The Perfect Way To Eat An Apple

First of all, this is kind of a random post. It is probably old news to everyone in the world except me. But I was so amazed by this simple pleasure that I had to share. My husband recently showed me the perfect way to eat an apple. It is the perfect way for these reasons:

1. Almost none of the edible part of the apple is wasted.
2. No plate is needed.
3. It is fast!
4. If you were really creative, you could stuff it with yummy filling.
5. It doubles as a telescope.
6. It's easier than making all those scooped cuts on regular sliced apples.
7. It reduces the exposed surface area so less of the apple turns brown if not eaten promptly.

Wanna see?

Here she is folks, in all her beauty: All you have to do is push a sharp knife through the top to the bottom all the way around the core (forming a hexagon or whatever that shape is called), then repeat on the bottom side. Push the core out and you have the perfect apple! Your children will love it and so will you! We've gone through twice as many apples as normal since we started cutting them this way!

Spaghetti Jar

Have you ever grabbed an open bag of spaghetti by the wrong end and dumped noodles all over the kitchen floor? Well, I have. So when I saw this jar at a yard sale today, I snatched it up. It was a dollar. But I just wasn't digging the blah wood lid.

A little spray paint took care of that! Look at it now:

I may add more ribbon and stuff to the tag, but for now it's done. It will look cute on my counter and best of all, NO MORE spilled spaghetti!

Woman's Skirt to Little Girl's Summer Dress

Remember this stuff I got at a rummage sale? See the white/pink/brown floral skirt in the top right corner?

Tah-dah!!! It has been TRANSFORMED:

And you won't believe how easy it was to do! The skirt was a very simple A-line shape with a thicker waistband and zipper in the back middle. First I unpicked the zipper and sewed that spot closed. Then I sewed bias fold tape all the way around the top edge. I sewed another line of bias fold tape around the lower edge of the waistband and threaded both with elastic. Here's a peak inside if what I'm writing makes no sense:

The only thing left to do was add some straps to keep the dress up. Here's a more detailed view of the top:

And check out this little princess...nice curtsy!

A Yard Sale Skirt Transformed: Cloth Napkins

Remember that black and white skirt I posted about yesterday? It didn't stay a skirt for long:
I used my trusty new serger and made four fun cloth napkins. They were so easy and they'll make me smile every time I wipe my mouth on them. haha.

I've been slowly trying to switch over to using all cloth napkins. And so far, so good. Cloth napkins are more economical without being more work (I just toss them in with whatever I am already washing). And for all you green folks out there, they're better for the environment too!

Yard Sale Season Has Begun! Woot!!!

Because I live in cold country, yard sale season is just beginning. This weekend was the first yard sale---a church rummage sale that was "pay what you can." I have a love/hate relationship with those types of sales...I know I can get a good deal, but I don't want to take advantage and be too cheap. You know? Anyway, here are the spoils: For The Boy: two pajamas, two shirts, one pair of pajama pants and four pairs of shoes, all in great condition.

For The Girl: two adult women skirts (neither of which fit me, but I loved the fabric), two little girl skirts, one dress up skirt, a pair of striped tights, a small piece of greenish cotton fabric and a really large piece of sheer pink fabric.

Total Price: Five bucks. It was that or hand those sweet ladies a handful of nickels. I figured $5 was good.

I've got big plans for the two women's skirts. In fact, they are already cut up. Stay tuned to see what they become!

Meet My New Best Friend

I got this lovely little lady on Friday. A friend gave it to me! (Michelle, if you're reading this, you are the best ever!) I am so stoked. I'm lay-in-bed-and-giggle excited about owning a serger. Just imagine what beautiful clothing I can make with it! I even managed to get it threaded! So, what should I make with her?

A Custom Ordered Apron

I can finally post pictures of this apron because my sister received it in the mail today. She wanted a new apron but couldn't really find one she liked. She kept saying, "They all look like scrapbook pages and that is just not me." You see, she is the exact opposite of me---I love frilly, flowery, embellished stuff and she does not. I love bright girly colors and she likes muted, dark and earthy colors (which I love also, but for an apron...come on, you know I'd want hot pink!) Let me tell you that keeping this apron simple was probably the hardest thing I've done in a long time. I wanted to add ribbon and bows and yo-yos and go to town, but I restrained myself. And guess what? She LOVED it! Yay!

I made up my own pattern for this apron. It is lined with the brown fabric on the back. All in all it was pretty simple to make, but I really took my time to get everything sewn perfectly. Maybe now I'll have to make a sassy frilly one for myself!

Three Projects

I have a ton of unfinished or in-the-works projects and I am finally finishing some of them up. Here are three that are done:

1. Fabric Wipes Case. Here are two tutorials: http://makeitandloveit.blogspot.com/2009/03/diaperwipes-case.html http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2009/02/wipes-clutch-tutorial.html I have been wanting to make one of these since I received one as a gift. It was actually a little harder than I thought it would be to get it smooth.
2. Flannel Baby Blanket. This is for a baby shower I'm going to tomorrow. I'm going to include a little diagram of how to swaddle a baby.

ETA: Here's the diagram I made! I looked at the pictures in a parenting book I had and then drew them out on this card. Isn't the little baby so cute all wrapped up?! :)
I am a swaddling fanatic and this type of blanket is THE best type to use. I explained how to make these blankets here: http://thecraftpatch.blogspot.com/2008/06/easy-flannel-baby-blanket.html
Look at this cute little cowboy card. My friend Wendy made it for me a long time ago, and when I was going through my stuff, I came across it and knew it was perfect because the baby's dad is a country boy!
3. Silky Nightgown. Now that it's warming up, I wanted my little girl to have some summer pajamas. This is going in her Easter basket. She is going to LOVE it! I wonder if I'll ever be able to get her to change out of it. Oh, P.S. I got this fabric for 50 cents a yard at Joanns a few years ago and have been waiting for the right project to use it. I still have several yards left over!

100% Whole Wheat Bread

This is my favorite wheat bread recipe. It makes a tasty loaf and is very healthy. And as an added bonus, it has NO FAT! Yee Haw! I mix the dough in my bread machine, then bake it in the oven. This bread makes the most amazing toast I have ever tasted....we're talking toast that rivals a hot fudge sundae. Well, almost. My husband, Mr. I-Hate-Whole-Grain-Food devours this stuff.

1 5/8 cups water
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon*
1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten

Add ingredients to bread machine in order and let the machine mix everything up. When the dough cycle is finished (including raising time), shape the dough and place it in a greased bread pan. Raise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

*DO NOT leave out the cinnamon. Trust me. It takes this loaf to the next level. Seriously.

From Drab to Fab

I'm pretty sure that everyone has seen this diaper bag...

At least everyone who has had a baby since they changed the style recently. It's the free diaper bag you get at the hospital. It is just the right size and I love the little side pockets. But can you say YAWN?! Boring and plain...not my style at all.

Ahh.... that's much better! A couple feet of ribbon and my trusty glue gun was all it took to give this bag some pizazz. And just so you know, yes, I have a baby boy and added pink to the diaper bag. I'm the one who carries it around, not him!