Sew Liberated

festive fog

Peeking my head out from the fog for a moment to say hello, Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas ... may your holidays be full of family and joy!

Why fog, you ask? See that cup of strong black tea there? I've was working the night (and day) shifts around here for a few days as Finn had his first illness. Sweet boy had to be held just so, by Mama only, all night long, in order to keep his little lungs cough-free. I've never been so tired in my life, yet so in love. I feel like I've been baptized in the pure waters of Motherhood - those late night comfortings really bring out the best in mamas. Patience? I wasn't aware that I had it in me for several nights in a row, but yes ... it is there, only for this little boy who I love so dearly.

He is much better now, but cutting two teeth - his front teeth. Theme song, anyone? "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth?" Superb timing! I'm sure I'll have a toothy grin to post before the New Year!

Mima visited, hats were knitted, gifts were made, cookies were baked, tamales were prepared, lasagnas assembled, chocolate raspberry truffle cake whipped up, and the grocery store was tackled. All of this was accomplished with the help of a very loving husband, and many cups of the aforementioned VERY black tea.

My in-laws and Patrick's younger siblings arrive today. The guest beds are made, the meal plan written, and the fingers are crossed as I prepare to host my first ever Christmas. Nine people for five days, almost all meals here. Most of the meals are already in the freezer, and if all else fails, there's enough cheese and crackers in this house to feed a small town.

Also, be sure to catch the following blog tour interviews (and thank you to all the lovely women with whom I had the pleasure of chatting!) ::

:: about fabric on True Up

:: about aprons on Apronicity

:: about time management, Nature, and green crafting at Living Life as Art

:: about everything on the CraftSanity podcast

:: Tomorrow at maya*made about motherhood and balance (Check out Maya's beautiful bird blossom blouse!)

Now get thee to merry making!

xo,

Meg

baby bubble pants

Hey Finn, what do you think of your pants?

Squeeee! (Translation: I like them a lot, Mama ... thanks!)

Leave it to me to decide on a whim that I needed to make pants for Finn right now, in between a blog tour, family visiting, Patrick's paper writing, and my second book writing. Really, truly, the boy couldn't wait.

You see, he has a rather large bum due to his cloth diapers. And those of you who have had babies in cloth diapers know that store bought pants are NOT made to cover a cloth diapered bum! No siree ... poor little dude was constricted in his movements in store bought pants, even knit pants. Oh! Did I not mention that I have a crawling baby now? Oh yes, I sure do ... he's been at it for a few weeks now. The cats are exhausted, and he is ecstatic.

So, the pants. They are cozy, comfy, warm, reversible, quick and easy to sew, and are designed to grow with Finn (The cuffs can be unrolled as the baby grows and the elastic can be let out.) I made four pairs with organic cotton fleece lining and Japanese print exteriors. Two of the pairs are made from cotton interlock knits - these are lighter weight pants. They're pretty versatile - they can be made with wovens or knits and the fact that they're fully lined means that there are no uncomfortable seams next to baby's skin.

Want the really good news? The pattern will be in my second book! See, I was really getting work done while clothing my son. Baddabing, baddaboom ... yay! Now to tackle the Christmas cookies with my Mom, cookie baker extraordinaire.

and the last stop of the tour will be hosted by ...

... Chelsea, comment #13! I can't wait for the interview! Thanks to all for entering.

P.S. Handmade baby pants galore coming later today!

sponsor feature and discount :: mamma 4 earth

A bit of a holiday discount for your last minute gift shopping ... Mamma4Earth is a charming Etsy store run by Linda. Read on to learn about Mamma4Earth's lovely collection of knitted toys! Also, Linda is offering a 7.5% discount to Sew Liberated readers. If you would like to purchase a toy, send Linda a conversation via Etsy and she will make a custom listing for you reflecting the discount. Without further ado, here's Linda:

My mom taught me to knit when I was five years old and I have always loved knitting since then. It was years later when I had my four children, that I realized I wanted to knit and make their toys for them from natural materials. I decided to start knitting toys from beautiful natural wool and yarn. This is how my shop, Mamma4earth, came into being. I love creating natural and eco friendly toys for children from pure wool and other wonderful natural fibers that are sustainable and will not clog up a land fill one day.

