October 26

Itty bitty baby shoes.

October 20

A new and improved charging station. Same concept as the other one, but improved execution.

October 19

Mmmmm. Yummy. Chickpea and Apple Curry, Red Lentil Dal and Roasted Curried Cauliflower. You can forget every other way you've ever tried to cook cauliflower. This is AWESOME. So good, that I could have eaten the whole cauli myself. Oh wait, I did. Seriously, it's that good. Try it.

Otober 18

And a teal blue one.

October 14

Green version.

October 13

Inspired by the ever-inspirational Anna Maria Horner, I whipped up a tote-able towel. I'll be making more in different colours for the Christmas Boutique, which will be opening its doors on November 1.

October 12

Success! This is No-Knead Bread, a perfect weekend project. I started the dough yesterday afternoon and finished it off this morning. Couldn't be easier.

October 11

Another attempt at a manly toiletries bag. I made the bag longer, and the handle shorter. Is it better?

October 5

Christmas gift for a wee one.

October 4

Lots of baking today. I made challah ...
and muffins ...
and fudgy brownies.
And I'm not going to eat any of them.

September 29

Is this masculine? Josh says it's not. Damn. It's hard to make gifts for guys. I thought this would work for a manly toiletries bag, but Josh says maybe, maybe, if it was 1.5 times longer.

Got any bright idea for hand made guy gifts? If so I would love to hear them.

September 28

Do you know what this is? No, it's not a $300 Le Creuset Dutch oven. It's a $60 knock off. I have been craving one of these cast iron, enamel coated beauties forever, and even more so since reading this recipe. But there was no way I was going to spend several hundred dollars on a pot. Especially one made of such cheap materials. Cast iron cookware is inexpensive. Likewise enamel coated camping goods. So why should it cost the earth to put the two materials together?

I haunted the thrift stores, hoping to snag one second hand ... and then someone last week mentioned that they could be obtained for about $85 at Marshalls. I don't have a Marshalls near me, but I do have a Home Goods, which is part of the same group of companies. So I popped in there yesterday and found, yep, not the expensive French brand, but something just as sturdy for a fraction of the price. Yippee!!

Before bed tonight I'm mixing up the dough for the bread. Stay tuned.

September 24

A cape for a super six-year-old.

September 23

Flannel blankies and burp cloths have become my go-to gift to make for new mamas. These ones are for a colleague of Josh's.

September 22

Last year I made a lot of "criss-cross" coasters for teacher/colleague Christmas gifts. This year I might continue the theme. I'm liking this reversible, wipe-clean version, covered with 16 gauge vinyl.

September 21

Man I got a lot done this weekend. I feel like some kind of domestic goddess. After eight (!) hours spent cleaning the house and doing the grocery shopping, I embarked on a cooking frenzy, producing:
~Acorn Squash Bisque
~Creamy Cannellini Bean Soup
~Macaroni with Three Cheeses
~Beef and Vegetable Pasties
~Herbed Salmon Burgers
~Pasta with Meatballs and Bocconcini.
and
~Oatmeal Cookies (which weren't very good. Needed more sugar.)
THEN I started sewing. (Are you tired yet?) I got a bunch of quick-ish projects done. Here's one of them.

Dog leashes, in both morning and evening colours. Into the Christmas Boutique they go.

Just to make you smile.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Even if you've seen it before, it's worth watching again.

September 20

While doing the weekly housework this morning, I determined to Do Something about the mess of chargers and cords that hang about on the kitchen divider. Inspired by this, I whipped up my own version using a cardboard lid and fabric, applied quickly (and pretty roughly!) with spray adhesive. To stop the cords slipping back out, I made an elastic "mouth", attached with brads. It works! Now I'll make me a prettier, neater one. Well, not now. Maybe after Christmas :-)

September 19

My darling sister and I celebrate Sisters' Day on September 17 each year. We picked that date because it was a little distant from other family celebrations, though a few years ago another anniversary emerged the week before. It's turned out to be particularly nice to celebrate our appreciation of each other so soon after the other, sadder day. This year sister sent me this, and I love it! It's made by Michelle from Canberra, Australia, and you can get your own from her Etsy store.

September 7

We're back. Zaca Lake was all I hoped it would be; beautiful, peaceful, a place to just BE. Unfortunately, Josh was very unsettled by all the flies which spoiled his enjoyment. (I'm Australian; I'm used to flies.) Apparently they only arrive in late summer, so next time (oh yes, there will be a next time) we'll go earlier or later in the year.

I {heart} Zaca Lake. More photos here.

P.S. Linn at Cozy Living is hosting a giveaway that you might want to enter. I would certainly like one of those beautiful picnic table covers for my next visit to Zaca Lake. If I don't win hers, I might just have to make my own.