Sewing, Sewing, Sewing!

I've picked up a new hobby over the last few months. Before March I had tried making a few easy items, but I officially learned to sew by taking a course in my community. My gal pal from work joined me and we successfully completed a skirt that was actually worn to work.

Well, the class piqued by curiosity about all things sewing and motivated me to attempt new

projects.

My cousin gave me a set of pillowcases so that I could try my hand (and sewing machine) at a pillowcase dress. I made one for her little girl and one for my neighbor's little girl. These things are so stinkin' easy I could make them all day long. I've grown quite fond of the pillowcase dress construction and I find myself looking at pillowcases where ever I go.

I found this material for like a buck fifty and thought I could come up with some sort of summer apparel. I made this shirt for weekend wear without a pattern and using the little bit of knowledge I have gained on a few other projects and internet tutorials. This even fits properly!!

My mother helped me put this little madras nightie together. This is where I learned the art of gathers. I sort of like gathers.

Since I'm a big fan of fat quarters, I have started to make crayon rolls for the various children of co-workers. I was really into these until I grew tired of sewing the little rows for the crayons. I think I'm done with those for a while.

I have more fabric than I know what to do with and currently am under restriction from fabric stores until I complete the projects that I already own material. This has created an interesting motivation and I've made progress. Got any ideas of things I can construct with fabric and a needle?

Not your Grandma's Trail

This morning I participated in my first ever trail run. Sure, we run trails on Saturday mornings, but we live in the flatlands. Our trails are flat in comparison to anywhere outside of here.

When Karen and I started to plan our Marine Corps training schedule, we stumbled on an inexpensive 21k in Richmond. "Coach" encouraged us to do it since it would be good on our legs. We registered a few months ago and to be honest, have done very little to train. Karen and Tim ran a half a few weeks ago, so the distance wasn't going to be an issue for them. I, on the other hand, hadn't run more than 10 miles since March. We were pretty confident it would be a "run/walk" kind of race, so I didn't sweat it too much.

To be quite honest, I wasn't altogether certain what I had gotten myself into. The website had little description and the pictures did not do it justice. At the start, it was a pretty typical sort of road race to get us to the trails. There was some crazy Mayan like staircase we carefully climbed and I was just certain I would get poison ivy at this point. Our last portion of the "road" race we ran through a tunnel, the sort you see under bridges, that was pretty dark with water streaming through and rocks lining the bottom. It was here that my race changed. Eager to get to the light, I ran rather carelessly and landed on the outside of my right foot. Immediately I thought, "Oh no! We just started! This cannot happen." It was more shock than pain but it stung. Runners behind me helped me climb the next wall so that I could get to the water station and just relax for a second. I was bound and determined to finish, pain or not. Thankfully, it was mostly irritated and not painful. So, a decided to take it even slower than planned. It's always better to finish last than not to finish.

I think it took me about 6 miles to settle into a decent rhythm. This was 3 miles after "the incident" and at this point we didn't have to step aside so the elite runners could pass us on their 2nd loop. We made friends with the back of the pack crew and had a great time running up, then running down, then round and back up, down, round...You get the idea. Lots of switchbacks but it was really awesome. I'm terrified of heights, so I wasn't thrilled with having to run across and narrow cement bridge without rails over a stream. Thankfully, I didn't fall.

The race included climbing boulders and a small gorge hopping. I'm glad I didn't know what to expect because I think it could have discouraged me from trying it. Typically, I rely on music the last few miles to carry me to the finish in a road race but headphones aren't aloud on trails. I understand why, but I was nervous about what I would have to "entertain" me when I needed it. Funny thing was I didn't need anything. My mind was completely engaged the entire race and I didn't even realize how long we were out there. That was my favorite part.

Once I crossed the finish line and literally hosed myself off, I made a stop at the medical tent for ice. About this time my ankle looked like it swallowed a golf ball. Still no pain, but definitely irritated. I can't believe I ran almost 10 miles on a sprained ankle! Here's what the ole' ankle looked like after two adorable firemen wrapped and iced it.

Overkill? Yes, definitely. I would have thought they knew what they were doing a little better. Oh well, it helped with the swelling and don't you worry that ice bag didn't move the entire hike to the car!

I would definitely do another trail run, but probably not for awhile. We are scheduled to begin marathon training on Monday, but it looks like this girl is going to have to postpone until Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm RICEing (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate) it for a few days.

BTW, I'll catch you guys up on little ole' me soon. Sorry it has taken so long, but aren't you excited to read my marathon journey this time? I finished Shamrock in 4:59:43 with a goal just to finish. This time the goal is 4:30. Stay tuned!

A very special root veggie

How often do you walk by this little guy in the produce department and never even consider it? I cannot count the times I overlooked this root vegetable. I mean, what do you do with it? And doesn't it taste like licorice? I can't stand licorice!

My curiosity got the best of me when my recent Clean Eating magazine came to my door. They featured the lesser known edible and stated, "If you're still unsure about trying fennel because you're not a licorice lover, put your mind at ease..." OK. I was convinced. Because everything you read is truth, right? So, I bought a pair of fennel bulbs for the test.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan
2 large fennel bulbs, sliced into 4-8 wedges
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 T. Olive Oil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add fennel wedges and cook for 5 minutes. Drain well and let cool slightly. Place in a square pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss with oil.
Cook in oven for 30 minutes or until fennel pierces easily with a fork. Sprinkle with Parmesan and roast for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

The smell alone is rather intoxicating when slicing and that hint of anise at your first taste is amazing. I have ventured into the world of fennel and my life will never be the same.

Fennel, Happy Valentine's Day. I love you!

Reading Nook

If you knew me in college, then you can recall this chair. It began as my parent's living room chair but became mine when I moved in at 20th Street. I recovered it this crazy yellow fabric to match my crazy bright blue couch. My style then was whimsical and colorful. It was college and I wasn't ready for "adult decorating." I brought the chair with me to VAB but hid it in a spare room. I wanted to use it again but just not in this shape. Both my style and taste have changed since college, needless to say.

I officially divorced the chair and ottoman a few weeks ago. The chair now lives in my bedroom and the ottoman will live in my living room once a few changes are made. I'll update you on those updates, but first the chair.

For a while, I have envisioned a little reading nook in my bedroom using the yellow chair. I weighed my options of recovering it, either by myself or hiring it out, or using a slip cover. My financial situation said "Slip cover." I purchased a black slip cover right after Christmas as the first step towards my dream reading nook.

I wanted to use my new love for sewing to dress up this little corner. Since I love houndstooth, I decided to make a pillow to use with my new favorite fabric pattern. I had a small side table I decided to use but needed to add something to cover the top. Its original top didn't match at all. My mother suggested using the leftover houndstooth and a solid color to make a small runner. I made that this weekend with scraps I found around my sewing corner. A reading lamp was purchased on sale and Chip finally hung a picture tonight.

I'm pretty excited about this little corner of my room. Now, I wonder if the reading nook will inspire me to, well, read.

It's an addiction...

Bread. Since receiving the book, I have made 4 loaves.

First off, the book arrived on my doorstep a full day prior to the expected delivery day. That was pretty exciting! I opted to spend the evening reading up on the method, make the dough the next day, and bake my first loaf the following day. Well, I made the dough right after work and let it rise for the evening. Around 8:30pm, the curiosity overtook me. I had to make bread immediately! And I did. The aroma in my home was amazing and the excitement that I made bread was incredible. It could have been Christmas morning for a 6 year old to see my reaction to yummy artisan bread coming out of my oven. Albeit, I was alone so there are no witnesses.

The first loaf was pretty good but a bit denser than I would prefer. The book says your first loaf from a batch will not taste the same as the last loaf. Boy were they right! I made the other loaf a few days later and it was better than anything you would ever purchase at a store.

This new found interest is entirely too easy to execute and may be my downfall. But on the upside, it definitely fueled me for my latest long run without any complications. So, learning to make my own bread may be just what the doctor ordered for Marine Corps training. Of course, that won't start until July-ish but those details aren't really important...right?

It's only appropriate...

As Christmas approached this year, I had grand plans of making lots of baked items and giving away to everyone I knew. Well, that didn't happen. As a result, I have more flour and powdered sugar than I know what to do with. So, I've been mulling over "items that require flour" since the beginning of the year. And then it hit me.

As you read from my last post, I made the greatest purchase of my life (so far) last Saturday. Yet to disappoint, I have already made 2 yummy soups and prepping for another one this week. Well, what goes well with soup? B-R-E-A-D.

I was reading Casey's blog this week and she referenced a new bread cookbook.

I was curious. Could bread really be prepared in 5 minutes a day? What's the gimmick? Well, I decided to go look through the pages at my local Barnes & Noble to see what this book was all about. I walked away knowing it would be the perfect accompaniment to my new Dutch oven. Tonight I ordered it from Amazon and it should arrive on Wednesday. That gives me just enough time to purchase the 2 items I do not currently own to make my first boule: yeast and an oven thermometer.

Remember the "Year of Pies" (which turned out to be the "5 Months of Pies")? I hereby declare 2011, the "Year of Artisan Bread."

Best Purchase of 2011...so far

For my last birthday, Chip surprised me with a very hefty gift card for Williams-Sonoma. Does he know me or does he know me? At first, I wasn't sure if I should buy several small items (as if I have the space to store them all) or put it towards a big purchase. I decided that I would save some money and purchase an item I have dreamed of owning for more than 5 years, a Le Creuset dutch oven. Well, I had a number of "needs" come up between September and December so the purchase never came to be. For Christmas, Chip's parents gave me another W-S gift card and told me to use it towards my dutch oven. Now the oven was in an affordable, I-can-go-buy-it-whenever price range. I've had it on my to-do list since then but whenever I was in the W-S area, I would forget to run by there or it would be after they closed. Plus, I needed to decide what color I wanted.

Saturday night Chip and I had dinner reservations in the W-S area with the Barfords. I decided I would stop by there on my way to meet him. Still uncertain of the color, I figured I would just look at what was available and make up my mind.

I walked into the store and went straight to the Le Creuset display. They had 3 colors: Cobalt Blue, Red, and a Greenish color they call Ocean. I wasn't wild about any of them. Then I looked at the prices. Apparently, when I looked online, they were on a discounted sale. These were significantly more than I expected. With my head hung low, I decided I would just walk around the store since I was there. As I glanced around the store, it was as if a light shone from above pointed me to a SALE table. Probably very similar to the North Star pointing shepherds to the Savior's birth. I speedily walked over, dodging an elderly woman on the way to see what the table had in store. Orange box after orange box were stacked on the table. One of the employees walked over to see if I needed help and informed me they were the discontinued colors that needed to be moved. I almost immediately heard the Hallelujah chorus and I could not stop smiling. I opened every box to see which one would become my new best friend. I had hoped they had the dijon mustard one but I was pleasantly surprised when I opened a box to see a 5 1/2 quart dutch oven in the color Flame (read: Volunteer Orange).

This was it! This was the one! Not only was it perfect, but also perfectly priced. It was marked more than $120.00 less than suggested retail price. Thank you, Jesus!

I went to the register to purchase beaming. I informed the lady this was my first. All the employees were commenting on how I got the perfect one for my first and how much they loved the color. She looked at me smiling and assured me, "Honey, this won't be your last." I sure hope so. I. Sure. Hope. So.