The Needle and the Damage Done

Our Christmas

2012-01-12T22:44:00.002-06:00

A few years ago when we were living in Germany, we made the decision to stop traveling during the Christmas holiday, and have deeply enjoyed creating our own traditions and building memories together as a family.

About two weeks before Christmas, Greg always picks out the largest live tree he can find (usually with the children), and then we all spend and evening decorating it together. We have a box of misfit/handmade/unbreakable ornaments that the children hang, and then after they are in bed, Greg and I finish it up by putting up all of the glass ones.

In the nights leading up to Christmas, we often end our evening with all of the lights off but the tiny white ones covering the tree...a few moments of mellow light and conversation.

On Christmas Eve night, after the children have gone to bed, Greg and I put all of the gifts under the tree.

Traditionally I am working on gifts up until the very last moment, and this year was no different as I worked at finishing up the children's little individual scrap books.

Each year I prepare a breakfast casserole or cinnamon rolls or the dough for baked doughnuts (stamped out and lined up on the cookie sheets, covered in plastic wrap), and then bake it the next morning -- a small amount of effort for a very special breakfast. This year I made my favorite cinnamon rolls with cream cheese glaze, but subbed in 1/2 cup rolled oats (whirled in the blender for a moment to make it a semi-flour) for 1/2 cup of the flour, and ended up with an ultra tender and moist roll -- our favorite yet.

Raising the dough in a warm oven

The next morning I got up at 5am to set the rolls out to rise then went back to bed. When the children woke we let them play for a bit while we slept in...

Finally we gathered to open our gifts, starting with the ones the children had made for us and for each-other (nearly all this year were wrapped in brown paper lunch bags. So cute!)

Opening the little scrap books...they were so excited about them, which made me super happy.

Then we Skyped each of our families and opened their gifts on camera.

I love the way that technology allows us to be close across the miles....

We took a break for cinnamon rolls, and then played with new gifts for a while before going back for round two and opening the rest.

I don't usually eat candy, but if I had to pick just a few, this would be on the favorites list

Once all of the gifts had been opened, I started on dinner, and at last we sat down to Canard a l'orange (Julia Child's recipe for roast duck with orange sauce), crisp roasted potatoes, quickly sauteed green beans, and a lightly dressed green salad.

For dessert at Greg's request, I made puff pastry (for the first time ever -- the dough was not fun to work, and I could not have been more surprised when it actually puffed!), and put together Raspberry Mille-Feuille (Napoleon) with fresh raspberries and vanilla pastry cream.

It was gorgeous until I sliced it up (no pictures of that -- some of the berries were crushed and the cream shifted out of the sides...) -- next time I will cut up the pieces of pastry into individual servings and then fill them with the cream and berries for a better final presentation.

A delicious ending to our day.

(If you have not tired of pictures yet, there are more in the flickr set here.)

Weaving and pasta

2012-01-06T19:17:00.002-06:00

I warped my little Cricket lap-loom today and started a scarf...

Spent some peaceful moments weaving in my studio all by myself. It was lovely.

Also, I made this Italian-American baked pasta dish for dinner a few nights ago: Johnny Marzetti. Delicious, even with the pre-shredded cheese that I used, but would be even more special with fresh mozzerella on top. I sauteed everything in the order written in the recipe, but didn't take each ingredient out of the pan once it was done, just added the next ingredient to saute, and didn't add any extra oil (so I ended up using 1 or 2 tablespoons instead of 10). I also upped the pasta from 8 oz to 12 oz to make it more filling/stretch further, and used bulk sausage instead of ground beef (less expensive/nicely seasoned). It turned out well with this much-less-fussy method and alterations, and I would definitely make it again.

Back to school (snack)

2012-01-05T16:58:00.000-06:00

Today was the first day back to school for my children. Daisy gets home an hour before the boys do, so we worked together to make some after school snacks for everyone to enjoy this afternoon.

I had originally intended on making these Brown Butter Cinnamon Sugar Breakfast Puffs as dessert on New Year's Eve, but we ended up going the simpler route with marshmallows, frozen custard and hot chocolate instead. Plenty of sugar without me ever having to go near the oven.

Today, however, when everyone needed an extra little dose of mommy/baking love to come home to, these were perfect. Soft, warm, nutmeg scented little pillows are crowned in brown butter and cinnamon sugar the moment they finish baking, and oh my...

Oh yes.

Yes, yes, and YES. Thank you, Smitten Kitchen.

New Year's Day Party

2012-01-02T12:55:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year dear friends! We celebrated the first day of the year with a potluck. I baked a beer-braised ham and a double batch of these Potato Rolls with Caraway Salt (I used smoked Maldon sea salt flakes with the caraway seeds), and invited friends for a party that included a bonfire and fire breathing. (Everyone shot pics of the night using cell phones, so please forgive the low-quality images.)

Greg

Greg

Greg

I hope that your year is full of friends and fun and love. Happy 2012!

Happy Birthday Billy

2011-12-31T11:50:00.003-06:00

Dear Billy,

On December 18th, you turned 3 years old. This has been quite a year for you. You started school two days a week, and are thriving in the social aspect, learning new things about friends as well as your shapes and colors and letters.

Showing off our decorated pumpkin display for autumn (the sparkle pumpkin is the one you made in your class at school)

On the days that you do not have school, you have been learning (very slowly) to make your own fun and keep yourself occupied when you are at home with me.

Eating breakfast together.

You are my little buddy. You help me cook and bake and clean, and love nothing better than to be glued to my side, shadowing my every move.

Coffee date on our historic city square

This year you've started to establish some of your own friendships -- nearly every day you ask if you can play with your two little best girlfriends, A and M, and it's fun to see you growing in your ability to play with other children rather than just next to them.

With A on your way home from school

Playing dress-up with M

I love you, and I love discovering who you are as you grow and your personality continues to unfold. You are a challenge, you are a handful, and you are one of the most hilarious little people I've ever had the privilege of knowing. I'm so glad you're mine.

I love you always and forever,
Mommy

Handmade Christmas

2011-12-29T12:50:00.000-06:00

In the past, I have often planned so many Christmas projects for the month of December, that I've hardly had time to be present and really enjoy the season with my family. This year, in search of balance, I opted for a much simpler, pared down version of what I would normally do. Instead of baking every single delicious looking cookie and bar and candy recipe I could lay my hands on, I made a giant batch of lemon curd (this recipe x6), and processed 4-1/2 lbs of jalapeños into spicy-sweet Cowboy Candy.

I then packed the treats into tiny jars for friends, neighbors and teachers, and was done! Two days of cooking/packing vs. 7 days of baking/packing. Perfect! On top of that, no one was saddled with a billion-calorie-Faith-induced-overload, because...Christmas comes but once a year, but no one wants to work for the next 6 months trying to get all that business off the hips.

For my children, instead of coming up with all kinds of last minute handmade gifts, I stuck to my original plan: five little 6x6 photo books (one for each of my children, one for my 3-year-old nephew). I didn't write a story line for the books, I didn't put any captions in them, and for the most part didn't use any special paper -- just plain and simple photographic memories from the past year, tailored to each child.

(It's obviously not possible to find all of the books at the same time to take a group shot, so here are two of them...)

Today I am working on a little pair of mittens for Daisy and watching my current favorite guilty TV pleasure: The Vampire Diaries (thank you, Netflix), while the children take their afternoon nap.

Tomorrow we are having friends over for dinner, and then on New Year's Eve we intend to stay in, eat a simple dinner followed by Cinnamon Brown Butter Puffs, watch some silly family videos from the past year, play a few board games, and gather around a little campfire in our backyard with mugs of hot chocolate (or perhaps some milk punch or hot buttered rum for the grown-ups). Greg and I will then tuck our children into bed well before midnight, and spend the rest of the evening together, just the two of us. We began dating on a New Year's Eve 11 years ago, and have never managed to celebrate our little mini-versary on our own until this year. I'm excited!

How are you spending the last few days of 2011? Here's a list of some fun ideas if you're stumped for plans to ring in the new year.

Christmas family photo shoot

2011-12-27T13:08:00.005-06:00

Traditionally, we've taken our self-timer family holiday photo outside, but this year it was far too blustery and cold outside, so we decided to pile on our master bed instead. It only took about 12 takes to get this shot....

And some of my favorite out-takes....

We wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Sugar Cookie Day and a Gingerbread House

2011-12-26T17:36:00.004-06:00

(Edited to add pictures of gingerbread house...oops!)

Every year, the children and I have a tradition of making and decorating sugar cookies, and also making a gingerbread village. This year, I bought a gingerbread house kit, so I did most of the decorating, but we used Dorie Greenspan's sugar cookie recipe (with lemon zest rubbed into the sugar -- yummy!) from this book, of course.

The whole proccess takes a while, as does anything with small children, so by the time we finished stamping out the shapes, Daisy had just had enough. A good long nap followed shortly after this shot.

Some superfun sprinkles that I found at Target.

By the time that we got around to the decorating, both of the little guys were solidly asleep for their afternoon naps, so Max helped them out after dinner to fully sprinkle their own cookies.

Cookie Monsters

I used my favorite vintage biscuit cutter to stamp out circles with the re-rolled scraps of dough left over, and gave them a simple (and slightly more grown-up) apricot glaze.

Pre-Christmas snapshots

2011-12-23T14:57:00.000-06:00

With Daisy at her Pre-K class Christmas Party.

A pair of socks that I knit for my mom's Christmas gift.

3 lbs of Jalapenos to make Cowboy Candy.

A little pot of fresh potpourri on the stove (cranberries, an orange, a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, and half of a cracked nutmeg pod).

Mason Jar Lid Ornament for Billy's school gift exchange. So simple and so fun -- I plan to make a bunch with the children tomorrow as a Christmas Eve project. (It's pretty intuitive, but if you want a Set Of Instruction, check here.)

A lemon curd tart with fresh berries, brushed with apricot glaze ("sweet tart" dough recipe for the crust found here.)

Making little 6x6 photo books for the children for Christmas gifts.

Used this to turn my hair a super fun shade of red again.

Christmas Green Slouchy Hat

2011-12-22T11:10:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, I tried my hand at spinning some cabled yarn out of a bump of plain white Corriedale. I ended up with a relatively smooth, sturdy skein of yarn that was otherwise uninspiring, despite the hours of work that had gone into it. I'm not a skilled dye-er by any means, but I decided to take my chances and attempt a semi-solid effect using one of my very favorite shades of spring green. Armed with several bottles odd green food coloring, white vinegar and boiling hot water, I took the plunge...and ended up with a fabulously vibrant result. Since it miraculously came out so well, and so much work has already gone into it, I decided to wait until the perfect project came along....

I'm currently growing out my pixie-cut, which leads to a lot of Awkward Hair Days, and so I've been getting a heck of a lot of use out if my two knit slouchy hats. Last week I decided I should probably have another one, and suddenly thought of that green skein, tucked away at the back if my stash...a quick search through the pattern library of Ravelry, one afternoon of knitting, needles flying....

Star Crossed Slouchy Beret. My project details here.

Get Your Greens Shake

2011-12-14T10:58:00.001-06:00

I've always liked the idea of starting off the day with a green shake. All of those nutrients and vitamins coming together in an energizing fresh drink. The problem is, I figured that I'd need a superpowered blender to really churn all of those greens up...plus, wouldn't it just taste really gross? Last week I found a green shake recipe on the Greenling blog and decided to give it a try. With a few tweaks I ended up with something that even Billy could enjoy. (The fact that the berries turn the shake dark purple instead if green helps with the appeal.) Success!

Get Your Greens Shake
Makes 1 very large serving or 2 medium sized servings

2 cups kale, roughly torn
1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1 banana
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (Golden Flax Seeds, with their mild nutty flavor are my favorite)
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or to taste)
1 cup cold water

Combine all in a blender and process at the highest speed until fully combined and south with no green bits remaining.

Enjoy!

Marvelous Mod

2011-12-02T15:17:00.001-06:00

It doesn't happen often around here, but when the crochet bug bites me, it bites hard. I'm so enjoying this project this afternoon!

Re-set (...I'm a looser baby...)

2011-11-28T14:15:00.001-06:00

I love knitting. And I don't want to overstate things, but for the most part, I consider myself a pretty successful knitter. Most of my projects work out really well -- beauty and function intersect seamlessly, and I am nearly always happy with the outcome. In the past months, however, something has gone very, very wrong. Everything that I touch seems to turn to disaster. I've knit a hat, most of a pair of socks, and two entire sweaters that have been good for nothing but ripping right back out again. All of that misfortune kind of kicked me right in the mojo, and I turned to the comforting embrace of embroidery and crewel. As lovely as that all is, I can't embroider in the dark, or while watching a movie, or while monitoring my children from a park bench. I missed my knitting.

About two weeks ago, my friend Pixie came over to visit. Pixie and I have decided to start having DIY trade-off days as an excuse to hang out...not that we need one, but there's something fun about inviting someone over for a themed visit. Anyway, in this last visit, she taught me to make kombucha, and I taught her to knit.

Starting some kombucha

She took to it immediately (fastest learner yet!). and as I watched her fall into the gentle rhythm of the stitches, I felt inspiration spark in the dusty crafting corners of my soul.

