Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Frosted Glass
Ever since moving to our new house, the three little windows in our front door have bothered me a little.
Windows with clear glass= not much privacy. I prefer for people to not be able to look straight in if standing at the door!
A curtain would've solved the problem but since our living room is already a bit on the dark side, I wanted to allow as much natural light in as possible!
I was looking for a cost-effective solution and many options were just too expensive for me. My sister loaned me a can of Krylon Glass Frosting which worked great!
It only took a couple of coats to get it like I wanted and it has provided the right amount of privacy while still letting the light shine in!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
A Christmas Dress
We went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving this year. On Wednesday night, I felt the urge to sew a Christmas dress for my eighteen month old niece. If I gave it to her at Thanksgiving, she'd be able to wear it all season long as opposed to receiving it at Christmas.
I picked from my stash a small piece of red corduroy from the thrift store earlier this year and a piece of red and white stripe that my sister had given to me. There wasn't quite enough corduroy for the whole dress so I needed another fabric to add to it. I chose the red and white stripe rather than a Christmas print so she could wear it all winter.
This was a fun project to work on and from start to finish only took me a little over an hour! The pattern is New Look 6578. I made a size 2 and it fit Leila perfectly while still able to wear it as a jumper with a shirt underneath.
We thought it would be fun to get her dressed up and take a bunch of pictures of her in the dress. Leila is such a busy girl that the photo shoot was easier said than done as she ran around the house doing whatever she pleased. As soon as we thought we'd get a good shot, she moved. Quickly. We got lots of laughs out of this! Her expressions are so funny!
Leila loved wearing the dress and her black Mary Janes. She is such a girly-girl and cried when we put the dress away saying, "Mine, mine!"
And if you're really interested in seeing the dress, here are some much less amusing pictures of it.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thanksgiving Dinner
We went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving Day. They live a little over 2 hours away from us so we don't get to see them all that often.
She and I shared the meal preparations. She made the ham, green beans, potatoes and a corn casserole (and hosted the event) and I brought dinner rolls, sausage stuffing with apples, cranberries and nuts, a sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce (we like the jellied kind from a can!) and pecan and pumpkin pies for dessert. The stuffing and sweet potatoes were both dishes from my Dream Dinners adventure and both were very good. The meal was enjoyed by all!
My sister's family is getting ready to move to another house so we kept things very simple as many of their belongings are already packed up for the move!
It was a nice and relatively quiet Thanksgiving Day!
She and I shared the meal preparations. She made the ham, green beans, potatoes and a corn casserole (and hosted the event) and I brought dinner rolls, sausage stuffing with apples, cranberries and nuts, a sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce (we like the jellied kind from a can!) and pecan and pumpkin pies for dessert. The stuffing and sweet potatoes were both dishes from my Dream Dinners adventure and both were very good. The meal was enjoyed by all!
My sister's family is getting ready to move to another house so we kept things very simple as many of their belongings are already packed up for the move!
It was a nice and relatively quiet Thanksgiving Day!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Along with friend, family, turkey and stuffing, I hope you'll take at least a few minutes this weekend to remember God's incredible blessings to you this year!
Praise To God, Immortal Praise
Praise to God, immortal praise,
For the love that crowns our days;
Bounteous Source of every joy,
Let Thy praise our tongues employ.
For the love that crowns our days;
Bounteous Source of every joy,
Let Thy praise our tongues employ.
For the blessing of the field,
For the stores the gardens yield,
For the joy which harvest bring,
Grateful praises now we sing.
Clouds that drop refreshing dews;
Suns that genial heat diffuse;
Flocks that whiten all the plain,
Yellow sheaves of ripened grain.
All that Spring with bounteous hand,
Scatters o'er the smiling land;
All that lib'ral Autumn pours
From her overflowing stores;
These great God, to Thee we owe,
Source whence all our blessings flow;
And for these our souls shall raise
Grateful vows and solemn praise.
Written by Anna L. Barbauld, 1773
I will probably not be blogging much, if at all, the rest of the week in order to spend time enjoying the holiday! See you all back here on Monday!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
I'm Thankful For Food!
