Ten Funky Owls

iMac turned iCat bed!

2012-01-17T18:43:00.005-06:00

Meet Howie, an 8 month old "teenage" tuxedo kitty. I've never owned a cat before, nor am a "cat person", but he's a really seems to be a perfect cat in nearly every way, and we couldn't be happier to have him here.

Crappy iPhone pic, sorry!

Meanwhile, a few retro iMac monitors have been collecting dust waiting to be transformed into something neat, and Howie's arrival finally set that into motion! Of course I had to make him the turquoise one. :)

The iMac was gutted pretty completely, and then I sewed up a bed cushion and pillow set custom to the dimensions and interior slopes of the monitor. I did add a wheat sac infused with catnip oil underneath the bed to steady iCat from potentially being tippy as the back end of the monitor tapers upwards off the base. You could even warm that up on cold nights and spoil kitty rotten with an extra cozy bed, ha!

Check it out, pretty neat, huh?! Im super pleased with how iCat turned out.

Howie quite loves it too, much more than the picture allows, ha! He's not really sure yet what to do when the camera is pointed his direction.

Now what to do with the other iMacs...?!

Birthday season!

2011-10-24T14:06:00.004-05:00

My babies are now TWO and FOUR!

Of course I had to make G a birthday crown since L already had one. :)

G had a joint birthday swim party with one of his bestie's from school. I made their cake. I wasn't fancy or anything, but it captured their personalities well, and they both G and KR loved it. (And KR's mom, too, whew!).

As soon as I saw these, I knew I had to make little fish soaps for G's little friends to take home after the party. I picked up the goldfish at US Toy, the soap base and fragrance at a local craft store, and used Wilton clear treat bags and a piece of ribbon to tie it all off. The soap sets in an ice bath pretty quickly, and you just sit the finished product out to harden completely overnight.

What an aweful pic! So yellow! But you get the idea ;)

I love this next pic. What little one wouldn't want to be surrounded by balloons?!

And my silly little L on his birthday.

What a crazy that boy he is. I didn't have an "official" party for him this year, but he did celebrate at home, with his classmates, and spent the afternoon/evening at the State Fair.

Poor Gunnar got nervous at the start. Logan had no fear whatsoever, of course!
But G loved it and was all smiles soon after the first circle round. :)

Happy birthday to my favorite little men in the whole world. I love my boys so much!

Reading Nook

2011-09-14T23:00:00.001-05:00

I decided to turn fairly wasted space under the stairs into a reading nook for the boys. Both G and L love to read, and I also figured it would be a nice 'quiet time' space for G to rest when he didn't want to nap, rather than inadvertently waking his brother. ;-)

The before space.

I saw this DIY pillow sleeping bag on Pinterest and altered the idea a bit to make the cushion. I bought a twin flat sheet and cheap pillows, folded the sheet in half (sides together) and sewed straight lines through it to act as "pillow cases" for each segment. The case opening is one one end, rather than nicely hidden in the center as the original tuturial. Now, if the cushion was going to function more as a mobile sleeping bag, then I would follow her tutorial closely, but mine will always be up against that wall, so I really didnt care if the opening was more 'finished.' Either way though, sooooo easy! Seriously took maybe 30 minutes to pull the whole nook together. G and L added some stuffed friends and filled a long basket tucked under the first stair with books of their choosing and voila, the reading nook was complete.

I also added some of those soft floor mats underneath for extra cushioning.

The boys were quite surprised and very happy with their new space. I'm thinking about also adding a little curtain in the future to give it more of a "fort" kid feel. :)

I dont know why the pics are coming out wonky? Like they look smooshed? Ah well!

Lunch Sacks!

2011-09-13T17:06:00.000-05:00

Made the boys some new lunch sacks for school! I had been considering different patterns, and even drafting my own pattern altogether, but this one pretty much had everything I was looking for. I wanted something that the boys could each carry easily, that was insulated, that could actually hold containers flat (most have depths so narrow) and that the boys could open but not necessarily easily ;).

I used cotton for the interior and exterior (the solid is medium weight canvas) and an Insul-Bright layer to keep contents hot/cold. I even got a chance to use a few specialty stitches from my machine to add a little personalization.

So far the bags have held up great! And they are super cute, IMO. I think when I get around to it, Ill make a few in adult size as well.

You can link to the lunch sack pattern through here. :)

Summer T's

2011-08-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

The boys had a friend stay the day with us, so we wanted to do something fun and decided on making t-shirts. I already have blank shirts in their sizes and paints/brushes and freezer paper stashed away, so it was an easy go-to activity. Freezer paper is so easy to work with, and super nice for little ones because you can leave the rest of the shirt mostly covered since its harder for them to stay within the 'stencil' area. ;-) I used the same method as here. They all had a blast, it was a gorgeous day for painting outside, and their friend had something tangible to take home as well. :)

Sweet turtle friend

2011-08-03T16:34:00.002-05:00

I made this little girl back in February, but never posted about her. Probably because I never took "real" pics, rather just quick crappy phone pics. But she was a special little turtle friend and I still wanted her on the blog. :)

Isn't she the sweetest?!

I bought the pattern from Ric-Rac, but seriously the "story" behind this little turtle (originally a boy, "Ernst") is the sweetest. What a fun little blog she has too, don't ya think?!

Moving up to sous chef.

2010-11-10T21:48:00.000-06:00

I'm ready! Lets get baking!

Mixing? You need mixing?! I got ya covered mama!

Mmm mmmm, worth all that hard work. Definitely.

A necklace for Leila. Aka- I made a pup collar.

2010-10-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

Meet Leila. She's a 4 month old little Labradoodle girl. Such a sweet thing she is, too. She's been with us for a month now and fits right in with the family. And she seems to be loving her new pup collar. :)

I didn't follow a pattern for the collar, but I do think I remember seeing one in Amy Karol's Bend the Rules book, although her's was all fabric.

To make the collar, I sewed a strip of 5/8th inch ribbon onto 1-inch webbing and cut that to Leila's neck size plus ~6-inches (to accommodate for her growth and for threading through the buckle clasp). I did sandwich a little vertical loop of ribbon between the webbing and ribbon so that I could hang Leila's vaccine tags (off a small D-ring, not shown).

I have the collar threaded with the tail on the outside to show best how it's made, but it can also be threaded with the tail on the inside, so that you don't see the underside of the webbing at all. It really doesn't matter either way. Also, Leila wears a harness when we go on walks, so we don't attach the leash directly to her collar. If I did though, I'd add a D-ring vertically next to the un-adjustable end of the buckle before sewing down the webbing. If that makes sense.?

And heck, if you make one, while you're already sewing ribbon to webbing, you might as well throw together a matching key fob as well. These would make great gifts, too! :)

First birthday- and crowning my little prince.

2010-10-30T21:04:00.001-05:00

My littlest one, Logan, celebrated his first birthday last week. Last month when I saw how much Gunnar loved the paper birthday crown that his teachers had made for him, I knew I had to make something similar for Logan. I wanted it to be fabric though, and ideally adjustable. And then I remembered this tutorial I had bookmarked a while back. Perfect!

The crown should fit Logan's head for a while, too. It didn't quite fit on my head, but almost, so that's promising for longevity. ;)

We had a nice family picnic celebration on Logan's actual birthday, and then had a little celebration party at home over the weekend. Well, we celebrated until poor little Logan got tangled up in fire ants and suffered a pretty bad allergic reaction. Yep. Not pretty at all. :(

I know, it's blurry. But I still love this pic. Big brother was so excited for Logan. Such sweet boys I have. :)

Happy birthday to my sweet, silly, beautiful little Logan! I can't believe you are ONE.

