Tutorial: Pattern Weights

There's nothing I hate more than pinning a pattern and cutting out the fabric when I'm doing a project.  I absolutely love my rotary cutter and mat.  It saves me so much precious time!  If you have yet to take the rotary leap, I highly recommend you jump in as soon as you can! I promise, you'll never look back! It's also great for those with bad hands!

You have to hold your pattern down in one spot when you're using a rotary cutter and mat; that's where pattern weights come in.  Just plop them down on top of your pattern when your cutting, and it wont move around on you!

What you'll need:

Half to 1.5  inch strips of fabric or ribbon

Hot glue gun and hot glue (high temp is best)

Washers- you need 2 per weight (I got the biggest ones at Home Depot I could find. They are zinc coated)




Start off with 2 washers.  Place a dab of hot glue on
one of them and place the end of your fabric strip on it.  Put hot glue around it in a circle and place the other washer on top, sandwiching the end of the fabric strip between the washers.

Now begin wrapping the material around the washer going through the hole.

And keep wrapping....

And wrapping until none of the washer is showing.

 Place a small dab of hot glue and lay the excess material on it.  Cut away the extra....

  

Thanks for looking!

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the King's horses

and all the King's men

couldn't put Humpty Together again.

We've all heard that nursery Rhyme.  The tale of a poor egg-man who fell off a wall and couldn't be put back together.  I don't remember exactly when it struck, but on day I was hit by this thought: Horses? Really? Why would they try to put him back together with horses?  Then it hit me just how much like poor Humpty Dumpty we are in our walk with Christ.

We sit on a wall all lifted up and proud.  Usually we are by ourselves and trying to accomplish a lot on our own, just so we can stroke our own egos.  Then as will always happen, we fall.  Our life gets shattered into a million pieces and we just can't put it all back together again.  

In the Humpty Dumpty rhyme it seems as if they let the horses have a go at putting Humpty back together again first.  At a horses disposal is their mouths and their hooves to use as tools to put Humpty back together.  They are very poorly equipped.  Egg shells are fragile and delicate, and I'm sure that while trying to put it back together, no matter how much good intent they had, that pieces were shattered even more.  I can very confidently say that Humpty would have probably been a lot better off if they had allowed the King's men to have a go at it first.

How often after a fall do we try to either fix things ourselves or look to something else to medicate us? In today's society we have so many more "addictions" than ever before.  We have addictions to sex, shopping, drugs, alcohol, food, and the list goes on and on.  None of these things fix a problem.  They just further shatter our lives and we are left nearly impossible to repair.  The good news is our fate isn't as dire as Humpty Dumpty.  

We CAN be repaired! All it takes to repair us is the King's lamb, Jesus! 

Colossians 1:20-22 (KJV) states:

 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies  in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

God is so holy that he cannot be near sin.  Our sins no matter what they are separate us from God.  It could be anything from murder to something our society has deemed so innocuous as gluttony.  No MATTER WHAT, sins will ALWAYS separate us from God and make it impossible to clearly hear his voice.  There is good news! The verse above shows us that Jesus is the way to being repaired and regaining closeness with God!

God in all his glory and splendor wants us to be close to him. So, he made a way for us to be able to be close to him.  He sent his perfect, blameless son Jesus to die on the cross for us.  When we turn from our sin and believe on Jesus, then we will be cleansed and made in right standing with God.  When we are in close communion with God, he is then able to pick up the pieces and make us whole again! No matter what afflictions or trials, God is enough to complete you! Jesus made the pathway to God and because he was victorious over the grave when he rose, we have victory over our sins!

So, when you've fallen like Humpty Dumpty, don't let the horses of self of stuff try to put you back together.  You'll only end up being even more shattered.  Instead, let God do the work in you! He won't be like the King's men who were incapable of putting Humpty back together.  He will be like God and put you back together more whole and blessed than you were before you fell!

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Cinco de mayo is coming up tomorrow,  so I figured I'd share one of my favorite tex-mex recipes.  Yes, gringas like me would probably think this was "real" Mexican food.  But I married into a Mexican family so I know better :)

My aunt used to make this for my family and it quickly became one of my favorites.  I swear it's better the next day, IF you can stop everyone from eating them up so you'll actually have leftovers!  They are easy to make a double batch to share an extra pan with friends or pop into the freezer for later!  (I'll post a picture soon!)

