When the apple doesn't fall far

This is a very typical look Evan gives me. Pretty much when I ask him anything. I'm told I give similar facial reactions.

Pears

Got distracted today while trying to figure out how to make patches for Evan's jeans (every single pair has holes in the knees...including the ones Mark bought for the trip last week to Mpls, whereupon arriving, Evan fell on the escalator and put a hole in them. Less than 24 hours after Mark bought them. Happy day.). Anyway, I had this pear fabric from a previous trip to Crafty Planet and wasn't sure what to make out of it. Then, I found this down pillow form covered in some yucky fabric, so I ripped it out and made this. I need to take another sewing class because my zippers are still a bit uneven.

Nature is good

Evan's latest Cub Scout activity is documenting the growth of a spring bud. Not exactly easy in cold, wintry parts of the Midwest compared with his native Texas where blooms have blossomed for weeks now. The book contains his daily observations...From 3/25/09: "Today I observed a bud on a bush. It's scarlet on top with white and green fuzz. The green is on the back of the fuzz. White on the sides and front." Yesterday, as Mark and I were finishing dinner and following a daylong dusting of snow, Evan went out to visit his bud. Seconds later, he came running in the kitchen door to announce that his bud is dead. Or gone. Missing. Mark thinks he was looking at the wrong bush.

Not much

But we did get snow yesterday, prompting Mark to gaze outside and utter, mostly under his breath, "Oh, I love spring."

Fave contemp writer

Just finished this book. Bragg is a natural-born storyteller. I first learned about him when he was a reporter for the NYTimes and covered the OK City bombing. I was a reporter for the Dallas Morning News, and when, after the series of stories he wrote was published and he spoke at a convention of journalists in Tulsa, I was there. The way he puts words together creates instant imagery in my mind. I later met him during a talk in Des Moines after he began writing books about his family. This latest read is about his dad but it's also about Bragg becoming a stepdad. I'm not one to typically laugh out loud reading books (aside from those written by David Sedaris), but this one had me laughing one minute and shedding tears the next. It's a really poignant memoir. Here's a link to an excerpt: NYT/Rick Bragg.

Some weekend reading

Please never let print publishing die.

She & Him

Am really liking their CD. Can't lie though...I really like how she dresses and looks, too.

Knit wit

Knitting this scarf for Evan. It's so soft--100% baby Alpaca. It's supposed to SNOW this weekend...I won't finish this in time. But maybe I'll finish in enough time for him to wear it once before spring truly sets in (it takes a while here!).

Stop it!

How ooey gooey good to these peanut butter chocolate molten cakes look. Oh my good gawd—I will be making these ASAP!!! via http://www.mysweetandsaucy.com/2009/03/chocolate-peanut-butter-molten-cake/

These orchids

were amazing! pic from bachman's in minneapolis last weekend.

new scarf

with yarn from the yarnery in st. paul last weekend...definitely some mistakes here, but it's nice and soft unlike the last one i made.

New old look

I'm late to the game knowing the term for this look I adore--mixing books, cabinet of curiousities, with a bit of punk and goth thrown in=steampunk style. This post does a great job of defining it--http://morewaystowastetime.blogspot.com/2009/03/inspiration-steampunk-style.html

Office Supplies

I have a thing for office supplies, especially of the old-school type. How sweet are these? Made by Sharilyn at lovelydesign.com. (Her blog, by the way, is beautiful.) She sold out of them, but is making more in the next few months. The cards are made of found papers. I've ordered some of the cards and am using my typewriter to fill in the addresses.

Like mini pizzas

I wasn't sure what to make for dinner last night after work, but Mark had been to the store and we had a bag of colorful bell peppers. Also, I had a loaf of sourdough bread from French Meadow in Mpls, so I decided to whip up these roasted pepper and goat cheese half sandwiches. I started making these last summer with goods from the Farmer's Market. You can modify it with whatever you have around the house, but here's the recipe I adapted from Barefoot Contessa:

3 or 4 large red, yellow bell peppers
2 Tbsp good olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tsp kosher salt
1 Tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp drained capers

For assembling: 1 ciabatta bread, halved
1 (11 oz) plain goat cheese
8-10 large basil leaves
3 thin slices red onion (I had scallions on hand, so I used those instead)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place the whole peppers on a sheet pan in the oven for 30-40 min. Turn them twice during the roasting, then remove the pan and put the peppers in a bowl and seal the top with plastic wrap until peppers are cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Remove the stem from each pepper and cut them in quarters. Discard stem, seeds and pour the oil and vinegar mixture over the peppers. Stir in the capers. You can prepare this ahead of time and let this mixture rest for a few hours in the fridge. Otherwise, I assembled the sandwiches right away by toasting in the already hot oven the slices of bread and goat cheese. Once the cheese is slightly melted, top with the peppers and salt and pepper to taste. Yum.

