New Look and Misc. Stuff

Hi everyone, Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

We are getting ready to head out for the weekend so thought I'd get my blog in order before we go. What do you think of the new look? I'm not sure about it yet. I do love the feet picture. Especially the way Lindsey's feet are not lined up with the other kids. That's a 1 year old for ya!

Isn't she just the cutest little thing? God blessed us so richly when he added her to our family!!

I made this shirt the other night in less than an hour! Have you ever heard of pillowcase dresses/shirts? This one was my trial run. I'm not crazy about this print (I think this is from 1988!) but I didn't want to use a good pillowcase on my first try. I wasn't going to add the embellishments but Kaycie fell in love with it, so I went ahead and finished it off. She wore it yesterday for Thanksgiving. Super easy to do, so I plan on making some more in the near future! (With cuter pillowcases!)

This was one of the options for my new blog header. But when I tried it, Lindsey's hand got cut out of the pic. So I guess I'll just enjoy it here!

Italian-style Shepherd's Pie

We had this tonight for dinner. Another new recipe, my poor family. Most of the time they luck out and get some good stuff ! Tonight was one of those good nights.
Found this in the back of my recipe shelf, shoved behind some other cookbooks. It comes from the Betty Crocker Quick-to-Fix Casserole book. I did take a picture, but for some reason it looked awful. So no pic for this one, sorry!

1 lb boneless sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup sliced onion
3 medium carrots, sliced
salt and pepper
1 cup fresh mushrooms (I didn't have any, so that was left out)
1 1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce (just regular spaghetti sauce)
mashed potatoes
parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef, carrots and onions until beef cubes are browned. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in mushrooms and pasta sauce. heat to boil. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes for sauce to thicken a bit. Spread in a greased 2 or 3 qt. casserole dish. (I used the 11x9x2 size). Spoon the potatoes by the moundful on top of the beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the potatoes begin to brown.



I will leave you with this picture though:

Bear all dressed up and ready to go crow hunting in the field!! What a boy!

Spinach Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Here are some tasty little bites. Good for many things: appetizers, snacks, bread with dinner, lunches, etc.

The recipe could be changed and tweeked a bit to suit your taste.

-1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls

-spreadable garlic and herb cream cheese (could also use the garden veggie or onion and chive flavors, or add a little salsa to regular cream cheese)

-sliced deli ham

-fresh baby spinach

Unroll the dough into 4 rectangles; seal perforations. Spread the cream cheese over each rectangle. Top with ham and spinach. Roll up from the short sides and pinch seam to seal. Cut each roll into 6 slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400 for about 8 minutes. Keep an eye on these, they brown quickly. When golden brown remove from oven.

Serve warm.

Makes 2 dozen.

Goodwill Finds

I don't have alot to post today so I'll show ya some of my recent Goodwill finds. There is a really nice Goodwill about 45 minutes from here. It's big, tidy, and has some great deals. And since I very rarely will pay full price for anything, I enjoy going there.

Here is a dress I got for Kaycie. It's still a little big, but for $3.99 she can grow into it. She loved it because it's flowy! I also got her a soft leather (fake) coat with fuzzy around the hood, and it still had the original tags on it. SCORE!!! (no pic of that, she wore it to school today)

I like picture frames. I bought a few (.99 each). This was my favorite. It's hard to tell, but it has been covered with handmade paper.

The soft flannel with snowflakes is about 3 1/2 yards for $1.99. I plan on making a tree skirt with it. And then some little scraps of Christmas fabric.

A stack of books. There are some others also (kid books) but the kids must have them. They weren't on the bookshelf.

A cute homemade wall hanging to put up next summer! ($1.99)

I love this! It has magnets to put on the frig. yeah! A weekly place for my to-do list.

Lindsey is loving these magnets. I got a set of 14 farm magnets for .99! And they are made from real wood so she packs them around and I don't worry about them getting ripped or broken.

