8 Random Things

1. I think I have survived the crazy month of May!  My mom, sister and I are going down to LA this weekend for a family wedding and a day at Disneyland.  After that, I have my weekends free until my sister's wedding in July.  Which means hopefully lots of relaxing and knitting!

2.  This past weekend was a wonderful holiday weekend filled with friends, cooking, swimming, and doggies. Lil' Snowboarder got a new pet that even "breathes" and she quite enjoyed seeing if Bailey and Puddy would tolerate it.  Hmmm.....



Oh, and painting.



3.  I did knit in May.  I promise.  My design for the Among Friends club is done.  And I did finish that hat for my sister, as well as a few baby ones too.



4.  Baby knitting is instant gratification!  Just what I needed during this busy month.  I knit a few hats for Erica's baby shower (thanks Anne for taking pictures!) and finally had a chance to use the adorable Knitterella gift tags I have.



5.  I need a free day to just write patterns.  Usually, I need a solid chunk of hours to write patterns and that tends to happen on the weekend when I'm free.  My brain is often fried after work during the week.  Let's just say that in May, I barely had time to write a blog post, let alone patterns.  Same for this weekend.  But I'm hoping things change in June.....

6.  I think I forgot to tell you guys that Fiar is now available for individual sale on Ravelry.



7. 7 more super busy days at work until it is officially summer!  I still work all summer, but everything slows down just a bit :)

8. Summer reading.  Any recommendations?

And with that, it is time for bed.  Have a great week!!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Weekends Are Made For

....baseball games,









....family,



....fun,



....doggies,



....ice cream,





....and knitting!



Busy fun Saturday, and a relaxing Sunday!

Hope yours is good too!

Happy Weekend!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

NOLA: Four days of food

My work trip to New Orleans went a bit like this...

Fly all day....arrive and eat a delicious meal.



Next day, hang out in 2nd grade with a fabulous team of educators, enjoy the best grilled shrimp salad.  Then work more, and then dinner includes pecan crusted catfish and a bread pudding.

Repeat the same thing the next day, but instead substitute a shrimp po'boy for lunch ....



and a decadent dinner at The Bon Ton Cafe.













Last day, breakfast from Cafe du Monde, work work work, and then have lunch catered by John Besh's Luke restaurant.  Shrimp and Grits.  Probably my favorite meal.





Then hop on a plane and come home.  Fortunately, there was a bit of time for knitting on the plane and reading.  Goodness, the girls I worked with in NOLA insisted I download and read Fifty Shades of Grey on the flight home...finished it in one day.  

Now back to eating healthy, physical therapy, and swimming...and KNITTING!  I've missed my needles these past few weeks with all the party planning and traveling.  Definitely looking forward to relaxing a bit this weekend!

Happy Weekend!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

Bridal Shower Tea Party

When my sister requested a tea party-themed bridal shower, I immediately went to Martha to find some inspiration.  My sister-in-law and I took those ideas and ran and I think we put together a lovely shower!  The only thing I would change: having a bit more time before and during the shower to take proper pictures.  Hostessing and taking pictures were too much I guess :) 

First thing....the invitations.  Overwhelmed by all the cheesy ones I saw online, I just asked Jill to do her thing since I had seen some of her other custom invitations.  She knows me so well, that this was it on her first try!



Thank you Jill! 

Then there was the food.






I made four different kinds of finger sandwiches:  Egg Salad, Herbed Goat Cheese, Turkey Tea Sandwiches, and for the bride, almond butter and strawberry jam.  I used Madeleine's scone recipe (ok, technically this one, but Madeleine first introduced me to them) and one I found from the Ravelry Cuppa Tea group.  Ravelry, can find anything there :)





My sister-in-law made the cake and red velvet cupcakes too!  I am so impressed with her cake decorating....amazing!  And delicious too.  Lemon bars, shortbread cookies, and pecan shortbread cookies were made by me, all courtesy of the fabulous Barefoot Contessa.







Here are the favors we made.  Vintage mix and match tea cups, with shortbread heart cookies, heart sugar cubes from Wishingwell Arts and Crafts, and individual tea bags that we made with tags of the couple's initials and wedding date (and without a picture?!).





My sister's godmother hosted the party in her gorgeous backyard and she coordinated the tables to look just perfect.




















The bride-to-be and the mother of the bride



Little Snowboarder and I had a great time Friday afternoon putting these together.  We took this big pile of flowers....



.....and turned them into these centerpieces.  I just love the tea tins as vases!



I spy a little snowboarder..





I'm pretty sure my sister had a wonderful afternoon!


The Sisters



Oh, and the tea.  I've become a bit obsessed, I'll admit.  Between Harney & Sons and Teavana, I'll be drinking the good stuff for awhile :)  There are extra shortbread in the freezer, so feel free to stop by for a spot of tea soon.

Happy Tea Party!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits