eye spy...a christmas wish

I missed last week's theme but didn't want to miss this one, because I wanted to let everyone I haven't spoken to yet know that I already got my Xmas wish -- my biopsies are back and while I am not trouble-free, I am totally cancer-free. Woohoo! So everything else this year will just be a bonus.

My altruistic peace-on-earth type wish is that the bad juju or whatever it was of this whole past decade will fade away and leave everyone I care about -- and everyone, really -- alone from now on. Or at least for a while, I mean really...give us all a break!!

My selfish gift guide wish? Some cool sewing books....cool socks...cupcake stuff:



and more sewing patterns, because boy do I need more (sarcasm alert).

What are you wishing for? I hope you get it!

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Cindy herself!

eye spy...adventure

Or an adventurer, anyway. This is Emily on the Giant Wheel ferris wheel in Wildwood this past year. It was her second year riding the giant wheel and her 4th or 5th ride all told. She is fearless! She also begged to go on the flume ride, which was too much for a 4-year old -- she was just too small and I truly feared losing my grip on her on the 2nd (really HUGE) drop, but she was tall enough so they let her ride. And she didn't get off after the first drop either! (you have a spot where you can leave before the big one). Go, little Miss Adventure!

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Louise!

eye spy...inspiration

A recent inspiration I have found is Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing -- it's the saga of a young New Yorker who is working her way through the 1952 edition of Vogue's Book for Better Sewing, a sort of Julie & Julia for vintage sewing as she reluctantly admits. I don't remember how I first found it, but following Gertie's sewing has re-inspired me to sew more for myself AND to start tackling my vintage patterns again. Here's a recent favorite of mine from her blog:



That is her "full, gathered skirt", in a lovely large-scale gingham silk -- a.k.a. project two from VoNBBS, and it's the one that finally pushed me into digging out my patterns (purging over half of them) and picking a few to sew. We'll see how that goes! In the meantime, I'll keep reading Gertie and hopefully she'll keep on blogging!

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Cindy of Bug and Pop!

eye spy...something green

The ferns (or, "gingerbread" as Emily has always called them) looking incredibly green under one of Emily's garden rainbows.

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Trashalou of Trashcan!

eye spy...a new favorite blog

A tough one, really! I have many favorites, but none really new. Plus, I always put new blogs in a sort of mental quarantine, to be honest, because more than once a nice little craft or parenting blog has burst into craziness before my eyes, and freaked me out. But one recent addition to my google reader has passed the quarantine and earned a permanent spot, and that is Sharilyn's lovelydesign blog.

Loads of beautiful and inspiring things to look at. And I find it somehow very soothing and relaxing to read! And truly, it is lovely. Look at these address files she sells! This stamp box. This poster -- which is a flyer she made for their playgroup! She also has an adorable little girl, Adelaide. She does have a design shop as well, but I admit I have never looked at it. I just go on enjoying her blog.

In other news, I never have mentioned that I unlocked (and remembered) my twitter account a little while back! If you are a-twitter as well, you can find me here. It works well for me as I often find cool things online or IRL but just don't have time to write a blog post. Recent tweet subjects included:

This amazing photo essay, (via Nancy).

The Urban Garden Project, which I have joined.

Truly cool tiny homes at Tumbleweed Tiny House Co. (via MizK!)

This super-cool life-size dollhouse!

And lots about cupcakes....see you there!

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Jhoanna of one red robin!

eye spy...a work in progress

I have works in progress all over my house, heck, my whole house is a work in progress! But here's one that's gong to be fun:



That's the plot that's going to be veggies this year (we hope, anyway.) Right now it does look a lot like we've buried some very small victims, but actually that's where we've spread the compost we had in the basement and covered it up with soil to finish decomposing in time to plant. The garden has been a real treat so far this year. Lots of green is starting to pop up:



Little visitors are appearing:



(not to mention we had a record bird-watching day last week with our cardinal pair, four bluejays and a robin, all within an hour or so!) We've gotten to do some outdoor crafts:



And I even managed to track down a new pink garden hose since last year's didn't survive. (Emily really wanted orange, but the only one I found was way out of my budget)



The garden is even supplying us with loveliness inside:



So far, it's shaping up to be a good gardening year.

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Michelle of Hugo & Elsa!

Eye Spy... A Magic Elixir

The magic elixir that runs our household? Coca-cola, sad but true. It's not as bad as it used to be, but we can't seem to quit it! But hey, it's our only vice (we don't even drink coffee) and fortunately, we have a mutant child who only likes water and occasionally milk (and thinks soda is "disgusting" and yells "soda breath!" at me if I drink any). So it continues to be the fuel that keeps us running...for now anyway!

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Amy of badskirt!

eye spy...a discovery

Here's something we discovered recently -- a bee nosing around the one small stand of flowers (snowdrops) we've got in the garden right now. I went to take a photo of the flowers, and while snapping...out from one of them popped this little guy! Every little sign of spring is welcome right now.

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Megan of The Byron Life!

eye spy...a slacker!!

