Snowman Fridge

Last week Hannah and decorated the fridge.  Been wanting to do this since we got our new fridge the day after Thanksgiving when our old one died!

Very simple.  I just colored black on white paper and cut them out in circles.  Taped them to the fridge.  For the nose I wasn't happy with the orange I had colored on but then I had leftovers from the quillow I made last week.  So cute a piece out for his nose.  And the scarf is a remnant I picked up at Joann's for $1.50.  Of course Hannah thought it needed a hat so we added daddy's hat to the top!The kids LOVE it and something fun and simple for winter. 

Nelson Sign Hung

And it's hung!!!!  Yes, Christian it is straight my photography makes it look tilted.  Back a few days ago I went step by step on how I made the sign only to realize I didn't put a finished picture up.

Better yet, just realized all it cost me was to buy the stencils.  That's my kind of put together project :D

Yo Adrian Themed Birthday Party!

It was my nephew's 12th birthday last Monday so on Sunday we hosted a birthday party for him at our house.  It was not as extravagant as my kids parties but still just as much fun :)

The Happy Birthday sign in the entry way.  It was even more fun since no one had been to the house since we put up the window pane board!

The cake was even boxing shorts!  VERY simple to do. 

1.  On Friday I baked a 9x13 sheet cake.  Waited the 10 minutes and flip it out.  Then I waited a few more minutes and cut a diagonal off each side and the crotch area out.  Put it on the board I was using for decorating and put it in the freezer until Sunday.

Of course there is always complications when I bake cakes.  Sunday morning I realized I didn't have ANY food coloring in the house.  So my wonderful hubby went to the store for me! 

2.  Sunday morning I took the cake out.  First I mixed up blue and using a knife put that on the bottom and top. 

3.  Then came the white which I put in a plastic baggie and cut a corner off and did the stars on the bottom.  And then the lines.

4.  Mix together the red and filled in the rest of the open cake.

A basic cake and fairly easy to do IF everything just works :)

Next comes the presents, can't be a birthday without presents!!!!

The Happy Birthday sign in the back I actually made for my dad back in November.  Each of my kids have a fabric birthday banner and now think everyone needs a banner.  I don't have the time or patience to make one for everyone we know so....I just took scrapbook paper to do these.  I actually just hand drew them.  Cut them out and hole punched a hole in each corner.  And strung them up with white crochet thread!  Simple and easy to hang in different locations.

Of course I have to add the picture of us singing to him.  This picture of his is just priceless....I didn't think our singing was THAT bad.

Happy Birthday Chato....hope you had a good birthday party!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mini Meatloaves

A few years back I found a mini meatloaf recipe made with Stove Top.  They liked them and then for some reason I stopped making them.  While leafing through my cookbook the other day I saw them.  Then was disappointed that I couldn't make them due to gluten and dairy.  Well....on went the thinking cap and I came up with my own version!  And I topped it off with oven french fries (another super easy recipe) and mixed veggies.  There wasn't much for leftovers!

Mini Meat Loaf
1 pound ground beef
1 cup gluten free Rice Krispies
1 egg
salt and pepper

1.  Add all together in a bowl.

 2.  And mix everything together (I use my hands cause I find it the easiest to mix that way).

 3.  Then press together and form in your hand about 1 inch balls.

 4.  Put in the a little greased muffin pan.  Using a spoon press the middle to make a small indention.

 5.  Then depending on your family put a squirt of ketchup, bbq sauce, mustard or a mixture.

 Makes 9 mini meatloaves.

Bake 400 for 30 minutes.

Oven French Fries
8 medium potatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

1.  Put olive oil in a big bowl.
2.  Cut potatoes into wedges.
3.  Place them in the bowl.
4.  Mix to put olive oil on all the potatoes.
5.  Place on a cookie sheet.

Bake 400 1 hour, turn over half way through.

Chocolate Chip Cookies--Gluten and Dairy Free

Finally getting a gluten and dairy free post up!  Today I made cookies for Zeke.

Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown rice flour (it calls for millet flour but I couldn't find any)
1/2 cup rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup shortening (of butter if you can have it)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2-2 cup chocolate chips (if dairy free make sure your chocolate chips say dairy free!  I buy Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate mini chips.  They are made in a dairy, nut and gluten free facility.)

Instructions:
1.  Beat shortening and sugars.
2.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
3.  Add flours and rest of ingredients.
3.  Add the chocolate chips.  Sometimes I use even less then the 1 1/2 cups.

4.  Drop sticky dough onto cookies sheet by the spoonful.

5.  Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes (or at least that is how long my oven takes).  Makes 4 dozen cookies.
6.  Remove onto wire rake to cool.

     These ones got a bit darker then normal.  They tend to spread out more then normal cookies.  And using the brown rice flour they aren't quite as sweet as they can be.  But Zeke and I find them to be quite good!  One of the tricks I do since it makes such a big batch is I bag them up in sandwich ziplock bags and freeze 4 at a time.  It only takes a few minutes to thaw them back out.

