Of Tea and Scones

     One of my favorite authors is M. C. Beaton, who also writes (as a favorite author of mine) as Marion Chesney (among other names). She writes a cozy mystery type of novel, and I have been working my way through her Hamish Macbeth series. I have just finished the last two that are out, and it makes me very sad.

     Hamish is an unambitious village policeman, who "mooches" off the villagers. He is usually wanting a free cup of coffee during his rounds. He is always being saddled with the feeling that his superiors in Strathbane are not running the investigations correctly and have overlooked something, so he must do it on his own. Murder investigations. As he goes around investigating and getting ever closer to the truth, people that he interviews are constantly offering him tea and scones.

     I've read so much about scones lately that I have been craving them. I've never had them, but the ones that Hamish is eating are light, buttery, melt in your mouth. Sounds so delicious. Much like the scones that my dear Sis Carmel made for us in her tea party today. Finally! scones.

They were SO delicious, and I wanted to eat only them, but that would have made me a pig.

Delicious Spicy Nuts which were THM approved!

 

Sandwiches (with homemade bread) and broccoli cheese soup. Now, I had an . . . incident with broccoli soup when I was about 4 or 5, which has resulted in my never voluntarily eating the stuff again. My daughter was watching, however, so I tried it. It was quite delicious. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

 

 

  

Katy went wild taking pictures, we finally had to tell her to sit down and enjoy, since it was in her honor, before she left for a year. 

It was quite fun. The only sad thing is, I thought maybe after I get some scones, my craving for them would diminish. It might have if Carmel hadn't been such a good cook.

Of Freezer Paper and . . . . Mother's Day!

For years I have seen awesome stenciling on t-shirts, pillows, etc. and read these blog posts about how the people used freezer paper to do it. I wished I could do the same, but was terrified I'd mess up horrendously and waste a bunch of money. I finally tried it, and . . . Oh My Word. It is so fun and easy and awesome. I want to do everything in sight. In the last two weeks I've done 3 shirts for Adeline, a pillow for my mom (mother's day) and have the stencils cut out for three more pillows. 

Yes, she's a girl, but Adeline thinks Dinosaurs are the coolest.

 

 

Georgia

I wanted a VW van, but she thought a bug was better. 

 

Pillow for Mama with her children's initials and birthdates + her's and Daddy's initials.

Mother's day gift.

How To: 

I tried printing on the freezer paper directly, but the printer doesn't want to grab it. The only way I could do that right was by taping the freezer paper to a regular sheet. Annoying. So I just printed on regular paper, laid it underneath a sheet of freezer paper and cut it out with a scrapbooking knife. It takes a while, but is worth the effort.

 

Stegosaurus. I downloaded it from www.heatherinks.com    

 

Next, iron the stencil onto your fabric. 

 I used a sponge brush and shiny fabric paint. I was worried that the paint would actually be shiny, but since I brushed it on instead of squeezing it on (as i think you are supposed to do) it wasn't shiny at all.  

All painted and waiting to dry. With this shirt, I didn't let it dry very long, with some of the other stencils, I waited to take it off until it was dry to the touch. The paint tends to hold the paper if you do that, but if you take it off before it's dry I suppose there is always a chance of the paint smearing. Up to you.

After painting, follow the instructions for drying, washing, etc that is on the paint bottle. Mine said let dry flat for four hours, can wash inside out after 72. 

Adeline and I on Mother's Day. She is growing up so terribly fast and I love her so much.

If You Like To Talk To Tomatoes

Last Friday night, we went to the Veggie Tales Live Birthday show. Adeline LOVES Veggie Tales (I might like them a lot little bit as well)

We were going to buy tickets online awhile before, then decided not to, because we might not be able to go and they had said there would be tickets at the event, so we could just get them there. Bad mistake. They were sold out by Wednesday, although we didn't know that. Friday came, and I decided I wanted Adeline to have something Veggie Tale-y to wear. I found a long sleeved, turtle-neck t-shirt and cut the turtle and sleeves off. I found a host of free Veggie Tales coloring pages online. I wanted something simple, so I picked this one of Bob and Larry. I put it in the shirt and traced the design with fabric markers. It was really hard to see to trace in some spots, but at least you can tell who it is supposed to be. Adeline absolutely loved it.

We got there, went up to buy tickets, and discovered that they were sold out. I was nearly in tears, but they told us that they have some waiting to be picked up, and if they are not picked up by a certain time, they were going to start selling them. We were "first" in line. ("first" because someone else who was in a bad mood decided to cut in) The minutes ticked by O-SO-SLOWLY! Have you ever been watching the clock, waiting for a time that is only 15 minutes away? It takes at least an hour for that minute hand to move 15 minutes. 

I had this awful feeling that we weren't going to get in and it would be all my fault because I didn't just buy the tickets when I had a chance. My daughter was going to be terribly disappointed, and ruined for life because she couldn't see Bob and Larry, and it was my fault and I was an awful mother.

When the angel came. At least that's sort of how I think of him. He tapped John Lee on the shoulder and asked "Are yall waiting for tickets?" Yes we were. "Here," he said shoving three little slips of paper at us, "God just blessed you with three."

Then I really wanted to cry. 

Papa, Nana, and Aunt Sara were with us, so we still had to wait in line for three more tickets, but I knew that Adeline would at least get to see Veggie Tales. The time finally came, and we were able to get more tickets, so we all got in. 

Adeline absolutely LOVED IT. It was mostly Silly Songs, with others thrown in, like

God is Bigger Than The Boogey Man, etc.

  

I couldn't get my phone to take pictures right with the screen in the background, but then a kind lady behind me told me how to do it. By then, it was bout over and this was the best on I got. Jr. Asparagus is "hiding" behind the directors chair. Jimmy Gourd (or is it Jerry?), Mr. Lunt (who is a potato?) is behind the gourd, then Bob, then Larry.

 Adeline, waiting for the show to begin.

John Lee and Adeline

Me and Adeline

Papa, Nana, Adeline

I had to twist to a very weird angle to get this shot, hence the fuzziness.

Supper afterwards. Nana, Aunt Sara, Adeline

All in all, it was fun evening, and a learning experience.

ALWAYS BUY TICKETS BEFORE THE EVENT!!

Yoga Skirt

This is one of my most comfortable skirts. I bought it at TJMax while I was pregnant with Adeline and I've just continued to wear it. I've seen different names for it, Yoga Skirt being one of them, and I think it's a fairly popular style (at least among DIY'ers). So I decided to try it. 

 

 

I found some striped knit fabric at Walmart for $1.50 a yard. It was a very stretchy, yet sturdy knit. I laid my original skirt on a piece of paper and copied the shape. Using half, (cause I wanted to make a chevron pattern) I laid it slanty-wise on the fabic and cut it out, then laid THAT back on the fabric, matching up lines and cut four halves this way.

Honey Bunch wanted pictures taken as well.

 I laid out the skirt halves on the floor to match everything up, and as you can see, depending on how you look at it, it changes colors.

 

 

 Matching and pinning up the centers.

This is what I sew my knit on. ZigZag stitch, longest length, shortest width. I guess it has more give than just using a straight stitch.

Center sewed up.

 

For the waistband, I just took the fabric and stretched it around my waist, marking where the ends met and using that as my measurements. I made a tube and then folded that in half and stitched the bottoms together.

 

 

 I didn't take a picture of this step, but once the skirt part was sewn and the waistband was sewn, I matched up center, sides, etc. and sewed them together, stretching the waistband to match the skirt and I sewed.

It is definitely comfortable. It stays up (which I was worried about) and it was fairly easy. It would be much easier if it would be just plain instead of having had to make the chevron look. I think this will become one of my favorite patterns. 

Trust, Love, and Other Stuff

     The last few weeks have been really crazy. A few weeks ago my Grandpa passed away. A week later, my aunt. There has been much travelling, some sickness, sadness. It's brought out some of my worst fears. Losing my family. I have always tried not to think about something happening to my mom or dad, my siblings, husband, daughter. It terrifies me. Travelling scares me. What if something happens?

     In my devotions I've been reading about Job. Last week was the end of Job, and I was reading about how God blessed Job even more than He had before. I realized (again) that God IS in control. I HAVE to put my trust in Him. I'm not going to make it any other way. My fears cannot rule me, I must give them to God.

*     *     *     *     *    

 

     In other news. Adeline has to wear glasses. She thinks we are twins. I may have helped that along to try to make the Dr. visit not so scary.  She got them a week ago, and I haven't had any trouble keeping them on her. She loves them. She was so excited to get them, she hates taking them off.

 

     BTW, when you get your eyes checked, get them to give you the prescription and then take it to Walmart and get your glasses there. The difference in the Dr. office glasses and Walmart was several hundred $, for us anyway. I spend $40 on her glasses at Walmart. If I would've gotten them at the office, it would've been around $300.

 

 

 

     I also finally finished a dress for Adeline that I had started a while ago. The first time she wore it she popped a button off. To be fair, she laid down in a shopping cart and the button got caught. I didn't realize it and was trying to help her sit up and off it came. So maybe I popped it off. I have to put a small patch on and resew the button on. This morning I also noticed that one of the buttons somehow got broken. I also have to replace that. Growl.

 



   This is also only half ironed. Somehow my iron has gunk on the bottom of it that I just cannot get off. Every once in a while it tries to get off onto the clothes I am ironing. This was one of those times.

 

     My next project will be a striped knit skirt. I want to try to get it made for my birthday date with John Lee next week. I'm a little nervous about that cause the stripes are small and I want to make a chevron pattern. That's alot of matching up.

 

     Leaving with a verse that's been on my mind lately.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."





In Memory Of

  So this post was going to be about a dress (which I didn't get done) but it changed.

  On Sunday, we got a call during lunch that my Grandpa passed away. I remember him, but it's not like I have tons of actual MEMORIES of him. Does that make any sense? Like I remember him going to the shop to work, or sitting in his chair, or having devotions, things that he did every day, but I do have a few specific memories of him that ARE him. They are what I think of when I think of him.

  I remember sitting on his lap when I was a little girl. He wore suspenders, and he'd let me (and probably other grandchildren) snap them. Why that was so fun I have no idea, but I'd sit and snap away.

  One time he was working underneath the house on something. Another girl and I were watching and he told us there was a boogey man under the house. We didn't actually believe in boogey men, but hey, Grandpa said so!

  I always loved hearing him pray. I think it started when I was little and would visit them and they'd have family devotions. Of course, when you're little, all prayers last for hours, but I loved his voice. He was soft-spoken anyway, but when talking to God it sounded different. Reverent.

  I know the each of my family has their own memories of him that are special, these are some of mine.

Randomness

  So, I've been trying to aim for a blog post around the first of the week, but this week has been so busy it just didn't happen. I've been filling in at work for Katy (sis) while she is off galivanting somewhere. To all you mom's that work full time and still take care of your children and house and everything . . . . you are SUPERMOM.  I have piles of laundry on my table (ok, that can tend to happen anyway, just not this bad) piles of dirty dishes, and I just would prefer to continue in my Stay At Home Mom Life.

  I have a Kindle app on my computer and my phone, and I absolutely LOVE it. So I suscribe to several blogs because nearly every day they post free books from Kindle (I also just go on by myself and look). Free Homeschool Deals and Meet Penny. Meet Penny currently has a giveaway going on (ends today) that I just noticed last night. Its a $50 gift card to Amazon, giveaway from another site that I've heard of but never had the time to check it out. So I did last night. eReaderGirl also posts free or nearly free books from Kindle, Nook, PDF, etc. (Why did I not check this out sooner?)

  I've been working on a dress for Adeline for nearly a month now. It just needs to be hemmed and something done with the buttons. I let her choose the buttons, small lady bugs, but the closures I used don't work right with them, and I hate doing button holes. This fabric, I think would show messed up buttonholes extrememly well, so I'm loathe to even try. (love using words like that) I am going to try to finish it sometime soon though and that will be my next post. (If I get it done)

Oven Makeover and Love

     I recently acquired a "new" oven. My dear sister acquired a "new" one, and gave me her old one which works much better than my old one. My "new" oven was an old one in the house they just bought, so when I talk about the crud I cleaned off the drawer, it wasn't her fault. :) She didn't even use the drawer. Most of the gunk was underneath, and inside, only visible when you pull it out. I scrubbed it really good and got it cleaned out, but it had rust spots inside which made me really not want to put my pans in there.

     I got this bright idea to use locker sticky something. I got it at TJ Max to use for a computer skin and there was tons of it.

     The dots don't match up, but I wasn't really worried about that since there will be pans in it all the time, and also it was Sunday morning and I was in a hurry.





     I love it. It's cute, it jazzes up the inside of my oven drawer, and it covers up the rust spots. 

     This morning in my quiet time (with Hello Mornings) the reading was Psalm 139:1-8. This is one of my favorite Bible passages. It is a wonderful reminder of how well God knows us, cares for us, and LOVES us. While I was reading, I noticed two things that I never really have before.

1. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

God knows us. As in, REALLY knows us. He knows why you do, say, think the things that you do. All the little stupid things you do that nobody else gets, He does. He understands, and He loves you anyway. I have a tendancy to think that if people really knew me, they wouldn't love me anymore, but God, who is perfect, adores me. God, who is perfect, adores you.

Homemade Lotion Bars and Altoid Tins

     Last Friday night the youth went bowling, and John Lee and I, as assistant youth leaders, went along. I don't really enjoy bowling so I took a couple Hamish Macbeth books along to read. The bowling alley was so cold (or maybe it was just my inactivity) that my hands and legs started chapping. By the time we got home, my hands were red and hurt like crazy. I bore it well all day Saturday, until that evening when it was time to make supper. Instead, I made some lotion bars! I found the recipe on Pinterest, and since I have never liked normal lotion (it makes my hands greasy), decided to give it a shot.

      Here is the link to the recipe I used. Coconut Oil Lotion Bars
 Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter, Beeswax, Vitamin E, Essential Oils

     I was in a hurry, my kitchen was a wreck, and Honey Bunch was in the bath-tub (bad idea), but since I love making my own stuff, it was a blast. I like to partially fill a small saucepan with water and set my 2 cup glass measuring cup in it to mix/melt everything.

      I had originally planned to pour my mixture into a travel soap container, then thought, "Hey, I have gobs of Altoids tins that I don't know what to do with. They're perfect." I cut small squares of wax paper to put in the tins, but ended up only putting it in one tin. Next time I'm going to use it in all of them.

     Since I was in a hurry, I hadn't read how much EO to add, and used way to little. I split the melted concoction into 2 parts and made one Lavender/Spearmint, and the other Lemon/Spearmint. You can hardly smell it. I think I used about 5 drops of each in the separate mixtures.

     All this time, Honey Bunch was taking a bath, and I would check in on her, and Alice would run around the bath tub yelping. I was so caught up in my lotion making that I didn't notice any silence. That's a bad sign right? When I ran into the bathroom to get my EO's, I discovered that I really should've been paying more attention. Adeline had gotten Alice into the tub and was pouring water over her. Alice is a very good dog. She simply stood there shivering and not yelping, biting or anything. She did have a very long-suffering look on her little puppy face.

     After I poured the mixture into my tins, I stuck them in the fridge to cool down. The wax paper I had used in one of them meant that I could pull it out of the tin, the others, not so much. Obviously didn't think that through. The bar looks just like soap, and I really like. It doesn't make my skin feel greasy.

Things I will do differently next time:

1: use Shea Butter. Cocoa Butter has to strong of a smell for me.

2. use more EO

3. put wax paper in each tin, as it helps to remove them later

4. not have Adeline take a bath while I am making these.

     Do you have any ideas to put Altoids tins to good use? Please share them.

     On a completely different subject, does anyone besides me think it's hilarious that Veggie Tales' Larry Boy so closely resembles a bumbling Batman?

Of Birthdays and Puppies!!

  Saturday, the 26th, was Adeline's 3rd birthday. It's so hard, and yet so easy, to believe that she is that old.

Saturday morning, before going to Mama, and Daddy's place for breakfast, she watched "Veggie Tales: Where Is God When I'm Scared?" twice!!

We didn't even know what we were going to give her for her birthday, so we just went shopping and bought her gift/s as we went. We were actually looking for a little folding table/chair set. Walmart carries them, but they are all Thomas Tank Engine or Disney stuff, and I hate that toys and tents and all kids stuff has to be like that, so I refuse to buy it. We thought Target might have some more interesting ones, but they did even carry them. We did find some things in their $1 section tho. Animal plates, dry erase board and markers, that she liked, so that was part of her birthday present. Old Navy was next, cause I thought they might have some boots, but they were out. (She is a girl after my heart, boots, boots, boots.) We did let her pick out some clothes tho.

She actually got what is laying on the floor beside her. A bubble skirt dress, and a frilly skirt.

Next was Pet Smart. She loves seeing all the animals, and fish. We ate at Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and she had a blast in the playground until some little bully chased her, scared her and made her cry. (To all you mothers, what do you do when a child is bullying your children?) By the time I realized that his parents were not in the playground area, he had stopped and she was crying. I didn't think there was any point in doing anything other than glare at him. He had informed me way earlier that he was 6, so he was certainly old enough to know better. Plus he had been terrorizing some of the other kids until they had to go, then turned on her. She was talking about that for the rest of the day.

The real highlight came when we went to Walmart to do our weekly shopping and there were some puppies for sale! Since Romeo disappeared several months ago, we have been seriously missing him and just having a dog around. So, we got one. She was born on Christmas day, and is adorable (and a pain at night). She is an American Pit Bull (full blood, but no papers). We had named her Honey, but then I decided that she needs a different name cause I call Adeline that ALL the time.

Alice



Adeline and Alice

There was also chocolate cake, presents, and family.

I only chose the 3. Adeline picked out the other shapes, and candles.

modeling her new clothes