Knitted Tardis

Is it nerdy to knit a relief of Doctor Who's Tardis?

Maybe.

I'm ok with that.

The tardis!

Cow Heart Meatballs with Pasta

When my husband suggested it, I thought it was weird.  When I told my brother, he made fun of us.  When I told my mom, she wondered about the nutritional value.  See, Jamie found cow heart next to the ground beef in the grocery store and really wanted it because he'd never had it and it's a cheap cut of meat.  I agreed when he said it was mostly for Puppy Dog and we would just try it.  Well, it's mostly been ours, but our dog goes CRAZY when we cook it.

 cow heart meatballs with pepper, oregano, and basil (raw)

Bread Bag

Since I started making bread more often, I've discovered that it smells wonderful, tastes better, and I have no place to put it.  It doesn't really fit in a gallon ziploc.  I've reuse store-bought bread bags, but after a couple times of using them, I'm afraid things might grow in it.  My host family in Germany had a nice wooden bread box, but those aren't as common here.  Some plastic food storage containers that might work, but is that the best way?  I took to the internets to find a solution.

does this make my bread look fake?

reusable duster

I'm a fan of Swiffer products.  The original Swiffer was genius: not a broom, not a mop, but somewhere in between.  I'm also a fan of the disposable aspect.  Not because I like spending money on something to throw away, but because reusing things like old fashioned mops are disgusting (old school mops? How much of that dirt/disgustingness doesn't go out with the wash water?).  Last month I made a reusable Wet Jet pad; today I made a reusable Swiffer duster that I can toss in the laundry basket with it. 

blues!  dustin' for clues...

Lemon-Anise Biscotti

Well, the muffins I made the other week were a bust.  Not because they didn't taste good (they tasted fine), but because I made them on a Thursday before a long weekend.  Apparently, any snack-like baking I do must be on a Sunday to ensure that they get munched on during the week during school instead of languishing on the counter waiting for mid-morning munchies between classes.   

So on Sunday I made biscotti.

lemon-y.  biscotti-y. 

Leashes and Leash Bags

it's really difficult to simultaneously hold a leash, take a picture, and get a dogs attention.

I hate to run.  Absolutely hate it.  It hurts my knees and I don't like how it works my body.  Walking?  Love it.  I would rather walk five miles than run one mile.  My husband says I "Yankee walk" because my normal walk is so much faster than his Southern stroll (after trying to walk in the Southern summer though, I've started to understand that).  When I'm walking for exercise though, it's even quicker than my normal "Yankee walk."  When I was in jr. high, I would get up at 5:30am to work out before school.  I have no idea where that motivation came from; these days I barely have the willpower to get up at 8am to go walking (keep in mind, I am jobless so getting up at 8am on a daily basis IS early for someone that has very little to do all day).

Gehäkelter Topflappen

Growing up, we had these pot holders.  They were obviously homemade and probably by one of my grandmothers.  They were out of place in our pot holder drawer.  Our other pot holders were fabric sets (small, medium, large!), holiday themed (nothing says Christmas like Santa holding the green beans!), or some classy, modern looking woven blue braid wound into a pot holder (think classy Amish).  These were crocheted in 70's/80's bold colors, crazy thick, and I've never been sure if I really liked them or really disliked them.  Also, they confused the heck out of me.

these are not the ones I grew up with.  image from ravelry user mettetation

Pizza! Pizza!

Last weekend was my husband's birthday.  I had a particular craft in mind to make and post about: fabric pennant banners.  It would be his present, keep me busy on Friday, and provide Monday's post.

This did not happen.

My New Serger

Meet my new baby.

unnamed new serger.  then again, my sewing machine isn't named either.

She and I haven't really gotten acquainted yet (just got her yesterday in the mail from my mom) but here's what I do know:

1.) she's a serger (wikipedia link there because some people, like my husband, have no idea what a serger is), Janome My Lock 234D to be precise
2.) she originally was bought or fixed or something requiring a claim ticket from Montevilla Sewing Center (which happens to be where my sewing machine comes from, yay!)
3.) she was purchased c.1996 and is pink/purple (a decidedly mid '90s hue)
4.) she comes with accessories (different needle plate, tweezers, nets, oil, needle threader, needs... stuff like that)
5.) her little suitcase/carrier is the most adorable sewing carrying case I've ever seen

I do not yet know exactly what I'm going do with her (besides experiment and take over the world) but I'm crazy excited to find out.

most adorable carrying case ever

accessories!  instructions!  claim ticket!

gratuitous top down shot 

Poppy Seed Muffins and Beautiful Bread

Costco poppyseed muffins are one of my favorite muffins ever.  They're really big though.  And homemade muffins tend to be a tiny bit too small.  Is there a perfect muffin tin out there??

Anyway, I made poppyseed muffins cuz my husband said he was getting munchy between classes and wanted something so he wouldn't buy food on campus. 

Poppy seed Muffins