Lady By The Bay

My mother-in-law turned me on to kale in my salad and now I find that's all I ever want in my salads. It is so delicious! I've always loved Greek salad, and adding kale to it just sends it over the top for me.

I'd like to mention that I've tried a few different types of kale and the best one I've found is the curly kind. I don't know the technical name for it, but it has the curly edges like you see in the photo here of the salad. The reason I say this is the best kind is because the others I've tried have a harsh bitterness to them and this type doesn't. So I just wanted to point that out for when you go to select your kale for your salad. And here's how I make mine. :)

Ingredients:
1 bunch of curly kale, cleaned and trimmed from stem, dried off (if you don't know how to trim kale, here's a great tutorial)
6-8 Campari tomatoes, quartered (this is just the kind I love, but use whatever tomatoes you like)
Half of a small red onion, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
1/3 cup Kalamata olives
1/4 cup sliced pepperoncinis
3-5 oz. crumbled feta cheese (depending on how much you like)

For the dressing:
2 lemons, juiced
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, very finely minced
1/2 Tbsp. Greek oregano
1/2 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Add the kale to a large bowl. Drizzle half the lemon juice and half the olive oil over the kale. Gently massage the juice and oil into the kale with your hands for a minute or so. Doing this takes away any toughness and bitterness from the kale. Take a bite before and take a bite after and you'll see what I mean.

Add remaining vegetables to the bowl. Sprinkle kosher salt, pepper, oregano, minced garlic, and mint over the salad and gently toss together. Drizzle the vinegar and the rest of the olive oil and lemon juice over the salad and add the feta cheese. Toss gently and serve.

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Photo A Day - April 2013

2013-05-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Another month of the photo a day challenge is complete. I love challenging myself each day to capture the image for that day's prompt. If you don't already, you really should try it out. It's a lot of fun. I promise! :)

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Love

2013-04-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

I'm finding that I really enjoy playing with flowers and making little messages like this. Here's another I did today.

I think I'm on to something and will continue making these, and possibly make them into prints to sell on Etsy. :) I'm excited!

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Hello

2013-04-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

One of my very favorite things is coming up with a new photo each day for whatever the prompt may be for the FMS Photo A Day Challenge. I've been participating in this challenge for a year now and I adore it. It keeps my creative juices flowing on a daily basis, and today just happened to be a really creative day for me. Today's prompt was "Hello." I think about the next day's photo the evening before, so last night I thought this morning I will go out and take a photo of some phone wires/poles and hope to catch some birds lingering on the wires, but when I got up this morning I just wasn't feeling it. So instead I grabbed the cut up stems from the carnations I trimmed, and created this. The response was overwhelming; it really brightened people's days and made them happy. That's all I ever want, to share images that make people happy. I hope this makes you smile and brings some joy to you. :)

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Quick, Delicious and Healthy Lunch Salad

2013-04-13T09:40:00.002-07:00

I made this salad for my lunch yesterday and it was so delicious (and pretty) that I had to take a photo of it and share it with you. It went together so quickly and was very satisfying. The perfect lunch!

Here's what went into my salad:
A couple handfuls of mixed greens
Some chopped cucumber (use how much you like)
Quarter of a green apple, sliced into thin pieces
3 radishes, sliced thin
A couple thin slices of red onion
2 campari tomatoes, quartered
2 slices roasted turkey sliced into bite-size pieces
A small handful of chopped walnuts

For the dressing:
1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. apple juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil

That's it! Super simple and incredibly yummy! Enjoy!

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Knitted Honey Cowl

2013-04-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

I recently learned to knit and went looking for an easy pattern to try my hand at. I found the Madelinetosh Honey Cowl pattern and fell in love. You can download it here for free. I must say it was very easy. It's a 4-row repeated pattern, so it's a great project that you don't have to think about and can watch TV while doing it. It's knitted on a circular needle, and there is a long version and a short version of it. I chose to knit the short version.

I used Madelintosh Pashmina yarn in the color Shoreline. This yarn is so super soft and very easy to work with. I love the shading of the yarn and how it all comes together so beautifully.

I will definitely be making more of these in some other colors.

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Tomorrow is a New Day...

2013-04-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

Finish each day and be done with it.
You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely....

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photo a Day - March 2013

2013-04-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where the time is going, but another month has now flown by. Wow!! I had a lot of fun with last month's photo a day prompts, as usual. I love the daily challenge of capturing a new image. Check out Fat Mum Slim's Photo A Day Challenge and join in on the fun! :)

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

My Attempt at Painting

2013-03-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying playing around with oil paints. I haven't taken any classes or anything; I'm just having fun. This is my latest stab at it. I actually got a book for Christmas The Complete Oil Painter and I need to take the time and read it and practice more, as I know nothing about technique yet. I really want to learn shadows and highlights to work on depth. Everything I do seems so flat. The fun part is practicing though. :)

I Heart Spring!!

2013-03-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

Spring has been in full force and I've been out there trying to capture it through my lens. There is so much to look at and take in that it's overwhelming. I love this time of year and thought I'd share with you some of what I've been seeing lately. :) Happy Spring, everyone!

Weekend Road Trip

2013-03-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my husband and I took a little road trip over to Napa Valley. Not for any particular thing to do there, just to spend time together and let me photograph all the loveliness that area has to offer. We drove along the wineries and made several turns onto little side roads that had signs that read "No Outlet." We love those kinds of roads. We're not the 'do what the crowd is doing' type of people--we always take the road less traveled. Here are some photos of the beauty down those less traveled roads...

Spring has sprung!!!

We kept driving along and stopped for lunch at Gott's Roadside in St. Helena. We've been there before and it's a favorite spot when we visit over that way. Chis had a burger (which he started eating too quickly and I couldn't get a photo of it) and I had this amazing tuna melt. We shared garlic fries. Their food is amazing! Oh, and I had a glass of wine. ;) Yes, they serve wine at this roadside diner! Hey, it's Napa Valley!

And in all the times we've been over this way we've never stopped and seen Old Faithful. We finally did!

And there on the property of the geyser are a bunch of different goats. We had a lot of fun stopping and visiting with them. How cute are they?!! :)

So that was our day. I hope you enjoyed the photos and your little virtual visit to Napa Valley. :)

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

My Weekend Projects - February

2013-03-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't been working on too many projects for the past month, as I learned to knit and have been working on one project. It's a little slow going. I absolutely LOVE knitting, but I think I will love it more when I learn more. I've finally gotten down how to un-knit or "tink" and how to correct a dropped stitch, but there are times when I've done something that I couldn't begin to tell you what it was, so I'm unable to ask Google or any other website how to fix it when I don't even know what I did. ;) So what do I do? I run to my nearest yarn store, which is 25 minutes away! Not good. When I've gone I've asked if they can please tell me what I did and show me how to fix it, but they always just "do it" and say it's not something that can really be explained. I guess I really mess things up!!

I'm working on the Madelinetosh Honey Cowl pattern, using Madelinetosh Pashmina yarn in the color "Shoreline" . I love this yarn!

Currently I am at a 'mess up' point again and things are at a halt. So here it sits in its current condition, until I get to the yarn store. :(

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Photo a Day - February 2013

2013-03-02T06:05:00.000-08:00

Here's another roundup of the photo a day challenge I participate in. It always blows me away how fast the months go by. I really enjoy challenging myself each day to capture the image for that day's prompt. If you don't already, you really should try it out. It's a lot of fun. I promise! Plus you'll have your very own visual journal. :)

Happy snapping!

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Ham and Bean Soup

2013-02-11T09:30:00.001-08:00

Every time I would visit my grandparents' house they would have a pot of ham and bean soup simmering on the stove. I always associate that aroma with them. My granny taught me how to make this soup many years ago and I still make it just the way she taught me. I'll share her recipe with you here.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 lb dried small white beans (I usually use Great Northern), rinsed
1 leftover ham bone with some meat on it
9 cups of water
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Soak beans overnight, according to package directions.

Drain and rinse beans.

Add oil to a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot on medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions, celery and carrots. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Cook for about one minute.

Add the ham bone and water to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 2 to 2-1/2 hours with the lid not completely over the pot (leave a little opening), until beans are soft and tender.

Once the beans have reached the desired tenderness, remove the ham bone from the pot and place on a large cutting board. Allow to cool slightly and then remove ham from the bone and add the meat back to the pot. Taste soup and add salt and pepper to taste. I always serve my soup with homemade cornbread. :)

Enjoy!

Until next time...