Pixie and Billy knitting

During naptime that day, I cleaned up my studio, located abandoned knitting projects, and worked through my mending pile. It felt amazing to have a clear space to work in again; my mind felt refreshed.

some of the mending...

When we set off to San Antonio to visit friends over Thanksgiving weekend, I brought some socks that had stalled out at the heels (with so many projects failing, I couldn't find the emotional energy to turn a simple heel), and a laceweight sweater that needed to be ripped back about 6 inches before starting again. While we were in SA, my friend Heather gave me a wild rainbow skein of fingeringweight wool, and she got me started on a cute ribbed hat for Daisy (it's knit on the diagonal, and it's Heather's own pattern -- maybe she'll write it out sometime so I can share it with you dear readers). All of this to say: I am pleased to announce that, after a much needed Creative Re-set, I now have 3 promising projects on my needles.

Today is a great day, my friends.

Cracked Wheat Rolls

2011-11-19T11:47:00.001-06:00

These buttery, mildly sweet, slightly crunchy rolls have been a staple at our Thanksgiving (and sometimes Christmas) table now for years. They take a bit of extra effort to make, but are completely worth it. They are amazing fresh from the oven, but they are nearly as good if you make them the day before, then re-warm for a few minutes in the oven just before serving.

Cracked-Wheat Rolls

From Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates

1 cup bulghur
1-1/4 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
4 or 5 cups unbleached white bread flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter (for brushing on top of baked rolls.

Place bulghur in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Add 2 tbsp. butter, stir, and set aside to cool to warm/room temperature-ish.

Make sponge: in a small bowl, stir yeast into the 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. When bulghur has cooled for about 15 minutes, add the yeast mixture, brown sugar, and 1 cup of flour. Beat for 100 strokes. (This sounds like a lot, but it really only takes a moment, and you get a chance to take out a little bit of your holiday aggression on the rolls.)

Cover the large bowl with a damp towel and set aside to rise in a warm place until the mixture bubbles, about 45 minutes.

Uncover the sponge and stir in the beaten egg, salt, and 2 to 2 1/2 cups of flour to make a dough stiff enough to knead.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Spray the bowl with cooking spray or smear with vegetable oil. Place kneaded dough back into the greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with damp towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.

Lightly oil a large baking sheet or line a baking sheet with parchment paper (my favorite way!)

Punch down the dough and turn it onto a cutting board. Divide the dough into 16 to 18 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel and let rise again for 20 minutes.

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. When the rolls have risen, bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Remove from oven and immediately brush with the melted butter.

Enjoy!!

Sampler project and other things...

2011-11-14T17:16:00.001-06:00

Lest anyone think that there is no crafting going on over here:

I have been slowly but surely working away at this ABC sampler by Alicia Paulson, creator of Posie Gets Cozy.

A little mixed media piece that Max and I put together for his Disguise The Turkey school project:

He decided that the turkey needed to be a Black Ninja, so we stitched black fabric over the shape of the turkey and then a yellow fabric lightening bolt. The strips of blue ribbon on the boots...not sure why those are there. I was just following 6-year-old boy instructions. Max colored in the rest of it as he saw fit. It was so special to have him sitting in my lap at the sewing machine, guiding the project along, spending some time with just him. Also, I am always charmed by stitching into paper. Not sure why, but it's just SO FUN!

On Veteran's Day, Sparky and Max planned a "Veteran's Day Parade", so after school we all lined up with bikes, push-cars, etc., bags of leftover Halloween candy in hand. We invited a few neighbors to "line the streets" (or join in the parade), then we rode down our block and threw candy, with our resident Veteran Of Honor bringing up the rear of the parade.

In my next blog post I'm going to share the recipe for the Cracked Wheat Rolls I traditionally make for our Thanksgiving dinner. For now though, I'll leave you with this.

Happy (VERY BELATED) birthday, Sparky!!

2011-11-07T11:28:00.001-06:00

Dear Sparky,

Somehow, since your birthday falls right at the beginning of the school year, I always seem to be incredibly behind with your birthday letter. But that certainly does not make you any less special!

1 year old

2 years old with 7 year old Rachel (my littlest sister) at our favorite ice cream shop in upstate NY

3 years old with a hat I designed and knit for you

3-1/2 years old

4 years old, with 9 year old Rachel

5 years old, helping Daisy unwrap a birthday gift

6 years old, first day of kindergarten

7-1/2 years old, painting Daisy's nails when you were home sick from school

A few weeks ago, on Egg Drop Day at school

Two months ago, on September 3rd, you turned 8 years old. You have so many grown up teeth in your mouth; you're growing stronger and taller by the day (nearly up to my shoulder!); you are becoming more responsible and helpful... I am so glad that God has given me someone like you.

One of my favorite moments every day is when you walk in the door from school: fresh with the day's adventures, full of stories, shyly wanting my attention and hugs and help with homework.

I hope that you are always able to talk with me, that you are always able to share with me about the things that you're interested in and excited about.

When you sit close to me on the couch and read me a book or tell me a story, I listen with ears that know full well you will eventually grow up, and these tender moments will only be memories. I try to fix in my mind exactly how your high little boy voice sounds, because all too soon it will break and deepen into the voice of a man.

You are so precious to me. I am so glad that I've got you.

I love you forever,

Mommy

Making me happy and inspiring me today

2011-11-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin spice latte

The beauty of a red cabbage (I know, I've taken other pictures of my favorite cabbage before. I can't help it. It's just so pretty every time I cut into one!)

The New Crewel by Katherine Shaugnessy

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-10-31T11:38:00.002-05:00

As the days have (finally!) taken on a distinctly Autumn chill, I've found myself craving spicy pumpkin goodness. I found a recipe for pumpkin layer-cake a few days ago, and with a few tweaks, I was eating some rather delicious pumpkin cupcakes a few hours later.

And to make myself feel better about the indulgence, I made them with half whole wheat flour. I'm sure you could take it further by substituting half (or more) of the oil for applesauce, and since it's a moist spice cake batter, you could probably play around with substitutions of agave nectar or honey to replace some of the sugar, but...well, I didn't want to go TOO crazy. These ARE cupcakes after all (although I will not reveal whether or not I counted them as breakfast for one morning. Or two mornings.) I also switched out the ground ginger for fresh grated ginger for a little more punch. (Also, I happened to be out of dry ground ginger, but had a fresh root on hand. Perfect!)

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Modified from this recipe on Epicurious

To make these you will need: a KitchenAid stand mixer or strong hand-held beater or strong biceps, 2-12 cup cupcake pans, cupcake papers (optional), and a frosting/decorating bag with large star-tip (optional)

Cupcakes:
1-1/2 cups All purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I like to use "White Whole Wheat" King Arthur brand for it's milder taste)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup full-flavor molasses
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1-15oz can pure pumpkin
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (I used my microplane)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)

1-1/2 sticks butter/12 tablespoons (room temperature)

1 cup confectioner sugar (or to taste -- I don't like it very sweet)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1 tablespoon dark rum (I didn't use this because I didn't think my children would like it, and one of my best friends has an aversion to rum -- but it would be SUPER DELICIOUS if you like that sort of thing!)

To make cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350(F). Position rack in the middle of the oven and grease 2 dozen cupcake cups, or use paper cupcake liners.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl bowl and whisk together (or just put it all in a sifter and sift it together).

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the sugar, molasses and oil (the mixture will look weird and grainy -- don't worry!). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla and grated fresh ginger. Beat until well blended.

Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. If using, add walnuts or pecans.

Spoon mixture into muffin cups and bake for 18-22 minutes. Cupcakes are done when a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

To make frosting:

Beat together all of the ingredients for at least 5 minutes, until well combined, airy and light.

Spoon mixture into a decorating bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe swirls of frosting on the tops of the cupcakes.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go make some pumpkin cupcakes!!

Photo Booth

2011-10-29T17:59:00.001-05:00

Way back at the beginning of August, my friend Alicia had a birthday party. I had been wanting to make a photo booth setup ever since I saw this tutorial/free printables over at Oh Happy Day (also some fun ideas at Givers Log!), so I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to create one.

I made the props by printing them out on computer paper, using spray adhesive to stick them to cardstock, then cutting them out and hot-gluing a thin dowel to the back of each (making sure to alternate sides so that it would be easier to hold multiple props!) Alicia's children threw in some extra props they had on hand (plastic helmut, swords, wigs, etc.) The speech bubbles were made out of black cardstock with black chalkboard contact paper stuck to it. Easy! All of the cutting was a little tedious, but for a party of that size, it was completely worth it for all of the combinations and characters we were able to create.

The backdrop was created by tying various colors of purple and blue crepe paper streamers to a rope (550 cord, to be exact, for all of those Army guys out there). We then strung it across a bookshelf. All of the photos were shot by our friend Jason, and edited for that "old-time photo booth" feel in iPhoto by our friend Alison.

It was a super fun addition to the party, and I have no idea why it's taken me this long to blog about it! For smaller parties at my house, I'd love to set up a simpler version of this in my dining room with "photo frames" and speech bubbles.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the party (sorry these are all a little small -- we had some technical stop-start action when transferring files):

Chris and Becca

Josh and Angela

Sparky and "F"

Greg and I (wow, it's hard for me to be serious)

Me, Jenny, Becca

Mike and "A"

Josh and Alison

Alicia and Jason (the birthday girl/our hosts)

I loved capturing memories of my friends at party this way!

Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup

2011-10-28T13:19:00.001-05:00

Brussels sprouts. Among American children (and many adults), this vegetable has come to be regarded more as a punishment than as nourishment. I, however, have always loved them. I don't know if it was because I was charmed by their looks (adorable miniature cabbages!), or if it is just because my mom is a rockstar with vegetables (because she is), but I think they're great. Greg has always been firmly in the other camp, but, as with many other foods, I have worked hard in the kitchen to find a way that he can enjoy them. When I started roasting them in the oven, then drizzling them with maple syrup and butter, he finally started eating them. But last week, when I tried out a modified version of a Cook's Illustrated recipe and added bacon to the maple syrup....the children loved them too! Billy couldn't get enough. In fact, that's all he wanted, and didn't have much use for the rest of his dinner. Success!!

What makes this recipe different: when sprouts are simply oven roasted, they have the tendency to dry out a bit, which makes them a little chewy. Here, the sprouts are oven roasted, but for the first 10 minutes they have foil over the top, so they steam and start to become tender and a little bit sweet. Once the foil is taken off, they are able to get nicely browned and flavorful.

Pictured here over white rice

Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup

Source: Cook's Illustrated magazine, slightly modified

2 lbs Brussels Sprouts (ends trimmed off and sliced vertically in half)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon water
Salt
1/4 lb bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup real, pure maple syrup (more or less to taste) (I'm sure you could also substitute honey or agave nectar -- just use what you have!)

Preheat oven to 500(F), and put oven rack to mid-top position. Toss Brussels sprouts, olive oil and water together and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Arrange brussels sprouts, cut side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Roast sprouts for 10 minutes. Remove foil (carefully! Steam will billow out, so use oven mitts if you have them). Return to oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender and nicely browned.

While the sprouts are roasting, heat a pan on the stove over medium-high heat, and cook bacon pieces until crisp. Remove bacon, allow it to cool somewhat, then chop or break into shards. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat drippings.

Place sprouts in a bowl. Add the reserved bacon fat, crisp bacon pieces, and maple syrup. Toss to coat.

Enjoy!

Great Big Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty picky about cookies. I mean, if something is going to have that much sugar and butter in it, it have better be worth the calories. I'm a thoughtful calorie consumer, what can I say? Of all of the cookies in the world, chocolate chip cookies have remained a lifelong favorite of mine, although there are just so many ways that they can go wrong. (The following will probably offend some -- please know that this is my interpretation of the perfect cookie. And I respect your right to differ. Sort of.)

In a chocolate chip cookie, I want it to be thin, but not so thin that it flops before I can bite into it. There should be no puff. It must have a bit of chew, and the tiniest bit of crunch. They should always be made with dark brown sugar, or at least a splash of molasses to bump up the flavor -- but not enough to make it taste like it should be a spice cookie. It mustn't have too many chocolate chips in it -- if the batter is made properly, it should have enough flavor to stand up on it's own, so that even a bite without the chips is heaven on the tastebuds. I also prefer the chips to be dark, although semi-sweet is an OK compromise if need be. Also, I probably don't even need to mention it, but for real -- the chocolate needs to be good chocolate. Or at least something other than Hershey. Because that's just wrong, and tasteless, and probably not even chocolate. (Now I've really offended someone.)

One day I found such a recipe, and I've been making it ever since.

I can no longer find the link to it, so I'm posting it here with my deepest thanks to the anonymous person who came up with it in the first place. These cookies have a good amount of oatmeal in them, but they are not at all a "typical" oatmeal cookie. They are not soft and fat and faintly spiced. (I happen to hate oatmeal cookies, actually. Although the dough? I'll eat it by the spoonful!) These are like a classic chocolate chip cookie...but even better, because the chewiness of the oatmeal gives them an extra texture that is just perfection itself. Or at least our family thinks so.

These are the cookies that I make for my children on their first day of school as a welcome-home snack. These are the cookies I crave when I'm feeling like having a naughty little snack that doesn't take too much work. This is comfort food in a palm-sized serving. This is butter, sugar and chocolate, married together into something beautiful.

