Home Ec is up and running!

As you might have already heard, registration for Home Ec opened up this past Monday. We've once again been getting some really positive feedback, and are sooo so happy to be re-releasing it for those who might have missed out the first time around. Remember, registration is ongoing and access for the new class never expires, so if you're not ready right this minute, there's no need to just forget about it. :)

Please visit the new Home Ec website for full information on our Sewing E-Course, HomeEcOnline.com.

Registration is now open.

xo, Courtney, Rachel and Leigh-Ann

Back by popular demand, Home Ec!!

I know I have been ridiculously absent, my thoughts lately are more consumed by babies than sewing, fashion, or blogging (that whole working at a daycare thing...no babies for me, haha). But I have to say, I am so excited for this! Home Ec was without a doubt one of the coolest projects I have ever worked on, and I can't wait for it to reach an even bigger audience. Now without further ado...

Learn to sew at your own pace from the comfort of your own home!

Home Ec is not just for teenagers-- it's for everyone, everywhere!! Leigh-Ann, Rachel and I have created this sewing e-course for beginners and those who want to develop and polish their sewing skills! No sewing skills required-- we'll start right at the beginning (how to turn on and work your sewing machine).

Home Ec Includes:

- 3 Beginning Guides (How to Work your Sewing Machine video, Tools of the Trade, Tips & Troubleshooting video)

- 27 Step-by-Step Projects with at least one new sewing technique in each

- A Tips Post on How to Invent & Adapt Projects of your Own!

- An overall 'Frequently Asked Questions' section plus a FAQ section related to each project

- Unlimited Access (no expiry)

- A learning environment perfect for visual learners, taking it step by step! LOTS of pictures!

This course is different than others we've taught. The projects are each amazing and useful, but the real purpose behind each project lies a new built-in skill learned by practice and application. The value is insane!

This is an e-course hosted in a private blog with NO time limit and all projects are live when you arrive with instructions on how to get started. Please know, this course does not include live teacher support but almost any question you could ask or problem you could run into has been addressed :)

Visit HomeEcOnline.com this Monday for a full course outline with project pictures, teacher bios and registration details. Class cost, $60us

Questions? Please email Hello[at]FreckledNest[.]com

(Note: Most questions will be answered Monday on the special Home Ec website)

1.11.11

source

Everybody makes wishes at 11:11 I guess? Do they ever come true? I think they might.

I have an amazing boyfriend. Yes, I know, that was fast. It still shocks me daily and I can't stop smiling. One thing that was really getting us down, though, was that we were both out of work. Me, by choice, of course (though working from home & missing that stability and human interaction was getting me down). Him, because there is just no work in this town right now, or anywhere for that matter.

So, for two months straight, every time I caught the clock at 11:11, I wished for the both of us to find jobs. I wasn't even picky with where or how much, just jobs.

Last weekend, the boy's brother told him about an opening at his work (it's food service, but hey, it's a job). He was told to go in on Monday to fill out an application. At the same time we were heading out to the sandwich shop--hey, a girl's gotta eat, right?--I got an email about a job opening.

At least a month before, after cruising Craigslist, I got it in my head that maybe daycare could be the career that would work for me. [Yes, I will always be a seamstress, but it is something that is very difficult to build a life on...I would prefer to keep it 'on the side'.] So, I searched for daycares in my town and found the very best one, and applied online. Even though it required degrees, certifications, and experience that I don't have, I hoped there was a chance of there being an entry-level position fit for me.

About 30 people got this email asking them to take one of those online pre-interview tests. I knew I didn't stand a chance. After we got home from the boy filling out his application, where he was also asked to come in for an interview the next day, I took the test. I did really well, I thought...I've always pretty good at timed tests. But, again, one of the first questions? Do you have CDA certification? Uhh....

The boy went in on Tuesday morning for his interview, and I woke up two minutes til in time to text him "Good luck!". His reply? "Got it! Starting today." WOW. Got up, got online, and had an email from the daycare thanking me for taking the test, and asking me to come in to interview. WOW. I couldn't believe it.

You know what the date was on Tuesday? 1-11-11. Yep.

I still had my doubts about the job, but either way I was excited--if I didn't get the job, I had decided I would pursue a degree in Early Childhood instead.

Set up an interview for Thursday and was out of my mind nervous. I read over my resume again, read the entire website for the daycare (it's a nation-wide corporation so they have a lot of information on there), and took some online test interview questions.

This is what I wore:



shirt- Target
sweater- Target
skirt- Banana Republic

This was the best business-casual-cute-"can't you picture me teaching 3 year olds table manners" outfit I could pull together on late notice. I'd had the sweater and skirt for years and never worn them. PERFECT.

