~Pinterest~

Pinterest seems to be all the rage right now. I jumped in and put most of my bookmarks on it. If it ever goes away, I'll have problems finding things, but I guess that's life. ;) You can find my boards here.

I think Pinterest blurs the lines between what is ok to post on your personal blog and what isn't. For instance, I wouldn't normally post pictures from other people's blogs on my blog, but Pinterest somehow makes it ok to do. Hmmm. I saw a blog post with an extremely simple craft project on it and the blogger specified which pictures her readers could and couldn't pin on Pinterest. Normally, I am a rule follower extraordinaire, but that just brought out the imp in me and I so wanted to pin the pictures she said not to. I didn't, but I sure wanted to. LOL

So anyhow, Pinterest has been fun. I've found a lot of interesting things and I try not to waste too much time on it! Since being on Pinterest I've tried out the following recipes (click on the links for the original blog posts/recipes):

Chewy cookies...they sure are nice and chewy! One tray got left in the oven a little too long and the cookies were still chewy. The secret ingredient? a little bit of corn starch!

Source: kelseysappleaday.blogspot.com via Tammy on Pinterest

Lasagna Soup - this was awesome!

Source: afarmgirlsdabbles.com via Tammy on Pinterest

Hash browns for the freezer - these are good! I'd do it again if I ever remember...LOL You bake potates and then shred them, so they don't turn brown in the freezer. When you make them they taste like fried baked potatoes, a little different flavor and texture than your regular hash browns.

Source: heavenlyhomemakers.com via Tammy on Pinterest

Healthy breakfast cookies:

Source: heavenlyhomemakers.com via Tammy on Pinterest

It's far easier to find ooey-gooey dessert recipes on Pinterest, but I try not to pin too many of those because my aim is to make healthier food. :)

~Fall Jumper~

On Saturday I made this jumper:


So my daughter could wear it on Sunday. For a seamstress, it's a nice problem to have when your daughter doesn't have many clothes for the season! It means that what I make is necessary and will get lots of wear!

Recognize the flannel? :-) I still have about 2 yards remaining, but I'll probably save it for another year!

I ♥ the pockets! They have elastic at the top, so cute! I purchased the pattern on sale for $1.50 a few weeks ago, and had all the fabric and notions for this jumper. I know I said this before, but I just love it when I have all the materials and notions for a project! :) My mother-in-law gave me the denim a few years back, and it has certainly come in handy for quite a few projects. I only have about 1/3 of a yard left now.

I used McCall's M6154, view B (shown on the left), size 3.

(image above from McCall's site)

Size 2 fits just right/is getting snug, so I moved to size 3. However, 3 seems to be a little big, but I don't want to drop down to size 2 because I want the clothes I make to last all winter.

~Flannel Jammies~

With cool weather here, warm jammies are a necessity! And since my daughter is potty trained now, the zip-up pajamas just don't work very well any longer. I used some flannel I've had forever, in fact my mom got it when I was a teenager to make a flannel jumper for herself. It's my guess that she's glad now that that jumper never happened. ;-) Anyhow, for some reason I've always regarded this flannel as too good to use for pajamas, because it was originally intended for outerwear. But I really needed something warm for my daughter so I decided to use it!



I used Butterick B4910, view B. I made size 3 but had to shorten the legs by 5" and the arms by about 3". But I needed the torso width and length, so it worked out. I decided to try my best to get the plaid to match up, but not to fret over it. So it did take a little extra time, and I'm pleased that the plaid matches as well as it does. Flannel shifts around and the plaid was wonky in places.

I love it when I have all the materials on hand for a project. I had every thing I needed to sew these pajamas! Pattern, fabric, and all notions!

~Weather~

Our weather turned suddenly and now we're in full-blown fall. The calendar may not say "fall" yet but our weather certainly does!

And so I've been making soup. So far in the week and a half that it has been cool, I've made three pots of soup. White Chili, Lasagna Soup, and Chicken Noodle Soup. I jokingly told my husband that I was going to start a blog called "365 Days of Soup". Soup is not Kevin's favorite meal (thus the teasing), but he really enjoyed the lasagna soup!

Today I had to turn the heater on for the first time. I was going to tough it out but when I got up it was 65 degrees in the house and 20 minutes later it was 64. The downward trend convinced me to turn it on.

So far today I've had two cups of coffee and two cups of tea. I do love tea! :) I always drink way more tea in the colder months.

Well, we had a nice summer! I'm sorry to see it go, and I'm trying to embrace fall! Our summer was very busy, and full of blessings from our wonderful Lord. We had some hardships also, but God proved faithful through those as well.

May your fall be full of blessings! Have a wonderful day! :)

~Thank you, and a winner!~

Thank you for all the kind comments on my bloggy birthday/anniversary post. :) Everyone who posted (including those past the "cut off" date) were entered in the contest.

And...

The winner is Sara1977! Please send me an email with your address and soon this will be on its way to you:


A reversible market bag and notebook with stitched cover!

~Tie-Top Beanie~

I've done a few projects with knits, and there's no turning back now! Knits are not hard or scary!

My latest knit project, a tie-top beanie hat (free pattern link):


For my little nephew (due at the end of this month). But here it is on a dolly:


It matches one of the gowns I made. :-)

~Six Year Bloggy Birthday!~

Six years ago today, I started my blog! I couldn't come up with a blog title, so my husband said, "What about Tammy's Times?" And thus it has been all these years! *Smiles*

When I first started blogging, the only digital camera I had was a digital video recorder which also took still pictures. They weren't very high quality:



My other option was to take pictures with film, get it developed and then scan the picture in. Or, I could scan the object, as I did here:



My blogging content and style have changed over the years, just as I have changed. I got a digital camera, then another one, so the pictures now are higher-quality. But not professional, like some bloggers. I haven't been offered a book deal, but I don't think I would want one either! (And what would I write that would fill a book?) Blogging for me has been a little hobby on the side, nothing that I ever desire to turn into a business. Blogging has been something I've enjoyed very much, and I'm so glad that when I talked about starting a blog my husband said, "Go for it!"

And now, my dear readers, I have a little something for you. Well, ONE of you, that is! It's a surprise! If you'd like to play along, just leave me a comment, making sure that there is a way to reach you if I draw your name! It's a small way to thank you for hanging out with me here in my "corner of the web"! I'll draw the winner on the 6th!

~Green Beans~

We have pole beans planted in our garden this year. At first we thought they weren't going to produce much, but as the summer has progressed, they keep producing more and more. I've been canning them, in quart jars since I've run out of pints.

Yesterday morning I took my coffee out on the front porch with my beans that needed snapping.



Only I cut the ends with a pair of kitchen scissors. I can't be the first genius to think of this...(heh, heh) but it sure works so much faster than a knife!



There. Coffee finished and beans all cut and ready to can. And it was relaxing to sit with my feet in the sun, with my daughter nearby coloring with her sidewalk chalk.

~Canning streak~

Well. I did it. I broke my streak for this summer.

My 147th jar of canned goods did not seal.

We'll enjoy my un-canned grean beans for dinner tonight. :D

~Hmmmm~

I keep seeing something on crafting blogs and crafty sites that just really bothers me.

Maybe I'm silly. Or maybe I'm too "honest". Maybe I'm an old fuddy-duddy.

But why is it ok to walk into a store and walk out with craft project materials, without paying for anything?

Do you know what I'm talking about?

Paint chips.

Source: daintysquid.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: readymade.com via Cathey on Pinterest

Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Laura on Pinterest

And more...

The pictures above are more than, "I was painting the kitchen and couldn't decide on which color to paint so I have a lot of paint chips. I think I'll make something with the extra paint chips I have."

So. Do tell me. Am I being silly? Do you think it's ok to take paint chips for whatever the project might be?