Owl Howl

So there's this "thing" I have with owls. 

I may have mentioned it before but it basically started with being asked what my favorite animal was and coming up with "owl" as the response. I wasn't thinking real owl... because sometimes, they're a bit creepy. I was thinking about CUTE owls, which I call good owls.

Owl stuff is everywhere, which means I've been collecting it (strictly as gifts... I'm not actually a collector)

I have an apron, cookie jar, oven mitt, plate, coin purse, earrings, children's book (also the title of this post) necklace... and probably other items I'm forgetting. 

I guess it goes without saying that I'd try my hand at making my own owls. 

These are quite possibly the silliest things I'll ever make, but they're fun to make and when I'm done they seem to take on little personalities. Not really, but I love how the cut and pattern of each fabric make each little owl pillow different. The brown one in the middle was my very first owl and the pink one was my first attempt at hand embroidery. These little guys are fun... and I think they need homes. I don't actually have the space (or desire for so many owls in my home, they just happen to be easy and fun to make. 

Second Time's a Charm

So, remember the failed pillow making from a couple of weeks ago? 

I mentioned that I thought I could learn from my mistakes and guess what? I did!

This evening I decided to give pillow covering a second chance and whipped up another pillow cover. Much, much nicer. The whole process, from choosing fabric to sewing the final stitch took less than an hour.

I love it! 

Around the House

I don't have much to say (a lie. I always have a lot to say) other than to show you what we've been up to lately. 

A few weeks ago, I made peanut butter cookies. I enjoy most cookies before they're cooked (dough) but peanut butter cookies and the oatmeal cookies my mom makes are the two exceptions. I had all the ingredients for peanut butter cookies, so I set to work filling up the cookie jar. 

Unfortunately, since I like them, the cookie jar is once again empty. Oh well. 

Carson returned to work at Super Supplements. His boss called and offered him a full-time position. Yes, please! I made a sign for his first day. 

 I also thought I should make a note of how we watch movies around here. On the macbook, propped up by other dvds, with computer speakers. This movie, by the way, was the updated version of "Charade" (with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn). This one was called "The Truth about Charlie" and it just wasn't that great. We have Charade and I think it's much better! 

With ice cream, of course. Carson keeps getting my favorite (mint chocolate chip) so we keep eating ice cream... it's a problem I don't mind all that much :) 

Here's another something I made: an owl pincushion. The drawback is that it sort of looks like an owl voodoo doll. I don't know that they have those but I feel bad stabbing this poor creature in the back. He has been rather handy though. I don't miss having to stick pins in the couch when I'm trying to sew.

I just love squash and zucchini cooked together. Something about it just seems so summery. I think it's the colors and the fact that growing up we had a million squash from Granddaddy's garden each summer. 

Since I'm showing you "life", here's some Reilly Building pictures and updates. 

This is our list of rules for the apartment building. Some people took the liberty of calling others out on certain misdemeanors. I, for instance, have a drug and alcohol issue... clearly. Some of the names are personal jokes (Rachel has a fish and was called out on the "pets" rule and Keith may or may not be loud late at night).

That rule list is posted on the whiteboard that's in the foyer of the building. I think it's supposed to be for helpful notes. There are a few, but there are mostly pictures and funny notes. Stephanie recently made this one of the Reilly women (yes, we have new people)... and Izzy made an addition. 

The biggest Reilly family news has been that two of our members, John and Rachel, got engaged last week! We're all THRILLED for this event, to take place this winter over break. They will continue to be our neighbors - she'll move down the hall to his apartment, which happens to be right next to ours!

Failure

Gotta love it when  you have a great idea to make something, spend all day on it and then it looks terrible. 

Recently, that was this pillow. It was going to be so cute, with buttons on the back (or front). Yeah, no. It looked terrible. Not the biggest fan of the green either. 

Oh well. Next time I guess I just won't make the same mistake!

On the bright side, I figured out how to make buttonholes with my new machine!

nine eleven

Ten years ago, I was hanging out in my room when my dad called me up to the den to come look at something on the TV. He said something about planes, so I wasn't hurrying. When I got there though, I saw the first Twin Tower in smoke. Shortly after that, I watched the second plane hit and the towers come crashing to the ground. It's a day I can recall well because it was just so astounding.

