HUMAN NATURE

Hello there my faithful followers. I hope this article finds you well. I want to apologize for my absence yesterday. I had a health emergency with a family friend that required my presence. Everything will be ok, and without going into personal particulars, let’s just say it will be a long road of recovery ahead for them. The stress and hustle has left me quite drained last night and today. I want to thank you ladies and gents for your emails and comments. It’s wonderful to know that you care so much! The compassion and all around good nature of my readers is one of the most precious gifts life has ever given me! YOU are why I do this blog.

To Jean- thank you so much for your heartfelt comment. It brought a tear to my eye and then made me chuckle as well. I am so glad that you (and hopefully lots others) feel that this is a blog worth having and reading.

To Melissa- OMG are you serious? He likes them that much? I think that is SO COOL! Tell your hubby I say HELLO THERE! LOL… let him be a part of this… its good to have guys around LOL! I am so glad you liked the wing recipes… and by making them at home, over time you will save so much money compared to going out! Congrads to you both! Give him that addy girl and tell him he has to share it with at least 1 other person! LOL…

OK remember how I told you that on Tuesday I was going to make a huge Kroger run on the last day of the 10 for $10? Well check this out…



There are things I don’t normally by here, but when you have coupons to make them free, why not right? I saved $209.35 in coupons and spent $185.22 YAY! I thought I was pretty awesome LOL! And that included a book and a kitchen set I thought was just too cute and am going to make into a gift basket… so I guess that doesn’t count, right? LOL Minus that and I only spent $159.27 on food, toiletries, diapers, and OH SNAP! I gotta take off the diapers and wipes and stuff too cause THAT is a craft/gift for one of the kids teachers… ok take off another $17.96 for baby goodies (cause my DS repaid me for all that)… leaves the total at $141.31 for foods, HBA’s, and toiletries, etc. Not to shabby I think!

I want to share a site with you that you can earn some extra cash in these stressful times… all from the comfort of your own home. If you like to write or take pictures, then this might be a site for you. It’s called SEED.com and after you register, you can pick your assignments, read a brief synopsis about what they would like, see how much it pays, and take the job if you want it. Granted, I haven’t gotten paid for anything yet, as I just joined not too long ago, but I have submitted 2 articles for a total of $100 in payments if they use them! And what were they about you ask… what do I know about the most? Crafts and Cooking of course! LOL! Check it out, it might be good for you! OK one of the articles I wrote for SEED was about T-shirt crafts… and I want to share it with you. So this leads us to the…..

Craft Idea of the Day: T-shirt crafts

Have you ever gone through your closets and dressers during a spring-cleaning fit only to find tons of (or even just a few) T-shirts that you can't wear? Perhaps you hold on to it for the sentimental value? Believe me, I've been there and done that! But now, in the stressed economic times, recycling and "Going Green" has been a rising trend! T-shirts are no exception. There are lots of crafts and uses to give that old shirt new life! Turn those silly vacation souvenir shirts into things like pillows, tote bags, quilts, framed pictures, baby bibs, and even toddler clothing!



Tote Bags: You can make a reusable tote bag or purse from an old shirt many different ways. To make a simple tote, start by laying the T-shirt on a flat surface. Trim the arms off the sides at the bodice seam. Then cut straight across the width of the shirt just under the collar line. You should now have a rectangle of shirt. Cut the shirt apart down the bodice seam on each side, separating the sides. Now cut 2 pieces of another material (I suggest duck canvas) the same size of your T-shirt pieces. Place each T-shirt piece on a piece of canvas, and sew together down the sides. (I use both a straight stitch and a zig-zag stitch for double the reinforcement.). Then repeat with the second piece. You can use a folded over hem on the top edge of your bag side or you can also top with a piece of color coordinated bias tape to match your project. Using poly-webbing or fabric strips, sew handles on the inside top portions of your side bag piece. Place both completed pieces together and sew along the 3 sides. Turn ride side out and you have a cute T-shirt bag you can use for shopping, papers, or whatever you heart could desire!

Pillows: Another easy craft you can do is make a pillow You can simply make it look like a whole T-shirt or you can trim it down to a square or rectangle. To make the stuffed shirt pillow, simply turn the shirt inside out and sew the arms and neck closed. You can sew part of the bottom closed, just leave enough of an opening to stuff the shirt. Once sewn, flip the shirt right side out and stuff with whatever fill you like- old fabric scraps, pillow forms, or cotton batting. The choice is yours! To make a square pillow, simply trim the pillow of the sleeves, cut straight across under the neckline, and you can even shorten the length to however big or small you would like your pillow. Sew the pieces, right sides together, along the sides, leaving an opening for stuffing. Flip the square right sides out, stuff, and stitch the seam closed. Voila cute and Eco-friendly places to rest your weary head or dress up your home!

Framed Pictures: You can center the silk screen from that favorite shirt you just can’t fit anymore into an embroidery hoop or frame and trim to fit. Hang on the wall for a funky fresh reminder of your favorite vacation or whatever sentiment your shirt may hold for you.



Quilts: Also known as memory blankets, I always have friends asking me to make these for their sons and daughters who are graduating High school, college, etc. However this one is very detailed and takes some planning. First off, you have to be saving the T-shirts and such for a long time. Remember these shirts contain childhood memories and you can’t replace them if you mess up! Take your time, be patient, and if you have never made one, there are lots of sites on the Internet which can show you the labor involved in making these. They are a great way to stop time for that special someone!

So there’s what I wrote for them and wanted to share with you! Now let’s move on to my OTHER favorite subject… FOOD! I found some boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale, so I picked some up. And do you care to guess what I am going to do with them? Check this out…



Asparagus and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

4 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
4 slices of Provolone cheese
4 1/2 teaspoons olive or canola oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth

Directions

Flatten chicken breasts slightly. Place a slice of cheese on the inside of the breast piece. Wrap each around five asparagus spears; secure with toothpicks. Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the oil, lemon juice and seasonings; pour over bundles. Cover asparagus tips with foil.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with the onions. Bake 12-15 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear and asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove bundles to a serving platter and keep warm.

In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and broth until smooth; stir in pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove toothpicks from bundles; top with sauce.

OK boys and girls… I am off to go be with my friend again today… at least until the kids get out of school! Ya’ll have a wonderful day and I will see you here tomorrow… HUGS!