Life on 19th

New Scarf

2012-01-26T17:15:00.000-06:00

Growing up we had crocheted ripple afghans than my grandmother and mom made, and I've always loved them. My mom made me my own a few years ago too.
So when I saw this ripple scarf on Pinterest, I wanted one. I asked my mom if she would be able to make me one (after all, it's just a skinny afghan, right?) and of course she could. I picked gray and yellow for the colors. It arrived in the mail a few days ago, and I am in love! So nostalgic!

52 Fridays in Photos: Three

2012-01-20T17:10:00.000-06:00

Clouds: I stole this photo from my archives, because lets face it, the winter isn't the best time for photos. It is usually dark by the time I get home, and weekends are busy. Or I forget. So I dug up this photo I took in October.

52 Fridays in Photos: Two

2012-01-13T17:06:00.003-06:00

Week 2 theme is: Retro

Remember these little pots of lip soothers? They remind me of my childhood (not that I like to admit my childhood is now retro). I do admit that this pot is not the traditional ceramic variety. They are plastic now, but still just as cute.

52 Fridays in Photos: One

2012-01-06T18:49:00.003-06:00

So I've decided to take on a project for 2012. A photography project. You've probably heard of Project 365 or Project 52, and that is basically what I am doing. Except with less rules. Most people follow a blog or some guidelines of what their weekly (in my case) photo will be about. Me, not so much. I have a few lists of 52 photos to take that I will be looking at, and taking an idea from one of them. It's a bit more flexible for me this way.

So to start off the year, the first theme is: Self Portrait.

And there it is, up there. Not the greatest. I probably took 50 photos with the self timer. I started in the kitchen, then moved to the living room and figured I could hide behind the laptop! Kinda worked.

Random notes: Turtlenecks make my face look fat. And how about that giant pimple on my face? Ugh. Too bad I don't know how to photoshop that out!

Thin Mint "Wreath" Cookies

2011-12-21T18:13:00.002-06:00

Ok, so they aren't exactly wreaths, but they were supposed to be. Mine came out more like ovals, so I gave up on the wreath concept. I found this recipe in my new issue of Taste of Home. These are slice and bake sort of cookies. The cookie part is chocolate and minty, then they are dipped in chocolate and you get to decorate them like wreaths, or not. I made these as part of the packages I took in to coworkers. One lady said they were "refreshing" and everyone asked for a copy of the recipe.

Giveaway Day!

2011-12-12T06:33:00.001-06:00

Once again, it is time for Giveaway Day, sponsored by Sew, Mama, Sew.

Welcome to my blog, where I share bits of my life, including my sewing projects, recipes I make, books I read and occasional travel. Have a look around if you'd like.

Today I am giving away a reusable sandwich and snack bag. They are lined with ripstop nylon, and have a velcro closure. They can be wiped clean, and best of all, reduce waste. I made these little bags with leftover scraps from the Aviary 2 line.

So how do you win?

Tell me what you do for a living.

Are you a teacher, a lawyer, or a florist? If you are a mommy, tell me who you are a mommy to. If you are a student, tell me what you are studying.

I will choose 1 winner, randomly. I will ship to the US or Canada only.

Contest will stay open until Friday.

Cookies and Cream Bark

2011-12-11T16:56:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Pinterest, I found this super quick and easy recipe for Cookies and Cream Bark. I made some for the holiday goodie bags I will be giving my coworkers. It is always nice to have one recipe that is no-bake. I essentially doubled the recipe and made it in a 9x13 cake pan. Also, before adding the chopped cookie bits to the chocolate, I poured them in a colander to sift out any of the fine crumbs to help prevent the white chocolate from becoming gray chocolate, and it worked quite well, if I don't say so myself!

Love Bird Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-09T16:50:00.000-06:00

I made these two love bird ornaments for a dear friend for an ornament exchange. You may remember I made some of these ages ago, and I decided to revive the pattern for some ornaments. The theme of our exchange was to give an ornament that would remind the giftee of the giver. And since I sew, I thought a handmde ornament was appropriate. I'm calling these two "love birds" since I made one for her and her husband. And because I can.

Christmas Stockings

2011-11-30T09:09:00.000-06:00

With the arrival of Emanuel earlier this year, I knew I'd need to make a Christmas stocking for him like I did for Elena last year. But I wanted to make something different, so I decided to make them both new stockings. I found this Simple Stocking Tutorial and it was perfect. Bought some festive fabric, and wa-la!

New use for Ikea shopping bag

2011-11-28T08:59:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the most boring post ever.
Have you ever been to Ikea and ended up with one of their ginormous shopping bags just so you could carry a few things home? Then you get home and think "What am I going to do with this big bag now?" Yea, mine lived in the utility closet for awhile. But I wouldn't throw it away because I just knew some use for it would present itself. This summer, it did.
Yard waste bag! Super exciting, huh?
See, we have to take all our yardwaste (weeds, cut grass, leaves etc) to the city "dump." These things are not allowed to go in the regular trash. Then when you get there, you have to dump the yardwaste out of whatever receptacle your carried it to the dump in. This means those black plastic yardwaste bags are basically useless. Ever try to dump rose bush clippings out of one? Not a pretty sight.
I remembered I had this giant Ikea bag, and it is perfect. It is basically a tarp material, but has 2 sets of handles for carrying. It fits alot, stays open while I fill it, and dumps out easily when I need it to.
So that's it. Woo hoo!

Pasta with grape tomatoes and corn

2011-11-23T20:53:00.003-06:00

My sister shared this recipe with me recently. She found it while browsing one of my mom's issues of Food Network magazine. She made it for dinner and her husband's review was "Wow, that's good. Like, restaurant good."
That was good enough for me, so I made sure to pick up the ingredients. The recipe is supposed to have papperdelle, but I couldn't find any, so I used some other pasta. My sister said she thought the papperdelle had egg and semolina flour, so I made sure to find a similar pasta, it was just more of a linguini shape. I don't know if that really makes much of a difference.
Anyhoo, the pasta was really tasty. Brian and I don't really care for tomatos like that, so next time I might swap them out for some broccoli or something.

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

2011-11-09T07:14:00.001-06:00

I found this recipe a while ago and finally made them over the weekend. The recipe is for mini donuts, but mine were regular sized because that is the size of the pan I have. I'll admit, they were just "okay." But I had fun taking pictures of them! And eating the icing! And for the life of me, I can't find the recipe I used anymore. But that's okay, I'm sure you can find others on Pinterest.

Weekend Hike

2011-11-07T19:08:00.002-06:00

This past weekend we went for a hike in a nearby State Park. It was a nice fall day, and a good hike. Ty enjoyed running and exploring and I even managed to convince Brian to take a "family" photo.

{waiting for us slow pokes}

{his fall portrait}

{the family}

{hiking}

Sauerbraten

2011-11-05T08:47:00.001-05:00

If you would've ever told me I'd be cooking sauerbraten I would've called you a liar. Or crazy. It's German, and has "sauer" in the name, which I associate with sauerkraut. No thank you. So how did I come to be making this recipe, you ask? I saw a picture of it in Food Network magazine and thought it looked good. After reading the recipe I realized it is basically a pot roast, no sauerkraut involved!

At first the recipe seems a bit involved, but it really wasn't. You do have to marinate the beef for 2-3 days, so some planning is needed. You have to boil the marinade, which will make your house smell wonderful! I should note here that I used white cooking wine in place of the dry red wine the recipe calls for because it what I had on hand. I also left out the juniper berries because I couldn't find any in the 2 grocery stores I checked.

After a few days you get to brown the beef, then assemble it with some veggies and roast it for a few hours in the oven. When it comes out it will look like this.

Then you get to make a yummy sauce with the marinade and enjoy!

I think this recipe could easily be made into a crock pot recipe. Marinate the meat, then instead of roasting in the oven, cook in the crockpot. I also think you could easily make the marinade and then toss the beef and the marinade into a freezer bag for later. Then you have a freezer meal that mostly requires roasting later on.

Pesto Chicken Panini

2011-11-02T20:18:00.003-05:00

When I was in Boston last month, my friend took me to an Italian deli where we had some lunch. I ordered a pesto chicken panini that was seriously one of the tastiest sandwiches I have ever eaten. I'm pretty sure I said "mmmm" outloud several times while eating it. And while I was eating, I was thinking to myself "I have to make this when I get home."
And I did.
So here's the scoop.

Pesto Chicken Panini

chicken breast
ciabatta
tomato, sliced
fresh mozarella
pesto (I made this recipe)
olive oil

Warm up your grill (George Foreman anyone?)

Slice the chicken breast in half so it is thinner (like cutting a deck of cards; sorry, that's the best analogy I could think of). Salt and pepper the chicken, then grill it.

Brush olive oil on the ciabatta and grill it a little.

Spread some pesto on the ciabatta, add a slice of tomato and a slice of mozarella. Place chicken on top, and top with other half of ciabatta.

Put on grill and smash together. Grill until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Boston, Part 4

2011-10-26T05:53:00.000-05:00

My last day and half in Boston was actually spend oustide of the city. I went to visit one of my PA school classmates. She took me to the beach where her family goes in the summer. It was a windy day, but sunny with blue skies.

{lighthouse}

{walking towards the ocean}

{Miss M, going back to the parking lot}

{Miss M and I, waving}

{wooden bridge}

That's all of my trip to Boston. I had a great time and will have to go back with Brian some time!

Boston, Part 3

2011-10-24T05:46:00.000-05:00

Well, not exactly Boston, more like Cambridge. We went to Harvard! Randomly, it was parents weekend, so at least we weren't the only ones walking around snapping photos! The campus was beautiful of course.

{courtyard}

{chair on Harvard Yard}

{me, relaxing on one of their chairs}

{door}

{courtyard, again}

Still a little bit more to come!

Boston, Part 2

2011-10-22T05:37:00.000-05:00

Day 2 in Boston we wandered around, then went on one of the famous "duck" tours. In the evening, we had dinner in the North End. The whole North End smells like garlic, it was delicious!

{church detail}

{a T stop sign}

{old firehouse}

{go dog go!}

{the State House}

{view on the Charles River}

{fence on Beacon Hill}

{downtown old vs. new buildings}

More to come!

Boston, Part 1

2011-10-20T17:26:00.002-05:00

Last weekend I took a girls trip to Boston. I had never been, so I was expecially excited to see the sights and take pictures. On the day I arrived, we spent the afternoon walking the Freedom Trail, a red line/brick line that you literally follow through the city as it leads you to all the notable historic points. It was a bit of a cloudy, drizzly day, but we made the most of it!

{Boston Garden}

{street}

{the Freedom Trail}

{building adjacent to one of the burial grounds}

{interesting detail on a building}

{the last burial ground we visited}

More to come!

Summer To-do List Review

2011-10-12T19:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I failed again. My poor, poor Summer To-do List. Seems I never moved beyond the first 2 projects I completed. Here is a wrap-up, complete with excuses!

1. Paint upstairs hallway. Done.

2. Paint front door. Fail. But I have started the prep work. I scraped off the flaking paint, and even bought sandpaper for the sander I thought we had. But my dad has the sander, because well, it is his!

3. Paint bedroom dresser. Fail. No good reason.

4. Hang artwork. I'm going to blame my husband. If it were me, the artwork would be hung. But he has an opinion on where they should go, and so do I, and they don't match up. So the artwork still sits on the floor in the spare bedroom.

5. Go camping. Second year in a row for this failure. I should quit putting it on the list!

6. Go to Cedarburg Settlement. Done. See original post.

Dare I set some Fall goals?

I would like to sand the front door and paint it before winter sets in. Must borrow sander.

I have also been thinking of spray painting our mailbox, and getting some new house numbers. We'll see. I'm not making any promises!

Etsy Seller Shout-Out: Candid Grace

2011-10-10T07:52:00.000-05:00

I recently won a giveaway from fellow KNET team member, Candid Grace. I decided to order her bar necklace and have it personalized with Ty's name and our phone numbers to use as his dog tag. Instead of the chain, she attached it to a ring so I could put it on his collar. It is perfect, and I love that Ty has his own bling now! I also ordered a "mommy necklace" for my sister for her birthday, and she loves it too. If you like hand stamped jewelry, head on over to this great shop!

Chicago Getaway, Part 2

2011-09-28T04:56:00.000-05:00

For our Chicago getaway, we arrived on a Monday evening. Tuesday morning we went on the architecture tour, met up with a classmate of Brian's for lunch, and then went to Wrigley Field that evening for the Brewers/Cubs game. Brian scored us seats in the second row, across from 1st base, so we had a great view. Wednesday we explored parts of Millenium and Grant Park I had never been to, then made our way home.

{at Wrigley Field. I look so frumpy}

{lights at Wrigley}

{Aon building from Grant Park}

{skyline from beneath the BP Bridge}

{Crown Fountain

Chicago Getaway, Part 1

2011-09-26T17:00:00.002-05:00

Last week, in the middle of the week, Brian and I took off for a few days and went to Chicago. It was sort of an early anniversary celebration, and a chance to go see our local baseball team play the Cubs. We decided go on an architectural tour via the El, met up with an old classmate of Brian's, and just enjoyed playing tourist in general.

{waiting to cross the street to see Marilyn Monroe. see her in the corner?}

{Marilyn and I. Yes, she is wearing undies!}

{the Marina Towers}

{buildings on our architectural tour}

{supports beams at the El station}

{Clinton El station}

{decorative railing}

More to come later this week!

Etsy Seller Shout-Out: Color Bee Love

2011-09-23T02:51:00.001-05:00

I attended a wedding this past weekend, and I ordered the bride and groom a personalized print for their wedding gift. This tree print came from ColorBeeLove on Etsy. They come in a variety of colors, which you can choose yourself. I of course picked the wedding colors, pink and green. I purchased a nice frame for the print and wrapped it all pretty like for them. I hope they like it.

Final Garden Update

2011-09-21T02:45:00.000-05:00

Finally picked some corn and cantaloupe.
Corn was a bust, as you can see. The kernals weren't compeltely formed. Brian did cook a few pieces but said it wasn't that good. At least we'll get some cornstalks out of it for fall decor.
The cantaloupe are small. Like, they fit in my palm, so they are pretty much single serving size! We only got 3 out of the whole plant, and one one was sort of rotten on the botton. I actually think something started eating it. I have yet to cut into these to know how they taste.

So that is it for Garden Watch 2011.

I'd say the tomatoes and squash/zuchinni were the winners this year!

What Are You Pinterested In?

2011-09-19T07:28:00.000-05:00

So I jumped on the bandwagon and joined Pinterest. So far I'd say it is just okay; it's not like ti has changed my world forever or anything. I think it is sort of difficult to search for things, but that's ok. It just means I won't pin as many things. I had worried that I would pin all these foods to cook and things to make and then of course never have the time to accomplish them all. But I've found that I have actually been quite selective in the things that I pin. Or course, my food board has the most pins so far. You can click on the board above to go to it.

What was the last thing you pinned?

Photo Composition

2011-09-12T01:07:00.000-05:00

I've skipped a few lessons in the 12 Weeks to Better Photos series. Well, I didn't skip them, I'm just not sharing them. I didn't find the photos overly interesting, so, skip. I'm on to lesson 5 now, composition. Here are the photos associated with that lesson:

1. Keep it simple.

2. Rule of 3rds

3. Frame the Subject

4. Fill the frame

5. New perspective

Etsy Seller Shout-Out: 19Eighty Expressions

2011-09-03T13:42:00.004-05:00

I recently bought myself a new bookmark from Etsy seller 19Eighty Expressions. I previously had a bookmark made from bike tire tubing, but it disappeared a while ago. So until now, I've just been using the receipts from the library as my page marker. And then I saw this cute little guy:
The bookmark works as a corner bookmark,

or as a traditional bookmark between the pages.

Either way, he is darn cute, and I love seeing him stick out of the top of my books!

Crafting in an Apple Orchard

2011-08-29T07:49:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I wasn't actually crafting. I was selling my crafts at a special craft show at an apple orchard. My mom and I drove out to Lapacek's Orchard for the day yesterday. It was a beautiful day, with lots of interesting sights. Besides apples and crafts, there were some animals, duck races, berry picking, kittens and lots of activities for kids.

{the orchard}

{barn}

{u-pick raspberries}

{sunflowers}

{goat house}

{tire playground}

Stockholm

2011-08-26T09:12:00.000-05:00

Not in Sweden! In Wisconsin!

On our way back from Minnesota, we drove along the Great River Road and poked along, stopping whenever we felt like it. We came across this cute little town, Stockholm, right around lunch time and decided to stop.

Stockholm is seriously this cute little place. I think the population was like, 97. But there was an artsy sort of vibe here. There were several galleries, an upstairs theater room which is hosting a comedien later this month and a film festival in October, a small museum, and the Blue Bike Project. There were a few bike racks around town with old blue bikes. They are there for you to use to get around, and you just put them back when are done! How quaint!

{door}

{chair, window}

{crack, window}

{artifacts in the museum}

{blue bikes}

Boondocks- Population 10

2011-08-24T09:02:00.001-05:00

So I spent part of last week at my parent's house out in the "boondocks, population-10," as my 19 year old cousin lovingly called the place! She was visiting from Delaware, and in some twisted irony, she didn't get cellphone service! Lucky for her, she's got a super uncle (my dad) who let her use his cellphone for all her texting enjoyment! My sister also let us borrow Elena for the week, so she was along for the ride as well.

{butterfly, zinnia}

{Bronco handle}

{puff ball, field}

{sweet iced tea, chair}

{Ben Bikin'}

On the road, sort of

2011-08-22T08:51:00.000-05:00

Last week we went on a sort of convoluted road trip. We drove across the state to Minnesota (with a pit stop at my parents) to visit Brian's sister and her son, then we took the scenic route back to my parents house where I stayed for a few days. I took both my cameras with me, and used my P&S to snap pics along the way.

{windmills in farmland}

{bluffs}

{ farm equipment in town}

{ice cream pit stop}

{barn}

Garden Watch 3.0

2011-08-15T05:17:00.000-05:00

There is progress in the garden. Of course the squash and zucchini are coming along just as expected.
We've got tassles on the corn...

A tiny cantelope (golf ball-ish size)...

I always love the little curli-Qs the cantelope plant sends out.

Got lots of tomatos, just waiting for them to turn red.

Two.

2011-08-11T16:57:00.004-05:00

Elena turned 2 last week. My sister threw her a Hawaiian Luau birthday party to celebrate. The theme was inspired by the dress I bought while we were in Hawaii! We feasted on some grilled pork kabobs, fruit, and chocolate cupcakes. I helped her make some paper leis for the kids to wear and assembled some gooddie bags for the party goers. It was a beautiful day out and we had a great time!

Checking out her new undies!

Goodie Bags!

Scratching her knee. Flamingo girl?

Auntie and E.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

2011-08-01T05:16:00.000-05:00

I bought some fingerling potatoes at the farmers market last weekend. They are just so cute! Anyhoo, I decided to roast them in the oven. I just tossed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic. I also tossed in some fresh lemon thyme. Tyler Florence says to preheat the oven to 500 with the pan in the oven. Then oil the pan, throw the potatoes on the pan, lower the oven temp to 425 and then bake for 20 minutes. Which is what I did and they turned out fantastic. I hope I can get some more next week!

Chess Squares, aka Gooey Butter Cake

2011-07-29T04:10:00.001-05:00

We had some guests for dinner over the weekend, and I needed something to make for dessert. A friend suggested these bars on this blog, and let me tell you, the food porn had me at "hello." These were very tasty. A bit on the rich side, but very tasty. And super simple and quick to make. They start with a boxed yellow cake mix, and let's just say there's some butter, cream cheese, and lots of powdered sugar. There is nothing healthy about these. Which is probably why they taste so good. These will be a good standby for when I don't want to spend alot of time preparing a dessert.

Grilled Thai Chicken Pizza

2011-07-27T05:08:00.001-05:00

A month or so ago we tried the Thai chicken pizza from a take'n'bake pizza place. I thought I'd try to recreate the pizza at home since we like homemade pizza. And since I've figured out I love grilled pizza, I thought I'd give that a try again. I bought a sweet chili thai sauce from the store, then topped the pizza with cheese, chicken, grilled zucchini (from our garden) and onions. It was dee-lish. Such a refreshing meal for summer. I think we'll be having grilled pizza once a week now!

Garden Watch 2011 2.0

2011-07-25T09:57:00.000-05:00

Remember this garden?

Less than 20 days later, it is now this garden!

The corn is getting taller everyday, although we don't see any ears growing yet.

And on the far end, the squash and zucchini are doing well. I've already picked one zucchini, and I can actually pick my first squash today. In the foreground is the cantelope plant. It has flowers. I really hope it produces some fruit this year. You can't see the tomato plant, but it has fruit growing as well, just have to wait for them to turn red!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

2011-07-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

After a friend posted on FB about making some chocolate zucchini muffins, I had to have some. I googled around and found this recipe. But the amount of oil made my heart ache, so I decided to make some adjustments. I swapped out some white flour for whole wheat, some oil for applesauce, and since I am blind and didn't see the spare bag of sugar in the pantry, I used half white sugar, half brown. Anyhoo, this recipe makes alot of muffins. I think I got 34 out of it. I froze half, ate the rest. Not all at once. Trust me.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Adapted from Jamie Cooks It Up!

3/4 c oil
3/4 c applesauce, unsweetened
1.5 c skim milk
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 c shredded zucchini
3 c all purpose flour
1 c wheat flour
1.5 c sugar (or combo of brown and white)
1/2 c cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c choco chips

1. Mix wet ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Add the zucchini.
2. Mixx dry ingredients in another bowl.
3. Pour wet into dry ingredients and stir, just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into muffins tins, either with liners or sprayed.
5. Bake at 350 for 17 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

Shutter Speed

2011-07-18T02:52:00.000-05:00

Week 2's lesson is about shutter speed. You can freeze things in motion with a fast shutter speed, or blur objects in motion with a slow shutter speed. For this week's assignment I grabbed my tripod and headed to the library, where there is a fountain, or rather, waterfalls.

