menu planning

I was stoked to find I'm not the only one who knows what we're going to eat for the week. This menu planner (scroll down for the freebie), however, looks waaaay cuter than my usual torn bit of scrap of paper.

stitch markers

There are some things I just can't bring myself to buy. I don't like to pay good money for an item for which I'm certain there's a free alternative I just haven't thought of yet. This is why I didn't own any stitch markers for my knitting. Whenever I needed markers, I cut up bits of scrap yarn and made do.

But who was I kidding? Those scraps were annoying. Coming unraveled and untied.

I was about to break down and purchase proper stitch markers, but then I remembered my jewelry-making stash and bought silver split rings instead (like mini key rings.) New silver rings + old beads = stitch markers.

So yes, I did end up paying money for something, but supplies are different than the actual item, right? Anyway, now I have 50 rings to make all the stitch markers a gal could ever want.

summer lovin'

adorable yellow ruffled swimsuit (my size, please!)

picnic in a jar

diy potluck cover

the skinny on making jam

dreaming of a beach house like this

bookmarks for your summer reading

time to crochet those beach rocks you've been collecting

refreshing watermelon lemonade

fruit n' yogurt popsicles

sew a roll-up mat for camping with the kiddos

fresh mushroom pasta

Making fresh pasta on a weeknight just sounds scary and like you won't get to eat until 9 o'clock. But as long as you've got 2 cups flour and 3 large eggs, fresh pasta can be yours in hardly no time at all.

Though many folks do without, I think some sort of pasta maker is necessary -- it makes for much less work and makes thinner noodles than I can make with my rolling pin.

Using the pasta recipe from The New Best Recipe (but there are a million variations for 'fresh egg pasta'), we recently enjoyed Donna Hay's recipe for mushroom ragu pappardelle. Dee-licious!

The goat cheese melted into the warm noodles and mushroom sauce to make for a deliciously creamy dish. And the fresh taste of those noodles? Totally worth the extra effort!

quick refashion

I've taken my seam ripper to a fair number of baby clothes this year -- removing an itchy label or cheesy applique, and doing minor refashions such as this. This little collar was just a little too cutsie for us.

Better, no?

Baby clothes are funny. I'm coming to the conclusion that most clothing companies think there needs to be a cartoon bear or pastel heart plastered on the front of an otherwise cute shirt to make it suitable for a kid. Hey, I know someday this little babe of mine will probably want nothing but pink, hearts, and flowers. But until then, I'm trying to keep the cutsie to a minimum and outfit her in simple, modern, and comfortable. You know, adult clothes in miniature with fun, kiddie fabrics.

Maybe I shouldn't try to define what I think is cute and what is too cute -- it's feeling a bit like trying to define my taste in jewelry. I'll know what I like when I see it!

knitting for babies

A knitting bug recently bit me again.

I got all ravelry-crazed the other day and put a ton of projects in my queue. Since it will take me a lifetime to knit my way through said queue, I figured the best thing for me to do was to jump right in on a new project and definitely ignore the half-finished ones decomposing hibernating in my closet.

I started with this quick and cute cabled bib (free ravelry download.) Next up? The little sister's dress in kelly green.

Jeff isn't buying the 'there's a knitting bug' defense so I'm not sure what I can blame for my splurge on two knitting books. Maybe when he sees just how adorable the toys I can make out of itty-bitty toys are, he'll gladly keep going to work and allow me a life of knitting leisure.

Anyway, if you're interested in adding some baby knits to your own queue, head on over to Whip Up's recent list of tutorials. So many sweet sweaters, so little time.

ice cream sandwiches

Jeff's birthday is right around the corner so I had a great excuse to make ice cream sandwiches.

I used this Martha recipe for the chocolate cookies and spread half with vanilla and half with mint chip ice cream. Yum!

I've made these twice before -- little Christmas trees with green mint ice cream for the holidays and hearts with strawberry ice cream for Valentine's Day -- but this is the first time that I've made them in summer. Because who associates ice cream and summer, right?

And while we're on the subject of summer treats...

Isn't frozen fruit great?! Definitely less labour intensive than homemade ice cream sandwiches, and it's just so refreshing. I love frozen cherries, mango, and peaches. Oooh, and chocolate-dipped bananas! Man, it's been a long time since I've had those.

This frozen pineapple looks good too. Note to self: gotta get some pineapple and try that.

The other treat we've had this summer is homemade fudgesicles. Frozen Jello chocolate pudding -- you know, the kind from a little box -- works great in freezer pop trays. And sometimes a fudgesicle totally hits the spot.

habit

Lately, I've been enjoying habit daily.

It's such a lovely project -- the photographs and snippits are beautiful and inspiring, so real and spot on. Check it out.

ribbons

I made a toy!

First, let me set the scene. The babe just went down for a nap, Jeff and I were going to get into the spring-cleaning (our weekend project that most people get to in...well, spring), and I got an idea. Ribbons!

You see, the babe really digs tags of all sorts, getting her little finger going back and forth, back and forth, over them. So she's in the zone for ribbons. Remember this project? This is the easy one-hour version of that lovely softie. A chewy, cushy square of fabric with lots of ribbons that little fingers can poke into (and promptly put into little mouth.)

So while my sweet husband washed the floor (on his hands and knees, people!), I got to cut ribbons, pick out fabric, and whip this out before the babe woke up.

I tell ya, some days, the little things just make you feel like a million bucks. Today, it was being able to act on that creative burst of energy the moment it happened. Not writing it down on a list for later, but making and doing that very minute. What a kick.

It's a 'sew right-sides together and turn right-side out' kind of project, with the ribbons folded and sandwiched between the layers.

And when she woke up, she knew just what to do.

summer

...is finally here.