create everyday

For Tawna

2011-04-13T19:41:00.000-04:00

The W Family

2010-05-04T11:29:00.001-04:00

kiddos

2010-02-24T00:06:00.000-05:00

My kids hate when I take their pictures. So I have a lot of pictures of them looking slightly depressed. But they are a very cute depressed.

Recycled Crayons

2010-02-16T22:30:00.001-05:00

Easy activity for preschoolers, and a great way to use leftover crayons.

Unwrap the crayons and break them into small pieces. I put them into a silicon muffin tin, which made them really easy to get out. But, there is still a waxy film on the tin. So you might want to use a tin or pan from a garage sale or something you picked up for cheap because you may not be able to resurrect it. Put the pan in a 150 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep a close eye on it.

There was a slight waxy buildup on the top of each crayon when I pulled it out out of the oven. I used a paring knife to scrape it off.

Ta-da!

Baby Z

2010-02-08T18:46:00.001-05:00

A sweet picture of my sweet nephew I took while my kids were playing with their cousins. Sometimes the living room photoshoots turn out great.

N&A- Engagement

2009-10-15T11:42:00.001-04:00

Easy Holiday Burlap Table Runner

2009-10-12T23:25:00.003-04:00

I've seen these around the internet and had to try it myself. My mom was cleaning out her fabric cupboard and had an extra piece of burlap so I snapped it up.

Cut it to the size you want. Sew on ribbon. Seriously, it was that easy.

A couple things:
1) sewing ribbon on was easier than I thought.
2) cutting burlap is more difficult than I thought. I used a rotary cutter but I think if I did it again I would use scissors and cut along the lines.
3) I left the edges raw but I would consider somehow hemming it.

Let there be light!!

2009-09-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

I moved from an apartment whose only windows faced north into the forest. Not the best natural light. In our new house the front room has huge windows facing south and east. The morning light is spectacular! I'm such a dork that before we even really moved in I checked to see how fast I could shoot indoors. Just for the record: 1/160 at F4. It's heaven. Here's a shot of my daughter on the kitchen table.

B&A

2009-09-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

A photoshoot with my cute and energetic nieces.

I'm Back!

2009-09-24T12:47:00.004-04:00

Since April we have been in transition mode at our house. My husband graduated from school, we moved across the country, he was gone all day studying for the Bar Exam, we were living at my parents, we looked for a house, and finally we moved in. It's been a few weeks since we have been in our new house so I'm ready to start getting creative again. It's been way too long.

The fun thing with moving into a new place is that there are a lot of little jobs to make the place comfortable and livable. This set of shelves used to be a doorway so the shelves are shallow and slightly unusable. It is right outside the bathroom so I use it to store lotion, etc., but our grooming supplies need not be in plain sight for everyone. A $2 curtain rod and a piece of fabric fixed it right up. I'm going to use the extra fabric to make a valence for the bathroom. I'm still looking for a valence pattern that I like, but stay tuned...

The curtain isn't as full as I wanted so if you attempt this, use more fabric than you would think you need to. I got the curtain rod at Shopko, it's just a tension rod so it doesn't need to be screwed in anywhere, it's perfect for this little project.

Slow-Sync Flash

2009-07-05T15:10:00.004-04:00

Over at shuttersisters.com they highlighted the technique of using a slow-sync flash. It is one of my favorite ways to use my flash. It works great to highlight movement while maintaining a little detail. google it. It's a lot of fun to use.

This is a picture of my husband and son, who graciously wrestled and played for my while I was learning how to use the flash this way.

Bridal/Baby Shower centerpiece

2009-06-30T17:13:00.005-04:00

My cousin is moving to the East Coast after her wedding so she wanted gift cards and/or money instead of large gifts. I made this centerpiece for the table and the guests simply clipped their monetary gifts onto the empty clips. It worked perfectly. I printed ten pictures of the happy couple (luckily I took their engagement photos, so I had a lot to work with), adhered them to paper, attached some ribbon, and clipped them to the tree. The only tip is to put the ribbon between the photo and the paper so that you don't see it from the back. Super easy and incredibly cheap. Especially since I already had the picture holder/tree thing.

