this portland girl

Green Lentil Soup

2012-08-01T15:52:00.002-07:00

I planted so many onions I had to make this soup off season, my favorite soup I make it all winter long.

Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 C. Green Lentils
5 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Onions Finely Chopped
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. turmeric
2 1/2 C. Water
2 1/2 C. Vegetable Stock
Salt & Pepper
**1/4 C. Chopped Celery

Put lentils in a pan & cover with cold water. Boil for 10 min. Drain.
Heat 2 Tblsp. oil and fry the onions, garlic, cumin, turmeric & **celery for 3 min.
Add the lentils, stock & water.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
Cover and simmer for 30 min.
Use a potato masher to lightly mash the lentils (makes the soup slightly pulpy)

**I add celery, I think it adds a little something to the soup. I also quadruple the amount of garlic, cumin and turmeric. Try it first the way of the original recipe and then add more seasoning to your liking.

it's been a while...

2011-08-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

So I have had (as all of us do) so much going on that I have not made time for this blog. I have a friend who it turning 2. What would be more fun that a superhero cape? At least I thought so... we will see. For now I had the neighbor girl trying it out. She seemed to have fun.

It'll be a year...

2011-05-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

Since grandma O' passed away.

I have had bits & pieces of my grandmothers sewing notions for years. Always wondering what to do with them, never wanting to throw them out. I recently came across a blog in which I gleaned some inspiration. Pam Garrison @ pamgarrison.typepad.com has some beautiful samplers that she calls stitched bits. I made one for my mom & one for my aunt as this was their first mothers day without their mom, my grandmother. Being Memorial Day weekend I thought this was a fitting blog post to wrap up the month.

She saved all kinds of things. Buttons, edgings, safety pins...

Tatting made by one of my great great aunts,

Military button from my grandfathers WWII uniform,

So i put them together in a Pam Garrison inspired stitched collage.

I stiched on a photo of her, the definition of love from a dictionary grandma gave me & embroidered her initials, E.J.O. Elizabeth Jane O'hearn. Miss you grandma.

Love J

making rain

2011-05-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

It's another beautiful day in Portland & what do i do? i make some rain. i've been having fun with paint chips.

& you can't have rain & sun together with out a rainbow...

paint chips, paper punches (borrowed from my wonderful neighbor Karen), & a sewing machine, add a jump ring & you have the beginnings of some great mobiles.

Rainbow Party

2011-05-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Another completed project to share with you, my niece mae turned 7. She requested a Rainbow birthday party. So, my sister-in-law Heather made an amazing cake...

and I made her a Rainbow Tote.

I'll be back later with some photos of the bag in action.

UPDATE 6.6.11

i received a photo of the proud recipient using the tote for her last few weeks as a 1st grader.

Knitting Lessons

2011-05-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to learn how to knit? Do you know how to knit but are tired of knitting scarves?

.
You could learn how to make this adorable rib knit beanie & learn how to use double pointed needles in the process.

I'll bring my basket & we can have a mini knitting bee, drink some coffee, learn something new.

Learn how to knit & purl, $25

Know how to knit & purl, $35 per project.

Have a friend who wants to learn too?

Split the cost, just $10 more per person (Limit 3 people)

Must have your own needles & yarn.

Email me @ thisportlandgirl@hotmail.com

The Perfect Imperfection.

2011-04-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

Well it's here. The long awaited website launch from West of Perigo. Patty O of Perigo Patty & West of Perigo has tons of beautiful jewelry to choose from. Head over to WestofPerigo.com. Check out all of the silver & stones.

Don't miss the necklaces & earrings made from paper beads made by women in Uganda.

A portion of the sales from the jewelry made with these beads will go back to Outreach Uganda.

"Like" West of Perigo @ Facebook if you like what you see, "Metals, fibers, and nature come together for the perfect imperfection."

Don't miss the giveaway, go to WestOfPerigo.com click on blog & look for the giveaway. June 1st giveaway is an African Sling Bag made on a treadle sewing machine by women in Uganda.

fill out the contact us form at the website to enter & have a chance to win yourself a beautiful bag.

1 down & 5 to go

2011-04-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

well, it was another glorious day in portland but this portland girl stayed in...

so, that's one quilt down & 5 to go. keep your fingers crossed! until next time.

j

sun!

2011-04-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

Not much crafting was completed today due to the nature of the weather...

babies, babies everywhere!

2011-04-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

including the quilt for daniel jacob, i now have 6 baby quilts to complete in the next week or so. . . i have knocked off 2 items from my list, i finished mending 2 pairs of pants for my dad last night, and i finished the birthday present for irish jack. i'm making progress. i found this quilt tutorial @ the Moda Bake Shop by V and Co. i'm going to make 5 of them as there are 5 babies on their way (or already here.) so the first one will be made out of the following materials...

personally i think it's going to turn out tremendously adorable! i'll get some photos posted of this quilt completed & in action. thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day. i know i will as it's not raining here in portland.

sew birthday

2011-04-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

my nephew, irish jack, turned 3. i made him a book bag for his trips to the library. his favorite color...

Orange!

my niece reese london recently turned 4 & i made a library book bag for her too...

and here are both bags in action with their proud new owners...

aren't the 4 of them adorable?? more bags to come as i have another niece mae jewell & another nephew rome alexander that have birthdays still to come....

stay tuned.

creative juices

2011-04-16T00:41:00.000-07:00

my crafting in the past two years has come to a screeching halt mainly due to the critter pictured below. while pregnant i was too tired to do anything other than sleep. since his birth 1 march 2011 mr. walker james has needed my full undivided attention, and rightly so. many a morning in the past year i have woken to this face...

i love him with all my heart. i really do. but now that his reliance on me is waning i find that i may have time to get those creative juices flowing. binding the owl quilt is numero uno on my list. ~~a present for irish jack (turning three)~~, a birthday present for mae jewell (turning seven), a birthday present for rome alexander (turning six), something for Perigo Patty for the handmade challenge, something for KBrew for the handmade challenge, something for JA for the handmade challenge, a quilt for M (who has been waiting the longest & with the most patience), 4 3 quilts for 4 3 co-workers, a re-usable garbage bag for my car, a quilt for mr. bean, ~~2 pairs of pants in need of some fixing for dad,~~ the pile of unfinished projects in my sewing room, need an idea for the recycled wood flooring brian brought home, i could keep listing things but i think i have enough things that i could be completing for now. right? yeah. now bind that quilt!

Pysanka

2011-04-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

today i'll share a craft that has always interested me but i have no room or time to learn. the quilt i shared with you in an earlier post is still not bound & there is a long list of other projects that need to be completed before i can pick up another one, let alone an entirely new craft. Pysanka are Ukrainian Easter Eggs decorated with beeswax. the examples that i'm sharing with you were made by my mother-in-law in 1980.

they are incredibly delicate & beautiful.

enjoy.

double digits

2011-04-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

my baby dylan entered the double digits today...

Happy Birthday, love you bubba.

put a bird on it...

2011-04-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

yes this portland girl has been known to put a bird on it.

but this project has been 3 years in the making & needs to be completed. all i need to do is bind it... anyway, it's a quilt for daniel jacob. hope he's not too old for it by the time i get it to him.