with much love and many hugs

You put the lime in the coconut...

2012-02-08T10:23:00.000-06:00

After our spring-like weather last week, the weather feels kinda' blah now. It snowed yesterday, but it was less than an inch. As far as snowy outdoor activities, this winter has been disappointing. We can't complain about cold weather though, I swear our average high temperature in January this year must have been near 50°!

Yesterday, Libby and I were listening to the Muppets; which reminded me of a recipe that I had saved on Springpad, Key Lime Coconut Cookies. Time to be transported to my tropical oasis with these chewy...

Key Lime Coconut Cookies

adapted from Rock Recipes

INGREDIENTS:
1¾ cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1½ cups white sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one large lime, finely minced
¼ cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
½ cup shredded coconut (I used sweetened because that's what I had on hand)
½ cup sugar for rolling cookies
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and coconut. Chill dough for approximately 1 hour (this sets the butter and helps prevent the cookies from flattening out too much). Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1½ inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

One bite tastes like summer on a remote tropical island

Libby agrees -- She kept saying, "more peas, more peas," before she finished the one I gave her.

Maia said she could hear the ocean

"May I please have another one, Mom?!"

"You put the lime in the coconut, you drink them both together, put the lime in the coconut then you'll feel better!" -Harry Nilsson

Winter is back

2012-01-22T10:04:00.003-06:00

Since winter reappeared this week (the temperatures anyway), we've been making the most of it. Now, if we could just have a Real snowfall, then maybe the temperatures can be justified.

At least this hot chocolate, adapted from Dave Lebovitz's Belgian hot chocolate recipe makes up for the shivers. The liquid chocolate is oh, so fabulous on its own, but topping it off with a homemade peppermint marshmallow is euphoria, especially as the marshmallow melts into a puddle of white, gooey deliciousness.

European Hot Chocolate (serves 4-6)
INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup cream
8 ounces (230g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao, preferably 70% or greater), finely chopped
4 ounces (115g) milk chocolate (I used white chocolate on one occasion just because I didn't have milk chocolate and I thought straight dark chocolate might be a little much for the girls -- still delicious), finely chopped
tiny pinch of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Warm about one-third of the milk, with the chopped chocolates and salt, stirring until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the remaining milk and cream, heating until the mixture is warmed through. Add the cinnamon. Use a hand-held blender, or a whisk, and mix the hot chocolate until it’s completely smooth. Serve very warm.
Yes, drink cream and chocolate. You know you want to! Serve with a little whipped cream or...

Homemade peppermint marshmallows:
They are worth the effort. Really, I don't know what possessed me to attempt these a few years ago, I don't even care for the store bought ones, but I'm glad I gave it a whirl. I've tried a few marshmallow recipes. All have been delicious, but my favorite one to date is Alton Brown's homemade marshmallow recipe. The recipes using egg whites are fine, but they don't store well and end up looking like ectoplasm after a week or two. Making marshmallows is relatively easy but I wouldn't suggest making them unless you have a stand mixer of some kind because you will have to whip the sugar/gelatin mixture for at least 10 minutes and I think some attention spans will falter here. To make peppermint marshmallows when using this recipe, replace 1/2 tsp. of vanilla with 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract. You can embellish them by swirling red food coloring into the top of the marshmallow mixture after spreading it in the pan.

Too literal?

2012-01-10T07:33:00.000-06:00

Time to update, refresh and revitalize our home and Libby's room is number one on the list since there is still artwork up and nails in the wall from when her room was the office/guest room. Pathetic, yes, but I'm working on it and I haven't forgotten about her. Last Monday I finally finished a painting for her room, one that I started back in June of last year. When she's a teenager, she'll probably roll her eyes and wonder what the heck I was thinking. Well, it was in my head and there ya' go...

A few more... (2 of 2)

2012-01-07T11:08:00.000-06:00


Sometimes cash really is the perfect gift but how do you send it? My mother and father-in-law sent cash to us a time or two and made us work for it. For example, they taped 50-60+ one dollar bills together, end-to-end and rolled them onto a pencil and wrapped them up in a Kleenex box. It was a fun way to receive cash and was definitely put to good use. For the "bill pickles," I took 5-6 green balloons, rolled up a few bills and put a rolled bill in each balloon (I did leave a balloon or two empty), blew up each balloon (just a little) and tied them shut. Then I put the "pickles" in a jar, created labels and, voila. I stumbled upon this idea on the net a while back, but the description suggested that you add water to the jar. Originally I was going to do this, but a couple of the balloons already had tiny holes in them and were already beginning to deflate. I didn't want to send soggy cash.


The girls made these fingerprint reindeer for the grandparents and Maia also took them as a craft for her class to to make during her class Christmas party.

New stockings for the family made with Echino helicopter linen and ACU print twill for the backs, a little hand embroidery and ACU nametapes. These are crummy photos, but I'm really happy with how the stockings turned out.

The day after Christmas, Maia lost her second tooth. Unfortunately, the tooth fairy "couldn't find" Maia's tooth pillow that night. So the next night she left this: a dollar bill folded into a heart and another freshwater pearl charm to go on her bracelet that the tooth fairy left on her first visit.

A little handmade for Christmas 2011 (1 of 2)

2012-01-07T00:28:00.000-06:00

Aviator's flight kit bag...the bag itself is not handmade. I just couldn't find Denier or Cordura nylon in ACU print. The handmade portion is a little hand-embroidered note stitched into the inside of the bag. The note is personal, but our girlies are modeling the bag.

A quick little project - little chalkboard kits in drawstring bags


Inspired by a very similar kit on Etsy -- Indian Spice Kit in the box and a jar of whole spice Indian Chai, ready to brew

Just a closeup of some of the spices because I think they make up the most beautiful color palette in the world. Mmmmm...it smelled so good,
I was a little sad to send away the package.

A teacher survival kit for Maia's teacher (top of the box view)

Inside the teacher's survival kit - from top to bottom, left to right: hand sanitizer, mini Tide-to-go pen, lip balm (under the sanitizer), emery boards (cut in half so they would fit) and nail clippers, Starbucks Via Instant Mocha, snazzy paper clips, binder clips, Lindt truffles, ear plugs and band-aids, Extra strength Excederin, magnets, push pins, Jolly Rancher chews, Mini Altoids and Wint-o-green candies, Magic erasers (cut in half), more Starbucks Via Instant Mocha, Larger paper clips, larger binder clips, more Lindt truffles.

Christmas cut-out sugar cookies made with my Maia.
Wouldn't be Christmas without Christmas dinosaur cookies

Mmmmmarshmallows, delicious homemade peppermint marshmallows
in homemade hot chocolate

Gooood Eeevening!

2011-10-31T23:11:00.002-05:00

$14.99 wedding dress found at Goodwill transformed into...

Maia wanted to be the Corpse Bride for Halloween this year. She wanted Libby to be Scraps from the movie, but I already decided that Rob, Libby and I would revisit the Willy Wonka and Oompa Loompa costumes to avoid a little stress. We had a great time with those costumes five years ago and it was time to bring them back.

Oompa loompa Liberty do...

Willy and the perfect accessory

Click HERE if you want to see the fam 5 years ago

Cheese -- y

The worm/maggot, sculpted from Fimo

Those eyelashes are ridiculous, aren't they?! Can you believe she wore them?

Today did not go as smoothly as I had envisioned...busy, busy, busy. Wish I had taken more photos. I missed some closeups of Maia's costume, her skeleton arm, exposed rib cage, etc. Oh well. I had big plans back in August for our family costumes but life happened. Thankfully, we had the Wonka costumes to fall back on. Happy Halloween!

Tooth fairy expenses

2011-10-08T14:31:00.000-05:00

Maia has been trying to wiggle her teeth loose since kindergarten when one of her classmates lost a tooth. Finally, last Friday, she noticed Two were loose (both lower central incisors)! Since I was already procrastinating on Halloween costumes, I decided to divert my attention even further from them and whip up a little tooth pillow for that momentous occasion. Maia chose the fabric from my stash. Then I drew two designs for her to chose from and this was the result:

Back of the pillow - I found a Baby Anbesol printable primary tooth chart and just copied into MSPaint, cropped a little and printed it onto printable fabric. Then I fused lightweight interfacing to the back of the chart, pinked the edges and stitched it onto the back of the pillow with variegated thread.

What is the going rate for baby teeth these days anyway? A toothbrush? Floss? A dollar? My brothers and I didn't grow up with the tooth fairy so I am probably going to let something slip. It happens every year around Christmas time with Santa Claus. Thankfully, Maia hasn't caught on yet. Hopefully I won't ruin the magic.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

2011-09-19T13:26:00.001-05:00

Can you guess what this is? It's a fat pill and there's one in every one of...

THESE!

For Maia's birthday (this past May), she requested cookie dough cupcakes. With little effort, I stumbled upon Beantown Baker's recipe. Since I have had a few requests for the recipe, after making them again just recently for a farewell gathering for some dear friends, I thought I would pass on the recipe here. Check out Beantown Baker for the recipe.

Here are my tips if you give this a try:

You have to plan if you want to make these for something in particular since there are a number of steps involved and the cookie dough Must be frozen before adding it to the cupcake batter before baking.
Go ahead and use a cookie scoop to portion the dough, but then roll each portion into cylinders. That way, the cookie dough won't pool at the bottom of the cupcakes.
The recipes for each part of the cupcake made quite a bit more for me than what is listed on Beantown Baker's blog. I think my yields were 60 mini cookies, 46 cookie dough cylinders (if making mini cupcakes, divide each cylinder into three portions - use one third for each mini), 36 full size cupcakes (for M's birthday, I was able to get 24 full size cupcakes and 48 mini cupcakes)
Every oven is different, I think my full-size cupcakes were done in 16-17 minutes.
They taste best when chilled!
The extra cookie dough is delicious straight from the freezer.
After adding the butter for each part in the recipe, just forget you did and pretend it was something healthy and wholesome like broccoli. There. No Worries.

Which one has more calories (no, that's not a mini cupcake)?

Holy Zucchini!

2011-09-09T09:25:00.001-05:00

Guess we'll be enjoying zucchini for a while!

Old stuff...looking new

2011-09-01T15:15:00.001-05:00

A few projects done during nap time over the first two weeks of school:

These first two went lightning fast. The two little chairs were free, found on the curb before the trash collectors came. The rocking chair was one of the first pieces of furniture Rob and I bought -- nothing special, kinda' blah solid oak rocker in an awful stain that was among the items that came in contact with sewage when we had issues with the plumbing last year. Only the very bottoms of the rockers came in contact with the yuck, so I bleached the whole thing at least three times. I took the easy way out with the little child's chairs and the rocker and not one bit sorry I did so. They were all spray painted with Krylon cherry red.

Perhaps this brings nightmares back to reality for some, since it's the exact model of desk we had in Jr. and Sr. High School, an old Crusader American School Desk found at a local thrift store for $15. I had an idea and M was excited about it, especially since it was going to be hers!

The condition was...eh; signs of water damage on the seat, chewing gum and rust

On the plus side, there were several hand carvings in the wood (some choice 4-letter words, of course).

After scraping at least 29 wads (those were the distinguishable ones) of ancient gum from every perceivable nook and cranny, scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing, vacuuming and sanding, the desk was ready for a face lift.

I primed, then spray painted the desk in the color M chose (I think it was Krylon Ocean Blue). Then, I refinished the plywood seat with boiled linseed oil. Finally, I used chalkboard paint on the top of the desk. Unfortunately, I couldn't find chalkboard spray paint so it was rather frustrating trying to get a smooth finish for the top. I finally succeeded four coats and several sandings later. Maia waited very patiently for that chalkboard top to be finished. Once I was content with the surface, she had to wait three whole days before she could draw on the surface.

Can I have one too?

Maia was sweet to set up some of Libby's little books in the cubby.

