simply a silly girl

we moved!

2011-02-09T16:11:00.003-06:00

okay well we didn't move, but my blog did.

2010 brought many many surprises and we look forward to what will come in 2011.
check it all out at the new place... www.simplyasillygirl.com

can't wait to see you there!

Happy Halloween 2010!

2010-10-31T09:03:00.001-05:00

sew good goodies

2010-10-13T20:51:00.001-05:00

my honey’s granny is a very crafty woman. she sewed, painted, ran a ceramic shop, made dolls… she did it all and has passed on to me many of her crafty goodies.

this week she sent a bag of sewing “stuff” she thought i might be able to use. i open the bag and what do i find? a sewing Christmas come early!

ohhh, pretty…

five different sewing machine feet, a few of which i will have to google to know what they are for.

this little beauty i am really excited about. i have had a blindstitch foot on my wants list for a while now.

granny also sent these really cool sewing books that take it back to when women really did know how to sew. they understood garment construction, pattern making, and alterations.

paper mache dress form anyone?

this book has it all…

from decorative stitching like these smocking instructions…

to children’s clothing designs…

to how to properly set a sleeve…

and even this children’s sizing guide…

then digging in the bottom of the bag, what did i find?

these little guys!

do you know what they are? i have wanted some for years but would not pay that much for them. (i know $12 is a lot of money to part with,lol)

the world through the eyes of boy

2010-10-11T18:51:00.001-05:00

i love all things artistic. on occasion i pretend to have some artistic ability. i was so excited the first time boy drew something on paper and identified it. it was on the plane ride home from visiting family at the beach. he drew tiny little circles with little lines going through them and proudly proclaimed them to be ants… “ats bite”. which i am sure is a sign of the deep emotional scaring as a result of his first encounter with fire ants. (we don’t have those nasty little things at home!)

then we hit an artistic dry spell and there was nothing but circles and scribbles for so very long.

then… boy was playing with sidewalk chalk and brought me over to see his picture.

“what’s that, boy?”

“tar”

“and what’s that?”

“me!”

“wow, you did a really good job. i see your head and your eyes… what’s this one?”

silence… boy had moved on and left me to ponder his UDO (unidentified drawn object).

may he always love to draw, paint, sculpt, build, sing, make music, imagine, create…

sister’s enchiladas and me being thrifty

2010-10-07T18:38:00.001-05:00

sister has been trying to get me to try this recipe for what she called THE BEST chicken enchiladas in the world. i’ve put it off because, well, i’ve never found an enchilada recipe i liked and had given up on the idea.

but we’ve been in a major food rut so i decided to live on the wild side and try these out.

ONE WORD: YUUUUMMMM!

of course, i was not prepared when i set out to make them and soon found that i was out of my world famous (okay only in my little world) homemade taco seasoning. thus inspiring me to share my thrifty secrets to wonderful tacos with you!

simply gather the following seasonings:

1/4 cup of chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder

2T cayenne and 3T salt

mix together and put in an air-tight container. i reuse a bulk spice container. and there you have it. use about 2T in place of one of those packets of seasoning. it is tasty and only about 25 cents instead of the $1.25 for the packet.

newcomer to the farm

2010-10-05T08:31:00.001-05:00

meet our newest resident here on the farm… yes, i think we can definitely use the term farm now, what with the cattle and horses and the garden and chickens and now her.

this is piggy. boy said her name was oink oink, which i thought was pretty good considering the names two year olds can come up with. daddy said her name was subway, cause well, she will end up gracing our table, cause we have gotten that countryfied.

she lives in our garden. if God created an animal that can naturally till and fertilize my garden with very minimal work from me… i am all in! (and i never thought i would be advocating for a pig... i have pork issues from my childhood…tragic!)

advice from the front lines

2010-10-03T09:49:00.001-05:00

this just in from the front lines of momma-hood…

DO NOT put a pull up in the washing machine!

i repeat, DO NOT put a pull up in the washing machine!

if you find yourself quickly throwing a load of your sweet little one’s laundry into the wash… the laundry that said sweet little one has been putting in the hamper all by himself like a good boy… be warned this could happen to you.

all the clothes will be covered, inside and out, in a nice coating of water absorbent gel.

DO NOT pull the clothes out and shake them out onto the tile floor in a desperate attempt to rid them of their slim!

IT WILL DO NO GOOD and it DOES NOT just sweep up.

if you find yourself in this situation use the following protocol…

1. rinse all clothing out by hand one piece at a time, both inside and out

2. clean all gel out of washing machine

3. rewash all clothing again and find something else to put on your sweet little one for church

4. try desperately to sweep up the gel you tried to shake out of the clothing… then get a towel and get on your hands and knees and wipe it up… then when what still did not clean up has dried sweep again

IT IS BEST TO AVOID THIS SITUATION ALL TOGETHER!

chocolate banana bread

2010-09-29T18:22:00.001-05:00

cool weather always makes me want to bake and last night i really wanted something warm and sweet so i started looking through the pantry to see what i had ingredients for and well, it was slim pickings.

what i did have was a package of honey bran muffin mix (the kind you just add milk to) and two quite ripe bananas. now i have a recipe for banana bread that is one of those that belonged to someone’s great aunt agnes who always won the blue ribbon at the county fair for her banana bread… but i didn’t have time or bananas for that so…

one package of honey bran muffin mix

two smushed up ripe bananas

half a package of mini chocolate chips

a hand full of pecans from the freezer chopped up

and 25 minutes in an oven at 425 and…

warm, sweet, chocolatey, banana goodness. it was all i could do to save some for later. its kind of like chocolate dipped bananas on a hot summer day, or a chocolate banana shake, except for warm and gooey. perfect for a cool fall evening… or a cool fall morning… or the middle of a nice sunny fall day…

a cowboy, his camo, and a fort

2010-09-28T18:32:00.001-05:00

boy and pawpaw have been working to build a fort out of a freecycled swing set…

taking a break to chase the chickens…

helping dad with the tools…

oh, what’s that his shirt says? maybe that is why i haven’t been getting much done lately!

sweet birdies at the window

2010-09-24T18:22:00.001-05:00

i have been working on giving the guest room a new look (can ya guess why?). i started with the windows. i love these little birds. one of those ideas that just pops in your head and actually works… made from some of my grandma’s hankies, they were really easy to make, required just a few stitches by hand, and can be easily taken apart without damaging the hankies.

start with a hankie, some thread (i used embroidery thread), and some stuffing…

tie a small ball of stuffing into one corner of the hankie…

tie the two opposite corners loosely so you can adjust them later. these will be the wings…

fill the center with more stuffing…

pull up the bottom corner and tie it up to make the tail. the back (top) of the bird will be open. stitch it shut then tug on the wings and tail to adjust them to your likening…

summer campout… momma style

2010-09-22T18:23:00.002-05:00

sister and the little lady came up and spend a few days while both our honeys were out of town. we decided to take the kiddos camping… here are my tips for successful summer camping with little ones:

pull a few mattresses into the living room

get everyone in their yammies nice and early

start a small fire (i recommend using the fireplace, just sayin’)

roast hotdogs and marshmallows for s’mores

make some rotel cheese dip (don’t use the fireplace for this one, microwave)

put on a good movie and enjoy snuggling with little bodies in the ac

PS it would be real sweet if ya’ll just pretended like my fireplace were nice and clean… thanks!

boy likes to dress himself

2010-09-20T16:54:00.001-05:00

chugga chugga two two

2010-09-19T17:47:00.001-05:00

boy turned two! we had a simple birthday at home with family. boy got his homemade screen printed birthday t-shirt, which is becoming tradition.

the theme was choo choo trains, as boy is now completely obsessed with them.

i made the invitations that each held a ticket to the train party… the cake was a mess! but that’s what happens when your momma makes it just hours before, can’t find the icing recipe she needs, and forgot she gave all the piping tips back to nana… oh well, it was yummy and boy got to blow the candles out three times…

presents were more than plentiful. we tried to keep it to a minimum but being the only grandson, and the only grandchild at all on one side, it didn’t seem people could contain themselves. boy is blessed…

the train table (nana picked up at a yard sale for next to nothing) and all the accessories we all chipped in to go with it was the big hit of the day…

i can’t believe that tiny little baby we brought home just the other day is two!

“bac berries mmm momma”

2010-09-18T09:03:00.001-05:00

i love to berry pick in the summer. this year we had a bumper crop of wild black berries, but didn’t get many picked. you would think the stickers would slow boy down but he was right there with me picking away… and eating away. we got just enough berries to make a good cobbler.

let me tell you how easy this was… mixed the washed berries with a little sugar and a bit of cornstarch (to thicken the juice a little). rolled out store bought turtle cookie dough and dropped it over the berries in a baking dish. cooked for about 30 minutes at the temp the cookie dough recommended. that’s it!

serve it up warm with a big scoop of berry ice cream and don’t dare tell anyone how easy it was.

summer sun

2010-09-16T17:46:00.001-05:00

boy and i were able to go with gamma and pawpaw to the texas coast to visit family for a week. it was hot. it was humid. we had a great time!

boy LOVED the water. the first time a wave knocked him over he came up laughing… he couldn’t get enough.

we took in all the required sights to be true tourists…

and boy rode home on a plane!

kitchen update… color

2010-07-15T13:45:00.001-05:00

during all the wedding crazyness i decided to paint the kitchen… well the whole house, but the kitchen is as far as i got…

we went from blah…

to ahhh… i love this blue (the pictures don’t do it justice) and i love it with the red and orange accents that i already had.

the best part? the wall that is half chalkboard for boy. my honey thought i was crazy when he saw me painting half the wall black… but we have all had fun with it.

boy even thinks it is fun to clean it!

my kitchen is fresh and clean and bright… watch out living room the paint cans are calling.

gardening

2010-06-29T14:13:00.001-05:00

it’s still a work in progress, but we have more variety than last year! my motto was just to get it in the ground and see what happened… how else do you learn right?

squash or pumpkin blooms… i think these are pumpkin? (you know, i didn’t even plant pumpkin? they volunteered from pumpkins i threw over the fence last fall…)

pretty little tomatoes… yum

kale for soups (what else do you do with kale?)

lettuce which has now bolted… too hot

crooked little carrots…

potatoes… in a stack of tires? apparently that is a good way to grow them?

apples… on the tree that i have no idea what to do with. i know it needs pruned and i don’t know how to treat it for bugs… but they are really yummy eating apples… (anyone have any advise?)

sister’s wedding

2010-06-28T16:02:00.001-05:00

some of my favorite pictures from sister’s wedding… she once again had me playing photographer… one day she will learn.

sister made a beautiful vintage bride…

boy was the cutest ring bearer ever…

she arrived at the church in a 1920s mercedes

we took pictures all around downtown fayetteville…

somebody was like a little boy with his nose pressed against the window of the candy store…

they make such a beautiful family…

(so glad that’s over, whew!)

april crazy-ness brings may weddings

2010-06-25T07:07:00.007-05:00

april was spent in the chaos of preparing for two weddings in may.

my honey's baby brother was marrying his sweet sarah. sarah had a lot of family coming in from west texas so we were going to have house guests we had never met which is always interesting to prepare for.

then sister and her honey were getting married the following weekend. both weddings were being planned long distance which meant we were taking care of a lot of the preparations.

sewing was left to the last minute... shocking! but boy and sister's little lady looked awful cute in their custom made attire! (and of course little lady will not stand so you can't really see her frock)

new addtitions

2010-06-23T17:05:00.003-05:00

i have wanted chickens for YEARS... but my sweet honey never was real big on the idea. then last year he started talking like yeah, one day we would put together a little coop and i could have a few chickens... WELL, that was all i needed to hear so while sister was here for spring break, before a coop was in existence or even planned, i picked up some cute little baby chicks...

and now they look like this... i have started anticipating fresh eggs in the next several weeks...

we have 9 all together, gertie (short for gertrude) the lady in charge, claire our sweet banty hen, berniece our red, and the three sisters that we can't really tell apart so they are the three sisters, and the boys darell and his other brother darell... the banty roosters that think they can crow and it cracks me up!

oh, my honey also picked up a game hen and two babies (a boy and a girl) that roost in the trees and won't let you anywhere near them... he has the chicken bug too now... i am expecting 100 baby quail any day now, 20 or so will stay with us and the rest will go live with the neighbors. oh and my dear father-in-law built me the cutest coop from spare lumber and windows... now if i could just finish painting it!

playing catch up

2010-06-22T10:13:00.003-05:00

it has been busy, busy, and it is definitely time to catch up with sharing all that has been going on... so over the next few posts i'll share the last few months.

sister and the little lady came to visit for spring break and we had lots of fun... her honey flew up for the weekend and i pretended like i was a photographer and took their engagement photos. i think they turned out really well considering i had no idea what i was doing... and they really capture sister's personality...

hotel room crafting: hooded towels

2010-03-05T06:15:00.007-06:00

hooded towels, cause boy is too big for his baby towels and thinks he needs to be completely wrapped up after a bath...
large bath towel, hand towel (both on clearance) cute flannel fabric (half off)...

cut the hand towel in half, cut a section of flannel about 1/2 inch bigger than hand towel...

fold fabric in half...

sew a seam across one short end...

sew a seam down the cut end of the hand towel...

turn the hand towel right side out (the sewn seam inside) put the fabric inside the hand towel hood...

turn up the fabric and pin all the way around (except the bottom!)...

sew a top stitch 1/8th of an inch from edge of fabric... make sure you don't sew the last 1/2 inch or so of both edges... or if you do like i did rip your stitches out! (see below for picture)

see, this is the part you shouldn't sew... instead fold over and under to "mieder" the corner... did i just make that up?

fold raw edge of fabric under edge of towel and pin... make sure to pin to center of bath towel, too!

once pinned sew a straight stitch across hand towel...

next cut two sections of fabric about two inches longer than the edges of the bath towel, and as wide as you would like... the strips for this towel were about 3 inches wide... for the second towel i made they were about 5 inches...

iron over the edge...

pin ironed over edge to edge of towel, you should have about 1 inch hang over on each end...

sew with a straight stitch...

turn towel over, iron down other side of fabric...

fold fabric over edge of towel and pin... when you get to the end fold excess fabric over...

then fold fabric over to "mieder" the corner...

sew a straight stitch all the way around the edge of the fabric...

and there you have it...

for the second towel i gave the hood a rounded edge instead of a point... after cutting the hand towel in half and cutting the fabric, i folded the hand towel in half and marked it with a rounded edge on the fold...

then cut it and the fabric (also folded in half)...

these are pretty big towels and the hood is good size, so boy shouldn't outgrow them any time soon...

hotel room crafting: part 1

2010-02-27T12:38:00.006-06:00

spring is in full gear around my house... not the weather but spring cleaning, painting, and wardrobe creating...

so while in little rock i made this shirt for boy using MADE's 90 minute shirt tutorial...

started by making my pattern, also using MADE's pattern tutorial... and a magazine from the conference because i forgot paper...

i used this thrifted (woman's, shhh...don't tell) shirt... i really liked the colors

one thing i would say is the tutorial suggested serging the edges of your binding pieces or leaving them raw... i don't have a serger and i wanted it more finished than just raw edges so i put my own spin on it.

after cutting strips of ribbed knit long enough to go around the neckline, i pinned the edge to the neckline...

sewed around with a straight stitch and pressed the seam up...

(pressing on both the front and back will help it lay)

then i pinned the binding over to the width i wanted... you can see i had plenty of extra width once i pinned it over.

topstitch the binding an eighth of an inch from the seam...

i sewed a second topstitch an eighth of an inch up from the first one to give it a more finished look...

trip the back side of the neckline and repeat for the other side of the shirt...

then continue following the 90 minute shirt tutorial... i didn't think it turned out too bad for a sleep deprived, hotel room, all-nighter craft fest, with no cutting mat and rotary cutter, no measuring tape, and no boy to check size with. i might tweak the neckline/shoulders a little next time. they were a little wide.

oh... you can follow the same steps to add cuffs to your sleeves if you want. i just used the finished the hem from the original shirt...

more hotel room crafting to come... and more spring wardrobe creating/thrifting/refashioning...

gettin' crafty in a hotel room

2010-02-25T20:32:00.003-06:00

my conference dismissed at 4:00pm today and that left several hours of alone time to think about my boys being at home without me... hence the sewing machine coming with me... between it and the dreaded treadmill in the club house i have been busy.

we have very limited fabric shopping options at home so i headed off to find the jo-ann's here in little rock... and ribbed knit was on sale... and cute snugly flannel was on sale... and well it just sorta followed me right out of the store...

there will be some cute stuff coming out of this here hotel room!

stretching the wardrobe budget

2010-02-24T22:21:00.003-06:00

have i been crafting much? no, not lately. oh, because i've been catching up on laundry? no. laundry caught up! it NEVER happens. the minute that last load is folded and put away someone changes clothes... (the main reason i have tried to convince my family we all need to be nudists...lol)

what i have been doing is getting ready for two semi-annual children's consignment sales that we have in our area; just between friends and rhea lana.

this is how i obtain the vast majority of boy's wardrobe.

this is my second time to actually consign clothing. i am hoping to bring in enough income to take care of all boy's and my spring/summer wardrobe needs... and maybe even my honey!

it took three evenings to go through stored clothes, press and hang, enter and attach tags. it really isn't too bad. organization is the key and both sales' websites give great tips for this...

i managed to get it all done while packing, organizing things for my boys, and getting things taken care of at school in order to go to AGATE (arkansas's annual gifted education conference). four hours from home, leaving my boys at home to take care of themselves for an extended time (for the first time).

don't worry, i only cried twice before i got out of town... (roughly ten miles)... but i packed my sewing machine and some half finished projects to keep me busy at night. i'm going to start a new club. something like hotel room crafters of america...

have a new husband: day two

2010-02-21T08:54:00.004-06:00

a little more advice from dr. leman...

chapter two: tuesday

men are different physically, emotionally, and psychologically

to understand them you must study them in their natural habitat

observe your male creature in his environment. in what setting does he seem most comfortable?
what were his growing up years like?
how did his mother interact with him? how did his father treat his mother?
in what way(s) does his background contribute to who he is now, and how does he respond to you and life in general?
was he encouraged to share his feelings?

when he was a little boy...

how he was treated when little makes him who he is now

why he acts like a man...

competitive: to get their share
do goofy things: to get attention and boys don't really grow up
(i would say you need to embrace the boy and learn to laugh)

they play rough...

they were one of two: either getting beat on or beating on someone
dr. leman says for a fascinating conversation ask him about his childhood pranks...

how important his mama is/was...

overprotective mama: not good, feels he either has to lie or control
no room to fail mama: won't take criticism well, brag about him to his face
driven mama: kept him busy, they were never home, may not have bonded with family
disciplining mama: the way to go, he respected his mother and will respect you

he longs for the same things he did as a boy...

acceptance
belonging
companionship

if you show him you're too busy to include him in your life, he'll find other things to do...
he wants to feel needed and that he can be trusted to do things, so don't ask for help then micromanage what he's doing... trust him to get it done.

if you wait for him to notice you need something, you'll be waiting a long time...
men focus on one thing at a time and what often seems so obvious to a woman is overlooked by a man because that's not where his focus is (like the empty toilet paper roll that has been laying on the bathroom floor for two weeks and he still hasn't picked it up.)

sometimes they need to experience consequences...
if they leave their dirty clothes laying everywhere and you don't pick them up so they get in the wash, who's fault is it he doesn't have any clean clothes? let him see the consequences of his actions (dr. leman says they can be trained like puppies...lol, and yes dr. leman is a man)

cut him some slack...
instead of wanting your husband to read your mind be specific about what you want him to do, clue him in on what's important to you. do this with kindness and respect and you'll be amazed.