Brown Sugar Salami Chips

2010-10-07T10:38:00.000-05:00

Let me just start by saying these chips are FANTASTIC. They don't make it past 20 minutes max in my house without being devoured (and its really only that long because they need to cool a bit first!). Gunnar LOVES them, and when all the chips are gone, he'll sit there, focused, searching out every last little crumb. But heck, if it wasn't him, his daddy or I probably would be doing the same thing! No waste here, not with these bad boys.

The recipe was in Jewish Living Magazine from 2008. Here it is with my notes interjected:
Arrange one layer of thin salami slices on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 325ºF until edges are crisp, about 30 minutes (Add 5 or 10 minutes on if needed to get those edges crisping). Remove from parchment and blot dry on paper towels. Combine 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a large, microwave-safe bowl (You only need 2T if you are making just half the salami). Microwave about 30 seconds until bubbly. Add chips, stir gently, and return them to the oven on a fresh sheet of parchment to bake 3 to 4 minutes at 300ºF (My chips usually need 5-7 minutes, and I get impatient and will often up the temp to 350 or 400. Yep. Breakin' the rules..ha).

Make sure you slice the salami as thin as you can. Or if you get it from a deli, have them do it for you! My slices are thin but do vary in thickness, which is kinda nice, so some come out softer or more crispy than others. But you cant beat how thin the deli can slice them (more like regular chips!). And FYI, the slices will shrink to about half there size. I've always used Hebrew National Salami as it got the best ranking out of 5 salami's reviewed in Jewish Living Magazine, from a 2008 feature. But I'm sure any salami would work fine.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Third year birthday canvas.

2010-10-06T20:59:00.000-05:00

Okay okay, I promise this will me my last third birthday related post. ;) But I had to share G's third canvas, of course! This year Gunnar was a bit more purposeful with his art.

I secretly cringed a little when he began mixing and muddling the paint colors together. But it's his painting, so I bit my tongue and let him have his way. I'm glad I did, though, because I think he makes beautiful art.

He calls it "Lots of fish, and a bird." The bird is the purple-ish creation on the bottom right side.

I am so glad he wanted to smash his hands in paint. Those little hand prints are so special to me and really mark him as such a big boy, and still so little, at the same time.

Not a great picture, but here they are together, clockwise from first birthday, hanging on my bedroom wall above my dresser. Logan's first birthday canvas will fill that fourth spot in less than a month (yikes!).

First Fishing Trip

2010-09-28T16:14:00.000-05:00

Uncle Chris flew in to take G on his first fishing venture for his birthday. My brother travels all over the world to fish, hunt waterfalls, hike and the like. G's been asking to go fishing, but hubs held off from taking him because we knew this would be something really special for Uncle Chris to do with G. And then hubs could take over from there. ;)

The first fish caught of many. :)

Logan and I tagged along to take pics and walk around the park.

Let me just say Gunnar had a BLAST. For those of you Dallas readers, we hit Sunnyvale Town Park. It is absolutely teeming with fish!

And to close out, here's a fun video Uncle Chris took:

Three.

2010-09-28T14:46:00.001-05:00

My little boy turned three a week ago.

My sweet, smart, funny, curious, active little boy is growing up too fast.

Grandma and Grandpa flew in for the weekend and we headed out to Ft Worth to ride the miniature rails per Gunnar's request.

Round trip this train is almost a 45 minute ride!

I wasn't planning on making him an official cake for his birthday since he didn't have a formal party, and while he did have cupcakes with all his school friends, my mommy guilt still hit and I scrambled during nap time to throw something together. Worth everything to hear my now 3 year old offer up a huge "Thank you mommy, I love it!" with big wide excited and surprised eyes.

It's not amazing in terms of a cake, but I'm pretty darn proud of how it turned out considering it came to life in a pinch!

I had one car left over, so I let Gunnar decorate it the next night and we sang happy birthday all over again.

This was so much fun for him, I think every year Ill let him decorate his own personal mini cake or cupcake to blow out the candles on.

Happy birthday little man! Your dad and I are so proud of you and feel so lucky to call you our son.

Garden Friends.

2010-08-18T14:12:00.001-05:00

Hubs has a few bearded dragons that live in his classroom, but he brought one home for the summer for Gunnar to play with. She went back to school this week with hubs though, and Gunnar was missing her, so I thought we'd do some lizard art in her honor. I had an idea in mind, but then I came across this blog post from Se7en via Skip to My Lou, and decided we'd make a lizard (and friends!) for the garden instead. Gunnar loved them. :)

Unicorn shrimp.

2010-08-16T15:04:00.001-05:00

Let me just say, we love, love, love Asian food. And Asian markets! We had a little free time this past weekend so we headed to check out Asian World Market to get our fix (in Plano, for those of you in Dallas). Our favorite Asian market out here is H-Mart (in Carrolton) hands down for prices, selection and the 'experience,' but it's fun to mix things up every now and again.

Anyhow, hubs offered to make dinner. (I sure wasn't going to turn that down!) We had Summer Rolls and Scott's make-it-up-as-you-go crab and greens Asian soup.

Doesn't it look so good?! We totally polished off that tower. Dip those rolls into the homemade peanut sauce and sweet chili sauce and mmmmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm!
(Hey, see those soup bowls?! I threw those (aka- potter's wheel) when we were dating, and still love them! If I only still had access to a kiln, *sigh*.)

The soup was really good, too. Scott made these crab/fish balls for it (haha, fish balls. Oh, come on, fish don't have balls! get your mind right! hehe), and threw in a mixture of greens (sweet peas, baby bok choy, seaweed), and some other ingredients.. sorry, he was cooking, I just ate it happily. ;)

And who the heck knew Shrimps were a member of the UNICORN family?!!! Dang!, he could poke your eye out! That horn thing was hecka sharp. (No, we do NOT eat the heads. No way!)

To drink, something coconut of course! We usually buy young fresh coconuts and simply pop a straw down in 'em, but we came across these bottles that claim "Taste Nirvana" and "Happiness in a bottle".. hmm, thats a hefty claim, don't you think?

Um, no, completely right on! Only wish we didn't buy just two of them.. darn!

Posting these pics, I wish we hadn't scarfed down all those summer rolls in one sitting! Must put the husband on dinner duty again real soon. ;)

Pears a plenty.

2010-08-14T16:35:00.003-05:00

We've been waiting a few years for the pear tree to give us a good fruiting. Last year most of the blossoms dropped after some heavy wind swept through, so we only got 3 or 4 pears. Our peach tree consistently is an incredibly good producer; We had TONS of peaches throughout the early part of this summer. And now, finally, looks like the pear tree is beginning to follow suit!

Gunnar gathered a bunch of pears that blew off from a recent storm. These were the little guys, perfect for little hands to eat easily. Small, but really tasty! Still have double that amount growing on the tree, and those are full size.

Here's Gunnar with one of his neighbor friends eating pears they cut up themselves. They pretend the playhouse is their restaurant kitchen and cook us food to order. But even the cooks need a snack now and then!

Nothing like fresh picked, sweet and juicy pears grown at home. Even Logan loves them. :)

And some nice tomatoes and (overgrown, oops!) cucumbers we picked today, too!

Pigs. Really?

2010-07-07T22:38:00.001-05:00

My 2 year old's favorite animal is a pig. Seriously.
Really? Yes. How odd is that?
We've asked him over and over again for a few months now, and we always expect him to say a dog, cat, lizard.. something "normal," but nope, its always a pig.
And you might be thinking, 'well pigs can be kinda cute, like Wilbur'. No, no, no.. He's not referring to the Charlotte's Web version of a pig.. nice and pink, with a perfect curly tail.. nope. The uglier the pig, the more fat and wirey and dirty, the more Gunnar likes it.
Like this Warthog above from the Dallas Zoo, that's one of his favorites. But any pig he likes. And he's never seen any tv or movie with pigs in it. Is my kid abnormally odd? Ay!

