The log cabin little quilt is from my mom.
A few flags to make the mantel look patriotic.
Happy 237th birthday to our U.S.A!
blog partying with
If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
July decorations - inside
Monday, July 1, 2013
scenes from my parents home
we made a quick trip down to the NE Texas area to see our parents this weekend.
I always do some cooking while I am there- I like cooking and my parents and brother really appreciate meals they don't have to cook.
This cooking session took about an hour and I made my Aunt Bernice's Mexican casserole, goulash, corn on the cob from my brothers garden last year, honey oat bread and a salad with tomatoes from Dad's backyard garden.
After I cooked it, I put most of the food in containers that could store the extras in the fridge. They will enjoy being able to heat up servings - at least until it is all gone. Then my dad will say it is time for me to come back.
I wish I could of cooked more for them but it was a short visit.....
My mom has always done handwork and I thought you all would like to see these 2 quilts.
One is scrap nine patch- those nine patches are really tiny too, maybe 1 inch squares finished.
They are hanging on an oak quilt rack made by my Uncle Rex- the pie maker.
the other quilt is a scrappy yo-yo. It is not really a quilt, as it is just one layer of yo-yos with no backing and is only for decoration. I think it is so pretty- a really happy piece of handwork.
I always do some cooking while I am there- I like cooking and my parents and brother really appreciate meals they don't have to cook.
After I cooked it, I put most of the food in containers that could store the extras in the fridge. They will enjoy being able to heat up servings - at least until it is all gone. Then my dad will say it is time for me to come back.
I wish I could of cooked more for them but it was a short visit.....
My mom has always done handwork and I thought you all would like to see these 2 quilts.
One is scrap nine patch- those nine patches are really tiny too, maybe 1 inch squares finished.
They are hanging on an oak quilt rack made by my Uncle Rex- the pie maker.
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| the yo yos spread for a better view linking to A Cultivated Nest |
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Cookie baking
I baked 3 batches of cookies this week.
Chocolate chip- no recipe, you all know how to make them, right?
Fork cookies- a new recipe with just 3 ingredients, from Mary Berry, the recipe is below. (I added a little Princess flavoring)
And golden raisin biscuit cookies that have rave reviews on the King Arthur baking site.
The little dish in the top left is to eat at our house. The assorted container is for our daughter in law's birthday and the 3 other containers are for my parents and brother.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/golden-raisin-biscuit-cookies-recipe
They are the rectangle ones in the lower center and they might be my new favorite cookie recipe.
They are a little fiddly as the dough is rolled very thin but the recipe worked just right and tastes special. I followed the recipe except I did not have the fancy sugar for sprinkling on top and just used a smaller amount of table sugar instead.
Chocolate chip- no recipe, you all know how to make them, right?
Fork cookies- a new recipe with just 3 ingredients, from Mary Berry, the recipe is below. (I added a little Princess flavoring)
And golden raisin biscuit cookies that have rave reviews on the King Arthur baking site.
The little dish in the top left is to eat at our house. The assorted container is for our daughter in law's birthday and the 3 other containers are for my parents and brother.
They are the rectangle ones in the lower center and they might be my new favorite cookie recipe.
They are a little fiddly as the dough is rolled very thin but the recipe worked just right and tastes special. I followed the recipe except I did not have the fancy sugar for sprinkling on top and just used a smaller amount of table sugar instead.
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Thursday, June 27, 2013
This weeks sewing- several projects
My daughter will be going with her family and in laws to the beach for a week soon.
She prefers to dress my grand daughter in modest swim wear.
I am not sure how she ended up with this size 5 swimwear when grand daughter needs a 3 or 4, maybe it was the closest size she could find in the style she was looking for.
She asked me to make it fit and after much thinking and snipping, I did.
I like that this suit is not only appropriate but it also has SPF protection to help prevent sunburns.
I shortened the top and that part was easy- I just took a 1 inch tuck all the way around just above the top stitching, then I stitched it down too.
Here is what I came up with - a tri fold many pocketed tie shut pouch.
I like that this suit is not only appropriate but it also has SPF protection to help prevent sunburns.
