Sew God's Grace

Made these little boots for my niece's baby shower today.  You use two coordinating fabrics that have been quilted together.  I got the material from the Quilt Cabin in Colby.   Doris Mote did the quilting.  I thought they turned out really cute.  They were actually not too difficult.  Here is a link to Curby's Closet to get the pattern:  "Too Cute to Kick Off" Boots .  I made the flowers from felt.  I found an easy tutorial.  Here is the link:  Easy Felt Flowers.   They were so simple to make and looked great.  The tutorial recommended using coins to make a pattern for the flower.  I used dimes to make a small flower.  Maddie and I made a larger flower for her using quarters for the template.  We are going to make it into a hair clip for her.  I have definitely found another fun thing to make!

So I was trying to think of something to make for church potluck tomorrow, something that I had the ingredients for and something that my son, Evan, could help me with.  My husband Matthew teases me that I always make brownies for such occasions.  My sister-in-law Stephanie teases me that I can't just make a plain brownie.  Well, I plead guilty on both counts!  Evan and I concocted these peanut butter brownies, and I think they are going to be good. To make, start with any brownie mix for a 9 by 13 inch pan size.  Make the "cake-like" brownie recipe (add three eggs instead of two).  After your batter is mixed, add 1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips before placing in pan and baking according to package directions.  We frosted them with peanut butter frosting--I'll include the recipe below.  That seemed a little too plain, so I melted 1/4 cup chocolate chips with 1/2 teaspoon shortening in the microwave and drizzled it over the top....

As I was completing aprons for my girls, I had the idea that I could make an apron for Evan.  I ran the idea by Matt, and he thought it was a good idea.  He thought, though, that we needed a different name for the item than "apron." So, here is my project--a manpron for my little guy.  Start by obtaining some measurements--length from chest to knee (or however long you want it to be), width at chest level, width a few inches above waist (where the apron will tie) and length from chest to where the apron will tie.  For my above-average height five year old, chest was 7 inches, waist 20 inches, length 22 inches, and about 8 inches for the chest to waist measurement.  I actually forgot the last measurement and ended up "winging it." This was not wise, because I had to take the apron apart at the end and take an inch off the top.  So, don't forget to get all of your measurements first! For simplicity, I added an inch to each measurement to allow for...