The rest of the pictures

Why won't these open???
Had to add them one at a time!

Good morning I have lots to say and lots to show

So this Saturday I did my first 20+ mile bike ride and also had my first ever fall. I hurt my elbow and my knee BUT the good news is that I got A LOT of crafting done while I was keeping my knee raised above my heart (and Jim blees him was an angel who babied me all weekend - I might have milked it a bit) So I finished my second fingerless mitten. Did sharon's third belt (sorry it took me so lond Sharon). Then I did half of a really cool project that I have promised myself I will show Tricia before I show anyone else... So hopefully I will see my friend soon! Then I crocheted myself a really cute little cell phone holder out of recycled sari silk. And lastly I made match books for my friend Kurt's wedding (well it's Joey's wedding too but Kurt is the one who wanted the matches) Also there are a ton of pictures (a couple weeks old) of Tyler because really can you ever have too many pictures of Tyler. AND special for Marianne there is a picture of me making a blanket like she makes... She does a better job, but my sister was happy with it.Ohhh and I posted pictures of the purse thing and the matches. Whatcha think?

Last but certainly not least

Introducing 1000 cranes (in their new home)

My drive home yesterday

So yesterday I was diverted around all of Wilmington...
Look what I drove up next to :-)
SO COOL

Finally a post with pictures :-)

This is mom and dad BEFORE they renewed their vows
This is the other half of the church
My sister singing
And my favorite vow picture

What to do in the rain?

Make mittens on course (okay well fingerless mittens :-)
I will post tomorrow about Friday and Saturday but I just wanted to put this pic up while I was home and had it!
This doesn't do any color justice BUT what do you expect from a camera phone?

I love bread

Do you love bread?
I do... My sister does Atkins when she wants to lose weight... I can't imagine this!
I love food with carbs. I would much rather work out and lost what I a, eating than not eat what I love.

So lately I have been on a homemade bread kick.
It started a few weeks ago when I was looking at my counters and cabinets and realized I have a vast amount of "gadgets" I guess I like gadgets... SO I was taking inventory and seeing what I could craigslist.
Toaster - Keep
Stand Mixer - Keep
Hand Mixer - CL
Popcorn maker - Keep
Microwave - Keep
Quesadilla Maker - Keep
Sandwich Maker - Keep
George Foreman Grill - Keep
Coffee Maker - Keep
Ronco Food Dehydrator - CL
Bread Machine - CL... Wait no! I can't CL it I like home made bread (who cares if I have had it for EVER and never used it)
So I ran to the store and bought some yeast and flour and whipped up a loaf of bread. Well from there a monster was created... I have made:
Zucchini Bread
White Bread
Cake Bread
Hawaiian Bread
Chocolate cake
and now I am going to try:
Portuguese sweet bread (bread machine)

1 c Milk
2 Eggs
2 tb Butter
1/3 c Sugar
3/4 ts Salt
3 c Bread flour
2 1/2 ts Yeast

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Should you prefer this even sweeter, increase sugar to: 1/2 Cup


I little bread makes for a happy home

So next time I am coming over... I'll bring bread :-)

Life is amazing

This weekend I was so busy and I didn't really get any chill time. BUT I did find pictures from my parents' wedding which was 50 years ago (this Friday) and I am making my mom an album... They have never had one. The photographer accidentally burned their negatives way back when and they only had a few photos. But I found some more from other family members and I photo edited some and now have enough for a little album. This is what I am giving them for their anniversary!
I hope they like it!
Here is one of my favorites!

It's the little things

So I haven't posted in a while because I am doing lots of little crafts and not really finishing ANY!
But last night I made a yummy dinner and wanted to give you the recipe in case you wanted a quick and easy meal (BTW Jim gave it 5 stars)

Boil 2 and 1/2 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of salsa (I used black bean and corn, and a package of taco seasoning (I used 30% lower sodium). When it reaches the boiling point mix in 2 1/2 cups of minute rice and 1 large can of Bush's vegetarian baked beans (fat free). Cover and remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes.

While that is resting chop one or two tomatoes (I bought three and only ended up using one) and some lettuce (I bought the preshredded)

When Rice is ready serve on soft tortillas with FF cheese and cover with tomatoes and lettuce!

