A Trip to the City

The other day we took a bit of a road trip into Rochester. 

We parked the car and just started walking.

We ended up at an adorable cafe.

Amy was in charge of getting us back to the car through her GPS. 

We even took some artsy photographs. "What? This old thing?"

"Hello sweet heart, give us a kiss."

"Oh my, you ARE ugly."

It was a great little adventure.

Move In Day

Yesterday, we packed up and I headed back to school. We took 3 cars (yes, I said 3!). I said goodbye to our little home in the country and we started on our way.

This time, I made sure my house plants were safe for the road trip. They hardly survived the last two times I brought them in the car. 

I also brought the flowers Alec got me for my birthday.

Here is a before view of our tiny little bedroom. 

Fortunately, we got the building with renovated bathrooms.

They even have faux bamboo glass doors!

Sean and my mom were the two that were brave enough to help me move in. They both know how much work it is carrying ALL of my stuff and trying to satisfy my very specific instructions. Sean even helped me make my bed!

Amy moved in yesterday, too. Today we get one more roommate and then its just us 3 until the weekend. I can't wait for the rest of the girls to come because it is pretty lonely in this huge dorm with only 2 girls.

My mom and I had lots of groceries to unpack. We definitely have enough food to last us a while. She insisted on buying us the huge carton of goldfish so, Amy and I sat down with a measuring cup and portioned the entire box.

At the end of the day we were exhausted. We drank tea, painted our nails and watched cupcake wars. I feel like this is going to be a good year.

These are just the "before" pictures. More "after" pictures to come once we get settled in!

My Birthday Weekend

This weekend was extremely busy for me. I had to go school shopping, celebrate my birthday, and pack for school. I leave this Tuesday which just makes me wonder where the summer went. This weekend was filled with wonderful memories and I wouldn't change anything about it if I could.

My Aunt Jill stopped by with my cousin's son, Ryan. He is a little over a year and a half. I'm glad I got to see him before I move because I miss him so badly while I'm at school.

She dropped off a gift bag full of these quilting goodies! A magaziene on 100 blocks, some pre-cut fabric squares, pre-made christmas blocks and "The Quilting Answer Book". I love the Christmas squares because I can quickly whip up a Christmas quilt for winter when I'm home on 

Thanksgiving Break. Also, I have a feeling this quilting answering book is going to become a good friend of mine. My Aunt said I'm easy to shop for because she just gets me what she would want. This is ironic because my other Aunt said the same exact thing to me this weekend, too! They have completely different interests so, I must be very versatile. 

This is my favorite block from that block book, so far.

Alec had some beautiful flowers in a vase delivered for me. Last summer when he surprised me with flowers, I cried. Luckily, there were no tears this time. He knows I love flowers (what girl doesn't) and always makes sure to add a few roses, my favorite. This was the first of a few surprises from him this weekend.

Next up, my Mother and I went out to lunch with my Grandma and Great Aunt. My Grandma got me a few things but, this note pad set was adorable. She even got me a pink pen and mini-note pad for my purse. She knows I am a to-do list kind of girl.

Then, Alec and I went clothes shopping for school. We got a lot of great things but, I have a little bit more shopping to do. 

Alec surprised me on my birthday by taking me somewhere without telling me where. He even drove me in circles so I was disoriented. We ended up at Sonnenberg Gardens for the day. I've been wanting to go there all summer because I am in love with any and all gardens. Unfortunately, my camera died as soon as we got there. This is probably for the better though because I walked hand in hand with Alec and enjoyed each moment, instead of holding my camera and trying to photograph everything. I can't say enough how beautiful it was. Alec knows me well. It was the best surprise.

Now, I'm spending some extra time cuddling Meowzers before I leave her, and packing way too much stuff for my dorm.

