Grasshoppers and Butterflies

What Happened To You?

Yes it is true.  I have been neglecting my blog for the last few weeks.  First we went on vacation.  Then when we got back I got a nasty cold and didn't feel like doing anything.  As a result of not doing anything, my house turned into a huge mess.  Plus we are full swing into the school year and homeschool takes time too.  I am happy to say that everyone is well now, my house is sort of getting back to normal, we are in a homeschool grove and I am fervently working on craft show items.  Here is one of the items I just finished up and listed on Etsy.  The craft show is in November which is sneaking up on me faster than I thought it would.  Later!

UGG!

And I am not talking about the boots either.  Over the last week I have been working on moving all my pictures and stuff to the server which my blog will be hosted on.  Needless to say it is taking longer than anticipated.  Plus with homeschooling the girls I have less time to work on it.  Not that I mind that part of it though.  I love spending time with my girls!  My dad and I have also been working on this:

The bathroom has also taken much longer than anticipated although the end is at least in sight.  A couple of more weekends and it might actually be complete!  I can hope right?

On top of all the above going on we are also preparing for our trip to Chicago.  The girls are very excited because we will be visiting the American Girl store and dining at the American Girl Cafe.  After that we will check out the Hershey's store where they will crank the handle on the giant chocolate machine and fill their bucket with loads of chocolate (they have done this before)!

It has been quite busy in our house so by the end of the day, even though I have things I want to blog about I just drop on the couch and become vegetable like.  I will try to take lots of pictures in Chicago and update the blog from there.  Hopefully there will be internet access in our room!

Murphy's Steakhouse

The girls and I went to Bartlesville, OK today with my parents to see the grandparents and to go to lunch.  We went to Murphy's Steakhouse which I highly recommend (but not for the steak).  If you are ever in town you must (MUST, I COMMAND YOU!) get the Hot Hamburger (gravy over all).  I was a little skeptical at first but it was so good!

It is quite small but I believe it is still family owned and the service is great!

After lunch we drove around Bartlesville and visited where my dad grew up and a few other places which I remember going to as a child (some of which no longer exist).  It is funny to see just how quickly things change over the years.

The embroidery/sewing pictures will have to wait because I am in Tulsa visiting with the parents and won't be back home until tomorrow!

Homeschool Day 3

We are on day three of homeschooling and so far so good.  The girls are enjoying it and so am I.  We have our own routine and when we sit down to lunch we have more than 10 minutes to eat (unlike last year at school).  Other than that I don't have much.  I have been doing some sewing and embroidery but I will share more on that over the weekend.

Canning Success

I have been wanting to do some canning for awhile and I finally did it.  Wal-Mart had peaches on sale for $.68 a pound so I spent $5.00 and tried my hand at making peach butter.  I cooked the peaches overnight in the crock-pot with all the sugar and spices and then blended it all together this morning.  Then I sterilized the jars, filled them up and processed them in a canner for ten minutes.  As they cooled the lids popped signaling that the jars were sealed and done.  The batch made 7 half pints (two of which have already found new homes). 

The peach butter turned out so yummy!  It is supposed to last for up to a year so we will see.  My mom is going to give me a pressure canner so I can do vegetables and other stuff.  I hope to grow my own veggies next year and then can them.

Self Hosted Blog!!

If you follow my blog then you should bookmark my new site:

Grasshoppers and Butterflies

In a couple of months I will no longer be posting to my blog on typepad.  Right now both blogs are current.  I will just be hosting my own blog instead of Typepad hosting it for me!

Jennifer

A Little Bit Of Sewing

I went to my local thrift store today and found several items that were too cute......only the were in woman's sizes (not mine).  I started looking at them and thought I could turn them into something for my daughters.  Take a look!

