the Middlebrook Family

sacred space and sacred people

2011-11-01T16:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry to disappoint if you were hoping for another one of Katie's awesome posts, today you get Thomas :p

The apostle Paul once wrote in Romans 8 a passage that has hounded the corners of my mind for some time now. I had some thoughts on it today, so I thought I'd exorcise them here (after writing it, I must warn that it is heady, confusing, and long) . Below, I've changed the formatting but not the order of the passage:

----------
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

     - For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
     - For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that
     - the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
     - And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

For in this hope we were saved.
     - Now hope that is seen is not hope.
For who hopes for what he sees?
     - But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
----------

The theologians I have read lately have wanted to say that the groaning of creation relates to the desire of non-human creation to be caught up in Jesus Christ. Unpacked, that seems to mean that creation wants to participate in Jesus' redemptive power, as well as his creative power (Jn. 1:3: all things were made through him). I thought, "Of course, creation knows the creative power of Jesus; creation was created! But what manner of redemption is needed for non-sentient stuff, the amoral creation? They did not fall into sin."

Growing up, teachers pointed to God's cursing the ground in Genesis 3 as a kind of brokenness to the very fabric of created order. Maybe then, creation would need redemption.... but honestly, I never bought that. I've reread the passage closely. Our relationship with creation, especially agriculture, was broken, not the thing itself. I mean, the Garden of Eden was filled with a fully functional garden (created and certainly agricultural) so if something went wrong, creation could still function rightly sans humanity. Right?

So if Luther wrote about humanity's "Bondage of the Will" then what is in the book about creation's "Bondage to Corruption" (cf. passage above)? We are saved, and have faith in this, and sometimes even do so patiently! Therefore, we are patient groaners. And creation is too. Strangely enough, that really does remind me of our plight. Are you a patient groaner too?

Today's insight comes in a roundabout way. First, baptism is a symbol of death and rebirth. Namely our participation in Christ's death. But in many ways it is a proclamation about our future death, that we will rise from it in order to truly live. In other words, we are prefiguring our ultimate adoption as children of God with new bodies (again, cf. passage above).

Secondly, creation is also promised a "new body." See the new earth in Is. 65:17, II Pt. 3:13, and Rev. 21:1. Not again with water, but with fire creation will die and then be reborn.

Third, is the application the "already/not yet" concept. It is means that the Kingdom of God has come, is coming, and will come. So, it is clear what is "not yet" (eternal life, love, etc.). The "already", I believe, is the sanctification, transformation, reconciliation, and other -ation's made possible by the indwelling Holy Spirit in us.

Last, the "already" for creation is also the indwelling Holy Spirit in us. This makes sense for at least three reasons. #1 - in the passage above, creation and humanity seem to have parallel and simultaneous experiences. #2 - in Genesis 3, creation and humanity were subjected also to our respective bondages simultaneously. We became futile on the same day. #3 - in Heaven and Eden, God's purpose for humanity is to live with him, as his sacred people. Perhaps, God's purpose for creation is to be in his presence, as his sacred space.

In sum:

Creation was unwillingly subjected to a corrupt people who made profane space in creation necessary. And so creation futilely strove to be sacred. In ancient temples, mankind would present an idealized creation with gardens and iconography, which often depicted scenes from their "creation stories." Unfortunately for our profane space, these temples did not house God, save one. But now! Creation has this promise of sacred space again. Creation is home to the Holy Spirit, roaming across the land again in temples that are not made by human hands (Acts 7). The Church and Creation both have tongues of flame resting upon them, awaiting the fuller cleansing of our corruption and the surpassing glory that is to be among us, sacred space and sacred people.

Twirl Skirts

2011-10-24T16:29:00.000-05:00

Tonight I get to share a God story with my bible study girls. It's just supposed to be a short story of a time God seemed very present/made a dramatic impact in your life. I'm going to tell a love story :). When Thomas fell for me I didn't only experience his love- but it was really my first experience being wooed by God. I'm kind of excited to share it with them. Maybe I'll type it up and share it here as well.

In the meantime I'm still organizing photos so I can upload them to flickr, etc. The internet really is a wonderful place. Most of the pattern and fabric designers I use and blogs I follow have flickr groups. The online crafting community offers such a wealth of inspiration and support. When I make something, I typically upload it to an appropriate flickr group with a link to a blog for anyone wanting more information about where to find the fabric and pattern. It's fun to see how others interpret the same patterns and get feedback from other sewers (and occasionally even the designers!!).

In the last blog post I introduced my love to MADE with my use of her simple skirt tutorial for the Garnet Hill skirt knock off. I had another chance recently to use the pattern and thought I might show you how it turned out, as well as my other favorite skirt tutorial.

Sarah Jane's Children at Play fabric line is so cute! Such a great playful line for a toddlers. I used the double layer variation of the simple skirt and came up with this (unfortunately completed and sent to it's cute owner while my camera was in the shop):

This is a super simple, comfy skirt that can be thrown together quickly and really shows off a great print.

BUT, I don't always like simple. When it comes to presents I really enjoy making things that are extra special. Jona G's Edith Twirl Skirt was one of the first children's clothing patterns I used, and I have loved it ever since. All of the gathering takes a bit of time, but I really like that there are no pattern pieces to cut or keep up with, just lots of rectangles :). This was created for my oldest niece for her 2nd birthday (oooh- see the difference with my nice camera!?- everyone say THANK you JILL):

And this was done for another niece (back to the iPhone-meh). Her mom picked out the fabrics- super fun collaboration!

You can check out my past two Edith Twirl Skirt creations here and here if you want to see more!

Garnet Hill Skirt Knock Off

2011-10-13T16:45:00.001-05:00

I hope you all enjoyed Thomas' first post on his trip to Israel. LEAVE A COMMENT - it'll probably encourage him to do his second installment sooner.

In the meantime, I've been digging through the pics on my computer and thought I might share a simple recycle project that I first mentioned back in February. It of course took me until July to sew, and until October to share :).

Here's the inspiration photo from Garnet Hill. I thought these were so cute! But way too pricey at $40 a skirt.

At a local Salvation Army I looked for a man's shirt- something bright with a strong pattern. Although, this wasn't quite what I was hoping for, at $1.50 (it was half price green tag day) it was a steal for an experiment. Add $1 worth of elastic and less than that in thread, and you have a fantastic substitute for a $40 skirt.

If you sew, have kids, and like clean design, you probably already read MADE, but if you don't check it out! Dana has great taste, a wonderful photographic eye, and a ton of fun, free tutorials. For this project I used her Simple Skirt tutorial.

Do you like how I don't iron before I sew? I get more done this way :).

This really was a super fast skirt pattern. I added some pockets like the inspiration skirt. Eden LOVES pockets. They are perfect for all the rocks and flowers she collects. Seriously- does anybody else's kid think that rocks are the coolest things ever?

The only tweak that would have made it closer to the inspiration (aside from a brighter, bolder print) would be to replace the buttons with some bright colors. Maybe next summer :).

I mentioned that I finished this skirt in July- which was when Thomas was in Israel. Eden did GREAT all things considered for a two year old whose dad is overseas for a month; however, she had a few, hmmm, "behavior flare ups" and they really came across in her desire to not be cute for pictures.

I think she failed :). My little wild thing.

This is what happens when you teach them to roar before they can even talk.

Well- at least she eventually stopped growling :).

Summer Israel Trip

2011-10-10T23:19:00.001-05:00

As many of you know I spent about a month in Israel in excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa and doing some limited but widespread touring of the country. I thought I would wait until my traveling buds and I exchanged photos before I presented anything, since they might have that killer shot of this or that but no more! I have been heckled enough and hope to dole out some of the gems of my experience here. I don't know how long it will take but I will begin.

If you have any questions please just ask and if you just get bored with my text just look at the pictures or better yet head over there yourself. It would be well worth your time. I always felt safe and there are plenty of companies that can give you a first rate tour.

Let's begin with DAN (aka - Tell Qadi).

Dan is an old site along a major trade route. Along with Abel Beth-Maacah to the west, it guarded the northern segment of the Jordan river and the entrance into Israel proper. The river meanders in the lush Hula Valley where Israel now grows a good bit of its banana crop. North of Dan there are two parallel mountain ranges that run north-south slopping off near Mount Hermon. Dan sits in the shadow of this snow peaked giant, and marked one of the main east-west crossings in the region. As a border town, it saw many wars (yay! Archaeologically speaking, destruction is your best friend because it leaves plenty of material for our greedy trowels to uncover and a clear distinction between earlier and later occupation level. Consider distinguishing what remains of ten homes built directly one top of one another, don't forget foundations and robbing for building material.)

It is poetic that this "gateway" city boasts a world famous gate. The dates are somewhat debated but the excavated Middle Bronze gate (c. 2000 BC) has a "triple arch," the oldest arch on the planet (the arched gate at Ashkelon is the other main contender). It is mud brick and was found almost complete, still bearing its own weight!

For some reason it was only used for a short period of time. Coincidentally, the story of Abraham coming into the promised land is also set within the Middle Bronze Age.

In the days of the Israelites the tribe of Dan settled this city, formerly Laish, and made a go of it, trading with the nations to the north who were mostly Aramean. Hence, the popular phrase "from Dan to Beer-Sheba" refers to the capital cities of the northernmost (Dan) and southernmost (Simeon) tribes. The city was likely pretty prosperous and pretty pagan, being so far from the center of the country; although it became especially wayward, according to the OT, after the division of the Israelite monarchy. Jeroboam, the dissenting king, had no choice but to sponsor new temples of worship at Dan and Bethel. Only kings built temples. They were intimately connected with your dynastic authority. Besides, without Jerusalem, Jeroboam had to delineate the spiritual geography of his land and gain the support of the religious leaders that would recognize his "divine" right to rule.

This is the temple he built. The metal frame reconstructs the likely height of the altar, whose sacrifices would attract Baal (Yahweh?) to enter and reside in the temple. You may recall that Jeroboam made golden calves, not golden Baals. There is good reason for this. In the ancient Near East (ANE), deities had specific animals that functioned as their thrones. Some took several. God chose cherubim (divine beings) for his throne atop the ark of the covenant, as did Solomon and many Phoenician kings. Weather deities liked calves, Asherah liked lions, etc. The job of the cult was to make the place attractive to invite the deity to sit down and rule. At this temple, the stonework is especially fine in places and the level of preservation was very good.

The Iron Age II gate (inside of 1000-780 BC) was particularly impressive. Actually it follows a pattern in Israel for having a inner and outer gate, perpendicular to each other, with a courtyard in between. Much of the life of a city would be spent in and around this area. Therefore the king/governor couldn't afford not to have a presence in the middle of it all (check out my friend Dan on the throne below). In fact, strangers were probably prohibited from entering unless they were received by the ruler or elders (eg - visiting relatives, religious and royal ambassadors). Merchants and other travelers would have conducted their business somewhere outside the inner gate, at the city but not in the city. The top plan of the inner gate would have looked like two "E"s facing each other, looking from above. The side chambers this created gave room for the guards and elders to convene. They are barely visible in the last picture.

The cool springs at the site are an attraction in and of the themselves and I look forward to dipping my tired feet in them again. Well, that should keep ya'll off my back for a while while I prepare another post about another sweet site I was privileged to visit. Just for fun, I'll leave you with a picture of myself sparring with a soldier from Hazor, which is at the southern end of the same valley as Dan.

[nb- if you click on the photos I think it will zoom in]

Dress To Bless

2011-10-02T23:04:00.001-05:00

I'm really excited to share this with you all!! Dress to Bless Ministries is the creation and hard work of Katy Roberts- someone who grew up in my home town of Carthage, TX. She has dedicated a lot of time and talent to create this non profit organization committed to helping the hungry by providing physical and spiritual nourishment through a partnership with Samaritan's Purse. Every dress sold provides a child with ONE month of nourishing food! Katy even has it set up so that you can buy a dress, send the money to Samaritan's Purse, AND have the dress donated to a needy child locally OR in Africa. Double Blessings :).

Dress to Bless began just this past May, and in less than 6 months they have raised $1300 for Samaritan's Purse.

Because ALL profits are given to Samaritan's Purse, Dress to Bless relies heavily on fabric and dress donations.

Of course I think this is a FANTASTIC IDEA. So I made a few dresses (I'm REALLY enjoying the few hours a week alone while Eden is in school).

Cupcake Pillowcase Dress- 12-18 months

Red Ruffle A-Line Dress (2T- a shorter dress, almost tunic length)
The ruffle insert on this dress was a delightful adaptation for any a-line dress. It really jazzes it up. I would love to do this with fancier fabrics for holidays. The tutorial can be found here.

Plaid A-Line with Ruffled Sleeves (3T)

These are listed on the Dress to Bless Ministries website. If you would like any of the dresses shown on her site, please email her at katyroberts84@gmail.com and specify the name of the dress (listed above each picture).

I would encourage any sewers to use your skills for this great cause. Pillowcase dress patterns are all over the internet and are free. The smaller dresses can usually be made from scraps you already have on hand. All three dresses were made using patterns from The Lily Bird Studio on Etsy. They were very easy to follow patterns that allow resale of the finished products on a small scale.

Apples!

2011-10-01T01:32:00.000-05:00

We've done it two years in a row now so it's officially a tradition!!

Can't you tell how excited she is??

About 15 minutes away there is a little family owned apple orchard called Heinz Orchard that reminds me a bit of the blueberry farm we loved in Nacogdoches. We seem to have fallen into two traditions revolving around Heinz. First is the annual Moms and Tots outing from our church. Apple picking is GREAT with toddlers. There are a lot of low branches, the apples snap off pretty easily, and the bag fills up quickly! We typically end with a little picnic and the kids run in the fields and pick flowers. It's nice to have some "country" experiences here.

Last year it was so much fun, that a friend and I ended up with WAY too many apples and decided to learn to can applesauce. This too has become part of the tradition. We make the spiced applesauce from The Joy of Cooking, and simply mash it really well with a fork. I say I like my applesauce really chunky, and while that is probably true, I'm also too cheap to spring for a food mill. I seriously hope I don't poison my family with a poor canning incident. In a dream world I would have enough time to pick 4 times as many apples and can applesauce for Christmas presents.

The second tradition is actually a bit longer standing than 2 years. Thomas and I have baked an apple pie on the first day(ish) of Fall throughout our marriage. The tradition is greatly enhanced by picking our own apples :). No pics of this outing because it was raining and cold. We met our good friend Eileen (she is also an integral part of the pie baking tradition) who awesomely spotted the mice family living in the apple tree- so cute!!

Eileen and I get together as close to the first day of Fall as possible and make pies. We freeze one or two and bake one. Typically I use the apple pie and crust recipe from my grandma's old Better Homes Cookbook. I finally detached myself enough from the sentimentality of the event and tried a new recipe from this book. The crust was much easier to handle and the recipe for apple cider infused apple pie was a hit.

We like serving our pie with a piece of good quality cheddar. Thankfully, Eden liked it too! I LOVE passing on traditions :).

September Recap

2011-09-29T16:59:00.000-05:00

At the end of August, Eden dropped my camera 6 inches onto a carpet, and it broke. Apparently cameras are super duper breakable. You can go ahead and judge my parenting skills for letting a toddler near enough a DSLR to break it- whoops! After a 4 week wait, I FINALLY have it back, all better. Unfortunately there were a lot of moments for which I would have really liked my camera- like EDEN'S FIRST DAY Of SCHOOL, first month in a big girl bed, and apple picking. I'm afraid I've become a camera snob, but honestly my iPhone camera does a really good job.

Aside from my lack of inspiring photos, I've also been in a blogging rut. I'm a bit lost on the direction so I'm going back to square one- just letting everyone know what we're up to, hopefully sprinkled with good recipes and cute pictures.

Let's simply start with a recap of September in photos:

First day of school for Eden was at the very beginning of September. We started with breakfast at our favorite coffee shop, Arriva Dolce (where the pic was taken), and went to Highland Park Community for a 30 minute mommy and me play group. Eden didn't look at me the whole time and had to be dragged out kicking and screaming! Thankfully the integration process ended and she gets to stay 2 hours without me twice a week now. She LOVES it. She apparently cracks her teachers up with her dance skills during music time, and she asks to go every day.

We also switched Eden to a big girl bed this month. It's been finished for months and sitting the basement, but she was adamant that she keep her crib. One random Saturday afternoon she asked if she could have it in her room. We were so excited we moved it up and rearranged everything before we remembered we had a babysitter that night! But, as expected, our generally obedient kiddo did great and has never gotten out on her own!

(working on the bed in April)

There has been a lot of coffee (and affogato) at Ariva Dolce. Yay Fall!

With Eden in school, I typically get to spend my Tuesday and Thursday mornings sewing. I have gotten SO MUCH DONE. When I was in Portland I visited the coolest fabric store- Cool Cottons- where I bought a lot of fabric and a raincoat pattern. I think I'm almost caught up to my purchases and will try to take good photos soon. For now, here is a pic of Eden in her raincoat, which is apparently the perfect accessory for September Illinois weather.

Eden looks more and more like me while she acts more and more like her dad. Case in point: here is a face that she makes when she is really enjoying something, like chocolate milk straws.

Thomas gave up Krav Maga to work on his skills as a tweezer ninja:

I am organizing weekly crafts for Eden's Sunday school class, and she likes to hang them on the fridge when she gets home:

Eden traded in her crayons for watercolors, and has started filling in objects instead of randomly coloring (I'm of course ridiculously proud!).

Fall has begun!! Which means boots, sweaters, and tights. This is the (only) time of year I really enjoy fashion. Thanks to a ton of hand me downs and thrifted purchases we're ready for cooler weather!

Fall also means enjoying nature :). There are a ton of nature preserves where we live and it's fun to explore on Saturdays when Thomas can spend the day with us.

Other than the pictures I could locate to visually describe our September here are a few last highlights:
Trinity Wives Fellowship has started up and we're two chapters into Dee Breston's study on Esther. I'm enjoying the regular fellowship.
Thomas and I are still getting together with our Missional Order (Highwood housegroup from church) on Tuesdays and are enriched greatly by this community.
Thomas' semester is well under way. He is taking Systematic Theology, and guided research projects in adult education theory and a survey of the longest Phoenician/Luwian inscription. He is also working on wrapping up a paper on his summer dig in Israel, prepping for teaching Sunday school after the new year, and applying to PhD programs.
I host a weekly off-campus play group at our house on Wednesdays and have LOVED my home being filled with a million kids and moms who thrive on the weekly chats with peers.

Coming up: apple picking and pie baking, my love for pinterest, and finished sewing projects!

Triplets

2011-08-22T17:37:00.000-05:00

Our garden is in its late season: overgrown, starting to die, but still bearing a lot of fruit stage. I'm sure not everyone's garden begins to look like a jungle at this point, but ours always does. We have tomatoes, sweet 100s, zucchini, and green peppers. I just found out you're supposed to cut back your tomato plants to help them grow better?? It's really amazing that anything grows under my care. I plant, water (sometimes), and the just sit back until it dies.

We always make a Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese when we have a surplus of cherry tomatoes and right now we have tons! We add kalmata olives and it's the perfect summer dinner. This morning I had the pleasure of taking a big batch over to a young couple with a new baby. I got to snuggle with her for a bit and it reminded me of my newest nieces and nephew. She's about a month old and they're almost 4, but they're about the same size!

So I'm thinking about them, Timothy, Elizabeth, and Mary, and wanted to share a few pics I snapped on our late July trip to Texas.

Mary was still in the hospital while we were there. While it was sad not seeing them altogether, it was nice to have one on one time with Mary. She is tinie tiny and has such piercing eyes.

If you didn't know Timothy and Elizabeth, you would think they were about a week old- sleepy, big cheeked cute newborns.

I cannot BELIEVE I have to wait until Christmas to snuggle with all these little ones again!

While thomas was gone

2011-08-16T22:12:00.000-05:00

Most of you know that between June 30 and August 7 Thomas was home for a mere 72 hours. Thankfully, for a week of that we were with him in Texas. I'm getting the question "what did you and Eden DO while Thomas was gone?" a lot, so I'm answering it here in the easiest way possible- a picture guide.

We played inside a lot because it was actually pretty hot in Illinois. Eden has started to play Mommy :).

Eden had a GREAT babysitter that allowed me to get a lot of work done and have some time to myself. The greatness of this sitter can best be described by the chalkboard drawing I found upon returning home from a Harry Potter matinee (and yes, movies by yourself can be awesome, especially when air conditioning is involved). Unfortunately she has returned to Georgia where she is a senior in college. I'm crossing my fingers that she lands her dream job in Chicago when she graduates in December.

We also experimented with making new crayons using old broken pieces and IKEA silicone ice cube trays. The hearts turned out great, all the star points broke off.

We played outside a lot. I have flowers, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini which I've managed to keep alive all summer!

We went to our favorite park in Glenview and played in a pool in our backyard.

Eden got her first bike, fun! We're still getting the hang of things, but have somehow managed to avoid serious injury thus far. She was also given a bubble machine from our really sweet neighbors.

In another first, she got a haircut! I started pestering her about getting one in March, and until one random day the week Thomas left for Israel, she was terrified of the idea. Thankfully, it was a great experience complete with an Angelina movie, balloon, and new headband.

So grownup! I love it :) and am already looking forward to the next one.

We took a lot of walks and spent a lot of time at Arriva Dolce- a new coffee/gelato shop in Highland Park. I've complained before that there was not a decent replacement for Java Jacks in our area- it's all starbucks and a couple non kid friendly local joints. Though I know nothing well ever replace JJ, this place is probably as close as I'll get. Best scones ever, good coffee, high chairs, close, lots of parking, nice baristas, and awesome atmosphere. Local people go and support them!!

I did manage to steal away one afternoon to explore part of the city. After reading Eat Shop Chicago I chose Andersonville as a place I could simply meander. In hindsight I wish I had done the Magnificent Mile, Logan Square, Lincoln Park, but I did have a pretty awesome lunch at Big Jones and an overall wonderfully relaxing time. I would like to do this again sometime. Anybody have a favorite Chicago neighborhood for walking around (cute shops, coffee, good lunch spot, art boutiques, etc)?

I finished this book and this book. Rearranged the living room. Ate a lot of toddler food. Went to Galveston sans Eden and spent two wonderful days with my best friends in the world. Mostly tried to do a lot to minimize missing Thomas- but of course it didn't work. We are very glad to have him back and I'll start pestering him to share some of his Israel trip on our blog!

Hey you...

2011-08-12T21:36:00.000-05:00

Yea- you. You still out there? My Mom hasn't written much because she's had her hands full with attitude such as this (and lots of fun silliness), but Daddy is back in town. She'll probably do something really silly like post a lot of stuff all at once to catch up, and then not post again for awhile. Just do what I do and call her silly and go about your business as usual.

The Dancing Bike Fairy

2011-07-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

This is what it looks like when your toddler dresses herself,

then runs around you in circles,

while you take pictures.

Community

2011-07-02T01:07:00.000-05:00

During the summer preaching series at our church we are reviewing Galatians, specifically Chapter 1 last week. Because of the discussion of unity, the liturgy included Psalm 133.

Pslam 133

When Brothers Dwell in Unit

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.

Our family is so BLESSED by the house group out of our church that I was overwhelmed with emotion when this Psalm was read. Good. Pleasant. Precious oil. Our church's house groups are referred to as Missional Orders and are set up based on location of members. There's a nice number of us here in Highwood. Instead of following a Bible study, we meet to help each other mature in Christ and discern how we can bring God's kingdom into our community. I know that can sound lofty, but God is at work in tangible ways in these people, this group, and the community. It's humbling to witness to say the least.

We of course have made a lot of friends through Trinity, as expected, but it's taken me by surprise how close I've become to our church community. My Trinity friends are so similar to me- mostly families with young children, husbands studying all the time, our futures seem so similar (in regards to our husbands careers). It's not surprising I expected to find support through this group. And I do.
By contrast, our Missional Order contains a mix of single and married people, some students, some not, secular jobs, church jobs, Eden is the only kid. When joining the group I wondered how our family would fit into this group that meets for a later dinner on a week night in houses that aren't child proofed. Wow- God really had a lot to show me about the unity found in his people.

Thomas left for Israel yesterday. He has arrived safely in Jerusalem, and as I am preparing to go to sleep, he is just getting up to start his first full day of exploration. While he is across the world and our family is 1000 miles south of Chicago, I can completely rest in the knowledge that I have the support of a group of people that love our family, know our needs, love as Christ loved, and serve sacrificially.

Oh, and of course we have a lot of fun.

Last week I brought dessert to house group. It was a good excuse to get a new toy (which if you're curious works wonderfully and tastes even better).

For Affogato Ice Cream Cake.

Basically a chocolate and vanilla ice cream cake with a chocolate wafer and chocolate chip crust and chocolate top layer served with espresso poured on top.

It was awesome. The recipe is found here: Chocolate Cakes.

Now I just need a good excuse to get this and then I can enjoy homemade lattes :).

The pure wishes of a child :)

2011-06-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

Today Eden and I talked a lot about Israel. Thomas will be flying there next Thursday and I wanted her to understand a bit about where he was going. We got out a world map and looked at where we live, where Texas is, and then where Israel is. We discussed that this is where Jesus was born. Next she wanted to look up a picture of Jesus. After discussing that we have no real pictures, Thomas found an image that would probably be fairly accurate to appease her curiosity.
Several hours later at the dinner table Eden started pretending that she was an airplane. She explained it held lots of people and could fly her to Texas and fly Daddy to where Jesus was born.
Then she looked up at me and exclaimed "Mommy! I want to see Jesus!"
I'm so happy you do baby girl, and I often pray hard that you have that passion for a very long time.

Oh and here's a cute picture, because, why not?

Fathers Day 2011

2011-06-21T17:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Fathers Day to a WONDERFUL guy :). Thomas works so hard and still always has tons of time for me and Eden. I can't even comprehend the responsibility he has right now: deciding his Fall schedule (which sets the course for his future PhD and career because he has to choose which ancient language to specialize), finding and applying to PhD programs, learning French, not un-learning Hebrew, researching everything there is to know about the site he leaves for in Israel in a week, creating Sunday school curriculum. These decisions will affect the future of our family in a big way, where we'll live in 1 year and also in 5 years, what kind of career he might have, etc, but they are decisions he ultimately has to make on his own. WOW. I just have to decide what's for dinner and I struggle :). He does it all with strength and still supports the community around him whenever there's a need. He even cooked dinner twice last week. Oh, and let's not forget he's quite handsome :). That doesn't really effect his fathering, but it's still true. Eden is blessed to have a father with family as such a high priority, who is patient with her, and makes her butterfly wings when she asks.

Happy Fathers Day!

2011

Fathers Day

2010

Fathers Day

2009

Cupcake Tasting Part II

2011-06-17T16:56:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in the last post, I threw a Chicago Cupcake Tasting for my 29th birthday. After collecting cupcakes from 8 Chicago bakeries I invited a group of gals (I think about a dozen came) to sample them and vote for their favorite bakery.

Here's the spread:

Sprinkles: Strawberry, Cinnamon Sugar, Chocolate Marshmallow (hiding in the background), Vanilla, Dark Chocolate with Sprinkles

Crumbs: Grasshopper

Crumbs: Cosmo, Baba Booey, Green Tea, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Raspberry Swirl, Cappucino

More Cupcakes: Margarita, Vanilla Raspberry, Amaretto Coconut, Chocolate Champagne, White Russian

Cupcakes: Breakfast Cupcake, Salted Caramel, Death by Chocolate, S'mores

Molly's Cupcakes: Lemon Meringue, The Ron Bennington, Cookie Monster, Blueberry Cheesecake

Phoebe's Cupcakes: Sangria, Peanut Butter Fudge

Bleeding Heart Bakery: Veruca Salt, Lemon Lavendaer, Oaxacan Hot Chocolate, Blueberry Basil, Strawberry Shortcake

Swirlz: Mango Passionfruit, Vanilla, Twixie, Red Velvet

Sugar Bliss: Chocolate Peppermint, Strawberry Dream, Chocolate Caramel

We cut each cupcake in fourths. Everyone was given a note card and asked to jot down their favorite three bakeries.

It was the first opportunity I'd had to have my two worlds collide- Trinity and Life (School) on The Vine (Church), at least in my home. It was nice that some already knew each other :). Lots of fun was had.

In the end, we decorated a shiny plaque for the winner: Phoebe's Cupcakes!

It was fun, and I think I might do it next year when I turn 29 again.

Chicago Cucpake Tasting Part 1

2011-06-15T22:43:00.005-05:00

It seemed ludicrous that I had lived in Chicago for almost 1.5 years without visiting ANY cupcake shops. That was all remedied for my birthday this year. Thomas gave me the day off so I could snag a friend and head into the city to collect cupcakes from EIGHT cupcake bakeries. This of course ended in the planning of a party to eat the cupcakes. Seriously, who wants to hate cupcakes by eating so many in one day? This task required friends. For now we'll just focus on the hunt. I will list more about the flavors when I talk about the cupcake tasting party in a later post.

Bakery #1: Bleeding Heart Bakery
We started at the most northern stop, in Rosco Village. This is a local, sustainable, punk rock bakery, which happily had punk rock customers. Tattoed up, listening to blaring punk music, eating cupcakes, at 10am. There was awesome people watching to be had.

They sold a lot more than cupcakes, but it wasn't hard to stick to our mission because their cupcakes looked fantastic.

There's my friend Eileen who I took on the crazy adventure- so glad to have her along :).

We ordered humongous scones for breakfast. I had a ginger scone (it had the largest chunks of candied ginger I've ever eaten whole and was not for the faint of heart. I couldn't pass up the chocolate covered bacon. YES. It was delicious.

Bakery #2: Phoebe's Cupcakes
A very different aesthetic from Bleeding Heart, Phoebe's was sort of cottage chic in the Lakeview neighborhood. Their art was very intriguing to me, it seemed a bit more edgy than the rest of their shop.

We, of course, told everyone what we were doing (it helped me feel better about snapping a million photos). This guy was totally into it and gave us 2 free cupcakes.

One had bacon :). It might me an odd trend, but I'm loving it.

Bakery #3: Molly's Cupcakes
Next we headed slightly south into Lincoln Park. This one made me want to do my homework before our trip (oooohhh the bad puns!). There was obviously some solid reasoning behind the name and decor of Molly's Cupcakes and I thought it was the cutest on our tour.

The place was decked out with vintage school house ephemera and memorabilia that highlighted the cool things Mrs. Molly did with her students. Some of the cupcakes were named after her friends and favorite things.

There was also a sprinkle station :).

Bakery #4: Swirlz Cupcakes
Swirlz was also in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Their buttercream cupcakes were really cute and their staff was super sweet.

The Twixie cupcakes looked familiar, but way more decadent.

Bakery #5: Sprinkles

After a quick lunch at Kim and Scott's Pretzel Cafe we headed into the heart of the city to checkout the most popular bakery, Sprinkles.