Libby's Dresser Before and After

2011-08-20T00:09:00.000-05:00

BEFORE: $40 Craigslist find - decent, solid dresser

Overall, good condition but had a spot on the top that looked like water damage

Hate the hardware, I'll try to make it work

Close up of water damage

In progress, removing layers of lacquer and horrible stain

Finito -- kinda'...hand-rubbed oil finish. I spray-painted the hardware flat black but I still hate it. It's too ornate. After some new, Simple hardware, it will be finished. I'm still unsure of what kind of wood it is. It is a hardwood veneer over oak and pine (which explains the odd light colored stripe on the trim under the top drawer. The stripe is oak and rounded, which would have made it difficult to apply the veneer over the whole piece of trim.

Not a good photo, but a closer look at the top. The water damage darkened the wood, but the veneer is still in decent condition. I just love the character in the grain!

1st Grade!

2011-08-15T22:39:00.001-05:00

I didn't think I would be as emotional as I was today watching Maia walk through the doors of the school as a first grader. Sure, I expected it for kindergarten, but not again until she graduated to middle school/junior high. This mama couldn't hold it together. At least I waited until she was in the building.

Posing with her supplies -- Cousin Beth made her skirt for her birthday (very much treasured and loved, btw)

Proud to be a 1st grader!

In line and ready to go!

Seahorse multimedia collage (kid's project!)

2011-08-14T11:59:00.000-05:00

Step 1: Paint the water. M used a mix of several shades of blue and green. She left the mix a little marbled to give the water multiple shades. She sprayed the canvas a few times to wash the canvas with the paint to keep it soft. Then, she gave the water more texture by swirling and dabbing her brush. She said she was creating waves and bubbles.

Step 2: I free-handed a few seahorses on yellow cardstock and had her cut them out. She insisted on a family of four.

Nice job with the scissors, kiddo!

Time for a break, L is up from her nap and it's snack time! Mmmm, yummy homemade peach yogurt popsicles!

They sure love each other!

Step 3: I missed a photo of her adding a few swirls of turquoise to further enhance her ocean water. Here you see her creating curls of paper to quill the seahorses. (Ignore the pink stuff on the canvas, that comes later).

For the curls, just wrap little strips (we used 1/2" - 3/4" wide x 3" long strips of cardstock). Repeat many Many times until you have enough to cover your seahorse(s).

Step 4: Dip curls in glue and attach to your paper seahorse(s). Try to keep the curls touching each other, when attaching them to the seahorse(s). Let everything dry completely.

Step 5: While we waited for the seahorses to dry, I cut finger-like fan shapes out of scrap fabric for coral, then M sewed them onto red cardstock with a zig-zag stitch. This was the first time she sewed on a machine. I did operate the presser foot for her and helped her pivot on the sharp turns and corners but she guided the fabric and paper through the machine like a pro! Once the fabric was stitched to the paper, M trimmed the excess paper away on the coral.

Step 6: Arrange the coral pieces and seahorse(s) out on your canvas and glue in place. M added a bit more color to the adult seahorses by coloring the top edges of each of the curls with an orange marker.

I think it adds a little more depth to her sea creatures.


Here's her finished project, ready to hang on her bedroom wall! M's inspiration for this project came from the August issue of Your Big Backyard. You can find the original idea here.

Antsy on I-70

2011-07-22T16:08:00.001-05:00

Summer vacation is almost over. Flat nothingness is all that's left of our journey back home. Can't wait to sleep in our own beds again. Wish there was a giant slingshot to snap us back home and rid us of I-70.

Independence for Sasis

2011-06-28T21:24:00.002-05:00

Tonight we granted independence to our little sticky-toed friend, Sasis. During the nearly two years she has been with us, we have provided generous amounts of crickets, grasshoppers and an occasional beetle and a cozy little home.

Over the past couple of years, we have spotted a few others of her kind (Eastern Gray tree frog) and feel that she would be happier without the constraints of her cage and will thrive in her new environment.

After hanging out on my arm for a couple of minutes, she finally let go and started exploring her new surroundings at the River Walk. Bye bye, Sasis. May you enjoy the tasty morsels of the bazillion mosquitoes that were buzzing overhead.

Operation: Get the computer out of Libby's bedroom -- in progress...

2011-05-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

In January, I moved Libby out of our room and into her own room. I knew we were trashing the old guest bed but didn't have a clue as to where to put the big desktop computer. For the meantime, I left it set up in her room. Rob came home in March and we briefly talked about where to put the computer but never came up with a real plan. Finally, I was Fed UP! The move was going to happen this weekend. After a lovely cup of coffee, I was a freakish whirlwind. S-C-A-R-Y. Rob patiently helped me move furniture and listen to my...um...rantings. I hated everything, there was no solution! If we didn't have the desk, maybe we could turn one of the armoires into a computer cabinet. Uh oh, I said it out loud. Rob instantly had a plan in mind. He prepped me with, "I have an idea. Now, just bear with me {big cheesy grin}." I knew I was in for it, but the coffee was still working its magic and had me in a positively hyperactive trance.

His plan:

Utilize the bottom portion of the TV cabinet
Use the TV as one giant monitor

How he sold it to the fam:

Maia could watch Charlie the unicorn on the big TV
We could go through photos more conveniently
We didn't need to try to squeeze in another piece of furniture somewhere and mess up my chi

Could this be asking for trouble? Sure, but I was too happy to care about that at the moment. So... we jumped in the car and headed to Manhattan for a last minute run for cables, etc.

It's still a work in progress, we need some sort of handy little shelf to organize the printer, speakers, paper, ink, CD-ROMs, etc. However, I do believe everyone approves of the new changes. Now, time to get this mess cleaned up!

Charlie the Unicorn

2011-04-21T20:51:00.000-05:00

Are you familiar with Film Cow's "Charlie the Unicorn" movies? Clearly, they were the inspiration for this little story Maia wrote. You might want to enlighten yourself with the movies before you read further.

Charlie the Unicorn - by Maia


L. PAGE: Ignore this page. R. PAGE: Charlie the Unicorn has two sisters. One is blue and one is red.

L. PAGE: They went to the magical Leopleurodon. R. PAGE: When the magical leopleurodon roared, the sisters said, "it spoken, it's told us the way."

L. PAGE: [Sisters] Run, it's the blah, blah, blah! R. PAGE: [Charlie] What does that mean?

L. PAGE: Nevermind. R. PAGE: [Charlie] Aaagghh! They took my freakin' kidney!

L. PAGE: Ta da! R. PAGE: The End

After Rob and I wiped the tears from our eyes from laughing so hard, we had another talk with Maia about how this might be inappropriate in the eyes of many parents and probably the Spring Valley honor code. She promised not to say "freakin'" anymore. :)

Hello!

2011-04-14T20:18:00.001-05:00

Hello there, little neglected blog and followers if you're still out there.
So much has happened in the last month and a half, but here are a few highlights:

Our family is now whole as of the wee hours of February 28th!
The "backup" hard drive (which really wasn't used for backup and contained every single photo taken since I was pregnant with Maia) crashed and many tears were shed.
Rob, a.k.a. Superman, acquired a most awesome program and recovered Everything.
Disney World!
I pulled off my first successful April Fool's Day Joke ("carrot cake" and chocolate sauce = meatloaf/mashed potatoes and gravy)
Lots of catching up, snuggling and fun!

I have to sift through all of the recovered files, they are a complete mess but at least we still have all the photos.
Here's a video of our April Fool's Day fun to entertain you in the meantime. Thanks for stopping by!
With much love and many hugs, Sarah

Patiently, oh so patiently...

2011-02-24T18:22:00.001-06:00

Today, I sent a note with Maia for her teacher explaining that we are expecting Rob home very soon and that the ceremony might be during a school day, yada, yada, yada. While her classmates were having writing time, her teacher gave her a folded piece of paper and asked her to write a story. This is what she wrote:

She says you have to read it left to right, top to bottom. :)

We still have plenty to do before he gets home and we're talking just a few short days, but this waiting business is 'for the birds!'

Wishing all of our soldiers a safe return to their families.

Handmade from the heart

2011-02-09T23:41:00.002-06:00

The list never ends. This is why I'm never bored...

A few photos of Christmas gifts that I remembered to take:

Small child's backpack (my own design first used to make this)


"Just add snow"- build your own snowman kits - M had fun painting all the rocks for the eyes, buttons and mouths

English toffee - I'm craving this Again. Last batch could have cooked a tiny bit longer for a more brittle texture.

Card/Dice Game Packs with laminated instructional cards, packed in repurposed ACUs - Even included tactical decks of playing cards

For M's kindergarten teacher, Journal with quilted, hand embroidered cover - I used one of M's drawings for the center

The back - This was actually included in part of a little kit I put together that included a journal jar containing little strips of paper with ideas to write about and help record her journey as a teacher.

One of Many reversible aprons from my favorite apron pattern (I think I made 7?) - Sadly, this is the only photo

Another apron, ready to be given

If you try this pattern, I suggest adding interfacing to the upper and lower bands on the bodice, as they tend to droop. The aprons with the ACU print didn't have as nice of a drape as the others. I think that's because the ACU is printed on twill, which is heavier than the quilter's weight cotton on the reverse side. Lessons learned, I suppose.

Reverse of ACU apron

When We Were Small(er) by Sarah Ness | Make Your Own Book

This last one was the most time consuming and emotional project after scanning 800+ photos from childhood and trying to compile them into a photo book -- well worth it.

The list goes on...

Snow Day!

2011-01-10T17:17:00.000-06:00

As forcasted, we woke up this morning with a lovely, fluffy blanket of snow! We finally had our first snow day for the 2010-2011 winter season. I wasn't at all disappointed to get several text messages from the school district early this morning announcing the closures for the day. M slept in and I just enjoyed my pillow for a little while longer before I made my way downstairs.

M and I had two rounds of winter play, coinciding with L's nap times. The second round, M decided that her "playtime" was going to be helping me finish shoveling the driveway. What a great little helper!

snow angels - this is about the only time my snow angel is bigger, when mine is next to a 5-year-old's

little stinker got me with a snowball in the face as I'm down on the ground making bricks for an igloo (igloo never made it past our little 3-year-old neighbor boy who was thrilled to smash them as they were formed)

She's a pretty fantastic little helper -- even better that she was having fun.

yummy snow

On a side note, once again our neighbors came to the rescue. I had about 1/3 of the driveway left and saw our neighbor on the corner walking down to us with his snow shovel. I enjoy shoveling snow, but it sure was nice to have the help, especially since L was starting to wake up as he arrived.

M's Letter to Santa

2010-12-23T10:39:00.001-06:00


Dear Santa, I want a Transformer


that transforms into a Blackhawk.

Girls

2010-12-06T12:51:00.001-06:00

It's November!

2010-11-01T20:00:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful fall day on this 1st day of November! Here's to a little recuperation from the crazy Halloween weekend...

M didn't want us to carry around severed tails. She said it was gross, so she allowed me to tie bandages around our tails to make them look like they had been repaired.

Our costumes came with a bit of a handicap when wearing the masks down - no peripheral vision and limited at that. We really were the "Three Blind Mice." I warned M about this but she insisted that we wear masks. She wants her face painted next year.

Pot Roast makes friends with Jack and Bud

2010-10-23T15:42:00.001-05:00

One of our favorite basic meals when the weather starts to cool is pot roast, slowly roasted in a crock pot all day long -- the kind of meal that tortures your appetite while you simply wait. When Rob deployed the first time, I started deglazing the pan that I seared the roast in with his left over Jack D. Later, I started throwing in a bottle of beer (1554 is usually what we have on hand). Try this, you won't be sorry!

Start with a 4-5lb beautiful chuck roast, seasoned generously with kosher salt and pepper

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Sear all sides of the roast.

Remove the roast from the pan and add it to a crock pot (at least 4 1/2 qt. capacity). Deglaze the pan with 1/3 - 1/2 cup bourbon/whiskey, let simmer for a minute or so and add one bottle of the beer of your choice. It really is worth it to add a decent beer, one worth drinking. The over-hyped garbage in the photo is what I had left after a quick beer run this summer to make beer can chicken. Allow liquids to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, to the crock pot, add 4-5 potatoes, quartered; 4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into 4-5 pieces each or a couple of handfuls of baby carrots; one medium onion, peeled and quartered and 4oz. mushrooms, sliced and sauteed (not pictured). Poor beer/whiskey mixture over roast, add one bay leaf and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours. The roast will fall apart when you try to take it out of the pot and that is exactly what you want. Enjoy!

We usually don't have leftovers when Rob is home, but when he isn't here, I make beef stew with our leftovers. Just dice the left overs, add beef stock, lightly sauteed onions, thyme another bay leaf, and pearl barley. This is even better than the pot roast.

A bit of this and a bit of that

2010-10-21T13:40:00.000-05:00

One of those snuggly Sunday mornings

This is not my work but a friend asked me to recreate this bag, since the one she loved so much was beginning to show the love...

...Added hardware on the handles and an inner zippered pocket. I like her fabric choice for the contrast.

Another order, requested in the same style as the recreation. I enjoy making bags but after making eight of these, I'm tired of the BDU/ACU prints and the style. I need a break from the monotony.

I finished recovering the old infant seat about two weeks after L was born. I had the seat cover finished, minus the binding before she arrived and fully intended to have it completed before she made her grand entrance. Tigger is posing in the infant seat before we first used it with Maia.

Here it is, that time of year where I really become insane -- Halloween costumes, planning get-togethers for holiday events, gift making, yada, yada yada. Rob realized long ago that I thrive in chaos, piling on the projects. I thought about committing to post on the blog every day from Halloween to Christmas but that's just ridiculous. We'll see...maybe we'll start with one per week.

They say it's best

2010-10-03T22:29:00.000-05:00

Picture this: It's after 7 o'clock in the evening, just a couple of days before R&R began for us. We're hungry, including L. Dinner is almost ready but L has decided that she's been patient long enough. M has taken it upon herself to calm her ravenous sister. L is in her bouncy seat so M slides L's bouncer close to her own chair so that she can multitask - bounce L and draw. M informs me that she knows what will help the situation and that she was going to make it all better. I walk over to set the table and see what M is drawing:

Surely you know where this is going...

Seriously. You know, it actually worked for the five extra minutes I needed. I sure love my girls!

How to make a life-size self-portrait (with a little help from a friend)

2010-09-22T19:46:00.001-05:00

First, have someone trace around your body with a pencil.

Then, draw in details like fingernails, facial expressions, clothing lines, etc.

Have a grown-up trace over all the pencil lines with a permanent marker and paint or color your paper self

Admire your handiwork and send to someone special.

Maia actually made this a few months ago and sent it to Rob for Father's Day. I couldn't believe the amount of detail she added. She even included the band-aid on her knee and the little rhinestones on her fingernails.

Promoting cloth

2010-09-19T20:57:00.000-05:00


We usually use flatfolds or prefolds and Thirsties diaper covers

When M was a baby, I really wished we could have used cloth diapers on her. Not that it wasn't possible, we just shared washers and dryers in our stairwell apartment in Germany -- gross. Since we have an efficient and deep-cleaning front-loader, I can use cloth diapers on L with the peace of mind that the diapers will be clean and sanitary as will the washer being used to clean them.

Why do I bother? We have sensitive skin in this family. M battled nasty diaper rash when she was in diapers. So far, we don't even need diaper ointment for L as long as we use cloth. When we're away from home for longer than a couple of hours I'll use disposables but that's about to change as well once I finish my diaper bag. This is the biggest perk to me of cloth versus disposable but the environmental and cost benefits certainly help as well.

Charlie's Soap, vinegar, borax and good ol' sunshine are my friends. Thanks to my dad, I also have a handy dandy diaper sprayer, sure to be the envy of the cloth diapering community and for those of you who wish to have your very own bidet without an added fixture in the bathroom (Rob discovered the true value of our sprayer and is quite proud of this find). Sure, they sell diaper sprayers in the stores for around $40 but this one is better made since it's fabricated by Dad. Wish you could have one? Check out this tutorial and you can install one yourself for under $25. By the way, we've had it for over two months and it hasn't leaked yet. The plastic dishpan is to ease my paranoia.

Our first baby

2010-09-12T23:40:00.000-05:00

See any resemblance to... hmmm...perhaps the newest family member?

Seriously?!

2010-09-09T13:46:00.000-05:00

I was in the shower and Maia heard Rob trying to call via Skype.

Back again

2010-09-08T13:51:00.000-05:00

Yep, the posts have been scarce and that's all I have to say about that.

So much has happened this summer such as the lightning-speed entrance of our latest addition, lots of visitors, Rob's R&R and M started kindergarten! Here are a few highlights:

I'll be back before the weekend with another post. There, I said it. Now I'm committed.

Liberty Paine and her crazy welcome to the world

2010-06-30T10:33:00.002-05:00

***Updated with photos***

June 24th... was a Lifetime TV moment. Everything happened in such a brief span of time. I guess I'll just tell it like it is even though you probably won't believe me. At 6:45 am, I woke up to my water breaking...err...gushing. This made me mad because I knew we had to go to the hospital right away and that they would probably administer pitocin to "progress" me. Why was I so sure? Well, because I labored 32 hours with Maia, I figured I had at least a quarter of that time with this one. I woke up Christina and we woke up the girls to get them ready to drop off at my friend Liz's house. I felt my first contraction about 20 minutes after my water broke, but nothing too strong. 10 minutes later the next one hit. Maybe I wouldn't be forced to have pitocin after all! Another 10 minutes, then 9, another 9, 8, 8, 8... During the contractions I wanted to eat breakfast for a little strength at the hospital since they won't let you eat while you're in labor and I was expecting to be there for quite some time.

By 7:50 we had everything lined up at the door. Just before we were loading up kiddos, I had to go to the bathroom one more time. As I was walking to the bathroom, I started having another contraction with an urge to push. I was able to breathe through it but the sensation was so strong. As I was going to the bathroom I felt her coming without any pushing and there was no stopping her. From that point, I yelled in a panic to Christina to call 911. I slid off of the commode, onto my knees and her head was out! Terrified that I was going to deliver a stillborn baby at this point, I felt around her head and neck for the umbilical cord to make sure it wasn't around her neck. With the next contraction, she was completely out (approx. 8:05am). I caught my own baby! Was this all really happening? I could hear Christina on the phone with the operator telling them that the baby had been born. The baby was just looking around, not crying so I wanted to hear her lungs. Christina brought a few towels down in her super-fast acting so I started rubbing her with one of the towels to get her to cry (that's what we did with newborn puppies at the vet clinic). Hearing her little gurgly cries gave me that reassurance I needed. I swiped my finger through her mouth to try to clear what fluid I could from her mouth.

Aftermath-- Thank you, Christina for taking this and for cleaning up my mess. :)

Next thing I know, the EMTs are at the door ready to take us to the hospital. I climbed onto the gurney and they handed Liberty to me. I think the EMTs were a little surprised at how much energy I had (maybe even annoyed by my babbling) but they were very kind and laughed along with me (or at me). As they wheeled me down the driveway, I saw that they weren't alone. The ambulance was joined by a firetruck and police car. What do you think the neighbors were thinking? They wheeled us into the ambulance, with the placenta bagged and at my feet. I heard them call out a 9 for her APGAR score from when they entered the house and was just thrilled. :) As we rolled away from the house, they started up the siren and I had to laugh. That was about the end of the fun once we arrived at the hospital (they did take me to IACH).

Inside the ambulance -- placenta isn't at my feet just yet

At least the nurses didn't fight me when I refused the e-mycin ointment for Liberty's eyes. In all honesty, I liked all but one of the nurses, who decided to take it upon herself to knead my stomach while the midwife was stitching my tear...without using local anesthesia. At least the midwife got after the nurse and asked me again if I wanted the lydicaine. She reassured me that none would be passed through breastmilk so I gladly accepted. It was still a little tough convincing them that I didn't need pitocin to contract my uterus but I was determined to change their thinking. Sure wish I convince these people that while medical intervention has its place, it's better to allow our bodies to do what is natural, like not interfering with my body's ability to produce oxytocin. The only other problem I had was trying to sleep on the incredibly uncomfortable bed that was like trying to sleep on 3 or 4 folded up plastic tarps for "softness." The pillows were the same. I really thought about sleeping on the floor or on the fold-down bench in the shower. While giving birth in the bathroom may not have been the ideal setting, I am thankful for an uncomplicated pregnancy/birth, not having to deliver at the hospital but most of all a healthy baby girl, happy family Rob (Daddy), we felt you there with us. Missing you and can't wait for our family to be physically whole for a couple of weeks in August! We three love thee!

Talking to Rob in Iraq for the first time since Liberty's birth

A few things to keep us busy

2010-04-25T21:58:00.008-05:00

Since Rob deployed in early March, we've had enough things to keep us busy outside of the house that we haven't had much time for projects at home. Well, I guess we did have that incident with the sewage pipes backing up in the basement (not due to a "blockage" but to improper installation -- people, sewage does NOT travel uphill). Thank goodness that's over with, for now anyway. Keeping up with blog posts has been put off for time outside. That's a good enough excuse, right?

A little 'kid-sized' travel neck pillow and sleeping mask (actually done before he left) -- This is another free-handed pattern. Once I get everything typed out, I'll post it on the blog for your personal use . M really loves them and uses them e-v-e-r-y time we get in the car. Not that she actually sleeps every time, but she just likes the novelty of having them.

Commissioned Diaper Wallet Changing Kit, complete with changing pad, wipes and pockets for ointments, etc.-- There was a small personalized quilt to go with this batch but the two photos I have are too crappy to post

The "Maia doll" in progress -- Daddy has the finished product with him in Iraq. He's been taking her with him on all his flights tucked safely in one of his many flight suit pockets

I just sketched a simple body (turned out rather alien-esque), then added clothing and had M add color. Most importantly, and the greatest suggestion ever by our sweet daughter, was to make sure that the Maia doll could hold hands with the Daddy doll (in progress). I used a super strong magnet, inserted in the palm of one of the hands. For the finished doll, seen in this post, I added hair and made a little dress (M picked out the fabric from my scraps). The doll has a ginormous head that bobbles and looks fairly wonky but both M & Rob liked it and wouldn't let me do a different one.

One way M is entertained while I sew...this one is a project for Daddy.

This one is still in progress. She received a "daddy doll" at the battalion pre-deployment briefing (had weird long yarn hair on the top of its head that we cut off) that you personalize by inserting a photo into the face of the doll. Very sweet of the powers that be who arranged for all of the children to have one of these dolls, but I still had in my head what I wanted to do for M and her Daddy. I wanted make the next dolls more rag doll style with floppy legs and arms. So...I sketched separate arms, legs, head and body pieces and failed to consider the size of the body in proportion to everything. I just knew I wanted a larger head...

...one of the arms, ready for its magnet. Didn't see the problem yet...

...stitched the arms and legs to one head/body piece. Oh, yeah! you have to be able to fold in the arms and legs in order to attach the other body/head piece. Rob, I'm so sorry that this little mini-you wound up in the trash. Well, I finally bought more printable fabric so I'll be able to try again. This is the reality of making it up as you go.

The latest finished project, another Trappy Nappy (+ nursing cover-up and changing pad) for a dear, dear friend. Pregnancy brain totally got the better of me during this project. After I boxed up the bag and it's contents, I realized that I didn't add a zippered pocket on the inside. Maybe it's not a big deal but it was one detail that I didn't want to leave out. Every one of these bags has been different, and I'm not talking about fabric choice. I keep changing stuff around. Now, I think I'm ready to design something totally different. I get to experiment on myself for a change. ;) I better hurry, 'cuz the baby will be here in about 10 weeks!

The Birds -- well, bird

2010-04-05T11:25:00.004-05:00

When I went downstairs this morning to start breakfast, there were several small holes in the drapes. Someone had been climbing them...someone who might possibly want to live in the bathroom for a while, especially since she ate the tops off all my cilantro and zinnia seedlings and threw it up onto the carpet. Oh, Shasta. At least she's cute, fun and keeps us company. She's nearly ten years old, yet she still acts like a kitten.

I suppose she does have an excuse for the drapes, though. This morning I kept hearing something tapping the window and Shasta was going nuts. There was (and still is) a freaky little robin flying up to the window. I don't see any signs of a nest so I wonder if it's purposely trying to taunt Shasta.

See it for yourself (oh, and don't mind "Super Why" in the background):

The robin continues to fly into the window after 4+ hours. How much stamina does this thing have? What the heck is up? Seriously!

Motivation

2010-03-13T11:18:00.005-06:00

Finally, I'm feeling motivated to catch up on a few things. The month prior to Rob leaving we just played, had fun and enjoyed being together as a family. Guess I kinda' put off everything (to include cleaning) to savor every moment with him. Now that it's been nearly a week since he left, I'm still struggling to find my motivation. Gloomy weather doesn't help matters. Apparently, the sun should break through the clouds this evening before it sets so M & I are looking forward to that. I'm hoping that typing a little post here will also clear my head.

Making a valentine for M

We did our best using the dead trees as a tripod -- had to crop way down so the resolution is pretty grainy

Chillin' down by the river

Take me with you, Daddy!

Per M's request: a Maia doll for Daddy, fits right into his leg pocket. She even requested that we make it so that the the Maia doll could hold hands with her Daddy doll so I inserted super strong magnets into the hands (one on each doll). You'll probably be seeing the M doll around soon in photos from the Far East.

Missing you, dear heart! I2!

Thank you, Rob!

2010-02-07T11:32:00.004-06:00

(and Super Bowl weekend sales at the quilt shop)

Since Rob got a new laptop for his deployment coping gift, I asked how he felt about me getting a new sewing machine. Surely even he was sick of the sound of the ol' Brother's motor struggling to stitch through an obscene number of fabric, fleece and interfacing layers. Before he could give me an answer, I began to spout off how frustrated I was with the evenness of stitch length, needle breaking, loud motor, ripping out seams, blah, blah, blah. I knew he would be okay with me getting a new machine, but would he approve of the price of type of quality I really needed. I researched for weeks (actually, I've been researching for years hoping the prices would drop), knowing that I wanted the quality of a Viking or Bernina. Pfaff was definitely going to be out of my price range and they're being manufactured by Viking now anyway. I decided between two different models, the Viking Emerald 875 and the Bernina Activa 230PE, but I had to test drive them. Now, I had to reveal the price to Rob. I did tell him that I would probably be able to get a better deal through the dealer in the sewing shop but there weren't any guarantees. I didn't have to prep him with all the reasons why this would be a good purchase. He had been listening to me complain about the Brother for a while now (seven years -- plus seven more for the previous $89 Brother model) and he knows that I research every purchase to death, including promo codes, rebates and coupons. He simply said, find whatever you need. I trust your judgment.

I knew I was going to buy from an authorized dealer to take full advantage of the warranty and to test the machines out with the fabric and layers that I would be using but I was terrified of the salesman pitch. The pitch totally stresses me out. Well, I had to make a trip to Manhattan to the quilt shop to pick up fabric for my latest project and knew that they were an authorized Bernina dealership so I would give the Bernina a test run. Whoa! I was blown away with how it handled 4 layers of Peltex + 8 layers of medium wt. canvas + 4 layers of heavyweight interfacing and how quiet it was while it stitched through the bundle with no problem. Awesome. Then I began to look at all the features and fell in love. The nice sales lady also explained their SuperBowl weekend sale, involving the trade-in of your old machine for a new one. I was able to snag the machine for almost half of the MSRP and I didn't have to turn in my old machine (actually, the lady didn't want it -- if she wasn't so nice, she probably would have laughed in me face). We took home a shiny new Bernina -- no test drive for the Viking, this was it! Three words -- giddy, giddy, giddy! This shall surely keep me up until the wee hours of the morning during this next deployment. I'm sure I lost most of my readers by now, but no matter. I can't contain the excitement and Rob is on a bus headed back from taking aircraft to the port in TX so I can't talk to him. In fairness to my old friend, Brother, it treated me as well as it was capable of and always got me through each and every challenge I put it through, no matter how much it protested. I really did abuse the poor thing. Check out the damage I did to the faceplate by "helping" my fabric/interfacing/Peltex layer sandwiches along (a definite no-no but this was a necessity). See those gouges in the faceplate where the needle lowers (green arrow)? The Brother is retired (until May) when Maia will start sewing. She informed me that she wants to sew when she turns five.

Okay, time to play!

My first "commissioned" Diaper Bag

2010-02-06T13:16:00.004-06:00

I have yet to create an actual inventory to list onto Etsy, however, thanks to good friends and their trust, I actually have a few projects in the works. This is the latest commissioned project, a "Trappy Nappy" diaper bag (with coordinating changing pad and nursing coverup) created for the sister of a dear friend. She has had some huge hurdles this past year yet she still manages to stay upbeat and hopeful. Just one week ago, she and her husband were finally able to bring home their baby girl, Kynlie, who was born at 24 weeks in October and weighing only 1lb, 4.5 oz. Her story is bittersweet, yet full of hope and miracles. This little miracle baby is truly amazing. Congratulations, Ashley & Neil!

Now...time to go play with my new toy and retire an old friend. More on that later.

The Rainbow Connection

2010-01-28T08:36:00.003-06:00

Part of M's bedtime routine is singing songs. One of our favorites from childhood is "The Rainbow Connection," specifically, Kermit's version. Rob and M just sing the first verse here with "regular" voices and again with Rob's Kermit impression. M has been working very hard on her own Kermit the Frog impression so as soon as she's willing to let me video that, I will be posting her version as well.

Handmade Christmas (image heavy)

2010-01-07T10:35:00.008-06:00

There's definitely a more efficient way of doing this but this shall be my method for the day.
Since everyone (well, most everyone) has received their gifts by now, here's a sampling of what was produced in the ol' workshop this year:

Lavendar Flax Seed Eye Pillows (cold therapy for headaches)

More Buttercup bags (thanks once again to Made by Rae)

Wallet -- I made this one up as I went along. I carefully drafted a pattern for what I wanted but I kept making adjustments the whole time I was sewing the darn thing. There is definitely room for improvement (Front view is in the previous photos with the Buttercup bags).

Bow Ties -- This was kind of a joke, something my brother wanted for work. No, he doesn't have a corporate or office job, he's a paleo-tech -- works with dinosaurs. I used the tutorial from Martha and it was definitely too short. Her pattern needs some adjusting.

Baby soft Book of Colors (inspired by the scrappy co lor book at Stitch/Craft

Drawing portfolio -- (drafted this one as well but was inspired by Pink Chalk's pencil roll)

I Spy Bags -- I had seen these somewhere in blogland a while back and decided to come up with my own version by adding the trim to frame the window and a grommet to attach the list of items

Little Dresses/Nighties -- I made two from a dress pattern in a Japanese sewing book (sorry I can't give you the title, I can't read Japanese). I thought the pattern was suitable for a nightie depending on what fabric I used. Even though they're in flannel, I suppose they could be worn as dresses.

Cash concealers -- (tried think of a clever way to give cash) Took the bills of choice and folded them to fit small acrylic boxes (For one, I just wrapped the bills in plastic, which made it much easier to mold the Model Magic around -- no corners to try to disguise). Then, I molded Model Magic around the bundle of bills, allowed them to dry and had M decorate them. She said she was making jewels on the stars. We poked holes in the top to be used as ornaments and included a note saying that it was a gift within a gift. The Model Magic is slightly spongy when it's dry and extremely lightweight so it's really not that hard to cut into to retrieve a little prize.

Parhelia in Kansas (b-b-b-b-b-b-brrrrrrrrr)

2010-01-07T09:38:00.008-06:00

Taken w/Nikon D70s

Taken with point-and-shoot Canon PowerShot A550

This "Arctic Blast" as The Weather Channel has dubbed it has certainly brought freezing temperatures our way. The 20° temps were bad enough but now we're officially in the negatives. I think the high is supposed to be 10°F but with a -8°F wind chill. Yes, I from two states further north and I've experienced much colder weather. However, you see, I was born in the wrong part of the world. Anything below 65° is cold. I'm enjoying the snow, but summer, you can't come too soon!

The photos are from this morning. Rob told me that I needed to brave the cold to venture outside and take a couple of pictures of the parhelia (sun dogs). S-s-s-sooo c-c-c-cooold, but I'm so glad he called my attention to them -- stunning. Now I need to learn more about taking photographs of the sun.

Rob took this on his way home from work this morning -- nice little snow drift across Spring Valley Rd.

Tiny Dancer

2009-12-15T19:39:00.004-06:00

No, she wasn't lost at the end. She just couldn't figure out how to get over to where we were sitting. In the end, she didn't want to sit with us anyway. She wanted to keep her front row seat with the other girls as they watched the remaining performances.

Snow days

2009-12-14T21:39:00.006-06:00

Despite being from South Dakota, I loathe the cold and swear I was meant to be born in the tropics, I can deal with frigid temperatures as long as there is snow. Last week, I got my wish...5+ inches of snow. Yes, this pales in comparison to the snowfalls further north, but it was something and we were going to play. They even closed the schools and Rob didn't have to work for two days, all for a little snow.

Thanksgiving tip + recipe for leftovers

2009-11-22T14:15:00.003-06:00

As I was finalizing my Thanksgiving grocery list I thought I would share a juicy turkey tip: For about ten years, I've been roasting my turkeys, breast side down for the first hour to hour and a half. Then I flip it over until the turkey is done to brown the breasts. It's kinda' tricky to flip the bird (well, maybe not for some people, it seems to come rather easy to some), but if you have a pair of silicone oven mitts or one mitt and a heavy duty set of tongs it's not too difficult. Cooking the turkey "upside down" Always makes for a nice juicy turkey. The breasts are never dry. Sometimes I brine the turkey prior to roasting and that makes for a tasty turkey as well. However, if you buy a turkey that has already been injected (most found in the grocery store are) then don't bother with the brine or you'll end up with really salty turkey, blech. I prefer to not add stuffing to the turkey (I know that's a sin to some of you). Instead, I stuff a couple of celery ribs, carrots, a quartered onion, fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme sprigs and crushed garlic cloves into the cavity. Then I slice several garlic cloves and place the slices under the skin all around the bird, brush it with melted butter and season it with salt and pepper. I do baste it every 30-60 minutes with chicken broth and dry white wine

Save your turkey carcass and make homemade turkey stock. Or, better yet, make homemade turkey noodle soup. Yum!

For the soup:

If possible, save half of the drippings from the roasted turkey for the turkey stock. I even use the leftover gravy as well. Don't worry about picking the bird clean when you carve it, that just means more meat to flavor your stock. This might sound gross, but the skin from the roasted bird also adds GREAT flavor to the stock. You just skim all the yucky stuff from the stock as is bubbles in the pot. Everything will be removed from the stock before you actually make the soup. Also, make sure you have a pot large enough to hold the bird carcass (sounds really bad) with enough water to cover it entirely.

Ingredients

1 Whole chicken (4-5 lbs) or 4-5 lbs. chicken parts or one turkey carcass

5-6 carrots

4-5 celery stalks (one or two with lots of leaves)

1 large onion, quartered

3 Tbsp. butter

2 large leeks, split in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced into half-moons
4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. thyme

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken/turkey in large pot. Add just enough water to cover the chicken. Place on burner over medium-high heat and bring to a boil (make sure chicken doesn't stick to the bottom of your pot). Boil for 30 minutes, while skimming the impurities from the top. Reduce heat to medium and add two whole carrots, one or two whole celery stalks with leaves, the quartered onion, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken/turkey to a platter and allow it to cool. Strain the vegetables from chicken stock, making sure to save every last drop of stock in another pot or bowl. This stock will be the base for your soup and can be used in any recipe calling for chicken stock.

