tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77010878349749720992024-03-14T08:38:15.410-07:00Aprons and ApplesThe adventures of a thrifty modern homeschooling mama of 4 who loves anything crafty and domestic. Full of tutorials, tips and inspiration.www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.comBlogger326125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-1992542079812309122013-10-29T09:31:00.000-07:002013-10-29T09:31:29.916-07:00FREE Thanksgiving printable to make your own thanks GIVING tree to help you focus on gratitude !<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just saw this this morning and wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on this great FREE printable from Ann Voskamp author of "1000 gifts, a dare to live fully right where you are" . <br />
<img alt="DSC_6519" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/8164133280_01b38c7a68_z.jpg" /><br />
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<img alt="DSC_6470" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/8164108172_60509d9b78_z.jpg" /><br />
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Go to her blog<a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/10/when-youre-tired-of-missing-jesus-with-the-printable/"> "A Holy Experience" </a> to get this free printable to make your own thanks GIVING tree. A great exercise for the whole family. A chance to be creative and focus on being grateful during this often busy but beautiful season of gratitude. Ann is a mom of 6, wife to a farmer and best selling author so you may want to stick around and see what else she has to say..... I am always blessed whenever I read her stuff.<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-71517328853888812782013-10-28T19:39:00.004-07:002013-10-28T19:40:58.533-07:00The face of hunger...BE A HERO TODAY!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children who faint from hunger at every street corner." Lamentations 2:19 These 23 children do not have sponsors and live in Shanto Ethiopia. </div>
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They NEED YOU!!!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KI-Cbb7s7Bg/Um8dbivHiYI/AAAAAAAABOU/I8JDjQPY_eY/s1600/shanto+kids+that+need+sponsors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KI-Cbb7s7Bg/Um8dbivHiYI/AAAAAAAABOU/I8JDjQPY_eY/s640/shanto+kids+that+need+sponsors.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Click this link to sign up to sponsor a child <a class="" data-reactid=".r[5e57k].[1][4][1]{comment10151892433812860_10272205}.[0].{right}.[0].{left}.[0].[0].[0][3].[0].[0]" href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hopechest.org%2Fcommunity%2Fshanto%2Fsponsor&h=VAQFJ2DkB" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 14.545454025268555px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.hopechest.org/community/shanto/sponsor</a> . Your $35 a month goes so far to a starving child. PLEASE prayerfully consider how you can help RIGHT NOW before you get distracted. May we never get so comfortable that it is easy to look the other way. Starvation has a cure.. it is YOU! I have researched and been involved with this group for almost 2 years now. They are legit and the money you send goes exactly where you think it does. To feed, and help with school. BE A HERO..it is easy!<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-84513197308216778512013-06-11T21:16:00.000-07:002013-06-11T21:23:33.673-07:00RV remodel on a dime!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We have a family of 5 and a small budget. Last summer we really wanted a little RV we could take the family camping in. Our requirements? Small enough that we can afford the gas and big enough to sleep most of us (we can always pitch a tent). We also wanted something with low miles. We read all we could and found that Toyota Dolphins had a great engine that got up to 18 miles per gallon, a great layout and might be affordable if in bad enough shape on the inside. This is what we found... a 1983 Dolphin.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfXF8jMbA8U2GsZzjt8vbh9XJEy9sBUazE49Cn_PAiktWhbW1VFvi0_z8ObavGR1blKx9U7XC3UKOVSXbt-5Umc6FoxpuftK0tIAMJVWy7no0KMC1SFNvkMLddepJUOdsYIwAJR-Xjbo/s1600/IMG_5297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfXF8jMbA8U2GsZzjt8vbh9XJEy9sBUazE49Cn_PAiktWhbW1VFvi0_z8ObavGR1blKx9U7XC3UKOVSXbt-5Umc6FoxpuftK0tIAMJVWy7no0KMC1SFNvkMLddepJUOdsYIwAJR-Xjbo/s320/IMG_5297.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Yep.. Clearly in bad enough shape. I forgot to get more photos, but it was in sorry shape. The back end was missing the mattress and had only a small blow up mattress on a sheet of plywood. Everything was 80's from the floral wallpaper to the wood paneling cabinets. UGLY! The good part? It was cheap and though it was a 5 hours drive away (found on craigslist) the engine only had 60,000 original miles on it!!!!<br />
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So first things first.. We pulled the disgusting carpet out and painted the floors with floor paint. Then my husband built a cool stool/ bench behind the front seat for out little ones to climb into the overhead bed. We then pulled out the non functioning closet to make for more end of bed space on the bed in back (pictured below). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYMxuJtPbrM8PbvBzmnrbyA-7BrhD0tSaPmhpnT4kWUnBrerlZiylUkEUTq8eutx9K_RsmyZb7s-ANwUTsuHQwMLid_GE1SZdRVYwU8I0M2CpKBQkBUXJhaa1uielLR7aebDnjgPOf5k/s1600/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYMxuJtPbrM8PbvBzmnrbyA-7BrhD0tSaPmhpnT4kWUnBrerlZiylUkEUTq8eutx9K_RsmyZb7s-ANwUTsuHQwMLid_GE1SZdRVYwU8I0M2CpKBQkBUXJhaa1uielLR7aebDnjgPOf5k/s320/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+143.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We then started painting...everything! the cabinets got painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint so we wouldn't have to sand, and the walls were painted blue as was the floral wallpaper in the bathroom. We replaced the skinny air mattress with a nice piece of foam we had and covered it with a sheet in a matching color. When it was completed we grabbed some throw pillows from a garage sale to bring the color scheme together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPePuckKDNuDM01MCpsHSfD5MH9HKoz09l-3Prj_4KPOiyHXcfuhAUjdI9Mzkdlx-V6PNOtwUic43H5_6vifvKcCyFvKQwyQFYQy79m1zi3Wu3V9xnszXsoVfVr2xoKkPMDnQiPBl7OVk/s1600/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPePuckKDNuDM01MCpsHSfD5MH9HKoz09l-3Prj_4KPOiyHXcfuhAUjdI9Mzkdlx-V6PNOtwUic43H5_6vifvKcCyFvKQwyQFYQy79m1zi3Wu3V9xnszXsoVfVr2xoKkPMDnQiPBl7OVk/s320/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We removed those annoying blinds that were always clanging around and replaced them with curtains. We mounted a clock and Josh secured a seat belt system for the two car seats. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqU9h203m11j45pjlfpUtYVz-tHMFdRp0qF2Dhz_4uzFO3gK-okn5ZsiUzu1qNjylXSRrBbNZ-IeXYuhAAXqUr1IOrwuOUp-BJrB1EGhzDJ7uprX59rcvtQ8eNhdZ3HUyyUudXj2n4smk/s1600/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqU9h203m11j45pjlfpUtYVz-tHMFdRp0qF2Dhz_4uzFO3gK-okn5ZsiUzu1qNjylXSRrBbNZ-IeXYuhAAXqUr1IOrwuOUp-BJrB1EGhzDJ7uprX59rcvtQ8eNhdZ3HUyyUudXj2n4smk/s320/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+145.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I recovered the bench that the two car seats are on with foam and fabric I had on hand. This is the bench pictured in the first photo. Sure looks a lot different with some new fabric! I just stapled gunned it on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWu77X1oVCuNm8CRzdBgb19Kux_LSwYXOZVN7w5UabTQOg8vNm4xRvnt2N_yV9XO59cst6RTE_bM-Bkdebm9NRTFOkXe4i9tONWhBEAVWAok5_obYKJY0AaXPaTFbfwILLqKAdjW_Ned0/s1600/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWu77X1oVCuNm8CRzdBgb19Kux_LSwYXOZVN7w5UabTQOg8vNm4xRvnt2N_yV9XO59cst6RTE_bM-Bkdebm9NRTFOkXe4i9tONWhBEAVWAok5_obYKJY0AaXPaTFbfwILLqKAdjW_Ned0/s320/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+146.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Those delicious tomatoes pictured below are from my husbands garden and they were SO delicious. I mean who goes camping with out a pile of fresh tomatoes right? I must say they didn't travel well there and we had to move them into the sink.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY_pXCXgBYCV26OTMVElthFAdBuQ5JUoarJW6p1HYbLWMzHIgH9hyphenhyphenWNfBeKSr0qJLQwIwhoqXbswGCt4b3tsNW70M3dI2PSHTRccQatgCA99gPIHk7ZUj8ytt1I3E2-zSRWbulf-i-O0/s1600/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY_pXCXgBYCV26OTMVElthFAdBuQ5JUoarJW6p1HYbLWMzHIgH9hyphenhyphenWNfBeKSr0qJLQwIwhoqXbswGCt4b3tsNW70M3dI2PSHTRccQatgCA99gPIHk7ZUj8ytt1I3E2-zSRWbulf-i-O0/s320/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+147.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We ripped out the broken curtain divider that was between the above cab bed and the rest of the rv. We also used beadboard paneling to recover the fridge, and go around the camper at waist height to cover some interior wall damage, and give the place some style. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5_PhB1hTI29RD_2R7NL4FOpNlZHr8TvjdgH5FbSlymqJxS7nDlQudGVfmXs9WZg1WcsgEsN52vjbrifeV9D5VNotKtD04jXCe4x2jfRqW8ZnRg0zxKSzV8ZQu-OKWGqoHGOhS65IctQ/s1600/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5_PhB1hTI29RD_2R7NL4FOpNlZHr8TvjdgH5FbSlymqJxS7nDlQudGVfmXs9WZg1WcsgEsN52vjbrifeV9D5VNotKtD04jXCe4x2jfRqW8ZnRg0zxKSzV8ZQu-OKWGqoHGOhS65IctQ/s320/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+148.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We love our cozy little Rv and the whole makeover was pretty darn cheap!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIOueJI-Hzag6_suP0yRMLs5X_R-RmQji73CJQX3RpIVhzlpTACbtUX6zzCf2t0zjBtVKgYxT3k9k-Xu768nn9Ur03zZyExjuKytMjz2aZyWWYn0Z7Lz20-C_gymIPMMAmVSNBWqJoHM/s1600/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIOueJI-Hzag6_suP0yRMLs5X_R-RmQji73CJQX3RpIVhzlpTACbtUX6zzCf2t0zjBtVKgYxT3k9k-Xu768nn9Ur03zZyExjuKytMjz2aZyWWYn0Z7Lz20-C_gymIPMMAmVSNBWqJoHM/s320/Canon+power+shot+July+through+August+2012+149.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
It did take a few man hours though! Just goes to show what you can do for under $200! We finished it last summer and I just kept forgetting to blog about it, but thought those of you remodeling might like a little inspiration! There is a light at the end of the tunnel! We had a GREAT trip around Colorado last summer and hope to do something great again this year like hitting up the peach orchards again or going to Pagosa Springs. What do you think?<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-64499655724704367402013-05-30T15:31:00.000-07:002013-05-30T15:31:29.054-07:00DELICIOUS 100% Whole Grain Kamut - Spelt Bread Recipe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Recently I discovered that some of my stomach troubles were caused by wheat. I am not allergic, but just intolerant enough that it was messing with my digestion and making my nauseated and bloated. I LOVE bread so that was a big bummer. The good thing is that I discovered 2 amazing grains related to wheat, spelt and kamut that could be tolerated well by most wheat intolerant people. Both of these grains can replace modern wheat in most recipes. Over the years modern wheat has been hybridized to make it easier for farmers to grow, easier to harvest and cheaper. I still think modern whole wheat is healthy and full of good nutrients but it bothers my stomach. So now I just bake with these grains instead.<br />