Wow, did people ever love their Sprinkles. If you saw a group of 5+ teenie boppers carrying designer bags headed down the sidewalk you knew exactly where you were going. It was a bit crazy in there.

I sort of felt like they were going to start screaming and throwing themselves on the cupcakes like they were the Jonas Brothers (or whatever bad is popular now, I know I'm 5 years too late for that comment).

Bakery #6: More Cupcakes
This was a very nice contrast to Sprinkles, and it was just across the street (they were both on Millineum Mile). It was TINY. And crowded. But it was also relatively quiet.

And REALLY luxurious.

Bakery #7: Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique
We hopped on the L and headed about 1 mile south for our last two visits. Oh Sugar Bliss, you had many hard acts to follow and it might be for that reason that you were so unimpressive in the sea of bakeries, but nonetheless there are no memories or observations to share. This was honestly a very vanilla little shop. I'm sure if I lived in the neighborhood I'd be happy they were there.

Bakery #8: Crumbs
Crumbs was not a necessary stop because I was spoiled and received a dozen assorted crumbs cupcake the day before our tour via mail from the awesome Anna and Ryan. But I have ordered their cupcakes as presents in the past (they have great variety and do mail order),wanted to visit them in person, and we were a mere few blocks away.

These guys were really excited about the cupcake tasting as well, though they didn't offer us free cupcakes :).

Check back for the party post!

Sleepy Eden

2011-06-13T00:54:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest installment of sleeping Eden pictures. The first three rows are the same pictures I posted last time, but the rest have never before been posted. I think I've only missed a few nights. Enjoy!

Portland Extravaganza

2011-06-11T17:31:00.001-05:00

Thomas has encouraged me for YEARS to take a vacation without him. He goes on a camping trip every year with some guys and thought I should plan something similar, except without all of camping, or the guys, or the spray batter in a can. This year an advertisement to a craft fair in Portland caught my eye. Visiting Portland has been a little dream of mine for a few years. The craft fair just happened to be the weekend Thomas finished school, and Mother's day, and a friend was miraculously interested and able to join me. I threw all caution and good sense to the wind and planned a 5 day vacation May 5-May 10 that was all about slow food and handmade shopping.

I can honestly say this was one of the best decisions I've made and mere memories of the trip might be enough to refresh me for years to come (which will be helpful because it's a once in 5 years experience).

Here's a rundown of the vacation: (oh, and be warned, I'm about to talk about food, A LOT)

There are unfortunately no photos of the first Portland encounter. After leaving the airport around 11pm Thursday night, we headed to Voodoo Doughnut to grab a late night snack, a punk rock 24 hr doughnut shop. I'm still craving another Grape Ape- one of the best yeast doughnuts I've had with vanilla frosting and a mixture of purple topping that I can only guess was grape koolaid, pixie sticks, pretzels, and dippin' stix mix.
We then checked in to our "La Quinta" (aka scary motel) and proceeded 1 hour later (around 2am) to call the front desk and cancel the rest of our nights.

Friday morning we started with breakfast at Tasty N Sons on N Williams. My breakfast (2) was a Spring Muffin with pickled beets, butter lettuce, red onion, beechers cheddar & a fried egg.

After breakfast we headed to Mississippi Ave nearby for some more browsing. We hit up Mr Green Beans, a DIY coffee roasting shop that also sold equipment for making your own cheese. We also visited The Meadow (1) a flower / bitter and wine (2) / salt (3) / chocolate (4) shop. Oh, and they also had tiny watercolor portraits that made you feel like you lived in France. This salted chocolate was recommended to me and I brought some home to Thomas. We just finished the last square yesterday and it's my favorite of all time.

Pistills Nursery is also on Mississippi, and though I obviously needed nothing from there that I could bring home, their chicken coop (1) and baby chicks (2)(3) were really cute.

After browsing a few indie clothing stores we had lunch at Mississippi Ave's food cart court (1). I got the Chickpea Sandwich from Garden State (Crisp fried garbanzo cake, lettuces, lemon aioli, roasted butternut squash on a ciabatta roll) YUMM and some carrot and pear juice.

Next we headed downtown, which was just across the river from our shopping adventure and met up with our guide for a Portland Walking Chocolate Decadence Tour. We started out at the Heathman Hotel where we received a brief history of chocolate (1- cacao nibs) and visited Cacao (2) on their first floor, a chocolate boutique specializing in drinking chocolate (3). I had this treat for the first time on our honeymoon in Italy and am thrilled that it's picking back up in the US. Our next stop was Benessere Oil and Vinegars (4) where we sampled dark chocolate balsamic vinegar with walnut oil. Drinking it straight seemed odd, but it turned out delicious and I'm pretty sure would be spectacular on a brownie. Teuscher: Chocolates of Switzerland (5) was next. Their Champagne Truffles are flown in from Switzerland and you can still fill the bubbles pop on your tongue. I got Eden a little crowned frog box (6) with a piece of hazelnut chocolate. She had asked me to bring her a frog back from Portland ;).

Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe (1) was next. Apparently it's highly endorsed by Oprah and a bit fancy. I brought back a bar of their Fortunato No 4 and it's been highly enjoyable. Then onto Leonidas (2), a Belgium chocolate boutique, where we had the only white chocolate I've ever enjoyed. After that was some random nice hotel lobby for a chocolate martini (3). Are you getting tired of chocolate by now? I think I was too :). Next to last on our hotel was Mio Gelato (4) for some tasty, very standard gelato. And last, we visited Cacao's larger cafe and had a tasting of 6 single origin chocolates with a bit more information about the process of cacao harvesting. After that we headed to our new hotel, got checked in, freshened up and headed to dinner.

We had dinner reservations at Simpatica Dining Hall, a slow food restaurant open Friday, Saturday & Sunday with a fixed menu. This is exactly what I expected out of Portland. The chef came out and talked to us before dinner about where our food came from- basically everything but the fishes' names. Dinner was simple, elegant and delicious and it was really fun watching the food being prepared (we had the closest seats to the kitchen). It was my first experience with Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, and it's now my favorite.

Saturday morning we got up and walked to the farmer's market. The weather was not participating so it would have been better without the once a 10 minute downpour of cold rain, but what a fun market! I can see why Portland can do sustainable so well. It's seems as though they can grow everything (1). I had cute pastries for breakfast (2), ate local honey with fresh biscuits from Pine State Biscuits (best biscuits I've ever had), bought local hazelnuts, perused cute pies peddled by a burly teddy bear of a man, and drank a honey cardamom latte.

After wandering around downtown a bit we headed to Crafty Wonderland. I have no pictures, mostly because vendors at crafts fairs don't really want you taking pictures for copyright reasons. But it was super fun and here are some my favorite vendors you should check out if you like that sort of thing:
Moss Handmade: Jewelry
LaLa Laurie: handcrafted fancies, delightful paper flower boutonnieres
Vintage Child Modern: vintage inspired clothing for the modern child
Polly Danger: Sweet Accessories
Rachel Austin: Paintings
Chet and Dot: Sweet Accessories (plants and animals) (robot candy)
Burdy Fly Away: Modern Appliqued Clothing
Mary Kate McDevitt: Illustration
Take Fibers: Crewel Embroidery Kits
Allisa Jacobs: Handmade bags
Jigsaw Graphics: A letterpress studio
Willow Baus: Handmade toys
Man's Face Stuff: Mustache wax, etc

Upon a recommendation we checked out The Original Dinerant for dinner. It was a very hip diner with modernized dishes that was surprisingly some of the most delicious food on the trip. I had roasted asparagus and radicchio smoked ricotta gnudi, crème fraîche remoulade, almonds (1), pork ‘n’ beans braised pork shank, corona beans, pickled peppers, preserved lemon and parsley salad (2), strawberry icebox pie with graham cracker crust (3), and ginger mint soda. The restaurant was wonderfully located near Powell's Books (4)(5) so we spent the remainder of our evening there. It's the largest bookstore in the world- taking up an entire city block. It has its own iPhone GPS apps, sells new and used books, and is decked out with personal reviews written by customers on postcards taped to shelves.

Sunday morning, Mother's Day, we had brunch at another slow food, sustainable restaurant called Beast. It's owned by twins and has a fun French vibe (1). The chef was rocking out to Michael Jackson as she prepared our meal in front of us (2). I was nerdily impressed by receiving french pressed coffee (I got my own tiny press because I drink decaf). We ate poached plum clafoutis: with soft whipped cream and maple-glazed bacon (4), Beast Hash: cornish game hen confit with market potatoes, morel mushrooms, spring onions, rapini, green garlic, poached duck egg, and hollandaise (5), a selection of cheese from Cheese Bar, gathering together spring greens, and aged red wine vinaigrette (6), and Chocolate Truffle Cake with black pepper shortbread and vanilla whipped cream. A snapped a picture of their favorite local restaurants written on their wall in case I'm ever lucky enough to return (8).

We walked off brunch with more shopping of course. We hit up a few shops on N Williams we saw at breakfast on Friday that were not open at the time, including Head to Tow (1) a double decker bus full of vintage dresses, and Ink and Peat (2) a home and floral store with amazing books (3). Then we headed to Noun : A Person's Place for Things on Belmont which happily shared a storefront with Saint Cupcake, cute display and delicious treats. After that it was time to take Michelle to the airport.

I planned to have my meal alone be a cooking class at Hip Cooks. We learned to make (1) seared squid bruschetta, two types of paella, red wine soaked oranges (4) and natillas (5). YUM. Our teacher was a lot of fun (2) and the setup was pretty neat. She had actually done some culinary training in Spain and spoke with authority and lots of cheesy accents. I made my favorite of the two paellas, chicken & chorizo (3), for our housegroup and they deemed my trip a success.

Monday was my day all to myself. I planned on spending ridiculous amounts of time in fabric and art stores. It Was Awesome. I had breakfast at Helser's on Alberta (1), pear and Havarti pie with crème fraiche, fresh fruit, a toasted crumpet and carrot juice (2). I regretted my full stomach when I got a latte from Random Order Coffeehouse and saw their stunning pies. My first shopping stop was Grasshopper, a children's boutique, where I got the phone call that the triplets were on their way :). This cute little bookstore (4) was not open, but looked like it had a great selection. I also stopped by Collage and got sharpies in really fun colors, shrinky dink materials, and necklace making supplies. It was a tiny shop, but I think had more worthwhile supplies than all of hobby lobby. It really had a great selection of catch all art materials. I left Alberta and headed toward Hawthorne, but stopped two places on the way. One was SewPo- which again was tiny but had a spectacular selection of fabrics. They carried several cotton voiles and knits that I can't find in Chicago and I got some dress materials for Eden. They had sewing machines and a punch card hour system. If I had one more day I would have loved to start and finish a project while people watching the customers. The other stop was Scrap (5), a non profit that collects, cleans, and reuses/resells materials. I was so excited when I got the call the triplets had made it safe and sound I forgot to check out their sculpture gallery.

When I made it to Hawthorne, I first spent 1.5 hours in Cool Cottons hands down the best quilt fabric store I've ever been to. Their selection was amazing- tons of Japanese imports and designer fabrics and cute local patterns. The owner was super nice and very helpful. Lunch was crab bruschetta at Bread and Ink. Then I just meandered until dinnertime, looked at quirky houses (3), and found another Powell's Books, this one dedicated to arts and food (4).

For dinner I snagged pizza from Dove Vivi (1) with cornbread crust, my favorite was the balsamic red onion and sweet corn (2), and mini cupcakes from Saint Cupcakes (4) larger store (3). I ate in my hotel, while watching a chick flick, it was pretty awesome :).

Thomas says I like to vacation places I can envision myself living, and I suppose that's true (although I can probably see myself living in Italy, Scotland, etc.). Portland was so lush (1), relaxing, friendly. It had the amenities of a big city, but driving in it (especially all the awesome free parking) made it feel more like a large college town. There was a trail that ran along the river (2-as seen from our downtown hotel window) and people were constantly outside.

This was more a memory book for me than all the detail I felt you needed to know, thanks for sifting through that extremely long post!

Disconnect

2011-04-17T16:41:00.001-05:00

Our April took us from a slower pace straight into a sprint. Not only is it FINALLY NOT SNOWING and we can play outside, we are trying to spend lots of time with friends who are leaving, joining into new ministries, figuring out travel plans for the summer, and preparing final papers and exams (of course the last is all Thomas, but I do supply some very important technical support like a full belly and clean pants). That along with many birthdays, baby showers, births (12 babies here or on their way!), meals for new moms, and trying to keep up with weekly phone calls to family makes me feel like I'm barely scratching the surface in most of my relationships. All of these activities bring us great joy, but they leave little time to be still.

I feel disconnected and out of touch with those I would claim as my closest friends/family. Life is moving really fast and I can't seem to carve out time or space for those relationships to be fostered. But honestly, the end of the semester is exhausting, and all my extra time and energies are focused on my relationship with Thomas and Eden, and I feel like there is little left.

When I sat down to write this entry, that was not at all what I intended to say. It kind of gushed out. This blog started as a way to update our close friends and family on our lives in Illinois. I suppose I want to apologize for being so checked out the last month when what I wanted so desperately to do was send packages to you all full of Eden's drawings and little notes of how she reminds us of each of you or loves the toys you gave her at Christmas or boxes with sweet handmade baby items or new recipes we've loved trying.

Part of the disconnected feeling comes from a January-May span that has passed without any face to face contact with anyone I've known longer than 1.5 years. We are feeling a bit more grounded. We have close relationships here, we know people's back stories, we can ask favors, prayers, and cry on shoulders of many new friends. I just haven't figured out long distance relationships yet, after all, I'm still a newbie. Thankfully, there are trips to Texas on the horizon, and a very fun trip with a good friend to Portland. Yep! I get to take a girly vacation. I'm pretty ecstatic- you know- the jump up and down and scream like a little girl kind of excited.

So, can you forgive me for being scatterbrained during a period where you should all be doted upon? I'm sure you can. I won't kid myself too much and think I wasn't always a bit scatterbrained.

What I intended to write about is how blessed I am to be in a small group made up of Trinity wives that live in our town. There's roughly 9 of us. And 5 are pregnant. Well scratch that, 4 pregnant, 1 with a two week old. After missing out on WAY too many opportunities to spoil friends and family with showers, I jumped at the chance to help out with this one and we threw it at our place.

There were 5 honored guests and a mix of genders, prompting a generic theme. Spring is HIGHLY celebrated here so fresh flowers and bright colors were in order.

Garlands were made from Moda's Urban Chicks Dream On line (so far my all time favorite). I found some fun vintage sheets on Etsy for tablecloths, and got some green and aqua striped straws from Shop Sweet Lulu.

We served Martha's Lavender Infused Lemonade (I think we ended up quadrupling the amount of water in the recipe).

After following Sweetapolita for a while (absolutely incredible), I was excited to finally try my hand at one of her cakes. This Triple-Lemon Blueberry Cake baked like a charm, although I couldn't get my icing as smooth as hers. It was delicious.

Appliqued Onesies made from second hand onesies and scrap fabric made for a quick, cute, and cheap craft.

It was fun to spoil some very deserving ladies!

The phrase sleeping like a baby....

2011-03-28T21:44:00.001-05:00

...should really be sleeping like a toddler, at least for our little girl.

Here's just a little project we've been working on (if you click on the picture it gets a little bigger):

A few weeks ago I realized that I could take pictures in the dark using my iPhone and it made absolutely no sound. The silent function works on flash too :). And that led to another realization, short bursts of light do not in any way disturb our sleeping beauty.

I LOVE that I will have these memories. Half of the nights Eden looks like a sweet baby and the other half she looks like a rowdy teenager (or at least what I imagine her to be, I know she's still little and I'm in no way ready for her to grow up!).

Because she is such a sound sleeper, I typically readjust her after I've taken the picture, set her on her pillow, cover her back up, remove bows we forgot about. Sometimes she's just so cute I have to sneak another picture.

Although she showed early signs of being a climber, she doesn't seem to think those habits can apply to her crib, and stays happily in it until we take her out. Thomas has finished building her toddler bed and Eden and I helped paint it. It's been in the basement for a month and she cries if we mention trading it for her crib. I know, I know, no rushing this one, I like my sleep thank you :).

There's been a lot to blog about, but little time, and fewer eloquent words (at least on my part). I've been reading some wonderfully encouraging mom books, attending a soul feeding bible study, pondering Mark in our church's Sunday School, and struggling, but making strides in daily study and prayer. Thomas has been doing mostly the same (except for the mom books, but really, who has time for those when you're nose deep in the ancient mysteries of old testament history, culture, and language??). We long to share these growing pains with our family and oldest friends. I'm hoping to find ways even through my clumsy writing to share them in this forum, though I'm being a bit timid because words can so often be misunderstood and twisted online!

This verse keeps coming back to me:

2 Corinthians 12:9:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
I am a weak writer. I am a weak explainer of my faith. Words often fail me, and I do not like to put effort into things I do not excel in. But God can use me, and I need to let him, even in these things. God can show Himself even through my clumsy speech if I am willing to put my weaknesses out for others to see. So...... be patient with me on this journey as I try to share what our focus and growth has really been in this temporary home (and no, it's not my sewing skills).

2011-02-22T00:46:00.000-06:00

First off, I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone for leaving such sweet comments about my potholders. Who knew kitchen textiles could create such buzz? Although I was not a grand winner, I was a finalist! Unexpectedly they awarded the 8 finalists with some pretty fabric. I'll make sure to post my loot when it arrives.

Also, hello to everyone who is stopping by from Prudent Baby! They were nice enough to post some link love for the finalists and this little blog is getting lots of visitors. I have had several requests for a tutorial for the ruffled potholder and it's in the works. It is a simple change to the pretty pot holder tutorial posted by Prudent Baby so expect it soon!
Eden has been especially cute lately. Her little personality is blossoming, mostly because she can now verbally express herself really well. Every day she is learning to be a little bit more polite and patient (and so is her mom :) ). She's getting to an age where we can have little discussions about God and Jesus, and has started asking to pray for specific friends. It's all very sweet. We try to read one Old Testament and one New Testament story a day (thanks Dudley's for the Ergermeyer's Bible Story Book!). This book is on my wish list, I think it would be a great tool for children's devotionals.

Eden is also getting to the stage where she says the funniest things. I went to wake her up yesterday morning and she gasped "run away little piggy!!" before falling back into a deep sleep. While I was at bible study tonight, she told Thomas "I not see mama. I worry about mama." as he put her to bed. She didn't make it to the potty in time last week and stopped in the bathroom door, sighed, and said "Oooohh, Eden." She tells us that things "make her feel better" or "not make her feel better" (things like chocolate milk, pants, or hugs). I could write a book, and probably should.

Although you're not all here to hear her cuteness, here are a "few" pictures so you can see some of the cuteness. Little girls are so much fun to dress!

Favorite Boots:

Leggings are a must for winter girly girls:

Vintage clothing is lots of fun (the white circles all contain lower case cursive letters):

She may love dresses, but I think there might be a jeans and t-shirt girl in there somewhere:

Serious attitude and the bag lady look:

Happy Valentines!

2011-02-16T21:03:00.000-06:00

The tiding is a bit late, but I was too busy being romanced by my sweet hubby to post sooner.

I'm sort of indifferent about this particular holiday. The kitschy cards are fun and who doesn't like chocolate? But celebrating simply is usually my style. I made blueberry heart shaped pancakes and pink milk for my lovelies for breakfast and adorned each of there plates with some cute chocolate (toblerone for Thomas and a four piece assortment for Eden).

Thomas and I hadn't had a date in a while so we decided it was a good enough excuse to go out. We had dinner at a local Italian/French restaurant called Gabriel's. The interior was a bit cheesy, but the food was spectacular!

I took a little valentine's snack to playgroup the next day. Super easy- shape refrigerated breadstick dough into hearts, sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, and sprinkles. The kids ate it up along with some strawberry applesauce.

And Thomas brought me flowers home after school :).

Our Weekend

2011-02-12T23:42:00.000-06:00

Thomas left for a conference on Friday afternoon. It's customary for me to get a babysitter when he is out of town. It's actually not about getting a break during the 48 hours Eden and I are on our own. I have realized that the week following a Thomas trip feels a LOT longer, and I'm frazzled well before the next weekend comes. I need a break on the weekends to recharge.

Our babysitter was only available for Saturday afternoon, a time that was not conducive to taking a friend to dinner or a movie, so I decided I would use the time to do a bit of exploring. It might seem counter-intuitive to pay someone so I can go to a thrift store and get a deal, but it seemed silly NOT to go if that's what I really wanted to do with MY time. And really, Salvation Army is a lot more fun without a 2 year old.

I was after button down dress shirts for a skirt project. I snagged these for $1.99 each.

The plan is to turn them into a skirt similar to these found at Garnet Hill for $56.

I also grabbed four $0.99 t-shirts to use with this t-shirt to nightgown tutorial for Eden's summer PJs. Nightgowns are ridiculously expensive ($20-$26 at Carter's for their short sleeve summer gowns).

And how could I pass up a Janie and Jack sweater for $1.99?

Eden was in a great mood when I got home. She would barely let me put her down to pay the babysitter. I try to soak it up when she's cuddly because it's a rare occurrence. We spent a large chunk of the evening playing with a diaper box. I tied a piece of sting to the handle so I could pull her around. I suggested she take her princesses for a ride, thinking she would pull and I'd get a break, but she had other ideas.

And we played a lot with stacking pillows. Did anyone else do this as a kid? I remember LOVING to pile pillows into a big mound and fall on them or bury myself in them. Eden, as usual, just wanted to play naptime. That is all she does these days, plays at naptime. I can't remember the last time she slept during the day (we still do a long quiet time).

On my way home from the thrift store I stopped in Lake Bluff's shopping district. It's a small village just north of Lake Forrest (just north of us in Highwood) that I had yet to explore. The square was small, but had a few cute boutiques, a nice American bistro, a fantastic meat market, a soon to open microbrewery (the first in the North Shore), and a cute little bakery. I snatched these up to bring home as a treat for Eden.

Chocolate with Peppermint Frosting and Mixed Filled Berry. By far the best cupcakes I've had in the North Shore.

I finally got to use the cute cupcake stands my mom got me for Christmas. I have 6 in all and wish there were more little girls in Eden's neighborhood! So far it seems to just be her and Lilly in a sea of boys.

In a twist of fate, a package arrived in the morning with a cute cupcake shirt from Eden's Grandaddy and CiCi- perfect for the occasion!

Speaking of sweets. Have you guys ever had these? They are seriously good. I picked them up as potty treats for Eden (yes, we're working on it) and have been sneaking them all day.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

An explanation of my lack of communication...

2011-02-09T22:10:00.000-06:00

... and dishwashing, and sleep.
I promise to post SOON regarding something you all care a little bit more about: our schedule, Eden's health (good by the way), Thomas' semester, etc. But for now, you'll have to bare with me for another crafty post.

I stumbled upon Prudent Baby a few weeks ago, just in time to get in on their Sewing Machine Double Down contest. They are giving away two Brother sewing machines as part of a SKILLS BASED contest. I'm not much for lottery type contests, but tell me I'm going to get critiqued and I'm all over it. Nerd much? This is in fact the first sewing contest I have ever entered. It's been going on for a month and I've only known about it for a week, so I've been busy. While I don't have any hopes of winning (there are hundreds of entries) I had a ton of fun and gained some confidence in my abilities. For a couple days at least I can still dream about a sewing machine with automatic needle down, auto threading, satin stitching, and the option to lower feed dogs. Granny nerd much??
Honestly, I have a lot of friends who would like to learn to sew/quilt and it would be amazing to have an extra machine to teach on and loan out.

Entries are due by midnight. I don't know when the judging ends. You could submit as many as you wanted. They are judged with equal importance on these 4 criteria: Originality, Style, Workmanship, and Presentation. I have presentation down, but that's about it!! I'm happy that I did my best with the time I had. I also didn't allow myself to buy any materials (aside from cheap washcloths to tear up).

Here are my entries:

A Baby Book of Sorts

2011-01-30T22:57:00.000-06:00

Nicole from Making It Lovely (a local Chicago blogger who has great style) has been chronicling the life of her first child for 4-6 weeks before her second child is born. I love the concept of attaching brief phrases with iconic pictures of her daughter's daily habits, and thought it might help me capture my own memories of Eden.

Here is where I admit the AWFUL truth that I have not really kept a baby book for Eden. I'm not a journaler in the traditional sense. I like taking pictures that help me visually remember what our life has been like- I'm a sucker for nostalgia. I'm not nearly as interested in when Eden first laughed, smiled or rolled over as I am in remembering the face she would make just before nursing or the funny way she said meeetins instead of mittens. I know I know, when/if she has kids of her own she'll probably ask about all the milestones and doctors notes and she can be mad at me then, but I will have thousands of pictures for her to compare to her future children.

If I keep up with this little project, it may become a blurb book, but in the meantime you can expect more cute little nibbles of Eden's daily quirks and routines.

My first tutorial!

2011-01-28T17:28:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure that anyone who reads this blog actually sews, but I was bored during Eden's 3 hour nap and out of wrapping paper for a very belated little girl's birthday present.

Felt is such a wonderful medium. This particular type is Eco-fiber, made from recycled plastics I believe, and is very inexpensive. It can be found at Jo-Anns. Felt doesn't fray and it stays sturdy while sewing, so it's a great for beginners*ahem*.

This whole project can be done by hand sewing, no machine required! You can easily change the dimensions to fit whatever your gift may be. The flap can be cut differently and the embellishment possibilities are endless.

Here's the tutorial:

Materials:
Felt (I used two colors)
Contrasting Thread (or embroidery thread if you are hand sewing)
Coordinating Fabric Scraps
Velcro (optional, and not used in the pictured envelope)
Fabric marking pencil (you can also use chalk or just wing it :) )

1. Cut two rectangles.
First rectangle: Determine the size bag you will need by measuring your finished present and adding 1 inch to each side for seem allowances and room. This will be the dimensions for the front of your envelope. Cut one rectangle to this size.
Example: My finished present folded measured 8.5 X 8.5. I cut my first rectangle 9.5 X 9.5.

Second rectangle: Keep the same width as your first rectangle and add 5 inches to the height (the extra is your flap).
Example: My first rectangle was 9.5 X 9.5 so my second rectangle was cut 9.5 X 14.5.
***If I were to do this project again, I would add more inches to the height of my larger rectangle, to make the flap longer- adjust to your liking.***

2. Using a plate and your preferred method of fabric marking (I like chalk pencils), round off the top two corners of your larger rectangle. This will be the flap. You may choose to cut it in a different manner, mark accordingly.

3. Cut the edge with pinking shears or make a decorative edge with normal fabric scissors. You really can't go wrong, just use your imagination!

4. Align the smaller rectangle on top of the larger, wrong sides together, with the straight edges aligned and the flap extending at the top.

5. Using a contrasting thread color, sew around three sides, stopping and starting at the top corners of the smaller rectangle, leaving an opening along the top edge and leaving the flap unsewn. If machine sewing, backstitch a little at the beginning and end to secure and use a 1/4" seam allowance. If sewing by hand, use embroidery thread to sew a running stitch, whip stitch, or blanket stitch around these three sides. (google the stitches, you will find thousands of easy tutorials).

6. Fold over your flap and finger crease.

***At this point you can add velcro to the inside of the flap and the front of the small rectangle, being careful that they would line up when closed. I was out, and as I mentioned this was a naptime project. The decorative embellishments will hide the stitching from adding velcro. Simply pin your velcro pieces and sew around all four corners, close to the edge.****

7. Cut various sized circles from coordinating fabric and felt using pinking shears. I was in a hurry so I eyeballed the circles, but you can mark them first with a fabric pen/pencil. You could also cut five petaled flowers, bows, hearts, etc.etc. Again, get creative!

8. Layer and tack your flowers together. I used a sewing machine with a darning foot attachment and free motion quilted my layers with a circular stitch pattern. You can simply use a straight line sewn back and forth or a decorative stitch if your machine allows. If hand sewing, create your own pattern with embroidery thread.

9. I added a decorative edge to my envelope using my darning foot and some free motion stitching. If your machine has decorative stitches you can use those, or hand embroider a design (even a simple running stitch in a contrasting color would look cute).

10. I tacked the flowers into place on the center front of the envelope flap, though you may place them wherever strikes your fancy. Stitching forward and back a few times is all you need, just so they are securely in place. Make sure to do this with the flap open so you don't sew your envelope shut.

Tada! Your done!

It's a bit silly that I'm making more out of the "wrapping paper" than I am out of the present. The gift is for Eden's only girl-friend in our neighborhood (seriously, drowning in boys over here). She occasionally hosts a tea party, and even though she is a whole year older, is quite the hostess to Eden. We wanted to surprise her with a tablecloth for her birthday, but by the time I had the measurements it was almost Christmas, which meant a month away from my sewing machine. So it's late, but I think she like it just the same! Randomly timed gifts are in fact my favorites.

(this is shown on Eden's table, her friends is a bit larger)

A Day

2011-01-26T16:37:00.000-06:00

Over the holidays my sister gave me a quick tutorial on editing photos. I'll never be a great photographer, but I used to think I would never get anything more than a blurry picture! Some artist, huh? Thanks to her hand me down camera and photoshop tips, I now really enjoy documenting our lives. And you thought this blog was picture heavy before!!

Speaking of my sister the great photographer, did you notice the new blog layout? It's a lot cleaner and more my style. The fantastic family photos in the header are courtesy of Jill who always treats us to a photo shoot when we're together at Christmas. We're so spoiled! You can check out her other great work on her website.

Here is our day (well, yesterday) in photos.

Music in the morning.

Then working on our letters.

A quick errand to Target for milk landed me a fun new project (more to come later).

Playing with big and little princesses,

And our music box.

Making Trader Joe's Instant Pudding after lunch.

Working on our alphabet after lunch.

Making Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Rum Sauce during Eden's nap. We were given some stale Italian bread for free, perfect timing for a dessert to take to our house group.

Sick kiddo. Eden and I missed house group because she woke up from her nap feverish and coughing.

Big girl hairdos. Eden's hair is now long enough to put into a french twist. Too cute!! Especially when she's soaking in a bubble bath. Quite the classy girl. It definitely helped her feel better.

Eden is feeling a bit better today, although her toddler emotions are on a ~~bit of a~~ huge roller coaster. I'm looking forward to spending some time with Thomas tonight. The beginnings of our week are very busy in the evenings. Wednesday is always such a nice lull. Happy evening to you all!

More Christmas Crafting

2011-01-25T23:14:00.000-06:00

These are the last two Christmas projects I have to share. We draw names in Thomas' family amongst the siblings. This year I drew my sister-in-law Emily. She is a sorority member in Delta Gamma, and their symbol is an anchor (for hope). So she collects anchors. As much as I would have loved to give her this (she is quite a classy gal) it wasn't quite in the budget. Luckily, blank stationary is also always in style.

