HAPPY EASTER!

Well Happy Easter to all my faithful friends! How are you doing this fine morning? I am fairing decent… expecting my usual bunch for some delicious hams, sides, breads, and fun!



I did a lot of sewing yesterday as I was feeling the love so I had to utilize it! I started the day by making this huge shopping bag. Roomy and bright and colorful and sure to turn heads. Tell me what you think and how much would you pay for something like this?



Then I made 3 makeup bags with different colored zippers. They just happen to be the first ones I pulled out of my zipper box and it’s a good thing they match too, huh? LOL!



Then I did some luggage tags. The first one came out a little smaller than normal, but the rest were just fine.



I also did a couple of visors covered in the autism fabric. I love these things really! Light weight and you can customize them with any fabric you want and they come out cute every time! They are those little foam visors you can pick up at Hobby Lobby for like a buck and then decorate them however you want. It doesn't take much fabric either. And from what I have learned the kids (even high schoolers around here) love them, as well as the adults! So go on... make some summer lovin' visors! LOL!



I only got 1 of these done today as these take a little bit of time. But as you can see when its folded and ready to carry, open and empty, and then open with goodies in it. I think I am going to make one of these for each of the kids in Alex’s class for a gift the last day of school. I think they would enjoy it really and maybe could use them this summer. Still debating that… what do you think?

When you clean up from a picnic or party do you find dozens of half empty cans? This quick project will help guests identify their can... and hopefully finish their can before getting another. These are SOOO quick and easy that you could whip out a ton of these in a very short time! I whipped out 3 yesterday in the cute autism fabric.



Craft Idea of the Day: Insulated Can Wrap

Materials:

Fabric Scraps - 20" by 4 1/2"
Batting or fleece - 10" by 4 1/2"
4" strip of 1" wide Velcro® or Hook and Loop tape
Thread

Directions:

1. Fold fabric, right sides together, to make it 10" by 4 1/2". Place batting under the fabric, lining up all the edges.

2. Using 1/4" seams, stitch the long edges and 1" in from each corner on the 4 1/2" edge. Leave the center of the end open to turn through.

3. Clip the corners to eliminate bulk. Turn right sides out.

4. Turn in the un-sewn seam allowance 1/4" on each side. Press the seam allowance closed.

5. Place one part of the Velcro® along the 4" edge and stitch the long edges in to place, closing the seam at the same time. Turn the fabric over, and place the other part of the hook and loop tape on the other end, on the opposite side of the fabric.

Optional:
- Top stitch 1/4" from the edge along the long edges.
- Quilt the wrap.
- Embroider names on the wrap to use them as party favors.

Well mom asked a question yesterday, that I feel I should answer. YES, Lasagna IS considered a casserole. A casserole, from the French for "saucepan", is a large, deep pot used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a "casserole dish". Casseroles usually consist of pieces of meat (such as chicken) or fish (such as tuna), various chopped vegetables, a starchy binder such as flour, potato or pasta, and, often, a crunchy topping. Liquids are released from the meat and vegetables during cooking, and further liquid in the form of stock, wine (for example coq au vin), beer (for example lapin à la Gueuze), gin, cider, or vegetable juice may be added when the dish is assembled. Casseroles are cooked slowly in the oven, often uncovered. They may be served as a main course or a side dish, and may be served in the vessel in which they were cooked.

So, to finish out Casserole week, I figured I would give you a unique concoction that is a sure tummy pleaser to kids young and old… but SHHHH! Don’t mention the veggies LOL! The best part about this casserole is that you can customize it to fit your family’s tastes too!



Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta
1 pound ground Italian sausage
2 (16 ounce) jar pasta sauce
2 (12 ounce) containers cottage or ricotta cheese
1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives or mushrooms
12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
2 (3 ounce) packages sliced pepperoni
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) spinach, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until evenly brown.