{1/200 s}

{1/60 s}

{1/10 s}

{1/8 s}

{1/4 s}

Playing with Aperture

2011-07-13T00:24:00.000-05:00

So, I bought a DSLR (Canon Rebel T1i) before our trip to Hawaii. I took a photography class my senior year of college, so I know the basics of photography. But I've been wanting to learn more about using my camera and all the crazy buttons on it. My sister and another friend have recommended this website/blog with a self guided photography course. So I figured this would be a good way to get to know my camera a little better, at least on a first name basis! And I am going to show you my photos along the way.

The first lesson is about aperture. So here are some shots I took this weekend:

{f/5}

{f/8}

{f/29}

{f/5.6}

{f/11}

{f/32}

Book Review: An Inconvenient Wife

2011-07-11T06:08:00.000-05:00

An Inconvenient Wife by Megan Chance

I read this book as part of a book club I am participating in. It is set in the 1800's (I think) and follows a high society woman who suffers from "hysteria" and other maladies. Her husband has sent her to many doctors for a cure, to no avail. A new doctor, who specializes in a new type of medicine called neurology and uses unconventional treatments such as hypnosis, comes in to town. She begins to see him and while she is improving, her husband is not happy with the changes.

I have to say that overall, I did not like book. That is not say that I think it is a bad book. Actually, I think it was very well written, I just did not enjoy it. This book did elicit alot of emotion from me (mostly anger) and I found it very hard to put down; to me, those are signs of a good book. This book made me feel like a feminist too! I thought it was very interesting to read about medicine in that time period, and how backwards it seemed! So, would I recommend it? Maybe. If you have the time and need a book to read, sure. If you've got a list of must read books, I'd get through those first, then pick this one up.

Garden Watch 2011

2011-07-07T09:20:00.000-05:00

Well, halfway into summer, here it is. Looking pretty wimpy if you ask me. I'm sure you are aware that the weather has just recently started to behave like summer weather. We planted a week or two after Memorial Day and then had a bunch of rain and clouds. But with the last week of sunshine and warmth, things are starting to perk up. The corn certainly wasn't "knee high by the Fourth of July" but it is starting to grow.

The corn is Brian's doing. He wanted to give it another try, even though we have failed in previous years. He was out there very diligently thinning the corn stalks last week.

Besides the corn, we have squash and zuchinni, canteloupe (failed in previous years), tomato and jalapeno. And the strawberry patch in the raised bed. I finally bought a mesh cover to go over the patch, so now we can actually enjoy the berries before the birds and creatures do!

More to come as things start to grow!

Family History: Laurel's Legacies

2011-07-05T20:54:00.002-05:00

Remember a year or so ago when I raved about this book about researching your family tree? And I predicted a new hobby for myself? Yea, well....I haven't really gotten very far on that quest. I did some research but never really for very far.

So I recently had the opportunity to let someone else do the hard work for me.

Her name is Lori, and she is the researcher behind Laurel's Legacies. She is a genealogist for hire. And boy did she research! I simply gave her a little bit of info on my maternal grandmother (dob/d, parents names, husband and children's names) and she did the rest.

What did she find? Oh, just some grandparents all the way back to 1600's in Germany and the Netherlands! She also found one of my grandfathers on the Civil War draft list. Wow! And she did this all within a matter of days! After she compiled everything, she arranged my pedigree (makes me sound like a dog!), a few family group sheets, and some copies of census documents in a nice little portfolio and mailed it to me. She also included ideas for areas of future research in case I want to continue on my own. It was very exciting to look at!

I am so pleased with everything, that my mom and I are considering hiring her to research other branches in our family tree. I have to say that her prices are very reasonable. You can even set a maximum amount you are willing to spend and she will stop when she gets there, so you don't have to worry about spending more than you budgeted.

So if you have any interest at all in your family tree, but don't have the time to do the research, Lori will gladly help!

She has an etsy shop, a website, and a blog!

*While I received her services for free, my opinions are my own and not influenced by my freebie!

Book Review: Honolulu

2011-07-01T05:56:00.001-05:00

Honolulu, by Alan Brennert

This books follows a young Korean girl who becomes the "picture bride" of a Korean man she has never met who lives in Honolulu. She leaves behind the only home she has known in Korea for a chance at a new life in Hawaii. Her betrothed isn't exactly as described, but she is determined to make a life for herself in Hawaii. The book follows her throughout her life, including how her life intertwines with the history of Honolulu. I really liked learning about her Korean culture, and then learning about the history of Honolulu and Hawaii. I would recommend this book to others, and in fact, there is another book by the same author called Moloka'i that I would like to read.

Summer is here!

2011-06-30T17:47:00.002-05:00

We've finally been getting some long awaited summer weather! We took Ty to the dog park last weekend (see above) and have been working in the garden this week too.
I had been thinking of doing some gardening updates on here, but seriously, there is nothing to report. Well, except that some creature is enjoying my strawberries! Those seem to be the only the only things that are growing.
We did plant late, again, due to the weather, and things really just haven't grown much without any good heat or sunshine. Brian wanted to try corn yet again this year. He planted 4 rows, and last night he was out there, very diligently thinning out the sprouts. So once our veggies start growing, maybe I'll post an update then. In the meantime, I did get a mesh cover for the strawberries, so maybe we'll actually get to enjoy some!

The Weekend, In Photos

2011-06-20T08:45:00.000-05:00

Saturday was a day of random events. Started with a trip to the library, then a stop at the farmers market. The market is a little slow this time of year in terms of produce, but there was an abundance of beautiful flowers.
Later in the afternoon I went down to the yacht club for HarborFest, which was a new festival highlighting the lake and harbor. Brian was working a booth there so I went to visit and compete in a boat race. Don't get too excited about that. The race was called Fat Man in a Little Boat and required a team weighing more than 450 pounds to row a boat rated for 250 pounds. Which means we took on a lot of water, and 1 team even sank (the Coast Guard team, go figure). We lost our heat, but it was still fun while it lasted! There were some bands playing at the festival, and a lumberjack show. Not really sure what lumberjacks have to do with the lake, but whatever.

{Farmers market}

{flowers}

{sailboat}

{harbor}

{boat race}

Brian turns 40

2011-06-18T11:06:00.002-05:00

Well, 2 weeks ago he turned 40. So we threw a get together to celebrate and our families and several of his childhood buddies came up to join us. Luckily we enjoyed one of the rare warm, sunny days we've had so far this summer. It was just anice relaxing afternoon BBQing food and relaxing with friends.

My sister made these corn fritters for the occasion. She wanted to contribute something, and had this recipe, which was perfect since Brian loves corn fritters but rarely eats them (trips to Florida only). These were so tasty and got rave reviews fromour guests. Thanks sis!

I made some cupcakes to go with the cake I made. Dyed the frosting orange since it is Brian's favorite color and my mom frosted them, adding the little "tail" on top! Cute!

I made this Triple Chocolate Cake. I have seriously had this recipe clipped for years and this was the first time I made it. It also got rave reviews. It was very moist (thanks to the sour cream?) and the frosting/glaze? To die for!

Funny story...one of our little 4 year old guests politely asked me if he could "lick the cake." After I clarified that is indeed what he wanted to do, we compromised and I let him eat some of the frosting off the cake plate (this was after we'd already eaten some of the cake and frosting was left behind). At least he asked!

I love this picture of Elena. She was munching on a tortilla chip (one of many) while watching the people.

So that's it! Brian is now 40 and complaining of aches and pains already!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

2011-06-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

One of the restaurants we eat at has this Buffalo Chicken Salad that I like to get. I didn't recreate the salad exactly, because that one has corn and tomatoes in it. I sort of just threw this one together with whatever I already had in the kitchen, but next time I plan to add the corn and tomatoes. Basically I just made a regular lettuce salad and added the buffalo chicken on top. To make the chicken, I dipped the chicken breast in buffalo sauce, then breaded it with panko. I really smashed the panko into the chicken and it soaked up the buffalo sauce. Then I just baked the chicken for about 20-25 minutes on 350* until they were done. Sliced the breast and laid it on top of the salad. I added crumbled blue cheese and also used low fat blue cheese dressing. This will make a nice summer dinner for us!

Pull Apart Ribs

2011-06-08T18:30:00.001-05:00

My mouth is watering just looking at this photo. These were so good. Anyways, back to the beginning. I found this recipe * while flipping through one of my many free magazine subscriptions.
Pull-apart ribs, that sounded good. Don't you hate when you have this craving for ribs, then you make them, and they just aren't juicy and tender and fall off the bone tasty? Yea, that usually happens to us.
Reading through the recipe I saw that they actually cook the ribs in a crock pot, then grill them for the last few minutes to get the sauce cooked on and slightly crispy. So we gave them a try and my oh my. That is why you the ribs pictured above on my dirty plate...because I almost ate them all before remembering I needed a photo. They were indeed pull-apart. In fact, a few of the bones just fell right off the meat when I flipped them on the grill.
So my friends, the secret to perfect ribs...the crock pot!

*You may need to log in or something to access the recipe. Trust me, it is worth it.

Summer 2011 Things to Do

2011-06-03T06:20:00.000-05:00

Just like last year, I have written a list of things I'd like to accomplish this summer. Some even made an appearance on my list last year, which means it didn't get done! I think last summer I only accomplished about 50% of my list. Let's hope this summer is better! {Emanuel and I}

{Wilma carrying Emanuel}

{Cedarburg Settlement}

{Cedarburg Settlement}

1. Paint upstairs hallway.

2. Paint front door.

3. Paint bedroom dresser.

4. Hang artwork.

5. Go camping.

6. Go to Cedarburg Settlement.

The items that are bolded...well, I already did those! Yay, good start to the summer. In all fairness, I did them both this past weekend, and they were on my list before I actually did them. I may add some things to the list as the summer progresses. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Hawaiian Fabric Stash

2011-06-01T05:53:00.001-05:00

Of course I did some fabric shopping while in Hawaii! We had actually pulled alongside the road so our travel partners to could pop into a ukelele store. Brian and I were going to wait in the car when I realized we parked right next to a fabric store. I said see ya later and jumped out! I think I ran around like a ball in a pinball machine for the first few minutes I was in the store. Then I told myself to focus and think about what sorts of fabrics I could use! I am always in need of prints for men, so I found a few I liked (which Brian approved before I purchased).

Clockwise (because blogger won't flip my photo)- batik sea turtles, pink palm fronds fat quarter, surf boards and ukes, hawaiian print with native drawings, hibiscus print fat quarter in the center.

I also picked up a burlap coffee bean sack at the coffee farm we toured. I am sort wishing I would have bought more of these while we were on the island. Quite a few of the coffee places sold them. I know I can buy some online if I want more though. These will make great tote bags!

And now, for a sad story...

A few hours before we had to be at the airport for our red eye flight to return home, Brian and I had some time to kill. We'd already had dinner and there wasn't much else open on a Sunday evening. So we went to Walmart. Good place to people watch and kill time, right?

Before entering the store, I told Brian we couldn't buy anything, not a single thing, because our suitcases were practically busting at the seams. So we go in, wander around and slowly make our way to the back of the store.

By the craft sections.

Where they sell fabric...

