moving on.

I've been absent, and I apologize. In my defense, I was having babies. Yes, multiples. Two boys. The sweetest, brightest, most adorable boys you will ever meet. Life has been a blur at best.

Part of that blur has been a new adventure. My new life as a mommy seemed to require a new forum for discussing it. While this place is going to be taking a seat on the back burner, I have no plans to abandon it. There is just so much going on in new places in my life, I needed to adapt.

So until I make my way back home, follow me here for a while.

http://iammadame.blogspot.com/

Happy Mother's Day!!!

love x 2.

They say life is full of surprises. Well, folks, I'm here to confirm that this statement is, indeed, very true.

Turns out we love each other so much, we made two! <3 p="p">

Quite a shock to find out when you are already five months pregnant! Having TWO little sweet peas in my pod (although they are much bigger than peas at this point - now they both already weigh in at over a pound each!) instead of just one means a change in our due date! Full term for twins is three full weeks before singletons, so our little boys should be arriving sometime around November 29, 2012! We certainly will have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

love love love love <3 br="br">

love.

Well, folks, you may or may not have heard the rumors. I'm here today to tell you that the rumors are true.

We are having a baby!!!

Our little sweet pea (well, this week it's as big as a lime) is due to enter the world on December 17 December 20, 2012*, so we still have a sizeable amount of the journey left. We are the luckiest couple in the world, to have found each other and now to have created a little bundle of love to share with the rest of the world!

love love love! <3

 *EDIT!!! At our appointment this morning (5/25) the midwives checked the size of my uterus & changed the due date to December 20. (Sorry Katie!!! Baby still loves you!)

home is wherever there is you.

One of my dearest friends in France sent me a letter which I happily received today and she mentioned that I haven't shared any decent photos of our new digs. We moved to our perfect little oasis in Columbia City a little over a month ago and are so happy it makes me giddy!!! Since I can remember we've always had this magical wishlist in our heads of what we would ideally like in a place to call home, and we try to check as many off the list we can when we look at prospective places.

The list:

• A fireplace
• Hardwood floors
• A decent kitchen
• A "real" yard/garden (this can be interpreted a thousand ways, of course)
• Close to work
• Good walking score
• Nice neighbors/community

 Well, my friends, this place takes the cake! Not only does it fulfill every item on our wishlist, but it is so much more! It has amazing energy and I think it's safe to say we will both be very happy here for some time.

As promised, here are the chez Coutarel photos!

101 in 1001: the end of an era

Remember back in the day when I started a crazy project in an effort to cheer myself up and drag myself out
 of my lonely French apartment?

Times sure have changed.

In the beginning I used this project much like a crutch; it helped me baby step my way out of some serious depression after my cousin died & I moved as far away as possible from the rest of my family. (Don't worry, it turned out just fine.) I spent hours perfecting my list and hours choosing how to successfully cross things off.

Slowly but surely I ventured out of my apartment and out of my comfort/fear zone & life started picking up speed again. Soon I didn't need a crutch to help me anymore, and before you know it I had forgotten the internet entirely, fully invested in my amazing uncyber life!!

Well, it has come to my attention that the date of completion for Project Zero has passed! (Over a month ago!!!!) And it's time to do a little recapping.

(More after the jump!)

what's new?

Well now, doesn't time just fly right by? I guess that means I must be having fun. ;)

Here's what's been happening chez Coutarel over the past few months:

Old stuff:

• I'm still teaching French before school at Laurelhurst Elementary and loving every second of it.
• Remy's still at PCC and loving it, too.*
• Tippen & Napoleon (our two cats) are cute as ever.
• My 101 in 1001 project has officially come to an end.

 New stuff:

• We bought a car.
• Our car got stolen.
• We got our car back. (!!!!)
• I started working at PCC in West Seattle. (As a second job.)
• I turned 27.
• We moved to a new house in Columbia City. (Well, technically Hillman City, but same diff.)
• We got three adorable chicks who are now in their awkward adolescent phase.
• I started a new project focused on reconnecting.
• I started a few new blogs (things that chelsea did & project reconnect), although I've been equally neglecting those for a while, too.
• I'm working on revamping this blog.
• We planted a kick-ass garden.

