Cooking: Mac and Cheese from Scratch

I hope you all had a fabulous Memorial Day! We were in sunny Phoenix enjoying the pool. I apologize for not offering up a summery salad or cool treat, but though summer has officially started (yippee!!) it still feels a bit like comfort food back at my home!

There are those who can follow a recipe well, and then there are those who cook "by heart" or "by taste" much as someone plays piano "by ear." I have always been in the former category. My husband on the other hand can just throw something together on the stove. He learned the basics of cooking from his mother and has been improvising ever since. Maybe it has to do with me being a "rule follower" but I haven't had the confidence or felt the whim to cook this way. Until recently. And I'm loving it!

I think it's so interesting how one skill or hobby can influence another. I credit crochet for my new approach to cooking. It was with crochet that I first started going it on my own. Then sewing. Now cooking. Does it work that way for everyone?

All of that said, I do have a recipe for this Mac and Cheese. It's nice to end up with one so something that tastes good (and this really does--even my husband was impressed and he is the resident Mac and Cheese maker!) can be duplicated. If you'd like it click to read more. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make something this yummy!

Crochet: Ribbed Washcloths (Tutorial)

Since working on the "How to Crochet" series for Tip Junkie I have been thinking about some of my first crochet projects. I learned this craft from a fourteen year old young woman who had amazing patience with me and I'm sure a lot of good laughs. I could not figure out how to make a crochet hook do what she was doing! We were making ribbed crochet baby hats for a humanitarian project. I so wanted to contribute something so I kept at it and finished a couple hats with much love even if they were more than a bit wonky!

(Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream in Hot Pink; Fabric: Windham Fabrics "Storybook VIII Toss")

The nice thing about hats like those (essentially a ribbed rectangle you cinch at one end and top with a pom-pom) and washcloths like these, is that it doesn't really matter if your stitches are even, your gauge correct, or even if you miss a few single crochets--they still work. Perfect for a beginner. I worked at those hats for a year or so--they became my go-to baby gift--and my work improved. The hats did too!

(Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream in Light Blue; Fabric: Kate Ward Thacker "Butterfly Garden" for JoAnn)

These ribbed washcloths are just what you need if you've been hoping to learn to crochet. You can practice chain stitches and single crochet stitches and still have something to show for it. Make some new dish cloths for your kitchen in bright summer colors or wrap some up with a nice bar of soap and give spa cloths to a friend (see these I gave away last year). Hand made, 100% cotton cloths like these are a nice little luxury.

(Yarn: Lily Sugarn' Cream yellow; Fabric: Michael Miller "Ta Dot" in Stone)

If ribbed washcloths seem like something you'd like to try, click to view the step-by-step tutorial. You can also read my How to Crochet series here.

Sewing: Rainbow Wrap Skirt (Tutorial)

We've had so much rain this Spring I've wondered if Summer will ever come. Seriously, it's rained all day every day this week. Not that rain is all bad (except for a bit of worry about getting some pictures for this post!)...

Rain is fun to splash around in, brings green and flowers, and, when the sun finally comes out...rainbows. Lots of things to smile about!

I don't indulge much in rainbow bright outfits--not since the rainbow t-shirts that were so popular when I was in gradeschool (remember the ones with the rainbow that started on one arm and arched over the chest to finish down the other arm?)--but now I'm thinking every girl needs a rainbow skirt! I couldn't help feeling cheery while sewing it these past grey days!

A year ago or so Audrey asked for a rainbow skirt so I've had it in the back of my mind for a while, unsure of how to go about it as it didn't sound like my favorite kind of project. Then KoJo Designs contacted me about their great Color My Summer series with Delia Creates and I thought I'd sign up for ROY G BIV (little did I know this is the common way of describing the hue order in a rainbow) and push myself to do the skirt. I love a challenge! Thank you Kristin and Jordan!

This skirt was fun to make. I think it looks darling on Audrey (so great with her Venetian necklace!). And for the first time in a week the clouds parted just in time for her to twirl around in it with her cousin (isn't he a cutie?) while I took pictures.

I think the color spectrum looks even better with some white to set it off so I designed this wrap-around skirt with a white waistband and a wide white sash almost as long as the skirt.

It's fully lined, so the inside is pretty too, and it's a fairly easy sewing project. Best of all, the instructions would work for any sized girl. Rainbow skirts for everyone! Hello summer!

See the post on KoJo designs and click for the tutorial. (And think how fun your leftover stash will look!)

How-To Series: Introduction to Crochet on TipJunkie

(Pink Lace Sweater for Audrey)

Crochet is back because it is versatile, beautiful, always handmade (unlike knitting, crochet can’t be reproduced by a machine), and is a great way to incorporate some modern vintage or bohemian style. If you’ve been eyeing more crochet items than you can afford, take heart: you too can learn to crochet!

I am writing a learn-to-crochet series at TipJunkie and today is the first installment. If you are interested click over and start learning about hooks, yarn and gauge. (Oh my!)

Invites: "Come to the Zoo" Birthday Invitation

Oh what will we do

at the zoo?

With lions and monkeys

and a carousel too?

Oh what will we do

at the zoo?

With hippo and penguins

and a train to "choo-choo"?

Audrey's birthday invitations are out the door! I'm committed to a date. I have been thinking about this party since January as I knew I needed to plan ahead to pull it off with a big Spring vacation in the middle of things. I can't remember how I landed on the zoo idea, but I think it was a combination of having fun with the animals at Scarlett's Modern Farm party last Fall, finding the cute Michael Miller "Kids Zoo" fabric for Audrey's dress, and imagining an accordion fold card. And of course our zoo includes many of Audrey's favorite things: animals, cotton candy, a train, and a carousel.

I enjoyed the zoo too when I was little, though I didn't get to go as often. This is a picture of me with my father at the National Zoo (wearing the monogrammed cardigan that inspired Scarlett's blue sweater this year). Can you believe I was a blondie at that age? Three I'm guessing.

The zoo seems to wrap up so many important things about childhood: wonder and play and love of animals and field trips with parents and grandparents, and, yes, naivete. I love children's book illustrations of the zoos of yesteryear with their parks and wrought iron and happy animals (for her birthday I gave Audrey A Sick Day for Amos McGee , which we are really enjoying). So I'm focusing on that.

Will we run?

Will we play?

Will we sing "Happy Birthday"?

Will you come? Say you will!

Ask your mom if you may!

I wouldn't want it

 any other way!

(If you see a zoo party in your future and are interested in these invitations I'll be making them available soon.)