What's For Dinner Tomight?

I do not get to watch her show as frequently as I would like because of homeschool schedule, getting meals made and tending to our rambunctious 2 1/2 year old, but I do love to watch Rachael Ray.
Sweet Waby asked me what I like about her and I explained that I like her vibrant personality and what I appreciate about her recipes is she cooks like me! She throws in this and that, rarely measures with spoons or cups and gives you tips for adapting a recipe to what you may have on hand. Though she does sometimes get elaborate with ingredients, most of her recipes are everyday foods that I usually have in my kitchen.
When I watch her shows I often get inspired by her What's For Dinner Tonight? segment. It is easy to get in a cooking rut and a few of her recipes can get me enjoying cooking again.

Here is the recipe for what we had for supper tonight, Fish with Chowder Gravy and Sour Cream and Chive Smashed Potatoes.

We used the fish we had in the freezer which was White Pollock, I'm sure you could substitute any firm, white fish. Halibut was Rachael Ray's choice and is usually out of our price range. :-)

After the bacon was about halfway done I added one finely chopped up carrot. I like to add a little color and a little more nutrition in my recipes. I also used green onion instead of white as we love the flavor of green. However, if I would have had red onion on hand I would have used that.

Here is the Chowder Gravy. The bacon added a delicious, smoky flavor. We all agreed that this by itself would make a VERY tasty soup, just thin it out a bit with more half & half and chicken stock.

Sweet Waby smashed the potatoes.
He had to pick out some chives because he accidentally used the WHOLE package. OOPS!!!
They turned out VERY YUMMY! He added a little milk and a TBSP of BUTTER for extra creaminess and we only used half the sour cream Rachel Ray did because Husband doesn't like sour cream. Sweet Waby also added pepper, a sprinkle of dried garlic and a few shakes of his favorite spice.

Our finished product was SCRUMPTIOUS!
EVERYONE loved it even little Ya-Ya. Husband wants it again.

How To Wear a Scarf

Tips-for-wearing-a-scarf

Since I love to make scarves and wear them I thought this chart was a great resource to have.

Playful Decor: Featured Designer & DIY Slipcover Giveaway!

Playful Decor: Featured Designer & DIY Slipcover Giveaway!: As my regular readers know, I've been in a sofa dilemma for some time now. They were perfect at our old house, but we moved last year and I ...

Toad's Treasures: EASY Free Owl Pattern and Tutorial

Toad's Treasures: EASY Free Owl Pattern and Tutorial

I just adore these little owls stuffed animals AKA softies. I plan to make one for darling 6 yr old daughter and soon to be born grandson! WOOT WOOT! (Or should I say WHOO WHOO!)

Chicken and Blossoms Knotty Apron Dress by MissMermaidShop on Etsy

Chicken and Blossoms Knotty Apron Dress by MissMermaidShop on Etsy

Little Miss YaYa would love this dress. She adores chickens, dresses and the little apron would delight her.
I saw this chicken fabric at JoAnn the other day. It is the first print I have seen that doesn't look like it should be only in the kitchen.
Miss YaYa's favorite color is pink, which is the color of her bedroom now. My ideas was to add red gingham to the mix and then decorate with chickens.

Does the sewing bug run in your family?

I have three daughters, one does not prefer to sew or really do any crafting with the exception of scrapbooking. She is creative and may take on a project like flower arranging, but only when the need surfaces, not because she is obsessed like her mother!

My 2nd daughter dabbles in a multitude of crafts and does like to sew, but rarely does. She is a teenager and has far too many other life experiences to see and do. When she is older I do believe she will return to her love of crafts and also start sewing again.

Daughter number 3 is only four years old, but I think she is going to be my crafting companion. Every day she asks to go in my craft room. She loves to touch and play with my ribbons, lace and fabrics. She calls the fabric scraps "babies" and we keep them in a giant wicker basket. She doesn't let me throw away any pieces of fabric or ribbon, even thread, but instead wants to keep them as "treasures" (her word). She looks at patterns and decides which she wants me to sew and picks out the fabric from my stash. Yes, I do believe she is already hooked.

I have also acquired a delightful daughter-in-law who is crafty, artsy and creative beyond compare. I feel like a childish amateur next to her, but I do love sharing our mutual love of crafting and her work in all areas is simply amazing. She paints, creates pottery, draws, photographs, scrapbooks and so much more.
She has a gorgeous photography business you can check out at Hanle Productions.

My mother did not like to sew. She grew up wearing handmade items that her mother made. In the photographs I have seen her clothes were lovely and didn't look handmade in the least, but her heart desired a store bought wardrobe. Perhaps she put up a "block" to the idea of sewing. She definitely was creative. She always had beautifully decorated homes, she was a desktop designer and publisher, she arranged flowers, and dressed well.

In her family there were also three daughters and only one inherited her mother's sewing gene. My aunt sews well and creates unique as well as gorgeous items. She sewed her only daughter's wedding dress and it turned out perfect. She recently started quilting and her choice of color and patterns amaze me, they are striking.

I was bit by the sewing bug rather young, with a needle, thread and scraps from the rag basket I fashioned atrocious clothes for my dolls and lopsided blankets. In junior high I took a sewing class for home ec. and made a handkerchief shirt, I was hooked. That year Mom bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. I had that old Singer for many years. About 10 years ago I traded it in for a Babylock. I still miss that machine, not only for the sentimentality of it, but that machine ran GREAT! I seldom had to bring it in for repairs. It was fast, heavy duty and easy to operate.

All Things Lime at The Secret Stitch Club

Please stop over to this blog where you will find a delicious step-by-step recipe for Key Lime Cupcakes and a giveaway for a bright, cheerful lime-colored apron.
Find it at The Secret Stitch Club blog.

Sheree's Alchemy

Sheree is a a delightful presence in the sewing world.
Not only does she create beautiful quilts, clothing and totes, but she also designs her own patterns.
Additionally, she is sharing her passion for sewing by offering classes to kids.
I was involved in a swap with her a couple years ago and was tickled with the fabric fat quarters she sent me.
She is also so very generous and has numerous giveaways for fabric and patterns.
This week she is featuring a giveaway with a box stuffed with delicious fabric scraps and an Amy Butler patterns, see the photo below.
Check out her giveaway at her blog.
Also visit her shop where she sells her amazing creations. She has another shop featuring fabrics.

Fabric Tea Sets

I just love the look of fabric tea party sets and I think my darling daughter would love one!
Here are some I found online.



Lilian Vernon has these two fabric tea sets that are too cute.



Check out these adorable tea sets made by Jodi at her Ric Rac Blog.

Here is one at Pottery Barn, which is sadly no longer available.

Here is a cute little set, perfect for taking to the park.



I would love to sew our own tea set, but I haven't found a pattern.
If you know of one, please leave me a comment with a link to the source, I'd sure appreciate it.

Teapot with cinnamon sticks

Bule
Originally uploaded by Atelier Artes do Campo by Neide Galindo

This is adorable, I can almost smell the cinnamon...

Quilted Tea Set

Quilted Tea Set
Originally uploaded by PatchworkPottery

The creator of this tea set added beautiful embroidery and I lvoe the color choices.

fabric tea set

fabric tea set
Originally uploaded by sedars13

I think this tea set on Flickr is so cute. I do not know if it is store bought or hand made.

Recent Projects

I sell my embellished jean jackets at a local gift shop. The jackets are bought used or pre-owned although most are in new condition. I then hand knit cuffs and collars using fun combinations of yarns. The knitted pieces are hand stitched to the jacket. Often appliques are added.

Teapot pillow

Teapot pillow
Originally uploaded by PatchworkPottery

Patchwork Pottery has created another delightful teapot, this one is a pillow! Who woulda thunk it????

Quilted Teapot & Lavender Teabags

Quilted Teapot & Lavender Teabags
Originally uploaded by PatchworkPottery

This teapot is so lovely! It almost a shame it can't be used for real tea!