Basket Tag Tutorial

In preparation for the colder weather, which is already here actually, I gathered up all of the hats, mittens, gloves and scarves I could find. Wow! Did I find a ton! Not to mention my knitting addiction to quick projects, eh hemm - hats... So what I guess I'm getting at here is that I have a lot of cold weather gear, and no wear for it to go. At least until I picked up these baskets. I have them under the bench by our front door for easy access. Each child has their own basket labeled by a tag with their initials.

If you like what you see, read on, here's the tutorial...

This is a great project for scrap pieces. I have a small obsession with vintage linens, and that is what I used to make these. They can be made to whatever size you want. Mine are on the larger side, so be sure to check your measurements.

What you need:
-Enough Fabric in your Main Color to make 4 Circles to the size you want - be sure to add 1/4" around the edges for seam allowances (mine are 6" in diameter)
-4 pieces of ribbon to desired length ( mine are 10" each)
-Contrasting fabric - 2 squares of desired size (I used 4" x 4")
-Double sided Iron on Adhesive (I used 2 - 4"x4" squares)

First cut out your pieces. You should have 4 circles and 4 ribbon strips. I used a compass to make my circles, and just drew right on to the fabric. Don't forget about your seam allowances here. I allowed for 1/4". Also, it helps to take a lighter and singe the edges of your ribbon so it won't fray.

Now take 2 circles and 2 strips of ribbon. Sandwich the ribbon inside of the two circles, with the right side of the fabric facing each other inside.

Pin your sandwiched piece down and sew around, leaving about an inch of space open to turn the circle right side out. I actually started at the top by the ribbon and sewed one side until I came to the other end of the ribbon that hangs out, then returned back to the top and did the same on the other side. This reinforces the hold for the ribbon, and then when it's finished, all you have to do is tug the ribbon down and it practically turns itself right side out. Don't forget to snip along the edges after sewing so your circle looks nice once turned right side out.

Once it's turned right side out, you can either sew the opening closed using an invisible stitch, or just top stitch around the entire circle to close it - I did the later.

Next comes the fun part. To make these initials, I just went into Word, and played around with some fonts, found ones I liked and sized them to fit by playing with the point sizes. For the "A" I used Blackadder ITC at 300 points. The "H" is French Script at 300 points. Print these out on regular paper (make sure they will fit inside the circle - check your sizes), but go into the properties tab in your print options and click the box that says mirror image so that it prints out backwards. I forgot about this at first and almost had to start over, thankfully I caught my mistake before I ironed anything!

So here is the correct "A", backwards. I just traced the "A" onto the iron on adhesive. Iron your letters to your contrasting fabric and allow to cool. Then cut out each letter. Remove the backing and then iron them onto the center of each circle.

I also top stitched around the edges of my circles because I'm pretty sure these will need to be washed from time to time, and I want them to lay nice and flat.

Here are my finished pieces - in terrible lighting. Most of my sewing is done in the evening, so the lighting is always poor. Hope you can look past that :)

And here they are, tied on and ready to use!



Take Care!

Happy Birthday Nana!

Today is a very special day. Today is my grandmother's birthday, or as we call her around here, Nana.

Why am I sharing this day on the blog? Well, because I'd like to also introduce you to the woman who introduced me to the natural food/living movement.

At first it freaked me out (come on, I was like 8 or 9). "Goat's milk? Really Nana? Ewwww, it smells..." So she offered some almond milk instead. That's the thing, I don't ever remember her pushing anything on me, just insisting I give things a try - whatever it may be.

I tagged along to a lot of fiber festivals when I was little. The memories of all the sheep and wool still stand out so vividly - the strong smell of soap, the fluffy poofs of wool flying up in the air and the oddly soft, dark skin of a shirred sheep. When I was nine she taught me how to spin wool into yarn, and how to knit. Unfortunately, I abandoned most of what she introduced me to while I was a teenager. I, apparently, had better things to do.

But now, oh how I appreciate it all sooo much! Every time we talk, I learn something new. And lately it seems like everything I tell her I want to try (like winter gardening, using plants to dye material, country living and so much more), she's done and most likely has a book to go along with her real world advice.

If only everyone could have a Nana like mine. We are blessed...

I just HAD to add this picture of my grandma because you'll still find her riding a very similar bike, with her tiny dog in the front basket.

We love you Nana!

Happy Birthday From All of Us!

Slowing Down

With everyone in the house being sick, we have had an opportunity to slow down. I wish it didn't take all of us feeling so cruddy to get to that point. There has been a lot of knitting, a lot of reading, and a lot of rice pudding making (4 batches to be exact). Oh, and a whole lot of sleeping - which is something I tend to not do so much, lol.

Something I've been focusing a lot of my attention on lately is staying in the moment, and trying to promote a calm and relaxed atmosphere around our house and with the kids. Much easier said than done, I assure you! :)

A while ago, I sat down and really put a lot of thought into what values I thought we should focus the most on with our children. I want my children to be honest, compassionate, happy people who contribute to society - ultimately. I realize those are very broad terms and ideas. So I set to work researching different child rearing books, methods and so on.

I feel from the research that I have done, that the best way for me to accomplish said goals, is to keep my children in tune with nature and their surroundings, engage their senses, and most importantly, stay in the moment with them, and really listen to what they have to say. Please note that this is just how I feel, and I am not an expert, nor is there only one right way to raise a child. This is just what feels soooo right inside, and for that reason, what I'm going with.

We're not too far off track, but adjustments will have to take place. For one, the T.V. is on too much in my house. It has become a sort of crutch for me, in order to get things done quickly, and it's just not right - I know this. I also know that there are a million studies out there to prove it as well. The kids watch about an hour a day, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I'd like to keep it much less. So we'll see. I'm sure we'll all do just fine :) It helps that the only T.V. in the house is in our bedroom, so a lot of the time, it's as easy as out of sight, out of mind.

The house is (was) too cluttered, with papers, toys, and random odds and ends. Over the course of a couple weeks, I successfully cleared out most of the excess. Our local thrift store really likes us right now, lol. I think we donated close to 15 super large garbage bags full, and gave away boxes and boxes of clothing to friends. I have to say, without a doubt, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders since doing so. The house is more relaxing and enjoyable to be in. Not to mention more work is getting done. I'm not done yet, and have made a personal goal to remove at least one bag a week of unnecessary "stuff".

The toys. There are too many, and most offer either very little or no opportunity for creative thought and play. My son obviously has his favorites, and obsessions, which I would never ask him to part with. My daughter, thankfully, is still pretty young, and once the tv characters are out of her world, the desire to play with them probably will be too. We did go around and pick out the toys no one plays with anymore to donate, and that's done. But from now on, I want to keep everything we bring into the house educational, thought provoking and from natural sources. Obviously they need to be fun of course too.

We read a lot, and I have always placed quite a bit of importance on books. The only change I want to make with those is maybe to have a few baskets full of them in different areas of the house, to encourage the children (and adults) to pick up a book.

This is a starting point, and it may not go according to my plan - but it's a goal, and everyone is on board. The overall goal really is just to slow down and simplify, which should help allow a more natural curiosity to evolve in my children.

Here are a few (but not all) of the books I've been reading to help get us to where I want to be...

Calm and Compassionate Children by Susan Usha Dermond - I can't recommend this one enough

Making A Family Home by Shannon Honeybloom - I teetered listing this one, but overall it is helpful and full of vivid photography.

Last Child In The Woods by Richard Louv

And for the kids....
Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean - it sounds goofy, but they love it

I think that's enough for today :)

Take Care!

Playing Dress Up

Both of my children love to dress up, and not just around Halloween, but all year long.

So a few years ago, I started picking up Halloween costumes a few days after the Holiday, when they're priced super low. Say, around 2 or 3 dollars. If I were better at sewing, I would most likely make a bunch of dress up outfits for them, but I'm still a work in progress in that department. So at least this way, I'm not breaking the bank, and the kids get a lot of creative, imaginative play out of them. At some point, I want to put together an inexpensive clothing rack to hang them up on for easy access. Of course it would have to be low to the ground too, so that they could help themselves to the clothing and accessories. I want to have it resemble something close to what you might see behind stage at a musical or what not, and made of wood. I think it will require a design by myself, and some gentle persuasion from Chris :)

Hannah is still under the weather, and has shared whatever it is she has, with everyone in the house. So, on that note, I will be taking a little break from blogging. I should be back on Friday with a Right Now post.

Take Care!

Happy November and Weekly Menu

Happy First Day of November!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. Austin surprised me this year by insisting, after about an hour, that we needed to head back, because, well, "I don't want to get a bellyache you know momma." Yes sweetie, I know, lol. Even more surprising, after we ran out of candy to hand out, he offered up his stash to give out. We don't keep candy in the house so I thought for sure he'd be all over this holiday. But I guess not so much - which makes me happy only because it's showing a little glimmer of healthy food choices that I hope he will hold on to. I guess we'll see.
And poor little Hannah I think is trying to make a Halloween tradition of being sick. The poor girl has yet to be healthy enough to go out. Figures, because she hardly ever gets sick.

So that was our night. Oh, and I should mention, the hat Austin is wearing in this picture was not only Momma-made, but glows in the dark too! A gift from Grandma-Gayle (the kit), and enjoyed by both of her grand kids :)

Which brings me to our weekly menu plan, because it IS Monday...

