Diary of a Rather Crafty Girl

I haven't been around for quite some time but I'm hoping to be more active with recipes and such soon. It seems as though life keeps moving so fast but we've been working on more of a scheduled day and I am getting much more done. Blogging is going to be worked into the schedule.

Since I've been gone our 3rd child was born. He is just about the sweetest thing ever... but I think I've said that about all of my babies. He was born on Dec 27th and weighed 7 lbs and 12 oz. Ridley Maxwell Simmons was a fantastic late Christmas gift for our family this year. Isn't he a doll!!

So for the last three months we've been trying to settle in and adjust to being a family of five. And I've been adjusting to having a newborn. It's been a challenge for sure but Ridley is such a good baby.

I'm finally getting back into the swing of cooking and I've made a few awesome new recipes that I wanted to share. First, I have to admit that my kids have been eating horribly. Buying processed/frozen/quick foods that I know they will eat has been extremely easy while I've been getting use to having Ridley. But I can't stand to see them eat junk all of the time so I've been trying to "remake" some of the favorite junk food into healthy recipes. First thing that I tried was corndogs. They both love those little corn dog nuggets and I hate to admit that I've been buying them because they are horrible.

I found a recipe on pinterest that turned out super tasty. It was from Iowa Girl Eats. However, what is the first thing my kids do? Peel all of the breading off and only eat the hotdog! Seriously I don't know why I try so hard. If I make these again I think that I will save time and use Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. It would give the same effect and be much quicker to make.

 

So, check back soon for more recipes and such. :) Hope everyone is having a happy spring!

Christmas Craft Madness

Oh my goodness I have been on a Christmas gift crafty marathon the last few weeks. I have a list a mile long that I want to finish early since the baby will be here Dec 27th. I know by December I'm not going to feel like doing as much.

However, first I'll show you the halloween costume that I made for myself. I saw this post over at Make It Love It and knew that I had to make one. $2.79 cents for the black tshirt at Joanns and a $1.11 for a bottle of white fabric paint and I was on my way to cuteness. I stenciled using freezer paper for the first time and it was super easy and turned out great. If you aren't familiar with this technique you can check out this tutorial at Julie Ann Art. The technique is so easy but it did take forever for me to cut the stencil out.

Next up, I've been working on little toddler fleece bathrobes. Layla requested a pink Hello Kitty bathrobe which made me think this would be a really cute gift for a few little people on my list. This is one that I made. I think I may add pockets for all of those little treasures that little ones like to carry around in their pockets. I'm also planning on adding an appliqued initial for the recipient. Layla's robe is, of course,  pink with a hello kitty applique and her name embroidered. I'll finish it tomorrow but I'm keeping it to give to her for Christmas as well. I even mastered the bias tape around the edges which I have always been scared to do. I watched a video by Amy over at Angry Chicken that made it all make sense to me finally! I used a McCalls pattern that was super easy.

And what new mommy wouldn't love these cute burp clothes and matching bibs? Seriously I want to keep them for myself! I used a cloth diaper and instead of just putting a strip of fabric on one side, I covered the entire back side with a very soft snuggle flannel.

And bibs to match of course. I used a thin white terry cloth for the back and the matching flannel for the front and pearl snaps because I hate velcro. I just traced an old bib that I had for a patter and added 1/2 inch all the way around. If you need a tutorial this is basically how I made these.

Last but not least I finished a ton of headbands for all of the little girls in Lex's class. I bought the pattern on etsy from Fabric Boutique. It's a great way to use up scraps which I have boxes full of. I made 25 headbands which are reversible. And I used my embroidery machine to make these awesome flower pins that can be attached to any of the headbands. I plan to use them for bows on the packages that we hand out. Now if only I could think of a cute teacher gift to make out of scraps.

And here is another peek at the headbands.

Hope everyone has a great week. I'll try to post more this week as I finish up a few more projects. :)

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Yesterday I tried a new recipe and thought I would post it since a few of my wednesday gals asked for the recipe. It was delish!!

