marissamakes

Handmade + Heartfelt: Painted Postcards

2012-01-31T11:00:00.003-05:00

Crazy to think that it's almost February! If this month has been any indication, 2012 is going to be one fast-paced year. With a month full of sweetness upon us, I figure this is a perfect time to bring back the Handmade + Heartfelt series.

I've been busy at work on some Valentine's Day themed exchanges that I'm participating in through Swap-bot. {Can't say enough good things about that site. Snail mail ROCKS!} I made these pretties for Rachel's swap of Handmade Valentine Postcards.

I got the inspiration for this project from a tutorial featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper last summer. Watercolor -- and paint in general -- is a medium that I don't often use. Seeing how simple the technique is + the lovely results it produces gave me the encouragement to try. The ingredients that I used for this project are:

5"x7" watercolor postcards
watercolor paint
big fluffy brush
handmade Speedy Carve stamp {though any store-bought one will do}
ink pad
paper towel
water

I made the stamp a few weeks ago using a linoleum cutter and a Speedy Carve block. There are a number of ways of transferring images to a block for carving; I just free-handed a design directly on the rubber with a ballpoint pen. {The only tricky part is to make sure any lettering in the design is reversed on the stamp, so that it reads properly when printed.} Then I just carved + carved away!

Using a small amount of water, I made the paint as concentrated as I could before randomly brushing it across the paper. {Too much water will quickly cause your paper to warp and buckle.} I chose shades of pink, purple + white, dabbing the excess moisture from the postcard with a paper towel before adding new colors. {Sorry for the lack of photos on these steps, I sometimes forget to shoot when I'm in my creative zone!}

Once the paper was dry, I inked up the stamp, positioned it on the card + pressed down firmly to get a nice print. Then I swiped the ink pad at an angle along the card's edges to add a little more detail. I experimented with a couple of different inks that I had in my stash -- a metallic gold pigment {above} + Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tea Dye {below}.

I especially love how the "tea dye" stamp turned out! It reminds me of batik printed fabric. The great thing about these Valentine's Day postcards is that no two are alike! Plus, they're easy enough to make with kiddos. {I really hope that my swap partner, Jaime, likes the one I've mailed!}

If you're interested in getting in on some fun swap action, the last day to join the FaveCrafts Annual Valentine's Day Card Swap is tomorrow! I'm signed up for it... you should, too! You never know, maybe we'll be paired up as swap buddies! ❤

Let Your Light Shine

2012-01-24T08:25:00.008-05:00

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:15-16 (NIV)

I've been doing a fair amount of embroidery these days. Nothing big, just tinkering around + free-hand stitching as I go. I'd really like to design some patterns, so that I have at least a bit of direction in mind with where my projects should head.

A couple of weekends ago, a threadbare spot on one of my favorite pairs of jeans finally gave way. {Heartbreaking when that happens, isn't it?} While they were no longer wearable, I couldn't bear to just toss them. From the knees down, they were just as richly colored as when I bought them. Surely I could make something out of the material. So, I cut a small section, grabbed a tiny embroidery hoop + searched my stash of floss for some inspiration. I really loved the way the orange + yellow strands stood out so brightly against the dark wash denim. It reminded me of sunshine.

Almost immediately, a verse from Matthew came to mind. That happens quite often to me... sometimes it's a line from a poem or song that just seems perfect for that moment. Anyway, I got to stitching + this is what came from it.

The world can be a pretty dark place. Just turn on the national or local news any night of the week, you'll see. I believe that by choosing kindness + love, though, I can make a difference to those around me. You never know if something as simple as a smile might shine a little ray of hope into a stranger's day. It reminds me of a quote that I tweeted last Monday:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. {Strength to Love}

How is your week going so far?

Taste of the Tropics

2012-01-19T12:00:00.004-05:00

On Monday, Kevin + I spent the day exploring one of our favorite places: Everglades National Park. It had been a few years since we'd done that + we were due for another visit. {I really should share some of the photos. With it being dry season here, there were alligators everywhere!} Anyway, it's our tradition to make a stop in Florida City at Robert Is Here for fresh fruit shakes on the drive home. {Robert Is Here actually deserves a post of its own! It's this fantastic combination of farmer's market, souvenir stand + petting zoo all rolled into one.}

On this visit, I finally summoned the courage to pick up a few different tropical fruit that I've always been curious about, but a bit too chicken to try. Right now, they're colorful, firm + not at all ready to eat. It's their ripened appearance + consistency {which I've observed at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden} that scares me.

This is the sapodilla. It's about the size of a Meyer lemon, looks kind of like a potato + has a gritty texture to its skin. What's really interesting to me is the description of its taste: pear with brown sugar. Sounds good! According to Robert himself, I should wait to eat it until it is very soft.

Here's the black sapote. Honestly, it's the one that simultaneously excites + repulses me the most. It's about the size + shape of a big tomato, but with smooth skin that looks like an apple's but seems a bit tougher. Black sapote is described as tasting like chocolate pudding when ripe... which you'll know when the skin turns completely black + leaks black juice. Yum!

Finally, this is a canistel. It's about the size of a large peach but with a pointed end + yellowy-orange skin that is smooth and fairly thin. Canistel is said to taste like sweet, creamy custard when it's ready. Robert showed me a trick for testing its ripeness. He had me make a relaxed fist with one hand + squeeze it with the other, noting the meaty part between my knuckles + wrist. A ripe canistel should be slightly softer than that.

The photos showing the individual fruit were taken this morning. I'm not sure how long they'll take to ripen, but I'm guessing maybe another week or two. I'll let you know how they look + taste as soon as they're ready!

Have you ever tried sapodilla, black sapote or canistel? {Please tell me they're not as bad as I fear!} Also, what's the most adventurous fruit you've ever eaten?

PS: Not sure if you noticed, but I added a watermark to today's photos. What are your thoughts on it? I'd like it to clearly identify my images, but without detracting too much from them.

Little Room, Big Problems

2012-01-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

{Remember that crazy photo I posted of our gutted master bath? Well, here's the post that I started writing about that little project back in May. Since this is the year that I take care of unfinished business... now's as good a time as any to finally tell this story!}

This is our master bathroom. That designation is ironic considering that, at barely 5' x 8', it's the smallest room in our house. We've always intended to redo it, hoping that somehow additional space could be carved away from adjacent rooms so that this one could grow a bit. Aside from its compact size, there are a few features that this bathroom came with which we've been itching to replace.

This Hollywood light fixture, for instance. It reminds me of something you might find in Miss Piggy's dressing room. Worse than the light, though, is the mirror... which hangs precariously from a soda-tab style hanger on the cardboard backing of its gold-tone POSTER FRAME. {Funny thing is, we never noticed the chintzy mirror until after we moved in.}

The only available storage space in the room comes from this authentic plastic, surface-mounted cabinet with faux louvered doors that hangs above the toilet. It's so tall and deep that it makes the room feel so much smaller than it already is. {Forget the fact that I can't reach the two upper shelves without stepping up on the toilet lid.}

Our lovely Amy Butler shower curtain hides another not-so-attractive feature: the sliding glass shower doors with dated aluminum framing.

The shower itself is tiny, too. The space isn't even wide enough for the littlest tub on the market! {Oh, what I wouldn't give to have just one bathtub in our house!} Some day, it WILL happen. Mark my words! haha

Our home was built in 1958, so it's clear that the bathroom was re-tiled sometime in the past decade or so. The tile that was used drives me crazy. It's a textured ceramic that's supposed to look like some kind of stone. Unfortunately, all that my eyes fix on when I look at it are the splotchy clusters of pixels printed on its surface.

Since moving into the house, we've discovered that the previous owners took rather interesting {i.e., lazy and/or cheap} approaches to several of the "updates" they made around the place. Because of the condition of the shower itself {missing grout + loose tiles}, we decided to stop using it nearly a year and a half ago.

Sadly, that isn't the worst of the problems we've found in this little room. While replacing the base board in our bedroom last month, Kevin uncovered something very disturbing: water has been leaking from some source within the bathroom wall for quite some time + has pretty much turned the wood studs that he could see into mulch. :o\

Depending on where the leak is coming from + how much damage it's done, the fix can either be relatively simple or really, really involved and expensive. {We're praying it's not the latter!} As with most things, though, there is a silver lining... we've decided to use this as an opportunity to create the bathroom we've always wanted {or at least as much of it as the little space will hold}. I can't wait!

Is there a room in your house that you absolutely despise? What would you change about it if you could?

Starting Small

2012-01-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

Remember how I mentioned that Kevin + I visited the Beaux Arts Festival every day last weekend? Well, I'm back to show you what we picked up!

For the past five years, we've been attending this same festival... always admiring, but never quite being in the position to start collecting. This year we were hopeful to find at least one piece in our price range. Fortunately, with some careful deliberation we were able to come home with two items we love... which now comprise our entire art collection. You can say we're starting small!

The first piece that we picked up is an etching titled Book of Birds by Marina Terauds. The amount of detail in this original print is amazing. I can't imagine how much time it must have taken her to create the plate, with its 19 different species and what seems like hundreds of thousands of stippled and hatched marks. I love that each bird bears a tiny banner with its scientific name!

We've decided that the perfect place for it is in our entryway. All we need to do is have it framed and it'll be ready to hang! Here's a look at what the space currently looks like. Pretty plain, huh?

Right now, this wall is home to a framed photo that we took in Portree during our honeymoon. We love the image and the reminder of our time in Scotland... but the print itself just seems too small for the space.

With the additional width that the frame will provide, I know that it is going to be much more appropriate for this area. Plus, what a nice little flock to be greeted by upon walking into the house!

The second piece that we settled on is a print of Whole World Atlas, an oil painting by Ken Orton. It's from his series "Light Preserved" and looks incredibly realistic. I can't get over the sharpness of the letters and how well he's captured the light! Notice anything in the print that may have influenced our decision to choose this one?

Orton's originals are impressive at 36" x 54". We'd love to someday hang one on our wall. {Twin Towers and Three More Brothers are on our wish list, if you're the gift-giving kind! Ha!} Until then, though, we're happy to display this much smaller copy.

Considering its subject matter, we've always known that this one is destined for the kitchen. It will actually hang on the other side of the same wall from our entryway. We'll just have to find a better home for the picture that's currently hanging above our cookbooks. It's one of my early favorites of us: a "self-portrait" taken in Balboa Park during our 2007 trip to San Diego.

Here's a preview of how the print will look in place. {Pay no mind to the manly arms in the photo.} Ever since he saw some interesting ones in an antiques shop, Kevin has been interested in starting a collection of canning jars. Maybe we can incorporate a few in this space, too.

I can't tell you how excited I am about these two new additions! In a funny way, they kind of make me feel a little more like a grown-up.

So, are you a collector? Do you have any bits of advice that might be helpful to us as we start out?

Favorite Find: C. Howard's Violet Mints

2012-01-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

The first place I ever saw C. Howard's Violet Mints was on the checkout counter at our neighborhood farmacia, which was run by an ancient little Cuban couple. You could always find the fancy foil-wrapped packs next to the crema de leche and coquitos. I must have been about six or seven when I got my first taste. Ever since, they've been my absolute favorite!

The C. Howard Company has been making the mint since 1930. As the name implies, it's a floral-flavored candy. For me, its fragrance is reminiscent of Royal Violets -- el perfume de la juventud. {If you've ever smelled a Cuban baby, you know exactly what I'm talking about!}

The best description I can give of its flavor is that it's uniquely perfume-y and long lasting... with a texture that is slightly chalky -- like Smarties or Necco Wafers -- but without the graininess, as if they're made of finer sugar.

Recently, I've noticed that violet mints are available at our favorite local specialty market + also at Powell's Sweet Shoppe locations in California... in other words, purveyors of excellent taste! That makes me happy, as sadly, our old neighborhood farmacia has since become a CVS. {Luckily, Santa thought I'd been a good girl last year, because I found a pack stuffed in my stocking!}

Is there a favorite candy of yours that evokes fond childhood memories?

PS: This is my 100th post on this blog! Thank you so much for following along on my adventures over the past 2¼ years... I've loved having you! Hopefully the next 100 posts won't take so long! :o)

#click366 {Week 1}

2012-01-08T18:19:00.005-05:00

Yesterday marked the end of the first week of my #click366 project. Seven photos down, 359 to go! Here's a look at what I've been up to since challenging myself to do something creative every day. It's pretty all-over-the-place! I'm hoping that as I settle into the project, a rhythm will develop + continuity between days will start to appear. Rummaging through my craft stash has been fun so far, though!

{Day 6} Hoop + Fabric

{Day 7} Beaux Arts Festival

That last photo is from the University of Miami's annual arts festival. Kevin + I go every year... and this weekend we went twice. There were a few pieces that caught our eye yesterday, so we went back today with Bella in tow + purchased two of them. I'm so excited to share them with you... so keep an eye out for that post in the next few days!

Star of Wonder

2012-01-05T08:00:00.004-05:00

Star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect Light.

-- Rev. John Henry Hopkins, Jr.

Tonight, just as I have every January 5th since I was a little girl, I'll be leaving a small pile of hay + a bowl of water on our front step. In Hispanic culture, it's the equivalent of putting out milk + cookies for Santa. Except instead of a visit from Old St. Nick, tonight I'll be expecting Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar... Los Tres Reyes Magos -- the Three Wise Men or Three Kings. {The hay + water are for their camels, of course!}

We celebrate Three Kings Day -- January 6th -- in observance of the Epiphany, the day on which the men finally arrived at Bethlehem where Jesus was and worshipped Him as the Christ. In the Gospel of Matthew, it is written that they traveled from the East and followed a star. This is why our Christmas tree is still up! Without its star, how will they find their way tonight?

The Three Kings each brought Jesus a gift: gold, frankincense + myrrh. They always leave a small present at our house, too. One of my all-time favorites from them was the Miami Sound Machine's "Primitive Love" cassette I got when I was seven. {I'm OLD folks!} C'mon, shake your body baby, do the conga! haha

Anyway, one of the best events this time of year is the Three Kings Parade here in Little Havana. Thousands of people come out to watch the floats, marching bands, local celebrities + the Three Kings themselves {with their camels!} make their way down Calle Ocho. So much fun!

Well, there you have it! A little look at our family tradition that officially wraps up the Christmas season in our home. Do you have any special family or cultural traditions associated with the Holidays?

Modern Stitching Sampler

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

My first project of 2012 is finished! Yay!

I spent a couple of relaxing hours last night just stitching away on a piece of Amy Butler fabric from my stash. {Recognize the pattern from anywhere?} What began as an exercise in practicing my embroidery resulted in this pretty piece! It reminds me of a modern take on the traditional stitching sampler. I think I'll hang it in my office!

The supplies are simple + inexpensive: a wooden embroidery hoop, a scrap of fabric {preferably one with an interesting print}, some colorful floss + a needle. Pretty basic!

Chain-stitched circles in green

Blanket-stitched edging, French knots + straight stitches

Running stitch + back stitch in pink

Overall, the year has gotten off to a gentle start. Today is my first day back at work after nearly two weeks off... so I'll hope that 2012's kindness continues there, too. How has your week been?

#click366 {photo-a-day project}

2012-01-02T08:00:00.003-05:00

Never underestimate the power of the tweet, people!

Thanks to a productive bout of late-night tweets yesterday, a little something called #click366 not only exists, but is up + running! {Thanks, Kira!} If you've ever thought about tackling a photo-a-day challenge... that's exactly what it is + now is the perfect time to start! The best part is, YOU make the rules!

I'm putting my own twist on the year-long project by pairing #click366 with a personal challenge to do at least one creative thing every single day. I'll be hosting my photos on the marissamakes Tumblr page + you're welcome to check them out!

If you're interested in creating your own project, it's not too late! {Remember, you make the rules. haha} Just head over to the #click366 group page + follow the instructions to get on board. :o)

2012: Brand New Day

2012-01-01T09:39:00.006-05:00

It's a brand new day.
The sun is shining.
It's a brand new day.
For the first time in a long, long time
I know I'll be okay.

-- Joshua Radin

I've never really been one for making resolutions. There are some things that I'd like to live consciously about, though, over the next 366 days. So I'll say that I'm going to try my best to:

worry less {about what I have no control over, what others think/say/do + the like}
take time {to spend in God's Word daily + to invest in those I love, even if it means putting off something I'd rather be doing at the moment}
drink more {more water, less of all that other stuff, especially chai}
TCB {take care of business... the unfinished kind, all that stuff I constantly think about but never do anything about}
embrace imperfection {it'll make my life much easier, a dear friend told me so... plus, I hear there's beauty in it}

So there you have them, the five things I'd like to focus on this year. Do you have a similar list?

2011: Another Year on the Books

2011-12-31T17:16:00.007-05:00

Well, hi there. It's been quite a while since I've posted... I really do hope that you've been well. After long absences like these, it's kind of scary checking back in for the first time. {These wise words describe my feelings best.}

Anyway, it's been on my heart for some time to stop by here and write one last thing before the big ball drops. If I can sit still long enough to finish this post, I may actually make it. The problem is, I'm not really sure where to start. It sounds cliché, but so much really has happened in my life... lots of it good, but a share of it bittersweet, too. I'm not sure what to share, what to keep to myself {which I do with an awful lot of things}, or how to do it.

So, I'll choose to highlight a handful of the bright spots:

TRAVEL

I definitely made my way around the country this year! Most of the trips I made with Kevin {four times to CA}, some I made alone {New Orleans + NC}, and one I made with my dear old Dad {Iowa}. The most fun was a spur-of-the-moment, bought-the-tickets-a-day-in-advance trip to Los Angeles to surprise Kevin's brother and his new wife. It was all worth the looks on their faces as we walked into their kitchen {which, of course, I failed to capture on camera}.

FITNESS

This year marked one of trying new things as far as fitness goes. Jazzercise, Zumba, cardio kickboxing + spinning are a few of the classes I checked out. I wasn't great at all of them, but I did manage to laugh at myself {quite a bit} in the process.

I also took part in a three-month weight training study that taught me how to use all those machines I'd previously avoided at the gym, and more importantly, showed me that I'm stronger than I used to think! Oh yeah, and I've got the muscles to prove it! ;o)

I also got out on the running path and stayed healthy enough to complete my first long-distance event in almost THREE years: a half marathon earlier this month.

GIVING BACK

This year, Kevin joined me in the classroom on Sundays. It's been so much fun teaching the two-year-olds together + I really get a kick out of seeing those little guys climbing all over him! They sure love "Mister Kevin"! We've also become active behind the scenes at church, helping to build sets and decorate the sanctuary for a couple of the different series. It's a lot of fun and a real treat to see how it all comes together!

This summer we took part in City Serve, helping to restore the home of Miss Barbara, an inspiring woman in the West Grove. On my trip to New Orleans, I got to spend part of the day with fellow Weddingbee friends pitching in at the Lower 9th Ward Village, an area that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

FRIENDS

{Photo by Dana/Ms. Sloth}

Speaking of New Orleans, it was there that I finally met so many {close to 30!} of the lovely ladies that I've gotten to know by blogging though Weddingbee. I had four of the sweetest roommates and had a wonderful time exploring the city's offerings... especially the beignets! Mmm!

Kevin and I got to catch up with some of our favorite far-away people, too: our friends Jeremy, Laurel + our goddaughter Quinn who we visited on their trip to Sarasota earlier this year and also hosted at our home this week. Love those guys SO much!

FAMILY

The happiest development of 2011 is that I became a first-time auntie! My sister welcomed the sweetest little girl name Emilia this summer + she has totally captured my heart. I visited her in Raleigh a few weeks after she was born + celebrated her first Christmas with us here in Miami last week! :o)

This fall, my Dad and I made a trip to Iowa to spend time with my great aunt. It meant so much to me to get to see her again. It was also pretty special to visit the places that so many generations of my family lived and farmed on + to share with my Dad all that I've learned about them.

HOME

This year we did a lot in the way of making our mark on this place we call home. From little projects like sprucing up the side yard, to major ones like literally gutting out the master bathroom {a very GOOD thing, as you'll see!}, we've given a lot of our spare time and energy to fixing up the place!

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Well, that gives you a taste of some of the good things I've been up to during my time away! Of course, there was also a healthy dose of crafting + making mixed in this year... but seeing as how this post is long enough already, I'll save that fun stuff for later.

I hope that you have been able to celebrate much sweetness this year. Looking forward, I hope that we all will have many blessings to count over the twelve months to come... especially those of health, happiness + beautiful moments with the ones we love!

Happy New Year, friends!

Mail Art: Decorated Envelopes

2011-07-15T13:15:00.009-04:00

One of our Sunday traditions includes breakfast at Barnes & Noble after church. While Kev orders our usual {hot chocolate for him, chai latte for me, and a couple of warm scones}, I head to the craft section and come back with an armful of books. A few months ago, I came across Handmade Hellos, by Eunice + Sabrina Moyle, the talented sisters behind Hello!Lucky. My heart fluttered as I flipped through page after page of lovely card + envelope projects. How awesome would it be to find something so pretty tucked in among the credit card offers and junk mail that usually fill our box! As with just about every other book that captures my heart, I made it mine and giddily added it to the collection.

Not too long ago, I saw a tweet from Swap-bot about a decorated envelope exchange and remembered the book. Immediately, I signed up and let my head swirl with ideas. Collages and sewn paper both came to mind, but ultimately I settled on the Micron pens + watercolor pencils I'd recently purchased. {Anything that's flat and lightweight should work!}

Here's one of the pieces that I made for the swap, which was customized based on one partner's love of gardening + all things Alice in Wonderland. {Do those doodled flowers look familiar at all?} Inside of the envelope, I included some little craft bits like punched paper pieces, homemade Alice tape stickers + ribbon scraps, plus a packet of watermelon seeds {perfect for next summer's garden!}.

I really had a fun time designing and making these. Plain old envelopes just won't cut it for me anymore! I feel like making tons more + mailing them to people I actually know. haha

Have you ever tried your hand at mail art? Would you be interested in participating in an envelope swap if I hosted one? :o)

Have a wonderful weekend!

From Sea to Shining Sea...

2011-07-04T05:00:00.001-04:00

From sea...

to shining sea...

and everywhere in between...

★★★ Let freedom ring! ★★★

Happy 235th birthday, America! Wishing you + yours a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Our Engagement Story

2011-07-03T02:10:00.003-04:00

July 3rd is a date that's grown to have quite a bit of significance in our family. Exactly one year ago, my beautiful sister exchanged vows with her husband. {Happy anniversary, Meredith + Jeremy!} Three years ago on this date, Kevin got down on one knee at the Sierra Buttes Lookout Tower and asked for my hand in one of the most touching, thoughtful and emotional moments I've ever experienced.

Just last week, I visited our wedding website, which is surprisingly still up and functional. On it Kevin and I share the stories of our first date and engagement, my favorite features of the whole site. What better way to celebrate our three-year "engagiversary" than to share our story with you!

Here it is, in Kevin's words.

: : ❤ : : ❤ : : ❤ : :

Marissa and I had been dating for just about two years when we took a quick trip to New York in June of 2008 to visit our friends Ivette and Manolo, see the sights of Manhattan, and to go to one of the last games to be played in 85-year-old Yankee Stadium. On the first day of our visit, we strolled around Central Park on a beautiful summer afternoon riding the carousel, enjoying an ice cream, and taking in the colors of the lush vegetation set against the urban background.

For me, it was a perfect day with a perfect woman that I had grown to love for so many reasons, including what I can best describe as her sweetness. With such an ideal setting, you might think that this proposal story was going to come to its conclusion right here. I know that’s what my family was hoping, exemplified by my brother’s text message a few months earlier reading, “Marry that girl … don’t let her get away”, after my unbelievable surprise 40th birthday party, organized by Marissa. No, the New York trip would be yet another time when my poor Mom would be denied the news of the daughter-in-law she had so patiently waited for.

What my family didn’t know was that I had been formulating a plan to propose to Marissa, not in New York, but in the mountains of Northern California. Oddly enough, it was during our walk through Central Park when we came across a musician on a bench playing John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” that the remaining details of the plan finally clicked into place.

Two weeks later I was on a plane bound for Reno, Nevada, just a short drive away from my family’s cabin in the mountains, for our annual Fourth of July celebration with the newly purchased engagement ring tucked safely away in my carry-on bag. Just a few days earlier, Marissa’s parents each gave me their permission to ask for their daughter’s hand in marriage. They were the only ones that knew of the ensuing proposal. With anticipation and impatience now getting the better of me, Marissa and I set out on a hike the day after our arrival in California that would take us to a fire lookout tower perched precariously at the 8,587-foot peak of the Sierra Buttes.

The hike had a lot of sentimental value to me as it was one I had completed on nearly a yearly basis since the age of eight or nine years and today it would assume a whole new meaning. With the engagement ring now wrapped in a sweatshirt and buried in my backpack beneath an assortment of granola bars, beef jerky, and water bottles, I set the pace up the trail with a little more purpose than usual.

We took short breaks along the way to catch our unacclimatized breaths and play in the last remaining snow patches, but soon arrived at the base of three sets of stairs suspended over deep drop-offs that would take us to our destination. Taking in the 360° views, obscured a bit by the smoke of recent wildfires, I fumbled in my backpack and pulled out my iPod. Marissa was a little perplexed, but soon knew upon hearing John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” over the shared headphones that I was just reminiscing about the musician in Central Park that we encountered two weeks earlier to the day.

Okay, so it was the Sierra Mountains in California and not the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, but close enough. That was followed by “Annie’s Song” also by John Denver that, although a little cheesy, was perfectly fitting for the moment because to me, the song is all about how fortunate he feels for having someone so special in his life. After telling her the significance of the song, I gave her a “Happy Fourth of July” card I had made that, I’m sure at the moment, she thought ruined the mood a little.

On the cover it read “Celebrating Our Past” and cutaway flaps revealed some of my favorite pictures of us together over the last two years.

On the inside it read “… and Future Together” and the final cutaway flap revealed a picture of her engagement ring.

She stared at the card in silence and confusion for a brief moment before I told her that this was the part where she had to stand. Holding the ring tighter than ever to prevent it from dropping through the open metal grating floor and into a 2,000-foot abyss, I got to one knee and long story made short she said, “Yes”.

Upon returning to the cabin, we surprised my Mom and stepfather with the news in a slideshow of many of the pictures seen on this page. After jumping around on the deck in a moment of pure joy that I will never forget, my Mom finally had her long awaited daughter-in-law. We held an encore presentation of the slideshow the next morning to surprise my brother and his girlfriend, sister, brother-in-law, and three nieces and all celebrated a Fourth of July that will always hold a special significance for us.

