30 March 2011
Y'all know that I'm a hardcore Nourish fan from back in the day. We literally use a capful of lavender oil in every bath for our kids or ourselves and I love to wash my babes with the sweet orange wash or rub eucalyptus balm on their chests when they're congested.
A couple of weeks ago I met Melissa for coffee (I got to meet her brand new baby girl, Lyric - so sweet!) and she gave me a bottle of her Coconut Wash to try. I was so happy with my sweet orange wash that I didn't have a big need to switch over, but I was definitely open to trying something new.
I started using it for Oliver and Hazel when the weather was icky and they were both sick and the smell alone made us all feel better. Mmmm... summer in a bottle. Melissa told me that this product had a bit higher oil content in it than the other washes and I could definitely tell the difference. Even if I didn't use lavender oil, the kids were still coming out of the tub feeling so soft and moisturized.
So glad I gave the coconut "flavor" a whirl. I think it's going to be our summer go-to for kids needing baths after being in the harsh swimming pool chemicals. They'll be soft and sweet smelling all summer long!
And, since I promised a giveaway today, Melissa is giving one Finding My Feet reader an 8 0z. Organic Coconut Wash AND a 2 oz. Coconut Balm (smells SO stinkin' good!).
So, who wants it?
Here's how to enter:
1. Leave a comment (only one per person, please) telling me what you love best about summer OR what was the last movie you watched (and how did you like it?).
2. That's all.
One winner will be chosen at random on Saturday, April 2nd. (Can you believe it's almost April already!!?)
Here's to staying soft and smelling good! Happy Wednesday, friends!
29 March 2011
Y'all want a great summer sandwich recipe? Ryan and I have been making this bad boy for years (I originally found the recipe in one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks - because really, you can't go wrong with the Contessa!), and it's always a hit to serve for company (just ask Keight!)
And so, I give you, a Caesar salad on a bun (think of the bread as the croutons!):
The Caesar Club Sandwich
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
1 large ciabatta loaf (you can pick up a fresh loaf at Panera for $2.50)
2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil (I sometimes skip these, but Ryan likes them!)
2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved
Caesar salad dressing
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts in a glass baking dish skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.
Meanwhile, place the pancetta on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.
Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on both cut sides and toast the bread in the oven, cut sides up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in quarters crosswise. Serve at room temperature with lemonade or sweet tea and some good baked rosemary potato fries.
My friend Jen and her family are planning a visit this weekend and I'm thinking of busting out my favorite sammie for her and her crew. Yum!
A couple of months ago I was enjoying my friend Nicole's beautiful blog and I noticed that she was working with some adorable fabrics that I had never seen before. I emailed her about the designer and line and she replied that the fabrics were designed by Heather Ross, but they were out of print and I might have a hard time finding them for sale anywhere.
Now, I love a good challenge. So a-hunitng I went for the fantastic fishy fabrics on Nicole's blog.
Fail. The best I could find was less than half a yard for $23 or cut up pajama sleeves and panels once made with the fabric, now for sale on Etsy. Not going to cut it.
I reported to Nicole my failure to locate the fabric at a reasonable price in a commiserating fashion and next thing I knew she was packing up some of her best Heather Ross scraps and sending them off to me as if it was no big deal. (Can we talk about what a fantastic example of generosity she is? Putting others above self, and even more - putting others above pretty fabric! :) Man, I have SO much room to grow!)
Also, she said she was sending "scraps", but what arrived in my mailbox only days later were near fat quarters or bigger of this fabric line which is now more valuable in weight than gold bullion. She included a sweet note and when I replied, overwhelmed, she just told me to do something fabulous with it!
No pressure.
It took me a few weeks to muster up the courage to even cut into the little treasures, but I eventually got to work figuring out how I could eek it all into one project, wasting as little woven gold as possible.
And thus, Rowan's baby quilt was conceived. I added two fabrics of my own so that I had enough fabric to work with, and I managed a way to use every inch of that lovely gifted fabric in the quilt. The scraps I cut were only shreds to square things up. Success!
My quilt top:
Seriously, I love these little fish in bags!
I spent time this past Friday and Saturday quilting the bottom fabric to the top in individual sections and on Sunday afternoon I finally arrived at my very favorite part of the quilting process: hand stitching the binding!
