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Come Little Leaves

It is SO beautiful outside right now. Everywhere I look there are changing leaves, the weather is crisp, and there's just this ... fall smell. <3 Mmmm.

This has probably become one of my favorite outfit combinations, especially for this time of year. I got so many compliments on it being such a "fall outfit". I got compared to a leaf today, and my dear friend compared me to Velma. It's actually kinda accurate. What do you think?

What I Wore
Shirt: Hand-me-down from Mother
Skirt: Thrifted
Tights: Target?
Boots: American Eagle

A Thousand Tomorrows

I was in a rush, so I only snapped one picture of this outfit, but this has got to be one of the best skirts I got it at Goodwill and was SUPER excited to find it, since finding a colorful suede skirt was one of my goals for that Goodwilling excursion.

It's a little big, and if I wear it at my waist it goes past my knees. But I just wear it up high and it's fine.

What I Wore:
Shirt: Forever 21
Belt: Thifted
Skirt: Thrifted
Boots: American Eagle

Church yesterday was amazing. The worship songs were especially good. We sang "God You Reign" (Lincoln Brewster). I just love that song.

This week is dress rehearsal week, so my posts probably won't be long, if I post at all.

Off the Beaten Path

Twirly skirts are just my favorite. I've had this one for quite awhile, but I need to wear it more.
The purple shirt is really long on me. It was actually given to me by a friend who didn't like it on herself. Because I'm petite (I'm 5'1"), it dwarfs me unless I tuck it in or wear it another creative way.

I adore this belt. I'm always in need of a good waist belt, but the one I have that have come with dresses are too big. I just got this one at Goodwill, and I'm in love. It cinches my waist perfectly, and I couldn't wait to try it out. (:

Cardigan:: Kohl's
Tank top:: Target
Purple shirt:: Hand me down (Forever 21)
Belt:: thrifted
Skirt: Charlotte Russe
Tights:: ? (Fred Meyer or Target maybe?)
Boots:: American eagle for Payless

I hope this works...

I've tried so many blogs and they usually died a slow, forgotten death. Hopefully I can keep this one breathing for more than a month.


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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Happy Halloween and Meet Me On Monday!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Halloween.  I probably won't have many trick or treaters as no one in my neighborhood seems to celebrate Halloween.  Most do not  have a jack-o-lantern or even turn on their porch lights!

All my grands live in a different city so I won't get to see them either, but I will get lots of photos of them from my kids!  Some of those photos have already started and I am going to share those with you, I come from a very... talented family!

This is my little Granddaughter Hanne. She is a really cute and scary witch!
This is my wonderful daughter-in-law Christa, dressed up as Marie Antoinette. She is rather beautiful all bloody and what not! Love her!
This is my niece Brandy dressed in my sister's prom dress from 1964! She is a Prom Queen Zombie! I told you my family was..uhh..talented! LOL

Hope you all have enjoyed the photos and hope everyone has a terrific Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Meet Me On Monday

I am joining the Meet Me On Monday bloghop this week. In order to be in this hop you must answer the five questions listed on the Meet Me On Monday post on the Never Growing Old blog.

Here are the five questions:
1.  My current weather is _______?
2.  What is your favorite sound?
3.  What is the worst flavor of ice cream?
4.  What magazine do you look for when you are stuck in the waiting room?
5.  What is your favorite condiment?

And here are  my answers

1. The weather here is beautiful, cool crisp nights and comfortable days. Fall is in the air and I love it!

2. My favorite sound is waves crashing on to the beach. It is a comfort to me anytime, day or night... I love it!

3. I hate strawberry ice cream, I like my ice cream smooth and I hate to bite into a half frozen, half soggy strawberry!
I always carry my Kindle with me when I have a doctor or dental appointment. I have found that I can pick it up, start reading right where I left off, and the time spent waiting flies by!

My favorite condiment is Ranch Dressing! I eat it on everything! Pizza, baked potato, salad, bread, you name it, I like it with Ranch!

Happy Monday, Happy Halloween, and Happy Sewing!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Quilting and Embroidery, Week In Review

I am so happy to report that my quilt for the Quilts For Kids Organization is finished and after washing will be ready to ship back to them!  I am quite pleased with the results and I am ready to try a quilt that is a little more difficult!

I recently purchased an embroidery design from The Itch To Stitch.  It is a Christmas Tree and has Merry Christmas written under it.  It was the first time I had purchased from this site and I was a little leery because I wasn't sure if I could figure out how to download it to my computer and then load it into my sewing machine.  But it really was a breeze!  I am really happy with the design and the way it stitiched.  Even on my less expensive Brother, it turned out great!  If you love  machine embroidery, I suggest you visit The Itch to Stitch.  She has some darling designs!

I Hope Everyone has a great weekend. Fall is in the air here in East Tennessee and life is grand!

