Sweety's Home Day

Thursday was Sweety's 15 year Home Day. We don't know exactly when his birthday is, so celebrate when he came to our home. We figure he is about 22 years old though.

We played some. He really likes to play fetch. As in throw things on the floor and watch the human fetch.

He really likes the homemade Chinese Jacks I made (I will tell you about those in another post).

I made him a new home too. He likes to tear them up and to buy them costs $25! This is how bad he tears them up:

His new home

And checking it out. (Really just seeing how to tear it apart). Yes he does fit in it, he likes his tail to stick out anyway.

It was easy to make, definitely didn't cost $25, and I give him two weeks before he has got at least one hole in it!

Happy Home Day Sweety! We love you.

Rolls, Biscuits, and Bread...Yum

One of my favorites sections of a cookbook is Breads. Bread was one of the first things I ever made. I was 7 years old and learning to make Potato Bread in school. I loved it. It was delicious and fun and I still have the recipe. So I was excited to get to this section of Amanda's recipe book.

I started her off with a bang on the first page. Rolls, biscuits, and yeast bread. All recipes from grandma. The biscuits were a big, feel good, happy memory for me. Every Sunday morning grandma would make biscuits and gravy, eggs, hash browns, sausage, applesauce, and fried green tomatoes if they were in season. Everyone would show up for her breakfasts. It was wonderful and I miss her.

              

As you can see they are getting quite faded.

And here it is transcribed into Amanda's cookbook. You can see to the right the sections I made using manila folders to partition off the different categories. The left you can just see the back side. I will go through everything I did once the book is finished. I am concentrating on getting the recipes in!

Do you have family favorite recipes? How do you save them?





My only intent is to show who used these recipes, not ownership.

In The Craft Room

I am in the craft room today sewing up some gifts for Easter.

Makes things so much easier now that I have "filed" all (most) of my fabric. I just used either foam board or boxes to wrap the fabric around. The different sizes lets me know about how much I have. It keeps it nice and fairly neat. I can also put notes on the board to let me know what kind of fabric it is. 

I have to admit, sometimes I will just sit and stare at the fabric hoping for inspiration of what to do with some of it! About 90% was given to me, and I can't stand to have an idea of something I want to do and then have to wait because I don't have the supplies. Or money. So I treasure my fabric stash, and use it the best I can.

What are you doing this weekend?

Recipe Journals

What got me interested in making my journals interesting and fun (which I kept putting off till the Challenge kick started me) was from when I made recipe binders for my children once they hit about 14ish. I took note of what dinners they liked and wrote down the recipe for them and family recipes/traditions and any story that went with them. I kept adding to the binder throughout the years till they moved out. But no pics whatsoever.

They loved the recipe binders that I gave them when they moved out on their own, but when I got hold of my daughters binder a couple of months ago (because she asked if I could redo it as it had been damaged in "storage" mentioned here) I realized it was BORING. I go through my cookbooks and look at the pictures for inspiration. They could not do this with what I gave them AND I would get phone calls on techniques:

"Mom what do you mean "fold"?"
"Are biscuits supposed to be so runny?"
"What is 'Cream shortening, sugar and egg?'"

So I got the idea of taking pictures of some of the meals and processes to help them.

Kind of like this:

Stamp4Joy/

I like the idea of "Digital Scrapbooking" as it isn't bulky and can put each page into a plastic sleeve and they can still add to their book as they find recipes on their own.

So I have been taking pictures as I cook (which unfortunately is NOT often - DIL is a wonderful cook!)
and finding free interesting digital pictures.

From Scrapbookscrapbook.com

They have a BUNCH more on this site!

What other kind of journal can you think of?
EW

More Mug Rugs

Hello All,

I have been busy the last couple of days, and I was going to blog about it yesterday, but I wanted to enjoy the award ;) I was (am) tickled pink about it.

But on Sunday I was able to finish 4 more mug rugs, 2 exactly like the ones before and 2 that were done "Krazy Quilt" style? I think? Well, whatever it's called I had fun with it :) And I truly hope the recipient enjoys them :D

The two on the left are the ones I made the other day and the four on the right are for my friend.

Not perfect, but made with love.

Gift For Son

This weekend I have been at mom’s and it has been a fun weekend J Daughter came down from college also, just in time to inspect breakfast fixin’s

It’s great to see, too, that some things never change!

And Son’s gift is finally done! Woot! Daughter and I have been working on it, and it’s been on my WIP list for a year? But here it is:

Zombie Dice! It’s actually a fun game! Fairly quick, and if you have the sense of humor that leans in that direction, this is a game well worth purchasing. I found the game on the internet here, but we cannot afford a whole lot so I thought to make it, it was a bit more involved to make than I anticipated (because used only what we had), but the laughs generated are priceless, so well worth it J. 

Valentines Day

I made these for hubby... actually I have BEEN making these for hubby for about four - ish YEARS!!!! Finally finished them in time to be able to use them - WOOT!

So this is what is in his lunch today. He will probably think I forgot what today is, and to be honest we don't normally keep up with these, birthdays, or Christmas. There is just too much we NEED all the time to worry too much on these commercialized holidays! But sometimes just a little something can make all the difference in the world.

The shiny thing on the key is actually a gold heart shaped button.

The big heart and key was a pattern I found on the net http://www.freepatterns.com/detail.html?code=FP00180&cat_id=406  it's hiding in the bottom left corner! The rest of the hearts I just made on my own :)

The Weekend

Dear Daughter came home this weekend and we got to do a lot of crafting together. It was great :D It was also moms birthday - "Happy Birthday" Mom!!!!! We visited with her over the weekend too. It was a very nice visit, and gonna have to stay longer next time!

Now because the recipients haven't received their gifts yet, I can only show teasers of what we did. Once they get them I promise to show the whole thing.

 Daughter finding she really LIKES playing with the Dremel!

 Making one of three stamps for brother's gift.

 for my sister

 another for my sister...

 and another...

My sister is loved, cuz there is about five (?) more little bitties left to do.

I cant wait to show what we did, have been working on my sister's gift for a LONG time, and is way past due. The gift for Dear Son/Brother, is just way too fun... gonna have to make one for me!

Cloth Napkins

A while ago, I decided that buying paper towels was more of a convenience rather than a necessity and set about replacing them with something almost as convenient. I found several blogs extolling the virtues of cloth napkins. I decided what did I have to lose?

My sister was getting rid of my nephew's crib sheets and blankets and gave them to me. I cut them into paper towel size, about 10 inches square. I decided I wanted one side to be the sheet material and the other the receiving blanket material. So I sandwiched two together right sides facing, machine stitched the edges leaving a gap to flip them right side out, and finished closing the edge. I made about 75 of them.

I actually like them.I use them anytime I would a paper towel. Now if the mess is particularly nasty, I will use torn up boxes from, like say, cereal boxes or Mac & Cheese etc. On those occasions I don't think a measly proper paper towel would do anyway! 

The draw back? The convenience of picking up a mess and being able to throw it away. Spaghetti Sauce comes to mind! On those occasions, as on that particular one ;) I have a small coffee can that I have put detergent and a drop or two of bleach and soak them on the shelf above the washer. When I do a load of towels, I dump the water into the toilet, squeeze out the cloth towels and wash as normal. So its not really a draw back, just an extra step or two.

The bonus? I don't have to panic if I get to the end of the roll of paper towels... I just make sure to throw them in the wash! I save money, I have not noticed any increase in washing, besides I make my own detergent! I save on waste, here we are charged per bag of garbage, and even though being green was low on my list of priorities, financial was the top priority, it was definitely a plus!

The hard one to convince was my hubby. He is so used to  me having a fit for using my "nice" kitchen towels to pick up spills and such, that when I replaced paper towels with these, he would watch me closely as he was reaching for them to see if I was gearing up for a fit :) He now reaches for them with confidence (and leaves my kitchen towels alone!) He even likes them when he makes a sandwich, the sheet side is perfect for it!

Hanging Bed Caddy

Here is the bed caddy my daughter mentioned in the comments section of the Gift Giving post.

I didn't have a pattern for it, just a picture, so I made it up as I went along. Also, my daughter's room has maniacally cheerful colors - you cannot be in her room and be sad :) Her bed sheet is the polka dots and the wildly colored strip of cloth you see is what goes under the mattress to hold it in place.

all I did was use the back side of an old pair of  jeans, sewed it to a strip of cloth and used that same cloth to make a "belt", and then she had a place to put her books, remotes to the T.V. and D.V.D./V.C.R (even though she could have just leaned over!) or whatever into the pockets. She had a very small room and for several years shared with our other "adopted" daughter, so any space saving storage was invaluable!

