopes

I was feeling inspired after reading a post over at Feelin' Feminine.  I decided to beautify one of my extra notebooks that I had lying around.




Before: boring and somewhat ugly.


After
This is the front.  I used some leftover scrapbook pages I had from a set of pages I got at a garage sale.


Here is the back.  This was going to be the front, but I cut one of the corners a little too much, so I put it on the back instead.













I am going to fill it with items I want in my hope chest, skills I want to learn, craft project ideas, perhaps some recipes as well.

If anyone has some ideas they'd like to share, I would love to hear them.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Hope Chest

I have asked my parents for a hope chest and my mom and I have discussed it briefly; but I am starting to compile a list of items that I would like to include in it.  Once I have a good start on the list, I will post it.

I would love to hear any ideas (especially ones that most people would overlook) on what to include.

This helps me look forward to my future life, I get excited and eager when thinking about this and my future family.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

End of semester stress

Now that it is December, the increasing pressure from classes is starting to get to me.  I need to stay focused on the Lord.  He knows what's best for me and He will provide for me and get me through this stressful time. 

I have a very important communication and journalism project due next Tuesday-that is the most pressing and important thing right now.  I also have a blog post due for that class and several quizzes coming up in my History class the next few days.

I will be prayer overload along with school overload for the next few weeks.  If you could pray for me also, I would be so grateful.  I need to do well and I have been pretty good all semester-but I start feeling myself slipping and I'm afraid that it will spiral out of control. 

Lord please be with me in the remaining weeks of the semester and help me through so I can continue on next semester in good standing.  I pray in your name, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Crockpot Applesauce!

Today I attempted to make slow-cooker applesauce in my new slow-cooker.  It was a GREAT success!  It smelled amazing (unfortunately my roommate was making chili at the same time in her slow-cooker, and chili scent is much stronger than apple scent).  But if that had been the only thing cooking, it would have made the whole apartment smell amazing.

All I did was peel and cut up about 5 medium sized apples, added a few teaspoons of sugar, about a teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/3 cup of water and started it on high, but then switched it to low while I was at my bowling league.  And when I came home they were nice and mushy, I didn't even need a masher of any sort, I just used the wooden spoon I had been stirring it with all along. 

The 5 apples I used was just a perfect amount for a few servings for just me.  I also don't think I need to cut the apples into such small pieces as I did. I peeled them and then used an apple corer and slicer.  I could have just cut those chunks in half or thirds, I cut the pieces to be the size of marbles.

Anyway, time for bed. I have a doctor checkup tomorrow morning at 8:00.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

My Domestic Tuesday

 This is our very pretty shower curtain-and it was FREE!  My roommate got it for free at a garage sale-just because it had a small spot of mildew on it-all it took was a tiny bit of scrubbing, then washing it to get rid of it!
 This is our TV, movie collection, and the Christmas tree that I just put up!  It makes me so happy to see it.
 Here is my little sewing area.  I have my mom's old sewing machine (hopefully I'll be getting a new one for Christmas) my sewing "kit" that is actually a tackle-box (which is cheaper than buying an organizer at a craft store).

The plaid triangle in the front is going to be a 'kerchief for my "niece".  My niece is a yellow lab adopted by my brother and his girlfriend.
 Here is our couch, with pillows and blanket (that is very warm and cozy on chilly nights).

The pillow with the doll on it is actually a Quillow that my grandma made for me.

This is our futon, with pillows and a quilt my grandma made for me too.  It is made out of t-shirts from high school activities and college activities.
 Some artwork on our walls.  The big blue one is one that my roommate did in one of her art classes at the university.  The 4 small ones I got on clearance at Target for about $3.


Our stove and our "spice rack".

The "wisdom" sign I got at a garage sale for a quarter.  Then our spices, they were all just crowded on the back of the stove, but I got a little rack at Goodwill to create some more room and keep them slightly more organized.

Another painting by my roommate in our kitchen.  It reminds me of a strawberry in the corner.

Before I did the dishes.


Some photos I have taken-pearls, my mom's dog, sunset at a campground, and an artistic shot of a tree trunk.

More photos-the top one is the original.  The bottom 2 were ones that I played with the colors and they turned out really neat.

Photo shoot with the cast of a play that I helped with the costumes.
 Our lovely mirror right by our front door. 
 After I washed the dishes!

I organized our table as best I could-but we just have a lot on the table.
 Our collection of cookbooks.

Our microwave and miscellaneous storage, Tupperware storage, and hand towel storage.
Our bathroom, it's pretty small. So there's not a whole lot we can do with that.

"Domestic Tuesday"

Inspired by my fellow blogger at True Femininity, I am spending today cleaning, decorating and some cooking.  I have class until 10:45, but then it will be back here to do some cleaning!  And if I get it clean "enough" I will take some pictures and post them; because I've been wanting to do that for awhile.  I also want to put up our Christmas decorations-we have a wreath for our front door, and a Christmas tree for our living room and Christmas lights to just hang up elsewhere.

On another note, it's snowing today!  And it's the pretty snow, not the tiny pellets, or the wet and heavy snow. 