Depending on the toy, I will either spin and dye the yarn myself or I will knit it up from the softest Merino or Alpaca, or Camel Silk etc.. All my knitted treasures are filled with pure Merino fleece, making them incredibly soft and warm to the touch when held. In my shop at Mamma4earth, you will find the most delightful Waldorf-inspired handknitted treasures, farm animals, toys and gnomes. I also love to work on custom orders for customers and I have started to introduce organic hand knitted toys to my shop as well.

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Thank you, Linda! Do visit Linda's blog when you have a moment - it's chock full of inspiration!

blog tour in search of groupies

I'm taking this show on the road without having to change out of my pajamas - care to join me? Interweave Press has organized a fabulous blog tour to launch Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist! What's more, I won't be alone on this journey - I'm so excited to be touring with the super-awesome and amazingly talented Rashida Coleman-Hale, author of I Love Patchwork. The press release is below - read on to find out how you can win a copy of my book and host the final tour stop on your blog!

The Sew Liberated and I Love Patchwork Double-the-Fun Blog Tour:  2 Fabulous Sewing Authors, 2 New Books, 2 Weeks ‘til Christmas!

Interweave is thrilled to announce the publication of two new contemporary sewing books: Rashida Coleman-Hale’s I LOVE PATCHWORK: 21 IRRESISTABLE ZAKKA PROJECTS TO SEW and Meg McElwee’s SEW LIBERATED: 20 STYLISH PROJECTS FOR THE MODERN SEWIST. To celebrate in style, Meg and Rashida are hitting the Internet highway on a double-author blog tour. Follow the schedule and see gorgeous pictures from their books, learn more about their design personalities, gain a chance to win free copies, and more!  During the tour they’ll also be giving us a glimpse of their home studios and creative environment on the Studios blog, and at the end they’ll wrap it up with a designer-to-designer conversation with each other on their personal blogs, http://www.sewliberated.typepad.com and http://www.iheartlinen.typepad.com. If you’re not already following their blogs, bookmark them now and visit often. We can’t wait for you to get to know them better.

Want to be a part of the tour? Here’s a fun giveaway open to all bloggers! Leave a comment ON THIS POST with your blog address on Rashida’s blog or Meg’s blog on Friday, Dec.11.  On Monday, Dec. 14 at Noon EST each author will randomly draw one person from the comments to receive a complimentary copy of their book, which Interweave will air mail out. The winners will then have the opportunity to interview Rashida or Meg and post their interviews on January 4, 2010 as the capstone post of the tour.

 

Follow The Sew Liberated and I Love Patchwork Double-the-Fun Blog Tour at:

 

Friday, Dec. 11:                 Meg on TrueUp.net (interview)

Saturday, Dec. 12:            Rashida on “In the Studio with Cate” (studio tour)

Sunday, Dec. 13:               Meg on “In the Studio with Cate” (studio tour)

Monday, Dec. 14:             Rashida on TrueUp.net (interview)

Tuesday, Dec. 15:             Meg on Apron-iCity.com (interview)

Wednesday, Dec. 16:     Rashida on Fabric Shop Network blog (interview)

Thursday, Dec. 17:           Meg on Grosgrain Fabulous (book review and giveaway)

Friday, Dec. 18:                 Rashida Twitter event – Noon EST on Twitter with @iheartlinen

Friday, Dec. 18                   Meg on Living Life as Art (interview, review, and project)

Saturday, Dec. 19:           Meg on CraftyPod.com  (book review)

Sunday, Dec. 20:               Rashida on Zakka Life (book review)

Monday, Dec. 21:            Meg on Craftsanity (podcast interview)