PUMPKIN MAC AND CHEESE

{from Better Homes and Gardens Oct 2011}

2 cups dried elbow macaroni

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup milk

4 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded (1 cup)

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

1 Tbsp. snipped frsh sage or 1/2 tsp. dried sage

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1/3 chopped walnuts

1 Tbsp. olive oil

 

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return to pot.

In medium saucepan melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper (to taste). Add cream and milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in Fontina, pumpkin and sage until cheese is melted. Stir sauce into pasta. Transfer to ungreased 2 quart rectangular baking dish.

In bowl combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, nuts and oil; sprinkle over pasta. Bake uncoveredd, 30 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh sage leaves.

Enjoy!

I finished another boppy cover for the shop this morning and thought I would post it. I think it turned out super cute.

Scrappy Boppy Cover

Last week I went to a consignment sale with my friend Olivia to see if I could find a few baby items that I had on my list. I had bought a boppy at a consigment shop a few weeks ago for $21 and was so excited about the good deal. Then here I found another boppy for $3! Seriously, I couldn't pass it up for 3 bucks! I used my old boppy all of the time so I thot it couldn't hurt to have 2. However, it was one of the old school boppys that was made of a really ugly fabric and it didn't have a cover.  So, I got online and found a pattern and here we are.

I am bound and determined to use the fabric I have to make the remainder of my baby projects and Christmas presents so you're probably going to see lots of scrappy goodness around here.

So, I used lots of scraps for this super cute boppy cover and it only cost me $2.25 for the zipper at Joann's. And I conquered my fear of sewing zippers. Why was I so scared of them? I really have no idea because it was crazy easy. I love that blue fabric with the little hedgehogs. I've been saving that little scrap forever.

Here’s what you need to make your very own boppy cover:

• Boppy Slipcover Instructions
• Boppy Cover Pattern

This tutorial and pattern is from http://economicalbaby.blogspot.com.

This is how mine turned out. I have a feeling I'm going to be making a few more of these.

And here is proof that I can do a zipper.

I'm cutting up lots of scraps for Christmas gifts so check back soon for more ideas for a handmade Christmas.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that I changed a few things on the pattern to make it fit better. First I used a 22 inch zipper instead of a 24 inch. I also sewed my seems closer to 3/4 inch instead of 1/4 inch. I didn't want the cover to be baggy. Now if we can ever pick this baby's name I'm going to go back and monogram it on there.

Last night I made the best biscuits ever and they were so easy! I can't remember where I got the recipe but a comment said that they tasted like Popeye's biscuits which was all I needed to try them. I didn't get to snap a picture because they were gone in a flash! This is the recipe. Try it, you won't be sorry.

7Up Biscuits
2 Cups Bisquick or Baking Mix
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Cup 7 Up
1/4 Cup Melted Butter

Cut sour cream into baking mix. Then add 7 Up until everything is mixed together well. Put a little more baking mix on your cutting board and pat out the biscuits. It is a really sticky batter. Melt the butter in a 9x9 pan. Now put your cut biscuits in the butter. I baked on 425 for about 10 minutes but watch them and they are ready when golden brown.

Ok gals, we've had a great weekend. Yesterday I cleaned in the morning with the kids and then took a much needed nap in the afternoon while Tim mowed the yard and Lex played Mario Kart. When I woke up Tim took the kids to the playground for a little over an hour... heaven! I never have a quiet house like that! So, instead of resting, you know I got busy on something.

I've been wanting to make some caramels. I have no idea why really other than the fact that I've never done it before and thought it might be a good challenge for me. Well, I found a recipe over at Brown Eyed Baker and I have to tell you it was fabulous! I made them strictly by the recipe with no changes. I almost always change recipes but this one was simply delish and I wouldn't do a thing different! This is definitely going to be on my list for Christmas candy.

Today we went to church then headed out to Dewberry Farm with some friends. The kids had a blast and I was completely worn out by the end of the day.

My friend Tanya took a picture of us that we can count as my 27 weeks photo. :) Tim decided to have a pumpkin belly too to match mine.