Now, I am not usually fond of Walmart fabric. At all. It is usually ultra thin and cheap quality. But I peeked at it, and alot of it was the same designer fabric I saw at the fabric store previously mentioned. I touched it too, and it wasn't the thin cheap stuff. And, they had Japanese fabric.

People, Japanese fabric is normally expensive. But not at walmart.

I looked at Brian, with puppy dog eyes and bottom lip sticking out.

He said no. He said it was my rule. He reminded me of our suitcases, about to explode as it was.

And then we slowly walked out of the store. And it hurt. Badly.

Souvenir Shopping for the Dog

2011-05-27T06:11:00.000-05:00

We have a sort of tradition when we go on vacation. We get Ty a new collar, usually something that represents where we've been. Our trip to Hawaii was no different. The above photo has his 3 most recent collars. The top one we bought when we were in Montana. Something rugged, outdoorsy, and with a reflective stripe. While in Delaware last summer, I picked up the crab collar at the boardwalk. And in Hawaii a few weeks ago, a Hawaiian print collar of course! I like to think Ty appreciates these gifts!

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

2011-05-26T08:43:00.000-05:00

We've got these lily of the valley growing in our flower beds, and I really don't enjoy them. They are an invasive flower, and well, they grow wherever they please. I tried pulling some up last year, but they came back this year. So I decided to pick some and put them in a glass.

And guess what?

They smell lovely. Like, they give off a really fragrant, pleasing smell. I actually thought I was smelling lotion (even though I hadn't put any on), then realized it was the flowers!

Amost makes up for their greedy growing pattern!

May Giveaway Day 2011

2011-05-23T01:25:00.001-05:00

UPDATE- This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #62:

Megan said...
Hmm, tough to choose one favorite destination! Since we just returned from a fabulous anniversary trip to Riviera Maya in Mexico, I'll have to say that since it's fresh in my mind!

Megan, I will contact you. Thanks to everyone else for playing along!

Hello, and welcome to my blog, Life on 19th! My name is Mary and I write abut my sewing, travels, reading and recipes! Take a look around if you are new here. I have written a few tutorials as well, so check them out!

On to the giveaway. I was recently on the Big Island of Hawaii for vacation and of course I had to visit a fabric shop! I loved all the fun Hawaiian prints and picked up the fat quarter pictured above. It is a pink hibiscus print on a dark blue background. And you can win it!

To enter, just leave a comment telling me where you favorite vacation destinatin has been! Easy peasy!

A few rules:
1. Giveaway only open to residents of the USA or Canada.
2. Only on entry per person.
3. You must enter by Wednesday May 25th. I will draw a winner by Thursday.
4. You must leave a way for me to contact you, either with your email address or blog profile. If I can't contact you, I will choose another winner.
5. Winner will be drawn by random number generator.

Good Luck! And remember to check out all the other giveaways going on at Sew, Mama, Sew today!

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 5

2011-05-18T21:22:00.003-05:00

Ahh, we're on to the last 2 days of our trip. So sad!

Day whatever-day-we're-on was our last full day as a group. We enjoyed a lazy morning at the condo, then decided to go snorkeling again at Kahalu'u Beach.
Seriously folks, this is the life. Put on bathing suit, grab snorkel and fins, drive up the road a minute, walk into the water, and see beautiful fish, coral and sea turtles. We swam around for an hour or so, then bid farewell to this wonderful beach.

We spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool, then we went to a fancy schmancy dinner at the Four Seasons Resort.

On our last day, we had to drop our travel partners off at the airport in the morning, but Brian and I had a red eye flight, so we still had almost 12 hours to kill.

Sights

We headed to the Greenwell Coffee Farm for a tour. This place is situated behind the Kona Historical Society. As soon as got out of our car, we were greeted by one of the staff (forget her name, but she was so sweet. Told us all abotu her pet chickens!) with paper cups and encouraged to sample the coffee. I'd there were about 10 types of coffee to try. Brian and I aren't exactly coffee drinkers, but we were interested in the tour, and wanted to buy coffee for souvenirs. We tried some coffee, but really, without a pound of sugar, it just isn't my thing! Then we went on a very casual tour of the farm. In the photo above is where farmers drop off "cherries" which are picked off the coffee tree.

These are soon-to-be cherries. They will turn red, and then are called cherries. Then they are picked, de-pulped, and you left with the seed...the coffee bean. Then they dry them and then they are roasted.

After the coffee farm we headed to the Place of Refuge.

Sights

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau is also called the place of refuge. Basically, back in the day of the kings, if someone broke a law, they would be forgiven if they could reach the Place of Refuge before being caught. This place was also one of the homes of the king.

Yea, this is me imitating one of the wooden statues.

This is a smaller model of a temple. There is a trail that you follow, and a trail guide that explains everything along the way. Of course everything is along the water, so the views are beautiful and apparently the sunsets are gorgeous here too.

Our last stop was the Painted Church.

Sight

The Painted Church is just that, a painte church. Cute little white church on the exterior, tropical style bible scenes painted floor to ceiling on the interior. I believe they still have services in this chruch too. It smells a little musty, but it is cute.

This is the outside of the church. To the left is an old cemetary. This is worth a quick 5-10 minute stop if you are on your way to or from the Place of the Refuge.

Well folks. I think that is it. We loved every minute of our trip and still dream of going back someday. We actually stream the local radio station over the internet so we can enjoy a little bit of the island in Wisconsin!

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 4

2011-05-16T06:53:00.000-05:00

Ahh, day 6. Also known as the longest day of our trip. We started early because we wanted to get to the Black Sand Beach before the tour buses started dropping off cruise ship tourists. Our first stop was to get some malasadas!

Food
Punalu'u Bakery- Their claim to fame is their malasadas, and being the southernmost bakery in the USA. We arrived here at 8:30, only to find out they didn't open for another half an hour. Really? Aren't bakeries supposed to open early? So we waited around, then grabbed some malasadas. We got some filled ones, including taro, and passion fruit. They were good (it's a donut, how can it not be?), but I think we all agreed we preferred Tex's malasadas more. Plus, you could tell this place was totally catering to the cruise ship buses...large parking lot, many outdoor seating pavilions etc. It's good, but don't worry if you miss it.

Sights
Punalu'u Black Sand Beach was our next stop. Our main goal was to see some sea turtles! And the black sand.
Soon after stepping foot on the black sand, we spotted our first sea turtle, sunning himself on some rocks.

Thank goodness for zoom lenses! We walked along the beach and ended up seeing 2 more turtles, one on the sand, and one some little tide pools munching on a snack. We even watched the one on the sand make his way back into the water. This was great little 1 hour or so diversion. A must see!

Sights

After the beach, we headed to Volcano National Park. We beforehand that there was no active lava flowing (well, except for inside the crater, which would require a plane or heli tour). We started by driving around crater rim drive andgot as far as the museum. The road was blocked off after that point, due to dangerous gases blowing from the volcano. There was a viewpoint there where we could see steam coming from one of the craters. Then we had to turn back and go the other way around crater rim drive. We knew we wanted to hike the Kilauea Iki trail, so that is where we went. This trail starts in rain forest, then you drop down into the Kilauea Iki crater, walk across the crater floor, and back up the other side. It took us about 2 hours. In the photo above, you can see the steam coming from the main crater in the background. In the foreground you can see the trail across the Kilauea Iki crater floor.

It was very interesting to walk across a crater. It is amazing how lava can look a zillion different ways. There was a trail guide with interest points marked along the way. I thought it was going to be smoking hot walking across the floor, all exposed to the sun, and surprisingly, it wasn't. There was a good breeze which kept us cool, but we used lots of sunscreen and hats for sun protection. We liked this hike. It wasn't to difficult overall. There are switchbacks to get up and down into the crater, and of course that is hard work going up! I would recommend this hike.

After that we went to the gift shop, then left the park. We sort of forgot to go to the Thurston Lava Tube...just plum forgot! Ooops. We chose not to drive the Chain of Craters Road because we knew there was no flowing lava, and some other travelers we'd met on our snorkeling trip said they did and it was sort of anti-climactic once you got to the end. So we trusted them and skipped it. My advice would be to call the hotline to see if there is flowing lava when you go so you know what to expect.

Beach?

Ok Ahalanui Park isn't a beach, but a natural spring and ocean fed pool. It is volcanically heated and is seriously warmer than bath water! Ocean water does flow in, but doesn't make it cold. I'd say it is about 4.5 feet deep. I didn't actually get in, I just hung my legs over the side. Brian said it was expecially refreshing because of how warm it was, but we all agreed it was a neat place. There was a park there, and it is life gaurded, so would be a cool place to hang out with kids. Recommend!

After the warm pool, we drove towards Hilo, sort of bypassed it, and hit the Saddle Road. We were on our way to Mauna Kea to see the stars!

Sight
Mauna Kea is the tallest volcano on the island. The main draw here is stargazing. There are some super duper heavy duty telescopes on it's summit. There are several companies that will drive you up the mountain to the summit, feed you, watch the sunset and stargaze. For a pretty penny. We actually almost considered doing one until we saw the cost. I think one of the main reasons people go on these tours is because of the fear of Saddle Road. SR apparently has a reputation. In the past, you would have violated your rental car agreement if you drove your car on Saddle Road. But we "drove" Saddle Road via Google Streets before our trip and saw that it was paved, recently. And, Saddle Road was not on the list of roads forbidden by our rental agreement, so we decided to go for it.

We came from the Hilo side, and there was some road construction, but the dirt road was very well kept. It soon turned to new pavement and was easy going from there. We drove up to the visitor center and parked. This is not the summit. The summit is another 3000 feet up a road which was on our forbidden road list. The summit is where the heavy duty telescopes are, but guess who gets to use those? Scientists, not tourists.

So anyhoo, an intro video in the visitor center starts at 6pm. I have to say, the video was a little long (like an hour long) and dragged on at points. But once it was over, it was dark and we were ready to see some stars. While the video was going, the staff moved all of their big telescopes (not the mega ones, but still big) onto the patio and started locating stars. The Star Man (that's what he is called) found Saturn on his telscope, so I got to see it, with it's rings and moons. Then he started a star show, where he used a laser pointer to basically give us a tour of the night sky. BTW, you can see 85% of the night sky from the location, more than any other place in the world.

So, what about the sunset? Well, we were under to cloud level, so we couldn't see it. Those people on the $$$ tours who went to the summit, they saw it. But once they are done with that, they come back down to the visitor center to see the stars from there, because you can see them better with the naked eye from that altitude than at the summit. Something to do with air pressures.

So, I would recommend this freebie, DIY trip to Mauna Kea. I think the only thing you are missing by DIYing is the sunset, and some fancy meal. Bring warm clothes. It was about 45 degrees at the visitor center. All the people you see in parkas are going to the summit. Bring some food, or eat before you go. Gas up your car. Do know that if you require a tow, rates start at $1200 for a tow truck to come all the way up there and get you. And yes, we saw someone require a tow. Don't know if they had been to the summit or not, but they were in a 4wd Jeep. And watch out for those invisible cows! We didn't see any ;)

The above photo is the only proof I have that we went to Mauna Kea. I forgot to take any pics at the visitor center before it got dark, and when it got dark, well, all you could see were stars!