Anyhow, long story long, the interview went really well (this is the first time...ever...definitely, that I can say "I nailed it!"), and yesterday I got the email offering me the position!

I'm going to get paid to cuddle with babies, make art with toddlers, and just generally try to positively impact the lives of a bunch of little people. It's kind of a dream come true. At first it will just be a part-time/on-call position, at least until the Summer, so there will be plenty of time to do seamstress work for Red Velvet. I swear, those girls have a never ending supply of amazing dresses for me to play with work on. But, eventually? I might have actually found the career for me.

TL;DR:
I now totally believe in 11:11.
And I am a happy, happy lady.
xo

conflicting resolutions

On one hand, I really want to resolve to save money, spend less, have less things, pay off debt, be less materialistic.

On the other hand, I really want to update my wardrobe.

Seriously, besides a few odds and ends (a couple well-used 'going out' dresses, a few vintage pieces, a pair of 'fat jeans'...), I haven't updated my wardrobe since I stared college. Weak.

I hate a lot of the stuff I own, so much that I hardly wear any of it. I even kind of hate the stuff I wear.

Maybe I could reward myself if I ever lost the weight I've been meaning to?
I really don't need any "oh you look fine the way you are!"s. When it consistently takes me an extra hour to get dressed, because I can't find anything that fits, I'm not fine the way I am. When that hour-long search culminates in the only pair of jeans that still fit, and a t-shirt just dark enough and just loose enough that you can't tell how high-waisted and frumpy the jeans are...I'm not fine the way I am.

Anyway, if I did happen to make some kind of goal, and did happen to meet it, here are some things I would buy:


I am obsessed with these flats, omg.


A new party dress.


New tights, possibly from here.


Plaid, buffalo check, gingham, and chambray button up shirts. Ones that aren't either a little too big or a little too small. With sleeves the right length (even though I'll probably still roll them up...I want options!), and no buttons missing.


New AA shirts. I know, totally lame to 'update' a wardrobe with more t-shirts. But there will never be a day where I'm not a jeans and t-shirt girl, at least most of the time. And the ones I have are kind of getting holey!

Okay, so my shopping list is pretty sparse right now. Any suggestions? Also, any tips on what to do with nice/expensive clothes that you don't want and Plato's Closet & the like don't want? I've donated a couple trunk-fulls of clothes so far and that's all well and good...but some of this stuff would pain me to donate.

2010 In Review

[Did you know that you can view your photos by month/year in Flickr? And that it's kind of unsettling? Me either!]


January.
It was a fun winter living downtown. Decent weather, too, considering. Living with a boy again was still honeymoon-y.


February.
Lots of hours spent decorating the loft. The light was to die for. I miss those big (freezing cold!) windows. I turned 23 (hence the streamers).


March.
This was one of the first warm-ish days of the year. It was amazing. I just remember feeling so content.


April.
Getting the hang of my Bernina. This was the best thing I made all year.


May.
Moved into our home. Was really happy to have so much room (and yard, and garage, and so on), but really sad to be leaving the charming loft. Had grandiose dreams of decorating.


June.
The Spring here was incredible, I must admit. Truly made this house into a home. A year from this month I will be moving out.


July.
It was a hot July, so hot. So many mosquitoes. My gardening and photoshoot plans went out the window when I realized I couldn't be outside for more than two minutes at a time. This was our last full month together as a couple.


August.
Worst month of the year. Got ran into by a guy on a bike. Got broken up with. Bad stuff happened.


September.
Single ladyyyy. Dealing with it. Trying to go out and socialize. Had a little rebound fling. Decided that craft shows definitely aren't for me.


October.
This was a sad month. It would have been our two-year anniversary. Mark's nephew turned 1, and I hated no longer being a part of the family. I think I partied too hard this month. I started hanging out with one particular friend more and more.


November.
The friend became more than a friend. I made us Thanksgiving dinner. Not how I expected to spend my first holiday season in this house (nor did I expect it to be the only!) but it went as well as it could, I think.


December.
The only photo I posted in December. I don't think I got out of bed the entire month. I totally checked out like a 15 year old in history class, writing a certain boy's name on her trapper keeper a few hundred times. But I was blissfully happy, and I think it was good for me. We each had a hard time transitioning...from girlfriend to ex-girlfriend, from boyfriend to roommate, from bandmate to ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend...you get the idea. :) But it's worked itself out for the most part and we're starting the new year as new people.

Hey, 2011, what's up?

gratuitous food photos

A good majority of today was spent making an early Thanksgiving dinner for myself and a gentleman friend, along with a couple others once I realized just how much food there was going to be (a lot).