Monday, Dec. 21:             Rashida on Craft Critique (interview and book review)

Tuesday, Dec. 22:             Rashida on all buttoned up (interview)

Wednesday, Dec. 23:     Meg on maya*made (interview)

Thursday, Dec. 24:          Designer-to-Designer: Rashida and Meg interview each other on

http://www.sewliberated.typepad.com and

http://www.iheartlinen.typepad.com

Monday, Jan. 4, 2010:    Blog Tour Winners’ Posts - to be announced

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That's all for today! My Mom (Finn's Mima) and my Aunt Pat arrive this evening to kick off a week of merry making, cookie baking, Christmas music listening, and last minute gift knitting and sewing! Throughout the blog tour I'll still be posting here regularly. Now? I had this crazy urge, in the midst of the book launch, to make a whole slew of pants for Finn.  My serger is still reeling. More on that on Monday. Here's wishing you a jolly weekend!

sew liberated :: 20 stylish projects for the modern sewist

After nearly two years of work, from the nights I spent in my adobe room in Mexico, wide awake with ideas for projects, to this past summer spent working on final edits while nursing a newborn, my book, Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist, is finally out in the world!

My shop (signed copies available immediately, ship Priority Mail)

Amazon (will start shipping next week, most likely)

Interweave Press (ships immediately)

Your local independent bookstore

Signing copies while drinking egg nog - the "kids" variety, don't worry - your autographs should be legible!

What a mix of emotions. Excited and incredulous, relieved and anxious. So much of my time, mental energy, and creative expression is wrapped up in those pages. This project challenged me in so many ways, stretching my sewing skills and my capabilities as a designer. I remember being 7 months pregnant, on the floor, on my hands and knees, laying out the Silken Circles Lap Quilt. The whole book, for me, represents my passage from young adulthood to motherhood. The last late nights unbroken by quiet nursing sessions (for a while, at least). The last single-minded, uninterrupted periods of intense work, the likes of which have not been seen around here since Finn was born. Baby cheeks beckon to be kissed, baby arms reach up to be held, and baby squeals of delight now bring about constant, and welcome, interruptions in my work day. 

A festive congratulatory bouquet from my Mom and Dad

Mostly, I feel so much gratitude for you, my readers and friends, who have made this all possible! Thank you for your encouragement, your wit, your support, and for being here. I thought of you all while designing, sewing, and writing. In some ways, I feel like this book is a gift to you, twenty patterns for the price of less than two, and I hope that it provides you with many days of gratifying creative time with your sewing machine!

Stay tuned for details of the blog tour celebrating the release of Sew Liberated.

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Any orders for signed books from my store will ship within two business days via USPS priority mail - plenty of time for holiday gifting & making! If you've already ordered your book, it shipped out today.

P.S. Remember that Holiday Traditions Exchange packages need to be mailed by tomorrow!

dancing break

I turn my back on my boys for two minutes and this is what happens. Because when you're writing a paper about revolution in the Caribbean, you need a dance break around page 24 to maintain your sanity. Just to prove that we have a super bad case of the sillies around here ...

it's that time of year

Finn and I are both shocked that there is actually a tree in the house. Finn is simply surprised that there is a tree in the house. I'm surprised that we found the window of opportunity to go get the tree and bring it inside. For us, that window appeared on Thanksgiving Day morning, and it was wonderful. Perhaps we can continue that tradition, as long as we aren't hosting the meal. The recipes, you're wondering? Both the cranberry chutney and the fruit nut balls (SO much better than they sound) are from Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table - a real keeper of a cookbook/novel. You should try her banana ginger chocolate chip bread. I salivated just writing that.

But back to the point. We're busy - really busy. It's the end of Patrick's grad school semester, and he is writing three 20-30 page papers in the span of two weeks. Crazy, I know. This means that I have put all of my "work" on the back burner while full-time parenting and trying to run a business mostly by my lonesome. For those of you who always marvel at how I do it all, well, here's your answer. I only get things done because I work half-time while my wonderful husband cares for Finn. 