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 3

2011-05-11T06:06:00.000-05:00

Day 4 was a bit of a low key day for us. We went to the farmers market in downtown Kailua-Kona in the morning to do some shopping. We had lunch in the nearby shopping area also. Then in the afternoon we bought some snorkel gear and went to a beach down the street to get our snorkel on!

Unidentified fruit at the market. Mango? Too small for papaya.

No idea what these are, but they looked cool!

And of course there were lots of pretty flowers for sale!

Food

Kona Canoe Club- We had lunch here. It sits in a shopping area in downtown Kona. It is along the bay, so we had a great view. We actually had a minimal lunch because it was early or late or something, I don't recall. We ordered the Super Nachos off the appetizer menu and had some drinks. The nachos were very tasty and enough to satisfy all four of us until whatever was next. And of course the view can't be beat!

Beach

After lunch, we bought some snorkeling gear and headed to Kahalu'u Beach, which was just up the road from our condo. There is a fairly small sandy area, but you don't go here to lay out. You go to snorkel! The water wasn't super clear while we were here the first time (we came back later in the trip) but it was also later afternoon. But there were lots of fish and coral! Great place to go snorkeling!

Day 5 we were up early to go on a kayaking and snorkeling adventure!

Excursion

We booked a tour online with Adventures in Paradise to kayak and snorkel in Kealakekua Bay and to the Captain Cook Monument. They drove us down the mountain to the bay, where we loaded into double kayaks, then paddled for about 30 minutes to the monument. We saw spinner dolphins on the way there, and of course the views of the mountain side were awesome.

Once at the monument, we parked the kayaks on the rocks and snorkeled for a while. It was just gorgeous. They made us wear life jackets while snorkeling, but in my opinion, I liked it because it was less work! You could essentially just lay there in the water and take it all in! The water was so clear, and the colors of the coral and fish were awesome. Brian and I saw an eel too! After a while we got out of the water, had some snacks provided by the tour, then got back in for a short while.

We had actually almost booked a snorkeling tour with a company that brings you out in a big boat, then decided to do the kayak trip with AinP. I am so glad we did. The trip starts early, so we were the first tour group out there, for at least 30 minutes. Then the big boat (the one we almost booked) shows up and drops anchor, and can drop off as many as 100 snorkelers (they didn't have that many the day we were there). I also liked that we essentially got 2 activities in one, kayaking and snorkeling, and since there were less people (only up to 12), it was way more personal. Oh, and it was about $50 cheaper. So yea, I recommend this trip!

Sorry no pics under the water. We had a cheapy water camera, but the pics absolutely do not do the coral and fish justice, so I am not posting any. Just think of Nemo!

Food

Annies- We had lunch here after the snorkel trip, at the recommendation of our guides. They serve local beef, so we had some burgers and fish sandwiches. The french fries were super yummy too. I think the per person costs was about $12 with beverage. I recommend this place too.

Killer Tacos- We had dinner here. We had the kalua pork tacos, and the fish tacos. Think of this place as a local version of a Chipotle. Yummy! And budget friendly. I got the "lunch special" of 2 tacos and a drink for like $6, and it wasn't even lunchtime! Recommend.

That's it for Day 4 and 5!

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 2

2011-05-05T20:12:00.007-05:00

Day 3 of trip started with us driving up to the north side of the island, to the Waipio valley. We drove though Waimea, and I really loved the landscape on this part of the island. Lots of rolling hills, and countryside. I think I could live there!
Excursion
We booked an ATV tour of the Waipio Valley with Ride the Rim. You meet in a little town at an art gallery and they picked us up in a van and took us to the ATV location. There were 2 other families on the tour with us. We had 2 guides, who were born and raised in the area. The tour starts by riding though some eucalyptus forests (so pretty, wish I could have snapped some photos) and stops at 2 viewpoints and 1 waterfall.

At the first viewpoint we stopped for a little break while the guides "talk story" about the area in the days of the kings and queens. Then on to more riding.

The Waipio Valley is so pretty. People live down in the valley, but there is no running water or electricity (I guess they do use solar power now). In fact, our guide's father still lives in the valley. At the waterfall we were able to go swimming, but the water was pretty cold. We also had some snacks and more talk story. Overall, we had a great time on this trip. I think we rode for almost 3 hours and it was so much fun to even just ride though the forests. The guides were very friendly and knowledgable and you could tell they cared about the land. I would recommend this trip to others.

Sights

After the ATV trip we made our back through Waimea and up past Hawi to the end of the road to the Pololu Valley Lookout.

This is a valley similar to Waipio, but nobody lives down there. It was just as, if not more beautiful than Waipio.

There is a trail to hike down to the beach, but we chose not to do that. We also saw a tent down there, so you must be able to camp. Now that would be fun!

Food

Tex Drive In- Located in Honoka'a, we went there after the ATV tour to get some malasadas, which are Portuguese donuts. I guess the only difference between these and a regular donut are that these do not have a hole in the middle. They have plain ones coated in sugar, or you can get them with all sorts of fillings, if you are in to that. We got a box of 6 for like $7. They were a super yummy treat. The place also serves food, but we didn't get any. I would definately go back though.

That's it for Day 3. We ate breakfast at the condo, packed a picnic lunch, which we ate at a park overlooking the ocean, and grilled fresh fish and steaks beside the pool at the condo.

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 1

2011-05-05T18:04:00.005-05:00

We are back from our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. We had a blast and enjoyed every second of our trip. We went with another couple, friends of Brian's since gradeschool. I thought I'd share some photos of the trip with you all. I am going to do it in a day to day format, with reviews of places/companies etc for those who are researching their own trips. We used Hawaii The Big Island Revealed 6th Edition (released a few days before we left!) and Trip Advisor for references. Enjoy!

Hotel
We stayed at the Outrigger Royal Sea Cliff in Kailua-Kona. It is also part of the Wyndham resorts. We stayed here for a simple reason...It was free. The parents of the couple we traveled with have a time share and gifted it to them this year. Lucky us, they invited us to come along!
The hotel does not have a sandy beach; it is set on black lava. There are 2 pools, but the smaller one was closed for resurfacing. This was not a big issue for us. In fact, the majority of the time, we rarely saw other guests.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom ocean view unit on the 5th floor. The rooms were nice and spacious. There were 2 balconies, one off the living area, 1 off the master bedroom. And of course there is a kitchen, which allowed us to buy food and pack most of our lunches and cook several of our dinners in. We actually grilled them down by the pool. I did pretend to book a room at this place just to see how much it would cost if we had to pay, at it was around $200 a night (for our dates). I think this is reasonable and would be willing to pay that in the future.

Beach
We went to Makalawena Beach on our first full day. This beach is not easy to get to. First you have to drive down a very bumpy road (which actually violated our rental car agreement), park, then walk about 30 minutes past another beach and down a lava rock trail. The trail was tricky and required us to watch our step the whole way. I recommend good sandals or shoes for this. We saw a girl wearing flip flops and she was struggling. But, the hard work was worth it...

Love this gorgeous white sand beach! And the water colors too! We of course splashed around in the water for a good while, then chilled out on the beach.

The beach is fairly quiet due to it's seclusion and difficulty with getting there. Perfect beach in my opinion!

Food
Island Fish and Chips- We ate here for lunch. It is located in the Waikoloa resort area, at the Kings Shops. It is tucked back in a corner, but easy to find. It is just a walk up window where you order and there is some covered seating nearby that looks over a pond. I had chicken strips, but the others had fish. The chicken strips were just standard, the fish was okay they tell me. Cost was about $10 per person with beverage, which you will soon learn is a decent price for Hawaii!

Bite Me Fish Market- This is located in the harbor in Kona. They are fairly new, at least the market part is. The company does charter fishing trips and recently opened the fish market. We just bought some fish (ono and swordfish) and crabs and took them to the condo to grill. Prices are market prices. I am told it was all very tasty.

Kona Brewing Company- We ate here our first night, Sunday. They have live music on Sunday nights. I had a pizza ($15-20 for a small) and everyone else had fish tacos. They all loved their tacos and my pizza was good. Our travel partners tried the beer too, which they liked, and actually bought some at the grocery store to keep at our condo too.

Ok, I think that is it for Days 1 and 2. We did actually drive around alot on day 2, up to Waimea and back, but we went back on Day 3 as well, so I didn't include it here. Stay tuned for more!

Lemon Bars

2011-04-29T05:06:00.001-05:00

Prior to making this recipe, I can't remember the last time I had a lemon bar. I guess it was just the forgotten treat. But a few weeks ago, all was remembered when I found this recipe in the USA Weekend pullout in the newspaper. So I tore it out and added it to my growing recipe pile to wait for another day. And then some ladies at work decided to throw an Easter Luncheon (potluck style of course) and passed around a sign-up sheet for food. I thought Lemon Bars seemed like a nice spring-y dessert to bring so I signed up. And of course they were tasty, and easy to make too. I doubled the recipe because it only makes an 8x8 pan, and well, I needed more than that. I managed to pick out some good lemons from the grocery store too. They were very juicy, and so fragrant. Mmmmm...

Book Review: Sing You Home

2011-04-27T09:41:00.000-05:00

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Like her other books, this one is about a hot button issue, something you might hear on the news or see on 20/20. Max and Zoe are a couple whose marriage can't survive their infertility issues. Zoe wants to try for another baby; Max does not. So they divorce and move on. Zoe befriends Vanessa, and their relationship grows to more than just friends. They get married and decide they want to have children together. But their unconventional way of having a baby conflicts with Max and his religious beliefs, and a custody battle of sorts ensues.

I liked this book overall. It is written from several points of view, like many of her books. I thought it was a bit slow to start, and the ending just didn't seem as dramatic or shocking as her previous books. It was slightly predictable, which her books usually are not for me! This is one of those books though, that as I was reading it, I could picture it being made into a movie. I would recommend it though, if you like this author.

Off to Hawaii

2011-04-25T05:16:00.000-05:00

We're off on a much needed vacation this week...to the Big Island of Hawaii. We've got alot of activities, and some relaxation planned.

We're hoping to maybe see some of this too:

I've got some posts planned this week, then I'll be back with plenty of photos and a trip review next week!

Motivation

2011-04-20T07:42:00.001-05:00

Somebody arrived yesterday morning.

His name is Emanuel Ricardo.

Big sister is trying her best to be "suave" (gentle).

Now I have some real motivation to finish that blanket I'm working on.

I'd prefer April Showers

2011-04-19T19:37:00.002-05:00

I think Mother Nature is confused. Today we've had snow, thunder, lightening and sleet.
But no rain.

Family Photo Wall

2011-04-18T05:10:00.000-05:00

{blank slate}

We really don't have an abundance of wall space in our house. We have alot of windows, and our living and dining rooms are fairly open concept. I had accumulated some black and white family photos and wanted to create a photo wall. This was the best wall I could find.

{paper trial}

I gathered some black frames we already owned. Traced them on to newspaper and white paper, then moved things around until I found an arrangement I liked.

{final result}

We have plaster walls, so at first I didn't want to use nails, for fear of chipping the plaster. I bought some of those Command strips, and hung the photos with those first. But I didn't like how the pictures hung away from the wall. So I took them down, and just used small nails. I read somewhere to put tape on the wall first, then nail through that, so I did. It seems to have worked.

