A Classy cardigan for a classy baby

I finished this darling little shawl collared baby cardigan for our friends new baby Isaiah, and then put off weaving in loose ends and sewing on buttons since the final finishing stages are always my least favorite part of knitting.  Because of this poor planning, I made myself a bit carsick sewing these buttons on in the car on our way to visit him for the first time.

This pattern was simple and knit up really quickly.  I am going to start another for my dear friends who are having a little boy in March.  I am thinking I might try a hunter green or navy. Look how adorable this version from Never Not Knitting is in navy!

 I love something this adult and sophisticated for a baby.  Babies dressed like old men = super cute in my book. I think a little girl could really rock this look too.  Check out the Baby Sophisticate pattern  by Linden Down on Stockinette here!

  

Sweaters: a la boyfriends and Bill Cosby

I've got sweaters on my mind.  My dream is to wear slouchy cashmere sweaters all the time.  The sad thing is, I live in Austin, TX where there is a very, very tiny window of opportunity for wearing said sweaters.  Maybe this is why I don't own a slouchy sweater. Don't think I haven't tried.  Any time I have tried on a slouchy warm sweater, I have felt like I was being strangled by a wet blanket.  It is just too hot here to fall in love with them in person the way I do when I see them from afar.  My dream is to own a slouchy, casual cashmere sweater. The combination of laid back boyfriend sweater and the luxury of cashmere?!  Sweater perfection.    Until I live somewhere cold enough to justify a the purchase of this expensive dream sweater, I can look at these...

 J. Crew Cashmere boyfriend sweater $248

J. Crew Green Collection Cashmere boyfriend sweater $248

I work with Middle School students, and I have seen an alarming yet also awesome when done well trend this fall- Cosby sweaters.  True they have no idea that their giant pattern sweater is an homage to the one and only Bill Cosby since they were just babies when he was talking about pudding cups.  But I appreciate this flash back when done well.  

                                      

 Green Batwing Sweater  $45.76  

 Apricot Pullover Sweater $45.76  

 Blue Striped Loose Pullover  $33.44

Show em' how it's done B.C.

New craft=needle felting

Happy New Year!  I now realize that my holiday break from blogging became rather expansive. The holidays were all about family, friends, lots of cooking, baking, DIY projects, and a bit of travel.  Now that I am finally back, I see that sadly, what I wanted to share today could verge on being a bit "Christmas-y", but I am going to say that it is instead "Winter-y" which is totally appropriate for late January! 

                                   

 I have a new craft that I am loving - needle felting!  A big thanks to my amazing friend Chelle who started felting and brought all her supplies to the cabin we rent with our friends for New Year.  It was cold and rainy the whole time, so I spent some time playing with all her felting supplies by the fire.  (I definitely owe her some supplies in return for what I used!)  I just finished felting this deer and since my Christmas decorations were packed long ago, I am going to keep it out as a winter decoration for the time being.  I have so far been stuck on only making felted Christmas ornaments.  My Christmas tree is "Woodland" themed.  So they are right up my ally.    

I am now in the process of brainstorming some new projects that are not Christmas ornaments.  I love these felted hearts from lil fish studios.  They would make a great Valentines garland!

               Here is a great beginner's tutorial to make these cute little felted owls from     

              Instructables if you want to give it a try! 

                               

     Happy winter crafting!  

An ode to Pumpkin

It has been way too long since I last updated, time has just seemed to fly by lately and now it is November!  I am getting very excited about all things fall. But of course living in Austin, fall is not really here yet even though it is November.  There was an amazing cold front the weekend we went camping and it was perfect camping weather.  But alas, it is in the very high 80's again now. All I want is to be able to wear a sweater on Thanksgiving, is that really too much to ask?  But cold or not, I march on doing fall-like things.  So maybe I did sweat a bit while carving pumpkins at out pumpkin carving party on Tuesday.  And maybe I do have to turn the AC down just a bit at work after I get a pumpkin spice latte.  At least I can rock a light cardigan at night.  

So, I know that pumpkin is being WAY over-marketed right now.  But even though it annoys some that everything is pumpkin flavored/themed right now, I must admit that I am totally the person that they are marketing to.  I love all things pumpkin.  Here are a few that I am jumping on the bandwagon about as I wait for cooler weather that will signal I can move on to even more fall-ish things like bonfires and cider.