So things will be quiet around here for a little while. I'll stop by, here and there, when I have a moment, but consider this the calm before the book-is-out storm (publishing date is in just ONE week!) I've written several posts in my head while nursing, but only this one has found it's way into typed words. In Times of Crazy, I just try to remind myself that one person can only do what one person can do, and if that means I have to order take out from the Indian food restaurant down the street and eat it on the floor it while entertaining a baby with a camera bag and simultaneously packing and shipping off sewing patterns, then so be it. Bring it on, December, bring it on!

preparations

Wishing you a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend!

finn's first ball

If at first you don't succeed, throw the towel ... along with the soggy ball ... into the dryer. Felting, that is. I thought this project was doomed. It wasn't shrinking enough, I didn't have enough dark blue wool to cover the entire surface, and it seemed to be drying lopsided. Good thing that felting, as a craft, is so forgiving. Nothing like a hot dryer to whip that wool into shape.

But oh, we had so much fun making this big ball of wool ... it wouldn't have mattered if the final product came out or not! After my hot water cooled a bit, Finn absolutely loved getting his hands in the water and on the wool. 

The ball is large as far as felt balls go - about 4 1/2" in diameter. I've noticed Finn's interest in larger objects, and his very intense desire to move along the floor (albeit backwards, much to his chagrin) and thought a big ball would match his needs both at the moment and well into the future. (Can you picture seven year-old Finn tossing this ball around the house? I swear there are moments, expressions, in which I can see the person he will become through the baby chub and drool.)

I wound the roving round and round, as tightly as I could, until it measured about 6" in diameter, at which time I poured hot, soapy water over it. Finn and I turned, smooshed, submersed, and twisted it until it seemed pretty hopeless, as some of the outer layer of roving wasn't shrinking as it should.

Hot dryer to the rescue! A thirty minute whirl with some towels did the trick. I added the dots with a felting needle.

All in all, this turned out to be a great little project. It got rave reviews from the youngest critic, both for the process and the finished product.

 

looking for a band

Beginning guitar player looking to play in a local band. Strengths: muting the strings, drooling on the strings, and bopping up and down on knees. Can sing "ah" if backup vocals are needed.

We're getting more and more into a musical rhythm 'round these parts. We're always singing. In fact, I just had to ask Patrick to stop singing so that I could finish writing this sentence - we sing that much. This is nothing new - it's not like it just started when Finn was born so we could provide him with an enriching musical ambiance - we just sing. Some of us sing on tune and have a conniption if lyrics are wrong. Others of us have a more "free" way of singing and enjoy making up lyrics. I'll let you guess who's who. 

Finny? He sings "aaaah". And he eats the guitar. His favorite song is "La Bamba".

The musical rhythm we've found is thanks to The Singing Day, the most worthwhile purchase I've made in a long time. Now Finn's day is peppered with even more singing, except now the songs are tied to specific activities and times of day, to help him orient himself in our family comings and goings and to help make his little life comfortably predictable. We have a song for waking up, a song for going outside, a song for swinging at the park, a song for cleaning, a song for gathering for our evening meal, and a song for bath time.

Some of the songs came directly from The Singing Day , and some were inspired by the author, who encourages you to make up your own songs. The swinging song is my own creation, and I've added one of my all-time favorite Raffi tunes to the mix before bedtime as Finn watches us brush our teeth:

When you wake up in the morning, it's a quarter to one, and you want to have a little fun, you brush your teeth. Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch... you brush your teeth (etc.)

Do you remember that one?

Singing throughout the day with predictable tunes can also help ease difficult transitions for toddlers and young children. It makes chores fun, and it has the wonderful benefit of making grumpy mamas happy once again. (I know this from personal experience!) If you're interested, read Nicole's post about the benefits of singing with her two young girls.

And with that, I'll leave you with a tune to stick in your heads - "Whistle While You Work" from Cinderella.

Off to cut some fabric for a really rad project for book number two! Do do do do do do do ....

it was a tough workout

We took our baby backpack (along with the requisite baby) for its first spin this weekend. (Thanks for the hand-me-down, Auntie Melissa!) While the Fall color had mostly abandoned the branches, the leaves were still emitting plenty of color on the forest floor, making our hike a bit like walking over a giant Persian rug.

Finn bounced along happily, "singing" as usual). All of this bouncing and singing is hard work, as it turns out.

May the memories of the weekend carry you through your work week, too!

holiday traditions exchange 2009

What is the Holiday Traditions Exchange?

The Holiday Traditions Exchange is a swap that incorporates craft, cultural sharing, and thoughtful reflection about what the holidays mean to your family. It’s an opportunity to celebrate all that is non-commercial in this holiday season – and an opportunity to adopt a new, fun tradition for your family’s holiday repertoire.

To your partner, you will send:

1.) One handmade holiday decoration. Decorations made from any kind of medium are acceptable – from fabric to yarn, paper to paint.

2.) Your family's favorite holiday recipe.

3.) A “Tradition” Tutorial. This is description of one of your family’s special holiday traditions. If needed, you should provide step by step instructions. (For example, if your family makes graham cracker candy houses each year, you would provide more concrete instructions.) You might also consider sending along a couple of photos of the tradition in action.

Guidelines

• You must be prepared to ship internationally. Your partner may be located in another country, as I can't take "country" requests. If you do need to ship overseas, think "small" and "flat" for your package - something that could fit in a Global Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope would be great. The cost to ship to all other countries is $12.95 US.
• You must agree to the time line: Packages must be shipped by Friday, December 11th. If you have too much on your plate this holiday season, think twice before adding a swap to your activities! There's always next year.
• If you do not send your partner a package, you won't be able to participate next year. I keep a record of people who don't send packages, so if you signed up in previous years and your package didn't make it out the door, I apologize, but I can't accept you this year. Please only sign up if you know you can comply with the above guidelines!

How can I participate?

Click on the link below - it will take you to a form to sign up for the exchange. Signups are only accepted via this form! If your sign up has been completed successfully, you will immediately receive a confirmation email.

The form will no longer be available after 200 participants sign up, or after midnight on Friday, November 13, whichever comes first.

Click here to sign up for the exchange.

***Before sending your package, be sure to take pics and post them to the Holiday Traditions Exchange Flickr Group!***


Much warmth,

Meg

P.S. Feel free to take a button -  cut and paste the following code to add to your blog:

<a href="http://www.sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/11/holiday-traditions-exchange-2009.html"><img alt="Holiday Traditions Exchange 2009" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2606/4087807946_b5c7c207e3_o.jpg" height="114" width="125" /></a>

the jane hat

Mnkay ... so you're right, this isn't a sewn garment. But it sort of counts as Design Fridays, right? (Nod your head.) Right.

I'm just having the toughest time squeezing in sewing time for myself. I'm at the machine whenever I'm not with Finn, coming up with project after project for book two, but boy - I can't wait until this book stuff lets up a bit and I can make myself some new, much needed clothing staples.

Thankfully I can find the time to knit myself a warm hat - an absolute necessity when you have bed head and haven't found the time to shower before going to the grocery store. This little number, "Jane" by Jane Richmond Designs, was knitted over two days during sleepy nursing sessions and other quiet moments.

I'm considering turning off the heat in our house so I can wear it inside, too. I'm in love.

it's here!

No, not the double chin, sillies ... the advance copy of my book! It's real! It's shiny! It has my name on it, and my name is spelled correctly!

Oh my. You can imagine the fluttering of the stomach butterflies as I leafed through actual pages for the first time. It's so surreal.