I know that hand stitching bias tape is something folks either love or loathe, but I enjoy it so much because it's so relaxing, so rhythmic, so blissfully mindless! A perfect way to rest on a Sabbath afternoon.
And before I know it, my quilt was complete!
{And then my one-year-old crawled all over it and got it all rumply.} Is rumply a word? Spell-check says so, but still, I'm nervous.
I got to deliver the quilt to little squeaky himself just yesterday evening. He didn't seem to be very moved by my gift, but I'm sure some day he'll express all kinds of gratitude to his Auntie for such a kind gesture. (and also to Nic for the lovely fabrics!) :)
Happy Tuesday, friends! I'm planning a fun giveaway tomorrow - something that will make the weather seem warm, even if the thermometer says differently.
28 March 2011
The best way
I have found
to get my children to devour their vegetables without complaint,
is hiding them in spaghetti sauce
with a leeeetle bit of brown sugar added for sweetness.
Now to get their faces back to a normal flesh tone...
Happy Monday, friends!
26 March 2011
This is my brand new, still-has-that-newborn-smell nephew, Rowan.
His gums look like newborn gums and his squeaks and cries are those unmistakable newborn sounds.
He was born on the 17th and his due date was today. Yes, today.
Those toes could still very well be in-utero. De-lish.
I still haven't dared hold him. My family has had the plague, after all. But I did stop by on Thursday once I had all my gross under control just to sneak a peek and keep a good camera's length between me and him.
Mmmm... he's everything.
I can't wait to see you again soon, sweet boy. Until then, rest well in your little bed.
{I made new bedding for him in the early hours of my sister's labor - waiting impatiently to be called upon to help. Turns out there was plenty of time since more than 48 hours passed between water breaking and me getting cord blood squirted all over my sweatshirt. A badge of honor, indeed!}
24 March 2011
Morning, friends!
Today I am guest posting about "Balance" at Lovely by M {a part of twig creative} in their Love Out Loud series. My first guest post ever!
Feel free to stop by - it would be great to see your familiar faces!
23 March 2011
Today, I am thankful.
I'm thankful for eager hostas,
for the first two tulip blooms of the year,
and the very first blossom on Lila, my beloved lilac bush.
I love Spring! It is so full of hope and promises!
What are you thankful for today?
22 March 2011
A little over a month ago I contacted my bloggy friend Keight (of Putapuredukes) about a real-life meet-up in the form of a weekend of sewing fun at my house. Until this point, we had only been readers of each others' blogs and had exchanged emails for several months about sewing projects and such. We clicked so well by correspondence that we decided to throw our friendship into the deep end to see if it could really swim for what was later named HSD (hardcore sewing delight) Weekend.
I had been planning for Keight's arrival for weeks. Making sure my sewing room was well-stocked with fabric and notions and anything we might need. I had delicious meals planned, I converted Ryan's office into a guest room complete with an elevated air mattress, fresh hydrangeas and a bedside carafe.
And then, it happened. Two nights before Keight was due to arrive I started getting hot and cold and achey. And I don't think it was because I was nervous (though I was!). I totally had a fever. The next day I ran around town finishing up errands and stocking up on every type of cold/cough/fever medicine I could find. I emailed her to tell her that I was getting sick and thought I would be better soon, but to come at her own risk.
And thus marked the beginnings of all the "hardcore" that would be HSD Weekend.
She arrived early Friday afternoon and it was crazy to actually see her in person! She promptly informed me that I was a lot shorter in person than she imagined and I knew we were going to get along great.
I showed her around (which was really weird to do because she'd already my house in photos on my blog) and then we settled in to my sewing room to make a game plan. We'd been listing for weeks all the projects we wanted to tackle while she was here and so we figured out where to begin and got to it.
Then the fever came back. My skin started to ache and I got SO tired. I was not about to let this dumb fever get the better of my long-awaited weekend of sewing fun. More ibuprofen, a bowl of corn chowder and back to it. I wanted to make a good impression, I did NOT want Keight to feel bad about me being sick and I did NOT want her to go home.
We had a good first night, but only produced one pair of ruffle bloomers each. I'm pretty sure I bailed by 10:30 and told her she was welcome to stay up and sew as long as she liked.
The next day my voice was completely gone and I was speaking only in whispers (which gave a mysterious air to everything I said!), but I was feeling better and we transformed the most amazing pair of WalMart sweatpants into two sweatshirts for our little boys using a favorite Heidi & Finn pattern.
