Monday, July 25, 2011

How Do You Make A Shurg From a T-Shirt...

I'm so excited to share this next project with you!! I found this tutorial first on pinterest but then i went here for a REALLY great tutorial... :) But i thought i'd share it with you right here on my blog so you can see my finished project! I love love love how it turned out. :)

So to start this project you are gonna need :

Thread
Ribbon or Cord
Marker
Fabric Scissors
Pins
Sewing Machine (please don't attempt this project without a one :P)

Okay so first you'll need to lay your t.shirt out flat and mark a straight line right up the middle.

Next you will cut along that dotted line, and also cut out the collar of the shirt.



Now, turn your t.shirt inside out and pin about 3/4" – 1". Because this is knit, you don't have to worry about it fraying. You don't need to make a traditional finished hem.

I ran into a slight problem and i almost gave up on this project, but i perservered and now know how to help you :) There's a hard corner where the collar met the shirt. I ended up rounding it off a bit and this way it's easier!!
In order to match the other side, I took the piece I cut from the first side, matched it up, and cut along the same line. Much easier than eyeballing it.




 Sewing Time!! This is the easiest part :)
Create a running stitch along the hem leaving enough room for the ribbon or cord. Double back on any corners and at the beginning and end. This just reinforces those areas. Trim the thread and turn the shirt right side out.



Put a safety pin at the end of the ribbon or cord and start threading it through the channel.

DONE!! But don't cut the ribbon until you have tried it on and you know how long you want it. 


Try it on, adjust the ribbon as needed and bask in the glow of a job well done. Easy-peasy!




I am so happy with it, and i can't wait to try it again with different shirts, different sleeve lengths ( i think it would be SO cute with a 3/4 length sleeve) and different ribbons :) so easy and a great way to re-purpose a shirt.

Hope you enjoyed this and if you make one you should let me know ;)

peace out lovelies!!

<3
 oh, and someday i promise to take better pictures...

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Meaty Buns ;)

today alex and i decided to try our hand at gourmet cooking... and by gourmet i mean totally simple and delicious!  I thought i'd share our fun cooking adventure. 

First of all we had to wear our aprons!!

Don't judge my super awkward clash of animal prints.

Family photo!!
Bahahah I love Alex in that apron :)

I guess I should probably list the ingredients...  

Dough:
1 1/2 teaspoons of dry active yeast
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 2 1/4 cups of bread flour

Filling: (this could change depending on what you want to fill them with, but we did cheeseburger buns, so this was our filling)
1 pound ground beef
seasoning (i used garlic power, salt, pepper, and Mequite Grillmates from McCormick.. haha)
cheese 

on a side note, i want to try doing this with pizza ingredients... soooo tasty.

so anyways, start with making the dough...

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, egg, salt and 1 cup flour;

beat on low for 3 minutes. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add seasonings. Stir in cheese. Remove from the heat; set aside to cool.



After the dough has risen, divide it in to 12 dough balls and roll into 5 inch circles. Add the meat and add extra cheese if you want. Pinch closed and place on a cookie sheet.




Set the oven to 350 degrees. :)

Let the delicious little suckers bake for around 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown! :) 

Remove 'em from the oven and enjoy!!




They were sooo tasty and i can't wait to try em again with different fillings!! I hope you guys try to make em! :)

Other than that it was a great Saturday filled with naps and Costco trips and home renovations (more about that later!! I'm so excited to show y'all what me and my dad accomplished!!) I did laundry, cleaned the house, watched tv, relaxed, and snuggled with the hubby. :) 

I hope everyone had a lovely saturday and that you have a fabulous sunday! :)

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Mooching.

I had a great weekend. 

I have an amazing hubby who went above and beyond this weekend to make sure i had a darn-tootin' good time.

let me back up. we have been on a tight budget lately... being newly weds and all.. and so i thought that we weren't going to be able to go see the new HP movie until it came out in the dollar theater or on DVD. i mean why spend $15 to see a movie when you could just wait and see it for just $1... 

but Alex knew how badly i wanted to see the movie, and i was thrilled when he walked in the door saturday afternoon and yelled, 
"WHO WANTS TO GO SEE HARRY POTTER IN THE BIG THEATER!!!"
I was sooo excited!!

but before we could go to a movie we had to go to lunch! I couldn't believe that Alex was going to take me to a movie AND out to lunch. But everything made much more sense once we pulled into the Costco parking lot... free samples!!! It's our favorite. 

(although we did splurge and got a churro, pizza and a hotdog... all for less that $4!) 


The movie was great. i cried. (who didn't??) It's crazy that it's over, but it sure has been a fun ride! I can't wait to raise my kids to love Harry, Ron and Harmione just as much as i did...

After the movie it was time for dinner... and what is more perfect than free dinner?? I have my sweet friend Amanda to thank for that. She got married and decided to serve amazing food at her reception that Alex and i gratefully gorged ourselves on!!

So huzzah for moochin!

thank you Costco and thank you wedding reception. 

oh and Heavens knows that we LOVE being invited over to our parents house for sunday dinner! so lovely. 

we are so blessed. 

