Winter Activity Idea

I never would have thought I'd actually have to come up with an indoor winter activity here in Texas, but last week we wound up with record snowfalls. With over a foot of snow in one day, we were left searching for something to do. We spent the entire day Thursday outside playing, but this pooped pregnant mama couldn't do it Friday. Instead I ran across an idea on a blog that I loved, and it was a huge hit. Instead of freezing outside in the snow, we brought a big bucket inside to the kitchen sink. My almost 2-year-old had a blast and played at the sink for at least an hour.

Great Craft Website

I tend to handmake just about every gift I give these days. But little boys are really hard to craft for in my humble opinion. It just seems like all crafty things are geared toward little girls. Anyway, I have started reading this craft blog which I'd highly recommend. She featured a blog that has dedicated the entire month of February to crafts for boys. It is amazing! Here's the link in case you're interested.

Twin Quilt Top Finished!!

We're plugging away on my almost 2-year-old's big girl room making preparations in the nursery for all things blue. I've been hard at work making my very first bed-sized quilt. I LOVED this pattern. It's so easy. And I'm finally finished with the top. Next comes quilting and binding. Then it will be ready for my big girl to cuddle under. Such fun!

Slow-cooked Oatmeal

My sister made this oatmeal for the first time awhile back and RAVED about it. She gave me the basic recipe, and we added our own likes. We gobbled this up in 2 days. I will give you a word of caution - if you make this, instant oats will never be good enough for you again. Delicious!

Slow-Cooked Steel Cut Oats

1 cup steel cut oats (I bought these by the pound at Sprouts)

2 cups milk (you can use any type - cow's milk of any fat content or soy)

2 cups water

tsp salt

dash of cinnamon

splash of vanilla

Okay, the trick to these oats is that they are steamed in the crockpot. You'll want to find an oven-safe bowl that will fit into your crockpot with enough room around it to fill the crockpot bowl with water. My small oval Corningware dish worked perfectly.

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Put your oven-safe bowl into the crockpot, and pour the oats mixture inside. Now pour enough water around the bowl to fill up to the fill level inside the bowl. I should have taken a picture of this step. But, basically you're creating a water bath.

Now, set your crockpot to low, and cook overnight (for 8 hours maximum) or for at least 4 hours. Fluff with a spoon, and serve warm. You can refrigerate the oats for up to a week. To reheat, scoop some oats into a microwave-safe dish, and pour milk over the top. Heat in the microwave 1-2 minutes, and stir.

You can add literally anything at all to this oatmeal. Add nuts, berries, sugar, butter, etc. For the batch pictured, I added a handful of dried cranberries before cooking. Then to serve, I drizzled agave nectar over the top to sweeten. I cannot sing the praises of this oatmeal enough. You'll love it!

How to Hem Jeans like a Professional

I am 5'2" necessitating LOTS of hemming and shortening of pants, skirts, and dresses. I just can't find anything the right length. If you've ever priced the cost of professional seamstresses (and add in the time it takes to get your clothing back), it costs a fortune to have everything you buy hemmed. I learned years ago how to hem pants and skirts, but jeans always gave me grief. A couple of years ago my older sister showed me a pair of her jeans that she had hemmed professionally, and it was easy to see how it was done. The difference is that jeans typically have a worn edge. The hem is decorative, so cutting that edge off to shorten them takes away part of the character you're paying for. So I developed a tutorial for hemming jeans the way professional would. Hope you find this helpful!

What you'll need:
sewing machine
dark thread to match the jeans
iron
straight pins
measuring tape
scissors

The Process:
You'll need to measure the desired length of the jeans. The easiest way I've found to do this is to have the person stand on a chair and scoot back so the heel of their shoes is even with the edge of the chair. It might be helpful to note that you definitely need to have them wear the shoes they'd typically wear with the jeans. I prefer to hem the jeans to the ground. So, using a safety pin or water-soluble marking pen, mark the desired length (in my case, where the shoe ends and the chair begins).

Next, measure the amount you'll need to shorten them from the edge of the current hem to the mark you've made. In the jeans in this tutorial, they needed to be shortened 2 1/2 inches.

Lay the jeans flat on a hard surface, and measure up the desired length (2 1/2 inches here) from the stitching on the current hem. Since the current hem will remain in place, that half inch or so will also remain. So, if you measure from the edge of your jeans, they'll still be a half an inch too long after hemming. Make sense? Now place a straight pin to mark.

Next you'll fold the edge of your jeans up into a cuff matching the current stitching to just above the pin like this. Pin in place.
To check your accuracy, divide your total amount needed to shorten (2 1/2 inches for me) by 2 (equalling 1 1/4 inches in my case). Measure from the fold to just under the current stitching making sure this amount is half of the amount you need to take it in.

Next, keeping this length consistent, pin all the way around the cuff. Measure as you go to make sure you're still consistent. Repeat these steps on the second leg.
When both legs are securely pinned, move the pants to your sewing machine. Carefully stitch in the ditch just along the fold of the current hem. Make sure to get as close to this fold as possible being careful not to sew on top of it or across the current stitching.
Stitch all the way around backstitching where you stop and start. Repeat this step for the other leg.

Remove your jeans from the machine, and turn the cuff up to the inside of the leg like this.
With a steaming hot iron, press this new seam from the inside all the way around each leg.

Now turn the pants inside-out revealing the new cuff on the inside of the leg. Using super sharp scissors, cut the cuff about a quarter inch from your stitching.
Turn the jeans right-side-out, and iron again if necessary to reveal your finished hem.

Easy, and your seam is almost invisible!

As always, please feel free to comment with questions, and I'll do my best to answer.

Handmade Christmas

Christmas of 2008 I decided to make all homemade gifts for family. It was so fun and such a challenge that I dove in head first again this year. Here are the gifts I made. If you're interested in the links to any of the tutorials I found, please feel free to ask in the comments!

Lap Desks: I made a foam pillow covered in fleece then used a heavy-duty Velcro to attach them to the back of wooden clipboards. Easy and functional. These were for my 8 and 6-year-old nephews.
A scarf for my mother-in-law:
An "I Spy" bag for my 3-year-old nephew. Here's the front...
...and the backAnd a quilted colors book for my 9-month-old nephew:

La Madeleine's Tomato Basil Soup Knock-off

This tomato soup tastes as close to La Madeleine's as I've ever had, is easy and quick, and is the perfect comfort food on a cold, rainy night. Yum!

La Madeleine's Tomato Basil Soup Knock-off

4 cups tomatoes, cored, peeled, and chopped (or canned, whole tomatoes, crushed)
4 cups tomato juice
12-14 basil leaves
1 cup heavy cream
¼ lb. sweet, unsalted butter
salt
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
lemon juice

Directions:
Combine tomatoes and juice in a saucepan.

Simmer 30 minutes.

Puree, along with the basil leaves in small batches in a blender. Return to saucepan and add cream and butter while stirring over low heat.

Serve topped with fresh-grated Parmesan cheese. This soup also goes well with my focaccia bread.