Upcycled Hair Accesory

On the morning of 3rd of July, I wanted something for the girl's hair to fit the occasion, but what? All our hair things are the usual pink with a few other colors thrown in, not red, white and blue! What to do what to do? I had about 2 hours to do all the usuals, plus find that nifty idea for their hair.
  While getting them dressed I needed to cut off long sleeves to make a cooler shirt for the sweltering hot weather we were going to brave. That's when I thought of the idea. I had tried something similar with a different result in mind and it turned out to be one of those, "here you can play with this" because it totally didn't work.

  I took the sleeve, cut it round and round into one long strip about 1" wide. Then I wrapped it around two fingers and pulled a separate strip through and tied it tightly in a knot to secure it. After counting each one I've made so far, they are from 10-14 times wrapped. I just guess when I make them!
  Opposite the knot I cut the loops to form loose ends, trimming any that looked too long and out of place.
  Using the longer strips I had used to tie it together I tied them to the top of Belle's braid and Tori's pony tails. I was ready to go and loved the effects!
I was going to take pictures of each step but the shirt I pulled out to cut into a strip caused a meltdown of a girl proclaiming it was her favorite shirt and please please don't cut it up! (I think she wore it once)
  So hopefully you get the idea of how and I'll leave a few pictures of the end results. I was thinking too that rather than tie it to their hair I can slip a clip into it and clip to their hair.

I just made these pink ones this morning to match Belle's dress. I like how they lay against her head. I can make all those cute flowers for hair but can't wear them as well. They just don't work like I see everyone else making them look so I have a lot and wear little! These work for me!
  Look out everyone! If you have t-shirt of the correct color, I may come after it with my scissors!

Wow. I don't know if anyone even looks at this blog any more. I haven't. So why should you? I have a long list of reasons why not. But half of them I don't believe you have any need of knowing. So I'll give two that are predominate, 1. no internet for a year, 2. I became mother of not only 2 girls but now the most delightful little boy I have ever met!
  While I'm totally in love with that little boy and I dearly love having that little boy, he does not make my life a life of ease! He's a good baby...'cept at night. You know all those books and friends with "the" way to make a baby sleep all night? Yeah. It's like he's read them, before he came out of my womb. Then made his life goal to destroy those theories.
  I know some of you are going to faint and say I've obviously not....who knows what I've not....he is now officially a year old and still gets up 1-3 times a night. Yup, I've been told before "There is absolutely no reason a 1 year old should still be getting up..." Trust me, I agree. But he doesn't.

   I took great comfort several weeks ago to have talked to one of my many mom's in this world and she just chuckled while telling me that her oldest didn't sleep through the night until he was 6 years old! Alright. Finally someone who knows the feeling! Her son turned out quite independent so I suppose eventually mine will too.
  But I didn't open this page with my non-sleeping-through-the-night-baby in mind. I was actually planning to post a recipe I revamped to fit the food allergies in this house. I admit to not finding much joy in the kitchen these days. I once really did enjoy cooking and baking but now...I've lost the toss. I get so dreadfully bored of food when I can't use cheese (love cheese), peanuts aren't so bad, I've even found eggs aren't too hard to live without but that dairy and wheat I can't seem to get them out of my life with ease.
  So, since it's not gluten as a problem I use oatmeal a lot to replace cracker crumbs etc. Hence:

Naked Poor Man's Steak
Replace the cracker crumbs with oatmeal
Fry without rolling in flour first
Make a beef gravy with beef stock thickened with cornstarch to replace the cream of mushroom
Bake as usual
Serve as usual
Enjoy as usual!

It's quite good we thought. I grew up serving it with white rice. Nev grew up serving everything on potatoes. I chose fried potatoes this time since it's his favorite and I needed something he would enjoy in case these Poor Naked Man's Steak didn't turn out delightful!

 Now I'm off to make popcorn for the girls. Which, by the way, is quite good with melted butter and maple syrup drizzled on then baked like caramel corn. A good alternative and healthy!

Saturday Night Shopping

I was out of butter. The sugar ran out. I had frosting to make yet. I had to go shopping. I don't like shopping any more. It takes too much effort to dress up, get little girls looking like they have a mother who actually sees what they look like, hair combed, faces washed and dressed in an outfit that matches...you know how it is.
  But, I was out of butter. I had to have that frosting for my man's lunch to be complete. I found the perfect solution. Tell the kids to be quiet while Dad is sleeping and I'll be right back, I mean, I live 5 blocks from Sam's Club.
I almost went as is then thought, well, the least I can do is throw on a pair of jeans and look like I tried. It's saturday night, why would people be all dressed up? I should fit in. I walk into Sam's and think, "What did I miss? Who didn't send me the text, memo, email, card, notification, something to warn me that on Saturday night, women wear high heals and have their hair done, their best sassy outfit on with their neatly groomed guy's arm to hang on?"
  I put on my best smile and think, "I hope they just look at my beautiful smile and don't notice the rest of me." Oh horrors, that means they will look at my face. Absolutely no make-up. Possibly a smear of two of who knows what. I mean, I was baking and cleaning today and never looked in the mirror. Besides, you have to understand that being pregnant and no make-up means that what you see is a pale, washed out face with black eyes. That's just how it is. Esp in the winter with no sun to add some form of color. Then there was my hair. Oh do we have to go there? Once it was wound in a tight knot at the back of my head. When I plopped down on the floor to rest I let it fly. No more details.
  I decided to hurry. I was going to hurry anyway right? I needed to get back to the girls and get supper. But I kept seeing it, those high healed shoes. Ok, that would have been the least I could do! I could have worn my black healed shoes. Perhaps I could have looked taller than my scarce 5'2" and possibly more sophisticated. Black heals always improve jeans, don't they? I wanted to think so right then. But, no, I had shoes on. I push my cart faster.
Then I see a lady with a big belly, like mine will eventually be. I can't help but think, no one even gives me the excuse of being fat and pregnant. I can't even make it hang out and be warm too. Maybe I should sew a sign on my back that artfully explains why I may look like I do.
  I nervously check down each isle hoping I don't meet anyone I know. They were likely in their best outfits too. Shopping in heals with a dashing man. I grab a pizza, zoom by all the delightful smelling samples that they naturally bring out at dinner time and race to the check out. After I stand there for several minutes I realize that there are three ladies trying to figure out a crisis two customers ahead of me. I glance around and see a line of only one. My cart takes off in that direction. Upon arrival I see that there may be only one but her cart is so high it barely balances all the contents. By the time the cashier fills it, she's desperately searching for a place to put the bananas so they don't fall off. I sigh and watch the other line and realize I could have been through it a full 5 minutes faster. But the lady was sweet so I relinquished my frantic desire to get out of the high healed only party in my flat brown, fraying shoes.
  As soon as I get to the van I forget how bad it was and think, wow, I did that fast enough to go to Wal-mart to get some tape. I mean, surely they aren't that dressed up there! The girls used up all my tape and when that happens, I know I shall be lamenting my need for tape and can't live without it and will look even worse next time because it will be an emergency.
 I still glance around nervously as I enter, just knowing I'll meet a friend going to Sam's Club in her heals. She will arch a delicate eyebrow and wonder what kind of day I'd been having or if I always look that bad. I will smile and act like I have it all together as my hair wildly falls in my eyes.
 Miraculously, I made it out of there without seeing that high healed friend. She must have avoided me because what are the odds of NOT seeing her in my predicament? The check out lady was very obviously pregnant too. I walked out thinking, if only they knew. If they ONLY knew they would think, wow, she looks great for being pregnant. I mean, she looks perfectly lovely and we wouldn't expect any more of her outfit in her condition. She's really amazing to be out alone shopping with no one to carry those heavy bags (tape is heavy you know). 
  So, I raced home wondering, why would people go shopping on Saturday night looking like they were going to a banquet? Seriously. I was home all day cleaning and baking, why weren't they? Don't they know it's Saturday? I'm just exalting that I actually have my house all mostly cleaned up, some baking done and even the church cleaned. I don't have time or energy to dress up.
  But now I know. Saturday night at Sam's Club is wear-your-heals-and-best-outfit-night. I think the only reason they let me shop is they were trying to break a record that day or something. Otherwise I wouldn't have qualified to get through the door.
  Sorry, you look like a country girl and nope, that belly isn't big enough to blame it on pregnancy. Go home and come back on a look-like-you-just-got-out-of-bed-day. 
  I survived. My pizza is baking and I shall go see what damage is being done to my perfectly cleaned house.

Salve

My latest obsession....making my own herbal infusions! Thanks to Shoshanna (Pearl) Easling for the most part, I have learned so much and she makes it so easy! So, taking what I've already known for years from my mom, from reading, listening and yeah, reading more, I'm finally putting all I know into more practical use!

Making a salve has got to be one of the easiest things ever! I did not take pictures till now and the process is nearly to completely done so...put up with me ok?

Research what herbs you want to be in your salve (or read the label of one you like) first of all. What ever your needs are, bend towards them and collect! I so far have bought mine from Bulk Herb Store since they have been by far the cheapest, are fast and have great herbs. So I've only ever used dried at this point. Don't forget I live in the heart of the city so collecting herbs is difficult if you don't grow an herb garden (I won't go into detail why I don't).

Next, stuff them into a jar, for me a pint works best. I don't measure, I just figure which herb is most important then put it mostly that and the others fall in line behind according to importance.

Pour oil over herbs till they are thoroughly saturated and the oil covers them. I used a combo of olive and grape seed oil. The grape seed because it absorbs quickly and I like that with my dear rashy skinned Tori. Olive because it has good properties for health.

Now dig out your crockpot, put a washcloth or similar cloth on the bottom, set your jar on top of the cloth and fill with water to the top of where ever your herbs are in the jar. The little guy there floating is rosemary in oil since it wasn't yet dried from picking it at a friends to put in when I started the other oil. Oh, and I had three jars in there to start with.

Turn it to low, and you might be wise to check the temp of the water since crock pots cook different. I don't know right off how hot is too hot but you don't want it to boil for fear of destroying all that good stuff in the herbs. So now all you have to do is let it sit for about 3 days. Add water as it evaporates and stir the herbs once a day or so.

After 3 days of letting this stuff soak and all the herbal qualities go into the oil, strain off the oil. Use an old T-shirt, cheese cloth, or like me, a small holed strainer. I still want to squeeze them out but they are still dripping in the strainer!

 Nope, I don't really think it smells good at this point.
If you don't mind it as a runny oil, you could stop here. Label what's in it and store. I've read to add vitamin E oil to preserve it but I use mine up so fast with Tori that I don't need to.

To make it thick, I start a pot of water boiling on the stove, grab a small glass measuring cup and hook the handle to the edge of the pot to act as a double boiler. Pour a little bees wax pastilles in the measure cup and add the oil. The bees wax takes a little to melt down so have a little more patients here. I like my salve soft like a lotion, some like it harder. The harder you want it the more bees wax. 

The wax hardens quickly so to see if it will be too hard, too soft, or just right, drip a little into cold water, or dip the end of a butter knife into it and let it cool. Add oil or wax to consistency you want. The first time I made it, the salve was HARD. So better to add a little, be too soft and add more wax! The wax goes a long way.

I nearly forgot to insert here that I always add Lavender oil. It is good for you and makes the smell pleasing. This last time I also added Tea Tree oil. I put it in just before pouring into container

 After that, pour into a glass or metal container, cool and....ahhhh....nice, herbal, home made salve! I used a container from other salve and had the brainy idea to empty my husbands Altoid container! (he doesn't know it yet as I write) Don't forget to label. I even forget what herbs I dumped in!

In the picture they look more brown for some reason but they are actually a pleasing shade of green. Love it!

Oh, and I also put up a sticky note of what all I put into the jars while in the crock pot because I throw such random stuff in that I don't remember by the time 3 days go by!

Go ahead and try it! Even if you only have one herb! It's so fun and has such a good feeling of satisfaction that you didn't have to spend $20 for that little tin of salve. To those of you who like specific measurements, I'm sorry! I am not a measured person even in my normal baking so I don't know how to tell you exact, I always guess!

How does it work? Great. I gave some to a little guy who had a serious bike accident and both his parents told me it was amazing on his wounds. Tori's skin is looking great with regular use! Cannot be happier about that! Even my not-so-herby husband put some on his "ouchy" last night!

I would love to hear that you started to do it yourself too!

Any-one-can-make-this Ice Cream

I did not take any pictures of this because it was all an experiment and I don't think of a camera when I have no idea if it will turn out anyway.

 I'll start off by saying that this was instigated by my need of dairy/gluten free food in my kitchen. How do you have deserts that are loved by a picky 3 year old that do not contain these? I can always buy the ice cream that way but its so expensive and who knows whats slowly killing her via the chemicals that preserve it! Like I heard on a movie, a kid was saying the properties of preservatives and how he figures if he eats enough twinkies he'll live for about 1,000 years!
Anyway, the ice cream.

Whatever kind of milk you have, cows, goat, almond...etc, etc, put it in the blender. If you don't have a blender, use an electric mixer as if making whip cream. Add a sweetener of your choice and the best for our girls is to add several strawberries. Blend  until it's good and foamy. I put blender and all into the freezer for the next several hours. Blend it real good again. Put back in freezer....continue this till it reaches the frozen state you prefer. I usually serve as a milk shake or I'd have to wait for so long!
Leftovers freeze fine though and my girls eat it either way, soft or hard.

For our church potluck I knew there wouldn't be any desert for Tori so I put a container in a small ice box and she still had desert at the park. She thought it was pretty cool actually, wandering around with her container telling everyone she had her own ice cream made with goats milk! (sitting down to eat is not preferred posture in her etiquette book)

I feel so much better giving them this ice cream than store bought. I control what goes in, how much sweetener their gut has to process and the flavor is so easy to change. No need to finish up the vanilla before we can go buy the chocolate. ;)
To end all this, I have admit that I still prefer creamy hard serve ice cream from a good shoppe! (in a waffle cone)

~Shy

Radiation

I did not write this article, I'm just sharing it:



"We're zapped by more tests than any other nation

We're so radioactive that our bodies should be declared hazardous waste and sealed in lead-lined vaults -- or maybe just shot out into space.

Americans get more radiation-powered medical tests than anyone else on earth -- half of all advanced procedures performed on the entire planet, according to a recent Associated Press report.

In one outrageous instance, a New Hampshire teen was run through the CT ringer 14 times to check for kidney stones -- giving him the kind of radiation you'll only find in survivors of Hiroshima and Chernobyl, and I only wish that was an exaggeration.

I don't know what fool this kid had for a doctor, but I've never needed a CT scan to deal with a case of the stones.

Another young woman had 31 abdominal scans -- each one packing the radioactive punch of roughly 500 traditional X-rays, according to a doctor in the article.

Horrified, the doctor began searching the records in the two hospitals where he works and found at least 50 people who were given massive amounts of radiation over a three-year period.

Think that can't happen to you? Think again -- because chances are, it already has.

One study found that heart attack patients get the equivalent of 850 chest X-rays in the first few days of their hospital stay -- and that most of them were repeats of tests they'd already had.

It's so bad that CT scans are now responsible for 1 percent of all new cancer cases, with 29,000 cancers expected from the tests carried out in 2007 alone.

And that's just the beginning, because our overall radiation exposure has shot up SIX TIMES in three decades.

There's one simple reason for this, and it has nothing to do with your health. Advanced tests are expensive tests -- and each zap is worth hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. I've heard of some people who've been billed $6,000 for a CT scan in search of those kidney stones I mentioned earlier -- a zap that can usually be completed during a commercial break.

Like I've said before, it's some of the easiest money in the entire field of medicine.

Bottom line: There is no safe level of radiation. Approach any test with extreme skepticism, because most docs aren't interested in looking inside your body -- just your wallet."
WC Dougless M.D.

Shame...

I just read through this amazing ladies post and thought I'd share it. It really struck home with me in more ways than one, mostly the part of parenting by shame. How well I know it's sting and I strive to eliminate it from effecting my own parenting.
All I can say more is to affirm that shaming a child will never have good results. I could say so much about its effects but I would rather you read her insight and not have my ramblings distract from it. Just remember, if you ever intentionally shame your child, you are driving them away from you. They will retreat, and loose their respect and trust in you.
She is an excellent photographer as well, which always catches my eye.



Long Post [such an original title]. | resolved2worship on Xanga

Pesticide

I don't even remember where I first read about doing this but I did see another version of it recently. It's so easy and you don't have to worry about chemicals, getting it on your skin or breathing it in.
I have garlics growing so I dug one up, sliced it into hot water and let it soak over night.

The other ingredients you can add for more kick are, slices of onion and any form of hot pepper. I just used chili powder since I don't have any other pepper on hand.
Strain out the "debris", put in a spray bottle and use.


The main thing I use it on is my roses. They get covered in aphids to the point that the rose bud is almost white, and gross! I sprayed this stuff on liberally and within a day or two nearly all of them are gone!

As it is with any natural, organic thing, it takes a little more work, a little more patience! Rain will wash it off, sometimes you have to spray more often and you can't just pick it off a shelf, take it home and use. But it really works!
What it won't work on that I've read it will, is to keep city raccoons out of your garden OR your chicks!!! I dumped out the debris all around my chicks cage and that night, even before it was dark, we lost a chick to that evil coon! So I figure that these city rascals are quite immune to strong scent! They were also digging in my garden after it was sprayed. But I haven't had any rabbits now that I think of it. When we first moved here there were a few rabbits that would run through the yard. Either this works or my chasing them a block down the street did the trick! Yeah, I'm not a very good city chick...

On Husbands

Recently several of my friends and I have been asking our husbands questions. Real life changing questions. OK, so not that serious but for me, I do feel like it has changed my daily life perspective and priorities.
Here is the first question to ask, word it how you wish, this is how I worded mine:
  "If the entire Big House Estate was in a state of chaos, and the mistress had time to rectify one thing, what would you hope it to be?"
 I sent it in a text on a day in which there was literally EVERYTHING to do and ALL things were in a mess so I knew if he had eyes before he left for work, there was no room in the house in perfect order. Even the yard needed to be mowed, the van was dirty inside and out, the church wasn't cleaned yet...he had a lot to choose from.
  The hilarious response was, "Shave your legs". I nearly doubled over laughing! Of all things he would say was, "shave your legs". After a few texts of establishing that he was thinking the entire acreage, not just knees down, of "legs", I proceeded to take a shower and do just that.
Upon arriving home, he was lounging on the couch so I sat beside him. It wasn't long before the subject came up. When I told him, that yes, I did indeed go shave my legs (understand that I'm one of those that finds shaving to be too time consuming to bother on a daily basis) for him, he started to laugh. "You knew I was joking didn't you?!"
WHAT??? I went to all that bother just for him to be joking??? Well, fine, I now had smooth silky HAIRLESS, legs for...nothing.
After we had a good laugh over it I told him that I really did mean what I asked and would really like a serious answer! Took a little for him to figure out what I was driving at so finally I came up with saying it a little different. I told him that I had one hour in which I could clean up SOMETHING, and he has to chose what that something is. FINALLY I had my answer: laundry-not only washed but put away too!; a clean kitchen; and clean bathrooms.
 After I told my other friends of this little dialog and how I shaved my legs instead of doing laundry, they decided it was a good idea to not only ask about the surroundings but what about ourselves would our husbands like to have changed, improved or perhaps consistently done. Well, seems I already have my answer, unless he tells me again that it's only a joke!
Its been so fun getting the answers from the guys. Often, we are surprised what really actually bothers them. A few answers are: keep one sink empty of dishes (can wash his hands), nice looking yard, clean vehicle, uncluttered entryway, don't just pin up your bangs, shave your legs, look a little less conservative.
I challenge every married woman to ask her husband these questions. I have found new purpose to cleaning my bathrooms! I have a motive of love in doing these tasks that makes them a lot less painful and even fun. The first couple days I was so sick of washing dishes since I don't have a dishwasher and Belle is still too little to really wash without help. But I had a great motivator and I stuck to it. I still feel like I spend too much time in the kitchen but I just remember that I've changed my priorities and now, I do things for Nev, not for me.
A lot of other things don't get done that I would "normally" do but I now have a new "normal" and am slowly getting accustomed to it.
  I will add that I've done a lot of things "by the book" up until now. You know, you read all those great books on marriage and I seem to always read to have the toys picked up and the house always neat and tidy when the husband gets home. Well, what if the toys don't bother MY husband??? I was actually getting a little exhausted trying to do things that don't matter to him. He is quiet and won't complain about anything so to get out of him what he really likes is a trick in its self. So when I was told about this specific way of finding out, I jumped all over it! I waited for the right time and had to ask several times, in different ways, to effectively communicate what I was after.
  Books are great, but my husband is not a cookie from a cookie cutter. I have no idea how many times I have followed a book and found that it only aggravated the situation. I gave up. The only book that works is the Bible and waiting on God to give me words and wisdom, sometimes through hearing of a good question to ask!
  So, what will your husband say? I would love to hear more answers! We've had good laughs and good times doing this. Might I add, don't ask if you don't intend to do as you are told!

The City Chickens

I feel giddy! We have two guys that live down the street that build sheds etc for a living and often throw their scraps etc on a heap before taking it to the dump (or where ever it goes). Randomly I walk the two blocks with the wagon and bring home a few boards for crafts and evening fires.
Well, yesterday I set about to use up those scrap 2x4s, determined not to have to buy any, and made the frame/studs for the tiniest chicken coop on the front range! :) I have 4 little chicks that are outgrowing their tote in the breeze way and need an outdoor arrangement. I did it! The frame work is complete and I did not spend a thing! The only thing that I need to buy at the moment are screws because I ran out, one short so I found a long enough nail to do the trick. (it's called making do with what you have on hand)
Last night we took a family walk down those two blocks again in search of boards for the sides. What a gold mine! He was cleaning up the place, loading up a trailer with sundry items that were begging me for a better life! I now have the siding, the shingles, some things that-I-forget-what-they-are-called to use for a feed trough, and what makes me shiver with glee are the weathered panels of privacy fence that are now proudly hiding "out back" waiting my eager hands and brain! I've been wishing for old barn boards for all those lovely things I see around but can't find any without having to pay dearly for them. Now, I have stacks...FREE!!! I told Nev that my only problem is that I have so many now that in my happiness of mind, I can't think of what to make first!
Back to the chickens! My goal is to construct a well made, look-nice-enough-even-to-city-people, nearly expense free chicken coop and I nearly have it accomplished! My dear friend says she has the wire I need for the run so I even have that covered! I am ecstatic! I don't have any picts yet but perhaps when I get to the next faze I'll remember my camara.
For now, I need to go clean the church house.

Tiramisu

A friend of mine told me how to make a very simple, very delicious Tiramisu.

Start out with an Angel Food Cake. I made mine from scratch while the recipe called for a store bought one.

1/2 cup double strength coffee (I used Starbucks, yum)
1 cup whipping cream
3Tbs powdered sugar
1 sm box instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
instant coffee granules
baking cocoa

Whip the cream and powdered sugar.





You can make the coffee from instant or brew it as I did.







Mix pudding with milk. Fold whipped cream and pudding together after pudding sets up just a little.

Cut angel food cake in half. Carefully pour half of coffee over cake. Layer half of the pudding/cream mixture over. Place other half of cake on, then repeat layers.
I sprinkled instant coffee granules and unsweetened baking cocoa over layers

 I forgot to take a picture before I put in the toothpicks to keep the plastic wrap up off the cake. But here she is in all her glory.

Lastly, put it in the fridge and wait for at least 6 hours till serving to allow the flavors to blend.

I was going to serve it to friends but those friends had to cancel so my girls and I had a little feast ourselves!




Tips to myself for next time I make it:
In a home made cake, the coffee doesn't soak up as quickly, takes more.
A homemade angel food cake is larger than the loaves from the store so it might be smart to double the filling. Also, because it is lager, cut in 3 layers rather than only 2.

Etsy

I'm now on etsy! I don't know much about it but I'm giving it a whirl and see if I can catch some wind! Check it out... here. If any of you are better informed on how to sell on etsy feel free to let me know what you do. :}

Baked Oatmeal

My girls will squeal, yell, clap their hands and generally put up quite a clamor when I say we're having baked oatmeal for breakfast. I make it when they are sick and won't eat anything else and they get it for every meal of the day! I took these pictures about a month ago but the pan is sitting next to me once again and I remembered I was going to blog it...so.... The original recipe comes from The Best of Country Cooking 1999 but I tweaked it to fit my taste.

3 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients. Spread evenly in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Serve immediately with milk, fruit, brown sugar etc.

Here are my variations: I always bake it in a baking stone which makes it light and fluffy without the "custard", slimy bottom it can get in other pans. The other cool thing with the stone is that I don't have to fill it and it bakes just fine. I don't have the right size for this recipe so I simply don't spread it over the entire pan!

My girls are spoiled and usually have chocolate chips or m&m's. I sprinkle them over the top then pat them down with a spoon. This way they are evenly distributed and I can better control how much chocolate they get!




                                                              While it bakes I have them set the table.



When the timer starts beeping they come running and yelling that the baked oatmeal is finished!

Baked Oatmeal = Happiness at Breakfast!

Paper Dolls

I found these amazing printable (and FREE) paper dolls and thought I'd share for any of you who would like simple joys for your little girls. My Belle was enthralled when I gave her the first one. I think all girls should have a chance to enjoy this simple joy and pass time.

Some enjoy it more than others as shows in the fact that Tori isn't overjoyed by them altho' she will play with them at times.

Click here for web page.

More flowers

Check out...This. I figured it would be easier than trying to make my own blog about it when it's so well done on the original site!

I just finished my version so here are some pictures...

The one on the left is on a hair clip. I found one in my hair supplies, used hot glue to adhere, then with needle and thread, "sewed" it to the beret for added strength.
I think the other one will go on a more simple hair clip so I can use it for Tori who doesn't believe in growing hair yet.
If you can sew, these are very easy. Next time I make them a dress, I'll be embellishing! I just got material at JoAnn's today with little girls in mind.

Home Made Laundry Soap

First off, I had to figure out where to get these ingredients. I was told to check Wal-greens...no luck. After calling around I finally found them rather closer to home than I had hoped...our local ACE Hardware store. I was so happy! The Borax was from Wal-Mart and the Washing Soda and Fels-Neptha from ACE.  Here's how it goes:  Put 4 cups of water in a pan and heat almost to boiling. Shave with knife or grate with cheese grater the bar of Fels-Neptha into pan. The finer the grate, the better it dissolves. Dissolve all the soap. If you don't, you might come across a small slimy lump when you hang up the socks...just a thought.  I previously picked up this bucket from, obviously, Sam's Club bakery for free. They have nice sealable lids. So in this I put 3 gallons of water. Add the dissolved soap-in-water, stir and add 1 cup washing soda. Stir. Add 1 cup borax, stir till all dissolved and well mixed. Let set overnight. It gels up pretty good so stir it up good before you use it....or use it lumpy if you like lumps. Use about 1 cup per load. I use one of those green scoops from a former Tide laundry detergent. That's it!! It's SO EASY! I don't think it took me over an hour and that was with kids so without kids, perhaps 1/2 and hour? How does it smell? I think it has a fresh lemon smell to it. I tried to add about a half a bar of lavender scented soap but the lemon overpowered it and I can't tell it's in there. I'm thinking of trying SOMETHING for scent...just for fun. :) 

Here's the recipe if you don't like to read through my scribbles to get it:

1 bar Fels-neptha  (some say any kind of good bar soap but this is esp good for laundry)

1 cup washing soda (not baking soda, there is a difference)

1 cup borax

Put 4 cups of water in a pan. Heat almost to boiling. Shave soap with knife or grate with cheese grater into water. Stir till all the soap is dissolved.

Put 3 gallons of warm or hot water into a 5 gallon bucket or really big pot. Then mix above water/soap, and washing soda into water. Add borax and stir till all dissolved. Let it set overnight. It will gel so stir again before use. Use about 1 cup water per load of laundry.

For anther great tutorial and a slight variation, go to Living Simply

Flower hair clips

I found this handy dandy idea on a blog...credits will come when I track it down...so commenced to try it. So easy and sooo cute when done!
 I'm not so good at pictures when in process so I'll try to explain.



Find some scraps of material, kinds that will melt easy. White and very light will end up with a brown tinge on the edges.
I cut random (meaning they weren't perfectly symmetrical) circles out of the fabric. Each one smaller or larger than the others.
Then light a taper candle or one that you can easily get to the flame. Melt the edges and lightly the center of the fabric. The fabric will curl and at times the wrong way so, if you don't mind burnt fingers, quickly turn fabric in while still soft and warm-hot. Some I melted more than others to give a more petaled look.

With a glue gun I glued each layer together, smashing the glue flat so there wouldn't be a bump in the center. One of mine I glued a button in the center but the others I simply burned my fingers with a very small piece of fabric.
Then I glued them to a plain hair clip. Best to put glue on open clip then press flower to glue. If it's closed, it's easy to end up with glue blobs where it will catch the hair and that makes little girls yell. (how well I know)
I also made individual petals and glued them to a small, round piece of denim to hold them together. I didn't get a photo of that one. Neither did I think to get pictures of my flowered girls in their Sunday best but I got Belle to model quick in her pjs last night. :)
Another thing you can do is clip it to a head band which is what I do for my short haired little girl. Cut about an inch strip off the leg of a (clean) pair of panty hose or stockings. When you stretch it it will curl up and you won't see the raw edge. Slip around head and put clip in place.
Its called a free hair day! I would have thrown the hose, tossed the too-small-for-any-good material and the clips were lying about unused.
Now, where else can I use these flowers?

More in that Pink room

I struggle so much with my girls room but it's slowly coming together. The struggle is the color. I have never been into pink, at all. Period. But they begged and I gave in. Every wall is pink and Belle even wanted the ceiling pink but I put my foot down, no! There will be no pink ceiling.
The latest decor was a cool idea from Thrifty Decor Chick . I instantly thought of the girls empty wall space and decided it was what I needed to do. She has a much better tutorial but here is what I personally did.
I used regular pine boards from Home Depot cut square. Ending size is about 9 1/4". With leftover chocolate brown paint, I painted the edges.
Then, out of my creative memories supply I took all my pink shades and picked out nine that went together.

 

I used ModPodge for the adhesive. "Paint" the boards with the glue, then place paper on top. I also"painted" over the top of the paper. No, I did not escape small bubbles but they are small enough you don't see them unless you really look for them. I nailed them directly to the wall...which was scary because it's that old plaster and I could hear the plaster falling down the wall...yikes, I hope they hold!

In the end, I get this....

Me; through someone else's eyes

A dear friend wrote this of me...after I talked of making some fun looking vintage dresses.

"I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold, I saw a woman clothed in a poofy, frilly, vintage dress, standing in a certain place with her face from her own house and a paintbrush in her hand. A great burden upon her back for she had many ideas in her head but could not tackle them all at the same time...to be continued...", she wrote.

I so often feel just like that! So many things I could do, would love to do, but how can I do them all?

Bird in Branch

I did it! I gave myself a sore neck and a headache and finished. I have to hurry so I'll just leave the pictures to tell tales. Oh, and I am falling in love with the birds.

Make your Monday