New Blanket in Progress

I love blankets... there is something about them that captivate me.
I can't explain quite well what it is. And when I think about all the time you spend making one it seems a little nuts to actually crochet or knit a blanket... but I realize that almost all the time I have one blanket (AT LEAST) in progress.... right now I have 3!!!
Hubby won't like that! lol!
Every item that is knitted or crocheted, and specially a blanket, is usually made out of pure love... I guess that is why I love them.
They will cover you and get you warm and wrap you in love. :o)

I'm making a blanket for my friends wedding in October. I am using the Sunny Spread pattern which very nicely is a free pattern. I love the look of it, it's made of squares that are pretty easy to memorize, and have a lot of texture, giving a very interesting look to the blanket once they are all put together.

I have 30 so far...

I'm not really sure how many I'll make... the pattern calls for 64, but I'm not sure if I like that size (52" x 52" / 132cm x 132cm), I think I'd like it a little bigger... so maybe 81... we'll see... it also depends on how much yarn it takes!!
I'm using Vintage worsted... by Berroco.
I LOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEE that yarn, is super soft, washable, comes in great colors and has a good price. I use it for a lot of my knitting/crocheting, but is deffinetly a great choice for blankets.

Here's how it looks all together spread out! I haven't joined them yet, I want to have them all first...

See you soon!
S.

Oh! And I almost forget... I just wanted to share something else:
I joined Curves back in December... I like it because once I'm there is fun and you finish in a wink.
I've been on and off during this time and practically haven't gone this past month because of the dizzyness...
Well.............. this week I've been there all 4 days!!! Monday trhough Thursday so far!!!
A LOT of it, and probably ALL of it thanks to MG that very nicely and gently ask me in the morning if he should give me a ride over there... Thank you Cielo!!!

I can feel the results in my body, is working and I'm trying to eat healthier and better so I hope to get rid of some weight soon!!
I'm also doing a thing that they call Curves Smart that is a small tag that has your data and measures your performance during the sesion and sets a higher goal for you and stuff... so I'm competing against myself....

soon... a healthier and improved me!!

S.

Loving myself...

During the past few weeks I've been super dizzy and there were days were everything was spinning around me... not a very pleasent sensation I must tell you. We went to a couple of doctors and they couldn't find anything that's causing it. So I've been having lots of rest, not a lot of movement and focusing on things that make me happy.
I am much better now and the dizzyness is almost gone, which I'm glad.
I've been super happy lately, I think everything is pretty perfect in my life right now and I love that it is like that.

I'm happy, relaxed, excited with things, I love and feel loved and I'm happy and smiling most of the time... wait, did I mention that I'm happy????????????

W.O.W!!!!!

Really, being happy can do great things for you!!

So.... remember I told you some time ago that we would be moving?? well, it will happen at some point, but we still don't know where or went. Luckily MG's boss has renewed MG's contract until the end of the year, so that will give us a little more time in this wonderful place we love, with a life already stablished and I'll have more time at the Yarn Shop... yay!!
Also, we have more time to find a more permanent job and were to move and all that.
Last week we went out to celebrate this with some of MG's friends...

I've been thinking about new projects too!!
I'm looking at taking an American Sign Language as an audit at the University! I'm vey excited about that...
I'm also thinking about applying to the Crochet Associate Professional recognition and doing the Crochet Master Program, both through the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA)... and that is also exciting!!!

Finally, as part of loving and pampering myself a bit, yesterday I took myself out and had a haircut

 and pedicure...

it was my second pedicure ever!!! and I doubted about getting it but it was worth every penny!!!! my feet were in pretty bad shape and I went to a place with fancy chairs that massage your back while the person works on your feet... I had warm massaging water in my feet and the "treatment" included up to the knee exfoliation and massage with cream and hot towel...
Since I'm not used to have my toes painted I did a very light shade of blue... and I'm happy with it. It goes with my turquoise-aqua long skirt that I'm wearing today!

So I think that's all fot now... I run to the shop for a crochet afternoon!!!

upps!!! I almost forgot!!!
We put up 2 of my pieces for display at the shop!!!

My trees wall hanging and my purple multicolor coat!

See you soon!
S.

Lemon-Raspberry Coffeecake

I got the recipe for this cake from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine (April 2012). Because I didn't want to keep the whole magazine I just cut the page and it's kind of wrinkled and dirty... so for keeping it for further occasions I'll type it here and that way you can make it too.

When I first read Coffeecake I thought there was coffee involved in the recipe, and there's not so I think it means that is a cake for coffee time... which works perfectly!

Stop with the chit-chat and here's the recipe::

Lemon-Raspberry Coffeecake

Cut wedges straight from the pan or transfer the cake to a serving plate for pretty presentation.

Prep: 15 min    Bake: 45 min    Oven: 375°F   Cool: 10 min

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

1 egg

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease bottom of 9 x 1 1/2-inch round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment. Grease and lightly flour pan; set aside. For cake, in a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In medium mixing bowl beat 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the butter with mixer on medium to high until well combined. Add 1 egg and the vanilla. Beat on low to medium 1 minute. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to sugar mixture, beating just until combined after each addition; set aside.
3. For cheesecake filling, in small mixing bowl beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar on medium to high until combined. Add lemon peel and 1 egg. Beat until combined.
4. Spoon half the cake batter into prepared pan, spreading to edges. Pour cream cheese mixture on cake batter, spreading to edges. Using two spatulas, dollop remaining batter on cream cheese layer, carefully spreading to edges of pan. 
5. Bake 20 minutes or until puffed. Gently press raspberries into cake. Bake 25 to 30 minutes more or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edges of cake from pan; remove from pan. Sprinkle with powder sugar, if desired. Makes 10 servings.

Each serving: 309 cal, 14g fat, 72 mg chol, 302 mg sodium, 43 g carb, 1 g fiber, 5 g pro.

See you soon!
S.

Back again...

Hello guys!!!!!!!!!!

I've missed you!!!

My parents came and go, I had a great trip to Mexico for weddings and parties and baby showers and all kind of stuff... back at B-town, happy at the yarn shop and enjoying the summery weather.

knitting, crocheting, cooking, baking! what else can you ask for!

I'll be back soon to tell you more details about all of it... for now, just a delicious lemon raspberry cake I made for graduation weekend for one of MG's friends that was getting a Ph.D., and a little bit of the ceremony...

 

 

 

See you soon!
S.