sewmona – Page 2

Highlands Hammock State Park

*This post contains affiliate links.

We spent part of spring break camping at Highlands Hammock State Park. The corona virus was starting to cause shut downs and we weren’t sure what would happen (they did end up closing the campground after we left). However, camping is the best way to isolate yourself (well, besides staying home, but camping is more fun!).

Campground at Highlands Hammock State Park — Our home for a few days.

We love Florida State Parks! They’re well maintained and the campgrounds are always nice. This one was bigger than what we normally stay at, and there wasn’t a lot of green space between campsites, but it was still nice. They only have water and electric hookups and there’s a dump station. We try to be careful how much water we use in the camper and use the campground bath houses. We did take our blue boy (which happens to be gray) so that we could drain our tanks if needed.

We almost always take our bikes – it gives my boys something to do at the campground aka burn some of their neverending energy. Lots of times there are nice bike trails around the park as well. The trail here was a nice hard packed one with several geocaches along it.

Bike Trail at Highlands Hammock State Park

They also have nine hiking trails in the park. My favorite was this one although it’s currently the dry season and the swamp isn’t very, well, swampy.

Once you get to the swamp, this is the boardwalk. I can’t imagine what it must be like during the rainy season (we are planning to go back).

This mama gator and her baby were perfectly content to just watch us from across the swamp. I imagine if it was the rainy season we would’ve seen a lot more gators!

This turtle was catching some sun. There was another one swimming around munching on some leaves.

The other boardwalks at the park are equally as nice. They are easy to walk on and have plenty of benches so you can sit and relax.

Some of the other trails do not have boardwalks.

One of them leads to this amazing 900+ year old oak tree!

We always look for an ice cream place when we camp – preferably a locally owned place. We weren’t sure anything would be open because corona was in full swing and groups of ten or more were discouraged. Fortunately, Sebring Soda and Ice Cream Works was open. They had a nice variety of sodas in glass bottles and lots of ice cream flavors!

*This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more details.

Homemade Mint Milkshake

*This post contains affiliate links.

My husband and boys love March. It’s shamrock shake time. However, it seems to be hit or miss as to whether or not McDonalds will actually have them and if the shake machine is working.

Very similar to the caramel frappe – they are actually super easy to make!

Vanilla ice cream (whatever kind you like – this stuff was on sale BOGO)
milk
mint extract (not spearmint, not peppermint – mint)
green food coloring (optional)

I put in 3 scoops of ice cream, enough milk to cover it, 1/4-1/2 tsp of mint extract, and 2 drops of green food coloring. It’s all very un-exact.

I use my immersion blender to mix it all together, but you could just stir it with a spoon until it’s well blended. Of course, if you have a fancy blender, that would work great I’m sure. You can add more milk if it’s too thick or more ice cream if it’s too thin.

Enjoy!

*This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure page for more details.

My First Stitch Fix Box

*This post contains affiliate links.

I hopped on the Stitch Fix bandwagon the other day when The Humbled Homemaker posted a $75 code good for your first fix. I figured that should cover at least one item and surely they could pick one thing that I would like, right? I filled out the form – made sure to specify that I live in Florida and don’t wear a lot of cool weather clothes (probably my first mistake was doing this while most of the country is still in the middle of winter!).

First up is a lightweight cardigan. It’s navy which I like, but it’s a cardigan…I don’t wear sweaters much – maybe two or three weeks out of the year. I tried it on and while it kinda fit, the sleeves were really long on me and there’s no pockets (I really like having pockets!). Definitely not often enough to justify a $38 sweater.

Next is a 3/4 sleeve knit top. The first thing that popped into my head when I saw it was T-rex arms. I’m not a fan of 3/4 length sleeves – I’m either pushing them up to make them short sleeve or trying to pull them down to make them long sleeve. It’s equally awkward on me as well. The cuffs are kinda tight and if I try to reach for something, the shirt pulls oddly. Either way, it’s not worth $38 to me.

Next was this cute cold shoulder top. I think I like it (I tried it on and I’m not sure about the cold shoulder style) and it might be worth the $34, but then I remembered that I have a pattern to make a shirt just like this!

I really like the twist in the sleeve hem. I think I’ll have to print the pattern and make myself one!

These distressed boyfriend jeans were such a disappointment! I specifically said I wouldn’t wear anything distressed – I don’t want holes in my brand new clothes!

I really wanted a decent pair of shorts or capris, but again I’m guessing that my timing was off since it’s still winter in most of the country. However, I did mention in my style comments that I live in FL and was looking for shorts & T’s.

Did I mention I was disappointed? I have a hard time buying ready-to-wear shorts/capris that fit me well. I was really hoping for a pair.

Then, there were these shoes! At first I was a little bummed that they sent me shoes…I really wanted clothes, but then I tried them on and they’re actually comfy. I’ve been looking for a new pair of sneakers that I can wear to work and these will fit the bill. Totally worth the $79! Of course, I’ll only actually pay $4 because I’ll use my $75 credit. Pretty good deal if you ask me!

If I had liked everything, there’s a 25% buy all discount plus my $75 credit which would’ve made my total $110.25. That’s a pretty sweet deal…if I liked everything. I did comment on everything they sent me and expressed my disappointment in my stylist. I felt like she didn’t actually read what I wrote and just sent a “standard” first box.

Are you interested in trying Stitch Fix? Maybe you’ll have better luck! Click here to get a $25 credit towards your first Fix.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.

Lemon Cookies

As I mentioned here, we have a lemon tree that produces an amazing amount of lemons. Every year I struggle to use them all. I’m not a fan of eating lemons straight off the tree…neither is my family. They do, however, love lemon flavored things. One of their favorites are these lemon cookies. I’ve altered the recipe a bit so there’s no extracts and all the lemon flavor comes from lemons.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of 2 large lemons
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup salted butter at room temperature
1 large egg
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or all the juice from the 2 large lemons)
granulated sugar for rolling cookies

I don’t have a zester, so I use my cheese grater. It works almost as well…it’s just a pain to clean.

You don’t need a fancy juicer. This little do-it-yourself one works just fine.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add lemon zest, egg, and lemon juice. Mix until combined.
Gradually blend dry ingredients into the butter/lemon mixture.
Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place on baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are slightly brown around the edges. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for two minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Enjoy!

Do you like lemon cookies? What is your favorite lemon recipe?

Original recipe here.

Pattern Review: Baseball Boxers by Meyraki Patterns

*This post contains affiliate links.

I recently tested the new Baseball Boxers pattern by Meyraki Patterns (formerly PickleToe Patterns). They are a super quick sew! I normally make functional boxers (found here), but my oldest son is too big for the pattern now. I actually had to buy him underwear….oh, the horror! Fortunately, this pattern has solved my problem. It comes in sizes up to 16.

Front of Boxers - long length and regular length

This pattern is great for scraps – the front and back panels don’t take up much fabric. The legs require a little more, but I was able to use mostly scraps for these and still end up with decent looking boxers.

Back of Boxers, long length and regular length

I chose the easiest options for testing – unlined and unhemmed (actually that wasn’t part of the testing, but I rarely hem knit underwear – it doesn’t ravel and it seems like it’s just a wasted step). The are several options for leg length – I made the shorter length (stripes) and longer length (solid). There’s also an option to band them.

There are a couple options for the waistband too. If you have plush back elastic, you can do an exposed elastic waist. I did not have any, so my elastic is enclosed. Both are super quick!

Grab the pattern while it’s on sale plus the WHOLE site is on sale at 60% off with purchase of $10 or more in your cart.

*This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more details.