Happy Birthday!

Sunday John and I went to his mother's house for dinner to celebrate his birthday. Don't get me wrong, I love Nancy, my mother in law but it takes SO much effort for me to be there! She never lets me help cook, clean or do anything. Then she will "complain" that she is tired and its too much work for her! Come on, let me just help out! After  two and half years of being married I have finally persuaded her to let me bring desserts. I made a chocolate peanut butter cake. I found the recipe in the "Holiday" book by Alice Medrich. 

Sew, Sew, Sew!

Thanksgiving weekend I am doing my first craft show! Yippee! But, with that there is a lot of work! I gotta get sewing! The first thing, gotta have a wide choice of merchandise to sell. Here is a sample of some farmer market totes. 

Health Kick!

Over the weekend I had the craving to bake some cookies. But, I wanted to not over do the fat and sugar intake, so I tried to modify a recipe found in Martha Stewart's Cookie book. I LOVE Carrot Cake, so it seemed only natural that I would like carrot cookies! In Martha's Cookie Book there is a recipe for Carrot Cake Cookies with the frosting in the inside of two cookies, YUM! Having the guilt kick in I decided to not but the frosting in the cookies and added a few "health" benefits! If you would like the real recipe go to Martha Stewart's Cookie Book, but here is what I did. 

1/2 a recipe:

1/2 cup butter at room temp

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 white sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cups of whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

dash of salt

heaping of 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

heaping of 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

heaping of 1/2 teaspoon of ginger

1 cup of rolled oats

1 cup of grated carrots

1/2 cup raisins

2 tablespoons of flax seed

Combine all dry ingredients and set a side

Add butter and sugars into mixer and beat until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes)

add egg and vanilla and beat on medium until well combined

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix just until blended

add carrots, flax seeds and oats. 

Chill four an hour

Preheat on 350 and bake cookies for 12-15 minutes until sides or crisp

ENJOY!!!

Ok! so they aren't the healthiest cookies! but its a start. 

I made sure to take a nice long walk after eating cookies! 

Pincushion!

Last night I went to Borders and bought a book on basic sewing techniques and patterns. I found a really helpful and cool book callled, "Sew Everything Workshop" By Diana Rupp. This book is put together very well. Colorful, easy to follow and wirebound it was a good purchase! I decided to make the simplest project in the book for my first project. I made a pincushion for my needles to store next to my sewing machine. It took me about 15 minutes and I could make so many more!

Debbie's Birthday

On Thursday night I made a batch of cookies for a co-workers birthday. I made her Chocolate cookies. The recipe was from the new book I received for my birthday. The Martha Stewart Cookie Book. I actually did not like the taste of these cookies, I thought they were pretty good just a little too sugary tasting. If you can have something that is too sugary!

Baby Addie Luna

The HopeLab family is growing! Baby Addie Luna was born on Monday morning, September 22nd! . Vero is at the hospital that down the street from our office so at lunch I walked to the hospital. I just met the most adorable baby girl that I have seen in a long time! Welcome Miss Addie Luna!

Lace Scarf Continued...Half way done!

Well, its been a few weeks since my first post about this lace scarf. I thought I would share with you my progess. This scarf pattern is very easy to follow, its my first lace with bead scarf, I was very intimated at first. Sure, I have some mistakes in it, but I don't think you can tell! It actually is a easy fast knit but takes long, because of all the detail. I am hoping to finish before November so I can start wearing it for the fall! I think I will try to make a second scarf for a holiday gift.