Happenings....

Today I finally made pozole because it was one of my favorite dishes my host mom in Mexico made.  I used this recipe and it was so good and pretty close to what I wanted.  The chicken wasn't great though...but that's what I get for buying the last chicken at Grocery Outlet.  I probably should have let the little old lady that tried to beat me to it have it, but I didn't want to go to another store ha ha.  ANYway it was delicious and I have lots of leftovers now.

First I made some delicious ice tea because I also have been missing it.

Maisy goes crazy when I make chicken stock.  It's like doggy crack to her.

The best thing about pozole is the toppings.

Ok also I have new BeBes in brand new fabrics!!!  Woohooo....check them out in my Etsy shop here.

Beautiful....

So much to say, so much has happened...I don't know where to start!  My intentions when I went to Mexico were to blog frequently because I figured I'd have a lot to say, and new things to share.  However, when I first got to Mexico I was pretty miserable.  I didn't feel like I wanted to spread my sadness and despair around.  Something started to happen there though.  Something inside me changed and by the end I didn't want to leave at all, and almost didn't.  In fact I cried on the plane pretty much the whole way home...I felt sorry for the people who sat next to me...they probably thought I was nuts, or afraid of flying.  Anyway...I still don't really want to talk about Mexico...it just seems too overwhelming right now...but what I would like to share is today.

Today was a beautiful day in so many ways.  I started the morning with my tea, in my favorite mug.  In Mexico I did not have my tea, and I'm pretty obsessed with tea, so I was excited to brew my first cup.

Then I did some work!!!  I cleaned up my work table and started on some projects.  It feels so good to work again.

While I was working I decided I wanted to go to the farm today and buy produce.  One thing I really wanted to do when I got home from Mexico was hit the farm because the fresh produce is so yummy here in the summer.  So when my Mom called and said she wanted to go too we hit the road!

The picture below is solely included to make Sarah jealous.  :)

Biggest cabbage I have ever seen.

We might have over-did it on how much we bought...and I might have ate some of all of it just now :/

And I ate it all after this giant ice cream cone.  Ice cream sounded so good and I thought one scoop would be small because it was the smallest size but oh no...it was huge.  

Thanks for sharing my day with me!  I'm gonna do some more work and probably fall asleep early.  I came home with a stomach infection from Mexico and it has been wiping me out.  I think I slept like 13 hours last night ha ha.

Whoa....

Whoa Blogger is all weird...I guess it's been a while.  Hi all!  I figured it was time I buckle down and write a blog post.  It seems like every time I think of something to write about, I put it off, and now I feel like there are so many things, I don't know where to start.

First, I moved into an apartment.  The BeBes and I are in a new place!  Oh and Maisy too.  She lays by me while I work on BeBes in the kitchen.

Second...I'm going to Mexico!  In June I leave for a study abroad program in Mexico.  I'm not excited and terrified...I am mostly terrified.  ANYway, I am trying to raise money in any way that I can, so I'm listing everything I can find around here on Etsy, ON SALE!  Yep on sale.  Check them out here.

Oh and I turned 30.  I admit I was also terrified of my birthday, mostly because I didn't want a crappy story for my 30th birthday.  It ended up exceeding my expectations.  First... all my friends went out dancing on my actual birthday (no pictures, please private party (or I just always forget to take pictures)).  Thennnnnnnn, my boyfriend who had to be out of town on my actual birthday, booked us a gorgeous hotel room at the beach for the weekend.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  The weather was beautiful for the Oregon coast and we had so much fun...it was hard to come back.

Birthday champagne, and a message in a bottle...look at that view!

Enjoying the scenery tee hee.

Cheesies

Ok... keep checking my shops and help me go to Mexico!  I'm going to be sewing my heart out until June.  :)

My Swapee Received Her BeBe!

(Check out my previous post if you are interested in seeing the gift I received but now I get to share with you the plush I made for my swapee!)

When the Plush Team does the yearly swap you receive some information about your swapee, such as their favorite color, animal, food, etc. Luckily my swapee was Emily of Bluestar Fuzzies or Bluestar Ink. I say luckily because apparently we have very similar taste as her favorites are very similar to my favorites! I had no idea what to make with all the options but I decided on a raccoon.

I had never made a raccoon BeBe so there was some trial and error but I was so happy with how he came out. Emily and her super adorable daughter loved their raccoon too! Check out this Plush Team blog post where Emily talks about receiving her raccoon.

Plush Team Swap Time!!!

