Giveaway!

Fun Giveaway on http://fromcathywithlove.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-200th-post-apron-giveaway-and.html

Craft of the Week - Ideas for a Homemade Christmas

Bread Cloths
Homemade Christmas Cards
Chocolate Spoons
Personalized Stationary
Candle in an antique tea cup
Homemade spice mixes
Homemade vinegars
Homemade Mustards
Theme Basket
Recyled Holiday Can filled with candy
Paint Terra Cotta Pots with holiday theme and include a candle
Clay Ornaments (See recipe below)
Bath Salts (See recipe below)
Plants grown from clippings
Paper-mache Bowls
Creative Picture Frames
Cookie Mix in a jar
Brownie Mix in a jar
Soup in a jar
Cake in a jar (See recipe below)
Spiced Mug Mats
Movie Night Basket
Home Choclate Covered Cherries
Chocolate Dipped Pringles
Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies
Candied Tea Stirrers (See Recipe below)
Teacup Pincushion
Garden Stepping Stone
Felt Paper Dolls
Placemats with matching napkins
Homemade Jammies
Homemade reusable shopping bags
potpourri sachets
soap
candles
photo album with old family photos
skin cream
personalized holiday napkins
recipe book
flavored brandy
homemade beer
tealights made out of walnut shell halves, wicking and beeswax

RECIPES

Cinnamon Spice Craft Dough

* 1 cup apple sauce
* 1 cup cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon cloves

Mix until the dough has the consistency of play dough, adding more apple sauce or cinnamon as needed. (Incidentally, I buy cinnamon at the dollar store for 50 cents a bottle.) Roll flat, dusting counter and rolling pin with cinnamon if dough sticks. Cut out shapes with knife or cookie cutter. Use a toothpick to make a hole for hanging. Dry at room temperature for 5-7 days, turning over at the end of the third day to ensure even drying. They dry even quicker in a food dryer, and give your house a wonderful smell! (Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Survival)



Candy Cane Bath Salts:

* 2 cups Epsom salts
* ½ c. sea salt
* 4-6 drops peppermint oil
* 2-3 drops red food coloring.

Place one cup of Epsom and 1/4 cup sea salt in a bowl or re-sealable plastic bag. Add 2-3 drops peppermint oil.

Place the remaining ingredients in a second bowl. Mix all ingredients well. Layer the red and white salts in a clear bottle or jar. Half liter Naya ™ water bottles work well because they have the stripes. Tie with a ribbon and some small candy canes. This makes a great holiday gift for friends. (Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Survival)

CANDIED TEA STIRRERS
vegetable cooking spray
34 pieces fruit flavored hard candy--crushed--lemon, cinnamon etc
2 TBS light corn syrup
heavy weight plastic spoons

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Spray with cooking spray. In a small heavy saucepan combine crushed candies and corn syrup and melt over low eat stirring frequently.

Spoon candy into bowl of each spoon. Place spoons on prepared cookie sheet with handles on rims and spoons level. Allow to harden. Store in air tight container. (Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Survival)

CAKE IN A JAR with the Chocolate-Almond Variation

For this, you use wide-mouth pint jars. You grease the bottoms and sides of the jars well with butter. Don't use oil or sprays.

When baking, you use one cup of batter in each jar. Don't use more! And be sure to wipe the jar rims carefully or the batter bakes on and they won't seal.
You place the jars on a baking sheet to put in the oven. Jars should not touch. They are baked at 325 for 55 to 60 minutes. Test doneness with a wooden toothpick or skewer.

You put the seals on the jars as soon they are removed from the oven. Screw them on firmly then let cool. They should seal. If not, refrigerate the cake or have it for dessert that evening! And they last two months according to the book.

RECIPE
2 -2/3 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
2 tsp vanilla
3-1/2 cups flour
1- 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and mix well. Add water and canilla. Add dry ingredients. Pur 1 cup batter in each pint jar. Bake at 325 F for 55 to 60 minutes.

