Cute...Skirt refashioned into an apron dress for Abs

I had a skirt that was just too high above the knee for me (yes folks it is possible), so I refashioned it into something for Abigail. I just cut a backward "C" on both sides. Then I made a very long bias of a coordinating fabric and I sewed them to each side. I added a pocket as an embellishment...Abigail loves the pocket. This looks cute with jeans or leggings underneath. The dress can even be used as an apron....I keep all kinds of old clothing around...you never know when a REfASHION will hit you!


Here is a complete layout of the skirt-turned-into-apron-dress. I cut each side for the armholes and just made bias for each side....Had all the material...yay!



This is proof that this was my skirt!



One side tied into a bow the other side loose...



Here is my angel striking a pose...she is so camera shy ;-)

Pie for your eye!

Hey all! I have been making pies, pies, and pies. I have made beef, chicken, apple, and even fried apple pies. Making your own crust is so inexpensive...and it tastes so good. I made this chicken pot pie with my oldest son, Noah. We had a good time..his favorite part is the egg wash at the end!



Homemade Chicken pot pie

3 cooked chicken breasts cut up
1/2 onion, cut up
1 carrot, cut up
1 stalk celery, cut up
1 clove garlic, cut up
1/2 cup of peas
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
1-2 cups of milk

Pie ingredients
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water
1 egg, whisked

Saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook on low until it is translucent. In another skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add 2 tablespoons of flour. Make a rue. Gradually add in milk until it is the consistancy of cream or gravy. Add the chicken, sauted vegetables and the thawed peas to the cream mixture. Preheat oven to 350.

While oven is preheating and the chicken/cream mixture is congealing, make the pie crust. Stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat moistening dough, using 1 tablespoon of the water at a time, until all the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edges into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.

Get your 9-inch pie plate and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken cream mixture in the pie plate. To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin or fold it twice. Next, place the pie crust on top, being careful not to stretch pastry.
Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Next, with cooking brush, brush the egg on the top for a golden crust. Cook for 30 minutes and you have a wonderful meal coming your way!

Happy Halloween Gang!

We had a groovy Halloween! Like zoinks it was the coolest! Jinkys it was great! (O kay I will stop now!) We were the Scooby Doo Gang. Noah is getting to the age we can minimally dress him up, so he is not very adorned as the others, but he is still a great sport....we really needed SHAGGY! BTW...here is a pic of Noah as Scooby in 2001....They grow so quickly (*tear*). The second picture is Caleb...they look alike, don't they?!?!







I just found these pics today, and Isaac was Scooby Doo too! He is growing up fast too...Noah was a scary vampire and Abigail was an adorable Lady Bug (and sucking her thumb, that's my girl!)...I think they are just too cute!





We passed out candy to kids that came to Courtney's church....It was raining, so we had it inside. The kids made posters for their theme, we put Scooby Doo books, Scooby stuffed animals and a dvd that played, you guessed it, Scooby Doo.





They were waiting patiently before the trick or treaters came.




They were aprehensive at first passing out the candy, but after a few times, they warmed up. I was glad they were able to pass out candy...they have never done that before.





We had a great Halloween!

Shop till you drop!

Well, we did just that. We went to Macy's to find Abigail a nice white dress shirt...they are few and far between for girls her age! She is a 7/8 and we found one at Macy's and one at JcPenny's. They were both the same style- satin. I was wanting cotton, but oh well! Satin won't wrinkle.




The guys were tired after just an hour! I know they wouldn't be tired if it were video games. Caleb is acting funny/crazy again. He is always doing something.
We had a great time and found a white shirt for Miss Abigail!

Are Breath Holding Spells Dangerous?

This was on my AOL headline today, "Are Breath Holding Spells Dangerous?" I had to view this article because my youngest son, Caleb, did this from age 1 to 3. We all were a nervous wreck. Everytime he did it, Noah and Isaac would run to him, start crying and they would try to "revive" him. All drs. and even the media say it is harmless, but those few 10-20 seconds your child has passed out and is the color blue stops you cold in your tracks. Caleb is now 4 and has not done it since he has been 4 AND I AM GLAD! I just wanted to blog about it because his BHS (breath holding spells) occurred around 30 different times. After he did it, I would look him in the eye and tell him that he could be damaging his brain. The more I would talk to him, the more infrequent the spells occurred, but he would still do it! I am so thankful that milestone is over at the Geary Gang's house.

