Dec. 24, 2009 - PIE CRUST INGREDIENTS CORRECTION!
Lemon Meringue is one of those incorrect entries, as well as the raisin pie. I will try and go back to each recipe and correct that but for now just know that you should use 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the Betty Crocker crust and not 1/2 teaspoon. I will be making a crust and meringue entry soon and all of the ingredients will be posted correctly, I promise.
Merry Christmas.
Dec. 23, 2009 - The Tree Down the Road
In photo shop I clicked "negative" to see what it looked like then and it was really neat and you can see all of the intricacies of the old feller.
Dec. 22, 2009 - Snowflake Ornaments
This homemade Christmas post is more of a homemade winter post. Let me show you how I make my crocheted snowflakes.
Several years ago, I made a variety of snowflakes to use for decorations. I usually leave these these snowflakes up in a window all winter.
I start out using a thin cotton thread like this and a steel crochet hook like one of these.
If you already know how to crochet than these are really simple to work up. If you haven't crocheted before I would suggest doing some other practice pieces before attempting these. I found my patterns in books and magazines, but there are several free patterns online. You can find some here.
The snowflake in the middle of the picture above still needs to be stiffened.
I use a glue like Aleene's Fabric Stiffener. You can put it in a little bowl or a plastic bag.
Just swirl the snowflake around in the glue to coat it, remove it making sure to squeeze out the excess glue.
This part is a little tricky. You need to start reshaping the snowflake and making sure that nothing is twisted.
I pin it onto a piece of styrofoam that has been covered in plastic wrap.
I pin all the little loops so that the snowflake is in the correct shape and then just let it dry for a day or two. An important thing to think about is the type of pins you are using. If they are not stainless steel they may leave a small rust mark, so....either take them out right away and just leave flat or make sure they are stainless steel.
When you are storing them just be sure to have them lay flat and they should keep their shape for years to come.
You can go to Simply Vintagegirl for more Homemade Christmas ideas.
Dec. 21, 2009 - M&M Cookies
Aunt Rachel surprised the girls with a bag of M&M's last night at church so I let the girls decorate some cookies with them today. I used the plain old chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of a bag of chocolate chips only I omitted any chocolate chips. 
I must admit I'm really only a fan of the cookie not the chocolate anyway.
Dec. 21, 2009 - To the battle front!
I love this time of year, but sometimes we expect things to be different and become disappointed in ourselves and our families. That is really just wrong. In my case I have been dealing with a cough for over 3 weeks and it is getting old, but it is just a cough. I need to remember that!
I firmly believe that we need to just own up to our short comings and become the grace-filled sturdy women that God would have us to be. Is it hard? Sure it is. Do we fail? Sure we do.
I have been loving studying women from the past with my girls...godly women..sturdy women. It isn't all the fluffy stuff that we like to read and learn from... it's the day in and day out faithfulness in all the little things. It is their lives as a whole, what their character was, who they put their trust and hope in, what they taught their children, and how they helped their husbands that inspire us.
Our time with our families is short and precious.
How will you spend it?
To the battle front ladies!
Dec. 19, 2009 - Our earthly life is just too short not to have a little fun.
I am not photogenic.
My eyes are usually closed.
Family members who have taken my picture just count on my eyes to be closed.
I guess I have an overactive blinker.
It was snowing this morning when we woke up.
I took the camera with me when we drove into town to attend a funeral of a dear Christian man.
We decided to go on up to the cemetery several miles from the funeral home. After the graveside service Chris and I decided to hang around for bit. It was snowing and there was a part of the cemetery that was old and quaint. So we took a few pictures.
It is hard for me to share these pictures of me because I want you to imagine me as 'Barbie-like', lol.
So, because life IS short and because we were just having a little fun, I wanted to share what I really look like. Sorry to bust your Barbie Bubble.
Headin' home.Until Next Time
Dec. 19, 2009 - Little One's Cloth Diapers
I'm sure some of you may think I'm crazy but I have become truly passionate about cloth diapering and am very excited to experience it from birth with our new little guy. I started cloth diapering Abigail when she was about 1 1/2, so I was only able to get about a year of it in before she potty-trained.
I figured I spent right around $400 on this complete stash over months of searching for things. I bought some things as seconds (meaning they may have been considered second quality to the company but first to me 
). Some things were purchased used and yet the rest was bought brand new. On average I should expect to be able to resell my items for at least half of their retail value. On the other hand, dispoables can cost about $50-$80 per month. So I would spend $400 on dispoables within 5-8 months and not get a dime back! Whereas the diapers I have will last us from birth through potty-training...and I should expect to get at least $200 back upon resale.
There are so many different types of cloth diapers. I mainly prefer prefolds because they wash & wear easily, dry quickly, and look so simple!
Before I share all my pictures of the baby's stash I should give a disclaimer: I AM TERRIBLE AT TAKING PICTURES!!!!
First up ~ I made 12 pocket diapers from the Jalie Diaper Pattern. I stuffed each of them with a trifolded preemie-size prefold diaper.
Here are 12 of the preemie prefolds in front, and 36 newborn prefolds in two piles in the back. 18 are Green Mountain Diaper brand and the other 18 are Diaper Rite. I also have 5 newborn bummi super whisper wraps (3 with snaps & 2 with aplix) and 4 xs thirsties covers. 
Here are 12 little lions flats with all my snappis and pins (for holding the prefolds or flats closed under a cover). 
Now for the small size...which should fit from 10-12 lbs to 15-20 lbs I would expect. I have 24 Yellow-Edge Green Mountain Diaper Prefolds, 4 Small Nikki Wool Wraps, 5 Small Bummi Super Brites Covers, and 1 Chunkee Bunz Diaper Cover. 
18 Small to Medium Fuzzi Fannies Pocket Diapers. I will use the newborn prefolds to stuff these once he outgrows them and moves onto these pockets. 
And the medium to large size I have 12 Green Mountain Diaper new-size Reds & 12 Green Mountain Diaper old-size Light Browns. Also shown are 7 assorted covers and 2 bamboo prefolds. 
Dec. 19, 2009 - Year of the Pie - Pie #22 Sour Cream Pear Pie
Sour Cream Pear Pie
Ingredients
- 1 - 9 inch unbaked crust
- 2 C. thinly sliced peeled pears ( the pears I used were fresh and not quite fully ripened, my sister, who shared this recipe with me last year uses canned pear halves and then slices them thin)
- 1/2 C. sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 T. flour
- 1 C. sour cream
- 1 t. vanilla
- dash of salt
Bake for 25 minutes @ 350°
Now add the crumb topping, which is this:- 1/2 C. sugar
- 1/3 C. flour
- 1/4 C. butter, really soft/melted
Bake another 30 minutes at the same temperature.While it is baking send some Christmas cards and do a bit of knitting.
Remove the baked pie from oven and let it cool.
I took this pie to our Tuesday gathering and everyone seemed to like it. It is to be eaten cold. We three tried it the night before while it was warm and it was o.k. then too. So I guess it would be your preference.
We give this pie
Until Next Time
Dec. 18, 2009 - What kind of tools are you giving this year?
Wondering how to bless your husband?
One way is to give him tools that encourage and teach biblically sound fatherhood!
Some of our favorite resources are on sale over at The Western Conservatory. One of my husband's favorites is the Father to Son DVD set. Yes, I know, we do not have sons, but it is still a wonderful example of mentoring your children! And, by the way, it is 50% off. Go read about it and watch the trailer here. My husband has been able to use these DVD's to help mentor other fathers, too.
So many men have not been mentored by their fathers and really don't know how to or even what it looks like to mentor their own children. This DVD set gives examples and ideas on how to do just that.
And just for a heads up, Geoff Botkin is going to be hosting an online men's mentoring season on Saturday mornings in January and February. You can read about it here.
Dec. 17, 2009 - Christmas Piano Recital
I am not the least bit musically inclined, but I can tell when someone has been blessed with a talent and she has.
She has a sweet way of playing and it seems her fingers are floating across the keys gently encouraging each key to sing.
Last night's piano recital found her more calm than I have ever seen her. Usually she is nervous and jittery most of the day, but yesterday she was very calm and even had a small plate of goodies before she played. This is unheard of because she usually is so 'sick to her stomach'.
The Christmas recital is held at her teacher's home. There is not a schedule of events, you just come and snack and mingle and each student plays when the 'time is right for them to play'.
They they can either stay and mingle some more or leave. It is kind of like an open house recital.Maggie usually plays when everyone is busy mingling and eating in the other rooms of the house.
Last night was no exception really.
She did a beautiful job on "Holly and the Ivy".
Well, a few folks came in after that the song that we know (fellow student's Moms) and said they missed Maggie's song....and asked her if she would play it again. Bless her heart, she did. Then a little while later, a new friend we met just last evening.....asked for an encore,b ecause he had seen her play earlier and was noticing how effortlessly her fingers danced across the keys.
Well, she would rather had not played three times, but when a few more people got behind him in request.....off she went to the piano.
She played beautifully all three times and trust me when I say, it was quite a feat for her.
So if you happen to visit her blog, give her a pat on the back, by leaving a comment.
The baby grand that everyone played on...they even use it when they have their lessons.
The fire place before the alarm went off.
The fire place while the alarm was going off. 
Scott Adams singing as the teacher accompanies him. (Scott instigated that second encore)
Maggie and Randi (teacher)
No recital would be complete without Randi's husband showing us his bird dogs. The three dogs are 'pointing' to the white cloth. The two white dogs are 'backing up' the darker dog. Mike says that in the field when one of the dogs points at a bird, the others will back it up and point as well, even though they may not see the bird. Mike always shares fun things with us about his dogs.They are German Short Haired bird dogs.
Chris and I could not be more proud.Last Page | Next Page
