Getting Better

So with the plethora (love that word!) of baby boys being born lately I'm trying to get good at making baby presents.  Since my bib didn't turn out exactly how I was hoping I turned to onesies. 

Now these I like! 

There's going to be one more boy joining the family as soon as baby "Burt" decides he is ready (by the end of next week for sure!) so I better get moving on making some more. Plus, I have a very patient little boy waiting for his quilt that I promised by Valentine's day.  I promise I've started... 

 

Proof!

But I still have a long way to go.  Off to the sewing room.. I work well under pressure. 

Love is Patient.... I am not

I was able to make my very own dress to wear to my cousin's wedding!  It was this cute pattern from Amy Butler.  I wanted it to be a little more fitting so I cut some of pieces on the x-small lines (nice little boost for ego!)  The pattern was really nice and easy to follow until the last few steps.  A phone call to my mom and still no help.  So I did what anyone else would do... got frustrated, quit, and brought it home for my mom to finish :)  I think it turned out pretty well.  There is still a flower pin that I need to make for it out of some bright pink fabric but time was running a little short.

Next up on the to do list.. starting/finishing a quilt for a little boy that has been very patient as his other 3 siblings have already gotten their quilts ahead of him.  I promised him I would have it done by Valentines Day so I need to get my rear in gear!

Cute idea.... not so cute all finished....

So with all my friends/family having babies these days I figured it would be fun to make some baby gifts.  So I got a pattern for some cute bibs and then bought some nice fun color fabric and went to work.  This is the end result...

Turns out it wasn't fun to make and didn't turn out so cute either. My slip stitching needs some work!  And that head was a pain in my @$$ to get on.  I guess if you look at it from really far away it is kind of cute, but who stands far away from a baby?!  Looks like I'll just have to do baby quilts instead.

On a roll

Just finished another project!  Look at me go. 

A nice little grocergy bag.  Way easier of a pattern to follow than the pajama shirt was.  And look....

It folds up into a nice little pouch.  Too bad it costs way more to make this than buying the $1 green bags at the grocery store.... but mine is WAY cuter.

It's DONE!

Okay.. so I might not have gotten the quilt done before Thanksgiving like I planned, but I have good reasons.  I started my new job!! I am now the dietitian for the oncology and bone marrow transplant floor at the University of Colorado Hospital!  How cool is that!?   The patient population I get to work with is amazing.  It's nice to have patients that actually care about nutrition and what you have to say.  PLUS I get my very own cubicle!  Hehe  I know most people want a nice corner office, but I'm settling for my own space right now.  But having to work 40+ hours a week is something new for me so trying to balance everything I want to get done in a day is difficult. 

ANYWAY.. back to the task at hand.  Here it is.. the newest quilt for the Lang family

It's the first quilt I made for a boy and I LOVE it.  It's getting kind of hard to keep letting go of the quilts... I wish I could keep them ALLLL.  Good thing there are only 2 beds in our house!

Now that the quilt is done I have many more projects to get started on:
One more Lang kid quilt to go. 
A bunch of baby boy gifts to make (seriously people ... someone needs to have a girl one of these days.  It's been 4 straight boys for my friends and family!)
A Christmas tree skirt
Christmas Stockings... like the ones I found here  http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/simplify/
Some shopping bags
and and and... so many things I want to get done.  So many projects... so little time. 

Homemade Christmas

So with my mom visiting this week I took advantage of her expertise and had her help me make this Christmas present.  Following a pattern is something I have only done one other time (I made some sweat Dino boxers w/ my grandma one summer when I was still in elementary school).  The pajama shirt turned out a little too wide and a little too short but I'm hoping it still goes over wells.  Since I was able to concur this I went and bought same more patterns for a bunch of different things... grocery bags, purses, kitchen accessories, and some bibs.  Looks like it might be a homemade Christmas for all!

I Love a GREAT Deal!

Nate & I had this cast iron pot on our wedding registry but never got it.  I never felt like using our gift cards on it because I didn't think it was worth $99.99, but I still REALLY wanted it.  I love making soup and thought it would be great for that.  Well this week I was able to put a couple deals/coupons (I love my coupons!) together and got it for $30!!  So I thought I would share two of my favorite soup recipes with you to celebrate.

Taco Soup
1 lb ground beef, 1 medium onion chopped, 3 cans beans (I like black, pinto and kidney), 2 cans diced tomatoes w/ green chilies, 2 c. water, 1 1/2 c. corn (canned, fresh or frozen), 1 pkt ranch dressing mix, 1 pkt taco seasoning.
~ In in a large kettle/dutch oven (like my new pretty one!) saute onions until soft.  Add ground beef until brown.  Drain.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover & simmer 20-30 mins.  (Don't forget to season w/ salt & pepper along the way).   Enjoy w/ corn bread.  For more heat toss in a spicy pepper or two.  :)

Zupa Tuscana  (like a certain famous restaurant)
6 slices bacon, 1 Tbl EVOO, 3/4 c. chopped onion, 1 lb Italian sausage, 2 med potatoes (I like red) cut up into bite size pieces,  2 cloves garlic, 2 c kale, 1 qrt chicken stock, 1/3 c. heavy cream.  Oregano and basil to taste
~ Cook bacon, crumble & set aside.  In a large kettle/dutch oven (again.. like the pretty one above) Saute onions in EVOO until clear.  Add sausage and cook until no longer pink (if you like a little heat add some red pepper flakes).  Add chicken stock and potatoes.  Cook 15 mins or until potatoes are done.  Add cream, bacon, kale, basil & oregano.  Simmer 5 mins and serve.  (Don't forget to season w/ salt & pepper along the way).   Enjoy w/ rosemary bread sticks.