Easy Weeknight Pasta

I enjoy cooking, but lately I'm finding that I only have about 30 mins to prepare meals in the evening. So I thought I'd document one of our easy weeknight meals. This is fast, easy and can be pulled together from just the pantry if necessary.

Pull out the ingredients:

2 1/2 cups dry pasta (any shape, though we've decided that we love rotini)
One can of diced tomatoes (S&W brand is highly recommended)
Extra virgin olive oil
5 or 6 cloves fresh garlic (freeze dried garlic from Penzey's is also awesome)
A bunch of fresh basil (or dry from the pantry)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Tonight I didn't have almost any fresh ingredients so I used just what I had in the pantry. I love that I can pull it together with stuff I always have in the cupboard.

Method:

Bring water to a boil, pour in pasta, set timer

Normally, while water is coming to a boil and pasta is starting to cook, you'd go ahead and mince up the garlic and a few basil stems. Today I'm using freeze dried garlic and dry basil, so instead I take the time to contemplate the beautiful calendar that my friend sent me for my birthday...

Now heat up a saute pan to medium heat, pour in two large tablespoons of oil. Once oil is hot, put in garlic, red pepper, basil stems (or a little bit of dry basil) and about a 1/2 tsp of salt. Swirl it around until fragrant.

Add tomatoes, more basil and crank the heat to high. Stir constantly until liquid cooks down a bit.

By now your pasta is probably done. Drain it and add it to your sauce.

Now for the best part. This can be skipped if you don't have it in the fridge, but I like to always have a little in there. Parmesan cheese! Make sure it is actually parmigiano reggiano and not the stuff in the green can. (ick). Pour it in, don't be shy. I put in at least a couple of handfuls. :)

Mix it in and you are done!

Slap it into a bowl (as you can see, this is a week night, I didn't have time to make the bowl pretty) and enjoy!

If you get a smile like this, you'll know you did it right.

Yum!

Have a Happy Day!

The Taylor

I completed another custom design in the last week and thought I'd share. My good friend approached me with the idea of a ladybug clip for her daughter. I got busy researching ladybugs and thinking about what I'd like to create. Did you know that soaking in a warm tub is extremely conducive to creativity? Here's what I came up with:

I especially love the ladybug in the center that is ready to take flight. I had so much fun researching ladybugs and trying to figure out how to make a design that would work in counted cross stitch. I only wish I had a picture of my sketch book to put up here. There were so many failed ladybug attempts. It is surprisingly hard to take something from your head and put it to paper. It is especially hard when that vision must be created out of little x's that will fit into the boxes on a sheet of graph paper.

Here are the cross stitched ladybugs stitched to felt and mounted:

I should note that this is my first snap clip design. I was initially reticent to use snap clips, but I think they will be a nice addition to the shop. I already have another design using them and one more on the way for this next week!

Can't wait to show you what I've been working on this weekend, but I'll have to wait until the beginning of next week. Fun things ahead!

Have a Happy Day!

Embrace The Camera- Feet!

When I was in junior high and high school I had a thing about getting my feet in photos. I was a bonafide band geek (and whatever the equivalent term is for those in orchestra). I went on several band and orchestra tours and have photo after photo of signs, manholes and national monuments with only my feet in the photo.

One rainy day this week, I decided to resurrect the art of the foot photo with my children.

Look he's a toe curler just like his mama!

I may or may not have bribed my two year old with a chocolate cookie so that he would stay still and keep his feet in a least one photo. He may or may not have started crying because he wanted his socks back on.

Socks back on, lounging on the couch. I ROCK those Nike ankle socks!

The entire venture of trying to get everyone's feet in a photo may or may not have ended in tears and total exasperation by everyone involved.

hmmm, looking back on it, I'm not quite sure if it was worth it or not....

Oh well. Join us in embracing the camera and Have a Happy Day!!

Rainy Day

Today was a rainy day. Rain turning to snow to be exact. We spent the entire day indoors and I decided to get a little crafty.
I've been noticing a trend lately of using mixed media. I've seen stitching through wood and stitching through clay. I happened to have some clay on hand and thought I'd see what a simple cross stitching pattern looked like through it.

Here are the final results of my nap time labors. I like the way it turned out and I'm thinking of turning this into a brooch.

Hmmm. I wonder what crafty thing I'll try on the next rainy day?

Have a Happy Day!

A Boy and His Letters

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Tick Tock

I promised another post regarding my son's second great love: Clocks. If he isn't talking/singing about the ABCs, all he wants to do is look at clocks online or visit a local clock shop.

He came by his fascination with clocks naturally. His grandmother (my mother) is an avid clock collector and I find that I'm drawn to them as well.

I'm sure that you won't be surprised that there are tons of great clocks to be found on Etsy; vintage and modern. Here are some of the clocks I've been coveting:

1. Vintage wood square clock via Hindsvik
2. Aviary clock in red via Faire Houre
3. Vintage Russian alarm clock via Clock work Universe
4. Modern Numbers clock in white via Uncommon
5. Tiny Scallop clock in vintage blue via Uncommon

Here are two beautiful clocks that hang in each of my childrens' rooms:

6. Modern elephant clock via Decoylab
7. It's My Forest clock via Decoylab

Finally, the clock featured at the top is a new find and I think I MUST have it. It is the small doily clock from and furthermore. My son approves.

Have a Happy Day!

Under the Sycamore

This month we are pleased to be a sponsor for a wonderful blog: Under the Sycamore. Ashley has such a wonderful blog voice, adorable children and one of her amazing DIY projects was, in many ways, the inspiration that started Sunshine & Lolli. Her blog is a daily must read.

Please check out Under the Sycamore to see amazing photography, projects, and genuine craftiness. Also visit if you need a dose of humor, wisdom or perhaps a reminder about what makes life sweet.

Enjoy a 15% discount when you shop Sunshine & Lolli for the entire month of March. Just enter coupon code Ashley15 at checkout. Make sure to check out the other great discount offers from all of the other March sponsors as well.

Want another discount? "Like" Sunshine & Lolli on Facebook then e-mail us with your favorite thing about springtime and I'll send you a coupon code for free shipping! Hooray!

Have a Happy Day!

Embrace The Camera

It warmed up enough that we were able to enjoy a walk outside and hang out on the porch swing, too. As you can see a little taste of Spring weather made us pretty happy. I can't wait until time outside is a daily occurrence.

Jellybean is confused by this mom-in-the-picture-too thing. I wonder what she was thinking in that little head of her's...

Jellybean's perspective on events:
Why are you doing this mom?

Oooo, camera...

Alright, now where did my brother go?

I'm glad she adapts so quickly. :)
Have a happy day and remember to Embrace the Camera!!

Let me out of here

I think she'd escape if she could...

but, until she figures out how to open the door, I'll just enjoy her footie pajama feet. :)

Signs of Spring

I looked in my garden today and spied the first crocus of Spring.

Now for an open letter:

Dear Snow,

Please don't come back and freeze this pretty little flower to death.

Thank you in advance,

~MJ

Have a Happy Day!

Buddy-isms

Buddy: "Don't wear that shirt, Mama."
Me: "Why not?"
Buddy: "It's yucky."
Me: "Gee thanks"

Buddy: "Mama! What's wrong with your legs?!"
Me: "Those are my nylons, Buddy, they are like socks."
Buddy: "oh....do they hurt?"

Me: "Buddy, what is this word?" (pointing to the word pineapple)
Buddy: "Mama, I can't read a whole sentence."

What I forgot to blog about...

This blog has been taking a back seat to my new hobby lately. That means that I haven't updated it in a LONG time and that I have neglected to keep up with my monthly updates on Jellybean. This makes me sad, but that's life. I'm going to attempt to make up for those missing posts, so you might just have to bear with me.

Yesterday Jellybean turned 11 months old and I started thinking about her and the funny, sweet, wonderful little girl that she is. She is going to be a year old in just a month and I can't believe where the time has gone.

9 months

10 months

11 months

She can say (with varying degrees of clarity) mama, dada, hi, yeah, owl, and "wassat". Today we worked on "uh-oh". It was a fun practice session in which she picked up her baby doll and repeatedly dropped her on purpose looking at me each time, wide eyed, and exclaiming just the end of the phrase: "ohhh".

Things Jellybean LOVES:
Peekaboo (it never, ever gets old)
Hanging upside down (it never, ever gets old)
Pretending to hand you toys and then withholding them at the last moment (and again, it never ever gets old)
Big brother tickles! (She really enjoys it when Buddy tickles her under the chin)
Having her nose beeped
Putting small objects in larger objects (i.e. putting toys in our recycle bin, or lint in her mouth)
Being carried around so she can point to things and say "wassat".

Things she doesn't like:
Having her hands held
Staying still
Cuddling
Yogurt (though she is extremely pleasant in her refusal to eat it)
Being alone or being put on the floor when she would rather be carried around

Jellybean started out as such a screamy, screamy child. I never imagined, at that point in time, that she would turn into the sweet, good natured little girl that she is. We love that funny, little, red headed sprite.

Fantasy Craft Room (Part One)

I often find myself fantasizing about the craft room I will have someday in the future. Right now we have barely enough room for a dining room table (see this post here), but a girl can dream.

First thing on my list? Storage!

I love this drawer unit by Ikea.
Multiply it by at least 3 and now we're talking.

Two Etsy finds that I find particularly inspiring for decor:

Farouche's Make Do and Mend print at the top and this adorable KayandEE toy sewing machine from Vintage Sams'.
I would love to have it up on a shelf just to look at and enjoy.

Stay tuned for future posts on my fantasy crafting room. Anything you'd die to have in your craft room?

Have a happy day!