Catching Up on Some Baking Adventures

Caleb bought us a deep fryer, which was a super delicious decision, though perhaps not a very healthful one.

I tried to make doughnuts. The ones pictured below were my first attempt. They tasted good, but they were too dense. They were a very cakey doughnut, and I wanted a light yeast doughnut.

My second attempt was the Pioneer Woman's recipe. They were so good, I didn't even get a picture of them. :)

In sort-of-related news, here's Chloe's birthday cake from this Spring. I've been experimenting with different piping techniques to add some variety to my cakes.

I really like how this one turned out!

Love and Sugar,

Leah Joy

A Mario Baby Quilt

This may be the coolest quilt I've made yet!

I found this amazing fabric for the back:

Closer view:

I bound the quilt in yellow, as it was the only non-white color that went with both the front and the back. It's a super cheerful border!

While the center section is all composed of 2" squares, I did use larger pieces of sky blue for the tops and sides. Once quilted, though, it looks much the same.

I found this quilt surprisingly soothing to piece and press. Even the back of the quilt top looked so tidy and neat.

This quilt is for my nephew, my brother's baby.

Love and 8-Bit,

Leah Joy

Final Christmas 2017 Round-Up

Not at all overdue....

The following two items were part of Chloe's gift (my fellow Hufflepuff).

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I made these potholders for my mom. I love how they turned out!

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And here's a picture of our first Christmas tree in our new home!

Love and Candy Canes (Strategically Placed Just Outside a Toddler's Reach),

Leah Joy

New House Tour: Micah's Room

Micah's room was already painted a light teal, which was nice as it's fairly gender-neutral. (When we moved in, we didn't yet know if we were having a boy or a girl.) The previous owners already had curtains up, which were quite poorly made, but are functioning okay for now. I have fabric all ready to make new curtains for this room.

My mom (and Jo) helped me decorate in this room, too. We put up these paintings you may remember from Jo's room at our former home. Almost everything on these walls was strategically placed to cover any holes or imperfections (since we don't have any extra paint of this color).

Above the crib, we put the Mario wall stickers (also from Jo's old room).

I also hung this mobile I finally put together from the Mario characters I made for Jo years ago.

This is an ABC print Caleb and I found at Salvation Army while I was pregnant with Jo. It never made it onto her wall at our old house.

This is a print I had in my room when I was a kid.

I do have plans to paint the trim white at some point, but that's a project for another year.

Love and Goombas,

Leah Joy

A Dinosaur Quilt for Micah

After making a quite intricate herringbone quilt for a cousin's baby, perhaps I might be expected to do something equally intricate (if not more so) for my own offspring. Nope. I went super easy-mode on this quilt for Micah. Partially because I was 8 months pregnant. Partially because I found some adorable prints that featured better in larger pieces.

The front of the quilt is all flannel. It's so soft and cozy!

I found the perfect binding fabric! It has all the main colors of the quilt in it.

I used this adorable regular cotton print for the back:

Love and Flannel,

Leah Joy