Happy National Sewing Month!

September is National Sewing Month. Did you know?

President Ronald Regan signed a proclamation in 1982 declaring September as National Sewing Month in recognition of the importance of home sewing to our nation. How dear!

In honor of National Sewing Month, I promise not to start any new sewing projects until I complete the pile of unfinished projects that I have tucked away in the corner of my office/studio. Each time I walk in, I am confronted with this pile and I push it further away. But I vow that this month, I will have all those projects completed. I will keep you posted.

I have been doing some crocheting this week. Below are some of the projects that I worked on:

My cousin, Rebecca, gave me this Frosta kit for my birthday
and I finally got around to making the basket.

It turned out really cute. Awesomely, I have almost a full ball
of the tricot material left so I'll have to think of something
else to do with it.

One of the boys in Mateo's Boy Scout troop asked me
to make him a beanie. I wanted to make him a slouchy beanie
and found this pattern on Raverly. I made this prototype but
it didn't come out slouchy enough. I think I'll have to use
a different kind of yarn and follow the directions a little more carefully.
I don't even know what type of yarn I used since
it came from my stash and the label had come off.

This afternoon we are going to a set of twins' 1st birthday party. They are the daughters of
Horacio's cousin, Tony, also one of my dear friends since high school. He has three adorable
little girl angels. Sophia, the big sister and the twins, Alejandra and Victoria. I hope they like their homemade gifts. He also has a 20 year-old son, Anthony. My godchild. I feel old.

While I was looking for the beanie patterns, I found this headband pattern.
I love all of the patterns she has on her blog. Sadly, she has not updated it since
November 2009 but I will be visiting it often for more ideas.

I think I'll wear this to the party today.

On the family front: This was a great week for catching up with loved ones. On Wednesday night, Saul and Lori with their two angels came by for dinner. It is only the start of September but outside it was so automny, crisp, clear and chilly, that it begged for some good ole Latino comfort food. I made Coco's (my mom) albondigas (Mexican meatball soup) with guacamole and salsa. If I don't say so myself, I believe I have perfected this dish.

If you want the full recipe, keep reading:

I just love the color of brown eggs. Don't you? It has always been my
dream to raise chickens and gather their eggs. Alas, I will
gather the ones that come in a carton.

Recipe:
*Disclosure: As you can see from the scribbled paper above, this recipe has no measurements as it has been passed down by my mom and she never uses measurements when she cooks so I will try my best, for your sake, to come up with measurements* Let me know if you decide to try it.

Two large red tomatoes, diced
1 medium yellow or white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
3 pounds lean ground turkey
2 small eggs or 1 large egg
a bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped
a bunch of fresh oregano leaves, chopped
1/2 c. rice
2 tbs. chicken base (bullion)
salt & pepper to taste
3 cups of any kind of veggies you like in your soups (chopped) I used:
potatoes, green beans, and carrots (I know, the picture below shows squash instead of green beans. I changed my mind and used the green beans instead).

1. In a large stockpot, bring about 6 cups of water to a boil.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, in a medium skillet, saute tomato, onion, half of garlic, dried oregano, dried thyme, half of chicken base (bullion), and salt & pepper, over medium heat until onions are translucent. Remove from heat.
3. Prepare the albondigas (meatballs); in a large mixing bowl combine the ground turkey, remaining garlic, eggs, mint, oregano, rice, remaining bullion, and salt & pepper. Shape into meatballs (about the size of a golf ball). You should get about 30 meatballs.
4. Once water is boiling, add the tomato base and carefully drop in the meatballs one at a time. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through.
5. Chop the vegetables and add to soup, cook for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, until veggies are tender.
6. Ladle into a big soup bowl and squeeze a few drops of lime on the soup and enjoy! Que Rico!
   

For the salsa, I roasted a bunch of stuff I had in my fridge already. You can use any combination of peppers and tomatoes you like. I used:
Tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, fresh jalapenos, yellow peppers, serrano peppers, onion, and one jabanero pepper (very hot!). Grill everything on a griddle, turning them often, until they are tender and falling apart. Throw everything in your food processor and viola, you have a delicious, smokey, spicy salsa!


