A Peek At My Latest Project

I've been itching to try my hand at making a quilt with something other than plain squares or a basic nine patch. So I decided to make a smaller and probably simpler version of this Pinwheel Quilt for a dolly quilt for the kid's corner. One change I made right off the bat was cutting my own squares from my stash rather than buying the pre-cut Charm Packs called for in the "recipe".

I really have no experience with this, so time will tell how this project turns out! But so far it has been fun to work on. And the fabrics I chose from my scrap bags are bright and playful!

I'll share my progress as I go along.

Any tips and tricks for the novice quilter?:-)

Get Well Care Package

My dad suffered a stroke about a month ago. Being so far away, I really wanted to be able to do something but wasn't sure what to do.

I prayed about it and God gave me some great ideas for a care package. In fact, I got so many ideas, there was no way I could use all of them! I hope that by sharing this, you will glean some inspiration for how to bless those in similar situations!

It was so much fun to put together a little package for him.

• A portable CD player with headphones to be able to listen to music without disturbing his roommate.
• A small flip book with a collection of verses focusing on healing and strength. **His whole right side was affected to various degrees affecting his speech, use of right arm/hand and his walking. I made this little book from plain gift tags and attached them with a book ring and decorated with stickers.
• A microwaveable/freezable rice bag to use for aches and pains or as a heating pad.
• Some sugar-free Lifesavers. Dad has diabetes and while I wasn't sure if he could have many of these, I thought they would also be fun to share with his guests and therapists at the rehab center.
• A fast food gift card for my Mom and brother. Since I can't be there to cook a meal for them, this was the next best solution to take a little of the stress away.

** The verses included in the flip book. There were so many good ones that I and some of my Facebook friends found ! I could probably make another book and still not use them all!

• Isaiah 40:29-31: "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord. "
• Psalm 30:2: "O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me."
• Isaiah 40: 29-31: " He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. they will walk and not faint."
• 2 Corinthians 12:9: " But he said to me, "My strength is sufficient for you, for my power is amde perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
• Nehemiah 8:10b: "For the joy of the Lord is your strength."
• Psalm 103:1-3,5: " Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Prasie the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases...who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
• Exodus 15:26b: "I am the Lord who heals you."
• Psalm 18:32,36: " He makes my feet  like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights... You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn."
• Habakkuk 3:19: "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."
• Ephesians 3: 20-21:  "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in he church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

 ***My dad is scheduled to go home from the rehab center this Wednesday. His speech has improved dramatically as has his walking. He is able to walk up stairs some with a pronged cane and has been able to get in and out of his wheelchair by himself some. He is also able to be more independent with his self-care and can run his wheelchair with just one arm. Continue to pray for his full recovery and for strength and movement to return to his right arm and hand.

What are some ideas that you have for Get Well baskets or care packages?

Friday Funnies: Texting For Seniors

 This list has been floating around on Facebook for a while and some of them always make me LOL. 

Even for me, some of these could be quite useful seeing as GHA and FWIW ,or maybe more accurately FWIWD (Forgot What I Was Doing) seem to find their way into my conversations. And wouldn't it be a hoot to put HGBM on the babies' daily schedules? 


Enjoy!


ATD: At The Doctor's
BTW: Bring The Wheelchair
BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth
CBM: Covered By Medicare
CUATSC: See You At The Senior Center
FWB: Friend With Beta Blockers
FWIW: Forgot Where I Was
FYI: Found Your Insulin
GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!
GHA: Got Heartburn Again
HGBM: Had Good Bowel Movement
IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On?
LMDO: Laughing My Dentures Out
LOL: Living On Lipitor
LWO: Lawrence Welk's On
OMMR: On My Massage Recliner
ROFLCGU: Rolling On The Floor Laughing Can't Get Up
TTYL: Talk To You Louder
WAITT: Who Am I Talking To?
WTP: Where's The Prunes?
WWNO: Walker Wheels Need Oil


Have a great weekend!

EAT!

The bareness of my dining room walls was starting to annoy me. So I started making something. A few months ago.