Bridal/Baby Shower Favors

2009-06-30T16:49:00.003-04:00

I was put in charge of favors for my cousin's wedding shower. I wanted to move past Hershey Kisses wrapped in tulle but I didn't want to break the bank. I looked online and found some cute personalized candy bar wrappers and figured I could make my own. I got some white scrapbook paper for 17 cents, some ribbon for a couple bucks and printed their initials on some green paper. Easy.
I found these Dove bars at the grocery store and saw that they had three individually wrapped bars in each package. Perfect. They were about 2" by 3", a great favor size. And I was able to get a few different varieties.
Because I had a few varieties and wanted to differentiate between them, I used return address labels with the variety printed on them to attach the paper in the back.
I used permanent adhesive to attach the ribbon
Then attached the initialed paper on top of the ribbon.

And we're finished! A nice big stack of pretty favors.

Indian Food, Anyone?

2009-06-05T18:55:00.004-04:00

Red Kidney Bean Curry with Naan Bread

I try to cook on a budget so I'm always looking for ways to use beans. I found this fabulous recipe from one of my favorite sites, The Smitten Kitchen. I love it because it uses beans and all the other ingredients I generally have on hand. I made a few changes- first, I substituted bottled jalepenos for the fresh chilies (about four jalepeno slices). I also used powdered ginger (2tsps) instead of fresh. Top it with some plain yogurt (necessary, in my opinion) and serve with naan bread and you have an incredible homemade Indian meal.

And here's a recipe for Naan bread. It has become a staple at our house. If you cook up the naan then freeze it, just pop it in the toaster for a bit and it tastes fresh.

2¼ t yeast
1 C water
¼ C sugar
3 T milk
1 beaten egg
2 t salt
4½ C flour
Garlic & Butter Mix

Mix yeast and water. Let it bubble. Add other ingredients and form a soft dough. Let rise as time permits (we usually don’t let it rise at all, but it is better when it does). Pull dough into ¼ inch thick patties (about 5 or 6 inches in diameter). Fry in a little olive oil until cooked through.

Fabulous Banana Bread

2009-04-30T21:54:00.003-04:00

I woke up to three slimy bananas on my counter. Which means only one thing. Banana bread. My kids and I had a great time (read: a very messy and somewhat chaotic time) baking it and my husband gave rave reviews. He swears that I make the best banana bread ever- and I am choosing to believe him.

Here's the trick to fantastic looking bread: A tablespoon or two of white sugar sprinkled on top of the batter before you put it in the oven. Makes it crispy and sparkly- and sugary.

Recipe:

2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ C butter
¾ C brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 ⅓ C bananas,
mashed

Combine flour, soda and salt. Cream butter, sugar and stir in eggs and banana to moisten. Put in 1 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees 60-65 minutes. Until toothpick comes out clean.

Artist in Residence

2009-02-23T08:36:00.001-05:00

I love how all the paints are mixed. He must be two.

Hemming Jeans

2009-02-09T07:46:00.004-05:00

I have a few pairs of jeans that are too long but I don't love the look of homemade hems so I just kept them long and walked all over them. Classy, I know. Then my husband came and asked me to hem some of his jeans so I did a little research and found this awesome tutorial. You can't even tell your pants are hemmed. It's almost magical. Okay, maybe not magical, but I feel like a whole world of possibilities (involving buying jeans on sale, even if they have a super-model 34" inseam) has been opened to me. This will change your life.

Here is a picture of my husband's jeans after I took about two inches off the bottom. Not too shabby, eh?

Fabric Baby Blocks

2009-01-31T15:01:00.004-05:00

My sister-in-law is having a baby but since it's her fourth they are pretty set with cute clothes and baby blankets. So I opted for these little blocks as a gift. Every baby can use more toys- especially if they are soft and pretty.

I used this great tutorial. The only changes: I added letters using heat n'bond then I sewed (sloppily) around each of them. I also added a little bell in each block for a little added interest.

2009-01-24T22:42:00.002-05:00

This is a terrible shot technically, but captures my nephew's energy perfectly.

Morning at the Beach

2009-01-13T14:49:00.003-05:00

Over Christmas break we headed down to Florida. One morning when my son woke up we headed straight to the beach to watch the sunrise. I loved this shot of him finding shells. I especially love the couple in back of him.

Christmas Bokeh

2008-12-14T17:37:00.005-05:00

Awhile back I had a post about bokeh. I pulled out the camera on this nice sunday afternoon and played around with some christmas bokeh. It was a lot of fun to mess around with different shapes and composition. A good rainy afternoon activity.

