Blog Break

 (2007 Neon Party in Yamagata, Japan)

I'm just popping in to say that I'll be taking a break from blogging this week to hang out with my friend Christine (one of my new year's resolutions, thank you very much). There's lots of fun planned--including a knitting lesson or two--so I'll definitely let you know how that goes. I've also been crocheting up a storm lately and want to share what I've been making with you. 

Hope you have a lovely week! I'll see you back here next week.

this moment: necessities close at hand

the moment from this week that i want to savor. 

find more moments here.

Picnic in the Park Pillow Cover Giveaway Winner

A flower date?

Hopefully Emmalina will be seeing a lot more flowers as she picnics and enjoys the outdoors with her new pillow cover. Congrats, Emmalina, you were lucky #67! Just email me your mailing address and the pillow cover will be on its way to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. It was so much fun to read all of your comments.

I hope you'll stick around because I sure do like you guys. Also, I wanted to let you know that my year anniversary of blogging is coming up, and I'm going to do another giveaway in a couple of weeks to celebrate. I'm excited about it already. 

New Bedroom

There's still time to enter my giveaway! Just scroll down to the next post.

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So this is our bedroom--a little old-fashioned, a little modern, very calm. The only new thing we've gotten for the bedroom is the bedside lamps, which we picked up last time we were at Ikea. The rest is just a reconfiguration of our old things. I've had a lot of fun rearranging our stuff in a new place.  

(Please ignore the blinds...the blinds have got to go. There's a gear stripped on them, so they don't open or close at all. Plus I think curtains would look so much softer and cozier. If anyone has suggestions for curtains or curtain tutorials, send them my way. I'm thinking something simple, light and airy.)

My bedside table belonged to my great uncle. I love the simple lines of it and the natural wood finish. I've got some of Pablo Neruda's poetry for brushing up on my nearly non-existent Spanish language skills, a peony, and a Black Apple print. The girl's shirt has a quote from the Smiths on it--"There is a light that never goes out."

For now the vintage trunk that previously lived at the foot of our bed is serving as K's bedside table. We'll probably pick up a vintage table sometime, but I do like the look of the trunk as a table. I love the whimsy of the stacked books to get the right height for the lamp. We are definitely bibliophiles and have more books than we have space, so finding new ways to store books is always a good thing. I put another Black Apple print here along with a cupful of mint.

There are still boxes in the corners of rooms, but we're getting there. I'll show you more of our new apartment soon.

Hope your week is going well! 

May Giveaway Day: Picnic in the Park Pillow Cover

 

I'm participating in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. I woke up this morning just giddy about it. If you're new here, welcome to Field Wonderful! I hope you'll grab a cup of your favorite tea and stay awhile. If you've been here before, welcome back! I always enjoy visiting with you. Now, did somebody say something about a giveaway...

I'm giving away this Picnic in the Park pillow cover--it would liven up your home or would be the perfect summertime lounging accessory for outdoors. Cozy up with it in your garden chair or toss it under a shady tree for some reading time. Take it to the beach for some comfy sunning or to the park for an after-picnic nap. The fabric on the back is green, so there's no need to worry about grass stains!

Pillow Cover details: This pillow cover is made from vintage sheets. I love the funky patterns and finding a way to repurpose old items. It measures 16" by 16" square, has French seams, is envelope-backed, and of course is machine-washable. This giveaway is for the pillow cover only.

Giveaway details:

*To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. Any comment will do! If you're at a loss of what to write, I'd love to hear about your summer plans or favorite summertime activity.

*This giveaway is open to anyone who'd like to enter. International entries are welcome!

*Be sure to leave a valid email with your comment. I need a way to contact you if you win. If your comment links to your blog or profile and your email is there, that's fine, too.

*This giveaway will close on Thursday, May 20, 2010, at 10 PM EST.

*I'll choose a winner at random.

Good luck!

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Wait, there are lots more chances to win things. And who doesn't like a chance to win something?

Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day includes three different kinds of crafty giveaways: Handcrafted Items, Supplies, and Handcrafted Items + Supplies.

Spinach Asparagus Pasta Alfredo

I've been stalking farmers' markets. There are nearby ones on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. That's a lot of local food to browse, buy, and try, but I'm totally game for it. If you've got any great recipes for vegetables, send them my way.

Last week I'd planned to make pasta alfredo and the bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer just wasn't going to cut it, so I picked up some asparagus and spinach at the Thursday farmers' market. I did a quick saute of the vegetables with a tiny bit of oil and salt, then served them over pasta with a homemade alfredo sauce. The only thing that would have made this meal better is if I had homemade pasta. Courtney made some recently that makes me want to buy a pasta roller pronto.