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| The shorts were a little trickier. I didn't want to mess with the side details on these track shorts, so after much thought, I made pie shape cuts in the waist band then overlapped the cuts until I removed the necessary 4 inches. I stitched them down as smooth as possible so they won't be rough or bulky on her skin. Daughter was pleased with the alterations but I am not sure my high school home ec teacher would of approved of the hacking I did on the waist band. Youngest son made this drawing and put it with this corduroy he found in my sewing room. He requested an organizer for traveling. |
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| I don't think it is for personal care items but things like chargers, a flash light, etc. |
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| I lined all the patch pockets with a dinosaur print - also from my sewing stash. This son was a dinosaur nut when he was a little boy and said he was going to be a paleontologist when he grew up. That did not end up being his line of work, and even though he is all grown up, In my heart, he is still that cute little boy who thought dinosaurs were the best thing ever. I also made 2 pacifier clip straps for the youngest grandson and am working on 2 peasant tops for me. The tops are almost finished but I don't like how the sleeves are so big and want to add some narrow elastic to the bottom of them. Did you do any sewing this week? |
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
FitBit- my favorite fitness gadget ever
First, the reason I am showing you my toes is because Betsy had a manicure party on her blog, I was too late for the Linky deadline but I still wanted to join in.
And if my feet look kind of tired, there is a really good reason. I have been walking, lots of walking, more than ever I think.
My husband has health coverage for both us through his employer. Through that company, all employes and covered spouses were offered FitBits if we participated in a physical assessment and did some online questionnaires. I had never heard of a FitBit so I looked them up online.
They are a fancy pedometer that sync automatically with whatever computer or smart device you set your account up on.
FitBits count your steps, tell you the distance you've walked and how many calories you've burned. They also tell time, just a little bonus. They can be clipped to your clothes or just kept in your pocket.
I wore mine for a few days, just to see how much walking I did in an average day and it was about 2 miles, just doing housework, errands, childcare.
Then I joined in with the leader board with other employees and spouses and started walking as much as I could. Competition helps with motivation and I have stayed at the top by walking at least 5 miles a day.
I've been doing it about a month and got my 250 mile badge from FitBit. Sometimes I walk a few miles in our neighborhood or at a walking trail in our town. Much of my walking is done in my house, going from one end to the other or making a loop through the kitchen, living room and dining room. It takes me about an hour to get 3 miles.
I have lost a few pounds but nothing dramatic. I do feel better though.
My husband is wearing his FitBit and also walking as much as he can. He has really good days and then has not so good days as his knees just don't cooperate like he wants them too.
FitBits are small, see the paper clip beside mine? I think our models sell for about $60 and are sold at places like BestBuy, Amazon and the FitBit site.
In case you can't tell, I think FitBits are great!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Big cooking session
I had some free time last week and found a sale on lean ground beef so it was the perfect time to do some bulk cooking for the freezer.
With the 10 pounds of ground beef, I cooked up taco filling and chili.
I also soaked 8 cups of pinto beans, then cooked 6 cups for refried beans and cooked the other 2 cups to add to the chili.
How I make Refried-beans
while I had the spices out, I mixed up extra taco seasoning as well as a jar of spice mixture that my husbands uses for rub when he smokes meat.
Frugal tip- I buy many of my spices at Big Lots. The containers that hold about 1 cup of spice sell for $1 at the Big Lots in my town. I use lots of chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion and garlic powders in these 2 recipes and am really glad I can get them at a good price.
I also soaked 8 cups of pinto beans, then cooked 6 cups for refried beans and cooked the other 2 cups to add to the chili.
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| the dishes ready for the freezer look really neat, don't they? |
I base my chili on this recipe except I use home cooked pinto beans instead of canned red beans and I use a couple cans of finely diced tomatoes instead of the tomato juice.
This is our favorite taco seasoning. I multiplly it by 20 (and the AllRecipes.com site will do that for you) except I use only about 1/3 of the black pepper the recipe calls for.How I make Refried-beans
Frugal tip- I buy many of my spices at Big Lots. The containers that hold about 1 cup of spice sell for $1 at the Big Lots in my town. I use lots of chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion and garlic powders in these 2 recipes and am really glad I can get them at a good price.
Keeping it Real
all that cooking makes for lots of dishes to wash afterward. I really don't mind washing dishes and am thankful I have plenty of heated safe water that comes right in my kitchen. My mother says her home did not get inside running water or electricity until she was in high school. My great grandmother came to Oklahoma in a covered wagon and lived for years in a sod house. She did not have the luxury of running water.
Below is a photo of my great grandparents, around 1900, on their little homestead near Cordell Oklahoma. Real Pioneers!
All that cooking and cleaning was work, but now when we need a fast meal, I can just heat up some taco meat with refried beans or chili, serve with some salad and chips or crackers and we will have an easy and delicious meal with very little effort.
CVS deals this week
12 rolls of paper towels
16 rolls of toilet paper
3 jumbo packs of diapers
1 box of baby wipes and 1 box of tissues
Spent $37 and got back $17 ECBs to spend on future deals at CVS.
