Eye spy...something that starts with J.

My first and most obvious choice would be, of course, Jasper…

I mean who wouldn’t think of that cute little face first? I think he must have some kind of hold on me…almost like I’ve been hypnotized. (*shakes head to clear the fog*)

But really, what I spy is January. So far, this January has been very strange. The first week or so was very chilly. So chilly I was sleeping in, not only my pj’s, but also a sweater on top of them and about 7 blankets. Then it got really warm, in the 80”s type of warm. Then we got a couple of days of drizzle. Then, last night, hail, thunderstorms, wind, the whole shebang. Today, sunny…

Weird, I tell ya.

For more J things, go here and check 'em out.

This weekend's project.

Because we have a very very far way to go to get the house where we want it I've got a list of projects that will take approximately one weekend to get finished. This weekend's project got put at the top of the list because we are having a candle party (think Tupperware but with candles and candle holders) and we have very limited seating. So, I decided I'd finally make cushions for this chair...

My family has had this chair since I was a kid, when my dad brought it home from somewhere. I always sat in this one (he brought home 2, this one and one with arms that are arch shaped) reading or watching TV, usually with my feet in the air and my head hanging over the edge of the seat. It's really a huge chair if you can't tell from the photo. For the last 8 years I've had it in my possession in this poor state. No cushion, paint peeling, etc. I kept telling myself I'd get to it but never did. Finally, though, due to necessity, I have. I spent the weekend making these cushions...

The seat cushion was made from scratch but the big pillow is a pillow form that I bought and I just made a sham. I love that Alexander Henry fabric on the seat cushion. There's something about the black and white combo that really speaks to me.

Eventually, the frame will be painted white and the arms black but for the party, this is ok. The back of the big pillow looks like this...

I was originally going to put buttons with loop closures on it but I just thought it would be too much. I'm a minimalist at heart.

I've made pillows and pillow covers before but the big cushion is a first for me. It was a challenge. I've never done anything box like. Making sure corners all meet up was an interesting experience.

How did you spend your weekend?

Love Fridays

I really do love Fridays. Being my day off from work and having no one else at home but me and the critters, I take advantage of the opportunity to do things I wouldn't normally do. Like cook myself a nice hearty breakfast. Today it was my favorite scramble...

my "Creamy Sausage and Cilantro Scramble"
Ingredients:
2 or 3 eggs (depends on how hungry you are)
1 tablespoon cream cheese
2 0r 3 breakfast sausage links
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 handful cilantro leaves
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Cook sausage first, chop into small chunks, set aside. In a bowl scramble together eggs, garlic and cilantro. Slice cream cheese into small chunks, add to eggs. In a pan heat olive oil, add sausage. Pour egg mixture over sausage and scramble. The cream cheese makes the eggs take a little longer to cook, just be careful not to burn.

Plus toast and YUMMY Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam from Le Gourmet Chef.

All this after sleeping in til 8...yeah Fridays are good. To see more reasons to love you some Friday, go to Tinniegirl's blog and check out everybody else's weekend gateway.

They grow up so fast!

Remember this little kitty...

When did she turn into this big cat??

I think it happened over night. Big jungle kitty is now bigger than little pampered dog.

My first apron

It feels good to have a sewing machine again! Ours is still loaned out but my sister belatedly remembered that she teaches sewing as an elective every summer and has 10 sewing machines just lying around her classroom during the school year. She loaned me one of those and, frankly, it's a better machine than our own. So now I can make those Christmas presents that never got made, maybe they'll end up being Valentine's Day gifts.

Anyway, I joined a swap on swap-bot called "Sound of Music - My favorite things" swap. Basically you make something that is inspired by the lyrics of the song. So I made this apron as my "girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes" interpretation. It's my first apron. It came out a little narrow but other than that it came out pretty decent. I lucked out and found this 3 inch wide satin ribbon at Joann and just used it like bias tape for the waste band / ties. And used some white eyelet from the stash so it was a very cheap project and a quick one too. I finished it in just about an hour a half...for me that's super quick.

In other news, I got a pleasant surprise the other day when I got home from work and this was in my mail box...

My very cute ornament from Edward and Lilly. Isn't it adorable?! Thank you, Rebecca!

Take Action!