I was twelve years old but I remember that feeling of helplessness. I remember how packed our church was the Sunday after that, and the national return to the Lord. This event certainly rocked our nation. In some ways, even I was changed by this. As a result, I joined millions of other Americans by questioning what would happen to me if I were to die suddenly. I wasn't a huge fan of the possible answer, and this was one of a chain of events that helped make my faith my own.

It's been ten years since 9/11/2001. It's a sad day in our nation's history; families are grieving, recalling their loved ones. I pray that on the memory of this day, people will draw nearer to God and come to know Him as a result of those tragic events.

that time i graduated high school

I was going through old pictures on my hard drive today and found some terrific ones from my high school senior year - five years ago!

We had a "senior night" for all graduating seniors. Our dads or moms wrote us letters and the letters were read while we were on stage. Then, we went outside and released balloons. 

My senior pictures...

My graduating class... all 8 of us

CBCCA Class of 2007

Date Night

We went to Pig Out in the Park for date night recently. 

(we went last year too... click here)

So many booths crammed with so much food. We could have spent a lot, but thankfully the vendors only took cash. We shared a plate of Chinese food - 1/2 Chow Mein, 1/2 Fried Rice and two egg rolls. For dessert we had frozen yogurt. 

We missed out on gyros, chocolate dipped cheesecake, all kinds of "east coast" sandwiches, pizza, sno cones, fruit on a stick, meat on a stick, blocks of fries, every kind of ethnic food you can imagine and all kinds of desserts you can imagine. 

Afterward, we went to McDonalds for fries... I couldn't get them out of my mind as we walked away...

When Life Gives You Peaches... Make Pie

On Saturday, Carson and I went up to Green Bluff with Molly and Jerrad. 

It was the last weekend of the Peach Festival, and while that may conjure up images of people dancing around holding sweet summer fruit, all it meant for us was filling boxes with fruit for pies.

We hit one farm for peaches and another for pumpkin donuts. We get these every year and they are the BEST!

Afterward, we set the men to work peeling peaches (note the frustration on their faces... for some reason the only peeler I own is a carrot peeler and it wasn't up to the task) and then set to work baking! We made two pies (we used the recipe from the Joy of Cooking cookbook) and a cobbler. So good!

The Un-Surprise Party

Rachel's birthday was two weeks ago. 

Unfortunately, this has been a busy month, so we were unable to give her the surprise party we'd hoped. 

And then she made plans for the day we intended. 

So we told her about her surprise party and told her to plan on Sunday. 

The Reilly Building (minus one) met at the Hughes' pool for a party for Rachel. 

The only surprise was Dairy Queen ice cream cake - her favorite. 

Even without the big "surprise!" moment, the day was fun. Hot and sunny, just as it should have been for a pool party.

S'more Pie (Recipe)

While we were in Pennsylvania, I made a S'more Pie.

I know... nothing about that looks like a good idea. There is nothing that is remotely redeemable in this pie. Nothing healthy, nothing good for you. In fact, the only way to make this 'okay' would be to only see pictures or cut yourself a very tiny piece. 

Nevertheless, I will dutifully share. Because even though it's bad for you, it tastes so, so good! Especially with milk.

S'More Pie (recipe found on pinterest)
2 packages chocolate chip cookie dough (the break and bake cookie kind)
2 cups marshmallow fluff (I just guessed because I didn't want to clean marshmallow out of a measuring cup)
3 Hershey's chocolate bars
I know. 
Roll out one package of cookie dough and press it in your pie pan. This will be the crust
Scoop about 3/4 of the marshmallow fluff jar into the cookie crust.
Break the chocolate bar up and put the pieces on top of the marshmallow fluff.
Roll the other package of cookie dough out to fit the top of the pie and press the edges together.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. [Mine was still quite mushy at this point, so I kept it in there for maybe more like 30 and then froze it before cutting to set so there wouldn't be so much mush :) Also, mine turned out really ugly... the marshmallow tried to break out of the pie crust. This could be solved by monitoring the amount you put in there.]
Enjoy. But please, please, please go for a run afterward!