Quilt Mania

Dear bloggers,

I just finished my first semester of college. I got completely sucked into studying like crazy for finals that when they were over, I almost didn't know what to do. I found myself in my own bed at home with an entire MONTH of nothing stretching in front of me... a dream, right? Here's what I plan to tackle:

1. Starting a tree quilt
2. Knitting hexagon puffs for an AWESOME quilt that will take a while
3. Making croissants (my dad thinks I am crazy for this one.)
4. Making chicken salad
5. Hosting a luncheon where I invited a local author to come and talk to some girl friends
6. Finish mom's scarf for Christmas

Of course, the usual running and reading the Bible will be my everyday things, but I am SO excited to have some projects ahead of me! I will photographically document my progress.

Chewy Granola Bars

After reading this recipe on Cook Bake Nibble, I decided to make my own granola bars! Now, I have done this several times and used different things every time. But, here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of oats
1 cup of Plain Cheerios
.5 cup shredded coconut
a handful of chocolate chips
a handful of raisins
.5 cup of walnuts
.5 cup of peanut butter
3 Tbsp of clover honey
A few shakes of salt
A few shakes of cinnamon
Dash of Vanilla

1. Melt the peanut butter and honey, stir continously over medium heat until you have a nice, smooth texture.
2. Add cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
3. Mix other ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Add melted mixture.
5. "Knead" it all together with your hands.
6. Flatten it in a 8x5-ish pan
7. Bake for 7-8 minutes at 350 degrees.
8. Let cool, cut with a pizza cutter.

Voila! Homemade Granola! I have used tons of different combinations, but the peanut butter in this is divine.

Music Plan

In 2009, I received an absolutely gorgeous cello for Christmas from my family. It was glossy, beautiful, and my most beloved possession. As my schedule began to fill up and my family's financial state went down, I stopped taking lessons after about six months. Now that I am financially on my own, I want to prioritize learning to play to cello in the future. However, I do not trust myself yet to have the habits to consistently practice. Enter: Brilliant Plan Number One.

I went to Books-a-Million and bought a book called: Easy Adult Beginner Piano Course.


I took piano for several years (1st-4th grade on and off). I can no longer really remember the theory-- just some concert pieces. But, I understand the piano. I don't need a physical teacher. So, starting December 9th, I am going to try to stick with the piano for one year. If I practice at least four times a week for one year for an average of one hour, I will trust myself to stay committed to the cello and find a teacher to pay for lessons.

Sound good? I think so.

Introduction

Hey everyone! I'm posting about things that I particularly like: fashion, bread, crafts, recipes, anything! But what will always remain the same is that I love carbs. LOVE carbs. I'm a college student just trying to figure out the trick behind some of the more timeless trades. Right now I can:

1. Knit a scarf (with purling!)
2. Sew a few stitches
3. Do some primitive hand embroidery
4. Run 8 miles continuously
5. Bake Peter Reinhart's 100% Whole Grain Bread semi-consistently
6. Make the best chocolate chip cookies you've ever tasted
7. Play the scale on the cello
8. Quote about ten Bible verses verbatim


What I hope to be able to do is a lot longer. Gardening, knitting a sweater, writing a book, making an even better tasting bread, completing a marathon, sewing dresses, playing mid-difficulty songs on Bartok... these are the things I dream of doing! I plan to document progress, introduce you to my teachers, and walk you through the steps to accomplishing these goals.