Trying to be like the original example of a homesteading woman:
"She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family, and organizing her day. She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden." Proverbs 31:15-16 (The Message)
Hello friends. Several of you have seen pictures before of my butt aprons (you can make them with the front of blue jeans too, but the butt is so much cuter. LOL), and have asked about how to make them, how to make the ruflfes,etc. So, while making the apron shown here, I tried to take some pictures to show you exactly how I do it!!!!
These are super easy to make, and they aren't very expensive either, because you can normally find worn blue jeans for free, or for 50 cents or less. Hubby knows by now, to save his blue jeans when he wears them out, and when I run low, I can pick them up at the Thrift shop for 25 or 50 cents. And Marcia tries to remind me on 10 cent days, or picks some up for me then. You can't beat that! You will need some fabric.......maybe 1/2 yard or more?? (you expect me to know the specifics??? LOL I am the same kind of seamstress as I am baker and cook. A pinch of this and a tad of that. LOL) You will also need coordinating thread, although, most of mine I do in plain old white. The absolute most important thing to remember when making this apron is to buy a denim needle for your sewing machine!!!
Take a pair of jeans that would "Fit" yourself or whoever you are making it for. If you are making a child's apron (which I am planning on doing for the 4-5 year olds in my family this year for Christmas), get some kids jeans. And please don't give someone who is a size 12, a jean apron made from a size 2 pair of jeans and with straps that won't even wrap around their waist ok??? LOL (Weird pet peeve of mine, that one of my family members doesn't ask for sizes of hubby and I, she just gets what looks right, and it is always one size too small.) Take the jeans and cut a straight line right under the crotch of the pants to make yourself a vintage pair of Daisy Dukes. (LOL) Now cut down the side seam of the pants, cutting away the thick doubled over jean seam on each side, and cut away from front of the jeans by cutting out the crotch. Now you just have the butt of the jeans. Take one side and cut a curve the way you want it. Now, fold the jean (butt) in half, and use as a pattern for the other side. Each side should be even now.
In this picture, it looks like my cutting is uneven and a little "wonky", but in reality it is just that the demin was not laying flat enough on the table. Sorry for this. Hopefully this gives you the idea though. Save the top of the jeans, and don't cut it off, because we will loop the waist band and straps under these.
Pick out some fabric!!! Here is a picture which hopefully shows the pattern a little bit. It is a bright turquoise with paler and darker turquoise curly q's. It is very bright, and I think it looks good with the denim.
I like alot of ruflfle, so I cut it several inches wide, knowing that I will have a 1/4 inch seam on both sides of it when it is sewn on the apron. Mine are probably 3 inches in width. Depending on how wide your fabric is, you will probably have to cut two lengths, and then sew them together. I used a cutting mat, a see through quilting/crafting ruler and a rotary cutter to get the exact measurements, but if you do not have these, a ruler, a pencil (mark on the wrong side of fabric), and a pair of good scissors will work just as well. Take this to the sewing machine, and fold over and sew a 1/4 inch all the way down ONE side, and then a 1/4 inch seam down one of the short sides to finish it off. (The other side can be sewn later when you know just how long it needs to be) (I don't iron this, I just eye ball it, but if you feel you must measure, and iron it first, please by all means do so!).
Now, on to the ruffling part. I take a small tuck about every inch or so (again, eyeballing it), and secure it with a staight pin. Let me see if I can show you a picture to show you what I am talking about. You can save time, by making the small tucks and pinning it straight to your denim apron if you would like. I just did it this way so you can get a better look at the ruffle.
As you can see in the picture above, I have already sewn the 1/4 inch at the bottom, and have ruffled the top and secured them with pins.
Now, off to the sewing machine again, to attach the ruffle to the "butt" . Now there are two ways of doing this, and I think both ways look nice, so it doesn't really matter. You can either sew the ruffle to the underneath of the denim, or you can flip under a little of the salvage edge of the ruffle and sew it to the top side of the blue jeans. I hope that makes sense, but now that I am putting it in print, I am not sure it does. LOL And that is the one thing I forgot to take a picture of!!!! If anyone has questions, please email me and I will try to help you out!!!
