Poof!

All of a sudden, summer is here. That means the afternoon sun tears me away from the computer and the basement, the garage door flies up, paint brushes come out, the bike tires get pumped up, the hiking shoes get dusted off and the windows are open!

A week ago, we were bundled and clad in Gore-Tex for the Driggs Sunday concert.




We found plenty of things to smile about.



But there was no green sheen yet.



POOF!

4514 miles. 15.5 for me.

My Dad runs (he's 70 plus).



My sister runs.

My friends run marathons. And crazy races like this, this and this.

That means I don't really have an excuse. So 3 weeks ago, I started running in preparation for running with my friend Mike, who is currently on Project America Run. I started helping him get ready for this journey last fall and today he passed through Driggs.

So I borrowed something for safety, filled up my water bottles and laced up my shoes.





It was a beautiful day to trot down Packsaddle Road.



Jenny and Mike coming in for a landing.



At the end of Packsaddle, a Sheriff's deputy waited to escort us into town along busy Highway 33. Star treatment!

I was honored to place a flag for Ismael Solorio (AZ), 21 years old.

And Brian Lee Holden (NC), 21 years old.

And Todd Singleton (MI), 24 years old.

My first 7.5 miles are done and the next 8 arrive on Thursday when the Driggs runners send him further east with 3000+ more flags.

Snowball Flight- March 2010

We rolled into Bryce Canyon where there was more snow on the ground than in Driggs.



It was a perfect snowball snow.

With Resolve

I gave up on making resolutions a long time ago, but I did decide this year to try a few new things. One of the these was to learn to cook Indian food with one new recipe a month. My experience consuming it is minimal, so I have little knowledge of spices used and popular dishes. My experience cooking it? Even less.

Conquered so far:
Samosas with a sweet and sour dipping sauce- pastry pockets with peas, mushrooms and potatoes.

Tofu Vindaloo- a thick, spicy stew served on rice and the running favorite

Vindal- ew? Not a chance!

Vegetable Biryani with Mango Chutney and Naan Bread- A vegetable and rice mixture with a chunky mango sauce

Indian Spiced Stuffed Peppers- a veggie take on the traditional


Freestyle Poona Pancakes-basmati and lentil based batter, fried and served with fresh sauces and vegetables.


Enjoying a pancake dinner.

I was going to run the whole 12 months/12 recipes committed to following the directions, not substituting (except veggies for meat), not repeating and establishing a knowledge base before getting jiggy with Bombay's cuisine. That lasted 3 recipes. Sorry. I got antsy. And the Mango Chutney was so delicious!


CD prepares the chutney.

I am loving the balance between the warm spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves) and savory/spicy (garlic, cilantro, serrano peppers) along with learning how to use fruits in dinner (raisins, mango). The sheer anticipation of what is going to end up on the plate is exciting and nervewracking. I know what Fusilli with Basil and Grape Tomatoes is going to taste like; Mulligatawny Stew on the other hand...

Wish me luck! I have at least 8 more recipes to discover and more cardamom to purchase!

Tiny Dress Form

My niece Lucy loves her American Girl Twins, Jack and Jane. Like can't leave home without them LOVE. Having been quite the doll aficionado myself, I fully understand this obsession. But before we get to Lucy, let me tell you about Mrs. Ferguson.

Mrs. Ferguson was my aunt's mother-in-law. I never met her, but twice a year- Christmas and Birthday- my sister and I would receive a checkbook box of clothes for our Barbie dolls. Beautiful, detailed, beaded, hand crocheted doll clothes. Wedding dresses with booties and silver beading. Knit business suits with a button closure tank shirt. Leggings and tunics. Swimming suits. This was amazing work, but I didn't care about that, my sister and I had the most fashionable Barbie dolls in Bryn Mawr. Who was this mystery lady, loosely related to me? Why did she send me these amazing outfits every year without fail? I didn't think about that very long either; I wrote an awkward 7 year-old thank you note and went to organize the next fashion show.

Years later when I purchased my first sewing machine, one of the first things I wanted to try was Barbie doll clothes, to see exactly what Mrs. Ferguson went through. It had to be fun or she would not have been so steadfast in her shipments. I quickly found fit issues (Barbie's crazy 13.5cm-8.5cm-12.5cm figure) and the miniscule scale was beyond my skill.

So let's try something bigger- say an American Girl doll?

For Christmas, I made Lucy sleeping bags for Jack and Jane. Without an actual doll, I was concerned about proportion, so I made a dummy:



This worked fine for a fleece rectangle, but it would never work to design a corduroy swing coat with toggle buttons for Jane and a Members Only style jacket for Jack. No, no. This won't do.


I asked Mom and Alison to keep their eyes out for used AG dolls in the same size. "Are you kidding? These dolls are like gold!" "It's a miracle doll, E. Girls just don't USE them and then give them to Goodwill." Wow. I guess it had been a while since I was in the doll circle.

I stalked Craigslist. In several states. I combed Ebay for something used and abused. Everything was in mint condition with a minty price. I found a naked African American doll with one blue and one brown eye. I placed my bid. I was immediately outbid past my max.

Finally one night, I checked my 'Watch' list-an auction was ending in 26 minutes. In between watching Human Target and checking my bids, I received an email:



I immediately called Mom and Alison to brag about my Ebay bidding strategy. Then I found a pad of paper and started sketching and a week later, Junior arrived.


Junior chills by the Janome.

Now my tiny dress form lives in the sewing room, waiting to be poked, prodded, taped, draped and dressed in the latest tiny couture. I wait to have a Mrs. Ferguson experience. And Lucy waits for her checkbook box.

Only 295 Crafting Days Left Until Christmas

A few years ago, Jay and I found our Christmas to-buy-for list growing larger. To keep the shopping craziness down and creativity flowing, we decided to make small gifts for each other and everyone on the list.

With a fabulous bulk spice store around the corner, we grabbed an assortment of ingredients and developed Mexachusetts Spice Blend, Boston Gahden Herb Blend and North End Italian Seasoning. Since then, I've tried every year to make at least one gift for people on my list. I remember drowning in supplies that ended up being mittens, bread mix, sock monkeys, CD's,
puppets and scarves.



During the frenzy that is the holidays, I've found this is a relaxing way to spend November and December- working with my hands, fashioning a closure, dreaming up and researching an EKR-version of something on the e-mailed X-mas lists.

In 2009, I had a whole Santa's workshop to myself and my sewing machine in my newly built house. It is truly a luxury that I hope I never have to give up- being able to cut and spread out and litter the floor with thread with wild abandon.

I had ALL sorts of ideas, especially for all the nieces and nephews. One was an art-to-go kit inspired by my friend Amy (again). I found a pattern I liked here.



What a great solution for bored kids riding in the car, waiting for appointments or restaurants to blast out some serious creativity. Once I cranked out the first kit, I was a factory and made extras for the occasional neighbor kid visit or birthday that might pop up in the future. As soon as the crayons were tucked, they were gone; a neighbor with a 1 year old had a Christmas party, my nephews have a cousin and that occasional visit happened sooner rather than later.



Another fun project was an aromatherapy eye mask. My yoga teacher in Boston lived in my neighborhood and mentioned this one day on a walk home. We purchased sewing machines at the same time and our latest projects were often hot topics after the 7pm class at Crunch.



She suggested using essential oils to make rice fragrant and filling silk bags with the rice. It has a perfect weight and can also be warmed up in the microwave for sore muscles. I prefer the radiator/space heater method, conveniently located next to my desk!



I made eye masks in double digit quantities and they were soon gone too. Lots of girls in the family and one Lawyer Dad all need personal spa time.



I am excited to use the next 295 days to prototype the best holiday gifts for next year. The suggestion box is open!

Pizza Night

A new recipe! It was so tasty, I only have one picture as evidence.



Potato Rosemary Pizza
1 pizza crust- 9 inch roundish
olive oil
1 medium potato- diced and cooked
1-2 tablespoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced, optional
garlic, a light shake, powder or 1 small clove fresh, optional
cheese, parmesan and mozzarella or a pizza blend
salt and pepper



Brush the crust with olive oil. Lightly sprinkle parmesan and the rosemary on top. Add tomato slices. Add the potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the garlic. Add the cheese. Bake at 430 degrees for 10-20 minutes.

Enjoy!



Tips:
--I make pizza crust dough in the bread machine that I lightly pre-cook. You can also use frozen dough or a 'Boboli' style crust.
--My favorite kitchen gadget for spices is a mortar and pestle, but you can also use a food processor, blender or chop fresh rosemary by hand.
--Use sea salt or seasoned salt for a little kick.
--Experiment with cheese. Provolone, swiss and feta all taste great with potatoes and rosemary.

Flip Flop Christmas

Thanks to Melissa, Nate, Cole and Chase for hosting a fabulous Christmas celebration this year. Hosting holidays is very courageous and these Southern-based Maz's are pros!

Watching my nephews open presents was hilarious. Chase was quite reserved for the first 2 days and then when the paper came off, he was full throttle!



Nate and Melissa took us to a great park just minutes from their house to shake off some of the Christmas goodies. It was Florida Foliage time



and lots of funky birds came out to play.







Cole mastered the climbing wall at the park.



Aunt and Uncle had to try it out too. Some tough boulder problems on this route and some liebacking required.






Santa brought the kids a 'Dizzy Go Round', but he forgot to include a case of Dramamine!



A trip to Tampa is not complete without an afternoon at the beach.





Several thumbs up to the Flip Flop Christmas. I hope we behaved well-enough for another invite!

Lefty Says...

Cold Comfort for Change: Part 3

Comforter covers are just a bag for your blanket, right? Sew a couple square corners, throw some buttons on the top. Done.

Insert screeching tire sound here. I had a few things working against me on this one. Including myself.

1. Comforter covers are 2 sided right? Note to self: multiply yardage by 2.
2. Fabric store is hour and ½ away. Puchased fabric was from store 4 1/2 hours away. Don’t cry yet.
3. Fabric is 45” wide. Comforter cover is 85 inches wide.
4. Make the pattern and construction really complicated because you don’t have enough problems yet.

I got bailed out by a local quilt shop. The first time I went to High Country Quilting it was in a dark, weird store space with only cotton fabrics and ugly ones at that. I wrote off this store and it’s multiple moves in the last few years. On a Saturday bike ride, I couldn't resist a ‘Fabric Yard Sale’ in front of the store. I dug through moose print flannel and drab holiday prints, then stepped inside.

Armed with my tape, sketch book, swatches and a calculator, I waded through the rooms of bolts. It was still quilting cottons (I do love me an occasional jewel tone dupioni silk and wide wale corduroy), but there was beautiful modern fabrics and delicious colors meticulously folded and tucked.

Mrs. High Country Quilting showed me a loud, aisan-y print that made me cringe at first, but it matched every single stripe in my roman shade and the remaining fabric for the duvet.

My Sherpa returned to haul fabric and I promptly sat down to measure and cut. It was a bit unwieldy to sew such a large amount of fabric (new appreciation for people who sew wedding dresses!) and the button closure required more math than I prefer (mowing the lawn requires more math than I prefer!) and I am happy to say it was worth it. The duvet is totally unique and great anchor of color in the bedroom.

In Stitches: Part 2

Remember how I said I didn’t have enough fabric? Yeah.

Enter bedskirt. I had to get creative, but I had enough yardage to make it around the boxspring, however, I forgot I had to attach it under the mattress somehow. On a random trip to the amazing Jackson Browse and Buy thrift store, I found an unmatching queen bedskirt in perfect condition. Once I took the skirt off, it was a perfect liner size- no cutting or altering. I was relieved not to have to shell out for 5 more yards of liner fabric.

Once all the fabric was cut, I blasted out the seaming and corners in the course of a Patriot’s game.

It's the perfect Sunday project!

In Stitches

In an attempt to finally create an adult bedroom, I wanted to have matching linens- bedspread, a skirt to cover the boxspring and curtains. I was also attempting to de-Copacabana our bedroom, which is a fabulous shade of Pacific Palisade, but needed to be brought far, far away from the beach. If I didn’t do something fast, I feared I might start receiving macramé and shell home accessories.

So I started with a Roman Shade. I was inspired (time number eight thousand three hundred and forty four) by my dear college roommate who whipped out a set for her dining room. I don’t remember her being much of a sewer at the time and I was really impressed. I also remember her saying they weren’t that difficult and I stuck a mental Post-it on my mental project board.

Fast forward 5 years when I finally have my own house where I can put up any window décor I want and keep it there. For as long as I want. Dust off Post-it note.

I called Amy for some tips, “Oh Eunie, really? Be careful of those dowels. Measure, like, 100 times. Did I mention the dowels? Wow. Good luck.” Dowels?

Enter Fabric Store. I begged Maz to go to a super mega fabric store on a summer trip to Salt Lake City. I gave him a snack, a bottle of water and ensured he had a book. As I walked over the threshold and through the automatic doors, I turned over my shoulder, “This might take a while? Are you okay?” An eye roll silently said “I’ll manage. But behave.”

It wasn’t quick, but I found a delicious set of fabrics that would take Copacabana closer to the mountains. Proceed to cutting table.

Fabric store employee: "Oops! Sorry, there’s not enough here? Do you want to pick something else?"

My silent eyeroll said "Are you joking!?! I’ve been here 2 hours digging through your entire inventory! No I don’t want something else!” But my mouth said:

“No thanks- I’ll make it work.”

Fabric Store Employee: “Oh geez! This one’s short too. I’ll charge you remnant price. You can come back next week when we get more- it’s very popular!”

My silent eyeroll said “I drove 4 ½ hours to this fabric store. I am not coming back next week for fractional yardage!” But my mouth said:

“Great! I’ll see what I can do with what’s there.”

I hired a Sherpa to help me carry all the fabric, thread, drape rings, insulating liner and cording to the car. (By the way, Maz was a complete saint at the fabric store and even helped me find notions and special fabrics. He survives to visit another fabric store- yes!)

I sat down with measuring tape, chalk, ruler, notes, diagram, cutting mat, rotary cutter and patience. As much as I wanted a one-day challenge, I knew this roman shade project might try to get the best of me.

There was a little brain damage trying to make up the extra yardage, to dowel or not to dowel and matching up the stripes, but overall, each step went smoothly. Maz was a big help during the hanging and stringing step, thanks to all his big fancy engineering cred.

Roman Shade!