Happy Sewing!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Liebster Blog Award

I have had a dental problem this week and not felt up to snuff, even with Fall Break being this week, I have had to push myself to accomplish anything.  Well after checking my comments, I feel tons better!

Thanks to Cecelia at App Savvy Mama I am happier and even this problem I am having cannot get me down!  Cecelia awarded me the Liebster Blog Award.  It is an award that recognizes new blogs and bloggers with less then 200 followers.    If you are not familiar with Cecelia at App Savvy Mama please check out her blog.  She has so much information about free apps, games and wallpapers for Iphone, Ipod Touch and Ipad.

In accepting this award you agree to :
         Copy and paste the award to your blog.
          Thank the person that gave the award and link back to their blog.
           Pass the Award on to 5 blogs and let them know by commenting on
                   their blog.
            Hope they pass on the love by accepting and passing it on to others.

The five blogs I have chosen are

The Nerdy Elephant

Making Our Life Matter

Savvy Suburban

2 Boys On The Run

I hope all of the blogs I have chosen will be as happy about the award as I am!  Well I have to run, saw a post about a free blogger app on App Savvy Mama that I am going to go download now!

Have a great day

Happy blogging and Happy sewing!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Update On My Quilt for Kids

I started on my quilt for the Quilts for Kids organization this weekend. I have never made a quilt before, I have made quilted bags, vest and some smaller items but a quilt is a little larger!

I received my kit from Quilts For Kids about ten days ago and I have been so excited and anxious to get started.   So far it is going well.  I have the quilt top finished ( well except for adding the border) and it looks pretty good!   I am actually proud of it, there are a couple of places that are not exactly right, but on the whole it is good.

First I sewed the strips together.  I then cut them into 3 1/2 X 6 1/2 inch rectangles( really 2 squares), then I paired them into blocks of 2 rectangles (or 4 squares)

I then alternated a 4 square block with a solid block..  6 rows of 5 blocks across.  After making all the rows across I sewed them all together.  Making sure all the points line up is a bit tricky, but I really had no trouble with that.  It really was pretty easy, if you can sew a strait stitch you can make this simple quilt!

These are photos are the finished top.  I am on Fall Break all this week and hope to complete the quilt by the weekend.   I do have to go to the dentist tomorrow ( I would rather give birth again to my son that weighed 11.4 pounds  then go to the dentist!) but hopefully I will only be out of commission one day!   I will update when finished!

 Happy Sewing!

 check out my other post about Quilts For Kids...

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Free Kit From Quilts For Kids

Well this week was an exciting week for me. I requested a quilt kit from Quilts for Kids a couple of weeks ago and I received it this week.  I wanted to share it with you.  I am impressed with the fabrics, both the quality of the fabric and the choices. In the above picture the pieces for the quilt top are lying on the solid blue fabric for the back.  The colors are  bright and cheerful and they even sent the tag, how cool is that?  All I need to get is the thread and the batting.    This is going to be a darling quilt!  I do not have a lot of experience quilting and may be calling on some of you for help!  I am going to use a very basic pattern and  sure hope I can do it  justice!  I will post pictures along the way.

If you haven't already done so, please visit Quilts For Kids today and order your free kit!

Also this week I received a couple of things I  ordered from the ASG ( kinda felt like Christmas around here!).  I ordered the cutest Breast Cancer Awareness pin I have ever seen.  It is a measuring tape and can be bought at the ASG store.

Another item that I purchased is a charm celebrating 25 years of greatness from the American Sewing Guild.  It also can be purchased at the ASG Store
This picture does not really do it justice. It is beautiful and the quality is excellent. If you are not a member of the American Sewing Guild or just haven't visited their website lately, please do so, they have so much great information and some great ideas for community Service Projects.

For more on the organization  Quilt for Kids, check out my post... quilts-for-kids.

Happy Sewing!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Versatile Blogger Award!

I have only been blogging for a few months, I have tried in every way I know to increase my followers.    It is a very slow and time consuming process. Imagine my surprise when I was awarded the Versatile blogger Award!  It sure makes me feel good to know I am at least reaching a few people that think my blog is interesting!!

I would like to thank Two Boys On the Run for finding my blog interesting and Versatile!  Please visit her blog for all the adventures of a busy mom loving life with her two sons.

By accepting this award I agree to do the following:
  •  Thank the blogger who awarded me with a link back to him/her.
  •  Share seven things about myself.
  •  Pass the award on to fifteen other newly discovered blogs.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Quilts For Kids

Quilts For Kids:

I was watching Sewing With Nancy last week and she featured this charity, Quilts For Kids. It is a charity that seeks volunteers to make and donate quilts to children with a serious illness or that suffer from abuse.   I think this is such a wonderful idea, and can't wait to get started on a quilt to donate.  I can't think of a better thing to do this holiday season then to donate a hand made quilt that will give comfort over and over again to a child in need.  I hope everyone will check out this website and think about donating a quilt.  They will even send you a free kit!  How can anyone say no to that!