Out Walking

2008-11-22T16:23:00.002-05:00

I was walking home from the gym this afternoon and picked up some beautiful things. I'm pretty sure I looked like a third grader stopping every few feet and crouching down to look at something on the ground. But I brought home a handful of things and took pictures and loved them. Fall is beautiful!

Fall Pesto

2008-11-18T23:13:00.000-05:00

I just realized I never published this post, so it's a little late but still great!

Today was the last day of my town's farmers market so to celebrate (mourn would be more accurate) I bought a couple big bunches of basil and made enough pesto to freeze. I felt very "Little House on the Prairie" as I was setting away stores for winter. I think pesto may have the best smell of anything so I decided to spread the love and share the recipe with you.

Ingredients:
6 cups loose basil (don't pack it in)
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 C pine nuts (although I did a few batches with pecans that turned out fine)
1/2 C parmesan cheese
2 cloves fresh garlic
kosher salt
2 t black pepper
3/4 C olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients, reserving 1/4 c of olive oil. Blend in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding the remaining olive oil while blending.

This is great on pasta with fresh tomatoes and feta cheese. It is also fabulous on pizza with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

2008-11-15T18:14:00.001-05:00

I was looking through my old pictures and ran across this one. It brightened my day so I thought it my brighten yours.

Make Your Own Hobby Horse/ Stick Pony: Tutorial

2008-11-05T20:08:00.012-05:00

My son was a cowboy for Halloween and instead of using all my resources (time, materials, imagination, etc,.) for something that would just end up in the costume box for the rest of time I decided to make a hobby horse instead of chaps or holsters. Every cowboy needs his horse, after all. I looked online and couldn't find a pattern (that is, I couldn't find a free one) but I scoured the internet and found a bunch of pictures of homemade hobby horses and thought, "I can do that!" So I did. And it was super easy. You can do it too.

First:

Cut two horse head shaped pieces out of the fabric of your choice. I used a cream colored flannel left-over from a failed baby quilt.

Second:
Cut pieces for the eyes out of felt. Obviously you can do whatever shape you like. This is what I chose.

Third:
Let your son place the eyes where he wants.
Fourth:
Place the eyes on the horse heads and sew around each individual piece.
Fifth:
Cut out pieces for ears. Two from the head fabric, two from a contrasting fabric, two from a heavy interfacing. I used fusible fleece. Fuse the interfacing to the contrasting fabric.

Sixth:Place the two right sides of the fabric pieces together and sew around the edges, leaving the bottom open. I would double-stitch it because you stuff it pretty tight and it pulls on the seams a bit.

Seventh:
Place right sides of ears together sew around the edge, leaving bottom open. Turn right side out, iron the seams, and stitch 1/4 inch around the edges. Create a pleat at the bottom of each ear and sew across to set it. (wow, did that make any sense?- just do what you can to make your ears look like the picture)

Eighth:Place the ear where you want to attach it to the head and make a mark that is the width of the ear. Then make a slit along it and place the ear about 3/4 of an inch inside the slit. Turn it wrong side out and then pin the ear in place. So it looks like this. You should have three layers of fabric (the head, the ear, the head piece again). Stitch along the edge-backstitching at each end, firmly attaching the ear in place so it looks like this when you turn it:
Once you have the eyes and ears on, it's time to add the mane. I got an embroidery needle and pulled yarn through the fabric and then knotted it. There probably is something faster, but I certainly didn't figure it out.
Once the mane is done it is time to stuff. Stuff the head about half full (about to where the neck begins) and then prepare the stick. I crumpled a piece of felt and then draped another piece of felt over it and tied it on the end of the stick like so:This prevents the stick from poking through and tearing the fabric. Once that is done, place the stick in the head, put the stuffing around it until it is packed as tightly as you want and you are ready to finish it.
Get a hot glue gun. There is nothing like a hot glue gun when it is late at night and you need a stick horse for Halloween the next day. put a ring of glue on the stick and gather the fabric and press it onto the glue. Then get ribbon, strips of fabric, whatever and wrap the thing like crazy. then hot glue the end of the ribbon and voila! Your almost done!

Get ribbon, or binding, or whatever you want to use for reigns and a bridle and glue it in place. It honestly is as easy as that.

Light

2008-10-26T08:03:00.001-04:00

It has been overcast and rainy for a few days and last night the sun FINALLY came out!

Counting...

2008-10-19T17:05:00.003-04:00

one...
two...
five!

Over at shuttersisters.com today they talked about capturing the beautifully mundane things. Is there anything more mundane than counting, and is there anything more beautiful than watching a child figure out the world?

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-12T19:56:00.000-04:00

This was the simplest thing to make but it was fun and turned out pretty cute. I actually think it is a great base for something even greater but I lack the creativity and ambition to do much more. I just printed the outline of the lettersin a really light grey on the patterned paper. Then I cut those out and mounted them on black cardstock. At that point I just cut around the letters, punched holes in each one and strung them on an orange ribbon. I like that it is festive, not creepy like so many of the halloween decorations, and takes up a big wall so it makes my whole house seems ready for halloween.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

2008-10-09T19:40:00.005-04:00

"How 'bout some more zucchini?" That's what my two year old asked at dinner when I made this. It's a keeper.It actually was a refreshing take on traditional lasagna. The texture of the spaghetti squash made it very fresh tasting.

Ingredients:
1 medium large spaghetti squash
1/2 lb hamburger
1/2 onion
1 zucchini
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup cheese
1 1/2 t Italian seasoning
2 t parsley
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 1/2 t black pepper
2 cloves garlic

Start by cooking the spaghetti squash until tender. (about 8 minutes in the microwave, 30 mintues in the oven). Seed it and scrape out the squash. Saute the hamburger, garlic and onion, add the drained diced tomatoes (I pureed one of them before I added it). Add Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Let simmer until most of the juice is gone. Add the diced zucchini for the last five minutes. In another bowl mix the cottage cheese with the parsley and black pepper. In an 8X8 baking dish put a layer of spaghetti squash. Add half the sauce. Next layer the cottage cheese mixture (all of it). After that put on 3/4 c of cheese (I used chedder). Add another layer of spaghetti squash. Top with the rest of the tomato sauce and the rest of the cheese. I topped mine with fresh mozzerella because I had to get rid of it.. Bake about 20 mintues at 350 until cheese is melted and it is bubbly.

Something a Little Brighter

2008-09-24T13:36:00.001-04:00

Wow. I can't get enough of this girl.

2008-09-23T14:25:00.001-04:00

The other day I was dropping off my husband and happened to glance out the side window as we were passing some train tracks. This view caught me off guard. We were in the middle of a neighborhood that was next to an industrial zone, so I really wasn't expecting such a beautiful scene. The next Saturday I set my alarm for 6:30 so I could capture it in the morning light. What a gem in the middle of everything.

The Backwoods of Virginia

2008-09-02T12:58:00.003-04:00

We were driving to a lake the other day and passed this house. My husband knows that I love old decrepit houses so he pulled over and watched the kids while I snapped some pictures. I look at this house and wonder who lived here? What stories have played out here? If you look closely you see that it can't be more than 2o feet by 15 feet big. What you see is what you get. Wow.

IFA

2008-08-23T20:30:00.003-04:00

The town where I grew up has experienced explosive growth since I moved away to go to college. Whenever I go back I am amazed by all the change but there is always one constant- IFA. I asked my siblings what image personifies our town and we all agree that it is this farm store. I'm afraid more luxury SUV's than beat-up trucks pass it now but it will always remain the iconic image.

Sweet Potatoes with Mango Salsa

2008-07-01T12:28:00.005-04:00

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and it has become a favorite at our house.

Ingredients: (for four people)

Salsa:
1 C diced tomatoes
1 C diced Mango
1/2 C green onion
1/3 C cilantro

Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, cubed
a few T Cajun or Creole seasoning
Olive oil

4 Sweet Potatoes

Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven until soft (about 45 minutes at 350). Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the salsa and set aside. Saute the chicken in some olive oil, add seasoning.

Put chicken on top of the sweet potato and top with the salsa.

These are not exact measurements and you can adjust them to your personal taste.

Heart Bokeh

2008-06-21T15:45:00.000-04:00

I was looking on shuttersisters a few weeks (maybe months?) ago and saw this cool link. By making a little contraption to put over your lens you can control the shape of the blurry parts of your photo. I certainly haven't figured out the best technique to do it great, but it's kind of a fun thing to mess around with. In this photo, if you look closely you can see little heart-shapes in the background.

Cheap-o Hairbow

2008-06-14T15:37:00.002-04:00

So I just had a baby girl and after having a boy I have been so excited to put hairbows on her. But I'm living in Utah for the summer and anything cute is way over my budget. And the current style here looks like moms put wedding bouquets on their babies' heads-- a little too big for my taste. So, I went to the craft store and bought some stretchy lace and sewed a cute little ribbon on it. I love it and have a few yards of lace left over to make more hairbows in different colors.

True Love

2008-06-02T17:02:00.002-04:00

My brother and his wife. They looked so good I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Snake Cake

2008-05-23T15:56:00.004-04:00

I'm embarassed to even post this. My husband's birthday was last week and when I asked him what he wanted for dessert he said bread pudding, not my absolute favorite, but good. The next day he changed his mind and said he wanted chocolate lava cake which I love! Then, the next day he informed me he had changed his mind yet again and wanted Snake Cake with the sugar letters on top. What?! Snake cake, serisously? He had a sudden burst of nostalgia and wanted snake cake like his mom used to make him. When he was four. I reluctantly agreed and made him this cheesy, ugly, nasty snake cake. Happy Birthday!

Flowers

2008-05-21T15:18:00.004-04:00

I love fresh flowers more than most things. Even though my husband is in grad school and money is tight, I would gladly forego a bag of chips and use that grocery money on some cheap grocery store flowers. They just make me happy.

I am loving the beautiful spring lilacs and other spring flowers in bloom right now. Today I cut a few lilacs and put them in an arrangement with some blooms from our snowball bush. ( I guarantee that isn't the technical name, but that's what I call them) Anyway, here are some pictures my husband took of them before my son jumped on the arrangement and ruined it.

Tucson Quilt

2008-05-15T15:13:00.004-04:00

I had an aunt that lived in Tucson, AZ growing up and when she was having babies they wouldn't make baby blankets with batting because it was too hot. Instead, they just sewed two pieces of cotton together. When a friend of mine found out she was going to move to Tucson when her baby was born I was thrilled that I could sew her a Tucson quilt because it is so simple! I simply put two pieces of cotton right sides together and sewed up all four sides, leaving five inches open to turn. Then I turned it inside out and did a zig-zag stitch around the whole thing, closing the five inch hole. How easy is that! It isn't even necessary to tie it or anything!

Babymoon

2008-05-04T14:28:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted in awhile because I have been busy with my best creation yet! I had a sweet baby girl on April 9th and have gladly spent some quality time with her and her older brother. But I'm feeling better and getting more energy, so expect some more posts very soon- the babymoon is over!

Chocolate Bowls

2008-04-14T22:00:00.003-04:00

Okay, this is so easy and makes very impressive looking bowls. And they taste good, to boot. This is all you are going to need: 8 ounces chocolate chips and some five inch balloons. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, or however you want (microwave, etc.). I recommend Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, but that is just my preference. Put some wax paper on a cookie sheet and put four dollops of chocolate (about 1/2 teaspoon) on it (this will become the flat part of the bowl). Blow up four balloons and dip them in the chocolate, you can use a spoon to spread it on if you need to. Place one balloon on each dollop of chocolate and put the balloons in the fridge to allow the chocolate to harden. After it has hardened gently deflate the balloons (pinch the top and use scissors to cut a small hole) and peel out of the bowl. Fill with ice-cream, berries, or whatever sounds good.

Baby Quilt

2008-04-01T10:29:00.002-04:00

I'm due to have a baby in a week, so I haven't been really on top of things. But I did get around to making her a little quilt this last week. I grew up tying quilts at church functions and always thought you had to have professional quilting frames to tie quilts. I don't own any so I never dared tie quilts myself. I fell in love with this fabric so decided to give tying a quilt a try at home.

After I sewed the top and bottom pieces I put them right sides together on the floor with a piece of batting on top. After I got it all smooth and nice I pinned everything together like crazy and sewed around all four sides, leaving a one foot gap to pull it right side out. After sewing around and trimming the edges I pulled it right side out and put it flat on the ground again. I made sure everything was completely smooth and layed right then I put safety pins through all three layers in the places I wanted ties to go. That way I was able to pick up the quilt and not worry about it getting all weird and uneven when I tied it because everything was lined up where I wanted it to go. I would never try this approach with a big quilt but it worked wonderfully with a small one. After it was all tied I just sewed around the edge. It is completely unprofessional but turned out good enough for me.

