Fridge Digging crock pot meal. Sausage and Potatoes

Take what you have and make a meal...

I'm the queen of last minute throw together meals...I never seam to be able to plan ahead most days, other than taking a roll of hamburger meat out of the freezer to defrost and then half an hour before it's too late I look in my kitchen to see what I can make with that defrosted hunk of meat.

More recently (the past year) I have renewed my love affair with my crock pot which has made my life much easier now that I'm homeschooling, taking care of a 4 year old and full time care of my diabetic, 78 year old grandmother.

My meals have been limited and changed some, due to my grandmother's dietary needs and her picky eating habits. But, the slow cooker has been my saving grace...The other day I found polish sausage on sale and grabbed a couple, not really knowing what to make with it. Yeah, I can make the usual sausage taco's or sausage and cabbage stew (which I forgot to get the cabbage at the store). But, I figured I would take a look online. I found Heather Reynolds, "Stupid Easy Crock Pot/ Slow Cooker Sausage and Potatoes" on Food.com.

I didn't have all the ingredients for her recipe, but I took the idea and ran with it. After digging around in the fridge I found I had half a package (4 of an 8 oz package) of cream cheese, I didn't have ranch powdered seasoning, however I did have ranch dip, like the kind you use for chips or veggies...and plain yogurt.

So, I chopped up the potatoes and sausage (I used red potatoes cut into small 1/2 inch wedges) and a small onion and placed them in the bottom of the crock pot. I mixed my cream cheese, yogurt and ranch dip in a bowl...added a little salt and pepper and a dash of minced garlic and put it in my crockpot for 6 hrs on high.

Well, it worked! The family loved it and I loved the tangy-ness of it with the yogurt.

So here is the final recipe.

1 cup plain yogurt
3 tbsp ranch dip (ranch flavor packet if you have it)
1 package (1lb) sausage
6-8 red potatoes cleaned and sliced into 1/2" slices

In the crock pot for 6hrs.

Mix it towards the end to make sure that all the yogurt mix is covering all the potatoes and sausage.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

how little mom actually knows...

HOMESCHOOLING!

This has been me a lot lately. If it wasn't for Google I would have no idea what to tell my daughter half the time. She asks some really good questions though...like what is it in Glue that makes it stick? and Why does rubber bounce. I can give her a general idea of why it does what it does...but she wants details, details, details!

I love being a mommy...and I especially love being a HOMESCHOOLING MOMMY!

Felt Fall Leaf and Pumpkin Garland

Fall Leaf and Pumpkin Garland

With the Fall Season here in South Texas you can't really get into the season very well without a little help from some fall decorations. We don't grow pumpkins, we don't have cool weather (it's like mild summer here in the 80's and 90's) and the sweaters and jackets are tucked safely away in the back of the closet for at least another month (or two)...so falling leaves and pretty orange pumpkins are a must to get you into the season.

So, DD and I decided to make the season come alive at home. 

I grabbed my Sizzix die cutter and my fall leaf die and cut out 42 different fall colored felt leaves and 10 yellow (didn't have any more orange felt) pumpkins and decided to teach my daughter how to hand sew!

We started with learning to thread the needle and then we discovered patterns and repetition. We (tried) to stick to the same pattern all the way through (then realized mommy didn't cut enough burgundy leaves).

DD learned to weave the needle in and out and to change the direction from the leaves facing UP, DOWN and SIDEWAYS! (Always a new lesson to learn)

OUR FINAL PRODUCT!!!!

a beautiful 6ft fall leaf and pumpkin garland to grace our dining room window. The great things is that this can be done with felt, paper, store bought leaves, or construction paper cut by hand by your own children. USE YOUR IMAGINATION AND LET IT RUN WILD!

I know this will grace our walls for years to come and every year my DD and I will be able to remember making such a great (easy) and fun craft for our home.

Enjoy Homeschooling!

Homeschooling for Pre-K

My Homeschool Closet

FALL 2013 Preschool (Homeschooling)

Ok, so Pre-K isn't so tough...it's all about learning the simple things in life, ABC and 123 and such...but their are so many more things in life to learn that I'm excited about. Things like, why the sky is blue, what are the seasons of the year and my personal favorite...in the words of my daughter, "when it rains are clouds peeing on us?" (PRICELESS!)

So, on September 16th we start the fall season of homeschooling for DD's Pre-K. We started with a lot of the basics...like ABC and 123. Most of which she already knew...

Fall Leaf Alphabet Matching Game

Her lesson plan for this semester was

• Memory Verses (1 per month)
• Bible Reading (the Eager Reader BIBLE)
• Math - Basics of 123 etc. with adding in telling time, reading the calendar etc.
• Alphabets-ABC...
• Sight Words - DOLCH sight words for Pre-K
• Unit Study- Changes monthly depending on the lesson plan
• and a weekly, daily or monthly CRAFT depending on my ability at the time.

So, far Memory Verses and Bible have been the most constant, because even on busy days, like shopping days and doctor's appointments with great-grandma, we are still able to wake up in the morning and go over our memory verse and read a few pages in her BIBLE.

Although going through the Sight Words, proved to be more difficult than I had imagined. I discovered that I could write the word "AND" in all capitals and she could read it...however, if I wrote the word "and" in lowercase, she was drawing a blank. So...sight words are put on hold for a little bit till we work on Capital and Lowercase letters for a bit.

I have to admit that is one of the things that I love about homeschooling...the curriculum can be customized to fit the individual child's needs and not what fits the state standards.

The Unit studies have been the most fun in my and DD's opinion. in September we studied the weather starting with Wind, Clouds, Rain and the Sun. We made Wind Socks, Cotton ball clouds and colored coloring pages. It was a blast...and I learned a lot as well. My daughter really grasped the concept of Evaporation and now when I'm cooking she knows that heating up the water makes steam which is evaporation. (Amazing for a 4 year old...IMHO!)

This month we are learning about the different Seasons and focusing on the season of Fall.

Fall Leaf Garland (Learning to Hand Sew)

Fall Leaf Garland (Learning to Hand Sew)

Candy Corn Popsicle Sticks

"My Fall Book" With Fall Leaves mailed
to us From Colorado.

November we will be learning all about Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims and Indians.

And then in December we will be learning about Christ's Birth.

As I'm sure you can tell I'm totally excited about school work and love being able to see my daughter light up as she learns something new every day.

 DON'T GET ME WRONG! Not every day is a barrel of sunshine! We have rough days...days she doesn't want to color, or write out her alphabet...but the good days outweigh the bad and we are getting their little by little. Check out my Instagram link on the side to see some of the pictures from the lessons and crafts that we have done as well as my Homeschool Pinterest board to see what has inspired me to do more with my little girl!

Have fun homeschooling!

Turned off the tv and found out my daughter had an imagination.

We have been the world's worst when it comes to TV watching. For years, the first thing we have done waking up in the morning is to turn on the TV and even had it on while going to sleep at night. Now that my grandmother is living with us, her obsession with HGTV has overrun the living room and the whole house...compounded with the fact that her hearing isn't so good and the volume is really loud has made me go a little insane.

Growing up in a homeschool family, we NEVER had the TV on in the house during the day...we woke up, snuggled with mom in bed for a bit, did our chores, eat breakfast and lunch (cooked lunch for dad's lunch break) and then did schoolwork or some kind of homeschool activity in the afternoon. Then when dad got home from work...the news came on and if we were lucky, we got to watch a family show in the evening time. Not till my little sister came along did we have the TV on during the day...and that something like teletubbies or some other kids show.

Now that we have started homeschooling my dear daughter this past month, the TV has become quite a big problem in the house. We even had to ask my grandmother to go to her room to watch her one millionth time watching the same show on HGTV (can you tell I'm totally burned out on HGTV...lol). 

The first few days and even week were really rough, DD asked to watch her shows almost non-stop. finally we had to start telling her it was a privilege not a right to watch tv. A few rough days and all of a sudden and miracle happened...my daughter discovered, she had an IMAGINATION!!!!

She now is playing in her room with her toys, making up games with her dolls and begging for me to play doll house with her. It has been so refreshing to have a 4 year old who actually wants to play instead of stare at the TV and vegg out all day.

Don't get me wrong, I love Disney Junior and all their adorable shows. My daughters favorite right now id Doc McStuffins. However, when all the TV shows are out of her brain...she has actually started to use her brain and I'm LOVING IT!

I hope this trend continues and she becomes even more independant of the "Boob-Tube" and uses that creativity for something productive.

Now, when she wakes up the morning she tells me "Mom, TV rots your brain!" And I can't help but laugh and agree!!!

Daddy eat my cookie...Pineapple coconut bread/cake.

