It's simple - Just start again ;)

I guess I'm not the best blogger. That's ok. I read plenty of them. I even put some of the things I read about to good use. Lately, it's been strictly kitchen related.
Much of my own little world is kitchen related. If I blogged more, you'd know that already ;)

Any way, I found this blog called Redfly Creations. She shared some mix recipes she's found and 'played' with you can read the post here @ Mixes,Mixes,Mixes That's what started it all for me. And because I hang with people as wild and crazy as myself - I pulled up the site while visiting with one of my oldest friends on Super Bowl Sunday - hey, we want to oooh, and ahhh, hoot and holler too. We're just not interested in football...

We also found a few other recipes, one for                       -Cream of Anything Soup -4 c. powdered milk1 1/2 c. cornstarch1/2 c. instant chicken bouillon granules4 tsp. dried onion flakes 2 tsp. dried thyme2 tsp basil - crushed dried1 tsp. pepper 
Measure all ingredients into a Ziploc Bag. Shake well, transfer to vacuum seal bag, seal and store up to a year. To use:1/3 C mix1 C water Cook over low/med heat until thickened. 
Variations: add 1/2 c. minced or chopped...anything 

That one was found @ Budget101


Now I've got her going all in for it too - in fact, I spent last Saturday at her house and we had us a little "mixer party", yup - just the two of us.

From Redfly Creations, we made the Brownie mix, and the All Purpose Quick Mix. I've used both mixes this week - I made coffee cake with the All Purpose Quick Mix, tomorrow I am trying the cinnamon rolls with it.

We also made the Cream of Anything Soup, one with the Chicken Bouillon, and one with Beef Bouillon for variety.

From Budget101 we also made a few of the rice mixtures. 
the Chicken Rice is number 114 on the list I linked to earlier in the post.
The Creamy Herb Rice mix is number 179. I made that in the crock pot last night. The flavor was wonderful, though next time I will just cook it on the stove - the crock pot broke it down to a mush like consistency for me. We also made up a batch of Onion Dip/Soup mix, number 338.

We made a few other things too, but I'm only sharing about the ones I've tried already.
         It was a nice and productive way to pass a Saturday afternoon, too :)

Simplicity Creative Group - Misses' Tops or Dresses. New Look Studio by SUEDEsays

Simplicity Creative Group - Misses' Tops or Dresses. New Look Studio by SUEDEsays
I am determined expand on my ever so basic sewing skills. I bought this pattern, some fabric and set to work. The fabric I had was light and airy - but it was a blend and not what the pattern called for. Still, as far as getting a feel for the pattern, and sewing again - I figured it would work. It did, sort of. It's not quite right on me, there is no give for me to add the elastic - although I did have a giggle trying to visualize it. I'm not sure what I think of it as I made it (still love the pattern!) But I'll give it a chance. Wear it at least a couple of times around the house/neighborhood and see how I feel in it. I did wear it out tonight when DH and I went for a walk after dinner.  Still, here it is - 

I learned a lot in the construction of this one - granted it was mostly how not to do it - but the next one will be better.

Meeting the needs of the home...

While I only have my 2 youngest children living at home, we've managed to acquire a few "extra's". Three to be exact. One of which inspired the project in my post today.
 We lovingly refer to her as our "Red Headed Step-Child" Our living room doubles as her bedroom. And while she came to us with about two market bags of her belongings - teen aged girls have a gift of accumulating - stuff - at a rapid rate.  As time went on, the living room was getting rather cluttered with random girlie things. Red was having a hard time finding what she needed when she needed it. This inspired us to build her some shelves for over her dresser in the living room. It's a very small dresser, it used to hold my sewing notions and some fabrics before "Red" arrived. There isn't much of a surface for her things, so up seemed the way to go. We had some pallet wood out back, so Hubby made her some shelves. He will be the first to tell you, he is no carpenter. But, basic skills can still fill basic needs - that's what we were going for here. I painted the shelves with paint we had on hand, therefore they are the same color as our bedroom - but hey - they work. "Red" was tickled pink to come home and see what we'd put together for her.
Granted, it doesn't do much for the living room decor - aside from keep it from being overly cluttered which in itself is a big plus in my book! And while I long to decorate more, make pretty, and desire to have a warm and inviting home again - isn't it most important that a home be warm and inviting to the inhabitants of the home first and foremost?

Happy New Year!!

Another year is upon us. It promises change and new opportunities. I'm not big on resolutions - though I do try to make changes each year to make strides towards being more the woman I long to be. This year is no different. Hubby and I attended a wedding last night, we stayed over in a hotel - just the two of us. Great way to start the new year.

This morning, we woke in our room, slapped on a patch - our one typical resolution for the year, to quit smoking, and walked on down for breakfast. It's been a leisurely morning

Time off for family...

My nephew has been home for the past month, he leaves back to his base tomorrow. We've spent all of our time as a family - aside from the time he's been putting in at the recruiters office. He's not home "on leave" until the Christmas Holidays. Though, it was nice to grab the extra holiday with everyone home for Thanksgiving.
From now until Christmas Eve (seriously though...) I will be sewing and crocheting to my hearts content - and beyond no doubt - trying to get a little something made for everyone.
I have arthritis in my spine, neck, and shoulders - so I've got to get going while the going is good, and it always seems to get me in the end. I'm learning to find a balance between it all. Some days, it's a slower process than I'd care to admit. Still - I am determined.
Today, I am sewing. Hooded robes for all with the Simplicity pattern E2133. I'm working with my new sewing machine that Hubby bought me for our 10 year anniversary - so far, I love it. I won't be posting pictures of all that I make until after the gift giving is done. We share a computer, and it would be too easy for the kids to see who's getting what/which for a gift. Yes, they would really do that...Brats, each and every one. Caution must be practiced when creating for the little monsters we have created ;)

Monday Menu Mmmm

Crappy Cell phone picture - sorry.

Simple meals (like soup made from leftovers) are made a little more special with home made biscuits. This biscuit recipe is my favorite because it's both quick and tasty - they're even still good the next day, if there are any left.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dinner Rolls

2 c. all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 c. milk
4 tablespoons mayonnaise**

These are made in a muffin tin, the recipe makes 12. Grease the muffin tin. Spoon dough into tin - the dough is stiff and sticky, so it may be difficult to be exact. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned, and serve hot.

** If you have mayonnaise seasoned with herbs or pepper, do try it out. Our favorite is to use the cracked pepper one made by Kraft. Of course, you can also add seasonings to your preference to compliment the meal they are to be served with.

Sunday's Something Simple

The something simple for today was home made cinnamon buns. While it took some time, it was actually quite simple.

Dough -
1c. full fat milk at room temperature
1/4 c. warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3/4 c. white granulated sugar
5 c. all purpose flour
                                                                                    3 teaspoons yeast

Filling                                                                            Icing
1 c. brown sugar                                                          powdered sugar
5 tsp. cinnamon                                                            1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. butter, softened                                                  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
                                                                                     4 teaspoons milk (add more to thin if needed)

Dough-
Mix butter and sugar, add water and milk while slowly adding flour. Add yeast, egg and vanilla while slowly adding remainder of flour. Mix to form ball of dough.
Knead dough for 8 minutes on floured surface. Cover and allow to sit for 20 minutes.
Roll into rectangular shape on floured surface.
Filling -  Spread butter evenly onto dough rectangle. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, spread evenly over dough. Roll, slice into portions. Place on greased baking sheet, cover and let sit for 1 1/2 hour.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F. for 20 -30 minutes until slightly browned.

Icing-
cream butter, vanilla extract and milk together, slowly adding powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved.