WHAT I BUY WEDNESDAY (My grandsons' Christmas gift)

"Traditions are not for keeping.  They're for keeping us close."  A Hallmark print ad

Like everyone else I have been picking my Christmas projects and then trying to get them done.
I decided to make these fun fort kits for my grandsons for Christmas.  I found several different blogs that shared what they had done.
My favourite was Saltwater-Kids.  I started my search by finding great quality twin size flat sheets at a thrift store.  Each "Fort Kit" uses 2 sheets.  I did not want to worry about finding 2 sheets that match, so each boys kit has 1 blue and 1 red sheet.  (We are a blue team family.)  

I found 2 matching pillowcases for the fort contents.  I did not want to worry about drawstring dangers, so I just undid about 2 inches of stitching in the pillowcase side seam and sewed in ribbon ties.  (Remember to quickly burn the ribbon edges to keep the ribbon from unraveling.)

I really liked the idea of using jersey fabric strips for the fort/tent ties.  Cheap and easy.  One shirt made ties for 2 fort sets (6 ties on each of 4 sheets).  I liked Saltwater kids tutorial for the ties, but found it was easier to sew the ties on and then stretch and knot the ends.

Then came finding and collecting all the necessary accessories ;)
In each kit I used

2 sheets, 1 pillow case and 2 yards of ribbon - $6.00 @ thrift stores (Unloading the dishwasher for 1 week got all the ties sewn on for me :)

12 jumbo clothespins (clamps for hooking loops to chair legs.) $2.00 at $ Store (Took about 1 month for me to find them.)

12 wooden clothespins (great for closing gaps, or doors) - $.50 for 1/2 bag from $ Store

Pack of 3 bungee cords - $1.00 at $ Store

Flashlight w/ batteries - $3.00 at Walmart

50 feet of cord - $2.00 at Walmart

6 carabeaners (Is this spelled right?) - $5.00 at Walmart  (I think.)  I just like them.

1 roll of Duct tape - $1.00 at $ Store

1 tube of 50 glow sticks - $4.00 at Macey's grocery store

1 over the door metal hook - $1.00 at $ Store (Great for raising the height of the fort.)

1 shoebox size plastic container for storing the small supplies - $1.00 at Walmart

Fun funnel phone - $1.00 for funnels at $ store (Need to have 2 funnels the same size per fort kit.) + $8.00 for 20 ft. of tubing at Home Depot.  (Be sure to take your funnels to make sure you have a good tight fit.)

Total cost was about $35.00, but the total play value will be priceless.  I will make one for my house after the holidays.

This toy has many hazards and dangers.  It should be played with by appropriate aged children.  Use caution.

CHRISTMAS PHOTO ADVENT CALENDER

It is hard to blog when you have not blogged for awhile. 

My sister came for a fun and busy 2 week visit.

After she left, I started a fun project (that I was slightly obsessed about) that I found on PINTEREST.  The idea came from "Hollyhocks and Honeybees".

I already had a table top flip frame/album that I had found at a thrift store a while ago.  I used that for this project.  I started by unscrewing the whole thing and taking it a part.  The cover said something about friends so I  spray painted it.  Then I "mod podge"d a cover (paper) on the cover and when dry, I distressed it (inked the edges).

Then came the fun part.  And the hard part.  Scrap booking 25 pages.  The hardest part was picking which pictures to use (and I have so many that I feel like I need to make another one).  I collected Christmas scrapbook supplies, and regular scrap booking supplies.  The frame/photo album had photo sleeves so that determined my size. 

I ended up not going to bed at all on Monday, working 1/2 day on Tuesday and all day Wednesday.  So far.  (Only 7 pages left.)

I watched a lot of Christmas movies and got caught up on "Studio 5".

I love this new Advent Calender (not that I needed another one;).   It is personal and it is so fun to look at the pictures.
The pictures are pretty bad.  Still learning my new camera.

I spray painted a cover that had texture,
and then Mod Podged a new paper cover on.

I have a few more posts before Christmas.

Caesar Salad With Homemade Croutons

I have been making these croutons (with a few minor changes) since the summer of 1992.  When I make my own I can use the left over french bread, plus I hate 1/2 a box of anything hidden in the pantry.

This recipe is fast, easy and uses what you have in the house.

HOMEMADE CROUTONS 

#1  In a big microwave bowl/dish, melt

1/4 cup BUTTER

#2  Toss in

About 8 slices of bread - cubed  (I use french bread cut into 1 inch slices and then cubed into 6-8 pieces.

Left over bread works great.)

#3  I sprinkle 2-4 table. of OUR BEST BITES  "Garlic Bread Seasoning" ( I told you we use it a lot.  You can use herbs of your choice.) and toss until the bread cubes are coated with the butter and the seasoning.

OUR BEST BITES
Garlic Bread Seasoning
(This recipe is in their cookbook.)

bread cubes tossed w/melted butter & seasoning
in a microwaveable dish

#4  Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4-6 mins.  (You can stir it once if you want, but then I need to cook a bit longer.  Mine usually take 5-6 mins.)  They will be crisp when they are done.

2 loafs of french bread made 4 batches
and a very full 9x13 pan

#5  Let cool.  Serve or store.

Pretty easy, huh?  My family loves these.  We use them to top salads and soups. 

I use Romaine lettuce, Caesar Salad dressing, grated Parmesan cheese and croutons for a fast and easy salad.  I prepare the lettuce ahead of time because I want it really dry.  (Most of the time we use a spinner.) 
Remember to not dress and toss the salad until just before serving.  And... the lettuce will reduce to about 1/2 the amount that was in the bowl.  (I use a purchased dressing most of the time.)
Easy salad.  Great reviews. 

Winter blew in last night taking October with it

In Utah, fall blew out as we slept last night. "sigh"

October and Halloween have moved on for another year.  We ended the month with a few of our favourite things.

This year our Grandpa (Dad:) really surpassed his past spook allies/haunted houses.  (Even better than the year he had a partially demolished empty house.) 

On Grandpa's  FRIGHT SCALE, he said the basement would be a 5 (with 10 being the scariest).  The yard would be a seven, and the garage, a nine.  Lincoln loved it so much that he declared the whole outside a 15.  (He kept reviewing everything so he would not miss anything as he tells his sisters about it.  The gorilla in the garage, the thrown leaves from upstairs windows (and great use of a leaf blower), rings of fire...)

My scariest part (O.K., I only did this part.  I am afraid of things jumping out in the dark.) was THE BUSH.  Mark borrowed a friend's undercover bush and scared a lot of people.  (I just stayed near Mark to watch people  ;-)

Thank you, Dad.  Your spook alley is one of the big highlights of the whole year. 

THE BUSH (Mark) relaxing after
a "frightening" evening.

Doug's office invites Trick or Treaters on Halloween day.  Logan has gone every year.  He loves walking around with Grandpa.  He loves how much candy he gets in a short time.  (We miss Layne, who lives in Idaho.)

Brooklyn, Grandpa and Logan
Lady Bug, Grandpa and Captain Jack Sparrow

I used my fun BAT sandwich cutter to make a Halloween lunch for Logan.  He said it was so cute. ( "Can I eat the whole apple?  O.K. I will take 1 tiny bite, and save the rest.")

 

I ordered my BAT sandwich cutter at Amazon.  (It came with 2 cutters for $6.69)

With Halloween gone, I have my first Thanksgiving Decor up.
My centerpiece of $ Store pumpkins with their fall/winter sweaters on.

I got the fun idea for sweater pumpkins from Under My Umbrella blog.  I have been buying sweaters (at thrift stores for $3.00 or less) to make an Eddie Bauer inspired sweater quilt.

Eddie Bauer quilt
(It is sold out on their site)

Since I have my sweater collection, I just cut a sleeve off of 3 that coordinated.  (I cut a cuff off of each of my sweaters to take with me for matching, when I go shopping.)  I slide them up from the bottom to the top of the pumpkin, with the raw edge on top.  I tightly bound jute around the top raw edge to form the stem, and used fishing line to sew the cuff on the bottom shut.
 (I can use these pumpkins again next year for Halloween by cutting the fishing line.  When it is time for sweaters again I will just slide the sweater down this time, and restitch the bottom.)

Since I bought the sweaters for another project, my only cost for this centerpiece was $3.00 for the pumpkins at the $ Store.  (I had the basket, and the mini pumpkins were given to me.  The fall leaves were leftovers from a daughter.  And jute to wrap the "stem"?  I ALWAYS have jute. 

Happy Holiday Season.

HalLoWeEn FAvORiTeS

With Halloween right around the corner I thought I would share a few of our favorite Halloween movies, and a game.

ACROBATS is a fun game that we played when my children were small.  It has 3 plastic pieces that form an arch.  A magnetic bat hangs from the arch, ready to have many more hooked on.  The colour you hang is based on the roll of the die.  This game can be short or long.  And losing is not bad.
This is a game that I pick up if I find it at a thrift store or yard sale. 
Here Logan and Grandpa enjoy one of Logan's fun games at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Our movies are ones more on the suspenseful side, so many of them are black & white (grey).  Some of our favorite B&W ones (starring Bette Davis (scary) are "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane" and "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte".   Some earlier B&W include "Gaslight", "The Second Woman", "Asrnic and Old Lace", "Sorry, Wrong Number", "Picture of Dorian Gray",  and "Laura".  Some smart ones we like (Hitchcock or Hitchcock style) are "Wait Until Dark", "Dial M For Murder", "Charade", "North By Northwest", "The Spiral Staircase", "Spellbound", ......  A couple other favorites are "The Bad Seed" and the newer "Lady In White".
These are just a few.  Hallowwen is a great time to turn off the lights and enjoy some classics.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.  

WHAT I BUY WEDNESDAY

I was going to show what I am buying and doing for a Christmas gift, but I did not get the next step done.  (Fighting with sinus infection/headache all week.) 

So, I decided to show what I buy for my sinus problems.  I have had them all my life.  Thru the years I have found things that help.

The first is a NETI POT.  A Neti Pot is a small ceramic(or plastic) teapot used as a sinus rinse.  I paid about $12.00 for mine on sale.
The Neti pot is filled with warm water and a small packet of a saline nasal rinse.   I use it by leaning over the bathroom sink and tilting my head to one side.  I put thespout in my top nostril and "pour" about 1/2 the water in.  It will drain out the bottom nostril.  Then you sniff, and blow.  And repeat with your head turned the other direction.
(Confused?  There are videos on line that demonstrate.)
After my Dr. suggested I do this (about 6 years ago) I had less problems.  (I would have even less if I did it everyday - problems or not.)

Another option (that a daughter uses) is Sinus Wash SQUEEZE BOTTLE.  It works on the same principle as a neti pot, but you just lean forward over the sink.  It is plastic and costs about $10.00 and includes saline packets.

Next is a muscus relief product.  Musinex is a brand name one.  I buy Walgreen's brand when they are "Buy One, Get One Free".  It is an over the counter version of a prescription that I used to use.
This taken with a full glass of water, which helps to thin the mucus, and is taken about every 4-6 hours.  (I have no medical experience.  AT ALL.  These are just some things that I have learned.  I do have my honorary Law and Order law degree, however ;)

Lots of water, a humidifier, chicken noodle soup, warm (I use hot) showers or baths with steam.  You know the drill.  Everything our moms said.  (Sleep helps, too:-)    

I know.  Boring "What I Buy Wednesday.  But, I really recommend the Neti Pot.  Friends have called to borrow it from me.  Mine is ceramic and was bought at Walgreens.  I have read reviews of plastic ones, and it seems they tend to leak.  Mine does not.  If you have any questions, I am happy to try and answer them.

