Happy Chinese New Year!

Today is Chinese New Year and it's officially the Year of the Dragon! We are going to celebrate by having a Chinese dinner with dragon decorations, masks, and a dragon cake, if I get it done. I got most of my ideas from FamilyFun.com. Just go to their website and scroll down 'til you see the dragon, and then click on the things you want to see. They have lots of fun ideas and even recipes for easy dishes. Some of them my kids would never try, like the shrimp wontons, but I'm just adjusting them by using ground pork instead of the meats or seafood that they won't eat. I found a Chinese/English translating website and made a menu with real Chinese characters and I will put one of these at each place setting, along with a Chinese Good Luck knot. I got those instructions from YouTube. (You can find almost anything there!) I hope it will be lots of fun, and that the kids will learn a little something about the Chinese culture. I'm going to find out when it will be midnight in China and we will all yell "Happy Chinese New Year!!!" and use our noisemakers and then have Dragon Cake. I will post photos of the table when its all set. I'm excited to do this with my grandkids. I used to do crazy things like this with my own kids and they still remember, so now it's time to make memories with their children. I just wish more of them lived close enough to join in.

Any way, here are some photos of our Chinese New Year projects. In the first one you can see all of our dragons.

We have little felt dragons, dragon masks and a ribbon dragon to go down the middle of the table. In the second photo, you can see all the noisemakers. They have a dragon on one side and the Chinese character for Spring Luck on the other side. I found out that the Chinese have a different character for luck in each of the seasons, and since it's almost Spring, that's the one I used.

We decorated the paper strip that goes around the side of the noise maker, too.  The last two photos are the Chinese Good Luck knots. I made them from some leftover Parachord I had. They were really easy to make. I was surprised at how fast I learned!

The close up looks like I had some kind of filter on the camera. The cord is actually hot pink! I'm not sure what happened, but I wanted you to see the knot up close. I couldn't believe how easy it was.

I'll be back tomorrow with a report on the dinner and whether it was a success or not, plus photos. Until then, here's an old Chinese saying for you: "If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a month, get married. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else." Pretty good wisdom, if you ask me. See you tomorrow! 

Friday Friends!

It's Friday again and I have been having so much fun looking at Valentines ideas!! It's not too far away, you know, and now is the time to get supplies, if you need them, and decide what to make this year. Even if you don't have kids in your home, Valentine's Day can be a fun holiday. So here are some cute ideas for you to look at. I hope you like them as much as I do. When you visit these blogs or websites, be sure to leave a comment telling them you saw them here on Friday Friends. Thanks!

Let's start with The Creative Homemaker. Angela and Heather have such fun ideas for Valentine's Day. This link http://creativehomemakers.blogspot.com/search/label/Valentine%27s will take you to a darling project for using board books. It' doesn't have to be a Valentine's project, but it sure could be. And if you look at the sidebar and click on Valentines, they have a LOT of cute ideas. Give them a visit and take a look around. You'll like what you see, I'm 100% sure.

I found for you some instructions on making your own baker's twine! Vanessa at Nifty Thrifty Things is a young graphic designer living with her Texan hubby in Germany. Sounds interesting in itself, doesn't it?  Well, she  has a very simple DIY for making baker's twine that anyone can follow. I need some for one of my Valentine's Day cards and I am so glad to be able to make it myself. And in any color I want! I thought you might want to know how, too, so go find out how at http://www.niftythriftythings.com/2012/01/diy-bakers-twine.html .

I am a big fan of a website/blog called How Does She? I have been receiving their newsletter for some time now and they always have something fun or interesting for me to  look at. Shelley, Missy and Alison not only have great ideas, but they collect them from other contributors, too, so you get a well-rounded assortment of posts and projects. The post I'm linking to today is, of course, on Valentine's Day. There is a cute little mailbox (pictured) and a love notes pillow, a hugs and kisses jar and a few other projects to fill all that spare time you have (she says with tongue in cheek).  Go on over and check them out. And leave a comment. They love comments. Let them know you saw them here on my blog. http://www.howdoesshe.com/14-days-of-gifts-countdown-to-valentines-day

I also subscribe to a blog called Something Turquoise, and today's post was such a cute idea that I had to include it today! The blog is a wedding blog, and even though I have no children getting married, I like to look anyway. Today, she posted a DIY guest book/time capsule. It almost makes me wish one of my kids would get married again! :) (NOT!)  I can see this idea being used for anniversary parties, or birthday parties. Imagine a Sweet 16 time capsule that wouldn't bet opened until she was 25. What fun that would be! Anyway, check out this site for good wedding ideas or just to look around.  http://somethingturquoise.com/2012/01/20/diy-time-capsule-guest-book/#comment-950

I also think this would make a cute gift for teachers. The class could put notes to the teacher in the jar and then come back and read them next year. When I was teaching I would have loved that!

Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed the diverse friends we saw today. Diversity is a good thing. If we were all the same and had the same thoughts and ideas, how boring would the world be! I love the fact that I am different from you, and you are different from her. We should be able to keep boredom at bay by being our oh-so-different selves. Until next time,

Vacations may not be such a good thing!

I'm thinking that taking a vacation from the blog was not necessarily a good idea. I can't seem to get back in the swing of things. I used to get up at 6 or 6:30 and blog before anyone else was up. That way, I didn't get caught up in life and forget to blog. Lately, I've been staying up way too late and sleeping in and then I run out of time to blog. This is not a good thing, because I like blogging! It helps keep me sane, giving me an outlet for my creative side, which doesn't get used as much as it used to. I need to craft and sew and make art. I mean, this is a physical NEED. If I let too much time go by in between projects, I go crazy. I get grumpy and crotchety and I bark and growl at everyone. No one likes me and frankly, I don't like myself when I get that way. So I WILL get my groove back so that I blog at least three time a week, if not more.

I've been working on a project for my new blog. I will have a little partner on that blog.....a duck named Crackers! She is a very fine duck (at least I hope she will be when I get her done) and I have spent a lot of time trying to get her just right. I wanted her to be cute and funny and NOT your run-of-the-mill duck, and I think I've got her just about right. Of course, she will probably evolve, too, just like a character in a book, and I've decided that's OK. She doesn't have to be the perfectly polished, suave duck right from the start. But she IS pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Here are some photos of her creation.

This is my first attempt. She is much too angular. I wanted her to be soft and cuddly looking, and this is NOT it. From the front, she is also way too triangle-y, too. So I scrapped that pattern and started over.

This is the new and improved version. I still had to make a few adjustments as I was sewing, but it fit together pretty well.

She has long, very un-duckly legs, and big feet like me. I put wire in her legs and her wings, so she can be posed for different things. The more I sewed on this last prototype, the more excited I got, because she was coming together just like I wanted her to. I had this picture in my mind and she was starting to match it. At last!!!

She is emerging! In order to turn her right-side out, I had to pull her wings and bill out first. I think it kind of looks like she's hatching. The legs had to be sewn in after she was turned right side out, because there wasn't room for them inside the body.

Here she is, sitting on her legs! They haven't been sewn in yet, but I needed a photo, so I fudged a little. You can see the tops of her leg-warmers, too. After all, long, skinny, little legs get cold, you know. I'll post another photo when she's all finished and ready for her debut. I have her sitting on the bookcase right now with her legs crossed and she looks like such a girl. I'm happy with this one. I took quite a few photos during construction because I may do a tutorial later.

Anyway, that's what I've been doing, along with doctor's appointments for my husband, lab work for me, a couple of projects with the kids.........you know.........life. I read this little saying on someone's blog once, and I'm sorry I can't remember which blog, but I thought it was cute and I wrote it down. It says, "Today I will be happier that a bird with a frunch fry," That's how I feel when I am creating, and I bet a lot of you do too. So keep it up. Create yourself silly, and the world will be a better place for all of us. Until next time,

Friday Friends!

Wow! Time flies, it really does! I have spent the whole week catching up and getting ready to launch a new blog for grandparents and grandchildren. I hope you'll all check it out when I get it really up and going. Anyway, today's first friend is a little different from my usual Friday Friends!

First up is Mormon Mommy Blogs. This is a community/website that encourage Mormon, or LDS women, to voice their feelings, fears, joy, stories of daily life, etc. etc. etc. And not all of the Mormon "Mommies" are women. There are some men blogging out there, too. And they are not all necessarily Mormon, either. This community consists of people who have the same values and want to be the best they can be at raising their families, living a good life, serving the Lord.......in a word, at being Christian. So if you are looking for a place to get inspiration and guidance while toiling through this mortal existence, check out this website. It's fantastic!

