Ice Cream Tees


              I am a big believer that if you are going to make something homemade, it better be cheap--otherwise, save your money and just go buy it (in most cases).  When I went to Joann's a few months ago, I could not believe how expensive their fabric is--most of the knits are $12.99 a yard (what is this--Japan???)

So, I found some bargain knit fabric online for $3 a yard and had to get some to support the fact that it was so dang cheap (Thank you, Girl Charlee Fabrics!).  And because it had cute ice cream cones on it, I used that fabric right up to make me and my little girlie some matching tees:


My cute girl--she likes her shirt, and it fits perfectly!

Coco's Tee is the Made by Rae Flashback Tee Pattern

Coco took this pic :)  For my shirt, I used the Sewaholic Renfrew Pattern, which I have seen made up by pretty much every sewing blog in the universe.  Cute--but I think it is probably going to be a pajama shirt!

Matchies:

I love sewing for my little Coco! She is not too picky and very appreciative!

   This year, I have a long list of sewing goals--and one of them is to learn something new every time I sew, which is easy--because I am definitely a beginning sewer!

So for this project, I learned:
   a.) how to install and sew with a walking foot.  It is awesome and makes sewing with knits way easier!
   b.) yet again to stop sewing knits until I get a serger.  Sergers make quick work and strong seams.  You can do it with a regular sewing machine, but sergers are amazing. Now where can I find one for super super cheap?
   c.) Poor Cash really wants something sewn for him.  Hmmm...

Natural Living: Homemade Body Butter

Recipe here

   My family and I have been going down the rabbit-hole in healthy living research lately.  We are all pretty naturally-inclined, but my dad's 3rd recurrence with CLL has made a lot of us even more so--for me, I keep thinking about chemicals to avoid eating but also to avoid being absorbed through your skin, such as those in typical beauty products. The gist: aim for preservative/sulfate/dye-free products if you can. Go optimal health and natural living!
   
   As far as natural beauty products, I think the best options are often the simplest.  So, I got some shea butter (from Amazon--the pure unrefined kind), coconut oil, and orange essential oil and whipped this up (literally whipped--with a Kitchenaid--it was awesome!). The recipe is under the photo.

Verdict: This body butter is not for my dishwashing-dry hands, but it works great for the body (duh!). Also, orange oil is not my thing. I will definitely try this again with a different scent!

Bonus:  I did something I pinned! 

Double Bonus:  This body butter is technically edible! Hooray!
 
       

Watch, Read, Listen!

I love reading about what other people have been up to, so here's what has been in my radar lately:


1.) Watch: Les Miserables and The Hobbit!

   Fox and I went to Les Mis on our anniversary, and it was exhausting to watch. I don't think I was prepared for the fact that it was about 99% singing.  The parts with Anne Hathaway are amazing, but the other 2 hours were pretty difficult for me.

Mainly because of him:

 He (above) played Marius.  He sounded like a muppet--pretty much ruined the movie for me.

Surprising, I enjoyed Russell Crowe's singing the most!

 Although he's been getting conflicting reviews, I think he totally rocked it. Also, his death scene is very bizarre.  Makes me wonder how they do it on Broadway? 

Anyways, Les Mis was fun to watch with my hubby, because we were looking at each other going, "What?!" for a lot of the movie.  Good times. I should add that the songs are awesome.

 Since I made Fox see Les Mis, I went and saw the Hobbit with him (thanks, Cinnamon Toast Crunch free movie codes!!).

    I liked The Hobbit!  I had just finished reading the book, and so I think they did a pretty good job with Bilbo.  They of course put a ton of stuff in the movie to make it longer--and unfortunately way more gruesome--but I enjoyed watching the dwarves.

2.) Read: The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball

  This book has been on my to-read list for over 2 years--and the library here ordered it for me--so yay!  It was worth the wait.  It is a very good account of a journalist who falls in love with a farmer and starts a farm with him.  I love reading about cooking and farming and personal growth!

3.) Listen: Drew Tabor


I have had Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" stuck in my head all week--but I don't really like her voice or the video for that song--so I'm glad I found this one.  I love this girl's voice, and she puts a unique spin on stuff.

Okay--who am I kidding--this is what I've really been listening to all week. It's just so dang catchy. Sshhh...

Breakfast Cookies!

  I recently found a great recipe for breakfast cookies from Ellie Krieger, who's a healthy cook on the Food Network.  These are so yummy!  I actually take out the sugar and put a tablespoon or two of agave or honey.  The best part about these cookies are that the are really customizable, but the bran flakes are mandatory--they keep the cookie moist.

So yummy and healthy--enjoy!

 Ellie Krieger's Breakfast Cookies

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food (or grated carrots, applesauce, pumpkin, or pear baby food--basically something fruit/veggie based to give it moisture
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped
• Anything else you want to add! I add a little chocolate chips, wheat germ, ground flax, and coconut.

Directions

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute.

Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough.

 Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies.

Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Per cookie (12): Calories: 189; Total Fat: 9.5 grams; Saturated Fat: 2 grams; Protein: 3 grams; Total carbohydrates: 24 grams; Sugar: 11 grams; Fiber: 2 grams; Cholesterol: 21 milligrams; Sodium: 125 milligrams

Grandpa Style

   Another OwlyBaby pattern!  She had a 50% off patterns sale, and this was on my wish list!

   It's her Darling Cardigan pattern, made from an old t-shirt--thanks, Cooley Construction! And some white ribbing and old buttons.  Super easy and super cute!

My Little Waitress...

I got a chance to test OwlyBaby's new Playdate dress pattern this week!

  I love to test patterns, because I always learn something new---and I am on a deadline, which is when I actually get focused and productive!

   The pattern itself was pretty easy to follow--I made quite a few mistakes, of course, so I am super happy that it came out looking okay!  Yay! Cosette actually put it on before the buttons were sewn on and refused to take it off, so that's a good sign!

So here is Coco in her cute little dress! I think she looks like a little waitress!

I used some medium-weight pink cotton for the dress, daisy buttons, and a small piece of my precious Japanese patchwork linen for the apron, which Coco calls her "napkin". And uses it as such.

Such a cutie, eh? But this is the real Coco...

Aahhh, 3 year olds! I see more of these dresses in the future for sure--if she is going to act like a zombie/vampire/pony, she needs to look girly doing it!

KCWC Day 2

  For Day 2, I crocheted my 3 year old a cat hat, as she doesn't really need more clothes.

The cat pose!

   

Okay, maybe she does need more clothes--I just didn't want to sew! She did need a hat, though :)

   After I put the kids to bed, I got way too caught up in a couple of episodes of Walking Dead Season 2 that just got put up on Netflix.  I have a weakness for zombie shows! I crocheted during the extremely scary parts.  This is just your basic beanie with some rough draft ears I attempted and a bow made from crocheting a strip and then wrapping yarn around the center to look like a bow. Tada!

After I put this hat on her, she found some face paint and wanted to be a cat.  She meowed on the couch for a good half hour like this.  Good times...