I know y'all know how to make guacamole so I won't waste your time with the recipe.


Now in my family this is how we eat albondiga soup: Don't get frightened.
We eat it with a mayo taco. Yes, you heard right. If you have never tried it, please do yourself a favor, and do. If you don't like mayo, my condolences. I know it's not chic to admit, but I love the stuff.

Anyway, you take a warm corn tortilla, smear a smidget of mayo, add some guacamole and salsa, and roll it up into a taco. Then you take a spoonful of soup, a bite of your taco, and allow yourself the pleasure of this wonderful and comforting Mexican dish. Oh my. Oh don't forget to hum while you are eating as I always do when I am eating something yummy!

As if that albondiga soup indulgence was not enough. We went to visit my beautiful and sweet mother-in-law, which we affectionately call, Mami Nacha, the other day. Horacio's sisters prepared a wonderful lasagna and salad for lunch. It was so nice to see them and catch up.

From left to right: Audrey (the youngest), Ederlen, Mateo, Gabriel (Horacio's oldest nephew),
Mami Nacha, Suzzette, and Horacio. This is only a fraction of the sibs.
What's up with the plaid shorts, boys?

I love visiting my my in-laws. Mami Nacha and Horacio's sibs are always so hospitable. There is always good conversation, a tall glass of lemonade or iced tea and something yummy to nibble on. Love you guys!

Happy weekend, go sew something!
SC
xoxo

Savina's Fairyland Party

I told you it was going to be a great party. Saul and Lori never disappoint.

The place was beautiful (Lori always does such a great job of decorating).

The food was delicious (Saul always does a great job of ordering).

The atmosphere was fun and light (We like to party).

Here is the celebrated fairy. Isn't she gorgeous?

Some of the decorations made by Lori.

My cousin, Lorena made the fairy dust.

At the party, many fairies, big and small, were spotted:

Alec. Have you ever seen such a happy fairy?

Joaquin. Such a perfect fairy.

Sophia, the fairy of daydreams.

Valentina and Savina earn their wings.

A fairy's job is never done. Three little fairies take a rest.

One of the fairy godmothers (Lorena).

The fairy family (Saul, Paulo, Savi, and Lori).

Fairies are really hard to catch. These are some that we were able to round up.

You know it was a good party when some of the furniture ends in the pool! Even if it is a toy.

Here is the gift I made for Savi. It is a fairyland terrarium. I also made a little bag to hold her tools and instructions that she will need to keep her terrarium looking beautiful.



The terrarium also has a light on the top that you can use as a night light. When it is on, it looks like the moon in beaming down on the garden. Unfortunately, I do not have a good picture of that effect to show you.

A wee fairy house that I painted on a tiny gourd.

Making this terrarium was so much fun. Here are some pictures that document the creation of this project.

I gathered materials from several sources: The flower mart, Blue Hills Nursery, Michaels, etc.
I found these wonderful tiny gourds and nut shells at the LA Flower Mart. I'll have to go back and get more.

I painted the top of the jar so that when the moss is glued on it, there will not be any "bald" spots.
My little helpers, Nico and Luc.
Painting the house on this tiny gourd was so much fun.
It is very important to add a layer of gravel to terrariums for good water drainage.
Another essential material for terrariums is carbon bark. It is not easy to find. I got premium organic charcoal at Blue Hills nursery. It is important to have this in your terrariums because it will eliminate orders and will keep the soil fresh. Be careful because it cannot be substituted with any other charcoal.


I found this beautiful brooch and buttons at Michael's. I love them!
I had a really difficult time finding the perfect fairy. All of the ones I cam across were scary looking. Finally, I found this one that the LA Flower Mart. She's perfect.
I think I have a new hobby. Building terrariums. Mateo wants me to make him one of a war scene, of course. We'll have to see.

I promised Savi, Paulina and Valentina that I would also make them little name tags like the one I made for Viviana that they can use when they play grocery checker or concession stand worker.




Happy Labor Day!

SC
xoxo