Summer Fruit

Since summer has rolled into town, my fridge has filled up with fruit quite suddenly.

Watermelon, pineapple, peaches, cherries, kiwi, pears, rhubarb... (Yes, i know a bunch of it wasn't local, but still.)

And today we went out strawberry picking at a friend's farm.

Now we have a dozen quarts of strawberries waiting to be made into jam, paired with some of that rhubarb for pie, eaten fresh, and probably with shortcake, too.

That is all alongside the peach gelato i made yesterday (i had to do something with the egg yolks left over after making that angel food cake...)

And meanwhile, the ice cream maker canister is still chillin' (literally) in the freezer, because i really want to make some kind of watermelon/cherry frozen treat.

Boy, do i like food.

And that's good, since i have this new little guy to feed too.

Posting Time

I just spent four hours editing photos, updating images and posting new work to my Esty shop.
There is a very Christmassy feel to it.
But I am happy with it so far, and truly hope that I can get some more studio time in to put up some more new pieces.

Also excited about one of my favorite things about this season...

Wrapping presents.

A few fun little projects

Somehow

Luckily

I have been managing to sneak in some time in my studio. 

And it has been fantastic. 

I was asked to make a bracelet for a friend's birthday.

It is so much fun to make something for someone I know.

While I design and make it, I am constantly thinking about what that person would really like. 

Or at least what I think they would like!

I like to think this one worked out well. 

I have also been making some rings, and having a great time with that. 

This is just one of an assortment. 

A friend was in my studio and tried on some 18k rose gold bands I had made.  Her reaction was amazing!  

"They just feel so smooth and... nice!"

She decided to take the rings off because she was starting to get attached. 

But there is something about gold, 18k and higher, that I am madly in love with.  

So many things, really. 

The "softness" and colors.

I also truly enjoy working with gold.

Bending, soldering, cleaning and polishing- It is an amazing material to work with. 

Hopes that my little bambina lets me take some photos tomorrow.

It is about time I post some new pieces in my Etsy shop!

 

Pumpkin Pie Soup

Again
     Contently cuddled under a blanket
     Hot cup of coffee
     Every little thing that I need to try to do today
          Is doing laps inside my mind
                at record breaking speeds
And its mostly all little things, too.
like wash the dishes and put away laundry
Thrilling, I know.
Don't get too jealous.

Anyway

I made this really good soup the other night.
Pumpkin Pie Soup
     It was prompted by a friend talking about having some
     then never being able to find it anywhere else.
Challenge accepted!
Now, it may not have ended up tasting exactly like pumpkin pie
     (I guess I need to make one to compare!)
     but it was really good
                                filling
                         and healthy

Oh, and ridiculously easy, too. 

(It helps to roast the veggies the day before)

Ingredients:

1      Butternut Squash (Buttercup or two Acorn Squash would probably be even better)

1      Apple

1-3  Sweet Potatoes

Wash.

Cut squash in half, remove seeds and put cut side down on a cookie sheet.  Place sweet potatoes and apple on sheet also, and roast at 350°F for 1-2 hours, until squash is soft.  Remove from oven and let cool (preferably overnight).

1.5tbsp  Butter

.5tsp      Grated Nutmeg

.25tsp    Grated Ginger

1            Cinnamon Stick

Water

.25C     Brown Sugar

1.5C     Milk (2% worked well)

Pull peels off the squash, apple and sweet potatoes, and chop into cubes.

In a large pot, melt butter and add nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon stick until fragrant. 

Put veggies in pot and stir to coat.  

Add about 1" of water and allow to simmer until the water is absorbed.

Add milk and brown sugar, and stir.

**Take out cinnamon stick**

Puree with an immersion blender.

Allow to simmer again- take a taste and add more spices if desired. 

Let me know what you think!

Halloween, Here We Come.

I will be the first to admit, 

     my daughter's halloween costume last year was pretty pathetic.

I had really big plans and high hopes 

     to make her a dinosaur or something equally awesome.

She had just turned one. 

It didn't happen.

     Instead, I threw together some sad attempt at a fairy or princess, or fairy princess

This year will be different

     We asked her what she wanted to be 

"Present"

oh-Ka-ay!

I made this yesterday

     (Instead of sitting at my bench

      or cleaning it

      or doing some other more productive thing)

Quite frankly

     I have to say

     It's pretty awesome.

But since it is before actual Halloween

     I don't feel right sharing a photo of it on yet

            for the full effect

But now, that little munchkin is slowly walking down the stairs

Laundry is folded

     and the house was cleaned yesterday

If she will take a nap 

     or play quietly in her room 

I will spend some quality time at my bench today. 

I have new projects that I am working on

     Yay!

Simple dinner

Awake early

     Yet again

She walked down the hall

Pushed open the door

And didn't want daddy to go to work

      So she was plopped in bed next to me

For once she fell back asleep

I got about one extra hour of sleep

      Then she was up

      For the long haul

One measely bowl of (delicious) Raisin Bran

Is far from enough to keep me and my appetite content until lunch

      But then

      To add to it

            Someone wanted a clementine

That was fine

       It was the tangerine that came next

The really drippy, juicy one

With three or four seeds per segment

That's the one that almost made me lose my patience

       The gooey, sticky hands 

       Grabbing onto the back of my chair

Like a sticky present for my favorite bew hoodie, saved for later, when I have forgotten.

Then it was the nap that never happened

The boxes with everything pulled out onto the floor

The awful sound of loose chair legs being dragged across a sticky floor  (I'm not proud of that, just being honest.) 

     So she can "see" what I'm doing as I wash the dishes

           Or just put her hands in the greasy water and make her new handmade sweater kinda gross

All of that

But I was able to make a fast dinner

Grabbed a bag of chicken thighs from the freezer

Washed some veggies

Chopped broccoli, carrots and onion while the 

              chicken was defrosting in the microwave

               oven was preheating

Pulled out two baking dishes

      Veggies in one

      Drizzle with some olive oil

      Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Chicken in the other dish

Put them in the oven with sweet potatoes in between

Two hours later

I think that was the easiest part if my day.

Autumn Leaves

My daughter and I made an extra long weekend of the Columbus Day weekend that just passed.  

We ventured up to Vermont where the leaves were falling

       and the smell of woodsmoke filled the air. 

On Friday, the girls went to the Ibex "Tent" Sale. 

      It was indoors this year. 

      And way too hot in there to be trying on winter jackets. 

I walked away with a few good deals, but it wasn't nearly as good as past years had been. 

I did finally get a new hoodie.

      It is so soft, like a super hug.

The rest of the time up there was spent on a variety of Vermont-y things (to me.)

My mother and I made some great little jewelry pouches just in time for the upcoming holiday season

I found a snowflake knitting pattern that I am excited to try

       Not that I know when I will get to it!

       Also, I just looked at this woman's other work... 

It's AMAZING. 

The other super cute thing that happened up in Vermont...

The best little helper in the world.

Happily raking leaves with Grandpa.

Of course, while in Vermont, it is customary to pick up some maple syrup, too.  
    Talk about Buy Local.

There is nothing quite like being able to talk to the old guy who made the syrup I will be enjoying while standing in his kitchen.