fifty! 06.29.12

Apron number 50!
6 sewing machines.
2 states.
2 countries.
And 50 aprons.
Halfway to my 100 goal.
I wonder where number 100 will be created?

Well in honor of apron 50.
Okay i didn't actually know this was number 50 until I was done and opened my blog to see where I left off.
So the fabric really isnt in honor of 50.
But it is all very fun.
It all comes from my mum in laws fabric collection.
The pocket is made from a piece of beautiul vintage curtin.
 I love the tree.

The design is new.
It is a poofy one.
What I mean by poofy is that I folded the polka dots in half and sewed it up around the edges, so the bottom hem is not a hem at all.
But a fold.
Which makes the apron nice a full.

We left Luna, the cat, alone for three days last week.
Yes, we had someone feeding her.
Ever since we got home she follows me everywhere!
As you can see she was helping me photograph the apron.
I  thought we were getting a cat but she seems more like a dog always on my heels!

Fortynine 04.17.12

We have moved ourselves to Woodville New Zealand for the present moment.
You can see about that decision here.
It is nice to be in one place for longer than a few months!
We have planted a garden that we might actually see the harvest from.
I have even planted tulip bulbs, which is a real act of faith for me.
They wont come up till spring!
We also got ourselves a little kitten. Luna.

Woodville is a small town in the middle of NZ.
Nigel is related to half the town.
Nigels Mum who is a midwife has helped usher the other half  into this world.
Everyone knows everyone.
Nigel got a job in a lovely hair salon called Roses.
And I am working a a cafe called Cafe 88.
We are settling into some sort of rhythm. 

This apron was made before Woodville.
It is being modeled by the lovely Liz.
One of our dear friends in this area.

The pockets are made from upholstery remnants.
I love the contrasting buttons.
What is so fun about buttons anyways?!

I hope to get back into apron making.
I have quite a fabric collection going that is crying out to be transformed into something cute to wear!

Fortyeight 12.01.12

Sometimes things don’t go as you planned.

 I find in fact that most times things don’t go as I planned.

 Especially where our buses are concerned.

We were so organized this trip to NZ.

We booked in our bus for its warrant before we even flew over.

We drove it in on the 14^th of December.

We got our “to do” list that needed to be finished within 28 days.

We booked the bus into the mechanic that same week.

 We spent the night in the bus in a garage.

 Took it back to the testing station.

Nope, still no passing.

We booked it into another mechanic who was not available until after the holidays.

No worries.

Still plenty of time.

We took the bus in on the 5^th of January to find out there was quite a bit of work to be done to get the bus up and running. It will be in the shop at least a week and they can start work next week!

So organized…..

So many plans……

What to do?

I could be very frustrated that my plans have not gone as planned. Or I can make new plans and make the most of it.

I am choosing the latter options.

If I stayed frustrated every time our plans went awry I would be a very unhappy person.

It really isn’t too bad to be “stuck” on the Kapiti Coast for a few days.

It is a little inconvenient to be homeless for a week.

But the bright side is that we get to stay with and see more of our Wellington friends.

That will be fun.

My apron today is a bit like life at the moment.

I had a plan this morning to make a long cute apron.

I was wearing a long skirt and it seemed to make sense at the time.

When the apron is done it seemed more Amish than cute. Not that Amish is not cute, just not what I was going for.

But to go along with the theme for today I decided to make the most of it.

I put a two buttons at the waist line and a little loop down each side.

The loop can be brought up to the buttons and it looks a bit funky.

Also it makes a good little pocket to collect some eggs in.

If you happen to have chickens. 

or a kitten.....

bbq chicken pizza

 We made this pizza the other night and it was divine!
The basic ingredient list

Pizza Dough (nigel makes this in the bread machine)
BBQ sauce (see recipe below)
Mushrooms
Spinach
Cooked shredded chicken
Basil (nigels half)
Cilantro (my half)
Cheese of course
Green onions sprinkled on top at the end.

It is really the BBQ sauce that makes it.
I found this recipe in an Essentially Food magazine.


Sauce
1TB butter
1 small red onion,peeled and chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup canned tomatoes in juice (I used fresh)
1 cup water
1/4 cup tomato sauce (ketchup for the americans)
2TB red wine vinegar
1TB dijon mustard
1TB honey
3tsp worcestershire sauce
1.5tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan, add onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes until soft.
Add tomatoes and water and simmer for 10 min, then add the remaining ingredients. Stir and simmer for 20 min.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until silky smooth, then season to taste.
Makes 2.5 cups.