All Else Considered

Jump Start

2011-09-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

Some say I should have waited until October 1st to do this. But I couldn't help myself. Besides, this is just a little bit of stuff. There isn't too much here.

I say, why wait? :-)

Brown Sugar

2011-09-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

I need a label maker. I don't think using Scotch tape to attach a label to a glass jar looks so great.

My flour and white sugar canisters are the same way. Oh well! It's not that noticeable. Not most of the time, anyway. :)

Lazy Days

2011-07-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a slow, lazy summer.

It's been wonderful. It gives me time to look around, to enjoy the little things...like those cute refrigerator magnets.

Well, that's something I don't enjoy seeing. I wish those things would wash themselves. Oh wait, they do. All I have to do is put them in the dishwasher. When I said it's been a lazy summer, I meant it ;)

Of course, a slow, lazy summer has left me a bit uninspired when it comes to taking pictures.

Not that I've ever been too incredibly inspired before, but you know what I mean.

Random shots from around the house are as interesting as it gets around here these days. And I am A-OK with that.

Saturday Morning

2011-07-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

I took a few pics in the kitchen yesterday morning. They aren't particularly kitchen-y, or related to each other. ;)

Local honey is delicious.

These cherry teaspoons are too cute to use. (The potholders came from my grandma's house.)

My sons didn't eat all their breakfast yesterday. When they complained of hunger an hour later, I said, "Finish your cereal if you're hungry!" Yes, I am a mean mama. ;)

Our dog, Buster, is an 80-pound Chesapeake Bay retriever who is very energetic, and, quite frankly, really hard to photograph. I took this pic through the kitchen window.

I can't wait to start this. (The kit is sold out, but the pattern is available as a PDF.)

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

Toy Story Cupcakes

2010-06-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

My youngest turned 3 yesterday. We threw him a small birthday party, complete with cupcakes.

Not just any cupcakes, as you can see. Toy Story cupcakes.

Homemade by me, Mommy. :)

Outdoor "Picnik"

2010-06-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously, I've enjoyed spending time outdoors lately.

"On the Deck"

I've also enjoyed playing with my pics, editing them in Picnik and generally changing the originals entirely.

"Garden Ornament"

"Sun Hat"

"Lobelia"

I'm not so crazy about the way the edited pics look with the format of my blog, but....oh well! :)

Outdoors

2010-06-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

I've been able to spend some time outdoors lately.

I've planted some flowers...

...which are too beautiful for words.

Mr. Gnome thinks so, too. :)

Buzz Buzz

2010-06-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

Buzz buzz, that's me...buzzing along like a bee.

Homework has been keeping me busy--VERY busy. I did take some time recently, however, to whip up some cupcakes for my oldest child's 6th birthday:

I also did a bit of embroidery...

...which you can read about here, if you feel so inclined. :)

Lately

2010-04-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been...

...planting flowers and...

...painting flower pots. Turns out that Patio Paint+terra cotta=awesome.

I've also been doing homework (and lots of it!), but I don't have any pictures to accompany that statement, for I don't think to take pics while I am doing said homework, and the pics I staged this afternoon with this blog post in mind did not turn out. ;)

Aside from the homework thing, I have enjoyed Spring immensely so far...how 'bout you?

Flickr Faves

2010-03-10T22:09:00.001-08:00

I love dishes. Very very much. Teacups and Pyrex bowls rank high in my book.

1. Prunus, 2. my favorite kitchen, 3. Thrifted, 4. My Vintage Pyrex, revisited! (explored! #125), 5. Monday Morning hot Chocolate., 6. gooseberry & garden flowers 1, 7. House Patio Snack Set, 8. Blue 403s and Green Tomatoes, 9. Untitled

I have a few pieces of Pyrex (and Fire King) that I got from my Grandma's house, but I really haven't anywhere to display them. I think I need to buy a bigger house. :-D

But that's not gonna happen, at least not anytime soon. So perhaps instead I should focus on simply using the few pieces that I have, and maybe snap a pic or two so I can share my small collection with you. In the meantime, though, I will live vicariously through the talented photographers above and enjoy their collections.

I hope you do the same. :)

Lilac Watch 2010

2010-03-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

One of the best decisions I've ever made was to plant a lilac bush in my back yard.

Ok, so that statement is a wee bit on the dramatic side. But I do believe it to be true...gardening-wise, anyway. I bought my house in the summer of 2003 and planted the lilac the following Spring. The first blooms appeared in 2007 or 2008.

Each year, I think the bush is more beautiful than the last. It produces such loveliness. :)

Every Spring, I turn antsy with anticipation. As soon as I notice the buds, "Lilac Watch" goes into effect.