In the prepared casserole dish, mix the cooked pasta, sausage, and pasta sauce. In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, olives, spinach, and mozzarella cheese. Spoon the cheese mixture over the sausage and pasta mixture. Top with pepperoni slices.

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Ok ladies and gents… the Easter Bunny has made his presence known and I have chocolate fiending kids yelling for my attention LOL. So I am going to sign off for today. I bid you a Happy Easter Day and have fun and eat good food and be safe in your journeys today! Until tomorrow… HUGS!

OH PLEASE MR. OFFICER!

Mornin’! How are you doing today? I’m quite tired really. Mom and I were running the roads and consulting with stoned rabbits who carry my pretty colored eggs and rudely hide them from me! LOL Just kidding… I love the Easter Bunny. He brings me chocolate… and I like chocolate! It was an interesting day for sure!



My day started rather early, as you know. Once I completed my blog, I was in the kitchen and I just HAPPENED to notice all the seedling sprouts from the second batch of seeds my daughter and I planted! Even in the little croissant containers, there are sprouts! We have watermelon, peas, beef steak tomatoes, red cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, and a zucchini! If it’s pretty today, I will be transferring the older seedlings from batch one into 4in. pots and starting ANOTHER batch of seeds! I am shooting for my first plant sale in mid May. I want to have at least 50 small 4 inch pots and then some yuccas, sagos, etc. to offer.

So after I got all freakydeek about the seedlings LOL, I left to go pick up mom. DH had daddy duty so I made sure he was up and moving and alert LOL! I picked up mom and we started our day going to Jack in the Box to grab a drink cause it was a humid and sticky day! Well… it just so happens, there was a State Trooper in the next lane who just “happened” to notice a burnt out turn signal… UGH! So sure enough, as I turned left, he flipped on those bright lights and pulled me over! I gave him the “tender woman… oh please Mr. Officer… be easy on me” while I bat my luscious eyelashes routine LOL and was lucky enough to only receive a warning! LOL… you better believe I made sure to get a new bulb before I got home! He was really nice actually… but something that happened makes me go HUH? DUH?! The warning…. He gave me a VERBAL warning right? Ok so WHY in the world did he give me a paper statement of the verbal warning? Since WHEN do you write a “verbal” anything down? Doesn’t it become WRITTEN? LOL… That’s almost as confusing as MILITARY INTELLIGENCE!! Either way I was grateful not getting a ticket!

Then we went to the store and grabbed a few things to fill up the kids baskets for Easter and a few things for the house I forgot. The stores were full of weirdos who were arguing with themselves, racing around the store, talking to us about nothing really, and looking us up and down like a big lollipop or something! Last minute crazies running around like chickens with their heads cut off who were quite creepy at the time, but funny after we sat down and thought about it! Mom and I were glad to go home!

I hung out with mom for awhile chatting and laughing and just having fun. Then I headed out to CVS to pick up my blood pressure Rx only to have this woman, whom I have had NUMEROUS problems with before, tell me that they did not HAVE a Rx for me. EXCUSE ME? Uh yes you do… FIND IT! So I went round and round with her until she FINALLY found it. I think she does it on purpose because I have gotten her in trouble a few times before for not doing her job, being rude, and basically being incompetent! So does that mean if she infuriates me to the point of heart attack or stroke, my family can sue her? LMAO… don’t play with the BP meds broad! LMAO!!!!!



My last stop was to a small local mom & pop owned grocery store called Zieglers. They are having an incredible sale on stick butter… 2 boxes for $1. I HAD to get a bunch, cause I use A LOT of butter LOL! While there, I “parrused” (mom’s word of the day LOL) down the meat aisle and I found a few good sales. Tyson whole chickens were on sale for .79 cents a pound. I found 2 birds under $3 each. Family size chicken drumsticks were on sale too, and I found 3 packs of those for under $3 each. I found a couple of steaks for about $1.50 each which will become beef tips LOL, cube steak, and a big shank ham portion for Easter dinner. Jimmy Dean rolled sausage was on sale too, and I happened to have a coupon! Raid was on sale too… at $1.19 a can after my $1 coupon! YAY! Ants are NOT my friends LOL! I got all this stuff for about $30.

To Jean, don’t apologize for a joke LOL… it was quite funny after the initial shock LOL! Not many people even try to get me like that anymore LOL!



Oh I HAVE to tell you… since this is Autism Awareness Month, Toys R Us has partnered with Autism Speaks to accept donations for Autism research! Here is what it says on the site… In conjunction with Autism Awareness Month in April, all Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us locations nationwide and Toysrus.com will conduct a fundraising campaign now through April 30 to collect contributions to benefit Autism Speaks. Additionally, Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us together serve as the North American sponsors of 80 Walk Now for Autism Speaks events across the U.S. and Canada. Isn’t that cool? The site also gives you links to learn more about Autism. You can also make a donation online or in the store. Rest assured that your donation WILL help children in need, as Autism Speaks is a great foundation! Go to the TOYS R US site to donate today! Just think, for the price of a pack of cigarettes, you can help an Autistic child make a set of communication PECS or for the price of a whole carton you can help them buy a special weighted vest they may need for therapy! Please think about helping... kids who are just like my son would appreciate it!

Ok, so most of you know how I love food right? And I discussed that new show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (which I forgot to watch but will re-air today at 2pm so DON’T TELL ME ABOUT IT YET MOM OR ANYONE ELSE LOL!). Well the other day I decided to test my Autistic 14yr old how many veggies and fruits HE could identify without help. I picked out 18 fruits and 18 veggies and printed them out like flash cards. Keeping in mind he has problems with some enunciation, I am proud to announce that he correctly identified all but 3 of the fruits and 5 of the veggies! And I picked hard ones too… like pomegranate, avocado, etc. I was SO very proud of him! I felt good about myself too… I must be doing something right when my 14yr old autie can correctly name off those and a classroom of 1st graders WITHOUT disabilities cannot! I had one of those teary-eyed proud mommy moments LOL! Well, thinking about school lunches and looking at all the reusable shopping bags inspired today’s craft.



Craft Idea of the Day: Fabric Lunch Sack

Materials Needed:

1/2 yard of fabric(can be coated in vinyl)
1" piece of Velcro

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut two rectangles 15 1/2" long x 12" wide from desired fabric. Cut 2" x 2" square from the bottom right and left corners of fabric rectangles.

Step 2: Use 1/2" seam allowance unless noted. For fabrics which do not ravel, press or finger press seams open. For fabrics which tend to ravel, do not open seams. Use a zig-zag stitch along raw edges. Pin bag front and bag back, right sides together. Stitch right and left side seams. Stitch bottom seam.

Step 3: Pull bag front away from bag back at bottom corners. Matching bottom seam and side seam, pin bag bottom to bag side.

Step 4: Turn bag right side out.

Step 5: Top Edge: Turn top edge under 1". Pin. Stitch close to raw edge.

Step 6: Side creases: Place bag on a flat surface. Measure 1 3/4" from side seam. Crease (or finger press) bag from top edge to bottom. Since backpack nylon cannot be ironed, stitch along crease as close as possible to fold, catching bag front and back. Repeat for remaining three side creases.

Step 7: Velcro: Cut 1 1/2" length of Velcro. Position and pin the “soft" Velcro piece to the front of the bag, centered 1/2" from the top edge. Stitch. Position and pin the “rough" Velcro piece to the back of the bag, centered approximately 3": from the top edge. Stitch.

Ok, isn’t that neat? Next, we have another favorite subject of mine… FOOD! Now tell me… what casserole week would be complete without the old fashioned, traditional TUNA casserole? None that’s which one! So, with a few tweeks and without further ado, I give you the…



World’s Best Tuna Casserole

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen green peas
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained
2 ½ (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1 cup crushed potato chips
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix noodles, onion, 1 cup cheese, peas, tuna, pepper, soup and mushrooms. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and top with potato chip crumbs and remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is bubbly.

