Ten Minute (or so) Table Runner

I am probably the last person to know about these quick and easy table runners since I have no sewing experience! However, I am learning to quilt (with my new quilting sewing machine I received for Christmas) and I'm broadening my fabric horizons!

Back in November, I saw the directions to this table runner. It sounded relatively easy and I thought that maybe I could handle it. I began imagining how I could use seasonal fabrics and promised myself I would give it a try for Valentine's Day. Guess what I tackled today?

You will need 1/2 yard of one fabric (your main which will become the back and edge) and 1/3 yard of the other (which will be your accent fabric).

I love the little heart ladybugs!

Turn the fabrics print-side to print-side and sew along the edge with a quarter inch seam. Turn over and repeat along the other edge, so that you end-up with a long tube with the pretty sides inside.

Now you can turn the tube inside out so that your printed sides are showing. Carefully press the fabric flat so that the backside which comes around forms an edge (of equal width) on either side of your accent fabric. Measure several times to be sure it's even because once you stitch in the next step, it will be too late to correct any error.

Fold the tube in half, lengthwise, and sew along one of the short  ends with a quarter inch seam. Repeat at the other end.

"Open" and pull the backside fabric forward, forming a point of the main fabric. 

Repeat the process with other end and you'll have your table runner. It's recommended that you use a decorative stitch or add a button (or other accent) along the line where the triangle ends and meets the accent fabric. I have to decide what I will do to finish mine.

If you are a visual learner, just do a search for "ten minute table runner" and watch a YouTube. Ironically, I even found one highlighting a Valentine table runner last night. This project is touted to take just ten minutes. Due to my lack of experience and weak sewing confidence, it took me a bit longer. Even for me, though, it was quick and enjoyable!

Maybe you'd like to try making one.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Winter Skin

Most of us experience dry skin in the wintertime. I will say that one of my resolutions for the new year was to drink more water and it is having a positive impact on my skin. That, coupled with our unseasonably mild temperatures, has resulted in my skin being softer than most winters (of course we can't overlook the absence of washing my hands a zillion times a day with strong antibacterial soap at school!). Here are a few products which I find very favorable for me and, perhaps, they may work for you.

A friend once recommended Trader Joe's soap and now both my mother and I are hooked! It's a wonderful tub/shower product which not only smells good, but is mild and effective. I like the way it softens my skin.

Do you have issues with dry skin on your heels? That was a biggie for me and I tried, with little success, many different products before falling in love with body scrub from Bath and Body Works. I believe they have a scrub specifically for heels, but I haven't used it. Rather, I use a dab of their body scrub on my heels three of four times a week. It comes in a variety of scents and with no exaggeration, I tell you that my heels felt better the very first time I used it!

My final unofficial endorsement is my Gold Bond hand cream. For years and years it's been part of my bedtime routine. Just before I turn-out the lights, I apply this thick, but absorbent cream. I use many other body lotions and creams, but this is just for my hands at nighttime and, for me, it works the best. 

How do you keep your skin soft in the wintertime? What are your favorite products?

Caribbean Pork Chops

Here is a good recipe for your slow cooker. You can put it together before lunch and have your entrée ready for dinner. My cousin, Kara, shared this with me years ago and we really enjoy it. I hadn't prepared it for a long time, so I made it yesterday. I served it on a bed of brown rice and also made green beans and hot rolls.

Caribbean Pork Chops

6 pork chops (about 2 pounds)

3 T. flour

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 T. oil

1 (15 oz.) can pineapple chunks

3/4 cup pineapple juice (from the canned chunks)

1/4 cup water

2 T. brown sugar

2 T. dried onion

2 T. tomato paste

1/4 cup raisins

Mix flour, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic powder and rub into chops until mixture is gone. Brown meat in skillet with oil on stove. Drain pineapple (reserve juice!). Mix juice, water, brown sugar, tomato paste and dried onion. Place everything in the crock pot and cook on high for 3-3 1/2 hours or low for 6-7 hours. When finished, add fruit and heat 10 minutes or until the fruit is hot through. Serve on rice.

(I always cook it on the low setting. The meat is so tender it literally falls off the bones.)

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Tablescape

Do you remember these bird dishes I used in an earlier post? At the time, I mentioned that they had companion lunch plates and today's table uses those.

Are you a bird watcher? Especially in the winter, they add a pretty pop of color. We enjoy the birds at our backyard feeders (but not the pesky squirrels we're battling!) and this table reminds me of some of our little feathered friends.

My tree trunk vase seemed a fitting for this scape. It's an interesting piece I received from a friend. She knows a woman who makes these! Starting with a real log, the woman's husband chisels out the wood, leaving the bark shell. Isn't it wonderful? For this setting, I filled it with faux holly greenery and twigs from our birch tree

We have this hanging in our solarium and it says it all...

Whooo Likes Owls?

As you know, owls are popular in décor and merchandise these days. I've shown my lantern before. It has a distressed look for an old-world feel and stands about two feet tall. I enjoy changing it seasonally! The first of January, I took out the little Christmas tree that was inside it and guess whooo I put in its place? It's my snow owl. Isn't he darling? I love his big eyes, sparkly feathers and metallic feet. He was a gift from my parents a few Christmases ago. I opened the door of my lantern to get a close-up.

For a little added wintery-feel, I placed Mr. Owl on a piece of dollar store cotton snow drape and scattered some small snowflake ornaments. Under the "snow", though, I placed a string of battery operated mini lights. I only light them when I am home to supervise.

This is how it looks by day.

We love listening to the real owls who reside behind our home!

As "owl"-ways, I hope your day is going well!!

Paperwhites

Each year I receive paperwhites as a Christmas gift. Once the seasonal decorations are packed away, I begin forcing the bulbs. It's always so much fun because it's easy and the results are rewarding! When I was "playing school", I used to take some of them to my classroom. We lined them up in our windowsill and the children always marveled at the process. We would observe them, make predictions, measure their daily growth to record in our science journal, observe their root growth (since we suspended the bulbs in water in clear glass containers) and then await the explosion of blossoms. Before they could even put away their bookbags and hang up their coats each morning, they'd make a beeline to the windowsill to inspect our project. Once the paperwhites did bloom, we would make conclusions and write a paragraph on our experience. It was a lot of fun! 

Paperwhites (in the narcissus family) are simple to force as they don't require a cold snap to promote growth/blossoming. They begin rooting almost immediately and can be placed in water or peat moss mix. Guess what began blooming earlier this week at our house?

I love their delicate little clusters of yellow-throated white flowers and although they are fragrant, I'd classify it as an almost antiseptic smell! It's not offensive, though. They're a nice little pick-me-up for a  gray, winter day!

Happy Friday! Have a good weekend!

Gone All Afternoon Stew

Hot soup hits the spot on a cold day. Here's a recipe of my mother's that is easy and hearty.

Gone All Afternoon Stew

2 pounds stew meat, cubed
3 medium carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 (10 oz.) bag frozen peas
1 can tomato soup
1/2 can water
1 tsp. salt and a dash of pepper
1/4 cup red wine or dill pickle juice

Place beef and vegetables in lightly greased pan (no need to brown meat first). Add soup, water, salt & pepper, wine (or pickle juice). Stir to mix, place on lid and bake in a 275 degree oven for 5 hours.

When I recently made this, I used the pickle juice. Rather than fresh carrots, I used a bag of mixed frozen carrots, broccoli and cauliflower since I had it in the freezer and wanted to use it up and  threw in some corn.  I also increased the temperature and decreased the time to fit my schedule. Hot bread and some fresh fruit can round-out your meal.

Enjoy!

Snow Day!

It's a snow day for the schools. The little bit of snow that fell isn't as much of an issue as the extreme cold. It snowed until 3:00 this morning so the road crews haven't had a lot of time to clear secondary streets. The single digit temperatures, though, are promoting icing and dangerous conditions and it's been requested that you not go out if you don't have to do so.

Days like these make me fondly recall the following poem that I used to teach my first graders. It appeared at our poetry center and was used not only for instructional purposes, but also for memorization.  

    Merry Little Snowflakes

Merry little snowflakes falling through the air,

Busy little snowflakes falling everywhere!

Blowing in our faces and falling at our feet,

Falling on the children as they run across the street!

There are no children or birds out and about yet!I'm sure the feeders will be busy later in the day.

Do you like snow days?

Tuesday's Tablescape

It's snowing! It was predicted to begin around 2:00 and, like clockwork, tiny flakes began falling just about then. Two to four inches are supposed to accumulate before it's said and done. We'll see. In anticipation, I have set a winter tablescape.

Treasured family china, which belonged to Great Aunt Helen and Great Uncle Vernon, seemed a perfect choice for today. There are two winter scenes (two plates of each scene) in the collection, so I used both patterns.

Silver chargers and flatware and then a simple centerpiece seemed to complete the table.

It's a good night for some comfort food on these special old dishes. I have a roast and vegetables in the oven and just made some blueberry muffins. Have a good evening and stay warm!

