headache relief

I have to mention something here about a new headache reliever I have recently found.
Gatorade!!! I particularly like the low-calorie G2. I swear I read this on one of those crazy email forwards about household tips. I gave it a shot and have noticed I get some relief if I drink a Gatorade when I have a headache. I get migraines too and while it doesn't get rid of the headache all together - it does seem to help! Give it a try :)

favorite childhood books = new movies!

I have to say this was absolutely one of my favorite books growing up. And I am utterly excited that they are making a movie to be released in theaters on October 16th.

And this is another one of my favorites :) I used to daydream about this scenario! And I love the illustration in the original book...not so sure about the 3D but I guess it could be fun to see giant meatballs falling from the sky!

Earlier this week, I also adorned some plain white onesies with iron-on decals I picked up at Hobby Lobby. It was such a quick and easy project and they turned out really cute.

This little chica, my niece Addie, is excellent inspiration for projects. And I think most of them will transfer easily into gift ideas for grown-ups too.

weekends are awesome.

Here is a finished onesie that I embroidered last night while watching Doubt. The design came from a new book I got last week called Doodle Stitching. Sublime Stitching also has a huge selection of adorable, modern and retro designs.

Last night we also made s'mores...I seriously love roasting marshmallows. And the fire pit at my parent's house is beautiful + the smoke keeps the bugs away.


And this is Bella just looking cool in my sunglasses.


We have had a very productive weekend so far. We hit up the local farmer's market on Saturday morning. It's a little early still for lots of good veg but I see potential there and it's pretty close to our house. We also got some new outdoor chairs and a fire pit of our own!
We cleaned out our closets and will be dropping off a load at the Good Will in the next few days.
I am also working on getting my project room back in order. It feels good to get some spring cleaning done.
Tomorrow we are hitting up the garden store for some herb plants, hanging flower baskets, and some other gardening supplies. Looking forward to getting lots done in the morning and relaxing all afternoon :)

projects...

I've been working on lots of different projects lately. I think this is a symptom of crafting ADD (I am recently diagnosed). One thing I have noticed about a lot of the crafting blogs I read are that most craftistas seem to do a little bit of everything. I am excited to learn all the crafts so I can apply my own style to each one. Still working on that, too.
I find embroidery very relaxing...and much easier than I had envisioned. With each new craft I try, I find this to be the case. I can foresee lots of cute gift creations using embroidery. And it's a great stress reliever after a rough day of work (they all seem a bit rough lately to be honest).

Chicago

Last weekend we met up with my old friends Stacey and Elena who were both in Chicago for the weekend. We all met & became friends while teaching English in Japan back in 2002. It was chilly and windy, as Chicago often is...but we had great food, shopped, and got lots of exercise walking around the city. It was great to catch up with them!


I'm always so impressed with how clean Chicago is...and there were gorgeous color-drenched flowers like these awesome tulips everywhere. We got to check out the fabulous view from the 70-something floor of Marina City and take in the beautiful city skyline at night.

also...

couldn't help but tell a story about this little mister.
Here he is hiding under the blanket folded at the bottom of our bed.
He looks kind of cute here - but don't be fooled.
He isn't that nice though he is surprisingly delicate even with all his claws. He used to be cuddly and sweet...when he was a baby.
Now he waits for us to all get into bed and turn out the lights. Then he sprints around the house, crashes through doors and into walls, and gets any random scraps of paper he can to battle with.
I also just caught him running from the bathroom with something in his mouth. I'm not quite sure what it was - probably just a piece of paper. He high-tailed it into the bedroom and disappeared under the bed. When I got down there to retrieve whatever it was he had stolen, I found he has made himself a little cave in the lining of the box spring. He tore a hole in it and I think naps in there - now I'm curious what other missing items he has pack-ratted.
Jerk.

ummm....

There's been a little of this lately...at least as far as the blog goes. I have such good intentions. The blogs I read on the regular are so inspiring and I feel that I have made some progress in my goal of making time for creative projects. I just need to get into a better routine and take photos of them all. Sunny weather also helps motivate me :)

And without further ado....

we welcome to our family Addison Grace!! I am an auntie for the first time and I could NOT be more EXCITED! She is an absolute doll and those cheeks....OMG! Addie was born on April 3rd at 6:19 p.m. weighing in at 7 pounds 9 ounches and with a length of 18 inches (cute little shorty).

My First Quilt

The quilt has been done for a few weeks now but I delivered it without taking a photo of the final product. So here it is!! I used a patterm from Victoriana Quilt Designs and then modified it just a bit.