Ok kids, that’s it for today! I’m off to organize, cook, clean, and drive my family nuts LOL! I hope you have fun with whatever you plan to do! Peace, Love & lots of HUGS!

AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

Well a Happy April Fool’s Day to you there! How are you doing this day of days? I’m good… it was a busy day yesterday for our house. Doctors, cleaning, planning, etc. The doctors appointments went good… got tons of Rx’s LOL, DD got her final Gardasil shot and the Meningitis shot, and the DS18 got his physical for football spring camp and then next school season. I think my pharmacist hates it when I come… seriously… cause I brought in a combined 11 prescriptions today alone! LOL I could start my own pharmacy. And that’s only 1 months worth LMAO! I did also find out that I lost another pound according to the scale at CVS! YAY! That’s 8 pounds this month! WOOHOO! We didn’t go to the beach because we weren’t on the island long enough for the water to be warm enough to go in. Also didn’t go to Pier 1 cause they were still closed by the time we were done. So we came home and piddled LOL!



I started painting the yellow squares on the cabinet doors yesterday when we got home from the Doctor’s appointments. I used that blue painters tape, and let me tell ya… IT SUCKS! I had to go back and straighten up each square I “painted” by hand! It was a lot of hassle if ya ask me! I won’t be using it again! This picture is the first cabinet door after the touchups. Once I get the wallies on there though, it will be so cute! I just have to wait til I have the cash for them to order online… cause nobody around here has lemons! UGH! This kitchen is truly gonna end up being a DIY! But I am having fun LOL!



All this painting is getting me in the crafty mood! Well since today starts Autism Awareness month, I will begin sewing my little heart out with Autism print goodies. I have learned so much in my journey to make his life easier, and I will learn everyday for the rest of my life! Autism effects 1 in every 150 children and that gap is closing every year. It is more common in boys than girls. The puzzle piece was chosen to “represent” autism. It means different things to different people. The ASA is quoted as saying “The puzzle pattern reflects the mystery and complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with the condition. The brightness of the ribbon signals hope—hope that through increased awareness of autism, and through early intervention and appropriate treatments, people with autism will lead fuller, more complete lives.” Although there are a few underlying meanings as well, one being is that a high percentage of children with Autism play with puzzles. The reason being, puzzles are a 1 person game that do not rely on any interaction from anyone else. The interpretation of Autism comes from Latin defined as “oneself”. Here is how I see it. My son is the best gift God could have ever given to me. Even with his Autism. He is a puzzle you never know where the next piece is going. Anyone can put a puzzle together to see the pretty picture in the end. I hope that once all the pieces come together, everyone will see just how beautiful and smart these children are. Don’t focus on the Autism, focus on the child.

One of the things I will be making is a cute traveling Crayon tote for kids. It’s a great travel item for when you are going to the doctor, taking road trips, etc. It has single slots for crayons, as well as pockets for coloring books, etc. It would also be something neat to maybe put in an Easter basket (which is Sunday ya know!). Put some crayons and a book or 2 from the Dollar store and they make great items to donate to children’s hospitals and foundations, too!



Craft Idea of the Day: Jungle Crayon Bag

Supplies:

2 pieces jungle print 10” x 17”
1/2 yard red solid
7/8 yard royal blue solid
1 yard green solid
1/2 yard yellow solid
2 spools variegated Woolly Nylon
6” x 1” strip red hook-and-loop tape
1 spool blending serger thread
Embroidery threads to contrast with fabrics
All purpose threads to match fabrics
1 ¼ yards 1” wide red webbing for handles
Can of temporary Spray Adhesive
Seam Sealant
Basic Sewing supplies and tools

Intsructions:

Outer Bag:

1. From red solid fabric, cut 2 pieces 17* x 14”. From Royal blue fabric cut 2 pieces 17” x 17”.

2. Machine embroider a 3” to 4” band on one 17” edge of each red piece with appropriate jungle animals.

3. With variegated thread in both loopers and blending serger thread in left needle, serge top 17” edge of jungle print pieces and red pockets.

