Fat Quarters

I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for fat quarter bundles (FQBs). You can find FQBs in just about any craft store. I love the fact that someone has already coordinated and cut the fabric and tied it up with a pretty little bow!

A fat quarter is the result of cutting a yard of fabric into four pieces. A fat quarter (usually) measures 18" X 22". In order to get a fat quarter, you would cut a yard of fabric (which usually measures 9" X 44") across the selvage and the crosswise grain.
There you have it, my friends. A fat quarter.

These pretty bundles make quick sew projects so easy!
It's just the deciding what project to use them on that's the hard part.

The Feeding Frenzy!

Kyle made this short little video of the hummingbirds outside of our kitchen window. I just love these little guys! Seeing them swarming and feeding (and dive bombing each other!) makes doing the dishes a little more entertaining! I find myself just staring at them several times a day...

P.S. I forgot that today was Friday! I still have my days mixed up from working the night shifts so no Meatless Friday meal today! This girl is going to have her "boyfriend" take her out tonight!

Yummy Elderberry Syrup

We ALL just started taking elderberry tincture today because JP came down with a little bit of a sniffle and fever this afternoon. I've been a little concerned about the amount of alcohol the kids are ingesting with the tincture so I did a little research online and found a super simple syrup recipe.

Put 1/2 a cup of dried elderberries and 3 cups of water into a saucepan to simmer. Very gently simmer (like on the 1 or 2 setting on the stove top) for 45 minutes. You are making a strong tea from the berries. The last 15 minutes of cooking add in a pint of blueberries or blackberries (optional for flavor and antioxidants). Allow mixture to cool slightly and strain mixture through a fine sieve. Make sure to smash the berries to get every drop of goodness out of them!
Mix the berry juice with 1 cup of raw honey and bottle. Store in the fridge for 3 months.

Take 2 tablespoons a day for adults, 1 tablespoon for small children. Since it contains honey, do not feed to babies under one.
This stuff is seriously good, like pour it on your pancakes good, and the kids will have NO trouble taking it!

I'm not so sure how the syrup compares to the tinctures as far as the potency, that is something I'll have to research further, but for now I am very happy with the results!

Happy Birthday Blessed Mother!

We do not usually celebrate the birthdays of the saints. Instead we celebrate the day they died, because that is the day they were born into the joys of heaven.
But the birthday of Mary, our Blessed Mother, is an exception. We do celebrate her birthday because she came into this world full of grace and because she was to be the Mother of Jesus.

Happy Birthday Blessed Mother!

A knitted cowl

I had stumbled across some hand knitted cowls on Etsy one day. I thought they were so beautiful and what a great alternative to a bulky scarf! I did not, however, like the $80 - $100 price tag that came with them and figured I could make my own on my trusty Kniffty Knitter.

I used the yellow hoop and one strand of cheapo Walmart yarn and in two evenings of watching Glee re-runs I had a really pretty cowl that I can't wait to wear! With a little brooch added, it will look super cute underneath my jacket or coat.

I just need a good cold front to head this way!

Bento love

I've been working a slew of night shifts lately and needed a little 'pick-me-up' for that final one, so I made a bento. I'm also taking a pretty tea cup and some green tea with honey for tea time (at 4 a.m.!). It's simple and pretty and will be a welcomed break in those loooong 12 hours between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.!

Magical little creatures...

I could watch them for hours!

Meatless Fridays

It's not quite casserole weather yet, but this dish of cheesy goodness sure hits the spot on a busy night! It's super simple to make and kids usually love it. It's also a great way to use up leftovers. This week's Meatless Friday meal is:

Tortilla Casserole

one package of flour tortillas
3 cups grated cheese, (sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, or pepper Jack for an extra kick)
1 cup rice, prepared according to instructions
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
2 cups spinach, chopped and coated lightly with salt and vinegar or a light Italian dressing
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, your choice, diced or chopped finely
Butter
Chiles, peppers, or pickled jalapenos, sliced
2 tablespoons chili powder
Chopped avocado
Chopped cilantro
Sour cream
Salsa

Butter the flour tortillas and place in the bottom of a lightly sprayed baking dish. Combine the rice, beans, spinach, tomato, onion, peppers, and chili powder in a separate bowl. Place a layer of the rice mixture over the tortillas then a layer of cheese. Continue layering the buttered tortillas, rice mixture, and cheese until casserole dish is filled. Top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Top individual servings with chopped cilantro, avocado sliced, salsa and sour cream when ready to serve.

This recipe serves four. You might want to double or triple and make two batches! One for dinner and one for the freezer for a meal for another night!

Potions and Concoctions

This is what my pantry shelf is full of right now!
I'm mixing up new herbal tinctures while others are ready for bottling. Elderberry, hawthorn, feverfew, elecampane, and cayenne are among my potions and concoctions to keep us healthy this winter. We also add a whole foods vitamin/mineral supplement, vitamin D3, raw honey, and lactofermented foods to our diet.
We had great success last year without so much as a sniffle!
I'd much rather have a little tincture in some fresh squeezed OJ daily than be subject to the flu shot...especially for my children.

***Disclaimer***What I have written is how I, personally, use my herbs. I am not a doctor, and am not giving anyone medical advice. Information I am posting is from reference books and personal experience to be used (or not) as you see fit.

Gone to the birds!

Our big beautiful sunflowers are spent and Kyle harvested the heads yesterday for our birds. The heads were full and heavy with seeds and it should save us some $$$ in buying prepackaged birdseed for our feeders for the next couple of weeks.

We tucked them into tree nooks...

In window sills...

And near our feeders to see which ones the birds prefer!

Eat up little birdies, before you know it there will be a chill in the air!
You'll have to wait until next summer for little Danny to plant you some more sunflowers!

Handmade kitchen

Spent the weekend whittling away at my fabric stash to make some useful things for the kitchen. A pretty little dish mat made with vintage towels and scraps:

I even made applique leaves in coordinating fabric.

How nerdy is that?

I made two different mats from one towel so when one gets grody I can toss it into the wash and pull out a clean fresh one to use! I really love kitschy look of them. It doesn't give me any strong urges to do the dishes...but it does make me happy!

I also put together quite a few hand towels from scrap fabric and dove into my vintage button collection.

Although, I think I may regret using white towels.

With four boys in the house, they aren't staying white long!

ahem...

Meatless Fridays

This week's meatless meal sounds soooo decadent but couldn't be easier to make! Doug really loves artichokes and I can't wait to make this for him.
This week's Meatless Friday meal is:

Creamy Artichoke and Garlic Spaghetti

Spaghetti for 4
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
4 scallions, finely sliced
1 cup of canned artichokes, drained
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan, and extra to serve
4 tablespoons of whipping cream
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, place a pan on medium heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic slices and leave untouched for 2-3 minutes. Add the scallions and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes and add a good drizzle of salt and pepper.

Coarsely chop the artichokes and add to the pan. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the cream and stir. Add one tablespoon of the pasta water - the starch from the pasta in the water will help thicken the sauce. Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Stir so all the ingredients mix in with the spaghetti. Add the parmesan, a pinch of salt and pepper, the lemon juice and stir again. Serve immediately, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

Office Space

We are going on our ninth year of homeschooling this year!
A few changes are being made for everyone's sanity.
In year's past everyone just sat at the kitchen table...and I liked it that way! I would go through Ryan and Kyle's notebooks with them, review each lesson, then set them to work independently. Then I would call JP to the table and we would do his lessons together. When Danny came along, he wanted to sit with the big boys too, so he would get some busy work or a puzzle. It got to be really distracting for Ryan and Kyle, and I can't say I blame them. So this year everyone gets an independent work station or an office.

I set Danny up in the living room. He'll have some DVD's to watch a couple of times a week and that's where the TV is. He also has his own basket of books and manipulatives. I'll start him off first each day while the older kids finish up breakfast. Dan is definitely a morning person!

Kyle will be at the kitchen table. He likes it there because of the light and he likes to spread out! He also likes to be around Doug or I...doesn't matter where we are, he eventually gravitates there. The only drawback is that he'll have to move all of his stuff for lunch time. Hopefully, as the weather gets cooler, we can go outside to the picnic table for lunch!

JP is stationed in the den. John is very task oriented and usually gets his work done pretty fast so he can go roller blade. John will also get started first thing in the morning because his distractability increases dramatically as the day wears on (which is why he is facing a blank wall there. I'm hoping a small prayer to St. Anthony and St. Joseph will help him stay focused!)

Ryan likes to do his homework in his room. He has major issues with distractions and the solitude of his room is the only place that works for him.

I also set up a new schedule for our schooling and housekeeping. The grunt work will be done right off the bat! Math, spelling, English get done while they are fresh in the morning. It also assures that if we have errands to run in the afternoon that at least the basics are done. After a long break for lunch, we'll finish up history and science and work on scouting projects (and driver's ed. for Ryan!) Chores are a part of every day as well as their own free time to play, watch tv, or do whatever they want!

Family dinner together is a MUST! We are also implementing a nightly Bible and Catechism study after dinner. Religion as part of their school work was difficult because I had to prepare four different lessons. By making it part of our daily family life I think it will become part of their nature and lead to some really good discussions!

I'm really excited about everyone having their own office!
I will be centrally located in the kitchen and within close ear shot if anyone has questions. It'll also allow me to prep for meals and get the laundry done while they are working...so I'll actually be productive, too!

Morning Glories

I've always loved Morning Glories. I even put packets of their seeds in our May baskets that we handed out. I planted several thinking that I would have these gorgeous lush vines dotted with beautiful blue flowers growing along the house by our back porch. I had visions of morning solitudes, sipping a cup of tea on the porch while enjoying the flowers...like my very own personal English garden.

Instead, I got THIS:

Not very impressive, is it?

Funny thing is is that I can now walk out to my overgrown summer garden and see THIS:

Yup, Morning Glory vines are covering the entire garden! I never planted one darned seed out there but there they are, blooming and thriving!
Ironic, huh?

Guess I'll just enjoy these beauties from AFAR!

Weekend sewing

This weekend was too hot to do anything but stay inside in front of the fan with a huge glass of sweet tea! I set up shop in my sewing nook and made this little quilted table runner from my scrap pile.

It went together in a day. I pieced long strips on the machine and cut them to make the smaller squares. I used a free form stitch to quilt the front to the back.

It's colorful, rustic, and totally NOT perfect....but I love it!

I wonder how long it will take before the boys rip it off the table and use it as a cape or blanket for Abby.....*sigh*