Whoa! I'm a Mum Mum! How'd That Happen?!

Fold T-Shirts

2008-05-18T00:46:13Z

Oh cool.

Chunky Chili

2008-05-17T19:31:22Z

So I made a version of chili yesterday I found on Everyday Food (a Martha Stewart website). It got a 10/10 and an *I ate too much* review from husband.

Chunky Chili (modified recipe)
2 pounds new york steak, cut into strips
12 oz. sweet Italian or mild italian sausage, casings removed
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño chile (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired), diced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
⅓ cup brown sugar, not packed (or less as to taste)
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
1 large bottle (750ml) tomato juice
1 whole cinnamon stick or ½ tsp cinnamon powder
3 dried bay leaves
1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed - which I left out sucessfully because husband doesn't eat beans

Toppings, such as shredded Monterey Jack cheese, pickled jalapeño chiles, sliced red onion, sour cream, fresh cilantro leaves, or hot sauce, for serving (optional)

1. Heat a Dutch oven (a heavy 5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid) over high heat until a drop of water sizzles upon contact. In three batches, cook steak until no longer pink; remove each batch with a slotted spoon. Set aside. I used my large cast iron frying pan for cooking the meat and my pot for combining it all together.

2. Add sausage, breaking it up into small pieces; add onion and jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage and onion are browned, about 5 minutes.

3. Return steak to pot. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomatoes (with juice), cinnamon, brown sugar, tomato juice, bay leaves, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover; cook until steak easily breaks apart with a spoon, about 2 hours.

4. Stir in beans; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon and bay leaves. Serve, or let cool completely before freezing in airtight containers.

Mark 16:15

2008-05-17T18:44:13Z

15 And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.

As you grow in your relationship with Christ, he will give you both the opportunities and the inner strength to tell his message.

Oh No! Jars!

2008-05-16T18:10:29Z

Okay, I think I may have just shed a tear over a glass jar. I was looking on IKEA's website to try and find how much my glass jars hold to make a comparison for something else and I can't find them! How can they not have any when I need to buy more!!!!!!

Classic design, simple and affordable. What in the hell are they doing to me! And I can't remember for the life of me what the darn name of them was. Serenity now - right now.

They look like this:

beautiful, perfect, jars of happiness

Sota...why are you no longer seemingly available via IKEA? Why!!!!

Edited to add: The name is SOTA...and I think they are no more. Thanks to ljseek.com but no thanks to IKEA you dream murderers. :(

Gasp! Cupcakes Covered In Chocolate, Gasp!

2008-05-15T22:03:52Z

Oh my. This sounds fabulous, easy, and so Martha Stewart!

Now, go find out how to put a cute little cupcake inside of a chocolate shell. Bring on the celebration where we can use this recipe to impress the masses!

Softie Bunny Lovey

2008-05-15T21:19:12Z

I'm toying with the idea of making Aidan a 'lovey' type doll. He has a small attachment to a doll with some kind of vibrating thing in it that is more for back pain or something, but its heavy, and not soft. Now, its not like we need any more dolls in the house - cause I was a bit of an obsessed stuffed animal freak as a child - but for Aidan to have something simple like this, might interest me. Although the ears look a little difficult - so he may turn out to be a bowling pin.

simple, easy, and soft

Dirty Girl/Clean Girl

2008-05-15T20:25:17Z

These are for your dishwasher. Read all about this cute idea...at Futuregirl.com.

When the dishes are dirty...

When the dishes are clean...

The Star Project

2008-05-15T19:32:52Z

I'm still working on *The Star Project*, making felt starts with designs on them to hang from the ceiling of Aidan's room. He loves his 2 origami birds above his crib, so of course my plan to go overkill and make a ton of different colored felt stars. Then I got an embroidery book from the library and thought it'd be fun to practice embroidery on them. Mine are double sided but not 3D and uniform in color. I hope it will work. If not, maybe I'll combine them as a corner of the room mobile type thing. Cause mobiles are love, if nothing else!

original inspiration

A few of my stars so far...

