Spelling Bee

Tonight was the 10th Annual Beginning Life With Books Spelling Bee. Tramway was able to have 4 teams participate! Go Tway! The money raised at tonight's event provides a copy of "Goodnight Moon" to every child born at Central Carolina Hospital. Which is awesome!

I always have a great time at the spelling bee, even though I am a horrible speller. I now know how to spell words like blunderbuss, palooka, and even pyrometallurgical (okay, I really will never know how to spell that last one).

Anyways here are some pictures for you to enjoy!


Here is my team: Me, Ellen, Mary Sue, and Christin


Jill and I


Sarah, Kate, and I *I love this picture*


Kate, Sarah, and I


Christine, April, and Crystal

Sunday Survey 2

Here's the Sunday Survey!

You have 1 day where you can eat ANYTHING you want: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. No calories or fat content, nothing too bad for you to eat! Pick whatever from wherever!

Matt:

Breakfast -- Brass Kettle hashbrowns; eggs; bacon; biscuit
Lunch -- Angel hair pasta with an alfredo sauce, spicy shrimp, and scallops; a salad; a beer
Dinner -- Filet mignon, medium rare; baked potato with butter, bacon, and chives; rice pilaf; salad; a vodka & tonic
*Snack* -- 10 layer chocolate cake

Courtney:
Breakfast -- Sunrise Grille: scrambled eggs, grits, homefries, and toast. Coffee and OJ
Lunch -- Kanki: salad with ginger dressing, soup, Filet migon, rice, zucchini and onions and a cucumber special roll
Dinner -- Salad with strawberries and walnuts. Grilled Salmon and scallops over pasta. A delicious dessert of some sort.
*Snack* -- 10 layer chocolate cake with ice cream!

A Play and A Party

Whew! It has been a busy couple of days. Friday I was able to go to school for a few hours and get the room ready for Monday. Yes, Monday school starts back. The last quarter of the year! Don't worry I only have to work a week and 4 days and I get 3 more off for Easter break! I was also able to go out to eat with Frankie on Friday for lunch. We went to La Dolce Vita I love their salads SO much! We had a great lunch and I was able to see Rick, Dylan, and Alex for a bit. I think Alex liked his lunchbag.

That night Matt and I went to see Whitechapel. It is a play about Jack the Ripper that Campbell University put on. We went to see it because Matt's friend Phil had a lead role. He did a great job! Afterwords we dined at Lillington's finest resteraunt... Waffle House.

Saturday was very eventful too! We were invited to Nathan Kite's 30th Birthday party. It was a blast! Becky gave us all fake mustaches that were a riot to see on everyone.

(Doesn't Matt look like a 1920's boxer? I am really thinking, thus my eyes are closed.)

It was a great evening! Happy Birthday Nathan!

Gotta Catch Them All!

The past 2 days have been great! I am really enjoying intersesssion, in fact it is going to be really hard to wake up at 6am on Monday morning...

Wednesday I got to do a phone interview with the Sanford Herald about Affordable Honeymoons and I got to talk about Vegas, Yay Vegas! Look for that April 4th. They might even post a picture! I also found out that Dana of DWA Photography has 2 of my bridal portraits on her website! That is really neat, she takes such beautiful pictures and is a lot of fun to work with! Funny how I had two wedding related things on one day.

Thursday has been fun! I went back to the quilt shop that my mom found in Fayetteville. Be proud of me, I didn't buy a thing this time! A pattern that my grandma wanted had come in and I went with her and my neice Heather down there. Heather bought some Amy Butler fabric, it is so hard to resist her designs. In fact, the Wordless Wednesday this week was an Amy Butler fabric (the brown and green) and a Heather Baily print. Also a very neat Amy Butler purse pattern and a skirt pattern that I am hoping to make out of the cream colored fabric.

I was able to do a little sewing tonight after I got back from bowling with Dad and Amy for Amy's birthday. Amy and I shared the world's largest banana split...


I finished a lunchbag for Alex and an iPod Touch case. It is out of Pokemon fabric, which is what he wanted. I had ordered a yard over a year ago for like $2.00 when I was buying some other fabric thinking I could make my youngest neice something. I never did think of what to make her out of it, so I am glad I was able to use it! They are all lined in the same green.


While I was at it, I decided that I need a case too. Love that lime and turquoise!


Here are links to the tutorials that I used to make the bag and cases. I changed the lunchbag a good deal because I lined mine and did not use oilcloth but regular cotton fabric fused with interfacing to make it stiff.
Lunchbag: http://www.simplicity.com/index.cfm?page=section/classroom/sewprojects/lunchtote/lunchsack.html
Cases: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=740

Wordless Wednesday 5

Mosiac

It's like this:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Google Image/ Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/)
b. Using only the first three pages of results, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s Mosaic Maker (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php)
d. Save the image and post it
e: share! repeat!

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your hometown?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. What is your favorite movie?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What is one word to describe yourself?
10. How are you feeling right now?
11. What do you love most in the world?
12. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Sunday Survey 1

So here it is! The new edition to the blog, Sunday Survey! This weeks survey Matt refers to as, "the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life". Mine took me like 15 minutes! Haha!

