And ...I'm Back

Wow, I almost can't believe I existed without my laptop for about a week. I was able to surf a bit with the iphone, but I couldn't upload pics or really enjoy my computer time. My husband worked his butt off re-installing everything. Kudos to my husband!!
I didnt' realize how much detail cleaning I could get done without the computer. I cleaned my huge bedroom closet on Saturday, cleaned out cabinets, and the fridge. I got rid of a bunch of junkie junk I didn't need. I think I could just leave my closet door open and stare out it with pride!

I made my own lightbox tonight. I have been wanting to make one for ages, and I had a bit of time tonight. Now, it does look like a cardboard box, because it is. But it works excellent. It will be great for when I don't have time during the day to take pics.

On Saturday I made "Lemon Poppy Seed" bread. It was divine.

I just used the Betty Crocker recipe, and it was really good. I have got to cool it on these bake goods soon. I am having too much fun baking. I have found a whole new love. Every week I keep coming up with more things I want to bake. I didn't used to be a baker, because I thought it was too hard, but now that I've gotten started, I can't stop.

I got my Puchi Babie Deer in last week, and I couldn't wait to take pics.


I want to collect more colors.

Have a great Monday!!!

I fell off the edge of the earth... Well with no computer

I feel like I fell off the edge of the earth this week! My computer got bitten by a worm, computer virus. Is it just me or does anyone else get a couple a year? Yeah a real bummer and a pain. So I have been sans Internet this week. On the brighter side my cabinets and closets got a cleaning with my extra time. I'm kinda bummed my mini 365 is getting put in hold. I will be uploading a ton when I get it back. Well I'm typing from an iPhone so I'll make this short. Hope to be back soon! Have a great weekend.

It's Monday. Can I just build a fort and play with all my favorite things.
This is the pic for my Mini 365 today.

Good news. I passed my written driving exam! I only missed one. I am so glad I got it taken care of. Lets just say, I have kind of putting it off.

I got my newest mini today. I got one of the mini Odeca and Nikki cats. It came all the way from Hong Kong. She is so cute and little. I will take pics tommorrow.
I'm still waiting on some fun re-ment I ordered from overseas as well.

I have been eyeglass shopping lately. I had thought I might get a pair of ray bans, but my husband thought they seemed kinda bland. So I decided I would do the home try-on program with Warby Parker. It is pretty cool. They will send you five pairs of glasses of your choice and let you try them on for five days and then they even pay to send them back. I can't wait. They have a great style. You get your lenses and frames for 95 dollars with free shipping. I really like these.

Have a great Monday.

Well Hello Friday

Holy Moly, it's Friday? I have been a different realm lately. With snow surrounding us, there are alot of bored kids in this house. This means play-doh, puppet shows, drawing, and of course our normal stuff have kept me quite busy this week. I'm still here. I have really been on relax mode after the holidays and birthdays. As soon as the kids go to bed I have been flopping on the couch reading a book or cross-stitching. It has been wonderful.

I'm in a bit of a stand still with a project I have been working on. I started the picture and I can't figure out where I want to go next. But you know, I like to ponder on a piece for awhile until I get the exact image I want. That is when I really truly produce exactly what I want.

I love to sew. I recently learned from Amy Karol that my fave author/seamstress Wendy Mullin is coming out with another book. It's called "Built by Wendy Coats and Jackets." I am really excited about this one. I tried to make a coat a year or more ago, and something went wrong, because it just buttons up all wonky. I hope this can give me some good direction. Wendy's books are my favorite.

I got some new miniatures this week! I did not realize that Hallmark was putting out miniature Fisher Price toys from the 70's. I was super thrilled, and went to several Hallmarks to check the clearance. I was told they had sold out quite fast. So I headed to the bay and was super excited to get a couple. I'm still holding out hopes of getting the school bus from last year!
Here's some shots I took this morning.





I have to take a written test tommorrow to renew my license. I have been studying all week. I haven't taken a test in ages, so for some reason I'm all anxious.

Oh and I got some bangs last weekend. I really am enjoying something different.

I never can get a good shot of myself, so the bangs don't need to smile ;)

Have a great weekend!!

Happy Birthday To My Husband.....Adventures in Cooking

Today is my wonderful, cute, funny, sweet husbands birthday! I made him his favorite cake "Carrot Cake." My flickr friend Sioux had shared this recipe awhile back, so I really wanted to try it. It did not disappoint! So delicious!!!

