Hootin' and Hollerin'

I've reviewed another children's book. Yippeee!

I'm still testing the waters with this writing gig, so any feedback is greatly appreciated. In the meantime, I'm having fun posting content for books that I'd be reading anyway. The litmus test is, if a book gets the "read it again!" from the five-year-old, I'll give it a write-up.

Bink and Gollie: Opposites attract, even in friendship

I have review up at examiner.com for this fabulous children's book, Bink and Gollie. Thanks for taking a look.

Nutella, ella, ella

I commissioned a painting from my husband's longtime friend, Chris Tarango. After seeing some of his work in person and on his web site, I e-mailed him a JPG of a Nutella jar asking, "What can you do with this?" I explained my vision of a Warholesque composition, but gave him the artistic freedom to do whatever he liked. I think it turned out amazing! Go check out his site. www.christarango.com

Yo, Yo, Yo

I made yogurt! It's sour, thick, and de-lish.

"Why make yogurt?" you may ask. And I answer, "Why NOT?!" First of all, we love it. There is always yogurt in our fridge, and if we run out, it's a travesty. But, more so, it's a natural progression for me in the kitchen. I made my own bread, and felt like Wonder Woman, and it all snowballed from there. It really is so empowering to create something from scratch, whether it's a bagel or a reusable bag to keep it in. As a working mother and a frugal-minded person, who is, by no stretch, someone with a lot of time on her hands, I want to be able to show my family and friends that if you set out to do something, and you truly enjoy it, the possibilities are endless.

So, for my birthday gift to myself, and with my lovely Amazon Groupon, I purchased a yogurt maker. As much as the little one and I eat the stuff, it will pay for itself by next week. There is a little bit of prep work that goes into it, but basically you slowly warm up milk, let it cool a little, add a dollop of starter yogurt (I used store bought Greek), add a little powdered milk to thicken it, pour it into the glass jars that came with the machine, put the jars in the machine, cover, turn it on, and 8-10 hours later you have 7 servings of plain Jane yogurt to dress up as you wish.

For my first taste, I added vanilla and granola (kickin' it old school.) For the cup pictured above, I just added strawberries. It is a little on the tart side, but that's just how I like it. I'll have to experiment with additives to make it more kid-friendly: Jelly? Oreos? Mac 'n' Cheese? For now, I'm going to savor these all by myself. Happy birthday to me! :)

Give Pieces a Chance

I've been wanting to start a *real* quilt for a long time now. It's a very daunting undertaking, even if you've tried the basics, as I did in this child's quilt over a year ago. I obviously wasn't in any hurry to start another! After coming across this bookmarked tutorial, I was inspired all over again. I present to you, the beginnings of my Paper-Pieced String Quilt:

The "stash pile!" (Something new to me, since I've begun sewing in earnest this month.)



All sewn together on a 6" square of phone book paper. Looks crazy, now, I know....



After the strips are joined and trimmed, you simply tear away the paper along the "perforations." (Wait, American Bee Control? Damn, I might need that number someday!)



Looking better all cleaned up...



...and even better when four squares are joined!



I like this style for many reasons: it's not fussy with measurements, how the pieces match up, or even the colors you use; the bohemian, mismatch style will match anything; and it's quick to stitch up once you have all your strips cut. Now the question is, how many of these do I have to do???

Announcing: Fancy Pantries!

Come visit my new etsy shop .... Right now I'm selling plastic bag holders for the pantry. New designs and other miscellany will be added as I make them, so check back regularly!

To Hold

Cowboy art case (for a 3-year-old boy)




Checkbook and notepad case (for me!)




Plastic bag dispenser (SOLD!)