After chicken has cooled, remove remaining turkey/chicken from the bone and shred or dice it. Take care to feel for any tiny bones or cartilage and discard them. Place pot on stove with the strained stock and turn on heat to medium. Add chicken/turkey to the stock (you may or may not want to add all of the chicken. I like to reserve about 1 cup of shredded chicken to make chicken salad). While stock is reheating, Dice remaining celery (2 stalks) and carrots (2-3). In a large skillet, melt butter. Add diced veggies and sliced leeks to skillet. When leeks are slightly translucent and fragrant, add minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute longer, then add veggies to stock. Allow stock/soup to simmer for at least 2 hours before adding noodles (recipe to follow). The noodles cook quickly (3-4 minutes), so wait until you are ready to serve before adding the noodles.

GRANDMA'S HOMEMADE EGG NOODLES

2 ½ cups flour

3-4 pinches salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes. Allow to air dry about 30min. to one hour before cooking. To cook fresh pasta, drop in a large pot with boiling water (salted) or stock, making sure to separate noodles. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until desired tenderness. If pasta is not going to be cooked right away, it may be refrigerated up to 5 days or frozen for up to 6 months. If cooking with frozen pasta, it is not necessary to thaw the pasta, just cook for 6-8 minutes instead of the 3-4 minutes for thawed.

Oh, one more thing about roasting turkeys, don't listen to that baloney about cooking your bird to an internal temp of 185°F, that's overcooked. All you need is 165°F (even the USDA says so).

How to get a free pet at Wally World

2009-11-19T20:45:00.003-06:00

Meet Sasis (M's made up name for her new pet Eastern Gray Treefrog -- well, I suppose she could be Cope's Gray Treefrog but the only way to tell these two species apart is by the sound of their calls). On November 8th, we were in Wally World in Manhattan picking up a couple of lights when M asked to go look at the Christmas stuff. As we were headed in that direction, I felt and saw something tiny jump between my legs near the houseplants. It was Sasis! She must have hitched a ride on one of the houseplants and chose us to make her escape. I had Rob and M keep an eye on her while I ran to grab a Rubbermaid tote. We snatched her up and made our way to the check out. M already had a little toy aquarium of sorts that came with a coupon for a mail order leopard frog. Since it was already late we decided to bring her home, give her a little water and then shop for a more appropriate home and crickets in the morning.

Well, she has a voracious appetite and is downright vicious when she goes for the crickets--fun to watch. Rob says she looks like a linebacker when she charges for them. She's doing really well, fattening up nicely and really seems to be enjoying her enclosure. M picked out a really nice fake piece of driftwood with lots of hiding places. Treefrogs are small and she's approximately 2.25" (snout-vent length). Sounds small, yet the largest recorded frog of her species was 2.375" (snout-vent length)! She's a giant! Oh, and I believe she's a she because her throat is white (males have dark patches on their throats) and females tend to be larger in this species as well. Not that anyone reading this really cares about all the details, this is just the closest thing to research I have now that I'm a SAHM.

While this little treefrog's distribution does overlap our area slightly, the native ones are probably overwintering right now since we've had a couple of freezes. So...we feel that we are giving her the best chance of survival here. Besides, she has a guaranteed food supply. Her species is freeze tolerant, by the way -- so freakin' cool. That was one of my favorite Herp subjects.

Trappy Nappy II

2009-11-18T11:20:00.006-06:00

This was actually finished in October for my friend Jane. Although it's difficult to tell from the photo, the bag is a subtle trapezoid, not quite as obvious as the first one I made for Meredith. This one has a magnetic snap closure. The divider is attached on the bottom of this one (it wasn't on the first) and no inside zippered pocket. I added a zippered pocket to the outside instead. I think I may do both on the next one. There are four main gusseted pockets inside, with two pen pockets (inside a gusseted pocket) and a cell phone pouch. Outside is the zippered pocket and two side pockets. I included a coordinating changing pad and nursing cover-up (cover-up isn't in the photo since I had already given that to her)
I'm trying to decide if I want to add a flap to the next one. I go back and forth because, while a flap would make the bag look more tailored and neat, it isn't as easy to access the goods inside when you're scrambling to do a quick diaper change in a nasty public restroom just to get out of there as humanly possible. I'm struggling with looks versus functionality.

Printable Grocery List

2009-11-17T08:08:00.000-06:00

This has been my grocery list for several years now. In Germany I finally typed up a general list, organized by aisle (Hanau Commissary layout). When we moved to Kansas, I altered it to flow with the Fort Riley Commissary layout. Anal? Totally and I'm not one bit ashamed. Wouldn't you like to make your life easier? You can print your own here. It will print two on one 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper.

I posted this list a couple of years ago but it kinda' got lost in a very long posting.

My little listmaker

2009-11-17T07:21:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, maybe a week or two before Halloween, I was writing the weekly grocery list and M decided that she needed to make her list, too. Even though I could hear her sounding out letters, I just thought she was drawing so she could be with me. After about 20 or 30 minutes she says, "Mommy, I made my grocery list!" Typically, when she's writing words she asks me to help her sound them out so she can spell them correctly. However, when she made her list she decided to spell the words as they sounded phonetically to her. She still spelled salad and mushrooms correctly all by herself! "S's" and "J's" get her all riled up sometimes because she sometimes writes them backwards and realizes that there's something wrong but she says that her fingers keep doing the wrong thing. I have Never made her practice her letters. I have asked her before, but she's usually the one who asks for some practice paper for her letters. She truly loves to learn!

"Okay, Mom, I'm ready to go!"

From Tigger

2009-11-14T09:29:00.007-06:00

"So...I hear my family really misses me. You know, I had a pretty great life with them.

They rescued me from the animal shelter in August of 1996 when I was only 11 weeks old. I fooled them into thinking that I was a puppy. I loved to play fetch and was a typical lap dog. I suppose I became too sophisticated for fetch by the time Shasta arrived, since she wanted to play fetch, too. Such a child's game. My adoptive parents would do anything for me. I had them wrapped around my little pinky pad. You know, they even let me drink out of the bathroom faucet when I convinced them that I didn't like the taste of my water in a plastic bowl? Eventually they wised up and bought me a proper stoneware bowl...much better.

Well, Dad is in the Army, so we had to move a lot. I didn't like it when the packing started. The sound of the tape totally freaked me out. However, I did love the road trips -- moving across the country, even overseas. Okay, I could have done without the plane rides to and from Germany. The rides in the cold cargo area made my eyes water and it was kinda' scary. Worst of all, I couldn't eat any food.

I miss my buddy, Shasta. Hope she can stay warm without me and that she doesn't get too bored not having me around to pounce on.

Up until we were in Alabama, I kept growing and growing and growing...okay, I was Fat. I grew to a stout 22.5 pounds! Our roommate, Matt even started a new form of measurement, "the Tigger." What is your weight in Tigger's? Mom and Dad couldn't figure out how I was swelling. The only table scraps they allowed me to have were a couple of slivers of roasted turkey each Thanksgiving Day. I sure had them fooled. ;) I was eating Shasta's food and some of our roommate's cat's food. After we moved to Alabama and Mom and Dad finally wised up and separated my food from Shasta's, I lost the fat and was a trim 12.5 lbs. They thought I needed liposuction, the way the loose skin dangled from my belly. I didn't mind a little extra skin.

Mom and Dad still love telling the pizza dough story from when we lived in Germany. Mom set out some frozen pizza dough (to thaw) wrapped in parchment and in a Ziploc bag that she had made a couple of weeks before. The family decided to step out for a bit and left Shasta and I behind. When they returned home, Mom found half of the pizza dough on the counter, along with shredded parchment paper and a half eaten Ziploc bag. Boy was I in trouble. More importantly, ugh...Man, was I sick!

Gosh, I miss them all so much. Even little Maia knew how to make a lap for me. They were such good snugglers. I miss their laps."

It's been 10 days since we said "goodbye" to Tigger. When I was vacuuming a couple of days ago and still found some of Tigger's fur on one of the dining room chair cushions, I was actually happy to see it, but sad to vacuum it away.

We sure miss having him there, waiting for his lap the second we sat down. We love and miss our Tigger.

Rob's birthday

2009-11-06T09:03:00.011-06:00

Wednesday was Rob's birthday but he had to fly that evening. Since we knew our day would be short with him, we started off the day with yummy Æbleskivers, a danish ball-shaped pancake. M calls them pancake balls. Here's my favorite recipe, adapted from he re:

Æbleskivers
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour
several pea-sized pieces of butter for the pan

Beat egg whites until stiff; set aside. Combine remaining ingredients until batter is completely smooth. Gently fold in egg whites. Heat Æbleskiver pan over medium heat with one pea-sized drop of butter in each of the 7 holes. Fill each hole about 3/4 full with batter. Be sure to add a pea-sized drops of butter to each well in the pan before the next round of batter.
When browned on one side (almost right away), turn with knitting needle or fork (a tiny cocktail fork works best for me) and cook until browned on the opposite side. We like these with a light dusting of confectioner's sugar and raspberries (place one 10-14 oz. bag of frozen raspberries in a medium saucepan with a 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1-2 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Heat until mixture bubbles and thickens) This last time I made them I didn't have any raspberries so I just warmed some raspberry preserves to go with our little pancake balls.

I received my pan as a gift several years ago but I have seen them at Target and they are widely available at several retailers online.

Warning: while this recipe will make around 45-50 Æbleskivers, small children will scarf them down (I guess adults enjoy their fair share). M will easily polish off over a dozen by herself if I'm not paying attention.

Before Rob had to run off to work, I made one of his favorite dishes, Chicken David (renamed, "Chicken Rob"). This is an ultra-rich recipe with chicken, hard salami and pancetta with a Marsala tomato cream sauce. A couple of bites suffice for me but Rob loves it--must be all the meat. If you wish to give it a try and make your husband the happiest man alive (I totally promise), you can find it here on Allrecipes. Oh, I use dry Marsala wine instead of the Sherry called for in the original recipe because I think it has a nuttier, fuller flavor and I keep it on hand for other recipes.

Poor guy, he didn't even have time to eat lunch with us so he had to take it on the go and eat during his briefing. We'll celebrate more this weekend. After all, we have to make up for the past two birthdays that he missed while he was deployed.

After Rob left for work, M and I took Tigger outside to try and perk him up. I took Tigger outside to sit next to me and waited for M. She came out a few minutes later, so proud. She tied her shoe all by herself. When I told her ho proud I was of her she said "I just kept trying and trying and I didn't give up!" Then she tied the other one in front of me. Both Rob and I have explained what we do when we tie her shoes (bunny ears style, like my Uncle Dave taught me), but I think Rob should take credit for this one since he was just working with her the day before.

Once M was outside and saw Tigger, she wanted to sit with him. He seemed to enjoy being with us but didn't even have the energy or stomach to nibble on a piece of grass, something he has Never turned down. When Tigger saw M sitting on the steps, he slowly wobbled over to her and lay down next to her. Such sweetness.

What a lovely day.

The previous post was probably misnamed. I no longer intend to include a "Backtracking Part 2" since that would probably mean never being able to catch up. So, I'll continue with my random rantings.

Backtracking Part 1

2009-10-06T22:07:00.004-05:00

These were done in August for my sweet adorable neices. The little dress, bloomers and booties are from three different patterns in Amy Butler's book, Little Stitches for Little Ones (loads of super cute projects, by the way). The jumper is The Little Vintage Jumper by Favorite Things (one of my favorite patterns for little girls) and the bag is a downsized version of Rae's Buttercup Bag.

They're just so darn squeezable! Love those cheeks!

M's evening discovery

2009-09-23T20:04:00.002-05:00

M discovered this lovely female Rabid Wolf Spider (Rabidosa rabida - same species seen here) this evening. Notice anything? Those spots on her back are her babies. After laying dozens of eggs, the female will wrap them up in silk and carry the egg sac on her abdomen until they are ready to hatch. The spiderlings stay on their mother's back until they are large enough to fend for themselves - around two weeks. Parental care in invertebrates is rare so this is pretty darn cool, especially care of young beyond hatching. Admitedly, I also find the reality of the situation to be disturbing and highly creepy -- eeeesh. Please, mama spider, stay outside with your babies and you can have all the grasshoppers and skeeters you want. Thank you.

