Made Cunningly

Tithing: A Book Review

2011-01-28T11:23:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted, but I received a book from Booksneeze to review. The book is part of a series called The Ancient Practices, and it is the only one I have read from the series, so I can't speak for the readability of the other books in the series. Tithing:Test me in This is a collection of stories from people who have chosen to live out the spiritual practice taught in the Old Testament of tithing, giving ten percent of one's income to God.

The interviews and stories are interesting in and of themselves, but the book did not totally inspire me to tithe. My husband have been "tithers" for years, often giving more than ten percent because we give to missionaries, people in need, etc. besides just giving a tithe to our church. My big complaint was that those in the book, seemed to really enjoy and believe in the concept of tithing, but I was not fully convinced of the genuineness of their faith. Some seemed to do it as a "good deed" rather than out of sincere obedience to the voice of God. I wanted more Scriptures on giving; I'm a Bible geek, so I like everything backed up by the Word.

If you want a collection of feel good stories, some very inspiring to live a life of sacrificial giving, then you'll enjoy this book and maybe be inspired to start tithing if you don't already. However, it was just lacking something for me, the radical call of the Jesus to the rich young ruler to lay aside everything he has because all of it belongs to God. Some people give out of their surplus, but others are like the old widow who gave what she herself needed to live on. Our devotion to God and our giving reflects our attitudes towards Him and towards the things He has given us.

The book is not bad, just not what I was hoping for.

Colorful Cloche Hat

2010-01-23T12:00:00.001-06:00

For Christmas, my mom got me some really nice, soft bamboo yarn in a couple of different colors. One of the colors was variegated with pastely rainbow colors. I finally decided on what to use it for and created something for myself with it. I found this cloche pattern on Ravelry that I really liked and here's what I created. I made it in one evening, so it works up pretty quickly with bulky weight yarn and size K crochet hook.

An up close shot of the finished product. I love the "ribbon" detail. That's what made the hat for me.

Detail of the "ribbon" and bow. I would have increased the number of chains from 132 to 140 maybe to make this a little longer.

The hat on its owner. Sorry for the bright glare.

The hat is nice and heavy. I've never used bamboo yarn before, but this kind from Think Bamboo is super soft and easy to work with. Of course, my girls really liked the color and now want to wear Mama's hat. I have a little of the yarn left, so I might use some as trim on a scarf or something.

The Gospel According to LOST by Chris Seay

2010-01-22T21:03:00.003-06:00

Coming into its sixth and final season, LOST has grabbed the attention of millions of viewers who have followed the season from beginning to end, on the edges of their seats the entire time. Some viewers just watch and wait to see how it pans out, but others see many spiritual and psychological undercurrents and try to figure it all out, and one of those followers is Chris Seay, author of The Gospel According to LOST. But Seay comes at the series from the angle of an evangelical Christian.

If you are a diehard LOST fan, you may be drawn into Seay’s exegesis of the spirituality in the show. I was entertained enough while reading—it is a very quick read—and I enjoyed how well-written the book is, but the content is just not my thing. I love movies and music and occasional TV, but I don’t always pick it apart to discover cool connections between pop culture and God or the Word. If it happens, I think it’s awesome, and it happened for Chris Seay with LOST.

If you haven’t watched LOST, this book may pique your interest. Seay explores the lives of the main characters showing the connection they have to people from the Bible. Some of the time, it seemed like a major stretch for me, as if he were reading too much into things. But if you think that way, this book will probably grab you more than it did me.

To purchase this book from BooksChristian.com simply click here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

50th Post

2010-01-22T07:28:00.000-06:00

Wow, It's been a long stretch since I posted anything on here. First, there was Christmas up in Green Bay, and then we were in Kansas City for a week at the IHOP onething conference, which was so much fun! After that, life just kind of went on autopilot for a while. Lately, we've been considering moving to Milwaukee much more seriously, so I spent much of my online time searching Craigslist for homes to rent and reading up on the various neighborhoods there (because Milwaukee is known for being a pretty violent city with a lot of crime).

It's amazing how segregated the city is. The far northeast area is very well to do; the east side is hip, trendy, and composed mostly of college students or mid- to upper-income folks. Then there's downtown which, well, I think just has more bars and colleges. The N, NW part is the "worst part of Milwaukee." I don't know if it has that stigma because it actually is or because it's the African American section. Then you go south of 94 and it's like a whole other world: it's the Hispanic part. There's few areas where the three groups meet. I've heard there are large portions of Russians, Middle Eastern people, etc, but I'm not really sure where they are. We looked in two neighborhoods: East side was pretty much out because of the sky-high rates. Just over the river from the East Side is Riverwest, a very hippy, eclectic neighborhood that's got it's crime, but is also waaay cheaper and very convenient to everything. It borders "the hood" so there is spillover crime from that, plus, college kids come over the river to look for all their drug needs. We checked out some places there, and block by block was so different. One block we looked at a duplex on felt sort of sketchy. One block over and a few blocks down was a whole different feel. So strange. Most people say stay inside after dark unless you're in a group. Well, I feel that advice would apply no matter where I lived in Milwaukee, so whatever. I liked it there. I like living in a not all-white world. I don't want my girls growing up around only white people, because in the world, we're the minority, if not in this nation. Also, I want them to be safe.

The other neighborhood we're checking out next week is Bayview. It's mostly working class, and is a pretty cool area. I read somewhere that it's where all the "punks" are. Fewer students and more Hispanic. We drove through it yesterday, and I just really liked it a lot. But, then we thought. We have to come into O-town 5 days a week anyway, since my husband works for the church here and has a lot of meetings and stuff throughout the week; plus our daughter just started ballet here, AND we have this incredibly amazingly awesome deal on renting this house that is like 3 times the size of anything we could get in Milwaukee. But, it's still suburbia. Pros and cons to sort out. Maybe we'll move, maybe we'll wait, maybe we'll just commute. Only God knows. I just wish He'd let us in on what's up His sleeve for us sometime soon.

Ok, I'll have another post soon about a book I just read for Thomas Nelson. I got it for free for joining their blogging book review club, and I need to post my review before getting another book from them. Look for it soon. And please pray that we'd have insight and wisdom to know what to do about moving. Thanks!

You Know You're a Mama of All Girls When...

2009-12-15T22:41:00.001-06:00

I've got three little girls. No, not little in the sense that they're all under 10, but little in the sense that they're all under 5. Three little girl preschoolers in my home. As totally awesome as they are (They are the honey in my tea...or rather the sugar in my coffee. C'mon I'm a mama to three little girls; I need the ultra stuff.), they can be a complete riot at times. But I'm so crazy in love with each of them, as particular and unique as each one is, that I'd trade all the coffee beans in the world for them!

