finished birthday banner

i finished it! just in time for ali's baby shower on saturday. i'm really glad this turned out...

bama's new bed

we are moving into a new apartment tomorrow (yay)! and there are a few things that i don't want to come with us to our new and improved abode. the main thing being bama's bed. i know that bama loves his bed, and it feels like his little puppy cave (because it is). but i am ever so tired of waking up to this view:

throughout the night, bama pushes all of his blanket out of his bed and cuddles himself in the very back of it. every morning, before i do anything else, i have to shove this mound of blanket back into his bed or it will drive me crazy.

my solution:

this little dandy of a floor cushion from pier one. they don't have the color i got on the internet, but this is the size and shape and i absolutely love it!

i think bama loves it too.

within 5 minutes of putting this on the floor, he brought all of his toys to his new bed and immediately began chewing on his favorite bone. i like to think that was his stamp of approval.

a little something i'm working on

i haven't been crafting as much as i would like to, because i haven't really had a place to put my sewing machine and the rest of my crafting things. however, i recently was inspired (by a gift from martha to amy) to make homemade banners for birthdays/holidays for gifts. i thought, "i can do that, and i have a lot of friends/family that would love these."

inspiration:

so, i made a stencil and started cutting out these triangles using various fabric that i already had. oh, i must mention that i use pinking shears to cut out the fabric so it doesn't fray. after brainstorming for the best way to apply the letters to each triangle, i decided that painting them on will be the most efficient way for me. obviously appliqueing the letters would be the most beautiful, but i think it would take me about 30 hours per banner. so i painted on the letters for my first happy birthday banner. i plan on using twill tape (notice the brown twill tape in the 2nd photo) to connect all the triangles and complete the banner. i will post a completed picture, but i just thought i would share my progress so far.

i think i'm going to give this first happy birthday banner to my friend ali who is having a baby in december. see the happy birthday letters at the top of the photo! notice the halloween colors of the triangles at the bottom of the photo. those will be made into a happy halloween banner for my friend megan who has an october birthday and wedding coming up. shhh, don't tell her.

while i'm already posting pictures of things i have made/am making, i thought i would take this time to showcase my sewing bag that i made last summer. i really impressed myself with this thing, but believe me i almost pulled my hair out while making it. it's probably the thing i'm most proud of creating.

this pattern is one from lotta jansdotter. see the handles and all the pockets on the outside for all my sewing paraphernalia. it makes me very happy.

a pretty good dinner for not wanting to cook dinner

i got to hang out with my friend cari all day today! when i got home, i didn't feel like cooking dinner so i made some quick and easy mini pita pizzas. i was very pleased with the outcome so i thought i would share the best quick & easy made up recipe in my collection.

i have made several versions of this for lunch when i'm home by myself, but tonight i used jarred spaghetti sauce (with real mushrooms in it), thick slices of deli turkey, a sliced yellow onion, and real parmesan cheese. i slathered the sauce onto whole wheat pitas like a pizza, piled on the onions, turkey, and cheese, baked at 425 for 12 minutes, and put it on broil for a minute after that (just to brown everything).

other versions include: ham, pineapple, and mozzarella; turkey, ranch, and bacon (adding lettuce and tomato after removing from the oven); and tomato, mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar (adding basil leaves after removing from the oven)... all made on whole wheat pita bread.

they have all turned out really well, and i will continue to implement this "i don't feel like cooking dinner" dinner for as long as ryan will let me get away with it.

guatemala...my second home

on saturday, i returned from a week long medical mission trip in the jungle of guatemala. it was one of the most amazing times of my life, and i learned more about myself, my mom, being a nurse, being content, loving people, being humble, having strength, and humans in general than i ever have at one time.

i got to assist in a surgery, run across a rope bridge, eat a raw cocoa bean, help recover 70 patients from surgery, see the biggest tree in the world, learn parts of another language, eat legit authentic guatemalan food, eat "abodabo" on top of a building, eat a raw coffee bean, ride an old school bus across the country, drink hibiscus juice, play with the sweetest kids, explore an amazing little village...the list goes on.

today was my first day back to work after this life changing experience, and i have to say that i am in a period of intense culture shock. i wish i could implement the oh so simple but efficient way we cared for the patients at the clinic at my job here. instead, i have to spend about 6 hours of my day charting (but that is beside the point).

i have so much to be thankful for and am so blessed that i got to be a part of this trip. i have so many stories and memories that will hold me over for a long time. for now, i take great joy in knowing that as long as i live and can afford it, i will return to that place every september and spend more time with those people who have made the greatest impact on me.

ultimate happiness

many times in my life i pause and say... "it's the little things in life that make me so happy". nothing could prove that phrase more true in my life than possibly my favorite past time, watching dogs. meet scotty and bama...

this is scotty, also known as "potty".

my family adopted him when i was a senior in high school.

his birthday is november 5, 2002

he is my brother.

his favorite pastimes include:

finding and chewing on sticks that are bigger than him (photo),

wrestling with bama, being my mom's shadow,

licking our plates when we are finished with them, licking himself,

barking at the vacuum, sunning, chasing cats, and chewing on one of his many toys.

this is bama, also known as "bam bam" and "the wiener".

ryan got him when he was a junior in college.

his birthday is february 14, 2006.

he is my son (scotty's nephew).

his favorite pastimes include:

chewing on his toenails, tripping me when i'm cooking,

stealing toys from scotty, barking and chasing children and squirrels,

sprinting, sunning, hiding from the vacuum,

sleeping under mounds of blankets,

sleeping on the back of the couch, and chewing on his duck (photo).

every time we go to my parents house the wiener goes with us, and inevitably, he and scotty will play and play and play, and love every minute of it. i think all dogs are funny, but for some reason, bama and scotty are so much more funny when they are together. they absolutely love each other. if we say the other dog's name in one dog's presence, they freak out because they want to be together.

best friends

who could keep from being happy with these 2 pups around... not me! they constantly teach me that it will always be "the little things" in life that make me so happy.