Tea and Crumpets

birthday week has arrived!

2012-01-26T08:11:00.001-05:00

My birthday was Tuesday, so Steve made me a lovely dinner and bought a cake from Cake Love, my favorite DC bakery.

Bacon wrapped tenderloin, bacon wrapped scallops and grilled asparagus with lemon. Oh, and wine, of course. That may seem like a lot of bacon, but on one's birthday, we don't pay attention to such minor details ;)

Strawberries inside the cake! Nothing better.

I'll be celebrating for the rest of the week. Tonight I am taking a Valentine making class at Paper Source followed by dinner with two friends, and then Saturday night I will have dinner with a few more friends at a place in Arlington. Sounds good to me.

Hopefully the corgi will arrive sometime this week too ;)

Do you celebrate birthday week too?

cork love!

2012-01-20T09:22:00.002-05:00

I've been feeling crafty lately, and last weekend, I finished the wine cork wreath that I'd been working on for a few weeks! I've been collecting corks for a while now, and have made several things with them (remember the trivets I made?). Of course, the idea was from pinterest (where else?), and I saw several different variations of the wreath, and wasn't sure exactly how I wanted mine to look, so I played around with a few ideas.

I bought a wire wreath frame from Joann Fabrics (it was less than $3, and I believe it's 12" around?). I had first played around with the corks on the frame, trying to figure out how I wanted them placed, and wasn't liking it. I bought this bag of straw-stuff, and attempted to use it to fill the spaces, and figured I'd put the corks all over that, but the stuff is SO messy, and it actually looked weird, I thought!

I had this cranberry colored ribbon, which I thought might work well, so I wrapped it around the wreath. I wanted something for the corks to sit on, to give them some further structure. This worked really well! It was a wide ribbon, and I love the color, so I don't mind any peeking out between some of the corks!

I used a glue gun, for the most part, since it dries so quickly, but I ran out, and attempted using modge podge...which I am a huge fan of, but I had forgotten how long it takes to dry! I went out later and bought more glue sticks :)

I used mostly actual cork corks, not the synthetic ones- though I have a fair amount of those too, so I made a row of them going around the wreath, as more of a base for the main corks. Then I starting using the "real" corks, and placed them somewhat haphazardly, in not much of an order, in all directions! I tried to make the name of the winery visible, and in some cases, you can see the stains from the red wine, which gives it character, I think!

Yes, my glue gun is pink :)

It was somewhat time consuming, but fun, and I liked seeing the corks, as reminders of many of the wineries I've visited, from Virginia to New York to Washington!

Here is the final result, and I hung it on the pantry door in our kitchen!

Have you made anything from wine corks? Am I a little crazy to have so many corks lying around my house? :)

a pinterestly delicious meal!

2012-01-18T09:10:00.000-05:00

Here comes another recipe, first found on pinterest, of course! I saw someone's pin and thought it sounded like something fun, and a little different. I love lasagna, but it's just so filling, so these bite-ish sized pieces seemed perfect! I thought they'd be a hit with the boyfriend too.

This is the original recipe that I followed, for the most part.

Lasagna Cupcakes

One cup of your favorite pasta sauce

1 lb hamburger meat

18 wonton wrappers

(note- I couldn't find wonton wrappers. I bought rice paper wrappers.

They DID NOT work. In the end, I used tortillas that I ripped into pieces).

8 ounces mozzarella cheese , grated

(note- I bought a tub of mozz balls and used one in each cupcake!)

3 ounces parmesan cheese , grated

4 ounces ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 375* and spray 6 serving muffin tin with Pam (I did all 12, haha)

Cook hamburger meat, season to taste, drain.

Assemble the lasagnas by lining the muffin tins with pieces of torn tortilla. I started with a dab of ricotta first, and then a mozzarella cheese ball and then a scoop of meat and spoonful of sauce. Then, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top of it all. I didn't follow this rule each time...I got a little wild and mixed up the order of some of the layers each time ;)

Bake until the lasagnas are nicely browned, about 20 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and remove from pan.

Ready to bake!

Baked!!!

READY!!!

All in all, these were really delicious, and easy to make. You could certainly add other things if you wanted, like peppers or black olives or something else. Next time I make them, I may use a bit more sauce, as I like my pasta extra saucy. Also, maybe other kinds of cheese? More spices? Who knows! The possibilities are endless!

What's cooking in your kitchen this week???

in my closet please

2012-01-09T13:13:00.005-05:00

I've stated my obsession with pinterest before, and I just adore it, like most of you, I think! I've found all sorts of clever ideas, things that seem so simple, but I wouldn't have thought of on my own! I'm not always the most creative, but I've found many things and then put my own spin on them, in order to make them my own.

I love some of the clothing things I've seen, and outfits that people put together. I am far from the most fashionable out there...I am quite certain that I need help in that department! Again, I'm just not the most creative when it comes to my wardrobe and wouldn't think to pair some things. Does someone want to come over and play in my closet with me? Or sign me up for What Not to Wear? Stacy and Clinton are just too funny, I think!

I saw this outfit this morning, and pinned it, and then realized that I actually have most of the pieces. Not the exact items, of course, but very similar. I have a similar styled dress, though with white polka dots. It has a wide red belt attached. I bought it at HM last year, but have never worn it, as it makes my shoulders look like a linebackers. I have a goldenrod colored cardigan very much like the one in the photo, and similar tall brown boots.

So my question- how would I wear this? Would I just remove and ignore the red belt? Or would I belt over the sweater? Even though it's red? Button the sweater? Unbuttoned? What color tights would I wear? Brown? Navy? How would you make it yours? How can I make it mine?

a wooden spool wreath!

2012-01-03T09:45:00.001-05:00

This Christmas, I tried to do more gifts with meaning. I wanted to do something that I knew would be special to the person it was for. My sister has long admired Jane Goodall, and interned for her a few summers ago. For part of her gift, I bought her a chimp guardianship and she loved it, as I had suspected she would!

My mother has been quilting for about fifteen years, I'd say, and she was the one who inspired me to begin quilting and sewing. She's made some really gorgeous quilts over the years and is always there to answer the questions that I have with my quilting!

On the long drive back from Iowa over Thanksgiving, I saw a photo on pinterest that I knew I had to make for her- a wreath made of old wooden spools of thread! I fell in love with it immediately, and will admit that I had a hard time not showing the picture to her beforehand!

Wooden spools seem to have become a bit of a hot commodity among sewers, I think. I have a few that I'd found here and there, and I have them in a mason jar in my sewing room. I went onto etsy to find more, and they got expensive! In some cases that I found, they were five for $5! That seemed a bit much. I found a really sweet seller who had all sorts of fun spools at a great price and other things in her shop, so I ordered a few bags and had so much fun going through them. I should have taken more photos of a few of the individual spools, because there were some really cool ones in the bundles! I found a wire wreath frame at Michaels for about $3 and was ready!

I brought them home with me and made it at my parents house, rather than making it before the holiday (yes, I am a procrastinator...), but I figured it would be fun that way. Since we were in NH for a week, I brought my sewing machine and tons of fabric, and did a lot of sewing while I was home. I packed my pink glue gun for this project and had a crafty cocktail night with my mother and my oldest friend in the world, Hillary, which was just perfect.

Getting ready.....

(don't you just love the plastic daisy placemats?! I figured my mother didn't want hot glue all over her dining room table!)

Here's the finished wreath! I just love how it came out, and my mother does too. She looped a wide ribbon around it and hung it on the wall of her sewing room!

I really want to make one for my sewing room too!

Did you make any of your Christmas gifts this year?

lovely beginning for 2012

2012-01-01T13:31:00.004-05:00

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books

and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful,

and don’t forget to make some art —

write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can.

And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”

-- Neil Gaiman

O, Christmas Tree...

2011-12-27T09:02:00.001-05:00

For as long as I can remember, my mother has had this small circa-1970's ceramic Christmas tree. It has colored bulbs that go into the holes in the branches and when it's plugged in, they light up.

When I was a little girl, I thought it was the most beautiful thing.

Frankly, I still do.

2012 goal- find a ceramic tree of my own...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

happy happy merry merry!

2011-12-26T16:46:00.001-05:00

Hope your holidays have been merry and bright!

Happy happy merry merry from snowy NH!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

to longchamp or not to longchamp?

2011-12-19T09:15:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or are Longchamp bags just everywhere all of a sudden? I don't think they are terribly new, though I had never noticed them until somewhat recently. I wasn't sure I liked them all that much, to be honest, but then I saw this one, and it is growing on me...

Patch Toile!

Kind of pretty, eh?

I may need her. Is it too late to add her to my Christmas list?

Do you have a Longchamp bag? Which one?

clippie dippies!

2011-12-14T10:20:00.001-05:00

I recently made some hair clips! I'm so loving these, I think they are so much fun!

I used a yo yo maker, which I had bought from Joann Fabrics for about $6, and then those hair clips. I made the yo yos, and then with a glue gun, attached the yo yo to the clip, and then added a button on top!

Cute, eh?

I plan to send them to Majlinda, my World Vision darling in Albania. She has long blonde hair, so I know that she will love these!

Once I get my etsy shop up and running, I plan to have these in there for sure!

Cute as a button, wouldn't you say? :)

cookie swap 2011!

2011-12-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday I hosted my third annual holiday cookie swap! It was started a few years ago by my dear friend Christine and I. It was held for two years, and then last year, it was skipped for a variety of reasons, but I brought it back this year, and hope it will continue for many years to come! When I was a little girl, my mother always went to cookie swaps- she'd bake many dozen cookies, and then come home with the same amount in a variety of cookies, though I didn't think that any of us needed many dozen....so, just a few were swapped, and that was fine!

Before the party though, Steve and I had to get our tree up!

Our naked tree here, though now it is decorated! Note the lovely Scarlet Threads tree skirt, called the Noelle! Now out of stock, though there are a few Genevieve's left!

Steve sets up the water bowl for the tree....

See this little bear? She was given to me by my first grade teacher, Mrs. Sirna, many years ago, and she is hung on my tree each year still!

(I'll have to do another post later, about favorite ornaments!)

Now, it is nearly cookie time! I made a white chocolate cherry chip cookie...I saw the recipe on pinterest, and they were SO good! I am actually making them again tomorrow for a bake-off at work! Yikes, the competition will be fierce!

Here is the batter!

Here are the cookies, ready to be swapped!

Let the swapping begin!

Heidi has a plateful of deliciousness (and blogged about it last week!)

My finished cookies!

Steve and I. He wasn't really a guest, but since he lives here too, I suppose it was okay that he came downstairs for a snack ;)

Thanks to the ladies who were able to come, it was so much fun!

Do you have any holiday party traditions that you take part in?

Dear Santa, I've been a very good girl this year

2011-12-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, Rebecca asked me to do a guest post, which I did. In case you don't read her blog (why don't you?!), this is what I sent her--

****************************************************************

I was so excited when Rebecca asked me to do a guest post! Her blog is so much fun, and she's also a friend in real life! Lucky me!

Recently, my aunt asked for my Christmas list. I was a somewhat at a loss, because I never know what to ask for. I'm always seeing things that I want (ha!), but when the the time comes that someone needs to know, I feel the pressure and have no idea what to say! Does that sound totally bizarre and weird of me? Probably :)

Here are a few of the things I mentioned to them that I might not mind receiving this year-

I've been lusting over this cuff bracelet for months now. Found on etsy, it has a line from the Desiderata, a poem by Max Ehrmann. It is my favorite, I just love it. The poem is many decades old, but is so true and has so many good things to remember every day. I have a postcard at my desk at work with a few lines too, and would love to have this bracelet to remind me to keep priorities where they should be.

How gorgeous is this chair?! I just find it so bright and cheery, and would love to have it in my sewing room. It looks so cozy.

From Anthropologie, this is the Tea and Crumpets apron. I love to cook and bake, and my blog is called Tea and Crumpets. I need this, natch.

Again from Anthropologie, I am in love with this perfume. I love the pin cushion topper and the scent is so lovely, roses and others.

These boots! The bows! The bows! How can you not love the bows!? So sweet and darling.

Then Rebecca wanted to know the shoe of my dreams.

I love red shoes and wear them as often as I can, and when I saw these, I knew that I needed them immediately. I love the grey lining with matching buttons, and I love the double strap and the shiny, patent leather toe. I just love them all around! I might dance around my kitchen in my Tea and Crumpets apron while wearing them.

Oh yes, I think I would.

What did you ask Santa for this year?

new apron at Scarlet Threads!

2011-11-18T11:09:00.004-05:00

There are new aprons at Scarlet Threads, but they don't have names yet! Want to help? We are having a naming contest, and if your suggestion is chosen, you will receive 50% off your next purchase! Doesn't everyone on your Christmas list need a lovely new apron this year?

I'm loving this new beauty!

What would you call her?

Go HERE and leave us a suggestion!

the best boys

2011-11-16T11:14:00.003-05:00

I was home this past weekend to meet my best friend's new baby, Owen, who just so happens to be the younger brother of my godson Jackson. Sunday was his baptism day!

I asked Jackson if I could take Owen back to DC with me, and he said that I couldn't, because "Owen is his favorite person in the world and he'd miss him too much if he was gone."

I melted.

Love those boys!

ornament swap?

2011-11-07T14:40:00.003-05:00

Happy November!

I'm thinking of organizing a little Christmas ornament swap....would anyone be interested in playing? I'm not sure of all of the details yet, just debating....

Thoughts?

Also, does anyone know how to make those little swap boxes? You know, with the picture inside, and then a link back to the original post? What are they called?!

monogrammed cuff?!

2011-11-04T13:22:00.002-04:00

I just came across this monogrammed cuff from Marley Lilly, and I am pretty sure that I need it! I rarely wear bracelets at all, though I have a few that I love. When I graduated from high school, my parents bought me a beautiful silver cuff with garnets (my birthstone).

