“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Jenna’s blanket

Haven’t decided if I’m really going to keep this blog up much, but since most of my hits are about crocheting, I thought I’d really like to share this with everyone to inspire others.
This blanket was done for a friend’s baby whose gender was unknown until her birth. I had decided to do [...]

Blanket finished and waiting

I actually finished my “Afghan of the Sandman” blanket mid-December but was too caught up in events to remember to post it. It was begun for nobody in particular, then when we found we were pregnant it was dedicated to the baby Peanut, then we miscarried and it was rededicated to Jay-Jay. At that point [...]

Swiffer hack

My kitchen has textured vinyl flooring. Over the years, dirt and grime has solidified into the dimples and grooves that create the texture, and regular old mopping just doesn’t lift it out. I tried everything I could think of, even one of those floor-scrubbing appliances, all to no avail. The only thing that did it [...]

Cranberry Almond Granola

This makes a terrific cereal, and the best part about it is the recipe’s versatility. Add what you like, subtract what you don’t, adjust the sweetness to your taste. It can handle quite a bit of fiddling and still taste delicious. It’s great with milk first thing in the morning.

Cranberry Almond Granola
In a mixing bowl, [...]

Italian meatloaf and Garlic zucchini pasta

My husband’s love language is “meatloaf.” Somehow Dr. Chapman saw fit to not include this language and recipe in his popular books, so I’ve had to figure it out on my own. I now have several different meatloaf recipes that I cook up on occasion, especially when E has had a tough work week or [...]

Pumpkin walnut muffins

This makes a very thick batter and looks like it’s too much for just 12 muffin cups, but it will fit. They rise up to make beautiful crowns. They’re fabulously delicious, and are very well paired with a glass of milk.
Pumpkin walnut muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cups white sugar

Crochet and babies!

I know I just posted on how I add crochet edgings to blankets, but SewChic has a much better tutorial. Updated to add: She now has instructions on how to use a serger and sewing machine to simplify things tremendously. I’ve wanted to try this, but don’t have a serger. I will say [...]

New project

Three years ago, a friend learned how to add crochet edgings to fleece when I gave her newborn daughter a blanket like Bug’s. She’s since learned to make adorable hats to match, and now has a dandy little side business making the sets for babies and children. She loves the hobby and is thrilled that [...]

Detail of a crochet edge

This is Bug’s blankie.

 
It used to have a white satin ribbon running through the holes, joined at a corner with a beautiful girly bow, but she pulled it out like a drawstring so often it made my paranoid self afraid she’d choke on it, so I removed it. I made it for her just before [...]

Hand embroidery how-to

I got the idea for my hand-embroidered onesies from one of my favorite blogs, Pleasant View Schoolhouse, when she embroidered four onesies for a set of twins. I was so inspired, I fired up Google to get some information on how to do it myself. Here is the result, my personal method for embroidering a [...]