First, there's Naomi Simone, or as she used to refer to herself for the longest time: Naomi Simoni. Though I don't like using the phrase, for lack of a better word, she is a drama queen. Every emotion is fully felt and fully expressed, from "This is the worst day EVER and I'm just gonna die" to "OH MY GOSH this day is TOTALLY AWESOOOOOME!!!" She brings joy and life and excitement to every part of our home, since everything is a big deal. She forces me to see things as a child does, with excitement. (Well, unless she's in the pits of despair because she spilled her juice.) Once crazy about the color pink, she now says that red is her favorite color. I secretly think it's because her younger sister Mae is all about pink now and Naomi must distinguish herself. Naomi also thinks pink and red go perfectly together (and any form of stripes together, including pink and red).

Next is my sweet little MaeBalloon, AKA, Mae Juliette. At nearly three years old, she is the epitome of sweetness, cuddly cuteness and daintiness. But don't let those blonde curlies fool you, she is smart, with a vocabulary similar to her older sister's. Mae can entertain herself anywhere, anytime, and is perfectly content to sit quietly on my lap through a whole church service and possibly sleep. If there are no toys or crayons around, she can use her fingers to be little people and have whole conversations among them. With the sweet, there is hard-headedness as well, and hard to break stubbornness. It catches me off guard sometimes, but I know it's a fleeting thing that comes with the age of 2.

Lastly is my Illiana Sunshine, AKA Illy, AKA Baby Sunshine, AKA Illy Badilly, AKA Chilliana, AKA BillyPana (the girls give her lots of nicknames...as do my husband and I). Illy's not so girly girly yet; she's still all baby all over the place. At 10 1/2 months old, she is fast as lightening and adventurous. Today, I came downstairs and found her up on the couch, yet hanging halfway off the couch holding onto a giant potted plant with one hand and digging in the dirt with the other (somehow some of it made it into the mouth...blah). And yesterday, she came crawling at lightening speed towards me when I noticed something black on her chin. Thinking she'd gotten some dirt on her, I wiped it off and then looked at what it was: an even bigger BLAH, a chewed up boxelder bug. Her sisters found that amusingly disgusting. Illy is known to glean cheerios and other assorted dropped food from the kitchen floor, and she recently escaped into the bathroom and overturned Mae's little potty (that Mama forgot to empty). Despite all that, she is my piece of sunshine. One of my favorite parts of the day is when I go in to get her up before the other girls are awake, and she's sitting in her crib all smiley with her fuzzy blanket in hand and thumb in mouth. Then she smiles the biggest smile ever at me while reaching up for me!

So...you know you're a mama of all girls when...

1. You sort your laundry into darks, whites, and pink!
2. Your girls fight over who gets to be the "pink one"
3. You have naked Barbie dolls lying around everywhere; for us they're by the bathroom sink drying off after the girls' baths
4. Your children take forever in the bathroom because they have to make silly faces in the mirror for 5 minutes before actually "going" to the bathroom.
5. Or they take forever because they go to the bathroom together, with the door closed, chatting away for 10 minutes about princesses, stickers, pink, and dressing up
6. You get told, "That's so gross, mama; you should say excuse me" when you burp, but then you overhear them talking about poop, and pee, and eyeballs when you're not around.
7. The favorite cup is the strawberry cup with glitter inside of it.
8. You get asked to play Barbie's "The Princess and the Pauper" for the 10 zillionth time.
9. Your girls disappear when the babysitter shows up, only to come downstairs 5 minutes later decked out in a crown, high heels, scarves, and gaudy dresses to show the sitter how pretty they are.
10. You go shopping and pass the girls' clothing section and you child goes, "Oh this is cute. Oh, and I love this dress. Oh, and this is beautiful, mama."

I love my girls. They rock my world with pink and glitter. AND, they like to go hiking and camping, and climb things, and watch Dinosaur Train.

Easy Early Reading Game

2009-12-12T11:09:00.001-06:00

My oldest daughter, Naomi, is 4 1/2, and I've been teaching her how to read this year as part of her homeschooling. Since she's only at the 4K grade level (or, in Ambleside Online terms, Year 0), I'm not doing too much with her for school. Mostly Bible verses, Bible stories, cooking, lots of art, writing letters, and easy math. But the most intensive thing I do with her is reading. She's so good with letters, and her vocabulary is awesome, so I figured I'd go ahead and start early with her. I'm amazed that after just a few weeks, she was reading 2-letter words and now 3-letter words.

I've been using the book, The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise (Classical Homeschooling method guru). It's great, because everything is scripted out for the parent who has never taught a child how to read before. I don't do as many repetitions as Wise recommends because my daughter just gets bored with it. We recite the "poems" like rap songs sometimes to make it more fun! My favorite part is that there are no goofy games added in as filler and fluff. I just don't like that kind of stuff. Yes, learning should be fun and engaging, but not just busywork. My daughter needs to know that what she's learning has a point and a value to it. She spends plenty of other time playing.

However, there are a few education games in the book as optional activities that are pretty fun! One is "Mix and Match Words." Here's how you can do it yourself:

Take 12 notecards and cut them in half width-wise (so you have 24 cards 3" by 2 1/2"
With one colored marker, write the following combinations on 8 of the cards (one combination per card):

ip, in, ib, it, im, id, ig, ix
These are word ending cards

On the rest of the cards, use a different colored marker and write one of each of the following letters on a card:

b, d, f, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, w, y, z
These are beginning letter cards

Now, take the word ending card with it written on it and put it in front of your child. Then gather these beginning letters: s, h, f, b, k, l, p. Turn them over so that you can't see what's written on it. Have your child pick one and put it in front of the word ending card and read the word she made. If she reads it correctly, she gets the card; if not, it goes back in the "upside down" pile of beginning letters. Keep playing until your child has "won" all the beginning letters.

Here are other combinations to use:

it with s, h, f, b, k, l, p
ig with b, d, f, j, p, w
id with k, l, d, h, r
im with d, h, r
ib with b, r, f
in with p, f, b, s, w, k, t, d
ip with l, r, s, t, h, d, n, z, y
ix with s, f, m

This is a fun game to play, and you can add to it with 3 letter words made with the other four short vowel sounds.

Softie Plushie Dolly

2009-12-10T13:50:00.000-06:00

Lately, I've become way intrigued by the Japanese kawaii stuff. It's all over the place in the crafting, blogging, sewing world. And I've been checking out "softies" lately. The girls and I looked at tons of pictures online of softies people have made and posted. Of course, they wanted all of them, so I saved a few images to my computer and decided to design and make softies for them for Christmas. So far, I've just created Mae's. It's cute, but I would have made it slightly smaller if I were to redo it.

The finished softie doll

Here's what I did:

1. I drew a sketch of a softie that I wanted to create based on Mae's likes

2. I drew all the "pattern" parts I'd need to cut out

3. I cut out the "pattern" pieces and then cut out the corresponding fabric pieces

(2 of the skirt pieces, 2 of the top pieces, 2 of the face pieces, 1 hair piece, 4 leg pieces, 4 arm pieces,4 ear pieces, 2 ear pieces from batting)

4. I sewed two arms and two legs and turned the pieces inside out and stuffed them.

5. I sewed the ears together with batting and turned those inside out.

6. I sewed the face together and turned it inside out and then top stitched around the edge. I added buttons for eyes and sewed a tiny smile with red thread in a backstitch.