It's no secret that the annual plush swap is my favorite Plush Team event of all. I actually coordinated the last one and, honestly, I love EVERYthing about swapping time. There's the anticipation and wondering who is out there making me a special critter and there is the fun of making something for someone else (and waiting patiently for their reaction). I had a little hunch that my gift might be in my mailbox today so I drug my boyfriend all the way across town to check my p.o. box (I don't check it regularly and wouldn't have gone today if I wasn't so excited). Fun things, like plush buying, is scarce around here lately due to being a poor student, so getting a gift means so much to me.

When I saw the little key in my box I squealed...and then I squealed louder when I saw who it was from. I have been a fan of Megan's work forever. Her work, under the name Nonesuch Garden, is so recognizable, not to mention creative and super cute. Lately she has been working in a completely different style, which I love just as much, but is so different from what she is known for. This only increased my anticipation because I had no idea what style my gift would be in.

So my lovely boyfriend ripped the package open in the parking lot with his key and we were both delighted to find an adorable blue sloth hiding inside. Sloths are my favorite animal, and I am slowly obtaining a collection as word gets out about my obsession with them. I could not be more thrilled with my new addition! I only wish I had a little plush tree with some foliage for my sloth to eat...I guess that's a project for me! My sloths need a jungle!

I love being part of the Plush Team and apparently so does my sloth! Now to think of a name...

Valentine

I made this plush for my mustache-y valentine.

Day of the Dead Art Project

I am fortunate this term to again have a class in which I get to make an art project. This term I am taking a Spanish language class called, "Expresiones Artísticas". Basically the class covers all kinds of art created by different Spanish speaking cultures and artists. One assignment in the class, is to create an art project which represents each student in some personal way. Of course I decided to sew something, and I already had an idea.

I couple months back the Plushteam did a Day of the Dead, (Día de los Muertos), challenge but I unfortunately didn't participate because I didn't really have the time. I had an idea of what I wanted to make back then and even though I was too late to participate in the challenge, I was still excited to finally make a Day of the Dead plush.

I have always been fascinated by the holiday and am especially enamored with the ornately decorated skulls. Check out this one, this one and these. If you are not familiar with the holiday, or it's traditions, check out this website for an explanation.

I had a lot of different ideas of how I wanted to design my skull, and I'm sure I would have done more if I would have had excess time, but I am still pretty happy with how it came out. As I worked out the design on paper first, I decided that I needed some kind of theme because I was sort of just drawing designs all willy-nilly. The thought of a cohesive design led me to another significant symbol for death, especially during the Day of the Dead holiday, the marigold. Marigolds are placed as offerings on alters and at grave sites. To read more about the significance of the marigold in Mexican culture check out this explanation.

I have to say it was really fun presenting my creation in class today. I think I was the only person that didn't write a poem or make something on poster paper. I think when I get my project back I might add more details because I think there are too many white spaces left on the skull. I do really like how the marigolds came out though. The entire piece is made of wool felt and stuffing. I forgot to measure it but I would estimate it is about six inches tall. What do you think?

A Special Christmas Gift

I grew up in a family that always had a dog, even though the only dog who was a part of my family while I was growing up was our dog Jody. I didn't remember a time without her because my parents got her when I was 1 and they put her down due to old age when I was 13. However, around the time that we were making the decision to put Jody down our neighbors adopted a little yellow lab puppy who they named Gus.

Jody in bed with my brother and I watching Sesame Street

At the time, our neighbors had two little girls which I babysat so it worked out in my favor that while I was sitting for them, I also got to cuddle a tiny bundle of sweet puppy softness. Nothing makes me happier than playing and cuddling with an adorable baby pup. Unfortunately as Gus grew bigger, he also grew farther away from his family. Whether it was his size, or the family's loss of interest in him, they eventually secluded him to a kennel in the backyard that was left over from our previous neighbors.

Jody near the end of her life.

Gus's kennel ran along the fence that separated the neighbor's yard from ours. It consisted of a fenced-in area where the grass had gone bare and it included a ramshackle dog house. Gus spent all of his time in his kennel, receiving the majority of his attention from the daily feeding from his owners. They would come out, fill his bowl, and walk away.

Maybe it was because we recently lost our family dog, or maybe it was because my Dad couldn't stand to see Gus alone day in and day out, but he decided to do something about it. I don't know how exactly it came about but if I remember right, it started with a hole in the fence. One day my Dad got the idea to saw a hole in the fence so that Gus could stick his head through and watch my Dad's never-ending projects, as well as receive a pat on the head every now and then.

Me giving Gus a pat on Easter.

The hole eventually turned into a door that allowed Gus to come all the way into our yard to play and run around. Over the years Gus spent more and more time in the yard with my Dad. Time passed...I left home at 15, my parents divorced, my brother moved out, but my Dad and Gus remained. The neighbors changed too...the girls grew up and the family added a new dog to their household...a smaller, yippy dog that they could carry and walk around the neighborhood with. And yet the attention they gave Gus never evolved past the daily filling of his food bowl.

