Reclaiming The Home

Catching up again

2011-07-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so bad. I know I stink at blogging these days. I think I'm still recovering from the hoopla of the last 8 months, and the truth is that its not over yet. We're on the other side of the valley, but its all up hill from here. I promised that I would make this blog more real, and I think I've been afraid to do that... people don't like to read blogs about hardship most of the time. While my life isn't all hardship, its a struggle right now, and as it ebbs and flows, there are often some big things going on that are hard to deal with. There is a balance with the joys, I won't deny that... but I get tired of trying to find those slivers of joy to share and pretend like everything else is just fine.

We're poor. That's just the truth right now. Yes, there are others who are far worse off than we are, and I try to keep my complaining to a minimum because if the last 8 months have taught me anything, its that I have a lot to be thankful for.

That said, things are tough, and there are times where it just feels like EVERYTHING is a struggle. We have one car, and have to make every dollar we have stretch beyond any level of comfort just to be able to make that car payment. In a year and a half we'll have it paid off and then it is ours. For now though we have to find a way to make it work, and since hubby is stuck with a company that is notorious for not hiring on their temp employees for years, we're really struggling. They pay JUST over minimum wage, and if it weren't for his overtime, we would lose everything.

We get our food from the food bank, because otherwise we couldn't afford to eat. On that note, I am so thankful that we have such a good food bank here. I know most places aren't as lucky as we have been with our food bank. If you have a chance to donate to your local food bank, please do so. It helps so many families who otherwise wouldn't have something to eat. I hope to be able to give back to our local food bank someday when things get better for us.

Bear in mind that I am not trying to do a "woe-is-me" post, or ask anyone for ANYTHING. I am just tired of the pretenses of pretending like everything is martha-stewart-dandy because that's the accepted status quo. How many of you have struggled and found yourselves in really tight spots financially?

I can't help that this is where we are. Kev has been applying for job after job after job but there isn't much here locally that pays more than minimum wage or offers the amount of overtime he's getting now. As for me, if I could get a job right now I would, but I have to stay home with Abbi. Even during the school year, I only have 4 hours a day that I can work, and that is assuming that Abbi does not have a half day, get sick, or go on any kind of school vacation, and also assumes that I can find transportation to work with Kev taking the van to work at 3am and not home again until 5pm (there is no public transit this far out other than taxi's and that undoes the whole point of working 4 hours a day).

I am making everything I can to sell, we sold off a lot of our stuff to try to help make ends meet, and I am doing as much as possible to make the dollars we do have streeeeeeeetch. I make our own dishwashing detergent, laundry soap, shampoo, hand soap, etc. I make clothes for the girls to wear to school. I mend what we have already to make it last. I create frugal meals as much as possible, and feed my family with as much nutrition as I can given the ingredients we have on hand.

We have figured out how to have fun and do things as a family that don't cost anything and we still lead a fulfilling life with many many joys. I'm not unhappy with my life at all. I just wish it wasn't such a struggle to work the mechanics of it. We are willing to work for our success... we just need a chance to do so.

Now, I know (or at least have hope) that we won't always be in this position. We worked our way up into a place of comfort before, and I know we can do it again. It will just take time, and a lot of effort. In the mean time I am trying to keep my chin up about it, and focus on all the things we do have, and that we can do... and all the things that are not impacted by money at all, like friendships, creativity, writing, going for walks, playing with the kids, reading, etc.

I think a big part of what I needed to say here, is that while it has been hard to find things to post about lately that wouldn't sound too doomsdayish, I do lead a full life, even if our pockets are empty. I hope to share more of that with you all soon.

Potpourri

2011-06-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share a quick tip that I love to do around here to make the house smell like cozy deliciousness. After I eat an apple or an orange, I take the peel (and core if its an apple) and throw it into a sauce pan with a little water, some cinnamon, and some whole cloves. I pick up those spices at the Dollar Tree, so the whole thing is uber frugal.

Next, set your stove to simmer, and let it cook down a bit. You can keep it simmering for as long as you want. You will want to turn it off at night or when you are away, of course, but it will keep on the stove for several days.

Yummm. Can you smell it yet?

You can also set it up in your crock pot for an incredibly low-maintenance version! This is a much cheaper way to make your home smell amazing than expensive candles or air freshener. It is all natural, and won't leave any unwanted chemicals floating through the air, and is also completely bio-degradable. Throw it right into the compost bin when you're finished.

Enjoy!

Ready to Give Up

2011-06-18T20:30:00.001-07:00

Does anyone else ever dream of giving up on "all this" and moving toward a simpler lifestyle? I mean doing away with everything you can that has to do with modern society and just diving in to live a simpler life. Of course, I wouldn't give up the few conveniences that are important to our health, daily happiness, or that make the most out of the time we have so we can spend it doing important things (like air conditioning, internet, medicine, etc). I think I'm just tired of the complexity of modern life.

A lot of it comes from being faced with the feelings and pressures of using this or that modern convenience for cleaning/driving/computers/photography/whatever, and feeling a tinge of guilt every time I have to tell someone, "No, we don't have that because we can't afford it."

The truth is that even if we can afford it, often I would rather put our money where it makes the most difference for us, rather than on small conveniences. One example would be a garden. I tried to garden this year, but something happened and all my seedlings disappeared. I suspect some wild creatures had quite a feast on them. I'm going to try to replant, but it may be a bit late in the season. We will see.

A big change like what I envision would include having a store of food that I know would get us through any hard times. We would have alternative sources for things like heat (such as a fireplace), and light (candles, lanterns). We would work to find and make as much for our family as possible, and focus on quality instead of quantity. We could work with our hands to help bring in income instead of working at jobs that don't make sense to our personal lives and pay next to nothing. We would work on trade with others of like mind, in addition to making as much as we could with our own creations. Our focus would be on our connection to our own lives, and those around us, including the environment in which we lived.

When I think of making a big life change, like moving toward a more sustainable, simple lifestyle, I think not only of what life would be like, but what I would be so happy to be doing without. Debt is a big one, and while we haven't taken on any new debt in years, we are still struggling to pay off the stupid decisions of our youth. Granted, some of it was due to emergency, or what we felt was necessary at the time. Still, life makes it difficult to "catch up." Even though I'm still technically in my twenties, the road seems so long ahead of me that I often feel like the destination to be debt free is beyond our reach, especially when things like car repairs, unemployment, and the need to buy expensive medication come into play.

I don't think there's any real "ideal" way of living, but I think each person here on this earth has somewhere in life that they best "fit." For me, I think I fit into a much simpler lifestyle, filled with the satisfaction of hard work, nature, my family, and a job well done. It would be one that leaves me feeling fulfilled, and purposeful. I would feel like life was abundant instead of lacking, as I often feel trying to fit into "modern society." I do know that abundance comes from within, but the fact remains that everything around us these days says otherwise, and even the strongest among us can feel beaten down from time to time.

Anyhow, I dream of this "other life" and hope someday that we can attain it. I'm trying to make small changes every day that lead us in that direction. Today I'm just wishing I could flip the switch and be there.

Do you ever feel this way, too?

What If...

2011-06-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

I spend a good amount of time every day at home. Especially right now, without a working vehicle, and Abbi-girl keeping me company all summer, I really can't leave the house. That means I have a lot of time on my hands. Most of the time I find that as I'm sitting, or cleaning, or crafting, I stew. I stew on the fact that since I can't leave the house due to lack of transportation and help with Abbi, I am not able to do something right now to help our family financially, and we really REALLY need it. I feel like life is in a holding pattern, and I'm just waiting for the next big phase to move us forward, yet it is nowhere in sight. I stew about the bills that keep piling up, and the feeling of helplessness as I file them away, not knowing how they're going to get paid.

Obviously, just stewing isn't working for me. But the fact remains that the situation just is what it is. It stinks, but right now I can't do anything about it.

So, I got to thinking today. What CAN I do? What if I spent the time that i have here, doing something that might lead me to another phase eventually? There are lots of things that I enjoy doing. I have at least a dozen hobbies I could do something with. Some may be profitable. Some may be more for my own fun. I have plenty of supplies, ideas, and inspiration to keep me going.

(quote and image from Pintrest)

My mom went back to school when I was a teenager, because she saw time passing by and realized how much she wanted to reach her own goals, that seemed so very far away. She woke up one morning and realized that "time was passing anyway," as she told me, and decided to jump in with both feet, making the most of that time. She is now almost finished with her doctorate and is a professor of Sociology at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and is working on opening a charter school in Harlem. Oh the lessons mom continues to teach me even as a nearly-30-year-old woman.

What I thought I might do is focus on my writing goals. I worked for a writing and publishing company for 9 years, and would love to turn that experience into something that can work for me in the future as well. I have an opportunity right now to devote time to goals that I wouldn't have if I were working a traditional job, and as mom says, "time is passing anyway." Now is the time to take advantage of that, and strive to possibly even turn it into a full time job, someday. One can hope!

Do you ever think about what you could be doing today to better prepare yourself for the future you want? Do you have any lofty "someday" goals that you could be working toward?

What if you asked yourself, what if?

Moving On

2011-06-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share some of my favorite photos from a shoot I did of Anna shortly after we moved back here to Arizona. I didn't realize it at the time, but the pictures are fairly indicative of what life was like for our little family. It was incredibly difficult to leave our home in Texas, and relocate to Arizona. In many ways it felt like we were alone, and things were never going to get better. Over time things have slowly improved, though we continue to heal the internal wounds. We have spent a lot of time and energy struggling to get back on our feet as a family from the ground up, and have somehow managed to grow closer together through it all. Small as she is, Anna has been amazing every step of the way, pushing me forward, and reminding me of what it means to be a family.

New Beginnings

2011-06-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

First, a quick throw back to the old blog, located here. Feel free to go visit anytime to view old posts, until I can figure out how to move the archives over here. I'll try to get to that asap, promise. :)

I know this post has been a long time coming, and truthfully I've been dreading it. I haven't really known how to just chime in and say, "Hey sorry I totally abandoned the blog and the message board and all my friends and members!" Yeah... I pretty much suck for that one. I will say that it has been a trying 8 months, a marriage flipped upside down, adventures of living with friends, and starting over fresh in so many ways. There has been heartbreak and there has been joy. There has been hurt and there has been healing. A lot has happened. Its life. It is up, and down, front, then back. That's part of why this whole "Reclaiming" thing is so ingrained into me. It all circles around and I just start over again, making it work... making it mine.

One thing I have had to face very seriously is that there is no magic "arrival" to that perfect home and family, or that perfect sense of self. Life is imperfect. Bad things happen, and often to good people. Things don't work out how you envisioned them. Plans change and you have to adjust and move forward anyway. That's what reclaiming is all about.

Maybe someday when I've lived a long life and learned all the lessons I came to this earth to learn, there will be some sense of right in the whole of the world. For now I'm just working on navigating my way through the muck and cleaning it off from time to time, as we try to make our way.

This is a particular time of Reclaiming for me, and I am so anxious to get back to blogging and interacting with the community of bloggers and friends I love so much. I want to share more of myself on the blog than I have before, from my dreams and goals to the daily goings on around here. I'll share creative endeavors, inspirations, and my general thoughts and feelings about homemaking, life, and who knows what else may escape this wacky head of mine. It is going to be real, and quirky, and hopefully a little fun.

Thanks for sticking with me. :)

Why don't you all help me kick this off by telling me the most important thing that has happened in your life during the last 6 months? I've been so out of the loop, and there's nothing quite as therapeutic and wonderful as connecting with other people.

Happy 9th Birthday Abbi-Girl!

2011-06-16T08:11:00.001-07:00

Today my beautiful Abbi girl turns 9! I can't believe how big she is getting and how much she has changed over the past few years.

We took her to Morgan's Wonderland, a theme park here in San Antonio built specifically for individuals like Abbi who have special needs. Her favorite ride was the Merri-Go-Round. It was so amazing to get to see her be so free and enjoy doing whatever she wanted to do. What a gift it was for all of us, especially her.

These are the moments I will always hold in my heart, and will never fade away.

Happy Birthday Abbi girl! We love you more than words can express!

Reclaiming My Past

2011-06-16T08:10:00.003-07:00

Recently my grandmother came over and brought me three boxes filled with a part of my past I'd never known. I was literally speechless when I opened the boxes and saw hand-sewn quilt tops and pieces staring back at me created by my great, and great great grandmothers. It was as if generations of memories, of a love for fabric, thriftiness, creation, and family came rushing out at me. I could feel it at my core.

According to her, I am the only person she could think of who would care about family treasures like these quilts the same way she does. The only one who would see the history, the value, and the potential inherent in their every stitch.

I often wonder if these women watched their children (my grandmother and her sisters) play while stitching up these quilts. What went through their minds as they sewed? Did they quilt because they loved it, or because it was expected? Was it social for them, or a hobby of their own? Was it just something necessary?

Every single piece was lovingly hand-stitched, often from scraps that were saved from sewing clothes for my grandmother and her sisters in, and before the depression. Some, like the butterfly appliqued quilt pieces below, were made by my daughter's great great great grandmother in 1931 for my daughter's great grandmother when she was the same age as my daughter is today. If that isn't an amazing tie into family I don't know what is.

I don't imagine these women would have wanted their hard work to go for nothing, and that they would want it to be treasured, completed, used, and displayed. I fully plan on completing each of these quilts, hand-quilting each one in turn. It may take me a lifetime, but imagine the joy of presenting a quilt of generations to my grandchildren, that began with their great, great, great, great grandmother... this is what its all about.

Working Around Dress Code

2011-06-16T08:10:00.001-07:00

My youngest, Anna, just started school last week for the very first time. We prepared by doing all of the typical things like talking about how to behave in the classroom, and the fact that she would be there without Mommy and Daddy all day long. Of course, the most exciting part of preparation for me, both growing up and as a parent, was the back to school shopping, and all of the cute new outfits!

Let me preface by saying I am not exactly a fashionista. I love my kids, and want them both to feel like they can express themselves. Abbi is very much like me. Comfort is key. Anna however, is all about style! The girl could spend an entire day just dressing and re-dressing, having fashion shows and pretending.

I knew when we started school that she would need collared shirts without any offensive images and capris or pants. I knew she would need to tuck the shirt in and wear a belt. Short of that, I thought it was pretty open. Wrong! Half of the clothes I bought for her are things that she can't wear to school because they have things like tiny hearts, or an embroidered butterfly. Apparently only polos that are solids and stripes are ok for school. Clearly polka dots are too threatening and distracting for children to get a proper education! (insert eye-roll here).

Because our budget required that we get all of their school clothes from the local thrift store, I couldn't return them to get something within school requirements, so I am having to be creative. I have 4 shirts she can wear right now, and plan to get more soon.

Being that I know Anna would never be happy being unable to express her individuality, I have been working hard trying to figure out how to work around the dress code to give her some outfits that are special and reflect her personality.

Sparkly shoes, boutique style bows to add to a cute hairstyle, adding a bow to the polo, and making our own belt out of a piece of stripped fabric all made this outfit cute and full of Anna-esque personality.

I am thinking of doing things like adding unique shoelaces and accessorizing with cute jewelry like some old fashioned friendship bracelets. I also double checked the dress code and while it specifies the color and style the pants have to be, it doesn't say that they must be plain. I might be able to embroider or add a little glitz to some of her pants as well.

I would more than welcome any and all ideas on how to let her spunky personality shine through, even with the dress code. Any other suggestions?? :)

Happy Easter!

2011-06-16T08:09:00.003-07:00

I hope your Easter is filled with love and family and fun!! :)

Walk for Autism

2011-06-16T08:09:00.001-07:00

On April 24th I will be walking with a team of other supporters for the national Walk for Autism event.

As most of you know, Autism is a huge part of our lives here in the Rose household. My beautiful Abbi girl shows us a little more every day what it is like to live inside her world.

I will be walking in support of this amazing little girl.

Walk for Autism has a mission of raising funds to help support special education opportunities and early intervention for kids with Autism. As a parent I can tell you just how needed these services are. Abbi wasn't recognized as Autistic until she was nearly 7 years old. In a country where we have amazing medical care and good schools that can help catch and label these things, that is unacceptable. Other children, like Abbi, deserve the chance to start fighting their battles earlier.

I walk for the years Abbi lost, and for the years other children can gain through programs like this. I walk for our future as a family, and as a country. I walk out of love for my daughter.

If you are interested in joining Walk for Autism, you can sign up here.

I am accepting donations toward my walk as well, if anyone feels so led. Every little bit helps. Even $5, $50... whatever you can do to help kids like my Abbi girl. Every donation is appreciated, and my heartfelt thanks go to each of you!!

For those of you who support this walk, and for those of you who have supported and continue to support us personally, I thank you more than words can say. It takes a community to make things work. Thank you!!

Mini Pizzas The Easy Way

2011-06-16T08:08:00.002-07:00

Last night we were running around like crazy trying to get everything done before we headed out to an Autism photo shoot I was doing for hubby's unit at work. Because Abbi was in it, we were all going, and as luck would have it, we thought we had an hour longer than we really did to get ready and go. When I realized we had to leave in 30 minutes, I made a very quick on-the-go dinner that we all enjoyed, and thought I'd share it with you!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can of refrigerated biscuits
Pasta sauce
Cheese
Italian Seasoning (optional)
Additional toppings of your choice

DIRECTIONS:

* Preheat oven to 350*
* On a baking sheet: Flatten biscuits with palm of hand until they are about the size of your palm
* Spread sauce on top of biscuits
* Add any toppings you like
* Sprinkle cheese heavily on top of sauce/toppings
* Sprinkle with Italian seasoning
* Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and edges are golden

SparkPeople

2011-06-16T08:08:00.001-07:00

Yes, I'm one of "those" people now. Its not my fault, I promise. ;)

When one of my wonderful members over at the RTH message board (*cough*kellymcdonald*cough*) posted that she'd started a Reclaiming the Home group over at SparkPeople, I had to join right? I mean its my group, and I should be involved with it in all its capacities... right?

So its not really that all the sudden I'm all gung-ho about dieting (eeek! The "D" word!), or exercising (AHH! The E word!), or even that I feel ready to make a big commitment.

Its really just that I need a change, and I know I need to get healthy. Why not now? I didn't have a good answer, and this little nudge seemed to be a good one, so I went with it.

I was talking to my mom last night about something completely unrelated and she said something pretty wise. She said that with most things in life it can be simply dumbed down to one of two answers. It either IS or it ISN'T.

So... when I saw this come up today, I said to myself, "Self, is what you're doing working for you, or is it not?" Not.

And there you have it. The very brilliant, deep discussion that led me to this life changing point. Sometimes simple is good.

If you want to see what I'm up to and follow along in my progress (or beat me with a wet noodle when I don't update SP for a week and eat candy), then check out my SparkPage here. I'd love it if you would join up too, so we can mourn the loss of everything wonderful and lazy and delicious together.

If you do join, the RTH group can be found here.

In the mean time, I have written a haiku to mourn my beloved Coca Cola, which shall be the first change that I make, kicking and screaming, in this horrid journey toward better health. Er... I mean, yay healthy!

Sugar and caffeine

Red with bubbles and syrup

You are mine no more

*Angst.*

The "Infamous" Cheese Balls

2011-06-16T08:07:00.002-07:00

I made these cheese balls for a party recently and got such rave reviews (read: demands for more, and threats against my life if I didn't produce them in a timely manner) that i felt I should share the recipe for any of you who wanted to risk such a thing yourselves!

These were such a happy accident. I was in a hurry and had forgotten a few things at the store for the original recipe from Recipe Zaar. I had to make do with what I had, and create something all my own. This is how it went:

INGREDIENTS:

~ 2 pkgs cream cheese
~ 2 Tbs. minced garlic
~ 3 oz beef jerky (I just used "original" flavor)
~ 1 to 1-1/2 cups honey mustard and onion pretzels (I used Snyder's of Hannover)

DIRECTIONS:

~ Mix together cream cheese and garlic by mashing well with a fork.
~ Refrigerate 30 min if the cheese has gotten too soft to work with.
~ Roll into 1" balls, and refrigerate until topping is finished.
~ While the balls are refrigerating, place beef jerky and pretzels into food processor and process until it resembles fine crumbs.
~ Pour jerky/pretzel mixture onto a plate or flat surface.
~ Get balls out of the fridge, and start rolling them in the jerky/pretzel mixture.
~ Refrigerate until ready to serve.
~ Easiest to serve with tooth picks poked in or at the ready for guests to use.

* These are so simple, but I just love them, and already have "orders" for more. Have fun and enjoy them!

{This Moment} (via Soule Mama)

2011-06-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

I am going to borrow a tradition from SouleMama this week. Feel free to join in!

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. Photos - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, visit SouleMama and leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Happy Friday, friends!

A Trip to the Rodeo

2011-06-16T08:06:00.003-07:00

One of the things we've tried to do, wherever we went, was to make the most out of the local attractions. The Rodeo is a huge part of Texas culture, and so we went with Anna, hoping she would have a good time! She seemed to really love it, especially getting to ride the pony! She has been talking about that for days now.

Someday I'd love to have my own farm, where she can run and play with the animals. :)

Breakfast for Those Who Are Champions of Breakfast

2011-06-16T08:06:00.001-07:00

"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper." Adelle Davis

This is definitely a breakfast for a king. Fresh squeezed orange juice, a banana, strawberries, a slice of turkey bacon, and breakfast hash. This is one of my favorite meals, so I thought I would share the recipe with you all.

INGREDIENTS:

~ 2 Leftover Baked Potatoes (or go ahead and bake them fresh in the microwave), Cubed
~ 2 apples, cored and chopped into bite sized pieces
~ 1/2 onion, chopped in tiny pieces
~ 4 Eggs
~ 4 Tbs. Olive oil
~ Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

~ Warm 2 Tbs oil in skillet on medium-hi
~ Cook apples and onions for 10 minutes or until mostly soft
~ Remove Apples and onions from skillet, and add another Tbs oil
~ Add potatoes and allow them to brown, then turn, and brown some more
~ Add apples and onions and stir.
~ Make space in pan for eggs. Add last Tbs oil to grease the pan and drop eggs on top of oil.
~ Allow eggs to cook to desired consistency.
~ Stir eggs into hash
~ Sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired.

This is one of my favorite recipes and is very similar to my "fall in a skillet" meal, except instead of chicken, I added eggs, and didn't add any herbs. Feel free to experiment with adding other breakfast type foods, such as sausage! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts when you give this one a try.

Bruschetta, RTH Style

2011-06-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

I have been craving Bruschetta ever since I had it at dinner the night Rachel and I went to Rent in March of 2009. That's right... a year ago. A whole YEAR. I have been craving this like mad! It has been so very hard to find fresh basil here. I finally gave up and found an alternative, and couldn't have been happier! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

INGREDIENTS:

~ Fresh bread, cut into slices
~ Butter for back-sides of bread
~ Jar of pesto sauce (I used Classico)
~ Fresh tomatoes
~ Mozarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

~ Preheat oven to 450*
~ Butter back sides of bread and place on a baking sheet
~ Chop tomatoes in small pieces. Stir in 2 Tbs. pesto with every lg. tomato used.
~ Spread pesto on top side of bread, and top with tomatoes
~ Sprinkle generously with mozarella
~ Bake 5-10 minutes or until bread is lightly toasted and cheese is melted.

This is another super-simple recipe that packs a wonderful punch of flavor, and is suited to impress. Eat as a meal, or as a side dish. Works well as an appetizer too!

This is one of my favorite dishes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! As always, I love to hear if you use one of my recipes. I enjoy reading your reviews!

World's Best Chips

2011-06-16T08:04:00.004-07:00

I love having one or two things to really show off when guests come over to eat. This is one of those things that most people only ever eat out of a bag, instead of fresh and home-made. Taking this added little step really makes all the difference in feeling like your guests get an extra-special, one-of-a-kind meal. As a bonus, it is much cheaper to make an entire batch of tortilla chips than to buy them in a bag, and they taste infinitely better.

These go great with any Mexican food main dish with salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, or queso dip. They also go great with soups and stews! For potlucks, these are great to bring with you if you're bringing a delicious spinch-artichoke dip, or onion dip. They are also amazing with hummus! You can have them ready and waiting for your guests to snack on before the meal, like an appetizer, or serve as a festive side-dish!

INGREDIENTS:

~ 1 package soft flour tortillas

~ Vegetable oil (or your favorite cooking oil)

DIRECTIONS:

~ Cut tortillas into thin strips about 1" wide, and 2" long. They don't have to be perfect - they just need to be about "chip sized."

~ Warm oil (1/2 to 3/4 inch deep) on stove in a skillet on medium heat

~ Cook chips about 10 at a time. Place them in the pan gently to start to fry them. Flip over when lightly golden. Cook a few more seconds until lightly golden on the other side. Wait to add more chips until this batch is completely finished. It just makes things a bit easier!

~ Remove from oil and let chips cool on a paper towel away from the stove.

* NOTE: You will notice that the chips are crisp but not hard and crunchy. You want them to have a slightly chewy consistency. They should be mostly crisp, but should not break or crumble too easily. It is okay if the chips bubble a bit. If you don't want them to bubble, using your spatula, gently press down on the chip in the pan when you see it start to rise. Personally, I like a little bit of bubble. Look at that great texture!

You can salt these if you want to, but I find that they have so much flavor that they don't need it, especially if serving them with something to dip them in.

Enjoy!

Handspun Head Scarf

2011-06-16T08:04:00.003-07:00

A couple years ago I spun up some camel that I had received as a gift from a fellow Ravelry member, into this beautiful light-fingering-weight yarn. I held onto it forever it seemed, because I just couldn't figure out what was worthy of using it for. I wanted it to be something that would be seen, and could be used over and over again, and that wouldn't get a lot of wear and tear with washing.

The other day I realized exactly what I should make with it, a head scarf!

I tried out a new stitch pattern and "winged it," so to speak. I didn't write down my steps as I did it, so I don't have a pattern for this one, though I am going to try to come up with one soon, if I can duplicate it in a way that makes me happy.

Here is an action shot of it being worn after being blocked. Don't mind the model. ;)

I am liking the head scarf look these days, and plan to make a bunch more in different patterns and yarns. Do you wear head scarves much?

It Snowed! In TEXAS!

2011-06-16T08:04:00.001-07:00

A few days ago, it actually snowed here in San Antonio. Anna had never seen snow that she could remember (we had an ice storm in Oklahoma when she was a baby), so she was absolutely enamored!

I love this expression. It looks like she's thinking, "What IS this stuff?"

Then suddenly, "OMG its SNOW!!!"

After that there was no keeping her in one spot. She just ran and ran until the snow turned back into sleet and rain, and I made her come inside.

I remember that feeling as a child, falling in love with every snowfake. I remember being so sad when they melted, like friends lost until the next freeze when they would return in little white puffs raining down to greet me.

What a gift those few minutes were for her. A memory made for always.

Blogging for Bernat

2011-06-16T08:03:00.001-07:00

I'm proud to announce that I am one of the newest bloggers over at Bernat Yarns. Come check me out over there if you get a chance! I just posted a new start to a project. Hmmmm.... wonder what this will become? Come stop by to see!

Makin' "Uffins"

2011-06-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

Anna and I love to make "uffins" a couple of times a week. She has gotten so good at it that she can make them almost by herself (with the exception of the oven). She is so proud of herself!

We have been doing this routine for as long as I can remember. I think we began it when Anna was just a baby, about a year old. She loved to watch me pour and do hand-over-hand stirring. She has always loved helping me in the kitchen.

She asks me regularly if we can make "uffins," and I always say yes, because... really... who can say no to that face?

Do you have any routines or traditions you do with your kids that they love?

We've Moved!

2010-03-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

Well we've moved again!! Come check the new blog out at THIS LINK.

I know, I know... lots of moving with this blog! Hopefully this will be the last one. I have missed Typepad, and so we are back. Hopefully some of the glitches we were having with Blogger will be all in the past!

The nice thing about this is that we have all of the posts switched over from both the Typepad blog and the Blogger blog, so you can access them by tag and through the archives! There were some problems with Blogger, getting the posts moved over so I had to repost them one at a time at the new blog. That means that they'll all show as March 4, and we don't have comments. :( But the posts are there at least! I'll work on moving the comments bit by bit.

Don't forget to save the new blog link to your bookmarks, and add it to your blog readers. :)

Here's to a great fresh start and many new and interesting blog posts to come!

Missing Princess

2010-03-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Sorry again for the lapse in time between posts. Its been another one of "those" couple of weeks.

We lost Princess. She got out and just hasn't come back. The last 14 months have been so bad for us in regards to our pets. I can't even think about it. We miss her so so much.

Around Here

2010-02-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am borrowing a bit of inspiration from Ali Edwards. She posted recently about what was going on in her life, and I loved the format. I felt that it fit us very well as of late. Without further adeu...

Around here we try not to take things too seriously. (photo by Anna)

Around here we make wishes and believe they come true.

Around here spending time together is a part of our daily life. It is our mission and our purpose just to love one another.

Around here moments like this are precious few and far between.

Around here I have one child who is 8 and the other who is 4.

Around here I find myself amazed at the difference between my two girls, and see the incredible beauty in each of them, unique in the ways they approach the world around them.

Around here those same two girls teach me everything about what love is and should be.

Around here we play with bubbles and shaving cream in old butter tubs. We use play doh and crayons and markers, and create our very own world with no more than a blanket fort and a bit of imagination.

Around here, we lick the bowl.

Around here, little girls can be princesses and fairies, ruling their stuffed fuzzy subjects with determination and fairness, while dancing their groove thing to the latest tunes on the radio.

Around here, we have our own sense of style.

Around here, adventures can be found around any corner.

Around here our world is small. We don't go on grand adventures or leave the house much. We do find that long rides in the car bring us closer together, and gives us a chance to talk and just be.

Around here, my heart sings for the one who cares most for those I care for. He is the one who makes me laugh and smile, and is the one who, at the end of the day, makes me feel most at home.

Around here you will hear the sounds of laughter, love, forgiveness and fun.

Around here we take small efforts to put a little magic into the mundane.

Around here, gratitude is a staple in our day. It helps us to stay connected to our joy and remember just how blessed we truly are.

Around here, real friendship is a priority. We make a point to treasure those who bring our lives joy, and try to bring joy to theirs in return. Being friends means being able to laugh, cry, confide, and be silly.

Around here I am focusing on my creative interests, and trying new things.

Around here, I am setting new goals and finding new hopes and dreams among them.

Around here when the sun goes down we only use candles and Christmas lights to illuminate our home. The coziness it brings helps us to wind down together and enjoy the evening.

Around here warm kitty snuggles make bedtime more fun.

Around here we choose love.

So this is what 28 feels like.

2010-02-10T14:08:00.000-08:00

It feels like hugs from little girls who captured my heart.
It feels like warm mugs of coffee and tea with friends.
It feels like that first kiss at the end of the day when my sweetheart walks in the door.
It feels like quiet cloudy days spent knitting while listening to my favorite music.
It feels like love and peace and joy.

So far... 28 feels pretty marvelous.

Choosing Love

2010-02-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

It is a week before Valentine's Day and that got me thinking about something I have been wanting to do more actively in my life: Choosing Love.

I've been doing a lot of thinking on what this means to me, and what my goals would be for this challenge. It means that love will be the little Jiminy Cricket whispering in my ear. It means I am going to make a conscious choice to ask "what would Love have me do in this situation?" Feeling frustrated? Make a conscious choice to let love be the most important thing, and be patient. Can't figure out what to make for dinner? What would be something special to show my family I love them? Can I put little notes on their plates or napkins? Its about finding more ways to love, and letting love be my guide.

I wanted to also apologize for not blogging for so long. The truth is that when big things happen in my life, I tend to need some time to process things. This processing is what led me to the idea of consciously choosing love.

We have had some problems with Abbi being in school, which means she will now be homeschooled. For us, it is a matter of making sure Abbi always feels loved and supported no matter where she is. For Abbi, we're choosing love.

We also found out that we will not be moving home early after all. It has taken me a bit of time to accept and be okay with the changes that come with waiting even longer to get back home. There are a lot of positives to staying here until mid-summer though, and that is what we're focusing on. One of the greatest benefits are the friendships and family relationships that we will get to devote more time to before we're separated by the miles. I'm choosing to focus on the love we can give and share love with our kin here.

How can you Choose Love in new ways in your life?

Green Smoothies

2010-01-28T06:30:00.001-08:00

I am planning to start up my green smoothie regimen again (hoping to get a juicer though, so its less... chunky).

I recently found this recipe from Dr. Oz (ala the Oprah Show).

1/2 lemon

1 lime

1 bunch parsley

1 head celery

2 cups spinach

1/2 inch peeled ginger

2 cups cucumber or 1 medium cucumber

2 apples

Do you have any favorite green smoothie recipes? I like sweet, and will probably add juice of some kind (orange, pineapple, etc) to help even things out a bit for me.

Imaginings

2010-01-21T07:55:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is the little things that you just know in your heart you will never forget... like dressing up as a princess in a too-small dress and a foam crown leftover from a birthday party gone by.

I love following her around, and living for a few short moments in her world of pretend and magic.

Its a world where anything can happen and there is nothing to stop you but the limits of your imagination.

I want to be like her when I grow up.

Inspirations for a Friday

2010-01-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

Its a beautiful rainy day outside, and I thought it high time to visit some of my favorite blogs and share with you some of the people and things that are inspiring me.

First up is this gorgeous wrapping and a bar of carrot soap made by a Haitian woman named Berta. Rebecca Sower is selling it to help make money for Berta's artisan group, Haiti by Hand. I love the look of the soap itself, and of course the organization and people it will be going to support, but creatively, I am really inspired by the wrapping. That felt tag, especially is amazing.

It does make me think about what I have to offer the Haiti people, even if I don't have a lot of funds to be able to donate. I will have to think on that. So far it seems the best option would be to donate items to Craft Hope for Haiti on ETSY, to help fund things that way. It is amazing what crafters can do to impact the world, and I really admire what this group is doing to help with the crisis in Haiti.

Canvas Word Art has been inspiring me a lot lately too. This snippet from A Spattering just really draws me in with the mixture of text, colors, and texture. *SWOON*.

Rachel's Wall Art has me inspired as well!

I have been trying to get more into understanding and using herbs in various ways throughout my home. I love the smell and look of herbs, and I love that they go straight from nature to you without all the processing in between. This Celendula Eye Compress by Angry Chicken is really making me happy right now.

Loving this necklace from Lisa Leonard. Wanting to have something like it with mine and Kevin's initials on it (K&K)

It reminds me so much of the heart Kevin carved into the tree back in Lawton. I would absolutely wear something like that every single day. I think it is one of the most gorgeous and unique pieces of jewelry I've ever seen. Here's our tree heart. :)

This beautiful afghan from Posy Gets Cozy is inspiring me to pick up the yarn and needle/hook and get busy. I have a few WIP's in progress, though I'm itching to start something like this as well!

This little woven quilt by Spirit Cloth really inspires me with texture as well, which seems to be a big thing for me lately. I can just see this hung up on the wall in a small reading corner.

Finding myself inspired by the beautiful valentines goodies over at The Cottage Gals

So... that's a big chunk of what has caught my eye lately... I hope you enjoyed it! What is inspiring you these days?

Sticking Together.

2010-01-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

Its been a crazy time for us lately. We got orders last month for Kevin to move to New York and then deploy to Afghanistan for 18 months, followed by another 6 mos in NY without us. While we have always known that deployments and separation are part and parcel to military service, the issue right now (aside from us not wanting him to go) is that he was supposed to get out of the Army this summer so we could go home to AZ.

Being able to get out of the Army at the end of his contract this term would give our family a chance to have a more stable lifestyle where we don't move from state to state, or have to worry about being separated. Both of those things are vital to Abbi's success. This would also let us get Abbi on a wait list for long term medical care and not have to worry about her losing services because of us moving state to state.

Kevin discovered that because of the amount of time he has been in service (8 years) we fit into the rare window of those who are able to decline a set of orders. Kevin put in the declination statement, and after a shaky couple of weeks, we got news yesterday that everything was canceled. He won't be going to NY or deploying, and the real joy that I can't seem to shake from my heart is the knowledge that we'll be together. Our family will stay whole.

Because of the way this particular dec-statement works, we will actually be going home earlier than anticipated. It means some big changes, fast, but we are doing our best to be prepared, and are excited about a new phase in our life.

Moves are always a little bittersweet. It means a fresh start, exciting changes, and new (in this case old) friends, and opportunities we wouldn't have otherwise had. It also means leaving behind those who we have grown close to here, and for that, we are very very sad... but, we know this isn't the end. We have plans to visit, call, and generally harass our loved ones who won't be with us in person every day. They'll always be with us at heart.

We know how lucky we are that he won't be going, and are just counting every blessing we have right now. We're sticking together, and we couldn't be happier about that!

Decluttering with the Littles

2010-01-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

First off, thank you, everyone, for your amazing comments and support here, on facebook, on twitter, and on the RTH message boards. The last post about Abbi saying mom for the first time was a big one, and even through the joy, was at times, hard to write. Thank you for sharing in my joy with me!! I'm a lucky woman indeed. :)

I have been busy as of late trying to declutter and organize. It is one of my resolutions this year (*cough*one-step-at-a-time*cough*). I started with one of the biggest problems we have had in this house... toys. I wound up getting rid of *8* bags of toys, and more that wouldn't fit in bags. Each of the girls now have two totes that they can use for toys in their respective toy closets (one each for stuffed animals, and one each for non-stuffed-toys). I am hoping to get it down to one tote each before the move, but we'll see.

I snagged some photos of Anna's room after the big-declutter. Here you see her Dora bed, and her dress-up basket (shh - I know its another bin - lets pretend we don't see it, k?). And yes, that's a blanket on the window. The blinds have been kid-ified and we figured until we replace them (next week), we would put up the blanket... and bonus, its added insulation.

In the corner you'll also see a chalkboard easel with a giant stuffed snake resting on it. The easel is Abbi's (it was a gift from Laura for Christmas!) but we keep it downstairs in Anna's room for them both to play with since Abbi gets overwhelmed by too much stuff in her room. She LOVES to use it though, and spends a lot of time in there during the day!!

What you can't see in this picture is that behind the bed is a reading corner with tons of lumpy pillows that we were about to throw away. We reused them as a snuggle place and covered them up with a silky pink sheet we got at the thrift store. As soon as I set it up, Anna grabbed an armful of books and read in her reading corner for over an hour. Love that!

On the right side of the room is her doll house that mom got her. SHE LOVES IT. It is her favorite toy of all time. Behind the doll house is a build a bear cardboard "house" that the bears come in, filled with my-little-ponies. Its their "pony house." Hehe. Too incredibly cute.

In the room picture you'll also see the therapy ball, the trampoline and the giant bear. Those are Abbi's too, though both girls use them.

In the corner, we have the vanity with the books on top. Shortly after the picture was taken we added twice as many books that we had organized and brought in from the other toy closet. Suffice it to say, the girls are not lacking reading materials!

Also, see those two flashlights on top of the vanity? They double as nightlights! When you turn them on and set them on their "face" - light down - the handle lights up with scenes from Dora the Explorer! Anna loves them!

Under the vanity is her TV and v-tech video game system for kids. She plays her "Dora game" on it for about an hour a day, while sitting in her Dora chair. We don't much like Dora in case you haven't noticed. We actually have 3 other games for the system, but she loves the Dora one so much that she hasn't even TRIED the others. Someday.... ;)

I am going to be working on finishing up Abbi's room over the next 2 weeks. She's getting a new-to-us bed and dresser, and an entertainment center for her TV and toys (thank you Mariah)! I'll be sure to post an update once her room is all set up too.

So, there you go - a quick peek into my home, and a look at how I'm doing with keeping my resolutions so far.

Have you made any resolutions this year? How is it going?

The best Christmas present.

2010-01-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

I'm back after a long vacation while family was here. I'm sorry for the stall in posting, but I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic start to 2010!!

I have a lot of catching up to do and that means a lot of posting. That said, I'm going to try to focus on the important things and will get to everything when I do!

First things first.

If you've been reading this blog for very long, you know about my gorgeous and amazing Abbi girl. She is a joy and shows me everything incredible and beautiful that I would miss were it not for her presence in my life. She keeps me in awe every single day and I know I am the luckiest mother in the world to have her and Anna.

Still, there are struggles, because of her Autism and developmental delays... struggles that have nothing to do with HER, but with the Autism/Sensory filter through which she has to experience the world around her. A lot gets lost in translation and that can make it tough.

She is mostly non-verbal. She had a huge language burst this last fall when she started using a communication device we had on loan (we are trying to get a permanent one for her). The growth was phenomenal for her. 30 words in so many days, both verbally, and on the device. That more than doubled her previous vocabulary. AMAZING!!

The words were mostly functional things like "this," "drink," "play," etc. It opened so many doors, but still kept one shut... relationships. Because of her Autism she likes to stay mostly in her own world, with precious brief visits into ours.

Sure we have our moments, where she looks in my eyes, or sits on my lap and and snuggles, like this beautiful experience she had with my mom when she was here.

I love her more than my own soul, and even though she can't tell me she loves me, we have silent conversations like this as often as she is able.

Still, most of the time there is a wall between us that keeps me from being able to build the kind of bond with her that mothers so often crave with their children where I know SHE knows that I love her and would do anything for her. I wonder sometimes if she craves the opportunity for more too. It can be hard sometimes wondering if your child views you more as a caregiver rather than the comforter, nurturer, and mommy that envelops that deep connection that goes beyond anything external. Some days I swear I do nothing but get snacks, change diapers, and fix things for her. Some days she just doesn't want interaction, and I have to respect that.

After 8 years I was really concerned I may never be able to have that with her, like I do with Anna, and it breaks my heart because it is something I so very much want to share with her.

But then... completely out of the blue on Christmas morning... she called me Mom.

She called *me* mom. Not anyone else. Its not just a "word" - it means something. I'm her mom. She knows it. She knows who I am to her and she called me by name.

She did it again and again, and now... anytime she wants me or needs me she calls "Moooom" just like any 8 year old should and I come running. I come running and hug her in a big squeeze, which she loves, and I soak it in. I can never get tired of hearing that.

And I can't think of ONE better Christmas gift than that.

Onion Bread

2009-12-11T14:48:00.001-08:00

I brought this to knit night for the San Antonio Fiber Junkies and everyone seemed to like it. There wasn't much to bring back home, so it couldn't have been too bad. Monday I woke up to several requests for me to share the recipe. I have been saying for a long time that I would share this recipe on the blog, and so now I shall. :)

Ingredients:

* Scant 1 cup margarine/butter
* 5-6 onions
* 4 tsp. salt
* 2 packages quick-rise yeast
* 8-9 cups flour
* 2 cups milk
* 1/3 cup honey
* 4 eggs

Directions:

1. Chop up all but one onion (if you have 5 onions, chop only 4), into diced-sized pieces. I use my food processor for this step so I don't wind up crying (too much) and so I can get it done faster, and at a size I like.

2. Melt 3-4 Tbs. margarine/butter in a large skillet. Brown onions in the butter on med-low heat. I really like to have them caramelized and golden. This smell... is heaven. Honestly if you don't melt right there on your kitchen floor at this point, then you probably shouldn't make this bread. It is SO SO SO SO good.

3. While the onions are browning, mix together 3 cups flour, yeast, and salt.

4. Also while the onions are browning, place 2 cups milk, 1/3 cup honey, and around 1/2 cup butter on low heat in a sauce pan. You don't want it to boil or even simmer... just warm up until its around 130*. The butter may not melt all the way but when you see it start to separate and dissolve into the milk it should be right around the right temperature. The whole reason you don't want to heat it up too much is that you don' t want to kill the little yeasty particles in the flour mixture when you add it in, in a few minutes. So... no overheating. SAVE THE YEASTIES!

5. At that point, you will want to start slowly pouring it in and mixing with the flour mixture. Once it is well combined, mix in 3 eggs and 2 cups flour, stirring well between each addition. Stir. Add. Stir. Add. Stir. You get the point.

6. Stir in onions. Try not to drool in the batter.

7. As much as possible, stir in around 3-4 cups flour. Honestly, at this point, as my arm is about to fall off, I always want to look at whoever writes bread recipes and say "Really? How in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks do you expect me to get MORE flour into this thing?" So... I'm adding in a disclosure. Once you can no longer stir it in, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and work the rest of the flour in through kneading. I promise it works. I swear it. And if it doesn't, you can just leave it behind on your counter, and I won't tell a soul.

8. Now... Knead about 5-10 minutes, adding flour as needed to create a soft, elastic dough. More arms falling off. I know. But just try to think of putting all of your love for your family (or the hate you have for that evil shopper that stole your parking place at the mall last week) and get all that energy out. Whatever works.

8. Spray a bowl with non-stick spray and place dough in bowl. Turn dough so that the "grease" from the spray is on the top as well. Allow dough to rise 30-45 minutes in a warm place, or until doubled. (This means the yeasties are doing their work. It is perfectly fine to name them and praise them. I find they like this.)

9. Once dough is done rising, punch down dough. Oh come on... you know you love this part. Who doesn't like to punch baked goods? I mean really.

10. On a lightly floured surface, separate the dough into two pieces (I prefer the judo chop method), and then twist them together. It should look like a little doughy-candy-cane (without the pretty colors) when you're done.

(pre-candy-cane-look >>)

11. Spray dish/pan with non-stick spray, and preheat oven to 350* F.

12. Place dough in pan. A large bundt pan works best. I can't find mine since the move so I use this honkin' ceramic dish. If you're doing what I did, fold the twisted dough into a circular shape and place in baking dish. If you don't have a LARGE baking dish/pan, you will want to separate this out into two loaves and place them in smaller bundt cake pans or large bread pans. I know it doesn't look like a ton of dough at this point, but you have to trust me. This is like the bread that took over Manhattan. It grows. And it just keeps growing.

13. Bake bread for 45 min at 350*. At this point, your house will smell like absolute BLISS. There is NOTHING better than the smell of onions and bread cooking. Zomg.

14. While bread is baking, slice the last onion in thin, long slices. Saute' onions in about 2 Tbs. butter until caramelized and lightly browned. More onion crack goodness. *Swoon.*

15. After the 45 minutes of baking, remove bread from oven, and generously brush on 1 beaten egg. This acts as a glaze to help it have a pretty brown shine, and also acts as a glue for the onions...

16. Put the caramelized onions on top of the bread, and then put it back in to bake an additional 20 minutes or so. If you are baking it in one huge ceramic dish like me (instead of a bundt pan, cook it an additional 15-20 min). Nomnomnom!

17. Bread is done when it sounds "hollow" when you tap it, and the onions on top are well browned. It looks like something that belongs in a really expensive bakery, where they charge like $40 a slice. You can officially feel proud now.

The bread should separate easily from the pan - just carefully turn it upside down and jiggle just a bit (be sure to have a plate under it to catch the onions and sprinkle what few fell, back on top).

If you make this, prepare for everyone to ask you to make it often... and you can honestly tell them that you slaved on it all day. It is one of those labor of love recipes, but you can really taste it. YUM.

Wednesday Favorites

2009-12-09T22:09:00.000-08:00

I'm borrowing an idea from my best friend, Rachel in listing some of my favorites from other blogs, and from the world around me. I love to hear what inspires everyone else, so I thought I'd put a little bit of that back out there today since I have felt so inspired lately.

* These Crochet Earrings posted about over at All Buttoned Up are one of my new favorite things. I am thinking about making some to add to my jewelry collection, and to make some matching necklaces and bracelets as well. I am in love with their delicacy!

* Homemade Serenity has some AMAZING crafts and activities for families this holiday. They aren't "cheesy" throw away things like most crafts you see themed around a holiday. These are really beautiful, store-quality items I would love to have displayed throughout my home. Go check it out if you get a chance!

* This incredible home-made Gift List over at Angry Chicken is inspiring me big time. I think I'm going to have to make up something like this to record what the girls received this year. I also truly truly love the "Mildly Interesting Secrets" books. I know a certain someone who would really appreciate this I think! I am absolutely in love with herAmy's unique style.

* This pom pom garland from Artsy-Crafty Babe is really bringing so much of the child in me out to come play this Christmas. I have no idea how many hundreds of pom poms it would take to make a garland but it looks SO fun, and absolutely worth it.

* The Artwork over at Artsyville. I can't pick just one piece to showcase, because it is all INCREDIBLE and so freeing and inspiring. It reminds me a lot of SARK's work, and for those of you who know how much I love SARK, you then know how much I love these pieces as well. Browse around the blog, and see if you can tear your eyes away from the left sidebar long enough to find other treasures. Definitely worth a look-see.

* This idea from Daily Danny of using old book pages to wrap things in, is really inspiring to me, in a decorating sense. I would of course say try to use a book that is already of no use (missing pages or partly damaged for example), but truly... isn't this beautiful? Though this example uses soap bars, I am hoping to make some hand-salve, and am thinking this would be a nice way to wrap it for the men in my life.

* This beeswax candle tutorial is wonderfully done. I think I will try to make some this year, using some of the soy wax I have on hand in some old jelly jars we have saved throughout the year. :)

* Getting away from the crafty side of things for a moment, I am really inspired by this picture from La Belle Avenue of cooking over a fire. One of my goals is to someday have a wood stove that I can actually cook with. I just love this photo.

* I have been really inspired by silhouettes lately too, so these ultra-creative silhouettes from Notes from a Cottage Industry really spoke to me. I am going to be scouring our flea market and thrift stores for interesting frames and see what I can do to create some fun scenes to hang on the walls.

* Finding myself inspired to be more creative in my journaling with this image from WeHeartIt. Very SARK like, I think. Of course, that means that a new journal, and a fresh set of Sharpie Pens are on my Christmas list this year!

* Color continues to inspire me, as seen in these stripey wrist-warmers by Posy Gets Cozy.

* This "Postcard" image from Soule Mama just makes my heart swoon. Anna loves to look at and talk to the moon. She always has. All of her postcard-type-images are just blowing me away. Do go check them out. Amazing.

* This natural pine-bough wreath and old floursack stocking from The Cottage Gals have me really inspired as well this Holiday season. We are trying to incorporate more nature into our celebrations this year. Soon we will go on a nature walk to find pretty items to include in our decor.

What is inspiring you these days?

'Mater Soup

2009-12-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

This is one of our favorite cold weather meals and the temperature has been just right for it. The days are cool and dreary, with a bit of a chilly drizzle in the wind. It just makes you want to stay inside and keep cozy!

To make this yummy Garlic Noodle Tomato Soup, here is a very simple recipe!

~2 cans condensed tomato soup
~2 cans worth of milk
~2 cups of your favorite noodles
~3 Tbs. minced garlic
~sprinkling of shredded cheese in each bowl

Directions:

* Whisk together milk and soup in a large pot on the stove, over medium-low heat
* After ingredients are well blended, stir in minced garlic.
* Boil noodles separately, drain, and stir into soup mixture.
* Serve with a sprinkling of shredded cheese in each bowl, and a crusty roll to sop up leftover soup on the bottom of the bowl.

YUM!

I hope you are staying cozy these warm winter days!

We Made Christmas

2009-12-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

We have had a really late start this year putting all of our decorations up. I don't know why it has been such a challenge, but we decided last night that it was time, and so we did. I am so so glad! It was just the lift to our spirits that we needed.

Anna seemed to especially love the process of decorating the tree. She kept asking after each ornament, "Can we open presents now?"

Our knitting group, the San Antonio Fiber Junkies, met on Saturday. We had an ornament exchange, and I think that was a big part of what inspired me to get everything set up. This cute pair of knitted mittens was given to me by Rachel from SAFJ. She made a pair for everyone! Aren't they adorable?

This gorgeous beaded angel was made by Kate, our hostess for the SAFJ knit-night. She's so tiny and beautiful. I love it.

When it came time for the ornament exchange, we all put the ornaments we brought into a big bag and Kate brought it around and let us draw out of the bag. I think I was one of the lucky ones, in that I got a gift-bag filled with these GORGEOUS hand-crocheted, and beaded, snowflakes.

I have received beautiful handmade ornaments from other people on the Reclaiming The Home message board in years past, and they have made it once again, to our tree. Thought I would share them as well!

This little guy was the inspiration for the knitted gnome I made and showed you all a few posts ago. :) Isn't he adorable? Anna kept saying that he was part of the gnome's family and should not be on the tree. I told her he was a Christmas gnome and this was his special home, and she seemed to like that idea.

This next ornament was actually part of a trade, if I am remembering things right. We accidentally cracked it when we were packing them up as gifts last year, so hubby glued it and we kept it for our own tree. I just love it!

If you look close you can see some of my other favorite things. To the right is a beaded ornament my grandmother made for us. We have an entire collection of them on the tree. They are some of my favorite things.

On the bottom left, you'll see one of the bows from the tops of last year's presents. Simple as it is, it adds a nice shine to the tree, when its tucked into the branches, and its nice because it reminds us of the joyful act of giving this time of year.

This next one was a blank ornament from the same trade last year. Kevin used an opaque marker to write our names and the date for this year's special ornament!

On the top left you'll also see a silver pipe cleaner wrapped into a curly-Q. That is our kid-and-cat-safe version of tinsel. They're fun to put on the tree, and add a really special shimmer when the lights go on!

We did some other decorating around the house as well. Kevin put lights on all the windows downstairs and it gives such a beautiful, festive feel to the house. This is also a slightly better picture of the curtains and valences I made last year.

We also have a miniature wooden Christmas tree that keeps the kitchen and dining room festive as well. I love this thing. $5 at a garage sale. Can't beat that.

Finally... a picture of our tree, all decorated. Anna is of course putting on the finishing touches. :) We don't have a topper yet. We're going to make a star out of sticks we all collect on a nature walk next weekend.

Happy Holidays!

Bringing Sissy Back

2009-12-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

I mentioned a while ago that we tragically lost our puppy, Sissy, to distemper a couple of weeks ago. We were all heartbroken, but I think it was especially hard on Anna, missing her special Sissy dog. They were glued to each other, always following one another around. Sissy slept with her, cuddled by her feet when Anna was still for more than 2 min, and was her playmate and her friend. It was very hard for her to lose that.

We wanted to do something for her that would help her to feel less alone and to let her know that Sissy is with her and loves her. We found this dog from Build a Bear.

We sat her down and told her that even though Sissy couldn't be with us, she sent all her love inside this new Sissy dog, and then handed it to her. This was her reaction...

Needless to say we were all in tears. She hugged "Sissy" like that for a long time, just holding her close.

She hasn't put her down since she got her yesterday, and is already having all sorts of adventures with her. They are glued at the hip and I have a feeling they will be for a long, long time.

Proof I can Knit

2009-12-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

I realized that even though I've been knitting for 3+ years now, literally all of the projects in my projects pages on Ravelry are crocheted. So... without further adu... proof I can knit.

Isn't he cute? There are lavender and chamomile blossoms inside his belly that make him smell incredibly good. Supposedly they are great for helping littles sleep. This bitsy gnome will make his way into a shoebox gift for an infant who wouldn't otherwise have a Christmas gift.

I also have a question for you. I am wanting to knit something new at our San Antonio Fiber Junkies Knit Night tomorrow. Any ideas of what I should start knitting? Have you been creating anything new lately?

Milestones

2009-12-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

We are now LEGAL! ;)

As of today, Reclaiming The Home is an official legal entity. Its a landmark day!

I know it may seem like a small thing, but in a lot of ways it feels like my baby is growing up. A lot of hours have gone into this behind the scenes, and it is wonderful to see my dream become something more.

Thanks for sharing in this milestone with me! :)

Kristin's Holiday Sweet Potatoes

2009-12-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

These are my "famous" holiday sweet potatoes that have become a tradition in our house, since our very first Thanksgiving as a couple. We make them for any special "big-meal" occasion. I thought I'd share the recipe for any of you who would like to try them at your winter-holiday dinner this year (whether that is Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, etc).

Ingredients:

* 4-6 Sweet potatoes, peeled
* About 1/2-1 cup margarine
* 1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar
* 2 bags mini marshmallows
* Salt & Pepper

Directions:

* First, preheat oven to 350*
* Then cube the peeled sweet potatoes into one-inch or smaller cubes.

* Next, fill the bottom of a large casserole dish with one layer of sweet potato cubes.
* Dot cubes with margarine, generously. You should use at least 2 Tbs of margarine per layer. Sprinkle 2+ Tbs. of brown sugar over the potatoes and margarine, and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper as well (about 1/2 tsp each). Sprinkle a small handful of marshmallows (no more than 1/2 cup) over the bottom layer.
* Repeat layering until all the sweet potatoes are used up, and finish with a layer of marshmallows.

* Cover and cook at 350* for 1 hour, 20 minutes, removing from the oven every 20 minutes to stir and add more marshmallows. This step is vital to evenly cook the potatoes and to create the unique and delicious sauce that comes with this recipe.
* After it is done baking, and potatoes are easy to poke with a fork, give one final gentle stir and serve warm.

These sweet potatoes will win over even the pickiest eaters. Who knows? You might even find that it becomes one of your traditions as well.

Do you have any other holiday foods that are a tradition in your household?

Thank You Alice!!

2009-12-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

One of my dear friends, Alice, runs her own sheep farm in Virginia. She also spoils me beyond belief. I would say a good half of my spinning stash is in large thanks, to Alice (and her beautiful sheep)!

Yesterday, Kevin walked in the door with a huge box with my name on it, and wouldn't you know it - it was stuffed to the gills with amazing goodies!

First up, a bundle of Shetland roving that just looks so squishy and fun to spin! I can't wait to see what it will become on the spinning wheel!!

Next up, a virtual ton (ok about a lb and a half) of Superwash BFL roving. *SWOOOON*!!!

That's not all my friends... no no. Alice also dehaired cashmere by HAND and sent some to me to spin with. It is so incredibly soft that I just want to squish it to my face and never let go.

As if that wasn't enough, she included a bag absolutely full of silk hankies. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to spin these up. I will be spinning these on the spindle so that I can spin them lace-thin. I am so excited to make these into some gorgeous yarn.

She sent a huge bundle of really nice dyes and dye solution so that I can turn these gorgeous fibers into colorful creations of my own. Up to now I'd been mostly using Kool-Aid and frosting coloring. It will be a lot of fun to play with more professional dyes!!

Spoiled, right? I totally know. But she didn't stop there. She sent me 2 skeins of this GORGEOUS Mirasol Miski in a delicious lavender color. It is 100% baby lama and is softer than clouds, I swear.

And because CLEARLY that wasn't enough to make me feel like the luckiest lady alive, she sent me 4 skeins of Sublime Cashmere/Merino/Silk.

To say the least I am THRILLED and surprised and so excited to try out everything, and get to creating. To say that I am honored and blessed to call Alice my friend is an understatement. Random wooly packages aside, Alice is one of the sweetest and most genuine people I have ever met and consider myself lucky to know her.

Alice, I hope you know how much you're loved. Thank you for this very sweet gift, my friend!

Saving the Snowman

2009-11-30T14:31:00.000-08:00

As sometimes happens with active kiddos of a certain age, things occasionally break. Such was the case for this poor fellow, who had been with us for the past 9 Christmases. I got him for Kevin the first year we were married and after the little snowman's twin sister sadly passed on to a similar, yet more horrifying incident last year, we were so sad to hear of his accident.

Thanks to a certain-someone-who-won't-be-named, our little winter wonder broke his adorable little head right in the back. Poor fella.

I simply could not bear the idea of throwing him out. He gave me "the look." Yep... this one.

I swear it said, it its most snuggly snowman way, "But... I love you. I just want to be a snowman forever and ever, and can't really do that so very much from the garbage can. Please?"

How could I resist that? I mean really.

So, I pulled out some of my handspun merino and got to work. Within an hour or so, I had him all patched up (or at least covered up).

The back even has a little tassel. Every snowman needs a tassel.

One snowman saved! All in a day's work as a mama.

FAQ

2009-11-29T13:44:00.001-08:00

Hello all! Well as you can see, the blog has gotten another makeover. Links will be put on the sidebar soon, so please let me know if you want to be added!

I am wanting to do a type of FAQ (which will be linked above when it is completed). If you have a moment, please leave a comment and just let me know anything you'd like to know about me or RTH. :) I'll be happy to answer!

In the mean time I'll leave you with a photo of some yarny goodness. This is some of my Bamboo and Finn handspun plied together. I'm hoping to make enough for a shawl. The Finn is from my friend Alice's farm! Its so pretty and squishy!

Bits of me.

2009-11-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

First things first... Alexis, you are the winner of the painting! I'm sorry about the delayed drawing... but congratulations on the win! I have your address and will get it mailed to you shortly. :)

---

A lot has been happening here, and some of that has kept me from posting. It is hard for me to know what I should or shouldn't post sometimes because I'm not sure what you all are looking for when you come to the blog. I don't know how much of the nitty-gritty you all really want to know about me. I would really appreciate it if you would leave a comment and just let me know if you're just visiting for homemaking-related-stuffs or if you are interested in hearing more about the life and times of moi. ;) There is no wrong answer.

So... I'm going to pretend that you want to hear all about my personal life, and give you updates. If you're here just for home-related stuffs, well... hopefully you can glean some goodies out anyway. Here goes.

THE GOOD:

* Anna turned 4 last weekend. I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. She's my youngest little girl and I couldn't be more proud of her and more enamored. She keeps me laughing and keeps my heart young.

* I made new friends from the San Antonio Fiber Arts group at the last knit night, and am so very happy about that. Everyone from the whole group was amazing, and it was so exciting to get to put some faces to the names that I know so well on Ravelry. Lisa and Mariah were both incredibly welcoming to me and have reached out in friendship, which has been wonderful. We all have so many things in common and the friendship is fun and easy. :) They also prepared the amazing birthday feast for Anna that you see in the picture above. Lisa made puppy chow and put it in cupcake holders and put a candle in Anna's. She was overjoyed, and we all had such a great time!

* I updated my stash on Ravelry and whoooo boy do I have a bunch of goodies in my stash. I honestly had no idea what I had on hand, because it had been forever since I had really looked at it all. To give you an idea of how unorganized it had been, I went up to go catalogue it and *found* a 12 lb Romney fleece I didn't know I had. Twelve. Pounds. Yikes. One of my goals for 2010 is going to be to work through all of my fleece and undyed fiber, getting it ready to spin, so that I can just reach in the stash and grab something pretty to work with. I also vow to update my ravelry stash page regularly with new items, so that I can keep better track of them. Whew.

(some of my hand-carded/dyed/spun alpaca)

THE BAD:

* Mom and brother couldn't make it to Thanksgiving. We were so looking forward to them coming and miss them both terribly. I know life circumstances come up, but it was still really hard to have the holiday without them.

* Abbi had to give back her communication device. This has been really really hard, especially for Abbi. She gained dozens of new words both on the device and verbally (after learning them on the device). This jump in language was SO huge, coming from a beautiful little girl who only had a 30 word vocabulary before, at the age of 8. We're hoping to have a loaner to last us until we can order one with the help of the STAP program very soon. Any good thoughts to this end will be much appreciated!

* Our FRG program in the unit has been dismantled and is no more. I understand the reasonings for it, but its still something sad for me and something I have had to take some time to work through emotionally, especially after investing so much time and work into it as the Special Events Chairperson. It is hard being a military family to begin with, but being a military family with special needs requires extra support. Every family in our unit has special needs of some type, so it was very much needed. Change can also be hard when so much else is on everyone's plates. All this together was just a lot to swallow, and while I am supportive of the positive changes that are going on to try to help the unit improve, I am saddened that the FRG is no more.

THE UGLY:

* Abbi hurt her foot really badly on the elliptical machine. She hurt it so badly that we thought it was broken, and had to go get a lot of X-rays and exams done. Thankfully everything is in place, just badly injured. She was hurt so badly that she was unable to go to school because she couldn't wear shoes and it was considered a liability problem. Its been two weeks and the bruise, which stretches from her achiles heel all the way to her toes, is just now starting to fade.

* Our puppy, Sissy, passed away of distemper a week ago. I can't even tell you how sad I am about this. Its been a long time since I cried so hard. She was only 4 months old. We are all heartbroken and miss her so so much.

So... As you can see, a lot has been happening that has basically made it hard for me to do many home-focused things that I felt were worth sharing with you all. I do have a recipe or two coming up that I'd love to share with you for your holiday meals this December.

What more would you like to find here at the blog? What sorts of things do you like to hear about? Crafts? Recipes? Me/the-kids/etc? Thank you in advance for the feedback. Hopefully this will help me to blog more regularly. Hugs to all!

Part 2 Interview and Giveaway. :)

2009-11-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Thank you to anyone who checked out Part 1 of the Interview over at Ruby Magazine!

I will be having a celebratory giveaway for all of my wonderful RTH'ers. :)

It is just a simple watercolor sketch I did that I thought was applicable to the theme of home and what it means for each of us to make them into places we love to be. It is simple, but so are many of the traditions of homemaking, and it comes from my heart to yours.

In order to win the prize, simply leave a comment on this post with some feedback for me, or Karen.

If you would like to multiply your chances to win, then blog, facebook, or tweet about it and then come back here to let us know in another comment (one comment per thing you do - so don't post "I facebooked and tweeted and blogged!" That will only count as one entry! One new comment for each time you share about it!). You can gain another entry into the contest by heading over to Ruby and saying hello on the Interview #2 post (though you will need to come back here and tell us in the comments so that we can give you another entry). That is a total of 5 possible chances to win this amazing giveaway.

The giveaway will end Sunday November 15th at midnight CST, and at that time I will do a random number drawing and announce the winner.

Ramen Our Way

2009-11-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

I present to you the staple of college students and frugal folks everywhere... Ramen Noodles.

We have been trying to find ways to make Ramen a bit tastier and add some more veggies into the mix, so this is what our Ramen noodles look like when we make them:

What you see there is a bowl of Beef Ramen topped with a diced tomato, a diced green onion, a handful of cilantro and a sprinkling of colby-jack cheese. I usually share a bowl with Anna, and it fills us both up and tastes delicious.

How do you make your Ramen?

RTH Featured at Ruby Magazine

2009-11-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

Hello All! Thought I would let you know that the interview I did with Karen over at Ruby Magazine came out today! There are lots of pictures, and interesting information about Reclaiming the Home, and about me too. I hope all of you will go take a peek!

A big thank you to Karen for being such a sweetheart and for investing so much time and energy in to Reclaiming The Home. Ruby is such a beautiful and inspiring magazine! :) I hope you all have a chance to look at everything she has to offer there. You will be glad you went! :)

Party Time

2009-11-09T07:46:00.001-08:00

Well, the Halloween Party was a smash. Thought I would share a few of my favorite bits and pieces!

This is just a simple basket filled with fake spider webs and Werther's Originals.

Hard to see it, but these are gloves (with bones printed on them) filled with popcorn, and candy for nails.

Here is our watermelon carved to look like brains. There were two of them, though this picture only shows one. The hand in the picture would move, and crawl toward people. Let me tell you, the brains were so gross looking when people carved into them! Sure did taste good, though!

This is just very simple, but I love how a basic orange tub can make bags of chips look all Halloweenie!

These adorable chocolate-covered pretzels were snatched up fast. The white chocolate was dyed with food coloring, and Halloween-themed sprinkles were shaken on while the chocolate was still wet.

These smores were a HUGE hit. Everyone loved them, and many people said they'd never had smores before! Of course these aren't your traditional smores, but it was a good gateway into the wonders of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. YUM.

Loved this super-cute display of "dirt" cakes. They were basic chocolate cake, topped with chocolate icing and dusted with crushed oreos, with a gummy worm on top.

Of course, it wouldn't be Halloween without caramel apples! Some of them have Halloween sprinkles on them as well.

There were lots of other yummy foods too from potato salad to "bat wings" (chicken wings drenched in a dark bbq sauce) and mummy dogs (hot dogs wrapped in croissants to look like mummies). There was green punch with red hand-shaped ice. Everything was so delicious!

We had all kinds of carnival games from bean bag toss games to fish-for-your prize games. There were potato sack races, a moon bounce, a cake walk, and more. My personal favorite was bobbing for doughnuts. All the kids had to try to eat their doughnut off of the string without using their hands, or letting it fall. We had a few that were masters at it easily, and others who eventually gave up and just grabbed it to dig in.

Here's a picture of our "snow princess," Anna, bobbing for doughnuts!

Abbi looked beautiful as a witch-without-her-hat. :)

Smores on a Stick

2009-10-31T06:38:00.001-07:00

I've been busy prepping for the Halloween party and that means that I have been cooking and doing some kitchen prep. One of my favorite Halloween party foods is Smores on a Stick. Ready? Here we go!

Ingredient List:

* Big Marshmallows
* Sticks
* Chocolate Chips
* Graham Crackers

The first thing you'll do is stick two big marshmallows on to a stick. You can do one, or three... but I like two. Two is my lucky number. Two it is.

Go ahead and make them all. I used 3 bags of marshmallows, but you don't have to use that much. You want to do this assembly line style so this is key. Go ahead... admire. And maybe snag one. Why is it anything on a stick looks more appealing??

Next, absolutely pulverize the graham crackers. Start with just one package of crackers. You don't want to pulverize them all if you aren't going to need them! I used my food processor ot make crumbs. (psst... its okay to snack on the bigger chunks nom nom nom)

Next, set up your double-boiler. I don't have a double boiler, so I did it old school, and just filled the bottom pot half way with water and put the chocolate in the pot on top of it. I put in about 1 to 1 + 1/2 cups, but bear in mind you may have to add more as you go. Go ahead and turn the heat on med to med-hi. You want the water to just reach boiling, and then turn it down to a simmer on medium or med-lo.

Here is what your assembly line should look like. You don't have to have gorgeous flowers on your counter like I do... I'm just cool like that. It should go marshmallow sticks, chocolate with spatula, graham crackers, pan with wax paper.

Okay so by now you should have things set up and your double-boiler should be heating up. As it does, stir your chocolate. When it looks like this, I add about 1/4 cup milk just to help it melt better. For our purposes, it doesn't affect the chocolate at all, and will still harden just as well.

Here is the consistency it should be before you begin. Try not to drool in the chocolate. If you do, I won't tell anyone. It will be our secret.

Using your spatula, put chocolate onto the top and sides of your marshmallows. It does not have to be perfect in any way, just try to cover the area you need to cover, and consider yourself good. If you have goopy chocolate on one side, will anybody really be all that disappointed? If so, you can give their smores to me. Now, note the decadent imperfection below:

While it is still all melty-goodness, roll in the graham cracker crumbs until it is well coated. You would think this would make the little tray of crumbs all chocolatey, but sadly no. I had great visions of having to "somehow dispose of" all those little nuggets of chocolate-graham-cracker carnage but alas, there was no need. Just wanted to prepare you.

Just keep going with this until you have a vast array of smore-y goodness. I am sad to say that several of these beauties suffered casualties so severe that they could not make it to the halloween party. I'm not at all sorry.

Let them harden while on the sheet, and then store them in an air-tight container. I just shoved them in baggies since they are going to be handed out at a buffet on an open tray. If you want them individually wrapped, check your party supply store for candy or treat bags.

Sit back and enjoy the "MMMMM"s and "OOOOOOOOH"s and tell them that you slaved all day over the stove, even though in all reality it will take less than 2 hours to do 3 bags worth.

Happy Halloween!

Carving a new tradition

2009-10-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Before I get into the fun Halloween talk, I thought I'd give you all a quick update on how things are going with us since I've been gone for so long taking care of general lifey things.

* The portraits at the Autism school went better than I could have imagined. I have such a passion for my job and especially in this venue, I feel like I've found my place. I couldn't be more inspired or encouraged, and the feedback so far from administration and parents has all been exceedingly positive.

* Abbi is doing AMAZINGLY well with her communication device! It is looking like the powers that be are feeling the same way and are ready to sign off on her receiving her own, for free. We have until Nov. 16th to use this one (during the 1 month trial) and hopefully hers will be on order very very soon.

* The Halloween party is fully planned and is in the process of being executed. Be watching for some really fun recipes I will share in the next 24 hours for really delicious themed foods!

Other than that, we have been busy celebrating birthdays, snuggling under covers, going for long drives, and otherwise living our busy lives. I've had trainings and classes, and Kevin has been working a lot as usual.

Of course, the big thing on our mind this weekend is Halloween. Anna seems to really "get" a lot of things this year about holidays, and one thing we really wanted to institute as a tradition is carving pumpkins. I picked up two beautiful ones at the market the other day and Kevin took her out back so that they could do it together. Abbi had no interest at all, but thinks the finished product is pretty amazing and likes to look at the light!

Anna got to draw on her pumpkin, while daddy carved the other one. I will be working with her tonight to carve out the little faces she drew on her pumpkin. :)

Here they both are together, so proud of their creation! There's nothing like messy, creative fun.

And of course, I had to throw in a gratuitous "glowing pumpkin face" picture. I love the exchange between the two of them in this shot.

Kevin celebrated his 29th birthday. Here's to a wonderful, happy year ahead of us!

I'm not lost.

2009-10-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

I'm just wandering...

Or working...

Or something...

Anyway, I've been busy... so busy that I can scarcely keep up with what day it is! Between workshops, trainings, meetings, planning, FRG support, preparing for 4 birthdays in one week for people who are all VERY close to me, a photo shoot, parenting, home life, and breathing, i'm whipped! These are ALL things that I LOVE and am more than happy to do, but as usual I haven't been paying attention to how much I've committed to, and I'm feeling like "too little butter scraped across too much bread."

Probably the biggest thing in all of this is Abbi's communication device. It was designed by a company called PRC (Prentke Romich Company), and is taught with a program called LAMP (Lanugage Acquisition through Motor Planning). The device she is using is a Vantage Light, and was designed specifically for non-verbal children who have Autism.

Today was her first day using the device (video and pics of her using it to come soon, promise)! She did GREAT!! She learned 5 new words in the course of a day! She is 8 years old and only has a 30 word verbal vocabulary! Learning 5 words in one day is HUGE. :) I can't wait to see what happens over the course of the month we get to try it out.

Monday I am going to spend the day at Abbi’s school showing them how to run the communication device she is trying out since no one in her classroom was able to go to the training we had yesterday. I am hoping to be there the whole day since it is something that is a process of learning, and I'd like to sortof keep our heads together on it.

The rest of the week looks crazy again...

Tuesday through Thursday I am going to be at Treehouse, a school for children with autism doing portraits for Project Dignity. Friday I have a lunch and thrifting date with a friend that I’ve been meaning to get together with for a month. Then I have all the editing I’ve got to do from those photo shoots! Wednesday is my friend’s birthday, Thursday is my mom’s birthday, and Saturday is Kevin’s and my other friend’s birthday. I am close to all of them of course, so its like giant birthday explosion (at least there will be cake to reduce my stress level. Someone find me the elastic waist pants! LOL). I also have to finish up plans and organization for the FRG Halloween party.

On top of all that I will be working with Abbi on her device every chance I have while she is awake, and then I need to write down all the details of working with her on it so that we can convince the insurance companies and the school that she deserves to get it. NO PRESSURE OR ANYTHING. (Yeah... just a bit stressful. I hand-wrote 5 pages of notes today!!)

PARDON ME WHILE I FREAK OUT JUST A BIT.

There. Much better. :)

Anywho - I'll be around as much as I can be, but if you don't hear from me for a few days... now you know why. ;)

~ Kristin

Little Things.

2009-10-10T19:47:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it really is about the little things.

Have you done any baking lately?

Pumpkin Addiction

2009-10-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have quite an addiction to pumpkin. :) My amazing friend, Rachel showed me this decadent recipe for Pumpkin Fluff, and that got me thinking. Now that October has hit, I am anxious to start making as much with this beautiful squash as possible. I loved this recipe for Easy-as-Cake-Muffins (with pumpkin) by Two Curlytops that i saw in the comments as well!

Do you have a favorite pumpkin recipe? I'd love to give it a try!

We have the Swine Flu

2009-09-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

Or at least the biggest little does. Poor Abbi.

We've been just trying to take it easy and keep everyone as calm and relaxed as possible. Sometimes its easier than others. Overall Abbi has been a trooper, but its never easy when you're stuck at home and feel like poo.

Rest is important for all of us right now, so I don't have much to update with, unfortunately. More will be coming, but before all that... coffee is much needed.

Granola

2009-09-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

I love granola.

It is healthy, it is filling, and it lasts for what feels like forever. Its also pretty.

I thought I would share my granola recipe with you all, since I have found a way to do it that is both frugal and delicious.

Ingredients:

~ 1-1/4 cups brown sugar
~ 1/2 cup water
~ 2 Tbs. vanilla extract
~ 1 tsp. salt
~ 8 cups oats
~ 1 package of dried "tropical" fruit from Dollar Tree
~ 1 package of nuts (your favorite ones - I got sunflower seeds) from Dollar Tree

Directions:

~ Preheat oven to 300* and line 2 pans with parchment / wax paper.
~ Pour brown sugar into a bowl and top with water. Stir well and microwave for 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Stir.
~ Mix in vanilla and salt. Stir.
~ In a large bowl, mix together oats and sugar mixture.
~ Spread oats out on 2 pans lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300* for 45 minutes (or until golden and slightly crunchy)
~ Let oats cool, and then pour into a large bowl and mix with fruit and nuts. Store in an airtight container.

Making granola is one of our favorite past times and always a reminder of fall. Do you have a favorite fall recipe?

Autumn Has Arrived.

2009-09-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

The Autumn Equinox has come and gone, and left in its wake beautiful weather and the sights and smells of fall all around us.

Anna went on a nature walk through our back yard and arranged all of her findings on a piece of drawing paper the other day.

We had a great time looking at all of the different pieces that she brought in. She loved inspecting each piece individually, looking for anything that made each piece unique.

We have also been cooking a bit lately. I made some Peach Cobbler today using this recipe from Recipe Zaar. Our grocer had a large stock of peaches on sale so we got quite a few. I decided that since today was rainy and cool and the first day of really chilly weather for fall, it was a good day to make this lovely warm dessert. It was absolutely delicious.

Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to share a photo with you of Kevin and Abbi out by the fire pit last night. It was the first night of the season that we lit it up, and it was so incredibly amazing to cuddle up together and let the warmth of the fire warm us. There is nothing like the smell of firewood to really solidify the fact that autumn is here.

What signifies the start of fall for you? Happy Autumn everyone!

Craft Nectar's Giveaway Winner!

2009-09-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

I had SO much fun reading everyone's responses! Wasn't Week's interview amazing? I loved getting to learn more about her and her lovely life as a homemaker and business owner.

I know there were many of you hoping to win the beautiful giveaway that Weeks offered up for the readers of Reclaiming The Home. I used a random number generator to help me pick who won. The generator picked the 20th comment!

That means that Michal is our winner! Congratulations! Michal, please email me (homegrownrose (at) gmail (dot) com) and send me your shipping information so that Weeks can send that beautiful gift your way.

Thank you so much everyone, and don't forget to stop by Week's blog to say hello from us over at RTH. :)

Craft Nectar's Weeks Ringle, and a Big Giveaway!

2009-09-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Today I have a special treat for you. I am introducing the first installment of a new feature on Reclaiming the Home. I am going to be sharing with you a detailed look at the people who inspire me most. My hope is that this will help to inspire each of you, and to share the wealth of information and creativity out there in the blog-world.

The first feature is on Weeks Ringle and her gorgeous blog, Craft Nectar. She also has a companion business, FunQuilts that is both an incredibly creative endeavor, and highly successful. She works with charities and helps to support those with Special Needs, qualities that are near and dear to my heart. She is also a published author with another book on the horizon in the near future!

As far as modern homemakers go, she is one of my heroes.

She graciously accepted when I asked her if she would do an interview for the blog and even offered to do a pretty amazing giveaway to the readers of Reclaiming The Home. She went all out with this piece, so I hope that you all will enjoy getting to know her, and find yourselves as inspired as I have.

The Bio:

My name is Weeks Ringle and I live in Oak Park, IL with my husband Bill Kerr and our daughter Sophie, whom we adopted from China when she was a baby. For the past 10 years, Bill and I have run FunQuilts, a contemporary design studio that makes contemporary quilts, designs fabric, sells patterns, writes books and teaches. Before meeting Bill I lived in Japan for nearly eight years and that experience continues to be one of the strongest influences in my life.

The Blog:

The purpose of Craft Nectar is to inspire people to make things for their home, their family and their friends. I think everyone needs to have a creative part of their life, even if it’s trying to rethink the system for office memos at their job. Some of my favorite posts became my favorite not because they got the most traffic (who knew that people would get so excited about a tutorial on cleaning a sewing machine!) but because my heart was so in them and I was happy with the tone of the writing. I can’t tell you how touched I was, however, by some of the lovely emails and comments I got before and after my Cowalunga ride. I think about those people and their stories often. I just felt one of those beautiful and genuine connections with them.

(Click the photo to read more about the CowaLUNGa ride that I took part in this year!)

The Interview:

1. How long have you been crafting, and what was it that brought you to it in the first place?

I did not grow up in a crafting family but was always drawn to it as a child. I did what I could but it wasn’t really until I graduated from college that I had the time and money to be able to buy my own sewing machine and fabric and take classes in ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), ceramics, drawing, knitting and the care of bonsai. It was in graduate school, however, when I gained the design education I needed to take my interests to the professional level.

(click the photo to read "The Mystery of the Embroidered Pillow Cases" and find the pattern!)

2. How do you Reclaim your own home?

There’s no way I can answer this succinctly. There are two homes that I was a part of that contributed to my vision for the kind of home I wanted. From 1984 to 1990, I spent most of the day every Saturday at the home of my flower-arranging teacher in Tokyo. Although I was paying her to learn flower arranging, I ended up learning how to be the woman that I really wanted to be and how to create a welcoming atmosphere in my home.

This 1914 bungalo is our home. Those are our two cats on the back porch lounging the day away.

