Awesome Things in Small Packages

I received a sweet little package, in the mail, from a friend of mine...A VERY good friend, Lottie!! I was so excited, I opened it in the car before we even got home :) Ya-ya was quite pleased with what was inside..As was I! Lottie is an amazing crafty Mama and always finds time to make a little something new. I am so happy she made time to craft a little something new for Ya-ya :) Thank you VERY much Lottie!! You know you FROCK!!

Of course I have pictures to share. Here ya go:

Everything together! 2 fantastic cloth diapers and a sweet little apron bib!

Lottie said this one is her favorite. It is so well made!! Sweet :)

This one is my favorite, but I do like them both...Of course :P

And last but not least, the apron bib. We will use this for crafty times with Mommy and Ya-ya :)

We LOVE everything Lottie!! You did a fantastic job and we thank you VERY much. P.S....I will mail you something too...Eventually LOL!

Ya-Ya Makes Sushi

She just loves it so much, it only makes sense that she know how to make her own...LOL!

Cooling the rice:

Pressing the rice on to the nori:

Adding cucumber:

Adding some avocado (the ingredients she loves):

Rolling it all up:

And....TA DA!!

On The Menu: Refrigerator Soup + Homemade Crackers

A simple recipe for all to enjoy! All you do is throw everything you have that is "soup" material, in to a pot with water and the spices you like. You might want to add some pantry goods as well, like beans, rice, barley...What ever tickles the taste buds, for you :) I also like to add a soup base/stock for extra flavor.

Tonight, I had a lot of wilted, sad looking produce that I thought would be better eaten in a soup, than wasted. I love getting to use everything, and wasting nothing!! This also good to make when you find yourself in a grocery crunch (I haven't been to the grocery store, and we are past due for a visit..LOL) Here is what I put in my soup:

Celery
Zucchini
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
Tomatoes (frozen, from our garden)
Cabbage
Onion soup mix
Barley
And, I think that's it!

Of course, what is soup without cracker? Just silly! So, I whipped up some homemade cracker as well :) These are so very simple to make and you can make which ever flavor you like. I made plain whole wheat and cheese...Mmmmm! I Googled cracker recipes and found a large amount of different kind types of crackers. I just grabbed something from each one and threw this together:

Homemade Crackers

1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup organic stone ground whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 - 1 cup cheese (not really sure here - Of course, you can make whatever flavor you like)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. I just gave it a quick mix up. Then add the liquids. I mixed it all together with my hand until it formed a nice ball. I suppose I kneaded it a little, but nothing too heavy. Roll out on to a floured surface, make it really thin. Cut in to what ever shape or size you want. I used a pizza cutter and cut them in to squares. Bake for about 10-15 minutes on a greased cookie sheet. Let them cool for a few minutes...VOILA!

Hope that makes sense :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR...

TO EVERYONE!! I hope this year is better than the last, for everyone :) Enjoy it and be safe.

Secret Santa

I joined a secret Santa swap, on the Mommies group I am a part of and I thought I would share with you , the homemade item I sent. I also sent some other items, but just the one homemade piece (it was a busy time).

A covered journal:
The front...
...and of course, the back :)

Sometimes, I make things for other people and I want to keep them for myself...LOL! Don't worry, I sent this one :P

Wingin' it Waldorf Style: Phase 5

Here is a little update for you, on the Waldorf style process! I am now working on putting hair on this doll and let me tell you, this is no simple task! I think I really over did it with the hair I already have on here and I am not even finished covering her whole head...Doh! I don't think her neck is going to hold up under all this crazy hair...LOL! I used a yarn that is obviously too thick. Too late to go back now, but I think I can find a way to make this work :)

I don't have any pictures to share right now, but I will, just as soon as I am finished getting the hair on. This shouldn't take me too much longer.

Back at it...Stay tuned!

UPDATE:
Well, I am finished with the hair segment of this journey! YAY!! It seems there is more hair than there is doll...LOL!! I think it will be a much better result when I have some wool to stuff the doll with. Yes, I think I am crazy enough to try this one again :P Here is a shot of the doll with all her hair:
Now to make her a lovely outfit, so she won't have to be naked anymore :P

Crafts of Christmas

Ahhhhhhhhh! No more Christmas crafting stress!! SO nice to finally relax. Of course, this relaxing won't last long, I have so much to get done around the house now :( There's cleaning, organizing, de-cluttering and oh so much more! I have already decided that my resolution this year will be to make my life chaos free. This means being more organized, clutter-free, healthier and losing weight! Chaos-free home, life, family and body!

Okay, this post has taken a turn for the wrong subject...LOL! Okay, here are the goods I made this Christmas:

Decorated shadow boxes for Grammy and Great Aunt, on Macho Man's side. (Thank you Lottie for the inspiration)

These dollies were for 2 of my nieces and an honorary niece. There were actually three of them, but I forgot to take a picture of the third doll (she was in a green dress). Here is the tutorial, I used for these lovely ladies!

This is one of my favorite creations this Christmas...The monster pillow!!! I made it for my 2.5 year old niece and she loved it! I am so happy with how it turned out and that my niece likes it so much. This idea just came off the top of my head, on Christmas eve. I was actually planning to give her one of the felt dolls, but thought it was not a good idea, as they are bit too delicate for her.
Last but not least, the lovely scrap booked frame for my mother! The pictures are of Ya-ya and her Nanny. (Thanks again Lottie)

I have a few more things to post, I just have to get some pictures of them. There were actually a few gifts that I forgot all about! I was making a pair of slippers for Ya-ya and got side tracked with another craft, forgetting all about the slippers...Oops! It's okay, I will be finishing them up this weekend. I also made a covered journal for my nephew, but forgot to take a picture of it :(

I think I should also add that the Waldorf style did not make it under the tree :( It's okay though, Ya-ya had a ton of things to open (she got spoiled by the fam!).