Gus aged but never lost his spirit. When I adopted Maisy I would take her over to play at my Dad's and Gus would allow her to jump on his arthritic back and he would follow the best he could as she raced around the large yard looking for a squirrel to chase. His tail never stopped wagging even when they would finally lay exhausted in the yard or when they stopped to get a drink of water.

Little puppy Maisy.

In the winter my Dad would bring Gus into the garage to keep him warm and then eventually he bought him a dog igloo that included a heated mat to ease his arthritis. A couple years ago it became achingly apparent that Gus was in a lot of pain. My Dad spoke with the neighbors and not surprisingly they gave my Dad permission to put Gus down. I know it didn't happen right away, I don't think my Dad could bare the thought of losing Gus, but he did eventually make the appointment, and Gus was gone. I don't remember my Dad crying over our other family dogs but I know he cried when he lost Gus, because I heard him.

For the last year or so my Dad had been bugging me about making him a BeBe Baby. He said he didn't care what kind of doll, I think he wanted something he could show his friends. I admit making him a doll wasn't my top priority, but it was mostly because when I make something for someone, I want it to be meaningful, either representative of their personality or significant to their life. So as Christmas rolled around an idea hit me...

I decided to make a little yellow lab BeBe that would have a little dog tag with Gus's name on it. As I worked on him I thought of little things to add like angel wings....

I think my Dad was shocked, and I hope that he is happy with what I came up with for his very own BeBe. It felt good to make something in tribute to a forgotten dog that found a home in an unlikely place. In fact it gave me a bunch of other ideas and feelings about all the puppies that have passed on, loved and unloved. I believe there will be more BeBe tributes to come...

In memory of Gus and all the pups in my life.

Food Fail

I'm going to this cardigans and confections party tonight and I had all these ideas of what sweet treat I wanted to make (and I should have stuck with what I know) but instead decided to make these doughnut hole eyeballs in the spirit of Halloween. I originally saw the "recipe" on some Halloween treat site but I couldn't find the same exact site when I went back to make sure I had everything. I remembered it required melted white chocolate and colored icing. That seemed easy enough!

Yesterday when I was trying to find the original site I found all kinds of other people making the same thing and I thought the way this blog displayed them on a fork was cool. So I bought some black forks and a black bowl to display them in along with the chocolate and other ingredients. Unfortunately I didn't read the blog or notice that it was icing and not chocolate. I should have known that me and melted chocolate don't go together because of the long ago Christmas truffle disaster I survived only because my friend at the time was working at a chocolate store. She sailed in and saved Christmas just like Rudloph.

It's a good thing I bought an extra thing of doughnut holes because I'm not sure anyone is going to want these eyeballs. They really don't look that bad but it was not at all what I envisioned. I thought the chocolate would coat them nice and even but instead it would hardly stick and when it did it was goopy. Not only that, but I didn't have any parchment paper so they stuck to my cutting board where I decided to sit them to harden. Of course that meant when I picked them up the bottom chocolate stuck to the board. This actually might have been a good thing because I was wondering how the fork was going to poke through the chocolate without cracking it to pieces.

In addition, the icing I got doesn't appear to harden (I have no experience with icing) and so I have no idea how I am going to transport them without all the icing smearing all over them and whatever container I can figure to put them in (the bowl is not going to work). Ultimately what I have learned from this experience is that I am lost without my Sarah. Whenever I had to make something for a party she always made it with me (for me) and it always came out beautifully.

Winner and How To

The winner of the Mingle mag giveaway is LEFTZ!!! Yaaaaay!

Remember how I was on that diet? Well it got a little derailed (as in I stopped following it strictly but still mostly follow the principles). I have officially lost 20 lbs since the middle of August. I have about 5-10 more pounds to go and am kind of at that plateau stage but that's ok, it isn't my top priority right now.

One problem with weight loss, or weight gain for that matter, is clothing. Most of the pants in my drawers right now are several sizes too big. Luckily I had a tub under my bed of smaller pants so I got it out over the weekend to see if any of the pants fit me. In the tub I found a great pair of black pants that fit at the waist but had these really flared out legs. I have gotten so used to skinny jeans I just did not like how they fit so I decided to alter them.

The process was super easy. I turned them inside out and then took my favorite skinny jeans that fit like I like and layed them on top matching up the outside leg seams. Make sure both pairs of pants are inside out. I used white chalk to mark the inside seam of the pant legs I was altering from the crotch to the bottom following my favorite jeans as a pattern. Then I just sewed along the line, cut the excess fabric and put them on. Instant new pants!

I hope you can tell...I know it is hard to see because they are so dark. Next I have to figure out how to take in some of the other pants I have that fit in the legs but are too loose in the waist.