I should wear it more often, eh?

Really though, isn't this lovely?

It's a steal at only $34.99, so I think that I might need to treat myself to it!

Have you ever bought anything from Marley Lilly? Are you into monograms?

suit up?

2011-11-01T11:51:00.000-04:00

would you wear this dress, with a buttoned up thin black wool cardigan, black hose, and reddish heels, with pearls, to an interview? straight hair, not curly....

or do you always wear a suit?

another wreath!

2011-10-31T09:42:00.000-04:00

So due to my new obsession with pinterest (I'm lexilooo there too, if you want to follow me!), I have developed a new love of wreaths. I saw a pin on there a few weeks ago, leading to a tutorial, and I knew that I wanted to make it!

This is it, a burlap wreath!

I made Steve stand with it, hehe, and as you can see, he's thrilled ;)

At least it looks cute on out front door, right?!

This is the tutorial that I used, again, linked from pinterest. My edit would be the amount of burlap to use. This person said to use 1 1/4-1 1/2 yards of burlap. I bought 1 1/2, to be safe, and ran out, and had to go back to Joann's for more, and bought another yard! At least burlap is cheap, just $3.99 a yard, and I had coupons! I also didn't fold the squares the same way she did...and I think that I folded them differently each time too! I learned that burlap is hard to cut, and it also sheds a lot too, while it's being cut! I worked on the wreath over the course of about two weeks I think, but if I added it up, it was really just a few hours. It could be done in one afternoon, I think, if you sat down to do it!

What about you? Anything crafty lately???

chain letters are back!

2011-10-27T09:58:00.002-04:00

Did you ever receive chain letters in your younger years? I know I did, and I always passed them along, following whatever directions there were! As you know, I love getting mail, so any chance to increase my mail intake was good in my book ;)

It seems that chain letters are making a comeback, as I received one yesterday-

This one asks you to send a children's book to the first child on the list (just two names on the list), and then move the second name to the top, and put your child as the second name on the list, and send the letter to six friends...if it works, your child should get 36 books in a few weeks.

Fun, eh? Now, I know that I don't have any children of my own, but I do have an adorable four-year old godson who loves both books and mail (that's my boy!), so I asked his mother if I could do this for him, and she agreed, saying he'll love it. I just hope it works and he gets a few books back. I hate when people spoil it and don't play along!

So, any of you with children want to play? I'll send a copy of the letter your way, if you promise to send a book out to the first child, and then send the letter along its way!

charity quilting!

2011-10-25T09:08:00.006-04:00

Remember this post, from several months ago, showing this (then) recently finished quilt? Well, this little birdie quilt is finally on its way to its new home!

The DC Modern Quilt Guild recently had a project called 100 Quilts for Kids, which was begun by Katie, who is a really wonderful quilter.

The idea was for us to have a quiltalong, and then the baby quilts would be donated to a local organization that was in need. Katie organized it so that quilters all over the country were participating, and then donating to local orgs in their area! Everyone benefits!

I started a few quilts, but had a few hiccups, and didn't finish them in time, so I decided to donate the birdie quilt. After all, it wasn't doing anyone any good by sitting in my sewing room! I do plan to finish what I've started and donate them too! Ours are going to a local org in DC that works with low-income mothers.

Meanwhile, a few of us met at the Lincoln Memorial recently for some hand sewing lessons, and to drop off the quilts we had ready. Being there was so fun- it was a gorgeous day and the monument was filled with tourists who stopped by to see what we were doing, taking photos with us and asking if what we were making was for sale!

Dana made a DC metromap quilt! How cool is that?

I was supposed to write about this and link up to Katie's posts about this earlier, but better late than never, right? :) I'm so glad that I was able to participate, and as I slowly gain more confidence with my quilting, I do want to do more charity quilting. I'm still not at the point where I feel I am ready to make a full-sized quilt, so baby quilts are good for me for now, and there is no shortage of places to donate to. I have a few places in mind already!

I do have a few other projects that I am working on now, so expect photos of those soon as well!

Have you been crafty at all lately?

Pampered Chef!

2011-10-24T09:57:00.002-04:00

I hosted my first ever Pampered Chef party on Saturday! I've been a fan of PC products for a while now, as my mother has parties and sends me things as gifts, and I've had other friends have parties, but I had never actually attended one! Whenever I was invited to one, it was always in another city, so I'd order things online instead. I figured it was about time to host my own, so I found a local consultant.

I do have a few more pics of the party, which I will post later, but here is what I am totally obsessing over-

The stoneware fluted pan!

For some reason, I don't own a bundt pan and have been really wanting one lately, so this will be my number one purchase! The stoneware is all so wonderful too, such great quality.

There are a few other things I'd like, so we will see, but I know this will come live at my house soon! One of my friends booked a party from mine, so I will go to hers in a few weeks, and maybe buy a few more things ;)

Do you have any Pampered Chef products? What is your favorite?

Anything that I can't live without?

FYI- my PC party closes TOMORROW night, so if you are at all interested in making a purchase, let me know and I will send you the info! Right now, the unglazed stoneware is 20%, which is a great deal!

a fun twist on a wreath!

2011-10-17T08:40:00.001-04:00

Is anyone else as obsessed with pinterest as I am??? I am in love with it, and have seen so many fun ideas on there, from crafts to recipes to outfits. I've tried some recipes already, but those are for another post, I think!

I saw this tonight, and think that it is just darling! I really want to try it, when the holidays get closer! Thinking though, if I do it, I may place it inside instead of on the door, because with the constant opening and closing of the door, I'd be afraid that the ornaments may fall or smash against the door!

Or, maybe I should do this on the wall of my sewing room, and keep it up all year round????

What do you think? Love or hate?

Are you on pinterest? I'm lexilooo on there, so follow me! If you aren't there, do you need an invite? I am happy to send you one!

take note!

2011-10-07T09:42:00.000-04:00

My friend Rebecca has the most lovely blog, and each Tuesday, she has a weekly feature called Take Note Tuesday (linked to most recent post!). When I saw this darling agenda, the Always on Tea Time Planner, I immediately loved it and thought I'd take note from Rebecca and post it here, and then, hopefully remember to purchase it when the new year arrives!

I'm sure you're aware of my love of tea and afternoon tea, and crumpets with tea (hello, blog title!), I think this agenda was made for me personally!

Finished with a plastic cover to maintain its appearance over the full twelve months, this quaint companion also arrives with a set of stickers with adorable illustrations and miniature messages in English and Korean. It’s time to get a taste of the organized life!

Stickers! Korean messages! Tea pots! Love.

{no, I do not speak Korean, for the record!}

One minor detail, from the description- - Measures 4.75 inches in length, 3.5 inches in width. Hmmmm. Not sure about that, I like my agendas a bit bigger than that, I think. My handwriting is bigger and loopier than that.....

It is quaint and pocket-sized! Cute.

At least it's smaller than the giant Erin Condron agendas that everyone and their mother is raving about.

Maybe I will buy it. Maybe I will cave in and get an Erin C. agenda.

What about you? What sort of agenda do you use? More importantly, am I the only one who doesn't get the big deal that has become the E.C. agendas?

ultra what?

2011-10-05T10:53:00.002-04:00

Something to ponder.

I have a friend who recently found out that she and her huband are expecting their first child next spring, and of course, they are beyond thrilled. Her mother is over the moon, as it is her first grandchild, and she's been wanting to be a grandmother since they were married three years ago. I've met her mother many times, and she's really terrific.

I noticed on her mother's facebook status last night that she booked a flight to come visit next month, so she can be here for their 3d ultrasound, when they find out the baby's gender, among other things. I was a bit confused by that, to be honest. I can imagine how excited she is, but I think that would be such an intimate moment for a husband and wife, and I can't imagine wanting to share that with anyone else but my spouse.

Am I alone here? If you found out your baby's gender before he/she was born, was anyone else in the room with you? If you don't have babies yet, would you want anyone else there?

Tasty Tuesday! Cheesey chicken lasagna roll-ups!

2011-10-04T11:00:00.002-04:00

Hello friends, and a very happy Tuesday to you! There are some exciting things going on here at Scarlet Threads, and to start with, here's a great recipe for you to try! I don't know about you, but I am SO thrilled that the weather has finally cooled off. I am not a warm weather girl, and DC was just unbearable this summer. Today was about 50*! BLISS! I'm excited for cold weather recipes, like stews and roasts!

For now, try this! Cheesey chicken lasagna roll-ups!

Fun fact: when I was in elementary school, I had an imaginary friend that I called Cheesey. Yeah, I don't know either :)

I found the recipe on pinterest, my new favorite site ever. I sort-of followed the recipe, but mostly made it up as I went along, as usual for me!

Here's me and Lucy, preparing our chicken.

Side note: do you have a Lucy in your collection? She's an oldie, but isn't she cute? I've heard rumors that Delicate Fortress has just a very few left, so if you love the looks of this sunshiny girl, head over to Delicate Fortress and snap one up!

Cheesey chicken lasagna roll-ups

ingredients:

three large chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
one-two jars of spagetti sauce, depending on how much sauce you like
ten pieces of lasagna
one package feta cheese
one package parmesan cheese
one container ricotta cheese
whatever spices you like the best

directions:

1- boil water and cook lasagna

2- cook chicken, adding whatever spices you like (I used LOTS of basil, onion flavor (I hate the actual onions, but like the flavor!) salt, pepper and garlic)

3- once chicken is cooked through, put in bowl and add cheeses (I am very generous with the cheese!)

note- the original recipe called for 1/2 cup milk, but I forgot that I had run out that morning, so didn't add any, and it was okay

4- mix chicken and cheeses together, add more spices if you wish!

5- pour half a jar of sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish

6- take a piece of cooked lasagna, and place a spoonful of chicken mix, and roll up. place seam-side down in baking dish full of sauce. repeat until you use each piece of lasagna (you could obviously use less than ten pieces!)

7- once all rolls are in dish, pour more sauce over it all, and add more sprinkled parmesan cheese (we like a lot of cheese!)

8- bake at 375* for about 30 minutes until bubbly and delicious smelling!

Then, enjoy

(it may not be super pretty, but it was super good!)

I totally love my babushka baking mitt :)
I have a matching tea towel and mug!

Another side note- see these placemats? They were my mother's, and she had them FOREVER. When I was a wee young thing, I thought they were the most beautiful placemats ever. There are matching napkins too! A few years ago, she wrapped them up for me one Christmas, and I was thrilled! Yes, I think they are nearly 30 years old :)

What are you cooking this week? Send us the recipe, we'd love to feature you and your favorite Scarlet Threads apron!

(this was cross-posted to Scarlet Threads blog, but I wanted to share it here too!)

wordless wednesday: {more}

2011-09-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

love this.

so much.

(found on pinterest)

push it real good

2011-09-20T07:06:00.001-04:00

Lately, I've been hearing a lot about the idea of push presents.

According to wikipedia, a push present, (also known as a "push gift" or "baby bauble") is a present a new father gives a new mother when she gives birth to their child. In practice the present may be given before or after the birth, or even in the delivery room. The giving of push presents has supposedly grown in the United States in recent years.

I have friends who have been given jewelry, mostly. I have a friend who recently announced her pregnancy, and yesterday, we had friends over for Steve's birthday, and a friend's husband told her husband about this trend. He'd never heard of them!

I tweeted about them yesterday, and the opinions were split, for the most part. I personally think they are a bit silly. I mean, the mother "does the hard work," yes, and pushes the baby out, but does she deserve new diamond earrings for this? Isn't the baby the best present of all?

What do you think of push presents? If you have babies, did you get one? If you don't, do you want or expect one someday?

Wordless Wednesday {learning to knit}

2011-09-14T12:45:00.001-04:00

books!

2011-09-12T11:35:00.003-04:00

Remember the little book giveaway I did a few weeks ago? Well, the winner is Little Miss Can't Be Wrong, so please email me your address! If you don't read LMCBW's blog, you should! She's hilarious and I'll be anxious to read her review of this book ;)

This was a fun little mini giveaway, and I think I will do it again. I like the idea of travelling books and passing along ones that I won't read again! In fact, I think I will post another one later this week, so check back by Friday!

How was your weekend? Anything fun happen?

bookshelf mini quilt!

2011-09-06T07:43:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited about this project that I recently finished! It's a mini bookshelf quilt! I first saw it on flickr, a few months ago, and loved it so much and knew that I had to try it. Then I found the tutorial that the quilter typed up, so others could try it! It comes from a fabulous quilter who blogs at Don't Call Me Betsy and she really does some amazing work.

I love the way it turned out! You can see the "titles" of the books, which come from fabric selvages, which are the very edge piece of the fabric that isn't typically used. It usually has printed words on it, listing the name of the designer of the fabric, as well as the name of the fabric line, etc. So, it is just perfect for book titles!

Of course, like all of my projects, there are a few mistakes, but I am okay with that. After all, I am still new at this and still learning! I am planning to give it to my mother, as she's a librarian and a quilter! I think she will like it.

I love it so much, I want to make one for me too, and hang it in my sewing room! It was fun to make, and not too difficult, just time consuming, as it is a lot of small pieces, but that is the fun!

Who knows, maybe I will make one for a lucky blog reader someday too! Would that be fun?

plate: like or dislike?

2011-09-01T08:46:00.000-04:00

I've been on the hunt for some fun plates for a crafty project that I found and am dying to try (more on that later!). I saw these at TJ Maxx tonight for $2 on the clearance shelf, and I bought the last two they had. I thought that they were perfect for the project, but then I was thinking that they are really cute and I might want to just keep them and use them! They aren't dinner plates, more desert sized- they're about 6" in diameter. They remind me of the blue English countryside plates. What are they called? Do you know which ones I mean?!