(I do also have to apologize for the lack of posts lately. We had an obnoxious worm virus on the computer and I've been scared to death to harm our pictures. So I kinda just went MIA. Not that I've had much time to post anyhow! Now that schools out, I've been working 6 days a week while hubby plays mama since he's home for the summer. The life of a teacher, nice for sure! Anywho, hopefully Ill be back up and posting regularly again soon. :) )

A baby shower gift for twins.

2010-05-25T19:40:00.000-05:00

One of my childhood best friends from back home is pregnant with fraternal twin girls due this July. I am so excited for her! The baby shower was this past weekend. I made sun hats and burp cloths cloths for the girls.

The sun hats turned out super cute! I love the little ruffled brims.

I know mama really wants these babies to have their own identities, so that's why I chose two different, but similarly themed prints for the hats.

The sun hats are also reversible, with the same lining fabric in each in case mama wants them to be a little bit more coordinated.

I had extra fabric leftover from the lining, so I snazzied up some store bought cloth diapers into burp clothes. Really fast to sew up!

I made two with fabric panels, and left two of the burp cloths plain. Just in cases mama prefers ones that aren't so cute for around the house or whatnot.

To make them (how I did do at least), you measure your fabric to be about an inch and a half or two longer and wider than the center panel of the burp cloth. Fold under the raw edges to be just smaller than the panel and pin in place (fabric right side up since there is no turning needed). Sew using a nice and tight, narrow zigzag, catching the edge of the fabric panel on the zig and the diaper fabric just next to the panel on the zag. That's it!

Here's a close-up of the stitching:

And I had to throw in one of the wristlet key fobs I made a few months back for mama! See it *here*. As I've mentioned before, I think the key fob has been one of my most favorite items to have with a baby. So much easier with full hands (and arms!) to not be fumbling around in your bag for long lost keys. Especially with twins!

I heard the shower went really wonderful, too!

My mom mentioned a really cute gift idea that a group of friends did, that I thought I'd pass along. They went in together and bought multiple baby outfits for the girls and strung them up on a clothesline with pink and purple close-pins. They then carefully and neatly folded the line up and tucked it into a two handled basket with a big flowey bow on top. It was a really sweet sight to see as everyone there passed along the clothesline and one by one the little outfits popped out of the basket. There was nearly 15 feet of line! I wish I had a picture to share. Oh well.

Well thanks for reading and looking. :)

Zippered pouches and my Mother's Day gifts

2010-05-14T22:06:00.000-05:00

My mom and grandma are both big fans of cutting coupons, but they carry them around in plastic sandwich baggies. My mom has mentioned before that she'd like to pull something a little more "attractive" out of her purse. Hopefully these will suffice. I tucked in recent pics of the boys, and Gunnar drew a picture for each of them.

I purposely chose a food related print for my grandma's pouch. I really didn't want her having to search all in her bag trying to remember where and what the heck she put her coupons in.

And I think the strawberry print is cute, too, so that works.

My mom would never handle that strawberry print. I chose a more refined, simple black based floral print for her, with a coordinating interior lining.
**************************************************************************

And look what my sweet boy made for me at school. *love*

He was so excited to tell me about how he planted the flower and painted the pot and dots on the card. And how I need to water the plant and give it sun to make it grow really big. He was so proud of his gift!

And squueeeeeel! The husband gave me a pizza stone!! I think going over 6 months without buying a single bread product proved that I was serious about this bread baking thing, worthy enough for my very own stone. ;) I LOVE IT! I've made homemade pizza on it twice and a boule so far. What a difference!

One happy mama on Mother's Day. Latin cafe brunch, Artfest, a nap!, Chinese takeout, and good Hawaiian beer. Awesome husband and the best two little boys a mom could ask for. Great day. ♥

DIY Rosewater Facial Toner

2010-05-03T20:41:00.003-05:00

I was flipping through the current April/May edition of Natural Health and saw they had a recipe for Rose Toner. I've made it before, but it's been a while, so I was really excited to be reminded of it again and it just so happens to be that our climbing roses are abounding with gorgeous bright magenta clusters right now. Perfect timing!

This stuff is super easy to make, so you should definitely try it if you have (pesticide free) roses in bloom at your house too. Rosewater is known to help clarify the skin. It tightens pores, decreases redness and inflammation, tames breakouts, removes excess oil while not drying the skin out.

(Hehe, don't let the bottle throw you. The husband teaches science and so we have a variety of bottles that were once used to store chemicals in a past life. They are a nice size, and I think they're kinda neat and pretty despite the labeling, so I use them to store astringents/toners, bath salts, oils etc.)

So, the Rosewater. Pick about 2 cups of petals and give them a quick rinse off. Put them in a pot with 2 1/4 cups water (I use distilled, but regular filtered water would work as well). You want the petals to be just covered by the water line. Turn on the heat, but when the water starts to boil, move the pot off the burner and let cool for about an hour. I like to stir every few minutes or so.

Here's what it'll look like:

The petals will float after you put in the water. That's okay. That's why it's good to stir every so often. ;)

After a few minutes, the petals will start to fade and stain the water.

Petals are almost completely faded. The house smells really pretty right now!

At the end of the hour cooling, voila! Translucent petals and pretty pink water. Perfect! Now just strain the petals and pour the liquid into a sterile container. The rosewater is good at room temp for 4 or 5 days, or you can double its' life by storing in the fridge.

To use, moisten a cotton ball with the rosewater and sweep over a clean face. You could even pour some of the sweet smelling, pretty concoction in your bathwater. The recipe will make about two cups, so shoot, do both! Or share some with a neighbor. :)

Variation: Add a splash of witch hazel in if you have oily skin.You can also throw a few fresh rose petals in with the rosewater for an even prettier presentation.

Now go get to picking some petals! :)

Taggy Plushies.

2010-05-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

Little Logan puts EVERYthing in his mouth. He'll chomp, chew, bite, lick, suck, taste, teethe on anything you've got. And let me tell you this boy means business, and he'll clamp down hard! So needless to say it was a no brainer that I needed to make him a few toys to mouth on. I've got a few different ideas I'm going to try out, but up first was this little sunshine taggy. Ever since I stumbled across this blog post, I knew I had to make one of my own. I can't believe using ribbons is patent protected (you'll have to click the link to see what I'm referring to). LAME.

I pretty much followed the tutorial, except I left the second round uncut and trimmed the excess after I sewed the ribbon sandwich together. I've always found it easier to sew that way (foolproof really!), and less stressful not having worry about whether the ends are matching up perfectly.

Our newest find.

2010-04-30T14:48:00.001-05:00

Pretty cool, huh? A late 1950's/early 1960's vintage Coca Cola vending machine, when a bottle of Coke was only 10 cents! We're going to refurbish it and get it fully working. It does work now and keeps cold, but it could definitely be cleaned up and some of the parts could use replacing. I'm not sure I want to re-paint it though, I kinda like the vintage charm, but we'll see what it looks like first after a good scrub down.

It'll eventually find a home in our kitchen, although more likely mostly filled with Izze's, Ginger beer and Shiner, and at least one slot of Coke bottles for good measure. ;)

We're pretty excited!

Kale. It's good.

2010-04-18T18:13:00.004-05:00

So good in fact that I've made 3 batches of kale chips in one week! Smitten Kitchen posted this recipe a few weeks ago and I'd been eying it ever since. I finally dove in and boy are these kale chips good! I'm really not a fan of kale the way it's traditionally cooked (sauted, or similar), but it's packed full of vitamins and nutrients, so I welcomed the opportunity to try it in a new way. A great new way! Kale will never be the same to me again. And Gunnar can't get enough of this stuff, especially crumbled and sprinkled on popcorn. The flavors really do marry well together. But even eaten alone, the chips are good. So shoot, what's not to love? My kid is willingly gobbling nutritious green by the hand full. I think this recipe's a definite keeper!

Right out of the oven.