But I'm not super opinionated or anything. Nope. Not me. I would never, ever force my views on anyone. But I would force-feed them one of these cookies. Nicely, and with great respect to their feelings. Cause that's the kind of girl I am.

Great Big Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Source: anonymous (my deepest thanks, you amazing person who I do not know!!)

Adapted slightly by Faith

Yield: depends on how big you scoop them, but this is a sizable batch, so I bake what I need/want that day, then scoop the rest onto a wax-lined cookie sheet, freeze them, then pop them off into a Ziploc bag for future instant warm-cookie-happiness. The dough keeps for at least 2 months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (or just add by eye until you think it's enough -- I pretty much never measure, so this is actually a guess, but I don't add the entire 12 oz bag)

2 cups old fashioned oats (important NOT to use quick oats, which do not add enough texture -- although if it's all you've got, use it! And then try old fashioned oats next time.)

Let's make some cookies!
Preheat oven to 350F. (Because as soon as this dough comes together, you're going to want to get it baked and in your face as soon as possible.)

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a small bowl until creamy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Measure the flour, baking soda and salt into a sifter, and sift into the butter mixture.

Add chocolate chips and oats. Taste the dough. Several times. Set aside some of the dough to eat as a snack later. (What?!! Why are you looking at me like that? You wouldn't want to ruin ALL of the dough by baking it now, would you?!)

Take two large spoons and scoop great big spoonfuls onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper (or ungreased baking sheets. But then you'd have to wash them, and who wants to do that?).

Bake in oven for 8 to 11 minutes or until lightly golden and just barely baked through. (If you are baking more than one pan at a time, switch the pans top to bottom and rotate half-way through baking for even baking/browning.)

Slide the parchment paper with cookies off of baking sheets and onto cooling racks and allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes, or until you can easily slip them off with a spatula. Place them on the cooling rack to finish setting up...or eat them immediately. Actually, screw the whole "let it cool" part. Just eat them, right now, standing over the oven to catch the cookie crumbles. (But don't come to me crying if you burn your tongue. It probably wasn't a good idea to start with, but sometimes that just can't be helped. You understand.)

Enjoy!

A avalanche of thoughts

2011-10-19T14:43:00.002-05:00

Note: I've changed the format of the blog to a "dynamic" view. Let me know what you think. I can switch it back to a more classic look if this is too difficult to navigate, but I thought this looked kind of fun. Also, I've optimized this blog for easy viewing on a mobile device.

Lately, I've felt like I'm drowning. Drowning in thought. Drowning in care. My studio is a mess so I feel unable to create. Billy has still not adjusted to being the only child in the house on school days and is impossibly unhappy. My lack of recent blogging has brought about a train wreck of thoughts inside of my head -- piling up until it's hard to articulate what it is exactly that I want to say. Writing is a release for me. Getting it out on paper or the screen brings my thoughts into order, and when I don't make time for it, I feel like everything just gets jammed. On top of all of that, Daisy broke her arm while we were camping two weekends ago, and on Monday this week, I came down with a nasty case of food poisoning just as Greg was leaving for a week's trip to Wisconsin (thank you US Army).

Mercifully, Greg managed to carve out time that morning to bring the older three children to school and Billy to his Mother's Day Out program before he left for the airport, which was amazing (getting into a moving vehicle at that point? Not a smart option for me.) Later that day, my friend Lisa brought Billy back home, and bottles of Gatorade to help me survive. Another friend, Rachel, picked up all 4 children for the afternoon to play and have dinner (for a total of 7 children at her house. That woman should get a medal). The only thing I managed to accomplish that day was to rest and consume liquids, but I definitely went to bed that night feeling loved and well cared for.

The upside of all of this is that, now that I've recovered, the stark contrast of sickness and health has made me feel like today I CAN FLY. This week I'm setting in motion several things to bring about some needed change: Billy will now be attending the Mother's Day Out program twice a week instead of just one day, giving me a break, and giving him the socialization that he is apparently desperate for (as it turns out, God did not make that child to be alone. His only options for happiness are as follows: 1) the other children are home 2) we have a playdate 3) I hold him in my arms all day like a newborn. None viable for the everyday/all-day.) The other is that I am reorganizing my studio tomorrow -- Thursday is usually Cleaning Day, but I got ahead of the game yesterday when I gave my house a good scrub-down, so I will be taking full advantage of naptime tomorrow and set my creative space to order. I am behind on birthday gifts, and I'm not even thinking about Christmas yet, but it's all about the first step.

After dropping Billy off at "school" this morning, I grabbed my laptop and headed for Starbucks to write this blog. I feel like such a poser, but in this moment, I'm just luxuriating in the freedom, no mater how unoriginal.

Blogging at Starbucks with my MacBook -- it's never felt so good to look so lame!

Greg will blog all about our camping trip since the whole weekend was just all sorts of traumatic for me (getting stuck at the campsite rained in/flooded roads with Daisy suffering from a broken arm, tree branches falling in the night nearly on my brother Jonathan's tent/head, our tents leaking ON MY FACE and on Sparky, etc.), but here's a mosaic of all of the food I made for our camping trip:

We've had such terrible drought here in Texas, so with constant threat of wildfire, we have been shut down into a full-out burn ban. That means: not campfire (obvs), no grilling, no campstove, and not even any lanterns. What this translated for me and Heather (we went with our friends from Germany/San Antonio again) was that we needed to create complete meals that could be eaten cold. Of course we weren't about to just eat cold hot-dogs, beans out of a can, or peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches. We put together our creative powers and spent two days baking and cooking up all sorts of cold grain salads, roast meats, etc. My brother Jonathan flew in to camp with us, so the night before we went to the campsite, he also marinated and broiled a skirt steak to serve over Romaine lettuce. He was afraid that all of the Vegetarian Bean Salad options might bring about a crunchy-hippie-revival.

Daisy's arm (which was injured on our first afternoon of camping) was broken just under the shoulder. Since she is so young, the Dr. says that her body will know how to put the bones back together, and since it is so awkward/impossible to put a cast up that high on her arm, he says that just the sling should suffice. This means she is not allowed to jump/run/climb for at least two months. She's 4, so she TOTALLY understands this. And by that, I mean that YES, she has already fallen on top of her broken arm at least 5 times (the child doesn't even have to be running. So far she's managed to fall over backwards in her little chair at school, fall off of the stool in the lunch room, and trip in a non-existent hole in our backyard.) I am now an expert at checking for shifted broken bones. If I don't have a heart attack or a stress melt-down before she heals, it will be a miracle.

Wow, I feel better now that I've gotten all of that out of my head. And yes, that was a lot of words. But if you've reached the end and you're still reading this now, thanks for sticking around. I'll be writing more often. It feels good to be back.

In my hands and on my stove

2011-09-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

Small things that are making me smile:

Starting my very first crewel-work project, while catching up on the season premier of Grey's Anatomy.

Making bread and vegetable barley soup for dinner.

Wearing my hair up in clips, because it's just long enough to finally do that again!!

Everyone who has joined me over at Google+!!!

Giving in to the call of the Sweet Tooth

2011-09-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

This past week, I felt like making some super ridic. dessert, and when I saw these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting Cupcakes by Joy the Baker, I knew that I had found my answer.

So first this happened.

Then Daisy got off the school bus, so there was suddenly a whole lot of finger-lickin' help.

I carved little scoops out of the top of each cupcake, and Daisy ate each little scoop. Then she helped me to position the peanut-butter chocolate-chip cookie-dough balls on top of the cupcakes, and I piped marshmallow/Italian Meringue frosting over the whole shebang.

Yes, I just said "shebang". Learn to deal.

Once we were done frosting, there was still quite a bit of the stuff left in the bowl, so someone had to take care of it. Thankfully the boys got home from school at approximately this point, so they were able to help with the frosting consumption. And yes, it did end up in Daisy's hair, and on Max's neck, earlobes and eyebrows -- why do you ask?

While my helpers licked the bowl clean, I ran the frosted cupcakes under the broiler to give it the look of a toasted marshmallow.

So unnecessary, SO GOOD.

Hello tower of deliciousness. Yes, I will eat SEVERAL OF YOU. THANK YOU FOR EXISTING.

THE END.

Springtime in Autumn

2011-09-24T21:08:00.001-05:00

After two weeks of being away (Army related reasons), Greg is back home! The children and I are so incredibly glad to have him back. While he was away stitched away during stolen moments on "Spring Sampler" by Aimee Ray (available for free download at Lark Crafts here), and yesterday I finally finished it.

I'll probably stretch this over a canvas, but for now, I just have it out on my coffee table so that I can admire it through the day. Yay for a finished project!!

Unrelated, but I'm newly in love with Google+. It's like Facebook and Twitter had a baby that combines the best traits of both! Check out my profile and "follow" me to see what I'm up to throughout the day (P.S. I'm a much better at "Google+" than I am at Twitter...)

Sock revival

2011-09-17T14:24:00.000-05:00

I've recently been ripping out stagnated projects to start ones I actually care about. A pair of Broadripples was among the casualties. They were turning out beautifully, but, well... they were just too tight around my ankles. And there was no help for it...even though I'd already gotten to the heels. RIP. Two nights ago I cast on with the same yarn (Jojoland Melody -- gorgeous!), and have been enjoying the mindless knitting of simple, plain socks. Perfect. I've also been steadily stitching away at my latest embroidery project (design by Aimee Ray). I'm so smitten with all of the various colors and textures possible with such humble materials.

A place for the headbands and hairbows

2011-09-12T22:38:00.000-05:00

This morning, I brought Billy to his 2nd day of "school". He attends a mothers-day-out program once a week, and is incredibly proud that he has his Very Own School.

Here they are, all four with their backpacks:

(Someone always must be crying in these pictures, yes? The real question is, how can a person insist on being in the "center" of a four-person picture? Thoughts to ponder.)

With the entire morning to myself, I decided to make some sense of all of mine and Daisy's hair accessories.

First, I took an empty rolled oats cylinder and some fabric.

Then, using spray adhesive and hot glue, I did this.

Next, I tied a wide ribbon to a D-ring and hung it from the bathroom wall.

I have a lot of hairbows, and I am not ashamed.

Daisy, on the other hand, is all about the headbands.

For her, the most important step in getting dressed in the morning is to choose The Perfect Headband. Which generally means the pink rose one. Obviously.

She also has a number of hairbows, so I made her a ribbon organizer as well.

Now to make a headband holder for myself!

With Thanks

2011-09-11T18:14:00.003-05:00

There is terrible, historical flooding happening right now in and around my hometown (although thankfully both mine and Greg's families live on high ground and are safe with their homes unharmed in the midst of it all). At the same time, there are terrible wildfires raging nearby here in Texas. If only we could give them some of our dry, and they could pass along their glut of rainwater to our parched Texas landscape. Our firefighter neighbor has been deployed to the fires, and we pray for success in his mission and his safe return.

In this moment, we are focusing on the beauty of a house safe from fire and flood. Thankful, and knowing that what we have is simply a gift, not because we deserve it. It's amazing how much more beautiful everything looks through the lens of thankfulness.

Bike riding

A family soccer game (also known as: how many balls can we have in play at once?)

Knitting a scarf and ripping it back out

Garlic Sherry Burgers with Roquefort cheese, shallots, watercress and Bread & Butter Pickles (from the latest issue of Rachel Ray Everyday)

(As a little side-note so that everyone can laugh at me...this is the first time I've ever made burgers. No exaggeration.)

Sparky's "burger face"

Preparing to use my Le Creuset to make slow oven-roasted Spicy Shredded Pork (which Greg then deemed to be "among the top 5 things Faith has ever made for dinner"). Thank you Pioneer Woman for a crazy simple recipe with delicious results.

Giant chocolate chip cookies

For these simple joys and comforts...for the roof over our heads...for our family...for the brave men and woman in our community (and the community back in NY and PA) who are fighting the flood and fire and sacrificing their own comfort to save the lives of others: we are filled with appreciation and gratitude.

In the cool of the day

2011-09-06T14:31:00.002-05:00

Today, in the sudden cool turn the weather has taken, we are....

Building fairy houses at the park:

70 degrees out, and we need long jeans on to stay warm!

Collecting things in back pockets:

Eating our morning snack and embroidering on a picnic table:

Spinning some Seawool:

By Creatively Dyed Yarn, colorway: SRLE3

It's the 2nd day in a row that we've had a break at last from over 70 days of 3-digit heat, and it feels like a priceless gift!

Well. That was exhausting.

2011-09-05T13:38:00.001-05:00

For the past few days, it seems that I have been living in my kitchen.

I've been craving salty snacks, so instead of indulging in potato chips/pretzels/popcorn/SaltySnacksInMyFaceRightNow (which leave me feeling sick and tired), I decided on Thursday to make some healthier options to have on hand instead. (Before anyone jumps to any sort of conclusion: it is no longer medically possible for me to have children, so NO, I am not pregnant!) :-)

First, zucchini chips:

I used my Mandoline Slicer to cut the zucchini nearly transparently thin, then tossed them in the lightest coating of extra virgin olive oil, and laid them out in rows.

After baking for about an hour at 300 degrees, they were shrunken and crisp (perhaps a tiny bit TOO crisp!)

