I'm an Aunt AGAIN!

My lovely little neice, Molly Marie Hammer was born this morning. 6lbs, 8oz, 20 inches long. And isn't she a doll?!?! Can't wait to meet her over 4th of July!

SUPER MOON!

Blame it on Super Moon or whatever, but our weekend in Phoenix was full of travel . . . curiosities. A 3-hour delay in LAX got me started off on the wrong foot, then freeway closures on multiple highways in Phoenix coupled with ZERO detour signs made for a frustrating weekend in travel. Hans and I both had bloody noses the entire trip due to the extreme dry weather.

However, we made up for all of this with enjoyable sunshine, a great time with Hans' folks, and some fun sports games. My favorite part is always food-related, and we got to have game hot dogs and Hans let me get the fake cheese nachos. YUM! I love fake cheese nachos (used to be my favorite treat on Dancing With the Stars.) We also had a lovely dinner at a little Italian bistro, where I had pecan-crusted chicken and veggies. I'll have to see if I can duplicate that at home.

But the BEST food part was going to Sweet Republic (featured in last month's Bon Appetit magazine). All home made ice creams, sorbet, and frozen yogurts! I had chocolate sorbet and honey frozen yogurt with a salted caramel sauce that was to die for! Hans had the salted caramel ice cream. And we bought a few salted caramels that we snacked on the rest of the weekend. The gals running the shop were so friendly and they had games to play at the tables, and I beat Hans for the FIRST time ever at Connect 4!

All in all it was a successful weekend, although I will say that I'm not a big fan of Southwest's seating arrangements, which had us in the back row and checking our carry-on's for our flight home. I like a few guarantees in life, including, but not limited to, my seat on an airplane. But we made it safely there and back, and that's what counts.

Cookie Link

For those of you who have been asking about the recipe for the oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies, the picture is now linked!

You can also click here:
http://picky-palate.com/2011/01/06/oreo-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookies/

ENJOY!!!

Making things for me! Part 3

Sleeping is my favorite! And what better way to guarantee some Z's on an airplane than with an eye mask? For this project, I got some SUPER soft brown material (usually used for baby blankets) and cut out an eye mask shape. I literally guessed on the whole thing, and it was a breeze. No pattern needed! I cut a piece of white 1/4" elastic band and started to sew wrong sides together, while attaching the band on either end. I left a little opening and turned it inside out, stitching together the final opening. And viola! An eye mask. It's so soft and comfy and completely blocks light. Plus, it's way cuter than those lame one's with the eyes drawn on . . . I'm going to be cute even while asleep.

Making things for me! Part 2

So in an effort to make things for myself, I completely made up my own pattern and created this little number. Now, it's a bit scandalous for every day wear, but I think it will make a perfect beach-front top in Bali. I basically started with a square of my favorite fabric, then I made the top curve down on either side to give it a better fit. (Going straight around your back is not flattering, trust me.) Then I finished all my edges and added an over-sized contrasting bow in the back to hold it together. It still needed a little something, so I added some darts. I love darts. So I added 2 darts coming down from the top and a few in the middle to give me a little shape. I think the outcome is quite lovely! Again, not appropriate for church, but will make a perfect airy top for riding a scooter in Bali.

Making things for me! Part 1

I never make things for myself. If you know me, I've probably made something for you. Which, of course, I love doing. But I decided it was time to make some stuff for me. So yesterday I had the afternoon and evening to myself. I cleared away my giant work table and started sorting fabrics. I love to sort. Sometimes imagining what I can make is even more fun that actually making it. Anyhow, I sorted and picked fabrics and projects and finally I was ready to start. So my first project I chose a fabric my darling husband bought me in Bali, and a project I've been wanting to try for quite a while but was always a little scared; the skirt.

After cutting fabric for about an hour, I began to sew pieces together, learning a new technique called a French Seam, which I really liked! Makes a much neater finished seam, especially if the seam is on your skin, it's much nicer than an unfinished seam. Anyhow, I sewed and sewed and sewed, until finally it started looking like a skirt. Now, I never follow a pattern exactly because that's just no fun. So I made my wrap skirt wrap a little extra and gave it a contrasting bow that I left unfinished, because I thought it looked cuter this way. I also added a button to hold the wrap together, because we all know that a wrap skirt is a sure fire way for a windy day to get a peek. Anyhow, in the end, I'm quite proud of my skirt and think it will make a fine piece for my upcoming trip to Bali!

baking

I am so proud to be an American. Look at what we can invent. Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies. I am definitely baking these tonight for my evening at home by myself. Sad, or awesome? I say awesome.

(click on the picture for the recipe)

Happy Birthday Hans

Yesterday was my awesome, amazing, beautiful husband's birthday! We spent the day eating delicious foods and playing at Sea World with a few of our favorite kiddos.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLING!

Blog GIVEAWAY!

So I check my friends/family blogs every day and am so disappointed when there's nothing new, then I thought to myself, "self, what if people feel the same way when they check my blog?" What? My little mind was blown. Sooo, in an effort to blog more, even when I don't have pictures, I'm blogging today about my favorite blog.

It happens to belong to my awesome cousin-in-law, Kel! She lives in a tiny town in Colorado and has 3 very fun kids. But my favorite part about her blog is her AMAZING photos!

So go to her blog today and check out her photos. She's also doing a giveaway right now for another photographer pal, who's photos are such a treat! Just do it, you'll be pleasantly surprised to be whisked away to the very white (and cold!) world of Miss Tiny Town, CO and her photographer friends.

http://www.joshandkel.com/

Just because I can't stand not adding a photo, here's one of her pictures (linked to her blog) that you should definitely check out: