save handmade update

Looks like CPSIA has a year to be revised. It's good news and bad. Here's a link from craftsanity. Check out her link to overlawyered. And for you podcast lovers, she has a great podcast. I'm a faithful subscriber :)

marshmallow update and more

I know some of you have been wondering..."Where are the pictures of the new room?" and "Is james really starting school this month?" or "Has becca seen any new birds lately?" and "Did she dare try the marshmallows yet with her fancy machine?" OK maybe not all of you have been clamoring for this info but the questions have been asked.


New room status: still in progress. The floors and walls are done and are beautiful. Stuff is moved in. Unfortunately due to the enormity of my art and crafting supplies the beauty is hard to see. So until I get some shelves hung I don't think pictures are worth it. Good news though--my james will be hanging them this weekend. He's such a super guy.


Speaking of my wonderful james, he starts school Monday. Due to the economic situation around here and our goal to be debt free, we were debating whether he should start now or wait another year. But he really needs a new challenge and we will make it work.


No new bird sightings. Although the eagle and hawk were spotted again this week. Oh wait, I did get a beautiful watercolor painting of a blue bird sitting in his nest from our friend Lance. It's now hanging in my office at work. It's cute because the bird looks a bit grumpy and you don't often see that portrayed in pictures of fat, little birds.

And last but not least...I give you the glorious MARSHMALLOWS!

Yes I did it! Cross it off the list! They were divine! It took two attempts and two recipes to get it right, but I have conquered! I had a few taste testers (kids and adults) and they all agreed --way better than store bought. The request for the recipe was confirmation. I would now like to experiment with color and flavor. Can you imagine deep pink ones flavored with a bit of cinnamon and cut out in heart shapes for Valentine's Day?

crafty/arty/sewy/creativity room/studio

As I type this, my james is working on my new crafty/arty/sewy/creativity/ room/studio whatever you wanna call it--it's my space dedicated to creating and making! It's a birthday gift from my parents and james. I actually just wanted some basic shelving and the clutter moved out of that room (we were using it as a closet/storage area-- it's only a 8'x12' room). But with the help of birthday money from my folks and some cash I've stashed away, we were able to buy some fabulous laminate flooring on which my chair will glide effortlessly. (As of an hour ago the flooring was this awful 12"x12" tile with like 1/2" grout that my rolling chair always got stuck on, which therefore resulted in many foul words spewing from my mouth. Very frustrating.) The flooring was way on sale or it would have been low end cheap-o carpet, which was fine but the laminate is more practical for the purpose. We were also able to get some paint in a light shade of green. I wanted to go bold and colorful, but decided since there is very little natural light (only about a 10"x20" north facing window) in our basement, I didn't want to feel like I was creating in a cave. I'll make some color pops with furniture and other items. My mom and I found a great little shelf and a quilt rack in a turquoise blue at a vintage shop a few days ago that will look fabulous against the green. I think a little red or orange-y or dark brown curtain will look great, too. I'll for sure post some pictures when it's finished!

We'll be sluffing church to paint--hey it's my birthday tomororw, no need to judge :)

i've got sunshine, on a cloudy...uh, smoggy day

Here in the Salt Lake valley we have a terrible inversion going on. Ew. Most of the snow has melted and what's left is just grimy, dirty, sooty snow. Ew. The news man on the tube last night said if you're out it in for any significant amount of time it's equivalent to smoking 2 packs of cigarettes. Ew. So I've been trying my darnedest to stay positive and not breathe too deeply.

This morning I got up early with Aida and made some muffins. Nothing like a good cup of coffee and a fresh muffin in the morning to chase away the smoggy morning blues.

(Someday I will clean the outside of that window...someday.)

on the needles

It's been forever since I've been bloggy about fiber. If you've been wondering, yes indeed I have been knitting. Current projects:


1. A pencil case for HELPSudan. (still need to add the drawstring closure)




Which inspired the following conversation, last night...


James: Whatcha knitting now?

Me: A pencil case.

James: For?

Me: Sudan.

(Insert brief pause.)


James: Like Africa Sudan?

Me: Yup.

James: Oh.

(Insert brief pause.)


James: What's for dinner?

As you can see, he's curiosity only goes so far when it comes to my knitting.


Anyway, I've decided to use a different pattern than the one I originally thought I was going to use. The original one calls for 2 circular needles and I didn't want to have to go buy them. So, I'm using Pencil Case for Darfur by Kieran Foley. I think it's only available via Ravelry. If you're a member click here for the pattern.


2. More monkeys!

I'm using Koigu superwash wool. Superwash is wonderful. It still holds the warmth of wool but you can actually wash it in the machine. (on the gentle setting of course). I believe they treat the wool with chemicals for it to have this great quality. Although I'm not entirely sure and don't want to do the research because I'm willing to bet I'll discover it's harmful for the environment and guilty knitting is just not something I want to deal with. Being an SUV owner and all.

more rare bird sightings

As I was driving home yesterday, I saw this on the side of the road...

A huge bird in the fields. I pulled over because I'm a sucker for all things birds. He flew to the top of a power pole.

It was then I realized what kind of bird he was...

That's right!! A Bald Eagle!!! I was so so excited! I've never seen one out in the "wild" before. I inched closer and closer to him; my camera happily snapping away. I think this is my favorite shot though...

He was looking at me as if to say, "Crazy girl. Do you know how silly you are?"
I looked at him thinking, "Beautiful eagle. Do you know how breathtaking you are?"

Then...today as we were driving home from church we saw this big guy...

I think he was some sort of a hawk. But for some reason he only wanted to let the camera see his underbelly. A gorgeous underbelly to be flashing about though.

I told james I think that when I'm old, I'll be a bird lady rather than a cat lady (Just to clarify, I never really wanted to be a cat lady--but if I had to choose one of the two...). I'll have a big picture window looking out into a yard filled with lots of bird feeders. A good rocking chair and some nice knitting by my side. For outings I'll go feed the ducks or visit the feathered creatures at the aviary.

Actually when I really think about this, my great grandma on my dad's side was a bird lady. She had a menagerie of birds. They converted part of their garage into a huge bird cage. She had finches mostly. And she was always nursing sick or hurt birds others would find around the neighborhood.

And then my grandma, my dad's mom, used to breed cockatiels. She gave me one when I was little. I named him Feathers of course.

I've had a lot of birds growing up. Feathers, a bright yellow canary named Peep (oh he had the most beautiful songs!!), a few parakeets, and another cockatiel named Kramer.

Hmmm maybe birding really is in my blood...

aida's first test

Actually it wasn't really a test because I just made simple cinnamon oatmeal cranberry cookies. A breeze for her. I swear I could hear her yawn.

Here's the final product:

They were yummy! I say "were" not because we devoured them all (my james does not like oatmeal cookies), but because I already gave most of them away due to our weight loss goal. I think with Aida around I'll be on the treadmill a lot more than I planned. Sigh...such is life right?