Atop fresh popped popcorn. I used a heaping quarter cup natural Red Crimson kernels in a skillet with 1T. of hot coconut oil for popping. With the kale in there and already lightly salted, there is no need to add butter or oil or salt at all.

Less than 5 minutes later, Gunnar's already gone through and searched out the first layer bunch of kale chips to eat before even digging in to the popcorn. :)

Kimono wrap top for the littlest one.

2010-04-16T22:00:00.002-05:00

I haven't ventured much into sewing clothing. A skirt for me, a pair of pants for the boy, bathrobe for the husband.. not many things. I made this kimono wrap top a week before Logan was born, but he is just now wearing it for the first time at almost 6 months old. I followed the newborn dimensions for cutting, and even then reduced it a bit further. Huge! Especially considering my little guy is also quite the chunk. Logan and Gunnar only weigh a difference of 8lbs, and Gunnar is 2.5 years older, lol. But anyhow, I digress.

The pattern (by creature of habit) was easy peasy, which is probably why I picked it. I used a combination of serging and sewing, and followed this awesome tutorial from Amy Karol for attaching the binding. All sewed up super fast. But, I will say, that while the sewing was great, if I make this top again I would likely sew the sleeves on separate from the main panels to mimic more natural movement. As is though, my little man seemed happy in it, and that's all that matters in the end.

Blogging for boobies.

2010-04-14T00:01:00.009-05:00

Today I am happy to be participating in a HUGE Breast Cancer Blogging Event! A incredibly ambitious friend of mine and fellow Dallas blogger, Jackie Reitz, has spearheaded a campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer, as well help her fund raising efforts for participation in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day. Her goal is to include over 300 blogs around the globe! I encourage you to take a moment out of your day to donate $5 or $10, or whatever you can give, to support her. Do it for your mother, your sister, your children.. This disease really affects everyone.

If Jackie can get 300 blogs to spread awareness and even if just ONE reader from each blog gives $10, that will amount to over $3,000.00 in the fight against Breast Cancer. Awesome!! So help her out! Head here to Jackie's fund raising page and send her some donation love. Heck, it's all tax deductible! And don't forget to check out the team's blog 'Betties for Boobies' tomorrow to see what an impact blogging for boobies made!

Enjoying the sunshine.

2010-04-11T21:17:00.015-05:00

We spent yesterday afternoon at one of the neighborhood ponds and were happily greeted by some feathered friends. The ducks here are so friendly. Gunnar was delighted to see them!

"Come on ducks, let go swimming! Over there!"

Logan didn't care at all about the ducks, but he sure did enjoy touching and pulling and eating and laughing at the grass. I don't think he lifted his head up once after I sat him down. He was one happy boy.

And the husband and I were quite happy too. We had just received a box of beautiful Meyer lemons my dad picked fresh from his tree (their house was built on what used to be a lemon tree grove in the valley- southern California), so I made Scott and I strawberry-mint-Meyer lemonade cocktails to enjoy. They were so good! There is no comparison to home grown Meyers, no way.

For each glass, I squeezed 3 lemon and 3 strawberries, and rough chopped a small handful of mint sprigs from the backyard. Added a few ice cubes and 1 tablespoons of sugar, gave it a quick stir, and then floated a little bit of rum atop. You could let all the flavors merry for a bit and then strain it if you prefer, or not add the rum at all and thin out the lemonade a bit if you don't want it so concentrated. Or add more sugar.. It's my own concoction, so make it however you like if you do. I might even write up an official recipe, it was so tasty!

All in all, one gorgeous, lazy afternoon.

Dreaming of quilting.

2010-04-09T13:30:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago, I attended the Dallas Quilt Show. To be honest, the quilts featured there were a little too traditional for me. I could definitely appreciate the stitching and piecing and such, just not my taste overall. here were a few really exciting booths like one with all batiks (even flannel!), an amazing art quilter who's quilting absolutely blew me away, and a fabric shop with some really neat retro prints. I've been itching to make a quilt for a while now, and while the Quilt Show left me a little hanging, I sure found some inspiration online. I'm definitely a modern girl when it comes to quilting.

Beautiful! *Red Pepper Quilts*

Check out this combo of hand and machine quilting, wow!
*The Silly BooDilly*

Also hand quilted. I'm totally digging the long running stitch look. *hARTylittlepeaces*

Stunning work in progress. *Sew Katie Did*

Serene. The quilt AND the baby, lol. The backing is minky, so perfect for a baby quilt. *Come and See the Seitz*

Simple, crip and clean, doll quilt. *I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts*

This quilt also just looks so fresh and clean, and happy. *Cluck Cluck Sew*

DROOL. Gorgeous! both this one and above it by *Ann StewArt*

And oh my gosh, how cute and sweet are these little birds?! And this was her first time using free motion too. (Gives me hope that I can do it too!) *Gone Aussie Quilting Via SewMamaSew*.

I seriously just need to jump in with both feet and make one of my own. ;)

Minky baby blanket.

2010-04-06T13:57:00.000-05:00

I made this flannel/minky blanket as a baby shower gift for my friend Jenn who'll be having her little girl next week. I've seen so much online about how sewing with minky is pretty difficult, but after working with it here, I really don't think there's anything to be afraid of. The biggest trick is just to pin the heck out of it and not to sew too fast. I pinned probably every 2 or 3 inches, because this stuff is a bit slippery and could get away from you if you aren't careful.

Here's a closeup of the top stitching. I used one of the decorative stitches on my machine, a flower motif of sorts, with matching green thread in the needle and bubble pink in the bobbin. I wanted a special touch, but something that still blended in.

Hope you like it Jenn. Can't wait to meet baby Madison. :)

Salad week success.

2010-04-06T09:30:00.003-05:00

(This is in reference to this post a week ago..)

We finished off the last of the orzo salad tonight, and let me just say we were so sad to see it go. The orzo, with the hummus and tzatziki in the pitas like a pocket sandwich was really, really tasty. That was our favorite way of eating it! The orzo and the butternut squash salad earned both the husband and my top picks. But honestly, every one of these salads were phenomenal. The spinach bacon salad I think you more have to be in the mood for, but even it too was really good. For some reason I guess I didn't take a pic of that one, but I know Pioneer Woman is a much better photographer than I, so its probably lucky for you I didn't. lol. My pics don't do them justice.

Monday: Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad from smitten kitchen. I only tossed probably 1/3 of the tahini dressing onto the salad initially. I reserved the rest to drizzle a little over top, and also to do so for the leftovers for lunch the next day. I think I'll make it again this week. yuuuuuummmy!

Tuesday: Asian Noodle Salad from Pioneer Woman Cooks. This recipe made a TON, and I'd say to give yourself closer to an hour if you typically have ~~little kids~~ distractions around while you cook. This salad requires a lot of chopping, but it's well worth making (and you'll have it around for days anyhow!). I really think the cashews make the salad, and while Ree calls for them lightly toasted in a skillet, we thought they were better roasted and lightly salted without the toasting. With the toasting, their flavors mesh really well, but we preferred the nice crunch and contrast as is. Both husband and I tried to seek out a cashew with every bite!

Wednesday: Black Bean- Couscous Salad; Lavash crackers. The salad recipe called for quinoa, but we had couscous on hand so I substituted it instead and it worked just fine. I also mixed the called-for spinach with spring mix we also already had, and crumbled a little sheep feta on top for an added flavor bonus. Cheese makes everything tastier!

Here's a close-up of the lavash. If you don't have a rolling pin, don't even attempt these, lol. You need to roll the dough pretty thin to get the right crackery consistency. Toppings are really versatile. I made half the batch (not pictured) with a pinch of sea salt, grated Parmesan and garlic, and the other half (pictured) with sea salt, parsley and basil.

Thursday: Warm Bacon Spinach Salad; whole wheat boule bread

(See, Pioneer Woman's pic is much pretty than mine are.)