With the 2nd batch of zucchini chips, I kept an eye on the time and at 45 minutes, they were a perfect pale gold, resulting in chips that were still perfectly crisp, but had a little more delicate flavor instead of the deeply toasty taste of the others. My children aren't sure about these, but Greg and I like them a lot. I lightly salted them after they came out of the oven (I have read that salting them before baking would lead to gummy "steamed" vegetables rather than the shatteringly crisp texture I was looking for).

Next time I am going to try baking them at 200 degrees instead. I'm guessing it'll be more of a dehydrated chip rather than toasted, so more of the raw nutrients will be preserved.

Once the Zucchini Chips were done, I made some Crispy Kale Chips:

I tossed these with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, then baked them at 200 degrees for at least a half-hour...but at this point I don't remember exactly how long (sorry, it's been a long weekend!). With these, I don't like the bitter flavor the leaves get when they are toasted brown, so I was very careful to take them out when they were still dark green. As with the zucchini, I did not salt the kale until after it was out of the oven to prevent steaming. Perfectly crisp and delicious! (You can flavor these any way you wish after baking, but this time I just went with simple sea salt.)

When I was done with all of that Good For You business, I made a birthday snack to take to school on Friday for Sparky's "school birthday" (he turned 8 on Saturday):

These Thumbprint Cookies have become our traditional "School Birthday Treat" for our family. The other children in the boys classes are never too sure about these, but Sparky and Max love them, so there we are. The recipe is, of course, from my favorite go-to baking book: Baking: From My Home to Yours

On Friday afternoon, I prepared Joy the Bakers Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad (so yummy!) as well as White Bean Hummus (with scallions and parsley added in for extra flavor -- my new favorite recipe!), and lemon cupcakes (from my fav. baking book of course) with stabilized whipped cream frosting -- all for Sparky's birthday party on Saturday morning.

After the children were in bed that night, I quickly threw together this little reversible super-hero cape for Sparky's birthday gift:

(His birthday was pirate themed -- thus the eye-patch and bandanna)

(A huge thanks to Greg, who made the party SUPERFUN with a Pirates' Booty Treasure Hunt through the woods and a Pirates' Grog -- created after the fashion of Army Grog, except sans alcohol -- along with decorating the playground as a pirates ship and being the energizing force behind the festivities, and grill-master of the sausages.)

On Saturday, once we got home from the birthday party, I scrubbed and vacuumed the house, and then made a tiramisu to go with a lasagna I had put together (and frozen) earlier in the week to deliver to a friend who has just had a baby. And yes, I made some tiramisu for myself as well. You're welcome.

Last night we had dinner company....and today, I am not cooking at all. I think that's the smartest idea I've had all week. ;-)

Nothing at all

2011-08-31T12:53:00.000-05:00

It's strange...with three of the children off to school during the day, and Billy's nap giving me 2 free hours TO MYSELF...I'm not really getting much done. I mean, I'm still baking things, making dinner, keeping the house clean...but I don't feel much of any creative impulse right now. I don't feel like photographing our days, I don't want to start any new projects right now...I just want to BE. I'm sure I'll snap out of this soon enough, but right now, I'm kind of enjoying doing "nothing".

Since I don't really have anything else to share with you today, here are some videos our friend Thad shot of our church band this past Sunday:

Shadowfeet

King of Glory

I Am

Your Love Never Fails

Feathered Fascinators

2011-08-27T10:01:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago, Greg was out at a late-night rock show, so I invited a few girlfriends over for an evening making Feathered Fascinators (hair-clip/accessories).

We made a great big mess of the living room rug (holy heck, feather bits float EVERYWHERE), but it was superfun! We were each able to knock out a whole handful of fascinators in just an hour or two. (It was late and there was no natural light to photograph by when we were done, so all of these are just mine -- but collectively, we made a lot!)

For me

For Daisy

I love wearing feathers in my hair. It feels so glamorous and unnecessary and fun. I love playing dress-up in real life. Next, I want to try experimenting with silk flowers!

You spin me right round baby, right round...

2011-08-25T22:22:00.000-05:00

When I went out to wait for Daisy's school bus on Monday, I grabbed my spindle to help me while away the minutes. Now I've been spinning each day as I wait...

Oh my goodness, it's been so long since I used my Golding (Celtic Knot 1.3 oz), and it has been such a happy way to spend those last 10 minutes before the bus pulls up. Yesterday, Billy woke up early from his nap (not so fun), so he was with me waiting for the school bus, and thought the spinning was rather delightful .

Also, I've been back at the wheel again...

I pulled a bag of Spontaneous Spinning Clouds from Loop in colorway Sea Treasure from the stash, and had sudden inspiration to do some coreless-corespinning. I am so pleased with how it turned out. Such fun!

Polka Dot Apron

2011-08-24T15:01:00.003-05:00

Our summer has been busy. REALLY busy. Somehow though, amongst all of the busyness, I managed to carve out some time to make a project that was all for me.

Simplicity Daisy Kingdom apron pattern # 3701

A while ago I had asked my Aunt Susie for apron pattern suggestions, and this was one of them. I immediately wanted to make it for myself, but, as it happens with Projects For Me, it got pushed further and further down in my queue. I actually used the little girl version of the pattern to make an apron for Daisy this past Christmas.

Happily though, I finally decided to take some time to make this, and it fits so nicely! The criss-cross straps across the back make the apron comfortable to wear and keeps it from shifting around without having to tie it too tightly. Such a great design. I love the completely unnecessary shoulder ruffles as well.

The piping and rick-rack details are a little fussy to work, but I am so charmed by the finished product, and the lined upper makes this apron feel like a true quality piece that will last for ages.

Predictably...I want to make at least 11 more!

First Day Of School

2011-08-23T15:03:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday evening, our family packed up 6 bags of school supplies and went to Meet The Teachers Night at our school.

(The 7th bag is for Billy's Pre-K/Mother's Day Out program that he'll start in September)

Apparently Texas does not provide school supplies. On the upside, they do provide amazing teachers, so...I suppose that is more important. Frustrating though.

Yesterday morning, Greg was able to report a few hours late to work in honor of the 1st day of school. When we woke the children, we discovered that they each had their own excited expectations/anxiety about their first day in each new grade.

Greg settled the boys in their classes while Billy and I walked Daisy in to her Pre-K class (her First Day Of School Ever). Once I'd gotten her set and choked back my tears as I said goodbye, I went down the hall to kiss each of the boys. They were both happily and peacefully coloring at their desks. No more thunderclouds for Sparky.

On the first day of school I always feel peace/sorrow/loss/excitement/guilt/relief....and then they are home again. Before my afternoon had barely begun, Daisy's school bus rolled up to the house....

And when I scooped her off the step, I hugged her like I would never let go and tried not to cry all over again.

We ate cookies together and I listened to her talk all about her day...her new friends...her beautiful teacher...her new class songs...

And for one precious hour, while Billy napped and the boys were still at school, it was just she and I. There is no way that I can ever feel prepared for that first day (for each of my children). There is no way that I could have spent enough time with her, had enough silly little conversations, played dress-up enough, painted our nails enough...there is no such thing as enough. But then that day comes, and my little baby walks out of my house and into the great big halls of SCHOOL...and I let them go. Yesterday, I let her go.

I heard this poem on the radio yesterday morning, and it speaks directly to how I feel. If you don't want to cry, don't read it. Just sayin'.

I Trust You'll Treat Her Well

By Victor Buono

Dear World:
I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two brown eyes...and a happy laugh that ripples all day long.. and a flash of light brown hair that bounces in the sun when she runs.
I trust you'll treat her well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning...and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine.
Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Goodbye" and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse.

Now she'll learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears for the sounds of school-bells...and deadlines...and she'll learn to giggle...and gossip...and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy 'cross the aisle sticks out his tongue at her. And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry.

No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in the sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn and kiss lilac blooms in the morning dew. No, now she'll worry about those important things...like grades and which dress to wear and whose best friends is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls. And now she'll find new heroes.

For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and mother and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers ...which is only right. But no longer will I be the smartest woman in the whole world. Today when that school bell rings for the first time...she'll learn what it means to be a member of the group...with all its privileges and its disadvantages too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud...or kiss dogs...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or even watch ants scurry across cracks in sidewalks in the summer.
Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to becoming a woman.
So, world, I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two brown eyes...and a flash of light brown hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I trust you'll treat her well.

Date Day

2011-08-20T21:12:00.001-05:00

School is starting in just TWO DAYS!! We're counting down the hours...I know I'm going to cry as I watch Daisy walk into the school for her very first day of classes, but I'm still super excited to be back in the school year schedule, have time during the day to myself, and get to spend special time with Billy. I will be back to my regular crafty posting next week, but for now, here's some fun stuff that Greg and I picked up on a date we had on South Congress:

Headwrap, birdie hairclips, handmade necklace

We also visited a superfun place called Big Top Candy Shop:

Stopped in to check out Hill Country Weavers:

And drooled over Jeffrey Campbell shoes at a vintage boutique:

So much fun with my favorite guy! We need to schedule more daytime dates. It was so refreshing!

10 Years

2011-08-17T17:05:00.002-05:00

Well. I had never intended to leave such a large gap in the blogging. Sorry for worrying some of you! It seems that summer has gotten in the way. Busyness -- for the good and for the bad -- has overtaken the past few weeks, and I can hardly remember where the time went! We are now in our last week of summer vacation, and we are all looking forward to the start of school on Monday.

Onward!

On July 28th, Greg and I celebrated our 10th anniversary.

As per tradition, Greg had this fabulous bouquet delivered to the house (calla lilies are my favorite flower):

And as usual I had NO IDEA what I would make for our special at-home dinner-date...and at the last moment remembered that seafood is the one thing that I almost never cook, but we both love! Since seafood also tends to be so quick-cooking, it's perfect for an elegant -- but low stress -- meal.

I sauteed mussels with shallots, garlic, serrano chiles, thyme, ginger, white wine and cream to serve over fresh angel hair. I also roasted some Hasselback Potatoes (without the pesto this time), and made a mango salsa (all ingredients cut in tiny cubes to make it easier to eat it scooped up in the mussel shells). Using some dough from a batch of Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day I baked a loaf of French bread. On the side I tossed some salad greens with an asian-sesame dressing (Annie's brand -- love it!).

My intention was to share with you the recipe for the mussels, but...then there was this really long blogging gap, and I don't remember exactly what I did. Whoops! So if you want to try it, take the above description as an unofficial recipe, and let me know how it turns out!

I am so incredibly thankful to be married to this amazing man. Greg is not only thoughtful and loving with me, but also an amazing father to our children. He takes the time to listen to each of us, he is generous with his time, and he works hard to provide for our household. He seeks out ways to make each member of our family feel special and important and noticed. I feel so privileged that I get to spend the rest of my life with a man who is faithful to me, and a true partner in this journey of life.

Greg, I love you even more now than I did 10 years ago. Thank you for choosing me.

While he was away...

2011-07-25T14:23:00.000-05:00

For the past ten days, Greg has been away in Colorado with a group of guy friends for some manly outdoor-adventures and fun.

While he was away, we planned plenty of fun things to keep us occupied. In the evenings I watched movies that he wasn't interested in seeing (catching up on the Harry Potter series, watching YouTube clips of Ellen), invited friends over for dinner, worked on projects in my studio (I have a new apron to show you tomorrow!), and read the The Hunger Games trilogy.

For our daytime activities, we had playdates with friends, trips to the library, swimming, reading together (Mary Poppins Opens the Door), making playdough, etc.

The children and I ordered some ice pop molds from Amazon.com (Tovolo brand Star and Groovy) and had fun experimenting with all sorts of fruit juice mixtures, fruit and yogurt shake leftovers, pureed fruit (sweetened up with a bit of agave nectar), honey sweetened puddings, etc.

On Thursday we had a few families over for a Breakfast With Friends Potluck -- only 4 families total, but 13 children in all. It was loud, but so much fun!

We had gotten our carpets professionally cleaned on Friday morning, so Saturday was spent scrubbing the rest of the house down in anticipation of Greg's Sunday return.

For months now our shower has needed re-caulking around the bottom edges, so I decided to surprise Greg by completing the project while he was away. In retrospect, I probably should have just left it to a professional -- removing old caulking is no small task, and then the clean-up, bleaching, drying time, and finally caulking is incredibly time consuming. But it's good to have a mildew-free shower at last! (Many thanks to our neighbor Josh for some helpful tips as well as a tube of caulk remover.)

My first...and probably LAST home improvement project

After Greg arrived yesterday afternoon, we spent the rest of the day celebrating our togetherness.

We had fun while he was gone, but we are ever so glad to be back together again.

Random Sunday

2011-07-17T20:25:00.001-05:00

1) This is the embroidery I completed on our road trip to PA and NY last month. They will be framed in ribbon-wrapped embroidery hoops and hung over Daisy's bed. All motifs are from Aimee Ray's "Doodle Stitching: the motif collection".

2) A Buttercup Bag that I made over the weekend. This is the third time I've used this pattern, and finally this one is for me!

My cell phone, a lipstick, and a cute pen all fit perfectly in the inner pocket. It's also exactly the right size to hold the Gathered Clutch I made a while back, so I'm using it as a wallet inside. It coordinates as though I had planned it!

3) Billy has graduated at last to a Big Boy Bed this past week, and has not (yet) fallen out!

4) Currently waiting for me in the studio...

