Granny Square iPod Case
This is my new iPod case, that I have been working on with my 20 minutes of crafting a day. I seem to have gone a bit mad about granny squares, they are so easy and so addictive. The lining is some fleece that belonged to some of the babe’s jammies that she no longer fits in. I am always a big fan of practical and pretty and I’m pleased with how this turned out. My next project to work on is a little something for two of my kiddos that are restless sleepers. Yesterday was full to the brim of baking and cooking with lots of help from my little ones. I’m excited about sharing the recipes with you soon. Even though it is not planned, it seems as though Monday ends up being our big baking/cooking day as we seem to run out of things over the weekend. Do you guys have planned baking days, or do you just bake throughout the week?
For the most part, I consider our family pretty green. We try to eat organic as much as the budget allows. We use cloth diapers, cloth napkins, and hankies. When the weather allows, I dry our clothes outside on a line. We keep the thermostat low and just add a sweater or an extra pair of socks. We shop for most of our clothes at the thrift store and donate the things that we don’t use anymore. When we are in need of something I try to find it used before resorting to buying it new. Like anything, there are always ways that we could improve. I recently joined up for the 
I have a hard time sitting and doing nothing with my hands, so when hubby and I watch a movie together or just settle in after the kids have gone to bed, it’s nice for me to work on something. I have been doing a lot of embroidery lately, I find it strangely soothing, the tiny repetitive stitches forming different shapes. I really enjoy working with linen and muslin, but I opted for a change with this fabric. I really love the colours, but thought that a little bit of embroidery could enhance the fabric. I really don’t know what I’m going to do with it when it’s done, but for now I really like how it is turning out. I have another project that I will be finishing up this weekend and will be able to show you all on Monday. What are your plans for the weekend? I hope they are good ones. We are hopefully going to figure out if the transmission in our van is completely gone, or if there is some hope.
The last two days have been gorgeous, weather wise. It’s been in the fifties and sunny, with just a tiny breeze. I’ve thrown open the windows and we’ve all had a little extra fresh air. The kids have spent hours outside playing. I only wish this weather would hold, but here in Wyoming we have several more months of freezing cold weather. We often have one last snowstorm in April, so I can’t get my hopes up yet. Yesterday my daughter wanted to make supper and dessert. She’s five years old and a huge help. Except for the sharp knives and using the oven she pretty much made it all on her own. We had twice baked potatoes with ham and peas. For dessert, she made this gorgeous caramel peach grunt (which the kids have re-named grumble). The recipe came from 
After the sheer amount of devastation in Haiti following the earthquakes, I am indeed holding my family a little closer. Such tragedy, and sadness. So many lives lost. May our thoughts and prayers (and also money, if possible) be with the people of Haiti, and anyone also affected. May we also remember that there are suffering people all over the world, including our own doorsteps. May we hold our family and friends a little closer and realize that our lives can change in a second, and to be thankful for the blessings that we have.
To go along with a fresh year, and decluttering I have decided to get rid of my peace lily. It sits behind my sink in the kitchen and I see it quite a few times a day. It was given to my by some friends when I was in the hospital, pregnant with the babe. Unfortunately, they turned out to be not very nice friends and now everytime I see the lily, I think of that situation and am saddened. I don’t know why it has taken me this long to just get rid of it. When I think of all the time that I have been reminded of an unpleasant situation, I’m not sure what possessed me to hang on to it this long. Now it’s gone, and it feels good.
I love to do all sorts of different crafts. Sewing, crocheting, haven’t knit in a while, but you get the point. There are a lot of days when nothing on the crafty front happens. 
I just love this beautiful old postcard, I found it at an antique store for 50 cents. I just love that the flowers on the front are slightly raised and and textured. It’s beautiful, and so well preserved since it was written in 1908, which means it is over 100 years old. 
Learn your lessons well, is all it says. A great message, and what we are striving for at the moment. Sometimes it’s a little tricky to focus everybody in the right direction when there is a babe who is getting into everything ( it seems to take so much energy and focus away). Despite this, I am glad for her curiosity and we will continue to learn out lessons well. Hope you all have a great start to the week. What is your favourite subject now that we aren’t formally in school? Mine is definitely history. I’m not quite so sure how all of my teachers made it seem so boring. 
One reason I love shopping at thrift stores, is that if I am patient enough, I can usually find what I am looking for for much cheaper than if I had gone out and bought it at a regular store. Part of the thrill is the hunt, so to speak. Keeping my eye out for something, eventually finding it at a brilliant price, and then doing some work to it, if need be, in order to make my new treasure perfect. I have been looking for a coat for a while now. A nice, warm coat in a neutral colour. I thought that instead of getting a coat in a different colour, I would find one that would last for years by just switching up accessories. If I get tired of the colour of my scarf, I can change it and update my whole outerwear look without changing the coat. Much more frugal, I thought. Anyway, when we were down with Hubby’s parents, I visited their local thrift store and guess what I found? This little beauty, well maybe not quite yet, but it had potential, lots of potential. All of the clothes were half off that day so I took her home for just $5. I didn’t like the faux fur, the colour made it look a little dirty and besides, I wanted complete neutrality. It didn’t take me long to figure out exactly what I was going to do, and now I am done. I hope it doesn’t sound like I am bragging, I am just so excited. Are you ready to see my new, much improved coat? 
Remember these little 
I also crocheted strips of half trebles stitches to replace the fur on the cuffs and trim of the coat. 
My favourite part is definitely the collar. I am so thrilled with my new coat. $5 dollars for the coat, less than $2 dollars for some natural coloured cotton yarn, and a little bit of time gave me a coat that is perfect for me. One of the best things about it? Not a single person on this entire planet has the same coat, it is a complete original. Hope you all have a great weekend! 
About a year ago, when the babe started eating real food, we needed to have some snacks on hand for her when we were out and about. I didn’t want to go through so many plastic baggies, so I purchased these little velcro cloth baggies. They would be really simple to make, but it was at a time when I wasn’t able to do much crafting, so I bought these. They are made by 