The top one I did absolutely nothing to.  It is from Limited Too and the perfect size for one of my girly girls.  The one on the right was a woman's skirt (extra-small I think) and I rolled the top down and added elastic.  The skirt on the bottom was a woman's size 5.  I cut the waistband off and rolled the top of the skirt down to make a new casing for the elastic.  Now it is about a size 8 in little girls.  The skirt on the left believe it or not used to be a woman's dress.  I just cut off the top part added the pink waistband and some elastic and Voila!  A brand new skirt for my little one.  From start to finish the three skirts took about an hour and a half to complete and cost me around $10.  I have two happy little girls and I didn't break the bank!

Books, Books and More Books

I can't stress enough how many awesome books I find on my trips to Goodwill.  I guess many people have not heard of Paperback Swap or they just don't want to mess with it.  Anyways, these are two of the books I have found in the last month.

The Priest in an incredible book by Francine Rivers.  It is the first in a series of five called the Sons of Encouragement.  From the inside cover:  It tells the stories of five men who faithfully sought after God in the shadows of God's chosen leaders.

The Priest
The Warrior
The Prophet
The Prince
The Scribe

These five men answered God's call to serve him faithfully without recognition or fame.  They gave everything, knowing that their reward might not come until the next life.

All five books are out already as they have been around for awhile.  The first is about Aaron and Moses.  I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of them.  I read The Priest in less than two days because I just couldn't put it down!

The second book, Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life I just started reading.  It is a good read so far but a little easier to put down than The Priest.

So if you are looking for a new book to read check out your local thrift store to see what you can find.  At Goodwill, most hardbacks are $1.49 and paperbacks are $.99 or less.  Then when you are done with them you can trade them on Paperback Swap!

Frugal Finds Friday

I missed Thrift Shopping Thursday so I thought instead I would bless you with Frugal Finds Friday!  I haven't found that many steals lately at the thrift store but I did run across this book that I had to get.  I thought it was funny and vintage.  Plus it was from my birth year so I thought I would pick it up just for that reason too.

The Illustrated Almanac for Homemakers by Vera Kemp Stevenson and Robert P. Stevenson, illustrated by Roy Doty.  It is a concise and indispensable year-round guide to lively, efficient and trouble-free living in today's American home (according to the cover anyway). 

The entry for August 7 is:  What You Should Remember about Rabies

Basically it say inoculate your animals and call the police or humane society if you should see a wild animal acting strangely.  Some of the entries are funny but a lot of them are still just as applicable today as they were 35 years ago.  The book was printed in 1974....so now you know my age!

Here are the entries for the first six days in August:

August 1 - Bedmaking - Miter Those Corners!
August 2 - Circular Mat Keeps Down Grass around Shrubs
August 3 - Do Wild Berries Grow in Your Region?
August 4 - Save Energy - and the Window Air Conditioner
August 5 - Water Hanging Plants with Ice Cubes
August 6 - Ratatouille Is in Season

That is just a few of the 365 days of info in this book.  In 1974 it cost $9.95.  I picked it up for $1.49!  Thrift stores are a great place to find books old and new for a great price.

Tasty Kitchen Anyone?

I love reading The Pioneer Woman website and following the happenings of fellow Oklahoman Ree's life.  Then I stumbled across her other website Tasty Kitchen.  It is awesome!  I love trying new recipes out and there are definitely a bunch I will be trying out on this site.  It is a community so you can join and post recipes of your own.  Let me just say that I am not being compensated in any way, shape or form for mentioning these sites.  I just like to share the things that I love with others so that they might enjoy them too!

On another completely different topic....

For the last couple of weeks or so I have had this weird pressure like sensation on the left side of my body.  It was mainly in my neck and jaw but sometimes on the left side of my chest too.  Plus my left hand was tingling from time to time.  So I start searching the internet (sometimes this is not a good thing) and start thinking to myself that I could be on the verge of a heart attack.  After a few nights of not being able to sleep I decided to go to an after hours clinic and have it checked out.

The doctor did a chest x-ray and an EKG and I am happy to report that he said I would be around for graduation (kids) and all that good stuff.  So what is the deal you ask?  I guess it is some kind of muscle or nerve thing that I aggravated somehow.  No more anxiety and I slept for eleven hours last night!

Anywho, my computer is about to run out of battery juice so I will sign off for the evening.