my own happiness project

For March, I'm starting my own little "happiness project." Mine is not as grand and organized as Gretchen Rubin's, but as she says in the book, everyone's happiness project will look different. I tend to get a little paralyzed by over-thinking things, so I decided to keep these March resolutions simple. I don't want to overreach--with my busy working-mom lifestyle, I know I can't sweep through my whole house and life and accomplish everything at once. Instead I'm focusing on just "getting started" and I decided to hone in some issues that are really bothering me. Here's my list:
::no white sugar. I already started this one a week and a half ago for Lent and it's going really well. It's shocking to me how easy it is, since I feel totally addicted to sugar on regular days. It's actually a relief to step back and have a break from my "addiction." Hopefully I will lose some weight too!
::only 30 minutes of online time at night. This is the crux of my March resolutions. I feel a bit out of control with my online habits recently so this is a way to remain accountable (by announcing it to all of you) and to reward myself with a little "check" in the box every day. I don't have any specific plans of what to do with the extra time that will result, but figure I will either sleep more, sew more, or tidy up more. Any of those would be most welcome. (By the way, checking my e-mail for 10 minutes in the morning before I leave for work is "legal" I decided.)
::make a meal plan and have the grocery list completed each Tuesday (for the following week). I've been so inconsistent with this these last several weeks but I know having a plan in order would be hugely helpful.
::no magazines. Have already been doing this but have had a few slips. This month I'll buy none (unless thrifted).
::tidy up every evening. It can be two minutes, five, ten or twenty. I just want to be consistent in doing something every night.
::check my planner twice a day. I tend to write in my planner in the morning but forget to check back later in the day. This will help.
Here is the daily checklist, an idea totally stolen from Gretchen Rubin. As she points out in her book, constantly reviewing the resolutions and having them in your head frequently increases the likelihood that you will stick to them. Each day of the month I'll check the goals I accomplished and put a "dot" if I didn't accomplish it. I absolutely love a checklist so this is super motivating for me.

For March I just wanted to get something down on paper and start doing some things that I know will make me feel better and more in control. Next month I'll take it further. If you're doing a happiness project too, I'd love to see it! (On the other hand, if I don't visit you it's because I'm limiting myself to 30 minutes at night!)

more of your questions

Happy almost Friday! More of your questions:
Kelly Jane Dahl asked "a question....I haven't sewn since middle school home ec. class (over 20 some years ago, yikes!) and really want to re-learn. I would like to purchase a used sewing machine to start. Could you provide some advice on what to look for in a beginners sewing machine? Also, any good beginning sewing books out there once I find a machine?"

For a beginner, I honestly think all you need is a straight stitch (forward and backward), zigzag, and maybe a buttonhole feature. That's all I've every had and I do fine. My parents were very supportive of my sewing from the start, so they bought me a Singer in junior high or high school. I used it without any trouble from my teens to my 30's. At that point I was having constant problems with the tension so I traded it in and got a very plain and basic model of a Bernina (picture here). I don't know if they make them that plain anymore or of they still make them in Switzerland, but mine is heavy and all metal and I love it. I've had no problems whatsoever except once I had to replace the power cord and foot pedal (I had dropped it). I highly recommend a Bernina. For books I like Bend the Rules Sewing (Amy Karol), Simple Sewing (Lotta Jansdotter), and Weekend Sewing (Heather Ross). I can't vouch for any of the projects in the last book but she has an extensive section on getting a machine, setting up a sewing corner, and lots of basic sewing info.

Rain asked some similar questions and also, "I love your postcards. Can I ask how you make them?" The cards are really fun and easy to make. I use Moo. Moo communicates with your flickr site so you don't have to upload your photos all over again. The cards are thick and sturdy and you can choose from different backs as well. What I love is that you can have a different image on each card--you don't have to choose 10 or 20 of the same shot. Some day I want to have some of the tiny "business" cards printed up too.

That should do it for tonight. Have a great weekend everyone!

thrifting

{thrifted light green and dark green pitchers, thrifted plate}

I am gradually answering your questions. Kristen asked about thrifting: "I would love to know what types of thrift stores you go to. I've also been wanting to make the Mama's Bag, but just can't find any lovely vintage fabric." I can relate! I am no expert or a particularly lucky thrifter at all, but here is what I have learned since I started thrifting, a year or so ago.

{thrifted wooden box for sewing notions}

:: one thing I always wondered when reading about lovely thrifting finds on others' blogs was "what kind of 'thrift' stores are they really going to because all they have at our thrift stores is junk." I still wonder about those lucky ladies on the east coast who seem to luck into beautiful vintage enamelware or wooden Waldorf toys because I definitely never run into those things here. What I have found is that even though our thrift stores seem junky and really rather gross, you can still have fun and find some rather wonderful things with patience and a sense of fun and a good eye.
:: I like to shop at thift stores that have an obvious connection to well known charities. In Ventura, I go to the Arc, the Coalition, and of course our beloved Bargain Box (Asisstance League).

