i have to say...

happy valentine's day!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!  What a blessing you are to my life each day.    I appreciate your inspiration, your counsel and your friendship.  My life is made sweeter because of each and every one of you.

I hope that you take the time to tell someone how much you love them this Valentine's weekend.  An extra hug, a kiss, a letter can all go a long way in making someone feel special. 

If you are married, give your hubs an extra squeeze.  Men like that.  They also like to be told how important they are and how much they are appreciated.  Kids like that too.

If I were to pick on piece of wisdom that will get you through hard times in your marriages and friendships, it would be this:

"....a threefold cord is not quickly broken."  Ecclesiates 4:12

Relationships are so much better when we don't try to go it alone.

Love those around you. I plan on doing the same.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

herbs for PMS

This one is for the girls! 

Most women struggle with some sort of PMS symptoms, ranging from mild to severe.  Herbs can be a good way to treat some of the symptoms, but you need to be patient until you find the right herb that works for you.  There is not a cure-all for all people, but most women can find some relief each month.

The most important things you can do are the hardest things to do at that time of the month.  Each of these things goes against the grain of what you are often feeling, but I can attest to the fact that much relief can be found if you give it a chance.  First off, try to do some of these when you know your time is coming:

***Watch what you eat!  Stay away from junk food and sugar, and try to eat  more whole grains, fruits and veggies, beans and all things healthy.  Your body might be craving the bad stuff, but tell it "NO!" and eat the good stuff. 

***Drink lots of water (you should try to do this all month long).

***Eat fewer dairy products

***Avoid or minimize your caffeine consumption

***Exercise will go a long way towards nutrient absorption and keeping hormone levels stable.

Here are some herbs that are helpful during PMS:

***For cramps:  cramp bark, red raspberry leaf tea, kava kava, rosemary

***For mood swings:  peppermint, black cohosh (do not use this one if you are pregnant or nursing), valerian root (this one can also cause drowsiness in some people)

***To balance hormones:  blessed thistle, false unicorn root, fennel seed, squaw vine

***Milk thistle helps liver function and enhances the liver's ability to metabolize estrogen.

***Wild yam extract has been found helpful in reducing cramps, headache, mood swings, depression and irritability.

I always buy my herbs at our health food store, but if you don't have access to one you might try Mountain Rose Herbs.

You can take any of these herbs and make tea my adding one teaspoon to one cup of boiling water.  Steep for 5-10 minutes and strain.  Drink hot or cold.  Add honey is desired.

I find that on most months I don't have to resort to the herb if I do all of the items on the first list.  I do however use red raspberry leaf tea, black cohosh ( in Get  a Grip Tea) and peppermint.   If you try something from the list and it doesn't work, try something else.  You will get to an herb that works for you soon!

Just so you know, I don't have any schooling regarding the science of herbs, rather this is from my personal study and experience.  I have a friend who is a certified herboligist and I am lucky to be able to ask her advice quite often.

One of my favorite herbal resources is a book called Back to Eden.   Whenever I need some information about herbs I refer to this book.  I consider it a must-have!

If you try any of things, let me know. I would love to know how it works for you!

Have a great day!

springtime ruffles

I was finally able to use one of my Portabello Pixie patterns and I give it an A+!  Since sewing clothes is not my strength, I started simple with a tiered skirt and quickly moved on to making two.  Aubry loves them both and I feel ready to move on and conquer something harder.

When I was young, my mom always told me to cut my strings as I went along, and, of course, I never did because I had to do it my way.  It must have sat for a full hour cutting cutting cutting until I had both looking great.  Maybe I should finally take my mom's advice!

Initially Aubry was not happy with my fabric choices (farmer's market) for the 2nd skirt, but it became her favorite once it was done.  She asked to wear it right away and had to change to the other one about 5 minutes later because she got a big blob of raspberry jelly on it.  We are counting on SHOUT to take care of that!

No one should be surprised to see Darla and Farmer's Market gracing these lovelies.  Both are so colorful and bright and girly.  Just right for springtime ruffle-y skirts!

What are you working on?  Is spring's approach directing your project choices?

a bunch o' stuff

This was a whirlwind weekend all kinds of activity. I needed Monday to come just so I could rest! ;)

My boys earned their 2nd degree brown belts in Karate this weekend, and I am so proud of them.  My guys are on the right on the photo and the one on the left is a best bud who brings out the goofiness in my guys!

I took lots of photos at testing and most of them are blurry.  I HATE when that happens!

Thank you for all the sweet comments about Aubry's dolly slings.  She was so proud to sell them, and she is very excited about spending the money on something.  She just doesn't know what yet.  Am I the only mom who expects her kids to have an idea of what they want before they get to spend their money?  I find that taking a kid to the store to randomly spend money equals disappointment after a day or two, and I don't like when that happens.

On another note, Mindy is hosting her annual Pantipalooza.  First off, Mindy is one of the nicest and funniest girls on the internet and her annual event is a great way to do something nice for someone.  You never know when a pair of panties will make someone's day.  Go check it out!

Well, I am off to tackle the mountain of laundry in my living room.  I hope you all have a great Monday!

shop notes: good folks

The Byzantine colorway is in my shop!  Such happy colors!

Have a great Sunday!

Welcome to February's Recipe Box Swap! This month's theme is Fun Foods. If you have a recipe you would like to share, simply post it on your own blog and then add your post URL to the auto-link below. Everyone is invited!

