Doing II

I don't have any pictures, but I thought I would share what I "did" yesterday. A while ago I stumbled across a blog called the refashionista. She buys clothes at her bulk Goodwill often for a dollar or less and then remakes them. She had a goal to buy no new clothes last year (since she broke up with her boyfriend and had to get her own place) and to remake something each day. She buys things that are often to big but she likes the print, color or whatever. She will dye the clothes and/or cut them down to re purpose them. Some of her things are really great but are things I couldn't wear since she turns a lot of things sleeveless. So, with that in mind I bought a shirt I liked at Goodwill for a dollar, but it was to big. It's been hanging on the end of my bed for like two weeks. Yesterday I saw it and thought yep today! I got out my sucky sewing machine and sewed up two of Morgans jeans that she tore and then I put on the shirt inside out and had Del pin it close to my body. Then I just sewed new side seems, cut out the bulk and it fits and looks great! 

Better late than never!

 

Just after my daughter's seventeenth birthday I had an idea for a gift for her next birthday. Since she was going to be an "adult" and possibly moving out sometime there after I thought I would make her a recipe book with hand written recipes from her Grandmas, Aunts, and Uncles. I started buying cute recipe cards when I saw them. I probably bought hundreds of cards! But, never gave any of the cards out. Nor did I write down any recipes for her. Every once in awhile I would look for a recipe card holder/book but, couldn't find what I wanted. 

 

It was getting close to her birthday and I was getting a little anxious because I did want to have it done but, I could tell that it wasn't going to happen. Morgan and I were in the mall shortly before her birthday looking for a dress for something I can't remember for what. She was getting frustrated because she couldn't find what she wanted and was throwing a small fit about how nothing fit or looked good on her ( I felt like that a lot as a teen) when I saw the kitchen gadget store and thought I bet they will have what I want in there!! She didn't want to go in nor have me go in but, I did, much to her frustration. I think the clothing she was looking for was for that night and we didn't have much time left before she needed to be home to get ready. Anyways, I went in and they did have what I wanted but, they were twenty five to thirty five dollars and I didn't have the money to buy one, plus Morgan was really bringing me down with her bad mood. I'd only been in the store maybe five minutes (probably more like three) when she came in all moody and angry wanting to leave and telling me to hurry up.  That made me mad because, I have been standing around watching her try on clothes for the last two hours and this is the only store that I wanted to go into and I couldn't even have five minutes! She was really trying my patience. I was trying to be understanding because I knew how she felt but, REALLY, Morgan!

 

Anyways, I decided I would have to make her one.  On her birthday she got a stack of recipe cards and a photo album to put her recipes in. I told her I would decorate the book and she actually was very excited about it. It  was her favorite gift despite the fact that it was totally unfinished.

 

A few days after her birthday I was experimenting on another book to see how/what I was going to do. It turned out really cute! I had her pick out the paper she wanted me to use and then..... I never did it. We did give out some recipe cards to a couple of family members but, only Lysha got recipes back to us Thanks Lysha!! I still need to send cards to my sisters in Texas and some of my in-laws. 

 

Its been 7 months since her birthday and recently I have been noticing her plain navy blue photo album sitting in the cupboard with my recipe books (that cupboard has a glass front)  and since I have been trying to do something each day I thought today is the day I get started on her recipe card holder. I wrote out four or five recipes and then got started on covering the book. I couldn't remember what the paper looked like that she chose and since she wasn't home I got to choose the new paper. I chose a greenish polka dot paper for the cover.

 

 

 

It did turn out cute, but I wish it didn't have so many air bubbles in it. I am going to decorate each page divider, and I have a ton of recipes I want to give her still, but at least the book is finally started, is decorated and, even has a few recipe cards in it!  So, if any of my sisters read this please send Morgan some of your favorite recipes. Hand written please so that she can have a little bit of your hand writing as a memento. I think it will be that much more special if you do. Thank you and Happy way belated Birthday Morgan!!!

 

Love Monica xoxo

Time to make the donuts!

 A couple of weeks ago on Pinterest I saw donuts made from store bought biscuits. I thought hmmm yummy and since I almost always have those in my fridge I could make them with only a little effort. So, today I did.

 

I just used an apple corer and a 2 liter soda lid to punch the centers out of my donuts.

                                                                                        

 

In the picture on Pinterest the donuts were just covered in sugar and cinnamon so that is what I was doing. Only after I cooked the first batch I thought why am I not dipping these in that yummy caramel frosting recipe I have?

I had to put the brakes on and turn everything off while I made the frosting.

 

 

I could just drink this mixture without even adding the powdered sugar. It's that good, if you like sweet caramel tasting stuff!

 

 



 

 

If you don't have a good recipe this one is most delicious!! 1/2 cup butter or marg., 1c. brown sugar, 1/4c. milk, 2 1/2c. powdered sugar. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar. Stir until it boils. Continue stirring and let boil for 2 minutes. Add the milk. Keep stirring until it comes to a boil again. Remove from heat. Let cool. Add powdered sugar beating well after each addition. ( I made an ice bath to cool it faster since I was impatient to get back to making the donuts. This frosting tastes really good on chocolate cake as well.)

 

Coating the donut in sugar and cinnamon.

 

Dipping a donut  in the caramel frosting.

 

 

 

And finally the finished project! They tasted so good!! Hope you all have a great day! Love, Monica

 

Camping pictures

We went backpacking over the weekend to West Clear Creek and the only pictures Del and I took were of the flora and fauna. Isn't that sad. I didn't take a single picture of either one of my handsome young men.

 I saw the smallest scorpion ever. It was maybe 1/2 an inch long.  We also saw a rattle snake, butterflies, lizards, and another small green snake.

I got a ton of bug bites (like in the range of 20 to 25) which several of are still quite itchy. Del who VERY rarely gets bitten got 4 or 5. Now that I think about it I don't think he has had a single bug bite in YEARS. No fair right?  Well, he was moaning and complaining about how itchy they are and I was secretly laughing inside, because I'm the one who always gets bitten.

There were a bunch of really cool mushrooms around our campsite though. Dillon asked if we could eat them! He's fourteen!! Doesn't he know most mushrooms are deadly? After I explained that to him he stayed away from them and was concerned for me when I was taking pictures of them because I was so close and could breathe in their spores.

Doing

I was a doer today!

 

I started making the kids chore chart today. It's not quite finished yet, but close. Now to just paint my laundry room pink so it matches!!

I

Just Do It

Recently I was talking to my mom about how we are not "doers". I see people (especially when I'm on pinterest/blogs and at church)  who seem to have it all together and accomplish a lot and I think why don't I do more? It's because I'm not a doer. I want/need to be a doer. I want to be more and accomplish more. So, how do I go about changing my personality/lifetime of bad habits? I know I am a child of God and that He loves me, but I am letting Him down because I am not living up to my full potential. I think of this quote from Spencer W. Kimball who said it long before Nike made it popular JUST DO IT and so, I am going to try and do something crafty, home improvement, or personal improvement each day. Wish me luck!