I thought it would be fun to combine embroidery with this technique to create a bossy yet scriptural piece of art.

It was fun.

 Other than cross-stitch, this was one of my first attempts at embroidery, so don't look too closely!

 I love how this whole project turned out. Although if I was to do it again, I'd make the 'A' in a darker color. Up close it looks fine. But from where I sit to feed Baby Boy, I can't see the 'A' so it looks as though I've hung a sign reading "E T" in my dining room!

Deuteronomy 11: 13-15 reads:

"So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—  then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.  I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied."

Aren't these encouraging and powerful verses? I loved them but obviously, the whole passage would be a lot of embroidery!  And much bigger than what would fit in my $1 yard sale frame. So I just chose the last phrase.

Since I had two of these frames, I filled the other one with a cute print and hung the two together on the wall. I'll show you pictures of that another day!

Knox's 6th Birthday

My nephew turned 6 last week and we celebrated last Saturday with a sweet party at a local ice cream shop. Knox's mommy made an awesome Bug Mountain cake which thrilled all the little boys! She says it's the easiest cake she's made so far!

Happy birthday, Knox!

How To Find Another Closet

1) Pick a  room that has two doorways.

2) Decide you only need one doorway for daily use. 

3) Block the other doorway with back to back bookshelves--instant closet.

4) Fill your new closet  with all sorts of kitchen equipment and stuff.

5) Plan to hang a curtain just as soon as you find that tension rod you know you have somewhere.

6) Look for tension rod.

7) Keep looking for tension rod.

8) Find tension rod in the corner of your closet months later.

9) Sew a simple curtain and hang it up.

10) Voila! You just found another closet!

Change of Scenery

Tired of our usual morning route and needing a change of scenery, I packed the dog and camera in the car and headed to a nearby lake for our morning walk.

I took in the quiet and simple beauty and returned home refreshed and better prepared for another busy day!

 You make known to me the path of life;

 you will fill me with joy in your presence,

 with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:11

20% Off Code For The Gingham Cottage

Through Saturday August 20, get 20% off your order at The Gingham Cottage when you use the code SUMMER11.

 There are children's aprons,

 crayon rolls- only a few left!,

 women's aprons in a variety of styles and prints,

 wallets and a few bags and purses,

 a cool Fire King vase,

 some gently used stamp sets and more!

Thank you for looking!

Potpourri

Social Network
At nearly 5 months old, Baby Boy is becoming quite sociable. Late one afternoon, he couldn't have been more excited to make friends with Toddler Girl. He smiled, laughed, talked and flailed in her general direction. So I began to talk to Toddler Girl as though I was Baby Boy. I said, "Hi, T.G.! I want to be your friend!" About that time, Andy spoke up and asked, "T.G., do you accept B.B.'s friend request?"


 Honorable Mention
Remember your birthday or Christmas growing up when your mother gave you unmentionables? And you thought to yourself, "When I'm grown up, I will not be like that! Presents will be fun!"  Then your mom sends you birthday money and after pondering all the fun things you could purchase, you end up buying yourself some new unmentionables because it is truly a need and not a want like the Pyrex, fabric and apple peeler/corer/slicer you've had your eye on. And after all, you are just super practical like that.

Silence Is Golden
Big Brother often wants to pray when he's here at lunchtime. And if he doesn't, he delights in choosing who will pray. So one day, he said that Toddler Girl, who is also his little sister, would pray. T.G. is one and really only yells, "AMEN!" at prayer time. Before we could say anything, he announced, "T.G. prays silently!"

Love Your Neighbor
One of the benefits of mowing the grass at the same time as your neighbor is that they will see you struggling through your very thick grass and offer to help. Seriously though, their assistance was much appreciated and had they not offered their sweet help, I wouldn't have finished the mowing before it started to rain. Their act of kindness really blessed my heart!

Little Mother
Toddler Girl grabbed the burp cloth the other day and proceeded to wipe Baby Boy's chin. So sweet! She will also stand beside him and pet him. Hmmm...

