I'm back! Did you miss me?? Here's a brain dump of things that have been on my mind the last few weeks!

Ok so I've been MIA... I have very good excuses though! I have been super busy crafting away and sewing up a storm and have had a sick baby for much of the last 3 weeks off and on.  I think I have one more solid 10 hour day and I will be finished with my Christmas sewing projects.  All I have left are gifts, and most have to be finished by Saturday, so we will see how this goes!   I also found some really cool fabric at hobby lobby and have an awesome Christmas outfit to make for Keelyn.  I’ll post pics and step by step for it.  If it turns out half as cool as it is in my head, then you will all want one J

My new "project". I have never created a quilt or anything on that magnitude before. Honestly, I'm pretty scared, but excited! "What drove you to make a quilt?" you may ask... Fabric.com and their damn days of Christmas deals! Monday, Amy Butler fabric was on sale.  Like crazy sale. Like $7.63 per sq foot sale! Also, I had a 15% coupon code.  That kind of sale warrants purchasing 22 yards of fabric. Looking at the 22 yards of fabric in my shopping cart, I started to think, Kyle is going to KILL me for this unless I have a really really good project to go along with it.  (TANGENT ALERT: see I can talk about Kyle on here because I doubt he reads this blog. Love you Honey! Tomorrow is our 4 year anniversary and he made reservations at Melting Pot.  I am SO excited! I can’t believe he made reservations. Totally awesome!) Back to the point: I searched Amy Butler.com for some project ideas and found a quilt that is so unique and so cool it totally makes up for the $$$ I spent for fabric.  Here’s the link. http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/pdfs/Bloom_Quilt.pdf See? It’s awesome isn’t it? Anyway, I think it’s going to be an ongoing blog topic.  I want you all (if anyone out there is reading!) to experience the process of making a quilt along with me.  Hopefully it will inspire you to embrace your creative side in doing whatever inspires you.  I plan to make a full size quilt to be used as a bed spread and pillows and window coverings and give this to Keelyn on her birthday.  I hope that it’s something that she cherishes forever. (my mom/grandma/bobi never made me a quilt… or anything that involved a sewing machine! Another Tangent alert – Bobi is Czech for Grandma. See learn something new every day…) Excited to get started! Hurry up mailman!

 So that’s what’s going on with me.  I skipped a few days of bootcamp… Keelyn has a horrid cold and everytime she lays down she wakes herself up because she can’t breathe.  Poor baby.  Put her in her swing last night and she slept all night –was snorty and snory, but slept! I hit up bootcamp this morning and WOW going to be S-O-R-E tomorrow!

By popular demand - Maple Glazed Roast Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy

Ok this recipe is totally worth it and it is NOT as big of a pain in the butt as it seems.  If I wasn't such a slacker, I would have thought to put this up last week.  Seriously, I'm a "put ketchup on any meat, especially dry meat" kind of girl and this bird needs no gravy, ketchup, or barbeque sauce - even on the white meat! I pieced this recipe together from about 5 different roast turkey / chicken / pork recipes that I found over the years and it is a winner every Thanksgiving.  You don't have to follow it completely, the recipe is more of a guideline :) Happy Turkey Day!

Summertime Pasta Salad

Those of you who know me, and have invited me to some type of pot-luck function or have attended one at my house, you have eaten or at least seen my Summertime Pasta Salad.  I got this out of a Rachel Ray magazine several years ago and changed it up quite a bit. It's perfect now, if I do say so myself :) It's so stinking easy, keeps for days, and it's great to take to an event where food will be sitting without refrigeration.  I'm actually going to make this tonight - have a work pot luck tomorrow!

 

Summertime Pasta Salad (I rarely measure olive oil or vinegar, just add until you think it’s enough!)

1 pound tri-colored short cut pasta, rotini or fusilli or anything you want (I usually use 2 12 ounce bags. This salad keeps for several days! Good to take to lunch)

3 to 5 bell peppers depending on size.  (Use variations of color)- sliced in thin strips “length wise”

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (about a cup)

2 cloves garlic – finely chopped or minced (can use already minced out of a jar)

1 small jar (or half can) quartered and marinated artichoke hearts – drained and chopped

1 small can sliced black olives – drained

½ red onion, thinly sliced

¾ cup extra-virgin olive iol

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped (or a couple of tablespoons dried)

Juice from one smallish lemon (or 1 teaspoon bottled juice)

Italian seasoning, dried, a small palm full (about a tablespoon)

Salt and pepper to taste

·         Boil a large part of salted water and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

·         In a large bowl, place bell peppers, tomatoes, olives, artichokes, onion. Set aside

·         In a big bowl (really big!) add the lemon juice, garlic, vinegar.  Wisk in the olive oil until an orange-ish dressing forms. 