Here is my super easy pumpkin soup.  I know there are lots of recipes like this out there, but this is the one my friend made in college and it was so easy that I have remembered it.  Other recipes call for roasted pumpkin, but this is the quick/easy/lazy way using canned pumpkin instead.  

Curried Pumpkin Soup with Coconut milk

1 Can pumpkin
3/4 cup coconut milk
5 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons cumin
a pinch of ceyenne pepper to taste
salt to taste
chopped green onion to garnish
toasted pumpkin seeds to garnish

Heat pumpkin, broth, and spices to a simmer.  Add coconut milk and use an immersion blender to get a smooth texture.  Garnish with green onion and seeds and enjoy!

Pumpkin Carving Party

 We were all more excited about eating, drinking, and hanging out together than carving pumpkins.  Our designs may not be elaborate, but considering the fact that our cheap carving tools were breaking left and right, the finished products were pretty impressive. 

                            

Pumpkin Roll Cake

My Nana makes this recipe and I adore it.  My favorite kind of dessert is one that is acceptable to eat any time of day, and this cake fits the bill since it is great will coffee in the morning as well as on a dessert plate.  I wanted her recipe, and found out that my amazing cook Nana uses this tried and true recipe found at food.com

Enjoy Pumpkin Season!

Backyard wedding weather

The weather is finally getting a bit cooler in the evenings here in Austin, and it has made me think back to this time last year- our amazing backyard wedding in October.  Since our anniversary approaches, and I love this time of year, I thought I would share some photos from our big day.  Planning our wedding was so much fun, as was the big day.  It took place in my parents back yard in South Austin.  My grandmother made our wedding cake, our dear friends played music and performed the ceremony.  My cousin's amazing wife did all the flowers and table decorations.  The day of, both of our families came together to set up, decorate, eat Taco Deli tacos,dance, and celebrate.  

Photos by the amazing Christina of Love Exponentially Photography. 

Put an egg on it!

It has been awhile since I have posted due to the inevitable "back to school" rush.  Back to school means back to work in my house, and it has been hard to shake the summer off and get back into the swing of things.  

I don't know if I can ever be the productive weekend warrior that preps meals on Sundays, organized and labeled in cute containers for the week ahead.  Those people are out there and I applaud them. I aspire to be like them.  But alas I am tired and need to take baby steps.  

So I am learning that for evenings that I come home wiped out, and early mornings when I am still too foggy to think straight, my heroes have been eggs and avocados.  When in doubt, put an egg or an avocado on it- or both in the case of the avocado and egg on naan bread amazingness I made last week.  Another favorite of mine is avocado, egg, and black bean tacos.  These are perfect for the tired and ill-prepared cook since they can be a breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Until I am back on track from my summer of sleeping in and leisurely breakfasts, I will throw eggs and avocado onto things and always be happy with my meal.  

Black Bean Entree

 Austin has two restaurants that are open 24 hours and serve the perfect eclectic mix of Austin friendly foods for cheap prices: Kerby Lane Cafe and Magnolia Cafe.  People can get very intense with their loyalty about which of these similar places is better, but I have always felt equal love for them both. Each place has its unbeatable menu items.  At Kerby Lane it is the Kerby queso or the gingerbread pancakes.  At Magnolia, the MagMud queso, eggs zappatino, or the black bean entree. 

Of course theses were a staple in college for late night banana nut pancakes and coffee, but far beyond my college days I still think that they can't be beat.   I must admit that it was my husband who taught me to really appreciate the perfection of this simple (and ridiculously cheap I might add) black bean dish.  I learned traveling with him in Nicaragua that he really can have beans at every meal and never tire of them.  Being vegetarians, we eat a LOT of black beans and I can get burned out on them- but I never tire of this dish.

All this dish entails is mixing black beans with some garlic butter, and topping with amazing things. I use cheese, tomatoes, chives, avocado, and sour cream.  I aim to copy the original, but anything would be a great addition.  Maybe some marinated tofu or jalapenos.  At Magnolia they really do it right by serving this bowl with a cornmeal pancake.  What would I not have given to get my hands on cornmeal pancake ingredients yesterday.  But alas, it was 102 degrees and I was against the idea of leaving the house.  And guess what?  It was still an awesome meal without it.  Plan in advance when you try this easy recipe.  If not corn meal pancakes, some fresh corn bread will be perfect.  Enjoy!