So now that you know the story behind our proposal, you won’t be too surprised to hear a few seemingly out-of-place John Denver songs played during our wedding reception in tropical Miami.

: : ❤ : : ❤ : : ❤ : :

Well, there you have it! Kevin's awfully sweet + thoughtful proposal story. It's crazy to think that three years have passed since that day. One thing's for sure, I'm a blessed girl to have him as my husband!

{Happy "engagiversary", honey... I love you!}

Take Your Dog to Work Day

2011-06-24T10:00:00.001-04:00

Normally, Fridays are a ghost town around my office. Luckily, though, today isn't just any Friday... it's Take Your Dog to Work Day! Bella's here keeping me company + lending a helping paw with some of the filing that's started to pile up. We're just a couple of hard working girls here, working for the weekend!

Speaking of which, we hope that YOU have a "pawsitively" wonderful one! ^._.^

Sitting on the {Flower} Pot

2011-06-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

For the past couple of weeks, I've had a feeling there was something about our zinnias that wasn't quite right. It's as if all of a sudden, they'd just taken a turn for the worse. It wasn't until one night recently that I stepped out on the porch + figured it all out. 16 pounds of cat perched comfortably in the bed. That'll do it. Those puny orange flowers didn't stand a chance!

Thanks a lot, Tess. I hope you enjoyed it!

{Pets. They sure keep life interesting.}

Before + After: Dining Chairs

2011-06-21T07:00:00.003-04:00

This last weekend, I finally took on a project that I'd been dreaming about for years: reupholstering the four chairs from our dining set. {Reading about Monica's recent experience on C'est Law Vie gave me just the push I needed!}

This set originally belonged to Kevin's grandparents. Considering its age and amount of use, it's in pretty great condition. All that it needed was a little love focused in on the well-worn seat cushions.

Berkeley spends most of his days napping on one particular chair.

{before}

The dining chairs were reupholstered by Kev's mom in 1989, following the Loma Prieta earthquake, which caused damage to their home. As you can imagine, nearly 22 years' worth of wear + tear can take a toll on cloth. I was shocked to find the original color, as bright as ever, on the back side of the woven fabric when I began disassembling the chairs.

The fabric I selected for the project is "Fresh Poppies" in Linen, from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern II collection. I love it SO much... and it matches perfectly with the color on our dining room wall {Sweet Pear by Benjamin Moore}.

The chairs weren't very cushiony, with only about ¼" of batting sandwiched between the plywood base and the top cover. I remedied that by replacing it with a 1" pad of high-density foam and wrapped it with a double layer of extra-loft batting to smooth it all over. Then I followed the "How to Reupholster a Chair" video tutorial posted by Katie of Before & After TV.

Even Tess took an interest in the process!

Several hundred staples, two trips to Jo-Ann, a couple days, one sore palm, and about $50 later... I had this beautiful set to show for it! Definitely worth the investment! {Which reminds me, I have to head to the store sometime this week to pick up a can of Scotchgard.}

Boy, do they ever look alive now!

{after}

Is there anything in your home that's begging for an update? What are some of your favorite ways to breathe new life into beloved furniture pieces?

"Ripped in 30": You've Gotta Start Somewhere

2011-06-20T07:10:00.001-04:00

Earlier this year, I shared a little bit about my fitness journey, especially concerning running. Well, I'm back to let you know that, while things are heading in the right direction {I completed the 100th Bay to Breakers 12K in San Francisco last month}, I've still got room for improvement.

Lately, I've felt like I've nestled into a big, comfortable cardio rut. My workouts at the gym have become SO predictable, consisting almost exclusively of bonding time between me + the elliptical {no thanks to the gym's snazzy new Precors with a personal TV monitor mounted on each machine}. I know that between the westerns on AMC and "WWII in HD" on the History Channel, I can't help but zone out... which inevitably means I end up phoning it in + not challenging myself like I should.

To switch things up a bit, a couple of weeks ago I started doing the first workout of Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred", which I was pleased to find as a free On Demand through Exercise TV. After about a week of doing it without real hand weights {I improvised with a couple of cartons of College Inn chicken broth, haha}, I finally made a trip to Target for the real thing.

Since Exercise TV only features the first workout of 30 Day Shred through On Demand {you have to download the remaining two workouts to your computer for a small charge each}, I figured it'd be better to also pick up the DVD so that I'd be able to follow along from our television than the smaller laptop monitor.

At the store, I noticed that Jillian's been a busy girl, releasing a number of newer video series since "Shred"... the most recent of which is Ripped in 30 {2011}. Its four-workout structure {a different one each week, increasing in intensity} appealed to me, as did the included 30-day meal plan. So I picked up that DVD and a pair of 5-lb. weights.

Now, I'm not expecting to look like Jillian Michaels or her fitness models by the end of this series. {I'm not sure I'd really want to anyway.} I honestly just want my clothes to fit like they used to and challenge myself in areas that my boring workout routine has been neglecting {mainly strength + abs}. While weight loss is not my #1 priority, it's one of the simpler measurements I can use to evaluate how I'm doing with this.

So, since you've got to start somewhere... I'm sharing what my starting point of this journey is: 132.4 lbs. And since you can't fully appreciate how far you've come without reflecting on where you've been, I'm including a "before" shot. {GULP!}

Makes you dizzy, doesn't it?!

Today will make my fifth day doing the workout. {Sunday is my rest day.} Already, I've been able to feel a bit of a difference {super achy hamstrings after Day 2}... plus, I can now manage 40 modified pushups per session, when I could only pull out 24 on Day 1. Hooray for progress!

Have you ever fallen into a workout rut? What do you like to do to switch things up from time to time?

Pasta with Roasted Summer Vegetables + Basil

2011-06-14T22:30:00.000-04:00

My new summer schedule at the office feels a lot like a blessing {Mondays off!} and a little like a curse {10½-hour days, four days a week}. Honestly, the last thing I feel like doing some nights is cooking. Which means that I must have done something right two years ago when I married Kevin {our anniversary was yesterday}, because this evening I came home to find him hard at work in the kitchen. Seriously, how cute is he?!

On the menu was a new dish for us, Pasta with Roasted Summer Vegetables + Basil. It was SO good... and even more meaningful considering the hands that made it. Here's the recipe, straight from one of our favorite cookbooks, Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast:

Ingredients

4 summer squash (about 2 lbs.), halved lengthwise if large, sliced crosswise 1" thick
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
2 red onions , halved lengthwise and sliced ½" thick
4 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup olive oil
coarse salt + freshly ground pepper
8 oz. short pasta shape, such as campanelle or fusilli
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup finely grated parmesan, plus more for serving
1 cup firmly packed torn fresh basil leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide squash, tomatoes, onions, and garlic between two large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat and then spread evenly. Roast (without tossing) until tender and starting to brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain, and return to pot.
Add roasted vegetables, butter, parmesan, and basil to pot; season with salt and pepper, and toss gently with pasta to combine. Reheat over medium-low if necessary before serving.
Enjoy!

Yields four servings.

Have you been pleasantly surprised by something {or someone} so far this week?

Lychee Love

2011-06-10T17:30:00.001-04:00

Summertime in Miami is in full effect! You can tell by the abundance of fruit on the boughs of trees all over the city. One of my favorites this time of year is the lychee {pronounced LEE-chee}, which is native to Asia. These delicious little treasures are about the size of a strawberry and have a distinctive taste that is kind of like grapes, but better. Their only drawback is their price, with the going rate about $5/pound.

Lucky for us, we're blessed with generous neighbors with a few extremely prolific {read: LOADED} trees. Currently, we have more lychees than we know what to do with. Good problem, right? I've found recipes for sorbets, salads and cocktails... but am still on the lookout for other interesting ways to prepare them. So if you've got any favorites, I'd love to hear them!

Here are a few photos documenting the "dissection" of a lychee. Mmm!

What are some local fruits that signify the arrival of summer to you?

Have a lovely weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T06:30:00.002-05:00

cookies | pillow | ice cream sandwiches | elbow patch sweater

stamped paint chips | poster | card

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! To help spread that lovin' feeling, I'm sharing some of my favorite pins from the So Sweet board that I curate on Pinterest. Aren't they fun?

Kevin and I actually celebrated V-Day a couple of days early this year. On Saturday evening, I whipped up a special dinner from our new favorite cookbook, Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast.

Asian Salmon Patties + Chinese Noodles with Sesame Dressing

While I was busy in the kitchen, Kevin banned me from the back porch so that he could set up his super secret surprise. I had no clue what he was up to, except that he'd spent a few hours earlier in the day running around town picking things up and that power tools came out of the garage at some point.

After dinner (which was delicious -- definitely a recipe we'll be using again!), Kevin asked me to make some hot chocolate while he got everything ready outside for the big reveal. It was chilly and in the low 50's, so I secretly hoped that Kev had bought us a fire pit.

When everything was ready, I walked over to the sliding glass doors and closed my eyes. Kevin pulled back the blinds and let me outside. My heart melted when I realized what he'd been up to. There was a hammock hanging, complete with pillows and blankets for snuggling.

Opposite the hammock a was sheet/movie screen that was suspended from the overhead beams. Projected onto it from his laptop was Serendipity, one of my favorites! (Seriously, how can you go wrong with John Cusack?) There were twinkle lights, too.

The pictures really don't do it justice. Kevin had transformed our sad little turquoise patio into the most magical of places! This is seriously the sweetest surprise I've ever had... and we didn't even have to leave the house. Kev also bought me a lovely polka dot nightgown. He said it's so that I can finally toss the ratty, old chai-stained one that I ruined several months back (but have been too lazy to replace). Boy, does he know me! ;o)

Do you and your Valentine have special plans? Whatever they are, I hope that your day is filled with lots of love. (And a little chocolate, too!)

Handmade + Heartfelt: Puppy Love

2011-02-11T15:30:00.004-05:00

I'm back with another sweet project that you can stitch up for your sweetheart in less than a couple of hours. When I first stumbled upon Jenny B. Harris' blog, Allsorts, and saw her Softie Scotty Dog pattern, I knew that I had to make one. Doesn't he just melt your heart?

All you'll need for this project is some felt, embroidery floss or thread, polyfill stuffing, and some buttons or ribbons to give your little pup some personality. Oh, and don't forget a needle, scissors and a printed copy of the pattern!

This was actually my first softie project. I was a tiny bit intimidated at the start, but there's no reason to be. It's quite easy + helps to pin your pieces together as you sew. I used a blanket stitch to attach the pieces together, but you can also use a simple whip stitch if you'd prefer. {If you want to embroider any decorative elements onto the felt, remember to do that before stitching the pieces together.}

Scarlet + Gray... perfect for my Buckeye-lovin' husband!

Woven cotton ribbon adds a cute touch.

An embroidered initial, because it's all in the details!

Once the pup was stuffed and sewn shut, I added his button eyes, nose and little scarf. If you're thinking of making one of these for a small child, remember to skip the buttons altogether and embroider the features instead. {Little kiddies put everything in their mouth!}

This is a perfect project to make on a night in... maybe while watching your favorite Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie. Sleepless in Seattle? You've Got Mail? I love them all!

More in the Handmade + Heartfelt series:

Nuts About You!

Handmade + Heartfelt: Nuts About You!

2011-02-11T08:00:00.009-05:00

With Valentine's Day just a few days away, I figure it might be helpful to share a few of the handmade gifts that I've exchanged with Kevin over the years. The great thing is that all of these can be made in just a couple of hours, with just a few supplies. So if you've put off making something special for your honey, there's still time to whip up something handmade + heartfelt!

Kevin and I were married in the summer of 2009. For Valentine's Day that year, I made this squirrely duo from a free pattern designed by Lisa at Little Acorn. All you need is a craft knife, a couple pieces of scrapbook paper, spray adhesive and a frame. {Check out Lisa's other adorable bushy-tailed design.}

I added a little banner to mark our special year.

A nice frame provides the finishing touch

I'll be back a little later with another Valentine's Day craft that can be whipped up in no time at all!

What are you giving your sweetheart this year?

More in the Handmade + Heartfelt series:

Puppy Love

Handmade + Heartfelt: Vintage Valentines

2011-02-08T18:15:00.008-05:00

Don't you just love vintage Valentines? I can't get enough of them! They have such a sweetly innocent and heartwarming quality. I can't help but feel a teensy bit envious of my Dad, who received cards like these when he was a kid. The ones these days just don't compare. (Sorry, Sponge Bob!)

Thanks to valart2008's Flickr set of delightful old-school Valentine's Day cards, folks today can still enjoy their charming illustrations and clever quips. It's truly an amazing collection!

I used a few of the designs for the cards that I made for this year's Weddingbee Valentine's Day swap. (You know how much I love those swaps!) All I did was print them on cardstock, cut them out, and embellish with some of that glitter I have. So simple + sweet!

Other ideas that I've come up with for these include stringing several together on baker's twine for a darling garland or using scaled-down copies on toothpicks for sweet Valentine's Day cupcake decorations.

What are some projects can you think of for these cute cards?

2011 Tropical 5K + ING Miami Marathon

2011-02-05T23:00:00.017-05:00

Well, I did it and I finished smiling! My official time for the 3.1 miles was 35:44. Thank you again for all of the sweet, encouraging words!

Last Saturday couldn't have been more perfect for a race! It was about 50-degrees at the start. The skies were clear and there was a light breeze. Since there weren't any clouds, the sun was quite bright as it rose up over the Beach, so it served as a reminder that I still need to replace my sunglasses that broke last year.