·         Pour the veggies from bowl 1 into bowl 2 with the dressing.  Toss with a large spoon to coat.

·         Add the pasta, salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, and basil. Toss again.

Need to place an order? Hurry! Time is limited

I have so many special orders right now! It's a good thing :) If you place an order through me via blog, etsy or facebook, please note that any orders placed Nov 15-Dec 1 will have an estimated ship date of Dec 15. Orders taken after December 15th will not ship until after January 10th. I am taking a short break to spend undivided time with my baby girl on her very first Christmas! (off topic, she rolled over last night!! Finally!!)

For little girls!
Check out this sweet circle flounce dress (pattern designed by http://www.jocole.net/). Place your order now! Pair with leggings and a peasant tee and your princess will be set for the winter. Can do any fabric, size dolly through 5T. Price varies based on size. Email fussygussy@ymail.com for details.

Things for little boys!
Many of you have asked, here they are! I have not made any samples, but here are the options I have for boys:

• I can make basic pants - either the yoga style without the waist band or the ruffle pant without the ruffle
• I can make ribbon lovie blankies - I currently have fabric to make either blue or orange minky with a grey polka dot silky OR a blue minky with a blue and green patchwork flannel. any style can have ribbon taggies.
• necktie or bowtie t-shirts and onesies.
• Iron-on shirts and onesies. Currently, I have the design ALL BOY. I can make a design that says anything, but here are some ideas I have floating around - just waiting on someone to order one! Infinite possibilities!
• I bite
• I eat dirt
• 100% TROUBLE
• Boob man
• Daddy's little man (or mommy's)
• Rad like Dad
• Dear Santa... it wasn't me!
• check out http://www.jocole.net/. I own the pattern for the the necktie and the bowtie. Jodi has awesome patterns and they always turn out fabulous! Again, just waiting on an order! :)

I will be sending out a newsletter on Friday! If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please comment here.  There are couple of ways to save this month - following the blog will earn you $5 off your first purchase of $30 or more and signing up for the mailing list will earn you 10% off your first purchase of $20 or more.  (cannot be combined. may use whichever gives you the best deal.)

Only 39 days until Christmas! Are you ready??

Keelyn the Drama Queen

My daughter is a drama queen.  I guess we know who she takes after J She is completely pissed off that we take her to day care where she is not the only baby. About once a week, she decides she’s going to flip out all day at school. Her flip out day was yesterday. Apparently, she screamed and screamed whenever someone was not holding her. (that’s my girl!) She also prefers her mommy to feed her which is fantastic, but hard when someone else needs to. She only at 5 ounces all day at school. When we got home, she downed 10 in less than an hour. Like I said, DRAMA.  I’m not sure what to do! Anyone out there reading this have any suggestions? I don’t want her to get kicked out of daycare!    

She's a cute drama queen though :)

Bootcamp - A date with Wilson

This morning we had a date with Wilson. Wilson and I went for a long stroll on the beach followed by a nature hike... I wish! Wilson is the pseudonym for giant heavy medicine balls. After several reps of lunges and squats with Wilson, I was feeling the burn! In spite of the twitching left butt cheek, it was a beautiful morning! Not too cold – my car read 60 degrees at 5:15.  (It doesn’t matter if its 4 below zero or 75, we can always count on coach Mark to be bundled up in his bright yellow parka. He’s funny) Something new and exciting at bootcamp – with the time change, we actually get in a little bit on sunrise so it’s not totally pitch black the entire hour. We can see each other now!  All in all, a great way to start my day. My legs are still a little tingly and my booty is sore, but it’s a good pain!

Calories burned: 558   

Digital Christmas Card

Today over my lunch break, instead of blogging, I designed our family's Christmas card! It's so stinking cute (to me anyway!) that I decided that others may want some of my Christmas Card greatness.  Obviously the photo is just a place holder until a more appropiate photo can be taken, but you get the idea! Do you want me to design your Christmas card? I would love to! Post a comment here or email fussygussy@ymail.com or comment on facebook. I won't be selling my EXACT card, but we can work something out :) I have a TON of ideas!