Monday, November 26, 2012

never too early for matzoh ball soup!


We're in the car heading back to DC after a fabulous weekend of Thanksgiving and my sister's wedding! We left NH around 4:30am (not my idea!) and hit some traffic in CT, around Fairfield, where I went to college. So, it seemed logical to stop at my most favorite diner for breakfast, where I had matzoh ball soup- 9:30am isn't too early, right? ;)




Amazing.
- Posted using BlogPress from iLexi

Friday, November 23, 2012

apron naming contest with Scarlet Threads!

 
This was cross-posted to Scarlet Threads blog this week, but I wanted to mention it here too! We have a few new aprons about to be released, and they are in need of names! Please feel free to leave a suggestion, and who knows, your name could be the one!
 
 
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Hope you haven't forgotten about our new aprons and the names they need!
We love our tradition of asking our community for their suggestions, and then choosing from there! These three aprons are in need of names, and we'd love to have you suggest something, if you haven't already! 
 
 
To submit a name simply leave a comment or you can vote on or Facebook Page.
 
 
The winners of the individual naming contests will receive a 50% off coupon for use on one purchase in our shop! Just in time for a little holiday shopping, perhaps?

The Grand Prize winner will receive a Daphne Apron!

Winners will be announced on Friday the 23rd of November so get busy and be creative.
 
 
 



 








Feel free to leave your suggestions on this post, or each individual post, which are all linked above. We can't wait to see what you come up with! 



Tuesday, November 20, 2012

swirly bread?

I saw these at Target over the weekend and was totally intrigued. I bought the strawberry banana....








Have you tried them? Which is your favorite?







- Posted using BlogPress from iLexi

Saturday, November 17, 2012

an ornament swap!

 
 
I love this idea! An ornament swap!
 
 

Photobucket
 
 
Hosted by Mackey Madness and The Smitten Mintons.
 
 
Come play along!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

filed under: fabulous

My sister's wedding is next Saturday and these are the shoes she and I will be wearing!







Oh and yes- I'll be getting a fresh pedi the day before ;)


Thursday, November 8, 2012

hurricane sewing

I'm sure you've heard about Hurricane Sandy and all the havoc she wrecked over the mid-Atlantic states last week. Last week at this time, things were a bit off. The Federal Government was closed Monday and Tuesday, meaning I had the days off, along with most of the city. We waited to see what would happen in these parts. As it turned out, the DC area was spared, for the most part. It rained heavily, with a lot of high winds, but that was about it. There were some trees that came down, but as far as I could see, nothing serious. We were so fortunate, and for that, I am grateful. I won't post photos of New York and New Jersey. You've seen them, and since I wasn't there, they are not my photos to post. I will continue to keep them in my prayers. Things there are not good right now, but they are strong and will come through even stronger, this I know.
With the two unexpected days off, I did a bit of sewing. I was finally able to finish the baby quilt for my friend Mallorie's baby boy Connor. He's now six months old! I am not posting a photo of that quilt yet, because I need to give it to them first. She doesn't read my blog, but she should still see it before everyone else, I think!
I made a lot of mini quilts these few days, all under 12"x12' - I am practicing the binding, which is the solid part around the edge of the quilt, holding it all together. For me, the binding is the hardest part. I know how to do it, but it never seems to work quite right for me. So, I figured making some little things would be good. Practice makes perfect, right??
 
Here is a little Christmas tree mug rug, from the book Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays. This book is the work of Quilt Dad, and many others, and it's just wonderful.





A mini- this is about 12"x12" and has a solid yellow backing. 




I made this doll quilt with some fabric called Little Apples by Aneela Hoey. I adore this print so much, it reminds me of Ramona Quimby! Remember when she ate one bite from a bag filled with apples and tossed the rest aside, saying that the first bite tastes the best?


I will send this to Majlinda, my World Vision darling in Albania as a Christmas gift!







Another mini, way mini- this is about 5"x5" and more fabric by Aneela Hoey, called Sherbet Pips. I love this fabric as well. Really, I love all of her prints. They are so whimsical.




The red and white mini is about 10"x10" and the other, about 5"x3" or so.
I'm using that as a coaster in my sewing room at the moment!





This is something I am working on now- it will become a table topper, I think. It's about 25"x20" at the moment, but I may cut it so it is square. I haven't decided yet!





Any crafty things going on in your house???





Tuesday, November 6, 2012

today's the day!



It's a big day today- get thee to the polls!





Sunday, November 4, 2012

Sunday Social: Life Catchup

 
 
I've never done this before, but thought I'd try out the Suday Social linkup from A Complete Waste of Makeup! Sounds like fun!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Today's questions- catchup on life
 
 
What is currently on your wish list?
 
This funky bubble necklace from etsy. It would look great with a whute button down and jeans, or all dressed up! Love the various shapes and colors of the beads. This shop has all sorts of bubble necklaces with great prices!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Also, a corgi. I want one like crazy. We had one when I was growing up, called Oliver, and they are just the nicest dogs ever. My boyfriend and I are looking for one, we are thining a rescue is best. They are the sweetest dogs, and I have a name picked out already - Winston!


 
Share a new iphone, droid, ipad app you have recently discovered
that we all need:
 
PostalPix! You can upload pics taken on your phone, and they will print them in various sizes and mail them to you. Genius. Why do I never think of these things....


