Stitched with Love

One of my many cousins recently had a baby. I wasn't able to attend the shower for her, so I sent a gift when my parents visited her parents.

Since I quit work to stay home with the Goose, our budget has become much smaller - the same story as many families out there. My mother-in-law bought me a very nice sewing machine and helped me re-learn what my mother taught me so many years ago about sewing.

For my cousin's gift, I selected a pair of hand stitched baby leg warmers that I made, (that link will take you to my post on how to make them, you can see my Etsy shop here and all the styles I have available here) and I made some crinkly taggie squares.

I've linked to crinkly taggie squares before in a "Reading the Whole Internet" post, citing this post from Chasing Cheerios that references this post at Joy's Hope.

Pictured above, one square was camouflage print on one side with black on the other, and the other square was light blue on one side and a farm print on the other. (I have posted before on how I organize my ribbon scraps using wooden clothes pegs, and I have some tips on getting fabric and ribbon on the cheap in my baby burp cloth and taggie blanket post.)

Unfortunately, I'm drafting this post without the benefit of an internet connection, so I'm unable to pull those posts up and tell you exactly what I did differently (since I tend to be a tweaker!). I think I cut my squares about 6.5" square so that they'd be about 6" with seam allowances. Not sure if the posts recommend it or not, but when I sew something and turn it inside out, I trim the corners diagonally (cut off the "peak" - but don't cut too much!) so they lay better once turned inside out.

I also cut the crinkle piece (I used part of a wipes refill bag) a bit smaller and stitched it to the plain side of fabric, making sure that the writing faced whichever piece of fabric that seemed less likely to let it show through. I also topstiched (if that's the right word?) a tic-tac-toe design to help hold the pieces together. You could also do an X, or anything else you wanted.

Something that I am considering with the crinkly squares - I'm not sure how well the bag will hold up to washing and drying and, well, constant crinkling by a little one. I have read of people using items such as washed cereal bag liners (I think it was this post on Frugal Family Fun Blog?) where others weighed in and identified that they may be sprayed with a chemical preservative - not really something you want a little one gumming! I have asked a friend to save me wrappers/liners from organic food items (anybody else want to collect them for me? :>)) and am hoping that will be an appropriate alternative.

The wonderful thing about handmade gifts is that all the while I work on them, I pray for and think about the recipients. They certainly are one-of-a-kind, and since I'm a careful shopper, they permit me to give of my time and love instead of just money. (And that’s definitely a finer thing!

For more frugal ideas, visit Life as Mom and for more finer things, visit Amy!

Silicone Basting Brushes

Something that I have found handy in the kitchen is a silicone basting brush. Here is one on Amazon that is similar to what I have - I put in the whole image link so you can see the price without clicking through:

I use it for oiling the waffle iron after it's already heated up (since I usually forget), they also work well to brush sauce on food when you're grilling - especially the long handled one, and you don't end up with bristles in your food like has happened to us with regular bristle brushes (blech).

The set I purchased has 3 brushes in varying lengths. The brush heads can be removed from the handle and both pieces put in the dishwasher. My brush heads have warped a bit but they still work great.

I did a quick search and found the set in a number of places. It's not the cheapest, but I have ordered from Miles Kimball before and I have been satisfied with their service. I also didn't click through to check shipping and handling on any of these, but I imagine that could be a stickler.

Other places I found that sell the brushes: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. (Whew.) Remember, I don't know anything about S&H at these sites, nor do I know anything about their policies. They just came up with cheap prices!

Another waffle tip - since I made a double batch of whole wheat waffles this morning with the intention of freezing the extras, I cooled the waffles on a cooling rack so the steam could escape. It helps the waffle retain a bit of crispness. We prefer to reheat them in the toaster so they really crunch back up!

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes.

Link Roundup, Anniversary Edition

After that long post, you'd think I'd have nothing left to say. :>) Hubs and I celebrated on Friday by going to a really nice Italian restaurant about an hour and 15 minutes from here in a small town. (Think New York City 5 star chef marries small town girl who ends up wanting to move back home. It turned out well for central Nebraska!) Last time we went was our anniversary three years ago when I was pregnant with the Goose, so it was fun to take her this time. Hubs had swordfish last time and leg of lamb this time, so it's not your usual spaghetti and meatballs!

