A little bit of everything

I've been fighting a cold since last Thursday and I think I'm getting over it today as I sit here breathing freely through my nose. So, I haven't done much crafting for the past few days - a little bit of work on the boys costumes that I will show later, but not much other than that. I did manage to do a few other things though....

1) I got my hair cut yesterday. I tried out someone new. I'm not so good at staying with one person - if I have one bad experience with them, I cut them off, at least for a little while. If their price it too high (not a problem here in Idaho, but very much an issue in California), I will go to them occasionally and fill in with a less expensive stylist. The last time I got my hair colored (I have a ton of gray and am way too vain to let it show) before I had Baby N was the day before he was born. It didn't really take and even turned my hair a bit green. I swore off this stylist because of this, but then I thought that maybe it wasn't her fault, it was probably the hormones.

So, the verdict of yesterday's cut and color experience - good. It is my same old hair style (my hair is pulled back here - I hate having it on my face!) and I was trying to go for something a little different. I think I'll have to either chop it really short or grow it out to get a really different look. Maybe I will chop it next time. I'm tired of this hair style, but it is a good haircut. It lays nicely and it took more than ten minutes to do (the reasons why I left my last stylist). And the best part - I got my hair cut, colored, and highlighted for the same price as just my haircut in California.

2) We made these delicious apple cakes, a recipe that my family started making when I was a teenager. Can you tell what they are supposed to be? Probably not, so I'll tell you - ghosts! My little ghost pan was probably not the best for this cake as it has a streusel topping that just bubbled and boiled over making a gooey, ooey, yummy mess that didn't do much for the shape of the ghost. I tried to make some changes in the recipe to make it healthier, but I think the streusel thwarted my efforts. Anyone know a way to make a healthy streusel?

Here's the recipe without any modifications:

Yummy Apple Cake
4 cups apples peeled and chopped
2 cups sugar
Cover apples with sugar and let stand for 10 to 20 minutes.

Sift together 3 cups flour, 2 tsp soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon.

Blend 2 eggs and 2/3 c. oil into apple mixture. Add flour mixture, stirring just until blended. Add 2 tsp vanilla. Pour into 9x13 pan.

Mix and spread on top: 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup butter.

Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes.

3) And while we're on the subject of food, Darcy tagged me for a food related meme - a food factoid for every letter of my name. Here we go...

J - Juice is a good breakfast beverage and breakfast is by far my favorite meal. I love cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, yogurt, waffles, french toast, eggs, omelettes, etc. I don't usually eat breakfast how I would really want to, but I still love it!

E - Escargot is something I've never tried and really have no desire to try.

S - Sushi is something I tried and was surprised to find it wasn't so bad. I'm not in love with it, but I'm not opposed to it either.

S - Spaghetti was my favorite dinner when I was a kid.

I - Ice cream is by far my favorite food. It got me through my first pregnancy. It's my favorite treat. I had a few ice cream birthday cakes as a kid - ice cream birthday cakes with ice cream on the side. I scream, you scream, Jessi screams for ice cream!!


4) And on my crafty to-do list - get going on the 11 purses I cut out last week (this was before the cold hit). Some of these will go in the shop and some I will save for the craft show.

We got a late start to this week because Ryan had the day off yesterday. Three day weekends are the best! Even if you don't go somewhere, it's so great to have an extra day to sleep in, especially when you're a little under the weather.

Purses and Such

It's giveaway time again, but not here. Go over to Design Mom and enter to win a fabulous prize package, including this purse. And if you're not already reading Design Mom, I highly recommend it. Hers was one of the first blogs I started reading and one of the reasons why I now read so many.And, while we're on the subject of purses, if you're ever in Kauai and looking for a great gift (like on of my purses) to take home, check out Nest. Julia is just opening her store there and I think she has done a fabulous job of putting things together - doesn't it look great? And she also has an Etsy shop with some great jewelry.

Have a happy weekend everyone!

