He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young
. {Isaiah 40:11}

30 March 2010

Quick Triangles for Garland or Other Projects

This is most helpful for projects like fabric garland but I'm sure it could be easily used or adapted for other projects

OnE: Measure and cut your fabric. The width of your fabric is not as important as your length so I'm not going to address it right now {just know that most fabric bought at the store is 45" wide} Once you decide your length, you'll want to multiply that number by 4 to get the length of abric you'll need {for my project I found that a flag which was 6"x 7.5" was ideal so I cut my fabric to 42"x 30" then folded it in half and ironed the crease to make it 42"x15"}

TwO: Mark your fabric on the fold and on the opposite end every 6 inches starting from the same end
THrEe: set your straight edge at the open corner of your fabric and match the other end up to the first 6" mark on the folded end... make your cut

FoUr: {without moving any fabric} re-adjust the ruler to match one end with folded corner and the other at the 6" mark on the open end ... cut

FiVe: {again, without moving the fabric} move the ruler to line it with the 6" mark on the folded end and the 12" mark on the open end... cut... and continue working this way until you've made all the cuts you can make on the fabric


SiX: You will notice that you have diamonds left in the middle that aren't triangles... use your straight edge and cut these in half


Ta Da!

28 March 2010

When All Else Fails, Make Him Coffee

(What to do when your man drives you crazy!)

My husband happens to be very particular about his fingernails. Once they reach a length where he can tap them on the table he considers them "disgusting" and goes on a savage hunt for clippers. Thankfully, it just so happens that we have collected several different nail clippers in varying sizes and purposes around our house yet he manages to lose them all at the same time. Just the other afternoon he called me from work to ask if I could find a pair of nailclippers, keep them close to me until he got home and have them waiting for him when he got here. You can imagine, amist the piles of laundry and two kids, just how important I considered this task. I knew exactly where a pair was. As a matter of fact, I had told him the day before precisely where to find them. Did he bother to look? No! Instead, he waited until that moment to ask me to stop what I was doing so he could clip his nails. Ugh! While waiting for him I entered a conversation with myself. It started off something like "You have got to be kidding me! CJ stinks, Mak is crying again, the sink is full of dishes because the dishwasher still needs to be emptied and the laundry needs to be changed over all before I start dinner and THAT MAN can't find his own dang nail clippers when I told him TWO DAYS ago exactly where to find them?!" Moments after my mental rant I came to the realization that venting to him would only make me look like an idiot and make him defensive. I then decided that when he walked in the door I was going to hand the clipping contraption over to him with a smile and not say a word about how ridiculous the situation was or how inconsiderate I thought he was for expecting me to stop doing my work around the house (which was ultimately for him anyway) and make his silly clipper quest my priority. (Just so you know, I have a terrible habit of telling my dear one exactly what's on my mind and it usually isn't done in the kindest fashion.) Needless to say, he came home two hours later with a grateful smile when he saw me standing at the door with nail clippers in hand. He somehow managed to miss the steam whisping out of my ears. Words of complaint nearly pushed themselves past my forcefully smiling lips so I turned towards the kitchen and did the only thing I could think to do to release my tension. I made him a cup of coffee. I went right up to that coffee maker and forcefully opened the water tank door, poured the water, haphazerdly threw in the coffee grinds, slammed the coffee filter door shut and nearly punched that start button all with my jaw clenched tight. I can honestly tell you that by the time the coffee was done brewing my mood was lightened.

You may be thinking that my attitude seemed petty (which it was) or that I should be grateful that my husband's request was as minor as it was. Maybe you've encountered more serious disputes with your husband where you were certain he was clearly in the wrong and were convinced that anyother sensible person would see it your way. Be assured, my husband and I have had bigger fights and I've been upset with him for bigger things but this principle works the same at all levels of frustration. It is the times that we most want to yell and scream about the injustices done that we need to realize that our desire to freak out is selfishness and I've discovered that one of the best ways to fight my selfish attitude is to do something for someone else. In this case, the best way to not only show my love to my husband and to keep him from becoming upset right along with me (which would have accomplished nothing) was to make him his favorite thing... coffee.

When you get upset with your mate (and you will) I encourage you to stop before you speak, take a minute to assess the situation, figure our if you are seeing his side of things, and if nothing else, go do something for him that you know makes him happy. Not only may it make you feel better, it may confuse the heck out of him!

