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}

Book Review of the Week

I recently read "On the Wings of Eagles" by Ken Follett. The book held a special focus for me in that one of the characters is the CEO of the company I work for.

This book is an action packed story of the efforts of Ross Perot and some of his top executives to gain the release of two EDS executives being held hostage in an Iranian prision in the 1970's.

Although the plot was often bogged down in political discussion, it was necessary to read through it to understand the Iranian government and the scope of the political problems of the times. There are photos of the adventure in sections of the book.

I really enjoyed the book, though I usually don't read this sort of book.

This book can be purchased from Amazon at the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/Wings-Eagles-Ken-Follett/dp/0451163532

There are some great reviews at this link.

Craft of the Week - Shamrock Pin

The Tiny Taylor Ranch Craft of the Week comes from a cute blog called Stitcher Scribbler.

The Stitcher Scribbler has created the cutest Shamrock Pin. She includes a tutorial to make her creation. She also has an etsy site where you could purchase these little darlings. That says alot about the generous kind of person she is.

Stitcher Scribbler Blog:

http://missniff.blogspot.com/2009/03/shamrock-freebie.html

Stitcher Scribbler Etsy Store:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5893646