Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
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still reveling…
in the most wonderful mini-vacation I shared with my husband over the weekend.
Just the two of us, for three days, at the beach…it was heaven. We enjoyed sunsets together, ate more good food than I than thought possible, explored the beautiful Florida coast on kayaks, and just relaxed.
Last Thursday I was feeling a little run-down and was adamant that we were going to get away for a few days. I really lucked out with my last-minute plans. We had no idea where we wanted to go…just something beachy. Finally, after scouring resorts, B&Bs, and cottages from beaches all over the state I called and reserved a room at a cozy little beach-side inn on Anna Maria Island.
Have you been? I hadn’t, and it turns out I had no idea what I was missing out on. It was a beautiful beach, with soft sand, gentle waves, and an abundance of local food establishments to check out. One of our favorites was the Sign of the Mermaid. We went solely for a taste of their award-winning Key Lime Pie, but quickly succumbed to the waft of aromas that filled the air. We ended up ordering two appetizers before dessert including their Shrimp and Grits dish (we had actually already eaten dinner at another restaurant). If it sounds unappetizing to you, you’re not alone. I turned my nose up at it and ordered something else. The funny thing is now I can’t even remember what I ordered. I ended up devouring most of the shrimp and grits, which Cory ordered. It was sooo good!Upon returning home Monday, we were still in a bit of a euphoric state from all that salty air and were planning on going back this weekend with the kids. Unfortunately, we realized later that the plan would have been far more romantic than practical, so it looks like we’ll be staying home for a while. But really, can you blame us for not wanted to leave…
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Getting Things Done
It seems I’ve been losing steam these days. The ideas and good intentions are plentiful, but the time and energy are lacking. Making lately has been limited to baked goods with the kiddos and a knitted pair of slippers for a friend that were supposed to be a Christmas gift…last Christmas!
I find myself coveting the productivity of others and, after a short bout of self-pity, my husband recommended David Allen’s Getting Things Done, along with this link to get me started. What can I say, we’re a technology couple…we share links.
The book looks promising. The hard part will be deciding between using my extra time to sew something, which I desperately want to do, or read the book with the hopes of, eventually, making better use of all of my time. I’m guessing the sewing will win.
P.S. If you’re in need of a good sugar cookie recipe, look no further.
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Daily Spice a la Julia Child
Friday night we had the great pleasure of joining our friends for dinner at their place. My girlfriend, Christine, recently found a new passion in cooking and delighted us with steamed artichokes and baked brie, followed by a main course of veil marsala. Yum, yum, yum.
I thought an apron would be a fitting gift for Christine, and, knowing that she’s a big fan of Julia Child, I took my inspiration from this book:
I found this pretty little fleur de lis print from the American Jane Breath of Avingnon line (purchased at a local quilt shop) and it couldn’t have been more perfect with it’s tiny red fleurs all throughout. And, as fate would have it, a visit to JoAnn’s led me to find two cuts of red Kona cotton, nearly a yard a piece, in the remnant bin. Fancy that. 
Heather Bailey’s Daily Spice apron pattern is a really lovely pattern and came together relatively easily. I cut the pieces one night, spent an entire afternoon sewing all the bits together, and was able to finish the hand stitching the following day during two episodes of Glee.
Dinner was delicious and it was such a treat to be able to spend some time with our friends. The weekend is winding down now and things will be probably be slow around the blog next week as I try to attack my list of things to do to get ready for our little girl’s birthday party. Hope everyone stays safe and well over the Memorial Day weekend and I’ll be back when I can!
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Getting Ready…
for Annabelle’s 4th birthday party. At her request, we are planning a dress-up party for boys and girls. Perfect, right? What preschooler doesn’t love to dress up? For simplicity’s sake, I’ve narrowed it down to princesses/fairies and superheroes. And, with the help of Flickr, I’ve gotten a few ideas to get me started in the planning process:
1. The Super Invite, 2. Three Wands for Wishes, 3. Anabel (sold), 4. Whimsical Crown – Roses, 5. DSC_0015-2, 6. atiTUTUde, 7. Strawberries and Cream bunting banner, 8. Make your own emblem, 9. bluejay / FLUTTER, 10. Cupcake cake topper on cake, 11. Whole table, 12. Untitled
Still in the planning phases, but I do know that there will be wings, capes, masks, and crowns. Woohaa!
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Fat Quarter Swap
Last month I signed up for Sew Mama Sew’s fat quarter swap and came away with some fun new fabrics to play with!
Thanks ladies for this great swap! I think next time I’ll sign up for two…double the fabric, double the fun!
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Back…Again!
Had a little break there again due to a little vacation, a little sickness, and a little lack of motivation.
We took the girls to Disney World for a couple days and had a blast. Poor Charlotte developed a fever on our first night in Orlando. Thankfully, she hung in there and was able to enjoy the latter part of our trip.
By the time we got home, however, both girls had picked something up and we spent our first day at home resting.
Poor Annabelle. She had vomited that morning and was down the rest of the day. I’m happy to say that both girls are back in action and Mommy is too! More to share tomorrow!
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Back
Hi friends! We’re back from our brief trip to Chicago. Cory had some business up there and I got to tag-along this time. Since he was in meetings much of the time I was left to explore the sites on my own. Here I am taking a picture of myself at the Art Institute at Chicago. One must do such things when one is by oneself.
Chicago was, frankly, unimpressive to me at the start, but by the end I think the city began to grow on me. It was a beautiful time to visit. The tulips were in full bloom and trees were blossoming everywhere…and, the weather was perfect: sunny and warm!
I was wholly unproductive during my downtime up there, even though I brought knitting and crochet books, plus a healthy supply of yarn. And now that I’m home I’m having trouble starting anything new. I did pick up some clothes from the thrift store today with the hopes of perhaps turning them into something fabulous, but I haven’t exactly been struck by any inspiration just yet. Hopefully I’ll be back soon with something worth mentioning. Until then…take care!
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Happy Spring!
belated…but no less exciting.
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On Valentine’s Day
I have never enjoyed celebrating Valentine’s Day as much as I do now that I have kids. The girls were under the weather today, so we stayed pretty low key, but as it is we’ve been celebrating this day of love for the past two weeks!
Our days have been spent reading Valentine’s Day books, baking treats and cutting hearts out of anything we could find! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to miss all of our pink and red heart decor. Thankfully, we have the promise of Spring next month to give us something to look forward to.
Hope your day was spent with those whom you love the most!
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Thrifty Loot
Had a banner weekend this weekend and really raked it in at the thrift shops and rummage sales! Here are some of my favorite scores:
This is a sleeping bag made from brightly colored patchwork fabric. It looks to be homemade, but I can’t tell for sure. If I can’t find a mate for it (having 2 daughters, I must have pairs of most everything), I think I’ll try to find a similar print and take a stab at making my own.
And here we have a 1966 McCall’s craft book FILLED with some of the cutest handmade goodness I have come across in a vintage book. I’ll post some pics of the inside tomorrow.
And of course, mugs. It’s been really hard to find nice mugs lately, but this weekend I really hit the jackpot. I ended up with 8 mugs when all was said and done, but these were the most exciting finds:
Hornsea mug from England
3 Waechtersbach mugs from West Germany
I also scored some yummy yarn including these little goodies in lovely shades of pink and blue, which I hope to use to try my hand at making a doily.
Had a blast and didn’t spend more than $10 on all of it!
Have any favorite thrifted treasures? Do share!
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