Some Kind Of Christmas Ornament Set

2008-05-15T19:02:38Z

Also on my to-do list is some ornaments for Christmas. I know its way too early to be talking about winter, but I've learned that starting in November or December for an amateur like me is *way* too late for ornaments or homemade presents.

Robeez Sale

2008-05-13T00:24:30Z

Robeez is having a sale. Try clicking on this link I got by email. 20-50% off.

Fabric Wall Letters

2008-05-12T19:27:31Z

Whenever I get the urge to craft instead of jumping in, I find myself searching for a project to do. So this is a photo list of things I want to do. I want to make Aidan some fabric letters that spell out his name in different hip fabrics for his bedroom wall.

Back

2008-05-12T17:01:33Z

Jared is having back problems. It started about 3 days ago. He's not new to back troubles. Ever since that 10-man-tent liner fell on him when the ADATS (vehicle) he was in rolled, back in Gagetown. He's taking it easy, with no lifting, etc for the next three days.

I'm off to add some pics to Picasa. After watching *The Lab With Leo* yesterday on how hard drives can fail, and people lose their family pics, I'm gonna try and be better at putting the pics in two places.

Mother's Day, Careful It's Contagious

2008-05-11T18:01:33Z

Hope everyone who is a mother is being waited on hand and foot today. :) We went out for a few groceries and some wood, and the guy at the gate after reviewing my id leaned in a little and said 'Happy Mother's Day' to me with the sweetest smile. I cried a little it was so sincere. LOL

I'm getting a gate built to separate the kitchen from the dining room today. Happy Mother's Day to me. Woot. The rope, if you remember the piece of yarn that we were using to divide the off limits area, stopped working all of a sudden and its been chaos ever since. So Jared is making a divider 'fence' out of wood. I know its extreme, but I can't do anything without Aidan being in the dangerous kitchen.

Today I'm going to embroider, and relax. Although I am gonna make supper. I do want to thank the Lord for the beautiful sunny day, and for making the dog go on a licking spree to wake me up early to enjoy it.

Oh, and we got 10% off for shopping before 11A at the hardware store, that was a blessing that we didn't anticipate either!

Mark 13:22, 23

2008-05-11T15:48:42Z

Is it possible for Christians to be deceived? Yes. So convincing will be the arguments and proofs from the deceivers in the end times that it will be difficult not to fall away from Christ. If we are prepared, Jesus says, we can remain faithful. But if we are not prepared, we will turn away. To penetrate the disguises of false teachers we can ask: (1) Have their predictions come true, or do they have to revise them to fit what's already happened? (2) Does any teaching utilize a small section of the Bible to the neglect of the whole? (3) Does the teaching contradict what the Bible says about God? (4) Are the practices meant to glorify the teacher or Christ? (5) Do the teachings promote hostility toward other Christians?

Deuteronomy 8:4

2008-05-07T17:09:13Z

Deuteronomy 7-9 & Mark 11:19-33

It's usually easy for us to take God's protection for granted. We seldom take notice or thank God when our car doesn't break down, our clothes don't rip, or our tools don't break. The people of Israel also failed to take notice, it seems, for they didn't even notice that in 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, their clothes didn't wear out and their feet didn't blister or swell. Thus, they did not remember to give thanks to God for these blessings. What has been working well for you? What has been giving your good service? What has been lasting for a long time without breaking down or apart? Remember to thank God for these quiet blessings.

Deuteronomy 7:25, 26

2008-05-07T17:02:28Z

Deuteronomy 7-9 & Mark 11:19-33

We may think it's all right to be close to sin as long as we don't participate. "After all," we say, "I won't do anything wrong!" But being close can hurt us as we become attracted and finally give in. The only sure way to stay away from sin is to stay away!

