saturday in pictures

I so rock at this blogging thing.

• a couple of people asked about how I made these fabric pinwheels
  for Izzy's birthday. seriously, they were so half-assed but it's cute fabric and a pinwheel - how could I go wrong? I was going to try to cobble together some sort of tutorial but I haven't had the sewing machine out once since the party soooo, I stumbled on this tutorial and I haven't looked at it but I'm positive it's 1000% more thorough than anything I could come up with so check it out if you're interested!
• YAY. I bookmarked her work forever ago and even made my own yarn wreath last year...this year though, it'll be much better thanks to this tutorial!
• and if I make one of those, I'm going to need one of these
  as well.
• I bookmarked this tutorial
  awhile ago and want to make it badly but I still haven't figured out where to put it. If I have to, I'll put it in the damn laundry room.
• I made this recipe that Rebecca shared. Make it. Now. So delicious. I just made sauteed onions and brown rice rather than the green rice and we wrapped it all in a tortilla. YUM.
• I'm obsessed over this blog. I keep going back and studying all the details. So cool.
• Halloween was a success even though I completely wussed out on the preparations...store-bought costumes, no pumpkin carving (though we did make it to the pumpkin patch in mid-October) and no decorations. The kids could not possibly have cared less about all the stuff I *didn't* do though. Star Wars costumes + candy out the ears makes them happy. Izzy and I shared a box of Nerds while C took the boys out.

OK, there was more but I started this post more than 24 hours ago so that's all you get for now :p

Peace.

september 29: made me happy this morning :)

september 25: having a baby girl flipped my long forgotten estrogen switch

september 24: fuzzy fo

september 22: quiet time

september 21: hanging by a thread

september 16: fourteen months and counting

september 11: rockstar in the making

september 8: no first day jitters for these two

september 6: still infatuated with the mario brothers

september 2: late summer beach trip

an impromptu (hence the phone picture) trip to the beach on a gorgeous late summer day :)

september 1: new specs

making stuff...the party edition

Izzy had a party a couple of weeks ago dontcha know?

So, I knit her this hat.


Because I needed a good picture for this invitation. (her middle name is walker but I shortened isabella to "izzy b" awhile ago and it stuck :)


And I have a sewing machine that is begging to be used so I made this banner to hang some pictures from for a display of her first year in photos.


And then for favors, I made some fun pinwheels and clipped them to some brown paper lunch sacks that I sewed shut with my sewing machine. That thing is proving to come in handy.


I made this little cake too. My first buttercream frosting ever. And it was good. And buttery. And way pinker than I intended. But I never used a gel color before. Lesson learned.


She seemed to be fine with it though :)

making stuff...the patriotic edition

One day, I took Zack to Hobby lobby. And while we were checking out, he asked if he could have one of the bandanas at the check out. They were orange afterall. And, they had red as well. So, I could satisfy both boys and their color preferences for the rock-bottom price of 99 cents each. And, there was a third color - blue. So, of course miss Izzy could have her own color.

But why not get 2?


And turn it into the simplest little dress EVER.


Hem the bottom.


Create a pocket on top for the eyelet lace ribbon.


Seam the sides and voila! (note, I did not type "viola!" because that is a stringed instrument not an exclamation synonymous with "check it out!")

making stuff...the gastronomic edition

So I went out of town for a few days. I had good intentions of setting up a few blog posts ahead of time to post while I was gone but although I started 5, yes FIVE, new posts, none of them were completed and ready to go. I have a good start on them though so I should be able to get on a good roll this week :)

For this one, just a quickie. Another recipe that we really enjoy. I think I got it from allrecipes but I can't remember for sure! I realize it doesn't look like much in the photo but trust me - seriously delicious (as long as you like just a bit of heat.) I add some toasted sesame seeds on top and serve it over brown rice. Usually with some steamed broccoli (which hadn't made it to the plate when I took the photo.)


Orange Garlic Beef

• cloves minced garlic (you know me by now, right? yes, add more)
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb boneless sirloin steak cut into strips
• 1/2 t grated orange rind
• 1/4 C orange juice
• 1 T cornstarch
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 t sesame oil
• 3/4 C sliced green onions

1. Combine garlic, pepper and beef tossing well.
2. Whisk together rind, juice, cornstarch and soy sauce.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add beef mixture and onions - saute about 2 minutes.
4. Add juice mixture and cook until sauce thickens (about 2 minutes) stirring frequently.
5. Enjoy!

And, a few link shares:

love this jewelry collection

we don't really buy bottled water anymore but how pretty is this diy project?

how fast could I go broke on $25 hooded onesies? FAST. Especially Dandy Lions. And mmmh, Delicious. And Pillow Fight. And Be Cool. And. And. And.

making stuff...the notalgic edition

This is a blanket I finished a few months ago.

It's not really a pattern I would typically choose.

But my grandma was a knitter and taught me how years and years ago. She knit me countless sweaters and slippers and blankets. This is all I have left though. And, it has a hole in it.

I quit for more than 20 years and had to be re-taught. I wanted to knit something to connect me to my grandma and preserve the last gift she gave to me in some small way.

So, I found the stitch pattern she had used for the blanket, chose a yarn and set to work.

And now, it's done. And even though it was kind of monotonous, I'm glad I did it. Izzy sleeps with it now. And she seems to like it. That's all the validation I need.

making stuff...

So, I haven't had much of a desire to blog lately but I do still want to have this to look back on at some point. I'm sure I'll regain my motivation sooner or later so, in an effort to post *something* I'm going to share some of the stuff I've been making. I'll spread some projects out over the course of a few days in an effort to prove that I am still doing something :)

First up this little halter top for Iz. I seriously love this thing - I think it may be my favorite finished knit ever and it was SO easy that I'm thinking miss Iz needs a few more in every color of the rainbow. You can find the pattern here if you're so inclined to make one yourself - I knit it in the round because I prefer circular needles and am not a fan of seaming.