More stencil craftiness...

I love doing these freezer stencils. So easy! Click here for a tutorial....

It's a miracle!

Those of you who know me in real life or from my former blog, know that I've been struggling with tummy issues since giving birth to my children. Big babies wrecked me and all the running in the world (plus working out) could not fix the damage! After consulting with a plastic surgeon, I decided I had to give one more thing a try before taking drastic measures.

I happy to say that Pilates has done the trick. I can see results after 2 private sessions a week for 3 weeks. My posture has improved and my stomach is getting tighter. I'm thrilled! You should try it!

So sad

A local mother of 5-year-old twins was killed yesterday in a head-on collision. My heart aches for her boys and husband. Horrible, horrible!

Hug your loved ones, please!

Two nights in a row....

My kids ate (and enjoyed) the dinner I cooked two nights in a row. I'm shocked...and thrilled.

I'm one of those moms who cooks one meal. You can take it or leave it but you're getting nothing else until breakfast. If I'm in a good mood, you may get the option of carrots and hummus instead of the dinner...but don't count on it.

I thought it would only be fair to share the recipes that lured my kids to the table. Enjoy!

Homemade sloppy joes
1 red pepper, chopped finely
1 celery stalk, chopped finely
1/2 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 lb of the leanest ground beef you can find
1 - 15oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of ketchup
1 tbsp of Worcestershire

Saute the first 4 ingredients until soft. Add the ground beef and cook until brown. Add tomato sauce, ketchup and Worcestershire and simmer until thickened...about 10 minutes.

I served mine on whole wheat dinner rolls (halved, of course,). Rolls are smaller than hamburger buns and I'm watchin' my waistline.

Green Beans with lime
1 lb fresh green beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lime
kosher salt

Cook green beans in a the olive oil on the stove top for 18-20 minutes. Add one tsp of lime zest during the last minute of cooking time. Remove from heat and squeeze lemon juice over the top and add salt to taste.

Coriander-Cumin crusted tuna with black bean salsa (from Cooking Light magazine)

Why I love Seattle!

Need I say more?

Invitations

Here are a couple of my recent creations -

For a baby shower....

For my baby's 3rd birthday....

These boots are made for walkin'

I bought myself a Valentine's present and I'm in LOVE! Mine are black and look great with my favorite Joe's jeans. Those who know me in real life are probably shocked but I'm bustin' out ladies! The boots can be found here and you can't beat the price.

Freezer paper stencil tutorial

I'm almost embarrassed to post this tutorial because the pictures are horrible (and I don't have the energy to color correct them) and the outcome was not so great. My first go round looked good but due to my poor x-acto cutting skills this one didn't turn out so cute.

Step 1
Gather your tools - freezer paper (I got it at the hardware store but you may be able to find it at a large grocery store), fabric paint, a cutting mat, x-acto knife and whatever you want to print on.

Step 2
Design and print the graphic you'd like to stencil. Trace the graphic on the paper side of the freezer paper and cut it out the black portions with an x-acto knife.

Step 3
Iron the freezer paper onto the shirt (wax side down) and paint.

Step 4
Let it dry for several hours then pull the paper off.

And one more thing...do NOT wear your favorite J.Crew white painter tee. Splatterd red fabric paint will not come off :-(

For the boys' room....

I love, love this Seattle neighborhood poster from Ork. Brooklyn Limestone gave me the idea and I think it'll look perfect framed in the boys' room. Many cities are available so check it out!

Weekend in the woods

I spent the weekend at an Episcopal camp outside of Gold Bar, Washington. The accommodations were basic and rustic but the surrounding beauty was amazing. The moss, rocks, fog, water, trees, water...all of it was breathtaking.

TJ Maxx finds

I ran to TJ Maxx today after hearing a rumor that J.Crew shoes were being sold at stores across the country for $19.99. Unfortunately, our store did not have any but I did find some great things!

Michael Kors handbag for $140 (retail price $300)

BCBG dress for $30 (retail price $68)

(not a good picture but it is really cute)

SCORE!

Watch out, Martha!

I've been crafting with freezer paper stencils. I learned about it here and here and here. And it is super fun and addicting.

Here's my first creation for my baby niece....

Attention Target shoppers....

Today, while browsing the aisles of my local Target, I found the following....In black and 50% off for a total of $65

(perfect for our guestroom that currently has a lamp sitting on a chair)

AND
Boys Skull and Crossbones critter pants for $17
(I'm sure I could find a similar pair at CrewCuts for 3x that price)

I LOVE TARGET!

Attention all runners (or walkers, cyclers, etc)

I've found the best iphone application EVER! It is iMapMyRun. I've been using Map My Run for about a year but it involves coming home after the run and actually mapping your run on an online map. iMapmyrun is satellite-based on your iphone. As you run, listening to your favorite tunes, it updates you aloud every half mile of your pace, distance, etc. LOVE IT! Then when you're done just hit save and it sends it to the Map My Run website. Genius! Now I don't need a $300 Garmin.

Go the app store now on your iphone and pick this up! I think it's free (although I can't remember).

Dismal economy

I try not to dwell on the economic condition of our country right now. I frankly don't have time to watch the news so I'm not really as informed as a should be. I think things in Seattle have changed but probably not as much as other parts of the country. The real estate market is S-L-O-W here but home values haven't completely plummeted. I'm definitely no expert but that's how I see it.

How has the economy affected life in your city? Are houses moving? Are people still shopping? De-lurk yourself and let me know....consider yourself my economic news source.