{family}

Here is a close up of the photos. Clockwise, from top left: Brian and his mom at our wedding; Brian and my engagement photo, Brian's grandparents on their wedding day; my grandmother and her children; my grandmother and grandfather posing outside a lighthouse.

Work in Progress

2011-04-14T11:26:00.002-05:00

This is what I've been working on recently. It is going to be a blanket for Ken Adams, my nephew-to-be. So far I've sewed 10 of those lines, and I've got, oh, about a 100 or so more to go. I might go cross eyed before then. I guess we'll see who finishes first, me with the blanket, or the baby with his baking. Stay tuned...

Another wet bag

2011-04-11T08:33:00.001-05:00

I made another wet bag this weekend. This time I paired it with a cotton print. I picked this tropical looking print because this wet bag isn't for cloth diapers. No siree. It's for swim suits! Brian and I are going to Hawaii at the end of the month with another couple and I thought a wet bag would come in handy. You can't tell in the photo, but it is a little warped in shape. But that's no big deal.

Book Review: Sarah's Key

2011-04-08T00:44:00.001-05:00

Sarah's Key, by Tatiana De Rosnay

This is another book that I would consider part historical fiction. And again, there are 2 stories going on at once; one follows a modern day journalist and the other follows a French Jewish girl during the 2nd World War. The journalist, Julia, is researching the Vel' d' Hiv', a massive roundup of Jewish families in Paris. Sarah, the Jewish girl, is one of those who were arrested during the roundup. Before her family leaves their apartment, she locks her little brother in a secret cupboard and promises to come back for him. As Julia researches this dark event in France's history, her story starts to intertwine with Sarah's.

Overall, I liked this book. It was a quick read, moving along at a good pace. I enjoyed the book up until the very end. I thought the ending was very predictable, and therefore anti-climactic. Would I recommend it to someone else? Sure.

Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese

2011-04-04T05:53:00.004-05:00

So, I am part of this healthy living email chain with my previously mentioned internet friends. We are a pretty supportive bunch, working through exercise struggles and trading recipes. That's where I got this recipe. Hey, I didn't say all our recipes were healthy recipes. We trade both kinds! So anyhoo, when you mix two yummy foods (buffalo chicken + mac n cheese), what do you get? A really awesome dinner! There isn't so much a recipe to this. You can just make whatever stovetop mac n cheese you usually make. Just add some buffalo sauce and some cooked chicken to it, throw it in a baking dish and bake for 30ish minutes. Here is my recipe below:

Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese

2 c elbow macaroni

1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped

1/3-2/3 c buffalo wing sauce

2 c cheddar or similar cheese

6oz evaporated milk

Boil the macaroni and drain. Return to pot over medium heat.

Add the cheese and the milk to the pan. Stir until melted.

Add the hot sauce and the chicken; mix.

Pour into a baking dish lined with foil. Top with more cheese (or breadcrumbs if you like) and bake for 30 min at 350*. Enjoy!

Want me to reply to your comments?

2011-03-31T08:22:00.000-05:00

{random picture so this post isn't that boring*}

Have you ever left a comment, or even better, a question, on a blog and never received a reply back? That could be because you are a "no-reply blogger." Basically, it means you don't have an email listed in your profile. And if you don't have an email listed, I can't reply to your comments via email.

If you are confused already, just head on over to the C.R.A.F.T. blog for a quick tutorial on how to make sure you aren't a "no-reply blogger."

*Taken at my parents house in February.

Girls Weekend in Chicago

2011-03-29T05:22:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I attended a girls weekend in Chicago. We have known each other for 3-4 years now, but had never met in person. Yep, we are "internet friends." Thirteen of us trekked from all over the US and Canada to meet up. And we had a blast. You never would have known we'd hadn't ever met in real life before; our interactions we just so natural.

So what did we do in the Windy City? Eat, of course! Several of us went on walking food tour, and the others went on a hop on, hop off bus tour. The weather was definately on the chilly side, but we made the most of it and had a great weekend.

Breakfast at Lou Mitchell's. You get a donut hole when you walk in, a little box of milk duds when you sit down, and a little scoop of ice cream after the meal. Oh yea, and a great breakfast in between!

Three of us did a food tour with Tastebud Tours. This pizza place was our starting point.

The tour finished at the Tip Top Tap at the top of the Allerton Hotel. We got to enjoy some tasty drinks there.

Trip to Chicago isn't complete without a stop at "the bean."

The whole group of wonderful ladies!

Can't wait for the next get together!

Homemade Pancakes

2011-03-25T09:24:00.000-05:00

Brian wanted pancakes for dinner last night and I was happy to comply. I went to start dinner, opened the cupboard and realized...we didn't have any Bisquick. That's right folks, we are Bisquick pancake people. Because it's easy.

But guess what else is easy? Homemade pancakes. Brian was all set to go to the store to buy some pancake mix, but I said "No, we'll make them from scratch. All that mix is is flour and baking soda premixed in a box." So I googled and found this recipe for Good Old Fashioned Pancakes. Perfect. Brian wasn't so sure. Even as I was mixing ingredients, he was offering to go to the store. He was worried they wouldn't be the same, he liked "fake pancakes" he said. But I pressed on and made those pancakes. And guess what he said after he took the first bite?

"Top notch."

That's right. I'll probably never need to buy Bisquick again! These really are just a few ingredients, things you'll already have on hand. And really, they don't take much longer than regular pancake mix. Although, I am thinking of mixing up several batches of the dry ingredients and storing them in the cupboard with the instructions for the wet ingredients, so we'll always have some on hand for impromptu pancake dinners :)

Random Things I Like

2011-03-23T02:40:00.000-05:00

I am in the mood to share some things with you. Things I like. Things I want. One I already own and want more.

First up are the best pair of shoes I have ever owned. They are Alegria, the Paloma style, which is a Mary Jane. I bought these when I was at a conference for work. I am always looking for shoes that are: comfy, cute and won't make my feet smell (sorry, but it is true). These fit the bill, pretty much (the smelly feet aren't so bad, but it may just be a lost cause...TMI I know). I am on my feet alot at work. I have tried lots of shoes, but inevitably, my feet would get sore by the end of the day. I seriously, truly, have not had sore feet one day while wearing these shoes. And I've been wearing them since January. As soon as I put my feet in them, I knew they were different. They have some serious arch support, and I really think that is what makes the difference. I own a black pair, and I am now contemplating getting a brown pair. And then I'll just throw out all the other shoes that failed. These do come in a bunch of wacky prints and colors too, if that's your thing.

Next up are these cute watering cans. I saw these in one of the many magazines I get in the mail. Best part is...they are only $4. I actually think I should get one for my office. I have a plant up high on a shelf and well, I forget to water it sometimes. But how could I ever forget if I had one of these?

One last thing I found in a magazine. Eco-friendly kitchen utensils. They are made from plastic bottles and are dishwasher safe too. And I guess the factory they are made in uses wind turbines and other things to make it even more eco-friendly. Oh, and they also only cost $4.00, which I think is reasonable.

Camera Strap Covers: Still Experimenting

2011-03-21T07:17:00.000-05:00

I shared a camera strap cover with you a while back, and they've been on my mind since then. Granted, in the very back of mind, but there nonetheless. I've been saving fabric scraps for a while and this weekend I started tinkering with making some new covers.

The green cover is padded on only one side, while the blue and pink one is lined on both sides. I think I like that one better, in terms of construction. I am thinking of adding some to my shop, but it won't be right away. I've got to have a few people test these out for me before I go in to mass production mode. And I know of a few ladies who might like to try these out ;)

Book Review: The 19th Wife

2011-03-18T06:33:00.000-05:00

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

This is really 2 stories in one book. Both stories are about a 19th wife. The first is more of a historical fiction, following the 19th wife of Brigham Young, one of the prophets of the Latter Day Saints. Her story actually begins with her parents, who were among the original followers of Brigham Young, and continues through her marriage to him and subsequent divorce and escape from the Mormon community. Intertwined with the historical fiction is a modern day telling of another 19th wife, this one a suspect in the murder of her polygamist husband. Her young adult son, who had been outcast by the LDS community, returns to his hometown to solve the mystery of his father's murder and prove his mother's innocence.

Oh man, this book took me for.ev.er to read. I'd say it was just ok. Definately interesting, but I really feel that it dragged on at points and by the end, I just wanted it to be over with. I enjoyed the modern story of this book, but the historical part was a bit more boring. I guess it helps in understanding how the LDS church came to be (assuming it is historically accurate), but I don't think it was necessary to understand the modern day story. In addition to each story being told by a main character, there are alot of additional "documents" such as letters that help to tell the story.

2nd Etsyversary

2011-03-16T18:50:00.002-05:00

Hey all. Just thought I'd let you know about a little giveaway I am having over on my facebook page. In honor of my 2nd Etsy-versary, you can win either a curling iron cozy, a coupon organizer or a zipper pouch. Just head on over to my facebook page to enter. Last day to enter is this Friday!

Argentine Beef with Chimichurri Sauce

2011-03-10T21:37:00.003-06:00

My aunt bought me a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine for Christmas. I was flipping through the latest issue, hoping to find something to add to the weekly menu when I came across this recipe. It called for beef tenderloin, which was perfect, because we had some in the freezer. It sounded really tasty too, so I was excited to make it. The recipe has a marinade for the beef, and a chimichurri sauce. I was able to make both of those in about 30 minutes before work today. Popped it all in the fridge for the day and grilled it when we got home.

Dinnertime at our house tonight sounded like this:
"Mmmmm, mmmmm"
"Mmmmm"
"This is fantastic."
"This is the best thing you've ever made."
"Mmmmmm."

Yea, it's a keeper.

Argentine-style beef with Chimichurri Sauce
source: Bon Appetit

Chimichurri Sauce
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c minced onion
1/4 c minced red bell pepper
1/4 c finely chopped italian parsley
4 fresh bay leaves, minced (optional)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T dried oregano
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1.2 tsp dried crushed red pepper

Beef
1 1/2 c chopped onion
3/4 c distilled white vinegar
1/2 c veggie oil
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 T chopped fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 T chopped fresh oregano
1 T ground cumin
1 T freshly ground black pepper
3 lbs beef tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes

Sauce: Whisk all ingredients plus 1.5 tsp salt in medium bowl. Let stand at room temp for 2 hrs.
Beef: Whisk all ingredients except beef in large bowl. Whisk in 1 T salt. Add beef, toss to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Prepare barbecue (high heat). Thread beef with some marinade still clinging onto 8 skewers. Grill until beef is charred on all sides and cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes for medium-rare.

Serve with chimichurri sauce.

*I subbed italian parsley for the cilantro since I dislike cilantro.
**I obviously let the beef marinate for longer than 1 hour, since I made this before work.

Wet Bag

2011-03-05T14:40:00.002-06:00

So I finally got around to making that wet bag I promised my sister. She actually bought the fabric, which is PUL, I think. It's just a basic bag with a zipper, nothing fancy. I stuffed a few folded dishtowels into the bag for the photoshoot.

I used a piece of bias tape for the hanging loop. I think Joanns has some printed PUL. If they do I may snag some to make more wet bags for people. This bag probably holds about 4-5 diapers.

