Frugal Friday...Bandanna Apron

Soph modeling her bandanna apron as she was about to run out the door for school!

Like I mentioned last week we are having a "Pioneer" Christmas this year, so to continue my frugal gift making ideas I want to share this apron with you. Soph went to a Brownie activity a few weeks ago and the girls made aprons out of bandannas. They all turned out really cute and they were easy to put together. This would make a cute gift for children, but also the adults were wearing them. It may not cover as much area, but it still looked sweet on the grown-ups!

The cost of this gift is just a few dollars. All you need is a bandanna ( I saw several cute Christmas ones at WalMart the other day), buttons, ribbon and fabric scraps.

The only sewing that needs to be done on the machine is to fold back the corner on one side a couple of inches. You could even do this by hand if you wanted to.

Next we tacked on ( a couple of holding stitches) either ribbon or some lengths of fabric for the neck ties and waist ties. We then sewed buttons on each tie to help hold it in place an for a little decoration.

The girls each decorated their aprons however they liked. We glued on ric rac or you could sew it. Soph used a fabric pen to write I love .... all down the front of her apron. Some girls traced their hands or glued fabric flowers around their apron. I got tickled watching the girls come up with their own designs.

This was a fun, easy project that fits right in with our Pioneer Christmas theme! Next Friday I'll share another fun, easy project that involves using old socks and dying:)

MMM- Genesis 1:27

As a parent I sometimes struggle with how to teach my children about the world they see around them. And lets face it, there are some things going on in this world that are hard to explain, especially to younger children. There are lifestyles and images of people that I may not agree with. Just how am I supposed to turn around and teach my children the complexities of these things, when I struggle with them myself?

This is when I delve into the root of my faith. As a Christian Catholic the foundation of my faith has been based on this scripture:

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27

We are taught that we are to uphold the dignity of every person...not just the ones who do right, not just the ones who make correct choices, not just the ones that are most like us, not just the ones who share our faith...ALL people. It is a faith that calls us to compassion and unity. We are not called to teach tolerance, but rather to live in a community in which the dignity of every person is held in esteem. And let me just say, that can sometimes be a tall order!

I'm often reminded of the words of a teacher I had as a child, "Look for Jesus in every person you meet, He is there. And sometimes you may be the only person to recognize him." How very true.

I feel blessed to sit in a pew each Sunday and listen to the scriptures and how they relate to my faith and our lives. I'm equally blessed to listen to my Priest as he teaches us how to love, not hate. How to embrace our differences, not ridicule or demean them. How to be what God wants us to be, not what society deems appropriate.

So when my child asks difficult questions about this world around them, I may stumble at times, but in the end I am confident that between their parents, their church, and their God they will find the right answers.

That is my Memorable Moment for this Monday...

Frugal Friday...Pioneer Christmas Decorations

On Wednesday I told you all how this Christmas we were sort of going with a theme, a Pioneer theme that is. My girls are having a wonderful time learning about what the pioneers did for the Christmas holidays. One of the really neat things is that the pioneers used what they had and made things from scratch, which is a great lesson in frugality! I plan on sharing many of our projects up until Christmas, because a lot of these are just easy, non-expensive ways to celebrate the holidays, plus a lot of fun.

Our first project were these tin can lanterns:

We've been saving soup cans, vegetable cans, tea canisters anything that is metal. Em takes off the label, rinses them out, and then fills them with water. We put them in the freezer to harden.

This is my outdoor freezer, please excuse the dirt. I believe the girls were stockpiling some mudpies in here!

Anyways, after the water is good and frozen you can make your designs. You might want to lay can on a towel to help keep the can still. Using a pin, make little dots on can in whatever pattern you like.

Now you take a nail and hammer gently through each dot. The frozen water inside helps the can to hold its shape during this process. You can use different size nails to make things even more interesting if you like.

To finish drain ice from cans and place a tea light inside. We're going to line our walkways with these so we'll add some sand to the bottom to keep from blowing away!

I just love the pretty patterns they cast. This has been so easy and didn't cost us much. Weren't those pioneers smart?!!!

For more frugal tips head over to Biblical Womanhood.

Works For Me Wednesday...Our Pioneer Christmas

I'm so excited about this Christmas because we've decided to follow a theme, a Pioneer Christmas. I'm not sure what brought this about. Maybe our move to the "country" or maybe my kids desire to learn about what people did long ago or maybe just a combination of things. But I will tell you it has brought new excitement to the holiday season here at Cotton-Top Hills. We've gotten a jump on things, since we've learned the pioneers had to plan months in advance for the holidays.

The ideas are endless and over the next several weeks I'll be posting about our projects, which include homemade gifts and decorations. Here is a picture of some of the books that have gotten us started:

My library didn't have these so I ordered them new and used from Amazon. The girls and I are enjoying going through each book. It has some great ideas and has also gotten the girls thinking about some of their own. Like wouldn't the pioneers made use of all these yuccas we have growing wild around here...how about some yucca soap. It's just a joy to watch them get excited and work together on things.