Here's the alfredo recipe if you want to try it out. I'm ok with buying jarred pasta sauce when I need to fix dinner in a hurry, but this sauce only has a few ingredients and tastes so good. The small amount of effort results in a creamy, flavorful sauce.

Alfredo Sauce
(from somewhere on the internet, but I can't remember where)

½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

Simmer the cream and butter in a saucepan over low heat until it has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. (Tip: Don't cook too long or your sauce will fall apart, making an oily mess.) Add the cheese, remove from heat, and stir until mostly incorporated and melted. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.

I added some dried Italian herbs and garlic powder, but this sauce would also be great with fresh herbs like oregano and thyme and some minced garlic.

This recipe makes 2-4 servings. I like to double it so we'll have some for leftovers. I also don't use too much sauce per serving. It's a very rich sauce, and I don't want my pasta to be swimming in it.

Sewing Party

Julie came over today for her very first sewing lesson. It was so fun to have someone to craft with! She's a natural and the eye pillow she made is gorgeous. We had a little photo shoot--she was supposed to be looking relaxed but she just couldn't keep from giggling. I like the smiley pictures better anyway.

This week has been kind of funky--Julie picked out some funky vintage sheets for her eye pillow and Amy posted about funky potholders. So I've come up with something a little bit funky to give away on Monday. That's right, Monday is Sew Mama Sew's May Giveaway Day! I'm so excited. Their giveaway days are always  a great way to meet new people and to have a chance to win some cool things. There's still time to sign up to give something away if you're interested. 

Hope you have a great weekend! Got any good plans? K and I are helping my mom with some yard work tomorrow for a belated Mother's Day present. She's got quite a garden this year. I plan to soak it all in. I miss my garden already (but not my neighbors). 

Be sure to stop back here on Monday for the giveaway!

this moment: a homecoming

the volcanic ash cloud caused some delays, but it didn't stop my sister from coming home. we're all so glad she's back.

see more moments here.

A peek at the new place

Wedding bouquet, roses from my old backyard, bird's nest, crocheted stone

I've been trying to create little pockets of calm amidst all of the boxes that need to be unpacked. It helps to have bits of nature and color to rest my eye on. Fresh flowers always bring a smile to my face. The bird's nest is a very new addition to my collection of found objects. I happened upon it this morning while out on a walk. I also brought home a stack of bluegrass cds from the library, perfect for listening to while I unpack.

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What do you do to keep your calm?

this moment: tiny beehive

saying goodbye to the house, i came across the smallest hive i've ever seen. it's tucked into a little nook just above mary.

find more moments here.

First Farmers' Market and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Yesterday was the first farmers' market of the season. Last year I was nervous the first time I went, but this year it was like seeing old friends. I got to see Kathy to get my eggs, got some spinach from Nick and talked about the CSA starting at the end of this month, and picked up some arugula from Luke, who worked for Nick last year but has now started a farm of his own with his wife. It was great seeing everyone again and picking up fresh food. Dinner was arugula sauteed with garlic, scallions, and soy sauce, fried eggs, and Tassajara toast. 

I also made a very retro cake last night because my motto these days is: "Use it so we don't have to move it." This cake means there is one less can of pineapples to move the mile to our new apartment. Yeah that's right, we're only moving a mile. So maybe I just wanted cake.

This particular Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is one my mom and I fell in love with back in 2004 when our local paper printed the recipe. We made it once, loved it, and promptly misplaced the recipe. Mom called me last week with some good news. She'd been sorting through papers and came across our lost recipe.

The pineapple cake is just as delicious as I remembered. It's cooked in a cast-iron skillet, which I'm convinced makes it healthier. Flipping it out onto the plate reveals golden pineapple and toasted pecans coated in caramelized brown sugar. The cake is light, moist, and tangy. I'll definitely be making this again--the recipe is tucked away in my recipe folder for safe-keeping--and perhaps adapting it a bit so that I can post the recipe here. It's a good one!

Hope you're eating well and enjoying your week!

Mini-banner love

A package arrived the other day from the lovely Camille of Camille Creates. She recently had a blog giveaway and I completely forgot to enter, so of course I didn't win. Luckily for me, Camille is incredibly generous and maybe she could tell just how much I wanted one of her mini-banners, because she said she'd send me one. I was so excited to get this beautifully wrapped package from her last week. She put in a sweet note, too. 

All of those colors and patterns are so pretty together, plus I love the sunshine yellow ribbon that binds it.

I can't wait to find a place for this in our new apartment. It's such cheery bunting that I know it will brighten the place up.

Thanks, Camille! This banner is going to make the new place feel like home right away.