Little Miss Crochet

Here is Miss Brittany modeling her latest crocheted creation. That cute, ruffled bag she is carrying is studded with beads she threaded on and then worked into her crochet. Isn't she amazing? She has really got the crochet bug and can't seem to stop.

This may be my favorite thing she has created. It is Alice in Wonderland and she made the whole thing up out of her head and then stitched it together!

Bunny slippers for cousin Audrey.

A tea set. Yep, she made this one up too. I need to starch them stiff for her, they are even cuter in person.

Fingerless gloves, she made these when it was a bit colder. I wish I could take credit for teaching her how but after I taught here a few basics she has scoured our library system for any and all new crochet books. I guess since this is national library month that is appropriate!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

It was my turn to host our girls lunch yesterday. I can't believe we have managed to have lunch every Wednesday since school started except I think once when everyone had the flu. It is the high point of my week, these amazing women are helping me be a better woman not to mention the help they are giving me raising my kids. So I made Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas. I saw this recipe on Good Things Utah, I think it was actually a food blogger that was demoing it. I have to post it so I won't lose it. •1/3 cup honey
•1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
•2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
•2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
•12 corn tortillas
•2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
•1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
•1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
•nonstick cooking spray
•1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.

Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.
Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal. I made them the day ahead and it worked great.
This is my other favorite part of Wednesday lunch. The kids. None of these are actually mine because Josh was too busy running around with the boys, it is his favorite day of the week too. These girls make me so happy playing with Brittany's old dolls. Oh and that is an actual baby there in the red, we have a few of those-another fun thing about Wednesday lunch!

Happy Aniversary

This is what I was doing seventeen years ago today. That seem so bizarre to me, seventeen years. I was seventeen on our first date, we have been married as long as I was old. So weird. I am pretty sure William and I are really still the kids in this picture. This picture really makes me smile, William and I are both oldest children so all of our siblings in this picture are all grown up now and look so different.

It was a perfect day, the perfect beginning of what has been a wonderful life together.

William is still picking me up, actually and figuratively. He still makes me laugh, is patient with me when I am ornery and is absolutely the only person I would want to be with forever.

Late Earth Day

William must be doing something right because on a spontaneous trip to Home Depot last weekend he found a killer deal on trees. Great big, lovely trees were just being unloaded from a pallet for $27 each! Since we still need trees in our yard he went a little crazy. I think he made three trips to Home Depot. Here is my man planting away. The pretty tall pine tree we had already planted but the maples are new.

Unfortunately he couldn't get them all planted so now his shop portion of the garage looks a little like a forest to protect them from a coming storm.

This what the kids were doing while he was planting.

This just makes me smile. William in his church clothes on Matthew's bike telling him he had to stop flying the kite to come in to go to church.

Alice Twins

I joined a swap where you were supposed to make an Alice doll. I had a feeling I was going to like how she turned out so I made two. Funny how they were made at the same time but they do look different. So one is off to my new friend Cindy and the other is going in the shop!

A Spring Boutique!

I am participating in this on Saturday! If you are in the neighborhood stop by and check out the cuteness!

The Finished Sampler

I finally finished it! After almost a year of working on this little guy I finally finished, framed and hung it yesterday.

A close up. A lot of the squares represent members of our family, things we have done or like to do. Some are just cute. There is a girl reading for Brittany, also an angel to remember her Nutcracker dance. A rocket and a robot for Matthew. A train and a car for Josh. Squares to remember Family adventures; a hot air balloon because we love the balloon festival, tiny little man fishing , an airplane for our trip to Florida, Oma and Opa's house in the winter and my parent's little dog Webster. It makes me happy to look at it.

It is hanging in the bathroom (we have towels, really we do-it is laundry day)

The painted Storybook girls are in there too. Funny, now that bathroom is one of my favorite rooms in the house.

Granny Squares

These are my latest accomplishment. I have been trying for a couple of weeks to teach myself how to make granny squares.

These were my teachers. As the daughter of a librarian it probably isn't to surprising that when I want to learn a new skill I go to the library. As you can see it took several books to find an approach that clicked in my brain but now I can't stop!

Practically Perfect!

This morning when we woke up the tulips William planted last Fall had finally really bloomed! The beginning of a practically perfect day!

Finally Spring has come to Utah and we have spent most of it outside. I took these monkeys to the park. I had to keep reminding myself to savor it all, how much longer will all three still want to hang with me at the park?