The pic above was taken in February of this year. Let's look just a teensy little bit closer, shall we?

Here's a different shot. This one is looking up toward the sky a bit.

Like, I said, that was in February. Here are a couple pics from today.

Look at all that progress! I am so excited! Soon I hope to have this:

Yes, that would be quite nice, wouldn't it? :)

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-04T14:33:00.001-08:00

I had a very sweet Christmas Eve.

My husband and I hosted a small, impromptu spaghetti dinner for my parents and one of my brothers.

But before the pasta, I baked scones.

Cranberry orange scones, mmmm. Yummy.

Homemade, no less! Look at those uneven wedges and try not to giggle. (Don't worry, I laughed, too.)

After dinner we all pitched in and decorated the sugar cookies I'd baked with my two young sons the day before.

I used my great-grandmother's recipe for sugar cookie cut-outs, complete with a secret family ingredient.

They were tasty. Santa enjoyed several on Christmas Eve...

...as did I. :)

Macro Madness

2009-10-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

It's been chilly lately.

That means that there will be condensation on my windows until late Spring.

I don't really like it, but I think it makes a neat backdrop for pictures.

I know, random, right?

I used to take macro pics all the time. Now I hardly ever do, and I miss it. So this morning I had some fun with the camera.

Not too bad for a point & shoot, eh?

Those pinking shears came from Grandma's house, by the way.

(Hey, I'm a poet & I didn't know it....harharhar...)

Is it sad that I find inspiration in old floss wrappers and wet windows?

No??

Good. :)

A Blurry Month

2009-10-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

October has been quite a blur for me.

It has passed so quickly. I've barely had this cute Trick-or-Treat banner up and it's already almost time to take it down.

(I bought the banner from one of my favorite Etsy sellers, Wild Olive. It comes as a PDF and you personalize it to say whatever you want. Cuteness!)

Between work, school, soccer practices, flu bugs, runny noses, and regular day-to-day stuff, I've hardly had time to sit back and enjoy the Autumn season.

Not to mention the fun decor that Halloween brings.

Let's hope the rest of the year doesn't fly by so quickly. I have some pretty cute Thanksgiving and Christmas things to put out this year, and I want to enjoy them.

Keep your fingers crossed for me! ;)

Too Soon

2009-10-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last month, I thought it would be a good idea to bake some Autumn-themed cookies.

Turns out I was wrong.

It wasn't because the cookies weren't tasty. On the contrary--my mother's recipe, which I think was her grandmother's recipe, is amazing, and it has a secret family ingredient. The cookies were delicious.

No, baking cookies in mid-September was a bad idea because it was just too soon. I tried to rush Autumn. And because of it, I ended up giving up on the cookies.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning shall we?

A couple days before I baked/gave up on the aforementioned cookies, I found some really cute leaves & acorns cookie cutters at a discount store, along with some Autumn sprinkles. I was so excited to use them that I went home and immediately mixed up a batch of sugar cookie dough.

Hmmm, that's a tad bit embarrassing. What a mess my counter was that day! I had yet to put away all the bowls I'd gotten from my grandma's house, along with a few other recent acquisitions. Oh well, that doesn't matter. What's important is that you can see how cool my AQUA-COLORED measuring spoons and cups are!! Oh yeah!!!

Sorry. I really like aqua.

Anywho....

The sugar cookie dough needed at least an hour to chill, so into the fridge it went. And at about the same time, the clouds, the beautiful, wonderful clouds that had fooled me into thinking that Fall was just around the corner, burned off and the sun came out and I lost my will to bake. So the dough stayed put for a while.

Two days, to be exact.

I wasn't sure if the dough would still be workable after two days, or if it would be tough. I didn't know if it was even safe to use after two days. I usually have a hard time waiting just one hour after I've mixed up a batch of sugar cookie dough, so this was uncharted territory for me.

But it was fine. Whew.

When it came time to roll out the dough and use my new cookie cutters, my pastry cloth was nowhere to be found. That really annoyed me because 1) I hate rolling out cookies without a pastry cloth and 2) that was the second pastry cloth I'd misplaced. Grrr. I couldn't even use a tea towel as a substitute because the few that I have were dirty.

So I rolled out the dough sans pastry cloth...

...and, much to my surprise, the world didn't come to an end. ;)

The cookie cutters came with three different designs, with two sizes of each design: regular-sized and mini. I cut out regular-sized acorns and leaves, and then used the mini-acorn one with my boys, letting them cut out several cookies apiece. I then added some orange sprinkles to the tops of the mini-acorns (yeah, I know, acorns are brown) before sliding them into the oven. The larger acorns, along with the leaves, were left unadorned. The plan was to frost them with homemade icing.

