Happy Weekend-ing

(via fffound!)

Our weekend will consist of:

+ sleeping in!

+ trip to Stillwater

+ day hike with the pup (sound familiar?)

+ a coffee date 

+ baby showering

+ Skype sewing date

And don't forget to e-mail your photos for the SWAP!  

Happy weekend, friends.

On the Bookshelf: a catch up

It's been too long since I've shared a book post...

MockingJay - All I can say is, if you haven't read the Hunger Games Trilogy you need to get your buns to the store ASAP.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Confession:  I've only read half of this book.  Somehow I lost it on the way back to OKC from Thanksgiving.  I mean, I read it ON the way home and haven't seen it since.  Weird.  But, the first half was really really good.  And I look forward to getting my hands on another copy and finishing it.

Pretty Little Liars - Another young adult book!  3 of my (adult) friends are reading the book series and I recently joined the crew.  I've heard the series on ABC Family is really good too.  So far, the book is a little creepy and I can't read it right before bed (I was warned) but during the day, I really like the story lines of each girl and look forward to solving THE mystery.

I'm always looking for new reads if anyone has any suggestions!  I try to switch between young adult and big kid books. 

Home

Oklahoma isn't the most visually stimulating place in the country, but for now it's home, and we try to make the best of it.  Like a little day hike with our pup at a state park just north of Oklahoma City.  

It was the last day of sunny weather before the snow flurries made their appearance.  The wind was a bit chilly, but the sun beaming down felt so nice and warm and inviting.  Zia really enjoyed the trail too.  She chased down bike riders, snacked on fruit and nuts with us (she never gets "people food" so this was huge), and frolicked in the high grass right off the trail.

In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks - John Muir

Football Schmootball

 

The boys watched football in our messy apartment tonight.  A little man date, if you will.  Ethan brought beer and Ryan provided dinner - wings, of course.  It was cute.

So, I retreated to my newly remodeled crafting room (more on this later), turned up the tunes, and went to work on a special gift for them.  I laughed a little every time I heard yelling from the living room.  ...Boys.

Look what I made:  coasters for their beverages!  

They were excited.. sort of.  Ha!  

Maybe it was more of a gift to myself because I had a lot of fun making them.

Sewing 101: Simple Skirt

Holy cannoli, I made a skirt!

And I learned the techniques needed from previous projects with Valerie, so it wasn't difficult at all to do by myself!  I took on this skirt over Christmas break while she was visiting her family.  I was also inspired by the 65(!) degree weather we had in OKC.

Techniques:
#1 hemming - fold, measure, press, sew
(from the groovy hostess apron project)

#2 casings & elastic
(bloomers)

Check out those straight(er) lines!  

I've made progress since our first project together. 

The design is super simple - an elastic waistband, no pockets (though I want to learn), cotton material.  But, I like simple!  And I might go make 10 more.

Old Stomping Grounds

Over the Christmas break I visited my old elementary school in Owasso, a small suburb of Tulsa.

I loved sharing stories with Ryan of my eventful elementary years.  Funny how everything looks much bigger when you're young (such as the US map).  The visit was pretty bittersweet, the school has really dilapidated over the years.