{pretty thrifted blue plate with my Lisa Leonard necklace on it}

:: the more time you have to spend at it, I imagine the luckier you'd become. I have very little time to ever thrift, but I go in with an open mind and voila sometimes I get a real find, like the fabric for my "mama bag". It is perfect, and it came from luck and being open minded in a store otherwise filled with lots of "junky" stuff. (Faith found a darling sweater that same day in the same store).

{thrifted sheets and a tablecloth}

:: after watching The Story of Stuff I feel very good about opting out (to some small extent) of buying things new and not being as much a part of that environmental disaster. (To tell you the truth I've only watched a few minutes of the film, but enough to understand how the manufacturing industry hurts the earth. All that new stuff we buy all the time is headed straight to the landfill!)

{thrifted boots}

:: I've grown to like the aesthetic of having older more unique looking stuff around. We don't all have to aspire to have a home looking like something out of Pottery Barn. I've found I truly prefer and more quirky and personal look and it's more affordable and easier to attain. There is so much inspiration all around the blogs and flickr.

{thrifted small plates--I love them so!}

Does anyone have any good tips they'd like to pass along? If so, I'd love to hear them.

the weekend

Mostly I was sick, tired, and draggy all weekend, but it was still a good one.
:: I bought tulips on Farmer's Market on Sunday. Faith went with us (so it was me, Faith, and the little boys) and we got Naked Juices at the health food store and later went to this park again and had a good time there. We might start going there every Sunday.
:: I started cutting up and arranging these fabrics for my throw quilt. This has been a long awaited first step in this project that has been stalled for ages. As it was, I didn't get very far, but that's okay.
:: I cut up a pineapple for myself for Saturday lunch.
:: On Sunday we had this tea and it was very very good and honestly did make me feel a bit better. Take ginger slices and a lemon section and put them in a cup (squeeze the lemon). Pour boiling water over and allow to steep. Melt a spoon of honey into it. Faith kept saying "this is better than any tea we ever bought" and I have to agree with her.
:: We made the unleavened version of these and used raisins instead of chocolate chips. Good, but the boys were bitterly disappointed about the lack of chocolate. Oh well . . .

:: the boys learned to eat edamame out of the pods.

:: at the park on Sunday there was a European woman looking very chic in a pair of wraparound pants. When I searched for "wraparound pants" on Etsy and on Google everything that came up was so billowy and weird. I wonder where she got hers, which were so slim and stylish . . .

this morning

Look at my yummy breakfast: 10-grain hot cereal, walnuts, dried apricots, apples, prunes, a splash of milk, and maple-agave blend. I've been inspired by this flickr set to combine flavors this way. I'm following a healthy eating scheme for lent again this year and I feel very very good about it. No sugar, no white flour. No sugar is a big deal for me--I'm totally addicted--but the structure of lent helps me so much with this sort of thing. I feel fantastic.

Looking very forward to today: studio time in the morning, then a date with Ken this afternoon. We're going to see Valentine's Day and then out to dinner at Chipotle. I've never been there before and I just want to try it. What are you up to today?

sewing tips for a beginner

{drawstring bag}

When I posted my giveaway a couple weeks ago, some of you asked me questions. I appreciated them so much but am only just now getting around to responding. Sorry for the delay! I'll start with Fiona's question: "what are your top 5 sewing tips for a beginner?" I'm no authority or anything, but I do love to sew. Here are some ideas I jotted down on my last studio day.

{"love" pillow}

1. Take a class. I learned to sew in junior high "homemaking" classes and I can't overstate how valuable it has been for me to have that background of knowing how to do things "by the rules." We learned about grainlines and sewing from patterns and pressing and everything you need to know. If I were starting from scratch today I think it would be worth it to take a class or two and to have a real human show you the basics.

{apron from "Simple Sewing"}

2. Work with materials you love. I had a huge sewing renaissance when I found out that beautiful (first Amy Butler and then other) fabrics are available online. I never completely stopped sewing, from age 12 to the present day, but there were years in there where my projects were infrequent because the fabrics at the chain stores are so ugly (to me). Find fabrics that you love and the whole process comes alive.

{skirt from Sew What Skirts}

3. Buy a seam ripper. Learn how to use it. Picking out stitches is just a part of sewing, so don't be discouraged when you have to rip.
4. Buy extra bobbins. Wind an extra bobbin or two of the thread you are working with at the beginning of your project. I actually just figured these ones out. It makes a huge difference.