Have you heard of the CPSIA? That’s the Consumer Product Safety Information Act. If you haven’t then let me shed some light on it for you. In an attempt to prevent products with high lead contents from reaching America’s children the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has come up with this act that basically says all products geared for children 12 and under must be tested by a third, neutral party for lead (they require 600ppm or less at the moment to go down eventually to 100ppm). I have read, mostly on other people’s blogs, that every product will need to be tested, not every product line, but every actual, individual product. That sounded ridiculous to me even considering the sources so I did some snooping around on the CPSC site and frankly, the wording is vague, purposely, I believe.

The latest update that they have listed on the CPSC website does propose that certain materials aren’t harmful because they naturally do not have or have very very small amounts of lead in them. Here’s a quote:
“The staff recommends that the following natural materials be found by the Commission not to exceed the CPSIA lead limits based on the available scientific information and the staff’s best professional judgment that such materials do not contain lead or contain lead at levels that do not exceed the CPSIA lead limits. The staff recommends that these finding only apply to a material that is untreated and unadulterated by the addition of materials or chemicals including pigments, dyes, coatings, finishes or any other substance, and has not undergone any processing that could result in lead content that exceeds the CPSIA lead limits.”
(So basically there are certain materials that they think are ok but only in their natural state, no dyes or pigments, etc.)

Here are the items they deem to be ok…
Precious gemstones: diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald
Certain semiprecious gemstones…provided that the mineral or material is not based on lead or lead compounds (duh!) and is not associated in nature with any mineral that is based on lead or lead compounds (huh?!)
Natural or cultured pearls
Wood
Natural fibers, including cotton, silk, wool, hemp, flax, and linen
Other natural materials including coral, amber, feathers, fur, and untreated leather
Surgical steel
Precious metals

The crafting world is in an uproar about this, and rightly so. There is a point where government regulation becomes heavy handed, invasive and absurd. This act has past that point. They have dismissed a whole sector of people whose livelihood depends solely on what they make at their sewing machine or in their workshop in their garage or in their “studio” that’s in the spare bedroom. For any item to fall strictly into any of those categories above is unreasonable. To ask that these handmade items be tested by a testing lab (which I know from first hand experience) is not only unreasonable but criminal. All those Etsy or MadeIt sellers that would fall under the CPSIA purview will have no choice but to close up shop or to sell strictly to people in other countries. It would mean the end of all those booths at farmer’s markets and street fairs and craft fairs and holiday boutiques where men and women have not only toiled to have a fair amount of inventory at their booth, they’re also sitting there making more. You won’t see this anymore. It’s a piece of Americana that’s about to vanish.

If you’ve read this far (well, I’m impressed because I’m usually not this wordy) I implore you to take action. It doesn’t take much effort on your part. Go to the Handmade Toy Alliance website, do some more reading if you’d like, or just do a letter to your senator. On the site they have a sample letter where you just copy and paste and fill in your information then email it to your senator. Don’t know who your senator or representative is? They’ll help you with that too. They also have some suggested solutions if you've decided to look into this further. And last but certainly not least, don’t forget to sign their petition.

If you're an American and this has struck a chord with you, please do not sit idly by. Take action.

One of my resolutions

Ok, let me start by saying that I stopped making new year's resolutions when I was around 20 because I never stuck to them and I figure why set myself up for disappointment on an annual basis. So instead of resolving to stick to my resolutions I resolved to make no more resolutions.

This year, though, I decided to make a couple, ones I know I can stick to. The first is to cook more, eat out less. So tonight I made myself dinner (yakisoba noodles with soy steak stripes, garlic, and corn - we're low on groceries right now) and dessert, this dessert...

I call it Cinnamon Pear Crumble. I've never made this before or actually anything like it, I'm more a cake/cookie person so it was something of an experiment. It came out rather well, I must say. That's why I decided to list the recipe (or what I think ended up being the recipe :) ) I hope you enjoy it!

Cinnamon Pear Crumble

Filling:

1 can quartered pears

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Topping:

3 or 4 tablespoons brown sugar (I used light brown but it would probably be even better with dark brown)

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees (Farenheit).

For the filling I drained then divided the pears into two ramekins then divided the cinnamon and sugar between the two and made sure the pears were well coated.

For the topping,melt the butter and mix together with the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour until all flour has been mixed in. Crumble on top of pears. Cook for 20 minutes.

I'm not generally a cooked fruit lover but pears are one of my exceptions to that rule. They're just yummy!!