Always smiling for the camera!

{source}

The Tropical 5K course took me from the Miami Children's Museum on Watson Island, over the MacArthur Causeway to Miami Beach, and finished at South Pointe Park. The early parts of the ING Miami Marathon follow the same route, so it was familiar territory.

Now, medals at 5K's are usually reserved for the folks that actually place in the Top 3. The Tropical 5K is nice in that everyone gets a sweet "spinning" medal" for completing the race. I can't complain about that!

After the race, Kevin and I walked over to Joe's Stone Crab Take-Away for breakfast. We both had the Crispy Corn Flake French Toast, which was sooo good! We then headed to the convention center so that Kev could pick up his race packet at the Expo. Getting there right when it opened proved to be perfect timing! In years past, we've learned that the narrow aisles between booths can get quite cramped and crowded later in the day.

My favorite athlete!

At the Expo, we ran into one of my favorite people (and ~~lurker~~ commenter on this blog), my dear friend Eddie. We trained together for our very first marathon and crossed the finish line within a few seconds of each other. Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up the Sun" was blaring in the background. I will never forget that day!

With a 4:00am wake up time for Sunday, Kev and I had an early dinner (spaghetti, of course!) and went to bed at a decent time. The race was scheduled to start at 6:15am, so we left the house at a little after 5:00am. It was clear and cool out, but not as much as the day before. Still, the conditions were better than anything we'd ever raced in down here and I had a feeling they were perfect for a great marathon.

After some warm-up exercises and a quick lap down Biscayne Boulevard, Kevin was ready to head to his corral. I knew that he hoped to be near the halfway point by 1 hr 50 min, and was shooting to finish the whole thing within 3 hrs 40 min. I kissed him good luck and headed toward the American Airlines Arena, where the race starts. As soon as the flare gun fired, I started the chronometer on my watch, and watched as the 21,000 runners (for the full + half marathon), inched their way toward the start.

From the Triple A, there's really only a couple of places along the course to see your runner if you're on foot (especially if he or she is fast): the point where the full and half routes split and the finish. With close to two hours to kill, I booked it to my super-secret hangout spot: the Miami Intercontinental Hotel. (Shhh. Don't tell anyone!) It has a Starbucks and the swankiest public bathroom in all of Downtown Miami. The trick is to get there early. By the time I was seated comfortably on a couch in the lobby, sipping chai and munching on bits of Cinnamon Chip scone, there were more than 40 people in line for coffee. Suckers!

I kept checking my watch and decided to give up my comfy spot when the timer hit 1:15. I knew it wouldn't take long to walk the handful of blocks to the halfway point, but I was anxious and needed to move. I grabbed an orange cowbell at one of the ING tents and went on my way.

When I got to the rendezvous spot, the chronometer read about 1:30. Kev wasn't due until around 1:50, but I knew it could be a little later than that, depending on how close his corral was to the start line when the race got underway. I pulled out the Flip Cam and practiced filming folks as they passed while I waited. At the 1:40 mark, I decided to start paying closer attention, keeping an eye out for Kev's gray singlet and white visor. Good thing I did, too, because right at 1:44 (at least SIX MINUTES ahead of pace) my husband came striding down the course. I was so excited, I could barely think of what to say. "I love you, babe!" and "Keep going!" are what came out. (Ha, ha. As if he was going to stop!)

I saw him for all of 30 seconds, maybe. He looked great, but I knew it was still early. I wondered if he hadn't started out too fast. He looked really strong, though. I whispered a prayer for him and trusted that he'd be fine.

The timer read 1:46. There was more than an hour and a half until Kev was due at the finish. I looked around me and was shocked at the number of people just standing there, waiting for their loved one to pass by. I'm talking crowds, just standing and staring in silence... not clapping, cheering, bell ringing, high fiving, you-naming-it to the athletes as they passed, sometimes agonizingly slowly. Knowing what it's like to be a runner nearing Mile 13 of 26.2, I can tell you just how motivating it is to hear someone calling out your name from the sidelines. So, that's exactly what I did.

Like a lot of races these days, the ING series gives runners the option of having their first name printed on their race bib. Well, I rang my little cowbell non-stop and shouted out every name that I could possibly read: "Go Janet! You've GOT this thing!" "Come on, Bob! You're looking STRONG!" The people standing around me and across the street gave me funny looks and giggled, but I kept on... for more than an hour. Little 'ole me turned into the one-woman cheer squad for the corner of Flagler and 2nd Avenue. So ridiculous! The thumbs-up, thank you's and smiles from a lot of the racers reassured me that it made a difference, though.

{I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you're going to go through the trouble of standing along a race route at the crack of dawn, make some noise for the folks on the course. It's OK to encourage other runners at a race. You're not being disloyal to your marathoner. Hopefully, someone somewhere down the road is cheering for your guy or girl, too! Alright, rant over.}

The walk back to the viewing area for the final stretch of the course took a little longer than it had earlier in the day. The bleachers were full and there were folks standing two and three deep against the barricades. Uh-oh. I looked for a spot that I might be able to squirm my way into, since people were leaving as their runners came in. I positioned myself behind two women leaning on a barricade, stood up on my toes, and looked as far as I could down the course for Kevin's white visor. I glanced at the timer on my watch. It read 3:36. Moments later I saw Kev coming down the stretch. "Oh my goodness, he's gonna PR," was all I could think. I let the ladies know my husband was coming and they made a space for me along the fence. My eyes welled up with tears and we all shouted his name, "Go Keviiiiin!" He waved as he passed, keeping a steady pace.

When he exited the chute, we shared a long, teary hug. I knew that this was his day. Everything finally came together so that he could run to his maximum potential. Kevin finished in 3 hours 37 minutes, running an average pace of 8:18 minute/mile. That's ELEVEN MINUTES faster than his previous best at the 2006 San Diego Marathon.

I was bursting with happiness, excitement and relief for him. Heck, PR's are awesome! But this was different. This was Kevin's first full marathon in two years. He'd missed the last three races he trained for due to illness. Running his best time ever was the ultimate way of marking his comeback. It was the long awaited payoff after a series of disappointing turns. He worked SO hard for this!

I love this guy!

Coach Ward worked with Kev during his training this season.

After walking around for a few minutes, we found a shady spot in the grass and sat down so Kev could rest and take in exactly what he'd just done. Surprisingly, he said he physically felt better than he ever had after a marathon. I wonder if the cool weather had some part in that.

Evel Knievel bike helmet + funky Asics... That's my Eddie!

On the walk back to the car, we ran into Eddie, who was biking around the course after working a water station in Coconut Grove. We stopped for a moment along a part of the course just before the final turn toward the finish line. It was a pretty lonely stretch, so we decided to give a little encouragement to the runners as they passed. I told Kev about my method of calling out people's names and within moments, we were shouting and clapping together. How cool is that? After running more than 26 miles for over three-and-a-half hours, Kevin still had the energy and compassion to cheer others on. That just puts a big fat smile on my face!

So, there you have it. Our exciting, race-filled weekend! I've decided to get a head start on next fall's marathon training season by joining a spring half marathon training program. I think it'll be a great way to get back in running shape. Next Saturday is our first training run!!! :o)

These Feet...

2011-01-28T06:30:00.003-05:00

These feet have taken me farther than I ever imagined possible. I haven't shared much about it here, but they've carried me 26.2 miles across a marathon finish line... four times. It's hard to think that my last race was exactly two years ago this weekend. Lately it feels like it's been so much longer than that.

January 2009: Stopping to smile near Mile 22.

A lot has changed in my life since that last race. Marriage, first-time homeownership and a career move can take a lot out of a person. Sadly, it's not what's been taken out of me that has kept me off the running path. It's more like, what I've been putting into me.

In the past year and a half, I've put on some weight. It's most noticeable in my face, especially when you compare current photos to those taken on our wedding day. Ugh. The problem worsened this August when I injured my foot during the first training run for this year's marathon. Until just a few weeks ago, I wasn't able to run more than a mile or so, due to the piercing pain in my heel and Achilles. Since I've finally been able to get back out on the path, I can feel the difference made by the extra pounds that I now carry. It's so much harder!

August 2010: Chubby-cheeked on the first day of training

Well, we all have to start somewhere. So early tomorrow morning, I'll lace up my Mizunos and head toward Watson Island for the Tropical 5K. While it's not the marathon that I started training for five months ago, it'll still be a challenge. This is my start. These are the first steps I'll take on the road toward regaining my fitness.

I'm a little nervous and a lot excited about this weekend. You see, I'm not the only one who has a race coming up. On Sunday, Kevin will ~~run~~ rock the ING Miami Marathon! It'll be his eighth. Just as he'll be cheering for me tomorrow, you can be sure that I'm going to be getting loud for him on Sunday!

Here's a little video clip from the end of my last race. I've watched it a few times over the past week, just to psych myself up for tomorrow and the journey that will follow. Hopefully, on those crummy days when I just don't think I can, I'll remember these moments. Because I have... and I will again someday!

I'll be back soon to let you know how it all went! I hope that you have an AWESOME weekend!!! :o)

UPDATE: We did it!!! Read all about it here.

Glittery Snowbirds Plaque

2011-01-27T06:30:00.001-05:00

Last Christmas, Kevin gave me one of the sweetest gifts ever: a 24-pack of Martha Stewart glitter. As simple of a thing as it sounds, my heart completely melted as I pulled the clear plastic box from my stocking. In all honesty, I've never been much of a sparkly girl. The realization that my husband recognizes, appreciates and encourages my creative side is what truly touched me.

Eager to glitter up whatever I could get my hands on, I rummaged around in the craft room until I found the basic ingredients that sparked the idea for this wintry scene:

unfinished wooden plaque (leftover from this project)
white acrylic paint
pair of mini mushroom birds
polyfill stuffing
twig
assorted fine and coarse glitters
white glue
paint brushes
straight pins
hot glue gun

First, I gave the wooden plaque a couple good coats of white acrylic paint.

Using glue thinned with water, I dusted the top with coarse clear glitter + gave it a silvery edge.

The twig (found in our church's parking lot!) was painted with thinned glue and glittered.

With a fine brush, I glued and glittered each bird in sections by color.
(A stick pin makes a perfect handle.)

The finished birdies featured five different colors of glitter.

Finally, I added a pinch of polyfill "snow" and hot-glued all of the pieces in place.

I really like how this craft turned out, especially considering the organic way that it all came together. Plus, we never get any of the real fluffy white stuff here in Miami, so this little pair of snowbirds adds a lovely wintry touch to our Holiday decor.

I can totally see making one of these for each season. It would work well with a Valentine's Day theme, too... a heart-shaped plaque and a red-pink-purple color scheme for the little tweethearts! It would be SO cute! ♥

What are your favorite things to glitter? I've got plenty of the sparkly stuff and could use some suggestions! :o)

New Leaves

2011-01-25T06:30:00.002-05:00

There's so much about our backyard that I can't wait to change. One thing that I'd like to keep, though, is the pink Mussaenda that stands just off the steps to our back porch. When we purchased our house a little over a year ago, the tree was full and bushy and covered in fluffy pink flowers. I'd only seen one other like it before, planted on campus, though not nearly as hearty.

This photo was taken in late October 2010. So beautiful! Well, just a couple of weeks before Christmas, Miami experienced some pretty frigid weather for this neck of the woods... a couple of nights it got down to 32-degrees! Brrr! (That's downright COLD in South Florida!)

Our lovely tree must have agreed, because just a few days later it dropped every. single. leaf. Gasp! If I didn't know better, I'd have thought it died. The only reason I know better is that the very same thing happened to it the winter before. The only difference was that last time it took months before any signs of life returned to its bare stick branches. We actually considered cutting it down at one point.

Thank goodness we didn't! By the summertime, the tree was healthy looking again and covered with fuzzy green leaves. Not long after that, flowers started to appear. Like Bougainvillea, the flowers on Mussaenda are much smaller than meets the eye. The colorful pink "petals" are actually bracts, or specialized leaves. The flower is really just the tiny star-shaped yellow center. Pretty tricky!

Our poor tree has a way to go in the leaf-growing department, but at least it's gotten started. I'm hopeful that in a few months' time it'll be looking normal again.

Did you "lose" any plants to wicked winter weather this year? Is there any hope for a full recovery?

Best of 2010: Felt Scissors Ornament

2011-01-24T06:30:00.001-05:00

I've been dying to share this post since early December and really wish that I'd had it ready before Christmas. So, consider this an ornament swap show + tell, Handmade Holidays, my Best of 2010, and a peek-into-my creative-process post all wrapped into one. Seriously, it's my favoritest thing I made all last year! Hands down.

I guess I should let you in on my not-exactly-secret-yet-not-exactly-publicized blogging alter ego of sorts, since without that little tidbit, what's about to follow might seem like crazy talk. During the month before my wedding way back when, I was accepted as a blogger for Weddingbee. The pen name/avatar that I selected for myself was (big surprise), Yorkie. Anyway, every Christmas the "bees" participate in an event where ornaments in the likeness of our swapmates' avatars are exchanged. Well, this year, I had the good fortune of drawing this lovely lady, aka Mrs. Scissors. (See what I mean about crazy talk?)

Naturally, I decided to make my swap ornament from scratch. I decided on felt for the main ingredient. The first step in planning out my design was to stare at her awesome little icon for a while. (I so wish that I were a craft generation bee!)

After examining the illustration, I made a few sketches of what I had in mind.

Then, I whipped up a paper prototype that could also serve as a pattern.

I found the perfect colors of wool-blend felt on Etsy from The Daily Pincushion at a great price and with super-fast shipping. (If you need some felt, or maybe an adorable embroidered pincushion, check out Cathy's shop!) With the felt in tow, I made a quick trip to Michaels for some DMC floss color matching.

In order to give the ornament a little sturdiness to last for Christmases to come, I decided to give it some "bones". I took the paper pattern, traced it onto a piece of milk jug plastic (recycling!), and trimmed it away so that it would be slightly narrower than my cut felt pieces.

Yup, I'm a lefty! Not that you should be surprised! ;o)

Then I traced and cut the felt handles and blades.

Now, knowing the creative rockstar that Mrs. Scissors is, I really wanted to do something to take her ornament to the next level. Hmm... How about if the scissors actually opened and closed? Yesss! My little secret, concealed by the pink felt button, is a regular old paper-fastener/brad that serves as a hinge for the two "blades". Pretty cool, right?

Stitching together the felt-plastic-felt sandwich.

Before stitching the entire piece closed, I embroidered the year on it.

Here's a peek at the back of the top blade. The prongs held everything together.

Since the Scissors icon is actually a two-parter, I decided to make a mini garland in the likeness of the paper dolls as a finishing touch. As with the scissors, I free-handed a pattern which was used to make four little people.

Pin, cut... repeat, repeat, repeat!

Each piece was blanket-stitched and then strung together with its buddies.

I seriously debated keeping this one for myself. It sounds terrible, but it's true! I'd love to crank out a set of felt craft-tool ornaments... if I only had more time. Maybe if I start now, I can finish them before Christmas. Ha!

So there you have it. My favoritest project of 2010. It shouldn't come as a surprise that one of my favoritest crafts of 2009 were the ornaments that I made for Mrs. Corn during my first Weddingbee ornament exchange. This post is already picture heavy, what's a few more going to hurt? I present to you the 2009 cornaments!

The corn silk at the top was my favorite detail!

A peek at the flip side.

A little something for Mrs. C's tiny guy, G, aka Kernel!

What was your favoritest project of 2010? Did you make it for yourself or for someone else?

I Am Nothing

2011-01-11T07:30:00.002-05:00

Well, look who's decided to finally make an appearance this year. You guessed it: me! There's so much I want to share about our Holidays, so I hope you're not all Christmas'd out just yet. And I'll get to it... or I'll at least try. But first, I want to talk about music.

It's no big shocker that the music we listen to says quite a bit about us as individuals. I'm not sure what a peek at my iTunes library might tell you. You'll find a crazy combination of Hank Williams, Sr., Ella Fitzgerald, The Allman Brothers and Bob Marley, with almost everything in between. There aren't many types that I don't like, to be honest. Anyway, this Sunday our pastor posed a rather tough question -- especially for this music lover: What is the theme song of your life?

Just to fill you in on the background, the context of our pastor's question was in relation to our study of Paul's experiences in the book of Acts, part of the "Unhindered" series that we're in the middle of right now. (It's pretty interesting, if I do say so myself!) Anyway, our pastor concluded that if Paul had a modern-day theme song for his life, it'd be "I Won't Back Down". Well, rock on, Paul! Tom Petty would be proud!

I'd never really thought about my own song until then. "Life is a Highway" (the Rascal Flatts' version) is the one that makes me crank up the volume and sing along at the top of my lungs, every single time. While it gets me moving, it doesn't really say too much about me. David Gray's "January Rain" is my all-time favorite, full of joy and hope, and the song that I walked down the aisle to. But, then again, it's instrumental and complicated to explain. "The Luckiest" is what Kevin and I rhumbaed to as the first dance at our wedding. But that's our song, not just mine. See what I mean about being tough?

As soon as we got to the car after service, it hit me. The one that I'd choose as my theme song didn't require much thought at all. Nearly five years ago, I'd selected eight words from its lyrics to be engraved on the back of my then-new iPod. The song is by Ginny Owens: "I Am Nothing". For me, its words are a reminder of what I'm here to do: love others. Being good and doing good has always come rather easy to me. It's not that hard for me to love good folks and the ones that love me back, either. But loving the unloveable, particularly those that have made times miserable for me, now that's some pretty challenging stuff. If there's one thing that I want to be said at the end of my life, though, it's that I loved.

So there you have it. It was a little deeper than I'd anticipated. But it feels good to dig in every now and then! On that note, do you have a theme song for your life? I'd really like to hear what it is and how you chose it.

They say it's your birthday!

2010-12-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's crazy to think that 25 years have past since these old Polaroids were taken. But it's true! You may be grown up and married now... but remember, I'm still older and a ½" taller.

Meredith, I wish you the most amazing of days filled lots of with love, joy + happiness. This coming year is going to be filled with wonderful blessings. I can't wait to share them with you!

¡Te quiero, hermanita!

Handmade Holidays: Candy Cane Mice

2010-12-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

This year, we'll be spending the Holidays in California with Kevin's family. I seriously cannot wait! The big event will be Christmas dinner, which my mother-in-law, Dione, is hosting this year. She's bestowed upon me the awesome responsibility of making place cards for the sixteen of us that will be gathering around the table on the 25th. Talk about pressure!

For the past few days, I've been scouring the internet for cute projects that might fit the bill. I came across this adorable project for Candy Cane Mice on Martha's site and just had to give it a shot. I got a bit ambitious with the embroidery details on the little minty-tailed fella. (There's no way I'd have the time or patience to make fifteen more!)

This little mouse project is just too precious (and too easy) to not share! All you really need is craft felt in a couple of complementary colors, a pair of scissors, glue (or needle + thread), and a wrapped candy cane. You can always add beads, ric-rac or other fun stuff to spruce them up!

I'm still not sure what direction to go with our place cards. What do you think? Should I stick with the mice, but keep them simple? Try something all together different? If you've come across any cute + time-friendly projects that could work, I'd love to check them out! Just leave a link in the comment section below. :o)

Reverb 10: Community

2010-12-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

This year, I discovered community through social media. Twitter, specifically. Who would have thought that you can not only meet folks from near and far, but develop actual friendships with them, all in increments of 140 characters or less at a time. Definitely not me.

But I have and am now using the symbols "@" and "#" more often in one day than I probably did before in one year. Thanks to chat events like Craft Social and Crafterminds, I've met some wonderful folks who've inspired me in creativity and life in general. I've also been able to connect on a greater level with my Weddingbee sisterhood (the online community that made its mark on my life in a huge way last year). It's because of tweets from @kaileenelise and @mnlightmagnolia that I'm riding the Reverb 10 wave right now!

In 2011, the community that I hope to plug into with a little more is the local craft scene here . I've already met a few great girls through Handmade Miami this year. I look forward to getting to know them better and making some new creative, in-real-life friends as I work toward finally hanging up my own little shingle this coming year!

Handmade Holidays: No-Bake Gingerbread House

2010-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to make a gingerbread house, but never seem to have the time during the busy Holiday season. In anticipation of last Saturday's "Sips and Sweets" party, I decided to make one as a centerpiece. My time-saving secret is that this project required absolutely no baking!

Thanks to the magic of Honey Maid Gingerbread Graham Crackers and a box of Wilton Royal Icing Mix, I was able to construct this cookie cottage -- from start to finish -- in just under an hour. (I'd normally make my own royal icing from scratch, but just didn't have the time for that either this day.)

Recognize any other items used in my display?

An icing-covered sugar cone tree towers over peppermint snails.

My favorite detail: these candy critters sitting in the coconut flake snow!

A friendly little ski-capped fella welcomes visitors.

A sweet, snowy scene

Here's a list of the materials I used:

graham crackers = house
royal icing = glue/icicles/windows
mini frosted shredded wheat cereal = thatched roof
jelly ring candy = wreath
Twizzlers Pull n' Peel candy = bow on wreath/snail antennae/mouth detail
Jujubes candy = door knob
Starlight peppermints = snail shells
spice gumdrops = snail heads/little man/fence posts/star topper
white chocolate-covered pretzels = fence rails
rainbow nonpareils = eyes
sugar cone = pine tree
shredded coconut = snow

All you have to do is use a knife to "saw" the crackers into walls, roof panels and supports... and then use the royal icing to "glue" it all together! Pretty simple, huh?

Is there a Holiday craft that you'd love to try, but just can't find the time needed? How about a time-saving shortcut that you've discovered?

Reverb 10: Make

2010-12-06T22:25:00.003-05:00

Boy, am I ever grateful for this prompt! It's like a two-in-one Reverb 10 + craft post. Thanks, Gretchen!

Confession time. I love participating in Holiday swaps... be it for cookies, ornaments or handmade cards. If I hear about it in time to sign up, I usually do. For me, there's something therapeutic about making things with my hands. It's especially gratifying when what I'm working on is for someone else.

This year I'm signed up for five exchanges, the newest addition being the Design Crush/Greedy Girl Calendar Swap. I was pretty excited when I saw Kelly Beall's tweet about it. I mean, seriously, what better way to look forward to 2011 than with a calendar handpicked especially for you! (Quite in tune with Reverb 10's manifest mission, don't you think?)

Anyway, the most recent thing that I made was this dish towel calendar for my swapmate, Ryan of Wicked Mint. Considering the lovely custom-printed + sewn wares in her Etsy shop, I thought textiles would be the perfect way to go. After the year's over, Ryan can use the towel in her kitchen or maybe transform it into one of her sweet little pouches!

Mitered hems and pole pocket were machine stitched.

Half-inch oak dowel, acrylic paint + colored crochet thread make a pretty hanger.

I added a little note with well wishes for the New Year and sent it all off to New York.

One thing that I'd really like to make someday is a quilt, ála my friend Holly at Bijou Lovely. (Her creations are unbelievably gorgeous!) In order to accomplish it, though, I'll not only need to clear time to make it, but time to learn how to quilt, too. That is, after I finish up with my commitments for this year's other exchanges: Brooklyn Bride's Holiday Card Swap, Handmade Miami's Holiday Cookie Exchange, Weddingbee Holiday Card Swap, and a handmade ornament for one special Bee (details to be blogged soon). I told you I loved Holiday swaps!

Do you love making + giving gifts as much as receiving them? Are you participating in any swaps this Holiday season? I'd love to hear about them!

Reverb 10: Let Go

2010-12-06T08:30:00.001-05:00

This year I let go of the idea that I'm too old to do anything about my dreams. For a while now, I've had ideas for a businesses that I'd love to start. I've never allowed myself to develop the them, though, because I feared that at 32, I'd seem crazy to take off in a completely different direction. A direction in which I really have no experience.

Changing jobs this year reminded me that, while I really enjoy what I'm doing right now, it's still not what I want to be doing forever. And that's OK. The truth is, there may very well be more than one thing out there that will bring me joy and satisfaction. What's really stopping me from trying them out?

Over the past several months, I've allowed myself to investigate what it might take to make a couple of those businesses possible. Books by Kari Chapin and Meg Mateo Ilasco have taken a lot of the scariness away, replacing it with practical advice on how to approach such a venture. I've also taken the opportunity to attend a handful of workshops offered at the entrepreneurship center on campus. Knowledge is power, after all, right?

Whether these ideas materialize into a little Etsy shop run from home in my spare time or a full-fledged brick-and-mortar storefront, is not terribly important to me. Knowing that I've given the spark of an idea a chance to develop into something potentially wonderful is what means the most.

Here's to letting go and going forth!

Handmade Holidays: Vanilla Marshmallows

2010-12-05T18:00:00.002-05:00

If you're like me, a steamy mug of hot chocolate does wonders to get you in the Holiday spirit. I've discovered a surprisingly simple way to take the experience to the next level: homemade vanilla marshmallows.

Candy making is something that I've steered clear of for a while. (There's something about a pot of scalding, liquefied sugar that just scares the bejeebers out of me!) I summoned the courage to face my fear yesterday, since Kevin and I were hosting a little shin-dig at our place for his colleagues and students to celebrate the start of the Holidays and the end of the semester. And, well, special occasions call for special measures!

After reading a few different marshmallow recipes on Martha's site (plus, every single related comment), I came up with the following adaptation -- the results of which were delightfully fluffy and delicious!

Ingredients

vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
4 packages (¼ ounce each) unflavored gelatin
1¾ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
¼ cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch

Directions

Coat a 9" x 13" pan with cooking spray; line bottom and sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with spray, and set pan aside. Put granulated sugar, corn syrup, and ¾ cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; let mixture come to a boil. Raise heat to medium-high; cook until mixture registers 260˚F on a candy thermometer.
Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over ¾ cup water in a heatproof bowl; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Set the bowl with the gelatin over a pan of simmering water; whisk constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract; set aside.
Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Whisk gelatin mixture into sugar mixture. With mixer running, gradually add gelatin-sugar mixture to egg whites. Mix on high speed until very thick, 12 to 15 minutes.
Pour mixture into lined pan; spread with spatula to distribute evenly. Let marshmallow stand, uncovered, at room temperature until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
Remove parchment paper and marshmallow from pan. With a sharp knife lightly coated in cooking spray, cut marshmallow into 1" cubes. (Spray knife as needed.) Whisk together powdered sugar and cornstarch in a medium sized mixing bowl. With a small amount of sugar-cornstarch mixture in your palm, lightly coat each marshmallow by gently rolling it between your hands.

