Benefit for Josephine Elizabeth

I would like you to meet Miss Josephine.

Josephine Elizabeth is the the beautiful daughter of my little brother Jon and his sweet wife Clara. Her beautiful story is posted on their blog.
Josephine was born with Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 is a genetic disorder associated with the presence of extra material from chromosome 18. Fifty percent of infants with this condition do not survive beyond the first week of life. Only 5 -10% of infants survive to their first birthday. The outcome is fatal - however, each case is unique and there is no timeline for Josephine's survival. Josephine has many of the outward characteristics as well as all four of the heart defects associated with T-18.

My niece Angelic and I have come together to create a blog for Miss Josephine to host a benefit auction to help Jon and Clara with Josephine's medical expenses.

We are asking anyone how has been touched by Josephine's story, or by Trisomy 18 in any way to please bid on items in the auction.

If you would like to donate an item to be included in the auction please feel free to contact me through a post here or an email. The auction will be held through Ebay starting on November 26th.
As items are donated they will be posted at the Josephine Blog and here.
If you would like to make a monetary donation, that would be greatly appreciated as well.
THANK YOU!

One Yard Half Apron Tutorial

OK so I don't know what to call this apron but I do love it.

It meets my criteria for a good apron - fast, fun and easy to make and only takes one yard of fabric.

This apron makes a quick gift for birthdays, Christmas, Swaps, or just because you love your friends. It works up in about an hour or less.



Materials



1 yard cotton fabric (the fabric I used is Morning Call by Hoodie's Collection)



4 yard ric-rack trim in a coordinating color





Cutting instructions



Apron:

Lower section - 13" by width of fabric

Upper section - 8 1/2" by 27"

Waistband - 4" by 19"

Ties - 2 1/2" by width of fabric



Pocket:

2 pieces 6 by 6 1/2"



Sewing instructions:



1. Take the lower apron piece and gather the upper edge of it.



2. Pin the top of the lower section to the bottom of the upper apron section. Stitch in place.

You can top stitch this seam for a more professional look if you like.

Be sure to press the seam toward the top to catch it in the top stitching. (by the way I finish all my seams with the serger or with a zig-zag stitch, nothing ruins a fun apron faster than ravelled seams on the back. It is just plain tacky!)

3. Make a narrow hem on the sides and bottom of the joined apron pieces.



4. Gather the top edge of the upper apron section.



5. Pin the apron skirt to the waistband and adjust the gathers. Be sure to leave 1/4" of waistband sticking out and each side of the apron. Stitch in place.



6. Fold the top edge of the waist band down 1/4" to the wrong side and press.



7. Sew up your apron ties. You can do this by folding them in half lengthwise and sewing down one long side and across the end and turning. OR... you can hem both long sides and one end of each tie by turn under a scant 1/4" and turning under again and top stitching. (sorry I forgot to take a picture)



8. Place the apron ties on the waist band right side down pointing toward the apron center and pin or baste in place.



9. Fold the apron waist band down toward the apron front with right sides together and stitch the short ends together. Turn the the right side out and press in place.



10. Top stitch along the base of the waist band catching the front and the back of the waist band making sure the apron skirt seam is inside the band. This will finish off your edges nicely.



11. Sew around the pocket piece leaving an opening at the bottom to turn.



12. Clip the corners and turn and press the pocket. Place 3 rows of the ric-rack trim on the pocket and stitch in place about 1/2" apart. Be sure to leave about 3/4" tails on the trim. Fold these under when attaching the pocket to the apron to make sure they are secure.



13. Position the pocket on the right or left side of your apron upper layer where it is comfortable for you. Top stitch around the sides and bottom of the pocket being sure to back stitch a few times at the top of the pocket to secure.

14. Sew ric-rack trim on the bottom of the apron in three rows about 1" apart. Be sure to leave tails and fold them under to the back side of the apron to secure in place. I am using just a straight stitch to secure the ric-rack.



You are now done and have a fast, fun, and flirty new apron.



This apron fits most. For a smaller or skinnier apron cut the waist band at 16". For a larger apron cut the waist band at about 22 inches and increase the upper portion to 30". The lower section can stay the same and will just have more or less gathers depending on if you are sizing up or down.

Popcorn Balls Recipe

I figured I had better post this before I lose the recipe again. (I post a lot of my favorites here so I can find them when I want them again.)

Popcorn balls

2 big batches of popcorn (that is about 3/4 to 1 cup of kernels popped in an air popper or a stir crazy popper)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
40 marshmallows (regular size not mini marshmallows)
vanilla (or other flavoring you like)

Pop your pop corn and get the unpopped kernels out.
Melt the butter and sugar together in a large pot.
Bring to a boil.
Add the marshmallows and heat until melted.
Remove from heat and add about a teaspoon of vanilla. Orange flavoring is my favorite. You can also add some food coloring drops if you want. We added red and yellow for classic orange popcorn balls.
Pour over the popped corn and stir quickly to evenly coat.
Butter your hands lightly and start forming the mass into balls.
To store, wrap in plastic wrap.
Enjoy!

Edited to add:
We made this again this week and added a blob of molasses when we were boiling the sugar and butter. It was about 2 to 4 Tbsp. of molasses.

OH MY it was wonderful. Very carmely gooey, chewiness.

Happy Birthday Bubba

My little bubba turned Three this weekend.


He had two requests for his birthday this year.

One -- he wanted a Choo Choo train cake.

Two -- he wanted a birthday card.

I love how innocent and uncomplicated he is!



Bryan got him a Thomas card which he loves. My mom saved the day an picked up a card that plays the chicken dance. He stopped opening his present when he saw the card and spent the next five minutes opening it and listening to the music over and over again. It was so funny to watch his face. Pure delight.




Of course it was all finished up with some loud singing of "Happy Birthday To You". All in all a very happy day!

Pumpkin Day at the Byrd House

We have had a very fun week celebrating Pumpkin day yesterday, aka Halloween. We love Halloween and all the fun dress-up play we get to do. The kid's school usually picks a theme that the kids can dress up to. This year is was your favorite G rated Disney character.

The teachers dressed up like characters from 101 Dalmatians. My brother and sister are there in the photo.


The kids just loved it especially Cruella. She works in the library. She was fabulous!



My children dressed up as ... Walt Disney (Joe's idea including a Sharpe mustache), Brier Rose (sleeping beauty), Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Ridding Hood, and Jeb is simply himself (he dressed up as a Robot on Wednesday and wouldn't wear it again).

We also did the traditional pumpkin carving.


We planned out our pumpkin faces,


drew them on the pumpkins,


had dad carve them out, or ....


carved them ourselves.


Then we took them outside and lit them up with candles.





Instead of going Trick-or-Treating which is pointless when you live in the middle of no where, we stayed home and had some family fun. Joe built us a fire and we roasted Weenies and marshmallows. We tried to make biscuits to wrap around the hot dogs but they turned out nasty. So the dog ate the biscuits instead and we ate the hot dogs.


Joe made roasting sticks for everyone. Thank you go for having such good camping out skills. hee hee


Toshi came over to check it all out and helped Hannah and JEB make sure the fire had plenty twigs, grass and such to keep burning well. No campfire can burn properly if little kids aren't throwing junk on it all the time.


Jeddie simply bunt his biscuit rapped hot dog. It turned out ok though. He peeled off the charred biscuit and ate the warm hot dog inside. :o)




Sorry I couldn't resist the hat. I just love this little hat. He wore it all day yesterday. It was a treat from Vea for being so good at the store while we looked at kitchen cabinets with mom. She made it from a pattern she got off Etsy. It is fabulous for Jeddies poo bald little head and he is so stinkin' cute in it!

Last we came home and made traditional popcorn balls.


We went to our neighbor's house and delivered some of these to celebrate the day. Popcorn balls are my all time favorite Halloween treat, well that or sugar cookies with orange frosting and candy corns.
I hope you have enjoyed fall as much as our family did. Now on to Thanks Giving! My next favorite holiday!

Sweet Baby - Trisomy 18

My little brother and his wife just had their third baby this past week. She is a beautiful angel. She also has Trisomy 18. It is important to get information out there about Trisomy 18. You can't change anything about it but you can be informed. The information out there can give comfort to families that are blessed with these pure sweet babies.
You can read little Josephine's sweet story here. I first read about Trisomy 18 at Diamonds, Fur, and Laundry. She shared her sweet story of William there.

Tiger Milk

I love that name. It is so descriptive. My children love it too. This is a treat my mom used to make for me when I was little. I think we called them peanut butter balls or something like that.
They are really yummy and packed with good things for you. They make a great after school snack or a great family treat that takes the place of sugared treats.



Tiger Milk

1 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter

I put this in the food processor or you can mix by hand.

We also add
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup coconut (unsweetened)

Variations: Try adding 1/2 cup of:
miniature marshmallows chopped
dates chopped dried
apricots
crushed graham crackers
chopped nuts, roasted
rice crispies
chocolate chips
bananas
molasses
toasted coconut
pumpkin seeds, roasted
sunflower seeds, roasted
Directions:

Mix all together and press into square cake pan. Cut and wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap.

Blueberry Pie

When did I decided that pie was for me? The first time I had blueberry pie. I don't know how old I was. I remember being at my grandfather's house for Thanksgiving. I remember being in the kitchen, listening to my mother and my older sister's talking and laughing. Then came the pies. There were so many and they were all so good. I already liked pie better to cake any day but when my mouth closed on the forkful of flaky crust, tart fruit, and sweet syrup, ... oh my I love pie! I knew I had to make pie. From then on I listened when pie was talked about, watched when pie was made, read about pie in every cookbook I got my hands on.
So in honor of that early pie memory, here is my favorite blueberry pie recipe. It calls for frozen blueberries which is why I love it but fresh can also be used. Just blend some up in the blender to get the juice needed.

Blueberry Pie

Pastry for 2-crust pie
3 cups frozen blueberries (unsweetened)
Blueberry juice (drained from the thawed berries)
Water
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice

Thaw the berries and drain off the juice. Add enough water to the juice to make 1/2 cup liquid. Pour into a sauce pan and add the sugar, tapioca, cornstarch and stir. Cook quickly until thickened. Set aside to cool.
Add berries and lemon juice to the cooled juice. Pour filling into your pastry lined pie pan. Add a top crust and cut vents and flute the edges.
Bake at 425*F for 30 minutes.

This pie is great warm or cold, with or without ice cream.


I think my little peep liked it.

Just 5 minutes for Prop 8

My big brother Howard is campaigning for Proposition 8 in California.

The proposition 8 is rather interesting. On the surface it looks like hate laws designed to take away the rights of homosexuals. However it seems to be designed to protect the rights of millions of family members all over the country. How so? What happens in California usually spreads across the country in time. This video clip illustrates what is already happening in Main because of the gay marriage laws there. I was surprised and very interested in the clip show. If you are wondering how Porp 8 can affect you and your family, please watch this. I know that by posting this I will make myself and my blog pretty unpopular but that wasn't want I created it for. I think our children have rights too and that as families we have rights to teach them what we believe.


Here are a few more things that I have found about Prop 8.
1. Children in public schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage.
The California Education Code already requires that health education classes instruct children about marriage. (§51890)
Therefore, unless Proposition 8 passes, children will be taught that marriage between any two adults is of the same worth, regardless of gender. There will be serious clashes between the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children their own values and beliefs.

2. Churches may be sued over their tax exempt status if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public. Ask whether your pastor, priest, minister, bishop, or rabbi is ready to perform such marriages in your chapels and sanctuaries.

3. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston already had to stop providing adoption services in Massachusetts because courts legalized same-sex marriage there.

4. Religions that sponsor private schools with married student housing may be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if counter to church doctrine, or risk lawsuits over tax exemptions and related benefits.

5. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages may be sued for hate speech and risk government fines. It already happened in Canada, a country that legalized gay marriage. A recent California court held that municipal employees may not say: "traditional marriage," or "family values" because, after the same-sex marriage case, it is "hate speech."

6. It will cost you money. This change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits, including some already lost (e.g., photographers cannot now refuse to photograph gay marriages; doctors cannot now refuse to perform artificial insemination of gays even given other willing doctors). Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today's activist judges), think of the money – your money – that will be spent on such legal battles.

YES on PROPOSITION 8
will define the word "marriage" by adding 14 words to the California State Constitution:

"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

NO on PROPOSITION 8
will mean the State has no definition for the word "marriage" and will leave the term open to interpretation.

For more information check out What is Prop 8?

Holiday Hostess Flirty Apron Swap

HH08.2
Originally uploaded by shawneeh

Shawnee over at tp://flirtyapronswap.blogspot.com/ is hostessing a most fabulous Holiday Hostess apron swap. This one is for a glamourous apron. It sounds like so much fun!

Farm Girl Fest 2008

A week ago my friend Vea and I ran off to Carthage MO with our girls and participated in the First Annual Farm Girl Fest at Red Oaks 2.
We had so much fun.
Red Oaks is a vintage farm/village that the artist Lowell Davis has recreated in Carthage MO.

We shared a craft booth together.

Vea sold Rag Rug Looms that her husband Brent built. They are fabulous.
She also had quilts and other crafts.

I have it from a good source that these looms and instructions will be going on sell at Etsy soon. There might even be a featured giveaway here too.

I had my modge podge of crafts. I mostly sold my soap. I also whipped up some of my Zina B dresses and had them displayed there.


I have a few extra left that I just might put in my Etsy Shop. We will see.

Our girls had a fun day as well enjoying the other crafters, listening to great folk music, riding the free hay ride many times, and just playing at the festival.

They hay ride was pretty fun and a great way to see the whole farm.


Here they are discussing their next plan for the day.

Here are some fun shots of the Festival and the fun at Red Oaks 2.


This guy did a wonderful job of making sore every visitor was greeted with a big smile.


This vintage gas station was to die for. I love the colors!


I love this bright little farm house. I love color.


This couple was so welcoming. hee hee


This is the kind of tree that I think I could grow in my yard. I don't think the goats could kill this one.


I understand that Mr Davis rents and even sells some of these homes. This one is so lovely.


I will have to give this a try. I have always wanted a garden gate covered with vines.


I think that the Byrd house also needs one of these in the yard. What do you think?

I got to use Vea's Camera thanks to Brent. I forgot and left mine home of course. They still had lovely flowers growing in the gardens there.



I can't wait for the Second Annual Farm Girl Fest in Carthage MO.