We took a break to enjoy a killer Caesar Sandwich made by Ryan (recipe coming later this week!) and made a run to WalMart and to Chick-fil-a for some lemonade for my throat.
We also knocked out some pinafores for our gals and while Keight was on a tear, blasting through project after project, I was feeling a severe need to put on the brakes. I hated to do it, but I excused myself for "just a minute" and ended up falling asleep on my bed for over an hour!
I woke up feeling slightly guilty but MUCH better and returned to our projects with more vigor than I'd had all weekend. (Keight said later that she had wondered up until that point if she had overestimated our compatibility personality-wise, but as soon as I started feeling like myself for the first time all weekend she knew she had been right on.)
We laughed and worked and hung out Saturday night until well, WELL past midnight. She now lovingly refers to my Saturday rest as my "crack nap" because I was suddenly feeling so much better I was doing everything at lightning speed - catching up to her on the things she had been doing while I was asleep.
Apart from the fact that my voice was ENTIRELY gone, I was definitely on the mend. Except that the next morning I woke up and my eyes were killing me. They were puffy and watering and Ryan and Keight kept telling me it was allergies but I knew something bad was happening. Something really, really bad. We stayed home from church since the kids and I were still not yet 24 hours fever-free, and by lunch time my eyes were so ouchy that I knew I must have gotten viral conjunctivitis from my upper-respiratory yuck. Pink Eye. Awesome. Keight's really going to like me now!
Keight made a few felt headbands for Layla (her 4-month-old daughter), but we mostly laid low on Sunday, playing with the kids and enjoying our last few hours of Keight's visit. She had brought gifts for Oliver and Hazel including a Where's Waldo Ulitmate Travel Book and a pack of temporary tattoo mustaches, and an orange elephant bank to add to their eclectic collection. I think the mustaches were intended to be applied to your index finger for on-and-off disguising, but we were feeling brave so we decided to apply them straight on the upper lips of our unsuspecting offspring.
The Where's Waldo book was the hit of the day.
I'm pretty sure Keight was homeschooling my children in Where's Waldo. She feels strongly about finding that elusive little man.
Even Layla got in on the finding action. (FTR: Layla was definitely being closely monitored in her Bumbo seat on the table - no worries!) :)
Isn't she a cutie? I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of her with her Mama in their makeshift guest room.
It was almost time for Keight and Layla to head back home when we realized we still hadn't managed a photo of the two of us together. But seriously y'all, I was in NO shape to be photographed. So, at the risk of looking like a total diva, and with the gracious permission of Keight, I agreed to a photo if I could wear enormous sunglasses to hide the hideousness that was my poor ocular area.
So, here it is. Our one photographic proof that we really did hang out together for the weekend:
As Ryan, Keight and I were chatting and laughing and testifying to God's goodness in our lives after dinner Saturday evening Ryan said, "You know girls, meeting each other definitely didn't happen by chance." He's right. God brings us friends in unexpected places all the time. Most commonly they're local (and should be!), but sometimes he gives us a relationship worth having in an unexpected way. God gave me a sister in Christ that makes me laugh and challenges me to put the Gospel into action (and to use coordinating thread, even when it means a few extra steps).
Thanking the Lord for a new friend (and some prescription eye drops!) today.
Thanks for visiting, Keight! Come back again when I'm fever-free and we'll really make that serger tired!
21 March 2011
As our sheets were drying in the sunshine on the back porch,
Oliver and I were struck with a fabulous idea.
A little of this...
a little of that...
and "Oliver the Science Kid" (as he prefers to be called at times like these)
got to do what boys like to do on sunny Spring days.
He even surprised me with a thank-you note a few hours later. :)
Love that kid.
Looking through the refrigerator this morning for Hazel's breakfast, the only yogurt flavor I could find was Chocolate Underground. Certainly not purchased with her in mind, but I don't think she minded one bit. :)
We had a fabulous weekend with a very special houseguest, which I plan to tell you all about shortly. But in the meantime, I'm waiting for my doctor's office to open because I'm sick sick sick.
But, if Hazel's chocolatey breakfast fortune is any indicator of how our week will be shaping up, I think we're off to a great start!
Happy Monday, friends!
18 March 2011
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