SHAZAM!

2009-09-22T20:20:00.003-05:00

BEFORE

AFTER -- good riddance to this stuff...hope the LION's club can utilize the glasses at least

Thank goodness it was LASIK and not PRK. Despite how dorky and drugged I look with my fancy anti-scratch/rub-my-eyes goggles, I'm feeling great. The worst was the two hours after the procedure but even that was no big deal -- just felt like I was wearing dirty contact lenses and was pulling an all-nighter. Actually, my eyes feel worse after pulling an all-nighter so this has been a cake-walk. I declined the Valium so I could be coherent once I got home. Plus, I really wanted to be able to experience everything with my own senses. I haven't even taken a Tylenol. Once they put the flap of lens back over your eye -- WHOA! Can't wait to see even more improvement when I wake up tomorrow morning. By the way, this entire post was written completely without the assistance of corrective lenses. Awesomeness.

Rob, you are the greatest husband EVER! Thanks so much for doing this for me!

Sweetness

2009-09-16T17:05:00.003-05:00

One of the songs Rob sings to Maia: John Mayer's "Daughters"

For Beth

2009-09-10T11:22:00.003-05:00

Meet: the rabid wolf spider. Seriously, that's the common name. I'm a biologist, with my fortes being in entomology and herpetology -- a.k.a. the creepy crawlies. They're all kinda' cute and beautiful to me. However, I might be slightly scarred for life because of wolf spiders. One evening (back when I was in high school) when my brother and I were watching a movie we heard this scratching sound. We looked around the room a couple of times (staying on the couch) and couldn't figure it out. After a while we finally looked up and saw an enormous wolf spider (bigger than the one in the photo) stuck in the gap of our crawlspace to the attic. The scratching we heard was the spiders legs trying to wedge it's fat, hairy, body out of the attic. My brother sprayed the spider with probably a half a can of raid, turning it white and the darn thing didn't slow down. EEEEEESSSH! I think we finally squished it but I don't remember for certain.

Then, not too long after that incident, I was pulling a shirt out of my closet and started taking it off of the hanger. As I'm getting ready to put it on I notice another giant hairy wolf spider resting on my shirt. I ran to the bathroom, threw it in the tub and washed it down the drain. I has little horrifying daydreams every time I took a shower thinking that that spider would crawl up the drain while I was in there.

I've gotten past my fear somewhat. Having to pin a few of those buggers in college for my Invert. class Arthropod collection helped only slightly. Did you know that the wolf spiders in South Dakota are freeze tolerant? I should have guessed. I used to freeze my arthropods to kill them before pinning. I found that out when I pinned them and saw that after they started to thaw they would wriggle around a bit. I remedied that by soaking cotton balls in acetone and enclosing them with the arthropods as I froze them.

Ahhhh, memories... Oh, I did have a mild freak out when Rob brought this spider up from the basement in Maia's bug net as I watched it trying to escape. We did let it go in the driveway. Afterall, somebody has to eat the grasshoppers.

Yuck.

2009-09-04T18:04:00.002-05:00

Anyone missing their keet?

2009-08-23T22:09:00.005-05:00

Update: sadly, little dude was acting disoriented and wobbly night before last and wouldn't drink any water. We were able to get a couple of drops into his mouth using a syringe but he wasn't looking good at all. I just had this feeling that he wouldn't make it through the night. I wish I hadn't been right. :(

While we were eating dinner on the deck yesterday evening we spotted a bright yellow bird flying in the backyard. We knew immediately that it was somebody's pet. So I crouched down and crept up on the little dude. He (I think) was definitely tame but not exactly keen on being captured so he kept hopping an fluttering away from me. Rob brought me M's bug net and we snatched him up. Last night we asked some neighbors if they were missing their pet and then posted an ad on Craigslist. Today we printed flyers and put them up around the neighborhood so hopefully his owners will find him. No, we are not adding to our household (Tigger and Shasta would probably like to have him for breakfast), we will find a good home for him if his owners never show. Although, he is a cute little bugger.

Just checking in

2009-08-12T22:08:00.004-05:00

"Hoppy" the grasshopper -- successfully kept alive for 5 days as of today with grass clippings from the backyard (only for lunch, though). M told us today that she was happy that we let her have a wild animal for a pet (referring to Hoppy).

Raindrops, yummy!

What to do with a bush of basil -- make pesto, delicioso!

Snow-on-the-mountain: lovely wildflowers from an evening bike ride. They grow in abundance where we are in the Flint Hills along with wild sunflowers and many many other lovely prairie flowers and grasses. I prefer Black Hills vegetation but there's nothing like walking on a summer's evening and smelling the sweet, sweet air on the prairie.

Horny tomato/bad photography -- was delicious on a grilled Pizza Margherita

I know it's been a while and I have no excuse other than I've been busy enjoying the summer with Rob and M. We haven't even traveled anywhere yet. Last weekend we were supposed to leave for a short visit to SD and then trek to Oregon to hike around Crater Lake and enjoy the OR coastline. Well, reservations didn't pan out since Rob's leave paperwork fell through (l o n g story). No biggie, his leave is officially approved for this weekend so we'll just be going to SD for 5 days or so and then coming back to KS. Oregon will happen at a later date, just not at the moment.
Yadayadayada...

Washcloth Monster Puppets and a Buttercup Bag

2009-07-28T22:42:00.003-05:00

Since most of the unpacking has been done for a little while now (and we can even park both cars in the garage), I've been able to put together a couple of projects and hem a pair of pants. I always have something to hem...why won't that pile ever go away?

A little friend of ours turned one last week so I decided to make him a set of monster bath puppets. Originally, I was going to make animal puppets with the washcloths but decided that the monsters would be more forgiving and I felt like I had more freedom designing them. Yes, they're goofy, but they made me laugh. Hopefully they didn't scare their new owner.

For another dear friend on a milestone birthday, I made a "Buttercup Bag" using the free tutorial found at Made by Rae and print fabric from Anna Maria Horner's 2007 Chocolate Lollipop line. This is the same pattern I used to create M's smaller version of the bag. Photo quality sucks, oh well.

Oh, completely unrelated... look who was watching me workout in the window well last night. I know what you're thinking, but they're both females. I left them undisturbed last night since they were actively catching loads of insects.

Fooling Natural Selection (perhaps in vain)

2009-07-14T21:16:00.010-05:00

I'm loving all the natural light that we receive in the basement from the two tall windows down there. Unfortunately, since the window wells are so deep to accommodate the height of the windows and there is no safety grate or cover over them, the local wildlife tends to fall in and get trapped. Since this happens on a daily basis we just removed the screens so we have easy access to do quick rescues. On the 4th of July alone we rescued a leopard frog, two Woodhouse's toads and a baby cottontail.

The leopard frogs and toads could probably survive well down there given the ample supply of insects if we provide a shallow dish of water for them so they don't dry out. I'm 100% convinced that I've rescued the same plump Woodhouse's toad at least four times in the last week. It likes to hang out by the hose, which is conveniently placed between the heat pump and window wells.

These last three are all photos of the same little dude but he was so docile and very easy to get up close. I had to include the lens cap (only about 3.5 inches) in the last photo for scale.I had absolutely no problem catching it in a cotton bag and releasing it up above. I am concerned that it didn't seem at all afraid of me. I guess it's "fright or flight" instincts aren't exactly developed.

You shoulda' seen the other guy! (settling in)

2009-07-09T10:30:00.006-05:00

Well, on Saturday it will have been two weeks since the move and we're almost completely unpacked....just some arranging in the basement (playroom/sewing/art room), organizing the books and hanging artwork.

As with most moves, our little local move had its fair share of hurdles. Since the house is new construction, most businesses don't recognize our address so we had many, many phone calls to make to complete our change of address forms...no convenience of the Internet.

Poor Rob looked like he was brawling at the local bar by the time we moved all the furniture and boxes into the house. When we were guiding a large wall locker down the ramp of the Uhaul, the locker got caught on the top of the ramp and came down on the bridge of Rob's nose. We're pretty sure that he broke his nose but, thankfully, he didn't suffer too badly -- no more constant headaches and he didn't really even have black eyes. He busted a couple of his fingers open and, somehow, got a horrible-looking hematoma on his arm (he has no idea how it happened).

Overall, however, this has been the least stressful move considering we had a full week to clear housing on post after moving everything to our house here (even beat-up Rob agrees).

Fun stuff:
Yesterday and the day before we put off our house arranging to assemble a playset for M.

The wood is cedar and smells soooooo heavenly (I wish our garage and closet walls were lined with the stuff). M asked if we could stay here forever. She wasn't happy with my answer but I couldn't lie. That's about it for now...time to go finish the last details of setting up house. I'll post photos of the house next time.

Until then, much love and many hugs... Sarah.

A Very Happy Birthday to our America

2009-07-04T23:21:00.004-05:00

Perched on the top of the Ferris wheel

It's blurry but I kinda' like it

Hope you had a happy 4th! Ours was celebrated at the Sundown Salute -- first with the parade this morning, carnival rides and delicious fatty funnel cake (that I had for the first time in 15+ years). Our evening ended with beer-can chicken and fireworks viewed from home. We walked down to the corner of the street to view the fireworks and Rob brought chairs and delicious Trippel. Poor M was begging for us to take her to bed before the show was over. What a gloriously fun and very long day -- couldn't be happier to spend it any other way.

Next time... a bit about our recent move. We're almost completely settled in at this point!

Mushrooms in the Meadow

2009-06-23T07:07:00.000-05:00

Just a few photos from an evening walk on the trail that make me smile. I never did take mycology in college but really wish that I had. I was taking too many animal biology courses to fit it into my schedule. Back to packing...

Fishing on Father's Day

2009-06-22T10:17:00.005-05:00

Admittedly, I really had no desire to go fishing yesterday. It might have been the fact that packing the house is foremost on my mind right now (well, maybe not at this particular second since I have chosen to blog and not pack for the moment) or perhaps that I really didn't feel like sitting still in one spot while I watched M and Rob cast their lines. Rob could tell that I wasn't into the idea but I told him I just wanted to be with the two of them on his special day and I would try not to be grumpy. When we finally got to the lake I was feeling better about just being a spectator and actually more content with the idea that it is okay to sit and do nothing every once in a while. Well...I enjoyed being the bystander yesterday and now have to deal with the guilt of my previous misconceptions about how I perceived the day was going to go. I mean, really! I was a fool for being such a party pooper, especially since it was such a satisfying day. We started the day with Crème Brûlée French Toast (delicious recipe, by the way -- probably even better with pecans) went fishing at Moon Lake, M caught two bluegill and released them and I caught a Northern Cricket Frog that didn't stay in my hand long enough for a photograph (very cute little dude) and ended with a nice evening walk (M on her bicycle).

Oh, M did tell us that she was running away. She wasn't mad at us she just decided that was the imaginary play for the moment.

Cameo of M's Beloved Bear

2009-06-16T08:39:00.004-05:00

Meet "Mr. Piggybone" -- she's really a girl and a cat in a polar bear's disguise. M received "Bear" (as she was originally named) from her Babu (my stepmom, Naidine) on a trip back to South Dakota after arriving back to the States from our time in Germany. Bear has been The one possession of M's that we don't make her share with anyone as she has become quite special to M from the moment she laid eyes on him. For her first year, her favorite was a rat from IKEA but when she received Bear, I mean, Mr. Piggybone, she was smitten. Mr. Piggybone was Bear for the first two and a half years after M adopted her, then changed aliases temporarily to Toolie last fall and finally, Mr. Piggybone. When we asked M where she got the name Mr. Piggybone, she kept saying Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I think she has watched the show 3 or 4 times and it had been months since she had seen an episode before she came up with the alias for Bear. I never remembered hearing about a character named Mr. Piggybone. Well, yesterday I found Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and let her watch. Pretty soon I hear, "see, I told you!" Mickey's little cat's name is Mr. Pettibone. I didn't correct her, though since I think Mr. Piggybone is much cuter and very unique. So...it's been three years since M first got Mr. Piggybone and although she isn't as pristine as when she first arrived she's well loved.

