Finished and New Projects and a Culinary Adventure...

We had a full weekend! I was able to finish one project for Lucy and begin another. And we embarked on a culinary adventure and were pleasantly surprised at the results. :)

Lucy's Afghan

I crocheted two different colored yarns together - pink and white. The result is a thick, beautiful blanket! I am so pleased with it!

It is a little wider than it is long, but it is pretty much in the shape of a square :)

I made up the pattern, but stole some stitches from the instructions I used to make Anna's afghan. I love the bumps.

I also started a new project: Lucy's Quilt. Thanks to a Joann 40% off coupon, it was super easy for me to cut these fabrics! I purchased a rotary cutter, mat and guide! So excited! These are tools that I will use in years to come, they make me so excited to sew!

In fact, it was so easy that I was able to cut all the fabric and sew all the squares - in one afternoon! Here they are:

Not quite finished yet, but you can see the shapes of the squares (which are actually rectangles in this pattern). I am using a patten from Amy Butler's book Little Stitches for Little Ones. This is the Crib/Play Time Quilt. (The picture is a little yellow - sorry - it was taken at night....)

I really enjoyed spending my Sunday afternoon working on the quilt - it was so relaxing! I can't wait to finish the quilt top. I need to find a fabric for the back still - thinking about something with a bit more grey in it - we will see if I can find in real-life what I am picturing in my head. :)

Last weekend, we also went to a Sushi restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was super fun! Brad had only had end-of-the-day "grocery store" sushi, so he wasn't so sure about trying it again. So, the two Kidders - who love food - jumped into the culinary world of sushi not quite sure what to expect... It is love. We really enjoyed the food - I couldn't believe that I enjoyed items that had the word "spicy" in their description! Brad's favorite was the "Uncle Bob," made with crab, avocado, cucumber, spicy mayo and tempura flakes. I enjoyed it too - although I really like the simple California Roll. We also got an Avocado Roll which was a favorite among all at the table. Now that we understand how to order sushi (it can be a bit confusing if you have never ordered it before), know of a great restaurant and know that we enjoy the food - I think we will be eating Japanese food more often. :)

* Do not worry - I stayed away from raw fish and tuna :) I was careful. Wouldn't want anything to happen to my Lucy. :)

This afternoon, we are expecting Amy (Brad's sister) and Kaleigh (a MI friend) to come into town for a visit! They will be here through Sunday morning. Since I do not have Spring Break anymore I had forgotten all about it - but it is that time of year - and I love that it frees students like Amy and Kaleigh up to come see us! The only thing we have planned for their stay, so far, is a movie night on Friday night. We are going to have some friends over and watch "Up in the Air."

It is rainy in Chicago today. I love that all the rain is washing away the snow - but remembered why I loved the snow in the first place: It covers up all the trash that gets blown about. Oh well.... I will gladly see a bit more litter if it means I do not need to wear a coat! Plus it is kind of fun picking it up and seeing the results afterward: a clean yard. :)

Spring is coming!