Coconut-Lime Banana Bread

This really should just be called "yummo". It's a coconut-banana bread with a lime glaze. DEEEE-LISH! It's taken me a lot of will-power not to scarf down the whole loaf today.

For the recipe, check out this link: www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/recipe-coconut-lime-banana-bread.html

Little Miss Susie Homemaker

So I've taken a brief respite from sewing for the past week or so. Those pillowcases really wiped me out! In it's stead, I've actually been baking. I've never been a BIG baker...don't get me wrong, I can make cookies & brownies & cakes & things...as long as it comes from a box or something but lately I've had the urge to make things "from scratch". So today, I conquered two firsts for me.

1). I made waffles. I realized today that I have never actually MADE waffles of my own. I've assisted others & have eaten THOUSANDS of waffles in my life, but I never actually made them on my own. I can't exactly say that they were from scratch since I used a Bisquick mix but dang -- those were some light & fluffy & tasty waffles! Douglas even liked them! :-)

2). I made pizza. Not DiGiorno. Not frozen. NOT take-&-bake. A pizza from the bottom up. The dough, the sauce, the toppings....well, I purchased the toppings & cheese - I didn't actually make those...and the sauce was really just spaghetti sauce mixed with tomato paste...but the whole combination of things was delish. The pizza consisted of 2 cheese slices for Douglas & the rest was covered with Turkey Pepperoni, red & green bell peppers, black olives & mushrooms....yummo...

Of course, I realized after it was all said & done that I failed to photograph anything today so I have no pictures to share. Tomorrow, I have a plan to make some banana bread & some "sunbutter" cookies...I'll definitely snap a few photos & put them up here.

The Pillowcase Project

So I've mentioned a few times (here & on Facebook) that I've been doing quite a bit of sewing lately. Well, I took a break from my personally assigned projects to make pillowcases. My sister, Shannon, got me reading this gals blog (Dana Made It) and she put up a post about a charity called ConKerr Cancer. This charity collects homemade pillowcases & then donates them to pediatric cancer centers around the US. Their goal is to give a pillowcase to every sick child in the country by 2012. As Shannon would say, "A Noble Cause". As most of you also know, my nephews' cousin Anna has been battling a rare form of leukemia for the bulk of her life. She's currently getting treatment at a facility in Idaho. So it was with her in mind that I put aside all my other sewing projects and started making pillowcases. I was originally just going to make a few - but as I went through my fabric stash, I realized that I could actually make A LOT of pillowcases. They are quick, easy projects....the hardest part of which is just selecting the coordinating fabric pieces. In any case, I finally finished 20 pillowcases today. I wish I could have laid them all out so you could see what they all look like, but attaching 20 pictures to my blog would be just a tad much, don't you think??? In any case, these 20 pillowcases will be going to the local drop off center tomorrow. Can I just say that I wish I could be there when a kiddo gets one of them? I would love to see the look on their face!!! There were quite a few of these that I wish I could keep too. It's a good think that I've got a boatload of fabric so I can make more!!! I TOTALLY love the first 3 in this picture --^ but the bad news for me is that I don't have enough of those fabrics to make more....and those fabrics were clearanced!!! Oh well...it's for a good cause!

Douglas LOVES the 2nd one here --^...he kept trying to take it away from me! The good news is that I've got PLENTY of this fabric left over to make him a couple of cases! Also, I know that the "Dick & Jane" fabric is technically a book panel, but it looked REALLY cute as a pillowcase...and it'll give the kiddo who gets it something to read while they are in bed! :-)

The 2nd pillowcase is made from fabric that I got from mom - it's called "Honey Bear". She's had that fabric since I was a little girl. And she gave it to me so I could make a blanket or quilt out of it. But I had a feeling it was just going to sit in my stash for a loooooooong time. So this seemed like an excellent use for it. It's a very cute print! However, my fave from this set is #4...I bought that Hawaiian shirting to make myself a skirt....2 years ago. So I guess it's time I used the fabric, don't you?

And I just love all of these. #2 and #5 make me think of my sister (Shannon!)....and I actually got the blue/red/white heart fabric to make my niece, Nina, a skirt for 4th of July....it didn't happen so I put the fabric to a better use.