4. Place 3 fabric layers together and spray with adhesive. With right side of each piece facing, sew all layers together along unsergered 17” edge.

Inner Bag:

1. From red cut one piece 17”x 8”. From Royal blue cut one 17”x12”. From yellow solid cut one piece 17”x20”. From green cut one piece 17”x32”.

2. Embellish both 17” edges of each strip with appropriate machine embroidery.

3. Serge both 17” edges of yellow, red, and blue pockets. Layer red and blue pieces. Mark 1” intervals on red fabric and stitch through both layers on marked lines.

4. Layer all 4 fabrics and spray with adhesive. With red stitch thread, stitch a horizontal line across the center of the red pocket to complete the crayon partitions.

Assembly:

1. Place inner and outer bag layers together, wrong sides facing. Spray with adhesive.

2. Serge around all outer edges with variegated thread in both loopers and blending serger thread in the left needle.

3. Place seam sealant at all corners and allow to dry completely and then trim all serger tail threads.

4. Cut Red webbing in two 20 ½ “ lengths for handles stitch both ends to outer bag front. Leave 2 ½ “ of webbing from top edge to bottom of webbing piece, all being stitched to bag in a rectangle pattern and then an “X” in the center.

5. Cut hook and loop tape in 1” segments for fasteners. Place two fasteners between the jungle print and red pockets, each side of outer bag. Center one fastener between red and blue pockets, each side of outer bag.

Now, I know some of you are saying that it’s a cute idea, but you don’t have a serger, right? Don’t worry cause I don’t have one either. I will be dressing the edges with ribbons, etc. and using good old fashion sewing. There won’t be any cutesy embroidery on mine, but they will be awesome with the puzzle prints representing autism! When I get one done I will post the pictures!

Now I bet all that reading made you hungry right? Well, as you know this is casserole week, and with me living on the Gulf Coast and always talking about seafood, you should have KNOWN that it was going to come into play SOMEWHERE LOL! Here is a great recipe for some serious seafood scrum-diddly-umptousness!



Seafood Casserole

Ingredients

1/3 cup minced onion
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup light cream
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped pimento
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
1 cup flaked cooked crabmeat
1 cup peeled cooked shrimp
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

In a saucepan, saute onion in butter; blend in flour. Add milk and cream; cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat; stir in salt, pepper, pimiento, water chestnuts, lemon juice, parsley, crabmeat, shrimp, rice and half of the cheese. Spoon into a 2-1/2-qt. casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese just before serving.

Alright gang, that about does it for me today. Its gonna be a day full of cooking, cleaning, sewing, and shopping! LOL! I am feeling speedy and spunky so its gonna be super crazy running day! Ya’ll be safe in whatever you find yourself doing today and I will see you tomorrow. HUGS!!

POSITIVE HUMAN INTEREST

Well good morning my wonderful brigade of followers LOL. Hope all is well with all of you this beautiful Sunday morning! I’m just sitting here munching on a roll (cause I woke up with very bad indigestion LOL) and enjoy the quiet because everyone is still asleep. It’s a wonderful sound really… with the exception of the occasional snoring LMAO! Today I want to share something wonderful with you. Most of you know that I don’t watch a whole lot of TV and I certainly don’t watch the news. I like to pick and choose to be depressed thank you LOL. The news is always filled with hate and tragedy and I just don’t like it! Well I was reading some of the headlines from a small local paper called the Galveston Daily News and I found this story…

Rare pink grasshopper Valentine’s gift to museum
By Bronwyn Turner
Correspondent
Published February 20, 2010



Ronnie McLaughlin IV, 7, of Santa Fe, found this pink grasshopper in his yard. It now lives at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where it will be studied. Photo by Erin Mills, Houston Museum of Natural Science.

