little knits

I put down my knitting needles for about 3 months. It just got to warm for me here in southern california so I took a a little knitting break. But then my hands grew restless and regardless of the warm weather I picked up a skein of yarn from my stash and made a couple of sweet baby pieces.
The little vest is one of my new favorites. It's so sweet and small. Just perfect for a fall outfit. I want to sew a little smocked top and skirt or bloomers to go with it. Hopefully I can go buy some fabric soon.



This darling baby bonnet knitted up quite quickly. I love the soft cotton yarn. I had forgotten how much I like knitting with cotton. I don't even remember the last time I did. I love how defined the stitches are.


Not sure what I will knit up next by hands sure are itching to start a new project.

xo
-esther

Wild Blackberry Pie

Today was lovely. My day consisted of a wonderful drive up mt. baldy mountain, a hike, a "little" dip in icy cold waters, wild mountain berry picking, and pie making.





There is something truly wonderful about picking or growing your food before you cook/bake with it. Such satisfaction it brings me. I was thrilled to be baking with such delicious juicy blackberries. The pie filling was divine. So very good. As for the crust it was just alright. I had ran out of my regular all purpose flour so I had to use what I had on hand which was whole wheat flour. Often it can be quite tricky to work with. I'm not a big fan but on the + side it is bit healthier. I'll leave you a recipe for the filling. Something I just came up with. That's the wonderful thing about pie fillings you can just throw in whatever spices or flavors you fancy.

Blackberry Pie Filling

3 cups of blackberries
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of lemon zest
3 Tbsp of cornstarch

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Poor into pie shell. Bake pie according to pie dough directions.

Here is a great pie dough recipe from smitten kitchen.

And here are some phone pictures from the hike.





Happy Baking!
xo

-es

Summer Baking

A couple days ago a friend and I baked a butter cake and peach pie. I hadn't baked anything exciting in months. I have to say I'm not a big fan of baking in the hot summer heat but I needed to put into practice some of the skills I attained in pastry school. I don't want to forget them. When fall comes around and the climate cools I'm positive Ill be baking a lot more. Until then i'll maybe make some mousses or panna cotta.

xo
-esther

Carlsbad

a few photos from a mini vacation to Carlsbad with my second family, the Toziers. I had the most lovely time with them.






xo
-es

life

The days are going by so fast I can hardly believe it.
Time has never moved faster in my life.
How are we half way done with 2013.
It's just scary?
Lately I have had tons on my mind.
It can be quite overwhelming.
I'm still learning to give it all to God.
Not to worry about things that are out of my hands.
Reminding myself that the creator of the universe loves me and is in control.
Such peace it brings my heart.
It's amazing how he can calm my weary soul like nothing else in this world.
Praying and meditating on his word has such great power.

Well in other news

It is getting pretty hot in Southern California.
Lately i've been enjoying lots of iced coffee and tea.
Summer is such a wonderful season.
Long days and warm nights!!
Bliss.

I haven't done much creating this past month. Hence the lack of blog posts but I do plan on sewing soon so hopefully the blog will be a bit more lively. I'll try and be back soon with something a bit more exciting!

xox
-es

disneyland

Sunday I spent the day at Disneyland with loved ones. The weather was perfect for our long day outdoors.It was great spending quality time with the littles. I have missed them so much. I can't wait to see them again today.

Lately my camera has not been working which has been a real pain. Sometimes it won't let me shoot on manual meaning I have no real control over the photos I'm taking. Yesterday was one of those days where it did not want to work properly. Hopefully when I send it in to get repaired it won't take to long.

xo
-es

warm weather

Feels like summer around here. The weather is warm and the days are very long. So I, of course, have been taking advantage of this dreamy weather. I went to the beach a couple times and have been enjoying the farmers market with my cousins and siblings. It's been so nice but I have to admit I am completely dreading the extreme high temps that come with a Los Angeles summer. It can be quite uncomfortable with highs in the hundreds. Hope we don't have too many of those days this summer. Until then I'll be enjoying our lovely weather.

xo
-es