Berlin's Whimsy

let go or be dragged.

I am experiencing a lot of illumination in my life.

Interesting how one conversation and another person's similar experiences and perspective can change everything. It's as if I was looking north all this time--- looking for the path through a disorienting fog--- and really all I needed was someone to grab me by the shoulders and point me south. For, all of a sudden with that shift, the clouds cleared and a shining beam of light not only illuminated my path forward but also the path behind me and all that confusion and creepiness was moved into the light-- in full view for me to examine.

And what I came to accept is that sometimes you cannot understand or make sense of things. Of people and their actions. You never will. Sometimes, you cannot fully comprehend them. Sometimes, they can't, either. And you know what, it's not your job to do so. And that's my lesson--- to let go. For if we don't learn the lessons that our lives present us with, we will make the same mistakes over and over, looking for the truth.

I added the zen proverb to my sidebar: "Let go or be dragged." I finally let go. 

 

Sewing Plans.

Each week, I have sewing plans. I can’t list all of the patterns I want to eventually make (well, there’s the Darling Ranges Dress, the Banksia Top, the Esme Top, Cake Pattern's Tiramisu, Colette Chantilly, and Sewaholic's Cambrie). And then there's also the Washi Dress.Someday, I'll finish them all!

With working full-time and all the other stuff I have going on in my life, I find that sewing projects must be tackled in increments. Small increments. However, I enjoy the rhythm. Plus, it's very fun to go to work in a handmade skirt or dress--- it's like taking a bit of my creative life to work with me.

When I start a new project, I have a routine that I follow. I trace my patterns first and then move onto a muslin or a "practive" piece with cheap fabric. I'm getting better about sticking to this routine. As much as my limited sewing time tempts me to just want to dive into a project, my small fabric budget forces me to be wise. Plus, I hate making curse-worthy projects that just don't fit!

 

So, with my time constraints, I've become quite adept at satiating any instant gratification urges with patterns I know work for me and are quick to complete.

The Ginger Skirt by Colette Patterns is one such project. Start to finish in less than a couple hours--- probably less. I have a few of these that I wear often.

Another is my own pattern for a gored skirt--- I call it the Bustle Skirt because of the simple technique of grouping the gathering towards the back of the skirt. I might post a pattern here someday... I wear these to work often.

I'm now in my beginning phase of making the Washi Dress: reading through helpful alterations & tips, tracing off the pattern, finding fabric. And I have high hopes of finishing a version of this dress this coming weekend.... Wish me luck!!

Oh, and isn't this a cute charm necklace?! I found it at a local thriftstore...

 

 

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Peter Pan Collar.

Knitting focus.

As much as I enjoy my kids and their sarcastic senses of humor and the energy they bring to my life, I also enjoy my quiet time, too. Weekends to myself are important here and there. Lately, I've been using my down time for knitting and settling my thoughts to process important aspects of my life.

It's time to focus on new things: new horizons for my son, who will be a senior next year and preparing for college; new projects for my daughter, who is quickly finding her own wings; new chapters in my life, too.

P and I split up during the holidays of 2011. We spent the last year and a half not accepting the fact that we split up during the holidays of 2011. Weekends were spent together, family dinners were shared, and we settled into a roller-coaster ride that lasted not only months but over a year. 

Lately, my focus has been redirected to my own growth through this process and noticing the things in my life that bring me joy, fulfillment, and grounding. I now have a house of my own (have I shared that here?), a full-time job at a library, and two teenage children. I’m making a go of it, but I'm busy.

But even as busy as I am, I take the time to make from-scratch food, sit down to dinner with my kids, grow a garden, sew a lot of my own clothes, and knit. It must say something about me that those things continue to be a priority in my life (hmmm, maybe that I'm crazy??!).

I always love a new knitting project--- searching for and choosing a new pattern is the best part! Always a pick-me-up. This yarn from Quince & Co. is so scrumptious and I look forward to using it to make this.

Tomatillo-Tomato Salsa perfected.

Ah, fall... I've been waiting for you all summer long. With your warm-hued sunsets and crisp time-to-wake-up mornings. I feel I can relax again after an extremely busy and tiring summer.

