Life

This is a fish. That can live out of the water. He’s a Mudskipper and his story is fascinating.

Husband and I were introduced to him by Oprah, on the new Discovery series called Life. Check it out again this coming Sunday. It’s amazing.

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O & S Lazy Day Skirt

I went out to lunch with Anna last week to catch up. Unfortunately, the food wasn’t anything to blog about, but the conversation was! She told me about the Learning to Sew Project from Oliver & S. I’ve been reading the Oliver & S blog ever since I found their patterns over at Treadle Yard Goods, but I didn’t know they would also teach me to sew! What they’ve done is put together a list of free project/patterns for the beginning sewer. They’re designed to be progressively more difficult as you go down the list. And of course each project is adorable and perfect for Daughter!

I started with the Lazy Days Skirt because it’s first on the list. And they are right, it was super, duper easy. It took just a little over an hour from start to finish. (It took me a little bit longer because I had to wait for Daughter to wake up before I measured her waist.) I can’t wait until she’s walking and the weather is a bit warmer so she can wear it.

Up next? The Popover Sundress. This one requires a pattern. Wish me luck.

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Crispy Fish!

Desperate for a simple dinner the other night, I opened a Cooking Light magazine and there was the answer. Crispy Fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce. Perfect. A tilapia fillet dredged in eggs and then a mixture of panko and spices, quickly broiled and served with diced potato wedges and grilled zucchini. Very simple. Very quick. Very delicious.

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One Year

A year ago today Husband, Dog and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into our lives.

This year we’re trying to keep up with a very active one-year old who is full of smiles and laughter. She surprises us daily, and like her Mama, loves to eat.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl.

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Carrot Soup & Cupcakes!

A couple of dear friends came over this past weekend to start celebrating Daughter’s first birthday. It was a lovely, sunny spring day, and the oven was broken, so I made a big pot of this Carrot Soup. I love Carrot Soup and this one was no exception. It was simple, with just shallots, carrots and some fresh ginger and the best thing about it was that it tasted like Carrots. Yummy, fresh carrots. The worst thing about it? I made a double batch, and there was still barely any leftover. So by now it’s long gone. I guess I’ll make more!

Our reward to eating healthy carrot soup with a delightful salad? CUPCAKES! Pictured above, they were (past tense, since they’re gone) Carrot Cake, Oreo, Hostess Cream Filling, and German Chocolate. Yum.

Thanks ladies! We had a blast.

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Etsy Finds

I love this time of year. The snow is usually gone, days are getting longer and there are green things popping out of the earth. But best of all, it’s birthday season in my world, meaning most of my friend’s birthdays are in the spring. For the first two birthdays (Yep, the rest of you will have to wait to see what I find for you), I found these beautiful necklaces on Etsy.

The top one is called Cloud Necklace, the second is a Sparrow Nest with Pearls. They’re both from MDSparks, a very talented woman in Salt Lake City. I love them both dearly, and was tempted to order one of each for myself. But I had some self-control and just ordered the two.

But I’ve bookmarked her shop, so next time I have the urge, I know where to find her. Check out the rest of her pieces, they’re beautiful, whimsical and best of all, affordable!

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pillows!

I made a pillow! Actually, two! But they’re the same. Or pretty close.

As soon as I found this fabric at Ikea, I knew I had to make it into pillows for our TV room. We have tan Room and Board couches in there and the walls are the color of Hot Chocolate. So I knew they’d be perfect.

I used the pattern for the Semi-Simple Pillows from Amy Karol’s Bend-the-Rules Sewing Book. But I made them Really-Simple by skipping the first step of adding a hand-appliqued panel to the front. These are simple. The front of the pillow is an 18×18 square, and the back forms a simple envelope to slide in the pillow form. (Which was 50% off at Joann today! Score! I bought four!)

I am so happy with them. I would love to find a similar patterned fabric in the same color scheme to make two more.

Oh, and I think I’m addicted. So if you would like a pillow (sans pillow form) for a minimal fee let me know. I only have so many couches to cover with these things.

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Quick Dinner with Leftovers

The problem? Three containers from leftovers from a Memorial Service lunch buffet. One was full of strawberries and grapes. Easy, we’ll eat them and feed them to daughter. The second one was full of cheese. Yes, slices of cheese. The whole box, but we’ll come back to that. And the third box was full of broccoli and peeled cucumber slices. Okay – I can work with that.

I broiled a Salmon fillet, put some rice in the rice cooker and let the broccoli steam in the enclosed tray. I diced up the cucumber, added some red onion, rice wine vinegar, a splash of sake, a bit of salt, a pinch of sugar and Dinner was served.

The cucumber salsa was light and the perfect complement to the fish. So easy, so quick.

Now, who want’s a grilled cheese?

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

And Yes, I actually am Irish!

My grandfather, Charlie,  was born in Ireland, in the town of Arklow just south of Dublin. He was the fourth son for my great-grandparents, and the last of their children born in Ireland. His father came to Minnesota shortly before he was born and Charlie, his three brothers and Mother didn’t join my Great-Grandfather until Charlie was eleven years old. More children followed once they were all settles in the states.

Even after decades of living in the US, I could still hear a bit of an Irish accent when my Grandfather spoke. He was a gentle man who spent hours and hours fixing every little thing in his house or working in his flower garden. Nothing was every broken, because he tinkered with it and fixed it before it had the change to break. His gardens were bursting with color from the first sign of spring until first frost.

My parents and sister have all made the journey back to Arklow to see the building where Charlie was born. A visit is on my bucket list and I sure hope it’s sooner, rather than later.

So, from one Irish-American to the rest of you on this beautifully green day, Happy St. Patricks Day! May you enjoy a Pint and a plate of fish and chips. I know I will.

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Martha’s Plastic Bag Organizer

I made a quick project this weekend, Martha Stewart’s Plastic Bag Organizer. It was really easy and i didn’t need to pick out any fabric; it uses a dish towel! Last time I went to Ikea I picked up a four-pack of towels and when I got them home I wasn’t happy with them. So, perfect, I used one to make this bag! A few pins, a long stitch and a couple slits and it was done. The hardest party was stuffing the elastic through the hem of the towel. But I got ‘er done. And now ti’s hanging beautifully above the basement stairs just waiting to collect those evil plastic bags we can’t seem to stop using.

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