Lunch

Lunch
Originally uploaded by Monkeys Jump

We fired up our new (used) grill for the first time today. We had grilled turkey burgers and grilled potatoes and onions. Just drizzled the potatoes with EVOO and added some salt and pepper and greek seasoning. Brushed the onions with a bit of EVOO. I topped my potatoes with a bit of sour cream and fire roasted salsa. I had a spinach salad on the side while Brian put his all together on a wheat tortilla and had a quesadilla burger. VERY TASTY!!!

Baby Bib

Bib
Originally uploaded by Monkeys Jump

I found a good tutorial at Homemade by Jill

I used another receiving blanket and towel from Goodwill. Sewing curves is a little trickier than straight seams but not too bad. The seams aren't perfect but I'm guessing Megan's baby won't care :)

Second Burp Cloth

Second Burp Cloth
Originally uploaded by Monkeys Jump

This is fun! These only take about 20 minutes from start to finish. I used 2 pieces of flannel from another receiving blanket that I got at Goodwill. I did it exactly the same as the first one except that I used a different decorative stitch around the edge. When I have some money I'll buy some batting to put in the middle of the fabric to make it sturdier. These are so cute!

My First Sewing Project

My First Sewing Project
Originally uploaded by Monkeys Jump

I got my sewing machine last week and I finally made something today. I piddled around with a few scraps of fabric before but this is my first finished project. I made a burp cloth out of a flannel receiving blanket and a towel. I got both items at Goodwill for 50 cents each. I can probably get another 3 or 4 burp cloths from the fabric. I didn't use a pattern, I just cut out a rectangle and straight stitched the pieces together with the wrong sides facing out. I trimmed my seam allowance and corners and then I turned it right side out. Then I did a zig-zag stitch all the way around and a straight stitch across the middle so it would fold nicely. I don't think I did too bad.

Sprouts!

Sprouts!
Originally uploaded by Monkeys Jump

We have sprouts! These little sprouts are my broccoli plants. The brussels sprouts, oregano, and chives have also started sprouting. These little guys really want to grow. The seed packets said 7-10 days and it has only been 3.

Sloppy Bobs

I have been craving Sloppy Joes recently so I found a good recipe on www.allrecipes.com. Here is the recipe http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sloppy-Joes-II/Detail.aspx
I modified it to make it a bit more healthy. Because I changed the recipe I decided to call it Sloppy Bobs. I'm just quirky like that. I used ground lean turkey and lots more onion and green pepper and also added some red bell pepper. I think next time I will add shredded carrots and maybe some spinach. I think this is a great dish to hide veggies in. I did have to add a bit more garlic powder and a tablespoon of bbq sauce and a dash of rice vinegar to get it to taste the way I wanted it. I ended up with nine 1/4 cup servings. If you put it on a light whole wheat hamburger bun it is pretty low in points. I think a sandwhich is 3 points. They are pretty filling too! I am going to take these for lunch the rest of the week.

Daily Food Diary

Breakfast: Banana and Slim Fast Bar

Lunch: Ham Sandwich and a Pickle

Snacks: Orange and Yogurt and 3 cups popcorn

Early Dinner: Pork Tenderloin, Green Beans, and a Baked Potato

After dinner snack: sloppy joe sandwhich

Total points for the day:27

I could have had another 5 points but I wasn't really hungry. I ate a ton of food today but it was all pretty healthy. I need to work on getting more veggies in there.

Future Garden Residents

_-3
Originally uploaded by Monkeys Jump

I started my seeds yesterday. I planted 4 of each type of plant just in case something doesn't grow. I figure I can give away what I don't use. I plan on growing 5 types of tomatoes, bell peppers, banana peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, oregano, thyme, chives, basil, cilantro, green beans, and cucumbers. I also planted some Lavender to put out front. Brian helped me plant the little seeds so hopefully his green thumb will rub off on the little things and they'll grow.

Faolan the Mouse Slayer

He caught a mouse. No furry woodland creature is safe. Run for your lives!

Faolan the Bunny Slayer

It happened. I knew that it would eventually. Faolan went and caught himself a rabbit. Honey initiated the chase but Faolan saw her chasing the bunny and well... he's faster. He chased the little rabbit to the big spray of ornamental grass in the backyard. He dove under and came up with his prize. I went into the bedroom and said "Brian, Faolan caught a rabbit. Should I try to get it from him?" Brian said to make sure that it was dead and let him have it. I went outside and Faolan didn't seem to know what to do with it. He was nudging it and sniffing at it. So let's just say that Brian went outside and made sure it was dead. Faolan continued to lay next to his little furry dead friend and occasionally gave it a nibble. Faolan has had raw meat plenty of times but never with skin and fur on it. He seemed a bit perplexed. So once again my husband went outside and took care of business. I went outside to see what Faolan was doing but he wasn't in his spot. I noticed the shop door was open and Brian yelled out "Don't come in here!" I responded "Are you doing what I think you are doing?" He said "Yeah!". Thank you considerate husband! I am forever in your debt for not making me witness Thumper's transition into Faolan Food. So now my Bunny Slayer is in the backyard feasting on rabbit tartare.

My Mommy Loves Me

On Tuesday my wonderful mommy bought me a sewing machine from Overstock.com. It is a refurbished Janome sewing machine that has 90 stitches. It is really nice! I will post pictures of my first project when I get my sewing area set up. I have to figure out where I am going to put it.

In other news, my dog has gone completely insane. He broke a window in the basement last week. Today when we put the dogs outside to go potty he decided it would be a good idea to jump the fence into the neighbor's yard. After he does it he acts like he can't get back into the yard. Luckily the neighbor is Brian's cousin. I am just so confused. He was fine for the first 2 months that we lived here.

Meet Happy

Meet Happy
Originally uploaded by Monkeys Jump

I was feeling crafty today and I was bummed that my sewing machine didn't come so I decided to try sewing by hand. I bought some felt a few weeks ago to make Niko a penguin. So here is the result. I just freeform cut his body and then sewed on his tummy, nose, and eyes. I probably should have looked up the correct way to sew the stiches but I figured it is for a 1 year old and he won't care. I don't think it turned out too bad for my first try!

I am going to have to start scouring the thrift stores for sewing machines again. I have a bunch of receiving blankets and pillowcases that I want to make into burp cloths and little dresses! My house is clean and I need something to do besides watch TV. I am going insane!

This is how people get skinny in St. Louis...

...they don't eat on Sundays. I drove around for about 45 minutes tonight looking for a place to eat that wasn't a national chain. We had heard really good things about a little Chinese restaurant about 15 minutes south of us, so I headed down there. They were closed. So then I called Brian and he looked up some reviews of other restaurants around the area I was in. I tried about 3 other places and they were all closed. I hadn't eaten since about 7am and my blood sugar was really low so I just stopped at McDonalds. Pretty much all of the Italian restaurants are also closed on Mondays. No wonder people aren't making any money. If you want to go out and do anything on a Sunday in St. Louis you had better go before about 5pm and go to a chain store or restaurant. Everything else is closed. I don't know why this irritates me so much. I guess we are just used to everything being open all week and also having a lot of 24 hour options. The only thing here that is 24 hours is the grocery store.

In other news, the sewing machine that I ordered 2 weeks ago STILL isn't here. The lady isn't emailing me back either. So we'll have to dispute the charge on Paypal and hope we get our money back. Guess it will be awhile before I get a sewing machine.