T-Shirt Bag

A couple of nights ago I was waiting for my husband to get home from work and I was trying not to fall asleep.  I did something I hardly ever do because my computer is always being used, I surfed the web!  Everyone was sleeping and the house was quiet.  In other words no one was demanding my time.  This usually only happens if I get up at 5:00 in the morning.  I discovered it can happen if I stay up really late too.  The only problem is I am much more of a morning person than a night person.  So anyway, I was surfing the web and came across how to make a t-shirt purse.  My sister had made one a while ago that I thought was really cute and I looked up to see if I could see how she did it.  I could have just called her, but I didn't think she would appreciate a phone call so late at night.  I never did find the one she made, but I did find this one on a you-tube video.  My daughter, her friend, and I spent a good portion of the evening around our dining room table creating.  It was fun for us and I am sure you will find it fun too.

What you will need:  A t-shirt, duct tape (which can be found in more colors than you ever imagined at Walmart), scissors, stapler, and ruler. I forgot to include the ruler and scissors in the picture.  Note:  When selecting a t-shirt, realize that if it has an image on the front, when your purse is done, the image will be on the side.

The first thing you do is turn the shirt inside out and cut off the sleeves.

Now start lining the shirt with the duct tape.  You need to do both sides.

Trim off the excess duct tape.  Be careful not to cut into the shirt on the sides and top.  You can trim it around the arm holes and neck line to even it out.  I used a marker to draw it out before I cut into it.

Now turn the bag so that the sides are the front and back.  You will be able to see how the bag is taking shape.  Using a ruler, draw a straight line across the bottom of the shirt and staple across your line.

Trim up the bottom of the bag so that you have an even cut just below the staples.  Cover the staples front and back with another piece of duct tape.  I laid down the duct tape so that half of it covered the staples on the back and folded it over to cover the other half.

Now you can turn it right side out and your done, or you can make the corners a little nicer.  You do this by marking the corners 2 inches from the point, draw a line across it and staple it again.  Put more duct tape over the staples.  Now turn it right side out and you are done.  You may want to do a little more taping on the inside to make sure the flaps of the corners stay down on the inside of your bag.

Have fun showing off your new creation!  If you can figure it out, send me some pictures of what yours looks like.  Even if you can't show me pictures, I would love to hear from you!

Hope

I found my Mother's day bulletin stuck in my journal when I opened it up today to start writing.  I'm sure it wasn't an accident.  The message that Sunday was on hope.  Last night was my daughters regional track meet.  She raced to qualify for the state meet in the 2 mile run.  Many family and friends gathered to cheer her on.  We positioned ourselves around the whole track so that she could hear a familiar voice calling her name the entire race.  The dictionary describes hope as "desire accompanied by expectation."  I'd venture to say we had more desire than anyone else in that stadium.  In order to qualify, she had to either come in at least 2nd place, or run it in 11:35.  Her best time before last night was a 12:28.  The standings placed her at 12th out of the 30 runners.  No one outside of the family and friends that gathered to see her run had great expectations for her.  In fact, the fact that she was leading the race for the first mile surprised a few coaches I'm sure.  Finishing 4th was very impressive.  Our disappointment in her not qualifying had nothing to do with her lack of effort.  As a mom I just wanted her to have the desire of her heart and for all her hard work to bring her to the state meet as it had in the past.  I know she couldn't have done any better than she did and I am extremely proud of her.

There will always be disappointments that happen in this life.  Anything we are hoping in that is earth bound has the potential to disappoint.  As a Christian though our ultimate hope is in Christ.  The Bible has much to say about hope.  Here are just two verses from Romans.  The first is from Romans 5:5 "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."  Romans 15:13 says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  I am happy to report that even though my daughter really desired to be preparing for the state meet, her ultimate desire is in Christ.  Even though she was disappointed, her heart is still filled with joy because Christ resides there!  May you have joy too this day.

Homemade Yogurt

Yesterday I received an e-mail from my cousin.  I am so thankful for a cousin who finds domestic endeavors as exciting as I do.  My family consumes a lot of yogurt.  Any recipe I have seen in the past has always called for a yogurt machine to process it.  I couldn't justify buying a yogurt maker because I felt it would take too long to see the savings of making it on my own, especially since I have gobs of coupons for it.  I made this recipe the day I received it and this morning I got to try it.  All I can say is "YUMMY!"  I don't think I will ever buy store bought yogurt again.  To start the yogurt for the first time you need 1 6-8oz container of plain yogurt (I used Greek style).  After the initial batch you no longer need to buy any, you just use 1 cup of what you made.  You also can make it organic by using organic milk and organic yogurt.  This makes plain yogurt, but after it is made you can add anything you want to it.   Just make sure you reserve 1 cup before you add anything so that you have some for the next time you want to make it.  This recipe was originally found at a web site called jchandmade.typepad.com

What you will need:  A heavy bottomed large saucepan, large bowl with a fitting lid, 1/2 gallon of milk (I used whole, but you can use what you want), 1 6-8oz container of yogurt, 3-4 bath towels (not pictured).

The first thing you need to do is rinse the saucepan in hot water and then dry it off.  Pour the milk in the saucepan and heat on medium-high heat until it just barely begins to simmer (not boil) and there is a skin on top.

Take the pot off the heat and let the milk cool until you could put your finger in it for 10 seconds.  It still needs to be hot, but not scalding.  Pour the milk into the bowl and add the yogurt.  Stir, not whisk, the yogurt into the milk until it is mixed in well.

Put the lid on the bowl.  Place one of the towels on the counter and put the bowl on top.  Wrap the bowl up with the towel and place another couple on top.

If you are making this at night like I did, you leave it on the counter overnight.  You could also make it in the morning and let it sit until the evening.  Either way, after at least 8 hours, take the towels off and remove the lid to see if it has thickened and "gelled".  You can tell if it worked by the way it looks-it should look like yogurt.  If it doesn't, you may let it sit longer.  Before you put it in the refrigerator, take a paper towel and soak up any water that is resting on the top.  You will have to change out these paper towels for new ones.  Put the lid back on and put into the fridge.

After you scoop out everybody's servings, smooth out the yogurt again and place another paper towel on top to absorb more of the water and create that creamy thick top. I took mine out of the bowl and into a plastic storage container with a lid at this point.  Once it stops absorbing water, you don't need the paper towel anymore.  Don't forget to reserve a cup for your next batch before you add anything to it.    I added a teaspoon of homemade mixed berry jam and granola.  This supposably gets better with time.  I can't wait to find out! (Update:  I have discovered that keeping a fresh folded up piece of paper towel on top of the yogurt makes the yogurt get creamer as time goes on.  I just change the piece of paper towel every time I scoop some out.)

Apple Pie Filling for Canning

Pie making is something that I have always enjoyed.  It would never cross my mind to ever buy canned apple pie filling.  My grandmother and mother always used fresh apples with great success so I never thought about deviating from the tried and true.  That is until my husband announced he wanted me to try using canned apple pie filling.  I laughed at him and told him he didn't know what he was talking about.  That was like me going into the garage and telling him what tool to use for a project that I didn't know anything about.  I was mentioning Ron's request to my cousin on the phone and she told me she tried this recipe since she had to go gluten free and she loved it.  Well, my cousin is someone who I could trust.  She was raised on my grandmothers delicious apple pie too, and if she loved it I thought I should give it a try.  My efforts were not in vain.  The filling is easy to make and I love it that I have a bunch on hand to make a pie in a moments notice.  I have posted pie crust earlier on this blog if you want to do the shell from scratch.  This also tastes great right from the jar or over ice-cream.  The recipe can be made sugar free by using honey instead of sugar.  I have done it both ways and have found using honey is just a little less sweet tasting.  The honey is definitely a good choice for a diabetic, but I did prefer the sugar.

You will need:
4 1/2 cups of sugar OR 2 cups honey, 1 cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, 10 cups water (not pictured), 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 6 quart sized jars with lids and band

Peel, core and thinly slice apples and fill the jars.

Mix all the ingredients except for the lemon juice in a large pot and cook until thick on medium heat.  Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice.

Pour mixture over prepared apples in jars.

Heat your lids in simmering water for 2 minutes.  Place a lid on each jar and then screw on the band.

Place all the jars on the rack of a hot water bath pot and lower the rack. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the jars.

Once the water comes to a boil, set your timer for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes lift the rack up and take the jars out.  Place on a bath towel on your counter and wait for them to cool.  When they are cooled make sure all the lids "popped".  You can tell if they are processed correctly if you don't hear a "click" when you press down.  Don't press down on the lid until they are completely cooled to check it out.  You now have most of the work done to make 6 apple pies!

Multigrain Sandwich Bread

So I am back with some recipes after a couple of weeks off.  I have had these pictures stored in my camera for quite some time and am excited to share this bread with you.  I had been searching for a whole grain bread that I could get to rise higher than four inches that I could actually use for sandwiches.  I came across this one and it is so good.  I made a couple of modifications to the recipe I found and my whole family gobbled this up.  I am going to give you the recipe doubled because it will then make 2 loaves.  After I made it the first time I wished that I would have just doubled it to begin with because it is a little time consuming to make and the bread was gone so quickly.  It can be frozen and it tastes just as good when it is thawed.  I found this one from a blog called homecookinginmontana.  So here is what you will need:

2 cups 10 grain hot cereal (or any multigrain hot cereal)
4 cups boiling water
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
6 tablespoons honey
5-6 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tablespoons yeast (or 2 packages)
1 tablespoon salt

In a medium blow, add boiling water to the hot cereal and stir to mix.

Stir occasionally until it is just warm, about 110 degrees.  This should take about 15 minutes depending on the temperature in your kitchen.  Stir in  the melted butter and honey.

Combine the white flour (start with 5 cups), wheat flour, yeast and salt in your mixer bowl.  Use the dough hook.  On low speed, add the cereal mixture and mix about 2 minutes.  Increase the speed to med-low and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.  This should take about 8 minutes.  If after 4 minutes, the dough is still sticking to the side of the mixer bowl, add 2 tablespoons of flour at a time until it doesn't.  You want the dough to clear the side of the bowl and stick only on the bottom.  You can make this without a standing mixer, just make sure you knead it long enough to create a very stiff dough that will not take on anymore flour.

Turn the dough on a lightly floured board and knead by hand to form a smooth ball.  Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours).  Grease a 9 X 5 loaf pan.  Roll the risen dough onto the counter and gently divide it in two.

Flatten each piece into a square and then tightly roll into a cylinder shape.  Pinch the seam so that it stays closed and place into the greased loaf pans.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again until doubled in size.  For this batch I ran out of time to let it rise as much as I should have, but it should take about another 45 minutes.  Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Brush the loaf lightly with melted butter if you desire.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool the loaves in the pan for 15 minutes.  Take out and cool for 2 hours.  I freeze any bread that I am not going to use within 24 hours.  You can even slice the bread before freezing it so make it easier to defrost just what you need.

Enjoy a hearty sandwich on wonderful bread.

Dream Kitchen

Psalm 84:10-12
"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."

Thoughts from a page of my journal...

Yesterday I sat here at my dining room table and cut out pictures from magazines to paste on the pages of my journal.  I had invited Linda and her girls to join me so they could start a journal also.  For my first page I chose this picture of what I would consider a dream kitchen for myself.  I would love to have a large, beautiful commercial appliance kitchen.  Then this morning I read Psalm 84 and am reminded of a couple important facts.  First off, this kitchen that I desire doesn't even compare to what God has in store for me in heaven.  I would rather be a pot washer in heavens kitchen than dwell in the nicest kitchen here on earth!  Second, "no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."  I have so much good in my life.  I am thankful and blessed.  Thank you heavenly Father for my life.  May I daily put my trust in You.

It has been a while

I feel like it has been so long since I last posted anything.  My internet connection has been off when I have all the time in the world and on when I am busy beyond belief!  Now that I'm connected again I cannot find my camera :( I think my daughter accidentally brought it to school with her today because I have looked everywhere in this house.  I was going to post whole wheat sandwich bread that is soooo good.  I also made some canned apple pie filling that I wanted to show you how to do.  So maybe later on today I will have time again to sit down and get some recipes in here.  So until then, have a great day and thank you so much for taking time out of your day to check this blog out.

Good Catch

John 21:1-12 tells the story of Jesus appearing to his disciples after the resurrection.  The disciples were out fishing early in the morning and had not caught anything.  Jesus calls from the shore "Friends, haven't you any fish?"  They tell him "no".  At this point they don't recognize him.  Jesus tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat.  They do and they had such a good catch they could barely haul the net in because the nets were so heavy.  Then their eyes were opened to the fact it was Jesus standing on the shore. Peter didn't even wait until they got to shore, he jumped out of the boat and into the water to go be with Jesus.

After reading this I had to ask myself if I get as excited when I see God do a great thing in my life?  Do I even follow the directions in the first place to have the blessing?  Jesus asked them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.  Why did they listen?  They could have said "Whatever, this guy is crazy." But they obeyed and God did a miracle.  He blessed them with so many fish they could barely get to shore!  They were actually burdened with blessings- what a great problem to have!  I want to remember this story throughout my day.  I want to listen, obey, recognize and praise!

Vanilla Snack Cake (that's sugar free!)

I know this is my third recipe for a sugar free snack, but I like I mentioned before, I have family and friends who need to go sugar free and I also like to use natural alternatives to sugar for my own family.  I never was a big fan of the artificial sweeteners but honey is a great alternative.  I recently learned that pure maple syrup and agave nectar (a lighter type honey taste) are great natural alternatives also.  I made a blueberry tart with maple syrup instead of sugar and it turned out pretty good.  I also made this vanilla cake that I am going to show you today.  I served it warm right out of the oven with no frosting and it was good.  I put the leftovers in my refrigerator in the basement and forgot about it until last night (4 days later) when we had the rest for our dessert.  I thought it tasted even better. This is adapted from the May Family Circle magazine.

For the cake you will need:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used cake flour)
3 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened (I never said it was fat free!)
1 1/2 cup agave syrup (I found it by the maple syrup)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

For the frosting you will need:

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
6 tablespoons agave syrup

Heat oven to 325.  Coat a 13 X 9 X 2-inch pan or bundt pan with cooking spray.  In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt.

With mixer on medium speed, beat butter and agave syrup in bowl until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each.  Beat in vanilla.  On low, beat flour mixture alternately with milk into butter mixture, beating after each addition.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 325 for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (my bundt pan took 50 minutes).  If using a bundt pan, remove cake when the pan can be handled bare handed.

While cake cools, prepare frosting.  Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until smooth.  Beat in agave syrup until good spreading consistency.  Spread onto cooled cake.  Store in refrigerator.
Note:  I only used half of the frosting for the cake (because we had eaten half the cake with no frosting when it was still warm!), and discovered the rest makes a good spread on bagels!

Timing is Everything

Mark 1:17-18
"As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fisherman.  'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.'  At once they left their nets and followed him."

It was by no accident Jesus was walking the shore when Simon and Andrew where fishing.  I wonder how many times before that Jesus saw them but hadn't called them.  Whatever the case, today they were ready to drop everything and follow Jesus.  I wish sometimes that I could get such a clear voice to tell me what to do.  But then I wonder if I would be as obedient as Simon and Andrew were.  I assume that if I knew all that Jesus wanted me to do all at once, I would be so overwhelmed and scared.  I thank God for His timing always being perfect!