tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49271606907480055992024-03-05T04:04:21.742-05:00Stitching MommaA blog about stitching, crafting, cooking, raising a little girl, and being married to a computer programmer.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-68603496472484698162014-05-15T13:47:00.000-04:002014-05-15T13:47:50.765-04:00An Interesting RevelationAh May. Is it May already? Are we ALREADY halfway through May? Between my son's 1st birthday, Mother's Day, and my birthday, May is a crazy busy month for us. Heck, the entire summer is super busy for us.<br />
<br />
It being May, I've noticed that a lot of grocery stores and other retailers are starting to advertise Spring Cleaning! events. I've had my spring cleaning done for a few weeks now since I started in January.<br />
<br />
Throughout this years spring cleaning season (January-April for me), I discovered something interesting about myself:<br />
<br />
I feel like I don't deserve a clean house.<br />
<br />
Its stupid, I know. But I noticed that whenever my kitchen is spotless, or there aren't a bazillion toys on the floor because I made the kids cleanup before bedtime, I have this weird sense that something is wrong because my house isn't a mess.<br />
<br />
It doesn't make any sense, because I totally deserve to have a clean house. And I am 100% capable of having a clean house with minimal work, but for some reason, my mind tells me its wrong. Maybe its because I was never able to keep my room clean as a kid. Maybe its because I've never been a good housekeeper. Maybe I feel like because I have two kids, that I should be constantly doing housework, and if I'm not, something is wrong.<br />
<br />
Who knows.<br />
<br />
I've come up with a cleaning schedule that allows me to do one room a day. If I stay on top of it, my daily housework is less than an hour every day. And my house gets a full cleaning every week. I could also use some more sleep. I really go to bed much later than I should, which results in my day getting started much later than I like. I've tried staying accountable to a good friend (who is also a SAHM with 2 kids), but I find that if I DON'T get my cleaning done, that I feel even worse about myself which just contributes to the problem.<br />
<br />
Here's the thing though, when my house is clean, things are SO much smoother around here. My daily housework takes me 30 minutes tops and then the rest of my day is free. It takes so much stress off of me and my kids. I'm not constantly worrying about what Aaron is gonna find and put in his mouth. I have more time to play with Penelope. I don't worry about where Luna is sneaking off to to devour dirty underwear or secretly pee somewhere. Cooking dinner is so much less of a problem because everything is clean and put away and I don't have to wonder where is that measuring spoon?<br />
<br />
So I work really hard and go through a marathon cleaning <strike>day</strike> week and get my house spotless and then I can finally relax right? Nope. That's when the sabotage happens. My mind starts telling me things like "This is so not you. You're not one of these 'house is always clean' sorta people. You couldn't even keep a 2 bedroom apartment clean. How are you supposed to keep your house clean? And look at your BASEMENT! You don't really clean. All you do is shuffle things around so they LOOK clean, but you know the truth!..." and so on.<br />
<br />
So I stop doing my daily housework. And the whole thing falls apart and it looks like a tornado has ripped through. Then I start feeling guilty about having a messy house. "Look at you. You can't even keep your house clean. You can't even stay on top of your dishes for one lousy day. And now you're SO TIRED that you can't even get off the couch to do any work" And so on and so forth. So I do a marathon cleaning, get the place spotless, and then the cycle starts all over again.<br />
<br />
It's quite a cruel cycle.<br />
<br />
And I don't know how to stop it.<br />
<br />
All I can do is keep trying.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-1190339129015304022014-04-15T11:45:00.000-04:002014-04-15T11:45:19.403-04:00Nomato Sauce RevistedI have gotten such a huge response from people wanting the nomato sauce recipe that I've decided to go ahead and do a post about it, giving the full recipe here. That way, you guys can bookmark it and have it at your reference whenever you need it. Enjoy!<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Nomato Sauce:</b></div>
<div>
<div>
2 1/2 cup steamed carrots</div>
<div>
1/3 cup steamed beets</div>
<div>
2/3 cup Water</div>
<div>
3 tablespoon Lemon juice</div>
<div>
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt</div>
<div>
1 tablespoon Basil</div>
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1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder</div>
<div>
1/8 teaspoon Oregano</div>
<div>
3/4 cup chopped cooked onions (I use dried flakes equivalent),</div>
<div>
1 clove minced garlic</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Steam carrots and beets until tender.</div>
<div>
Brown onion & garlic together.</div>
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Measure all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Nomato Ketcup (recipe from <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/tomato-free-ketchup-173780">here</a>):</b></div>
<div>
<div>
1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce</div>
<div>
1 (16 ounce) can pear halves in natural juice drained</div>
<div>
1 (16 ounce) can sliced carrots drained</div>
<div>
1/2 cup white vinegar</div>
<div>
1/4 cup granulated sugar</div>
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1/4 cup white corn syrup Karo</div>
<div>
4 teaspoons salt</div>
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1 teaspoon onion powder</div>
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1/4 teaspoon allspice</div>
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1/8 teaspoon ground cloves</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<div>
Process all ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 30 seconds. Store in refrigerator.</div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Nomato Barbecue Sauce (recipe from <a href="http://www.imamother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=72688">here</a>)</b></div>
<div>
<div>
2 cups tomato-free ketchup</div>
<div>
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar</div>
<div>
2 Tbsp soy sauce</div>
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1 Tbsp brown sugar</div>
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1/8 tsp black pepper</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
This recipe yields approximately 2 cups of barbecue sauce.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Someone had complained that the nomato sloppy joe recipe I posted had nightshades in it, and indeed it does. I hadn't made it clear that the recipe I posted was used for reference that I had not put any of the nightshades listed in the recipe in the meal. To help clear that up, here's the recipe again, this time without any nightshades in it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Nightshade Free Sloppy Joes (original recipe <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=55431">here</a>)</b></div>
<div>
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></div>
<div>
2 tsp olive oil </div>
<div>
1 small uncooked onion(s), chopped </div>
<div>
2 rib(s) (medium) uncooked celery, chopped </div>
<div>
1 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast </div>
<div>
2 tsp dried basil </div>
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1/2 tsp table salt </div>
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1/4 tsp black pepper </div>
<div>
20 oz nomato sauce (see above)</div>
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1/4 cup(s) nomato ketchup (see above)</div>
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1 Tbsp Dijon mustard</div>
<div>
1 cup(s) frozen corn kernels, thawed </div>
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8 item(s) mixed grain hamburger roll(s) </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Heat oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Add onion and celery and sauté until tender, 3 minutes. Add turkey and sauté until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, 5 minutes. Add basil, salt and black pepper; stir to coat. Add nomato sauce, nomato ketchup and mustard; mix well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Stir in corn and simmer 2 minutes to heat through. Spoon mixture onto rolls and serve hot.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There ya go! I hope this clears up any confusion on that last recipe. I also included a link to the original recipe in case someone is looking for that too. Enjoy everyone! Please don't hesitate to email me with any questions! :-)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-59020558701820239012013-10-31T10:25:00.000-04:002013-10-31T10:25:35.919-04:00Why We Don't Celebrate HalloweenIn the never ending myriad of mommy war topics, this is one that I get tired of explaining. So I'm doing it here, once and for all.<br />
<br />
Why don't we celebrate Halloween?<br />
<br />
I don't know.<br />
<br />
Honestly, I can't explain in words what it is that makes me not want to participate. But there is just something that we cannot get past.<br />
<br />
I don't really see anything wrong with Halloween. Dressing up is fun. Candy is fun. Free candy is REALLY fun. But...there's just something about it that doesn't sit right with me.<br />
<br />
So does this mean that we don't do anything in October? Not true! This year, October has been SUPER crazy busy for us! We got to meet firefighters and climb in a firetruck. We went to a fall festival at my mom's school. We went apple picking with my sister and brother-in-law. We went to Maker Faire. Our church held a Harvest Party last week that we went to. We have even carved pumpkins. Two in fact.<br />
<br />
I have never gone trick or treating. Travis went every year. Before we had kids, we would go to Halloween parties, and hand out candy to the kids. But something changed when we had kids, and now, we don't celebrate anymore.We talked, and prayed, and talked, and prayed, and prayed some more about how to handle this holiday. And we decided that its just not for us.<br />
<br />
We still let Penelope dress up, but this isn't a far cry from every day - she LOVES to dress up.<br />
<br />
I have noticed one thing this year. It seems to me (and it could just be me) that the decorations and costumes have gotten a lot more scary. There seems to be a lot more ghouls, ghosts, and skulls than in past years. When you have a child who is very sensitive to this sort of thing (she was afraid of Tinkbell being chased by a cat in The Great Fairy Rescue), you tend to avoid them. Our neighbors throw a block party on Halloween. We went last year and had a great time. This year, however, we probably won't be going because they have put up a HUGE floating skull ghoul that I'm sure would scare Penelope. It's unfortunate because we really did have a good time last year, but the last thing I need is a 3 year old waking up screaming because she had a bad dream.<br />
<br />
So why don't we celebrate? Is it because of the pagan history? Is it because of the weird spiritual aspects that always seem to come up? Is it because, in some weird way, I want to continue my non trick or treating streak? Is it because we don't want our kids to have tons of candy? Is it because of the fear factor?<br />
<br />
Maybe. It could be any of these, or something else. It could be a little of each one. Like I said, I can't really explain why we don't. It's just the decision we made for our family.<br />
<br />