"If you want to have a new husband by Friday:
Talk to him with gentleness, kindness, and respect.
Show him in both words and actions that you accept him,
that he belongs to your family, and that you believe he's
competent.
Honor him in your home. Ask him what he thinks.
Be efficient and independent, but not too much; he needs to
be needed.
Tell him what's going on in the family; he likes to know what's
going on, even if he can't be there all the time. Every man
hates finding out information about his family thirdhand.
Show an interest in what he likes to do.
Listen to him (when he does talk)."

treadmills are not my friend

2010-02-15T20:34:00.004-06:00

i don't like them and i don't think they like me either, but the weather just isn't cooperating so i had to give in and run inside. it was the longest five miles of my life! blinking lights, thump, thump, thump... and on and on it goes...i personally think they are a medieval torture device not a training apparatus.

(this is a completely random picture of my boys bowling the other night because my post needed a picture.)

i suppose they do have their good points:

i can choose to run with no hills

i can maintain a more consistent pace throughout my run

it has to help the "mind" aspect of racing because it takes every ounce of my willpower to keep running on it

i didn't have to run with a windchill in the 20s

happy day of love

2010-02-14T20:59:00.007-06:00

boy is a little heart breaker... and needed a valentine's shirt to show it. when thinking about what i wanted to do for his shirt (because i have this thing about making him shirts for special occasions...it's kinda like you get to make a costume and what's better than that?) i wasn't sure what i wanted to do. then i found this pattern from little blue boo, then i saw this: Little Blue Boo/Dharma Trading Design Challenge

i decided that boy's valentine's shirt couldn't just be another long sleeved tee, it needed to be a cute hoodie with a little bit of rocker baby edge... an old black tee and some black and white striped jersey from the local thrift store... i used scrap jersey for the heart and banner applique and hand painted heart breaker. i think it gives a little more of a prison tat look...lol. cost 15 cents and one hour...
(not counting the pattern cost $9 which has provided several shirts already and goes up to size 7 so i can use it f-o-r-e-v-e-r...so it doesn't count.)

this was the first little blue boo pattern i have used. it was very easy to read, had great step by step pictures, and tips for sewing jersey... i was really impressed. ashley has so many super cute patterns for little girls and i love that they all reuse old t-shirts.

my new running buddy

2010-02-13T23:40:00.003-06:00

oooh... look at that! what is it? it's a Nike+ SportBand. a watch and a chip that track time, distance, pace, and calories burned on a run.

pros:

i like it better than the old method

i like it better than the free sites i've tried that let you map your runs

it was affordable ($59)

it is much simpler and less intimidating than crazy runner watches that do 100 different things and really scare me...

i can use it with any running shoe

all my run data uploads to a free site where i can track my training, set goals, join challenges, get training tips...

it's a cute watch when your not running, sleek

cons:

it's not 100% accurate

(i've read that is partly because i'm not using the nike+ shoes and partly because it takes several tries to calibrate right)

overall: i like! it is easy and lets me see with reasonable accuracy how i'm doing... they also have chips that are compatible with new ipods and iphones.

tried it out on my first 10k race this morning... the freezing 10k at the UofA. so cold, so many crazy long and crazy steep hills. 6 miles, 6 hills, the first 1/2 mile of the race was straight up and since the course looped around i got to run it twice... finished at 1:05 and some change... right now i'm feeling pretty good about my 1/2 in april.

have a new husand: day one

2010-02-12T21:24:00.002-06:00

chapter one: monday

here is what dr. leman had to say about the first day of your journey to a new man:

men are fundamentally different.
way less verbal
problem solvers

he wants to be a good husband, wants to please you, but doesn't know how... he needs your help.

what he wants from you:

RESPECT
(i once heard it explained like this: a woman needs to feel loved more than anything. a man needs to feel respected. you telling your husband in words or actions, "honey, i love you but i just don't respect you." registers to him like if he said to you, "honey, i respect you but i just don't love you." i don't know about you but that would pretty much crush the life out of me. so instead of saying "i love you" 4,985 times a day to my honey, i say it 4,980 times and 5 times i try to communicate respect.)

TO BE NEEDED
when you show him you need him you trigger his God-given drive to provide, help, and solve problems. here is what you do: step one-let him know your glad to see him, step two-ask for help with a specific thing, step three-promise a reward later (you know what kind of reward ladies...) (apparently men can feel useless when confronted with women's multi-tasking, make-it-work-with-what-we-got, keep the world on track for everyone, abilities... he needs to know you can't do it without him.)

FULFILLED
he needs a willing sexual partner
you need to pursue him (and dr. leman says we will talk more about this later)
affirm his masculinity

so does it work?... two days after i read chapter one my honey came home from work, i greeted him with a smile and a good mood, he relaxed for a little while and i started dinner. i mentioned that it would be a big help if he entertained stinky while i finished dinner... usually that would have lasted five minutes but that night he took boy back to his room and they played for half an hour... later that night he even fixed the dish washer, which he had been saying he would do for almost a year now, without being asked! and ladies, i let him know i appreciated it...

valentine's gifts for boy

2010-02-11T21:20:00.005-06:00

i got boy some color wonder markers and paper for valentine's day, because he thinks markers are way cooler than crayons...then i saw this really cute idea for a homemade fishing game here. paw-paw wants boy to fish so bad he can hardly stand it. he tried all summer (even though boy had just turned one) to get him to fish... well paw-paw, this one's for you... maybe it will help boy get the concept.

i made my fish by cutting out fishy shapes from fun foam. i used a low temp glue gun to attach googly eyes.

the mouth is a paper clip... a dop of glue was placed at the end of the paper clips to help them survive boy.

it's a whole school of googly-eyed fishies...

took a short dowel rod, painted it orange, attached a string... tied a nut to the end of the string and glued a strong little round magnet to the nut... used liquid fuse.

and now boy will be all set to fish...

i just need to find a little metal bucket at the dollar tree for boy to carry his fish in...

*ATTENTION: this little fishie game has little parts, so make sure your little one is well supervised, especially if he likes to put little things where they don't belong... i went to school with a boy who got a magnet stuck in his ear. they had to take him to the hospital to have it removed. the next week he got a dry bean stuck up his nose...

THE world's best blueberry muffins

2010-02-10T21:02:00.003-06:00

little baby muffins make a great breakfast on the go... freeze em and take em out as you need em...boy likes em.

these are my extra-super favorite...

ingredients for muffins:

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

what makes them extra-special:

a good 2 cups of blueberries
(mine were big ripe berries we froze from this summer)

2 tbs flax seed
(for extra fiber and omega-3)

and of course the cinnamon-y sweet topping:

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter softened

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar

pre-heat your oven to 375. line your muffin tins... i use foil liners cause they hold up to the ooey-gooeyness of these muffins. mix flour, white and brown sugars, salt and baking powder. stir oil, eggs and milk until the lumps are gone. gently fold in blueberries. fill muffin tins, i like mine nice and full for a good muffin top.

for topping, mix flour, butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. sprinkle a little on top (or a lot).

bake for about 12 to 15 minutes if using small muffin tin (20 to 30 minutes for larger muffins).

the extra berries make these muffins almost like a tart. a little crunchy sweet muffin wrapped around a yummy blueberry filling... mmm...

Have a New Husband by Friday

2010-02-10T17:10:00.007-06:00

let me start by saying i have a WONDERFUL husband and we have a good marriage, but even the best things can be improved... i am always working on how i can be a better wife, because he deserves the best...

now that my disclaimer is out of the way... i heard this radio program with Dr. Kevin Leman, who was talking about his book Have a New Husband by Friday: How to Change His Attitude, Behavior, and Communication in 5 Days and i was intrigued by what he had to say... so i went and got the book and decided to conduct a very scientific and secret experiment to see if Dr. Leman was right.

he claims that in five days you can change your man for the better by implementing some simple (though not easy) ideas... changes in you as the wife that will improve your relationship with your husband...

stay tuned, for we shall see...

signs of the times

2010-02-08T17:38:00.002-06:00

it has become quite apparent that boy is fast approaching "the twos". this weekend i kept finding things in strange places...(fortunately we are no longer using the potty for a potty, just a step stool.)
i found boy with things he shouldn't have... (right now he is really in to lotion. i'm pretty sure it's because he can open the bottles and make a mess.)

boy confused green acrylic paint with lotion...

ten minutes later he confused whiteout with paint... (that stuff does not come off, even with fingernail polish remover.)

gettin' crafty: sticker book

2010-02-05T05:58:00.003-06:00

boy is getting to the age that he needs something to keep him entertained when we are out and about. the grocery store cart and high chair at restraunts are not places he particulary enjoys sitting for long. something about thinking he needs down to explore...

i'm always looking for things that will keep him happy sitting without buying a new toy or cookies...
so when i saw this tutorial from samster mommy for a sticker book i thought i'd give it a try. after all, boy likes to take the stickers off the produce while we are shopping...

he was pretty impressed. and if you get tired of sticking the stickers on the book then taking them off to stick on again you can always stick them to your foot...

redneck sledding: don't try this at home!

2010-02-04T21:14:00.006-06:00

the redneck impulses could no longer be suppressed...

yes, that is a ski tube and tow rope tied to the back of a four-wheeler...

yes, the motorcycle helmet ended up being a really good idea for several reasons...

yes, the children's sled was probably more dangerous than the tube...

yes, those silly boys ended the day with a snowball fight...

it's true, they never grow up...

gettin' crafty: matching game

2010-02-02T16:30:00.007-06:00

while boy was taking a nap today i made him a little something to entertain... a really cute, non-destructible, take-along-anywhere, matching game (he can play memory with it when he's a little older)...

basic supplies:

wooden tiles
(i couldn't find any the size i wanted so i cut slats)
mod podge
paint and brush
craft paper
animal stickers- two of each animal
(you can use any stickers, clip art images, etc..)

to cut my slats i laid one over the other and traced a line to make squares...

then i snuck out to my honey's shop and used the big scary saw...

brought them in, cut craft paper to fit over one side, painted a layer of mod podge, laid paper over, smoothed down, and let dry...

painted sides and back of tiles. added cute animal stickers...

mod podge over animals, making sure to press out air bubbles as they dry...

it takes several coats of mod podge and while tiles were drying between coats i made a little pouch to hold our pieces...

what you need:

fabric scrap

(mine was about 18"x11")

scissors

sewing machine

cord

cut fabric in half and pin right sides together...

sew a straight stitch down each side with about an inch seam allowance. start seam about 1 1/2 inches down...

press seams down...

fold each seam allowance under and press... the top 1 1/2 inches should be open...

sew a straight stitch down each side of the folded over seam...

fold the top of the pouch over, pin well. each end of your fold will be open, creating a casing for your cord...

sew a straight stitch across the bottom of your fold...

sew a straight stitch across the bottom of the bag. i sewed a double seam for reinforcement...

turn the pouch right side out. use a safety pin to thread the cord through the casing at the top of the pouch...

cut your cording, leaving enough to tie off...

tie off the end and melt with a lighter to keep from unraveling... and done...

can't wait for boy to wake up and play...

i think this would be really cute with pictures of family members, pictures of boy's favorite things, toys, satch, horses, boots... the possiblities are endless...

blog crasher: just a bettie

2010-01-31T13:33:00.016-06:00

my sweet sister from just a bettie is crashing my blog... she is creative and a little crazy... (shhh, she doesn't know)... you've been warned! lol!

hey and if you want to see what i've been up to, go check out the cute "boyfriend t-shirt" refashion tutorial i did for her...

Hello my fellow bloggers. Feeling a little naughty today? Good thing because I'm taking over!!! My name is Chea from JustaBetty.com and that simple silly girl Rachel is my sister. Rachel and I are like night and day....... Let's put it like this if we were the golding girls I'd be Blanche and she'd be Rose. So I'm coming over to add a little spice to your life! I promised I would be on my best behavior so I'll keep this PG13. So let's start with a little DIY Personalized Hanger tutorial I think you will all love!

What you need

1. 14 guage Galvanized wire....I bought this at home Depot 100" for 6 dollars

2. Needle nose pliers

3. Wire cutters

4. Hanger...I used one of my daughter's children hangers

Step 1: Take your wire and start bending it...I used my daughter's hanger as a guide.

Step 2: Use the Needle Nose Pliers to bend the wire for your letters and that's it!

Now you have a personalized hanger great for babies, wedding's..etc

Just to show you a little more about the things on my blog here are some more tutorial's you might like!

Ruffle Bra and Knickers

Chic Gloves

Baby Legging's

No More Wire Hanger's...Shelf

Thanks for letting me share some of my things. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Thanks...

where's mine sister?

snow, and some snow, oh, and snow

2010-01-31T08:30:00.003-06:00

we have had LOTS of snow. we are in the midst of major snow #3 (in my neck of the woods 2 or three inches is a major snow) we have about 8 inches on the ground now. have i mentioned it's not quite february and we have had 3 big snows? have i mentioned that we usually don't get the majority of our snow until the end of february or march? have i mentioned that i am planning the staff pot luck lunch for the fourth of july because i'm pretty sure we will still be making up snow days?

but it's worth it cause i get snow days at home with boy, i craft during naps, and we get to play in the snow. boy likes him some snow! he managed to sneak out the door (because momma forgot to deadbolt it) and was playing in said snow wearing nothing but cowboy boots and his pj top. it's a good thing he just made it out when i caught him.

gettin' crafty: new "old" mirror

2010-01-31T08:12:00.002-06:00

working on adding color to the house... slowly...
what did i do with this dirty old mirror and two bed rails i picked up at a flea market? oh, and some spray paint, can't forget the spray paint...i made this mirror to hang over the mantle... ohhh... i like that! i have seen similar mirrors for $500 to $1500 dollars... just as roughly done as mine...crazy!

gettin' crafty and stuff

2010-01-31T07:44:00.003-06:00

i was going through pictures looking at all the pictures for posts that never made it up, mostly because i seem to either have time to craft or blog, not both... and partly because i am NOT a model and my pictures are scary... ha, ha... no, i'm not joking...

so today i'll throw caution to the wind and work on some posts of what i've been up to... you've been warned.
here is a long "maxi" style dress that came in handy during pregnancy... in the spirit of wardrobe refashioning it is now a short bubble skirted dress... would i actually wear it out in public like this? no. i would have a shirt under it and quite possibly legging, or even jeans... so since i wouldn't be seen like this in public, let me post it online for the world to see... :o)

it was a very easy refashion. i just turned the dress inside out, sewed around the hem of the skirt with a long straight stitch, pulled the thread to gather the hem to the size of the waist, folded it up and pinned the hem of the skirt to the seam of the waist, and sewed the hem to the waist seam with a zig-zag stitch... ta-da!

gettin' crafty: jersey skirt

2010-01-24T16:28:00.003-06:00

i saw this really cute Jersey skirt tutorial on ruffles and stuff then a few weeks later i picked up some pretty cranberry jersey at a thrift store... this is my version of disney's skirt. i love it!
pair it with a dressy top and heels or a t-shirt and boots, wear it with a high waist or folded over. any way you go it's super cute and comfy. total cost: $1 and 30 minutes...

low tech runner

2010-01-24T13:03:00.003-06:00

i am currently using a pretty low tech method of tracking my distance and pace when running. i use my cell phone clock and my car's odometer. i look at how far i ran, how long it took, crack the numbers and know about what i averaged in minutes per mile.

i would like to have a slightly more accurate means of determining distance and pace, especially because i don't like to run the same route over and over, but it has to be:

1. simple (runner's watches intimidate me)
2. as cheap as possible (all my current method cost is pocket change for gas)

does anyone have any suggestions?

oh... the ear warmers worked really well...

gettin' crafty: wicking ear warmer

2010-01-22T22:20:00.005-06:00

cold weather and running don't go hand in hand in my book, but it's a combination i'm going to have to embrace... like in the morning when i go out for my long run and it's 35 degrees instead of the 65 degree high today.

this means the cold weather running gear is back out, which includes the ear warmers. problem? itchy, sweaty, poly blend, knitted, nasty, ear warmer...

so i pulled out an old pair of shorts that are supposed to be made out of a wicking cotton blend. with a snip, snip, here and a stitch, stitch, there i made wicking ear warmers. here's how:

old shorts...

being silly trying shorts on my head to make sure they would fit...

(that would be the leg hole around my head)
cut the leg off...

put it back on your head, pull it pretty snug until your fingers are about three inches apart at the back of your head (does that make any sense at all?)
cut a 3" piece of elastic and pin it to the leg (turned inside out) at the points that you pulled your material around your head.

sew each end of the elastic to secure it to the material.

fold the top of the loop down over the elastic and pin. make sure you pull the fabric taunt when pinning...

continue your way around, adjusting the amount of fabric you pin over so that the loop is wider around the front and thinner at the back where the elastic is...

zig-zag stitch around the loop and you are done... one free wicking ear warmer, cause have you priced them in a store? those people are smoken' crack...

we'll see how well it works in the morning...

(i know, i know, these pics are great)

its time again for a "not me monday"

2010-01-18T18:31:00.004-06:00

this has been one of those extra-special mondays that put you in your place just in case you were getting a little cocky and thought you could get through a day without God.

i did not wake up late (as in twenty minutes before i needed to leave for work). i had not slacked sunday night and not packed lunches or backpacks. i did not go to get boy's clothes out of the dryer to realize that i didn't put them in the dryer last night so he had NO dry pants or big boy underwear! (and i don't have to pack like three sets of extra clothes just in case since we are potty training) i did not throw the three sets of pants and underwear i thought would dry the fastest into the dryer and crank it on high just to send my sweet stinky boy out the door in slightly damp clothes. we did not get out to the car to find the car seat was not installed and did not have blueberries smashed in it from gamma and paw paw borrowing it sunday. i was not late for work...

the day did improve from there, then i came home from a run to start dinner. i decided to make philly cheese steak (a really yummy recipe i'll share in a bit).

i cut my almost frozen roast into strips and put them in the food processor to thinly slice...

i was cutting roast and suddenly i did not hear boy screaming as raw meat was flinging through the air. i did not turn to see this...

i did not get distracted by boy's screams and take even longer to stop the food processor. boy had not minutes before opened the dishwasher and pull out the baskets of clean dishes. the dishwasher was not directly behind me. i did not need to rewash all the dishes because they had tiny chunks of raw meat all over them. i did not spend the rest of the night cleaning the mess up... i am way to "together" for any of that to happen to me, but i will pray for the poor soul that did have this day...

runnin', runnin', and runnin' runnin'...

2010-01-16T15:33:00.002-06:00

way back here i mentioned that i started training for a 1/2 marathon, then later on i mentioned here that i would share about running my first 1/2...

so three months later i will.

i started the race with three friends, one who is a marathon runner and two who were newbies like me. we started the race running about a 10:30 mile. around mile three we were slowing a bit. i felt good with the pace and decided i wanted to hold it as long as i could and began to pull ahead a bit.

mile four i wasn't sure where my running buddies were but i was starting to pass small groups of runners. I HAVE NEVER passed anyone in a road race! i was feeling good; especially because mile four is my "hump", that mile that is hard to get through.

mile 6 i start walking for about 30 seconds at each aid station. i pick back up my run and start to pass a younger guy (19 or 20 probably) and he began running along side me. he started to talk and i thought "great, i'll have a conversation with anyone to keep my mind off running." i had already listened to everything on my mp3 and was tired of that. after about a 1/4 mile he had to slow down and i felt really great! i was out running some kid... i'm excited... i'm smiling...

mile seven however i am quite sure delirium was setting in. about 7.5 miles in i turn a corner and am running with the sun at my back, looking down at the road i can see my shadow perfectly in front of me... and i notice, my pigtails are lopsided... my pigtails are lopsided... this is going to drive me crazy... maybe i am crazy... should i stop and fix them?

mile nine i have decided that i am just going to sit in the ditch and cry... but i didn't because i didn't think i would get any sympathy from anyone.

mile ten i'm not sure i'm still picking up my feet. is shuffling still considered running?

mile eleven i walked as fast as i could.

i started running again around mile 12 and finished the race at 2:31:21. i really wanted to finish under 2:30, but since the course had some good hills and was considered a more challenging course i was content with my time. hey i finished and was still alive...

i was miserable when i finished. i did not want to (and did not) run for a good month after. i ran the muddy buddy with sister in dallas the end of october and then was done! "i will never run a 1/2 marathon again. it was a challenge. i am glad i've accomplished it. it is over now. i think i will stick to 5ks."

those were my words after the race... so why do i finally tell my tale? because crazy me started training for my second 1/2 marathon this week!

i am hoping it will be easier, since i'm not starting from nothing this time. it's a very difficult course which means i'm not going to be improving my time much, but that's okay. i just want it to be easier to get through this time. that's my goal... just get through it... wish me luck.

"holy popsicles batman, it's cold outside!"

2010-01-09T08:27:00.002-06:00

it is darn cold outside. driving down the road i saw this fountain that had frozen solid.

and i think the cold has really started to affect (effect... i never can remember which one to use when) me because thinking about how cold it had to be to freeze that fountain lead to some strange thoughts..

can a duck freeze in a pond...

how much skin gets pulled off your tongue when you lick the flag pole...

and i guess because i have been dealing with a head cold, how cold does it have to be before your snot freezes in your nose...

if you can put my curiosity to rest it would be greatly appreciated and i would like it to be above freezing some time, maybe with some sunshine, actually about 70 would be great, thanks!

food, friends, and a good cause

2010-01-03T17:37:00.000-06:00

i have been friends with the same group of girls since middle school (some before then). we always make a point to get together around christmas, usually for dinner and maybe a movie. this year i hosted a sewing party and we made "pillow case" dresses for the organization Little Dresses for Africa.

i wasn't sure how they would respond and told them if it was a flop i would never put myself in charge of our holiday plans again (i am not the planner of the group). we had a great time eating and visiting and for most trying their hand at something new.

these dresses are so easy and so forgiving that it didn't matter that we were using my poor dilapidated sewing machines and as a group had very little sewing experice. we will send these four with the 45 dresses my middle school students are currently making for a community service project.

now i just need to iron and bag them and we are ready to go.

had fun girls, can't wait to do it again!

happy birthday Jesus!

2010-01-02T16:21:00.003-06:00

we had a wonderful christmas, relaxed and low key, remembering the true reason for the season. looking very forward to the new year and all that it holds. may we seek the Lord's will and count every blessing...
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord... Psalms 148:12-13

she thinks my turtle's sexy

2010-01-02T16:12:00.003-06:00

the argyle socks and clip on tie really add to the ensemble...

i'm sure he got his fashion sense from his father...

(and don't you love his cheesy "i can smile on command now" smile?)

good bye brother, can't say i'll miss ya

2010-01-02T15:08:00.005-06:00

boy is setting on my very big chirstmas/birthday present from my honey.

whoever said the best gifts come in small packages didn't have a cheap old brother sewing machine to deal with. i could have had something small and sparkly or a new wardrobe, but what i got was way better... i could have cried...

bye-bye brother... helloooo bernina!

when men serve the pie

2009-11-29T15:12:00.003-06:00

making pies is my favorite part of holiday dinners.

my darling husband requested a chocolate pecan pie,

which i lovingly made just for him.

he served it up (i think he

decided to be in charge for portion control)

do you see what he did to that pie? need a closer look?

he didn't cut it...

he didn't get a pie server...

he got a big spoon and started scooping.

i love him so.

hope you and your family had a wonderful thanksgiving.

when daddies watch boys

2009-11-29T15:07:00.002-06:00

this is one of the many outcomes that are possible when you put a daddy in charge of a boy... fortunately the ink washed right off.

raising a multicultural child

2009-11-17T16:50:00.002-06:00

okay, so maybe taking your child to various restaurants for cultural exposure is not what it takes to raise a child who can appreciate other's culture, but its a start right? after all boy loves him some chips and salsa and he can eat with chop sticks at 16 months old!

gettin' crafty: sweater refashion

2009-11-14T14:50:00.004-06:00

i bought this sweater off a clearance rack for $3.

it was way too big, but i really liked the green and the hood.

i put it on and used safety pins to fit it on the sides and

shoulders. (if you turn the sweater inside out first you don't

have to move the pins to the other side before you sew.

of course i didn't think about that before i started...)

i did a straight stitch then followed it up with a zigzag stitch

to help keep it from raveling. trimmed the seams and done.

this will be swell over summer tops.
a great way to extend the wardrobe for next to nothin'!

don't sew with pins in your mouth!

2009-11-14T14:26:00.004-06:00

i grew up watching my momma sew...

she always had a mouth full of straight pins

and i have followed in her foot steps.

this probably isn't the smartest thing to do,

but it's habit and nothing bad has happened to

me yet... until today.

i was working on a sweater refashion (more on that later).

see my pretty green sweater that is way too big?

i used safety pins to fit it then started to sew,

taking the safety pins out as i went...

not taking time to close them...

and putting them, you guessed it,

in my mouth.

i did not feel anything amiss until i went to pull

the safety pins out of my mouth and one would not come.

somehow i managed to pinch a tiny piece of my tongue

between the coils of the safety pin and it was good and stuck!

just wanted to share
1. because i would hate anyone to suffer a
sewing injury that could have been prevented
by sharing my own stupidity
and 2. because that's a pretty cool picture!

gettin' crafty: well sister is

2009-11-08T10:20:00.002-06:00

sister made my niece this super-cute tuxedo shirt.

i want one... the shirt... a little girl to put it in...

luckily i get to do the girl thing with sister's little ones.

anyway, if you have a cute little girl and

want to make her a cute little tuxedo shirt,

visit sister's blog to find out how.

happy halloween

2009-11-01T11:54:00.004-06:00

hope everyone had a safe and fun halloween...

i know boy and daddy sure did.

boy cause there is nothin' as fun as

being a cowboy and daddy cause

he had an excuse to go trick-or-treating this year...

happy birthday sister

2009-10-31T10:49:00.003-05:00

look at that sweet, adorable, face!

who could that golden haired darling be?

surely that isn't the same little girl i wanted to strangle

every single day while growing up!

i'm so glad i never went through with it

cause then i wouldn't have met her older, dark haired, alter-ego...

i really like her!

happy birthday sister!

chefin' it: homemade apple sauce for baby boy

2009-10-29T06:47:00.004-05:00

made homemade applesauce for boy last night.

it is really easy, really yummy, and all natural.

what you need:

*fuji apples

(i used 8 large apples and made about 3 cups)

a food processor

and well that's about it

peel, core, and cut

(i'm not fancy enough for a corer or peeler, so a good old knife was used)

i sliced my apples into eighths.

baked for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

stirred once to keep the apples on top from drying out.