Chipotle Chicken Marinade

2011-03-01T18:18:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago I was wanting to make some grilled chicken, but I wanted something different than the usual marinades. We like chipotle flavored things, so I searched the Tasty Kitchen website, and found this recipe. It looked simple enough, and we had all the ingredients so I made it. And it was tasty. We grilled it inside on our George Foreman, but I can't wait to grill it outside come summer. It definately has some heat, but you can adjust that based on how many chipotles you use.

Little tip- when you buy a can of chipotles in adobo, you usually only need 1 or 2 for recipes. I just dump the leftovers into a ziplock bag and freeze them. When you need more, pull a few out of the bag. Also, they are easier to slice and remove the seeds when they are still slightly frozen. If you wear contacts....take them out first!

The Whole Kit and Kaboodle

2011-02-25T06:06:00.000-06:00

So this is the whole "kit and kaboodle" of baby gifts I made for my friend. You've seen the diaper bag. She also gets 2 large bibs, and 2 small bibs. I also threw in a burp rag made from a cloth diaper. And on the left is a changing pad.

One bib has an appliqued "P" since baby girl's name will start with a "p." I used some of the pink fabric from the diaper bag, paired with some PUL (I think) for the changing pad. That stuff is water resistant, or something. I dunno. My sister bought it. I am supposed to make her a wet bag with it. Hey sis, I'll get right on that.

Oh, and speaking of Kaboodle, remember these?

Teriyaki Meatloaf

2011-02-23T19:24:00.002-06:00

First, my apologies for the scary photo. I really don't think meatloaf is very photogenic!
Second, this is not your momma's meatloaf. And I love my mom's meatloaf. But a few weeks ago my sister told me about this new recipe she found on the PW's recipe website, Tasty Kitchen. It's a teriyaki meatloaf, which sounds odd, but it is delicious. People, there is bacon in it. And I am usually a one-meat kind of person. I do not like more than one variety of meat in my meals. But oh, bacon! It really added an interesting element to the meatloaf. I should confess here though, that I halved the recipe (we didn't need 2 pounds of meatloaf) BUT, I didn't half the amount of bacon. Hee hee. So anywho, if you are looking for something different, give this a try.

Girly Bibs

2011-02-17T17:58:00.004-06:00

With all the impending babies, I went in to mass production mode to make bibs. I bought 1 pink flannel print and used it for the backside of all these bibs. Two of the prints are some fun, flowery, butterfly-y prints which I think are adorable for baby girls. And the 3rd print is leftover lining from the diaper bag I made. Observant readers will notice that only 2 of the bibs have velcro on them so far. I had to snap the picture before I gave those 2 away!

Simple Diaper Bag Tutorial

2011-02-14T05:51:00.002-06:00

As promised, here is a tutorial for making the diaper bag I shared last week. I called it "simple" because all I really did was tweak and embellish a basic tote bag. There aren't any exterior pockets like alot of diaper bags have because the mommy-to-be didn't want any. If there are any questions, please leave them in the comments.

You will need:
-1 yard exterior fabric (you'll have some extra)
-1 yard lining fabric (you'll have extra)
-1/4 yard pocket fabric
-1 yard fusible fleece interfacing, or other sturdy interfacing of your choice
-magnetic snap
-1/4 inch elastic, about 16 inches
-coordinating thread, etc

* All seams are 1/4 inch unless otherwise noted.
1. Apply interfacing to exterior fabric. Cut your exterior and lining fabrics according to the above template. Total width is 22.5 inches. Cut out the little corners, and SAVE these pieces. You will use them to make the tab. Thrifty, huh?

2. Make the strap first. Cut a piece of exterior fabric to 5" x 36". Cut interfacing to 4.5" x 36". Fold the long edges of the fabric in half an inch and iron. Apply the interfacing to the wrong side of the strap fabric, between the 2 folds you just ironed. Fold in half lengthwise (the hot dog way) and iron flat. Top stitch along both long edges.

3. Make the tab. Take the 2 rectangles you cut out of the body of the bag above. Apply one half of the magnetic snap to one of the rectangles according to package instructions. Position the snap about 1.3 of the way down from one short end. Place tab pieces right sides together and sew along 2 long edges and one short edge (red lines).

3. Clip corners and turn right side out. Iron. Top stitch around the same sides.

4. Ok, time to move on to the body of the bag. First we have to make the pockets. I cut one pocket piece to 9" x 16" and the other to 9" x 22".

- For the smaller pocket, fold all edges over 1/4 inch and iron. Fold one long edge over another 1/4 and iron. Top stitch along this edge.

- For the larger, stretchy pocket, fold over both long edges 1/4 inch and iron. Now fold just one edge over again and iron. Stitch along the first fold. Attach a safety pin to the elastic and thread it through the casing you just created. Stitch each end in place.

5. Place the pockets on the bag as shown above. Position both pockets about 1/4 above the rectangle cut-out. I centered the smaller pocket along the width of the body piece. For the larger pocket, line up the short edges with the edge of the main bag piece. Pin both pockets in place. For the smaller pocket, stitch along the sides and botton edge. Stitch up the center, from top to bottom to divide the pocket into two.

6. For the larger pocket, stitch along the bottom edge. You are going to have to create some pleats because this edge is wider than the width of the bag. See above photo. Decide how many pockets you want to divide the pocket into. I think I made 3. I figured 2 pockets would hold bottles, so I made them the appropriate width for that. Just sew from the botton edge to the top edge of the pocket. Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end. At this point, you have not sewn the sides of this pocket.

7. Now, fold the lining piece, with the pockets, right sides together. Line all the edges up nicely and pin. Do the same for the exterior fabric. Stitch along the sides, making sure to catch the pocket edges in the seam on the lining piece. To create the gusset, pinch the cut out corners together and stitch. Sew all but 1 corner. You will leave one open so you can turn the bag later.

8. Before you assemble the bag, apply the last half of the magnetic snap to the main body piece. This will be the front of the bag. I centered the snap along the width, and placed it about 2.5" below the top edge of the bag. Now flip the lining piece right side out and stuff it into the exterior piece, so right sides are facing. You will also need to stuff the strap between the lining and exterior pieces of the bag and pin each end to the sides of the bag. At this time, if you want the strap to be shorter, you can cut some length off of it before pinning it to the bag.

9. You also need to place the tab between the layers also. It needs to go along the back of the bag. In the photo above, the snap is facing up. This is important, as you want to be able to snap the bag shut! So in the photo above, from top to bottom you have: front exterior, front lining, back lining, tab, back exterior. Does that make sense?

10. Ok! Sew along the top edge. I sewed an extra time over the straps and the tab to add more strength.

11. Clip the sides of the bag where the straps are. This is to debulk the seam a bit so it isn't all bunched up when you turn the bag right side out.

12. Turn bag right side out through the open corner. To close that corner, finger press the raw edges under about 1/4 inch. Then sew close the edge.

13. Push the lining into the exterior and straighten everything out. Iron!

You should be done. Gosh, I hope I didn't leave out a step!

Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread

2011-02-09T05:06:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I haven't posted about this recipe already. I even used the search bar over on the right side bar to search for it because I was sure I had already posted this recipe. Guess not.
Yes, it is another pumpkin recipe. Cookies, breads, scones, I love pumpkin baked goods. I actually had this recipe memorized at one point in grad school because I was making it so often! And of course, I have to add chocolate chips. They just make everything better! This bread only lasts about 2 days in our house. Try some!

Diaper Bag

2011-02-07T04:48:00.002-06:00

The first mommy due during the baby explosion asked if I could make her a diaper bag. This is her second baby, a girl, and her first is a boy. I knew right away that I wanted the outside to be a black and white print and I thought a bright pink print would be fun for the interior. Mommy's favorite color is also pink, and since they are having a girl, it was even more appropriate.

I made the diaper bag by altering a basic tote bag pattern.

Final dimensions are 15.5"w x 11.5"h x 6"d

Added a small flap with magnetic snap to hold the bag shut. Mommy didn't care to have a zipper or drawstring closure. She also didn't care to have any exterior pockets.

And of course added lots of interior pockets. One side has 3 pockets that expand with elastic and the other side has 2 standard pockets.

Close up of the interior print.

I think I'll be posting a tutorial for this later this week.

Baby Explosion

2011-01-31T07:35:00.001-06:00

There's about to be another explosion of babies. I swear, it seems like one lady after another has announced her pregnancy in recent months. The explosion is due to start the first the week of March and carry on through August. There will basically be a baby a month. Some of these ladies know or will know if they having a boy or a girl, and some simply know they are having a baby (these are my favorite kind!). So what this means for me, and you, is lots of upcoming baby projects. Of course there will be bibs, but I am also taking on a diaper bag project, and maybe some fun accessories to go with it.

So, I made some baby boy bibs last week. Have I mentioned my sister is expecting #2 in May? Well, she is. And this time, it's a boy! I basically went through my scrap fabrics and fashioned some bibs for Ken Adams. That is what I am affectionately referring to baby boy as. You may remember that Elena was called Princess Consuela while she was still baking. And since my sister and BIL don't reveal their name choice until the baby arrives, baby boy needed a temporary moniker too. Brownie points to anyone who can identify the reference.

L-R: Upcycled from mens shirt; applique tie on upcycled jeans; blue scraps; moo on upcycled denim (reverse is cow print)

Applique tie detail

Fetch in the snow

2011-01-26T04:53:00.000-06:00

We took Ty to the dog park last weekend to let him burn off some energy. It has been very cold here so his walks have been short lately. Granted, it was only 9 degrees when we went to the park, but it was more interesting that a boring walk in the freezing cold. He loves to run and play in the snow. We played fetch for awhile and he chased (or was chased by) another dog. I'm sure he could have played there all day.

Grocery Bag Holder Tutorial

2011-01-24T04:08:00.001-06:00

I think I shared one of these grocery bag holders before. But now I've decided to write a tutorial. My aunt has been wanting one and my husband's coworker wanted one also, so I figured I'd take pictures as I went along.

Finished product.

You will need:
1. Piece of fabric about 18x15 inches.
2. Two safety pins, 1 small, 1 large
3. Piece of 1/8 inch elastic, half the length of short edge of fabric (7.5inches)
4. Piece of fabric for loop, 2x15 inches

1. To start, you will make your loop that the holder will hang from. It should be long enough to hang over a door knob.
2. Fold fabric in half lengthwise and iron. Open up and then fold each long edge in towards the middle along the fold.
3. Now fold in one more time, along the original fold line. Sew down the open edge.

4. Now moving on the actual holder. Fold each short end of the fabric in 1/2 inch and iron. Fold over another 1/2 inch and iron again. Make sure to do this with both ends of the fabric.

5. Sew about 3/8 inch from fold. Do this for both ends. You have just made the casing for the elastic on one end, and finished the seam for the top of the holder.

6. Now you need to thread the elastic through the bottom casing. I attach a small safety pin to one end of the elastic, and a larger one to the other end (1).

7. Thread the smaller safety pin through the casing (2). The large safety pin just keeps the elastic from disappearing into the casing so the fabric can bunch up.

