It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

It's Superman!  This is the first of the sewing projects from my list that I completed.  It's so far from perfect it's laughable, but it's done.  I've had the fabric for almost 6 months, so done and imperfect is better than still sitting in neat little bundles in my sewing room.

Superman (who refers to himself as Supaman, has no idea who Superman and Batman are, and will STRONGLY deny being Batman; both sides of the cape are Superman and that's it!) could take it or leave it.  I actually had to bribe him to get him to wear it long enough to get a couple pics.  But that's ok, he'll like it more when he's a bit older.

I used this tutorial, that I've had bookmarked in my sewing folder for ever and ever.  It was very easy to do and I think that the next one I do will be much better.  Oh, yes, there will be another one.  I think all of my children need capes.  And I probably need one, too!  They would make great additions to Halloween costumes!

If you look closely you'll see that the fabric around the logos is puckered and that my applique stitching is horrendous.  Next time I think I'll just straight stitch near the edge of the felt and call it good.  I actually think that look appeals to me more, anyway.  I tried a plain ol' zigzag and didn't like it, so I switched to my machine's applique stitch with the feed dogs down.  Talk about a learning curve!  Whew, it was a lot of work and more than a little frustrating.  Not at all worth the crooked-y results.  Oh, and a little stablizer probably wouldn't come amiss, either.

The bribery I mentioned.  "You can throw rocks in the pond if you'll leave this on for a minute!"

One final note in regards to Superman's appearance:  Yes, he had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast (whole wheat, though, that makes it healthy, right?!) and I didn't wash his face.  Yes, the side of his face is covered in dirt because he fell down.  No, I didn't pick out his outfit.  Big Sissy did, and that t-shirt is Baby T's.  The shorts were a gift from Aunt Gigi, and when I told him who got them for him, he said that makes him happy. :)  So, thanks, Aunt Gigi! 

Motivation Monday on Tuesday

Okay, time for my Monday check-in.  I know it's Tuesday, but, in my defense, I was very productive yesterday.  I crossed out a few items and will add a few more in green.  Posts detailing my projects will follow this week.  As will a post detailing a hilarious flop of a project not on the lists.  :)

Works In Progress(WIP) in random order
birthday gift for my baby sister
birthday gift for my big sister
leg warmers
burp rags
superhero cape
quilt - 2 squares done, my first quilt squares ever!
checkbook covers and pouches
baby shoe patterns
mending pile
drawstring bags for helmets

Home Decor
do something about the soffit over the kitchen sink
paint the living room trim
paint the porch/laundry room
paint the upstairs hallway
finish the photo collage frames and hang
paint the dresser in the living room
refinish our bedside tables
hang up the headboard

Things I Need to do to Make Life Easier (not a very short and catchy title, but at least it's vague;))
work with Baby T for an earlier bedtime - So far it's about an hour earlier than it was, but I'd still like to shave another hour off.
wake up before the rest of the family
eat healthy, regular meals
exercise
meal plan - I've meal planned through the end of May.  Woot!
design and start using a daily docket including a food journal, medication check list, and cleaning schedule/checklist

NoKnead Bread, Meanwhile Style

This is my version of the no-knead bread you see around so much these days.  I've modified it by adding some whole grain flour.  I really like the nutty taste that it adds, and it makes me feel a bit better about eating the huge amounts of it that I want to eat.  I got the original recipe from King Arthur and played with it until I was happy.

Ingredients

3 cups lukewarm water

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3 cups white whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

*extra flour for dusting

1.  Combine all the ingredients.  You can do it in a bowl, I use an old ice cream bucket.  Just mix them with an wooden spoon for a minute or so until they're mostly mixed together.  You want a gooey dough, but if it seems runny add a bit more(1/4 to 1/2 cup) of either flour.  The ideal consistency is sticky and will spread very slowly.

2.  Allow the dough to rise, covered, for at least 2 hours at room temperature.  Then transfer to the fridge and let it rise there for at another 2 hours.  (okay, I've rushed these steps and honestly not noticed any decline in quality) 

3.  When you want some bread, pull off a piece of dough 1/4 to 1/3 of the total volume.  If it's really sticky, you can sprinkle the surface with a little flour to make it easier to handle.  Plop it on some parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle it with flour.  After an hour to 1 1/2 hours slash the top with a sharp knife.  (This loaf of bread was slashed with a pitifully dull knife and is not nearly as pretty as it should be.  Sorry bread.)

