Week in Review: Sewing, Books, Cooking, Home and Family

Happy Friday!

Since I have transitioned into sharing more about my sewing crafts, I thought that it was appropriate to include Sewing as one of my Week in Review focus areas. You'll see that as a regular feature going forward.

I am also in the process of transitioning my site to be self-hosted at peetswea.com - get ready to change your feed readers!  I am very excited about this change and the learning process that I am going through.

Sewing

I mentioned in an earlier post that the PeetSwea shop had it's third sale this week.  It is exciting to see this little business of mine grow. 

On Wednesday, I fired up my serger, which has been neglected for many years.  I am excited that it will allow me to expand into more items that required a finished edge. 

Last week, I organized all of my available fabrics.  Spending time with fabric seems to spawn many of my creative juices.  For those of you who know me for my love of books, you will know how serious it is to hear that fabric stores are becoming even more dangerous these days than bookstores!

Books
I currently have two books running simultaneously on my Kindle:  Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon which is the fourth book in the Outlander Series and MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche.  The first is long and epic and finds the characters in Colonial America, the second is light and funny and explores the author's search to find new friends after moving to a new place.  I'm enjoying both very much.

I recently finished The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and OnLine and hope to post a review soon.  It was an excellent reference for individuals who are entering into the world of selling handmade crafts online.

Cooking
OK, so have you tried Martha Stewart's homemade macaroni and cheese? If not, please rush to this site and print the recipe and proceed to the nearest grocery store for supplies. It was divine! I divided the recipe in half and it was more than enough for the three of us to eat.  One caveat:  I was told (since I didn't have the privilege of enjoying myself -{cough} husband {cough}) that the leftovers were not as great as they were straight from the oven - still good, but not divine.  That will probably keep me from making the full-sized batch unless I have company over.

Still, VERY yummy recipe!

Home
I can hardly believe it, but it has been a year and half since we moved to Virginia from Florida.  I don't feel that I can genuinely offer the "we just moved here" line when breaking the ice with new friends.  We signed a two-year lease on our home, so we are beginning to discuss what will come next.  We like the house that we are in now, and may opt for another year, but there is something to be said about owning your own home.  Luckily, we have few months to figure out our options.

Family
We are busy!  I am beginning to think that our approach to involving J in activities was a tad too exuberant.  We're now doing Tae Kwon Do, gymnastics, religious education and Daisy Scouts. I can't exactly call myself a soccer mom, but my SUV certainly feels like a taxi these days.

I'm also very excited that we recently found two babysitters, which should help to spice up the adult social life around here.  Since moving to Virginia, also known as no-more-local-grandparent-ville, we have been using a sitting service.  This was expensive and unfortunately we never had the same sitter twice.  We'll be lining up our new sitters soon.  I'm thinking a day in DC doing all the adult tourist things we have enjoyed yet:  segway tour, Holocaust Museum, Capitol tour...

Any Northern Virginia, Maryland, DC locals, or fans of the area, that want to share a fun date activity that we should try?


Hope that everyone has a great week!

Week in Review: Books, Cooking, Home and Family - July 17, 2011

Last weekend, we were up to our ears with family visits and birthday parties - I'm still trying to catch up!  Here's what's been happening lately...

Books

Since my last Week in Review, I have finished three books:  Getting Things Done, 22 Britannia Road and The Violets of March.  Getting Things Done (review here) was an ode to my recent struggles with feeling organized.  I really appreciated the practical approach that the author illustrated - I'll be spending a little more time with this book in the near future.


Right now, I am listening to The Paris Wife, which almost makes me want to do laundry and clean the kitchen a little longer so that I have more time to listen.  Only two hours into the audiobook, I am loving it - such beautiful writing.

I picked up the next book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series:  Dragonfly in Amber.  Outlander was a fantastic read and I am enjoying learning more about the characters in this next installment.  At over 700 pages, it's a bit of a chunkster, so it will probably be on my 'currently reading' list for several more days.

Cooking
Move along...Nothing to see here.

No really, cooking hasn't been very exciting here over the past few weeks.  Lots of old standbys and meals on the run.

Home (and Health)
The house is getting back to normal after having my parents in town last weekend.  Plus, there was an influx of new toys from our daughter's 6th birthday.  I really need to have a weekend set aside to sort through and set aside many MANY toys for donation.

I am now nearly halfway through Week 4 of the Couch to 5K running plan - 5 more weeks to go!  I am really very proud of myself.  This week has included two three minute runs and two five minute runs, which is longer than I have ever been able to run.  I've been encouraged by a Twitter friend who started at the same time - it's good to have someone to encourage me, and frankly to be accountable to.  I still have a long way to go, but that 5K doesn't seem too far out of my reach now.

Family
Our daughter's birthday party last Sunday was a great success and we were very happy that my parents were in town to share the big day.  I still can't believe that I have a six year old!  J is already talking about when she turns 7 - I do hope that she won't force this year to fly by as fast as last year!