For Chocolate Almond version omit water and vanilla. Add
1/2 cup almond flavored liquuer (amaretto)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup almonds (slivered or chopped)

Mix and bake according to above directions

For Rum Raisin variation
omit water, add 1/2 cup dark rum and 1 cup raisins, bake as directed

For Banana Nut Cake Variation (don't omit water for this one)

add 2 cups mashed bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped pecans.
Bake according to directions.

Or, you can just add 1 cup mini M&Ms and call it polka dot cake!

For Orange or Lemon Poppy Seed Variation:
Omit water and add

1 cup white chocolate chips or pieces
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1Tablespoon of either grated lemon or orange rind
1/2 cup of either lemon or orange juice

Mix and bake according to directions.

These recipes are from the Book "Jazzy Jars" by Marie Browning....a entire book about decorating canning jars and filling them for home made gifts.

Craft of the Week - Vintage Teapot Holder Pattern

Go to the following link for a fun pattern for a Vintage Teapot Holder Pattern: Cup & Saucer

http://tipnut.com/teapot-holder/

Craft of the Week - Craft Apron Tutorial

Check out this great blog and the tutorial for this cute apron. It looks easy to make and inexpensive too!




To see this super tutorial go to:

http://www.creativelittledaisy.typepad.com/creative_little_daisy/2006/11/craft_apron_tut.html

Craft of the Week - Needle Case Tutorial

Featured this week is a darling Needle Case Tutorial....

The artist has provided good instructions for making this cute case. It comes complete with a cute cupcake on the cover. A simple project with a lot of class.

Check it out at http://messyjessecrafts.blogspot.com/2009/08/welcome-to-messy-jesses-first-make-it.html

Craft of the Week - Lip Balm Cozy

The craft this week is so simple that you could make it for yourself. Why make it when it is only $3.50 on the artists website? You decide.....



CraftLadyLeah is a stay at home Mom of 2 kids. According to her website, she has been crafting for years. She has tried lots of different crafts. Her relationship with the Etsy community has affected her positively. "All of these wonderful, creative people have given such a surge of ideas I can hardly sleep at night for all the new possibilities bouncing around my head." she writes.

Please visit her website at:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11115959

New to Tiny Taylor Ranch Country Store

High Uinta Trails




A Hiking Guide to the trails and lakes in the High Uintas Primitive Area and High Uinta Wilderness in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. Written by Mel Davis.

$7.00 plus $3.00 shipping

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6912413

Apron Giveaway

Please see the following link for a great apron giveaway:

http://secretstitchclub.blogspot.com/

Penne Napoletano

Penne Napoletano

Boil penne pasta. (whole wheat) Meanwhile heat 1 T. olive oil in a skillet and saute 1 clove chopped garlic until fragrant. (about 30 seconds) Add 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes: cook to heat through. Mix in pasta. Remove from heat and toss with torn fresh basil and small room-tempurature mozzarella balls.

The Mediterranean Diet

My doctor recently put me on the Mediterranean Diet. I have lost nine pounds in two weeks and am discovering a whole new way to cook and eat. I now eat alot of grains, fruits, and vegetables. I limit red emat, but can have two servings of white meat such as pork, poultry, and fish.

I have discovered new herbs and am enjoying the amazing affect they have on certain foods

I will periodically share recipes that I have found to be quite tasty.

Making Hay

Making Hay is an art that has been developed through millions of years. Interesting comparison can be made from the techniques of "old" to the high tech techniques of today.

We have used some of the "old" techniques during haying season on our ranch. One of my most fond memories are of driving the old rusty Ford tractor with a push rake on front. I would drive around the field, gathering the fresh bales and push them to the hay wagon, where our men folk would load the wagon. They used the "bucking" method to push the bales up on the high wooden wagon. This includes grasping the tie wires on the top of the bales, picking it up and using the knee to push the 40- 50 lbs bale onto the wagon. There was always another family member waiting to accept the bale. That man would lift the bale up to the stacker who was located on the top of the stack.

