Absolutely Brilliant!!

I was discussing with a friend about how my 6yo has worn through the knees of almost all the jeans i bought him to start Kindy with. As a parent, its super super frustrating to find reasonably priced clothing for kids as it is, and then to have him come home with holes in the knees from playground play is enraging at best.

Mr. Chris happened to find a cool blog with a really cool tip, reinforce those knees BEFORE they get trashed. http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/01/how-to-prevent-knee-holes-in-jeans-and-pants.html

I took this one step further because there was no way i was going to spend almost $2 per pair of jeans when i can get a 17 x 36 piece of thermabond for $2.45/yd. (that is nearly 30 4x6 patches!) I got the heavy duty no-sew stuff for applique work. I bonded it with my iron to scraps from a pair of my jeans that were just plain worn out...almost more hole than jeans! and took care of knees on 8 pairs of kid jeans with one leg, and still have plenty of material and thermabond left over.

only tip with that method: make sure you round the corners on your patches so they don't peel up! and try not to dry jeans on hi heat, always safer to go with low.

Canning-mania!!!

I have jumped into the revered art of Food Storage. Not just shoving food into the freezer, or canning some jams or pickles...nope, i am canning things that must be canned by pressure canner! So far i have put up Pinto Beans, Baked beans, veggie beef soup, and Beef stock. I have chicken---yes CHICKEN-- processing as i write this, and some chicken broth on deck to go in later today, and some apples in the fridge awaiting peeling/coring to be made into apple sauce (it can be just Water Bath canned).

Its not because the world is 'ending', or Jesus is on the next train through Clarksville, or Zombies are around the corner (ok, there are but we don't talk about them..)...but rather WHY NOT? Why not know exactly what is in your food? Why not have home-cooked convenience food at your fingertips for a fraction of the cost to get it from the grocery store? In jars that can be washed and re-used time and time again? The only waste is the lids used for canning, but i am planning to remedy that in the future with some Tattler Brand reusable canning lids.

My family has already gleaned from the bounty already put away, and is super excited every new batch i put up.

Snappy Snappy!

sometimes my world just needs snaps. Snaps on aprons, snaps on towels, snaps on cloth diapers, snaps to make some things in my life easier.

i have thought long and hard about selling these products, but really who would buy them? The market is actually pretty small in my opinion, and i would rather share the idea for free than capitalize on it in an over-capitalized world. especially when i know that you can do this yourself as well with jsut a small investment in the right equiptment! My price/labor is minimal, it literally takes me 2 minutes to add snaps to something, and then i put my stuff away and move on with my day. I couldn't imagine the time i COULD spend manufacturing items for sale! The clutter and backstock would be epic.

i am more than happy to add snaps to items FOR people for a small cost of equiptment and time, around $2/snap ...especially since everyone likes a different style of towel or apron ;).

Here are a few samples of what i have done with snaps:

Vintage Apron, Added snaps so that the top ties crossed my back.

Dish towel. Zach got tired of them always being on the floor, so i fixed it. They can also be used for a child (or adult) bib.

snap detail.

I had added snaps to my cobbler aprons because the ties wouldn't stay tied. Then i gained weight. I needed just a TINY bit more room, so i cut the handles off a reusable bag that one of the dogs ate (yes, i have a habit of saving usable things...shhh) and added snaps to each end to make it so my apron fit me better. I can barely function without an apron as you can tell from the horror that is the vintage apron...it was Battle Birthday Cake that day...

Snap detail. I also added snaps so i can snap one of my dish towels to my apron to keep it handy for hand wiping.

Strawberry Cake

2 1/3 c Sifted All Purpose flour (sifting makes it fluffy)

1 1/3 c sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2/3 c shortening

2/3 c Kirkland Organic Strawberry spread (or Smuckers simply fruit)

2/3 c soured milk (2T lemon juice or vinegar, fill to 2/3 line with milk)

3 egg whites

5-6 drops pink food color if desired.

sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl, add shortening, strawberry spread, and soured milk. mix until flour is dampened, then beat for 2 min on high. Add 3 egg whites and food color, beat 2 minutes longer. Bake in greased and floured9 x 13 (or 2 9" round) pan for 35 min at 350.

No-Milk Pumpkin Pie!!

1.5 Cups Sugar

1tsp salt

1T pumpkin pie spice

4 large eggs, beaten

1 can (29oz) Pumpkin

2 cups Vanilla Soy Milk

6 T Rice Flour (for the cake-like texture)

2 unbaked 9" pie shells

Mix sugar, salt, rice flour, and spices in a large bowl. Add Pumpkin, and beaten eggs. Gradually stir in Vanilla Soy Milk.

pour into pie shells and bake at 425 for 15 minutes, reduce temp to 350 and back 40-50 min more, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours, serve immediately or refrigerate.

Fruit Bars

I love how my blog has turned into a recipe sharing site more than anything! I LOVE to cook!

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats (i use regular, add about 10 min to cooking time)

2/3 c packed brown sugar

1/4tsp baking soda

1/2cup butter or margerine

1 recipe Filling (i just use 1 Cup natural applesauce mixed with 1/3 c Simply Fruit and some pumpkin pie spice... but you can add dried fruit or nuts as well to the applesauce)

combine flour, oats, baking soda, and sugar. Cut in butter/margerine until crumbly. reserve 1/2 cup, and press the remainder in thebottom of a 9x9 pan. spread filling and sprinkle remainder of the crumb mix on top. Bake for 30-40 min at 350*(until golden brown on top).

Egg Noodles

this sort of has turned into a Recipe blog when i wasn't looking HAHA

1 Cup flour

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt/dash pepper

1 egg

2 tablespoons water (i just use the egg shell)

combine flour and salt/pepper, make a well in the center and mix egg and water with a fork. Stir in flour mixture to form a stiff, but pliable dough. Knead 10-12 strokes until it is smooth and all the flour is incorperated. let rest 15 minutes. begin rolling out from center, flipping the dough over every few rolls to keep it from sticking to the counter (or it will pop back like elastic) until it is about 12x6 or so (give or take) Let it rest another 15 minutes. cut into strips or shapes, and add to boiling broth stirring constantly so they don't stick. Cook for 5-6 min, until al dente.