Hijacked Blog Alert!
November 30, 2009
This is my little sister Emily while we were on vacation in Maine, way back in 1997.
Today is her birthday, and I, Breezy, have hijacked her blog. Mwuahahahahaaa!
Our dear Emily Rose is turning 17 today, and we plan on having a great deal of fun sitting behind our sewing machines and creating things. I think Coca-Cola and chocolate is on the menu as well as some other fantabulous foods!
Emily Love, I can’t tell you how dear you are to all of us! We hope you have a wonderful year ahead of you, and pray that the Lord continues to bless and keep you! I love being sisters with you!
Would you bless Emily with a birthday greeting? I think she’d enjoy finding a full page of comments to read in between sewing breaks! Thanks!
P.S. If you would like to see more pictures of Emily growing up, click here.
.:. .:. .:.
A Joyous Thanksgiving to You All!
November 26, 2009
“Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the company of the upright and in the assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord;
They are studied by all who delight in them.
Splendid and majestic is His work,
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonders to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will remember His covenant forever.
He has made known to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.”
Psalm 111:1-6
Have a lovely and joyous Thanksgiving praising our God for His wondrous works!
May God bless you all!
A Homemade Christmas #1: Knitted Fingerless Mittens
November 17, 2009
Welcome to A Homemade Christmas! This is No. 1 of 4 A Homemade Christmas events.
I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts, decorations, foods, and/or handmade things that make your home extra special for Christmas!
{Feel free to learn more about A Homemade Christmas here.}
A wonderful thing about having A Homemade Christmas is knowing that the handmade gift given, decoration hung, food enjoyed is special because it was made with love.
When something is made with love it is cherished. It doesn’t have to be fancy, nor does it have to be expensive. But when it’s made with love, it cannot get better than that.
The one who receives the gift, sees the decoration, or enjoys the dish will know and remember that those things were not there because we ran out of time, but because we took the time.
My latest project has been knitting fingerless mittens. I have not been knitting (the correct way) for very long, but have found it most enjoyable! It is relaxing (although the occasional dropping of a stitch is a bit unnerving) and easier than it may look.
The pattern is simple: a knit-pearl square that is slip-stitched together on the side, leaving a hole for the thumb. I still have yet to learn to cable-knit (I am looking forward to my sister teaching me how), and I’m sure once I’ve learned that there will be a few more projects that I will make using the cable stitch.
This sage pair of fingerless mittens is completed, and I have a couple more pairs in the making. They will be gifts to keep my family’s hands warm this winter.
Are you having A Homemade Christmas? Yes? Then I invite you to join me here by adding your link to your post about homemade gift(s), decorations, foods, and/or handmade things that make your home extra special for Christmas!
To join us, just sign Mr. Linky below (make sure you use the direct post link). You can get the codes and instructions for adding an A Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. The next A Homemade Christmas events will be December 1st, December 15th, and December 29th! This Linky will be open for two weeks, until the next AHC event begins.
I hope you’ll join us while we learn, inspire, and encourage one another as we prepare to celebrate (though we celebrate all year round) the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ!
View Other A Homemade Christmas Posts:
| 1. Kyleigh 2. Kristen~Pajama Mama 3. Bridgett 4. Susannah (sevensisters) 5. Angel-homemade cocoa jars 6. Angel-keeping CHRIST in Christmas cards! 7. Rachel 8. Maddy 9. Lady Kate 10. Rachel Grace 11. Danielle |
12. Breezy 13. Robin 14. Tarissa 15. Elisabeth LaMouria 16. Maggie @ Painter of Words 17. Rebecca @ Renaissance:: Baby Sweater 18. Rebecca @ Renaissance::And MORE presents 19. DHM, fabric ‘paper’ doll |
20. Elena 21. Peggy 22. Miss Jen 23. Hannah @ Reflections of a Face 24. Michelle 25. Jen 26. Sewmelody 27. Haley Steele 28. Watalulu 29. Esther~ Andrew’s Socks 30. Cassie |
An Autumn day in the garden.
November 16, 2009
Pruning the Lilac bush.
A little less web on the monkeys.
Nestled in the roots of another plant.
