Andrew just couldn't wait another minute. He reached over right before the photo and grabbed a bite. Sometimes it is all about the blog! Libby's pick this week. I can't say they are that great, guys. My kids love them, but I don't think they have that much flavor. I do think they are pretty though.

Chocolate Swirls:

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 TBLS milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled.

Combine sugar, butter, egg, milk and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until soft dough forms. Divide dough in half. Combine half of dough with the melted chips. Beat until well blended. On lightly floured wax paper, roll chocolate dough into 1/8 thick rectangle. On second sheet of lightly floured wax paper roll remaining dough the same way. Carefully place one on top of the other. Roll dough, jelly roll style, starting with long side. (peel off wax paper when rolling.) Chill 2-3 hours until firm. Cut roll into 1/4 inch slices. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Only one more cookie of the week. Our countdown is on!

My sister #1 is driving with sister #2 to my house! Tomorrow we are leaving to meet our mother for a girls weekend. I cant wait!! Lots of fun to be had. (Shelly D explained a little of what we will be doing).
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!

A little sewing took place over the weekend. I purchased this fabric on super sale from Joann fabrics to try this skirt. 1/2 of a yard of each. I think it cost me $2.47! How awesome is that?! Really, really easy. If you know how to baste and gather, then you can do this. If not, this might help . Basically, it is four ruffles sewn together.

9:oo a.m.9:30 a.m.

Yesterday was School Picnic Day. Most people head to our local amusement park, however, for various reasons, we opted to do something else. First, we rode the incline to the top of Mt. Washington and had lunch. The view of our city is amazing. That is the point where the 3 rivers join. The Monongahela, the Allegheny and the Ohio. Unfortunately, the fountain on the tip was being repaired.

I started this baby sweater last November. I finally finished it yesterday. The baby that it was being made for is now too big to wear this. However, we have friends that had their first baby, a sweet baby girl. This sweater will now go to her. I ordered this pattern and yarn, last summer, from Knot Another Hat. The pattern is a Sirdar, lace-edge cardigan which also has directions for a round neck cardigan. I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino , 4 balls for 6-12 month,size 3 needles.

Charlies pick this week for cookie of the week. They don't look so bad, do they?
They stunk! Total flop! I like you all too much to share this recipe! :) I just wanted to post a picture to document that I actually did make my cookies, and Charlie did have a turn!

I also got tagged by tiennie knits, magnusmog and life with, with the 7 random things. I feel like I am a little boring, but I will give it a try.

1. I don't love chocolate. I will eat it, but never have those chocolate cravings. Therefore, I love when my children pick a chocolate cookie for me to make. I know it won't call my name from the cookie jar like the other cookies do.

2. I have known my husband since I was 13. We never "liked" each other in Jr. high school, we were just friends. My family moved away when I was a sophomore in high school and I ran into him years later in San Francisco where I was living.

3. I love to sing, but am terrible! I sing and dance while making dinner and my kids think I am crazy!

4. I could eat chips and salsa all day.

5. I lived in Chicago after graduating from college working for Merrill Lynch. I wanted to be a stock broker, and was studying to take my Series 7 exam when I.......

6. Got hired by United Airlines to become a Flight Attendant. I flew International and Domestic, and was based in San Francisco.

7. All three of my children were born Cesarean section.

O.k, I guess that wasn't that bad. I'm not going to tag anyone, but feel free to play along.

Thanks so much for all of the compliments on my Hanne Falkenberg. You guys are the best!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Please be aware: too many photos ahead. My hubby took his job as weekend photographer very seriously, and took many, many photos. I think he really enjoyed clicking away, and even gave me props!
So, I bring you my completed Hanne Falkenberg, ballerina swing jacket. This is actually the third ballerina that I have made. My first one can be seen here, the second one here. Obviously, you can tell that I love this sweater if I have made three and am considering making a fourth. Unlike many sweaters that I have knit in the past, that sit folded on my closet shelf, these get their wear! I wear them as my coat, and they look great dressed up as well.

It is women who touch many lives with their hands.Happy Mothers Day to my incredible Mother who has touched not only her daughters lives in so many ways, but also so many other lives as well.

And to all the women out there who won't, don't or can't have children, Happy Mothers Day to you too. Believe me, you have touched the lives of nieces and nephews and/or friends children with your heart and hands too.

Have a lovely, beautiful creative day!

Well, it is finished!
Yes, I did meet my silly deadline on time. My hanne is currently drying outside in the sunlight.
It was so gratifying to bind off all 336 stitches. It was like my little size 3 needles were screaming "I'm Free".
I will try to steal a few moments from my photographer (hubby) for a decent photo shoot, some time over the weekend.
I have some friends coming for lunch and bringing takeout from my favorite restaurant. Of course, we will have to open some wine so that I can celebrate!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

This was Andrews week to choose cookie of the week. He is so easy to please. I just had to ask him if he could pick betty crocker brownies, and of course he said, sure. Lets face it, a girls got to do what a girls got to do. No time for measuring ingredients when you have a deadline to meet. However, time must be put aside to take pictures of your cookies/brownies and post them on your blog. :) And when it comes to your family, you can't be a total slacker!
I have made a lot of progress on my Hanne, and think it should be finished by friday. I have not had to pull an all-knitter yet, however, I did knit until 1:30 a.m. last night. I was, of course, up at the crack of dawn, so I am dragging a bit today.

