whew! and some link love

Can you believe it's mid-October and I still have these lovely flowers in my garden? I hope they brighten your day as much as they do mine.

It's been a busy and productive few days. It's nice having my mom here to keep me company and to entertain Alison. She's gotten kind of bored with good ole mom! I painted my table - just working on the seats for the chairs now. I love it so far and can't wait to see how it all pulls together.

I finished the binding

on Andrew's quilt

and made a matching crib sheet!

Who knew you could do that? And it's pretty easy. I used this tuturial. Joanna does these tutorials for the Michael Miller blog, which I love. I just found it a few weeks ago. There's a good one for baby shoes, beach balls, and bean bags chairs too. Oops! that beach ball one is from The Purl Bee. Another great place for tutorials - also a new find.

My mom and I got to go her my friend Karen play Barber's violin concerto with the Richmond Symphony. It was amazing. I can't even begin to explain how cool it is to see her up there playing. I'm in awe. Here is a video of the 2nd movement - just to give you an idea.

We've also made some spooky pom-pom spiders (idea courtesy of Make and Takes.) They are now hanging in our doorways and lurking in unexpected places *like grandma's purse*! I have a crafter in the making. Alison loves cutting, gluing, playdoh-ing, etc. I better find a mini sewing machine. . .

We had this soup for dinner tonight. A totally EASY good soup - you throw stuff in a pot and simmer for 3 hours! It's a great recipe from the Smitten Kitchen - which is another blog that is new to me, I'm sure most people know about, but I've been a little slow around here. I am planning on trying this one - in honor of apple season and this one too. I have a problem with recipes. I love them. I read my Cook's Illustrated before bed. I love the possibility of good food.

One last thing, remember the dream my friend Allyn had? Well, here is her bag! It is so adorable, I think I need her to make me one. And check out her sidebar with pics of her latest projects - some adorable baby outfits. Did I mention how creative and amazing she is?! It was her birthday Saturday too - I'm sure she'd love some birthday comment love!

Oh yeah, don't get me started on the scarf I am crocheting - it is lovely, but I've had a hard time getting it right! Maybe I'll write about it when it is finished.

So we've been busy - luckily we've also managed to get a few naps in.

another fun web site

In my week of lounging recovering on the couch I had the opportunity to do A LOT of reading on the internet. And I was pleased to find a ton of blogs with great ideas for sewing, crafting, giveaways and things to do with your kids. One such blog is Make and Takes. Marie is a mom with a new baby and 2 other kids. She has great ideas for kids crafts, snacks and other recipes. I made these grape-sicles yesterday - and Alison thinks eating anything of a stick is cool - so these were a hit!

A great recipe of hers is Rosemary Peasant Bread. I substituted dried oregano since I don't have any rosemary. It is so easy - there's no kneading involved just some rising time. It really does remind me of Macaroni Grill's bread and I can start it on Sunday when I get home from church and still get a nap!!

We made some of these sponge toys and they were so easy it's crazy! And Alison loves playing with them in the bath.

Here are a few more of her posts that I plan on trying out:

Semi-Homemade Donuts

Strawberry Fruit Leather

Muffin Tin Mealtime

Felt Sugar Cookies

Stuffed Fabric eggs

I love how quick and simple all of these ideas are. Thanks, Marie!