Whole wheat boule adapted from my favorite bread book that I've raved about many times here. This boule is more like 3/4 whole wheat, rather than 100%. I ran out of wheat while Gunnar and I were making the dough, so we finished off with unbleached white.

Friday: Greek Orzo Salad; pitas, hummus & tzatziki; Tandoori chicken

Mmm, mmm, mmmm, mmm, mm.
I forgot to take pics of the Tandoori chicken (drumsticks), roasted red pepper hummus, tzatziki and pita's, so next time I make some Ill post pics and my recipes for all. Husband makes some mean tzatziki, let me tell you. It'll all be worth the wait. ;)

And there you have it. Our week of salads. Likely to happen again soon at this house. Oh, and the husband has already dropped some pounds on his quest for the IPOD. :)

Granola Bars. Chewy, oh so yummy goodness.

2010-03-31T15:03:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago the husband saw Fresh! (the "sequel" to Food, Inc.) and came home with the declaration that our house should be completely pre-packaged boxed goods free from now on. We've already gone the route of abstaining from buying any bread product (well, other than fresh tortillas, I must draw the line somewhere!), and we keep the house primarily organic and buy local where we can. Even though as it is we barely buy processed goods, making all our breads/muffins/pitas/pizza's AND everything else like practically ALL our snack foods, well, that's going to take a bit more effort and planning on my part. But, hey, I'm up to the challenge. It really does cut down on waste product for the environment, and is definitely healthier for the family, so here we go.

Anywho, all that to say, I was going a little nusto without my prior staple FiberOne Bars. Luckily a few FB friends posted about this granola bar recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Thank you God. They are absolutely delicious! Thick and chewy, hearty, and totally customizable to your taste preference. I'm going to make ten batches and freeze a bunch. The hardest part is waiting for the pan to cool so you can cut into them. Then, of course, having to keep your hands off them so they last more than a day..

The best granola bar recipe I have ever tried. Do it, make these if you haven't already!

Here was my favorite customization:
For the 2-3 cups dried fruit and nuts I used-

1/4c roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4c pecans, unsalted (I chopped these a bit)
1/4c walnuts, raw (I chopped these a bit)
1/4c flax seeds
1/2c dried cranberries
1/2c shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/2c dark chocolate chips

And then for the liquids, I used-

coconut oil instead of the butter
2T. honey
1t. vanilla

I put in the rolled oat, oat flour, salt, cinnamon, and water as specified, used only 1/2c of the sugar, and I added 1/4c of roasted almond butter.

What we do for an IPOD.

2010-03-30T15:20:00.001-05:00

(Photo taken from the Apple site)

The hubs signed on to participate in the "biggest loser" competition among the teachers at his school. To win an IPOD. I fattened him up the best I could over the weekend, and we made sure to add in a few DQ Blizzard runs as well to increase his chances of a high initial weigh in, lol. He is all business about this IPOD, um, I mean, lowering his BMI.. Yeah, no, truthfully, it really is all about the IPOD. But you have to realize, we are those people who live under rocks. Dark ages here. We don't have "I"-anythings, or even knock off somewhat related to "I" things. So this is a big deal here people.

In honor of his first week of the competition, husband has requested salads. He did not specify that it had to specifically be leaves, so here's what he getting.

The menu:

Monday: Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad
Tuesday: Asian Noodle Salad
Wednesday: Black Bean- Couscous Salad; lavash crackers
Thursday: Warm Bacon Spinach Salad; whole wheat boule
Friday: Greek Orzo Salad; pitas, hummus & tzatziki; Tandoori chicken

My Tessie.

2010-03-20T20:58:00.004-05:00

We put our dog to sleep yesterday afternoon. It was one of the toughest decisions I've had to make. Tessie was a Yellow Lab/Vizsla mix, and was the sweetest dog I've ever known. I adopted her ten years ago from a run down shelter in San Diego and we were instantly inseparable. I even brought her to work with me. She was constantly happy.

The past year though, Tessie started developing internal tumors and they quickly spread. She gained over 20 lbs in tumor weight. A few weeks ago, the vet told us she had about a month. We had hoped she'd pass peacefully at home, but the last few days were really rough on her, and while she still attempted to follow me around like a puppy and mustered up plenty of tail wags and smiles for me, I could see she was now in a lot of pain, probably constant. Her insides were shutting down and her muscles giving way. Yesterday I knew it was time, she was ready, just waiting for me to let her go.

She scarfed down a bacon cheeseburger and fries and we soaked up the afternoon sun. I have memories a mile long of that dog.

I miss you sweet girl. See you again some day.

Gunnar's doll. And the boys' dressers.

2010-03-12T08:05:00.003-06:00

Here is Gunnar's doll. Or rather what it looked like for the past few months.

When I had Logan, I thought it would be nice for Gunnar to have his own "baby," so I made him this Bit of Whimsy doll. It's the "John" pattern. I actually finished sewing him up the night I went into labor.

Except, if you look real close, you'll notice the poor thing had no face. I loved how the doll sewed up, and was really tired (and having contractions!), AND was a little nervous about embroidering the facial features since I've previously only embroidered flat before.

So I finally came around (and got the courage!) to give the doll its' face. As I finished embroidering the first eye on, he took one look at it and starting welling up. "Oh no, oh no, OH NO!," he said, pointing at the eye. I said, "Honey, don't worry, it'll have another in just a few minutes. I promise. It's okay." To which I got the response, "NO! No eye! Oh no, Gunnar's doll! Oh NO!."

Really? Are you kidding me. I could have left it faceless all this dang time and called the doll finished a LONG time ago. Really? *sigh*. Oh well. But alas, toddler emotions are quite fleeting, and Gunnar has come to accept and love little Gunni doll.

So now he has a face. All done. YAY!

Oh, and that reminds me! The boys' dressers are done! I forgot to post them finished. These dressers are super old and sturdy, really well made. Husband found them out by someones trash one morning on his way to work and of course loaded them up in the back of the cruiser immediately. (not a surprise I'm sure to most of you that know him...)
And here they are re-done and in the boys' room.

Our neighbors hated us for a few days while Scott worked on the driveway to strip off the gazillion nasty paint layers and prep them for their new-found blue glory. They thought they were so ugly. I'll give them that. But *we* could see the beauty they had to offer.

Above is a before pic of one of them, although at this point most of the paint had already been stripped off. And sorry about the wonky perspective, it'll be the last time I let husband take the pics. Yes, Scott, that's YOU I'm talking about. lol. Just kidding, love you honey. :)

Husband did an awesome job! They look even better in the boys' room than in pictures.

(ETA: I doubled the size of the original pattern of Gunnar's doll.)

Sweet memories.

2010-03-04T21:21:00.001-06:00

Memory triggers. Its really amazing how our brain works, isn't it. A scent in the air, a random car passing by, a strangers laugh, a song, the weather.. so many moments, in an instant, can send us back to another place and time.

This picture was the aftermath of cake decoration for Gunnar's second birthday. I absolutely love this picture. It reminds me of so much more than just the cake itself and all that went into creating it. Flashes of wonderful moments emerge in my mind. My boy's wide eyes and the giant smile that broke out from his sleepy face that morning as he awoke to see before him his very own balance bike... how despite his dad and I pulling out our best tricks, he still fell asleep on the way to his own birthday party, and missed the first 30 minutes sleeping peacefully in his car seat while the other children played (lol)... I can remember the friends that came, and even where everyone sat as we sang happy birthday and Gunnar blew out the candles with dad's help... how proud of him I was for potty training a month prior... I can picture him pushing around a truck he opened at the party, it was the very same bright orange shade as the shirt he had one, and he was completely, blissfully engrossed in it the rest of the afternoon... my belly with sweet Logan growing inside it..

Amazing isn't it.

So thank you, Sarah aka La Maison Boheme, for this post, which for some reason reminded me of those vividly colored toothpicks sitting on a paper towel.

