New Fabric . . . New Projects

I really am having a tough time getting in the crafting groove again. I pretty much come home from work, get the kids going on their homework, fix dinner, get the kids to bed, and then crawl in my own bed to answer emails, edit reports, and crash to sleep. I have projects started and others waiting in the wings . . . but I just can't seem to find the energy.

I decided that the remedy might be a trip to one of my favorite fabric stores . . . and what did I find there? Well, of course, some fabulous fabric! I do love me some Riley Blake fabrics!

Here's what I came home with - the bottom two fabrics, along with the super-sized brown ric-rac will be turned in to a baby blanket to welcome a new little boy in my neighborhood. Then the top four will be turned into pillowcases for my own little boys.

And the new little quiet books I've been ever so slowly working on, will be farther along by this time next week . . . I hope. Ok - maybe I'll clean the craft room/office tomorrow on my day off . . . maybe that's what's keeping me from feeling the groove. I'll report back - unless I get lost in there!

By My Valentine

Oh how I love blogland! There are so many great ideas out there and so many wonderful people willing to share.

I found these great bouncy ball valentines over at Supermom and printed up a bunch for my boys. They signed their names on all of them. I've been stalking every Hobby Lobby I passed for the last few weeks and ended up with plenty of super balls . They worked up to be about $0.20 each. Plus they're just so darn cute, I can't stand it. My boys are SUPER excited to pass these out at school this week.

Heart Attack: I saw this idea HERE at 71 toes a week or so ago. We decided to give it a try and it has been such a great thing in our house. We each did four or five hearts the first night and then one heart every day until Valentines. We all love to see the hearts all over the kitchen and the boys love to read them and remember all the different ways and reasons that we love each other. It's a nice way to focus on the positives!Happy Valentines!

Hearts and Cooking - and they're not related

I really have been busy - - not so much crafting lately, but dreaming of crafting mostly. Oh and I've been doing a lot of creative cooking lately. I seem to be domestic in waves - sewing, cooking, painting, jewelry-making, etc. Is anyone else like that?

I have been stalking Etsy lately for a cute Valentine's garland and I finally found what I wanted. Thanks to Oh Sew Sweet Creations, I now have this cute felt heart garland hanging from my otherwise empty mantle. I just can't figure out how I want to decorate my mantle, but the garland is sure cute (even though it is temporary). Source (Oh Sew Sweet Creations)

Cooking wise - I really have gotten out of my comfort zone lately. I have been doing some bread making - a loaf of brioche (that I used for lobster rolls, ala our summer trip to Maine), along with a couple of loaves of rosemary bread (ala Macaroni Grill) - no pics of either of those - - we ate them too quickly.

I love pancakes and I love to try different kinds of pancakes. My all time favorite still has to be German pancakes like my mom always made. But another strong favorite is Swedish pancakes and I came across this great and easy recipe over at Stitchery Dickory Dock. I quickly learned to make them in a small round saute-type pan rather than on a griddle, and they really were yummy!

Source (Stitchery Dickory Dock)

And finally, I'm not a big pepper (of any variety) fan - never have been, probably still will never be. But I was at a working lunch earlier this week and decided to be brave and try a jalapeno popper that was on the table for the taking. It was quite tasty. So I decided to be brave and browse for jalapeno popper-like recipes. I came across this one from the Pioneer Woman. Easy - and it looked good. And you can't beat the name: Bacon-wrapped jalapeno thingies! I made a big batch of them this afternoon to take over to a Super Bowl party. They were a hit. And I even ate a few of them. It was really the luck of the draw - some peppers were mild and some blew my socks off (and I spent some time really cleaning each one of them out). But overall, they were easy and it feels good to get out of my zone.

Source (the Pioneer Woman)

Now let's see if I can get my crafting mo-jo back sometime soon!