Sewing onto cards has been on my to do list for a while and it turned out really well! This is just what it sounds like, sewing onto a blank card with your sewing machine. It's simple and easy (as long as you don't sew the card shut, ahem).

Some of the fabrics were even left over from her high school graduation quilt. Luckily the sorority colors are pink and blue, which happen to be just her style. It can be difficult to find a handmade gift for someone who's style is on the other end of the spectrum from handmade chic, but these are so adaptable I think they would fit anyone.

My last gift took the most time, hands down. I literally sewed all the way to Texas and then 3 hours after we got there, and I was over halfway done before the trip began! Last Christmas my parents gave me Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin. There are so many inspiring projects, and this one was perfect for my mom.

This shawl is made from deconstructed t-shirts, but still has such a luxury about it.

The applique is attached using upholstery thread, which gives the knit material some much needed stability, but it knots up terribly. Did I mention this took forever?

I think it's a wonderful weight for a Texas shawl, and it will go with everything from blue jeans to a dress.

Anyone make a handmade Christmas gift?

Handmade Christmas

2011-01-18T16:25:00.001-06:00

Whew! The holidays are always such a fun whirlwind. Texas was a blast. Seeing our family for a long period of time made me feel more like myself, and a few services at our home church certainly helped as well. Eden has been asking to go back. A typical conversation while I'm clicking her into her car seat goes like this:

E: Daddy go work. Eden go Texas!
K: No sweetie, Texas is too far away, we're going _____.
E: No, Texas! Kilsy, Ryan, Gdaddy, (etc) Go Texas!
K: Texas is really far away. Remember? We had to drive all day.
E: Ok- go park!

Thankfully her bath time with her cousin Kilsyth has cured her of her fear of toys in the water. We were all definitely spoiled with food and books and toys and time.

I LOVE giving presents and am having a ton of fun with nieces, a nephew, and a daughter to spoil. Here's the roll of the handmade goodies I put together for the little cuties in my life.

For: Eden, Sophie, & Kilsyth

Princess and the Pea Doll Sets

Doll adapted from Wee Wonderfuls

Variations of Princess and the Pea doll sets have been circulating crafting blogs for several months. After much search I became frustrated trying to find a pattern for a doll smaller than 10 inches. Finally I discovered that Wee Wonderfuls contains a pattern for a small mermaid doll. This of course not only solved my problem but also gave me the much needed reason to splurge on the book. I adapted the pattern by adding legs, changing the bottom of the fin to look more like a dress, leaving it unstitched on the bottom, adding crowns, and embroidering sleepy eyes.

I had lots of fun sorting through all of my scrap fabric for mattresses (31 total!!). A small felt pea was attached to the end of decorative ribbon which was sewn into the edge of one mattress in each set. I cut up an embroidered tablecloth that I'd snagged from an estate sale, and made little blankets edged with a decorative stitch.

They each got wrapped up in Peek-A-Boo Toy Sack from Make It Perfect.

For: Kieran

Bend the Rules Sewing's Puppet Theater & Puppets

I'm afraid my nephew is getting to the age soon that handmade presents will no longer be cool. Luckily I found an awesome pattern in Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol that was perfect for a 4 year old boy. IKEA has awesome home decor weight fabrics which were perfect for this project. I added a removable sign using chalkboard oilcloth and whipped up some outer space themed hand puppets. Hopefully I can send him a few more puppet sets throughout the year. Felt is easy to work with and is quickly becoming a favorite medium.

For: Ransom

Wee Wonderfuls Koji Doll

I've really enjoyed Wee Wonderfuls by Hillary Lang. There is a wonderful range of dolls for boys and girls of all ages with easy to follow instructions. Hillary's blog is also a good read! She has a ton of darling embroidery patterns. My fantastic sister got me her Kit, Chloe, and Louise pattern for Christmas. Three dolls, three little beloved girls in my life??

Amazingly enough I had time for 2 (though unfortunately not for 3) crafty presents for adults. That's up next!

Food Gifts

2010-12-24T00:00:00.001-06:00

We are having tons of fun on our family Christmas vacation extravaganza: Java Jacks, naps, cooking with family, meeting new babies, the best handmade doll bed ever. There's a lot to say, that probably won't see the pages of this blog because we're too busy making memories (did I mention photo shoot with the coolest photography sister yet?) and relaxing.

I am hopping on long enough to post the fourth and final installment in the gift guide aka cool things I've bookmarked online series. This is dedicated to all things edible. Enjoy!

Andies Specialty Sweets Edible Gingerbread Gift Tags

These would be adorable as place settings for a Christmas dessert party or brunch. The red and white striped twine and straw add the perfect touch.

Whimsy and Spice Marshmallow Sampler
Pick three. My choices? Cardamom, espresso and rose vanilla. Or maybe the maple. Or the chocolate. Whimsy and Spice has loads of yummy food and awesome photography as well.

Single Serving Pie in a Jar from Our Best Bites
I usually pass out cookies at Christmas, but pie is much more my style and these are too cute! These would make great gifts with fabric covered lids and labels.

Confessions of a Cookbook Queen: Red Velvet Brownies
Everything posted on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen is fantastic. I've had these saved for a while, and they look so Christmasy.

Sprinkle Bakes: Coffee and Donut Cake
Are there even words??? If you ever needed a good excuse to have cake for breakfast, you need look no further.

Martha Stewart Gingerbread Town Square Cake
I used to LOVE making elaborate cakes. Now it means getting a babysitter or baking till 2am. This is the first cake I was really tempted by after Eden was born. It's still haunting me.

Williams-Sonoma Crepe Mix

We had crepes for Christmas Eve morning brunch this year. It was my dad's idea and it turned out great! This mix made it super simple and yummy. My favorite combo was spinach, sauteed baby bella mushrooms, swiss cheese and sausage.

Vosges Mo's Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix

This would be so yummy on Christmas morning.

Williams-Sonoma Frozen Hot Chocolate Mix

I was searching for a hot chocolate mix that came close to the hot chocolate we had in Italy. It was basically a semisweet chocolate bar melted and whipped with heavy cream and topped with a bit of cinnamon. I failed, but I did find this and I think I'm going to have to make a stop at Williams-Sonoma within 24 hours of returning to NorthShore Chicago.

Merry Christmas!

Gifts to Make

2010-12-16T23:35:00.000-06:00

So, I'm pretty embarrassed. I went to the Highland Park Community Nursery school today to drop off Eden's application for next fall. Yes, it seems early, that's how it's done around here. I have to apply earlier for a 2 day nursery program than I would most colleges.
Anyway, so I had already met the director earlier this week. We had a long chat about the school, her philosophies and a bit of her life story. I came back today to turn in the paperwork, and she leaned in,but Eden was kind of in between us and there were big coats and I couldn't tell what was going on. I stuck my hand out for a handshake and then thought maybe she was going to hug me. But really? A hug? That's a little forward. So I paused, and then decided to accept. But by then she was moving onto the handshake. Did I mention she's 6'2"? Not exaggerating. So then I couldn't figure out what to do. Eventually there was some awkward normal/side hybrid hug that left me feeling like one of her students (yes, because I'm so short). Oh and there was awkward laughing, but just from me. Did I mention awkward??
I'm glad Eden isn't old enough to be embarrassed by me yet.

There's honestly not a good segway from awkward hugs to crafting so just bare with me for this rough 180.

Below you will find a smattering of fun DIY projects. Honestly, the majority of the items are for kids, but I was able to sneak in a few for the older crowd. Enjoy!

Felt Garland Patterns from Erica Hite
There is also a MERRY garland in her shop. I would love to have either hanging around during the holidays. Felt is a really great medium for a beginner sewer.

Dress Embroidery Patterns from A Little Sweetness
All of the patterns from A Little Sweetness are darling. Her Little Red Riding Dress Kits are definitely way up on the list for me.

Etsy Handmade Nesting Dolls
I like this laid back version of nesting dolls and could see them being used as puppets. Home therapy anyone??

Playhouse Pattern by Miss Pretty Pretty
We had one of these growing up and I LOVED it. Again, this is made of felt, and the possibilities are endless (fire station, cupcake shop, etc etc). My nieces are going to be the perfect age for this in a year or two.

Frugal Granny Workbench
For Eden's first birthday, we turned an old nightstand into a kitchen. It was such a fun project and I love this version for a little boy.

Rubber Punkin Chalkboard
Ahhh, chalkboard paint. Your uses are endless. It can be hard sometimes with DIY presents for adults to stay away from the crafty look. These turned out so nicely.

Living with Punks Floor Cushions
If I ever find the right fabric there will be some of these in our living room.

Mini Eco Sewing Cards
Too cute!

Chez Beeper Bebe Alphabet Bean Bags
These can be made with numbers as well.

Make It Love It T-shirt Ruffle Dress
Such a simple idea, but a great one!

Elle Apparel Pinwheel Skirt
Everytime I look at this pattern I cannot get over how simple it seems. I have fabric that's been waiting to be turned into this, but clothing is definitely not my strong suit so I'm nervous. If it ever happens I'll let you know how it turns out!

The last segment is all about food. Hopefully I'll get to it before Texas. Less than 36 hours!!

Gifts for Kids

2010-12-16T11:54:00.000-06:00

We're leaving for Texas in less than two days. There are barely any clean clothes in the house, the fridge needs to be cleaned out, one handmade present needs a lot of work, three more presents need wrapping, nothing has been packed, no lists have been made (well, except this one), and I have no motivation. Don't get me wrong, I am really ready for this trip, ready to see family. Usually I pack a week out, *trying* to control everything. This year I am just letting what happens happen. We'll see how that pans out ;). Did I mention we are going to a movie tomorrow?

So instead of chipping away at the millions of tasks that need to be done I'm going to give you the second installment of my "gift guide" aka really cool stuff I've bookmarked and want to share. This is for the kiddos!

(speaking of kiddos, does everyone know by now that I am the happy expectant Aunt for triplets?? congrats again Paul and Michelle!!).

Love Mae Reusable Wall Stickers
These are the CUTEST things in the world. This is actually reusable FABRIC wall stickers. Shown below is the summer collection, but there are many more.

Giddy Up and Grow Headbands

I have grown very fond of working with felt and there is a lot of inspiration in the Giddy Up and Grow shop. If only Eden liked headbands!

Artwork from Hsinping
If we're ever blessed with a little boy I would love to do twilight, outdoors decor in his room. These colors are exactly what I've imagined.

Little Bird Designs Baking Set
The sweet little fabric in this set is adorable. It reminds me of the Sanrio stationary I loved as a kid.

Sweet Pea Toads Hats
You absolutely have to visit Sweet Pea Toad's Etsy shop and check out the lion. Can't you just picture three little chubby babies in nothing but diapers and these animal hats??

Bugaloo Soft Leather Shoes
Eden had a couple pairs of these Bugaloo shoes when she first started walking. I cannot overstate how great they are for those first steps, and they are much cheaper than the name brand options.

Lily and Thistle Customized MiniMe Paper Dolls
When I was little I was obsessed with paper dolls. These would have left me speechless, or squealing and jumping as 11 year olds do so well.

Bla Bla Dolls
Oh grandparents do love to spoil. Eden is the lucky recipient of a Bla Bla Doll. She has a princess and she LOVES it. They are incredibly soft, very high quality, wash well, and who doesn't love the funky design?? The foxes are the cutest for little boys.

Land of Nod Tower of Babble Nesting Blocks
A sweet friend of Eden's let her borrow the Melissa & Doug set of Alphabet nesting blocks. She was quite entertained. You could see the gears turning as she learned which blocks were bigger and how to stack them. The tower gets to be about her height. This set from Land of Nod has lovely graphics.

Pottery Barn Kids Jumbo Fun on the Farm Stacker
When I first saw this I wished for one minute that my daughter would be one year younger so this could be her Christmas present, but then I remembered that she can talk and walk. Still, this is pretty awesome.

How to Behave and Why
This on the other hand is PERFECT for Eden's age. Anthropologie carries three reprinted manners for children books. It almost makes me believe that teaching a toddler good habits could be fun.

Next up, gifts to make!

Gifts for Grown Ups

2010-12-14T17:07:00.002-06:00

I know this comes too late for it to really affect any of your Christmas shopping, but it seemed like a good time to share some of my favorite only goodies. This Adult Gift Guide is the first in a series of four. Enjoy!

The Nimbus Factory Wall Calendar
Not only is this wall calendar super cute, it's really inexpensive! The Nimbus Factory has tons of other cute paper goods.

Skinit Natural Wood Laptop Skin
This strikes me as a cool gift for a guy who has everything. There are a lot of different wood tones from which to choose.

Hand Embroidered Jewelry from Spin Thread
Although they take forever to arrive because they are stitched meticulously by hand after being ordered, the geometric patterned jewelry from Spin Thread is well worth the wait. Check out her site to see her awesome bracelets.

Crosely Record Player

Thomas and I have a ton of records and one broken record player. This is the most adorable record player I've ever seen. I can just picture it at a picnic in the woods with some big band playing.

Garlands of Grace Headband
These look super comfy and cute, and there are lots of colors and styles.

The Wheatfield Be Filled with Joy
I LOVE everything The Wheatfield prints and had a really hard time narrowing down which print to show you. You MUST go to her shop and check it out. It's on my adult gift list, but I think her prints are also perfect for a nursery.

Janet Hill Studios Library Ladies

Who knows why I am so attracted to the waist down paintings by Janet Hill Studios. The hair and makeup from the 40s and 50s was pretty awesome, but nothing beats the full a-line skirt and cute hi-heels.

Check out the full series in her shop.

Stationary from Rifle Paper Company

At Renegade Craft Fair I scored a few Rifle Paper Company cards and have been stalking them ever since. It's like Sufjan Steven's older music set to stationary. Their aesthetic is brilliant.

Anything Sparkly

ANYTHING

Xoelle Cabin in the Woods Bow Tie

I'm waiting for Thomas to bring back the bow tie.

Anybody have a great gift idea that they don't have a recipient for, but still want to share?

Celebrating 2 years!

2010-11-22T23:45:00.001-06:00

Wow. 2 years. I feel like I'm in uncharted territory. I could imagine every age until now, and the rest is just unfathomable. One day she'll be able to walk downstairs unaided, she'll learn to brush her own teeth, she'll go to school, and, oh my, I'm not ready to go beyond that yet. I know I'm getting ahead of myself. The last two years didn't fly by as everyone said it would. In fact, it's seems like a small amount of time for all that we've crammed into it.

We invited a few Trinity families from our neighborhood with kiddos close to Eden's age over for cupcakes and crafts on Sunday afternoon. Eden has been interested in Bambi and Princesses lately- no trouble guessing which we are encouraging.

Dessert was applesauce spiced cupcakes with brown sugar cream cheese frosting topped with woodland creatures and trees.

Thanks Aunt Jillian for my Christmas present last year! The cute cupcake toppers are still coming in handy.

We had apple cider in mason jars (leftover from canning applesauce, which was in fact used in the cupcakes), giving me the perfect excuse to use the cute paper straws that are popping up all over etsy.

Oh, and Eden LOVES fire...

and cupcakes. Good combination for a happy birthday girl. Thanks Grandma for the cute dress! It was perfect for the day's festivities.

For the craft we had the kids "make" dioramas. We glued a background and some moss into brown boxes, collected some acorns, leaves, and sticks, and bought a few small plastic animals.

Thomas deserves all the credit for finding the cutest shrubbery our neighborhood has to offer.

I was a little worried about the project. SURE I'm all but certified in K-12 art eduction, but definitely not in toddler art education. I was hoping sticks would be as much fun as they sounded and I was right :).

There was lots of playing. 6 kids is probably the max our house can handle at a time, and I'm proud to say they all played well and there were fewer tears than I can count on one hand. A big attraction was Eden's tree tent.

To thank her guests we had make your own trail mix.

We even remembered to have the last guest snap a picture on their way out the door :). Eden's Bambi doll is definitely her favorite present.

Sharing new toys proves to be one of the hardest tasks a toddler has so we opted to save her last present after the party had ended, and no, it was NOT Thomas' idea. I'm sure I'll eat my words, but 2 year old "boy" toys are more fun than 2 year old "girl" toys.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and presents!! We pass along all your hugs and sweet words and it's obvious Eden feels very loved. Now I have to go clean out the basement to make room for all these toys!

Commisioned-ish

2010-11-11T16:43:00.002-06:00

I get a lot of comments from people about commissioned work or interest in sewing/painting/drawing/baking lessons, but it often doesn't work out. People are rarely comfortable taking me up on my offer and I have enough projects of my own that I don't pursue their interests very strongly. Once in awhile everything comes together and I get to try something new for an excited audience. For the other parties involved, the memories are probably vague, but crafting with friends leaves me with strong, vivid, wonderful memories. Painting with April Dudley and Elizabeth Carter, making cards with my mom, baking with Anna Middlebrook, working with my sister, getting knitting tips from Abigail Wilson, ... I really wish I could go on and on, but did I mention how rarely this actually happens?

Eden and I attend a story time organized by our childrens librarian at a local bakery every Tuesday. It's quite fun- themed crafts and snacks, they really do a nice job. Another mother, a good friend and neighbor, was asking the librarian about resources for making your own flannel boards. The librarian was at a loss so I offered to try. We decided to do Old MacDonald for a trial run. Last night I watched a bit of Hulu and free handed some barn animals to see if cheap, acrylic, embellished felt would be too heavy to stick to the flannel.

My friend is going to make the flannel board properly before we make more, but they seemed to work when I draped a piece of flannel over an arm chair.

Now that I know I can do it, my friend is coming over Wednesday to learn the process and make the barn.

And who knows, maybe a sun, fence, tree, farmer, letters E, I & O... it could go on and on.

The librarian wants to see a portfolio when it's all finished and is considering commissioning a set. And on top of that, she wants something personally done for her daughter's birthday! Hopefully I'll be working on that this week and posting details soon.

I'm really excited about the potential crafting with friends stacking up: teaching someone to sew so she can make aprons for her nieces for Christmas (admittedly my favorite prospect), helping make 100% wool blankets for a sensitive skinned cutie, throwing a knitting party, helping someone learn to quilt.

My mom recently visited us for a week and we had a splendid time (especially Eden with all of her new toys :). I'll post pictures soon.

Fall

2010-10-29T10:17:00.000-05:00

I better hurry up and talk about our Fall before winter comes. I have to say, after all the people kept telling me that the cool summer and the beautiful Fall make up for the snow, I'm a bit dissapointed. It was a pretty hot summer here, although I'd take it over Texas any day, and the leaves just weren't that spectacular. Also, the snow is kind of fun, so there's really not that much to make up for.

Here's a quick snapshot I took of the treeline in front of the elementary school, about 2 blocks from our place:

We took a walk through a forest preserve a couple weekends ago. This was by far the prettiest foliage I saw, but it was a forest preserve, it'd be lame if it wasn't. Eden was pretty giddy about playing in the leaves:

Chronologically, the apple picking happened before the last few pictures, but it's too hard to move them around in blogger. There are a LOT of apple orchards around here. I went three times :). We now have a ton of canned apple sauce, canned apple filling, and a frozen apple pie. Eden was mostly interested in picking an apple, taking two bites, and then trying another one. The trees were so ripe that the branches bent down to her height:

Our family tradition is to bake an apple pie the first day of fall.It was extra special getting to pick our own apples. I still need to work on my crust skills. Seriously? Something is wrong with me because there is NEVER enough dough to hang over the edges and I'm always piecing it together. Cute little leaves hide the fact that this looks like a Frankenstein pie. I really wish I could take private pie lessons from Billie Kinnaird:

Our little village of Highwood is trying to get on the map with a record breaking Pumpkin Festival. For four days they blocked off part of our downtown at night, had live music, local food, a gourmet farmers market, a "hayride", and pumpkin carving stations. For $2-$3 you bought a pumpkin, carved it, got a light, and placed it on one of dozens of scafoldings that went up and the streets. We are only 3 blocks from downtown, so we walked down 3 out of 4 nights.

This is Eden on the first night, when there was actually some open space on the "dance floor" in front of the main pumpkin display. In between sets, a dj blasted monster mash, i want candy, thriller, and other such halloweeny songs. She LOVED it. She twirled (her idea of dancing) for a good 20 minutes until people around us started asking if she was ok (she was stumbling a bit from all the twirling).

This picture really needs some photoshopping help. I think I may be asking for some action sets for Christmas:

On the last night all the pumpkins were lit. They did not break the record, but got impressively close! They needed 32,000 and got 26,200. Last year (the first festival) they only had 500. It was a really spectacular display that my iPhone doesn't do justice:

Here's our pumpkin:

Eden loved climbing on the giant "daddy" pumpkins:

I suppose I should update everyone on our normal, day-to-day lives. Eden has been fighting cold after cold, as we knew she would, but thanks to a recent doctor's visit, we finally feel on top of things. She was switched from her inhaler to a nebulizer. While this warrants WAY too much television, it is extremely effective. And after just a few days on the treatments, we can already start scaling them back. Hopefully in 2 weeks we'll only be administering one treatment a day, before bedtime. She is doing a lot of independent play these days: tea parties, castle building, book reading. We still have a "quiet" time, but she doesn't usually take naps. This has been traded off for sleeping past 8:30 most mornings (bedtime is 7:30). I'm pretty sure this is the sweet spot of sleep behavior. She is also well behaved for the most part, she is a poky little toddler and needs to be asked a few times to do most things and is often distracted by shiny things. Her language skills have really taken off and she can carry on conversations, though she is shy to do so with anyone but her parents. She really enjoys our Music Together class and playgroups.
I have started working out at a gym- so not me, but it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. I have a trainer for a few sessions to learn how to use the strength training equipment and they have a nursery for Eden. Zina (the kids korner employee) really puts me at ease about leaving Eden there three times a week- she is this super sweet Spanish grandma. Thomas got me an early Christmas present- a new laptop- so I can run my birthday present- adobe creative suite. Hopefully soon I will be dedicating a couple hours a week to learning Illustrator through online tutorials while Eden hangs with some of her buds. I'm currently working on re-doing Eden's room, new quilt and curtains, making a few Christmas presents, and still toying with something to sell on Etsy (don't hold your breath!).
Thomas is swamped, poor guy. He is really enjoying his material this semester, but is struggling with feeling balanced in his life. Too much work, not enough play! He did get a break recently to fly to Washington DC to see his good friend Matt Haynie marry a lovely girl. We are both really looking forward to a more extended break with family at Christmas time.

More posts about our house and some creations coming soon!

Camping

2010-09-09T23:16:00.000-05:00

It's a bit belated, but I felt like I should blog some camping pictures and tales. Several weeks ago we headed up to the Wisconsin Dells on a Friday, roughly a four hour drive from Highwood. Our intention was to stay at Mirror Lake, but the campsites were already full, so we were directed to the Rocky Arbor State Park a few miles away.

We packed for car camping. A tent, some camping chairs, cooler, camp stove, toys, and apparently way too little bug spray. I'm not sure anything short of biohazard body suits would have saved us from the treachery awaiting us.

It wasn't immediately clear that our trip was a bit mosquito doomed. It started with this scene, Thomas pitching our awesome, open tent, and Eden totally having a blast:

She LOVED the tent. We took her pack-n-play and a blow up mattress. She spent a ton of time inside
reading books and watching the trees above. The weather was great, warm with a good breeze.
We realized quickly on the first day that when camping with a toddler, altering your expectations is one of the most important things. We managed to hike the trail with her jogging stroller, but there were definitely some rough spots where I wondered if we would make it. Keeping her content was not as difficult as I had expected. There were lots of rocks, leaves, and insects to explore, but her parents got BORED. I think we're used to hiking more, canooing, staying up late with friends, etc.. The combination of having a toddler and going by ourselves meant those things were very limited.
For dinner we pre-made a batch of our favorite chili, and it was delicious. It made me really miss Nacogdoches, our church friends, and our fire pit. Thomas made a fire while I put Eden down (with no fussing!) and we roasted marshmallows.

Our first night of sleep was very pleasant. We were able to leave the rain flap off and sleep under the stars. Eden slept from 9pm - 8am. It was extraordinarily relaxing.

The mosquitos were pretty bad the first day, but all in all, it was very enjoyable.

The second day we spent the entire morning procuring more bug spray and trying to find a swimming spot.. Eventually we made it to Mirror Lake, which was relatively mosquito free and had a couple of good hours.
Eden loved being in the lake and building sand castles. When we got back, we did a bit more hiking/climbing, which was nerve wrecking for me while it was happening (heights+toddlers), but seemed fun after it was over. That's about the time the mosquitos became unbearably thick. We ended up driving our cooler and chairs to the front of the park where there was a small playground and some grills. We had hotdogs with leftover chili and let Eden play for a few hours until bedtime, when we were forced to got back to the mosquito den that was our campsite.

That night we had to use the rain flap so there were no stars or breeze and it was really stuffy. At 5:30am a thunderstorm hit that woke up Eden. At 7am we gave up trying to get her to sleep again and packed everything up in the rain and headed out. Thomas is a saint because he did most of the work while Eden and I stayed in the car. We all had at least a dozen mosquito bites by this time.

Here's what the mood looked like:

We headed to Paul Bunyan's Breakfast Buffet, got a meal indoors with no bugs, and then headed to Madison, WI for a little vacation from our vacation :). I LOVED Madison. It was a lot like Austin. Cute shops, great organic/hippie/ethnic cafes, and lots of people watching.

I have a tendency to look back on things with rose colored glasses, so I would probably say it was a fairly enjoyable experience that I would easily agree to doing again. Luckily, I have a husband who knows my heart and got me this souvenir to remind me of my true feelings:

Cookie Faced

2010-09-06T23:24:00.000-05:00

The beginning of the semester has definitely been busy for Thomas (I will get him to write a post soon on his schedule), but it has actually been pretty busy for me too. Trinity Wives Fellowship has created a subdivision called Trinity Moms Ministry, which is very exciting. I have been doing the flyers/brochures for all of the events, of which there are a lot! Playgroups, prayer meetings, informational talks, baby and me support groups, and moms night out. We had a kick off party the first week to introduce the new events and get to know new moms on campus. It was definitely weird being considered one of the older members (very few people come in January like we did and it creates a weird fit). It's hard for me to get out of my box and relax while socializing at this type of event, luckily I got to use one of my better skills which is bringing the food :). I made Chocolate covered marshmallow cookies and had a few left over.

So I brought them home. Thomas had a few and there was one left.

Somebody around here makes the BEST faces when eating chocolate cookies:

And here are a few from a cookie event in June that are too good not to post.....

Ren Fest Recap

2010-09-05T22:09:00.000-05:00

We headed to the Bristol Renaissance Fair this weekend. It is very similar to the Texas Renaissance Fair, but just a bit less, mmm, passionate. It is much closer for us, only 30 minutes away, along the Wisconsin/Illinois border. Unlike camping, this was an activity that was more fun with a toddler. We dressed up a bit. I wore some blue, gypsy wrap pants, funky jewelry, and some glittery makeup. Thomas wore a celtic pirate outfit. Eden was a little pixie.

It was perfect weather- high 60s, low 70s and very sunny. As always, there were a lot of fun shows. We caught Barely Balanced Acrobatic Daredevils, Gypsy Geoff the Flame Juggler, and Jousting. I also took Eden on a few rides. This is one place where there were a LOT of under age 2 kid friendly rides. Our favorite was the pony!

This was actually her second round and she's a bit less excited, but still very happy. She loved petting the ponies after the ride was over.

Eden loved all the people in costume, even the large troll who wanted to eat her (until he noticed her boogers).

So, yeah, boogers. We only made it 3 days into September without getting sick. Here's hoping (and praying a lot) that our plan of action keeps this cold quick and mild!

BEST. PLAYGROUND. EVER.

2010-08-29T23:44:00.000-05:00

A few mornings ago we had to treck down to Glenview, about a 20 minute drive, to take Eden to her pulmonologist. I HEART Dr. Boas. Good thing is Eden has been in great health this summer! Not so good news, the nurses and doctor put a little fear in me about the upcoming 8 weeks. Hopefully the year we've had Eden on a maintenance steroid will help this flu and cold season be better than the last. Prayer for good health as well as fast recoveries from any snivels are greatly appreciated!

Thanks to some show and tell with Mousical (the ever so cute ikea stuffed mouse), Eden was a much better patient. We treated her by eating lunch out and going to a local park. Our lunch spot was Chopped Up- a salad version of marble slab. You choose salad, toppings, dressing, it's thrown in a bowl and then onto a marble slab and chopped up. You can then get it wrapped in a tortilla if you want. Champagne vinaigrette anyone? Totally delicious!

The park is best described in pictures. We were shocked that not only was it free, but it wasn't busy at all!

The park was arranged in a circle grid. The center was a small open space surrounded by a wooden trellis (seen below) with lots of benches. Extending out from that were play stations:

One was a hedge maze. It was so simple that Eden could do easily work her way through:

There was also a very toddler friendly castle playground:

A large sand pit with awesome statues:

And Eden's favorite- the water towers:

Here is some technical information for local mom's interested:
The park is across the street from the Glen shops (just past Kohl Children's Museum) in Glenview.
    There are plenty of areas for picnics.
    There are ample and clean public restrooms.
Lots of free, close parking.
    I am fairly certain that pets are not allowed.

Anyone want to plan an outing??

Heirloom Cut Chenille Baby Blanket

2010-08-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

I try to gift something handmade to every new baby I know. Sometimes I come across a project that is so perfect I want to go back and re-gift it to all previous babies. This happens to be one such project. Luckily, when I stumbled onto the project I already had a new baby in mind! Thomas' cousin Meredith is expecting a baby girl at the very end of the year. I'm a bit early with the gift, but I couldn't wait to start, and then I couldn't wait to give it away :).

I LOVE that it's called an Heirloom blanket. It looks like it was made with painstaking love and should be passed down to future children. It has a great weight to it and is incredibly soft, with the promise that the more it is used, the softer it will become. Can't you just picture a little baby cuddled in those soft rows of chenille?

In fact, it was quite simple! I also got to buy a new tool!! A tutorial can be found from Anneliese at the Aesthetic Nest. The fabric is from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane collection, which is just lovely! It was so hard to decide which print to use.

In the on-line tutorial a machine attached binding is used. I prefer hand binding blankets, although it does take more time. I feel like re-stating just how simple this is. It is a GREAT beginners project for anyone who wants to learn to sew or quilt.

Craft Hope: ConKerr Cancer

2010-08-21T11:37:00.001-05:00

I know I have a ton of blogging about our adventures to catch up on, but I wanted to slip in this post.

I LOVE Craft Hope. If you're a sewer/knitter and you wish you could find a charitable outlet for your talents, this is the place for you. Currently they are on Project 9: ConKerr Cancer. ConKerr Cancer is a 2 year old non-profit that delivers beautiful, handmade pillowcases to seriously ill children to brighten their hospital rooms.

This is their Regional Directory. There are participating hospitals all over the US so you can all join in if you have the time! You don't need to be a sewer to participate. You can decorate a NEW standard size pillow case with embroidery or other embellishment.