Happy New Year! and my butt hurts

Happy New Year everybody!! I tried valiantly to stay up last night and ring in the new year with, if not some revelry, at least some wakefulness. Alas, I fell fast asleep well before midnight then woke up again at 12:05, so I missed the ball dropping and Dick Clark. That's a symptom of age, or so I hear.

Anyway, My sister and I have gone back and forth over the last 2 months since moving into the house on what sofa to get. We agree that we want a dark color (probably dark brown/chocolate) but other than that we can't seem to agree. I like clean lines, she likes the poofy overstuffed floppy looking sofas. So we have yet to get one. In the meantime we've been sitting on all manner of chair. From dining chairs to camp chairs to outdoor chairs, which is what I'm sitting on now. This is why my arse is continuously sore, at least while I'm watching tv or on the computer. If it were solely up to me, it would be one of these...

They are all from this company their & names are 1. Park 2. Arlette 3. Lola 4. Metropole. I love them.

Merry Christmas!!!

The AWESOMEST give away ever!!

Burda Style is having a huge give away! they're giving this away...

I mean, really, how awesome is that?! Unfortunately, it's only open to people in the United States or it's jurisdictions. That kinda stinks for everyone else out there. But if you do live in the US you have until midnight tonight (eastern time - that's less than an hour, sorry for the short notice!) Hurry!!

Babies

The babies are everywhere these days! I just thought to myself the other day that for a single, childless woman, I sure do buy a lot of baby clothes, toys, items, etc. I guess my friends and I are all in that age group where having children is the thing to do. I don't mean to make it sound like some passing trend, I just can't seem to think of better wording right now.

Here's one of the most recent arrivals...

Eye spy...some bling

This week's theme was a bit hard for me to get a handle on. I'm not a bling-y person. I rarely wear jewelry, I don't like rhinestones, and I don't generally decorate with shiney objects. Attracted and distracted by shiny objects? Of course. So, I decided to use this little ornament...

Do you see it? It's right here..

It's one of those ornaments that have made it through years of Christmases in our house. I can't remember a single Christmas with out this and several other ornaments. My mom, just a couple weeks ago, gave us a box of stuff she had packed away with s ton of her handmade ornaments, this one single glass ornament and a couple of other odds and ends. I was so tickled to see this shiny little bauble! Too bad this is the only one of the glass ones that survived.

Thanks to Hoppo Bumpo for the topic! Check out some more bling over at Bug and Pop.

As a side note, a while back I said that since this is the first fireplace I've ever had I will make a point of making a fire and drink hot chocolate in front of the fire. So that's what I did. We were all cozy and warm with our frst fire in our new house with a nice big mug of steaming hot chocolate...

Love Fridays

I don't technically play along with the Love Fridays meme but I just felt I needed to today. And really, I do love them. Fridays have recently become my day off (not by choice but that's alright) and I can't wait to put them to good use. So far they've been spent waiting for some type of repairman or installer of something to come to the house and then waiting for them to finish. I should be utilizing my waiting time knocking out the gifts that I still have to make (and haven't started) but my sister loaned out the sewing machine to a friend of ours and we haven't gotten it back yet.

Sooooo....instead, my time is spent torturing my poor pets with things like this...

Please forgive me, I couldn't resist! I don't know if you can see it in the picture but the hat has little pointed elf ears on the sides. And let me tell you, poor little bub did not like that thing on his head. But after much hemming and hawing or at least the doggy version of hemming and hawing he finally sat still enough for me to get 2 pics squeezed out, both of which are blurry but this one was the lesser of the two.


Maybe next friday I'll actually be productive, or maybe not.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

A while back one of our This is topics was favorite children's book and I listed my favorite story, Peter Pan. However, I don't really consider Peter Pan a "children's" book, unless you're talking about "children of all ages" because as an adult I enjoy it as much as I did when I was a kid. Then a couple weeks ago I was reminded of a book from my childhood that was, by far, my favorite. It's called Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and illustrations by Ron Barrett.

The story is a grandfather telling his grand kids about a town called Chewandswallow where all the food the town eats comes from the weather.

It rains juice and snows mashed potatoes and peas and there are big hamburger storm clouds.


The weather comes three times a day

They have a roofless restaurant

And things were good

Until....

Things started to go uncontrollable

Way out of control

So the townspeople decide to leave Chewandswallow by making boats out of huge slices of bread

They go across the sea where they are welcomed but where they have to get used to things like grocery stores.

And they all lived happily ever after. Or something like that. It's a great story and the illustrations are alot of fun to look at. This copy is going to be a certain little girl's Christmas present because she loves books. A girl after my own heart.

O Tannenbaum!

Yesterday's Eye-spy post made me want to write up a post about our Christmas tree. It's funny, a few years back we bought a fake, pre-lit tree because we both had gotten tired of the clean up and maintenance of a real tree. In fact, last year we didn't even put up the fake one. We got as far as taking out the ornaments but never got out the tree so we ended up pinning the light, non-breakable ones to the ceiling (one of my sister's kookier ideas).







However, as soon as we saw this house we knew we were going to get a real tree. The big picture window made it nearly impossible to resist. So over the weekend we went and bought us a 7 footer (2 feet bigger than any tree we had while living in the condo).

We both have a strong aversion to the shiny metallic garland and tinsel so for many years we used this giant chenille ric rac...

Unfortunately, since this is a much bigger tree we didn't really have enough to use on the whole tree and of course, I have no idea where I got it. So, we stopped about 3 feet from the floor but turns out that was a good thing because of this little critter...

So far she's been very good. She has climbed up the trunk a couple of feet but hasn't knocked anything off yet. But I just know that if that ric rac were closer to the ground it would prove too much of a temptation and we'd come home to a horizontal tree. That's why we loaded it up with non-breakables and kept all the pretty glass or ceramic ornaments that we've collected over the years tucked safely away in the ornament boxes.


So, we have mostly cloth and metal and a couple of plastic ornaments most of which were gifts, and a lot of which are handmade...

I've always loved decorating the Christmas tree. This year even more so. I don't know why, maybe because of the new house or the new kitty or maybe all of the above.

Our audience while we decorated the tree.

Eye spy...a burst of color

This week's theme (by Flossy-P) was just plain hard for me to narrow down because of all the Christmas decorations that are floating around right now. I finally picked one of the ornaments on our tree. Made by mom. I love the colors of Christmas!

The preceding installment of eye-spy has been brought to you by BugandPop.

I spy...in my garden

Here's the new meme that all the cool kids are joining! I Spy over at Bug and Pop (thanks to Cindy for starting this!).

Today's (ok, really it was yesterday's, once again, I'm a day late) theme is brought to you by CurlyPops.

At the moment we don't really have a garden. We've been in the new house for a month now and haven't had time to focus on the outside of the house at all so here's what our yards (both front and back) look like right now...

Not much to choose from. I did try and get a picture of the neighborhood stray cat that I've been feeding (shh don't tell anyone) but she wasn't out there when I came out this morning. She's usually out there waiting for me every morning...I hope nothing happened to her.

If you'd like to play along, go on over to Cindy's blog and sign up!

Christmas Tea

A while back I mentioned that our church's annual Christmas Tea was coming up in this post. And that my inspiration was this table...

Today was the tea and here's how my version turned out...

The picture makes it look way more bland than it really was. Maybe this shot will be better...

Or how about this one...

Anyway, in person it was very sparkly. I scoured all the thrift stores in a 15 mile radius for just the right pieces. Almost all the candle holders were thrifted, except for one from Michael's and one from Pier 1. This dessert stand...

I made from plates and cups that I found at a thrift store. The things not from a thrift store were the two teapots

and a leaded crystal bowl that belongs to my sister. And the place settings

that we already had. As a substitute for place cards, which is what we've done in the past, we made these initial ornaments for everybody, they turned out ok, I think.

But the most popular thing on the table were these...

Bacon-and-cream cheese scones...yum!!!! I found the recipe here...a blog about bacon - makes me giggle. If you like to cook or even if you like to just eat, you should try it out. If you're a vegetarian, well I've never used the fake bacon so I don't know if it crumbles like real bacon but I would imagine just cutting it up into appropriate sized pieces would work. Anyway, I, and many of the woman at the tea HIGHLY recommend them.

So that's how I spent my Saturday afternoon, how about you?

Shhh...don't tell anyone

But edward and lilly is having a give away! Ok, I suppose you should probably tell everyone about it but I'm secretly hoping you don't because then my chances of winning won't go down. And I really wanna win. Check out the super cute ornaments she's been cooking up over there for the last few months...

Head on over and enter the give away!