SO EASY and SO YUMMY

Hope you enjoy it.

Meanwhile it really is the little things in life that make me happy...
Today I am wearing my new favorite shoes. They are comfy and cozy and VERY not work appropriate BUT since all the big wigs are in Cancun I am wearing them and loving life!

Ciao Bella!

It's done!

I finished Joey's headpiece. And she really liked it! I am so happy about that... I spent a lot of time on it... And honestly not that I mind the time but through out the entire thing I kept worrying that it wasn't at all what she wanted... Turns out it was everything that she wanted :-)
UNFORTUNATELY I didn't take a picture.
However her wedding is pretty soon (June 30th) and I am sure that Brenna will have plenty of pictures of it :-)
I will post them then!

While we were at Joey's we went over to TCANN and saw the Foreigner... It was terrific. I literally laughed out loud! I higly suggest that for a good night out at MUCH less the cost of a night in town.
For more information visit TCANN @ http://www.natickarts.org/index.php

What do I do?!?

I must admit I haven't been crafting lately.
I have been so busy
Monday nights I teach Hippology
Tuesday night this week I have a 3 Apples meeting
Wednesday night I am getting together with Amy (we haven't seen each other since October)
Thursday night I am going to go see Tyler James (My latest and greatest obsession)
Friday night is date night
Saturday I am going to have to spend the whole day crafting because if I don't Joey is going to kill me since...
Sunday I am going over to Joey's house to give her the headpiece she is wearing for her wedding. Is it done you ask? NO. Has anything been done on it since the last time you showed it to her is your next question, right? Nope not a thing?
Can I possibly finish it in a few hours? Yes as long as I focus on that and NOTHING else.

Sorry I can't stay longer

But I have a lot to do...
Just wanted to introduce you all to Tyler. I was there for the delivery and held him before he was even 10 minutes old. Those are the moments I will treasure all my life!

I am a bad blogger!

There has been so much going on lately I haven't had a moment to sit down and write what's up...
Let's see work is busy

Home is busy
But this is what I have been doing at home:

Helping friends "flip that house" and painting. Though tomorrow night I will tile for them :-) I hope they get lots for the house.

For myself I have been working on Cheryl's dominos (Saturday is family day), Sharon's candy bowl (though in all honesty I have not worked too hard on this since I know that she isn't coming on Saturday and Lord on ly knows when I will see her again), belts for each of the girls. I am one away from being done and that one is for Alicia (probably saved hers for last because she will care the most about it). I am making a few mugs and that won't take me too long (pictures coming soon), and I would really like to make a lampshade for Cheryl too... But if that doesn't happen it doesn't happen but if it does it will look like this one:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_home_accessories/article/0,1789,HGTV_3255_3246783,00.html


And for fun I have been doing a latch hook rug... I am making it for baby Tyler who is making his great appearance on Monday the 27th of March. So please send good thoughts to Christy who is all done with being pregnant!

So the exciting news is that Christy is FINALLY having this baby and I am going to be an aunty again. The even better news is that I have Monday off so I can meet him the second he is born
:-)
I love him already

I know that this is a space cadet post but I also wanted to tell you about the book I am reading. It is Marley and Me and it was recommended to me by a friend. It is a great book! Supposedly it is about life and love with the world's worst dog. In reality it is a story from a man's point of view about his life and growing up and having kids and yeah there is a dog thrown in there too!

And what else is really cool is Jim and I signed up for dancing lessons with Kat and Adam. They start in May and are Friday nights from 7-8. What a great date night that will be! I am really excited about it and will let you know more as I know more.

Also starting tomorrow and once a month for the next 5 months I will be meeting with a nutritionist/hypnotist/yoga instructor to learn more. Again very exciting! I will post any interesting tid-bits that I learn.

Hmmmmm what else is going on? Ahhh yes I am participating in the Danskin Tri. I am really excited about the run and the bike but I am not too excited about the swim...
So far my training ideas are continue to run daily and start biking to the barn 2 days a week (9 miles each way) I need a new seat for my bike. I love my bike but the seat lacks in the comfort area! Once the weather gets better I plan on swimming in the lake at the very least 2 to 3 times a week, I will keep you updated on this too

Hugs to all and talk to you soon

Can you believe it?