Craft Hope encourages donations for teenagers and boys. Donations typically lean towards little kids (girls especially), but ConKerr delivers to children of all ages- which means teens too! My sister sent me a remnant of gorgeous fabric a few months ago that I stashed away for just the right occasion. Hopefully it will fit the bill for a teenage girl. I used the Cottage Home's sleepover pillowcase tutorial. Easy and so cute!

Here are some other tutorials you can use:
ConKerr Cancer Pillowcase (EASY!!)
The Lazy Organizer Two Pillowcases (More difficult but would really be something special!)
Little Birdie Secrets Novelty Pillowcase
JCaroline Pillowcase

For more inspiration you can check at Craft Hope's Flickr Page. If you join in, make sure to send me a pick of your creations!

New digs

2010-08-02T15:32:00.001-05:00

Hola (We've been watching a lot of Dora)! What else have we been doing? You're probably asking yourselves that because we fell of the face of the earth. We don't write, we don't call. We've been having ourselves a bit of a staycation. A list has been drafted of all the things we've been up to, but I'll save you the novel blog post and dole it out in bits and pieces.

For our first installment, I would like to introduce you to our new place:

Not sure what we're going to call it yet. First there was the Spring House, that cute little ranch rental out in the country when we were newlyweds. Then there was the Winter House, our adorable 1930s cottage that had gorgeous flowering trees in the backyard that bloomed in the wintertime. Then there was the Launching Pad, our little 900 sq ft apartment in Deerfield. Three weeks ago we moved for the fourth time in our four year marriage.

We are renting the first floor and half of the basement of this neat little house. It's nestled in the middle of an old Italian neighborhood in the North Shore suburb of Highwood, IL.

For maximum wow factor (or because I don't want to clean right now to take more pics), I'm going to post pics of the house empty first.

Living Room:

Living Room looking into the Dining Room and out the front Window:

Dining Room looking down the Hallway and into Eden's Room:

Standing outside of Eden's Room looking back to Dining Room:

(door on the left goes into the living Room)

Kitchen:

Bathroom:

Eden's Room:

Master Bedroom:

(Not Pictured: Thomas' Dungeon)

We LOVE the fact that we're in a house, not an apartment. We love the hardwood floors, the big windows, and all the natural light. We love that there is a park across the street. Every week I meet a new family that lives in the neighborhood. It's so pleasant to walk 30 seconds and have acquaintances to chat with while the kids play. IDEAL.

View from Park to our House:

(our house is in the upper right corner of the photo)

Park:

The neighborhood couldn't be more adorable. The streets are tiny, the houses are cutesy with lots of gardening, the people are delightful, and it's quiet even though we are .3 miles to downtown. Downtown includes the Metra Station, Walgreens, a few small local groceries, a million restaurants (which deserve a post all their own), cute bakeries, and a gourmet farmer's market. We are also 1.5 miles from downtown Highland Park which has a lot more shopping and fun amenities (theaters, parks, art galleries, kids boutiques, art supply store, A GOOD COFFEE SHOP, etc). Oh and there's this:

Daily Ice Cream Truck:

Our neighbors rock. They blew the Northern stereotype out of the water and spoiled us the day we moved in (and pretty much continue to do so). On either side of us are families, one a bit younger than our parents, the other a bit older, that have lived in the neighborhood their whole lives. In fact, they live in the houses the grew up in. They have dogs for Eden to play with, share their sprinklers and their herbs, and are generally about for conversation and local advice all the time. Our upstairs neighbor is closer in age to us and works quite a bit so she is not around as much, but she is super sweet!

One brought us this delicious cake, complete with a doily!:

Our landlord GREW UP IN ITALY. I think he rented the place to us solely based on the fact that we had been to Cinque Terre. He's a retired roofer and has a few rental properties now. He planted a garden for us and our upstairs neighbor in our backyard.

Here's Eden with our first zucchini:

In great Thomas and Katie fashion we were unpacked in three days. We have a few lagging books to shelve and pictures to hang, but for the most part it feels like home.

Anyone want to come visit??!!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it's only Thomas' second father's day?? If I look at Eden, it's not too hard to believe. She'll be a mere 19 months in two days, and is still so small and new. But if I think about how much living we've done since Thomas became a father it feels so much longer. He's also quite a natural at being an awesome dad so it appears that he has had years of practice.

At this time last year, Thomas was contemplating leaving Red Suspenders. We were fairly certain that we'd be sticking around Nacogdoches for another year, we were both brainstorming about where we'd work during that time, and Thomas was looking into grad schools for August 2010 admission. Well Thomas did quit, we took a family road trip, and Trinity convinced us to advance our time tables. A year later, we've sold our home, made new friends, are 1/5+ done with Thomas MA, and are packing for move #4 in our 4 year marriage.

Which is why I couldn't find the original letters to continue this little tradition (yes, we've done it twice, it's tradition):

Still pretty cute, no?

I will say, each time we've done this I felt like it was a complete failure until I laid the pictures out. Eden didn't want to sit still when she was 6 months, and she doesn't want to sit down now either. (Notice how at 6 months Eden still had to be propped up with pillows?? Crawling at 5 months, sitting up at 7, that's our girl). The pictures are a bit blurry, but all the attitude adds charm.

Thomas- thanks for being an amazing dad. You juggle all your roles with grace and never complain. All you out there who think this is a hyperbole, it's not. He NEVER COMPLAINS. In fact, I think he rather enjoys it :).Everything you do is for your family's benefit and Eden is so blessed to have you as a father.

This sounds like someone else I know..... oh yeah... my dad!!! Daddy I love you too. What great men I have in my life, and what great examples of God's love for Eden.

Texas Part III

2010-06-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

I talk a lot about my passions on this blog: my family, cooking, crafting. It's seems odd that I haven't spoken much about a certain group of people, so pardon the delay, and without further adieu here are 5 of my favorite 9 people in the world:

These lovely people started coming into my life when I was 2, then 4, then 5, then in middle school, and finally junior high. They have always been my closest, dearest friends. We are sometimes referred to as "the 10"- seven girls, three guys. We've become nutritionists, teachers, cpa's, doctors, producers, moms- but when we get together we're still silly junior high kids who astound all in our presence (and annoy our spouses) with our ability to pick up as if we graduated high school yesterday. Our group has grown as spouses join, and I'm delighted that it's about to grow a little more (and not just because I won't be the only one with a kid anymore!).

I wish the little baby shower that we'd planned for Nikki was all the blogging I had to do to cover how I spent part of my Texas vacation, but Nikki and Shane's road to parenthood got a little bumpy the third day I was in town. Many of you who read this blog already know the story and have been praying hard for their little family, and believe me, God has heard those prayers and is answering them. Shane had a massive stroke- a pretty rare event for a strapping young man of 29. They have yet to figure out the cause of the blood clot that triggered the stroke. After a few days in ICU- Shane had to have a very risky emergency brain surgery. Despite the severity of the stroke, Shane is making a remarkable recovery, and are currently in Dallas under the care of one of the best stroke rehabilitation programs. Their son Landon Shane is due August 26th. Prayers for his quick recovery and Nikki and Landon's health are still needed!

We changed our East Texas co-ed BBQ shower last minute to a girly night out in downtown Dallas. We stopped by the hospital to hang out with Shane for a bit and then whisked Nikki away to The Iron Cactus- a contemporary Mexican restaurant.

This is Nikki:

She is unbelievably strong, brave, and the best advocate for her husband's care that I've seen. And no, she is not drinking three alcoholic drinks while pregnant. We asked our waiter if they had any virgin versions of their famous drinks and when he said no we asked him to just make something pretty. So he did, and did, and did again. How sweet was that!?

And the food was FANTASTIC. This is my lobster ravioli with grilled vegetables and pesto sauce:

The cake was ordered in East Texas a month ago and had to be transported to Dallas, via Ft Worth. There is a very funny story about how it survived traffic and Texas heat only to have an accident in the parking lot at the very end, but it's best heard in person, specifically in the presence of Elizabeth Carter and her contagious laugh. It was still pretty darn cute and delicious (thanks to Lori Darnell in Carthage):

Did I mention we had a celebrity sighting at the restaurant? Thomas Haden Church

After taking Nikki back to Shane, the rest of us crashed at Cyndi's new house in Ft Worth. She has always been the best hostess, in part because she always feeds us the most amazing food :). Breakfast was strawberry soup, crescents, and scrambled eggs. YUM. I urge you all to try this- yogurt, milk, strawberries, and sugar, whipped into perfect submission.

Time to stop blogging and start packing!!

Texas Part II

2010-06-15T23:24:00.001-05:00

One of the most exciting things about our trip to Texas was meeting the newest member of our family- our niece Kilsyth Jane Middlebrook, and oh my, she is the sweetest thing! Thanks to Eden's Mamere I even got a few days to spend alone with her (and her mommy of course). Anna was such a huge blessing for me when Eden was an infant and it was incredible to be able to do a little for her. When Eden was around, she was a super awesome cousin, making sure baby Kilsy was covered up and had a pacifier at all times. Oh, and pointing out her little ears, nose, and toes.

We even realized they had matching outfits:

Oh, and she does this awesome thing with her eyes when she is in her carseat?

Did I mention the enormous amount of coffee drinking? We spent most mornings lounging on Java Jack's couch, drawing with crayons, and chatting with locals and old friends.

It was really nice to visit my old paintings (so excited that they've moved them all into the main room), have nice barristas, and drink a decent latte with coffee art.

After a bit of searching and talking to locals, we have found that there are a few coffee shops in Highwood (our future home). They're a bit smaller- bakeries and small grocers that sell cappuccinos and have a few tables- but hey- if they're nice, the coffee tastes good, and it's not Starbucks it'll be a big improvement on our current spot. Java Jack's, you're a hard act to follow.

Back to Kilsyth- as soon as we heard Anna and Ryan were on their way to the hospital and to be expecting her soon, I started on a present. Not being there was driving me crazy so I distracted my self with pretty fabrics and prayed for all her little toes and fingers while I worked on a blanket. The inside is pink minkie fabric (the really soft fuzzy kind with raised dots). Her parents kept her name a secret until her birth.A few hours after she was born I put on the finishing touches and shipped it off to her.

I'm already missing my daily updates on her sleeping schedule and hearing her cute little noises. I almost feel like a baby person now :).

Home.. at least for a little while longer

2010-06-15T00:13:00.000-05:00

We're home! I have a lot to share about our 4 week vacation in Texas. Thomas and I drove down May 14th and he flew back a week later. Eden and I stayed behind for another three weeks to play with Kilsyth Jane (our new niece) and all the grandparents and to drink copious amounts of Java Jacks coffee. This is only my second full day home and I'm pretty beat so for this post I just want to brag on my daughter for being the most awesome traveling toddler. Ever.

Here's a snapshot of the morning we left Illinois. It was 5:30 am and Eden wanted all of the stuff from her crib to come with her.

A lot of people were worried about the drive Eden and I faced for the trip home. Me + Toddler + 16 hours trapped in a car = *gasp* totally manageable. We ROCKED the socks off HWY 55, not so much Interstate 294- but that was only 40 minutes at the very end. I dare say I would do it again.

I also want to briefly mention that in grand Katie and Thomas "pile life on when things get crazy" fashion- we're moving soon! I just got back from 4 weeks in Texas, Thomas just started his 4th week of a 6 week intensive Hebrew 1 & 2 summer session, and we've only been in our apartment for 6 months. We enjoy the small space we're in, but have realized that we need more space for Thomas to work. Luckily, we found the first story of a cute house for rent- with access to a basement that Thomas can use as an office. Man Cave! We are moving on a Wednesday and Thomas finishes class on Thursday- so we get a moving company- YAYAYAYAYAY. The next couple weeks will be dedicated to packing up our apartment and generally trying not to explode from excitement about the coolness of our new place. There is a park directly across the street, the community is ultra old school italian, there is a bocce ball club, two Italian grocers, 1 french, 1 american, and 2 italian bakeries, and our favorite fancy restaraunts, and an indian food hole in the wall. Did I mention it's all within 0.5 miles walking distance of our house?? 7 minute commute to campus. The beach is 1.5 miles away!! And our landlord is from Italy. SUPER EXCITED.

More Texas' tales to come, stay tuned!

Carpe Noctem!

2010-04-19T20:54:00.003-05:00

So,
Our silly girl is learning how to say many new words, but most of the time Eden does not appreciate the importance of enunciation. "Please" often comes out as: 'stz, and the like. Every once in while, though, she will say something crystal clear and with a grown-up accent, e.g. "All done." It shocks you each time.

Anyhow, she has been sputtering out her gibberish all evening. Katie's away at Bible study and it's just the two of us. Of course, that means we're getting into trouble and generally wearing each other out. Sleepy time came in a hurry and Eden voluntarily hopped into the chair in which we read bedtime stories. Tonight we read A Star So Bright, an intricately painted landscape of all the animals who marvel at the Star of Bethlehem, and In the Night Kitchen, concerning a, um *bare-cheeked* lad who almost gets baked into a cake but ends up saving breakfast after all. [Incidentally there is a phone number in one of the illustrations that is drawn on the label of a jar in the Night Kitchen.... I called it in the real world and got the answering machine of one Maria... I wonder if it was/is Mr. Sendak's (the author) home?] By the end she sweetly kissed me and nuzzled in for the nightly litany of hymns and lullabies. After she was snagged by the sleepy fairy, I laid her in the crib. Lying on her back, she looks up at me with suddenly open eyes and says as clear as day, "Bye-bye." I blink. again. Then say, "G'nite sweet-heart" after which she finally breaks our gaze and curls up with Ducky.

I'm often stunned how much she grows when I'm not looking; golly, even when I am looking! I feel that I may turn around and she'll be carrying on conversation. And I can't even imagine what little Keiran and Sophie are up to these days. Attention: Do not grow up any more till I get home to see ya'll. Okay? G'nite family.

pic o' the evening:

and yes, there is a big ole grin behind that cookie.

Fabric CD Case Tutorial

2010-04-10T21:55:00.000-05:00

To return the favor of the gifted camera, I wanted to make my sister Jill a little something special.
I had bookmarked this idea for a CD wallet on Homemade by Jill just before Valentines Day and thought it would be perfect. Check out her blog- she has a lot of awesome tutorials and beautiful photos.

The project gave me the opportunity to check out Quilter's Heaven- a quilting shop just ten minutes from our apartment- yay! I snagged a couple of prints that reminded me of the colors Jill has used in print materials for her photography business. Lately she's been doing more head shots and family shoots (check them out on her blog, they're great!) and I wanted to give her something to use for a special client, or keep for herself!

Measurements for the cases were included on Homemade by Jill's blog, but I'm still a fairly novice sewer and it took me a while to wrap my head around the construction. I made a goofy little tutorial so I wouldn't have to think so hard if I ever did this again. Thought I'd share and if I put it online I won't lose it!

Food for Jill

2010-04-07T21:49:00.000-05:00

My friend Katrine recently called me in the middle of the day with an item # from the Crate and Barrel catalog she was browsing. Apparently I talk about cupcakes... just a little.

Can you imagine how often I'd have to bake ridiculously cute cupcakes to make this worth it? I'd have to make more friends just to have someone to eat them all.

Cupcake Carrier via Crate and Barrel

In the real world, here's what I'm cooking:
These empanadas were made for a play date with Katerine and her two boys. They are perfect for little hands and can be filled with just about any meat or veggie you have that needs to be used up. Here's the recipe I use, although it changes a bit every time. The handmade dough is totally worth it- the vinegar gives it a different flavor than regular pastry.

