by allie on January 27, 2012
Another week come and gone… time sure flies when you’re chasing around a newly crawling baby! No big plans for this (football free, yay!) weekend. I’m hoping to hit up some local children’s consignment stores and possibly start cutting my next quilt. I’ve had the fabric for it for months, so it’s probably time I actually do something about getting it made!
Anyway, here’s what caught my eye this week…
- Pleated Yoke Dress Tutorial on Craftiness is Not Optional – I just discovered this blog this week, and I’m so glad I did. Come on, how cute is this dress?!? Definitely adding it to my long list of things I want to make for Emma.
- Simple Beaded Necklace on Craftiness is Not Optional – See, I told you I liked this blog! This necklace is just my style… not too big or flashy, but still fun and colorful – and you can make it yourself for a fraction of what you’d pay for it at a store like Anthropologie.
- Heathy Cookies on Annie’s Eats – It just wouldn’t be Friday without something insanely yummy from Annie. She definitely hit a nerve in my sweet tooth with these bad boys. Say toffee and I’m there. Put it in a cookie and I’ll even do the dishes for you.
Have a fantastic weekend!! 
by allie on January 26, 2012
As I was working on my life list, it occurred to me that I’ve done a lot of stuff that I feel really fortunate for having had the opportunity to do. In some ways, this list is even more important than my life list because every single thing on here has shaped who I am today. It makes me think of that scene in “Up” when Carl is regretting not doing all the things he and Ellie had dreamed of, and then he opens the scrapbook she made for them and is reminded that even though life took a different course for them, they had a really wonderful life together nonetheless. (And then I sob uncontrollably for the next hour.) I guess this is my way of saying that even if I get to do nothing on my life list, I feel pretty darn lucky for all the things I didn’t need to put on there…
- Marry my best friend – 2009
- Start a family – 2011
- Have a natural birth – 2011
- Take a completely spontaneous trip – to the 2007 Cabin Party (booked our flight at 11pm the night before and flew out the next morning)
- Get scuba certified – 2009
- Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef – 2009
- Go to Australia – 2009
- Drive cross country – twice in 2004 (Michigan to California, and California to Virginia)
- Tour Italy – 1998
- Go on study abroad – 2002
- Visit London – 2002 and 2007
- Live in a foreign country – 2001 (Halifax, NS, Canada – not glamorous, but it counts) and 2002 (London)
- Look down over Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower – 2002
- Throw a great surprise party – 2008 for my mom’s 60th
- Surprise someone in another state for their birthday – 2008, also for my mom’s 60th
- Dance with my father to Love Me Tender at my wedding – 2011
- Dance with my best friend from high school to Garth at my wedding – 2011 (fulfilled a 12 year old promise)
- Visit Disneyworld and Disneyland – multiple times, not sure of the years
- Go to Hawaii – 2010
- Go camping in a VW westfalia - 2010 (Maui)
- Own my own home - 2009
- Graduate college – 2003
- Be completely credit card debt free - 2011
- Look up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - 1998
- Make a wish at the Trevi Fountain - 1998
- Ride the tube – 2002
- Take the Chunnel – 2002
- See all of the Davids – 1998
- Feed the pigeons in Venice – 1998
- See the Christmas tree at Rockafeller center – multiple times, not sure of the years
- Finish a half marathon – 2008, and twice in 2010
- Find my perfect blonde hair color – 2011
- Grow my hair long – 2009
- Go to the theater in a foreign country – 2002 (London), 2007 (London), 2009 (Sydney)
- Meet my favorite band – 2010 (The Avett Brothers)
- Go offline for a week – 2009 (Honeymoon)
- Open my own Etsy shop – 2010
- Sell something I made on Etsy – 2010
- Roast a truly perfect marshmallow – 2010 (“the megamallow”)
- Take a gondola ride in Venice – 1998
- Get a psychic reading – 2004
- Go for a ride in a hot air balloon – 2009 (Queensland, AU)
- Tour Graceland – 2004
- Eat a pulled pork sandwich in Memphis – 2004
- Visit the Redwood Forest – multiple times, not sure of the years
- Have a truly extravagant dinner in a foreign city – 2009 (Quay in Sydney)
- Tour the Sydney Opera House – 2009
- Have a kangaroo eat from the palm of my hand – 2009
