Sew God's Grace

So, I'm always looking for new ways to use my crock pot to make things easier for me.  Usually, if I want to cook hamburger, I will do it in my microwave.  However, I can only cook 2 pounds at a time.  As our family has grown and the kids get older, I have been trying to make large quantities of my recipes and then freeze half for later.  Also, 2 pounds of meat doesn't go as far as it used to! As I was getting ready to cook 6 pounds of hamburger for a triple batch of chili, I thought, "I wonder if I can do this in my crock pot?"  I did a search to see if any other bloggers had done it, and it turns out they had! I have done this several times now for tacos, soups, and more. Here's what I do: Place meat in crock pot.  (I usually thaw a bit in the microwave, but it can be partly frozen.)  Add 1/2 cup water and cook on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.  I have a chopper that I use to break up my meat.  Every now and again, I go by and chop u...

I started eating a mostly Paleo diet over a year ago.  Ever since, I have had a salad, a somewhat ridiculously big salad, almost every day.  Since it is difficult to find a store bought salad dressing without added sugar, I started making my own salad dressing.  I have tweaked the recipe from the original found here , so I thought it was time to post it! Basalmic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (adapted from Paleo Leap Basalmic Vinaigrette Recipe ) 3/4 cup basalmic vinegar 3/4 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard salt and pepper, to taste Mix all ingredients in a jar or dressing container (I like this one !) and shake well.  I go through mine fairly quickly, so I store it on my counter top.  If you don't eat salad as often as I do, you may want to store it in the fridge.  The olive oil will solidify in the fridge, so let it come to room temperature before serving. Variation:  subst...

I made this hooded towel for Lyla for Christmas.  I got my inspiration from Crazy Little Project 's animal hooded towels.  If you haven't seen this blog, you need to check it out!  I have made the Angry Birds Hooded Towel and the Teddy Bear Towel .  She has tons of other tutorials and fun stuff, so be sure to take a look. Anyway, here is what you will need to make the Hello Kitty Towel: 1 full-sized white towel (Target makes a quick-dry one that I really like!) 1 white hand towel Black and yellow felt for eyes and nose Pink felt or ribbon for the bow Basic sewing equipment 1.  Cut your hand towel in half width-wise.  Fold the finished edge under about 3-4 inches and sew.  See this tutorial for more details. 2.  Adhere Wonder Under fusible webbing to back side of felt and cut out eyes and nose.  Iron onto towel according to package directions.  For the pattern, I simply did a Google search for Hello Kitty images.  ...

For Evan's eighth birthday, he wanted a tractor and grain cart cake.  This is what I came up with.  Though I didn't take pictures as I was making it, I think I can describe the steps for it. You will need: 1 Funfetti (or your favorite) cake mix, prepared and baked as directed in a 9 by 13 pan 2 batches  one bowl chocolate cake .  Fill 9 by 13 pan 2/3 - 3/4 full.  You will have a little bit of batter left over. 2 mini donuts--use chocolate covered if you don't want to cover them with modeling chocolate. 4 large donuts.  I could not find large chocolate-covered donuts, so I ended up baking my own. Candy corn 3 batches Wilton Buttercream frosting (or 9 cups of your favorite cake-decorating frosting.) Gel food coloring--leaf green, orange, lemon yellow, and black 1 batch semisweet modeling chocolate , colored black # 3 and #16 decorating tips Frosting bags and couplers--make it easy on yourself and use disposable! 8 inch 2 by 4 board 6 inch 2...

I think I say something like this every time one of my kids has a birthday, but I can't believe my Evan is eight already!  This little guy with a tender heart has grown so much (both physically and spiritually) in the last year, and I am so blessed to be his mom. We celebrated Evan's birthday with family on March 23rd.  It seems like we start brainstorming ideas for birthday cakes right after Christmas, and Evan had decided he wanted a tractor and grain cart for his cake.  (He has a lot of confidence in my cake decorating abilities!)  I looked online and found inspiration for the tractor and decided carve a grain cart to go with it. I didn't take pictures as I was decorating the cake, but I hope to get another post with some details on the cake soon!  Let's just say that this was my first experience with modeling chocolate, and I really had fun with it! Happy birthday, sweet boy!  May the next year be filled with blessings!  Love, Mom