{fabric buckets}

5. Choose a small project. I pretty much always make small and simple "instant gratification" projects because I have very little time to sew and it's amazingly satisfying to see a project through to completion in one or two sessions. Small projects are fun!
6. Let go of perfectionism. I'm not a perfectionist at all, but I imagine sewing would be a lot less fun if I were. Really, you won't notice that small imperfection within a day or two. Just enjoy your finished product.
7. Keep a little notebook of what you did (measurements, how you accomplished some detail). That way if you want to duplicate your project you don't have to start from the beginning.

{potholders}

8. Sign up for the mailer from Jo-Ann. You will get a 40% off coupon every few weeks. It's a great deal and I often buy big swaths of linen this way, just to have on hand.

Two of my favorite books with simple projects are Bend the Rules Sewing and Simple Sewing. The projects are simple and modern and appropriate for beginners, with lots of step-by-step instructions. I was also very interested to see this post today. Lot's of good tips there! I'm definitely going to check out that Amy Butler pattern she mentions. I'd love to hear your tips too, if you'd like to share. I love to talk sewing!

winter book update

I think it's ironic that when we finally get our winter book basket properly decorated the weather changes and it's now in the 70's! So much for our wintery interlude. I loved it while it lasted!! Nonetheless, I love this little sign Dieter made for our book basket so very much I can assure you it's staying put until the vernal equinox when winter is officially over! I did the tree, but he did the lettering, the pink "snowflake" and that wonderful snowman.
What prompted the new basket-label was this new book my mom thrifted for us. It's sweet--filled with vintagey illustrations. It's exactly the kind of thing I like to find thrifting.
I find the winter basket is the most full seasonal basket of all. There is just something about winter that inspires children's authors, I think. What are your winter favorites? We still love Manatee Winter, Animals in Winter, and Miss Bindergarten Stays Home from Kindergarten.

back home

I had a very good and worthwhile school nursing conference in Hollywood and am back and home now and so happy to be with my little family again! Luckily today was a holiday so I could do laundry, get settled in, and have a (belated) Valentine's day with my peeps. I stole away to the studio this afternoon to wrap the books I had bought for everyone. Actually, almost everyone got books. For Ken I made some granola because he has so little time to read during the school year.
Everyone got a plain brown package with a compliment written on it. I started the compliment tradition last year. It's fun for me to write them!

In the evening we had our annual trail of hearts. They follow the trail to get their presents.
I found a present too!
And, just keeping it real here, Ken had thoughtfully bought us some Valentine cookies because I didn't have time to bake and I just haven't been baking much lately, ya know? I hope you all had a wonderful day of love and family.

preparations

I haven't done much to prepare for Valentine's day yet, but we did at least have these heart shaped muffins with dinner the other night. So cheery, aren't they? I love a novelty muffin tin (acorn muffins here). With acorns for fall and hearts for winter, I'm wondering what other shapes there might be for spring and summer?
This afternoon after work I started to gather some of the supplies for making Valentines for the boys to give their classmates. Not sure how this will work out. At 3 and 5 they don't really have the attention span to see such a project through to completion. School Valentine parties are on Friday here, but I won't be home to see the boys off with their little sacks of cards. I'm off to Hollywood tomorrow for the CSNO convention with some of the other school nurses from our district. I will miss my family but I really love continuing education so am looking forward to it (and to a full nights sleep x 3!). They'll drive down to meet me on Sunday and drive me home. And then, hooray!, we'll have our traditional trail of hearts. What are your Valentine plans this year?

wintery

We have had a lovely winter here so far. Mildly cold with a fair amount of rain--jacket wearing weather. The chilly temperatures are really helping me make peace with living here. Last winter the rain and cold weather skipped us altogether. I distinctly remember a warm weather snap last year in January. I had to get out all my summery work tops--I remember a co-worker wearing a sleeveless shift dress, bare legs and sandals. In January! In February we were having little tea parties under the trees. It was dry and not a bit chilly. All that warm weather last winter made me very grumpy (then we had a cool spring and a temperate summer, but still . . .) Here are some scenes from our trip to the park on Sunday. It was a beautiful day!

{my favoritie kind of dandelions--the ones that look like daisies}

{jacket weather}

{Faith down by the creek. She's a nature girl--but only if located within the city limits! :)}

{water in the creek is thrilling! It is normally so dry here}

{finding rocks to throw in}

{jumping in the leaves is always fun}

This park has a day use fee ($4 per car) but we thought it was a great bargain for all this fun and beauty.