My husband loves his moped. He has worked all winter rebuilding its engine, so I thought it was fitting to do a moped themed gift.






I have been wanting to make my own sushi rolls of some sort, just to see if I could make them successfully myself. I make "california rolls" with imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber. I made them the inside out way with the white rice and sesame seeds on the outside. They were delicous! I plan on making them again with shrimp.
I found a great tutorial
here
The rice is the main time consuming part. It must be prepared at least 2 hours before making the roll. I loved the whole process. You can do each step and then walk away.


I plan on working on some pieces for my shop and such here soon. With Christmas and multiple birthdays I haven't had much extra time. And with all this baking and experimenting I've just been having too much fun!!
Have a great Monday!

This week got away

Wow, this week got away from me. It seemed quite kid busy. We are getting back into the swing of school, and really get my four year old on the road to reading by this summer. She loves to write, but sitting still to read is not her thing. My son was this way at first, but now, he can't wait to get a new book.
Oh and yes , my foccacia bread turned out beautifully.


I can't remember the last time I had it, but I had recently seen in with a recipe for soup, and I couldn't quite get it out of my head. It is super simple, and doesn't hardly take much time. I found the recipe here
I tweeked it a bit, by letting the dough rise a second time when I placed it on the baking sheet, for 15 minutes. Also , proof your yeast as well with sugar. I don't think they state that, but it is quite important to a good bread.
It can easily be a great vegan bread as a side. Just don't do dairy cheese, but the vegan daiya cheese (which by the way is delicous).

I have a hair appointment tommorrow to get my hair done. It has been much needed. I was so busy over the holidays, I kind of put it off for awhile. I want to got with a straight bang. I used to always have them in highschool, and I'm really liking the look of them again.

My husbands birthday is on Monday, and I can't wait to share with you his little gift I'm making. He loves those sorts of things. He likes to decorate his desk at work with all of his favorite things.

Lastnight we watch "Cyrus." It was quite funny while having a realistic ending. I expected a bit more creepiness, but it left you with the right amount from Jonah Hill. I really did like John C. Reillys part as well.
We also rented "Freaks and Geeks." I have never seen this show before, but I have heard amazing things about it. We will probably lay on the couch and watch that tonight.

Well I hope you have a great Friday!

Savory Meals and an Embroidery Video

Yesterday we had a snow day. We got around 4 inches of the white stuff. I love the snow. I love getting snuggled up under the covers when the ground is all covered in a blanket of snow.
Oh and yes, I can't forget, my youngest turned 3 yesterday. I can't believe it! And best of all she is fully potty trained, mostly thanks to her big sister ;) We had an elmo themed day.

(psst... I don't claim to be a cake decorator)


(Blowing out the candles)

I made my first Chicken Pot Pie from scratch. I will soon be enjoying the leftovers shortly. I made my own crust. It was divine. Who could have known it could have been that easy.

I love to eat eggplant parmesan. But tonight I wanted to put something with it extra special , foccacia bread. I haven't had foccacia bread in ages. It's super simple and you can customize it to your liking. I hope to take pics to show how it turns out.
I'm still thinking about those ramen noodles as well. My husband thinks I really need a pasta press and cutter before I attempt it. It makes sense. I don't want them too thick. We'll see. I'm still itching to try.

I have just been loving "Bright Eyes" lately. This morning I was really enjoying the song "Bowl of Oranges." Well I always go in search of a video to share, when I was pleasantly surprised by the crafty video. Check out the use of embroidery. Love it even more.

Ramen Noodles

I was watching CBS's Sunday Morning, as I do most Sundays, and they had a feature on "Ramen Noodles." No, not your 10 cent packs at the grocery (I do like to eat those for lunch). They were showing how delicious authentic Ramen Noodles can be. I had no idea. This is normal on the menu for most in Tokyo. But apparently the craze is hitting the United States. Little Ramen bars are opening up. These are just cheesy little places either. These are top of the line trained chefs that take making these Ramen bowls quite seriously. Now I know I am no match against these chefs, but definitly want to try my hand at making my own. They are quite simple. Flour, egg, and salt really, thrown in some time and kneading as well. Now I like to bake, so the thought of making my own noodles sounds thrilling, escpecially ramen. You can pretty much go nuts with your veggies and broths. A popular one is miso as well.