We used to ride on top of the stack on the way to the stack yard. The process of unloading the wagon would begin, by a brave soul venturing to the edge of the stack and throwing down the first bale to the tractor driver. He would begin the stack and continue until we had created an adequate "staircase" of hay for all of us to get off the wagon. Sometimes, the young men would just jump off the stack. A lady, however, would wait for the staircase to appear.

Our ranch is located in southwest Wyoming. Due to climate, we can get only two crops of hay. The second crop hay is always dusty and needed to be raked more than the first crop. Many hours have been spent driving the same old tractor pulling a traditional rake behind. The grasshoppers would jump out of the way when they heard the rattle of the tractor. Mosquitoes often swarmed on our unprotected arms and necks. The hot summer sun beat down on our backs for hours at a time. Haying is hard work.

One of the bright moments of the day was seeing the family matriarch, Lila, walking through the field with a big jug of ice water. She would come twice a day to refill our jugs. Every summer, she would pull her camp trailer over to the hay fields. We looked forward to the amazing lunches and dinners that were served daily out of that trailer. Farm women certainly know how to feed a hungry hay crew.

As we have gotten older and some of the younger family members have taken over the running of the ranch, we have gotten more modern in our techniques. We now have a swather that cuts the hay and arranges it into a nice wind row. We let the wind rows dry for a few days. The next step is baling, which is accomplished by pulling a baler behind a new John Deere tractor. The final step is to pick up those bales with a modern stacker, which loads the bales onto a wagon of sorts. Hydralics are used to move the bales off the wagon into the stack yard. Often times, we need to use 2x4's to prop up the stacks or use a fence to support it.

Our little ranch has evolved with the times as the world around us evolved. The hay stack staircases are gone as is the old push rake and rake. Family members have gone to greener pastures above and machines do our work for us now. When I get lost in my memories of the good old days, I must simply bring myself to the present and be happy for the future. We are still a family owned ranch and even though the old ways are gone, the traditions are still alive and well in our children.

Craft of the Week - Twirly Skirt

Here's a tutorial for a fun twirly skirt for a little girl. I think this could be adapted to an apron, as well.

Go to the following address for the tutorial:

http://houseonhillroad.typepad.com/photos/twirly_skirt/

Thanks House on the Hill Road. You are a craft genius!

Featured in our Blujay store, a lovely set of Vintage Napkins with cute yellow flowers appliqued in the corner. Good condition with slight yellowing from age.

$8.00 plus $3.00 shipping

The Tabernacle

by Karla Worley and Brent Lamb

“Down by the Tabernacle oh,
where the June bugs danced
and the lemonade flowed,
and we prayed and we sang
’til the sun sank low,
laughing with our sisters and brothers,

Down by the tabernacle hey,
where you knew you were loved
and you wanted to stay,
though the summer heat was like judgment day

We always enjoyed each other
“We went to the river and some were baptized
Clapped our hands and testified
Then we passed around the chicken and the Buttermilk Pie
And nothing ever tasted better”

How to Make a Reusable Sandwich Wrap

How to Make a Reusable Sandwich Wrap

This cute tutorial shows us how to make a reusable sandwich wrap. Making these up will help with the environment. Let's get sewing!

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/43227/how-to-make-a-reusable-sandwich-wrap

Craft of the Week - Pretty Pincushion Tutorial

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/42860/how-to-make-a-pretty-pincushion-with-a-button-center

This Pretty Pincushion tutorial is easy to follow and is a quick project for the weekend. This project would be good to use up those small scraps of fabric. Even children could do this easy pincushion.

Thanks to www.craftstylish.com for bringing such cute projects with tutorials!!!

If you like pincushions, check out the Aunt Edna Pincushion on our Blujay store

Craft of the Week - Chicken Little Pincushion

This cute little chicken pin cushion was created using some leftover felted wool sweater pieces. She sits on a vintage look lace nest and is secured atop a solid wood pedestal. It's a great way to use up all those scraps of wool, although fabric scraps would work well also.

This design is the creation of Janet Metzger of Warrenton, Va. She has the privledge of working in her home studio every day. Her dear husband created the studio for her. She has two sons that she adores. She gets to watch the sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains every evening.