The Nelson's Sign

I have been wanting a Nelson sign to hang in our entry way for awhile now.  But last week during our "snow day" I decided to just make my own.  I took an old wooden shelf that was laying in the basement and painted it brown when I painted my window pane.  Yes trying to keep from having to wash the paint brush again!

So first I painted it just plain brown.  Then I took my cheap stencil letters from Walmart and sponge and painted on the letters for Nelson

Yes there is White Out in there....after it all dried I was NOT happy with how blotchy my letters looked.  Plus I really wanted it to say The Nelson's and have the year we were married.  Since I didn't have little stencils and it was perfect anyways I decided to hang draw the rest.  Plus touch up the big letters.

By no means is it perfect but it will work for what I want it to.

And my flash was having a slight problem.  I will try to take another one upstairs where the lighting is better before I hang it.





When I told Christian where I would like it hung....

above the window going down the stairs (yes I need to clean the stairs going to the basement on my agenda for this week yet!).  He said he was not even going to put anything behind just screw it straight to the wall. 

Will up date when I get it actually hung, hoping he will have time this week before company on Sunday.

Monday Snow Day

Yesterday, school was called off, and hubby didn't go to work since we had had over 15 inches dumped on us within 24 hours.  Normally, the kids and I would've made cookies, (yes they asked) but being I was feeling a bit under the weather, I really didn't need that sugar.  Plus, the thought of making regular cookies, then gluten/dairy free cookies really held no appeal.

So, I pulled out the project I originally was going to hold off doing with them until winter break.  Yes Ezra 7 and Hannah 4.5 sewed their 1st pair of PJ pants.  With much guidance, since this really is their first project.

Thankfully, I had already cut it all out.  But, being me, no pattern.  Pants are pretty easy to just cut out from a pair that currently fit them.  Just make sure you leave enough room for the seam allowance, not like me!  Theirs were a little tighter on the legs than I would've liked.

First, they sewed the crotch pieces of the front and back together.  Then, the side seams.  Ezra did quite well controlling the pedal, and making sure this fabric was going correctly.  Hannah, on the other hand, yes she did fine with the pedal, but NOT paying attention to what she was suppose to be doing!  But, after fitting them, (and with me sewing the top to put the elastic in) they hemmed them.

Then, I bought plain tee shirts for them.  I cut out a different coloured robot for each of them, and sewed them to the tee shirts.

They turned out pretty neat, and the kids were VERY excited about their project.  I think I see more PJ's being made in the near future!


Better yet, I did it for under $16. I scored tee shirts at Target on clearance, and the fleece was 70% off at Joanns!

Sorry I didn't get pictures of them sewing them just them smiling, wearing them.

Window Pane Message Board

Yup cold and snow have ascended on our house.  And I convinced dear hubby to help me with a Pintrest idea.  So here is our project.

And yes he had to draw on it after he hung it for me :D

 A few years ago, we put in new windows in our house but we couldn't part with the old panes.   Thankfully, we put them in the shed, and I went and pulled out one.  I painted it brown like the woodwork in the entry way.

Then I was brain storming what to put behind the glass.  I kind of wanted to do wrapping paper to change every season, but wasn't sure I wanted to mess with it that much.  Then Friday, I was at Walmart and walked past the fabric section. Lo, and behold, the lady had a small piece of light colored burlap right there.  I asked her how much for that piece, and she said "$1.29".  So, I took that piece.

Then the question was, "how do I attach it?"  Hubby said, I could use cardboard and small nails to secure it.  I would have to say, I think finding and fitting cardboard to the frame was the hardest part!  Once we got that fitted we wrapped the burlap around it and taped it to the cardboard.

  Here is the back....He used small nails to hold the cardboard with the burlap on it, and bent them to keep it in there tight.  Unfortunately he must of hit the glass in a couple areas and cracked the glass.  Good thing we have an almost endless supply of window panes in the shed.  When I feel more ambitious, I will go out and get another and paint it again.

He also put 2 nails into the sides, and stretched wire between them to hang it with.

Finished product in the entry....Please excuse the mess.  The kids had just come in from playing outside!

 Yes, he helped A LOT. Mostly because he said I wasn't doing it right, and I was more than happy to let him help me.

Crazy Country Road Lady trying something new!!!

Every time I look at a blog, in the back of my head I say "I should really do that".  Living on a county road and living in a house built in 1902, I'm pretty country :D

A little about myself.. I'm trying to do my best as a "homemaker" as it says in Titus 2.  I've been married for 9.5 years to my best friend, and I have 3 kids ranging from 7.5, 4.5 and 20 months.  

My youngest keeps me on my toes.  At 2 weeks he fell from the kitchen counter in his bouncy seat (yup, I didn't listen to the warnings on the seat!) which resulted in my first for my kids....broken bone, (skull fracture to be exact) ambulance ride, and hospitalization (besides birth).  He is also dairy, and gluten intolerant.

Figure I should share my dairy and gluten free recipes that turned out okay.  Along with Pintrest ideas that have worked.  Also, some sewing projects that I have put together.  Crazy outfits.  And everything in between.