Lady by The Bay

Photo a Day - January 2013

2013-02-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

The first month of the new year is already over! Where does the time go? I enjoyed capturing my photos each day for the photo a day challenge, and am excited to start on the February list now.

If you don't already participate in this photo a day challenge, you should. It's so much fun!

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Hurry Up I Don't Feel Good Chicken Noodle Soup

2013-01-31T15:46:00.001-08:00

For the first time in about 11 days now I am finally feeling like I'm getting over this flu I've had. It has been awful! One of the very best things when you're not feeling well is homemade chicken noodle soup, but it's not really something you feel like making when you're sick. Well, I was desperate to have my homemade soup the other day, so I found the strength to get out of bed and go make it. While I was making it I thought I'd snap a couple pictures to share my quick and delicious recipe with you. I made this soup in under 30 minutes.

If you don't already always have these items on hand, then you should, as they can be useful for any number of recipes.

Ingredients:

2 cups or so of cooked chicken - I always have rotisserie chicken on hand, fresh or picked and frozen. Or when I grill chicken I make extra, slice it and freeze it so I always have it.
1/2 of a large onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
3 carrots, sliced
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
Kosher salt and pepper
1 cup egg noodles or pasta of your choice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

Directions:

In a large, heavy bottomed pot heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat just until the butter is melted. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and some salt. Stir and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat them. Cook for about a minute. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth and stir to incorporate the flour coating with the broth. Add the remaining 6 cups of chicken broth. Add the chicken, egg noodles, poultry seasoning, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Increase heat to high to get the soup just to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium high and continue to cook until the noodles are done, about 7-8 minutes. Add the parsley and stir to combine.

That's it. Now just serve and enjoy and feel better. :)

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

My Weekend Projects (Jan 26/27)

2013-01-28T05:53:00.000-08:00

I spent a lot of time in bed with the flu this weekend, and was able to spend a little more time than usual playing with yarn and thread. :)

My mother-in-law brought me back this gorgeous yarn from her visit to Turkey a couple of months ago, and I've been dying to start making something with it.

I was playing around and started making these little doily/coaster type rounds. At first I thought I may make a couple tea coasters and then as I kept crocheting I was enjoying the beautiful variations of colors that were developing and I just kept going. I'm not sure what I will be doing with these yet, maybe make a blanket or a pillow, but I thought I'd share how pretty they are with you.

I've also been working on this fun embroidery pattern by Pam Garrison. I love being able to choose whatever colors I like and mixing up the stitches. It really is a cheerful and bright pattern. :)

So that's what I've been working on lately. Looking forward to playing some more this coming weekend.

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

My Weekend Projects (Jan 12/13 and 19/20)

2013-01-21T07:15:00.000-08:00

I've had a lot going on lately getting ready for my granddaughter's first birthday party and all, so I didn't get to craft as much as I would have liked to. But over the past two weekends I was able to finish two ongoing projects. Woohoo! Now I can start on a new one. I promised myself I wouldn't until I finished these.

Here are some cute little lion booties I made for a friend's little boy who is due in April. The pattern can be found here. I've also made their little bunny booties before. You can see them here. I love how these turned out. They are so cute!

And I finished my sister's scarf. This is the first time I've knitted and I must say I love it.

I'm in love with this Sashay yarn and went back and bought four more colors when it went on sale to make some more scarves. :) How beautiful are these colors?!

OK. On to my next project.

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Love My Mamiya!

2013-01-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

I was going through some of my photos recently and came across a bunch I shot with my Mamiya C3. I forgot how beautiful the photos from that camera are. There just isn't anything like film. I always grab for my digital camera when I want to take photos and my poor Mamiya just sits there in its bag.

All of these photos are untouched. I can't get over the detail and colors the film produces. I will definitely be grabbing for my Mamiya a lot more.

Mt. Diablo State Park-California
Taken with Kodak Portra 400 film

Pigeon Point Lighthouse-Pescadero, California
Taken with Kodak Portra 400 film

San Francisco, California
Taken with Kodak Portra 400 and Kodak Ektar 100 films

Lake Elizabeth-Fremont, California
First photos with the camera. Didn't keep track of film. :(

Annapolis, Maryland
Taken with Kodak 400TX and Kodak Ektar 100 films

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Regina Brett’s 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on

2013-01-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know how I have never come across this in the past 6 years since it was written, but I just did today. I read it twice. I took in each and every one of the lessons. They really made me start thinking. I don't want to forget them so I thought I'd put something kind of colorful and fun together to print and hang on the corkboard near my desk or to save as my desktop background. So I thought I'd share with you what I made so that you can have it as well to remind yourself of these important life lessons. :)

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

My Weekend Projects (Jan 5/6)

2013-01-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

Armed with Christmas money from loved ones, and the amazing holiday sales/coupons going on last week at Joann's... this happened...