Ingredients
1 lb of lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken
1 packet of taco seasoning, or the equivalent in your favorite recipe
1.5 lb tub of sour cream
large can of cream of mushroom soup (the huge family size one)
1 can of chopped green chilies (get the slightly larger can)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or the "Mexican blend"
approximately 20 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare the ground beef with the taco seasonings following the directions on the package.  While meat is browning, combine the sour cream, green chilies, and cream of mushroom soup.  After the meat is finished, put about a 1/4 c in the center of a tortilla.  (warming the tortillas before hand will make it easier to roll, but isn't completely necessary) Roll the tortilla around the beef and place in a 9x13 pan with the ends of the tortilla facing down until you have filled the pan with enchiladas.  Place about half of the sour cream mixture over the rolled enchiladas and sprinkle with half of the cheese.  Do the same for another pan.  I'm usually just a few enchiladas shy of 2 full pans.
Place in the oven and heat until the cheese is melted and bubbly and brown and delicious and the sauce has warmed through!

Handy Woman Intro

Growing up with a mechanic dad, and three younger brothers, I was destined to pick up some "handy-man" skills.  We never called a repairman growing up, it was just my dad and a book from his home-improvement library.  We would often be at his feet handing him the tools needed for the job.  I've been able to fix a few things around the house and thought I'd share the smidget of knowledge I have and share some knowledge others have.  I'm surely not the only gal with a laundry list of things for my husband to get done around the house! Who can blame him, though? He does work 12 days, 45 minutes away from home.

This series will have lots of information! I'll have tips on making your own girly tool belt.  I'll have all the tools everyone should have around the house, guy or gal.  And, of course, I'll have tips for loads of projects you can do around the house.  I'm sure your hubby will be extra grateful to have some knocked off of his to-do list too! {Just PLEASE don't rub it in his face that you did it cause he didn't/wouldn't, PLEASE}  I just relish the fact that I can do some things that are typically "guy" things.  I think you should be able to as well!

ABC Mouse {dot} com

Have you seen the commercials for ABCmouse.com?  I've only seen them on Qubo, so not sure it's super popular.  Apparently it's won many awards from magazines and such.  It's basically and online preschool for ages 2-6.  Since we are on the fence about homeschooling, we decided to go ahead and give it a whirl as a kind of "Warm-up" for homeschooling.

I've got to say I'm VERY impressed! We signed up on Saturday, but I've already seen Lilly learn several concepts she didn't already know, and she's gotten a great review on things she already knew.  There were a few things that helped me make the decision to go ahead an sign up.

The cost isn't that much.  It's about $8 a month, or $80 for the year.  You get the first month free if you sign up for the monthly plan, and if you upgrade to the yearly plan, you get 2 months for free (as of Feb. 2012).  You can cancel at any time.  We signed up for the monthly plan just in case it's not what we hoped.  I don't see us canceling any time soon!

There are a few different ways you can set it up for your child to learn.  You can let them go down the already made learning path.  The learning path is already set up, and your child will go down the path on their own.  Each stage down the path is set in different biomes.  She gets to see the atmosphere of the biome, and their are several facts about it, and the animals and plants that live their.  There is even a quiz your child can take.  There is also the option to make your own lessons using the HUNDREDS of activities on the site.  It's a fantastic option if you feel like your child needs more practice with a certain subject.  I plan on doing a combination of the two.

There are many different activities outside of the learning path, as well.  There's a section with basics, that has all of the letters, sight words, numbers etc.  I have Lilly do two full lessons and a basics section each day.  There are field trips to go on, and all sorts of activities are hidden within the classroom.  It is FANTASTIC.

I very highly recommend this site to every parent who wants their child to succeed!  You can go to this site here to learn more!

Feel like writing

Ever get those moments where you just want to sit and write? I do.  I guess that's why I'm trying my hand at blogging. I really don't have anything in particular to write about.  Just feel like writing.

Guess I'm a bit like Forest Gump, huh?  I mean, he did start running for "no particular reason at all."  I guess I'm writing for no particular reason at all.  I guess, while I'm here I could give a brief synopsis of what's been happening in my life recently.

