Holiday Gift Giving Goals

Of course with the holidays approaching, I've been thinking a lot about what to give. I committed our family to doing a less commercial, more thoughtfully given Christmas a few years ago and I have to say it's been much nicer in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I have or will purchase some items. I've have a wooden dollhouse for O., Leggo, trains and other items for the boys. But, I'd like to make a good portion of the gifts, but I don't know if I'll have the time to do all I want. I hope that I can accomplish a good deal though. But, what to make? O. should be easy right? I think because she loves to help me cook so much I'm going to make her a chef set with a hat, apron and oven mit. Of course I'm finishing the quilt and perhaps I can make a doll quilt for her Waldorf doll. For the boys? Hmm...that's a bit harder, I'll have to think about that. My friend Dawn of the blog Olabelhe had a great idea about an artist portfolio and crayon/pencil roll. I think I'm going to borrow that idea. I'll also probably do another bag or two for M.'s train collection to go in. I'm not sure what to make for E. yet, bedside knitting him a hat and socks. For S. I'm going to make a hoodie sweatshirt, some boxer shorts and lounge pants. Gosh with the length of that list I should be sitting at my sewing machine right now. I also wanted to make a couple things for my sisters. Thank goodness I started some of these items in the summer. I let you know how things go. Wish me luck!

Monday's Meal

I love to cook. I admit it. At our house we love pasta. Any good cook should know how to make a basic white sauce and a basic red sauce. They are so versatile and you can use them to make any number of dishes, don't be afraid to experiment. I thought I'd share some recipes for both a white and red sauce. The white sauce as you can see is very simple, but you can add cheese to it, or lemon and garlic and you have the start of a delicious meal...go wild! For the red sauce you can make a smooth or chunky style sauce. You can spice it up by adding more or less of your favorite herb. Add shallots or capers to the sauce or serve it over you favorite pasta. The possibilities are unlimited.

Basic White Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk


Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until the butter and flour are well combined. Pour in milk, stirring constantly to thicken to desired consistency.


Basic Red Sauce

2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup white wine


If you like a smoother sauce you can blend the following ingredients in a blender or food processor until well blended and smooth; diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. If you like a chunkier style sauce just mix them all together well in a dutch oven and set aside until ready to add your other ingredients
In a skillet over medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil until they become translucent, about 2-3 mins. Add the onions and white whine to blended tomato sauce and cover, simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

My Bernina dream come true

Finally, finally I have acquired a Bernina. I'm thrilled! I found it on craigslist and maybe it was providence but it had just been posted. Perhaps no one else was looking for one or they were turned off by the fact that it was for sale without the power cord or foot pedal, but I was not. I drove over as fast as I could and claimed her. I paid $45 (I know, insane!) and although it doesn't have the manual, it did come with five of those very pricey Bernina feet that were probably worth way more than what I paid. I headed right over to Elegant Stitches my local Bernina dealership to get a cord. Two of the ladies were very excited for me and Brenda (the one who teaches the classes) even went over all the feet and what other things I could use them for with me. I found out that although the vintage cord for the 801 was for sale for $357, I could get the same cord used by the 1008 for under $100...better still one of the ladies from one of the machine list I belong to had one for sale for 1/3 of the price and it's on it's way, woohoo! I just love a new machine. I've spent the last few days giving her a bit of a spa treatment. As far as I can tell the only issue she has is a frozen darning lever. I will work on getting that unstuck, in the meantime I tested her out using the borrowed 1008 cord from ES and she fired right up...even the light bulb still worked.
I can't wait to find out why everyone says "Nothing sews like a Bernina, nothing".

It's here! It's here!

Remember me mentioning I had ordered a Super Automatic Espresso machine. Well, it arrived last night and my dh and I had anxiously unwrapped it to give it a test run. Ok...I have to admit it, I love it!!! Although, it might take me some time getting used to the strong brew. I'm a huge coffee drinker and I actually felt a bit buzzy after making myself 2 long shot mocha's this morning. I see my coffee consumption going way down, lol. There is such a huge difference in the quality of coffee/espresso you end up with. The Delonghi is so easy to use too. You simply do what the LCD tells you to do and before you know it you are sipping away. I'm going today to get a stainless steel pitcher to froth the milk in. I'm going to try frothing up some milk for a cappuccino so dh can have his favorite drink to.

