So things got a little busy....

So here's what happened-
I have yet to finish Olive's Sherlock costume, the fabric for Carment Sandiego is still on the roll, and Olive rewore her BUGWB uni for trick or treating (no dedicated contests this year)
I registered for my last semester of grad school, I have 2 days left in my last internship, and I'm finalizing the edits on my writing requirement (my program's version of a thesis)
I had some less than stellar news from my physical that further constricts my diet, but knowing family history it really shouldn't have been a surprise
Olive competed in two Herding Instinct Tests and Q'd on Saturday. While I think she did better on Sunday, it wasn't enough for a second Q and we may just leave that title unfinished; the trials are kind of far away (out past my barn) and she's not going to competitive at herding. Upside is the first judge called her "The Pretty One!"

This is her "I want that cookie your promised" face

I now have a sewing list of fabric and patterns I already have on hand:
1. Mom's flannel nightgown
2. DH's plaid negroni (sort of regreting my choice of fabrics but we'll see how it goes)
3. Altering a knit skirt and breeches
4. Olive and my Sherlock Holmes pieces
5. Spring 1930s blouse for me (using a Miss Depew pattern)
6. Olive's Carmen Sandiego costume

I also have a couple of recipe reviews to post, too

Baby Dungarees

I haven't been doing anything with Project: Professional lately. I'm about 200 hours into my last(!) internship and I go in jeans, sneakers, and if I'm feeling dressy (and not dealing with cobwebs, mold, or archeological materials) I'll wear a casual cardigan instead of a simple v-neck. So no need to for professional clothes there. But I have been sewing for Cousin K.

Baby Quilt for K: Part Two

Now that Baby H is born, I asked K if she wanted a monogram or named embroidered on the back of the quilt. She asked for the first and middle name, which I thought was great. I think she and her DH chose a great name- unique and a nod to her heritage without going "too cultural" (...I was rooting for her to use Sigrid... DH hates the name, if we get another female dog in the future she's likely going to be Anya or Sigrid. Olive was almost Anya, I just couldn't explain to Grandma that we named our dog after a character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer*)

Anyway, it's been years since I've done any embroidery. We learned a little embroidery and cross stitch in Pioneer Girls but that was 15 years ago. So some quick google searches had me running over to the craft store (that's a little too indie for my tastes, not plain fabric in sight, all hand-dyed batiks) to pick up embroidery floss and DH to Micheal's for a smaller hoop.

Tomato, Broccoli and Shrimp Pesto Pasta

This is a pretty easy, quick meal. Very few dishes, lots of flavor and not that unhealthy. What's pictured made 5-6 servings.  Note, this is very garlic-y. I like garlic though so it works for us.

Baby Quilt for K

I come from a family quilters so when my cousin, KU, announced she and her husband were expecting a daughter this fall, my mom and I started planning a quilt. My quilting experience is pretty much the T-shirt quilt for DH and mom hasn't pieced a quilt in a while. So it was a learning experience. We ended cutting 1.5 times the pieces because she used a different seam allowance for her first half and I made those blocks into a mini quilt so we had something for the baby shower (no pictures that I'm aware of).

Olive's Second Halloween: Planning

Originally, I planned to make Olive a little Iverness cape and Deerstalker cap out of herringbone stash fabric for Halloween- obviously she was going to be Sherlock Holmes. I even planned to have a red buttonhole. But then a bug hit and I started shopping for red suiting and yellow fabric. Why? Olive is going to be classic Carmen Sandiego. I loved 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' and had the Where in Time computer game which I completely wore out.

Everyone loved this idea and so I have started another costume.
So here are the parts for her costume:

The Trench - I already drafted an un-tested Iverness so I need to omit the cape and draft sleeves (uuuugh, hate sleeves) and figure out the lapel situation. I know shades vary but I think a bright red would be good to be more eye-catching, but I don't want it to get too McDonalds-y.

 I'm thinking a Red Gab, it'll be lightweight enough to not bother Olive but enough structure for the trench.

The Shirt- I'll throw together a yellow dickie so Olive's not wearing too many layers. Maybe make a cowl neck or something

I'll go cheap and use lemon broadcloth. I could make a slinkie/sleazy-type-thing out a knit but I'm not sure I want to do that or not.

The Hat- I'm not how dramatic to make it. Olive's great about hats, as along as she can see, she's good. If I had my way it'd be HUUUGE- let red hat society huge.

I'm not sure which is the best method for Olive's hat- make my own felt hat (with an itty bitty crown) or piece a fabric one together. I'm thinking piecing might be better for my own sanity but felting would look cooler. DH wants a big hat too - but his contribution to sewing is ironing so there's that. I'm not sure if I should use ribbon or fabric band.

I made a quick sketch of what I was thinking but it just looked like puppy as a farmer, I hope that's not an indication of how this is going to go.

Make-Ahead Pasta alla Formiana

I'm on the hunt for reasonably healthy recipes to help DH's diet and keep my GI happy (thankfully are very complimentary concepts, those plus keeping DH's appetite happy are slightly different.) One recipe I came across was Picky Eater's Pasta alla Formiana, which she advertised as a healthier baked ziti. I like baked ziti, I like cheese but it violates #2 on my most wanted list so a healthier and potentially cheese free option was fantastic. Unfortunately, it was also vegetarian. DH likes meat, I'm indifferent. We had a 1/2lb of extra lean beef left over since TJ only stocks 1lb packages so I snuck it in.