Materials:
10 ounces poly-fill (pillow stuffing)
2- 18in. by 26in. pieces of fleece (coordinate colors)
scissors
Place fabric on top of each other and make sure the top fabric is even with the bottom fabric. If your fabric has a "pretty side," be sure that it is facing out. With your scissors, cut approximately four inches deep into your fabric at one inch intervals. Be sure you are cutting both pieces of fabric and go around the entire circumference of the material--yes you will be cutting out 4 by 4 squares at each corner! Now take one top strip and the bottom corresponding strip and tie them together twice. Do this around three sides of the "pillowcase" with corresponding strips. Stuff your poly-fill into your pillowcase and tie off the remaining side. Voila! You have a fun, inexpensive no-sew pillow!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Tis the Season
'Tis the season to spend gobs of money and totally spoil our kids rotten...but what message are we really telling our children? That it is ok to be irresponsible with our money? That it is sensible to have a hundred things we don't need and will hardly use? That value is in the dollar amount and not the time and energy a person spent thinking of them? Let's face it, when we look around at society, it is obvious what parents are teaching kids. We may not intend for the wrong lessons to be taught, but we don't pause long enough to think about the value in what is being learned.
I encourage you to just stop for a few moments before you spend your hard-earned money this year...stop and think about what values you are wanting your children to learn.
In our home, we encourage hand-crafted gifts--to teach our children about true value. We get our children a couple clothing items--to teach our children about what they need verses what they want. And one or two toys to remind our children how blessed they are. And, allow your children to participate...have them craft items for their loved ones. Make Christmas more about giving than receiving this year...I promise your children will be better off for it, and you just might get blessed too!
I encourage you to just stop for a few moments before you spend your hard-earned money this year...stop and think about what values you are wanting your children to learn.
In our home, we encourage hand-crafted gifts--to teach our children about true value. We get our children a couple clothing items--to teach our children about what they need verses what they want. And one or two toys to remind our children how blessed they are. And, allow your children to participate...have them craft items for their loved ones. Make Christmas more about giving than receiving this year...I promise your children will be better off for it, and you just might get blessed too!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Make it together, make it, don't buy it
Contrary to belief, homemade items don't require any great amount of talent; and the best part is, you save money. Another wonderful aspect about making things at home vs. running to the store, is that it gives me some quality time I can spend with my children-doing things that will require their little brains to work, explore, and be creative. Recently, I decided to make some homemade soap. My daughter watched me from a distance as I mixed the lye/water mixture (that part should be done without the help of your children) and then she helped me measure out the fats and oils and oats we wanted to use. When it was time for pouring the lye soap into the molds, she helped me vaseline my molds so the soap wouldn't stick to the trays. She was a great help to me and she was learning about soap and how it is made. In her little three-year-old mind, a new idea was forming, soap doesn't just happen, it is made.
My daughter has also helped me make quilts. Like I said, she is three, so what your child will be able to help with is dependant on their ability to handle certain aspects of the craft. But as I cut the squares, my daughter stacks them neatly into a pile. My one year old son throws the scraps into the trash can and they both have fun playing with the material in between time (they like to wrap themselves in cloths or play "peek-a-boo" with the pieces over their heads). When all the pieces are cut, we all sit down on the floor and lay out the pieces. We decide which piece should go where in the quilt-you may be suprised at how well your children do at this, my three year old has quite the eye for what should go where. Once we settle on a design, I pick up the rows in the order I will sew them in, then stack the rows from top to bottom. I pull out the machine and my daughter hands me one piece at a time. When a row is finished she lays the rows out on the floor where we can watch the quilt start to take shape. Once the rows are completed we stack the rows up, top to bottom, and again, my daughter hands them to me in order. Once the face of the quilt is done we all roll around all over it and play for a bit (sometimes we quit halfway through and do this too, just for a breather). Adding the badding and the backing is usually Mommy's job, but as they grow, I'm sure they will like helping with this too. Once the badding and backing are on, we all sit down to tie it off. My son plays with the string while my daughter hands me peices of it to tie the quilt off. My daughter even enjoys "knotting" some of the strings herself. And, best part is, we do all this without spending anything except for badding if we choose to put it in our quilt. We use old sheets for the backing, and the front is from scraps we had or old clothes. Now my children know where covers come from, they are made.
