Well guys...things are crazy busy over here this week. I am still working on 3 custom orders, and I am helping my boyfriend clean and pack because he is moving 3 hours away to go back to school and finish his degree. At my day job, we are into the final stretch of an expansion and relocating employees so I am being pulled from reception to assist with that, which is severely cutting into my knitting and computer time sadly.
Next week I start classes as well! Although one is online and the other only meets one night a week. My boss is only thinking he needs my help Monday & Tuesday too, so hopefully I can give you a better Shop Info post than this.
There probably won't be a Free Pattern Friday post this week either, unless I run across something on my brief stints on Facebook and then it will be a super short post. Monday's post will still happen because I was on a roll with ideas and pre-scheduled a bunch of them. I am hoping when things dies down I can get a bunch of Shop Info and Free Pattern Friday posts scheduled too n_n
Thanks for your patience and see you next week!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Cucumber Melon Smoothies
Yes, I have become slightly obsessed with smoothies. As I mentioned before, I am just not a breakfast person so these are a great compromise for me getting something in my stomach to kick start my metabolism first thing in the morning. Yes you can just search the internet, and I often do, but I like to record my favorites. I also see that a lot of recipes make large smoothies, and I am aiming at a 12-16 oz serving size. Plus I love stuff I can prep in advance to save time later (especially when I am still waking up!). Hopefully you find my sharing this with you helpful n_n
This resulted in 8 packets. I split the cucumber and melon into eighths, but the amounts per packet were pretty spot on. The only thing I had leftovers of was the mint--I used a little over half. Depending on the size lime juice and honey you buy, you will probably have leftovers of these as well. I just used honey I had on hand, and bought one of those little bulb bottles of lime juice which didn't have much left when I was done.
Even though this is more of a delicately flavored smoothie, I included the flax and almond butter anyway. You could taste the almond butter, but it was subtle enough to not ruin the flavor of the smoothie. This is also probably one of the most refreshing smoothies I have made! It is great for sipping on while chilling on the porch on a warm summer day. I feel like this well become more of a snack than a breakfast for me n_~
I definitely prefer sandwich bags. My packets are at most 2 cups of fruit and greens, but I like the extra room because I can lay the bags flat and the fruits and greens can spread out and don't make huge clumps when they freeze (which works much better in the blender).
I have also found I need to upgrade blenders. I was using my mom's GE 12 oz single serving blender, but I find I need a little more room to get all the frozen fruit to blend nicely (I particularly had problems with the Tropical Green smoothie). So I have invested (kind of..it was only $14) in the Hamilton Beach single serve blender which holds about 16 oz and gives that extra room I need for blending.
Now that I've bombarded you with a month of smoothies, what are your favorites? Do you eat them for breakfast, snacks, or other meal replacements? What about those of you who are lactose-intolerant, gluten free, or vegan? Share your favorites and suggestions in the comments!
| Shopping List: 1 honeydew melon 1 english cucumber 1 bunch mint lime juice honey | Per packet: 1/2 c honeydew 1/4 c cucumber 6 mint leaves 1 Tbsp lime juice 1/2 Tbsp honey |
This resulted in 8 packets. I split the cucumber and melon into eighths, but the amounts per packet were pretty spot on. The only thing I had leftovers of was the mint--I used a little over half. Depending on the size lime juice and honey you buy, you will probably have leftovers of these as well. I just used honey I had on hand, and bought one of those little bulb bottles of lime juice which didn't have much left when I was done.
Even though this is more of a delicately flavored smoothie, I included the flax and almond butter anyway. You could taste the almond butter, but it was subtle enough to not ruin the flavor of the smoothie. This is also probably one of the most refreshing smoothies I have made! It is great for sipping on while chilling on the porch on a warm summer day. I feel like this well become more of a snack than a breakfast for me n_~
I definitely prefer sandwich bags. My packets are at most 2 cups of fruit and greens, but I like the extra room because I can lay the bags flat and the fruits and greens can spread out and don't make huge clumps when they freeze (which works much better in the blender).
I have also found I need to upgrade blenders. I was using my mom's GE 12 oz single serving blender, but I find I need a little more room to get all the frozen fruit to blend nicely (I particularly had problems with the Tropical Green smoothie). So I have invested (kind of..it was only $14) in the Hamilton Beach single serve blender which holds about 16 oz and gives that extra room I need for blending.
Now that I've bombarded you with a month of smoothies, what are your favorites? Do you eat them for breakfast, snacks, or other meal replacements? What about those of you who are lactose-intolerant, gluten free, or vegan? Share your favorites and suggestions in the comments!
Friday, August 9, 2013
Free Calcifer Pattern
Let's keep the theme going n_n This week's free pattern is for an amigurumi (crochet plush) Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle which is another anime film by Studio Ghibli. This film is one of my favorites, both by Studio Ghibli and in general. It is based off the book with the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, which I also recommend.