Here is a portion of the news article

WENN.com
By Deborah Huso

When the "Daily Mail" released the news that singer Charlotte Church’s two-year-old daughter, Ruby, was suffering from a strange, but not uncommon childhood disorder known as Breath Holding Spells (BHS), the media had a small field day. As it turns out, however, BHS, though alarming to parents, is fairly common and not life threatening

A great trip to Jackson's Orchard

The boy in the navy jacket is Caleb...He was a real dare-devil on the slide...He would only go down on his belly and I loved it!



We had a great time at Jackson's Orchard. We ate a lot of apples--Fried Apple Pies( my fav since it was soft on my TMJ and fried and so good), caramel apple chips, Candy Apples on a stick! Then, after hyped up on sugar, we went to the Cider Slider. The kids loved it but they really loved running on top of the hay! They did that forever. The temp was really cool (Court and Mom shivered the whole time) but the kids had a blast...except for picture time...They need to enjoy it now, because when they get to be adults NO ONE asks to take their pic! ;-)

Halloween ghouls are out already

We went to Halloween Express in Owensboro. We wanted to see if they had some costumes that we had been looking for. They had the costumes we had been looking for, but they were very expensive! So Noah tried on one and we all started laughing, so then they all had to get in on the fun! We had a blast. John kept telling them to stop and put them up but they were just running around laughing and grabbing more masks! I was laughing and rolling! I took some pics so you could see all the fun. The costumes were too high to buy but we still had a great time trying them on....





Also, I have all their costumes together...They usually go as a theme. Last year they were "The Wizard of Oz" and this year they are going to be.....not telling. You will see next week!












I am really looking forward to Halloween next week ;-)

1) Apologize quickly and sincerely as soon as you realize that you've wronged someone (particularly your parents and siblings).

2) Never feel sorry for yourself (self-pity is another form of pride).

3) Stay in control of your emotions.

4) Never burn bridges behind you, in relationships.

5) Nothing is ever gained by quitting.

6) Remember, there are more people counting on you than you realize.

7) Don't forget that God is at work, even when you can't see it. God is working right now, in ways you don't know about.

8) Love your family!

9) Meet every day with prayer, praise, and God's Word.

10) Stay connected to the hearts of your family (particularly in a time of testing). To solve a problem with another person, soften your own heart first.

11) Listen to those who love you, before making a life-changing decision.

12) A good name is more valuable than great wealth.

What do you expect?

August 3, 2009

What Do You Expect?
by Rick Warren
“Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith will it be done to you’; and their sight was restored” (Matthew 9:29–30 NIV).

A friend of mine, Bruce, taught college in Oregon for awhile. When he began his first semester teaching there, he was told that the college placed students in English classes by their level of ability. Bruce was assigned to teach two “average ability” classes and one “advanced ability.” He really enjoyed teaching the advanced class: they seemed more alert, more fun, asked better questions, and, as expected, had a higher grade average than the other classes.

On the final day of the semester, Bruce commented on these differences to the other professors in the faculty lounge. He said he hoped to get more of the advanced classes next semester. But to his surprise, his department director said, “Bruce, I don’t know where you got your information but we phased out the average/advanced distinction a year ago. You’ve been teaching mixed classes all semester like the rest of us!”

Bruce couldn’t believe it! He checked his records, and sure enough, there were far more A’s and B’s in the class that he thought was full of smart kids. And he really had enjoyed teaching that class more. But the only real difference between the classes had been Bruce’s expectations of them.

You can set people up for success or failure by your expectations.

People tend to become what they think we expect them to be. If you communicate to the people around you that you expect them to be lazy, uncreative, and negative, that’s probably how they will respond to you. On the other hand, if you treat people like winners, they’re likely to become winners. Psychologists call it “The Pygmalion Effect.”

• The best salesmen expect customers to buy their product.
• The best executives expect employees to have creative ideas.
• The best speakers expect audiences to be interested.
• The best leaders expect people to want to follow.
• The best teachers expect students to learn.
Would you like to bring out the best in those around you? Here's the key: Treat them the way they could be! Don’t just “tell it like it is.” Tell it like it could be.

Jesus said, “According to your faith it will be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). What are you expecting this week from yourself . . . from others . . . from God?