A Special Holiday

Just wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a great Memorial Day. I hope you get a chance to spend time with loved ones over this special holiday.

10 years later. . .

My husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary this week. We've had a lot of family medical stuff going on that has really taken its toll. Now that everyone is doing well and healthy, we couldn't have picked a better time to celebrate. A time for us to reflect and share a special moment together.


So we headed to Door County, Wisconsin for two days. Our first weekend away from our kids (a big thanks to Grammy and Pop Pop). Our first real getaway in six years. We were so ready!


It was beautiful, and our timing couldn't have been more perfect. While we weren't there at the peak season for cherries or apples, we avoided all the crowds and simply enjoyed the peace. We took a 9-mile hike through one of their State Parks, ate at a fish boil (a super touristy thing), stayed in a gorgeous cottage right on Lake Michigan, and did lots of sight-seeing. It felt like we were dating all over again.

Can't wait to see what's in store for the next ten years!

Yummy Snacks

I love food. Don't we all???? But I tend to get stuck in a rut, especially when things are really busy. Then I find we keep eating the same stuff all the time.

So I'm constantly on the lookout for new healthy snacks for us to enjoy. I came across two new recipes that I can't wait to try.

This one is for roasted garbanzo beans. Hummus is one of my favorite foods so I'm hoping this is yummy too!

And this recipe is for homemade granola. Sounds super easy (right up my alley!). We go through a ton of yogurt and granola at our house so I'm excited to make this. I just bought the oatmeal and am gonna give it a whirl tonight.

Happy Cooking!

Celebration

Our little guy has just turned "4"!!! He had a wonderful birthday on Tuesday. Of course, I made a special cake just for him. For those of you that don't know, I make a homemade cake for each of my kid's birthdays every year. Last year was Spiderman, check it out here. It's a tradition that I started with their first birthdays and hope to continue for many more years. They have so much fun picking out their "theme" for the cake and can't wait to see it finished. I like to include them in the process too - it's just too hard to keep it a surprise when they're home with me.

This year, Jonas picked a monster truck. Did I mention that he picked this out about two months ago and has dilligently reminded me of it every week since? So I attempted a monster truck cake. If I could get scored based on love and effort, I think I truly deserve an "A+". Just remember to keep that in mind - it's the thought that matters most, not the end product. And maybe a "B" for creativity - I thought the donuts worked out great as wheels!

The bumpers, on the other hand, didn't quite look right. Oh well!

It could definitely be better, but I think that my four-year old loved his special cake, designed just for him! (Please don't pay attention to all the clutter on the kitchen counter - we were in the middle of our party!)

Waiting. . .and Waiting. . .and More Waiting

I try to be proactive in my personal life and in my business. I've found that this usually saves me a headache and lost time. So when I saw my bolt of truffle brown canvas getting low, I ordered more right away. Four weeks ago to be exact. And now I'm completely out and my new shipment still hasn't come in. So much for being proactive!!!

After several checks, I've been told that it should now be in mid-week. I'm not holding my breath! Just wanted to give you all an update in case you've been wondering why I haven't listed many new bags.

On a good note, this down-time has allowed me to organize my studio and make my set-up a little more efficient. I've also been cutting and prepping bags so that I can start cranking them out once the fabric comes in.

Thank you for being so patient - I really appreciate it!

Do You Know Where Your Food Comes From?

We like to think we're pretty healthy - we eat lots of veggies, fruits, brown rice, chicken, etc. We try to stay away from processed foods but it's definitely hard to do (I say this as we're having packaged pudding for a snack!). We try to buy organic when possible. I also try to cook and bake a lot of our foods from scratch. So you'd think we knew a thing or two about healthy eating and how our foods are made. Boy, were we wrong!

We watched "Food, Inc." this past Wednesday on the PBS channel and learned more than we ever bargained for. It should be mandatory for every individual to watch this documentary. For those of you that have never heard of it, this movie shows where our food comes from, how farms are operated, how a huge portion of our food is "manufactured" in factories, and how politics plays a huge role in what's available in our supermarkets. I was appalled to find out what's put in 70% of the hamburgers for sale in our supermarkets!

I really believe that it is easy to put masks over our eyes and ignore it all when we don't have to see the pictures and view the processes. But let me tell you, once you've seen it, it will significantly change the way you view your food.

I cannot recommend this documentary enough. In honor of Earth Day, PBS is offering viewing of this movie here through April 29th. Take a peek when you get a moment.

Scooter Fabric

For those of you that love the red and yellow scooter print that has been for sale in my shop, you might just fall in love with it in the black tone colorway too (I know I have)!

I've just ordered several yards and can't wait to make a Colorblocked bag and Stacked tote with it. It's just so fun and cute!