Thursday, February 11, 2010

3 More...


Pairs of baby booties. One done in white cotton, one done in white sport weight baby yarn, and one done in multi flecked baby yarn. All using variations of the two patterns I normally use that are listed in an earlier post. This puts my total at 7 for charitable donation.

Earthquake Cake

Earthquake Cake
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 c. coconut
1 German chocolate box cake mix
1 stick margarine
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 box confectioners sugar

Combine the 1 cup of pecans and 1 cup of coconut and put in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Mix the German chocolate cake as directed on the box.
Pour over the nuts and coconut.
Over low heat, melt the margarine and cream cheese.
Slowly stir in the entire box of confectioners sugar.
Spoon cream cheese mixture over cake mix. Do not spread, just drop over top.
Bake cake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Making The Most Of It

Canned Soup....

You can perk up a can of soup inexpensively by adding:

1. Quick Cooking Rice
2. Pre-Cooked Pasta
3. Left Over Veggies

Tutorial on Ironing

I have not ironed clothing in a very long time. Simply because I am one to promptly remove clothing from the dryer so it doesn't have time to get wrinkled. But I find myself needing to do some ironing in the immediate future as I have purchased some clothing that just can't be worn without the wrinkles being ironed out. Even with hanging them up promptly after being dried, they still look "mussed". I have gone through and reviewed some basic instruction for ironing and I thought I would share my findings with those of you that are not "up" on the basics.

1. Check the label in the clothing. It will usually list what setting the garment should be ironed on. If it's something that shouldn't be ironed, it will also say that.

2. If the iron has a water reservoir, fill it with distilled water. Use this instead of tap water so you don't have hard water build up or deposits.

3. Set the iron on the correct setting. Sit it upright on the ironing board. Don't lie it flat. Let it heat up. Most irons have a light that comes on when it's heating up and the light will usually go out when it's at the correct temperature.
**If you are ironing more than one garment, start with the one that needs the coolest setting and work your way up to the ones that need the high settings.

4. If your ironing board doesn't have a silver cover on it, then you can place a piece of aluminum foil on the pad. This helps the opposite side of the garment to heat up as well and is like ironing both sides at the same time. This cuts down on the total ironing time.

5. If you are using spray starch, then get it out now. You would spray a small area right before ironing it, and keep repeating until the garment is ironed.

6. Put your garment on the ironing board. Start with the inside unless the garment is cotton or silky rayon. Then you would start with the outside.

7. Now you are ready to iron. Remember to keep the iron moving, never let it sit still. If you have a stubborn wrinkle, spray a bit of water on it and iron over it with steam. Begin with the large areas and work your way to the small areas and corners. If you are ironing a shirt, you would start with the side away from you and once you have it ironed, move that section off the board AWAY from your body so you will not rub up against it and cause wrinkles to form.

8. Turn the garment over and iron the right side if needed. It's actually best to iron both sides but there are cases where you wouldn't. Cotton and silky rayon shouldn't be ironed on the wrong side at all. If you are in doubt about ironing a garment, then iron the wrong side only. But only if the tag says it can be ironed. For delicate fabrics, vibrant colors, or dark colors, try to get all the wrinkles out by only ironing the wrong side. Dark colors can take on a shine when ironed on the right side.

9. Hang the garment up immediately. If you have no other garments to iron, turn off the iron and dump the water out of the reservoir. Remember to sit the iron up right when you place it back down on the board. Keep it this way until it is cool and can be put away safely.

Things to remember:
1. Clean your iron regularly. Use a soft, damp cloth. This keeps the steam vents open and unclogged.
2. If you want, you can lightly spray your garment before ironing with water. A moist garment will iron better.

FINAL TIP: The steam from an iron is HOT. Keep your hands away from it. The same goes for the bottom of the iron.

Snail Mail

In my opinion, the art of letter writing is long past in some cultures. I think this is because there are other more convenient ways of keeping in touch with someone. Such as the telephone and email. About 8 years ago, I got involved in penpalling. There were times when I wasn't able to keep up with it, but overall, I am still writing and sending cards and letters to a group of women that I have been friends with for these past 8 years. It's great to get an unexpected card or letter in the mail when you are used to seeing nothing but bills or junk mail. Even a family member that you haven't seen or heard from in a while would love to see a card or letter from you, and you just might get one back from them. So why not write a small note or drop a card in the mail every now and then. You'll make someone else's day!

Dinner Tonight - Goulash

Dinner tonight is GOULASH. Now, it's been my experience, that everyone makes Goulash differently. This is my quick and easy version. My daughter loves it. Which is funny as she will not eat spaghetti. And the only thing that's different between the two is the type of pasta. To go with the spaghetti, we will have salad and garlic toast.

