Prairie Scraps

I was a little hesitant to read this book, as it seemed a little to scary for my usual tastes.  I  enjoy a good romantic, Christian novel and the description of this book seemed to have too much mystery for me.  However, this book did not disappoint me for my own requirements for a good book: romance and Christian, too and it was refreshing to read a little bit of mystery. As a new widow, Corrie Saunders, was searching for a way to hold on to her hero husband, Jarrod, who died saving others from an Iraqi suicide bomber.  She seeks her husband at his family home, which he inherited in the Missouri Ozarks.  Many in the area feel that the house is haunted. As Corrie renovates the family home, she finds a special interest in the strange presence she feels in the house.  Many in the area feel she should give the family home back to the Saunders family, but Corrie holds on to the only thing that makes her feel close to Jarrod. Eli, Jarrod's cousin, feels he...

I thought I would share with you how I make Jean Purses from a pair of jeans.  These really turn out cute, but I pre warn you, you need to be prepared for no specific formula for the purses.  Here's what you will need: Pair of Jeans (I like to use somewhere around a size 10 boys or girls) Extra pocket from another pair of jeans 1/2 yard of coordinating material Thread Scrap of Pellon fusible webbing Snap or magnetic purse closure Sew machine   First, chop off the legs.  I like to do it a little below the crotch, just because it gives me a little breathing room.  I'll trim that off later.  Sew a straight light across the bottom.  Sew a box seam (see the lining picture below for a better picture) on each corner.  I like to measure in 2 inches from the corner, and sew a perpendicular line to the side seam.  I've done almost 10 of these now, and each one takes it's own shape, so don't worry if it still looks a...

Because we recently moved here and my gardener is out of the country, our garden didn't really seem to be well planned, or even like it was going to produce anything this year.  I've been out in the garden the last few weeks trying to battle all the weeds that naturally occur on the prairie.  Lo and behold, we have produce! I thought I'd share, just to inspire you to get out there and do a little gardening.  Even if it's a few tomatoes in a pot - it's a great feeling to bring to the table your own bounty!  Not to mention, growing your own vegetables is healthier, too. Pictured above, are garlic scapes (which I made into  Garlic Scape Pesto  from one of my favorite places to get recipes for fresh farm produce), radishes, kale , Bok Choy, onion scapes and spinach which were all put into a Veggie Fried Rice. It's very refreshing to eat from your own garden. It's not too late to plant - don't forget those crops that you can add later in the season, l...

I found a tutorial to make  this baby quilt HERE,  and just had to make it for my new niece.  I won't even repeat the instructions, since Cheryl at www.aprettycoollife.com  did such a wonderful job of telling you how to do it.  The only complaint I had for this quilt, were that it was a bit small compared to a quilt size.  I started to cut all the pieces out and got the binding made, and my daughter decided that she really wanted to make this.  Who am I to deny a 13 year old of a project?  So here is what she did - all by herself! She did such a wonderful job.  She makes me proud! Please let me know what you think of my daughter's talent?  Also, be sure to check out those blogs that I love to link up to.  Oh, by the way, this didn't cost us anything, because I actually used materials that I had on hand!  I also made a matching bib and burp rag to go with it for the shower gift.

I was very excited to receive a hard cover copy of this book from  Waterbrook Multnomah  to review!  There is something wonderful about opening a brand new hard cover book that is just wonderful, don't you think?  On to the review - although I received a free book in exchange for my review, all opinions are mine. I feel torn about this book.  The story of three Mexican fisherman who were lost in the Pacific Ocean for over nine months without any supplies, kept me on the edge of my seat to find out their survival story.  On the other hand, although, Joe Kissack's story of his coming to know the Lord and how he found this story was interesting, I found the two stories to not align very well. I found it hard to compare the story of three men's survival and faith in God during a lost at sea story to one man's (Joe Kissack) personal endeavor to overcome his own self-induced addictions and loss in society.  To me, selfish life decisions ...

Around the time that I had my fourth child, I decided that I was not happy with the way that professional photographers took family pictures.  Now, I know there are some very talented photographers out there, but I got sick of them trying to fit all of our family into the picture (Mr. Right is very tall, I am short, and the kids are everywhere in between) and get the kids to smile.  We'd always end up with unhappy looks on some one's faces or we would have an odd set up.  I'm sorry, I am a whole foot shorter than Mr. Right, so it doesn't look right to have me at the same level as him! So, I started taking pictures of my kids myself.  Of course, I've had my fair share of disasters, but not anymore than the professional have.  Plus, I can wait until they are all in a good mood! Of course, after my newest niece was born, I couldn't resist trying to get some good portraits of her, so I shot away.  This is my favorite: What do you think?  It th...

Our first 4th of July Celebration in our new town and state, turned out to be one of the most fun and inexpensive we've ever had.  Usually we go camping, which isn't a really expensive way to go, but there is something about taking advantage of your hometown celebrations (whenever they may be.) Grangeville, ID has the oldest running rodeo over the Independence Day holiday in the state of Idaho.  You can go  HERE  to check it out.  There were many activities to go to for three days this last week (hence why I wasn't posting - we were too busy taking in everything!) Each morning, there were foot races on the Main street.  Each age group would run and then the top three winners would get a cash prize. The Preschool aged kids each got a $.50 piece just for running in the race! After the foot race, there was a Mega Egg toss.  Thousands of eggs were passed out on main street and the final pair with their eggs also got a cash prize. ...