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It might have taken me four months longer than I had planned, but I finally got bins (and labeled them!) for our detox bath supplies. I was keeping them in the bathroom in their hard to seal, ugly bags. However, I recently was part of a group purchase for 50-pound bags of Epsom salts for super cheap. And, not wanting to store 50 pounds of salt in my bathroom 😉, @ikeausa to the rescue! There are now three #100usefulbeautifuldays projects enhancing our bathroom (see also the bathmat and cloth wipe pail liner). Anyone who attended our wedding (who also has a super keen memory for details) might remember the paper for the labels as also being the paper for our wedding programs. 😂 I may never use up all my leftover paper! . . . Questions about a detox bath? We use Epsom salts (for magnesium), baking soda (changes the pH of the water and helps absorption), and borax (for the essential element boron, which aids in cell absorption of magnesium and also is an essential element on its own for the body). We aim for about 20 minutes in the water (with water as hot as we can stand). It’s great for overall detoxification for general health and also really helpful for muscle aches and pains. Thanks to our awesome chiropractor, @dr.lauradover for the detox/muscle aches bath recipe. 😀I hope you don’t mind me bragging for a minute, but I just harvested $54 (FIFTY FOUR) worth of vegetables and fruit from my garden!! 👊💪 This includes organic Fuji apples (swipe to the third picture to see the weird black stuff that grew on them this year but, hey, it scrubs off and they are delicious), radishes, salad greens, 2 kinds of turnips, cooking greens, eggplant, sweet peppers, and purple beans. Keep swiping to the fourth picture to see the actual list. As I was picking/processing everything this morning, it occurred to me that it was a pretty good haul so I decided to quantify it. I paid myself at the highest rates that I see at the @32ndstreetfarmersmarket because my garden is organic and those greens are super fancy. 😍 Also, hakurei turnips are incredibly expensive to buy (but thankfully, super easy to grow). Turns out, a tiny garden can turn out a lot of stuff and I most definitely have paid for my seeds this year. 😂 . . . Bonus thought 1️⃣: see that little pink piece of paper next to the vegetable list? Swipe one more picture over to read it if you want a really great series of things to think through when you’re craving something that perhaps isn’t the best choice for your body. . . . Bonus 2️⃣: I don’t know how anyone lives without metal cabinets. Ours were made in the early 1950s down on Russell Street, near where Ravens Stadium is now. It is so nice to be able to keep things on them with magnets. I don’t know how I would survive in my kitchen otherwise. 😉 #salmonandsouvlakigardens #eatwhatyougrow #growwhatyoueat #organicgardening #hakureiturnips #snowapples #ediblelandscapingEllie is now the proud owner of a new bed quilt! (And I’m thrilled to declare this one “D U N DONE!”) #fancyforestmedallionquilt #salmonandsouvlakisews #fancyforestquilt #elizabethhartmanpatterns #baltimoremqg #charmcitysewcial #quiltersofinstagramWe spent nearly our whole day @webersfarm today, first the kids and me with our friends (sliding, sliding, and more sliding) and then in the early evening with Nik, taking our annual “Kids in Pumpkins” pictures. It was gloriously brisk and non-humid and sunny!! It’s FINALLY fall, ya’ll!! 🍁☀️🏵☀️🍂☀️Look! I made a circus tent! 😂😉 (you’ll have to wait until Christmas to see the final product.) #100daysofsewingbeforechristmas #salmonandsouvlakisewsI grew this salad. 👊👌🤛 #salmonandsouvlakigardens (Bowl contents include an Asian greens salad mix, red Russian kale, arugula, a lettuce mix called “Rocky Top”, hakurei turnips, red turnips, red radishes, purple radishes, and pink radishes, almost all seeds from @bakercreekseeds) #bakercreekseeds #growwhatyoueat #eatwhatyougrow #organicgardeningI have officially finished all the machine sewing there is to be done on Ellie’s quilt. Hand-stitched binding, here I come! 😍 (Also, I may never back a quilt with anything but flannel ever again. It’s so cozy!) #salmonandsouvlakisews #fancyforestmedallionquiltHere are a few bits of beauty for your Monday morning! 1️⃣ Yesterday, I finally started sewing my Lenten ornaments together. I have perfected my blanket stitch and also decided to embroider the day of Lent on the back of each one. These are the ornaments I cut out in Northern Ireland and glued in Greece! 2️⃣Secret sewing continues for #100daysofsewingbeforechristmas. I am in the, “Should I really have committed to all this quilting?” phase. And I am finding that 15 minutes a day of creativity is good for my soul. 😀 3️⃣ We managed to grow 2 sunflowers! Our first two ever! The seed package said these would get to be 9 feet tall so we clearly got the runts of the litter! 😂 Happy Monday!! #salmonandsouvlakisews #salmonandsouvlakigardens #salmonandsouvlakitravels #sewingforlentEllie turns eight tomorrow. I’m not really sure how that’s even possible. 😩 But anyway, thanks to inspiration from a Martin and Sylvia story (thanks @sparkle_stories!), she requested a chocolate cake pie for her birthday. 😂 This doesn’t exist on the Internet as far as I can tell in its particular form and so, without a recipe to follow, I just blind baked the piecrust, and then baked a chocolate cake inside of it. Here’s hoping it tastes good! . . , My go-to chocolate cake recipe is the Every Day Chocolate Cake from @smittenkitchen. It’s a super easy and totally delicious recipe, although I bet Deb has never baked it in a pie crust. 😂 #salmonandsouvlakibakes #cakepie #smittenkitchenI am approaching the end of the quilting on Ellie’s #fancyforestmedallionquilt. This is the first time I’ve ever attempted a quilting design where the quilting lines crossed over each other. I am embarrassed to say that in over 10 years of sewing, it had never occurred to me that I should change the pressure foot pressure. So I have for years felt frustrated and inadequate with my quilting skills because despite intense amount of pins, the fabric would always move, shift, and end up not looking all that great (at least to my critical eye). And then, last week, while I was quilting a baby quilt for donation, it occurred to me that maybe I should try to figure out what that dial on the side of my machine did. So, I looked in my sewing machine manual and discovered that I had been quilting on 3 when really I should’ve been using 1. And TA DA!! It turns out I am an expert straight line quilter! 😂 This quilt doesn’t have a single pucker or inch of fabric out of place. 👏👊👏👊👏 (@baltimoremqg - don’t kick me out for not knowing this, OK? 😉) #salmonandsouvlakisews #quiltersofinstagram #baltimoremqg #charmcitysewcial #quiltingtipoftheday #straightlinequiltingTonight, I’m getting caught up in @truthstable Season 2 (one of my favorite podcasts, you should definitely listen) and quilting Ellie’s #fancyforestmedallionquilt. I love my @husqvarnaviking sewing machine but this model was NOT designed for quilters and the throat is so small! However, I am managing to shove this giant quilt through it and I’m hoping to have the bulk of the quilting done by Sunday. 😀 #salmonandsouvlakisews #charmcitysewcial #baltimoremqgI’ve started a stealth* autumn #100dayproject for myself. I inevitably get so caught up in busyness in the fall that I don’t do any sewing until December. And by then, all the sewing I end up doing is presents for extended family (also important!) and there are some things I really want to sew for my own family. So this year, I was determined to not let that happen and set myself a goal of spending at least 15 minutes a day EVERY DAY in my sewing room. Other than missing one day, I’ve achieved my goal every day since September 1st. Funny thing with forcing creativity - once you jump start it, it starts flowing! Actually spending time in my sewing room reminded me that it was about time that I finished Ellie’s #fancyforestmedallionquilt so in this past week, I pieced the back and today I got the quilt sandwich done. I gave her the partial quilt top for Christmas 2017 and I’m going to give her the completed quilt for her birthday (in 10 days). Is that cheating? 😂 In the meantime, I am carrying on with my secret sewing for #100daysofsewingbeforeChristmas. You’ll just have to wait until December 25 to see what all those projects will actually be. 😀🎄 . . . *I call it a stealth project because if I don’t announce it to the world, is it actually happening? 😂 #salmonandsouvlakisews #charmcitysewcial #baltimoremodernquiltguildCategories
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Monthly Archives: March 2015
Sometimes Your Animals Just Need To Be Close
The other day, Mark asked me to help him put Bunny and Puppy on his back. He seems to have fond memories of being worn because now he’s helping out his animals in the same way! 🙂 I made him … Continue reading
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March Sewing: Flowers and a Heart for a Special Baby
I had the privilege of attending a baby shower on Saturday for a friend who is expecting a little girl in May. I made her a little baby blanket and wanting to add a bit of pink to the otherwise … Continue reading
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Favorite Books of 2014: Non-Fiction (everything else)
I read almost 100 books in 2014. Here are my favorites (and yes, I realize I’m nearly 3 months late with this list). I track my reading on Goodreads. So if we’re not friends there, you should join me! Here … Continue reading
My No-Shave Experiment – 121 Days and Counting (The REVEAL)
I haven’t shaved my legs or my armpits in 121 days (since November 22, 2014.) I did this deliberately. That day, I said to myself, “I’m going to shave today and then I’m not going to shave, for a long … Continue reading
Cute Children, Singing
My apologies for overwhelming you with videos this week! Ellie has been teaching Mark her Sunday School songs and here’s one. And, finally, I prove to you that Ellie has progressed beyond “Chukka, chukka, oh wah die” when it comes … Continue reading
Why Sourdough? Why Soaked? Why Even Bother?
A few weeks ago, my friend Liz left this comment on my “Seven Essential Tools for Baking” post. I answered her briefly in a comment there but promised her that I’d write a fuller response because I think it’s a … Continue reading
He Counts In Greek! And Sings in English!
It’s only fair that we show off Mark counting in Greek, right? Ellie had her moment in the spotlight, so here’s Mark’s. Unlike Ellie at this age, Mark is regularly and consistently counting to 20, usually perfectly, on his own. … Continue reading
