I've moved!

New Web Address.

http://polkadotsandpastries.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/croissant-adventure/

2013 in review

I know that 2013 is not yet at a close, but it is getting quite close.  As with every year I did not accomplish everything that I had planned, but life is more than things we plan on a list.  And while I did not get to see the Mutter Museum I did get to visit New Orleans.  I did not cook as much, but I earned a master's degree in education and started a teaching job.

Fall Reading List

Today is the first day since early September that I feel like I can breath.  I feel like I'm able to get back into my own skin.  Today, I cleaned my pantry, kitchen, and dinning room.

Settling In

We found a nice apartment in a suburb of Portland. It's near enough to Alex's school that he can walk or bike.  Unpacking has been very slow since I started my new job the day after we finished unloading the U-Haul.  I'm hoping to have posts again about sewing and cooking as soon as I find all of my materials.  In the mean time here are some pictures of the new place.

Living room

 

More D.C. photos

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Small Blog Meet: April

April...

 Wow. 

 March just flew by. I had so much planned and nothing got accomplished. 

 A few weeks ago I purchased these beautiful fat quarters.

New patterns

So, if you don't already know I love patterns.  I like looking at them, touching them, and acquiring them.  At one point I considered calling this blog some like pattern queen or pattern obsessions.  Or some sort of variation on patterns and possibly recipes.

The need to craft has hit me once again, but I just cannot seem to find the time.  There is just not enough hours in the day to work, read for my molecular anthropology class, make plans for the future, eat, spend time with my hubby, and sleep.  So, to all my sewing followers who are wondering why they are following a food blog I apologize.  When it gets crazy busy I figure I still need to eat.  I can snap quick pics of the food I'm making and presto-chango a blog post.  I will try (no promises) to have more crafty posts in the coming days, weeks, months!  Now, if you follow me for my cooking posts, don't worry a girl still has to eat!

On to the real reason for this post...

Today the mail was very good to me.  New (to me) SewLiberated patterns.  Oh, happy day!  Now if you didn't know SewLiberated is having a pattern sale to make room for new patterns to come. So go check it out.  Right now!  I love SewLiberated patterns.  They are fun and easy to use.  I look forward to making the shirt for my niece and not that I need another apron, but the apron for me.



These three patterns are on clearance. So snatch them up while you can!

Small Blog Meet: March 2012

March...

The third month already?

Just 19 days until my birthday.

Happy 31 years to myself is just a few weeks from now.

I have been lackadaisical in my sewing and quilting of late.  

But, the urge to create has struck me once again.  

Here is my work so far on my newest creation.  

This fabulous quilt is going to be done with circle appliques. 

I haven't decided if I want to do all one size circles or different sizes like I've cut out above. 

I am so excited.  

Happy March First fellow quilters and sewing enthusiasts.

A Big Thanks to Lily's Quilts for the small blog meet.  I enjoyed it so much the last time I linked up in September.  I thought I'd try it again.

Hope Sewing is Genetic: Fugly Fabric Giveaway!

As I mentioned on Saturday...


Hope Sewing is Genetic: Fugly Fabric Giveaway!: Welcome to my contribution to the first ever Fugly Fabric Giveaway - and, well, my first ever giveaway at all! I fell in love with the idea...


Go check her out and maybe win some fabric!

Healthily eating

Harvard's answer to the new USDA food pyramid replacement the Myplate.

Image found on Carrots and Cake

20 Questions

I saw this survey over at Best Body Fitness.  I though it would be fun to play along.

1) What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday?

• Curled up with a book and a kitty.

2) List your top three favorite TV shows.

• The Office
• Grimm
• Master Chef

3) Would you rather be in pictures or take them?

• Both!

4) Why do you blog?

• For the old lady in me who wants to document my daily life for posterity.  
• To share my cooking and sewing adventures.  

5) Share five websites that you visit regularly…

• Pintrest
• Hope Sewing is Genetic
• Chicken Blog  
• Sew Liberated
• Girlichef

6) If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list who would it be?

• From my followers: Girlichef
• From who I follow:  Jillian Michaels

7) List a few of your favorite snacks.

• Greek yogurt
• Dried fruit 

8 ) Do you have a pet? If so, what kind?

• I have two cats.  Zoey and Mamasita.  Of course I talk about my cats all the time so most of you probably already knew this about me!

9) Which three material possessions would you struggle to live without?

