"Big Kid"

My baby boy will be 2 years old on Sunday!!! It is so hard to believe...

I decided I would make a backpack for him...although, technically, it will serve as a diaper bag until we can ditch the diapers. Unfortunately, I don't think Jack is going to be potty trained in the very near future. His favorite answer when I ask him if he would like to use the potty is, "Ummmmm, Nope!" Oh well, for now, he can carry his diapers, wipes, etc. in "Big Boy" style. Jack will be a big brother in February, so if he can help Mommy out by carrying his backpack, that would be great!

Doesn't he look like a "big" kid with that little backpack?

Bible Character Dress Up Day

I am very much behind in my blogging! I have lots of things to post, but it's been a little crazy around here. Aidan had a confirmed case of the H1N1 flu, and Hannah had a suspected case, although they told us not to even bring her in. Jack has been sick too, but I think he has something totally different. Anyway, I need to make t-shirts for the kids that say, "I Survived the Swine Flu!" They recovered quickly, and I am thankful for that. Seth and I did not catch it...thankful for that too!

In October, Aidan's preschool class had "Bible Character Dress Up Day." The children had to choose their favorite Bible character. Aidan loves the story of David and Goliath, so he was David. I actually made his costume last year when the church did the same them one night. I am eternally grateful that the coustume still fit this year, because I really have had no time to make a new one! If you look closely, you will see the authentic looking sling that my talented husband, Seth made! He's quite crafty too!

When I took Aidan to preschool, Jack was very excited to be with Aidan in his classroom. It's very hard to take pictures of your preschooler and make sure your toddler doesn't run off down the hall! Once Jack saw the camera, he popped right up next to Aidan and said, "CHEESE!" So, that is why he is standing next to "David." I couldn't resist this cute pair of brothers!

Oh, Happy Day!

My daughter, Hannah, was baptized this past Sunday! My camera card was full, and I did not realize it. So, I quickly deleted what I could and managed to catch a quick picture of her after she came up out of the water. Thankfully, the picture turned out very well!



For her special day, I decided to make her a tote bag to carry her Bible. I found this very cute embroidery pattern on http://www.swakembroidery.com/. The only applique is the skirt, and the rest is left blank. I really wanted the ruby to be red, so I used fabric markers and colored it in. After that, I decided to color the girl's hair and shirt too. I really like how it turned out, and most importantly, Hannah loved it!

Here is a close-up of the embroidery...

It was a very special day for our family!

My Grandmother's Bag

August 31st was my grandmother's birthday, and I wanted to make her something special. I may call her "Granny," but she sure doesn't fit the stereotype! I won't tell you her age, but I'll tell you mine...I'm 36, and my "Granny" has often been mistaken to be my mother. She looks very young for her age and can still wear me out on a shopping trip any day! So, I thought my "cutesie" Granny needed something cute for one of her shopping trips, and this is what I came up with....



I monogrammed it for her...

and gave her pockets (including one for her cell phone) and plenty of room on the inside...

I loved how this turned out. It's a sunglasses/ eyeglasses holder. The pattern for this can be found on http://www.swakembroidery.com/.

All finished! I am very happy that she loved it!

SOLD!!!

I have made plenty of gifts, but I've never had an actual paying customer...(Although, I did have a lady at Dollywood offer to buy the diaper bag I made for Jack...right off Seth's shoulder! We were out of town, though, and I didn't know how I was going to tote diapers and stuff around for the remainder of our trip.) The diaper bag below was for a new baby granddaughter named, "Mallory." It is a messenger style bag, just like the style I made for my son. It's nice because no matter how full it gets, the flap keeps everything covered up. I was nervous making something for a person that would actually be paying me for it, but I think it turned out rather nice...




a close-up of the embroidery...

Now, I'm off to make my grandmother's birthday gift...

Who Knew?!

Who knew you could make bread without kneading it?! Now, that I know it is possible to make bread without having to do much more than mix the ingredients, I will be making it more often!

I found this cookbook on Amazon.com, and I thought I would give it a try. The "No Kneading" method of making bread actually works! The name of the book is Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett, and it is full of a huge variety of bread recipes...all of which do not require kneading. I started with the most basic...white bread. Here is a picture of the dough after its "first rise." I then plopped it into two bread pans and let it rise a second time.




Here they are after baking, and I did it without a bread machine. :)

I believe that there is a sample recipe on Nancy Baggett's website. She also has a blog called Nancy Bagget's Kitchenlane, and I have it listed on my blogroll. Go bake some bread! You will love the way your house smells while it is baking!

Recipe Swap Thursday

I tried these cookies at a friends house, and it was all I could do to not eat every single cookie on the plate!!! She gave me this wonderful cookie recipe...

Butter Brickle Cookies

Butter Pecan cake mix

3/4 stick of butter, melted

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

3/4 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup vanilla/white morsels

3/4 cup Heath "bits of brickle" (toffee bits)

Mix all well. Drop on cookie sheet with a melon ball or large tablespoon. Bake for 9-13 minutes on 350*. Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet. YUM!!!