BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND TWITTER BACKGROUNDS

Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Ever Changing Life





Each new day brings changes to my life. New heartaches, new hopes, new goals. I'm trying my best to stay positive. One of my favorite quotes says, " Learn from the past, live in the present, and plan for the future." I can not change the past, or the hearts and actions of others, but I can be the best version of myself.







The Hedge Monster
by Margo Fallis





There’s a monster in our hedges that comes out only at night.


I’ve seen it and can tell you it gives me an awful fright.


The leaves begin to rustle and the branches sway about


And then the worst thing happens, the hedge monster jumps right out.


Its toes are made of hawthorn and are long and bent and brown.


They’re thorny and have prickly leaves that hang and droop way down.


It’s legs and arms are holly with red berries in the fall


And the monster’s head is squished up branches of boxwood four feet tall.


It wanders through our garden and chases the snowy owls


And then into the chicken coop stealing feathers from the fowl.


When the moon is full and the shadows dance and swirl


The hedge monster’s appetite is for a little girl.


I stay in the house at night and never go outside


Because the hedge monster will get me, so in my bed I hide.



I'm not one to put stock into anything horoscopes say, but today's was strangely accurate.

Aquarius

Don't base your love on credit, or when you try to get you-know-who to pay up, the check could just come back marked insufficient funds. In other words, if someone has repeatedly proved untrustworthy and unreliable, why are you keeping them around in your life? Do you still secretly believe that somehow it's your fault that they can't be counted upon? What a load of hooey. You deserve better, and you know it.







Saturday, August 22, 2009

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I Reupholstered a Chair...

Yay me.
This chair was in my grandparent's bookstore forever. The back "X" piece has been broken off, and it has a few scuff marks and chips as well, but I felt those war wounds were better left as they were. I really love this chair.



Captain Wolfy likes it.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

I've Been Blogged!

I was quite surprised to log in to Etsy today and find a message informing me that I had been featured in SonoSono's Newbie Monday blogpost. You can see it at Solilquies from SonoSono's Studio. I am truely honored, ecspecially since SonoSono does such amazing work! She has her own Etsy shop HERE. It's full of really beautiful jewelry like this~


She also features Japanese Friday in her blog which I love! She talks a bit about Japanese food as well as when she lived there. I've always found Japan to have the most increadible culture. It's my dream to be able to go there one day, so these blogposts are a special treat.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

A Woven Kind of Love



I'm in love. It's not an exclusive love, but it's pure all the same. Michael Miller, Heather Ross, and just about every Kokka fabric ever made holds a special place in my heart. These are some of the fabrics living on my bedroom desk at the moment.




Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Homemade Sushi...in Oklahoma?


Let me first say that this is not the melt-in-your-mouth salmon nigiri that you get at Fuji. We just aren't quite brave enough for raw fish from the local Wal-Mart. Call us yellow if you want, it just doesn't sound appetizing. We use shrimp tempura, and not even home made. Nope, this stuff comes frozen out of a box...but hey, it works!

Tempura

Rice

Nori (the seaweed wrap)
The brand they have at Wally World is Sushi Party. You've gotta love that Japanese packaging!

Spread the rice onto the nori.
You can be rough with the rice while spreading it on, but be gentle with
the nori because it will be very fragile until it's been warmed by the rice. Leave a small strip on the end without rice so that the nori has a place to stick together, closing the roll.


Wasabi
A lot of people don't like this stuff. It's not really spicy, but it has sinus clearing qualities. It's not something that I can describe with words. I love it.

Rice vinegar. (very important)
You need to dip your knife blade in rice vinegar every time you cut a slice of the sushi roll, otherwise the rice will just stick to your blade, making it dull and crushing the roll.




Here is our sushi! Ours were very simple this time, but we usually add avocado and hot house cucumber. You can add anything you want to them. Get creative!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Cloth Diaper Obsession

Really, there are worse things to be addicted to. There are a lot of cheaper things to be addicted to as well....sigh. I just keep telling myself it's okay because; we need diapers, they're better for our environment, no nasty chemicals, they're easier on our finances, and the babies look so darn cute in them.
Everyone thinks they're so much work, but they're so easy! Diapers have come a long way since prefolds and pins.

Prefolds and Pins
(what our mamas used)
These are what people usually think of when they hear "cloth diaper". I've used them myself a few times, but they aren't my favorite (I'm simply not that good at pinning them).




Enchanted Dandelions



Diaper Pins
Primrose Design

Tiny Tush


Snappies


Fitted Diapers
I love fitteds. They're like prefolds for dumbies.


Heartland Dreams


Mutt


Covers

Both prefolds and fitteds require covers. Back in Mom's day it was all rubber pants, but (thankfully) now you can get PUL or Wool covers.

PUL (polyurethane laminate)
I have several of these. They come in tons of different prints.


Gen-Y

Wool
Or woolies as us cloth diaper mamas call them. I love woolies more than any of my other cloth diaper paraphernalia. They are natural, breathable, antibacterial, and altogether beautiful. You can get them in either longies or shorties (self explanatory).

Crankypants

Babyology

I could go on and on about my cloth diaper obsession...and I'm sure I will too.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

You better ask my mama how to make a monsterrrrr

A friend asked me to post some pics of shirt/softie making.
Here are just a few!

Mr. PiddleyWompus
I found this great material in the scrap bin at Hobby Lobby. I always check scrap bins because there are some real treasures there!

Photobucket

His arms legs and horns are on...
Photobucket

He's almost finished...

Photobucket

Making a tag.
Photobucket

My mom knows how to make this part look good with a machine, but I'm not there yet.

Photobucket

Done!
Photobucket

Photobucket


Kara's daughter wanted a girly version of the Little Socky Tee.


Pinning on the pieces...looks like a little monkey voodoo doll...
Photobucket

Photobucket