I hope your weekend was lots of fun; ours was! The kiddoes had their first swim lesson at the Y. They had a great time! True to form, my bold daughter jumped right into the water. The boy is more like his mother. Dips one toe at a time and tries to keep his head above the water. Both are excited about going again, so swim lessons are a success.
I mixed up some Banana Salsa this past weekend, but could hardly eat any. I used two of the hottest serrano peppers I've ever come by! I couldn't take a bite without following it with some hiccups. I made a few substitutions that I'd like to share. My kids and I were curious about red bananas, so we bought a few to taste. (They taste just like yellow bananas to me.) I had two left and used them in the salsa. I followed the advice I gave to my Mom and used mint instead of cilantro. I love cilantro. I wanted cilantro. But, the cilantro in the stores looked less than fresh. The mint smelled wonderful, and I liked it very much. Lastly, I substituted agave nectar for the brown sugar. I planned to omit the sugar, but I over-salted the salsa and needed to cut it with some sweetness. Agave to the rescue! If any of you made salsa, please leave a comment and share your thoughts, substitutions, etc.
Thank you to my amazing sister-in-law in Seattle! You are the first to leave a comment for me, and I greatly appreciate your participation! You are a star! I love your frugality too. I also freeze overripe bananas, but unlike you, don't use them often enough. Thus, my AH (Adorable Husband) complains about the overload of bananas in the freezer. In Alaska, I could give those bananas to a friend who would turn them into banana bread for us to share. MMMmmm, banana bread....I really miss her, a lot!
Now onto something new and exciting....I'm posting my first creation! I will be "the girl in the green shirt", not to be confused with Ms. Becky Bloomwood and her scarf. (Shopaholic readers, you know the reference.) Anyway, I found a tutorial for a beautiful ruffled shirt at Tea Rose Home. (http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/2010/01/tutorialruffle-shirt.html) I'm inexperienced with sewing, but I really wanted to try it. Like Sachiko, I found clearanced shirts. (Though it's March, the green color is a coincidence.) I bought three shirts: one to wear and two to cut up. I printed the tutorial and got to cuttin'. This is the first time I've made ruffles, but as I can sew in a straight line, it was actually easy. When I started to fit the ruffles around the neck, I realized that I needed to widen it. I took a few measurements and cut more of a boat neck, matching the original design. I pinned, stitched, ruffled, and created a new shirt for springtime. Here it is:
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| green shirt ~ BEFORE ~ blaahh! |
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| green shirt ~ AFTER ~ aaahhh! |
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| cascading ruffles |
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| rosettes |
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| neck ruffle |
So there you have it....my very own Tea Rose Home ruffle shirt in green. I realize that the photos are a little fuzzy, and I apologize for that. I'll try to take better photos in the future. Now, I want to leave you with a little teaser. My next project will include these fabrics! Can you guess the recipient? Of course, you can; it's my little lassy. One final tidbit: this creation will include piecing fabrics together. Any guesses? Well, start thinking and have a blessed day!