Start

Finish

Mingle Magazine Giveaway!

Alright everyone, today is the day for the Mingle magazine review and giveaway! Let me start by saying it was a beautiful day today and I was able to sit on my porch with a cup of tea and read the entire magazine from front to back. It may have been because of the rare fall sunshine in Oregon, or how pleasantly quiet my street was today, but the atmosphere for reading through such a beautiful magazine was perfect. Now that evening is approaching I have moved inside, brewed some apple cider tea and am now ready to tell you all about Mingle.

Mingle magazine is dedicated to providing "creative ideas for unique gatherings" and boy is it chock full of ideas and gatherings of all kinds. My first excitement occurred when the second gathering featured was held on my very own Oregon coast. The gathering itself is called Be Present Retreats and there is an abundance of information on what they do and where they are held. What struck me most about the article, other than it happened so close to my home, was a beautiful poem in the middle that was accompanied by pictures of the Oregon coast. I could not find who actually wrote the poem but it pulled at my heart through the words and familiar images. There is more of it but you must pick up the mag to read the poem entirely.

Sometimes life is hard, we said

You are not alone.

...

There is pain and there is beauty mixed together, we said.

You are not alone.

...

What is so amazing about this magazine is how they include a real wide range of gatherings, from childrens' birthday parties to weddings to anniversary parties to friends having Saturday beer night to a group of 60 women on a chartered bus antique tour and so, so many more. In 144 pages I think everyone can find something in this magazine to inspire them, but I am going to share a few that inspired me.

I seemed to be struck most by the retreats featured in the magazine which led me to believe something similar would be great for me right now. Even though I'm sure it won't happen due to time or money the pages of Mingle gave me just a little bit of a taste of the goodwill that a wonderful retreat can provide. The below pictures are from a creative retreat by Beth Nicholls and the photos are by navyblur.co.uk. Her retreats are called Do What You Love if you would like more information. Can't you just feel the warmth in this room? I would probably never leave.

I think what it is that struck me about these inspiring stories of people coming together to share fellowship is that at this point in my life it is my friends that are keeping me strong. Without good friends and heartfelt companionship it is a lonely, lonely world.

In addition to the heartwarming stories of people connecting with others Mingle is also full of beautiful pictures of food and drinks (because really, what get together is fun without them). Honestly I think I love pictures of food and drinks more than I actually like making them. There are so many beautiful ideas and pictures I barely could figure out what to show you but I decided on two that I might possibly make myself. The first is a ginger ale drink with fresh fruit which is one of my favorite things (although I generally like to toss in a little alcohol hee hee).

The second is a sweet treat because there are just too many in this magazine to ignore. I think there is just about every kind of sweet treat throughout the pages of Mingle to satisfy any ones sweet tooth. I chose to show these because they look delicious and are clever. Find more about the creator at The TomKat Studio.

I would highly recommend this magazine if you love beautiful pictures, reading inspiring stories and/or need ideas for your next amazing gathering. If you want to win your very own copy I have an extra to giveaway to a lucky reader.

The giveaway is going to be up for a week and there are several ways that you can enter (and enter more than once for more chances):

1. Leave a comment on this post to be entered. Also if you do any of the below additional entry options please let me know in your comment so I enter you the correct number of times!

2. Join my mailing list to receive an additional entry. Email bebebabiescom@yahoo.com to join. You will only receive one email a month (on the first of the month) with news and other special notices for BeBe Babies.

3. "Like" my brand new Facebook fan page and receive an additional entry.

4. Follow my blog and receive an extra entry.

5. Visit my Etsy shop and let me know your favorite doll listed to receive an additional entry.

6. Blog about my giveaway on your blog and receive an additional entry (make sure to give a link to the blog post).

Good luck to everyone and thanks for visiting!

Life Marches On...

Sometimes all we really want to do is hide under the covers and pretend that we never have to get back out again. Unfortunately life marches on with or without us. So we get up, we persevere, and we try our hardest to not let hardship ruin all our hard work. What I needed today was a day to catch up on projects as well as sprinkle some cheer throughout my home.

Besides some much needed yard work, I did a ton of laundry and put up some Halloween decorations. It is already going to be the 4th week of the new school year this week and I can't even believe that much time has gone by already. I feel like I have been running a mile a minute, trying to get used to being on a new campus and a new way of life.

Due to school and all the changes I have barely had time for BeBes but I am excited to say that when I finish this post I am going to get some sewing done. Tomorrow I plan to sew even more as well as post the review I was selected to do for Mingle magazine. Remember I have an extra copy that I will be giving away to one of you lucky readers. Make sure to check back tomorrow! I have already thumbed through it and it looks amazing. I think it will be really fun going through it slowly. Until then...