OK, let me get this out in the open:  I LOVE BACON!  My hubs has stopped eating all red meat and  most pork, and since I cater to his whims when I plan our menus (he is spoiled!), this leaves me giddy when I get a chance to eat some bacon.  Last week we snuck in BLT's while he was at work and I was in heaven.  I often think that I could be a vegetarian as long as I could be allowed to eat bacon, but that probably wouldn't go over very well in the non-meat eating community.  Ah well...

When I am in the mood for something bacon-y, cheesy and downright salty yummy, I always make these goodies.  Potato Skins are one of my favorite fun-foods.  Pair these with a salad and you can almost call it a meal.  Not a healthy meal, but a meal!

Potato Skins

6 large potatoes, 2 tsp. cooking oil, 1-1/2 tsp. chili powder, several drops of Tabasco, 8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon, 2/3 cup finely chopped tomato, 2 TB. chopped red onion, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, ranch dressing

Scrub potatoes and prick with a fork and bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, or until done.  Cool

Cut each potato lengthwise into 4 wegdes (I cut mine in half since they were small).  Scoop out the inside of each wedge, leaving a 1/4" shell. 

Combine the oil, chili powder and tabasco, and brush this on the inside of each potato.  Place potatoes on baking sheet.

Sprinkle wedges with bacon and cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is sufficiently melty.  Top with tomatoes and onions and dip in the ranch dressing. 

These make a fun movie-night snack!

a post in which she talks inspiration and gives an opinion

Aubry has discovered the American Girl books and her favorite so far is Meet Molly.  It is a story about a little girl during WWII and in one chapter her and her friends make hula skirts for Halloween costumes.  I told her that there were hula dancers in Hawaii where her sister Danika is, and this was apparently very inspiring to her.  When I woke her this morning I found an adorable hula set on her floor that had been carefully made last night (while she was supposed to be reading in bed) all my herself.  It is just too cute!

She used newsprint paper and tape to keep it together.

I just love her willingness to use inexpensive supplies!

Aubry consistently asks me to let her sell things in my shop (and start a blog), but up until now I have said "no", but when she proved she could make a dolly sling, I decided to let her try it.  We contacted the author of the tutorial and asked permission (she very kindly said "yes") and we set to work.  My girl now has two lovely dolly slings for sale in my shop.

They are made entirely by her (except for one seam) and her workmanship is great.  She sews a mean straight line!  They are available here if you would like to take a peek.

The tutorial is a great first project for a young (or not-so-young) seamstress-in-training.

On another note, I just couldn't leave this next item alone.  In an article called "Wells Fargo Cancels Las Vegas Trip", the bank is reported to have:

"abruptly canceled Tuesday a pricey Las Vegas casino junket for employees after a torrent of criticism that it was misusing $25 billion in taxpayer bailout money."

I can't believe this!  They claim that they had:

"never planned to use taxpayer bailout money for the trip."

I am wondering why they have bailout money if they had money for the trip in the first place!

I hope that we all remember that bailout money is taxpayer money.  These companies are on our dime now.  I am shopping three grocery stores every week to make ends meet and stretch my grocery dollars far enough.  In my opinion, the companies that receive bailouts should be doing the same in an effort to use my tax money wisely!

And that is all she has to say. For now.

day dreaming...

I ate a bowl of the applesauce that we made at the end of last summer.  Oh. My. Gosh.  It was so good.  There wasn't even any sugar in it.

This took me forward to the spring when things start growing, and summer and fall when it is time to pick, prepare and can or freeze.  I can't wait!

Some friends have invited us to grow a large garden with them.  They have the property and the water shares, and we have the desire to do it and hands to help.  I have been daydreaming of everything that I will be preserving this year, partly for fun, but party because I can't say what the future holds for this economy of ours.  I like the idea that we can contribute to our own well-being and not wait around for someone to fix things for us.

Henry Fields showed up in our mailbox already and we have him bookmarked and dog-earred, and he sits right next to the Sunset Gardening book so that we can figure out how to do this right.  I know that their are ways to get nice, big yields even while conserving water and avoiding pesticides.

We are going to figure this out!

What about you?  Do you have any spring/summer plans yet?  Will you plant a bigger garden this year due to the economy?  What resources do you use to find out the best way to garden?

Have a lovely day!

recipe box swap on thursday!

This is the first Recipe Box Swap of 2009! 

I missed the January swap entirely because my mind was busy with my sweet girls moving out, so let's make this first one a good one!

This month's theme is "Fun Foods".   You know those foods, you don't make often, but they are staples in your family's menu just because they are fun.  Fun foods are usually sticky, salty, sugary or fattening, and we all love them! 

On Thursday, February 5th, I will be posting a favorite "fun foods" recipe here on my blog and I invite you to do the same on your blog. I will provide an auto-link at the bottom of my post so that you can leave your post URL and others can visit and see what you have cookin'.

The code for the graphic:

<a href="http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/"><img src="http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa99/ihavetosay/recipeswap.jpg" border="0" alt="swap blogpost"></a>

The code for a sidebar graphic:

<a href="http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/"><img src="http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa99/ihavetosay/recipeswap-1.jpg" border="0" alt="swap sidebar"></a>

Everyone is invited!

I hope to see you on Thurday!