Deuteronomy 8:10

2008-05-07T16:49:05Z

Deuteronomy 7-9 & Mark 11:19-33

10 When you have eaten your fill, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

This verse is traditionally cited as the reason we say grace before or after meals. Its purpose, however, was to warn the Israelites not to forget God when their needs and wants were satisfied. Let your table prayers serve as a constant reminder of the Lord's goodness to you and your duty to those who are less fortunate.

Broken Chairs

2008-05-07T00:53:54Z

Those chairs were clearance, and un-re-orderable. Ugh! Now we have to go chair shopping all over. I think we may need to wait til new stock comes in too since the store has only clearance stuff left in house. I want to sit at the table and eat with my family so bad. I'm so sick of eating at the couch. Super ugh.

Deuteronomy 6:7

2008-05-06T16:52:33Z

Deuteronomy 4-6 & Mark 11:1-18

The key to teaching your children to love God is stated simply and clearly in these verses. If you want your children to follow God, you must make God a part of your everyday experiences. You must teach your children diligently to see God in all aspects of life, not just those that are church related.

Deuteronomy 5:21

2008-05-06T16:41:05Z

Deuteronomy 4-6 & Mark 11:1-18

21 'Do not covet your neighbor's wife. Do not covet your neighbor's house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey or anything else your neighbor owns.'

To covet is to desire another person's prosperity. We are not to set our desires on anything that belongs to someone else. Not only can such desires make us miserable, they can also lead us to other sins such as adultery and stealing. Envying others is a useless exercise because God is able to provide everything we really need, even if he does not always give us everything we want. To stop coveting, we need to practice being content with what we have.

Deuteronomy 5:17

2008-05-06T16:34:50Z

Deuteronomy 4-6 & Mark 11:1-18

17 "Do not murder."

"But I don't murder people ," you may say. Good. That fulfills the letter of the law. But Jesus explained that hateful anger breaks this commandment (Matthew 5:21, 22). Have you ever been so angry with someone who mistreated you that for a moment you wished that person were dead? Jesus' teaching concerning this law demonstrates that we are capable of murder in our hearts. Even if we are legally innocent, we are all morally guilty of murder and need to ask God's forgiveness. We need to commit ourselves to the opposite of hatred and anger -- love and reconciliation.

Deuteronomy 5:11

2008-05-06T16:25:58Z

Deuteronomy 4-6 & Mark 11:1-18

11 "'Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

We are familiar with the sin to be avoided in this commandment that we should not misuse the name of the Lord by saying it in an empty or worthless way.

Deuteronomy 4:15-19

2008-05-06T15:58:58Z

Deuteronomy 4-6 & Mark 11:1-18

15 But be careful! You did not see the LORD's form on the day he spoke to you from the fire at Mount Sinai. 16 So do not corrupt yourselves by making a physical image in any form -- whether of a man or a woman, 17 an animal or a bird, 18 a creeping creature or a fish. 19 And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars -- all the forces of heaven -- don't be seduced by them and worship them.

Which I believe includes portraits of God and/or Jesus, as well as having any involvement with astronomy.

Sewing Machine - Yay!

2008-05-06T07:07:29Z

Sewing machine is in! Yay! Pick up tomorrow! Now I can have something to DO!

The kitchen chairs came in too, we picked them up yesterday, and they are *damaged*!!!! Out of both boxes one wasn't cracked. I'm highly miffed. Now we'll have to wait for new ones to come in - again. I hope this isn't how all the chairs are meant to arrive. I really like the design!

Vintage Tresors...

2008-05-06T05:21:09Z

Here is my current treasury on ETSY. What is a treasury you might ask? Its a way for people to pick and show their favorite finds on ETSY. Since I troll around looking so much I find a lot of neat stuff, so its kind of effortless to jot down their numbers.

If there is anything you like on here and need the numbers to see if it's sold, let me know, maybe I can help. Or you can go here until it expires in 10-ish hours and click on the pic yourself to find out more and buy. :)