Sew God's Grace

For my previous four children, I did manage to get their sonogram pictures put into their baby books.  I never got them framed or anything.  However, for our fifth, I wanted to do something special. We were shocked to discover that Isaiah had passed away during the sixteenth week of pregnancy.  I was 15 weeks, four days along.  I went in for my routine prenatal visit, and my doctor could not find the heartbeat. I was 15 weeks, four days along.  I kept repeating that to myself over and over again.  Babies don't die then.  Sadly, however, a sonogram the next day confirmed our fears--our little boy had died. Keeping his memory alive has been important to me, and I wanted to get his sonogram picture framed and on our wall.  I also wanted to involve my kids in projects to remember their little brother. My son, Evan, painted the wooden letters that I ordered online from Hobby Lobby.  I searched and searched to find a frame that we could ...

I love lasagna.  I probably have over ten lasagna-like pins on Pinterest.  Though I have not tried to make them yet, I am fascinated with those lasagna roll ups.  I think that the "no boil" lasagna noodles are a great invention--they have become one of my pantry staples. While I love traditional lasagna, I also enjoy dishes that allow you to achieve the same taste without the time required to make it.  These days, it seems I don't start thinking about supper until thirty minutes before it needs to be ready.  Also, with the temperature reaching 110 + degrees today, there was no way I was going to turn my oven on. So, I was delighted to see a pin for a Twenty Minute Lasagna Skillet.  See the original recipe here.    I made my dish with just a few modifications.  I used some cottage cheese instead of the sour cream called for and also added some parmesan cheese.  (Yes, I love cheese, too!)  I mixed my cheeses in with the ho...

I found a link to this super easy dress/shirt off of Pinterest.  I had to show my picture because I thought it turned out so cute.  I made this for my niece Aria this morning, and it did not take more than 15 minutes!  I found these bandanas at Walmart.  They were in a pack of three--one zebra, one pink, and one purple--so I had to buy two packs to get matching ones.  I think the pink and purple will make cute dresses, too, especially with some patterned ribbon. Here's the link to the tutorial for the dress.  If you are new to sewing, this would be a great project to start off with! And here it is on my niece.  What a cutie!

Maddie, Evan, and Anna just finished private swim lessons a little while ago.  Their instructors did a great job with them and worked them very hard for a week.  (They definitely slept well at night!)   I was wanting to get their teachers a little something, so I was thrilled to find this idea for a gift.  See  here for instructions on assembling and also to download the labels. I followed the instructions with the following changes: We used blue tissue paper in the bottom instead of paper grass because I couldn't find any. We used stickers instead of washi tape (again, I couldn't find it nearby and did not want to wait on shipping.)  I found lots of fish stickers in the scrapbook area at Walmart, and my kids picked the ones they liked. I placed the fish inside a baggy because it was recommended by the manufacturer of the paint cans I ordered. I did find the Swedish fish at Walmart--I had never seen them before so I was n...

I made these blocks for my daughter, Anna, a couple of years ago.  It was before I started this blog, so I didn't take pictures as I went along.  However, I think I can explain their construction well enough to be able to share this fun idea with you. I got the notion from another site that featured fleece blocks.  I thought it would be neat to do the same thing with flannel and denim and then rag the edges. Here's what you will need for each 4 inch block: 6 six inch squares of coordinating fabric.  I used two denim, two yellow polka dot flannel, and 2 red monkey flannel squares. Additional fabric for the applique. Wonder under to apply the applique. Stabilizer to place under fabric you are going to applique. To make, print 3 inch letters, numbers, or whatever you want to applique on the blocks on cardstock.  I put A N N A on one side of the blocks, and 1 2 3 4 on the other.  Apply wonder under to fabric according...

I saw a picture like this on Pinterest, so I decided to recreate it with my children.  I used washable markers to write on their feet--this was a bit tricky because they were ticklish.  Then I took pictures of them individually and also together with their message for Dad.  I was blessed that day to have all children cooperate--it's rare to get them all looking at the camera and smiling when I'm trying to get a picture. I put the individual pictures into a collage on the photo center at Walmart.  I had to keep shuffling the pictures until I got them in the right order.  The day we took the pictures, I didn't get the heart washed off Lyla's foot before my husband saw it after lunch.  When he asked her about it, Lyla started yelling, "Pictures!"  Luckily, the word was hard to understand, so I don't think he figured it out. Of course, today at lunch, Maddie mentioned something about Daddy's surprise for Father's Day.  Anna c...

Here's another quick and easy favorite for my family--Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves.  It's another recipe I use often from one of my church cookbooks.  My son, Evan, really enjoys them.  I think he at two of them last night.  Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves 1 egg 3/4 cup milk 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use colby/monterrey jack blend) 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats 1/2 cup chopped onion (I omit) 1 teaspoon salt 1 pound ground beef Sauce: 2/3 cup ketchup 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard First, mix all ingredients except meat in a large bowl (note the fingers of my little helper nearby!).  I used a large bowl because I was making a double recipe. Crumble meat over the top and mix with your hands. Mix ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar in a separate bowl or pitcher. Shape meat mixture into eight oval loaves and place in greased 9 by 13 inch pan.  Top with sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minu...

We celebrated Anna's fourth birthday with family and friends in May, but it has taken me a while to get the pictures up. For Anna, I knew that the central theme of her birthday party was going to be PINK!  Whenever I would ask her what kind of birthday cake she wanted, it was always a pink . . . something!  We were going to have a pink spider or a pink T-rex before she finally decided on a pink flower.  I looked online for ideas on making a flower cake before I decided to just go ahead and get the Wilton daisy cake pan.  I think that I will be able to use this tin again--either for Lyla or even a baby shower.  I decorated it according to the directions that came with the pan.  I even used a strawberry cake mix so that this cake would be thoroughly pink!  I found balloons on Birthday express that were pink with white flower outlines on them.  I also got some green ones for the boys that would be in attendance. I didn't get a direct picture...

One of my good friends was expecting a third little boy.  She and her husband are big K-state fans, so I decided to make a K-state baby quilt for his arrival.  I wanted to make something for his two big brothers, so I made them hoodie towels and appliqued powercats on them.  I found some great K-state purple towels at Walmart. To see how to sew the towels, look here.   I found a powercat image online and enlarged it to the size I wanted.  I printed off two copies onto cardstock.  I cut out the figures on one copy and then cut out the outline on the other copy to use as a template.  This greatly helped with the spacing. I ironed wonder-under onto my gray fabric and traced the design onto the back.  Don't forget to trace it backwards at this point! I placed my template on the towel and got it centered. Then I placed the pieces inside, carefully removed the template, and ironed the pieces on. I like to place fr...

Okay, I had to post this quilt because I really liked how it turned out.  My friend Kim just had another little boy, her third!  She and her husband are big K-State fans, so I decided to use K-State fabric to make a quilt for their new arrival.  This sort of quilt is throw-size, so it would also make a great high school graduation gift.  Just use collegiate flannel fabric and coordinating colors!  For instructions on making a rag quilt, see here.

I found the instructions on Pinterest for making a "survival kit" for new mommies.  My friend, Kim, was scheduled to have her third little boy last week, and I thought it would be fun to put one together for her.  See here for ideas on what to put in your kit along with cute little labels that you can download.  It made me feel very "put together." Since Kim already had little ones that would be visiting at the hospital, I included dinosaur fruit snacks, toy motorcycles, and bug juice to help keep the boys occupied.  You could also put in books, games, coloring books & crayons--there are lots of possibilities!  Children are such a blessing--what a great way to help welcome new little ones!