~Clipping Coupons~

I have been clipping coupons for a few weeks now, and have found that it is something I really enjoy!

I am learning so much about couponing! And I've even gotten a few free things since I started! The two main places that I'm gathering information are at Money Saving Mom and Hot Coupon World.

My goals in couponing are:
:::to save money on our grocery bill
:::to use coupons on products I need and would be purchasing anyhow

There were several things that kept me from trying coupons: the cost of subscribing to the paper, the amount of time I knew it would take, the temptations of buying things I didn't normally use, and seeing how (in my eyes) some couponers were "hoarders".

Cost: I subscribed to the paper on Sunday only - the savings I make with the coupons is more than the cost of the paper. Some Sunday afternoons, I have enough time to look through the paper and actually read a few articles, which has been enjoyable. I always make time for the funnies. ;-) I am only getting one paper. Some couponers get multiple copies of the paper, but I want to keep it simple!

Time: It really doesn't take me too much extra time to use coupons - perhaps an extra hour or two per week. I clip the coupons and file them away. On Monday I look through the grocery ad and match up sale items to coupons I have. There are also bloggers who match these up as well so I scan over several lists online to see if there are any I missed. Then I make my list and off to the store I go! At this point, I am only going to one store. There are several stores I could shop at, but I'm sticking to the convenience of just one store for all my groceries.

Temptations: I have bought a few things that were outside my normal range of grocery shopping. But I try to only clip the coupons that I *should* be using, and the rest go out to the curb for recycling.

Hoarding: I am determined to only buy what I know our family will use, so this isn't really that much of a problem for me. For instance, I use perhaps two large bottles of shampoo per year, so there is no need for me to have 20 bottles of shampoo under my bathroom sink! However, we do use peanut butter, and the brand I buy is normally $3.09 a jar. When it went on sale, I was able to combine coupons with store coupons and buy six jars for $7. Now that was a great bargain! I know that eventually we'll use that peanut butter, and it saved me a lot of money to stock up! I use cleaners sparingly, so I know that I have no need of 10 bottles of toilet cleaner! However, it makes sense to have 10 bottles of dish washing soap in the cupboard, because I know I will use about that much in a year's time.

Here is how I organized my coupons, (using the method Crystal explains at Money Saving Mom):



I did have to cut about 1/4" off the edge of the 3 x 5 card so that the lid could close. This system is working well for me right now, and I can take the whole box into the store in case there are unadvertised sales on items I have coupons for.

Here is the box with the lid closed:



My conclusion is that couponing is something I will continue to do! It has saved me quite a bit of money already, and I am still learning the "ins and outs" of the process!

~Pink Dress~

When I was overdue, and quite sick with a cough, I convinced myself that a complicated sewing project would be just the ticket to take my mind off my worries. Well, it did for a little bit, and then I set it aside. I finally finished it last Saturday, in time for The Baby to wear it to church this Sunday. Thankfully it still fits!

I used Simplicity 2900, size XS. I made the dress, View A; and the slip, View B:



I used a sheer fabric for the dress, and kept it simple with no lace on the collar or sleeves, and no embroidery as the pattern shows.



All those little tucks took a lot of work! There are also pleats at the armhole seam, which makes the dress fit very well.



This is the closest I've come to "heirloom" sewing. The pattern didn't call for it, but the fabric easily frayed, so I used french seams and bound the armhole seams. I do have a serger, but I thought that the french seams would look neater.



I made the slip out of 100% white cotton. The pattern calls for flat lace around the neck, armholes, and hem. I used pre-gathered lace around the hem, and just bound the seams around the arms and neck. Instead of cutting out facings (on the bias) for the neck and armhole edges, I simply used bias tape. It worked well since it already had a folded edge. I also left off the embroidery, since I didn't want it showing through the dress.

Pardon the wrinkliness of the slip; as I mentioned it is 100% cotton (from my fabric bin, I think it is actually muslin, which probably isn't the best choice of fabric. Oh well!)



I enjoyed making this little outfit. Besides aprons, I haven't used any of the vintage patterns, so this was fun. My next project will be much simpler, and hopefully it won't take me 2 1/2 months to complete! :-)

~Hello, hello!~

I'm back to blogging now! I plan on being a regular blogger, instead of randomly posting every three weeks or so! ;-)

I am so glad that I decided to take a little break from blogging. It gave me some time to think about if I really wanted to continue blogging. As I was sewing one day, and formulating a post in my mind, I realized that yes, I wanted to continue blogging!

So here I am!

~Hello, and Good Bye~

Hello, hello! It has been a while since I have popped on to say anything at all. Life is busy with a baby! Busy, but wonderful, of course. :-) My darling daughter is almost one month old now. We are enjoying life with our daughter very much!



I am so sleep deprived, sometimes I can't even talk in full sentences, much less try to maintain a blog! So I've decided to say "good bye" for now. I don't know how long my blog break will be, but I do plan on coming back after a while. Maybe when my baby starts sleeping through the night? We'll see.

So, good bye! and thank you for being sweet blog readers! I've thoroughly enjoyed blogging because of the people who comment on my blog! Thank you!

~Dish Cloth~

FO from January:



Pattern: My Coffee Cup Cloth
Yarn: Red Heart Ltd. Cotton Twist
Needles: Size 6

I don't know why, but dishcloths make a fun project, and it is hard for me to resist making them. The only thing is, I can't stand to use them to wash my dishes! LOL This one ended up being a gift to my grandma, who does enjoy using them! :-)

~My daughter is here!~

Sorry for the delay in posting...

Our adorable daughter was born on March 11. She has been a delight and a joy, and we are praising the Lord for her!

