Friday, July 29, 2011

Crayon roll-up

A few weeks ago I went with a friend to get some discount fabric. I ended up buying a few cute patterns with no real plan for them, so I decided to make Wild Child a crayon roll. He's just learning to hold a crayon (without putting it in his mouth, of course) and this little roll-up is easy to carry and would make a cute gift. I used a tutorial from Pleated Poppy, so I'll send you her way for the step by step. Here's the finished product!


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Sew what?

I understand how people can become "professional" bloggers. Who has the time to update everyday with thought-provoking content or striking visual pictures? I didn't even get a shower yesterday. Now, if you made this my job I probably could make the time. That doesn't mean I haven't been working the foot of my sewing machine lately. Nothing too fancy, just some practical things that needed to be done. Now that all the necessaries have been completed the Christmas sewing can commence. Bring it on.


Practical fix - I got a used cloth diaper that had some well-loved tabs. I did a quick replace and it's almost good as new!




Crummy little tab:


Do a quick sew - no need to remove the old tab, just sew fresh velcro over:

Good as new!


And because I was on a cloth diapering theme the other day, I put together some more cloth diaper wipes. Flannel on one side and wash cloth on the other. You'll need a dozen squares of flannel and wash cloth of your choice cut into 4"x4" squares. I did a cute little dino theme for the Wild Child.
Sew the flannel and cloth wrong side together, leaving one side open to turn.
Turn them right side out and then fold the edges of the open side in and top stitch them closed.
Done! You can do a top stitch around all the sides if you want, but it's not necessary.
Practical sewing project number three - A sunglasses case for myself. I sort of threw it together because I needed something to stick in my purse, so there's no tutorial or anything. I'm happy with how it ended up, but I will probably need to add a clasp or some sort of closure so the glasses don't fall out. Hopefully I'll remember to document the next one I do!
Here's the little detail on the glasses:

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Warm Quinoa Salad

Lunch time around here is usually left overs, but lately I've been making smaller portions at dinner to control how much we eat at night. It's time to lose the last of this baby weight. It's been long enough and I'd like to finally *GASP* wear adorable jeans again. This is a quick and healthy warm salad that I've been making for lunch. It's high in fiber and whole grains and you get a good dose of veggies. Quinoa is a cute little grain similar to brown rice or couscous with a little bit of a nutty flavor. Even the husband likes it, which is surprising. He did add the caveat that he'd need "a lot of ranch," but I'll take what I can get.

This is what you'll need:

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup spinach
Avocado
Cucumber
Tomato
Red Onion
2 tb olive oil
2 tb lemon juice
feta cheese
salt, to taste

While the quinoa is cooking, (according to the directions on your package, which is usually a 1:2 water ratio like rice) cut up your spinach and veggies. I originally got this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook but have added cucumber and upped all the amounts of veggies that the recipe originally calls for. Add as much or as little as you like.


Pretty, right? Then, add your quinoa. Make a light dressing with your olive oil and lemon juice, adding a little salt, and mix it into your salad.






Now, finish with a little feta cheese and you've got a greek style salad that perfect for summer.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Just one thing

I had only one goal for this week : Finish and mail the "Thank You" cards to everyone who blessed Wild Child (and us) with gifts for his first birthday. This week had seven days, just like the last, but somehow I managed not to get them done. I wish I had an excuse like, "Oh - I'm totally making each card out of paper I've made myself from laundry lint. And this? It's just a little decorative yarn I've spun myself and dyed from some berries in the garden." But really, Ben and I have just been enjoying the nice weather. Here's a photo from one of our adventures.



There's always next week, right? Ripe with nap times.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Way back when: An introduction.

Many years ago, I used to have a lot of time on my hands. Okay, truth be told it wasn't that many years ago. And it wasn't that much time. I didn't have a television, I went to work and went out at night and stayed out late. I slept in on Saturdays. There were afternoons spent in lounge pants on the patio with books, tea cups and bubble baths.

Then I met my husband. And he swept me off my feet and out to California, where we added our Wild Child to our family. My journals ended up in boxes. I traded all my cute shoes and pencil skirts for something a little more sensible. Now we're in Maryland, and I'm reclaiming that free time. What, you say nap time should be for cleaning the house and folding the laundry? Perish the thought! There will always be more laundry, but nap time could end any minute. It's time for me to reclaim some "momma" time. This is that journey.