Saturday Morning Cinnamon Rolls

I woke up especially early on Saturday morning, at the crack of dawn really, and couldn't fall back to sleep. I'd been under the weather all week long and not sleeping well. So since I was up soo early, I decided to do something that I usually wouldn't have time for and surprise Hub as well...I made Cinnamon Rolls from scratch for the first time ever. {unbaked cinnamon rolls}

And Hub was quite pleasantly surprised. Not long after I had put them in the oven, he awoke and called downstairs to the kitchen wondering what smelled so good? And that he thought he could smell cinnamon? He's got a good sniffer. I said I wouldn't tell him until he came down and looked in the oven...to see the look of delight on his face made me so happy!

{cinnamon rolls, just out of the oven}

And thankfully they turned out just as good as they smelled! They were pretty easy and quick to make too. I used an America's Test Kitchen recipe from one of their magazines we have...but unfortunately I can't access it online without registering at their site. That's just how they operate, I guess. If you're interested, you can do that or send me an email and I'd be happy to share it with you as well.

The only change I made to their recipe was using a basic powdered sugar frosting (mixed w/ milk & added a dash of vanilla) in place of their buttermilk cream cheese frosting...which I'm sure would be great, I just didn't have any cream cheese.Consume with some fruit & coffee and your weekend will be off to a happy start, as was mine! Plus, your whole house will smell yummy for awhile too! :)

a little bday recap...

Oh my, where did the week go? I can't believe it is Friday already. This week has been a bit of whirlwind beginning with the weekend prior spent in the Cities for a baby shower and a gorgeous Easter day with my family...then Hub was briefly in Boston, later Mum came up for a quick visit, and oh yes...it was my birthday too. This week also brought snow, rain, wind, and finally today...sunshine! Phew! I'm ready for a quiet, Spring-like weekend at home with my hub now!

I spent my birthday with Mum, enjoying a great lunch out and lots of shopping together. Above was a birthday dessert they surprised me with at the Norwegian cafe we ate at...complete with singing me a sweet Norwegian song. In the evening, Hub took me out to our favorite Thai place for dinner. The great thing about birthdays AND being pregnant at the same time? He let me get 2 appetizers!!! ;)I also bought myself a few little birthday presents while out...a pretty floral vintage oil painting (snippet of it above) that I've had my eye on for quite some time...and a cute vintage doe & fawn planter (first photo) that I just couldn't resist. How sweet would that be coralling some things in the baby's room on a shelf or perhaps planted with a sweet, dainty Baby Tears plant?

Happy Weekend! ~L

knitted bird mobile...

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'd been working on a knitted bird mobile. We finally hung it up last week when we were putting the finishing touches on the baby's room. It is so exciting and fun to put together a completely new room, for someone you have yet to meet! Very crazy... But back to the mobile...I'm perhaps not totally done or satisfied with it...but for now I am. I just used whatever yarns I had on hand and couldn't make it distinctly boy or girlish so it just is what it is for now! Sometimes things turn out better than others...I got the idea for this mobile when last year (before Christmas I think) I came across this adorable pattern for knitted birdy ornaments. Instead of ornaments I thought they'd be cute to make a bunch for a mobile! I wrapped two wooden dowels with yarn (like branches) and added my own made-up pattern for knitted leaves at the end of each. The hardest part? Figuring out how to get everything just so in order for it to hang properly. That's why I'm not touching it for awhile! But if we have a girl, I can imagine adding some ribbons/flowers around the birdy necks, maybe changing out some of the birds to be more girl or boy-oriented, softer colors...hmm?...we'll see!

"by-the-book" knitting...

