Becky Ann Designs

Happy Birthday

2011-07-11T11:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!

I whipped up a batch of cupcakes this morning and used my buttercream frosting recipe but used a combination of regular milk and lemon juice for the evaporated milk. Not an overly lemon flavor, but just a himt to make it a little different. Why, because it's my birthday and I can do whatever I want, that's why. I love my birthday!

Abby was mad when she walked in the kitchen and asked what I was making and I said cupcakes. She told me she should be making the cupcakes for me since it was my birthday.

Homemade Yogurt

2011-06-27T19:55:00.001-04:00

I love homemade yogurt, especially when it's mixed with fresh fruit or homemade jam and topped with nuts or granola. I am happy I decided to acutally post and not pretend like I can remember exactly how I did this for the next time I want to make yogurt. Now, I can come straight to my blog and find it.

I made my best yogurt ever yesterday. I used greek plain yogurt instead of the regular plain yogurt which I have always used before. I only used it because I really really wanted to make a new batch of homemade yogurt and it was the only kind that the store I was in that day had in a small container that wasn't flavored. I think it was Yoplait brand. I used 6 cups skim milk, 1/2 cup powdered milk, and the whole small container of yogurt. This time, there was no whey left floating on top; it all got absorbed into the yogurt. And the texture was very smooth and creamy like store bought yogurt, not grainy at all.

6 cups skim milk
1/2 cup powdered milk
6 oz plain greek yogurt (Yoplait)

Warm milk in microwave to 175 F. 2 min each time with about 1 min to 30 second break and stirred in between each cycle. Once the milk is warmed, stir in the powdered milk. Cool milk to 105 F (I put min in the fridge to speed up the process). Add 1 cup of the warm milk to yogurt and gently stir until combined. Add 1 more cup of warm milk to yogurt and gently stir until combined. Pour milk/ yogurt mixture into the rest of the milk. Pour into 3 pint and 1 half pint jars with lids (or whatever combination will fit in your crock pot). Put the jars in the crock pot, fill with warm water to the rim of the pint jar. Alternate crock pot between warm and off for 6-8 hours. I think I did warm for hour then off for hour cycles, but not really regularly just whenever I happened to walk through the kitchen and think about it.

Ideally, you want the water temperature to stay consistent between 100-110 F, so you can put your thermometer in the water and use it to help you know when to cycle the crock pot on and off.

Subway Art

2011-04-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

My classes are over until Fall, so lets get down to some serious crafting! First up, some cool subway art I made today.

I'm not exactly sure what I will do with it yet, but it was fun to sit down and create it this morning. I will probably get it printed out and then put it in a thrift store frame when I find one the right size. Here is what the girls were up to this morning while I got creative. They went outside and built this awesome fort from some big boxes we had. Abby was not in the mood for me to take her picture because it meant I interrupted her play time.

Abby's Haircut

2011-03-20T18:49:00.001-04:00

Today- after the new short haircut. I pinned her bangs to the side with a bobby pin. She loves her new haircut and apparently there was a whole new attitude that came with it. She loves how it looks, and I love that it is short and will have less tangles because the girl's head is super tender.

Last Monday- the before hairstyle; basically, nonexistant. Just straight with bangs she wants to grow out. We were ready for a change because she is playing t-ball now and I make her put it in a ponytail, which she hates. But, if we just leave it loose, it ends up blowing in her face and she can't see to catch the ball.

Notice the shirt? It is her favorite, covered with owls and not "floppy" on her. She wears it over and over again as soon as I get it clean.

FYI it is REALLY hard to find pictures on the internet of cute little girl's haircuts that are short. This time I actually took some pics with me of things we didn't want and a couple that were sort of what we wanted. I have figured out showing them what I don't want helps a lot, so that even if it isn't exactly what we had in mind, we will still be happy with the result.

Brazilian Lemonade

2011-03-12T15:39:00.000-05:00

I saw this recipe the other day and decided it would be a great afternoon treat for a warm sunny spring day like we are having today. Despite its name, it's actually made with limes not lemons. I followed the exact recipe from Our Best Bites, but I will copy and paste it here for you.

Brazilian Lemonade

4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)

1 c. sugar

6 c. cold water

6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

Wash limes thoroughly with soap; you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you’re using the WHOLE lime, baby. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths. You might need to do this next part in 2 batches depending on the size of your blender. Place the limes, water, and sugar in your blender, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Add sweetened condensed milk and mix it in with a wisk. You may want to taste test it at this point. If it’s bitter, just add some more sugar and maybe a little more sweetened condensed milk.

Serve immediately over lots of ice. The longer you let it sit, the more bitter it will taste, so don't mix it up long before you plan to serve it.

The girls and I bought the ingredients this morning at the grocery store. We went to the produce department where I asked Abby to find me 4 limes. She is 6 years old and the girl didn't have a clue what a lime was. So, I did what any good mother would do, I told her I wasn't going to help her find them, and asked her how she could figure out what one was. I'm so mean.

We were standing right next to the very nice produce man so he overheard our entire conversation. Finally, she got up the nerve to ask him what one looked like and he was very happy to help her. He told her they were green and shaped like a lemon, and then pointed her in the general direction. Hello, that's what he's there for child! They have been learning about community helpers at school and whether they provide goods or services, so I thought this was a great lesson for her to learn today.

And, just because this recipe lacks pictures, here are some limes in case someone else doesn't know what they are either. Aren't they pretty?

To read the ingredients, it might sound kind of gross at first with the sweetened condensed milk and limes instead of lemons, but trust me, don't knock it until you've tried it. At the store, Aly swore she was NOT drinking that nasty milk stuff in a can, yet when I held up a cup and yelled into the backyard "Girls come taste this!" she came willingly. Abby got a small sip and said "yummy", Aly took a sip, snatched the cup away and took off running so she could have the whole thing to herself.

Laundry Sign

2011-01-15T09:42:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, the local news stations started predicting a pretty substantial snowstorm with possible power outages. I planned ahead with some craft projects to keep me busy even if we did lose power. In other words, something that didn't require a sewing machine. So, I decided to finally make a sign to hang over my Laundry Room door.

My sign measures approximately 22.5" x 5.5". Here is a PDF of it in case anyone wants to make their own. The word Laundry measures 15.5" x 3.5" and Wash, Dry, Fold measures 15" x 2.5". I also included the word Room in the file in case anyone wanted to add that to their sign. ENJOY!

I was lucky enough to find a nice rough piece of wood in the scrap bin at Home Depot last week for a grand total of 51 cents. It was about 4 ft long so I had them cut it for me. I was happy to find out that they will even cut scrap bin pieces for free, not just full price ones.

I used a hammer and wrench to beat the wood up for a nice distressed look. Actually, I let the girls take out some frustration on it. They loved it!

Then, I painted it with a coat of light blue since I was running short on white paint and wasn't sure how much the wood would (giggle) soak up.

Abby was REALLY wanting to paint, and since I was going for a distressed look anyway, I let her paint the coat of white paint on for me. While painting, she asked me, "Mommy, is painting fun?" Almost like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to have fun while I was letting her work on one of my "real" projects.

I like how some of the blue is showing through from the first coat of paint. I think it adds a nice touch to the distressed look I was going for.

I printed out the words in a couple of different sizes of a font that I liked. I originally planned for it to say Laundry Room, but liked this arrangement better once I got it all laid out.

I colored on the back of the printed words with a pencil, then taped it to my board, and traced over the letters on the right side to transfer the image. Wish I had thought to pick up some transfer paper to make the job a lot faster and easier.

All that was left to do was to paint the letters in. While this was not quite as elaborate as some of the things I have painted before, I really like it and think it looks great against the red wall of my kitchen.

How Did I Do Meeting Last Years Goals?

2011-01-02T18:49:00.000-05:00

1) Organize my craft and sewing supplies.
This one still needs a ton of work. I have moved and re-organized lots of things, but it is a never ending process.
2) Organize my work stuff- no more cardboard boxes everywhere.
Doing better on this one.
3) Finish at least 1 quilt.
Yup, finished 2 actually. 1 for myself and 1 for my Mama.
4) Spend more time actually playing with the girls and let them sew more too.
We definately did more sewing during the spring and summer.
5) Get more exercise. (the new Wii the girls got for Christmas should help)
Did great in the spring then I had a much harder semester of school and just didn't have time to go to the gym like I did before. Studying was more important.
6) Manage my time better. (an absolute must since I'm going back to school)
Definately accomplished this goal!
7) Cook from scratch more and do a better job of menu planning so we eat healthier.
Not so much, need to keep working on this one.
8) Last but not least, find a church to go to. Especially for the girls to be in Sunday School. We have just been lazy about going and finding a church we like since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. (Angel, we would love to visit yours sometime.)
The girls and I have been going to Pendleton United Methodist Church whenever the girls are in town, not visiting their Grandparents. We really like it there. It is small and it feels a lot like the church I grew up in, Olivet Presbyterian Church.

Mama's Whirlygig Quilt

2011-01-01T19:14:00.000-05:00

First I have to say it was VERY hard for me to not let Mama know I was working on this quilt. I usually keep her updated every step along the way from the inspirational design, choosing the fabric, how many blocks I have finished, making the sandwich and doing the quilting, then finally making and sewing on the binding. I only almost told her I was working on a new quilt once and thankfully she wasn't paying too close of attention and didn't comprehend what I said.

I even had this quilt finished before Thanksgiving and kept myself from giving it to her early. Needless to say, she was VERY suprised when she opened it. It is a lap size quilt measuring approximately 51" x 59". I forgot to measure it once it was all finished, but that was the last measurement I took when I had the top completely finished.

The print fabrics are from a couple of fat quarter bundles of Donna Dewberry fabric I picked up at a craft show a few years ago. The cream is leftover fabric from when I made quilts for my 2 girls.

I think I found my original inspiration from Quilting on Turtle Hill, but there are lots of free tutorials out ther if you just google whirlygig quilt.

Slushy Syrup

2010-12-27T22:05:00.002-05:00

Abby was very happy to get her very own Slushy Machine for Christmas. She requested a blizzard maker, but since we already have 2 different types of ice cream churns, I'm glad her grandparents decided to go with this instead. You can get one at Toys R Us. We tried it out on Christmas night and it did a great job of shaving the ice. Much better than doing it in the blender like we have tried before.

The syrup mix on the other hand was disgusting. What a letdown for a kid that just made her first slushy. We tried the orange flavor and it tasted slightly orangey and very chemically. So, today, I made my own syrup using the recipe below, and we all had wonderful grape slushys for an afternoon snack. Abby was a very happy little girl.

