Reindeer Cupcakes

I thought this was such a cute idea. My friend made these for a Christmas party. She used mini M&M's and pretzels.

Wow, I've been out of the loop for some time now. I just recently joined my husband in Korea for a 2 year tour with the military. We are still living in his officer quarters, so not much 'homemaking' going on here. Hopefully we'll have our own place soon and I can get back into the swing of things. Hope all is well with everyone and that you're getting ready for the upcoming holidays!

New Toys You Don't Have To Buy!

Do your young kids have a TON of toys?
Does it seem like they get bored of their new toys after a week or 2?
Is your house getting cluttered by them?

If your child(ren) is anything like mine, then you answered yes to all of these questions.

Well here is an idea that may help. It came from my brother's wife's mother (lol). Take half of your pile of toys and put it in the garage or storage closet. In a couple of weeks or months, when the kiddos seem to be getting bored of the ones they have, swap the stored ones for the ones in the house and they'll feel like they have new toys to play with. I'm not sure if you could do this for older children, but I think it'd work great for early school-aged children, toddlers and babies. It will also clear out some of the clutter that might build up in the corner of your living room.

Blog Award-September 21, 2008

Thank you Holly from Day 2 Day With Holly J for my first blog award! You're just too sweet! I'm so excited that you thought me worthy of it! The deal is I get to pass along this award to five other awesome people! So here's who the award goes out to:

1. A Daily Scoop (http://adailyscoop.blogspot.com/) The author of this blog, Stephanie, has experienced every mother's worse nightmare. She uses her blog as a way to help her through the grieving process. Because of Stephanie's willingness to share her experience and feelings, people from all over the world have been lifted and inspired. She has so much strength and faith, and I have learned a lot about being a mother from her.

2. OB Nurse (http://www.ob-nurse.blogspot.com/) The author of this blog uses her blog to explore all issues surrounding reproductive health, issues, and infant care. As I nurse I appreciate the work she does and love that she shares her experiences, thoughts, feelings, and knowledge with others.

3. Diet Divas (http://www.wearedivas.blogspot.com/) The authors of Diet Divas have unified in one great common goal. Their goal is to get rid of excess weight, sadness, negativity, depression, low self-esteem, and bad self image. They provide recipes, motivation, exercise information, links to other great health and fitness websites, information on how to eat right, and a network of support for others with the same goals.

4. Mormon Mommy Blogs (http://mormonmommyblogs.blogspot.com/) Mormon Mommy Blogs is a collection of the many Mormon women who have joined the blogging community. Sue created the site because of the stereotyping of 'mommy bloggers'. So she put together this site to show just how many of us there are and how very diverse and unique we all are. She's also created a network of friends who can learn from each other, support each other, laugh with (or at) each other, and so much more!

5. A Comfy Chair and a Good Book (http://jeanettesbooks.blogspot.com/) I love to read. And I actually used to write quite a bit, very passionately actually, but haven't since graduating high school. Anyway, Jeanette's blog is a great resource for finding books to read and sharing your thoughts and opinions about them.

Frugal Wall Decor

This is so simple and easy. My friend took pictures of a train, car, and boat that were on a quilt. Then she printed them and framed them in these 6x6 frames. What a creative and inexpensive way to add some decoration to a child's room.

Baby Food Lid Fun

This is a fun game my cousin created for her toddler. Very easy and very resourceful. She simply cut a slot in the lid of a Tupperware container and pulled out a bunch of old baby food jar lids. Her child loves putting the lids in the container like a piggy bank and then taking them out again.

Rag Quilting

So I've finally learned how to sew. This is my very first project so keep in mind that it is very amateur. I made a rag quilt which was so much easier than I thought it would be. And if I can do it, having never sewn anything before, then you certainly can too! Most of my instruction and information came from Love To Sew. If you have any questions you can refer to that website, email me, or leave a comment.

The following directions are for a 26" by 34" quilt, which is the size of most Pack 'n' Plays or portable cribs. To double the size of your quilt cut out twice as many squares. You can use nearly any kind of fabric, but from the research I've done flannel and/or cotton are the best choices. I used flannel because of how soft it is.

Materials Used

Rotary Blade

Rotary Mat

6" x 6" Omnigrid Square

Sewing Machine

About 4 1/2 yards of fabric

Scissors

Straight Pins

I used the Rotary Blade and Omnigrid to cut the fabric out on the Rotary Mat. Use whatever method works best for you. Before cutting out your fabric decide whether or not you want your squares to follow a repeated pattern. That way you don't waste fabric or time cutting out too many or not enough.

STEP 1-CUT OUT YOUR SQUARES

Cut out 48 six inch squares for the top of your quilt and 48 six inch squares for the bottom. This will give you a total of 96 six inch squares. I used Strawberry Shortcake patterned fabric for the top and solid pink for the bottom.

Note: Batting is completely optional. If you chose to use it, then cut out 48 four inch squares of batting. I didn't use batting on my quilt.

