sew simple. I mean, really.

Crafting has been slow to non-existent in my house this week. The sewing machine has been sitting quietly on the dining room table since last weekend...The craft room door has been closed to keep a certain nosy pup out of trouble, which keeps the messes behind the door perfectly preserved... :) (Out of sight, out of mind, right?) All is quiet in the M&R house craft-wise. 

Remember this fabric? 

I am super psyched to begin sewing with it, but I can't find the magazine (Sew Simple) that had the pattern in it! :/ I am completely irritated. I have combed through all areas of the house, my car, my parent's house... I hate that feeling of being positively sure you know where something is, and then it's not there. That awful sinking-in-your-tummy feeling. And then you feel like you're going crazy, because you were obviously wrong about where you put it, but can't remember where you actually put it. Exhausting, all of this remembering. I've been waiting three days for my aha! moment... you know, "oh YEAH, it's in the OTHER bookbag!".... and I'm still waiting.

So my search continues... and let me tell you, I am highly motivated to begin spring cleaning and finding a place for everything, and KEEPING everything in its place when it's not in use. It would just make life sew.much.simpler. 

careful what you wish for

I guess winter was teasing me all along.

And it's STILL snowing! I left work early today (took me two hours to get home!) and was glad to leave when I did... the roads, zey were treach-erous (in Cloris Leachman voice). R got out from work early as well, so when we both got home, we + Dex ran outside and shovelled the driveway and walkway, and smacked the heavy snow off of some branches. Dex had the most fun, I think. Some of the snow was as high as he is tall!

Now, I'm working in our office, poppin' a few jelly beans, sipping tea, and watching the snow fall outside. It's so pretty. (Dex is here too, and keeps trying to catch my fingers, his nose pressing the shift key to make my letters FuNKy :) Our neighbors behind us have a few birdhouses, and the birds are having a hay day in the snow, too--I guess every one wants to go out and play when it snows.

How could you not?

That white stuff is soo much better than ice cubes, mom...seriously.

so fresh and so green

I can't believe it's the first day of Spring. Yes, the weather has been beautiful, and the grass is growing in, and flowers are popping their heads up, but I just can't believe it. For the last couple weeks I've been a little ba-humbug because I didn't think I was ready for spring... I wanted snow and gray, book-reading, movie-watching, tea-sipping days. I felt, and still feel, somewhat jipped outta winter this year.

Then I bought a cute seed-starting kit at Lowes, grabbing it in ba-humbug fashion and mumbling to myself, "...might as well get started, I'm so behind, I haven't even given seeds a thought, murmurmurmur..." I see the kit every time I get in and out of my car in the garage, and I can finally feel that familiar spring smile that only comes when contemplating planting seeds. I am finally excited to move onto another season. 

This time of year, I am always drawn to light green + white combos when it comes to decor... It feels so European and countryish and breezy. Good stuff. I'd like to sew some pillow covers for our living room to brighten it up... Something like this, maybe? (Photos from Pottery Barn)

I also like how fresh and airy PB's bedroom photos always are, like the one above and this one. What a fun green headboard:

Do you have spring decor? Any plans to brighten up your space? Do tell...

sidecar blog.

I thought it would be fun to begin a health blog... heehee...as if I have time to work on both, but it's kind of fun to have another focus. It's kind of more of a journal, really. Find out more here. 

purple shamrock and some shenanigans

Isn't this the cutest shamrock plant? I love that it's purple... The leaves close every night, which I think is so cute for some reason. In the morning, they pop back open.

It also sports these sweet little flowers, but it's been awhile since I've seen them! Right now, all I have is leaves.

Now for some true Irish spirit: We went to a Nuggets game last Saturday night, and we saw this couple:

I couldn't resist asking to take their photo--they were loving all the attention. :) Turns out that the gentleman used to take down the score of Nuggets games, way back in the day! The original scorekeeper! I guess he's been to every single game. I was photographing history, and I didn't even know it.. how's that for cool.

Have a great day!

sparkly

R and I started supporting two little girls from Central and South America through Compassion International last year, a Christian organization that helps provide kids' basic needs (food, clothes, education) along with a church program, kind of like VBS, that encourages the kids Biblically. The cool thing is that we can encourage them too, through letters and e-mails!

Getting their little letters in return is definitely the highlight--their Spanish letters, written in their own hand, is adorable. Their names are Monica and Maria--Monica is from El Salvador, and her mom mostly writes to us as she just turned 5; she does color us great pictures though! Maria (who's 7) is from Ecuador, and has written us a couple of letters. They both have birthdays this spring, so I made them birthday cards today.

I learned the hard way that you shouldn't emboss on felt-like material...The first time with this white ribbon, it totally curled up and burned! Oops! I opted to just sprinkle some glitter over the stamped "happy" instead. I think it will stay pretty well.

For the "happy" stamped background on the other card, I mixed my foam white embossing powder with some glittery embossing powder...Hard to tell here, but it gives off just the right amount of sparkle.

Birthday cards = glitter = happy! Hope you're having a great weekend!

i guess we'll have salad...

So last night, I had no idea what to make for dinner. I usually fall back on pasta dishes (luurve spaghetti), so I did yet again. I made spaghetti with ground beef and spaghetti sauce, with some cilantro added. I also made a salad to go with our sketti with whatever ingredients we had, and it was awesome.

QUICK SALAD

Iceberg lettuce

English cucumber, thinly sliced

Red peppers, diced

Seedless red grapes, halved

A couple spoonfuls of Victoria Cilantro salsa

Enjoy!

pleased.

Finally, it's done! I think she'll make a perfect book bag. I'm not so sure about the button--I loved it with this fabric, but I'm not sure it's the right scale. What do you think?

I should've added a snap/velcro to the outside pocket as well, but I was so excited to finish it I kind of overlooked it; it gaps pretty severely if I have anything in it. But other than the button (maybe) and the pocket snap, I think she's good to go. So happy!

Bag front...

Bag back.

And some new fabric for yet another project. Be well!

second breakfast + The Bag

I went for my first outside run last night, and took Dex dog with me. (He was immensely helpful on the hills. :) We went around the neighborhood--about 2 miles, calculated on Google maps!--and I am feelin' it today. I forgot how difficult running outside is compared to the treadmill.

I woke up starving, so I made some peanut butter toast...I'm also looking forward to having some oatmeal with pepitas (punkin seeds), brown sugar, and cinnamon! I'll eat this around 10 AM or so at work. (Did you know that 1 tsp of cinnamon = the same amount of antioxidants in 1/4 cup of blueberries?) I completely appreciate the concept of 2nd breakfast (thanks, Tolkien)--I don't think I could wait until lunch otherwise!

Here's the latest update on The Bag:

I've sewn the bottom on, and sewed the lining... now I need to figure out how to put it all together. I have a feeling I will be unstitching the lining--boo--but I didn't understand the pattern, and Mom and I kind of thought we could figure it out on our own. We'll see; I'm hoping to work on it tonight.

Happy Friday to you! Be well!

busy as a robin

American Robin, Wikipedia

I woke up this morning to fervent chirping. As I was getting my oatmeal ready, and heating up water for tea, I let Dex out and saw a large congregation of birds in our neighbor's backyard...Tons and tons of Robins! Their pudgy little red bellies were everywhere. Our neighbors have bird feeders and bird baths, and have a gorgeous yard in the spring and summer, which I'm sure is stocked to the 9's with ripe worms. Bird paradise.

I eventually took Dex for our morning walk, and saw more Robins along the way. I held my breath a little as I saw yellow, white, and purple crocus beginning to sprout from my neighborhood yards. I wish I had taken my camera! Can it really be spring already? We've hardly had a winter! 

We made our way back home, and Dex and I ran up to our front garden, curious to see if any of our own tulips or spring flowers have begun to pop yet. A few have, but they're just green tips so far. Somewhat relieved I hadn't missed our first colors of Spring, I let Dex off his leash and we sat on the front porch steps for a few minutes. These verses came to mind as I sat pondering, and I was so pleased to look them up once we went inside:

"But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; and the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you... Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this [created the world], in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?" -Job 12:7-10

Watching these birds flutter about, and Dex enjoy the morning sunshine with his tongue out and eyes gleaming, reminded me that the Lord is good. And what He has created is beautiful and majestic, even in my humble little neighborhood. We live in a fallen, soiled world, and even nature itself realizes God is who He is, and yearns for the day when things are made perfect again (Romans 8:22). Dex is a crazy dog, but he's living as God made him. :) These little robins are nesting and working quickly about, because this is how God made them.

How much more should I realize who the Lord is and live wisely, as He has purposed me to do? I've heard the quote, "the earth laughs in flowers"... But I also think the earth reveals the Lord's glory in flowers, and for that I am thankful.

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." -Psalm 27:13