This is Me.

I am a mother.
      I may complain about the messes and hassle that my children might bring me from time to time BUT I recognize that it is a blessing to have them in my life and the JOY that they bring me. To love and be loved is one of the best things in Life.

I am a teacher.
     Although Society makes my profession out to look like a bunch of lazy, entitled moochers, I am totally dedicated to both my job and my students. I am constantly thinking about how I teach what I teach and when I will teach it. I also recognize that people judge mothers for working saying that we can't possibly give our children what they need BUT I think they are wrong. My job gives me a sense of self worth and belonging, not just a pay check.

I am an artist.
     When I find a moment to spare, I love to make something out of nothing. Yes, I will day dream. Yes, I might go through some strange gyrations as I work a concept into a product BUT this creativity is as important to me as breathing. I constantly have ideas running through my head that need to become a reality. If I don't let them out, my head will explode.

I am chunky.
     Yes, I said chunky, not fluffy. My body, that was once thin and muscled before child bearing, now holds scars that are testament to the trials of my life. From pregnancy to emergency surgeries, I've known pain but now, I appreciate my body and am working to make myself the healthiest ME I can be.

I am a Loner.
      I am the person that you will see at the back of the crowd. I am the quiet person in the corner. I'm not a follower and have recently learned that I don't enjoy leading. I prefer to sit back and watch what is going on. This does not mean that I am disinterested in getting involved, quite the contrary. I now see the value of allowing others to step up to the plate and take control. I have opinions and ideas that I'm willing to share if needed.

I am Buddhist.
     Yes, I'm not a Christian BUT that does not mean that I spend all of my time tied up in some pretzel pose while wearing an orange robe and meditating to chanting monks. Yes, I do meditate. Yes, I do enjoy yoga. I try to maintain a life of Peace. This is not an easy path but is what I've chosen for myself. You don't have to agree with my choice. I'm totally OK with that, just don't go trying to change me into what YOU think I should be. It won't happen.

I am happy.
     I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful support circle from my family to my friends. I don't plan to let Society influence me in any way by telling me what I should be and what I should have to be happy. I have all I need.

This is ME. Love me or leave me, because what you see is what you get.

Oooo, what's inside?

I do believe that Pinterest is going to craft me to death! Every time I start browsing that site, I usually end up pinning a couple of items to my MUST MAKE board. LOL

I made the following for a gal in the Ongoing Holiday Swap on Craftster. As I was making my version of this project, I thought "Wouldn't my youngest love this but with a fairy instead of a mouse?"

First, I covered an Altoid tin with felt and flower buttons.

Then, I made the little mouse and his bedding.

While this project is super cute and tiny, it was a bit time consuming. The lesson that I learned was "Don't think just because something is little that it's a quick project". 

Guess I know what I'll be making soon! I just need to figure out how to make a little fairy. :)

Teaching Money Management: Chore Chart

My husband and I have become BIG Dave Ramsey fans. We've been on the Ramsey financial plan (Total Money Makeover) for a couple years now and have had great results. With two kids, we have been discussing how to make our two kids more financially responsible with the hopes that they will be wiser as adults.

I've seen countless elaborate charts and schemes out there on the internet but I decided for a much more user friendly version. Using some simple items from my craft stash, I created my own. I call it my Chore Chart.

Our kids have daily chores like feeding the animals, sweeping the kitchen, and unloading the dishwasher that earns them a set amount of allowance every week. However, this is summer and there's always something that they want whether it's a popsicle from the ice cream truck or a toy momento from our vacation travels. The Chore Chart helps them make decisions about how much they want to earn and begin thinking about planned spending.

Here's how I made my Chore Chart!

Items Needed

~Craft sticks - The thin ones will work. I just prefer the wide.
~Craft glue - I had E6000 on hand but any glue should work.
~An index card for each child to get started and keep the rest of the pack on hand for following weeks
~A permanent marker - If you have more than one child, you could use one color per child.
~Button magnets - These run about $3 at WalMart.

Step 1
Have a discussion with your kids as to what types of chores they are willing/able to do. Also, discuss what you all think is a fair price making the prices appropriate for the task completed. Straightening the pillows on the couch doesn't earn as much as unloading the dishwasher or running the vacuum. Make a stick with each chore and price.

Step 2
Make a tally stick for each child.

Step 3
Glue magnets on the back of the sticks and allow to dry. I put one magnet on chore sticks and two on the tally sticks.

Step 4
Choose a kid friendly spot to put up your chart. I chose the obvious front of the fridge since we already spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

To use the Chore Chart:

1. Child chooses a chore and moves it from the chore list over to the tally sheet. This is so much easier than the yelling that ensues when the parent tells the child what to do. Here, they can make that decision for themselves.