The next friend is Debbie Tenzer, who runs a website called DoOneNiceThing.com . She is amazing! She decided a number of years ago that she was tired of hearing her friends bemoan the state of the world, and she was going to do something about it. She started a "kindness movement" and now has followers in over 90 countries around the world! She has also written a book called, funny enough, Do One Nice Thing. Every Monday she recommends a good deed and then profiles the people who do them. Just reading the stories will make you want to do a good deed, so check it out!

Next up is a blogger I learned about on FamilyFun.com. Her name is Betz White and she is an author, designer, crafter and mom. This link will lead you to a fabric  star ornament that is great! I can think of lots of used for it besides Christmas, too. I think they would be great favors for a Relief Society talent night with the theme, "You're a Star". Or a Primary reward for scripture memorization. Think of what you could do with it for Young Womens!!!! Anyway, I hope you'll go to http://blog.betzwhite.com/2011/12/fabric-star-ornament-tutorial.html and see for yourself just how easy they are to make.

And last but not least, is Brie over at Breezy Pink Daisies. She is a special education teacher and she likes to craft and thrift and scrapbook. Just like me! :) She has a great blog with lots of cute and practical ideas. One I really like is her paper bag scrapbook/album. It's really bright and colorful and is a good look for the new year. Go to http://breezypinkdaisies.blogspot.com/2012/01/mini-scrapbook-paper-bag-album.html and see what I mean.

Well, that's it for today. Hope you will check out all these great bloggers and see what they have to share. You will be better for the endeavor. And remember, God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. Have a nice day. :)

My New Nativity Set

I am the proud owner of a nativity set made by my grandchildren! I know Christmas is over, but I'm still finishing some things, so I'm letting you in on the fun.  It was one of the projects that I did with the kids over the holiday. I still have a couple of grandchildren that need to add their pieces, but they may have to wait until next year. For now, I have all the main pieces, some of which are in the oven right now, and I am starting the finishing work. I am doing the details and faces, etc., so they will be a matched set. They are so cute. Mostly they are short and kind of squatty, and I love them. They are made from salt dough, which my kids loved to use when they were young, and their children do, too.

Bags of salt dough!

We had to do a little experimenting, because I've never made free-standing stuff before, only ornaments that hang. The salt dough is really dense and heavy, so I finally figured out that we needed a base to build on. Aluminum foil was the best thing at hand, so I made these little foil cones, like something out of science fiction. (You can't hear me, but I'm humming the theme song from the Twilight Zone.)

As you can see in the before photo, they look white-ish and dried out after they are baked, but as soon as you varnish them, they look great. I am using acrylic paints and fabric paints to do the finishing details. If you make any salt dough stuff, you need to know that the paint doesn't stick very well to the plain dough, but if you put a coat of varnish or decoupage medium on it first, then you can paint it easily. Then give it another coat of varnish and it will be permanent. Here are some before and after photos.

You can tell Joseph isn't finished yet. He's waiting to be baked.

You can really see the difference in these photos. The before figures look all
dried and cracked and the finished ones look much better. Cute camel, huh?
He was too tired to stand up any longer. (So said the grandson who made it.)

The shepherds didn't get fancied up like the wise men, but this one had to have a crook. The other one, not done yet, has a lamb in his arms.

Salt dough is a very fun medium to work with, and truly inexpensive, too. If you have never worked with it before, you should try it. Kids love to work with clay and this is one of the cheapest ways I know of to create "works of art" that you can bake in your own oven and keep for years! I am going to make a tutorial, with all the things I've learned over the years about working with salt dough, so keep an eye out for that.

You know, the more I work with children, the more amazed I am. They are creative without even trying. They are SMART! I think kids today come out of the womb smarter than I will ever be. They are joyful. They spread joy without even knowing it. I love to watch them when they don't know they're being watched, to listen to them chatter and interact with one another, or just be by themselves, talking  to themselves or to imaginary friends, whichever the case may be. My little granddaughter sings ALL THE TIME. If she isn't singing actual words then she is humming, and I love to hear her making up her own little songs. Sometimes she drives me crazy because she sings the same line or phrase over and over and over again, but I still love the fact that she sings. As I leave you today, I want you to consider these words, written by Angela Scwindt: "While we try to teach our children all about life, they teach us what life is all about." Isn't that so true? Until next time,

Friday Friends!