Also, we are being frugal. The pioneers didn't have much, but they scrapped together what they did have and made it a beautiful holiday. We're learning to appreciate that we don't have to have that flat screen TV or Wii to make our Christmas memorable. The pioneers encountered some very difficult times, but families pulled together and made the best of it. It's a wonderful Christmas spirit to have.

Anyway, this Pioneer Christmas is helping my family to really focus on the true meaning of Christmas this year. Check back on Friday for our first Frugal Pioneer Decorating Idea, it involves hammers and ice!!

For more WFMW ideas check at Shannon's blog.

To Those who served...

Happy Veteran's Day!
I have a secret to share with you...I cried off and on all day on November 5th. You want to know why? Because I was scared to death what the new elected President might do to this country and all the men and women who have fought for our freedom and constitutional rights, and are still fighting. Okay, then my liberal friends told me to get a grip..."how could it be worse" they said. Then my conservative friends said..."we will survive, we still have a voice". So I sucked it up, dried my tears, and told myself that this country has made it through all sorts of difficulties and our constitution has remained intact. So it is fitting that today I salute all those veterans who have helped to shape and mold this country, many did so under some very similar uncertain times. I must give special thanks to those family members who over this country's history stood up for what they believed in and defended it. You helped to shape and mold me as well!

To my Great, great, great grandfather Lear, thanks for taking a stand and fighting for your beliefs in the Civil War. If you only knew what history you were making, history that would change this country forever.

To my Gramp who fought for the Army during WWII. How foreign the land must have looked as you served in the China Burma India Theater as a young man from Indiana/Kentucky!

To my Great Uncle Johnny and Great Uncle Jimmy. Uncle Johnny, I can only imagine what it was like to fly your B-29 over the vast Pacific during WWII. Great Uncle Jimmy, just what was going through your head as you watched your fellow soldiers and friends fall during the Battle of the Bulge, yet you fought on for your country.
I loved listening to your war stories as a kid and adult, and greatly miss your presence at family gatherings, but your stories will be passed down, I promise.

To my Dad who signed up for the Army Reserves, even with Vietnam lurking in the background.

To my Uncle Roger who served in the Navy as a young man.

To my Uncle Bill, who graduated from Westpoint and went on to serve several tours in Vietnam. Thank you for continuing to serve you country for many years until you retired with three stars on your shoulder.
To my Uncle Tom for his time in the Air Force Reserves, that actually brought him across the country to what is now my hometown, during his basic training.

For WB's little brother, Mark, who left high school and went straight into the Coast Guard. Good to know you were defending our coast!

To Cousin Brian, who currently serves this country as an Army officer. Thank you for your continued dedication.

And finally to WB, my hubby. He wanted the Air Force to be his career, for serving honorably until God's insistent calling eventually pulled him in another direction.

What about you? Who would you like to thank on this Veteran's Day? And don't forget to say a prayer for those defending our country at this very moment.

Get Your Jingle On...

My friend Amy has tagged me for a "Jingle" post. She wanted to know if I had my jingle on. And I'm happy to say I have started some preparations for the Christmas holidays. I don't like to do too much before Thanksgiving, because well, I just love the fall season and don't like to rush it. So there will be no holiday music, decorating or the such until the day after Thanksgiving. But, as we all know it takes some time to get prepared for all the holiday fun so I have started on some things.

First of all we actually have our Christmas card done...well the final proof is being approved today. This is a huge feat in itself. Usually, WB and I keep waiting for the perfect setting and weather to take our family picture. Like the year we kept waiting for just a dusting of snow on the canyon for our backdrop, or the year we waited until we went to Lubbock for the Carol of Lights and then our batteries went dead after two clicks. You get the idea. Our Christmas cards in years past have ended up being Happy New Year cards, but not this year. We had a photographer come out to our house a few weeks ago and she is designing our Christmas card for this year. Whoopee, yee-haw, I got my jingle on!!

Secondly, we are celebrating a Pioneer Christmas this year ( I will be dedicating several posts to this starting next week). Guess what? The pioneers started getting ready for Christmas months in advance. That is what you must do when you're doing everything from scratch. So we've been dying, sewing, pounding, freezing, collecting around here for a few weeks now. It has been great fun and I can't wait to share some of it with you. It's kind of been our frugal and educational approach to the holidays, as well a lot of family fun:)

Okay, so do you have your jingle on? I'm supposed to pass this on to 3 of my friends so you can share with us what you've been up to so I'm going to pass it on to:
Connie
MaddieLynn
Karen

Many other of my blogging friends have already done some posts about Christmas so check out my blogroll to see what they are up too!!

Eating Ribs 101

Around here eating ribs is sort of an art form. My Dad is a master at stripping the bone completely clean. Because of this we were brought up under The Rib Enforcement Act of 1976, which clearly states that all meat must be cleared from the bone. In fact it was strictly enforced and we were not allowed another rib until we passed the rib inspection test. Okay, I may be exaggerating a little...no, no really that is how I remember it. My oldest daughter Em, passed this test early on, probably around the age of 2. Soph, my on and off vegetarian, hasn't put much stock in the Rib Enforcement Act until recently.

When my parents were here we had ribs. The following is documentation of the REA when put into effect:

This is what I mean folks. This is true dedication to the art of rib eating. She makes her Gramp proud!