Sneaky Peaky

Here's a sneak peak at what I'm working on today.
Tomorrow it will be a tutorial.
Probably not too hard to figure out.
Can you guess?

Today I Choose....

I like knowing that what we choose to do with each day, how we act or react is a choice.
What a blessing the ability to choose is.
I came across this picture I took a couple of summers ago and I thought I'd make myself a little reminder.
I am grateful for the choices that lay before me each day.
Today I choose........

Traditions and Family Night and a Treat Recipe

I strongly believe that traditions are one thing that help bind a family together.

They are something to look forward to.

And something to look back on fondly.

Yep, I love'em!

I celebrated my birthday this past weekend and according to my 4 year old I am now 80 years old.

Because I'm, "Really, really, really old." as she so kindly put it.

I'm choosing to take it as a compliment because I think she means I have a lot of wisdom and experience;-).

When I was young my mom started a tradition of giving me a Christmas ornament on my birthday.

When I was little she'd put them on my birthday cake. My 5th birthday was amazing, she had a bunch of ice skating and sledding figurines and she made my cake look like an ice skating rink and a snowy hill. All edible of course. (I'll have to dig out the picture and scan it -- she's amazing).

My husband and children have continued this tradition....well they pick me out new ornaments, they don't put them on a cake however. That's okay with me.

I love how they (the kids) pick ones out that they like and it usually applies to what they're into at the time.

My youngest picked out the little Snowman baby pictured above.

We also have a tradition of getting a Christmas ornament when we travel places.

I have a set of Wedgwood Nativity Ornaments that we purchased at the Wedgwood Factory in Stoke On Trent England.

and

This summer we picked up a carved wooden whale in Friday Harbor Washington.

It makes decorating the tree so much fun.

As we pull each ornament out of the box we get to smile and remember what we were doing when we got that particular ornament.

It's one of the things that makes this season enchanting to me.

So we decorated our tree last night.

Every Monday night is Family Night (another tradition I guess you could say)

We have a lot of fun at family night.

Seriously never a dull moment at our house on Monday evening

Start with a prayer

show and tell

song(s)

lesson

activity (game)

treat

&

bed time

Even our teenagers look forward to it.....I think.....

Everyone gets to take turns being in charge of a different part of the evening.

Lately we've been on a Simon Says for game kick.

Yeah, the teenagers don't like this so much.

The elementary age kids think it's hilarious to make us do funny things.

Like

"Simon says, stand on one foot, pat your head, rub your belly, stick out your tongue and sing the ABC's"

When the teenagers complain we had to remind them that, once upon a time, when Grandma and Grandpa joined us for family night they had them dancing around the room like octopi.

Funny how they tend to forget things like that.

Anyway...

We did have to tell the younger kids that Simon Says it about trying to trick people to get them out not to make them look foolish for your enjoyment.

We all ended up laughing anyway.

I was on treat last night.

and

It was a hit, if I do say so myself.

This recipe comes from another Sister-In-Law (I have 10).

It's so simple and delicious and perfect for holiday get-togethers.

 I thought I'd share.

Creamy Carmel Fruit Dip

• 8 ounces Cream Cheese softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream together and serve with fruit. 

Apples are my favorite.

Enjoy!

and

It's never too late to start a tradition!

P.S. I have a couple more holiday traditions I'll be sharing over the next couple of days.
What are some of yours?

Pinterest Inspired Me

Yes it did!

I was inspired by THIS.

(See photo and link at the end of this post)

So this summer I picked up a few wooden bowls at the thrift store for .25 - .50 cents a piece.

And then I searched and searched for wooden candle sticks at the thrift store.

I don't know if others were buying them all up because they'd seen the same thing on Pinterest as I did or what but I never found any!

Finally I found some little ones at the craft store.

And for a little under a dollar a piece I was able to make some cute painted wooden pedestal bowls.

I used some epoxy glue to attach the candle sticks to the little bowls and wooden disks.

I didn't sand the wood first and it didn't take me long to figure out it would have been a lot easier to sand each piece before I glued them together.

Live and learn.

I learned a couple of other things too.

I was concerned that the color of the paint would be affected by the different colors of the wood. So I decided to stain one of the bases first.

Turns out it didn't matter and it actually made it harder for the paint to stick to the wood.

Probably because I didn't let the stain dry for the recommended 8 hours.

I also learned that sanding the wood bowls to get the existing finish off was more important than anything else.

I thought of a couple more things.

Do you remember when I was refinishing a computer armoire and I discovered that you should never spray paint when it's hotter than the recommended temperature?

No?

Check the results out here.

Well,

This time I learned that you shouldn't spray paint when it's colder than the recommended temperature.

The cold also does weird things to the paint.

Good to know, right?

Okay so this little wooden "vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true"(name that movie!)

Is my favorite.  Here's what I did.

First I did a coat of red spray paint, then I did a couple of coats of metallic Carmel latte, then I sanded it down in spots so the red would show through and the wood, then I went over it with walnut stain finally I wiped the stain off and let it dry.

It turned out to be one of my favorites!

This red "flagon" (know the movie yet?) I wanted the wood grain to show through so I did two very light coats of red spray paint and then went over it with the stain as well.

I wanted the grain to show through so I could have it match this.

 This.....is what we lovingly call, "the red thing" and was purchased as one of the best deals of my life.

Someday I'm afraid I'll grow tired of the red but for know I love it!

It stands proudly in our entrance way and as you can see it's a great place to drop keys and mail as you come through the door.

I'm in the process of switching out shelf decor so it looks a little hap-hazard in the pic.

Anyway, I wanted the red flagon to match this so I could bring a little more of the red into the living room.

Finally.....

Here's my green one. I used the same green enamel I used on this project and it had the hardest time going on in the cold. Plus it took For-ev-er! to dry.

I glued the candlestick on upside down on this one and I"m wishing that I hadn't.

But again,

Live and Learn.

Here's my inspiration.

Check out her great instructions.

Image Source the craftingchicks

So I'm wondering if you knew the movie?

Have you ever seen the 1956 film with Danny Kaye called "The Court Jester"?

You really should.....it's one of my favorite

quick up-cycle craft.....baking powder can to coin bank

For weeks now my youngest (4) has been asking me to make her something pink.

She's way into money, counting it in particular.

So when I finished off a can of baking powder it struck me that the little container would make a perfect, 

pink bank for my daughter.

The fact that she could totally help me with this upcycle craft was a bonus.

So here's the thing, there are no during pictures because the batteries in my camera died,

and there were no other charged batteries to be had.

So I charged the ones that were in my camera but my sweet little one was way to excited to finish her bank to wait for the batteries.

So here's the finished product!

and

She loves it!

This project was very simple.

I cleaned out the baking powder and pealed off the label from the can.

We used Mod Podge to apply fabric and extra large ric-rac to the outside of the can.

Then we made rosettes just like these and hot glued them on.

I used an exacto knife to cute a slot for the money 

and that's it!

Simple as can be.

Now my 4 year old can count her money over and over and over again into her coin bank.

What are some of your fun ideas for easy upcycled crafts?

To Save a Life......

To save a life the doctors are giving my father poison.

It sounds wrong.

I pray it's right.

But that's what they do when your body is full of things that shouldn't be there. Things that they don't know how or why, exactly, started growing. They just did.

It feels wrong to set and watch your father's face grow paler by the second as the poison slowly drips through the tube, through the needle and into his vein.

It is wrong.

But I pray that it will become right.

He was the first man in my life.

I adore him.

He is strong, resourceful, patient, loving, thoughtful, honest, handsome, intimidating (at times, if he needs to be), courageous, peaceful, smart, fun, funny, studious, kind, doting, clean, and safe.

And he's sick.

I'd rather it be me.

He's glad it's him. That's just how he is.

I've wondered if it's easier to loose your hair when you don't have much.

He claims that it will be, with a smile and twinkle in his eye.

From where I stand he's facing this challenge much the same as I'm sure he has all of the challenges of his life.

With quiet resolute strength.

I haven't heard him ask why. May be he has.

Without a doubt I have.

In my minds eye I see him 34 years ago, black wavy hair and gray blue eyes opening the door for me to climb into our old red Volkswagen.

It was a Saturday and we were going to put gas in the car. Somehow I talked him into taking me to the toy store. I walked out of the store with a new dress for my Barbie doll, it was pink and lace and he thought it was just as beautiful as I did.

Then it was off to the gas station. A trip to the gas station wasn't complete without a bottle of  orange soda pop and some crackers.

Arms full of treats and Barbie dresses I remember setting next to him and looking up in awe at how handsome he was. I told him thank you and how much I loved him.

I remember I was sure he didn't understand exactly how much I loved him because I didn't know the words or how to arrange those words so he could understand.

Now here I am three decades later and I feel the same way. I haven't learned the right words to properly express my love, adoration, appreciation and gratitude in  a way that truly encompasses my feelings about and for my father.

His life has been spent in service to his family, his neighbors and his country. It has given him understanding that is spoken in the kind depths of his eyes and the soft curve of a smile that never completely leaves his face.

Time and experience have made my dad even more handsome than he was when I was 3 or even when he was 30.

What would I do to save a life.....his life?

Anything......

Everything......

I pray......I love.....

and I watch as they give him poison.

Thank you for the love!

I just wanted to say a great big thank you for the Pins & Needles, Sewing Kit Tutorial Love.

Match Book

Sewing Wallet

I've gotten a lot of great feed back and I'm so happy everyone likes them.

Today I wanted to share what one reader did with her Sewing Kit Wallet.

Stephanie from Artfully Craft 

is using her sewing wallet as the container for a 

"Her"vival Kit 

to give to her friends this Christmas.

Click on over and check it out.

What a great idea!

Pumpkin Bar with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

It's that time of year. 

When the air is crisp with change and as sharp as the crunch of the fallen leaf under foot. 

I love this time of year. 

I love walking in the door and having the warm smell of homemade apple sauce and spiced pumpkin tickle my nose.

