Breakfast

Good morning!  I just had breakfast.  A breakfast burrito.  And thanks to my salsa, I am so awake.  I've been watching how to make salsa de roja on Youtube and I combined everyone's recipes.  The thing is that most of the videos I've watched were in Spanish, so I just guessed how much of each ingredient to add as I made it.  This is my third attempt with chile de arbol, and it is my best so far.  You should've seen me eating a chicken taco with my first homemade salsa.  I didn't remove any seeds...boy, it was painful.  The photo is chile de japones, and it is making me sweat as I look at it.  Have a good day, everyone!

a 58 cent egg...better be good, right?

yum...got the energy for the day!

On Monday

Finally decent garden work has been done...

Santa Barbara daisy...one of my favorite flowers...

Nasturtium starting to grow from seeds...

My compost tray...

Our designated compost area...

I'm so tired of eggs with dull yellow yolks and runny whites even after spending $4.  So I splurged on $7 eggs at the market with high hopes... 

Yellow nectarines, early girls, and heirloom tomatoes.  Summer is in full swing at the farmer's market...

New pizza dough started for the coming week...

Strawberries from a small organic farm.  I can taste the difference from other strawberries...

Cobbler love...

A bit of sewing done too...

Bobbins organized...

Anson & Gonzalez

Peapod's window now displays Anson & Gonzalez's beautiful pillows and home accessories, curated by its designer Jessica Anson.  Together with her co-owner, Samuel Gonzalez, she recently decided to open an Etsy store where they showcase their love for textiles and pillows.  Their pillows are bold, modern, eclectic, and all in upholstery weight.  Sizes 16"x16", 18"x18", and 22"x22" are currently available and they are very reasonably priced.  Please come and see their beautiful work in person. 

There are some terrariums Jessica created that are also available for sale...

Summer Skirt Sewing Classes

Attention!  There will be sewing classes just around the corner from Peapod.  Please contact Debi Cournale for sign ups.  The following is what you will learn, in her own words.  Supplies must be purchsed at Peapod.

Looking for that favorite summer skirt?  Learn how to make an 8 panel skirt from scratch.  You will learn how to take proper measurements, draft your own pattern, conquer the fear of invisible zipper and have a wonderful skirt to enjoy MADE ESPECIALLY FOR YOU...classes will be offered twice July 25, 26, 27 afternoon, 1-4pm or evening 6-9pm.  Class cost $225.

Do not worry...this skirt is not scaled right.  Debi will blow this pattern up to fit your own body.  It will be super cute.

Sew & Tell

Shannon made this shirt for her friend who loves raccoons.  It's a lovely shirt with a cute little raccoon on it.  So you would think she bought a ready made applique and sewed it on, or you might think she used a fancy computerized embroidery machine as I first thought.  Nope.  It's done by hand.  Isn't it amazing?  I think she was born with a meticulous hand embroidering skills. 

Have a closer look.

Latisha only has two boys, so as a mother to a boy, I understand how much she wanted to make something for a girl.  Luckily, she has a niece.  This is a reversible tie on the shoulder dress/top, one of the easiest patterns Peapod offers.  Butterflies and silly owls...her niece will be so happy in this happy dress. 

Julia won a book, One Yard Wonders, when Peapod held a raffle last Spring.  Since then she's been fully utilizing the book.  This "Shopping Tote" is one of the projects in the book.  As a busy mama to the two boys, Gabriel and David, she needs a bag that holds everything, but looks chic.  With the Echo print she chose, it became an elegant town tote. 

Ryoko babysits two kids, a girl and a boy.  Naturally, she makes things for the girl, but always feels guilty for not making anything for the girl's little brother.  But, this time she whipped herself and made a shirt for the boy.  Not one, but two.  These are "Kai's Shirt" from "Weekend Sewing."  Aren't they cute?  She is amazed herself as to how cute they turned out.

With her original label, it looks even more special.

Thank you everyone!  Great work!

Hace una falda para mi sobrina

So what's up with the Spanish copy on the July cover?  Well, this skirt was for one of my nieces who was visiting from Madrid and just turned to seven.  I chose the print the day before and made it in the morning of the bash.  I was about to leave the house and realized that it was July.  A new month!  I usually do, but I had nothing on my mind for the new cover this time.  Well, this should be it then.  I quickly took the photo, but didn't know what to say on the cover.  Thought about it for a little moment, then the Spanish idea came up.  Hence, una falda para mi sobrina (a skirt for my niece).  It's the power of the foreign language.  Spanish made the ordinary sentence sound dramatic :-)

Instead of wrapping it in paper, I also made a small furoshiki to wrap little things for the two girls.  These could be used as a scarf or head band later. 

July 4th

It's always hard for me to take a guilt free day off on holidays.  But, this time I did.  My brother-in-law's family was visiting from Spain, so I decided to join grandma and grandpa's big 4th of July bash.  It was a blast!

When grandma and grandpa throw a party, they do it right. 

The spirit was everywhere...

Grandma didn't forget that the Olympics were taking place this year...

Go team USA!

The torch ceremony, with the Olympics music and everything...

Parents and guests cheering the torch team...

Proud Americans...

Plenty of games to play compete in...

This was a part of the memory game.  The participants had to remember the items on grandpa's shirt.  Poor him, walking back and force in a silly shirt :-)  I had short term memory loss, so I didn't win :-(

Winners posing for the photo shoot with their medals...

Grandma busy presenting the medals to the winners...

More medalists were born...

Dash was taking a little break in their oasis like garden.  All the excitement wore him out...

Oh, don't forget grandma's carrot cake, the July 4th version...

The kid occupied table...can't you tell this is the dessert department?

I realized that I didn't take any food photos other than the carrot cake.  This is what happens when you are eating.  Among friends and family, grandma is a well-known amazing chef, but grilling is grandpa's specialty.  He makes killer ribs.  It is dangerous when grandpa cooks :-)  We just can't stop eating.  So the boy was pretty happy when he found this sign for him at a thrift store the other day.  Thank you, grandma and grandpa!