new toy

I stayed up until midnight on Thanksgiving to go to Wal-Mart with all the crazies so I could buy myself a sewing machine. I've been thinking about getting one for awhile. It was on sale for such a good deal and Jennifer said that I would always want one so I pre-spent some Christmas money to get it. I LOVE it so far. It was really easy to thread and get started. It's super easy to use because the controls all make sense. It's been quite the crafty weekend around here. I made a bit for Hudson with some felt on one side and terry cloth on the back (I sacrificed a towel). I then attempted to make him a soft block from this tutorial. It was tricky but I think it turned out pretty good. I finished it after he went to bed so we'll see tomorrow if he likes it.

yummy soup

I made this Cheddar Broccoli Soup for dinner and wanted some bread bowls to go with so I made these. I forgot to take a picture of what they looked like when done, but they were great. It was definitely the favorite dinner of the week. Glad I have some soup in the freezer.

coupon ninja

I made Mike go grocery shopping with me last week to help out and he dubbed me the coupon ninja when we were done.  Using coupons and store sales, we were able to save 64% off our shopping.  The week before I saved 51%.  I still am really enjoying the couponing.  It's most helpful to plan what we're going to eat based on what's on sale.  I still buy things at full price if they complete the meal, but I'm becoming more willing to go to more than one store to get a good deal.  One week I went to Albies just to get chicken breasts and eggs.  Since I only needed those two things, I was in and out of the store in under 10 minutes, so it didn't seem like that much of a hassle.

nov. 3

nov. 11

going pro

I finally finished Induction! I had to take one more class this fall, which was kind of pointless, but it's done. I got my official certificate yesterday and mailed it off with my application for my professional teaching license. Glad to have that done. Mike keeps asking when I'm going to get my signing bonus for going pro. I had to break it to him that I had to pay the State of Colorado for my license.

possibly my favorite book of the year

I could not put this book down.  It was so good.  I started reading it yesterday morning and I'm already done.  It had just enough mystery and suspense to keep me interested, but not too much to be scary.  It's set on a ranch in Kansas and tells the story of a devastating tragedy to the prominent family in a small town.  With bits of love stories woven in, it truly had me captivated.  I will definitely be reading some more books by this author with the hope that they will be as intriguing.  

brownies and prezels

Last week I baked some dark chocolate brownies when Sarah and Caleb came over to watch the Wisconsin-Iowa game.  They turned out super rich and gooey.  I used Alton Brown's recipe, which is a fairly common theme in this house.

This week, we were headed to an Octoberfest Halloween Party, so Mike and I made some yummy soft pretzels (courtesy of Alton Brown again).  I made up the dough and then Mike formed the pretzels and baked them.  We seem to tag team a lot of things these days with the baby.