Goulash

1 lb. hamburger
1 lb. box of elbow macaroni
2 cans of spaghetti sauce
seasonings of choice ( I usually add garlic powder )

Brown hamburger in a skillet. Drain fat. Cook elbow macaroni according to directions on the package. Drain water. Add the hamburger to the macaroni. Add in spaghetti sauce. Season as you wish.

Note: This makes a good amount. It feeds my family of 5 easily and we have plenty of leftovers.

**The difference between this and the Goulash that I used to eat as a child, is that I use spaghetti sauce and my mom used tomato juice. I like it either way.

Free Pattern Links - Baby Booties

I have come across a few more free patterns for baby booties so I thought I would share.

SLK Baby Booties http://susan.kraus.net/pages/pattern6.html
Baby Booties http://jahodnett.tripod.com/id112.html
Tie Shoes http://crotiques.com/tieashoe.htm

Crocheted Baby Socks http://www.crochetandknitting.com/babysock.htm
*I use this pattern frequently and I love how they work up. They are super cute!!!*

Baby Booties



I have two more pairs of baby booties done. These are in a slightly different color than the ones in the previous post. So, I now have four pairs of booties ready for the bootie charity challenge. I am using the patterns listed in the previous baby bootie posting under Instant Gratification.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Hair Styling


This is a photo of me fixing my hair yet another time. I am trying out different styles and methods of getting it just right for the formal nights on the cruise we are taking. My daughter thinks this is hilarious and snapped this photo. What do you think? LOL

Snowing - Photos of my doggies











It's snowing once again. And naturally, we have to walk the doggies outside so they can potty. Pepper is in the top two photos and Cocoa is in the bottom two photos. I got such a grin when we got back inside and I saw all the little balls of snow stuck to their paws. So I thought I would share the photos with you. In the bottom photo that shows Cocoa, he even has a snow ball in the middle of his forehead. LOL They are so funny to watch in the snow. They pounce and tromp and hit all the snow drifts.

Card Making




Well.....I got brave and made my very first card. It's for my husband. I plan to give it to him while on the cruise at the end of the month. The first photo is the outside and the second photo is the inside. It's meant to be a romantic thank you for taking me on the cruise. What do you think?

Baby Booties




As I mentioned earlier, I am doing a few projects that will give me instant gratification. To get me out of the rut of being bored with the baby afghan and sports blanket that I am working on as well. Last night, I completed a set of baby booties and started on another set for which I only have one bootie done so far. Here are the photos of them. I still need to put the ties into the completed set. They are lying beside the booties in the photo.

Works in Progress


While I had my camera out this morning, I decided to take a couple of photos of the "Works In Progess" that I currently have. The first photo is Baby Blanket/Afghan #5 that uses my own pattern. The second photo is of the Sports Blanket that uses the 4 1/2 hour charity lapghan pattern. As you can tell, I haven't gotten very far with either one. I got bored with them. It happens.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

A Favorite Recipe

This recipe is a favorite of my family.

Pork Chops and Gravy

6 thick pork chops
8 to 10 new potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
1 pkg. baby carrots (16 oz.)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Sprinkle salt and pepper on pork chops. Brown in a skillet and place in a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker. Place potatoes and carrots all around the the pork chops. In a pan, heat the mushroom soup with 1/2 cup of water and pour over the chops and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.

*NOTE - this is not my original recipe and I have no idea where I found it at. If it is your recipe, please let me know and I will either remove it from my website or give you credit for it.

New Projects - Instant Gratification Needed

I find myself needing to do some "Instant Gratification" projects right now. I've decided to do some baby booties. There are two reasons for this:
1) We were challenged to do so in a group I'm in
2) My niece is expecting and I'm currently working on baby items

Last Fall, I made several pairs of booties and swapped them with a friend of mine. These are the patterns I used for them:
1) Loving Hugs Newborn Booties http://www.lovinghugsfamily.com/bootiepattern.html
2) Best Ever Booties (I will have to find the location for this pattern...it printed out without the website on the page)

I've made many pairs of booties with these patterns and I find myself using these patterns almost exclusively.

Now, if I get tired of doing booties, I think I'm going to try these patterns:
1) Hcd Preemie/Newborn Wrap Diaper Shirt http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/hcd-shirt.html
2) Angel Wing Newborn Pinafore http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/angel-wings-pinafore.html

Crochet Corner - works in progress

I'm still working on my two crochet projects:
1) Baby Blanket/Afghan #5
2) Sports Blanket

I've not felt like crocheting much lately on these projects as they will take awhile to complete and I'm one of those people that likes "instant gratification" every now and then to keep me motivated.

As for Baby Blanket/Afghan #5, I am on Row 27.
In regards to the Sports Blanket, I have tied on a 2nd skein of each color but have no idea what row I'm on as it is currently downstairs in the area I am setting up for my crafting.