Slushy Syrup
1 cup water
1 packet unsweetened Kool Aid mix
1 3/4 cups sugar

Put everything in a small pot on the stovetop and heat on medium until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow it to cool. We re-used a water bottle with a sports bottle top to store ours in and make it super easy to pour over our shaved ice.

Grape Salad

2010-10-29T22:42:00.002-04:00

Ok, since I keep having requests for this recipe, I thought I would put it on my blog so you don't have to call, e-mail, or text me and then wait for me to find the recipe and then actually remember to send it to you. Sorry, I don't have a picture to post with it right now. And for anyone who hasn't eaten this whenI have made it, I only call it salad to make it sound healthy. It is soooo yummy!

Grape Salad

Filling
2 lbs grapes (1 lb red & 1 lb green)
2- 8 oz pkgs cream cheese or neufchatel cheese

1 cup sour cream
1/2 to 1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla with mixer then stir in grapes with a spoon. Put in refrigerator.

Topping
1 cup pecans (can use more)
3/4 of a stick butter (use more if needed depending on how many pecans you use)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Melt butter, add brown sugar and nuts. Bake at 350 F for 15 - 20 minutes (do not overbake or it will be so hard it will break your teeth once it has cooled). Cool mixture a few minutes then sprinkle over grape mixture. Can be served right away, but I like to refrigerate mine until the topping gets hard first.

And just to be clear, I am not the original creator of this recipe. It was given to me by Glenda Easley, a friend of my hubby's parents. By far one of my favorite recipes I have ever recieved.

2nd Grade Catapult Invention

2010-10-22T18:59:00.000-04:00

As we were walking in the house after school yesterday at 3:00, Aly says "I have to take my catapult to school tomorrow" My response was Uummm, what are you talking about? What catapult? We don't have a catapult." Then she tells me she is supposed to make one. Apparently she got the note about it from her teacher on Monday or Tuesday and just forgot to tell us about it since it wasn't put in her regular folder that we check every day.

Normally, this wouldn't have been an issue, but yesterday, it was because Abby's music program started at 6:00 which I had also forgotten about until Abby mentioned it on the way home from school. That meant I had 3 hours to fix after school snacks, do homework, get everybody ready, figure out how to make a catapult, and actually make the darn thing.

Oh, and Abby said her teachers told her she HAD to take a bath or else they wouldn't let her sing, and that she had to dress pretty and have her hair fixed. After all, she was going to be singing on stage and standing on risers. Huge deal when you are 5 years old apparently. I think in her mind, if she tells us her teachers said she had to do something then we are much more likely to actually let her do it.

So HERE is the catapult we would have liked to make, but since I had NO wood to work with at our house unless you count some half rotten tomato stakes and landscape timbers.

They had been learning about a man that made lots of inventions and they were supposed to build their own catapult as an invention. While I would have loved to build the nice fancy catapult we found online, ours was definitely more inventive, which I have to keep telling myself was the whole point of this assignment. There were really no rules, the note just said encourage your child to build a catapult and help out as you see fit. They were having a marshmallow shooting contest with them at school today.

And this is the catapult Aly and I actually built yesterday.

After looking for a few minutes online and not finding anything we had all the supplies for, we set out to invent our own catapult. I had the idea to use a popsicle stick and the chip clip. After playing with these 2 things for a minute I told Aly I didn't think the popsicle stick was strong enough and we needed to find something stronger, she suggested we try using 5 or 6 popsicle sticks. Way to go my inventive little girl. The problem was, how to stick them together. I was almost out of tape, and had NO hot glue sticks left. There wasn't enough time to let wood or school glue dry. Bring on the rubber bands! First we rubber banded all 5 popsicle sticks together, and then we used more rubber bands to attach them to the chip clip. Aly said we should use my coke bottle lid to hold the marshmallow, but when we tried it, it was too small. They were going to use regular size marshmallows at school. We went with a Gatorade bottle lid instead and it was the perfect size.

So, we had our catapult, but it was a little hard for Aly to use. She said we needed to glue it to a board or something so she would have something to hold onto to make it easier to shoot the marshmallows. We screwed 2 pieces of rotten tomato stakes together and then used more rubber bands to hold our catapult to the wood block.

Success! Our first marshmallow flew from our dinner table, over the refrigerator and landed somewhere in the kitchen where we never found it. They all had fun shooting their marshmallows at school today. And while Aly's didn't shoot the farthest, she did come in 3rd place and she was very excited that hers hit the ceiling in her classroom.

Aly posing with her catapult.

Being such a great big sister helping Abby hold the catapult so she could shoot it better.

Wood Halloween Pendants

2010-10-19T20:29:00.000-04:00

Wow, 2 posts in one week. School has been keeping me very busy so there has been very little crafting in my life the past couple of months, much less blogging about what I make. Here is a super quick and easy craft just in time for Halloween. I will be making some more durable Christmas ones to sell at a craft show on the weekend after Thanksgiving in McConnells, SC.

Supplies (all from Hobby Lobby): Mod Podge, Scrapbook Paper, 1" wooden disks, and larger jump rings.

Cut out round pieces about the same size as your wooden disks. I glued them down with Mod Podge. Then I sanded down any edges that might be hanging off. That was easier than getting the circles cut perfectly. I put 2 coats of Mod Podge on top of each one. Use Triple Thick on top if you have the 3 or so days to wait for them to dry. It will be more durable than Mod Podge, but since it is already so close to Halloween, I went the fast route for these.

Drill a small hole close to the top, slide your jump ring through, and pinch closed. My jump rings were big enough and bent easily enough I didn't even have to go find pliers!

Slip them onto a piece of cording and pass them out to your little girls best friends who just so happen to live in the neighborhood. Pumpkin for Abby, Bat for Aly, Ghost for Taylor, and Frankenstein for Evelyn.

It took me just 3 hours which included driving to the store where I saw the inspirational halloween scrapbook paper, tracked down wooden disks and jump rings, picked the girls up from school, made an afternoon snack, did homework with both girls, cooked supper, found the drill, charged the dead battery for the drill, and finally delivered the finished necklaces.

Total cost not including Mod Podge or cording $4.42 and you will have enough to make 12 with lots of jump rings left over.

On the Machine

2010-10-17T19:30:00.000-04:00

A German Dirndl for my friend Angel. Finally something fun and slightly challenging for me to make. I am having so much fun with this project for some reason. Hopefully it turns out well and Angel will let me post some pictures of her wearing it. I am using the BurdaStyle 6038.

I have mixed feelings about the pattern. The pieces are going together great. That is after I finally figured out how to put it together pretty much by myself. The instructions that came with the pattern are probably the worst instructions I have ever seen. EVER!

Thankfully, Grosgrain has made her version/ interpritation of the dress and posted some wonderful instructions. She added piping to the front seams and also put a zipper in the back, but you can still pretty much follow her directions and just leave out the zipper and piping. Changing her instructions is definately easier than trying to follow the ones Burda gives you with the pattern.

First Day of School- Michael Miller Style!

2010-08-17T18:05:00.000-04:00

GOOD MORNING TO MY CUTIE PIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aly

Abby

Sorry for the horrible pictures, but it was 7:00 am with low light and a camera with a foggy lens because of the humidity.

Mama made Aly's outfit on Saturday. She used McCalls pattern number 6062 for the top and the shorts are from a scrubs costume pattern she bought a few years ago that I can't seem to find the number for, sorry.

Abby's skirt is my version of Pink Fig's Girly Stripwork Skirt. I take my basic starting point from her pattern measurements, but then change pretty much everything there is on it. This skirt was actually made for Aly, but the girls are so close in size now, that they agreed to share skirts so they could both have more styles to wear.

They do love each other, sometimes anyway!

Me, my Mama, and the girls had a great visit to Mary Jo's Cloth store last Friday. It was so much fun and I got to pick out some Michael Miller fabric which I can never justify paying $9-$10/ yard for at the quilt shop. Mary Jo's sells it for less than $6.49-$6.89/ yard so I went a little nuts. I ended up with 10 different Michael Miller fabrics. I was one happy girl! Still am since I still get to decide what else to make.

New Insulated Lunch Bags

2010-07-27T15:46:00.000-04:00

Well, it's almost that time again. Everywhere you turn there are back to school sales. I have completely finished buying Aly's supplies and have most of Abby's taken care of too. Just a few things like Clorox wipes and Dixie cups left to buy for her, not the actual school supplies like crayons, markers, glue, etc. I try to stock up on those things each year when they are really cheap so the next year I can just pull them out of my file cabinet drawer and not have to spend so much money all at once on everything either.

With everything else mostly taken care of, I got this bug to make the girls both new lunchboxes for school this year. Not that there was anything functionally wrong with their old ones, I just wanted some to better fit their personalities, and not be some cartoon character.

I started with a 99 cent McCalls pattern. I made one from the pattern, and it turned out just ok, not great, just ok. Then, I altered the pattern to make a smaller one with a shorter handle and better insulation. And, while I liked the finished product, they made it way harder than it should have been to make that style bag. So what did I do?

Drafted my own pattern for the bag in 2 different sizes. Then I got all technical (for me anyway) and scanned my pattern pieces and wrote up step by step instructions with lots of pictures and made that into a PDF pattern so I could put it in my Etsy shop. Pattern available HERE.

I got one of the $1 fat quarters from Wal-Mart for Aly's. Abby picked out her Owl fabric from Hancock Fabrics. I like owls, but Abby LOVES owls. Anything to do with them, reading books with real facts about them, cartoon owls, clothes, literally anything. We found this fabric within 60 seconds of entering the store. I tried showing her some really cute fabric with birds in birdcages on it and all she said was "those are birds, not owls". That's Abby. There were several other cute owl fabrics, but she kept hugging this one tight saying she wanted it.

I made both of these in the larger size since we use re-usable containers for drinks (way cheaper and better for the environment). The smaller size is great if you are sending juice boxes or capri-sun type pouches. And no, I won't hold it against you if you choose to send those, it's just not what we choose to use.

I just need to make some matching luggage tags to hook on the strap so I can put their names on them. I just can't make myself Sharpie their names over all this cuteness!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

2010-07-11T09:26:00.000-04:00

I ended up just printing these out to choose a winner since there were only 10 entries.

I cut them apart and folded into itty bitty squares.

Put them in a lovely plastic orange bowl and gave them a few tosses to mix them up good.

