Crafty Friday 10/1 - Buttons

Happy Friday everyone!! Can you believe it's already October??? Where did September go?

This week I need your help. I was given a gallon size ziploc bag full of buttons. They are mostly red, green and white (kind of Christmasy) and various sizes.

What do I do with them????

I was thinking of making some gingerbread Christmas ornaments and sewing on some of the buttons, but what other projects can I use these buttons with? Do you have any ideas?

I don't really play with buttons much even in my sewing so I'm not sure what to do with all of these, but I'm hoping for a few projects the kids can make. I'd love for you to share ideas, suggests and even links to projects on the net if you can.
So what have you been up to this week?

Do you have something to share? Let us know what you’re working on this week! It can be photos of a project, instructions, recipes, or anything else you feel is "crafty". If you have something to share with us on your blog, add your link to the current week's party. Just please be sure to:

1. Add the permalink to the specific blog post, not your general blog address in the Mister Linky form below (need help with finding the permalink? (click here to see a great post Darcy wrote on this!)
2. Include in your blog entry a link back to the party post on this blog! so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is working on today and have an opportunity to contribute! You can use the code below to add the button to your posts or blog if you'd like.
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what makes a party fun!! You don't want to come to a party and have no one talk to you!!
4. Let me know if you have any questions, problems or need help!

If you want to play along don't forget to grab a button to place at the top or bottom of your post to show you are participating in Crafty Fridays!
Simply copy the code below in the box and paste where you can edit the html in your blog post.




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Wordless Wednesday - Mini Pumpkin

For more Wordless Wednesday visit the home of Wordless Wednesday and A Beautiful Mess.

Recipe of the Week -- Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

Chocolate!! I am so in a chocolate mood this week. All I can think about is chocolate. I eat a meal and all I want is chocolate.

So in my chocolate frame of mind, I share this....the easiest, tastiest chocolate dessert ever.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

1-1/2 cups cold milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped peanut butter cups, divided
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in 1 cup chopped peanut butter cups. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into individual serving bowls. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Remove from the fridge just before serving. Garnish with the remaining peanut butter cups.


For more great recipes visit Two For Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday and Tuesdays at the Table.

Crafty Friday 9/24 - What do you do with a Drop Spindle?

We talk a lot about spinning around here and you may have heard about drop spindles. Have you ever wondered what they were?

A drop spindle is an easy, inexpensive way to start spinning yarn. It works by adding twist to your fibers (wool, alpaca, cotton, etc.). Adding twist to your fibers is what holds them together to make yarn.

Here is a great video that shows how-to use a spindle. This was the first video I found that really helped explain to me what I was doing. (This is not me, just a video I found that was helpful).




If you are interested in trying to spin on a drop spindle, we have spinning kits available in our Etsy shop.


These kits contain a handmade spindle (made by the hubby), 8 pages of instructions and 2 oz. of fiber ready to spin. Currently we have alpaca kits listed, but we do have some wool (dyed pink, blue or purple) kits that haven't made it on there yet.

This is really fun for the whole family. Kids love spinning too!

So what have you been up to this week?

Do you have something to share? Let us know what you’re working on this week! It can be photos of a project, instructions, recipes, or anything else you feel is "crafty". If you have something to share with us on your blog, add your link to the current week's party. Just please be sure to:

1. Add the permalink to the specific blog post, not your general blog address in the Mister Linky form below (need help with finding the permalink? (click here to see a great post Darcy wrote on this!)
2. Include in your blog entry a link back to the party post on this blog! so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is working on today and have an opportunity to contribute! You can use the code below to add the button to your posts or blog if you'd like.
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what makes a party fun!! You don't want to come to a party and have no one talk to you!!
4. Let me know if you have any questions, problems or need help!

If you want to play along don't forget to grab a button to place at the top or bottom of your post to show you are participating in Crafty Fridays!
Simply copy the code below in the box and paste where you can edit the html in your blog post.




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Recipe of the Week -- Kid Friendly Chili

Post number 200!!! Can you believe it!! I honestly never thought I'd write so many posts, but thank you everyone for being there along the way.

This week's recipe is a great one. It's probably one of the few things everyone agrees on for dinner. Well, one picks the beans out, but.....

I'm not a huge fan of chili myself, mostly because I don't like big chucks of tomatoes, but this has all the flavor and no chunks! Its tomato soup base is so kid friendly and is spiced just enough to make the grown-ups happy too.


Kid Friendly Chili

1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 can (15.5 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed tomato soup
1 soup can water
1 tbls. dried, minced onion
2 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in a med. soup pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low 10 minutes. Serve with crackers.


For more great recipes visit Two For Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday and Tuesdays at the Table.

Crafty Friday 9/17 - Bean Soup

Oh man.....I almost forgot all about Crafty Friday! How is that possible?!?!

