My first quilt...

Meet Avery Brooke.

She was the inspiration for my first quilt.  She was born in March, and that's when the project began!  I spent a good hour at Hobby Lobby searching for fabrics, and once I found eight that complimented each other, it was game on!

I spent the next few months cutting squares at our "Crappy Attitude Night" (aka Craft Night) and sewing them together.  I finally got a quilt top, and was ready for the next step.... quilting.

Nate and I planned a trip to Arizona in August, and I finished the quilt top just in time because Nate's Aunt Mindy has a quilting machine!!!  I was so excited when she told Nate that she was willing to help with this part.  I assumed that Mindy would just quilt the three pieces together for me (the top, batting, and the backing), but when we got to her house, I quickly learned that I was going to get to use the machine all by myself!  (I realize that this isn't nearly as exciting for you as it is for me, but humor for another minute!)

So I watched, observed, and felt nervous as heck...

Then BAM!  Mindy just let me do it!  It was so much fun, and now I need one of these "machine set-ups" someday when I'm not in a one-bedroom apartment :)

Mindy was awesome and showed me many tricks and different skills to practice, and Nate was super patient while we crafted the day away.  Mindy reminded me a lot of my own aunts, how crafty, creative, and SWEET they all are.

I couldn't give Avery Brooke the quilt just yet.  I took the quilt home to Colorado so that my mom could help me with the last part, the edges.  The edging is like the cherry on top, and made the quilt look complete.  I showed it off to my family and friends, and took one last picture before wrapping it up!

I had so much fun making this quilt, and I can't wait to make another one.  It's nothing compared to what my aunts can produce, but you know what they say, "One small step for man.  One giant step for mankind." or something like that...

Sister Brunch...

Well, what can be said about this year's sister invitation competition?  Not a whole lot.  The winner won by a lot, and the losers didn't even have a chance.  Below is the revealing of the invitations...

Invitation 1: Brook

Invitation 2: Kelly



Invitation 3: Maxi



Invitation 4: Would like to remain anonymous



Brook hosted an amazing party.  Shortly after we arrived, she greeted us with warm muffins and a delicious smoothy!  We made a cute holiday craft inspired by nature, while watching the one movie that every household should own... She's The Man.



After we made our crafts, we ate a delectable brunch.  There was fruit salad, more smoothies, ham, and homemade CREPES!!!  It was more than any of us girls expected.  We're gonna have to change the rules for next year's competition because Brook set the bar too high :)

Sister Brunch ended with a game of Rummy.  The entire morning was peaceful, enjoyable, and cute up until this point.  A card game will really bring out the Skidmore girls' "true colors" if ya know what I mean!  



In the end, I'm so glad that Brook destroyed us in this competition; the entire morning was perfect. My sisters are my best friends.  I love them to death, and am so glad that we all live within a mile radius of each other. We are truly savoring these occasions (family dinners, craft nights, shopping trips, etc.) because we know they won't last forever.  Thanks for an amazing day, Brook, but it's on for next year (say that in a super threatening, mean voice... but not too mean).

Sister Brunch! But who will host...

Awkwardness filled the air last night, as each sister revealed her invitation. Okay, awkward isn't really the best word to describe it... more like tense!

After a long month of planning (by one sister) and some last minute "throwing it together" (by the other three), the invitations for our annual "Invitation Competition" are done. Winner of the competition gets to host the sister brunch, already scheduled for Saturday, December 3. The voting is up to you. View all four invitations, and place your vote at the bottom of the post for the invitation you think is the best!

Invitation 1:

Invitation 2:

Invitation 3:

Invitation 4:

Disclaimer: Everyone may only vote once. Macy and I promised we wouldn't cheat this year, and we aren't allowed to use Nate and Daveed to help skew the scores...

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Fall Festivities...

Fall is my favorite time of year. There are so many different activities to do, and this year we did them all. This will be a picture post about our fall festivities...

Anderson Farms: Nate and I took Maxwell and Zailah to Erie, CO to Anderson Farms. We enjoyed barrel tractor rides, mining for gold, a massive corn maze, climbing a tire mountain, going for a hayride, picking out pumpkins, and so much more! It was perfect weather, and we had an absolute blast.