M, age 18 months snuggling with Daddy and Bear

One last sewing project before moving day

2009-06-15T07:29:00.002-05:00

It's so tempting to whip up another quick project but I should probably be responsible and stick to the packing. Here's a little twirly skirt (made from my favorite skirt tutorial at house on hill road and headband that I made for my sister, who turned 8 last Thursday (she's also getting her very own copy of my personal favorite movie of all time, "The Princess Bride".

I actually made two headbands but the first one was entirely too small, so small that I have my doubts that it will fit an infant older than 9 months. Hopefully this one won't be too big -- it fits me. Guess I have a partial baby gift, now. I should have made her a little white top with linen trim but I decided that I had better get back to this moving business.

New Diaper Bag Design

2009-06-14T08:07:00.000-05:00

Oh, how corny but I do love how nicely it rolls off the tongue. After nearly ruining my machine on the 20+ layers required to make the last diaper bags I designed, I decided it was time for a redesign. A trapezoid-shaped bag for nappies (British term for diapers)...see, cheesy!

This one, in linen solid and fabrics from Joel Dewberry's Aviary collection, was for Meredith. The bag has a divider to create two main compartments, gusseted, 4 large elasticized, gusseted pockets, two small elasticized pockets for cell phone and pacifier, 9" zippered pocket, 4 pen/pencil pockets, key clip, and two outer side pockets for bottles or sippy cups or whatever fits the carrier. I also included a coordinating changing pad and lined nursing cover-up. I think this design is a keeper since the needle on my machine never made horrible crunching noises on the slide plate from trying to go through so many layers. Now I'm trying to decide whether or not to try and sell these bags on Etsy or make up patterns to sell. Do I have the time?

Nursing cover-up lined in cozy flannel to keep baby from getting distracted and to make mom feel less exposed.

Time for a change of scenery

2009-06-13T10:08:00.007-05:00

Oops...didn't mean to hit publish before I finished this post, thought I hit save. Here's the rest of the story

As much as we love this little neighborhood, the walking trail, playground and all of the trees surrounding us [this is where I left off when I prematurely hit publish:)], our little home on Lowe Place is just not space efficient for us any longer. On top of that, the allergens in this old house are overwhelming. There are only a couple of our friends left in the neighborhood as most have PCS'd elsewhere around the world ('tis the way of military life) and those who are left will be moving within a year or so.

Our new house (rented -- not willing to have a second mortgage) is newly constructed as of this year. Two of the greatest features that were lacking at the house here on Ft. Riley is a two-car garage, and more than one bathroom (sure would have been nice to have a bathroom on each floor here when we were potty training Maia). We will have a basement, where the water heater and central HVAC are Not inconveniently located in the center of the room. Moving day has been moved up twice now so it looks like the big day is June 26th/27th. Yippee! More details to came after moving day.

In case we weren't quite convinced that we were ready to move, the view of the courtyard area isn't so pretty at the moment since all of the gas lines are being replaced on post. They're working on our neighborhood at the moment and everyone has either a muddy trench, 3-foot wide muddy strip or both in their yards. They'll probably be finishing up just as we're moving out.

Dance Recital!

2009-05-30T21:56:00.006-05:00

camera phone pic -- sorry 'bout the blurriness

One thing we really wanted for M was an extra activity with other children aside from playing on the playground, something structured yet fun for her. I have no desire to put her in preschool since I feel she is learning very quickly here at home. However, I do feel that it is important for her to socialize and to be able to follow instruction from someone other than her parents. When a good friend of ours told us about a dance studio in a neighboring town, we thought it was perfect. Since she started classes this past fall, M has loved every minute of dance.

This evening, we finally got to watch her perform. Despite having missed two full months of class while we were in Alabama, she still remembered her moves and we thought she performed quite well. We're so proud. :) As long as she has the desire to go, we will do what we can to give her the opportunity. Here are two short videos with both of her performances from earlier this evening.

She pretty much thought she was a movie star afterwards.

Camping and Fishing Extravaganza!

2009-05-25T20:58:00.006-05:00

Our Memorial Day weekend was a true summer kick-off for us. We ventured to Milford Lake for M to experience her first camping and fishing adventure -- all her idea, by the way. We decided to take it easy for her first trip and stay just one night. We packed everything we could into 24 hours of outdoor fun. Our site was perfect (aside from the freaks who decided to drive around the lake in their pontoon around midnight and must have thought that everyone in the county needed to hear their music) and we even had the lake next to us (just a simple 25-30 foot sheer cliff). Once we claimed our site and set up camp, we drove down to the bait shop to pick up nightcrawlers, ice and firewood. At the shop, Rob went back to the cooler to pick out a box of night crawlers and as he opened the box, M said, "Are those for real?!" She couldn't believe that Daddy grabbed a box of worms out of the refrigerator.

After we got back to the campsite, Rob and M started baiting the hooks for a little fishing fun. At first, Rob was hoping that M would be able to catch one of the large carp that were feeding on fallen tree blossoms near the the shoreline. The carp weren't taking the bait (corn for them) so they tried a nightcrawler. After 5-10 minutes, the result can be seen in the video below:

Would you believe that she watched Rob prepare the catfish and never seemed bothered by what was happening? She was more than ready to eat her catch even though she gave it a name, "Fishy." The fresh catfish was soooo very tasty with a little butter, garlic and a squeeze of lemon. M was pretty proud of herself and was loving the praise all through dinner.

After dinner, we broke in the pie iron to make "pudgy pies" -- filling of your choice between two slices of bread. We made two kinds using a caramel apple filling that I prepared beforehand for some and toasted marshmallows and chocolate for the other variety -- both tasty. M's favorite was the toasted marshmallow and chocolate pie.

M decided to tell ghost stories after her belly was filled. I do have video of her stories and will post them later this week. It just takes so darn long to upload videos here.

Anywho...M's camping verdict is definitely positive. We will absolutely be going back very soon.

Sneak peek for a friend

2009-05-20T21:07:00.006-05:00

All cut and ready to sew

Oops, camera focused on the upper portion of the photo but I'm too lazy to retake.

Shrunken Buttercup Bag

2009-05-15T00:34:00.003-05:00

Many thanks to Rae Hoekstra of Made by Rae for generously sharing the free tutorial for this little bag. Designing your own patterns is not easy and to freely give them away is definitely benevolent. I need to get on the ball with more tutorials of my own!

Her version is larger and with a cute little button tab embellishment instead of the flower and I added a couple of red buttons to the handles just because. The flower was requested by M and is certainly fitting for a little girl's purse. To reduce the size of her pattern to the size that I used, I simply printed two pages per sheet. The fabric flower was something I learned from one of my 4-H leaders many years ago (yes I was a nerd in 4-H and loved it -- big surprise). I googled fabric flower tutorial and came up with a number of them but the one that most closely resembles the method that I used is at Pink Paper Peppermints. The purse measures ~ 4" high by ~6.5" at it's widest point.

M's response: "For me, it's just the right size for me! Thank you, Mommy, it's beautiful! Can I take it on a bike ride?"

Maia's Cupcakes, a.k.a., Banana cupcakes with Strawberry Mascarpone Filling

2009-05-13T21:19:00.006-05:00

As promised, here's the recipe for the cupcakes from M's birthday party. We should have given away the extras but because there were only eight left after the party we couldn't bear to part with them. We thought they made an appropriate breakfast. Please do try this recipe, you won't be sorry!

M requested "creamy strawberry stuff in banana cupcakes" for her birthday after remembering the cupcakes from her birthday last year. This is the concoction that I came up with:

banana cupcakes, filled with strawberry mascarpone and topped with white chocolate ganache

For the cake (recipe from RecipeZaar)...
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/8 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 275° (not a typo). Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into lined muffin/cupcake tins and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out nearly clean (for me, this cake recipe yielded 24 regular sized cupcakes and 11 mini cupcakes). Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes (helps retain moisture). Remove from freezer and fill with strawberry mascarpone (recipe follows).

For the filling (recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)...

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. container mascarpone cream

1/2 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth and creamy. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip. Push the tip gently into the bottom of a cupcake and squeeze in the strawberry mixture until the cupcake plumps. Continue with the remaining cupcakes.

For the ganache...

Ingredients:

8 ounces good quality white chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Sublime White Vanilla Dream -- I'm not at all a white chocolate fan but this stuff is tasty in this recipe!)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Break chocolate into small pieces and place into glass or other heat tolerant bowl. In small saucepan over medium heat, heat cream until almost boiling (scalded). Pour hot cream over chocolate bits and let sit for a few minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and incorporated into the cream. Dip tops of cupcakes into the ganache. You can dip a second time if you wish. :) The tops were decorated with jimmies and butterflies cut from fondant. If I had more time, I would have colored the fondant and would have also cut flowers to place the butterflies on.

A Butterfly Birthday

2009-05-11T20:56:00.011-05:00

Several months ago I began chatting with M about what kind of birthday she would like to have this year for her 4th birthday (4 already, seriously?!). She told me that she wanted a butterfly fairy birthday with a rainbow dress, rainbow crown and a rainbow wand and wings. Later on she only talked about butterflies so that put a little pressure off on me (now I didn't have to make little crowns and wands to go with the wings). While I had been making several party brainstorm lists and thought about the party in Alabama, I really didn't get a chance to start planning her party until we returned in April. I had less than one month to make final decisions and to create everything I had planned for the party. Turns out the creating didn't really happen until the week of the party. Talk about a madhouse over here! I had huge aspirations and ginormous plans but some of my crazy ideas had to be scrapped due to the lack of time. My dear cousin Beth (you can see her blog here: Little Tree) drove down from South Dakota to be here for the weekend and was an Enormous help to me in getting ready for the party. If it weren't for her and for my sweet husband, this little party would have been an absolute disaster. I can't thank them enough!

Party details:

The children were given butterfly wings to wear (from the $1 store), then played with balloons until all the guests arrived then they gathered around the table and made bracelets with pipe cleaners and pony beads (super simple craft but easy for young children to thread the beads onto the pipe cleaners).

Craft #2 - the children made butterflies using round coffee filters, on which they colored designs such as stripes and spots and wooden clothes pins (non-spring type).
Then, they went outside, nets in hand (nets - from Target's $1 section) to play a game of Elefun, a game consisting of a small fan or blower, a tube (elephant's trunk) and several plastic butterflies. You turn on the game and the butterflies blow out of the tube and the children try to catch them in their nets. The children really seemed to enjoy the game.

Finally - cupcakes and presents. M requested strawberry cupcakes like the ones I made for her last year. Then she added that her favorite cake was banana cake. So, I went with it -- Banana cupcakes with strawberry mascarpone filling, topped with white chocolate ganache. I've got to hand it to her, M came up with a pretty darn tasty idea of a cupcake! I'll post the recipe later this week.

Overall party rating from the birthday girl: "that was so much fun, I don't want my friends to go home! I'm going to turn five soon! Then, my friends can come to my birthday when I'm five!" I think it was a hit.

Drinking nectar from flower straws

M's party: just a few photos - butterfly birthday outfit and trying to beat the wind to blow out the candles on her cupcake - more photos to come.

Party preparation: Beth slaving away, painting old fashioned wooden clothespins and bases for the butterfly craft, table revealing the "organization" of party preparation, shrink art butterfly barrettes to go in the favor bags and, of course, the invitation

Our favorite pasta

2009-04-28T08:26:00.004-05:00

Over the years, I have given this recipe to many friends and family members. So simple and quick to prepare, this recipe is perfect for dinner guests, even my mom who doesn't care much for tomato cream sauces.

