Fabulous Friday — Alabama Chanin

Just look at those outfits. GORGEOUS!!! They are from the Alabama Chanin Spring 2010 collection. Let me just reach into the ol' wallet to pull out ... hmmm, I've got $3 and about 76 cents in change. Not even close. But here's where I pull the old bait and switch.


Me: Honey, can I have $2,000 for a GORGEOUS dress?
Chris: No.
Me: Then how about $24 bucks for the book that will inspire me to make my own?
Chris: Go for it.
Me: Oh, and I'll need another $24 because there's actually two books ... blah, blah, blah.
Chris: Sure, whatever.


Because I want both of Natalie Chanin's books. Somehow I missed the first one, Alabama Stitch Book, published in 2008. And now the second book, Alabama Studio Style, is arriving on shelves now. Chanin is the designer behind first, Project Alabama, and now Alabama Chanin. A darling of the fashion world, she traveled the world and came home to Florence. The designs are wonderful, rich and very unique. I would love to own a T-shirt or two. She's not selfish either, writing these books to share her how-tos. Now, you may or may not know that I am obsessed with craft/design blogs right now. I love reading wonderful folks sharing their wonderful ideas. I check a bunch daily. And I started to notice a trend. Chanin was everywhere. She drove to Nashville to work a project with this gal. She answered a Q &A here. The new book is being reviewed all over. Makes me wish I thought to request a review copy myself. But I found myself wondering, why is Chanin all over my favorite blogs? And then I found this. Being new to the blogsphere, I hadn't seen a "blog tour" before. It's pure marketing genius. The perfect application of this "new" beast called social media. So follow that link and follow Chanin on her blog tour. Or you can follow me to the bookstore.

Pause. Reset.

Today was one of those days. Days that I wished I could climb back in bed and stay there forever. But you can't do that when you have kids. Kids that need food and baths and attention, lots and lots of attention.

The day didn't start out bad. The boys and I were having a good time playing when things crossed the line. Will jumped on me without warning, his chin slamming hard into my face, cracking the frame of my glasses. It hurt, it really hurt. Poor William was okay but started crying because I was hurt. It was an accident and no harm was meant. But it did make the rest of the day spiral downward.

The glasses will have to be fixed or replaced. They are so off center that I've had a headache ever since noon. A headache that made being a loving mommy a little harder ... okay, a lot harder ... than usual. I managed to get us outside for a few minutes even though it is sooooo cold here (because we're weather wimps and it's suppose to be 65 now, not 40). I managed to feed the kids something though I can't recall what. I managed to get both bathed and dressed for bed. It was a long day. And I'm going to bed early.

But guess what. There is a highlight to this day. Something that makes me smile. Because as Will was eating dinner, we decided his birthday cake. And then it all fell into place. The cake, the invites, the theme ... it's going to be awesome.

I'm excited. Today was a good day.

We heart pancakes

Good morning. How about some nice pancakes for breakfast?
What, don't have time to make yummy pancakes? Sure you do.
Think it's too much hassle and only reserved for weekends? Why wait?
You can have pancakes any time you want. Here's the secret:

And it's really not much of a secret. I had heard/read you could freeze a batch of pancakes for future use. Wasn't sure I really believed it would work ... until I tried it. And dang if they don't taste fresh after a pop in the toaster!

Around here (to the folks that live with me), I'm know for making chocolate chip pancakes. Chris commented while eating a recent plateful that these would be my specialty. By which he meant that one day in the great future, Will is going to be remembering his childhood and all the yummy pancakes he ate standing on the step stool next to me as I flipped. Most of the pancakes don't make it to the table. The ones we don't eat go to the freezer.

Now, I could make my pancakes from scratch if I wanted to ... but I'm a Bisquick girl. Measure and go. I've tried other mixes, both more and less expensive, and always come back to the classic yellow box. Their recipe makes 12 to 16 pancakes. It depends on how big or small you make them. I used to cut the recipe in half until I figured out that the other half could go in the freezer. For your family, you may need to make two batches or so to get enough to stash.

How I make my pancakes (it's their recipe)

2 cups Bisquick mix
1 cup milk plus a little bit (I like my pancakes a little thinner)
2 eggs

Another secret ... on the box under the recipe they list variations. I like mine "supreme" so I add

2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp banking powder
vanilla (I don't measure my vanilla. Start with a tsp and go from there)

Here's where you could add 1/2 cup chocolate chips to the bowl. Instead, I sprinkle the chips on as the pancakes are cooking. Better to control the distribution of chocolate. Will is especially fond of this part of the process and insists on taste testing the chocolate chips every time to insure quality standards are being meet.

After we've enjoyed our pancakes, the leftovers go into the freezer. The next day or next week, I just take one or two out, pop them in the toaster and in just a few seconds, we're enjoying hot, yummy pancakes. The toaster even melts the chocolate chips just right. Add some scrambled eggs, fruit and a glass of milk and it's a nice and balanced way to start the day.

Psst ... Betty Crocker has some cute pancake placemats for free download here.