The official publishing date is December 7th, just a few weeks away. For those of you who are eyeing it for your own Christmas stockings, do let your significant others/mothers/friends know that I now have gift certificates available for sale that are good for all items in my shop. Simply let him/her know that *hint hint* you think that a gift certificate would fit nicely in your stocking, and then *forget* you ever mentioned it. :)

I love the baby trying his darnedest to crawl in the background. What he wouldn't give for Inspector Gadget arms right now. (Gasp!, you say, Did she watch cartoons as a child?!) Why yes, I did. And Inspector Gadget was my favorite.

Check in tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12 noon to sign up for the Holiday Traditions Exchange!

holiday traditions exchange update

Sign-ups will start at 12 noon (EST) on Wednesday, November 11th. This year, the sign-ups are limited to 200 people. Visit my blog at noon on Wednesday to assure your spot! I apologize for not being able to offer unlimited spots - it's just too much for me to put on my plate right now. Thanks for your understanding!

being neighborly

I want my son to enjoy nature - to feel comfortable there, to respect its beauty and its prickles. I want him to want to be outside.

Perhaps I'm more relaxed about dirt, insects, and leaves-in-the-mouth because I grew up in the mountains on thirty acres of pure bliss which practically bordered a national forest. I soak up the sweet smell of decaying leaves. I'm transported back to countless childhood memories when the mixed scent of pine trees and smoke from a wood fire finds its was into my neighborhood.

I totally get it that you want to eat those leaves, little guy. They feel so crinkly, smell so earthy, and look so enticing.

While a nature table is a nice way to bring a bit of the outside in, I feel strongly that the best way to experience Nature is by being among it - within it, on top of it, below it ... rolling around in it, smelling it, and feeling it, no matter its temperament (cold or warm).

I try to make it a priority to get out with Finn every day. Not for a fast, calorie-burning, mama-paced walk along the road, but for a slow walk to a little wooded area bordering a small park. In this stretch of land forgotten by people, the deer have moved in, along with other many-legged beings which we tend not to welcome into our houses. So, good neighbors that we are, we go to visit them in their homes, bringing along a baby giggle and a knitting project.

And there we sit, in the dirt, listening to the latest bird gossip and admiring the beauty of tree bark.

the nature corner

Even before we welcomed Finn into our family, I knew we would never be able to have a nature table. You see, we have cats. Cats with a love of wool. Cats who, while the rest of us sleep, go around pushing every small-ish object underneath the couch to be lost forever. Cats who love it when I knit more than I love knitting.

A table displaying the bounty and beauty of Nature would just be a feline free-for-all in our house. 

Rather than succumb to feline domination (as often happens), I found a solution in the form of a nature cabinet. 

Ha! Try to open that door without opposable thumbs, cats! This little cabinet is open for exploration when both the baby (and cats) can be properly supervised. We close it at night and when the human sentinels are out of the house (when all kitty mischief tends to break loose). 

After months and months of looking for a corner cabinet in my thrifting outings, I finally opted for purchasing the cabinet from an Etsy seller, Buck Creek Furnishings.

The knitted goodness you see on our shelves (and the Autumn-colored silk) comes from my wonderfully thoughtful Seasons Round Exchange partner, Nicole. 

Nicole and her girls were the recipients of the little needle felted acorn sprite which I found here. Their package also contained a very special something ... my first attempt at needle felting.

While my needle felting mojo is nowhere near as good as the creator of the acorn sprite, I did have a lot of fun making my Autumn Lady tapestry.

Sign-ups for the Holiday Traditions Exchange begin at 12 noon (EST) on Tuesday , November 10th Wednesday, November 11th - mark your calendars and visit on the 11th to reserve your spot. I'm only accepting 200 participants this year due to the time-heavy nature of organizing an exchange, but I've also streamlined the sign-up process. I don't know about you, but I've already started listening to a Christmas song here and there ... one must do such things when organizing a Holiday Exchange! :)

... oh, and Tastebook friend invites go out tomorrow!

xo,

Meg

more cooking fun (and a giveaway)

As if we haven't had enough cookbook craze here in the past week ... (Which reminds me - make sure you send me an email at MealCalendarRecipes@gmail.com if you want to be my Tastebook friend. I've had a good number of people email me at my normal address, which is really hard to keep track of.)