~A little update~

(Image source) My little girl decided that an aquamarine would be a better birth stone than the amethyst. Though, if *I* were picking, I would have picked February's birth stone over March's birth stone! After all, it would have been nice to have her by her due date! But my little one is still quite cozy where she is and hasn't shown any inclination that she is coming into the world any time soon!

In the mean time, I am recovering from a very bad cough and cold, so perhaps it is better that she decided to wait a bit anyhow! There is an end in sight, as my doctor won't let me go too much longer!

~A house or a home?~

I'm just musing here...

TLC has a new program called My First Home (which I have only seen advertisements for). The advertisements for the program show people telling why it is so important to them to own a home. Some of them have pretty shallow reasons - "so my son will have a place to remember". You know what? If you only rent all your life, your children aren't going to look back and have a blank spot in their memories when it comes to their home life. It really doesn't take owning a house to have a home.

Kevin and I do own our house - but we had a home long before we owned a house! I have many fond memories of our first home together. It was a tiny 500 square foot apartment. It had the smallest kitchen I've ever had, and the largest bedroom closet we've ever had. The apartment was old, the oven could have blinded me one day due to an electrical problem, the walls were thin and the neighbors were noisy. But it was our home. I happily cooked and cleaned and we had company over and we spent many happy hours together in our home.

I do think TLC's program ought to be named "My First House"...because it doesn't take buying a house to have a home!

~Stitched in Time~

I was delighted to get a copy of Stitched in Time: Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share from the Creator of Posie Gets Cozy from my local library! In fact, I was the first person to check the book out!

I have read Posie Gets Cozy for quite a while now. Alicia's style of writing, photography, crafts, and food is very enjoyable.

I had a fun time looking through the book. There were several projects which could be jumping-off points for me. I don't think I would make anything exactly like the book shows, but I could change my mind down the road. I'm sure I'll check out this book again for crafting inspiration!

~An Interesting Read~

As I read through blogs, I occasionally come across a book that looks interesting. I then look on my library catalog and see if it is available. If it is, I place a hold on it. Often, by the time I get the book, I've forgotten who recommended the book.

Such is the case of White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen. Regardless of who recommended it, it was a very interesting read. It allowed a peek into the White House, through the eyes of the chef. Walter Scheib was the chef for 7 years of the Clinton administration, and 4 years of the Bush administration. It is not a book on politics though - far from it. The book is peppered with recipes as well as short commentaries on different occasions and events. I really enjoyed reading this book!

~Spring~

Last May I snapped this picture at a park:



Ah, it would be lovely, lovely, lovely to be able to go to a park and see this. But alas and alack, we still have much snow on the ground!

~Counted Cross Stitch Projects~

I recently posted about my finished counted cross stitch projects...the bunnies that took me 16 years to complete. As any good crafter would, I actually had several cross stitch projects that I completed while my bunnies sat untouched. *Smiles*

This project was one I completed before I started my bunny project:


Projects finished during the bunny projects:






I haven't done a lot of counted cross stitch projects, but I am very happy with the few that I have done over the years! I recently started another counted cross stitch project, which I will show soon.

~Infant CPR Class~

A few nights ago, Kevin and I took an infant CPR class. This class varies several ways from a regular, certified CPR class: the methods used are for "friends and family" rather than the methods used by the medical world, and it was specific towards infants and small children.

I have never had a CPR class, and the last time Kevin took CPR was in 8th grade. The class session was just under 3 hours, and was a video course that you practiced on an infant mannequin/dummy right along with the video. After the video, we also went over other emergencies that are specific to infants and children.

If you spend any amount of time with children, I highly recommend taking a class such as I've described! It was well worth our evening, and while I hope that we never have to use what we've learned, it could quite possibly be the difference between life and death if we are ever around an infant or child that is not breathing and/or is choking.

To find a class in your area, check through your local hospital or health clinic.

~Spring Fling!~

Well, it isn't technically "spring" yet, and certainly with snow on the ground here it doesn't even feel like spring! But I'm in the mood for getting rid of things! It is a great feeling to clean out your home and rid of unwanted things!

Here's how I choose to get rid of my clutter:

***Donate to a thrift store
This is the easiest way to get rid of clutter. All you have to do is load the car up and drive to the nearest thrift store. I use this method for clothing and small household items.

***Donate to someone via Freecycle.org
I have blogged about Freecylcle several times. If you have a group in your area, this is a great way to get rid of larger items. I was just looking at my group, and there is someone wanting non-working lawnmowers. This would have been great to know a few months ago when my husband took our old lawnmower to the dump! You can find a home for practically anything on Freecycle!

***Sell on Craigslist
If you have larger items that are really nice, you can make some money selling them on Craigslist. In the last year, we have really started using Craigslist, both for finding items we needed and selling items we didn't need! In recent months, we have sold Kevin's old truck, a mirror, and two different sets of mirrored closet doors. With the listing, make sure to post a picture of the item you're selling. A picture is worth a thousand words, you know! :-)

Be cautious when dealing with people, either through Freecycle or Craigslist. There are scams you have to watch out when you sell large items through Craigslist. If at all possible, have the item you're giving away or selling either outside, in the garage, or as close to the front door as possible.

Most of all, have fun getting clutter out of your house!!!

~Do you clip coupons?~

In looking for some ways to save money, I've turned to our grocery bill. We don't spend a ton on groceries, and in fact, we make almost everything from "scratch". But there are still coupons out there that I know I could put to use. In the past I have purchased the Sunday paper and clipped a few coupons here and there, but I've never subscribed to the paper, so it was always a separate trip out to get the paper, which isn't very convenient!

Last night we went grocery shopping at Meijer. For those of you who don't have Meijer stores, the closest description would be a Super Wal*Mart. But in my opinion, Meijer is much better than Wal*Mart. =) The only coupons I had were Meijer promotional coupons. We had gotten them on previous grocery shopping trips (they print when you check out), and they were set to expire, so we had to use them or lose them.