8. Time to close things up! Fold the bag wrong sides together and pin along the long edge. Make sure to insert the loop into the seam near the top of the bag. We are going to sew a french seam here, that is why you have the right side facing out.

9. Sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. When you get to the botton with the elastic, use your fingers to stretch the elastic a bit and hold your safety pins away from the seam. You don't want to run over them. Backstitch here a few times.

10. Trim the excess elastic. Turn the holder inside out now. Sew along the seam at 5/8 inch. You want to sew a wider seam allowance here so you catch all the raw edges of the first seam within the new seam. The above photo shows the finished french seam with the holder inside out. Turn the bag right side out and you are done. Stuff it with plastic grocery bags and hang it on a door!

Book Review: The Middle Place

2011-01-19T21:09:00.004-06:00

The Middle Place
By Kelly Corrigan

It's been a while since I've reviewed a book. I've been reading this one for a while now, but I only read it when I use our treadmill, which is 3 days a week, so it has taken a while.
So anyhoo, about the book. Kelly writes about herself and being in "the middle place," that place in between being someone's child and someone's parent. She is the mother of 2 young girls and then learns that she has breast cancer. Shortly after that, her father is diagnosed with bladder cancer. I thought this was a great book. In fact, I'd say it one of my favorites, I think because of how real she is. She is very honest and doesn't sugar coat anything. She is also quite humorous. I guess I just felt like she could have been someone I know. The chapters in the book bounce back and forth between present(cancer) day, and her childhood and early adult life. This is an easy read and I was always looking forward to my next treadmill workout. Heck, sometimes I'd even walk longer just so I could keep reading!

Lazy Lasagna

2011-01-17T06:42:00.000-06:00

This recipe from Real Simple magazine is called Last Minute Lasagna. I prefer to call it Lazy Lasagna. It is made by layering frozen ravioli with cheese and sauce in a pan and baking. Seriously, you can't get any easier than that. I use cheese ravioli, but you could use meat ravioli, or a meat sauce if you like that. It is tasty and perfect for a winter day either way. Just make some yummy garlic bread to go with it!

Saving money on groceries with coupons

2011-01-14T18:18:00.002-06:00

Did you make a New Years resolution to save more money this year?

I didn't.

I am always wanting to save money, so there is nothing new about this goal. One of the ways I try to save money is by using coupons at the grocery store. I've shared some of my bargain trips before, and I've got another one for you today, in case you are in need of moolah saving inspiration!

I generally buy the majority of my groceries at Walmart, because lets face it...they are cheaper there. I shop at the local grocery store for meat, and whatever else I can get for cheap. One way to take advantage of coupons, is to use them on double coupon day, or combined with a sale the store is having. My store only takes up to 5 coupons per transaction, and you have to spend at least $25 before coupons are applied. Also, plan before you go. I compared the sale ad to my coupons and knew exactly what I was going to get before I even set foot in the store. So let's see how I did:

I got all of this, for $22.40. That's 7 boxes of cereal people. And cereal isn't cheap. Here's a breakdown:

Quaker cereal was on sale 5/$10. Buy 5, get free OJ. We like Life thankfully!

Special K- $1.99 each after sale and doubled coupon
Prego- $0.83 each after sale and doubled coupon

Turkey lunchmeat- $1.00 each after sale and doubled coupon

Ziploc bags- $0.99 each after sale and doubled coupon

I saved $29.39! That's more than I spent!

Here are some tips for getting coupons:

1. Sunday newspaper! If it is a good week of coupons, buy 2 papers.

2. Print coupons online. Check out www.coupons.com.

3. Follow coupon blogs. I follow 2 that post links to printable coupons. They are often from the manufacturers website, which I don't have time to peruse and search for coupons myself, so the blogs do the work for you. Check out the Frugal Map to find a coupon blog that matches up coupons with stores in your area.

And for a little shameless self promotion....if you clip coupons but don't have a good way to organize them, maybe you could use a pretty coupon organizer made by your truly. I've been adding some new ones to the shop, so check it out!

Simple Christmas to Valentine's Wreath Makeover

2011-01-10T01:00:00.001-06:00

This weekend I was packing up the last little bit of Christmas when I realized my wreath was still decked out for Christmas too. Every year my nurse at work gets me a wreath for Christmas (Seriously people, best gift ever. I love it. If you ever needed an idea for a coworker, I like this one. Just give it in early December so they can get some use out of it). She buys the wreath plain, then adds a bow and embellishment herself. So anyhoo, my wreath is still green, though bone dry, but I'd like to extend it's decorating life because I think it is beautiful.

Enter some Christmas ornaments.

But wait...didn't I say this was a Valentine's makeover? Sure did. See, I went shopping the day after Christmas and Target had these heart shaped ornaments on clearance. They weren't my style for my tree, but I figured for 50 cents a pop, they'd be great for Valentine's. There were only 2 left, otherwise I would have bought more.
So here we go.

Christmas wreath before. Yes, my live wreath is hanging indoors. We don't use our front door all that often, and I wanted to enjoy the wreath, so I hung it inside. I have this felt wreath hanging on the front door.

I have another square wreath that hangs all year round at the base of our stairs. It needed some sprucing up too.

After. Ok, it isn't anything dramatic, I know. But I removed the lovely bow and the candy cane embellishment. They go into storage for use next year. Then I just added the little heart ornament.

After. I added the ornament, and a piece of red and white ribbon that came off some Christmas packaging.

Isn't it pretty? Nothing over the top, just a subtle change. All for the cost of a buck!

2011 Goals for the House

2011-01-03T02:22:00.000-06:00

As shown in my sad attempt at an inspiration board:

(Photos: Real Simple, Young House Love, BHG via Newlywed's Nest)

1. Paint the front door. I have a yellow color picked out, but that could always change.
2. Organize our catch all closet in the guest bedroom. Ideally I'd like to be able to have a gift wrapping/etsy order packaging station and home office type supplies in there. Oh, and have some room for guests to use it!
3. Speaking of the guest room, I'd like to spruce ours up. I was really inspired by an article in the Nov 10 issue of BHG. Click the above link for closer views of the article.

Not pictured:
4. I'd like to finish our master bedroom decorating. We need matching white nightstands, new table lamps and maybe some window treatments. I'd also like to repaint our dresser white, and add some basket storage on some built in shelves that we already have.

What are your home related goals for 2011?

Nanaimo Bars

2010-12-22T08:26:00.000-06:00

I had never heard of these bars until last week, when a few people recommended them as yummy holiday treats during my giveaway. I googled them and learned that they are from the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia. I decided to make some as part of my yearly assortment of tasty treats that I give to my coworkers. I especially liked that they are no-bake, because my oven was going to be plenty busy as it was. There are three layers: a crunchy bottom layer, a yummy butter sugar center, and a chocolate ganache-type topping. The recipe calls for graham crackers for the bottom layer, but I used Golden Grahams cereal since I had them on hand. These are tasty, and they look great sliced too!

Yarn project bag

2010-12-20T08:19:00.000-06:00

For Christmas my mom asked for yarn bag for her crochet projects. She sent me a link to one, and of course I figured I could make it myself, so I did!
It is a tallish, narrow bag, with an outside pocket for crochet hooks (shown with my knitting needles though).

It has a square flat bottom, so it can sit beside her while she crochets.

A button closure will let her keep her yarn in the bag and just pull from the skein as she works.

I hope she likes it! I can't wait to give it to her!

Giveaway winner and some treats

2010-12-18T13:50:00.003-06:00

I had a lot of fun reading everyone's comments and checking out links to some yummy recipes. There were quite a few recipes I was interested in, so I put all those names in a bowl and drew one out. Before I share the winner I want to share some of the yummy recipe links with you.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies with a quick way to cheat too!

Egg Nog Cookies

Clodhoppers, which I've never heard of. They are kind of a chocolatey krispy treat made with Golden Grahams!

Nanaimo Bars were mentioned a few times. Again, I had never heard of these and actually googled them to see what they are. They are a layered bar treat from British Columbia. I think might make some for coworkers!

Probably the most interesting treat comes from our winner, Shana, who wrote:

Oh I need one of these. I have to tell you my favorite christmas treat is Potato candy and here is a link to my recipe on my own blog. You should really try it if you haven't. It is so good.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment! I hope you won something from the many giveways going on!

Fleece and felt Christmas tree skirt

2010-12-16T22:04:00.003-06:00

If you are looking for the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day giveaway, click the link, or just scroll down a post.

I made a tree skirt. It just looked naked without one. But I was being cheap, and didn't want to spend any money, and really wanted to just use what I already had. The other issue is that Ty sheds alot. And I didn't want to worry about having the skirt look gross with white doggy hair sticking to it. Enter the leftover white fleece from his doggy jacket. I had just the right amount left over to make a skirt the size I needed. Then I scrounged for something to embellish it with, and found some leftover red felt. And ric rac! Yay!
I just cut a slit along the radius (dust off your geometry folks!), then an "X" at the end of that, for the trunk to go in. Since it is fleece, there was zero hemming involved. Seriously, this was a very quick, instant gratification type of project!

Close up of my ric rac Christmas balls, and asterik thingies. I just glued them on for now, but I may go back and actually sew them down.

Life on 19th

New Scarf

52 Fridays in Photos: Three

52 Fridays in Photos: Two

52 Fridays in Photos: One

Top Posts of 2011

Thin Mint "Wreath" Cookies

Giveaway Day!

Cookies and Cream Bark

Love Bird Christmas Ornaments

Christmas Stockings

New use for Ikea shopping bag

Pasta with grape tomatoes and corn

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

Weekend Hike

Sauerbraten

Pesto Chicken Panini

Boston, Part 4

Boston, Part 3

Boston, Part 2

Boston, Part 1

Summer To-do List Review

Etsy Seller Shout-Out: Candid Grace

Chicago Getaway, Part 2

Chicago Getaway, Part 1

Etsy Seller Shout-Out: Color Bee Love

Final Garden Update

What Are You Pinterested In?

Photo Composition

Etsy Seller Shout-Out: 19Eighty Expressions

Crafting in an Apple Orchard

Stockholm

Boondocks- Population 10

On the road, sort of

Garden Watch 3.0

Two.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Chess Squares, aka Gooey Butter Cake

Grilled Thai Chicken Pizza

Garden Watch 2011 2.0

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Shutter Speed

Playing with Aperture

Book Review: An Inconvenient Wife

Garden Watch 2011

Family History: Laurel's Legacies

Book Review: Honolulu

Summer is here!

The Weekend, In Photos

Brian turns 40

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Pull Apart Ribs

Summer 2011 Things to Do

Hawaiian Fabric Stash

Souvenir Shopping for the Dog

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

May Giveaway Day 2011

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 5

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 4

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 3

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 2

Hawaii Trip Review, Part 1

Lemon Bars

Book Review: Sing You Home

Off to Hawaii

Motivation

I'd prefer April Showers

Family Photo Wall

Work in Progress

Another wet bag

Book Review: Sarah's Key

Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese

Want me to reply to your comments?

Girls Weekend in Chicago

Homemade Pancakes

Random Things I Like

Camera Strap Covers: Still Experimenting

Book Review: The 19th Wife

2nd Etsyversary

Argentine Beef with Chimichurri Sauce