*We recently bought a lotto ticket (for the first time ever in the US!) and while discussing what we might do with $118 million, Remy decided he wouldn't want to quit PCC, meaning he must love it there! I was very impressed.

I promise I will do my best to keep you more informed on current events! In the meantme, I hope you all have been enjoying the beautiful Seattle sunshine!

feuilles

the beauty of fall is inspiring.

a little wax paper project with the hubby.

 

whales.

trees.

lips.

 

sweet potato almond/walnut maple cinnamon buns

It's Saturday morning. I wanted to make something delicious for my hubby. And I had just the recipe in mind.

 

Ooey gooey cinnamon buns.

Well now. Need I say much more? 

This recipe was in this month's Vegetarian Times, and can be found here. I knew the second I saw it the other day that I would be trying it soon. I didn't have pecans, so I used almonds and walnuts instead. And I woke up to discover Remy had used all but a smidgen of the vegan cream cheese when he got home last night, so I improvised on the glaze. It's mostly maple syrup & powdered sugar, with a splash of almond extract, but it gets the job done.

The recipe makes 12 and I was hoping to bring some to French brunch tomorrow with my mom, but I have a feeling they might not make it through the night. :)

Happy baking!!!

vegan cupcakes take over seattle!!!

I wasn't joking around when I told Paige, the best physical therapist in the world (mom, you are the best physical therapist in my heart, of course) that I make a mean cupcake. And sometimes culinary love is just the perfect way to show how much you appreciate someone! I wanted to thank her (and my amazing chiropractor, Chris; and my doctor, Dr. Hoffman; and all the staff at US Healthworks) for all she's (they've) done to help me heal. So I whipped up a few batches of the best edible thank you gift known to man - the cupcake.

The recipes were inspired/taken/modified from Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero's amazing book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. 

They are absolutely divine.

Tiramisu Cupcake

Featuring golden vanilla cupcakes; kahlua/espresso filling; vegan cream cheese frosting; and cocoa powder, cinnamon and coffee beans on top!

I heard many a soul sigh that this was the best thing they had ever put in their mouth, although that might have something to do with the large amounts of mocha kahlua I used to make it yummy. (I warned the girls not to eat & drive - Paige said she blew a 0.036 right after eating it!)

Chocolate Raspberry Tort Cupcake

Featuring basic chocolate cupcakes; Crofter's organic raspberry preserves as filling; chocolate mousse (which is HEAVEN by itself) and fresh raspberries from Willie Green's on top.

I made up the name on this one and I've never actually had chocolate raspberry tort, but if it's anything like this cupcake, sign me up. This was a compilation of ideas from the book thrown together because asked what his favorite kind of cake was, Chris didn't hesitate for a second to reply raspberry-filled chocolate.

(I would also like to note I was told this was the "best f***ing cupcake ever eaten".)

Chai Tea Latte Cupcake

Indian Summer into Fall are my favorite culinary seasons, and who doesn't love a delicious soy chai tea latte? This moist and spicy cake features black & chai teas, soy yogurt to add depth and plenty of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg & cocoa to warm you all winter long. Dusted with powdered sugar & stenciled spices.

 

These creations were made with lots of love and appreciation for my healers! I am feeling so much better thanks to them and could not express my gratitude better than these treats! Just imagine what they'll get when I'm 100% healed! :)

Happy baking!

what the hell does a vegan eat anyways?

Sorry for the long hiatus. Life has been kicking my ass as of late. I am currently healing from a crazy work-related back injury (more to come in future posts) and thought staying away from the internet prudent while on crazy medications. Drunk dialing is one thing, vicodin/muscle-relaxant-induced blog posts are quite another!

Anyway, I have been inspired by a whole shlew of blogs I follow, including but not limited to what the hell does a vegan eat anyway? and Vegan Score and crab & bee and have been documenting certain delicious meals that show just how amazing a vegan diet can be! I thought I'd share some of my latest and greatest creations so that you, too can eat delicious vegan meals!