My son mostly plays with the materials we use, since he is one, there isn't much he can really do yet. Although, he does understand picking up and throwing away very well, so I make sure to include him if we need anything picked up or thrown away. My three year old, on the other hand, can do increadable things when I take the time to show her and help her develop her skills. So note, any projects you do, things will take time when you add kids to the equation, but it is so fun, and the more you include them, the better and more "skillful" they will become.
My daughter has also helped me make quilts. Like I said, she is three, so what your child will be able to help with is dependant on their ability to handle certain aspects of the craft. But as I cut the squares, my daughter stacks them neatly into a pile. My one year old son throws the scraps into the trash can and they both have fun playing with the material in between time (they like to wrap themselves in cloths or play "peek-a-boo" with the pieces over their heads). When all the pieces are cut, we all sit down on the floor and lay out the pieces. We decide which piece should go where in the quilt-you may be suprised at how well your children do at this, my three year old has quite the eye for what should go where. Once we settle on a design, I pick up the rows in the order I will sew them in, then stack the rows from top to bottom. I pull out the machine and my daughter hands me one piece at a time. When a row is finished she lays the rows out on the floor where we can watch the quilt start to take shape. Once the rows are completed we stack the rows up, top to bottom, and again, my daughter hands them to me in order. Once the face of the quilt is done we all roll around all over it and play for a bit (sometimes we quit halfway through and do this too, just for a breather). Adding the badding and the backing is usually Mommy's job, but as they grow, I'm sure they will like helping with this too. Once the badding and backing are on, we all sit down to tie it off. My son plays with the string while my daughter hands me peices of it to tie the quilt off. My daughter even enjoys "knotting" some of the strings herself. And, best part is, we do all this without spending anything except for badding if we choose to put it in our quilt. We use old sheets for the backing, and the front is from scraps we had or old clothes. Now my children know where covers come from, they are made.
My son mostly plays with the materials we use, since he is one, there isn't much he can really do yet. Although, he does understand picking up and throwing away very well, so I make sure to include him if we need anything picked up or thrown away. My three year old, on the other hand, can do increadable things when I take the time to show her and help her develop her skills. So note, any projects you do, things will take time when you add kids to the equation, but it is so fun, and the more you include them, the better and more "skillful" they will become.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
How to make Cream Fondant
•1 lb. powdered sugar
•1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
•3 tablespoons heavy cream, whipped
•1 small egg white, lightly whisked
1.Dust your work surface with powdered sugar. Sift together powdered sugar and cream of tartar. Mix in the cream and egg white to make a mixture that is firm but pliable.
2.Place on work surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
3. Add food colorings and flavorings as desired and kneed them into mixture.
•1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
•3 tablespoons heavy cream, whipped
•1 small egg white, lightly whisked
1.Dust your work surface with powdered sugar. Sift together powdered sugar and cream of tartar. Mix in the cream and egg white to make a mixture that is firm but pliable.
2.Place on work surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
3. Add food colorings and flavorings as desired and kneed them into mixture.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Egg mixed with a TBS of water
Thawed and thin cut chicken breasts
Parmasean cheese or Swiss Cheese
Sandwich sliced ham
dip each peice of chicken in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs, put ham and cheese on top of half your chicken breasts, put the non-cheesed/hammed breasts on top of the cheesed/hammed breasts and secure with toothpick, place in an oiled baking dish in preheated oven of 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes--during the last ten minutes of baking you can sprinkle more cheese on top of your chicken :-)
Egg mixed with a TBS of water
Thawed and thin cut chicken breasts
Parmasean cheese or Swiss Cheese
Sandwich sliced ham
dip each peice of chicken in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs, put ham and cheese on top of half your chicken breasts, put the non-cheesed/hammed breasts on top of the cheesed/hammed breasts and secure with toothpick, place in an oiled baking dish in preheated oven of 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes--during the last ten minutes of baking you can sprinkle more cheese on top of your chicken :-)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Keep It Simple
So many of us have almost given up cooking for our families, not to mention mending clothing, doing crafts with the kids, or taking a date night with your spouse. We say, "I just don't have time anymore." And the truth is, many of us don't have time anymore. When we look at the fact that most families need two incomes to cover expenses, and then the hundred activities we are all involved in "on the side", we can easily see why we have "no time."
I found myself in the same dilemma not too long ago. I started my day at four-thirty in the morning. Got the family breakfast, dressed and lunches packed and hit the road by six. I got home from work at seven, picked up Natti, ate dinner, played with her for an hour, and then it was bedtime. The weekends weren't much better, after a busy week of work, it was time to clean house, prepare Sunday school lessons, and get reacquainted with the family..."who are you again?"
