knitted pillow cover

I have decided to make something for myself, well at least for my house. That way I can see it everyday. I have had two of the same pillow forms for quite some time. I have completed one pillow and hope to complete another one later this year. I added buttons to the top to make it easy to pull the pillow form out and wash the knitted cover if necessary - which will be because I have kids. The buttons were not holding the pillow cover in place so I stitched matching ribbon yarn that I found on sale to hold the top. The buttons still add a nice touch. You can find the pattern at How Stuff Works.

updated homemade laundry detergent

I have updated the recipe of my homemade laundry detergent. I'm sure the breakdown cost no longer reflects what it would cost today, but I'm sure it's not more than $3 to make 2 gallons.

cross eyed

I didn't know she could do that!

about me - april 2007

I am about to update my "about me" section. I have created this post so that I can keep a log of my journey God it taking me through.

A dramatic change in my life has inspired me to create this blog. While pregnant with my second child, Tim (my husband) and I discussed whether I should stay home or continue working. I figured our income and decided that if I could find a way to make a certain amount of money from home, then I could become a stay-at-home mom. I knew that I needed to trust God on this and he would somehow take care of us like he always has. I got my hands on some Dave Ramsey (a christian financial advisor) materials. This changed how we spend and track our money. I then heard about the "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" book by Amy Dacyczyn. This book presents how to be frugal and save money in all kinds of ways, which opened my mind to a lot of new ideas I never conceived before. God has revealed to me that instead of trying to make extra money, I will learn how to survive on the income we have by spending less money. Now I not only consider myself a "stay-at-home mom", but also a "homemaker". Well, to sum it up you never know what you'll find on my blog...recipes, pictures, useful links, thoughts, etc. - April 2007

low-cost, easy curtains

I wanted to cover my windows with heavy curtains for the winter to help keep the cold out and save on my electric bill. The cheapest curtain I could find was just over $15 for one panel (half window) at Walmart. Instead, I purchased over-sized fleece blankets for just under $4. I folded down one short end at 3" and sewed across twice. I slipped them on the curtains rods leaving a ripple at the top. That's it! And the blankets came with a velcro ribbon so I have tie for each window. I covered 7 windows for under $35, and saved at least $190.

felted purse pattern

In my last post, I wrote that I would post the link to the knitted Felted Purse pattern. I made this purse before, but I never got around to posting it.

knitted christmas gifts

This year I knitted Tim and my parents their Christmas gifts. Let's start with my favorite:

This purse is my mom's. I knitted this pattern before, but this time I put a little extra design in it with the contract stripe color. My mom had mention that she liked the colors my cousin is planning for his wedding - teal and brown. I had some brown on hand to use up so I went with it. I so glad it turned out well. I can't find the web site for this pattern right now so I will post it later.

This wool hat is my dad's. I altered my ear flap patterns and threw in a few stripes. Although I don't wear hats, this one was hard to let go of. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will post the pattern.

This basket purse is my mother-in-law's. I used a felted yarn and purchase some bamboo handles.

I also knitted a ear-flap hat for my father-in-law which I could not post because the picture came out too dark, and pillow for my step-mom which I chose not to post because it did not turn out well.

the bridge

This video was shown to us during church service Sunday evening. It is a parallel of the awesome love God has for us. It shows how God sacrificed his son Jesus for the rest of the world.

homemade breads

Last weekend, I got inspired to try some homemade breads. I have yet to accomplish the loaf bread and it always goes bad before we eat it all. I decided to make Sweet Rolls and English Muffins from my Fannie Farmer cookbook. I love that cookbook! I was very successful. You don't bake English Muffins but fry them on a griddle. I don't have a griddle so I used the iron skillet Tim picked up at a garage sale for less than a $1. I love that skillet, too! We are looking for more skillets and a dutch oven. It did take me all Saturday morning of mixing and baking and washing, but it was worth it. We are trying to get away from the sandwich bread with preservatives, and at least buying bakery bread when we don't have the time to make our own.

Godly leader

I may be risking unwanted comments with this post, but I it's on my heart to share. Last night I watched part of the debate between the vice presidential candidates. I am so confident that McCain will win. Sara Palen really appears to have Godly wisdom. She stays calm, answers questions wisely and doesn't demeanor her opponent like most politicians. For example, she made a sincere comment to her opponent that she was very happy that they both had a concern for Israel. Her background also shows a trustworthy report. God puts people in high positions to accomplish his work. Look at King David or Queen Esther. God doesn't lift people up to important positions to set them up for failure. I believe God is hearing our prayers for our nation and has his hand on the situation.