Sewing Apron

I wear a lot of black. And I do a lot of sewing. The result is I frequently look like I've been in some sort of crazy thread and lint tornado - not a great look!! In order to remedy this situation, I decided to make a sewing apron to protect my clothes from all of those little bits.

I found this sage green linen dress at the thrift store for $1.



A few cuts, some bias tape, and a little floral fabric, and I have a great new sewing apron. It's great for sewing because the length is long enough to cover my entire body.

Another Scarf

Another scarf - this time crocheted from thrifted yarn in a lovely shade of sky blue, oh, so soft. Made the pattern up as I went along.

Making Me Happy Monday

A while back, while going through a difficult time in my life, I started a gratitude journal. My goal was to write down 3-5 things every day that I was grateful for - to acknowledge and appreciate all that I have in my life at a time when I was struggling to see this. As time went on, life moved ahead, difficulties became easier, and the gratitude journal fell by the wayside - abandoned and neglected. But I still love the idea. Hence, Making Me Happy Monday. Every Monday, I will document 3 things that "make me happy". From the little to the big, the important to the mundane. The goal is simply to take 1 day out of the week and acknowledge 3 great things in my life. So, here we go.

Number 1:


Yes, I know, not very profound. But I cannot put into words how unbelievably happy that first cup of coffee makes me in the morning. A nice, strong, dark, cup - it's the only way to start the day!!! I could probably use this as a happy item every Monday (not to mention every other day of the week as well) but will refrain and challenge myself to focus on all of the other joys in my life in upcoming weeks.


Number 2:


Homegrown pumpkins (no, not grown by me but by my parents who are excellent gardeners) - a sure sign fall is on it's way.


Number 3:




My daughter is running for Student Council Secretary at her elementary school. Running for office involves campaigning (passing out stickers and hanging posters) and giving a speech to the entire student body. Her courage and confidence amazes me and makes my heart swell with pride. As someone who is absolutely terrified of public speaking, I think I could learn a few things from my daughter.

New Photo Shelf

Upon returning from our Italy trip, I realized that I would really like to print, frame, and display some of our photos from the trip. After a quick run to the thrift store, I came home with a stack of frames, mattes, and an awesome, old, worn turquoise shelf ($1.50!!!). After only minor mumbling and grumbling, my husband hung the shelf on the wall for me and here is the result - my little Italy shrine!





Yeah, I bought more frames than necessary. Some of the extras will be used for other projects or placed in other locations around the house - I'm sure I'll find some use for them.

My Favorite Salad

We eat a lot of salads in the summer - they're the perfect hot day meal - cool, crisp, and don't generally require the use of the oven. Not to mention, we get A LOT of greens from our CSA (more on that here). As summer winds down and salad season turns into soup season, I've been taking advantage of those last few hot days. And while my kids are perfectly happy to eat lettuce without much else on it, my husband requires something slightly more hearty. This Mediterranean Couscous Salad is perfect. It's substantial enough to be filling and it's delicious!! It's my favorite go-to salad.

First you need to prepare your couscous.

Bring 2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth to a boil. Stir in 1 cup of couscous (I use whole wheat couscous but regular works just as well). Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes.



While your couscous is resting, chop 1 can of olives, 1 bunch green onions, and 1 block feta cheese (about 6 oz.).


Stir in your prepared couscous (all of the liquid should have been absorbed).



Serve over chopped greens (lettuce, spinach, chard, cabbage or any combination of these). Drizzle with a little oil and vinegar or your favorite Italian dressing. And enjoy - simple, fast, and delicious - my favorite kind of cooking!!

ITALY

As well as all of the amazing sights that we took in, there was also a lot of this -

and this -

and this -

It was an amazing trip with amazing friends!!