Topic number one on my mind is My baby girl is turning FOUR soon!! EEK!! {insert super crazy freak out in disbelief "I don't want my baby to grow up!" moment}.  Every time I think about it I go into panic mode.  I'm mostly panicking over schooling.  We've spent the last few years kinda wondering what we would do for her schooling.  Neither one of us are really crazy about the public school system, for a multitude of reasons.  I think we've settled on homeschooling....I think.  I'm at a loss.  How can *I* possibly run a successful Etsy business (assuming it gets that far), a photography business, run my household, and home school?  I just don't know!   That's a lot of hours of work each day! But, if God calls me to do that, then I've just got to rely on Him for the strength to do it.  Nothing is impossible with God!

A VERY good not on Lilly Bunns Boutique side of things.  I'm finally feeling inspired again! I'm going to be developing a few product lines.  SO much work needs to be done to the shop, but I absolutely cant wait! One thing i KNOW no one else on Etsy sells.  It's going to be a pretty controversial item, but I'm hoping that just gets me some more exposure, teeheehee.  I also have a little invention working in my head.  Got to get with my dad to work that one out.  Lets just say it will go on your car.  And, just because I love y'all, I'll give you a little hint as to what the product lines might hold.  There will be a "to the gym we go" and "to church I go" lines.  I've got my work cut out for me!

Ok, I guess I did have something to write about after all.  I'm going to stop her.  Good night, yall!

Whipping this house into submission

I've never, ever, EVER been a big fan of cleaning. I mean I love the results, but all that work, um, no thanks! But, alas, I'm sick and tired of my messy house, and with the remodeling being pretty much done, it's time I get this house whipped into shape! Before the remodel my house consisted of three rooms. Yes, three! A kitchen/living room combo, 2 bedrooms/drum room/office/playroom, and a bathroom/laundry room/closet. Needless to say we're packed in like sardines! There was so much stuff we had that was absolutely necessary, but we had no room for it! Things were just starting to pile up. As anyone that's ever watched hoarders knows, it's impossible to actually clean well with a lot of clutter. (no, we weren't even close to hoarders, just in case you're wondering) now, we have 6 rooms, and oh, I'm LOVING the organization! I'm not quite finished, yet, but it's AMAZING the difference. I'm starting to not be embarrassed by my house anymore! Yay! We now have 6 rooms: kitchen/dining/drum room, living room, bathroom/laundry, Lilly's room, master bedroom, and my office! Something in my brain has clicked from being not really organized at all to super, freakishly organized. The difference is amazing. I'm determined that everything will have its proper place, and everyone will be putting everything into its proper place. There will be NO MORE CLUTTER! I'll share more, later, on my new-found tricks for organizing. I'll have several tutorials, as well. So until then, I'll be cleaning my little heart out. I'm almost there! End of this week is my finished goal, and I WILL make it!

Updates

Hi all! It's been a little while since I've written.  I have been quite the busy girl!

I hope you all had fantastic holidays! Ours were extremely busy, but oh so wonderful! On Christmas Eve we celebrated with all of our family that lives in Texas.  Christmas day started early with Lilly awaking to all the presents she received from Santa, us, her Paw-paw, and Grandma Dawn.  Her favorites were the Barbie Townhouse Grandma got her, and the 3DS santa brought her. We then headed back accross the street for presents at the in-laws since hubby's aunt had arrived from Austin.  A few days later, I headed to South Carolina, and had Christmas all over again on New Years Eve! I'm still here, writing this post on my parent's computer in fact!

We have officially moved into the remodel! Though, there's quite a bit left to do to complete it.  I still have to build the shelves and countertops for the office.  I also need to install closet rods in the new closets.  The vintage dresser I purchased needs to be refinished.  I think their may be a few touch-ups that need to be done paint-wise.  The biggest task of all will be organizing everything! I think I may even be one of those crazy ladies that posts all her befores and afters....maybe! I'm so excited to get home and get my life organised!

On the business front, there will be several new changes.  Not much will be different with Son Rise, I just plan to have more, and more shoots and build a bigger name for myself!   Lilly Bunns Boutique, however will be run totally differently! (especially when compared to last year :))  Look out for a new look to the shop, my products in brick and mortar stores, and, oh yeah, LOTS more products and new products to be added each week!