Pay It Forward

I am participating in "Pay It Forward"!! I am so excited!!! Sometime in the next 365 days I will be receiving a totally cool, handmade item from Lola Nova.

Now, as part of this cool deal I get to make something for three people as well. I have no idea if there are even three people out there reading this, if not no big deal. If you are out there, then just leave a comment with your e-mail address and I will get in touch with you about sending you my pay it forward item. If I don't get a response, then I will choose some crafty friends to send stuff to and see if they will play along!!

I love the idea of paying it forward, not just in crafting, but in all walks of life. I am gonna try and apply this to my daily life as well. I have been truly blessed with a wonderful family, a home to live in, and great friends. I am gonna try and come up with ways to pay some of these blessings forward. I love to cook so I may make some meals for friends, or maybe some local shut ins who can't get out. I will try to keep you posted on this new idea and how it goes.

Hopefully some of you will want to join in and "Pay It Forward" as well.

Hoping eveyone has a great weekend!!

--Amy

amyt681@hotmail.com

Some Things I Have Made

I have been on a crafting kick lately. I have been to tons of craft blogs seeking inspiration, and saving tons of things to make at a later date.

Here are some of the things I have made.

First I used some old scrapbook paper to make some magnets for a friends birthday. I also made her a notepad holder (from Sister's Stuff) Mine wasn't this cute...but functional non-the-less. (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the notepad holder)

Then I made some cute Valentine's shirts for my kiddos and my 3 nieces. I found the shirts for 3 dollars at Target. The T-shirt transfers were only $2.50 (at the same great store). For my little boy I decided to do a t-shirt stensil so his shirt would be a little more masculine. I used my Cricut and cut out the words "Heart Breaker" and just used some black fabric paint and brush to get the words on his shirt. This was the first time I have done this, and it was REALLY easy!!! I want to go get some more plain shirts and make some more!!

We went to a 1st Birthday party this weekend for a friends little boy. He really likes tractors and farming ( He is the child of two farmers, the grandson of farmers, and I am sure the lineage continues way back...so how could he not like this stuff). I decided to make him a t-shirt with his name on it and a sippy cup holder. I used some John Deere fabric I got at the clearance section of my local Hobby Lobby and my Cricut to cut out the letters. I attaced them to the shirt (another Target shirt) with Wonder under. Finally I had stiched around the letters to secure them even better, and to add some general cuteness. I got the instructions for the sippy cup leash from Make It and Love It.

Last night I made a cute little dress for Missy Priss out of two tea towels. Trey and Lucy made her daughter one of these dressed and I thought it would be really cute to make my little one a Valentine's dress. This was another easy project. I think I will be making more of these in the future. I got the towels in the dollar section of Target. They were $2.50 for two towels. I wased them before making the dress to eliviate any future shrinkage. Then just soewed them together. And viola....




I would suggest getting bigger towels for older girls. Missy Priss is 13 months old and these two towels were just the right size (width wise) for her, but older girls will need a wider towel.



I have started redoing a t-shirt that I got at Goodwill with some ruffles, but I haven't decidec how I want it to look, so I will post pictures of that later. I also bought a Red t-shirt that I want to add lace around the neckline, like Grace Violet does.



I have been going to my local thrift store scouring for good deals on stuff I can craft with. These deals will just have to wait for another poast. I am being called for a picnic at the beach with Pookie ( play food on the bathroom rugs in the living room).



I hope ya'll have an equally enjoying day!!



--Amy

Weight Loss

Well, the good news is that I lost 3 lbs since yesterday. The bad news is I was sick. I felt yucky all day yesterday and took a nap hoping that would make me feel better. That didn't happen.
I feel better today, mainly week from the lack of food. By supper time I was hungry and made a Chicken Nacho Casserole. It was good, but next time I think I will add a 1/2 to a whole can of black beans and a can of corn.

Here is the original recipe:

1 can chicken, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 lb. shredded cheese (i used monterey jack)
1 onion, chopped
1 can Rotel
1 bag tortilla chips

Combine all the ingredients in a casserole dish. Only place half of the chips in the mixture. Bake for 35 minutes at 350. Then add the remaining chips ( crushed) to the top of the casserole and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Like I said for a little more variety add some black beans and corn, or maybe a can of salsa.

--Amy

Snow Day!!!

