Where Has My Time Gone

I have lots and lots of projects stacked in my sewing room and I don't know where my time has gone.  I think I spend most of my time chasing around a very cute little boy who likes to climb, crawl and dance on anything that might be dangerous.  I don't think that kid is scared of anything.  I have a few projects that I would like to finish before the end of the year. 

I think this mail organizer would look great hanging in my kitchen.  I could put mail in a place where it will not get lost.  Now I put our mail on the kitchen counter and it's always in the way.  I think this will be really cute and functional.

Mail Organizer from Noodlehead

I have already made a few of these gathered clutches, but I plan on making a few more as Christmas gifts.  They are really, really cute and I always get a compliment when I carry mine around.

Noodlehead Gathered Clutch

I would also like to make of few of these market bags for Christmas gifts.

JaneMarket Bag

Really Good Crackers

I don't know what these crackers are called but they are really, really good and super easy to make.  My 19 month old son loves them. You just need a few ingredient and a bowl with a lid or a 1 or 2 gallon ziploc bag.

1 cup oil ( I used 3/4 cup olive oil)

1 pkg dry ranch mix

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes ( I used a full teaspoon & wished I would have used less)

1 box ritz crackers or saltines or any kind you would like to try with this recipe.

Through everything in a bowl or ziplic and shake.  Periodically shake the ingredients to mix up well.  EAT!

My sweet little pumpkin!

Pioneer Woman Apple Pie

Scrumptous Apple Pie

Faith, Hope & Love Embroidery Hoop Craft

I saw this idea on another blog but I can't find the blog I found it on now.  Sorry.  I believe this has to be one of the easiest and quickest crafts I've done in a long time.  The idea I saw did not say Faith, Hope or Love but these are the words I picked for my project.

Sew a piece of cotton fabric of your choice and muslin together.  The pieces need to be big enought to fit in an embroidery hoop.

Next put the piece of fabric in the hoop and using a disappearing fabric pen and write the word you want to embroidery on the fabric.

Next, embroidery the word on the fabric.  If you don't know how to embroidery go to youtube and you will find all sorts of videos on how to embroidery any stitch you want.

All done.  (It's hard to see the yellow I used but I may change that hoop when I paint the walls yellow someday.)

Felt Playhouse

I've been working on this playhouse for a long time.  I've finally had a little bit of free time while my baby is gone to school.  I've got three sides sewn together but I'm still working on the fourth side.  I'm a little impatient and couldn't wait to see it put together.  I know my little boy will love it when he comes home from school and sees his new felt playhouse.

Thank you homemadebyjill for the inspiration for the felt playhouse.

It's been really hot here the last several days.  The temperature has been 100 degrees plus and add humidity on top of that and it equals miserable.  If you know me anything over 70 degrees is to warm.  I prefer cool days and cold nights.  I think I'm living in the wrong part of the country.

Since it has been so hot I haven't been cooking or baking much and I haven't had time to sew either.  I have a 17 month old monkey, oh, I mean boy.  He gets into and climbs on everything.  He can't be left alone for a split second.  When he is napping I'm usually picking up the house, sweeping, doing loads and loads of laundry or loading the dishwasher and my sewing projects keep stacking up on me.

These photos are some I took in my mom's backyard a few weeks ago.  Enjoy!

Lemon Meringue Pie

This recipe is from "Praise the Cook" by Crisco 1959. 

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups water

3 eggs, separated

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

6 tablespoons sugar

Combine sugar, salt, flour and cornstarch in saucepan.  Stir in water.  Cook over moderate heat until mixture becomes thick and clear.  ( Mine gets thick but not clear.)   Add a little of the hot mixture to beaten egg yolks.  Return to hot mixture and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and beat in butter lemon juice and rind.  Pour into baked 9 inch pastry crust.  Cool slightly and top with meringue made by beating egg whites and adding 6 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form.  Brown in hot oven 425 degrees for 5-7 minutes.

We don' get to eat this pie.  My husband is taking it to a pie auction tonight.

Gathered Clutch

I love to sew and have totes full of fabric.  The office where I work is only two blocks from a fabric shop that used to carry really cute fabric. (Notice I said used to, they switched owners and the fabric is not as cute as it used to be.) On my lunch breaks I would walk down to the fabric shop and compulsively buy fabric and make plans to sew all sorts of cute things.  Those cute things never got made.  Now I work part time and am a full time mother to a beautiful, happy, cotton top headed little boy.  For some reason it is easier for me to find time to sew.   Here is the latest project I conquered. I found this project on noodleheads.  She has some really cute projects on her blog and I hope I can get some of those projects completed soon. 

http://noodleheads.blogspot.com/2010/04/gathered-clutch-tutorial.html

Backyard Garden

A few pictures from our garden.  We have had two pickings of yellow squash and zucchini.  I cooked the squash, zucchini and some vadalia onions and it was delicious.  I can't wait to get fresh from the garden tomatoes.

Potatoes

Banana Pepper

Yellow Squash

Green Tomatoes

Oatmeal Crisp Cookies

These are definitely one of my favorite cookies.  I'm always on the hunt for a good cookie, but this recipe is one that I love.  I sometimes call it my healthy cookie or good for me cookie, but there is no health or good to it.

Here is the link to the orginal recipe.  http://www.recipezaar.comhttp://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/crispy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies-366649

I alter my recipe a bit, so here we go with my alterations.

Oatmeal Crisp Cookie

1/4 cup butter (I sometime use all butter)  *
1/2 cup crisco  *
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour  *
1/2 cup quick cooking oats  *
1/4 heaping cup ground flaxseed  *
dash of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon  *
3 cups Oatmeal Crisp cereal
1/2  cup raisens  *

* These are changes to the orginal recipe.

Colors Quiet Book

I love making things for my little boy.  It is so rewarding to look at something and know you made it. I hope someday he realizes how special something is when it is homemade. I'm constantly looking at web pages and blogs looking for ideas to make.  I found a semilar quiet book on another blog.  http://everydaycelebrate.blogspot.com/2010/03/tutorial-color-fabric-book.html

The pages I made are shown as follows.

Final Assignment

The final assignment for my photography class was a scavenger hunt of 19 items.  I have posted a few of the photos I took for that assignment.

Union Pacific Steam Engine 844

Pistol

Waterfall at Honor Heights Park

Wisteria in Honor Height Park

                             Windmill