What do you think? Like? Dislike? Keep for use? Or use for crafty project? Be honest!!!

(if you hate them, I won't be hurt!!!)

what could you give up this week?

2011-08-30T08:38:00.000-04:00

I'm sure, if you are a long-time reader, you are well aware of my admiration and involvement with World Vision. Steve and I sponsor three children; Majlinda and Redion in Albania and Boikokobetso in South Africa. I've been sponsoring Majlinda for FOUR years this month, which is just amazing to me. Despite never having met her, she's become a big part of my life, and she has a piece of my heart, halfway around the world.

Along with my monthly sponsorship, I do try to contribute in other ways, when I can. I can't as often as I'd like, but every little bit helps. World Vision is all over the world doing amazing things and right now, they have a campaign in Africa, to aid with the hunger crisis that exists.

Just a few facts-

12.4 million are affected in the region

More than 35% of all children in the region are now facing emergency levels of malnutrition

Starvation is a real threat in famine-declared areas of Somalia

Some 30,000 children have already lost their lives

Worst drought in 60 years

World Vision has assisted communities in the Horn of Africa for 3 decades. Even now, our teams in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are responding to this crisis with food, water, blankets and other critical needs for families

The one that kills me? 30,000 children have lost their lives. This shouldn't happen. I don't need to post photos of starving children; I know you've seen them and they bring tears to your eyes, like they do mine. I wish I could save them all, but 30,000 is a lot to save. I feel better, knowing that I am saving three right now.

Right now, World Vision is working against hunger in the Horn of Africa, and you can help in just a small way. Take just a moment to text in your $10 donation to "FAMINE" to "20222" and join World Vision in fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa.

Ten dollars. That isn't much at all. That is a mocha and a scone from Starbucks. That is two magazines. That is one yard of fabric. That is a cocktail from your favorite after work spot. That is also one pizza delivered from Dominos.

This week, instead of buying any of those things, I am going to text and donate to World Vision and their fight against hunger. Granted, skipping Starbucks and Dominos isn't a huge sacrifice for me, but I am such a magazine junkie...I have stacks and stacks of cooking magazines everywhere! Also, you know how much fabric I buy!

Also, if you do text and donate, please consider blogging about this too, and link up to the original post. Tweet about it too, using the hashtag #faminenomore and blog about the ONE THING you typically spend $10 on that you could give up this week and use the money you save to help those in the crisis in the Horn of Africa?

Instead of spending money on that one thing, text in your $10 donation to "FAMINE" to "20222" and join World Vision in fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa.

Children should not go to sleep hungry. Ever.

a giveaway, with a twist

2011-08-29T10:14:00.002-04:00

Good morning! How was your week? It seems it was a bit crazy in DC, with an earthquake and then a hurricane! Luckily, neither was too bad and everything was okay in the end.

I spent most of the weekend cleaning and getting things done around the house. I had a few crates of books to unpack and find homes for. In the process, I found a bin full of high school mementos, including diaries, chemistry quizzes, college acceptance/rejection letters, etc. Why I save such things, I have no idea ;)

Anyway. I began bagging up books that I plan to donate to the library, but then I had an idea. I recently discovered an author called Kate Morton. She's Australian, and has three books- The House at Riverton, The Distant Hours and The Forgotten Garden. They are not a series. Each book was so lovely, I really enjoyed them all. I've found myself recommending her to everyone lately, as I loved them that much. They take place in England and tie together several stories at once with such beautiful language and imagery. These are books that I'd love to see turned into movies, actually. Such stories!

I found this hardcover version of The Distant Hours.

from amazon-

It starts with a letter, lost for half a century and unexpectedly delivered to Edie’s mother on a Sunday afternoon. The letter leads Edie to Milderhurst Castle, where the eccentric Blythe spinsters live and where, she discovers, her mother was billeted during World War II. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives caring for their younger sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiancé jilted her in 1941. Inside the decaying castle, Edie searches for her mother’s past but soon learns there are other secrets hidden in its walls. The truth of what happened in “the distant hours” has been waiting a long time for someone to find it. In this enthralling romantic thriller, Morton pays homage to the classics of gothic fiction, spinning a rich and intricate web of mystery, suspense, and lost love.

I thought perhaps one of you might like to read it, and then I had an idea. Remember The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants? I thought about doing that, with the book, though it doesn't need to come back to me in the end!

Leave a comment and I will pick one randomly and send the book to that person. When you are done with it, do a little review of the book on your blog and then offer to send the book along to someone else. Then that person will do the same thing. And so on, and so on, and so on.

Leave a comment and I'll pick someone on Friday, and then mail it to that person as soon as they send me their mailing address.

Does this sound fun?

wordless wednesday: nutella edition

2011-08-24T10:13:00.001-04:00

via Pinterest

too much tea?

2011-08-19T11:07:00.001-04:00

I've created a little tea corner on my desk at work...so now whenever I need a spot of tea, it's just right there!

Love!

Oh, and that calendar? It is from 2006, but I love the photos of the English countryside, so I still use it!

wordless wednesday: just because

2011-08-17T08:09:00.000-04:00

These were delivered to me last Thursday....

just because....Steve

I love that even though we live together now, he still sends flowers to me at the house, and I still send cards in the mail!

just because

knitting!

2011-08-15T15:02:00.002-04:00

I learned to knit over the weekend, thanks to Jennifer! We began the afternoon with brunch at Kramerbooks Afterwords Cafe, then wandered through the Dupont Farmers Market, then went to Looped Yarn Works, where I purchased needles and two things of yarn. Then we went to Hello Cupcake and she gave me a lesson! I have a few more rows than this right now, but it's a start!

Do you knit? Any advice for me??

the help, or something like it

2011-08-12T09:32:00.001-04:00

I'm a big reader; I'm sure you've figured that out by now. I read all sorts of things, of most genres and am usually willing to try something new (okay, I will admit- I still have not read the Harry Potter series, the Twilight series or The Girl Who Played with Fire, etc- they just don't appeal to me!). My mother read The Help last summer and told me how much she enjoyed it and how she thought I'd like it, so I added my name to the queue at the DC Library. To my surprise, I was somewhere around 300 on the list. No worries, I had several other books to read. Eventually I got it, and had been hearing of it's popularity and how much everyone loved it. I had high hopes for The Help. How could I not, really?

Confession- I did not love The Help.

I didn't hate it, I didn't dislike it, I just didn't LOVE it, the way everyone else LOVED it. People raved and raved and raved; it was the best book they'd ever read. They couldn't put it down. The read it in one sitting. They said it was the best book ever.

BEST BOOK EVER.

EVER.

Really? Ever? Now, I am not sure what I'd consider to be the best book ever (maybe Ramona Quimby, Age 8!), but I know for certain that The Help was not the best book I ever read. There was just something about it that irked me. I can't put my finger on it. It was good, I enjoyed the story, but I just found myself somewhat bothered by the storyline. The characters seemed to be well developed, for the most part. I didn't dislike them, I just found it somewhat difficult to relate to them. Yes, this could be because I didn't grow up in the Deep South and I wasn't around during this turbulent time in American history, so maybe that is where part of my difficulty came from. I just don't understand how it was okay to have someone care for your child, yet it wasn't okay for them to use your toilet.

Needless to say, I do want to see the movie. I'd like to see the characters come to life. Maybe I should read the book again, before seeing it, as it was about a year ago that I read it. Again, I liked the book. I just didn't LOVE the book, though I feel that I'm the only one!

So tell me. Did you read The Help? Did you like it? Or did you LOVE it? Am I the only one who didn't LOVE it?

Tasty Tuesday on Wednesday!

2011-08-10T09:15:00.000-04:00

I posted this yesterday in Scarlet Threads blog and wanted to share it here too! We post a weekly recipe for the Tasty Tuesday feature, and I'd love to share one of your favorite recipes! Please let me know if you'd like to contribute something to us!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Tuesday, and you know what that means....another Tasty Tuesday recipe for you! This one was sent to me from my friend Hillary...my oldest friend in the world! Our parents lived across the street from one another, so we've been friends since the day she was born- I was born in January, she was born in February!

Here's a photo of us in July 1980...I'm on the right, she's on the left...aren't we cute? I love how she's trying to hold my little hand! :)

So cute, hehe!

So, without further ado!

Carrot Raisin Buckwheat Muffins

If you are a buckwheat lover then you will to enjoy these gluten-free muffins. Try adding more carrots, raisins, some shredded apple, or any chopped nut for a denser, more nutritious treat. These muffins work great as a quick breakfast, simply serve with a green smoothie for a balanced and energizing meal. I grind my own buckwheat flour from raw buckwheat groats. I find the flavor and texture of this fresh flour superior to that of the packaged roasted, ground buckwheat flour. You can use a Vita-Mix to grind the flour or a small electric grinder such as a coffee grinder.

2 ½ cups buckwheat flour
½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup organic brown sugar, Sucanat, or maple sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 cups applesauce
¼ cup melted virgin coconut oil or grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup grated carrots
½ to 1 cup raisins, soaked for 10 minutes in ¼ cup water (then drain)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil muffin tins or line with paper muffin cups.

In a large bowl combine the buckwheat flour, tapioca flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, and spices. Mix well.

Place apple sauce into a separate bowl and add the melted coconut oil, vanilla, carrots, and raisins; whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix together being careful not to over mix.

Spoon batter into oiled muffin tins. Fill each muffin cup to the top. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Loosen sides with a knife and gently take out of tins and place onto a wire rack to cool.

Then, enjoy!

Source.

What's baking in your kitchen this week??

on being taken advantage of

2011-08-09T11:38:00.003-04:00

I'm such a bad blogger lately, eh? I still owe several posts about our trip to the UK two weeks ago, which was all sorts of wonderful, but there is something bothering me.

Last week, Steve was in Indianapolis for a conference for much of the week (we got home Sunday night and he left again Tuesday morning!). He had a hotel room for the time he was to be there, which makes sense, of course. He found out that a "friend" of his was going to be there too. This friend is the brother of a college friend, I don't think they were that close, really. Since Steve is a good guy, he offered to let the friend crash with him in his hotel room, since the friend didn't have any accomodations set up.

He accepted, and crash he did.

He stayed there through Sunday and never once offered to pay a dime towards the room bill, nor did he offer to take Steve to dinner or anything, as thanks. Also, Steve had rented a car, to get around the city, and the friend rode with him to the conference center each day.

I just feel like Steve was completely taken advantage of. He agrees, though would never say anything to the friend, which I don't blame him for- it's not as though I would say anything either. It just seems insane to me that this friend would think that he had a totally free ride for the week and I am appalled at the behavior of this "adult." I would think he should have offered top split the cost of the room, or taken Steve out for a nice dinner, or something. I hate seeing Steve get used by a so-called friend! He seems less bothered by it than me, which is typical of us, I think! He lets these things roll off much easier than I do.

What do you think? Am I taking this too seriously? Or am I justified in being totally annoyed with this "friend" of Steve's???

cream tea!

2011-07-26T07:58:00.001-04:00

Hello from the UK! We've just spent two days in England and are currently driving to Scotland!

Of course, I am enjoying loads of crumpets and a lovely cream tea yesterday!

More soon!

Cheerio, loves!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tasty Tuesday! Red Velvet Brownies with Buttercream Icing!

2011-07-19T09:47:00.003-04:00

Good morning! I'm so excited to share this recipe with you! Sometime over the weekend, I came across a recipe for red velvet brownies with white chocolate buttercream icing and became obsessed with the idea of making them immediately. I had several things going on Saturday, so decided to make them on Sunday. I had most of the ingredients, but needed to run out for a few things, so off I went to the nearest grocery store.

I came home, wrapped a Scarlet Threads apron around me and got baking. The recipe is not too difficult at all and soon I had these delicious brownies cooling on my counter, just waiting to be iced. Side note- do you call it icing or frosting? Just curious!

I didn't take any pre-iced photos, but here are my brownies, in all of their deliciousness!

The recipe! I found it on a new (to me) cooking blog called Smells Like Home and it is just lovely. Tara has some amazing recipes on there, and she's also a fellow New Englander :)

This is her recipe.

For the brownies:

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 oz red food coloring (this is one small bottle or a scant 2 tbsp)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided

1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

For the white chocolate buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 oz good-quality white chocolate (not chips), melted – I recommend Callebaut

1 – 2 tbsp heavy cream

To make the brownies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 8″x8″ baking pan.

In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring,

and 1 tsp vanilla into a thick paste until not lumps of cocoa remain.

Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla.

With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color.

Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined.

Do not overmix.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl.

You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies.

Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes.

Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars, and serve, or remove the entire batch from the pan to a cutting board, cut into 12 bars, frost, and serve.

To make the frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,

cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time;

allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup.

Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add in the melted white chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated.

With the mixer on low, add in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time and beat at medium speed until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.

My changes-

First off, the bottles of food coloring that I bought were tiny and barely 1tbls, so I used the bottle of yellow too! It didn't seem to make them any less red!

I'm also very generous when it comes to vanilla. It's my favorite spice! (does vanilla count as a spice, exactly?)

Also, I don't have an electric stand mixer (oh, the shame!), so I stirred by hand with a wooden spoon. It worked just fine!

Also, my icing was just buttercream, without the white chocolate. I did buy a bar of white chocolate, but when I was melting it in the microwave, I accidentally burnt it! Oooops. So, I just omitted it, because I didn't want to go back to the store for more, and to be honest, I am not a huge fan of white chocolate to begin with! I don't think that the lack of white chocolate made them any less delicious ;)

After a lovely dinner of bacon-wrapped chicken with potatoes, Steve and I enjoyed these-

He loves anything with buttercream and I adore red velvet anything, so we were quite pleased with the results! These will definitely go into my regular rotation!

