Sunday Summary

This was a pretty good week as far as being productive. Mentally, it was a little trying. I've been working on ideas for decorating for Valentines Day... decorations that can easily be incorporated into my daughter's birthday party - a Hello Kitty theme. I made these fan hearts from the same concept I used for the fan heart tutorial I did last year. These were made from wrapping paper and I stood them up in my grandfather's vases. Our mantle is so huge that it needed something large to make a statement. The large hearts also seem to go well with the Valentine bunting I made a few weeks ago.
I also finally got around to framing my son's karate certificate for earning his yellow belt. I was pleased with how it came out. I used a yellow "mat" (charcoal paper that I cut an opening out of) since it was his yellow belt that he earned. I then took the white belt (and with his help tying it) we wrapped it around the frame. It looks great.

One of our projects this week was to rearrange his room. He'd been having trouble sleeping in his bed so we moved it up against a wall. It was a good move as he slept much better last night... his first night in the newly rearranged room. His room also has more room... so he could potentially practice his karate in there.

I also reached my goal of two boxes or bags to Goodwill. Yesterday my husband dropped off one large box and one large bag. My plan is to keep this up through the end of February. I've already started the box for this week. I can't say that you can notice a difference in the house by removing these things (it was that bad), but you can see that the cleaning it has inspired has made huge improvements on the condition of our house.

I set a goal of having this downstairs clean by Lyssie's party... and I have less than two weeks to make it all happen. But I'm feeling like it could happen. And not just the type of cleaning that happens when you run out of time (shoving things in boxes and moving the boxes out of sight).

All things considered, I've had a good January. I filed my business taxes on time and with very little stress, my house is starting to feel more like a home, I've come to terms with my new position as a taxi, and I've even managed to squeeze some time out to spend with my friends thanks to my husband. Yep, this year is starting off well... and I'm looking forward to a very busy February.

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My First Fritatta

This was not only the first frittata I've made... it was also the first one I had ever tried. Yep, I'm not sure I've ever had a frittata. So I'm not sure what possessed me yesterday morning to try my hand at making one. I mean, I can't even compare a good one to a bad one. Perhaps it was the thing of mushrooms sitting the fridge that my husband bought for me. I always have mixed feelings when I see a basket of mushrooms in the fridge. Excitement because I rarely get mushrooms - I'm the only one in the house that eats them, and worry - because I'm the only one in the house that eats them... I have to come up with enough things while I have "me" time, that I can make with them. Or things that I can make for everyone... where adding a few mushrooms to a portion of the meal isn't a big deal.

So I got this crazy idea that I was going to make myself a mushroom and onion frittata. And I found a recipe with there ingredients at Eat Me, Delicious. I"m horrible at following recipes. So I read the ingredients, skimmed through the directions and decided I could do it.

I made an individual portion (still too big) with 4 eggs, about 1/3 cup of mushrooms and 1/4 cup of onions. I also didn't have fresh herbs on hand... so I used dry ones.

I was pleased with the flavor... but disappointed in the texture. I think I made one blunder during cooking (and it's a big one). I had never used our broiler before... and so I thought I had turned it on to heat up while I was cooking the egg on the stove top. But when I went to put it in the oven... the oven was still cold. So, the egg sat in the pan cooking while the broiler heated up a bit. I have a feeling that's where the tougher texture came from. The egg as a little chewy. And really, chewy egg is quite disgusting now that I think of it. I did eat nearly half of the frittata, so the flavor must have helped mask the chewiness. Or - I was so desperate to pull it off... I convinced myself that I did. Either way, I was proud of what I came up with since it was a first for me. Now I need to go have a frittata so that I know what they are supposed to taste like. Only problem is... I'm not sure I've ever seen one on a menu. Hmmmm...

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Muffin Tin Monday - ABC/123

A mediocre muffin tin... but following a theme, nonetheless. This week hasn't started off great for me... so I thought I'd at least give my daughter a decent start.

This afternoon she enjoyed an ABC/123 themed tin... well, at least the ABC part. I guess I got a little distracted and didn't do the 123.

Contents: A: mini Animal crackers and "A", b: heart sandwich made with Bread and two pieces of Banana, C: Cheese and Crackers

The tin was really lacking color... but she didn't seem to mind. She didn't eat the animal crackers and left most of the sandwich (jelly sandwich - I think she might finally be getting tired of them). But the rest of the tin was cleaned out!

Be sure to stop by Her Cup Overfloweth and check out all the other muffin tins!

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Sunday Summary

A little late... and well, not a whole lot to report. I spent all week working on business taxes. Yuck! And all weekend feeling under the weather. Double yuck! So, nothing was taken to Goodwill... and I really didn't even make anything. Perhaps that's why this week, I am feeling unmotivated.

