how difficult can this be?

wow, i am having some difficulty formatting this blog. i click click click and then i click click some more. i feel like i'm in some sort of aboriginal tribe with all this clicking, but nothing really makes sense! shew...not good for a perfectionist!

sleepy sunday

what a great way to spend a sleepy sunday afternoon!

 

 

purrfectly poised

frisco and little pose for the camera, and molly takes a much needed (for me anyway) sunday nap! 

 

pet perfect

in these pictures, frisco is showing off his new halloween costume, devil eyes, and molly is sitting where her crate USED to be, waiting for her morning treats!

 

idle hearts are a baker's delight...

whenever i'm bored, sad, frustrated, whatever, i try to bake or cook. guess how i felt today!

a caramel apple a day can't keep the dentist away =)

i gave out my caramel apples at work today. everyone loved them!  needless to say, i had people asking me to make more. what a compliment! i love my friends!

can't resist

i can never resist posting pictures of my pets. they are just too sweet! my cat, little, likes to hide between the clothes dryer and cabinet when i vacuum. otherwise, the dogs chase her =/ not sure what that's about...

FLIPPING funny!

i agree with chelsea handler. this book is hilarious! if the title wasn't self-explanatory, the author remembers all the hilarious (and sometimes sad, i think) things his dad said to him while he was growing up...very quick, must read!

ready to go!

the apples are ready to be delivered!

in the middle of the night

i love to read when i go to bed. one hindrance to this leisurely activity is my cat, frisco. he loves to sleep snuggled close to me, on whichever side i am facing. inevitably, he likes to poke his little head into my books as i'm reading...such a sweet boy!

and if the flash catches him just right, he turns into LASER KITTY!

on a gorgeous sunday

on this sunday, i've been working on stuff for school (not nearly as much as i should be) and piddling in the kitchen. i FINALLY made caramel apples that my friends have been begging me to make for almost two years. i love the finished products (and wow, they are good), but this is such a MESSY task. two years ago, i vowed never to make them again...well, during times of stress when i need to procrastinate, voila! i make caramel apples...my friends will be super psyched tomorrow at work!

 and another view...

new quilt!

i've been inspired to do another quilt! this time, i'm gonna try an i-spy quilt. i'm just starting the process of collecting fabrics...maybe i should do a swap!

another new book

i'm excited to start this new book that came recommended from a friend in my new online book club. i've been trying to stay busy, thus the quilting, baking, reading, and running (which i haven't blogged about yet). i learned today that a friend of mine and i follow many of the same blogs. time to start your own blog, lesley! lesley is a mom with a crew of cute kids and a lot of great ideas for kid friendly crafts and recipes =)

in the meantime...

i am reading this fabulous book!

take 2

so i haven't posted in a few days...here is a picture of my second batch of vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting. the first batch was good, but the frosting was loose. this frosting is still loose. i just have a difficult time adding SO MUCH SUGAR! at least all this baking is keeping me busy...

and little likes it too =)

a little something special to say i love you...

i attached a fabric heart to the back just to tell the recipient, "i love you." i was too impatient to use a real applique method, so i just used fabric glue. let's hope it stays attached!

FINALLY!

i finished the quilt tonight! all to the tune of chocolat, no less. love that movie. i made a few errors but learned a lot along the way. bring on the next one!

here is a picture of the fabric i bought for the back of the quilt...and a view of the top from the top =)

quilt top done!

my second ever quilt top is now finished! i'm so excited. i'd be more psyched if i hadn't made a few mistakes, but c'est la vie, right? the seams are a bit off and it's a bit smaller than i'd like but at least the fabric i bought for the backing will fit without me having to piece it - nice! i'll post a better picture when the whole thing is finished...maybe this weekend if i can get the binding done correctly. now THAT will be a job!

whew. i stitched my blocks together tonight, so now i have 6 strips of 5 blocks. i would take a picture, but i'm SO tired. i started sewing the strips together, but i got the seams all off so i had to rip out the stitches...i'm too tired to start again tonight. this week has been absolutely crazy. hopefully tomorrow will be better =/

squares are stitched! 30 total =)

today was a very emotional day for me...on several levels. i finished this book. it was absolutely amazing! but i bawled at the end. a wonderful story told from a dog's perspective. all dog lovers and readers should read this! no quilt progress today. was lazy =/ hopefully this week!