In fact I have been so busy all week prepping for a fiber fest that is taking place tomorrow, I haven't even given any thought to Crafty Friday. Sorry to all my loyal crafters.

In the spirit of being crafty and I do love recipes in the Crafty loop, I am linking an old recipe that most of you probably haven't seen unless you've searched the archives. I actually ate this for dinner tonight and it was yummy!


So what have you been up to this week?

Do you have something to share? Let us know what you’re working on this week! It can be photos of a project, instructions, recipes, or anything else you feel is "crafty". If you have something to share with us on your blog, add your link to the current week's party. Just please be sure to:

1. Add the permalink to the specific blog post, not your general blog address in the Mister Linky form below (need help with finding the permalink? (click here to see a great post Darcy wrote on this!)
2. Include in your blog entry a link back to the party post on this blog! so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is working on today and have an opportunity to contribute! You can use the code below to add the button to your posts or blog if you'd like.
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what makes a party fun!! You don't want to come to a party and have no one talk to you!!
4. Let me know if you have any questions, problems or need help!

If you want to play along don't forget to grab a button to place at the top or bottom of your post to show you are participating in Crafty Fridays!
Simply copy the code below in the box and paste where you can edit the html in your blog post.




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Wordless Wednesday - Good-bye Summer

For more Wordless Wednesday visit the home of Wordless Wednesday and A Beautiful Mess.

Recipe of the Week -- Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Entertaining season is almost upon us. Yikes!! I am sooo not ready.

But in the spirit of being ready for all those holiday get-togethers here is one of my most requested appetizer recipes. Super, super easy and you can make them ahead of time. Just put them together and refrigerate until you're ready to start serving. Then pop them under the broiler for a couple of minutes and viola! they are done, hot and ready to eat.



Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
1 tbls. chopped green onion
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 lb. whole fresh mushrooms, stems removed

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the bacon, onion and garlic powder. Spoon into mushroom caps. Place on an ungreased broiler pan. Broil 4-6 inches away from heat for 4-6 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.


For more great recipes visit Two For Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday and Tuesdays at the Table.

Crafty Friday 9/10 - Drop Spindle Ornaments

It's my favorite time of the week again.....Crafty Friday!! Hi and thanks for joining us!

It's been really busy around here, but I think the coolest thing I've done this week is make these.


What are these you ask? What you see are mini drop spindle Christmas ornaments. For those of you who have absolutely no idea what a drop spindle is:

**From Wikipedia ~ A spindle is a wooden spike (known as the shaft) used for spinning wool, flax, hemp, cotton, and other fibres into thread. It is commonly weighted at either the bottom (sometimes called a drop spindle) middle or top, most commonly by a circular or spherical object called a whorl, and may also have a hook, groove or notch, though spindles without these are also common. Spindle whorls have been found in archaeological digs around the world.**

If your still confused here's the simplistic definition....you use it to make yarn.

Anywho, I made these really adorable mini drop spindles for all of you spinning enthusiasts to hang on you tree or anywhere else you'd like.

Wait, the hubs is saying he made them, I just decorated them. Hmmm, whatever. :o)

We are going to a fiber fest in a few weeks and we've been trying to make stuff like this to take and sell. I think they'll be a great addition to our fibers and yarns. What do you think?


So what have you been up to this week?

Do you have something to share? Let us know what you’re working on this week! It can be photos of a project, instructions, recipes, or anything else you feel is "crafty". If you have something to share with us on your blog, add your link to the current week's party. Just please be sure to:

1. Add the permalink to the specific blog post, not your general blog address in the Mister Linky form below (need help with finding the permalink? (click here to see a great post Darcy wrote on this!)
2. Include in your blog entry a link back to the party post on this blog! so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is working on today and have an opportunity to contribute! You can use the code below to add the button to your posts or blog if you'd like.
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what makes a party fun!! You don't want to come to a party and have no one talk to you!!
4. Let me know if you have any questions, problems or need help!

If you want to play along don't forget to grab a button to place at the top or bottom of your post to show you are participating in Crafty Fridays!
Simply copy the code below in the box and paste where you can edit the html in your blog post.




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Wordless Wednesday - Here Today...Yarn Tomorrow

For more Wordless Wednesday visit the home of Wordless Wednesday and A Beautiful Mess.

First Day of School!

So what do you do on the first day of school when you homeschool? Go to the Museum! With all the other kids in school the museum was a very quiet place with only a couple moms and their little kids. It makes the afternoon so much more enjoyable when you're not fighting to look at displays or play with the science stuff.

After a morning of school work, we headed off to the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. This is a great museum in downtown Kalamazoo and it's FREE!! I love that this museum doesn't charge admission and always has great rotating special exhibits. The current special exhibit is Out of This World - Extraordinary costumes from Film and television. Think Sci-fi! We sooo love our sci-fi shows here. The little man was especially excited to go because Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers were there.

