christmas crafting and cooking

Fun christmas crafts:
snowflake curtain
 gingerbread man ornament
 door silhouette
mistletoe

 I think i need a shopping spree at ben franklin and joanne's. now that my dissertation is TOTALLY done and submitted and graduation is next weekend, I can concentrate on the more important things: sewing, trying to be crafty, cooking and baking. in addition, i want to make merit her costume for our xmas cards (you'll see....). i think i've decided to make a great diaper bag with some of that fabric i bought at ikea - pattern from amy butler's little stiches for little ones. this is a big project that i'm not sure i trust myself with, so i may try to start with a few small things and enlist some real sewing help form people who know what they're doing. i have a quilt that i used when i was little that i'm going to rework with the same fabric i used for her pillow, so she has a matchiing set. i also have some hemming to do and a shirt to make.  i want to use the canvas wall clock idea to make a wall clock backed by the other piece of fabric form ikea. it's just so heavy, you can only do but so many things with it.

we have our xmas tree up - loves. and tomorrow, as long as the weather lets us we'll be going on a tacky light tour. i also want to go to christmas town at busch gardens - rumor has it they have actual ice skating penguins (as in real, live penguins). i need to do a little xmas shopping - but thanks to a cookie swap and secret santas, i only have two people to buy for in addition to jack's gifts. i'm thinking of making strawberry shortcake cookies and chocolate peanut butter surprise cookies for our cookie swap. mmm cookie swap.

and we took the blueberry to meet santa. she did really good, didn't cry once - just looked a little confused, i think.

curiouser and curioser

 

thank-full

1. the easiest, most amazing pregnancy, birth, and baby a first time mom could ask for.
2. a husband who loves me, humors me, and listens to me bitch with a sympathetic ear (most of the time)
3. an exciting new turn in life and the eventful year that led up to it
4. my mama and my mumma
5. good gossip

a new decade begins

so this is my big baby cry post and then i'm over it. i had my 30th birthday last week and let's just say, if that was any sign of how my thirties will be, i'm screwed. first and foremost, i had a headache for about 4 days straight. then one last member of my committee decided he wanted yet ANOTHER revision with a whole new set of statistics (as i've mentioned before i am embarassingly bad at math, worse at exel). then my actual birthday, BOTH parents forgot. I mean completely and utterly forgot. like we show up at their house and they have no idea why. for those who don't know, my brithday is my all time favorite day. i celebrate for at least a week. i talk about it for a month. I LOVE MY BIRTHDAY. and they forgot. my 30th nonetheless. and the baby decided to scream all nite which she has never done. and then she decided she didn't want to nurse anymore so we actually had to give her a bottle while i was home (and sober). so i was convinced my parents and my baby had decided they no longer needed/wanted me on my birthday. waaahhhh!
anyway, saturday was so much better - new moon was fantastic, slightly hilarious and still plenty cheesy. and then my friends came over for champagne, pizza and ice cream cake i made myself! (so easy, i would do that cake from now on). i got a great embroidery kit from blair from sublime stitching - i can't wait to start it!
BUT i lost my lovely nursing cover that jenny made me (i am still really sad about it). the week slowly got better, thanskgiving was fun (i made an amazing chocolate tart that i will also be making from now on - it was so easy and yum and i totally botched my apple pie crust so it ended up being more of an apple cobbler with crust on the bottom too). and yesterday i put up the xmas tree and xmas decorations,and finally got a do-over birthday dinner with my family.
so although it started out terribly, my 30s are looking pretty good - i started my new job, my dissertation is totally approved and i'll be ready for graduation dec 12th (i actually get to walk across the stage!), my baby is cute and fat, i got an unexpected check in the mail (zing!)...things are looking up! and i will now finally have time to enjoy reading, sewing, stitching, and hanging with my baby.
things to get done before xmas:
1. get merit's picture taken with santa
2. take merits picture as a gnome for xmas cards, get said cards sent out
3. mom's club
4. sewing projects: quilt, possible baby bag, clock
5. embroidery projects (i still need a few supplies for both sewing and stitching, hopefully jack will finally take a hint)
6. cookie exchange
it will be a busy month.

congrats to millie for taking her first steps!! sorry blair, now you really  have to chase her.

what i bought at ikea....

these two fabrics. they're a heavier fabric - good for curtains or something, so i haven't quite decided what i want to do with them since i don't really need curtains. but i absolutely love them! espec. the rams. so now i'm looking for ideas....i have a yard of each and am not opposed to getting more. the whole line is really cool. i also got some barnslinger fabric with lots of animals on it that is a lighter weight fabric that i also have to decide what to do with.

and i want this: http://www.etsy.com/shop/pocketfulofpinwheels - espec. the gnomes and the robots.

i've decided i am currently obsessed with anything having to do with:

1. robots

2. monsters

3. owls

4. keys

but am also loving anything that is storybook/fairytale-like and am always on the lookout for squirrels for erin and babushkas for blair (so if they ever get sick of them, they need to tell me).

of apples and birthdays

OK, as i mentioned, i have about 20 lbs of apples. i want to make the same cookies they have at carter's mountain - not sure what kind of cookies they are, but i want to make them. i know they have apple chunks and i think butterscotch chips? so i found a couple recipes (below) that i am going to meld together in an attempt to get these cookies. i want the cookie itself to taste almost like apple pie, but still be a cookies, not puffy like the first recipe describes. so here we go. anyone that wants to taste test - i should be making them saturday.