Janet maintains a loveley blog in which she takes us through many of her projects and shares the creative process. Her blog can be reached by going to the following link:

http://theemptynest-janet.blogspot.com/

She also has an etsy shop. You can purchase the Chicken Pincushion for $19.95. She also offers some great aprons, re-conditioned wool fingerless gloves (great for icefishing), cell phone cozies, wool pouches, scarves, bags, purses, clothing, notecards, prints and original works.

Please visit her Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5507556

Please remember that this design belongs to Janet and should not be re-produced for commercial means without her permission.

Teenage Food Recipe - Pizza Buns

Although my son is not a big pizza fan, I think I will try this recipe. I will modify it by reducing the cheese (He's not a cheese fan) and will definitely do a whole wheat bun.


PIZZA BUNS
Almost any kind of bun can be used for this - hamburger, whole wheat, onion, kaiser or fergasa.

Because we have a large Muslim population in the school I always make one batch with chicken and beef. For this I adjust the seasoning, omitting the oregano and basil and adding some poultry seasoning and a little taco seasoning. Everything else remains the same. The vegetable content can also be varied to include broccoli, cauliflower etc. I also prepare a vegetarian version omitting all meat products and adding as many fresh vegetables as are available.

1 lb bacon, chopped finely
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped ham
1 cup diced garlic sausage
1 cup diced pepperoni
1/2 cup pasta sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
11/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese
1/2 lb grated mozzarella cheese

Fry the bacon and onion in a frying pan over medium heat until fat runs from bacon and the onion becomes soft (about 5 minutes). Stir in mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes more. Set pan aside to cool slightly. Mix all remaining ingredients, except the cheese. Mix in the cooked bacon and mushrooms, all the cheddar cheese and half the mozzarella cheese. Mix well. This is now ready for spreading on buns or can be portioned and frozen. Place one ice-cream scoop of mix on bun, spread with a knife, making sure the filling is spread to the very edge of the bun. Sprinkle a little of the remaining mozzarella on top. Place buns under grill for about 10 minutes, until the cheese begins to bubble and colour. Almost any combination of meats can be used depending on what is available.

http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2004/09/diet_recipes.html#CHOWDER

Migraines

I suffer from Migraine Headaches. In fact, today I am suffering from one. I've been to all the doctors and tried all the drugs. Triptans seem to take the edge off for awhile. This enables me to work.

Below is an excerpt from Medicinenet.com:

What should migraine sufferers do?

Individuals with mild and infrequent migraine headaches that do not cause disability may require only OTC analgesics. Individuals who experience several moderate or severe migraine headaches per month or whose headaches do not respond readily to medications should avoid triggers and consider modifications of their life-style. Life-style modifications for migraine sufferers include:

Go to sleep and waking up at the same time each day.
Exercise regularly (daily if possible). Make a commitment to exercise even when traveling or during busy periods at work. Exercise can improve the quality of sleep and reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches. Build up your exercise level gradually. Over-exertion, especially for someone who is out of shape, can lead to migraine headaches.
Do not skip meals, and avoiding prolonged fasting.
Limit stress through regular exercise and relaxation techniques.
Limit caffeine consumption to less than two caffeine-containing beverages a day.
Avoid bright or flashing lights and wearing sunglasses if sunlight is a trigger.
Identify and avoid foods that trigger headaches by keeping a headache and food diary. Review the diary with your doctor. It is impractical to adopt a diet that avoids all known migraine triggers, however, it is reasonable to avoid foods that consistently trigger migraine headaches.

Teenage Food Review

The recipe turned out quite well. I would add a little bit of flour, as the batter was a little runny. I couldn't taste the whole wheat flour. The cornmeal takes over the taste, cleverly disguising the healthy wheat.

I was, however, unable to wrangle the teenager test subject for the taste test. His schedule seems to get in the way of dinner quite often. I may have to host a corn dog party for the neighborhood teenager to get test subjects. :o}