(put a baking sheet under them just in case they bubble over)

dumped into the food processor, juice and all,

and ran until the apples were a good smooth consistency.

i poured the apple sauce into ice trays and froze.
then just pop them out, put in freezer bags and i have
fresh apple sauce in perfect boy portions any time.

*fuji apples are very sweet and crisp. they bake well, not turning mushy.
no need to add sugar to the sauce.

i have even used them in apple pies,
cut the sugar from the recipe,
and it's still sweet and delicious!

i'm giving water

2009-10-26T20:54:00.004-05:00

one of my eighth grade students came to class today and told me about a project her church was doing to give water to a village in India through The Water Project. she wanted to find someone in school to do it with her and i jumped at the chance. we ended up having six kids who wanted to join in within a matter of minutes.

here is how it works.

Give it Up make water your only beverage...for 2 weeks.
Collect Your Savings take the money you would have spent on soda, juice, sports drinks, bottled water etc., and put it aside to give clean water. collect your savings in a cup wrapped with a "The Water Challenge" label.
Wear Your Wristband it'll help you remember to choose water and to spread the word.
Continue Your Sacrifice for 2 Weeks if you are heading toward the soda machine, head for the water fountain instead. if your family goes out to dinner and you usually order iced tea, ask for water. it's free. you'll be amazed at how the savings add up. encourage your whole family to participate.
Give it Away after 2 weeks, calculate the amount of money saved by your sacrifice and give water through The Water Project, Inc. it will be used to drill new water wells in Kenya, Sudan or India...you choose

answered prayer

2009-10-21T22:21:00.002-05:00

i have to take a moment and share. i have had a remarkably stressful start to the school year. i have been pushed and pulled in so many ways. i tried to look at it all as an opportunity to grow... i kept thinking about the potter working the clay to remove the impurities to make it useful... beautiful. despite trying to have a positive outlook my attitude was poor and getting worse by the day. i prayed that i would be able to handle it all, that God would give me strength and i would get through it. every day something else would happen to add to the stress. every day i would wonder how much further God would ask me to bend and stretch. i was in tears every day. i was looking for a new job... contacting online schools about training for career changes, i even started reading the classified adds. there seemed to be no relief in sight. and i kept praying that God would get me through it...

God is so much bigger than we are. here i was praying to have the strength just to get through and God was working to change the situation so that it wasn't something to struggle through. i received an e-mail from an acquaintance at a neighboring district. she is a wonderful woman who is great at her job. she had contacted my superintendent and offered her services to help me in any way she could to get through all the challenges i had been presented with this year.

suddenly, there is help for meeting all the deadlines. good, quality help. there is someone else to share the burden with. then today i find out that one of the BIG projects that i had less than a month to accomplish was pushed back and i now have til may.

thank you Lord, that you know me so well, know what i am capable of and just how to help. even when i don't know what to pray, how to pray, you know my needs and take care of it all. it will still be a challenge and certainly will provide plenty of opportunity to grow... thank you for the bite sized pieces that i can swallow, for taking it slow and giving me time to become all that you have planned for me to be.

gettin' crafty: vinyl guttering book shelves

2009-10-21T17:02:00.004-05:00

it finally stopped raining long enough to get my craft on and that blank wall in boy's room is gettin' filled!

i have seen these book shelves made out of vinyl guttering all over the web. they are really cute and a great way to display books for little ones to see and reach.

what you need:

vinyl guttering

the brackets to hang the guttering

and two end caps per piece

(be careful, they come in lefts and rights)

spray paint, the kind for plastic

(if your crazy like me *see below)

wood screws

drill

level

stud finder (you know, for the walls?)

the guttering comes in 10 foot sections. i sweet talked the guy at lowe's into cutting mine into three even pieces. he used a hack saw and it was pretty quick and easy.

i had only seen the shelves made in white and that seems to be the standard color the guttering is sold in, but i didn't let that stop me. boy's needed to be red!

*a word about spray painting:

the plastic spraypaint (*i used krylon) was tomato red not the barn red i wanted.

vinyl guttering is very static-y so it's hard to keep clean while painting.

i ended up using regular spray paint for a third and fourth coat instead of the plastic stuff and that greatly improved the color.

while hanging the shelves i found that the color scrapes off pretty easily so all that hard work will probably be regretted later...

once all the pieces were dry, i marked where i wanted them on the wall, checking that they were level and spaced far enough apart for the bigger books. marked where the studs were and adjusted the mounting brackets to make sure they were spaced to hit said studs. used my honey's electric drill to attach and walla...

i only used two of the shelves because the third would have been too high for boy to reach... maybe i'll hang it when he is older?

"THE" craft fair: a weekend of craftyness

2009-10-20T21:47:00.006-05:00

fall in nwa equals a weekend (okay, really it's almost a full week) of craft fairs. every town has one. every convention center, hotel ballroom, open field, is full of crafts and crafters. people come from all over the country to sell their wares or buy them...

sister flew up for a long weekend and we did our part to contribute to the madness that is "THE" craft fair...

we started at a few smaller fairs had some lunch then headed for the grand daddy of them all... war eagle.

sister, moo (baby sister), little lady, boy, and i having lunch
we were not the only insane folk heading to war eagle... the rest of the world decided to go too! FIFTY MINUTES it took to go the 1 mile from the turn off to war eagle mill.

it's a beautiful setting. war eagle is a farm and mill (still used to stone grind grains) set in the ozark mountains near beaver lake.

there was lots to see, some good, some bad, some that i just didn't understand, and some that i couldn't wait to get home and try myself.

we ended the day with a corn dog at the fair. boy thought it was quite yummy and he really liked dipping stuff in the ketchup.

"THE" craft fair: the best and the well, um...

2009-10-20T21:41:00.006-05:00

trying to catch up on some blogging...

more on the war eagle craft fair sister came up for.

creativity abounds...

every year this booth is one of my favorite.

this man takes piles of junk and turns it into

the coolest models of plains, trains, automobiles...

i lost his card, he has a website, i'll link it as soon as i find it :o(

then there is creativity?
well, we will say there is plenty that is unique...

then of course there are always those things

that you want to take home but they won't fit in the car...

oh, and you can't afford to pay for them!

gettin' crafty: men's t-shirt refashion

2009-10-15T17:53:00.002-05:00

browsing through the local helping hands i found an old, very worn, large men's t-shirt and i LOVED the front of it. it would be perfect for my little farm boy. so i bought it for next to nothing, took it home, cut it to pieces, and put it all back together again.i zig-zag stitched with a mustard yellow thread across the shoulders, around the top of the sleeve (where i attached them, leaving the unfinished edge showing) and around the hem, using a variety of stitch lengths to give it some character. i used the original hem of the sleeves so they didn't have to be restitched.

it came out SO CUTE. i'm in love... ahhh... a sweet, one of a kind shirt for boy for about a buck and thirty minutes of cutting and sewing!

gettin' crafty: fabric scraps paper dolls

2009-10-14T21:54:00.004-05:00

christmas times a comin' and that means gettin' crafty with some gifts.

one of my most favorite crafty bloggers makes these really cute

fabric scraps paper dolls for birthdays and special occasions

and they would be perfect for two little girls i know.

what you need:

a container of some sort

(i found these wooden boxes with latches and handles at hobby lobby)

fabric scraps

ribbon, rickrack, or other notions

good children's scissors

glue

i also used paint, scrap booking paper, and good old mod podge to decorate my boxes

draw your "dolls" and make copies on card stock.
you can find outlines online if drawing isn't your thing.
i drew mine to look like the girls.

i painted the sides of my boxes pink and mod podged

coordinating paper on the front and back.

you can sand the edges of the paper once dried if you don't get it cut exact.

fill ziplock bags with scraps and such to decorate the dolls with.

add in the scissors and glue so the little designer has everything she needs.

i can't wait to give these away!

gettin' crafty: super easy onesie refashion

2009-10-12T21:37:00.004-05:00

i am personally opposed to onesies for little ones over a year. once they can walk i don't want additional snaps and such to deal with... especially when working on pottying like a big boy.

however, boy had some onesies in his current size that had been given to us. i didn't want them to go to waist... especially since we are participating in the 2 month wardrobe refashion and can't buy new clothes. so here is what i did.

cut the bottom of the onesie off. didn't hem or anything... the jersey fabric won't fray. easy peasy done!

check out boy in his use to be a onesie thermal.

not me monday

2009-10-12T21:14:00.002-05:00

boy had trouble actually going to sleep during nap time this weekend.

during on of his "naps" that consisted of him wallering around in his crib...

i did not go back to check on him only to find that he had stripped off all his clothes, except socks.

i did not find a little boy who had then done some business in the crib.

i did not find a little boy who was using said business as finger paint.

he had not painted himself, the sheets, the crib, and he was not starting on the walls when i did not walk in.

i don't think i can express enough that this was not me. no way!

i have been reassured by family and friends that this is a pretty common nap activity for little ones boy's age.

i will be sure to pass that on to the momma that this happened to cause it WAS NOT me...

