Breast Cancer Survivor Choker

Well, I told you that I was making some new chokers for my etsy store. here is my newest creation, a breast cancer survivor choker. Choker sales have been way down, so I lowered the price of them hoping to bring in more sales. Let me know what you think!

Reuse of a jar

I have been saving jars all year, knowing that I would want to make some gift mixes for this Christmas. Needless to say, it didn't happen! So I decided to make a candy jar for us instead. I used pattern scrapbook paper, and ribbon to make it, very simple! I am so proud of myself for making something from reusable materials! 

I am in the process of making up a "Christmas" Journal to put all of my gift ideas in, and then will put when I want to make them on the calendar. I want to start earlier then this year!!!! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

We are spending Christmas alone this year because of the snow! My Mom is stuck down south and can't make it to us, and we can't make it to her. So this year will be very weird! 

The DH and I took Chelsea, our little Jack Russell, out for a walk tonight in the snow. It was fun, and we discussed getting snowshoes, and how great it would be for family fun. We'll have to check into the prices and see if that's truly what we would want to spend money on. 

Well, Everyone have a Merry Christmas! My menu hasn't changed at all, unless we don't make ham tomorrow. In that case we will have something different on Friday!!

My Menu for the next 14 days!

I have been making my menu up for 14 days at a time so that I only have to go grocery shopping once every two weeks. So here is my menu....

12/18 Potato Casserole

12/19 Eat out (We usually order pizza on friday)

12/20 Shake n bake chicken thighs and drums

12/21 Cheeseburger Pie

12/22 Leftovers

12/23 Baked Ziti and homemade bread

12/24 Hamburger soup (a christmas eve tradition since I was a little girl!)

12/25 Ham dinner

12/26 Chunky potato soup (using leftover ham)

12/27 Eat out ( I have to work, we are doing inventory!)

12/28 Grilled cheese and tomato soup (inventory again!)

12/29 Breakfast for dinner, probably pumpkin pancakes and bacon.

12/30 Pasta with 4 cheese tomato sauce & homemade bread

12/31 Not sure, but I know that I will be taking a hot spinach dip, ranch dip, and a goodie plate to a new years eve party!

Christmas Goodies:

Chocolate cookie bark

Peanut Butter Balls

Soft Caramels

Fudge

Magic bars

Egg nog cookies

My Chic Chokers

I made these fun chokers this week! I have so many teens and tweens on my christmas list I thought that this would be a really cool present for the girls! Now I'm not sure what to do about the boys!!!! UGH!

Wool Felt Dove Ornament

This is the newest project that I made out of the new Living Crafts magazine. This sweet dove was made with Holland 100% wool felt from www.achildsdream.com, in soft white, Ecru & Brown embroidery thread. Go to www.livingcrafts.com for other neat craft ideas.

Needle Felted Catnip mouse

This little mouse was so much fun to make for the cats! It has a little cloth bag of catnip inside, and is needle felted using wool roving, which the cats also love. I used gray wool yarn for the whiskers and tail. This pattern came out of the sweet needle felts book.

Tin Can Caddy from Martha Stewart

This is so cool. I am always saving my cans to reuse, and this is the perfect project.

Use old tin cans as a caddy for pens, colored pencils, and other arts supplies. Attached to painted plywood, this organizer makes it easy to transport art supplies anywhere

Caddy How to:

1. To make the handle, have a parent drill 3 overlapping 1 inch holes in the top center of a 13 x 6 inch piece of 3/4 inch think plywood. 

2. Sand edges of plywood and paint with latex paint. Crimp rough edges of tin cans if necessary.

3. Drill a small hole in the side of each can, 3/4 inch from the top; screw 1/2 inch screws from the insides of the cans into the wood on an angle. Aligning tips of cans as shown.

www.marthastewart.com Go to the crafts section and craft of the day.

My favorite pizza recipe!

This is the ONLY pizza recipe that I ever use. I use a 13 x 9 jelly roll pan for this pizza, it ends up being like a pan pizza. I also use spaghetti sauce in stead of pizza sauce, what ever I don't use out of the jar I divide between little freezer bags for the next time I make pizza. I have also browned up a pound of italian sausage and only used have of it for our sausage pepperoni pizza, then I make a "Pizza Pack" with the leftover sausage in one little freezer bag, and the spaghetti sauce in another. I then up the two little bags in a big freezer bag and freeze until I'm ready to make pizza again. I have figured out that one 8 slice pizza costs about $3.50 to make, and the boys like it so much better than take out!

Pizza Dough in the bread machine

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temp.

2 tablespoons oil, evoo or whatever you have, I use evoo

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsps sugar

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsps active dry yeast ( or one of the little pouches)

Make dough in bread maker, put ingredients in according to your bread machine on the dough cycle. 

Build your pizza and bake at 400 for 18 to 20 minutes or until crust is light brown.

Book Review: Sweet Needle Felts

I recently received this book and love the different projects! You can do anything from wearables, things for you and your home, dolls and cuddly critters. My boss thought that the best thing of all was that my work, achildsdream.com was resourced in the back for our wool felt and wool roving. We had so much fun look through this book today, finding all the fun things we want to make out of it.

I personally can't wait to make the following:

1. Heart Coasters

2. Wispy Pillow

3. birdie album cover

4. woolly wallet

5. cute and cuddly critters

6. catnip mouse for our 3 fun loving kitties that are so entertaining when they are sniffing catnip! LOL

7. dog on wheels toddler toy

I will post my projects as I get them done! 

My little gnome ornaments

These little guys were so much fun to make! I am planning on making enough for the little tree that he is hanging on . 

If you would like to purchase a set of three of these little gnomes please go to my etsy shop

What's for dinner? Bean & Cheese Enchilada's!

O.K. This is one of my most favorite frugal meals! Add a big salad and dinner is done.

Bean & Cheese Enchilada's

1 16oz can refried beans

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 cups shredded cheddar

8 small tortillas, flour

1 16oz can enchilada sauce

1/2 cup black sliced olives, optional

Stir together beans, 1/2 cup sour cream, seasonings, & 1 cup cheese. Spread 1/3 cup of mixture down center of ceach tortilla. Roll up. Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce on bottom of 13x9 baking dish. Place filled tortillas in dish, seam down. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce. Bake @ 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and sour cream.

We usually are only able to eat one each, so I then put three of them in the freezer, and save the other 2 for lunches the next day for Dave and I.

My first attempt at needle felting. Tom Turkey

Here is my first attempt at needle felting. This is Tom, and He totally got me hooked on needle felting. Keep checking back for some more needle felt art. You can purchase little Tom at my etsy shop

Tree Stump Trivet!

I had some much fun making this tree stump trivet! If you go to my work website www.achildsdream.com and click on what's new, you will find it there, along with a link to Martha Stewart's website for instructions. When we were mentioned in the November magazine, we were all so excited, and just HAD to make the things that they used our felt for! If you would like to purchase these tree stump trivets please go to my etsy shop.  The next thing I want to make is the felted slippers!

This horrible thyroid!

Well, it was time again to check my thyroid. You know how I could tell? I'm loosing my hair and gaining weight! 

SO, I went and had the dreaded blood test done, I hate these things, but you would think that I would be getting use to them! 

So here's the skinny, my thyroid was to the not working stage again, it was HUGE again (no wonder I have been having a hard time swallowing anything!), and she couldn't believe how much hair I had lost! So she raised my dose of meds, and then said "We can keep giving it the old college try, but maybe it's time to get the stupid thing taken out." 

Here are the reasons why I don't want to get it take out. 

1. The tumor is attached to the thyroid is resting on my vocal cords. There is a 5% chance that the surgeon could knick them, and that would SUCK!

2. The surgery itself is really bad! Long recovery, and I don't want to miss that much work, or put out that much money! 

3. Since it's an auto immune disease, my body could turn it into something worse like Lupus! I would rather have it attack my thyroid until it's dead, like they have been waiting for.

BUT, on the other hand here would be the good things from having it taken out.

1. I would loose all this weight that I can't seem to shake

2. I wouldn't ache all over anymore

3. I wouldn't be loosing my hair

4. I would have hot flashes anymore

5. I would feel way better

This is all, of course, if my body decided that the thyroid wasn't there anymore to attack, and it didn't decide to attack anything else. 

So, what do you think? Please give me your feedback on this! 

To remove or not to remove, THAT is the question!

Doing the menu thing!

I am really trying to stick to the menu idea. I want to get our food budget way down, it's so stupid to spend so much money on food. 

So here is my menu for the next 2 weeks

11/17- Bean and Cheese Enchilada's

11/18- French Toast

11/19- Leftovers

11/20- Meatloaf

11/21- Hot Dogs & Chili

11/22- Burgers

11/23- Beef Stew

11/24- Leftovers

11/25- Out to eat for family members birthday

11/26- Homemade Pizza

11/27- Thanksgiving!!!

11/28- Leftovers from Thanksgiving

11/29- Spaghetti

11/30- Turkey Creation

Breakfasts will be:

French toast leftovers

Breakfast sandwiches

Oatmeal

Protein smoothies

Mocha chip scones

Amish friendship bread

Lunches:

Leftovers from Dinner

Snacks:

airpop popcorn

Amish friendship bread

rice crackers & hummus

crackers and peanut butter

Snap peas & baby carrots