Sewing for baby....

Ok, well, not for my baby.... for my baby's baby!

This little lady, who is lovingly referred to as Baby, usually can be found in any number of places in our home looking like this....


Baby was a gift from someone; can't remember who.... but, she usually gets picked up and dressed in her original outfit about once a month; then because the original outfit is ill-fitting and falls off.... my baby gets frustrated and ends up throwing Baby around for a bit, then forgets about her again.... It's really funny to witness....

Aaaanyway, today my Hammy-girl was trying to dress Baby, and once again started getting angry and man-handling Baby in a way that would land any adult parent in the slammer; so this Mommy decided that an intervention was needed....

Mommy: "We have to be nice to Baby. She doesn't like when you throw her around. It hurts. Can you say sorry to Baby?"
Hammy-girl: "So-wee Baby." *Hugs and cuddles*
Mommy: "Do you want Mommy to make Baby a dress that will stay on?"
Hammy-girl: "Dress fo Baby?"
Mommy: "Mmm-hmmm"
Hammy-girl: "Yes, peas"

So after all of that, we pulled out the sewing machine, rifled through the scrap fabric bin, picked out some cut-off jean pieces and a nice wrinkly and puckery swatch of seer-sucker, I love that stuff, especially for summer dresses.... it's so cool and soft and dries like a breeze!

Anyhow, the dress didn't happen; but, this little set did....


I LOVE IT! I'm thinking this will look so cute on my baby for summer! Except for my baby's shirt I'm envisioning little short and fluttery poufs for the sleeves!

Here's Baby modelling the little set, complete with over sized (for Baby) baby socks.... Look at that Baby, such a ham for the camera....


I had lots of fun with this quick little project.... and I especially loved that my little Hammy-girl sat right at my side the whole time, lovingly rocking a sleeping Baby in her warm embrace....

Have a great afternoon everyone ;)

Sunday dinner a la crock pot and a baby quilt....

So, I don't normally like using ketchup in recipes; but, in this case, it seems to work well.... What's for dinner tonight?....

Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops

4-6 pork chops
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2-3 cloves chopped/crushed garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger (1/2 tsp dry)
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red chilies (optional)
1-2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
sesame seeds & chopped green onions to garnish (optional)

Place pork chops in crock pot (if you'd like to cut them into chunks go right ahead or leave them as is, your choice). For the sauce/glaze; mix the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and optional crushed red chilies and sesame oil in a bowl and pour over the chops.

Cook for 8-10 hours on low, or 4-5 on high (the slower the cooking, the more tender the chops will be). Serve with sauteed or steamed veggies and rice or quinoa, and garnish with the sesame seeds and green onions.

Tastes much like teriyaki.... which is a bonus since my kids LOVE teriyaki!

This recipe is very easy to adapt to your own preference for taste... play around with it and see what you come up with. Alternatively, you can swap out the chops for chicken; and if you prefer more sauce, double it. You can also add a teaspoon or two of cornstarch mixed with a little cold water to the crock pot about 5 to 10 minutes before its done to thicken the sauce.... yummmm :P

Aside from dinner, I spent the three hours before the kids awoke, putting together a cute little baby quilt.... now, as I said previously, I am a complete newbie to the world of quilting - and it definitely shows! Puckering here and there and not a straight line of quilting anywhere! In my defense, my machine is the most basic machine around and is totally not meant for anything more than hemming pants and fixing seams.... I am; however, proud of what I've done so far, and I think the recipient will appreciate the time invested and the personal-ness (is that a word?) of the gift, at least I hope ;)

While putting the quilt together, I decided that, 1. I am a quilter, simply because I was quilting at the time; and 2. That if there are types of quilters, I can refer to myself as a 'Rustic Quilter' (I made that up to hide my mistakes... but, that's just me, always thinking of ways to see the bright side of things while being accepting of my faults).