*no pictures were included with this post because some things just don't need to be with commemorated with a picture.

chefin' it: my favorite fall meal

2009-10-09T19:19:00.006-05:00

the rules are simple... the first cold night you make a big pot of stew.

it's really easy and really yummy.

what you will need:

a pound or so of stew meat
(any cut of meat cubed will work)
half an onion diced
a large clove of garlic minced
(about 1/2 tsp of garlic powder will work)
about 2 cups of frozen veggies mix
(any flavor you like, mine has green beans, carrots, peas, and corn)
about 5 potatoes cubed
an 8oz can of tomato sauce
a little worcestershire
a tbs of beef base
(or a couple beef boullon cubes)

saute onions and garlic in a bit of oil
brown meat (the house is already smelling yummy)
add veggies and potatoes and stir
add can of tomato sauce and enough water to cover meat and veggies well
add beef base, cover and let simmer
when potatoes are done i add a splash of worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
(if it is too tomato-y add a bit of brown sugar, you can also thicken it a bit by combining a tbs of flower and with water and mixing well then stirring the mixture into the stew)

now i know some people would say your potatoes need to cook for a while before you add the rest of the veggies blah, blah, blah... i am here to tell you that it does not matter. when the potatoes are done (you can smash'em with a fork) it's cooked long enough. now it will be better if you let it keep cooking over a low heat a little longer and it will be EVEN BETTER heated up tomorrow.

add a big slab of sweet cornbread from grandma's recipe and its
pure, soul-warming, goodness in a bowl...

there's a little bit of redneck in the family gene pool

2009-10-09T06:24:00.003-05:00

there was not a lot going on at our house last night. we had a big storm come through with LOTS of rain; over 5 inches just over night and it's still coming down. when i got home the power was out. this was nice because i got taken out to dinner. not so great when we got home because we were sitting in a dark quiet house.

do not fear though. no one at my house died of boredom. my ingenious husband brought in a lamp and the laptop. He rigged them up to the ac converter on his diesel truck and WALLA! we sat in the chair by the door and watched movies on the laptop all night.

you can't tell me there isn't a little bit of redneck in his family gene pool.

i heart me some fall

2009-10-09T06:16:00.001-05:00

i heart me some fall... and it is here!

we have had a cool wet start to the season and trees are changing EVERYWHERE. it is going to be a beautiful fall.

things yet to be seen

2009-10-07T19:39:00.003-05:00

our home has a pretty neutral palate. even though we are in northwest arkansas, which is the most developed area of the state, we live in a rural little corner of the world. our home reflects that; rustic, western, what have you...

sticking to neutrals when we bought our house allowed me to come back later, after i decided what i wanted to do, and build on that...

four years later... no changes!

but i now have a plan for this space...

and this chair...
oh, and this empty space in boy's room...

what is my plan you ask? color... and hopefully sooner than later.

check back for things yet to be seen...

a baby brag...

2009-10-06T21:16:00.002-05:00

okay, so i am a pretty new little baby blogger, so for many this isn't that big of a deal... but it is for me so...

i signed up to put my blog on blogville, a blog directory. i think they pretty much accept anyone who asks to be on it. BUT my blog was chosen for the editors choice... yippee!

i think that may mean someone would actually enjoy my blog... i feel so loved... sigh...

gettin' crafty: a little mod podge is an amazing thing

2009-10-06T18:36:00.006-05:00

mod podge is a pretty amazing thing.

it dries quick...

it is easy to paint with...

it is water soluble...

this makes mod podge the perfect choice

for making your own screen prints.

what you need:

a shirt to make wonderful

a bit of creative inspiration

an embroidery hoop

sheer fabric (a sheer curtain works really well)

a pencil

a decent paint brush

screen printing ink (i got mine at hobby lobby)

mod podge, of course

a cheap, stiff paint brush

draw out your design

put fabric in the hoop

trace design on fabric

*you might check to see how big

it will be on your shirt first

flip the hoop over
THIS IS IMPORTANT
if you don't your hoop with glue down to your work surface

mod podge the parts you don't

want the ink to go through,
let dry

when the design is completely dry flip it over and position it on your shirt
hold it down and apply screen printing ink liberally with a stiff brush

*it's a good idea to put something between the layers of your shirt

you are working to push the ink through the screen

you can get a more "worn" effect by

working the ink into the screen less

pull up the screen and check out your results

when shirt is completely dry,

heat set with an iron according to ink directions

you can wash out and reuse the screen.

i've made up to 25 shirts with the same screen,

just wash it off every few shirts.

here's my "new" screen printed shirt for boy...

i'd love to see yours...

here are a few more of the many i've made...

i love this project!

for boy's first rockin' pirate birthday party...

race for the cure team shirts, including one for boy...
they have a little 80's punk vibe, very fun to make.

told you mod podge was pretty amazing.

learnin' an growin' an growin' and learnin'

2009-10-01T18:50:00.004-05:00

we've been learnin'

*how to climb the rails of the pipe fence around the pasture...

(probably not a skill you should encourage a 15 month old to perfect, but he is so excited to do it)

*how to slurp spaghetti...

(he spits it out instead of slurping it up, but he thinks its really funny when momma does it)

*how to tinkle on the potty...

*how to go down the slide by himself like a big boy...

*how to sign "please" and "thank you"...

(and finally sign "more" correctly)

*how to spit acorns across the drive...

(should he already be involved in spitting contests? it that a boy gene they are born with?)

where does time go?

2009-09-25T17:01:00.003-05:00

okay, okay, its been a while...

work: crazy does not begin to describe...
home: what's that? haven't been there much this week...
life: where is the e-brake? anyone?

hope to have several posts coming up, including a few tutorials and some revamps i'm working on, AND... da, da, da! a recap of my first half-marathon!!!!

i leave tonight after baby brother's football game (homecoming) and run early in the morning.

my goal... to finish the darn thing!
(though i would like to come in under 2 hours but i think that is wishful thinking)

my motto... run til you die or finish the race whichever comes first
(yes, its a little long for a motto)

my shirt... says "my first half marathon, please pray!" across the back

wish me luck and i'll let you know how it goes.

what more tomatoes? your kidding right? no sir, i'm not.

2009-09-12T11:22:00.007-05:00

tomatoes: round three

let me tell you, if you have never experienced oven roasted tomatoes, this easy recipe is for you... try it! yummyness!

i started by quartering my 'maters (this is redneck for tomatoes boys and girls). If you're using small romas, just cut them in half. anything larger, quarter them.

place tomatoes in a large bowl. drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. mixing with care until everything is coated.

arrange tomatoes in a single layer, skins down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. mince garlic and sprinkle over tomatoes. drizzle a little more olive oil over the top.

place in oven (preheated to 325) and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours, depending on the size of your tomatoes. keep an eye on them after about 2 -2 1/2.

when the juices have dried up and the tomatoes start to get dark around the edges they are good to go.
so good... smell good, taste good, look good (well maybe that's pushing it), taste good... smell good, taste good...

freeze em, eat em, cook with em, puree for a spread...

mountain biking mommas

2009-09-10T22:37:00.007-05:00

sister and i went on our first mountain bike ride, like on a trail, not down the road... we should have paid more attention to the sign we encountered glistening in the morning dew...here is our adventure... in pictures... with a few captions... be impressed!

shouldn't the caution sign be hanging in view
not laying on the ground covered in leaves?

where my bike landed after i bailed... don't worry i landed on my feet... and sister got the opportunity to bail too!

some parts of the trails were pretty intense... this ramp, at the end of the bridge in the photo below, would launch a rider a good five feet in the air... cr-a-zy...
we made it... despite no helmets, gloves (you would be really surprised how important they are, definitely not just for looks), knee or wrist guards, water, or much common sense...

i wish this picture really showed all the dirt, scrapes, and bruises we received from our morning adventures...

*just to let the world know, all of these pictures were posed. there was no way either of us could have ridden most of this trail even though we took the intermediate and easy routs. we did ride when we weren't laughing so hard we couldn't stand up, when we weren't stopping for photo ops, when sister wasn't running into trees, or it wasn't just plain too hard... it was great! i highly recommend going mountain biking. just make sure you are prepared!

num yummy tomato sauce

2009-09-10T21:53:00.005-05:00

salsa making is done and there are still tomatoes, so now... fresh, homemade, num yummy tomato sauce.

start by cutting an X in the bottom of each tomato (about 20) and placing them X-side up on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.

mmmm... juicy ripe tomatoes
roast tomatoes about 30 minutes, in oven preheated to 375F, until skin begins to pull away at X. remove from pan and let cool...

when cool enough to handle, core each tomato and peel away skin, working over a nonreactive bowl to catch the juice...

while peeling tomatoes, saute in olive oil: 6 to 8 garlic cloves thickly sliced, 1/2 cup torn fresh basil, and 2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar...

add cut or crushed (with hands for fun) tomatoes to pot, add 1 teaspoon sea salt and ground black pepper, and simmer for one hour... you can't imagine how good this smells... if i had a smell widget for my blog i would let you smell it... heavenly...

when cooled, puree in food processor. label clean glass jars, freezer boxes, or bags. fill 2/3 full and freeze for up to 6 months...

summer goodness all winter long!