Unfortunately tomorrow we're supposed to get freezing rain-which is going to make tricky drives home for many of my friends as they go home for Thanksgiving.  I will be praying for them as they go.  Please join me in praying for their safe journey.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Crockpot Applesauce!

The other day my mom told me about a "recipe" she made in the slow cooker.  She had some leftover apples that she peeled, cut into chunks, and added sugar and cinnamon to taste.  She just let it cook in the slow cooker all day-it filled the house with a WONDERFUL smell and it tasted so yummy.  I haven't had time to try it myself yet, but I am so looking forward to it.

But for now, it's time to get dressed to go to a speech for a journalism class.

Quilt progress and Look of the Day

 This is the progress on my quilt so far.  The only thing I have to add is the light sashing in between each column, then the borders!  I have a table that is set up for my little sewing corner (I will post pictures of that later too when I have time)
This is my outfit for the day. 

Black shirt: Target on sale
Tank: Old Navy on sale
Skirt: Old Navy for my birthday
Tights and platform/wedge Mary-Jane's that I've had for years

Friday, October 29, 2010

Marriage=settling down?

I began thinking about this yesterday when I was washing dishes and listening to the radio (country, of course).  One of the songs that came on mentioned "get married and settle down".  I have been thinking about this since then.

Does getting married mean you must settle down?  I believe the answer is both yes and no.  Yes because you have the responsibility to your spouse.  For women it means serving their husbands and for men it means supporting their family.  And once children arrive, you will spend time teaching them.  All while remaining obedient to God.

But using the Duggars (from the TLC television show) as a reference and example; they go on many "adventures" with the children.  They are always educational, but they go on trips and get to meet many new people and get to share their faith in many ways.

I am eager to get to do these things with my future husband and children.  If that is God's will for me anyway. 

Monday, October 25, 2010

Quilt pattern

This is the pattern for the quilt I'm going to make.  It's a fairly simple pattern, since this will be my first quilt.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Day 1

Today is Day 1 of my weight loss journey.  I'm not calling it a diet, because that implies that I will "go off it" which I do not plan to do.  I want to lose weight, and then maintain my healthy lifestyle.

I registered online with a free weight tracker.  I will post updates of this as I move towards my goal which is my cousin's wedding in March.  And keeping it off until another cousin's wedding in August.

My mom and I are embarking on this journey together.  She suggested we set the first wedding as a goal.

In other news, my apartment and bedroom are super clean right now! I love it.  I still need to work on my 100 Things challenge.  But now my roommate and I are going to the laundromat!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Quilt!

These are the fabrics I picked out for my first quilt. 



The solid brown (far right) will be the backing.  The circle pattern next to it will be the main border and some of the pieces in the middle.  The light fabric will be the small inside border and the sashing between each "block".  Then the small polka dot, solid red, small circles, solid orange, and the 2 striped (the 2nd striped one is hard to see, but it's the very far right) ones will make up the pieces in the middle.  Instead of typical blocks in the center-there will be longer "ribbons". 

I got these fabrics from Mill End Textiles where my friend works.  She got me a 60% off coupon, and she let me use her employee discount.  I actually saved more money than I spent-such a great feeling. 

I am going on a quilting retreat with my mom at the beginning of November.  I am quite excited to go.  It will be my first quilt, and some great quality time with my mom while having devotions and fellowship several times each day.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Look of the day

Look of the Day: Charming Modesty

Skirt: Old Navy, from my birthday last year
Undershirt: Target on sale
Tank: Old Navy on sale
My shoes were black ballet flats from Payless that I bought years ago
I wore my hair down and naturally wavy

Friday, October 8, 2010

Overflowing heart

Wow, I feel like my heart is just going to burst with how blessed I am!  I have wonderful and loving parents that I am SO thankful for; I got an A on my Communication and Journalism exam-which I was quite worried concerning this exam; the weather is gorgeous-80 today and tomorrow, and 70's for the couple days after that-in October-in Wisconsin; I got an A on my first History paper; it turns out my car is okay; I found some great tank tops-I'm very picky about them in regards to comfort and modesty-my old ones were getting ridiculously worn out because I was searching and searching for some ones that I approved of (thanks Old Navy); these great tank tops were on sale too!; I get to go on a quilting retreat with my mommy at my favorite summer camp; the Lord guided me to a great group of ladies for Bible Study on Wednesdays; I get to go back to Ignite Bible Study on Tuesdays this week....

Gosh....The Lord is TRULY amazing.  I am so beyond blessed in my life. 

Thursday, October 7, 2010

New Bible Study!

Last night was my first night at a new Bible study.  I have a feeling it's going to be a good one.  There are some great women there.  I am greatly looking forward to learning from them and sharing with them.

Currently we are expanding on the "Live Out Loud" message during Sunday sermon.  It's the study of Philippians and Paul's imprisonment for Christ.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Photos

Here are some photos I've taken recently.  I took a photography class a while back and loved it, it really inspired me.  I would love some feedback, so tell me what you think!