We keep them low on the frig and they keep her entertained. Off, on, off, on, etc...

Some other finds: rubbermaid tote, ribbon, quilt batting, Christmas wrap, Christmas cards, quilt stencils, and spiral notebooks.

Sorry if this post bored the pants off you!

My Happy Animals (Well, a few of them)

This morning was soooo cold and frosty, but this afternoon has warmed up nicely. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

I'm enjoying it, and the animals are enjoying it.

This is what happens when the chickens see me coming. They come running!!! Maybe they get a little spoiled, because they just know I'm gonna have some treats for them!

This is Adam. He's such a good rooster!

Our little Daisy goat.

McKenzie rolling and playing in the sunshine.

I finally got her to pose for me!

The Otis Cafe

Yesterday we drove north up the coast. The weather was actually pretty nice until we decided to get out and walk around the fish hatchery that my Dad worked at when I was growing up. Then it started to downpour!! I was hoping to get some pictures of the salmon and the hatchery but we ended up just trying to stay dry under the building eaves. Oh well.

Being there did bring back alot of memories that I was able to share with the kids. I think they enjoyed it.

Then for lunch we went to The Otis Cafe! Yum. I remember being a little girl and sitting on the tall bar stools at the counter and having homemade pie. It's a teeeny-tiny place (only 5 tables!) but they still make all their bread homemade and the pies are wonderful. They are locally famous for their great breakfasts.

I took this pic of the kids standing under the Otis Cafe sign. For those of you who know us personally, you'll know why I did that!

This next picture was just one I took tonight during the sunset. For some reason, I have always loved to look at trees silhouetted against the sky.

A little view from our neck of the woods!

No Quilt, Just Stitch

Today I attempted to start the quilting on a little wall hanging. It was awful!! I'm so new to all this quilting stuff and my fabric kept puckering up and the stitching would over lap. UGGHHH!!! I guess I'm just not getting the fabric pulled taut enough?

So I just folded it up, stashed it back in my closet on my craft shelf, and decided to do something a little less intricate! ...

A primitive stitchery that I've had the pattern for and just haven't started it yet. Boy, I'm glad I did that! He's so cute!

I'll get back to the quilt when I'm up for it... maybe in a few days. But for now... Here's my relaxing, no stress project...

Pattern credit to: S. Allemand from PalettePrimitives.com

Baking Day

I got in the baking mood today and tried a couple new recipes. They both turned out really good so I'll share them with you.

CHOCOLATE MINT COOKIES

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp water

1 package semisweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 cup flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

bag of Andes mints

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter, sugar, and water. Add chocolate chips and stir until mostly melted. Pour into a large mixing bowl and let cool for 10-12 minutes. Mix on high speed, beat in eggs. Reduce speed and add dry ingredients. Mix until well blended. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray baking sheets with no-stick spray. Roll dough into teaspoon size balls. (I made mine a little larger). Place on cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes, no longer. Immediately place half of an Andes mint on each hot cookie. Allow the mint to soften then swirl with a butter knife.

I had bought these peppermint Andes mints, so I used them instead of the usual green mints. They turned out very yummy! Very festive looking!

HERB CHEESE BREAD

1 1/3 cup warm water

2 tbsp butter,softened

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp sugar

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 package active dry yeast

2/3 cup shredded swiss cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan

In a bread machine, place the first 8 ingredients. Select the dough setting. Just before the final kneading cycle, add the cheeses. I had to add a little bit of water to the dough too.

When the dough cycle is complete, turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times. Place in a large greased loaf pan. Or 2 small loaf pans. ( I actually use a small roaster because with 6 people in the family, we need a large loaf!) Allow to rise until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees.

To be honest, I'm not sure how long I baked it for. I just kept an eye on it and when it had browned nicely I removed it from the oven. I always rub butter over the top of my bread when it's hot to make a nice shiny, golden appearance.

Where Does The Time Go?

When did it happen? When did he grow into a young man? When was it that he became as tall as I am? When did his feet get larger than mine? Did I blink too long? Did I turn around for one minute?

12 1/2 years. That's how long it has been. Since I pained and pushed this life, this baby boy, into the world. 12 1/2 years of those huge blue eyes, so expressive, so thoughtful. 12 1/2 years of training him, teaching him to be a gentleman.

Oh, it scares me. If time has gone so quickly these 12 1/2 years, just how much quicker will it go the next 6. Will I blink again and he'll be at college? My heart aches with the thought of him not welcoming me each morning with a hug and "I love you, Mom." It aches thinking of that night when he doesn't want me to tuck him into bed and kiss his cheek.

What a blessing. What a special beginning to our family.

Ryan. My son. My young man. My little perfectionist. My eldest.
I LOVE YOU!

p.s. Thanks for the squeeze hugs every night! Thanks for hanging on until I tickle your armpit to make you let go.

pictures were taken on the bus during a school field trip.

Christmas Card Holder

Here is a little project I did today while the baby was down for her nap.

It's a Christmas card holder. The front has a pocket to store the cards.

The polka dot fabric is actually green but for some reason it shows up blackish.

These little projects are good for me because I like to be able to see results quickly. I tend to lose interest in large projects.

The pattern is from:

http://www.home.howstuffworks.com/ click on the Home & Garden tab for crafts, quilting, etc.

There are a bunch of cute things to do on this site!

Have a great day!

Kaycie's Quilt Progress

Here is the quilt that Kaycie has been working on. She has done all the sewing by herself.

Now it is laid out and ready to have the sashing and borders sewed onto the rows of blocks.

She has picked out all the fabrics also. I was a little surprised at the bland tan for the sashing and borders but she said she wants the blocks to stand out bright! Smart girl!

She has chosen a soft red flannel for the backing. In her words, "I want it to be comfy-cozy!"

A Little Visitor

Isn't this beautiful? Somebody was very busy last night.

There are sparkly webs all along our deck railing this morning!

Miracle of Duct Tape

So a funny story. Well, it wasn't funny last night.

The kids and I were in town for the bake sale. Driving through town at dark to find somewhere to grab dinner in the pouring rain (not kidding, it was POURING!!), and all of a sudden I hear a snap and crack and my windshield wiper falls off! Was it the passenger side?, oh no, of course not! The driver side on a night when it's an absolute necessity! I immediately pulled over and tried to get it back on the metal arm. No luck, it would not go on!

So I drove quickly to a nearby gas station in hopes of finding a Windshield Wiper Expert. The man working there tried but had the same problem I had.

5, 10 minutes go by. Still no wiper in place.

He had to go help customers, so here I am: 4 hungry, whiny kids in the car, 1 stressed out Mommy, soaking wet and freezing trying to replace the broken wiper!

A very nice gentleman then approached me and asked, "Are you trying to get a wiper on tonight?" (Here's Your Sign!!) haha

He then took over, I thought , "Here is my savior, he's gonna get it!" 10, 20 minutes . Now both of us are dripping wet! The kids are turning very restless. 30, 40 minutes later (yes, you read it right...40 MINUTES LATER!!) And...

Then ;; AHA!! The idea comes! DUCT TAPE!! It's a cure-all , right?

"Please God, let there be some duct tape in the mini mart".

yeah, they have some!!

So while the nice man held the wiper in place, I wound the duct tape around and around it until secure!

IT WORKED!!!!!

So I rightfully thanked the man for his time, shook hands and said goodbye. He then got in his truck and drove off. What a good Samaritan, right!!!? The man from the gas station comes running out trying to catch my good Samaritan. He had driven off without paying for his gas!!!

I guess that was my fault, he was a little preoccupied for awhile. He could probably only think about getting into his warm, dry truck and trying to thaw out some!

I did make it to Walmart to buy a new wiper to replace the broken one. But mind you, I still had a 34 mile drive home in the wind and rain storm wearing clothes that were dripping wet. And my kids were still hungry, Thank God for the quickness of McDonalds! We made it and Praise God for duct tape!!

So another ode to the wonderful, amazing, astounding, fabulous duct tape!!!!!

Bake Sale

I think we are now ready for the 4-H bake sale tonight! I've been baking and my house smells wonderful!

I found these cute graphics for the tags online, I thought they were fitting. And I think everything looks good tied up with raffia.

Sorry the food doesn't show up well. The saran wrap kinda blurs the images.

So, wish us luck! Our little 4-H group could use some funds right about now, I think we have $10 in our account!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

It was just that kind of day. A big pot of homemade soup on a rainy, dreary day really hits the spot. Everyone in our family loves broccoli except Ryan. It's probably his least favorite food. Sorry Ryan, it just sounded too good to pass up today. Plus, I had broccoli that needed used up in the fridge!

2 tbsp butter
1/2 - 1 cup chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
5-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 cups broccoli florets, cooked in the microwave until crisp-tender
1 cup diced ham
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tbsp cornstarch, to thicken
pepper

In a large dutch oven, saute onions in butter. Add the chicken broth, milk, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until potatoes are tender.
Using a masher, mash the potatoes in the pot until most are smooth. (this helps to thicken the soup) Add broccoli and ham. Stir in the shredded cheese; stir until cheese melts. Add the sour cream and stir until mixed in.
At this point I add a little cornstarch mixed with cold water to the bubbly soup. I like my soup thick! This is optional.
Season with a little pepper.

Craft Pictures

After I put the pictures of our gingerbread boy craft on my blog, I noticed that the final projects were hard to see. So here are some up-close views!

Ms. Crafty Kaycie made 2!! She loved this project.

from left to right: my boy, Ryan's (you can't really see it, but he made a guitar out of the craft wire. His boy is holding it), and then Kyle's.

Paper Bag Gingerbread Boys

Super Cute!! Super Easy!! That's my kind of craft project.

Make a simple pattern and cut 2 out of a brown paper grocery bag. (The green one was our pattern). Hot glue the 2 pieces together leaving the head open for the stuffing.

Gently stuff with polyfil. Don't overfill or his glue seams will rip open.

Cut about 12" of craft wire and twirl around a pencil to create the hanger. Using a tack, poke holes in the tops of each arm. Put wire through and twist the end to secure.

Use glitter glue, wired ribbon bows, buttons , raffia, etc. to decorate.

Enjoy the masterpieces!!!

Random Post Today

Hi everyone, just a quick post this morning. Got to get ready for church!

Last night we finally did it!! Went to town and got a family portrait done! yeah! I'm really excited about this one. The photographer was great, she really knew what to do. I was nervous about getting all 4 kids looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. Only a miracle could accomplish this! But she did it (With God's help, I'm sure!)

So when I get them back, I will share it with you all.

Also I'm feeling the Christmas Craftiness Bug sneaking up on me. I found this adorable little gingerbread man to make with the kids. He is made out of a brown paper bag! Sounds pretty easy and uses some materials that we already have around the house. I'll share pics and directions once we try it out.

I also found some little stitchery patterns that I think I'll do up soon. I need to complete some of my projects already going on first!

Have a wonderful day and God bless you all!!

p.s. the picture has nothing to do with this post. Just thought it is a cute one of Kaycie (2 years old) She decided to use Mommy's mascara. It's a wonder she didn't poke an eyeball out!!!

Quilt Block Dilemma

So you know that I've decided to take up the time and thought consuming hobby of quilting. I have completed these 4 blocks (14" X 14") and now don't know what to do with them.

They were part of a tutorial to learn how to make straight seams and connect points at the right places (still learning that one!). Also it was about how to piece the fabric to make triangles and squares for different patterns.

So what do I do now? Make a small tablecloth? A baby doll blanket? A wall hanging? Sofa Pillows?

Any suggestions or other ideas?