Let's get down to the good stuff -

MAKE
What a super gift idea - a homemade princess and the pea playset by Valerie at Frugal Family Fun Blog. I really dig that her hubs helped!

Valerie also has a very fun tiny pumpkin patch playset that looks too fun.

Very cute witches broom treat bag at Three Pumpkins Little. (Though what I really need is some inspiration for a big treat bag for Goose to carry . . . anybody seen anything out there? You would think there would be something at Tipnut's 250+ Halloween craft, food, and project ideas, but it has everything else except the kitchen sink.)

File this under "blown away by the amount of detail": shadow puppet theater tutorial at Giver's Log. I could see putting this together for my nieces except there would be one big open spot and that's it . . . doesn't mean I love them any less. :>)

Remember a while back I posted a link to a post where they used dresser drawers as bookshelves? Check out the dresser drawer ribbon holders at Blue Cricket Design. But more than anything, I'd love to see what the old dresser looks like behind the cloth now!

You have to click through to see more pictures, but this everything pocket bag tutorial is really neat.

I have a couple of pre-blog posts on making paper beads tucked into my favorites, but I don't think they're as involved as this one is. Pretty fascinating - and I like the inclusion of the metallic embroidery floss. (@ Go Make Something - great name!)

Fun freezer paper stenciled bean bags for learning to spell at Lil Blue Boo. I've not yet tried freezer paper stenciling but I've tucked away a few tutorials and it looks really cool.

These quick felt daisies on Whip Up are adorable! Now if I only knew how to do a french knot . . .

EAT

[Edit: Note to self - refresh Google Reader before hitting POST.] Amy at the Finer Things has a crazy comprehensive post on pumpkin recipes from around the blogsphere. Beings as I have a bunch of pumpkin and squash in my freezer, I'm ready!

Chocolate on My Cranium claims that these pumpkin muffins don't even need butter or jam. Might be a good thing for Goose and me to whip up and send in the tractor with Hubs now that he's back in the field.

I still need to do my final garden post - have I mentioned that I dug a WHEELBARROW full of carrots? We aren't big on sweet glazed stuff around here (unless it's actually dessert) so I'm very interested in this recipe for summer savory dusted oniony roasted carrots at Eating Simply. I need to add savory to my grocery list!

Not sure that I'm brave enough, but I thought this idea of using cauliflower as a pizza crust at the Chicken Coop is intriguing. (Does anybody else's cauliflower frequently turn out watery? What am I doing wrong?)

After yet another round of porcupine meatballs that took a very long time to cook, I stumble across this: porcupine meatballs with pre-cooked rice at Cooking During Stolen Moments. Oof, why didn't I think of that?

Another interesting meatball recipe in tomato chipotle sauce at The Wednesday Chef. Better yet - no browning first.

DO
Now this is something I'd never have thought to do - use a pillow sham as a stroller blanket. But it's a great idea - and it obviously worked very well! (@ Inspire Company)

Another thing I'd never thought to do: cut toddler spaghetti with scissors. I tried it this weekend, and instead of wrestling around with a knife and fork forEVER and still not doing a good job, it was snip snip snip and the hungry toddler was appeased.

Chasing Cheerios had a neat idea on taking dictated letters from a little one but putting them on e-mail instead of writing letters. Have to admit, there's really something about getting an honest to goodness letter in the mail, though!

I was a bit surprised (though I shouldn't have been) that these 20 ways to improve your sewing ALL went over my head. Guess I need to improve a lot of other things before I can improve those. :>)

As I note in the comments, I'd love to get a grain mill to grind our own flour because I could just get it right out of our fields! Laura at Heavenly Homemakers is doing a series this week on her grain mill and grinding, you can find part one here.

PRAY & PONDER
Karen Edmisten writes about two things that help her when she feels adrift from her faith. "What am I doing differently?" and "The Lord will provide." I highly recommend you click through and see what she has to say.

Karen also has some great quotes by St. Teresa of Avila for her feast day, Oct. 15.

Oo-oo-ooh! What a resource Jessica at Shower of Roses has compiled! It's a list of feast day plans and celebrations categorized by month. GREAT stuff there!

