Caring Post

I just stumbled upon Tote-n-Tots blog. She's written a lovely post about two dear people who have just recently lost their battles with cancer. I don't know her and I don't know the people she's written about, that doesn't matter. I wanted to share her post.
She's using sales from her etsy shop to make donations to help with the fight against cancer.

I have my eye on these adorable little card holders.


If you have a related story you'd like to share, I welcome you to post it.

Kitty Hat - In Progress

What's a kitty without fur? Or a kitty hat, for that matter.
No timid tabby, this eye-popping eyelash takes this hat from tame to whip-cracking, show-stopping tigress. Whew!

Now for the calm details:
The pattern is the 'Adults Only- Official Kittyville Hat' in Stitch N' Bitch .
The band is knitted as instructed with the suggested yarn, 1824 Mission Falls wool.
For the body of the hat I held two strands of yarn (1824 Mission Falls wool and the eyelash) together for every other row. The eyelash yarn is from my stash and was missing its' label.

All I need to add are the ears and the ties.

Just a few more days!
Want to win a $25 credit toward a purchase in my etsy shop? Check out my Give-away!

What's Behind Door Number 5?

Covered in a whimsical profusion of flowers and shrouded in mystery is this enchanting ACEO by ZudaGay. Made of polmer clay, this one-of-a-kind piece just begs to have it's story told.

So what do you think?

Heavenly Pasta

Roasting brings a rich sweetness and intense flavor to any vegetable. I buy a variety of fresh vegetables, whatever looks best at the grocery, and use them to make side dishes, pasta dishes and soups.

Molly Katzen's Vegetable Heaven is a great resource. From artichokes to zucchini, she tells you how to roast each to exquisite perfection. And it's sooooo easy!

My latest incarnation is a Roasted Vegetable Pasta. This recipe is very adaptable. It's really more of a guideline. Please use whatever fresh veggies you prefer.
Here's what I used

1 small head of garlic
1 medium head cauliflower
2 japanese eggplants
3 medium heirloom tomatoes
2 medium zucchini
olive oil
Fusilli shaped pasta
Parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade)

Rinse the garlic, cut off the top of the head, wrap it in foil and roast in oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until garlic head is very soft. Allow to cool enough to handle safely. Squeeze the garlic out of it's skin and set aside.

Cut the cauliflower, eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini into bite size pieces. Add to roasting pan along with a 1/4 cup of olive oil. Roast at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender (the tomatoes will become very soft). Add in the garlic and stir gently to combine.

Meanwhile cook the pasta as directed on the package. Drain the pasta reserving 1/4cup of the cooking water. Add the 1/4 cup of water to the roasted vegetables.

Place the pasta on a plate, top with the roasted vegetables, grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Enjoy!

Give-away Fun

I had so much fun doing my last (first) Give-away, that I wanted to do another. I tried to think of a clever contest but, alas, none came to me.

If you'd like to be entered into a random drawing for one of two $25 credits good toward a purchase in my Etsy shop, just leave a comment below.

Have an idea for a contest/theme for a Give-away that I can use on my blog? I'd love to hear it. An idea will earn you 2 entries into the Give-away.
The names of the two winners will be drawn on October 1st.

Thanks for stopping by!

Of Flowers and Butterflies

Rich and luscious, these earrings glow and sparkle with warmth.
Their beauty was inspired by the 'Butterfly' Orchid, Oncidium Papilio, a gorgeous exotic orchid from Venezuela.

They feature a hand formed post and 'button' wrapped with fine silver and embroidered with AAA champagne citrine and tundra garnet rondelles in shades of golden orange and rich red.
A full luscious dangle of top quality gemstones gently sways beneath: faceted hessonite garnet briolettes, AAA rhodolite garnet hearts, AAA champagne citrine and sparking tundra garnets.

These earrings would be a stunning addition to your fall and holiday wardrobe.

Spring into Fall

Fava Bean and Spring Vegetable Soup

I know this says Spring vegetable soup but I wanted to try it, now! I used frozen vegetables where I could not find fresh.
The soup turned out wonderfully. Light and satisfying.
So feel free to ignore the calendar. This is a tasty way to get some extra veggies into your diet:)

Waiting For Fall

A colorful carpet of newly fallen leaves, a crisp bright blue sky, the moody shapes of clouds.
BudanArt captures these delights in 'Autumn Afternoon'. I love how this print vibrates with luscious color and texture.
Pure enjoyment, no raking required!

Unexpected Delight

Witty, clever, fun.
I never watch videos on the internet, as in ever. On the advice of Amy of In the Night Kitchen I decided to check out Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog -- just for a minute or two.
I ended up watching the whole thing and wishing for more.
Oh, and the sing-along part, I'm still working on that:)

Born of Fire

Orange is not my favorite color but when I saw these juicy tangerine chalcedony I had to buy them. They have a gorgeous, glowing quality; an inner fire that burns with shades of lemon, tangerine and rich red/orange.

They just begged to be used in a fun, light, super colorful design. And so the 'Charm Me, Sunshine Mix' earrings were born.

Link to Hawaii

Just for fun (and because I'm so curious), I 'googled' my title for this post. There appear to be a number of things with a similar title. The one I found most interesting was a PBS special on Hawaii.

Yummy Banana Bread

Banana Bread Recipe

I made this wonderful Low-Fat Banana Bread. It was moist, with just the right amount of sweetness! I think next time I will add some walnuts. I missed that little bit of crunch.

A handful or two of chocolate chips would knock it out of the park:)

Such An Honor

A big thank you to Lily of Tulipstalking.blogspot for nominating me for a 'Brillante Weblog' award. I really appreciate this kindness.

Now it is my turn to pass on this award. It's definitely hard to choose just 7. I've discovered so many wonderful blogs since I've ventured into cyberspace. Here are my nominees:

Joonbeam.blogspot

Weeknightbites.blogspot
Thebittenword.typepad
Always-amy.blogspot
Brightsideknitter.blogspot
Knittingalone.blogspot
Nuvofelt.blogspot

Vanfleetstreetdesign.blogspot

[Yes, I know there are 8. I said it was hard to choose:)]

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Here are the rules for the nominees:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog

2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you

3) Nominate 7 other blogs

4) Add links to those blogs on your blog

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs
~Mary

Monsterlicious Fun

Colorful, fun, practical. JoeyandAleethea is September's featured Etsyblogger shop. This adorable shop carries handmade items for babies and toddlers. From t-shirts to blankets you can find a nice variety of super cute items. My favorites are the monster themed items like the t-shirts above. Just darling!!!

To find out more about their creations and to see some wonderful photos of their family fun, visit their blog.

The Winners

Chosen by random drawing, the winners of my Give-away are:

$30 credit toward a purchase in my Etsy shop - Darcy Knotty Knitter

$25 credit toward a purchase in my Etsy shop - Amyknit40

$10 credit toward a purchase in my Etsy shop - Judy Nolan
(Winners please visit my Etsy shop, click on 'Contact Maryeb' and let me know what you would like to use your credit toward. I will make a special reserve listing for you.)

I really appreciate all of your comments. I found them to be very helpful and encouraging.
I've enjoyed doing this Give-away so much that I'm planning another. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do, but I will decide in the next week or so.

Thank you again!
Mary