And if you've made it this far, thanks for reading and perhaps something within this post will trigger a wonderful memory for you as well. :)

"Relax/ Refresh, Indulge"

2010-02-27T23:13:00.005-06:00

Teacher appreciation yesterday was a success! It took me about 4 evenings after the boys' went to bed to make the sacks (32 of them!).

The sacks ringed the the treat boxes, with note for the teachers explaining it all.~

Pick out a therapy sack in the fabric and scent of your choice. Choose the lavender scent to help you RELAX, or pick a eucalyptus one to help REFRESH your senses. Then, INDULGE yourself and grab a box of sweet treats to take home and enjoy all weekend.

Earlier in the week, the toddlers each picked their favorite paint colors and put their hand prints on a box. And the boxes were filled the cookies, brownies, bars, etc that many of the toddler parents volunteered to bake and bring in.

The instructions tags were tied onto a corner of the wheat sacks. Here's what the tags said, taken from Brassy Apple because Meg's poem was perfect and why mess with a good thing! And yes, don't worry, I asked for permission first. ;)

This little sack filled with wheat,

Is such a comfort that can’t be beat.

Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on HIGH

and kiss those aches and pains goodbye.

Apply it to the troubled spot,

The heat will ease the pain a lot.

Or warm those little toes, so cold.

You'll find this nice to have and hold.

Or freeze it for a little while,

And fix that boo-boo up in style.

Instead of a compress made of ice,

Use this sack of wheat that feels so nice!

(I'm scented with LAVENDER to help you RELAX)

or the last line said --

(I'm scented with EUCALYPTUS to help REFRESH your sense.)

A few of the parents had bought their contribution, so we kept those out on a smaller adjacent table for the teachers to grab a bite of something right then or pop in and out throughout the morning. I didn't get a pic of that.

Sorry the pics aren't that great. I must have been using the wrong setting on my camera or perhaps it was the lighting in the room.

*Oh and hey look, lol, we made the school newsletter that goes out each weekend. I'm in the middle with Logan. The other room mom for the Toddlers is to my left, and one of the parents who did a lot of great helping is to my right.

The one woman assembly line has begun!

2010-02-23T09:52:00.000-06:00

I'm in charge of the upcoming Teacher Appreciation event this Friday at Gunnar's preschool. Each class level rotates throughout the school year, and the toddlers are now up. Here's my plan.

"Relax, refresh, Indulge!" is the overarching theme I've dubbed the event. I'm making 30 wheat filled therapy sacks (you can put them in micro or the freezer, and place anywhere on your body to sooth aches, pains, etc) in two different scents (lavender- "relax", eucalyptus- "refresh"). I've also asked the toddler parents to bake some yummy treats (the "indulge!" part) that we'll package in take-out boxes which the kiddo's will decorate in class on Thursday. So on their way out for the weekend, the teachers can pick a wheat sack in the fabric/scent of their choice and grab a to-go box filled with fresh baked desserts.

I really wanted something that didn't take effort or time on the part of the teachers, like having to come early for a breakfast, or stay late for a lunch. While those type of things are nice of course, I know from experience with hubby that teachers really just want to get the heck out of there just like the rest of us when the work day is done. I also thought it'd be nice to do something that they could enjoy with their family at home, and something they could actually use instead of some gimicky commercialized crap they'll throw away after a day. So hopefully they'll like my idea. We shall see!

My main focus right now is the sacks. I've got help from another toddler room parent to take charge of the dessert boxes, whew! I bought fabric last week. There's some Legacy prints and an Alexander Henry. I really tried to pick a variety that would cover most people's tastes. I cut all the fabric last night, today is sewing, Wednesday is filling with wheat/essential oil mixture, Thursday is sewing the opening closed and creating instruction tags, and Friday is the event!

(I cannot take credit for the idea of the therapy sacks. I bookmarked this from Brassy Apple a while ago knowing the idea would come in handy at some point. Good thing I did! Her blog is great too by the way, so check it out!)

2010-02-15T21:01:00.004-06:00

It's 7am this past Thursday morning. Look at my kids face! He is so excited. And he should be! It does NOT snow in North Texas, so this was quite the rarity and special treat.
And, his first time ever in the snow. :)

Of course we had to build a snowman. Gunnar built one for him and one for Logan. It was so sweet he thought of his brother all on his own. <3

All done! Their faces bring a smile to my own. Gunnar did a really good job! He was so proud of his work.:)

Building snowmen sure makes a boy hungry. I guess snow in general makes a boy hungry though, because I'd say he spent the greater part of his snow play just eating it, lol. Mmmm, snow.

So this is snow, eh?

Poor thing took a snowball to the head. Yeah, not liking that so much.

The boys and I. Littlest one preferred snuggles for the rest of his snow experience. Can't really blame him.

Getting bolder with the bites while daddy works on the snow tunnel.

Said snow tunnel.

By the next morning, there was a LOT of snow. 12.5 inches, a record for Dallas!

So we headed out to check out the neighborhood.

Snow is so much fun when playing in with a friend.

Overall, we spent 2 whole days in a winter wonderland. We made snow angels, built snowmen, threw snowballs, ate snow ice cream... You get the point.

Thanks for putting up with my gazillion photos. :)

Me and Mini Fobs

2010-02-08T22:19:00.000-06:00

Key fobs are a must for any mother, I am convinced. I cannot tell you how much more convenient and easier life has been for me because of this thing. Really, I'm not kidding. No more fumbling through the diaper bag with a baby and grocery bags in tow to find keys to unlock the the car doors. And no more losing your mind trying to find said keys in the car after putting said grocery bags and said baby in said car. Or leaving keys in a retail bathroom after changing (again) said baby's diaper... Uh huh. Yep. You know you moms out there have many similar (and same!) stories. Don't deny it.

I have to say, I love the way these key fobs turned out. The J Caroline ribbon is gorgeous. And I am really, really pleased with my stitching. It's nice and tight and straight, and perfectly barely kissing the edge of the ribbon. Exactly how I hoped! Yes, I'm completely tooting my own horn. And I'm okay with that! I'm really hard on my own work, really hard. Poor hubs has to deal with me on that. But this project, I was happily singing along with my machine. I intended on only making one, but I had to buy yard increments of material so I ended up making three adult sized fobs, and then had a little extra webbing and ribbon so I made little Mini.

And Brandi, if you are reading this, I hope you like it, because I actually made it for you. It'll be in the mail shortly. :) Congrats again on that sweet baby boy of yours.

Heavenly delicious pudding.

2010-02-04T14:55:00.000-06:00

Coconut chocolate pudding, *drool*. Oh. My. Gosh. This was really good pudding. You must try this recipe. As in go today to the grocery store if you don't have the ingredients on hand. It is well worth it, and really easy to make. My little nursing's tummy is still quite sensitive to lactose, so when I came across this recipe (dairy-free!) on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen, my stomach begged me to make it. We love both coconut and chocolate over here, and who doesn't like pudding?

I made a few changes to the original recipe. I subbed in dark chocolate chips (we are big fans of dark chocolate!), used cornstarch instead of arrowroot, and only put in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. (I did the recommended three on the first batch and it made the pudding was a little bit super sweet. Still excellent, but I liked more of an intense dark chocolate taste to come through.) I also allowed the pudding to cook a little longer than "just to the point of simmer" before stirring in the chocolate chips, which gave it an even richer, velvety, almost hot fudge sundae topping type quality once it sets up in the fridge. Completely indulgent.

Gunnar helped cook, so he got to help clean as well. And boy, pudding tools are a great thing to have to clean up! lol.

Another apple please! Or rather, make that 4!

2010-01-26T15:28:00.003-06:00

My kid is a fruit fanatic. He always has been. Gunnar would turn down chocolates, cake, ice cream, candy, you name it, for a nice fresh bowl of berries. He'd be in heaven with a platter of fine expensive cheeses, cut apples, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, watermelon, and fresh bread. Yes, he has really good taste. Really good.