Jessica also posted this prayer of mother with child. How beautiful! And how appropriate as I just learned today a dear cousin is expecting her second child. (Another belly to rub for good luck!)

Jennifer at Conversion Diary wrote a thought-provoking post about "so you went against God's will - now what?" Her take? It might not be quite as bad as you think. (My words, not hers.)

Hmm, I thought I posted this a while back but I sure can't find it now . . . Jennifer also has a post on why it makes sense to be obedient to my husband. Lots to ponder there - especially since she comes from a former feminist standpoint.

Stacey at Almost There posted don't knock the Rosary till you try it regarding her first experience praying the Rosary. Her reaction to it came as a surprise to her, but probably not to the rest of us. :>)

Dr. Ray Guarendi has a guest post at Faith & Family Life about raising difficult children.

I really enjoyed this post on Columbus's devotion to Mary at Faith & Family Live.
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And last but not least, this one doesn't really fit into a category, but I really enjoyed it. Birds on the Wires by Jarbas Agnelli. He saw a picture of birds on power lines that looked like notes on a music staff and figured out the melody. It's lovely!

Yeah, I know that's a whole lotta links. Happy surfing - and let's hope next week isn't so full of stuff to see!

Happy Anniversary, Hubs!

Today is our sixth wedding anniversary! I thought it would be fun to do the marriage meme I've seen floating around. Oh, how I wish I could share pics with you - maybe by our next anniversary, I'll have a working scanner. :>)

1. Where/How did you meet? We met at Wal-Mart. (Holy cow, I just realized I haven't yet published "About Me, Part 4"! Story coming soon!)

2. How long have you known each other? 7.5 years

3. How long after you met did you start dating? About five minutes.

4. How long did you date before you were engaged? About seven months.

5. How long was your engagement? About 10 months.

6. How long have you been married? 6 years.

7. What is your anniversary? October 18, St. Luke's feast day.

8. How many people came to your wedding reception? Not sure . . . 200?

9. What kind of cake did you serve? It had three layers, chocolate, white, and lemon, I think, and one smaller cake. They were frosted in a smooth white frosting and decorated with pinecones, cinnamon stick twigs, and a few small green icing lines to look like pine needles.

The groom's cake was made my my MIL. It said "The Farmer Takes a Wife" and had a plastic couple on it, a toy husky dog (Hubs had a husky named Frosty) a toy tractor and grain cart, and toy cows. Wonder what happened to those???

10. Where was your wedding? St. Luke's Catholic Church in our hometown. My mom just made the connection last night that we got married on St. Luke's feast day at St. Luke's.

11. What did you serve for your meal? Our wedding was at 2 o'clock, so when people got to the reception hall, we had popcorn for them to snack on. For the meal, we served salad, chicken in a champagne mushroom cream sauce, some kind of beef, I think, potatoes, green beans and rolls? It's blurry after the chicken.

12. How many people were in your wedding party? Three attendants each. My sister-in-law was my matron of honor, and Hubs's sisters were my bridesmaids. I asked his middle sister to be in our wedding before I met her, since she lived out of state. :>) One of Hubs's friends was his best man, another friend of his and my brother were groomsmen.

My four-year-old niece was flower girl. No ring bearer. Hubs's cousin was my personal attendant, and I must mention that the music for the ceremony was provided by my family - aunts, uncles, cousins. It was *amazing*.

13. Are you still friends with them all? Yes.

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? No, but I cried most of the way down the aisle and all during our vows. My SIL handed me a kleenex, I blew my nose, and handed the kleenex to Hubs, and he stuck it in his pocket. My SIL said she knew at that point it was true love.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day? The whole thing was wonderful, from start to finish.

16. Any funny moments? Our "get-away ride" was a trailer pulled by my uncle's old tractor. We put canvas camp chairs on it (including a little one for my niece) and rode it to the reception hall. I was hoping my uncle would cruise main just once, but he went straight there.

17. Any big disasters? None that I remember.

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? Colorado

19. How long were you gone? A week.

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change? Better photographer and videographer - he was not good. I've heard he's working at Menards now.

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?: The right side (when looking from the foot of the bed).