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Kamut has a sweet nutty flavor and is my favorite. It bakes nicely and 1/4 cup uncooked has 7 grams of protein. Kamut is actually the brand name of Khorsan wheat. It is chock full of minerals and is a good source of selenium, zinc, magnesium and iron. Spelt is also high in protein and can replace wheat in many recipes. It is also high in magnesium, zinc and iron as well as phosphorus. The best part is that all of my family (my plethora of kids and husband) all LOVE this bread.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LqzTEA8phQtvxW44va7rpcFQ86aPhw-R8vQm2K2CMdU-9kccRrCohluRP7gD-tKOxoUR4CZCLKBt2TUH0Z-qnO5gmgO_l6qeP7BltNeFajlBClBJNI_2sqxweGxp4wNcKN1Gcaz1sUE/s1600/IMG_5934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LqzTEA8phQtvxW44va7rpcFQ86aPhw-R8vQm2K2CMdU-9kccRrCohluRP7gD-tKOxoUR4CZCLKBt2TUH0Z-qnO5gmgO_l6qeP7BltNeFajlBClBJNI_2sqxweGxp4wNcKN1Gcaz1sUE/s320/IMG_5934.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We bought a bosch bread mixer and make this bread in large batches that will make 5 loaves at a time. This way we can eat some fresh and slice the rest and freeze it. <br />
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Kamut-Spelt Bread</h3>
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This makes 5 loaves, and you can use all kamut or all spelt if you choose. This recipe came from a cookbook called "Healthy Recipes from the Heart of our Homes" a cookbook developed especially for the bosch mixer. You can of course adapt this for a different mixer but cutting the recipe in half.</div>
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Preheat oven to 375.</div>
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In the bosch mixer with dough hooks in place: </div>
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5 cups of warm water</div>
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1/3 cup honey</div>
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1/3 cup oil (I use organic olive oil or coconut oil)</div>
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1 Tbsp dough enhancer</div>
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4 cups freshly ground spelt flour</div>
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3 Tbsp yeast</div>
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Mix thoroughly for 15 seconds. Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes until bubbly.</div>
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Add: 2 Tbsp Salt </div>
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1/4 cup vital wheat gluten</div>
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4-6 cups freshly-ground kamut flour</div>
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4 eggs (I use local cage free eggs)</div>
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Enough spelt or kamut flour to clean the side of the bowl.</div>
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Knead on speed 1 for 3 minutes. (Please note that you should only knead spelt and kamut for only 3 minutes or you will overdevelop the gluten and have flat loaves.) Form into 5 loaves. Place into well oiled loaf pans. Let rise until double. Lower heat to 350. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.</div>
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Enjoy and let me know how yours turns out!</div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-18370087313655891872013-05-25T19:41:00.000-07:002013-05-25T19:41:53.049-07:00Shoes, Orphans and Ethiopia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a guest post by a friend of mine Ingrid who works tirelessly with a very trusted group </div>
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that serves the poorest of the poor in Ethiopia. Ingrid's blog can be found here</div>
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<a class="c_nobdr t_prs" href="http://www.reachinghiskids.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; outline: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3366ff; line-height: normal;">www.reachinghiskids.blogspot.com</span></a></div>
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Famine, Poverty and Injustice...</h3>
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Right now I'm raising $6,000 for 300 pairs of shoes for my little friends in Ethiopia. </div>
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Fundraising scares me, I feel very inadequate to raise the funds but I know that </div>
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<b>God loves these children WAY more than I do</b> and HE will provide for them.</div>
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I visited these children this past March and almost immediately knew that this shoe </div>
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project needed to happen ASAP! <i>The reason is the picture below.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2XhzZXwU4kPj_NfNz3AKb_KY3y-RGO4Ng9YiLB0bID5p1PqVKm_JVCXcStUsIpX44gN1BcGVBF-Wx-REE7NK2jbTwAGjOzsmdVluTkzCNrTgxXEQ-s257pR4khkZwPeyyu7_0efnwSRk/s1600/DSC_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #13134e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2XhzZXwU4kPj_NfNz3AKb_KY3y-RGO4Ng9YiLB0bID5p1PqVKm_JVCXcStUsIpX44gN1BcGVBF-Wx-REE7NK2jbTwAGjOzsmdVluTkzCNrTgxXEQ-s257pR4khkZwPeyyu7_0efnwSRk/s640/DSC_0115.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>January 2011</b></div>
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I actually took this picture on my first trip to Ethiopia in January 2011. </div>
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These shoes belonged to a precious boy named Israel. <b>When I got him a new pair </b></div>
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<b>of shoes from our donations he cried.</b></div>
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I cried. </div>
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My life was changed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrolGlHKGVB06bZz7rn8oz6Ni-hdyPVZMZpepTC7F6QBxtjmHpfLKXu9KJUB1WCGtdXOpxXm-sk2-ZnC68lYaog4ZAsyLGS2dW1ep5QhWwoXMmhpZRCzS92L_yD2zaIKT68DXDDH-4RsV/s1600/DSC_0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #13134e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrolGlHKGVB06bZz7rn8oz6Ni-hdyPVZMZpepTC7F6QBxtjmHpfLKXu9KJUB1WCGtdXOpxXm-sk2-ZnC68lYaog4ZAsyLGS2dW1ep5QhWwoXMmhpZRCzS92L_yD2zaIKT68DXDDH-4RsV/s640/DSC_0124.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="424" /></a></div>
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<b>January 2011</b> </div>
<br />As I held him, both of us crying, I knew that I simply could NOT go home and ever be the same.<br /><br />This past March I had the privilege of seeing Israel again and <b>oh my, he had grown, </b></div>
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<b>he was taller than me!</b> <i>A <b>HUGE</b> testament to how much these children are benefiting</i></div>
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<i> from the feeding program.</i><br /><br />Within moments of walking into the school, I spotted Israel's face. After I hugged him, </div>
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I soon noticed something that<br /><br />broke<br /><br />my<br /><br />heart,<br /><br /><b>Israel was barefoot</b>.<br /><br />This boy has a special place in my heart and I <b>REALLY</b> wanted to bring him shoes. </div>
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Children's HopeChest and FOVC have asked that we try to give donations/gifts that</div>
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are similar for all the children. Therefore, I wasn't able to bring Israel shoes because </div>
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we didn't have enough room to bring 150 pairs, one for every child. Throughout the week, </div>
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Israel would smile at me and I often wondered <b>if he was thinking about the shoes</b></div>
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<b> because I was. </b><br /><br />After he outgrew the pair from 2011, he receive another pair from FOVC in 2012. </div>
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Unfortunately, because of lack of funding this past year, FOVC couldn't provide shoes in 2013. </div>
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Therefore, many of the children are barefoot or wearing very worn shoes.<br /><br />Ugh! <b>My heart is broken and I SO desperately want to provide new shoes. </b></div>
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$6,000 will provide 300 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs per child for the next year.<br /><br />PLEASE donate a pair (or 2) today. Follow <a href="https://secure3.convio.net/chc/site/Donation2?df_id=2960&2960.donation=form1&set.custom.Child_Reference_Number=ET3101000" style="color: #13134e; text-decoration: none;">THIS LINK </a>to make a donation. </div>
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I, along with Israel and 149 other of my little friends in Ethiopia, greatly appreciate your support.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6n-kpx928K9CpBJjI_cQSDL2Ydqyx1xvgNmYMOM4FJXA00Juk38sksLW_-Nf-wgKrtxNoie744ZLFXM3OrCGLne2xrfH6AuR-BHZiR_6dOhCw2EjzyPhlplIjO6TG9WIhjYjaPmlE6bDY/s1600/IMG_5166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #7c7c7c; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6n-kpx928K9CpBJjI_cQSDL2Ydqyx1xvgNmYMOM4FJXA00Juk38sksLW_-Nf-wgKrtxNoie744ZLFXM3OrCGLne2xrfH6AuR-BHZiR_6dOhCw2EjzyPhlplIjO6TG9WIhjYjaPmlE6bDY/s640/IMG_5166.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="426" /></a></div>
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<b>March 2013</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Thank you Ingrid for working so tirelessly for these little ones and being bold</b></div>
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<b>on their behalf! I would love to help her raise the funds by spreading the word! </b></div>
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<b> Please help if you can and please share this on pinterest and on facebook </b></div>
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<b>to put shoes on these little ones feet. Shoes are just one of the many blessings</b></div>
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<b>we take for granted every day. Lets celebrate our gratitude for these things </b></div>
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<b>by sharing what we have and spreading the word!</b></div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-13171298178519721942013-04-23T10:42:00.000-07:002013-04-23T10:42:01.650-07:00Wheat & Sugar Free Lemon Cranberry Chia Seed Scones...SO GOOD!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have been eating wheat, sugar, and dairy free (except plain yogurt) for almost a month now. I had my 5th baby in January and am really trying hard to get the last pounds off that seem particularly fond of sticking around. I must say that giving up these foods (even fruit other than grapefruit) has helped. I have also been hitting the gym 4-5 days a week and loving it. In the meantime I would love to tell you that I just don't even care about food. but a foodie ALWAYS loves good food healthy or otherwise.</div>
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So while eating wheat and completely sugar free (a temporary thing for me till the baby weight drops off) I still need a baking fix! I was feeling like a lemon poppy seed muffin but the traditional recipes are laden with sugar, wheat and dairy. So I settled on the idea of a spelt lemon cranberry chia seed scone with no sugar and made with stevia, coconut oil and nutrient packed chia seeds. I merged and tweaked a spelt scone recipe and a healthy lemon poppy seed muffin recipe. It was delicious the first time around but I knew I could do better. So after church today I whipped up the recipe once more with a few tweaks. I love it!</div>
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This is what I came up with....</div>
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Spelt Lemon Cranberry Chia Seed Scones</div>
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(Wheat and Sugar Free)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AHtAL3PketskLeD_t84v_AECsJBkju0Y3phtqE5Ht8i6aNhQ022siYiQNH45qw3rG50pIykezGm3D4XtVOuqCf-z6DFjVrWxAmhE_4aC7XRmNVasGnSBaAvVdQtu5z_rf-ZE31-MHvQ/s1600/IMG_5926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AHtAL3PketskLeD_t84v_AECsJBkju0Y3phtqE5Ht8i6aNhQ022siYiQNH45qw3rG50pIykezGm3D4XtVOuqCf-z6DFjVrWxAmhE_4aC7XRmNVasGnSBaAvVdQtu5z_rf-ZE31-MHvQ/s400/IMG_5926.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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4 Cups spelt flour</div>
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2 Tbsp Chia seeds</div>
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2-3 Tbsp of stevia mixed with fiber I use "Stevia plus"</div>
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(U<a href="https://www.vitacostrewards.com/3HBxt3">se this link to get a $10 off coupon for "stevia plus" from Vitacost</a>) </div>
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2 tsp baking powder</div>
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1/2 tsp baking soda</div>
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1 tsp sea salt</div>
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1/4 cup coconut oil warmed</div>
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1/2 cup yogurt</div>
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1/2 cup water</div>
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2 large eggs</div>
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2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice ( a little more for a stronger flavor)</div>
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1 Tbsp lemon zest</div>
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1/2 cup frozen cranberries</div>
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Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix all wet ingredients including the warmed coconut oil so it is in liquid form, and beat in the two eggs. Now mix the two together. Then fold in the cranberries. If they are large chop them up in to smaller parts. I use organic ones from "Azure Standard" and they are smaller than conventional ones so I don't bother to chop them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8O7kirBBdMefQIXZbzscTJD9OekCT73LkEKPC1k7LpcKMls7DBXILSFOJ0jx50_lzlSxWbFyqJAGQmUlUq3KolKqW4wN0brebbpKkLyBm-627yLYgbHPCqXZdOnQqpD8KQQ-M0164Ng/s1600/IMG_5919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8O7kirBBdMefQIXZbzscTJD9OekCT73LkEKPC1k7LpcKMls7DBXILSFOJ0jx50_lzlSxWbFyqJAGQmUlUq3KolKqW4wN0brebbpKkLyBm-627yLYgbHPCqXZdOnQqpD8KQQ-M0164Ng/s320/IMG_5919.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pat the dough into two balls then pat them down into two circles as shown above.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRugOKp2RhqH3UERVdmZrFvUfXD0-xVmErQ-laEEP25k1ht4GXf5I8hKsASclY8PsNncFS5d_2CPPbw9hAdQufuHCZVST0VdVdKk1UkOt_6XPEwiLBoU2fOFagGJV5Aksgwf3pV9U3OSM/s1600/IMG_5920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRugOKp2RhqH3UERVdmZrFvUfXD0-xVmErQ-laEEP25k1ht4GXf5I8hKsASclY8PsNncFS5d_2CPPbw9hAdQufuHCZVST0VdVdKk1UkOt_6XPEwiLBoU2fOFagGJV5Aksgwf3pV9U3OSM/s320/IMG_5920.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now slice the raw dough into 8 slices as you would a pie.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3K6_7N-aBg1gg-K3RiZ4y8uZAnlBLlDURf2Pcx4knozf4KgE3f4VZUyMmnL88GkoVl4gmuj8LfKcTd_PUhkdxvdqgJGGoAfBr3B2-zVFNCSf_bn08YGhnej57LuUddF5n8ontdJpQC0/s1600/IMG_5921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3K6_7N-aBg1gg-K3RiZ4y8uZAnlBLlDURf2Pcx4knozf4KgE3f4VZUyMmnL88GkoVl4gmuj8LfKcTd_PUhkdxvdqgJGGoAfBr3B2-zVFNCSf_bn08YGhnej57LuUddF5n8ontdJpQC0/s320/IMG_5921.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then separate out the scones to bake so that they do not touch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tsYom35Cw5XbRl81qX3-HiGmPbCKafbcy8WxT4EZjnO27hGJwsZ8aRIkGp2FKtsGrQ-zUyog5-g6HfsFEgtGZv_nPfZ8gAlR2V-09E5BrEhByu9wGQQBE7HpNM8OqhipIe1ib81YQJQ/s1600/IMG_5922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tsYom35Cw5XbRl81qX3-HiGmPbCKafbcy8WxT4EZjnO27hGJwsZ8aRIkGp2FKtsGrQ-zUyog5-g6HfsFEgtGZv_nPfZ8gAlR2V-09E5BrEhByu9wGQQBE7HpNM8OqhipIe1ib81YQJQ/s320/IMG_5922.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bake at 350 for 18-23 minutes till slightly golden brown.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnqRZRFYL-oTmfWwQ8GZrU-tb2u9Qk4IQHuefK2W-G3FWhkjhweph_jgQP-wTrBIJfkaB4uoWgACQnXehj_UfHt7NAt66HTrnSB5c3VbNHQGnmjKjZPF4CmDSq7gyP6yayDF_3EyK3o4/s1600/IMG_5923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnqRZRFYL-oTmfWwQ8GZrU-tb2u9Qk4IQHuefK2W-G3FWhkjhweph_jgQP-wTrBIJfkaB4uoWgACQnXehj_UfHt7NAt66HTrnSB5c3VbNHQGnmjKjZPF4CmDSq7gyP6yayDF_3EyK3o4/s320/IMG_5923.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now just try to resist them... no wait don't worry about it... they are good for you!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSVEsuV9Uyj6TyaKR46Sa8KuOAHzPvNFj0siG3UvtmO2-kT4RFMZ7_ZhU1UqByowlChFjmQhif0mtJXrTryNEHdFdo02wmbizgbX_9nzQZnJKX_QRsz8Aje1a8ArhYig7eLVMvsCqNmk/s1600/IMG_5927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSVEsuV9Uyj6TyaKR46Sa8KuOAHzPvNFj0siG3UvtmO2-kT4RFMZ7_ZhU1UqByowlChFjmQhif0mtJXrTryNEHdFdo02wmbizgbX_9nzQZnJKX_QRsz8Aje1a8ArhYig7eLVMvsCqNmk/s320/IMG_5927.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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They were a hit with my sugar loving, wheat eating friends as well. YUMMY!</div>
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Have a great wheat and sugar free recipe? Share it with us in the comments below!</div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-61926892814340506302013-04-09T20:26:00.000-07:002013-04-09T20:26:57.339-07:00DIY lux face, hand, and diaper cream homemade from whipped coconut & shea butter!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I love, love love this stuff! I cannot get enough of it. You know it has to be good if I am bothering to make it with 5 kids and homeschooling! Ok it doesn't hurt that it is really fast and easy and works for a plethora of uses. Yes I did say plethora! Pretty sure I learned that word from the movie "The Three Amigos" in the early 90's. Anyway...this all natural moisturizer is not only highly effective, free of unwanted chemicals and additives, but it is made from 2 of natures most amazing products coconut oil and shea butter. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzqTu0q5oBAeMBcmBo1eNdxdnl3MlY7_jRLS1oADXbPwGUKM4U8z-DWDzszwnsFY2NHtD54N6Ahyh87Yl2dfEm6UMM1kHqGlxGuSEvhLiaGC8xjTp6EOlKSmdUvbf6kN6lxvzX0Bas4U/s1600/IMG_5819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzqTu0q5oBAeMBcmBo1eNdxdnl3MlY7_jRLS1oADXbPwGUKM4U8z-DWDzszwnsFY2NHtD54N6Ahyh87Yl2dfEm6UMM1kHqGlxGuSEvhLiaGC8xjTp6EOlKSmdUvbf6kN6lxvzX0Bas4U/s400/IMG_5819.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Coconut oil and shea butter are some of the best possible ingredients when it comes to skin care! If you aren't familiar with coconut oils miraculous healing powers be sure to read my earlier post "<a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2012/02/20-new-reasons-to-love-coconut-oil.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda';">One of nature's best healers! 20 NEW reasons to love coconut oil!</a>". I can't go on with this recipe without letting you first know why it is so fabulous for your skin. This combo is unlike most commercial moisturizers in that most commercial moisturizers are filled with water so the lotion becomes ineffective as soon as the water dries on your skin. They are also often filled with additives, and petroleum byproducts that are carcinogenic and can suffocate skin causing breakouts. Coconut oil and shea butter on the other hand are rich and truly moisturize your skin down at the deepest levels where they are even responsible for strengthening the underlying tissue . They are both excellent at treating acne as they kill off bacteria and acne is a bacterial infection Coconut oil also helps remove the dead, dry, flaky layers that causes rough and dull skin. Convinced? Not yet? Well African Shea (pronounced shay) butter has been proven to reduce the appearance of lines, scars and stretch marks as well as ease a host of skin irritations such as psoriasis, eczema, and sunburn. WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE!<br />
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So here it is... your super simple 2 ingredient beauty wonder,,,</h3>
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Combine 1 cup African shea butter and 1/2 cup coconut oil. </div>
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Mix on medium high with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes till you get a nice whip cream texture. I make big batches to jar in several containers so I have diaper cream, body butter, and portable hand cream.</div>
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That is it! Now you have an AMAZING face, body, hand and diaper cream that moisturizes at the deepest level, clarifys skin, strengthens the underlying tissue, reduces the signs of aging, scars, lines and stretch marks while treating eczema, psoriasis, and other irritations! I buy my coconut oil at Costco for a very inexpensive $22 for 78 ozs and the African shea butter I got from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XL4IN2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">amazon</a> for around $18 for 32 oz. with shipping. I will never go back to a commercial face or diaper cream again! My face feels amazing after using this. I use it every morning and night. I used it on my baby when he was a newborn with a terrible rash that nothing would touch! The secret was this cream plus a few shakes of corn starch each diaper change. It is all we ever use now. You can use it as chap stick, hand cream, body butter, for stretch marks, for acne, sun burn cream etc.... Let me know how it works for you!</div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-62187798364021064182013-03-27T21:18:00.002-07:002013-03-27T21:56:04.349-07:00Taking off the weight - What really works<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Minnow (AKA Trek) now at 10 wks</td></tr>
