The Peasant Housewife

You made that out of what?

2011-05-17T13:09:00.001-07:00

So my computer is on the fritz and I'm attempting to blog from my phone. Its slow going but gets the job done.

You know those uber popular things people are crocheting these days out of plastic bags? They are a lot of work. You have to cut them and you're them together and not to mention still crochet your item. Its a pain.

But as I was cleaning out the garage last week with my husband we came across some old vhs tapes. My brain did this little flip and I said "i think I can crochet this". My husband rolled his eyes.

I did it anyway.

I made the whole bag with one tape and there was still some left on the reel. It worked great. But its very shiny and only comes in one color. Lol.

The flower is made out of duct tape. Tutorial to come soon.

Seriously? No great Easter Pictures?

2011-05-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

THIS my friends is the only picture I have of our kids on Easter.

I blame 9am church.

But we DID get a little crafty this year. We tie dyed our easter eggs. It was an interesting technique and not sure if we will repeat it again as everything turned a greenish brown. Not the pretty effect I was going for. But what can you do?

You mixed a bit of food coloring in 3 T of vinegar. Then take a wet cloth and wrap your egg. Drip dye in random drips around and remove cloth. That's it. Pretty simple.

Tutorial- Flower Fairies

2011-04-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

I came up with the idea for these cute little fairies in September for my daughters birthday party. They were such a hit and so cute! A few readers have emailed me how I made them so I decided to do a tutorial. They are super easy and if you don't put a face on them there really isn't anything to mess up!

For each fairy you will need:

A wooden bead head. I found them in the doll making section at Joanne's. While your there grab:
Darice Doll Hair
2 pipe cleaners
2 large artificial flowers
1 very small artificial flower for the cap
1 flat backed crystal or jewel
Glue gun
Glue for the glue gun
Skin colored acrylic paint
Paint brush
Felt for the shirt and wings
Scissors

To start you need to paint your dolls head. Since I was making a bunch I stuck them all on one pipe cleaner so I didn't have to paint around my fingers. It worked like a charm. Let it dry. It takes all of two minutes.

Next fold one pipe cleaner in half and cut the other one in half. Like so:

Put a spot of glue on the folded half and stick on the head. Have I mentioned this was easy?

To put the arms on you simply wrap it around the body.

For the fairies shirt and wing you simply cut the wings out of felt. I took a piece roughly three inches square folded it in half and cut them out. Sorry. No pattern.

The shirt is a tiny half inch or so rectangle with slits for arm holes. So technical, I know.

Yes, I realize that the pictures of the closeups of the fairy clothes are in a different color. It's been on of those months. Anyhow it's time to glue the shirt on. Start by glueing the bottom half on first. Like so...

Then cross over the top part in a V on the back. Don't worry how it looks. The wings will cover it up.

Take apart your artificial flowers:

And slide them upside down in whatever configuration you want (small, big, medium or big, medium, small). Play around with it if you want. You want it to look like a skirt.

Now for the fun part. The hair. I cut mine in two inch pieces. Although truthfully you could probably just glue a glob on and cut it to the shape you want. If a piece looks out of place just trim it off or glue on more hair. I love this stuff.

A tip: Work from the outside in. Trust me. Oh and don't glue the wings on yet. It just gets in the way of the hair. Ask me how I know.

Once you've got the hair on like you want you can glue on the wings.

Glue on the small flower so it's facing down towards the head. This makes it more cap like. Glue a jewel on the top. Pause and marvel at the cuteness.

And then take pictures! Because you are done!

I purposely leave the faces off. If you want this as an outside fairy for your fairy garden I would suggest maybe a quick spray of clear over the head before you start putting it together. So go on... what are you waiting for? Get thee to the craft store!

TWO finished knitted articles of clothing. Holy cow!

2011-04-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

I love when I have a finished project. It makes my heart pitter patter and I get to feel the sense of true accomplishment. And brag. I really like to brag. Especially when it's something wearable like this...

My favorite part about this wrap is that you can wear it a gazillion ways. And it's so pretty. For my fibery friends you can see more on the rav page for it.

AND not only did I finish one wearable adult sized item this last month but two. FOR ME. I know, the shock almost killed me too.

Oh man, I need a hair makeover. Stat.

THREE WEEKS?

2011-03-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I will admit that having a blog is a lot of work. And apparently it was more than I was willing to do in the last month. We are still in the waiting game for Spokane. I've been doing a lot of spinning and knitting. And I made some of these cute things...

Which btw are ridiculously easy and totally cute and addicting. You just buy the flower cabochon and the ring base and glue them together.

If you don't want to do that you can just buy one on my etsy store. :)

I have this friend...

2011-03-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

So the last few weeks have been a bit nuts. My oldest son turned 8 and got baptized. My husbands work announced that they are opening a Trader Joes in Spokane. My best friend in Spokane (Misty) sending us links to houses and referrals to agents. Then there is the non stop perusal of Craigslist and Realtor.com.

You see, we are on the short list of possibly getting transferred there. And in the non-stop perusal of Craigslist we realized something. The rental market in Spokane is nuts. You see something nice and it's gone a week later. Or less. Then we realized something else. OWNING a house in Spokane is cheaper than renting. :|

So we may or may not have gotten pre-approved to buy a house. Ok. We totally did. ROFL. So this weekend we are loading up the car and driving to Spokane. Now, granted we are going because it's Misty's baby shower and I have loads of boy clothes to pass down to her. But that's like the icing on the cake. We are going to look at houses.

The smaller the better.

SAY WHAT?!?!

You see, I have this friend and she lives in a 256 square foot cabin with her husband and their daughter. Purposefully. I never really understood it until she posted on her facebook a link to this video.

And while living in less than 100 square feet is just not possible for a family of five (and maybe more) it did start us watching and reading online a lot more about small house living. Ok, so I still want one of Jay's tiny houses... it would make a great guest house. And a very portable cabin for when my husband goes hunting!

We have been married 9 1/2 years and have always rented. You should see our "dream house" list. It's insane. And would probably require 5k square feet just to fit it all in. There's a few problems with that thinking though. 1. My husband doesn't make enough money for a 5k square foot house. 2. I don't want to clean it. 3. Can you imagine the utility bills on that? 4. Do 5-6 people really need all that space? REALLY?

And while yes, having a screening room would be ten shades of awesome (heck that's what basements are for, right? So it stays on the list) we'd rather travel and give our kids experiences instead of stuff to fill that 5k sq. ft. house. Or at least buy them ultra awesome small stuff.

Some reasons why my brain shifted gears so quickly:

1. We want to be debt free. Including our house. It will take a whole lot less time to pay off a 150k mortgage than a 300k mortgage.
2. We have a lot of stuff we just don't use. If we have to live in a small house that stuff's got to go!
3. We want to travel.
4. The utilities alone would kill us. What if someday we want to go off-grid (or at least partially off grid) outfitting a 3k square foot house would be expensive. Outfitting a 1800 square foot house would be do-able.
5. Granite counters, awesome cabinetry, millwork, radiant heating... heck yeah I'm going to do it! I can have all these luxury finishes if my house is smaller. It will cost less!

Do you see where I'm going with this? We currently live in an 1800 square foot rental. We fit amazingly into it with plenty of room to spare. And as my dear friend Shawna pointed out to me yesterday 1800 square feet in most parts of the world is a fantastic luxury.

At least my bedroom is not our living room and I don't have to fold my bed up in the wall every morning. See, it's all about perspective.

Small will be awesome.

A now for something new...

2011-03-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

I am a copycat. Truthfully. Very few of the things I do are actually my own idea. When I do come up with something I feel like it's a small miracle. So as I'm perusing the blogosphere and seeing all theses amazing crafts/projects/recipes/ideas something hit me. Let's do what I do best... and copy them! So, I've made a cute little button so that if "I Copy You" you can grab it and link from your project to my copy.

I'm pretty proud of my button. I've just started using my design software (thank you paint.net for the freebie). After finally figuring it all out I think I've got the basics. I might tweak it or change it up but for now it's not too shabby!

Now, I've been planning this for awhile but the whole month of February was one craziness after the other. And March is shaping up to be equally as nuts but you know, I really want to do this so I refuse to put it off any longer.

We were at my parents house at Christmas and my sister handed me her cashmere sweater and asked me if I could fix it. As you can see there were these in a few places on the sweater. Bummer! And totally not fixable. So I asked if I could cut it up and make it into other stuff. Good thing I asked. But she was nice and said yes. Squee!

So the sweater landed in my project pile. And by chance a week or so later I came across Melissa Esplin's totally cute blog (which by the way when I get pregnant again I'm going to copy every single maternity outfit she wore) and her Cashmere Mitten Pattern for Grown Ups.

Melissa Esplin... come on down because I Copied You!!!

They are just a tad different. I was sleep deprived when I made them and cut them too short. On her blog you can see that she cut them nice and long and wore them scrunchy. And it's an Old Navy sweater and I'm pretty sure they did some sort of chemical treatment on it because no matter how hard I tried that thing would not felt. So these are unfelted. But still totally cute and warm.

Here are some pics of the process...

I cut them out of the sleeves. I plan on using the main body for a cowl and ear warmers. Projects forthcoming. Promise.

See the problem? By the time I hem them they would have been WAY too short.

So I cut some more of the sleeve to make a ruffle band.

Folded it in half and pinned it right sides together and put some pleats in there.

I sewed it there and called it good. I used some scraps and made rolled flowers and glued them on. Yes, hot glue baby. That's the way I roll.

So totally cute. They look amazing on. I'm so bummed to part with them but maybe now I'll have to hit up the thrift stores for an old cashmere sweater for myself.

Also a huge shout out thank you to Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife for her amazing tutorials on how to make a blog button and how to make codes. And her blog rocks as well.

Chipotle Veggie-Bean Taco's

2011-02-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

Chipotle Veggie and Bean Tacos

-modified from a recipe in the Vive le Vegan! cookbook

So, after the advice of my doctor we have started eating less meat and more veggies. I kid you not I would eat meat three meals a day. Bacon or Sausage for Breakfast, meat sandwhiches for lunch and dinner was usually roast chicken, beef or pork. Seriously! EVERY day! Now, this is not unusual for most Americans but even the bible says "Everything in it's Season". Pretty sure it's not hunting season at every meal.

Gradually we have made the transition. I cook only two meals a week with meat products. TWO. And we have our usual family dinner at my in-laws. So three meals per week with meat. That's it. I asked my husband today how he's liking it. He says it's ok. Not bad. And there have definately been some less than awesome meals involved. (I apparently can NOT make lentil soup.) But there have been ones that even my kids will beg for. This is one of those.

You will need:

1 28oz can diced tomatoes, drained (if you want a smokier flavor use the roasted tomatoes)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed*
1/2 teas salt
pepper to taste
1 tsp chipotle peppers very, very, very finely chopped or just the "sauce" from the can*.
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 to 2/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard or mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup celery, diced
1 cup cooked beans (I use black or kidney)
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 teas honey or agave nectar

corn or flour tortillas
favorite taco toppings (Mine are red lettuce, tomatoes and avacado"

Press the drained tomatoes to remove as much excess liquid as possible. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, chipotles and all the dried herbs and spices. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes, then add the green pepper and celery. Stir and cook for another 3 minuts. Add in the remaining ingredients and cook until heated through.

Heat up your tortilla's how you like them, and enjoy with your favorite taco toppings.

* I no longer mince garlic for any recipe I make. I use my garlic press. It is awesome. I think I use it at least four or five times a week. I also buy my garlic peeled either from Costco or from Trader Joes. Yes, I use a ton of garlic. :)
*(I freeze the leftover chipotles from the can and when I need it take it out of the freezer and cut it while frozen. No thawing needed and you get just the small amount you need for recipes)
* You can make this less spicy by omiting the chipotles or turn it up a notch by upping it to 1 Tbsp. I like it spicy, my kids... eh, not so much.

Madrona- For My Fiber Friends!

2011-02-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

As my good friend Gwen eloquently stated on her blog post we have been saying for forever that we need to collaborate and just DO something. So we did! LOL. It was a total spur of the moment thing yesterday at Opening Day of Madrona. We grabbed her camera and did some interviews. I'm trying to find the time to go again before the weekend is through so we can get some more done. There are so many amazing artists there sharing their crafts in classes and workshops and of course in their booths!

I love Madrona. This was my third year going and waiting outside the doors of Hotel Murano was like waiting outside of Target on Black Friday. I kid you not. And usually when the doors open there is a mass filing over to the Blue Moon Fiber booth. And people still did high-tail it over there. But this year... this year it was a crazy full on run over to the Goth Socks booth (Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs). I've never seen such madness for yarn before! (I was very impressed. Man, don't I wish I had a following like that!)

My Snagless Stitch Markers are once again in Lollipop Cabins booth. The tins are so cute but aren't selling. They sell amazingly online. Weird. I know.

Anyways... here's what Gwen and I did. Yep, we made a video. Enjoy!

Madrona Marketplace on Opening Day from Gwen Gyldenege on Vimeo.

Chirp, chirp...

2011-02-15T15:59:00.001-08:00

Still here! Still extremely busy getting ready for Madrona and a birthday party and a baptism!!!

It's not a shameless plug if there's only one, right?

2011-02-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

The other day I was cutting vinyl for my knitting friends and made a super cute one that said "Knitting is Magic." I stuck it on a 3 ring binder to show it off. But there was a problem. The binder was just BORING. So off to the scrap store I went.

Now, mind you I have avoided the scrap store pretty well for the last four years. I think I've been in there only a handful of times. Because my scrap stash was seriously huge. And I never scrap anymore. Which is sad.

So, today I remedied both the boring binder problem and the haven't-scrapped-in-a-million-years problem and made this...

LOVE this HP paper. It's a good solid heavy weight double sided bit of awesomeness. And I really love the browns.

For the back I cut out the crests by hand. LOVE them. I want them everywhere. Why did I only buy four pieces of paper? LOL.

The side features the original vinyl. I think it's one of my favorite knit quotes ever.

Here's the whole thing all spread out.

And a close up of the quote on the front.

I also figured out why I haven't scrapped in a bit...

IT.TAKES.FOR.EVER!!!

(And next time I need a plan! LOL.)

Just Stop and Take a Picture.

2011-02-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie. The next week and a half is going to be ten shades of crazy as I'm gearing up for Madrona. (For all of you non-fiber nerds... it's a knitting thing. LOL.) On top of that it's Valentines and I'm the Party Parent at Gabe's school. And in all this craziness I thought it would be fun to start selling Vault Denim (Seriously... 50% off retail DESIGNER jeans... no knockoffs or seconds. Ok, I'm done shamelessly plugging that for now. Email me for more info. LOL.) A new business enterprise which I'm having an open house for tomorrow, the stitch markers, the general hubub of kids. Sometimes I wonder if I'm ten shades of crazy. (The answer is yes.)

So this morning imagine my surprise at having a second consecutive day of beautiful sunshine. Which is rare in these parts. It's still winter so it's a bit frosty. I opened my blinds and saw that the horses are in the front pasture at my neighbors. I had to try to capture the early morning sun and the beautiful frost.

I grabbed my camera and threw on my scarf and jacket. Notice I didn't say get dressed. Yes, I admit to taking this in my pj's. Don't judge. It's 8:30am. I don't have to get dressed for another half hour. Anyways out into the chill morning air I went. And it is beautiful. Sometimes life gets so harried I forget how beautiful just being is.

So here's a challenge for you. Just stop. Take a picture. Blog it. And post here so I know that you did it!

I'm not dead!

2011-02-07T15:48:00.001-08:00

Just working on organizing my house so I can be more productive in my studio and online! That and I'm working on something big and fun (no it's not a baby). Stay tuned!

Crochet Heart Garland

2011-01-31T16:57:00.000-08:00

What's that? You say Valentines Day is fast approaching and you need something cute to decorate with?

How about a Crocheted Heart Garland?

Now, I wish I could claim this cool heart pattern as my own... but I can't. Instead I will gladly direct you to the pattern which you can find at Cocoa Cream's blog. It's called the American Folk-Art Style Heart Motif.

I sewed them down to some felt to give them stability and used some really cute scrapbooking brads from Making Memories to the brown ribbon. I love how they turned out! I wish I had more of the yarn I used (Soy Wool Stripes) because these would have made the cutest scarf!

Stitch Marker Insanity!

2011-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last year I made stitch markers to sell at Madrona. My friend Ialiuxh (Lollipop Cabin) is an indie dyer and has a booth. She graciously lets me set up a little display. This year I am super excited because well... my packaging rocks! I love it. More than love. I'm over the moon about it!

It's very tongue in cheek. It's a little sassy. But best of all the packaging is 100% reusable. Right down to the tags they are on. Have I mentioned how pleased I am with it? I am. You wanna see?

And yes, the red and turqoise blue. I can't get enough of it.

The tag is hand stamped with this cute bird.

It just all makes me smile!

And in case you were wondering... this is what my counter (aka staging area) looks like...

Such pretty things for the knitters! (If you don't knit... I can direct you to several resources!)

WIP Wednesday and a Finished Item!

2011-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to be more consistent with documenting my knitting and crocheting projects. On the needles right now is a pretty cabled wrap that is two sided. Yep, TWO sided cabling. Sounds a lot harder than it is. Trust me. The only bummer is that this is a BIG project. There is no way I'm going to finish it by the end of the month. But you know, that's ok.

The pattern is called the Every Way Wrap and it's from the Fall 2009 Interweave Knits magazine. The yarn is a delicious Punta Yarns Merisoft Space Dyed. I love it.

I did get something finished this month! The Traveling Woman scarf for my mother in law is DONE. And I suck at blocking. LOL.

See... this is a classic example of poor blocking. And probably the fact that I should have used bigger needles to bind off with. But it looks ok when your wearing so... eh.

A close up of the edging. LOVE that part.

How Many Pots???

2011-01-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

This my friends is what my stove looks like when I make pasta at my house. A pot for the green beans, a pot for the gluten free pasta, a pot for the regular pasta and a pot for the sauce.

Have I mentioned how much I hate to hand wash dishes? Well, I do. So therefore the above doesn't happen often. Much to the dismay of my pasta loving children.

Recipe- Fruit Glazed Chicken with Mashed (Not a) Turnip and Potatoes

2011-01-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Ok. I will admit it. I've never eaten a turnip before (well, at least to my knowlege). That's got to be weird, right? How does one go thirty years with never having eaten a turnip? So I bought one. And then I was stumped. Just how does one eat a turnip? Well, apparently you can mash it. And if you mash it with potatoes it's very good. Not sure my kids were impressed but I thought it was rather tasty.

ETA- Well, come to find out folks what I made was a PARSNIP. And not a turnip. I'm still a turnip virgin. ROFL.

And yes this is a picture of my dinner. And yes I did already take a bite. I was really hungry. When I'm really hungry I tend to either be incredibly snarky or I forget to take pictures. I would guess that I was somewhere inbetween those two last night. Oh, and taking dinner shots in the Pac NW and having them look good is... nigh on impossible. But I digress. Here's how I made my dinner last night. It was super easy.

You need potatoes and a turnip...

I'm nearing the end of my food supply so it's regular old bakers. Peel, cube and throw into a pot. Cover with some COLD water and boil until tender. Here's an action shot...

At the same time as all this is going on you need to get your chicken in the oven. Start by lining your broiling pan with foil and preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Then you need to make a rub. I used 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Stir it up and rub on your chicken... I used one whole chicken cut into pieces. But this would work for chicken breasts as well.

Put your chicken in the oven and bake for 25 or so minutes until done through. Melt in a saucepan over medium low heat about 1/4 cup of your favorite jam. I prefer blackberry but you know... the plum might have been good as well. (All our jam is 100% local grown and homemade!) I was going to take a shot of this but blackberry jam in a black saucepan... it didn't work.

Glaze your chicken using a brush... mmmm looking good already!

Now the fun part... back in the oven it goes! This time about 4" under the broiler and for about 5 minutes. While that's cooking you can mash your potatoes and turnip.

I mashed mine with about 1 tbsp of brown sugar, 1/2 stick of vegan butter and 1/4 cup of Almond milk. If your not on a gluten/dairy free diet feel free to substitute with the real stuff. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for about five minutes. You should always let your meat rest before cutting it. Serve with your mashed potatoes and turnip and a side of beans.

I will not lie... my kids... eh... well... hmmm...

BUT I LIKED IT!

Recipe- Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

2011-01-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I had the pleasure of attending an open house wedding reception for a good friends daughter. Served at the reception where these delightful appetizers of water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. Here's the thing. I love bacon. I especially love things wrapped in bacon. I think I must have eaten at least 20 that night.

Fast forward to yesterday. A bunch of ladies where getting together to celebrate the January birthdays. I was asked to bring some finger foods. So I whipped up a batch of these...

... they are sinfully delicious. And you can't eat just one. You can't. Unless you don't like bacon. In which case you are weird. And if you think you don't like water chestnuts... well, you might change your mind after trying these! The secret? You have to marinate those water chestnuts!

Here's the Recipe. Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

1 pound bacon
2 or 3 8oz cans of Water Chestnuts, drained (winco has them super cheap)
1/4 cup worchester
3 Tlpsp Brown Sugar
2 Tlbsp Water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8th teas. ground ginger
1/2 teas. chili oil (optional)

1. In a bowl combine everything but the bacon. Cover w/ plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to marinate for at least two hours. I stirred it a few times. This could also be done in a ziploc bag.

2. After your done marinating the water chestnuts the fun begins! Cut your bacon slab into thirds. Wrap 3-4 slices in a bacon piece and secure with a tooth pick.

3. Using a broiling pan (or the good old trick of a cooling rack over a foil lined cookie sheet) place them under the broiler in your oven until the bacon is cooked. Roughly 10 minutes.

Serve and Enjoy!

ps. If you read this before... I forgot to list brown sugar. That's what happens when you have kids. You forget things. Sometimes important things. Like brown sugar.

Tutorial- Zipper Flower and Feather Hairclip

2011-01-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

So I realize that I'm a tad bit late in the game with this whole zipper flower thing but I had these feathers hanging around that I really wanted to play with. And some tulle. And a button. And a ribbon bow. See...?? What does one do with all this?

Why one gets out ones glue gun of course! And some felt and an alligator clip.

Cut your zipper in 2 1/2" lengths and glue the overlapped ends together.

I didn't like how you can see through it and that it didn't lay flat(ish)... see what I mean?

So I folded over that back bit and glued it down like this:

It makes the front of the flower petal look better as well.

Now it's time to glue the petals to the button in a flower shape. One petal had a little too much glue. Oh well.

Glue a ribbon bow to the front of the button to hide the button holes. You could be done here and call it good and attach it to your hair clip. But then what would you do with that tulle? And the FEATHERS!

Get your felt and cut out a piece. I thought an oval would be nice. It doesn't really matter what shape since you won't see it. Oh, and it's about an inch or so big. Yep, I'm super technical today!

Take your tulle and fold the edges in towards the middle.

I forgot to take a pic of the next step but here you would see a picture of me glueing the ends of the tulle into the middle of the felt piece.

Now glue the feathers on. Space them out and overlap them a bit. Trim the ends so they don't poke out.

Glue the zipper flower over the ends to hide them. Then glue the whole thing to your alligator clip or a headband. Wear and enjoy. I love it!

Yes, I'm wearing it right now. In my pj's. So what. It's pretty.

Knitting: A work in Progress

2011-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of a shawl person, but the current trend in knitting are these smaller shawlettes. You get all the joy of knitting a lace shawl but a more modern size. Wear it as a shawl or wear it as a scarf. Or wear it backwards like a bandana. I'm telling you the shawlette is a perfect accessory. Currently I'm working a pattern called Traveling Woman in a delightful sockweight yarn by Alina Shea. I'm really loving both the pattern and the yarn.

It's a much quicker knit then I thought it was going to be. I'm hoping to finish it by tomorrow. It will only have taken me a week if that's the case! And that's with making stitch markers and doing the whole mom thing.

In the ball the yarn looks like a purplish grey mass. But once you start knitting it you can really see the color variations. You just don't see that pink in the ball. LOVE it!

The Ornament Tradition

2011-01-05T15:01:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is getting a new ornament for each family member every year. This year I got the kids these ones... note the bulldog. (The youngest was nicknamed this his second week of life and it's stuck around.) I'm a bit bummed I didn't get any other pictures of these before I took Christmas down. But oh well.

I mark each ornament with their name or initial and the year it was received.

I also do one for James and I. Because I love ornaments. And this is how I control the after Christmas clearance decor shopping that I would do if I didn't already pay full price for 5 new ornaments. I'm already up to a gazillion boxes of Christmas decor.

Then when the holidays are over all the ornaments are removed from the tree and separated into their own boxes. Each of the kids has a little box with their name on it. This way each year they can put THEIR ornament on the tree. And one day should they move out of our house they will have ornaments for their first Christmas tree.

Yes, it's probably one of my better ideas!

A Modern Heirloom Baby Blanket

2011-01-03T10:22:00.000-08:00

Sometimes crochet can be downright... well, ugly. I'm not going to lie. For most people the word crochet conjours up mental images of old afghans done in horrendous colors. Like orange and brown. (But this color combination is very much ok if you happen to be a Oregon State Beavers fan. Not ok otherwise. Trust me.)

But this baby blanket. It's pretty. It's soft. It's very feminine and I really hope that it's appreciated. Because I love it.

For those of you who are pattern and yarn nerds this is a Terry Kimbrough pattern. When I first looked through the book I was skeptical. All of the blankets are made in that horrid boucle baby acrylic. Not a pleasant thing. Plus, for "baby" yarn it's not soft. So if you are a knitter/crocheter and you need to use some acrylic (which unless your making it for yourself or another like minded fiber nerd it most definately should be acrylic) you really need to try Jo-Anns Sensations Cuddle. It's soft and not shiny. The lable says it's perfect for baby and kids. And it is! I loved working with it. And I have huge sensory issues. I give this yarn 5 stars. It's great.

Here it is all laid out. The blanket is the perfect size. Not too small and not too big. I love the colors. I'm really liking the two of them together and it just gives the blanket that special something. Much better than if it was all the same color.

The ribbon adds a feminine touch. That and I love bows.

The Obligatory New Years Post

2011-01-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

I still can't believe it is 2011. I'm pretty sure 2010 was the fastest year known to man. It seemed to just fly by. I made a lot of personal changes the last half of the year so I don't really feel the need to have any new resolutions to make. Just a continuation of them.

But mostly I want to strive for a little less procrastination and a whole lot more consistency. I feel like we have some good things going for us. Now to be a little more consistent with them. Here are some changes that have been made in the past few months...

Budgeting and working on getting OUT OF DEBT!!
Blogging
Reorganizing the House
Give Gabe Piano Lessons
Work with Aidyn to possibly test her into Kindergarten in the fall (her birthday is Sept. 12th)
Setting and keeping a schedule that works for our family.
Updating and filling the Etsy store
Scripture Study

It's a big list and sometimes I wonder if I'm going through some sort of mid-life crises. But it's probably because I just want a better way of life for our little family. I don't know what it is, but I feel it's really important this year that I get these things working well. Maybe then life won't be as chaotic as last year! (Because it was non-stop crazy with THREE kids, a craft blog, the HPKCHC, church, J's insane work schedule... you get the picture.)

Invasion of the Flowers!

2010-12-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

The only problem when you make fabric or felt flowers is that you can't just make one.

I tried to limit myself to just the fabric flowers. Obviously that didn't go as planned.

See these super cute rosebuds? By far the easiest and least time consuming to make. Therefore they are my favorite!

I think the pinwheels are cute. Next time I make them I will use an interfacing to sandwhich the two colors together. I think it will make them look a bit neater.

Now to attach them all to hairclips/bands/GLOVES! And then wrap them up!

Ruffled Headbands of Cuteness!

2010-12-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I make something that just makes me so incredibly happy. And oh boy do these do that for me. I can't tell you how ridiculously excited I am to give these to the nieces this year. And some for Aidyn. And a grown up version for myself. I love them.

Cute, huh?!?

Trader Joes Tuesday- Giveaway Winner!!!

2010-12-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope to get better at this giveaway stuff! I don't even know how to post the random generator thing! LOL. Obviously I need to learn how!

The random generator said that the winner was #7... and that would be...

Heidi @ Everyday Families said...

I will use them on days like yesterday . . . http://everydayfamilies.blogspot.com/2010/12/one-of-those-days.html

I'm a new follower and excited to get to know you!

Congratulations Heidi!

The Awesomest Christmas CD... Ever!

2010-12-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

Forget treat plates! For this years neighbor/friend gift I decided to go the CD route. I downloaded (legally!!!) a rather funny batch this year. And by luck Target had 100 cd's for $11 something. That's half off! SCORE! All I needed was some CD sleeves. I could have bought some of the plain white ones and stamped them. But, I have a huge stockpile of scrapbooking paper and have made a pact with myself that I can't buy the cute new stuff until the old stuff is gone.

So I made FIFTY of these bad dogs...

And I cheaped out (money and time wise) this year and just wrote on the CD. Next year I'll do the labels I think. Good thing I have legible handwriting!

Here's the playlist for those of you who are curious:

The Awesomest Christmas CD Ever!

1. Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey-Doug Kershaw
2. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus- Jessica Simpson
3. Susy Snowflake- Rosemary Clooney
4. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas- Gretchen Wilson
5. Jingle Bells- Bing Crosby
6. Must Be Santa- Bob Dylan
7. Frosty the Snowman- Jimmy Durant
8. Nuttin’ for Christmas- Art Mooney
9. Feliz Navidad- Joe Feliciano
10. Christmas in Killarney- Bing Crosby
11. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)- Alvin & The Chipmunks
12. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch- Thurl Ravenscroft
13. Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer- Dr. Elmo
14. Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy- Jack Black & Jason Segal

.

Glamour Gloves

2010-12-10T17:23:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was perusing the blogosphere and came across a tutorial on Little Miss Momma's blog for Glamour Gloves. Oh my word, I was so excited. Not only are they super cute but they are ridiculously easy to make and wonderful on my pocketbook. They make fantastic gifts. I love, love, love, lovety, love them and have to force myself to not buy a million pairs of gloves to make more.

Aren't they cute?

I made these for my SIL for her birthday. They are the ones that started it all!

Trader Joes Tuesday... A Giveaway!!!

2010-12-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

This week I am doing my very first ever giveaway. Now, I know not all of my readers have the luxury of living near a Trader Joes. So when I say that these are way better tasting than Oreo's your probably going... "Uh huh. Sure. Whatever."

But I am not lying.

They are divine.

So, I decided to ship them to one very lucky reader for them to experience the awesomeness. Just leave me a comment telling me how you will use your Candy Cane Joe-Joes. The giveaway will end on Sunday December 12th.

Wow. Just wow.

2010-12-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

For the last two years and four months I have run an online game. The Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry started with just over 100 players and now the group has grown to just shy of 2,000 and a student populations of 700. It takes over 60 people to run it. And a lot of my time.

I stepped down this weekend as Headmistress. I want more time to be able to blog, do some videos and of course actually PLAY the game that I started. It was a difficult choice but I am excited about the opportunities that are coming up for me.

So, now that I have more free time... let's fill it up! LOL.

Fabric Decal Wall Art VIDEO Tutorial

2010-12-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

Oh yes my friends. Another video tutorial. This one is for us renters who can't paint or apply vinyl. (Vinyl takes the paint off my walls!) It's simple. You cut out fabric in whatever shape you want and using a cornstarch and water solution you slap it on the wall. I love how mine turned out. Now it's time to move the computer over to that wall and finish up my room!

And sorry for the night/day filming. The baby was less than cooperative this time around. And I got tired. See my tired eyes? Yeah. Aren't those pretty?

A goal for December! (Ok, I have more than one goal.)

2010-12-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

First off. Sorry for the missing Trader Joes Tuesday. It's coming! The baby has been ultra fussy. Come to find out the generic gigantic bag of tater tots I got on sale last week contain gluten. Huh. The ones at Trader Joes don't and neither do the ones at Fred Meyer. What a sad lesson to learn. And James and I are super sleep deprived.

We also have some footage of a super awesome craft tutorial that we hope to wrap up today so I can edit and upload it. Hopefully. See above paragraph. Here's a sneak peak.

And in December I have a HUGE goal of blogging every.single.day. And crafting/creating/making at least one gift a day until Christmas/Birthday Extravaganza begins. I swear there are about 10 birthdays in December/January in my family. It's nuts!

Starting with my baby. Who turns a year old on the 6th. Don't ask me where the year has gone. I couldn't possibly tell you.

Trader Joes Tuesday- Pancakes!

2010-11-23T13:46:00.000-08:00

I usually make my pancakes from scratch. But since going Gluten/Dairy free that is no longer fun for me. So a few months ago James brought home the Buttermilk Pancake Mix from Trader Joes. I whipped some up the next morning and my kids chowed them down. So I snuck a piece. Sure enough it tastes exactly like my homemade from scratch ones.

They are super easy to make. You just need a griddle, some Pam, an egg (I made a double batch), water, mixing bowl, whisk and spatula.

Add water and eggs to the mix and whisk.

This batter is too thick. For great pancakes your batter should be the consistancy of a yummy milkshake.

Just right! Now time to get them on the griddle.

Here's a tip for when to turn them. See those little bubbles. When they start popping lift up the edge and peek at the bottom. They should be ready to turn.

When they are done put them on a plate and add peanut butter and syrup! (Trust me, it's good.)

My most favorite pancake tip of all (especially if you have to cut up a lot) is to use a pizza cutter. I also use the pizza cutter to cut up sandwhiches. (I have more than one kid. LOL.)

Now, if I was smart I would have had my husband bring home some a frozen fruit medley so I could make a yummy fruit compote for the top. Maybe next time!

Snow Angel Video Tutorial

2010-11-23T13:12:00.000-08:00

To continue my video tutorial series here is a fun one I did for a friend. Hope you like it Bells!

A Restart On Old Habits.

2010-11-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

I have gotten out of the habit of couponing. My old system just wasn't working for me anymore. I really wanted to try the binder/baseball card holder system but since I'm doing the Dave Ramsey thing I don't have a lot of extra cash. My good friend Erin sent me her binder/baseball card system and I got it in the mail a few days ago.

The binder itself is pretty awesome. Loads of places for pens/scissors/small calculator. But do you see that huge pile of coupons? That will take some time to cut out.

See how I have this organized? It's broken up a lot more than my previous system. Also, I can take my binder with me so should I see something on sale I can just flip and see if I have a coupon. Sometimes stores don't always advertise all their sales. I hate it when I go to buy something... see that it's on sale and THEN remember that I have a coupon for it. At home.

If you don't see me for a few days it's probably because I am still cutting out coupons. :)

Trader Joes Tuesday- VIDEO TUTORIAL- Candy Cane Joe Joe Truffles

2010-11-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

Candy Cane Joe Joe Truffles are AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!

And now for my first video tutorial! I'm not sure why we didn't think of this sooner. My husband did go to film school after all. Forgive the quality of the footage. We obviously need a new camera. Or at least one with more than 8mb of memory on it.

So, what do you guys think? Should we do more videos?

Awesome Deals at DaveRamsey.com

2010-11-16T04:29:00.000-08:00

I just found out about this great deal for Dave Ramsey books. I’ve ordered a set for us. In addition, they are having lots of his other products on sale for only $10. I might have to go back and order the kids one as well.

You can purchase the following items for about $34 shipped (it varies depending on your tax)

Add to your cart:

Baby Step Bundle - Normally $91, on sale for $29

It includes the Total Money Makeover book, workbook, Financial Peace book and the software.

High Performance Audio CD - $10

Personal Finance Software CD - Normally $24, on sale for $10

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enter the code MORE and the book “More than Enough” ($16) will be added free to your cart

Enter the code BONUS49 and the audio CD will be free

Enter the code BUDGET and the software will be free

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Shipping is $4.95, unless you get expedited shipping.

So your totally should be about $34 or less for everything!

Normally this would have cost about $140, so you save around $105! AMAZINGLY AWESOME DEAL and if you already have a few of these items you can give away the new stuff and change someone else's life!

Are you checking in with Reality?

2010-11-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

Reality. A funny little word for those of us who are Virtual Realists. Often Reality gives us a good swift kick in the hiney to make sure we are paying attention. Reality right now is having me check in with myself to make sure that I'm balancing my IRL (In Real Life) world with my Virtual one.

For us Momprenuers our reality at any given time could be a number of things. Are the kids fed? When was the last time I showered? Oh crud, I haven't updated the Etsy site in a few days. What's for dinner? Man, this workroom is a disaster! Seriously Facebook... I only popped on for 5 minutes and now it's three hours later.

Often because of all that I have to do in a day some things get left out or forgotten. A few weeks ago it was an online meeting. I failed to check my calender that day and decided to take the kids out of the house. It was a beautiful day! But the reality is that I could have done both that day if I had CHECKED IN with my calender (which is REALITY in a nutshell) and made it home in enough time to also go to my meeting.

So my new goal is to Reality Check twice a day. Once in the morning as I'm eating breakfast and once again at night right before bed. I'll give you an example of my morning Reality Check. I spend some time (about 10-20 minutes) working on schedule and to do lists.

Family
1. Check calender for any meetings/appointments/special things at school/work/church.
2. Make the Schedule for the Day (I need this otherwise I might get distracted... facebook. Craft blogs. Ravelry.)
3. What's for lunch and dinner? (I have my menu for the week done but I need to get out the stuff for dinner now. Before I forget. Yet again. And I absolutely detest meat that has be thawed in the microwave.)
4. What do the kids need? How are they doing emotionally/physically/in school/at church? Etc.

Business
1. Check calender for any upcoming deadlines.
2. Review the PoA (Plan of Attack) that I made during the previous nights Reality Check.
3. Points to Ponder- For example... Does my schedule work for me? Should I do that craft show? What about putting my stuff in the shop downtown that does consignment. What stores are low on product? New ideas for product, etc.

House
1. Are there any super huge messes that need to be cleaned up?
2. Cleaning Schedule- I do one BIG deep clean a week. The whole house. Top to bottom. It works better for me but I know a fair few people who like to do a little bit each day. I prefer to straighten up rooms every night before bed and make sure my dishes are clean. I leave the heavier stuff for my Cleaning Frenzy day.
3. What maintenance/projects need to be done? Put them on the schedule to tackle.

I've found if I take the 20 minutes at breakfast and the 10 minutes at bedtime to go over these things that the important things to me are always being carefully considered. I might also add finances to this list. That seems to be a big thing for me right now. Hmmm... something to ponder tonight!

I need another set of eyes. And more color!

2010-11-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

Here's what the workroom looks like RIGHT NOW. (Yes, I decided to take the big plunge and move it downstairs so I can work and be close to the kiddo's.)

Ok, ready... set... go! Hit me with your ideas. (For furniture placement and where to put the computer. I have ideas to add color.)

The (dis)organization of an at home studio.

2010-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

My workroom was supposed to be upstairs in the extra bedroom. Except that I have never, NOT ONCE, worked in there. It's just not convenient for me. The kids either are downstairs or outside and the computer is not even in there. And I don't think there is room for it.

Holy Mess of a Room, Batman! How did it get that bad?

So, it has become a dumping ground of arts and crafts supplies. And yarn. A whole lot of yarn. So now I'm debating whether or not to move it downstairs to the dining room. I think it's doable. The dining room doesn't get a lot of use. If we want to have more than another couple over it requires the leaf put in the table. And then you can't walk around it. And then there is the fact that it is carpeted. Which I would gladly rip out in a heartbeat if we didn't live in a rental.

Dining Room

Dining room view from the Living Room.

But what if we actually do want to entertain? We could eat in the kitchen. It's big enough.

Why is this such a hard decision?

Christmas Stockings That Match My Decor

2010-11-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

My husband just nods his head and smiles at me everytime I say "This years Christmas Decor" because... well I like to change it. I have two color schemes. A pretty red and gold and a beautiful blue and brown. Last year was blue and brown and I had made this wreath to hang on my picture window frame.

My ornaments are alos brown and blue. And I threw some gold in there for fun. I'll post pictures of my tree later this month when I get it up.

But there is a problem. Our Christmas stockings go with decor #1 the Red and Gold decor. Red and Gold stockings look a tad "off" next to a blue and brown decor scheme. So I decided to make my own.

Step 1. Go to Joann's. This is probably also the most expensive step. Buy ribbon, a yard of felt, some polyester shantung and some heat n' bond. Ignore the scrapbooking, yarn, floral design, and beads. Wait! Beads are 40% off. Go back to the bead section.

Step 2. Once you are home you either have the option of trying to craft with your kids around (not my first choice) or wait until they go to bed. If your anything like me waiting is not really a valid option when the creative juices are flowing so you try all the distraction methods you can think of. The one that always works for me is popcorn in popcorn buckets and a show. I only bring the popcorn in buckets out once or twice a month so they don't catch on that I'm trying to do something truly awesome.

Step 3. Use whatever large piece of paper you can find to draw a template of a stocking out on. My template was made on the back of a Trader Joes brown paper shopping bag. Cut the template out.

Step 4. Using the template and with your felt folded in half (so you cut two out at a time) trace the template and cut out how many stockings you want. I think I was able to get 6 stockings out of mine with a bit leftover.

Step 5. Involves the use of a sewing machine. Using either a thread that matches the felt or a coordinating color sew the stocking together leaving the open... well, open.

Step 6. Now it's time for the fake silk shantung. I love this stuff. It's so incredibly pretty. If I could make everything out of shantung I probably would. Following the instructions on the Heat N' Bond package adhere the heat n' bond to the shantung. It's best to do this before you cut out your letters. Trust me.

Step 7. In Microsoft word or whatever your favorite program is make a really big letter. I get the cutest and best fonts from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts/freescrapbookfonts/. Make sure you measure your stocking before printing out your letter. (On the flip side I have a KNK Maxx so I just run the heat n' bond treated fabric through my craft cutter thus eliminating half of this step.) Pring out your letter and cut it out, using it as a template. Trace the template onto the shantung and cut that out as well. Cut out 3 inch high strips of shantung for the cuff of the stocking (if three inches is too small or too big do what you need to do to make it look right).

Step 8. Heat up your iron and iron on your shantung letter and cuff.

Step 9. Cut 1 inch wide strips by four or five inches of felt for the hangars of the stockings. Fold in half and hand stitch to the inside of the stocking. I used cute little cross stitches for detail.

Step 10. Cut and tie a 10 inch long wired ribbon bow to the hangar and oila! Beatiful, creative and best of all it matches your Christmas decor! (And looks so much cuter than the cheap red velvet ones.)

I made enough for the whole family. Please note that I made these last year shortly after giving birth to my third son. You may notice that there are 6 stockings. Yes, I did indeed make one for an as yet unborn child (no I'm NOT pregnant... just a planner.) Yes, my kids names spell a word. I like it that way.

Trader Joes Tuesday- Chicken, quinoa and black beans!

2010-11-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

This week I picked up some Organic Red Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa for those of you who were wondering just HOW do you say that word), Organic Sweet Yellow Corn, Kidney Beans, and some onions from TJ's. (Ok, so my husband grabbed them before he left for the day but you get the picture.)

On hand I had the black beans, crushed garlic, sea salt, cumin, black pepper, chicken, chicken broth and canola oil. I wish I had some cilantro but you know, it tasted pretty darn yummy without it.

In my rice cooker I made up a batch of the red quinoa. For this recipe I used 3/4 cup quinoa and 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth. I also put in the cumin and salt and pepper. Although this could be added at any step.

While that was going I chopped and browned the onions and garlic. I also cubed the chicken.

Don't forget to drain and RINSE your beans. You want to do this because it actually cuts down on how... well musical you will be later in the evening. :)

Remove the onions from your pan and add the chicken and cook until done. About 5 minutes or so. Add the beans and the corn and cook until they are warm. Mix the corn/bean/chicken in with the quinoa. I just added it all to the rice cookers pot so I didn't have to dirty yet another dish.

Plate it up!

And that my friends is another yummy, delicious, and best of all healthy and hearty gluten and dairy free dinner using mostly Trader Joe ingredients.

Momprenuersonline.com

2010-11-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

I just found this great website http://www.momprenuersonline.com/.

There is a wonderful message board there and the Newbie Took Kit is an essential read if you have ever thought to start your own at home business. I love the articles as well. Some of my favorite articles are the ones called Staying Organized and Time Management tips. Both of which I need help on!

My brain gets buzzing with all my new ideas and then it flows into the "but I need to get ____ done first" and then a kid needs something. It's just a never ending cycle.

So this week I'm going to work on two things. One is to come up with a work schedule that will work for me and my family. And the other is to make a decision once and for all as to where I want the workroom to be. Not having my workroom set up and clean and organized is giving me a serious case of unproductivity. I'm wasting a lot of time digging around in there trying to find the things that I need to make product. And time is money! Especially since I don't have as much time with my husband here to help with the kids.

And I don't know about you but Google Calender just may save my skin. I've never been good in the past at making sure my calender was used effectively. But Google Calender is about ten shades of awesome. Now, to remember to check it...

You know you can never see too many pictures from the Music Man.

2010-11-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

New in the Shop!

2010-11-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

First of all I decided to ship internationally. This is a big thing for me as I was quite nervous what to charge. I think I have it figured out and this week I sent my first product to Australia! And it was not nearly as expensive as I thought it was going to be!

I'm slowly adding stuff in the shop. Gearing up for the holidays. I really need to figure out how to promote better. I think I will be researching that a lot as well this weekend. Although the more I'm on the computer the less I am getting product made. Finding that balance is tough!

This week I finally got the Beaded Bookmarks up. And I gave them all great literary love names. They are very pretty and I think they look great. If anyone has any advice for me on how to word my descriptions I would not say nay!

Also I put up some knit items. One sold rather quickly so I think I will be making more of those. The other is a stunningly beautiful silk and merino hat. It's so pretty.

For those of you who don't have it bookmarked HERE is the link for my etsy shop.

Someone just might be more obsessed than I am.

2010-11-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had posted on the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup blog that there was a house near to me that decorated for Halloween... Harry Potter style. So yesterday since I was already in that near vicinity retrieving my sons jacket that we left at a friends house we decided to go.

Sorry for the absolutely horrid picture quality. I'm just learning (really) how to use this awesome camera of mine and shooting at night has not been covered in my lessons yet.

Ford Anglia in the Whomping Willow

I loved everything she had out. Oh, I forgot to take a picture of her front window. She carved the most amazing pumpkins. I now want to start my own Hogwarts/HP collection. I think it would look great in my soon to be made office/den.

Ready for the Hogwarts Express

I love the Monster Book of Monsters. I think I shall make one for myself.

Noticeboard

And her collection of Owls... I need to do this!

And I really think my front entrance needs a House Crest!

Off to go plan my Halloween Decor for next year!

A few bits of Random...

2010-11-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have a bad habit of remembering things. Probably because I run at full throttle most of the day. Or that I have three kids. Or a touch of some adult onset ADD. Or heck... all of that combined. So I make lists. But sometimes there is something so important that no matter how many lists I make I don't want to forget about it. So I put it on my hand.

In this case the writing on my hand says RB. Which my friends stands for Redbox. Why do I have Redbox written on my hand? Two words... free dvd. Every first Monday of the month I get an awesome little text to my phone with a free movie code. This time I took Gabe with me and let him pick. Probably not the wisest idea because we came home with Marmaduke. (Which in reality was a WAY better movie than I thought it would be.) But hey... FREE!

So, I live in the Greater Seattle Area. We are known for Coffee, Grey's Anatomy, Grunge Music and of course... RAIN. But what many of you don't know is that there are several cities in the US that get more rain than we do. Including Raleigh, NC. (I know this because we were looking at a possible job transfer there. No, we are not moving.) According to Weatherbase Raleigh gets an average of 41.8 inches of rain a year. Seattle... 39.1 yep Raleigh, NC wins that. HOWEVER, when it rains in Raleigh it RAINS. Here in Seattle we just get months and months and months of gloomy, overcast and drizzly days. And once in a while we get a doozy.

This is the view from my workroom window. Yes, that is a horse property next door. Yes, I am lucky to live here. But do you see that rain? This was on Monday and it was an awesome downpour.

Last bit of random of the day is my library book stack. Now please note that this is MY stack and does not include anything from any other member of my household.

This is what you call a SAHM's education. And/or Onica's Not Quite Midlife Crises. I've got some Dave Ramsey in there and an excellent book titled The House That Cleans Itself. You should also note the home decor books and magazines. And don't forget the knitting!!! I did remember to grab some Chic Lit. Even though I'm reading my way yet again through Harry Potter (I just started book #4).

So there we have it. Just some random things that can happen in a day at The Peasant Housewife's humble abode.

WIP Wednesday

2010-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

What's a WIP? Why, it's a Work In Progress!

This weeks work in progress...

This my friends is the start of a beautiful handspun. It's a delicious Merino/Silk blend from Dicentra Designs. I love her glorious and deep jewel tones. And this fiber is amazing. I bought it earlier this year at the Madrona Fiber Arts Festival. Yes, it's been a long time since I bought it but I'm a process spinner and needed to spin up some other stuff first.
I'm really pleased with this fiber and plan on buying a lot more in the future!

Trader Joes Tuesday

2010-11-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

As some of you may or may not know my dh is a manager at Trader Joes. It's really a great job. I just wish his store was closer! I love TJ's like nothing else and I especially love all the yummy things I can get just by making a simple phone call to my husband while he's at work!

This week I bring to your table a quick, easy and best of all Gluten and Dairy free dinner. My 10 month old especially loves it. All of these ingredients you can find at your local Trader Joes.

Fried Polenta w/ Marinara Sauce

Start with your basic marinara sauce...

Simmer it on your stove. Add whatever goodness you like to it (it's really delicious as it comes though).

Next slice up your polenta in half inch slices and fry (don't forget to spray your pan) over medium heat until it's nice and golden on both sides.

Place the fried polenta on your plate and top with the marinara.

Serve with some Sugar Peas and Roasted Garlic Hummus

And enjoy!

Are you a Momprenuer? Let's have a link party!

2010-11-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

I dabble in business. I find it interesting and you can frequently see me reading a vast array of business related articles and books. And everyonce in a while I actually make some money. Either through Floral Design or on my Etsy shop. My business partner Shannon and I even have a great idea for a business but have yet to fully follow through on it.

Some of you may be a Momprenuer like myself. Some of you may be wondering what the heck a Mompreneur is. Well, a Momprenuer is a new term for women who have a business at home while also caring full time for their children. Some Momprenuers do it for the extra cash. I do it for the creative outlet and the aquiring of business knowledge. (Because Knowledge TRULY is Power!).

I don't have a lot of readers yet as this blog is still in it's infancy but I would love to know what other Momprenuers out there do. Are you an ebay seller? Maybe you came up with an invetion. Or you have a small baby boutique. Let's have a link party! Link me to your online shop or website so I can check you out!

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One Grecian Urn

2010-10-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

One Grecian Urn!

Red, White and Blue!

Doing what we do best... eavesdropping!

Oh the gym outfits!

So The Music Man is over and done with. It was so fun and awesome. I had the best time. Even while juggling my three kids around. There were many times I was wondering why the heck I was putting myself through that aggravation. And you know if I hadn't had done it I would have missed out on so much.

I made the most amazing friends. These women. We are funny, silly, beautiful, amazing, talented, heartfelt, wonderful and truly inspiring. I love each of these ladies with all my heart and am so glad to count them amongst my friends.

The Ladies

Gabe was also in the MM. He was in the boys band. For weeks he said he didn't want to go but as soon as he got there he was just fine. In fact, other than a small mishap involving having to play the flute instead of the trumpet he was having a total blast. And driving everyone crazy in the process I am sure.

There were so many people involved in making this happen. Thank you to anyone who had a hand putting this on. It was truly spectacular.

Curtain Call

Boys Band!

Iowa Stubborn

We've drank the kool-aid.

2010-10-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my husband informed me how much he thinks he'll have made at the end of the year.

My jaw dropped.

And then I started crying because all we have to show for it is a bunch of receipts for rent, STUDENT LOANS, old credit cards and doctor and dental bills. Oh and food. WAY too much money spent on food. And possibly craft supplies. Ok, most definately the craft supplies. I decided then and there that we make enough money that we shouldn't feel so strapped for cash. And we are. We totally live paycheck to paycheck. No emergency fund. My small inky dinky credit card is almost maxed out. I am done with that! I want money in our savings account and I definately want to be debt free.

Enter this book...

Now, a lot of things in there I know and are pretty common sense. Our church teaches about debt snowballing, etc. But for some reason that didn't click until now. This book is great. It has all his steps laid out for you. And really awesome stories of real people who have done this. Got out of debt. Have money in an emergency fund. Are investing in their retirement/kids college accounts and other things. Have paid for cars and houses. IN CASH.

I now try to catch his radio show everyday. My husband is on board, but I think he's a tad bummed that there will be a significant reduction in his fast food diet. Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be just fine.

Presto Change-o!

2010-10-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

I love the Fall. It's when the really good decorations get to come out and play. I had this super sweet wreath on my door for the summer (got it at 75% off... nice!). It's done it's duty. Time to move on!

The new wreath is a dollar store craft! I got an amazing grapevine wreath and all the floral there. Then I raided the ribbon stash. The ribbon stash is getting quite large because every time I go to costco I pick up a roll or two. Good thing I don't go to Costco that often.

A closeup shows the beautiful textured ribbon. I love it so much. Too bad 95% of it will be used this weekend for a wedding. But it will be so pretty!

A sneak peak!

2010-10-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, the dress is getting closer and closer to being done. Just the zipper left. Of course it's been just the zipper for a full two days now but hey... who's counting. Being only my second BIG sewing project I feel like it's come together fairly well. I do have to redo the bottom hem of the overjacket. And I pretty much have to cram myself into it. I will definately have to add something to the neckline as it's a little too revealing. Especially for a church play.

It's almost done and I am so excited!

Spinning... the final frontier? Probably not.

2010-09-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

I've been borrowing my friend MJ's spinning wheel for a year now and am only just now really getting into it. I love it. It's so relaxing and frankly there is a HUGE cool factor for me. I'm SPINNING my own yarn. Yes folks, that's right. I can spin yarn. It's really not as hard as it looks. It's pretty mindless. You can sit for hours and spin while watching tv. There's nothing to count. No stitches to accidentaly drop. No pattern to follow. Pretty much it's right up my mommy zombie alley!

This pretty little skein is 275 yards of merino. I thought it was not going to be very soft. The fiber prespun felt course to me. But after I started working with it the fibers started softening up a lot. I'm thinking with a good washing and beat down it will get a little softer.

I bought this fiber in Santa Monica at a yarn shop that I shall not name. They weren't very nice to me. Now granted I did have my two kids with me (this was pre Zane) but they know all about yarn shops. I used to work in one so I know how it goes. But come on, I wouldn't have taken them in there with me unless it was a DIRE circumstance. And since my husband was in training and we were on "vacation" taking my kids with me was a must. But still... I'm pretty sure I would have spent more money if I hadn't had five pairs of evil eyes cast on me. So there you go folks. Lesson of the day. Even if you work in a posh shop in Santa Monica you should still be nice to the frazzled mom of two who stopped in for some much needed fiber therapy and got the stank eye instead. That's all I'm sayin'.

Edwardian Collar

2010-09-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

I love it. It is so beautiful. But man alive is it warm. It's 80% baby alpaca and 20% cashmere. It is simply divine.

One piece of my costume for the Music Man done. SO many more to go!

Summer and Gary Wedding

2010-08-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

Shannon @ Fete and Frolic hired me to do the florals for Summer and Gary's wedding. This was my first real gig since having Zane. It was good to be back! I had a ton of fun picking out the colors and flowers at the flower mart on Friday morning. I was there for an hour. It's such a vast difference between the flower mart here and the flower mart in Los Angeles. But you make do with what you have. I do miss the gloriousness that is the LA Flower Mart though.

I got so many great flowers! Rich colors and textures. Roses, calla lillies, daisies, cushions, snapdragons, dahlias, hypericum, spider mums, cabbage! And so many others. My kitchen looked like a flower shop. And the smell was divine. Sometimes I miss being in shop everyday.

Then it was time to get to work. All those flowers had to get cut out of their package and the folliage stripped off the stems. I do this to prevent rot and germs. Then into water with some floral food to re-hydrate for a few hours. And a much needed break for me before all crazy begins.

Doing flowers with a mobile 8 month around is interesting to say the least. Luckily a neighbor came over and helped hold him. Then he went to Grandma and Grandpa's!

Saturday was a HOT but very beautiful day. Shannon did an amazing job at the venue. It was beautiful and spectacular. I did several things on-site as Summer had gathered hydrangeas from friends and relatives. Since she had half the flowers I just took all mine with me.

It went well and it was a different experience doing the flowers at the venue. In most cases all the floral is done usually at my house or at a shop.

Picture time!

Summers Bouquet

I love the colors of this. And the textures!

Bridesmaids Bouquets

Mothers/Grandmothers Corsages

Groomsmen/Fathers/Grandfathers Bouttoniers

Dancing Gazebo/Cocktail Area

Cocktail Table

Cake Table

Dining Tablescape

Isn't this a stunning location?

Buffet Table

aka The Crowing Glory

aka Onica's Awesome Achievement in Structural Floral Design

I'm just an amateur photographer. I can't wait to see the photo's that Betsy Mobbs took!

It was a huge wedding. Stunning and fabulous. Shannon may be my really good friend but she is an amazing planner! I can't wait to work with her again.

I love this stuff! A mini freezer paper tutorial.

2010-08-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

When I discovered that you could use freezer paper as a stencil... oh man it was like the heavens opened and a chorus of angels sang.

I cut the "J" out with my awesome KNK-Groove. Best thing on the planet that Groove is. Not going to lie though. There is a learning curve on that think. After you cut out your stencil you iron the paper shiny side down on your fabric.

Then you paint it in. I use the Tulip Soft Matte fabric paint. It's awesome. Seriously. Don't forget to put cardboard in the shirt so the paint doesn't bleed from the front to the back. I also use a stiffer brush when painting on fabric. It just goes on easier.

Let it dry, remove the paper and then lightly iron over it to set it. A perfect personalized gift! And so easy!

New in the shop!

2010-08-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

These are going up today in my Etsy shop... beaded book thongs! (Because you know... they go up the crack. Oh man, I crack myself up!)

My Friend Lara taught me how to make these last summer and I'm a tad addicted. I have at least 5 for my own personal use.

I love reading! But I love reading even more when I get to use my pretty book jewelry!
And yes. That is a Harry Potter book.

A baby shrug

2010-08-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

After having three incredibly cute boys my friend Caron is having a girl! I knew I needed to make her something. But what?

This cute shrug of course!

The shrug itself is knit. You can find the pattern here. (You need to be a member of Ravelry... but it's free to sign up!)

The flowers are crocheted. I just whipped them out. I should write down the pattern for them. They are super easy and definately add the girly touch this shrug needed.

And of course I had to make a matching hair clip!

Can't wait to see that baby girl, Caron!

A pondering...

2010-06-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm what you call "book smart" or in my case "internet smart". A good thing, yes. But there is a downfall. It makes one develop a slight case of ADD. Now, I may not actually have ADD but let me tell ya that I really don't know how to say no to myself!

Make my own socks... you betcha! (Although truthfully it's the thing I hate to knit the most!) Can my own plum jam. Yep. Sew a costume for Halloween. Sure. I might throw in a few choice words for effect but I could probably do it. Become a woodworking goddess. Check!

The internet taught me all this. Now, if it could only motivate me enough to blog everyday, make sure my house is clean from top to bottom all while teaching my kids to become the next Von Trapen Family Singers AND cook a five course meal we might have something to work with!

The Evolution of a Wedding Bouquet

2010-05-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

A simple and classic bouquet of Stargazer Lillies and Red Roses.

Before:

The Finished Product!

A Month!

2010-05-21T03:37:00.000-07:00

I must have blinked and missed it! It has been a busy one, that's for sure! The garden is in and growing nicely. Although I did notice yesterday that the slugs have officially eaten all my pumpkins. I forgot to put salt down. Awesome.

I've been going a bit nuts working on my new product line... Home Decor for the Knitter! The vinyl business is a popular one with the SAHM's but no one has really tapped into the fiber world yet. I'm so excited by it. Right now there is a fair bit of it at the Burien Yarn Stash. But for those of you not in the Puget Sound you can get your knitting decor at my etsy shop.

I'm so loving it!

I'm in love with the ruffles.

2010-04-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

My not-so-new favorite thing is ruffles. I love them anyway I can get them. A little flounce at the bottom of a skirt. In rows on a cute pillow. Deep friend into potato chips. They are just divine.

I recently finished a shawl with an awesome ruffle on it. It was an easy knit. Pretty mindless really. Which is a good thing. Because for this sleep deprived housewife easy is officially what's "in" this season!

Pillowcase Tutorial can be found at The Lazy Organizer.

I'm loving this ruffle apron. You can find the instructions HERE.

And once I get my husband home for more than two seconds I'll have him snap the pic of me in the shawlette!

A little floral design...

2010-04-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Um, so I have a rather insane amount of craftiness in me. I somehow blame my mother and my grandmothers before me. And the blogs. Oh, the blogs.

My grandmother was a florist. I grew up helping her out every once in a while. She taught me how to make boutonniers at a very, very young age. (I think I was 6 or so.) When my good friend Erika took floral design classes I was hooked again. Her and I started doing weddings down in California. This was probably 5 years ago.

When we moved up to Washington I got a job working as the lead floral designer at a small florist in my town. I loved working with the flowers. I sometimes miss working as a designer but my awesome hubby brings me a bouquet or two of fresh cut flowers home from work for me to play around with.

I don't know what it is about it. Maybe it's the same reason I scrap, or knit, or crochet, or just craft in general. There is something about putting together the right textures and colors and shapes to make something pleasing to look at. It's a sense of accomplishment that I made it. It's the fact that for a few hours out of the day I can be as messy as I want.

And then I have to clean it all up.

All these I made for an absolutely fabulous friends' baby shower. Welcome baby Molly!

It's Done, It's Done, It's Done!

2010-04-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

Oh my word. I think I am the coolest person on the planet right now. I know that is prideful but I BUILT THIS. Me! Ok, my husband did nail in two nails but only because he wanted to play with the super awesome nail gun, too!

I'm in raptures. The first thing anyone HAS to see when they come over is the media console that I BUILT ALL BY MYSELF!

It's been a few weeks and I still can't believe I did this. Thank you, Ana at KnockOffWood! Your blog inspires me. It made me do something that I probably wouldn't have considered doing for myself. I feel like I can do anything if I just have the right tools and a plan!

This picture was photographed by Shawna. You can check her out at Sweet River Photography.

The rush to finish.

2010-04-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Kelly's baby shower was scheduled to be at my house. I can't have a baby shower with a tv sitting in a box in the middle of the floor.

And to top it off we had gotten a bedframe that needed to be stained. And we switched couches with my friend Allison. She took my tiny loveseat. I took her futon. Which I promptly decided also needed to be stained.

Who in their right mind has three projects that NEED to be stained in a week? Oh, that would be me. Because you know, just having a baby can't possibly be enough. Did I mention I have two other children as well?

So, we move the console again. This time to our house in our garage. In between being a mom and a wife I put on my work pants, my work sweatshirt and grab my plastic gloves, the stain and a paintbrush.

Bombay Mahogany for the couch and bed.

The bedframe before...

A picture of all three... the piece in the front is part of the futon. The frame is to the right. And the media console is in the back.

Aegean Blue for the console. We love this color. It took three coats of stain and I believe as many polyeurathane coats as well.

Have I mentioned the awesome workout this is? I've dropped at least five pounds and my legs are looking awesome!

Do you like the TJ's shirt? Thanks, Honey!

Media Console... a few days later

2010-04-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

So, it's incredibly time consuming trying to build something with a 3 month old nursing baby. Pretty much it's a two person job. The baby still needs to be held and changed. So, any building time that I get happens when my husband is around. Which isn't often because the guy works 50 hours a week. And an hour away. But hey, it's Trader Joes so he makes up for it by bringing me home yummy goodies.

Because I needed some extra hands (the thing had gotten too big for me to manuever by myself) we decided to move it to the in-laws house. Lots of people there! The only downfall... no garage. So I'm on the backporch working. It's a beautiful, if cold day. Then it starts getting clowdy. Then it starts sputtering snow. Awesome. But it was the only day I had to work on it. So I powered through. I needed this thing DONE. There was a very big tv that had my husbands name written all over it sitting in a box in our family room.

The last picture is after one coat of stain. Looking GOOD!

Day 2 in the Furniture Making Experiment!

2010-04-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

We head over to Allison's bright and early this morning before James had to leave for work. I get all the tools needed out. Allison shows me how to use the circular saw. I take a deep breath and make the first cut. Man, is that first cut the scariest!

I get most of the pieces cut out. There was a lot of measuring involved. I didn't want to make any mistakes. I'm a tad bit on the perfectionist side. Now for the fun part... a nailgun borrowed from a friend. Oh man, I must stop right here and proclaim the awesomness that is the nail gun. It's awesome. It's beyond awesome. It transends awesome.I think I'm in love.

So, I get to putting it together. I take another deep breath and put the nail gun to the wood and pull the trigger. What a rush! About 15 minutes later I had this...

Not too shabby for a few hours worth of work!

Day 1, part two

2010-04-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

Ok. So the tv not fitting in the armoir was a snag in the plans. I would say it was a bit of a dissapointment but that would be a blatant lie. You see I have recently discovered the awesomest blog on the face of the planet called KnockOffWood. Ana has the coolest plans for furniture inspired by the pricey stuff at PotterBarn and other equally expensive retailers. I frequent this blog daily. Numerous times. Much daydreaming has ensued. I really need end tables and I was going to start there, but the whole rv not going in the armoire changed that.

So we went to Home Depot.

With our plans.

And the 3 month old baby.

Three hours later (!!!??!!!) and several pit stops in the patio furniture department (to nurse said 3 month old baby) we load up the truck and take all of the goodies to my friend Allison's house. She has tools and a garage. Sweet deal.

Day 1. Monday sometime in February

2010-04-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

Oh man. Our tax return is came today and woah nellie do I have a hole burning in my pocket! If I was a truly smart person we would put that money into savings. But the fact of the matter is that for the last six month we have added a whole lot of broken and needs to be replaced things to the "wait until the tax refund gets here" list.

Our TV is on the fritz. Which is mildly annoying seeing as how we only bought it 6 years ago. What happened to the good old days when TV's lasted 20 years? I have spent a good few days looking at all the awesomenss that is the world of TV's these days. I know that I wanted it to be 1080p and 120hrz. And not cost an arm and a leg either. I researched TV's and found the one that I wanted.

Now, nowhere in all this tv and blu-ray player buying research (the dvd player died many weeks ago much to the dismay of the kids) did I actually measure our entertainment unit. Yep, you guessed it. The totally awesome new flatscreen tv doesn't fit.

The First Cut!

2010-03-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

You know what I'm doing RIGHT NOW?

Cutting out a bazillion butterflies with this...

There is a slight learning curve. And it's very helpful if you try to read the 3/4 manual only after a restful night of sleep. But it's so stinking awesome! I needed something with a little more guts to it than the cricut, et al. This baby is one bad mamba jamba. It can cut pretty much everything up to Balsa Wood. Oh man, I'm going to have way to much fun making all my product with this big dog.

You can pick one up yourself at http://www.scrapbookdiecutter.com/.

The Potager Garden

2010-03-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

We just moved into a fabulous new house with a garden spot all ready to go. I am so excited! At the library I found this great book called Designing the New Kitchen Garden- An American Potager Handbook by Jennifer P Bartley. Now, I have never once read a gardening book from cover to cover. Mostly I just browse through the pics stopping every once in a while to read the text. This book is different. I love the history behind a potager garden. I love her design ideas. I just love how she incorporates beauty, tranquility and home grown healthy eating.

If you have a garden or want to start one this is the book for you! I would probably also suggest a few plant reference books as this book is really about the design and not actual gardening facts.

For kicks and giggles here I am tilling the earth in my garden plot. I am working this week on the design. The starts are in the greenhouse at a friends place. I can't wait to lay it all out and plant!

I'm currently working on this bit. I'm going to put the squash and pumpkins here. There are some gnarly dandelions in there. I am amazed at how large those roots are.

Yes, it's another blog!

2010-03-11T18:18:00.000-08:00

This is not my first blog. I have had another blog for quite sometime now. I go through fits and spurts of posting on it. It's a great blog. Don't get me wrong. I love it. I just had a moment of briliant thought and said to myself "Hey, Onica! You should really start a blog of all your projects". So here it is. I'm keeping the old blog. But it will be for family stuff. Vacations, Kids, why my husband drives me crazy.

This blog is for me.

You see. I am The Peasant Housewife. I have labeled myself thus for a few reasons. Now, don't mock but I was reading a great little Historical Romance (aka The Trashy Novel) and the heroine loudly proclaimed to her new husband that she was NOT going to cook or do the dishes as she was most emphatically NOT a Peasant Housewife. I swear you could hear the angelic music in my head when I read that. What a perfect name for a blog. Or a craft line. Or a book! I apparently have high aspirations. :)

Reason #2: A peasant was an agricultural worker (aka farmer) and worked for "The Man". Now, I may not work for "The Man" but my husband does. (It's a great little company called Trader Joes. Man, I love that place!) But, I do personally have a garden. Right now it's currently hibernating under a piece of black plastic and some steer manure, but give it a few months. It will be amazing!

Reason #3: Peasants were poor(ish). Funny. That's exactly the current status we find ourselves in. Granted it's because of Student Loans and Car Payments.

Reason #4: Peasants were rather proficient in producing children. I currently have three. They make lots of projects for me to do.