Then I found an unsuspecting kid that can't read big words yet...

Stood directly between her and the TV with cartoons on it....

(no I did not pose Hoot there, she drags him everywhere, makes this mama so happy to see them love things I make for them!)

Told her to choose one piece of paper...

And she unfolded it to reveal......

So, Pamela, let me know if you want the orange or white ribbon and I will make sure you get it!

Birthday Boquet

2010-07-05T08:23:00.001-04:00

Linked up for Sew and Tell Fridays. Remember to enter my giveaway; I'm taking entries through Saturday.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I really, really, like to stretch out my birthday for as long as possible. I'm getting an early start this year! I made myself 2 gifts already.

The first is this adorabl little hair pin. I used one of the few little slivers of fabric I have left that used to be my Great Aunt Bertha's. You can find the super easy tutorial at Poppy Chic Designs. She used a 4 x 4 inch square, but the biggest size I could cut was 2 1/2" x 2 1/2". It turned out the perfect size. When I was finished, I just hot glued it to a hair pin with a little disc on it.

The second, I finally got around to making myself a scrabble tile pendant. I just love the design on this one. Actually, I love just about anything vintage, especially fabric. This was a fabric swatch I saw online this morning and just fell in love with it. Granted the original is much prettier, but, $18 a yard is just slightly out of my price range, so I went with this instead. I still have to wait 3 days or so for the glaze to dry, but it will be ready before my birthday!

Birthday Giveaway!

2010-07-04T13:51:00.002-04:00

So, exactly one week from today is my birthday! 7-11, you know, just like the convenience store.

Ok, so you want to see what you can win and how to enter?

You can win, this adorable little orange owl scrabble tile pendant with the letter S on the back, and choose either the orange ribbon necklace shown here or a white satin cord necklace to put it on.

Earn one entry for each thing you do!

1. Leave me Happy Birthday wishes.
2. Visit my Etsy shop and tell me what your favorite item is.
3. Blog or let your friends on facebook know so they can enter.
4. "Like" Becky Ann Designs on Facebook.
5. Become a follower or subscribe to emails. If you're already a follower, make sure leave a comment to tell me.

Make sure to leave me a separate comment for each thing you do. I will use random.org to pick a winner. And make sure I have a way to contact you. I will accept entries through Saturday, July 10th and announce the winner in a post on my birthday. GOOD LUCK!

Fabric Key Chains

2010-07-02T16:50:00.005-04:00

These are so much fun to make! And the best part is, you don't have to order any supplies online to make this version. This is a very basic tutorial showing the first one I made. Feel free to make yours longer, shorter, wider or thinner. I plan on making lots more to sell in my Etsy shop and at the Pendleton Farmer's Market.

Supplies:
Scraps of Fabric
Fusible Interfacing- medium to heavy weight
Oval Ring
Key Ring

Cut out all your pieces.
2 pieces of fabric 1 3/4 x 9" (make the width the same as your oval ring)
2 pieces of interfacing 1 1/2 x 8 1/2 (this cuts down on bulk in seam allowances)

Fuse your interfacing to the wrong side of your fabrics.

Put fabrics right sides together and stitch down both long sides, leaving both short ends open. Turn it right side out and press. This is where you should topstitch down each long side. I am pointing this out because I forgot to do it on mine and it is bugging me now.

Another option if you are making narrower keychains, is to sew just 1 long side, then press under the seam allowance on the other long side and stitch it up. I'll try to post a picture of what I'm talking about here later when I make one that way.

Now, put the fabric strip through your oval ring and fold it in half. Tip: put the side of the oval ring where the ends meet towards the outside. Stitch the ends of the strip together.

Now, turn it so that the seam is on the inside. I scooted my seam down a little bit so it wasn't directly on the top.

Topstitch over the seam close to the oval ring to hold everything in place.

Add your keyring and keys and you are all done!

A few things I noticed only AFTER I looked at this picture:

1) What is that blue plastic thing and how long has it been taking up space on my keychain?

2) I forgot to topstitch and it is really bugging me!

3) Why do I have to have 10 different discount cards just to get the sale prices at stores. Ok, so 1 is my library card, and 2 of them I only shop at a few times a year, but don't want to have to fill out another form every time I go.

Freezing Corn on the Cob

2010-06-29T07:38:00.003-04:00

First, get yourself a big 'ol bag of FRESH corn from the farmer's market or roadside stad. Grocery store corn is NOT acceptable to this farm raised girl. I would rather not eat corn at all than eat grocery store, over ripe, starchy, who knows how many days it has been picked for corn. I robbed from mine my brother's corn field early in the morning with a little help from the girls.

Shuck and silk the corn and cut off any bad spots. Bring a huge pot of water to a boil. When you put your ears of corn in, it will stop boiling.

When it starts boiling again, it's time to take the ears out. Immediately put them in a large bowl or your sink filled with ice water to stop the cooking process. This was my last batch below, so just pretend like there is WAY more ice in there.

Line them up on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer. It's ok to stack them on top of each other. I set mine down in the deep freezer as soon as I get the first batch done and just add to it as I go.

Leave them in there until the next morning so they get nice and frozen solid. Then, just throw them into freezer bags.

I use gallon bags so I don't have so many floating around getting lost in the freezer. And since they were frozen in layers, on the cookie sheet they won't be all stuck to gether in the bag and you can just pull out however many you need for each meal.

Monkey Munch

2010-06-26T09:54:00.009-04:00

Monkey Munch

9 cups Chex cereal (any variety)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Put chex in a giant bowl with a lid and put aside. Place chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter into a microwavable container. Microwave the mixture uncovered for a minute on high. Stir the mix again and continue to zap in thirty second intervals until it mixes smoothly. Add the vanilla and stir. Pour this combination over your chex in the large bowl, put the lid on and shake! This is a great time to let the kids help out. Just make sure you get all of the cereal coated. Remove the lid, and add the powdered sugar, seal the bowl and shake again. Spread Monkey Munch out on wax paper to cool and dry. Or, do what I do and leave the bowl sitting on the counter without the lid. Walk by every few minutes and toss it gently until it is completely cool. Keep in an airtight container for storage.

Sit back and watch your little monkeys enjoy!

Pillow Box- Last minute gift wrap

2010-06-02T19:49:00.009-04:00

So, here it is the night before the last day of school, and what have I done, but procrastinate as usual. I intended to buy some cute little gift bags at Dollar Tree today for the girls to put their teacher gifts in for tomorrow, but my day did not go nearly as smoothly as I planned. So, I did something I am thankful to be pretty good at; I improvised!

Click on the template image for the link to a printable template.

These go together really quickly. I used some lighter weight cardstock I had on hand. Heavier cardstock is a little harder to work with, but will be more durable. We didn't need these to last forever though, just make it through a trip to school in the girls bookbags.

I just traced around the template and cut it out, then I used the pointy end of one of my knitting needles to score the dashed lines onto it. Then had Abby write the names on them.

I found it easier to go ahead and pre-fold all of your creases before you do any taping. It's easier to get it to go together smoothly this way.

Tape the edges together.

Fold in the ends.

Tie a ribbon, or piece of string around it to keep the ends closed or just tape them.

DONE! Now that was easy wasn't it?

We made fabric bracelets similar to this one for all of their teachers this year. I took the girls to Hobby Lobby and let them pick out whatever fabric they wanted for each teacher. I stitched up the fabric tube and then they pretty much did the rest of the assembly themselves.

Buttercream Frosting

2010-05-30T15:11:00.005-04:00

After our scrumptious hamburgers for lunch today, the whole family decided we needed something sweet for an afternoon snack. We hadn't had cupcakes since Aly's birthday at school, so we all agreed on those.

I used a new frosting recipe this time and it is definately a keeper! I forgot that I was out of regular milk, which I use in my usual go to frosting recipe, so I substituted evaporated milk. I don't know if it was that substitution or if I just got the proportion of butter to shortening just right this time, but this is definately better than my usual frosting. Also, I don't usually (ok, so I never) sift my powdered sugar, but I did this time.

Buttercream Frosting
1 stick softened butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar- sift after measuring
2 tablespoons evaporated milk

I use my paddle attachment on my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for this. I love that I can turn it on and just walk away. Beat the softened butter and shortening together for a few minutes to be sure they are well combined and creamy. Add the vanilla. Measure out 3 cups of powdered sugar into your sifter and sift that into your mixing bowl on top of the other ingredients and beat well. Add your evaporated milk, beat again. Add the remaining cup of sifted powdered sugar and just let that whip for a few minutes. Check to make sure the consistency is what you like. Mine was perfect but if it is too stiff, add a tiny splash of milk, if it is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

I love how pretty they are too. The girls said they looked like blue roses. I just used a Wilton 2D tip and piped it on really fast, not trying to make them look professional or anything. I am so much faster with piping than using a knife or offset spatula to frost cupcakes. And these are definately prettier.

Cherry Cuteness

2010-05-30T07:33:00.002-04:00

This is more of an entertaining post than a tutorial. But, I promise to make another one and post a tutorial to go with it.

Ok, so I'm sure several of you out there have been in this situation before. Here is the conversation I had with myself earlier today while ignoring the screams, whiney voices and the word "Mommy..." for the billionth time.

I want to sew. I really have to clear off my sewing/ dinner table first, it's a disaster. This is taking too long, I want to sew NOW. I'll just shove the rest of this to one side. OK, now what am I going to sew?

Oooohh, look at this pretty cherry fabric, it would make the perfect apron. I know, it can be my first apron for my Etsy shop.

I dig through my pattern stash and choose a cute new pattern I bought ages ago but have never used. Spend the next 15 minutes (ok, 30 with the billion and ninety sixth time I hear "Mommy" today) cutting out the pattern pieces I need.

Ok, lets get this all laid out and cut now. Darn, not quite enough fabric; need something to go with it!

At this point I commence to wandering around my house, digging in my fabric stash, digging through it a second and third time. Then I hit up the girls fabric bag; still nothing! I lay my pattern pieces on it again; nope, the piece of fabric hasn't grown since the last time I looked at it. Now I am wishing Donna was home so I could see if she had something to coordinate. Thought about breaking in her house (with my key BTW) and stealing some. Too bad her hubby was home sleeping and might not appreciate that.

OK, I don't care what I make, I am making SOMETHING with this fabric tonight. Maybe a skirt for Abby, she has been asking me to sew something for her, but will she actually wear it? I guess I can always put it in my Etsy shop if she won't.

