moving #2

this is amanda

this is my new blog

http://amandaveneman.wordpress.com/

Moving........

I'm moving blogs. Blogger is really hard for me to use. I need more self-explanatory websites. WordPress seems to be easier.

http://taralynnthomas.wordpress.com/

This is the new page. Click on over and see what I made today!! YAY!

6 days til the Thomas' arrive! 9 days til we move to Louisville! HOME SWEET HOME!

Help!!!

Does anyone know why my machine might be doing this? I'm free motion quilting and using Coats and Clark white thread. The top thread breaks after a few stipples. It's like it thins out and eventually breaks. I've changed my needle, adjusted the tension up and down (when I adjusted down a #, the bottom threads were super loose), changed to a different type thread, oiled the gears....what is going on? Any other suggestions? I know in free motion quilting the tension should be lowered some- how low do you usually go?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

yippie do da day

This describes my day: watched the birds and played with my cutie cousins.

bad news...

I am about to eat my last cup of country club ice cream ever.   

=(

meow

If blogging was a game, Tara would win.  Next week I will have all kinds of cool stuff to show you guys.  All because of Tara, of course.  She is going to teach me EVERYTHING she knows about sewing - all in two and a half days!!  Yeah right.  She knows way too much.  

This weekend is going to be busy with family and graduation.  Then Sunday evening Nate leaves for his hike til Thursday.  We haven't spent that much time away from each other in about ten months!!  Yay for marriage, boo for away time.  I'm glad we don't get tired of each other.  I guess thats what 5 years of a long distance relationship will get ya.  

I'm not sure why I just blogged any of that.  I just want to keep up with Tara.  She is beating me at being awesome.  

Another shirt.

How 'bout that french braid?!?!!!!!! I'm so happy my hair is long enough to braid.


And there is our camera- now you know why my pictures are always really dark or blurry...our camera is a little old and the operator isn't all that technologically savvy.

Simplicity 3835 again. I used the 3/4 sleeve and tie thingie instead of elastic short sleeves. I wish you could feel how soft this fabric is. It's not knit, it's woven, but it is as soft as knit. It kinda looks like denim but I promise it doesn't feel that way!

It's obvious that I'm out of my internship. I sew more, therefore I blog more.

Thanks for the recipes, friends =) I love simple recipes.

Simplicity 3835

This pattern is so simple! I finally found it at Wal-Mart for $7. This fabric is from the stash my cousin's grandma gave me. It's sort of seersucker with blue and pink plaid. I'm going to make another one today with some AMH fabric- it will be gorgeous, I'm sure!

If you go to pick out a pattern at the store, remember to check what size you're getting. I got home and saw that I had picked up the 12-14-16-18 size and thought I picked up the wrong one. But I didn't, I wear a 12 in sewing pattern size--- Check your measurements!

sneak peek

This quilt front...and back...I need to buy some batting and then it'll turn into a quilt sandwich to be quilted.... yay

Cooking

Hey friends. I need some new recipes. I know there are TONS of cooking websites online so I'll look there but what is your favorite meal? Here are just about all the things I cook:

-Chicken Pot Pie
-Spaghetti
-Brown Rice w/ pork
-Tacos
-Lasagna
-Kielbasa pasta
-Tuna Patti's (haha sis)
-White Chili
-Red Chili
-Skillet Chicken
-Taco Soup
-Donna's Chicken (also known as cream of chicken w/ chicken pieces and ritz crackers/poppyseeds)
-Breakfast pizza
-Veggie Bake w/ chicken

Amanda, if you make something often and it's not on this list, tell me what it is.

As you can probably tell, I like to cook things that are really easy and fast and with easy ingredients. We are super burnt out on all of these meals so I need help!



I need to go to the grocery!

revival

This is the quilt....sort of. It's not all sewn together and those are not all the rows. There are 2 more rows of 5 squares. It's hard to match up seams so I've been lolly gagging on finishing it up.


Here is the shirt I made today. I'm undecided on if I like it or not. I didn't use fun cute fabric because I wasn't sure how it would fit and I hate wasting pretty fabric! I guess this is just a little obnoxious....green and orange, apples and flowers?! HAHA

This is a great picture taken by moi. haha just kidding. I had to take this sucker in like 3 inches on each side! It was REALLY baggy. Now it is just kinda baggy. I guess it'll make a good maternity shirt in a few years. Or sooner.?


We're moving to Louisville. I don't have a job yet. Waiting to hear back from an interview.

Tell me what you HONESTLY think about this shirt>> http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=791 I can't figure out how to link so you'll have to copy paste.

meow

see anna's tail in the right corner?!

I'm sure all of you saw my blanket on facebook - but if not, here is the most adorable thing I've ever made.  I am mostly proud that all of this yarn was just sitting around with no future.  And now its all crocheted and pretty in a big granny square.  

Sorry I have abandoned this blog.  A lot happened in the past month and I never really felt like sitting down and messing with blogger (never seems to work right for me..)

Here are the big updates:

-I was less than a mile away from the F-4 tornado that hit Murfreesboro in early April.  Nate and I were at Moe's with our friends Katie and Brien when the bad weather hit.  Luckily, the TV was on the news station and we knew not to leave.  Katie and Brien would've been right across the street from the tornado had they left for their next destination!  I'm pretty sure I saw the storm carrying the tornado, but a building was in the way of me actually seeing the tornado.  That would have been freaky.  

-I didn't get matched for an internship.  I don't want to go into too much detail about this because I'm still a mad about it.  I am NOT looking forward to this whole process again.  I have concluded that I am lacking clinical food service experience and plan on getting a job related to that.  

-Nate and I are moving to Nashville at the end of June.  Lauren Mechetner will be my neighbor(ish).  We will be living in Bellevue.  Our third floor apartment looks over a mini-lake oddly named Shangri-la Lake.  We will have 152 more sq. ft. of living.  And a kitchen half the size of ours now =(  Lots of stuff will be in our storage closet (located off our deck).  I'm planning on setting up a sewing area in the dining room.  Then I will sew a million shirts for myself.  

-Nate graduates this Saturday.  He looks hilarious in his cap and gown.  His hair is longer than mine right now & the cap just makes him look goofy.  But we concluded that no one looks attractive in a graduation cap.  He even told me I wasn't attractive when I graduated.  But I'm not mad about this - its the truth.  

-Nate's big, long, scary hike is next week (may 11-14) and Tara will be visiting me for some of the days.  She is bringing her sewing machine and we are going to make me a shirt.  She is making the same shirt today actually.  Maybe she will blog about it.   I bet she will since she has NOTHING to do with her life.  Except study to become an RD.  Go Tara.

That is all the updating I feel like doing right now.  Jaime - I want to apologize specifically to you because I told you multiple times that I would blog in the past month, and never did.  

IMPS quilt squares

http://www.mgbeng.com/quilt2009/

I'm going to work on a quilt square for the Miniature Pinscher Rescue group tonight. My big sis, Jaime, is a volunteer for the KY MinPin Rescuers and she e-mailed this to me. Just read the directions and e-mail the quilt lady and send the square in by May 18th.

I'm eating Chocolate Cake Batter Ice Cream from Cold Stone---YUMMY.

BILL GATES

My brother in law, Jonathan, saw the richest man in the world this weekend.
He was working at the Pro Shop at the Masters and BILL GATES was shopping.
So was Adam Sandler and Tiger Woods' mommy.
I am completely star struck and I didn't even see them.

Sewing Updates

Matthew requested an Easter bow tie....so I traced his black bow tie (on the bias) onto this pretty polka dot pastel fabric and made him one! I'm not very fond of bow ties but every once in a while is OK, especially since it was by request!

I made this dress about a year and a half ago. I remember the day I made it- I was home alone at the Roadhouse almost all day. All my stuff was spread out on the kitchen table and I finished in once whole day. I thought that was pretty impressive since I had just learned how to read patterns! When I made it, it was a little too big. After getting married....it fits =) It was always a really weird length so last night I added an extra hem.
It is preshi.
While hemming, I fell in love with this:
It is a narrow hem foot. It's a little tricky to use getting started but once you get the hang of it, it makes a narrow hem all without ironing!! That is a dream come true!!

This is the quilt-in-progress. Who knows if it'll turn out pretty in the end!! I sure hope so.

Here is a peek of the ginormous amount of fabric I inherited from my cousins grandma. This is a really large wheel of ~4 inch wide fabric. I honestly don't know when I'll use it but it is pretty amazing!!

And that is all for now. I haven't been sewing much lately but I will start back up soon! 3 more weeks left of my internship and then a month of studying for the RD exam and packing up the apartment. There will be plenty of time to sew!

YAY

We got an apartment in Louisville!!!!!!!!!!!! We haven't seen it yet...hahaha...but my mom went to take a look and if she would approve for us to live there, then we will live there. Apparently it is really big and clean. It's in the Crescent Hill area where all the houses are really beautiful. It is less than a mile away from the Seminary and a few miles from downtown. There is a non-functioning fireplace with a MANTLE. I LOVE MANTLES. And it is probably good that it is non-functioning... And there is a sun-room (with 10 windows that will be the sewing room), 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, laundry in the basement, window A/C units and an attic fan- could be interesting- etc etc etc. We are able to move in the middle of May but will permanently be there the beginning of June. If you live in Louisville, come visit! We will be so happy to be near friends and family again. And if you live somewhere other than Louisville, still come visit because we probably miss you!
That is the floor plan- click it for a bigger picture. I'm so technical---not.

Just a peek at the brown/black combo in the kitchen!!! You see the stove? See on the left that extra pull out thing? Can you tell me what that is? We can't figure it out. Maybe if you guess right I'll give you a prize. We won't know what it really is until I actually see it though. Think of this as my first blog giveaway...maybe? maybe not?

I am ALMOST finished with my internship. I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to travel a lot this month (Lexington, Louisville, Murray x 2) so hopefully that makes it go by faster. AND I FOUND MY FLASH DRIVE. It was in Matthew's car!