Makes approximately 50 marshmallows.

{Tip: The key to a good batch of marshmallows (and just about any other candy, really) is getting the sugar to the exact temperature. Invest in a candy thermometer! I picked up mine at Publix for about $6.}

Homemade marshmallows would make a sweet gift when paired with a nice hot chocolate mix. You can get really creative, too, by tinting it with gel food coloring and using shaped cookie cutters instead of a knife.

Enjoy!

Reverb 10: Wonder

2010-12-05T14:45:00.004-05:00

If there's one thing about Reverb 10 that is changing the way I blog, it's that I'm getting quite a bit more personal than I ever have on here before. This prompt is no different. I've never really shared much more about the comings and goings in my life than the projects we've tackled and the things that I've made. I guess that's mainly because I've never really had a clear understanding of what I've wanted this blog to be. So, it's become pretty much show and tell for a little more than a year. Today, I'm daring myself to go a little deeper.

The one thing I've done this year which has cultivated a sense of wonder in my life is to pray.

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I serve at University Baptist Church. I've attended UBC since I was in the second grade and have taught Sunday School for two-year-olds for the past five years. It wasn't until this year, though, that I did something to put my faith into action. I actively started praying for others on a daily basis.

This isn't something that I've ever shared with anyone. I keep a list of the cares, concerns and circumstances that weigh on the hearts of my loved ones and friends. At the end of each day, I meditate on the list and ask God to take control in each of those situations.

A lot of my prayers are for people that I've never met in person, some of whom I only know by first name. Most of the people I pray for don't even know that I do it. Sometimes my requests for are comfort, other times for healing or peace. Every time, though, it's with faith, knowing that I'm asking The One who has the power to move mountains yet still cares about the seemingly smallest of things.

I'm not sharing this so that you'll think I'm some faultless, saint of a person... because I'm not. I'm sharing because, every so often, I'll hear back from one of those people and know that God's been at work doing mighty things. Prayer has deepened my faith, given me a more compassionate heart, and allowed me to put my life and experiences into better perspective. The sense of wonder that it's cultivated reminds me that I'm part of something bigger than myself.

What is something you've done to nurture the wonder in your life?

Reverb 10: Moment

2010-12-03T23:00:00.004-05:00

The moment during which I felt most alive this year occurred in a cemetery in northeastern Ohio. Quite ironic.

I've often thought about Ransom Wright in the eight years or so since I first read his tragic story:

He succumbed to the hardships incidental to the clearing up of the farm from the heavy timber and making a home in the wilderness. The immediate cause of death was an accident which occurred while he was building his new frame house. He had quarried a large block of sandstone for his hearthstone, eight feet long, three feet wide and six inches thick - big enough for the old-fashioned fire place of the pioneers, capable of receiving its huge backlog and forestick with space at one end for a commodious brick oven. This hearthstone would barely go through the door of the house and in trying to adjust it, he injured himself internally, from the effects of which he died.

Ransom was only 37 when he died -- five years older than I am now. He left behind, Elizabeth, his wife of fourteen years and eight young children. That was in the spring of 1839.

Of the hundreds of names, dates and narratives that I've collected in the years since I started researching my family history, he's the one who's stuck out most in my mind. I think it's a combination of his name (so unique) and the heartbreak I felt over how he died. To know that he was crushed under an 1,800-pound slab of sandstone while trying to build a home for his family. To know that, as his great-great-great-great-granddaughter, I am one of his descendants.

This September, Kevin and I traveled to Columbus for the UM v. Ohio State football game. The day after the game, we climbed into our rental car, loaded the iPhone with directions to Munson, and found our way to I-71 N with one goal in mind: finding Ransom's final resting place.

During the three-hour drive, I was nervous. Was I wasting our time? Was this going to turn out like the wild goose chase I led Kevin on in Scotland during our honeymoon, scouring abandoned cemeteries until nightfall for long past ancestors, only to find nothing? I didn't know.

All that I really had to go on was the fact that there are two cemeteries in the town: Fowlers Mill and Maple Hill. I wasn't sure which of the two he might be in. I wondered if his headstone was still legible. Did poor Elizabeth even have enough to afford a headstone at the time? I didn't know.

As the blue dot on the Google Maps app inched closer and closer to our destination, I could feel my pulse quicken. Oh, how I hoped that we would find something. Anything. I held my breath as we made the turn and drove through the gates at Fowlers Mill. I remember the crunching sound that the gravel made under the tires as we slowly made our way up the drive, my eyes scanning stones for a familiar name the entire time. Then we parked.

I zipped up my lightweight sweater and climbed out of the car. It was a chilly afternoon but the sun was shining and the sky was blue. I closed my eyes, breathed in deeply and just stood there for a moment. Was he here?

Kevin motioned to me that he would start looking near the wooded perimeter of the cemetery. I nodded and took off walking in the direction of a neat row of aged headstones, maybe 30 feet away. I'm not sure what drew me there, but after maybe ten steps, my eyes fixed on the smallest marker, which was no longer upright, but leaning slightly backward. As I got closer, I could clearly make out the first name, etched in the center of the stone: Ransom. And I knew.

My eyes welled up with tears as I kneeled on the ground before it. I called out to Kevin, but he couldn't hear me. A little louder, I tried again. "I found him. I found Ransom. He's here."

All I could do was stare at the simple marker decorated with the primitive image of a weeping willow tree. With my fingers, I traced the outline of his name. I was amazed at how well preserved it was. The edges of the stone had softened over the years and its surface was slightly gritty and covered with patches of black lichen. Sandstone. The same material that claimed his life. Could it have been cut from the very same slab? I wondered.

I sat there with Kevin for a while, completely silent. A wave of peace came over me, knowing that I was finally in the same place as the man who entered my thoughts so often for so many years. I wondered if I might resemble him in some way, knowing that I carry a piece of him inside of me. I thought about his daughter Elizabeth, my great-great-great-grandmother, who very likely stood near that same place during his funeral 171 years ago. How long had it been since anyone else had come to visit him?

Next to Ransom's was a headstone bearing a name that I recognized. Peter Thomson. I had no idea that I'd find him there, but it made perfect sense. Peter was Elizabeth's father and Ransom's father-in-law. He fought in the Revolutionary War. I was yet again speechless. Two generations of my actual forefathers, right there in front of me!

I've made a habit of collecting rocks, leaves and such from places that I hope to remember. Before leaving Fowlers Mill, I gathered a handful of acorns from the large oak tree near Ransom and Peter's final resting place. They seemed fitting a fitting memento and symbol of my relationship to the men.

It's hard to describe the full range of emotions that I experienced that day. Being in very the place where those who came long before me lived, worked, and ultimately died is humbling. Finding Ransom is something that I will never forget. He is part of who I am and of who my children will someday be. I look forward to the day that I can pass on that history to them. It will be their legacy.

Do you have a "moment" for 2010?

Reverb 10: Writing

2010-12-02T22:25:00.002-05:00

For me, there seem to be many things competing for my time. Most days, I feel that there is so much to do, that I feel guilty taking the time to write. Then I feel guilty for not writing. If you take a look at my archives, it won't take long to see that I haven't been consistent with my blogging. You want to talk about guilt!

I really enjoy writing about things that I've made or cooked, places we've visited, and stuff that we've done around the house. I take photos of literally every project we tackle. Sadly -- and maybe it's just me -- it takes me HOURS to crank out a single post, by the time I've formatted and inserted photos. So, for now, those images live on the SD card until I find a little time to put words to them. As I've admitted before, I tend to be long-winded and wordy. I'm also not much of a planner and rarely schedule posts more than a day in advance. These things combined make for either really late nights up polishing off posts or really long droughts without a single one.

I spend most of my waking hours during the week at work, sitting behind a computer. Some days I come home and swear that my eyes are going to melt out of their sockets if I gaze at a monitor for another minute.

Then there's the fact that I pretty much alienate Kevin, who's usually sitting right next to me, for the hours that I have my face buried in the laptop blogging. He's such a sweetheart and never complains, but I know that it can't feel good. The time that we have outside of work is precious, and I believe that I owe it to him and to our relationship to invest it wisely. Granted, a larger chunk than I'd like to admit of that time is spent watching TV together, but at least it's something we are doing together.

I guess the bottom line is that I need to practice more discipline with my time and word usage. It would help to have a regularly scheduled blogging time, say an hour every day. (Perhaps one of those TV hours.) Whatever I can do in those 60 minutes should be considered enough. I don't have to write a novel, or even a page. I don't have to share every single little detail. Sometimes less really is more. Maybe I should institute a 250-word limit, like a lot of those essay contests do. Hmm.

I know that I haven't really answered the question as it was posed. But I think that I've at least identified the major obstacles that prevent me from writing regularly. And that's a pretty good place to start!

Reverb 10: One Word

2010-12-02T18:00:00.005-05:00

So, I totally missed the mark on NaBloPoMo, which I signed up for with the intention of becoming a more consistent blogger (by posting one entry every day for the month of November). I managed a total of one post for the entire month. Sigh.

Anyway, the exercise that has caught my attention this month (well, just yesterday, really) is Reverb 10: the online initiative to "reflect on your year and manifest what's next." With daily thought-provoking prompts, I think this is going to be a great way to gear up for everything that 2011 has in store. I just have to remember, it's not the amount that I write (which I usually get hung up on) that matters, but the quality of it. So, with that said, I'd better get started... I'm already a day behind!

- - - - - - - -

As a person who usually uses ten words when two will suffice, choosing just one to sum up an entire year seems daunting. Looking back on 2010, though, the word keeps coming to mind is growth.

This year has challenged me to prune specific areas of my life and nurture others, resulting in some very noticeable personal, emotional, and spiritual growth. I've really made an effort to cut back on what I consider my time-wasters (um, Facebook?) and instead focus on feeding the relationships in my life that truly matter, breaking out of my comfort zone (leaving a stable but no-longer-satisfying job, with major love + encouragement from Kevin), and finding ways to not only be present in my life, but to live it with purpose (my church has really stimulated growth in this area).

In the process of stretching myself and being stretched, I've learned to not take things so seriously, allow myself to worry less, to enjoy more, and to try new things. I've also realized that I'm a heck of a lot stronger than I thought.

Looking ahead toward 2011, the word that I hope to embrace is rooted. The branching out that I experienced this year is exciting, but I want to make sure that my growth is not just above ground. I want to live more deeply, if that make any sense. The image that I have in my mind is an ancient oak tree, with a sprawling network of roots digging deeply into the earth, helping to feed its core so it can stand tall and steady.

I'd love to find myself a year from know knowing that I not only weathered the seasons, but that I managed to yield a fruitful harvest in the process. I believe deep roots are the key. Knowing who I am, what I believe in, and that I am part of something bigger than myself. That way, when life-changing events come my way (either good or bad), I can remain firmly grounded, constant and consistent.

What one word best describes your year?

Transformation: The Guest Room

2010-11-23T15:20:00.002-05:00

If there's anything that'll put a fire under our feet to fix up the house, it's the knowing that guests are coming over. The guests in this case are my sister and her husband, who will be staying with us over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Up until recently, our guest room pretty much belonged to Tess and Berkeley. Their litter box occupied the closet. Their food and water bowls sat upon an empty futon frame, safely out of Bella's reach. (The reason that there's no mattress is that, as a kitten, Tess took to peeing on it... and well, we never got around to replacing it.) The only other thing in the room was the cats' four-story tower. In short, the room was neglected and needed much love.

Plain Jane old ceiling fan that Kevin hated with a passion.

One of the five different styles of blinds that came with the house.

Hard at work on the ceiling after ripping out the baseboard.

Here's a basic list of what was done to the the room (in no particular order):

replaced baseboard
replaced ceiling fan
replaced blinds
patched over abandoned heating vent
painted ceiling, walls, closet doors + baseboard
installed closet organization system
moved in dresser and sofa bed (and upgraded the mattress!)
hung up wall art
added finishing touches

In two short weeks, we managed to pull together a space that will hopefully provide a restful night's sleep for our guests this week and in years to come. There were MANY late nights, countless trips to Home Depot, Target and Crate & Barrel, a couple minor glitches that all worked out in the end, and some major inspiration help from the talented Sugar at Modern Organic Living.

We celebrated with a mini wrap-party in the wee hours of this morning... I had a bowl of cereal (I was SO hungry) and Kev a well-deserved Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Good thing, too, because my sister's flight lands in an hour!

First glance

The walls are painted Benjamin Moore "Edgecomb Gray", with white trim.

Round mirror, interlocking shelves, media basket, vase

Practicing the "rule of odds"

Emmy Rug (My favorite addition to the room!), pillow covers

Hoopla lamp, accent table, knitted throw

Michael Schwab posters (LOVE his work!)

Lil Tuffy poster

Ork poster that I gifted to Kevin one year. (Keep reading for how you can win one!)

Beautiful new ceiling fan

The room developed a California theme, with the posters that we've collected over the years. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, Kevin is originally from the Bay Area and we head back there a couple times a year.

Home is where the heart is!

LISTEN UP: M+C over at Forty20Four are giving away an Ork poster! You should head on over and enter!

Blog Action Day 2010: Water

2010-10-15T07:00:00.005-04:00

One Water Trailer from KnightCenter on Vimeo.