SANTA FE — Ronnie McLaughlin IV, a budding entomologist only 7 years old, was routinely searching out crawling creatures when he made a backyard find so rare it will go on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Ronnie found a pink grasshopper on Valentine’s Day. He named the inch-long insect “Love Bug” and placed it in the terrarium in his room.

When his mother, Kelly McLaughlin, contacted the museum, she got an enthusiastic return call from entomologist Erin Mills.

“I was so excited when I heard about them finding a pink grasshopper,” Mills said. “It’s just one of those kind of cool, mysterious things about nature that a lot of scientists don’t quite understand. So it’s a really cool thing to stumble upon around your home.”

Mills, one of two entomologists at the museum, never has seen a pink grasshopper in her years working with insects.

“It’s a genetic mutation where they have not enough of one pigment, or too much of one type of pigment,” she said. “Pink grasshoppers are not totally rare, but they are unusual. It’s kind of lucky if you come across one.”

In the insect containment room, the pink grasshopper was contentedly surveying a meal of romaine lettuce.

She (or he — it’s too soon to tell) already has gone through one molt, which means the young grasshopper is growing.

Mills hopes to surround Love Bug with a stress-free environment, through more molts and, in a few months, adulthood.

She phones the McLaughlins at their Santa Fe home to give updates and is writing a blog on the insect’s progress.

“Anything can happen with a bug,” Mills said. “Probably her biggest challenge right now is making it through all of her molts and getting to be an adult.

“They have to shed a whole skin. It can be a bit touchy.”

Mills has high hopes for Love Bug. The entomologists could follow the example of the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans where pink katydids (a relative of grasshoppers) have been bred and put on display.

Love Bug would not necessarily have to have a pink mate in order to produce pink offspring.

“There is a possibility those genes could be carried over to the next generation,” Mills said. “I’d like to have pink grasshoppers on display all the time. It would be awesome.”

In the meantime, Ronnie will be on the lookout for another pink sighting. He is autistic, home-schooled as part of an intensive home therapy program. One of his strongest interests is bugs.

“We told her (Mills) we would keep checking our backyard,” said McLaughlin, who also home-schools Ronnie’s younger brother, Connor.

“She said, ‘Who knows? You might have a hot spot.’”

+++

Information

Houston Museum of Natural Science, www.hmns.org, 1 Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, houses several exhibits, including the Brown Hall of Entomology and the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Upcoming events this spring include a butterfly garden plant sale and an Adopt A Butterfly release. To follow Mills’ blog on the pink grasshopper, go to http://blog.hmns.org.

I was so elated to read a positive human-interest story for a change! On top of that, it was positive involving an autistic child. My heart filled with warmth and happiness! It hit close to home because I home-schooled my autistic son a few years back and we used to do such things like incorporating outings into a learning experience/field trip. I felt pride for the mom, but more for the child! I am thinking about taking my kids to the museum to see the pink grasshopper… as my own little “tribute” to Ronnie (the child). We need to see more of these positive things in the news to educate people that autism is not like a “black plague” or a curse to be avoided, but something to be embraced and help these children. And its important to show that they are not stupid like so many people think!

Ok, so I was sitting there at the table looking at all my craft stuff. And since I am not feeling so great, I wanted to not move too much… so what could I do? I got it! I can make some visors… I have foam and fabric, etc. in front of me. So let’s got to town!



Craft Idea of the Day: Fabric Covered Visors (From original post 12-23-09)

You can buy those foam visors at the hobby stores for like a buck or you can make your own at home. You have to make sure the foam is thick/stiff enough to keep form. The visor only requires a small amount of fabric, so it’s a fairly inexpensive craft to make. It’s a great way to use up scraps of material you just can’t bear to throw away! Simply cut a fabric piece in the shape of the visor. You can do both sides, or just one… your choice. I use spray adhesive to attach it to the visor to hold it in place. Then I line the edges with bias tape and sew it on. That’s it… a cute visor in any theme you want!



