First Day of School!

My nephew Dorian had his first day of first grade this week - I can't even believe it!

Here he is ready for class.  And Rakia, ready with sass. 

Here he is psyched about the big boy water bottle I got for him.   

And here Rakia is pretending to be a dinosaur or something.  In a patriotic ruffled bikini. 

Man I love these kids! 

Melissa's Wedding!

This past weekend I went to a truly beautiful wedding  - Melissa and Phil got married!  Woo hoo!

Here is the lovely bride before the big event, at her grandfather's home.  So happy!

There were some lovely tunes to enjoy before she strolled down the aisle - both solo acoustic guitar, and then her aunt and uncle played as she walked.  Lovely!

 A really  beautiful sight in Redding, Connecticut!

 Melissa's niece read a sweet little poem. 

 The cake was awesome too - it had cannoli filling!  Yum.  The wedding was bicycle themed as both bride and groom love to ride - check out the little table runner I stitched up for them!

 Plus some cute pennant banners I made decorated the tent...

 some tables, too. 

Melissa and her mom made all of the flowers for her bouquets and centerpieces out of crepe paper - they were totally gorgeous, and will last to boot! 

 Sasha and i had fun at our table. 

And so did Pam and John!  Everyone looked pretty fly.

 More cute bikes to add to the theme - really darling.

 And look at this sweet ride!  (And more pennants :)

More gals having fun

 You just can't stop the laughter!

Especially when Sasha and Sarah showed up in matching outfits.  Oops!  Ha.  What a day! 

Shower Treats

Hello there!  I wanted to share some of the fun and festive decorations I put together for my friend Melissa's Ladies Weekend/Bachelorette recently!

These are some fun little wine charms I made.  I bought little mini picture frames from Michael's (SO tiny) in the jewelry making department.  Then, I spent a few hours shrinking some cute pics of her and her fiance to put in the frames.  I threaded some jewelry wire with some pretty beads and the mini frames and attached clasps at the end (you can't see them in this picture) and ta da!  Super cute, very simple, and she loved them so much!  I liked making them too - it was oddly soothing to sit in my backyard and string beads on wire.  Until I realized I got about 200 bug bites.  I suffer for my art, alas. 

We decorated her parents' apartment with some lovely photos strung about, and affixed the wine charms to the glasses, so that we could enjoy...

champagne!  I decorated the bottles with custom made wrappers.  I found a template for an announcement in Microsoft word, actually, then added a picture of the happy couple.  Very easy and sweet too!  Add some cheese ball wine words like "lovely blend" and "notes of happiness and love" and folks will swoon, seriously. 

Also I made her a sweet little veil in her wedding colors - yellow tulle and grey gems on a hair clip.  For the classy bride to be that doesn't want to wear some tacky thing from party city!  Ta da! 

It was a fun weekend!  And with the wedding this weekend much more fun is to come!  Can't wait. 

Go CT Tigers!

 A few weeks ago I went to a minor league baseball game with my family - quite the blast!  (Also there were fireworks afterwards).  The kids liked it and you can see Rakia is very talented at both roaring and posing. 

 Dorian is a stellar model too. 

She seems very intent on tracking the action, but I think she is really just scanning the stadium for the guy in the tiger costume.  (There was a chicken and an alligator too, inexplicably.  But the more the merrier!) 

 Not quite a packed park, so the little guys had some room to move which was fun.  They also threw hot dogs out of a slingshot at the crowd!  I didn't catch one but that might be my new lifelong dream for next time.  (They threw peanuts and t-shirts too but those are a bit more conventional.) 

 Jackie O came along too, plus my sister and Dad, and (not pictured) my mom and Aunt Meg.  A good crowd! 

 Jackie is the sweetest teen you've ever seen - he spent his money on tiger ears for both Dorian and Rakia, plus a baseball for his dad who was having a bad day at work and couldn't join us.  What a guy!

The boy can dance! 

Man, I know some cool dudes.  (Literally.  Jack was cold so I had to give him my sweatshirt as a blanket.  Poor guy.)

This girl loves her Cheetos. 

 Dorian's "crazy face" is oddly photogenic and refined. 

 That's better. 

Who else is going to teach him "Do you like seafood?" if not me? KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

What a guy.  And what a night! 

Tofu Parm Subs

As a vegetarian, I feel guilty from time to time for not really knowing what to do with tofu at home. 

It was on sale at the grocery so I picked some up - and had to come up with an idea to actually eat it.  I found this recipe for Tofu Parmesan Subs on the Food Network site and I liked it a lot!

Dare I say that maybe even a hard core carnivore might enjoy these?  I think so! 

TOFU PARMESAN SUBS

from Food Network Magazine

Total Time: 35 min.          Prep14 min.          Cook21 min.         Yield:4 servings

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, smashed
8 fresh basil leaves, torn
(I used tomatoes with basil/Italian seasoning already in the can and skipped the basil)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use seasoned bread crumbs and skipped the Italian Seasoning below)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 large egg
1 12-ounce package firm tofu, drained and sliced into 8 pieces (make sure they are drained and dry!)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 loaf whole-wheat Italian bread, cut into 4 pieces and split in half
1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound baby spinach (about 8 cups)

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Toss the breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan and the Italian seasoning on a plate; season with salt and pepper. Beat the egg in a shallow bowl. Dip the tofu in the egg, then in the crumbs, turning to coat.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place the bread cut-side up on a broiler pan; spread the bottom halves with sauce, then top with tofu, more sauce, the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Broil until the cheese melts and the bread is toasted, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in the empty skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and let wilt, about 1 minute. (I added some extra garlic here).  Place on top of the cheese and cover with the bread tops.

Per serving: Calories 491; Fat 22 g (Saturated 5 g); Cholesterol 60 mg; Sodium 1,202 mg; Carbohydrate 50 g; Fiber 7 g; Protein 24 g

Face Painting Fun!

 Have you ever tried face painting?  I hadn't until last month when I decided to give it a whirl at my niece Rakia's 3rd birthday party.  Luckily the kids were all willing participants and very happy with my first try. 

The kitty cat look was popular with the young ladies, but for my niece I went for something a little more bold - tiger face! 

She was into it and gave me her best fierce face. 

And quite a roar too!

My nephew Dorian liked it so much I had to wash off his original "lorax" look and go with the tiger too.  Overall it was fun and the kids love it - a great party activity for just a few dollars! 

Bunting Bonanza!

Here is a fun and simple project I put together by request for my friend Becca. 

She was assisting on a baby shower for her sister-in-law and wanted some decoration that the upcoming bundle of joy might keep for her nursery.  I sewed this bunting for her - it came out well!  Girly, but not over the top pink.  I think I will be making more of these!  Thanks Becca for the inspiration!