Did you do any baking this weekend?

poll of the day

2011-07-18T10:30:00.005-04:00

Oh hey! I have a blog! It seems it has been a bit forgotten as of late. No good reason why. Sometimes this happens, eh? Summertime and the living is easy? Something like that?

So, today's poll- when going on a long(ish) trip, when do you begin packing and are you terribly organized about it? Do you plan outfits in advance and pack accordingly? Or do you just toss a variety of things into your suitcase and wing it?

source

I'm not the most organized of packers. I don't really plan outfits in advance, with a few exceptions, so I just pack what I think I'll want to wear. Of course, I never wear everything that I pack! I was home in NH for the 4th of July weekend, so 2.5 days and had about eight outfit combinations and 12 pairs of undies. Seriously :) Maybe I need a method to my madness?

Friday night, Steve and I are leaving for the UK for the week! We fly out of BWI that night, have a stopover in London and then land in Glasgow on Saturday around 2pm local time. We'll be there one night, staying with friends, and then are driving down into England to stay with friends there for two nights before heading back into Scotland to the Highlands! Eventually, ie Thursday, we'll be back in Glasgow for a friend's wedding to end the week.

I'm so excited! It's been a while since I've had a good, real vacation like this and I really need it!

Are you going anywhere fun this summer?

happy happy happy!

2011-07-01T11:59:00.001-04:00

Hoping that your weekend is filled with a whole lot of this-

it's all sorts of amazingness!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Scarlet Threads cookbook swap!

2011-06-28T10:17:00.002-04:00

I know you've seen this photo before, because I've posted it, but it's a picture of just some of my many, many cookbooks!

(pre-move, by the way- this is no longer my kitchen!)

I posted it yesterday in Scarlet Threads blog, as we are hosting a cookbook swap!

This photo doesn't even show all of my cookbooks! There are a lot more that you can't see, off to the left on other shelves and such! They range from all sorts of types, from international to baking to southern cooking. I love having them, but I will admit that I don't use them all as often as I should. There are some I use regularly, but there are others that I've never used. Awful, so awful, I know! I'm sure though, that I'm not the only one who doesn't always use all of her cookbooks, right?

This is where I thought of hosting a cookbook swap! We can trade a few cookbooks that we don't use, and then get a few in return that we will! Here's the idea. Leave us a comment and say that you'd like to participate. In a week or so, depending on the number of comments, we will end sign-ups and then partner people up. We will email you your partner's information and then then the two of you can discuss what you like, what you don't, etc and exchange addresses. Each pair will swap a cookbook, more if you'd like, but one minimum. Please don't go out and buy anything, take something from your shelf that hasn't had much use by you, but that your partner will love and use!

How does this sound? Make sense? Ask any questions, of course, and we will answer them as best we can! Also, please share this post on your own blog/twitter/facebook, etc! We'd love to have lots of people participating, as more people makes it more fun!

Want to join the fun? Go HERE and sign up!

every chick should have....

2011-06-21T11:07:00.001-04:00

I saw this in a book and thought it was cute....

Every chick should have~~~~

*luxurious hand lotion next to her kitchen sink

*a stereo in the kitchen to play tunes that inspire, calm and cheer

*at least one delicious frozen entree in the freezer---for afternoons or evenings too fun to stand in front of the stove

*a well-worn recipe card with a favorite family dish from a grandmother or other cherished relative

*pictures of family and friends on the refrigerator door

*someone to call if you get into a culinary fix

*a hidden box or bag of some wonderful junk food

*a signature specialty that you can whip up with one arm tied behind your back

*something distinctly "you" in your kitchen--- a frilly apron, an oven mitt, or a trivet from a memorable trip

*a beautiful bottle or tin of something deliciously refined and gourmet--- like a limited-run, estate-bottled olive oil or balsamic vinegar, or English tea biscuits in a vintage tin

*a neighbor who will lend you an emergency cup of sugar or an egg

So, how many of these things do you have???

giveaway!

2011-06-17T08:23:00.003-04:00

Do you read the blog We are Not Martha? Sues and Chels are two girls in Boston and their blog is filled with some of the best recipes you've ever seen. One of my favorites, the strawberry shortcake cookies, came from them! It is now one of my go-to summer recipes, though I make it year-round, because they're so delicious!

Well, Sues and Chels were so gracious and are hosting a giveaway with Scarlet Threads! Hop on over, read and try their recipe for lemony summer risotto, and take a chance at winning a gorgeous Daphne apron!

Also, Scarlet Threads will be hosting a cookbook swap! Go here and see a photo of Steve in an apron, and sign up to swap with us!

cute up!

2011-06-02T15:57:00.004-04:00

Are you following Scarlet Threads on twitter? If so, did you see this tweet?
@ScarletThreadFT We're offering 39% off in our #fairtrade shop. Use the code "thriftythursday" http://bit.ly/5lKZbz #fairtrade #coupon #SALE Today only!
1 minute ago via web
Retweeted by you

39% off! 39 new facebook likes! Was one of them you? Did you read this post of mine?
Do you need an apron? Quick, go buy one with this amazing discount, today only!

We started with 3200 fans and this morning we had 3239!

Ergo, today is a 39% One-Day Sale!

Enter the code "thriftythursday" at checkout and you will receive 39% off your entire purchase in our shop.

Just think: Mattie May (our most popular style) is now $26.84.

And, I must say that is an absolute STEAL. A STEAL!

Daphne is now only $17.08!!!!

They'll certainly cute up your kitchen!

crumpets, clearly

2011-05-27T04:37:00.000-04:00

You know the "keep calm and..." posters that are oh, so trendy these days?

Well, HERE is a site where you can make your own!

Marvelous, eh?

I should probably get this printed for my sewing room....

What would your keep calm poster say??

thrifty thursday, via Scarlet Threads!

2011-05-26T09:33:00.003-04:00

Clearly you know of my great love and new involvement (which I still need to tell you about!) with Scarlet Threads, right?

Well, do have a look at this, via Eileen, one of the amazing women behind it all!

Is anyone out there familiar with Extreme Couponing on TLC? I am completely enamored with the thriftiness of these folks, but I am completely incapable of duplicating their efforts in my own world. In the spirit of couponing, however, we at Scarlet Threads decided to create a deal for you!

One Thursday per month we will have a special one-day sale where the discount is entirely based on how many new facebook followers we received since the preceding Thursday. We will announce the date of the one day sale on the Thursday before to allow you the opportunity to spread the word about Scarlet Threads to all of your Facebook friends
We shall call this "Thrifty Thursday!" In order to increase the discount, use the "suggest to friends" button to introduce your social network to Scarlet Threads. At a future date, we may choose to do a Thrifty Thursday based on Twitter or Blog Followers. We are not super stealthy, so we will let you know which social media we are selecting for the one day sale, how many current followers we have, and how we will calculate the discount.
I wouldn't let you down, would I? Now that you've read about the concept, we are announcing that NEXT THURSDAY will be our first Scarlet Threads Thrifty Thursday.

Current Facebook Fan Count: 3200

For every new fan from now until I check the account on the morning of Thursday next, the one-day sale will increase by 1% (up to 50%). For example, if we receive 27 new fans the sale discount will be 27% and if we receive 52 fans the discount will be capped at 50%. See? Isn't that fun? You can command your own destiny and demand your own price.

Ready? Set. Suggest a Friend!

HERE is their facebook site. Go like them. You know I do!

be cheerful. strive to be happy.

2011-05-24T09:10:00.001-04:00

Have you ever heard of the Desiderata (Latin for desired things)? It is one of my favorite poems, and really serves as a good reminder of how to live ones life, I think. I found this little postcard on etsy a few months back, and I keep it on my desk at work, to motivate me.

Love it.

I was poking around etsy earlier and found this desiderata cuff bracelet, which I really, really want. I don't often wear bracelets, but if I do, I prefer the cuff style, to something with a chain.

WANT THAT BRACELET!!!

The Desiderata was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann, but wasn't really known until after his death, and now has become somewhat of a devotional. It is just so lovely and so true and reminds me to try to be a better person. When I get married, I want it read at the ceremony.

****************************

The Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

**********************

What words inspire you and keep you moving? What is your favorite poem? Favorite quote?

stationary party!

2011-05-17T11:29:00.004-04:00

Hi! I am hosting a "virtual stationary party" this week, as I really like this company quite a bit. I thought I'd send the details out, in case you are in need of stationary!

I've been a fan of English Tea Paperie for a while now, and Chloe, the owner is really marvelous. She's English, but is married to an American and they live in Richmond, VA and have a really darling daughter called Emma. She runs her own stationary company and her designs are just gorgeous! I've bought several times from her, and also have run a giveaway on my blog with her products! Also, she has been featured on the Richmond groupon deal twice now, and was on the local news there too, apparently! She's really great to work with and will custom design whatever you like!

Chloe has monograms galore and sorority letters! She has all sorts of designs, but other items, like calling cards, recipe cards and thank you notes.

Here are the details-http://www.englishteapaperie.com/

The party code will be TEACRUMPETS, which will deduct 15% from your purchase sales this week, through Sunday the 22nd. At the end, when going through payment, there is a box that asks for a discount code, so you'd use it there.

Let me know if you have any questions :)

(mostly) wordless wednesday

2011-05-11T11:07:00.001-04:00

I love fresh flowers to brighten up a room.

{pretty pink ranunculas- one of my favorite flowers}

(did you link up?)

tasty tuesday and other fun stuff

2011-05-10T12:38:00.002-04:00

Happy Tuesday!

I've been featured today on Scarlet Threads blog with my chicken pot pie recipe! I've posted it here already, but go have a look, in case you missed it the first time around.

Speaking of Scarlet Threads, I have some exciting news regarding them, but I will save that for another post. Oooh, the suspense! It involves me, them, and a giveaway! So, stay tuned!

Also! I will be hosting an online stationary party next week! I've had a giveaway with them before, but Chloe of English Tea Paperie does really marvelous work. I just love her. She's so sweet and easy to work with, and amazingly talented! Monograms galore! So, stay tuned for that announcement as well, next week!

Also- DC girls- anyone interested in joining my book club? Two of my best girls, Heidi and Liz, and I have had an on and off again bookclub for the past few years and are getting it started again next month. If you are interested in joining us, please let me know! Must love good books, good conversation and good wine :)

How's your Tuesday looking?

sweet Saturday

2011-05-07T10:36:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday, I made a wreath for the front door! It is slightly lop-sided, but I think it is still pretty cute!

I'd been wanting something like this for the door, but everytime I saw one that I liked, it was something like $40, which seemed a bit much. I don't consider myself to be cheap, but I knew I could make one myself for much less. Turns out, I was right ;)

I bought a 12" wire wreath from hobby lobby several weeks back for a different project, but then never used it (I had bought two, so I used the other one). I was at Joann Fabrics last weekend, and they were selling these garlands that were about four feet long! They had a few different designs, some with flowers, and this one, with little white "berries." They were on sale, two for $10, so I bought two, of course. I figured I could just wrap them around the wreath, but the wires inside the garlands were quite strong and hard to bend! I ended up getting a pair of shrub cutters and cutting them into smaller pieces, which made them easier to bend! Of course, in the process, a good nunber of the berries broke off and rolled all over the kitchen floor, where I was sitting!

I've been really liking wreaths lately. I have to post photos of another one that I made recently, this one was yarn covered with little felt flowers! I think this one will stay inside though, I wouldn't want the yarn to get wet! I have a few other wreath ideas, so I will be working on those too, I think. They are easy to make, and lots of fun!

Do you have anything hanging on your front door? Post a picture, I'd love to see it!

flowers!

2011-05-02T10:58:00.005-04:00

Happy Monday and happy Royal Wedding weekend! I will admit that I was totally and completely obsessed with the Royal Wedding. I was up at 4:30am on Friday watching, while having crumpets with jam and English Breakfast tea! Seemed appropriate, eh? I went to work, but had my dvr recording all day, so when I got home Friday night, I watched what I hadn't seen (double kiss! swoon!) and then watched the recaps and then watched more on Saturday.

I won't post tons of photos, because you've all seen them, I'm sure, and I don't have anything overly creative to say that hasn't already been said! I thought that Kate looked amazing and I loved her dress. I loved her simple hair and that she did her makeup herself. I loved that Prince Harry turned around and snuck a peek while she walked up the isle with her father and I loved that Prince William whispered "you look stunning, babe" to her when she reached the alter. I loved Pippa's dress and I loved the little bridesmaids. I loved the Queen's yellow and I even loved Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie's fascinators! I loved that when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took off in the carriage, she turned to him and said "I am so happy." I loved all of the little looks that they shared throughout the day.

Swoon.

I also really loved this photo, which I hadn't seen a close up of.

Kate's bouquet!

I found the photo on people.com and they had this description, which I really love-

Symbolism was key in the small bouquet Catherine carried, designed for her by Shane Connolly. In addition to the flower sweet William, the bouquet included lily-of-the-valley (for return of happiness), hyacinth (constancy of love) and ivy (for fidelity, marriage and affection). Also key to the arrangement were stems from plants grown from sprigs of the bridal bouquets of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth.

Love this, love love love it. I don't know a great deal about flowers and their meanings, but I am interested in learning a bit now! My mother carried ivy in her bouquet when marrying my father, and now I wonder if she knew about these meanings behind it! I'd love to incorporate something like this into my eventual wedding, I think. Makes it so special.

Did you watch the Royal Wedding? Did you love every minute of it?

Royal Wedding Fever!!!

2011-04-25T10:36:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, Little Miss Can't Be Wrong asked me to do a guest post, and in case you didn't see it, I am posting it here, since it is now ROYAL WEDDING WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So excited. So very excited.