Pictured is a music one completed… along with about 13 others that have the fabric already glued on. Breast Cancer, sports, autism, you name it… LOL, you could really make one for every outfit you have!

Well it looks like I might finally have to break down and go to the dentist this coming week as this tooth in the back is keeping me in a lot of pain and from eating as well. BUT my glands look swollen as well so I need to get to the doctor first and get that cleared up! Isn’t this fun!? It’s kinda like a sick game of “which hurts worse?” LOL…



Ok, so I am sitting here in the quiet writing my blog right? Well I keep hearing a thumping and other little noises coming from my back porch, so I just stood up and looked out the window and do you know what I see? MORE baby kitties! OMG they are tiny! They are smaller than all the others. Patchlet, which is one of the strays from when I originally moved into this house, must have had her litter under the tarp covering some of the things on the back porch. Well all the thumping and rustling I heard was 2 of the kittens playing and wrestling! They are so cute! With the zoom on my ancient camera, I was able to snap a picture of one as it was jumping around LOL! I saw at least 3 more… which brings the running total of outside kitties to 18! WOW… my pack is growing every day! As a ever-vigilant MEOM LMAO… I have to make sure they are taken care of. So, guess who will be out there in a little while making sure they have plenty of food and water to survive. I don’t care… I love it. LOL.

Now you know what really bites? The fact that I am very hungry and it hurts to eat even soup… but everyone else has to eat So, what do I make them for supper… hmm… this looks delish! Think I’ll make this again for everyone.



Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed low sodium cream of chicken soup
1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
3/4 cup water

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, and milk using your hands. Shape into 8 patties.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the patties in flour just to coat, and quickly brown on both sides in the hot skillet. Place browned patties into the slow cooker stacking alternately like a pyramid. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, au jus mix, and water. Pour over the meat. Cook on the Low setting for 4 or 5 hours, until ground beef is well done.

Serve this with some mashed potatoes and use the gravy on them, along with a veggie of some kind… YUMMY!!!!! I may try to eat it because I know its so good and just take some Advil to help the pain LOL. It’s worth it! Ok kids, I’mma get off here for the day and go tend to some kitties… then I may lay back down as I’m not feeling too hot still… so until tomorrow… HUGS!

CHAOS & CRAZINESS

Good morning to you my lovely lads and lasses! How are you this blissfully beautiful day? I am doing alright… a touch of fatigue and a lot of pain makes for an interesting morning! BUT… two of the kids are off to school YAY…which puts me in a good mood! My baby is very sick so he is home and I am keeping a close watch on him. He was up most of Saturday night since about 1am, so I was up with him all night. Then I cooked!

Ok, so yesterday I continued part 2 of the Weekend Cooking marathon! Check out this large amount of craziness!



I started the day by making pink pancakes for breakfast, but Alex wanted no part of those so I made him some normal buttermilk pancakes. I mixed up extra batter and made extras to freeze for him before school days so he would have a warm breakfast too! LOL I have requests now to make different color pancakes for each holiday LOL! They want purple this week too for Mardi Gras… Green for St. Patty’s Day, R/W/Blue for 4th of July, etc. They are CRAZY! I’m sorry but I’m not sure if I could do GREEN pancakes LMAO!



I got 4 packs of 3 small pancakes and 1 pack of 4 larger ones. Boom- in the freezer! Hey if Eggo can do it, so can I, right? LMAO



Then, I dug through the lovely deep freezer in the kitchen and found more cutlets YAY! So I made more CFS soup! YUMMMYYYYY! My DD and I had 2 BIG bowls for lunch and made ourselves sick… and VERY sleepy LMAO! I also made MORE Mulligatawny Soup that everyone was raving over… and pulled out more foods to make more TV dinners; sausage, ribs, etc.



