attempting to quilt

I love the idea of quilting.  Picking out fabrics and arranging them into a beautiful design is such a satisfying activity to do.  Those are generally the parts of quilting I'm best at.  I love to look for fabric, cut them up, and arrange them on the floor... and then watch my mom sew it all together. 

Yep, that is how I quilt. 

Recently, I had the urge to start a quilt.  I have my favorite parts done and now it is on to the sewing and my mom is miles and miles away.  I am determined that this quilt will be the first that I sew together all by myself.  Wish me luck!
  

wellness

I've decided to incorporate something new into my blog.  The best way I can think to summarize it is with the word, "wellness."  For the past six years I have been going to school studying exercise science; including a BS in Fitness and Wellness Management, a minor in Nutritional Science, and masters degree in Health Promotion.  I have also spent the last four years working at my university's wellness program.  There I counseled faculty members, students, and people from the community to make goals and improve their lifestyle.  Now that I am done with school, I miss sharing my knowledge, so I thought utilizing my blog would be a good way to continue.
I have a few words and phrases that best describe my philosophy about health; "prevention," "quality of life," "every bit counts," "do what you enjoy," and "add rather than restrict."  Perhaps these phrases are self explanatory, but in these wellness posts I will try to give tips to further explain my philosophy.  I'm not about quick fixes.  Just like everything worthwhile in life, I feel that acquiring health is a lifelong process.  I know not all of my tips will work for you, but hopefully you can benefit from at least one.  Look forward for tips on aerobic exercise, strength training, nutrition, stress management, among other things.

 

McCall, Idaho

I have vacationed in McCall, Idaho every summer for as long as I can remember.  If you have never even heard of it, it is definitely worth looking into.  It is a sportsman's paradise with everything you need to bike, hike, run, water-ski, snow ski, fish, snow mobile, snowshoe, and simply relax.  Shore Lodge is a nice hotel that is located right on the beautiful Payette Lake.  We don't stay there when we go, but we went there for dinner one night and it was a lovely atmosphere.  These are photos I took from that night with my new camera.  I'm still learning, so these aren't perfect, but it was hard to make these photos look horrible given the beautiful scenery.

baby things

Naturally, much of my attention has been on baby things for the past year.  One thing I have really enjoyed doing is appliqueing on onsies.  It is fun to come up with a new design and pick out the fabrics to accomplish the look.  Here is one that I have made.

blue elephant

 

 

here is a closer look at the elephant and stitching

I think they turn out pretty cute and they make a great personalized shower gift.  I have made several and will continue to share them with you.  Have a great weekend! 

Penne with basil, tomatoes, and feta

I love finding new pasta recipes because they are usually quite easy and quick to prepare. This pasta dish is perfect for the end of summer, especially if you have a bounty of fresh tomatoes and basil you need to use up. The combination of tomato and basil is one of my favorite flavor pairings. There is so much you can do with them and it never seems to fail. This holds true for this dish as well. The ingredients are simple, yet flavorful and satisfying. Serve it as a main dish or as a side and enjoy!

Penne with Basil, Tomatoes, and Feta

12 ounces dried penne pasta (don't be afraid, try whole wheat)
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
3/4 cup cumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, go to work on all the chopping. Mix the tomatoes, basil, 1/2 cup feta, garlic, and olive oil in a large bowl. Add the hot cooked pasta and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with the the remaining 1/4 cup feta.

I'm back

Wow, has it really been more than a year since I have posted on this poor blog? Let me share with you what I have been up to the past year. I've been working on my best creation yet (I can't take all the credit, but I did help)!

This is my beautiful baby girl. I found out I was pregnant with her shortly after the last post I did on here. She was born in April and she is an absolute joy and I love being her mother.

The past year I have also proposed, carried out, and defended my thesis project. I am officially done with my master's degree! It wasn't necessarily difficult work, but it took a lot of work. It provided me with great experience where I really learned the importance of persistence.

In addition, I went to school, worked, tried to take care of myself and my husband, etc. I probably could have continued this blog had I really wanted to, but it was at the bottom of my priority list. Actually, it was thrown out the window completely. But now that my schedule is more flexible, this blog has made it back on my priority list. I'm so excited to share the things I've been working on.

4th of July Craft and Dessert

A while back, I bought a cheap glass vase from Wal-Mart and have been using it for all sorts of things. At Christmastime I put ball ornaments in it. For Easter I put plastic Easter eggs in it. I also used it as a vase for some beautiful tulips on Mother's Day (or in my case, Wife's Day). I wanted to use it for the 4th of July but didn't know what to put in it. Finally, I came up with this idea.

A Picture Frame!

All I did was take some 4th of July themed paper and cut it to fit in the vase. I used a flexible measuring tape to measure the height and circumference of the vase. This works best for vases where the circumference is the same throughout the entire vase. I used a picture of us from 4th of July last year. I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Here is a 4th of July tradition from my family. We always make this flag cake. I didn't make it last year because I knew we would never eat all of it. But this year we had my sister's family staying with us to help finish it off. Here are my cute nieces who helped me make it. We dished it up while waiting for the fireworks to go off.

1 box cake mix, baked according to directions on the box
Strawberries, halved
Blueberries
Raspberries
1 package of whipped topping

1. After cake has cooled off, top it with a layer of the berries so that the cake is completely covered.
2. Top the berries with the whipped topping.
3. Use blueberries and strawberries to make the cake look like a flag.

Enjoy!