So in case you hadn't heard, there is going to be a Royal Wedding at the end of the WEEK!!! Surely I am not the only one who is really looking forward to this huge event, right? I wouldn't call myself completely obsessed, but maybe mildly intrigued...okay, maybe more than mildly :)

I think that Prince William and Kate have such an amazing love story. They met at university and were flatmates and good friends. They fell in love and managed to keep their romance under wraps for some time. Then, the world watched it unfold, fall apart and piece itself back together again. I think that Kate is so fascinating. You always hear about how "all little girls dream of becoming a Princess," and now she is going to be one! I wonder if she dreamed of that when she was a little girl. Was it in your wildest dreams? She's also so gorgeous and stylish and classy, and has so much grace. People say that she is like Princess Diana, which I think anyone would take as a huge compliment! Also, during their brief breakup, she kept mum and never embarrassed the Royal Family...she just subtly let Prince William know what he was missing out on!

Of course, with the Wedding of the Century happening, Britain is making the most of it, as they should be! Have you seen some of the things they have? Wills and Kate are everywhere! Their faces are on tea sets, tea towels and even refrigerators!

My personal favorite of the Royal Wedding themed items? The No More Waity, Katie nail polish, from Butter of London! Of course, after an eight year romance, the British press gave poor Kate that not-so-lovely nickname, but her patience paid off, as we know!

Pretty, eh? It's a limited edition color, of course, and I am dying to get my hands on a bottle! I'm sure I'll turn to ebay shortly....

Also, Kate has her own beer!

Castle Rock Brewery came out with this Kiss Me Kate as a tribute to the future Queen of England! It is elegant, tasteful and British to the core, says Castle Rock. This is a Nottingham brewery, and I have friends who live nearby....Kirsty managed to find it and is saving some for us to try when we are in the UK this summer!

Also, look at this book, called Knit Your Own Royal Wedding! Knit everyone, including the Royal Corgis! Love love love.

Adorable, eh?

What would you think, if you were Kate, and suddenly, you were everywhere? What if you were her parents or her siblings? I can't even imagine!

Since Britain is five hours ahead of us here on the east coast, it will be on tv at 5am, on Friday. I think I may need to call in sick, so that I can watch it! Of course, there are viewing parties everywhere, and I have heard of people hosting them too. Embassies are having viewing events, as are hotels! How could they not?! When Charles and Diana married in 1981, I was just a baby, so I didn't watch. I'm sure my parents did, though I haven't actually asked them, to be honest with you! My boyfriend and I are going to the UK in July for a wedding, so I'm sure I will be looking for some of these souveniers! Since I collect tea towels anyway, I know that I need a Wills and Kate tea towel for my collection! I don't think I'll get the fridge though....

So, will you be watching the Royal Wedding? Are you excited by all of the hoopla surrounding it? Are you interested in the Royal Family at all? Want to come over and watch it with me?

Friday I'm in love

2011-04-22T11:13:00.005-04:00

If you follow me on twitter, you may have noticed my excitement over the following retweet a few weeks ago---

(I'm not sure why it is so small, and if I try to stretch it, it gets blurry...can you read it?)

Yes, that is Fred Savage of The Wonder Years fame! I had found him on twitter and tweeted about it, and he replied! Amazing. I'm not sure if I've ever discussed my great love of Kevin Arnold and The Wonder Years, but it is high, high, high on my list of loves, and his reply to me pretty much made my life complete.

I think it is hilarious how I wrote how my life was complete after finding him, and his reply was "it gets better," implying that his tweet improved my life. He's so cheeky! Love it!

Are you on twitter? What's the best reply you've ever gotten? Anything from a celebrity?

ten on tuesday: the bookworm edition

2011-04-19T09:50:00.003-04:00

1. When someone asks you for a book recommendation, what is your go-to book?

I recently read a book called The Kitchen House, which I really enjoyed. It reminded me a bit of The Help, for those of you who loved that one. Another recent read was The House at Riverton, which I really enjoyed and could not put down! Another one that I read a while ago but has still been haunting me was Sarah's Key, which is worth a read.

2. Do you buy your books, or are you a library patron?

My mother is a librarian, so yes, I am a library lover! Of course, I do buy books from time to time, but usually just favorites, something like that. If an author I like is in the area for a signing, I like to get a hardback copy.

3. E-readers, yay or nay?

BIG FAT NAY. I will never get one. Never, never, never. Don't try to convince me. End of story.

4. What was your favorite book as a child?

Oh gosh! I LOVED the Ramona books, I loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, I loved The Secret Garden, the Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, Miss Rumphius...

5. If you could be any character in a book, who would you be?

Ramona, I think :) When I get a corgi, I am totally naming her Ramona. DO NOT STEAL MY PUPPY NAME!!!!

6. What book would you love to see turned into a movie?

While I was reading it, I was thinking that The House at Riverton would make a great movie. It is about the making of a movie!

Synopsis

Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.

In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they-and Grace-know the truth.

In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace's youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties, and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever.

The novel is full of secrets-some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne Du Maurier. It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war, and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history.

Originally published to critical acclaim in Australia, already sold in ten countries and a #1 bestseller in England, The House at Riverton is a vivid, page-turning novel of suspense and passion, with characters-and an ending-the reader won't soon forget.

7. What is your all-time favorite book?

Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Gone With the Wind, Miss Rumphius

8. How many books do you read at once?

It depends, usually two, maybe three and a cookbook :)

9. What is your favorite book genre?

Mostly fiction and historical fiction. I read a lot of cookbooks too, and children's books! I read a lot about the Holocaust (memoirs and such). I don't read a lot of biographies, I don't know why. Maybe I should? Any you loved?

10. Which Harry Potter book is the best? Or haven’t you read them at all?

I didn't read them at all, believe it or not. I know, I know......

a very crafty weekend!

2011-04-18T09:36:00.001-04:00

This weekend, I spent a lot of time in my sewing room! I was working on a bee block (more on that later), and then just kept on going!

I have this cute wine-y fabric, so I made a few reversable napkins! One side has wine bottles and openers, and the other is the corks! Perfect for Steve and I, as we seem to be a bit of wine-o's!

I found this cute panel of the ABC's, so I made this little mini quilt. It's only about 10" x 10," but I think that it is fun! The back is just plain white, and then you can see the colored blocks around too- those are reproductions of 1930's prints, and I really like them. Vintage and whimiscal, I think! My favorite block is the bottom right square- the girls jump roping! It's very one-room schoolhouse, in my opinion!

Then, a few babushkas, which as you know, I love and collect! I appliqued them onto the colored squares and then sewed them each together. This is also about 10 x 10, and then you can see the smaller single square. I may send this (the bigger one) to Majlinda, my World Vision child in Albania. Not sure yet!

Finally! I was so thrilled! I was looking through a box of books, and found this big pile of crafty books! On Saturday, I was looking for one book, and realized that it wasn't on my shelf....so I looked around, and, JACKPOT! I will admit, that I am still not totally unpacked from my move in December...there are still boxes of books, as we are in need to shelves. Steve and I each have A LOT of books! Shocking, I know. Regardless, I was so pleased to find the missing books, and I will also adnit that there are a few in the pile that I had forgotten about! YES!!!

What about your weekend? What did you do? Anything crafty? :)

a feeling of longing

2011-04-14T10:47:00.003-04:00

Last night, I was watching Survivor, as I always do on Wednesday evening (addicted, I admit it!), when I checked facebook (another frequent occurence). I find it somewhat difficult to keep up with people sometimes, as the "feed" on facebook seems to operate in such a strange way. Random people that I should probably delete from facebook are always popping up, but then two weeks will go by and I don't see a peep from my sister, but then going to her page, I'll see all sorts of things that I somehow missed.

I saw a status update from a good friend's mother (and good family friend as well) and saw that my mother commented, and I noticed at first because she wrote "lexi" in her note. I clicked on her page, and saw a list of, quite literally, about 75 replies, all coming from my mother, my sister and her two daughters, who are very close friends of my sister and I. D and my mother are good friends- D's two daughters, K and K, are each a year older than my sister and I, and all are close family friends, as I said. We all grew up together, spending holidays, birthdays and everything in between together. Some of my best memories involve these ladies. I can't remember what D's original status was, but somehow it turned into a conversation about the six of us all getting together for a weekend. D, K and K are all in my hometown, where my parents still live. My sister (B) is in Boston, and I am way down here, in Washington, DC.

Alone.

Not alone, but not that close to them and I was suddenly hit with an overwhelming sense of homesickness, so much that I spent the next hour trying to convince Steve that we should move to Boston (for reference, Boston is about an hour and a half from my hometown in NH).

Steve, not surprisingly, is not terribly on board with the idea.

For as much of me that wants to move closer to my family in NH, the same part of him wants to move closer to his family in Iowa. It really makes me sad sometimes, to know that my children will never be close to their grandparents the way I was growing up. Both sets of mine lived in my hometown and they were (are) a huge part of my life. This isn't something new, but something that I've struggled with for the entire time I've lived here in DC. Of course, I knew this moving here, but perhaps part of me didn't think I'd stay here as long as I have. Part of me thought I might move back after a few years. I just wish that I could easily hop in a car and drive home for a weekend, or even an afternoon.

Saudade, or saudades (plural), is a Portuguese language word difficult to translate adequately, which describes a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one was fond of and which is lost. It often carries a fatalist tone and a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might really never return.

(the painting shown above was on the wiki page...I really like the painting and wouldn't mind a copy of it....)

Where did you grow up and do you live nearby there now? What do you do when you are feeling homesick?

a little doll quilt and a lot of thanks

2011-04-13T10:13:00.004-04:00

I've recently learned of flickr, which is a website where you can share photos and the like. It seems that quilters/sewers and other crafty-types use it and create groups, where they have quilting bees and little swaps. I'm finishing up one quilting bee right now, and then another will begin in May. I will talk more about that in a separate post, because this one is about the doll quilt swap that I just finished.

I will post a photo later of the doll quilt that I made, but this is the quilt that I received in the swap-

This is the back of the quilt!

The fabulously adorable quilt was made by Chris, aka, frecklemama. Isn't it just so sweet? The fabric is from a new line called Sherbet Pips that just recently came out. People have been waiting for it for months, anxiously awaiting it. How could they not, when it is this cute?! The little girl is just so cute. She reminds me of Ramona Quimby, in a whimsical sort of way. I love the tree swing, and then the scooter and the puppies and scarves everyewhere! Maybe she reminds me a bit of me too...

Here you can see a few of the extra goodies that Chris sent. She sent a few scraps of the fabric she used, and some unicorns, which is from a line called Far, Far Away, by Heather Ross (I think!). She also sent some needles and some ribbon.

I am so lucky to have received this quilt! I saw it in the flickr pool, but never dreamed that it was for me! I plan to hang it on the wall of my sewing room. I have a few other things to hang, so it will go there. Chris, thank you again, I really adore it!

I've made a few other things recently, so I will post those photos too, if you are interested in seeing them! Any crafts for you lately?

check me out!

2011-04-07T09:13:00.003-04:00

Hey! One of my blog friends, Little Miss Can't Be Wrong, asked me to guest post for her while she's out of town! Of course, I was happy to, as guest posting is quite fun, I think.

Hop on over and check out my post...it's all about the Royal Wedding!

(how much do you want that gorgeous blue dress that Kate wore?!)

Also, if Little Miss Can't Be Wrong isn't already in your reader, she should be! Please add her and read her blog- she's hilariously funny and posts the loveliest quotes and pictures often!

ten on tuesday (on wednesday!)

2011-04-06T12:32:00.003-04:00

I've seen this floating around a few blogs today, so I thought I'd do it too. You should too, of course!

1) What is your ideal best date?
I've always liked dates that involved being outside- the beach, an outdoor concert, something along those lines. I wouldn't consider myself an outdoorsy person, per se, as in, I'm not much of a hiker, but even something as sitting at an outdoor table at a restaurant works well for me!

2) How long does it take you to get ready to go on a date?
oh, probably an hour or so? it depends on whether or not I'd already decided what to wear ;)

3) What would you wear on the date?
that would depend on where we were going, and what time of year it was! if it was summer, maybe a cute sundress, but in the winter, likely jeans and a cute top

4) If you are married, how often do you go on dates? If you are single, when was your last date?
Steve and I aren't married, but we do try to go on dates, at least twice a month. we both like trying new restaurants and seeing things, and we both are always finding something interesting that is going on in DC that we should see or do.

5) What was your worst date?
I can't really think of one that was that horrible, really!

6) Do you (or did you) kiss on your first date? it depends on the guy...I have before, but not always!

7) If married, how long before you knew he/she was "the one?" If single, how long before you know if the person is marriage material?
well, Steve and I have been together for more than six years now, and if he wasn't marriage material, I wouldn't still be with him! I'm not sure when I realized that he was...maybe I did all along, and just never realized it.

8) Do you prefer day or night dates? probably daytime! lots to do and see, I think! one of my best dates ever involved a castle in Krakow!

9) How old were you when you were first allowed to date?
I'm not sure. that sounds silly, yes, but honestly, I didn't really date much in high school, and I never really went on dates. it would always be a group of people.

10) What is the most embarrassing moment you have had on a date?
I can't think of anything truly embarrasing, if that makes any sense!

doesn't everyone cook in heels???

2011-04-05T10:18:00.001-04:00

Channeling my inner June Cleaver in nude heels and a Scarlet Threads apron!

hook that book

2011-03-31T09:36:00.003-04:00

What was your favorite children's book? Mine was, and still is, a lovely book called Miss Rumphius, written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney. In fact, I have a signed copy! It is a wonderful story of Miss Rumphius, who, as a young girl, says she will grow up and travel to faraway places, but then come back and live by the sea when she is an old lady. She also resolves to find a way to make the world more beautiful.

Look at these illustrations- aren't they just gorgeous? I'd love to have some of these prints in my house! Love them.

above two pictures found here

above photo here

The rest of the pictures in the book are equally amazing. Go out and buy it, and you will love it. The story is inspiring. We can all find little ways to try to make the world just a little more beautiful. It's the little things, remember.

