365 Project - 27

January 31, 2014

365 Project - 26

January 30, 2014

Feeling better so going for a run :)

365 Project - 25

January 29, 2014

Poor Zoe's chair is getting robbed.

365 Project - 24

January 28, 2014

Keeping us company while Lucie was having a drink.

365 Project - 23

January 27, 2014

My poor baby got sick for the first time with a fever :(

365 Project - 22

January 26, 2014

365 Project - 21

January 25, 2014

awww my sleepy family. love waking up to them.

365 Project - 20

January 24, 2014

MMMMMMMM! what one year old doesn't love pumpernickel bagels with cream cheese!

365 Project - 19

January 23, 2014

She fell asleep by the door waiting for mommy to get off her conference call. P.S. This was her only nap today!

Dedicated space

I used to have an art room...it was before I could really appreciate having an art room, a dedicated space for all things art and crafty. I am going to have a space soon that will be all mine (hand rubbing together). I want to make it organized, functional and pretty. It's not going to be a full room it will be in a shared space so probably just a corner/wall will be all mine. Still very exciting indeed. I'll be able to sew, paint, draw, create, and write from my very own space.

So what do you do when you are going to have a new space to design for? Start a Pinterest board of course!

These are some of the highlights.

I have that desk already and bookcase...but only 2x4 (not the 4x4) The desk is nice and big for cutting and piecing fabric.



Love the peg boards, they are in a lot of craft spaces. The yellow gives a fresh pop of color.
             

Love the sewing room art work, using old patterns. I have a bunch of these that would look great on the wall.


This is  a great idea for utilizing a closet to store fabric and supplies.


I'll post some before, during and after shots of my little corner of the world that I am really so excited to finally have after all these years for working off my kitchen table. Having to put everything away or eating at the coffee table mid project.

365 Project - 18

January 22, 2014

So proud of herself!

365 Project - 17

January 21, 2014

Eating some yummy pork stew for lunch and loving it!

Mini eggs

I'm constantly trying to think of new meals to entice the toddler in the family to eat. Tonight I made mini egg frittatas in a mini muffin tin for tomorrow's breakfast. We both snuck one tonight as a taste test. The recipe was pretty easy and you can substitute the veggie or add a meat like chorizo or pancetta.  It was 4 eggs, milk, pinch of salt, shredded zucchini, and shredded mozzarella. Easy peasy. Baked in a 350 oven for 10 mins. Tah dah!

365 Project - 16

January 20, 2014

Mommy's little helper in the kitchen. Taking the mitt to the living room :)

Bread!!!!

I have been craving a piece of toast or some french toast so i decided to make some gluten free bread using this recipe from land o lakes. It was actually really good even though I didn't get it perfect. It didn't rise enough so the sandwiches were mini and it seemed better suited for breakfast not lunch. Since I'm the only gluten free occupant I couldn't eat the whole loaf fast enough so I made a baked french toast with 2/3 of the loaf and that was amazingly delicious. I'll post about that recipe soon. Unsurprisingly everyone ate that :) I'm definitely going to try the recipe again and hopefully I won't kill the yeast this time, I think that was the problem...some of the yeast died so it didn't rise enough. While it was baking and afterwards my whole apartment was perfumed with this wonderful fresh baked bread scent. It was almost as good as eating the bread, they should make that a candle.

365 Project - 15

January 19, 2014

Kissing daddy's nose. This took many tries and there were many many blurry photos of a baby running too and from daddy.

365 Project - 14

January 18, 2014

I love Mexican food!!! She is definitely a CA baby.

365 Project - 13

January 17, 2014

Me and my little girl. How could you not be thankful for having such a happy beautiful baby?!

365 Project - 12

January 16, 2014

This little pink bus that is supposed to go to school was stuffed with little people supper heroes on their way to save the day!

2014 Reading List

I don't have an official reading list for the whole year but I am starting of 2014 reading Moby Dick with a few of my friends. We even have a secret facebook page for it! so you know it's official. We have been debating how long to take to read it, somewhere between 3-6 months. We are mostly moms of small children who need to make special time to read. I voted for 3 but theres been no consensus yet. Hopefully before the 3 months are up because we are planning to read Anna Karenina afterwards and there are a few fantasy books on my nook app that I wanted to read. 

While writing this I think we've come to a 4 month agreement on Moby. 

Set to start in February so everyone has time to get the book.

Feb: ch 1-33

March: ch 34-65

April: 66-100

May: 101-135(end)

I'll be back with updates on my Moby progress every month :)

I'll definitely take a science fiction/fantasy break before another classic doozy

These are some of the options...

Onyx Court   By Marie Brennan

1. Midnight Never Come (2008)
2. In Ashes Lie (2009)
3. A Star Shall Fall (2010)
4. With Fate Conspire (2011)

Lady Trent

1. A Natural History of Dragons (2013)

Quintessence by David Walton

I'll decide the next one after Moby is complete.

  

365 Project - 11

January 15, 2014

The first time she's fallen asleep hugging a baby...

365 Project - 10

January 14, 2014

How many babies and toys can we fit into the baby ergo? 

365 Project - 9

January 13, 2014

Smile!

365 Project - 8

January 12, 2014

Nothing is more beautiful than a napping baby that was successfully transferred from car. :)

365 Project - 7

January 11, 2014

Love when the girls get along. Lucie was offering the pup a toy dog to play with.

365 Project - 6

January 10, 2014

Show me your muscles!

