Catching up with the Kieslings: in the sewing room

Well, it's official, I like to sew.

Growing up, I sewed because I had to...for 4-H.
...and a little because I wanted to.
...but I wouldn't have said that it brought me joy.

I really loved sewing during 5th and 6th grades. I mastered the creation of patterned leggings and oversized tunics. (Now I wish I had a serger at my disposal; I would be rocking that look - and showing the undergrads how to do it.)

...and then, I was supposed to ascend the next level of creation-mastery. Pleats, zippers, buttons - and all of those skills that require attention...and confidence...and some amount of perfection. ...and I loathed ripping seams. Once I start something, I want to finish it right then. No waiting; no returning; no starting over.

You know what's great about sewing as an adult? No judge at the county fair is examining the straightness of my lines. No one will look down upon the fact that I've just sewn my 200th pillow and have no plans to move on.

Okay, I digress. Let's get back to what projects I've been working on lately.

I LOVE to sew gifts. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.

My cousin Elizabeth is having her first baby in June - and I am so happy for her! Her shower was today, and I made a couple of items for her and her husband to welcome little baby C to the family.

First up: Diaper changing pads. I chose a delightful, gender-neutral, yet hip, pairing for Mom's pouch. I cut these 14" wide by 36" long. I made the pouch big enough to fit a pack of Costco-sized wipes and a couple of diapers. I figure that if you want more diapers, you can just use a smaller pack of wipes. I made a second pad for a colleague who is also having her first baby. This was my first time sewing Velcro. I was a little intimidated - for no reason. It was super easy.

The 2 pictures above are of the diaper pouch for Dad. (Equal opportunity, right?) Liz & Kevin don't know the sex of baby C - but I figured a 'manly' pouch is the best way to entice a dad to carry around a changing mat, right? The inside chevron colors are an olive/sage-green/khaki. The outside is a blue plaid with the 'olive' strip running through it. When I showed it to Dan, he said, "Oh, very Michigan State-y." Even better way to entice Dad to change diapers! :)

Top: Nursing shawl; Middle: diaper changing pad for Mom; Bottom: diaper changing pad for Dad

Imagine that underneath that shawl is a nursing baby.... Hopefully I won't be taking any selfies if that were the case.

I used the template found on this website for the diaper changing pads: http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2009/02/changing-pad-and-wipes-holder-tutorial.html?m=1

I used this website as a template for the nursing shawl: http://www.thecoterieblog.com/2012/05/dyi-modern-nursing-shawl-sew-one-line.html. Her directions are really confusing. If you follow her measurements, understand this: the 30" (length) are NOT on the fold. The 25" (width) is the fold. She says it backwards. I had already made my cuts at the point I figured this out. So, I sewed 2, 12" sections on the 30" side, and then cut the 30" fold. No big deal. 

Day 4: AZ friends and detoxing

I have a 2-fold thankfulness today. 1) for my Tucson friends; 2) for Dan's willingness to let me try out home remedies on his illnesses. Last week, he started feeling his weird sinus infection coming on. By Saturday night, he was down for the count. He slept all day yesterday...and then, I made him take a detox bath. So, far he's made it through today.

This one is much more divergent. :)

On Monday, I was really thankful for my friend, Anne Marie. Before I met Anne Marie, my co-worker described her to me as crafty, and her "closest to Martha Stewart"-like friend, then said: "You can't be friends with her; she's my friend." She wasn't forbidding me to be friends with her...but, you know, when you have that friend and you know she's awesome, but you don't want everyone stealing her time away from "your time"? I think that's what she meant. ...maybe.

Anyway, over the last year, Anne Marie and I have become pretty close. She and I share very similar interests - crafting, baking, Pinterest, thrifting, decorating, wine, and we have good talks. She's such a blessing to me. On Monday, we had another one of those 'good talks'...and then, she had a good talk with her priest and has decided to become confirmed within the Catholic church - and asked me to be her sponsor! She's a reminder to me of how good God is to us. :)

Part 2: I find a secret pleasure in serving Dan and trying home remedies to aid his healing. He refers to me as a hippie whenever I suggest them, and I consider that a compliment. 