As the cookies cooled, my five-year-old noticed that the orange acorns did not look like acorns, but rather much like Goldfish crackers.

Yeah, I can see that.

As for the other cookies, they didn't get any special decorations. Nothing. I ran out of steam, just as I had two days prior when I mixed up the dough. I had zero desire to make icing. I had zero desire to buy icing. By that point, I just didn't give a darn about icing.

But it's ok. The un-iced cookies didn't last more than 24 hours. Two little boys+one husband=quickly emptied cookie jar.

And that's the way I like it. :)

Still Here

2009-09-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe based on the infrequency of my posts, but I am still here.

Unfortunately, so is SUMMER.

It's been so hot here. It's not unusual for the first days of Autumn to be warm. In fact, it's expected in these parts. But triple digit temperatures? Ick. So that kinda leaves me not in the mood for blogging. Or anything, really.

I did attempt to make some cookies last week. I took pictures and will be telling you about it soon. I promise.

I promise! :)

The Blahs and Some Blues

2009-08-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe nearly a month has gone by since I last blogged here!

When I started this blog, it was because I had so many things I wanted to share that didn't belong on my stitchy blog. But then the summertime blahs got to me, and I found that I had nothing to say.

Mind you, I've been meaning to find something of interest to share with you. I am sure if I tried, I could find a plethora of fun things. But like I said, the blahs have taken over. I am soooooo ready for a change of seasons. Hello Autumn, please get here soon. I am ready for you. :)

So, I tried to find something good for you today. Forgive me, for I couldn't come up with much.

Those are cherry tomatoes from our garden, in a bowl from my grandma's house. I got a few cool Pyrex and Fire King dishes from Grandma's, but have yet to take proper pics of them, with the exception of this shot of these pretty blue bowls:

Maybe after school has started I can get my act together and take some good pictures to share with you. I always feel energized when school starts, even though I am not a student.

Is anyone else like that? :)

Not-So-Sweet Heat

2009-07-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am grumpy again, and this time I can't do any therapeutic baking to make me feel better.

Why not, you ask?

Well...

I can't use the oven when it's really hot outside. I do (THANK GOODNESS) have air conditioning, but it's still rather warm in my house. And to use the oven would just make it warmer.

And there is NO WAY I would do anything to contribute to the rising temperature in this house! Look how warm it is outside:

Yeah, I'd be crazy to do anything right now but sit around the house. Naked. Ok, not naked. But as close to it as possible!! Hahaha! It's really hot, people!

Ok, enough whining. I am very thankful that I have central air and that I do not have to do anything outdoors. I saw a tow truck on the parkway today on my way home from work and I felt so bad for the driver. He already had a big ol' Chevy on his truck, and he was hitching up a motor home. Woof, that's rough. The parkway, with its asphalt and car motors, is SO stinkin' hot. And there was that poor guy, working so hard, so swiftly, to get his job done and get the broken down vehicle(s?) out of the line of traffic. I hope he gets to go swimming when he's off work tonight. :)

I also hope that wherever you are, dear readers, you are keeping cool and comfortable. :)

PS That thermometer is from my grandma's house. It's something I remember clearly from my childhood, so when I saw it I knew I had to have it. :)

Sweet Heat

2009-07-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Betty made another appearance in my kitchen recently.

This time, however, she was not here because I was feeling grumpy. I had my family over for a little BBQ, and I baked brownies for dessert.

Instead of my usual glass baking dish, I used this cool pan that my husband's mom gave us:

This is one of those pans that gives you only the edges of the brownies. You know, no 'middle' pieces. It's a really nice, heavy pan. The brownies baked up beautifully. :)

Ok, it's hard to tell from the picture. That really is a lousy pic. Trust me on this, the brownies were gorgeous.

For this batch, I decided to try something different. Many years ago, during my senior year of high school, I took a healthy cooking class (aptly titled, "Foods for the Health of It"). There isn't much that I recall from that class, but I do remember that we made brownies that had been 'lightened up' by replacing the vegetable oil with unsweetened applesauce.

So, out with oil and in with the applesauce!

And, since I was already feeling experimental, I decided to throw in a little something extra.

Mmmmmm, yum. I don't know how much of this I used. I just kept adding it until it seemed like there was enough.

The lightened up brownies turned out to be very tasty. They had a nice texture and were quite dense. The addition of the cocoa chile blend was good; there was a bit of sweet, yummy heat after each bite. I also added a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the mix, which I am pretty sure made omitting the oil near-pointless, but oh well. I always add chocolate chips to my brownies.

And since I was dying for an excuse to use some cute papers and picks I bought recently, I cut the brownies into bite-sized squares and gussied 'em up a bit.

I threw some M&M's into the baking cups for good measure, but only the brown and yellow ones. I'm a matchy-matchy kind of girl :)

Speaking of the baking cups, aren't they just adorable?

I love the polka dots.

I also love the picks. Too cute!

Overall, I'd say the brownies were a success.

Rick Rack Project

2009-07-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I did something with some of my recently acquired rick rack.

I've been straightening up my crafting space this week. It's a lot of work! I have a bunch of new stuff to find space for, which isn't the easiest task. I have so much stuff already! So I've been doing a bit of purging and rearranging. In the midst of it the other evening, I decided to take a little crafting break.

I am really not much of a crafter. I am a stitcher, and I have confidence in my stitching. But crafting...eh, not so much. It's pretty hit and miss. Whenever I set out with a plan, with a list of supplies I need to buy to make that perfect project, I fail fail fail! But I think this little project, this on-a-whim creation, is pretty cool. Not as cool as these awe-inspiring creations from doe-c-doe, but still pretty darn neat-o. :) And the best part is I didn't have to go out and buy a thing. Love that. ♥

And now I have to figure out what to do with all the bias tape I inherited! There's a whole lot of it.

I think I might try my hand at making a banner. This flickr group is dedicated to homemade banners, and it's teeming with pics of inspiring garlands.

Anyway, back to the bias tape...

There are many packages of solid colored trim, but my hands-down favorite is the red gingham:

There are twelve total. Grandma must've hit a sale.

These polka dotted ones are nice, too. The brown and orange have me thinking of Autumn.

I find this one especially charming:

And you can't beat that price...nineteen cents...

Or can you?

I can't imagine a time when a three-cent markdown would have been considered a good price reduction. :)

And here's the least expensive package of trim in the bunch:

I don't know what shell braid is or what it's used for, but I love it anyway.

Amongst the bias tape and trims was some lace:

I love that it's similar to the lace featured in the ad on the back of this old catalog I found in Grandma's house.

I really love some of the dress patterns inside, especially these ones by designer Betsey Johnson:

And this one, too:

I am hoping to get more pictures of the things from Grandma's house (like the vintage linens) posted so I can share with you. But first I have to finish getting my craft room straightened up! So far, all I've done is clear off my desk a bit (how does it manage to get so cluttered..and so quickly?) and organize the closet.

I think it's a pretty good start, though. So good, in fact, that I have a hard time shutting the closet doors. All I want to do is sit and stare at the neatly organized containers and colorful bits of fabric and trim. :)

Bye-Bye, Beloved Blue Blossoms

2009-07-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

I really had no idea...

...that the beautiful blooms....

...of my beloved blue morning glory...

...would only last...

...for one day!

But ya' know what? I am ok with that...for even the spent blossoms are lovely. :)

Rick Rack Rocks!

2009-07-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

As you may recall, I recently acquired some cool stuff from my grandma's house.

Amongst the teapots and vintage linens was rick rack.

Oooh! Rick rack! Fun stuff, I say.

Only problem is, I am still very new to sewing and am still figuring out ways to successfully incorporate rick rack into my projects.

But who says rick rack is limited to sewing projects?

I think it looks adorable tied around these recipe cards, which will be part of a gift I am giving to some very special newlyweds this weekend. :)

Betty Chased the Blues Away, Part Two

2009-07-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Feeling low?

Bake these cheesecake bars. Guaranteed to make you smile. :)

They're easy to make.

And even easier to eat.

Especially when you eat them off of your great-grandparents' old Fire King dishes.

Yum. :)

Betty Chased the Blues Away

2009-07-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yours truly was in a BAD mood today.

So, I did what I had to do: I baked.

I used a mix. I love mixes. They're quick, they're handy.

Mixes rock.

And since I knew one pan of brownies wasn't enough to cure what ailed me, I decided I HAD to try out something new.

It's in the oven right now. :)

(Oh, and no, I alone am not responsible for the large amount of brownies missing from that pan. I had help from my husband, who was very supportive of my 'bake the blues away' plan. :) :))

Squeaky Wheel

2009-07-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

My squeaky wheel got greased. Behold...

...my morning glory bloomed!!!!

All that whining and complaining (I'd say to my husband every single day, "Whyyyyyy won't they just blooooooom?") can finally come to an end. Hooray!

I feel bad for this little bud, though. I don't think it's going to make it.

You remember that one, right? I ~~whined~~ talked about it earlier.

Oh well. I will enjoy the bloom that I've got...