This weekend, I am throwing a baby shower for a friend, and of course, there is a book theme. I asked each person to bring a copy of their favorite children's book for the baby, to begin his library. I am also doing a book-related game. I have a list of well-known children's books and then a list (two columns, on the same page!) of the authors. People will be asked to match the name with the author. Whoever gets the most right will get a prize, which will be a book, natch. Maybe even Miss Rumphius, if I can find a copy (I don't always see it in bookstores, so sad!)

Tell me your favorite children's book, so I can add it to my list! I don't want this to be too hard for people....I know that not everyone follows children's literature as closely as I do ;)

monogrammed dinner!

2011-03-30T10:45:00.003-04:00

Last night I made a chicken pot pie for dinner...and added a monogram!

I've made it several times before, and you can find my recipe HERE if you are interested.

As always, it was delish ;)

a little birdie said what?

2011-03-18T11:41:00.003-04:00

I wanted to share with you a photo of a recent finished quilt- the little birdie quilt!

special thanks to Steve for modeling the quilt :)

This is a quilt that I began nearly a year ago, actually! I took a class at a local shop called Stitch DC, which is primarily a yarn and knitting shop at Eastern Market, but has recently begun to have fabric and quilting classes too! It's a great little shop, I am a big fan. I took the class last spring, but then didn't finish on time, as I couldn't attend the final class because I was out of town. I planned to go back to the shop and finish there, with supervision, but never had a good time where I could. Then I ran out of the green thread I was using and couldn't find more of the exact color. Then this, then that, and I just never got around to it. Now that I've moved in with Steve and have a room dedicated to sewing, I've been organizing everything, and I found the unfinished project. Then I found the right green thread! Then, a few weekends ago, I finished!

Yes, the birdie is supposed to be off center, and yes, he's appliqued on, which was the first time I did that. It worked out okay, though there is always room for improvement! I think it is cute, and I really like all of the fabrics that I used. Now I am trying to decide what to do with it. I may donate it to a charity. There are many charities that accept quilts for children in hospitals, etc, and I'd really like to do some of that, once my skills improve a bit.

Have you crafted anything lately?

PS. Heidi, you've won the dahl house giveaway! Please email me your address, and I will pass along your info to Victoria!

Thank you all who entered and many thanks again to the dahl house! I am loving their products, so I will definitely keep them in mind for another giveaway in the future!

giveaway extended!

2011-03-14T15:53:00.002-04:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted a giveaway? No? Well, I kinda forgot about it too. Oooops. I am reviving it, and giving you one last chance to enter, until this Friday.

Go HERE for the rules to enter (easy peasy this time). Just tell me which item is your favorite from the dahl house. With all of their gorgeous handpainted items, it will be difficult! I am loving both the lobsters and the whales.

Tell me your favorite item. Tweet about it (@lexilooo) for a second entry.

I'll post a winner on Friday.

greetings from Washington, DC

2011-03-10T09:50:00.002-05:00

Everyone likes postcards, right? If you do, can you help out with a school project for a friend?

My friend Crissy's young cousin is doing a school project (she's in 4th grade) where they have a race to gather as many postcards from different states as they can. She is in Massachusetts and is looking for exotic states that are far from New England :)

Could you help her out and send a postcard from your lovely state? The postcard does have to be postmarked from that state, otherwise I'd send her about a dozen myself! I have the address the postcards should be sent to, but I don't want to put it here, for obvious reasons, so if you want to help out, and send along a postcard, please send em an email (my email is on my profile page), or comment, and I can reply back to you with where the postcard should be sent to.

Also, if you want to blog about this too, I'd love it! I'd love it if she could get a postcard from all 50 states, so if you have friends in hard to get states, please forward this to them!

I should mention too, that this is a race, so it makes it more fun :)

(almost) wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T12:15:00.001-05:00

spring 2001...ten years ago!

Luxembourg, I miss you every day!

being alone

2011-03-03T05:28:00.001-05:00

I saw this recently and it really spoke to me. I find it to be so true.

(not sure where I saw it...if it was your blog, please let me know, and what the source might be!)

I love having my alone time. I lived by myself for five years and really adored it. Now, I am living with Steve, which I love even more, but I still need some time to myself.

What about you? Do you find yourself craving alone time? How often?

quilty goodness!

2011-03-01T10:01:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend, I went down to Hampton, VA with a few friends for the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival! I met them through the DC Modern Quilt Guild, which has been so great to be a part of.

Hampton is about three hours south of DC, so we left really early, but we stopped at Krispy Kreme for a quick snack, and then breakfast at Cracker Barrel, where I had birds in a nest, one of my personal favorites! Once we got to the convention center, we ran inside and found some of the most amazing quilts I've ever seen.

I apologize for the poor quality of the photos- I left my camera at home, so these are taken with my iphone!

Seriously though, aren't these just so amazing!? I can only hope that I'll be half this talented someday! It was really inspiring though, and gave me lots of ideas of things I'd like to try at some point, so that is a good thing.

Of course, there were lots of vendors, so we all bought lots of lovely fabrics. Do you want to see photos of all of the fabric I bought? I'm currently thinking up project ideas for my new goodies :)

PS. Have you entered my giveaway yet? Go do it!

oooh oooh, a giveaway!

2011-02-25T09:11:00.001-05:00

I was recently contacted by Victoria of The Dahl House, who asked if I might be interested in hosting a giveaway for you, my lovely readers. I had a look at their website, and immediately said YES PLEASE! Just look at these lovelies---

They have the most precious hand-painted frames, stepstools, waste bins and tissue boxes! How sweet are they?! I love the bows and am wishing I had a little girl to buy one for!

They do monograms, polka dots, nautical, animals, southern charm and so many more! I love them all, I think. Yes, all. They also have stationary!

So, for you! Victoria and Whitney, the owner of the dahl house, are offering one of you a 5x7 picture frame of your choosing! Also, if you'd like, you can have it personalized with either a name or a three letter monogram!

Giveaway details- in order to enter, please go to the dahl house website and have a look around. Come back and tell me what your favorite item is. Do you like the monograms? Sugar and spice? Stars and stripes? Come let me know. For a second entry, feel free to tweet about this giveaway, including the link to this post and make sure you include the @lexilooo, so I see it (you are following me already, right?!). For a third entry, blog about it yourself, and leave the link here for me to see. This giveaway will run until next Friday, March 4, and I will announce the winner the following Monday.

Also, as a great bonus, Whitney and Victoria are offering my readers a 20% discount on any purchase they may make! During checkout, in the "how I found you" section, cite "Tea and Crumpets" and you'll get a little extra off your order!

I'm so pleased that the dahl house has found me and my blog and reached out to my readers in this most generous way! They've also offered me a discount for hosting this giveaway, and I can't wait to pick something out!

give a little

2011-02-16T11:24:00.003-05:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about Delicate Fortress's Maternal Health Project with Craft Hope? Since then, they've launched this project even further, asking for community help. They blog about it, they've been tweeting about it (check them out- @dfortess).

Today is the final day and they have received 54 kits. This is amazing, I think. Yes, it is a few short of their goal of 100 kits, but 54 is still pretty darn great. Two of those kits came from me. For $8.50, is really is money well spent, and you'll know that you helped save the life of a baby in Haiti. Also, they were accepting $2.50 for shipping for each kit.

Part of their community outreach included asking people to donate specific items for the kits. I am working on some receiving blankets to send, to be added to the kits. I'm so glad to help out with this project, so I thought I'd send along this information, one more time, in case you wanted to send a little love, via an $8 kit, or even a little something handmade, if you have time in the next few days.

How about this- if you decide to donate either $2.50 for shipping or $8.50 for a kit (or both!), I will send you a little something handmade by me. I don't know what it will be yet, but it will be something, and you will love it! This isn't a bribe- this is just an incentive for you. This link will take you to their online shop where the kits can be purchased.

But, knowing that you are saving lives, shouldn't that be incentive enough?

Can you spare a few dollars for Haiti today?

brotherly love and all of that

2011-02-10T09:49:00.002-05:00

You know the amazing company called Living Social, right? They are in cities all over the world and the send out daily emails with amazing deals ranging from restaurants, to hair/nail salons, to fun adventures and nearly anything you can think of. I've bought certificates to stationary stores, clothing stores, restaurants, nails, etc. Usually they are at least 50% off the price. Example- last week, I paid $25 for a parafin mani AND pedi at a local nail salon. Whats not to love about that?! Exactly. Nothing. It's amazing.

I get emails for Baltimore and Richmond too, since they aren't too far away, and this morning, I signed up for Philadelphia, which is really only about two hours away, same distance as Richmond! Today's daily deal in Philly was this- wine and dinner for two at GiGi restaurant in downtown Philly. This restaurant is owned by Stephenie LaGrossa, who was on Survivor three times. I'm such a dork, but I love Survivor and she was one of my favorites of all of the seasons that I've watched, which is most of them! I'm sure she isn't there often, but I'd love to see her there! I thought this was too good a deal to pass up, and I've been wanting to take a little road trip to Philly anyway. I've really only been there once, in college, for like four hours (long story, maybe I'll tell you another day), and there is so much to see there! In fact, my crazy boyfriend drove to Philly last night because Donald Rumsfeld was doing a book signing there! He left at 4pm and was home at 11pm! Yes, he's insane.

I'm excited about this though, and yes, I know I am insane too :)

Is Living Social (or its competitor Groupon) in your city? What deals have you bought?

babies, babies everywhere!

2011-02-09T11:11:00.005-05:00

I may or may not have mentioned this, but I feel like everyone I know is expecting babies right now, and it is so exciting! Several friends and acquaintances are having babies, along with loads of celebrities, though I don't think I will be invited to their showers ;)

One of my good friends from college is having a little boy in May and I will be the godmother. Her mother and I are throwing the shower together, in NJ, where she's from (she now lives in the DC area, which is nice, of course, since I'll get to see the baby often!). I've thrown one shower before, for my best friend and godson's mother. That was at my parents house in NH, and I will admit, I think my mother did more of it than I did, since I was here and she was there. Speaking of my best friend, she is expecting a SECOND baby in August! So, so exciting! Of course, I love and adore my godson, but I am hoping for a girl this time!

I am in charge of the invitations for M's shower, which will be in early April. Her mother is doing all of the food. She is not into the silly games much at all- maybe shower bingo, she seems to like that one, but nothing else. Frankly, I am not much of a fan of the games either, so I don't mind at all! One thing that I will do, that I did for my godson, is ask each guest to bring a copy of their favorite children's book, to help start the baby's library, and everyone loved that and we talked about why we loved it, etc. I will do that for sure. Like I said, she doesn't much like games, so any other fun ideas? I don't want it just eating, opening presents, oohing and ahhing, etc. I've really only been to a few showers at this point, as the friends who have had babies, were either far away, or I couldn't go to because of a schedule conflict, or they didn't have a shower! Also, it would be considered tacky to include registry information with the invitation, right? I think so. When people call me to RSVP, they can ask and I can give them the places, but I don't think it should be mentioned with the invitations. Am I wrong?

Have you been to many baby showers? If you've had one thrown for you, what did you love the most about it? Any great and creative ideas you are willing to share with me?

on vitamins

2011-02-08T11:15:00.002-05:00

When I was a little girl, I took a daily vitamin, as most children do, I think. It was some sort of chewable, and fruity flavors, and shaped like a little bear. I liked the purple bears the best. As I got older, in college,etc, I got out of habit of taking vitamins, but am getting back into taking them. It is important, right?

I wonder though, if I am taking too many! The vitamin isle at the pharmacy is overwhelming and sometimes I feel like I should be taking everything that they offer. I mean, they are good for you, right? Right. Right?

I take the One a Day Women's, a "complete multi-vitamin, plus more!" It supports bone health, heart health and healthy girl parts. I also started taking a Super B-Complex (with vitamin C and folic acid), which helps convert food into energy. Also, a Super Omega-3, with fish, flax and borage oil, for heart and circulation support. Also, a zinc supplement and an acai supplement, which is an antioxidant. Also, this is not a vitamin, but I've heard about oceanic silica supplements and how they can aid in hair growth, so I am trying those out as well. My hair grows painfully slowly.

I do eat pretty well, I think. Of course, I am far from perfect and definitely indulge at times, which is important to do (don't deny yourself anything!), but I eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, etc, and make sure my meals are balanced. I will admit though, that I usually fail to eat breakfast, but this is something I am working to improve.

Maybe I should speak to my doctor about the vitamins, as she'd know best, of course. Those seem like the best to take, in my very humble opinion, but maybe I am wrong, and don't need to take them all!

What about you? Do you take any vitamins? Am I fooling myself, thinking they are doing good things, when in reality, they aren't doing much at all?

on bridesmaids

2011-02-02T11:36:00.000-05:00

This is a post that I wrote in September, but for some reason, it didn't get published. I just noticed it, and thought I'd post it now.

Over the weekend, I had three of my favorite girls in town for a visit. It was wonderful, in many, many ways. We studied together in Krakow, Poland and shared some really amazing experiences. One of the girls is in Boston, one in Philly and the third recently married a Scottish guy, had a baby and is living in Glasgow! Our lives are very different from the simple carefree days we shared, but we are forever linked by our memories of that incredible time.

We spent the weekend laughing and eating, for the most part. We had plans to visit some VA wineries, but ended up just hanging around the city and it was perfect. We talked about everything under the sun, looking at photos of Krakow and just laughed laughed laughed.

One of the girls told us about a wedding she attended in San Diego recently, for a college friend of hers. The friend is our age (30-31) and had seven bridesmaids. My friend seemed to think that this was a bit much. She said something like "now that we are in our thirties, it just seems silly to have that many bridesmaids."