Blogging: The Whole Picture

I loved this post written by Mandi of Life Your Way.

An excerpt:

"Have you ever walked away from reading blogs and felt discouraged or disillusioned about your own home and life? I think for most of us, if we’re being honest, the answer is yes.

We see fabulous pictures of someone else’s perfect home with beautiful decor, the examples of crafts and activities they do with their kids, the amazing food they create in their kitchen…and we feel inadequate.

Lately, whenever I take a picture, I can’t help but laugh at the surrounding chaos. Because, you see, while I am very type-A, and we do live with less stuff than the average American family, and our home gets cleaned up every night before bed, during the day we live in our home, which means it’s messy and chaotic and…well, you’ll see."

I had to laugh out loud as I read that. I can so relate. We crop almost all photos that I post here and almost every time I take a picture, the counter or table has to be cleared off first! Or I notice dog hair in a photo...yes, yes, I do!

I hear so much about 'being real' in the blogging world and to be honest, sometimes I get so tired of hearing it that I want to puke.  Oh, I'm all about being who I really am without false pretenses but that can only be taken so far. My blog is only one part of my life. And while I strive to be real, you will not see the whole picture. You'd have to come to my house and spend lots of time with me to do that!
 

Read the whole post here. 

Birthday Basket

My husband gave me this cool handmade basket for my birthday last week.   I may or may not have given him a few hints....

I really like that it was purchased from a local crafter at our farmer's market. Plus it's really useful and looks great too!

The jars of home-canned tomatoes were not included in the gift. But don't they look great all lined up in there? I don't recommend lifting it with those jars in there, though. Just sayin'.

Inexpensive Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

It's no secret that boneless, skinless chicken breasts are quicker and easier to cook with than messing with a whole chicken.

It's also no secret that we could pay a hefty price for this convenience! At regular price, chicken breasts are expensive.

I do a lot with whole chickens but there are some recipes where chicken breasts are just so much better! And I like the convenience of pulling a chicken breast from the freezer for a quick meal.

In my area, split chicken breasts or bone-in chicken breasts are often on sale for under $1 a pound. I used to purchase some but found them too hard to cut up. So I stopped buying them.

Recently, I bought a big package and following the directions for cutting split chicken breasts on $5 Dinners, decided to try this one more time.

It worked! I'm not sure why it seemed so difficult before, but this time I had those babies cut and separated within minutes. From 5 pounds and about $5 worth of chicken, I got 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 5 tenderloin pieces and after I cooked the meaty bones that were left, several cups of chopped and cooked chicken ready for chicken salad, soups or casseroles and about a quart of chicken broth.

I'm sold! I don't know about you, but I'll gladly pay $.89 or $.99 a pound for chicken breasts vs. $2.50-$4.98 a pound, even if it means a little bit of work on my part.

Writing this post puts me in the mood for our favorite Israeli Spice Chicken!:-)

**This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday!

Summer Salads

Between our hot summer and eating a low-carb diet, we've been enjoying lots of salads! I've been trying to plan at least one main dish salad for supper each week. If I have lettuce washed and ready and a few veggies already chopped, these meals come together pretty quickly and don't heat up the kitchen!

We've always eaten bread items with our salads up to now, so it's been an adjustment not to have that extra carb to fill up on with our salad. Instead, I make sure that the salads are packed with protein, lots of veggies and some healthy fats to satisfy our hunger.

Some salads we've been enjoying:

Taco Salad

 Buffalo Chicken Salad

 BLT (Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato) Salad with hard-boiled egg and Swiss cheese.

Salad Bar

 Shrimp and Avocado Salad. Top a green salad with already cooked shrimp and fresh avocado chunks.

Salad with grilled chicken or steak.

My sister in law emailed me with some salads that she's been enjoying this year. These all sound delicious as well!

Asian
lettuce
green onion
red bell pepper
cilantro
carrots
edamame
grilled chicken
cashews
Ken's Asian dressing (She uses lite.)

