eat. sleep. eat again.

1) make pesto
2) buy (or make) wheat tortillas and muenster cheese
3) spread pesto on tortilla
4) slice (or grate) muenster on tortilla
5) toast or grill till muenster is melty
6) eat
7) rep[eat]


Todd's started classes again. My scant free time is even scarcer. Knitting tops blogging, so I'll see y'all when I see ya.
xo

Extreme Peanut Butter Cookies

Took a little blog break there...

I've made these cookies twice now in the past two weeks. Peanut butter is my favorite kind of cookie, and then I added dark chocolate M&Ms to bring Todd and Roo on-board. And I also slashed the sugar and used whole wheat flour and added oats, just to really make me feel good about things. So here they are:

PBC w/ M&Ms
1 C butter
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar (I left this out the second batch; meh)
1 C peanut butter (be generous!)
2 Tbsp. milk
2 eggs
2 2/3 C flour (I used a combo of bread flour and whole wheat)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 C oats
16 oz. M&Ms

Bake 375 degrees for 8-10 min.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

As mentioned previously, I made my first foray into jam making a few weeks ago. We don't have a canner yet, so I mashed and mixed up a batch of freezer jam. Verdict: pretty good. It was fun to experiment, and strawberry freezer jam on just-baked bread is mmm-mmm-good, BUT, I think I like other uses for my fresh strawberries better. Like these scones. Or those popsicles.

So, there you go.

More Show-(off)-and-Tell

Back when Roo was a small babe, I got the itch to learn to quilt by making her a crib blanket.

I got started, and then got distracted, and then worked on it some more, and then wandered off to other projects, then picked it up again, only to drop it for something else.

Finally, this spring, I'd had enough. I didn't get it done in time for her third birthday, but I did finish it up shortly after that.

And I love it. It's hand quilted, with plain flannel as batting, and with a machine- and hand-sewn double-fold binding, inspired by the Follow-The-Lines Baby Quilt in Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts.

Now I just have to get myself started on Moo's.

Summertime....

My good friend Karen brought over some awesome popsicle molds she'd had when she was a kid, thus inspiring/requiring me to find a recipe and start making homemade popsicles. The first recipe I tried was a winner, so I just made another batch with leftovers from my (also a first) venture into the world of jam making. The strawberry freezer jam is still setting, so for now I'll share the new family summertime staple:

Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles

Combine
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and mashed (about 2 cups)
1/4 C sugar
2 Tbsp. water
in a small saucepan and bring to boil; simmer for 5 min.

Mix in
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

then fold in
1 C plain yogurt (homemade if you've got it, natch)

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4 hrs.

(To loosen the molds, run them under hot tap water for a few moments.)

Enjoy!!!

More homemade yes please!

I made this! On my grandma's vintage sewing machine!

I mentioned Moo's boppy last post. Here he is anchored to the couch with his boppy 'seat belt' back when he was first sitting up on his own.

Babies grow SO fast. Here's what he was up to last week:

We have a pre-crawler on our hands... we're at the rolling, spinning, scootching-backwards-into-corners stage. Let the crawling commence!

Where to Start?

Oh man, there's so much to share. Sewing, knitting, baking, cooking, CSA goodness, spring and summer activities, the garden, the basement... Think I can start posting regularly again?

So let's go back a bit.

First off, I made an origami paper ball mobile to hang over Moo's crib. It was Todd's idea, really, I just executed it.

Next, I made a boppy from scratch. I found a great free cover pattern online, and made a solid pillow and then a zippered, removable, washable cover. While I haven't ever used a boppy for nursing, I love love love them for when a baby is learning to sit up on his own, and they make great booster seats, too.

Then I made a new hat, out of some of my favorite bulky yarn. Because I was completely bald in back(!)

I finished a Shalom out of some organic wool I received as a Christmas gift. But I've decided I want to add sleeves before the cool weather returns this fall. My first knitted sweater! w00t!

I made a soft toy for Moo. Knit in bulky yarn on size 10s, the tiny turtle becomes a perfectly-sized baby toy. This is my current go-to baby gift, since it is so fun to knit up.

I made some little bunnies for Roo for Easter. And I finially finished her quilt!

I was making a Citron for myself, but I sent it to someone who unexpectedly needed its warmth and softness and beauty more than I did. It was my first shawl/lace project, and I learned a lot about yarn choice with this one.

I finished a sweater for Moo, big enough for him to wear this fall and winter and next spring. Big enough, incidentally, for Roo to wear as a 3/4 length sleeved cardigan right now. So I want to knit another one for her, maybe golden yellow with white stripes?

Now I'm about half-way through a Buttercup (Ravelry link) for me and a super-secret knitting project that I am very excited about.

