Happy Monday! I wanted to share my version of Puppy Chow (or Muddy Buddies) today! I love to make this sweet snack, but really dislike how most recipes leave you with a couple cups of cereal leftover. Last time I made it, I adjusted the basic recipe to accomodate an entire 12ish ounce box of Rice Chex cereal and also a full 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips! My version is a little extra chocolately than the original, but I think it turned out really good! I also call for a bit extra powdered sugar, because I like there to be plenty!

This treat is for humans only, do not feed to dogs.

Ingredients:
- (1) 12.8oz box of Rice Chex cereal (approximately 12 cups)
- (1) 12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups (256 grams) smooth peanut butter
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
- 3 cups (360 grams) powdered sugar
- Jumbo plastic zip bag, 2+ gallon. (These are my favorite*)

Instructions:
1. Measure cereal into a large bowl.

2. In a medium glass bowl combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir. Continue to microwave for 30 seconds at a time until mixture is fully melted. Stir in vanilla if using. (If you don't have a microwave, melt mixture by placing glass bowl over a small pot of lightly boiling water.)

3. Pour melted chocolate mixture over cereal, stir until evenly coated. Let mixture sit for 1-2 minutes to cool slightly.

4. Pour coated cereal into a the plastic bag.

5. Add powdered sugar to bag, seal. Shake until well coated.

6. Optionally, freeze or put in fridge to form delicious clumps, and cool faster!

Enjoy!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference!

Happy Making!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

February Monthly Report

It's time for the February monthly report. See past reports here.


February was really tough. Saying goodbye to George was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. He had been slowing down over the last year or so, but things went downhill pretty fast. Right before Christmas we shifted our focus to palliative care, and just tried to enjoy the time we had left together. I couldn't bring myself to say it at the time, but that's why I disappeared for a while. We had the help and support of Laps of Love, who helped us navigate the process. He passed here at home, in my arms. It was devastating, but the most peaceful thing we could do for him. Thank you for all the love you've shown us, it means a lot. I wanted to share this artwork that my friend Melissa Averinos did of him. What an angel.


I didn't do a whole lot of anything in February, but I did force myself to do some crafting. The main thing I worked on this month was a few weaving projects. I don't know why, but weaving has really hit the spot during this time. I think because it is so repetitive and mindless for me. I started and finished a long scarf with a skein of sock yarn and some lace-weight yarn. I also started a worsted weight scarf too, which I am still working on. I weave on a 10" Cricket Loom by Schacht.


Towards the end of the month I set myself a goal of getting two quilts in the mail for quilting by the end of February. I had the tops done but needed to make backings for both. It may not sound like much, but it was kind of daunting. I spent most of my time the last few months taking care of George, so it felt like a lot. I'm glad I pushed through and did it though. I know it will feel good when I can get those finished, hopefully it will help propel me forward.


My only sewing finishes this month was another set of scrunchies. I love the ones I made over the summer but I'm always misplacing them. Figured a few more were in order. Plus it was my scrap project for the month, so win-win. I used this tutorial from Made Everyday.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in February:

February Fabric
Used up: .25 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -.25 yards
Year to date: -7.875 yards

February Yarn
Used up: 642 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -642 yards
Year to date: -1035 yards

No fabric purchases this month, so despite my very small amount of fabric I used up, I'm still in the negative. Will this be the first year I never have a positive "year to date"? We'll see! The scarf I finished used a good amount of yarn, so my yarn yardages are already off to a great start this year.


I did a lot of baking in February, including a coconut cake for Michael's birthday. It was the same basic cake I made for his half birthday this Summer, but this time I frosted it with cool whip and we liked it much better. The buttercream I made for it last time was too sweet and too rich. The cake recipe is from Smitten Kitchen Every Day*.

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.


I also made everything bagels. Our favorite bagel shop in Madison, Bagels Forever, had a variety called "New Everything" that had all the everything bits on the inside of the bagel instead of the outside. They were Michael's favorite, so I've been wanting to try recreating them. My first go turned out pretty good! I use this basic bagel recipe from King Arthur Baking, and I used about 43 grams of everything bagel seasoning from Trader Joes in the dough. I topped them with sesame seeds because I find they bake more evenly with the seeds on vs. nothing on the outside. Plus, we love sesame seeds.


It was a snowy month. Hurry up Spring!

January Monthly Report

Happy February! It's time for the January monthly report. See past reports here.


My sewing this month wasn't anything super exciting, but I did finish some projects that I know will get a lot of use. First up I made more placemats. As I mentioned last month, we've been eating dinner at our dining room table most days since the pandemic started. I have a great stash of vintage tablecloths, but only had one style of placemats. Over the last two months I've made a few sets of placemats from my stash of home dec fabrics. It feels good to use up these types of fabrics, and I'll get to enjoy them on our table instead of tucked away in the fabric cabinet. They're super simple, just two pieces of fabric right sides together and sew around the sides. Turn, press and topstitch. They get the job done, and have been a great stash buster. I cut my rectangles 15"x17" and used 1/2" seam allowances for 14"x16" finished placemats.