Cheers

If you haven't looked at Toast's new spring home catalog, sign up for one now (http://www.toast.co.uk/).

Headed north today

Looking forward to a long weekend in the Twin Cities. A few favorite spots to hit: Crafty Planet, The Happy Gnome, cinnamon toast at Shawn's, and hoping for a gray day to run around Lake Harriet. Happy weekend!

Anthro decorating

new home images from anthro. they also have how-to decorating videos and an interview with a stylist about how to get these looks. i love the how unkempt the results are.

Packaging

Part of the joy in ordering from indie businesses is seeing how creatively the items are packaged. How cute are all these wrappings--three surprises for one item! From lovelydesign.com.

Happy Irish!

Tea on Sunday while knitting. A clover I want to crochet.

Sunday dinner

Made the cream of leek and zucchini soup this weekend (recipe via Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant). It was pretty good. Am still loving soups with crusty bread.

Arm warmers

Two things: One, I finished my arm warmers/fingerless (save for the thumb) gloves, which are actually very warm and just in time to hold an Irish ale for St. Pat's Day. Two, Mark thinks my next project should be a knitted a cozy for a 40 oz.

Last-minute dinner out

On Friday, a neighbor invited Evan to go to the movies, so Mark and I had a last-minute date night. The best part was we didn't have to pay for a babysitter OR dinner because Mark had a (very old) gift card given to him by the soccer team that he coached last season.

Orangette

Can't wait to read this book by food blogger (orangette.blogspot.com) Molly Wizenberg.

Three in one

You know you really like something if it's a combo of several things you love, and this sweater hits the mark for me--owls, the perfect shade of gray, and knitting. I won't dare try to make this myself for a long while, but the pattern is available free for download via needled.

Food blog

I'm enjoying this food blog lately, so thought I'd share. Tonight, I'm going to try the cream of leek and zucchini soup paired with crusty bread and a light salad. breadandhoney.blogspot

Books with bites

I love this story in the Sunday Times about the books noted writers would like to read while dining out alone. How cozy. http://www.nytimes.com/

Cupcakes

Is there anything sweeter than bite-sized cakes? Really. This is definitely on my to-do list for the weekend. Images from thecherryblossomgirl.com

Sock it to me!

Seriously. How bookishly cute are these Penguin orange socks?! Via Jane Brocket's yarnstorm.blogs.com

Guac

Made some guac yesterday. Some for us; more for a friend. Can't wait for warmer weather to do this more often.

Gorgeous

By artist Simen Johan from Oslo. http://www.simenjohan.com/x/Book/index.htm via memelodia.blogspot.com

Do you recognize this?

Kim and Alfie's Minneapolis kitchen on the blog (link below). Funny to see a friend's place in a blog by a person you don't know. See that yellow tea kettle on the stove? I traded with Kim at a joint garage sale (she has a pair of my Lucky jeans), so that yellow spot of happiness is in my kitchen now.
http://shoptalkbuzz.blogspot.com/2009/03/makeover-monday-kitchen-storage-envy.html

Yay for mornings

I am very much a morning person. As much as I've tried to fight that (mostly because my husband is a night owl), it's part of my nature. Typically, I get up at 5 or 5:30 am, make really strong coffee, read the paper and blogs, and go for a run. I've been following this blog--3191visualblogging.com--for a while, and now there's a wonderful book. These two women, who live in Portland, Maine, and Portland, Oregon (hence 3191 miles apart) posted one photo they took nearly every morning for a year. The book's format is great--the pictures run side by side and it's amazing to see how they connect. Also, even though I'm a "word" person, I love that this book has very few words. It really is about the lovely quiet pictures and lots of white space that makes this read really special.
**Happy note for those who love the night: the duo is coming out with a book this summer, A Year of Evenings.