:)

Saturday, July 16, 2011

For the Ones We Love.

Heavens knows I would do anything for my husband.
I would even give up my friday night to play soccer with his co-workers.

side note: i'm no athlete.
i like to be active and run around a kick a ball or play catch. Or even a couple games of H.O.R.S.E

But when it gets athletically competitive... i kinda shut down.

I played anyways, i tried my hardest, and i failed miserably...

i kept a smile on and kept laughing at how pathetic i was because that's what you have to do when you're meeting new people. Meeting new people is like dating all over again. You are dating other couples to see if you would be a good life time match. You have to seen intriguing enough, and fun enough, and clever enough, and talented enough that they will want to call you and plan to go out again... see? it's just. like. dating.

and i hated dating.


but that being said, it's SO worth it.

I know it's worth it because once you find a bond between couples it's life long.

perfect example: Mark and Hope
these two are our best friends. and it worked out just perfect. Mark is Alex's best friend. Hope is my best friend. Hope and Mark are best friends. And Alex and I are best friends... understand?

I love these two sooo much it's ridiculous. and i know it isn't official yet, but i cannot wait til they tie the knot!! :)

So long story short, i would do anything for my husband, even give up my friday night to play soccer with his co-workers.

because then it pays off. Alex plays card games with me on the bed while we watch movies and eat Snack Packs... :)

Night well spent I'd say.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Grocery Game

Alex and I love going grocery shopping. 

We look forward to tuesday night, looking through the different grocery adds, and circling the best deals. 

We love going to the store, grabbing a cart and hoping that it's not too squeaky. 

We always start in the produce section, then to the breads, then the meats, then pasta, canned goods and cereal.

Sometimes we get adventurous and go to the frozen food section and get some ice cream!! 

We then go and check out and as we are loading the food on to the conveyor belt we both cast out guesses for how much we are going to spend. 

I usually guess about 3 dollars more than alex... and i'm usually 3 dollars  over what we pay. 

Alex ALWAYS wins... a.l.w.a.y.s!!! 

You'd think i'd get smart and start guess 3 dollars less than i think it'll be... well i do. and it doesn't make a difference. 

Alex still guesses the right amount. I'm telling you, it's like his super power is guessing how much we'll spend on groceries.

/sigh. haha well even though i'm terrible that the grocery game it's something that i look forward to every week! 

Oh, another favorite grocery thing is saving more money than you spend! I love it!!! I love hearing that the total cost is "$24.76" and then they circle the little number at the bottom of the receipt and it says, "You Saved $29.54". There is something so exhilarating knowing that your bill could have been $54.30, but instead you saved MORE THAN HALF!!!! :) wooo!! 

haha okay sorry. rant over. 

but truly, it's such a fun aspect of marriage. we're as poor as church mice, and we need to make ends meet, and instead of it being a stressful thing it becomes a game! I love that Alex is so great with money and that he takes such great care of me with budgets and savings accounts. I'm seriously one lucky lady!! 

:)

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

tmi: totally musically inspired

so, we have all seen the 30 day music challange that people do on facebook or whatever...

well i decided to do the same thing, just all at once... :)


here goes:


Your favorite song: Well seeing as this constantly changes... today i'll go with 'Best of Me' by Michael Buble... It has touched my heart so deeply. When i first discovered it, i just sat in the computer chair and cried as i listened to it on repeat for about 30 minutes... definitely worth a listen...


Your least favorite song: 'The Reason" by Hoobastank... seriously. so much hate. 


A song that makes you happy: "Tonight, Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae... definitely the best song of the summer. Every time i hear it i get so happy and i car-dance and sing at the top of my lungs, and i wanna have pool parties and eat watermelon and sun bathe! So good and so fun.

A song that makes you sad: "What Hurst the Most" by Rascal Flatts... it doesn't matter that i'm married and in a totally awesome relationship and have no reason to feel so connected to this song... but it seriously makes me SOOO sad. Not to mention that the music video rips my heart out.


A song that reminds you of someone: "City" by Sara Bareilles reminds my of my dear sweet best friend Katie Macdonald... Kat is an amazing singer and she would sing along to anything that Sara B does and just melt my heart. Katie and I would sit and listen to Sara serenade us as we talked about everything under the sun in Eve (katies car) and i just has so many fond memories tied to Sara and Katie <3
 
A song that reminds you of somewhere: Some of my favorite memories happen on car trips. I remember one time, i was on vacation with my family in Hawaii, and my siblings and i were all smashed in the back of this small, compact car when "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train came on the radio! All three of us kids got so excited, asked for it to be turned up, and then sang out hearts out... mind you, my family is very musically talented, so we all had a different harmony and it sounded AWESOME!! it was so fun and special. i'll never forget it.


A song that reminds you of a certain event: hmm... i have two. :) The first night Alex told me he loved my we were listening to "Morning Lullabies" by Ingrid Michaelson... it was unforgettable. <3

Also, the night Alex proposed, we danced to "Solo Para Ti" by Camila... he sang in my ear and i was in heaven. it's such a special song :)


A song that you know all the words to: "When Will My Life Begin" from Tangled... :)


A song that you can dance to: "Yeah 3x" by Chris Brown... So much love for this song. The music video is awesome too, the little kids dancing are too cute for words!


