It is 1-11-11, 17 days after Christmas and I am finally getting back to a regular routine.
The Christmas season was a busy one for me. My middle school youth group went shopping for some less fortunate families in our community. Let me tell you taking middle school students (and a 3 year old because her parents were moving) to Wal-Mart the Saturday before Christmas is always fun. It was fun to see my kids really try and find what was needed/wanted for the best price. They did a very good job of shopping and I know they made some Christmas' brighter this year.
My High School Youth group was busy also. We went caroling to some members and some of their teachers houses. I also planned a lock-in during their Christmas break. I am asked almost twice a month when are we going to have a lock-in. I have told them that we will have one once a year, I like my sleep way to much.
Christmas Eve was the kid's program. It wasn't prefect but the message of the birth of our Savior was spread to everybody in attendance. The kid's did a really good job with there speaking parts, even though we had to change a couple of parts around last minute because of a sick kid; they also sang the songs really well. It is hard to believe but I will start looking for next years Christmas program in the next 7 months or so.
The week after Christmas my parents and younger sister came up to visit. It seems like every time my family comes up to visit they decorate my house in some way or another. This time we put up curtains in my kitchen ( I will have to post a picture once I take one). This was part of my Christmas present from my younger sister and I do have to say they look really nice.
Speaking of Christmas presents. I had started two different quilts, one for each of my sisters as their Christmas presents. I worked pretty much every chance I got on them but with being busy around Christmas they did not get done. One of them is really close to being done, the other has a little bit of a way. I will be heading back to Texas at the end of February to see the musical Wicked, my goal is to have them done by then.
A few days after my family came to visit I left the cold state of Kansas to head to Orlando, Florida. I went to Orlando for the inaugural conference for the National Association of Directors of Christian Education. The conference was well worth the trip and it was really nice to reconnect with friends from all around the country. The warm weather in Orlando was really nice too.
The night I came back into Kansas I was welcomed with snow and lots of it. I think they were say in the end we got between 5 and 6 inches. Even though I didn't go to the gym yesterday I still got a workout in; you don't realize how long my drive way is until you have to shovel it.
Well there is an update on my crazy life the past few weeks. Now I get to start looking towards this summer!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Pickles...YUMMY
If you know anything about me you know I love pickles! This lady from the church I grew up in made the best homemade pickles. Every time I came home from college she would give me a couple of jars of her pickles, just for me:). Well I was looking through the church's cookbook (I have decided if you need a really good recipe look in a church cookbook those recipes always turn out well) and I found the recipe for her pickles.
From my garden this past year I had a lot of cucumbers! I tried out the recipe I found and they turned out great. I was also given a lot of okra from a church member this summer; since I couldn't eat it all in one sitting and my freezer was already pretty full I decided to pickle it. I used the same recipe that I used for the pickles and they turned out great as well.
This recipe is pretty easy if you can find dill; but they are oh so good.
Dill Pickles
Enough medium cucumbers to fill 2 (1 qt) jars (or enough okra to fill jars)
Fresh Dill
1 clove of garlic
4 cups of water
1 cup of vinegar
2 Tablespoons of canning salt
Boiling water to fill jars
Was cucumbers and pack into jars; add garlic and a sprig of dill. Cover with boiling water; let stand 10 minutes. Mix the last 3 ingredients; bring to a boil to make a brine. Pour off the water from the jars and pour the brine over the cucumbers. Seal in a hot water bath.
These are my favorite pickles...so yummy!
From my garden this past year I had a lot of cucumbers! I tried out the recipe I found and they turned out great. I was also given a lot of okra from a church member this summer; since I couldn't eat it all in one sitting and my freezer was already pretty full I decided to pickle it. I used the same recipe that I used for the pickles and they turned out great as well.
This recipe is pretty easy if you can find dill; but they are oh so good.
Dill Pickles
Enough medium cucumbers to fill 2 (1 qt) jars (or enough okra to fill jars)
Fresh Dill
1 clove of garlic
4 cups of water
1 cup of vinegar
2 Tablespoons of canning salt
Boiling water to fill jars
Was cucumbers and pack into jars; add garlic and a sprig of dill. Cover with boiling water; let stand 10 minutes. Mix the last 3 ingredients; bring to a boil to make a brine. Pour off the water from the jars and pour the brine over the cucumbers. Seal in a hot water bath.
These are my favorite pickles...so yummy!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Crafts Projects for Sell
I have decided that I need to figure out a way to fund my craft addiction I have created. The answer make different things to sell; the best of both worlds crafting and making money. I am going to try and sell different things, to start out with kid sized reversible aprons and some tote bags. If you would like to buy either of these please leave a comment.
These aprons have a cooking theme to the fabric on one side and strips on the other. Each side of the apron has two pockets the opposite fabric. The neck straps is attached with D-rings so once you set it for your child you don't have to keep retying it. There are also two straps that tie around the waste; the straps are plenty long to fit whatever size your kid is. This apron will be able to be used as your child grows.
1st Quilt Done!
I have finished my first quilt! I after about 2 months of having lessons on and off I have finally finished it. I made a 9-patch and rails quilt out of different pinks and blues. I have really enjoyed learning how to quilt and it is something I will be doing for a while. Now to work on quilts for some Christmas presents. In the top picture you can see the front and the back of the quilt. In the bottom picture it is the full quilt. One of my friends mentioned I put a fish in the design...that was not planned but I like how it turned out.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
It has been a while
Wow, when i started this blog I thought I would be able to blog at least once a week; well I didn't start off very well.