mishap #...whatever

i just tried to make cupcakes from scratch. the batter tasted good but spilled over the tops of the baking liners. then the cake just crumbled as i tried to remove the papers >.< dangit! the buttercream frosting i made was good, however...guess it's back to the drawing board for the confections...

on another note, here is a picture of the quilt progress. i ended up having to use the marble-y pieces anyway. bought thread today. had to get green variegated. NO ONE had the blue-green variegated! *sigh*

o

one of my office mates...she relaxes more than i do!

ho hum

something happened to me today. i cut my new fat quarters into usable pieces for my quilt. i kept getting the cuts all wrong. i ended up not even being able to get a six inch square out of one. so frustrating! and the cupcakes i made were mediocre. AND i made hash brown casserole for dinner. i NEVER mess that up, until tonight when i put too much pepper in it. geez! glad tomorrow is friday! on a positive note, my house is clean and my yard mowed =)

got these new fabrics today. needed another green and two more blues...the blues are batiks! AND i made cupcakes =) still need to frost them...that's another endeavor. i heart cupcakes, so i want to become proficient at making and decorating them! i made some of these for my nice neighbor (not the mean one) who mows my yard adjacent to his house. <3 him =)

rotary cutting

just a note about rotary cutting...as i was on my way home from work, i realized something i had been doing wrong. as i slide the rotary cutter up the ruler, i always push the blade into the ruler, which inevitably pushes the ruler to the side or pushes the fabric under the ruler. once i could get the hang of pushing the rotary cutting straight down, using the ruler as a guide, i was good to go...sounds simple, eh? one would think...

the joys of home ownership

i just came in from mowing the grass. i really don't get how some people enjoy yard work. are those the people who don't enjoy housework? inside vs. outside is like good vs. evil! inevitably, i get grass clippings all over myself...which i subsequently track into the house, so my outside comes inside! whew! i'm so tired! miles to go before i sleep...

back to the quilt. i went to the fabric store today in search of variegated thread for sewing. i needed green and blue variegated thread. i think i found everything BUT that! i bought three fat quarters - two blue and one green - the green to get rid of that white and teal marble-y square that was bothering me. i'll post pics as soon as i wash it all up!

and the infamous molly...the dog i got because magic was so sweet! molly is truly a live wire. good thing she's cute! she's uber smart and very athletic! this is her puppy picture. she is 3 years old now...

magic is my first true dog. i never wanted a dog, but i found her as a stray. as soon as i picked her up, she laid her head on my shoulder. we have been in love ever since that moment! she is the sweetest, most perfect dog ever...but i'm not biased =) the only problem is she doesn't show up well in pictures because she's black!

here's little...she's aptly named, because she was the 'little' cat compared to frisco! she's not so little anymore! she's 11 years old...such a sweetheart!

my family

i thought posting pictures of my family might be a good idea, since they will make regular appearances in my blog!

frisco was my first cat as an adult...he's 12 years old now! old man...he's such a good guy!

i pieced a few blocks together while i was at lunch today...i bought some batting tonight. tomorrow, i go in search of a couple of fat quarters to complete the look and variegated thread for sewing! frisco was monitoring the progress...he turned his back on me!

i have a fear of rotary cutting. i also need immediate gratification. i had lots of help when i made my first quilt. since the person who helped me lives about an hour from me, i decided to go ahead and give rotary cutting a whirl myself! i was quite pleased =) my cat, little, likes the pieces!

preparation...after washing, drying, trimming, and ironing the fabrics

humble beginnings. i bought about half of these fabrics on sale for half off! i got a few fat quarters at a local quilt store; the batiks. i <3 them!

inception

well i finally did it; i started a blog. i'm not sure what this blog will be about, but i keep taking so many pictures that chronicle my life...i figure i might as well post them somewhere! my current endeavor is to make a quilt for a 5-year-old friend of mine. i made my first quilt 3 years ago for a friend's new baby. i had lots of help, but i'm trying this new one almost completely on my own! here are some pictures.