5) My favorite sandwich of the moment: Black Forest Ham, Avocado, Arugula and Cream Cheese on toasted homemade wheat bread (I added some alfalfa sprouts to this today too!).

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!!

Farewell

2011-07-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

Today, it was with tears in our eyes that we said goodbye at last to Rachel. It's been wonderful getting to know her better (I moved out of my parents' house when she was only 1-1/2), and we will all miss her so much!

When she first got here, I taught her how to sew the Mendocino sundress, and over the course of our visit, she made 4 of them:

...and of course this one:

The children's bathroom mirror looks like this within 5 minutes of cleaning it. Fabulous.

I got her an identical fly-fishing box to the one I have, for use as an embroidery kit. I got her set up with all of her favorite colors of embroidery floss and a proper sharp needle (she'd been embroidering back in NY with all six strands of floss and using a blunt-tip yarn needle -- perseverance, I tell you!) We cut out these cute little thread bobbins to organized our floss.

Rachel's beautiful finished project (an embroidered pillow -- yet to be stuffed) for a friend back in NY:

These embellishments are from Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection by Aimee Ray

During our visit there were fun summertime drinks:

Baby Mocktails

Berry Breakfast Smoothies

A whole lot of cooking and baking:

Perusing cookbooks

And swimming as much as possible:

We love you Rachel, and we hope you can come back to visit with us again!

"Thinking" Quilt

2011-07-12T14:24:00.001-05:00

Do you remember this embroidery that I finished a while back?

"Thinking" embroidery pattern from Aimee Ray's etsy shop, little dear

A few weeks ago, I finally pieced together some squares of Amy Butler fabric to edge the embroidery panel and turned the whole thing into a little wall quilt.

I love how it looks in our living room!

The decorating of this house has been very slow, but I love mindfully choosing projects, working on them by hand, and coming up with perfect pieces to fit into our home, creating Our Family's Style.

What's your favorite piece of home decor in your house? Was it handmade by you, by someone else, or did you buy it? What makes it special to you?

Monogramed Pillowcase Baby Dress (and a little bit of Roller Derby)

2011-07-10T10:34:00.001-05:00

Embroidery. I've been on a crazy embroidery kick lately, and there's no help for it. Also, remember that appliqué rabbit-hole that I promised I'd fall into? Behold:

One of my best friends is due in September with girl-baby "C". Today was her baby shower, so of course I waited until yesterday to make this little dress. (OF COURSE.)

Becca on the left, and on the right is the fabulous host of the shower, Jenny (a.k.a. Wanna Be Derby Girl)

I monogrammed the dress (Heat 'N Bond ironed onto the back of the "C", then stitched onto the garment with zig-zag on my machine), and hand-embroidered two little owls playing among cattails around it the letter. The owls from the "Woodland Creatures" page in Amy Ray's Doodle Stitching: the Motif Collection. I free-handed the cattails, because I wanted them to look organic to the the design.

We went to Roller Derby last night, and I brought the tiny dress with me to work on while we waited for the bout to begin. Maybe Baby C will be a Derby Girl someday. :-)

TXRD Rhinestone Cowgirls vs. Las Puntas Del Fuego

I'm pretty in love with how this came out.

I made this a 3-month size, and since the straps tie and the top is stretchy, this will be able to grow with the baby into a tunic top. It's also machine washable (incredibly important!), since the fabric is simple cotton sheeting. There are not many things sweeter than a tiny girl in a simple white dress. It seems impractical, but the truth of it is: if there is a spill (and there will ALWAYS be a spill!), it can be very simply bleached out.

Here are the specs I sketched out for this size (posted here for posterity, since I am sure that I will need it again for future baby gifts):

Now I want to monogram some skirts and dresses for Daisy too. She's learning her letters, and would be thrilled to find "her" letter on her things!

A birthday party for a wanna-be Derby Girl

2011-07-09T00:32:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday, I arranged some of Jenny Hart's Roller Derby designs from Sublime Stitching, traced it onto fabric, and started stitching a birthday gift for my dear friend Jenny P. I had to leave the house for her birthday party at 5:30PM today, and finished the last stitch on her gift at 4PM. (!!!) I quickly set it in a simple wooden frame, wrapped it in red tissue paper, and tied it up with a bit of vintage white rick-rack. So relieved to have finished it in time!

Jenny is known for her reckless crafting, rock 'n roll style, which she attributes to a sickness known as "Jennyitus". She and I like to imagine that we will be Derby Girls some day, and of course Jennyitus will be her name. I have yet to come up with my Derby name...

Most of the party guests ordered these "Jennyitus" shirts to wear in support of our favorite illness:

(Graffiti letters designed by our friend Mike, screen-printing arranged by Lisa H.)

The birthday girl is gluten intolerant, so I had planned to maker her a special cake that she could actually eat, but suddenly there was a snag in the plan: the restaurant we were holding the party at doesn't allow take-in-cakes unless it has been made in a commercial kitchen. My friend Alicia elaborated: "I'm pretty sure that just means your home-made cake just needs to be in a bakery box..." I was terrified of getting caught out, but I was determined to make Jenny's cake.

I went to our local HEB (grocery store), and asked to purchase a round plastic cake box and a gold cardboard circle to set my cake on. While the bakery girl had her back turned, I started quickly picking off the price sticker on the cake nearest to me on the rack, which just so happened to be a "1/4 sheet Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting". The bakery girl turned back to me while I was still removing the sticker (just below the counter, a tiny bit out of her line of sight), and saw me staring vaguely into space. "...Is there anything else I can help you with?" (and the sticker came off the box with a pop!!!) "No, no, that will be all." (surreptitiously hiding the stolen sticker in my sweaty palm as I took the cake box she was handing over)

In the past, my cakes have never been known for their looks, but with the pressure of the Bakery Cake Look Alike, I gave it my best effort and turned out the prettiest cake I've ever made. (Nope, I'm not going to be modest about it. Most of the time my cakes are ugly, so I am pretty damn proud of this one!)

I used this Cracked Earth Chocolate Cake recipe, which turns out a moist, fudgy cake with a cracked top, and frosted the top with a simple stabilized whipped cream, topped with artfully arranged strawberries. (This whipped cream sets up really nice and firm once it's been chilled, so if you use this recipe, be sure to frost your cake with it immediately, and set any decorations into it right away as well.)

The waitstaff never questioned the "red velvet" sticker, or the fact that it was supposed to be square and not round (!), and the birthday girl enjoyed her cake. Success!

(Please excuse the chipped manicure...)

So tell me: what is the most shady thing you've done in the name of love? What's the closest you've ever come to a deadline? Also, what would your Roller Derby name be? What should mine be?

Bandana-to-Headband: a semi-tutorial

2011-07-07T21:31:00.001-05:00

Thank you for all of the positive comments on my new hairstyle. You guys encourage me so much! Here's the Big Bad Hair Story: So. I was getting tired of the black hair. I wanted a change. I wanted to be white blond again. So I bleached my hair. Twice, with 30 vol. developer. Then I dyed my hair with blond dye...once again using 30 vol. developer. My roots turned white (yay!), but then there was the dark, bright orange demarkation, and it just looked horrible. On top of the terrible color, my hair also felt like mush.

I put a deep conditioning mask on it and hoped for the best, but when I attempted to style it, the ends just started breaking off in my hands. When I say "ends", I should probably clarify: a full 4 inches of my hair was completely destroyed, leaving only about 1 inch of healthy (and white) hair.

I scheduled an emergency haircut with my hair-stylist for the next morning, and brought this photo of Emma Watson. As soon as I got home, I dyed over the orange/white with dark ash blond, and it turned this final shade of pleasant dark-strawberry blond.

This is not the first emergency haircut I've gotten -- I have destroyed my hair before, and I've had a pixie haircut several times in the past, but this is certainly the shortest, and it was not at all planned. I cried the first night; I love the drama of having hair around my face, and I was completely emotionally unprepared for how bare and boyish I'd feel with such a short cut. Now that I've had this style for nearly a week, I've adjusted, and I'm feeling a little more myself. I do plan to grow it back out though. Not sure what style exactly, but I look forward to having just a little more length again. At the moment though, I'm enjoying the shorted prep time when I get ready for my day!

Alright, enough about my hair! On to the "tutorial". I'm not sure if I should actually be calling this a tutorial, because this is such a simple, obvious little 5 minute project, but yet here I am telling you all about it anyway.

When I want to wear a bandana as a headband, I often find that the multiple layers of folding feel and look bulky on my head. I've been meaning to make this project for quite a while, so on Monday, about 10 minutes before we walked out the door, I quickly ran into my studio and whipped up this cute little accessory.

First, measure across the diagonal of the square bandana, 4 inches from the corner on each side of the point. Using a rotary cutter and a large clear quilter's ruler, cut out the center strip as marked. (Or just use scissors. Whichever.)

Set aside the side triangles for some other use.

Fold the triangle lengthwise, right sides together, and sew along the long edge. Turn right side out. Iron flat with the seam in the center of the underside.

I think it would be kind of fun to wear this as a tie also, although it might be a little short...

Now put on your new accessory and strut your stuff like a rockstar.

What I Wore Wednesday: Independence Day (Sister Style)

2011-07-06T16:29:00.002-05:00

Last week Rachel made her first dress! We picked out similar fabrics and made dresses for a backyard BBQ/Independence Day party that we were going to on Monday. (...Yes, I cut my hair, and it was sort-of unplanned. We'll save the full story for another day.)

Details: Mendocino dress pattern made up in a "homespun" buffalo check from Jo Ann Fabrics, polka-dot Payless wedges on me, Target flip-flops on Rachel, bandana headband (mini-tutorial tomorrow), Target sunglasses on me, Old Navy sunglasses on her.

It's so much fun to put together a themed outfit. Rachel and I may be 18 years apart, but we've always had this in common: we love a good costume.

I painted my nails in red, white and blue stripes, which made me smile every time I looked at them. (First I painted a white stripe down the middle and let it dry. Then I added red and blue on either side. I'm sure there are more precise ways to do it, but my time was limited, and I loved the results regardless!)

I'm also completely in love with appliqué right now. Why haven't I done more of this? I can feel an appliqué bender coming on... This is the last of my giant vintage rick-rack from my stash. I'll have to be on the look-out for more! (Although I've got yards and yards of tiny rick-rack left! Perhaps I should use that up first...)

I found these hemp wedges at Payless -- cute heels to give me a little height, but the hemp keeps it down-to-earth enough to wear it to a family-style party.

It's been such a privilege to get a chance to spend time with Rachel, and work on projects together. I love my beautiful sisters!!

4th of July!

2011-07-04T10:27:00.001-05:00

To my American readers: happy Independence Day! To everyone else, happy Monday/July 4th!

My little sister Rachel and I have been working on our Independence Day outfits, which I'll save for this week's What I Wore Wednesday (because of course they won't be completely finished until 2 minutes before we walk out the door for the day's festivities...) Daisy was supposed to have her own outfit as well, but... as I'm already late with pulling my own together, and I realized that Daisy will actually spend much of the day in her swimsuit flying down an inflatable water-slide...I've decided to be reasonable for once. (!!)

I hope your day is full of firecrackers, watermelon, outdoor grilling, friends, family, and fun! (...And maybe a cookie or two.) (Or five.)

(Recipe from Dana at MADE)

Making dresses

2011-06-27T23:41:00.000-05:00

Summer has begun in ernest. In the business of swimming lessons, nightly fun swim, playing, cooking, and crafting, it seems that there's just no room left in the day for blogging...and often, not even time to take pictures. The other day I handed the camera over to Sparky, and he captured an afternoon of dress-making.

My friend Lisa came over for the afternoon with her sewing machine, and we transformed my kitchen into a sew-shop, while I helped Lisa and Rachel work on shirred projects using elastic thread (I have one of my machines set with the proper bobbin tension, so it was just easier for everyone to use that one when they got to that part of their projects).

It's been so much fun getting to spend time with my littlest sister Rachel here in Texas. We're so glad that she agreed to come back with us for a visit!

Stocking up for summer sewing

2011-06-20T22:23:00.000-05:00

After two days in the car... we're back in Texas! My little sister Rachel drove back with us (the littlest of my siblings -- she's 13), and she and I have decided that this will be the Summer Of The Craft. Today, along with unpacking the car, swimming, and doing a ton of dishes, we also went to the fabric store and picked up supplies for a bunch of little summer dresses, aprons, and some embroidery. So much fun!

Birthday cake

2011-06-18T08:58:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday, Max turned 6. We had planned a big celebration for the weekend, but I wanted to celebrate on his actual day as well, so my little nephew Chazz and I put together a quick ice cream cake.

I made it in the simplest way possible: crushed Oreos mixed with melted butter and pressed into a spring-form pan. Softened vanilla ice cream spread into the pan, crushed oreos sprinkled over, and one final layer of vanilla ice cream spread over the top. Simple and delicious!

Not the best looking cake in the world, but I've never been very adapt at decorating. As long as it tastes good, I feel like it was a success. I froze it for several hours, then released it from the spring-form with a quick blast of the blow-dryer. Simple!

On Sunday, we had the Big Birthday Party for Max with both sides of the family and a bunch of cousins, pot-luck style. I made two lemon layer cakes, frosted with a lemony swiss-meringue-buttercream, and filled with raspberry jam and vanilla pastry cream. The recipe is from Baking: From My Home To Yours (I know, so surprising) also found here online, and it's quickly becoming our go-to cake.

