all done

penelope's room is far from completed and we've been here for over a year... but i did finish her quilt, which i've been working on for almost the whole time we've lived here.  can i hear a whoot whoot? i am hoping to have penelope's room all pretty for when the baby comes. we will see if that works out.

i've been trying to clear out all of my half finished projects, before i start a whole slew of baby projects. i am really happy with the quilt. i machine quilted it and before i machine quilt another quilt i want a walker foot for miss bernina.  there are a few puckers on the backside of the quilt that i gave up on fixing and decided weren't a big deal.

penelope likes it, but it will never replace her "b" which is what she calls her bff and blanket that my grandmother made her.

baby shower gift

 i went to a baby shower on saturday for a sweet lady in my ward having her first baby. i made this ball and gave her a pair of booties. i threw in a rubber ducky as well....every kid needs a rubber ducky. the party was fun and got me pumped for the 2 upcoming baby showers i am helping throw.

 

baking goals

i am definietly a person who likes setting goals. i have a goal to become a better baker. for christmas i got Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday, my brother has been baking delicious pizza, breads and other baked goods using this book and a couple of others. i decided that i wanted to give GOOD bread making a shot.

yesterday i made pizza for the fam using the neopolitan pizza dough recipe from this book and we loved it. it was miraculous, i didn't know homemade pizza could be so good. i didn't get a picture, but i am planning on making pizza again on monday for some visitors we have coming over. i also am hoping to make a ciabatta for sunday. wish me luck!

another baking goal is to make french macarons. i think these little cookies are adorable and i would really like to try my hand at them. i am hoping to do that this weekend, i will keep you posted. i am hoping that i might be able to make them for a baby shower coming up...in the theme colors of course!

squares...check!

i completed all the squares for baby sparks' afghan. i just need to sew them together and stitch a border. i decided to go with a pretty basic granny square pattern in fun bright colors. here is the pattern i am using and i am really liking it.

our weekend

 

we went to the birch aquarium for the first time. 

 

 we went to the wild animal park AND the zoo (with justin & anna's family.)
we went to yogurt on the rocks and gave it 2 thumbs up.  if you live in or visit SD you should try this place.

and we had some laughs.

i hope you all had a great long weekend!

24 week update

here's the baby bump at 24 weeks.

our appointment with dr. b was pretty uneventful. i, again, gained a lot more than i had thought.  i attribute the weight gain to my holiday eating.... it was a little out of control. 

our baby girl has a healthy and strong heartbeat. she likes to jump around a lot...mostly when i am trying to sleep or rest. i am getting pretty tired & sore by the end of the day. i am sleeping so much better than i was, so i am less grouchy...i think. bryan and i have been taking about names, we don't have one yet, but we are making progress and having fun in the meantime. penelope already favors one of the names more than the others... we will see if it's the one we go with.

i started an afghan for baby sparks it's turning out so great. here's a sneak peak. 

i think i will also make her a pair or 2 of flannel kimono pj's. here is my cute penelope (about 5 mo. old) in the kimono pj's i made her from amy butler's little stitches for little ones

i also got this book for christmas and i am trying to decide what projects from it i would like to make before she arrives. i think i may attempt this quilt, i love it so.

eek...i am so excited to meet her. 

happy new year! 2011

my new years post is a little late, i know, but i still wanted to remince on last year. look to the future and share some goals with you.

here is a list of goals i am working towards this year:

goal 1:
eat healthier (more vegtables) & try 1 new meal a week
goal 2:
run a 1/2 marathon (after baby sparks has arrived...i am thinking october)
goal 3:
read the Book of Mormon (i used to be really good about reading the book of mormon in its entirety each year...but i haven't been so great at it the last few years.)
goal 4:
be more kind
goal 5:
help penelope get more interested in numbers and letters

i would say i am a big goal setter. i get excited about setting goals and achieving them. sometimes most of the time things don't pan out the way i planned, but i still grow on the journey.

whoa 2010 was a whirlwind for me. it was a good year! we had a lot of change in the sparks home. here are some memories:

bryan graduated and got a grown-up job (his graduation ceremony was the last to take place in the provo tabernacle :(.

we moved to san diego and hit the beach

penelope turned 2, had her 1st stitches & was potty trained

 

 

 

 

emily made stuff

 

 

we had some great family adventures including the san diego zoo, the wild animal park, sea world, disney land,  l.a. sites, museuams & yummy restaurants

we had some amazing visitors! thanks guys.

emily sparks: handmade was in a number of craft fairs in California and Utah

we visited utah for mission returns and weddings

we sold the audi and got new wheels

penelope was a pirate

 

we found out we were expecting baby sparks #2

  

we had some fun dinner parties

 

we hosted our first thanksgiving dinner   

we had a white christmas with family & friends in ut.

there was 2010 in a nutshell. 

bring on 2011.