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With a masters degree in natural health and a love for all things healthy it is easy to give nutrition advice. This time, however, after the birth of our fifth kiddo I find myself 14 pounds over my normal weight and needing to shed the weight myself. So I am not only giving advice I am sharing what I am currently doing to help loose that weight myself.<br />
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I had our 5th child January 6th Trek Anderson Neeley. I LOVE HIM TO PIECES! He is so precious. The one thing I do not love is the extra weight he left me with! Now that he is a few months old I am working to take it all off. I had 17 pounds to go when he was around 6-7 wks old. I now have 14 lbs and am so glad it is not more! One thing I noticed when searching the web for post natal weight loss ideas was that a lot of the tips were only helpful if you weren't already making healthy choices. Suggestions to give up soda and fast food although good ideas aren't that helpful if you already subscribe to a healthy lifestyle. So if you haven't already start by eliminating the obvious junk like soda, candy, and processed foods. Now if you are already past that I discovered there were not a lot of new ideas really, just the same tried and true stuff that applies to all of healthy living. So here is where I am at in the process and what I am doing to shed this weight as fast as possible!.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Make time for you!</span></h3>
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The first thing I did to start that process was to get my sweet little minnow on a 2 1/2 to 3 hr feeding schedule so that I have the freedom to leave "little minnow" with daddy while I work out. A bit of set aside time makes a big difference. If you plan exercise ahead of time it will happen. If you expect it to just happen it won't.</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Drink to your health</span></b></h3>
I try to drink a lot of water and herbal tea and throw in some lemon to keep bloating at bay and detox the system. I know you have all heard this a million times! However keeping track of how much you drink a day and using a sports bottle with a straw really helps me. <br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Exercise</span></b></h3>
I joined a gym... That was a biggy for me as we don't have extra cash lying around with 5 kids, but it allows me to focus on working out and keeps me from having to stop every few minutes to help kiddos. I try to go early before my husband leaves for work. He is great about filling in for me that hour and gets the kids fed and going on their morning routine. One thing that helps in that department is to have the kids know what is expected of them. Every day is the same in that they all know to get dressed, make beds, and clean rooms up before breakfast. Then they eat and do their chores (bathroom and dishes) before we start homeschool at 8 to 8:30. So whether it is me or dad they can keep the morning moving along.<br />
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Find alternates to the gym that you can do if you can't get help with the kids. Here are a few I like..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shape.com/sites/shape.com/files/imagecache/gallery_full_image/photo_gallery_picture_images/trouble-zone-toners-intro.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fight the Fat and Win!" border="0" height="200" src="http://www.shape.com/sites/shape.com/files/imagecache/gallery_full_image/photo_gallery_picture_images/trouble-zone-toners-intro.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SHAPE magazines Top 10 Moves to Tone Your Trouble Zones<br />Need to get rid of saddlebags, arm flab, or a muffin top? Use these moves to fight flab at home—and win!"</td></tr>
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Workout at home with <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/search/label/work%20outs">these workouts posted on my blog that don't require a gym or expensive equipment</a>.<br />
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Work out with a video series like Turbo Jam, Insanity or P90X<br />
Work out with free online workout videos from netflix, hulu, youtube, etc,,<br />
<img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UlYYML7Dd5tDBBeDNBgF5sGSYdlT-JcDRs7KAj4AeFDo92gP_UdHjKkCCw3OZmxW_xhHNWNLtb15ToN4BUHselv64GHCe3vLbHCmrDRGeaCXmj7h4xkPp4IZfLJ87PaTXmOvawJzlp4/s400/you+tube+workout+videos.jpg" width="400" /><br />
Visit <a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/01/25-of-best-you-tube-workout-videos.html" target="_blank">six sisters stuff</a> a great blog for a complete list of 25 workouts you can just click on! Thanks girls!<br />
Grab your dumbells and throw a few reps in between commercials while you are watching TV at night. Take the kids for a hike, push that huge stroller all over town, dance with the kids to pandora, or just set the timer for 30 minutes and do whatever exercises come to mind till it goes off. <br />
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Take advantage of FREE APPS that help you with free workouts, diet and exercise logs, motivate you or track your progress. I like the free Nike Training Club app from itunes so far the best, but there is A LOT out there!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from Total Beauty</td></tr>
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Follow this link from <a href="http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/skinny-apps" target="_blank">Total Beauty</a> for "12 apps that will make you skinny". Great resource!<br />
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Exercise is a HUGE component to weight loss, and body shaping, but so is diet. By diet I do not mean to go on one! Just adjust the quality of what you eat. I follow these rules to keep me on track..</h2>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Try to skip as much as possible packaged pre-made foods. </span></b></h3>
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<b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b>When you do by packaged foods read labels. All natural is a good start but even sugar can claim that so look a little deeper. Keep in mind if it is not organic and it is from a large company like kraft or gm the grains may be genetically modified since they are not required to label it as such. So try to stick to organic. I can't afford to do everything organic so I usually make a homemade version wherever possible</div>
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<span style="color: red;"><br /> Focus on what to eat not just what not to eat. </span> </h3>
I add extra veggies and beans to soups, casseroles, eggs, and most any dinner dish to up the nutrition, fiber and taste factor. This is easier to do if you have a fridge stocked with veggies. Right now I have cucumbers, carrots, beets, onions, garlic, celery, kale, spinach, mixed field greens, zucchini, mushrooms, and Tons of fruit in my fridge. That gives me and the kids a ton of snack options... I have lots of recipes here on this blog just check out <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes" target="_blank">this link to see the recipes</a> from healthy egg rolls on the grill, homemade tortillas, to granola and other staples. There are lots to be inspired by and they are all simple if I made them!<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Go quality and eat those super foods!</span></b></h3>
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I love adding quinoa, chia seeds, barley, nuts etc.. into snacks, muffins, smoothies, and meals to bump up the nutrition level. I have a whole list of "newer" super foods on a previous post <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2012/02/complete-list-of-top-10-new-superfoods.html" target="_blank">here "10 new super foods!"</a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Avoid white flour and white sugar</span></b></h3>
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Choose whole grains and healthier sweeteners like stevia, xylitol, sucanat, and honey or date puree. I have a whole article on all natural healthier sweeteners <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/04/sweet-stuff-line-upnatural-sweeteners.html" target="_blank">HERE at "The Sweet Stuff Line up"</a> and it gives you the low down on chemical sweeteners as well. Stevia, xylitol, sucanat, and honey are all big hits at our house. </div>
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<span style="color: red;">Make it! don't buy it!</span></h3>
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Lots of unwanted ingredients can easily be avoided by simply skipping the packaged version and making it yourself. I make tortillas, ranch dressing mix , biscuit mix , pancake mix, tomato sauce, yogurt, granola bars, granola, humus, berry pancake syrup, smoothie packs for the freezer, Popsicles, frozen burritos, coconut milk ice cream, cough syrup, pizza sauce and crust, pumpkin spice lattes, you name it we make it! You can find <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/search/label/DIY%20Kitchen" target="_blank">all these recipes HERE </a>or search DIY kitchen at the side of the blog. It saves a ton of money too!</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Eat often and don't skip meals.</span></b></h3>
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If you eat less you will weigh less right? Well not exactly... You need to eat to fuel your nursing if you are a new mom, or to fuel your life and exercise. Eat 6 small meals a day rather than 3 large ones with lots of snacks. This keeps you full, helps you make better choices and keeps your blood sugar in check. </div>
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Learn to cook! It makes healthy eating so much yummier and creative! </div>
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<span style="color: red;">Eat fat and love it!</span></h3>
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That is right... I said it...eat fat and like it! The right fat that is. You still want to skip that hydrogenated fat, but go for it with organic unrefined coconut oil. Coconut oil is a delicious alternative to margarine and butter that you can bake and cook with. We butter our toast with it and use it on everything. It is so good for you I throw some in my smoothies! Here is a longer explanation of all the health benefits of coconut oil and how to use it <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2012/02/20-new-reasons-to-love-coconut-oil.html">Here at an earlier post "One of nature's best healers! 20 NEW reasons to love coconut oil!</a> </div>