Starting off, getting over those huge seams at the top of your pants is a little tricky, and you might have to push or pull the fabric just a tad to get it through. The rest is a breeze, but I would suggest you take it slow and easy, especially if you are not used to sewing on a curve, or sewing with denim, and plus the fact that you will be removing pins every inch or so! LOL Cut off any leftover ruffle, and make a 1/4 seam on the short side of the belt/strap where you just cut it off to give it a finished look.
Next is the strap or belt. Measure how long you will need it and make it SEVERAL inches longer. I make mine LONG because I like to be able to tie a bow in it in the back if wanted.
Cut your belt 3.5-4 inches in width, and as long as you want or need it. When it is sewn, this belt will be 1/2 the width and should fit through the belt loops nicely (1.5 to 2 inches?). Cut, sew right sides together all the way down one side, turn, iron, and finish the ends by tucking a little inside, making sure it looks right and sewing off the ends. Feed your belt/strap through the loops as you would a real belt and make sure the leftover is even on both sides. Now, sew the belt on, by sewing it to the denim just beside the ruffle on both sides to secure the belt. This seam isn't really that visible, don't worry!
Excuse the cell phone and TV control on the couch in this picture. LOL
Now, you are basically done. You have the basics down anyway. You can embellish with little beads, buttons, etc that you hand sew on if you want to. I am thinking about finding some cute little iron on patches for the aprons I will be making the little girls for Christmas this year, and ironing one on each butt pocket. And I am also thinking of making their's a little more "girly" by making the ruffle with fabric AND lace at the same time. How cute huh?? My adopted sisters who are in college, want me to make them pink ones, with lace, marabou feathery stuff, some rhinestones and pearls for Christmas. Another words, they want them so over the top girly, that it would make you almost puke. LOL They are so funny. But I honestly think they will be super cute.
I hope some of you will try to make this cute little apron, and post pictures of your own variation!!!
Michelle came over this morning to talk to dad and I. She told us that she is 3 weeks pregnant. We are not shocked, but then again we are. Michelle has been dating Gill for 4 and 1/2 weeks now. They live with his parents. Michelle told us that she and Gill will get married soon, but her divorce needs to be done 1st. She also told us she is going to keep looking for a job and try to go to school too. We will see. Michelle has not worked a day since she has moved back down here months ago. Everyone has been supporting her and the babies. We will love and welcome any grandchild, we just wish she was on her feet taking care of the babies she has now before adding more. Michelle's sisters are upset and disappointed in her because they have raised Jeffie and Maddie as much as Michelle has. We need to keep this in prayer and Gods hands where they belong.
Hello all. I can't believe that in the time here at HSB, I have now written 299 blogs, and this one makes an even 300. Of course, I have read at least that many, and left more comments than I can tell you. I love this place! LOL There are honestly days when I must "ground myself" from HSB until I get my daily routine done for the day. I was just telling Sister Brenda in a message the other day I was grounded from HSB until I got all my sewing done! LOL
So, in celebration of my 300th blog here (roar of applause in the near background), I would like to offer a wonderful giveaway, host and provided by.....................................yours truly!!! (ME! LOL) I have been thinking of doing this for a few days when the number 3-0-0 came up (glad it is the number of blogs and not my age! LOL) and have been thinking of what I would like to give away.
And then.......................................................it came to me (imagine one of those goofy bright yello light bulbs above my head, suspended in air), why not give away one of my famous denim butt aprons (which I will show you HOW to make all by your little ole self if you want to on #301 ok??? I promise! Messy Jo has been waiting for this very IMPATIENTLY, and Monica over at Books, Bedlam, and a Lively Hope, has been waiting, a little more patiently. LOL)
So, without further ado........................here is a sample picture of what you will be winning if your name is picked :
This one was made specifically by me, for a dear friend of mine for her birthday (You know who you are! LOL You should be getting this in the mail next week.....a little late, but it is the thought that counts.), so yours will not be EXACTLY like this one. I was thinking of making the winning apron with..............................wait for it...................................................PINK JOHN DEERE FABRIC!!!!! It is just too dang cute to even imagine isn't it?? LMSO
So, what do you have to do to win the apron giveaway??????? Leave a comment and your blog name here (and if you do not have an account here, please leave your email addy, so I can get ahold of you if you win, please), as well as copy and paste this on YOUR BLOG!!!! Can you imagine the excitement I am feeling right now??? LMSO I am so excited to be able to do this. I have actually WON two times here at HSB from other bloggers offering prizes, and now I am able to give back by doing my own.