I proceed to cutting and sewing! Just a simple skirt with a cute ruffle.

Wait, does Abby like ruffles; better ask first!

Me "Abby, do you like ruffles? You know, a little row of fluffy fabric at the bottom of a skirt?" I demonstrate.
Abby "Are you making me a skirt?"
Me "Maybe, might sell it though, because you probably won't wear it anyway."
Abby "But Mommy, I love that fabric, please don't sell it, I promise I will wear it."
Me "Ok, so do you like ruffles?"
Abby "I don't know, let me think about it."
Me "No, I need an answer now please."
Abby "No, I don't like fluffy stuff." 2 second pause "Wait, I changed my mind, I was just joking you, I really do like ruffles."
Me "Are you sure?"
Abby "Yep, I'm sure."
Me "Ok, you can go play now"

Ok, now for this part, I swear I am NOT lying. This was our first morning conversation.
Abby "I LOVE IT! Thank you Mommy!"
Me "You're welcome baby girl. I need you to try it on so I can fix the elastic to the right size."
Abby puts it on and says "But, why did you make it fluffy? I don't like fluffy stuff."
I just sigh and shake my head. Then she insists that she likes it anyway and will wear it.

I really couldn't live without this little goofball in my life. She is definately an entertainer without even trying.

That's my little Mini Me!

I'm being Featured Today!

2010-05-29T11:55:00.003-04:00

I'm being featured today over at Quilt Story! Go check it out. I feel famous, in my own world at least. Yeah, it doesn't take much to make this girl happy.

Be sure to check back there often to see the story behind all of the wonderful quilts she is featuring.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-05-22T10:21:00.006-04:00

Amy's Creative Side is having an online Blogger's Quilt Festival May 21-28, 2010. There are already some awesome quilts listed and this is my little addition. I just finished this quilt earlier this month. It is definately my favorite quilt I have made so far.

I used the pattern by Possibilities - Petals & Paisley found at Quilters Treasures. I actually only used that pattern for the blocks and then just kind of sewed as I went for the borders and back because I was running short on fabric.

You can read more detail about the history of this quilt HERE and HERE.

Beaded Earrings and Bracelet

2010-05-19T12:43:00.008-04:00

Today I discovered that I really really like making earrings!

The girls and I made these for my MIL for her birthday. I bought a string of pretty blue, green, and hot pink beads yesterday at Hobby Lobby (quite possibly the best store on earth). We took the strand apart and added some beads and supplies from a beading kit I got for Christmas one year and created this pretty little pair of earrings and matching bracelet.

The girls were jealous and wanted to make earrings for themselves, so I told them we could go let them pick out beads for themselves and make some soon. These dangle earrings are the perfect beading project for kids because they are strung onto a wire instead of a wiggly piece of plastic. And, they have something really pretty that they made really quickly so they didn't get bored from a lengthy process and lose interest.

I had a few green and blue beads leftover and that inspired me to make these 2 pairs to list in my Etsy shop.

Handbag Giveaway at MRL

2010-05-18T07:48:00.002-04:00

My Repurposed Life is having an awesome handbag giveaway! Go sign up to win.

Challenge Complete

2010-05-16T10:54:00.009-04:00

Just not sure I did a whole hour every day, but at least I did make something, which is more than I would have done if I hadn't joined the challenge. And in my defense, I did force myself to actually sit down and sew. I was just already started on another project that I needed to finish up first before I could start on Kids Clothes.

I had finished the shorts a couple weeks ago, and had the pattern and fabric picked out for the top as soon as I finished the shorts. Just couldn't seem to get around to acutally cutting them out and making them. The shorts and neck band of the shirt are made from a skirt I picked up for $1 at Goodwill, and I just love the Cowgirl fabric by Michael Miller that Aly picked out at Hobby Lobby.

The pattern I used for the shirt is Simplicity 2918. The pattern is acutally for a jumper, but I shortened it and eliminated the contrasting bottom hem to make it into a fun summer top.

I actually didn't realize the button in the front was just for show until I started sewing it all together. I like the look of having the front button functional and the back just one piece, but this definately functions better since I can just move the buttons over as she grows.

The shorts are Little Smarty Pants from Favorite Things pattern company. It was $14 which is quite a bit more than I am usually willing to pay for patterns, but this one is well worth every penny. The fit is amazing and they go together really nicely too, without being just your standard elastic waist shorts. They have super easy mock cuffs, slant pockets, waist tabs. The pattern also has options for belt loops and back pockets, but I haven't tried either of those yet.

Haircuts for a Cause

2010-05-12T19:25:00.007-04:00

Mine went to Locks of Love and Aly's is going to Pantene Beautiful Lengths who has it made into wigs for women with cancer. Pantene's cause really hits home with me because my Aunt Jane had breast cancer and had to go through the hair loss along with all of the other side effects that come with the treatments. Locks of Love requires 10" minimum and Pantene only requires 8" and that's about all Aly had that she was able to cut off. I am just happy we were able to help two great causes and a new look for ourselves at the same time.

Before (Abby was feeling left out of the haircut process and wanted to be in the picture too)

After

Eating Ice Cream at Scoops after the big chop!

Love their bright chairs and walls!

Kids Clothes Week Challenge

2010-05-07T17:54:00.005-04:00

I joined in for Kids Clothes Week. I have a shirt I have been wanting to make Aly from her super cute cowgirl fabric she picked out. I have everything in a ziploc bag waiting to be cut out but just haven't gotten to it yet. This challenge is exactly what I needed to motivate me to start on it.

Feedsack and Family quilt

2010-05-01T15:33:00.017-04:00

Well, I finally finished the quilt I was making for MYSELF!

This was also a very frugal quilt. I only spent less than $15 total, including the thread. Now I wouldn't pay even that for a plain throw to use for myself on the couch, but to be able to produce a piece of living history to use and then maybe pass on to another family member one day, I think that is pretty thrifty.

I started with a quilt that came from somewhere on my Daddy's side of the family. With it's solid fabric top and 4 random pieced fabrics on the back, this was definately a quilt made out of necesity not one to be used for display somewhere. Jay and I used it on our bed in the winter until last year when it was too badly torn to use anymore. I couldn't very well just throw it away, I had to re-use it for something. So, I took pictures, then carefully disassembled it. I used the blanket that was in the middle for my batting, and also one of the large pieces of white from the back for the border of my quilt. After cleaning this piece really well, I could make out the shape of an eagle with it's wings spread and the words Corn Starch, but only vaguely.

I also had some gorgeous fabrics from my Great Aunt Bertha, my Mama's aunt. The solid dark teal, the white print, and the teal flowers (my favorite of all) are all from her fabric stash. So is the lighter teal binding. Apparently she had used the solid teal, teal flowers and lighter teal to make something out of and these were the scraps. The white one with the print was an actual feedsack, still sewn up. How cool is that!

So like any good quiltmaker or sewer, I decided to use all of these family pieces along with a few of my own to make a new quilt. I purchased the red fabric at Heirlooms and Comforts quilt shop in Central, SC, and Donna at Mudpies and Memories with a little help from Angel helped me choose the green paisley backing at Hobby Lobby. Donna really had to convince me to buy it and even promise to buy it from me if I hated it the next day. It ended up being the perfect fit for the quilt. Except for the fact that I should have bought 3 yards but miscalculated and thought I only needed 2 yards. Oops! So, along came the stripe running down one side of the back, which I also turned out to absolutely love. Reminds me of a railroad track.

Almost forgot, this is the first quilt I have ever actually machine quilted. I string tied both of the quilts I made for the girls. I love the look of actual quilting and how they get all crinkly after washing them.

Whew, I finally have all of this documented so that when I am old and senile or laying somewhere with daisies growing on top of me, whoever ends up with this quilt will know the history of it. I have also completed another one of my goals for the new year to finish at least one quilt this year.

I think I'll be sticking to clothing for a while now. Aly is loving being a designer and having expensive taste in fabric designers, mainly Amy Butler and Michael Miller. What can I say the girl definately knows a good thing when she sees it.

Aly's Purse Dress

2010-04-20T17:29:00.010-04:00

Spring always brings out the clothing sewing bug in me. Fall and winter are great for sewing crafty things and quilts, but there is just something about all those bright summery fabrics. And it seems like the sewing is not as difficult on summer clothing items, although I'm not sure that's entirely true.

And to make this dress even better, I had enough fabric left over to make another one. So, I FINALLY listed my first item on Etsy!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45200848/alysons-purses-peasant-dress-size-2-8?ref=cat2_list_8

It is available in size 2-8 if anyone is interested.

I whipped this dress up for Aly yesterday afternoon. I bought the fabric a year or two ago intending to make something for Abby, but then she got really picky about how all of her clothes fit, so I pretty much just quit sewing for her. I'm not going to put hours of work into something I will have to force her to wear at least once so I didn't feel like it was a complete waste of time.

Lilac Lane Giveaway

2010-04-19T15:53:00.003-04:00

Melissa over at Lilac Lane is having an awesome giveaway in honor of her birthday! She has some really great tutorials on her blog too so go check it out!

Finally the Cakes!

2010-04-15T22:25:00.007-04:00

Yes, I'm still alive in case anyone was wondering. I have just been very busy so not a lot of time for crafting. I started back to school in January and have had to put crafting and blogging on the back burner. Family, school, and work are just more of a priority than blogging right now. I'm not taking classes this summer though so hopefully there will be more frequent posts soon.

I love how the Candyland cake turned out, but most importantly, Aly loved her cake. She had lots of input into the design.

It is decorated with Ribbon Candy, Candy Sticks, Twizzlers, Mike-and-Ike's, Almond Joy, Chocolate Chips, Dum Dums, and Peppermint. The colored squares for the path and edges of the cake are made from Marshmallow Fondant using the recipe posted HERE.

And here is Abby with her Orange and Purple Barbie. She even had to approve the shades of orange and purple to make sure they were ok before she would let me frost the cake. What can I say, the girl loves her Clemson Tigers; makes her Mama and Daddy proud!

I made the bodice of the dress with Marshmallow Fondant. So much easier and prettier than trying to make it out of regular frosting like I did Aly's barbie cake last year.

It's in the Genes

2010-02-13T10:03:00.006-05:00

I am so happy that the crafty gene is in my girl's blood too. Abby is 4 years old, will be turning 5 in just a few days. My parents bought her a Janome Sew Mini for Christmas, and I FINALLY let Abby set it up last night.
She had sewn on it right after Christmas when she stayed at her Paw Paw and Grandma's house for a few days. I am so glad that she has given the girls their first introductory sewing machine lessons. I don't think my nerves could handle it.

She was so sweet and decided to make a pillow for Aly's American Girl doll. She sewed the 3 side seams, turned and stuffed it with only a tiny bit of help from me. Shh, don't tell Aly, but Abby can sew a better seam than her big sister. I was really impressed. I sewed up the last side for her since it is kind of hard to sew up the final end of a stuffed pillow on the sewing machine.

As far as the machine goes, I think this is a great beginner sewing machine for kids. It was only $40 on sale at Hancock Fabrics. Regular price is $60, but I still think it is well worth it if your young kids are showing a real and persistent interest in sewing. It only has 1 speed and doesn't go very fast, so it is easier to make sure they don't get their little fingers under the needle. Aly has her own Singer sewing machine too, but I think I am going to let her use Abby's for a while just because of the sewing speed issue. She hasn't learned how to control the speed of the Singer very well yet, so maybe she can sew straighter more even seams if she isn't having to focus on not going too fast at the same time.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup = YUM!

2010-01-30T19:50:00.006-05:00

I decided to finally get around to making some homemade chocolate syrup today after Donna telling me she had found a recipe a couple of weeks ago. I found a couple of recipes that looked good and combined them. Because, well..... I just don't know when to leave well enough alone when it comes to cooking and baking or anything else for that matter.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup
½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 pinches salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tbsp light corn syrup

Mix the sugar, salt, and the water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and wisk in the cocoa. Continue to wisk and let it boil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Be careful not to let it boil over; almost learned that lesson the hard way myself. Remove from heat and let it cool about a minute before wisking in the vanilla. This way the vanilla won't burn off with the high temperature. Let it cool 10-15 minutes then pour into a glass jar or squeeze bottle, and store in the refrigerator. It will stay good for several months. Yields a little over two cups.

I think you could eliminate the light corn syrup if you wanted to and maybe just cook it a minute or so longer. I just happened to have some on hand already so I used it. I saw several recipes that didn't call for it though.

I think it tastes just as good if not better than Hershey's. Aly had a glass of chocolate milk after supper tonight and I am having some in a cup of coffee right now and we both agree it is delicious. And yes, I will be awake until midnight now drinking coffee this late. Thankfully I have plenty to keep me busy.

Candyland Birthday Party Inspiration

2010-01-23T07:23:00.011-05:00

Since starting back to school, my crafting time is limited and I have only been working on the quilt I have already shown you a preview of. So, I thought I would share the inspiration for the girls' birthday party this year. I'll start with the cake.

This one was made by Amy Vickery.

I saw this one at Lakes Cakes.

I want to do the big containers full of candy for the girls birthday party, but will need plastic if we do it at the park. Oh I just had this though, we can do a big piece of candy or gum (round ball) as a pinata! I wanted to have one again, but make it myself and a round ball is definately easy enough for me to do. The I can use tissue paper coming out the ends to look like the twisted wrapper part. Or I could make it look like a big flat piece of candy shaped like a peppermint or something to, whichever the girls prefer.

All of these inspiration pictures were posted from a Christmas party over at Bakerella

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2010-01-16T16:13:00.008-05:00

I was doing some cleaning/ decluttering under the kitchen sink today and decided to go ahead and mix up another batch of homemade laundry detergent since the small batch I made has been working so well for us. This got 2 boxes of ingredients mixed up into 1 smaller bucket and saved me some space.

For my Hotpoint Super Capacity washer which according to the Hotpoint/ GE website is about 3.2 cu ft, I use 2 tablespoons per load. Sometimes I only use 1 scoop but that's rare. Only if it is a whole load of stuff that isn't very dirty. You can see pictures of the ingredients HERE in my All Purpose Cleaner post.

Cost of Ingredients:
1 box Borax $3.74
1 box Washing Soda $3.38
1 bar of soap - $1.00

To make the detergent, just mix 1/2 box Borax, 1 box washing soda, and 1 bar finely grated soap.

Total initially spent $8.12 since you can't buy 1/2 box of borax.
Actual cost per load=
1/2 box borax $1.87
1 box washing soda $3.38
1 bar soap $1.00
= $6.25

This makes enough for 165 loads of laundry using 2 tbsp per load for a total cost of 3.8 cents per load.

Compare to windfresh powder at Sam's @ 6.7 cents per load.

You wouldn't think this would be the case, but the soap is honestly the hardest ingredient to find. You don't want to use these extra moisturising dolled up soaps, but a good all purpose actual cleaning soap. I used my own homemade soap. Fels Naptha works great at cleaning, but it irritated Abby's eczema, so I just use homemade b/c I know exactly what is in it and it doesn't bother her. I also found Octagon for $0.79/ bar at Hometown Grocery in Seneca. Haven't tried that one with Abby yet. Zote is another brand you may be able to find.

And for what it's worth to anybody, through lots of prayer, trial, and error, we figured out that MILK was the thing making Abby's eczema really flare up. Turns out, I guess she's not so much allergic, but just sensitive to milk. We eliminated just milk, not all milk products from her diet and the eczema has gotten anywhere from 75-90% better. She still has dry itchy skin, but not the all over red flared up burning patches to go along with it. It would probably improve even more if we eliminated yogurt and cheese too, but the girl has to get calcium from somewhere and we can handle the level she is at now.

MY Quilt

2010-01-10T15:55:00.005-05:00

Yep, this baby is for ME!

All of the fabrics except the red are from my Great Aunt Bertha. The white one was an old feed or flour sack. I literally cut it apart myself so I could use the fabric. How awesome is that! The solid teal and the white with the blue and teal flowers were pieces of fabric that she (or someone) had purchased and used part of already.

The size right now is 42" x 56". I really like to have plenty of quilt to wrap around me when I watch TV so I am going to try to find some fabric that will coordinate well to use as a border to make it a little larger. But, here it is for now.

Here is the pattern I used by Quilting Treasures.
They have a lot of free quilting patterns on their site.

Twisty Hairstyle

2010-01-07T16:32:00.009-05:00

I finally figured out how to do a "braid" that was really just a twist. I could never figure out how to get it to stay twisted before, but I stumbled across this video today at The Story of a Princess and Her Hair. There are some really amazing haristyles for little girls on there. I do not do anything nearly that elaborate to either of the girls hair. They are too impatient and my hairstyling skills are seriously lacking! I have never mastered french braiding, but this simple little twist was really quick and easy. Plus, I just don't see the point in spending so much time on their hair. Aly is like me and hers is coarse and frizzes like crazy.

Trying to insert a picture of what her hair looks like when she wakes up some mornings here, but Blogger doesn't like it aparently b/c it won't work right now. Oh well, moving on for now.

I think it would look better if I did a much smaller section of hair, but you get the general idea.

Here is a close-up of it in Aly's hair.

I even managed to get one in Abby's hair upon her request.

By the way, anyone that has known Abby for very long knows that she absolutely HATED having her hair brushed. She has a very tender head, which is part of the reason for the super short haircuts she has had for about a year now. It started when she cut a little piece of her ponytail last year right before Christmas. I took her to get a super short haircut at that point. It looks cute on her, but you just can't DO anything with short hair. About a month ago she got really picky about her hair and started brushing it like a billion times a day. She even sleeps with a hiarbrush under her pillow! So, now we have decided to let it grow back out longer as long as she keeps up the brushing routine herself.

I am definately going to have to try this one too: A Faux French Braid for Those of You Who Can't... because I definately CAN'T. Or can't very well anyway. I just have to pick up some of those tiny rubber bands first. Ours have joined the lost sock society I guess. Here is a picture of it from her blog.

Oatmeal Cookies

2010-01-02T10:19:00.011-05:00

Oatmeal cookies are probably my favorite kind of cookie. Chocolate Chip runs a close second though. Actually, my Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Sunflower Seed cookies are actually my favorite to eat, but they are harder to make so we don't have them as often. The girls were delighted when I told them we could make cookies for breakfast this morning. No, they aren't a healthy breakfast cookie, but I figure they can't be any worse than a poptart.

The original recipe from Mama. I think she got it from the box of Kroger brand oatmeal when we were kids. You can tell I have made these many times.

Kroger Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups shortening

2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

6 cups oatmeal

Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir in oatmeal. Drop by spoonfulls and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes.

This makes a LOT of cookies. Not sure exactly how many. I usually only make 1/2 batch. Of that I cook 1/2 right then, and the other 1/2 I go ahead and scoop out onto a cookie sheet. Then I put those in the freezer overnight so they are frozen solid. Then I put them in a gallon ziploc bag so I can pull them out and cook them as we want them. You can also freeze them already baked, but doing it unbaked lets you have fresh hot homemade oatmeal cookies without all the mess later.

I prefer to use a cookie scoop so that all my cookies turn out the same size and are nice and round. I can never seem to get them even when I use a spoon to scoop them out.

I stuck a few M&M's on a couple of them before I baked them. The girls liked them but I prefer the plain ones.

They will look like this when they are ready to come out of the oven. They should look slightly golden brown but still underbaked. This will make sure they have a crispy outside but a little soft and chewy inside.

New Years Resolutions

2010-01-01T18:53:00.002-05:00

I usually don't bother to make New Years Resolutions, but thought I had some realistic things I would like to accomplish this year. I'm going back to school this spring, so I need to make sure I write these things down NOW so I can look back and check them off as I get them done.

1) Organize my craft and sewing supplies.
2) Organize my work stuff- no more cardboard boxes everywhere.
3) Finish at least 1 quilt.
4) Spend more time actually playing with the girls and let them sew more too.
5) Get more exercise. (the new Wii the girls got for Christmas should help)
6) Manage my time better. (an absolute must since I'm going back to school)
7) Cook from scratch more and do a better job of menu planning so we eat healthier.
8) Last but not least, find a church to go to. Especially for the girls to be in Sunday School. We have just been lazy about going and finding a church we like since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. (Angel, we would love to visit yours sometime.)

That being said, I will post my BEFORE sewing and craft supplies pictures. I took pictures of everything as it looks right now. I promise no straightening up or messing up to make it look neater now or have a more impressive AFTER result.

My Second Quilt

2010-01-01T16:10:00.010-05:00

I finally finished Aly's quilt this afternoon. If I had thought ahead, I would have started working on the binding one day earlier so I could have at least finished it in 2009. Oh well, a finished quilt is a great way to start off 2010 if you ask me, so here it is...

