May Focus: Food (Round 1)

My hubby and I decided to get a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box this year from a local farm. We got our first one earlier in May so I thought that a month of food related materials would be a good idea.

I had been wanting to do this for a while now but I've found I have the habit of steering clear from material that I think could possibly induce a life change. And food is one of those topics. It is much easier to not put the time and energy into eating well. Once you learn something, it is difficult to unlearn.

That being said, I am very glad that I decided to focus on this for May. I only read/watched four things but I am astounded at all the new information I learned. Before this month, I would have said that I know a fair amount about the food industry and healthy eating. But all month long I just kept learning so much more. It is surprising how complicated eating has gotten.

Pairing this topic with receiving our CSA box has been awesome.  Receiving a box of produce from a local farm made it feel like I wasn't reading and watching these materials to inspire change in my life but rather that I was already changing and this material was there to support me. It removed the guilt that is often associated with some of these books.

Here is the run down of what I read and watched:

Read: The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter
Watched: Food, Inc
Watched: Pressure Cooker
Read: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

I didn't read nearly as much as I wanted to. I've read six other nonfood related books this month (library due dates can be so pushy) so I haven't been able to read/watch as many food related materials as I've wanted to. Plus it takes me a while to process some of these heavier materials.

All that to say...I'm extending my food related month into June, too.

Easy T-Shirt Quilt

Since I've taken over so many of my husband's clothes recently, I decided it was time to do something with all of my old t-shirts that I can't quite part with. I've been reading outside in a nearby park a lot recently and have been really wanting a good blanket to take with me--so I figured this was a perfect opportunity!
 
I whipped this up one Sunday morning and am happy with how it turned out even though it isn't quite perfect. T-shirt material is a tricky fabric to cut perfectly so some of my squares got smaller than I wanted them to and some ended up a bit bigger. I had an old sheet that I didn't use anymore so I sewed that to the back of my t-shirt quilt. I then used the yarn tie technique to finish it off.

Overall, I think it will be the perfect blanket to take with me to the park!

DIY Men's T-Shirt to Tank Revamp

This shirt has just the perfect softness. When my husband put it in his donate pile, I snatched it up and made it into a tank. I tried a new technique on the bottom and am happy with how it turned out. I rolled it up a couple inches and sewed around it to give it a thick hemmed look. I also hemmed the new neckline and the sleeves. I love how it turned out--and am happy that I now have a soft and comfy tank in my closet.

Stumbled Upon Favorites

Love this video. A good reminder.

I recently watched Searching for Sugar Man and loved it!

This video is hilarious.  Poor guy!

The luckiest unlucky man...wow.

I've been keeping my eye out for a new duvet and really like this, this, and this.
Or maybe I'll make my own...

Sheep surfing. Adorable.

The music really makes this video quite hilarious.

Easy Men's T-Shirt Revamp

This is one of my favorite t-shirt revamps that I've done. Maybe it's because it involves a t-shirt with rockets and planets on it--or maybe it's because I like the finished product so much! I didn't actually take this one in at all on the sides but I did make the neck wider and hemmed it. I also cut the sleeves and made the bottom be rounded. Here are a few other pictures that show some of the details a bit better.

Brown Sugar Cookies

I've been using this site that lists recipes based off of the ingredients you have in your fridge/cupboards. So today when I got the itch to make some cookies, I went on there and found that I had all of the ingredients for these cookies.


You will need:

1/2 cup butter
1/8 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1 cup and 1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract


Here is what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup brown sugar and the white sugar. Set aside.
3. In a microwavable bowl, melt the butter completely. When the butter has slightly cooled, mix in 3/4 cups brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder. Stir flour mixture to the butter mixture until combined thoroughly. Form dough into balls and drop into the sugar mixture until coated. Place onto two parchment lined baking sheets.
5. Bake about 12 minutes, let cool, and transfer to wire rack to cool.

5.

DIY Men's Shirt to Tank Revamp

Lucky for me, my husband decided to clean our his closet which means more clothes for me to revamp and add to my closet! I've always loved this shirt of his so I was extra happy to nab it for my own.

For this simple revamp, I cut along the sides until it was the shape that I wanted. I also gave it a rounded edge on the bottom. Once I was happy with the shape, I flipped it inside out and sewed along the edges.

I'm so happy to have this new sleeveless tank to add to my summer wardrobe!

A Forest Road in the Oregon Coast Range

 

April Focus: Tolkien

My husband has been bugging me to read the Lord of the Ring books for quite a while now so I decided to dedicate April to Tolkien. I had read The Hobbit before and also his translations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight--but had never gotten around to reading the trilogy.

While reading the first book, I kept cursing myself for having seen the movie before reading the book!  I wanted to be able to experience the book without all of the movie imagery flashing before my eyes.  But even with having made that rookie mistake, I really enjoyed falling into that world again and getting a fuller understanding of characters and their back stories.

I happily started in on the second book and felt like I was finally in unknown territory since I had only seen the second movie about ten years ago. When I finished that one in only a few days--I immediately (within minutes) grabbed the third book and dove in. Jeesh, such fantastic books.

After that, we watched the first two movies. I enjoyed them, but I kept obsessively (and probably annoyingly) pointing out to Nate all of the changes that they made to the story. I typically don't mind when movies make changes from the books but some of these really bothered me (like Faramir!). We haven't quite watched the last one yet but we're hoping to this weekend!

Anyways, here is what I read and watched for my Tolkien month:

Read: The Fellowship of the Ring
Read: The Two Towers
Read: The Return of the King
Watched: The Fellowship of the Ring
Watched: The Two Towers
Read: The Children of Hurin
Not Quite Watched Yet: The Return of the King

All that to say, I am duly impressed with Tolkien! 

Glazed Lemon Cookies

I should know better than to make lemon cookies when I'm the only one home. They are one of my favorites and this recipe does not disappoint!

You'll Need:

2 Cups Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temp
1 Cup Sugar
1 Large Egg
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

First off: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, mix butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice until combined thoroughly. Combine dry and liquid mixtures and mix well.

Bake on two baking sheets for 15 minutes. Let cool for a couple minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack. If desired, mix up the glaze below and top.

Lemon Glaze:

2 Cups Confectioners' Sugar
1/3 Cup Lemon Juice



Enjoy and try not to eat them all!

Kentucky Falls Trail

Stumbled Upon Favorites

Street Typography...now that is impressive.

Love this Grandma on a Roller Coaster

I want these pajamas.

Rat on the NY Subway...I would totally be one of the people screaming.

Well this is impressive...Piggyback Backflip.

Mini Masters Golf...so funny!

A View From Mary's Peak

Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Asparagus

My hubby whipped this up for us the other night and it was so delicious. 

Head over here to satisfy your craving!

March Focus: Graphic Novels

I've read a couple of graphic novels in my day and I've always enjoyed them. After reading Persepolis in January, I decided to give them a whole month of 2014. I didn't do any graphic novel themed movies this time but I was happy with the variety of books that I did get to read.

Here is what I read and watched:

*Read: The Arrival
*Read: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
*Read: Anya's Ghosts
Read: The Walking Dead (Vol 1)
Read: Habibi
Read: American Born Chinese
Read: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life 
Read: Watchmen 
Read: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

*The first three were probably my favorite but it was fun getting into more superhero themed ones towards the end of the month. If you are new to the graphic novel world, I would definitely recommend The Invention of Hugo Cabret!

Easy Sesame Dinner Bread

Terrible picture...but delicious bread. Trust me.

I love bread. So much. I gave this recipe  a whirl and I was quite pleased with the results. I told my husband how easy it was to make and he said, "Good..because I could eat this every night..."

To make your own delicious loaf of bread heat your oven to 375°. Line a 8x4 bread pan with parchment paper. Then in a mixing bowl add and mix:

3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup plain yogurt

After mixing, add these dry ingredients to the wet ones:

1/4 cup milk
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoons salt

 Spoon the batter into the baking pan and sprinkle 2 tablespoons sesame seeds on top. Bake in oven for 50 minutes.


ENJOY!

Easy Sweater Bunny

My friend, Molly, loves bunnies so I wanted to make her one. I used an old sweater of my hubby's for the body and a pair of my old sweatpants to add some little soft patches to it.  And what do you get when you turn it over? An adorable little pom pom bunny tail!

It is so quirky its lovable, right?!

Fern Ridge Reservoir

In order to celebrate one of the first warm and sunny days in Eugene, my hubby and I took a long bike ride out to the Fern Ridge Reservoir. It was such a nice ride and it was beautiful seeing the mountains in the distance and the birds flying in the skies. 

Easy Rice Pudding

I made too much rice for dinner so I decided to whip up a batch of rice pudding for dessert. I've never made it before but it was so easy..and delicious! To make your own...

Combine in a medium saucepan:

1 Cup Cooked White Rice
1 Cup Milk
5 tsp Sugar
Dash of Salt

Cook for 20 minutes on medium heat....stirring a lot! After it thickens up, remove from heat and stir in a splash of vanilla. Scoop into bowls and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Quirky Little Stuffed Bear Round 2

I made a little gal pal for this stuffed bear I made.
Isn't she too adorable with those little bows?!