A little bouquet of Hens and Chicks.
The sun glimmering on the dried seed pods.
A Homemade Christmas 2009 . . . {details, details, details}
November 14, 2009
Last year I began the meme, A Homemade Christmas, where I posted every week about creating gifts to give away at Christmas, and invited others to join me.
This year will be a little bit different.
Every two weeks (dates are below), I will be posting about a project that I have completed or am working on that is either a gift, recipe/food, or something that will make the home extra special for Christmas. And, I’m encouraging you to join me, and have yourself a homemade Christmas.
What is A Homemade Christmas?
A Homemade Christmas is when you create things to give as gifts to friends and family, make decorations for the home, make Christmas goodies (food), etc.
The A Homemade Christmas meme is when you have the opportunity to share about the creative things you are doing for Christmas (such as listed above) on your blog, and drop by here to leave your link so that others can see what you are working on and be inspired in their own creative pursuits (and so you can be inspired by others’ projects, too).
When should we post about our homemade projects?
A Homemade Christmas begins this Tuesday. Every other Tuesday for eight weeks (making four events), a new A Homemade Christmas post will be up here on my blog. There will be a place at the bottom of my posts for you to add your link(s) to your A Homemade Christmas post(s) (make sure it is the direct/permanent link).
Dates to participate in A Homemade Christmas:
• November 17th
• December 1st
• December 15th
• December 29th (wrap-up with projects/gifts we couldn’t share before Christmas)
The main/opening dates are listed above, but the linkys will be open two weeks after the beginning date so that you have plenty of time to get in your posts.
The Reason for A Homemade Christmas (and extra notes):
Through this, I hope we can inspire and encourage one another in our preparation to celebrate (though we celebrate all year round) the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
If you would like an icon to put in your post or sidebar, just click here, copy the code of the icon you would like, and paste the code where desired. Voila!
And remember—to make this extra fun—I need your participation! I’m looking forward to doing this with you all!
P.S. You are welcome to spread the word about this, and I hope you participate!
Cheesy Chili Chip Dip
November 12, 2009
This dip is delicious! Below are the recipes for Chili Seasoning Mix (what you’ll add to the meat), Chili Meat (what you’ll add to the dip), and Cheesy Chili Chip Dip (which you will eat). This is the perfect snack-ish dish that goes quite quickly (if you have more than eight feasting upon it, you may wish to make a second pie plate of it!).
Chili Seasoning Mix
1 Tb. all-purpose flour
2 Tb. minced dried onion
1½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. ground red pepper
½ tsp. instant minced garlic
½ tsp. sugar
½ tsp. ground cumin
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Makes 1 package or about 1/4 cup Chili Seasoning Mix. We make this in bulk so that we have it on hand and do not have to mix a small batch every time we need it.
(If you are just wanting to make the seasoning mix for future use, store in a small jar or bag that is airtight. Use within 6 months.)
Chili Meat
1 lb. ground beef
1 – 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Chili mix (recipe above)
Fry ground beef in skillet, making sure to chop thoroughly. Add crushed tomatoes and chili mix to the fully cooked meat in skillet and mix well.
Cheesy Chili Chip Dip
1 – 8 oz. pkg. neufchatel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese)
1/2 of the Chili Meat (above)
1-1½ cups shredded cheese (sharp or Mexican)
Evenly spread the cream cheese in pie plate. Layer the chili meat on top (only half of the recipe above, you can freeze the rest of the chili meat for another dish of this delicious dip or a batch of chili). Sprinkle shredded cheese over meat. Microwave for 5-6 minutes (checking on it every minute), or bake in oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes (I’m guessing, so you’ll want to check in on it). Serve with tortilla chips.
I hope you enjoy it! When the Seasoning Mix and Chili Meat has been prepared ahead of time, it makes for a quick and easy dish. This was one of the things we ate while Sarah Mae and her family were staying with us . . . we all thought it was scrumptious!
While living the life my Lord has blessed me with, I am at home with my family enjoying being a daughter, homemaker and artist. My highest goal is to give glory to God and enjoy Him forever. It is He that has saved me with His amazing grace and is continually molding me; to Him I owe everything. Read more . . .