*if sauce is too acidic, add a little brown sugar to taste, just a pinch at a time

not me monday

2009-09-09T18:51:00.003-05:00

i did not take all boy's clothes off when we got home from school to

let him play in the puddles from the rain earlier today so i could get some work done on the computer.

i most certainly did not see him bend over and

try to drink the puddle water, YUCK!

what kind of momma would do something like that? not me!

not me monday

2009-09-07T21:13:00.003-05:00

sister came up and we went mountain biking for the first time... more about that later...

we left the house at 9:00am, sweated profusely, went back to mom's house and the day just kept rolling on.

i did not get to take a shower (really), i did not go to the store later in the day still mud covered and smelling less than fresh, i did not stop till 8:00pm when my feet started itching (really), i did not have feet and ankles covered in seed ticks, how gross!

gettin' crafty: big boy pac-pac tutorial

2009-09-03T20:33:00.006-05:00

as the start of school was approaching i was ready to toss the much used diaper bag to send boy off to the sitters everyday. so i decided it was time for a "back-to-school-big-boy-pac-pac", but i couldn't find a cute one big enough to pack everything it seems we need to pack every day... i found a good plain back pack, removed the label, got some inspiration from the new lunch kit (that is way cool, enviro-friendly, and will hold breakfast and lunch for a wee one!) and decided to get crafty! here is how...i started with a name. you can use a cool font

(i like to use http://www.dafont.com/)

good fonts for appliques are simple and made up of thick lines.

Print out name as a "mirror image".
Make sure it's the right size for the bag and you check the "mirror image"
setting on your printer preferences.

(if you don't have a printer like me, or can't figure out how to print a "mirror image" you can write it out in sharpie, put it backwards against a window, then trace it again)

iron on "Wonder Under" fusible web (found at any fabric store – in a package or also by the yard) to wrong side of chosen applique fabric.

i drew out my rocket design (not worrying about it being backwards or not)

cut out all the pieces after tracing them onto the wonder under.

be sure to leave an edge around your design.

iron each piece onto the fabric for that part of the design...

cut out each part of the design and name that you just

ironed onto Wonder Under...

then remove the paper backing ONLY ON THE PIECES THAT WILL BE LAYERED OVER THE BACK PIECE OF YOUR APPLIQUE!

layer them up and iron them on following Wonder Under instructions. (sorry i forgot to take a picture of this step!)

remove paper from the rest of the appliques.

Place appliques on bag and seal with a hot iron.

*make sure for a project like this (using heavy fabric) that you use heavy duty Wonder Under or sew around appliques.

here is boy's finished pac-pac

and here is boy ready to go... he doesn't seem to mind that its 8 o'clock at night.

salsa... not just a hot latin dance

2009-09-01T21:33:00.006-05:00

gamma and pawpaw came over tonight for pizza and salsa. we ate the pizza and made the salsa. and boy did we make salsa.

boy helped cut tomatoes. he cut the little green tomato that he picked himself. (don't worry he was using a butter knife while closely supervised)
then we cut more tomatoes, cause our garden decided to bless us with LOTS of late tomatoes.

add a little onion, cilantro (yum), jalapeno, and seasoning...

used the food sealer to bag it up to freeze. and 18 cups of salsa later we were done for the night... we have that much more to finish up tomorrow! oh, and lots more tomatoes where those came from.

i'm thinking of doing my first blog giveaway... tomatoes anyone?

Yum!

gettin' crafty: wardrobe refashion pledge

2009-08-31T22:24:00.003-05:00

i said i would do it and i finally did. today was the last day to sign up for the september pledge. does that make me a procrastinator?

i did get a headstart at the end of summer break. will post some of what i've been up to in days to come. i bought a cardigan on sale, sneakers, and a pair of boots (to replace the pair i wore completely out and finally threw away three winters ago). otherwise i made no back-to-school wardrobe purchases (this is when i usually do any major wardrobe updating). went through my closet and have two trash bags full of good clothes and a basket of shoes to take to helping hands and a pile of refashion projects. stinky got two pairs of fall/winter shoes (to replace the tiva sandals he wore all summer that his toes hang out of), a nice long-sleeved button down on sale, and several momma made items to stretch a summer wardrobe into fall.

i, rachelanna, do hear by pledge not to purchase any retail clothing items for a minimum of two months. instead i will use my God-given talents to revamp what we already own or recieve second hand. i will do my part to be a good steward of my resources and live a little greener.

the last few weeks i have been burdened with the thought of how much stuff i own and don't use/need. how many people could benifit from me letting go of stuff instead of clinging to it because some day i might need it? what a false sense of security we have in owning stuff.

not me monday

2009-08-31T22:06:00.002-05:00

i have not been reading a bunch of crazy, homeschooling, dozen-kid-having, momma blogs (that are super inspiring by the way... i can't do half of that and i only have boy).

i have not stolen their cute idea of having a "not me! monday" blog post.

and while i'm at it...

i have not been eating 10,000 calories a day and blowing off my running in order to deal with the emotional stress of leaving boy each day and going back to work where i got an additional job title, very little extra pay, and LOTS of extra work. i am not an emotional eater! not me!

i don't do dumb things, loose my keys, put my foot in my mouth, forget where i was going or why i was going there, make lists for my lists, pretend like i know what i'm doing, on a daily basis.

you know, it feels really good to fess up and admit that i don't do any of these things. not me.

cooking is a dangerous sport

2009-08-29T22:04:00.003-05:00

this is what happens to a cell phone when you just get stinky up for a nap so he is nice and clingy, sister calls, and the pizza you made for lunch needs to come out of the oven RIGHT NOW or in will be cooked beyond the point of eating.

i know mommas are supposed to be great multi-taskers but i prove to myself everyday that some tasks need to be done alone with no other tasks taking what precious little brain power i sometimes have.

when the phone slipped out from between my ear and shoulder and came apart in several pieces at the bottom of the very hot oven all i could think was "where are the tongs, i need tongs, how hot does a battery need to get before it blows up? i know i own some tongs!"

these thoughts soon subsided to fits of laughter while explaining to sister why i hung up on her. yes, the phone still works, minus a back to hold the battery in. unfortunately the back did not make it. he will be missed.

no, i do not plan to get a new phone any time soon. if the battery does not stay put some packing tape ought to do the trick!

*only one phone was injured in the making of this blog.

big boy hair cut

2009-08-06T22:16:00.005-05:00

boy got a "big boy" back to school haircut tonight. a fohawk inspired by this celeb kiddo's cut i ripped out of a magazine at the hairdressers when i went to get my back to school do.

it's clean cut with an edge and he is rockin' it baby! ha!

(we'll see what pawpaw says the first time he sees it styled. i can see it now... he will try to be sneaky as he runs his hand over boy's head in an attempt to smooth it down... then sweep it to the side so boy has a respectable hair cut... and if that doesn't work he'll take boy to the bathroom and wet it down and comb it parted to the side! he'll show me!)

gettin' crafty: sister been busy

2009-08-04T12:17:00.006-05:00

i love my sister! we are night and day yet so alike in so many ways. she has been cultivating her inner craftiness and i have really enjoyed the process. she has made some really cute stuff, including some little girl shoes to die for!

she recently discovered a fellow blogger that can bake like none other... and so of course she wanted to try her hand at these oh so easy, super cute cake pops...

did sister make these cake pops though? no she has higher ambitions in life and decided that the hello kitty cake pops would be much more... because sister believes whole heartedly that more is more...

here are the "example" hello kitty cake pops...

here is sister's one and only... i'm pretty sure she just ate the rest before transforming them...

there was lots of rambling on the phone... something about permanent damage to her Psyche... all her hopes and dreams crushed... hello kitty being stupid... cake pops being stupid... "damn, these taste good" as kitty lost its head... more rambling...

i haven't laughed that hard in a long time. i love my sister!

free tutorial give away

2009-08-02T12:53:00.002-05:00

trying to get me some free goods. super cute Whimsy Couture dress tutorials.

check them out!

the half marathon: let the training begin

2009-07-29T20:03:00.005-05:00

let me start by saying i love living in the foothills of the ozark mountains. where else can you train with views like these? beautiful, huh?

as i have trained for my first two 5ks, i have tried to be selective about where i run because up hill is not my forte. hills are however unavoidable.

well today was day three of my 1/2 marathon training program (i will be running the end of september) which means it was cross training day. and since i am also doing the muddy buddy ride and run in dallas the end of october, i decided biking would be the way to go.

so i get up this morning, get on my so so mountain bike i bought off craigs list for $80 and head out, riding about 7 miles.

what are these? hills... oh my, hills... and more hills. i just wanted to share with the world HILLS.

gettin' crafty: neck ties please

2009-07-27T17:08:00.007-05:00

my sister sent me this and it is the inspiration behind all these neck ties

(picked up at helping hands for $9)

i think the dresses are a bit beyond my mad sewing skills, but with any luck sister will have a super awesome skirt from my neck tie find.

gettin' crafty: refashioned cardigan

2009-07-27T11:31:00.004-05:00

super simple way to make a summer to fall cardigan for those chilly nights. take any long sleeved t-shirt. i used this spang-dangled v-neck cause lets face it, it's from years ago and a bit tight.

so cut it down the center, cut the sleeves to three-quarters, no sewing required, the jersey won't fray. ta-da!

now, if your shirt isn't as small as mine, you probably have enough that you could tie it up for another option.

(yes, it seems i am always wearing that green shirt!)