2. Child completes the chore(s).

3. Parent checks tally sheet as part of the bedtime routine writing the completed chores to the tally sheet along with a tally of amount earned and moving those completed chore sticks back to the list for the next day. (Sometimes parental follow up is necessary with completed chores. My son had to learn to vacuum properly, not just through the middle of the living room. ;) )

4. Payday happens once a week! We've chosen to pay on Sundays but you can do whichever day works for you.

**If you have more than one child, you could color code the chores sticks so that the younger one(s) know which stick is a chore more appropriate for them. In my case, I just wrote an E on the sticks for my littlest.**


And now for a Proud Momma Moment...

My son (age 11) has been super excited about going to LegoLand in July. He is a Lego fanatic and can't wait to get turned loose in the gift shop. (Yes, he already knows what he wants and approximately how much it will cost.) We have been discussing weekly what he can do to earn his money as well as how to break the work down into daily bits rather than working himself to death on the weekends. He's beginning to understand how to pace himself and that he can get what he wants with a bit of patience and saving. If this lesson sticks with him through Life, he'll be one step ahead of many of his friends. :D

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A parliament of owls

I find the terms used for groups of animals absolutely amusing! There's a pride of lions, a gaggle of geese, a quiver of cobras and so many more! When you're talking about owls, it's a parliament. I wonder if they get together to discuss world peace and taxes increases? ;)

I made these little owlie ornaments for a gal in the Craftster Ongoing Holiday List swap. She had requested a set of at least 8 to give out in gift bags for community people like the mailman, the gal at the Post Office, etc. I LOVE making felt ornaments and I had everything I needed on hand so why not share the ornament love!

A Little Bit of Harry Potter Goodness

Ok, I'm going to say it.

Hi, I'm T. I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan.

(Hi T.)

I've read the entire series several times. I watch the movies constantly while I'm crafting. I can randomly fit HP quotes into my every day life, and do. I'm not ashamed of being a Potterite! :D

One of the gals in the current Craftster Birthday Swap had a request for stuffies and loves HP so I combined the two concepts into these little guys.

She had something similar in her Pinterest so I just came up with my own pattern and adapted it to make Harry, Ron and Hermione. I think they turned out super cute!

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Adventures in Canning 2012!

I grew up on a farm in the mountains of northeast TN and putting up food (i.e. preserving and canning) is in my blood. As a teen and into my 20s, I had lost all interest in doing these things because I would spend every summer and fall stringing beans, canning fruits and making preserves with my family. I was over it. ;)

Well, when I hit my mid 30s, this all changed and now, I'm happily pursuing the very activities that I swore I would never do again. I sit in front of the tv and break green beans (surprisingly relaxing!) or I peel fruit while my daughter (6) stands beside me at the counter sneaking bites when she thinks I'm not looking. I started with apple butter which in my book, is a great place to jump into processing fruits.

In the last couple of years, I expanded into different fruit preserves and chutneys. However, this was the year of a BIG leap. I bought a pressure canner. :D

This past week, I've been a canning fool!

I've made blackberry jam.

I deseeded the blackberries the hard way (used fine sieve with a spatula) so that my parents could enjoy this jam. However, this convinced me that I really need a food mill. Talk about labor intensive!

Here's my peach preserves (a request from my dad)...

Finally,  my first batch of canned green beans!

I picked up a batch of beans from my local farmer's market earlier this week. They are so tasty! I've already made a second trip to the same farmer for more of his goodness.

I am so flippin' proud of myself. My husband already has all kinds of ideas for our new canner. Whee!

EDIT: I forgot to add that I used the recipes in the pectin box for my preserves and jams. The process for the beans came out of Canning for Dummies.

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Chibi Chewies!

I claimed another gal in the Ongoing Holiday swap for something that screamed "MAKE ME!!!" as I read her list. She had a super cool item on her wish list for her 9 yr old son, a Chewbacca stuffie! How could I not make one...or two? ;)

I found a link on Pinterest to this pattern found at Draw! Pilgrim (Amazing site btw!). I just bought the pattern and within 2 days, I had made both of these. I'm pleased as punch with how they turned out. I sure hope her son loves them as much as I do.

I have to wait until next week to share my next creations with you all! Be patient until then but I will tell you that they are fantabulous!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

When the temperatures start to rise, we do everything possible to keep from using the oven and stove. Needless to say, the grill and slow cooker get used frequently.

I had pinned this recipe on my Food board on Pinterest so I decided to give it a try!