This morning started out like any other morning...we got up as a family, my dear husband made us some PB&J sandwiches for breakfast. However, my daughter asked if she could have the last sugar cookie...I don't normally let her have sweets for breakfast, but we all had been eating them up and I figured she had better get one before they were all gone (she hadn't had many of them since they were made). So, I said "Yes!" But she had to eat her breakfast first. So like a good little girl she put the container with the cookie in it, back in the kitchen and even told her daddy that she was going to eat a cookie after she eat breakfast. 

My Sweet girl eat and asked if she could have her cookie now...I said yes. However, my husband had a deer in the headlights look...HE HAD EATEN HER COOKIE! He obviously wasn't paying attention when she told him she was going to eat the cookie and he gobbled it up with his cup of coffee. Daddy obviously felt aweful that he eat her cookie, so I told her we would make something good to eat later to replace the cookie she lost. So I went hunting for a recipe that I could make with the self rising flour I had just bought on a whim at the grocery store the other day. 

 

This started out as a pineapple cheddar cheese bread recipe I found on Yummly.com but cheese and pineapple didn't sound good to me...so I replaced it with coconut and made a few adjustments.

Coconut Pineapple Coffee Cake.

2 cups Self Rising Flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 can pineapple (I used chunks, but you can also use crushed) (JUICE INCLUDED)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350

Sift together SRFlour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl mix pineapple and juice, eggs and oil. Poor wet ingredients into the dry ingredients mix till well combined. Add sweetened coconut and mix a little more to incorporate.

Poor into a cake pan or 9x3 greased bread pan.

Bake at 350 for 1 hr.

*Before baking any kind of bread, muffins etc. I usually sprinkle a little sugar on top...I sprinkled coconut and sugar on top of this cake before baking it...the coconut and sugar make an amazing crunchy sweetness to the top. I also sprinkled some powdered sugar over it before it cooled off out of the oven.

My husband described it as pineapple banana bread...it started out as a bread recipe but to me it turned into  simi-sweet coffee cake that was just right and very moist. It was a big hit with the family tonight after dinner.

Other than the hour baking time...this took no time at all to make and was super yummy.

SO thanks to Daddy eating my daughter's cookie, I now have an amazing, easy cake recipe to take to bake sales and dinner parties, as well as a quick cake to make for evening dinners. I can't wait to try it tomorrow morning with a cup of coffee!

ENJOY!

Just around the corner...HALLOWEEN!

I told you I would be back!

So I've been getting really uncomfortable lately with my Baby Peanut growing bigger every day. So far I am almost 5 months pregnant and have already started to feel the kicks, and turns and all the other fun stuff that comes with being "with child". However, the exhaustion and other not so fun stuff has also been driving me crazy.

I'm looking forward to the new seasons ahead. Here in South Texas we are really only about 2/3rds of the way through summer...though friends up north are already getting BLESSED with cooler weather. SIGH! I can't wait till I can bundle up with my BIG PG Belly and enjoying a cup of hot coco!

So in the mood for the season I made a FREE BANNER for you all to decorate for the upcoming holiday!

Click on the LINK to download the free PDF "BOO" Banner...print on cardstock or regular printer paper and cut out. I love to hang my banners on a pretty ribbon or curling ribbon.

I would love to see your pictures of your banners hung up at your house or office! SO PLEASE TAKE A PICTURE AND SEND THEM IN TO ME! PLEASE!

Have a great end of summer and stay cool! I know I will (inside my house with the A/C on low...lol!)

Pumpkin bread craving

Wow, I know I think I fell off the face of the planet! I have been so busy with life and all the crazy changes that have taken place that I've not been able to blog in so long.

Well here is a brief synopsis of my life changes that have caused my absence...

My daughter is growing up too fast and very demanding of my time.

We moved my sick grandmother in with us to help take care of her.

We bought a house.

We got a new dog (who is crazy wild).

Oh and last but not least...I'm pregnant!

This has been a crazy year for us and with the new addition coming to our family in January of 2014 I'm sure its going to be an even more crazy year to come.

I'm still getting past the morning sickness faze and trying to get back to feeling some kind of normal. Throwing up this morning doesn't help.

But now I'm craving pumpkin bread muffins... And don't feel like baking them at all. Ahhh story of my life.

Lol!

Well hopefully this will not be a random post with no follow up... I'll try to write and post pics soon.

The Ghost of Turkey's Past

The Ghost of Turkey Past.

By Christy Pohler, Jamie, Erin & Linda Chase

11/23/2012

    'Twas the day of Thanksgiving and all through the house

    not a creature was hungry and no one would rouse.

    The turkey was wrapped in foil without fear

    And knowing that leftovers would soon disappear.

    The family passed out on the couches and beds

    While players of football smashed in their heads.

    Ma' in her sweat pants and my buttons snapped,

    I slipped off to my room for an afternoon nap.

    While Ma' tucked away the last dinner platter

    My team is now losing so the game doesn't matter.

    Off to dreamland I flew like a flash

    Into Turkey coma I quickly crashed.

    Heaped mashed potatoes mounded like snow,

    I should not have had that last spoonful I know.

   When what to my wandering dreams should appear.

    But the ghost of a turkey drinking a beer.

    With a shriveled old waddle

    And a sharp pointed beak.

    He pointed at me, 

    "Its you that I seek!".

    

    As fierce as an eagle he waddled my way 

    My spine turned to jelly when he called me by name.

    "My cousin, my uncle, my great grandpa Jim, 

    My mother, my sister and most of my kin.

    From the breast to the gizzard

    From the great to the small, 

    You killed them.

    You cooked them.

    You ate them all!

    We planned our escape.

    We tried hard to fly.

    We couldn't get airborne

    and we're doomed to die. 

    To your axes and appetites I lost all I knew.

    Now how would you feel if this happened to you?"

    A turn in my tummy I felt I might heave,

    Ghost turkey exclaimed, "That's my cousin Steve!"

    I grew remorseful regretting my deeds. 

    "Great turkey, forgive me,"  I fervently plead!

    "I swear from this moment, when my tummy does growl,

    I'll curb all my urges from murder most fowl.

    My fine feathered friends are safe now I swear 

    Next holiday come I'll find different fair." 

    With a nod of his head and a sip from his bottle, 

    Out of my dreams the ghost turkey did waddle.

    In a sweat drenched panic I woke with a start. 

    A moment was needed to calm racing heart.

    Washing my face and combing my hair, 

    I gathered myself and walked down the stairs. 

    I entered the kitchen; room now in my belly. 

    With a craving for stuffing and cranberry jelly. 

    Ma's getting out turkey, "You want some, Sam?"

    I replied with a grimace, "I'll stick with HAM!"

God works in His own timing

My family recently sold their house which has been on the market for over 2 years. It has been a planned move for quite sometime and a desire of our hearts to be in the Hill Country of Texas. For the past 2 years since my father's brain injury it has been a winding road that God has laid out for them.

I am so excited about the new adventure in my family's life... But I can't help but feel a little sad at the thought of my family living 300 miles away , when my whole life they have been just around the corner.

I pray that the Lord blesses them on this new adventure and works out a new pathways for my family and I to be able to have the desires of our hearts as well.

the Lord knows where we're supposed to go and when were supposed to get there until the Lord removes his hand from our circumstances that allows us to move in his perfect timing we will just have to take mini road trips to the hill country to see my family.

Machine Embroidery

I've been a busy bee lately. My wonderful mother lent me her embroidery machine to practice some designs and get better at it till I get one of my own.

So far I have been going crazy with ideas and projects for the machine while I have it.
Check out some of the items that I've made so far.

Enjoy!

Hair cuts.

It's been over a year since B. and myself had to cut our hair. We were in desperate need of a trim. My hair has gotten so long yet I still find myself wanting to cut it short... What is it with fall weather that makes us girls go crazy with short haircuts? Every day after a shower I find myself pulling my hair up into a bun, ponytail, or some sort of French twist braid that has become my everyday hairstyles.

I caught myself on Pinterest the other day looking at short haircut and wanting for a tram so I ask my sister to at least cut off the dead ends to help relieve some of the fuss in the morning. I also decided that no more screaming and fighting and kicking over combing B's hair so we went for a Bob.

Check out some of the pictures below of B's haircut and some of the ones that I have saved for future reference my own Bobed haircut!

Houston quilt show...ideas ideas

Crooked Sister: ADORN=Amazing

I've been looking everywhere for the best either wristlet or hip bag. So far I have found a few ideas for making my own...which would be perfect if not for my crazy schedule. I've been trying to play catch up from the last two weeks of being sick and then down at my parents  for the funeral. My floors are a mess, there are piles of laundry and I have no energy to clean any of it.

I'm so emotionally exhausted that I just can't bring myself to do anything other than the basics. (Dishes and cooking...well and keeping Betsy from destroying the house.) I also got news that God has made a way to get me to the Houston Quilt Show with my mother, which I'm super excited about. I have yet to go to any of the big quilt shows...other than the local one that comes every year. I've heard really good things about the show.  I'm in the market for an embroidery machine and can't wait to check out the booths and see what they have there.

