Perfect Oatmeal

So yesterday my husband and I made a trip to Starbucks for breakfast.  We don't go there very often because most of the time we brew Starbucks coffee at home.  I decided I wanted to try their "perfect oatmeal".  It was really good and filling!  After eating it I spent the morning running around in the 100 degree heat - taking Harley to the vet, shopping, running other errands, etc.  At lunch I still wasn't hungry!  It comes with individual packets of items you can add into your oatmeal.  I decided today I would make my own version, and it tastes basically the exact same.  Thought I would post it so if you wanted to try it, you could!  (and if you have another version you make, let me know!)

Perfect Oatmeal

-1/2 cup of instant oatmeal
-1 cup water
-1 tablespoon each (or more or less, depending on what you like) of: brown sugar, dried fruit (I used cranberries and blueberries), and chopped nuts (I used walnuts, pecans, and almonds)

Instructions
-Microwave oatmeal and water for 1 1/2 minutes.  Let stand a couple minutes (because it's REALLY hot), add sugar, fruit, and nuts and enjoy! 

*Also this is a way to get approx. 10+ grams of fiber in one meal - I am NOT a nutritionist, I just looked at the packages!* ;)

YUM!




T-Shirt Quilt

When I went to visit my family in Oklahoma I mentioned I made a t-shirt quilt.  I don't have many before pictures but I will show what I can.  First, I took a t-shirt and laid the entire thing on a cutting mat.  *Check to make sure you don't want to use the back image.  If you do, cut slits along the sides to cut them into two pieces.*  If you only need one side, it's super easy.  Take your ruler (I used a 12"x12" square-makes it way easier) and use a rotary cutter to cut the shirt into a square size of your liking. 

Some quilts use a 10"x10" and cut into the design a bit, some even bigger than mine.  Cut all your blocks out this way.  I had 30 blocks.  When your blocks are all cut, lay them out to decide where you want each block to be.

Then you can begin sewing.  I sewed each row together by sewing the first three together for each row first.  Then I sewed the remained two blocks for each row, without cutting any connecting threads.  This made it easier to pin together to sew each row to the next one. 

Finally, I had my quilt top assembled.  This is the part where Mom and I made a crazy trip to the fabric store.  At 4:30pm on Sunday, I was sewing my rows together when I realized the shop might close early.  Mom looked it up, saw they closed at 5, and yelled, "Get your shoes!"  We looked like crazy quilters sprinting to the car, but we made it to the store by 4:55.  The lady at the store laughed when we told her I almost wore my pincushion that had been on my wrist because we were in such a hurry.  We were rushed because we needed the backing for the quilt.  My quilt was just at 60 inches wide, which is what width t-shirt knit usually runs.  So I got 2 1/2 yards of black knit.

Then came the more time-consuming part.  I cut out batting my Mom already had to fit the size of the quilt, along with my black backing.  Then I laid the top down first, then the backing, then the batting.  Next, I pinned together all three layers.  It's similar to making a pillow in that you put right sides together and sew around all four sides, leaving a little space open.  Then you can flip it right side out and hand-sew the opening closed.  Woohoo!

The only things left to do were to tie the quilt and sew the patch I had created for the center.  To tie the quilt instead of hand-sew, I bought some black yarn and a fairly thick needle.  At the corners of the blocks I went down from the front to the back and back up, tying a square knot to finish off.

And last but not least, I hand sewed a patch I created on my Granny's fancy embroidery machine onto a black block in the center of the quilt.

And...finished!!

Playing Catch Up

So it has been a long time since I last posted!  I can't believe how fast the past month flew by.  So for a quick overview, here's what we've been up to:

1. Couponing: I'm still at it and it is getting easier.  I don't think I will ever do it to an extreme but it is nice to save money.  I am thinking of keeping track of my savings so at the end of the year it will hopefully be impressive.
2. P90x: To be totally honest, we have slacked off in a major way.  After I got sick my husband did too and now he has a bruised tendon.  I know, excuses excuses, but that just means we're normal.  Right?  We did purchase a mountain bike for myself and we have ridden around the neighborhood a little.  We plan on trying out some trails nearby soon.
3. Blogging: I finally sat down and worked with the layout a bit today so it looks better.  Maybe I can take a class of some sort to learn more about it.

4. Family/Friends: We had a great Easter with my in-laws and then a trip around graduation time to Oklahoma to visit my family.  We got hailed on in a big storm when we went to the rodeo.  Had a fun third anniversary spent seeing movies and running around the city (Bridesmaids, Hangover 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean).  My husband got a better job at the company he works for and should have more time off this summer to spend with me.  School's out and I just got back from visiting family for six days in Oklahoma.  I got to really spend time with everyone.  My mom helped me make a t-shirt quilt from my favorite college shirts.  It turned out really cute!  My brother just moved into an apartment so I got to help him with that.  Oh and then we made an IKEA trip for his apartment which is always fun.  I am hoping to blog about the trip in more detail after I get some pictures uploaded to the computer.

5.  Basketball:  The Dallas Mavericks are in the NBA Finals!  Games are on every other night at 8pm and we have been exhausted (but loyal) fans from staying up late and then getting up early.  Totally worth it, it's been exciting so far.  Another one tonight!  Go MAVS!!
6. Hawaii:  We've been getting ready for our trip this summer.  It's been in the 100's here so oddly we are looking forward to the COOLER weather at the beach.  Still have a few more lists of things to check off, but we have gotten a lot accomplished.
7. Harley:  We got him a children's pool for the backyard and he loves playing in it.  Other than the pool, he's not very interested in being outside in the heat.

So that is a fast highlight of what has been going on the past month or so.  I hope you're enjoying your summer and finding fun ways to beat the heat!