Happy Easter! We are happy to celebrate a Risen Savior!!!!!! We had a wonderful time eating Easter lunch at the Taylor's house this afternoon =) We will miss our Owensboro friends!

Oh, Matthew sent out an e-mail to his gmail contacts with a link to both of our blogs. If you read this, leave a comment! I'd love to know who is hanging out here! Matthew also didn't check who all is in his contacts before he sent the e-mail so I'm sure there was someone really random who got it! And if you are an English teacher, forgive my grammar.

(Wes, crochet is pronounced kro-shey, not crotch-it)

Friday

This is going to be a picture-less post. I'm sorry. Pictures will come later!

1) I have all the pieces cut out for the quilt. It went by really fast. I used to think I hated cutting out fabrics in such a mass quantity but it wasn't too bad. I would try to explain how I'm making the quilt but we can wait for pictures to do the talking. You know that feeling when you're making something big and you're worried it's not going to turn out the way you want it to? That's how I feel right now about this thing. I think it's gonna work....I hope it does! This is a big ol' quilt: 80"x96". Grandma Faye (my cousin Jen's grandma) gave me a TON of fabric and a lot of it made it's way to this quilt- that's special =)

2) I ate battered fish filets today. (battered, not fried...haha) Matt said he was craving them after smelling Wednesday night dinner at church. They were DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!

3) At 3:30pm, I'm leaving to meet Amanda in TN to go see Hanson in Nashville. We're really hoping all the whack-o crazy annoying Hanson fans won't show up. That used to be us in 5th grade but we're over it!

4) Tereza always cooks with fresh broccoli and I never did. Last week I bought some and loved it so so so verryyy much. Thanks TJreza for the inspiration.

5) I lost my flash drive. Not a good thing since it's the end of my internship and I NEED IT.

6) I have an interview on Wednesday in Louisville.

7) Only 4 more weeks until my internship is over!!! May 1 =)

my baby

she just looks sweet.  this girl has gotten wild 

she loves lying on my blanket, but today it was all bunched up on the corner of the bed b/c I was crocheting - so she lays on what small part is available.  preshi++

My Blanket!!

I started making these granny squares back in the fall and then got tired of doing the same thing over and over.  And yarn costs money.  And I have a limited amount of money.  

This past weekend I decided it was time to do something with all those squares.  And this is what I did!

Here are some of the squares

I added dark green around every square
And stitched them all together
Im so good at taking blurry pictures =)  I still have to add a double crochet trim, but I wanted you guys to see my blanket!


Hope you likey =)

Weekending

This is Annabelle, welcoming you to the Birthday Weekends blog post. She hung out on my couch a little bit during birthday weekend. She cute. She fine. (name that quote. here's a clue: MTV)

This is Macaroni (giraffe) and the elephant who doesn't have a name yet. The Elephant is Maddie's birthday present. Amanda is a crochet genius.

I made an apple pie. I only took one bite- the apples were weird. Everyone else said the apples weren't weird but I thought they were. Making pie crust is fun..not scary!

Amanda gave me a crochet lesson. I have a braid in my hair-inspired by twister Manda. (twister, get it "twin sister" nerdy, I know)

This weekend: Maddie's birthday party! Here is Lena all pumped up about her Leapster and Maddie chilling in her cutie watermelon shirt.

Lena...concentration. She is wearing her Halloween costume over her Sunday Best. Preshi+++

Maddie and I. I LOVE MADDIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I just saw a movie preview for a Disney movie with Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift as the actresses. Dream.come.true.

Guess what? I have an interview next Wednesday. =)

PS: I was given ~7 boxes of fabric this weekend. Tereza and I sifted through it all and consolidated to two big boxes of fabric. Jen's grandma gave it to me- sweeeeeeeet grandma Faye.

PPS: We are in Louisville looking for a place to live. All I have to say is I wish people valued cleanliness like we do. There is something out there, we know it!

family photo

family photo, originally uploaded by amandaveneman.

aren't we cute? =)

sweet annabelle

This chick loves to stretch

And sleep right here

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

craftiness

I took a bunch of my balled yarn and threw it in this cute bowl thing.  I keep the embroidery stuff in there too b/c Anna can't get up there to stab herself with the needle

 

Here is a close up of what I've done so far!  Tara taught me how to embroider this past weekend (very easy, also I only know one stitch..) 

 

Tara got me this V for my birthday and I wanted her to see where I stuck it.  Right in front of the toilet.  So everyone is forced to look at it.  Because it is cute.  And shiney.

 

**note, I am very frustrated with blogger right now because it won't let me upload pictures the way I want to.  So I'm doing multiple random blogs using Picasa.  Why multiple??  Well because the stupid thing will only post like 4 at a time. WHHHHY

random food stuff

I made a cute little lunch the other day:

 

I made whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip raisin cookies (made with applesauce, not butter):

 

recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/Amazing-Whole-Wheat-Oatmeal-Cookies-203676

Anna played with a noodle.