But I have plans. I have plans to fill two boxes/bags for Goodwill this week. I have plans to get my shops updated with new items (still working on that camera issue). I have plans to get this house clean by the time my daughter's birthday rolls around (a little more than two weeks). It's going to happen... but first, perhaps a nap?

I'll be back with a muffin tin. I figure I can at least start my daughter's week off right. Hate these down moments... but looking forward to all the things that will improve my outlook.

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Haiti Relief

Did you watch Oprah today? She had a show on Haiti... I only caught a few minutes, but what little I saw was absolutely devastating. I admit, I don't really watch the news, it depresses me. So I really didn't know the extent of the damage there.

I thought I'd just share a couple of places that you can buy things where the proceeds will go to disaster relief funds... (click on the images)

I've been knee deep in custom orders and business taxes, so I haven't had a chance to donate anything... but if I do, I'll be sure to post it here.

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Muffin Tin Monday - No Theme!

Yay for no theme muffin tin Mondays! Not that I don't enjoy the themed ones... but when I'm having a busy day, week, month... it's nice to just throw some random food into a muffin tin and call it good.


Contents: jelly sandwich (my daughter's main meal), carrots, goldfish, cashews and a Danimal yogurt drink.

Ya, I know... not very impressive. But proof that Muffin Tin meals don't need to be fancy to be loved. My daughter at it all (except for two crust pieces - not sure why). I'd really like to experiment with the muffin tin ingredients... but I know now is not the time. My daughter is currently nit-picking her food. Doesn't eat holds in her pizza (holes made by the cheese), doesn't eat anything with cheese hanging out (miscut quesadilla, pizza slice with cheese hanging over, etc), doesn't eat chicken nuggets with the breading falling off... you get the idea. And it's random what she's going to come up with. The piece of pepper is too large for the piece of food it's on or whatever. It's driving me a little crazy, but at the same time - it's quite the accomplishment when we actually get a whole meal down her.

So for now, muffin tin meals will probably include a jelly sandwich and carrots. I play with the other contents... but it's a toss up whether it's just wasting food.

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Sunday Summary

A very tiring - but successful week. I started sewing more this week and, in addition to several custom orders I had, I also made a few inventory items. I'm hoping that if I start early bulking up my inventory for shows, that it won't be as painful leading up to a big show. Yep... I'm getting proactive!

We have two boxes of Goodwill to deliver today. We did a quick sweep through the kitchen and got rid of things we rarely used or had duplicates of. It's starting to feel really good to purge, simplify and organize. I've already noticed a difference in my mood each morning when I come downstairs and see one clean room. Granted, it's a small step. But having a clean family room is doing wonders. And it's motivating me to keep up the momentum.

My goal is to have a clean and organized downstairs in time for Lyssie's birthday party. She turns 4 in less than a month. And we finally have a party theme. We will be having a Hello Kitty Party! A very pink Hello Kitty Party, I think. I'll share our preparations as I start getting into it.

This week I need to work on pictures. Our main camera broke over the holidays. This was the one camera that I could get to take decent pictures for the Etsy shops. We have two more cameras (good cameras), I just don't know how to use them for what I need. Every time I try to use them for my product shots, they end up looking yellow. Yuck! So this week, I am going to quit procrastinating and figure it out. Yep, this might mean I have to pull out a manual. Ugh!

Hope you have a great week!

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A Snail's Pace

I'm getting back into the swing of things... but at a snail's pace. Wouldn't want to rush into anything. While I am back to sewing every day, I'm not yet to the point where the sewing is productive (for the stores). I have been working on a few custom orders and in between, I've been playing around with tshirt scraps (and cashmere scraps, but that's a story for a different post).

Valentines Day is coming up and I've been wanting to make some items for stores - but I doubt I'd get them up in time. So, I decided to just make something for myself. I made this little heart bunting that I have hanging on our fireplace. While it doesn't stand out much amongst my clutter, I know it's there... and that's what's important, right? Well, that's what I'm telling myself.

I have been working slowly on cleaning up our clutter. And I do see progress. We have kept our living room fairly clean (toys off the floor) for the past week. It's a big step for this family. The kids have been picking up after themselves and this makes for a happier mom. I just need to continue to hold them accountable. I can do it... I know I can.

I've also been playing around with little things to go inside the book bags I've been wanting to make from recycled tshirts. These are so much fun and they really let me stretch my creative juices. All the items I put in the bags are made from recycled materials... making them very eco friendly :)

This one is for the book Vegetable Soup by Ann Morris. A simple but fun book. I've made all the vegetables that they mention so that kids can make it while they read! I've also made it so that you can count them (1 mustard green, 2 tomatoes, three green beans, 4 carrots, 5 parsley snips, 6 green peas, 7 onions, 8 pieces of celery and 9 sweet potato cubes). Of course, it's not done and will probably sit a little while longer while I decide what to do for the bag. But the fun part (and hard part) is done. I look forward to having some more of these story book bags in the store in the coming months.