Do you think this is true? If you are married, how many bridesmaids did you have? If you aren't yet married, how many do you think you might have? How many bridesmaids is too many, and does your age make a difference?

tasty tuesday- roasting a chicken

2011-02-01T10:17:00.004-05:00

Happy Tuesday!

One day last week, I decided that it was a good day to roast a chicken. It was cold and gloomy, and we were expecting snow, so I thought it was a perfect night to do so. I found a few recipes that I liked, and didn't follow any one of them to the T, but used a good portion of Scarlet Thread's recipe, which can be found here.

I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a small whole chicken, about four pounds, I think. Also, Kosher salt (I was out!), a few lemons and then some small red potatos. I had everything else I needed at home already.

I opened the chicken and cleaned it, though I really just had to rinse it, as luck would have it, the giblets and other grossness were nowhere to be found! So, I rinsed it inside and out, and then let it airdry for a few minutes. Once it was dry, I took a stick of butter and rubbed it all over, inside and out (yes, slightly icky!). Then, I took a lemon, cut it in half and squeezed the juice all over it, again, inside and out. (tip- roll your lemon back and forth on the counter a few times, to get it juicier!). I took some herbs (rosemary, thyme and oregano, but you could use whatever you want) and sprinkled them all over it. Also, the salt and garlic pepper. I took one last lemon and poked a few holes in it with a fork and stuck that inside the cavity of the chicken.

I put it in the oven and it raosted at 350* for a good 45 minutes, though longer, I think. I checked it often and poured more of the lemon juice over it, to keep it juicy. Also, about halfway through, I took the small red potatos and cut them in half, and added them to the pan, to roast along with the chicken, and they got all herby and lemony too!

It was really delicious, and Steve loved it, so I think that this will move into a regular dinner rotation. Also, for some reason, I thought that roasting a chicken was much more difficult than it is, and it is such a satisfying dinner!

My newest Scarlet Threads apron, the Aubergine, named by yours truely :)

Come back later this week...I'll be giving away another Scarlet Threads apron! Can you guess which one it will be???

Maternal Health Project with Craft Hope

2011-01-21T09:35:00.003-05:00

Are you familiar with Craft Hope? I have mentioned them before, I think, and I have a button for their site on my blog's sidebar. They've just posted their first project for the new year, and I wanted to mention it here, as maybe you'd like to find a way to be involved.

Craft Hope will be working with Konbit Sante, which for almost ten years, worked to provide the education and resources necessary to improve capacity within the public health system of Cap-Haitien, which is Haiti’s second largest city.

You may already know this, but prior to last year's devastating earthquake, Haiti’s health statistics were dismal, and now the need is even greater.

Shockingly, one in eight Haitian children dies before the age of five, and their maternal mortality rate is 1,400 deaths for every 100,000. This is a reflection of the fact that the majority of the population lives in poverty/on less than a dollar a day.

Only one in every 10,000 Haitians has access to a physician.

With this project, Craft Hope is looking to create birthing kits for women, in order to help deliver healthy babies.

Here's what all they include:

1 small bar of soap

1 piece of clean 4mil. plastic sheeting (3 feet wide by 4 feet long)

1 piece of clean string, 24 inches long

1 packet alcohol wipe

1 set of sterile latex gloves

1 packet (or travel container) Purelle

1 handmade tote bag

Optional:

receiving blanket–36 inches square

small “stuffy” toy

You all know of my love for Scarlet Threads, of course. Well, they work with Delicate Fortress, which promotes dignity and livelihood for those who need it the most. This “shoppe with purpose” offers quality made products by artisans who are enriching their livelihood and pushing their way out of exploitation and pain and into hope.

I just love this and I feel that this is slowly becoming my passion.

Delicate Fortress has a lovely blog where their most recent post discusses the maternal health project with Craft Hope. They are looking for ideas and suggestions. They want to find a way to partner with Craft Hope and want your help. They plan to compile a list and the owner of the accepted idea will receive a 15% off coupon for their entire Delicate Fortress order! I sent in a few suggestions, and I'd love for you to send one too! I'm not always the most creative of people, I feel, so I thought maybe you may have a fabulous idea that would never even cross my mind.

Will you go have a look at both Craft Hope and Delicate Fortress? Oh, and look at Scarlet Threads too, of course! They have new products coming out soon, and I'll be doing a giveaway!

Speaking of giveaways, the winner of the CSN certificate is Annie! Annie, please email me, so that I can pass along your information to CSN and of course, let me know what you purchase :)

How have you helped someone today?

crafty fun!

2011-01-18T11:48:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted any of the quilty things I've made recently, so I thought I'd post a few pictures of some things I've finished!

This is a baby quilt for a high school friend who had a baby girl this summer. Yes, I should have sent it months ago, but didn't! I am awful. The fabric line is called Hushabye by Tula Pink and I just love it. I will mail it this week.

It seems that there is something in the water, because I have several friends expecting babies this year...guess I best get working on baby quilts!

I took part in the Pillow Talk Swap on flickr, where I was to make a pillow covering for someone, and someone else would make one for me. Mine was a bit late, as I was having technical difficulties with my machine, so I made her two coverings. Hope she likes them!

This is the pillow I received, along with a piece of babushka fabric and a small babushka iron-on! Love them all.

I'm also taking part in a quilting bee on flickr, which has been lots of fun. It is called the Stitch Six bee. There are twelve members and it takes place over six months. When it is your month, you pick the fabric you want to use, and decide what sort of block you want. You send the fabric to the other 11 people and they make a block for you. My month is April, so I have plenty of time to decide what I'll want, but for now, I've been making blocks for others!

This is a wonky star...the right side came out a bit wonkier than it was supposed to...in fact, I have no idea how I did that!

This is for the block owner's new baby!

I still have two more blocks for the month of January to finish, but I am in good shape at the moment! I have joined other flickr groups, and I love seeing some of the amazing things that people have made. So much talent!

The DC Modern Quilt Guild met this past weekend for a mini retreat, which was great. We met at a nearby library and sewed for six hours! It was a small group, I think there was about a dozen of us, but that is perfect, I think. The guild has a lot of exciting plans for this year, I am really looking forward to it!

Now, just to decide what fabric and designs to use for baby quilts...

Have you been crafting anything lately?

scarlet love again

2011-01-14T11:12:00.002-05:00

Remember Monday's post? About the discount on Scarlet Thread's shop? Did you buy an apron yet? Well, I just bought two...one for me, and one, for an upcoming giveaway....

Can you guess which one I'll be giving away?

This is Olivia....

This is Kyra...

This is Lucy...

This is Aubergine...

Can you guess which one I already have? Which I may have just bought for myself, for a little birthday present? (my birthday is Jan 24, yay!)

Most importantly, did you buy an apron for yourself??? The code tea&crumpets is good for 20% off, but this week only...it's Friday, and payday for many, so hurry!!!

running for Cupid

2011-01-12T10:21:00.003-05:00

This post comes in the form of a small plea, from me to you.

WHAT IF you could help the blind to see, or help the deaf to hear, or stop cancer? Well, with even a small donation to the Cupid's Undie Run, you could make that difference. Our charitable cherubs raise funds that directly benefit the Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit that funds much needed research aimed at finding a cure for the devastating nerve disorder neurofibromatosis (NF).

A life with NF is a life of fear and uncertainty that no child should have to suffer through. Without effective treatments, NF leads to blindness, deafness, cancer, severe learning disabilities, chronic pain, external tumors and possible bone deformities. It affects more than 2 million worldwide, and although CTF has made great strides, there are currently no treatments for NF.

We know this event is a bit crazy. Yes, running around DC in your undies in the dead of winter seems a bit risqué, but by doing so you are helping raise funds and awareness for a crucial cause. And you know what? It's pretty darn fun, too. So take a minute to remember what it's like to be a kid, and just imagine what it would be like to know that one day you would be deaf, blind or in uncontrollable pain. These kids need your help, so spread the word and make a difference today.

We are grateful for your contributions, as are the millions that need a solution. Sincerely,
- The Charitable Cherubs

My darling boyfriend Steve has decided to participate in this run and is actively fundraising for the event. It takes place on February 12, Valentines Weekend and he will run around the U.S. Capitol in his undies. It is a short race, under two miles, I believe, but COLD in February! I will be cheering him along from the sidewalk, in my red wool peacoat, scarf and gloves! :)

I'm posting this with the hope that perhaps you'll want to make a small donation to this cause. The smallest bit will help, so skip a stop at Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts/Tim Hortons tomorrow and send along the $5 instead! It will be greatly appreciated by those who really need it.

His fundraising page can be found HERE with more information.

Please feel free to post this on your own blog, and tweet if you'd like (I'm @lexilooo, if you aren't already following me!)

Thanks much!

tasty tuesday!

2011-01-11T09:26:00.004-05:00

Happy Tuesday!

For this week's Tasty Tuesday, here is what I made Sunday night...BBQ chicken pot pie!

Since Sunday was so cold, I wanted something cozy and comforting, so I naturally thought of chicken pot pie, but I made that just a few weeks ago, so I tried to think of variations. Steve likes bbq flavor, so I thought this might be fun. I found a few recipes online and finally found an easy one. I say easy, because it literally called for bbq sauce, rather than several ingredients, most of which we didn't have! I need to go grocery shopping!

This is the result-

The recipe-

1 pkg. boneless chicken breasts (I used about a pound)

1 can (10.5 oz.) Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce
1 cup Frozen Peas & Carrots
1 cup Frozen Oven Roasted Potatoes
1 pkg (15 oz.) Pie Crusts

***********************************************

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Thaw chicken in microwave and chop into smaller bite size pieces.

In a large mixing bowl combine chicken, mushroom soup, barbecue sauce, peas & carrots and potatoes. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Place 1 pie crust in a 9" baking dish.

Fill dish with chicken mixture.

Top with remaining pie crust.

Crimp edges around pie, and cut vent hole in center top of pie.

Bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

This was my result, with explanations!

Apparently I didn't read the recipe well, because I totally didn't notice that it called for the oven roasted potatos until just now! Also, I didn't use the cream of mushroom soup, because we didn't have any, and if we did, I would have used cream of chicken instead, as neither Steve nor I like mushrooms! He commented that it wasn't very thick, so I told him that we didn't have the soup it called for. Also, we didn't have a bag of frozen peas & carrots, but had a bag of "mixed veggies," containing carrots, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower! Random, yes, but worked out okay in the end, ha! I added a few extra spices too, as I always do. Also, I cooked the chicken pieces over the stove first, before baking them in the pie plate. I always do that...should I not?!

We liked it, but didn't love it. I think from now on, I'll stick to regular chicken pot pie. There's nothing like it!

Oh, and I am featured on Scarlet Threads blog today!

What are you cooking this week?

scarlet love

2011-01-10T10:06:00.003-05:00

I'm sure you're all aware of my love for Scarlet Threads, judging by the giveaways I've offered and other mentions here and there. I just love their mission-

Scarlet Threads is a compassionate boutique, specializing in fairly-traded handmade aprons. We're working to transform the lives of rural Asian women through dignified and safe employment opportunities.

We believe in the possibility of change. Scarlet Threads exists to make our core vision of "Work. Dignity. Beauty." a reality in the lives of our partner seamstresses.

They are based in Houston, TX, which is quite far from Washington, DC, but I've been getting as involved as I can from afar, by hosting these giveaways and tweeting about them (follow them too! @ScarletThreadFT). They also do a weekly feature called Tasty Tuesday, where they feature recipes. I've contributed to a few of their recipes!

Hopefully, as time goes on, there will be even more ways I can be involved with this amazing company.

Look at some of these beauties.

This is the aubergine apron. Oh, and did I mention? When new products come out, they often have naming contests. Aubergine was my suggestion for this lovely lady :)

Here is the Desiree dress, for little girls. There is another dress too, called Summer Joy. I bought one of each and sent them to Majlinda and Boikokobetso, my World Vision babies in Albania and South Africa. I got the most adorable photo ever back from Boikokobetso, of her wearing the dress I sent. I wish I could post it, but they have rules against posting photos of the children, for their protection (if you want, I can email it to you, if you really want to see it!).

They also had Christmas tree skirts this year, and the Noelle is under my tree still! Yes, we still have our tree up. I don't want to take it down, it is so pretty!!! Also? They have tiger hats for children! They are out of stock at the moment, but I think they will be getting more. There are new products coming out soon too, I think.

Here is the good news for you. The lovely ladies behind Scarlet Threads are offering a discount for you, my fair readers, that is good for just one week, this week!

Go to their shop and use the code "tea&crumpets" (without the quotes) and you will receive 20% off your entire order! Again, just this week, but you must need a new apron, right? It is your sister's birthday, right? Mothers Day is coming up! Valentines Day! Easter!

They also have a blog, where you can find their Tasty Tuesday posts. Read back through them, you may just find me!

I am quite convinced that wearing a cute apron while cooking makes your dinner tastier.

a little giveaway!

2011-01-07T09:13:00.003-05:00

Oh hey! This is my 500th post! Crazy, eh? I have no idea what I've gone on about for 500 posts, but here it is. To celebrate, I thought I'd offer you a little giveaway! Surely you've heard of CSN stores, right? They've been all over blog world, even here on mine before too. I was just asked if I wanted to do another giveaway, and since they are so much fun, I said yes. I'm giving away a gift certificate to any of their more than 200 online stores, where you can find anything from modern dining room furnutire to kitchenware to shoes! I've bought a few things from there in recent months and have been very happy with them!

In order to enter, just leave me a comment and let me know what you'd buy if you won. Go have a look at some of their sites, there are so many. Of course, my birthday is coming up in a few weeks (January 24!), so feel free to use the gift certificate to buy my birthday present ;)

The giveaway will stay open for a week, so I will pick a winner next Friday, January 14.

paying it forward

2011-01-06T11:19:00.003-05:00

I've seen this floating around facebook and I really like the idea...so, I thought I'd post it here.

