Let the next chapter begin

I do believe the time has come, a little bittersweet - but mostly exciting, to move on.
It is time to leave The Little Green Cottage.
This last weekend we began house hunting in earnest. It is thrilling and nerve wracking both.  And every time I think about packing I get a little queasy.

So much life has been lived in this tiny house. So many milestones passed, all the laughter and tears and funny old business that has taken place in this house that we have loved, oh my.

The day we moved in, the Engineer proposed. We got married in the backyard (right where the chicken coop is now). We brought our daughter home to this house. We have cooked, danced, sung, paced, planned, hugged and hung on to each other in this house.

We have planted 10 years of gardens. Cooked thousands of family dinners. Canned hundreds of jars of jam. Changed the curtains 831 times. Moved the furniture around 562 times. Made the bed 3,450.12 times. There have been washing machine breakdowns, a  near electrocution (of the engineer whilst trying to wire a new light), a small stove top fire and some other trials and tribulations. Still, this house has truly been a home.

We have sanded, scraped, painted and remodeled and made this house our happy place. We have seen the neighborhood change and change again. We have made true friends of our neighbors. This house has been good to us. We have simply outgrown our tiny cottage and it is time to move on...

...and write the next chapter of our lives.

She's About a Mover

This week is all about trying to recover from a nasty cold which has set me back and far behind, having a little panic over some very tight deadlines, and parenting a sweet girl going through some growing pains. I really am in the thick of it.

I hope that your week is full of happy things and I will see you on the flip side!

WIP Wednesday

My Work In Progress.  A little glimpse at what has been keeping me up at night. Drafting a pattern I hope will be for sale this Fall. This is the first muslin (or fabric draft) I was working with, making adjustments and notes for pattern changes. It is a process of trial and error, small set backs and successes and evolution. Look at that dappled sunlight on my work surface, so pretty.

What have you been working on?

edited for clarification:
"Muslin" is a cotton fabric, but it is also a term that refers to a draft garment. You can make a muslin out of muslin, but you can also use whatever fabric you have on hand. I used some old cotton quilting fabric that was given to me.

All about a sandwich

Yes, that's right. This post is all about a sandwich; and why not? My blog title is "Lola Nova - Whatever Lola Wants" and right now Lola wants a sandwich. This sandwich! Are you thinking to yourself, 'Is she really doing an entire post all about a sandwich, really?' Oh yes I am indeed. It is my new favorite lunch and lunches can be tricky for me, so I get a little worked up when I come up with something good. And this is good.

It goes like this:
Get yourself some farmer's cheese, the spreadable kind. The type I can find locally looks like this...

If you can't find any, you can substitute Neufchatel or Cream Cheese. Then you want to add fresh herbs and... well here, I'll just give you the recipe.

Herb Cheese Spread Recipe
8 oz. Spreadable Farmer's Cheese
2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian Parsely
1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Basil
1 small garlic clove minced
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Lasts in the fridge for a week.

 Now build the sandwich:
A couple of slices of whole grain bread toasted. (If you are really ambitious and want to bake your own THIS RECIPE is one of my go-to breads. It is very adaptable and tasty.)
Spread a layer of the Herb Cheese Spread on the toasted bread.
Add some thick slices of tomato and avocado. Throw on some sprouts and fresh spinach and voila! Everything a lunch should be, good and good for you.

"Too few people understand a really good sandwich."  James Beard

Oh, and Happy Monday!

A Wordless Wednesday Sneaky Peek

Grab Bag Monday

Oh hello!

Last week we had the most delicious weather! It was very tempting to stay in that sunny spot from my last post and not move an inch. However, my lollygagging ways are over. I am almost back to my abnormal self and there is so much to catch up on, so many things to do! Still trying to get my blogging legs back so forgive if I'm a little rusty. This weekend I started the ball rolling and got to a bit of to-doing.

I had a flash of an idea for making, then upon inspection I realized I'm pants at buying solids and my stash was pretty bare. So you see, I absolutely had to make a trip to my favorite local fabric shop and pick up a few cheery bits.

Then I spied these little darlings and somehow they came home with me, practically leapt into my bag I tell you!
I am hoping my making mojo comes back soon, my trusty sewing machine is gathering dust and looking woefully neglected.

On getting back to routine and feeling lots better, I decided a tiny celebration was in order. So I baked a cake. Not one of them fancy pants layered with impeccable frosting and picture perfect cakes, nope. Rather, one of them everyday cakes that make the house smell divine and one is hard pressed to let it cool before grabbing a slice and gobbling it up while standing over the kitchen sink.

I used This Recipe for an apple cake and it is very, very tasty!

Well my dears, as I said - much to do and I am to it!  Happy Monday!

The one where Wordless Wednesday turned into Wordless Friday for obvious reasons... I was busy doing this

Hearing voices

"If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” 
- Vincent Van Gogh

I'm gonna try and silence that voice.