Penne alla Vodka

16oz. pkg penne pasta
olive oil for pan
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/8 lb. prosciutto, pancetta or bacon, chopped into thin strips (we prefer pancetta)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
28oz. can diced tomatoes or whole tomates, crushed with a potato masher
1/2 cup vodka
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan (if you use the stuff in the can, your sauce will be clumpy), plus more for individual servings
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (don't be tempted to use dried for this recipe...you'll really be missing out!)
salt & pepper to taste

Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente, drain. While you are waiting for the water to boil for the pasta, drizzle about 1 Tbp. olive oil in a large skillet. Heat oil over medium heat. Saute pancetta (or prosciutto or bacon) and crushed red pepper for 1-2 minute(s). Add minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds or so. Stir in tomatoes with juices and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in vodka and cream. Simmer 15 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1/4 - 1/2 cup parmesan (if you stir in too much, the sauce gets clumpy and weird) and chopped basil. Toss pasta until evenly coated. Pass remaining parmesan to individual servings.

Note: Sometimes I sauté diced onion in the olive oil before adding the pancetta and pepper. M hasn't approved of this addition of the "yuckies" but I'll keep trying every other time I make this dish. Even with the crushed red pepper, this has been one of her favorite dishes since she was a year old.

Update: a question was asked in the comments as to whether or not whole wheat pasta is a tasty substitute. I only use whole grain pasta whenever I cook pasta dishes -- Barilla Plus or Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat. I love the nutty flavor that whole wheat adds to each dish. If you're not a fan of whole wheat flavor, you'll probably be happiest with Barilla Plus.

Also, when reheating this dish, you'll have great results if you reheat in a skillet and add a bit of milk if the pasta seems to be a little dry. Reheating in a skillet as opposed to the microwave doesn't leave a funny taste and doesn't cause the sauce to separate and get completely nasty.

Slightly random

2009-04-23T09:38:00.017-05:00

For my birthday this year, as part of my birthday gift he agreed to help me assemble Maia's new bed before he had to go to work. In fact, it was his idea since he knows how much I love assembling furniture (no, really, for real, no joke!)

M, with her frying pan of screws, helping us set the bed slats by placing screws in each hole

M, one step ahead of Daddy

Lil' ol' me, setting screws into the front of the trundle and drawers

Finished project, complete with trundle and three drawers for storage (a great deal on a solid wood Captain's bed with trundle - $398, including shipping here).

Before and After Photos of the Alabama House while on TDY:

Kitchen (original appearance when we moved in - good condition, just too dark and very outdated)

Kitchen - post painting (these are actually photos from when we were living there -- the first time I painted the cabinets. Kitchen looks the same now after repainting, just with someone else's stuff that I didn't think was appropriate to show without their permission)

Front of House - WAYYYYYYY overgrown! (not at all how I remembered it, we thought the trees in front were shrubs -- my how things change in 5 years!)

Front of house (same house) - mid planting and mulching

Front of house - complete (shrubs and plants are small now, but will fill in the blank spaces as they grow -- but won't swallow the house)

Today is World Pinhole Camera Day! Click here to print an artsy template to create your very own pinhole camera.

After the fact

2009-04-17T22:52:00.008-05:00

Here I am, back to resurrect my blog again, dust off the cobwebs, get back into my groove...

I'm struggling with where to start. There are so many photos plus all of the activities we've had over the past couple of weeks. I decided to post what I thought M's grandparents would most appreciate before it's Christmas. What did M do for Easter? Easter was a three-day event for us this year. On Good Friday, M received the Easter egg hunt in a box from Grandma Deb, then we went outside to fly a kite (more photos of that later). Saturday, we went to the zoo for their Easter celebration (another excuse to see Nia, the baby chimp). And, of course, our own Easter celebration consisting of a little egg hunt for M, Swedish pancakes for breakfast, dying eggs (usually we do that a day or two before) and a little time on the piano for me. I'll be back soon,

Hope your Easter was as lovely and tranquil as ours!

With much love and many hugs,

Sarah

Easter egg hunt in a box, thanks to Grandma Deb (she loved this)

Scary flip-flop wearing Easter bunny at the Sunset Zoo (Manhattan, KS)

Dino-egg rescue obstacle course at Sunset Zoo ("tar pits")

More dino egg rescue obstacle course ("spider web")

Drizzly Easter Sunday egg hunt in the house

*****************

A little egg dyeing technique tutorial:

(bug wings, eyes, legs, etc. from a kit given by Grandma Deni last year -- fun idea and thoroughly enjoyed!)

1. Gather your supplies: contact paper, scrapbook punches, hard-boiled eggs

2. Punch desired shapes from contact paper, peel paper backing and adhere shape to egg

3. Dip into dye, blot dry with paper towel and peel contact paper sticker from egg and shine with soft cloth dampened in vegetable oil.

(leaf prints done with nylon stocking and cilantro -- place leaf or flower on egg, tightly wrap piece of nylon stocking around egg and secure with twist tie. Dip into dye, then remove stocking and leaf. Blot dry and shine with soft cloth dampened in vegetable oil.

There's no place like home...

2009-04-10T23:05:00.006-05:00

Like many other military families, "home" has been many different places for us. Wherever the army sends us, we manage to plant ourselves comfortably and spread our roots to make any place feel like home. Most importantly we make friends with people that we should have known our whole lives -- at least it feels that way. Without friends to lean on, laugh or cry with, vent to or share situations with, life would be, well...depressing! I would rather cry my heart out for weeks, knowing that good friends are moving away than to never have known them at all. Such is the way with military life. We've gone through this more times than we have moved since the friends we make don't usually PCS the same time we move. To ALL of my dear friends: military, childhood, work who have since moved, I'm really missing all of you at the moment. We just went through another round of good friends leaving the area (more to go this summer) and, honestly, I'm feeling sorry for myself. Time to think of a way to be together again. Thank you for your friendships, you have no idea what you all mean to me!

Sometimes I can't believe what I get myself into

2009-03-30T22:09:00.006-05:00

I'm soooooo incredibly thankful these days:

Rob gets to come home with M and I instead of staying here another two months!

I got my blog back from the hijacker and...

The cabinets are finished!

Yes, he's definitely right about the projects that I tend to take on. I PROMISE you, however, that the cabinet doors had more than a few scratches. In fact, they looked horrible. My theory was that if I didn't act while I had the chance that the current and future tenants would care even less about the condition of the house and keeping up with daily chores the worse the house looked. I was admittedly depressed when I saw the condition of the kitchen and front yard. Our yard had curb appeal when we lived there so when I saw how the front of the house disappeared in the overgrown crepe myrtle trees I started to fall. After seeing the kitchen -- I couldn't even take pictures I felt so completely helpless. To get out of my funky mood, I decided that I was determined to take full advantage of our time here in AL during Rob's TDY and do something about the house. I spent this past week removing all 32 cabinet doors (for the second time -- I did this shortly after we moved in), the hinges and knobs, sanding the cabinets and doors (once again), priming (for the first time -- won't make the mistake of leaving off this step again!) and painting (3 coats again) the cabinets and doors in the kitchen. Rob helped me reinstall the doors today and I can proudly say that this Major project is finished! If you have ever tackled kitchen cabinets before, it is a simple project but Very time consuming and potentially back breaking (depending on how many cabinet doors you decide to carry at one given time). We are blessed with a decent size kitchen with lots of cabinet space so that meant a good 2 hours to remove all of the hardware, 3 hours of sanding, 1-2 hour(s) to tape off everything, at least 9 hours of painting and priming and another hour and a half to reinstall the doors and hardware. This did not count painting the insides of the cabinets. That, we'll leave for when we are back in the house and have access to a paint sprayer. When we're back in Kansas I'll scan and post a photo of the kitchen before and after they were painted the first time -- it was a dark, dark kitchen. Enough boring you with cabinet details -- I'll be back later this week with photos from fun experiences from the previous week. Tchuss!

Were the cabinets really that bad? Hmmm, if the current tenants (bachelor flight school students) made an effort to text Rob this evening about how great they thought the cabinets looked now that they are done, don't you think they must have least been noticeably marred? Yes, they were awful. The cabinet doors looked like some little dog had been scratching at them trying to find a way out.

I brought all of the cabinet doors to the TDY house to paint them in the dining room/living room -- glad I can finally sweep the floors and not be completely neurotic about the cats using them as stepping stones or basking platforms (getting their fur all over each and every door with every single coat of paint). Tigger and Shasta were put away in the bathroom against their will during each paint application. I'm sure they're glad to have full freedom once again.

HIJACKED!

2009-03-29T15:20:00.007-05:00

Hello to you all! Since I had a chance to sit down and breathe for a second -(This is Rob)- I thought I would enter a post for Sarah's blog. Chances are that if you are reading this, you know Sarah pretty well, so I'm writing here to add some detail that she would probably not admit unless prodded.
It's a semi-clear, cool Sunday afternoon as I write. The past few days have brought several severe storms and it's a nice relaxing way to catch up on the sleep that the tornado warnings have robbed from me. As I- and most normal people- are enjoying relaxing, Sarah has every cabinet door from our house in Ozark spread out on the tile floor. I believe she may have hinted about this in a previous post, but I'll elaborate.
Most of you know that we bought a house here and are currently renting it out. Most of you probably even know that Sarah spent a lot of time painting and improving the property prior to us leaving AL. At the first possibility after Sarah and M got here, I took them out to the property and we walked through to see what work needed to be done and what we could find time to do. When I saw the property, I was pleased. It has worn very well for 5 years in my opinion. When we got into the car Sarah was quiet, reserved, even depressed. It took a bit of badgering and pestering but I finally pieced together that she was upset that she hadn't primed and painted the cabinets properly and was discouraged by the overgrowth of some plants at the front of the house. 2 weekends ago we ripped out the trees and bushes- admittedly it made a very noticeable difference.

This weekend is the climax of the cabinet dilemma.

When Sarah pointed out the cabinets during our walkthrough, there were a couple of chips in the paint- not really noticeable. But again, if you're reading this, you probably know Sarah well enough to know and picture what the past few days have been like, and you probably have guessed that talking her out of jumping into yet another big project was never an option.

FYI- our future plans are to move back into the house and I'll spend the last few years in the Army there. When that time comes, our plan is to replace all of these cabinets then anyway.

Thanks, it's been fun. I may hijack this blog again sometime.

Reconnecting at the Zoo

2009-03-23T08:49:00.003-05:00

Back to the blog...it's been a while but we've been having fun. In the past ten days or so I/we have:

removed 3 small trees and 4 or 5 bushes from our house in AL (current tenants-flight school students-have been very accommodating and we're lucky to have them living in the house)
been attacked by fire ants (thousands) but I walked away with only 7 bites on my arm most of them swarmed my shirt and I was able to shake them off in my fury of "freak-out" mode
taken several walks around the trail at the city park while M ran ahead
fed the bazillion fish in the little pond at the park (and two turtles - sliders)
played countless times on a "vintage" playground (you know, the kind where everything is made of metal, the ones that that have tall, steep slides that get torn down because kids have probably fallen from them, and the heavy metal animal swings that you wouldn't dare walk behind or else you may end up in a coma from getting smacked in the head---the best playgrounds)
met a good friend (and former co-worker from my days at JoAnn fabrics) that I haven't seen in almost eight years
went to the Montgomery Zoo
went to the beach again (this time, with Flat Stanley)
paid a visit to the Gulfarium
visited one of our favorite restaurants on the FL panhandle, Mulhollow's Bistro
allowed allergies to get the better of me on a beautiful Sunday and still insisted on visiting the garden center at Lowe's
stayed home all day today and did nothing to allow my itchy, puffy red eyes and nose to recuperate (thought that was a good idea since M looked at me last night with a horrid expression and said "Mommy, what happened to your face?")

This past Thursday was the trip to the zoo in Montgomery. I met my dear friend, Brenda (former co-worker from my days at JoAnn fabrics in Virginia) and her daughter and grandchildren for lunch at a tiny Italian place in Montgomery and then we headed off to the zoo for a day of fun. M so enjoyed the company of Brenda's grandchildren and I had such a great time visiting and catching up with my friend that I haven't seen for nearly eight years. When I left JoAnn's it was like leaving behind part of my family. I'm so thankful that we had this opportunity. Meeting Brenda's daughter, Angela, was just icing on the cake. What a kind, sweet and generous family! I can't let another eight years go by without another visit!

Scarlet Ibis

Are we in Narnia?

Holey tree!