Monday: BLT's and Baked Potato Wedges
Tuesday: Chili and Corn Bread Muffins
Wednesday: Grilled BBQ Pork chops and Orzo Salad - we use the recipe from here.
Thursday: Chicken Marsala over pasta and Steamed Broccoli
Friday: Garlic Bread Pizza

Have a great day!

Sweet as Pie or Savory Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Savory

and Sweet...

We like both types of roasted pumpkin seeds, but I must confess, tiny hands have been sneaking into the sweet bowl all morning. Below are both of the recipes. Make sure to clean all of the pulp from the seeds and allow them to dry for 24 hours before cooking. Enjoy!

Sweet as Pie Seeds
1.5 cups of dried pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 C raw sugar
3/4 tsp of Pumpkin pie spice

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the pumpkin seeds in a bowl and pour the melted butter over them and stir to coat evenly. Add the raw sugar and spices and stir until well coated. Place seeds in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes. Stir the seeds twice during cooking.

Allow to cool before eating.

Savory Seeds
1.5 Cups dried pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp of ground sea salt

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Place pumpkin seeds in a bowl and pour melted butter over them. Stir to coat evenly. Add spices and salt and stir again until evenly coated. Place seeds in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes. Stir the seeds twice during cooking.

Allow to cool before eating.

Pumpkin Carving

We had a great time carving pumpkins last night. Here are a few of the highlights...

I have the seeds drying on the kitchen counter for roasting Saturday morning. Even though I avoid blogging on the weekend, I'll be sure to share that with you all, along with the recipe.

Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Potato Soup

This soup is soooo good, and I don't even like tomato soup. Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, it's actually pretty easy to make.

What you need:
5 Large Tomatoes
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Basil and Oregano to taste

1 Onion chopped

3 cloves Garlic minced
2 Tbsp butter

3 Medium Carrots sliced very thin

2 Medium Potatoes cubed with skins on
4 Cups Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

First you need to peel your tomatoes. The easiest way to do this is to place them in boiling water for one minute and then remove and allow to cool. Once cooled, slice in half and then you should be able to easily pinch the skin right off.

Place the halved tomatoes flat side down on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with basil and oregano. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

While your tomatoes are cooking, place your butter, remaining olive oil, chopped onion and garlic in a large stock pot and cook until the onion is tender (about 5 minutes). Now add the chicken stock, carrots, and potatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the tomatoes are done. Remove the tomatoes from the sheet when they are finished and place in the stock pot. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Now, if you have an immersion blender, blend the contents of the stock pot. If you do not, use a blender (you will have to do this in smaller batches, but it works just fine), and then return to stock pot. Add the heavy cream, sea salt and black pepper. Stir until well combined.

That's it!

This makes quite a bit of soup. We usually have enough left over from the first meal to freeze and use for two more dinners. I add thinly sliced Gouda to it too, yum!

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out.

Holiday Napkins

I'm hosting a very tiny Thanksgiving dinner this year (my second ever), and I don't think my dinner guests - even though they're family, and pretty laid back at that - would appreciate my toddler stained bed sheet napkins. Hmmmm... I wonder why?

Soooo, I needed some new ones. Or shall we say, "new" to me. I'm pretty excited about these, as simple as they are. The fabric is yet another gift from Granny Grace (I do know how lucky I am. Thank you, thank you!), and the serger I used was my own grandma's. The whole experience has me dangerously teetering on finding myself a serger to call my own. My goodness, I made eight napkins in less than an hour. And the contrasting stitching? Love it!

Oh! And I can't forget to mention the silver napkin rings. Oh how those made my day! Such a great thrifting find. They came, still sealed in the original packaging, priced at a dollar. Seriously, all eight of them and just one dollar. So really, I guess that's how much this whole project set me back.

I think maybe I get too excited about this stuff. Or maybe I'm just really a big dork. But either way, these look nice. In fact, nice enough that I think I may have to make a new table runner, or place mats, or both. Let's go with both!

Have a great day!

I Designed Something!!!

Ok, I designed two somethings :) The dress was unplanned, and had originally started as one of my tulip skirts, but with a tighter ruffle. For some reason, I just kept on knitting, and improvised this. But these puffy legwarmers? Agh! I love them! These were very much so planned, and designed with a specific outcome. I had originally planned on her wearing them around Christmas (hence the candy cane stripe theme), but my little girl just won't slow down her growing - she rebels in so many ways, lol.

Now I need to decide if I want to sell the legwarmer pattern or the finished piece, or both? I've had requests for both, so we'll see... Oh, and yes, she IS kissing the bird feeder in that last picture, silly girl.

Have a great day!

Transitioning to a Healthier Lifestyle - Part 2

Cows should eat grass, not grain. Please read on...

This is an on-going topic on my blog, so if you haven't already read the first section, click here.

One of the biggest changes, yet also the easiest switch, we made was to start buying grass fed meat and dairy products.

There is a HUGE nutritional difference between grain fed products and grass fed. Here is an article by Jo Johnson, who explains why grass fed beef is superior to the feed lot grain-fed products most of us have grown up on.

I like to keep this blog on a more positive note, and don't feel comfortable bombarding you with a gazillion facts as to why it's so important to eat local, and to know where your food is coming from. I've provided a couple links in this post that will help as a starting point if you're not familiar with the topic. But I do encourage you to dig deep, and really become aware of the food industry in America - it's a bit scary to say the least.

It took me a little while to find local grass-fed meat, but I did, and to my surprise, I can pick it up at our local Farm Bureau year round (only ground beef at the moment). During the off-season (grass fed beef is in higher quantities during the spring and summer because in addition to birth timing, the cows have more food to eat and reach their desired weight sooner) our local farmer will meet us in the town square with special orders if she has the items available. I was thrilled to see that the ground beef was actually less expensive than feed lot beef at local chain stores - unbelievable! Another added bonus, it looks like this year the Farm Bureau in our town will be holding an indoor farmers market three times a month during the off season - I'm so excited about this!

Ok, I just can't help myself...
Here's a scary statistic sited in the documentary King Corn- "If you're under the age of 30, chances are you have never tasted grass fed beef, unless you went looking for it." The documentary does a good job of showing how the corn industry is shaping America, and the consequences that go along with it.

Here is another helpful link in finding grass fed meat.

Annnnndddd.... Because it's Monday and I promised I would, here's our dinner menu plan for the week:

Monday: Nachos
Tuesday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Potato Soup (my own creation, and yes, I'll share soon)
Wednesday: Scrambled eggs with veggies and toast
Thursday: Pot Roast with roasted veggies
Friday: Pizza with green peppers and mushrooms (on half of course, because the kids wouldn't have it any other way)

To take a peak at last week's menu, click here.

Good Morning Miss Goober

Today I wanted to share with all of you, the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. How can you not love THAT face?

Have a great weekend everyone!

My Love of Vine Charcoal

When I was younger, I was never without this adorable little cow tin you see below. I found this during a trip to Switzerland back in high school.

See! I loved cows back then too!

It wasn't so much the tin, but what I kept inside of it. My vine charcoal, and a kneaded eraser. Oh my, vine charcoal is by far my favorite tool to work with. Everything just looks so good when you draw with it. It's so forgiving, and easily blended. Different amounts of pressure give you different results in color depth. You can go in with a kneaded eraser and add perfect highlights. It really is my favorite.

So it is sad to me, that I have let so many years go by without using it. I thought I had lost this tin box in our last move. When I was digging to the bottom of my portfolio case for pastels, I felt an odd buldge in a side pocket. I reached down in there and pulled out this tin - you would have thought I struck gold - seriously I was that excited. Poor Austin thought something really cool was going on. Nope, sorry buddy, just your goofy mom flipping over some charcoal.

And of course, as soon as I could (hello nap time!), I rushed outside to my favorite spot and started drawing everything I could see.



I'm a little rusty, it's been almost a decade since I picked up a piece of this stuff. But it felt soooo good. Something tells me this won't be the last charcoal post you see here.


Have a great day everyone!

Unstructured Creativity - Acrylic Paint

About once a week or so (during warm enough weather), I bring the kids out to the back yard and pretty much just let them go to town using some sort of creative medium. Painting is always a favorite in our house, so I try to come up with different ways to go about it. A few weeks ago we used watercolors and I was so excited when Austin decided to make pictures out of colorful finger prints. I have to admit, the main reason I got so excited about it was because back in high school, I finished a rather large replica of a Micheal Angelo drawing using watercolors, my pinkie finger and some black pastels. For me, I thought I was being original, for him, it was just the way it had to be done for the day. That's one of the things I want to foster in my children, to follow their creative desires. And so, that leads us to our "Unstructured Creativity" time.

I must confess, I did have a slight agenda on this one. I let the kids paint on a large piece of white fabric, with acrylic paints. I gave them black, orange, green and purple to work with.... hmmm.... I was hoping I would end up with some sort of super cute little kid piece of artwork to turn into a Halloween decoration later. We ended up with a few very large blackish brown blobs, lol. They had a great time though, and that's all that really matters.

Do you have unstructured creative activities you do with your children? Please share, I'm always looking for more ideas :)

Take care!