22. What size is your bed? Queen.

23. Who pays the bills? He earns 95% of the money, I write the checks.

24. What is your song? You Never Even Call Me By My Name by David Allen Coe?

25. What did you dance your first dance to? The One by Gary Allen.

26. Describe your wedding dress: Ivory, short sleeved, square neckline. My skirt was plain ivory organza, but edged in lace and pearls. Long train. My veil was exactly what I wanted (and cheap!) - it was plain tulle attached to a comb. My mom glued pearls around the edge, and I wore a small tiara type hair piece that had metal flowers and crystals and pearls on it, I think.

27. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? Yellow roses, and cala lilies with a few pieces of wheat. They were real and they weighed a TON. (I'm guessing it was the soaked floral foam.) Tucked in my bouquet was my grandmother's rosary that my mother carried on her wedding day. My bridesmaids carried silk bouquets of fall flowers - mums, sunflowers, etc. with yellow roses and wheat.

28. How old were you when you got married? We were both 27.

OK, a few other memories I can't help but share!

The priest who married us has been at my home parish for several years, and had confirmed me. My mom had talked to him about dates and whatnot, but when I finally got back there and was able to visit with him myself, I proposed to him! I told him that I knew he and my mom had been talking, and I got down on one knee and asked him to marry me . . . and [insert Hubs's name here]. He got a good laugh out of it!

Before our rehearsal, I had an afternoon tea for my attendants. I made shortbread cookies, scones, and a chocolate pound cake, I think. We had a huge assortment of teas, but it was in the mid-80s, so we drank iced chai tea. I gave them each a tea cup . . . and I don't remember what my actual gift to my attendants was, though! (Hubs gave his friends Bill O'Reilly books, and my brother a Patrick McManus book. The priest got a bottle of Crown Royal!)

Our rehearsal dinner was held at a restaurant at a nearby lake. The weather was so beautiful, and it was a delightful night.

Our wedding day dawned a bit early for me - my then-six-month-old niece was up about 4:30. She got a bottle and went back to sleep, but I wasn't so lucky! I think that set me on edge for the rest of the day . . . I felt like I was on display and just not myself. I can tell it watching the video, too.

When I went to get my hair fixed (by the same woman who fixed my cousin's hair for her wedding two months earlier - we had the same cake lady, too!), I was nervous! She had a little stuffed Aflac duck sitting on her counter, and I asked if I could hold it while she curled and tucked and did her thing. She pulled the sides of my hair back in a small braid and curled the rest. Back then, my hair was waist-length.

My wedding day was the first and only time I've worn fake eyelashes. :>)

I did a bunch of internet research and instead of rice or birdseed, we had our guests throw spices as we came out of the church. There are lots of different meanings attached to them!

One of my cousins caught my bouquet - and it was her wedding that we attended this summer on our vacation to Wyoming.

Hubs's family watched my four-year-old niece get beer from the keg like she was a pro - and they didn't say anything, either!

Paging through my wedding album, I'm reminded of how much I loved our decorations - pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, shocks of wheat and corn and grasses. The centerpieces were large round vases with layers of different types of grain with a small votive tucked on top. That's why I love decorating our porch for fall.

That night, we had booked a room at a hotel about 25 miles away that was owned by the son of some friends of my parents. Although he wasn't invited to the wedding, somehow they figured it out and upgraded us to the jacuzzi suite - for FREE - and had a bottle of chilled champange waiting for us.

The next morning, it is custom in my family to have a breakfast, which one of my uncles hosted at his farm. Really, it's an opportunity for everyone to visit just a bit more - I have a *really* big family, and we don't get together that often anymore. My mom is one of 10 and my dad is one of 11. Hubs told me when we met that he has a really big family - his dad is one of 5 and his mom is one of 4. I just chuckled.

Side story - Hubs and I are practically related. :>) My aunt (married to my mom's brother) is an extended cousin of Hubs's cousin's wife. So, not really. But it is a funny story.

When we returned from our honeymoon, there had been some "elves" at work. Lining our front walk were . . . plastic forks stuck in the grass. We'd been forked! They were hidden around our house in some obvious and not-so-obvious places. Hubs's cousins had also brought back some of our decorations and decorated our porch with them. It was a wonderful welcome home!

OK, for those of you who have hung on through this entire post - you deserve a medal! I hope to be back later today with a Reading the Whole Internet post, and look for the fourth installment of "About Me" this week - even though I jumped ahead with this part. :>)

Introducing Camilla and Nappy

It's crazy that I've been blogging for almost six months now and I haven't introduced two members of our household! My calico is named Camilla. She is 10(!) this month, and I've had her for just over eight years. I got her from the Humane Society in Colorado Springs - which is a bit funny because she's the only cat I've ever had that didn't come from a farm, and I actually *paid* a fee to get her - she is worth every bit of it, too.

When I was going to pick out a cat, I had a short list of names that I liked, one of which was Camilla. (Remember Gonzo's chicken from the Muppets?) I walked around and looked at all the cats, and Camilla - which was her actual name - stood up and pressed her little black nose against the glass, meowing. It was all over in that second. I looked at a few others, but she was it for me.

I brought her home, and she hid under my bed for about a week! Thankfully she came out to eat, use the litter box, and explore while I was gone. Turns out she's a very sweet but super fraidy cat, and I'm lucky to have her.

She didn't care so much for our move from Colorado Springs, as new things are not her favorite, and she also wasn't too sure about our move to the house where Hubs and I now live. Plus, a few months after we got here, HE moved IN. (We got married, you know!) I think her ability to cope was somewhat helped along by the fact that him being here means that there is meat in the house all the time. :>)

Fast forward to August of 2005. Hubs called me at work and asked me to pick up some milk replacer at the vet - he'd taken in some abandoned kittens. They were probably about 2.5-3 weeks old, two white and one tabby. We'd recently seen the movie "Napoleon Dynamite" and so the white ones were named Napoleon and Kip while the tabby was Pedro.

We bottle fed those fluff balls for about a month before taking them to the barn. We'd had some trial runs ("day care" we called it) but after Labor Day weekend, I tucked them into the barn for the night and went home. Back then, I went to the farm twice a day to feed cats, usually stopping on my way to work in the morning and then going back late afternoon/evening. That Tuesday morning, I went early so I could give the little ones bottles. By this point, we'd figured out that "Napoleon" was a girl, and so we shortened it to "Nappy".

When I got to the barn, the big cats met me but no little ones. I finally found Nappy's hiding spot and she was so scared she was trembling. The other two were gone, and I still don't know what happened, but I sure cried as I brought Nappy back home that morning. Much to Camilla's (and Hubs's - and my mother's) dismay, she's been a fixture in our family ever since.

Nappy has mitten paws or, well, thumbs. Hubs and I have shared many a joke about that over the few years we've had her. Camilla is the brains while Nappy is the opposable thumbs, that sort of thing. I also tease Hubs about being her mama cat since he's the one that agreed to take them in, and I say she's his cat. (He strongly disagrees.)

Perhaps the best, most amusing thing is the Goose's love for kitties and especially Nappy. I suppose it's due in part to Camilla's high-strung-ed-ness (did I just make up a word?) and Nappy's more easygoing personality that makes her not care so much about the baby goose rolling over her, thumping her, grabbing handfuls of fur, etc. In fact, Goose's first actual word that she actually connected with a thing was "Nap" - and I don't mean her daytime siestas.

In fact, Goose's beloved stuffed animals are a take off of Nappy. When she was just learning to talk, she referred to everything she loved as "Nappy". Her papa and I needed a way to distinguish the striped cat from the polar bear, so they became "Nappy Cat" and "Nappy Bear". None of which would make sense nor have come about without the thumbed kitty herself.

My Etsy Shop is Open!

Approximately 11 months ago, I registered at Etsy, thinking I could sell my handmade baby leg warmers there. I finally got to it this week! :>)

Of course, you can purchase them from me directly and save the Etsy fees, but this way I have the widgit on my sidebar for people who are just passing through. I've not listed them all there, since there is a fee for listing, I'm kind of testing the waters. You can see all my designs here.

Real Food Book Giveaway

Lots of posts swirling in my head, but I've not made time to sit down and bang them out. Story of my life. I did want to pop in and tell you about a wonderful giveaway - Katie at Kitchen Stewardship is giving away Nina Planck's books Real Food: What to Eat and Why, and Real Food for Mother and Baby.

I smiled to myself when Katie noted that Real Food is easier to read than Nourishing Traditions because I'm still on the intro of that book. And it's been like a year since I started. I've learned quite a bit from what I've read, it's just really heavy stuff.

So, if you'd like to learn more about simple, healthy eating, click through and sign up to win!

PS - Confidential to Amy, if I don't win, and I ever end up needing to read it, can I borrow your copy? :>) Praying for you to need it first, though!

Freezing Potatoes

Happy Kitchen Tip Tuesday! Tammy's Recipes took a couple of well-deserved weeks off and I kind of got out of the groove. I've been meaning to post for a while on what I do with questionable potatoes from the garden, as well as providing tips on freezing potatoes. The caveat here is that I only am going to show you my method - it's the only one I use because we like it so well!

After my hubs digs potatoes, I sort them. All the good ones get set out to harden off per Laura at Heavenly Homemaker's directions. The ones that have some green on them and the ones that got cut by the spade are turned into mashed potatoes and frozen.

In the picture at left, you can see a lot of green on some of the potatoes. I make sure to cut all the green off as it is toxic, but the rest of the potato seems fine to eat. I also trim the cut edges, mostly because they got dirty and have sat for a few days by the time I get to them, so they're pretty icky. I also use any potatoes that have bad spots that I can cut away. Similar to tomatoes, I cut and sniff until I don't smell any "ick" - just potato and kind of a fresh dirt smell. :>)

I then slice up the potatoes and use my chop wizard to dice them. (I am not all that good with a knife, and this makes it go SO MUCH faster!) It is a bit noisy - it THUNKS as it cuts - so I sometimes take it in the laundry room to use while Goose is napping. I set up my ironing board at about pelvis high for the best leverage.

After dicing, I put the potatoes in a big pot with a couple of inches of water, cover it and bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Most people cover the potatoes with water, and that's fine, but I tend to boil them over when I do that. This way, the potatoes kind of steam. Make sure you stir, though - they'll stick on the bottom.

After that, I pretty well follow the guidelines for the Pioneer Woman's twice baked potatoes. I use some butter, sour cream, buttermilk, cheese, and bacon bits. One time I stirred in a packet of ranch dressing mix and it was really, really good! So this time, I did a search for homemade ranch dressing, and my favorite one was this one from Recipe Source. I don't do exact measurements, and I don't put in the other stuff, just parsley flakes, dried onion, dill, onion and garlic powder, and instead of the onion and garlic salt, I up the powders and add some seasoned salt. I then stir and have my hubs give it a taste. Remember that you can't take spices out, so start out on the low side.

I then divide the potatoes out into freezer bags and mark them with the amount and what all I put in. Last year, half my potatoes had the yummy ranch and half did not, so sometimes I would thaw one bag of each and mix them together.

These freezer bags are especially handy for thawing since they are reasonably flat and not too thick. If I don't plan ahead well enough, I put them in hot water in the sink and it doesn't take too long for them to thaw. To cook, I like to put them in a casserole dish and bake them, especially if I'm baking the main dish and am already running the oven. I prefer to bake them uncovered so the top can get browned and kind of crusty. Yum!


I'll leave you with a picture of some of the big funky potatoes we managed to grow this year. They look like one big potato with several smaller potatoes attached. After I wash them, I cut off the small potato offshoots and slice them separately, then proceed as noted above.

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes!

Link Roundup, Mamas and Babies Edition

This week has been kind of a whirlwind! I finished (I think - unless my dad brings more apples) canning applesauce on Monday and had Bible study, Tuesday was chiropractor appointments, Wednesday was a trip to Lincoln (our state capitol, 2 hours away), Thursday I had to do garbage and sewer billing for our little village, and Friday I had to work and hit a rummage sale (I picked up some good deals! - I took photos, I'll get the post up sooner or later, I hope. Oh, and this morning, Goose and I went to our little town hall to help set up for a potluck our church is having tomorrow. Whew!

My trip to Lincoln was for the annual meeting of the Nebraska Friends of Midwives. It's always good to see everyone that I only get to see once a year and in my inbox, and there's lots of hugging and a few announcements by those who are expecting. (Maybe I should have been rubbing their bellies for good luck? :>))

Regardless, I managed to sock away plenty of links to share.