Vegan Sloppy Joes!!!

(featuring vegetarian sloppy joe mix from

Fantastic Foods, fresh onions & Rudy's whole wheat buns)
Mix the mix with tomato paste & oil.
Toast your buns.
Add whatever condiments/extras you like!

No-Cream Creamed Corn!!!

 Easiest and most delicious creamed corn recipe ever:

8 cups corn kernels (fresh is best, of course)

3 tbs olive oil

2 medium leeks, thinly sliced

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped (dried is ok, too)

1. Puree 3 cups of the corn with 2 cups water until smooth.

Strain mixture through sieve and discard solids (I've kept them, tooand it's equally delicious).

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, add leeks & salt and sautee1 minute. Add remaining 5 cups corn and saute 2 more minutes.

3. Add corn puree to corn-leek mixture and bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat to low & simmer 15 minutes, stirring often.

5. Remove from heat & stir in dill. Season with salt & pepper & enjoy!

I haven't EVER had left overs with this recipe, no matter how much I make!

Green Onion Pancakes!!!

 2 cups flour

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp peanut/canola oil

1 cup boiling water

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (we use fresh green onions from the garden whenever we feel like it)

peanut oil for frying

 Basically make a dough with the first four ingredients and knead 10 minutes.

Let sit 30 minutes, covered in a warm spot. 

Roll it out into a big rectangle, brush on sesame oil & sprinkle with onions.

Roll up into a roll and slice off 8 slices. Flatten them & roll them out (see above).

Cook on medium high heat in oily skillet 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown.

 Absolutely divine with soy sauce!!!

Veggie Bouillon!!!

I have been saving scraps from our CSA box, stored conveniently in used cups from work in the freezer and FINALLY got around to making a DELICIOUS veggie base for soups this winter!

 Our fridge is filled with venti starbucks cups of veggie parts.

 Which may include bits of zuccini, garlic, onions, beets, carrot tops, celery, leeks, cauliflower &

broccoli stalks, corn cobs, beet & turnip tops, ends of beans, etc etc.

 It all cooked into a delicious soup base.

And now my freezer is filled with handy veggie bouillon cubes.
I highly recommend this easy food project to everyone!
Crab & bee talk more about it here.

CSA Box Scramble!

 My favorite breakfast of late has been a tofu scramble 

incorporating whatever's in our CSA box from Willie Green's Organic Farm out in Monroe.

Last week was tofu with rainbow chard, carrots, beets, onions, garlic and tomatoes.

PLEASE steal my ideas and share your own with me!!! Recipe sharing is the best EVER & right now is the season! Coming soon: Best vegan cupcake adventures yet!

Happy eating!!!

octopus! merchandise!!!

The octopus! fundraiser merchandise is finally here! We have an assortment of tees, sweatshirts and totes for sale with our octopus! logo, in various sizes and colors. Please contact us with all inquiries or orders (with your name, size, color and design preference) at octopusforms@gmail.com.

WE WILL BE AT THE SKAGIT COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 AND SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, ALL DAY. COME STOP BY OUR TENT AND CHECK OUT OUR T-SHIRTS!!!

Remy designed and executed all the images. We all silk screened every piece by hand.

 Here is the main image for our team:

an octopus riding a bicycle.

 

 Here is the second image Remy designed:

an octopus taking over the Space Needle 

with Mt. Rainier in the background.

 Me getting my silk screen on.

So far we have only completed silk screening of the first image, but we are working on the second one. Requests/orders may be made for either image, and we'll try our best. We unfortunately can't make any guarantees.

LADIES

For the first image we have two ink colors so far for women's tees. Black ink on yellow tees or blue sweatshirts, and white ink on green or orange or purple tees.

 Black ink selection.

White with black ink, bike image.

(We currently only have XS in this combo.)

 Yellow with black ink.

(We currently only have mediums in this combo.)

 White ink selection.

 Purple with white ink.

(Sorry we are currently sold out of this combo.)

[Some images ride across the torso.]

 Orange with white ink.

(We currently only have L in this combo.)

[Some images ride off the tee.]

Green with white ink.

(We currently have M and L in this combo.)

[Some images are more or less centered.]

GENTS

We also have men's tees printed with the octopus on a bike image. We have white or grey tees with black ink, and red, navy, blue or dark green tees with white ink. All the men's tees (except the dark green) have a pocket and two buttons (best seen in the picture of the white tee).

 Red with white ink, bike image.

(We currently only have M in this combo.) 

 Blue with white ink, bike image.

(Sorry we are currently sold out of this combo.) 

 Navy with white ink, bike image.

(Sorry we are currently sold out of this combo.)

 White with black ink, bike image.

(We currently have S & L in this combo.)

 Grey with black ink, bike image.

(We currently only have XL in this combo.)

Dark green with white ink, bike image.

(We currently only have L in this combo.)

 Red with white ink, space needle image.
(We currently have M & S in this combo.)

 Bright blue with white ink, space needle image.
(We currently have L in this combo.)

 Grey with black ink, space needle image.
(We currently have S in this combo.)

 Navy blue with white ink, space needle image.
(We currently have XL in this combo.)

SWEATSHIRTS

We currently have three types of sweatshirts, but more are coming. Blue or grey zip hoodies and grey short-sleeved sweatshirts.

Grey short-sleeved sweatshirt with white ink.

(We currently have L & XL in this combo.)

Grey zip hoodie with white on black ink on front.

(We currently only have medium in this combo.)

Keep checking back for updates with new combos, with pictures of our options with the second image and for dates we will be out selling our merchandise at specific Seattle locations!!

This coming weekend is the ride!!! We will be at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon for the whole weekend!!! Come visit!!!

Again, we are asking a minimum donation of $30 for tee-shirts and $50 for sweatshirts, but feel free to donate more if you feel so inclined!

Thank you so much for your support and for helping bring movement back to those who have lost it from MS!!! Together we can make a difference!!

Our team page: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/octopus

monkey see monkey do

So I finally did it. I finished the monkey.

While it did involve quite a bit of rushed final touches, I think it turned out pretty damn cute in general.

 all the finished pieces.

Sewing the whole thing together proved to be the hardest part. I realized I have no idea whatsoever how to sew knit stuff together, so I pretty much winged it. I certainly hope it doesn't all come apart, but it ended up looking ok.

To sum up the parts, the yarn is organic untreated cotton I dyed myself with coffee grounds and chai tea. The stuffing is bamboo and dried organic lavender. The face is felt, buttons and embroidery thread. The hands, feet & ears are cotton. The monkey's blanket is a square of felt & is attached to his hand with a button.

The pattern I used was of a teddy bear from the book Knitted Toy Tales, minus the snout part and plus a tail I made up.

 the blanket idea is thanks to remy.
it is removable, attached with a button.

 side view.

 tail detail.

 i love his goofy smile.

The monkey was designed/made with lots of love for our amazing "nephew", Solomon, who turned two this past week. It took me about two months from start to finish to complete this project and was totally worth it. Special shout out to Remy for finishing details in the car on the way up to the birthday party in Bellingham, for coming up with the blanket idea and for generally supporting me through my fits of frustration while trying to sew the damn thing together.

Remy also came up with his own creative idea for a present. Solomon's two favorite things right now are monkeys and baseball, so Remy designed, drew and printed a tee-shirt for him. It turned out pretty damn adorable, too.

 tee details.

both our presents for solomon.

Sol and his parents, Mariah & Sam are some of the most beautiful people we know, so we wanted our presents to reflect their beauty (inside & out!) and our love for them! We are so excited to get to be closer and actually see Solomon grow up before our eyes. 

My next project is to use the same general pattern along with the organic cotton yarn I dyed bright yellow (see this post) to create a knit lion for my dear friend, Elise who is preggers with her first back in France!! She is due in October, so my goal is to be done with enough time to have it sent to her before her little baby girl pops out!

So much adorable in this post & I'll leave you with this last image so you will all understand how freaking cute Solomon is!!

<3