All 20 cases ... whew!!! Can I just say that I'm actually kinda tired after making all those? It took me almost 2 weeks (not sewing every day but just about!!!) but they are done. 20 kids will be getting new pillowcases and I can only hope that they will love 'em & that the pillowcase will help them to feel just a little better as they go through their tough ordeals.

My thoughts go out to you, Anna - come home soon!

Sewing my pants off lately

I made grocery bags!! I bought the fabric a few months ago - it came out for Earth Day - but I finally got around to making the bags. They are lined but since they are a light-weight cotton inside & out, I will probably just use them for light things (not carrying a couple gallons of milk or anything like that). I will say this though - I took all 4 of them with me to pick up our unsold clothes at the Weecycled Wardrobe consignment sale today and they hold A LOT!!!! :-)

YAY!!!

I've officially graduated from Parkland Community College! I turned my Petition to graduate in back in May....and they apparently lost it. So I had to send in another one...and then they FOUND my original Petition. It took another 2 weeks for them to officially graduate me but it's done & over with! I will receive my diploma sometime in September. YAY!! Now, on to completing the application to Mary Washington University and University of Richmond (the two schools I'd like to attend out here) to see who will accept me. I'd really, REALLY prefer Mary Washington University so I'd appreciate everyone's good thoughts/prayers/etc. for me to be accepted to that school.

Yep - it's only taken 13 years...but I'm 1/2 way done with my degree!

Sewing Projects 2010

So the past few weeks have been pretty busy for me as far as sewing goes. I've made the decision to finally start making things with all this fabric I have. My projects so far have been pretty simple but some of them have been sitting in the "to make" pile for a couple of years now. (Hello, sliding door curtains!) Anyhow - here are pics of 7most of the projects I've completed in the last few months. Hope you enjoy!

Sliding door curtains (to match the kitchen window curtains):
A baby gift for my friend Becky - consisting of a flannel blanket, two nursing sheets, two burp cloths & a Winnie the Pooh book:

A set of flannel pillowcases for our bed (don't mind the half-naked kiddo -- he just wanted to be a part of the photo shoot):

And I've made a bunch more of those flannel blankets (like I made for Becky) but these don't have intended recipients just yet. So if you know any one who is pregnant & want to give them a fantastic gift, well, just let me know!

I have several more projects waiting in the wings - tote bags, a purse, a shirt (FOR ME), some other curtains for the house - so there will be more photos to come! Stay tuned!

Frustration Level --- UP!

As you know, I recently finished my Associates Degree through the community college I've been attending in IL. I was told by one of the advisors at that community college that if I completed my Associates Degree, my credits would transfer to any 4-year university of my choosing. I made sure to ask, "Any 4-year university in ANY state?" and received the reply of YES - any university. So the next step for me is to figure out which 4-year university I would like to attend. Well, there is one college in particular that I would like to go to - the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. It's not that far away from us and it's got an exceptional reputation....but my frustration is coming in the form of this...WHY is it so dang expensive to go to college? WHY? Not only do they charge you to take classes, they charge you for books and using their facilities (if you have to take a "lab" course), but they also charge you just to APPLY to their college. And it's NON-REFUNDABLE. Can someone explain that to me please? I mean, I understand - they have to pay people to look over my application and transcripts and all that, but in my opinion, if they accept me to the college, then they are going to be making a BOATLOAD of money off me so why do they need to keep my $50 application fee? Speaking of applications -- do I really need to write essays and have letters of recommendation to attend college? Won't my grades & class history & ACT scores be enough? I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I now understand why so many people DON'T attend college anymore. College's have really made themselves unreachable...unattendable....unaffordable. It's sad in my book. You go to school for a few years to get an education and then you end up paying for that education for the next 15 to 20 years or longer depending on how long you go to school for.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm just getting frustrated. I already knew that I had missed the cut off date in order to be accepted in to start this fall, but with the way things are progressing, I may not even be able to get everything pulled together so that I can start in the spring. Sigh. I guess this just means that I can take the next several months to write exceptional essays, find a bunch of people to write recommendations for me and hope that I qualify to be "accepted". And also hope that I can get enough funding lined up to be able to pay for school too. Good Grief, Charlie Brown.