• My Journal
• Clothing
• My Laptop

10) What’s your favorite drink?

• Tea. Hot.  Especially Chai!
• Followed by water.  Really, I drink water all the time.  

11) Do you enjoy cooking?

• Yes.  I finally overcame my aversion to making things on my own.  I avoided it for so long, but now I cannot get enough of all the possibilities cooking your own food can bring.  If I want cookies I can make cookies.  If I want chicken Alfredo I can do that too!

12) Do you have children?

• No children, yet!  Just two spoiled kitties.  

13) What are your favorite hobbies?

• Reading
• Cooking
• Sewing
• Knitting

14) Would you consider yourself to be shy or outgoing?

• It all depends on the day and event.  Sometimes I'm very shy and other times I'm very outgoing.

15) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?

• My outlook on life.  I wish that I was a little more positive about things.

16) Who is your favorite actor/actress?

• Amy Adams.  I think she is so cute and made a wonderful Julie Powell in the movie.

17) What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?

• Walking around my neighborhood taking pictures if the winter trees.

18) Do you live near your family or far from them?

• Both my In-Laws and my sister and her family , and my aunts are only an hour to an hour and a half away.  Not right around the corner, but also not to far for a I just need to spend a day with my family trip.  

19) List three of your talents.

• Reading a book in a day
• Sewing an apron in a day
• Typing fast.  

20) What is your greatest attribute?

• That I never give up.  Sometime I waiver, sometimes I change my mind, but in the end I try to always see things through to the end.  

So, what are some things about you?  

I hope you all are having a great Friday!

Life to music

Today I hear Journey blaring in my mind. Like a broken record. Over and over. The sound track to the life that maybe I'd like to imagine I live.

Do you ever do that? Imagine your life as a musical? Or just a plain movie?

Right now I am.

For example my high school years would be like a John Hughes movie. You know sixteen candles, Breakfast club, etc.

Now, my life would be a boring documentary.

What is next?  Who knows but I'd like to liven things up a little.

Library Trip

This morning I stopped by the local library.

There I picked up three books to start off the new year with.

A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi

The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi

French Women Don't Get Fat:  The Secret Life of Eating for Pleasure  by Mireille Guiliano 

Yogi Tea

My morning tea today!

I love yogi tea. 

On every one is a positive saying.

This morning my tea tag said...

"Love is where compassion and kindness rules"

Sounds good to me.  

Day 14

Eleven Days Till Christmas!

And I'm still freezing!

Here is some more of my glutoney for this week.



Time to eat Pizza, watch NCIS, and serf the net.

Day 13

Twelve days until Christmas.

I still don't have all my shopping to do.

Tonight Alex and I had Mongolian BBQ for dinner the second night in a row.

Yummy takeout with soup and noodles.

It's been so cold here that I'm not doing much of anything, except snuggling with Zoey.

Maybe tomorrow will be warmer and I'll be able to work on some projects without my fingers getting cold.

Until tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day.

Feet

Day Ten

Day Ten

Laptop is back into action. Hard-drive has been wiped clean and everything re-installed.

I am hopeful that this will help with our card problem. Tonight Alex's computer gets it's cleaning. Both the insides and outsides.

Other than that it's been a lazy day. I've been watching Hell's Kitchen and trying to get the crink out of my neck.

So I'll just share with you some photos I've taken recently.

Here are the magazines I've been reading recently.

Yarn

And here is the progress I've made on my niece's scarf.

That's all for now. Happy Weekend.

Friday

Day Nine!

I had today off. A three day weekend is just what I needed to relax. I plan on doing some reading, some sewing, and some knitting.

However, I spent today loading all my photos onto Flickr, so that Alex can wipe my hard drive in case I have some malware hiding.

So, I have no photos for you today, since I'm still loading as we speak.

In other news I started on the scarf for my niece. Though I'm unsure that I'll be done by Christmas.

I also want to make something for my sister. I will not mention what since she might be reading this. (I love you sissy!)

Happy Friday!

Day Eight

Day 8

I've been lax on my exercising these past few days. Tomorrow is weigh in and I doubt that there will be any loss. Probably even a little gain. Tis the way of things.

I've been dreaming of beef stew today. I did a little drooling over a couple of recipes in Julia's Kitchen Wisdom.

Sounds like a plan for the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, mine starts tomorrow.

I'm so very excited. Alex and I are going to Cornish Christmas tomorrow night.

Well happy Thursday