7. I laid the hair over the face where I wanted it and folded it slightly over the back and stitched it into place all around.

8. I sewed the face to one of the top pink pieces using a hidden stitch like I use for hemming.

9. I sewed one top piece to a bottom piece and laid it flat right side up.

10. I laid the arms and legs and ears pointing inwards where I wanted them on top of the piece I just laid flat.

11. Then I sewed the other top piece to the other bottom piece and laid it right side down on top of the arms, legs, ears, and other side of body and pinned into place.

12. I stitched all the way around, leaving one corner open for stuffing. Then I stuffed it and sewed it shut.

13. I added trimmings (you could do this prior to sewing up the doll): a button that I sewed into place going all the way through the doll (so stuffing wouldn't slide around) and an apron that I cut out of an piece of curtain trim.

This is not meant to be a perfect tutorial. I mostly made it up as I went along (which meant mistakes). I've never made a stuffed doll before, so this is my first attempt and Mae is my guinea pig. Now, I'm sure I'll have to make one for Naomi, too, for Christmas!

I'm a novice sewer, so if I can make something up like this, you can too! Try it out and link back here with pictures!

A Merry SITSmas!

2009-12-08T00:40:00.000-06:00

What is SITS for all those who don't know...Curious? Check it out here.

This is me. Jessie.

Anyway, 2009 is almost calling it closing time, and I decided to make end of year resolutions this year instead of New Years' resolutions. That way I only have a few weeks to start doing the things I need to do instead of 52 weeks to procrastinate doing those things and then forgetting all about them.

Here's what's on my short list. I make short lists so I don't feel like a failure when they don't get completed.

1. Practice banjo daily. Even 15 minutes is awesome!
2. Pray more. ("praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints" Eph. 6:18)
3. Make time for the creative juices to actually flow out: poetry, art, music, sewing, etc.
4. Not be drunk on wine but be filled with the Spirit. (just FYI, I don't get drunk on wine ever...this is also from Ephesians)
5. Don't start any new books until I've finished the ones I'm currently reading. (so hard, so hard to do)

That's it. My end of year resolutions.

Snow, Christmas, Coloring Pages, and Dum Dum Pops

2009-12-07T13:42:00.000-06:00

This morning the girls and I decorated the tree with ornaments. We don't have a real tree; it just seems kind of ridiculous (yet fun) to spend $40 on something that we'll just throw out in a few weeks. However, even with some of the lights not working and a sparsity of ornaments, it still just feels nice to have a tree up in the house. It gives this time of year more of a special feel. And the girls LOVE it! Illiana came down stairs this morning to see her first ever Christmas tree and smiled big, probably wondering what it was all about. I thought she'd take off crawling towards it right away, but she just sat by me staring and smiling. She's such a sweet baby!

I'm thinking of making some sort of garland with Naomi as part of homeschool to spruce it up a bit (no pun meant), but am still looking at the options. For now, the girls are coloring away on their new coloring pages I printed up from Elsie Marley. She's putting up one page a day from her hand drawn Advent coloring book (which can also be purchased from her Etsy store).

Here are the links for Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7. Stay tuned to her page each day for more pages to print and color.

To add to all the excitement, the girls woke up to--not just the tree up--but a snow covered ground and fat flakes falling down! After breakfast, they went outside to play in it, and of course, eat it!!

Here are some shots of all the happenings:

Mae's beautiful artwork

Naomi's colorful mittens

Even Mama colored a page that Mae shared with her

Mae's window marker creation

Naomi's window art with a snowy background

And the giant bag of Dum Dum Pops we've all been chowing

My favorite so far is the coconut flavor (what's yours?)

Handmade Gifts for the Girls!

2009-12-01T07:30:00.000-06:00

I was sick pretty much everyday after Thanksgiving, so I had plenty of time to sit, or lay, around and sew. So, I took the opportunity to make some doll clothes for my two oldest girls and some little booties for my baby girl.

This will be the dress for Naomi's American girl doll, Elizabeth, that she's getting for Christmas. The pattern was free, and I found it here. It's called a wedding dress, hence all the whiteness. But I'm thinking of adding some crocheted flowers or ribbon or something to it. I think Naomi would appreciate that.

This is the front view. It should fit any 18" doll.

This is a view of the back. The pattern did not call for any kind of closure at the top, so I figured a button would work. I just used one of the spaces between stitches for the button hole.

And here is the dress I made for Mae's doll she is getting. I don't know exactly what size her doll will be, but I'm assuming not as tall as an American Girl. This is using the same pattern, except I did fewer rounds at the bottom and ended with two rounds of single crochet instead of one. I also added a round of trim that was 1 single crochet then two chains in each stitch. Makes it kind of ruffly. Finally I added a ribbon that was simply a chain stitch and weaved it through the middle.

This is the front view. I had these three colors, but not enough of one to make a full dress, so I made a tri-color dress. I actually like it better than the solid white!

And this is the back.

I love this pattern because it's so easy and works up super fast. It uses mostly double and single crochet with a few v-stitches (which is just dc & ch stitches). My favorite part is that it is sewn in one piece, so no joining parts together! And you know what that means! Fewer ends to weave in! Unless you change colors like I did with Mae's doll's dress.

Finally, here are the little booties I made for Illiana from this pattern here. I had to change the pattern quite a bit through, because my babies have all had fat feet and these booties just didn't cover those chubby baby feet. I added a few more stitches per row and moved the strap back a row to have it more centralized on the foot. These also were worked in one piece and super quick.

Tawashi: Me Washy Your Dishes

2009-11-23T21:37:00.002-06:00

Well, I just typed this whole post up and Blogger decided to delete it and the pictures I posted along with it. In short, here are these tawashis (scrubbies) I just completed. I found the link to the pattern over at Elsie Marley. To get the most scrubbing power, I used some relatively scratchy acrylic yarn.

Side View.

And here's the wash cloth that I also completed recently. I used cotton yarn for this for absorbency purposes.

Another Lisa Leonard Giveaway!

2009-11-19T22:49:00.000-06:00

I love reading Simple Mom blog. They did a series on cloth diapering a while back that I still look up sometimes. Anyway, they're doing another giveaway for Lisa Leonard jewelry gift certificates, so go check them and Lisa's site out!

If I win, I'm getting the Be Still necklace. So simple.

American Girl Clothes and Patterns

2009-11-19T16:31:00.000-06:00

I heard through the grapevine that Naomi is getting one of the exquisite and fashionable American Girls for Christmas. Not from us, of course. $95 for a doll is highway robbery, but I do think the dolls and their books, especially, are a well-made and even an educational treat for a little girl who will treat them kindly. Naomi is pretty meticulous with her toys, so I think she'll handle the doll fairly well. When I asked her which doll was her favorite, I let her look at all the choices on the website, and she was dead set on Elizabeth, Felicity's blonde friend in an elegant pink dress. I like Felicity's red hair and purple dress better, but I'm not a little girl whose world is seen through Pepto-Bismol pink glasses. (Personally, Josephina is my favorite.) Naomi also really loves Addy, the other little doll in pink, but Elizabeth was her final answer.

Knowing that Naomi loves to dress her dolls up, I decided that I should probably make some doll clothes to fit the 18" inch American Girl doll, so I set out to find some crochet and sewing patterns that would work (ah, if only I could knit). Let me tell you, there are tons out there, but I needed quick and easy since Christmas is only 39 days away, I think, and I don't get much time to sew with three little lovlies running around and needy.

Here are some links to things I found that I'd like to try to make. First and foremost, the tutu. A tutu is an essential for any little girl and her doll (We signed Naomi up for ballet classes starting in January with Parks and Rec...only $35 for 12 weeks!). Next, a crocheted vest that I'm sure could be embellished in any number of ways. There is a link to a little skirt for the doll at the bottom of the page. And this page with tons of crochet patterns, like a jacket, short sleeved shirt, long sleeved shirt, pants, skirt, etc. Not all these will be for Christmas, but birthdays and such. Notice most of the links are for crocheted clothes. It's kind of a pain to get my sewing machine out and then have to clear it off the kitchen table for every meal, so until I get a table and corner of my own, I will crochet more than sew.

Hope you enjoy the links! Feel free to comment with other links you've found!

My Bright Sunshine-y Baby

2009-11-18T07:15:00.000-06:00

I can't believe my baby is 9 1/2 months old now! Didn't I just bring her home from the hospital like a couple of weeks ago? Wow! She is lively, for sure, and all my time is consumed with the lives of little curly haired blonde girls. Illiana Sunshine (which means Bright Sunshine) captured my heart, and I just had to share some photos of her that I took.

Loving the Little People

Playing with my belt

She's all about the arm-flailing

Sunshine in the Sunshine

How can I get anything done with someone so cute crawling around?

I love watching my girls investigate things

Ok, enough baby boasting! I love her and all my little girls! Here's a closing shot of Mae:

What a ham! And what a mess!

Everyone's Favorite Tex Mex Dish

2009-11-17T19:59:00.000-06:00

For some reason, in my family, everyone loves Mexican food...well, it's probably Tex Mex in reality, but I don't know exactly what qualifies each. A few months ago, I had some taco seasoning and a bunch of ground beef, but no taco shells and no corn chips on hand (one of which is necessary for either tacos or taco salad), so I came up with something new that turned out to be one of my and my husband's favorite meals. I don't have an exact recipe, because I tend to use what I have on hand, but here's a general idea of what goes into this dish.

3/4 to 1 lb of ground beef, browned
1/2 of a 15 oz. can of crushed or diced tomatoes w/juice
2 cups frozen or canned corn (drain if using canned; thaw if using frozen)
1 1/2 cups rice, cooked (we like brown rice here; it's healthier)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup cooked beans, drained (I really like black beans in this)
LOTS of cheese (hey, we're from Wisconsin; it's a staple here)

(NOTE: We have little kids and somewhat picky adults, so we leave out peppers, onions, and green chilies in ours; feel free to accent your dish with these as you wish.)

Mix everything except the cheese together. Then shred the cheese (use 6-8 ounces). Mix in half the cheese with the rest of the mixture and sprinkle the other half on top when you're ready to bake it. I usually bake mine at 350 degrees, uncovered) for about 20-25 minutes, or until it's a little bubbly, slightly brown. I usually bake mine in this old, vintage looking pyrex dish that I'm crazy about (It looks to be about 4-6 quarts; I'm not good at estimating, and I'm no chef).

Some variations: Use a whole can of tomatoes for a more "soupy" consistency and use this as filling in a whole wheat tortilla, rolled up. Use no meat and more beans for a vegetarian version. Of course, feel free to add onions, peppers, green chilies, salsa, less cheese (what??). Serve it with corn chips and sour cream.

This is a super easy meal to throw together, especially if you cook up a whole bunch of ground beef ahead of time and keep it frozen in 1/2 to 1 lb. increments. I'm always looking for fast, easy, cheap, kid-friendly meals for my family, especially those using ingredients we can find at Aldi grocery store (that really cheap place where you can find most things, but not everything--no whole wheat tortillas or brown rice here).

DIY Rainbow Crayons

2009-11-11T12:17:00.000-06:00

Today the girls and I finally got around to a fun kid craft that I've been wanting to do with them for a long time. With a love of coloring, the girls go through crayons pretty quickly, with many of them breaking or getting worn down after much use, so we end up with lots of little broken pieces. A week or so ago, I went through their crayon boxes and separated out the little pieces into a bowl for us to make rainbow crayons with.

The girls have been pretty excited to do this project, so today I told them if they would help me peel the crayons that still had paper on them, then we could make them. Since the sun was shining and there was, miraculously, no cold wind blowing, we sat outside on a picnic blanket peeling the crayons and eating cinnamon swirl bread. Afterwards, I let the girls put the crayon pieces into the muffin cups to make their own color combinations. I had to help Mae a little, because she wanted to put giant handfuls in each cup. Although they each got to make 12 crayons (a muffin tray full), I think they could have made better crayons if I'd only let them make six each. The results were a little thinner than I was hoping for, but usable nonetheless.

I think I may have let the crayons "cook" a little too long. My whole kitchen smelled like candles when you blow them out after I took these out.

Feeling Uninspired Taggy Meme Questionnaire Thingy

2009-11-10T15:17:00.001-06:00

I haven't been posting much lately, and I have some time right now, but I'm feeling a bit uninspired. So, I saw this questionnaire thingy on luvinthemommyhood and felt inspired to do that at least. So, here goes:

Making : some crocheted wash cloths
Cooking : nothing right now...we've been eating slow cooked pork bbq for the past couple of meals
Drinking : water, a nursing mom's best friend
Reading: The Happy Intercessor (AWESOME) by Beni Johnson and Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle (also completely awesome)
Wanting: to finish my current work project so I can get paid
Looking: at my banjo that I need to practice if I ever want to learn!
Playing: with Naomi and Mae and Illiana with Little People
Wasting: a perfectly sunny day inside
Sewing: want to make some doll clothes for the American Girl I heard Naomi's getting for Christmas
Wishing: that Wisconsin winter was not on it's way
Enjoying: some peaceful music by Aradhna
Waiting: on God to tell us what to do
Liking: that my mom & dad get to come visit us in a couple of weeks
Wondering: what's in store for this next year??
Loving: that my girls played together for over an hour upstairs without any altercations
Hoping: that I make good progress on my writing work tonight
Marvelling: at how much God loves me even when I screw up
Needing: some free time to actually sew
Smelling: leftover lunch smells of pork bbq
Wearing: t-shirt over thermal shirt and corduroys (sounds so grunge)
Following: the Light
Noticing: that I need to improve my posture
Knowing: I am loved
Thinking: of doing some work now
Bookmarking: some fun refashioning projects
Opening: MS Word to do work now
Giggling: over Illiana's great big belly laugh from her gut while I was swinging Naomi (she doesn't really laugh too often like that)
Feeling: great that I've been getting up a little early to do WiiFit and get a shower before the little ones awaken!