I even love the uncertainty of not knowing if today will be a sweater day, a coat day or an umbrella day.

I love that this is the time of year my love and I fell in love or at least admitted that we'd fallen in love.....oh, that was scary and wonderful!

So, in honor of all of these things I love I thought I'd share a fall recipe I love.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Not a diet food but oh so worth it. 

And the thing I like most about the frosting recipe is that it's just the right amount of frosting for the cake.

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law who told me she always gets rave reviews when she makes it.

Over the years as I've made this same recipe for different functions I've found her words to be true.

I'm sure you will too.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Oil
• 2 Cups Pumpkin (from a can)
• 2 Tble. Cinnamon
• 2 Cups Flour
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda

*Lightly grease and flour a large jelly roll pan. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Combine eggs, sugar and oil. Mix well.
Add pumpkin and again mix well.
Add dry ingredients that have been sifted together, mix.
Pour into baking pan and cook on center rack for 25 - 30 min. When done will spring back when lightly touched.

Let cool and frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Cube Margarine or Butter
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 3 oz. Cream Cheese.

Soften butter and cream cheese, beat all ingredients together to make frosting.

*If fat free cream cheese is used it will not beat into a smooth frosting. It remains lumpy.

Enjoy!

Proof that Utah is becoming the Pacific Northwest

Once upon a time we lived in Oregon.

A place of green year round.

With slugs the length of your hand

and

A bounty of large snails under every leaf.

One day MDH ran something out to the trash can in his socks in the dark.

A generous size snail lost his life that evening under the clean white sock clad heal of my husband.

It was a shock to MDH to hear the crunch and feel the squish but I'm sure it was an even bigger shock to the snail..

..or maybe he didn't feel a thing.....Do snails have feelings?

Anyway

We know snails and they're gross.

and we know they aren't supposed to abound in Utah.

However

This year they did.

Want proof.

Check out this butternut squash we found in our garden this autumn.

So what happened to the snails?  

They all got chucked as hard and as far as they would go over the fence.
(Not into the neighbor's yard...into the part where we have no neighbors. Just so you know.)

What happened to the squash?

MDH can't remember if it was salvageable or not.

Maybe I don't want to know.

Pins & Needles, Matchbook Sewing Kit Tutorial

Okay! So here is my second sewing kit that's been bouncing around in my brain!

It's a matchbook style.

Shhh...don't tell anyone but this one is my favorite

I love how it folds. I love how it looks. I love how it's compact and light weight. I love how it uses up scraps. I love it!

Do you want to make one or five....You really could make five pretty quickly.

I promise!

Supplies:

• Card Stock: 3" x  6"
• Felt or Fleece: 3" x 5"
• Cotton Fabric for the outside: 4" x 6"
• Accent Cotton Fabric: 4"x 2.5"
• Fabric Scissors
• Paper Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Thread 
• Sewing Machine

Let's Get Started:

• Cut card-stock, fabric and felt to specified sizes.
• The 4" x 6" fabric will be the outside fabric.
• Cover one side of the card-stock liberally with the glue.
• Place Glue side down on the wrong side of the outside fabric.
• Leave approximately 1/2" of fabric on either side of the card and the top.
• The fabric will not cover 1/2" of the card on the bottom.
• Smooth the fabric on the card making sure there are no air bubbles or wrinkles in the fabric.

• With your sewing scissors notch out the corners of your fabric on the top edge of the card.
• Cutting parallel to the 6" side of the card cut straight in to the corner 
• Then cut away from the corner at about 45 degrees.
• See picture above.

• Place glue on the 3" side of the card.
• Fold over the 1/2" of fabric and smooth it down to help it adhere to the card.

• Do the same for the 6" sides, folding over and smoothing the fabric tight around the corners.

• Working with the accent fabric mark and notch out rectangles.
• Mark in 1/2" on each side of the 4" side.
• Mark down 1" on the 2 1/2" side.

• Use the glue stick to glue the felt on the back of the card.
• The felt should line up with the edges of the card and cover the glued edges of the fabric
• There will be 1" of the card on the bottom that the felt will not cover.
• Glue the accent fabric to the inside (felt side) of the card as pictured above.

• Turn the card over and glue the accent fabric on the other side.
• Make sure the fabric is smooth.

• Turn the card over again and adhere the flaps to the card with the glue.

• This is what it should look like on the felt side and the outside.

• Top stitch on the outside as close to the edge as possible around the perimeter and the inside edge of the accent fabric.

• With the felt side up measure in 3/4" from the bottom edge.
• Mark and score along that line. (You can use a ruler or a crochet hook to score) 
• (The photo was taken out of order that's why you can't see the top stitching.)

• Fold up the bottom edge where you scored the fabric and card.
• Sew through all thicknesses 1/4 from the folded edge to create the match-book flap closure.

• Fold the card in half, slide the top under the flap.
• When you've got it where you want it crease the new top fold tightly and you're done!

• Fill with your sewing essentials and you're all set to gift or go!

Let me know if you have any questions!