Quesadillas

2008-03-21T12:21:00.004-04:00

It seems like the hardest part of cooking dinner is simply choosing what to make. So here is a little dinner inspiration for you. We have been eating a LOT of quesadillas recently and have come up with some good combinations. For the ones pictured I sauteed some zucchini in a little olive oil with a pinch of cumin and some red pepper flakes. I put a corn tortilla on the griddle, put on a little grated cheese, added the zucchini, a spoonful of black beans, and a few leaves of spinach (they wilt while cooking, delicious), followed by more cheese and the top tortilla. Flip halfway through and they're done. These are always a good "get rid of vegetables in your fridge" meal. And of course they are always good with some meat. I prefer them made with corn tortillas rather than flour tortillas because they crisp up a little better and corn tortillas are much better for you (0 grams of fat vs. up to 10 per tortilla).

Overgrown Arch

2008-03-11T21:45:00.004-04:00

Okay, I'm getting Photoshop a little more figured out and having a ton of fun with it. This is a picture I took on a blah day- bad lighting, etc. But with a little adjustment and texturing fun it turned out really interesting. You can see the original below (I always like seeing before and after pictures).

Sunrise

2008-03-08T16:09:00.002-05:00

Okay, I couldn't stand looking at that last post any longer. The B&W picture looks really tacky and fake, so I had to put something new on here. The other morning I went out to a vineyard close to where I live and spent the morning with the geese photographing the sunrise. It wasn't an especially spectacular morning but being out that early with nobody around was fabulous.

Playing with Photoshop

2008-03-06T20:20:00.003-05:00

After
Before

I just got Photoshop Elements (for only $60 on Amazon!) and have spent the last few days playing with it. It made me realize that I have a LOT to learn about photography. I'm pretty new to the whole thing so hopefully I will get better with time. But I'm having a ton of fun trying to figure out photoshop. This is the picture I worked on today. Truth be told I don't like the finished product, I would much rather look at the original. But I did learn a lot about the software during the process. I took my son out for a little photo shoot and this was one of the very few pictures where he was sitting still and looking at the camera. Most of the picrues are of his back as he was running away from me.

Asian Pork Dumplings

2008-03-03T09:10:00.001-05:00

I went to a recipe-exchange night for my church and we made these fabulous asian dumplings. I liked them so much that the next night I made them for my family. As always, the recipe is easy and actually pretty darn cheap. You can get a stack of 100 dumpling wrappers at Aisan markets for $1.29! I will have to start exploring ethnic markets more and see what other cheap and delicious treasures I can find.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork
1 medium head cabbage (I used the Napa variety)
5 carrots
2 onions
3 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp. ginger

Cook the pork in a skillet until brown. Drain off as much fat as possible. Put pork, cabbage, carrots, onions, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. I actually used a blender- just be careful to not put too much in at once, otherwise it juices the ingredients. Once you have everything chopped and mixed together place 2-3 tsp of filling on each wrapper.
Then dip your fingers in water and get the edge wet half way around. This allows the dough to stick together when you fold it in half .
Fold the dumpling in half and pinch the edges to seal it.
When you are done folding them stick them in a skillet with a little oil (just enough to cover the bottom) and fry about 3 minutes on each side. For a healthier version you can also boil them for 5-8 minutes. We dipped them in an sweet chili sauce from the asian store and in a sesame oil-soy sauce blend.

This recipe makes about 100 dumplings. If you serve them as a main dish count on 10-15 dumplings per person. The recipe is very forgiving so add and subtract ingredients according to your personal preference. I think next time I make it I will use less pork and more cabbage to make them a little healthier. I have also heard that adding mushrooms or water chestnuts is good.

Boppy Cover

2008-02-29T11:56:00.003-05:00

I'm pregnant with my second baby and this time around all I wanted was a Boppy pillow for nursing. But at $40 a pop I wasn't too willing to go out and buy one. Luckily I was at the fabric store the other day and found a pillow form (under the name Nurture Nest) for $12 that came with a pattern to make your own slipcover. I found some cheap fabric and was able to get the whole thing for under $20! The pattern was super simple but it was the first time I sewed in a zipper, so there was some good time spent unpicking things. I think the hardest part of the whole thing was trying to get a good picture of it. Pillows just don't photograph well- now I understand why they always show them with a baby lounging in it.