So, I will start making the apron this week, and I am hoping to post a picture before mailing it out to the winner, for all to see.
Ok, so now you have all the info......................................what are you waiting for????????????? Sign the stinking blog already!!! LMSO
(By the way, I will be choosing a winner on FRIDAY, the 25th of July!!!!! (It will almost be like Christmas in July to whomever wins! LOL)
Now, check the next blog of mine, for the tutorial!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know if you've seen the promotions from a company called Artscow.com or not, but I've been enjoying their deals! I got my first photo book today in the mail and it is GREAT!! I am so pleased with how it turned out.
You can design your own pages (if you're a digiscrapper) or use their templates (what I did). It's a 30 page, 8x8 photo book for $11.99 with free shipping. I have several coupon codes that I can give out and if you redeem it for the discounted price and free shipping, I get an additional credit for another photo book. Great deal, huh?
I know you're wondering about the quality...SOOO I took pictures! I'm not going to crop these or anything so you can get the best idea.
Isn't that neat?!?! The templates are really easy to use once you figure them out. You choose your background on the pages, then just click and drag your layouts and then drop the pictures (from ones you've uploaded) into where you want them.
I'm so excited. I can't wait to order my next one!
If you are interested in using a code to get the discount and free shipping, you can leave me a comment or email me and I'll zap a coupon code right to you!!! Thanks for looking!!
Wow. I can't believe it's the middle of July already. Where is it going?!? I still have to finalize my curriculum lists for next year and get things ordered. It's going to be time to start soon. I need to get on the ball.
I thought I'd take a little bit of time and give quick updates on us.
Christopher has been experiencing some growing pains. He wants to be grown up so badly, but refuses to accept with growing up comes more responsibility. We're working on him, but he's a tough nut to crack. He's started sharing in our Bible reading time at night and seems very proud of himself that he's doing so well. I'm expecting LOTS of progress with him this year.
Erin is so ready for school to start she can taste it. She's reading pretty much on her own now...which should make things go a lot smoother next year. As great as she's doing, she still lacks confidence in her own abilities though. We've been working on a few things that are just for her to help with that and so far so good.
Sean. Wow. Is this the boy we had to do speech therapy with?? Sometimes he's still a little hard to understand, but he doesn't stop talking these days! It's so nice to see him finally growing into his own skin.
Kelsie is 8 months old already!!! When did that happen!!?? (Yeah, 3 days ago! LOL) She's crawling all over the place now and started pulling up and cruising around on her own a lot too. Looks like she's going to follow in the trend of an early walker. She finally got her first tooth last weekend too!! After several cranky nights she seems to have settled in and is relaxing now. It hasn't effected her nursing or eating any yet either...which I say is AWESOME!
Daddy is working like a crazy man. Between work and work at the church and keeping up with the yard work and things that need attention on the house (summer jobs), he barely sits still. Mom, you'll be happy to know I finally cut his hair. So at least he's not so shaggy and that should help him stay cooler when he's out in the heat.
I'm doing well. Still working on getting things more organized and decluttered around here...including me. I've lost 68 lbs since Kelsie was born and REALLY can't wait to loose more. It's hard work, but I'm okay with that...for now.
I've taken a ton of pictures the last few weeks, but haven't been online much to post. We had our niece and nephew here for three days last week and that totally threw my schedule out of whack. I'm trying to get laundry and all those fun things caught back up now and then I'll post some pictures.
Kefir is a cultured milk product similar to yogurt only thinner and much easier to make and reculture. If you would like to know more specific information on kefir I have an article written by a friend of mine on my site to give you more info. You can read that HERE. It has all the wonderful qualities of yogurt with the good probiotics your body needs to stay healthy.
Kefir can be made in two ways. One is to purchase kefir grains (you can read more about this in the above mentioned article). You soak milk in the grains, strain the grains and put the grains back into a clean jar and fill with milk, let it sit on your counter overnight and the next morning it is ready. I have made kefir with grains in the past. There were a few things I did not care for. One was it was a lot of maintenance. Unless you stop making kefir you have to strain it out daily and that adds up to a lot of kefir to use every day. Also the longer I made it the stronger the taste became and my family was not too thrilled with it. So I purchased some powdered kefir cultures and made it and was so much happier with the results. This is the method I will show you how to make.
I like making kefir because it is so easy! It is much easier to make than yogurt. You don’t need a lot of equipment other than a large stainless steel pot, a thermometer and a few canning jars. I use 2 2-quart jars but you can use 4 1-quart jars if that is what you have.
Besides that you will need one gallon of milk (I use whole milk) and a package of powdered kefir culture. You can purchase your cultures online at Leeners http://www.leeners.com/cheesesupply.html#buttermilk . I have purchased cheese cultures and rennet, kefir cultures, yogurt starter, buttermilk starter and more from them many times. They are a GREAT company with excellent prices and I highly recommend them.
After your cultures arrive in the mail you can gather your needed items together and get ready to make kefir! This pictures shows the jars with their lids (I buy plastic lids from Walmart or Azure Standard, they are made by Ball), a thermometer, the packet of culture and one gallon of milk.
Pour your gallon of milk into the stainless steel pot and put it on the stove.
Set your oven at medium high IF you will be watching the pot. If not you can set it on low and stir occasionally as it heats up. In any case stir now and again and check the temperature of the milk
As soon as it reaches 86 degrees remove the pot from the stove. Open the packet of kefir cultures, sprinkle over the milk and stir until dissolved
Now it is time for pour the mixture into your canning jars. I like to use a canning funnel for this job. It is not absolutely necessary but helps keep the mess at a minimum.
Fill both jars to the top
Put the lid on them and let them sit out on the counter for 12 to 18 hours. I try and make this in the later afternoon and then just let it sit on the counter till morning.
When the time is up you can open the lid and there is your kefir! As you can see it is nice and thick.. but not as thick as yogurt. The consistency is more like thick buttermilk.
When you start to run out of kefir it is even easier to make more.
Fill a clean canning jar ¼ full of kefir. Pour milk to the top of the jar. Cover and leave out at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. And that is it!!
Kefir can be used in place of milk or yogurt in smoothies. That is how I like to use it most often. I have used it also in place of buttermilk for baking. But my favorite use is in smoothies.
Here is a delicious and simple strawberry kefir smoothie recipe that is perfect for these warm summer days.
Strawberry Kefir Smoothie
Crystal Miller
1 heaping cup fresh strawberries (frozen will also work)
1 cup kefir
Honey to taste, optional
Gather your ingredients together
Put kefir and strawberries into your blender.
Turn your blender on high and mix until all is smooth (taste to see if you want to add a little honey for sweetener at this point).
Hope... - 10:50, Saturday, July 19, 2008 - By Mrs. Joseph Wood
I have been waking at 5am and using this time to prepare for the day both spiritually and physically. Elisha kept asking me to wake him a half hour before the other children so that he too could have some quiet time with the Lord. Yesterday, I woke him at 5:30 a.m. as we entered the library to read the Word I was filled with a sense of Hope. At that momen,t the reality hit me that because of Christ I can awake everyday with Hope! Hope of seeing the impossible made possible, Hope of being a witness to God in action! An excitement sprang forth in my heart; there are so many "impossible" needs in my life and yet at any moment my God, the God of the impossible, could speak life into them and they would become possible!
I shared my thoughts with Elisha and we both pondered our lives as His children! What Hope and Joy fills my heart to think about it. I walk with expectation that at any moment, at any turn in life, I could bear witness to the impossible becoming possible! Amazing.. simply amazing! Just think about it, Our God has been doing the impossible since the very beginning! Nothing is impossible for our God. As I type this I am reminded of how many "Impossibles" I have personally seen become possible only because of Him! Let me share with you a few things I have found in His Word as I pondered this Hope that lies within me! Grab yourself a cup of tea and come... come study His Word with me!
Hope is mentioned 133 times in the Kings James Bible.
