Sew God's Grace

I have always enjoyed learning new things from other women.  When I was little, it seemed like my Great Aunt Connie was usually working on something crafty when she and Great Uncle Keith would come visit.  Under Connie's tutelage, I learned how to do counted cross-stitch and latch hook.  I would sit beside her and watch her hands busily move over a project.  Noticing my interest, she would take the time to show me how to do it, too. When I got married, I got to know Matt's Aunt Sarah, who introduced me to the joy of quilting.  Over the years, she has helped me with many tips and helpful advice.  When Matt and I have visited her in Salina, she and I have laid out many a quilt design on her ping pong table downstairs. So, when she offered to come out to sew during a recent visit, I jumped at the chance.  I had cut the squares and laid out the pattern of a baby quilt recently, so it was a great morning project for us. Lyla was anxious to help, an...

I think that I admitted in a recent blog post that I am not that great at pictures.  However, I am not going to let that stop me from posting this fun and easy recipe. To celebrate Anna's fifth birthday, she requested a tea party with several of her friends.  We have done tea parties in the past, and no matter how much I doctor up the tea with honey, the girls don't drink it.  So, I had the idea to put punch in their tea cups. It was a big success!  I think Anna had at least four cups.  And, despite the picture not showing it very well, it was a beautiful shade of pink. Perfect Party Punch: Raspberry Sherbet Sprite or another lemon-lime soda Pink Lemonade (I used the frozen concentrate and mixed it per the package directions) Pour equal parts of Sprite and Pink Lemonade into punch bowl.  Add small scoops of raspberry sherbet.  Let sit for at least ten minutes so that the sherbet can melt into the liquid a bit and get foamy.  Serve! ...

So. . . I spent more than a little time trying to decide whether to call this "Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken," or "Marinated Lime Grilled Chicken."  In the end, it probably doesn't matter that much, but I sought the counsel of my oldest daughter, who agreed with me on my choice. I love this recipe.  It is so easy and delicious!  It's one of my son's favorites.  Whenever I tell him that we are having chicken, he asks, "Is it the lime one?" The only kink with the recipe is that you have to plan ahead.  It tastes best when you marinate the chicken overnight.  So, throw this into your fridge today and celebrate the fact that dinner is ready for tomorrow night! Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken (adapted from here) 8 - 10 four ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 cup lime juice 2/3 cup olive oil 5 - 6 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons minced garlic (I use the jarred kind; you could also run 4 garlic cloves through your garlic press if...

So, my oldest is 9, and my youngest is 1.  I can finally say that without cringing!  I say this all the time, but it sure has gone quickly!  These two have birthdays that are just a week apart, so we decided to do a combined party with family. Maddie wanted a basketball cake, and Grant has always been our little monkey, so we had monkeys and basketballs!  I found the monkey cupcake idea here .  I used candy eyes from Walmart and placed some chocolate sprinkles on the top of the monkeys' heads for hair. Of course, I had to make some cake pops, too!  The monkey idea came from my Cake Pops:  Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats  by Bakerella .  I used a mini vanilla wafer for the nose instead of a peanut butter candy wafer. When Maddie requested a basketball cake, I decided it was a great opportunity to try fondant.  I mean, I only needed one color!  I used this recipe and tinted it...

My husband jokes with me that I'm not happy unless I use my slow cooker at least twice a week.  While that may be an over-exaggeration, I do love my slow cooker.  I enjoy the feeling of knowing that supper is in the crock pot at home ready to go.  Right now my kitchen smells amazing because I mixed up some of this spaghetti sauce right after lunch and turned it on low.  That sauce is in there, getting all warm and bubbly and yummy.  For supper, I'll just cook up some pasta for the kids and some zucchini noodles for Matt and me.  Pass the parmesan, please! Easy Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce (adapted from this recipe) 2 pounds ground meat, cooked (use ground beef, pork, sausage, or any combination.  I keep thinking I will try half ground beef and half sausage) 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 1/2 teaspoons each dried ba...

What's better than a big bowl of ice cream? Some ice cream with hot fudge on top! We would have this recipe often growing up. My grandma had an old-fashioned fondue pot that she would heat it up in. I usually use the microwave now, but you can throw the ingredients into a crock pot to have ready whenever the meal is over. When you have guests, setting up a sundae bar is a simple and yummy dessert that everyone enjoys!  I served this the other night to my kids with their choice of sprinkles, M & M's, and/or mini Reeces Pieces to put on top.  They each choose all of them!  You should have seen the looks on their faces when I piled it all on and handed it to them.  Yum in a bowl!  Here's the recipe: Super Simple Hot Fudge Sauce 1 cup chocolate chips 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla Place chocolate chips and butter into microwave-safe container. Microwave about 45 seconds, stirring after 30 second...

We are getting ready to make some harvest meals next week, which means that everything needs to be able to be eaten with one hand while operating machinery. One of my husband's favorite desserts is apple pie, so I wanted to make apple pie that could be eaten on the go. I combined a couple of recipes that I found on the web to come up with these tasty little treats. Here's the recipe: Apple Pie Pockets 1 recipe Aunt Joyce's Pie Crust 2 1/2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely chopped 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 tablespoon flour Approximately 2 tablespoons butter 1 egg white, beaten 2 tablespoons water cinnamon sugar While you are waiting for the oil and water to cool for the pie crust, mix sugar, spices, and flour together in a bowl. Add apples and mix well. Roll out dough between wax paper and cut out circles of dough. I used a plastic container that was nearly five inches in diameter to cut mine out.   I put...