I was so excited to look at my receipt and see that I saved nearly $42 by combining sales and the Meijer coupons!!! I am far from posting a picture of a table full of food and saying, "Look what I got for $1.89", but I was still very happy to have saved so much money!

So far, our money-saving tactics are:
To go to the store after 8 p.m., so we can hit the meat counter. They close at 8, and put meat out at greatly-reduced prices.
To go through the weekly ad and buy as much as possible on sale.
To stock up when something is on a good sale.

I'd like to add couponing to my list of tactics! Do you coupon? are you "gung-ho" about it? or just casually interested in it?

I know that a lot of people save money by shopping at CVS and Wal-greens, but I'll be honest. I'm not interested in the amount of work it takes to do this, and I'm really not interested in the products that I see people saving money on/getting for free. This is just a personal preference, because I know a lot of people save a lot of money doing this! It just isn't for me! :-)

~Framed~

Yesterday I picked up my cross stitch project from the frame shop.



They did a great job, and it has already found a home in the nursery.



I have finished a handful of counted cross stitch projects over the last 16 years - and framed them myself. But this project needed not only a custom mat but a custom frame/glass. Adding the cost of labor for them to frame it was not that much more, and well worth it, in my opinion.

Now that these are finished, I'm looking for a new counted cross stitch pattern!

~Washing Counted Cross Stitch Projects~

In my previous post, QuiltedHeart Lisa asked:

I'm concerned about you washing your project. Are you certain all of the embroidery thread is colorfast? Can you get away with not washing it? Sometimes the fabric underneath shrinks, causing puckers. Just another idea...but a wonderful job!!!

Good question!

First of all, I used DMC thread for my project. DMC is known for making good quality, colorfast threads. Since that is what I used, that is what my answer applies to. Some of the cheaper cross stitch kits may not use quality threads, and then I would be concerned about washing the finished project (I would venture a guess that these wouldn't bleed either, unless some of the threads were red or extremely dark). Also, the aida cloth I used was quality fabric. I have washed finished counted cross stitch projects with great success.

Since it has been a while since I have finished a project, I looked up some instructions, and found these excellent directions for washing a finished project: How to Wash Your Cross Stitch Piece. All washing is done very gently by hand, in lukewarm water. No tossing in the washing machine or dryer!!! :O

When I took my pieces in to the frame shop, the lady who I was working with told me, "This is exactly how we like to see finished projects: clean and pressed."

~16 Years in the Making...~

Sometimes it amazes me how long I can draw certain projects out. However, this project, a counted cross stitch set of pictures, is my longest project ever. It took me a little over 16 years to finish these:



Before my 16th birthday, I was drawn to this set, named "Pinky and Blue Bunny". The patterns were in a magazine that my grandma subscribed to. One of the reasons I liked these patterns was the fact that every single square of the pattern was filled in with a cross stitch. So I did know that they would take a while to complete, but I never thought I'd take 16 years to finish them! :-)

The final step in finishing the project is to wash them and take them to get framed. Because of their shape, they needed both a custom mat and frame. I chose to put them in one frame with a double mat. I'm happy they are done, and thrilled that a WIP is now a FO! =D

~Showers of Blessings~

As we prepare for the coming of our little girl, we have been so incredibly blessed by our friends and family. I won't list everything that has been given to us, but we are well prepared with essentials and non-essentials alike for our baby!

This week, the ladies of my church gave me a shower. I was overwhelmed with the generosity of everyone!

I wanted to share a few pictures - I completely forgot to take my camera along, so these pictures are from one of the ladies who hosted the shower.

The theme of the shower was Winnie the Pooh. I love Winnie the Pooh, and am doing my nursery with the Classic Pooh (along with other decorations - I'll share pictures of my nursery soon!).

My friend's daughter made the cake:



Each table was decorated with a Winnie the Pooh character, a book, a balloon, little cutouts and adorable favors for the guests. The favors were teddy bear grahams and gummy bears wrapped in pink tulle and tied with a pink ribbon.



As I mentioned, everyone was so generous in their gifts! Some of the gift bags seemed bottomless, as I kept pulling out outfit after outfit, item after item!



I felt very special by how well-planned everything was. It was a very nice evening!

~Yum~

So...I've had a "Yuck" post at the top of my blog for over 10 days, I figured it was more than time for a "Yum" post. :-P

Yesterday I was looking at the Money Saving Mom blog, and noticed that Crystal mentioned a brown rice, spinach and cheese casserole. That sounded so good to me, only she didn't post her recipe.

So I made up my own. I still have morning sickness issues, which include not liking onions or garlic, or pretty much any seasoning at all. So I browned some ground beef, drained and rinsed it and then put a frozen package of chopped spinach in it and defrosted it. Then I mixed in cooked brown rice till it looked right, put the mixture into a casserole dish and topped with cheese. Since everything was hot, I just stuck it in the oven until the cheese was nice and melted.

And it was so good! Kevin liked it too - and he usually likes things seasoned well. I didn't even put salt or pepper in it! Easy and delicious! The spinach makes everything moist, so that you don't need anything creamy in it. Although, I bet cream of mushroom soup would be a good addition. But I liked it just the way it was!

~Yuck~

Recently I've had to throw away two of my handknits:


Pigs Monkeying Around


How Fetching

Why? Because they felted in the wash! Boooooo I'm so sad! The Monkey Socks were the most disappointing. I washed them fine for nearly a year then all of a sudden they started felting. The yarn is 100% wool, but it was labeled as "superwash" wool, and the instructions on the label said to machine wash.