I found so many cute fabrics to play with, and was able to get a great deal on them.

When I saw the pink swirl fur fabric I fell in love. It is so soft and I knew right away that I had to make a blanket out of it. I wanted a cotton fabric on the other side of the blanket, and I found lots of candidates. :) Ultimately I ended up pairing it with the pink chevron fabric.

This was the scene in my office/craft room this weekend.

And this is how the blanket turned out. It's so soft and cozy.

I made it a baby blanket size (40" x 40"). It was so easy. I just put the fabrics right sides together, stitched all four corners at 1/4" stitch, leaving an opening big enough for my hand to fit in so that I could pull the blanket right side out, and then I top stitched all the way around with 1/4" stitch. It took no time at all. I will definitely be making more of these.

Also this weekend I decided I was going to learn to knit once and for all. I have tried a few times in the past and just haven't been able to pick it up for some reason. I'm a crocheter and that's the only yarn craft I know. I always see lots of knitted projects that I love and always wish I could make them.

My sister recently saw a scarf that she really liked and asked if I would be able to make it. When I went out looking for the pattern/yarn for it I learned that it is a knitting pattern. I couldn't find a crochet pattern anywhere for the type of scarf that she wanted. So it was time to learn to knit. I was determined.

I watched several videos on YouTube and finally found one that I actually understood. I finally got it! I was knitting! It was slow going and the yarn I was working with was pretty unusual, but I was able to figure it out. I was so happy.

I worked on the scarf here and there over the weekend and this is how far I've gotten. I love this scarf, it is really pretty and I definitely want to make more of them once I finish this one.

It's made with Red Heart Boutique "Sashay" yarn in the color "Shuffle".

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Photo a Day - December 2012

2013-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe 2012 is over! Time sure has flown. It's been fun though and I've completed another month of the photo a day challenge. I've been participating in this since June and love it. It challenges me to look at things more and think of clever ways to capture photos. I've also met some great people and made some new friends along the way. :)

Here are my December photos.

Happy New Year to all!

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Pink Christmas Coat Ornament

2012-12-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make a special ornament for my granddaughter's first Christmas this year. I made this little pink Christmas coat. I want to make a life-size one now because it's so cute! I saw lots and lots of different little coat/dress ornaments on Pinterest and such. I don't have a pattern, but I drew inspiration from all of those lovely pins on Pinterest.

I just freehand drew the outline of the coat and then cut out a collar and pockets. I'm sorry I don't have a pattern, but if it helps I've included the little cutout drawing I did. :) I have lots of buttons, so I just picked a few that looked cute on the coat. You could totally do french knots with ribbon or yarn, or anything like that. All embroidery was done with two strands. Blanket stitch was used for the outline of the coat, center of coat, pockets, and collar. Backstitch was used (in red) on the collar and pockets. I just made a little sort of star/snowflake on the pockets by making a plus sign and then an X over that. Real technical, I know. ;) When I was all done, right before I finished all the outer stitching, I stuffed a little poly-fil in there.

I saw some that had little mittens hanging from the arms of the coat. That would be really cute, especially little knitted or crocheted ones to add another texture. I thought a little scarf would be cute too, but, of course, didn't make one. And finally I saw some ornaments that hung on little hangers. I actually purchased the wire to make a little hanger and by the time I remembered I had already stitched the neck closed. Next time.

Materials used:
Pink felt
Embroidery needle
DMC floss (pink) 3713
DMC floss (red) 817
Miscellaneous buttons
Poly-fil

I embroidered her name and the year on the back with one strand of each color.

Here are some closeups.

And finally, here is my little cutout drawing.

Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you have the most wonderful Christmas and a very blessed New Year!

Until next time...

Lady by the Bay

Christmas Time

2012-12-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This is absolutely my favorite time of year. One of my favorite things to do is decorate my house. I love pulling out all of the ornaments and decorations and remembering each one from years past, it just warms me inside.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with joy, love, and laughter!

Lady by the Bay