My New Favorite Tool!

I know I may sound like a commercial, but I'm so in love with this product!! Lemme tell ya', I've been struggling with my crap machine for a really long time. My piecing just never seems to be as good as it should be. Points not matching up, rows totally crooked, blocks not turning out the right size, bla, bla, bla. For someone who's been quilting as long as I have, it's SO FRUSTRATING for the finished product to look like a total n00b put it together! I can't tell you how many times I've had to give a quilt with an apology! lol!! I tried presser foot after presser foot. I bought several guides. I even bought those magnetic doohickeys. I spent far too much money on far too many tools, all in an attempt to achieve that perfect scant 1/4" & ruler-straight line. Eventually, I came to the conclusion, that either I was the world's worst quilter or there was something wrong with my machine. After putting the machine away in frustration, and walking away from all of my projects for a year, I was determined to find out the answer. Well, after trying all of my tools again, and getting the same results, I'm convinced it's the machine. I think (even tho' I can't prove it) that my needle is set ever-so-slightly to the L of where it should be AND I know my feed dogs aren't working properly. We'll talk about the feed dog thing in another post, but no wonder none of those tricks worked for my seams!! The distance from the actual needle, to the edge of the presser foot, was off! Now, I was at a loss. If the machine itself was the problem, how was I to fix it?!

Enter, Pinterest. Yes! Really, again! lol! I happen to follow several quilters & one of them pinned this tool. I read the post & decided it was worth investigating. So, I googled it, and found a couple videos on how to use it. After watching the videos, and finding them for sale on Amazon for a decent price, I decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did! It is the best quilting tool I've ever purchased!!!

<--- Well, here it is! It's sorta hard to see how it works from just this photo, so I totally recommend going to the video link above.

How this differs from any of my other tools, is that it attaches, more specifically, it sticks to the bottom of the actual presser foot!! Why I think this worked for me, is because you have the scant 1/4" measured from the actual needle to the outside line - not from the edge of a tool to the needle. Do you see the small hole? Well, that's where the needle goes. Just make sure the solid line down the middle lines up, and Bam! Perfect seams!

 I'm tellin' ya, I think my needle is off-center! Once I put this on my presser foot & started sewing my half-square triangles, I could not believe the accuracy!! I actually had to square down the blocks for the first time ever! All of my points were perfect. All of them! I was so happy!! After years of struggling, I had finally found something to help me achieve that perfect seam! YAY!

If you read all the info about the Sew Easy Guide, you'll see that it's original purpose was for sewing half & quarter square triangles without marking. I do have to mention, that my half square triangles were far too big (10") for the tool. I still had to draw the diagonal line down the block. But! That was the only marking I had to do! I just lined up the solid line from the tool, with the solid line on my block & the tool helped me keep it all straight! It's so simple, it's genius.

If you're havin' issues with your seams, or just hate drawing all those ridiculous lines for your half & quarter square triangles, I highly recommend purchasing this. It comes in 2 sizes. I got both! Thanks, again, Pinterest!

Breakfast for a Week! In 5 minutes?

Since the arrival of Genevieve, I have been looking high and low for solutions to two major problems: time & money. So, when I discovered something that would do both, I had to try it! I took on the breakfast challenge. How to make sure the Hubbs could get a HEALTHY, quick breakfast, every morning before work - WITHOUT having to spend extra money. Enter the solution. Via Pinterest...duh!

Dan enjoys eating steel cut oats in the morning, along with his new found love, Chobani. That's great! Such a healthy, protein-packed breakfast, what wife wouldn't want to make that for her husband?! Yeah, have you ever actually cooked steel cut oats? It. Takes. For. Ever! With the addition of the wee one, I seriously don't have time for that. But, I do have time for Pinterest (lol), and when I saw the headline: "Breakfast for a Week in 5 Minutes", along with a photo of steel cut oats, I felt like I'd hit the jackpot! Once I read through the original post, I went to Target to pick up a few things & got to work! Once it was done, I was shocked at how easy it was. Then felt sorta stupid for not thinking of it sooner. Doh!

Here's the super-easy, way to make a healthy breakfast for an entire week, in just about 5 mins. 

 First, grab some mason jars. I went with half-pint, but probably should have gone with the pint, so Hubbs could actually mix in some goodies. Then, of course, pick up some oats! There are a few brands out there, but Quaker was on sale, so it's what I got.

 Line up the jars next to the stove, so you're ready to go. 

