Just call me Martha... well... almost

Well- about a month ago, Harrison texted me an awesome picture.  He had my brand new Bernina sewing machine in the back seat of his car.  Now this isn't just any sewing machine you see... Bernina is a very respected brand in the world of sewing and I would venture to say that it really is the best brand out there on the market today :)

Anyway- this gift was made possible by SO many people.  Harrison set up a gift fund through my facebook and email account.  He sent emails to all of my friends and family letting them know that I would really like a sewing machine for my birthday this year.  Well- the generosity of my dear friends and family was overwhelming.  With their help, Harrison was able to purchase my machine.

I got the machine and set it up and.... got scared.  WHAT AM I THINKING!?!?  I was so afraid that I would mess it up or break it.  I have taken a few classes to "get to know" my awesome machine (actually they call them "sewing computers" now... give me a break) and I really am enjoying it!

I have made ONE project so far :).  I made a really fun garland for my fireplace.  I had thread and I had felt pieces... so here is what I came up with.

I hope to start getting brave and actually making REAL things.  Let me know your ideas.  I would love to hear them :)

Thankful Thursday

Well- it's been a really freakin' long time since I have posted a Thankful Thursday.  I believe it is FAR past due.  So here we go:

~~Antibiotics... yeah- with a fever and cough and a job and no extra money... working for a Dr who can prescribe the Z-Pack is pretty awesome.  Whatever has been ailing me for the last 8 days seems to be almost gone!

~~Kitty Antibiotics... well we have had 2 sick kitties the last week.  Although very expensive, I am thankful for medicine for our feline friends to get better (even if it does look like gravy in a little bottle.... eewww)

~~My Mother... I finally got my AWESOME birthday sewing machine and my mommy has been a lifesaver!  She is the best seamstress I know and she has a bazillion times more knowledge about such things as I do... so she has been so helpful.  I am sure she is tired of me calling her every 4 hours with calls such as "I zig-zag stitched for the first time" and "I oiled my machine for the first time" and "I plugged my machine in for the first time" and "I jammed my machine for the first time"... (I sound like a first time mother calling everybody raving about the first time their kid poops for the first time). 


~~Crystal Light Energy... this strawberry goodness has really helped me ween off of the Cherry Coke again.  I need more water and less soda... but I can't give up the caffeine.  Viola!  Crystal Light Energy has been the solution.  Only bad thing- I need to remember not to drink it like an hour before bedtime.  Otherwise, bedtime doesn't come until like 3am.

What are you thankful for?  Leave me a comment and share with me!

Nice day for a PICNIK

So- I found this site called PICNIK and I am in LOVE!  I am not a huge tech-savvy gal... but sometimes I just want to add things to photos and dink around with them.  Harrison is a wiz at Photoshop but I really get overwhelmed with it if I have to do more than crop something.  Well- this site allows me to do the things I want (like point to something and tell you about it) with a few easy steps! YAY!  So- this is what I have done with a few photos today.  

I love home decor.  I wish I had all the money in the world to do everything I wanted in my home.  I troll a few blogs and sites for inspiration on home decor.  Here are a few (of hundreds) photos that I particularly love and with the help of this awesome site... some notes on why I love them... enjoy.

The best part about this site... for the most part it is FREE.  There are some "advanced" and "REALLY cool" features that you have to be a subscriber for... but for the things I want right now... it's free.  You don't even have to register for it... which I think is the COOLEST part.  No giving your DOB of middle name... or first born for that matter.

Charnae and Dayle

My sister Charnae was married to her sweetheart Dayle a couple of weeks ago in the Las Vegas LDS temple.  They asked us to take some photos of them at the temple after the ceremony.  We were delighted to do so.  Below are some of the photos we were able to take.  What a great day!

Cat Scratch Fever??

Can you hear the Ted Nugent tune in your head??  Well anyway-  We felt so productive last Monday when we got all of the yard cleaned up. (PS- there were a total of 11 bags of debris that went out to the curb on trash day.  I totally forgot to take a picture of it though).

**DISCLAIMER**  I am about to post pictures and write an entire blog entry about sick felines.  I know this will make a lot of you roll your eyes (especially my mother I think) since some of you couldn't care less about pets... much less ours.  But- this is what has been taking up a lot of our time (and money) lately so I am posting about it.

So Monday night I felt a bit weird.  My chest felt tight and I had a bit of a cough.  I just figured that it was because we worked so hard and I got more of a workout than I originally thought.  Well- I went about my day and soon we found that there was a visitor in the computer/craft room.  Spock had made his way back into the house and was sacked out on the chair.  Well- the cats have been outside cats for about a year now.  Last summer they decided to pee and mark their territory with each other on things like the bed, my purse, our nice sleeping bags, and the corner of the living room.  Well... they have been banished to the outside.

I went to see what was up with Spock and realized that he had a very stuffy nose and he started sneezing like crazy.  Well- we deduced right away that he was sick with a kitty cold.  Harrison and I figured that he picked up the awesome sickness from his visit to Animal Control the week before.  

In the meantime- I had a full on fever and cough myself.  WAH!!!

So, off to the vet we went on Tuesday.  Spock wasn't very happy about getting into the little kennel and taking a trip.  He cried most of the way.  After a check up, IV to bring his fever down, and an antibiotic prescription... we went home to let him rest and recover. 

It took a couple of days for the little guy to get some energy back.  I bet he felt like King of the castle for a week.  He was able to go wherever he wanted and stay inside the entire time. 

There were lots of naps this week.

The vet told us to make sure he had really stinky food while he was getting better.  If the cat can't smell the food- he won't eat.  So our kitchen has smelled like tuna, salmon, trout, and crab cakes for a few days.

Finally- the cat started to eat again.

Well- Spock was finally feeling better.  One of the reasons we kept him inside for a couple of days was so that he wouldn't hang out with this brother and get him sick.  Well- we came home from church yesterday... and... Dude was laying next to the front door looking pitiful.  He was sick too!  So- we took him inside and gave him some of the antibiotic as well.

Dude made his sick bed on top of my truck at first.

Both kitties slept together that night to comfort each other.  It was pretty cute to look at.  For the first time in a year they were able to be inside together without tearing each other apart or the house.

So I kind of forgot what it was like to have cat inside.  Once feeling better, they have decided to get back to their "cattiness".  They like to get into our faces while we sleep... walk between our legs as we go up and down the stairs (almost causing terrible falls), meowing incessantly until we either pet them or give them "treats".

Dude asking us to wake up.

I am also feeling better.  I love working for a Dr who can prescribe meds.  I have taken an antibiotic for a week along with NyQuil and Mucinex and TONS of ibuprofen.  I am feeling about 80% better today! YAY!