A song that makes you fall asleep: Basically anything by jon schmidt will work... but here's a favorite :)



A song from your favorite band: Hmmm, Favorite band would probably be Rascal Flatts... and i love all their songs. but i'll do "Bless the Broken Road". It's classic and lovely and the live version just kills me.

A song from a band you hate: Must I post "The Reason" by Hoobastank again... i mean come on... they have the word STANK in their name, it's no wonder everything they do is terrible.


A song that is a guilty pleasure: Justin Bieber. hands down.


A song that nobody would expect you to love: "Give me Everything tonight" by Pitbull... i know it's terrible and annoying and silly... but i loves it.
 

A song that describes you: I had to ask the hubby for help on this one... he wasn't much help, but i remember him saying that he always thought of me when he heard this song... so we'll go with this... "Gimmie that Girl" by Joe Nichols

A song that you used to love, but now hate: oh there are so many of those... "Fireflies" by Owl City... good song, just so over played/over hyped. 

A song you hear often on the radio: "Honey Bee" by Blake Shelton <3


A song you wish you could hear on the radio: "Arms" by Christina Perri.

A song from your favorite album: Best Album all Year was Kalidescope Heart by Sara Bareilles... all the songs are great, but i'll share this lovely one...



A song you listen to when you're happy: "Passenger Seat" by Stephen Speaks :)


A song you want to play at your wedding: How about a song i DID play at my wedding? :) okay!! "Amor Eterno" by Camila :)




A song that makes you laugh: "Lollipop" by Mika :)


Two Freebies: "The Gambler" by fun. is SUCH a sweet love song :)

and...  "A Little More of You" by Ashley Chambliss :)

A song from your childhood:"I am a Child of God" :) listen to this touching version sung by primary kids in the Conference Center <3

Your favorite song from this time last year: I was dating Alex, and this was one of our favorites :)



Well there ya go!! some of my favorite songs! heavens knows that there are hundreds more... but this will do for now... did you find anything you like?? 

<3

Saturday, July 9, 2011

independence.

i know it's a little late for this post, but i just wanted everyone to know how grateful i am for the fabulous fourth of july that i had this year.

we have great friends. Alex still calls them 'his' friends... but really they are OUR friends now... and for that i am really thankful! We had a fun bbq at my parents house and it was so fun to just eat good food, swim in the big, cool pool, and blow things up in the front yard.

Here are some fun highlights:

photography by Hope Andersen


sparkling

my injured husband

red white and blue breakfast

fire.

the hubs

boooomm!!!

neat.


   
teehee
it was a great day and i couldn't ask for a better husband, or better friends to celebrate with!!!


ps. my kitten loves dr. pepper...




pps... i used the word 'zebra' in banangrams the other day... i rock ;)



:)

Saturday, July 2, 2011

feliz cumpleanos.

today i turned 20.

i relaxed.
i partied.
i indulged.
i laughed.
i reminisced.
i bowled.
i loved.
i shopped.

it was so great!

i'm excited for this next year. i hope to progress in a lot of ways.

emotionally.
i want to not take offense to things so quickly.
i want to learn how to better empathise with my friends that are struggling.
i want to better explain how i am feeling to others to that there is not misinterpreting.
i want to show my husband how much i truly love and appreciate him.

physically.
working out. it will happen on a regular basis. promise.
i want to have better self confidence.
i want to see myself as beautiful as my husband and my Father in Heaven see me.

spiritually.
i want to read uplifiting words and apply them to my life.
i want to tell my Father in Heaven how grateful i am for all the things He has given me and a much more regular basis.
i want to have a better spirit in my home--i will do this by keeping the house tidy, and finally hang up the picture of Jesus that we got for our wedding.

I also have a lot of fun things that i want to do this next year.
more parites.
more blogging.
more pictures.
more scrapbooking.
more journaling.
more road trips.
more spontaneous baking.
more sewing.
more dancing in the aisles at the grocery store.
more video games (for my husband).
more DIY.
more kisses.
more hugs.
more smiles.
more laughs.
more love.
:D

all in all, i have a lot of optimism for this next year. i'm excited to say the least.

here are some pictures from today. Alex took my bowling, cuz it's basically my favorite thing to do ever. he kicked my bum though. i only won 1 game... and we played 9. hahaha.


 The first game... Alex killed me (he's the bottom 'A' haha)
 I finally won!!! woohoo!!



 Alex also took me to Krispie Kremes for my free 12 doughnuts!! so good... they may or may not be gone already... ;)


Such a good day.

oh and i must include the present alex got me.

he made me a book:















This was probably one of the best presents i could have received! It went through all the stages of our relationship, and his favorite memories from each. :) I was so touched that he would do something so sentimental and sweet. It is something that i will surely cherish for the rest of my life. <3

my friends, family, and co workers made this birthday so great. thank you all for the gifts, and texts and phone calls, and presents, and cards and facebook posts! it was so wonderful. this will be a birthday to remember! :)