Today is Blog Action Day. Like last year, I'm participating by adding my voice to the chorus of more than four thousand bloggers who are writing about one of the most critical issues facing the world right now: water. It covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface, yet according to a 2006 UN report, more than one billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. This means that approximately one of every seven people in the world lives more than 1 km (.62 mi.) from the nearest source of safe water.

Personally, I cannot remember a day in my life that I have had to go thirsty because of a lack of water or a contaminated source. Every once in a while, I like to indulge in a nice hot shower to wash away the stresses of the work day. Heck, even our Yorkie can count on having a bowlful of fresh water to lap from whenever she wants. It is easy for us as Americans to take water for granted. After all, it flows abundantly whenever we turn on the tap.

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Sadly, for so many in this world, the reality is a lot bleaker. Water is not readily available, and what little there may be is often teeming with parasites and dangerous bacteria. A general lack of sanitation in many of these developing countries compounds the problem, leading to water-borne illnesses and associated diseases like diarrhea, cholera, malaria and bacterial infection, which claim the lives of more than 2.1 million people every year (1.4 million of which are children).

While we are not the ones currently suffering, we cannot act as though this is someone else's problem. For one, it is anticipated that the global water crisis will affect everything from energy production to the cost of food to national security even. On a more basic level, though, is our responsibility as human beings to care for and help those in need.

{source}

One current solution involves digging covered wells for villages, which are oftentimes found to be the first source of clean water in a community's history. Humanitarian organizations like World Vision allow you to earmark donations for specific clean water initiatives.

Other ways that you can help are by monitoring and cutting back on water usage in and around your own home. There are countless resources online that provide tips for conserving water, water-saving updates for your home (some of which may be credited or even provided free by your local or federal government), and conscious landscape design.

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As a crafter, Blog Action Day has prompted me to look at my methods of making and find ways to reduce my water waste. I want to experiment with other techniques for felting wool, which until now, I've been doing in our washer. The news that our old top-loading machine could be guzzling up to 40 gallons of water per load definitely tempers some of the green feel-good vibes I get from recycling and repurposing old sweaters. For this reason, I think I'll give the boiling method a try!

What are some things that you do to conserve water?

PS: The video clip at the top of this post is from "One Water", a documentary produced by the University of Miami's School of Communication. It will be screened at the Pinecrest Gardens Community Center on October 26th.

Roasted Salmon + Lemon Relish

2010-10-05T17:30:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I mentioned a little about how we're trying to eat vegetables more regularly. Along with that mission, we'd like to cut down on our amount of red meat eaten (we LOVE us some burgers!) and work more fish and chicken recipes into the fold.

During our Sunday meal-planning session, Kev and I each selected a fish dish to try this week. I'm a huge fan of salmon, so my eyes quickly settled on the Roasted Salmon + Lemon Relish recipe from -- what else -- my favorite cookbook.

I fixed it for dinner last night. From the first bite, it became an instant favorite! Not only for me, but for Kevin, too. I'm not sure if it's from growing up in California or what, but he's never been very big on seafood. I don't think he'd ever tasted Snapper or Dolphin (the fish, not the porpoise) until he moved to Miami. Anyway, we now know he loves roasted salmon!

The relish really added a new, delicious twist for me. It's made with slivered lemon zest, raisins, toasted pine nuts, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, and a little salt + pepper. So good! Plus, the cushy beds that the salmon fillets rested on were made from about ¾ of bag of baby spinach. Score!

A little lesson that I learned last night: keep an eye on the pine nuts as they toast! Those little suckers were burning in less than half the recommended cooking time. To make matters worse, in my panic, I dumped the smoking nuts straight into a new garbage bag without letting them cool first. Not my brightest idea, as you can see.

Anyway, for the second night in a row, dinner has been a home-cooked success! I know that they all won't be so great, but I'm really having fun shaking things up in the kitchen.

Are there certain foods that you're either trying to eat more or less of? What are they and why?

Entertaining: A Taste of Fall

2010-10-04T21:45:00.001-04:00

Last night, Kevin and I hosted my mom and great aunt, Madrina, for dinner. In selecting the menu for our meal, we really wanted to highlight the fall season which, while not yet evident in Miami's temperatures, has definitely made its way to the produce section at our local market. The pumpkins and squashes in all kinds of colors and funny shapes gave us a starting point.

Instead of our usual centerpiece of cut flowers, we opted for an arrangement of ornamental squashes and a few ears of miniature Indian Corn, which seem like a deal at $9. Plus, since they're lacquered, they're sure to grace our table for much longer than our weekly bouquets, which run $5 a pop.

Our first flavors of fall came through the salad: mixed greens topped with slices of Bartlett pear and toasted walnuts, drizzled with a simple homemade dressing that has a hint of sugar. My mom really loved the variety of textures in this salad... and I did, too!

The main course consisted of a delicious puréed Butternut squash soup. This was the first time I'd ever cooked squash and also my first time trying a Butternut. Our kitchen smelled so good as it slowly melded together with the fresh ginger, onion and garlic. Garnished with a dollop of low-fat sour cream and a sprinkling of spicy roasted pumpkin seeds, it tasted unbelievably wonderful!

Aside from a bit of butter and the sour cream, it was made entirely of vegetables, which we've been working at eating more of regularly. This soup was my major contribution to the dinner.

Kevin rounded out the meal perfectly with a rustic apple tart, which he made all by himself. (My husband is quite the baker!) It just melted my heart to see him peeling and slicing Granny Smiths... then using my rolling pin to prepare the puff pastry sheet. So cute! Anyway, it was equally delicious and subtly sweet, which was a nice surprise.

Best of all, we got to spend time with family! Madrina couldn't stop talking about the Butternut squash soup and asked that I translate the recipe so that she can make it herself. (Did I mention that she's 90, lives independently, and exercises every day? I love her so much!)

Anyway, I offered a trade: the recipe in exchange for a little lesson on cooking Picadillo Cubano. (Madrina makes the best picadillo ever... chocked full of green olives and raisins, just the way I like it. Mmm!) We'll be getting together for the lesson later this week, so keep an eye out for the post.

What are your favorite flavors of the season?

¡Pepita, te quiero!

2010-10-03T16:45:00.003-04:00

On my mom's side of the family, everyone has a nickname. Some of them -- like Marisita -- are logical and make sense to outsiders. Others -- like Chulito -- definitely require some explaining. My sister Meredith (aka Meridín to our English-challenged abuela) was given the nickname Pepita by our great aunt. In Spanish, a pepita is a little seed, usually from a sunflower or pumpkin. Considering Mer's the youngest of the cousins and was born three-months premature, Pepita just fits.

My great aunt, now 90, will be our guest for dinner tonight. Kevin and I are making butternut squash soup sprinkled with roasted pumpkin seeds. I couldn't help but smile and think of my sister when I read the label on the bag.

If you're in the mood for something slightly spicy, I'd recommend roasting up a batch of these seeds. They're quick to make and so very tasty! I found the recipe in my go-to cookbook, Everyday Food: Great Food Fast .

Here it is, courtesy of the fine folks at Martha Stewart:

Ingredients

1 cup raw green pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss to coat.
Spread on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until puffed and browned, about 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Did you have a nickname growing up?

Stringing Along

2010-09-10T07:45:00.002-04:00

A couple of months ago, the stars finally aligned and I got the chance to take a class at Natural Expressions, my favorite little shop in downtown Los Gatos. It's the most amazing of stores... serving up a dizzying selection of beads, plus lengths of fabric in the yummiest patterns around. It's the kind of place that my husband might have to drag me out of after spending over an hour across the street waiting at the Apple Store. (Hmm. This may have already happened a time or two, come to think of it.)

Anyway, during our visit in July, I made plans with my mother-in-law for a girls afternoon out. When we learned that there was a class being offered a couple of days before our flight home, we squealed with delight! You see, every single other time I've been in the Bay Area, I've missed out on a lesson by exactly. one. day.

So, armed with a card of yellow silk thread, a few dozen beads, a tube of G-S Hypo Cement and a pointy pair of tweezers, I settled in next to Dione at the table to learn the basics of bead knotting. Our instructor, Michelle, was super friendly and took the time to teach us her tips and tricks, like how to get our knots tight and perfectly placed.

It was a lot of fun, I got to learn a skill and spend time with one of my very favorite ladies. Talk about win-win-win!

As a primarily self-taught maker of things (thanks to books, YouTube, and general curiosity), I've kind of missed out on the social aspect that crafting with others brings. (Perhaps that's why I'm so excited about Handmade Miami's monthly get-togethers!)

How about you? Have you ever taken crafting classes? Do you prefer to craft with others or on your own?

PS: If you're ever in "the 408" (as our friend, Roy, so affectionately calls it), be sure to stop by Natural Expressions. You won't regret it!

Our Number's Up!

2010-09-07T19:00:00.002-04:00

After several months -- like, um, nine -- we finally have a proper house number. When the house was being prepped for exterior painting last November, we pried the wood-grain plastic numbers off the wall, painted them black and propped them up in a front window. That's the only thing that has identified our house until now.

We kept putting off the purchase in favor of applying funds to more important causes, like updating all of the electrical outlets (which were 2-prong and had no grounding pins!) and vet bills for our pup who was super sick at the beginning of this year. (Not to worry... she's healthy now and back to her spry self!)

Anyway, it feels like such a relief to finally have a permanent solution. Here's a quick look at the progression from what we started with, how we made do, and what we've got now:

The number plaque that we chose (in black with silver) is made by Whitehall Products and can be ordered through a number of retailers, like The Home Depot. We bought ours from Mailbox and Beyond, which offered the lowest price + free shipping.

So, what do you think? Much better, eh?

Yesterday's News

2010-09-05T21:30:00.014-04:00

Last night, we hosted an impromptu little birthday fiesta for our good friend Eddie. I tell you, if there's one thing to get us to do some much needed tidying up, it's the knowledge that the clock is ticking down and people are coming over! Perhaps we should entertain more often. Ha!

Anyway, since our postcard collection is not yet large enough to span the circumference of the Wakefield, I needed to find something else to dress our new chandelier with in a pinch... preferably something interesting, readily available (um, free) and not too time consuming. I decided to turn to my stockpile of old newspapers.

Now, these aren't just any old newspapers. They're clippings from decades and centuries past that document the comings and goings of my family: my dad's birth announcement, my grandma's spelling bee success in third grade, word of my great-grandfather's homecoming from WWI. I also included census rolls in which my relatives are listed, as well as plat maps from the places they called home. A lot of it was amassed during countless hours poring over the collections at Ancestry.

In the year that this blog's been up, I'm kind of embarrassed that I haven't yet shared about my passion for family history. It's something that Kevin and I share, actually, and was weaved into so many details of our wedding. I've spent a lot of time researching and, well, if you'd like to hear more about it (or how to get into it), I'd love to pass along what I've learned over the past 12 years of climbing my own family tree.

This chandelier project took me about an hour-and-a-half to complete. After resizing/cropping the articles, I printed them on buff colored paper (for a more authentic look), trimmed the edges, and clipped them up. It's not the cascade of papers (à la the photo on the PB site) that I was hoping for, but it did the trick in a hurry. Next time, I think I'll vary the lengths more to lessen the appearance of the three distinct tiers and "stack" papers to reduce the hard shadows.

Here's a peek at some of the pieces that I used:

Roll announcing my grandpa's enlistment in the Army during WWII, to the right of the

ship's registry showing my 7-month-old great-grandpa when he came from Scotland in 1866

Auction bulletin posted by my great-great-grandpa in 1919

A telegram sent to Kev's grandparents while on their honeymoon in 1934

I just love the glow!

Kevin and I have a number of projects lined up that will incorporate elements of both of our family trees and heritage. Our house couldn't be our home without reflecting that passion of ours!

Are you into family history? Would you like to learn about genealogy and how to get started?

Wakefield Chandelier

2010-09-03T08:00:00.007-04:00

Alright, boys and girls. I've made you wait long enough. Great job on the pop quiz, by the way! (A shiny gold star to each of you that helped out this stumped blogger, plus an extra one for being so patient!) The majority of you want to hear more about the awesome chandelier, so here it goes.

Way back in February, Kevin and I were on the hunt for the perfect light fixture for our dining room. The one that the house came with when we bought it (picture golden sculpted roses creeping up from the inside of a dingy frosted glass bowl... very 80's chic) was much too small for the space, hung about 10 feet away from where our table sits, and is definitely not our style.

Before: Misplaced, mismatched lamp (plus a peek at our painted cabinets)

With two fistsful of Pottery Barn gift cards in hand, we agreed to focused our initial search on the PB offerings and hope for the best. As with every visit to their website, I headed straight for the sale page. To my surprise, I found something that immediately caught my eye: the Wakefield Chandelier.

Source

The three-tiered iron chandelier struck me as a really cool focal piece for our spacious dining room area. I'd certainly never seen any thing like it before. I loved the soft glow of the aged book pages. I saw its potential as a dynamic display that we could change on a whim. Family photos, genealogy charts, Christmas cards... really, anything that fits in a bulldog clip is game! But then I got to wondering: Is it too different? Would it get too dusty? Would we soon regret it? After a few minutes of looking at the other offerings under Lighting, I cast those doubts aside, called Kevin into the room and showed him my find. "Yes! Let's get it!"

Source

With a few keystrokes, the Wakefield was ours. I consider it a major score, since we got it on final clearance for $179.99 (reg. $300), with free shipping! Plus, since it only used up a tiny chunk of our gift card cache, we could keep an eye out for other great pieces to cozy up our home with.

