Birthday

I started out trying to do a photo a hour post for my birthday like I did last year. But that proved to be too ambitious for me. So here's how the day looked through my iPhone.

  

8:00 am. Woke up, walked the dog, fed the dog, fed the rabbit, fed myself. Like any other morning but it was quite mild and bright out that morning. Especially for my birthday, of course.

9:00: am. Getting ready.

10:00 am. Doing garden planning things for awhile.

And then I was off to meet S&B friends for awesome vegetarian brunch!

After brunch we stopped by a vegan cupcake shop where my awesome S&B friends got me a cupcake to snack on later.

With snacks taken care of, we headed over the Lion Brand Outlet for an afternoon of shopping and stitching. It's like a magical yarn candy land! It was my first time there and I was so impressed with the selection and pricing!

After S&B time I headed off to my parents house where Dave met us for family birthday dinner where I was sadly reminded that I turned...

Oy! Yup... I've brideged up to the latter half of our 20 & 30-something Stitch & Bitch group. (In case you think I'm already losing my mind, "bridging up" is what happens in Girl Scouts when you go from Brownie to Junior, Junior to Cadette, etc. I was into Girl Scouts for a long time. Now you've learned something, you're welcome.)

My mom made me a carrot cake from scratch! I'm so proud of her!

I don't really feel any different. I can't say I'm nostalgic for my 20's or sad to see them go. Upward and onward!

Bento Living!

Here's why I wanted a Laptop Lunch Box:

1. It's fun to say.
2. I'm big on bringing my lunch and snacks from home, and was tired of wrangling a bunch of tupperware containers.
3. It helps me eat a variety of food for lunch.
4. It prevents me from doing things like leaving my whole container of hummus in the fridge at work over the weekend. 
5. I can only eat what I bring with me. 
6. It's like Lunchables for grown ups.
7. Packing it at night take awhile but it saves time in the morning.
8. I can photo document my life in lunch for when I need healthy lunch inspiration!

I've gone as far as to make a set on Flickr. Plus the Laptop Lunch website has lots of great inspiration galleries.

Clockwise: Salad with beets and goat cheese, pretzels with hummus, Kashi soft bake cereal bar, strawberries, veggie pizza!

Clockwise: Amy's minestrone soup, half a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, half a piece of banana bread, mango and pineapple, salad with strawberries & pecans with dressing on the side.

Clockwise: Crunchy things: Cheddar bunnies, pretzels, tamari & seaweed rice cake, yogurt for mixing with granola, celery on the side, salad with dressing on the side.

A Surprise Valentine's Day Fondueing!

 

Valentine's Day Sale!

 

Happy Valentine's Day

Click on each photo to see more of the artists work on Flickr!

My Garden: Full Circle

I've been planning my garden for this summer, and I'm getting really excited! I've been reading a bunch about companion planting, and I opened a trial account at GrowVeg.com so I can lay out my beds.

Last year I just put plants I bought at the nursery in the ground and hoped that they grew. I ended up with way too much of some things (grape tomatoes), and some plants I never had a long enough growing season for anyway, so they didn't thrive (carrots, brussels sprouts).

Here's the garden last year through the seasons.

Spring

Everything just planted!

Summer

That's lettuce that has bolted and gone to seed on the right, and cabbages ravaged by cabbage worms... bastards. Also some wild grape tomatoes on the left (I didn't learn about pinching of suckers until late in the year), cucumbers got crazy, and pepper plants that produced well into the season!

Fall

Pretty much just cleaned everything out. There was some swiss chard still, and beets and carrots that didn't produce because I didn't plant them soon enough. But in the back of the bed on the left is garlic!

Winter

Well, you know, it's winter. I'm just glad no trees came down on the garden during Sandy.  It will get plenty of sun this year at least.

New in the Shop!

New made to order items for your consideration in my Etsy shop, Loops of Lavender!

Love knot scarf.

Can be made with ends loose or joined for an infinity love knot scarf, aw! Shown worn tripled here for cowl look.

Pom pom slippers.

Mary jane style slippers with a cute pom pom embellishment.

Yummy puff stitch scarf in new colors.