My trick to keeping up with the ECBs is to fasten them to my CVS card with a paper clip.
Hi-I'm back
Hello!
I've been blogging over at Make, Do & Mend
But my heart is here, with the blog that really is my motto.
So, I am back to if you do stuff, stuff gets done.
And I hope to stay here and to do lots of fun and useful stuff.
Come by and visit whenever pleases you. I love to hear what other homemakers are doing.
Come by and visit whenever pleases you. I love to hear what other homemakers are doing.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
this week.......
Hello everyone
this week we are getting used to a new work schedule for Nina and a new preschool schedule for Elizabeth. So far, thinks are going as smoothly as possible.
I've done a little sewing-
hemmed a pair of khaki pants for John
hemmed some sleep shorts for Jimmy
and I made 2 more fabric keychain thingies
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| this long one is for Nina I don't think she is really going to wear it around her neck but she likes them big so she can easily find it in her purse |
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| I've been using the wrist size one with keys on it and really like how it keeps my keys handy when I am out. The bandana print one is for Amanda |
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| 3 of my 4 grands spent the day with me Tuesday. Braeden is 6 weeks old- isn't he such a big boy to be so young? Elizabeth and Gavin both took turns sitting in Braeden's carseat and bounce chair even though their heads and feet extended off the ends. Sweet silly toddlers! |
I have a long to-do list for this morning -
a little yardwork
a walk with Theo, our sweet dog
cleaning the floors and bathrooms
doing some laundry
making 2 desserts for the weekend (my in-laws are coming to town)
I also hope to work on a colorful paper pennant banner to put in the baby-playroom.
But none of that is going to get done while I sit here at this laptop.
What are you doing to today? I hope we all get lots done!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Homemade Glass Cleaner
I may be the last thrifty homemaker to try making glass cleaner and this is probably not news to many of you but I finally tried making some spray cleaner. 2 bottles of Windex type cleaner both ran out about the same time as I had just done some shopping. I did not want to go shopping just to buy cleaner so I looked online to see what recipes had good reviews and used ingredients I had.
I tried this one and am really happy with it.
Homemade Glass Cleaner
- 1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
- 1/4 c. white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 c. warm water- I heated mine in the microwave not till boiling but really hot
- and a drop of blue food coloring to make it look like Windex- optional!
Shake well before every use. The cornstarch could settle in the bottom of the bottle and the bottle might not spray right if the cornstarch clogs it.
I wrote SHAKE on the bottle just to remind the user to do that.
I also reused some empty Windex bottles but I know purist natural people would never do that.
This cleans just as well as Windex with no streaks.
The only draw back is the scent of vinegar and alcohol does smell as fresh as real Windex.
The homemade costs just pennies and Windex is at least $2 so I think I will stay with the homemade.
I am still using homemade spray starch too and very happy with it too
Friday, August 17, 2012
wow Staples!
this is what 90 rolls of toilet paper,
a dozen rolls of paper towels,
9 boxes of Puffs
and 1 bag of Starbucks coffee looks like!
I placed that order Weds. afternoon and it was delivered Thursday morning.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Lots of saving and doing today
Grand daughter Elizabeth spent the day with me again today.
While she ate breakfast, I paid 2 bills online - I love our bank's free internet bill pay system!
 Then we went to the bank for some cash. We made one stop at a grocer and got some frozen veggies that were on sale. I got breaded okra and whole green beans. Peas, corn and mixes veggies are often on sale but not the fancier ones like these were today for just $1 and $1.29 a bag so I stocked up on them. |
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| I cut up 2 cantaloupe and 1 huge pineapple all are delicious! Staples mailed me some coupons yesterday and I already had $40 in Staples Rewards from ink cartridge recycling so this seemed like a good time to do a Staples order. They offered free shipping on orders over $45, $10 off $75 orders and a free bag of Starbucks coffee with a $75 order. Staples allows stacking of Rewards and different coupons. So with some careful ordering, I spent just enough to us both coupons and my Rewards. I was also careful to buy only things we need and use.
I'll be getting 90 rolls of toilet paper, 12 rolls of paper towels, 9 giant boxes of Puffs and a free bag of Starbucks ground coffee for just $29! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ruffled Key Chain
But I have looked online at other tutorials for similar key wrist bands and one of them used some handbag clips from Joanns, I think I would like them better and I am going to look for them when I have time.
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| being a hand model is harder than it looks! |
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| It will hold your keys on your wrist so your hands are still free and hopefully wearing keys might prevent losing them. |
I hope you all had a nice day too!
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