I did want to tell you about an easy meal that looks like it took a lot of work. I had some friends over for dinner and made this meal it was delicious! I roasted a marinated pork tenderloin in the oven. (I choose the bourbon and maple marinate, but Hormel has a lot of different ones) Along with the pork tenderloin I roasted some russet and sweet potatoes and made green bean bundles. And who could forget dessert? I made a caramel pie...I am not normally a pie fan but this one has a graham cracker crust and is a prefect fall dessert when you can find caramel in the stores easily. (I forgot to take pictures, sorry)
Here is the recipe for the green bean bundles; my mom suggested I make these.
2 cans whole green beans
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/4 of butter
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 pound of bacon
toothpicks
Take 7 or 8 green beans and wrap them in half a piece of bacon. Use the toothpick to hold together the bundle. In the microwave heat the brown sugar, butter and garlic salt together. Pour microwaved mixture over the bundles and bake in the oven on 350 until bacon is cooked.
These are really easy and taste great!
Besides making this yummy meal, I have been learning to quilt! (Actually I am only a couple steps away from being done with my first quilt)
A lady in the church is teaching me, we meet a few weeks ago and had my first lesson where I learned how to cut strips and to sew them together. At the end of the lesson we picked out some fabric from her stash and believe me this is a stash a whole walk in closet full of fabric scraps. I took that fabric home with me along with the quilt pattern called 9 patch and rails. A few days later I had the top done except the borders and I wasn't really sure how to do those. I then had my 2nd quilting lesson about a week later and there I learned how to put borders on quilts...and for the one I am working on I actually have a small accent border followed by the edge border. I have pinned the backing, batting, and the top together; just waiting on a walking foot that I ordered to actually quilt it together.
I have really enjoyed learning how to quilt and I think it is something that I can see myself doing for a long time...to bad fabric can get really expensive, guess that means I just need to watch for it to go on sale. I will post a picture once I am done with my first quilt.
I did want to tell you about an easy meal that looks like it took a lot of work. I had some friends over for dinner and made this meal it was delicious! I roasted a marinated pork tenderloin in the oven. (I choose the bourbon and maple marinate, but Hormel has a lot of different ones) Along with the pork tenderloin I roasted some russet and sweet potatoes and made green bean bundles. And who could forget dessert? I made a caramel pie...I am not normally a pie fan but this one has a graham cracker crust and is a prefect fall dessert when you can find caramel in the stores easily. (I forgot to take pictures, sorry)
Here is the recipe for the green bean bundles; my mom suggested I make these.
2 cans whole green beans
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/4 of butter
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 pound of bacon
toothpicks
Take 7 or 8 green beans and wrap them in half a piece of bacon. Use the toothpick to hold together the bundle. In the microwave heat the brown sugar, butter and garlic salt together. Pour microwaved mixture over the bundles and bake in the oven on 350 until bacon is cooked.
These are really easy and taste great!
Besides making this yummy meal, I have been learning to quilt! (Actually I am only a couple steps away from being done with my first quilt)
A lady in the church is teaching me, we meet a few weeks ago and had my first lesson where I learned how to cut strips and to sew them together. At the end of the lesson we picked out some fabric from her stash and believe me this is a stash a whole walk in closet full of fabric scraps. I took that fabric home with me along with the quilt pattern called 9 patch and rails. A few days later I had the top done except the borders and I wasn't really sure how to do those. I then had my 2nd quilting lesson about a week later and there I learned how to put borders on quilts...and for the one I am working on I actually have a small accent border followed by the edge border. I have pinned the backing, batting, and the top together; just waiting on a walking foot that I ordered to actually quilt it together.
I have really enjoyed learning how to quilt and I think it is something that I can see myself doing for a long time...to bad fabric can get really expensive, guess that means I just need to watch for it to go on sale. I will post a picture once I am done with my first quilt.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Welcome
Why did I decide to start blogging?
Well the answer is pretty simple, I want to share with others different things I am trying. I enjoy cooking, working on different craft projects, and trying new things.
As a heads up what is going to be coming...I just bought a sewing machine! My mom taught me the basics of sewing when I was younger, I just hope I remember them. I have for a while wanted to learn how to quilt (if you know me you know I love blankets and quilts) and there is a member of my congregation who is willing to teach me! You better believe that once my sewing machine comes in I will be trying to do some simple projects to get to know my machine so I can learn how to quilt.
Also coming I plan on trying a new recipe at least once a week, if I like it and think it is worth passing on I will let you know about it. I bought a new grill/smoker about a month ago and when my family was in town last week we put it together; I am hoping to try smoking different meats and such. I also have found that I enjoy canning different fruits and vegetables, I have canned peaches, pasta sauce, peach honey, pickeled okra and cucumbers from my own garden.
I hope that you enjoy reading and maybe get some ideas from different things I am trying out.
LIVE every moment, LAUGH everyday, and LIVE beyond words
Well the answer is pretty simple, I want to share with others different things I am trying. I enjoy cooking, working on different craft projects, and trying new things.
As a heads up what is going to be coming...I just bought a sewing machine! My mom taught me the basics of sewing when I was younger, I just hope I remember them. I have for a while wanted to learn how to quilt (if you know me you know I love blankets and quilts) and there is a member of my congregation who is willing to teach me! You better believe that once my sewing machine comes in I will be trying to do some simple projects to get to know my machine so I can learn how to quilt.
Also coming I plan on trying a new recipe at least once a week, if I like it and think it is worth passing on I will let you know about it. I bought a new grill/smoker about a month ago and when my family was in town last week we put it together; I am hoping to try smoking different meats and such. I also have found that I enjoy canning different fruits and vegetables, I have canned peaches, pasta sauce, peach honey, pickeled okra and cucumbers from my own garden.
I hope that you enjoy reading and maybe get some ideas from different things I am trying out.
LIVE every moment, LAUGH everyday, and LIVE beyond words
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