Thomas and I have finally gotten to break out the grill (oooh and there's a whole porch project going on with herbs and cushions and flowers- can't wait to start enjoying devotionals outside!). In preparation, I splurged at a pampered chef party a few weeks ago and purchased a grill basket. Tonight's dinner was steak, couscous, and grilled veggies. This was so easy- cut veggies, toss in olive oil and spice of choice, and grill!

During orientation, Thomas met a Norwegian student whose fiance came to visit (all the way from Norway!) over Easter break. I was delighted when they suggested a small dinner party so we could meet her and ecstatic when they asked me to make accompanying dishes for their Swedish meatballs. Per some of their suggestions and a little bit of research I tried creamed peas, boiled potatoes, and Norwegian Almond Cake with fresh cream and berries. None of this food was particularly interesting to look at so there are no pictures.
I felt very domestic soaking peas overnight and cooking them for 2.5 hours. It was all delicious and worth making twice.

Creamed Peas (Gronn ertestuing)
via Son of Norway

Ingredients:
2 cups dried peas (found in the Latin section of the grocery store)
6 cups water (plus extra if needed to keep peas covered in water)
3 Tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
Rinse peas well and pick out foreign objects. Place in water and soak overnight in a cool place. Let them simmer in the water they were soaked in, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Mix the flour with the butter and add to the peas and let simmer about 10 minutes longer. Add salt and sugar to taste.
**Before mixing in the flour I removed some of the water (about 1 cup) from the peas.

Norwegian Almond Cake (Mandelkake)
via Norway-Hei.com

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 stick butter
2 eggs
2 tablespoons yogurt/plain
2 cups flour
1/4 cup ground almonds (I used almond meal)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Powdered sugar to sprinkle

Directions:
Cream Butter and sugar together.
Add eggs. Add extract and yogurt.
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a seperate bowl and then add to batter.
Add ground nuts and flour intermittently. Mix well.

Coat a bundt pan with butter or Crisco and lightly dust with flour- tap out excess.
Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Cool before removing cake from pan.

Finished Projects

2010-04-06T20:47:00.001-05:00

The list of projects I have is growing faster than the dishes in my sink - it's quite possible that the two are connected. Currently in various stages of progress I have: 3 quilts, 1 set of curtains, 2 gifts for babies, 1 skirt, 2 pillows, 1 painting, 1 illustration, and a million other ideas. I think I'll feel some sense of accomplishment if I share what I have completed.

As part of Eden's room redo I made her a new quilt. I knew I wouldn't have much time so I drafted a super simple pattern consisting of three large rectangles (2 blue + 1 floral on the front, 2 floral + 1 blue on the back). I used the fitted sheet from the re-purposed set previously used for her crib skirt and some super cheap solid cotton. I added her name by first cutting the letters out of cotton fabric, gluing them down with a temporary fabric glue stick, and finally stitching around the inside of the letter 1/4" from the edge. Once washed, the glue dissolved and the edges frayed. It's a really simple and cute look that I'll use again. The binding was hand sewn out of yellow gingham cut on the bias.

A couple weeks ago I spotted a a ridiculously cute vintage floral pattern on sale for $1.99/yard. It merited purchasing the Heidi and Finn Pinafore Pattern from Etsy. This was so easy! Once all the pieces were cut it took 2 hours to sew the whole project. The pocket construction was the only difficult part. The pattern is either incomplete with regards to the pleating or I am too novice to know what they mean. Also, I chose corduroy for the pockets and they do not hold a pleat once ironed. After these photos were taken I tacked them down. Doesn't their Sunshine Dress Pattern look like fun too?

Anybody working on something fun??

The gift that keeps on giving

2010-04-03T22:39:00.001-05:00

Good evening! As promised I have been playing with my camera and would like to share of few shots with you. I still have lots to learn, but it definitely transformed my photos overnight! I can take 10 shots and have only one end up blurry instead of only one NOT ending up blurry. Colors are more accurate because I can adjust to the low light in our apartment without resorting to flash. Oh, and backgrounds are faded in a wonderful way that I've always admired and never been able to obtain.

I complained before that Java Jacks has not been easy to replace, but I have decided to give the only local place a few more tries. Cons: I have to bring my own booster seat (no high chairs), the customers are all 40 years my senior and don't seem too excited that a toddler is infiltrating their daily routine, it's not within walking distance, and the staff exudes the typical northern hospitality (java jacks baristas I miss you!) Pros: Delicious coffee and a 3 minute drive away en route to Trinity.

Welcome to my new coffee home: Newport Coffee House

I've also begun to explore a new identity as a Mall Rat- lol. . I suppose it's due to all the snow and that kids can't go outside to play in the winter time- the malls here have the coolest play areas. It's hard not to be a helicopter mom when we go. During this photo shoot, one kid choked Eden (he was trying to hug her), a five year old decided to bully her off of all the equipment until I sat him down and told him how to behave (his nanny didn't care about his behavior or my overstepping to do protect my child), and a 12 month old contaminated the slide by drooling puddles of blue sucker everywhere. She still had fun!

Eden got into my makeup and thought mascara would be just the thing to go with her new easter dress. We made the best of it and had a tea party before we cleaned up.

I can't get over how grown up pigtails make her look! This profile makes me swoon!

March Rewind

2010-03-30T23:44:00.000-05:00

This was a doozy of a day. Eden has had a cold and she has been such a trooper! Unfortunately it caught up to her and she was miss grouchy pants all day. For posterity sake I photographed the beginning of what turned into a 20 minute tantrum (I think I'll spare you the photos). In the middle of playing with a book she flattened out on the carpet, buried her face, and sobbed loudly. If you tried to touch her she only sobbed harder and then gave you evil eyes. This was the pattern for the majority of the morning and afternoon. I should have known the direction the day was headed when it started with breaking a raw egg on my bare foot. Thomas spent a little extra family time with us tonight and even took me for Chai tea at Starbucks. I love this man.

Thomas is pushing through what has been a very stressful and busy week and with a huge sigh of relief will be through with the majority of this semester's work by Thursday. I get to have a little girl time on Friday night (yes I have a girl to do girl time with!- pedicures and Julie and Julia) and Thomas will hopefully get to play some disc Friday for the first time since moving.

I have a lot of finished projects to share, but I also have a lot of new projects in the works. When I can pry myself away from my sewing table I'll photograph them with my lovely new camera and share all.

For now I'll share some March rewind photos that I've had fun cooing over this month. Enjoy!

Eden- March 2009

She was hip before the rest of the indie world went nuts about mustaches:

First morning finding her in a drastically different position than we left her, we're were so goofy excited:

Ducky was and is still her best friend:

St Patty's Day with Grandpa:

She would wear headbands (that has changed). This was my favorite:

I'm glad some things change, she used to hate it when I sang:

What a sweet girl we have!:

News Update

2010-03-27T21:22:00.000-05:00

Our blog has been a bit photo heavy and story light lately. Honestly, this is how I prefer things. I'm the kid who grabs the book with the biggest, brightest pictures and ends up skimming the text. I buy cookbooks almost 100% based on their ability to beautifully photograph food. Julia Childs, as much as I love you, your cookbook is hard for me to follow because of the lack of glossy, color photos. Writing for me does not come easy- even in a silly little blog, but we have some news and catching up to do so I'll try my best not to stumble over my words.

Last week Thomas and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. It was a Thursday, and Thursday's are days that Thomas is gone from about 9am to 10pm so we expected nothing special. We had a delightful date planned for the weekend though. At 8:30 am Eden and I kissed Thomas bye (yes, she kisses him goodbye and goodnight now, sometimes with a huge puckered face) and headed off with my friend Katerine and her boys to a mom's group. They took our kids away for two hours, fed us copious amounts of chocolate, and let us participate in a cake decorating contest - of course we TOTALLY won.

Saturday we got our trusty babysitter (who is graduating in May and moving to study Social Work- Boo!) and headed out for dinner and a movie. Prairie Grass Cafe has been near the top of the long list of restaurants we're anxious to try out- and it was wonderful! Thomas had freshly made deer sausage with lentils and I had crusted Halibut with a barley salad and celery puree- YUMMY. My new favorite thing when at a nice restaurant is to get the fish special (lately I've also had sea bass, walleye, sea scallops). Ah- to have the skills to fetch it fresh daily from the market and cook it to perfection!

After dinner, we checked out Alice in Wonderland in 3-D. It was not my first choice because I was afraid Tim Burton would have warped it to the point of being inappropriate for children/ruin a childhood classic (albeit one that is warped and twisted on it's own). I was pleasantly surprised that it had a clear theme of good versus evil and distanced itself enough from the classic story that it did not replace all the old images I enjoyed with unfamiliar ones. Oh, and it has a wonderful dose of girl power. If you plan on taking really young children I still might proceed with caution. After the movie, we quickly ran through Whole Foods at closing time, grabbed two small delicious looking deserts (tiramisu and rhubarb custard), tipped the nice cashier with some fruit leather, and headed home to pop some bubbly and toast to 4 years.

Since then it's been nose to the grindstone for Thomas, tons of crafting for me, and a bit of the sniffles for Eden. I'm having fun with my new camera and there will be well documented projects for your enjoyment soon!

I can't help it! I have to throw in some pics:

We've ditched Eden's tray to let her join the table. She approves:

And she wants to learn how to use chopsticks:

Eden takes Princess Pink baths:

And loves the color green:

I promise I took some pics that are not of Eden and will share them soon!

Eden Update!

2010-03-22T21:21:00.001-05:00

Eden doesn't seem to be changing as fast to us these days, but I know it's because we see her all the time! Here are a few pics from March:

Eden still has trouble drinking from a cup UNLESS it's her super girlie teacup :) What a lady!

Eden is copycatting us A LOT these days. After holding her down and mercilessly giving her raspberries Eden decided to torture her own baby:

Did I mention lots of copycatting?

Spring is finally here! We took Eden to the local park to celebrate (an 8 minute walk from our apartment!). They have an awesome small jungle gym specifically for toddlers.She LOVES the slide:

Her hair is getting pretty long and looks AWESOME after naptime:

Sweet smiles:

Baking Inspiration

2010-03-21T23:37:00.001-05:00

Of course in the middle of a major sweets cutback I start running across the most awesome baking ideas! Since I won't be enjoying them anytime soon, I'm hoping one of you will try them out for me.

It's surprising that as many blogs I read I don't have many baking/cooking blogs. Recently I have stumbled across two that I giddily added to my reader: Joy the Baker and Sprinkle Bakes.

Thomas and I are suckers for anything avocado. My favorite lunch is a wheat bagel hulled out, filled with diced tomato, garlic and basil, topped with avocado and mozarella, and baked for 5 minutes. We've also made avocado gelato :). I haven't told Thomas about this yet because I didn't want to tease him. Joy shows it served with blood orange and grapefruit slices topped with whipped cream. YUM!

Avocado Pound Cake from Joy the Baker

Another new blog fave is from Heather Baird at Sprinkle Bakes. Not only does she seem to have me in mind when she picks out every single recipe, but she also takes great photos. I think I could substitute this soup for dinner:

Chocolate Soup for Two from Sprinkle Bakes

The cupcake fad is still going strong and Meri Meri has designed a series of cupcake decorating kits that make me want to throw birthday parties for all the kids I know.

Cupcake kits from Meri Meri

Luckily for my healthy eating goals, all the cute cupcake bakeries seem to be far far away from Deerfield. Next time I need celebration and adventure I want to head down to Bleeding Heart Bakery- an organic bakery in Oak Park. Check out the blueberry basil cupcake below! Makes me think of Texas :).

Bleeding Heart Bakery

So come on, share your current baking crushes with me, I need to live vicariously through the sweet tooth of others!

Things I'm Loving Right Now

2010-03-10T23:40:00.002-06:00

Eden and I packed our bags and headed to Muncie, IN yesterday in search of quality girl time. My friend Emily is on spring break this week, and even though she is in the middle of writing her dissertation proposal she made a little time and room for us in her busy life.

Eden made it through the 5 hour trip there and back with flying colors. She listened to some funk and carried on conversations with her my little pony with a goofy smile plastered on her face almost the whole way. It's becoming apparent that our little girl likes to travel and the realization has my head spinning with plans.

There's nothing quite as rejuvenating as staying up until 3 am with your college roommate while giggling and over-analyzing every possible detail of your lives (and of course brownie sundaes and a glass of wine are nice additions). Eden even slept until 10! In all fairness to you toddler moms who hate me right now, Indiana is an hour ahead, it was like I put her to bed at 8pm and she slept till 9am which is still pretty much awesome. Waking up to her sweet little voice and rolling over to see the 10:12am lit up on the clock was like Christmas morning, only maybe better.

I love that although family seems so far away there are still people I adore in reasonable driving range.

I love Eden's new shoes.

I love all the tiny ethnic grocery stores that now surround me (Eden and I have been exploring). Like this Italian Food Mart:

I love blood orange juice (we discovered it on our honeymoon in Italy) and the fact that Poeta's stocks it:

I love the cute little homemade lasagna's at Poetas (this was about the size of 1.5 Katie hands) and the fact that the owner's neice sells this and a million varieties of homemade pastas:

I love this idea on Bake It Pretty's blog:

I almost love it enough to wish someone would get sick so I have an excuse to make them and wrap it up with some tea and a note about spoofuls of sugar:

I love my husband and I'm so glad to be home!

Make Do and Mend

2010-03-03T14:14:00.014-06:00

Here is a sneak peak at some of things I am doing to change up Eden's nursery. I loved how we had her room decorated in Texas, but it was very babyish. It became apparent soon after our move that our change in location corresponded with a big change in Eden, and she needed a more playful and fun space. To be honest, it's not looking so spectacular. I forgot the number one rule I have for decorating (this is at least how I function): Pick art first, then decorate. We have been trying to be financially savvy and I wanted to do as much as I could for $0. So far I have purchased $5 in tissue paper and $6 in fabric. Unfortunately it's looking like an $11 redo :(. The artwork I want to use is not blending with the free repurposed materials I had at my disposal. I'm hoping when it all comes together it looks a little more cohesive, but don't brace yourselves for a surprising before and after!

A twin sheet (we no longer have a twin bed) used to make a crib skirt:

Her old brown curtains revamped to bring some brightness into the room:

Cardboard box used as a base for a hanging mobile:

Piecing old batting scraps together for a new quilt. Sorry for the bad pic. Basically it required a lot of hand basting which totally worth the time and labor instead of spending the $25 for new batting:

The top sheet of the sheet set used for crib skirt being quilted:

Most of my time and effort has been spent sprucing up Eden's room, but I've snuck in a few projects around the apartment. These have also revolved around not spending money when possible. There's a print on etsy with the phrase "Make Do and Mend" and I feel like it's my personal mantra lately.

Curtains added to our living room. The color helps so much and so does covering up the unsightly air conditioner. I saved money by using the width of the fabric as the width of the curtain instead of making them fuller. Admittedly the $30 extra bucks for twice as much fabric might have been worth it:

A tv cover ordered by Thomas and made from fabric in my stash pile:

My first project from the Alabama Stitch Book. This is a hand-sewn headband made from old t-shirts. It was a birthday present for Katerine.
The top layer is painted:

Then layered with a darker fabric underneath by stitching around the edge of each painted section. After stitched, the center of each painted space is cut out to reveal the fabric below:

Tada!:

Spring break started for us today and it's sunny outside! Thomas and I are about to head to the library with our little one to check out some workout videos and pay my $3 fine (oops). Looking forward to family workouts and extravagant home cooked dinners with friends (which will require more family workouts) this week. Hope you all have exciting fun around the corner!

Coming up- blog inspiration and March rewind pics of Eden :)