And No One's Stopping Me

Call me crazy, but this makes my third pie this week! And what's crazier is I only own ONE Pyrex pie dish! And even crazier than crazier? (tell us, you say?) I've been cooking for one all week! Yup, just me. Hubs left town a week ago to visit his folks back east. He comes home tomorrow (yay!) and there will be pie-a-plenty in the fridge. See what winter-time isolation does? I really gotta get out of the house. Well, I mean really really 'cos I'm down to my last tablespoon of coffee!


How to make three pies with one pie dish (don't try this all in a single day!):

I transferred pie #1 "Old Country Pie" (a Moosewood vegetable pie) to a casserole dish, then pie #2 (the Sweet Potato pie) to a dinner plate. Had to make way for todays inevitable "Apple Pie with Oatmeal Cookie Crust" (Moosewood again). The edge got a little burnt, but that's no biggie since it's so crumbly. I'm just letting it cool down before I fix myself a slice. Care to join me? P.S. Bring over some vanilla rice dream!

I'm in this! 1,000 Handmade Greetings

Hot of the presses: 1,000 Handmade Greetings: Creative Cards and Clever Correspondence (Paperback) by Laura McFadden. It was just published this month by Quarry Books. I'm thrilled that my little hand stamped holiday card made it in the book!

This pic is courtesy of Melissa who diligently got her copy right away! Thanks girl :) Her cute cards are also featured in this book. And whatsmore, I found out about the call for entries in 2007 from her blog, which she found out about it on Etsy. So double thanks!

Here's the card that was published. Buddha bear and Elephant wishing you *Happy Holidays*! And me too :O)

Have a fun Friday!

Thomas & Thomasina ~ the Sweet Alley Cats

'Twas a cold snowy night, a pitch black wintry night~ 'cept for the lonely glow of a street lamp and the twinkling golden lights from within warm & safe houses. Oh, how a bowl of food and a nap by the fireplace would be a dream come true for our little noble alley cats "Thomas" and "Thomasina".

Though their fur coats are distressed from seasons past & hardships untold, Thomas and Thomasina remain gentle felines~ for once long ago a kindly old woman took care of them as she would her own children, that is, until she no longer could. You see, the cats didn't understand exactly why they have nine lives and she only one. So they each hold a little perfect flower to remember how sweet life can truly be.

Through good times and bad, Thomas and Thomasina have never given up hoping, wishing for that special forever home. If not by each others side, then they would love to stay close by yours. A loyal friend each would be!

*Their details: Both are one of a kind. Hand-dyed/ distressed mohair, hand painted glass eyes, embroidered noses on mohair muzzles, polyfil/ encased steel BB's (nice tactile weight), fully jointed, claws/ tails/ whiskers. Thomas is 6" tall, has hand dyed wool felt ear lining. Thomasina is 5 1/4" tall, has vintage hand dyed velvet ear lining, wired tail. Both wear vintage velvet ribbon with gold jingle bells and holding their little flowers. $225 each. Thomas & Thomasina are adopted!


On behalf of our sweet alley cats~ Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Mission Accomplished!

Finally! My craving for pumpkin pie has been fulfilled (note the empty plate, which will soon have a second helping... just a sliver). I have craved it nonstop, ever since the last *two* trips to Whole Foods in which I passed up buying their $6 pumpkin pie. I really wanted a homemade version, and said to myself "just make one"! A week elapsed, and I'd be sitting after dinner thinking "you know what would be really good right now...". So today I made the darn thing, with sweet potatoes and a crumbly nutty-oat crust (I used almonds, I'm not allergic to those).
Now if I only had some vanilla rice dream, just a dollop...

Well, pies aside.. I did accomplish some other things today. I put the finishing touches on *2* new mohair cats, my largest size so far (which is still small compared to 'regular size' bears). These cats are super special if I may say so, and ready for new homes. I will post them on my blog tomorrow afternoon (and send an email out to my mailing list when that happens)!

Here's to pumpkin pies and kitties!

French Toast Sunday

So what does James Cagney have to do with French Toast Sunday? Well, read on~ it will all make sense by the end (in a round-about way at least).

Every Sunday I have this little ritual, I make French toast. Hence, French Toast Sunday. My favorite way is with "French Peasant" bread (does that make it extra French?), topped with warmed fruit sauce, a good dollop of plain organic yogurt, sprinkling of ground flax seeds, and naturally it would not be complete without real maple syrup (I remember as a kid pouring that clear Karo corn syrup on my pancakes, ewww! What was I thinking? And furthermore, why was it even an option as pancake topping, mom?!). Todays French toast had Soy Egg Nog in place of rice/ soy milk and I omitted the vanilla extract... but I couldn't really taste any egg noggy flavor.

At any rate, I was glad that FTS went off without a hitch, considering hubby laid the first coat of floor paint in the kitchen yesterday morning. And boy, it stunkified the whole house (yes, we had windows partially open in 15 degree temps and the heat on). The clothes I had spinning in the dryer ended up smelling like kerosene. Why paint now, in December? Are we insane? Well, the floor was just installed, and bare sanded wood needs protection from even a droplet of water (speaking of, the roof is leaky directly over the new floor...yet another project). Despite our well-intended efforts, we couldn't find any eco-friendly/ non-smelly options for floor paint, one that would be really durable and high gloss. Good ol' fashioned oil-base paint was the experts opinion. So hold your noses. But we can tell it's gonna look fantastic!

Anyhoo... to escape the noxious fumes, we braved the single digit temps and went out last night to see the 1947 b/w movie 13 Rue Madeleine, starring James Cagney (brilliant as always). He's one actor that's on our favorites list so it was a nice coincidence it was showing last night.
It's a real treat that Chicago has theaters that still show the golden oldies on the big screen... and $1 popcorn!

And that, my friends, completes the circle from James Cagney to French Toast Sunday.

P.S. Warmest thanks to those who ordered my newest "Wasabi" bear pattern in my Etsy shop! Have fun with it!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening :)

*NEW* Peng Peng Bears ePattern #3: Little Wasabi!

Ta-da!! At long last, I present to you my very latest, and may I add, simply adorable "Little Wasabi" teddy bear ePattern. Just in time for holiday crafting! The pattern is available now in my Etsy shop.

*Happy Sewing*
~stay snuggled and warm~