MAKE
Don't think I'm giving up on my baby leg warmers but this is a great tutorial on how to turn a dollar store scarf into baby legs at Obsessively Stitching. Crazy cute!

This is quite a concept - Everyday Mom's self-binding receiving blankets. This could be a great way to showcase two super cute prints on flannel.

You Can Make This has a link to a neat tutorial on a no-sew knotted handkerchief bag - cheap and functional do well around here.

Homemade cleaner recipes fascinate me, but I seem to loose the recipes before I can try them out. (Not so with the vinegar and peroxide which I still love but I digress.) Littles Rule the Roost (heh on the name!) has a post on homemade cleaning wipes that I'd really like to try. (the theory is quite similar to my homemade wipes) Yes, I have read the posts on using rags instead of paper towels, but I get so grossed out when I clean bathrooms that I really prefer disposable stuff. Plus we burn our trash, so it's an entirely different environmental impact than going to a landfill. (Welcome to country living.)

I've only set foot in a Pottery Barn store once that I can remember(in New Orleans), and I did think they had some cute stuff. Pretty much all out of my price range, though. Enter knock-offs! These twine balls at V and Co are easy but still look great.

EAT
Mmkay, this has been at the top of my "to make NOW" list since she posted it, but I never seem to have everything in the house at once that I need (i.e. I used the last of the whole wheat flour on waffles tonight). And you have to start it the night before you'll bake it - planning ahead isn't always my strongest suit. Regardless, I WILL be making this multigrain sourdough bread from Sarah's Musings. Can't wait to see if I can get it to turn out!

I don't think it's a secret that I get a huge kick out of Alton Brown of the Food Network. I have his baking book, and his cooking book might make a nice Christmas present (or this one cough*cough) - anyway, here's his recipe for waffles. Of course, when I made waffles for the freezer earlier today, I forgot that I had this bookmarked. So. I'll try them next time. :>)

Passionate Homemaking has a great lineup of recipes for homemade pizza. [and it's another of those blogs that I keep clicking onto and finding great stuff . . . which means it won't be long until I break down and subscribe. :>)]

This is a very interesting sounding recipe for rice lasagna at Three Ladies and a Dad.

Donna at Mom's Frugal has me chewing on my arm just looking at pictures of the chocolate angel food cake. I didn't even know there was such a creature, but it sure sounds good, doesn't it??

This blog name reminds me of our farm: Chickens in the Road. :>) I really like this recipe for dry cream soup mix though I'm still pretty cautious on dry milk powder. I just don't think that it's that good for you. (But is it better than all the preservatives in the canned cream soup? I dunno.)

DO
Goose is quite a ways from getting online, even supervised. Danielle Bean, though, is a mother of 8, so she knows of what she speaks when she discusses one way of supervising kids' online time.

Here's a great post on keeping toddlers busy while homeschooling at the Homeschool Classroom that would also be great for, you know, keeping toddlers busy in general.

LEARN
I love reading blogs, but when I actually know the person, it's all the more fun, isn't it? Paula, mother of 7 and fellow Nebraskan, blogs at Modern Motherhood, Vintage Values. My favorite posts so far include sibling rivalry and (imagine this) potty training. Did I mention that she homeschools, too?

My poor house plants. I used to really have a green thumb with them. Then I got cats that eat plants and had a baby that probably would have tried to eat them. The plants got relegated to the basement under a fluorescent light, and they're slowly dropping, one by one. For the remaining die-hards, here are some houseplant care tips at Tipnut.

Happy surfing! Hope everyone is having a good weekend -

Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to everyone for participating in the Fall Blog Giveaway Carnival at Heavenly Homemakers! Winners here were:

500 Terrific Ideas for Organizing Everything - Rachel
Dressing Up the Home in Wartime (vintage) - Wesdelchic07
Christmas Baby Legwarmers - LeeAnn
How to Clean Practically Anything - Elaine R
Favorite Recipes from House and Garden - Heather

I have e-mailed or posted a comment for each of you; once I get your mailing info, I'll get these sent out.

Who's ready for spring to get here so we can do this again?!? :>)