So if you wanna go trick or treating, you won't get any judgement from us. We get its a personal preference, and I'm not trying to convert anyone. Just be safe and have a GREAT time!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-65097129595875810242013-04-09T13:54:00.000-04:002013-04-09T13:54:49.041-04:00Adventures in Cake-ingI recently did a wedding cake for a good friend. She picked a 2 tier square chocolate cake with strawberry filing and cream cheese icing. She didn't want anything super elaborate for decorations. Just a simple pink paisley pattern in a couple of places to stand out against the white. This is probably one of the most simple cake designs I've done, and yet, its given me such problems!<br />
<br />
1. I tried to make a practice cake a few weeks ago that failed miserably. For whatever reason, the cake dried out super crazy fast and tasted awful. I was in the middle of bridal shower planning, so its very possible that that had a lot to do with it.<br />
<br />
2. The paisley pattern she wanted came from a cake stencil pack I got at Michael's. We decided to try this spray on edible coloring. Wilton calls it "Color Mist", Duff Goldman calls it "Cake Graffiti." Either way, its essentially edible spray paint that one uses to color a cake, or in our case, stencil on a couple of paisleys. Lemme tell ya something. These things are not for detail work. If you're going to color an entire cake, or cupcakes, it works fantastically. If you're trying to do something more detailed, these will not work (or maybe I just need more practice.) Plus, the stuff gets EVERYWHERE! My fingers were pink by the end of it. It was really tough to get a precise, clean pattern without pink everywhere else, no matter how hard I tried.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUl2Eg8D-ZlEKSlOsdV3iES_9QwoXWUds522Hf1LJe3FS04zGs8i6IQwZSYmSs10a6M4-EJPw2_wYgnRSj5sNZ-DfwTuhS_s6ejQ9urLmkRlyo9Z5tjvDZBiN_X6b4KIzrv3hYEHYWe4/s1600/photo+1+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUl2Eg8D-ZlEKSlOsdV3iES_9QwoXWUds522Hf1LJe3FS04zGs8i6IQwZSYmSs10a6M4-EJPw2_wYgnRSj5sNZ-DfwTuhS_s6ejQ9urLmkRlyo9Z5tjvDZBiN_X6b4KIzrv3hYEHYWe4/s640/photo+1+(1).JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To give you an idea of what I'm talking about</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIcKqO-twZA5sHQuvZQKuf0UgziVK4b5-S1eeYZlQY6rBe51pqtGAdlZYKkFs-eTZiGEEDF4kn1OZhM5AYz6oHlQ2qjLCYcOIxeRaMYTqf9gDyfBIrOkTKXKtsNwfhDo352yZzpzaTfY/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIcKqO-twZA5sHQuvZQKuf0UgziVK4b5-S1eeYZlQY6rBe51pqtGAdlZYKkFs-eTZiGEEDF4kn1OZhM5AYz6oHlQ2qjLCYcOIxeRaMYTqf9gDyfBIrOkTKXKtsNwfhDo352yZzpzaTfY/s640/photo+5.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yeah. That's pink</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
3. After realizing that the colored spray wasn't going to work the way we anticipated, I spoke with my bride and I decided to buy some gum paste, and cut the paisley pattern out of that instead. I would then use the pink spray to color the gum paste pieces so it wouldn't go to waste. This came out so much nicer than I anticipated and I was really happy with the results. After spraying them and letting them dry, I took some silver petal dust and lightly brushed them to make them a little sparkly. It ended up looking really nice. I also piped on the dots instead of trying to cut them out of the gum paste.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34SI1qtx2HxM9AY_cbSdQ8VqOHrKjejYgF4M5Bp02WVwf7L-5M5skXdK96kvH2CdM0KXW_nvt-slDSBO2CHrLVkntuyRGL6nN_UYPOKKN9f1SJwus2HuFsRcZ5Nh1nmiPPrTrGOJPFEs/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34SI1qtx2HxM9AY_cbSdQ8VqOHrKjejYgF4M5Bp02WVwf7L-5M5skXdK96kvH2CdM0KXW_nvt-slDSBO2CHrLVkntuyRGL6nN_UYPOKKN9f1SJwus2HuFsRcZ5Nh1nmiPPrTrGOJPFEs/s640/photo+(2).JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b><br /></b>
4. I went to Joann's to pick up some gum paste. When I got home, I started working on the next cake to go in the oven. I had checked the fridge earlier to ensure I had enough eggs to make the cake BEFORE I left for Joann's. Yeah, well, it turns out, I didn't. There was 2 dozen eggs in my fridge. One had expired weeks ago, and the other were hard-boiled, which I didn't realize until I opened the carton and saw them dyed red (it's a Greek Easter tradition). So, after being home all of 20 minutes, Penelope and I got our shoes back on and we headed back out to Publix. I bought 18 eggs and an extra box of cake mix...and I am SO glad I did.<br />
<br />
5. I finally get home and get this cake going...again...this time, with a fresh 1.5 dozen eggs. I put everything in the mixer, let it spin for a minute or so, and begin pouring it into the cake pan. That's when I noticed that the cake batter was awfully thick. I've worked with this batter before so I know what the consistency is supposed to be like. I thought maybe it was because I was doubling a recipe (2 boxes of mix instead of one) and it just came together weird. I also noticed it made less than it usually does. Again, assuming it was a weird discrepancy from doubling the mix, I popped it in the oven. 35 minutes later...it was done. Now folks, this is a 10in square cake. The 6-INCH CAKES take 40 minutes to bake. I also noticed that it hadn't risen very well and seemed like it wasn't cooked all the way. I pulled it out of the oven, let it sit for 30 minute to cool, and then tried to pop it out of the pan...and it stuck...horribly. Now at this point, I'm really confused. My cakes NEVER stick. I used a knife to work around the edges of the cake and keep trying to pop it out. Finally, it comes out and is very dense, very crumbly, and just doesn't look right, not to mention a part of the bottom had remained in the pan. I let it sit for a few more minutes to cool, and hopefully harden up a little bit (it was still quite warm at this point), and finally realized that I'm not going to be able to use this cake and I'll have to make another one.<br />
<br />
6. Again, I add my cake mix, oil, and water to my mixer. I'm about to add the eggs when I noticed something. Only 3 eggs of my 1.5 dozen are gone. Remember, I'm doubling the batch, so I need to add 6 eggs total, not 3. That's when I realized what happened with the other cake. I only used half the eggs, so there was half the fat and less liquid. That explains the consistency, the fact that it didn't rise properly, and the incredibly dense fall-apartyness of it. At this point in the day, I'd been at this so long that I did the only thing I could do - I laughed - uncontrollably. I could not believe that I had forgotten to add the extra eggs. Thankfully I had picked up 1.5 dozen eggs and an extra box of cake mix so I didn't have to go back out. After I composed myself, I got the last 2 cakes in the oven (double checking my egg count with each one).<br />
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7. I let the cakes sit overnight to fully cool. The next day, I started making my strawberry filing to go in between the layers. It's a great recipe that creates a nice gelled filing that is very true to the fruit flavor. I looked at my recipe and decided to triple the batch to make sure I had enough for all the layers (3 filing layers in each cake). I started the strawberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice (to brighten the flavor) and kept an eye on it while it boiled and the strawberries fell apart. I strained it, per the directions, and added the appropriate amount of cornstarch and water slurry and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Within a minute or two, I realized something was wrong. Usually at this point, the mixture has started to thicken and gel. This had not happened yet. Understanding that sometimes doubling or tripling a recipe means you have to add more cornstarch/water to get it to gel properly. I added 3 times the amount the recipe called for, and still nothing. At this point, I also noticed that there were bits of cornstarch in the gel - it was falling out of solution. I realized that I was going to have to start over. So Penny and I went to Publix, and got more strawberries and I made some more. I decided this time to make 3 single batches instead of one tripled batch. This worked MUCH better and I was finally able to get the cakes filled and crumb coated. Ironically, the crumb coat icing came out perfect and I was able to get it coated and hardening in the fridge pretty quick. I'm still not quite sure what happened with the filing. I'm just glad that I finally got the cakes crumb coated.<br />
<br />
8. I decided to wait until Saturday morning to ice the cakes. I had a really long day on Friday and was worn out by the time I got back from the store. I let the cream cheese for the icing soften and get ready for the cake. I made the icing and for whatever reason, it was quite soft. I was super worried that it was going to melt on the way to the wedding. Thankfully, mom, Travis and I had figured out a way to transport it and keep it cool to ensure it made it to the site (it was a 90 min drive).<br />
<br />
Thankfully, the cake survived with only minor touchups needed. I was able to put it together, decorate it, and get it in the fridge before the wedding started. I was really happy with the outcome, and my friend was as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4hMtknx7f541g65PqU0tb7fmPH2hzF7wTxOe_xXMbQvQx2f67DQvrSWgx1g69-GriuD4CdK9WLDMuBfKPKpAk_5Jx9WIBAUh_PWgFp_SuwVlpYl-_ftaMFyBWGG_Tf5O2G87gDgRhzw/s1600/photo+1+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4hMtknx7f541g65PqU0tb7fmPH2hzF7wTxOe_xXMbQvQx2f67DQvrSWgx1g69-GriuD4CdK9WLDMuBfKPKpAk_5Jx9WIBAUh_PWgFp_SuwVlpYl-_ftaMFyBWGG_Tf5O2G87gDgRhzw/s640/photo+1+(2).JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Congratulations to Jeremy and Miranda!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-41765598366756536282013-04-08T14:04:00.003-04:002013-04-08T14:04:58.878-04:00Craft: My Year in Temperatures Scarf: MarchWe have made it to April, and I have stuck with it! We saw a little glimpse of spring in this month, but still lots of drab colors. Hopefully April will be more bright and happy!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-54770221171010700772013-03-25T19:23:00.000-04:002013-03-25T19:23:46.571-04:00Squirrels: Part 2Since our last <a href="http://stitchingmomma.blogspot.com/2012/09/squirrels.html">meeting</a>, the squirrels were ahead 2 to 1. Travis had gotten a cotton ball soaked in stink bomb solution into the hole. While at first, it seemed like they didn't care, we didn't hear anything from them for awhile so we thought they had finally left. We still heard them on the roof and in the trees behind the house, but not in the chimney.<br />
<br />
<b>Travis: 2; Squirrels: 2</b><br />
<br />
Then, shortly after Christmas, they returned. We had decided enough was enough. We called a couple of pest control companies to see what it would cost to have the hole patched. Unfortunately, all the places we called (3 or 4) told us that they would not come out just to patch the hole. In order for it to make it worth while for them, they were going to need to squirrel proof the entire house. We loved that idea, but we didn't love the cost - $1,500+ - which we didn't, and still don't have in cash.<br />
<br />
Travis has been shooting blow gun darts around the hole all week in an attempt to deter them from going back into the hole. This has not been working. Today, he came up with another idea. He remembered we have a ton of bottle rockets leftover from a firework run we made a couple of years ago. He decided to rig a launch tube from the PVC pipe used previously and attempt to aim one into the hole to scare (or possibly kill) them, which at this point, either option is 100% fine by me.<br />
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To give you an idea, this is what the above looks like:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dC3KWjkZ7OI2-AYSqyEWZCO9FO5L5VrJBk8q15-3rvXfyW9nZCa9UTpNjmIsGYJka6xB-BLfrF7SePIVevF97340bLjGAcO0xuRRxJ4gsjrjazASFXbYPQbXmCk-KZdpcuQn2hhH6t0/s1600/IMG_2035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dC3KWjkZ7OI2-AYSqyEWZCO9FO5L5VrJBk8q15-3rvXfyW9nZCa9UTpNjmIsGYJka6xB-BLfrF7SePIVevF97340bLjGAcO0xuRRxJ4gsjrjazASFXbYPQbXmCk-KZdpcuQn2hhH6t0/s640/IMG_2035.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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The first pack were duds, so he went down and got out a second package. After 2 misses (they're REALLY loud!), he decided it was better NOT to tick off the neighbors (especially since bottle rockets are illegal in Georgia). On the bottom of our chimney, there is an old pipe that we are not quite sure of its purpose. It looks like an old dryer vent outlet, but why would that be attached to our chimney? If we stick something up into the pipe, we reach a block of some sort so it doesn't appear to go all the way to the top of the chimney. Travis decided to try one more thing. He stuck the bottle-rocket-loaded-PVC pipe into THAT pipe in an attempt to scare them off. We have no idea if this has worked or not. All I know is our house now smells like fireworks, and I'm getting a headache. I was also praying he wouldn't burn the house down or blow a hole into our chimney :-)<br />