Pay it forward 2011.

I promise to make something handmade for the first five peoople who comment here. In turn, they must post this and make something for the first five who comment to them.

Rules? Must be handmade by you, and sent by the end of 2011.

Yes, 2011 just began, but this means that a surprise will be on its way to you, probably when you least expect it!

Fun, eh?

Who wants to play along?

summer in a little blue box

2011-01-05T10:45:00.002-05:00

I recently finished reading the most deliciously sweet book, Summer at Tiffany, by Marjorie Hart.

Synopsis (from the website)-

Do you remember the best summer of your life?

New York City, 1945. Marjorie Jacobson and her best friend, Marty Garrett, arrive fresh from the Kappa house at the University of Iowa hoping to find summer positions as shopgirls. Turned away from the top department stores, they miraculously find jobs as pages at Tiffany & Co., becoming the first women to ever work on the sales floor—a diamond-filled day job replete with Tiffany blue shirtwaist dresses from Bonwit Teller's—and the envy of all their friends.

Hart takes us back to the magical time when she and Marty rubbed elbows with the rich and famous; pinched pennies to eat at the Automat; experienced nightlife at La Martinique; and danced away their weekends with dashing midshipmen. Between being dazzled by Judy Garland's honeymoon visit to Tiffany, celebrating VJ Day in Times Square, and mingling with Café society, she fell in love, learned unforgettable lessons, made important decisions that would change her future, and created the remarkable memories she now shares with all of us.

I really loved this book. It was such a sweet story, and a quick read, but I loved every second of it. I began it at lunch one day at work, and then managed to finish it on the bus ride home that afternoon! Clearly, I was never in New York City in 1945, nor was I a Kappa, but I felt like I was, I felt there, and I felt like a part of the story. I love when books can do that to you, to make you feel as though you've stepped into the pages with the characters. I found myself smiling at every page, imaging the girls running through the streets of New York, wishing I was there with them.

I think most would agree that NYC is such a magical city. When I moved back from Krakow, I was living at my parents house and sending out resumes. Most went to NYC, some to Boston and very, very few to DC (how ironic, eh?). Like many others, I have a romanticized view of New York, and I wanted to be a part of it too. Really, has anyone not ever dreamed of living in the city that never sleeps?

Of course, 1945 was a much simpler time than today, in many respects. I found myself wishing for a shirtwaist dress in the famous Tiffany blue (can I find one??) and loving the idea of saving my nickels for lunches, but just having desert instead, hoping for a glimpse of celebrities. I was so charmed by Marjorie's story; the magic and delight of new discoveries and moments.

Read it, you'll love it.

What was the best summer of your life?

tasty tuesday, dippin' style

2011-01-04T14:24:00.005-05:00

I recently found a recipe for a dip that I thought sounded good, so I sent it to my mother and we decided to make it on Christmas Day! I can't find the link to the blog I found it on- I apologize now and will look, and then edit it when I do!

This dip was SO good, and yes, it makes a TON! We actually halved it and still had a ton, and had twelve people there eating!

We served it with blue corn chips, but of course, you can do whatever you'd like! I was thinking after that it might be a fun topping for something Mexican, like burritos or nachos!

*Feta Black Bean Dip*

Serves 30 {and that’s not a typo, it makes a TON!}

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 {15 oz} cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
3 {15 oz} cans of Shoepeg corn, drained and rinsed
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 {8 oz} block feta cheese, crumbled

Whisk sugar, vinegar and oil in a large bowl.
Add the black beans, corn, scallions, cilantro, and feta and mix well.
Chill until serving time.
Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.

(not the best photo, as it was taken with my iphone!)

The cute reindeer in the photo is pulling a sleigh :)

thought for the day

2011-01-04T08:44:00.001-05:00

"Let this coming year be better than all the others.

Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do,

but couldn't find the time.

Call up a forgotten friend.

Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories.

Vow not to make a promise you don't think you can keep.

Walk tall, and smile more. You'll look ten years younger.

Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you'.

Say it again.

They are the sweetest words in the world."

~Ann Landers

Sharing the Joy of Sponsorship | World Vision Child Ambassadors

2011-01-03T15:11:00.001-05:00

Please take two minutes to watch this video...I feel the same way as each of these people about my sponsorship of Majlinda and Boikokobetso!

Maybe a resolution for 2011 can be to sponsor a child? I promise, you will love it and it will change your life- for the absolute best.

hello new year!

2011-01-03T09:41:00.003-05:00

I'm not really a fan of making resolutions, because I feel like I haven't accomplished much when I later look at a list of things of things that I haven't done. Instead, I'd prefer to have goals that I am working towards, to better myself and those around me. I don't think I am alone in this, as I've seen many other posts about goals, rather than resolutions!

I'll be frank, 2010 wasn't the best year for me. It wasn't horrible, per se, but just not that terrific either. I feel as though I was treading water much of the time, sometimes gasping for breath, and not really gaining anything in any aspect of my life. Again, nothing bad, but nothing great. Sometimes I feel a bit aimless, because I don't always know what I want from life, and that frustrates me to no end. Of course I have goals, things that I want to do, but my mind changes sometimes, sometimes too often, and I just can't always keep up with myself.

There are so many things that I want to do, but I just don't always know how to do them. I think that I need a more clear path and a way to figure out what is possible and what may just be a pipe dream. It isn't as though I am not realistic; I think I am, but I also may not give myself enough credit when I should. People have told me this for a long time. I am my own worst critic and don't take compliments well. I don't know why, but this is something that I need to work on. I can't be so hard on myself, because I really am. This has been going on since high school, and that was so long ago! I need to forget silly insecurities, but sometimes, I just don't know how to let go of them.

Also this year? Teaching. I want to decide once and for all if I want to teach. I've written about this many times before, so I won't go too into it, but teaching is something that has been in the back of my mind for so long, and it won't go away. I came close to applying for a teaching fellow program last year, but didn't. I think I may apply this year. I want to see about possibly shadowing a teacher in DC for a day, to see what it is really like. The idea of teaching terrifies me, but aren't you supposed to conquer your fears?

Also, yoga. I was going somewhat regularly last year, but stopped, for no reason other than laziness. I really enjoyed it, and loved the way I felt after, so I need to get back into it. That, and eating better. Again, I am lazy and can't be. I have a zillion cookbooks, I need to use them. Anyone in DC want a new yoga buddy? I need someone to help motivate me!

Oh, and the quilting thing! I need to get more comfortable with my machine. Again, I lack some confidence with my skills, but they aren't as bad as I think! I've loved being a member of the DC Modern Quilt Guild this year (we have a mini retreat next Saturday!), and I've learned a lot from those girls and other quilters I've met through their blogs and twitter. Steve bought me my own domain for Christmas, along with all of the things I need to set up my sewing room (tables, shelves and everything!). I want to get this all set up by the end of the month, and use the domain for a strictly quilting blog. I would like to get an etsy shop going eventually too. Goal? Two new projects a month, at first, and then eventually, one a week! Of course, they don't have (and won't be!) huge quilts, but even small things like doll quilts, pot holders, etc. All sorts of things.

One more thing! I used to be so good at sending cards. Birthday cards, anniversary cards, wedding cards, happy new baby cards, get well cards, etc. The last six months or so, I've just sucked, and not sent them. I sent my grandmother a birthday card in October, but that was it. I have stamps, lots pf pretty stationary and cards, so I need to get back at sending them. Want a love note? I'll send one, eventually :) With that in mind, I owe a few wedding gifts to people (for shame!). Since I usually travel to the wedding, I don't always bring it with me, which is bad of me, so so bad, I know. I need to get gifts for these people. I am not the kind of girl who sends cash or a check. Emily Post says I have a year, but still, I know that it is poor form on my part to send things so late.

This is where I'm at, on the third day of January. Oh, I also need to buy a new calendar for my desk, but maybe I can get that at lunch...

Where are you this week? Any big goals? Resolutions? Changes to speak of?

bye bye Bob

2010-12-22T10:17:00.001-05:00

Remember Bob, our cute beta fish?

(that is Sunny the snail, his bowlmate)

I came downstairs Sunday morning and walked over to his bowl to feed him, but didn't see him. I looked all around, thinking maybe he was hiding behind the plant. I didn't see him, until l looked down...

Bob was lying dead on the floor.

My fishie committed suicide! He somehow jumped out of the bowl.

:(

So tragic.

RIP, Bob the beta.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

meet me in Moscow

2010-12-21T10:01:00.002-05:00

Confession: I am a bad Christmas shopper, because I can't seem to leave the stores without picking up a little something for me. Just something little, and something that nobody would ever to think to get me for Christmas...just a little treat.

I know, I am bad.

Saturday night, I met the lovely Heidi and Liz in Georgetown for a date. We first went to LuluLemon, where we took some hilariously fun pictures in their photobooth, complete with reindeer antlers and Santa hats. I'll post them another time.

We poked around the shops, I reclaimed my foursquare mayorship of Anthropologie (yes!!!) and had a cocktail or two. Afterwards, we found ourselves in Sephora (DANGER AHEAD) and I picked up this little doll-

Stila's Make An Impression In Moscow Travel Palette!!!

What it is:A travel palette containing four ravishing Eye Shadows and a Convertible Color dual lip and cheek cream in a collectible mirrored palette.

What it does:The fourth in a five-part series of collectible palettes, the Make an Impression in Moscow palette features Stila's award-winning Eye Shadows in four trend-setting shades: Matruschka (beige), Chill (pale blue), Nadia (orange copper), and Mink (brown). The wintery palette also includes Convertible Color in Lily, a sheer, hydrating pink shade that's ideal for creating a naturally flushed, cold-weather glow.

It was a five-part series?! I missed the other four?!

Okay, the website lists two others...Aspen and Tokyo, but where were the other two?! Maybe Luxembourg and Krakow? :)

(must order and find)

I know I didn't need this, but the best part, it was only $10 and I just couldn't resist the pretty.

Tip- don't ever let me go to Sephora.

Are you victim of treating yourself when shopping for others?

another tasty tuesday!

2010-12-14T09:23:00.001-05:00

Sunday night, I made a most delicious chicken pot pie! I'd been wanting to make one for weeks, but things have been so crazy that I just hadn't. I went out to do a bit of Christmas shopping and decided that a pot pie would be an amazing dinner on a gloomy, rainy evening! I had most of the ingredients already, so just had to pick up the pie crust and some chicken broth. Pie crusts? Buy one, get one free! Awesome.

As you can see from the photos, the pie came out well and was so delicious!

Please also note my adorable Penelope Scarlet Threads apron (they make excellent Christmas gifts!)

chicken pot pie, a la lexi

2-3 tbls butter
1 lb boneless chicken, cut into small pieces (I used three large breasts)
salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz veggies (I used a can of peas/carrots and a can of mixed veggies, including corn and lima beans...shhh, don't tell Steve about the lima beans!)
3-4 tbls flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup half & half
1 tsp spices (I used romemary, thyme, sage and oregano)
pastry crust, one pie crust

preheat oven to 425*

melt butter in large skillet over med-high heat. add chicken, cook/stir 3 min, until no longer pink in center. sprinkle with salt and papper. add veggies, cook 3 min

sprinkle flour evenly over chicken and veggies, stir and cook 1 min. stir in broth and half and half and spices. bring to boil over high heat, reduce to low and simmer until mixture is very thick.

transfer to pie plate and top with pie crust. cut slits to let steam out.

bake 20 min until crust is golden brown.

Enjoy :)

What is on your cooking rotation this week?

Lilly lovers?

2010-12-13T07:12:00.001-05:00

I attempted to do a bit of Christmas shopping yesterday and was mostly a failure. I have NO idea what to get for anyone!

I ran into Marshalls and discovered this---

Lilly purfume for $16.99! They had Wink, Beachy and Squeeze and a few bath gels in Squeeze.

I know many of you love Lilly P, so l thought I'd mention this, in case you have a Marshalls nearby!

I've been looking for a new purfume, so l picked up Wink.

What is your favorite purfume?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

books and tea, nothing better

2010-12-10T10:52:00.003-05:00

How much do you love this print? I know I do, and I want it to be mine!

The lovely Meg blogged about it, and of course, I had to as well.

{from etsy shop, and we all know how much I adore etsy}

Reading anything good today?

why the secrecy?

2010-12-09T10:11:00.000-05:00

Last night, I got a facebook message from one of my oldest and dearest friends. It seems that she had stumbled upon this little blog of mine and wanted to let me know that she'd been reading for about a month now. She asked why I hadn't mentioned it, why it was a secret. I explained a bit, just saying how I like my little corner of the world where most of my "real life" friends don't know. It's not as though I write anything inappropriate in here- I think this blog is pretty G-rated, wouldn't you agree? :) Still though, she understood my reasonings, she said.

It's funny, because she also blogs, and I comment on hers, though when I comment, I comment anonymously and write "love, lexilooo" in the space, as her mother and sister read hers, and they are also close family friends. I think my mother reads hers sometimes too, though my mother isn't much of a blog person to begin with. She says that she "doesn't get blogs."

We were messaging back and forth for a bit, and I said that maybe one day I'd make it "public," and tell my family about it. Then she asked if my mother would be upset that I'd kept it from her for so long, which made me think a bit.

Is your blog public or private? Does your family and friends know about it? If so, what was their reaction? If it is private, what made you decide to blog that way, and do you plan to eventually tell people about it? What do you think they will think of it?

got my eye on pie!

2010-12-06T09:37:00.001-05:00

If anyone wanted to get me this pie maker from Williams Sonoma for Christmas, I'd be more than happy to give you my new address (and send you mini pies once a month!)

What is your favorite kind of pie?