Basement!

Todd's been working for over a year now on finishing our basement, and today we finally started mudding and taping the drywall. It feels like we're entering the homestretch, though there's the mudding, the priming and painting, the trim work and door hanging, and the floor to install. Still, we've come a long way.
Here are pictures of our layout and progress. These were taken a few weeks ago already, so we have more of the drywall up, but you get the idea.

The big family room with double-sided fireplace. Off to the right is the door into the cap garage.

Family room view from the door into the cap garage. You can see the bottom of the stairs in the middle back.

We're hoping to add a wet bar and an island in this corner. Also an under-stair storage area.

Sorry this picture is so dark, but this will be the reading room, with comfy chairs around the fireplace.

This back corner will be the computer and study space, with a storage closet on the right. Stairs are just to the left. To the right in back is a roughed-in bathroom, which we won't finish yet, and the mechanical room. Apologies on the public display of litterboxes...

And lastly, this will be the spare bedroom/art studio/music room/home office. The bays in the wall are for built-in shelving. We get lots of afternoon light in all the basement windows, and they look out on our fledgling garden, so someday I think it's going to be really beautiful down here. Cosy too, with that fireplace.

Mad props to Todd for working so hard. He's done 95% of what you see all by himself... framing, wiring, lifting all that drywall...

Yum

Getting together with friends is always an excuse to bake. Sometimes I even go for something fancy, like lemon meringue pie. That is hand-beaten meringue, folks. Todd had to take over the last few minutes because my arm was falling off.

A productive day: cinnamon rolls, baked sweet potatoes, and lemon meringue pie!

Meringue. Meeerringuueee.

Other recent goodies include rice pudding, teisen lap, and chocolate chip cookies.

Last week Roo and I tried making these for Valentines decorations, but I was kinda bummed about the project. She wasn't able to help much - the crayons were too hard for her to shave, and then I had to do the ironing and the cutting-out. And they were really quite fragile. Maybe I didn't heat them enough. But at least she had fun coloring with the other crayons in my big box.

That Time of Year

These aren't resolutions as much as notes to myself. Because life is busy and I am working on our daily routine.

Take the time to enjoy at least one bath a week. We have a whirlpool after all, so use it.
Take more photos of the babes. One of them is growing fast fast fast, and the other one is up to such neat tricks nowadays.
Use that wonderful afternoon quiet hour to relax already! And take a nap if needed. In the sunshine.
As always, write more letters.
Maybe start drawing again? And get that fiddle out! Good thing orchestra is starting again in a week.
Knitting, knitting, knitting.
Weekly meal planning? Everyday Food?
Roo loves to help. Why not let her?

Baby!

It's old news now, but hey! we had our baby!

Mica Sievert was born about 6:45am on October 16th, 6lbs 11oz. He's doing great, and we're working on transitioning to a family of 4... and also working on transitioning back to life with a newborn. Holy guacamole are nighttimes FUN. ;)

Thank goodness for dads. And grandmas who come out for a week or two at a time.

Obsession

Over the 4th a friend shared some delicious strawberry yogurt scones with us, and as I have a failed batch of (not-quite-set-)yogurt to use up pronto, I did a little research and found a new recipe to try. And oh goodness, these things are sooo tasty, quick, and more than a little addicting. Think strawberry shortcake in portable form; not so sweet, not so rich, and just right for a morning or afternoon snack. I have 2 quarts of yogurt to use, and so far I've made 3 batches of scones, with no plans to stop now. I'm happily filling my freezer.

The recipe, snagged from here:

Oven 425
Makes 8 scones

2 C flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
4 Tbsp. butter
3/4 C chopped strawberries
3/4 C plain yogurt

Combine dry, cut in butter, fold in strawberries, then yogurt.

Turn dough onto floured surface and knead a few times. Press out into rectangle, fold into thirds, then double. Press out into 9" round and cut into 8 triangles.

Bake on a flour-dusted cookie sheet, approx. 15 min. or until golden.

Meh

My computer still on the fritz, and I'm using all my afternoon down time to knit and/or stream Wimbledon matches on Todd's tablet pc.

Also it was HOT HOT HOT last week. Hard to do anything when it's 90 degrees out, and 80 degrees in your kitchen/dining/living room.

Another (almost) F/O

I've been meaning to make Roo a doll for a while, now that she's starting to show interest in her stuffed animals and cuddling with things other than rulers and calculators. So I knit her this:

(The second arm is still on the needles and coming soon.)

She'll also get a dress, and maybe eventually a pair of pants and a sweater. Roo likes to pull out her hair.

The pattern is Airy Fairy from Zoe Mellor's Knitted Toys, and Ravelry details are here.