birthday

Wednesday is my birthday! Since my mother has to work that night we went out for lunch yesterday instead. Chris and I made the cake:








I love the ceiling at Metro Pizza. Very authentic.


Mom made me one of these scarves a few years ago and I finally had to retire it this past fall. I've been waiting patiently for a new one and now it is here!


Twenty Seven!

a swing!

Our house feels even more like a home now that we have our beautiful swing! Thanks Mom! I have wonderful visions of late summer nights sitting on the swing with my husband a glass of wine.

bbq

One of the things we have missed since becoming vegetarians is the taste of BBQ sauce. And the bun that goes with BBQ. So we decided to make some BBQ Tofu. It took a few tries but we figured out how to make it taste right.
-Drain cubed extra firm tofu and wrap in a towel to soak up excess liquid
-Bake tofu in the oven for about 30 minutes - this gets out more of the moisture
-Add BBQ sauce and let sit in the fridge for as long as you like
-Bake another 30 minutes
-Add to a delicious bun and you've got a tasty (and healthy) bbq sandwich!

Lasagna Rolls

Oh yes. These are little drops from heaven. Lasagna noodles rolled in a cheese mixture and spinach nestled in a cream sauce and drizzled with homemade tomatoe sauce. I got the general recipe from the food network and then Chris changed it up a bit using his cheese design and tomatoe sauce recipe. Add some roasted asparagus and french bread and you've got my Favorite Dinner Ever.

Keychain

I love getting a package in the mail. Today I came home to my Wristlet Keychain. It is soo nice. I got excited when I found it because of 1. the owl fabric on it 2. in the spirit of Spring Cleaning I feel an urge to spruce up my keys and 3. I need a place to put my keys when I buckle Carter into his car seat! When it comes time to lean into the back of my two door Honda to fight with the stubborn buckles I always look around I guess hoping by some magic that there is someone standing there with their hand out waiting to hold my keys for me. I have dropped them under the car, lost them in the ripped seam of my jacket pocket, and only remembered that they are on the roof of my car after buckling myself in for the last time!



Beautiful packaging always makes getting something in the mail sweeter.

My keychain came with some kind of Japanese candy! I was afraid for a bit that maybe it was a special cleaning product that fizzes up when you put it in the wash when your keychain needs a bath, but Chris assured me it was candy.


I was truly surprised by how comfortable and downright well made this product is. If you are also in the need of some Spring Cleaning in the keys department check out these great handmade items.

My first tote bag! It only took a few hours and turned out pretty well. Now that I have the basic idea down I am making different sizes and shapes - also adding a lining from now on. This one is going to get torn apart and given a nice red liner soon. Find the pattern for this one here.

Curtains for Kitchen

Yesterday while Chris was at band practice I sewed up these curtains. We've been wanting something for the kitchen windows since we moved in. Right across from our windows is our neighbor's window. Many times I've leaned over to kiss C. and caught the little faces of the kids who live next door watching us. Here are the windows before:




I had lots of help warming up my fabric:


A snack:





We weren't sure these curtain rods from Home Depot would be the right size, but they turned out just right and I like the way they look
with this print.


All Done!

Here is the fist step in sprucing up my sewing area. I got this idea from Anna Marie Horner (see below) but painted mine white instead of pink. They are very handy and I love being able to see the things I want to work on instead of filing them away somewhere.

Hurrah! This glorious book arrived in my mailbox today. It is even better than I imagined it to be and I can hardly wait to sit down and read it. I think I will be starting with a tote bag. There are directions for aprons, oven mitts, yoga bags, and duvet covers (to name a few). My head is swimming with all the possibilities.

I came across Jenny's incredible workroom and have been completely inspired to create my own area to work in and ultimately be able to produce something with my own hands that is elegant and pretty and that actually fits. I will keep you up to date as my own room of randomness comes together.

happiness

Four months and ten days married! Hurrah!

Another beautiful desk ~ this one from Anna Marie Horner