Win a Custom Halloween Costume!

Posted June 4th, 2010 | Permalink

I know it’s early to be thinking about Halloween, and I promise, you don’t have to think too hard yet. As many of you know, I create custom Halloween costumes each year; some for friends, for my own kids, and some that are ordered from total strangers. They are all handcrafted and created to last for many, many years – to be saved, worn over and over, loaned to friends, and passed down.

I’ve donated gift certificates for custom costumes many times, to help various groups raise money. Now I have the group that’s raising money – my daughter’s Girl Scout troop. I am one of three leaders in the troop and along with the eleven girls we’ve been working very hard all year to raise money for a troop trip to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. We are closing in on our departure date, June 20, and still have some fundraising to do – in the neighborhood of $750.

So, I have set up a drawing for a custom Halloween costume.

And you could be the lucky winner!

  • The winner will receive one custom-made Halloween costume for a baby, toddler or child.
  • If you’re the lucky winner, I will create the Halloween costume of your choice and deliver/mail it to you in time for Halloween.
  • Tickets are $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. I will donate all proceeds to my daughter’s troop to help with our trip fund.

50 Tickets in 14 Days!

My goal is to sell 50 drawing tickets in 14 days. Of course I’d be happy to sell more! Tickets must be purchased by 9pm, June 19th. The drawing will be held on June 20. Tickets can be purchased online (see below), in person, or by mail.

Below are some of my creations for you to check out. And below that are some rules for the drawing, a link to purchase tickets online, and info to purchase by mail.

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Drawing Rules:

  • One winner will be chosen, by random drawing, from all entries received.
  • The winner will be announced on June 20, 2010.
  • Prize is one custom-designed and crafted costume for a baby, toddler or child (10 years or under), including delivery or shipping via USPS, in time for Halloween.
  • Winner must choose costume theme by September 1, 2010 (I am happy to help with this).
  • I have the right to say “there’s no way I can make that!” if winner chooses a costume theme that is beyond my capabilities, in which case we’ll work together to choose something else!
  • Of course you can give your prize as a gift! What a great idea!
  • This drawing is my own personal doing, not that of the Girl Scout troop, or Girl Scouts USA – because that would be breaking the Girl Scout rules of fundraising, and we don’t want to do that.
  • Please contact me with any questions.

To purchase tickets online using a credit card or PayPal, click here:

Quantity

To purchase tickets by mail, please contact me at kate@4squarewalls.com and I’ll email a mailing address to you and get your contact information.

Good Luck and Thank You very much for your support as we make our way to Virginia!

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Just Looking Glass

Posted April 16th, 2010 | Permalink

The flea market is calling me today. It’s been open, at the end of the road, on weekends now and sunny days for a few weeks. It’s open today, with quite a few vendors.

As I passed in my car today a table chock-full of old glass caught my eye. And when I say the flea market is calling me, I mean that table of old glass is calling me.

I have a thing for glass. And really, it’s kind of a new thing. At least, I’ve never noticed my passion for it before. I can see now, plainly, that it has been there, way back in my meeself for a long time. When I was a teenager, I loved to spend my money on wine glasses and champagne flutes, even though I didn’t drink. But it never occurred to me that it was the glass that drew me, I thought it was “nest building” for my future home. And maybe it was. Glasses first.

When I worked at Crate & Barrel years ago, I loved working in the glass department, and I purchased a book at a garage sale about the history of American Glass. I should have known then that I was hooked, but it just didn’t occur to me. I had too many other interests too.

Last September, I went to the flea market at the end of the road and purchased a bunch of old glass pieces: a completely random mix of cocktail glasses, compotes, ashtrays, little bowls, mason jars; in all colors and textures and sizes. I bought them for a total of $22. I don’t know how many pieces, at least 20 I’d say.

glassontable2

I used them as part of the décor for my outdoor 40th birthday party. I put a handful of dried beans and a tea-lite in each one and covered the outdoor buffet tables with them for a really cool evening glow. It was lovely. Really, it was.

My intention was to sell them on Ebay after the party. Or give them as prizes here on 4Square.

But, since then, I haven’t been able to let go of them. Or even store them away. They live in an old basket in our sunroom, tucked in a corner. But they keep making their way out: to the mantel, as centerpieces for dinner, as vases for stones or little flowers, and again as candleholders for our outdoor Easter dinner.

There are lots of pieces in the basket. One of my favorites – a light blue water glass. I love the way the light plays through it. It’s a playful piece, feminine and light. It belongs on a shelf with my books about etiquette and Heloise’s Kitchen Hints. I think I’ll put it there.

blueglass2

I also love the clear glass compotes. Who uses compotes anymore? But we should. They’re so cool. I use them as candy dishes. Never had candy dishes around my house before, and really, we don’t NEED candy lying around all the time, but the compotes were just begging me. They said, “Please put candy in us and set us around the house. It will make everyone happy.” So I did.

I guess glass speaks to me.

And so now I know, I realize, that I love glass. Old glass especially. I am a fan of Simon Pierce Glass, but honestly, it’s almost too gorgeous…too delicate. I don’t want to have to be too careful around my glass. I don’t want to pay $100 per square inch either.

And I have long coveted and collected specific, small pieces from Sydenstricker Glass on Cape Cod. Very specific pieces – many of their patterns are just not for me. The ones I do have come out rarely, in the springtime, for brunch (we have brunch so often around here – not) or an afternoon snack in the sun when I’m just feeling like the world is sweet.

I like my glass to be everyday. I like it to be whenever, wherever.

masonjar2
Easy-going glass.

I’ll try to stay out of the flea market today. Then again, if I take pictures while I’m there, I can call it homework.

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What’s for dinner?

Posted March 26th, 2010 | Permalink

Do you hear that every day? I do. As many of you know, I’m not the world’s best cook. I’m a work in progress. I can’t cook at all if I don’t have a recipe. At all.

So, my kids will tell you that if it weren’t for Rachael Ray and Better Homes & Gardens, they’d starve. Not true. My husband is a great cook.

But, since I get home first, it falls to me. And that’s fine with me. Well, that’s fine with me 5 nights a week. I really don’t cook on Friday and Saturday. Especially Friday.

I sit down every Sunday with my pad of paper and make up the menu for the week; perusing my two magazines, or my handful of cookbooks, choosing meals that I think I can handle in an hour’s time, while helping with homework, and hearing about everyone’s day. It’s not at all unusual for me to pick 4 recipes from one single magazine, noting the pages on my menu.

I have to say though, as long as I have a recipe, the dinner usually turns out just like the picture, and tastes good. Sometimes even really good. I note on the magazine or cookbook page how the meal was received by my family and move on to the next night.

Because this is my pattern, we rarely have the same meal twice. We have family favorites, of course; family food, recipes passed down, childhood favorites, comfort foods. I usually use these when I know I’ll be strapped for time, or if for some reason I didn’t have time to make up a menu at the beginning of the week. Those are not easy days for me. I do not cook well on the fly. I become stressed and ugly. Sometimes, I just don’t understand why we can’t just have cereal for dinner every night.

This week, I have a great menu. I like weeks like this. I’m confident that we will eat well every night this week. Here’s my menu for the week. And yes, they all come from one magazine: the April issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Page numbers are included for those who have this issue, as are direct links to the recipes online. BH&G didn’t include sides (one thing Rachael does very well), so I’ve conjured all of those on my own. Remember, we are gluten free – so I adjust sometimes, but I choose recipes that adjust easily.

Sunday:
Carribean Pork Loin with Pineapple Raisin Relish (pg. 184)
Roasted tomatoes with onions and garlic

Monday:
Frizzled Egg Spinach Salad (pgs. 174 and 218)
Rice and baked corn tortillas

Tuesday:
Basil Beef Barley Soup (pg. 194 – I had to use gf pasta instead of barley)
Tortillas with salsa

Wednesday:
Garlic Parmesan Chicken & Noodles (pg. 194)
Lettuce wedges with yogurt/cucumber/garlic dressing (easy Tzatziki)

Thursday:
Jambalaya Pizza (pg. 227)

My favorite was the Frizzled Egg Spinach Salad. I’d never frizzled before, and it was so cool. My kids were in awe. I bowed. I should have taken a picture, but we ate it too fast.

I did take a picture of the Garlic Parmesan Chicken & Noodles and the lettuce wedges. We all loved this meal. It was homey, like chicken pot pie, but without the crust. I could see adding pearl onions to this too, though it didn’t need anything. Plus, it gave me a good reason to use these cute little single serve pie dishes that I just love. Don’t you love them too? I know it.

DINNER1

Lettuce wedges are so simple and so easy to dress up. I love them as a side. And the kids seem to like iceberg lettuce the best. And when you dress them with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of Tzatziki, they go a little crazy. They use the lettuce like a rubber spatula to scrape up every bit.

dinner2

As you can see, there is no dessert on this menu. We only have dessert on weekends in our house: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week, we went the easy route and bought a box of Dilly Bars and a box of Buster Bars from Dairy Queen. Sometimes though, we get pretty happy with dessert. But that’s another post for another day.
*Post script: It’s Thursday night; Jambalaya Pizza night. We had macaroni with sauce from a jar. Not Jambalaya Pizza. Rather, they had macaroni and sauce from a jar while my tiredness and my unhappy stomach and I sat up in bed and did taxes. At 9:30 I had some cream of rice and a glass of water. Sometimes that happens too.

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