Annika's "Prairie" Skirt

I have two kids. Each kid seems to want what the other kid has, even if they are not interested in said item. Remember the Laura Ingalls Halloween costume I spent the better part of October, and $50+, making? Well Annika finally has declared that she needs a pioneer outfit too.

So, I spent $5 on fabric and made her my version of a "prairie" skirt. I ended up having to make the different fabrics go vertically rather than horizontally due to my lack of adequate planning and measuring, but it turns out that I can now make two similar skirts out of the fabric I bought. And, I kinda like the looks of the final product.

When I get a good picture I'll post it. But lets count another item off my 101 list!

Room Painted, another 101 thing down!

So, the bathroom is done. And yes, it is red!! However, having said that, turns out that both Bill and I like the color, even if it is not quite the color we envisioned when we started out. But, we are going to live with it, and see if once we get some new window treatments and decorations up if that will help tone down the brightness some.

Luckily it is a small room, so only a small amount of bright red, but all in all we do like it. I finally have the red room I wanted when I was a young child! Whoot!

Red Room Verdict

It is not me; they mixed the paint one shade darker. They goofed. Now we have to either live with a blood bath on our walls, or repaint.

....might be a blood bath on our walls!

Crock Pot A Day

I stumbled upon this blog; the author has vowed to cook with a crock pot each and every day for an entire year. Interesting. But us lovely readers can glean a good recipe or two from her trials. I have come to sort of enjoy my crock pot. With my busy evenings it is necessary if we want to eat before 7pm! I am just tired of the three recipes that taste good to us!

I'll keep you updated.

Red-Rum, err Room

So, we began painting the bath this weekend. We took the plunge and chose a soft red paint called Pottery-Red. It is sort of a terra cotta-ish red. In theory.

With one coat on it looks like a blood bath in our tiny room. I'm not so sure, but I'll keep painting until it is a smooth and solid color, live with it for awhile and then decide.

Removing More Wallpaper

Item # 4 is now complete. I have removed the ugly faux marble wallpaper from our downstairs 1/2 bath. Now on to painting!

And In the Other Room

As I sit here on the computer, Lauren is in the other room quilting her little heat out. Yup. All by herself. As if I could even begin to offer much assistance; she knows more than I do by far!! How weird. I must learn to sew so that I can keep up with her.

Maybe.

OK, off to sort of facilitate. Not that I need to.

Crock Pot Yogurt

We eat a ton of yogurt here. I'm talking at least a half gallon a week. The girls (& me too) eat yogurt plain, yogurt with fruit, we make smoothies after school, they eat it for snacks, with lunch, we put it in oatmeal, I make yogurt cheese and use it in place of sour cream .... we eat a lot of yogurt! I usually buy Stoneyfield brand, which is about $4.00 a quart, so it quickly adds up over the week - we are talking around $36-40 a month for yogurt! Ouch!

I decided to make my own yogurt. I looked at yogurt makers, and they seemed to be around $30 each, which is not too bad and I figured even with high-end, $10 gallon locally produced, organic, vat-pasteurized, non-homogenized milk I would quickly save money. (By the second month even!) But, as my cooking guru hero, Alton Brown, says: No Uni-taskers! Really, I do not need yet another machine in my already cluttered kitchen!

So, I figured why not use the crock pot? I happen to have little inserts that I can use in my large pot and reduce the volume by half. Brilliant Idea Kay!! A quick research online, and voila - crock pot yogurt goodness!! Homemade yogurt is a bit thinner, but still yummy and good! And can I tell you the savings we are reaping in with this one?? At $5 a gallon for my normal organic milk that makes our yogurt costs a mere $10 a month, saving $26 a month or .... $300+ a year! Whoot!! Momma's going to Colorado with that money!!

Another 100 in 1001 down!

Tractor Square Dance?

OK, I've seen it all now!!

I was looking for tractor clips on YouTube for the little dude I babysit, and found this.

How MANY Birds!

I recently put up a suet feeder, and added black sunflower seeds to our bird feeder. It is amazing how many different birds I have spotted at our feeder since putting these up. From upper left to lower right: Red breasted nuthatch - they are cool because they run upside down on the tree, Cardinal - one of my favorites!, Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Dark Eyed Junco, White breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay - not necessarily my favorite, but they are actually far an few between, Hairy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse. I have also some sort of sparrow - but I really want to identify the specific species before I claim it! And then there is some other bird that is slightly larger than the sparrow, looks much like it, but with sort of chartreusey yellow stripes instead of white. Still working on that; it may be a female finch.