I feel as if I have been knitting for miles on my Hanne. I timed it, and each ridge (2 rows) takes me 20 minutes! That is only 3 ridges per hour! I am bound and determined to finish this project, I just have to get it off of my needles. I am actually so tired of working on it. When that happens, I usually give myself some sort of deadline ( I know, a little weird) so I have given myself one more week. I am putting down the paint brush, the staple gun and will try to put the sewing machine out of sight in order to complete this. Hey, I may even have to pull an all-knitter, as my husband calls them!

First of all, I would like to thank you for all of my vanity love! It is truly one of my favorite corners of my home now. There is something about sitting to put on your makeup and jewelry that just makes life a little more fun! Some of you commented and e-mailed me about my jewelry holder. I really wanted to show you, so you can make one too. I purchased this from a lovely boutique that was going out of business. My dear friend Merrit owned it, and decided to close it in order to stay at home with her new baby. She is incredibly talented and creative. Merrit used this to display some of the jewelery that was for sale. I am so happy to have this little reminder of her beautiful boutique.

Oh, hey you! Glad you stopped by!
Just wanted to show you my newly painted vanity. Yes, I actually do sit here and put on my make up. It really is rather fun!
This piece of furniture was left in a house that my sisters lived in in college. Somehow I inherited it, and it sat in our basement for years. I finally realized that I had the perfect spot in our bedroom for it. That was three years ago! It took me three years to decide on a color! Can you believe that! The lamp on the left was given to me by the previous owners of our home. My husband doesn't like it, however, it is one of my favorites! I think it is pretty funky. I do wish it was something rather than gold, and started to paint it also. I quickly realized that was a terrible idea and tried to remove the paint, but could not get it all off. It will probably stay like this until I can figure out how to remove it.

I started the chevron scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Just because........I needed another project to keep me up at night.
Just because........I was one of maybe 20 out in blogland that hasn't made one.
Just because........they are all so beautiful.
Just because........Keana and I decided to make one at the same time.
Just because........Scout told me to.
And, I am sure I will make another one at some point, because I am really not loving my colorway!

Have a wonderful weekend, and do something crazy, just because!

Mama owl, baby owl! This is my entry for the March/April tie one on. The theme, rick rack. I really didn't know if I was going to do this, however when we were in Florida my mother came across my grandmothers rick rack, and asked me if I wanted it. Well, of course! I made these while there, and since my mother doesn't have a fabric store around, we hit her linen closet. These are made from old pillow cases. The owls are made out of a few scraps my mom had in her stash. The inspiration for the owls came from my friend, Merrit, who was having a "meet and greet" for her new precious baby, Finn. She made invitations with the cutest little owls on them. Hopefully she will get back to blogging soon to show you!
These are actually now very special considering they have my mothers pillow cases and my grandmothers rick rack. I guess I will have to make my sisters each one!

My knitting projects all seem pretty boring right now. Nothing seems close to being finished. I seem to be working on my Hanne with no end in sight. That sweater just goes on forever........rows and rows of garter!
So in need of some instant gratification, I decided to paint my vanity that has been in dire need of a paint job for years. I chose Restoration Hardware's signature color, silver sage. My sister Lisa painted her bathroom this color and loves it.

Apparently so, at least for the day. My mother-in-law asked me to make aprons for a function she was hosting. They like to have a few locals selling handmade items during their luncheon. I was asked to do this back in January. When did I get started? Yesterday. As soon as my sister left, I headed upstairs to my studio (ehem, our bedroom) and pretty much sewed for most of the day. So today, I'll be sitting behind a table lined with a few aprons, knitting, watching happy women drink martinis for lunch! :)

A big THANK YOU for making my sister feel so welcome out in the blogosphere! She now thinks bloggers are the best too!

My sister, Michelle, is visiting from New Jersey. I have another sister, Lisa, who lives in New York. We all (including our mother) have the same taste in just about everything. If one person buys something, we all want it. (Sabrina can attest to that). We are not weird about it, and don't dress the same when together, however our closets all look very similar. And of course we all want to knit the same things.

Yes, it's official, I can now wear reading glasses. I have always liked the idea of reading glasses. I think people look very studious in them, and with so many cute ones out there, I wanted to wear them too. So, I did. Not really knowing if I needed them or not. However, while in Florida, I had an appointment with my mothers eye Doctor. I still have 20/20, however, he told me if it helps to wear them, go ahead. Wow, I was thrilled! If you could have seen me driving home with the BIG glasses they gave me to wear, trying to read my credit card to the Anthropologie operator! I was so excited to order these! My friend Betsy has them, and I loved them. I, of course, didn't want to buy them if I really didn't need them (since when has that stopped me), however, with Doctors orders, I new I had to order them.

We had a fabulous time on spring break. Being at my parents home is the idyllic place for us. (me) My mother makes it unbelievably easy for me. Of course, she works too hard and needs a vacation when we leave. When I leave, I feel as if my gravy train (as my sisters refer to it) has come to a screeching halt! We had many wonderful moments, here are a few.

early morning sunrises
playing in the ocean