08 March 2010

Recipes

DON'T BE FOOLED!!!
This page is a work in progress and not completely workable at the moment...

If you're looking for something in particular you can search it on the right hand side of the blog or you can click on the word "recipes" in the "cloud of words" on the right.

Check back soon!


chocolate syrup :: strawberry syrup :: hazelnut spread
food mill :: lactation cookies :: acorn and apple bake
 black bean and sweet potato hash :: dutch baby pancake :: broccoli nuggets :: 6 month food ideas
 pancakes
Oma's cinnamon raisin bread :: honey wheat bread :: Oma's white bread
chocolate zucchini quick bread :: Cricket's garlic knots :: pan au chocolat :: croissants from scratch

cheddar bay biscuits :: maple oat bread :: apple oat muffins
 broiled grapefruit :: bacon and crouton casserole :: blueberry and lemon waffle
 Ina's granola :: waffle iron cinnamon rolls :: caramel apple casserole :: hash brown casserole
pancakes :: super healthy pancakes
 grape juice :: grape juice {light version} :: peaches
 rainbow layer cake :: white chocolate raspberry bars :: Jenn's lemon shortbread cookies
 Beth's chocolate chip :: raspberry chocolate panini :: Aunt Lona's oatmeal :: ATK triple chocolate
peanut butter cup :: king cake :: peanut butter blossoms :: forgotten cookies
 strawberry pie :: no-bake cookies :: apple caramel pie :: grilled pineapple pound cake
 thumbprint cookies :: apple crumble :: peanut butter munchies :: Melanie's apple dumplings
 homemade oreos :: Valentine's rice krispie treats
chocolate :: blueberry cheesecake :: coconut 
coffee :: strawberry rhubarb :: maple ginger 

a twist on stuffed peppers :: swiss burger :: philly cheesesteak
 chicken cordon bleu :: teryaki chicken thighs :: Giada's chicken florentine
 chicken with 40 cloves :: tomato basil bake :: mandarin chicken :: best chicken pot pie
 cornish game hen :: Ina's roast chicken :: coconut chicken with apricot sauce
Martha's honey tenderloin :: ATK cran-orange pork chops :: pork shoulder roast
apricot kielbasa :: peas, proscuitto, asparagus, & gnocchi
coconut shrimp :: shrimp scampi :: my favorite shrimp ever
 quick and easy haddock :: maple glazed salmon
Ina's grilled pizza :: ATK pizza dough :: bbq chicken pizza
Grandma Maroni's meatballs

fruit salad :: caprese salad with balsamic :: tomato and cucumber
 tangy bbq beef
 microwave potato chips :: fruit pizza :: soft pretzel
 chocolate craisin granola :: chocolate chip granola bars :: monkey bread :: banana bites
glazed donuts :: cinnamon popcorn :: graham crackers :: puppy chow
Joe's potato bacon soup :: corn chowder :: tomato basil
 Oma's tomato soup :: roast chicken noodle soup :: butternut squash soup
grilled summer squash :: zucchini patties :: breaded zucchini chips
tomato cucumber salad :: matchstick truffle potato :: camp potatoes on the grill :: mashed sweet potatoes

07 March 2010

Things I've Done That You Can Do

 Alpha Bean Bag :: Monster Doll :: Magnetic Fishing :: Kids' Travel Pillow
 Hooded Towels :: PJ Pants :: Picnic Table :: Bow Ties
  Build A Head :: Free Helmet Redo :: Fleece Hats :: Drawstring T-Shirt Pants
 DIY Valentines :: Pincushion {eventually}:: Quilted Tree Skirt 
Beach Towel Bag :: Garden Markers :: Dish Towel Apron
Custom Magnets :: Fabric Basket :: Victory Garden Marker :: Fabric Garland
Ruffle Camera Strap :: Ruffled Scarf :: Cutting Triangles :: Quilter's Ironing Board
Cupcake Stand :: Sewing Machine Cover :: Checkbook Cover :: Bird's Nest Necklace
Paper Beads :: Tissue Pouch :: Fabric Keychain
 No-Poo Method :: Homemade Laundry Soap :: Cleaning Products

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