The southwestern hash browns give the soup just the tiniest bit of heat which is perfect for my kids who haven't developed their daddy's super hot taste buds (yet). I think the next time I make it, I'm going to add some grilled chicken. :)

A simple swimsuit wrap for E

Parents of girls nowadays have a difficult task. How do we keep them little?

I have a 6 yr old and it is hard to find clothing for her that is not too revealing or age inappropriate. Skirts are way too short. Materials are see through. The over all look is quite often cheap.

Don't get me wrong. We are not prudes. We understand that looking nicely dressed is a good thing but what we're seeing sold in the stores for our first grader looks more like clothing for a girl much older. I was brought up with the saying "Why buy the cow if the milk is for free?" This is not what I want for my children.

We will be heading out for our yearly trip to the water park soon and I decided this year to make swimsuit wraps for myself and E to wear while there. I made this wrap from a beach towel and based it on this item that I had pinned on Pinterest. It took me about an hour to create including the time it took me to adjust the shoulder straps to the right length. Quick and easy!

It is a bit long on her at the moment but I decided to give her a little bit of growth room for the summer. :)

Yummy Oatmeal Cups!

I'm always on the look out for new things to fix for breakfast to help break up the cereal or bagel routine. If I can find a new recipe that is also on the healthier side, all the better!

I found a great recipe and for my house, this is a KEEPER!


Oatmeal Cups! 

 I told my kids that they were banana chocolate chip muffins (hey, they are in muffin shape!) and they couldn't get enough. YAY!

I found the recipe at Green Lite Bites.  I don't normally have almond milk on hand so I substituted skim milk with 3 TBP sugar and they came out great. The cups are very banana-y and super moist. I do recommend letting them sit for a good 5 minutes after you take them out of the oven. They are lava hot!

I stirred up the recipe according to the recipe but the next batch I make will split the batch so I can make half for the kids with chocolate chips and the other half with craisins and chopped pecans for me. :D

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Stashbustin' Gift - Notebook Covers

You might find this hard to believe, but I'm already starting my holiday crafting wish list.

Yes, you read that correctly!

One of my all time favorite swaps on Craftster has started back up, the Ongoing Holiday List Swap. Everyone who joins the swap posts a list of items that they want to create/have created for the coming holidays. We make claims off each other's lists to help cut down on the crafting crazies or in my case, to help me hide crafted presents. I've found lately that my kids now love to see what I'm doing or help out so making gifts for them is getting more difficult with each passing year. Now, I can have someone else make the item, ship it to me and I tuck it away in my magical hidey hole until the end of November. :D

I used a fat quarter and a small bit of complimentary colored cloth to create a notebook cover for one of my craft swapping buddies.

I picked up a 5 Star Notebook at Walmart for under $2. I had the fabrics on hand and used the notebook itself to create my slip cover pattern.What I love about this type of project is that the cover is reusable once the notebook is full. Just slip the cover off, add a new notebook and continue on your happy way. :)

I added 2 interior pockets just inside the flaps so that you can store receipts or other important bits.

All told and after I had the pattern laid out to my liking, I put this slip cover together in about an hour which in my opinion, makes this gift idea a Keeper!

My first sewn purse!

Yes, I've been quiet. I know. Bad T! ;)

School let out Tuesday of last week. In this first week of my summer vacation, I had to deal with a sick husband. He doesn't do sick well at all. He's finally on the mend now so I can have my crafty time back! Yay!!

Here's this weekend's project, my first sewn purse from a real pattern.

I've been sewing in some form or fashion since I was about 5 or 6 years old. I can hand sew, embroider and machine sew. I learned to sew without the need of a pattern which means when I have an idea in my head, I've sat down with fabric, scissors and a tape measure to just start cutting. Scary, huh? During my years as a historical re-enactor, I also learned how to make an outfit based solely on a picture. Lots of trial and error occurred then but I now understand fit and fabrics much better as a result.

So, yeah, I'm excited about the fact that I sat down with someone else's pattern and made that item! Go me! Pattern language is like Greek to me. I understand how it's done but the terminology is just bizarre. Ah well, here's my new purse! :D

I used Simplicity pattern 2168. I made a special trip to JoAnns yesterday to choose my pattern and fabrics. I've never worked with D rings or swivel hooks so that in itself was a learning experience. You can't tell from the picture but the front vine patterned fabric is an exterior pocket.

Here's a picture of the hardware placement. What is cool about this pattern is that you can adjust the length simply by repositioning the swivel hooks.

I have enough of the lining fabric (a woven, sort of bamboo pattern) and the exterior pocket fabric to make myself a coordinating zipper pouch so I think I'll go put that together now.

Wheeee! I'm going to have a super fun, crafty summer! 

EDIT: I finished my zipper pouch! Wheee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I used this wristlet pattern from JavaJem. :D