Apple Tart

2008-02-25T13:59:00.003-05:00

We got stuck with a huge bag of apples after a school event so last night we decided to put them into some sort of dessert. I looked on the internet and ran across this recipe for an apple tart and I think I have a new go-to dessert. It has everything you could want in a recipe: easy, delicious, looks fabulous, simple ingredients. Perfect.

I used a premade crust from the grocery store which made it that much simpler. I'm sure a homemade crust would be better, but until I work up the ambition for that, a store crust worked great. Mine turned out delicious but a little mushy because I didn't use cooking apples. Apparently those signs at the grocery store indicating whether it is an "eating" apple or a "cooking" apple actually mean something. I guess I'll just have to make it again. Oh, and I baked it at 350 for about 40 minutes. The recipe doesn't specify a temperature but this worked. The crust was nice and flaky and the apples were cooked through.

Art Smock

2008-02-21T15:51:00.004-05:00

I made this art smock for my 3-year old nephew for Christmas and absolutely loved it. I got the pattern here. The pattern is an 18-month size but with some adjustments I made it a 3T. If I had been more ambitious I would have put a pocket on it, but it works as is. It's super simple to sew together and makes a great gift. And apparently can be worn sans clothes.

shuttersisters.com challenge

2008-02-18T18:18:00.004-05:00

Today's challenge at shuttersisters.com was to get a picture of your husband where he is not a prop for your children- a picture of just him that captures why you love him. A surprisingly difficult challenge. But I do have one picture that I absolutely love of my husband. I took this on a vacation just the two of us took this summer. I have always loved his hands- they are strong and big and always make me feel so safe. I love this picture because it shows off his hands. I love the way he's sitting. I love that his wedding ring is showing. I love that he's wearing his watch and dress casual clothes. I love that he's outside in the baking sun. For me this captures my husband.

Create Music-Mozart's Sonata in A Major, K.331

2008-02-18T18:09:00.002-05:00

I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night and woke up crabby. Never a good omen for the day. The only way surefire way to get me out of my cranky funks is to play the piano. I took piano lessons for years, although to hear me now you would never guess it. Fortunately I have enough residual skills to get me through a few movements of one of the most beautiful songs ever written. There is nothing like Mozart to soothe frayed nerves and create a welcoming atmosphere in a cramped, old apartment. Note: that is not me playing the piano in the video. Although one can always dream...

Don't Forget the Rocks

2008-02-18T16:53:00.004-05:00

Today the temperature reached into the sixties so I took my little man outside to explore. We didn't have time to go to the playground and I felt bad that we could only go to the nasty patch of grass behind our apartment complex. But he reminded me that nasty patches of grass are actually full of little treasures. He found these two rocks that were about the same size and couldn't stop looking at them and showing them to me. Oh, that such simple things made me so happy. I downloaded these photos onto my computer and opened them in photoshop to play with them- maybe boost the color, fix them up somehow- but that would have ruined the pictures. I'm a believer of pictures telling a story and these photos are him showing me that even on a dull, overcast day in a nasty patch of grass simple treasures abound. Thanks, little man, for another life lesson.

So Simple Vegetable Soup

2008-02-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

When I was 19 I lived in France with a french family and the mom was an amazing cook. I still use many of her recipes but mostly just her approach to cooking as I cook for my own family. Like most french people, they started out every meal with a salad and in the winter with this vegetable soup. I remembered this soup the other day and looked through my recipes until I found it. When I looked at the ingredients I actually had to do a double take- it really is just vegetables and a few Tablespoons of milk. I've been making a lot of soups lately that require mounds of ingredients, spices, and especially cheeses and creams so this was a real find for me. No wonder french women don't get fat! (PS, I love that book and the recipes in it)

Ingredients (for this batch):
3 potatoes
5 carrots
1 onion
5 stalks celery
about 1/4 milk

Boil the vegetables then blend in a blender with milk. I seasoned mine with a pinch of thyme, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. The great thing about this soup is that you can use whatever you have in your fridge and whatever spices you feel like. It isn't rich or exploding with flavor so it works best as a side or a starter. We ate it last night with turkey sandwiches and it was a perfectly satisfying meal. Also, my 18 month old son LOVED it and ate about a cup and a half. I couldn't have been happier.