I'd like to say that I've been away from this space perfecting salsa recipes, but unfortunately, it hasn't been all fun and cooking. School and life were quite hectic and busy this summer. That said, I have spent quite a bit of time making this salsa. Repeatedly.

My garden's tomatillo harvest is robust once again this year and they're finding their way into many of our meals. I've also grown fond of pealing them straight from the garden and eating them right then and there---- they're that good this year. So much better than the store-bought ones.

This has become my favorite salsa this summer. It's like my previous favorite salsa, only better.

It's sweet (from the tomatillos), salty, tangy, and it can be hot if you want to add hot chili peppers. As always, onions aren't welcome in these parts (sigh), so I make up for it with garlic. Go ahead and add onions if that's your pleasure.

 
The ingredients are typical, but do read through the method! I blend up a portion of the salsa to add a sweet-tart background to the chunks and to blend up the garlic so as to avoid any big chunks of raw garlic.

As with many salsas, I don't so much follow a recipe per se, but taste as I go. I encourage you to do the same. Frankly, this salsa is so yummy, I could blend the whole thing and drink it like a smoothie!

 
Tomatillo-Tomato Salsa

10 Tomatillos, husked, washed, and diced small

10 Roma Tomatoes, diced small (or whatever fresh tomatoes you have on hand!)

Handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of 2 limes

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 T. sea salt, or to taste

Optional add-ins: hot chili peppers, diced very small or white onions, diced and rinsed under cold water before adding.

Method: Dice the tomatillos and tomatoes. Stir them together in a big bowl.

 
Into a blender, add the garlic, lime juice, and about 1/4 of the tomato-tomatillo mixture. Blend until smooth. Add this mixture back to the chunky tomatoes and tomatillos and add the finely minced cilantro and salt to taste. Stir thoroughly.

 
Enjoy!

 

Beautiful Summer.

Though beautiful, my summer has been oh so busy and hectic. Hence this short post with all the essentials.

 
I made the Mariposa Dress from Handmade Beginnings last summer. It was too short and it hung in my closet for a year, waiting for a ruffle on the bottom to lengthen it. I learned that I must always lengthen my skirts and dresses. Always! I wore it out to a local brewery for a Friday night beer last weekend. What a fun summer evening that was!

 
And the next day, this fruit pizza went to a potluck. It's from the blog, Oh She Glows. Rather than spreading it with the Avocado Lime Whip, though, I used a Vanilla Nut Cream. I didn't want the avocado to turn brown while sitting on the potluck table. It was wonderfully good and beautiful like the summer. 

I am participating in Heather's 30-Day Vegan Workshop right now and loving it!

 
It's the perfect peaceful end to a hectic summer.

 

Summer Vegan links

This summer (as in summer's past), I'm eating more vegan meals. My pursuit of vegan inspiration has led me to some vegan recipes worth passing along...

 
This buckwheat porridge is amazingly good! Yeah, it looks a little like paste, but it does taste much better than it looks---- I promise! For the non-dairy milk, I used some hemp milk I made yesterday.

 
Do pop over to the blog Oh She Glows for beautiful photos and lots of other great recipes. In fact, her 15-minute Creamy Avocado Pasta is another discovery from her blog that I want to share. I was a little skeptical at first, but it is definitely worth trying. It's done in minutes, making it a great weeknight recipe. 

A few nights this week, we had grilled pizza for dinner. I made the regular fixings for the rest of the family and I made mine vegan. Here's how...

 
Vegan Cheese Sauce...

1 C. raw cashews, soaked

1 head of garlic

1 lemon, juiced

salt to taste

Method: Roast the garlic. Cut the top off and drizzle with olive oil (you might as well roast a few!). Roast in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. I used my toaster oven to avoid heating up the kitchen! When they're roasted, pop the cloves out of the peels.

In a blender or food processor, blend the ingredients. Taste for seasoning--- it's a little sweet from the roasted garlic. This sauce can be used for not only pizza, but as a pasta sauce or a ravioli filling.

