I like to make stuff...

For the past couple of weeks, I've been sewing away. Here's a picture of the dress that I made.

I absolutely love the fabric, which is covered with a pattern that has birds and flowers that are paint by number. It's really cute! I used the Washi dress pattern (http://www.made-by-rae.com/washi/). The pockets are probably my favorite feature of this dress. Plus, it's super comfortable.

 I started a skirt today. The pattern is called  the Kelly skirt.

I'm thinking that this will not only make a great summer skirt, but it will be a nice transition into the fall. I can pair it up with some black tights and boots. Here's a picture of what I've made so far. I cut out the pattern, sewed the pockets, pinned the pleats and I've begun to assemble the skirt. I'm hoping it will turn out okay.

Rosie's Magic Horse Review

Rosie's Magic Horse is a gem of a book written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Quentin Blake. Children will immediately recognize Blake's work from Roald Dahl's books. The heartwarming and silly illustrations set the stage for this story, which is about a little girl, who collects ice-pop sticks that she finds on the ground. The sticks wish to be something other. They wish to be something important (after all, who would want to be a used stick in a shoe box), so they become a horse and take the little girl on an adventure to find treasure. The children that I read this story to, absolutely loved Stickerino, which is an adorable name for a horse and they were surprised that the little girl was able to solve her family's financial problems by finding a pirate's treasure. It's a simple story, but one that many children will identify with, especially if their family is experiencing financial troubles. Every child wishes to be a hero and this story fulfills this wish. If you're doing a storytime, pair this story up with "No Fits, Nilson!" by Zachariah OHora and "Should I Share My Ice Cream?" by Mo Willems.  

Colorful Dreamer: The Story of Artist Henri Matisse Review

Colorful Dreamer by Marjorie Blain Parker is the story of Henri Matisse, who has been one of my favorite artists since I was a little girl. Matisse didn't stumble upon his love of creating art until he was a young man. He first started out as a law clerk and the job stressed him out so much that he ended up in the hospital. It was while he was in the hospital that he discovered his true passion, which of course disappointed his family. No one wanted him to become an artist, but Matisse followed his heart and began to create nonstop. This picture book is an inspirational story and it really encourages readers to follow their dreams even if those dreams are not so popular. The illustrations are black and white in the beginning with bursts of color as we look into Matisse's imaginative mind. As the story continues, the colors become more and more vibrant and take over the pages. Matisse's style graces each page as he becomes an artist and the colors become permanent once Matisse is happy and living a creative life. Biographies have recently become very popular amongst elementary school students, especially The Who Was series, but Colorful Dreamer not only has a great story, but also engaging illustrations. I highly recommend this biography. It is a great addition to your library, especially if you're trying to add to your nonfiction or common core collection.

Pineapple and Banana Smoothie

I bought a banana for 24 cents at Target and a pineapple for a $1 at the local farmer's market and made this fantastic smoothie. I'm not a fan of anything banana flavored, but this smoothie is incredibly sweet and refreshing. Here's the recipe:

1 banana
1 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp sugar
3 ice cubes

Put ingredients in a blender. Enjoy!

Green Smoothie Recipe

I was reluctant to try a smoothie with ingredients, such as spinach leaves and kale because my diet usually consists of Keebler cheese and crackers and gummy bears, but I've heard nothing but great things about how kale is so good for you, so I decided I should give it a try and maybe start eating right.

I went to the supermarket and picked up all of the ingredients and threw everything into the blender. My drink was all green and looked like the gooey slime from You Can't Do That On Television. I sighed, grimaced and said,"Well, here goes nothing." My look of revulsion turned into absolute delight! This smoothie is yummy and nutritious. If you want a tasty treat that your body is going to love then here's the recipe. I can't recommend it enough.

Green Smoothie Recipe

Makes about three cups

Ingredients
1/2 c. Vanilla Almond Milk
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
1 c. kale
1/2 c. spinach leaves
1/2 c. pineapple
1 c. ice cubes

2. Blend on high until all ingredients are mixed and then add ice. Blend until smooth.

3. Enjoy!

Snow Day!