On Saturday night, Dan started to feel pretty run-down. He slept most of the evening, and then most of the day on Sunday. I decided to put my 'pinning' to work: 1) I brought out our 'Scentsy' wax warmer - and put a tablespoon of Vicks & water in there, and let it warm and then release its nasal-opening vapors; 2) try out one of the 'home remedies' that I'd pinned - a detox bath.

So, I bought some Epsom salt, baking soda, and tried out our bath tub.  The recipe: 2 cups Epsom; one box of baking soda (about 1.5 cups - it should have been 2, but a small box is only 1.5 cups and I forgot to buy 2. I also did a calculation in the store converting teaspoons to tablespoons to cups. Thanks 4-H - and Mr. Brown, our high school science teacher.) - to the salt/soda mixture, I sprinkled some ground ginger (good for getting a sweat going to purge the bad stuff), and a healthy dose of Eucalyptus oil. I should have measured that - it was so strong, my eyes started watering. My nasal passages have never been clearer.

Like a good, dutiful husband, Dan endured the bath. It was recommended that during the first 20 minutes the impurities are released and the last 20 allow your body to absorb the minerals/nutrients. He made it 30; I thought that was admirable. He essentially slept the rest of the night, but went to work the next day and seems to be quite on the mend. We might have to keep this in our regular rotation.

What's been cookin' at the Kiesling Kitchen

I love Pinterest.

I love Pinterest because I find reading recipes relaxing. Reading recipes lets me escape to this wonderful place where I have endless access to ingredients and cooking utensils. I dream about cooking things and at the end of my daydream session, I'm inspired. We had guests here 3 weeks ago and they remarked about cooking ability - and Dan really praised my abilities. Well, my ability to 'make it up' comes from reading recipes and catching what flavors work together.

Pinterest has provided me with an endless access to recipes. Now, I will share some recipes that have recently graced our table.

On the table today:

Balsamic Pot Roast and Onions - in the crock pot. In 2 hours, I will let you know if it received Dan approval. 15 minutes before we left for church, he got it ready to go - so, it's pretty quick to whip together.

For breakfast yesterday:

Baked Oatmeal in individual serving sizes. This received Dan approval! It worked really well for us because Dan's not a big fan of nuts. So, he got apples and oatmeal, and peanut butter-chocolate chips and oatmeal. I got apples, pecans and oatmeal, and peanut butter-chocolate chips, apples, pecans and oatmeal (or what I called the "garbage" baked oatmeal).

On the table last week:

Baked Parmesan-encrusted Asparagus - delicious! In fact, the week that Dan was gone, I just ate this for dinner one night. Don't worry, I had like 25 (super skinny) asparagus, so I got my fill. :) Yes, these also received Dan approval.

The breakfast we served our guests:

Bacon-egg-toast cups. AMAZING!
I transformed this recipe just a little. I had some Jiffy corn muffin mix on hand and thought, "Hmm, I bet these would be delicious with the baked egg & bacon cups." So, I mixed up the muffin mix and started baking them. They were too big to make room for the egg & canadian bacon (which, as all good, meat scientists know is not the same as ham). So, I baked the muffins and THEN baked the canadian bacon and egg. My mouth is salivating just thinking about them.

I also made this AMAZING vinagrette last week....and I didn't repin the recipe. So, I'm not sure I will ever be able to recreate it - but it is so good. It's got balsamic vinegar, paprika, salt, pepper, sugar, olive oil and sesame seeds. I made it last weekend; it's been marinating in the fridge and I used it on a salad at lunch yesterday. It was even better than last week. I will be using it this week on my 'oriental chicken salad.'

Also up this week from Pinterest


Chicken & Asparagus Stir Fry (asparagus is on sale for about $1/bunch around here)

 
Homemade Granola Balls - will be using pistachios instead of peanuts, and cranberries & apricots instead of cranberries & raisins


Better Than Everything But Sex - okay, I changed the title - Chex Mix. I am referring to this as the adult staple for Girls Nights In replacing our slumber party favorite: puppy chow. I don't have all ingredients on hand (of course) - but, I'm going to improvise just to try it out.