Pillowcase dress and bias tape

I finally got around to making a pillowcase dress for my daughter. End of summer, but she requested it especially long and I made the armholes deeper than planned, so she should actually be able to wear this every summer for most of her life.
I will direct you to a popular tutorial that I plan to use next time I make one of these, but, really, there are so many tutorials online for these dresses-some with ribbon casing at the top like this one, some with it through the arms, some with elastic, some from non-pillowcase fabric, etc.-that it would be worth it for you to look around and find the one that you like best. I looked at several and then, when it came down to it, followed none of them exactly. Probably why my armholes ended up so large.
I did make my own bias tape for the arms. I've done this before, but this was the first time to use my Clover Bias Tape Maker. Much less tedious this way. The package comes with instructions, but like everything else, online tutorials are abundant. To start with, here's one for making the tape and one for sewing it to your garment.
If any of you purchased floral sheet sets in the late 70s or 80s, or slept on your parents', you may recognize this pillowcase. This was the last in our household that hadn't been recycled into rags or dropcloth. I added the ribbon trim around the bottom to match the ribbon at the neck.
This is a simple sewing project, but if you're like me, problems seem inevitable until you've worked through it several times. I expect it will be faster and easier next time.

Vintage nesting blocks

You may recall my affinity for wooden blocks and bright colors. These are no exception. A friend gave me these nesting blocks before I had my first baby because she had a feeling I'd like them. Good call! Knowing, though, that we wouldn't need them for at least a few months, I arranged them on a cute little shelf in her bedroom and there they've sat collecting dust since. I decided it was time to dust them off, show them off, and actually play with them.
The decal images are fun and have retained their bright color. I would love to showcase each individual image but that would require too many pictures, even for me. I detailed of couple of the quirkiest ones above: the gnome (he appears in at least 4 of the decals) medicating a sick bird and a smoking hedgehog.

Calling all ice cream makers

The stomachs you feed will thank you for taking the time to make this delicious frozen treat.
I found the recipe at Joy the Baker and, since chocolate peanut butter has always been a favorite ice cream flavor of mine, I knew I had to try it. Absolutely worth it. Take her warning seriously, though. You may have a very hard time controlling yourself when it comes time to eat.

Camping for a day

I love camping. Funny, because we didn't camp as a family when I was growing up, but I've since discovered it's one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend. We haven't had many opportunities to camp in recent years, or maybe just haven't seized the opportunities, but are still excited about introducing our children to the joys of living for a weekend in the great outdoors.
Last time we camped, my oldest was 16 months old and I was 7 months pregnant suffering from sharp back pain. At that time, I came up with some criteria for our camping eligibility: must be less than 7 months pregnant, must have immobile lap baby or walking baby (I wasn't keen on the idea of keeping a crawling baby out of danger at the campsite. I think that's why we didn't camp the summer I wasn't pregnant.), and must camp with other people (unless children are old enough to help out or at least be free from danger for a few minutes). That's it.
But this summer I was hit hard with the camping bug. I was hesitant to break my second rule, however, so to test the waters, we spent a day camping with some friends. This turned out to be loads of fun (minus, of course, some setbacks like getting the day started much later than planned and having a child fall and scream in alleged pain for an hour or two--yes, same child that fell at the grocery store).
First, it was a beautiful weekend. We began our adventure with a picnic when we arrived at the state park. We walked for an up-close view of the river then hit the creek. I've mentioned before that I love wading. This time was no exception, just different. With a baby strapped to you and a small child or two pulling on your hands, your sense of fallibility is a lot keener (or your sense of fall-ability, whatever you want to call that). Still, I loved pointing out the crawdads, minnows, clam shells, slippery moss-covered rocks, etc. just as I loved my dad pointing them out to me and my sister. And, of course, I loved the feel of the clear, cool water over my feet and up my to my knees. We walked, waded, and climbed until the creek joined the river then paused for snacks at the river's edge.
Several times this summer, my daughter and I have played "campfire" at the playground and have eaten imaginary s'mores, so I was looking forward to seeing her reaction to the real thing. After our wading trip and some time spent at the playground, we set up "camp" and prepared our fire. The kids loved playing in the tent, although, without being staked down it became a game to bounce around inside causing the tent to roll over. No matter.
We roasted hot dogs, marshmallows, instructed the kids in the art of building the perfect s'more, played around in the moonlight (gorgeous full moon), stargazed a bit and packed up. At the end of the day, I figured the only things we lacked in making this an actual camping trip was sleeping and eating breakfast, which I felt pretty confident we could handle. Wow, I had even broken rule number two.
Unfortunately, it's too late for us to squeeze in a camping trip this summer, but I'm going to plan early next year (Can someone hold me accountable to that?) and wholeheartedly recommend to anyone dragging their feet about family camping that you try a day camping adventure to get your feet wet (actual wading, optional).
In case you're wondering, here are the criteria I went with for choosing a park: accessible water for playing, picnic space, playground, fire pit, drive under 2 hours, no park fees, convenient bathrooms, space for free play and crawling. Additional criteria could be: stroller-accessible trails, fishing, swimming, canoeing, etc. So many options!
Happy belated camping!

P.S. Pardon me for being so wordy this week or thank me for the brief nap you may have taken while attempting to read my blog.

The birthday cake

I finished it. Sort of. I didn't have the energy at 11:30pm to pipe the rosettes on top so I just poured on all the ganache. That's why it's about 5/8 inch thick. Seriously, look at that. I've since realized that wasn't the smartest move as I keep having to discard a large portion of it from my plate after eating a piece. I never thought I'd make something too rich for myself.
This is the Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cake adapted by Tartelette (yes, it's the same cake minus the rosettes, her picture is just way better than mine) from Marcel Desnaulniers. It is very good. I've made the cake from the cover of his cookbook multiple times and it's a big crowd pleaser, so I can say confidently that at least two recipes from that book are worth having.
Oh yes, and I watched my free movie rental. I have not washed the dishes.

S'more time, please

That's all I ask. More time. More time to finish making my own birthday cake, more time to sweep the rice off the floor, more time to wash the dishes, to play at the park, to go camping, to learn the words to that song stuck in my head, to sit and have tea with a friend, to take a shower, to remember how amazing and fun small children really are....
Yesterday was my birthday. My kids were looking forward to it, as they'd helped Daddy make a surprise gift for me and had been counting down the days on the calendar. Mainly, I think they wanted to eat cake.
With my birthday on a Monday, I knew going into it that it was going to be a pretty normal day. You know, life with kids, but with a special party at the end. I was looking forward to making my own birthday cake so I could try something new that I wouldn't necessarily have the excuse to make otherwise. Never mind that I waited until the last minute, as usual, and had to settle for my 3rd choice cake. It was still my choice and was going to be good.
The kids enjoyed helping mix the ingredients and were excited to see the three cake layers sitting on the counter, although, weren't able to understand why we couldn't yet dig in. I planned to finish it up during their "rest" time, chill it in the fridge during afternoon play time at the park, and have it sitting beautifully before us after dinner. Unfortunately, I was short on an important ingredient. Why haven't I learned to thoroughly read directions and look for all ingredients even when I think I have them? I couldn't exactly run to the store by myself so I had to wait until after nap time.
I'll skip all the fun we had when my daughter fell in the parking lot of the store, hurt her knee and screamed until I had all kids seated in one of those grotesquely huge pink plastic butterfly-shaped steering-wheeled carts, with which I proceeded to practically knock down an entire display of paper towels standing about 9 feet high and a rack of canned beans, and move right to finishing the cake at home.
My daughter hadn't taken a nap during the prescribed rest time, had remembered her knee was scraped and bloody, was probably hungry, definitely sweaty and dirty (this was to be the no-matter-what-happens-it's-bath night since they hadn't bathed after our state park trip on Saturday) when we got home from the store. Not good under any circumstances, but especially considering I was trying to assemble some sort of healthy dinner (cereal?) while preparing two separate frostings for a layer cake intended to be eaten in about 30 minutes that really required a few hours additional chill time, feeding the baby, and directing my son to stop whatever it was he was doing.
Amazingly, I kept up with things until the kids had been fed, I'd put the baby to bed, listened to my kids melt down during their bath with Daddy, and come back to the cake. Then I realized it wasn't going to happen.
At the end of this long day, we celebrated my birthday with oven-toasted s'mores. Felt sort of like Mr. Bean's Christmas sandwiches. (Except my cake wasn't thrown out the window so I still need to finish it once it firms up again from being left out too long in the heat when I attempted to pour on the ganache a while ago.) Happily, the kids ate these as if they'd never heard of birthday cake and were thrilled to help me open birthday cards from faraway, loving family.
After celebrating, my husband put the kids to bed while I ran the intimidating tower of laundry, created by my not-so-keen on toilet-training child, downstairs to wash and rode my bike to the video store to get my free birthday rental. Which we didn't watch because we were too interested in the Olympics.
I don't know when I'll have the time to finish my cake, eat it, watch my movie, wash the dishes, or do all the other things I'd like, but I did manage to find time just now to remember that the people who loved me yesterday on my birthday probably still love me today, that my kids really had fun driving that big shopping cart, eating s'mores, and keeping a little birthday secret with their dad, that I enjoyed some fresh nighttime air on my bike, and that if days were filled with all the time I wanted they probably wouldn't be nearly as interesting and the changes we see in our children wouldn't seem nearly as amazing. Hmm. Happy birthday!

Rice play

This is one of those activities you have most likely seen on every blog or read in every child's activity book, but there's a good reason for that. Besides all the actual learning that can be achieved through this activity, it happens to just be fun. And it's super easy to throw together, so it's great for rainy or stressful days.
I filled two big, lidded, aluminum baking pans with rice, then hid some small toys in each. I set out some digging toys, rubbermaid dishes, and funnels. My kids enjoyed digging for the treasures repeatedly. They enjoyed scooping, filling, pouring, and then, inevitably, spilling or throwing. For some reason, I wasn't expecting as much mess as it made, but it was easy to clean up and worth the effort. I think I may transfer the rice to a bigger container that may, theoretically, reduce spills and store more easily.
For benefits of and variations on this type of play, try googling rice box, rice tables, colored rice, etc. I apologize for my laziness in not wanting to take the time to link to several of the great articles on rice play myself. Or maybe I'll just blame the Olympics.

Still summer

My kids are not school-aged yet so we're not buying supplies at Target or buying fall clothes or even getting on the bus for school. But with so many around us doing so, it's hard not to feel a bit of impending doom that means winter is around the corner. (Maybe that sounds dramatic, but come on! Last winter was rough!) I intend to savor summer as long as possible here in Chicago where it feels so brief to begin with.
Today, I just thought I'd remember wading through the fountains in the warm sun at Millenium Park while wishing it wouldn't look silly for me to join those kids under the water spout.

Peanut butter jars, revised edition

I noticed on Crafty Crow, today, another example of the peanut butter jar storage I had posted about here a few months ago. That reminded me to show you our updated version: peanut butter jars with lose-proof lids. I drilled a small hole through the side of the jar, near the top, and a hole in the center of the lid. I threaded a piece of an old shoelace (loss-prevention laces, I'm calling them) through each hole and knotted it on the inside. Ta da!
(Note: You could use any kind of lace, string or ribbon, keeping it short to avoid dangerous situations for babies.)

Update: For more detailed instructions and photos of the process, see my post at Blissful Kids.

The Chex in the mail

I'm inclined to think cereal boxes can be used for pretty much everything. Today, ours became post cards, letter booklets, and mailing envelopes. At top, our envelope with mailing label attached to the front and two post cards my kids wrote to their grandparents (be surprised, Mom). Above, the backs of the post cards and a booklet made from sandwiching cereal box with white cardstock (I like to machine stitch them together). I thought it could be a short recount of our visit to the sculpture park, but as we haven't done that yet, I stuck in a picture of the baby (using my new circle cutter!). Hopefully, later, the kids will fill it in with writing, drawings, and more photos.
Below are the basics for making an envelope from a cereal box.

Summer squash

I have a feeling many of you have squash ripening in your garden, coming to you in your CSA box or you're getting it from your local farmer's markets. Or, maybe you're like me and you just buy it when you can at the grocery store. Any way you do it, now's a great time for zucchini and squash cooking. Here are a few recipes we've enjoyed recently.

This zucchini bread recipe is quite a bit different from the one I'm used to making. You may be surprised by the ingredient list. The kids helped me make it and we all liked it. (I did decrease the amount of curry powder. Oh, and I left out the crystallized ginger since I've had an aversion to that since my first pregnancy. Are you intrigued now?)

Mmm...Summer squash soup. Did not disappoint. I found this via Soule Mama.


This has been one of my favorites for a few years, now.

Zucchini Quesadillas
4 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini (about 1 lb.), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 c frozen corn kernels (4 oz.)
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 c grated pepper jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 3 Tbs oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1 tsp salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute more.
2. Add zucchini and frozen corn kernels; cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is soft and corn is tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro, if using.
3. Brush one side of all tortillas with remaining Tbs oil; lay tortillas, oiled side down, on a baking sheet. Place half of the filling on each, and sprinkle with half the cheese. Place remaining 2 tortillas on top, oiled side up; press down gently with a spatula to seal.
4. Bake until cheese has melted and tortillas are golden brown, turning once, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool slightly. To serve, slice each quesadilla into wedges.

I always add black beans to ours and often use whole wheat tortillas.
When I don't want to turn on the oven, we cook these on the stove. Nice and crispy when you butter the pan.

From Everyday Food.

P.S. According to my parents: As a child, I referred to bikinis as zucchinis. Just thought you'd want to know that about me. Makes me laugh.

Kids Workshop at The Home Depot

I'm usually pretty out of touch when it comes to free activities in which I could involve my kids, but my friend Jenny turned me on to this one. The Home Depot offers these fun Kids Workshops once a month at their stores. You take your child and they're given a free, personalized work apron (child-sized in the signature orange) and a project kit. I can't say exactly how it goes down because my husband took my daughter last weekend, but I know an employee instructs the parent-child teams on how to complete the day's project and when they're finished, the children are given achievement pins to stick on their aprons-much like scout badges, with an image for each specific completed project.
According to the store website, they sometimes make useful or educational pieces like mail organizers and bug or bird houses. We went on flag holder day. Oh well. Still fun for the kids. And as the website promised, it allowed for quality one-on-one time between my husband and my daughter, which was our goal that morning.
As you can see from the photos, the kit comes in bare wood, you assemble it at the store, and then can paint it at home. My daughter painted the flag and pole this morning. While wearing her new work apron, of course. She's excited about painting the base, as well, and I'm looking forward to watching their solution for how to use it during play.

Parking lots and puddles

Thank goodness children are fascinated with the outdoors. Don't you love summer? I rarely need to plan activities for these guys (and be certain, I don't) as long as we can go outside and explore. Here are a million pictures of today's adventure.

Walking up and down stairs and slopes. Jumping from the same.

Sitting in out of the ordinary places.

Scaring strange bugs.

Splashing in puddles left by yesterday's storms. This is actually a favorite activity of ours. We have figured out that the poorly cared for parking lots at the local elementary and high schools are prime locations for puddle-splashing. The kids come home as wet as if they'd been wading at the beach. It provides a wide open area for them to run around playing newly invented games, too. I never knew parking lots were so much fun.

Finding treasures. So glad it's a plastic bottle cap and not the condom I saw floating in the puddle. (Oops, did I just strike myself out of the family-friendly blog category?)

Picnicking on the steps. (Look at those lovely sit-upons turned placemats!)

Watching the patient baby nibbling on bread. She did get to roll through the puddles and was significantly splashed by her siblings.
Hope you're having fun outdoors!

More on blueberries

We have baked and eaten our way through the last of our fresh, hand-picked blueberries. From this point on, it's frozen or store-bought. I'm glad some of you tried our faithful poundcake! And thanks for the recipe suggestions. Here's what I went with this season: the pie and poundcake, which you saw, and finally these blueberry lime tartlets and blueberry lemon corn muffins. I try especially hard to choose recipes that sound like I'll really like them and that either produce something tasty without using up my entire stash of berries or something that uses a lot of raw berries. I'm not a big fan of cooked berries, at least I haven't tried a baked pie or cobbler that convinces me, and I love the taste of raw blueberries. So, anyway, I felt like these recipes did the trick. These last two came from the trusty Epicurious recipe catalog.
If you like dressing up your desserts, try homemade whipped cream and lime zest on your tartlets and sweetened sour cream on your muffins.
I'd still be interested in hearing how you all are using your berries this summer. Please share!

Oh yeah, a hint on the tartlets. I didn't think the recipe made enough lime curd. In the future, I would definitely make more and use any leftovers as a spread on other baked goods.