I even went as far as cutting and making my own quilt binding! Something that at first seemed tedious and not worth the time; but, ended up being very therapeutic for me.... I enjoyed it, really.... a very strange thing to come to enjoy, but then again, I am strange :P

Here's a sneak peak of the quilt, just needs the binding sewn on then it'll be ready for gifting along with some other little tidbits!


Have a nice Sunday everyone ;)

For a friend....

Hope and patience are two sovereign remedies for all, the surest reposals, the softest cushions to lean on in adversity ~ Robert Burton

Always on my mind, B, and at your side every step.... chin up and keep smiling ;)

Much, Much LOVE xoxo
Julie

Family game night....

I know it's not a new concept; but, family game night is something our little family tries to do on a regular basis.... we don't have a night assigned for game night, it's more of a spur of the moment thing for us.... sometimes it's once or twice a week, and sometimes it's once a month.... whatever our schedule allows....Anyhow; our latest game of choice has proven to be a real family pleaser....


The Pictionary card game.... we've had the boxed adult version of the game for years, which lately has become a bone of contention for my husband.... some of our games are tucked away on the top shelf of our coat closet, the boxed Pictionary game being one of them.... If you have the game yourself, you know the box is a long rectangular shape; totally not fitting with all of the other more square-ish game boxes.... Aaanyway, every time my husband reaches for a game, this oddball game box falls from the shelf, once even landing on his toe, causing him to utter under his breath (not really), some form of profanity.... poor guy.... I guess that's where my height (or lack of) works to my advantage - no 'watch for falling game' for me to worry about ;)

Again, aaanyway, the game is so much fun! The game consists of 3 sets of cards: 1 set of category cards (adult side/children side) and 2 sets of pre-drawn picture cards, a blue set and a red set (one for each team). The category cards are similar to those found in the boxed version, except one side is for adults, the other for children.... of course, as we're playing with the boys, we've only used the side geared for children. The idea is to pick your category then create the answer using as many of the picture cards as you can. Very simple concept that is both hilarious and frustrating (again, the same as the boxed game)....

The game is for 4+ players; 8 and up.... our 6 year old plays with us with no problem; he just gets his older brother to help him read his category cards if they're too difficult for him to read himself.

The most interesting thing I find, is that the kids have an easier time with 'drawing' their pictures.... I tend to over think and try to get into great detail.... funny how kids see things more simply and literally than adults do.

Give it a try for your next family game night.... it's reasonably priced (I think Santa picked ours up at Wal-mart for $6.97); it's compact and can go anywhere; and best of all it doesn't require pencil or paper!

Enjoy your next family game night.... let me know what you think of the game.... have a great day everyone ;)


picture courtesy Amazon.com

Walking for a cure....

I made the decision last September to participate in the Annual Toronto Weekend to End Women's Cancers Walk.... I've talked about my friend Becky a number of times here on the blog; she is my motivation and inspiration....

There are four of us who have joined together to become Team DARE; each of us has our own reasons for walking.... and the reasons, when boiled down, are simply to find a cure and save lives....

Last Saturday, a teammate and I had the pleasure of attending an information session about the 2011 walk; or movement as it is now being referred to as.... I realized, about 3 minutes into the session, that I am not, and will never be, prepared for the intense emotions that will fill the air that weekend. How can anyone be prepared?

Which brings me to the struggle I've had since finding out that Becky is living with cancer.... I feel angry; I feel lost; I can't wrap my brain around the whole idea of cancer.... and I know my feelings don't even come close to what Becky, and other people living with cancer, must be feeling. I think as friends and family we want to do something; we want to take action; we want to relieve the burden.... I'm doing my very best to reach my goal; because in the end, it's the money raised that will help fund the research to find the cure, and fund the after care and support that is so needed....

Keeping my emotions in check is an impossibility.... I need to find a way to grasp the fact that I can't manage these emotions, and that I will never be able to make sense of a senseless disease....