Share your Social Media links for us to follow you on(pinterest, twitter, facebook, etc) Tell us which is your favorite and why?

Well, you've found my blog!  I use lexilooo everywhere- twitter, instagram and blogger. I have a tumblr, which I rarely use, but have a look if you want! Pinterest is probably my favorite- I'm obsessed! I've made a fair amount of things I've pinned too!
 
 
What is a new Fall TV show you have added to your DVR?
 
 
Call the Midwife!
 
 
It is on PBS Sunday nights. It is British, and based on a memoir written by a woman who was a midwife in East London in the 1950's. She is a nurse midwife, but lives and works with a convent there. Tonight is the finale, episode six, but I heard that they are currently filming season two, so I hope that is airs here too! I love the fashion of the times. It's a great show, and I want to buy the DVD, now that I know that they have one!
 
 
 
 
What is a TV show or Movie or Song you could listen to or watch over and over and over and never get tired of?
 
 
Friends.
The Wonder Years.
Thirteen Going on Thirty.
Love Actually.
anything by Taylor Swift, Chicago (the band!), Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel.
Sex and the City.
The Cosby Show.
Serendipity.
 
 
 
How about you? What are your favorites?


Friday, November 2, 2012

mini book reviews


This morning I posted this to Scarlet Threads, but thought I'd share here too! I don't think I've posted book reviews in quite a while, despite the fact that I read all the time! I've read several great books recently, and wanted to post about the tones I really loved!


The Secret Keeper is the newest novel from Australian writer Kate Morton. She has three earlier books, all of which I've read and enjoyed, but I think this was by far my favorite. I've posted about them before, actually. It just came out about two weeks ago, and I managed to grab it from my local library the same week! I devoured it, finishing it in just a few days. Typical of me, really!

The Secret Keeper weaves back into time, along with present day, telling the story of Laurel Nicolson. We meet her as a sixteen year old living in the English countryside, as she witnesses a shocking crime within her family. Fifty years later, she is a successful actress in London, and her family gathers for her mother's 90th birthday party. She wants to learn the secret that has haunted her mother all these years. We also meet her mother, Dorothy, as a young woman in pre-WWII London, through the Blitz and then beyond. We meet Jimmy and Vivian, all from very different lives, but we see how they are intertwined, and will be, forever. While I found myself guessing parts of the ending, I was certainly thrown off by several aspects of what happened, and that is something that I love. 


It was a wonderful story, as are Morton's other three books! 






Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal is another recent favorite. 

Also taking place in wartime London, Mr. Churchill's Secretary introduces us to Maggie Hope, born in Britian, but raised in America. Maggie lost her parents at a young age, and was raised by her aunt, but goes to London to settle the estate of her recently departed grandmother. She graduates at the top of her class from a highly regarded university, but as a female, can only find work as a typist, leading her to 10 Downing Street to work for the newly sworn-in Winston Churchill. This position puts her in a unique position to learn a great deal of information, both about the inner-workings of a government at war, as well as within her own family. Maggie's knowledge of mathmatics, codes, and languages soon assist her in carving a new role for herself as she finds herself in the middle of an assasin plot against the Prime Minister himself. This is very much an edge-of-your-seat type of book, and I loved all of the twists and turns- I never quite knew what to expect, 
but I had a good feeling about our Maggie. 

When I finished the book, I was a bit sad, as I hate when a good book comes to an end, though I soon learned that the sequel to this book, called Princess Elizabeth's Spy just came out this past week! I cannot wait to get a copy of that one! Also, Susan Elia MacNeal, the author, is on twitter (linked above!), and she and I chatted a bit. She's writing the third installment of this book now, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Also, she let me know that Royal Corgis make an appearance in the second book. Anything with corgis is a good thing!




Not a novel, but a cookbook! This is a family favorite, actually, and I recently pulled my battered old copy from my cookbook collection to make the beef stew recipe. The Tasha Tudor Cookbook is a wonderful collection of some of the Tudor Family's favorite recipes, with drawings by Tasha Tudor herself. This means more corgis! Yes, I have a bit of a corgi obsession, but that is another story for another day. 


Growing up, my sister, brother and I each had our own author. My mother decided that on each birthday/Christmas/Easter, we'd receive a book by "our" author. I had Beatrix Potter, my sister had Tasha Tudor, and my brother had Tomie dePaola. Now, as an adult, I have the entire collection of stories of Peter Rabbit and his friends. Likewise, my sister has an amazing collection of Tasha Tudor books, many of which are now out of print. 


I bought a copy of the cookbook for myself one day, since it brings back happy childhood memories. Last weekend, I made the beef stew recipe for dinner, and it was as wonderful as I had remembered it to be. 




Have you read Gone Girl yet? Everyone has been talking about it recently, so I wanted to see what the fuss was. I requested it from the library, and was no. 247 in the queue. I waited and waited, and finally got an email that it was waiting for me, but I was out of town, and didn't pick it up in time, and it was released! Ugh! I re-requested it, and was then no. 329 in the queue. Who says DC doesn't read?! Finally, it was there for me again, and I wasted no time in running over to the DC Public Library to pick it up. Now, I am about a third of the way into it, and so far, so good. 






What are you reading right now? Anything I should look for?