- See Niagara Falls – multiple times, not sure of the years
- See a broadway show – multiple times, not sure of the years
- Visit the observation deck of the Empire State Building – 1989
- Climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty – 1989
- Buy a friend flowers just because – 2011
- Give a $20 bill to a homeless person – 2010
- See the Grand Canyon – 2004
- Buy a fancy piece of art – 2009
- Sing karaoke solo – 2005
- Fly first class overseas – 2009 (SFO -> SYD)
- Take the coastal route on a long road trip – 2007 (Seattle to San Francisco)
- Sew something I’d actually wear – 2008
- Go backpacking – 2008
- Attend Mardi Gras – 2000
- See an event at the Olympic Games – 1996 (Softball, Atlanta)
- Swim with sea turtles – 2010
- Go for a dip in the Mediterranean – 1998
- Build a piece of furniture from scratch – 2010
It’s worth noting that a good chunk of this list was sponsored by my parents – thanks Mom and Dad! Hmm, maybe I better add “Be able to give my children the same opportunities I was given” to my life list
by allie on January 25, 2012
Well, homemade fries AND burgers, but who cares about burgers when there are FRENCH FRIES?!? Not me, and hopefully not you. I was inspired to make these after the Pioneer Woman posted her version a couple of weeks ago. We try not to bust out the deep fryer very often, but I just couldn’t help myself when I saw that crispy golden goodness (I may have drooled a little). We cross referenced PW’s approach with our main man Alton Brown’s recipe and here’s what we came up with…
Ingredients:
- 1 Russet potato (plenty of fries for 2 people)
- Lots of vegetable oil (any cooking oil will do, but safflower oil is supposedly the best)
Directions:
Cut the potato into fries (we aimed for 1/2 in. thickness). Soak the fries in cold water for at least an hour – the longer the better. (Do not skip the soaking part!) Drain potatoes thoroughly, removing any excess water.
When oil reaches 320 degrees, submerge the potatoes in the oil. Working in small batches, fry for 3 to 5 minutes until they are pale and floppy. Remove from oil, drain, and cool to room temperature.
Increase the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees. Re-immerse fries and cook until crisp and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and drain on roasting rack. Season with kosher salt while hot and hold in a 200 degree oven until ready to eat.
Enjoy!
by allie on January 24, 2012
This list is something I’ve wanted to post for a long time now. Inspired by Mighty Girl, I’ve been slowly creating my own “life list” over the past few months. A life list (to me anyway) is something to strive for… to ensure that I spend my days and years working toward fulfillment rather than a paycheck. I have a job, but like most people that job isn’t my passion. My passion is pretty much everything but my job… my family, friends, sewing, creating, music, blogging, food, traveling. All the good stuff that makes life worth living. Another post on life lists mentioned this quote by Thoreau: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with their song still in them.” How’s that for a nice, depressing thought? Well, this list is the song in my heart – some parts are silly, some are grand, some make me cry happy tears just thinking about them…
- Have another baby
- And another
- Go back to Thala to renew our vows on our 10 year anniversary
- Own more than 20 acres of land and a cabin
- Take Jared to see the awesomeness of the Grand Canyon
- Have the nice, peaceful waterbirth I’d hoped to have with the first birth
- Run the 1/2 marathon in sub 2 hours (current PR is 2:07)
- Attend the birth of a grandchild
- Learn free-motion quilting
- Surprise the kid(s) with a trip to Disney
- Go on safari in Africa
- Sew a full size quilt
- Teach Emma to sew
- See Bruce Springsteen in concert
- Hike the PCT in its entirety
- Ring in the new year in a foreign city
- Go to a rodeo
- Go horseback riding on the beach
- Take my sister and our families for a trip to Ocean Creek in Myrtle Beach to relive the vacations of our youth
- Go sea kayaking in Alaska
- See a sea otter in its natural habitat
- Go on vacation at a dude ranch
- Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- Make my long promised pilgrimage to the Minnesota State Fair
- Stay at a hotel with overwater bungalows (such as in Bora Bora)
- Keep a daily gratitude journal every day for a year
- Sleep in a tree house
- Visit all 50 states (38 down, 12 to go!)