I'm also getting out and walking more this winter. I decided it's a great time of year to start a walking program, and if I don't force myself to go outside I never do and I become so sedentary. So now on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays I'm walking at least 20 minutes. And on Sundays we walk to Farmer's Market. It feels good!

peanut butter power bars

A few years ago when Carrie was visiting, she told me about the "peanut butter power bars" she'd always get at a little coffee place in Lawrence. Doesn't that sound good? I really liked the idea of such a bar, so I tried to make some. Since then, I haven't made them, until this weekend, when I tried again and healthied them up even more. Now they are all whole wheat and sweetened with maple syrup and no sugar (except for whatever is in the chocolate chips). I like the idea of packing a healthy bar in the lunches and not having it be so candified as a normal bar cookie.
They're a hit! They're high and cakey, but next time I want to experiment with making them more dense and moist by eliminating the leavening altogether (more like a brownie, I suppose).
Here's the recipe so far:

Peanut Butter Power Bars

1 c. natural peanut butter
1/2 c butter
1 c. maple syrup
2 t. vanilla
2 beaten eggs
2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. flax meal
1 c. dried milk
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. chocolate chips

Cream the butter and peanut butter. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and eggs. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine them with the p.b. mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into prepared 9x13" baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until done.

I'll let you know if I make the non-leavened version!

finished: fuzzy capelet

Finally I finished the fuzzy capelet I started back here. It took a long time because after my knitting lesson I started to hold the yarn differently and my stitches became very tight and I couldn't seem to get them to loosen up again! It's agony, as far as I'm concerned, trying to pull tight stitches along the needles when they simply will not budge, so this took a lot longer than it should have. Nonetheless, I was very excited to finish this little knitted piece over the weekend and I'm feeling very spurred along to do more knitting.
The specifics about this garment: it's the Fuzzy Capelet from Speed Knitting by Kris Percival. Instead of using two strands of "fun fur" type yarn as called for, I used chunky alpaca, which I love. I knit extra rows because I don't think it was as thick as the two strands of fun-fur would have been. The button is a thrifted button from my stash.
In truth, I may not get a lot of use out of this garment. When I started it it was before my lessons and I used a very primitive kind of "single" cast on and I was knitting in a very loose way, so the neckline is already super stretched out. But it's a fun thing to wear over a nightgown or around the house or just have as a very soft knitted piece. Mostly, I've gained experience and am excited to go onto the next thing.

nature table freshen-up

Our poor nature table has been languishing in the month of January. It's easy to "let it go" for awhile and also so fun to freshen it up again. It's incredibly uplifting, even if the rest of the house is a bit of a wreck, like it is right now. I just never really "got it together" this week and I'm sad to say there is laundry on the sofa waiting to be folded . . . that is never a good sign. But about the nature table, I got the idea to add in a Valentine-y element from this photo in my flickr favorites (other inspiring Valentine decorating here and here).
The little desk calendar is from here. I don't know if it will stay on the nature table (probably not) but I do love these little hippos for Valentines day. And also, it pleases me very much to decorate with things I already own. The boys contributions are a large sprig of rosemary and the bark. Rainer added a shell he collected at the beach today (he spent the day with his grandparents, which he enjoyed muchly). If you have a February nature table to share I'd love to see it!

recipe favorites: the comfort of soup with bread

I've been soup most Wednesday nights for a long time now--a year or two maybe. There is something so comforting about a bowl of soup and having leftovers for lunch. Today I was home with Rainer and had the chance to do a long-cooking soup (instead of my usual quick soup) and try a new bread recipe. I truly love the homey feeling of having soup simmering on the stove while I go about other things!
The new bread recipe is Hanna's. (Just look for it on her sidebar--"no knead bread"). It has a mixture of white and whole wheat with whole oats and flax seed meal. I've been admiring her grainy looking breads so decided to try her recipe at last.
This is the Goodness Soup from Clean Food. The book is one I impulsively pre-ordered last spring, and when I got it I saw that most of the recipes are not ones I'd make because they call for so many ingredients that are unfamiliar and I don't have. I'm trying to simplify, not complicate, you know? But I love the look and idea of the book, so I decided to salvage the situation by seeking out recipes that make use of more familiar ingredients and substitute for the rest. And this soup turned out great! It's thick and hearty with lentils, barley, beans (I used canned) and mushrooms. The only complaint from my little mushroom lover (Rainer) was that the mushrooms were chopped too small and he couldn't find them!
The bread is delcious as well. What I like about the recipe is that you can throw in whatever you want, including seeds and nuts. And you don't have to knead it!
We are still enjoying our homemade jams from the summer--we have tons of it, even after giving it as gifts . . .This one is nectarine--a particularly good one.
I surely don't have time to type out this long recipe (and couldn't find a link, unfortunately) but here are some links to some of my favorite tried and true soups:
Black Bean Soup (very fast and easy for a weeknight or a quick lunch--love this recipe)
Rustic Lentil Soup (a newer favorite here)
North Woods Bean soup (an old Cooking Light favorite I've made again and again)
Mushroom and Barley soup (we've only made this once, actually, but I'm looking forward to making it again to please Rainer with all those mushrooms!)
Zucchini Soup (looking forward to summer for this one)