Calcifer is a fire demon. His anime version is rather cute and tiny, but his book counterpart is less corporeal and definitely more demonic. In both versions his character is great and easy to become a fan of.
I originally came across this pattern when looking for all kinds of anime plush, hoping to use it for a swap. I held off though until I joined a Studio Ghibli swap this past winter and I made a Calcifer for my partner.
If you think he is cute, check out djonesgirl's pattern. It is pretty easy so not a bad choice for a beginner.
I also recommend you check out the movie and book n_n
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Help Me Choose Charity Items
About 3 weeks ago I mentioned on my Facebook and Google pages that I had been asked to donate some items to a local charity called Three Strikes for Sean. I'll copy the brief description here for your reference:
So now I am reaching out to you all and asking if you have any suggestions. I am currently playing around with the the idea of making more soccer cleats and Chicago Bears booties to appeal to the parents of boys, and I am thinking a pair of Mary Janes (pink or lavender...I haven't decided yet) and possibly a pair of sandals (no idea which style or colors yet!) to appeal to the parents of girls.
What do you think: Yay or Nay? Should I nix the sandals? Maybe you think a pair of Chucks should make the cut? Do you have any other suggestions for recreations or original ideas?
Please post your suggestions in the comments n_n
Donations don't need to be received until October 1, but I am trying to brain storm now so that once I get all my orders due in September finished I can dive right in!
I had been contacted specifically for my infant footwear. The kind woman reaching out to me said she really liked my booties and sandals and thought they would be a big hit for their raffle and/or giveaways as there will be many parents present, a quite a few with babies. I asked if she was looking for anything in particular and she gave me some fairly broad parameters: I know sports team stuff is always popular for boys or pink/purple stuff for girls.
Sean is a 7 year old boy suffering from many medical conditions including seizures, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, hearing loss and a condition called Chromosome 18q deletion. The fundraiser is being sponsored by Ready Set Ride Therapeutic Recreation Facility where the young boy takes weekly equine therapy. Funds collected will allow the family to continue with doctor visits, treatments, and therapies. A portion of the funds will also go to Ready Set Ride.
So now I am reaching out to you all and asking if you have any suggestions. I am currently playing around with the the idea of making more soccer cleats and Chicago Bears booties to appeal to the parents of boys, and I am thinking a pair of Mary Janes (pink or lavender...I haven't decided yet) and possibly a pair of sandals (no idea which style or colors yet!) to appeal to the parents of girls.
What do you think: Yay or Nay? Should I nix the sandals? Maybe you think a pair of Chucks should make the cut? Do you have any other suggestions for recreations or original ideas?
Please post your suggestions in the comments n_n
Donations don't need to be received until October 1, but I am trying to brain storm now so that once I get all my orders due in September finished I can dive right in!
Monday, August 5, 2013
Pickles & Pizza
This will be a week of cooking, baking, and experimenting with food it seems...
This weekend I decided to make pickles. I had trouble finding appropriate cucumbers so I went with English (ended up using 1.5 per recipe). I also cut down the water in the dill recipe to 2 c and added 2 c to the bread and butter recipe to get each recipe to fit nicely in 1 qt jars (this also resulted in just 1/2 an onion in the bread and butter recipe).
Dill Pickles
I made these for my brother as they are the only kind of pickles he likes. They were a success but he did say they have their own flavor (he was comparing them to my buddy's mom's recipe...I may have to ask her what she did n_~)
I made these for my brother as they are the only kind of pickles he likes. They were a success but he did say they have their own flavor (he was comparing them to my buddy's mom's recipe...I may have to ask her what she did n_~)
These were good but missing something...perhaps not enough sugar (I did 1/2 c not 3/4 c). Another possibility is the wrong vinegar and sugar as I've seen other recipes using apple cider vinegar and brown sugar or a combo of those with white and white. The only spice I might be missing is cloves it seems. I'll just have to tweak things next time around I think
Saturday evening after preparing the pickles, I went to Angelo Caputo's in search of delicious Italian meats and walked out with a half pound of prosciutto and a half pound of hot sopressata. They were delicious and the boyfriend and I ate them with buttered croissants, but now we have a ton of leftover meat. The obvious solution was to make a white pizza.
We were going to make our own thin crust, but when we got to my buddy's house we discovered he didn't even have flour let alone the other ingredients. So instead we settled for Trader Joe's pizza dough. We also picked up Trader Joe's garlic olive oil. The pizza turned out very well and we still have left over meat and cheese so there may be a repeat later this week.
Tonight I will be making sun pork and later this week I will make my kebabs and grilled asparagus again (they are pretty basic; I just let the meat marinade in this spice rub for 24 hours then coat the kebabs with Open Pit before grilling, the asparagus just gets a slather of olive oil and fresh minced garlic with a dash of salt).
My mom and I also found some new recipes to try: zucchini chips (a FB recipe, although my last two FB recipes made a delicious dinner), parmesan kale chips, zucchini muffins, and cucumber salsa.
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