But is there a point where it's too much? Last night he ate 3 apples and fresh baguette for dinner. Medium sized organic fuji's (so sad that honeycrisps are gone already!), leaving nothing but the core and well, half the skin (because he's only 2, so there has to be some level of finiky involved, of course). And have I mentioned he can open the fridge on his own now? Well, he can. When he went for the third apple last night, Scott and I turned to each other with our jaws dropped. Really? Three apples? My goodness kid.

And this morning, after downing two bowls of cheerios with frozen blueberries in it, what do you think he asked for? Yup. Another apple.

Artisan bread part 2: Baguette

2010-01-22T19:17:00.003-06:00

This one turned out sooo good! Hubs bought me this baguette pan for my birthday last year and it hasn't gotten enough play. I'm happy to say it definitely stepped up and the bread turned out awesome. I really love how the baguette had those tiny little indentation all over the bottom, felt really authentic, lol, and the crunchy outside and soft inside was a really tasty combination. I had expected the hardest part to be transferring the risen dough from the towel (I don't own a pizza peel) to the baguette pan without ruining the shape of the loaf or the rise, but actually the learning curve came with slashing the dough after you "paint" a bit of water over the top of the loaf. It's a lot easier to slash with flour atop rather than water! But it looked, and turned out just fine. :) Another point for the Artisan Bread book! Oh, and did I mention the baguette only needs 20 minutes to rise before baking?! So easy! Bonus points!!

PS- I've made about 4 more boule's since last posting. All have been super! The flavor of the dough even gets better as it ages in the fridge. It's really fun to do different slash designs, too. lol!

The Artisan Way: Boule

2010-01-19T20:04:00.003-06:00

(This loaf was way over-floured before slashing. Thats why it looks so white. Toddler got a

little carried away! He was so proud! I love how he loves to cook with me. <3)

So I decided that this year I'd make all our bread from scratch. All of it. Well, at least lunch breads and dinner breads. I usually make *most* of the bread that we eat, so this isn't really a new concept for me.

I came across Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day at the library. In short, you spend about 15 minutes prepping two weeks worth of dough that you keep in the refridgerator until you are ready to shape a loaf. It takes all of 5 minutes (active time on your part) to go from refrigerator to table. Refrigerator, huh? And no kneading. Yep. Definitely intriguing. And the main dough recipe makes a bunch of different types of bread. Even better! Two weeks worth for all of 15 minutes initial work and 5 minutes per loaf, WAHOO was my thinking!

So off to Ace Mart I went to buy dough buckets and voila, dough in the fridge. Easy peasy, you just dump all the ingredients in the mixer (you can do by hand as well), let the machine run for a bit, and let the dough have an initial rise before transferring to the fridge to be at your beckon call in a (40 minutes or less) moments notice.

Last night I made a boule. The family was definitely happy with the results! Nice crusty crust and beautiful soft, slightly chewy crumb (that's means the interior in professional bread world.. which, why would they call the interior the crumb anyway? Doesn't make any sense to me..). We had just visited a local dairy farm and bought fresh butter, too. Perfect accompaniment!

If only I had pizza peel and baking stone, *sigh*. Someday. Will definitely be on my birthday list!

Oh and OH MY GOSH lookie what I found at Costco!

YES, that's ORGANIC flour!

I can't tell you how excited I was to make that discovery. Well, yes, I can, I was SUPER excited! I even sent the husband a cell phone pic of it right then and there, with a message of "Can you believe? Finally!!!!!!!" hehe.

Logan is 3 months old!

2010-01-14T15:08:00.001-06:00

Logan turned 3 months old this week! Where does time go? Although I'm now a full time stay-at-home mom for a few months, I went back to teaching (University level) when Logan was 2 weeks old. He slept peacefully (thank goodness!) in my ring sling through class, twice weekly, for the rest of the semester. The students loved him, and I think my 'performance' was better for having him there. I actually felt incomplete and awkward the one time Scott was off work and was able to keep him while I lectured. I missed my boy so much! But while it worked out having Logan with me, and duty aside, I really do think I went back teaching too soon. It sped up time when I should have been resting and recuperating, and just loving on my baby. And it took a toll. So now, I am beginning to *really* enjoy him and can do a bit of catching up. So happy 3 months little man! I look forward to life being all about you for a while. Well, and your brother too of course. But not lesson planning and office hours, student emails, grading... Just my boys. :)

Frog Surgery

2010-01-09T14:58:00.001-06:00

Is he gonna make it mama?

Yes, honey, yes. I think he's going to be just fine. :)

Felted Soap

2009-12-22T13:21:00.000-06:00

My friend Amba is a felting queen. She recently started her own felting business, The Felting Pot. While I've worked with wool for spinning and such, I've never felted before. I went to one of her mini workshops to learn some basic techniques, and made a few great holiday gifts while I was there. Now I can use some of the millions pounds of raw fiber (well,okay, not millions.. but alot!) that I have around here to make some more felted soap at home. What a two-fer! If you are in the Dallas area, check her out!

Challah cover embroidery

2009-12-18T13:23:00.001-06:00

I'm the roomparent for Gunnar's toddler class, which means I'm the lucky one organizing holiday gifts for the teachers, specialists and office staff for his grade level. I really hate asking parents for tons of money, especially with the economy right now, so I figured I'd make two of the 8 of the gifts myself to help keep costs down.

I stiched up two Challah covers using crisp linen fabric and regular 6 strand embroidery floss. (Challah is a Jewish bread that is traditionally covered with a opaque cloth while it is being blessed for Shabbat).

Here's a closeup of the embroidery. Both the star and the dreidel patterns are from Sublime Stitching.

Yes, I know, the Jewish star pattern isn't quite finished. I did stich in those little outspray thingies that you can see an outline of, but I finished it in parking lot of the school about 5 minutes before the gifts were presented. So no pic of the final fully finished embroidery, sorry.

I Luv Veggies

2009-11-30T12:16:00.004-06:00

I made my friend Katy a little something for her birthday. She likes to cook and bake and do all things 'kitchen-y', so I thought an oversized flour sack tea towel would do the trick. I use mine all the time for covering rising dough, underneath cooling cookies, drying dishes.. surely she could use another towel, right?

How fun is this pattern! You mix and match veggies and faces for a custom-of-sorts creation. Sublime stitching rocks, especially when you don't feel like self-drafting a design.

Happy birthday Katy! Hope you like it! :)

And were back!

2009-11-05T10:03:00.001-06:00

Yes, its been over a year. But we're back now! And instead of just one boy, we now have two! Welcome baby Logan! My photographer friend Susie took his newborn photos for us. He was two days old here. And Gunnar is now 2.

My personal favorite. What a cutie pie.

My sweet boys together.

A tank and a onesie.

2008-05-01T16:04:00.007-05:00

Ive been doing a little bit of simple embroidery lately. I made this tank for my friend who is a knitting fanatic. The ball of yarn with knitting needles (all in black, I wanted to keep it simple) is right smack in between where the shoulder blades would hit when wearing the tank. This stitching was a bit tricky since the tank was stretchy and ribbed.

And then I made this lavender and light pink prissy poodle one a white onesie for my friends little girl. Yes, I know, the pictures all stink. Sorry! I took them practically in the dark and at the last minute, serves me right. Both these patterns are from Sublime Stitching. Jenny Hart rocks.

A much needed new spinning seat

2008-03-31T14:19:00.003-05:00

So i have this great spinning chair, but its ancient and the fabric is quite outdated (in a not so cool way either). It was about time i give it a makeover. Part makeover i suppose, since i only recovered the seat. Paint is next. I'm thinking maybe a hot pink?..

Here is before:

And here's the seat after:

And now if i could just find time in my day to start spinning again. Maybe the new seat will inspire me, we shall see..!

Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie

2008-03-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh this was so good, and other than waiting for the sweet potatoes to cook up, really easy to make. I made two of these pies, one for our Easter block party, and the other for a picnic outing at the Arboretum with friends. I cheated this time and used store bought crust (the refrigerated kind), though I really should have been less lazy and made it myself- probably would do a graham crust or something with a bit more flavor than Dough Boy's. But it was fine nonetheless. And you could make this with Whiskey instead, or no alcohol if you prefer. The alcohol cooks off though and even the little ones liked it.

So here's the RECIPE (I adapted it from a similar recipe in a magazine and I don't know which one, oops!):
3-4 large sweet potatoes- peeled and cubed (the smaller the faster they cook!)
1/3 cup butter (best at room temp to combine nicely with the other ingredients)
1/3 cup sugar
2 lightly beaten eggs
2/3 cup half and half
2 oz bourbon (optional)
1.5 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
2 pie crusts

Cook sweet potatoes in salted water. Bring them to a simmer and then continue cooking ~ another 5 or so minutes until soft. Drain and mash them. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Slowly add eggs, vanilla, salt and bourbon. Mix until well combined. Add sweet potatoes, nutmeg and cinnamon until blended. Pour into pie crusts and bake for ~45 min. I like to cover the edges of the crust with foil for the first half of baking so they don't burn. Best eaten cooled with whipped cream if you like.

Enjoy!

My baby is half a year old! :)

2008-03-05T18:20:00.004-06:00

G turned 6 months old yesterday. He's such a happy, content baby and we are having so much fun watching him grow (so fast!). He has his two bottom teeth in already and can sit on his own. Here's a few pics of my sweet boy.

Alot of Pasta!

2008-02-18T14:42:00.002-06:00

Its pasta time! Scott and I make it together (with the help of our good 'ol Kitchen Aid mixer), and by the end of the night our entire kitchen is SWIMMING in pasta. We really need to invest in hanging drying racks. Pasta covers all counter space, kitchen table, bar... EVERYTHING. I should take a pic of the kitchen next time, ha. We like to make a TON of it and dry and freeze some. This go around we made regular angel hair pasta, sausage ravioli and spinach linguine (pictured- the flour keeps it from sticking and helps it to soften when cooked). Most of what we made was for my dad for his birthday :).

Whats for dinner? Menu.

2008-01-20T17:50:00.000-06:00

Ah, the meal plan. It's been a while since I've actually "planned" a weeks worth of meals for us. Usually i just throw something together based on what we have in the kitchen at that moment, but there's something exciting in the anticipation of knowing what's ahead to cook. Lame, yes. lol.

So here it is:

Monday: Shrimp Tacos, Guacamole, baked corn chips
Tuesday: Beef Satay, Summer Rolls, Peanut dipping sauce, white rice
Wednesday: Steamed Salmon in Banana Leaves, Roasted Beets, baked Yucca fries
Thursday: Steelhead Trout, Artichokes, Quinoa
Friday: Tossed Salad, Pizza

Hi Mom!!

2008-01-17T15:39:00.000-06:00

I had to post this pic. Look at those cutie cheeks, lol! G is 4 months here :)

Lemonape, or so I call it.

2008-01-16T14:47:00.000-06:00

Mmm this drink is so good! We love making lemonade this way! Instead of sugar, you use grapes, which makes the lemonade so much healthier for you. Basically you blend a few cups of grapes with about a half of a lemon and a cup of ice, and thats it. We have a super high speed blender so we can actually put all the ingredients in whole without having to peel or take out seeds. I made these today a little bit slushy just for variation (and so i could stick an umbrella in it, lol) but normally I make it smooth like a juice or how regular lemonade is.

2008-01-15T21:07:00.001-06:00

Picnic Placemats

2008-01-13T10:30:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot to post about this! For the holidays, I made picnic placemats for my sister-in-law and her husband. While still living in CA, they often would go on long bike rides along the beach, winery hopping, and the like. Now that they are living in Chicago, we're pretty sure they'll do alot of riding to the lake and local parks once the weather warms a bit. Now they have a handy place to eat on their lap wherever they choose to stop :) . The pattern is from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing and isn't this just the most perfect fabric for these placemats?!

A simple salad

2008-01-10T22:09:00.000-06:00

Salads are so fun and easy to make! Tonight we had a chopped salad topped with honey-mustard soy chicken. This was my first go at honey-mustard dressing, not too bad. Scott loves mustard, I dont, so this really was for him. I'd have done a bbq-ranch, but I added enough sweet honey to dilute the sharp mustard taste. Overall, I'd make this one again.

Special delivery

2008-01-09T14:30:00.000-06:00

First of all, I love packages. Seriously. I think I like getting a package sometimes even more than finding out whats inside. Yes, I know, kind of strange.

So heres what we got today. My MIL sent us all of Scott's baby blankets that people made him from when he was as wee-bitty as G. How sweet are they! S immediately recognized the top, green plaid one. I think that one is my favorite.

Ill be making G his very own blanket shortly. Some oh-so-soft minky is already on its way in a nice big brown box, actually. I bought way too much fabric on our trip back home for the holidays to cart it back in the car... nice huh!

Molcajete!

2008-01-08T21:11:00.000-06:00

Guacamole is so much more fun when made in a molcajete, I am convinced!

Of course you still have the same amount of prep work without one, but the smashing and combining with the tejolote is much more fun. And I think it looks cool too :)

And eh, your not supposed to "clean" it with any kind of soap... woops.. These things really should come with directions..

Ahh, to be back at the beach

2007-12-30T10:21:00.000-06:00

Gosh we sure miss the ocean. Its nice to be "home" again, and little G for the first time gets to see the sparkly blue waves daddy has been telling him ALL about. Nothing like a family picture at the place we love most. Its not the greatest picture ever, but with the sea behind us and the sand at our feet, it has become our favorite memory from this trip. Someday we will be back living in a place where our surfboards dont have to hang on the walls in our bedroom, sigh.

A man and his music

2007-12-21T14:26:00.000-06:00

And just in case Scott doesnt like the stenciled t's I made him, he will definitely love this. He has long mourned the passing of his Cool Runnings *tape* which he religiously arose to every morning for years and years before we married. I dont know what Im getting myself into buying him the CD..

Stenciled T's

2007-12-21T09:01:00.000-06:00

This year Scott is getting two stenciled T's from the babe and I. Pretty easy and fun to make, except its a bit trickier when holding a baby. The stencils were made using freezer paper and the shirts I bought at American Apparel (they are so soft and buttery, love AA!).
I choose the designs based on sentimental meaning. For S's birthday the first year we were married, I made him a homemade cake with that exact surfer guy on it. He's always wanted to get the motif made into a sticker for his car window. I thought of just making the decal for him, but its kinda become a long running joke that it hasnt happened yet when he wants it so bad but always ends up leaving the darn design at home when were going to places that have a sticker booth. So hence came the shirt idea.
The long sleeve shirt I designed, although the drawing of the seahorse I did on paper was MUCH better than the actual seahorse here. I'd like to add more detail to it, and looking back i should have used fabric markers which would have allowed for blending and creating dimension right off the bat. Oh well. Anyhow, the circle represents the circle of life (and the ocean), and the seahorse is a symbol of amazing father he is to our sweet little boy. Did you know that the males seahorse is the one who looks after, nurtures and protect the little ones? So sweet, huh?

Well hello there!

2007-12-20T13:51:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog. I decided to start a blog because, well, everyone seems to be doing it. LOL. So here it is, or will be rather. Tidbits of craft, of cooking, and of wonderful life with a sweet babe.

Isnt he the most adorable guy around? Look at that face, awwww. Sweet boy :)

So please bare with me for the next few weeks or so as im sure I'll be doing a lot of tweaking, decorating, and just plain learning as I go.