STEP 2-PIN YOUR LAYERS

If you're using batting put one square of it between 2 squares of fabric. If you aren't using batting then just put 2 squares of fabric together. Make sure the pretty sides of the fabric are facing out and pin the layers of squares together. You should have 48 layered squares. This makes 8 rows across the long side and 6 rows along the short side as pictured below.

STEP 3-SEW YOUR LAYERS TOGETHER

Sew from corner to corner of your square to make a / across the middle. Do the same thing from other corner to corner to make an X across your layered square as pictured below. DO THIS TO ALL OF YOUR LAYERED SQUARES. You should have 48 layered squares with an X sewn in the middle.

STEP 4-SEW YOUR SQUARES TOGETHER

Note: you will be working across the long side of you quilt, pinning squares together. If you work along the short side you will be creating more work for yourself.

Start by pinning 2 squares together. The larger your seam allowance the more your quilt will "rag". I used 3/4 inch seam allowance. The Love To Sew lady used 1 inch. Whatever size you use keep it consistent throughout each step. Sew the 2 squares together. Do this to all of your squares. You should have 24 sets of 2 squares sewn together (pictured below).

STEP 5-SEW YOUR SETS OF 2 TOGETHER
Pin 2 sets of your 2 squares together and sew down the seam to make a set of 4 squares sewn together. Do this to all of your 2 square sets. You should end up with 12 sets of 4 squares sewn together as pictured below.

Below: 12 sets of 4 squares

STEP 6-SEW YOUR SETS OF 4 TOGETHER
Pin 2 sets of 4 squares together and sew down the seam to make one long row of 8 squares. You should have 6 rows of 8 squares sewn together as pictured below.

Below is a closer picture of what the rows should look like.

STEP 7-SEW YOUR ROWS TOGETHER

Pin 2 rows of 8 together allowing for the same seam allowance as when you pinned the squares together. Be sure to match the seams in each row as closely as possible. Sew down the seam of your long row. You should have 3 sets of 2 rows sewn together as pictured below.

Below is a closer picture of what your seams will look like.

STEP 8-SEW YOUR SETS OF ROWS TOGETHER

Continue to sew your sets of rows together until you have completed sewing all rows.

STEP 9-SEW THE EDGES OF YOUR QUILT

Sew a 1 inch seam around the entire outside edge of your quilt.

STEP 10-CLIP YOUR SEAMS

Clip every single seam on your quilt. The smaller the clipping, the more ragged your quilt will look. Make sure you don't accidentally cut over where you've sewn. End your clipping just before your seam. Once you're done clipping your quilt is finished!

Wash your quilt in cold water and tumble dry low. I haven't washed mine yet, but from what I understand the ragged part gets softer and better looking after washing.

Coming Soon-August 21, 2008

HOW TO MAKE A RAG QUILT...COMPLETE WITH STEP BY STEP PICTURES AND INSTRUCTIONS!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Here's a bread recipe I give out a lot for using home ground wheat. It is the most fail-proof, easiest one I've tried. The vital wheat gluten (found in the bread/baking aisle) helps it rise very well and gives it a good texture.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread
2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup oil
1 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
about 6 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour (approximately 4 cups wheat)

Mix first 6 ingredients, then slowly work in enough flour to make a soft dough that is not sticky but not dry.
Place directly in greased loaf pans (only one rise is needed) and let rise until top is 2 inches or so above rim of pan.
Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes.
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.
If desired, brush top with butter.
Cool completely before bagging.
Makes 2 hearty healthy loaves.

Mini Banana Bread

No need for a mixer for this recipe. I like to make the mini loaves because, for some reason, they always turn out better for me and cook more evenly than one large loaf.
4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
Add the flour last, mix.
Pour mixture into a greased 4 mini loaf pan.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.

Easy Americana Flag Decoration

This seriously took me maybe two hours, it's just made of material and buttons, and fabric glue.
You can make any size you want. I made mine to fit an 11X13 frame. I cut the white fabric 10" by 12". Then I cut the blue square to the size I though looked best. Next I just cut the red strips (no need for straight lines). I cut the start out of paper first and then pinned my little template to the fabric to make my star just right. Use fabric glue to put everything together and you're done!

Journaling

I thought this would be a good idea and wanted to share. I realized the other day that since I started blogging, I don't write in my journal very often. So I've gone through every single post on my blog and copied/pasted to Microsoft Word. I am going to print out each post and put them into a binder to serve as a journal and will continue to add to it as long as we keep our blog. Of course you can't put everything on a blog that you would write in a journal, so when I have something to write thats a little personal I'll just go into Microsoft Word and add to it that way.

3 Questions

1. How do you get rid of discoloration spots on your face?
2. Does anyone have any ideas for crafts/projects using baby food jars?
3. Does anyone need cardboard for any projects? I have a ton and hate to through it away.

