Jan 13 Craft Day

I love crafts!  My favorites are crocheting, knitting, scrapbooking, and sewing.  However, if you offered me something else, I wouldn't say no!  I was super excited when my aunt asked me to come over for a craft day with her and my grandma.  Usually we don't actually accomplish much on craft days, but I figured if grandma was there, she'd keep us on task! :)

So, first we made towel toppers.  Now, these kind are not the kind you actually sew onto a towel.  There is a string hidden underneath that you hang your towel on.

Those are just some pictures of the one we were trying to copy.  Hopefully now you have a better idea of what I was trying to say.  Here is the one I made, which didn't turn out exactly as planned because I didn't use the same yarn...

The next project I did was a quilt top.  I thought I had the backing already, but apparently I don't. And actually, this fabric was originally for a more complicated quilt, but I just want to use it up, so I am going easy!

I had all of these pieces cut the night before, so that I wouldn't have to bring my rotary cutter or mat.  So this was a quick craft for craft day!

I also started on a rag quilt.  Most of these pieces were cut a long time ago, as I already made a quilt out of these same pieces.  I cut a few the night before also.

I am not finished with this.  I have to go through and cut slits on all of the edges, about 1/2 inch apart, which takes a long time!  Then, I have to wash and dry it, at least once, if not twice.  Here is what it will look like when it is done.

We will be having another craft day on the 21st, so look forward to more crafty posts!

Forever His,

 

Weekly Goals: 1/13

 
I am so excited about my weekly goals.  That may be because I completed ALL of them last week!  How awesome!  What makes me even more excited is this feeling of "catching up".  I have so many things I want to do, and I am getting there!  So here is what I completed last week, and my new goals for this week:

Last Week

Relationship with God
Complete Bible plan
Write in Prayer Journal
Keep the Sabbath
Tithe 10%
Bible study group
     -Assign accountability partners
     -Create weekly GMG schedule
     -Post Friday questions

Friends/Family
Message 1 friend
Go to yarn shop Saturday (changed plans early in the week because of weather)
Spend time with grandma (planned for Saturday, but was able to make it Sunday)

Finances
Don't use credit cards
Tutor 2 days

Health & Fitness
Go to gym 3-4 times (3 days, MThS)
Use My Fitness Pal 6/7 days
Stay under calories 6/7 days
Floss teeth every day
Cook 1 new recipe
Eat fruit with breakfast Sun-Thurs

Blogging
Monthly goals
Weekly goals
Monthly goal sheets
Frugal list
Make craft project list

Crafts/Projects
Finish granny square blanket
Complete headband
Work on knitted hat
Crochet blanket for Leslie
Buy yarn to finish 2nd granny square blanket

Reflection: Yay!  I just feel so great!  I was actually surprised that I finished them all, because it was kind of a crazy week.  However, I did end up with a half day on Thursday and a Snow Day on Friday (Woohoo!).

 This Week

Relationship with God
Complete Bible plan
Write in Prayer Journal
Keep Sabbath
Tithe 10%
Complete all Bible Study Group Posts (MTWThF)
Memorize Psalm 119:11

Friends/Family
Craft Day at Jen's
Meet w/ Coworkers at Poncho and Lefty's
Message 1 friend

Health and Fitness
Work out 4 Days (MTWS)
Take 3 classes (M-Step, T-Spin, W-Step)
Use My Fitness Pal 6/7 days
Stay under calories 6/7 days
Floss teeth daily
Eat fruit with breakfast Sun-Thurs

Blogging
Weekly goals
Books
Craft Day
Towel Topper
SSMT Verse Post

Finances
Don't use credit cards
Tutor 2 days
Save tutoring money $48

Crafts/Projects
Crochet blanket for Leslie
Knit hat
Make quilt top
Make rag quilt
Start gift for Hillary

I am feeling pretty good about these goals.  It actually shouldn't be too difficult for me to complete, as it is a pretty normal week and things are starting to quiet down again.

Forever His,

Unfinished Project #1

I picked out this project the first week of January.  My unfinished projects are sorted in ziploc bags in a bin, and this one was already partially done.  I had the flower completed, just had the actual headband to do.  I even had the pattern with it, so I knew it would be an easy one to start with this year!

I got the pattern for the flower from Very Berry Handmade.  I found the directions a little confusing, so I am going to post what I did, which I am not sure is what I was supposed to do.  I also found two different patterns, from the same webpage.  I printed one in 2011 and one in 2012, so she must have changed the directions.  I will give both here.

Start with a magic circle and make 4 single crochet in the circle.  Close the circle.
R1: 2sc in each sc around.  Join last sc to 1st sc with ss. (8s)
R2: 2ch, 1ss in next sc.  Repeat.  Join with ss. (8s)
R3: In each chain space, make 1ss, 1ch, 2dc, 1ch, 1 ss.  SS into 1st ss.
R4: Going behind the work, chain 2 (or 3), hook inbetween next petals.  Repeat. SS into 1st ss.
R5: In each chain space, make 1sc, 1ch, 3dc, 1ch, 1sc. (or 1sc, 1ch, 3tr, 1ch, 1sc) SS into 1st sc
R6: Going behind the work, chain 3, hook between next petals.  Repeat.  SS into 1st ss.
R7: In each chain space, make 1sc, 1ch, 5dc, 1ch, 1sc. (or 1sc, 1ch, 5tr, 1ch, 1sc) SS into 1st sc.

I honestly don't think it really matters if you do dc or tr in R5 and R7.  I imagine tr just makes the petals larger.

The headband is much more simple than that.

Chain 16
R1: Start dc 3 stitches from hook.  14dc total.
R2: Ch 3. 14tr
R3: Ch2. 14dc
And keep going until you have the length you need. 

Now onto the next project!  I will be at my aunt's house today having a craft day, so hopefully I have a couple more things to post when I get back!

Forever His,

Unfinished Projects from 2012

One of my goals for 2013 is to finish all of those unfinished projects from 2012 (and some probably from before then!). 

Here is my list:
Headband (Finished, post coming soon)
Cards
Boy Washcloths
Girl Washcloths
Rag Quilt Tote Bag
Girl Rag Quilt
Boy Rag Quilt
Cardigan - change buttons
Girl Quilt
Mom's Washcloths
Chemo Caps (2)
Towel Toppers

The boy and girl washcloths I have actually already made, but I have enough to make more.  Actually, I have the pieces already cut.  They just need sewn!

 

Forever His,

Granny Square Lap Blanket

Now before I go any further, I need to say that I cannot take complete credit for this lap blanket.  I did not make the granny squares.  I have never made a granny square in my life.  I did, however, but it all together.

I used to crochet at the yarn shop at Knit Night each week.  Life has gotten busy, so I don't go there as much anymore.  Anyway, someone had donated a ton of granny squares at the yarn shop to be used in lap blankets for cancer patients.  The yarn shop owners are both knitters primarily, and asked me to take this project on because I was the only crocheter that came in regularly.  This is actually the second one I have done, and I have enough granny squares for a third blanket.

It really is pretty simple. I just attached the squares together to make rows of 5 and then attached all of the rows together, all using single crochet.  Then, I made a border, which would have been larger if I hadn't run out of yarn.  It is still cute.  I did a row of single crochet initially, and then went around again and did a double crochet, or a half double maybe?  Next time, I'd like to do 2 rows of doubles or half doubles instead of doing a single.  I did an image search on google to look for a granny square quilt I could do for myself, and I have found a ton.  Now just to look on ravelry!

Forever His,

A New Recipe (and an old one too!)

One of my goals for 2013 is to try 2 new recipes every month.  I decided to make Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes using a recipe I found on Money Saving Mom.  I love peanut butter, and putting peanut butter on pancakes (with chocolate chips!) is amazing. Sometimes I put peanut butter with just a little bit of maple syrup.  Yum!  I didn't completely follow the recipe, as I didn't have regular chocolate chips. 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 beaten eggs
2 cups milk
4 tbsp butter
mini chocolate chips (didn't measure, just did what looked right)

I mixed the dry ingredients separately from the other ingredients and then mixed them together.  The pancakes I made were about 6 inches in diameter, and I think I got 10 out of this recipe.

As you can see, I'm not very good at keeping my pancakes light.  They are still delicious!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also made a black bean and corn salad/salsa to put in whole wheat tortilla wraps.  I have made it before, but apparently didn't save the recipe.  So I decided to "wing" it. 


Here is what I used:

Black Bean & Corn Salad/Salsa
1 can black beans (mostly rinsed)
3/4 small bag of frozen corn
green pepper
red onion
minced garlic
red pepper

Now after doing all of that, I finally found a recipe that is pretty much what I was looking for on All Recipes.  I like it the way I made it too.  I had it for lunch in whole wheat wraps, and also as a salsa with some chips. Yum!

Forever His,

2013 Plan to Be Frugal

I came across a blog post on How to Be Frugal, which lists 50 tips on how to be frugal.  I looked through them and many of them definitely seemed achievable and worth my time.  So I decided that I would pick one new money habit for each month in 2013. 

In January, I have decided to keep my credit cards off-limits.  I have two store cards in addition to my regular Visa.  The two store cards I am pretty ok with, but it is the regular Visa that I really need to work on.  When I have many places to shop and don't feel like writing down my purchases in my checkbook, I will just use my credit card and decide to "figure it out later". 

Well, I have decided in 2013 to be more aware of my finances, so "figuring it out later" isn't an option.  Here are some of the habits I plan on implementing in 2013, in no particular order:

-Only buy what is on my shopping list
-Wait 24 hours before buying anything
-Seriously coupon and use a price sheet
-Make only one shopping trip per week
-Make a coffee fund/budget per week or per month
-Find recipes that are cheap to make
-Grow my own food
-Transfer credit card debt and come up with a plan to tackle it
-Search for free samples
-Use only cash
-Make freezer meals (February?)

What are some frugal tips you have?

Forever His,

Weekly Goals: 1/6

I am a little late in posting this, as it is already Tuesday this week, and my intention was to get this posted Saturday evening.  I also completely missed the whole first week in January.  I did write all of my weekly goals down though, using a document from Money Saving Mom that you can find HERE.  I intend on making my own documents and sharing them, but I haven't made it that far yet!  Anyway, here you will get to see what I accomplished last week, and what my goals are for this week.

Last Week

Personal
Workout 2 days (the gym was closed part of the week)
Read Against the Tide (I didn't finish this because I had to return it)
Make a new recipe
Keep up with email
Floss teeth every day

Relationship with God
Complete Bible plan
Write in Prayer Journal (only missed one day)

Memorize Matthew 7:24

Financial
Save tutoring money - $36
Don't use credit card

Crafts/Projects
Complete granny square blanket
Search for yarn for headband
Work on Leslie's blanket
Work on knitted hat

Blogging
To-do Projects list
Drawstring bag post
Frugal list
Monthly goals
Weekly goals

Friends/Family
Message 1 friend
Email coworkers about get-together on 18th
Make plans with 1 friend (I made plans twice, but both plans ended up falling through.  I tried though!)

Reflection:  I didn't do quite as well as I planned, but I ended up spending the whole weekend taking care of my mom.  I also worked a ton on preparing for this next Bible study (I have TWO groups this time!), and didn't write down my goals for that.

This Week

Relationship with God
Complete Bible plan
Write in Prayer Journal
Keep the Sabbath
Tithe 10%
Bible study group
     -Assign accountability partners
     -Create weekly GMG schedule
     -Post Friday questions

Friends/Family
Message 1 friend
Go to yarn shop Saturday
Spend time with grandma (who is here from Ohio!  I won't see her until Saturday though!)

Finances
Don't use credit cards
Tutor 2 days

Health & Fitness
Go to gym 3-4 times (M/Th/F/S?)
Use My Fitness Pal 6/7 days
Stay under calories 6/7 days
Floss teeth every day
Cook 1 new recipe
Eat fruit with breakfast Sun-Thurs

Blogging
Monthly goals
Weekly goals
Monthly goal sheets
Frugal list
Make craft project list

Crafts/Projects
Finish granny square blanket
Complete headband
Work on knitted hat
Crochet blanket for Leslie
Buy yarn to finish 2nd granny square blanket

I'm doing pretty good on my goals so far, although I haven't marked any of them complete yet.  You will have to wait until Saturday evening to see what I complete!  I'm really looking forward to the early out on Thursday so I can get a bunch of this done!

Monthly Goals: January

Along with having goals for 2013 as a whole, I am making goals each month and each week.  That is actually one of my goals for 2013!  I thought I would share my monthly goals, both so you can see what I have going on, but also so that I may stay more accountable knowing someone out there is reading this!  I even made a monthly goals sheet exactly how I wanted it, and I have decided to share it with you.  Scroll to the bottom for the files!

Relationship with God
Keep up with Bible plan
     -Genesis 1-50
     -Job 1-42
     -Exodus 1-6
Write daily in Prayer Journal
Memorize 2 verses
     -Matthew 7:24
     -Psalm 119:11
Keep the Sabbath
Tithe 10%

Friends/Family
Meet up with one friend
Message one friend per week
Meet with coworkers

Finances
Don't use credit cards
Save at least $50

Health and Fitness
Work out 8-12 times
Use My Fitness Pal 6/7 days
Stay under calories 6/7 days
Floss teeth every day
Cook 2 new recipes

Blogging
Post at least once a week
Post projects
Post new recipes

Work/Business
Get 70% of 2nd graders to fluency
Get 70% of 3rd graders to fluency
Continue tutoring - 9 sessions

Crafts/Projects
Complete headband
Finish granny square blanket
Knit hat
Crochet blanket for Leslie
Make handmade gift for Hilary
Take pictures and notes of all projects
Spend one day scrapbooking
Go to yarn shop

Books to read (9)
The Next Always - Nora Roberts
The Last Boyfriend - Nora Roberts
The Perfect Hope - Nora Roberts
The Heart of a Woman Who Prays - Elizabeth George
Rescue - Anita Shreve
Undead and Uneasy - MaryJanice Davidson
Bloodlines - Richelle Mead
Hanging by a Thread - Sophie Littlefield
Choose Joy - Kay Warren

                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Download the monthly goal sheets HERE.

Forever His,

Sewing Project: Drawstring Bags

After seeing some similar drawstring bags, or "ditty bags" as my aunt calls them, for a while now, I finally decided to make them.  I had been on quite a long break from sewing, but I had a ton of time over Christmas break, so I decided I should just go for it.  I loved this kind of stuff in high school.....making my own pattern and thinking of what the dimensions needed to be.  I made purses and bags all the time.

So, with all the time I had over Christmas break, I had crocheting and knitting projects everywhere, along with skeins of yarn that I would soon be using in projects.  Now, having this new kitty in the house AND having yarn everywhere just didn't seem like a good idea.  So I knew I had to put them somewhere, but where?  So I bought 4 yards of fabric and decided I would figure out the dimensions of the drawstring bags afterwards.  I knew that I wanted to use up whatever fabric I had left as well.  So, here is what I came up with:

 

Sorry for the crappy picture!  Just focus on the product! :)

Here are the dimensions of the fabric before sewn: 14x24, 14x20, 12x18, 9x14, 8x12, 7x12, and 7x10.  The three pictured at the beginning of this post are my favorite, and they are sizes 14x20, 9x14, and 8x12.  I really liked 12x18 as well, but haven't used that one quite as much.  I don't quite remember what the dimensions were after sewn, and don't feel like measuring them all.  I do remember that I "lost" 2 inches at the top because I folded it over twice, each time one inch.  Then I did square corners.  If I cut off a 2 inch square in the corner, I "lost" 4 inches (minus the 1/4 inch seam, roughly) total by making the bottom.  I did 1/4 inch seams all around, so I lost a bit from that too.  So for the largest size, 14x24, the final product was about 13x18 or so...I think!

Most of this info is just for myself for the next time I decide to make some of these!  This is my spot to keep track of what I did!  I did this project before I actually started this blog.  Next time I may make a tutorial!

Update: Here's a tutorial I found after I made these: Modern Quilts Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial

Forever His,

2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team

When I was thinking about what goals I would have for myself in 2013, I knew I wanted to memorize at least one verse per month.  I was starting with one verse, because I had started memorizing scripture in the last couple of months of 2012, but wasn't being consistent with it.  Then, I came across a post by Beth Moore on the Living Proof Ministries blog about the 2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team.  I just had to read into it! 

On the 1st and 15th of every month, you pick a verse to memorize.  That's right, you even get to pick the verse!  That doubled my original goal, but I knew with this site and so many other women working towards the same goal, that I could achieve it!  You have to post the verse in a blog comment on Beth Moore's blog.  And then you have to memorize it before you move on to the next verse.

In January of 2014, Beth Moore will host a conference that is free to all Siesta graduates.  I probably will not attend myself, but it is a neat idea for those who can and want to!  The key to getting in is this:

That is a gorgeous spiral notepad to write your verses on.  I considered ordering one, as they are pretty cheap ($4 with $2 shipping I believe), but I had already started my own memory cards and didn't really feel the need to buy one....trying to save money and all!  Here is what mine looks like:

 Here is the verse I started with:

Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on the rock.

Ready to join me?  Comment with your verse!  And make sure you go to the 2013 SSMT Verse 1 blog post to sign up with your verse!

Forever His,

Online Luke Bible Study

I just love Bible studies!  I especially love ones done with other people.  I need that interaction and encouragement.  I need to be kept accountable.  I really just like someone else to talk with about the Bible.  Sometimes another person will see something that I don't.  I feel like my eyes are opened more when I have someone to study with. 

So, back in September, I found Good Morning Girls.  It is a website all about online Bible studies.  I was jumping for joy (in my heart anyway)!  I had left my church 2 years prior, so I hadn't had an opportunity to do a Bible study.  I joined a facebook group of single women and was on my way to reading Colossians for the first time!  And then about a week before the study, I felt God tugging at my heart to create my own facebook group.  GMG was looking for more leaders.  Now, despite having no idea what I was doing, I jumped in.  I created a facebook group and studied Colossians with over 20 ladies! 

After Colossians, GMG did an Advent study for 4 weeks.  There weren't as many members that time, and we were all quite busy with all the busy-ness that occurs between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years!

Now, GMG is doing a Luke study called Living Like Jesus.  We will be studying Luke 1-8.  I have decided to lead again, but now the group has grown to 53!  We still have a week left, so that number will continue to increase.  Very soon I will be making that group into 2 separate groups, one a little larger than the other, as some prefer more people, and others prefer less people.  There are just so many ladies looking to dive into God's word in 2013, and I couldn't and wouldn't turn anyone down! 

Are you looking to dive into God's word too?  Check out all the info from GMG here: Living Like Jesus Luke 1-8 Study.

If you decide you'd like to participate, I'd love to have you in my group!  Here is the link to my group: Sisters in Christ.

Forever His,

One Word 2013

My One Word for 2013 is Listen.  Now the whole point of this is to pick ONE word instead of a whole list of resolutions/goals.  One word just isn't good enough for me.  My goals/resolutions are the things I want to DO and my One Word is who I want to BE in 2013.  Nobody can tell me that I can't do both.

I first saw the One Word site about a week ago and knew I wanted to participate.  I didn't want to just pick any word though.  It had to mean something.  I thought through dozens of words, and nothing felt right.  So yesterday I came up with the word "Listen".  I don't even remember where it came from.  I still wasn't completely sure.  So I prayed about it, and decided to open up my YouVersion Bible app and read whatever Book, Chapter, and Verse it was on.  I had it set to Proverbs 31.  Before I even began reading, I could see the word "Listen" in Verse 2.  Verse 2 says "Listen, my son!  Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!"  Now of course that verse wasn't written to me, but I think God meant it for me at that moment.  I need to LISTEN.

Listen is such a great word for 2013 because I am such a terrible listener.  When talking to friends, I often end up nodding after a while and my mind drifts to other things.  Friends will tell me something and then I will have no idea they told me that thing later.  Even when I do listen, I'm often not listening well enough to offer any advice or solution.  Now I am definitely better than I used to be.  Some of my friends may not even notice.  I sure hope they don't anyway!

I also have a very hard time listening for God's voice.  I can pray, but I can't sit still long enough to listen for an answer.  Even if he doesn't answer me right away, but later in my day, I am not sure that I am still enough to hear it.  Now I don't want to just listen enough to hear it.  I want to listen and OBEY. 

Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says. James 1:22 NIV

2013 Goals

What a perfect way to start off my blog: my goals for 2013!  I have been following Money Saving Mom for almost a year now, and Crystal is big on goals.  She does yearly goals, monthly goals, and even weekly goals!  I intend on doing that this year as well.  I'm not sure that I will get them posted regularly or not, but I will have it on paper for myself anyway!

So here are my goals for 2013:

Personal:
Workout 8-12 times per month
Use My Fitness Pal at least 6 times a week
Stay under calories at least 6 days a week
Create monthly and weekly goals
Read 100 books and review them
Send a gift to my pen pals on their birthdays
Cook 2 new recipes per month
Plan freezer meals
Implement 1 good habit per month

Christian Life
Complete daily Bible plan
Write daily in Prayer Journal
Complete 4 Bible studies
Memorize 2 verses per month w/ SSMT
Keep the Sabbath
Tithe 10%

Work/Business
Get 80% of 2nd graders to fluency by June
Get 80% of 3rd graders to fluency by June
Sell handmade items on facebook.
Continue tutoring - work out summer tutoring
Find summer nanny job

Friends/Family
Meet up with at least one friend each month
Send a message to at least one friend each week
Meet with coworkers every other month
Have at least 2 family get togethers

Crafts/Projects
Complete 1 old project per month (list to come)
Keep track of projects with pictures and patterns
Complete 1 new project per month
Spend 1 day scrapbooking each month

Blogging
Create a blog
Post at least once a week
Post projects
Post new recipes

Financial
Pay off Kohl's card
Pay off Sallie Mae loan
Buy laptop for less than $350
Buy Kindle Fire for less than $200
Save at least $50 per month
Be more frugal - 1 trick per month (list to come)