What the Heck?!! - Sis 1

I was just sitting in the living room, working on that last blog post when my DH called to me from the kitchen, "Where's that apple-cutter thing?"

"It should be in the skillet." (Yes, we have space issues in our cupboards. I have two skillets which are nested inside one another. Then my pie plates, and then my apple cutter. That's how it fits.)

"What's a skillet, again?"

I know I spoil my DH. He rarely has to do any cleaning, aside from his laundry (he insulted my laundry methods a few too many times) and NEVER cooks. If I happen to not be home, he chooses one of two dinner options: eat out or cold cereal.

But really. Not even knowing what a skillet is? When I showed him what it was, he said, "Those are pans."

Yes, but so are saucepans and soup pots. As are cake pans and bread tins.

REALLY?

Ok. I'm done.

Modest Skirts From the Store - Sis 1

Each year, I fully intend to sew Easter dresses for each of my girls. And almost every year, I end up having too little time to do it in. This year, as reality set in, I headed to the store to buy Easter outfits for my kids. I happened to be in our hometown at the time, and, although it now how many more stores than it did when we were kids, it still has a somewhat limited selection. I have found, however, that even if the selection is quite large, it is hard to find modest skirts at stores.

Here's my solution:

I buy skirts that are about four sizes larger than my girls actually wear. This makes the length about right. So then the waist is too big. Not to worry. Without sewing a stitch I can fix that, too.

First, cut a piece of ribbon at least eighteen inches longer than the actual waist circumference. Melt the ends with a match or lighter. (Sorry about the blur.)

Place two tall dots of Fray Check on the front of the skirt's waistband. I put them on the side this time, but I've done middle before, too.

Use a seam ripper (scissors would work, too, just not as easily) to cut a slit through the middle of the dots of Fray Check. Make sure your slit is completely surrounded by the Fray Check.

Attach a fairly large safety pin to one end of the ribbon and push it through one of the holes. Pull the pin through the waistband like an inchworm until the ribbon has circled the skirt and come back through the other hole. Remove the safety pin.

Tie knots at the ends of the ribbon to help prevent it from being pulled out of the waistband. When the skirt is on the child, pull the ribbon tight around the waist and tie a bow.

Viola! Less than 5 minutes of work. Even I can do that.

Inspiration? - Sis 3

Yesterday afternoon during LDS General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott spoke of personal revelation. He said that sometimes personal revelation comes through dreams. I believe that. I've had dreams that brought me just the inspiration I needed. I have had other dreams, that, well...

Take for instance, Friday night, I had a dream I was watching General Conference. When the opening hymn began, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and organ were conspicuously absent. The choir seats were bare. Instead, the director lead the congregation in the hymn. When the camera zoomed in on the first speaker, something seemed amiss. I soon realized that the beautiful greenery and flowers that usually surround the pulpit were not there. Instead, one lonely little vase, with a few dropping tulips, sat on the stand.

I felt hallow. The words of the hymn were the same. The speaker was giving a nice talk. All the fundamental elements were present. Still, I felt cheated. For some unexplained reason, they'd taken the beauty out of the meeting.

When we turned on Conference yesterday morning, to my husband's surprise, I laughed out loud with relief. The choir was singing. A beautiful spring floral arrangement festooned the pulpit. All was right with the world.

As I began to write this post, I thought my dream was an example of silliness or indigestion. But as I've written it out, I wonder. While it may not be personal revelation, maybe it's symbolic. Perhaps the message is that, the "unproductive" details are not superfluous. Focusing too much on the "important things" leaves a hole. Beauty is as much a part of Heavenly Father's world as is utility.

So, inspiration or not, I'll take my dream as a reminder.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches - Sister 2

The weather at my house today is pretty wild. I guess you just have to expect that since it is March. When I woke up this morning it was cloudy and dark, but there was no wind. Then around 8am, the wind started howling. Around 9am the howling wind blew in a snow/rain storm. It really couldn't make up it's mind whether it wanted to rain or snow. The snorain came down for a few hours, and then it stopped. But, now it is raining again. Pretty soon the sun will probably be shining. Because that is how the weather is this time of year in the state of Utah. Am I Right??
I hope the sun does come out and shine, because I am making chicken salad sandwiches for dinner and they are really more of a sun shiny food. Don't you think?
Anyway..... enough rambling. Here is the recipe for the Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad

4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup light mayo
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/8 cup onion chopped in very small pieces
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
a bunch of red seedles grapes

Mix all ingredients but the grapes together. Cut grapes in half and add to the mix. If it is dry, add a bit more mayo. Mix at least three hours ahead so the flavors have time to mix and sink in to the chicken.

I like to eat this on a crossaint roll, but any bread will work.

You Cannot Defeat Me - Sis 3

I was at one of a myriad of appointments last week, when I came across a quote that's stuck with me. It was printed on a plain piece of white paper and taped to the side of planter box. The presentation was very unpretentious, but the thought itself was anything but meek.

Over the next few days, I thought about the quote several times. I didn't remember the exact words, but I tried. Finally, I resorted to Google. I hadn't been able to make out the name of the author printed at the bottom of the quote, so I was really shooting in the dark. I typed in as much of the quote as I could remember, trying to get the phrasing right. It took a few tries, but Google came through.

I discovered that the quote was by Ann Landers, a pen name created in 1943 by Chicago Sun-Times advice columnist Ruth Crowley and later taken over by Eppie Lederer. Which of those two women actually wrote the quote, I'm not sure, but their advice reached me all these years later.

I'll pass on a little of their wisdom.

"Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.'" ~Ann Landers

Beautiful Spring Day - Sister 2

What a beautiful spring day it was yesterday. As soon as we got home from picking up my oldest daughter from school my kids were begging to go outside and play. I couldn't blame them, it was sunny and warm. But, I being the mother, made sure they ate lunch and did some chores before they could go out. My little boy usually takes a nap after lunch, but he knew the girls were going to go out to play and he would not go to sleep. So we ALL went out to play. The kids had so much fun running up and down the hill, going down the slide, riding scooters and playing in the dirt. I cleaned all the grass out of a flower bed and out of the strawberry bed. I'm hoping we will get a bunch of strawberries this year, but I'm not sure. We moved into this house in November, so I don't know how well the strawberries,or any other plant, will do. I also walked around the yard looking at all the buds on the trees and the leaves popping out of the ground. I will have tulips and irises in a month or two. I wonder what colors they will be?
I love spring. It is so fun to see the new life. The green buds on the trees and the little purple flowers popping up. AND, it is so GREAT to get outside in the nice SUNSHINE.

Leprechaun Tracks - Sis 1

Shhhhh! I carve a boot print into soft mozzarella cheese--WAY easier than a potato--then dip it in food coloring and walk it around. You only need to make one if you point the toe inward from the right then the left in an alternating pattern, as if the leprechaun were slightly pigeon toed.

If you've made traps, set them off and remove the bait.

Important! Only make tracks on disposable items or non-porous surfaces like sealed tile. Otherwise, your tracks will be permanent.

Don't tell my kids. Even my 9-year-old still believes. And she already figured out Santa.