Hibernating

Winter can be beautiful, but it's a beauty I appreciate more the less I am exposed to it. Lately all I want to do is curl up in velour sweat pants, with my favorite micro-mink throw (George Costanza would understand both these choices) in front of a roaring fire, nose in a book. Although sometimes sitting over a heater vent works just as well.


Went to the library a few days ago and came home with a stack of books and a handful of DVDs - the delicious kind that you'll never find at RedBox like the never before seen by me, Monarch of the Glen Season 7 (yep, still a geek).

Wednesday I read this...

Very pleased with it - until I discovered the other book by the same author, which is on reserve for me, is the PRE-quel. Reading them out of order drives me NUTS.

Spent Thursday putting the house back together so I could spend all day today reading this one...

Also really good. Love this series. I've never been a leisurely reader. I wolf them down, and then I want more.

What were my little peeps doing while I was feasting on the written word?

Whipping up some eggs. Seriously, this rockin' little man played with Play-Doh for hours. Played until what started out as 20 new colorful containers morphed into one big brown blob on the center of the kitchen island, with rainbow Play-Doh confetti blanketing the kitchen floor. What a MESS! But I was able to read a novel, in its entirety.

And, because I don't know how to read on an empty stomach, I took a break to make this.


Three loaves of 10 grams of fat per slice, pumpkin perfection. Thank goodness my foodie resolution was in regards to caffeinated soda and not dessert. Sure, the recipe read Pumpkin Bread, but I'm no fool - it was dessert.

Well I'm off - have a hot date with some micro-mink and a Scottish Laird.

Hope January is treating you well.

Sundress Recycling

The Empire (waste line) Strikes Back!
Not long ago, I found a super cute, hot pink, paisley sundress (brand new) at the thrift store for only $1.

Loved the fun bandana fabric and thought it would make an awesome swimsuit cover-up. Only one minor problem...

Size 4. Remember my Ode To Child Bearing Hips? Well this could be my Ode To a Child Bearing Rib Cage. The zipper didn't quite zip. So I resorted to plan B. I went down into my dungeon (sewing room) and whipped up this apron...

When I came upstairs to model my creation for my husband (he had never seen the sundress), he laughed and said, "You added boob triangles?"

Obviously strappy sundresses are not exactly a staple in my everyday wardrobe.

In order for the umm "triangles" to stay in place, I had to place the ties a little high - empire style. A fit that's always felt, well... a little funny.
I'll admit, the apron is a little goofy - you'll probably see hot pink bandana squares in my next quilt. Perhaps its geometrical makeup is to blame (can you say triangle?), or that dirty, rotten empire waste line! However, the cookies made in honor of said apron, were delish. Can't go wrong with a recipe titled "Just like Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies".