playing catch up

I have been collecting things to post about for a little while now. And I would so much rather write nice, separate blog entries for each... but as it goes... here I am "dumping" a whole load of random and unrelated blog topics into one big, fat post. Oh well!!

I finally have a legit sewing project to write about again... I made Emmy a new cover for her bed! The old one was definitely in need of retirement, and with summer here and all the fresh changes coming to our lives, I thought Emmy could just a little pick-me-up as well. So I headed to the fabric store and got an amazing print. It's big and bold and not at all what I had imagined for the new bed, but it fits our home and Emmy. As soon as I put the fabric down to measure... she plopped right on the bed. Her sign of approval I think. :)

Over the weekend Zack and I took a great trip to Taylor's Falls for some grilling and hiking. Em came along and thoroughly enjoyed swimming, rolling in the mud, and dragging me along the trail. We can't help but love her.
It was a really beautiful day on the St. Croix... One of those early summer days that makes you breath deep with anticipation of the months ahead. In case you don't know this about me... I love summer. I am a "summer girl" to the core... granted, the other seasons have their charm. But, let's all be honest here folks.... nothing beats a warm day out on the lake.

Over the weekend we also enjoyed a "real fire" (Jamie will know what I mean ;) at Como Park with the Schussmans. We made some fantastic s'mores and played a good game of bocce. It was a delightful way to spend a beautiful evening with good friends!

Zack and I have gotten really into smoothies lately. They are just so refreshing and good! I made these smoothies for dinner a few days ago. My recipe is simple and made-up, but oh-so-good.

Strawberry-Goodness Smoothies
- 3 bananas
- 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1-2 cups strawberry yogurt (or strawberry banana)
- 1 1/2 cup plain granola
- large dollop peanut butter
- 5-6 large, fresh strawberries
- milk

1) Combine in blender: 2 bananas, about 1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1 - 2 cups strawberry yogurt (I use the Danon light n'fit in the big container), 1 1/2 cup plain granola, large dollop peanut buttter (I use the a creamy, natural peanut butter), and milk. The milk is the last thing you add... I just pour it in until it is visually about 3/4 of the way up the blender. I know this is really winging it... basically add more if you like smoothies to be thinner, and less if you like them thick. :)
2) Blend on low. DO NOT over blend! The idea is to have these a little chunky. Which is why you see spoons in the photo.
3) Pour into two glasses.
4) Slice fresh strawberries and the last banana. Divide into cups.
5) Enjoy!! :D


Okay that is all folks! I have a few more things I want to write about... but I know I'll end up rambling, and I have to take off right now. It's 5 PM on a Thursday evening, and my weekend is about to begin!!

mostly unrelated

The contents of this post are mostly unrelated. I would have liked to have posted several, nice concise notes about each topic. But I am not that organized. Nor do I have that kind of time. Or rather, when I do have that kind of time....... I am usually doing the things that I end up posting about on Tuesday mornings at work. :-|

Yes, I do realize that it has been a long time since my last post. This past weekend was full of good things. My dad and his friend Brian came down on Friday - Saturday to go to the Horse Expo at the State Fair. Zack and I tagged along and admired many pairs of cowboys boots, fancy saddles, and shirts with horses allover them. Oh, and we watched a guy that I have dubbed "The Horse Whisperer" train a crazy horse. It was magical.

On Saturday night I went fabric shopping. Sigh. I always get that warm and fuzzy feeling when I go fabric shopping. Zack came along and he was surprisingly helpful and patient. We picked out a nice assortment of fabrics for an upcoming project. Later we watched a movie and I finally finished hand binding a quilt that I started a long time ago. It was actually my first sewing project this year. But it sat for a long time because I didn't think that I was going to enjoy hand sewing as much as I ended up loving it. After I finished up the binding I washed and dried the quilt, and it turned out all cool and antique looking (the directions didn't have you pre-wash the fabric, so it shrinks a tiny bit in the wash and ends up looking puckery and neat). The pattern was my variation of Amy Karol's "Easy Lap Quilt" from her amazing book, Bend the Rules Sewing.

On Sunday I was immersed in sewing like a madwoman. Details of that project to come. Also, we stopped at Goodwill again and I got this great book. It's an awesome resource and it only put me out $3.75. I heart thrift stores.

In other news (i.e. Emmy news), I am thrilled that spring seems to finally be on its way! I have been enjoying the budding that is happening all around me. Some bulbs that I had in a pot finally bloomed into two beautiful ameralis. If this isn't a sign of spring I don't know what is! Emmy also really liked the flowers. So much so that she decided to eat one. This was not a good moment in the Hway household. On Friday evening I took Emmy to a big ball field by our house and played some hardcore fetch with her. She thoroughly enjoyed it. She was less thrilled about the bath that she had to get afterwards.

So.... it's another week. And I find myself in an interesting place. Since this is a blog and I have no clue who reads this thing, I am not about to spill my guts on here... but let's just say that I am contemplating allot of things and getting ready for some changes in life. Hopefully sooner than later. More details to come.

weekend things

This weekend went by in a blur. Zack was out of town on business so my dad came to visit me. He drove down Friday afternoon and we met up at NWC for the Senior Art Show. Then it was off to Cosetta's for dinner! Saturday morning was spent walking Emmy out in the fields and throwing the stick for her (over and over and over and over). On our way back through the farm campus, we happened upon some horses. This led to two things... 1) My dad declaring "I am ready for horses again" (My parents used to own a big horse farm in Rockford, IL), and 2) Emmy going crazy with glee at meeting a new animal. I don't think she knew quite what to think. But her tail was going 200 miles an hour.

It looks like my dad was about to hit her for barking, but really... he wasn't. Whenever I get time I will edit that part out. Along with the choppy area where I am furiously telling Emmy to be quiet.

After my dad left on Saturday, I took a nap and worked on freelance. Then I spent the evening sewing with my mom's beautiful machine that she is borrowing to me. It really was amazing. I didn't break one needle, the thread never hung up, AND I sewed a button hole! Here are some pillows I made for the couch. Actually, I just sewed the covers and put them on existing down pillows that we had. The fabric cost less than $10 bucks and they were a breeze to make. Click here for more pictures of my Pillows in Blue.

a polka-dot tote

I realized something recently. That is... I need to actually write in this blog. I think of sharing photos as sharing snapshots of "life at the moment". But really, blogs are for writing and for reading. So I have determined that I will do more writing in my blog. Yes. Starting today.

This morning was a lovely morning. I came out of the house and into a sunny, calm, and crisp world that seemed to be beaming "hello!". Emmy and I walked the neighborhood and met a very nice fellow and his lovely dog. A mutt, he told me, who seemed to be much more interested in meeting me than the overly-excited wiggling puppy at the end of the leash in my hand. Emmy hasn't quite figured out that not everyone is dying to meet her. Every time she sees a person or a dog on the sidewalk, she practically doubles over in joy, wagging her tail ferociously and pulling towards her unsuspecting victim. Recently, I have been trying to teach her to "ignore" people and dogs and to keep moving, because, quite frankly, it gets a little old having to stop every few minutes to say hi to each and every hound, terrier, retriever, boy, girl, man or woman.

Ah yes, the title of this post...... well it refers to the bag(s) that I sewed yesterday (click here for more pictures). I used a pattern from Amy Karol's book, Bend the Rules Sewing. The smaller tote is the one that was produced when I (mostly) followed the pattern. When I got done with it, I looked at it and thought.... "What on earth am I going to do with this???" It is quite tiny. So, I promptly adjusted the pattern and made my own variation that is a little more user friendly. I used a heavy cream colored canvas and a bright green polka-dot fabric. The bag is completely reversible.... And the best part is that I whipped it up in under an hour!

small things

Here are a handful of small things I wanted to share from the past few days. Relatively unrelated, but still worthy of note...

Spring arriving.

In the field with her stick on a foggy Saturday morning. I love this image because it looks so soft and calm.

A small turtle I sewed for Emmy.