Jeans are wonderfully versatile! I did something similar for my wheelchair and walker, though didn't try to make it pretty like her bed caddy, but I can honestly say it is most useful!

Gift Giving

When making homemade gifts it is important to think about the recipient more than anything – which is true for all gift giving! Many years ago I began reducing our purchased Christmas gifts, so most of the gifts are homemade now. Some of my homemade gifts didn’t go over so well and some were huge hits! But isn’t that true of purchased gifts too? How many times did you purchase that “OMG I gotta have that $30 doll!” for it to only be played with twice?

Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, Birthdays, etc. does not have to, and should not, break the bank! I realize kids want the latest and greatest $80 video game or that new cell phone that’s $200. But do they NEED it? I feel we are not teaching our kids the difference between a want and need, and what it takes to fulfill either! At the same time parents tend to feel guilty as if they are depriving their children if they do not get them “the latest and greatest”. IF that is the case and it really gnaws at you, purchase only one or two high dollar gifts and supplement the rest.

Many people ask for ideas on what they could make and or at least not spend a ton of money and here is a small list of ideas:

*A travel game made from felt, one side checkers and the other tic-tac-toe. (can be for boy or girl) This is a no sew project, just use the “wonderunder” or “stitchwithcery” stuff, all you need is an iron.

*A poncho made from a fleece blanket (more girly ;) )

*Sew pj bottoms, either pants or shorts (boy or girl – can even use a fleece blanket too!)

*Make a book for the “String Game” you can find many of the directions to make the different shapes and print them out (remember “cats cradle?”)

*crochet or knit scarves, face warmers, gloves, socks

*Make up a board game (small wooden pieces can be purchased at a craft store for very little)

*crochet, knit or sew an mp3/Ipod/Cell Phone cover

*sew up some dress up clothes and props, one year made daughter a “fairy” skirt, headband with ribbon and tissue paper flowers, and “fairy” wings made with two hangers with the hook duct taped together and the “arms” of the hanger were the wings. I covered it all in cheesecloth, ribbons, and more silk and tissue paper flowers and used elastic to put around the shoulders.

*for all my kids (have two and two others who were not really mine but in my heart they are) made a binder with their favorite recipes in it and old family recipes with who they were from – and if they were handwritten I photocopied them along with any time we had “special” recipes or traditions (is: cabbage rolls with a foil wrapped dime in one roll for New Years with Black Eyed Peas etc and why we had them) Now every year I send them new recipes I think they may like to add to their book. This is a wonderful example of what you can do http://crafted-love.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-cleaning-recipe-journal.html

*Sew a bucket buddy from fun material or made from old jeans for tougher users. This is great for those adults who have tools – and don’t just think of it as just for the guys with hammers etc, does anyone in your family go to Bingo Halls? I am sure they would love to have a bucket buddy for their daubers! Or your crafter in the family, a bucket buddy works wonders for being able to craft on the go! BTW a coffee can makes a great "bucket" :)

*macramé plant hangers (all it is is tying knots!!!) Maybe start rooting some cuttings now to put into pots for the plant hangers!

*crocheted sponges (work GREAT)

*Sew lap quilts from the kids old clothes for the grandparents (“rag” lap quilts can be done in a day)

*sew “doorags” (my crews favorite) or scarf coolers. The polymer beads you can purchase online; here is just one source http://www.watersorb.com./

*sew/knit/crochet up some doll clothes or furniture

*Make a “Fort Kit”. You can get all kinds of ideas from the net on different “forts”. Or you can go simply with a sheet and clothes-pins!

Stocking Stuffers:

*brushes / combs / hair ties / toothbrushes

*special shampoos / soaps (even homemade!)

*the mp3/Ipod?Cell Phone cover!

*fruits or granola bars to tide the kids over till breakfast is ready

*coupon books (ie: extra hour of video game, or skip a chore, etc)

*small games. Do you remember Jacks? How about “Chinese Jacks”?  If you have a Gibsons, they carry the small plastic rings used to make them – if not then use colored paper clips! Google it. (a little secret – I still love to play with both!)

There are so many ideas out there and we have such a useful tool now to get the ideas, the internet! Just use your imagination and go "shopping" for ideas on the net, believe me you will find all kinds of nifty suggestions!

Do you have any other suggestions?