I thought I had hung up my knitting needles for awhile, especially after knitting several pairs of booties/socks and making a knitted mobile (photos still to come, once it's finally hung!). I thought I was good on knitting for quite awhile...But then the other day the urge to knit something totally different, natural, really special for the baby hit me big time. So I knew this called for a trip to our little local yarn shop...where yesterday, I spent a good chunk of time perusing knitting books, feeling all the pretty yarns, and asking oodles of questions. I wanted to do things "by the book" for once, literally. Once I found just the kind of knitting book I'd had in mind...something not too complex, with simple & lovely designs, many patterns of which I'd like to try (not just 1 or 2 as in some books), and not to mention just plain gorgeous photos to look at...then I began to search for some very nice natural yarns that the book called for. This is where the lady working there came in so handy again, helping me to find the right weight & types of yarn for the projects. (She also happened to be knitting a pair of socks ~2 socks!!!~at the same time on a circular needle...I was impressed! and felt awful for having to keep interrupting her because I know how it is when I knit...but of course she was kind and said that she only works on projects at work that are simple for her where she can easily be interrupted...doubly impressed then!) Usually I don't pay any attention to gauges or specific kinds of yarns a project may call for...I just wing it, using what I like or happen to have on hand, and see what happens!

So this time I feel a little more "grown-up" in my knitting. Which is kind of exciting... I'm starting to work on this classic cardigan (above) for baby, using this delicious, cream colored, pima cotton/silk yarn that feels so nice to work with. Wish me luck!

P.S. This reminds me... I've received some lovely handmade knitted and crocheted baby gifts...I'll have to put them all together in a post soon!

dutch yellow {craft kit}

Feeling a bit crafty lately, I put together this little craft kit of handmade & vintage bits and goodies for the shop...right here. I also added my recently made garland to the shop too, here. And perhaps a few more things to come soon! Crafting seems to be a good diversion to the big upcoming event in my life... While I'm often overloaded with baby info as we've recently taken a couple classes and have baby books and things lying around everywhere, crafting is good way for me to relax and have some normalcy as this super exciting time approaches!

grape hyacinth

Today on the table, a pot of my favorite springtime flower: the Grape Hyacinth! Such a pretty blue color, ends tinged with white, and the sweetest subtle scent. Just yesterday, I noticed the grape hyacinths in my garden in the woods popping up, their little blue tops just beginning to poke through the surface. But these ones above must be a different type/species from the ones I planted a couple years ago as the flowers are more spread out, less clustered. They'll be a good addition to my garden for next year. Spring is good!

a Spring garland...

Yesterday I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed, out of sorts, and in need of a dose of some carefree springtime crafting...the perfect remedy to an out-of-sorts sort of day! ..... {Happy Birthday, Mum!}

an April shower...

Last weekend, Hub and I went down to the Cities for my baby shower...put on by my sister-in-law, sister, and mother, it was more lovely and thoughtful than I could have ever imagined! I was absolutely blown away by their creativity and all the effort they put into making it such a special day for me and soon-to-arrive baby! Here are some snapshots I took of the sweet "woodland" shower details:The adorable handmade "welcome" sign hanging outside to greet all the lovely guests as they arrived. My "corsage"...a plush butterfly holding real mini roses wrapped in tulle and topped off with a little brown "baby" button.My sister-in-law had the center of her table decked out in a sweet array of glass cloches filled with woodland details...deer, mushrooms, moss, butterflies.See the bunting in the photo above? Mum made a few of these pretty fabric buntings......in the cutest of fabrics (floral, owls, hedgehogs, etc...)And even a tiny one to hang in this wreath.Another woodland scene under a belljar...a mother and baby deer.And the food, oh the food was phenomenal! But of course I only got photos of the desserts! Like these cute mini chocolate cupcakes...And remnants of my favorite cake in the world!!! (I almost didn't get a piece! Thanks for making sure I did, Sis!)And finally, delicious and darling sugar cookies, were each individually packaged in little bags for the guests to enjoy then or take home for later...there were "boy" owls and "girl" hedgehogs...since we don't yet know what our little baby will be! We're keeping it a surprise...and surprises are so nice, just like this party was...a wonderful surprise of thoughtfulness and love!

Thanks so much, ladies, for making it a special day that I will always remember!