My First Birthday Gift

 

I finally have a nice camera! This means no more poor quality phone pictures. This means, I can actually photograph food and portray the deliciousness of the final product. I could even hook this baby up to my tripod and get an action shot of me in my apron sifting the flour. I am beyond excited. Naturally, I took pictures of everything I could. This proved a little difficult considering it was approaching midnight and the only live subjects I had were my mother and my pets. 

Be expecting some higher-quality blogging, people!

Dry Erase Calendar DIY

I have wanted a big, hanging, dry-erase calendar for my dorm room for a while now. This way, I can see instantly what I need to do that day and week without digging through my planner. Unfortunately, they are $20+ at Walmart. This little DIY cost me $6 from the dollar store for the frame. Plus, you can personalize it to match your style and interests. 

You can also use this D.I.Y. to decorate picture frames to give as gifts, use to hold photos, or as white boards for to-do lists and menu options. The possibilities are endless. 

Fusion Blanket Part 3

I finally finished this fusion blanket! Check out Part I and Part II to get up to speed with how to make this quilt. This is the final chapter of this tutorial. Like I said, Its perfect for quilters wanting to learn to crochet or people who crochet to learn how to sew. We left off with blocks ready to crochet on.

The Home Has A Heart

This book is wonderful. I read a review on it, knew I had to had it, and before I had a chance to comment on the blog post reviewing it....I had purchased this book on amazing for about $4. I highly recommend you do the same.

This book is a recipe book published in 1968 by a Swedish woman who moved to the US. It is  hchapter starts with a prayer and ends with recipes. The recipes follow along with each month and pair nicely with the weather or corresponding holidays. As if this isn't enough for one book to have and be amazing, each chapter has stories from the author's childhood or stories she has heard, life lessons and "gold nuggets" of advice. It is such a precious book. 

This book really makes you think twice about what is important in life.

The best part-- the author signed my book! 

As always, some quotes to convince you:

"Life is so full of wonder and beauty! If we begin each new day with Thy love in our hearts, it will surely be a good year, Blessed Lord. Amen."

"..when the home suffers, the whole nation suffers."

"Don't ever think of husband and children as "just the family." Fuss a bit for them and you will be rewarded."

"Make each meal the most important task you have ever undertaken."

"I shall be grateful for the gift of giving, and as long as God gives me years, I will give my small gifts as a token of all that has been given to me."

If you arn't already: follow along on Facebook!

Glorious Girl Time

This weekend my wonderful friend, Anne, came to the country to visit me! I met her at school and we clicked instantly. We actually didn't even talk all of first semester but, the moment we actually spoke we realized that we had a lot in common. One of the main (rare) things that we have in common is our love for all things labeled "domestic". Such as ...baking and cooking for our men, humble homes, and the idea of being a house wife. Naturally, our day together was glorious. It is so refreshing to have a girl friend with similar interests. I even made my bed especially crisp with what I call "nursing corners". Remember this post about frantically organizing my room? Well, I wanted it to look nice for Anne.

I actually taught Anne how to sew! I was elated to spend time with someone who has an interest in learning to sew and honored to be the one to teach the art of quilting! We ended up making her two throw pillows to match her bedspread for her dorm. 

Then, we made THE chocolate chip cookies that have been so popular in my house lately. This is the second batch I've had to make this week! She even tested out my antique sifter. She said that if she could describe my life with one word it would be "poetic". This is why I love Anne. She uses words like "poetic". She braved touching the chickens and dipped her feet in the lake. Overall, I had such a beautiful time and can't wait to see her again!

Bench Update DIY

I made this little bench as a gift for my mother this week. This is a really simple D.I.Y. on how to spice up those plain, little foot stools. This one my brother made for her in middle school so, she wanted to keep it. After this paint job, it brings warmth to our country home.

My Fabric Collection

This is a very modest view of what my fabric collection usually looks like. And by usually I mean when it is all neatly folded with minimum unfinished projects floating about. Today was a very special day because my wonderful Aunt is moving and gave me almost all of her fabric collection. This is the very woman who taught me how to sew in the first place, so getting my hands on this fabric is ... indescribable.