I'm so excited to be in cahoots with the talented Rae Grant - mama, blogger, and author of two children's books: Cooking Fun and Crafting Fun . Stop by Rae's inspiring blog, My Little Hen: Simple Ideas for Childhood Fun, and peruse her archives when you have the chance - you won't be disappointed!

Rae sent me copies of her books, and let me tell you - they just make me smile. Both Cooking Fun and Crafting Fun are replete with vintage recipes and crafts, and would make excellent gifts for the reading child on your holiday gift list. I've had a lot of fun going through the drink recipes, and have become especially enamored with this milk/orange juice/vanilla combo. It's frothy. It's yummy. And it simply belongs in both my recycled jam jar glasses and in my stomach.

Since nothing goes better with a kid's vintage-inspired cookbook than a vintage-inspired apron, Rae is hosting a giveaway of Cooking Fun and I'm chipping in two Lola Apron patterns! Go over to My Little Hen and leave a comment to enter!

P.S. Did you know the Lola Apron won first place at the Iowa State Fair? How cool is that?

photo and apron by letterwoman

Back tomorrow with some photos of my nature table and an update on the Holiday Traditions Exchange - Design Fridays will be back next week!

the mcelwee's kitchen bible

Ask and you shall receive! So many of you were interested in the recipes in my meal calendar that I went ahead and made my Tastebook public: The McElwee's Kitchen Bible - full of quick, healthy vegetarian recipes. You can actually buy the book if you want - Tastebook gets all the profit, not me - or you could email me at MealCalendarRecipes@gmail.com and I'll send you an invite to join Tastebook (free) and be my "Tastepage" friend so you can see all my recipes without ordering the book. If you send me an email by Friday, Nov. 5, I'll send off your invite by Saturday (I don't have time to cut and paste email addresses nowadays - I have to do it all at once by importing my contacts - so after Saturday I'll close shop for this temporary email address.)

Oooh boy, I love this book! I figure I'll rotate recipes seasonally - keep the current recipes in front and the out-of-season ones in the back behind the recipe card sleeves.

You'll find all sorts of recipes in here, but you won't find recipes catering to those with dairy/wheat/egg allergies. In fact, by the time you've read through the recipes, you'll probably think that I'm made up of 88% cheese, which is probably true. Some of the recipes are easily vegan-ized, though - and I have a fantabulous vegan roast in there, courtesy of my friend Melissa.

Okay - so here's what my Meal Calendar looks like:

Week One - Corn Tortillas, Mexican Rice & Beans; Stir Fry with Tofu or Tempeh; Bean Loaf and Acorn Squash; Carrot Ginger Soup & Beet Salad; Chana Masala with Lentils

Week Two - Tomato Goat Cheese Bruschetta & Baby Greens Salad; Cashew Chili & Cornbread; Gorgonzola Gnocchi; Tortilla Casserole; Homemade Pizza

Week Three - Tortellini Spinach Soup & Sweet Potatoes; Black Bean Chilaquile; Bean Burgurs and Salad; Grilled Cheese and Broccoli Sandwiches; Polenta & Kale Salad

Week Four - Baked Potatoes; Spinach Pie & Zucchini Moons; Egg Rolls & Fried Rice; Nachos & Corn on the Cob (Mexican Style); Squash Soup

Again, this "schedule" is flexible. I don't have to fix Tortellini Soup on Monday and Polenta on Friday - I can mix it up. We eat leftovers for lunch, and I also keep a fresh loaf of bread around, as well as wraps for putting a new "spin" on the previous night's meal.

Here's just a snippet of what's in my cookbook (41 recipes thus far) ...

... one of those quick and easy recipes from my mom ...

... and plenty of dessert recipes - most of them handed down from my mom and gram.

Bon appetit, mes amis!