I've been looking forward to this for a while. I love the challenge of cooking a big meal alone. There's a lot of math, logic, and problem solving involved. There is way too much strategerie going on in my head when I'm in the kitchen.



There is also the uncontrollable, unconscious need for me to show off how domestic I am around a new boy. Do you get like that too? It's not our fault we've been programed like this for centuries, right? Look how good I am at holding a baby! Let's see how many side dishes I can fit in the oven at once! Did you see how well I mopped that floor?



Crescent rolls: Pillsbury

Apple galette: lovely miss Sarah

[served with homemade whipped cream: 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 1.5 tbs sugar, drop of vanilla; beat until...whipped-cream-y]



Green bean casserole: 1 pkg frozen cut green beans (boiled quickly & drained to defrost), 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1 small can French's fried onions, pepper

Mashed potatoes: 3 medium size Russet potatoes (peeled, cut into apx. 1.5" cubes, boiled until soft), 1/4-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 1-2 tbs butter, salt, pepper



Turkey: 3lb boneless turkey breast (defrosted in cold water in the plastic, changed out & rotated every 30 mins, for apx. 2 hours before roasting), melted butter, salt, pepper, roasted @ 350F until internal temp was correct (apx. 2-2.5 hrs)

Stuffing: Stovetop

Gravy: (the small turkey breast doesn't yield a lot of drippings, so in the roasting pan..) boil all pan drippings & 1/2 cup dry white wine, cook down about half the way, add 1 small can turkey or chicken stock, whisk in cornstarch solution (apx. 1 tbs cornstarch + 2 tbs cold water) slowly until desired consistency



The rest of the photos were taken just before the sun went down, so this plate photo is artificial light and not too appetizing. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was really, really good.

Going home to see my momma tomorrow, where we'll do it all over again!
Whew, who else is starting a diet Friday?

party all the time

First of all, in regards to my last post:
I have sold three things on Craislist,
and I have donated an entire trunk full of stuff.
There is still a lot more work to do, but the weight is slowly lifting, I just know it!

So, Thursday night we had a house show to kick off Mark's band's first mini-tour (just for the weekend).

This is the kind of security I use when having house shows:



And it totally works.

The downside of my boys being gone is that I get to clean up after the party all by myself.
I haven't exactly started yet.
This is what my kitchen floor looked like just a few hours after I mopped it Thursday afternoon:



Hahaha. Ugh.

Friday was Elsie's birthday (yay!). We went and got drinks at a fancy grown up bar where I was totally out of my element. I kind of felt like a kid. :) But it was still super fun.

This is what I wore:



I am really bad at taking pictures of myself.
This dress is from Red Velvet! I am all kinds of in love with it. I was just in dropping off some work when I saw it from across the room. I knew it had to have just been put out because....I might have the inventory memorized. Maybe. It reminded me of what my favorite dress would have been when I was six years old. The one I would have worn to my piano recitals and to Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle's house. Eeek, I'm getting all sentimental. :')



I like this picture because not only does it show just how bad I am at self-portraits...but you can see my vintage tiger embroidery I recently put up! When I found it, it was in an ugly wood frame and the glass was soo grubby. All it took was a fresh coat of paint and a good wipe down and now it's one of my favorite things.

And because my head (and shoes, which were patent leather red flats) kept getting cut off, I took 50 pictures of my face which were equally bad. Here is the only one I am not too embarrassed of...



A little too intense. I was getting frustrated. :)

Well, guess I better get to cleaning!

a little peek inside

Do you know why I rarely share pictures of my (otherwise lovely) home?
I'm messy. And not cute messy.
Gross messy.
I've kind of been a hoarder-in-the-making my entire life.
Just one completely traumatizing life event from being buried in Wal-Mart bags, empty cereal boxes, and cat fur.
Wherever I live, no matter how big or how small, there are always boxes lining the walls.
I'm never completely unpacked.
But I'm working on it (mentally, physically, emotionally, et al).
And someday I hope to be able to blog pictures of my home. Not fake pictures where I move some stuff from one side of the room to the other in order to get a good shot.
Real, clutter-free, moving-box free, junk-free pictures of a beautiful home.



We moved my doll cabinet out of Mark's room (previously my sewing room) finally, into its new home in the dining room. I was hesitant, but it looks amazing. I even spent a few hours very carefully drilling new holes in order to move the bottom shelf up. Call me crazy, but I think a doll collection looks much more grown-up when they're standing.

[You can see better shots of my collection on my flickr here, here, and here.]

Now for a little much-needed advice:

1) See those packing peanuts where the glass meets? That was my genius solution for keeping the doors from banging whenever someone so much as tiptoes by. Is there a more attractive solution out there that I'm not aware of?

2) What should I put on the middle shelf???