Mod Podge Serving Plates

This is a fun and simple project and makes a great gift idea. I bought the clear glass plates at Wal-Mart. I think it came in a box of 8 or 12.

Spread Mod Podge underneath bottom of the plate
Place desired fabric over Mod Podge and smooth out, working out bubbles as you go
When it is fairly dry cut the fabric at the edge of the plate (another option is cutting the fabric prior to Mod Podging it, but make sure you get the measurement exactly right before cutting)
Spread more Mod Podge over the fabric and allow it to dry completely

You CANNOT wash these plates in the dishwasher. In fact you don't want to get the back wet if you can help it. They are for serving only. You can make one for every holiday and/or occassion. The one pictured below is a Spring plate. It was my first one, so not exaclty perfect.

Father's Day Cards

These are the Father's Day cards I made with my friend, Mindy's, help and ideas. They're so fun to make and fairly easy. Check out Split Coast Stampers for more cardmaking ideas. All of these cards are made with scrapbooking paper and ribbon.

Homemade Burp Cloths

- Make sure you PREWASH ALL FLANNEL!
- Cut pieces 21 inches, by 31 inches.
- Iron over 1/4 inch on one of the short sides to make the outside finished edge.
- From the other side, measure 9 inches and fold on the line, then fold the finished edge over, overlapping the middle to make a rectangle roughly 21 X 13 inches.
- Top stitch up the finished edge about 1/8 inches in.
- Using the inside edge as a guide, top stitch up the edge of it to hold it in place. You will be able to feel the inside edge, I feel it and line it up with a mark on my sewing machine...This will give the look of thirds. Which is how I fold them.
- To finish the raw edges, cut the ends off so they are even. Then, if you have a surger, use it! If you have a surger stitch on your machine, use that, otherwise use a zigzag stitch barely overlapping the edge.

Firehouse BBQ Grilled Chicken

*From Picky Palate

I'm not going to put a ton of recipes on here, but I made this for dinner last night and it was AMAZING! I served it with Picky Palates roasted garlic parmesean potatoes and roasted vegetables.

6 thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ Cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
¾ Cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
4 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons Worstershire sauce

Place all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and marinate for at least an hour.
Preheat stovetop grill pan (this is what I used) or outdoor grill over medium heat.
Grill chicken for 5-6 minutes each side or until chicken is cooked through.

Tag Toy

If your babies are anything like mine then they love tags even more than they love the toys that they're attached to. All this is is ribbon folded over and sewn in between 2 pieces of fabric, similar to tags on a toy. My little girl loves it. And I love it cause I can throw it in the wash after a few slobber sessions.
To add a little more fun to this toy, add crinkle material to the center.

Mod Podge Decorative Blocks

Another easy, fun craft. All you need is:
Mod Podge
Scrapbook paper
Precut letters
Paint
Wooden blocks cut to fit your letters (these ones are 4" tall and 3" wide if I remember correctly)

1. Paint your blocks whatever color you desire
2. Mod podge the scrapbook paper onto the blocks leaving about 1/4 of an inch border around the paper
3. Mod podge the letters onto your paper and there you have it. (you can also mod podge or glue the letters onto the paper before putting it on the blocks if you want)
You can do these for just about any holiday or season and they make great gifts!

Quick Lampshade Makeover

This was really simple. I bought the lampshade at Wal Mart. I glued pieces of fabric to it and then cut them to fit. If you don't want the frayed edges then you can precut your fabric to be just a little bit too big and fold the edges under. I recommend ironing your fabric first so that you don't get any unwanted creases. I used fabric glue.

Homemade Sweet Potato Baby Food

This was really easy and didn't take much time at all. I got this off of one of my favorite websites Wholesome Baby Food.

1. Wash and poke holes in sweet potato with fork then wrap sweet potatoes in tin foil - do not peel for baking/microwaving.
2. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 30-60 minutes or until soft
3. Remove skins by slitting the sweet potato lengthwise when cooled then scoop out the "meat".
4. At this point you can either use a blender or a food processor to puree the "meat". I don't recommend adding water to puree it because it may seperate when you freeze it.
5. Place pureed food into ice cube tray. Each cube makes approx. 1 oz.
(I baked 2 sweet potatoes and got 16 oz.)

Mog Podge Decorative Letters

This was really easy to do. I just picked out some scrapbook paper and mod podged it onto some precut letters I found at Hobby Lobby for $1.99. Then brushed more mod podge over the top of the paper gradually working out the bubbles while it dries. The paper was $.40 and the brushed nickel '&' sign was $5. Total cost- somewhere around $8.

Not Sure What Happened

I'm not exactly sure what happened to the blog. I tried to put a new background on ( I know, I should give it a rest) but the next time I tried to log on it said the blog had been removed. So I'll try to get stuff back up. If you have a specific request let me know and I'll get it on here ASAP. Sorry, I won't mess with the layout stuff anymore.