For the Pizza... I slathered the dough with the sauce and for an extra layer of flavor, I chopped up some kalamata olives, some fresh rosemary, and a handful of basil in the food processor and added a thin layer of that, too. It was so yummy, I didn't miss the cheese.

***If you're considering trying more vegan recipes this summer, you might be interested in the 30-Day Vegan Online Workshop at Beauty that Moves. She's offering a 2-for-1 special enrollment and I'd love to find another participant to share the enrollment fee! Let me know if you're interested...

 

 

Cucumber Agua Fresca

 
Oh, thank goodness we are not suffering from the heat wave that hovered around part of the country recently. (Knock on wood). I swear on scout's honor that I reveled in each and every day that we enjoyed lovely temperatures around 80-degrees. Perfect days. Beautiful evenings.

But yesterday, the temps climbed up into the 90s and it was time for some refreshment....

 
This drink is absolutely perfect for a hot summer day. It's a fairly common recipe, but this is the blend I like the best---- an excellent balance of sweet and savory. Be sure to include the salt in the recipe (unless you're concerned about sodium--- though, it's not much). I find that the salt really adds an extra flavor layer.

 
I've been blending it up and storing it in the refrigerator to drink throughout the day.

And of course, you could splash in some gin or vodka, if the occasion warrants. Either way, it's delicious.

 
Cucumber Agua Fresca

~1 large cucumber, peeled

~juice of 2 limes

~3 C. cold water

~1/8 tsp. sea salt

~2 T. agave nectar (or other type of sweetener)

~8 ice cubes

Blend it all up until very smooth. Serve in a chilled glass and enjoy the summer!

 

 

Canteloupe Creamsicle Smoothie

 
Another yummy smoothie we're enjoying this summer: Canteloupe Creamsicle Smoothie. It's so simple, it doesn't need a recipe. But here it is, nonetheless.

Canteloupe Creamsicle Smoothie

1/2- 3/4 whole Canteloupe, seeded & cubed (the riper the better! I used a Tuscan canteloupe)

1 C. plain yogurt

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Sweetener to taste: I used Agave.

Method: Blend. Pour into a pretty glass.

 
Top with an umbrella. Admire the creamsicle hue and drink it up. That's it. Happy summer!

 

Out in the Garden...

 
My favorite aspect of summer is my garden. I start each morning out there, with a cup of coffee, the slanted morning sun, the promise of a new day, and the joy of discovering new growth and sometimes surprises. It was only a few weeks ago that I wondered if I'd ever get around to starting my garden. Our spring weather was not conducive to growing much of anything and the snow and grey clouds kept me inside. But then, the sun finally broke free and inspired me to start my garden. It's in full force now. In fact, these photos are from awhile back.

 
My garden isn't large by any means, but for what it lacks in size, it makes up for in producing the kinds of things we enjoy eating. I'm speaking of tomatoes. I have eleven plants that I'm encouraging along daily. Alongside my tomatoes, I'm growing tomatillos, cabbage, zucchinis and pattypan squash, greens of all sorts, a couple pepper plants, peas, basil, onions, and herbs. I'm pretty pleased with my garden this year. We also constructed a bean pole teepee with visions of spicy pickled green beans in our future.

 
My garden has already offered up a few of its gifts for a recent family barbecue. I used a recipe from one of my new favorite cookbooks, Heidi Swanson's, Supernatural Cooking Everyday. I made the 'Yellow Split Peas & Greens,' with inspiration from Knittingiris' improvisions here. It was oh so good!

 

Simplest Summer Smoothie. Watermelon. That's all.

 
We bought a watermelon the size of a small country. And not only was it seeded, but it seemed that this watermelon grew more than its fair share. The kids all discussed what to do with the seeds. Do you chew them up? Do you spit them out?

 
Well, I blend them up. They are edible and the blender just grinds them in. So simple. So refreshing.

I've started my day with a glass of watermelon for the last couple days. It's oh so refreshing on the hot days we've been experiencing and it's packed with vitamins.

 
If you really want to become fanciful, you can dice up the watermelon and freeze it for an hour or so before blending up your own natural slushie. Or blend in other flavors, such as blueberry, or a hint of mint.