Blue Cheese Salad
lettuce
tomato
cucumber
sweet onion
green apple
bacon (or you can use bacon bits)
blue cheese crumbles
Marzetti's Blue Cheese dressing (She likes the lite variety) with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Beet, Chicken and Feta
lettuce
sweet onion
fresh beets (cooked and sliced-I have been getting these at the farmer's market- yum!)
crumbled feta
walnuts
grilled chicken
balsamic vinaigrette

Our favorite homemade dressings: 

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Basic Vinaigrette

Garlic-Herb Vinaigrette



What are your favorite salad combinations? 

**This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday!

Trash Picked Picnic Basket

Whenever I see things on the curb, I just cannot resist taking a quick look! I've gotten a number of nice things this way.

As I was walking the dog on Trash Day this week, I noticed this picnic basket by the curb. So cute...but it was a little broken on one side. I thought about whether or not I should pick up something that was damaged while we continued our walk and by the time I got back to it, I picked it up and carried it home with me.

I set it on my front porch, the broken side to the wall so we can't see it, covered it with an extra kitchen towel I had and placed a plant on top. The inside is a great storage place for the kids' outdoor toys such as bubbles, sidewalk chalk, bag of sand toys and small balls.

I love trash picking! :-)

Friday Funnies: Hallelujah!

I really love this video! We should all be so thankful when God answers our prayers.

Yard Sale Saturday--FREE Clothes!

We went out yard saling again this past Saturday morning.

Due to the past few weeks being  a bit crazy schedule-wise, I've ended up leaving most errands and housework until Saturday when I'm not working.  This doesn't leave much time for fun!

Andy suggested  that we do the laundry and most of the cleaning Friday night so we could get some of that stuff out of the way and still get to some yard sales Saturday morning. I was very grateful for his help since I really wanted to go!

It was a fun morning! And we found some nice things that we'd been looking for.

For the kids:

**Fisher Price Little People barn and animals: $2
**2-construction vehicles: $1.50 for both.
**2-plastic storage buckets: 50 cents for both. 
**Huge box of craft sticks: 25 cents. Fortunately for me, Crafty Crow posted a round-up of great projects using these!
**Package of curlers: 25 cents. Brand new--I would not buy these used! My intent was to use them for a toddler activity but they don't stick together well enough for what I had in mind so maybe I'll actually use something for it's intended use for once and curl my hair. :-)

For us and other people:

**2-jar candles: 75 cents for both. One was brand new and the other hardly used. 
**Rubbermaid storage tote: $1. Was planning to purchase one of these anyways for filing my coupon inserts. 
**Autographed Charlotte Bobcats basketball: 25 cents. Plan to list on Ebay.
**Approximately 11 yards blue floral fabric: 50 cents. Planning to make bedroom curtains from this. This was not exactly what I had in mind but it is pretty and will look very nice. The price helped my decision-making!
**Pile of kid's clothes and a pair of shoes for my niece and Toddler Girl: 50 cents each. One lady threw an extra pair of pants in for free. I really enjoy getting things for other people--you may have noticed this! Yard sales is one way I can afford to give generously to others. And both of these families do not mind gently-used articles of clothing. 
** T-shirt for me: 50 cents.
** Jacket, sweater, shirt and a pair of shoes: FREE! We stopped at a church clothing sale that had a FREE sign. If I wasn't looking for clothing for us right now, I would not have stopped; I greatly dislike rummaging through piles of clothing! But with losing weight and our clothes wearing out from hard use, we are in need of a few things. So we stopped. And found a couple of things in the right sizes. WooHoo!

Cherished Dog loves his new bed!

 

For the dog: 

** Large dog bed: $2.  Bass Pro brand. It has been well-washed, in case you are wondering!

He really likes his new bed!

What kinds of fun yard sale treasures have you scored recently?

Planning Monday

The week is already off to a great start! As usual, I've tried to map out my week a little by jotting down some plans. It just makes the days run a  bit smoother!

Back to the To-Do List this week:

1) Mow lawn- done!
2) Trim bushes in backyard.
3) List some items to sell on Ebay and Craig's List. Have a few items I'd like to move out.
4) Pick blueberries or blackberries...maybe!
5) Plant some more green beans.