Aly chose to have a silvery grey to have hers tied with. It is a super soft bamboo yarn.

Just look at those beautiful blue skies we had today!

She wanted the green kitty fabric as her back strip and binding. She said it reminded her of her cousin Phoebe.

I love the crinkled look the back has. Too bad it isn't from being washed and dried, but just from being shoved, not folded, in a rubbermaid box for a couple of months.

That is 980 little squares per quilt, so 1,960 little squares total for the 2 quilts.

As much as I loved making these quilts for the girls, the next quilt will be for ME! And, it will have something other than squares, larger pieces of fabric, and completely random so there is less thought involved.

Look What I Got!

2009-12-24T16:06:00.010-05:00

Look at all the goodies I got in my stocking from Donna!

~Several packs of rubber gloves- for soapmaking b/c I am always losing them.
~Orange Cream soda from Whole Foods- my absolute favorite soft drink ever!
~Adorable little bottle of Diet Coke- so needed this one today too.
~3 Fat Quarters of Fabric- love the snowmen on the Christmas scene one.

She made the stocking from a sweater at Goodwill. I love the buttons on the heel!

A very cute needle book. I have needed one of these for so long but never thought to make on for myself. I do a lot of hand stitching while waiting in the pickup line at school to get the girls in the afternoons and am always searching for my needle. Hmm, should have taken a close-up of the front. It is green with my name and a flower hand embroidered on the front and a little felt flower in one corner.

Reusable snack bag filled with peanut M&M's. Is this an ongoing gift? Can I give it back to you when it is empty and you refill it for me?

My gloves were wrapped up in the black piece of fabric and tied up with a pretty teal ribbon. I will have to confiscate it from a cheetos eating 4 year old later.

THANK YOU DONNA!

Christmas Stocking Exchange

2009-12-23T15:02:00.016-05:00

I did a Christmas Stocking Exchange with Donna at Mudpies and Memories.
Here are the rules we went by:
1. The stocking must be homemade and from items already in our sewing/crafting stashes.
2. No more than $5 can be spent
3. At least one item must be purchased from Goodwill (a frugalista favorite)
4. Must include at least 1 candy/food item (because we love to eat!)

Here are the things I put in Donna's gift:

Homemade Apple Muffin Mix

Seriously, how cute is this smiling spoon. I recieved a set of 6 for Christmas and just had to share one.

Banana Chips

Scrabble Tile Necklace and kit so she can make more. The tiles are from a game I found at Goodwill.

Bottlecap Pincushion. I actually went "dumpster diving" in our big garbage can outside to reclaim the apple juice lid for this one!

Scarf- knitted this one myself! I'm so proud I finished it in 24 hours during my hubby's Sunday and Monday football watching sessions.

1/2 yard of Coca Cola fabric from my stash used to wrap the gift. I was just NOT in the mood to make a stocking and this way it can be reused for something else.

Here it is all wrapped up and ready to give.

Scrabble Tile Necklace

2009-12-13T11:14:00.016-05:00

Aleene's Paper Glaze 2 oz $5.99 (Michael's)

Triple Thick 4 oz jar $3.99 (Hobby Lobby)

Scrabble Tiles (from a $1 Goodwill game)

Mod Podge

Fabric or Paper design of choice

Eye Hooks

I much prefer the Triple Thick over the Paper Glaze. The Triple Thick will have more tiny bubbles left after it dries, but for making these for myself or as gifts, I am ok with that. If I were going to make them to sell, I would probably want to go with epoxy, but it's just not worth the hassle for me when I am only making 3-4 at the time. The Triple Thick will get much harder than the Paper Glaze even with a week or more drying time. I like the initial overall look of the Paper Glaze but like the durability of Triple Thick much better.

I found these eye hooks at Hobby Lobby in the clockmaking section. Odd place if you ask me, but that's the only place I saw them. I found them by accident actually. I think there were 30 in a pack for about $1.99.

For Donna's I chose to use fabric, and on Aly's I used an image that I found online and printed out on my inkjet printer which everywhere I read said not to do because the colors would run.

From Left to Right: Donna, Aly, Abby

1) Paint a thin coat of Mod Podge on your Scrabble tile and stick your image to that.

2) Trim paper or fabric so it is even with the edges of your tile.

3) If you used paper, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the top of it and let it dry completely. This will help the colors not run.

4) Apply a coat of Triple Thick using a paintbrush. Let this dry for 3 days. The jar says 24 hours, but mine was not completely hard so I waited extra time.

5) Drill a small starter hole for your eye hook. On my first one, I drilled the hole too far. The smallest drill bit I had is slightly larger than the diameter of the eye hook so it wouldn't stay in. What worked best for me was to drill into the tile only a tiny bit, then hold the eye hook with my jewelry pliers in my left hand, tile in my right hand and screw the tile onto the hook instead of the hook into the tile if that makes sense.

You can find the ball chains sold individually or in packs of 5 at Hobby Lobby. They are pretty cheap to begin with and I happened to find them when they had jewelry supplies on sale for 50% off. I think the single one as around $1.47 regular price. I also picked up some lobster claw clasps and cord ends so I could make necklaces from thin ribbon or cord.

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

2009-12-13T10:31:00.004-05:00

I just had to let everyone know how much I absolutely LOVE the new song on my blog playlist. I heard it for the first time a couple of years ago. It is rarely played these days but it makes me so happy every time I hear it.

Here is some info on it from Wiki:

Peevey was a regional child star of the Oklahoma City area. When released nationally by Columbia Records, the song shot to the top of the charts and the city zoo acquired a baby hippo named Matilda. A popular legend holds that this 1953 hit had been recorded as a fund-raiser to bring the city zoo a hippo; but in a 2007 radio interview with Detroit-based WNIC radio station, Peevey clarified that the song was not originally recorded as a fundraiser. Instead, a local promoter picked up on the popularity of the song and Peevey's local roots, and launched a campaign to present her with an actual hippopotamus on Christmas. The campaign succeeded, and she was presented with an actual hippopotamus, which she donated to the city zoo. The hippopotamus lived for nearly 50 years. Gayla Peevey later recorded as Jamie Horton, scoring the Billboard Hot 100 charter "My Little Marine" in 1960.

Pajamas for the Girls

2009-12-10T17:27:00.007-05:00

For the most part, my Mama has always made the girls pajamas for me, or they had ones that their Mimi (hubby's mom) bought for them. This year, Hancock fabrics had their flannel fabric on sale for $1.99/ yard on Black Friday, and patterns were $1 so I decided to make some for the girls myself. I wanted Christmas fabric, but it wasn't included in the sale, so I went with these instead. I would have bought some Christmas PJs but with Abby's eczema, we have been trying to dress her in all cotton since it doesn't irritate her skin like polyester can sometimes. And, all cute PJs I have found in stores were polyester.

Aly loves hot chocolate especially with marshmallows and that's wintery enough for me. Abby loves Owls, but there wasn't any of that so I got her green with birds and we are going to call it 4 Calling Birds to make it Christmasey. We will probably let them open these on Christmas Eve.

Aly's Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows

Abby's 4 Calling Birds

I used Simplicity pattern #2771. I liked the fact that it didn't have a traditional collar but more of a baseball jersey type neck/ closure.

Paper Ornaments

2009-11-28T08:35:00.008-05:00

I wanted a craft project to do with the girls on Wednesday while they were out of school And, I really didn't want to make another pony bead jewelry piece, or construction paper, crayon melting kid craft. I wanted a real grown up craft that we would acutally use and all enjoy. So, we came up with these paper ornaments to hang from the chandelier.

Supplies:
Scrapbook or wrapping paper
Scissors or Rotary Cutter (just faster)
Stapler
Ruler

I used my rotary cutter to cut the scrapbook paper into strips 1" wide. Then, I marked lines on the strips and let the girls use their scissors to cut them to the following lengths. 6", 7", 9", and 11".

Then, the girls gathered 2 strips each of the longest pieces and 1 strip 6" long. Stack them together with the shortest one in the middle, so that your stack is like this 11, 9, 7, 6, 7, 9, 11. Line up all the strips at one end and staple it together.

Then, gather them up so that the opposite ends all line up. The paper will just start to stick out on its own as you go. Abby needed a little bit of help to get the concept of how it was supposed to work, but once I showed her, she was able to do it on her own.

Just staple the other side once you have all the ends matched up and you are done. We tied strings through them so we could hang them from the chandelier in the dining room. I had been wanting to decorate it for Christmas but didn't want to use just plain garland. I thought these turned out really cute.

You can vary the lengths of the paper strips to make pretty much any size ornament you want. We used the scraps to make the smaller on in the center.

Hairbow Holder

2009-11-21T13:35:00.011-05:00

This is for my neice Phoebe for Christmas. She wears lots of little clippy hairbows in all colors. Hopefully this will help her mom keep track of them all. And it was super cheap too! $5.39 for 2 since I already had the fabric and ribbon! One for Phoebe and one for my girls.

Here is what you will need:

Canvas - 11" x 14" from Hobby Lobby (2 pk $8.99 and I used a 40% off coupon)

Fabric - from my stash

Grossgrain Ribbon - from my stash

Staplegun

First, lay the canvas on your fabric and trim it so that you have plenty to wrap over the edges.

Time for the staplegun! I started with the long sides, then did the corners and finally stapled the middle of the short sides. Just make sure you stretch it tight all the way around.

Here is the front once it is all stapled.

Then, just cut your ribbon to the length needed, staple it to the back of the canvas. I am going to add a picture frame hook to the back and it will be completely done.

Fabric Headband

2009-11-19T16:59:00.006-05:00

Well, I made the adorable flower that you see on the headband to be pinned on Aly's brown shirt that goes with the Twirly Stripwork Skirt. But, she asked if I could make it into a hairbow instead b/c she didn't want it on her shirt. I had found a tutorial a while back for fabric headbands from The Long Thread's Make it Monday that I had been wanting to try. Here's the template.

The flower was very easy to make. All I did was fold a 3" x 10" piece of fabric in half lengthwise and hand stitch down the long side, gather it up and stitched the ends together.

I didn't have any black elastic, so I looped 2 ponytail rubberbands together instead. It worked perfectly.

One last picture of a pose Aly chose herself. All these goofy ones will come in handy for blackmail one day.

Knitting

2009-11-14T08:14:00.006-05:00

Mama, don't read this if you get it as an email. Close IMMEDIATELY! I changed my settings so hopefully you won't get it but just in case... GO AWAY!

Ok, hopefully she is gone now. I FINALLY finished the scarf I have been working on for what seems like forever. I honestly can't remember when or who I actually started making this for, but come Christmas, it will be Mama's.

I had Abby model it for me since Donna said I needed more pictures of her on here.

Then Cookie begged to be on my blog too since she felt left out, so I said OK.

I just kept this in the truck and would work on it whenever I had to sit and wait somewhere. Mostly at the school waiting to pick the girls up in the afternoons. Sometimes when we would go somewhere as a family and Jay would drive. I had to find something to keep me occupied so his driving wouldn't make me so nervous. He is a police officer, so I know he knows how to drive and has way more experience and training in how to drive than most normal people, but he is constantly in patrol car driving mode so it is best for me to just not look when he drives.

Twirly Stripwork Skirt

2009-11-11T11:03:00.020-05:00

These are the measurements for making a size 6 skirt. You can easily adjust it by making the individual pieces slightly larger or smaller as needed.

I don't really know total yardage of fabric you will need b/c mine was all pulled from scraps except the purple. You just need 16 total pieces for the body of the skirt, you can use as many or as few different fabrics as you want.

For this version, you will need 4 coordinating fabrics cut to the following dimensions:

4 pieces of each of the 4 fabrics measuring 6" x 10"
1 piece fabric of choice for the bottom measuring 3" x 90"
1 piece fabric of choice for the drop waist measuring 7" x 30"

Everything was sewn using 1/4" seam allowances except the elastic casing for the waist.

Sew the 6" x 10" pieces together along the 10" sides to form the skirt body.

Piece your bottom hem pieces together to get a strip measuring 3" by 90". Then fold it in half top to bottom and press.

Sew this piece along the bottom of your skirt body and trim any extra off of the end.

To make gathering more easy, I simply sew a wide long zig zag stitch over a piece of cotton yarn. I had 1/2 skein of a Peaches and Cream type yarn left over from another project and I just use it over an over again for all of my gathering, but any thinner yarn will work just fine. Then, just start gathering the skirt piece on the string until it measures approximately 30", the same length as your drop waist piece. I don't actually gather it on the machine as I go, just a pic to show you how it is done.

Pin the gathered skirt to the bottom of the drop waist placing right sides together.

I don't worry about taking out the piece of yarn, I just sew right through it. I usually stitch the skirt to the drop waist piece twice. First with a straight stitch, then with a zig zag in the seam allowance to help cut down on some of the raveling later. I have a singer tiny serger, but it really isn't worth getting out to do this in my opinion.

Umm, this is where the pictures of the steps stop. Why you might ask? Well, because I got in a hurry. I had to finish the skirt in time to make a mad dash to Wal-Mart to find a matching shirt before I had to pick the girls up from school. I knew Aly would want to wear it to tomorrow and going to Wal-Mart with 2 girls is not something I usually find fun.

Ok, all that is really left to do is sew up the side seam and make the casing for your elastic. I am sure if you have made it this far, you can figure out how to do those 2 things without pictures. For the elastic measurement, I use a piece of elastic 1" shorter than the actual waist measurement. Aly's waist is 21" so I used a 20" piece of elastic and overlapped it by about 3/4" when I sewed the 2 ends together. I like to use either 3/4" or 1" elastic for waistbands, but it is really all personal prefrence.

Put it on your favorite 6 year old, send them to the yard, and snap some pics of her having fun twirling, dancing, and doing her best self chosen model poses. Aly requested that "I be able to wear this with jeans instead of leggings, but jeans without red on them, just plain ones please". Fine with me because I think wearing skirts with jeans shows her personality, which is cute, innocent, and funky all at the same time. Plus, they are warmer than leggings.

Oatmeal Raisin Apple Muffins

2009-11-11T10:27:00.008-05:00

I did mostlly mini muffins so my regular size ones are kind of small b/c I barely had enough to fill the 6 ct. regular size tin. That is why this one is so short.

This is my all time favorite Muffin Recipe. I started with a recipe I found somewhere on the internet and altered it until it was just the way I like it.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease 12 muffin cups

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts or sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins

Combine the first 7 dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix the applesauce, egg, oil and milk in another. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ones, mixing just until combined. Fold in the nuts and raisins, divide among the muffin cups. Bake at 375 for 18 to 20 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and smell heavenly.

My Favorite Picture

2009-11-11T09:23:00.006-05:00

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of Aly. I downloaded the free 30 day trial of photoshop just to play around with some old pics and see if I would ever be willing to pay money to have it. Here I removed the color everywhere except her eyes. That is her natural eye colore people! Click on the picture to make it bigger so you can see them good. Aren't they gorgeous. She takes after her Paw Paw.

Marshmallow Fondant

2009-11-03T20:16:00.000-05:00

Just found a really great you tube video on how to make Marshmallow Fondant. I will have to try making some of this in preparation for the next round of birthday cakes for the girls. Or, maybe we can decorate some cupcakes for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

6 Year Old Coolness

2009-11-03T15:58:00.000-05:00

Oh my, where has my little baby girl gone. She officially moved permanently into a backless booster this weekend. Only because I didn't think the booster I was using with Abby was safe, so she moved into Aly's old one and Aly got the backless one I already had.

She thinks she is so cool in her sunglasses and new boots. I have to admit, those are some cool pink plaid boots! Found on the clearance rack at Target.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Mod Podge Pumpkins

2009-11-03T15:37:00.001-05:00

The girls wanted to decorate their pumpkins and I just wasn't up for carving with them. We ended up with 3 pumpkins this year so I let them each decorate their own small pumpkins. I carved an owl on the big pumpkin accidentally deleted the picture. Ooops.

The cat is Abby's and the witch is Aly's.

The supplies are really simple. All you need is Mod Podge, cheapo paintbrushes, a pattern and scrapbook paper, or picture of your choice, and pumpkins.

I used bits of leftover scrapbook paper to cut out the pieces of the witch.

Abby just wanted a simple black cat so hers was easy.

Spread Mod Podge on the back of the picture or paper you are using. Then stick it to the pumpkin and smooth out any wrinkles. Once you have all your pieces of paper glued to the pumpkin, add a layer of Mod Podge over your whole pumpkin. Since we didn't make ours until Halloween and they didn't need to last long, we only put on one coat, but to make it last longer, I would think 3-4 coats would be best.

It would be cute to do some leaves, turkeys, or pilgrims for Thanksgiving too.

Ribbon Skirt and Applique Shirt

2009-10-31T08:39:00.009-04:00

I was looking around for pumpkin decorating ideas this morning and stumbled across this adorable ribbon skirt and applique shirt by Melissa over at The Polkadot Chair. It got rave reviews from both of my girls. Looks like I will be making at least one of these very soon.

Free Motion Quilting

2009-10-29T08:11:00.005-04:00

This is my first attempt at free motion quilting. Well, if you don't count the first tiny bit on one corner of a baby doll quilt that I ripped out. I didn't want to risk ruining the whole quilt doing it so I switched over to the walking foot.

Pumpkin Pillows

2009-10-28T15:10:00.009-04:00

I decided to do a Jack-O-Lantern pillow project with the girls over the weekend. First of all, I want to appologize for my ironing board cover. I just want to clarify that it is rust from all the steam ironing I do and not dirt. I guess I have a new project to tackle, making a cute new cover.

You will need:
Orange Fabric- pillow front and back
Black Fabric- for eyes, nose, and mouth
Brown- felt, ribbon, or bias tape for stem
Fusible Web

Iron fusible web to the wrong side of the black fabric.

Cut 2 pumpkin shapes out of the orange fabric. Ours were pretty much an oval with a little dip in the top, nothing too technical or special. Then the girls drew their eyes, nose, and mouth on the paper backing of the fusible web on the black fabric. I cut it out for them since it was kind of hard to cut through the layers and the pieces were so small. I let the girls place them on the pumpkins and I ironed them on.

I had planned to sew around the black pieces, but after ironing them on, didn't think it was necessary. Put the pumpkins right sides together, don't forget to put your stem in the middle, and stitch around them leaving an opeining to turn.

The girls stuffed the pumpkins and I hand stitched them closed. Sorry Aly's pumpkin is the only one shown completely finished. Abby's has already gone missing after only 3 days. It will probably turn up at Christmas or Valentines Day.

My First Quilt

2009-10-20T12:13:00.011-04:00

My first quilt is finally done! Started in February 2007 finished October 18, 2009. Yes, that is a long time, but in my defense I am making two identical quilts for the girls. I have Abby's completely finished.

I decided to string tie it instead of quilting it. I figured since it took me 2 1/2 years to get the tops pieced it would probably take me another 2 1/2 to get it quilted. And in my opinion quilts are made to be loved and used not works of perfection.

I let the girls each choose the fabric for their back strip and binding so they would be a little different from each other. Abby chose my favorite one, pastel purple with a lacy print.

Laundry

2009-10-20T11:00:00.011-04:00

I read somewhere that detergents could possibly be a trigger for eczema. One website said detergent molecules as long and skinny and soap molecules are more rounded. Abby's skin is thin, irritated, and damaged in the areas where the flare-ups happen the most. The cream the doctor gave us to put on it when it flares up actually has a warning to not use it too often b/c it can make the skin extremely skin. She referred to it as "onion skin". I think the sharp detergent spikes poke into and irritate her tender skin, but the rounded soap molecules tend to sort of float on top of it. Think about it this way, which is easier to accidentally stab yourself in the finger with, a sharpened pencil or a ball point pen?

I found these microscopic pictures of laundry detergent and soap.

Laundry Detergent

Soap

All Purpose Cleaner Recipe

2009-10-20T10:15:00.008-04:00

Well, so far the chemical elimination is going well. It really seems to be helping Abby's eczema clear up. At least we haven't had as many flare-ups in the past week. I am sure there are still all kinds of chemical irritants in our house, but it will just take time to get everything washed and cleaned to remove old residues that are hanging around. Aly is constantly on the attack when she sees me cleaning. I made up my own cleaner but didn't tell her. She saw me spraying it on the bathroom sink to clean it and said "What are you doing?!? That is a CHEMICAL and will make my little sister itch!" I told her I couldn't just NOT clean so I made a homemade cleaner and I didn't put anything in it that would make Abby itch. Here is what I have been using.

All Purpose Cleaner Recipe

1 teaspoon Washing Soda
1 teaspoon Borax
2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar

Washing Soda is generally the hardest ingredient to find, but I know you can get it at Ingles and I think Publix has it also. I have seen Borax at Bi-Lo, Wal-Mart, Ingles, possibly Publix also.

