Much to Come...Promise!

So, I have a virus that's been hanging out in my lungs for a couple of weeks now. I'm waiting to get in to see the pulmonologist after the New Year.  Whew, I’d LOVE to take a deep breath again or breathe after walking up my stairs.  I certainly have enjoyed the last year without asthma issues, but we shall see what happens.

C has been sick the two weeks before that; first a cold and then pink eye and ear infections, poor thing.

None the less, my blogging energy has gone downhill…although the projects and the recording thereof have not!  I have many things to post once I find the energy and time.  Just wait…such cute and easy things to make!  While you wait, I have this video to share with you all.  Grab a tissue first, okay?

 http://youtu.be/Ye39mgcHC3E

Hold your children close to you this season and think about all those kids who are not healthy enough to make messes, scream, talk back, or slam doors.  Just food for thought…

DIY Stacked Picture Frames

I love crafts, can you tell?  Not like I want to paint and glue paper to toilet rolls or anything.  I like practical, colorful, and beautiful crafts that serve a purpose in my home.  Like picture frames!  This is my first year actual participating in Super Saturday; apparently posting a blog about all my craftiness puts me as a shoe-in for leading a project.  Not that I mind.  I had a lot of fun, especially once I got to the event on Saturday; running around for three days beforehand…not so much.  Lessons learned… J

One, very important, lesson that I learned what that I may not have the ability to complete all the projects I signed up for and lead my own.  In fact, I ended up taking all of my signed up projects home to complete.  My favorite project?  It’s a toss-up between the cup holder and the stacked picture frames; unfortunately I only photographed the frames in progress.  So here we are:

Start by spray painting three wooden boards.  You can do whatever size you want really, just figure out how large you want them in relation to the picture frames you want to use.  Tip: press thump pins into the back of the boards so the newspaper doesn’t stick to the wet paint.

Let the board paint dry completely.  The next step is creating whatever design you want on the middle board.  I went with a chevron pattern, which took me about an hour to tape up.  I’m a perfectionist, but eventually I just had to live with what I did.  I was tired of retaping to make it perfect.  

I then spray painted the patterned board.  I also spray painted the three picture frames in contrasting colors. (I ended up repainting the blue boards with a teal acrylic paint because the spray paint was too light blue for my home.)

When all the frames are dry I hot glued Velcro pieces to the backs.  This will allow the frames to come off the boards so the pictures can be changed.

Next, I distressed the boards and the frames.  I did this simply by streaking and rubbing antiquing medium into the wood.  Love the weathered look!

Hot glue the Velcro pieces, while attached to the frames, onto the board where you want them.

Voila!

Oh BTW, here’s the adorable and function cup holder that I made, with plenty of room for family additions.  ;-)



Growing Up Yeast-Like

This time of year is a whirlwind of projects, family, travel, cooking/baking, and of course, being sick.  October flew by in just that fashion; starting with traveling, a family wedding, and ending in being very sick.  Happily we seem to be past all that and are now looking forward to a missionary farewell at the end of this month.  Sigh…how is it that my “little brother” is old enough to go on his mission already?  Here we are at the wedding, in which I was a bridesmaid, you can see just how “little” he really is (note, I'm wearing 3 inch heels):

It seems very fitting that we were able to meet at this wedding in my dear Virginia; now that I live in Washington, and he from California.  I’ve always felt a special bond with my brother, I do with each of my brothers and my sister; however, he is a sibling that has a unique beginning.  He is a survivor and laughs in the face of “shouldn’t have been”, in many ways.  See, not only was my step-mother not supposed to have him, but then he survived with a fatal, and undiscovered, congenital heart-defect for 16 years!  It is truly amazing how God’s power blesses our lives.

I’ve loved watching him grow up, seeing the interesting individual he’s become.  It hasn’t been easy, but what is?  Relationships, like bread, are some of the hardest recipes to perfect.  I’ve long been afraid to make scratch-made bread; and when you have perfect bread available at every market, why even try?  The temperamental nature of yeast and the perfect amount of kneading is daunting.  However, watching the final product rise and grow sends warm fuzzies up my spine, reminding me that all this work is going to be worth it.

Kneading still makes me cringe.  If it makes you run and hide, here’s a fun recipe that requires no manual kneading.  Perfect for me!  Bonus: they are pretty darn close to the Texas Roadhouse rolls, just a little more bready…all you need is some cinnamon butter and you’d never know!

Mum’s Roadhouse Yeast Rolls

5 Tbsp. butter (real butter, not margarine!)

1 cup milk

½ cup water

4 ¼ cups flour

¼ cup white granulated sugar

4 ½ tsp. active dry yeast (or two packets)

1 tsp. salt

I removed the top rack from my oven, leaving the bottom rack on the second to last level, and then set the oven to 200 degrees.  I sprayed a glass bowl with non-stick spray, and set to the side.  Take a small sauce pan and melt 4 Tbsp. of the butter, which is half a stick.  Once melted add the milk and water.  This needs to heat to about 125 degrees; I do not have a candy thermometer, so I used by meat thermometer.  Worked great!  Take it off the heat when ready.

In a mixing bowl add 4 cups of the flour, the sugar, yeast, and salt.  I used a paddle attachment for this part, on a slow setting.  As the dry mixes slowly poured in the warm milk/butter mixture then increase the speed to medium for a few seconds until everything came together.  Slowly add the last ¼ cup of flour until everything came together in a sticky ball.  Time for kneading.

Easiest thing in the world, I simply removed the paddle attachment and added my dough hook.  I set the mixer on medium-high and the timer for 5 minutes.  Then walk away.  When the timer goes off, move the dough from your mixing bowl to the prepped glass bowl.  Turn the oven off and place the bowl inside; the dough will need to rise in the warmed oven for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes of rising turn the dough out onto a floured countertop and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Divide the dough ball into quarters, and then divide each new ball into quarters again.  This will make 16 pieces.  Gentle roll each piece into a loose ball and place into a greased springform pan.  Once all the balls are nestled into the pan (nestled if the appropriate term here) set the pan on the back of your stovetop and cover with the towel.  The warming oven makes a perfectly warm nook for your dough to rise for another 10 minutes.

After the second rising, you’re ready to bake!  Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and delicious.  Melt the remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter.  When the rolls come out, brush all that butter on top and let rest for about 20 minutes. ENJOY!

Blah to Gra – nola That Is!

Allergies have haunted my life since I can remember.  Memories of the first time I was tested still haunt my Stepmom, whose fingers I may have broken had I been stronger.  Back then they did skin testing on your back, not on your arm…thankfully, for my daughter the testing process is considerably less painful and quick.

Little C tested positive to dairy allergies last year and she exhibits symptoms of wheat allergies, which we will be tested for next month when we go back to VA.  Developing meals free from both products has been quite a challenge…one that I welcome with gusto!

The puffed rice that once was a great breakfast at school has now become subpar in the world of more interesting things to eat.  What do you do with a ton of plain puffed rice?  Why, make absolutely wonderful granola, that’s what!

Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

I raided my pantry to find different ingredients; this is a great time to use nuts or seeds that might be flirting with an expiration date or dried fruit that were bought and then forgotten.  This is what I found:

1 cup of Puffed Rice

2 cups of Rolled Oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup of raisins

½ cup of dried plums

You will also need the following:

1 tsp. Vegetable Oil

1 tsp. Vanilla extract (real pleeeeease!)

6 Tbsp. Honey

¼ cup Apple Juice*

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

½ tsp. Cinnamon

*I did not have apple juice, we just don’t drink it.  So, I used a packet of apple sauce that I had in my pantry.  Perfect substitution!

Combine the oats and the puffed rice and layer it onto a cookie sheet.  Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes, just to toast everything a bit.  Keep an eye on it, if you burn any of this it’s done.  I stirred mine half way through.

While that’s getting roasty-toasty, combine all the wet ingredients and the spices in a measuring cup.

When the oats and puffed rice are done toss them into a bowl and pour the wet mixture over it all.  Mix it well.

Then spread a thin layer onto a cookie sheet.  You can use the same cookie sheet as before; I chose to use my Pampered Chef stoneware for this because I didn’t want anything to burn.  I baked this part in batches so that things would toast nicely.

Bake each batch for 15 minutes, mix some, and then another 5 minutes or until it’s lightly browned.  The mixture will still be moist when it’s done, but it should look a bit toasted.  Spread out onto another cookie sheet to cool while you start on the next batch.

Once cooled you can put back into the bowl and mix in the dried fruit.

You’re finished!  Super easy, super cheap, super yummy!  What more could a sweet little girl ask for?  Pour on some unsweetened coconut milk with a side of banana and you’ve got one energy-packed breakfast!



Seasoning Life

In April my daughter and I drove from Washington D.C. to Spokane, Washington.  Okay, I lied, my amazing Dad drove…we rode.  So here I found myself ready to establish a wonderful life for our little family, in a quiet area with a slower pace than the big city.  Of course, what I hadn’t really thought about was what I would do without all my friends.  Making new friends comes easy to some people, but not to me.  I’m inherently shy and very sensitive to feeling like an outsider.  By chance the opportunity came to me to host a craft/girls night every once in a while…thanks to the Party in the Back skirt.  This was the project we worked on this last night.

  

If you haven’t already realized, I’m anal retentive.  I spent about 30 minutes at the Hobby Lobby picking out the paper for this project.  So much fun...anyways, I folded and tore the paper, making sure it was slightly smaller than the actual size of the block.  I then wrote the word on the back of the paper and the side of the block, so I could keep everything organized.  You won’t believe, it took an hour and a half to just tear all the paper (talking included).  I’m silly sometimes…

I then sanded down all the edges…with a nail filer.  That’s right.  The sandpaper I bought was too fine and taking too long, so I just used what I had…easy enough to replace.  One of the blocks even had a stamp on it that I filed off, the best I could anyways.

I then Mod Podged the torn paper onto the matching block side.  I was very careful to make sure that if each block rotated once it would still show the same season on all three blocks.  Once the Mod Podge dried I sponged white paint onto all the bare wood areas, wiping it with a paper towel to remove all excess.  I repeated the exact same steps with an antiquing dye.  I used FolkArt’s Antiquing Medium #811.

Finally I applied the vinyl, making sure to rub firmly with a credit card to make sure everything stuck nicely.

Tadda!  LOVED this project!  Here is where you can get yours.



All Things Spring Quiet Book

This, I think, will be my last quiet book until winter.  It dawned on me that if I hurry up and complete all my projects right now that I might not have anything to do when the weather outside turns nasty.  :-)  I love this little book, which required even more sewing than the Witches Brew book.  The details are to die for!

I’m a huge fan of buttons, and thankfully my little girl is not a fan of eating them.  So bring on the buttons!  These sweet little flowers have sweet little button holes in the middle so they can come off.

 Loving the little rain drops and the path they’ve left as they’re coming down.  Not loving how hard it was to sew the umbrella handle…my machine likes the taste of felt.  Enough said.

Who doesn’t love bunnies; especially sweet little minky bunnies with ears that stand up or flop?  I embroidered the nose and eyes, having given up on the stress of sewing the minky on.  Anyone have a suggestion of which foot works best with this material?

  

And the galoshes!  Each one has a little piece of Velcro on the back so they can be removed and then put back in their respective spot.  My daughter loves playing with these types of puzzles, so this is just perfect…AND I got to experiment with different decorative stiches on my machine.

We absolutely adore finger-puppets in my house.  This little caterpillar is no exception!  I used different stiches for each of the three stripes, to add some fun.

One of the best things about spring…the butterflies!

These Easter Eggs were so much fun to design.  There’s an endless possibility to what they can look like.  I love how they just tuck away behind the grass.  Speaking of grass, I applied Fray Check to that entire end of the rectangle, prior to cutting.  That way the little blades wouldn’t fray away.  Hahaha…that’s funny.

Finally, the sweetest little chick!  Might have been the easiest out of all the pages.  LOVE

Now…go get the pattern here, and send me pictures of the eggs you make!

Cookie Crumbs

This weekend was a difficult weekend of not knowing exactly what role I ought to play in other people’s lives.   This can be a confusing and frustrating experience, especially when everyone wants a different type of involvement, level of involvement, and are likely to communicate this in different ways (or not at all).

So after a rather abrupt, but much needed, shake I came to the realization that if they aren’t asking for advise, help, or comfort…then they don’t need it bad enough.  My role is to be here, even if just a silent partner.  Eventually, if needed, they will come seek what I may have to offer…and they will be more likely to be grateful for it when it’s under their terms.

I can’t shove my caring down people’s throats, no matter how much I want too…but what I can shove down their throats are cookies!  So I made cookies…a lot of cookies.  :-)  Realizing how much I care will just come with time…

Chocolate Chip Cookies, with Pecans

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup white sugar

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

2 cups of chocolate chips

1 cup of chopped pecans

Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste

 Start, as all cookie recipes, by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and both kinds of sugar.  Beat in one egg at a time, and then add the vanilla extract.  Do yourself a favor and use real vanilla extract…please?

In another bowl combine the dry ingredients, including the cinnamon and nutmeg.  I enjoy spiced cookies, so I was generous with these two spices.

Okay, time to combine the two bowls.  The best cookies I’ve ever made come with patience…so instead of dumping all the dry ingredients into the wet at once, I do this in small batches.  It doesn’t matter if you do it in two, three, or four batches…just make sure that all the dry ingredients are combined before adding more.

Once everything is combined you can fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.  I used semi-sweet chocolate and whole pecans that I chopped myself.  You’re ready to bake.

Here is where I now provide a shout out to my wonderful Step-Mom for introducing me to the world of Pampered Chef Stoneware.  I once was lost and now am found!  So out came the stoneware and I started balling the cookie dough, placing about 5 on the stone at a time.  I patted them down a bit.  If you want GIANT cookies, go for a little smaller than a golf ball.

My oven baked these babies perfectly at 11 minutes, but yours might take a minute more or less.  Shoot for 9 to 12 minutes.  I love gooey cookies, so mine were perfect.  I let them rest a few minutes on the stoneware before transferring them to the cookie sheet.

Voila! Mum Made...



Monster Tooth Pillow

My nephew’s Birthday is coming up, and I’m thinking he won’t enjoy a princess bank as much as his younger sister.  So what do I make for him?

A Tooth Fairy pillow!  Of course…you have to man it up a bit.

I started with this:

Yes, that’s right; random kitchen supplies and a baby clothes hanger.  Fact is; I am not a good sketcher.  I couldn’t sketch a circle if my life depended on it.  And, since I’m of the anal-retentive nature, I love my circles to be perfect and everything to be even.  So I use what I can find around my house to trace the lines I need.  J  It just works.

  

So here are the cardboard patterns I made:

Went on a fun outing to Joann’s and came back with this (plus more…you know that happens):

The mouth was difficult:

No matter how much I’ve been sewing in the last year, I still can’t seem to sew three pieces of fabric together without messing it up somewhere…then let’s add the fact that the knit material likes to move.  Needless to say, it took me a couple tries before I was satisfied.

Then came the stitching, which I do while sitting in front of the boob tube:

I am using “Mum Made” as my calling card, so I went ahead and stitched that into the bottom corner of the Monster’s rear.

And the finished results:

 What do you think?

Royally Saved

For my niece’s Birthday this year I made her a savings bank…yes, out of a recycled formula can.  I’m telling you, I don’t want to waste these babies…not at $60 for a 14 oz. can!

Anyways, my darling little niece is such a princess, thanks to her Mom.  She always looks beautiful, with fantastic hairdos and sweet outfits.  I love it!  This is the perfect little bank to help a princess want to start saving.

It even came with a few dollars to help jump start the savings; in quarter-form of course.  There’s nothing better than the rattle of coins in a bank!