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He's back!

Okay, so my son started a blog a while back... but abandoned it after he turned 7 (it was called The Life of a 6 Year Old). There has been discussion about him starting another blog... but he was struggling with a name.

This week, he has chosen to not bring homework home for several days in a row... so I created some for him. Reading to his sister and writing in a journal. We have decided that the journal would become his blog entries... and so therefore, his other homework was to sit down and brainstorm ideas for his blog title. We came up with 10 (I contributed 3, but he shot them all down. What does a mom know anyway?).

So here it is, The Life of Being Me. We spent quite a while tonight making it his own. Changing the colors, fonts, etc. He's proud... so please visit and leave a comment. He loves comments (he used to call them compliments. I'm not sure if he still does).

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Muffin Tin Monday - Back to School/Learning

Getting back into a routine in this house... means Muffin Tin Monday. It seems to set the tone for the rest of the week. I started doing them for a bit because it just wasn't the same without my son. But I'm over it, and I try to do it each week now for my daughter.

We even managed to fit the theme (a happy accident). So our Muffin Tin was around the book My Many Colored Days. We love this book... and so I made a color muffin tin lunch, we read the book... and we did a little project (she made her own book).

Contents: Red Pepperoni (minis), Orange carrots, Yellow cheese, Green veggies sticks, brown peanuts and black raisins.

I'm looking forward to a colorful week!

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Sunday Summary

I wish it came down to good intentions... because I have plenty of those. All things considered, this week went well. I made progress in getting the house in order (I say that like it's a minor project... but I'm certain it'll take all year to get to some sort of order), I made good on my weekly Goodwill donation, I got out and visited with friends, and I spent time with the kids. The only thing that didn't happen this week... work. Unfortunately, this is the only week that I can allow that to happen. I have several custom orders waiting to be completed... and all the materials now in stock. No more excuses.

Okay. Now to come clean. While I did make my donation at Goodwill -one medium sized box and a large bag of miscellaneous items... I sort of cancelled it out with a trip to the new Goodwill Outlet that they've opened just minutes from my house. I could justify it... but I won't. Instead, I immediately came home and started working on another box for donation. Today was dropped off a whole car load... and I didn't go inside :)

The Goodwill outlet was great though. Found some awesome shirts for dresses, some items to help me in my quest to get my house in order, and a toy or two for the kids (yes, we could have done without those... but the prices were crazy! - perhaps they'll end up in one of the boxes that goes back to Goodwill :)).


I shopped the outlet with a few of my crafty friends... and afterward, we went to Frost in Mill Creek for a little treat. I bought a half dozen to share with the family... and so far, my favorite is the Pumpkin Cheesecake donut. I did try the Bacon Maple bar, but while it was good... it wasn't really my thing. If you are local, I do recommend trying these donuts. They have some interesting flavors and it makes for a great diversion from the normal, run of the mill donut.

Stay tuned for our Muffin Tin we did on Monday!

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It's just my opinion

Recently I have acquired a few new tools. New toys... and coincidentally, they both have lights! The first one I bought during our road trip (really, it was just on the last day of the trip) so that I could continue to crochet in the dark. It was a desperate attempt to keep my hands busy - I tend to think less about my body aches and pains when my hands are busy.

I was reserved in my expectations for this hook. And really, out of 5 stars... I would probably give it a 4. It worked great... although my husband and I joked that it was going to cause him to have a seizure while he was driving. I'll probably use this more while I'm sitting in bed and I have low light... and less while my husband is driving. But it did the job. It takes a while to get used to the wider grip. I often roll the hook in my hand when I'm crocheting... and I wasn't able to with this hook. Not really a big deal. All in all, I'm pleased with it as an addition to my crochet hooks.

Before I left town, I treated myself out to a day of shopping and lunch with a few friends. We went to the store Stitches in Seattle and I picked up a seam ripper... with a light of course. I figured this would be helpful in my dimly lit work area.

I used it tonight when I needed to rip a few stitches out of a knit. Out of 5 stars, I'd give this product a 2. Yep, I wasn't impressed. I only give it a 2 because it still functions as a seam ripper with a pretty good grip. But the light was useless. It cast a bit of a bluish color which distorted the color of the fabric and the thread making it even more difficult to see the difference between the two. I ended up turning the light off and ripping the seam out with the low light that I am used to in my work area.