My other big project this month was sewing up a set of four new pillowcases. I cut and washed the fabrics for these sometime in 2019 (I think, could have been 2018.). I've pulled them out and ironed them a few times and then put them away without cutting them. Finally in January I cut the pieces and stitched them up. I used some of my voile prints from Geometric Bliss, so they're super soft and silky feeling. I'm glad to have these to add into our rotation of cases. I use the burrito method for making mine, outlined here. Using the serger when doing the French seams really speeds these up.


I made a new cover for one of our long heating pads. This one is a little older and it runs pretty hot, so it needed a more substantial cover. I used some fat quarters of Nani Iro brushed cotton (flannel). I added a layer of fusible fleece to give it some extra padding. I'm happy to report it's back in use already and much improved by the new cover. It closes with a single snap.


My last sewing finish for the month was a pincushion from my scraps. I just barely squeezed this project in before the month ended, so I kept it simple. I decided to use all Minny Muu scraps, which are perfect for small projects since the scale of the prints is so tiny. I followed my own Scrappy Nine-Patch Pincushion Tutorial to make it. I did a pretty dense crosshatch quilting on the top, I like the resulting texture.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in January:

January Fabric
Used up: 7.625 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -7.625 yards
Year to date: -7.625 yards

January Yarn
Used up: 393 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -393 yards
Year to date: -393 yards

I feel good about my stash results for this month. I wasn't tempted to buy any fabric or yarn, and I finished a decent amount! I'll take it.




I knit more this month than I did in the entirety of 2020! Michael has been working hard on writing and submitting a grant, so I've been spending time keeping him company while he works on the computer. It was the perfect excuse to get back into the swing of knitting. I knit two hats, plus a cowl. You can see the details for all three on my Ravelry page. I'm loving the small projects, and the finishes are keeping me motivated to continue on. Hoping it sticks, I haven't knit regularly in quite a while and it is relaxing. Hats are definitely my favorite!


My baking adventure in January was making chocolate chip bagels! When we lived in Madison, I loved the chocolate chip bagels from Bagels Forever. Getting one toasted with butter was one of my favorite treats after running errands. I've been pining for one ever since we moved away, so I finally took the plunge and tried making them. I was afraid the chocolate would disturb the rise, but it didn't at all. If anything, the dough rose more! I used my go-to bagel recipe (Water Bagels by King Arthur Baking) and I added mini chocolate chips to the dough during the knead. They turned out awesome! Next time I plan to add the chips directly to the flour.


Sleepy George Bunny.

Have a Great Month!

July Monthly Report

Happy August! It's time for July's monthly report. See past reports here.

I actually did a fair amount of sewing this month! Mostly small projects, but I finished a quilt top (that I can't share quite yet) and finished/gifted a quilt. Felt good to make some progress on a few things.

I needed a pick me up the other day so I stitched up this summery tiny drawstring bag. This size is so cheerful and cute, it might be my favorite. Popsicle fabric is from Sugar by Erin McMorris. Pattern is my Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern.

I also made the largest size in the pattern, the Laundry size. It's my favorite way to gift quilts. Will share the quilt soon!

Another finish this month was another bed for George bunny. I have a few beds I bought for him years ago but I can't get a hold of anymore. So I used those as a guide to make my own pattern. I made one for him last year and promptly cut out more. It's such a great use for my sweatshirt fabric scraps. And he seems to approve!

I made more masks this month, mostly for Michael. He prefers this style mask. I am still partial to the fit of the Craft Passion mask. I used Dana Willard's tutorial, which can be found here: Fabric Face Mask with Ties. The ties are knit fabric cut into 1" strips and pulled to curl it up.

Another thing made in mass quantities was scrunchies! These were made with another tutorial of Dana's, you can find it here: How to make a Scrunchie. These were really fun to make and they're really comfy to wear. I mostly used off cuts from quilt backings which was satisfying. I made sure to make some that match my masks, so I can coordinate. :)

To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in July:

July Fabric
Used up: 14.25 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -14.25 yards
Year to date: -8.5 yards

July Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards

Year to date: 0 yards

I'm finally in the negative!! So happy. I didn't bring in any fabric this month, which helped. And all those finishes added up! Hoping to keep it up the rest of the year.

Thank goodness for our garden this year in particular. Going out in the morning and evening to check on it's progress has been something good to look forward to every day. I'm growing strawflowers again this year and my handful of plants have been quite productive!

Baked something new this month too, English muffins! I've made this recipe by King Arthur Baking a few times now. I think it could still use some tweaking, but over we like it! They're fun to make. Although will be easier to make in the winter when it's not so hot and humid!

Please enjoy this photo of George bun lounging in his basket. The basket is his current sleep spot of choice. He routinely wakes up and licks it, which is pretty adorable.

Have a great month!

Catching Up

Happy Tuesday! I wanted to do a little catch-up post since I've fallen behind in posting projects. It's been such a strange time, and I hope you all are staying healthy and safe. We've been isolating since around the 12th, and are trying to figure out our new routines. Michael has been working from home, since they closed the research labs on campus.

