world's easiest tote, sandwich, movies

Hello, Friend. I missed you over the weekend. Okay, yeah, maybe that sounds a bit creepy, but I'm sentimental like that. I even find myself apologizing to the doorknobs I bump into, so make that sentimental and klutzy. Anyhow, I am sending you all my best happiness vibes right now.

QG and I had a super-fun weekend hanging out with one lovely lady: our first-born, Lauren. She is my idol. And, we went to the wedding of an adorable young couple the same ages as our kids. So sweet. Ain't love grand? Oh, oh oh...I have some good movies to tell you about. But first, a craft and a sammie recipe.

Here's how to make the easiest tote in the history of mankind. You can use it for groceries, or to take when you go clothes shopping. Both of my daughters are fanatically green, and have inspired me to take sacks not just to the grocery store, but also to clothes stores, etc. I'm a bit lame about remembering this, so my scheme is to keep this tote beside the driver's seat of my car to remind me.

You will need a tank top, two neckties and thread. I used an old tank top that had gotten stretched out. If you use a thin tank, you may want to double it for more stability. You can keep it super simple and skip the ties if you want to, though without the ties your tote will only be a tote and not a groovy tote.

Step 1: Take the bottom hemmed edge of the tank and stack one on top of the other, folding the corners in a mitered fashion. Zigzag these edges together along both sides of the seam, catching both layers in each seam. Use a fairly tight and wide zigzag stitch. If the hem is narrow, then one seam across should be sufficient. Now, you have the basic tote. If you are feeling lazy: stop here. Or you can grab a cup of strong coffee and proceed.

Step 2: Take one of the neckties. Pin the narrowest portion to the shoulder section on one side of the tote. You will be sewing this on to loop around the whole bag and meet up with the other end. Pin the tie to the shoulder going down a few inches. Now, start at the top of the shoulder, and run a zigzag(same stitch setting as above) down the center of the tie attaching it to the tote, but starting on the side with the shorter (skinny) end. Do the same with the other (wide end of the tie) side, looping it around the bottom to meet up with (and perhaps overlap) the other end of the tie.

Step 3: Adjust the zigzag to be a bit less dense, and narrower. Now run that along each side of the wide tie edge working from the tip down the tote to the bottom of the bag, stopping at the bottom. This will prevent it from being too floppy. You are done.

Next: sammie.Here's a delectable sandwich idea from the other day: Pork Salad Deluxe. Take some slow-cooked pork. I used leftovers from crock pot pork and sauerkraut. Chop the meat well, and mix with equal parts low fat mayo and yellow mustard, then mix in some salt or truffle salt. Toast a piece of whole-grain bread. Plop the mixture onto the toast, then top with thin sliced sweet onions, bread and butter pickle slices, and white American cheese slices. Slide into toaster oven to toast till cheese melted. Enjoy with tomatoes, if you like tomatoes that is.

Lastly, two movie recommendations:

The Intouchables is a touching true French movie. It has sub-titles, but who cares. You want to run out and see this movie. It is about a paralyzed man and another man who comes into his life and changes it completely and forever. This movie just goes to show what one person can up and do for another. Also, this movie is funny, which is always a good thing. Lastly, this movie features a  mesmerizing dance to September, by E,W,& F. Baadeeaah... say that you remember... See this movie if you can.

Moonrise Kingdom is a quirky, interesting film which is almost like a storybook. This Wes Anderson movie is set in 1965. The sets are quaint and kitschy; the characters are lovable and flawed; the story is buoyant with a touch of dour. Go see it. You will like.