Bag for Brady

Yesterday my cousin Amy gave birth to this beautiful boy:

Meet Brady Wells!

He cried when I held him.  He'll just have to learn how much I love him!

Brady's room is a cowboy theme, so I made this bag for him:

I used the same instructions I used to make the sweater purse.  I changed the dimensions and left out the interfacing and batting.

I'm so happy that little Brady is finally here!

Happy Halloween!

There's a touch of Halloween spirit around our house:

Have a good Halloween weekend!

Meet Marla (Followers Fest)

Hi.

I'm Marla.

I'm married to Colin.

 He's my best friend.

We have a dog.

Her name is Ruby.

She's the best.

I've been incredibly blessed to travel the world.

I travel with a camera in my hand.

 

To make videos like these for work.

And I make videos for fun.

And I make videos for others.

And I craft.

Which is mostly what this blog is about:

crafting, sewing, cooking, and living.

So, if you're new to the blog, it's nice to meet you!

Now, tell me about yourself!

<3 Marla

Braided Bun

I first saw this tutorial on Pinterest and had to try it out!

source

Here's my interpretation:

I love a great bun and a great braid, and here the two forces combined!

Go check out the easy step by step instructions!

Baked: Pork Loin & Beans

I got some pork loin on sale at the grocery store and marinated them in a raspberry chipotle sauce.  Then I topped them with some salt and pepper and baked those babies.

I also made some delicious baked beans.  I started with a can of Bush's Grillin' Beans in the Bourbon and Brown Sugar flavor.  Then I added some ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar and let those bake up.

This meal was a winner!

I'm such a good wife ;)

Note: Those are TGI Friday's green bean fries that I got in the frozen section at the grocery store.  I know I wasn't supposed to have them because they contain wheat and soy, but I've missed eating them at the restaurant.  So I gave it a try.  And they made me sick.  So I guess that's goodbye to the green bean fries :(

What have you been cooking for dinner since the weather turned cool?

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival

This past weekend I was at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.  I look forward to going every year.  You get to see documentaries from around the world and even meet some of the filmmakers.  This is a great festival!

The Festival headquarters is at the historic Malco movie theater.  Here are a few iPhone shots:

For the first time since I've been coming, they even screened films at the Central theater a block down from the Malco.

My favorite documentary was Big in Bollywood.  I went to India in 2008, so it was especially fun to watch.  But Colin hasn't been to India and loved it just as much as I did.  This movie is funny, funny, funny!  It also gives you a peek into the life of a struggling actor and let's you see how movie stars are idolized in India.

Another favorite was Boys of Bonneville.  Even if you don't like racing, this movie has great heart.  I might have teared up a bit.


If you live in Arkansas or in the mid-south or even far away-- this festival is worth visiting!

Giveaway: Free iPad 2

Want an iPad 2?

Want to win a free one?

Go on over to Community Source to enter.

The sweepstakes is open for one more week, so hurry!

Pumpkin: Latte, Pancake Drizzle & Bread

When I was little, I loved the pumpkin pies my mom made at Thanksgiving.  Then one day the taste of pumpkin pie made me gag.  And I was sad.  But now the love is back!  And I might be going a little overboard with how much pumpkin I'm consuming!  Good news-- all three of these treats can be made from one can of pumpkin!  You don't have to be worried about wasting left over pumpkin...just make all three treats within a couple days of each other!

Pumpkin Latte

I bought some super strong coffee in Brazil and knew it would be perfect for a pumpkin latte!

I love getting pumpkin lattes at coffee shops, but I do not love the price or calorie guilt that comes with them!

But now I can make them at home and control the calorie intake!  Find the recipe here!

Pancakes with Pumpkin Drizzle

It's been several months since I've had pancakes, but thanks to Bob's Red Mill gluten free pancake mix, my Saturday love is back!  Colin makes pretty good pancakes, and Bob's doesn't disappoint!

Bob's had a recipe for a cinnamon sugar drizzle, and I just took it to the next level.

You won't need any syrup with this magic concoction!

Recipe:
1/2 cup butter/margarine
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
cinnamon
1/4 cup pumpkin
stir, stir, stir

Now I'm drooling...

Pumpkin Bread

I've also been missing bread since going gluten free.  But now I can have it and have it sweet thanks to Pamela's gluten free baking mix!

Find the recipe here.

If you're not gluten free, you can maybe substitute the mix for regular flour?  I'm not really sure.

I made a second loaf for dinner at a friend's house.  I changed the drizzle on top to this: 1/2 stick butter, cup of powdered sugar, drizzle of vanilla, sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg.  I put it on after it came out of the oven, and the drizzle soaked into the loaf and made it heavenly.  Ahhhh.  Sorry I don't have a picture of that loaf.  It was eaten in a flash!  And the friends didn't care that it was gluten free, because it tasted amazing!

What pumpkin treats do you like to make?