Well, actually, this week's theme is "something beautiful in my back yard", although I'll have to cheat with an out-of-season photo here:



But, time for my confession of guilt, I enthusiastically signed up for eye spy but I have not been playing along, sorry to say. Things have been very hectic and my online time is slashed to a minimum. It all started with the theme "Eye Spy ... My secret (Food) Shame", because I was totally stumped. When it comes to food, I have no shame and no secrets! Maybe things that aren't common knowledge, because how often does "do you like milk?" come up in conversation? But I didn't have an answer. And then it just snowballed from there. So here's a quick summary of what I didn't spy.

Wait, actually, it all started with "Eye Spy ... Something Delicious", because I couldn't find the photo of our favorite cake that I wanted to post. This isn't the photo I wanted, but it is our favorite cake:



That's Japanese-style strawberry shortcake, which at Xmastime comes with lovely decorations on top. We get one every year!

Then after "something delicious" and "secret food shame" came "Eye Spy ... Love" and "Eye Spy ... Something that makes me Happy" and "Eye Spy ... Something that make me Laugh", and really, the answers are Emily, Emily and Emily, and you see enough photos of her, right? But now you know the answers.

And then last week, I actually had a few moments and worked on a post...then my server went down and I couldn't post it! it was "eye spy...my favorite color". And the answer (for purposes of this meme) is:

Pink!



Actually, the entire cool part of the spectrum is what I like (pink, purple, blue and green), but pink's been a constant. Plus, Emily has declared it my absolute favorite and who's arguing with her? She has also declared Evam's favorite to be red, and hers to be orange. And she's not kidding about the orange, it's been her favorite since...as long as I can remember, really. She loves orange like crazy.

And look! I'm all caught up! So, eye spy someone who will try harder to stay on top of things she signs up for!! (Just don't mention any "year in color" or anything to me right now, 'kay?)

eye spy...a small object

Ah, a small object -- my house is full of mini-things! I love miniature everything...although miniature is my all-time favorite. The only tough part of this eye spy was....what to choose? But Emily was rummaging through a box of my Re-Ment yesterday while I was cleaning and I spotted one of my favorite sets of all time:



I loved the whole animal kitchen ware series, and the panda pans were my favorite set -- so much so, that I needed a real-life version. And here, for scale, are the mini-pandas with the real one:



I love small things!

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by the Crafty Librarian!

eye spy...something beginning with J

And it's a Jar.



Freshly filled with homemade tomato/pasta/pizza/all purpose sauce. This is a very simple sauce we switched to a couple years ago, and we use it all the time. It's based on a recipe by Mario Batali for....some parenting magazine that went of print -- I'm thinking Child? Or maybe Today's Parent? Not sure. Anyway, it's super-easy, and one batch fills that (32 ounce) jar twice (half goes in the jar, half into the freezer to refill the jar when it empties). All you do is:

heat 1/4 cup olive oil over low-med heat. Add 1/2 large onion, finely chopped, then 3-5 cloves of garlic, also finely chopped. Soften for about 10 min. Add 2 carrots, peeled and grated, and 1 tablespoon thyme (dried). Cook another 10 minutes, and add 2 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes. Simmer for half an hour or until you remember that it's on the stove.

Add more or less of anything, and chop/grate as finely or coarsely as you like. I've always made it pretty smooth because Emily was tiny when I started making it. And she still hates big pieces of onion, but will eat the onions in ths without complaint. The tomatoes you use are important; I use a store brand organic, and when it was off the shelves for a few months I tried several brands (organic and non) and none of them worked as well for me. Hopefully my brand will never disappear again!

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Lauren of Lauren Williams Handmade!

eye spy...a taste of summer

All I have really been spying in the last week is gloom, snow, and the effects of a household all suffering from stomach flu. But, this weekend, a ray of sunshine landed in the mailbox:



our first seed packets have arrived! Emily cannot wait and wants to start them now. I'm with her!

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Anastasia of drawing and dreaming!

eye spy...the festive aftermath

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Cindy herself!

eye spy...a bit of bling

I have lots of sparkly bits and pieces, being a girly girl and all.

(In fact, I'm looking down at what may be my favorite bit -- my rhinestone-letter bracelet that's really a cat collar -- that spells out Emily's baby nickname on it! It sits before my computer when I'm not wearing it....Oh well, too late now!!)

But this bracelet is one i think is especially pretty. It's vintage, I'm no expert but I know it has to be 50s or earlier based on who in the family owned it. And it's costume jewelry, but apparently very good costume (note the pearls -- they're hand-tied). I rarely wear it, but it's just SO PRETTY. I expect Emily to be dragging it out of my jewelry box and bothering me to wear it in just a few short years.

Also, I missed last week's eye spy, as the theme was "a burst of color" -- and that is impossible to find in our house as the whole place is a riot of color! And I was trapped indoors with a virus.

Longer catch-up post soon!!

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by Liesl of Hoppo Bumpo!

eye spy...something in my garden.

Snow! The very first bit of snow this year. It'll all be gone by noon, I'm sure. Then the garden will be back to ivy, hungry birds and feral cats again....

This week's eye spy theme brought to you by curly pops!

eye spy...what I want for christmas

So, this is..has ended, but Cindy of bugandpop has started a new Sunday theme! Eye spy....with my little eye...and this week it's "something I want for Christmas":

The truth is, I don't want much of anything. We're working to get stuff out of the house, not into it. And I'm trying to stick to only bringing a new thing in if it replaces and/or upgrades something that's left. So generally, I just want things I can use up (like fabric!) or eat (I haven't bought my semi-annual box of maple candy yet...) or do (like a holiday, which is out of the question).

I have to confess, I may break my own rule though! I only recently found out about Momiji dolls, which are just too cute for words. I mean, urban-vinyl design + cute + kokeshi + small world avon bottles? I am so there!!



I don't know how I could pick just one, there are so many cuties. I actually put four of them on my kaboodle wishlist! now what's going to have to go to make some room for these girls...

this is... a favourite recipe I would like to share

Boy, do I hate picking favorites. I am not a "favorites" kind of person. But, 3-year-olds definitely have favorites!! And the "favorite" recipe that Emily thinks I should share is banana bread! She asks me several times a week if our bananas are "speckly" enough to make banana bread. The bananas rarely actually last long enough to make it to bread stage...but when they do, yum! I have actually posted this recipe before, but here it is again.

Banana Bread
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed bananas
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2-2/3 cup flour
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat together the eggs, sugar and oil. Blend in the bananas and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients and then add all at once to the banana mixture. Mix quickly but thoroughly, then stir in the sour cream, mixing until just combined. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9"x5" pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. (I have substituted plain yogurt for the sour cream in a pinch, but I don't like it as much).

This is especially good warm (fresh baked or toasted) with butter. Hmmm..I wonder if those bananas downstairs are speckly enough?

In other news, Halloween went fantastically, but was exhausting. I'm still tired! I never did get a good photo of the little witch, as she refuses to wear her sleeves down. But if I find any decent trick-or-treat photos on the camera I'll post them later!

I'm playing along with Mary's "Thankful for 30" meme -- I am too tired to have thought of something yet today, but yesterday's note? I am thankful for that sour-cream apple pie recipe, no kidding. I will be baking for as long as I can get decent apples this winter!!

This week's This Is... theme brought to you by Angela of three buttons.

this is...something i'm surprised i like

mushrooms.



When I was a kid, I hated mushrooms. Despised them. Loathed them. I would cook dinners for my family involving mushrooms and refuse to eat the results. But now, we go through a pile of them a week! Raw, cooked, in everything or on their own. Mostly we stick to button and crimini, with some enoki here and there. But we do branch out occasionally. I'm happy to say that Emily has no problem with mushrooms. Sandwiches? Now that's a different story...

This week's This Is... theme brought to you by Victoria of Earl and Cookie.

this is... my current reading material

I am sure I am forgetting something (or five things!) but here's what I'm remembering of the books I have scattered about:

Rendering Fashion, Fabric and Prints with Adobe Photoshop: I waited to get this from the NYC library for months, literally...and what a disappointment. It's a textbook, and feels like the worst of the bloated textbooks I had to buy in college. The photoshop advice is really bad, and I feel like the textile advice can't be much better. The sections on how to swipe material had me a little disturbed as well. I didn't actually finish it and I'm not going to. If you've been trying to find this book for your Spoonflower designs, just go get a good Photoshop book instead.

The Algebraist: Another book I am probably not finishing, at least not now. I am a big Iain Banks fan (well, really an Iain M. Banks fan) but I'm having trouble getting through this one for some reason. I have to admit, I didn't love the last two books of his I read either.

Mothstorm: The Horror from Beyond Uranus Georgium Sidus!: Now here is a writer who has yet to disappoint. I loved the Mortal Engine series, like LOVED; and I am really enjoying this new series as well.

The Art of Manipulating Fabric: Fantastic resourse for anyone who sews -- I just got this but I already know it'll be one of my most used references. It's truly amazing, you can check out this google books preview to see what I'm talking about. The section on ruffles and flounces alone is worth the price of admission.

There are also several books I am in the middle of which had to go back to the library before I could finish; the Splendid Table most notably. That is a cookbook that is going on my wishlist. A stack of magazines in the kitchen I need to riffle through and toss. And surely, more books stashed here and there that I am not remembering. I used to knock books off so fast, but with the preschooler at my heels....it takes me forever now. Having my booktime slashed drastically has had one good effect though -- I don't bother finishing books I don't really like! Now that is a timesaver!

This week's This Is... theme brought to you by MissK of My Champagne Dreams.

this is...my favorite kitchen tool

Well, whoops. It's been some week. I was supposed to post this on Sunday, and I even had my post planned, but I never got to it. So I'll just give you the gist: this was a rough one! I love everything in my kitchen, I swear. First I ruled out all gadgets since a "tool", to me, is a non-powered item. And I finally decided that my one cannot-live-without item is my wusthof santoku knife. Honestly, I love it so much more than my chef's knife. I use it for practically everything. You can't beat it on vegetables! Although...I doubt it cuts bread too well...so don't ask me to give up the rest of my knives!

This week's This Is... theme brought to you by Sharon of Handmaiden.