My Non-Diaper Bag

2008-02-12T21:59:00.004-05:00

I am always carrying a big bag around full of snacks, wipes, diapers, toys, trash, etc. so whenever I get the chance to leave the house with just my wallet and keys it is cause for celebration. Unfortunately for the last few months I haven't had a small purse to put my stuff in so I just walk around with my jacket pockets bulging- not very attractive or practical. I had this leftover fabric from a failed Christmas project and decided to make it into a purse. My husband informed me that it looks like a sofa, and to be honest I don't really love it, but I do love the design. Maybe when I find the perfect fabric I'll make me another one. Until then, this sure beats stuffed pockets.

I got the "pattern" here. I tweaked it quite a bit but this was good for the basic idea. This is the first purse I have made and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. The dimensions for the rectangular piece that I used were 12" x 16". I also added lining and a handle, but that isn't really necessary.

Thank You, Thank You

2008-02-05T22:05:00.001-05:00

I'm not much of a scrapbooker but I love all the patterned papers and stamps so I have settled on making cards. I can always use cards and I can make one in a single sitting- a perfect fit.

The letter stamps on this card are from one of my favorite companies called technique tuesday. I love their acrylic stamps since they are clear so I can see exactly where I'm stamping. Plus they have a great variety of alphabets and other dang cute stuff.

Teriyaki Kabobs

2008-02-04T10:19:00.000-05:00

This has to be one of my favorite meals. I love freshly grilled vegetables and the sweet and tangy taste of teriyaki sauce. I made separate meat skewers and vegetable skewers because I prefer my vegetables "naked"- no sauce. While grilling baste the chicken periodically with the teriyaki sauce until cooked through. I prefer these kabobs served on a bed of brown rice with more of the teriyaki sauce drizzled on top. Delish!!

While I was growing up my mom would make huge batches of this sauce so we always had a quart jar in the fridge that we would use on chicken, fish, stir fry, etc. It's a super easy and versatile recipe that keeps well in the fridge.

Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 C soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/2 C sugar
1 t chili powder
2 T honey
1 T vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 t ginger

Combine all ingredients and bring to a low boil.

Storage Bag

2008-02-03T13:07:00.000-05:00

With a one-year old it seems that small toys just appear- I don't think I buy them, we somehow just acquire them. They keep floating around my house creating clutter everywhere so I made this simple storage bag to keep some of them together. The bottom fabric is actually a from a sheet that I picked up on super clearance. Having a big piece of a solid neutral color like that comes in handy all the time. The other fabric is just left-overs from various projects.

Dishtowel Bib

2008-01-29T12:36:00.001-05:00

I have made a bunch of these lately for baby showers and for my own son. Today I had an extra dish towel laying around and decided that we could use on more at our house. In my opinion, this is the best bib around- and SO easy to make.
Materials needed (for three):
3 Dishtowels
1/4 yard of stretch ribbing
pins
thread to match the ribbing

1. Begin by cutting a hole 4" in diameter about 1/4 of the way down the dishtowel.
2. Cut a piece of ribbing 13" X 3.5" so it stretches parallel with the long side.
3. Fold the ribbing down 3/8" on each of the long sides. Then fold the ribbing short sides together and sew using a 3/8" seam. (see picture).

4. Fold the ribbing "ring" in half and iron.
5. Pin the ribbing around the hole sandwiching the dishtowel between the ribbing, making sure to stretch the ribbing evenly around the hole. This sounds much more complicated than it is.

6. Once pinned, simply sew along the edge of the ribbing, making sure that you catch the dishtowel and the other side of the ribbing.

Voila! Finished!

Notes:
*The measurements for the hole can be adjusted for different children, just make sure the the ribbing is shorter than the circumference of the hole.
*If you have a serger you could simply serge the ribbing to the hole, bypassing any "sandwiching.

Dead Leaves

2008-01-28T20:48:00.000-05:00

Winter is not the traditional time to view leaves but I am always inspired by the leaves that hang around to see the snow. I took this photo on a walk this afternoon with my son and played around with it on Photoshop until I got the "wintery" look I wanted.