My teacher is the oldest of nine siblings and lived through World War II in rural Japan. She’s seen hardship that most Americans cannot even imagine and she knows what’s important. Although her home was not fancy by any stretch, I learned from her the true meaning of hospitality. The notion of hospitality that I grew up with was closer to the Martha Stewart model of perfectionism, which was often tension-filled. Sensei’s (and yes I have only called her sensei for the past 25 years!) home is one that welcomes you at the drop of a hat. It isn’t about whether or not things are ready or what she or the house looks like.

When I would go there it was about our friendship. She was always interested in what I had been up to each week and made me feel as though she had been waiting all week to see me. There was always enough food for someone to stay for dinner if our lessons ran long. Although I was there week after week for all of those years she made me feel special, appreciated, understood and welcome in good times and bad. Her goal was to put you at ease and make you feel comfortable. That place was all heart and I took a big piece of it with me when I moved back to the States. I keep a picture of her in that room hanging above our kitchen table to remind me of what I want our home to feel like.

This is our living room with a huge weaving woven by my mother-in-law on the wall.

The second home that influenced me was my late mother-in-law’s home. When I met her she had become a widow and was very ill. Later Bill and I would quit our jobs and move into her house to care for her for eight months as she transitioned to assisted living. Although I never witnessed the happy, fun atmosphere before Bill’s father died and before she got sick, I heard story after story after story about it from countless friends and family. One childhood friend of Bill’s talked about Bill’s home as the place he went to feel safe when his own parents were going through a messy divorce. Others recounted the fun public radio fundraisers when she would have hoards of people bring a bowl and she would make huge vats of soup. There were always interesting and creative people dropping in and there was a vibrancy to the house that so many remember. I was so inspired by the wonderful times that had been had in this house that I suggested that before we sold the house that we have our wedding reception there as a sort of farewell to the house.

I should note, however, that Bill’s mom managed to create a similar environment when she moved to the assisted living facility. Despite the massive oxygen compressors and tubing, her little apartment was charming and welcoming.

Inspired by these two homes I have sought to create a comfortable, welcoming and fun environment in our 1914 bungalow. I am also the chief prankster and mistress of fun in our home and am constantly playing practical jokes on and planning small but fun little celebrations for Bill and Sophie. When Bill kept saying that he was worried about forgetting his dentist appointment, I wrote out in Cheerios “dentist 7 am” on the kitchen table. On Election Day I printed up a family ballot with ballot initiatives that included choosing the food we would serve for Thanksgiving and what type of vacation we wanted. There are Easter Egg Hunts, special gatherings and our annual Luck and Love party at which we celebrate Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year. I make a special point of inviting single friends over for casual family dinners during the week and on the weekend because I remember how nice it was when I was single for people to invite me over for a larger, family-style meal that wasn’t practical to cook for one.

(Click on the photo to read all about "Valentines Day for One.")

We live with just a few guidelines. The house is always tidy, not super neat but clean enough for someone to drop in and for us not be embarrassed. Everything has a place. Dinnertime is sacred. No phone calls, TVs or computers during meals. There’s always extra food for visitors who drop-in. It’s always OK to invite someone for dinner at the last minute. Mostly, we don’t allow anyone to be disrespectful or hurtful anyone in our home. Period. A big part of my definition of success as a wife and mom has to do with keeping our home comfortable, relaxed, safe and welcoming. All of us want that and I want that for people who visit as well.

3. What advice can you offer to others who enjoy crafting and home life?

I would advise people who enjoy crafting and a home life to organize your spaces and your time really well. You want to make sure that you have the time to do things that bring you pleasure and you don’t want to spend your crafting time looking for supplies. Also look at every time you are waiting for someone as an opportunity to make something. I always take a knitting bag to gymnastics registration, swim practice or the doctor’s office and never get on a plane without a project. Even if you just spend that time planning a project rather than reading a magazine in the waiting room, you’re making progress on a project.

(Click the photo to see "Oh Nancy Drew, Won't You Please Come to Our Sleepover?"
Below, click to read more about "Get a Clue")

4. Can you tell us about your business, FunQuilts?

I can’t be succinct about FunQuilts either. Having been in business for 10 years now, we’ve learned so much. I still love, love, love going to work everyday but it’s not what people think. They think that we’re just sewing all day and that’s just not the case. We probably only make quilts about 20% of the time. There’s a tremendous amount of time spent dealing with contracts, making travel reservations, doing bookkeeping, writing, answering emails, booking gigs, taking orders and the list goes on and on.

My best advice to people who want to start a business is to find a way to apply the creativity you have for your craft to the business side of it. Like it or not, you will spend a huge amount of time dealing with the business part of it and I’ve seen a lot of artisans say that they don’t care about the business part or that it’s boring. Like all businesses, technology is always a challenge as is the economy. We are fortunate that we are booked for months and sometimes years ahead but we are constantly revisiting the business plan and trying new things.

We’re just finishing making the quilts for our next book, writing the text and illustrating the diagrams. Next on deck is a quilt for the cover of Quilts & More magazine, three quilts for a client in the British Isles and a one-of-a-kind wedding quilt for someone in Hollywood.

This is the floor-to-ceiling cork wall in kitchen that we installed to keep all of the things that we want to or need to remember. This wall is constantly changing. You can see some details of the cork wall below as well.

5. Tell us more about the blog. What started you blogging, and what keeps you at it? Do you ever have writer's block?

I never, ever have writer’s block. It’s only a matter of finding more time blogging. I want to have original content that is inspiring to the readers so that takes awhile.

(Click to read all about "Sight Word Daddy.")

I first started blogging on WhipUp and really enjoyed it but I wanted to be able to talk more about what we were doing at FunQuilts, not just about a given project.

I love hearing from other people that something I’ve written about has inspired them. The thing I struggle with the most and Bill and I discuss endlessly is how much of me there should be in it. I want to inspire other people to make things and I really don’t think that I’m an important part of the equation. In other words, I think it’s about the project. Bill and others tell me that people want to know the writer more and that I should put more of myself in it. I just don’t want it to be one of those blogs where people are talking about how many loads of laundry they did that day. I just haven’t figured it out yet. I’d love some feedback on that one.

6. What is a fun fact we may not know about you?

When I get discouraged I visualize Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music on the bus en route to the Van Trapp family home. She gets off the bus and she starts swinging around her bag and her guitar while singing “I have confidence in sunshine. I have confidence in rain. I have confidence that spring will come again. Besides what you see I have confidence in me!” And then she jumps up and clicks her heels together and for a moment I think I can do anything. Pure magic I tell you.

7. Anything else you'd like to say?

I guess I’d like to say how appreciative I am to have so many readers and how much I enjoy dialog with them. Even more, I’d love to know what topics they’d like me to cover or what’s of interest to them. In other words, let me hear from you.

The Giveaway:

Weeks has been so very generous to offer up a gift to a lucky reader here at Reclaiming The Home! Included in this prize package are the totem quilt pattern, a beautiful package of fabric charm squares, and a gorgeous set of note cards from her online store.

In order to win this amazing prize package, simply leave a comment on this post with some feedback for Weeks.

If you would like to multiply your chances to win, then blog, facebook, or tweet about it and then come back here to let us know in another comment. You can gain another entry into the contest by heading over to Craft Nectar and saying hello (though you will need to come back here and tell us in the comments so that we can give you another entry). That is a total of 5 possible chances to win this amazing giveaway.

The giveaway will end Sunday September 20th at midnight CST, and at that time I will do a random number drawing and announce the winner.

Once again I would like to thank Weeks Ringle for taking the time to do this amazing interview with me and for being so generous to the readers of Reclaiming The Home. :)

FRG and a Halloween Party!

2009-09-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday I am now the Special Events Chairperson for our FRG!

For those of you who have no idea what I just said, my husband is in the Army. Every unit is supposed to have a Family Readiness Group to help support the families of soldiers (most do), and I am honored to be a part of the inception of this one. I was elected to the Special Events Chairperson position, and that means that I get to plan all the fun parties! (Among other responsibilities... but still... parties!)

The first big event that I will be scheduling is the Halloween Party. I absolutely love everything about Halloween: the weather, the smell of fireplaces burning, the sight of children dressed up and cheerful, candy (ahhh the candy), and of course... pumpkins. I love this photo by Darwin_Bell over on Flickr. I can't wait until we can go back to the Pumpkin Patch this fall!

I have about 6 weeks to plan the Halloween party. I have been trying to come up with some thrifty ideas since we are a new FRG and are having to work within a very small budget. I have been trying to focus on recycling items to use for various crafts, activities, and decorations.

One idea I had was to use Pringles cans or two liters as "bowling pins" and let the kids bowl a ball at them to get candy as a prize. I'm thinking of possibly having face painting as well, and a photo booth with pumpkins and a scare crow. There will hopefully be a costume competition, pumpkin painting, and more.

Do you have any suggestions that might be able to help me on my search for new ideas? What are your favorite Halloween activities, foods, or decorations?

Lulu's Jailhouse Cafe 4 lb Cinnamon Roll

2009-09-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

What about that doesn't sound appetizing? ;)

On Friday last week my loving hubby decided to "surprise" us by bringing home a 4 lb Cinnamon Roll from Lulu's Jailhouse Cafe. He had seen the enormous pastry on and episode of Man Vs. Food and for $5, you can't beat the experience, or the taste

I was afraid that for the size it would be lacking a cinnamon roll's traditional delicious qualities: soft chewy center, crisp outer layer, ooey-gooey cinnamon and icing all over. Let me assure you that it more than met our expectations. The only negative thing I have to say is that I wish I had a family big enough to eat it all.

If you would like to give this bad boy a try yourself, head on over to Lulu's at 918 Main St here in San Antonio. You can eat it fresh there at the cafe, or take it home like we did, and warm it up in the oven.

Even though this crazy amazing cinnamon roll was worth every penny, I would like to try making some from scratch. Have you ever made cinnamon rolls? Do you have a favorite recipe or any advice you could share about making them?

Printable: What's for Dinner List

2009-09-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about all of the changes that have been happening around RTH and how much I appreciate each of you who have helped to make RTH what it is; a community, a resource, and so much more.

Since I am unfortunately unable to send each and every one of you a REAL hug and RAK like I want to, I thought I would share something special with each of you here on the blog.

I find that keeping a weekly or monthly menu can really help me with home management planning. I designed this cute 50's style dinner menu to print up and place on my fridge each week. You can pin it to your message board or put it in your home management binder as well.

You can download the full version here. Enjoy, and if you get a chance, let me know what you think!

Thank you all again, for making RTH such an amazing thing.

September 11th, 2001

2009-09-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

We will never forget.

No Knead Bread that Melts in Your Mouth

2009-09-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

(this is a repost of a recipe from several years ago that has been tried, true, and loved by many. I hope you enjoy it!)

This tasty recipe first appeared in the article The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work, by Mark Bittman in the November 8th, 2006 New York Times.

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours rising

- 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting [I used bread, also suggested is substituting 1 cup whole wheat flour*.]
- 1/4 teaspoon instant [aka Rapid Rise, QuickRise, Instant Active Dry, Perfect Rise, or Bread Machine Yeast] yeast
- 1 1/4 [1 3/4] teaspoons salt
- Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 [1 1/2] cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. [I put it on top of my fridge.]

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal [rice flour was suggested as it won't get gummy]; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart [about a 4-quart pot is preferred] heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 [10 or 15] minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.

Free Fabric on Donna Downey's Blog

2009-09-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to post to let you know about an amazing giveaway going on over at Donna Downey's blog. Pickled Pear Lane is giving away 16 fat quarters of their new line of fabric called Mezzanine. It is just beautiful!

To enter, leave a comment on her blog by 10pm tonight (Thursday September 10th)!

Some Eye Candy

2009-09-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

*warning* - very image heavy!

I had some trouble bringing over the posts from the other blog, and while the text transferred really well, I couldn't seem to get the photos to come through. That said, I thought I would share some of my favorite shots and hilights with you from the past two years. Enjoy!