It's a lot of work, but oh-so-delicious, and just the perfect amount of fuss for an extra-special birthday cake. Once again, I was a fail at the decorating, but it still tasted good, so I was happy.

(For more pictures of the big birthday party at my in-laws pond, you can click through to the Flickr set here.)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Camp-out Date Night

2011-06-17T08:57:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday night, Greg took me on a Camping Date out in the woods. It's so wonderful to make time to just be "us"; to spend time without the distractions of children, technology, or any other responsibility, and focus on each other.

(Greg taught me how to drive this, although I was a little apprehensive about tipping it or encountering another vehicle on the narrow roads...)

Greg packed up his brother Keith's Polaris Ranger with all of our gear so that we wouldn't have to hike it all in.

Greg showed me how to build a fire. I was so excited when it actually lit!

Behind the fire, you can see stacks of wood for the next morning, sorted by size to make starting the breakfast fire as simple as possible. Greg is the most organized person I know. Sometimes it doesn't drive me crazy. :-)

We roasted marshmallows, ate snacks, and talked into the night before turning in, using Keith's camping cabin as shelter instead of pitching a tent.

Crucial camping gear: Greg's grandpa's old knife, cooking pots, lots of water, and our little Leica point-and-shoot camera.

Nothing like bacon over a campfire in the morning.

Eggs from Aunt Susie, ready to be turned into breakfast.

Once we had packed up all of our things in the morning, we set up a little shooting range for some target practice, using the 22 that Greg's dad gave him for his 7th birthday.

(We used our sleeping bag roll as a cushion to steady the barrel)

Our spent brass

Greg shot right through this marshmallow, although I couldn't even graze it.

I wasn't sure that I had even shot this one until we went to retrieve it -- I managed to hit it 5 times all in a cluster! (Yes, I thought I was awesome.)

We did this little camping trip last year too, and we've decided that we should probably make it a yearly tradition. It is so refreshing to get away together, even just for a little while.

Visiting the East Coast

2011-06-13T18:17:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of last week, we made the grueling, two-day road trip from Texas to my parents' house in upstate NY. Pulling into their driveway on Monday night was such an intense relief!

Here is some embroidery that I did during our journey:

I didn't get much done, because I was completely absorbed in reading Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince (I'm such a looser -- I only get into things when they're no longer trendy).

The next five days were filled with lots of cooking (seven of my eight siblings still live at home, plus my little nephew, and then the addition of our family of six = sixteen people in the house), endless dishes (they have to run the dishwasher THREE TIMES A DAY), late (LATE!) night visits with my brothers and sisters, and lots of quality family time all around. We were SO busy, in fact, that I never even managed to upload any pictures until just now.

Three of my sisters and I, out for the night together. (From left: Hannah, Grace, me, Joy -- Rachel is only 13, and therefore a little too young to go "out".) As you can see, Grace and I managed to get caught in a flash thunder-storm. Fun!

My whole family except for my brother Jonathan, who is an officer in the Army and stationed in Germany.

I'll be sharing snippets of our visit over the next few days, as well as some of my projects that I've brought along to work on. We're staying at my husband's parents' for the rest of the week, and the pace of life here is a bit more gentle, so I may be able to focus a little more on my own pursuits.

Have a lovely Monday!!

Happy birthday Max

2011-06-10T14:24:00.002-05:00

Dear Max,

On Wednesday, you turned 6 years old.

It feels strange to say that, because I'm pretty sure that it was just yesterday that you were a chunky little toddler running around squirting shampoo into the toilet and stuffing tortillas down the shower drain. In fact, I probably shouldn't even remind you of that time, because you might think it's a great idea to start all that up again.

This year you will be a 1st grader. You will loose your first tooth (the one that came loose the last day of kindergarten!) You will grow taller and stronger, make new friends and learn new things. Watching you grow is one of the beautiful bittersweet privileges of motherhood.

I love your fierce tenderness, and your hilarious sense of humor. You, my little friend, are a challenge and a joy. I am so incredibly glad that I get to be your Mommy.

You add so much excitement and fun to our family. I'm glad that we have you!

I love you forever,

Mommy

Karaoke Girl's Night Out

2011-06-07T13:14:00.000-05:00

On Friday night, Joy and I got all dressed up to go out with friends to a karaoke bar in North Austin.

I decided to wear black and silver (this outfit), but made up my eyes in turquoise (the Mermaid Collection "Temptress" and "Croma" combination in this Concrete Minerals review), and painted my nails sparkly turquoise, so at the last minute, I realized I needed a turquoise hairpiece to pull it all together.

I pulled out a bag of colored feathers and a glue gun (and some felt and a hairclip)...

And: viola! A feathered fascinator!

Because there's nothing like a last minute accessory to pull it all together. (Also known as: I need the pressure of an imminent deadline to get anything accomplished.)

Gotta love those plastic dinosaurs on the bathtub behind me. 'Cause that's classy.

And false eyelashes. It's all about the false eyelashes.

Angela, me, Joy, Jenny (photo courtesy of Kristin Graham)

My friend Jenny and I (photo courtesy of Kristin Graham)

Jenny, Becca and Susanne (I suspect Jenny was trying to get into every picture) (not that Jenny would EVER do that!) :-) (photo courtesy of Kristin Graham)

Jenny and I attempting to sing "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", which, as it turns out, neither of us knew. (Photo courtesy of Val Wilson)

Becca and I

"Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolli-lolli-pop..." (Photo courtesy of Val Wilson)

Joy refused to sing, which was sad, but we had a super fun time together, and I was so glad that she had an opportunity to get to know my friends a little. She said after "I really like your friends, and I can see why you want to stay here forever."

Good times! For more pictures of our night, click through to our Flickr set here.

Recipe: Corn and Black Bean Salad

2011-06-06T11:12:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure that I've shared this recipe before, but it's so simple and delicious that it bears repeating. This is one of my favorite warm weather dinners -- so adaptable, and can be eaten warm over rice, cold wrapped in a tortilla, stuffed in a pita, piled over mixed spring greens, or served as a side to ribs or barbecued chicken thighs at a summer party.

Ingredients (interpret the amounts to whatever sounds good to you/whatever you have on hand.):

Black beans (I simmer 1 lb dried beans until soft, but you can use 4 - 15 oz cans instead)

Minced red or yellow onions, scallions or shallots (however much you want -- a little goes a long way because we're leaving it raw)

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

Sharp cheddar, cubed

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Corn (I sliced mine off of two left-over cobs from the night before, but you can use about a cup of thawed frozen corn instead)

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

1 green bell pepper, finely diced

Sea salt (to taste)

Extra virgin olive oil (a few tablespoons or to taste)

Fresh squeezed juice from 1/2 a lemon or red wine vinegar (to taste)

1 avocado, cubed (I slice it into cubes before scooping it out of the shell)

Toss together all of the ingredients except for the salt, oil, lemon juice and avocado to thoroughly combine. Add the last four ingredients and toss gently (trying not to squish the avocado). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Feel free to substitute or change the amounts of things as needed or desired. Be creative, and enjoy!

(Served here over a bed of greens, dressed with a light vinaigrette)

Link-tastic Friday

2011-06-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who voted on weather we should keep the What I Wore Wednesday feature. Out of 86 votes, only 29 of you voted to scratch the idea, so....we're keeping it! If you don't like the Wednesday posts, just click away somewhere else on those days and I'll be none the wiser. ;-)

Also, to everyone who guessed that the yellow shoe/vintage blue polka-dot dress ensamble from this week's What I Wore Wednesday post is me...you guessed correctly! Your Great Big Grand Prize 10 cool kid points, and the deep satisfaction that you are incredibly brilliant.

We are continuing to have a fun visit with my sister Joy with peaceful moments like this...

And wild ones like this...

(Tequila shots with salt and lime -- oh yeah!)

And moments that just make you say: What the #$$%?!

(Greg showing Joy and I how he sometimes does his PT in a gas mask to improve performance. INSANE.)

It's been a while since we had a linky post around here. Let's get to it!

Webwide coolness:

I wish that I had known about this recipe maker years ago! Such a great tool, especially when you need to get dinner on the table using only what you've already got on hand. This takes most of the guesswork out of the delicate art of substitutions! (Via Fine Cooking)

Crafty:

Supercute free paper button tutorial (via Creature Comforts Blog)

I want to make a whole bunch of these fabric flowers! (Tutorial via Colette)

A whole bunch of free, fun printables over at Skip To My Lou.

Food (savory):

I'm always on the look-out for inspiring recipes for the hot weather we have going on half the year here in Texas. This looks fabulous! Beef Noodle Salad Bowls. (Via Pioneer Woman)

Quick + simple + delicious. I can't wait to try this! Spicy Roasted Broccoli and Shrimp, via Everybody Likes Sandwiches.

I made this Indian inspired Cucumber Peanut Salad for our camping trip a few weeks ago (pre-chopped the ingredients and put them in individual ziplocs, then all in one big ziploc as a salad kit). It was so unusual and delicious -- I'm making more tonight to eat with dinner!

We love potatoes in this house, so these Mustard Roasted New Potatoes are definitely going to be on the menu sometime soon (via Joy The Baker).

Food (sweet):

If I subbed in a good quality chocolate for the fake-tasting chocolate melt discs in this recipe, this would be an amazing, crave-worthy dessert! PMS Cookies (via Just A Pinch).

Oh my goodness, I have been thinking about these Toasted Coconut Waffles ever since Joy The Baker posted them!

I made these healthy and deliciously addictive Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas from Weelicious recently. I just wish that peeling the chickpeas wasn't so labor intensive!

Just like a no-bake cheesecake...except it looks even better. Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits (via The Italian Dish).

This makes me want to eat cannolis. Now. Strawberries with Cannoli Cream Dip (via Baked Bree).

My children love french toast, but I do not love standing at the stove long enough to get everyone fed. This sounds like an even more delicious version of the usual -- plus, it's baked, so no skillet time! Creme Brulee French Toasts (via Smitten Kitchen).

This looks fabulous, and peach season is just now upon us here in Texas. Peaches and Cream Cake (via Mel's Kitchen Cafe).

Project-restyle: men's button-down to baby dress

2011-06-02T17:43:00.000-05:00

At last, a thrifting post! As you might remember from this post, I had intended to write each month about my thrifting finds, but as you may have guessed...I haven't actually made it into a thrift store. Until last week.

Our friends, Josh and Angela, are having their first baby. Josh is an avid button-down plaid-shirt wearer, so I came up with a personalized gift idea for their little girl:

I sewed the button band closed, then trimmed the top edge of the band down to reduce the bulk (for the elastic casing) and surged the edges.

Yes, it's yet another pillowcase dress (with matching hair-bow). But this one started life as a shirt! I am always so inspired by Elsie's "Project Restyle" posts, and I've been wanting to try something like this for ages. Now I'm imagining a larger one for Daisy.... if only she'd wear plaid! Maybe if I found a purple shirt...

A few more details: I used a 3 month sized baby dress as a template for the width, length and arm-hole depth. Only time will tell just how well it actually fits a real-live baby, but it looked pretty spot-on compared to the template dress by the time I was done. With the shoulder-ties it should be a pretty flexible fit.

What I Wore Wednesday: sister/sister window shopping

2011-06-01T21:08:00.001-05:00

Instead of taking more pictures of Joy and I together, we decided to use Polyvore to each put together outfits for a perfect "girl's night out" look. I love how differently the ensembles came together! The question is...can you guess whose is whose?

by FlashBangFibers featuring floral print tights

by FlashBangFibers featuring hair clip accessories

Prepping projects for a journey

2011-05-31T16:47:00.000-05:00

Recently I picked up a ball of Tofutsies sock yarn at my local yarn shop and have been knitting a pair of plain socks for my mom (as always).

There is something truly comforting about plain sock knitting. The simple stitches, the fact that I don't have to look while knitting it, the magic of turning the heel...

Quite soon we will be leaving on a summer road trip to visit family back East, so I have been tracing embroidery patterns from Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching The Motif Collection to small squares of fabric, which I intend to eventually frame in little ribbon-wrapped embroidery hoops over Daisy's bed.

Using the window as my light-box.

I also have checked the 5th and 6th Harry Potter books out of the library, so this way I will be able to alternate between handwork and reading in the interest of avoiding sore hands or carsickness. What is your favorite sort of thing to take on a road trip?

What I Wore Wednesday: with Joy

2011-05-29T18:24:00.001-05:00

Well. It's not Wednesday, and this is a repeat outfit, but you see...

My sister Joy flew in early last week, and we're having so much fun being together that I haven't managed to blog ~~much~~ at all.

We decided to go all matchy-matchy for a baby shower on Friday night, because...

Well, why not?

I was 11 years old when Joy was born, and there are 4 children between us in the sibling line-up, but in the past few years she's become more than just a little sister...she's become my friend. Additionally, I'm not entirely sure I can call her my "little" sister if she's 5 inches taller than me. Or so I've been told.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

Sweet little girl gifts

2011-05-25T22:17:00.000-05:00

This weekend we had birthday parties for two little girls, and I decided to handmake the gifts (I know, super surprising).