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Gluten-Free Article in The New York Times

This weekend there was an article in The New York Times that really got my adrenaline flowing. A link to the article can be found by clicking here:

Gluten-free diets are the topic du jour. What really struck me about this particular article was the General Mills element.

Companies that are making mass produced, processed foods are on the gf bandwagon in a big way. I'm not as grateful as you might think. In fact, I published the following comment on the Times site last night:

As someone who nearly died before being diagnosed with celiac disease 40 years ago - I am MORTIFIED by two elements that were highlighted in this article:

1) Gluten-free has most certainly become a 'fad' - and puts some of us at considerable risk when operating in the world at large. 10 years ago it was safer for me to order in a restaurant than it is today - because almost everyone assumes that they know what gf means, and most see it as a diet trend.

2) WHY are we so hell bent on eating commercial foods - (made by General Mills no less) - as if we've learned nothing from the fact that our bodies don't want to eat processed crap.

I'm hardly a crunch granola type - but companies like General Mills already have way too much power over our food supply. They are worried about losing market share... and we are worried about not eating "what everyone else is eating". Monsanto has nothing to worry about. We are lemmings.

I concede that I was being a bit heavy, but I am really struck by how we are not learning anything from the rise in food intolerance.

Instead of seeing this as a sign that something has gone wrong... and that perhaps we need to take better care of ourselves - we are greedily looking to make our lives look like they used to. We romanticize about foods, and forget how lousy we felt when we ate them (and not just because they had gluten in them!).

We don't seem to mind that our food is modified beyond recognition to behave the way we want it to (and survive on a shelf for a very long time). I'm not above eating gluten-free cake mix... but I have to say that I'm feeling worried about the direction this is taking.

I wonder what "food" will look like in another 25 years.

Goodbye Gluten - leave your reading glasses at home!

This ginger cookie hails from a pretty divine place.

I finally made it up to gluten-free heaven. Entering Good Bye Gluten (GBG) was probably the only time in my entire life that I've walked into a store and could pick anything off of a shelf and "know" that it was gluten-free.

I was also very happy to have a chance to speak with owner Ricki, who explained that she had decided to open the store because her daughter had been diagnosed with celiac disease at the age of 15 (nearing 20 years ago) at a time when gluten-free was hard to come by.

At Goodbye Gluten she has culled the best gluten-free goods on the market and brought them to Toronto. What's not on shelves is freshly prepared and served behind the deli & bakery counter - or in the fridge and freezer. I could make an extensive list... but trust me, you will want for nothing.

Oh, and you need an event catered? They've got that covered too. A colleague of mine at work had her wedding cake made here.  Both she and her guests were delighted with the results.

GBG claims to be the first 100% gluten-free food store of its kind in Canada with this range of offerings. All I know is that Torontonian celiacs couldn't be luckier! Click on the hyper link above for their website.

counter to my last post - gf products CAN be healthy!

I've been feeling bad about calling out how unhealthy many of our gluten-free products actually are for us. In fairness, they are not any less healthy than most processed foods on the market. Just because we are not genetically made to eat gluten, doesn't mean we don't want the same options (healthy or otherwise) that others have.

Most of us can agree that ANY food (gluten-free or otherwise) is better for us the less we muck about with it. I am particularly pleased with these crackers I just found from Orgran.

These Essential Fibre Crispibread are virtuously satisfying on their own...but best enjoyed with cheese, hummous, or nut butter. They are both gluten-free AND good for me! Only six ingredients: brown rice flour, wholegrain sorghum, psyllium, rice bran and salt. Gluten-free goodness!

gluten free is not synonymous with healthy

Sorry Glutino.... I'm a big fan of many of your products... but I was less than thrilled when I read the ingredients on the side of your table crackers.

Normally, I wouldn't dream of buying anything without having read the ingredients first. However, when the box read "gluten-free", and came from a trusted gluten-free manufacturer, I happily tossed it in my basket with little concern. Just because a product doesn't contain gluten, does not mean it's a good choice.

I do love the texture and weight of these crackers, alas reading what they are made of I've decided this was my last box. There is nothing good for me here. If this is what it takes to make gluten-free crackers simulate regular ones, I'll happily give them up.

The point here is not to pick on any one product in particular.  Generally, gluten-free products are made to replicate "normal" food. Sometimes, (ironically) to make these products as close as possible to those we miss - more food science (read chemicals) are used.

I don't need to eat the gluten-free version of what everyone else is eating if a lot of unhealthy ingredients need to go into making it "edible" for me.