Spiced Apple Cookies

1/2 c. shortening*
1 1/3 c. dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. whole milk
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. unpeeled apple, finely chopped (I use a juicy, sweet variety like McIntosh)
*Note: I use trans-fat free shortening only when baking

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat together shortening and brown sugar until full combined. Add egg and milk and mix ingredients well.
3. In a separate bowl combine flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients, scraping down the sides as necessary, until everything is fully combined.
4. Stir chopped apple and walnuts into the batter with a wooden spoon.
5. Drop cookies by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2-inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Press the tops of the cookie down with your top two fingers so they are slightly flattened.
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies hold their shape and are slightly browned on the edges.

Apple and Spice Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup apple juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup chopped apples
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

1. Cream together shortening and brown sugar. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and spices until dampened. Stir until smooth. Mixture will be very thick.
2. Stir in nuts, apples and raisins.
3. Drop by tablespoon 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in a 400 degree F (205 degrees C) oven. Let cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet.

These cupcakes looked good too - if i had the energy to make that icing mmmm....

And apple chips sound like a good idea - although eight hours in the oven is a bit crazy.

The other thing i plan to do this weekend is catch up on my TV watching. it's odd that i keep missing shows, considering i'm home most nites (although baby and i are usually asleep by 9:30/10). but thursday nite is a bitch b/c i have three or four things i want to see all on at the same time. my current list of favs is:

1. flash forward - i'm missing a few recent episodes so i'm trying to watch them online. this show is my new lost

2. bones - i would love to get old seasons on dvd. this show is funny and nerdy and i love angel!

3. castle - i usually fall asleep halfway through, but i love me some Mal (firefly anyone??). this show is pretty funny too.

4. the middle - like malcolm in the middle, the youngest kid cracks me up (whispering to myself "cracks me up")

5. ties - i like them all - modern family, 30 rock, the office, parks and rec, community

6. desperate housewives - i am like a season behind but i def want to see the plane hit wisteria lane

7. 90210 and melrose - i didn't like 90210 right away, but it seems to be getting better, and melrose is pretty good. espec. now that amanda is back, jo is back and we get to find out why asslee killed sydney (and she's leaving!)

i haven't been keeping up with a lot of the shows i usually watch - ANTM (although i read about it on four four, so thats good enough for me), project runway, top chef. Jack and i were watching hell's kitchen - i love me some gordon ramsey although my mom says he cheats on his wife which is why she doesn't like him. thank goodness i don't have cable or i'd be a tv watching foolio. plus i already need a dvr just for those shows above that i miss on basic cable!

and shows i've missed that I'll have to wait for on dvd:

1. true blood

2. nip/tuck (last season!)

3. dexter

i'd like to watch united states of tara....i think there are a couple other series on hbo/showtime that i like that i can't think of at the moment.

i also have been so busy i've almost not spent enough time reminding people that my birthday is next week!!!!30th birthday at that. i'm hoping to see new moon, perhaps get out without the baby for some dinner and drinking. get some sweet presents: anything related to nursing (as in new bras and nursing cover as that is now the new focus of my life) and crafting - particularly embroidery (i love what sew amy has been doing, but prob need a start-up kit like the one from sublime stitching) and quilting (palettes please!). enough hints?! needless to say, i'm hoping with this new job i will have time in the evenings/weekends to do some crafting, which might mean everyone will now be getting embroidered tea towels or something from me for presents, but hey, it'll be made with love!

and...off to ikea sunday. if anyone wants me to pick something up - send me requests and money now. i will be without baby and ready to shop.

some halloween pics....

the goldfish costume was NOT a hit. but the fishbowl stroller turned out pretty well, even if we didn't take it anywhere.

last weekend we went up to carters mountain to pick apples. being as this is something everyone in va does, we had to climb up another mountain to get to the apple trees that still had apples. but damn were there a lot of apples. i think we ended up with 24lbs of apples. so so far i have made applesauce (and gave some to milkie), and plan on making these delicious looking mini-gingerbread upside-down cakes. eventually i'll make apple pie, more applesauce, applesauce cake...any other ideas? maybe apple dumplings? and carters mountain makes these incredible apple caramel cookies with chunks of apple and caramel chips that i may try to make. mmm. so thats this weekend. i also plan on making soup. mmmm. i'm hungry.

and in other news - i put in my two weeks. i've been hired at a company doing contract research work. i can't freaking wait. no more academia bullshit. i can actually leave work and not have to think about it. i can do things in my free time! i can take knitting classes and make quilts and embroider! and i'm getting quite the raise which is super super helpful. so i start that the week of Thanksgiving.

and speaking of Thanksgiving, jack and i will be cooking thanksgiving dinner this year for our families. so we'll see how that goes.

and merit is getting big - a big marshmallow face. too cute. her new thing is screaming. she's not much of a cryer but now when she wants to, she screams at the top of her lungs. who knew she even had it in her, she's been so quiet up until now? and she stares at the TV and computer. i think she needs some toys...