New Craft Projects

Visited the Russo's in WV and got inspired to do some crafting. In fact, we visited Michael's THREE times in the week I was there. :)

Jes has been knitting for a while, and even Rob has given me a washcloth that he knitted, so Jes was trying to make a knitter out of me too. I have to say I can see her excitement when going to the yarn store. There are just so many colors and different kinds, all very organized also, and you can't help but imagine all the things you could make with them. So the first visit to the yarn store Jes bought some stuff and I just looked around. I felt like I needed a knitting lesson first. Well I got a refresher course - the first time she tried to teach me it just didn't work. But this time something clicked and it made more sense. That still meant that while knitting I had to seriously concentrate and couldn't talk to anyone or I would mess up! :) Hopefully I will get better at that as time goes on and I can join in on Jes's weekly knitting group again. Here are some pictures from the yarn store and of me learning and then my current project - a scarf.

We taught Jes how to decoupage (spelling?) that weekend too and she made a super cute canvas for Ellie. I can't wait to see what Rob will come up with for the matching canvas.

Lastly, I had seen this craft on a blog and wanted to try it. It turned out alright. Still not sure if I like it or not. It's super girly - which I'm sure part of it was my color choice. I was going for a spring time wreath since I already have a fall and christmas wreath. We'll see if I keep it or give it as a gift. :)

Weekend

Highlights from the weekend:

Estuaries Day was Saturday. Probably the coolest thing we saw were some baby turtles that had hatched (well I didn't see the live ones) but someone brought this one up to the tent to show us that hadn't quite made it. Someone said they thought they were snapping turtles but hard to tell from the one that I saw.

Enjoyed having Saturday night and Sunday off so that I could relax. Got some grocery shopping and laundry done. I tried a new recipe for an eggplant and goat cheese sandwich that was quite tasty.

Also finished a craft project. Trying to improve my sewing skills. They turned out pretty cute but definitely not the best sewer out there.

Tough Week

It's been a super busy week with something after work every night and lots of work stress. Very excited to spend the evening having dinner with my BF! :) Just what I need.

Tonight I played in my first WAKA (World Adult Kickball Association) kickball game! And I did alright. Got on base which is pretty exciting considering we were playing the best team in the league. :)

Crafty Sunday

Got some craft projects done today (or at least one done and another one started).

Project #1

Decided to practice my sewing skills by making some cloth napkins. Good practice and good for the environment - no more paper napkins here! Found these cute squares of fabrics that I washed and ironed, then that I just had to trim a little.

Then, folded the edges over twice, pinned it.

Then, sewed around the edges. Finished two and have six more but need some more different colored thread so I'll have to wait til I get back to the store.

Two finished ones!

Project #2

Saw this online and thought it was a cute idea for a centerpiece. Bought the pumpkins during a trip to Michael's for work this week. Spray painted them.

Then, spray painted some speckles over it in brown.

Finished product with placemats and napkins I got from World Market back in July.

New Recipes

Here are some new recipes to try out. I loved all of them!

Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Chicken
1/3 cup canola oil, plus oil for grate
2 tablespoons grill seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary leaves
1 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks (I used thin chicken breasts though)

In a medium bowl stir together all ingredients except the chicken. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture for the grilled flat bread. Add the chicken to the bowl, and toss with herb mixture so that all pieces are well coated. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours and as long as overnight.
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Be sure to oil grate when ready to start cooking. Let chicken stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.
Place chicken on hot, oiled grill and cook for a total of 18 to 20 minutes giving it a quarter turn every 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Grilled Flatbread
1 pound refrigerator pizza dough, room temperature (I got mine for 99 cents at TJ)
2 tablespoons reserved marinade from Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Rubbed Legs

Preheat grill or gill pan over medium heat.
Cut the dough in half and save 1 half for the round 2 recipes. On a lightly floured work surface roll the remaining half out into a rectangular shape about 1/4-inch thick.
Place the dough onto an oiled grilled grate. Brush the top with half of the reserved marinade. Grill for 4 minutes. Flip the bread and top with remaining marinade and grill for another 3 minutes.
Remove bread from the grill to a cutting board, cut into pieces and serve warm.

Asparagus, Pecorino and Red Onion Salad
** Made this earlier this week and I would probably not use as much onion next time, but it's really good and no cooking involved!

1 bunch pencil asparagus, tough bottom stems removed
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 cup coarsely grated aged pecorino
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Cut the asparagus, including the tips into very thin slices, crosswise and place in a medium bowl. Add the red onion and pecorino and toss to combine. Dress with the vinegar, olive oil and salt and toss again. This salad should be fairly heavily dressed. The vinegar will sort of "cook" or tenderize the asparagus.
It is best to do this about an hour or so in advance to let the flavors "marry".

I've caught the craft bug

So it's been FOREVER since I've posted anything here - but now that summer is over maybe I'll have more time to write here. But lately I have definitely been feeling the crafty bug. :) So my first project was relearning how to use a sewing machine (it's been a while since I have used one but I even brought my mom's back here today so maybe I'll get to do some more sewing). Second was working on some pillows for the couch now that I've decided to go with a navy and white theme to go with the new navy and white pillow that I got for the blue chair. So needed some to match on the couch. Found some cute fabric with Sarah in Chesapeake and this weekend made some lovely pillows. Even ties in with the window frame on the wall! :)

More projects to come!