Ghost Towels

Our lack of Halloween decorations has been the topic of conversation in my house lately. Mainly by a very persistent 5 year old. I promised Austin we would search for ideas, and then start making our own decorations. I just can't bring myself to buy anymore of those plastic, battery operated (eh, LOUD) monsters you see gracing every drugstore shelf. Don't get me wrong, we do have two in the house. Ah, two too many for sure. Anyway, this is cheaper, and it will mean so much more in the years ahead when we unpack all the decorations and remember the days spent making them.

This particular project I found online at thelongthread.com. Directions for making them were not given. But because this is not my idea, I won't share a tutorial for it. Below are the photos of the process though, so I'm sure you can figure it out if you'd like to make your own. I drew the ghost face freehand on freezer paper and then used that method to apply it. I made mine slightly different than the original (to see the original post, click here) If you're not familiar with the freezer paper method, or need a quick refresher, click here.

I used a hand towel we had for the dimensions.

My sewing buddy that night - he hopped himself into my living room when I was letting the dog out, and then ended up right here. I guess he couldn't decide if he wanted to stay or go :)

Have a great day!

Squash Soup and Scones - and a great recipe site

When the temperature starts dropping, I instinctively start wanting to cook, simmer and bake all day. Really, I think it must be instinct, because even back when I pretty much lived off of toaster pastries and boxed cereal, once fall arrived, I was more than willing to put whatever "agenda" I had aside, and cook up something new and savory. This year is no different (well, it is in the sense that I've advanced quite a bit in my cooking since those tart days).

And so, that brings me to this soup. This incredibly delicious, and packed full of good stuff soup. Yum! It's butternut squash soup, and next to that in the photo is a cheddar scone. I found the recipes for this on mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com. I love that site! I get tons of recipes from there. I must warn you, it is a bit over-whelming when you first look at it. There are just soooo many recipes. Mennonites have been known for turning almost nothing into incredible, delicious, meals. Which is how I came across this blog, and boy am I glad I did!

The veggies before they went in the pot...

I made two batches of this soup to freeze. The little jars will serve me well for lunch (my kids won't go near soup - I'm working on that), and the larger quart jars will be enough for my husband. I've already tried reheating it, and it turns out great. Click here for the recipe.

Take Care!

Shopping with Hannah

I thought it would be fun to share a typical shopping trip with my very animated little girl. Ah, the emotions of a 2 year old girl - enjoy! :)

The look of defeat...

Have a great weekend everyone!

Momma's Knittin' Messanger Bag

Designed by....... Me!!

Ok, ok, I know, it's nothing super original, but, I did make it exactly how I had envisioned it, and cut out my own pattern pieces with custom dimensions. I wanted it fully lined, with specific pockets for my knitting needles and notions, and the flap just had to be in the reverse. And so, in all of my excitement for myself, hehe, I have to share some of the process with you... Oh! And I can't forget to add, the funky front fabric and inside liner are thrifted finds.

My pattern pieces and written dimensions for later.

Flap construction.

Inside the bag, look at how nicely those needles fit! :)

With the flap up.

The finished bag!

Thank you for letting me indulge myself today - I just had to share!

Have a great day!

Tutorial: Pot Holder Mitt - not a glove

It dawned on me this afternoon, that for the last six years, I've never once purchased or used a pot holder, seriously. Maybe that's one of the reasons I always end up hurting myself in the kitchen, hmmm... Anyway, I decided it was time to finally start using one. And because I'm quite certain I would never be able to find exactly what I wanted for a price I was willing to pay, I decided I must make my pot holder mitt. I wanted to be able to slide my hand inside of something, but I didn't want it to be one of those big bulky gloves - I just don't like those. I also wanted it to double as a table trivet, and use up some of the insanely large mistake purchase of commercial grade insulated batting. That batting is the reason I had such a hard time with the lunch bag project (well one of the reasons at least). I also didn't want to spend a dime. Wow, what a list of demands! I did it though, and this is what I ended up with....

I have to say, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. The super thick batting made it a bit tricky with the biased tape, but other than that, it was pretty easy. If you would like to make one for yourself, this is how I did it...

What you need:
plain paper (to make your pattern)
Insulated batting (or a couple old towels)
Cotton fabric of your choice, and enough to cover both sides
Biased tape - 1 pkg
Quilting Pins
Fabric marker or chalk
Coordinating thread

Ok, here we go!

First make your pattern with the plain paper. I used one 8" x 9" and one 8" x 3.75"(you will cut two of these). You don't have to make the pattern, but it will make things a lot easier later on.

I just wanted to share with you the incredibly LARGE piece of insulted batting I bought a while back. Definitely the wrong stuff, yup. But, it still works and I'm determined to use it all up. Ideas anyone???

Lay out your pattern pieces on the batting, and draw around them, adding a half inch to all sides. You will need enough for 1 of the large pattern pieces, and 2 of the smaller ones.

Next, place your batting on top of the wrong side of your fabric.

Fold the fabric over the batting so that the wrong sides are touching. Cut out the fabric around the sandwiched batting.

Using quilting pins, pin the material to the batting, all the way threw, and make sure it's still sandwiching the batting.

Now you need to make your stitching lines to give it a quilted look, and to hold everything in place. I made diagonal lines every 1.5" and used my clear ruler as a guide to keep it even. Do this over the entire piece.

Now sew along the lines, removing the pins as you go. Just a word of caution, as you get further down your fabric strip, don't rotate the direction that you're sewing in, or you could get fabric bunching that just wouldn't look so pretty.

This is what it should look like when you're done.

Now take your pattern pieces, and cut out 1 large piece, and 2 of the smaller pieces. It should look like this.

Next, grab your biased tape. I took a picture of mine because it made me a little sad to open it up. This and the striped fabric were gifts from Granny Grace. Thank you!

Pin and then sew on the biased tape to the meeting edges on both small pieces.

Line up the edges of the smaller pieces with the large piece so that it looks like this.

Sew along all of the outer edges. You're almost done!

Pin and sew your biased tape around all of the outer edges. Be sure to add half an inch extra when you start so you can fold it under at the end and there won't be exposed seams.

That's it! It does it's job as a pot holder, and as a trivet when placed flat on the table. And, I didn't spend a dime. Again, if you don't have batting, just grab an old towel and make 2 to 3 layers depending on how thick it is, and use that as batting.

Take Care!

Bread Making

I know, I talk about bread a lot. I can't help it. I love it, especially right out of the oven. And that hour that needs to pass before slicing it is sheer agony.

I've been making my own bread for about a year now, for a number of reasons. Mostly because I love the process, and (yes I know I'm repeating myself), because nothing tastes better (to me) than freshly baked bread.

It took me a very long time to get it right. I'd say for the first month most of my "loaves" were more like bricks. We had a lot of croutons in the house back then...

My husband can't stand "earthy" bread as he calls it, so I was also struggling to find the right recipe to get that fluffy store bought bread he loves so much.

I didn't find it. I even went as far as purchasing dough enhancer (yes, there is such a thing), but in addition to it not doing a thing - such a waste. It also added a lot of the extra fillers I wanted removed - another reason to make my own bread.

Right before I was going to throw in the bread making towel, I came across the Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown. Every review I read sang only of praise for this book, and more than once claimed it was the only bread making book you'd ever need. I figured I would go for it, and if it didn't work out, we would just go back to buying the 15 grain, no additive, expensive store bought bread.

All I can say is, if you want incredible, hand made bread, get this book. I've been using the book for about two months now, and have made at least 20 loaves and a handful of the other recipes. They all turn out perfect, every single time. I love it, and can't speak highly enough of it. I only wish I would have known about this when I first started making bread, it would have saved me a lot of wasted time, energy and money.

The photos above are some examples of bread I've made using the book. In fact, the first time I followed the instructions from the book, my bread rose so high in the oven that I had to remove the top rack (the third picture).

I should also add that the book does not limit itself to just yeast bread. There are also recipes for pastries, muffins and quick breads, flavored butters and it shows you how to roll out different forms of bread (like the one in the second photo, which I might add is stuffed with apples, yum!).

Let me know if you try it and what you think.

Take care!

Natural Inexpensive Cleaning Solutions

Natural, inexpensive cleaning solutions became a must have in our house as soon as we found out I was pregnant with our oldest. I wish I would have known just how simple it really was. That you don't really need all those bottles, pumps, aerosol's and wipes. In fact, what you're looking at here, is all I use to for 95% of our surface cleaning. Just plain old baking soda and vinegar.

Spritz on some hydrogen peroxide, and you have a natural disinfectant. According to Ellen Sandbeck, who wrote Organic Housekeeping, "When hydrogen peroxide is exposed to heat, light, or organic material, it releases its extra oxygen; pure water and oxygen are produced by this reaction. Pure oxygen is extremely toxic to microorganisms, which is why hydrogen peroxide is such an effective antiseptic." This book is my go-to book for safe and effective housecleaning. She covers everything and anything I could ever think of when it comes to taking care of a house, and if natural housekeeping is a priority of yours, or even an just an interest, I highly suggest reading this.

Right Now

Happy First Day of October!

Though I know it already happened, it doesn't truly feel like fall to me until October 1st. And fall is MY season. I love the colors, the smells, the food, and the over all-feeling. Everything is crisp and bright. The wild flowers are bursting with color. The smell of leaves burning and the crunching of acorns under our feet highlight our afternoons.

And here is what we are doing Right Now...

Take Care and have a wonderful weekend!