Seriously check the video out. I'll let you know how it turns out. I hope to make them this week.
Another thing I want to make myself is sushi rolls. I could eat those all the time, especially with eel. What eel? Cooked eel that is. They are divine.
Well more on noodles, I plan on use a great recipe in "Instructables" on how to make the noodles. I need to get a good broth recipe too.


Here's my pic for my mini 365. It's titled " If cleaning could be this fun."
Have a great Monday!

" It's Friday...Go for it."

Have a great weekend.

Is It Friday Yet????

With having all the days off relaxing, I'm ready for the weekend.
I am proud to say that I successfully made my first loaf of Italian White Bread in my machine yesterday. And it turned out delicious!

I've been busy reorganinzing my craft area, and my re-ment. I worked on that lastnight. It looks so much nicer in our family room now.

I have felt so much better getting back into my groove though lately. When I exercise in the morning I feel ready to take on the day better. It is so hard to get up though when it is still dark outside. I can usually beat the girls before they wake up, but my son is an early bird, were talking 6:00 a.m., if not earlier. But he is quiet and watches a show or plays in his room. It's nice though to wake up when its quiet, get my music going, and exercise. Do you have a morning routine?

We have been enjoying our Netflix lately with a the winter weather upon us. We have been enjoying all the old Muppets movies. Last night we watched the original "Muppet Movie." We have watched "Muppets in Manhattan, and "The Great Muppet Caper." We always watch a "Muppet Christmas Carol." We still need to watch "Muppets in Space." Wow that's alot of Muppet typing.
Whats your fave muppet? I still have my original gonzo from when I was a little girl. Crazy I know. My mom kept alot of my childhood toys. I still have my Barbie horse in the orginal box, with the saddle. I love having alot of my toys. My kids get to enjoy them now.

Well have a great day!

Romantic Comedies

"Look Phyllis, I don't have much time for details, all I know is these people are keeping me in a cage, and calling me Petey."

Just thought I would share my 5/365 mini for today. I woke up thinking about the whole scenario.
I am using my new bread machine today. I am currently baking an italian white bread. Let's hope I did it correctly. I'll take a pic to share how it turns out;)

Last night we watched one of the movies I got for Christmas, "500 Days of Summer" with Zooey DeChanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I really do like this movie. I haven't found a romantic comedy recently that I truly have enjoyed. They are usually quite cheesy, and I'm not into all the Jennifer Aniston movies, except for "Office Space." This movie is great , in that the narrator starts off by telling you this isn't a love story. So true. It's all about getting your heart broken, and realizing in the end it wasn't meant to be. It's one of those movies where you know whats coming, just like their relationship, but you just can't stop yourself from seeing what happens. Love it!

I have to tell you a bit about my husband and my love story. It all starts in college. I thought I might find "Mr. Right" there, but I always thought I was too nerdy and quite picky. Little did I know I had a "secret admirer." Apparently he had told his friends (which he hung out with the "cool kids") that he " would not"
date anyone until he met me. What? Me?
It just so happened that we were at the same coffee shop one night. I came with some girls from my dorm and I didn't realize that we had mutual friends. That's when I spotted him, and I took a chance. I had seen him around school, but thought, either he had a girlfriend, or he was way out of my league.
Now, mind you, I am usally quite shy, and am not the first to intoduce myself, but for some reason I was feeling quite extroverted. I went up to him... We started talking about the bands playing, joking.. Before I knew it , it was time for him to leave. I hinted about where he was going, but he didn't catch on that I wanted to hang out. I was a bit bummed.
Well little did I know he wasn't going to let me get away. I was eating lunch the next day, when he came up to me and said," Today is a park day." Stupidly I asked,
"What does that mean." Duh, he wanted to hang out.
From that day forward, there have been very few days we have spent apart. We were engaged 2 months later.
I couldn't imagine a day without him. Thinking about us young and in love still gives me the goose bumps. Almost ten years and three kids later, he's as cute as ever and my best friend.
Wow that movie really brought out alot, huh?
Oh yeah, and he proposed at the top of the St. Louis Arch, with a huge banner at the bottom, Score! Of course I said yes ;)

Okay, sorry to be so lovey dovey! Have a great day!