Snow in southern Ky isn't unusual, but to last for a couple of days is. The snow lasted for several days before meltin. Two weeks ago we had about an inch of snow, so the kiddos and I went outside to play. Emery was always asking to go out and play in the snow.



I pulled the kiddos in the sled up and down the drive way.



Then Emery decided to drive his police car and help any stranded motorists.




Caroline wanted to ride on the tricycle, but got a little confused in the midst of the snow...




Then I made a snow angel in the the drive way.




Here are some pics of our animals in the snow.

Warm Soup On a COLD Day

Here is a soup recipe that I received from one of my best friends (who is a very good cook). I have adapted it to what I have on hand, so feel free to do so as well.

You will need a can of each of your favorite vegetables...hopefully you have a few.





I used:
Green Beans
Sliced Carrots
Green Peas
Whole Kernel Corn
Potatos (I get the whole potatos and then slice them myself)




Diced Tomatoes
Tomato Sauce (i had tomato paste so I used that)
Beef broth (i used four bullion cubes and dissolved in my soup, you can also use a beef stew seasoning)
12 oz. Tomato Juice ( I use V8)

Once you have all of your ingredients assembled find a large pot to add your goodies too. I just bought a cast iron pot at Aldi's a couple of weeks ago for $30 (what a deal) It was a 5 qt. pot and I filled it pretty full.

Start by placing your tomato juice, paste and diced tomatos in the pot. I chopped my bullion cubes with a large knife so they would dissolve faster, and then added them to the mixture.




Next come the veggies. I like to drain the veggies and rinse them a couple of times in the can. On the last rinse I fill the can with water to cover the veggies and pour into the pot.



Now stir everything together and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5-10 minutes and then simmer on the stove until you are ready to eat. You could also dump everything in a crockpot before you go to work in the morning set on low. When you get home supper is ready.




This makes a lot of soup and is great for sharing with friends and neighbors.

I hope you enjoy!!!

--Amy

Baking A Cake

For Christmas my Father-in-law got me a subscription to Taste of Home magazine. If you don't get it or haven't seen the cover of the January issue, then you are missing out. My 3 year old saw the cover (a picture of a beautiful chocolate cake) and said, "Mommy, will you make me this?" How can you say no to that...so here is my rendition of the same cake.

Here are all the ingredients...








Plus some yummy chopped chocolate for gonach.




I made chocolate butter cream icing.



And here is the melted chocolate in a ziploc bag.



I pipped the chocolate onto waxed paper and let it cool.




The final production.




I know, I know, Iknow...you are thinking this is way tooooo chocolaty, But, it really isn't it is just right. If you don't like chocolate, then it probably is too much. The first time I made this cake I thought it would be too much chocolate and I would only be able to eat 2 bites before deciding it was too rich. I was pleasantly suprised by the moistness of this cake and how scrumptious it truely is. If you want the recipe check out Taste of Home (it was part of a cake competition...and this wasn't the #1 cake).

Happy Baking.

--Amy

Resolutions

I know we are a couple of weeks into the new year, but I wanted to officially post some new years resolutions. I am hoping that having them online will help keep me accountable.

1. Do more educational learning activities with Emery.
-in the last couple of weeks he has just grown up and at time is pretty mature (which breaks my heart to see my little guy grow up so fast). Emery is definitely ready to spend some quality time each day refining skills that will prepare him for preschool next year.

2. Have some individual play time with each kiddo once a day. We play a lot together (or I referee between the two).

3. Read at least one book a week. I have a list of books I want to read from my local library as well as a ton of Lilian Jackson Braun books in my basement to read.

4. Make something crafty at least once a month. Currently I am working on making Emery a scarf and a matching had for his winter coat. I need to fininsh this project soon since we have about an inch of snow on the ground an it has been cold for KY the past couple of days.

5. Loose at least 10 lbs. I would like to get back to what I weighed when we got married. I just reached my goal of pre-baby weight by Caroline's 1 st birthday and I would like to loose a little more. I would love to be at my high school graduation weight, but that might be too skinny. One can always dream. I want to start doing some crunches/sit-ups, squats, and Nordic track this month to get my body in the groove of doing some exercise and then start P90X next month.

6. Start a bible study with my mom. We went this fall and picked out the " Having a Mary heart in a Martha World" book, but we haven't started the study yet. Once we are done I want to do another one.

7. As needed...this all I can think of for now, but I am sure as the year unfolds there will be other goals I want to accomplish.