Top 10 Songs

Matt's List
1. The Beatles - A Day in the Life
2. Tom Petty - Free Falling
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge
4. The Eagles - One of These Nights
5. Wu Tang Clan - Bells of War
6. Pink Floyd - The Great Gig in the Sky
7. OutKast - Elevators
8. The Beatles - Dear Prudence
9. Paul McCartney - Band on the Run
10. The Police - Message in a Bottle

Courtney's List
1. Tom Petty- Wildflowers
2. R. Kelly- Ignition (Remix)
3. The Beatles- Rocky Raccoon
4. The Traveling Wilburys- End of the Line
5. Jack Johnson- Do You Remember
6. Paul McCartney- Maybe I'm Amazed
7. Barenaked Ladies- When I Fall
8. Elton John- Rocket Man
9. Ludacris- Ho
10.James Taylor- Your Smiling Face

Matt and I did our list separately and did not revel the list to each other until this afternoon. I found it interesting that we didn't pick the same songs, but a great deal of the same artists. My list is played all the time on my iPod, these songs make me happy. Look out for new surveys each Sunday! Also, we would love to see your survey answers! Feel free to email your answers to either Matt or I and we will defiantly post them, or post them as a comment!

Matt and I had a great day today. Rick, Frankie, Alex and Dylan came over for lunch and we had a great time visiting with them. I am now looking at a yard of Pokemon fabric for an iPod cover for Alex. I don't know which is funnier... the fact I had a yard of Pokemon fabric or that Alex actually wants it! Personally, I think it is cool and think that this cover is going to be awesome.

Wishing...

http://www.suusbikeshop.nl/2008/?page=specs

It's A Good Thing That I Don't Have Many Days Off...

Ah yes... Home Improvement. I wish this was pink...

Here's what I have been up to today...

Placed a hook in the bathroom for my robe.

I also redid the spare bedroom.

I wrapped a piece of corkboard in teal fabric and hung it on the wall as a inspiration board. See that jar? It is actually a quilt block for a quilt I am working on. That jar shape was made by sewing and cutting, lots of work. To the left of that is 2 framed pictures I took of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Boone. The sheets on the bed are green to match the 2 pillows that you see.


Here's one of the curtains I made today to match the green/teal theme of the room. This fabric was perfect for this room! I have enough to make a throw pillow or two for the bed as soon as I get some fiberfill.

And here is the best part of the room... a nice before and after for you.

I just love the difference! Thank you Target for your awesome containers and bedding! I would really like to spray paint those purple drawers I've had forever to match everything else but I worry about the spray paint made for plastic. Anyone had any luck with that stuff?

I also made a Pressing Board for my quilting.

Take a board, some batting, a piece of duck cloth and wrap it around the board and staple. You might have to bang the staples in with a hammer. Flip over and ta-da.... Pressing Board!

Phew! What a day! Tomorrow includes cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning!

Explanation...

I figured that Wordless Wednesday needs a bit of an explanation...

It is a picture of a the Campbell Law Review Masthead and a small plaque giving to Matt. I has been framed and each member of the Law Review signed it and wrote some very nice sentiments. It means a great deal to Matt. I have known Matt a LONG time and I don't think I have ever seen him speechless. He was shocked.

Here are a few of my personal favorite signatures:

"You taught me that being a leader means never having to tuck in one's factory outlet button-down."

"May your brain always be full and your work always appreciated."

"To the best EIC I ever had."

"I appreciate your leadership. You are destined for greatness."

"You made being on Law Review a little less miserable... or did you? Good day sir!"

And my personal favorite: "A good carpenter never blames his tools. Job well done. All the best in the future."

Thank you Law Review Staff from the bottom of my heart for this. I can't tell you how much it means to Matt. He has enjoyed working with each one of you and bragged on you all quite often to me. :) I know that he will look back on his 3 years at Campbell and have fond memories of each of you and I hope that you will have the same of him. Thanks again for everything!

Wordless Wednesday 4

Drumroll Please...

It's Done, Complete, Finished!

Stephanie's quilt is complete and I am so pleased with it! I think I could really get into making memory quilts. Hope Stephanie sends some business my way... crafting for the house fund, I love it!

Anyways, I had to go to my grandma's to complete the quilt because I did not have enough room here at the house to lay it out and get it basted. So Nema to the rescue! Thank you bunches!

At this point we have spray basted the quilt and she is rolling it so that it will fit under the arm of the machine to sew.

This is the look I made when I saw how I would have to sew...

You've got to be kidding me...




Do you see my knees? They wouldn't fit under the little school desk. I am holding the pedal with my foot out to the side. My back hurt so bad after this!

But it is done...

I hope to get a better picture sometime tomorrow...


Back of the quilt. Love that printable fabric!

Wow!

I have found a product that I am super impressed by! Printable fabric! I wanted a way to make a label for Stephanie's quilt, and thanks to a 40% off coupon from AC Moore I was able to pick up this for very cheap!