<br />
About halfway through this experiment, I remembered that there is a guy we go to church with who is super handy. An email has been sent to him and we're waiting to hear back. Stay tuned!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-52298753538281817112013-03-01T15:15:00.000-05:002013-03-01T15:15:43.604-05:00Craft: My Year in Temperatures Scarf: February2 months in and I'm sticking with it! I'm also loving the reverse stockinette more than I thought I was going to. I'm excited to move on to March, and I'm excited to get more bright colors in there! These drab ones are getting old! :-)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlsqS3fFMd_QP9EgYXjLjBBxqWrVz5172THiRyvOQ9_mghnJo-zPELga10WR1vBhGirR_Hp2cw4QX0J-ZFiXRng8a2PE4uLjnNrs8jsvmcL6aeF2eezcMZGLZnPDp-IjKvtdOTjeIQ50/s1600/IMG_1892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlsqS3fFMd_QP9EgYXjLjBBxqWrVz5172THiRyvOQ9_mghnJo-zPELga10WR1vBhGirR_Hp2cw4QX0J-ZFiXRng8a2PE4uLjnNrs8jsvmcL6aeF2eezcMZGLZnPDp-IjKvtdOTjeIQ50/s640/IMG_1892.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-50948711897252651632013-02-23T09:25:00.000-05:002013-02-23T09:25:02.430-05:00Cooking Experiment: Nomato Sauce, Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, and Sloppy JoesTomatoes, potatoes, and bell peppers are probably my three most favorite vegetables. Most of my recipes consist of one of these three ingredients and we probably have at least one of the three every day. They are all a type of vegetable called nightshades. It turns out, nightshades have a particular alkaloid in them that can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. I've never had a problem with them, so I've never thought twice about nightshade allergies.<br />
<br />
Then, I suddenly had to think about it. My almost-sister found out she's allergic to nightshades. So besides tomatoes, potatoes and bell peppers, she also has to avoid chili peppers of all kinds, chili powder, cayenne powder, curry, and paprika, and a slew of other items. Suddenly, I had to rethink a lot of my recipes whenever she came over to make sure I didn't expose her to any of these things. Which is a bummer because these are some of my favorite veggies and spices.<br />
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She told me about a pasta sauce that had been created called Nomato Sauce. It's a pasta sauce made with no tomatoes, as the name implies. It actually contains no nightshades at all. But at $6.00 for 16oz, its a bit pricey. I decided to do some digging and I found a recipe for the sauce that has all the same ingredients in it as the jarred stuff, minus a preservative. After some research, I also found recipes for nomato ketchup, and nomato BBQ sauce.<b> </b>I told my sister, and she was immediately intrigued, as was I. I decided to give it a go<br />
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<br />
<b><a href="http://www.glutenfreeandbeyond.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=14926&sid=2e1682785189e38b84c332d7782867fe">Nomato Sauce:</a></b><br />
A combination of carrots, beets, onions, and spices all pureed up to a smooth sauce. I gotta admit, I was skeptical. I am a lover of tomatoes and figured it was going to be difficult to mimic the flavor. But, I like beets and I like carrots, so I tried to stay open minded.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEoSwPDawDWP_gpnPyzQ3EBOPC9HdZY2ipYHkQcm7HHxQVYuYFZzt-OzfcAaUa3INGZ9vDT-DsCvxhX5Cyl0w3wOhcPtV3Xr_MA9voE6E_D7YW1Bqko2GhiFbzoFQw2G78-aABGD6_48/s1600/IMG_1825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEoSwPDawDWP_gpnPyzQ3EBOPC9HdZY2ipYHkQcm7HHxQVYuYFZzt-OzfcAaUa3INGZ9vDT-DsCvxhX5Cyl0w3wOhcPtV3Xr_MA9voE6E_D7YW1Bqko2GhiFbzoFQw2G78-aABGD6_48/s640/IMG_1825.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nomato Sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was surprised at the consistency and color of this sauce. It's texture is almost like crushed tomatoes, and the color is a vibrant red because of the beets. I was also surprised by the taste! It actually tastes like tomato sauce! You can tell its not QUITE the same, but its close enough that I doubt few people would notice. It fooled my 2 year old! The carrots keep it sweet, while the lemon juice gives a bit of tang, and it finishes with a slight beet flavor. I was really surprised by this and I look forward to letting my sister try it! It only took me about 30 minutes to make, which isn't bad considering a good tomato sauce can simmer for an hour or more.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/tomato-free-ketchup-173780">Nomato Ketchup</a>:</b><br />
This recipe caught me by surprise. Jellied cranberry sauce? Halved pears? Corn syrup? This is gonna be one super sweet ketchup!! I added everything to the blender and then took a whiff before blending. It smelled like ketchup!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vckEBUzIQT06grUPSmKRhHrLBW3ZFWakhajHaUs5Umoj4B6DTZgRZceKdAa_5R_79VC9nnJPcS2QHGHn9u4fCVvu71SSQuj1xFDqdXhD29IbcrkeUVzGOTHf6Q63mAVnhzgAYBYyMSQ/s1600/IMG_1826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vckEBUzIQT06grUPSmKRhHrLBW3ZFWakhajHaUs5Umoj4B6DTZgRZceKdAa_5R_79VC9nnJPcS2QHGHn9u4fCVvu71SSQuj1xFDqdXhD29IbcrkeUVzGOTHf6Q63mAVnhzgAYBYyMSQ/s640/IMG_1826.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nomato Ketchup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This one, too, was a surprise. It actually tasted like ketchup! It's hard to believe that there was all that fruit and no tomatoes. The flavor was a bit strong, and I think it may have to do with the fact that I was a short a little on the cranberry sauce, pears, and carrots. My cans were 14.5oz and the recipe called for 16oz. This one will have to be played around with a little bit to get the spice levels right, but its definitely tasty and would be a great substitute for ketchup! And it was SO easy! Just put everything into a blender and puree! It has a great smooth texture that's just like ketchup<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.imamother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=72688">Nomato BBQ Sauce</a>:</b><br />
Since the ketchup recipe made SO MUCH (read 4 cups!), I found this derivative of the ketchup to make BBQ sauce. I love BBQ sauce and I love the flavor of meatballs simmering in BBQ sauce. The first time I made this, I just tossed everything in the blender and mixed it all up. I found the soy sauce to be quite overwhelming to the point where I would want to halve it at least. After looking at it again, I realized that you're actually supposed to cook this one for 10 minutes, which will allow the flavors to blend together, the brown sugar to melt, and lessen the sharpness of the soy sauce.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnb4WNXs6AvpLna373Lw0x2ddNkZDWBoKWytYwRvhPu1PDb0W-sT6KtwCxVYlTMg_Ack8rHzQm_FOYY1EeXEaBv-vH4F3qIeDyKOWrfUQXKArKHwNQERss33Qbjy1cPYABzz-vmoMpKg/s1600/IMG_1827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnb4WNXs6AvpLna373Lw0x2ddNkZDWBoKWytYwRvhPu1PDb0W-sT6KtwCxVYlTMg_Ack8rHzQm_FOYY1EeXEaBv-vH4F3qIeDyKOWrfUQXKArKHwNQERss33Qbjy1cPYABzz-vmoMpKg/s640/IMG_1827.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nomato BBQ Sauce - 1st batch</td></tr>
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The second batch was much better. It was still very flavorful and you could definitely taste the soy sauce, but the brown sugar melted into the sauce and counteracted the tartness of the soy sauce. It was also a much darker color. I could definitely imagine having this on ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, or chicken. Travis said the flavor was a bit strong for him, but he's not a huge BBQ fan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2tlPbBKVan1zu5eN344k8oCc6b1ilfngXS9outTUrbzc8sK4JgjyMx2XYzqBT0lIAHtNC7jODpEvv-IRxWfS_LX326VYyHXzrUJhvYM5n_Dje2C3DWaS4J0xYj2YSLVnDoBxSGKYPSs/s1600/IMG_1829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2tlPbBKVan1zu5eN344k8oCc6b1ilfngXS9outTUrbzc8sK4JgjyMx2XYzqBT0lIAHtNC7jODpEvv-IRxWfS_LX326VYyHXzrUJhvYM5n_Dje2C3DWaS4J0xYj2YSLVnDoBxSGKYPSs/s640/IMG_1829.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nomato BBQ sauce - 2nd batch. Look at the color difference!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=55431"><b>Nightshade Free Sloppy Joes</b></a><br />
So, now that I had all this sauce, what in the world was I going to do with it all? I remembered that my sister told me that she really missed sloppy joes. So, I decided that I was going to try to make nightshade free sloppy joes using the sauces that I had made today. This sloppy joe recipe is one of our favorites, and the meal in general has a very distinctive flavor. I wasn't sure how well it was going to turn out since I wouldn't be able to add any chili powder, and the only substitutes I could find were all nightshades.<br />
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I followed the recipe using the nomato sauce instead of the crushed tomatoes, nomato ketchup instead of regular ketchup, and leaving out the bell peppers and chili powder. I ended up having to add 1 1/4 cups of water as the sauce simmered, and I think it toned down the flavor a bit. Next time, I will probably try vegetable broth or chicken broth to help maintain the flavor.<br />
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All in all, though, it was really tasty. While it wasn't an exact flavor match, it was pretty darn close, and using broth instead of water may help to keep the flavors strong. It definitely didn't taste bad, and my family (including the 2 year old!), ate more than half of what I made.<br />
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<b>The overall verdict:</b><br />
<b>Nomato Sauce:</b><br />
Easy to make, beautiful color, quite tasty. This one gets a solid 4 stitches<br />
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<b>Nomato Ketchup:</b><br />
Great texture, slightly strong flavor. Tastes really good as part of a recipe. This one also gets 4 stitches<br />
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<b>Nomato BBQ Sauce:</b><br />
Strong soy sauce flavor, but much better after simmered. Definitely tastes like BBQ sauce. This one gets 3 stars.<br />
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<b>Nightshade Free Sloppy Joes:</b><br />
Even though the flavor wasn't an exact match, it was still very tasty and still sloppy. If I could find a good substitute for chili powder, this would be very awesome. 4 stitches!<br />
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<b>My Almost-Sister's Reaction:</b></div>
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She loved it all, and was so happy and grateful that I was able to find these recipes! She told me that sometimes she'll beg her fiance to make her spaghetti or pizza with tomatoes because she misses the flavor so much - and like a good fiance, he refuses. Now, he doesn't have to! I sent the rest of the sloppy joes home with her so he could try them, and while he doesn't care for sloppy joes, he said he they weren't bad and he was thrilled that they now had a way to incorporate some tomato based recipes into circulation for her sake.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-62219900103013346322013-02-01T17:07:00.000-05:002013-02-01T17:07:28.668-05:00Craft: My Year in Temperatures Scarf: JanuaryI've made it a month! I've kept up with my scarf for an entire month! Woot!! I'm actually quite proud of myself because of that. I'm thrilled with how its looking, but I tell ya, Georgia has some WEIRD weather! I've had to purchase an additional 5 colors of yarn because temps got over 70 degrees a few weeks ago, but then dropped below 40 last week. It's definitely making things interesting!<br />