Kids Against Hunger

We had the privilege of volunteering for a "pack-a-thon" at our church Saturday morning. Our congregation hosted the event in an effort to help "Kids Against Hunger".  We were previously unfamiliar with this organization and their mission statement, but perhaps you're aware of the group and its work. They provide highly nutritious meals to malnourished children in the United  States and developing countries.  If you'd like to read more about them, here's their link:

http://www.kidsagainsthunger.org/

We assembled packets of nutritionally balanced meals Saturday morning. Although "Kids Against Hunger" sends food to 70 countries, what we made will be going to Haiti. Knowing that the children there sometimes eat mud cakes to survive, we were all happy to do what we could to provide food for them. Each meal bag is made from vitamin and mineral powder, dehydrated vegetables, vitamin-fortified soy and rice. In assembly line fashion, we measured each ingredient into a commercially-prepared plastic wrap, weighed it for accuracy, hermetically sealed it and then packed it into a box. This picture shows our table's first batch. These bags, equivalent to one carton, represent 216 meals!

All of the products are grown in America and some of the grains and vegetables we used came from Missouri. A meal bag contains food for six people and can be prepared with nothing more than water. "Kids Against Hunger" relies upon volunteer help so that their operating budget can go toward product and shipping. It's amazing to see how far the funds go! Food and shipping costs about 30 cents a meal. By the way, we sampled this product and it tasted good.

Just under 200 volunteers from our church prepared 20,000 meals  on Saturday! It was rewarding to do something to help such a dire need. Many people die of starvation and related causes each day. "Kids Against Hunger" is doing its part to assist. If you're so led, maybe you can help. If your community hosts a pack-a-thon, I would highly recommend spending a little time with the efforts. Making a small monetary donation goes a long way and makes a big difference.  The T-shirts say it all. Feed just one...

New Wheels

A few weeks ago I dashed into Walmart to pick-up something and right inside the garden entrance which I had used, stood a collection of clearanced bicycles.  My eye immediately went to a few retro-looking styles. The first one to grab my attention was bright aqua with an aqua, lime and white plaid seat.

The next one I looked at was a light lime color (you can see the back of it in the photo above). I thought they were all adorable, but I went on my way. A few days later, I went back to further investigate them. Although I adored the blue (with colors which just happen to perfectly match the aqua and lime scheme on the interior of our motorhome), the seat was very uncomfortable. Of course it would be an easy switch to change it, but I would be sacrificing the cute pattern! I hopped on the green one. Not only was the seat very comfortable, but it had slightly wider tires and longer fenders (both positives).

I decided it would come home with me! I plan to take it on trips with us to ride for pleasure in the evenings (it can be accommodated in the underneath storage of the motorhome). What makes it even sweeter is that it was entirely paid for by gift cards which I had accumulated. At Christmastime and the end of the school year,  families often gifted me with cards to area stores and restaurants and I saved them to use for something special. To me, this is special!

Don't you agree that it needs a retro basket on the front, though? I'm envisioning a white one and then I can attach a lime daisy or plaid ribbon or something to dress it up!

Have a happy weekend. If I plan to ride my new wheels, I'd best do it today because we're supposed to have a cold Saturday and Sunday.

Tea for Two

A nice cup of warm tea on a cold winter day really hits the spot. I have a little collection of old family teacups which I treasure. Each has its own story to tell.

The collection is on display on the butler's pantry.

We have a few teapots, too. These are on the shelf above the doorway in the dining room. The two small ones on the left belonged to my great grandparents. The rainbow one was a gift from my aunt (Terri) when I was in high school and the aqua one belonged to my grandma. Her brother (Wayne) gave it to her when he was in the service.

I have childhood tea sets, too, and I remember playing with them.

I think we're set. Let's all have tea!

Pie, Anyone?

You'll either be very interested or very disinterested in this recipe because people seem to feel strongly (one way or the other) about coconut. If you are a fan, this one's for you! I made it as one of the Christmas Day desserts served at my parents' house and all of the coconut-loving family members enjoyed this pie.

Coconut Macaroon Pie

1 sheet refrigerated pie crust

2 large eggs

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp. almond extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup flour

1 pkg. (14 oz.) flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll pie crust into pie pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sweetened condensed milk, melted butter, extract and salt until smooth. Stir in flour. Reserved 1/2 cup coconut and stir remaining into egg mixture. Pour into pan and sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup on top. Bake on a lower oven rack 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and filling is set. Cool on wire rack.

Tuesday's Tablescape

We had our first snowfall last Saturday. You can't really call it a snowfall as it was truly just a glorified dusting, but it looked pretty and gave me the opportunity to set a table with snowmen!

I found this set of adorable snowman plates at a garage sale last summer. The stack was still wrapped in the original packaging and I thought they would be so fun to use for a wintertime table! I love their simple "chalkboard" feel.

I pulled out this salt and pepper set which a sweet family gave me for Christmas a few years ago. The snowman's top hat seemed to be fitting!

'Snow' fooling...I hope your day is a good one!