 Once the water & oats have come to a boil....

 

simply ladle the water & oats into the jars...

 

close the lids & walk away!

Leave them out on the counter over night. Then, in the morning, put  all of the jars into the fridge, minus one.

Take that one, add a bit of milk & sugar, or whatever suits your fancy & you've got a tasty breakfast now AND for the rest of the week! 

Look at that face! Who knew something so easy, could make him so happy?! lol!!

Here's the recipe, as taken from the post: 

1. Collect your jars and other equipment. I like pint-sized jars for this as they allow a little more room for adding nuts, raisins, and milk later. But you can also use half-pint jars.

2. Bring the oats, water and salt to a boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes then turn off the heat.

3. Ladle the oats and water into the jars. Cover the jars tightly with their caps and rings. Leave on the counter overnight.

4. The next morning, put all but one of the jars in the refrigerator. Take the cap off one jar and stir up the oatmeal inside. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or until quite hot. Add any milk, raisins, or other mix-ins. Enjoy!

That's it! Easy, right?! Thanks, again, Pinterest!

Meal Planning Made Easy!!

Head on over to my girlfriend's blog & check out my latest post! While you're there, sign up to follow her site & of course, click all the links! Then, come back here next week to read a few new posts.   Thanks for following me as I get this blog off the ground. =D

Lessons From a Croissant

Today, I decided to spoil the kids by making a chocolatey treat I found on pinterest. So, using the remaining crescent roll dough from dinner (another winning recipe from pinterest), I baked up chocolate croissants. The house smelled divine, as we sat down to dinner. The boys & I looked forward to gobbling up every morsel as soon as our plates were empty. And then it started: almost immediately, Jo decided he didn't want to eat his vegetables. Little snot started crying, whining and even gagging over every tiny bite! *eyeroll*  We've never had a problem with veggies & I knew he was just itching for attention - well, he got it. After several warnings, I was left with administering the punishment: no more dinner & NO desert. Meanwhile, the rest of us enjoyed our very lovely, very chocolatey croissants. Once the tears started to flow, the teaching began. We talked about sin and it's consequences. He understood that his sin was disobedience and that his consequence was no desert. He wiped his tears and apologized; and after forgiveness was issued and love restated, all was done.

A few minutes later, while I was minding my own business washing the dishes, the Lord decided to teach me a lesson too! I thought about that desert. About how lovely it was. It was just the right balance of crispiness, and ooey-gooyness. Equal parts sweet and savory. Not too big, not too small. I really enjoyed it! But, Jo wasn't able to enjoy it. I had made it for him...for his enjoyment...because I love him...but he couldn't have it. He had sinned & had missed out on the blessing.

POW! The Lord whacked me upside the head with that one! How often do I sin? How often to do I complain about my veggies? How often am I ungrateful for what I have & discontent? Wow. All the time! I question. I doubt. I cry, whine & gag over my veggies all the time! So often, I find myself behaving much like the Children of Israel, wandering in the wilderness. Even as I see the Lord guiding & providing, I start to murmur in my heart. And you know what?! I'm no different than they were. I'm no different than Jo. It's disobedience, it's a lack of faith, and the bottom line is - it's SIN! If it's sin...then there's a consequence. What have I missed out on? What has my sin kept me from receiving from the Lord? He loves me just as I love my children (and so much more!), and I wonder how many treats He's made for me, that I couldn't have?

What a heavy thought. I stood there staring out the window, with my hands covered in soap, and my heart filled with conviction. God is far better to me than I deserve!! I enjoy such a life! I get to stay at home with my boys, homeschool, quilt, sing, teach Sunday School, clean some modulars, clean & organize my home, drive a somewhat working vehicle, eat 3 meals a day, etc, etc, etc.. All these things are a gift, but what more could He have for me? What "gift" could he have waiting to give to me, just as soon as I finish my veggies?!

The Lord had SO much planned for Moses. He had a land flowing with milk and honey and a people to enjoy it with. But, he got angry, smote the rock, and missed out on the blessing he'd been working towards his entire life.

I prayed right then and there for forgiveness & thanked the Lord for the lesson He had for me...from a croissant.

(Ref. Numbers 20: 1-13)

Oh, and in case you were wondering. Here are the links to both the dinner & desert recipes mentioned in this post. =D

For dinner, we had Crescent Chicken as found on this blog, via pinterest:

For desert, we had Chocolate Croissants as found on this blog, also via pinterest: