last night we a fun celebration in honor of
VEGAN PIZZA DAY!
check out the full spread on extraVEGANza!
this holiday was new to me, but it will now be on our calender every year to come.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
DRÖM
recently i made a few sets of pillow cases using the pattern from simple sewing by lotta jansdotter. homemade pillowcases are extra cosy to sleep on, even little suki thinks so. i did not let her sleep on the pillow i made for her because she is too young, but i did let her play in her crib with it. she had so much fun hugging the pillow over and over again. i hope she is always this appreciative of the things i make for her.
the embroidery on the set i made for suki is the same as the one featured in the book.
the others i made are more personalized but i thought the dream pillow was sweet for a little girl so i went with that.
Monday, January 24, 2011
abc's & 123's
1. abc an amazing alphabet book by dr. seuss
2. abc's by charley harper
3. the gashlycrumb tinies by edward gorey
4. from 1 to 10 by richard scarry
5. counting birds by alice melvin
6. hippos go berserk by sandra boynton
fun books for learning on a cold winter day!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
afghan for barney
adam's first afghan is now finished and in his grandfather's hands.
it turned out beautifully, i love the colors.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
MARIE CATRIB'S
on wednesday we went to marie catrib's to try the vegan lunch special and look over the new menus. marie was busy working on some heart shaped desserts but she took a little time out for suki.
the menus are beautiful!
geoffery holstad designed the menus and has been making many other lovely items for the restaurant, such as chalk board signs, deli case tags, business cards, stickers and he helped design the new website.
there are no new vegan items featured on the menu but all of the vegan delights from before are still offered and you can still veganize some of the non vegan items. the vegan ruben is still one of my favorites, i have been ordering it on gluten free bread. marie is now making all of the gluten free breads vegan and they are delicious.
in addition to the many vegan sandwiches and salads offered on the menu jill has been stocking the deli case "nextdoor" with vegan items that will knock your socks right off.
then it gets even better!
jill is now making vegan lunch specials every wednesday!!!!
this week we tried the trio of indian-style samosas with pineapple chutney, they were incredible. we were able to get some inside information about next wednesdays special the larry david Vball sub, and it's just too good for words. so mark vegan wednesdays on your calendars, and get on down to the C-A-T-R-I-B-s
Friday, January 21, 2011
tracy rose
earlier this winter we had a visit from our sweet friend tracy rose.
while she was in town, she got this tattoo of queen ann's lace, which i had drawn for her maybe two years ago. she added the michigan contour, and i love how it turned out!
this visit was the first time tracy meet suki.
she brought her some lovely vintage dresses that she discovered thrifting in tuscon.
she always finds the most wonderful things, made evident by a box full of treasures we received just after suki was born. this teal bear sweater was one of the many gems.
i love the way this dress looks with the oliver + s sunday brunch jacket. i made this jacket in october but we have not used it until this dress came along. i think they were meant to be, along with the makie hat from debby and dorrey.
thank you tracy!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
kombucha 101
kombucha is a wonder drink full of health benefits, it is also yummy and refreshing.
factory made kombucha can be a little pricey, especially if you drink it everyday.
adam has been perfecting the art of brewing this tea and has decided to share his method with you.
In a 2 gallon glass jar, mix 2 C organic sugar with green or black tea.
Once tea is room temperature, add scoby and cover with a cloth.
Let ferment for 7-12 days in a dark, warm place.
now the tea is ready to bottle!
pour the fermented tea in to the bottles stopping about and inch and a half from the top.
this should make about twelve bottles.
add one and a half teaspoons of sugar to each of the jars
fill the rest with your choice of juice, we used papaya for this batch.
dry of the rims of the bottles and screw the cap on tight.
then place all of the bottles in a warm dark place for 2-3 more days.
then refrigerate and drink!
adam usually starts a new batch immediately after the bottling is done.
Monday, January 17, 2011
sunday brunch
on sunday we had brunch with our friends juan and laura, it was quite a feast.
the menu included:
potato tempeh cakes
greens with a sweet sesame sauce
challah french toast
cantaloupe
coffee
sweet ginger tea
the bread for the french toast was made the night before with this recipe from the veganette.
it was by far the best french toast ever made.
