Simple Sewing Machine Cover

We live in a very, very old apartment, and at times I feel like it's crumbling down around us.  That's really the only logical explanation for the copious amounts of dust we sweep up on a daily basis.  Well, that and our cats.  Cats (with all their shedding and the litter they track everywhere, no matter how often you sweep) create a lot of uncontrollable dust. Dust is really, really bad for sewing machines! Mine sits in a pretty out-of-the-way cubby hole next to my desk and under my printer, but cats love those kinds of places. As an extra...

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Cat Grass

Maxine and Chowder love anything that smells or looks like outside. One of their favorite activities is sitting on top of the printer and watching the birds in the backyard, and their (especially Chowder's) favorite treat is cat grass. It's my understanding that cat grass provides necessary roughage that aids in their digestion, especially when it comes to preventing hairballs. Products labeled cat grass are typically oat or wheat grass, or both. Chowder and Maxine have both been known to nip at (and devour, at least in the case of my African violets--the leaves, not the...

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Italian Love Cake

I've been working on homework all day, but I'm taking a break to stretch my brain and eat some cake. I had big plans of making a heart-shaped red velvet cake with cream cheese icing (from scratch!) last night as part of Kyle's Valentine's Day gift. When I got home from work yesterday, however, I was greeted by the smell of something warm and chocolatey. Kyle, who to my knowledge has never baked before, made me this lovely Italian Love Cake for Valentine's Day. It was great fresh out of the oven last night,...

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(Portobello) Steak and Potatoes

While we were in New Orleans recently, Kirby made these portobello mushrooms for Dawn and me that were really wonderful. Of course he didn't follow a recipe, but between the basic rundown he gave me of how he made them and the information I gleaned from hovering around him in the kitchen, I compiled a mental list of ingredients. Yesterday I decided I wanted to reproduce them, so I went to work. A lot of these numbers are just approximations because I just threw everything together and tasted as I went along, but I'll definitely be...

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Handmade Valentines

I love botanical drawings, and I've been hoarding these beautiful calendar pages for almost three years.  I decided to finally do something with them and, using some cardboard and scrapbook paper, I made a few valentines to send to a few friends.  I put these sweet babies in the mail today, so hopefully they'll make it to my friends by Valentine's day!

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Audrey’s Apron

I picked up this apron at Target last weekend for my niece's third birthday. I can't ever say enough about how much I love Target, and I'm so glad there isn't one around here or I'd spend way too much money. Anyway, I brought it back and put her name on it late last week, and mailed it out on Saturday.  She should be getting it any day...

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Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

I've been struggling to figure out what to do with those beautiful Meyer lemons I picked up at Johnny Becnel's while in New Orleans last weekend. I wanted to make something that didn't require too much work (we made Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon for dinner last night, which are fairly time-consuming by themselves) that would still be delicious and good with coffee for breakfast today, so I chose pound cake. There are several reasons I love pound cake more than bread or cake. First of all, I'm not a big fan of icing pound cake has none. Secondly,...

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Busy business.

I have so much to say! First of all, I've decided to drop my clay arts class because it was eating up all of my spare time (10 hours a week, basically). Consequently, I'll have a lot more free time (10 hours a week, basically). On a related note, here are some things you can be expecting around here: 1. That winter hat tutorial I promised a month ago, now that it's almost spring. 2. Lots of grad school and moving business; those two things are really sneaking up on me. 3. I bought raw almonds and Meyer lemons from a fruit stand while...

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