This is the last day that I will ever be able to say that Jim and I have been married for two years... Tomorrow we hit 3. That is crazy to me. It feels like yesterday (time flies when you are having fun) It feels like eternity (I can't imagine not having him beside me in everything I do) but it doesn't feel like 3 years.


In case you were wondering what we have done for each other for gifts so far they are:
For the wedding I gave Jim Clarie and he gave me a Harp
For our first anniversary I gave Jim a LOTR poster signed by the cast and crew, and he gave me a set of books (Shel Silverstein) that I wanted and he made me a beautiful spoon ring from my Nana's silverware (first anniversary is paper)
For our second anniversary I gave Jim a set of sheets and love poems that I wrote him, he gave me trapese lessons (the cotton in there was the t-shirt!)

So we are celebrating tonight. Jim has to work tomorrow night :-(
Tonight we are going to Kyoto's for dinner (YUM) and just enjoying each other...
We can't give our gifts 'til tomorrow (I don't know why but it just wouldn't be right)
But since I know Jim never checks this (and even if he did he won't have time today)
I am going to tell you all what I got him (maybe throw in a picture or two as well)
You'll keep my secret won't you?

I got him a bow, arrows, a quiver, and a target... He likes archery and I thought this would be a lot of fun for him... He doesn't want to hunt just play so I got him a longbow (which Robyn made a face at) I hope he likes it... It took me FOREVER (ask anyone I work with) to pick out JUST the one I wanted. It came with some arrows so that was good I think since it then means that they are the correct length and draw weight for the arrow (I have learned SO much)

Then the quiver (which still hasn't come yet) and we are all set.

Do you remember being a kid?

Okay well not all the aspects of being a kid... Just the fun ones.
This week my sisters and I went to a craft class at the condo where we have been staying (and where Jim and I will be in just a few hours) This was not an adults craft class and we knew that going in... We were going to make Paper-Mache snowmen... With flour and water paste... It was great. We had a blast. Sharon got to mix the goo and then Cheryl and I dipped out newspaper in. It was a great time. We acted like little kids and got dirty. We laughed so hard we cried... It was a kodak moment (and we didn't have a camera) it is a moment I will remember forever! Tomorrow I go pick up my little man and I will put a few pictures of him online... We are also taking "Journal making" and "Spool animals" Yup it is great to be a kid all over again. I think that we should all do it for just a little while each day...

So TAG YOU'RE IT

So much fun

Last night I *started* to work on dominoes for Cheryl and a rain stick for Bekah but then I decided to just have fun (Crafting is fun most of the time but last night I literally wanted to play)
So a while back my sister bought me a trading spaces doll house (because she knows I used to love Trading Spaces) like the one in here BUT it was only a one story (sorry it won't load ~ I wll take a picture of mine)... For some reason this looked like so much fun to me. It was pretty easy and I had a great time... Jim and I were like little kids. Now I want so cute (yet sturdy) furniture so the kids will have something to play with at my house!

yippee kie yie yay

I finished!
I finished baby Tyler's blanket...
It is all boy! I am so happy with how it came out and how much I thought about this baby I don't even know yet but love already... And it worked out just great because as I worked in the last piece of yarn my phone rang and it was Christy asking if when she goes into labor (as if she hasn't already been doing THAT for months) if it's in the middle of the night can she call me and I can take care of the girls so that Corey's parents don't have to (I really really think this is her way of keeping me out of the hospital because I am not a good hospital person)
But since the doctors said it is okay that she has the baby anytime now... (still a couple months early) and my blanket is done let the baby come!

Aww come on I want to cuddle the baby!
Anyway here is the picture of my affectionately titled all boy blanket

What's up chicken butt?

LOL Gary I heart you...