I'm certainly not happy about the Fetching mitts, but at least I am forewarned that the yarn is not machine-washable, because I have a scarf out of the same yarn. I'd hate for the scarf to get ruined since much more work went into it than the fingerless mitts.

*sigh*

And to top it off my ripple afghan is in need of washing. I'm going to hand wash it - there is no way I'm throwing it in the washer and crossing my fingers hoping it comes out ok! Not after I spent so much money on it!

~Another FO~

I just finished another little project for my coming little one, the Top Down Bonnet. I love free patterns! :-)



It was a very simple knit. I did learn one new tecnique - the Figure 8 cast on. It wasn't hard to figure out, and made the top of the cap very nice. There is no seaming on this cap. I just love the self-striping baby yarn I used. I made the "baby" size, rather than the "newborn" size, so I hope it will fit at the right time!

For more pattern/yarn details, please click here (Ravelry link).

~Happy New Year!~

A very happy New Year to you!

Last night we went to our church for fellowship, food, and games. I took a cherry pie, which was so pretty, I wish I had taken a picture of it, but I didn't! And egg salad sandwiches. There was a lot of food. In years past, people have brought a lot of sweets, but this year there was more substantial food, which is so much nicer for snacking than plate after plate of cookies and cakes and candies!

Today has been a lazy kind of holiday day. I tried my hand at New Year's Cookies. What are they? Yeasted dough filled with raisins, that are deep fried until golden brown and then rolled in sugar. My grandma makes them every year on New Year's - it is the only day she makes them. My dad's side of the family is German, and I am pretty sure this is a German tradition. We have never been with my family for New Year's, and so this year I determined to make some for myself. Well. I need more practice in the deep-frying department! Thankfully, I only made half a batch, so I didn't waste too many ingredients. The dough turned out perfectly. But I have never been a deep-fryer so I heated the oil too hot and the outsides cooked too quickly, leaving the insides gooey dough! Live and learn! Next year I'll know to cook them more slowly! I was able to salvage them, by refrying them. Needless to say, I won't be putting in for a job at the local donut shop! ;-)

We're going to take down the tree tonight, and then I'm going to get out my snowmen. I have a little collection of snowmen, and it is fun to bring them out after Christmas is over, to enjoy for a month or two during the winter.

May God bless you richly in this coming New Year! Thank you for continuing to come by my blog, and read and comment!

~Baby Knitting~

Several months ago, I knitted a Lacy Baby Bonnet (link directs to free pattern). It was a fun knit that took me only an afternoon to complete. This is the newborn size. I would like to make it again with thicker yarn, for a bigger size.



This afternoon I finished a small Petal Bib, found in the book One Skein. This took only a few hours as well. I started it last night, and would have gotten it finished much, much sooner, but I think I spent as much time unknitting as I did knitting! I've done short rows before, but for some reason I had trouble getting the hang of this pattern. However, now that I've got it done, I think it would be fun to make another one or two. This bib turned out smaller than the pattern because I used a lighter weight yarn than the pattern called for. But that's ok. =) I learned several new techniques on this project, which is where the unknitting came into play!



As always, more details on Ravelry.

Sorry for the picture quality - it is a yucky day for pictures!

~Orange Muffins~

Can you stand another food post? I suppose after months of not being able to even think about food, I am eager to share the few recipes that I'm actually enjoying now. Oranges were on sale, so we had quite a few, and I searched for a recipe that would help me use some up.

Fresh Orange Muffins
Ingredients
1 orange, quartered and seeds removed (with peel)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F; spray a muffin tin (12) with non-stick cooking spray like Pam and set aside.
2. Put orange quarters in food processor (or blender) along with orange juice and process or blend until pureed.
3. Add egg and butter to food processor and combine; pour into large bowl.
4. Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add all at once to orange mixture.
5. Stir to combine.
6. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove from oven and let stand in tin for five minutes before removing muffins.

Recipe and picture from Recipezaar.com.

I have made these twice now. They are very good! It took 2 oranges for the 1/2 cup of orange juice, though if you have orange juice on hand, it would certainly be easier. The last batch I made with 1 cup flour, and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour. Very yummy!

~Stuff~

I have a friend who sells Uppercase Living, and with part of my birthday money, I bought two expressions. Kevin put one of them up for me today, and I love the way it looks!



This wall is in our living room. I've never known quite what to do to decorate this wall. Do I pretend the stain glass window doesn't exist, and put decorations on either side of it? (Before we redid the living room that is what I did, and I wasn't happy with the look.) Or do I accept the window as a piece of artwork and put low-key decorations around it? Well, I chose the latter this go-around. I am quite happy with the look! I also used birthday money to buy the candle sconces.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Last weekend and the early part of this week we got dumped with snow! I'm not sure what the total amount was, but it was between 2-3 feet. Kevin's truck is parked in our back yard, off the side of our driveway, and the snow blower attacked it:



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Today it has been raining and it is quite warm. Balmy, in fact. I went to the library and people were out and about with no jackets, and in their shorts. Oh, "balmy" is relative - in our case the high for today was 55*. LOL The snow is coming back tomorrow though!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I really wasn't thinking when I posted last - because, yes, we did have a very cozy, quiet Christmas Eve and morning, but then we were invited for dinner to a friend's house Christmas afternoon. We enjoyed a nice dinner, and then played games afterwards (and there was nothing quiet about that! LOL). One of the games we played was a complicated card game called Rage. I do not enjoy learning new games, especially complicated games, but I persevered and guess who won? Yes, I won! I was quite surprised. =)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hoping the rest of your year is wonderful!!! Can you believe 2008 is almost over?

~Merry Christmas!~

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!

This year is our first year to have a WHITE Christmas! We have had quite a few snow storms move through our area and we have mountains of snow in our yard! It is also our first year to celebrate Christmas with just the two of us....we're having a much quieter Christmas than normal.=)

May you have a wonderful day, God bless!!!

~Christmas Memories~

I was inspired by Susan's post, to share my own Christmas memories!

When we lived in Illinois/Ohio, we always spent Christmas with my mom's parents, who lived in Ohio. One particular year, when I was 5 or so, we had gotten a big box of presents from my other grandparents and aunts and uncles. I couldn't wait to open them! However, we had to wait, because my mom didn't think it would be fair for us to open twice the number of gifts that my cousins had. I was just dying to open those gifts, I couldn't wait till my cousins left! I kept asking, "When are they going to leave?" and when they were finally walking out the door, I was running down the hall shouting excitedly about opening our gifts (note: the door didn't have time shut behind them before I started shouting!). Kids just don't have tact, do they? ;-)

Another Christmas memory is sleeping on the hide-away couch in my grandparent's living room. We got to go to sleep with the Christmas tree still lit, and it was so fun to lay there in the dark with just the Christmas tree shining. Of course, it sounds peaceful, but the other half of the time, my sister and I (who didn't share a bed at home) were fighting over the covers. It's amazing that we didn't rip the sheets to shreds, the way we pulled and tugged those covers!

After my family and my grandparents moved to California, we split Christmas Day with my mom's parents and my dad's parents. We started the fun tradition of bringing all our gifts over to my mom's parents and opening everything there. It has always been a controlled mad house with wrapping paper flying everywhere, punctuated with shouts of "OH MY GOODNESS. I LOVE IT!" (That would be from my dramatic, younger sisters!)

One year, when I was about 11 or 12, my grandpa gave me $10 before Christmas, and helped me shop for my sisters. That was tremendously fun! I couldn't wait for them to open my gifts on Christmas Day!

One last memory - the year that Kevin and I got engaged! His mom flew us to Washington the week before Christmas. The evening after our arrival, we went on a ferry across the Puget Sound. As the Seattle skyline faded in the distance, Kevin worked up the courage to ask me to be his wife! :-) And of course, I said yes! Well, actually I nodded yes, until Kevin prompted me to say yes. LOL For some reason, I think because our tickets were purchased at different times, I flew home a day before Kevin did. The ticket agent asked Kevin if I was flying as an unaccompanied minor! Haha...her face got so red when she found out that I was 23 and newly engaged, not under the age of 12! When I got off the plane, my siblings bombarded me with hugs and everyone was tugging at my hand trying to see my ring! Kevin was also included in our family Christmas, and he proposed to me several times in front of the family. :-)

~Procrastination~

“No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasent. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our communion with God. If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it.” — Alexander MacLaren (1826-1910) Scottish Preacher

~Christmas Candy~

One of the things I've enjoyed doing in the past is making Christmas candy for gifts. It is fun to give a plate of goodies to neighbors and friends. I haven't done it the past two years, but this year I decided to make my treats again.

Peanut Butter Balls
1 lb. butter or margarine
2 lb. peanut butter (smooth)
3 lb. powdered sugar

Mix butter and peanut butter together. Add powdered sugar. If need be, use spoon when it gets thick. If using real butter, use all powdered sugar. If using margarine you probably won't use all powdered sugar. Make into 1" balls. Dip in almond bark or coating chocolate (2 - 1 1/2 lb. packages). Makes 200. If you cut down the recipe, cut it down by weight, not measurement.

--from a friend

This year, I cut the recipe in half. I didn't want to stand and roll peanut butter balls forever. :-)

Pretzel Sticks
I bought pretzel rods, dipped them in white almond bark and rolled them in crushed candy canes. I did let them harden too long, so I ended up having to recoat them with more almond bark before the candy canes would stick.

Easy Toffee Candy
1 1/4 cups butter, divided
35-40 saltine-style crackers
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cups finely chopped walnuts

1. Melt 1/4 cup butter; pour into foil-lined jelly roll pan.
2. Arrange crackers over butter, evenly spaced.
3. Melt remaining butter; add sugar and boil 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat and add condensed mil. Spread over crackers.
5. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes, until bubbly and slightly darkened.
6. Remove from oven, cool 1 minute and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes until chocolate is soft and melty, and spread chocolate out.
Sprinkle with nuts; press lightly into chocolate.
7. Cool; refrigerate until chocolate is set.
8. Remove foil and cut candy.

This tastes a lot like Almond Roca. Makes 50 pieces.

This recipe is from a blog I used to read, and I'm drawing a blank as to what the name of the blog is. I just have it printed out, with no source listed.

Edited to add: recipe can be found here, at Life in a Shoe.

I also made some orange fudge. It turned out ok...I had a terrible time cutting it, and I'm not very impressed with it. I won't be making it again, so I didn't want to post the recipe. :-)

~Blameshifting~

We live in an interesting society. It all started with a cup of spilt coffee and a law suit to McDonald's, and now, 14 years later, lawsuits against companies are rampant. Instead of people taking personal responsibility (oops, I spilled my cup of coffee - I need to be more careful) it becomes the problem of the company (you gave me coffee that was too hot). A little side note - who wants lukewarm coffee anyhow???

So last night we were in a meeting, and one of the guys sat on a chair. But he didn't stay in the chair long - he was soon on the floor. He had straddled the chair backwards, and the chair tipped over. All of a sudden, the chair was a "terrible" design, and why did the facilities have these ridiculous chairs? And since his back was terribly hurt, he insisted on filling out an accident form. But interestingly enough he didn't want medical treatment.

Why was it the chair's fault? The manufacturer of the chair did not design the chair to be straddled backward. (And I must add that my own husband and many others throughout the 5-week class were able to sit on the chair backwards, without falling from it). Why was it the fault of the company who bought the chairs?

I hope he doesn't sue. But people bring forth more ridiculous lawsuits on a daily basis, and win, or settle out of court.

Whatever happened to personal accountability?

~A Bowlful of Memories~

At a recent doctor visit, I learned that my iron is a little low, and the nurse gave me a sheet that lists iron amounts of various foods. The food on this list that is highest in iron is Cream of Wheat. So, I switched from my morning bowl of oatmeal to Cream of Wheat.

It brought back a flood of memories! The summer I was between 1st and 2nd grade, my family had an extended visit in California, where we stayed with my great-grandparents. When my great-grandma would make Cream of Wheat for breakfast, my great-grandpa would pour his orange juice over the cereal.

I remember begging to be allowed to do the same. My mom eventually let me do it, warning me that once I did it I still had to eat it. =P Well, I loved it, and continued to copy my great-grandpa each morning we had Cream of Wheat.

I haven't been pouring orange juice over my cereal, just remembering that it was done. And I don't make the cereal lumpy (it is, after all, called Cream of Wheat for a reason), even though as a child I thought the lumps were great. LOL

It is amazing how a simple bowl of cereal can bring back so many memories!

~Cinnamon Rolls~

I think a new tradition for our family is cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving morning. It makes a quick, yummy breakfast if you make them the night before. And we've done it two years in a row now so it is a tradition, right? :-)

This year my sister helped me make them. They were devoured too fast to get a picture. Trust me, they're delicious! They take a lot of work and lot of butter! So obviously these are a treat!

Cinnamon Rolls

These taste like the famous cinnamon rolls sold in malls. [I would assume the author meant Cinnabon, and having had Cinnabons, they do come close!]

Dough
1 T. dry yeast
1 C. warm milk
1/3 C. white sugar
1/2 C. soft butter
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 C. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Knead into a ball or put in a bread machine on the dough setting. Let rise until double in size. When ready, roll out to about 1/4-inch thick. Spread with filling.

Filling
1/4 C. soft butter
1 C. brown sugar
3 T. cinnamon

Spread butter evenly on dough. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon evenly over buttered dough. Roll up dough. Slice roll into 1-inch slices. Place on a greased pan. Let rise until double in size. Bake 10 minutes at 400*. [Our rolls needed longer than 10 minutes.]

Icing
1/2 C. soft butter
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 oz. cream cheese
2 T. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Beat until fluffy. When rolls are hot, spread lots of icing on them.

--Recipe from Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy

These were equally good hot or cold. We just stuck them one at a time in the microwave for 20 seconds. Or ate them cold. However we felt like!

~Christmas Cards~

This year, I am not sending out a slew of Christmas cards. I just don't have the energy for it. Instead, I have purchased 5 cards from Susan's Etsy shop, and I am sending them to close family members. Pictured to the left is one of Susan's pretty cards (I snagged the picture without asking her, but since I'm giving free advertising I hope she doesn't mind. ;-) ). I was pleasantly surprised at how fast my cards came in the mail! Since they are mailed from Canada, I wasn't sure how long it would take, but it was only a few days.

I'm in my third trimester now, and any energy I had before has depleted. So I'm saving my energy for important things. :-) Christmas this year will be a quiet holiday for Kevin and me, and I'm carefully choosing the things that I am doing to prepare for it so I don't get overly tired. I'm glad that I was able to purchase these beautiful handmade cards to send to my loved ones.

~Happy Thanksgiving!~

Happy Thanksgiving, a day late, to my US readers! :-)

I hope you had a wonderful holiday with friends and family. Since we have moved to Michigan we have had pretty quiet Thanksgivings. However, this year it is *not* quiet, and I'm very grateful!!! Two of my sisters and my brother are visiting us this year, and we are enjoying their company very much! They arrived on Wednesday morning, and will be leaving Monday morning.

Any "Black Friday" shoppers out there? Everyone but me was going to get up early and go out...but everyone slept in. ;-) They just got back with all their deals, so I guess they didn't miss out on too many sales!

Have a wonderdful day!

~Turkey Poem~

How not to roast a turkey...

The Turkey Shot out of the Oven

Jack Prelutsky

The turkey shot out of the oven
and rocketed into the air,
it knocked every plate off the table
and partly demolished a chair.

It ricocheted into a corner
and burst with deafening boom,
then splattered all over the kitchen,
completely obscuring the room.

It stuck to the walls and the windows,
it totally coated the floor,
there was turkey attached to the ceiling,
where there'd never been turkey before.

It blanketed every appliance,
it smeared every saucer and bowl,
there wasn't a way I could stop it,
that turkey was out of control.

I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,
and thought with chagrin as I mopped,
that I'd never again stuff a turkey
with popcorn that hadn't been popped.

~Ottobre: a new adventure in sewing~

With part of my birthday money, I treated myself to a subscription to Ottobre. Ottobre is a quarterly magazine filled with trendy children's patterns. It seems expensive, but there are so many patterns in each issue, it is worth it! The magazine is published in Finland, and thankfully they have an English version! :-)

I just got my first issue in the mail this last week, and I'm really excited about some of the patterns. I think I will probably wait to start sewing until my little one is here, and I can figure out what size will work best for her. All the sizes are by centimeters, so that is a little confusing to me. I've never gotten comfortable with metric measurements, so I guess I get to jump in with both feet on this one! :-)

~Have You Ever?~

Have you ever? I saw this several places, and thought I'd do it too! =)
Bold the things you’ve done.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars - at camp, when I was in high school.

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world - Disneyland with Kevin

8. Climbed a mountain - if it has stairs up it does it count? :-) Morro Rock in California

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang/played a solo - piano

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning - yes, and it was awful!

