How 'bout a bedtime story?

Ask any one of the moving companies who've helped me set up shop over the years and they can verify that I have a thing for books. A big thing for books. A big, freakin' thing.

My tiny condo is overflowing with hardbacks and paperbacks, even though I keep making an effort to sort through and downsize. My book collecting habit started early and I feel pretty certain I was the only kindergartner with a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in my room that covered most of one wall. (I, um, also began my still-with-me habit of being a perpetually late library book returner. What can I say. I've got to have the occassional flaw...)

Now that my friends are all spawning, I seem to find myself wandering around in the children's section of book stores more and more. All of which has me reminiscing about my favorite childhood books.

Thanks to the parents, who are equally voracious readers, I managed to read most of the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Medal winners growing up. But I couldn't get enough of the childhood staples like Paddington Bear, Babar, Angelina Ballerina, Corduroy, Petunia the Goose, Curious George, Berenstain Bears, and more. I still have copies of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day on my shelf and recently informed my Facebook friends that I was debating moving to Australia. I've also got a beautifully bound hardback Paddington collection.

Remember George and Martha and their effort to make pea soup? Madeline and her misadventures with the twelve little girls in two straight lines? Eloise who had the coolest life because she got to live in New York's The Plaza Hotel? (I stayed in the Plaza with my mom for a girls' weekend in my early 20s. We discussed Eloise over $14 martinis. It was totally worth it.)

So tell me, what were your favorites? Why did/do you love them? And what books do you want to make sure are on your now or future kids' bookshelves?

Want some inspiration? Check out the Children's Literature Book Club, a cool blog for grownups who still love to read stuff for the ankle-biting set.

Brrr! It's cold in here....

It's felt like fall for all of 24 hours and I'm already moving on to winter. A transition that was aided and abetted by the arrival of the most recent Athleta catalog, which showed up in my mailbox this afternoon.

I'm nosing around for some new boots, because mine are impossible to walk in, much less safely pilot a vehicle. (Note to North Face designers: Please think about these things before you have me spend $150 on a pair of spaceman-looking boots. I'll be sure to do the same.)


But I've also come to the realization that while my trusty winter coat may be warm, it's also ugly as, well, you know ... and sort of reminiscent of a 1920s duster coat that should be worn by a member of the AARP. In Chicago, you don't screw with winter and when it's 30 below, we all pretty much throw fashion out the window and wear so many layers, it's hard to distinguish the homeless from the not. (Offensive? C'est la vie. That's how we roll in the city of big shoulders.) Still, that doesn't stop me from wanting to upgrade. So when I saw this, I confess to getting a little giddy:

But with a $238 price tag, I'm not sure I'm willing to pony up my MasterCard number just yet.

What say you, peeps? Thoughts? Suggestions? An offer for a nice beach vacation sometime in February?

Fun with markers.

This is a mandala, a symbolic representation of "wholeness" that can be used in meditation and other spiritual endeavors. Having spent time this weekend coloring one, I've got to agree with those who say that it's a relaxing activity that helps you feel centered.

According to The Mandala Project:

The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean "circle," a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

Want some artsy-crafty-feel-better time? Download a mandala and color away.

It's not you. It's the onion.

Onions are the bane of my existence. Ok, not exactly true. (Full disclosure: I'm a total drama queen.)

But, really, few things suck more than wandering around the house -- usually with my chef's knife in hand -- frantically waving at my red, tearing, and blinky eyes while I'm trying to make dinner. (And yes, I've even stooped so low to cut onions while wearing goggles. I'm sure it was comical to all involved.) But really? Who needs all this stress inflicted because of a stupid damn-yet-tasty onion.

It wasn't until I took a knife skills class here, that someone finally showed me a no-cry technique.

It's kind of hard to explain, but check out this neat YouTube video:




Too complicated? Try this on for size. Just chop your onion (any old way) next to your gas stove, while a flame is on. I've heard different reasons why this keeps your eyes tear-free: everything from the flame creating some kind of convection to the fact that the flame helps gaseous sulfur compounds released by the onion burn off before they can irritate your eyes.

Regardless of the science, which I'm sure is fabulously cool, this trick totally works. In fact, tonight's dinner = totally tear free.

If you don't have a gas burner, try a votive candle.
Just don't, you know, burn down your house. Because that would suck more than crying over a stinkin' onion.

Soups for the soul.

The leaves are changing colors in the Windy City and I finally relented and pulled my summer clothes out of the closet. So it seemed like the perfect night to bust out an easy and shockingly healthy soup recipe I love.

I usually like to give my recipes (stolen or no) saucy names. But this one, so far, is pretty g-rated and bland -- pretty much the opposite of the soup itself. The original recipe -- which has the added benefit of being totally Weight Watchers friendly -- can be found here.

Want to try my version? Here's how to do it:

Ingredients:
1 can fat free spicy refried beans
2 cans black beans
1 can diced/minced tomatoes
1 can fat-free chicken broth
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 minced cloves of garlic
2 t cayenne pepper
2 T fresh cilantro
dab of olive oil (or fat-free cooking spray)
low fat cheese (topping -- to taste)

Saute onion and garlic in a pot with a dab of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Mix the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese) together, stirring until mixed well. Then, let simmer for about 30-40 minutes on medium heat, until soup is thickened to taste. Serve in bowl and top with cheese.

I threw in some pre-cooked chicken, which made the dish extra fantastic.

Musings

Com'n. You know it's true.

Mid-morning levity

Thanks, Angry Little Girls!

Voila! (Ish.)

Check out the results from my Sunday evening pincushion project, modified from a circle to a square. My embroidery skills are a little lacking so I decided to opt out of the embellishments.

For the record, polyfill fiber stuff just feels freaky. And, you can stuff a shocking amount inside a five inch by five inch pin cushion.

Behold! Retail therapy.

Still haven't gotten to the weekend post yet.

Maybe that's because I'm so distracted by my new shoes. So excited (and, I mentioned distracted, yes?), that in fact, I've taken to clomping around the house in them (and, for an extra element of class, my jammies) all evening. Tomorrow's outfit? Hells yeah, it's totally revolving around said shoes, which I think are a kind of mix of funky girl and flamenco dancer.

However, in a prime example of self-restraint (or perhaps, more accurately, sheer self preservation) I have thus far neither danced nor pranced around the condo while wearing these puppies.

Lookie!

A blog post will be forthcoming about my weekend in the woods (and why hell must surely involve suburbs).

But first, I wanted to share this, which I discovered in an e-mail from my favorite quilt/fabric store, Quiltology.

Yep. That's yours truly, laying out squares for my Urban Amish quilt.

Isn't it cute? (Cue wild applause!)

P.S. Don't mock the horrible roots. The poor hair is in need of a dye job.

My weekend project

So yes, I'm going to be out of town until Sunday, but I'm hoping to bang out one of these cool little contraptions this weekend as well.

Want to make one, too? Here's easy-to-follow directions.

Word up, peeps

Greetings, blogglings!

Sadly for me, I'm spending the weekend hanging out here, which really should be a ton of fun. But, because I'm a hopeless addict, I just wish I could spend the weekend picking through my fabric stash and working on some quilting projects.

But to perk myself up, I've got great plans to swing by here on my way back from the hinterlands. (There, um, may or may not be a stop at the Ann Taylor outlet store that's on the way. Yum.) And I'm hoping to find some of the new Amy Butler August Fields fabric collection. Isn't it cool looking?

But I digress... So, who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell... No. I'm not Gossip Girl. Just a craftyish 20-something geekette who's recently rediscovered the joy of all things DIY -- especially in the land of fabrics.

Look for updates on my projects and links to super-cool other things I see out there on the interwebs. And, because I'm a hopeless addict of all things small, fuzzy and four-legged, there will probably be some sugar-coma-enducing tales, too!

Ciao!