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.

Merry Christmas!

I know it's a little early, but I am taking the next couple of weeks off to finish projects and to just enjoy time with my family. Things have slowed down a bit, but not totally. I still have a few things to make and some baking to do, but I took the day off today and I feel much better. I wanted to take this opportunity to say Thank You to anybody out there who is reading this blog. I know there aren't many of you, and I hope there will be more someday, but for now, a big THANKS to the few.

Before I take my break, I want to show you some photos of a nativity a good friend of mine made. Her name is Robin and she is one of the craftiest people I know. She is always making some goody or another, plus she sings and leads a singing group, directs and acts in plays, she's involved in church and community, and so many other things. She cuts her own wood items, too. Anyway, here is one of her nativities (she has a whole collection of them.)

The pictures were taken while it was on display at the annual Festival of Trees at the Old Logandale School in Logandale, Nevada.

Last year we spent Christmas with the six of us living in our little tiny motor home. We had very little money and it wasn't a big Christmas, but it was a good one. We had what we needed and the kids were happy and that's all that mattered. Here are a few photos from last year.

You can see our little tiny tree in the background of a couple of the photos. It was all we had room for and we loved it. We were stuffed into our little space and could barely move, but we were together. It was such a tight fit that when we cooked, or ate, or did dishes, we had to put the tree in the bath tub so we could use that little counter space.

Christmas will be so different this year. We don't have any more money this year, but we will have more family. We are going to Elko, Nevada, to my oldest daughter's home. We will have 10 adults and 15 children (I wish it was going to be all 16) and there will be lots of laughter and craziness, which is a given in our family, and there will be snow and snow angels and snowmen, and sledding and hot chocolate and, of course, presents. I hope we will not be so caught up in the chaos that we won't remember what it's really all about. My family are not active in the church and don't even think about the reason for the season, so I hope I can get them all to stop and take a minute to listen to the real story of Christmas, the only one that really counts.

I will be back after the festivities to show you pictures of my family, the whole group of them, so you can see the many reasons I have for being happy. I love them all very much. Merry Christmas to you and yours and I hope you enjoy your holiday as much as I plan to! 

Friday Friends!

Boy! Christmas is getting closer and closer! I still have a few projects to do and some more baking. Next week I'm going to give you one of my favorite recipes. It's a bread ring filled with cream cheese. Mmmmmm good!

So today's offerings start with a cute project from Amy at The Happy Scraps. I love nativities, and the manger in particular, and this one is darling. This blog is written by two very good friends, Debbie and Amy, and they have a cute style and lots of nice projects. Take a look at this cute manger, and check out the rest of their blog while you're there.

                              http://thehappyscraps.blogspot.com/2011/12/away-in-manger.html

My next find is a blog called My Simple Home Life. Its author is Jackie, mother of 4 small boys and a black lab who looks just like my Molly. She has some really cute paper trees that I think you will really like. They look easy and fun, so hop on over and take a look. These can be made before Christmas easily, and they would be cute last-minute decorations for a party or cookie exchange. She's got some cute renovating projects, too, so go check it out at http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/2011/12/diy-christmas-paper-christmas-trees.html

I love these! I have to make some next year.

Last for today. but certainly not least, is the cutest little fishy purse you ever wanna see! I came across this by accident, and I think I have two granddaughters who need them! Actually, three. The blog is written by Ashley, who openly admits that she would rather blog and craft than clean house. A woman after my own heart! Anyway, she gives a great tutorial and the patterns, too. So go over to  http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/12/fabric-fishy-purse-pattern-pieces-included.html  and check things out.

Well, that's it for today. Right now I am so tired I can barely function. Along with being the Relief Society chorister and getting a musical number ready for Christmas Sunday, doing the 6 Sundays of Christmas, the 12 Days of Christmas, making gifts for the family and trying to get the baking done, I am also on the Relief Society Board, and we just had our Christmas function. I think I will spend the day being lazy, and then get started again tomorrow. Christmas waits for no man (or woman). Until next time,