Kev and I are now in the process of scouring Ebay and a few specialty sites, building a collection of vintage postcards that hold a special significance for us. You can see some of them in the first photo above. Care to take a guess as to what they all have in common?

What kinds of items would you display on the Wakefield? I'd love to hear them!

One Million Pillowcase Challenge

2010-09-02T13:00:00.012-04:00

Remember how I mentioned yesterday that I had tried my hand at sewing and that it wasn't half-bad? Well, today I'm going to show you exactly what I was up to!

Last Saturday, I got together with a few of the great girls that I met back in June at the Etsy Craft Party. They've since joined forces to become Handmade Miami, a collective of local creatives and Etsians that get together for monthly Crafternoons and small business workshops.

Every month features a different craft or project, which is perfect for those of us (me!) who are itching to learn a new skill. Our August project was dedicated to the One Million Pillowcase Challenge, sponsored by American Patchwork & Quilting. Its purpose is to round up sewers across the country to create pillowcases for donation to local hospitals, shelters and nursing homes. The batch we sewed up will be heading to Miami Children's Hospital later this month!

So, back to the story. After spending a good long hour browsing the bolts at Jo-Ann, I selected two prints that I hope will bring a little cheer to boys and girls staying at MCH. With fabric in hand, I headed to Diana's garage-turned-pillowcase-factory.

See what I mean by factory? It was awesome!

First stop: the cutting table

After cutting my pieces and pinning them together, I hemmed and hawed for a bit before heading to the machines. (Remember that cautious fear I was talking about?) Then Julie, my sewing angel, sat me down and taught me the basics. It took me a little to get the hang of guiding the fabric, though. (I learned that when my fingers are dangerously close to the presser foot, it almost gives Julie a heart attack. Sorry, Julie!) Long story short, I sewed on a machine all by myself and survived with all ten fingers intact and pinprick free!

Plus, with the burrito/roll-up/tube/it-has-many-names method, attaching the band to the pillowcase was a cinch! I failed to take photos of that step (bad, Marissa!), but I'll try to make up for it by linking to this great video that explains the process.

Pressing the piece before top-stitching

Now I'm not going to lie, there were some wobbles in my lines. For the most part, they were fairly straight... but the couple of wiggles that they had drove me crazy. Hopefully the little ones who receive my pillowcases won't be as scrutinizing as I am and can forgive this first-timer! :o)

Once I sewed the L-shaped seam that formed the pillowcase, Diana ran the piece through the serger to finish off the raw edges.

Talk about serious machinery!

After a final press with the iron to smooth everything out, my pillowcases were finished! I made two, each with a contrasting band. All told, the Handmade Miami ladies cranked out 30 pillowcases! Not too shabby!

At the time of this post, there are 135,541 pillowcases on the official challenge counter. While that's awesome, there's still a looooong way to go to reach a million. (Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.) Why not add a case or two to the count? It's easy to do, feels great, and you can boast a cute little badge like the one in my sidebar on your own blog!

If you're a South Florida crafter, please check out the Handmade Miami blog or Facebook fan page. You'll find information on upcoming events (like confection making at Wendy's Chocolates!) and meet other cool and crafty guys and girls in the area. :o)

So... what's the verdict on my first sewn project for human consumption? (I did make a "Tinkerbella" costume for our Yorkie a few years ago... but that doesn't count.)

September is National Sewing Month

2010-09-01T17:30:00.009-04:00

There seems to be a month for every cause and activity under the sun. Well, stitchers, rejoice! September officially belongs to you. Today kicks off National Sewing Month!

In honor of all things needle and thread, I've put together this little treasury of sewing-themed Etsy finds. I'm in love with the little thimble garden! (You can click on the image for a better view.)

sew in love necklace | crochet pin cushion | girl with quilt

As a seamstress' granddaughter and lover of all things handmade, I've longed to learn to sew for quite some time. I think it's a combination of the whole measurements/calculations thing (I'm so NOT a numbers person) and a cautious fear of sewing machines that has made me shy away for this long. I'm ready to get stitching seriously, though... and actually tried my hand at it over the weekend. There results weren't half-bad and, as you can see, I survived! :o)

Here is a contests and a couple of giveaways that are being held in celebration of the month:

Accessorize Your Life contest
Sewing & Craft Alliance's Daily Giveaway Survey
Martha Stewart Living Daily Giveaway

Do you sew? How did you learn? What's your favorite thing that you've made?

In full bloom!

2010-08-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Check it out! The flowers and vines have finally taken over Kevin's entire dry-erase board! And not a moment too soon, I might add. The fall semester starts up next Wednesday, so he's going to be needing it back for its original purpose any day now.

As hard as it's going to be to erase three months worth of blooms, I'm already getting ideas for where the next garden may sprout up. One item in the new Utrecht catalog has really caught my eye... "Blank Canvas" Chuck Taylors!

Just what I need, another pair of shoes! :o)

This Sunday: Michaels Summer Madness!

2010-08-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

If you're anything like me, you have a heart for handicrafts and an eye for bargains... and you probably already know about the Michaels Summer Madness sale.

In case you haven't yet heard, here's the scoop! This Sunday, August 15th, from 4:00-8:00 pm, you will be able to use this coupon to save 25% off your entire purchase at Michaels. You read that right: your entire purchase. (As with any good sale, there are exclusions, so be sure to read the fine print.)

I can't tell you how much I was able to save on supplies for my various DIYs when we were planning our wedding, thanks in large part to Michaels Summer Madness. The single-item discounts printed on every receipt also help. (But you probably already know that, too!)

With the Holidays only four months away (yikes!), I think I'll take this opportunity to stock up on gift-making ingredients. How about you?

Multiple Choice

2010-08-11T17:00:00.004-04:00

Boy and girls, please clear your desks of everything but a No. 2 pencil. It's time for a pop quiz! There's no right or wrong answer, so don't stress over it too much. Just answer the following question as best you can regarding the photo above:

I would love to know more about ________! Please share about it/them soon!

a) that awesome chandelier
b) those cool vintage postcards
c) the delicious paint color on the wall
d) all of the above

Now, without looking a your classmates' work, enter your choice in the comment section below.
I'll be back in a few days with the results!

At the Cabin: Dinner by Sunset

2010-08-10T08:00:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite things to do when visiting my mother-in-law, Dione, is sift through her wonderful collection of Sunset magazines. I haven't yet come across an issue that I haven't loved. The July 2010 copy is no exception, especially with its cover story on old-school camper road trips and the awesome guide to California flea markets.

At the cabin, there's a simple system for dividing the mealtime responsibilities. With four couples/families sharing three squares a day for at least a week, there's a potential for lots of confusion. Our solution is to assign each group a general daily task (Kevin and I were responsible for snack foods)... then we all take turns cooking dinner during the week.

We tend to take our recipe selection process seriously, opting for dishes with international flavor. It's no surprise that we found inspiration for our Asian-themed meal (one of this year's favorites!) right in the pages of Sunset magazine:

Cocktail: Watermelon & Cucumber Tonic
Appetizer: steamed edamame
Entrée: Honey-Sesame Grilled Chicken Wings (oven baked)
Side Dish: Coconut Rice
Dessert: Cantaloupe+Honey+Lime (modified)

Clean and refreshing! Ahh...

Spicy, in the best way possible!

As my Abuela would say, this is "uno de mis inventos"

The meal was pretty labor intensive, with most of the time dedicated to prep work. I can assure you, though, it was oh-so-deliciously worth every minute! Here's a look at how it came together:

Kevin, honing his coconut-cracking skills

Our niece, Abbie, harvesting the water

A few good whacks by each of the girls got the rest of the job done

Two summer mainstays: watermelon and "cabin beard" :o)

A triple recipe meant LOTS of chopping, puréeing and straining!

Watched sesame seeds never burn...

The coconut rice was a pleasant surprise, considering I made it up while scouring the aisles at Safeway. (I hardly ever stray from recipes, so this was pretty big for me!) The ingredients were simple: water, a white coconut, and jasmine rice.

Using a Cuisinart, I grated about three-quarters of the coconut meat, which was then lightly toasted in the oven. Then I substituted a third of the water needed for the rice with coconut water and cooked it according to the stovetop directions. When the rice was done, I loosened it up with a fork and stirred in a few handfuls of the toasted coconut. Pretty simple, huh? I really love how the subtle sweetness of the rice balanced the spice in the wings perfectly. Mmm!

As much as I love Sunset, I can't yet bring myself to subscribe. Getting each month's copy in the mail seems like it would be torturous... reading about "living in the West" when we're clear across the country. I wonder if there's a magazine equivalent for those of us on the East Coast. Sunrise, maybe?

PS: You can catch up on the rest of this series!

Cabin Fever

At the Cabin: Wildflower Power

At the Cabin: Creatures Great and Small

Favorite Find: KEEN Footwear

2010-08-06T08:00:00.002-04:00

As soon Kevin and I started dating, I became intrigued by his funky sandals with the chunky rubber toe. I'd never before heard of KEEN shoes, but after noticing them on him, it was as if they suddenly started popping up everywhere. It's funny how things are like that sometimes.

After all of these years, I finally picked up my first pair at the REI in Los Gatos, the day before heading to the cabin this summer. With so many styles and shades, it took me a while to decide on a pair... but I finally settled on the Newport H2 in Dark Citron, a yummy kiwi color.

Initial fears of looking like I have Shrek feet subsided as soon as I slipped them on for their first trek about town. It was then that I knew: I'd found something very good.

Here are a few shots from their maiden voyage to the cabin...

Crossing a stream on the trails

Demonstrating their waterproofness in the Yuba River

Casually kicking back in Downieville

The Newport H2's definitely got the lion's share of wear during our week at the cabin. Needless to say, I was thrilled to see KEEN listed as a featured sale on Rue La La the week we returned home! As soon as the sale began, I added a few different pairs to my cart and then deliberated a while on which one would make the final cut.

On Wednesday evening, a box was waiting for me at the front door. Inside was my very first Rue La La purchase: a pair of Coronado printed sneakers in Misted Yellow. Cute, huh? (Even more so considering the $2o I saved on them. Woohoo!)

I can't wait to wear them to work this morning... Casual Friday's finally here!

With two pairs of KEEN in less than a month, Kevin may just have created a monster! ;o)

If you haven't yet heard of Rue La La, it's a website featuring two-day sales on brands you know and love. Membership is free, but by invitation only. You are welcome to check out the site using my invitation link, http://www.ruelala.com/invite/marissamakes. New members joining by August 8th will receive a $10 account credit just for signing up!

Do you have any "favorite finds" that were introduced to you by your significant other? What are they?

At the Cabin: Creatures Great and Small

2010-08-05T08:00:00.010-04:00

The Sierras are full of wild and wonderful creatures. The hands-down coolest one that I saw on this trip was the Ceanothus Silk Moth, which measured about five inches across. The night that it flew up on the deck at the cabin, we briefly mistook it for a bat, which caused quite a stir! Early the next morning, I was able to hold and snap some photos of the sleepy moth before it flew off.

Other winged critters that were seen include a variety of moths, butterflies and colorful beetles, in addition to robins, chickadees (which are nesting in a knothole in the cabin), scrub jays, magpies, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, and osprey.

Chipmunks can be seen scurrying around everywhere, be it around the yard outside the cabin or high-tailing it across Highway 49 (right in front of our car, no less). Those little things are fearless! We also saw a chunky chipmunk look-alike, the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel. It looks like it has a squirrel head on a large chipmunk body. Weird!

Speaking of roadside spotting, I saw deer twice: a doe and her two white-speckled babies munching on ornamental grass along Gold Lake Highway and two juveniles with velvety knobby antlers just outside of Sierra City. I get so excited when we see deer... they're just so graceful and beautiful! (Too bad they've also been too fast for me to catch on camera.)

Another well-known inhabitant of the region is the black bear. Except for the one hanging in the lobby of the Graeagle Lodge, I've never seen one in person. We had a bit of excitement this winter when we learned that a mother and her cub broke into the cabin, sampling the only food items that we left behind: cocoa powder, ground ginger, fennel seeds and sugar. We lucked out in that they didn't do much damage aside from a broken window, messy sink, some bite marks on an empty shelf in the fridge and chocolaty paw prints trailing across the linoleum floor.

aaaaaa* photo by my brother-in-law, Scott

aaaaaa* another one from Scott

A neighboring cabin didn't fare well at all. Their visitors had the equivalent of a bear-style frat party, making the most of the feast that was left for them in the cupboards after the summer was over. Check out one of the empty beer cans that we found littering the neighbor's yard. Yes, the bears drank BEER!

Finally, there were a few non-native, completely domesticated creatures that I observed during our stay:

Daisy, Cousin Brian's feisty pug

Elvis, the Basset-Beagle-Doxie trail hound at Gold Lake Pack Station & Stables

Makeba, my sister-in-law's sweet, water-loving Lab

Stick around for more happenings from the cabin, including recipes, crafting and a hike that is dear to my heart! :o)

Deals: Miami Spice

2010-07-31T08:00:00.003-04:00

Attention South Florida foodies! In case you haven't heard, Miami Spice kicks off tomorrow. From August 1st through September 30th, you can indulge in the very best of the city's cuisine at budget-friendly prices. This year's list features no less than 90 top restaurants ready to dish up prix fixe, three-course meals at only $22 for lunch and $35 for dinner.

Which restaurants have you been longing to check out?