I'm so thankful for the bounty of food that God has blessed us with. Even in leaner times, we still eat so well! Thank you, God!
Labels:
celebration,
simplicity,
walking with Christ
Mrs. Meyer's Hand Soap
Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena hand soap.
A little splurge that makes me smile!
And certainly a step up from the dish soap I've had beside the bathroom sink ever since we've moved!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
I'm Thankful That God is God
Today I'm praising God just for who He is!
Labels:
celebration,
simple pleasures,
walking with Christ
Out And About
While you're out and about cruising around the blogosphere this weekend, here's a few worthwhile reads:
Using a hook book as inspiration for your writing at Savvy Blogging. My mom, a writer, has done this for years. She's always jotting things down!
Seven easy make-ahead appetizers for Thanksgiving Day lingering from Mom Advice. Yummy! The Spinach Stuffing Balls and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip look amazing!
The Proverbs 31 Woman Is Your Model at Christian Homekeeper Network.
Self-Feeding at Cultivating Home. A great post on feeding yourself spiritually.
Using a hook book as inspiration for your writing at Savvy Blogging. My mom, a writer, has done this for years. She's always jotting things down!
Seven easy make-ahead appetizers for Thanksgiving Day lingering from Mom Advice. Yummy! The Spinach Stuffing Balls and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip look amazing!
The Proverbs 31 Woman Is Your Model at Christian Homekeeper Network.
Self-Feeding at Cultivating Home. A great post on feeding yourself spiritually.
Friday, November 19, 2010
I'm Thankful For People Who Pray
Last night as my friend and I were doing our weekly Life Group (sharing what God has showed us from Scripture) by phone, I noticed that I was starting to have asthma-related wheezing.
As I finished praying, she asked if I was having trouble breathing. Apparently, she could hear it in my voice over the phone! When I replied that I was starting to wheeze, she immediately proceeded to pray for me right then that my lungs would be clear and that I'd be able to breathe properly.
This blessed me that she not only offered to pray but that she jumped in and prayed right then instead of putting it off. I know that God will bless her obedience!
As I finished praying, she asked if I was having trouble breathing. Apparently, she could hear it in my voice over the phone! When I replied that I was starting to wheeze, she immediately proceeded to pray for me right then that my lungs would be clear and that I'd be able to breathe properly.
This blessed me that she not only offered to pray but that she jumped in and prayed right then instead of putting it off. I know that God will bless her obedience!
Labels:
celebration,
simple pleasures,
walking with God
And The Winner Is...
Me!
While set up at a festival a few weeks back, I tasted a meatball and entered a giveaway at the Dream Dinners booth.
Imagine my surprise when they called me a few days later to say that I'd won their grand prize of three holiday side dishes!
Dream Dinners is one of those places where you can go and assemble your own freezer meals. Everything is chopped and prepped ahead and they even clean up the mess afterward! You make an appointment and select the menu items you wish to purchase and they set it all up in stations and you assemble your dishes.
Well, I love freezer cooking and the thought of no prep work or cleanup was very appealing to me! I was so very excited at the chance to try this out!
Because of the popularity of the holiday sides, some are already prepared and ready to take home. Of the three that I chose, the Savory Stuffing was the only one that needed to be assembled. The other two, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes and a Sweet Potato Bake were already bagged up and ready to throw into my freezer.
I was a little disappointed that I only got to make one but it was so much fun! Everything is chopped and prepped and labeled and handy and they have cool measuring cups and spoons. Clearly, I need a hobby. I gushed about Dream Dinner's awesomeness all the way home.
In my opinion, their regular menu items are a bit pricey for my budget and many items are fancier than what we eat on an everyday basis. But it is a wonderful convenience- no shopping or chopping- and certainly fun to do!
Thank you Dream Dinners for this opportunity to make use of your services!
While set up at a festival a few weeks back, I tasted a meatball and entered a giveaway at the Dream Dinners booth.
Imagine my surprise when they called me a few days later to say that I'd won their grand prize of three holiday side dishes!
Dream Dinners is one of those places where you can go and assemble your own freezer meals. Everything is chopped and prepped ahead and they even clean up the mess afterward! You make an appointment and select the menu items you wish to purchase and they set it all up in stations and you assemble your dishes.
Well, I love freezer cooking and the thought of no prep work or cleanup was very appealing to me! I was so very excited at the chance to try this out!
Because of the popularity of the holiday sides, some are already prepared and ready to take home. Of the three that I chose, the Savory Stuffing was the only one that needed to be assembled. The other two, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes and a Sweet Potato Bake were already bagged up and ready to throw into my freezer.
I was a little disappointed that I only got to make one but it was so much fun! Everything is chopped and prepped and labeled and handy and they have cool measuring cups and spoons. Clearly, I need a hobby. I gushed about Dream Dinner's awesomeness all the way home.
In my opinion, their regular menu items are a bit pricey for my budget and many items are fancier than what we eat on an everyday basis. But it is a wonderful convenience- no shopping or chopping- and certainly fun to do!
Thank you Dream Dinners for this opportunity to make use of your services!
Christmas Is Coming: Apple Butter
Last year I discovered how to make crock pot apple butter**. It was so good that I decided to give small jars as Christmas gifts to my husband's family.
Well. The apple butter was a hit at Christmas time! They loved it and I've already had several requests for more this year. In fact, my sister-in-law said that she would take a gallon of apple butter instead of any other gifts!
I figure that with buying apples at about $1 a pound and then purchasing jars, my cost for each jar is around $3.00. If you are able to use jars you already have on hand or find some for free, the cost would be even lower. Even better would be getting apples for free!
I usually make a label for each jar and then tie a simple raffia bow around the lids, but you could make these really cute with fabric or scrapbook paper. This would make a nice gift paired with a loaf of homemade bread or nestled in a basket with other canned goods such homemade pickles and other jams and jellies.
This is a simple and delicious gift that's sure to please!
** I use a lot less sugar than the directions state-around 1/2 to 3/4 cup per crock pot full and it is still plenty sweet. It depends on your taste and the type of apples used.
**To can: Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
** If you don't wish to can the apple butter, it can be kept in the fridge for a long while or frozen.
This post is linked to Life As Mom's Frugal Friday and Proverbs 31 Living's Handmade Christmas Carnival!
Labels:
creativity,
gardening and preserving,
sharing
Thursday, November 18, 2010
I'm Thankful For Beautiful Fall Leaves!
This fall has been such a pretty one! The leaves have been especially bright and colorful this year. I really like the red ones. These photos were taken while out on a walk around our neighborhood.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1
Red, yellow, green and brown
Leaves are floating to the ground.
We pile them up, oh so high!
Then we jump in,
My dog and I!
Let all creation rejoice before the LORD.
Psalm 96:13
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
What are you thankful for today?
Labels:
celebration,
simplicity,
walking with Christ
Cranberry Pineapple Muffins
I really wanted to make some cranberry muffins this week but was bored at the thought of the same old cranberry pecan or cranberry orange varieties.
A quick flip through my favorite muffin cookbook, Mad About Muffins, led me to this recipe for cranberry pineapple muffins. Not only did the combination sound interesting but I also had some crushed pineapple in the refrigerator waiting to be used up! Love when that happens!
These are so yummy! The pineapple and cranberry combo lend a sweet-tart flavor while the brown sugar on top adds a little crunch.
A perfect fall treat, these would be great served for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning!
Cranberry Pineapple Muffins
Makes one dozen muffins.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole fresh cranberries
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( I successfully used whole wheat pastry flour.)
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, egg, milk, butter and pineapple. In another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are brown.
Enjoy!
A quick flip through my favorite muffin cookbook, Mad About Muffins, led me to this recipe for cranberry pineapple muffins. Not only did the combination sound interesting but I also had some crushed pineapple in the refrigerator waiting to be used up! Love when that happens!
These are so yummy! The pineapple and cranberry combo lend a sweet-tart flavor while the brown sugar on top adds a little crunch.
A perfect fall treat, these would be great served for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning!
Cranberry Pineapple Muffins
Makes one dozen muffins.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole fresh cranberries
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( I successfully used whole wheat pastry flour.)
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, egg, milk, butter and pineapple. In another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are brown.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I'm Thankful For You!
Today I'm thankful for you, my blog readers! Thank you so much for regularly stopping by to read my ramblings. I'm humbled that you choose to visit my house each day!
I do enjoy your comments! If you read here and have never left a comment before, would you please take the a minute to introduce yourself? I'd love to "meet" you!
I do enjoy your comments! If you read here and have never left a comment before, would you please take the a minute to introduce yourself? I'd love to "meet" you!
Labels:
celebration,
simplicity,
walking with God
A New Cath Kidston Catalog
I was so excited when the mailman brought a new Cath Kidston catalog this week. I love to sit down and look at the lovely pictures. Such a nice array of beautiful items and gorgeous colors.
After I'm done looking through them, I love to keep them in my pattern drawer as inspiration. The pictures make beautiful handmade cards, too.
After I'm done looking through them, I love to keep them in my pattern drawer as inspiration. The pictures make beautiful handmade cards, too.
What simple pleasures are you taking the time to enjoy today?
A Miscellaneous Freezer Cooking Day
Or Breakfast Foods and Bean Burritos!:-)
I did another of my small freezer cooking sessions yesterday. My stash of breakfast and lunch foods were both nearly depleted so I did a combination of both!
I was feeling rather peaceful and unrushed yet I checked the clock to see how long this took me since my goal is to keep these small freezer cooking sessions to 2 hours or less.
Cooking and preparing all these foods plus grinding two Tupperware cereal containers of flour took me right at 2 hours. This did not include cleanup!
The fruit of my labors:
Bean Burritos
These burritos are super simple to assemble and freeze. They are also very inexpensive and can be quickly heated in the microwave making them a nice convenience food to have on hand.
You will need:
Spread bean mixture on tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and place on waxed paper lined baking pan (or reuse a cereal bag like I do!). Freeze until solid and place in a freezer bag until ready to use.
When ready to use: Take out as many burritos as you want and heat them in the microwave until heated through. I usually cook 4 burritos in about 3 minutes, checking them often to be sure they don't overcook.
You can add meat, green chilies, really anything you want!
Sausage Biscuits
My husband loves it when I make sausage biscuits, which I freely admit isn't that often! They're pretty easy to make and I figure if you're going to make biscuits and fry sausage anyways, then you might as well make a big batch and only clean up once!
You will need:
Slice biscuits in half and place one sausage patty in between. Bet you couldn't have figured that step out, huh!
Wrap each biscuit in plastic wrap and freeze in a gallon sized bag.
To use: Remove biscuits from bag. Again, duh! Allow biscuits to thaw for a little while if you have time. Unwrap biscuits and wrap in a paper towel and heat in microwave for about 1 minute or until heated through.
Enjoy!
I did another of my small freezer cooking sessions yesterday. My stash of breakfast and lunch foods were both nearly depleted so I did a combination of both!
I was feeling rather peaceful and unrushed yet I checked the clock to see how long this took me since my goal is to keep these small freezer cooking sessions to 2 hours or less.
Cooking and preparing all these foods plus grinding two Tupperware cereal containers of flour took me right at 2 hours. This did not include cleanup!
The fruit of my labors:
- 11 bean burritos (directions below)
- 8 sausage biscuits (directions below)
- 8 unbaked biscuits (I used whole wheat pastry flour(soft white wheat) for the biscuits. They turn out much lighter than if using regular whole wheat flour(hard wheat).
- 1 dozen cranberry pineapple muffins (I'll be sharing this recipe soon. Fantastic!)
Bean Burritos
These burritos are super simple to assemble and freeze. They are also very inexpensive and can be quickly heated in the microwave making them a nice convenience food to have on hand.
You will need:
- 1 can refried beans
- Salsa
- Shredded cheese
- Flour tortillas
Spread bean mixture on tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and place on waxed paper lined baking pan (or reuse a cereal bag like I do!). Freeze until solid and place in a freezer bag until ready to use.
When ready to use: Take out as many burritos as you want and heat them in the microwave until heated through. I usually cook 4 burritos in about 3 minutes, checking them often to be sure they don't overcook.
You can add meat, green chilies, really anything you want!
Sausage Biscuits
My husband loves it when I make sausage biscuits, which I freely admit isn't that often! They're pretty easy to make and I figure if you're going to make biscuits and fry sausage anyways, then you might as well make a big batch and only clean up once!
You will need:
- Biscuits- Use your favorite recipe or mine. Store-bought biscuits will work well too!
- Sausage- A 1 pound roll makes 8 patties for me.
Slice biscuits in half and place one sausage patty in between. Bet you couldn't have figured that step out, huh!
Wrap each biscuit in plastic wrap and freeze in a gallon sized bag.
To use: Remove biscuits from bag. Again, duh! Allow biscuits to thaw for a little while if you have time. Unwrap biscuits and wrap in a paper towel and heat in microwave for about 1 minute or until heated through.
Enjoy!
Labels:
cooking,
planning and organizing,
practicality
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
I'm Thankful For A Productive Day!
Today I'm thankful for a productive day working around my home.
It was one of those days that I just enjoyed puttering around from one task to the next. I spent about 2 hours doing some freezer cooking, ground a bunch of wheat into flour, did some laundry, cleaned up, put things away, made and canned apple butter and just had a nice peaceful and productive day!
It was one of those days that I just enjoyed puttering around from one task to the next. I spent about 2 hours doing some freezer cooking, ground a bunch of wheat into flour, did some laundry, cleaned up, put things away, made and canned apple butter and just had a nice peaceful and productive day!
Labels:
celebration,
simplicity,
walking with God
This Week's Menu Plan and To-Do List
This week will be busy but not as full as last week. Thank God for that!
On the to-do list this week:
Breakfasts:
cinnamon french toast bread, fruit- 2x
cream of wheat-2x
baked oatmeal-2x
Lunches:
pizza pockets- (from freezer)I used purchased pie crusts for the dough instead of making my own.
savory hand pies (from freezer)
tomato soup, cheese and crackers
leftovers-2x
sandwiches
Suppers:
spaghetti, bread and butter
chili (from freezer), brown rice, cheese and sour cream
hashbrowns, sausage, applesauce, steamed carrots
beef vegetable soup(crockpot), bread and butter-2x
sourdough waffles, scrambled eggs, smoothies
What are you eating and doing at your house this week?
On the to-do list this week:
- Make apple butter. Didn't get to this last week.
- Finish packing our shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.
- Grocery shopping.
- Small freezer cooking day- Haven't decided on a theme yet, maybe a conglomeration of lunch and breakfast since we've used almost everything from what I prepared before!
- Sewing and listing stuff for sale in my Etsy shop.
Breakfasts:
cinnamon french toast bread, fruit- 2x
cream of wheat-2x
baked oatmeal-2x
Lunches:
pizza pockets- (from freezer)I used purchased pie crusts for the dough instead of making my own.
savory hand pies (from freezer)
tomato soup, cheese and crackers
leftovers-2x
sandwiches
Suppers:
spaghetti, bread and butter
chili (from freezer), brown rice, cheese and sour cream
hashbrowns, sausage, applesauce, steamed carrots
beef vegetable soup(crockpot), bread and butter-2x
sourdough waffles, scrambled eggs, smoothies
What are you eating and doing at your house this week?
Monday, November 15, 2010
I'm Thankful For The Baby I Care For
Today I'm so thankful for the baby girl that I care for during the week. It started as a temporary gig but is stretching into a long-term arrangement instead, which I am so happy about!
She is 6 months old now and it has been so much fun to watch her grow and develop. She is pretty much sitting by herself now and was so pleased to sit right in the stroller like a big girl last week instead of her carseat. She loved being able to see!
She's such a happy girl and has found her voice. She squeals, trills and coos. Loudly.
I just love this little one and am so thankful that God has brought her into my life!
Labels:
celebration,
simplicity,
walking with God
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