I had a horrible realization of how old my baby has gotten as he spent most of the time on the perilous merry-go-round with his brother and sister. Last year he wouldn't go near it and I was happy with that.

He can make this thing work this year without hurting himself.

Not quite as well as his brother can though.

Which gave me plenty of time to lay on a blanket and crochet these. After lunch outside on a blanket it was time for Matthew's soccer game where he scored his first goal. It was so nice to actually be warm at a game!

Came home to find my man planting not just one but TWO new magnolia trees in the back yard.
Now I am off to get the babysitter so William and I can go out to dinner and look at more plants for the yard. It has be such a lovely day, very little of the usual sibling bickering that usually takes place around here. Must be the sun exposure.

We are getting our first new neighbors, probably next week (don't get me started on the color of that stucco-flesh comes to mind). Josh and I were talking about how the new people would be coming next week on our way home from a walk. He says, "So is Jesus making the people now?" Someone has been listening at church. He has got the part from the lesson where we learn that Heavenly Father and Jesus created us all-it is the size he hasn't quite gotten down!

Since this seems to be a Josh post I have to add this comment he made this afternoon after stubbing his toe, "Mom my toe is crying!" Love that kid!

T-Shirt Makeover

I found Brittany this great skirt for Easter but we didn't have a top. So we gave a cheap top a makeover and I think she ended up really cute.
I took a cheap ($3.50 from Wal-mart) t-shirt. This is the next one that we are going to work on.

Then I made some rolled fabric flowers from a black and white fabric I had. There tutorials for these all over the Internet. Then I just tacked them in place with a few stitches. My friend Circe said she accidentally washed a flower like this that I had made into a pin so I think they be okay in the wash as long as I line dry. That was it! So easy!

Crafty Kids

Over Spring Break my nieces wanted to have an "Art Day" as they call it. So they came up to spend the day and pulled out all of the craft supplies again. Look at all of that creativity flowing!

Matthew's giant watercolor of a really cool car.

Libby got all inspired by my friend Tiffany's creations and since her very favorite subject would be brides and grooms she made these little cuties.

Here is there close up, cute aren't they?

Abby made a fairy wand, a butterfly and a doll. She is also modeling one of Brittany's hats topped off with a cute flower she made with some friends. Busy busy girl!

Brittany worked really hard on these amazing fairies. Their skirts are coffee filters. Gorgeous aren't they?

It was such a fun day, makes me look forward to Summer when we can do it more often!

Lessons of Spring Break

This is what the first half of Spring break has looked like at our house. Luckily the sun did come out today and we finally got to go the park, but yesterday I thought I was going to lose my mind. Somehow I had forgotten that technology is not always a blessing. My kids had been watching TV and playing the Wii a lot. The level of contention at our house was unmeasurable. I am not sure who was grumpier them or me. Finally, after listening to the three year old yell at the TV and the two "big kids" yell at each other I turned everything off. After a bit of a rant about how they were all making me crazy inspiration struck. I told them they could get out all of the craft stuff and make anything they wanted if I could go to my beloved lunch with my girlfriends.

Yes, the mess was large. But guess what? We all liked each other again. I liked them, and they liked me AND they liked each other. A miracle. Granted I know that too much technology makes us crazy, and I know that crafting seems to make all of the members of my little family happier, but I forgot. I hope I remember longer this time. (Matthew does have a show on in the back of this picture but it was after several hours and his project was done.)

Here are their creations. I had these paper mache house half finished in the basement since Christmas so I told them they could have them. I had more little animals like I gave my nieces for Easter so they all made houses for their new friends. In case you are interested the houses are 50% off at Hobby Lobby this week.
So the moral of my little story, for myself mainly, is less of things requiring electricity and more of things involving our brains. Oh, and lunch with my friends! That saves me every week!

Stocking the Shop

I finally got a few dolls in my poor neglected shop.

These two are there with some friends. I have another that item I am considering putting in the shop too.

This is what it started out looking like.

And this is how it ended up. I made these for my nieces for Easter but they were so fun I am thinking of making a couple to put in the shop.

They would come with a couple of different skirts and hair bows. What do you think?

Happy Easter!

These little cuties have gathered to wish everyone a very Happy Easter! We hope you have a wonderful day with your family making great memories and celebrating the Resurrection of Our Savior.

These cute little guys were all created by Miss Brittany and will be making an all-star appearance at Grandma's Easter egg hunt later today. Brittany has really caught the crocheting bug and she is getting really good. She made up the patterns for all of these by herself, and yes, that is a peacock in the back!

Happy Easter everyone!