Beekman Love

I got my order in! I can't wait to receive the jars of Cajeta from Beekman 1802. Honestly, I had never even heard the term Cajeta until this week. It's a thick goats milk caramel sauce. The Beekman Boys have their own goats at the farm. I'll confess here to my fondness for the Fabulous Beekman Boys show. I get to live out one of my alternative dreams (you may have seen my older post ...Somewhere in Texas there is a Blueberry Farm With My Name on It) through them - actually it looks pretty rough, so better "the boys" than me. Grin. The show is sweet and it's a recently discovered guilty pleasure of mine thanks to on-demand from Comcast and a few days spent resting my back. I also have a small personal connection in that hubby and I took our family to Sharon Springs, NY to stay at a B & B there while we visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in the mid 90's. It's such a beautiful area of NY and we had a view of the Hudson Valley from our balcony - stunning.
Back to the Cajeta - I'm particularly excited about the Hot Habanero variety - ordered 2 of those. I'll bring it to a Friday night gathering with friends. One of our friends has a habit of making delicious ice cream from scratch and this will be a perfect topping to try with friends.

If you have on-demand I encourage you to reach out and perhaps try something that isn't on at a time you normally watch TV, something that might not be something you would typically watch. There is always Billy The Exterminator for more mindless entertainment - come on - Billy rocks, you know it. Ha ha!

Pattern Selected

This is just a quick update to mention that I found a pattern to use with that solid green fabric you saw in my Thrifty Discovery post. I love this pattern and it should be a challenge for me as well. It's been more than a decade since I attempted buttonholes and those feature prominently in this adorable dress. So here you have it - drum roll...........Butterick B5600! Wish me luck!

Big Bold Vintage Checks

Boy, the sun is out and my creative juices are flowing. I'm currently passionate about the sewing scene. I'm talking about - pulling from your stash or finding the fabric at thrift shops or rummage sales and the same for the patterns. I've been bitten for a while, ever since I discovered the amazing Mena over at Sew Weekly . She really sets the bar high but I've also seen through her weekly challenges that there are a lot of other gals out there in the Sew Weekly Community that are so into this. The UK ladies and their Charity Shop finds really knock me out! I've been afraid to get started but just this past weekend I found an unbeatable deal on this green gingham check. I know - I noticed how large that check is as well, but I'm not deterred. I also found 3 yds. of some solid green cotton/linen fabric. It is more substantial and weighty than the check. What to make - what to make? Now if I'm honest I'd admit that I already have a stash of patterns and fabric in my craft closet. OK - I do - you caught me. Ha! These patterns range from pillows and bedspreads to 80's jumpers and pajama pants. I'm on the lookout for a pattern of a Spring/Summer sundress or top. I have two possible pattern choices from my own stash and I think they have possibilities if I add trim or perhaps some handmade flowers. I may do a little more rummaging around before deciding. I'm looking to Anthropologie for inspiration because basically they use a lot of simple patterns for blouses and dresses and it's more about the fabrications they use, the color combinations and the details in stitching that make these items so current. After all, I've invested $3.50 in fabric and expectations are high! I'd love to hear from you in comments if you have any ideas for me. Keep in mind - I'll be 50 soon so I do need a certain level of classic in my wardrobe though I have a young spirit. Stay tuned.

Thrifty Discovery

You have to be in the mood to go thrifting but I must say I'm in the mood more often than not. My main problem is time; I work Mon. - Fri. and a lot of the quirky / bargain-filled thrift shops aren't open evenings. Not every trip's a success and I can sometimes spend an hour or more in one shop, struggling to make a decision and leaving empty handed. Thankfully I do enjoy the hunt. Yesterday, as luck would have it, I left work a bit early to make a doctor visit and traffic was in my favor. I ended up having 30 mins. to spare within 3 city blocks of a thrift shop. After the long day of sitting and the commute back to my town I justified the stop as a way to stretch my legs and troubled back before more sitting at the Dr. I was convinced. Ha! With the pressures of the clock and the poor track record of this particular shop - I had my doubts but - Ta Dah! - lookie what I found.
I'm pretty excited about this look for Spring. My 26 year old daughter is bananas over a little cardigan she just got in this exact mustard yellow - won't she be impressed. I can't believe the cute necklace I found at the register to compliment this top. I can do a lot of things with this wardrobe addition. Total cost for both - $5.00! Have you had similar success? Please share in the comments.

Exciting Crochet

Recently I have fallen in love with some fabulous blogs that feature delicious crochet projects. The world of blogging has exposed the talents of so many fabulous people around the globe. I mean, in days gone by I would discover new techniques, styles and colors by taking an occasional trip to the city library and hanging out around Call # 764.43x. The thing is - a lot of the books contained the traditional patterns for everything - rectangle. I have now made at least 127 rectangle projects - big and small. Ha! I would often be jealous of the projects that appeared in the knitting books vs. those for crochet. If you are looking for something thick and boxy - try crochet. If you want something light and lacy, suitable for wearing - you better knit.

Well cancel that thought - the sky seems to be the limit when you look at some of my favorite bloggers. I am so inspired by their limitless imagination and their fabulous ability to pick exciting color schemes for their projects. I will highlight one of my imaginative favorites here -

Attic 24. Lucy describes herself as a happily married stay at home Mum - beautiful, right? That's a picture of her amazing sweet granny blanket posted here. It is reminiscent of my first granny blanket, which I made as a young teenager, but I never imagined such bright and fun colors when I selected my pastel pink, yellow and white creation. Maybe those yarns weren't even available at the time. :-) Though her blog's entire focus is not crochet (life has so much to offer, right?) she has made so many "happy" projects and I can't help but smile when I see what she is working on over there in England! I am really excited about starting something new soon and this Japanese flower scarf looks fab! http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2011/02/japanese-flower-scarf.html

Dipping a toe into Pilates

Risking another failure I am stepping out and signing up for some Pilates classes at a small local studio in my downtown area. Yesterday I spent 30 mins. with the owner and she led me through about 4 exercises on the reformer (pictured at left). I had to admit it was hurting my lower back to just lie so flat on it. Right away I noticed it was my lacy underpants that were pressing into the skin of my butt causing the pain -OMG can you believe it? The instructor confirmed that you need to choose your clothing wisely for comfort. Note to self - there are clothes for this - time to hit my local Target. Grin.
On this rainy Saturday morning I actually attended my first class - class size limited to 4 since the studio is petite and there are just 4 reformers. Hey - it went well! My secret weapon was a thong under my leggings - Ha! I even caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror a few times and thought I didn't look like total blob or anything. I didn't keep absolute pace with the class but I felt good about my capabilities and about the fact that I didn't do anything embarrassing during the hour. The instructor was awesome and knowing I was new she gave me enough attention to ensure my form was good. I really do want to ensure I'm doing the exercises with good form; otherwise, what's the point? Now I'll go on-line and sign-up for classes that will fit into my schedule to keep this going.

Adele

My current musical obsession is Adele. Truth be told I've loved her since her first album came out - Adele 19. My kids gave it to me for Christmas and honestly, every song is fantastic. Now she is about to release her second album, Adele 21. This tune - Rolling In The Deep is the early single that has been released ahead of the album. It may be here best song yet. Anyway - enjoy the fantastic vocals of Adele, playing here, and in my head at any given time. Ha!
P.S. I particularly like this studio footage - not the officially released video production of the tune - which is also quite good.