FOs - Avita Revisited...

I finished the Avita camisole quite a while ago but haven't had the chance to share it as an official FO on my little model. You can find the pattern here. Saturday was cool and pleasant and we decided to spend some family time at various parks around town.

Ava was so interested in every plant I plunked her down by that I was able to actually get a few good photos of the top before she tried scooting away.





The plants at this botanical garden are beautiful and I have decided to start recording the ones I love for future garden ideas. I kept seeing these little trees all over the place and couldn't get over their bonsai-like shape and the bright bursts of color by their flowers - great color for the fall weather. Here's the picture:



And here's the name:



I have never heard of these before but then again, I am no botanist - or avid gardner. Yet. I'm just storing these ideas away for future reference.

Oh, and on another note, I had a great surprise when I went shopping the other day. I found this fizzy drink that I practically downed at every festival I attended when I was in Japan about ten years ago. At the time, I had no idea what their names where but would see them being peddled on the street by vendors with huge buckets of ice with each light blue bottle nestled down into the ice just waiting for me. I loved these things and I just remember calling them the marble drinks and would grab a couple when I would be at a festival with a steaming hot street-fare dish and a gigantic thirst. The vendors always had what looked like an oversized hole punch or well pump handle. When I would buy one, the vendor would place the bottle underneath the hole punch/well pump thingy and it would blast the marble that was sealing the drink, down into the neck of the bottle. The drink was fruity and full of sugar, I'm sure, but I loved them.

So imagine my happiness when I found them on a little display shelf when I was checking out at World Market. I am surprised I haven't seen these before when visiting our local Asian market, but I didn't so this was a nice surprise.

I decided to enjoy the drink with the last of the year's herbs. I'm slowly cutting them all, trying to use them up before the weather turns cooler.



On the path...

Meow (Hiss hiss...)

I am done with Ava's Kitty Hat and it is SO cute I just can't stand it. I got the pattern from this book and made a few modifications as the hat seemed like it was going to be too big for her. I love the easy way the pattern had me put on the earflaps and the ears of the kitty. I'm going to have to try that same technique with a hat for Chandler.

The only problem is: Ava hates hats. It's a good thing I knitted some long i-cords for this hat so I can tie it under her chin - something that made her pretty mad. (hiss! hiss!)


She can shout about it all she wants, but I'm sure she'll find out soon enough that you can't go through a Michigan winter without a good hat. Even better if it's a berry-colored kitty...



On the path...

Your Mid-Week Lift...

Em over at Em and the Gang sent in the VERY FIRST Mid-Week Lift submission and I thank her very much. This idea is so simple and so great! When we think of making things, we think of having to actually creating something like a dress, a painting or a bookshelf. But, making things can be expanded to almost anything. These videos help you think out of the box.

Let's start with the first video that inspired the video submitted for the MWL:



Cool, huh? Here's the video Em submitted. It is so FUN and inspiring. It reminds me of all those times all the families in my neighborhood where I grew up would hang out outside at dusk, talking, playing and making fun...



Wow! Who knew so many people would come together to make stuff? Isn't that what we creative bloggers are doing? I love the crafty/creative online community here. Let's keep sharing and inspiring.

Thanks, Em!

On the path...

Wedding Weekend

The wedding is over but Chandler keeps asking, "Where did the wedding go?"

We had so much fun and my little boy looked achingly adorable in his little tux. As the wedding was outdoors, he was in stick heaven. Luckily, he didn't pick up any sticks while walking down the aisle.

Back on the path...

Whew!

What a weekend! And I feel like it hasn't stopped. I've been trying to knit, finish a dress for Ava to wear at my brother's upcoming wedding, WORK, and personal design favors for family. Whew! All while trying to walk a little girl around the house constantly and dealing with some early-on troublesome 3s.

By the way, can anyone out there tell me that there is a light at the end of this tantrum tunnel? Or could anyone just lie to me? I am totally beat.

Okay, as promised, here is the LOVELY apron-swap apron that I received from Kathi. I took the photo today, all dishevled and crazy from my morning with the kids - but even then, doesn't an apron hide all that messiness with a little bit of glam?


Thanks, Kathi, for the FAB apron and even better recipe for chocolate silk pie. It sounds so good, and I am planning on making it for the next time we have company over for dinner.

Hopefully I'll have some more crafty photos for you this week!

Stay on the path...

Your Mid-Week Lift...

Okay, it's still Wednesday so it's the center of the week. I just had to share this with everyone - you never know when you might get a small surprise (but I'd be worried if this showed up in your Subway sandwich):

Oyster lunch yields 26 pearls for Lebanese couple

By Associated Press
BASSEM MROUE
Updated: 9/10/2008


BEIRUT, Lebanon

Lebanese restaurant owner Raymond Salha and his wife were having oysters for lunch when she made a stunning discovery — a cluster of 26 pearls inside an oyster on her plate.

The find 10 days ago at his Al-Fanar Restaurant in the southern port city of Tyre was a ''total surprise,'' Salha told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

It was one of about 200 oysters they had cooked that day at the restaurant. As his wife opened the shell, she let out a gasp and said, ''Look at this oyster, there are lots of pearls in it,'' Salha recounted.

The couple immediately believed the pearls were valuable, so Salha called the city's maritime museum which sent a team that took the oyster — and the pearls still inside it — away for testing.

At the museum, Salha said officials later told him they counted ''only'' 25 pearls. He insisted however, that he and his wife Amal counted a total of 26 pearls of varying sizes inside the oyster, some very small.

A few days later, the oyster was preserved and returned by the museum, along with the pearls. Salha, who insists the oyster still contains 26 pearls, plans to keep it on display at his restaurant.

Oysters fished off the Lebanese coast are regularly on the restaurant's menu in the summer, but Salha and his wife had never seen anything like this find. Once, long ago, they found a single pearl while opening an oyster.

Although the pearls are not believed to be worth a lot of money, Salha says their importance is in the sheer number found inside a single shell.

Oysters from the Lebanese waters of the Mediterranean are of a different variety than those usually served in European restaurants, which are larger in size.

Salha said he buys a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of oysters for about US$10 from the fishermen during oyster season between August and October.

He showed the oyster on Wednesday to reporters and visitors, and later placed it on a shelf on the restaurant wall, covering it with a cloth for protection.

Asked whether he plans to get in touch with The Guinness Book of Records about the discovery, Salha said not for now.

''If they read about it and find that it is a record, then they can come and record it themselves,'' he said.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

******************

Stay on that path...

Happy Apron Day

So, I've been waiting to share this apron with you since it was supposed to be a surprise for my swap partner. But it's posted on her blog now so I think it's okay that I share!


This apron was so much fun to make and turned out so great that my husband questioned whether or not I could let it go. But I was completely fine mailing it out to my swap-ee because I KNEW that I was getting an equally fun, if not better, apron in the mail from my swap-er.



Oh, and in other news: I joined Facebook.


I can't believe it did that - since it is yet another complete time-suck (Ravelry members will know what I mean) but I'm excited about it and am finding old school chums that I'm hoping to reconnect with. Especially the ones from grade school - I can't believe I found them!

On the path... (on too many paths?)

Miss Figgy

I saw some fresh figs in the produce section yesterday and bought them on a whim, thinking that I would make Lidia's gorgeous fig upside down cake.

However, I could not find that recipe on her website, her blog, or her cookbooks (I even went to the library!). Oh well. I still love her.

So I went online (hey, I had a fridge full of figs at this point) and found this tasty and easy recipe by Emeril. Try it! It was a hit with everyone (except the kid who refused to eat his peas - no dessert).

Ugh - Losing My Mind

Well, I was so darn excited to pack up and ship off my Fall Apron Swap apron last week that I forgot to send my note and my oven mitt too! Sorry to my swap-ee, who is now a jilted swapper. I have them all packed up and will send them out in the mail tomorrow. Bummer!

But I hope you did get your apron in the mail. I got mine yesterday and will have pictures up soon. Thank you, Kathi! My oh-so-cool chocolate brown patterned apron came with an equally exciting recipe for chocolate pie! I will have to make it and testify to it's goodness.