30 Minute Head Scarf

So because of the big move, my daughter has pulled out the majority of her hair.  It seems to be a coping mechanism that some kids use and it's totally normal.  However, it is very difficult to find cute ways to do her hair...there is a limit to how you can comb 3 strands of long hair to cover an entire head.  Plus it looks way unbalanced because her bangs are still thick, but the back is all thin and patchy.  (I  know I was spoiled because she had SO much hair at such a young age...) Anyway, this is one of my solutions (if you have any more please let me know). 

This literally took 30 minutes last night.  Here we go.

You will need a scrap of fabric that can be folded on the bias, some ribbon, thread, and sewing machine.

Fold the fabric on the bias. 

Measure 16 inches along the fold ( you may need to make it larger if your child is older).  

 Make at mark at 16".  

Take the left bottom corner and fold it up to meet the 16" mark - this will help you cut a straight line.  

 Draw a line from the 16" mark down to the selvage.  Cut along that edge.  

Then cut along the fold that is 16" long.  You should have a triangle. 

Zig-zag stitch or surge the two short sides. 

 Lay it flat and pin on a cute piece of ribbon.  

Top-stitch the ribbon along the longest side of your triangle.  Done.

Getting settled...

Wow- this past week has been crazy!  We are finally into our home and just got the internet hooked up like 30 minutes ago.  So -  how have you been?  

While we were searching for a home to rent we enjoyed the gracious hospitality of a couple from church.  Their home was filled with many interesting and beautiful handmade items,

made by his mother who lives in an Amish community.  

Handmade quilts, hand-hooked rugs,

(how amazing is that?!  doesn't it look so Anthro?  She would buy wool coats from thrift stores and cut them into strips.  She then hooked it through burlap.  wow.)

I am going to embark on the hand-hooked rug adventure once we are settled, and very soon I will show you have to make an ADORABLE little ottoman that they had at their home. 

( I forgot to take a pic)

So that's a small peek into what we have been up to.  I am so happy to have a home again and to be blogging again, and I can't wait to start sewing again.  Hope you have been well!

If you behave we will...

Rewards can be a great parenting tool.  But do you ever feel like the only ones you can think of involve food or candy?  Those rewards certainly have their place - but wouldn't it be great if we could reward our little ones with things other than food?  Things that don't clutter up your home.  Things that are inexpensive.  Here is my 

Top 8 Non-Food Rewards For Good Behavior

(p.s. most of these are for younger kiddos) 

Do you have any more suggestions? Please comment.

1.  Water Balloon play-time

2.  Fun Sparkly Balloon from grocery store

3.  New sticker pack

4.  Bath Crayons

5.  Movie at the big theater

6.  Art Date with mommy or daddy

( photography, painting, sewing, drawing, etc.  Good one-on-one time)

7.  Trip to the Zoo

8.  I-tunes purchase

A Gift for you

So since I have been bumming off of my parents and in-laws...I have had a light load of cooking, cleaning, and laundry.  So I had plenty of time to come up with a FULL WEEK ( it may last you longer than a week) of meals for you (and me to use when we move into our new house and I am too busy unpacking to make a grocery list.)  This week of meals is a typical week at our house.  My husband has a gluten sensitivity - not an allergy, but he gets sick if he has too much gluten.  You can learn more about that here.  Anyway, I try to limit our intake.  So you can download the grocery list here. The meals and links for the recipes are below. Have a lovely week - now you have more time for crafting and sewing!

Meals:


Sunday:  Lunch:  Chicken Pot Pie, Fruit, Mac & Cheese     Dinner:  Homemade Pizza
Monday:  Tilapia, Broccoli, Rice-a-roni
Tuesday:  Bacon-wrapped chicken breast, Sweet potatoes, Southern Zucchini
Wednesday:  Taco Salad
Thursday:  BLT Spinach salad, Fruit, Cheez-it chicken fingers
Friday:  Lasagna, Green beans, Peach Cobbler
Saturday:  Hamburgers, French Fries, Oatmeal Craisin cookies

Recipes:

Sunday:  (I make the pot pie and mac and cheese the night before, then after church just heat them in the oven for 20-30 minutes while you slice the fruit)

• Chicken Pot Pie
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Sliced Fruit
• Instructions on Pizza mix box - toppings are up to you

 Monday:

• Tilapia: Heat some oil in a skillet.  Coat the fish in breadcrumbs and salt and pepper.  Cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until it flakes with a fork.
• Steam Fresh Broccoli in microwave
• Rice-a-Roni directions on box

Tuesday:

• Bacon-wrapped chicken breast:  Heat a skillet on medium heat.  Wrap each chicken breast with one piece of bacon.  Cook about 6 minutes on each side, until cooked through.  When the second side is almost done, slice 1 or 2 slices of pepper jack cheese and place on top of each breast.
• Wash sweet potatoes.  Poke each one with a fork.  Bake in the oven for 45 min - 1 hr on 350.
• Southern Zucchini 

Wednesday:

• Taco Salad:  Brown the ground beef (or turkey).  Add the taco seasoning and black beans.  Chop up tomatoes and avocado.  Layer the salad like this:  Tortilla chips, lettuce, meat/beans, cheese, tomatoes, avocados, salsa, and sour cream.  (one of the easiest meals EVER)

Thursday:

• BLT Salad:  Cook the bacon.  While that is cooking, chop up the tomatoes.  Toss together with spinach leaves and your favorite dressing ( I use blue cheese).
• Slice the left-over fruit from Sunday
• Cheez-It Chicken

Friday:

• Lasagna
• Peach Cobbler
• Steam-Fresh Green beans - cook in microwave

Saturday:

• Burgers
• Homemade French Fries
• Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

American As Apple Pie

Here's a little craft to get you in the patriotic spirit.  A Pie Pincushion and Notions Holder!  Made from a  cream cheese container, felt, ribbon, and hot glue. 

This is how it's done.

You will need:
A clean, dry cream cheese container
Light brown felt
Other assorted felt colors
A scrap of printed cotton
Ribbon
Stuffing
Hot glue and Hot glue gun
Needle and Thread

Step 1:  Cut out 1 circle of light brown felt 3/4" larger than the container lid.
Step 2:  Cut out 1 circle of cotton fabric 1/2" larger than the container lid.
Step 3:  Cut out 8 strips of light brown felt, 1/2" wide
Step 4:  Cut out 2 circles of felt the size of the bottom of the container (use whatever color you like).
Step 5:  Criss cross the felt strips over the cotton fabric circle.

Step 6:  Using a needle and thread,  hand tack the felt to the cotton every place the felt strips intersect.  (sorry this pic is weird...it was taken on a camera)

Step7:  Lay the cotton/strip piece on top of the light brown felt circle.  Fold up the bottom piece, imitating the edge of a pie crust.  Hand tack it to the top piece as you go.  Leave about a 2" opening to stuff it.

Step 8:  Stuff the pie.  Then finish the hand-tacking
Step 9:  Hot glue the smaller felt circles to the outside bottom of the container and the inside bottom of the container.

Step 10:  Going slowly, hot glue the pie to the container lid - really work with it to pull the edges of the pie all the way down the sides of the lid so you won't see any ugly plastic lid.
Step 11:  Cover the outside walls of the container in strips of ribbon or felt or some combination.  I used ribbon first, then felt.

Ta Da!  There is your cute little pin cushion with a secret place inside to store your thimble, buttons, needles, etc.  Are you hungry for pie yet?

Aprons and cookies

This week we have made coordinating aprons for Charlotte, my mother-in-law, and myself.

 Donning our new aprons we set out to make my mother-in-law's favorite cookies- Oatmeal Craisin. 

So yummy (...and kind of healthy...they have oatmeal in them....does that count?).  

This is a great cookie dough to make and have on hand because it freezes really well.  I generated a recipe card for you to download or print with this cookie recipe on it -you can make your own recipe cards at this adorable site.  This is the step-by-step...although I will admit the pics are more of Charlotte than cookie making......here we go :)

Step 1:  Mix the sugar and shortening.  

Step 2:  Add the eggs.

 Step 3: Sift the dry ingredients.  (bonus sifting tip:  Instead of using a sifter, use a whisk - it gets out all the lumps just as well)

Step 4:  Mix in the vanilla.

Step 5:  Add the coconut, craisins, and oatmeal and stir.

Step 6:  Roll the dough into balls.

Step 7:  Put some granulated sugar in a bowl.  Wet the bottom of a glass, dip it into the sugar.  Press the cookies flat with the sugared glass.  It makes them nice and sparkly.

Step 8: Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. 

Enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk!

Ayurvedic Approach

Being a massage therapist, it should not surprise you that I am into all kinds of natural medicine and healing.  I love using what God has given us on the earth to heal ourselves - essential oils, herbs, spices, nutritious foods.

( I also believe that God gave doctors the genius minds to come up with wonderful Rx and cures for horrible diseases.  We must have a balance between the old, natural way of healing and the new modern cures.)  Anyway, one of the methods I like to study is called Ayurvedic Medicine (pronounced  I-yur-vay-dic).  It is one of the oldest forms of medicine and it originated in India.  Now before you go worrying that I am getting all voodoo on you, remember this - God put these things on the earth for us to use.  Just because some cultures connect God's medicinal solutions with their religious beliefs does not mean that you are a part of that religion if you use these methods. Ayurvedic medicine is about balance and using the plants and foods indigenous to your region as a way of healing.  One of the main principles of Ayurvedic medicine is the dosha.  There are three doshas and they determine the type of constitution you exhibit. 

If your dosha is out of balance,  you can become ill.  Here is a great quiz (it's fun to take even if you think all of this is hullabaloo) that will determine your dosha and tell you how to become more balanced.  I have been trying to balance my dosha lately (are you laughing?) and I really feel like it has helped.  So there - light your incense, go meditate, balance your dosha ;)
namaste
jessica