End of February

Its hard to believe we are at the end of February already! We finally got snow this weekend and the kids were thrilled. The younger kids spent Sunday morning outside building snowmen and making snow angels before the rain came and melted it all. There are small glimpses of spring each day. Baby calves in the field, the chickens are laying regularly and a small little flower has popped up from the dirt in the front flowerbed :).

I have been determined to start up OAMC again, however, I am putting this off by at least one more week. I need to use up things in the freezer/pantry that are partial packages or have been there a while. This weeks menu is based on whats on hand that needs to be used up. My grocery list for the week is VERY small which I love.

I did more crafting this past week. This weeks main project was Mini Treat/Gift bags. I found this pattern last fall at a quilt show I attended with my mom. You use Fat Quarters and with 2 Fat Quarters you can get 4 bags. They are super cute and easy to make. I had purchased quite a bit of fabric to make some and have been using that up this week. I also did some card making, thank you cards for my daughter to use as well as some cards to have on hand.

Crafts and a Birthday

Last week I decided to get a few craft projects done that had been sitting around for some time. I had finished up a stack of Rice Warmers and the headbands I showed in my last post. I finished up PJ shorts and pants for my oldest daughter and then moved on to reuseable shopping bags. I had found a Resuseable Shopping Bag Pattern online and had purchased the fabric. I found a price sticker still on one of the yards of fabric with a date of 11/21/2008. Yes, it was time to get this project finished :).

Here is a picture of my current craft area. I had moved the majority of my craft supplies to our living room so that I will actually USE it. This space is very functional for me and I am able to leave projects out and not clear them away for meals.

This past weekend was my youngest daughters 10th birthday. We have opted to NOT have birthday parties anymore but rather, to do something fun and special. She wanted to go to the bit city for her birthday, stay in a hotel with a pool and have fondue. She picked one friend to go and my mom went as well it was a fabulous time!

Blog Slacker and Craft Projects

Yes, I have officially become a Blog Slacker. I am adjusting to not working and having too much time on my hands. While most would LOVE the opportunity to have all of the free time, I do not do well with it. I enjoy being busy busy busy! I have found myself shopping more than I should. Not necessarily buying things but browsing the stores which could be potentially very dangerous on the budget.

I am setting a goal for myself over the next couple of weeks to finish up some craft projects that have been sitting around collecting dust. Yesterday it was headbands. I found this pattern online last year at Paige and Brook on Blogspot . The girls picked out their fabrics at that time and then it just sat, in a drawer in my "to do" craft area. Yesterday I pulled it out and made 12 headbands! I did modify it a bit. I printed the pattern hey supplied but made it a little bit longer. I also just used fabric and elastic I did not use the interfacing, well, because I had since used what I had bought for another project and I was NOT going to go to the fabric store. It worked just fine. My next project will be the resuseable shopping bags that I bought the fabric for almost 2 years ago! Again, using a free pattern I found online.

I am also working my way back into Freezer Meals and Once A Month Cooking. I will start school right at the time that Spring Sports for all 4 children are in full swing. That will make for an insane schedule for a few months. By planning ahead with freezer meals I can cut down our grocery expenses AND curb eating out.

Getting Crafty

I love making crafts and am working in more time to do these things that I love. I am not great at coming up with ideas on my own, however, there are some amazing people who do and blog about them!

Here are a couple of crafts I made last night and links to where you can find the instructions to make them too!


These little "snowman soup" templates are so darn cute! I made these for the teachers at our primary and elementary school from the PTA.

Source: Design With Heart

Next:


Ribbon angels! I picked up the wireless ribbon and some foam christmas tree ornaments at the Dollar Tree. The glass charms on the front I had on hand in my craft stash.

Source: Happy Birds Crafting Haven

Wednesday 2/24

Ahh halfway thru the work week. Always a good thing! Not much excitement mid week around here though.

A recipe to share:

JAZZED UP CLAM CHOWDER
This came from Taste of Home Simple & Delicious March/April 2010 . If you have not seen this magazine I highly recomend it some awesome recipes. My mom got me a subscription for Christmas THANKS MOM!

1 can cunky New England Clam Chowder
1 can cream style corn
2/3 c milk
2 T. shredded cheddar
2 T. bacon bits
2 T. minced chives

Mix the soup, corn and milk and heat either on stovetop or microwave. Sprinkle with cheese, bacon and chives.

I doubled the soup/milk and used 1 can of regular corn drained (all I had on hand. This made more than enough for several of us to eat.

I have also started working on some crafts again YEAH! Here is a thank you card I made this week:



I am also on the search for some GREAT craft blogs! If you have a craft blog you love to follow please share!