So lately I have been ignoring a lot of crafts INCLUDING baby Tyler's afghan (I think I am about one skein from done and since it feels like he will never be born I am not hurrying)

What have I been doing to keep my hands busy? Well a million little things ~ OR more acurately a thousand little things. I have been making 1000 cranes for peace. As of today I have 125 done and still have quite a number to do. I am hoping to finish them for Mother's Day... I think my mom will rally like them as a gift. At first I thought I was going to hang them for her and then I realized it would be many strands of birds in her house (and I am not sure that that's the look she is going for...) then I thought I would put them in a box and decorate the box for her, now I am leaning towards one of those LARGE mason jars because I can not imagine that all the hours of work that I have put into these cranes being stuffed into a box never to see the light of day again. It would break my heart...

Speaking of hearts yesterday was Valentine's day. It was a great day. Jim had to work late on Monday and I had a great opportunity to make him his surprise gift. I made home made Maple-nut party mix... You would have thought I gave the man a million dollars... All that commotioin and the recipe was pretty easy (okay I will grant you it is a bit time consuming but it was easy.

Maple-Nut Party mix

1/4 cup butter or margarine (I used butter)
1/3 cup of brown sugar (I used dark that is what I had in the house)
2 Tablespoons of maple syrup (I used Aunt Jemima)
4 cups Rice Chex
4 cups corn Chex
1 cup peanuts (they said honey roasted but I didn't get them because they have gelatin on them and I wanted to be able to try this treat that my husband talks about frequently)


Pre-heat oven @ 225
In a roasting pan (in the oven) melt the butter. When fully melted mix in brown sugar and maple syrup. Allow brown sugar to disolve. After the sugar is disolved mix in the remaining 3 ingredients. This is where the time comes in. This needs to cook for 45 minutes. It also needs to be thoroughly stirred every fifteen minutes. After the 45 minutes spread on to a wax paper sheet and allow to cool fully. Store in an air tight container

*** I honestly was SHOCKED by this recipe. I couldn't for the life of me (while I was making it) understand why my husband would like such a sticky mess. But somehow when it cools down it loses it's stickiness***


And I will admit to YUM!

This one's for Tircia

(said in the tone of IZ as he says this one's for Gabby)
This morning I was driving Stephanie to school when I figured out something...
MY life is broken down into thirds...
I spend 8 hours a day working, 8 hours each night sleeping (Hey what can I say my body needs rest), and 8 hours a day doing whatever I wish. FURTHERMORE I figure that 1/3 of my life is gone (a fact that freaked me out like crazy) SO I have 1/3 of each day to decide what to do with. AND I should decide to do things that I enjoy and not do the things that I hate (unless they help someone else) So here are the things that I have decided I will do... I will continue to have crafts that make sense to noone but me. I will go places (near or far) that make me happy, I will surround myself with people I love and allow those I don't to go their way and surround themselves ith people who love and cherish them.
And here are the things that I will not do (or try not to do) I will not stress over the things I can not change. I will not pretend to be someone else to make ANYONE in this world happy. I will not say that something is wonderful if it's not. I will not hurt anyone's feelings knowingly, and most importantly (for me) is that I will not let my feelings be hurt by people who I know don't mean to hurt my feelings they just spoke before they thought...

So what does this mean for you my friends? (Well in this case Tricia) That my blog will continue to be filled with things that I make that you may or may not like but are more than welcome to your opinion. But it will also be filled with fun things that I do, or interesting places that I see, or emotions that I feel...

In that spirit I will tell you that I left a 3 Apples meeting last night to go listen to Blue speak. Brother Blue is a storyteller, more importantly he is my friend. He is talented and earnest, and truthful to his love... He tells every Tuesday at Harvard Divinity... He has had Jim as the feature and my friend Laura as the feature but VERY VERY rarely he himself features and last night was one of those nights... A gift! A very real present...

Wow did this day fly by...

It feels like I just barely got up and now it is time to leave work.

Today I got and worked out (The Denise Austin workout) then while I was watching Crafters coast to coast I (for the first 15 minutes) used the stairmaster and for the 2nd 15 minutes I crocheted some more of Jim's scarf... At this rate it will be August before he gets it.

I am very excited. I learned how to do some origami... I am making paper cranes.
They say that folding the cranes promotes world peace. There is a legend and it says that when you finish 1000 God is so pleased with your effort of peace that he grants you one wish and one to whom you give the cranes...