michelejo.com

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  • Panera/Paradise-esque Cheddar Broccoli Soup

    Much to my dismay, my local Paradise Bakery only has this soup TWICE a week now.  TWICE!?!  Are they kidding?  They used to have it nearly everyday.  Yes, I’m crushed and now eat there far less often! 🙂  I had to search copy-cat recipes since I can no longer get my fix when I want…

  • Bye Bye Breadie

    It’s time.  Eating fresh bread daily hasn’t exactly been good for my waistline.  I was horrified to weigh on Sunday and discover I’ve gained 7 pounds in the last two weeks!  I’ve been off-plan since my mom’s illness and death and initially had gained back several pounds, but I’d been maintaining that with ease for…

  • Tumaro’s, will you be my Valentine?

    Yum, yum and YUM! I do love bread.  Like, really, really love it.  It’s hard living a lifestyle where most bread is off-limits most of the time.  I also hadn’t had such a great experience with low-carb bread products in the past.  So I was skeptical when I was shopping a few days ago at Sprout’s…

  • No-Spend January ReCap

    My no-spend January went pretty well, at least from the perspective of small and impulse purchases.  I was REALLY good! I did however spend $1250 on a new washer and dryer (which STILL aren’t here!) and another $900 on 22 couples’ personal training visits ($300 of this won’t be paid till February 15th, so I…

  • Homemade Butter?

    Homemade butter…easier than you ever could have imagined. I simply take 32oz of heavy shipping cream and whip it on high with my stand mixer (balloon whisk attached) until the whey separates…drain, press, add delicious crusty bread…and ENJOY! It takes about 12 minutes for me. (It’s much more pleasant a task if you have a…

  • Floral Fortitude

    Just a jaunt through the nursery department of my friendly neighborhood Walmart…who knew you could find such beauty at Walmart? 😉

  • Pattern-o-rama

    In the last month, I’ve splurged on quite a few new patterns.  I had purged my patterns down to almost nothing during my long sewing hiatus of 2008-2010 and I’d kept only size 8+ Kwik Sew patterns for some strange reason.  I just sold several of them and purchased them again in 4-7 for Katie. …

  • Sienna Dress

    I think my dd might be a tad too old for this pattern as it comes out of the printer (or maybe I messed it up at some point) but I have a few modications in mind for my next go at it.  Perhaps it’d look better if I were to actually hem it.  Nevertheless, it…

  • Birthday Dress!

    What more could a Hello Kitty fan ask for, to wear on her sixth birthday?  I used Modkid’s Penny and I’m quite happy with the pattern.  I made a tester without the empire waist and that one definitely looks like a nightgown to me.  This version, which the pretty Chez Ami knits and the empire…

  • Pillowcases Galore!

    Kayla asked me to teach her how to use the sewing machine and serger, so I walked her through making a pillowcase!  She’s made several more since, and has also branched into designing her own Barbie outfits!  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled. 😀  It’s easy-peasy!  Take one yard of a…