(to make vegan french toast mix up two cups of soy milk, one tablespoon of flour and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. saturate the bread slice in the milk mixture, then fry in oil.)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
snack time give away!
DEAR READERS,
IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
enter to win two boxes of froose gummy snacks and a lunchskin bag!
great additions to any lunch box.
the fruit snacks are vegan, gluten free and delicious!
the snack bag is washable, durable, and looks great!
THESE CAN BE YOURS,
for your chance to win this prize do one of the following things:
1. become a follower of this blog
2. if you are already a follower leave a comment on this post about your favorite healthy snack.
3. post this give away on twitter and mention @KOTOAmade
DEADLINE FOR ENTRY IS SUNDAY JAN 23rd, 2011
don't miss out on this exciting opportunity!
WINNER IS SELECTED RANDOMLY FROM ENTRIES
snack time!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
close knit family
when they were her size!
these are two of my favorite pieces.
warm sweaters are so cozy in the winter especially when they have a history.
i love our family!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
naturally nutty
i have been nervous to introduce suki to peanut butter because of peanut allergies, but i knew that when she did have peanut butter it would be naturally nutty. this is the tastiest and most healthy peanut butter i have found. plus, it is made in michigan! this company was started by a vegan mom in traverse city.
in addition to peanuts it contains hemp and flax seeds and therefore is full of omega fatty acids. since suki is vegan i am always trying to get extra fat into her diet, especially the omega fats.
i made her this special three seed whole wheat bread to join the pb.
since she does not eat sugar i gave her a few blueberries on the side for a little extra sweetness.
i think she was unsure about the way the peanut butter stuck to her mouth so in the end did not eat very much of the sandwich. i will have to try again, i heard it can sometimes take up to three tries before liking a new food texture, or taste.
if you are living in grand rapids you can buy naturally nutty butters at harvest health. our favorite flavor is the vanilla. we like it a little too much, actually.
snowy day
adam just told me we are expecting more snow for at least the next nine days. hooray! this means more snow time fun. last week i came home from work to these rosy little faces.
suki and beedle spent the day riding toboggan and making snow angles.
after the fun outside susan made a pizza party!!!
this was suki's first time eating pizza and she ate three slices.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
little helper
today suki had a baking lesson!
we made a chocolate cake for church. this was the first cake she helped make and i felt it was extra special because it was the same kind of cake adam and i made during her birth. natalie just featured this cake on her blog, we made ours with blueberries. we had a lot of fun and even though suki is a bit messier in the kitchen than i prefer her cuteness made up for it.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
the art of bathing
motivated by suki's new playmobil crocodile kayak, inspired by Craig Hanson's The Art of Bathing, and dedicated to all those fun times in the tub .
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
rebe sale!
the maryjane coat is 40% off until january 10th!!!!
"made from recycled fiber, it ties in the back, and has two bucket pockets.
it's soft and cozy like a sweatshirt but with a feminine fit."
this year 2011
1. more yoga
2. make afghan for home
3. finish quilt (started 6 years ago)
4. be more professional
5. more dates (go out of the house more)
6. read 12 books
7. make drawings
8. sew for family
9. home improvements
10. camp!
Monday, January 3, 2011
moomin mini
2011 has already been a great year for mail. yesterday i received a package from mister mushroom and inside was the most magical thing. the smallest box i have ever seen and within it, four tiny moomin figures all intricately painted. little my is standing behind a small black eyed pea to give an idea of size.
INCREDIBLE!
thank you mister mushroom!!!!
juice boxes are fun!
i never thought i would allow my children to drink juice box beverages because they are usually too sugary and full of unhealthy ingredients. i was happy to discover a company that makes a healthy version of the juice box. suki now drinks froose juice boxes as a special treat, she loves them.
they are smaller than the average box which i think is better and the froose juice is full of great ingredients like brown rice and elderberry! our favorite flavor is perfect pear.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
at the top of the mountain
the first day of the year greeted us with a small dusting of snow.
maybe we will finally have winter weather!
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