Spoonflower excitement!!

I am really thrilled to have placed in the top ten designs for the Spoonflower Farmers Market design competition! My design came in second place and I feel so thankful to everyone who voted for it! Thank you!

Because of placing in the top ten my fabric will be produced for this next week in a fat quarter bundle of the farmers market winners. And my fabric will now be for sale individually as well! I am so excited and am ordering some to make a market bag.

http://www.spoonflower.com/fat_quarter_bundles

One big, lovely thing I am finding with Spoonflower is there is a really nice and supportive community of designers and fabric enthusiasts who communicate with you. When you work on your own you often feel you are working in a little vacuum and it is great to have connection with others who are creative.

So onwards to sewing and again, thank you! thank you!

http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/2145418

Season of congratulations

Congratulations!

To our kids for making it through another school year...for making it through another level and now onto the next big challenge. For achieving so much, growing so much and amazing us with what creative and incredible people you have become. We are so proud of you - thank you!!

To the teachers who are just as gleeful to reach summer as the kids. Thank you for the times you spent the extra time, gave more encouragement, saw the spark and what is unique and great in our kids. Thanks to the teachers who see the individuality and effort and promise.

To the scout leaders, dance teachers, music teachers, tutors, band teachers, coaches and mentors who have added dimension, character, learning and community to our lives. You have enriched our kids with your special talents.

To the other moms and dads who chauffeured, hosted, taught, were there when we needed, understood what we were going through and were just good, supportive friends. We certainly don't do this alone. Thank you for understanding my sentimental, emotional heart.

Bittersweet and lovely... beginnings and endings...new roads ahead...

enjoy summer

Adventures in cooking

Progress takes lots of experimentation and the courage to fail. And actual failing. That's a necessary step in the move towards the great stuff.

At least this is what I tell myself as I look at my banana bread.

Okay. So it didn't turn out anything like I had hoped. I saw this recipe online for a Paleo diet inspired banana bread and I was intrigued. I liked that the bread did not use sweeteners and regular flour. Coconut flour or almond flour instead. I'm trying to get away from using too much flour and sugar. And the pictures were lovely. Dense, perfect slices of warm banana bread goodness. I salivated. My bananas were ready as I attempted to veganize the recipe. Instead of 4 eggs I used half applesauce and half Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer. Maybe that was my error? And they said instead of melted butter you could use Coconut oil. That could be it? Sigh. I don't really know. All I know is I looked in the oven when it was almost all baked and the loaf was high and golden and grand and I was feeling a little giddy.

Then 5 minutes later the timer went off and it looked something like this.

Oh. Well it still smelled good. When it cooled enough to try it my husband declared it tasted like nothing really, maybe a plantain. He made himself a smoothie for desert instead. I tried it and decided it was more like warm baked banana pudding. It was okay.
Of course that was once I drizzled it with honey and added soy vanilla ice cream on top. THEN it was okay, but go heavy on the honey. And heavy on the soy ice cream.

Progress, right?