New year... New Goals.

We are participating in the 31 days 2 get Organized Challenge.  So far, so good.  The challenges are small enough that I can keep up... BUT... they do make progress.  They are easy enough that the kids are also "playing along."  I like that part!
Another challenge that as caught my attention is The Great Grocery Challenge of 2016 over at Going Reno.

 I love her blog and enjoy her real life challenges.  The point of this challenge is to take control of you groceries.  I can budget in many areas of our life BUT groceries have a way of slipping way off track each month... I always seem to end up at the end of the month and the grocery money is gone... So I use other money and that never works!
We have some advantages right now because we live in the country, we have a farm, a garden, and a good farmer's market.  I hope to be able to post some of our deals and ideas to save in the kitchen.  Another big advantage that my oldest son has come to really appreciate... I can do stuff.  That is how he said it.  I can cook and I know how to make things from scratch.  Canned soups and mixes just don't exist in our house.  When I quit my job as a teacher to stay home with my own children, I had to make up the difference somewhere and prepared foods were the first to go.  I don't remember the last time I bought a can of cream soup or a packaged meal mix.  I missed them at first but now... they don't even register... and I think they taste nasty now... and happily... so do my kids.
So... I will try, this year, to post my weekly menu list (with recipes, links, etc...).  Having a Menu plan helps keep the food budget in order.   It is random, hungry shopping that blows my budget... I end up with Nutella and Cheese puffs when I don't plan...
To help me plan ( because I am a very random person!!!), I have to narrow the options.  I came up with a weekly food plan a few years ago, and when I follow it... life works better.  Here is my current food plan.
Sunday - "Sunday Dinner" type food and we eat with my brothers 2 weeks out of the month
Monday - Burger/Taco/Spaghetti night - means anything that fits those meal ideas
Tuesday - Ethnic Food night - We like too many different kinds to have individual nights of the week
Wednesday - Soup/Stew/Chili
Thursday - Crock pot/ Casserole/Meat pies
Friday - Kids Cook - The kids all know how to cook something and are learning how to cook others
Saturday - Pizza/Sandwiches/ Fun Family Foods
I have linked each of these to a pinterest page I use.  This helps me organize my many ideas for meals.

I also have a breakfast plan... I am looking at that again and am trying to re-work it to fit our needs better.
Now to go watch a family movie with my kids and DH on our last day of Christmas Break.... while I collect this week's recipes.

New Scriptures and Case for the New Year

We are starting the new year with a new scripture study plan.  The kids and I are excited about it.  We will work together using The Red Headed Hostess Book of Mormon study pages.  I like the way she helps you learn to break things down yourself.  The kids like that there will be pictures... I just like that we are doing it together.  Now to go make five more bags for the kids today while perfecting the pattern.  I love that I figured out how to make the bag with only 2 pieces of fabric (one inside lining and one outside.. oh and the handle but  that doesn't count.)  I love how excited the kids were to unwrap their new scriptures.  They are so new, crisp, and smell great.  We were excited to start making this new set up.  They are only for family study time.  They have their large sets for personal study and church study.

Gratitude

Several events have happened in the last 48 hours (and I guess a little longer) to make me really think about my life and what I want and what I have.

To start off I have been reading a lot of interesting books about thoughts and intention.  The whole concept of changing your thought, changing your life appealed to me.
I recently found the author Barbel Mohr and her book Instant Cosmic Ordering.  My husband actually heard about her in a random pod cast he listened to while working.  The book was 99 cents for the Kindle so I figured... what the heck.  She does a very good job of explaining thought and intention and how what you think does affect what shows up in your life... I think she does a better job than most of explaining why it happens.  I admit though... if I had just seen the title... I might not have read it because it does sound weird.
Well thinking about that... Here are a couple of things that happened this week that really made me think.
1.  Christmas is over and I have been looking at my budget that is totally blown... We do live simply but... I did still spend more than I should have of my budget...  This information does not do much to make one think happy thoughts about money.  So... In the back of my head, I was wishing that I had more... not satisfied with where I was.  (so this is what is running in the back of my head)..
2. My sister and her family came to visit this week.  We spent a lot of time talking and having a good time together.  While talking (very late one night this week)... I mentioned a super good deal I get on printer ink.  It really is a good deal.  I have been doing this for years.  For half  of what I would normally spend on ink for my printer, I can get about 6 months worth of ink.  That is a good deal.  My BIL flipped.  He threw his hands in the air and said "How do you do that?!"  I am was like.. .what do you mean??  He said that he has noticed that things I need just show up for me.  *blink blink*... I hadn't noticed this about my life, but it is true.  Things I need to show up.  Because of life choices of being a stay at home, homeschooling mom... I don't earn the salary I would if I were working at the career I was trained in and thought I would be doing all my life.  I have had to make do.  If I want something bad enough for me and my children, I have to find a way for it to show up within my budget... and it does.  We do live simply but well.   This has made me think about my life and the really cool things that do show up that I hadn't been paying attention to.
3.  Last night... as I was thinking about what I didn't have... I thought... I would really like $500 right now... it would really help with a couple of things I wanted to do.  I was looking at the lack of this money.  Over the last year, I have found a few interesting and fun... somewhat fluffy... sites.  My friend introduced me to card reading... It isn't something that I have ever taken seriously because it isn't something I do.  But I don't mock it.  A friend of mine showed me a couple of online card sites that are fun to play with.  I don't really take them seriously but found them entertaining.  Well, for fun last night, I went to one of the sites and I did a one cared draw.  It was for fun.. The way it works is... you think of a question or problem you have... you pick a card draw and you get a card with a message on it.. .kinda like fortune cookies... Well... I thought... I could really use some money... I want some money... Can I have some money... So that was my question.  I picked the one card draw and waited... and giggled a bit... And then I got my card and was really surprised at the answer.  Out of all the cards that could have come up in the random draw, I got the platypus Oracle card.  It came from this site.  ( I don't support this site or anything, it just came up when I was goofing around).  The Platypus card said... "Stop complaining, focus your attention on the blessings in your life."  I was struck.  That was exactly what I was doing.  I was complaining.  I was not noticing the good things in my life.  That really made me think.  I went to sleep last night thinking about this and the blessings that ARE in my life.
4.  This morning when I got up, one of my old friends from my collage days (who just recently found me on facebook) posted a picture of a gratitude jar.  I LOVE this idea.  I am going to give this a try.  Starting a new year of gratitude.  Only... I don't want to use just any jar... I think I will get one of my cookie jars from my collection and start filling it.  This is a resolution that I know I can keep.

  

Pinwheels

It is fall here in the Ozarks.  It is always such a treat to watch the leaves change.  Our family enjoys so many fall events every year.   However.... now that we have 3 kids in High School we have discovered that they have almost all been trumped by band and FFA trips.  Sigh!... The bright side is that the kids love what they are doing... Right?!
The one fall event that I look forward to MOST is our semi-annual Quilt retreat.  I LIVE for this!  I am quilt guild president again (a job I LOVE!) and so am in on the planning and execution of this event twice a year.  This time... my lovely committee took care of most of the details themselves and that meant I got to play!!! Thank you ladies!!!
I only participated in one class this time (I think I signed up for all of them but quickly amended my choices).  I took a mini twister class.  You take lots of little 2.5" squares, sew them together, and cut them up again and sew those together to make a tiny 10" or so quilt.  Here is what I finished on Saturday.

I made it with the Itty Bitty Primitive Pinwheels pattern and cutting ruler.  I have several more ideas to try this way... I might even post a tutorial.  I am in progress right now with a strawberry pattern I drew up... and I might make a tomato just for fun since I work in the shop at the Strawberry and Tomato farm during the growing season.

Smile

Day two of this challenge is SMILE.  I am grateful for the ability to smile.  I love that Happiness is a choice.  When you seek to find it on the outside, you never will truly find it.  It is a choice from the inside.  It may be one of the hardest choices for some and at some times but, it is still your choice.  No one can MAKE you be happy.  You get to chose it, and choosing it makes all the difference.
I stumbled across the writings of Louise Hay this year.  How I had never found them before, I do not know. But I love them.  It was through listening to her and reading her word that I learned just how powerful the choice of happiness is.  It has changed my life and I hope, the lives of those I love.  Go check it out yourself. You just might love it too.
I love this song "Smile", sung by Nat King Cole.  It sums up how I feel about smiling at it's best.  Life is always still worthwhile.

Here are some of my favorite people smiling.

Gratitude ... and Cream Puffs

I have accepted a 30 day Gratitude challenge.  It involves taking a photo and recording the things you are grateful for.  I hope to blog them all but... you know my past record.
I have been thinking about gratitude a lot lately.  I watched a random Youtube clip this fall that really got me thinking.  It is by Robert G. Smith and he tells about a Gratitude Journal.  It really got my attention.  We are experts at focusing on what makes us unhappy and putting our energy into that.  Things like.... oh... your looks... that weird scar on the end of my nose from Shingles a couple of years ago... The fact that no matter what I do... the weight isn't coming off... $$$, failures, etc... you get the picture.  I am sure you could make a list of your own... but WHY?!  Robert said to make a list of all the things you are grateful for.  Then... think about them.  You will find yourself being happy for NO REASON.  I could use some of that.  So... As part of my Gratitude Journal, I am recording some of my favorite things, things I AM grateful for, things I love!... Things that I can think about and BE happy for NO REASON.
(Oh if you want that youtube link... here it is).  (oops my bad... it is the Happy journal with the Gratitude list .... call it what you want... it is a great idea!)

So... Today, November 1st (yest I know it is midnight but hey...)  I am grateful for food, and in particular... I am thankful for Cream Puffs.

Cream Puffs were one of my Grandma Wood's specialty desserts.  She used to make them and bring them to my parents home on Sunday evenings, with my grandpa, and they would have Family Home Evening with my family.  I wasn't born yet when this happened.  So... I have different memories of these delightful pastries than my siblings to.  The cream puffs I ate as a child were made by my mother.  And, when she would make them I would get to help.  When you cut a hot, fresh cream puff open, you have to scoop out the remaining eggy filling inside.  I loved doing this, helping, and getting the yummy eggy bits inside.  As I would help with these, my mother and older sisters would tell me stories about my grandmother.  She died the week of my first birthday.  I never felt deprived of her presence as a child because I always felt her close in the home.  They would tell me stories about her amazing cooking, her wonderful needle skills making lace, and sewing wonderfully warm blankets.  They told me about her life of service to her family, church and community.  She was a social worker and did a wonderful thing for families in California.  They told me how kind she was, how wonderful it was just to be near her.  I was given one of her last blankets when I was little.  I still have it.  It is made from scraps of old wool suits and is backed with red flannel.  It was so warm and cozy when I was little.  I would curl up in that blanket and could feel the love in the stitching (that is one reason I quilt today).
Cream puffs are a tradition in our family.  I make them now for my children and tell them the stories about this amazing woman.  I have always looked up to her.  It makes me feel good to be compared to her when I do things that are good and right and meaningful.  I do actually have on physical memory of her before she died.  I will have to share that someday... not today.
Here is the recipe as I got it from my mother, who got it from her's:

Grandma Wood's Cream Puffs

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Boil the water, butter, salt, and flour together and stir rapidly.  Cook stirring constantly until the mixture forms a ball that doesn't separate.  (always looked like play dough to me)  Remove from heat.
Add the eggs, one at a time and beat quickly so you don't cook the egg.  Stir until the mixture is smooth before adding the next egg.  Repeat with all the eggs.
Cool and take by spoonfuls and arrange on a cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake in a hot oven (450* F) for 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 325*F and bake for 25 additional minutes. When they are cool, cut off the tops and clean out the eggy goodness inside and fill with cream filling and top with chocolate frosting.

Filling
1 cup milk
1/3 -1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour (I use 1/4 cup corn starch)
2 egg yolks or 1 whole egg well beaten
Vanilla extract
Mix together sugar and flour in sauce pan.  Add milk and stir until mixed.  Heat, stirring constantly until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Take about 1/2 cup pudding in a small bowl and mix in egg with a wire whisk.  Add egg mixture back to remaining pudding and mix well.  Add flavoring, mix.  Cool completely.  Store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Store all leftovers in the refrigerator.

Chocolate topping

3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
Mix sugar, butter, and milk in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil. Boil about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and add chocolate chips.  Stir until melted.  Drizzle over cream puff... or what ever you want... ice cream, cake... your finger.... :)

I hope you enjoy this little recipe and the story that goes with it.  Watch the youtube clip... Make a gratitude list of your own and find something that you can make you happy for no reason.

Garlic Spaghetti

Heaven in a bowl!

16 oz spaghetti
2 large eggs
14-16 cloves of garlic peeled **
6-8 Tbsp butter
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried basil (or a handful or so of fresh basil)
salt & pepper
Bacon bits (optional ... fabulous but... it is still good without)

Cook the pasta to your liking.
Warm the bowl for the pasta (I use a big glass bowl).
Combine eggs, garlic, butter, Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Buzz and scrape down the sized until you have a thick paste.
Drain the pasta. Put it right into the heated bowl and glob the garlic paste right on top and stir in quickly. Toss and enjoy! You can top it with a bit more cheese if you want.

** I found that I like the garlic roasted just a little.... the raw garlic is a bit hot and sometimes... I am in the mood for that ... but... sometimes... I like the more mellow taste of roasted garlic.

Cakey

I had to share!

I came home from running my oldest son from point A

to point B and found that my 12 year old Daughter, Cakey,

had made this lovely cake!

It is as delicious as it is beautiful. I didn't help her at all....

....wasn't there to...

I don't do book reviews often BUT...

I have been nothing but impressed with this book

(and the other books in this line).

The recipes are all simply marvelous.

The instructions are clear and easy to follow.

(My 12 year old did it all by herself.)

The books also include a DVD that teaches you baking tips and tricks.

I simply love it!

BTW... the cake she made is the "Strawberry Filled Cake" from this book...

I am no way affiliated with this book or it's authors...

I am just sharing a super, fabulous find that we are in love with...

you just might find yourself there too.

Their Pie book is to DIE FOR!

Mushroom Burgers

One of my friends shared this idea with us. We love it!! No recipe is really required.

You just take ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, etc could even be vegan stuff),

mix in the spices you like (salt and pepper work great)

Form Meatball sized balls of the mixture,

Flatten the meat to form a patty and put it inside a mushroom you have cut in half.

Place them on a lined cookie sheet.

and ... Bake ... We baked ours at 400 deg F. for about 20-25 minutes or until the meat was done to our liking.

The yummy juices from the meat cooked right into the mushrooms.

Then we just added what yummy extras we wanted like cheese, onion, tomato, avocado, etc. No need for condiments. They are yummy as is. AND... there is no need for a bun they are veggie high and carb low. Love It!

Wash Cloths

A dear friend in my Quilt Guild has been knitting up these wash cloths for years. She says they are great therapy and help you unwind after work. She is right... I don't work outside the home much but I do work here.... Quite a bit. And knitting while I am watching a movie with the kids, waiting on an appointment, etc. does help me de-stress. I also don't sit still very well and it is nice to have something "to show" for your down time.

Now, I am not very good at knitting. I have been mostly self taught... meaning... I didn't learn as a little girl like all my big sisters did. I didn't pick up needles until I had at least three little kids and was dieing to make something lovely and yarn-y for my kids. Well that was a disaster. After a couple more years, I decided to give it a try again. By then Harry Potter was a huge interest in my Son's life and I decided to make him a scarf. As it turns out, that is a great place to start. I learned how to knit in the round which just so happens to knit and purl itself as you go round and round for dozens of rows. What it taught me was how to loosen up my stitches (I tend to put too much tension into my work) AND it helped to learn to see what the stitches were supposed to look like. I learned how to count rows and such. I learned what it looked like if I got things backwards. I also found a book and a couple of DVDs along the way at our local library that really helped me "wrap" my head around the whole knitting concept.
Knitting for Dummies is my favorite beginner book. The picture instructions are amazingly detailed so it is easy to follow right along as you turn the pages. The DVDs I found were, The Art of Knitting and I Can't Believe I'm Knitting! In Motion: Beginner, and my favorite (demonstrated by an amazing 6 year old boy) The Art of Knitting 4 Kids. I watched these over and over and finally got the hang of what I was doing, I even managed to teach my oldest daughter how to knit without needing my help. That was great.

So.... Here is the pattern for making these wash cloths. After working on scarves this is pretty easy and the pattern isn't hard to keep in your head. I love the mindlessness of simple knitting. The rhythm is very soothing.

I am going to link to different tutorials all along the way so you can watch someone else do the stitches, and so you can see several other people knit and get to know their sites. The Internet is such a wealth of information, posted there by very generous people.

For this tutorial you will need to know how to
Cast On
Knit
Yarn Over
Knit 2 Together
Bind Off

Simple Knit Wash Cloth

Supplies:


Cotton Yarn - Peaches and Cream seems to be a leading brand. ( I used white yarn that I hand dyed.)
Size 6 to 8 knitting needles

Instructions:
Cast on 4 stitches

Row 1 : Knit 4 (this link includes an additional way to cast on)
Row 2: Knit 2, Yarn Over (YO), Knit across the row.
Repeat row 2 until you have 44 stitches on your needle.

Now you will decrease.
Row 3: Knit 1, Knit 2 together, Yarn Over, Knit 2 together, knit to the end of the row.
Repeat this until you have 4 stitches left on the needle.
Bind off the last 4 stitches leaving about a 6 inch tail.
Take a yarn needle or a crochet hook and weave the loose ends into the washcloth and trim the ends.

Pear Pie

I crave this pie (OK I crave lots of pie but I really do love this one!)

I first had this pie at my Brother's house in Spring City Utah. My sister-in-law, Lee, is an amazing cook and shared this recipe with me 20 years ago. The beauty of this pie is that it can be made with fresh or bottled pears.

Lee's Open Face Pear Pie
9" pastry shell
4 medium pears*
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar (we cut this to 1/2 cup)
1/4 cups flour
3 eggs
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp ground mace**

Directions:
Peel, halve and core the pears.
Brush w/lemon juice.
Place pears cut side down in pie shell w/narrow ends toward center.
Cream together butter & sugar.
Beat in flour, eggs, vanilla and salt.
Pour over pears, sprinkle lightly w/mace.
Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes and cool.

* Can use bottled or canned pear half (or even chunks, as long as you have 4 pears worth.)
**Can substitute nutmeg for mace

Last Minute Apron Tutorial

I have dusted off my Apron Tutorial writing skills and whipped up a Last Minute Apron (& Stocking) Tutorial for my blog world friends. It is actually featured over on Apronista. So... I will just post a link here for you.

Enjoy!
P.S. I got my lovely Dishtowels at one of my favorite quilt shops (in Historic Carthage Mo.), Block by Block which is run by my dear friend Amy. Go check out her on-line store!

Shawnee's Secret Santa Swap

My dear friend Shawnee is doing another one of her lovely swaps. It has been ages since I had time to participate in one and this one just looks like so much fun.

If you are interested in checking it out...

Go here!

As part of the swap, I am required to answer these questions for my partner.

So here goes...

What are your hobbies?

I like to sew, quilt, read and cook.
What are your favorite colors?

I love bright colors, especially reds. I love vintage 1930's and 40's colors.
Do you collect anything?

I collect salt and pepper shakers, old plates, quilting fabric, cookie jars
Are you allergic to any fibers or animals?

No
Do you have any pets?

We have dogs and cats (outdoor animals)
Coffee, Tea, or Chocolate?

NO to coffee and tea, but I do love chocolate!
What do you like to read?

I love Anne Perry, Robin McKinley, but best of all Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters...
Do you prefer Cookies or Candies as a sweet?

I love both so either is fine!
What is your favorite holiday treat?

Actually cheese ball... but I love fudge, peanut brittle, divinity... OK I like it all.
Describe your favorite holiday tradition.

Everyday in December, I read Christmas stories with my children. We look forward to this all year. It is a special family time we have and I love it! They are great stories about the spirit of Christmas and doing and sharing with others.
Did you believe in Santa as a child?

YES! I hid behind the tree one year to catch him and woke to find the presents there around me.
When do you open presents?

We get to open Pajamas on Christmas Eve, we get stockings in the morning and the presents after a big family breakfast.
Do you put up a tree and when? If not, how do you celebrate?

We put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Does your tree have a theme?

The theme for our tree is... handmade. My mother makes an ornament for each grandchild each year and that is what goes on our tree, along with things the kids and I have made for each other. There are a few store bought ones that have come along the way too.
What has been your favorite gift to give? to receive?
My favorite gift to give is the Pajamas I make for my kids each year. I try to design new ones every year to two. That is fun too.

My favorite to receive? how can I answer that? Gifts given with love are the very best!

Canned Pears 1920's Style

This has not been my year for produce. Late spring, chickens, and 6 weeks of over 100 deg temps and no rain pretty much put an end to everything in the garden. :(

I did get my hands of 2 bushels of pears. They are wonderful and we canned some of them. It feels wonderful to have them on the pantry shelf, 42 Quarts and 14 pints. Happy Dance!

You might notice in the photo that I have skins on my pears.... Well... a few years ago I was canning my first batch of pears ever. I was peeling the pears and hating life. I didn't have time for that much fuss. My mom came in and heard me grumbling and said....

"Your Dad always liked them with the skins on."

Me: "What!? Can you do that?"

Mom: "Of course! That is how your Grandma Lucile always did them and it was the only way your dad liked them."

That was all I needed to hear. I stopped peeling the pears right then and there and have loved it. We tried a batch really quick to makes sure we liked it and found that they tasted better than the pears without the skins on. The skins have so much flavor and when you can them, the flavor is "infused" into the pears. If you don't, the skins do slide off easily after canning.

Why 1920's?.... well my dad was born in the 1920's and this is how his mom canned then and through the great depression.

Here is my recipe for canned pears.

Canned Pears 1920's Style

about 3 pears per jar

Extra Lite syrup - 5 1/2 cups water, 1 1/4 (1.25)cups sugar - bring to a boil

Wash pears.

Cut up pears and fill your jars to 1 inch from the top.

Pour boiling extra light syrup over the pears leaving 1 inch head space.

Soften the lids in boiled water.

Wipe the rim of the jars with a clean paper towel, place the lids on and put on the screw bands and finger tighten (that means you don't crank them down).

Process in a steam canner (or water bath) according to your altitude. For me in Southern Missouri I process for 35 minutes for quarts.

Let the jars sit in the canner for 10 minutes with the heat off and then remove and cool on a dish towel for 24 hours.

Remove the screw bands, wipe the jars clean (sometimes there is sticky syrup on them) and put away without the bands on them. Why?? (I asked that this summer.) Because.... it is easier to see that the seals are still good... and... the bands won't rust on you and cement themselves to the jars. Makes life much easier when you go to open the jars.

Secret Sneaky Sloppy Joes

This is my all time favorite Sloppy Joe recipe. I got it from my sister Jeanne. She has the most amazing, wicked cooking skills of all my sister.... (don't tell the other 5).....
What makes this recipe so sneaky and secretive is.... It is chock full of cabbage. Seriously! And when you mix the sauce into it... it can look a lot like shredded beef.

Secret Sneaky Sloppy Joes

2 pounds ground beef
1/4 head chopped or shredded cabbage (I usually double this)
1 onion diced
2/3 green pepper diced
1/2 bottle of ketchup (how big is that ?? I use a large bottle)
2 stalks celery chopped
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp Vinegar
2 Tbsp mustard
2 Cloves garlic
1 Tbsp liquid smoke (optional)

Brown the beef. Add the vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking and burning.
Serve on buns or sliced bread and enjoy.

Outdoor Cooking Experiments

I think Facebook has taken a toll on my blogging. Sorry!
Recently we have been experimenting with some simple outdoor cooking methods.
We have made Penny alcohol stoves. They need some more experimenting and perfecting to get them to work well for us. We are also working on Buddy Burners. And this week, we made a Hobo stove. I hope to put some more detailed instructions of how to make them with your family. Here is a picture of ours. We fixed bacon and eggs with it and it worked but we discovered there are some kinks to work out still. I hope to be bosting some tutorials with what we have learned.

Jeddie's Fabulous Fish Sticks

The idea for this recipe came from my little boy's Sesame Street Cookbook. Oscar has a great fish stick recipe in there and we adapted it to what we had on hand.

Jeddie's Fabulous Fish Sticks

Fish Fillets - cut into strips (talapia, cod, and orange roughy are good)
milk
flour
bread crumbs
seasoning mix (we like Mrs. Dash Table Blend)
pepper
butter

Cut your fish into eatable strips (what ever size you like).
Set out 4 pie tins or deep plates
-In the first one put milk
-In the second put flour
-In the third put the bread crumbs and the seasonings (I started with 1 cup crumbs and about 1 tsp seasoning and had to keep adding but we use lots of fish). Pour the melted butter (about 1/4 cup) over the crumbs and mix together.

Dip the fish pieces in this order
1-milk
2- flour
3- milk (quickly so it doesn't get soggy)
4- Bread crumbs, seasoning, and butter mix

Then put them on a baking sheet.

Bake at 450 deg F for 10 to 15 minutes depending on how thick the fish is.
They are done when the fish fakes apart with a fork. We noticed that the fish looked a little "soft" when the timer went off but that it firmed up as it rested a little on the tray. Test it with a fork.
Serve with your favorite sauce.
Ours is store bought tar tar sauce. I know I should be making my own but I haven't found and remembered a recipe I like yet.
We are open to suggestions. :o)

Another great cookbook to use with children is Kid's Favorites Made Healthy.

Soap Winner!

Thank you to all that stopped by and left a comment.

The winner of my soap giveaway is....


Schneiderbären said...
Danke für das schöne Candy, Deine Seifen sind einfach super.

Liebe Grüße
Claudia

She gets to pick out 10 scents and I will send them off her way.

Sorry to those of you that didn't win. Thank you for checking out my Etsy shop and giving it some LOVE. :o) You are wonderful.

I will have another fabulous giveaway from my shop in another week or two so come back and check soon.

Friday Give Away! - Soap Samples

I have been snowed in for almost 2 weeks with my five kids. I am ready for something fun today!

(we actually got a lot more snow than this, this was the first little bit of snow)

So .... to break the the monotony I am doing a little give away.

I have chosen to give one of my Sample Size bar packages. These bars are 1/4 the size of my regular bars. It gives you a chance to try several of the soaps with having to break the bank to check them out.

This Sample Pack is for 10 bars of your choice.

If you are picked as the winner, you get to pick the 10 sample size bars I send you.

And YES it is open to international bloggers.

I will take comments all day today and will pick a winner Saturday night/Sunday morning.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment.

To get an extra entry, go to my etsy shop and favorite it and come back and tell me what soaps you like.

To get 5 extra entries, post the giveaway on your blog (or facebook page) today and come back and leave a link to your blog.

Oort Clouds - A Snow Dying Tutorial

300 posts!! I can't believe it and here is another tutorial.

Welcome the the Blizzard of 2011. I have lived here in Southwest Missouri for over 25 years and have never seen snow like this. We got 20 inches of snow last week and it is still here. Amazing. The funny thing about Missouri weather is that it changes all the time. Just over a week ago we had temperatures in the 60's and 70's. The kids were wearing shorts outside. Then 3 days later we were in the middle of the biggest blizzard I have seen since I was a little girl. (maybe not even then)
We cancel school here when there is 1 inch of snow. We are on our second week of NO SCHOOL (except for the one kid doing home school, poor kid just keeps plugging away at his work).
With so much snow at hand and no prospect of it melting for a week, we decided to give Snow Dying a dry. I have seen fabrics labeled as "Snow Dyed" at quilt shows for years but never had enough of the white stuff to give it a try. Well now I got my wish. Happy day!!!

The procedure is very simple and so much fun to watch.

1. Prepare your fabric for dying by soaking it in Soda Ash solution (1/2 cup salt, 1/3 cup soda ash, and 1 gallon hot water). Soak the fabric for 30 minutes. The fabric has to be 100% cotton and pre-washed to strip off any finishes. Squeeze out the fabric.

2. Scrunch up the fabric in the bottom of a tub. You can fold it too.

3. Pack the tubs with snow.

4. Sprinkle dyes right on the snow. I use Dharma Trading Co for my dye supplies.

5. Watch the snow melt. This will take a while unless you have a very well heated room. I used my laundry room which has no heat to it. So.... The next morning the snow wasn't that melted. I moved them to the kitchen and them started melting pretty quickly.

6. Finally rinse them out under running water until the water is mostly clear. Then wash them in a top loading machine with synthrapol detergent. If you can't get this, you can use some Dawn dish detergent (about 1 tbsp for a full load).
I washed mine twice, the second washing was in my front loader machine on sanitize with my regular detergent. Then dry them.

Here are some close ups of some of the fun bits.



My daughter thinks they look like Oort Clouds. I think she is right. :o)

I think the browns are my favorites. That could just be because they are warm colors and it is so cold this week.

TIPS:
The thing I found to make the most difference was using "mixed" colors not pure primary colors. As mixed color dyes move through the snow and the fabric, they separate and move at their own speeds. This results in the best coloring on your fabric with the most crackles and fissures on the cloth. I love it!! I can't wait to try it with some serous greens and yellows. Only problem is what to do with the fabric now. Sad thing is they will most likely just end up as soap wrappers. I use my own hand dyed fabrics for my soap wrappings.

I think the colors are so much more vibrant because I used dye powder directly on the snow instead of dye solutions. This makes the colors more intense.

Next tries might include putting the fabrics or a rack instead of in tubs so the water drains away. Will see what affect that has. :o)