Birthday Stationery

Both my sister and a friend had birthdays this month, so I headed over to Paper Source and bought some fancy paper to make stationery for the gifts.

I also bought the bottom 2 stamps-on sale! The best ink to use with rubber stamps is an all-in-one set like this one so you can switch to different colors without purchasing a new pad.

It's helpful to make a stencil for the envelope liners. Trim .5 inches all the way around the edge of a disassembled envelope using cardstock. I made one pattern for each size of envelope I own, and you can re-suse the patterns until your envelopes are gone.

The final results were flawed, but still fun and usable!

Headed to a Party with Nothing to Bring?

I needed something simple to take to a barbecue a couple weeks ago, and it had to involve goat cheese because I had a giant log to use. After a quick search, I found this gem and I'm going to break it down for you below.

The basic ingredients are garlic, sliced bread, goat cheese, parsley and baby bella mushrooms (or white mushrooms with the caps removed). I left out the pepper flakes because I'm not a big pepper flake person.

Process the bread to crumbs. Add the goat cheese, garlic and parsley.

De-cap the mushrooms and stuff your mixture inside. I reserved some of the breadcrumbs in a bowl and rolled the top of each mushroom to coat the top.

Bake on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes (or 12 if you have my crappy oven).

Voila! Easy appetizer in under 30 minutes.

A Boring Post on My Apartment

I now have a new spot for my desk.  It isn't particularly exciting news, but it's surprising how difficult deciding to move furniture in a small apartment can be. Making our furniture fit for a livable scheme feels like a jigsaw puzzle. Adding something as small as a lamp or a chair can throw everything out of whack when you are dealing with around 800 square feet. (I can't imagine having only 300-400 like many people do in San Francisco and NYC!) When Chase was  studying non-stop for the Boards, we had to buy him a new chair. I was willing to sacrifice the space to give him a little comfort for his 12 plus hours of sitting each day, but my desk had to move. Taking it apart wasn't an option because at any time this Fall we could both be at our computers for work and school. I decided that a corner in our living room was the only logical choice for my new desk area. It's worked out just fine for my homework this week--although I can't part with my favorite mint chair and it does crowd things a tad. Either way, I feel accomplished in the fight against tiny apartment configuration.

Westerly Weeekend

It's amazing how fast babies change. The last time I saw Leo, he was more like a baby and less like a toddler. At 8 months old he has the biggest personality I've ever seen in a baby. He knows when things are funny, and he'll let you know when he thinks so.  If you don't give Leo your full attention, he will crane his little neck around until you can't possibly avert his big blue eyes and irresistible smile. We had so much fun with Leo all weekend, and gladly gave him our full attention in exchange for his big personality.

 

This is a less than flattering picture of me, but Leo looks like an angel.

Johanna accidentally forgot Leo's beach hat but we found this purple flat brim number in a local convenience store. Crisis averted. It was a cross between feminine and tough, and Leo rocked it all weekend.

On Sunday we visited downtown Westerley and stopped in a park. The only other place open that day was a second hand store. Sleepy towns are fun for vacations, but I don't think I could handle the sleepiness year round. 

Leo is modeling his pea pod pants I bought him below. The mornings and evenings were brisk in Westerly, and it made me excited for Fall.

At nighttime, the questionable daytime bar became elegant with blinking lights and a full white tent. Trashy by day, classy by night.