Put in a spray bottle and fill with water. I think my bottle holds around 34 oz. Yes, I guess these are still technically chemicals, but, theses do not irritate my baby girl's skin like commercial cleaners do. This works great as a general purpose cleaner. It actually cleans better than the Lysol 4 in 1 spray that I always used before. It worked wonders on the textured handle of the refrigerator that never seemed to get completely white before no matter what I used. I use it to clean bathroom sinks, toilets, kitchen sinks, cabinet doors, countertops, etc.

Eczema Endeavors

2009-10-02T16:45:00.005-04:00

Abby has had eczema since she was a few months old. All the doctors have been able to do is give us prescription creams to slather on her when it flares up. One of them was making her skin really thin. I have tried things at random from switching laundry detergents, soaps, going with flouride free toothpaste, etc. I even tried making my own homemade laundry detergent. Nothing has really seemed to make a difference. Well, about a week ago, I read an article in a magazine about using more eco friendly cleaning supplies. It had a brief 2 sentence blurb about one woman who had eliminated all "detergents" from her home and was only using true "soap" and other natural cleaners like vinegar and baking soda to clean and it had really helped to almost completely cure her son's eczema. So began my week of research.

Aparently with a lot of eczema situations, there isn't one particular trigger, but more a buildup and exposure to lots of different household cleaners and then that one extra dose sends it into flare up mode. So, for right now, I am switching to homemade laundry detergent and trying to eliminate anything with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in it since that is on of the big iritants. I finally found a toothpaste sold locally that doesn't contain it: ProNamel Kids. Aparently they put SLS in just about anything that needs to bubble from dish detergent, to shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, and a whole miriad of other things. Hopefully eliminating as many chemicals from our home as possible will help now that I know it is a combination of things, not one particular cleaner.

So far, our favorite bath product is Johnson's Buddies bar soap b/c it is real soap or to use one of my handmade soaps for her. I make my soap from scratch using the cold process method. This is great b/c I can hand pick the oils that have the best benefit for eczema. Avocado, Evening Primrose, and Sweet Almond Oil are all great for eczema relief and dry skin in general.

Oreo Balls

2009-09-08T13:21:00.006-04:00

So, I walk into my kitchen today to put away some groceries. I see a ziploc bag sitting on the counter with some sort of white chocolate dipped ball in it along with a little strip of paper. Well, the paper had a picture and recipe on it for Oreo Balls. Now I have no clue where this thing came from, but it is chocolate sitting completely unattended on MY kitchen counter, so of course I ate it before anybody could tell me not to. It was so yummy! I just had to share the recipe because it was so simple.

Oreo Balls

1 package oreos
16 oz cream cheese
white chocolate to melt for dipping

Finely chop oreos. Soften cream cheese and mix together with oreos. Roll into balls and refrigerate until firm. Melt white chocolate and dip the balls to coat. Cool on wax paper and enjoy!

Thats it! So simple. I wish I had thought to take a picture of it before I ate the whole thing. Thought about it as I was eating the last bite, but it really wasn't much to look at. If you have seen one white chocolate ball, you have seen them all. Also, thank you to whoever gave this yummy little goodie to my husband. I am assuming it was either someone from work or someone from the public speaking class he is taking right now while trying to finish up his degree.

Bless my Hubby's Heart

2009-09-06T18:44:00.002-04:00

We are really good at picking on each other. I made the comment today of "and you wonder why I have so many wrinkles on my forehead". He insisted that he did not see ANY wrinkles, I said I did, and we went back and forth about the issue a few times. Finally he said "I do not se ANY wrinkles; now, I may see a few striations, but that's it, no wrinkles." Bless his heart.

Peach Preserves Labels

2009-09-01T12:02:00.003-04:00

Labels for Peach Preserves

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3i1FEKszVtIZDdmMGE5MjctYjE3YS00MWUzLWI1N2YtOWJmM2NmNzVkNTZm&hl=en

Lovely Artwork

2009-09-01T11:29:00.003-04:00

These were blogged about on Skip To My Lou. I like them and thought I would share the website.

http://www.redletterwords.com/index.cfm?action=ViewDetails&ItemID=246

Grosgrain: Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

So adorable! Just found the neatest site where one of a kind items are made and then GIVEN AWAY FREE! I will be happy looking at all the stuff that is made even if I never win anything.

Grosgrain: Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Peach Butter Labels

2009-08-31T22:55:00.004-04:00

Peach Butter Labels for your regular mouth canning jars. Print and enjoy!

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3i1FEKszVtIOWY4ZDkyOTgtY2VmMS00ZWQxLWFmMTItNDc3MmUwNzNlMThk&hl=en

Apple Butter Labels

2009-08-31T16:41:00.004-04:00

I created some canning jar labels for Apple Butter. They can easily be printed on your printer at home, then cut out and glued to the top of your regular mouth canning jars using a standard glue stick.

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3i1FEKszVtIOGIyN2EwYmMtZWNjOS00MTQzLTg2MjctMjYxNDEyYTQ3MjE3&hl=en

Mama's Pound Cake

2009-08-30T17:28:00.004-04:00

The cake is still in the oven, but I wanted to post the recipe before I lose it again and have to call mama again to get it.

2 sticks butter
1 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup milk
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup self rising flour

Pre-heat oven to 300 F. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla and beat well. Finally, you will add the flour and milk. Start with a little of your flour and then a little bit of milk. Alternate until everything is incorporated, but make sure you start and finish with the flour. Bake for 2 hours in a greased and floured bundt pan.

Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat Cupcakes

2009-08-23T13:03:00.006-04:00

I made these Cat in the Hat cupcakes for Aly's class at school last year to celebrate Dr. Seuss. I used a mini cupcake for the head, but you could also use a doughnut hole. The hat is a marshmallow glued on with frosting. The eyes and nose are M&M’s. The whiskers and hat stripes are just frosting that I tinted and piped on. The original called for twizler type candy, but I had a hard time getting it to curl around the hat and stay there even with gobs of frosting, so the piping was much easier for me.

Goldfishy Chex Mix

2009-08-21T18:42:00.006-04:00

With all the coupons and crazy grocery shopping I do, we always end up with an abundance of cereal. I made this version of chex mix today. Just looking for something a little different for an after school snack for the girls. I thought it could use a little more flavor, but the girls both loved it just how it was.

3 tablespoons margerine
4 1/2 cups Corn Chex cereal
1 cup Golfish crackers
1 1/2 cups pretzel sticks
1/2 pkg. ranch dip mix (powdered kind- standard 1 oz size)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (kind in the canister)

Heat oven to 250 F. Melt margerine in the oven in a 13 x 9 inch pan. Stir in cereal, goldfish, and pretzels so they are evenly coated. Sprinkle the ranch dip mix and grated parmesan cheese over the top and toss to coat. Cook for approximately 15 minutes stirring every 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken Caserole

2009-08-19T16:44:00.008-04:00

I don't fix this for supper very often, but when I do, everybody seems to really like it. I usually make it without the peas and just serve them on the side, but decided to try something different this time.

1 can peas (15 oz drained)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.5 oz can- substitute any flavor you like)

2 cups cooked chopped chicken

2 cups dry rotini pasta (cooked and drained)

1/4 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

6-8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

First, cook and drain your pasta. I used Rotini, just b/c that is what I had in the cabinet already. While pasta is cooking, combine chicken, cream of mushroom soup, peas, milk, and salt and pepper in a 2 quart casserole dish. Stir just to get it all mixed together, you don't want to mash the peas up too much. Add pasta to the casserole dish and stir it all up, then smooth out the top. Top with shredded cheese. Bake in 350 F oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

First Day of School

2009-08-19T09:27:00.010-04:00

Well, we all made it through our first day of school yesterday. My "baby", Abby, started full day 4K this year. I was lucky enough to be able to stay home with her since she was born, so this was her first experience at any type of school. The only thing Abby didn't like was that they made her take a nap.

Aly is in 1st grade and was very excited because she would have a real desk this year, not just a spot at a table with her name on it.

They wanted to dress alike so everybody would know they were sisters.

Daddy walking his girls into the school.

Apple Picking

2009-08-16T14:21:00.001-04:00

Me, Donna, and our 4 kiddos decided to make a day trip "home" to my parent's house yesterday. It is about 2 hours away. We got there just in time for a quick tour of all the farm animals, ate lunch, and then drove over to my Granny's house to pick apples. After that, we went back "home" to have an afternoon snack of apple pie and homemade ice cream. Add the kids took turns turning the handle on the ice cream churn.

My girls had so much fun, it was hard for me to snap any pictures. I was lucky enough to catch a picture of "Grandma" in the edge of one though!

Lisa brought Phoebe over to see her cousins and wonderful aunt too. I have to say, I think I have the cutest niece in the world. These pictures do not do her justice!

We ended up bringing home almost 7 bushels of apples. So now, I have 3 1/2 bushels of apples sitting in boxes on my dining room table to be dealt with.

Goodwill Finds

2009-08-13T22:43:00.000-04:00

It was a great day to shop at Goodwill in Pendleton, SC today. All items with a red tag (everything you will see here) were only $1.00. I love shopping at Goodwill and am not at all ashamed of shopping there either. I get a thrill out of searching and waiting for the awesome deals on great quality clothing there. I could afford to pay retail prices for my kids clothing if I had to, but this is so much more fun. And we get a few nicer things by shopping there also if I am just diligent enough to wait and dig for the deals. The only blemishes on any of the items I bought today are the minor stains you see on The Children's Place size 5 jeans.

Gymboree Dress from their Lots of Dots line. Size 9, but it fits Aly well enough to not look sloppily big on her now. Original price $26.50

Gymboree Petite Mademoiselle Capri pants size 7. These do not look like they have ever been worn. Original Price $34.50

Old Navy Long sleeve T-shirt size M. Original cost $9.50

3 Pairs Jeans The Children's Place size 5 originally $16.50, Faded Glory with embroidery size 6 approximate original cost $10.00, and Levis 517 size 6x originally $19.98.

"Wedding Dress" for the girls to play dress-up size 7. No clue on original cost, but Abby really wanted the one at Target in the toy department for $29.99, so I will go with that.

Total Original Cost of all items: $146.97

Total I paid for all items: $7.00

Total savings: $139.97

Seeing the look on Abby's face when I gave her the wedding dress: PRICELESS!