Embroidery Attempts

At the end of last year, I got back into embroidery. I had done some as a teenager, but life gets busy as you know, and I hadn't done it since. I think part of what inspired me to start again was that I inherited Grandma's embroidery supplies--floss, needles, a hoop. I remembered her letting me trace pages from coloring books onto cloth, so that she could later embroider the tracing and use the square for a quilt. I love having the things that she made, especially my quilt I received when I was 8 years old. Here are some small samples of what I worked on last year; I especially enjoyed experimenting with new types of stitches:






The above 3 or 4 are a banner I made and decided to hang at work. They were having some sort of Halloween cubicle decorating contest or something. I went into Word and chose a font, then printed out the letters I would need for the sign. Then I traced the letters, and used a chain stitch to make them appear more bold. Some letters were better than others (obviously), and it took me a few letters to get the hang of the stitch.




These are the first practice stitches I had done in years. I used a floss that would gradually change colors (hit and miss), but it was fun to try doing different things with it. The lady bug was fun because it has a ton of French knots (knots for circles/spots). The initials are something I was playing around with to see what I could do regarding monogramming. Ryan keeps joking around about having napkins and stuff with our initials on them.

We will see what new projects come my way next. I have been trying to bridge the gap between "old-fashioned" that has no use (lacy flowers and stuff), and modern with a classic style.

Holiday Fun

I know I have been slacking but I have been busy. What an interesting year it has been; taking

Here are some pictures from our recent holiday fun, starting with Thanksgiving, which was also Ryan's birthday:trips, buying a home, changing cars, etc.



Here is what a plate looked like; we got some new dishes at Wal-Mart that we thought looked pretty cool. I guess it's a good way to tell if your dishes are clean because they are clear.
This was butternut squash soup made in a crockpot, which was delicious. First I made a puree out of the butternut squash, then I put the butternut squash puree (with honey in it) in a crock pot with chicken stock, an apple, onions, and a few other spices. It tasted fantastic!

My family recipe for yams--lots of marshmallows, butter/margarine, and brown sugar.

This was the lamb leg we picked up at the Springville Meat Co in Springville, UT. Ryan was in charge of it, so he smothered it with spices and then slow cooked it in the crockpot.

Green bean casserole, made by Ryan's sister Michelle. I am still trying to understand green bean casserole, since I didn't have it growing up. It tasted great, but I suspect it's a Utah thing.

Bacon-wrapped scallops, compliments of Ryan. Those smelled divine.
Homemade mint lemonade. This was a recipe I found online adapted from Bobby Flay, a famous Iron Chef. You make a simple syrup (sugar and water boiled), and then stir it with lemon juice, and the tiniest drop of mint extract. It was perfect and way easy to make.
Bree's Pantry Secret white bread rolls. They were flaky, light, and fluffy and Ryan's family couldn't get enough of them!


The place settings at our table.

We also just finished putting up our Christmas tree. We bought it back in early November off of KSL. We knew we wanted a large tree for our 22 foot ceiling, but didn't want to pay a huge price. We got our 15 foot tree for $200 and put it up on Thanksgiving. We didn't end up decorating it until last night, and here are some photos:





Some salt and pepper penguin shakers in the piano room on the fireplace mantle. I figured they were appropriate to place next to the glass ice cubes.
Nativity set I got from one of my Young Women leaders.


My personal Christmas tree. I used leftover felt scraps to put at the bottom, and it is sitting next to the piano in the front.


Our awesome goodies put in the container Jon and Rainah gave me for my birthday this year. Don't we have good treats? Cadbury eggs, Dove dark chocolate, and Andes chocolate mints. Don't worry Dad, the dark chocolate orange sticks are in the fridge.

My fake poinsettias I bought at Wal-Mart. My visiting teacher thought they were real, so score!

A close up of the fake green boughs/garlands I wrapped around the banister of the stairs.




My new Nativity set I bought this week. The scented pine candle serves two purposes: 1) to make it smell like our tree may be possibly real, and 2) to double as the star the Wise Men followed.
My stock Granny made me. I used it as a pattern to make Ryan's stocking below:
Not a bad first attempt. At least it's not a big deal if I want to make him a better one next year :)



Maybe I'll update more some other time. Maybe.

Fail homes!

Here are some more fails from our tour of homes.
This was a basement "workshop." We couldn't tell if they were in the middle of building something or if that was the workspace.


Elk Ridge home with a 50's booth on the second floor:

This was an attempt to match the sink with the booth:

Downstairs dining area:

This was a cabinet 10+ feet in the air on the wall. I guess you'd put your valuables there?

The Elk Ridge idea of a fancy light fixture:


Unfinished basement in Pleasant Grove. There is a door there that doesn't open, but there's a latch you can lift on the plywood. Behind the plywood is a room full of dirt.

A Provo home with some interesting custom size glass. Triangles anyone?

Remember the sauna house previously? Well here is some more wood work and a view from one of the lower levels. You actually enter the house on the top floor. I think they were going for some sort of Medieval Viking look.

An upgraded but extremely messy Provo house. They were using the master suite shower as an area for drying clothes.

This should make you appreciate all the work we went through to find a good house.

More Photos

At everyone's request at dinner, here are more photos of the Alpine house.
The playroom on the second floor:


The bathroom in the basement:

The view from the master bedroom on the main floor:

The coolest cubbie/coat hanging section I've ever seen. This is in the mudroom:

The playroom view from the outside:

The one car garage entrance:

View from the path from the driveway to the front door:

The front entrance:

The side yard north of the house:

Part of our half-acre, but it's uphill and the brush looks like this:


Backyard with rocks!:

Exit from the single car garage to the backyard:

The theater room in the basement (pictures don't really do it justice):

Even larger room than the theater room in the basement:


Bathtub spout:
View from the balcony above the great room:


The great room fan. Unfortunately this is a vaulted ceiling, and so changing those burnt out bulbs will be a hassle:


Master double vanity:

Master jetted tub:

View from the great room up to the balcony/second floor:

A kitchen photo:

The pantry:

View from the kitchen to the hall to the pantry, the 2 car garage, and then the mudroom (washer/dryer) and the single-car garage:

Dining room area:

Main floor guest bathroom:

Front entrance:

French doors in one of the front rooms on the main floor:

Tiled entryway:

Vaulted ceiling fan in a front room on the main floor:

Maybe next time I can add more house fails in a blog post :)