So, I thought I would share what I've been up to. I hope to do more sewing in the next couple weeks, but I haven't felt quite up to it lately. I have been doing a lot of cleaning, including a big clean up in the sewing room. It had really become a dumping ground for stuff, especially things headed for the walk-up attic. I knew I wouldn't feel like sewing until it was clean in here.


We've been cooking and baking a lot. My birthday was on Friday and I made sticky pecan rolls from the Zingerman's Bakehouse Cookbook* instead of a cake. They were super tasty and I was able to use pecans given to me by my friend Jacey, so that made them extra special. It rained in the morning but the sun came out and it warmed up in the afternoon. Just enough so that we could grill, which felt so indulgent. I can't wait for it to be warm enough to be out in the yard, I know that will really help our spirits stay up.

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.



We're watching lots of happy TV. I was very excited to see Frozen 2 up on Disney+ early! It was really cute. Also re-watching Pushing Daises and Monk at the moment.


I started my first seeds last month, but shortly after deciding to stay home I placed an order for a bunch of veggie seeds. We have a two car wide driveway (but only one car), so we're planning to expand our planter boxes to fill up more of the driveway. It gets plenty of sun and the black top helps keep everything nice and hot. Excited to get gardening, more than usual!


If you're looking for a sewing project to work on, I invite you to check out my tutorials page. I update it every time I publish a new free tutorial. In the 11 years since I started blogging, I've published over 100 tutorials from quilt patterns, bags, and home projects to informational series and recipes. Find that page here: TUTORIALS.

I'm hoping to add more in the coming weeks. Please let me know if you have any specific requests!


George bunny has been a real champ. I know he appreciates routine too, so he definitely can tell things are a little different right now. He's loving the extra run around time and I'm getting lots of snuggle sessions in. Such a sweetheart,

Wishing you all good health and peace during these troubled times! Please stay home if you can, we're all in this together.

December Monthly Report

Happy January! It's time for December's monthly report. See past reports here.

Took a couple photos of my Giant Vintage Star Quilt in my sewing room recently, it's such a happy quilt. Find the pattern here.


I spent most of the month prepping for the holidays, including make a number of handmade gifts! I'll share the rest soon, but for now here is a pillow that I made for my Dad. This churn dash pillow matches a quilt I made him a few years back: Deer Sparkling Cider Quilt. It also matches a star pillow I made for him earlier in this year, so now he has a pair to go with the quilt.


It seemed fitting that the last project I made in 2019 was a pair of matching lined drawstring bags. This is the project size from the lined drawstring bag pattern, my personal favorite. These were for Michael and his Sister, made from this cute cherry pie fabric that once belonged to their grandmother. I have a good amount of the fabric left, so I'll probably make a picnic table cloth or something with the rest. The accent is from my Mom's stash (I made them in OH while we were visiting) and I picked up a blue solid to match for the linings.


I managed to finish a quilt among all the other things going on! My scrappy pineapple quilt is now finished. I took photos while I was home visiting, so I'll be sharing those later this month.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in December:

December Fabric
Used up: 23.75 yards
Brought in: 5.75 yards
Net: -18 yards
Year to date: -107 yards

December Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: -426 yards

Brought in a little fabric this month, almost all of it was used for gift sewing, so I feel okay about it! I was hoping to finish up a knit project over the holidays, but it just didn't happen. Hopefully I'll finish it this year!


Early in the month we had quite a bit of ice, I had to capture everything covered in it!


I made a new sweet recipe this season, Cinnamon Harissa Caramel Corn. It was surprisingly simple to make and really good!


George the bunny, looking so handsome!

I'll be back next week to share my 2019 wrap up and 2020 goals!

April Monthly Report

Happy May! It's time for April's monthly report. See past reports here.

I didn't edit this photo of our backyard at all, can you believe how blue the sky is? Spring is such an  amazing season. I love how everything comes back to life!


My sewing this month was a bit all over the place, but one constant as always is drawstring bags. I am still slowly working on experimenting with different ideas for my expansion pattern. This one involved playing with quilt as you go to make a scrappy patchwork bag!

I'm very pleased with how it turned out and it was also my scrap project for the month. This is the project size from the Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern.


I also decided to cut into some of my hoarded bunny fabrics for an Easter bag! This one is the everything size, same as the tutorial size!


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in April:

April Fabric
Used up: 3.75 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -3.75 yards
Year to date: -15 yards

April Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: +196 yards

I brought in ZERO fabric in the month of April!! Partway through the month I realized I hadn't bought anything and challenged myself to continue through the rest of the month. It felt great. I didn't use up too much this month, but that's okay. I started a new vintage sheet quilt and also made a big fabric art piece, both of which I'll be sharing soon! 


After a few different tries I finally can make a really good bagel. I used the Water Bagels Recipe from King Arthur Flour. It's quick and straightforward, I didn't change anything. These are chewy and the crust is great. I think I made a batch every week last month! It's definitely worth buying the non-diastatic malt powder that the recipe calls for. On my first batch I tried substituting barley malt syrup and they were very malty tasting.



Two George pictures because he is such a sweetie. I took him in for his yearly checkup this month and he did really well! Love this little guy so much.

Hope you have a great month!