I've been debating whether I want to dig my car out of the snow today or deal with it tomorrow. Decisions, decisions. I basically spent my day in my pajamas. I watched Maury, Judge Judy, and Nate Berkus. Due to my vacation and several snow days, I find myself watching a lot of these shows. What can I say? I love train wrecks. The unfortunate side effects of watching these types of programs is that I suddenly have the urge to redecorate my apartment (even though I don't even have a shoe string budget to work with)and I've also added the terms "baby daddy" to my vocabulary (as I recently discovered during an embarrassing game of Catchphrase).

I attempted to stick to some of my New Year's Resolutions by working on my journal today. I discovered a couple of things about myself while working on said journal: (1) I really, really want a cape.



(2) Mary Poppins is a larger influence on my fashion sense than I expected, especially since I love unreasonably large purses that allow me to carry around a journal, a book, a camera and my favorite tea bags. That's right: TEA BAGS! I was recently teased for carrying around several STASH tea bags of Goji Berry Green Tea, which smell like Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups. So sue me!

Anywhosal, as I was sipping on some of my STASH tea, I was quite thankful that I didn't have to go into work. My entire week has been one fail after the next. The library's catalog crashed, which meant that I couldn't check books in or out or even look up books. ::Sigh:: Although I'm extremely grateful that we're automated, sometimes I long for the days of yore, where card catalogs got the job done just as effectively.

My day off also became a day of list making. Before the end of this month, I need to make another mix cd in order to get my new year off to a great start, but which songs should I include? I was thinking about making some sort of summer themed mix, so that I can remember better days are ahead while driving in slush, bitter freezing rain, and snow. Here's a list of possible tunes:

(1) Under the Milky Way - The Church
(2) Carnival- Bikini Kill
(3) Girls and Boys - Blur
(4) So Real- Jeff Buckley
(5) Even Better Than the Real Thing- U2
(6) Summertime- DJ Jazzy and the Fresh Prince
(7) Mary Jane's Last Dance- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
(8) Animal- Neon Trees
(9) The Mystery Zone- Spoon
(10) Just What I Needed- The Cars

Hm, and what else? I'll have to put some more thought into this. Any ideas?

New Year's Resolutions

It has been several weeks since the new year has gotten its start, and I'm still trying to complete my list of resolutions. I can't really seem to get started on any of them. Ina is having a lovely party to get a whole gaggle of us girls to come up with some resolutions, so maybe that will give me the kick in the pants that I need in order to get started with these things. My first resolution was to say kinder words to others. Unfortunately, I already broke this resolution by yelling obscenities to most of the downtown drivers in Boston and also telling my friends to go f*** themselves when I lost during the Just Dance 2 debacle (I need to work on my moves). Robin's resolution was to floss more and I thought this was a great resolution, especially since I just got two fillings for my cavities. I adopted this resolution and have promptly broken it (I got the floss stuck between my teeth and it made my gums bleed profusely). I'm a sissy. Ugh.

Anywhosal, I sat down and decided I'm going to make a list of random things I want to accomplish and try to do at least two things on the list. I've stolen some of these resolutions and I'd like to know if anybody has any resolutions that I should add to this list.

Ze List:

(1) Spend more time with my family and friends.
(2) Maintain my blog on a weekly basis.
(3) Make more people smile.
(4) Surround myself with flowers.
(5) Read 2 books per month.
(6) Cook and share the results (no matter how much it sucks).
(7) Try that flossing thing, again.
(8) Create an etsy shop.
(9) Be fully present with the person/situation in front of me.
(10) Indulge in a couple of relaxing hours each week.
(11) Attend more yoga classes. Maybe teach yoga to kids??
(12) Take more random pictures and share those pictures.
(13) Write for at least an hour a week. Maybe publish something?
(14) Sew stuffed animals for my nieces.
(15) Be glad no matter what.
(16) Take an online course.
(17) Donate clothes and household items that I no longer need.
(18) Pay off my debt.
(19) Reorganize the picture book and early reader section of my library.
(20) Save at least $20 per week.
(21) Start wearing clothes that actually make me look classy instead of homeless.
(22) Start an art journal.
(23) Knit with the girls.
(24) And last, but certainly not least, just keep on being AWESOME!

I think these are enough resolutions to keep me busy for a while! What are your resolutions?