a keeper

once in awhile, you come across one of those recipes that are so good and so easy, that you wonder why it took so long to find it. sour cream ice cream is one of those recipes. i've made it twice in one week, and it's found a home in my recipe card holder that only houses tried and true recipes.
the recipe is from gourmet magazine. i would purchase this magazine for that recipe alone, but in fact it has so many that look good. here is the recipe:


sour cream ice cream
from gourmet magazine (july 2009)

1 tub chilled sour cream
1 Cup Chilled Half & Half Cream (I used Light Cream and it was fine)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Chilled Heavy Cream
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Puree all ingredients with 1/8 tsp of salt in a blender until smooth. Put in your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

This is the perfect summer dessert. With pie would be even better, but alone is perfectly alright too.

around here...

after lots of sewing for other people, i felt the urge to make something for myself. i thought a new summer bag was in order with one of my absolute favorite fabric prints. i've been saving this one for awhile, never really wanting to cut into it. but after seeing a cute bag on this blog, which directed me to these patterns by ali foster, i just decided it was time. (i've been constantly inspired by Blair's blog and projects lately.)

i'm really happy with the outcome, it's the perfect size and actually was fun to make. minimum pieces, and i love sewing bias binding. it's also reversible!

now, onto my next project (more like obsession) sprucing up my home. i go in and out of phases like this, but since i am home full time now, i think i've caught the home dec bug again. first of all, my bedroom needs a serious sprucing up. we have some beautiful dark wood pieces we were lucky to inherit and find at super discount prices. but it feels pretty drab. i found this photo in elle decor (july/august 2009) and am completely inspired. i am now on the hunt for those night tables! and the lamps too.

the bedroom is from the home of monelle totah. the rest of her home is just as beautiful, take a look:i'm going to scour craigslist and hit the local home sense store this afternoon. i suspect there will be some upcoming posts on home updates very soon.

summer is finally here!

the last day of school was today. i am breathing a big sigh of relief. summer finally feels here and we have the humidity to prove it.

we will now have a lot more time to spend with our sweet mia (james is most happy about this).

and with her twin brother and sister who are getting more adorable each day.

i get to spend a lot more time with my younger sister (who is stealing a moment to actually eat in this picture- those 4 month twins and mia keep her pretty busy right now).

she is such a good mom.

and camden really likes their backyard so if we're not home, we'll be a few blocks aways at their house.

happy summer!

'start as you mean to end'

glen's late nana used to tell me 'start as you mean to end'. I was 16 years old at the time, and i really didn't understand the meaning behind it. she would repeat it occasionally through the years, but it wasn't until i was married that it truly resonated with me.

being a mom has led me to new interpretations of it. specifically with how i start my day. now that i am home and caring for the boys all day, i find myself easily distracted and without focus. if i haven't accomplished much by lunchtime, i feel that my day is lost. and there is usually no getting it back at that point.

but if i start my day with unloading the dishwasher, clearing the kitchen counters and perhaps even a plan for dinner that night, then things are much different. if the toys are in their place (reasonably so, at least), then i think more clearly. if i manage some of this early in my day, i find myself able to spend more time with the boys reading and playing and maybe even spare some moments of quiet alone time with my coffee.

all this being said, i am not sure why those days of starting off poorly creep in. today, i had one of those days and i can just hear nana with her thick scottish accent telling me 'sandra, start as you mean to end!'

i wish she was here to see me finally get it. and also to remind me of it when i forget. because i'd rather the boys remember the days with me as being organized and calm, with as little stress as possible and with a mama who was really present. so, starting tomorrow, i will be starting the day as i mean to end it....with purpose and a clear head.

week 2- update

i'm 2 weeks into being a stay at home mama, and so far it is going very well. i was a little ambitious and booked every single appointment i've neglected for the last year into these few weeks, but finally things are slowing down.

camden is in school for another 2 weeks, so i am enjoying the quiet mornings and gearing up for the long summer days. he did graduate from kindergarten this week.

there are days that i am feeling a little frazzled, but i just remember how hard it was being at work and i am quickly over it. i am aware, however, that it has only been 2 weeks and by the end of summer with 2 boys around all day, every day, i could be completely insane. i am taking preventative measures and have already started yoga classes with a friend.

with my new found domesticity, i made a share worthy cake. i was craving one of those chocolate snackin' cakes my mom used to make from a box when i was a kid but they're no longer available. thanks to the wondrous internet, i quickly found this recipe and it is fab-u-lous!

i get a lot of satisfaction in making a cake that fills up a 9 x 12" lasagna pan. i will be making this one often.

teepees, sandboxes and summer

now that i will be home with the boys full time, i am seriously organizing and preparing for the summer. particularly in the backyard. camden has a few more weeks of school, but after that we will find ourselves with lots of time on our hands.

i remember loving my backyard as a kid, but when i look around our background now it feels kind of empty and i wonder what they can do back there.

i don't want to fill it up with plastic toys and junk, but I am trying to find something that will encourage them to stay and play out there as long as possible.

if i had large trees, i would start with a hammock. but we don't have any. and i've been thinking of this all day...

image is from cookie magazine blog

except i'd want one meant for the outdoors and they are crazy expensive. i'm not feeling up to making one either.
i am also considering a sandbox. but glen is convinced it will be a mud pit, and get dragged in the house. so we're not sold on that idea either.
what's in your backyard? what keeps your kids, if you have any, busy and occupied? help!

weekend sewing

i received heather ross's weekend sewing for mother's day, and it is a really inspirational book. i love the fact that someone out there understands that some of us only have weekends to sew. sometimes life doesn't allow for much more than that.

the projects in here are very straightforward and often times quick, too. take this checkbook cover, for example. i made one for a good friend of mine and then followed up with one for me since I liked it so much.

next time, i might add some stiff fusing to make it a little more sturdy though.

very fast, very easy, and very fun to make.

this dress was the first thing i made from the book for my niece, Mia. sometimes i wish i had a daughter just so i could make things like this. luckily, i have 3 nieces to curb any thoughts of trying for a girl. my hands are full enough as it is. i did get a few kicks trying it on jamie for a proper fitting though (oh, i wish i took a picture of that).

i did try making the travel case/cosmetics bag, but it turned out completely skewed and ridiculous, or abstract, a term that sounds much better. instead, i made this simple pouch for my friend's birthday.

just thought i would mention that blunder so no one is under any illusion that i am constantly creating beautiful things around here. there are some hits, but many misses and usually i don't feel the need to post about the failures. although that may make a good post one day, too.

happy monday!