Dinner with friends: Matt and Kylie invited us over for a fall dinner, and it was soooo good! We had green chile burritos, chips and salsa, ensalada, root beer (in a cauldron with dry ice coming out!), with peanut butter brownies and ice cream! After we ate and visited for a while, we CARVED PUMPKINS!!!! Did I mention that I love this time of year?!

Pumpkin Hamburgers: We didn't put pumpkin in our hamburgers, I just carved our cheese into pumpkins! They didn't taste any different, but they sure put a smile on my face.

Trunk or Treat: A family outing to the Piney Creek Ward Trunk or Treat was next on our fall adventure list, and it was so much fun! It was awesome weather (which is strange for Colorado's October). Maxwell was a vampire, Lauren Brea was a princess, and Zailah was a turtle. They are the loves of my life, and I am so grateful to live close enough to hang out with them as much as I do.

Maxene's Birthday Bash: Maxene was a Halloween baby, and I love celebrating her birthday this time of year. Everyone who could (mom and dad were out of town on vacation) met at It's Just Peachy for some self-serve frozen yogurt. We had a blast just sitting around visiting, and helping Maxene celebrate her special day. I love living within a 3 mile radius of my entire family (minus Brock), and we are taking full advantage of spontaneous get-togethers.

Halloween Night: Chipotle offered $2 burritos if you had on a costume that had something to do with the farm. Nate and I dressed up as "farmers" and Macy and David dressed up as "farm animals". I put that in quotes because all of our costumes were pretty weak. After we ate our very cheap dinner, we then went to It's Just Peachy again... this time for free yogurt (if you were in a costume)! It was a perfect holiday :)

Did I mention that I love this time of year?! This fall was everything I hoped for and more. I can't believe that October is already over, but I am excited to see what this winter has in store for us!

Picture Competition...

I had fall break this week, and have been busy writing papers, working on first trimester report cards, and preparing for parent teacher conferences. Okay, you caught me, you caught me. I have been catching up on sleep, watching movies, working on crafts (but not finishing any of them!), hanging out with family, shopping, and not being productive at all. Nate got out of school early on Wednesday, so he picked me up for a spontaneous, snowy adventure.

Most adventures with Nate and I end up being a competition or some sort of bet. We decided to drive around and take pictures of the beautiful transitioning seasons. The trees have just barely turned colors, and then the first snow of the season hit! Shortly after the first few pictures were taken, Nate decided to turn it into a competition of who can take the best picture.

These days, I won't compete unless there is some sort of prize, so we agreed on the winner getting a 20 minute massage from the loser. Readers, please note here that 20 minutes is like an eternity to someone as stressed out and as busy as I am. I was all over this competition, but it's up to you to vote on which picture you like the best.

It's very simple. Take a look at the following six pictures (three from me, three from Nate in no particular order). Then click on which picture you think is the best at the bottom of the post!

Picture A:

Picture B:

Picture C:

Picture D:

Picture E:

Picture F:

Sidenote: Nate has taken a photography class, and I have not. Just sayin'...

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Second Annual...

Last year's "Halloween Invitation Competition" ended in more than tears. The silence treatment lasted about a month, and bitter feelings of "unfair voting" still linger when we talk about it. Click HERE for a reminder about last year's event. But we aren't going to let that keep us from having the "Second Annual Invitation Competition"!

This year (because of last year's drama) we had to change the rules. Last year when we had the competition, the winner never really threw a Halloween party, so this year we decided not to do it for Halloween, but the date has already been set for a holiday girls' night. Here are the guidelines for this year's competition:

• Invitation was to be completed by November 20th
• We will upload the invitations online for all to vote on
• Winner gets to host a "Sister Holiday Brunch"
• Date is already set for Saturday, December 3rd from 11-2
• Host will provide the brunch
• Activity at the party will be a holiday craft, chosen by the winner
• Each guest pays for their own craft, and the winner gets her craft paid for by the three losers!!!

As we talked about this years plans, we couldn't seem to agree on much. Even though we laughed a ton as we were making plans for this second annual event, we left the table with some tense feelings. Tears were flowing, competition was boiling in the blood, and physical aggression was taken out. I'm so excited to see how this year goes...

Africa...

Last night I had a dream I was in Africa. I want to go back.