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?

Extreme Makeover: Fisher Price Edition

Ouch! This bed doesn't look very comfortable! I wouldn't want to sleep there... and neither would my Fisher Price little people! Luckily, all I need is a few basic supplies to transform a mattress-less bed into a restful oasis. A needle and thread, a pair of good scissors, a piece of foam (I found a sheet of 1/2-inch thick foam in the quilting section of the fabric store), and a piece of fabric will do the trick.



First, I cut the foam, making it a little bit small for the frame of the bed. Next, I cut the foam in half so that it was 1/4-inch thick, instead of the original 1/2-inch. Then I cut a piece of fabric and wrapped the foam (like you would wrap a gift), folding the long sides together last and letting them overlap just enough so that I could sew one stitch through both pieces of fabric. After tying the stitch tightly and cutting off the excess thread, I had a designer mattress!

Jimmy! Stop jumping on the bed!

Sweet Husband

Last night I got home from work around 9:30. Karl had this waiting on the coffee table:


I swear our wine glasses are not totally dirty; it's just the picture! Here's a close-up of the best part of the whole thing:

How did I get so lucky? Seriously! It takes a special husband to think up something like that!

New Craft

Yesterday I went to a workshop at my friend Laurie's shop, the Green Parasol. Laurie is an amazing artist and basically knows how to do everything. And she is very very good at doing everything. Yesterday she taught basic embrodiery. It was my first time trying it out. You can see my creation below. I am so psyched to try some patterns from this website. I see many pillowcases and hankies in my future...

Banana Angel

The other night at stained glass class I made this angel. I realized about halfway through the project that her halo looks a lot like a banana. What kind of angel wears a banana on her head?