- Make mozzarella from scratch
- Sponsor a woman through Women for Women International
- Have an entirely handmade Christmas
- Visit Crater Lake
- Keep a plant alive for more than 3 months
- Get professional pictures taken of our family
- Have an entirely “shop local” Christmas
- Take a girls-only vacation with my BFF – no kids, no partners, just us and lots of wine and fatty food
- Watch Emma eat her first ice cream cone
- Host a movie night in our backyard
- Dine with a local family in a foreign city
- Teach my children how to properly merge when getting on a highway
- Write a letter to my 12th grade AP English teacher, thanking her for being one of the best teachers I’ve ever had
- Go to Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park (Go Phillies!)
- Have a huge yard sale to purge all the stuff we don’t actually use or need
- Record the songs we’ve made up for Emma so she knows how silly we once were
- Perfect a homemade ice cream recipe
- Make sure my nephew grows up knowing how brave and strong his mama is
- Have a truly defined sense of style, both for my self and my home
- Grow my hair long again (and NOT chop it off after the birth of baby #2)
- Rock my natural hair color (or have it be mostly my natural color)
- Rehab a piece of thrift store furniture
- Give Rocco one last perfect day before we have to say goodbye
- Dance like no one’s watching (sober)
- Take a photography class
- Find my perfect shade of lipstick
- Have a never-want-to-leave family room (complete with one of those super deep sectionals)
- Anonymously pay the check for a single mom out to eat with her kids
- Attend a bloggers conference (BlogHer, AltSummit, etc.)
- Get a (very) small tattoo for each of my children
- Meet a blogging friend in real life
- Tour Amsterdam by bike
- Pass my grandmother’s diamond on to Emma when she graduates college
- Read the Harry Potter books with Emma
- Get a photo shoot done with my mom and sister
- Be a much better thank you note writer
- Go line dancing in Nashville
- Do something to be more social in real life, not just online (dinner club, mom’s group, etc.)
- Sew Emma a Christmas dress every year of her childhood
- Make an effort to stop saying “I mean” at the beginning of sentences
- Have something handmade in every room of our house
- Go to a tree farm to cut down our own Christmas tree
- Take the time to give myself regular at-home pedicures
- Start once a month “offline Saturdays”
- Host my mom for the holidays and give her a break from doing any cooking
- Have a girls weekend with my sister filled with all our favorite movies and foods from our childhood
- Sit on the front porch with Jared watching our grandkids play in the front yard
That’s it!… for now. As my life changes, I’m sure this list will, too. I’ll keep you posted as I start crossing things off!
PS… I highly recommend going through the exercise of writing down a life list. It’s been both a joy and a challenge, and I’m so glad I did it.
by allie on January 23, 2012
I did something this weekend I’ve been wanting to do for a long time… redesign the blog! (If you’re viewing this in an RSS reader, click on over to see the new digs.) My goal was to give it a cleaner, softer, slightly more stylish look, and make it easier to navigate. Let me know what you think!
In other exciting news, Made by Bird now (finally) has its own Facebook page! Click here to Like it (please please). If you’re friends with me on Facebook, I’m planning to share links on both my personal and Made by Bird feeds for the next week or so, but after that will be exclusively posting on Made by Bird. So if you want to keep getting updates in your feed, please be sure to become a fan. Hopefully this will give my friends who don’t give two hoots about sewing or crafting a break from all the link sharing.