 Last week's painting activity--this was a big hit with everyone!

Fun Stuff For The Kidlets:
Big Brother is attending camp this week so this week's fun activities are mainly for Toddler Girl.  For a toddler, open-ended process-oriented activities are the every best as this age is so into exploration of everything! So I've planned a few simple things for her that I know she'll love!

**Water play-- Put a few inches of water in a plastic tub and add some colanders, funnels, yogurt cups and assorted water toys. Let her play..outside! :-)
Important: Never ever  leave a small child unattended around water even if it's only a few inches!! Always provide close supervision.

**Edible finger paint. Tint a little plain yogurt with food coloring. Another outside activity!

**Drawing with markers--this is a favorite!

**Stroller ride around the neighborhood--weather permitting. It's been pretty hot here already this week!

 Taco Salad from last week.

 On the low-carb menu this week:


Breakfast:
**Out for breakfast(1x)
**Scrambled eggs with veggies(5x)

Lunch:
1) Banana and peanut butter--this was after eating a bigger breakfast than usual at a restaurant!
2) Cold rotisserie chicken, veggies
3) Leftovers
4) Hard-boiled eggs, cheese, veggies
5) Leftovers
6) Tuna salad lettuce wraps, veggies

Supper: Trying not to use the oven much this week!
Most meals also include a salad and/or veggie.

1) BLT salad-- bacon, lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, hard-boiled egg.
2) Egg roll lettuce wraps-- sauteed cabbage and chicken seasoned with garlic and soy sauce wrapped in lettuce.
3) Meeting--TBD
4) Spaghetti squash with red sauce-- cook squash in crockpot.
5) Beef ribs on grill.
6) Rice salad with chicken and veggies. 

**This post is part of Menu Plan Monday!

What are your favorite warm weather meals?

Friday Funnies: The Difference Between Dogs and Cats

Christian comedian Ken Davis on the difference between dogs and cats:

The dog says, "You pet me. You feed me. You put a roof over my head. You must be God!"


The cat says, "You pet me. You feed me. You put a roof over my head. I must be God!"

**Right now, when you "Like" Ken Davis on Facebook, you will receive a free MP3 album download which includes this story. The free album is nearly an hour long and is very entertaining in addition to solid truth.

**Thanks to my husband's Facebook friend DeEtta who regularly posts these funny pictures of animals for our amusement!

A Few Tips For Feeding Young Children

As a childcare provider, I've fed a lot of children over the years.

And while I certainly don't know everything about this, here are a few tips I've found for getting  the toddlers and preschoolers at my table to eat a bit better.

1) A small plate. I use the salad/dessert size from my regular set of dishes. So far I haven't had any trouble with breakage, but then I haven't given them to really young people who are more apt to throw their plates on the floor nor do we have tile floors.

2) Small servings. For some reason, a huge amount of food intimidates a lot of kids. I usually give a tablespoonful at a time for young ones with a bit larger serving for older children. They can always ask for seconds!

3) Food cut into more manageable sizes. Whole sandwiches cut int quarters. An apple in slices rather than whole. And so on.

4) Don't offer a lot of snacks. This sounds strict, I know, but they eat better if they don't have a lot of food in between meals. Water is available anytime they want it and an afternoon snack is always offered. I would rather give them an early lunch most days than have them fill up on snacks and then not eat at mealtime. Of course, this rule varies from child to child and from day to day. Some days, we all need a mid-morning snack to keep us going!

These little tips work for me!

What are your ideas for feeding small children?

The Gingham Cottage News

It's been a while since I posted an update about my Etsy shop, The Gingham Cottage.

I've recently added a number of new items. Be sure to hop on over to take a look!

Here's a sampling of what's new:

Blue Patchwork Pocket Apron

Pink Floral Child's Apron. 

A matching adult apron is also available for an adorable mother-daughter set!

A couple sets of rubber stamps.

Some vintage treasures!

I plan to add some pieces of fabric from my stash soon as well as more handmade items so keep checking back!