Oh and I guess I can't forget to mention this. History was made last night. The first person of color was elected to the Presidency of the USA. I say person of color because I don't view him as an "African American" in the classic sense of the word, but I do see him as a person of color and I have to say I was beyond amazed that this country actually elected him. Many people will say that race isn't a factor in this country today, but I'm a black woman living in this country and racism is very much a factor in this country still. I'm cautiously optimistic about what his presidency could mean for our nation and I look on with hope in my heart.

Clutter Control Update

It's been awhile since I talked about my efforts to purge and get organized. I must say I've been doing pretty well. Things didn't turn out exactly how I had planned, however I learned a few lessons along the way. First off, I actually like my stuff. Of course I probably have more stuff than I should, but I'm not an impulse shopper, in fact generally I'm a bargain shopper and take awhile to make a purchase. I have come to realize that I don't want or desire a minimalist life. I want to have a life with purpose that is filled with the people and things that I love. For some it might seem like too much, but I've come to realize for me it's just enough most of the time. Of course I go through periods where there are too many toys lying around, too many clothes to wash or I need to take a break from buying yarn or fabric. But overall I'm okay with having material possessions. That's a huge realization for me. It seems sort of counter intuitive to other aspects of my life and my desire to lead a less consumer driven life. I think I combat that by recycling and reusing as much as I can in my life.
I have also come to realize that the key for me was not necessarily purging down to the bare bones...but purging excess stuff and getting what remained organized. I've been doing that by looking at our life with clear eyes. What do we need? What do we use? Could this be better used by someone else? I've been honest and realistic about what our needs are and that has been refreshingly liberating. I've also invested in some organizational systems and enlisted all my family members to play a part. Our home has never been so clean and organized. It feels good to reach a balance. It was surprisingly so much easier than I thought it would be. There's a new calm and sense of harmony in our home. I seem to have a bit more time with the kids and to do things we all enjoy. Maybe it's because I don't feel as stressed and overwhelmed by everything.
When I originally planned this blog post I thought I would talk about letting go of material things, but I think what I've been able to let go of has been so much more significant.

Monday's meal

I do love kitchen appliances. It's a fact. I even love that oft ignored appliance known as the bread machine. They are abundant in thrift stores. I think people buy them imagining the smell of fresh baked bread but get turned off by the shape of the bread or other factors. But, I'm one that doesn't mind and actually really enjoys my bread machine, in fact I own two. It's been awhile since I shared a recipe for the bread machine so I thought I'd share this one. Dust off that bread machine and get baking.

POTATO BREAD

This recipe makes a 1 1/2 lb loaf.
Cook a new or small russet potato in the microwave until soft and cut it into chunks. Do not peel. The machine will mash it during the kneading. Place potato into liquid measuring cup and add water up to
the level needed to measure 1 1/2 cups. Add ingredients in order as listed and then press start for basic or white setting.

6oz potato plus water for 1-1/2 cups
1-1/2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
1-1/2 tsp Bread Machine or instant yeast.

Superidity Duper!

After of months of agonizing research and reading every review and forum I could find. I have finally, finally bit the bullet and purchased my super automatic espresso machine and it should arrive on Tuesday. Woo Hoo!
It was such an overwhelming decision for me for some reason...I guess because it seems like a lot of money to spend on a coffee machine. But I do love some coffee and I drink a lot of it so I figured it would save me in the end. Now I considered going semi-automatic...in fact that's originally what I intended to do and was going to purchase a Rancilio...but dh talked me out of it. He said that he just wanted to push a button and I have to agree. The difference I realized between me and the folks that were posting to all the myraid of coffee machine forums is that they loved the process and really wanted to be "one with the bean". They really put a ton of thought in to getting just the right shot. It was a quest for them. It's not for me. I just want to stop going to caribou yet still enjoy the occasional mocha latte.
Anyway I can't wait for it to arrive and for me to fire the thing up. I'll let you know how it goes.