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked - when our car broke down

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - yes, but at the place where I worked sick days encompassed other things besides just being sick

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business - does my Etsy shop count?

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Gotten flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job - but not for doing wrong! :-) I lost several jobs due to the economy at the time (early 2000's).

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Made a baby - but can I say that God truly is the One Who is in the baby-making business!

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

~Gingerbread~

Recipe found on this recipe cheater sheet. I baked it in two round cake pans, and plan on freezing one for later. This gingerbread is so yummy! It isn't very sweet, just the right amount of sweetness, I think! I didn't have a cup of molasses, so I added 1/2 cup honey to the molasses I did have.

~A Change~

Today I made a change...after being a loyal Bloglines.com subscriber for over three years, I switched to Google Reader. Since I have less than 30 blogs I subscribe to, it didn't take me too long to switch. I think I'm going to like it. It is different, of course, so I'll have to get used to it.

I was just fed up with Bloglines. Today I opened the feed reader and it said I had over 5000 posts to read. Ha. As if 30 bloggers had typed that many posts overnight!...and when I cleared them, they came back again. I was getting frustrated. If that were the only problem, then I would have just dealt with it. But lately I have been missing posts from certain bloggers, then all of a sudden the last two weeks worth of posts would show up. Etc., etc., etc.

I've put up with a lot of bugs over at Bloglines in the last three years, we'll see how Google Reader does!

~Winter is here~

Sunday it snowed, pretty much all day long. It didn't stick until later in the day though. Monday morning, not exactly a winter wonderland, but still snowy:



There is still some snow here and there, but most of it has melted. *Sigh* I miss warm weather already!!!

~Just saying hello~

It has been a gorgeous fall so far! This week we've had weather in the low 70's! That is very unusual weather for the beginning of November, but I'll take it!!! It's hard to believe the snow will be flying soon, when it is so warm and sunny out.

I am still feeling yucky with my morning sickness, thus the lack of posting. I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with blogging once I feel better. I've enjoyed blogging over the last 3 years, and I'm not quite ready to give up on it. But I know that my blogging lacks a lot right now. I also will be one of those protective mother hen-types and won't be posting any pictures or details of our little one. I've given it a lot of thought, actually way before we were even expecting. It's hard, because I really would love to share with my dear bloggy friends, but I realize in sharing, I'm sharing with the whole www...and that scares me.

My house is torn up right now because Kevin is completely redoing what was my sewing room. It will be the nursery. I'm terribly excited about how it is turning out! When it is finished (in a few weeks) I will share pictures of the whole process. :-)

I celebrated my birthday last Sunday. It was my most unbirthdayish birthday ever. LOL We actually celebrated on Monday, since Sunday was so busy. =) With the state of the economy, some restaurants are having special deals at the beginning of the week - we went to a steak house and got two meals for $13. Of course, you have to select off a special menu, but I thought it was worth it to go on Monday instead of over the weekend. I had steak, Kevin had chicken. We both got two sides and we left very satisfied. My steak was 6 oz, and I only ate half of it, so Kevin had steak and eggs for breakfast the next day. :-) The meals weren't skimpy at all (unless of course you want a larger steak!), plus it felt great to walk out of a nice restaurant and have spent less than $20! So anyhow, I thought I'd throw that out there...you can check around and see if restaurants in your area are offering deals like that - there are several that do this in our area. It makes business sense for the restaurant: the place was packed for a Monday night and people were waiting in the lobby for seats.

Lastly, I wanted to share some Etsy shops with you. :-)
Susan is selling handmade cards. They all look so pretty!
Her daughter Beth is selling jewelry. I've purchased two sets of earrings for birthday gifts for my sisters.
Heather has restocked her shop with colorful box bags. I can think of so many uses for these!

Have a great day!

~Itsy-Bitsy Baby Booties~

I just finished these baby booties for my coming lil' one. I had purchased the yarn before we found out we're having a girl. I need to get to the store and get some PINK yarn. :-)



Pattern: Christine's Baby Booties
Yarn: Bernat Baby
Needles: Size 2 DPN's
Modifications: I only knit 15 rounds for the cuff instead of 22 rounds



Kevin called these "futuristic moon boots". LOL The ridges on the sides help keep these booties on...at least that's what the pattern says! We'll see...

~Randomness~

I just discovered that HopiQ tagged me to do a "seven random things" meme. I don't get around to too many blogs these days, so I'm a little late to the party. However, I thought I'd participate anyhow! :-)

Several of my siblings are attending college and the word that has replaced "cool" is "random". So instead of saying, "that is so cool" they say, "that is so random". I guess I'm an old fogey because that just sounds so stupid to me. LOL

So here are some totally random, totally cool facts about me:

1. I have really enjoyed being in my 30's. Much better than my 20's, I think.

2. I enjoy cooking, but don't really enjoy baking. Baking is too nerve-wracking!

3. I hate spiders, mainly because I got a poisonous spider bite as a teenager. But then, I haven't gotten bitten by a mouse or a snake, and I avoid them at all costs as well. So I guess I just don't like creepy-crawly things!

4. I've had the material to make our living room valance for over 2 years. I haven't even started on it. *Sigh* I'm such a procrastinator sometimes!

5. Since moving to Michigan, I can tell when it is going to rain. I couldn't do that in California. Maybe it is easier to tell here?

6. I really dislike sweeping and mopping. Too bad over half our house is hardwood, tile, or laminate!

7. I love to make gifts for loved ones! I hope to make all my Christmas presents this year. :-)

If I were playing by the rules, I'd have to tag 7 more people. But I'm not playing by the rules. So...if you'd like to participate, just go right ahead! ;-)

~Trying something different...~

I decided to switch things up a bit and design my own blog. I still have my template saved, and I must admit that I took a deep breath when I looked at the change.