Flash photography was not allowed so these aren't the best, but we had a blast and if you're around here you need to visit by Sunday because after that they are gone!

Here is the jacket worn by Arnold in The Terminator (the kids had no clue since they've never seen it, but mommy was geeked!)

Storm Trooper helment. Cool!

Seven of Nine's cat suit thing from Star Trek Voyager. This is my absolute fave!! I love the show and Seven was my favorite character. I think I may have actually fit into it myself (pre-kiddos of course), but I'm just a touch taller than her.


Indiana Jones jacket, whip, holy grail and staff headpiece. These items were from Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade.

And Darth Vader!

I was really amazed at how cheesy some of these costumes looked up close. Movie magic really is magic. :o)

Oh, there were lots of other movies represented too including more Star Wars, Ghost Busters, Batman and others.

Recipe of the Week -- Cheddar Meatloaf

Now don't you dare turn your nose up at meatloaf! Yes you.....I see you! Meatloaf is yummy!! Really!

Actually as a kid growing up, one of my absolute favorite meals was meatloaf. My best friend's mother made the best and I always begged her to make it when I spent the night over there. Funny thing though.....I never managed to get the recipe from her. Oops.

Anyway, when I first got married "someone" turned his nose up at my meatloaf (there is a story there, but we can save that). It only took a couple times making it to make him a devoted meatloaf lover. Hehe. They all succumb eventually. ;)

I have many versions of meatloaf, but this is my newest so I'll share it first.


Cheddar Meatloaf

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, ketchup, cheese, green onions, carrot, egg, salt and pepper. Add beef and gently combine.

Now here you have two choices:

Preheat oven to 375*. Transfer beef mixture to a 9x5 loaf pan. Bake until cooked through, about 1 hour.

Or for mini meatloafs (the kiddos faves)

Preheat oven to 400*. Divide beef mixture evenly into 6 balls. Shape into a loaf shape and place them on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Top with extra ketchup.


For more great recipes visit Two For Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday and Tuesdays at the Table.

New Alpacas are Here!

There's nothing like a day full of new arrivals. Our fiber herd keeps growing by leaps and bounds and today we added 3 awesome boys.

Grey Hawk is a beautiful dark silver grey with a micron count way under 20 (It's 16 I think). He's going to make some fabulous yarn!

WileyWind is a med. rose grey male with a serious attitude, but he'll fit in just fine. He's also gorgeous!

And Gold Rush is a fawn colored macho man with some great color markings. Can't wait to see how his fiber grows over the winter.



Of course, boys being boys, they had to wrestle around a bit to say hello. Haven't they ever heard of just shaking hands? :o) They settled down after about 20 minutes, but it was an interesting time before that.



No alpacas were hurt in the making of this video.

My First Interview!

Thanks so much to Margaret over at Knit 1 for the Road!! She has given me my very first interview. I feel so loved at the moment and it was a whole lot of fun!

You can read the whole interview by following this link.

Thanks again Margaret!!

Crafty Friday 9/3 - T-Shirt Yarn Projects

Last week I showed you how to make T-shirt yarn. If you missed this fun recycled craft you can see it here.

T-shirt yarn is really fun and you get to feel good about making it since you are recycling. In fact, it's kind of addicting turning these T-shirts into yarn. I've been stalking my family looking for old shirts. I think I might be annoying them. Hehe. :o)

Now, what can you do with T-shirt yarn? I will admit I was kind of stumped with this questions so I did what every normal person does.....I Googled it!

Here are some of the cool projects I found. I haven't made any of these myself, but I found them at least worthy of looking at twice and thinking about making.

Over at Craft Passion I found this cute crocheted bag:

At Creative Jewish Mom I found the cutest place mats that are woven:

This little crocheted trivet was at All Free Crochet:

And over at Don't Get Much Better Than This I found a knitted rug:

So what have you been up to this week?

Do you have something to share? Let us know what you’re working on this week! It can be photos of a project, instructions, recipes, or anything else you feel is "crafty". If you have something to share with us on your blog, add your link to the current week's party. Just please be sure to:

1. Add the permalink to the specific blog post, not your general blog address in the Mister Linky form below (need help with finding the permalink? (click here to see a great post Darcy wrote on this!)
2. Include in your blog entry a link back to the party post on this blog! so that your readers can come and see what everyone else is working on today and have an opportunity to contribute! You can use the code below to add the button to your posts or blog if you'd like.
3. Visit as many of the other participants as possible and leave comments! That’s what makes a party fun!! You don't want to come to a party and have no one talk to you!!
4. Let me know if you have any questions, problems or need help!

If you want to play along don't forget to grab a button to place at the top or bottom of your post to show you are participating in Crafty Fridays!
Simply copy the code below in the box and paste where you can edit the html in your blog post.




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