Brandon and I agreed that we had to do something. It took some work, actually a lot of work, but we decided with a few...ok, I'll be honest, some major changes, we could live off one income. We sold one of our cars, got rid of our credit cards, and started saving any way we could. I had to make sure I cooked rather than us eating out so we could save money--tiring when you've worked all day, but in a few short months, our debt was gone, I could quit my job!
Now I am a stay-at-home mom. I can do all those things that are so important. Cooking, it is now a necessity because of living on a budget, but it is a blessing in disguise because I get to see how happy it makes my family having a home-cooked meal. New clothes, yes, I can't buy as many, but I can use my creativity and make new out of the old because I have TIME now. Best of all, my kids are really MY kids. I don't leave them for hours upon hours. I get to instill the values I want them to have. I get to raise MY kids, not someone else.
I encourage everyone to start getting rid of the things you just don't need...do you need new clothes and cable TV and new cars and take out? Do your children NEED those things? I'll bet the thing they want most is you. Find a way to be there for them...after all, it's the simple things in life that make life great!
I found myself in the same dilemma not too long ago. I started my day at four-thirty in the morning. Got the family breakfast, dressed and lunches packed and hit the road by six. I got home from work at seven, picked up Natti, ate dinner, played with her for an hour, and then it was bedtime. The weekends weren't much better, after a busy week of work, it was time to clean house, prepare Sunday school lessons, and get reacquainted with the family..."who are you again?"
Brandon and I agreed that we had to do something. It took some work, actually a lot of work, but we decided with a few...ok, I'll be honest, some major changes, we could live off one income. We sold one of our cars, got rid of our credit cards, and started saving any way we could. I had to make sure I cooked rather than us eating out so we could save money--tiring when you've worked all day, but in a few short months, our debt was gone, I could quit my job!
Now I am a stay-at-home mom. I can do all those things that are so important. Cooking, it is now a necessity because of living on a budget, but it is a blessing in disguise because I get to see how happy it makes my family having a home-cooked meal. New clothes, yes, I can't buy as many, but I can use my creativity and make new out of the old because I have TIME now. Best of all, my kids are really MY kids. I don't leave them for hours upon hours. I get to instill the values I want them to have. I get to raise MY kids, not someone else.
I encourage everyone to start getting rid of the things you just don't need...do you need new clothes and cable TV and new cars and take out? Do your children NEED those things? I'll bet the thing they want most is you. Find a way to be there for them...after all, it's the simple things in life that make life great!
Friday, December 4, 2009
I'm Just Grumpy
Hey all,
Do you ever feel like everyone will just have to put up with you today because you just feel grumpy and you don't know how to shake it? I find myself in this trap so often I thought I'd write a little discovery I've made. It's called covenant.
When a person gives their lives over to Christ, they form what is called a "covenant relationship." Very similar to that of marriage, or at least what marriage should be, except this relationship is with our Creator. In the Old Testament, David and Jonathan, the king's son (just a note--Jesus is also a "King's Son"), came into covenant with one another. When this happened, Jonathan gave David his Kingly robes to wear. In essence, David was now Jonathan, he represented Jonathan. As Christians we are now wearing kingly robes, The KING'S robes. We have come into covenant with our Creator and now represent Him. It's not about me anymore, it's all about Him and making sure I am rightly representing the One that I have come into covenant with--just some food for thought the next time you feel like just being a grump.
Do you ever feel like everyone will just have to put up with you today because you just feel grumpy and you don't know how to shake it? I find myself in this trap so often I thought I'd write a little discovery I've made. It's called covenant.
When a person gives their lives over to Christ, they form what is called a "covenant relationship." Very similar to that of marriage, or at least what marriage should be, except this relationship is with our Creator. In the Old Testament, David and Jonathan, the king's son (just a note--Jesus is also a "King's Son"), came into covenant with one another. When this happened, Jonathan gave David his Kingly robes to wear. In essence, David was now Jonathan, he represented Jonathan. As Christians we are now wearing kingly robes, The KING'S robes. We have come into covenant with our Creator and now represent Him. It's not about me anymore, it's all about Him and making sure I am rightly representing the One that I have come into covenant with--just some food for thought the next time you feel like just being a grump.
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