This Moment

{This Moment}

A single photo with no words to sum up the week.

I moment I want to stop and savor.

This week I am joining Amanda for {This Moment}

A Little Sewing For My Knitting

Sorry for my absence folks. Mr. Short Round finally got his teeth, so it was a ruff week. However, the little cutie is now feeling much better, and he can not keep from rubbing his tongue over those new teeth. Oh yeah then we had some technical difficulties, when I downloaded something funky onto the computer. All I wanted to do was print off some super cute Valentines Day coloring pages for Miss O. Good thing DJ is a mega nerd (which I love him for) and he  figured out what I did and fixed it for me.

Anyways, on to the topic for today. Yesterday Short Round took his first nap in days, so I decided to take advantage of the free time and spend some time at my sewing machine. A few years ago I found the bag below at a thrift store. I instantly fell in love with the fabric, and I had to buy it even though I had no use for it. Well this bag sat on a shelf forever till this summer. I was getting ready to go over to my parents house for dinner, and I wanted to take a knitting project. I decided to stuff the project into the bag, and it was great. The strings did not snag on anything in my purse, and the stitches did not fall of the needles. However, there was one problem. I had one bag and about 4 knitting projects.

So, when Short Round finally took a nap, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I went through my fabric pile and found some happy fabric and got to work.

I did not follow any pattern for these bags. I just started cutting out rectangles, and then I boxed the corners. I made them if different sizes in order to accommodate the different sizes of my projects. Usually everything I make is small because it is something that is being made for the kiddos, but one of my goals this year is to knit a sweater for myself. I am also super excited to use the bag on the right. I bought that fabric about a year ago, and I loved it so much! Sadly that bag is the last of it. I am glad I used it in a project where I will get to carry it around and see it all the time.

Two Cups of Beans And Some Big Tortillas

What do you get when you mix 2 cups of dried beans, some cheese, and some large tortilla....yummy homemade burritos! We love to make and freeze these for a super cheap and quick lunch. They are portable, so DJ can take them to work with him, and they microwave super fast.

I soak the beans over night, then put them in the crockpot for about 6 to 8 hours. (depending on how fast your crockpot cooks, and mine cooks pretty fast)

We get the tortilla from Bountiful Baskets, and they are so yummy and preservative free!

Now let me tell you about the secret ingredient.....HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING!!!

For this recipe you will need:

1T Chili Powder

1/4t Garlic Powder

1/4t Onion Powder

1/4t Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/4t Dried Oregano

1/2t Paprika

1&1/2t Ground Cumin

1t Sea Salt

1t Black Pepper

 

Just mix these all together in a jar, and then sprinkle to you hearts content on your burritos!

I then roll the burritos, wrap each one in saran wrap, and then place in gallon sized ziplock bags to freeze. When reheating simply unwrap the burritos, place on a plate with a little water in a cup (to keep the tortillas moist while reheating) for about 3 minuets. Then enjoy!





Sandhill Cranes

So, one cool thing about where we live is the birds. They migrate thru this area, and it causes so much diversity. Birders come from all over the country to see what they can spot in this area. Well, we decided to check out some of the more famous seasonal residences; the Sand hill Cranes.

Now, I will be honest with you, I have seen Sandhill Cranes before. I did an internship in South Florida, and these big birds could been seen hanging out on the golf courses. However, from the impression I get, they are an exciting and uncommon bird to see. So much so, that people make special day excursions just to see them. Yep, that is exactly what we did.

We piled up in the car, and drove to the nearest location where these birds are known to roost. Wow, there were so many there. We got to watch them fly in for the evening to roost, and there were fields of them. We taught Miss O how to use binoculars, and she had loads of fun picking up sticks and throwing them in the water. So cool!!

Out With The Old, In With The New

So, for years we lived in a place where there was no cell phone service. We had a land line, and it was so nice to go back to a simpler time. Oh yeah, and it only cost us about $20 a month. Then we moved back into civilization, and we went back to having cell phones. However, when we went to the phone store, we were shocked by the price of smart phones, and data plans. All we could think was why in the world would anyone spend that much money for a phone each month!!!!

So we ended up with this little number!

Now don't get me wrong, this was a really good phone, and man it went through a lot; but after 2 years of getting milk spilled on it, and getting dropped, it was time for an upgrade. We were still not crazy about the idea of a smart phone. I will be honest, it annoys me to see folks who have their faces shoved in their phones, and not enjoying life that is taking place around them. This is especially true about parents who are too busy with their phones to keep their children out of trouble or harms way. ( I see this all the time at places like the park) We did NOT want to turn into those people.

Then we found out that we could get some pretty sweet discounts for a smart phone, and it would not cost anymore than our regular cell phone plans. We very reluctantly decided to give it a try, with the idea that if we don't like them, then we can always go back to a basic phone.

Well, here it is....

We took the plunge, and so far it is kinda fun. It has its advantages, like I can be on pinterest while I am feeding Short Round and not have to worry about him kicking the computer off the arm of the couch. (which he has done a couple of times) I can also listen to Pandora at the gym when the music on my ipod is just not cutting it. Oh yeah, and the weather is always on the screen, and I am such an old person when it comes to keeping up with the weather.

However, we are starting to establish some rules with these phones of ours. For example, no phones at the table, because dinner time is family time. Also, no Facebook. We are not really big Facebook people to start off with, but once we access it on our phones, we are certain that we will be sucked into the world of constantly watching what our friend and family are up to.

It has been a big adjustment for us, mostly because it is something that we never expected to have in our lives. We are still trying to figure out how they work, but I have a feeling it is going to be a great tool to use for this blog of mine.



Cutting Teeth Is Tough Stuff

Sorry for my absence over the last couple of days, but this little cutie pictured above has been having a rough time. Short Round is cutting his first teeth, and has been for a while. However, I think that they might be here any day now. This last week he has been very uncomfortable and fussy, plus he has not been resting well. (which means that none of us are resting well)

We have been working pretty hard to keep him happy an smiling like the picture above, so I thought I would share some of my teething tips with you folks.





 





 

1. The Amber Teething Necklace- Many folks swear by these, and Miss O even had one. We got Short Round's when he was about 3 months old. These necklaces are made out of amber, and when placed against the skin, they help to reduce inflammation, in turn cutting down on the teething pain. I don't know if they really work or not, I like to think that they do. I always say that even if they don't work that it just really does not matter, because they are super cute.
2. Hyland Teething Tablets- I love these things. They are super tiny homeopathic pills that are quick acting and dissolving. These suckers really really help!
3. Chamomile Tea- I myself do not know how or why chamomile works, but it does. I freeze the tea in ice cube trays, then put the frozen cubes in one of those funky net feeders. Short Round gets the effects of the chamomile and the ice.
4. Orajel- I know that some sources out there suggest that orajel is not a great thing, and can cause the teeth to take long to poke their way through the skin, but I get the all natural kind. I will do anything to make teething easier for my little fella.
5. Prayer- This is the best teething tip that I have! This is a stressful time for mama's and babies, and prayer has been the biggest help!

If any of you Mamas out there have any other great teething tips to share, please leave a comment!

On My Needles: A Knitting Update

Well, I have not been doing much knitting since Christmas. I am still working on the hat for Short Round that he was supposed to get as part of his stocking. For some reason this hat is taking forever!!! Plus, I have spent so much time knitting the last few months, that I decided I needed to switch things up.

So, I started this project soon after Christmas. I bought this set so long ago, that I can't even remember when. It just sat in a basket in my sewing table, untouched. I have not done much cross-stitch in the past, but this has been so much fun! I only get to work on it a little at a time, so it is slow going (just like all my other projects) However, one thing I am loving about this, is that it is small and portable, and I can throw it in my giant purse with all my other junk and head out the door!

Crafting on the go is sometimes the only way things get done these days.

What We Made

I did not get the chance to make or bake as much as I wanted too this Christmas season; Short Round keeps me pretty busy these days. However, there was a fair amount of crafting that happened, and really who ever gets their list of holiday crafting finished!?!?

I was super excited about this Christmas season, because Miss O is totally into glueing, and painting. We made some tissue paper wreaths, and decorated some paper Christmas trees. She had so much fun, and next year I will really plan things out better so that we have more items for her to make.

I did not get all of the knitting done that I wanted to, but I got a couple of really important things made. Such as the scarf for my mom, and Miss O's snake (which she told me was her favorite gift and it melted my heart!)

The only sewing I did this year was a purse for Miss O, and not much happened in my kitchen as well. I did make some orange slice ornaments (I also burned a lot of oranges in my oven because I forgot about them! OOOPS!), and some white chocolate covered pretzels.

Overall, I would say that when making a list of the things we did, it really was more that I thought it was. I got a lot accomplished, while learning a lot, and have a bunch of fun doing it!

 

What Is Up 2015!!!

Happy New Years!!!!

So, it is a new year, and we all have a blank slate to make some fresh starts. I know not everyone likes to make resolutions, and I totally understand that. In fact, I asked DJ this morning what his resolutions were, and he just looked at me like I was crazy.

I myself kinda find resolutions silly, but I do like to make a list of goals that I want to accomplish and new things I want to learn in the new year. Usually this list is written in my journal, but I thought that this year I would share it with all of you guys. Maybe I can reach some of those goals if you guys help to hold me accountable for them.

OK, here is my top 10 for 2015

1. Learn to make yogurt- This is something that I have wanted to do for so long now, and I have just been too intimidated to give it a go. Plus, we eat sooooo much yogurt in our house. Miss O loves it.
2. Knit a sweater for myself- Those of you who have been following this blog from the start have seen many of my knitting projects. You will also know that I am a knitting novice. Knitting a sweater for myself is going to be a big challenge, and hopefully will improve some of my knitting skills.
3. Exercise More- Now let me say that again.... exercise more, not lose weight. I have intentions of continuing to be healthy not to get skinny. I have some health goal that I want to keep through out my life and exercising is going to help me meet them.
4. Craft more- Crafts are something that is important to me. When I am sewing, or knitting , or doing any other such activity, it helps to relax me and keeps me a little more centered. I need more of this in my life. This year I plan on scheduling more craft time into my day.
5. Put away the laundry when it is folded!!!- This happens every time....we fold the laundry, and then it sits on the floor till we finally run out of laundry and start digging in the piles of clean folded laundry. Then they become such a big mess, that we can no longer tell what is clean and what is dirty.
6. Open an Etsy store- This has been a dream of mine for a long time, but life has been a priority for me. This is the year where it is finally going to happen.
7. Get more involved with church- I am already a co-chair of a committee, but because it was such a crazy year, I did not get the chance to really do my share of the work.
8. Stick to our budget- We do pretty good with this, but there are some areas that could really use some work. ( Like my craft budget, ahem)
9. Watch Less TV- We don't watch a lot to start off with. We do not have cable, just Netflix, but you can always find something good to watch on Netflix. Now in order to reach some of my other goals, this one is pretty important. Plus, DJ and I love the evenings we have together when we don't even turn the TV on at all. Plopping our butts down in the couch after we finally get the kids down, and tuning out by watching TV is just a habit. We both go to bed feeling so much better when we find other activities to do.
10. Be more grateful and savor each and every day- This one is so important. Gratitude is something that I need to work on, and I also need to teach my children. I am a very blessed Mama and it is important that I don't get bogged down with life, and enjoy each and every moment I have, especially with my children. They grow up so fast, and I only get the opportunity for them to be little once.