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<span style="color: red;">Keep a food and exercise journal.</span></h3>
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By keeping track of what you eat and when you get a real picture of your overall nutrition and can easily spot your weaknesses. You can also spot when you tend to lapse in judgment and prep yourself for the next time. I gotta say you think twice about that bite of chocolate cake if you are going to have to write it down. Get a free printable fitness journal from my blog here <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/04/fitness-freebie-free-printable-fitness.html">fitness freebie -free printable fitness journal</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Rule out food intolerances.</span></h3>
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Many people find gluten, wheat, dairy or other food intolerances to really hinder weightloss and their well being. My digestion hasn't been good since baby arrived so I am avoiding lactose, and wheat for a while to see if I feel better and to get rid of the bloating. These irritants often hamper weight loss as well. Many people on gluten free diets have shown remarkable weight loss progress and great gains in their overall health.</div>
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<span style="color: red;">Quit stressing about it!</span></h3>
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I have to admit I struggle with this one. Stress will slow your metabolism, increase the hormone cortisol which tells your body to retain weight around your belly, cause you to crave sweets, and sabotage your efforts to make healthier choices. So find an activity that helps you relax, take your B vitamins that stress depletes as well as your regular supplements, take a few deep breaths and find a few moments to thank the Lord for all the good in your life. Gratitude melts stress, negativity and draws you closer to your creator. </div>
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Loosing weight is a valid goal but try to relax and make choices that help you become healthier overall rather than choosing actions that lead to short term weight loss at the expense of your overall health. <span style="color: red;"> </span></h3>
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<span style="color: red;">Enjoy who you are at any weight and remember you are so much more than the number on your scale!</span></h3>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-26576911294337665072013-03-25T10:08:00.001-07:002013-03-25T10:52:58.931-07:00EASTER - free dress patterns,printables and fun ideas!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Easter is coming up REALLY fast! So to help you out I have compiled a huge list of fun things to do and cute dresses to make so that you will be ready for Easter! The patterns are after down below the printables and Easter ideas so just keep scrolling if that is what you are looking for!<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 30px;">Homeschool and preschool Easter freebies and ideas for the week before Easter!</span><br />
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<img alt="What's In The Bible" height="233" src="http://whatsinthebible.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Whats-In-The-Bible-header-w-bk.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px;" width="400" /></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">Veggie Tales creator's blog</span><a href="http://whatsinthebible.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;"> "What is in the Bible" </a><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">series for Easter week </span><a href="http://whatsinthebible.com/2012/04/02/what-is-holy-week/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">"What is Holy Week".</a><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">A great explanation of all the church history that goes with this week. A great way to focus on Christ this Easter season and learn Biblical history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">Make an </span><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2009/03/make-easter-garden-visual-parable/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Easter lent garden</a><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;"> with your kiddos as a visual parable. You complete different parts on the corresponding days of Holy Week. It has clear detailed directions. This one is from an EXCELLENT blog called </span><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">A Holy Experience</a><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;"> written by a homeschool mama who wrote the book called </span><a href="http://onethousandgifts.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">One Thousand Gifts</a><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;"> an amazing book on gratitude.</span><br />
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<img height="320" src="http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/Easter_jelly_bean_prayer_op_669x865.jpg" style="line-height: 1.4; text-align: left;" width="247" /></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">You can find a ton of Easter and Spring printables for tots here at </span><a href="http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/SpringTotPack.html" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">1plus1plus1equals1</a><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">. It is GREAT homeschool blog with tons of printables, great ideas, and inspiration.</span><br />
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<img height="400" src="http://wearethatfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/photo1-600x600.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px;" width="400" /></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">Here are some </span><a href="http://wearethatfamily.com/2012/03/ten-fun-ways-to-keep-easter-about-jesus/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">great learning activities and ideas</a><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;"> from the blog We are That Family to make sure Easter is celebrated for what it is...a celebration of Christ's Resurrection. Teaching our kids the reason we celebrate is a great way to spend your day.</span><br />
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<img height="400" src="http://www.mamaslearningcorner.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/thumbnails/2012/03/Easter-Worksheet-Packet1.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px;" width="400" /></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">Great </span><a href="http://www.mamaslearningcorner.com/2012/03/printable-easter-worksheet-packet/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">printable worksheets for Easter from Mama's Learning Corner</a><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;"> that work for pre K to 2nd grade.</span><br />
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<img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdc_Z3QRteoRkQcvv_2ckY9E3TX_BEGUEgF1kABb1KSZvXnjaiKR2AAvi4NclEJ1OuIXR9wqeTV9LdSZvPhVeZ9TsInXpK50w1-Hpy2KnH7TYeuuNxiREhvG802IJD5WR0vGINeMn6zk/s400/easter+book.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px;" width="311" /></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">This is an Easter learning roundup that includes crafts, worksheets, games, etc... from </span><a href="http://www.mydeliciousambiguity.com/" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">My Delicious Ambiguity</a><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">. She has a lot of fun things on her blog so you will have to check it out.</span><br />
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<img height="400" src="http://dc143.4shared.com/img/BI4FhYLz/Easter_Spelling.pdf" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px;" width="307" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.2teachingmommies.com/2011/04/easter-sneak-peek-and-some-of-our-week.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;">Two Teaching Mommies has a great lesson plan</a> with a ton of<a href="http://www.2teachingmommies.com/2011/04/easter-sneak-peek-and-some-of-our-week.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;"> free printables</a> to go with it. There is a printable memory verse with picture, worksheets, number maze, clip cards for math, etc... Hope you have some fun with it!</div>
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<img alt="image" height="345" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-G1DWv46ZPBA/T2k_khTsJkI/AAAAAAAACxU/xPcvoP55qKE/image%25255B40%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px;" width="400" /></div>
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Two Teaching Mommies has created a <a href="http://www.2teachingmommies.com/search/label/12%20Days%20of%20Easter" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;">12 days of Easter lesson plan</a> as well that coincides with resurrection eggs for a 12 day lesson on Easter for your kiddos. What a fun way to go through the meaning of Easter with your little ones and have them really get it. They recommend combining Days 5-9 have been combined for those that are younger and will find the topic of Christs suffering too much to spread out over those days. So you still have time to get this lesson done before Easter!</div>
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I hope this has helped you get a few new ideas for the week before Easter, so you and your kids can enjoy the deeper meaning of Easter and learn at the same time.</div>
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Now for you seamstress' here are some beautiful fun free Easter or Spring dress patterns! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFZYMVs8V7FBoHETzXu1agjPsKzXm4N1WRCZizSDYCiPlUngPfEojLca0js9ecNZtocCeBdlV-p9L9GXau5gHdFoZhdTg_VosDTsBGrBljQ5l8EXDAGCXoCETpBY8RZFMAd9ao1zYxNE/s320/IMG_5106.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvhBj3cI5uMyBN4sySZ6sdK3mgldNkl8tL5WWqbyBMnfCOldaqtOjsarIiWeR46dEkbg4dnLyU2T-vn3KduMUlol_x-QUUXB4qaZkoTboj5vqoRHzqWC8WvwIxVUj9depyfGB5WNJ0d0/s320/IMG_5111.JPG" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the "party dresses" I made for my girls last year. <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-and-party-dress-with-photos-and.html" target="_blank">See post HERE for more photos and tutorial link.</a></td></tr>
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Best FREE patterns with tutorials for Easter or spring dress'!</h3>