I'm hoping that I can make a nice easy to keep with me wristlet or hip bag for the long walking and shopping ahead of me in Houston. I can't wait to see what it all is like.

Check out the link above, so far this is one of the best I've found that matches my needs.

Enjoy!

One more reason to get to heaven!

Our entire world was turned upside down this past weekend when a dear friend of ours was killed. She was the kind of person who made you want to be just like her. She had her own gravity ...she would walk in the room and people would instantly be drawn to her.

I don't think its my place to say how, or what, or who...all I can say is that this world lost a light that shone brighter than any other, the day we lost her. She leaves behind 3 sons and a family that is grieving there precious daughter, sister, niece and friends who feel a loss that has left a gaping hole in their hearts!

We will never forget the friendship, laughter, jokes, and memories that she gave us in the short 29 years she was here.

Please pray for the family, friends and children left behind.

And my dear friend...please hug Baby Bear for me in heaven!

Pop Box Video With Templates

Good Morning!

So my internal alarm clock woke me up at 2:30 this morning and even two melatonin could not get me back to sleep...so I got up and started to YouTube and Pinterest a little to pass the time till I could do something productive!

I found this amazing die that looks totaly awesome for my Sizzix...but at $39.99 and on sale at $23.99 its a little out of my price range for just a cute little box.

SO in looking further I found this tutorial video from  elliesnipper and just love it! I actually prefer this one because I think I like the fact that it has the 4 un-folded sides to place photos or Christmas/Holiday greetings on it!

I think that this will be my next project to make before Christmas!

Also, check out her blog where you can find the FREE printable PDF templates to give it a try yourself!

Now I just need to go find a rubber band and print my templates!

Enjoy!

Folded Paper Wreath-Re-Do

Folded Paper 

Wreath-Re DO!

Original Folded Paper Wreath Tutorial

I found this awesome tutorial on making a folded paper wreath...check out the link here
<3

The tutorial shows that the wreath is made with red and green cut pieces of paper, however I had a bunch of scrap pages left laying around from last simester and so I thought I would try it out a little different. I made the same wreath with standard copy/print paper (I even up-cycled old school papers from last semester.)

You need: 12 - 8.5x11pieces of paper

1. Fold the page length way in half
2. Then fold the long rectangle in half again
3. With the open end facing up (away from you) fold the corners down (see the example picture below)
4. Then fold the paper in half again with the "Triangle" facing in. This differs a little from the tutorial linked above because instead of only folding the page in half once you are going to have more layers and in the end a little bit thicker wreath.
5. When you have folded all 12 pieces, stick the "Triangle" ends into the open centers of the next piece...keep doing this till all the ends are together and stick the first piece to the last piece.

Step No. 3-4

Step No. 5

Alternative Paper Wreath with 8.5x11 pages and 12 pieces

Add caption

With this wreath you can use up all those old pices of paper laying around and make a cute wreath form to decorate the house with. You could paint, staple, hot glue and generally DOLL UP the wreath with any seasons decor!

ENJOY!

Easy and fun children's crafts

Betsy has been asking me almost every morning to "Do some Crapts" (aka crafts)...this was an easy craft that we did for her "Grammy" as a present.

One of the things I have come to realize is that taking a few minutes out of each day to sit down and forget about dishes and laundry and all the other things that take up the day and focus on Betsy for at least half an hour to get her creativity started, helps to give her a better day. So we have started doing crafts in the morning after breakfast to be able to get the day started off right.

She loved making these easy Christmas bunting/banner and it showed me how much she has really advanced in hand eye coordination and in being able to sit down and focus on the task.

I used my sizzix big shot and my new Christmas Tree Die to cut out 6 trees, and I had pre-cut card stock strips which we glued them onto  with regular white glue. To make it easier on her we put a little glue on a plate and handed her a  Q-tip to apply the glue to the tree cut out. She then used the Q-tip to apply glue to the front with cute sound effects "Bloop-Bloop" as she dabbed glue onto the front and then "Shakey-shakey" with the glitter to add some "Sprklys" to it!

Betsy had a blast making these and when Grammy came over she  dragged her to the wall where they were hanging to dry so that she could show off her handy work!
I think we will be making many more of these in the next few weeks as Christmas presents for the family! (Shhhhhh don't tell them!)

We had fun and I hope you take a few minutes out of each day to enjoy some time with your little ones and make these lovely little banners!

Enjoy!