<br />
So here's the current color list:<br />
<b>T(F) Color</b><br />
<br />
75-79 Caron Simply Soft Watermelon<br />
70-74 Caron Simply Soft Grape<br />
65-69 Bernat Satin Foliage<br />
60-64 Caron Simply Soft Blue Mint<br />
55-59 Caron Simply Soft Autumn Red<br />
50-54 Caron Simply Soft Passion<br />
45-49 Caron Simply Soft Dark Sage<br />
40-44 Caron Simply Soft Dark Country Blue<br />
35-39 Caron Simply Soft Grey Heather<br />
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Pretty much the 60-80 degree range is the same sort of colors from blue to red, but they're brighter. Blue Mint is a nice bright blue. Foliage is a great green. Grape is a bright purple, and Watermelon is a bright pink.<br />
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I've also decided to do 5 row of white between each month. I want the stripes to look deliberate and not just another color variation. There was at least once in January where the temps stayed in the same range for 3 days so it just looks like a large stripe. I decided 5 would give a better break. Anyway, here's the January update!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdj7dQRDFYKZSpjMxS9PrNFpvhGstBwJ9_eILJVwsdw1DfxEywSRqbCrrwsk_tq8zy67l67d-2NIy3G5xeXJiVzlR_cYDFKGg9wJ5thXS3KKwmfg2CKs_uHLQL9ELpn9hkCcfQaXEZQ8/s1600/IMG_1761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdj7dQRDFYKZSpjMxS9PrNFpvhGstBwJ9_eILJVwsdw1DfxEywSRqbCrrwsk_tq8zy67l67d-2NIy3G5xeXJiVzlR_cYDFKGg9wJ5thXS3KKwmfg2CKs_uHLQL9ELpn9hkCcfQaXEZQ8/s640/IMG_1761.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">January 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Stay tuned for more! Temperatures can start to warm up in Georgia as early as February! This gonna get super interesting! :-D<br /><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-72551286490246297312013-01-05T08:57:00.000-05:002013-01-05T08:57:38.618-05:00Craft: My Year in Temperatures ScarfNow that I've got my first sweater under my belt, I've decided that I'm actually enjoying knitting - not as much as stitching - but still enjoying it. I found another sweater pattern for myself (and one for Travis, and my brother, and and and...) that I'm planning on starting on Monday during our weekly KAL. While perusing Ravelry yesterday (I've been told NOT to do that!), I stumbled upon this.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/my-year-in-temperatures--scarf-">Ravelry: My Year in Temperatures Scarf</a><br />
<br />
Now, I totally understand that I do NOT need any more projects! (1 current stitching WIP, 2 commissioned pieces I'm about to start, and 2 others sitting on the back burner) But I just couldn't resist this! It's something that you have to start soon after the new year or you get horribly behind. And its only knitting one row per day, which won't take very long at all. And if I get behind (ya know, because of the birth of a baby, or something), it won't be hard to catch up!<br />
<br />
So, here's how it works. Each day, you knit one row that corresponds to the high temperature of that day. I'm actually going to be doing it a day behind, because I want to knit the ACTUAL temperature of the day before, not the predicted. The creator also suggests using 5 white rows at the beginning and end of the sweater, and 2-3 rows in between each month. Since I don't really have a lot of scrap yarn because I'm new at this, I got to go buy yarn and create my own masterpiece! I'm so excited!<br />
<br />
So, for now, here are my temperature ranges and colors:<br />
<br />
Temp (F) <br />
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.9966449524471384" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">55-59 Caron Simply Soft Autumn Red</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">50-54 Caron Simply Soft Passion</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">45-49 Caron Simply Soft Dark Sage</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">40-44 Caron Simply Soft Dark Country Blue</span><br />
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I've decided to divide my temperature ranges into 5 degree intervals, and use different shades of blue, green, purple, and red. Since it doesn't get much colder than 40 during the day here in Atlanta, I decided to stop there for now. If it does ever dip lower, I'll figure something out :-)<br />
<br />
I started on this last night, and am already loving it! After talking to Travis, and doing my 5 rows to start, I realized I wanted a bigger front and end block on the sweater. So instead of 5 rows of white, I did 20. It gives me a nice block of white at the beginning, and I think I'll do 3-5 rows of white in between each month. I'll figure that out when I get to the end of January. I hope to post monthly progress pictures so you can watch this thing progress!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/4/12</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-8410788397934715052012-12-17T10:24:00.000-05:002012-12-17T10:24:34.398-05:00Craft: Penelope's Christmas SweaterSo as you all probably can tell, I'm a cross stitcher. I've dabbled in knitting and crocheting, sewing and quilting, but cross stitch is my first love. It's a dying art, and it makes me sad to think that fewer and fewer people are picking up their needles and floss to make beautiful pieces of stitchery.<br />
<br />
A good friend of mine is an avid knitter. She's been knitting for quite awhile and makes beautiful sweaters for her daughter, socks for her brother, and scarves for herself and other friends. She is my opposite. She has dabbled in cross stitch, but knitting is her first love.<br />
<br />
After discussing, we decided to start doing a Monday night Knit-A-Long/Stitch-A-Long (KAL/SAL), to sorta stretch our other crafty wings. She cross stitches, and I knit. When trying to come with a pattern, I decided I wanted to knit a sweater for Penelope to go with her Christmas dress. Beth helped me poke around and find a great pattern that was pretty easy (and free!) on <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/">Ravelry</a>. I bought some really soft white yarn and got started!<br />
<br />
I started in the middle of October, and I am happy to report that I have finished the sweater! It's a week early (I need it for the 23rd) and I'm really happy with how it turned out. There's just one little problem...<br />
<br />
The sweater is WAY too big for Penelope.<br />
<br />
Yeah, I forgot to measure Penelope before I made the sweater. Instead, I just went ahead and made the 18-24mos size that correlates to everything else she wears. BIG MISTAKE. Turns out, when I did finally measure her near the completion of the sweater, her chest was only 19in around, which is equal to 48.26cm (pattern is in cm)...which is smaller than the SMALLEST size (51cm). So it turns out, I could have made the smallest size sweater (which would have gone a lot faster), and it still would have been a little big, but not MONSTROUS! Keep in mind. It's supposed to be a SHRUG.<br />
<br />
Either way, its finished, and she might be able to wear it...when she's 10! :-)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-AW6Mj-fEzjjkNa0lVlFxXdVR4cLshwAnNyCQOK5-ThPrNRfk04Hne9BO9ZrZ6l5M09YPDFL8SH1b58KXA6X8Q-45-MinLbHkbpeedeHr_xIK9mXQVCTaqwb022KBYKiD47p-ErRmUw/s1600/IMG_1599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-AW6Mj-fEzjjkNa0lVlFxXdVR4cLshwAnNyCQOK5-ThPrNRfk04Hne9BO9ZrZ6l5M09YPDFL8SH1b58KXA6X8Q-45-MinLbHkbpeedeHr_xIK9mXQVCTaqwb022KBYKiD47p-ErRmUw/s1600/IMG_1599.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tada!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODT59oYqu9_JomKyeb9W8WUN8ZJaFw_6ETinIfpkUbMMHsC_6JOxLUkyTg8RaPqn9PbTZQDT3YQ0BzaMetJV6DiIDgtTSJ5rq499vLVlwb4gl8N51r1-EQ1o468ACqneSBqj_T5XH0_s/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODT59oYqu9_JomKyeb9W8WUN8ZJaFw_6ETinIfpkUbMMHsC_6JOxLUkyTg8RaPqn9PbTZQDT3YQ0BzaMetJV6DiIDgtTSJ5rq499vLVlwb4gl8N51r1-EQ1o468ACqneSBqj_T5XH0_s/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keep in mind. Its supposed to be a shrug :-)</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-1438598294729633212012-12-06T12:58:00.000-05:002012-12-06T12:58:48.827-05:00Craft: Filled Christmas OrnamentsIt's been awhile! I've been busy, and tired, and nauseous, and tired, and cooking, and tired. We found out in August that we are expecting our second child hence all the tired and nausea! It's a lot harder the second time and definitely not as much fun, but I'm making the most of it. Penelope is starting to understand better what exactly is going on, and can't decide if she wants a brother or a sister. We'll find out in just a few weeks!<br />
<br />
Anyway, onto the craft!<br />
<br />
Having a 2 year old means little hands that want to help/participate in EVERYTHING. She constantly wants to help with me dishes or laundry or feeding Luna or, or, or! Sometimes, it drives me crazy, and other times, I enjoy watching her explore. Either way, I let her help me (just about) every time.<br />
<br />
So when it comes to Christmas ornaments this year, I was having a tough time deciding what to do for her. We like to give family members handmade ornaments every year and this year was no exception. I did a Google search and found a TON of ideas - everything from snowmen painted ball ornaments using the child's hand print, to yarn dipped in glue and sparkles and twisted together to make a wreath. I wanted a craft that she could do by herself with minimal help from me, but a lot of what I was finding were things that were too old for her, or things that she'd participate in a little, and then I'd do the rest.<br />
<br />
Then I found this: <a href="http://www.thethriftycrafter.com/2010/12/10/12-days-of-christmas-crafts-and-recipes-filled-ornaments/">Filled Ornaments</a>.<br />
<br />
After talking to Travis about it, we decided that this was definitely something she could do and would probably really enjoy. So off to Hobby Lobby we went to find supplies and the ornaments.<br />
<br />
<b>Materials:</b><br />
Plastic (or glass, your choice) ball ornaments - we opted for plastic since she's only 2.<br />
Things to fill them with (sequins, buttons, tinsel, pom poms, etc)<br />
Paintbrushes (optional)<br />
Elmer's glue (optional)<br />
Ribbon to make a hanger<br />
Permanent marker to write child's name and/or date<br />
Gift boxes <br />
<br />
<b>Procedure:</b><br />
1. Find ornaments. This was actually quite a bit harder than I expected. Walmart and two of the craft shops near my house were out. I found these at Hobby Lobby, but not in the Christmas section. They were in an entirely different section and I had to ask someone where to find them. I liked these because they're in half and are plastic. I figured this would be easier for her to handle and I would be less worried about them breaking. They were only $1.19 each for these sizes and came in a couple of different sizes.<br />
