I made something

My niece turned 11 over the weekend.  For me, this is a tricky age to buy for.  I really struggled with what to get her.  She is at that "in between" stage.  Not quite a teenager, not a little girl anymore. And too, I always go back and forth between gifts that are practical and gifts that are totally frivolous and fun.  I wanted to make her something because that is my thing now, right? Handmade.  A couple of months ago I found Meg's blog  (don't you love it how I use her first name like we are close personal friends) and bought up a few of her patterns.  More recently I snatched up her adorable apron pattern! When I went searching through my patterns for something to make Haley, the pattern for this reading pillow caught me.

I thought it would be fun/easy to make and that she would enjoy it.  I already had all the supplies that I needed so I set out to work.  The pattern calls for making you own cotton cording...I cheated and used a package of ready made.  Attaching this was the trickiest part of the whole deal.  My zipper foot saved me and I made it through just fine.  The rest came together fairly easily,  which is more that I can say for my selection of a book for her.  Do you have any idea what kind of garbage is out there for girls this age?  Maybe I was my selection was limited but it seemed that I had to choose from stories about hooking up with guys (again, she is 11), dragons/magic/witches, or Laura Ingalls Wilder books.  Don't get me wrong, Little House in the Big Woods is our current favorite (along with the show Little House on the Prairie which we rarely miss each day at 4:00pm) but I didn't really think this kind of book was Haley's style.  So, I fell back on good ol' Nancy Drew.  I thought it would at least keep her attention in a wholesome way.

When my girls saw how this pillow works, they immediately started requesting one of their own.  I definitely see more of these in my future.  At the party, this pillow was up against other gifts like a Karaoke machine, American Idol dvds, gift cards galore, a mp3 player, and on and on!  I was proud to offer something so low-tech and heart-felt.  I am not sure that it was received with the same enthusiasm...but that is understandable I guess. When she opened it, Carl was so sweet. He read my mind.  He gave me a little pat on the leg and said, "It was really neat, Honey- you did a really nice job on it." 

I had fun making it.  The pillow turned out cute, and it is the thought that counts right? Happy Monday.

friday night = pizza night

We have started a little tradition around here.  For the last few months most Friday nights are "pizza nights".  Homemade pizza nights.

It is easier than you might think. During the summer months we grill them on the barbecue- yummmm.  I use my bread maker to mix and knead the dough.  The cycle takes 1 hour and 20 minutes and makes two crusts. I just dump in the ingredients and wait for the beep that tells me it is done. I know that bread makers have kind of gone out of fashion these days.  They are plentiful at thrift and second hand stores for less than $10- but I love mine and use it a lot. Here is the recipe that I use for the crust:

1 cup + 2 TBS water

2 T olive oil

1.5 cups of whole wheat bread flour (regular whole wheat flour works too)

1.5 cups of white bread flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp (approx) Italian seasoning

2 T grated Parmesan cheese

2.5 tsp yeast (for bread machines)

Place ingredients in the machine in the order listed.  Use the dough cycle which will knead and allow for rising. Remove dough and divide in two.  Roll each section out according to the thickness that you prefer and top with favorite toppings.  Bake 400 degrees for 15-20 min. ** Bread machines vary and you may have to adjust the water and flour measurements.

I just use the ready made sauce in the jar (how "un-Martha" I know) and our favorite toppings include canadian bacon and pineapple for the kids and tomatoes, artichokes, fresh basil and mozzarella for the adults.  Recently, we invested in a pizza stone- although I don't really notice any major improvements in the taste of the crust.  The round pizza baking sheets work fine too. 

The girls really look forward to pizza night and are starting to get creative with it.  Tonight Hannah asked me if there was any way that we could incorporate shrimp on to her side of the "kid" pizza.  I told her I would have to think about that one.

Cheers to Fridays and preparing/eating wholesome homemade meals together!

seeds, dirt and tiny hands

I love fresh herbs. Over the summer I was swimming in basil...how I miss it!  I was gifted a beautiful kitchen window garden last Mother's Day (thank you Carl) and it came with seeds to grow herbs de provence- which I did.  It was wonderful to watch it grow above my sink- and even better to clip some foilage for cooking.  Once the summer was over I unthinkingly packed it up.  I guess I just figured that the growing season was over- inside and out. So a few weeks ago I thought about it getting it out again (when I paid $2.99 for some fresh dill).  There isn't any reason that I shouldn't be able to grow them inside- even if it it winter.  While the ground outside is covered in about 10 inches of crusty snow, it is a balmy 70 degrees inside.  So I put my helpers to work.  They loved getting their fingers in the dirt.

We planted cilantro, lavender, and basil yesterday.  This morning Hannah asked if there were any sprouts yet.  She is quite patient like her mother. 

Grow little seeds grow!