A Josephine Doll for Josephine

Many moons ago, a friend sent me a link to The Josephine Doll pattern on whileshenaps.com.

I decided to make this doll for Josephine to give to her when Micah was born. That way, we'd both have a baby to take care of.

She named her doll "Dolly", proving that she's just as good at naming things as I was at her age.

Jo takes good care of her doll. She reads to her, changes her diaper, and gives her tummy time.

I sized the pattern up a little bit, so the finished doll is about 7" long.

Love and Pink,

Leah Joy

Herringbone Baby Quilt

This is a quilt I made this past winter for my cousin's baby.

I had so much fun picking out the fabric for this quilt.

I'm so pleased with how it turned out!

It was really fun to piece this quilt together and watch the pattern grow.

I even quilted it with the herringbone pattern, so I think the back looks just as cool as the front:

Love and Babies,

Leah Joy

Cinnamon Roll Couronne

Any other fans of The Great British Baking Show?

I was fascinated when they made couronnes, and wanted to make my own. I found a recipe for a cinnamon roll version, which sounded way better than anything they made on the show. I mean, come on. Cinnamon and sugar... Mmmm....

Once I got it into a ring, I took a picture, just in case it turned out horribly. I wanted to be able to see that it had been pretty at least at one point. :)

But it turned out beautifully!

And it sliced into beautiful cinnamon rolls.

While it was a lot of work, it's a beautiful result, and I would definitely consider making it again for a special occasion.

The only thing I would do differently is make some sort of rim around the edge of the baking sheet to catch all the oozing butter/sugar goodness. A lot of it dripped to the bottom of the oven and made the whole house smell like burnt sugar.

Mmmm....

Bonus picture of some football brownies I made for the Super Bowl. The laces were piped with a powdered sugar icing in a zip-top bag.

Love and Cinnamon,

Leah Joy

Christmas Truffles (2017)

And now for an out-of-season Christmas post!

Many of you may be familiar with my 'Cookie List'. It began in high school, as a way to give something to my friends, even when I couldn't afford a gift. It has since morphed into a way to give gifts to co-workers and church friends. (Read a better description here.)

Last fall, Caleb started a new job. At his previous job, he had a very clearly defined department, and it was easy to bring in a box of goodies for each person in his department. In his new job, the office is a very open space, and bringing in a box for just a few people would be, well, rude. Not wanting to make up boxes for all 30-something people in his office, we decided on a truffle buffet! (I know, right!)

Jo helped me bring in and set up a beautiful display of truffles. (It was also a great chance to meet some of Caleb's co-workers.)

Jo got to try one, too. Mmmm....

We also brought in a bunch of little paper-board boxes so they could pack some up to bring home. It was a big hit, and we plan to do something similar this year!

Love and Chocolate,

Leah Joy