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2. Set out fillers. To make it easier for Penelope to fill these, I put each of the little items in a separate bowl. I also cut the colored tinsel into smaller sizes to hopefully contain the mess and make it easier for Penelope to use.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51qGNlzKpDyBGW_nYyfukvBk1pwNYSuNZ2JLz3l6Wwq20ILnKyzT_floen2IWpiPiveGsWbdH1SbTGu4xBTzUdwGu6ACPX74JArIXYyjBFYvMmC1Mxov2sAD5_kBhxhnBJxmfokecQ0E/s1600/IMG_1573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51qGNlzKpDyBGW_nYyfukvBk1pwNYSuNZ2JLz3l6Wwq20ILnKyzT_floen2IWpiPiveGsWbdH1SbTGu4xBTzUdwGu6ACPX74JArIXYyjBFYvMmC1Mxov2sAD5_kBhxhnBJxmfokecQ0E/s1600/IMG_1573.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Snow flakes"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9rEoxbLBFmNVRU6KXj0lD_X5EVx56xdBceMsFft7hkRsBPM_PoDJqjBMPzap4Fnj3x5-dTKAojDnxCJtVeX7N7jdWdk5WJSE7l1mC0rEE15RGnv6IZLiak9pgZpQLL19smAWm5BcRIo/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9rEoxbLBFmNVRU6KXj0lD_X5EVx56xdBceMsFft7hkRsBPM_PoDJqjBMPzap4Fnj3x5-dTKAojDnxCJtVeX7N7jdWdk5WJSE7l1mC0rEE15RGnv6IZLiak9pgZpQLL19smAWm5BcRIo/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A package of different colors, shapes and sizes of sequins</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6-6RimKyNSpa8Cm9hRlQUwVE1ORcpNqYSNS21JSZYuK6h5RNhJlGTfcaV9EE83KyycyRO8b0duvSf1qLP5l7X3Af_vGmPb8SL947QS8j0leNgu0JxhWOoTHu0OwNpr5msXLMUw6EpVQ/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6-6RimKyNSpa8Cm9hRlQUwVE1ORcpNqYSNS21JSZYuK6h5RNhJlGTfcaV9EE83KyycyRO8b0duvSf1qLP5l7X3Af_vGmPb8SL947QS8j0leNgu0JxhWOoTHu0OwNpr5msXLMUw6EpVQ/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buttons, bells, and Christmas lights</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88JLDF4h2rHuhy-B3kJLSjWXsn7-DtOzwm5_bHzzmVnH_1QVN70lM2Twxt60lmS87tpbl4e4_1A5MDot_VSJ20CC22Yo9EsH1J7UEl5R_v1vr0gBs0IDC9upzRvLmsIep2xSNpXgi-UI/s1600/IMG_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88JLDF4h2rHuhy-B3kJLSjWXsn7-DtOzwm5_bHzzmVnH_1QVN70lM2Twxt60lmS87tpbl4e4_1A5MDot_VSJ20CC22Yo9EsH1J7UEl5R_v1vr0gBs0IDC9upzRvLmsIep2xSNpXgi-UI/s1600/IMG_1575.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colored tinsel cut into small pieces</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG24QED6D0UpkbFiiKxsrnd_0EvD0bnaSquErPSUO1D3zC_IVrT7QlB1JUYc4cUbArJRS7_tN-roNgGFZu4nWaPzmH4X-2oIQi431ps8gqz4uXxOqahFKALO5RAonTkqUoEYmTAMdv3p8/s1600/IMG_1571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG24QED6D0UpkbFiiKxsrnd_0EvD0bnaSquErPSUO1D3zC_IVrT7QlB1JUYc4cUbArJRS7_tN-roNgGFZu4nWaPzmH4X-2oIQi431ps8gqz4uXxOqahFKALO5RAonTkqUoEYmTAMdv3p8/s1600/IMG_1571.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three different sizes of pom poms (or as Penny calls them "pom pom poms)</td></tr>
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3. Fill! Penny had a blast filling each half to the brim with the little items! It was so much fun to hear her say "more yellow, more red, more green..." when she was putting the sequins in. I supervised to make sure we had enough supplies for all the ornaments (we made 9)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkI4Hs8o9tm2DW6a1mAyv64eHemqJWYLYsK0MjSI9ABdDBLLTEw92Z4LHlWWV-BLzE3l4_arb2QB0xkBuK0AlQ6QA9Y6NImJ3eKfKtv0ZaGn2eLhOSICeTZOsx91UFCoSdTfZ_s6AVGw/s1600/IMG_1576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkI4Hs8o9tm2DW6a1mAyv64eHemqJWYLYsK0MjSI9ABdDBLLTEw92Z4LHlWWV-BLzE3l4_arb2QB0xkBuK0AlQ6QA9Y6NImJ3eKfKtv0ZaGn2eLhOSICeTZOsx91UFCoSdTfZ_s6AVGw/s1600/IMG_1576.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More!</td></tr>
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4. Because these were split in the middle and didn't close terribly secure, I decided to use a paintbrush to apply a little Elmer's glue to the seam to make sure it stayed closed. It dried clear so it didn't take away from the look of the ornament. (If you use the glass ornaments, you can skip this step.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tada!</td></tr>
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5. I took a Sharpie and wrote her name around the top of the ornament and the year. Then I cut pieces of ribbon and tied them at the top to make a loop for the ornaments to hang.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All 9!</td></tr>
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6. Finally, I found some cute Christmas carryout boxes and filled them with tinsel. Then I put an ornament in each one and labeled who they were for. Then, just for fun, I stacked them on my table :-)<br />
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After all the supplies, these cost me just over $3 each. All of the Christmas craft stuff was 50% off, the ornaments were $1.19 each, and the boxes and tinsel were $1 each. Considering we have 9 ornaments to make each year., this is definitely a fun cost efficient Christmas craft!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-39238242984942390332012-09-29T18:24:00.000-04:002012-09-29T18:24:52.666-04:00Cakes: Part IISince the last cake photos I posted, I've done 3 more. Two were much more complex than I'd ever done before, and one was a simple design for my church band. Enjoy!<br />
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<b>Angela's 50th Birthday Luau Cake:</b><br />
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A very close friend of the family turned the big 5-0 this year, and her sister asked me to make a cake. She was planning a luau and wanted me to incorporate a volcano somehow. This is what I came up with. The cake was chocolate with fresh strawberry filling (including the volcano), and was iced in orange buttercream. The volcano was iced in chocolate buttercream with cookie crumbs on top. I then used some cookie icing for the lava and just drizzled it around. There was a small white cup inside the top of the volcano that I packed with dry ice and just before presentation, I poured in some hot water so the volcano smoked. The orchids on the cake were flown in from Honolulu, HI on the Friday before the party.<br />
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<b>Dayspring Worship Band Cookout Cake:</b> <br />
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So my guys always complain that I never bring them anything tasty. Well, a few weeks ago, our bass player hosted a band cookout at his home and I promised a cake. The cake was chocolate with fresh strawberry filling, covered in orange buttercream. (This cake was done the day after the luau cake. That's why the frosting is orange.) The piping was done in chocolate buttercream. Each person in the band is represented on the cake and the instrument they play is on the side of the cake under their name. They really loved it!<br />
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<b>Josh and Haleigh's Wedding Cake:</b> <br />
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This was the first wedding cake I have ever done and it was quite a terrifying experience. A friend of mine's niece was getting married and she asked me to do the cake. I was shaking as I was putting this together, but I am thrilled with how it turned out. The bride's response? "I love it!" The bottom layer was yellow cake with raspberry filling. The middle tier was chocolate cake with white chocolate ganache, and the top tier was white cake with strawberry filling. The daisies were made of gum paste and the cake stand was burned with the couple's name and wedding date (Thanks Stephanie!!).<br />
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While I love making cakes, I'm probably gonna take a break for a bit. For now, I've got one more to do for my dad's birthday, and then I gotta start baking for Christmas. Needless to say, I definitely stay busy!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-55861488008455438362012-09-26T09:52:00.000-04:002012-09-26T09:52:44.628-04:00SquirrelsI hate squirrels...That is all.<br />
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Ok, not really. I do indeed hate squirrels, but that's not all. Our house has cedar siding, which was never really an issue for us until we started having issues with woodpeckers. Thankfully, we've been pretty successful in scaring them off so they've been coming around less and less. The squirrels, on the other hand, have gotten worse.<br />
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Last fall, we had squirrels in our attic. They would scamper around, chew on stuff, make a bunch of racket, and just be all around annoying. We tried traps, and they avoided them. We also tried a sonic sound deterrent. That seemed to help for awhile, but now, they don't seem to care anymore. We've been trying to figure out ways to get them out of their little holes so we can patch them and get rid of them. We know we have at least 3, possibly 4, and that at least one of them is a baby. Here's the progress so far:<br />
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First, we patched the original hole they were getting in. Travis found a piece of heavy mesh, and using some small nails and a staple gun, he covered up the hole. That kept them out of the attic at least.<br />
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<b>Travis:1; Squirrels: 0</b><br />
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"Woohoo!" we thought! We beat them! They can't get in anymore...or so we thought. Then, we noticed that they had discovered the knot hole that the woodpeckers had pecked out of our chimney.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the other hole on the left we had to patch last year</td></tr>
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<b>Travis:1; Squirrels:1</b><br />
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Although it sucks to have them in the chimney, it appears that they can't get to the rest of the attic from where they are. That's a good thing because there aren't any wires in the chimney for them to chew through, but it doesn't make them any less annoying. We've been trying to figure out a way to patch the hole, or scare them off. Unfortunately, this hole is 10+ feet above our roof, which means Travis would have to bring a ladder up on the roof. We've both decided that this isn't a good idea. So, what to do?<br />
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Travis came up with this idea last night (I think he's enjoying this a bit) to take a stink bomb, soak a cotton ball in the solution, and somehow get it up in the hole. He decided to try using PVC pipe.<br />
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You can only imagine how well that went. After 2 failed attempts (and tons of giggles from me!), mainly because his PVC pipe kept breaking, he finally got the cotton ball in the hole.<br />
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If you've ever smelled stink bombs, they smell like rotten eggs. After putting the cotton ball in the hole, Travis found out that squirrels apparently hate sulfur smells. We were quite excited that maybe, just maybe, we had gotten them out. The downside is that our house smelled like rotten eggs last night. We have vents in our fireplace, and the smell was permeating into our living room. Thankfully, the smell wasn't super strong, and dissipated pretty quickly.<br />
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And the squirrels? Yeah, they didn't care. In fact, they could have cared less. And this morning, they're still popping their heads out, scampering around on our roof and being annoying.<br />
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<b>Travis:1; Squirrels: 2</b><br />
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Ideally, we'd like to just patch the hole with some chicken wire and spray foam insulation and just leave it at that. Unfortunately, because of the height of the hole, that's probably not an option for us to do ourselves. That means hiring someone to do it...which costs money. Let's see what happens. So far, the squirrels are ahead, but we have other tricks up our sleeves. Stay tuned.<b> </b> <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-18122872546949656372012-09-11T14:53:00.000-04:002012-09-11T14:53:13.257-04:00I Remember...I remember being 18 years old, fresh out of high school, and working as a waitress to make ends meet while I was in school. I remember waking up that morning to the DJs on the radio announcing that a second plane had hit the second tower of the World Trade Center. I remember laying there in disbelief before hoping up to turn on the TV. I remember the image I saw and the immediate fear, shock, and uncertainty I felt. I remember calling my mom not knowing what in the world was going on but needed to talk with someone, anyone. I remember the announcement that a plane had hit the Pentagon, and feeling sick to my stomach. I remember rushing to get ready for work, not wanting to miss anything going on.<br />