The World defines hope as: a feeling of being hopeful - wishing for a positive outcome. (The hope we have within us is not based on "wishing" is it dear friends? It isn't based on feelings either! For a hope that was grounded on emotions would not stand the test of time nor would a wishful thought carry us through the storms of life! Only a hope rooted in Truth can stand the trials of time and the storms that come!)
The Bible defines hope as: confidence (Job 31:24 strongs #3689) a place of refuge, security, trust (Psalm 16:9 strongs #983) expectation, faith (Romans 4:18 strongs#1680)
It is the Lord that makes us hope (Psalm 22:9)
I just love Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
Did you notice that it said our "flesh" shall "rest" in hope!! It is in our faith of Him and all He is that our flesh is quieted and we find rest! Praise God!!!
I love Romans 4:18 which says: Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be
How many of you have reason to be "against hope!?" Your situations looks "impossible" right? Take heart dear friend! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR OUR GOD!! Let it be said of us, "Who against hope believed in hope" so that we too may receive the blessings and the promises of the Lord!
Oh, there is just so much more to share... so many more verses on HOPE! Share your favorite verse on Hope with me. I would love to enjoy His Word right along with you!
With much love,
Mrs. Joseph Wood
(on behalf of the entire Wood family who is living every day with HOPE)
This up coming week I am going to try to get 3 rooms all cleaned out. I need to go through every thing and find a new home for the items we do not use any more. I am going to start in the kitchen and then move to the family room and the girls bathroom last. I also want to go through the garage and start un-packing some of the boxes. Most of the item will be going to a new home. I have sooo many boxes of homeschooling books and item that I did not use or will not use again, I will be selling them on ebay. I am giving my self a month to empty out our small rented storage unit and keep what is needed and find a new home for the rest. On the farm/ranch we have a huge storage unit that we keep our tack and supplies in. I have filled it up half way with item we no longer use or need, they will be sold at a huge yard sell once I have it filled with sale items. I will let you all know when I will list all the home school books and stuff on ebay.
We ordered new windows for the house! We are soo excited!!! We have been wanting to get them for years but always did some other project instead. But this year we did it. They will be here in 3-4 weeks. The house will be sooo much cooler and then the air will not be on 24 hours a day. I will take pictures after they are in.
Today was the last day of vbs. I had so much fun teaching this week. We had sooo many kids give their hearts to the Lord, it was amazing. I can't wait until Christmas vbs!
What an amazing concept.
I check my freecycle group every morning..........
I have 'freecycled' some board games.
I have picked up 2 different freecycle items.
It’s a hot and beautiful sun-shiny day here in my little corner of Michigan. Really hot.
I’ve been inside redoing my menu plan because I made a bit of a mess out of it.
It seems with all the other crazy goings on I didn’t check to make sure I had some key ingredients on hand for some recipes. Plus I pushed back my Aldi’s shopping to next week because of having to do some other extra driving this week for youth work and I knew we wouldn’t have the gas money.
So what have we done? How have we “survived”? By God’s good grace.
Allow me to share: On Tuesday, Mr. Steady found eggs were 99 cents a dozen at the little store down the road from where he works and he bought 4 dozen. Unknown to me- on this same day I was at the little Amish store I love and found eggs were 99 cents also- good thing I only bought 1 dozen. I also splurged and dipped into my stock-up grocery stash to buy a large amount of precooked and frozen bacon crumbles (we’re talking major good deal here- as in the same price we pay for bacon and they’ve already cooked and crumbled it for us!). So on Tuesday we had cheesy scrambled eggs with bacon bits, onion (from the garden) and mushrooms I found in the fridge (thought we’d finished them up with salad last week). Yummo. With toast that was made from “free to me” bread in my freezer (passed along by a friend who is constantly being given free bread).
On Wednesday, I had massage therapy and my dad asked Mr. Steady to help him with a project for church. My mom fed my little family and I ate a bit of leftovers.
So that has all helped greatly with the great grocery oops.
And so you will once again be seeing recipes that were scheduled for this week in next week’s menu.
If there are no more huge snafus, I have the menu plan planned out for the next three weeks and even a couple days of the week thereafter.
Whew.
