Ahhh...so sweet

Here's the finished baby booties with a matching hat.  A sweet little gift for a sweet new baby on the way.

Just too Cute?

Pardon me while I harken back to the good ol' days when my children were babies (even before we knew they were going to be girls!!!) Back in my early crafting days, I sewed hooded baby bath towels. I remember making a duckie when Jill was born and a teddy bear when we were expecting Meredith.  I also remember making some frogs and other adorable critters to give away to friends who were having babies.

I haven't thought about this craft for nearly 30 years (ouch! that seems old-lady-ish), but we have a friend at work who is expecting a baby after years of hoping and trying for another child.  That's a sure cause for celebration, so a secret baby shower is in the works.  Isn't it always the case that a blessing comes just after you've given everything away or sold all the baby things at a garage sale??

Ta-da!! I remembered the hooded towels and came up with this inspiration during the week:  Pink Puppies (they just got a new dog, too!)  Yes...the new baby is "most likely" a girl, although I may make another towel that is more gender- neutral to include with the gift as back-up.  It was fun to make (after all these years)  I especially love the ears and the polka dots!

I also had an idea for little booties.  Here's the "proto-type" but I'm not happy with the color (too yellowish). I have more yarn in my stash and I'll try again.  Also, the booties seem too big for a newborn. I'll adjust the needle size and see what I get.  It was a one evening, watching tv project after a long and sort of stressful week.  Felt good to do something tangible!

Joy on a Plate and in a Pan

Lemon Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!! I haven't cut into the cake yet (waiting for JB to come home), but each step along the way tasted yummy.  It was so much fun to bake this cheery cake on a grey and rainy spring Saturday morning.  The recipe (from Southern Living) is for a basic white cake with lemon curd filling between three layers, and all covered with cream cheese frosting and coconut.

Related to cooking,  this is my recent splurge:  new cookware from LeCreuset.  I've yearned for a set of cast iron cookware for a long time, but couldn't justify the price.  I don't really cook "big things" all that often, they are quire pricey $$$, and I already I have stuff from my Mom and other odds and ends.

How's this for "justification?"  WHY SHOULDN'T I??  Maybe if I had nice cookware I might cook more?  All of the pots and pans I have are mismatched, worn out and lid-less (that is so true!) So,  I used part of the stipend I earned in West Virginia to splurge on myself (and actually, now that I have the cookware, I can think even more fondly of my time with the WVASCC each time I use the pans!)

I'll have them forever and they're in my favorite color!

CAKE UPDATE:  Yum.

Easter memories

Holidays are always about family, so of course today  I'm thinking about my parents and the Easter egg hunts and big family dinners we used to have.  Although my mother NEVER wrote down any recipe for her delicious meals, I think that I've reconstructed her famous and much loved beef and noodles.  I made it for dinner last night, and I have to say with some humbleness...it was delicious.

Here's what I think Mom's noodle recipe might've been:

5 egg yolks (for her, it was just what ever you had left over after making something like an Angel food cake that used only the whites)
2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 c (scant) of milk ("just enough" to get the dough together)

I made the noodles on Thursday and let them dry overnight.  On Friday, I rolled them up and cut them, just as I had seen her do thousands of times.  To be fair, she cut hers every thin and they were always exactly evenly done.  Mine were a bit more hap-hazard.  They continued to dry until Saturday.

I cooked the beef roast "low and slow" in the oven until it made it's own "juice" that was rich and brown.  After taking out the meat to "rest" - although it was done, done, done (Mom cooked it to death, and so did I!) - I added some beef stock to give me enough liquid to cook the noodles.

I dropped them in, let them simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, and kept an eye on the level of the broth so the noodles wouldn't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. (I can still hear her saying that!) Here's a photo of the noodles in the pot SHE always cooked them in.  Maybe that's why my noodles tasted so much like hers??!

No doubt about it, this is one HEAVY meal:  Beef and noodles with mashed potatoes.  Comfort food at it's most comforting because it was from Mom.  This is much different than the way we cook and eat today, but it's so nice to know I can pull it off when needed.  Another way she stays with us.

How about a little pineapple upside down cake for todays  dinner?  This one is gluten-free and delicious.

Hippity-hoppity Happy Easter.  Happy Spring.

Summertime (Spring break, anyway!) and the Living is Easy

The cushions are in place for the bench and two of the chairs.  I'm almost ready for summer.  

I still hope to make two more cushions for the folding chairs, but we're set for now.  I've done quite a bit of crafting and cooking over spring break and hope to post a few more things before I get back to school.

SB#1

First things First on this First day of Spring Break.  CLEANING THE HOUSE!  Check!  All is relatively clean except for the closets (that's a lifetime of work and worry!) and the gunk behind the stove.  Enough said about that!

After a full morning of cleaning, etc, it was time to tackle craft #1: a new seat cushion for the outdoor bench.

This outdoor furniture belonged to my parents (modeled by Gus)  I remember these chairs, table, and seat from WAY BACK IN THE DAY when I was in junior high.  At the time, it had plastic yellow cushions.  Mom kept those until she passed away, but when I inherited the furniture, it was clear they were old, filled with holes, and a little water logged from years of sitting in the rain.  So, I decided that I could make something new.

Step one:  measure carefully!  I made a template of the seat and bought some foam padding.  This was NOT cheap.  I was surprised how expensive the padding alone would be.  Luckily, the outdoor fabric was on sale! A couple of reasons that I decided to make the cushion were: I couldn't find anything the right size and shape for this old-time bench, and everything already for sale was super, duper even more expensive than the materials I purchased.

Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy, I covered the padding with less than 1.5 yards of outdoor fabric and made two ties to secure it to the bench.

Ta-da! Now it's being enjoyed by Bob (Gus is no where around!)

Tomorrow's little crafting adventure?  Getting the oil changed, etc, in my car.  That means knitting time in the waiting room for me!