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I remember calling my dad, who worked in downtown Atlanta at the time, wondering if he was going to be coming home. (I DON'T remember his answer) I remember driving to work with my radio on not wanting to miss any news. I remember walking into work and seeing all my coworkers sitting at the bar, glued to the TV. I remember sitting down just in time to see the South Tower crumble. I remember the gasp, and then utter silence in the restaurant. I remember fear, and shock, followed by tears. I remember hearing the news report that a hijacked plane had crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. I remember hearing that the passengers decided that enough was enough and fought back. I remember silently thanking them for their sacrifice, and praying for peace for their families. I remember sitting there watching the news unfold as the North Tower fell.<br />
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I remember my boss telling me that even though all of this was going on, we needed to get the restaurant ready to open. I remember the 4 customers we had in a 4 hour shift, and I remember not caring that I hadn't made any money that day.<br />
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I remember the days that followed, hearing of the death and missing counts. Watching people on TV begging for help finding family members. I remember heartache. Lots and lots of heartache and feeling helpless as there was nothing I could do.<br />
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I remember a few weeks later, the fire department near my house had firemen standing outside their station with boots, collecting money to send to the firehouses in New York. I remember the line of cars and the traffic it caused as people dug through their purses and wallets to give something, anything they could.<br />
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I remember President Bush standing up and telling us that as Americans, we needed to band together, and get the son of a gun that planned all this. I remember him saying that we had to keep going. We could not let this break us and we could not fall apart. That if we did, the terrorists would win. I remember the amazing patriotism that followed as party lines were blurred and everyone banded together. We were no longer Republicans and Democrats. We were Americans, and we were not going to let this happen to our country. I remember being so proud to be an American.<br />
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I remember the Christmas that followed, my parents decided to take a different route to so we could drive through Washington, DC. I remember driving down the interstate and my dad saying "Look guys. See that crane? That's the Pentagon." I remember how much more real all of it suddenly felt.<br />
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I remember this past January, Travis and I had an opportunity to visit the memorial in New York. I remember seeing the hole that is in the NY skyline where the towers used to be. I remember the chatter of everyone in line as we made our way through security check points to get into the memorial. I remember how everyone immediately stopped talking the second they walked in. I remember the quiet. I remember the spiritual heaviness that was here, the unrest and the pain that was still in this place. I remember looking at the two pools still unable to grasp that these had once been towering buildings. I remember not being able to speak for fear of bursting into tears the entire time we were there.<br />
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Eleven years ago today, the World Trade Center was gone in an instant. The Pentagon was damaged, and a plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Thousands of people lost their lives, and thousands more gave their lives trying to help. As I reflect on this day, I am forever grateful to President Bush, his staff, the firemen, the policemen, the paramedics, the passengers on Flight 93, the volunteers, and the soldiers, continuing to fight, who did their best to keep our country safe and protect my freedom.<br />
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May we never forget. I know I never will<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKGxVwHft4WIregbiGAQJLDStVDww4jsc0GWN-pYbn244aRYY1z4RIS4-tYJv9s6UkXB2_xGABfefFj55uSY2l-wIhqfDrq6T3HGE4mS06qBiuWtoQULgNQL9E8nFGO37icJinXR7EnM/s1600/IMG_0467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKGxVwHft4WIregbiGAQJLDStVDww4jsc0GWN-pYbn244aRYY1z4RIS4-tYJv9s6UkXB2_xGABfefFj55uSY2l-wIhqfDrq6T3HGE4mS06qBiuWtoQULgNQL9E8nFGO37icJinXR7EnM/s400/IMG_0467.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the pools at the 9/11 Memorial</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-3426829998891737562012-09-03T20:11:00.000-04:002012-09-03T20:11:54.461-04:00CakesI love those cake shows. Like Ace of Cakes (my favorite!) and Cake Boss. They're about the closest thing to a reality show I will watch. I've always wanted to make fancy cakes like that and never really knew just how easy it could be...and also how challenging. So when Penelope's 2nd birthday started to draw near, I found a picture on Pinterest (don't hate!) of an adorable butterfly cake that I wanted to emulate. Since then, I've done 2 more birthday cakes, and have been asked to do 5 other birthday cakes, and 2 wedding cakes. I have a friend who doesn't get on Facebook much (you KNOW who you are), and she asked me to post pictures of the cakes I've done so far. So, here they are:<br />
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<b>Penelope's 2nd Birthday Cake:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlVBzWGUuR8G7TQcj7i1kO9ilyWbadYg63wmvuGs9UoYXMUrSgWd4BhzvzxdINyiV_JDRHQti_ewPFvlmAs7oWxXygsLSviMvTEFS2ovhlX3-ZV1DlVBtLqcrS7BS6TjywNdzr_ydQw8/s1600/IMG_1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlVBzWGUuR8G7TQcj7i1kO9ilyWbadYg63wmvuGs9UoYXMUrSgWd4BhzvzxdINyiV_JDRHQti_ewPFvlmAs7oWxXygsLSviMvTEFS2ovhlX3-ZV1DlVBtLqcrS7BS6TjywNdzr_ydQw8/s640/IMG_1037.JPG" width="476" /></a></div>
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All the butterflies are made out of gum paste and 100% edible (although I wouldn't recommend it. Gum paste doesn't taste good once its hardened). The top tier was a 6 inch vanilla cake with chocolate ganache filling, and the bottom was an 8 inch chocolate cake with a raspberry filing. The cake was frosted with buttercream in pink and blue (Penelope's two favorite colors)<br />
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<b>LuLu's Bakery Class Cake:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8kdx6Xy7IdJp3LT6oqtKSpzjeSK_DE-mES7kQ6t87qFHZBSvpktMUBcnGxVUKa34-Qv6uOR3v5lR9FBTC55rNq5IigLBN6DzcITAS7Eub1m9hHrlbIGsFnJ0XgS0xu2krk21jc0gBnE/s1600/IMG_1086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8kdx6Xy7IdJp3LT6oqtKSpzjeSK_DE-mES7kQ6t87qFHZBSvpktMUBcnGxVUKa34-Qv6uOR3v5lR9FBTC55rNq5IigLBN6DzcITAS7Eub1m9hHrlbIGsFnJ0XgS0xu2krk21jc0gBnE/s400/IMG_1086.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I got a Groupon for a cake decorating class for super cheap and after months of trying to get ahold of the lady, I finally got to take the class. And this is my little creation. It was a 6 inch half chocolate and half yellow cake with a buttercream frosting. All the piping was buttercream as well.<br />
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<b>Travis Drummond's 31st Birthday Cake:</b> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhuQDPtTtmGI-gC4t8GAUr1VvgEuJDU0mCBsApu4aXo_TuV0zjglOcRZt5ETQee9fo1xAHUIIUJyCuYTj-rSigX0AFAbWQBPWwOZAazIKi6219Prfk997xojrGCu2o6liMfGFRaANgPU/s1600/IMG_1121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhuQDPtTtmGI-gC4t8GAUr1VvgEuJDU0mCBsApu4aXo_TuV0zjglOcRZt5ETQee9fo1xAHUIIUJyCuYTj-rSigX0AFAbWQBPWwOZAazIKi6219Prfk997xojrGCu2o6liMfGFRaANgPU/s640/IMG_1121.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
So my best friend had quite a summer this year. He turned 31 and got engaged to the most wonderful girl in the world (seriously, we adore her!). He is a HUGE University of Miami Hurricanes fan so I decided to do a cake in the Miami colors. His aunt (the party planner) expected quite a few people so I had to make a larger cake. This was a 10 inch chocolate cake with Miami orange buttercream filling. The cake was frosted with dark green (you don't EVEN want to know HOW MUCH green!) and the piping is the same color frosting that is used in the filling.<br />
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<b>My husband's 30th birthday cake:</b> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAPSl-B_mtJZVzVHQinef2WZpqLlzOwZRiqwH5DGjkx4I_OY_Sv2SXZPIIxZuUR5MNOeLnVVoOJWU0Mu_qhouUvAUN4qYgV6_hNAez7HEhwkGlxIVtBwO0JSlOZde3jXyU6TOQaGdY_U/s1600/IMG_1272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAPSl-B_mtJZVzVHQinef2WZpqLlzOwZRiqwH5DGjkx4I_OY_Sv2SXZPIIxZuUR5MNOeLnVVoOJWU0Mu_qhouUvAUN4qYgV6_hNAez7HEhwkGlxIVtBwO0JSlOZde3jXyU6TOQaGdY_U/s640/IMG_1272.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
I've said it before, my husband is a total geek. So when we started planning for his big<a href="http://stitchingmomma.blogspot.com/2012/08/today-my-husband-turns-30.html"> 30th birthday</a>, I asked him what kind of cake he would like and how he wanted it decorated. Being the big geek he is (love you, honey!), he asked for a circuit board diagram cake. This one was quite a challenge and I studied circuit board diagrams for WEEKS trying to get them right. In the end, he was very pleased with the cake and so was I. The top tier was a 6 inch carrot cake with cream cheese filling. The bottom tier was an 8 inch chocolate cake with cream cheese and fresh strawberry filling. The cake was frosted with cream cheese icing, and the piping was done in chocolate buttercream. I also used candy pearls to give a little bit of dimension.<br />
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Since doing these cakes, I've been asked to do another birthday cake for the 8th, the 14th, and 3 in October. I also have a wedding cake to do on the 29th and a wedding cake to do in April. Not to mention that with the holidays coming, Bake Fest 2012 (see <a href="http://stitchingmomma.blogspot.com/2011/12/bake-fest-2011.html">Bake Fest 2011</a>) will be starting soon, and I will definitely be staying busy! Stay tuned for more pictures!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-396583119509454432012-08-02T08:55:00.000-04:002012-08-02T08:55:03.689-04:00Today my Husband turns 30Today my husband turns 30. I've been teasing him all week about it - "You're gonna be old! I can't believe I'm gonna be married to a 30 year old man! That's just weird!" etc. But amidst all the teasing (because, frankly, I just can't help it), lies a wife who is truly proud of the man her husband has become.<br />
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We met in high school when we were 16. We had a geometry class together and he sat in front of me. After our teacher finished the lesson, we usually had 15-20 minutes of time to work on our assignments. I, the ever studious student, would begin working on it while Travis would sit and talk to me. If you would have told me then that I was going to marry him someday, I probably would have laughed in your face.<br />
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A little over a year later, in November of 2000, our school had assembled all the seniors in the auditorium for the morning because the other classes were standardized testing. At one point, someone corralled us to sit down and talk to us. I really don't remember what was said, because my best friend and I decided to sit in the two empty seats next to Travis. He had a Popular Science magazine and we started to flip through it together. We began dating a few days later. And the rest, as they say, is history. <br />
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Five years later, on June 25, 2005, we got married. And life has been such an adventure ever since.<br />
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Now, 7 years later, my husband turns 30. And I've enjoyed every minute of watching him turn into the man he is today. Have we had our bumps? Of course. Every marriage does (and if you say you haven't, you're lying). But we have weathered every storm and come out stronger on the other side. And I've learned things about my husband, some that make me laugh, and some that still bug me ;-)</div>
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<b>- Travis has an amazing sense of smell</b>:<b> </b>To a fault, sometimes. He's got what we call a "super sniffer." This man can smell a musty smell on clothes that sat in the washer for an hour before being rewashed and then dried. What you and I think is clean, isn't to the super smeller.</div>
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<b>- Travis is a crazy hard worker: </b>He's had numerous jobs since we've been married, and every single one has been to help support us, whether he likes the job or not. He's worked crummy jobs, and he's now found a great job where he fits in with the crew and truly likes it. He works so hard that I have been blessed to be able to stay home with our little one.</div>
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<b>- Travis is an amazing father:</b> The man who had never held a baby until our little Penelope was born is the most amazing father in the world. From the second he walks in the door, Penelope is all over him, asking him to "Daddy, play you?" And ya know what? He does. Every time.</div>
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<b>- Travis is NOT a morning person:</b> This is one of those things that I always thought I would be able to change. Because that's what we women do. We marry a guy and then try to change him. I have accepted that this will always be this way. It's a miracle if he is up before 8:30 during the week and 10am on the weekends. And he usually emerges from the bedroom ala zombie.</div>
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<b>- Travis has amazing faith:</b> Even when I worry and start to stress about something not going right, Travis is right there next to me reminding me that we've been given a promise, we have favor, and as long as we trust in God, we will get through whatever "this" is.</div>
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<b>- Travis is super random, goofy, nerdy, and geeky:</b> The thought trains this man comes up with astound me sometimes. We can be sitting on the couch and he will get a bout of goofiness, look at me, and say "pigeons dance in an elephant moonlight." To which my response is usually a raised eyebrow, followed by uncontrolled giggles. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwb7g4aFKovf8nWg97XOYLS7pbNCVDNoSxJocRaFGdYBdGRWxZpKTNOLWj_l3cPn-omoQrGa6WTQ5Rn0XLE5jSXYFQRSWMGJCsNWRaY6GNjhT0rxxoVb6qOlDYcQavn0TXjno5wxs5SI/s1600/disney+silly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwb7g4aFKovf8nWg97XOYLS7pbNCVDNoSxJocRaFGdYBdGRWxZpKTNOLWj_l3cPn-omoQrGa6WTQ5Rn0XLE5jSXYFQRSWMGJCsNWRaY6GNjhT0rxxoVb6qOlDYcQavn0TXjno5wxs5SI/s400/disney+silly.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this about sums it up</td></tr>
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The point is, my husband is the perfect husband for me. He takes care of me, supports me in any and all en devours (and there are quite a few!), snuggles with me when I've had a bad day, listens to me complain about anything, takes care of our daughter like a champ, gives me evenings off from Penelope's bedtime routine if I've had a tough day, gives me a couple of hours of shopping alone if I need it, and lets me relax and be myself. He is an amazing man, and I am so blessed to be able to spend every day with him.</div>
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5 years of dating. 7 years of marriage. 12 years together. 30 years old. Here's to another 30 years.</div>
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Happy birthday Travis. My best friend. My protector. My comforter. My silly-goofball-makes-me-laugh-on-a-daily-basis-husband. I love you</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-20177193275664474472012-07-28T10:49:00.000-04:002012-07-28T10:49:17.457-04:00Mystery SAL: Page 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I finished the first page of the SAL last night. Well, most of the first page. The LNS didn't have some of the supplies I needed (one or two braid colors, beads). Once I get my spending money next week, I'm going to order a large (read 20in) scroll frame, and the rest of the sparklies I need.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9Lfk1b4yQ-_4Zr9tdlnTbu__M5SB2gfzTKIPBL4wn7Br7qUh4NOWDG_Ve8cB-3L5FZPKmpoV84I5K83myADJ61GwT4loRSqI63cQgDQ3zHVfLMTD8d1xwf3ynDxDE2jnaZgdRGJk8HU/s1600/SAL+Page+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9Lfk1b4yQ-_4Zr9tdlnTbu__M5SB2gfzTKIPBL4wn7Br7qUh4NOWDG_Ve8cB-3L5FZPKmpoV84I5K83myADJ61GwT4loRSqI63cQgDQ3zHVfLMTD8d1xwf3ynDxDE2jnaZgdRGJk8HU/s640/SAL+Page+1.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-43272303115216113172012-07-17T09:54:00.000-04:002012-07-17T09:54:36.809-04:00A New Project!Ok. I know what you're all thinking - Does she REALLY need ANOTHER project?<br />
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Normally, I would agree with you, but this project is a very different type of project. This project is a year long mystery stitch-a-long (SAL)<br />
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The SAL comes from <a href="http://www.passionericamo.eu/">Passione Ricamo</a>, an Italian based cross stitch designer who's site I have visited many times, but never purchased from. I've always loved Laura's designs, but have always been in the middle of something and haven't been able to purchase...until now.<br />
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I found out about the SAL from a friend on Facebook (thanks Irene!), and quickly went searching for information. Laura had originally closed the registration on the 30th of June. She had such a huge influx of people emailing her, saying that they missed registration, that she reopened registration until July 30th. I'm glad she did, because I was able to sign up..and I am so excited! I think a friend of mine mentioned that there are over 80 of us around the world signed up.<br />
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So, how does a SAL work? Well, exactly how it sounds. Everyone works on the same project at the same time. But this...this is a MYSTERY SAL. Which makes it a little more fun<br />
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With a mystery SAL, you only get part of the pattern at a time. In this case, at the beginning of each month, Laura will send us the next page and we have a month to stitch it. Based on the schedule on her website, we'll get the entire top row first, and then she'll start to deviate from that. So you never know what the full picture will look like unless you keep stitching. That's the mystery part of it all.<br />
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Some SALs are free, but this one is not, however it is far from expensive. For a mere 12,00 EUR or $15.10 US, you get the page each month for a year. That's actually a pretty fair price for a cross stitch chart, and the added fun of it being a mystery SAL makes it even more exciting!<br />
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I signed up last night and promptly got my pattern for the first page. I only have a few weeks to stitch before the next page comes out, but I'm pretty sure I'll get it done. This is me, afterall :-)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFDAHneSpsWrMYFk2FcQnkRysaq72IlJqxeUx82wnDpj29oN0YcXNbrA2Pb9Uvq239kAEnhUqcTsH_1Ybm0h7mrPdF_nAD7xnrbKNGblmi-MSwzjHjldrKrTJ7de-b4QGf8hEaOebE0U/s1600/July+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFDAHneSpsWrMYFk2FcQnkRysaq72IlJqxeUx82wnDpj29oN0YcXNbrA2Pb9Uvq239kAEnhUqcTsH_1Ybm0h7mrPdF_nAD7xnrbKNGblmi-MSwzjHjldrKrTJ7de-b4QGf8hEaOebE0U/s400/July+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First section</td></tr>
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As you can see, there are LOTS of embellishments and pretties in this pattern. One thing that really surprised me was the chart has directions if you want to use the pretties (beads, metallics, etc), and also directions if you DON'T want to use them, and just stick to DMC. I plan on using all the pretties because I LOVE the way they look.<br />
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Stay tuned, because I will DEFINITELY be posting pictures of my progress as I go! I can't wait!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-42474376189269417622012-07-02T22:20:00.000-04:002012-07-02T22:26:46.494-04:00Stitching ProgressI figure since the title of this blog is Stitching Momma, I should include some pictures of my current stitching progress! And a big hello to my About.com Cross Stitch Forum friends!! :-)<br />
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<b>John Wayne:</b><br />
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<a href="http://xs-collectibles.com/detail.aspx?ID=1682"><b>Fractal 154:</b></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTLX25pkHn5sjj3RQml0_2Ox4XQuJus43ZDsI6Ykkg6dPSnt4D9v78CsAgpn_4wbWBqOGXKkDMZ_IGgrTV22N0PRrmdtCkfdUfLcJ-tZz2QnPT8qI71AUUcXFqj4HHwj9TnqC85JRyj0/s1600/IMG_1060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTLX25pkHn5sjj3RQml0_2Ox4XQuJus43ZDsI6Ykkg6dPSnt4D9v78CsAgpn_4wbWBqOGXKkDMZ_IGgrTV22N0PRrmdtCkfdUfLcJ-tZz2QnPT8qI71AUUcXFqj4HHwj9TnqC85JRyj0/s400/IMG_1060.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.123stitch.com/cgi-perl/itemdetail.pl?item=09-2578"><b>Quietude:</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTBCnnurL0hHqsQDlK9Bk97BYSW1-uVl7JZdfD5P-t2n-kZ0nbCzWSRran6_TNFUpq76I4HOIREexhPYUY8ZBZV0JUP6FoteCAHWNjq-QEXX5S7KOu7fijyDYYGOGhnl2JD10QVcbb-o/s1600/IMG_1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTBCnnurL0hHqsQDlK9Bk97BYSW1-uVl7JZdfD5P-t2n-kZ0nbCzWSRran6_TNFUpq76I4HOIREexhPYUY8ZBZV0JUP6FoteCAHWNjq-QEXX5S7KOu7fijyDYYGOGhnl2JD10QVcbb-o/s640/IMG_1093.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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<b>Penelope's Quilt Center:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2H5sYGhQdko8-x6RObBfm7fp-HvLKK6VjKLjx2Y0GWC7w5JpfXdszLnY1yKhXOYP1SEp7HomscLImz0Nch9jzRSSfSv0RhRgx10l8urDKDyvgbJ826f6wL7JupBvTWV28RfU3_WfOu8/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2H5sYGhQdko8-x6RObBfm7fp-HvLKK6VjKLjx2Y0GWC7w5JpfXdszLnY1yKhXOYP1SEp7HomscLImz0Nch9jzRSSfSv0RhRgx10l8urDKDyvgbJ826f6wL7JupBvTWV28RfU3_WfOu8/s640/IMG_1124.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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And finally, a completely unrelated photo of Penelope helping me bake, because its just oh-so cute :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiviV2YE2Wkp1lZidYYZIrpqC8WNcaV_MhI9j6Utjq0LKOtY781elKOb4SxTmtdbxj0J02BeWTgKQ9UUqJF9gt7fCS_RHbd4tJN4s52M1aHLTyYTFkHSy88ZEAaC3r-eswuXxD6CaqR4A/s1600/IMG_1113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiviV2YE2Wkp1lZidYYZIrpqC8WNcaV_MhI9j6Utjq0LKOtY781elKOb4SxTmtdbxj0J02BeWTgKQ9UUqJF9gt7fCS_RHbd4tJN4s52M1aHLTyYTFkHSy88ZEAaC3r-eswuXxD6CaqR4A/s640/IMG_1113.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-91360574884527119312012-06-02T20:31:00.000-04:002012-06-02T20:31:00.524-04:00100 Days of Eating Better: Week 1Travis and I are trying to start eating better, and are following a modified version of the <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/">100 Days of Real Food</a> that we created. (See <a href="http://stitchingmomma.blogspot.com/2012/05/100-days-of-eating-better.html">original post</a> here). We're hoping to remove most processed foods from our diet and just eat better in general. We're doing this over 14 weeks (roughly 100 days), and each week we add a new "rule" as we've come to call it. Here's the rules so far:<br />
<br />
<b>Week 1: No eating out - at all</b><br />
<br />
We're on our (almost)last day of week 1 and so far so good. We really didn't expect this week to be too much of a challenge, but we figured it was a good place to start, and we did it with only one hiccup. A family emergency on Friday caused me to eat out for breakfast AND lunch, but it was due to circumstances outside of my control.<br />
<br />
I have to say, I'm already feeling better. Now I understand this could just be a placebo effect, but I'm not complaining. Feeling good is never a bad thing. I also know that this "no eating out" rule is going to help our wallets feel better too. (That, and we're going to be able to refinance our house in a few weeks! SO EXCITED!)<br />
