Presidential Social-Network Butterfly

I'm currently enjoying the Official White House Photostream on Flickr. My favorites are the candids of President Obama just doing everyday things. Its sort of like the fascination of seeing your teachers or boss outside of school or the work place :P Its just interesting and makes you realize that these are just ordinary people who do ordinary things. I think its great how President Obama is aware of how impactful technology and the Internet can be nowadays. I think its great that they post these photos...c'mon you can even follow the man on Twitter...granted its probably not him but another minion of his but still...first Leno, now Twitter...I wonder what social network we'll see President Obama on next ;)

Thrift store finds.

Aren't these the cutest? I found these adorable prints at the thrift store for 3 bucks each including the frames! They are a great addition to Carmen's room. Gotta love great thrift store finds :)

Sun + Family = Bliss

My "pseudo-in-laws" are in visiting from PA. And they couldn't have come at a better time. The weather this weekend is amazing. 80-90 degrees; it's lovely. His mom recently moved up north to be with the rest of her family and they've missed the beach so after church we had lunch @ Dockside down at the pier. I love my little beach town!

I swear my nautical outfit was a coincidence...
I wore this to church before I knew we were going to the pier...
I'm just good like that :P

Mmm fried calamari & iced tea. Being born and raised in Va Beach
I have a healthy love and appreciation for seafood ;)

Carmen and her bestie!

Hope everyone had a great weekend, regardless of the weather wherever you might be. Happy sailings!

A NIECE! YAYE!

So I recently got news that my big sis is having a girl! Yaye! That means, 1) Carmie will have a girl cousin to play with, and 2) I can finally start crafting some sweet baby girl things for the little niece. I've been saving a list of different things I want to make for her. I bought a few fat quarters of fabric that I'm excited about. Unfortunately, my projects will have to be behind the scenes as I do want to keep the gifts a surprise. But once they are received I'll be sure to post pics! Congrats Ryan & Angel!

P.S. thats my sis and her bump. I stole it from her FB. hah! Sorry!

Darned pollen...

I had quite a productive weekend yet I can't help but feel that all I did was blow my nose all day. I love Spring and I love flowers but can't they reproduce in a less eye-watering, irritating way? I have a film of yellow pollen on my car. Poo. It was quite beautiful this weekend, but unfortunately allergies left me to retreat to the confines of my home. At least I got a leg up on some Spring cleaning...and napping :) Lastly, I finished off the rest of the Easter eggs and made some egg salad. I used a similar recipe to this one, except I used chopped onions instead of onion flakes and added 1/2 - 1/4 tsp. paprika. Hope everyone had a good weekend...I'm off to take another batch of allergy medicine :P

An apple a day...

Lala...hello everybody. I've been having a couple of rough mornings, so I've been "self-medicating" with Caramel Macchiatos for breakfast the past few mornings haha :P Not the healthiest but still very much needed. As some may know, my fave breakfast is actually slices of apples and sharp cheddar cheese.

I love love apples. I wasn't such a big fan of them until I got preggers with Carmen. I was lucky enough to crave something healthy and delicious. Now I am addicted to apples. So I thought it was pretty clever when I came across this Apple A Day Poster on Etsy. Basically, you put the little stickers from your apples on the grid poster and when its all filled up-viola! Instant pop-art. I'd have one of these babies filled up in no time ;)

Weekend Sewing Mosaic

Weekend Sewing Mosaic
Originally uploaded by savannahchik

The wonderful boyfriend surprised me with Heather Ross' latest book, Weekend Sewing, for our anniversary. I saw her book featured on a few other blogs and was just blown away by all the charming little projects. Best part is that you can make each project in the book within a weekend or less. And thats a good thing for busy mamas like me. Thank you dear you are the best!

Don't put the cart before the horse...

So was it silly of me to commit to buying a bike trailer for Carmen before I actually have a bike to attach it to? Haha...I couldn't help myself! I blame it being a slow day at work and me perusing the craigslist listings. But in my defense it is in great shape, the lady was offering it for only 80 bucks, and she is just around the corner in Chesapeake. Plus, there were a lot of people looking for bike trailers in the WANTED section so I knew I had to act fast. The seller called me back quite quickly and it sorta threw me off guard, I'd figured it'd be gone already. So I had no choice but to commit. Sigh...me and my impulse buying...

Happy Easter!

Hello all! Happy Easter! I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter with those you love. Just wanted to share a little Easter Bunna I whipped up for Carmen's basket.

I couldn't stop giggling while I sewed her sweet little face on :) She's just a wee bunna because Lord knows Carmen has a whole plethora of stuffed animals, so I wanted to keep this one pocket size.

Happy Easter from Squishy Face Carmen >:}

Carmen Rambling of the Day:

(Kyle chasing Carmen around the house)
Carmen: "HELP ME AMERICA!!!!"

Bday wishin' and beach cruisin'

My birthday is next month and I figured out what I really want. I think top on my list is a Beach Cruiser. I've lived in a beach town all my life and I don't know why I haven't gotten one sooner. I'm picturing the little one and I riding our bikes along the boardwalk on breezy summer afternoons. My only requirements for the bike are:

1. A vanilla colored bike with a matching seat. (The black seats don't scream "beachy" enough for me.) I was contemplating a pink or teal one, but I think they are too flashy for my taste.

2. The cruiser should have the sweet fender thingies over the wheels. AND...

3. The ability to accessorize it with basket!

I plan on testing some out @ the local bike shops, but for now I'll have to browse online shops for beauties like this one.

Isn't she pretty? This bike was made for me. I mean c'mon its called the Bella Fashionista?! Thats Twilight and Fashion all wrapped up in a beach cruiser :P haha...I'm a nerd I know...If anyone knows of any good local bike shops...lemme know ;)

Kid Craft Jamboree

Check it out! My Washi Eggs are featured as one of the Easter crafts for Kiddio's Kid Craft Jamboree. Head on over to see all the other great entries and fun stuff to do with the little ones this Easter season. Enjoy!

Soy Nut Butter is soy not Peanut Butter...

I've had peanut allergies since I was young. I do remember being able to eat Peanut M&Ms and Baby Ruths, but then at some point I developed a peanut allergy. Its not anything too serious that I need to carry an Epi-pen or die when my boyfriend kisses me. There is a lot of itching and swelling, either way its not fun.

I have felt quite deprived of the childhood right of passage that is- the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. I've never had peanut butter and I really really want to know what it tastes like. Mainly because I have a major sweet tooth and I know the combo of chocolate and PB is quite a popular one. I simply can't relate because of the mere fact that I've never had the opportunity of tasting it. I've never had a Reese's Peanut Buttter or cup or any other favorite treats.

So I was quite excited when I stumbled upon Soy Nut Butter, which is "supposed" to be an equivalent to PB for us that are PB intolerant. I figured, this is it! I'm going to know what PB tastes like. Well, lets just say...if PB tastes like straight up wet cement...then I'm okay with my peanut allergy. I had my PB expert (the boyfriend) taste it and he informed me that Soy Nut Butter is definitely NOT the equivalent to Peanut Butter. You'd figure with all the awareness of peanut allergies within the few years like the "Peanut Free" tables in elementary schools and advancements with trying to build peanut immunities that they could come up with a peanut butter equivalent that actually tasted good. If anyone else has had better experiences with PB "equivalents" please educate me. If not, I guess I'll never know the creamy taste of a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich...sigh.

No longer an unfinished project...

I whipped this little tote up last night. Its actually the first sewing project I've finished in awhile. Matter of fact, I started this tote a few months ago and I just finished it last night by adding the inner liner. I haven't really done much sewing for sometime. I've just been busy with life and what not, and I guess it shows by how some of my stitching looks :P I attempted to do some abstract stitch work to accent the heart, it didn't turn out quite as I wanted but ahh well...its not much, but hey its a functioning bag that I plan to just throw whatever overflow doesn't fit in my purse. Which is pretty sad because my bag is already pretty huge and pretty heavy. Its a good couple pounds. I don't do small bags. Happy Friday!

Washi Eggs for Easter

My daughter's grandparents (on Dad's side) were stationed in Okinawa, Japan for sometime and when her grandmother came back, she brought over the most beautiful handblown Washi Eggs. So I decided to make a few of my own for Easter :) I used this set of directions I found online. They were the most detailed. I posted some of my own pics so you could see action shots versus illustrations. But for all measurements and instructions I suggest to refer to the PDF. So let's get crackin'...hah get it...eggs...ok...

Washi eggs are traditionally made out of real eggshells. But I wanted something that would withstand my 3 year old. Plus, I just don't have that sort of time to blow out eggs and let them dry and all that jazz. So I opted for the slacker way and used woooden eggs from Michael's. They were about 79 cents a piece, plus you have the option of picking up smaller or larger goose eggs.

For the wooden Washi Eggs you'll need the following which can all be found @ Michael's or your local craft store:


-Wooden eggs
-Origami paper
-Mod Podge
-Varnish
-sponge applicator/standard brushes
-scissors
-measuring tape

First measure your egg so you know what size to cut your origami paper. The PDF says to halve the second measurement. I didn't, I left all measurements as measured and it worked out fine for me. Matter of preference I suppose. Cut and mark your paper according to the nicely drawn PDF illustration.

This is what your paper should look like opened up.

Put a generous amout of Mod Podge on the egg and paper. Gently wrap the paper around the egg, making sure there is enough to cover both the top and bottom.

Paste down the "fenced" edges making sure to overlap the previous strip.

Continue all around top and bottom until egg
is covered and viola! Washi Eggs in time for Easter!