samuel

Since the slide show was a bust....

Here is a picture of my little bundle in his car seat. He now weighs just over 20 lbs., so he will be moving to a bigger seat. :)

I just had to catch that face before we went out in the cold...

Samuel's First Year

EDITED: I need to find a better format to get this to family and friends...Give me the weekend. :)

To those who cry out, "More Samuel!":

Here is what I have been up to so far this week - a slide show of Samuel's first year. This is my initial stab at getting it together...so I think I will make a few changes.

WARNING!!! This video is dripping with a parent's love for their child, which may be obnoxious to some. I know and understand that not everyone thinks my kid is the best. But I do :), isn't that how it should be?

Either way, I hope you have 13 minutes - if not, you might want to come back to this later!

Enjoy,
ariana

recent creation

I made these little wallets for a Christmas party at Shawna's house last month...

You see? I am filling in the blanks. Just a little late.

Have you missed him?

To those far, far away: We think of you and miss you! There are so many to name...

I realize that you have not seen Samuel lately! Here he is testing out his new chair that he got for Christmas - just his size.

Oh. And here is the progress on the quilt...I have been running around like a chicken with her head cut off...no time to test the machine yet!

new baby!

Ha! I may have got your attention with that title. But, NO WAY. Not a new baby like Sam, a new sewing machine!

Here's the story:

I have been wishing and hoping for a sewing/embroidery machine for months. I focused in on the Janome MC9700. It's seems to be a good machine for the price point and Janome has a great reputation for high quality. The down side? Sticker price is $2200. Ugh! You can get one used on eBay for a good price, but it's still pretty costly.

I have been using the Kenmore machine that my mom got me in 2002. At first it went unused. Especially with working and going to grad school. But it has gotten some loving in the last couple of years and even a tune up about 2 years ago.

In the last week I have been obsessing over a new project. Ask Matt or Sam. I get in "the zone" and can't stop sometimes and my intensity level gets pretty high. This is my project - isn't it beautiful? I never have desired to make a quilt until I saw this one and realized it fit me just right. So I went for it.

As I was getting to the critical part of my project - the actual quilting - my machine starts to act up. To the point of bringing me to tears! It could seriously ruin all my work so far. So I call for pricing to tune it up/repair. $65 + the cost of repairs. Ugh!

So Matt tells me...why don't you get a new one? We saw one on clearance at the store and for a little more money you can get a new machine. I hate to do that because the one I have is good and I don't want to be wasteful, but I will look.

So I went to the Sears Repair center this morning - LOVE that place! There are so many great deals. Basically I got this new machine because the box was torn a bit. It retails for $240. My price? $109. And now I have a newer, savvier, sturdier machine (returnable within 30 days if I don't like it).

But what about the old one? I am hoping my baby sister will take it with a tune up and see if she likes to sew. Keep it in la familia, if you know what I mean. Mom did get it for me after all and I do have a sentimental attachment to it.

But what about the Janome? Well, two things.

One, I found out that Janome manufactures a lot of Sears Kenmore machines. So I am thinking it's comparable.

Two, you just can't have it all. Especially not at once. I will be happy with what I can have for now and hope to someday be able to love a Janome sewing/embroidery machine.

In the mean time, I think I can create some cool things with my new gift...stay tuned. I will share.

Happy Monday, All.
me

Happy New Year!

Hi All,
I don't have my official goals for the year set, but I did celebrate the coming of the new year!

I don't like setting resolutions because I think that they are somewhat forced. Goals? I like goals. One or two things that I can do or accomplish. Last year it was running a half marathon and getting a card published. My friend Jen has over exceeded her publishing goals and I was inspired to follow suit. That 2007 goal was not met, but I don't think I tried hard enough seeing that I only sent in two cards! Maybe this year...

So, let's see. I did bring in the new year with a friend that I really only got to know in 2007, but it feels like we've been friends for years!

Matt and I had dinner with Christy and her husband, Phil for New Year's Eve. Christy cooked an awesome Ziti, salad and bread for dinner and I brought some of our favorite wine and cupcakes for dessert.

Which reminds me...Two more of my favorite things!!!

Coppola Claret wine and Magnolia Vanilla Cupcakes! The wine is tasty, but those cupcakes? Made from scratch with lots of butter. In the frosting and the cake! MMMM!!!

I highly recommend the wine and the More From Magnolia Cookbook.

So back to my story...We ate dinner and vegetated on the couch for a bit. Then we managed to get down to Market Square in Knoxville to see the ball drop. Oh yes. We had a ball hung by a crane. It wasn't quite Times Square, but it was fun to say we did it!

Here's some shots from the event...Christy and I (kind of fuzzy), Christy and Phil, and Matt and I. The Knoxville Ball and a random shot of a celebrator with a cool hat are bonus material. Enjoy.

Happy New Year!

hugs,

ariana