I made Pricky Pear Cactus ribs for dinner. They didn’t last long enough to take a picture of them completed! So here they are marinating.



I also made mesquite BBQ ribs. I paired them all with roasted baby reds and garlic mashed potatoes and roasted baby carrots with a molasses and brown sugar glaze.



And, of course, I made the buffalo steaks for my hubby for his V-day dinner. He got the carrots and potatoes too!

I had to come to a brief stop cause the DS14 started running a fever and coughing and stuff, so I had to be nurse mommy. I get real nervous when he gets sick because of his medical history with the meningitis and autism and such. I gave him an Ibuprofen and some cough syrup and put a cool rag on his head until his fever broke. Then I maintained a vigil all night on him. So that makes the 2nd night without sleep, but its ok, cause I couldn’t sleep even if I tried! I worry too much.



For those of you who don’t know, he had a cold and ear infection when he was 10 months old. The pneumonia germ got into his spinal fluid through the ear infection and he got VERY ill. I took him to the ER and he was diagnosed with Spinal Meningits. He had a serious seizure and during that he had 2 strokes. It resulted in brain damage and they suspect the scar tissue on the brain is the reason behind his autism. But it is too deeply in his brain to even try to operate. Ever since then I am a nervous wreck when he gets sick… especially in the fall and winter months because that’s when it happened! I know its silly, after 13 years to be so scared, but it was a major stresser and I blamed myself for years… that maybe had I just caught it earlier, etc. So yea, I go overprotective overboard LOL! And we have become self-educated about Autism and big activists as well.

My legs are really paying for 2 days of cooking, so I don’t think my body minded that I had to stop cooking. Today is going to be sit-on-my-butt-and-take-a-break-day! I’m gonna declutter my desk and sort through a couple of boxes. I’m gonna sit at the table and work on finishing the started scrapbook pages for my DD and then maybe start some more. So like I said… its sit-on-my-butt day LOL! Of course I will be taking care of the DS too, so I won’t totally be on my hind end LOL! So there isn’t too much to share as far as crafts, etc. I (if my legs can handle it) need to finish up with my cooking cause I still have a few things left to use up for this round. But I do have a very interesting recipe I would like to share with you today… its for a side dish and it’s from The $5 Dinner Mom’s email… it’s a great recipe and I think you will enjoy it… especially if you like Rosemary (like she does and I do as well!)



Roasted Red Potato Salad
(Courtesy of Erin Chase & $5 Dinners.Com)

Ingredients

13 small red potatoes, diced
3 sprigs of rosemary
Salt and pepper
Drizzles of olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Dice the red potatoes.

2. Using your fingers, pull off the rosemary leaves by sliding and pinching your fingers down the sprig. Chop the rosemary leaves.

3. Add the diced potatoes to a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and some of the chopped rosemary. (You’ll need more rosemary for the sauce.) Drizzle some olive oil over the top. Toss in the baking dish.

4. Roast the potatoes at 400 for 25-35 minutes, or until softened.

5. In a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, milk, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

6. Whisk and then add the remaining chopped rosemary leaves. Mix in the rosemary.

7. Pour the sauce over the roasted potatoes.

8. Toss the sauce with the potatoes.

9. Serve Roasted Red Potato Salad warm…or chill for at least 2 hours and serve cold.

If you haven’t checked out $5 Dinners, I highly recommend it! Erin Chase has lots of great recipes, articles, etc. I get the email newsletter and she does a great job! She just put out a recipe book that I hope to get soon. I wish I could get it today as she is doing a book signing in Houston tonight at the Downtown Library from 6-8pm! I would love to meet her! As for me, well I think I’m gonna get off here and check on the boy. If all goes well, then I’ll hopefully get him to eat a little something and then we can watch some cartoons and do some scrapbooking! You take care and stay warm today! Until tomorrow… HUGS!