First, a pillowcase dress with a ruffled hem:

I love the feminine, old-fashioned rose print...girly, but not candy-sweet...

Second, for our other little friend, I made this Pink Flamingo Buttercup Bag (tutorial by Made By Rae):

Magnetic snap, inner pocket

Topstitching and pleating detail

I love making handbags and pillowcase dresses as gifts for little girls. What are your favorite go-to handmade projects to give?

Because there's nothing like Red Bull, bacon and bluegrass in the morning

2011-05-23T18:31:00.000-05:00

When we lived in Germany, we became friends with a very dear family -- Nick and Heather, and their two (now three!) children. Heather and I met through the knitting group that I organized there, and soon realized our husbands had a lot in common (military, mountain bikers, music, etc.) When we moved back to the States, we were very happy to learn that they were moving to San Antonio -- less than 2 hours away from Austin! We've managed to get our families together numerous times for weekend sleep-over visits in the past year, and it's always great to spend time with them.

Two weekends ago, we decided to go camping together at mountain biking ranch near Fredericksburg TX. Because camping is already a study in inconvenience, I haven't wanted to go camping as a family since having children. However, now that Billy is 2-1/2 years old, I decided to take the plunge. I'm not really an "outdoor" sort of a person, and have never enjoyed the idea of roughing it, so what always happens in an situation like this is that I get left behind with the baby, while other people go off to have the adventures, and then I hate the world. However, Nick and Heather have taken their children camping many times, and I figured that even if it was a little miserable, at least I'd be able to spend time with Heather while our guys went off mountain-biking or exploring or whatever it is that they like to do in the wild.

The first night was very rough for me -- I have bad hips from having all of these babies, and it's nearly impossible for me to sleep on camping pads (excruciating pain in my joints). After adding about four more pads under my sleeping bag, I was able to take a nap that afternoon, and then the 2nd night was slightly more bearable. Next time we will take the inflatable mattress with us, and it will be a whole lot better. ...And yes, I did say next time. As it turns out -- besides the sleeping issues -- ...we actually had a lot of fun!

Camp kitchen

Camp kitchen (photo courtesy of Heather)

The perfect sort of trees for little monkeys

Building the fairy-house

A fairy-house the children built

We camped on a mountain-biking ranch, so the guys were able to take some good rides on the trails.

Greg, making scrambled eggs with sausages and bacon for breakfast

Heather and I, about to leave for a hike

Hiking with Heather (photo courtesy of Heather)

Greg and Nick, attempting to (dangerously) carve a cork out of a wine bottle. No one got hurt, but I do not recommend this method! Next time we'll remember to bring a corkscrew.

To be sure, the best part of our camping adventure was when the children were in their tents, the sun had gone down, and we parents got a chance to chill out and visit around the lantern. (Due to a state-wide burn-ban, the lantern had to stand in for an arguably more romantic camp-fire.) Clove cigarettes, plastic cups of red wine, discussion about bluegrass and blue Avatar men plugging into mystical horses... The best of times under a blanket of stars.

Check out our Flickr set: First Family Camping Trip for more pictures if you haven't already seen enough. :-)

Tomorrow -- some of my projects from this weekend!

Thank you and a manicure

2011-05-20T22:14:00.001-05:00

In the interest of making sure everyone knows that we have not dropped off the face of the earth -- yes, we are still here! There was a family camping trip last weekend (our first full-family camping ever!), and then this week has been full of catching up on the house-cleaning, catching up on the sleeping, catching up on my project to-do list... Every time I try to sit down to write a blog post, I feel too pressed to write properly, so I put it off one more day... For today, I'd just like to say: thank you. Thank you to each of your readers who comments and makes my day. Thank you for the silent readers who never comment but just drop by to skim through the pictures. Thank you to my siblings who don't like my writing style. Thank you to my husband who has taught me to see the world through a camera lens. Thank you.

I'll be back next week with pictures from our camping trip, some new recipes, a knitting project and more.

Today we're up to more important things than blog posts...like giving each-other manicures.

Because when you're 4-years-old and your name is Daisy, getting a fresh color change can sometimes be The Most Pressing Event of your day.

Road-trip!

2011-05-13T19:29:00.001-05:00

Link-tastic Friday is postponed till next week, because we're off on a family adventure!

What I Wore Wednesday: Secret Agent

2011-05-12T10:18:00.000-05:00

(Even if you don't usually read these style posts, please scroll to the end to vote in a quick little poll imbedded in this blog. Click through to the actual blog post if you're reading through a feed aggregator or email!)

Black camisole, Target ~ V-neck T-shirt, OldNavy ~ Black tuxedo-stripe skinny jeans, OldNavy ~ Knee-high leather boots, Born (from Zappos.com) ~ Bracelet, Cocktail Ring, Sparkly Fascinator Headband, all gifts from a friend ~ Austrian Crystal Lariat Necklace, unknown.

Have you ever watched those action movies with the sleekly dressed female assassin/secret agent who can shoot poison darts with a ballpoint-pen, has a hidden camera in her cleverly designed necklace, and can run down the enemy spy with a pair of killer heels?

I figure that if a Super Awesome Secret Agent can do that, I can at least chase down a toddler with a pair of knee-high boots.

And with all of this bling, there's NO way anyone would ever see me coming. Or pick me out of a crowd. So sneaky. I even have a scar next to my right eye. That TOTALLY makes me bad-ass. Scar-Faced-Faith. That's my Bad Guy name. Wait -- I forgot that I was supposed to be the good guy in this story. Whoops!

In reality, I probably COULD run down an assassin...because he would fall over laughing at my inefficient running style....which is what happens even when I'm in my track shoes. I love making people smile. ("They're not laughing AT me, just WITH me...") A girl can dream.

A note on make-up:
I used my favorite Maybelline Eye Studio Color Plush Silk palette in Sapphire Siren, and Rimmel Vinyl Lip Gloss in Crystal Clear. The key to a really intense eye like this is to fearlessly apply color, layering until you have the intensity you want, then very carefully blend each color into the next, finishing with blending out any harsh edges on the outside of the lid. I apply my shadow with brushes, but then use my fingertips for blending, because I think that works better than Q-tips or cotton balls or brushes.

Alright my friends, I've been doing this weekly style feature for about 2-1/2 months now, and I've enjoyed it, but what about you? For me, this blog has always been about whatever it is that I'm interested in. I figure, if I start to write about things that don't interest you, as the reader you have the power to click away to more stimulating subjects. However, this style section has run a little far-afield from the initial goal -- to give myself a place to talk about the creative and crafty parts of my life along with a good dose of life-as-a-mother, and the occasional recipe. While I personally feel very creative when putting together outfits, how does that make you feel? Should we keep it?

A tale of two suck-tacular projects

2011-05-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

Project suck-tastic #1:
On Thursday, I promised a friend I'd bring my favorite pound cake for a get-together that night. Unfortunately, the cake stuck in the bundt pan (1st time it's stuck -- and I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything different than the last 100 times!), and I had to literally carve it out onto the serving plate. Since I'd promised, I decided to still bring it anyway, ugly as it was, so I just drizzled it with glaze and brought it as is. Thankfully, my friends love me enough to trust my baking, so it was happily eaten in spite of the disaster.

Project suck-tastic #2:
Yesterday, Greg took the children out for the afternoon to give me a few hours to myself in the studio. The perfect Mother's Day gift! I used the time to sew together a bag that I've had cut out for a few months now....

And only afterwords realized that the pattern is upside down. On both sides. At least I'm consistent. (This is the Two Kates Bag -- a free project from Needled.)

I added little patch pockets to the lining on both sides, and a divider (using a heavyweight interfacing to stiffen it up).

....As it turns out, I must have cut the divider a little too wide, because it warps the bag's shape just a bit. But it's functional!

Overall, it's the perfect thing to use as I had intended -- a small diaper-bag/knitting-bag/pocketbook to take with me on a day filled with little errands.

Flavor over beauty. Function over form. It's not a complete loss if it's still usable! What are your favorite disasters?

To my mom, on Mother's Day

2011-05-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

To my mom,

...who taught me to look for answers even when there didn't seem to be one

...who taught me to think for myself

...who taught me to love without condition

...who taught me to be a self-less mother (although I often fail)

...who has the talent of making me furious with one statement

...who is very often right, even if it makes me angry

...who can comfort me like no one else

...who has arms that can hug away the overwhelming problems of this life

...who has a lap that I'm never to old to sit in

...who gives and gives and gives of her time, love, energy, and patience without reserve

Thank you mom for being you. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for never holding back. Thank you.

I wish that on this Mother's Day, I could take a walk with you on the shoulder of your country road. I wish that I could rub your feet for you. I wish that we could cook a great big messy meal together, and then make you tell me 8 times to wash the dishes. I love you.

Love,

~Faith

To all of those beautiful mammas reading this blog -- Happy Mother's Day to you! I hope you have a wonderful day surrounded by (or given a break from!) those you love.

Link-tastic Friday (Saturday)

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

Every so often when I'm at the grocery store, I buy myself a little bunch of flowers. I love these uncomplicated boquets -- dressy and cheerful, yet unassuming, with none of the fuss of extra greenery or varied flowers (although I certainly appreciate that too for more formal occasions!)

Because there's nothing like a sweet, perfect little bunch of roses in a pickle jar.

Random coolness:

As soon as my current cell phone contract is up, I am very much looking forward to getting an iPhone. This post on A Beautiful Mess about iPhone Photo Apps makes it seriously hard to wait!

Crafty:

Purchasing pre-printed embroidery kits is something that I usually consider an un-necessary luxury, but, well...happy Mother's Day to me! The colors, the design -- I'm in love! Pre-order your Daisychain ABC's Crewelwork by Posie Gets Cosy/Alicia Paulson right here. (for release in mid-June).

Food (savory):

I made this Marinated Flank Steak last night (using both flank and skirt steak), and then ran it under the broiler instead of grilling it. It's hands down my favorite flank steak recipe to date. SO delicious! (I only marinated it for 6 hours, although overnight would have probably been even better.)
In the past, I've mentioned this Quick Pickled Zucchini recipe before, but I need to repost the link, because it's become our go-to pickle in this house. Even my children like it if I don't make it too spicy (or if I just sort out the hot peppers when I serve it to them). Tip: slicing the zucchini in the food processor makes it even quicker.

Food (sweet):

Some of these are more appetizing looking than others, but I love the concept! What a fun birthday party idea! Or just a sweet girl's night in... Amazing Cake In A Jar, via Pistof. (Thank you Shannon W. for the link!) The one at the top of my list is definitely the S'mores recipe (using some homemade marshmallows....oh yeah baby).
Here's some more of the same from Babble.com: 15 Dessert Recipes In A Jar.
I've been making Molly Wizenberg's Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Glaze for a few years now and I love it, but these Cinnamon Rolls with Dates and Walnuts look like a really interesting little change-up. Must try it soon!
Sparky's class had a unit study on some different countries around the world, and as the study came to an end, us parents were asked to bring things in for an "international food buffet". I volunteered to bring baklava (supposedly the favorite of Egyptians -- Sparky's study subject). This is the recipe I used, although I used this syrup recipe, modifying it slightly by simmering lemon peel and 3 cloves with the cinnamon stick and omitting the lemon juice.

What I Wore Wednesday: 31st Birthday Party

2011-05-04T16:12:00.002-05:00

Greg and I do not normally do anything big for our birthdays -- we celebrate quietly as a family, bake a cake, open a few gifts. But in the past year-and-a-half since moving to Texas, I have gathered a fantastic group of lady friends that I love dearly, and I thought --- what could be more fun than a Girls Only Birthday Party?

If I could describe my sense of style in a word, it would be "quirky", and since this was my party, I decided to go completely over-the-top with accessories and FUN! Ever since seeing the tutorial for these little top-hat fascinators over at Offbeat Bride, I've had an idea percolating in my head...

I didn't manage to create enough hats for all 10 attendees, but I did make these three, which turned out a little messy, but rather cute. (I actually wasn't sure if everyone would really wear these with me, but my friends ended up being more willing-to-be-daring than I had given them credit for. If we do this again, I'll make more.)

Put together with a Modcloth dress and a whole lot of accessories...

Dress, Modcloth ~ Shoes, Bergman Heel by Seychelles (from Modcloth) ~ Hat, made by me using this tutorial ~ Ruched cropped leggings, Victoria's Secret ~ Jeweled necklace, unknown ~ Audry Hepburn pocket-watch necklace (purchased on eBay, but available at ModCloth) ~ Bracelet, a Premier Designs gift from a friend ~ Feather boa, Michaels' craft store.

I'm not sure if my favorite part was the shoes, the false eyelashes, or the feather boa. Or the Audry Hepburn necklace that pops open to reveal a clock-face. Because the overkill on the accessories was probably NOT EVEN ENOUGH!

I encouraged everyone to over-dress along with me, but they all secretly decided to appliqué shirts with "Faith" for everyone instead (Lisa R. and Becca made 7 in one day!) (!!). Sweet, heartwarming, and hilarious all at once.

Top-ish (wonky) row: Susanne, Alison, Lisa R., Alicia, Brittany, Rachel, Lisa H.

Bottom row: Becca, me, Jenny.

We literally laughed all night long. My face hurt from so much smiling. Such a wonderful night!

Someone had ordered an Italian Cream Cake from a local bakery and brought it to the restaurant. (I am rather a bit shorter than the friend who ordered the cake, thus the message...)

While 31 years might not be normally considered a "milestone" birthday, it is certainly a milestone for me. This is the first year that I've felt completely at home in any location we've moved to with the Army, and it's all because of these friends. With these ladies, I can share my life, my fears, my dreams. We can talk about hard days with children, great recipes, family frustrations, sex, intimacy, love. We encourage and listen to each other, loving each person just the way we are, no qualifications.

While our family has found incredible friends at each place we've lived, we've simply never had this sort of tight-knit local (mostly neighborhood!) community before. Until we moved here, we never really felt that we belonged.

Greg will always be my very best friend, but there are some things that he just shouldn't have to deal with, and isn't as equipped to deal with as a man. Being able to vent and share with girl-friends takes the pressure off of him, and he doesn't have to deal as much with all of the crazy that is in my head. In these beautiful woman, I've not only found a safe place: I've found home.

(For the full birthday gallery, click through to our Flickr set.)

Farmer's Market and the Not Socks

2011-05-03T19:38:00.000-05:00

This morning, my little ones and I went to our local farmer's market for the first time this season.

It was fun to talk to the farmer who had actually grown the food, and select seasonal, local vegetables that I don't normally see at my grocery store.

Of course, the VERY BEST part for Some Of Us was the peanut butter cookies.

("Why was Mommy buying all of those vegetables anyway?!" "NO idea.")

It's been remarkably chilly here for the past two days -- enough so that we had to break back out the sweatshirts. I actually felt the cold front coming in as we sat at an outdoor restaurant Sunday afternoon. It was a remarkable feeling; as though someone had turned on the outside air conditioning. I'm sure it'll be back to 90 by the end of the week though. Such is springtime in Texas.

Oh, hey! Do you want to see what I'm giving my mom for Mother's Day?

What? You don't see a pair of socks there? Well then. I suppose we'll be going with chocolate dipped strawberries instead.

Duct Tape Body Doubles

2011-04-30T18:02:00.001-05:00

For a few years now, I've been wanting to make a dress form of myself. Having an exact body double to fit clothing on as I sew would make things much easier! I've put it off, because I knew it would take some effort and more than a little teamwork, but finally I had the perfect reason: in our church, our Creative Arts Team is responsible for both music and artistic expression in our building and worship experience, and so for each big sermon/conversation series we choose a new theme to go along. This most recent one, kicking off on Easter Sunday, is called "Modern Family", and so we decided to do a spin on that with retro-fitting the stage and other areas with vintage and mod-inspired deco. I volunteered to create four dress forms to put vintage dresses on. And of course, I plan to take one of them back home after we are all done with them. (WOW that was a long-winded explanation.)

Last week, my friend Lisa and I got to work on them, figuring it all out as we went along with this tutorial.

I had already considered Lisa to be among my very closest of friends, but let me tell you, nothing brings you together like a little duct tape. She now has a very (VERY) close understanding of my body. It's all about lots of laughs and a good dose of body confidence. (MANY laughs -- a little painful once the duct-tape has been fully wrapped!)

We started with first the less expensive silver color, and then switched to black for the outer layer (in the interest of the form blending into our black stage as much as possible, allowing the dresses to really stand out.)

Preparing to be cut out of the duct-tape body cast.

Lisa ended up making three of these, and Greg made the final one for a total of four.

Our friend Josh built a wooden stand with a cross piece for the shoulders, which helps to stabilize the whole thing. I put the "shoulders" inside the duct-tape shell, then plushed out the form with stuffing and quilt batting, and taping it first up the back, then the arm and neck holes. Finally, I cut a piece of cardboard to seal off the "hips", and duct taped it all closed.

Completed dress form. (Sorry about the horrible background -- I forgot to take a picture until I was on my way out the door, bringing this to our church building.)

I will post pictures soon of our stage set -- it's the coolest one we've done so far, and I'm so proud of our entire team, and all of the hard work that went into it!

For now, here's some videos from Easter Sunday (the kick-off of the Modern Family conversations and superfun stage set) that I've just added to my playlist (the top four). I had the privilege of singing a crazy fun Nico Vega song: Family Train (sorry about the scary freeze-frame!)

An Easter Birthday

2011-04-30T16:50:00.001-05:00

This past week has been so busy that I haven't had the energy or time to blog about any of it!

Easter Sunday was also my 31st birthday:

Greg made chicken Spiedies (grilled chicken-kebabs for those of you not from upstate NY), grilled sausages, and bought a cheesecake so that I wouldn't have to cook anything that day. What a gift!

We had decorated hard-boiled eggs the day before, and so Greg and our neighbor organized an egg hunt for the children.

What a fun way to spend my birthday with family and friends!

Next up: a set of duct tape dress forms!

Girl's Day Out

2011-04-22T23:28:00.000-05:00

Today, I don't feel like doing a linky post, so we'll just save that for next week. Sounds good to you? GREAT.

This morning, Daisy and I got All Dressed Up in our matching shirred dresses (made from thrift store sheets), and went out to get our very first Mother/Daughter pedicure.

It was so fun to see her face when her little feet first dipped into the warm basin of water.

After the pedicures, we went out shopping together and picked out some cute little outfits and a new Barbie with her birthday money. Spending time with just Daisy is rather rare, and it was so nice to be able to walk along with her, holding her hand, listening to her stories and commentary that so often gets lost in the rush and tumble of the boys.

My Daisy. I feel so privileged that I get to be the mommy of this precious little girl.

What I Wore Wednesday: Butterfly Leprechaun

2011-04-20T22:11:00.005-05:00

There's not much to say about this outfit...

VS Siren Legging Jean ~ long-sleeved slub-knit shirt from Old Navy ~ Frye Women's Dara Honeycomb Sandal ~ handspun, handknit Beachwater Bolero ~ Gothic cross necklace, unknown ~ green butterfly hairclips (sizes Large and Medium), Sprinkles and Frosting.

Except to say that I really like green. Really. A lot.

Although most likely I'm not actually a leprechaun...mostly just because of the shoes.

Because otherwise, I'd be a total doppelgänger.

Daisy also has a butterfly outfit of her own today:

Dress from my brother Jonathan for her birthday.

Golden Monarch butterfly hairclip also from Sprinkles and Frosting.

We've been very into hair-clips lately. I've been thinking about Top Hat Fascinators lately...

What is your favorite color? Do you also like to wear it? When you look at your wardrobe, do you tend to see a whole lot of the same color, or do you like to mix it up?

Purple Buttercup Birthday Bag

2011-04-19T22:01:00.000-05:00

For Daisy's 4th birthday, I made her the dress that I pictured in yesterday's post, along with a coordinating bag (matching inner fabric lining).

Her favorite color is purple, and she loves anything "princess", so I just put as much girly ruffle, lacy trim and tulle-fluff as I could muster into one of my Pillowcase Dresses, and gave that to her on the morning of her birthday (Sunday). I also made a matching hairclip out of tulle and grosgrain ribbon, which looked so sweet amidst her curls. I've decided that I am going to start a collection of handmade bows for her -- it's pretty much the most fun and easy accessory that I've ever made. Also, I love any excuse to dig out my oft-neglected hot-glue gun.

For the bag, I followed the free Buttercup Bag pattern. Since I used quilting-weight cotton for the outer and inner, I also sandwiched some mediumweight interfacing between to give it extra body and strength (4-year-olds -- at least not mine -- are not all that gentle on things like bags).

I filled it with a large pack of flavored chapsticks, which nearly ended up overshadowing the gift itself. I'd promised that when she turned 4, she could have her own chapstick (assuming this was old enough for her to no longer feel compelled to eat it by the stick...) She added a large handful of her accessories, and has had this bag on her shoulder ever since.

Floral lining to match her Birthday Dress, complete with a little interior pocket.

Because a girl should never be caught without her accessories.

Topstitching and pleating detail -- this WAS perfectly pressed, but as I said: 4-year-olds are rough!

Most importantly, she finds it useful and fun, and she loves the fact that I made this, just for her. A mother's love and time wrapped up in a handmade gift: there's nothing like it.

Happy birthday Daisy

2011-04-18T21:16:00.002-05:00

Dear Daisy,

On Sunday, you turned four years old.

You, my precious girl, continue to inspire, astound and challenge me.

Your gorgeous curls, your quirky sense of style, those worried little eyebrows, and the way your mood can turn on a dime...

I love you.

Your silly sense of humor, the way you put your tiny hand in mine when we walk, your tender hugs...

I love you.

I love watching you discover Girliness in a house full of boys.

I love watching you discover the world through your precocious, innocent eyes.

I love your little voice, your made-up words, your gorgeous smile.

I love you.

Happy birthday little girl.

Love,
Mommy

P.S. Dress made along the lines of my Pillowcase Dress Tutorial. Bag made from free Buttercup Bag pattern by Made By Rae. (More detail shots of bag in my next post.)

Link-tastic Friday

2011-04-15T22:53:00.000-05:00

Cute little toes:

Links:

Webwide coolness:

We eat a lot of butter in this house. A lot. Here's an article on five fats that are important and healthy to keep in your kitchen. (Thanks to my friend Mimi for the link!)
With four children and lots of friends, it can be terribly hard to keep our family schedule straight. After wrestling with various written methods, wall calendars, etc., I have finally discovered Google Calendar. I granted Greg's Google account access to the calendar as well, so now we can both edit it, no matter where we are, and can even access it from our phones. It even gives pop-up reminders on my desktop for upcoming events. Genius!

Crafty:

Cute and simple cosmetic bags via Sew Mama Sew.

Food (savory):

I am a big fan of Butter Chicken, so I was excited to find this on Saveur!
This Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad (via Food 52) sounds super delicious.
Pioneer Woman put together a round-up of amazing looking sandwiches from around the web.
LOVE Crispy Tofu (via Food Blogga).
I made this Orange Ginger Flank Steak for dinner tonight with some friends, and everyone loved it -- even the children!.
Penne with Roasted Asparagus via Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Food (sweet):

I don't usually go for low-fat anything, but this Low Fat Lemon Curd looks like it might be a little less heavy and a little more zippy than the traditional kind.
I made savory Quinoa once, but Greg wasn't impressed with the grain, so I haven't made it again. However, this Breakfast Quinoa with Toasted Coconut Almonds and Fresh Mango sounds like it might have to be my breakfast sometime very soon.
I have a weakness for creamy fruit salads, and this one looks both simple and delicious (via Mel's Kitchen Cafe).

Life with a two-year-old

2011-04-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

Billy.

The sweetest, most cheerful baby I've ever met, has suddenly realized something: he's two years old.

His opinions on things are so strong, that he says "NO" with his entire body.

Nothing that I suggest is "OK" with him...until he suddenly decides that it was HIS idea all along.

Mr. Sunshine has turned into Mr. Make Mommy's Life A Stressful Wreck, and there's no help for it.

Some days, by the time Greg gets home from work, I've had the "fight" beaten straight out of me, and I don't feel able make even the smallest decision. Someone asks me if they can have more dressing on their salad, and I turn into a stammering mess. My nerves are shot; it's exhausting.

But then there is that delightful smile.

And the belly laughs.

And once again, I am charmed by my little social terrorist.

This too shall pass....

What I Wore Wednesday: Roller Derby (and a group date)

2011-04-13T12:44:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend, Greg and I went on a group date with friends to see a roller derby bout. We love watching those TXRD girls racing around the track, throwing punches and making a scene. So much fun! Sometimes just watching the crowd is even more entertaining than the girls themselves; quite a variety of people show up. Of course, for me, roller derby is also an excuse to style fun and wild outfits as my "costume" for the night.

Black and green t-shirt, Old Navy ~ cut-off denim skirt, Old Navy (modified by me) ~ black fishnets, unknown ~ Steve Madden Hondd black booties ~ Black/brown leather vest, vintage ~ chain necklace, unknown (originally a wallet chain, modified by me).

I used Maybelline EyeStudio Color Plush Silk Eyeshadow to create a dramatic eye (winged out on the sides), and Black Honey Clinique Almost Lipstick for a sheer wash of red on my lips.

And now for the night itself!

We carpooled with a bunch of our friends, and grabbed seats together right in the front to watch the action:

(Greg likes to make a horrified "candid" face for shots like these. So wonderful.)

With two of my dear friends, Brittany and Becca

(Sorry, no pictures of the Derby Girls -- they speed by so quickly, it's hard to get a non-smeary picture, but you can see plenty on their site.)

Usually, we stay for the entirety of the derby, but this time we decided to leave at halftime for dinner at Austin restaurant Malaga. The better to talk about everything we'd just seen!

At Malaga, table for 13 (!)

The food at the restaurant was super delicious. Greg complained later that there wasn't enough seafood, and the vibe wasn't very "Spanish", but I LOVED it. Also, eating out with this crew was entertaining enough in itself to make this dinner a memorable one. I definitely plan to go back.

My friend Jenny and I are known for our animated conversations that always include VERY WIDE EYES, so we attempted to get some action shots...

Red-wine-afterglow shamelessly air-brushed out of our faces

As it turns out, it's nearly impossible to keep your eyes open wide while laughing wildly.

All of the ladies on our little excursion.

I love these friends like crazy! Having people like these in my life here have made Texas feel like it's truly home for us.