manifest

It's list time!

• Here's a challenge everyone should participate in: send mail to 5 friends! Everyone loves going to the mailbox and finding something fun. And you know you can always find cards at the Stamp n' Stitch Etsy shop!
• Finally got one: 
  
  
  
• I was playing around with some photo settings and inadvertently took a couple that make a perfect gif! Check it out: cruising the herb garden.
• I probably need to separate out different food groups on my Food Pinterest board. I've found a few ice cream recipes lately that I don't want to lose in the masses! ETA: I did it. Created a new board...
• On a bit more of a serious note: a wonderful post about a special needs child.

#22

rejuvenate

Remember the orange cake? More importantly, do you remember the cookbook?

I pulled it out again recently and decided the carrot loaf was next for a revival.

from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts

2½ c flour
2 t b. powder
1 t b. soda
½ t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 c raisins
1 c grated carrot (3-4 medium-sized)
¾ c chopped walnuts
1 c dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c milk
¼ c butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400º. Butter and dust with breadcrumbs an 8 to 10 cup capacity loaf pan.

Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Put raisins, walnuts, brown sugar and carrot in a large bowl. Stir to mix. Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add to the large bowl. Stir to mix. Add milk and melted butter. Stir to mix. Add dry ingredients and mix only until blended (do no overmix).

Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on a cooling rack.

My notes: I skipped the walnuts because I don't like nuts in my bread, unless they're ground finely... so I guess I could have included them if I had prepared them differently. I used two loaf pans because I was afraid mine were too small. As a result they baked way faster, and for some reason, squat quick bread isn't as satisfying, so I highly recommend checking how much your loaf pan holds and use just one. Also--you can just flour and butter the pan, or use baking spray.

Great for breakfast!

Book recommendation: Lovabye Dragon by Barbara Joosse
Recipe recommendation: Carrot Loaf
Wine recommendation: Schlink Haus Riesling

#21

patriotic

So the next WIST theme is Red, White and Blue. I was stumped for a while, and then a challenge to use any Wryn image over at Tiddly Inks popped up in my FB feed...

Thinking there had to be something I could adapt to fit the Team WIST challenge, I started scrolling through the images. 

Suddenly, there she was.

Patriotic Wryn.

I bought her immediately and printed out a card-sized version of her and got to work. Because she's a little 'sketchy', I knew colored pencils would be perfect for this round. I'd like to try crayons, too, though I might have to do a lot of sharpening for that... or print her bigger.

Still plotting on the background, I added clear Stickles to the sparkler and let everything sit for a day.

The background needed to be simple, as I wanted the attention on Wryn, so I thought making some red, white and blue stripes would be the most effective. I toyed around with adding more (or subtracting: using the star puncher on the blue), but in the end, knew I had to stick to simple. I also decided to keep her flat, rather than popping out, thinking she would still stand out from the background. 

Man, she's cute!

compartmentalize

#20

#19

aestival

Our post-tax-season vacation took us southeast this year: visiting folks in North Carolina!

A better post will be coming in this space, but in the meantime, here are a few pictures to tide you over.

Note: many things and activities were posted on Instagram!