BFD and a gluten free product review!

I bet you are trying to figure out what BFD stands for.... It is one of my favorite things and since I have minimal groceries, it just seemed perfect for tonight! So I enjoyed a little breakfast for dinner (BFD) and made some gluten free muffins.

This muffin mix is one that I got at the King Arthur Flour store in Vermont but I have seen it in my local Whole Foods as well. It is a bit spendy, (what gluten free food isn't?!) but it was quick and easy. In less than 30 minutes with prep and baking, I was enjoying a hot muffin! I was a little concerned because I didn't have any eggs and ended up using egg beaters. Luckily, I also had some frozen blackberries that I threw into the batter and covered the muffins with cinnamon and sugar. Mmmm...let me tell you, they are delicious! I scrambled up some egg beaters with cheddar cheese and spinach to complete my BFD experience.

Muffins for days! It's times like this I am glad I don't have to share :)

Look at that blackberry peeking out of the side...yum!

I am full and happy listening to the thunderstorm while waiting for the basketball game (GO BUTLER!!!) to start. I hope you found a delicious dinner too!

Another finished project

I am so excited! This weekend I finished 3 projects... wahoo!! I was on a major time crunch for two of them....but one has a little time before I give it away.

Yesterday was the birthday of one of my favorite people! She is a nurse that I work with and I am so thankful to have her to turn to on rough days! Besides being a nurse (and all around fabulous person), she also has a photography business called Shutterbug. So when thinking about what to make for her birthday, my mind immediately went to cameras! I had seen a few tutorials for a camera strap cover...so that was a given. I even tricked her into bringing her camera to work just so I could make sure she had the kind of strap that matched the tutorial (he, he, he).

As for what would go with that, well I thought about making an applique of a camera on a tote bag. That, unfortunately, did not work...so I had to drop back and punt and go onto plan B... a screen print. The screen print didn't turn out like I had hoped and it took two attempts to get my pattern to go through. But Vikki is so great, I know she will love it anyway!

Camera Strap (mid-project). I followed this tutorial and it was super easy!

I was actually very proud of my camera drawing.

Nope folks, I didn't trace... it's ok to be impressed :)

To do the screen printing, I followed this tutorial. It didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. Maybe it was a little more difficult because I was trying to print on canvas. As I figured out with this project, everything seems more difficult with canvas!

Finished print

I even added a side pocket to the tote, which buttons over the top. I got this idea out of a Martha Stewart magazine. I really love it because the button gives you a way to sort of keep the top closed.

Finished and matchy-matchy :)

Hopefully the strap will fit!

With these projects, I learned:

button holes

screen printing (well...sort of learned)

working with interfacing

Next project reveal coming soon!

Happy Monday and happy birthday Vikki!!!!

Do one thing every day that makes you happy!

Ok, so I stole this idea from my friend Jessica who posts a picture everyday of something she did or saw that made her happy. And I love it...so every Friday for a month I am going to post a summary of my week of things that made me happy.

Since I am starting this today and it is April 1st, there is really only one picture thus far. And when I thought this morning about what I wanted that would make me happy...this was the first thing that came to mind...

yep... Starbucks!

I hope you did something today that made you happy!

Gluten free yummy!

Tonight I have been very productive! I continue my quest to make homemade gifts. One of the most precious people I know is having a birthday on Sunday. I have warned her that her present may be slightly late...but tonight I had a chance to do some work on it. Part of it has been finished, while the other part is become more and more questionable... let's just say, it's hard to explain but I will be able to share the whole story next week. I also have a baby shower gift to finish, which is so close to being done that I kind of want to stay home from work to get it finished, but I won't. And my third project, my mother's day gift, is also on the verge of completion. I hope Saturday will be very productive.... especially since it's time to bring out my summer/ spring wardrobe!

Ok, back to tonight... in the midst of my crafting, I also decided I needed to make some banana bread. I had two bananas that were well beyond consumption (in my opinion) and needed to be baked with or tossed. Over the weekend, I found a new recipe for banana bread from the blog Bicycle Built for Two. Tonight... I tried it out. Caitlin from Bicycle Built for Two does a great job explaining the recipe so I am not going to repeat it, but of course I took some pictures to amuse you...

This is my kitchen (quite amusing and messy)... the other half not in the picture is my washer/dryer. The washer/dryer very often becomes part of my counter space when cooking.

Looks yummy....

The other downside of my kitchen... no dishwasher. It makes cooking and baking less fun when you have to HAND WASH everything! Sigh...oh how I miss a normal kitchen...

TaDa.... I can't wait to cut it!

That will unfortunately have to wait until morning.... but it smells delightful and I am excited about my breakfast treat!

Sweet dreams friends!

weekend roundup

This weekend was quite busy for me! I went to the national conference for my profession, which just happened to be right around the corner in New Orleans. Let me start off by saying, it was a great weekend!

I would definitely say I am somewhat of a conference nerd and try to attend as many sessions as possible. One of the things I loved about school was learning, but hated the tests... so I feel like going to a conference is getting the good stuff without those pesky tests. But I ran into problems when it came to choosing which ones to attend.... there were so many great subjects! Soledad O'Brien was the keynote speaker. She was phenomenal... I wish I had cable so I could watch her specials on CNN.

Joining me this weekend for the conference were some amazing people. My friend Brie and I met up with two friends, Joey and Jessica, that we hadn't seen in almost two years! I love the people in my life that just pick up like we never missed a day apart. Needless to say we had a great time exploring New Orleans and dining on delicious food. I even found some gluten free choices :)

Joey, Jessica, Me, Brie

Muriel's in the French Quarter. They have a gf menu (with desserts!!!!)

yep...yummy gf pizza at Naked Pizza. It was probably the most delicious pizza I have had since changing my diet to gluten free!

This is Elizabeth's. My favorite waiter, Jeff, took good care of me. He brought gf cornbread muffins to our table...so yummy. I had the most delicious lump crab and avocado salad!

I even made some new friends, one of which works for Make It Right. Make It Right is the organization Brad Pitt started that is rebuilding the lower 9th ward. He drove us down there one night to see the progress and incredible houses. Unfortunately because it was late, I couldn't take pictures of the houses (go check them out on the link). He also drove us by the spot where the levee failed. It was very eerie. I can't imagine what it feels like to live there after experiencing and living through that trauma. I was immediately filled with varying emotions as I saw the empty slabs and heard stories of the people who live there.

new friends Cesar and Casie

the digital playground (read about it)

this is in honor of the lives lost in Katrina

Before I knew it, the weekend was over! There is so much to do in New Orleans...I think I need to go back!