10 THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY

Work to be grateful the tragedies in our lives not directly related to the choices we have made. (Adapted from a thought I like by Josi Kilpack.) 

#1  I (finally) watched "UP".  (My DVD got a scratch on it the first month we bought it, so I watched it on the Disney Channel on the night of of a late, home football game.)  I really liked the beginning and especially the end.  The silly talking dog plot?  Way coulda done without.  I DO understand that I am in the minority here. 

I wanted to watch it after visiting our local "UP" HOUSE.  Yep.  The "UP" HOUSE.  A local builder built it for a home show.  Lindsay and I headed over to see it with the grand kids for a play date.  (It was not open that day, but Lindsay and David were able to go in an open day with the kids.)

It was fun to see with Logan.  (I had not seen the movie, yet.)

#2  I try to try 5-10 new recipes a week, from various sources.  I have been hand copying/writing them. 

 Leslie has started printing them for me.  (I still write some.)  Saves me lots of time :)

#3  I tried 4 new crock pot recipes for dinner this Sunday.  One was a BIG hit.  Several asked that it be put on my 30 Day Rotation.  (Of course that means that 3 are gone.  Not terrible.  Just never repeated.)

I will share the recipe next week.

#4  My nephew, Jordan, returned from a 2 year church mission to Chile.  It was great to welcome him at the airport, and then later hear him share his experiences and testimony.

#5  I was able to visit the temple with family, and a nephew, Alex, who is preparing to leave on a mission to California.  We went to the Salt Lake Temple (first time at that temple for one kidult) and had a special evening.  (Minus my sinus infection/chest cold induced asthma attack.  SO EMBARRASSING:-(

(Mom and Dad took us to Crown Burger after.  Darn New York City for making me love pastrami.)

#6  My mom got bumped from her flight (with compensation) and came to spend another night with us. 

My nephew, Christopher, who lives an hour south of us, came up to visit her and have dinner with us.  It meant a lot to my mom.  Thank you, Christopher.

#7  When we built our addition, we lost our kitchen window (and quite a bit of light).  Last summer I bought 2 "SOLAR SKYLITE"s.  David installed them for us during his vacation.  THANK YOU, DAVID.  Love the extra light. 

(If only I had bought more.  The price was great.)

#8  Hilary and I took a 2 month class on aprons with our woman's church group (Relief Society).  (Leslie is making one at home.)  It has been fun to see Hilary learn, and like, to sew.  (Wonder what she will get for Christmas?)  I could not get a good picture of my apron, but it is cute :)

#9  Winter is blowing thru for a few days, (That is not what makes me happy.) signaling the end of the harvest.  Tomatoes will all be collected tonight and carefully stored (and watched) for indoor ripening.  The basil will be  picked and put in olive oil for a few weeks to make basil infused oil.  (Thank you, Henry.)

It was a good garden and growing season.  Thank you, Honey, for all your hard work.

(The good news is that warm weather will return for Halloween weekend.)

#10  Peanut butter is going up in price.  UGH!!!  That is a real staple at our home.  (Doug takes a peanut butter and honey sandwich every day for lunch.  Has most of our marriage :)   We use a 64 oz. jar (4 lb.) every 2-3 weeks. 

I found 4 jars at my regular $6.78 price (Only 4 after visiting 3 of the regular stores.)  and was able to order 15 jars at $8.06.  (An extra $.1.28 per jar ($19.20 for the 15).)  I am happy to have 19 jars (plus 3 I already had).  I love emergency preparedness.  And planning ahead. 

As always, these are in no particular order. (I have at least another 10 for next week.)

Tomorrow I will share what I am making my grandsons for Christmas.  (A great idea that was shared with me.)