More Autumn

I'm not sure why I am so into autumn this year. I am normally a fan of autumn, but not like this year. This year autumn is my best friend. I walk outside and my heart jumps upon feeling the crisp air. I glory in those days that are dreary and i n those days that are full of golden autumn light. Everything about this season is making me a very happy girl this year.

Yesterday we made Amy's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins and they really are "mackin good." Little P couldn't keep his hands off of them - every time I turned around he had another muffin. I guess that's what I get for leaving them in reach of a three year old. Even Baby N was a big fan and he's been a bit of a picky eater lately. This is only because he's finally going to have more than six teeth and it seems they are all coming at once - poor guy. Oh wait, poor me! I'm the one who was up with him four times last night while he cried and cried and cried.

And in the spirit of destashing and autumn, I put together some Autumn Inspiration/Goody Packs for The J Shop. Check them out!

Happy Autumn everyone! Again! (This is probably not the last time you will hear this from me.)

In the Air...

It's in the air - that crispness and chill that says autumn is here! And with it comes that most fun of all holidays, Halloween! Remember these? (I hope you do - it was only a few days ago) - here is what they became...

And I made four - one for our family, one for a gift, and two for the shop. I'll list one today and one later this week. I still have a bit of fabric left, so I might have to think of another little project - any suggestions?

To start out the Halloween fun, we had some friends over last night to make pumpkin cookies (and ducks - somehow the boys found the Easter cookie cutters and insisted on making some Halloween ducks). The boys (theirs and ours) licked the frosting off the cookies and sneaked bits of dough while the adults enjoyed each other's company.
And a few more bits of handmade - this is my trick or treat bag from my youth. My mom made it for me - isn't she great? I think I am now just realizing how lucky I was to have all these handmade items. I grew up in the 80's - handmade was not cool (at least not where I grew up - even though there was a lot of handmade going on where I grew up). I'm so glad that handmade is making a comeback and people are appreciating the one of kind, unique, and lovely nature of it. I would love to make these for my boys - I'll have to see if my mom still has the pattern.
And this - well, this is Funky Frank. I made him the first year we were married. I made him from a Simplicity pattern that came with many other wreath patterns. I think it must be out of print now because I don't see it when I'm perusing the Simplicity catalog. My favorite part about him? His bobbin bolts! Happy Halloween Everyone!

weekend plans

My order from Sew, Mama, Sew was in my mailbox yesterday! It was so lovely to open - all the fabric folded so beautifully and tied up so nicely. I meant to take a picture of it before I ripped into it, but I was too impatient. And among other yardage (oh, yes - there was much more than this - maybe I'll show some of that later...), I got some bits and pieces of these Halloween fabrics. Then I stopped by the local quilt shop today and picked up the polka dots and now I think I'm ready to whip up something festive!

I realized I haven't really been sharing anything I've been making lately (lots of fabric, but no wips or finished project). I certainly have been sewing, but it's mostly been purses, which is something you've all seen before. But, I am officially declaring the next few days purse free, so it's time to figure out the costumes (Ryan is still not 100% on board with Peter Pan family costumes, so I'm thinking about plan B), time to do some fall clothing sewing, and time to get some aprons back in the shop.

Help, Please

"Help, please," is what we have taught Little P to say when he needs something from us. He doesn't always use it, but he usually tries. And "Help, please" is what I need from you today. I signed up to do a craft show the weekend before Thanksgiving and I am feeling overwhelmed. It's still six weeks away, but I don't really have any idea what I'm doing. I don't know how much inventory I should prepare (it's a three day show), I have no clue how I should to set-up my display, and I'm not sure exactly what items to take. Purses and aprons are definitely in, but I want some lower cost items and some things that appeal to a wider audience. So, any advice you have, I'd love to hear it! Do you have any ideas on how to set up, where to get things to display items on (like where can a get something to hang my purses on), how much inventory to take, how to make my space look more appealing (the show is in a home and I'll have a six-foot space against the wall), and what items have sold well for you in person as opposed to online. I'm looking at the set-up as an investment - something I will be able to use for future shows, so I'm willing to not be totally thrifty, but I don't have all the money in the world, so it does need to be somewhat economical.

And did anyone else hit the 50% Clearance at JoAnn this week? This is my little collection from that - the green is for a shirt for me, the tan floral for purses, the brown denim for a jacket for me, and the pinks and reds for Valentine banners. I probably would have gotten more, but I just put in a fairly large order to Sew, Mama, Sew too, so I was trying to be somewhat prudent.

20 Questions

I did it again - I couldn't resist joining Sweet Goodness Swaps Holiday Swap. And they've asked us to post the answers to these 20 questions on our blog so our partner (mine is Mary and I couldn't be happier about it!) can get to know us. So, here it goes...

1. Favorite Color:
Red, Yellow, anything bright! Oh, but with fall coming on I am really loving the earthy tones. Do I really have to choose just one?

2. Chocolate Lover? Milk, Dark, White, or none of the above?
Is all of the above an option? I choose that, but I am special fan of dark.

3. What is your favorite craft hobby?
Definitely Sewing!

4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start?
Knitting. I just learned to crochet last year and my best friend is a knitter and spinner. I always see these fabulous knitting projects and think, "I really need to learn to knit."

5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in ( so your partner doesn’t send something you wouldn’t use)?
Scrapbooking - I just don't have the time for it. I used to scrapbook, then I had children. Isn't this what gets a lot of people scrapbooking? I guess it had the opposite effect on me. Little P was a very difficult infant for about the first 18 months of his life and then I was pregnant with Baby N. I could probably find time to scrapbook now, but I guess I would rather sew.

6. Do you have any allergies?
No

7.What’s your favorite part of Halloween? Decorating, candy eating, costumes, or something else?
I love the costumes. My mom always sewed fabulous costumes for us and I always had one of the best costumes on the block.

8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall?
A little - I have a fall tablecloth and I am a sucker for any holiday paper towel, so I usually get the ones with autumn leaves on them, but other than that, I don't do much. I like to spend my time thinking about the Thanksgiving menu - yum!

9. December Holidays--what holiday do you celebrate? What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday?
I celebrate Christmas. I put up all sorts of traditional decorations - tree, stockings, lights, nativity, etc. Nothing too extravagant because we still live in apartment, but enough to set the mood and get us excited for the season.

10. Do you have any children, if so what are their ages, boys/girls?
Yes - two boys. Little P is 3 and a half and Baby N is 1 and a half.

11. Do you have any pets, if so what kind?
No pets - I've decided that there won't be any pets until after the kids are all out of diapers. After that, there may be a dog.

12. Are you a reader? If so, what type of books do you like?
I do like to read. I wish I made more time to read, but I usually choose to sew. I am a big fan of historical fiction and I love Jane Austen (these are the only books I re-read). I also love trying out new authors. A couple of my friends have introduced me to GoodReads and I think this is such a great idea - such a great way to figure out what to read.

13. Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary in October, November, or December? If so, what day and what is the occasion?
It is Ryan's birthday in October (the 29th), but other than that, we are birthday and anniversary free for these three months of the year.

14. Do you collect anything? If so what type of things do you collect?
No, I'm not really a collector, unless you count my fabric collection which seems to have grown by leaps and bounds in the past six months.

15. What type of things do you like to cook? Are you an appetizer person, cookie maker, dessert freak or a take out type of person?
I like to cook a good dinner. Since this is the thing that is most beneficial to me and my family, I find I really like to try out new dinner recipes and find things that we like and that are easy to make. I also enjoy baking.

16. What is your favorite scent? Is there one that you can’t stand?
I love any citrus scent, especially grapefruit. I'm not a big fan of vanilla scents.

17. What’s your favorite song?
Right now I'm really in love with anything by Feist. My favorite song changes with the seasons.

18. What’s the last movie you went to see at the movie theater?
Becoming Jane - I went with my Mom on our last visit to her town.

19. What’s your favorite Candy?
Dove Chocolate, Almond M&M's, again, anything chocolate!

20. Tea or Coffee or other?
Other - mostly water. Sometimes Diet Pepsi/Coke. Today, since the weather was a little chilly, I had a nice cup of chamomile tea.