I guess that's about all I've got in me to write today. Guess the theme is GET TO WORK, JESSIE!

What I'm Working On...

2009-11-04T13:03:00.000-06:00

...is this awesome wash cloth from the free Lion Brand crochet pattern found here. The stitch is a combination of single and double crochet stitches that make this fascinating pattern.

Close-up Shot of the Bark Sedge Stitch Wash Cloth (halfway done)

Easy Peasy Skirt from Fitted Sheet

2009-10-31T22:20:00.002-05:00

This was probably the easiest piece of clothing I've ever sewn. My mother-in-law gave me a bunch of material from a fitted sheet in a really pretty cornflower blue color. The sheet was the kind that had elastic all the way around, and not just on two sides or just the corners. She used the middle, flat part for something else and gave me the edges to use for whatever. I took one length of it and sewed it together for a skirt with a back seam. Then I simply hemmed the bottom. Voila! A skirt for my four year old. Sorry for the poor picture quality; Naomi is almost never still and these were taken on my phone's camera. 3.1 megapixels, but still not as quality as our regular camera.

Naomi trying desperately to be still.

We like the whole skirt over jeans thing here. It's warm and cute.

And what photoshoot of Naomi would be complete without this face?

Newest Obsession

2009-10-31T20:39:00.001-05:00

Mmm! I totally love rice crispie treats, and I think it's the marshmallow flavor I love best. I don't really understand how marshmallows have a distinct flavor all their own, being mostly just sugar, but I love the smell, taste, and texture of them. Anyway, I discovered a new way to make single servings of rice crispie treats that require so little work, and I'm just thinking that it's such an obvious thing that I wish I'd thought of it myself. I read about it here, and thought to myself, I must bookmark this page because this is something I must try.

All I do is take a handful (read: LARGE handful) of marshmallows, any size, and a pat of butter and stick them in the microwave until the marshmallows get all big and puffy and the butter is melted. Then I stir in the rice crispies until it looks about the right consistency. Then, if I can stand it, I let the mixture sit for a few minutes to solidify more and then chow! I haven't revealed this newfangled thing to the girls yet, because I'm not quite sure I'm willing to share it yet. I know they'd love it.

Gooey Goodness!

What was Lurking in Our Yard

2009-10-30T22:01:00.002-05:00

Mushrooms are just gross to me, especially giant ones I've never seen before growing in our yard. However, the girls were totally fascinated with them and got a kick out of me kicking them over (no stupid pun intended, well maybe). I looked them up online, and I think they are what's called The Shaggy Mane. Here they are:

This makes them look really small, but they were not. Supposedly that black stuff around the edge of the opened one turns to this inky black goo that drips down. Nastiness becoming more nasty. I made sure they weren't around to do that.

Freakier en masse!

Ok, that's all for today's lesson in mycology.

Completion!

2009-10-29T21:51:00.001-05:00

Hooray! Today, I finally sat down and finished the sweater vest I've been working on for a month or so. I took a break from it for a while because life just got plain busy, and, though I desperately wanted to finish it, I set it aside to do some work from home that I do. I pulled it out here and there to do a couple of stitches and such. Yesterday, I weaved in all the dreaded ends, and today I sewed on the buttons for the final finishes. Here are the pictures.

Here's the front shot. The pattern called for all one color, but I didn't have enough of one color for the project. What I did have was two skeins of each of these Lion Brand Wool-Ease colors. I also made the straps slightly narrower and added a colored trim on them.

This is the back up close. The straps are sewn onto the front and then two buttons are sewn onto the back in order to button the straps down in the back, making their length adjustable. Notice the single large button in the middle; I used that with a loop attachment rather than the five buttons along the middle back opening as called for in the pattern.

And the back shot. My seam is not quite perfectly straight, but it'll do, Pig.

I used this pattern from the Lion Brand website, in case you were wanting to try it yourself. It called for organic cotton yarn, but I chose this thicker, wool-acrylic blend, making it a sweater vest rather than a simple empire waist tank. It'll be more useful up here in chilly Wisconsin.

Breaking the Silence

2009-10-11T19:51:00.001-05:00

So, I haven't posted lately as life has been tremendously busy. I started homeschooling my preschooler last month, beginning to teach her how to read, memorize Bible verses, use scissors, write letters better, and sit still through longer stories like Winnie the Pooh and Beatrix Potter stories. Funny thing is, my 2 1/2 year old can sit still longer and more patiently than she can, so I think it's influencing her to want to do school more.

I have, however, been working on that empire waist sweater vest I mentioned last post, and have nearly completed it. But I get short increments here and there to work on it with all the craziness of our schedule lately. Our church is in the process of planting a church in downtown Milwaukee, and my husband is on the worship team at both our current church and the new church plant in Milwaukee--he plays bass, just so ya know. But, it's kind of cool, because just last weekend, we both, independently, felt God telling us to go to Milwaukee and be a part of this new church. It's funny, because prior to that, neither of us really felt called to there, but, like Psalm 37 says, "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." He is placing that desire for Milwaukee there. Notice the tense of verb I used in that sentence...it's a work in progress. Someday we'd still like to go back to Madison and start a church there. We love Madison. And then to the nations. Someday.

Anyway, between busy Sundays, an awesome youth group (for which my husband is youth pastor) where God is doing some amazing things in the kids' lives, my husband's newest side job for a parachurch ministry, Campus Way (also working with young folks), and the delights and energy of three children all under age five, takes up most of our time. So, blogging has been slow for me lately. But I'm still here, breaking the silence.

Newest Project: Empire Waist Sweater Vest

2009-09-28T22:05:00.001-05:00

Well, since I finished those last two projects for my girls, I wanted to make something for myself, and since fall is upon us in full here in Wisconsin with changing colors and fields of brown and amber, I figured I go for something warm. I found this pretty simple pattern from Lion Brand Yarn for an empire waist tank top, but I think it's going to end up being a sweater vest for me, since I didn't have cotton yarn on hand as the pattern suggested, but I did have some Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn in a couple of different heathered tones. Here's a picture of what they say it should look like.

My version is in Mushroom and Rose Heather (I didn't have enough of either one to be a solid color.), and I didn't not have the size F crochet hook, so I'm using the G hook for the smaller one and I hook for the larger. I think I will add some cool looking trim around the top and bottom for a creative effect. We'll see. But I will post photos when I'm done.

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

2009-09-24T13:46:00.001-05:00

Today's Crayola Fall Color Week color is CHESTNUT BROWN! I tried to figure out exactly what color that is...I need to get an expanded box of crayola crayons "for the girls" to really see. Anyway, here's my little MaeBalloon's feet in my big ol' brown mary janes.

Giveaway Notice!

2009-09-23T14:12:00.000-05:00

Just found out that Candace over at Sparkle Power! is hosting a giveaway that ends October 7th for a free Rody! "What's a Rody?" you ask? Well, head on over to Sparkle Power or AllChildrensFurniture.com to see! I know my girls would want one.

Goldenrod Nod

2009-09-23T13:58:00.000-05:00

Today's Fall Crayola Color Week color is Goldenrod!

Not sure which of these exactly is closest to goldenrod, the bowl, the dandelion, or the mug?

Burnt Sierra Delayed

2009-09-22T16:29:00.000-05:00

Here's my Burnt Sierra photos, late but here, for Elsie Marley's Crayola Fall Color Week:

Illiana's Butternut Squash

Burnt Sienna on Baby Illiana Sunshine

Fall Color Week #1: Brick Red

2009-09-21T14:10:00.000-05:00

Meg from Elsie Marley blog is hosting some photo fun with Fall Color Week. Today's color is Brick Red! Here's my input...of course it involves my little lovlies...well, two of the three.

Naomi in her brick red sweater and little sundress I made her toppling Paddington as naked Illy watches

Naomi attacks

Handmade Christmas

2009-09-19T20:48:00.002-05:00

I've been reading so many crafty blogs lately with all these ideas of clothes and things to make yourself, that I've gotten pretty inspired to do handmade gifts for my girls for Christmas this year...and for others if there's time. I found some patterns for Barbie type clothes here and here. And I want to make a dress for Naomi using this tutorial, all I need for it is an unwanted button down men's shirt.

Who wouldn't want to make dresses for these little beauties?

Speaking of button down shirts, I've come across many sewing tutorials for repurposing unwanted men's (and women's) button down shirts into more fitted shirts, western style shirts, and dresses for girls. I asked my husband a while back to see if he had any unwanted button down shirts, but he pretty much wears them all (especially when I'm not caught up on ironing, which is basically always). If anyone reads this and wants to donate unwanted men's and women's button down shirts to this cause, feel free to contact me and send them my way!

DIY Hair Detangler

2009-09-16T11:13:00.000-05:00

All of my little girls--at least the ones with hair--have very curly locks. Everytime we go out, everyone comments on how much they love their hair, their Shirley Temple curls, etc. But it takes a lot of effort, and sometimes tears to get those curls to curl and not just frizz out! I've tried wetting their hair and then combing it out and then putting mousse in it, but unless they've just had a bath and had their hair completely washed, it usually turns out like a frizzy kid-afro! And there are tears involved in the combing through countless tangles. I used to buy detangler, but it's so expensive for such a small amount that we use up so quickly, so finally this morning I figured there must be something I can make myself, since there are so many websites about how to make your own shampoo, conditioner, soap, oil treatments, etc. The result is so much easier than I expected. Just take a 9oz spray bottle, put one inch of conditioner in it, and then fill it the rest of the way with water. Shake it up and you're all ready to go! I'm going to try it out today!

End of Summer Sundress

2009-09-08T06:41:00.001-05:00

I realized that Naomi did not have as many little sundresses as her sister, Mae, so I made a couple from a pattern, and then realizing that I could just create one using an old sundress of hers, I whipped one out a few afternoons ago. I simply took an a-line type dress she had, laid it on top of a yard of Wiggles 'n Giggles fabric I got on clearance, drew an outline of it with my mark-b-gone marker, added an interfacing up top to secure some ribbon straps and elastic, and then sewed up the sides and hem. It was about a 3 hour project. Maybe it would take you and hour or so if you're not so new at sewing as I am...and didn't have a little baby needing to nurse every few hours. Here's what I came up with.

Ruffle Sleeve Top in Pink

2009-09-07T15:51:00.001-05:00

I saw this tutorial over at Sparkle Power for a Ruffle Sleeve Top and decided that I needed to make one for at least one of my girls. Then I saw this version of it over at MADE and decided that I wanted buttons on mine as well (to hide my messy stitches...and for cuteness). Below is my version for Mae, my 2 1/2 year old, using the 2T/3T measurements from the tutorial. I did not have any 1" elastic on hand, so I used 1/2" for the top and 1/4" for the ruffle sleeves. I added pockets and buttons, and, after many dumb mistakes (sewing late at night is not always a great idea--thank God for seam rippers), this is what I came up with.

Apologies for any poor image quality. I used the camera on my new phone, and I'm still getting used to it. Also, you may notice mistakes; that's because I'm pretty new at this whole sewing thing. I've never made pockets on anything before, so these I just kind of came up with using guesswork. Check out the original tutorial for great step by step instructions accompanied by photos. My little Mae Balloon was napping after a great first half of a day of potty training. No accidents yet! She's a trooper and has a bladder like her sister's--steel!

36 Weeks of 4K

2009-09-03T23:33:00.000-05:00

It used to be called Preschool, but nowadays, schools are calling it 4K. The other day one of my next door neighbor's kids told me that I should send Naomi to 4K this year for school, that she'd learn a lot of things to help her grow. This same little girl just finished 4K this spring and is now in just K.

I wonder how Naomi will feel when she realizes that she is not doing school like most kids do school, since she will be homeschooled by me and Jake. Most of the kids around here started back to school on Tuesday this week, and I can't imagine Naomi getting on the bus every morning and being gone half the day. It would be so weird, and I don't think she would have liked it at first. Besides the fact that we're rarely dressed as a family by the time the buses get here. I know I'm not even out of bed when the bus for the high school kids comes driving through at 6:30 in the morning!

Anyway, today, Jake took the two oldest girls to work with him today so I could plan out Naomi's 4K year, homeschool style. We're starting a week later than most around these parts, but does it really matter? She's four! I am mostly focusing on teaching her how to read, how to write her letters better, and then reading good books to her myself. We'll throw in a few fun things that help get her ready for math, drawing, science, art, music, Bible, etc. But she loves books and drawing, so I want to get her reading on her own and have a lot of time to just create.

Having the whole day with just Illiana (who's either sick or having some major teeth cutting going on), I was able to plan 36 weeks worth of stuff for Naomi, so all I'll need to do each week is write out a daily plan and reserves some books from the library. I'm excited to go through all the Beatrix Potter and Winnie the Pooh stories with her! We bought the complete sets of both earlier this year, and I think the girls will really like listening to them.

Once Naomi's six, we're going to start with Ambleside Online, a Charlotte Mason type curriculum found online, using mostly books we can get online or from the library!

Check Out this Giveaway for Lisa Leonard

2009-08-31T20:41:00.002-05:00

Simple Mom is hosting a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to Lisa Leonard's store, which you can use for some amazing, unique metal jewelry. I entered, so now it's your turn!

From WP to Blogger

2009-08-30T23:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Made Cunningly's new home on Blogger. I used Blogger way in the past and then switched to Wordpress, but lately, I've been unhappy with Wordpress, so I'm back to Google-ware. I had to manually copy my WP posts, so some of them got left out, as did any comments left there.

Essays on Art by Artists

2009-08-30T23:53:00.002-05:00

I received a new book via UPS a couple of days ago that I have had on myAmazon Wishlist for a long time. It’s called It was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God. It’s a collection of essays by over 20 different writers, who also happen to consider themselves artists, and who also happen to call themselves followers of Jesus. Each of them is writing about being creative and making beauty as one made in the image of God, the Ultimate Creator.
I’ve been excited to read this book as I’ve felt for a couple of years this “something” inside of me that God has placed there that is a desire to create, to “do art,” for lack of a better phrase. I’ve dabbled in lots of different things trying to find exactly what that specific “something” is: sewing, music, visual art, writing. And I think it’s somewhat of a combination of those things. But I don’t want to just make something that’s cheesy looking or sounding like so much of Christian art and music; i want it to be truly good. And this is where I think I’ve gotten sidetracked because I want it to be good right away and not fail. But I guess everyone’s gotta start somewhere. I mean, even Jesus had to learn the trade of carpentry from His father, and I’m sure He probably couldn’t build houses at His first get-go.
Anyway, I read the reviews of this book, which made it sound awesome and inspiring to get out your pen, instrument, paints, pencils, whatever and start creating for the glory of God. Larry Norman (from waaaay back in Christian music) once sang, “Why should the devil have all the good music?” Why should the kingdom of darkness have all the good art?
Well, as soon as I read the book, I’ll post my thoughts on it. I’m waiting on another Amazon book I purchased at the same time on a similar subject, but more “hands on” oriented. We’ll see what it’s like when it gets here. I had a couple of small gift certificates for Amazon, so of course I buy books.

Paper Doll Chains

2009-08-30T23:51:00.000-05:00

My oldest daughter Naomi is in love with this project. And it’s so easy for me to set it up for her. I found the idea in some toddler activity book someone gave us a while back, and my little artist is hooked. All I do is take a long sheet of paper, or several pieces of paper taped together, fold accordian style to however wide I want my “dolls” to be, draw an image of a boy or girl, and then cut it out. Now, I’m no talented artist, so the drawing part is hardest for me, but Naomi doesn’t need an extravagant figure. She just likes to color their hair, clothes, and shoes in hundreds of different ways. She totally reminds me of myself when I was younger. I used to draw clothes all the time. Anyway, here are some shots of her creations. My header also features her artwork.

Cutest Diaper Cover

2009-08-30T23:50:00.001-05:00

I crocheted this cute little number for Illiana and her cloth diapered little bootie. It was such an easy pattern for me, a relative beginner at crocheting. I’ve done it off and on for a few years, but this is my most proud achievement, I think. It actually fits her, too! The pattern found here calls for an elastic waist sewing inside a casing, but I went for a drawstring look, simply because I wanted to. And because I could do it easily enough while watching my Star Trek movie marathon. What is this, you ask? No, I’m not a trekkie, but someone lent us the entire 10 movie Star Trek series and I’ve been watching them as I sew and work on the computer. They’re so cheesy! Anyway, here’s the photo of the cover.

Fun Backyard Finds

2009-08-30T23:49:00.001-05:00

Here’s a couple of pictures of things the girls and I discovered in our yard.

Onion Breath B & B Pickles

2009-08-30T23:46:00.002-05:00

Our cucumber plants are pretty much exploding with fruit, so I finally had to find a decent refrigerator pickle recipe in order to use them up, and found one on Cooks.com that I tweaked a little. I knew my husband and I both loved bread and butter pickles, so I finally found one that sounded good. And I got to use up some green peppers from our garden as well. Jake’s the only who eats them in our family, and we’ve got tons growing. So here’s what I did:

These keep for a long time in the fridge, but I don't think they'll last that long.

12 cukes
2 onions, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced into strips
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. turmeric
3 c. vinegar
1 tsp. mustard seed
2 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. salt
Put 2 tablespoons of salt over sliced pickles. Let stand 1 hour, drain. Combine vinegar, sugar, celery seed, mustard seed, salt and turmeric. Bring to boil. Cool and pour over cucumbers, onions, and peppers that have been layered in jars. Refrigerate. Let stand 1 week before serving.
Oh my, these are superb, especially if you like a little kick in your pickles. Next time I might add just a little more sugar, but I don’t know. I don’t really like sweet pickles, but these could you just a little more…maybe. Oh, but they’re awesome! However, Naomi says they’re too sweet for her; she likes dill pickles instead. So, maybe they don’t need more sugar. And maybe I need to make bunch of dill pickles. How I wish I had lots of jars so my fridge isn’t overloaded.

What's Happening?

2009-08-30T23:45:00.003-05:00

Wow, so much has happened since last I posted on here. I was thinking of just giving up blogging because there are so many other things that make demands on my time that I consider more important, but it is a nice place to have a record of all the little projects I’ve been working on and things I’m thinking. Anyway, I did finish that shirt I mentioned here.
Here’s a shot of me wearing it. I did leave out a couple of things that the pattern called for. One was the tie strings that you tie in back of the shirt. Those things annoy me when I’m sitting down, because I just feel the knot from the bow in the middle of my back. Secondly, they remind me too much of maternity clothes, which I love to wear when pregnant, but not when I’m not. The other thing I left out was the interfacing in the yoke. Just laziness, I guess. And I didn’t have any interfacing on hand, and wanted to just finish the shirt.
So here she is:

Breastfeeding Nausea

2009-08-30T23:44:00.001-05:00

Man, the past week or so has been a reminder about how I felt during the first trimester while pregnant with my three girls. It’s the strangest thing; whenever I nurse Illiana, I get all queasy and feel like barfing. I looked it up and it appears that it is not such a strange thing after all, as I read about many moms experiencing this b/f nausea. I’ve noticed it more lately since it’s been hotter out and my body’s been feeling a little more dehydrated, so I’ve started chugging water constantly. Apparently, when you nurse, your body gets flooded with hormones, and if your blood sugar gets low (which mine is known to do) or you are dehydrated a little, then the effects can amplify. So, I get to drink more agua and eat more food. Unfortunately, that does not necessarily help my efforts of trying to lose the remaining 7 or 8 pounds of pregnancy weight I’ve got left on me…mainly hanging out there in my belly and legs.
I think all this nursing and queasiness has been tiring me out lately, so I finally decided to order these vitamins I’ve been eyeing for a long time, called Supermom vitamins. They are chocked full of all those great vitamins that give you energy, like B complex vitamins, and they’ve got some spirulina and other yummy algea

Mmm...spirulina

creatures packed in there. Mmm (see image to the right). Supposedly spirulina is loaded with antioxidants and B vitamins and other great things that help your body get more energy from the food you eat. A three month supply was only $43 with shipping, so I went for it. I’ll update you on how they work out.
Meanwhile, this little, tired mama needs her sleep.

Hillbilly Muffins

2009-08-30T23:42:00.001-05:00

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon this great website called Hillbilly Housewife…great name, I know. While I haven’t explored the whole site, I have found a number of useful recipes from their vast collection of quick, easy, and inexpensive meals and treats. There are some really cool things like how to make your own “convenience foods,” like hot cocoa mix, rice blends, baking mixes, etc. As outrageous as it sounds, there are also two separate one-week menus, complete with recipes for a family of 4; one is for $45 for the whole week for everything, and the other is $70, I think. I don’t know; I’ve never tried them, but I know grocery prices are high, so I’m not sure how old those plans are. For those of you who don’t feel the need to serve meat at every dinner, there are some great vegetarian recipes on the site as well.
OK, anyway…on to the muffins. I made these amazing muffins last night for breakfast, since we were low on milk for cereal and didn’t want to go buy any. They are raspberry muffins on the website, but I used a frozen mixed berry blend. I don’t have any pictures for these babies, because they got scarfed way too fast.

Below are the alterations I made:
I used half whole wheat and half white flour in place of all white flour.
I used applesauce in place of oil.
I used reconstituted nonfat dry milk in place of skim milk.
The first time I made these, I added white chocolate chips to the mix. And I think I used rolled oats in place of chopped pecans for the topping.

These are fast, quick, and easy. They’re relatively healthy if you want to use whole wheat flour and applesauce, too.

Next Project

2009-08-30T23:40:00.001-05:00

This is my current project I’m working on. I’m using the same yellow fabric I used on the twirly skirt for the shorter, sleeveless version of this shirt. We’ll see how it turns out. This is my first clothing item to be made for myself and not my girls (who say they want to wear all my clothes when they’re bigger). This is Simplicity pattern 2962.

Stinkin' Diary

2009-08-30T23:38:00.001-05:00

So, Naomi is the queen of hilarious expressions! The other day we were reading a George and Martha book, and in the story Martha was writing in her diary, trying to keep its contents secret from a spying George. When we got to that part, Naomi asks me, “Mom, what’s a diary?” So I explain it to her.
A few days later, she holds up her notebook and says to her dad, “Hey Daddy, this is my diarrhea!!” When she told me later, I couldn’t help but crack up!

Then yesterday, we made her a PBJ with blackberry jam. Usually she gets strawberry jam, so this was something totally new and different. She took a bite, and with a really loud voice (what else is new) exclaims, “OH MAN! THIS…IS…AWESOOOOOME!!
I love how excited Naomi gets about stuff. I’m not sure really where she gets it from, as the rest of us are pretty mellow people. But I sure am glad to have her in the family; she brings the party on here!

Better Than Coffeeshop Molasses Cookies

2009-08-30T23:35:00.001-05:00

Though Ms. Betty Crocker just calls these babies Soft Molasses Cookies, I think I’m going to dub them “Better-Than-Coffeeshop Molasses Cookies.” Even my husband, who’s not as crazy about molasses cookies as I am called them amazing. Here’s how they go:

Mix together:

1 c sugar

1/2 c butter or marg., softened

1/2 c shortening

3/4 c sour cream

1/2 c molasses

1 egg

Stir in:

3 c flour (I used half white, half whole wheat…it makes me feel healthier)

1 1/2 teas. baking soda

1 teas. ginger

1 teas. cinnamon (*I didn’t have ginger, so I just did 2 teas. of pumpkin pie spice instead of the ginger & cinnamon)

1/2 teas. salt

Heat to 375. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes (I had to go a little longer w/my over) or until almost no indentation remains when touched. Cool 1-2 minutes, then remove from sheet. You can sprinkle them w/sugar or do what I did to make heaven in your mouth: frost them with this:

3 c powdered sugar

1/3 c butter or marg., softened

1 1/2 teas. vanilla

2-3 teas. milk

Mix until smooth & spreadable.

The Turquoise Dress

2009-08-30T23:33:00.001-05:00

This is the turquoise dress I made for Naomi from McCall's pattern M5308. I also made one in a black, flower printed fabric. That one had pink straps and ties. Next time, if I make this again, I would leave out the ties (not comfortable for little kids). The pattern also called for nine buttons in the back, but I just sewed up the back and it still fit Naomi fine. No time for 18 total buttons.

Still Awake

2009-08-30T23:29:00.001-05:00

I’m still awake at almost midnight. Jake and I just finished cleaning up after another perfomer-packed open mic, and now he’s jamming on bass guitar with a few other night-owl musicians upstairs. I actually “performed” at this month’s event, just to diversify things a bit. Mostly we have a lot of people playing guitar and singing songs they wrote or cover songs. One regular brings his uke and does a song or two on it. I, however, am not currently proficient at any instrument, though I’m learning banjo–at a much slower pace than I’d prefer–therefore, I read a few poems I’ve written recently. Here’s one of them, the untitled one.

In the little closet where the windows to my soul
are closed and my internal pose is prone
I crave an occasion where majesty and awe
take over and I am left exposed to its power
to vaporize any sense of self left lurking
in the shadowy clefts hiding from the light.
I cannot begin to delight in a world devoid
of this wonder and beauty beyond imaginings.

Limit me not to my mere faculties of mind,
but open wide the gate of beyond-all-I-could-hope;
open wide the window where I shout in joy,
calling out things that are not as though they are,
as I hold hands with the presence of the One
who hovered over the surface of the untamed waters;
open wide the door of flames through which
I will walk to be overtaken by the all-consuming Fire.

Twirly Skirt in Yellow

2009-08-30T23:27:00.001-05:00

I’m so excited to have finally finished this twirly skirt, created using the tutorial here, at House on Hill Road. I think next time I’ll make it a little bit longer, as Naomi likes long skirts and is still learning to “sit like a lady.” Anyway, I love the yellow fabrics together. I can’t wait to see it on Naomi; she is in bed as I’m writing.

The Little Artist's Paint Creations

2009-08-30T23:25:00.002-05:00

Naomi got some new paints for her birthday this month. Here are some of her creations.

Easy Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

2009-08-30T23:19:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite cookies to make is the easiest; I use cake mix, oil, and eggs and then experiment with additional flavorful things. Today, I made lemon poppyseed cookies with this method. Here’s what’s in them:

1 box yellow cake mix

1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1-2 Tablespoons poppyseeds

Mix all together. Roll into 1 inch balls and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Yummy!