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<span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: medium;">If you get started right away you still have some time to make an Easter dress or two (or 3?) for your little girls. I looked through tons of free online patterns and tutorials to come up with a list of what I think are the best ones out there so you only have to go to one place to find the perfect dress' for Easter. Most of these are fairly simple and all have a pattern or instructions to create the pattern so there is nothing to buy except the fabric and notions! Last year we chose the "Party Dress" by The Cottage Home and I let the girls pick out their fabric. Hope you find something special for your special little girls!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxnPrYp2mkMqLm35CSqjZLpmBD3HHe1cJcD9cJeLSIhjaSk5rdSZW1GTgHeYc83HRC_t13oUwpbfazQTJHWFnC0Lmb6n_SBw7Ud6nk1ok_b1eEPJB4zxM2nHY9BP_ssem3GqVVJxwxKE-/s400/ThePartyDress.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com/2011/01/party-dress-printable-pattern-and.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Party Dress tutorial by The Cottage Home</span></a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSO0fZBBKR-9Qn-GTuQ0e5iQs-4fvRioDw4D09bNGhyphenhyphen-7qEnrpdANqQO09V8pMlv9TaKuQ_YO7raqEAaVOVIEVtPBETodnaiNDUaiuMdiEqcaGlmdT07rLv_nZzHEv0agG8i5eVgfagDR/s400/IMG_1618.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://fromanigloo.blogspot.com/2010/05/in-garden-shirred-twirly-dress.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;">Twirl Dress tutorial by From an Igloo</a></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IOI7ObN42M2bTfHY1awxCmiGb7U1fXbWrS2Tnki8UXEELy8YoubVKP4jhx1k13V3v4SIVbbr47WYobLW-RKvhGLBlNYRUOet1dXXpLdQZEjMGtlk4iI6pZSDL7cNIYBlsxReMTX-c-1q/s400/IMG_8541+2.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px;" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://iveyc95.blogspot.com/2010/04/charlotte-tutorial.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Charlotte dress tutorial from IveyC95</span></a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAsvJbWFAHbHOanYQV0MIa3RKsukqAzMFpXAuZceUPSS14Jp51vb2o0SiugRcC1BIz_fuzlzWxqKo3Ak9BenJ4BsEX4hgdG-MsSLTgYG4Ubhm13MvbRIbtMrXZ2tYA3FnS86Hkhnf_ppt/s400/IMG_8559+2+2.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px;" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://iveyc95.blogspot.com/2010/04/line-ruffle-front-dress-tutorial.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A Line Ruffle Front Dress tutorial by IveyC95</span></a></td></tr>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUV1hhcMJjk8vEsHzNCPiI56M-SEOCPCccDPjERahiJFsCfLNn8icw0kVanUgdy1Cq5yMnzxXBxn4LHZOjUckGQQkvKsmVpt8e9mp0HvgUf98RB_FwTOD-2yL7rZ2inPDuBUpj5aZxY1C/s400/Ribbon+Dress..jpg" style="line-height: 1.4;" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.couturiermommy.com/2010/04/reversible-ribbon-dress.html" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: large; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;">Reversible Ribbon Dress by Couturier Mommy</a><br />
A very clear tutorial but asks for an A-line pattern. Just use a simple dress in the size you want to make the pattern by folding it in half and tracing it with a seam allowance. Then put that pattern on folded material to cut out the A line dress.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DSCF5868" height="400" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Qy4SHykMWac/Tci94PFcDCI/AAAAAAAAYc4/wuDZwwLMUrg/DSCF5868_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" style="line-height: 1.4; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="330" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lemonsqueezyhome.com/2011/05/poppy-dress-tutorial.html" style="color: #33aaff; font-size: large; line-height: 25px;">Poppy Sundress tutorial by A Lemon Squeezy Home</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img height="294" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qTWrkRONmEg/TyQmt-vgX_I/AAAAAAAAEsc/uW7ll2aKgso/s400/IMG_1757.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/03/lucky-layers-tiered-dress-in-size-2t.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;">Lucky Layers Sundress tutorial by Moda Bake Shop</a></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lzxcfsFJ1O1B1FGgMSueQFKuiZtGsv1YwQRGtA7LDoT0ObojOTNNHGzhdXIEMhF963X8Ztbkih5ZEZYfsiroPL9ADVxpiQjLgs6vMmwaQa8rJMXKN6kk_3fzANmNiCq7Hbh-gezWisg/s1600/Flutter+sleeves+new.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: left;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.simplesimonandco.com/2011/09/project-run-and-play-dress-and-jacket.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;">Project Run and Play Dress tutorial by Simple Simon & Co.</a></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeETS7MT2oS5Qyw16iZ6PppC4QiqdFTLT5TjGZvW53wfWSXRwoHB21a0tVfIYZEa2EgzHgoIrNBzQtRVWyAW9O33GtfTRNBvwy0QFP0RCqro7xITOVN-nL22ZjySTm2FvkiBJTeI9w_t9/s640/IMG_5187.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.theribbonretreat.com/blog/lets-fly-a-kite-sundress.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;">Let's Fly A Kite Sundress tutorial by Craftiness Is Not Optional</a></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img alt="2" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_o2md_v3UO7M/TcTv6EnuuAI/AAAAAAAADuU/i_sGefmFmjg/2_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.soyouthinkyourecrafty.com/2011/05/sunny-little-miss-dress-tutorial/" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;">Sunny Little Miss Dress tutorial by Made it on Monday</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img src="http://media.simplymodernmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/IMG_5373-1.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: left;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/2010/04/retro-ruffle-dress-from-a-pillowcase/" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Retro Ruffle Dress tutorial by Simply Modern Mom</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda'; font-size: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img alt="petal dress tutorial" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MVsPXK19y0Y/Tw6OiiMZvzI/AAAAAAAAT48/4VsJjwmTbEc/petal%252520dress%252520tutorial%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: left;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://icandyhandmade.blogspot.com/2012/01/tutorial-petal-dress-finally.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Petal Dress tutorial by Ucreate</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Hope you were inspired! If you have time add this cute little caplet to top it off.<span style="text-align: left;"></span></span></div>
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<img src="http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/february2012/Capelet2.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; text-align: left;" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2012/02/true-love-sweet-little-capelet/#comments" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;">Sweet Little Caplet tutorial by Simple Simon & Co</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Happy Sewing!</span></div>
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Do you have a free one I should have included? If so just put a link in the comments!</div>
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HAPPY EASTER!!!</div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-33259176271792996412013-03-22T11:32:00.000-07:002013-03-22T11:32:33.499-07:00FREEBIE Friday!!! Tutorial for 3 Shirts from one FREE pattern<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
10 weeks after having "little minnow" my old wardrobe still doesn't fit the way I want it to. So I have been looking for shirt patterns I can make. I saw this really cute one and thought I would share it! Thank you <a href="http://sewtlc.blogspot.com/2012/08/pleated-neck-t-shirt.html" target="_blank">SewTLC</a>!<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCTPul-BG6eAaUimenEXkIzc5Rtfk3VkEgZjKqCsFWpy5E1zafJ3_s8IDLvQpYUsqGzlCMtHkwGEEqE8PZgFFL7mFM3rGEi_TRvgxoVpDq-GpdVYPQVAUPrbx1iW3mvqwGomCY3g3NBY/s640/One+Pattern_Three+Shirts_Pleated+Neck.jpg" /><br />
Great the free pattern and tutorial <a href="http://sewtlc.blogspot.com/2012/08/pleated-neck-t-shirt.html" target="_blank">HERE from "Sewing - The Little Heart Collection"</a><br />
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Hoping to getting to this sometime soon! Let me know if you try it, and how it comes out. Have any other great free shirt patterns to share? If so drop a line in the comments for all to see. Happy weekend! I have lots of free patterns in my <a href="http://pinterest.com/apronsandapples/sewing/" target="_blank">pinterest board "sewing"</a> , so stop over and see what I have pinned.<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-64783933496372219862013-03-14T19:09:00.001-07:002013-03-14T19:12:13.972-07:00Fun kids color wheel art and science project! Guest post by Everyday Art<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today I have a fun guest post for you from <a href="http://www.our-everyday-art.com/" target="_blank">Everyday Art</a>, a great crafty, yummy, DIY blog! Enjoy, and make sure to go check out their blog for more creative ideas!<br />
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Every year about this time I start to really, REALLY crave color. Like clockwork, every January I start scheming about decorating with yellow or orange or something bright just to liven things up a bit. It's been a little better this year because <a href="http://www.our-everyday-art.com/2012/07/blue-kitchen-before-and-after.html">my kitchen</a> is south-facing and everything is white and light blue, so it feels nice and light and airy. </div>
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That being said, I still think more color this time of year is great. So, the kids and I made this fun food-dye color wheel the other day. It was a great little science and art project. (What could be more fun that mixing art and science?!!?)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IWcRA1PCw7apyZHZBReuRfVBus5_BgYJjjbUX82EeHLbVB3v-7CAZltnHp4jvCTVPKkzwNjUigwqxQggSmBzoTla3NeoQ5o3Sd0pzMQ5Ld9kkiHP4oOSwiob1HL9xw9uQ-smJ5GDZszg/s1600/color+wheel4web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IWcRA1PCw7apyZHZBReuRfVBus5_BgYJjjbUX82EeHLbVB3v-7CAZltnHp4jvCTVPKkzwNjUigwqxQggSmBzoTla3NeoQ5o3Sd0pzMQ5Ld9kkiHP4oOSwiob1HL9xw9uQ-smJ5GDZszg/s1600/color+wheel4web.JPG" /></a></div>
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It was such fun, and I couldn't believe how patient the kids were (ages 3 and 5), just staring at the colored water move slowly up the paper towels and mixing together. We learned about color-combining and the color wheel. We also learned a bit about osmosis, diffusion, and siphons. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZU0KGfqseOnH5Ix21GPcXsKC36Viq1tMn9CoLv_Y-g7Sho_Sc26DaBssHZh8CKUncnFrzVT5Cme6BAO9rn8n9pe8ItXHsZPnuOuMLEMAny3zO2tyFZFGLX1kKjAnsDWPsy6GUpYVyHWmE/s1600/color+wheel7web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZU0KGfqseOnH5Ix21GPcXsKC36Viq1tMn9CoLv_Y-g7Sho_Sc26DaBssHZh8CKUncnFrzVT5Cme6BAO9rn8n9pe8ItXHsZPnuOuMLEMAny3zO2tyFZFGLX1kKjAnsDWPsy6GUpYVyHWmE/s1600/color+wheel7web.JPG" /></a></div>
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<u>Here's what you need to make this fun color wheel:</u></div>
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6 clear cups</div>
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6 paper towels</div>
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red food dye</div>
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blue food dye </div>
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yellow food dye </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbmZABGCVxGJvVhFtcuWpqzExlstm1ozyPPwfos88QxIMaZN1gppr_8lEem3yi9t9tb1BvIviT2t20Yx5laG2pAjvjWCWYjLIY1WwqCvPW-T_PNA6RcCr9gqwDCZjUskwmZIJpSZrwgeM/s1600/color+wheel1web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbmZABGCVxGJvVhFtcuWpqzExlstm1ozyPPwfos88QxIMaZN1gppr_8lEem3yi9t9tb1BvIviT2t20Yx5laG2pAjvjWCWYjLIY1WwqCvPW-T_PNA6RcCr9gqwDCZjUskwmZIJpSZrwgeM/s1600/color+wheel1web.JPG" /></a></div>
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<u>Here's what you do to make the color wheel: </u></div>
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1) Fill 3 cups with water and mix in red food dye into one, blue food dye into the second and yellow food dye into the third. </div>
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2) place the cups in a circle as shown above with an empty cup in between each of the 3 you already made with the primary colors in them. </div>
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3) fold the paper towels into about 1-inch strips and place each end into adjacent cups. (I snipped off a bit of each paper towel to make them shorter.)</div>
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4) Watch as the dyed water seeps up the paper towels and combines into the empty cups to make the secondary colors of orange, green and purple.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhIwjgTE2U5zS6oZFzTyH-gCSKSKv9tBY5AM05lmolZm2gbr5hJlQnD3X_CCwtmIh0j3Iab6BYod4ojNtCQQmOQo-WPLakuIWruLjmIZpXu4CGYz2aqzcaF5Gjad9AQnorgg0GlfNfPuR/s1600/color+wheel6web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhIwjgTE2U5zS6oZFzTyH-gCSKSKv9tBY5AM05lmolZm2gbr5hJlQnD3X_CCwtmIh0j3Iab6BYod4ojNtCQQmOQo-WPLakuIWruLjmIZpXu4CGYz2aqzcaF5Gjad9AQnorgg0GlfNfPuR/s1600/color+wheel6web.JPG" /></a></div>
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After all the colors had mixed, we took them out of the circle shape and made rainbows and such with them. Fun little science project with the girls. Certainly added more color to our day! </div>
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Let me know how it goes if you guys try it! Happy weekend!<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-57223002419053571522013-01-28T13:12:00.002-08:002013-01-28T13:31:29.065-08:00Baby number 5 Trek has finally arrived!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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FINALLY!! 11 days late...Trek finally arrived!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEulij-kdgmn03qZebypQBy6Lc3dRkvqKDQgHcbHxvX3NosogdeJpKSaLZBcnm_LhSUwlNb8y6_hB0_rDA9StaY3AXhNlO3ZIXNI4vt6y3d4eC_kBmetHWjKPncwWhXTdKEIkFed_mGTM/s1600/IMG_5807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ea="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEulij-kdgmn03qZebypQBy6Lc3dRkvqKDQgHcbHxvX3NosogdeJpKSaLZBcnm_LhSUwlNb8y6_hB0_rDA9StaY3AXhNlO3ZIXNI4vt6y3d4eC_kBmetHWjKPncwWhXTdKEIkFed_mGTM/s320/IMG_5807.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have been offline for a while after just having our 5th baby, but I am back now. </div>
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Trek Anderson Neeley was born at home January 6th weighing 9 lbs, and measuring 21 3/4 ". My midwife <a href="http://www.beautifullyborn.com/" target="_blank">Sharon of Beautifully Born</a> was excellent! So if you are looking for a midwife in Southern Colorado she is a great option. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOX3xQjxt3BDF_MQza8lSBxQCa1dpCAwguaFr8UpEEmejeZxSEgtpTP149tYLNU9MS43qr7pSoH6B6IYF67FHHJiG_pSHliEX6vvdRFZZIRF3Nxl_p1M_u5o7mMdzA2EX4tZ5uEU8G3k/s1600/IMG_5804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOX3xQjxt3BDF_MQza8lSBxQCa1dpCAwguaFr8UpEEmejeZxSEgtpTP149tYLNU9MS43qr7pSoH6B6IYF67FHHJiG_pSHliEX6vvdRFZZIRF3Nxl_p1M_u5o7mMdzA2EX4tZ5uEU8G3k/s320/IMG_5804.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQmqE9EBCczmQA0yeEQIapFxieQNHb7FQqnT2BDLXuyj5_Z83pMN5DmPo0XA4pIsNilvphqCwkm8Ht4JA7wq9YpOZI0JcO279gDVzymniLRfMe669XTNV9t3LUSqgwfGyr06ofdXsjsc/s1600/IMG_5810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQmqE9EBCczmQA0yeEQIapFxieQNHb7FQqnT2BDLXuyj5_Z83pMN5DmPo0XA4pIsNilvphqCwkm8Ht4JA7wq9YpOZI0JcO279gDVzymniLRfMe669XTNV9t3LUSqgwfGyr06ofdXsjsc/s320/IMG_5810.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
We had a wonderful home birth, and he came in a record 2 hours!! The midwife sped to arrive 5 minutes before he came out! By the time I called her labor was full on and I thought I had hours left. She is 2 hours away! It was the easiest quickest birth I have had even though he was the largest babies of all mine. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwVOytoYPv6Hl_ffh7cPpQpcX_oZT0UJkGdgVRcT9iKekVpwaSKtY6vRSleS7l4VdmBJqdN1YA8aCAzPz3umX1zJiYBBNELff_4c80ts9Bj39Qjp_JXcHd_QyRYj8F7k2RRt9HEQ323A/s1600/IMG_5811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwVOytoYPv6Hl_ffh7cPpQpcX_oZT0UJkGdgVRcT9iKekVpwaSKtY6vRSleS7l4VdmBJqdN1YA8aCAzPz3umX1zJiYBBNELff_4c80ts9Bj39Qjp_JXcHd_QyRYj8F7k2RRt9HEQ323A/s320/IMG_5811.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fpYK4nCTVHrO6zbr5lcutA73yQRPmCq2h2vBPXo0UsfHervm5cNFGjviZcLedGmkI7AILwI7ndD-JdgXm3FAN-jwmdY2R0yFn1COBb8Z0NiLvdGmhSdwwjg2KwDEZIQcJBXHv4O1WDk/s1600/IMG_5813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fpYK4nCTVHrO6zbr5lcutA73yQRPmCq2h2vBPXo0UsfHervm5cNFGjviZcLedGmkI7AILwI7ndD-JdgXm3FAN-jwmdY2R0yFn1COBb8Z0NiLvdGmhSdwwjg2KwDEZIQcJBXHv4O1WDk/s320/IMG_5813.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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His brothers and sisters (Pierce, Dahlia, Bella and Cruz) all love him to bits. It is so fun having a new baby in the house. Tons of work to be sure, but TONS of fun. We love this little guy! He enjoys the full attention of everyone in the house! It is amazing what God can create in 9 months. WOW!</div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-33308084715362142012012-12-21T10:49:00.001-08:002012-12-21T10:49:37.065-08:00Superbook on ABC! Don't miss this AWESOME show!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Watch on ABC Family<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Weekdays 9:30<span style="font-size: 0.7em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">AM</span> EST<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></span></h1>
<table border="0" class="schedule" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="airdate" style="color: #adadad; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px; text-align: right;">Dec 24th:</td><td style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px;"><a alt="A Giant Adventure" class="playVideo selected" href="http://www.cbn.com/superbook/broadcast/?cpid=SMP_%3ASBBC2012FB_01#" id="1785256991001" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(174, 174, 174); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" title="A Giant Adventure">A Giant Adventure</a></td></tr>
<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="airdate" style="color: #adadad; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px; text-align: right;">Dec 25th:</td><td style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px;"><a alt="The First Christmas" class="playVideo" href="http://www.cbn.com/superbook/broadcast/?cpid=SMP_%3ASBBC2012FB_01#" id="1634531057001" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(174, 174, 174); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" title="The First Christmas">The First Christmas</a></td></tr>
<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="airdate" style="color: #adadad; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px; text-align: right;">Dec 26th:</td><td style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px;"><a alt="" class="playVideo" href="http://www.cbn.com/superbook/broadcast/?cpid=SMP_%3ASBBC2012FB_01#" id="1785300296001" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(174, 174, 174); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" title="In the Beginning">In the Beginning</a></td></tr>
<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="airdate" style="color: #adadad; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px; text-align: right;">Dec 27th:</td><td style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px;">The Road to Damascus</td></tr>
<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="airdate" style="color: #adadad; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px; text-align: right;">Dec 28th:</td><td style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px;"><a alt="Let My People Go" class="playVideo" href="http://www.cbn.com/superbook/broadcast/?cpid=SMP_%3ASBBC2012FB_01#" id="1785279102001" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(174, 174, 174); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" title="Let My People Go">Let My People Go</a></td></tr>
<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="airdate" style="color: #adadad; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px; text-align: right;">Dec 31st:</td><td style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px;"><a alt="The Ten Commandments" class="playVideo" href="http://www.cbn.com/superbook/broadcast/?cpid=SMP_%3ASBBC2012FB_01#" id="1783851496001" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(174, 174, 174); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" title="The Ten Commandments">The Ten Commandments</a></td></tr>
<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="airdate" style="color: #adadad; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px; text-align: right;">Jan 1st:</td><td style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 2px 2px;"><a alt="Roar!" class="playVideo" href="http://www.cbn.com/superbook/broadcast/?cpid=SMP_%3ASBBC2012FB_01#" id="1634620261001" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(174, 174, 174); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" title="Roar!">Roar!</a></td></tr>
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I grew up with superbook and LOVE it! Take advantage of the free airings this Christmas season! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did and still do! A great way to keep the Christmas season all about Christ.<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-58637544354785327912012-12-19T09:09:00.000-08:002013-04-01T20:08:54.312-07:00Top 10 DIY homemade gifts for every boy on your list!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every year I try to be creative and make most of my gifts. Not just for friends but for my kids aged 2-8, my parents, my sister and even my husband! I try to start in Nov. If I don't get started getting them done I try to at least be compiling ideas. <br />
Here are my current favorites and most of these I am currently working on for my 8 yr old or my 2yr old.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BEST DIY GIFTS FOR BOYS..</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fort Kit</b></span><br />