 

4.  Pick up the dough, parchment and all, and place on a baking stone in a 450 degree oven.  Put a pan or other non-glass vessel in the bottom of the oven and pour in a cup of water, then shut the door quickasyoucan.  The steam is supposed to make the crust chewier.  I like it that way.

 

5.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, depending on the size of your loaf, until it's a deep golden brown.  Remove from oven and devour.

*  Keep the remainder of the dough in the fridge for up to a week, baking it as you want it.
*  Things not to do:  Don't (for example) try to bake half the recipe in one giant loaf in 35 minutes for Thanksgiving dinner.  Because if you were to do such a thing the loaf would be uncooked in the center and you might be embarrassed and, even worse, not have any bread for Thanksgiving dinner.

*  If you don't have a baking stone, it's no biggie.  Just use a cookie sheet.

 

This bread makes an awesome addition to any supper, and we really enjoy it with spaghetti and soups.  Sometimes I'll just serve it with butter and sometimes I'll roast garlic and serve it with roasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  Mmmm.

This post has been shared at:  A Soft Place to Land: DIY Day, and My Backyard Eden: Make it Yours Day

Motivation Monday

This weekend, I worked on cleaning out my craft room so I could actually, well, craft in it a little.  It seems that we've been so busy lately.  It's calving season, the kids have all been sick a few times, especially Baby T, who's getting over a sinus infection.  Our town's Youth Center just had a big fundraiser to benefit the community swimming pool and I was on one of the planning committees.  My mother-in-law has been out of town, meaning that all trips out of the house are with 3 little ones in tow.  Oh boy, am I missing her!  It is such a luxury to have her nearby to watch a child or two when I need to run errands or just get some things done. 

Anyway, we've been so busy that I've gotten into a bit of a rut.  I talked to all of my sisters this weekend and I think I used the word "weary" to describe myself, oh, about 8 times.  Yikes.  It's time for an action plan!  Remember, I'm a list lover, so I'm going to make myself a few lists and check back in every Monday to update you all on the progress.

This is my fabric stash at this moment.  I finally pressed and folded some fabrics that I had bought and washed a at least a month ago.  Relief!  Now, I need to turn these beautiful, tidy little rectangles into things that make me happy.

I also cut out the ivory squares yesterday to use with the floral charm pack in my very first quilt.  I'm excited for this one.

In my never ending attempt to improve my photo skills I drug out our much beleaguered tripod.  Someone (me) let one or more of our children play with it at one(some) point(s) and now it needs a little tlc, or at least a couple screws.

Unassuming pieces of red and black fabric awaiting their transformation into a cape for a dashing little superhero. 

A whole pile of burp rags just begging for a little top-stitching.

And, a pile of knee socks needs to turn into a pile of legwarmers for my wearer of the dresses.

So, now you at least have an idea of the sewing projects.  I'll share more details as I complete them.  Here are the lists.  I have so many more project lists floating around more in my head, but they haven't solidified into anything I'm capable of typing out yet, so I'll share them as they evolve.

Works In Progress(WIP) in random order

birthday gift for my baby sister

leg warmers

burp rags

superhero cape

quilt

checkbook covers and pouches

baby shoe patterns

mending pile

drawstring bags for helmets

Home Decor

do something about the soffit over the kitchen sink

paint the living room trim

paint the porch/laundry room

paint the upstairs hallway

finish the photo collage frames and hang

paint the dresser in the living room

refinish our bedside tables

hang up the headboard

Things I Need to do to Make Life Easier (not a very short and catchy title, but at least it's vague;))

work with Baby T for an earlier bedtime

wake up before the rest of the family

eat healthy, regular meals

exercise

meal plan

Ok, so I'm off to work on these things.  I'll check back in and re-visit the lists on Mondays.  And probably add to them.  But, I'll also check things off, and that's what this is all about.