Vintage kid books and Music Playlists

I got some amazing vintage books from "Papa" for Christmas. I love the vintage colors and illustrations. I think I could sit and stare at these for hours. I have recieved most of my collection from him. I have some old "Roy Rogers" and "Howdy Doody" ones that are in my son's room. The colors are just as stunning as ever!
I want to put these on a special shelf in the living room. My daughter has all of the vintage bambi and princess one's in her room.
Oh yes, and I forgot to mention I got a bread making machine for Christmas as well!! Thank you "Emmie and Papa!" I got it all prepped this morning, I just need to get some "bread flour." I realized the regular stuff won't do. I can't wait to make bread like crazy.

I have been doing alot of brainstorming lately. I was lying in bed last night when a whole new world opened up for my embroidered pics. I can't wait to get started. Isn't it the best feeling in the world when you feel like your brain landed on a new fresh idea. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

I have finally started back to my exercise routine this morning. I felt very refreshed. I need to put some new tunes on my mp3 player. I have been really enjoying "Bright Eyes" recently. He is coming out with a new album, he may have by now. Some people aren't into the whole whiney emo sound of Conor Oberst, but I love it.
My husband has such great taste in music. He first got me loving, Joanna Newsome. We have gotten some funny faces when people first hear her voice. I absolutley adore her voice and listening to her play the harp!
What's on your playlist? I love to hear everyone's.

Okay as an embroiderer and crafter I love this commercial. Kevin Bacon is even embroidering in the beginning.


Have a great day!!

New Year, New You

The Title. I heard "New Year, New You" the other night, it seems I have heard this for many years. What does this mean for me. I mean, I am still the same person I was last year, right? I guess I could make a few minor adjustments ;)
Truth be told, I hate making new years resolutions.
I do have some goals I keep in my mind. I have been making crafting goals for sevearl years now. Okay, the learning to crochet or knit has been on there for several years now, yet to be accomplished. Okay, can I do it this year? I still want to make little crochet animals (amigurumi).
Lets see what can be somethings I can do different this year?
1. Wear more dresses or skirts. I'm sorry to say, it's easier to wear t-shirts and jeans as a mommy. But really I want to add of touch of girly to my wardrobe every once in awhile. I did make an effort by buying a "Converse" dress from Target. I'm on my way! I have a couple of pairs of tights that have been calling my name.
2. Okay, lets throw the learn to crochet or knit on their. I must!
3. Read alot. I have already finished one book and I'm on my second. So I'm working on this one.
4. Collect some new little japanese figures. I want to venture out with my collection. I currently collect Re-ment. I would love a Odeko Cat, or a Treesom.
5. Take one day at a time. I usually live most days like this, but every once in awhile I start thinking about things I want to make, and how I'm not working at the pace I should. I have to sit back and realize, I am only one person, with three little persons and a big person that need me as well. I'm not saying I shouldn't have me time, but realistically, I can't do it all. I don't want to miss out on all the little moments with my kids and husband because I'm worried about producing things artistically. They will come, and if not, no worries.
6. Watch more old films. I love the old Doris Day, Jimmy Stewart, sort of movies. I want to dive into some old cinema.



7. I accomplished one yesterday that was something I have needed to for a long time. I went thru a bunch of pics of the kids, some old, some from this past year and put them together in a big frame. I want to do this every year, so we can look back on all the fun we had, and how we have grown.


I realize these are a whole mess of personal, fun, and crafty goals, but really thats how my brain works. I let you know how these go.
Have a great Monday!

Happy New Year!!

I love the date today, 1.1.11. Seems like a fresh start.
I got some new Re-ment, and I am going to try to do a pic a day for a mini 365 flickr group. I posted my first pic today.
I had so much fun finding some old sets that I have been wanting for awhile.
I love the spoon. I imagine that he gets quite emotional at meal time each day. He's not quite sure how he feels about the situation. Bitter sweet I suppose.

We stayed up last night until the new year watching some 80's classics.
We first watched "Splash" with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. I loved that movie as a kid. Quite funny to think about the storyline, but a entertaining blast from the past.
Then we went on to "Pretty In Pink." I really did love anything Molly Ringwald was in from the 80's. Her acting always portrayed exactly how teenagers feel. I felt so bad for "Duckie" the whole movie though.

Well I'm not sure what we are up to today. It might involve building a lego house, trying out some water colors, and we are watching the "Rose Parade."
Have a Happy New Years Day!