Cooking With Madelynn

I am always super excited when I find a great recipe that is easy enough to have one of the kids help me make it. I like to get them involved with cooking when I can because I think it helps them realize what goes into making the meal and hopefully makes them more interested in trying new things. Homemade Chicken and Dumplings is definitely a winner in the kid department and we have had it quite a lot. Madelynn has helped me every time except the first. We followed the recipe on Tasty Kitchen Blog.

 Here she is cutting the dumplings into squares! Or.... rectangles. :)

 Placing them all on a plate and flouring them.

Stirring! So proud of herself for cooking dinner.

Both of the kids are taking a cooking class in co-op right now and are excited to try new recipes that they have learned at home. I am thinking of starting a little cookbook for Madelynn of the stuff she enjoys cooking AND eating.

Been awhile...

I realize it has been a long time since I have posted anything. We have been keeping busy here! Our co-op has started up again and I am teaching hand sewing this year! Fun! So, it has inspired me to get back to it with Madelynn. Last weekend, we made the cutest little cupcake purses. I found them on Pinterest (Paper-and-String) awhile back and thought for sure Madelynn would be able to do it. Oh my goodness, I was so impressed with my little girl! It was such a nice time! We sat at the kitchen table and worked on these little things from start to finish! Madelynn did the purple one.

Didn't she do a wonderful job? She is so proud of herself and it prompted more sewing from Mommy. She just got her library card since she is in kindergarten now, so she put it in her new wallet and then put that in her purse. Then, she just had to have a key, so daddy found her an old key with a keychain. THEN, she just had to have a cellphone, so I turned over my old phone. Then, I sewed her a little sling to carry Lucy in. She was so excited, flipping open her phone and chatting away and declaring she felt like a mom. I love it. We are trying to decide what our next sewing project should be. I'm thinking some kind of key chain for her grown up key. I also felt up to trying to make a quilt. I have wanted to for a long time but it just seems so scary! So, I decided Lucy needed a quilt. A doll quilt can't be too hard, right? I absolutely love NanaCompany's blog and she has the cutest little doll quilts. I love her style so much and wish I could completely copy it. Haha! But, I wanted to use what I had already, so this is what I have come up with so far... my first ever quilt top! :)

I'm pretty excited. I had thought originally that I would get some jumbo rickrack and try to figure out how to stitch that in around the edge like she did with the lace in hers, but I just don't think I am anywhere near being able to make that look presentable. I am also going to do a little more embroidery up by Lucy's name. I just haven't figured that out yet.

This is a picture of Madelynn and Lucy.

And, a couple other pictures with my boys just for fun because I often neglect them on here. :)

 Here is Tim testing out his new Frost River pack. :)

 I really tried to get all three of them in the picture with their Stormy Kromers on, but the little guy just wasn't going for it. Haha! We were pretty excited that Madelynn's old Kromer fits Logan now.

This And That

I want to share my cute little thing I did for the kids for Valentine's day. I made them coupon books. Do you remember making coupon books for your parents when you were little? Like, redeem this for me to wash the dishes and all that good stuff. :) Well, because we homeschool, I spend a lot of time with the kids reading and doing school, but don't often spend time with them doing things they want to do. SO, I thought of a bunch of stuff that they always want to do with me but I am always saying I can't right now because I have such and such to do and made a coupon book for them. I feel like it will help me to get in the habit of devoting some time to doing things with them that they want to do! They were excited about them and then Daddy came home with a Wii. Haha! Who cares about Mommy's coupons when Daddy brings home a Wii!? :) Nah, they like them still. 

Next order of business. Logan turned ONE yesterday! Oh my goodness! I can't believe it has been a year already! I gotta tell you, I am still pretty smitten with him. He really is such a cutie and does the funniest things. I'm quite attached to the little fellow. :)

 Lastly, we made pin dolls today! This is mine. :)

Carson made a Peter Pan pin person on the right there. He had a little lego sword stuck in his belt for a dagger. He also plans on making a jedi and using a tiny dowel rod to make a lightsaber. Madelynn's is on the left, she said it is her. :) These were really so much fun. I saw them on pinterest and was dying to do it. I think I could get quite addicted to making these cute little things! I'd like to get some teeny flower stickers or something to put in their hair, maybe some little cupcake beads to glue in their hands. Seriously do a pinterest search on pin dolls, there are some ADORABLE pin dolls out there. Here is a tutorial for them. I was able to find everything I needed at Hobby Lobby. :)

I also finished the zigzag baby blanket from the last post! I just have to weave in all those pesky ends. I started on Madelynn's blanket too. I decided on doing a granny stripe and am planning on making it big enough to lay on top of her twin bed. I will post a picture of the progress of it soon. I think it will look very charming atop a white comforter. I can't wait until she has her own room for me to make all girly! :)

Work in Progress

I finally got some new yarn last month! When the box came, there was much squealing and jumping. :) Right now I am working on a baby blanket for an expectant momma at my church. It is a little different as far as baby blankets go, but what do you think?

It seems as if it will be a little bigger than a regular baby blanket too, but I think that is okay, easier to snuggle with and use when they are older too! I really love this Bernat Softee baby yarn. Not many baby yarns come in such nontraditional baby colors!

AND, I also got some yarn to make a blanket for Madelynn! Figured it is about time I made my kids blankets. Ha! These are the colors I picked for Madelynn's blanket. I'm trying to decide if I should throw some light blue in there too, suggestions?

I still don't know what to do for a pattern yet. I have been trying to decide between the african flowers, granny squares, ripples, granny stripes or granny ripple. I haven't a clue what I am going to do yet!

Chai Recipe and a Mug Cozy

I make some pretty good chai tea. Tim and I love having a cup together and I thought I would share how I make it so you all can enjoy a nice cup of chai! :) I also thought I'd share my super simple version on the mug cozies I have been seeing popping up on Pinterest. This is a super easy beginner project and can be made out of a small amount of yarn. The one I have pictured is my first attempt at one and I think it turned out rather cute!

Chai

Cover a chai tea bag with a little more than a cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Cover and boil for 5 minutes.
Add about one and a third cups of milk and bring to a simmer, stir and simmer for 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
Stir in about 1/6 cup of sugar. (I know this is an odd measurement, I just fill it to the halfway line in my 1/3 measuring cup).
Pour into two mugs, top with some homemade sweetened whip cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.
To make enough whipped cream to top the two cups of tea, just use about 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream. Pour it into a bowl that you have chilled in the freezer and use a hand mixer to whip it until there are stiff peaks. Super easy peasy!
If you are doubling the recipe for 4 servings, just be sure you add another tea bag in addition to doubling the other ingredients.

Mug Cozy

Make a chain for as tall as you would like your cozy to be, do one more chain and then single crochet in the second chain from hook and in each chain to the end. Chain one, turn and single crochet in each sc to the end. Repeat until it is long enough to go around your mug from one side of the handle to the other. Fasten off.
Join yarn with a single crochet or slip stitch along side of  work in the middle and single crochet around, when you get to the end of the piece, make a couple of chains and then resume single crocheting along the edge until you reach where you started, join and fasten off. Make sure the cozy will slide up over your handle and fit snugly, then repeat on the bottom. If you have a mug that is wider at the top like the one pictured, you may want to do a chain more on the top than the bottom when you are doing the edging.

Christmas and Crafting

So, my parents got me a kindle for Christmas. I really thought I never would go to a kindle because I am such a book person...love the feel of books in my hands, the smell of books, finding old books at resale stores, I just really love books. BUT, books take up space and can be pricey and in being consistent in wanting to de-clutter our home a bit, more books isn't really keeping along with that theme. Quite honestly, we have enough books since we homeschool. So, I started thinking a kindle would be a neat idea and I am so excited to have one. I have already downloaded lots of free books. I searched pinterest for the perfect kindle sleeve and found this tutorial. I liked it because it used a few different fabrics and I had a fat quarter stack I picked up on clearance at Joann's that I have been wanting to make something for myself with because I so loved it. :) Elizabeth was kind enough to give me some hints on adjusting the size for my smaller kindle and it worked out perfectly! So, here are a few pictures!
This is the front.

 And here is the back! :)

 Another present I received from my sweet daughter, were these Doodle Stitching books! I am so super excited about these and am looking forward to learning embroidery!

 Here is a sample of the outline stitches that I learned last night (using up random bits of embroidery floss, hence all the colors), it was so fun! :)

So, that is what I have been working on. The next thing on my to-do list is to make a bag for Madelynn's leapster that she got for Christmas.

Thankful

I just got my camera back from my parents' house and had to post this picture from Thanksgiving. I am so very thankful for my family. We don't get to be all together often, but I sure do love it when we are! We were all together again for Christmas yesterday, minus my Grandma, she is back in Mississippi. We had a great time watching videos of my nephews wrestling, opening presents and playing cards (with lots of laughs) with the girls while the men tended the kids. :) I love the dynamic my family has when we are together!

AND, I am super excited because my parents got me a kindle! :) I think I've found the perfect kindle case tutorial! I'll have to post pictures after I make it.

(Does anyone notice my little girl in green spoiling our nice picture with her goofy self? Haha!)