Deer Creek Canyon

I convinced James to go hiking at Deer Creek Canyon on Saturday morning.  It was really pretty and cold in the morning but it warmed up.  James found it to be a little, erm, slippery...

The Foothills

The Tech Center-James work is one of the 3 identical buildings right in the center

It was pretty icy in spots

Downtown Denver

We came down and took this trail for only about 20 ft because it was too icy.

After the hike we drove up the canyon and ended up driving past Tiny Town and back home down 285. 

Indian Week

So my sister Marie got me into cooking Indian food. I was at the library a couple weeks ago and found this book

and wanted to try some recipes from it, because they sounded really good.  So I tried a bunch and they WERE really good.  I decided I should buy this book so I looked on Amazon.  $93 used and $104 new!  Wow!  Then I was talking to my sister Marie about it and she said she uses the same one and that she got it at Barnes and Noble for not that much.  So I went to Barnes and Noble.  $316.63 used!!!  Only 1 copy available.  Holy Cow!  Anyway, here are some pictures and comments of the recipes we tried.  Also, if you want the recipes I can email them to you, since I don't have that kind of money to spend on a cookbook and I've slowly been typing them up. 

Sewapalooza 2011

Here are the fruits of my day off last Monday.







 Some appliqued onesies for some wonderful ladies in my ward. 

I really liked this dress I got at Downeast Outfitters in Utah, but I didn't like that I felt like I always had to wear it with a white camisole because of the low neckline.  I had a navy blue ribbed tank top that I never wear, so I sewed it into the dress using seamlines that were already there.  I also took the bottom half of the tank and made ribbed sleeve extensions because I always felt like the sleeves were too short, too.  Enter:  something I will wear! (with any color I feel like)

Some mending.  Not fun but necessary if you want your husband to support your habit.





A scarf my sister sent me a link to.  As I was doing it, I thought it was way too much work, but now I love it so much, I think it may have been worth the work.  My face is not in the picture because I wore no makeup on Monday.







The best thing that came of Monday was James making me this awesome new sewing table that is lower than a normal table, so the sewing machine is at the perfect height.  It is big enough to cut, keep tools, and keep my sewing machine on.  Before I was sewing on the end of my scrapbook table and it really wasn't big enough for cutting and sewing.  I love it so much.  James implored his friend, Aaron Hales, to help him.  Thanks for the help!





My Fantasies

Some people fantasize about delicious desserts, clothes, shoes, purses, an attractive person of the opposite sex, etc.  I fantasize about crafting.  All the time.  If I'm sitting in a boring work meeting or (eek) a church meeting and I'm having trouble focusing, I find myself thinking about the next thing I want to sew, scrap or cook.  I confided in James about this little "problem" of mine and he said he fantasizes about video games.  Hmm.
The reason I'm posting this now is because I have A DAY OFF tomorrow and I purposely cleaned my house all day Saturday so nothing could distract me from being crafty and thoroughly enjoying the time to do all the things I fantasize about.  And I gave James permission to play video games ALL DAY if he wants to.
 
Anyone else do the same thing? 
What do you fantasize about?

P.S.  I will try and take pictures of my end results and post them.

Christmas 2010

We had a great Christmas.  I only got pictures of a few instances (as always) but some is better than none.  

We made an awesome gingergread house.  Details include a royal icing snowman made by Mom, a custom candy cane fence by Laura, a jelly fruits-lined path by Braxton, and a pretzel log pile made by yours truly.

Christmas morning pictures:

Braxton opening his stocking.

Laura opening her nice stainless-steel cookie sheets. Jeff seems mad that Laura is now going to make tons of delicious cookies and confections, hmm...

That's Jen behind the card.

Cooper clad in a green and red turtleneck sweater, courtesy of James' Dad Jim and Stepmom Joan.

Braxton got an awesome Bronco's jersey,

and a super-warm Bronco's blanket that Grandma (Mom) made him.

Mike playing Dance Central on XBOX Kinect (James' present from me)

Dad, Laura and Braxton watching Mike play Dance Central

It was a wonderful Christmas.  James got me a sewing machine (!!!) and a food processor (!!!)

I made two skirts like this for my nieces, Misha and Maddie, for Christmas.  I am in love with these skirts.  I wish I was 4 so I could wear one. 

Christmas at the Mathatas'

Our Tree is about 12 inches tall

A Nativity my Mom helped me make last year

The Reason for the Season

I can't very well put these giant ornaments on our tiny tree, now, can I?!

Starting a Village

James has 5 stockings, I have 1

A banner I saw on a really cool blog.  So easy and fast!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

My Version of a Refashion Tutorial

I am obsessed with refashions.  I have spent lots of time checking out people's ideas on their blogs, because I think it's so smart to take things you don't wear anymore and make it into something you *might.*  I am too intimidated by all the really good refashionistas to show many of my attempts, but here is a fun little tutorial. 

Have a sweater that you don't wear anymore because it makes you feel short and wide?

(Forgot to take a picture before I started hacking stuff off)

Have a hat that shrunk and doesn't fit your giant noggin anymore?

(which you could you use to trace a pattern)

Have a ball of yarn sitting around that doesn't really match but it's close enough?

With a little time, you too could stitch up a hat and gloves by hand because you're too impatient to wait until you can get to your Mom's house to borrow her sewing machine!

You could also take an awkward "myspace" picture of you in the hat.