This new year I'm looking for things to make what I do, easier. Whether it has to do with sewing - or parenting - or just living. I want to do it easier this year. I'm working on purging my computer, my house, my work area, my head. I'm hoping that simplifying will lead me to a more balanced life and schedule. Wish me luck!

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Yummmm!

Let's talk yummy food for a minute. One of the highlights of my Las Vegas trip was these delicious cracker crisps that my aunt brought along. I was told that I could find them at Whole Foods (I'll be sending my husband to hunt for them this week). But I couldn't wait until I had them in hand to actually share them.

I don't ordinarily care for cranberries... so I'm sure that these are going to appeal to both those that like them... as well as those that don't.

Leslie Stowe Cranberry Hazelnut Raincoast Crisps

I can't wait to get a box of the these... then after I devour those, I'll be ready to try some of the other flavors. I suggest you do it too.

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Traditons

I admit, since my daughter was born... I've been horrible and maintaining traditions that we started with my son. We no longer make scarecrows for Halloween, we don't do Christmas cookies, it's been forever since I've pulled out the family tablecloth... I could go on and on. But those traditions aren't lost. I can pick them up again any time when I feel I can manage them.

Luckily, I have my mom's help with one of my favorites. Every year, the kids get a new stocking that incorporates elements of what they've enjoyed throughout the year. The socks from previous years are used as decoration.

This year, we opted for an I-spy on one side (my kids LOVE I-spy anything) and an applique on the other. Believe it or not... this was simpler than what it might have become. I think these are my favorite stocking so far (I say that every year!). I helped design the Jawa and Princess Leia around their Halloween costumes... my mom did the rest. Lyssie's sock has one of her drawings and a picture of her in the I-spy. My son's has his picture as well. Soooo cute!

Sorry, I don't have very good pictures of them. I'll try to get better pictures once we unpack them (could be a while!).

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Sunday Summary

Okay, I admit freely that I'm horrible at keeping up regular commitments. But I always have good intentions... and so I continue to come up with more commitments that I will most likely not be able to maintain. Today is no different :)

Yep, every Sunday I'm going to do a little summary of how I've managed through the week with the challenges I've given myself. For now, I'm starting with just one thing...

Every week in January and February, I will take one bag/box (big) to Goodwill. I'm making this just a two month challenge so that I can readjust it as needed. If I'm not making a big enough dent... then I'll increase it. This is to help cut our clutter! I think the condition of my house is one of the biggest things that affects my mood... and probably my health. So I'm hoping to get a handle on it. Besides, it would be nice to have people over again :)

I'm also hoping to do an occasional muffin tin Monday and maybe a Thursday tea party... but I'm sure they won't be as frequent... and they probably won't be shared until Sunday.

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Happy New Year!

I'm am excited to be starting a New Year... not that 2009 wasn't good to me. But it seems (with my business) every year that goes by just gives me more experience to make the next one even better. I have so many ideas to explore and changes that I want to implement. Although my focus this year will be on balance as the demands of my family seem to grow just as fast as my business.

Anyhow, I thought I'd start the New Year off by sharing some of the gifts that I made this year...

Alien family. I LOVE how these came out and hope to introduce them into one of the stores once I iron out the details. Each one has a small bell inside. The pet eye ball is my favorite... yep, I guess I'm a little twisted.

This was one of my more sentimental gifts. These two tiny little pots were made by my grandfather. I've mentioned his pottery before on this blog. His pottery brings back the most memories of my childhood. I love them... and so does the rest of my family. I chose these two little beauties with the intention of making them into pin cushions for my mom. I used cashmere scraps and polyfil on the inside. I did glue them in place. I don't normally use glue... but it was necessary here as the pots didn't have a lip or anything to keep it all in. I think they were well received.

I made these for a couple of my crafty friends. These tree pin cushions have a wood base. The cashmere tops are filled with polyfil. I glued some beads that I had made onto some pins. This is another idea that I'm still working out.

Of course, I had to use buttons for at least one gift. I made these for my niece. They matched a cute little necklace that I traded for at one of the shows I vended at. These are sewn on as well as glued in place to make them extra durable. It takes a little longer to make them when you stitch them... but I can't tell you how tiring it is for me to get hair clips only to have them fall apart because they were only glued.

Another item that I hope to have in my stores this year for the holidays. I made these for another one of my crafty friends. They are made from fleece scraps. I love ornaments and hope try out several ideas I have this year.

Also notice the tag. This year I tried to do as much of my wrapping from recycled materials. The tags are made from grocery bags and tshirt scraps. These are a lot of fun to make. I hope to do a tutorial for them at some point.

I hope everyone had a great holiday. I avoided my computer like the plague :) which is why there was a lack of postings in December. But I'm happy to be back and can't wait to share a few high points of our Christmas. Oh... and a little about my plans for the New Year~

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