patches...

Here's a look at some of the fabrics I'll be using for the pieces I'll be making for Renegade. I'm trying to find fabrics now that work together, rather than just fabrics I like on their own. It makes it a little harder, but I think it will make things more cohesive. 

I've also found a nice floral knit (second from the left on the bottom row) that I'm excited to be using. Thus far, I've only made L+L pieces using wovens. We'll see how it turns out...

We've got a busy weekend ahead, we're headed to the Ballpark this evening, then babysitting my two favorite people tomorrow evening (one of whom is pictured here). We also need to work on finishing up some home projects, and I'd like to find time for a trip here for some potatoes and onions. Whew! 

Whether yours is busy or not, I hope you have a good weekend!

wednesday in the park...

After I had been in the studio all day, he came home from work and asked if I'd like to make a spur-of-the-moment trip over to Fretz Park to see one of the Community Parks Concerts put on by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The weather was perfect, so I put down my patterns and we headed over. I'm definitely not a classical music expert, but the music was great - a sampler of pieces from composers around the world. It was still a fabulous and relaxing evening. 

We went with just a blanket and some bug spray, but next time, I think we'll bring a picnic and this guy. The Chinese Traditional piece they performed would make him feel right at home!

If you're in the area, more community concerts are scheduled throughout June. The schedule and locations can be found here.

thank you...

Thanks so much to Keri for the kind mention on her blog A Bookish Life. She picked up one of the Louise tunics from Make for her lovely little one, and I couldn't be more pleased!

the doctor is in...

Well, Dr. Beach has come out with his annual Memorial Day ratings of beaches around the country, and Hamoa Beach, which we frequented during our vacation, was ranked #5!

Hamoa Beach is a tiny beach – there are no real markings outside of the beach to direct you there. It's so secluded that we drove by 3 times without seeing where the beach and entry were located. It's set at the bottom of a stone stairway, and it sits crescent-shaped in a small cove, surrounded by lush vegetation, with sand they call "salt and pepper" because of its mixture of white and black grains. And because of its remote location, it isn't overrun with tourists. The days we were there, less than 20 people were on the beach at any one time, giving us the feeling it was our own personal oasis! 

It's on Dr. Beach's list, and it should be on yours as well! If you're lucky, you can hang out on one of the beaches on his list this weekend! Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

back to reality...

Aloha! I'm still alive - trying to get back in the swing of things after 8 days in paradise!

He and I had a great time on Maui, spending the first 5 days in Ka'anapali, then heading over to east Maui to Hotel Hana for the remainder of the trip. (My favorite part.) We learned to surf, ate great food, and spent a lot of time just laying around. I'll go into more detail in future posts. 

And I came back to great news – L+L has been accepted to Renegade Los Angeles! We'll be taking the show on the road, and hitting the City of Angels in July. I've never been to LA, so food recommendations are needed! And I'll keep you posted here of everything I'm doing to get ready for the show! 

gone surfin'

New posts will be non-existent for the next week and a half, as we're headed off for an island vacation!

Aloha!

recipe: apple pie without the pie

The last few weeks, my supermarket has had some really good specials on huge bags of apples. Since there are only two of us, I have to come up with creative ways to use the apples, since even if we eat an apple a day, the bag still seems full even after a week. 

It's too hot for a full blown apple pie, so I'm sharing the way I've been cooking them, and you really must try it. The concoction tastes like apple pie filling, but I'm convinced that it's pretty healthy. We've been using it as a side dish, but I think it would also be delicious as a dessert with some vanilla ice cream. 

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What you need:

4 apples (the ones I use are Fujis, which I've read are good for cooking)

About 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

About 3 tablespoons of maple syrup. Not Aunt Jemima, but real maple syrup. Mine is "Cooking Maple Syrup".

A couple of dashes of cinnamon

Note: My measurements are pretty loosey goosey, so you can put as much/little of these ingredients as you want. I think mine are different every time.

Peel and core the apples, then cut them in smaller slices. Not too thick. Heat a skillet on medium heat, then add the butter and apples. Stir this together until the apples are coated with the butter. Then pour the maple syrup over everything and stir. Then, add your cinnamon. Cook all of this for about 5 or 6 minutes,  stirring often. You'll be able to tell when they're done when the apples become soft. 

nip/tuck...

Thanks to the L+L Webmaster, you can check out the facelift over at the "official" website. Enjoy!

the 3/50 project...

(Click to enlarge)

Thanks to Julie from Make, who let me know about The 3/50 Project. (Make is the brick and mortar location that carries Loop and Lil.)

To support the project, you pick three independently owned businesses, and commit to spending $50 a month in those three businesses (that's just $50 a month total, not $50 in each business). The premise is that if half the employed population spends $50 a month in those businesses, $42.6 Billion dollars of revenue is generated. And that for every $100 dollars spent in those independently owned businesses, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. To compare, if you spend that same amount in a national chain, only $43 stays in the community.

I'm thinking that we may already do this – we're lucky enough to have a shopping center within walking distance to our house that includes lots of independent retailers – a restaurant, our dry cleaners, a pharmacy. And most of the time we go out to eat it's at an independently owned restaurant. I'm going to start keeping track of our receipts to make sure.

What are the three local businesses you would miss if they disappeared?