Sew Fun

(Amy) For a Christmas/Birthday/Graduation/Everything gift, Mom and Dad Choules gave us a sewing machine! I couldn't believe it when I opened it up on Christmas morning, I'd been dreaming of learning to sew for some time. I've been taking sewing lessons at Thimbles in Woodbury, CT this month and have had so much fun. The store is absolutely adorable and so inspiring!

My sewing instructor, Jennifer, had the patience of Job as she taught me the basics. Together we made a drawstring bag, an apron, and a skirt.
I had to finish the skirt on my own which was challenging but I'm really pleased with the outcome...

...here it is! This is Butterick's See and Sew B4710 pattern. I already have my next pattern and material picked out, I'm so thrilled to be learning how to sew!

Suns vs. Celtics

(Amy)  For Christmas I got Dave tickets to see the Phoenix Suns (his favorite team) play the Boston Celtics at the Boston Garden.   Last year we saw the Suns play the Nets and the Suns pulled out a spectacular victory, so Dave and I thought that we might be the Suns lucky charm for their away games out East.  We were so wrong.  The Suns performance was miserable last night and they were down 30 point through most of the game!  It was a disappointing game and we left during the fourth-quarter.  However, we still had a great time in Boston and it always is a treat to get to spend quality time together!

After enduring several days of extremely cold weather with the high temp. only in the teens, the 30 degree temperature we had yesterday felt very comfortable!

The Boston Common was still decorated for Christmas and was so beautiful.

Too Good Not To Share

(Amy)  Here's a delicious recipe that I just couldn't keep to myself!  Dave and I love these vegetable enchiladas.  They are yummy and seem to be pretty healthy.   I make a few modifications to the recipe:  

1.  I've never used vegetable broth for the sauce (because we can't find it in our grocery stores) but just use a regular old can of beef broth instead.

2.  Instead of using 16 (6 inch) corn tortillas, we just use 8 regular flour tortillas.

Give them a try, I think you'll like them!

Manhattan Moment

(Amy) Dave had training for Boy Scouts in the Manhattan area on Saturday. I didn't want to miss an entire Saturday with Dave so I tagged along and hung out at Robbie and Emily's sweet place while Dave was at the training. After the training was finished, I rode the subway by myself (I felt so grown-up!) to the Manhattan Temple to meet Dave. It was a beautiful evening in the city with the snow falling and Christmas lights still on the trees. I love living in proximity to New York City, it's such a fantastic place to visit!

The beautiful temple, when you go inside you feel completely separate from the hustle and bustle of the city outside. I just love it!

Riding the subway back to Robbie and Emily's place.