So, we made it home with 1 small pumpkin and 2 tiny pumpkins which I'm sure we will need to carve this week. My favorite part of the day was Layla riding the pony. She was so excited so we stood in line and she picked the biggest pony (mainly because she really wanted to ride a horse). I put her on and walked with her for the first round then she said "Go stand by Daddy. I can do this by myself". My Little Miss Independent!

Can you believe how big these kiddos have gotten? I love them so much and can't wait to welcome their brother into our family. They are so super excited too! Hope you all have a fantastic week!

 

 

Well ladies, as always, life has been moving at the speed of light and it doesn't ever seem to slow down. I am now 26 weeks preggo with our thrid child and it seems like these 26 weeks have flown by. The picture is from about a month ago. We're starting to prepare for his arrival and I cannot wait to get his room ready. It is still in the upper 90s here in Houston so we're waiting a few more weeks to start painting the room and getting everything done. I did order the bedding though, which I can't believe I did because we (me and Gaggy) made Lex and Layla's bedding. With #3 (and yes, as of now, that is his official name) I just don't have the time or energy to do it but I am planning on making accessories and such to go in his room. This is the bedding we picked. Isn't it just darlin'! It is even cuter in person. We're painting the room a very soothing blueish-gray.

With the heat and my lack of energy I've been trying a lot of new "easy" recipes and a few have been winners. I think our favorite was the Apple Cinnamon Kielbasa and Mashed Sweet Potatoes. It was so easy, healthy and cuper cheap and my kiddos gobbled it up.

Apple Cinnamon Kielbasa and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2-3 red apples, pealed, cored and chopped

1/4 cup apple juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

16 oz package Kielbasa, coarsely chopped

Place apples, apple juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large saucepan. Add Kielbasa. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Makes 4 servings. Serve over mashed sweet potatoes. The original recipe said to serve with canned (draine) sweet potatoes that have been warmed and mashed with butter. However, I just bought sweet potatoes, baked them and mashed them so that they wouldn't have all of the preservatives and yucky stuff in them that canned foods have.

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Sorry for my lack of pictures. I shall try to do better next time.

The second recipe that I tried was so easy and made mostly of pantry items.

Skillet Sausage and Mushrooms with Rice

1 pound sweet Italian Sausage

3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 cups white rice

4 cups chicken stock

1 chicken bouillon cube

4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Slice open and remove the casings from sausage. Brown sausage, onion, and mushrooms over medium heat until done. Add rice, broth and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until broth has evaporated and rice is tend (about 20 minutes) Stir in parmesan cheese and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

With the exception of the mushrooms my kiddos also loved this one. But then again they will eat anything with sausage in it.

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That's it for now. Hopefully I will be back soon with more recipes since I love to cook in the fall. :) I've also been sewing a lot lately for Layla trying to get her fall wardrobe done so that I don't have to buy so much for her. And seriously she looks so cute it's worth the trouble. lol.

I've also been sewing some cute bags. This is one I made for Layla for dance class (right before she decided she didn't want to take dance!) of course. Isn't it fabulous?! She picked the fabric and I was pretty impressed since she is only 2. Maybe she's going to have my eye for design. At the moment I can remember the name of the pattern I used but I'll try to remember to come back and link it.

My wednesday group has been doing a little study called 31 Days to Clean. It's a great study and one of the first days you have to write your mission statement... why I want a clean house. :) This is mine. I still haven't had a chance to print and frame it but I'm going to.

The Big Kid Room

When baby Simmons #3 gets here we're going to be moving the Ls into a room together. I've been looking for fabric that would work for a boy/girl toddler room with really not a whole lot of luck. Yesterday I found something that I simply fell in love with. It is perfect for them. What do you think? The coordinating fabrics are precious too.

 

Oh so cute Tote

I couldn't wait to post this. I worked on the front of a tote tonight using scraps from my scrap box. :) Oh I can't wait to finish it! Isn't the front fabulous! Hopefully I will get this finished up tomorrow so that I can post pics of the final bag.