I'm excited to get back to Friday Friends! I am in the process of trying to learn to make a button you can grab when you've been featured. If anyone has any hints, please email me or leave a comment! I'm all ears.

Today, I had a really hard time picking out just three or four blogs for you to peruse. There are so many great ones out there and so many are going again due to resolutions, etc. I spent hours (unknowingly) just hopping from blog to blog, checking out all the wonderful ideas and projects. So here are the first four I've picked for 2012. I hope you will make them a regular part of your daily surfing.

First is Christie at A Lemon Squeezy Home. How many of you have read the Pigeon books by Mo Willems to your kids? Or to yourself? I absolutely love them. The pigeon is just like a little kid, always trying to get away with something that he shouldn't do. Well, Christie has made a tutorial to teach us how to paint the pigeon or make a stuffed pigeon that will be perfect to go along with those stories. So click on over to her blog and make yourself a pigeon. And if you've never read any of Mo Willems books, go check out your public library. I guarantee that you'll be captured by the little-boy actions of the bird, and his hilarious escapades.

http://alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com/2012/01/pigeon-painting-and-softie-tutorial-mo.html .

Second is Andrea Badgley from Sacred Suds. She makes the most beautiful soaps and her Etsy shop is wonderful! In the post I'm linking you to, she explains the soponification process for those who wonder "What the heck is soap, anyway?" At the bottom of the post, if you click on "handmade soap" it will take you to a post that shows you how to make hot process soaps, and there is a link in that post that will take you to a post on how to make cold process soaps. She also recommends some really good reading material, if you are seriously interested in making soap. Even if you aren't, it's interesting stuff. Check it out at http://www.blog.sacredsuds.com/?p=719.

I just love the look and feel of handmade soaps.

Next, we have Mindy Tsonas, creative director, founder and hostess of Wish Studio, a great blog and website for your creative side. Her post on green gift wrap ideas was inspiring to me. I love brown kraft paper, and I would never have thought about painting on the ribbons and bows! Lots of good ideas from other folks, too. Go to http://wishstudio.com/2011/12/24/green-gift-wrap-ideas/ and look around. Check some of her other posts, too, and you're sure to find some inspiration of your own.

Last, but NOT least is Emily from Massachusetts at Red Bird Crafts. Her whole blog is really impressive. I love the feel of it, the look of it and the direction she's taking it. It's one of those blogs that feels like home. In one post I particularly like, she made a nest with little blue eggs in it. She says it's a reminder to believe in the beauty that surrounds her. Her outlook is.......the best word I can find is peaceful. Comfortable. I hope you will take the time to peruse more than just the post I've linked to, because you're going to like what you find. http://www.redbirdcrafts.com/2011/03/nest-building-tutorial.html .

That's it for this week. I think this is a really great group of Friends and I hope you will visit them often. I know I will.

I leave you with my favorite Erma Bombeck quote. For those who know who she was, you will recognize the truth beneath the humor. For those of you who don't know who she was, I'm sorry. You have missed a great lady. Go to the library and find one of her books and get to know her. Anyway, she said, "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'" I have this same hope. Love to you all until next time....

Traditional Christmas Breakfast

Traditional Christmas breakfast in our house has been the same thing for years........German Pancakes! Never heard of German Pancakes? Well, you are missing out! They are really easy and don't take long to make and my family eats them like they are going out of style.

We get up in the morning and the first thing we do is let the kids out of their rooms. Sometimes we even have to wake up on or two of them! I know, that's an amazing phenomenon, but it happens.

Uncle Dale has to wake up Hannah, who isn't feeling well.

Next, they all gather by the tree to go through stockings. We line them up so they can be seen by the cameras that will be flashing, and let them go at it. My sister-in-law, darn her sweet heart, started a family tradition when my kids were little of wrapping everything that goes in the stockings, too, so it usually takes a while.( I've tried to quit this tradition, but my kids won't let me.)

After everyone is done with stockings, we make them put it all back in the stockings and then we start handing out presents. Uncle Dale played Santa this year, minus the hat, and he kept everything going pretty smoothly.

Of course, they don't stay all lined up for long, because it's just too dang exciting to sit still for too long! After the presents are open, breakfast gets started while kids and other adults pick up wrapping paper and packaging and try to organize the piles of loot. This year, we were all at my daughter Deseret's house, so she fixed the German Pancakes. So now, I'll show you how its done.

First, you will need, for each batch:

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
8 eggs
Butter

You need a blender and a 9x13" baking pan. Set your oven to 350 degrees. Slice at least half a stick of butter, yes, I said BUTTER, not margarine, into the pan. We usually use a lot of butter, but you can decide how much is good for you. Put the pan in the oven to melt the butter, but be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn! You will not like it burned, take my word for it.

While the butter is melting, get started on the pancakes. Pour the milk into the blender and add the salt. Put the lid on and turn it on high speed. Gradually add half of the flour, then add 4 eggs, then the other half of the flour and the other 4 eggs. Let it run on high for a minute or two so it is light and fluffy.

Oh! And don't try to double it, because it will come up and out of the blender! This is another thing you will have to take my word for. I have made these mistakes, so I know :).

This is only part of the eggs we used.

Open the oven and pour the mixture into the pan. You can just pull out the rack, pour it in, and push the rack back in. Don't take the pan out of the oven or it will cool off too much and your pancakes will be flat. Bake it for 15-25 minutes, or until it puffs up on the sides and in the middle.

See how they are puffed up? They were higher than that when they came out, but they go down fast, kind of like a souffle. At this point they are usually done, but you can test them with a knife. If it comes out clean, they're done! And sometimes, depending on the moisture content in the flour and a few other things, they won't puff hardly at all, and the knife will be the only way to know if they are done. That same moisture content in the flour is the reason for the disparity in the baking time. Dryer flour will cook faster and moister flour will take a little longer.

Anyway, cut them up, put them on plates, drench them with syrup, and serve to the family. They are so-o-o-o-o-o-o good!

All the family will always ask for seconds, and some for thirds! We have these a few time a year, but not too often, because it takes so many eggs, and because I want them to feel special on Christmas morning when they are served their "most favorite breakfast", as one little grandson told me. As you can see, we had to eat in shifts, which gave Dez time to make more for everybody else. She made six batches in all, I believe, or maybe it was eight. It was a lot, and it was good!

So that's our traditional Christmas breakfast. What's yours? Leave a comment and let me know. And remember that the only jewels any of have that are worth the world, are our family. Never let them grow dim. Love to all,

Happy New Year!

Back to the grindstone! We made it through the holidays in one piece and we're back home again. Thank Heaven! I love my family very much and enjoy spending time with them, but when we're all crammed in one house  (even though it was pretty good sized) for more than a day or two, things tend to get "dramatique", if you get my drift. I always love to go and I'm always glad to get home again.

We got to Elko on Friday night, and of course, Christmas Eve was the next day. We had portrait appointments at noon, and then we put the turkey and ham in the oven and headed to the park for a family game of kickball. It was a lot of fun, and after we decided not to keep score, the kids settled down to just enjoy themselves. We try to teach them that not everything is a competition. Here are a few photos.

This is the 2's team, with my son, Andy, getting ready to blast the ball into oblivion.

This is most of the 1's team. A few of the younger ones were AWOL.

Our youngest grandson, SJ, wandered the outfield a lot, usually in the company of one of the dogs, and we had to keep calling him back. He's a real cutie, almost 2.

SJ and Alex's new Christmas puppy, Quasimodo, getting a little too far away.

Rafferty gets ready to give the ball a good, swift kick!

I have way too many photos to post here, so I'll stop with these. But we did have a good time. Two of the boys had to go to their dad's house after we opened gifts on Christmas morning, so I hurried everyone into some big, family group shots. This is everyone in my family except one granddaughter, Airika, who stayed in Tennessee. Not a bad looking family, huh?

Twenty-five Halls (and Cooks, Smiths, Stevens and Simmons.)

My beautiful grandchildren.

Well, that's enough for now. I'll be back tomorrow to show you our traditional Christmas breakfast and a few projects I did with the kids over the holidays. We had fun! The only problem is, I kept forgetting to take pictures of them in the process, so mostly I just have pictures of the projects themselves. Oh, well, it'll have to do. See you tomorrow, and remember as you go through the new year, with all its new (and old) problems, that with God, nothing is impossible. Luke 1:37 Hope you are all off to a good start in the new year.