Happy Fall! :-)

~Etsy Sale~

This morning I've substantially marked down the items in my Etsy shop. Please take a look! :-)

~National Infertility Awareness Week~

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. Infertility effects 1 out of every 8 couples. If you yourself haven't experienced infertility, the chances are very good that you know someone who is going through infertility right now.

This blog post is a little long, but I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage those who haven't gone through infertility to be a blessing and an encouragement to those who are in the midst of it. Please take the time to follow the links and read through the short articles - I'm sure it will come in handy for you some day!

***The definition of "infertility" is the inability to conceive within a year's time.
***The foremost thing to remember is that infertility is a medical problem.

Now, some suggestions for offering support that is appreciated:

First of all: please, no nosy questions! I had to stumble my way through so many questions (and to be honest I'm still on the receiving end of painful questions and comments). It is so hurtful to be asked yet again, "When are you going to have children?" "Do you want children?" "Why don't you have children?" "Whose fault is it that you can't have children?" etc., etc. If it has been asked, I have probably had to answer it and it is not fun! There has been only one time in which I appreciated someone asking me about my situation - a friend who felt led of the Lord to approach me because I was heavy on her heart. In the privacy of her living room we talked and cried together. She listened to the Lord and was able to minister to me.

Infertility has been likened to reverse grief. When someone dies, you mourn for them. Slowly, as time passes, the grief lessens. With infertility, it is the opposite. Slowly, as time passes, the grief intensifies. Going through infertility has also been compared to going through cancer. Please know that the person or couple you are praying for and trying to be an encouragement to is going through times of intense grief and sorrow!

Infertility Etiquette - this article by RESOLVE will help to explain what to say and not say. Please don't blindly hand out advice. "Just relax" is the most ridiculous thing to say to anyone. Remember that infertility is a medical condition. If someone broke their arm you would not say, "just relax and it will heal." No, you would take them immediately to the emergency room.

Also by RESOLVE, Infertility Myths. This article will help you to see that "just relaxing" or "just adopting" isn't what it takes!

Sometimes there isn't really anything you can say that is going to make the situation better. A simple hug and "I'm praying for you" truly goes a long way!

I want to encourage you to be an encourager to a couple/woman facing this struggle!

~Hospitality~

Something that has been on my mind and heart lately is hospitality. The Bible commands us to practice hospitality, so it is something that is important in every believer's life.

There are so many ways in which to be hospitable, I think the most important step is to just start. I recently checked out four books from my library that I have been browsing through. So many ideas!

The Welcoming Hearth by Elizabeth Skoglund: She focuses on everyday hospitality, being prepared for company at a moment's notice, and simplicity in hospitality. There are many recipes throughout the book, including some Swedish recipes, since she is Swedish.

Hospitality with Confidence by Grace Pittman: Not only does this author look at everyday, simple hospitality, but she also branches out with many ideas for fun parties and larger get-togethers. Something I really appreciated in both this book and The Welcoming Hearth is that the authors really stress that hospitality begins at home with your own family: having traditions, special meals, and treating your family with as much care as you would a guest - important and needful!

The Personal Touch by Rachael Crabb: This book is filled to the brim with stories of how the Lord has worked through the author's life to reach out to others through hospitality. It is written with a sense of humility, and seems to be written by an older author. It is very inspiring!

Love You Can Touch by Jane Jarrell: This fun little book is packed with recipes and gift ideas for special occasions.

I have been enjoying each of these books, and hope to incorporate many of the ideas into my own life. Right now I am still dealing with morning sickness which usually doesn't keep itself to the morning, so it isn't practical to have company right now. Especially since Kevin would have to do all the cooking and preparations! :-) But I recognize this as just a season in my life, and anticipate the day when I feel better and we can share our home once again!

~Two Blankets~

I got two more pieces of flannel to make receiving blankets out of, and just finished them last night.



These are both for our baby, and yes, that's correct...the one on the left is pink. =)

~Contest Winner~

And the winner of my 1000th post giveaway is...

...Nikki!

Congratulations, Nikki! Please send me an email with your address and I'll get your wristlet and zipper pouches in the mail to you! :-)

~100 Months~

One day last week, my sweet husband woke me from my beauty sleep. He asked if he could turn the light on and I sleepily agreed. Then he asked me what day it was. After thinking, I realized it was Friday. "But what is the date?" I finally came up with October 3rd. Then he told me it was our anniversary. Now I was really awake. Had I forgotten our anniversary? and our anniversary of what?

Well, it was our anniversary! We've been married for 100 months! That's makes 8+ years sound like a very long time indeed! :-)

Kevin had purchased a book for me that I had expressed interest in, and he handed it to me after he told me "happy anniversary." I thought it was so sweet of him to think of this anniversary! :-)

~1000th Post Giveaway!~

This contest is now closed.

To celebrate my 1000th post, and as a very small way to thank my readers, I am having a little giveaway.

Since it is fall, why not celebrate with a fall theme? :-) To one lucky person, I am giving a wristlet, which is perfect for those times you don't want to carry your purse; a zipper pouch; and a tiny zipper pouch.



All you have to do to get your name in the "hat" is comment. I am willing to ship anywhere! If you do not have a blog, that is fine. But please leave your email address so I can get ahold of you in case you win! I'm leaving the contest open through next Thursday.

~Update~

Just a little update to say "hello!" =)

I am still sick, but not as sick as I was in the beginning. I keep hoping that one day I'll wake up and feel 100% better, but such has not been the case yet! Otherwise, baby and I are doing fine.

This is my 1000th post! To celebrate with me, come back tomorrow to enter in a giveaway!