Quack Quack!

Come along, little ducklings!

I just finished knitting this mama duck and her four little ducklings out of supersoft, fuzzy yarn. They are a gift for my mom for Mother's Day. The cutest one of the ducklings is obviously supposed to represent me. The other three are my brothers and sister.

Take a Stand

Don't try to tell me that if you had seen this cake stand at a rummage sale, you wouldn't have bought it. It's my favorite one. It even has real gold trim! And it is perfect for holding desserts like bundt cakes...

Gifts That Keep on Giving

When we got married, it was so fun to register for and receive lots of new things for our kitchen. But what I didn't expect was how much fun it would be to think about the friends who gave us those gifts each time we use them. For example, last night I made a pesto pizza for dinner. I thought about...

Caitrin, who gave us this heart-shaped dish

Bridget, who gave us this snazzy kitchen timer

Keller and Lindsay, who gave us this fabulous pink hand mixer

and my mom, who scored this vintage Pyrex bowl as part of a set at St. Vinnie's

and Cailin, Nicolai, and Amalia, who gave us this useful yet attractive dish drainer.

And the great thing is, all of this happy thinking-about-friends happens every time we cook!

Huff Puff Huff Puff

Last night after work I ran 16 miles. The marathon is on May 25, so we're getting serious about training! My friend and co-marathoner, Amanda, came to Madison on Saturday and we ran 16 miles then. It was my longest training run yet, and I could not believe I lived through it! Of course I decided to try it again 4 days later. My total mileage for this week was 40 miles (8 on Thursday, 16 on Saturday, 16 on Wednesday). Last night's course was really pretty; I took Highway M to go around Lake Mendota to the north. The most beautiful part was when I got home, drank a gallon of Gatorade (sweet Karl had two flavors chilled for me!), took a hot shower, and collapsed for the night.

Garage Sale Finds

Last weekend I went garage sale shopping for the first time this year. I had forgotten how much fun it is to dig through other people's cast-offs to find a new treasures at bargain prices. This time, I found a couple of vintage Fisher Price toys and these two antique rolling pins. Cute, huh?