Recipe Review: Taro Sponge Cake

While browsing the internet a few weeks ago, I ran across this delicious-looking recipe from Eupho Cafe. I had just bought a large taro from the supermarket with the intent of braising it with some duck or chicken, but this recipe completely eclipsed any savoury aspirations I had.

Around the Yard 2012, Part 2

Took some more pictures of the front and back gardens recently. My clematis is blooming and I've already had to trim down the ever-expanding burning bush next to it.

My columbine are providing a bit of spring colour with their alien-like flowers...

Spring Planting with the Kids, Part 3

I am your typical Canadian girl who throws her normal responsibilities and duties aside to enjoy the great outdoors as soon as warm weather arrives. So while I've been taking pictures and dreaming up blog posts, I have spent zero time actually writing them. But the backlog is growing and I need to get back into the swing of things...

The plants are out in the garden - I ended up not hardening them off and opted to place them directly into the soil. I broke each eggshell gently before I planted them so that the little roots would have an easier time getting into the garden soil.

It's been about a week and a half that the little seedlings have been out there and they seem to be doing okay. Luckily, the weather has been cooperative and there have only been a few days of extreme heat. Unfortunately, I have another vegetable garden enemy and it's a family of resident rabbits.

Spring Planting with the Kids, Part 2

The seeds the kids and I planted are sprouting (not all of them, which was to be expected) and I'm starting to think about hardening them off for transplantation. Although it's been getting so warm so suddenly that I wonder if I could just plop them into the garden and see what happens.

Something for Me

It's been more than a year since I've made anything for myself. Partly, I've been busy with the kids and other projects so making clothes for myself did not seem a necessity. And partly because of this:

My poorly organized and throw-the-junk-I-don't-have-time-to-think-about "craft" room. It's not the largest space and I have yet to get proper storage and worktables. And as you can see I do most of my work on the ground.

Ask any sewer and I'm sure they'll tell you that sewing is fun but tracing and cutting patterns can be tedious. Tracing and cutting small child-sized patterns while stooped over the hardwood floor is even more tedious. And tracing and cutting humungous me-sized patterns while stooped over the hardwood floor is the most tedious of all.

I've actually wanted to make this DKNY dress ever since scooping the pattern at a Fabricland $1 clearance sale and buying some super cheap stretch knit material. The sole reason that I have not made it is that I have been avoiding cutting the pieces.

However, here I am post-third baby and body is just not what it used to be. My old summer dresses are either too small or too short (i.e. if one of the children decides that they want to hide beneath mommy's skirt then everyone gets a glimpse of what's underneath!) I'll probably make myself another infinity dress (see here and here) sometime, but I wanted to try something different this time - something more conventionally designed.

After a few weeks of sporadic sewing, drawing and re-drawing pattern marks with a fadeaway marker (they faded away!) and remembering that I owned a walking foot more than halfway through sewing the dress, it's done...

Yes, I cut my head out of the picture because I had the camera in front of my face anyway.

Just in time for the warmer weather and perfect for an afternoon wedding ceremony we're attending this weekend.

It's a super comfy dress and I'll likely make it again with some modifications. Maybe different fabrics on the bodice and skirt? Maybe a different waist band colour? Maybe without the tie? Or perhaps sleeveless instead of the small cap-like sleeves? I dunno. I just know that there will probably be a lot of procrastination involved.