Re-Crafting for Kids

We all want to have cute clothes and fancy footwear for our kids, especially as they head back to school. I remember back - and it was a long time ago - to the first day of school and how I wanted to wear my BEST new outfit. But in my Real World, Mom and Dad didn't have a lot of money and, with nine kids, we were lucky to have a new pair of shoes and a couple pairs of underpants - which I always thought was strange, Mom wanted us to have new underwear.

"But, no one even sees that," I'd whine.

Grandma would say, "You might end up in the hospital with soiled, torn underwear."

Like that would be the worst thing if I was in an accident. I'd tell her, "Besides, if I'm in an accident, that new, clean, underwear might be soiled anyway."

Anyway, it's not always EZ to buy those cute clothes we want our kids to have. So, I learned a few things about recrafting what I had. And, here's a great idea for all you knitters/crocheters out there. Just knit or crochet a little rim around plain socks to make them stand out.

And, if you can't knit or crochet just buy a short yard of ribbon or beading at your local fabric store and handstitch it in place.

It will make multiple pack-socks look like designer wear and you can personalize those socks even more with buttons or charms. It's EZ and a fun project to do.

Earth-Friendly Friday-Knitting My Way to a Better World

Maybe some of you know, I love to knit (see the two hats I knitted over this summer, while I was riding in the car to Eastern Oregon). Nothing complicated 'cuz I'm not that good at it. Just learning so maybe one day I'll be able to knit a sweater. For now, it's hats, scarves, baby blankets and booties. Simple projects.

But, the other day I found some recycled silk yarn. Way excited about that!

Here's a link that might help you other knitters find some eco-friendly yarn. Organic wool can be expensive but I've bought some and made hats and it was super soft, so worth the extra money.

Answer to Thought for Thursday

Answer: "Mack the Knife" Bobby Darin's version

Thought for Thursday

Thought? American Idol Question

According to Simon Cowell of American Idol, What is "the best song ever made, ever produced, ever sung"?

Take a guess and put it in "comments" then come back around 3:00 to see

You might have been right or way out of tune.

WEED

What is a weed?

It's supposed to be a nuisance plant. But I have some really beautiful weeds growing in my garden. Like Foxglove:
WEED FOR WEDNESDAY Some people may want to pull those babies out - but not me. I say, "Who is the genius that determines what's pretty and what's a pain?"

At least in my garden, that genius is going to be me. Now, I know foxglove can be dangerous. Some people consider it a poison but other people consider it a lifesaving medicine.

Of course you shouldn't plant foxglove, or Fairy Fingers wherever kids or pets might eat them because they will get sick. But, for me, I plant them in places where my pets can't get to them because I think they're pretty. Plus, I've never seen my dogs or cat even try to eat them. Maybe they're smarter than I give them credit.

Another "weed" I have in my yard is Amaranthus retroflexus.
Some people call it "pigweed" but it was cultivated by the Aztecs for culinary purposes and by Native Americans for it's grain. I think it's pretty.

So, is a weed just a plant that grows too easily? Why do we fight in our gardens to keep these plants out? I garden with the "cottage garden" mentality: If I like it, it stays. I don't care what people call the plants.

What do you think? Do you have any "wanted" weeds in your yard?

Julie and Julia - Crepes Suzette Flambees FAIL!

I love to cook. MacKenzie loves everything French. The two go together perfectly with this book: Mastering The Art of French Cooking - well . . . almost. More like Gran Marnier Crepes - but I'm not complaining. It was a fun TRY.



So, we've decided to do a dinner party Sunday night: MacKenzie, Kara and I will work together to make the meal, like Billy Crystal used to say, "Simply Mahhrvelous".

But . . . I know how anytime I plan something Murphy's Law takes over: Whenever something can go wrong - it will.

So, I decided to do a pre-party test. My husband and I tried-out one of the recipes by making Crepes Suzette, with an Orange Butter, Flambees. (Pages 649-652)






We had a few glitches in our performance but the meal came out tasting, "Complicatedly Marvelous!" A little heavy on the Grand Marnier but oh well.

We ran a little short of batter - we have a lot of people in our family - but the worst part was that the Crepes Fourrees et Flambees are supposed to be dramatic and flame with a short but distinct fire. The fire lit for a second - but you can't even see it in the video.

The recipe says: "Pour over them the orange liqueur and cognac. Avert your face and ignite the liqueur with a lighted match."

I did everything just as directed - one small problem - no flame, or at least not enough of a flame to actually see it in film.

Next time, I'll make sure I have a NEW lighter. We couldn't get the lighter to light enough to put a flame to the liqueur. FLAMBEES FAIL! :(

Oh well, there's still Sunday night's dinner to look forward too.

I love cooking on cast iron but it's heavy and gets so hot - Lars had to hold the pan to roll the batter around.





And, for those of you planning on grilling steak this summer, here's an Oregonian FoodDay recipe that I hear is Fab: so if you try it, let me know if you like it.

THE ORPHAN - Movie Review Monday - NO spoilers

Friday was a nice hot day to go to the movies, with MacKenzie.

The Orphan was super-suspenseful. I love that feeling of sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for something to happen. And, in this show, something happened – more than once. It has a bit of a twist in the end. It was EZ to see Esther was crazy but there was one part I hadn't figured out, and I watch/read/write a lot of horror-so that was interesting. It made me want to come home and google a bit of research to see if it was "real".

Anyway, like I said, I don't want to give any spoilers away but. . .

In the end, I knew who would “get it” but that didn’t bother me. I kind of expected more catastrophes that didn’t materialize but there was one spot where I literally jumped in my seat – and so did MacKenzie.

After the show, we met up with Kara and Shay and went shopping. It was a fun girls’ day out. And, if you like horror/suspense/thrillers, without a LOT of gore, I would recommend The Orphan.

If you see it, come back and let me know what you thought. What's the last movie you saw?