We eat gluten free for our health - right?

Rapini - la mia verdura preferita!

rapini with garlic & olives

My body just CRAVES this vegetable, and when it's in season it is at it's very best. Slightly smoky and just a little bitter, it is an excellent food for the digestive system. My body pulses with happiness when I eat it.

I learned how to prepare this Italian staple Roman-style. Excellent as a dish on its own, or mixed with gluten-free rotini shaped pasta & sprinkled with fresh grated parmigiano.

It also makes an excellent accompaniment to sausages, fish or chicken. When served as a side, I'll skip the cheese and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice instead.

The method below is called "ripassata in padella" (loosely translates to passed from the pot into the pan) - and can be used to prepare any number of greens like chard, kale, spinach etc. Typically with leafy greens I skip the steaming part and go straight to the pan.

This is super easy.

Wash one bunch of rapini, remove tough ends & chop into 2" pieces. Toss into pot with water and steam.

Peel and split one clove of garlic in two. Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a non-stick frying pan and put garlic open side down with a sprinkle of chili flakes.

When rapini is limp remove from water and toss into pan. Add
6-8 salt cured black olives. Stir to coat with oil and cook until any water evaporates.

I use the water that I steamed the rapini in to cook the pasta (great flavour and use of lost nutrients!). Also saves time and energy washing up :)

In winter when rapini goes on sale I will steam a number of bunches at once and freeze it. I store it in baggies and then thaw and finish it off in the pan when I want it (thanks for teaching me this trick Rosa!).

I seriously never tire of this dish - but would be thrilled to learn of new ways to prepare rapini and other seasonal winter greens.

new gluten free products I've checked out

I try not to buy gluten-free cookies. I try, because I have no willpower. Because I have no willpower, I buy gluten-free cookies. It's an ongoing battle. One I typically lose when I see a new cookie on the market that I haven't tried before. Luckily, at $7.95 a box, my budget keeps me from buying every flavour (at once anyway!).

These GAGA for Gluten Free cookies are made in Toronto, which appeals to my "buy local" attitude. I tell myself it's important to help out new local start up bakeries. You can see I have this dialogue about why I should buy a box of cookies down to an art.

As usual, I ramble. What you really want to know is whether to part with your $8 should you stumble upon these cookies. There were two other flavours on the shelf  - I naturally lunged for the "chocolicious" ones. If you like a really rich chocolate taste, and a slightly sandy cookie (shortbread-like texture) indulge in a box. They are soft and a little crumbly (not a problem as they are small and can be popped directly in your mouth in one go). I'll probably talk myself into another box of these again soon.
Now onto the savoury. I have been a fan of Mary's Organic Crackers for a few years now. I'm pleased to see them turning up on tables next to dips and cheese at the homes of my gluten eating friends too. A nice change from the Asian rice crackers I've been eating for years.

In that little bowl above is a newer product from Mary's called Sticks & Twigs. Kind of like pretzels. What I particularly like about these is they are so healthy! I never buy "flavoured" chips, crackers or rice cakes. The less chemicals, the better my tummy operates. This means I rarely venture beyond "plain". These are curry flavour. The flavour comes from one ingredient - curry powder (no weird sounding additives). I know, curry powder is made up of a variety of spices... but that is all they are. I eat a little bowl like the one above and my craving for salty snack is satiated. Unlike the cookies... I eat these guilt free.

invited for gluten-free dinner

You've just been invited to dinner. If you are going to the home of someone else for the first time, you know there is a conversation ahead of you. If you are lucky, the host is already well versed in the language of gluten-free... and those two little words will suffice.

Ideally it is you accepting the invite, giving you the opportunity to clear your throat and drop the bomb. But how about when you're partner comes home to tell you that the boss has invited you both over to dinner?

The call will need to be made. Once the conversation has been had around ingredients, I will typically ask if I can bring something. I assure them that it needn't be complicated.

Of course, at this point I find myself wondering if they are already wishing that they hadn't invited me. Then it occurs to me that if it's too much for them, I don't want a second invite anyway.

Moving along... when I arrive I usually make for the kitchen and have a chat/review of what's cooking (more of a "how can I help" interaction). The goal being to assist both the host and myself and alleviating the stress that comes with wondering if they put worcestershire sauce (malt vinegar) in the dressing or bouillon cubes in the soup. Hanging in the kitchen also gives me the opportunity to show my appreciation for their special consideration of my particular needs.

Good news: future invites are a sign that all went well - and each visit becomes more natural and enjoyable for everyone.

When we invite others over, my first question is usually whether there is something our guest doesn't eat. I'm setting precedent for when they reciprocate :)

Thanks to our amazing friends for the many delicious dinners we enjoy in your homes - one of my greatest joys (if you'll pardon the expression) is breaking bread with others.