<br />
So, on to week 2. We are compounding each week onto the week before so by the end of it, we'll have 14 rules to follow. Again, we are following these as strictly as possible at home, however, we are not going to force what we're doing on anyone. If we're at someone's house for dinner, we are not going to refuse food because it doesn't follow our rules. People who do that are rude, and we don't want to be those people. So here are the rules for next week:<br />
<br />
<b>Week 1: No eating out - at all</b><br />
<b>Week 2: Try a new food</b><br />
<br />
I've decided that the new food we're going to try this week is kale. I have a friend over at <a href="http://teeteelynn.blogspot.com/">Here We Go...</a> (you should check out her blog, she's a great writer!) who's little girl (just a few weeks older than Penelope) LOVES kale. I've heard tons of good things about it, but frankly, I've been afraid to try it. I've always sorta considered kale one of those "weird things that organic-and-tofu-eating people eat." (Ok, I do like tofu, but only in my hot and sour soup). I've seen it at the grocery store a few times and have been interested, but still a little scared. Well, this week, we're going to try it. I've picked 2 recipes that I am very excited to try: <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/338115/sausage-and-kale-soup?center=276955&gallery=286367&slide=226097">Sausage and Kale Soup</a> and <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/345350/kale-crisps-sea-salt-and-lemon">Kale Crisps with Sea Salt and Lemon</a>. (I HATE that they're both Martha Stewart recipes!) and I'm hoping that we end up liking it. I'll probably do a recipe review on either/both.<br />
<br />
So that's the recap from week 1, and the game plan for week 2. Here's to a good week!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-71133055594995299232012-05-28T14:21:00.000-04:002012-05-28T14:21:03.382-04:00Coupon Savings: May 2012This month was pretty good. May is usually a VERY busy month for us, but we still came in under budget! Woohoo!<br />
<br />
We hit $1,000 saved for the year this month!This is the first month I have saved less than 30% (but not much less), mainly because I was stocked up pretty well for the entire month so I spent most of our budget on things that we needed that we don't stockpile, or weren't on sale.<u><b> </b></u><br />
<br />
<u><b>May 2012:</b></u><br />Total (before savings): $525.80<br />
Spent: $372.56<br />Savings: $153.24<br />
Percentage: 29.14%<b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<u><b>2012 YTD:</b></u><br />Total (before savings): $3,351.37<br />
Spent: $2,316.95<br />
Savings: $1,034.42<br />
Percentage: 30.87%Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-39176680306174206912012-05-28T14:08:00.001-04:002012-05-28T14:08:30.252-04:00100 Days of Eating BetterJunk food. We all love it. I know I certainly do. Same with processed food. It's all so quick, easy, and oh so convenient. But its also pretty bad for you. French fries are probably one of my most favorite foods in the world. Especially Chick-Fil-A's. The waffley goodness, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, all covered in salt. They truly are heaven. :-)<br />
<br />
Ok, enough day dreaming. We all recognize that we can eat better. High fructose corn syrup is in EVERYTHING, and as much as I love french fries (*sigh*), I know how bad they are for me.<br />
<br />
So I found this site called <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/">100 Days of Real Food</a>, and got inspired. This woman, and her family, decided that for 100 days, they would eat absolutely nothing processed. Her list of rules included no processed sugars, whole grain everything, and lots of fruits and veggies. I love the idea of this, but I personally think some of her rules won't quite work for us (locally raised meats, organic everything). I don't really buy into the whole organic thing. If you disagree with me, fine. I'm not here to argue it. Just stating my point of view.<br />
<br />
That being said, Travis and I really liked the idea, but realized that doing this cold turkey was going to be very difficult - especially for Penelope, who every time we go out for any sort of meal starts begging for french fries (looks like she got my tastebuds!) So what we've done is come up with a schedule for us that will help us to wean off of processed foods slowly, but still allow us to get there, and will allow us to try all sorts of new foods that we never would have considered. In fact, that's one of the new rules. Every 2 weeks, we have a try a new food we would never have considered before.<br />
<br />
We've divided our steps into 14 weeks (which equals about 100 days), and each week, we will add a new "rule" to our habits. Some of them will be easy for us, some will be tough (NO soda, EEK!), and each of us will have different rules that are harder for us than others. Either way, we're both looking forward to doing this and giving it a try. <br />
<br />
Our one other rule - we're going to be as strict as possible about this for ourselves when we're at home. However, if we're out with friends, or at a birthday party, we will eat whatever they provide and will not preach to them about what we're doing and cause a stink. If they offer us cake, you can guarantee we're gonna have cake. :-) Because honestly, if you completely deprive yourself of certain things, you're self control is eventually going to break down, and you're going to binge. That's why we're taking this in baby steps and only making single changes each week (sometimes 2 because of the new food rule)<br />
<br />
So, that being said, here is our plan:<br />
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Week 1: No eating out – at all</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 2: Try a new food </div>
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Week 3: At least 1 serving of fresh fruit everyday</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 4: 1 soda the whole week. Try a new food</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 5: New recipe week! Try a new recipe every day</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 6: Make homemade stocks/broths. Try a new food</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 7: To the farmer’s market for veggies</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 8: Vegetables at every meal. Try a new food</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 9: Only one small serving of sweets for the whole week</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 10: Try making your own whole wheat bread. Try a new
food</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 11: New recipe week! Try a new recipe every day</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Week 12: No soda. Try a new food</div>
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Week 13: No sweets</div>
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Week 14: Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package
that has <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">more than 5 ingredients</span></strong> listed
on the label. Try a new food</div>
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<br /></div>
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Our weeks are going to start every Monday, because that is my grocery shopping days, and we've decided that today is our first day. One exception to the no eating out rule is on Monday afternoons. Penelope and I share a Publix sub for lunch, but its already included in the monthly budget, and frankly its just easier to give that to her to keep her busy when I'm trying to put groceries away. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Care to join us? Feel free to use our plan, or create one that works better for your family. Either way, you'll be eating better, and it won't be quite so painful all at once! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Or don't. If you're happy with what you're doing then great! I'm not here to preach about this or judge you based on what you do (see <a href="http://stitchingmomma.blogspot.com/2012/05/clarification.html">previous post</a>). I just know for us, this is the direction we need to head towards! </div>
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<br /></div>
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So if you're going to try this, good luck! If not, look forward to weekly posts about our adventures, how things are changing, and how we're feeling! </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-7542459837958988742012-05-23T09:46:00.000-04:002012-05-23T09:46:10.685-04:00ClarificationSo I caused quite a stir on Facebook yesterday with a link I posted that really explained well how I feel about breastfeeding and parenting in general. (<a href="http://the-neff-family-blog.blogspot.com/2012/05/i-started-writing-this-few-months-ago.html">The link</a>) And I didn't realize what all the stir was about until I clicked on the link and it brought me right to the comment that I had posted on the blog. Oops.<br />
<br />
Let me first apologize for that mistake right now. It was not my intention to post my comment on the blog to Facebook. My intention was the post the entire blog post, as it screams what I feel about the topic. For those who's feelings were hurt because of what I said, I'm sorry your feelings were hurt.<br />
<br />
That being said, I am not apologizing for the link, as I still believe it explains how I feel very well. I hate...HATE this arguing, judging, preaching, pushing, that is constantly happening between parents - especially mothers. Everyone seems to think their way is right, and is always trying to make the other side feel bad about it.<br />
<br />
You're guilty of it and so am I. And it's not right. Not at all.<br />
<br />
We moms should be supporting each other REGARDLESS of how we feel about someone else's parenting practices. It just frustrates me so much that we are constantly being pitted against each other when we should be more understanding of each other! We're all moms, doing the best that we can, and doing what we feel is best for our children! I'm about to impart a huge word of wisdom that will shock you. You ready?<br />
<br />
IT'S OK IF WE <b>DISAGREE!!</b><br />
<br />
Crazy I know.<br />
<b> </b><br />
I'm not going to go on and on about this, because, frankly, most people aren't going to listen. I don't want to start another riot, and this is all I'm going to say on this topic. So here it is: my stance on any and all things parenting:<br />
<br />
<b>You're going to do what you feel is best for your children, and I'm going to do what I feel is best for my children. If we don't agree, don't preach to me or judge me for doing parenting my way, and I won't preach to you or judge you for doing parenting your way. All children are different and we're all going to deal with our children as we see fit. Plain and simple.</b><br />
<br />
So, breastfeed or don't. Circumcise or don't. Give birth in a hospital or don't. Use drugs during childbirth, or don't. Co-sleep or don't. Vaccinate or don't. Cloth diaper or don't. It's up to you and no one else.<br />
<br />
Now, can we PLEASE just play nice?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927160690748005599.post-11856733490737331122012-04-30T13:01:00.000-04:002012-04-30T13:01:25.634-04:00Coupon Savings: April 2012This month was a bit rough for us. Not only was it a 5 Monday month, but we also had Easter, and I bought a bunch of diapers to help us stock up. Thankfully, we won't need any for awhile :-) Here are the numbers!<br />
<u><b> </b></u><br />
<br />
<u><b>April 2012:</b></u><br />Total (before savings): $869.93<br />
Spent: $587.58<br />
Savings: $ 282.35<br />
Percentage: 43.79%<b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<u><b>2012 YTD:</b></u><br />Total (before savings): $2,825.57<br />
Spent: $1,944.39<br />
Savings: $881.18<br />
Percentage: 31.19%<br />
<br />
Here's hoping May is a little easier!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664662583406037959noreply@blogger.com0