I was skeptical, especially since Matt and I own the world's worst printer, stick to making cameras Kodak. And of course the first time I ran it through it jammed and I had to cut the sheet down to get it to work, but when it finally worked... well it was awesome!

Labels on real fabric! I can't believe how well this worked! I have soaked them in water and they didn't bleed ink at all!

Also on this rainy day I got Stephanie's pillow stuffed. These were T-Shirts that didn't fit into the Carolina Quilt theme. I think it is cute. It is a little less than 2 1/2 feet long.

Front and Back, or Back and Front... either way works!

I am so happy that Monday = No Work for Courtney! I have 2 glorious weeks off! I plan to spend sometime with people I don't get to spend much time with. Mom has Mondays off, so I will be with her on Monday. I am excited to do lunch with Frankie sometime this week or next and I promised my grandma that I would take her to Joann's this week. Looks like another awesome intersession!

Banana Pancakes

Thanks to a lovely message from a fellow Facebooker (hey Jill), I had an inspiration for breakfast! Matt and I have been eating out a lot (aka Too Much), and I decided today that we shall eat no meal today that doesn't come from out of our kitchen! So we start with breakfast: Banana Pancakes.


Pretty huh? Very healthy with a nice glass of Orange Juice

But do they taste good?

Looks like they do!

On the menu for dinner tonight... Homemade Potato Soup, a salad, and Homemade Cheddar Biscuits!

What a Week!

Whew! That is about all I have energy to say after this week!

This was the LAST week of school before our 2 week intersession. It was full of testing, getting report cards ready, taking everything off of the walls so that they can paint while we are gone, and other schooly things.

Matt has also had a busy week, 1st week back to school after Spring Break. He is so close to the end of Law School! I can't believe 3 year have passed by as quickly as they have.

Intersession is going to be busy for me. I have a lot of people that I want to get together with and spend some time with. I have 2 projects started that I want to finish and a few more I want to get started. I want to clean out the closets and get ready for a Yard Sale. Whoa this list could take all 2 weeks....

I also have some big thoughts for the blog over intersession. I have been bad about my Wordless Wednesdays. I will get back on it. I also have an idea for another weekly spot... stay tuned for that one.

Sew What?

I wonder if Stephanie could hear me cursing her all the way in Wilmington? Stephanie, why did you choose a fabric with a BILLION lines in it?! I had to piece the back to make it wide enough for the quilt and I had to match ALL of the lines. I feel good about it, but it took forever...

I am hoping to get Stephanie's basted by Wednesday and start quilting. My goal was to have it complete to take to school before we get out for intersession. I am worried that will not happen because I need to get a few more things before I can get started on it. Eek! It would be SO much simpler if Sanford had a sewing shop, wish wish.

I did however get started on my next quilt. I have a name in mind for it and I am hoping to complete it over intersession. I think it is going to be a generous sized throw. Here it is in all its yellowness...


It is going to be a coin stack quilt. I even entered it into a Flickr group. You can click the button below to see many other talented quilters and their beautiful quilts...

Sunny Sunday

Today was a great day! Matt and I were able to see the Quinn side of the family for a yummy lunch! It was so nice to see everyone, we hate that we don't get to see everybody more often, maybe after May 8th. :)

I also was able to see Stephanie and Chris today! Yay! Stephanie had the quilt backing for her quilt and now I can get on quilting it. I think tomorrow I will baste it all together and I am really going to try to get it done ASAP.


The fabric for the back of the T-Shirt Quilt

I have started on another quilt and have an AWESOME one in mind! I hope to get a lot of sewing done over intersession, which starts Thursday at 2:30!

100th Post!

Wooo Hooo! 100 posts! Amazing!

Today is Read Across America Day, and it snowed so we didn't get to have our "Dr. Seuss Day". Today would have been Dr. Seuss' 105th birthday.

I love Dr. Seuss. My favorite story is "The Sneetches", with "The Grinch" a very close second.


Matt said his favorite were "Red Fish, Blue Fish" and "Hop on Pop"


Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Pictures:
Sneetches: www.childrenstheatrecompany.org
Grinch: http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/grinch.jpg
Red Fish, Blue Fish: http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/13700000/13702792.JPG
Hop on Pop: http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/13700000/13702792.JPG

Cut!

Rainy days...

We are expecting snow tonight, please just enough for a 2 hour delay. My students need to learn for to tell time and missing school is NOT going to help!

Since it has been such a cold day Matt and I have spent it around the house. We had delicious Chicken Enchiladas with yellow rice and homemade salsa. I love the recipe for Chicken Enchiladas (thanks Jill)! Matt has done some school work *surprise surprise* and I have been cutting fabric.

I have enough fabric for my next quilt. I want to do a monochromatic quilt. I have 14 different yellow prints but I want 4 more. This way I will have 2 blocks of each in each row. I am making a "Coin Stack" quilt. I can't wait to see how it is going to turn out...



I am hoping to get to Joann's Wednesday after school to pick up the batting for Stephanie's quilt and 4 more yellow prints. If you have 1/4 or more of a yard of yellow fabric that you think would go with this that you would like to swap for some fabric I have let me know!