365 Project - 5

January 9, 2014

My super heros.

365 Project - 4

January 8, 2014

Love seeing my little one enjoying family photos with grandpa. She can look at those pictures everyday and she never tires of them. So darn cute.

Cat In Hat

If you are looking for the cutest hat for a pet or child or a doll or even yourself look no further.

I made this hat for Zoe 2 years ago using a pattern here from a beautiful mess blog. She seemed to like it for a cat. She kept is on for a long time in cat time...at least 15 mins, which is like an eternity. 

I want to make my daughter a matching one. It has to be the easiest hat pattern ever. I think it took me less than an hour!

365 Project -3

January 7, 2014

I am thankful for so many different reasons with this picture. I met my amazing husband at a Starbucks, I love my caffeinated beverages, I love that this cup has a lid because I am a slow drinker so my coffee/tea/hot chocolate stays hot and it keeps kitty paws out of my drinks. 

On a very very cold morning like the one that we are having today I am very thankful someone designed this mug and that someone was thoughtful enough to give it to me.

  

Colorful crocheted blanket

I love this blanket. It gives my living room a pop of color. I crocheted it on both coasts and on a train going from the East to West coast. It was nice and relaxing.  8 balls doing a half double crochet. Tah dah!! Perfect for two on the couch. 

New Year Intentions

I saw this on a blog last night (link below) and I thought it was a really nice way to start your year with a positive frame of mind. I have to always remind myself to be nicer to myself and more optimistic. 

http://homeandheartdiy.com/new-years-declaration-of-intention/

http://homeandheartdiy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/new-years-resolutions.jpg

This year I will get into action. I will let go of perfection & embrace spontaneity. I will honor my dreams and love my ideas. I will stand up & share my creativity with the world. This year, I will remember that I am loved and I am enough. 

Going gluten free

I've decided to go gluten free. This shocked me when I first decided and I panicked, "what will I eat?" I then realized that I was being very dramatic and I actually eat mostly non gluten foods already and will just have to learn how to make some modifications to my daily menu. Also Gluten free is not the ultimate ending, I am hoping to go Gluten, dairy, sugar free possibly Paleo eventually. I just didn't think I could do it all at once and continue taking care of and nursing a one year old. I'm doing this for health reasons after years of feeling terrible with Hashimotos and endometriosis I think this may help. 

SO, on Sunday I decided that I was going to prepare some foods that I know I can eat so that when I'm working and taking care of Lulu I don't have to be swayed by the quick delicious pizza down the block.

The most difficult meal of the day for me is lunch. I never seem to know what to eat even when I was allowing myself wheat.

So this is what I decided on preparing:

• a tub of Quinoa that I could use for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• some veggie soup
• granola
• cut carrots and celery for hummus
• cranberry apple compote
• tomato sauce w zucchini
• chicken breasts
• my favorite carrot ginger soup (pic is of soup before the immersion blender)

365 Project -2

January 6, 2014

What's better than a picky baby eating!

365 project gratitude

After reading about this 365 project for a while I decided it was time that I notice and document the every day moments that I am so thankful for experiencing. 

I'm starting today! 

January 5, 2014

My little Lucie loving her tunnel.

The start of a new year...2014

Let's start with a little reflection back...

2013 was a weird year and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet. I was watching that short video that Google auto awesome made me based on my g+ photos and videos and I had a bigger emotional response then I thought I would about my old home in SF. It still felt like home.  We moved in May...its been 8 months! I felt like why didn't this vaca end yet, why aren't I home yet? Then the guilt, how could I take Lucie away from some place so perfect and make her a nomad for months? But this is my home now and there was a bigger plan that had and will have some uncomfortable moments. This year starting now, I am going to make an effort to have it feel that way. Home. Unfortunately my husband feels even more homesick than I do and wants to make even less of an effort so it sort of feels like an uphill battle. I may have to just worry about doing this for me and lulu and hope he jumps on board. Everyone cross your fingers and toes. 2013 was about family. I haven't been this busy with family gatherings in the last decade. It felt sort of chaotic like I didn't have a moment of peace and I really didn't. My daughter is also only 15 months old so the year was filled with her wonderful milestones. A lot happens between 3 months and 15 months it's pretty crazy. I realized the other day that my husband and I haven't had one moment out alone for more than an hour the whole year! What! I haven't had more than an hour or two without my little munchkin in my sights. She is quite fond of her momma.

Now on to 2014
How do you feel about resolutions? I'm not usually the resolution type. I like to make some big plans for personal growth, learning, some focus but nothing too dramatic.

This year I want to spend more time with water colors and maybe do 365 gratitude. Appreciate more of what we have and who we spend our lives with. I would also like to make some friends in the area with little ones or friends who also like to sew or knit or paint or are just crafty or want to be. If Lucie let's me I'd like to sew more, read more, cook more and write more. I just need more time in the day please.

Have a happy start to a new year of possibilities.

Summer quilt in January!?

When I moved in the Spring to the East Coast I started making a quilt for my daughter, Lucie. My sewing machine had broken in transit which was a very sad moment. I borrowed my moms sewing machine to make the quilt but between work and taking care of Lucie and all of the events that happen when you are so close to your family I didn't finish the top in time to use for the summer. My mom also wanted her sewing machine back so I have been without a machine for weeks!!! My amazing hubby bought me a surprise machine last week. I just finished sewing the top together! Now I just have to find the batting. It's in one of these boxes that I haven't unpacked. I also have to sew up the back but I'm going to make that simple.