...and hopefully there will be many more to follow. :)

Linens on the Line

2009-07-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

This morning, I washed the linens I got from Grandma's house.

It was impossible to get a shot of the whole clothesline. (Well, clotheslines. More about that soon.) That pic was taken when I was less than halfway through hanging things.

I think the aprons look delightful...

...especially when they're blowing in the breeze.

There were many items to be hung, so my husband to set up a second, makeshift clothesline for me.

Did you see Little Red Riding Hood? Isn't she magnificent?

There is something so peaceful and serene about linens on the line. :)

Morning Glory Story

2009-07-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

I love morning glories.

I mean, I loooooove morning glories! Really and truly. So I thought it would be nice to try to grow some this year. After all, that's what one does when one loves morning glories, right?

So, I planted some seeds in early Spring. Little by little, they sprouted. Eventually, they were potted. And then they grew. And grew. And grew some more.

But--they haven't bloomed yet. There are tons of buds on the leafy vines, including a few that are this close to blooming. Or so I thought. Turns out, they are taking their own sweet time to bloom!

Here's an example. This pic was taken three days ago, on July 4th.

And here's the same flower-to-be. I took this pic this evening, just a few hours ago:

Some progress has been made, but not as much as my impatient little self would like.

Does that look blue to you? It looks pink to me. The seed packet says blue. Hmmmm...

At least I have a plethora of other pretty things to look at while I'm waiting for my beloved morning glory to bloom...

...including sweet little ladybugs. :)

Treasure Trove at Grandma's House

2009-07-06T21:03:00.001-07:00

Recently, I've had the task of helping my family clean out my grandmother's home. She's in a care facility now, and space is limited. But she has a lifetime of treasures (and let's be honest, junk!) left in her old home. She was kind enough to tell us that, with the exception of a few items that she wants, we can have whatever we want. Thanks, Grandma. That's way cool of you. :)

Most of the things in Grandma's house don't really interest me. But there are a few things that have caught my eye. One is a collection of teapots. As an avid tea drinker, I am interested in all things tea, and I was thrilled to receive Grandma's teapots. It's even better that Grandma is happy that I got them. :)

But I think what I love the most from Grandma's house is her collection of handmade linens. Oh my goodness. My jaw hit the floor when I realized how many goodies Grandma had hidden away in the nooks and crannies of her home. Hand embroidered pillowcases and tablecloths, vintage hankies with delicate embellishments, and crocheted doilies and table runners are now in my possession, waiting to be laundered and hung on the clothesline. But that's not even the best part.

The best part is the stash of handmade aprons I found. Oh!! Having recently read The Kitchen Linens Book and The Apron Book (both by EllynAnne Geisel), I am obsessed with the cloths and everyday items that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used. I was sure I was going to have to scour the flea markets and antique shops if I wanted to amass a collection of these items. So to say I was pleased to acquire my grandma's (and possibly my great-grandma's!) aprons is an understatement.

Like the towels and tablecloths, the aprons are still waiting to be washed. (My plan is to do it Wednesday morning. Keep your fingers crossed that I can get it done.) So when I made cookies the other day, I didn't don one of the cheerful cover-ups. Instead, I used it as a photo prop. 'Cause you know, that's part of the fun of having cool old things. :)

Hey, do you see that recipe card in the pic? It's from one of my FAVORITE Etsy sellers, Mollie of Wild Olive. If you've ever read my other blog, then you know how much I love her embroidery patterns. I've been interested in her printables for a while, but without a color printer, they weren't of much use to me. Now, however, thanks to my awesome in-laws who bought me one for Christmas, I have a color printer, and I was able to get some of Mollie's super cute recipe cards. They are really cool 'cause you have the option of just printing them out as is, or typing in your recipe first and then printing.

Isn't that just the cutest little bag of chocolate chips you've ever seen? If only all ingredients were so chipper. (Bad pun. Sorry!)

Well, I've rambled on longer than I'd anticipated. I still have several things I'd like to accomplish before I hit the sack tonight, but seeing that bedtime is only about 90 minutes away, I doubt I will get much done. Oh well. There's always tomorrow, right? :)

Yeah, Like I REALLY Need Another Blog

2009-07-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this, it's likely that you came here from my other blog, Stitchy Stitcherson. (If not, you ought to check it out. Unless totally cute stitchy goodness isn't your thing, then you should probably skip it.) I don't really need a second blog. After all, sometimes I have a hard time posting more than twice a month on my first blog. But I often find myself mentally writing posts about non-stitchy subjects. I think that's a sign that I should at least give writing a second blog a try. :)

So, this is it: the place where stitching isn't the subject, but where all else is considered.