Earrings and Aprons

Here are some fun things I whipped up yesterday!

This apron is embellished with vintage buttons and crochet lace.  It has three deep pockets.

This apron has a vintage embroidered scarf.

New Project

An antique embroidered cloth that I put into an apron.

Embroidery

Time to share some pictures of my latest needlework.

I wanted to make pillows of sayings from our family, but decided that would be too many pillows! So I worked them up and placed them in a multi frame.

Then there was one that needed a frame of its own. Those that know my mother understand this one!

Yeah, those were my first words. It’s in my baby book. Children learn what they live!

I also finished an apron. LOVE the owl!!

This is on the bottom of the apron.

Happy cook!

This is a tea towel swap. It is off to a new home!

I’m still finishing up on weaving some kitchen towels. I am so close to be being finished, but it is like a great book that you don’t want to end! I put a couple of rows in every day or two in order to prolong the project! I LOVE WEAVING! Thank you Jenny!!!!!

Cheers!

Loving spring!

Just working on the deck, watching my Topsy Turvy Tomato plant grow! Ah, farm life!

Must share recipes!

Want to get these great recipes up for all to see!

No Tahini Low-Fat Hummus

1 teaspoon curry

dash of pepper

1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic

1 can chickpeas – reserve liquid

Blend the above in a food processor adding the reserved liquid to thin.

makes 10 servings

serving size is 2 Tablespoons

Sesame Chicken and Noodles

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon grated ginger

2 teaspoons Asian garlic-chili sauce

2 6-oz. packages of cooked grilled chicken strips

12- oz. spaghetti

3 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 medium yellow, red or orange sweet peppers

Stir together the first 5 ingredients.

Add chicken and stir to coat. Set aside.

Cook noodles and drain.

Return noodles to pot. Drizzle with sesame oil and toss to coat.

Add chicken mixture and toss to combine.

Top each serving with pepper strips.

Makes 6 servings.

Quick meal!

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter – low fat

2 garlic cloves, quartered

1 Tablespoon chopped ginger

1 small hot pepper, cleaned and diced

1/4 cup peanut oil

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons Splenda granulated several drops of Stevia

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 cup strong black tea.

Puree in food processor.

Serve over noodles or chicken.

Makes 1 1/2 cup sauce.

White Beans and Brown Rice

1 1/2 cup chopped onions

1 3/4 cup water

1 1/2 cup uncooked Instant Brown rice

1 16-0z. can not-salt navy beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon dried basil

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

3-oz. fat-free feta cheese

Heat 12″ nonstick skillet on medium high.

Remove and spray with Pam.

Cook onions until soft.

Add water. Boil. Stir in rice. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 min. Remove.

Stir in tomatoes and remaining ingredients except feta into rice.

Let stand for 5 min.

Stir in feta.

Serves 4

Very quick!

Hillbilly Housewife

I just found a great website called Hillbilly Housewife! I hate the word “frugal” or “cheap”. It sounds like “Lack” and that is a word I don’t like. I have tried to have a prosperity mentality my whole adult life. However I do bake and cook from scratch because it makes good “cents” and make almost all of our cleaning products. You can call it “green” if you like, but I call it smart. The cool thing about Hillbilly Housewife is the range of recipes. Plus I can relate the whole hillbilly thang!

My only challenge is to have things available when I am not home. If I have a return to the hospital with my mother, my poor DH and DD#2 are at a loss for dinner! Neither one cooks from scratch! And fast food is not an option. So I am vowing to have several meals in the freezer ready for the oven and at least one meal put together in a brown paper bag in the pantry for the stove. There. Mother of the Year, don’t you think?

 

Cheers!

Happy New Year!

Here’s to a wonderful New Year despite what the new’s tells us! 

I have been in the hospital with my mom for a week now and will hopefully be taking her home tomorrow the 2nd. YEA! I am so tired of hospital food. The university where the hospital is located is closed for the holidays so the other options for food are not available! No Chick-fil-A!! How sad. 

I am looking forward to sewing mini-aprons for an exchange due in February. I just found a ruffler attachment for my machine so it will be so much faster to do. That way I can embellish to my heart’s content! Ah, I am ready to get back to a normal schedule. 

Well, I intend to live by the belief that Life is what I make it. And I am so blessed!

Happy New Year!

Cheers!

Nature stuff

Before we take things down this week for Christmas decorating I thought I’d post a pict or 2 of my Mother Earth doll with her Root Children and an acorn fairy on the fairy house.

A closer shot of the acorn fairy.

I am no photographer! That would be my DS. I assume he doesn’t check out my blog or I would hear about the bad photo’s! LOL!

Today is preparation for decorating and luckily DD#1 is home so we will all Deck the Halls! Usually we wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving, but there won’t be time so we will do as the mall’s do and decorate early. I’m ready. Last Christmas we were out of town for 2 weeks so we didn’t even put a wreath on the door. Everyone is looking forward to pulling out the goodies and lighting up the house and yard this year! Yea! Now if we only had some snow……………..

Cheers!

More Embroidery!

Ok, here are the shot of my recent stuff. 

I love this primitive piece! The cat just cracks me up! It will be a pillow with a denim back. I thought about a frame, but I don’t have a rustic one around.

These 3 Kewpie’s will be made into individual ornaments. I like the idea of making them into a Christmas banner alternating with colorful fabric, but the first set will be ornies!

I just LOVE their little tushies!! My great aunt Mary collected Kewpie dolls and I have always loved them! DD#2 looked just like one as a baby! Much to her chagrin!

On to sewing ornaments today!

Cheers!

Fall crafts

Here is the picture of the crochet acorns.

Yes, it is a terrible picture, but you get the idea.

And I made several acorn fairies. Again, the pictures came out slightly blurred. I gave two of them away to two of my dear farmgirls! The red headed fairy is on our seasonal branch over the kitchen table. (That picture was even worse!)

I will spend this lovely rainy day sewing up my embroideries. 

I did make the best potato leek soup last night! Along with some fresh sourdough bread – a feast! This is my favorite time of year. I love the short days and long cold nights. A fire in the fireplace, candles on the mantle, DH and DD. What more could I want? Ok, money would be lovely and a wonderful job, but who’s complaining?

Here is a paper doll DD#2 recently made. Too cute!

Off to sew!

Cheers!