A very full update...

So it's been awhile. I know, I know, bad blogger! The end of May and all of June were pretty busy in the ranch so here's an update.

Chicago for vacation was awesome! We stayed with my little brother, acted like tourists and had a generally fantastic relaxing vaca. I could definitely see living there if the need arose. I also loved public transportation and not having to drive everywhere and search for parking. Max even got a souvenir.

June included Shakespeare in the Park with a great group of friends, wine, fruit, cheese and crackers.

Shakes in the Park, "Midsummer's Night's Dream"

Later in the month we did Pippi Longstocking with the niece and nephew at Union Station. The kids had a great time. Our niece loved the show and our nephew loved the backstage tour. Afterward we got to play with robotics at Maker Faire in the main hall.

Last week was a blur and included a Royals game on Tuesday Night. Our tickets were pretty high up but you can't argue with free. Plus we had a great view of the entire stadium and the Royals won!

1st Inning View

We had dinner guests on Thursday and Friday nights. Thursday night I did awesome crockpot ribs I found on Pinterest, pasta salad and corn on the cob with friends bringing oreo fluff for desert. 

Friday night included steaks, scalloped potatoes, broccolli, wine, wine, key lime pie, appetizers and DQ ice cream cake. Did I mention wine? Then it was off to the bar for a bit with one of the friends for a drag show.

Saturday we went to Sweetheart's sister's wedding near St. Joseph. It was very nice but we were exhausted. Sweetheart did the music and I wrangled the nieces and nephews to some degree. I also took some time out to use a gift certificate I'd won at a silent auction to grab some new sewing machine toys at a shop in St. Joe.

Open foot, zipper foot, leather needles,
quilting ruler and fat quarter of fabric for Max.

Now it's time to take this girl to bed. Never fear, I have new projects in the works! I know you want them but be patient. Something awesome is coming soon. What fabulous projects are you working on?

Little Make-Up bag

Yes, I'm posting this in the middle of the night. Tonight I decided I'd sew something off Pinterest instead of actually getting ready for our trip next week to Chicago. Procrastination should be my middle name this weekend. I decided on the "No Guts Boxie Pouch", which was a free pattern on Craftsy. (You do have to have or get a Craftsy account to download this pattern.)
Sweetheart was at the bar working her weekend gig and I usually do some sort of project on Friday nights. Tonight was no exception. I'd love to tell you I whipped this out in an hour or so but alas, I logged some serious time with the seam ripper. All the mistakes were my own but still had to be fixed. So, without further ado...my new make-up bag!

No Guts Boxy Pouch

The bag is about 7.5" deep by 4" tall and 6" wide which makes it perfect for packing toiletries for a weeks vacation. Try this bag, it's super forgiving and looks adorable. The instructions are really well done though it does take a bit of maneuvering at the end. People will think you spent a ton for it and all it really takes is a fat quarter of fabric or so for the outer shell and for the lining and a zipper. Tomorrow I have plans to make Sweetheart one out of blue and white paisley fabric to prolong the procrastination of getting ready to travel and I'm hoping my mistakes tonight will translate into faster work time tomorrow. Happy sewing!

Tortillas and Tortilla Chips

Oh my goodness! I've been wanting to make tortillas ever since Rick Bayless on PBS did them on one of his cooking show episodes. This weekend gave me the perfect opportunity to try them out.  Let me just say, they were awesome! Even more awesome was when America's Test Kitchen (who I LOVE!) posted a pinterest recipe for the perfect home-made tortilla chips. These are so tasty and hearty. I don't think I'll ever have to buy tortilla's again if I remember to make these!

Brunch Chocolate Chip Scones

I have a confession. I've never made scones before. I have a friend who makes the most amazing cran-orange scones and I covet those but I have never made any myself...until now. I found a recipe on Pinterest and decided I'd throw these together but, life being what it is, I didn't have the whole wheat flour called for. I did have garbanzo bean flour and did a little research on substitutions and wapow!  Only it didn't work. Don't misunderstand. They tasted great, they just weren't scones, instead something between breakfast bread and muffin.

Stuffed Peppers

Hello, my name is Ashley and I'm a Pinterest addict. I have a tendency to put lots of recipes on my Pinterest Boards and then go to the same old recipes when I'm short on time for dinner.  In an effort to diversify our menu I'm working on trying the Pinterest recipes.  (If you want to see the extent of my Pinterest madness hit the Pinterest button on the top right of your screen.)

 Tonight it was stuffed peppers.I started with a recipe from Dashing Dish for general outlines and then promptly changed most of the ingredients based on what I had in my fridge to use. Feel free to use whatever you want, the basics are something crumbly and something kinda saucy to hold it together. We were pretty happy with these and word on the street is that they freeze well. They probably do before cooking. I cooked all 6 of these and then froze the left-overs so we'll see how that works. Not a bad way to start the weekend!