On Saturday, we will be packing up the car and heading to Tennessee for vacation with my husband's family.  While the vacation couldn't come at a worse time for me work-wise, I am hoping for many hours by the pool, soaking up the sun with a frosty beverage and a good book.  I can't tell you how much I need this time off.


How about you - how was your week?

Week in Review: Books, Cooking, Home and Family - July 2, 2011

It has been a great week.  I am hoping to soak up lots of free time during this long weekend.  Free time, away from work, isn't something that I get very often anymore. 

Here's what happened this week...

Books

Sometimes I think that I was meant to be born in World War II-era Europe, because the books that I read from that time period make me all warm and fuzzy inside.  This week I finished The Soldier's Wife, which was phenomenal, and I started 22 Britannia Road. 

I also partcipated in the Manic Mommies Book Club on Wednesday night, where we discussed The Love Goddess' Cooking School (review here).  Hearing the author's story of how the book came to be was fascinating.  We also had a lively discussion after the 'real' book club was over, which was so much fun.  It is wonderful to be able to talk to other moms for book suggestions.  After the book club, I picked up a few recommendations for chapter books for J, which I'm looking forward to researching. 

I started a new feature on my site called Library Dreams.  I'll be showing pictures of beautiful libraries that are inspiring to me.  Here is a link to the first Library Dreams, which I hope to make a recurring series.

You can also check out my review of The Bee-Loud Glade (3 stars) here.

Cooking
On a last-minute whim, I signed up for a Knife Skills class at a local cooking school.  So on Thursday night, I packed up three of my knives and headed out.  It was a really great time and I think that I learned a lot.  For instance, I have been holding my chef's knife completely wrong.  I am going to have to concentrate for a while, until the correct way becomes a habit for me! 

We spent three hours practicing our techniques for slicing, brunoise and julienne cuts.  After we had chopped through carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, spring onions, ginger, garlic and onion, we learned how to break down a whole chicken.  Then the instructor threw everything into a wok and made a delicious stir fry.  It was so much fun!

Home (and Health)
I've been keeping up with my Couch to 5K running program and started Week 2 on Friday.  I am working to get out of the house as soon as my husband and J head out the door, so that I beat the heat and humidity.  So far, it hasn't been too bad, but imagine that July and August will be brutal.  Running outside has been much better for me than running on the treadmill.  We have beautiful trails near my home and the trees and lakes are pretty to look at, and keep my mind off the time.  I am still getting used to running on hills - that's something that I didn't encounter on the treadmill!  I'm determined to see this through and as an extra motivation to myself, I signed up for my very first 5K race on October 8th! 

Family

My little girl, who I swear was just born yesterday, will be turning 6 on July 11th.  We'll be getting ready for her big day and for her party.  Before that happens though, we'll be prepping the house for my parent's arrival on Thursday.  It will be nice having them here for a long weekend visit and to share in the birthday festivities.

Like I said, it was a great week, and the upcoming long weekend and week look very promising. 

How was your week?

Week in Review: Books, Cooking, Home and Family - June 26, 2011

Yesterday was my husband's birthday and we spent a fun day checking off his list of plans - Lucky Charms for breakfast, swimming at the pool, watching Top Gear reruns, 'playing adventure royale' with our daughter, a steak dinner, a cookie cake with ice cream and catching fireflies.  It was great day!

Here are a few other things that happened this week...

Books

Unfortunately, it has been a slow reading week for me.  I am reading The Bee-Loud Glade, which I am enjoying very much - there just wasn't enough time to dive into it.  I've got 20 pages left to go as of this morning, so there is no doubt that I will finish today.

You can also check out this week's reviews of The Happiness Project (5 stars) and The Love Goddess' Cooking School (3 stars). 

Cooking
Last weekend, I tried out a new recipe from Cooks Illustrated's The New Best Recipe cookbook:  Chicken Marsala.  It was divine.  The sauce was just perfect.  I have tried at least half a dozen Chicken Marsala recipes, each falling flat for different reasons.  It was nice to put one of my husband's favorites in front of him and be proud of the results!

Home
We'll call this section Home and Health this week.  I re-started the Couch to 5K running plan on Friday.  I have had a goal to run a 5K for quite a while.  This time I found a Twitter friend to run along with, and I think that the accountability will help quite a bit. 

Family
J had her last day of school on Tuesday and voila! I am now the mom to a first grader.  I do not know where this year went.  Frankly, I am glad that this year is over.  While J learned a ton and made a few new friends, we weren't entirely pleased with the school this year.  I think that summer break will be good for all of us.

We are also officially signed up for one year of Tae Kwon Do lessons.  J is loving the activity, which she's doing two times per week.  She also had her first gymnastics lesson this week, which was amazing to watch.  My husband said that he has never seen J that happy.  She was cart-wheeling, trampoline-bouncing, ladder-climbing, and bar-flipping for an entire hour. 

We are all still trying to settle into our new area - even after almost a year.  I am hoping that these new routines will help it feel a little bit more like home, instead of a really long vacation near Washington, D.C.


How was your week?

Week in Review: Books, Cooking, Home and Family - June 18, 2010

You might have noticed that I took a bit of time off.  I'll see if I can get you caught up on what's been going on...
Books
Reading has been a great escape for me over the past few weeks and I am looking forward to all of the great books that are stacking themselves up on my shelves!



I finished Outlanderthis week and I absolutely adored it - you can read my review here.  You can be sure that I will be inserting other books from the series into my reading schedule very soon! 

In the mail this week, I received a copy of The Bee-Loud Glade, which I won as a giveaway from Erin Reads.  I'm looking forward to diving into this one, since it came so highly recommended.  I also received a copy of The Love Goddess' Cooking School which is the June selection for the Manic Mommies Book Club.  I'm already two chapters in and am liking how this novel combines two of my loves - books and cooking!

Cooking

As you'll read below, we had a full house this past weekend, so my cooking audience grew from three to eight!  With four kiddos to cater to, I kept it very simple with sandwiches, tacos and grilled chicken.  We also opted for a picnic when we went into D.C. on Saturday.  Peanut Butter and Jelly never tastes better than when it enjoyed on the National Mall!

Home

Last weekend, I was so tickled that our home was bursting at the seams with family when my sister, brother-in-law, nieces and nephew arrived.  There are few things that I like better than entertaining.  I planned to have two kids sharing our extra room and one kid in with J in her room.  Of course, the kids had their own idea and packed themselves into J's room for the first night.  I'm kicking myself that I didn't get pictures of all the sleeping cuties!

Family

I miss having my family here - our visit went by entirely too fast!  Here are a few shots from our whirlwind weekend...

Cousins!

Week in Review: Books, Cooking, Home and Family - June 4, 2011

Where did this week go?  I will be flying out to Houston tomorrow evening and I have a mile-long list of things to do before I go.  The house has to be ready for my sister and family to arrive on Friday!  Here's how my week shaped up...

Books
I finished up The Happiness Project early in the week.  I am still compiling thoughts for my review, but I really enjoyed this book.  It made me reconsider many things and their impact on my happiness or unhappiness.

to One More Page Books in Arlington, VA for the first time.  I picked up Outlander while I was there and have been reading it in every spare moment.  The writing is beautiful and I love the Scottish Highland setting.  It's a long one, so it will be making the trip to Houston with me next week.J and I ventured

I als received a copy of The Soldiers Wife.  An exerpt from the summary: 

"As World War II draws closer and closer to Guernsey, Vivienne de la Mare knows that there will be sacrifices to be made. Not just for herself, but for her two young daughters and for her mother-in-law, for whom she cares while her husband is away fighting. What she does not expect is that she will fall in love with one of the enigmatic German soldiers who take up residence in the house next door to her home."

Now doesn't that something that I would like to read?

Cooking
We had a barbeque with our neighbors on Memorial Day.  I whipped up our family favorite Potato Casserole - so not healthy, but oh so good:

Potato Casserole
1 package frozen hash browns (thaw for 2 hours)
1/2 Cup melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
2 Cups grated cheese (1 medium and 1 sharp)

Topping:
1 1/2 cups Cornflakes (crushed)
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine potatoes and butter in large bowl.  Add salt, pepper, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese.  Mix well.  Pour in 13 x 9 inch baking pan.  Mix cornflakes and butter in bowl for topping.  Sprinkle on top of potato mixture.  Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Home
The guest bedrooms are ready!  I ran around the house yesterday between work, an unplanned vet appointment and Tae Kwon Do lessons.  I was able to set up two twin air mattresses for the kids and get the sheets changed out in the guest room for my sister and brother-in-law.  Now we just need some people to fill them!

Family

On Memorial Day we visited Arlington National Cemetery.  While we had been there before, the special changes for Memorial Day were very moving.  Each of the military personnel were in their dress uniforms.  There were survivor families at the entrance distributing fans to visitors and there were roses being given to visitors to lay at grave sites.  And the flags...  Every grave was marked with an American flag.  Beautiful and breathtaking!

My father-in-law's best friend passed away in 2007 and is buried at Arlington.  We visited his grave to pay our respects.  I can't think of a better way to have spent the morning on Memorial Day.

Wednesday was J's first official Tae Kwon Do lesson and yesterday she earned her white belt.  There is a lot of emphasis on respectful behavior, being helpful around the house, schoolwork and reading - I think that this will be great for all of us.  And just like I thought, I LOVE how cute she looks in her uniform!

You might notice the big puffy lip.  This is not Tae Kwon Do related - although that would make a more interesting story.  J had a filling on Thursday and bit her lip really hard while she was still numb.  It blew up like a balloon.  She is not objecting to the supplemental popsicle treatments...

Hope that you had a great week!