<img alt="fort kits | diy hang tags | saltwater-kids" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/upload/114841859219425579_60W8qMHM_c.jpg" width="314" /><br />
LOVE this idea and already made my son one this year for Christmas complete with cool bag and with the downloaded tag from above. Complete directions found <a href="http://www.saltwater-kids.com/2011/01/more-fort-kits-great-tip.html">HERE from Saltwater-kids.</a> You can also download the fort tags which in my opinion really add the final touch! PS you can make a cool girly version as well!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cutest Sock Monkeys EVER</b></span><br />
<img alt="How To Sew Sock Monkey ~ tutorial and pattern" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com/upload/199565827209142582_M9q8DfFp_c.jpg" width="255" /><br />
Full directions and pattern found<a href="http://www.craftpassion.com/2012/04/how-to-sew-sock-monkey.html/2"> HERE at craft passion. </a> <a href="http://www.craftpassion.com/2012/04/how-to-sew-sock-monkey.html/2"></a> I am trying to make two of these for Christmas for my 2 year old son and my coming new born. The eyes and ears make them SO cute!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Guys leather cuff bracelet</b></span><br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoUYLDO1EbAvfTF-hwlr7-2BdZx2LK-M-I6dEgO3je15WsTUuJ83ux-h4FY_IeIZAvxPLBi1v82xrtnJ5K2ydSurvOl-WZbIkcfpvdNcG-0LQLbiFGoWMv6L7gj0XXhhlSRm_Jpt1UcWV/s400/The+Leather+Cuff+%2528title+picture+PLAIN%2529.jpg" /><br />
What a great simple idea! I am making one for my sons, myself and sister! Find a clear easy tutorial <a href="http://www.the-red-kitchen.com/2011/03/leather-cuff-tutorial.html">HERE at The Red Kitchen</a> My girls shouldn't get to have all the fun dressing up! My two year old is always wearing their necklaces and crowns, so I think it is time for him to get his own guy jewelery.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Guys nail cross necklace</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjIX-rp4undcG_ev4F67i1tApPnTu7xcvYAP-BINF8h7kK0Dv-yDtRxv9JRc08fghiQlV3MJXBhGQpUko1TuYq6PFfusEXh4JjDaqd-OGhasn0-tmJZzZ_7SzBYWRVZMatl98aiKdGeg/s1600/nail-cross-pendant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjIX-rp4undcG_ev4F67i1tApPnTu7xcvYAP-BINF8h7kK0Dv-yDtRxv9JRc08fghiQlV3MJXBhGQpUko1TuYq6PFfusEXh4JjDaqd-OGhasn0-tmJZzZ_7SzBYWRVZMatl98aiKdGeg/s320/nail-cross-pendant.jpg" width="210" /></a>I saw this <a href="http://mollydodd.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/summer-camp-crafts/">at Molly Dodd listed as a summer camp craft.</a> There are no directions but it looks straight forward enough. I love it because it is a visual reminder of what Christ did for us as well as being pretty awesome.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Lego Tray</span></b><br />
<img alt="Lego Tray - I think this is the most brilliant gift. Will have to make some of these!" height="205" src="http://media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com/upload/106538347405963117_EFImhnIR_c.jpg" width="320" /><br />
This clever idea from <a href="http://www.somewhatsimple.com/build-a-quick-and-clever-lego-tray/">Some What Simple</a> is perfect for my oldest son and my oldest daughter! We are making them each one. This enables them to keep a project they are working on and transport it out of a bedroom when a sibling needs to nap, or keep it out of reach of curious hands. My daughter has recently gotten into the "Friends" girly lego kits and can play for hours! When she is done though she doesn't want to put it all up as she is playing with it still so this is perfect! I just bought the lego flats at amazon pretty cheap.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">DS travel pouch </span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV11-ozNoEBCsAdtg_QtrnjWntG60yOdrxAKSkRHrSvgfcNVn9_EqOg7mMpPcwDLhU9IJJzbHA9g162dUL7BBdIhiQmfCDPNNDfm91S5PbIHtzfDAPbkAfzrQ5abxfTa6OSKVOPGVmgp8/s1600/ds+pouch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV11-ozNoEBCsAdtg_QtrnjWntG60yOdrxAKSkRHrSvgfcNVn9_EqOg7mMpPcwDLhU9IJJzbHA9g162dUL7BBdIhiQmfCDPNNDfm91S5PbIHtzfDAPbkAfzrQ5abxfTa6OSKVOPGVmgp8/s320/ds+pouch.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
I really like this DS travel pouch with spaces for games. Keeps it all organized and together. There is a full tutorial to print off but I hope you speak French as it is not in English. I am still debating if I will be able to get to this one, but hope to! I would make one for my daughter and son! Check out the tutorial <a href="http://bygabs.blogspot.com/2011/11/parce-que-ca-pourrait-vous-servirtuto.html">HERE at By Gabs</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Super Hero Costume</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfPjc_KS3YjxwbHKCyNQ4MrV3Vhg4O3bJUYPiuxpc1BOrIOBLC_DBkMcE_p229zynzOw2rvyTSijXc5Opo_zSlF20jBAquWRkZocU9mMVi9LUnpIhqJ9GxXjsdHderoATJ9GExCDTkdM/s1600/IMG_5733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfPjc_KS3YjxwbHKCyNQ4MrV3Vhg4O3bJUYPiuxpc1BOrIOBLC_DBkMcE_p229zynzOw2rvyTSijXc5Opo_zSlF20jBAquWRkZocU9mMVi9LUnpIhqJ9GxXjsdHderoATJ9GExCDTkdM/s320/IMG_5733.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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This is the set I made for my Cruz (hence the C super cape)! I know he will love it!</div>
<img alt="diy superhero mask" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/upload/20829216996113111_GAgFqgSV_c.jpg" width="320" /><br />
Find the mask tutorial <a href="http://blog.swankypress.com/2011/07/diy-tutorial-superhero-mask/">HERE at Swanky Press</a> I used it as a guide and added thunder bolts to the sides. Check the eye holes to make sure the little one who will wear then will be able to see.<br />
<img alt="The Train To Crazy: Handmade Dress Up: DIY Superhero Cuffs Tutorial" src="http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/upload/114841859219591407_XrrX2eHL_c.jpg" /><br />
I used<a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/2011/10/handmade-dress-up-diy-superhero-cuffs-tutorial.html"> this tutorial from The Train to Crazy</a> to make the cuffs, because how cute are they! I just made mine with thunderbolts to match the mask and made everything out of blue and red felt. Really easy project that really adds to the costume! My girls always dress up so I wanted my son to be able to join the fun!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Hobby Horse or Stick Horse</span></b><br />
<img height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pQOUGSv8SZw/TUHfJS1QIeI/AAAAAAAABJA/T6Qs-9N_cLs/s400/110120%252Bstick+horse+tutorial-1.jpg" width="400" /><br />
My little cowboy would love this! In fact I have one in the works right now. I know there is only 6 days or so till Christmas so I better get on it!! This one has a great tutorial at <a href="http://lightbluegrey.blogspot.com/2011/01/lets-diy.html">Light Blue Grey</a>. I love all the details she uses!<br />
<img height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4sXoEsrk7_xu-DNsWDpvojZdNC-Uti3gTPyZSgDI4BZNDaL0RmhK7rIXXEwWnfrvCG-ah0gDl5PhIATxakz89LQ4uSsUo4EVJsdVAUbqKauVDZd4yTYhuSMf7koG4GcIvh5_SUGyKRbu/s400/IMG_3910.JPG" width="400" /><br />
This one by <a href="http://www.dandee-designs.com/2010/10/hobby-horse-tutorial.html">Dandee-Designs</a> is really cute too! She has a great mane tutorial and her horse doesn't take many supplies. I think it turned out so cute! I need to finish mine!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>DIY Dinosaur Fossil Kit</b></span><br />
<img alt="DIY Fossils for Kids" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/177751516513356383_bV09L52C_c.jpg" /><br />
My son LOVES the fossil kits you buy that you chip away to find the dinosaur bones and then put it all together. This is a similar idea, from <a href="http://www.papervinenz.com/2012/06/diy-dino-fossils-for-kids-tutorial.html">Paper Vine NZ</a> and it looks so simple! I would like to find a dinosaur 3 d puzzle to use on the inside and probably won't bother with the mold. A loaf pan would work great. You can just hide the dinosaurs or dinosaur pieces all over. As he gently chips away at the block he is rewarded with discoveries and you are rewarded with hours of silence! A rare joy for mothers of boys!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">DIY Art Station</span><br />
<img alt="kids art station" height="300" src="http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/upload/114841859217603093_EINeqB6t_c.jpg" width="400" /><br />
Last but not least a fun was a bit hit with our son a few years ago.I made a space for both my son and daughter and filled it with fun glitter, pipe cleaners, glue, crayons, markers, etc.. Check out my<a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/12/need-to-save-some-cash-homemade-gifts.html"> post for more details HERE. </a><br />
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Need more ideas? Check this older post "<a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/12/need-to-save-some-cash-homemade-gifts.html">Need to save some cash? Homemade gifts and online secrets for savings!"</a><br />
Hope you enjoyed these ideas! What are you making the boys in your life? Love to hear more ideas!<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-23626619949360373412012-12-10T19:40:00.002-08:002012-12-10T19:41:53.962-08:00DIY Handmade Doctor Play Kit (tutorial). GREAT kids gift!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I love a handmade holiday. The gifts are so memorable and your kids know you really thought about them while you labored over a great gift. It sure is cheaper as well! With 4 kids aged 2-8 girls and boys I have been scouring the internet for ideas and come up with quite a few great ones! This one is great for the boys or girls, and they can all play together. So here it is... the completed doctor kit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8fPe86t_VeeUkle8znLPHkanuWFyEOoVQXFA2ZGEtEartCwUIqxsLw1urk-iBVmzqy2ooOvDzMe1gP8n7zw-TLx5UB7jTXUKSPPORyPk0EfJcs8U6t1fHdaSe0muMNeIQfPgq-JRcqg/s1600/IMG_5742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8fPe86t_VeeUkle8znLPHkanuWFyEOoVQXFA2ZGEtEartCwUIqxsLw1urk-iBVmzqy2ooOvDzMe1gP8n7zw-TLx5UB7jTXUKSPPORyPk0EfJcs8U6t1fHdaSe0muMNeIQfPgq-JRcqg/s640/IMG_5742.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
I think it cost me a total of $4.50! I found most of the stuff around the house, got the 2 surgical masks from the hospital for free when I was there for an ultrasound, printed stuff off and bought only the bag and stethoscope Would you believe the stethoscope was only $3 brand new off Amazon! They had other colors, but some of the other colors cost twice as much (same exact stethoscope), so I thought blue looked fine. I love that it really works! The bag was $1.50 at the thrift store and has the great doctor bag shape i was looking for.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DPAmngc4TvywfqXhyQMHaVx_9z-CvQt3sqSbOV7EHMOxHyVBPFXjrqHL7DPuQ_4FpvOqp9DH9QAkG93V2YzLxifyqa4tv98cL2tZbzLhgN4vzMWSwyQXa6I0hM1ey__9RaNplWLruo8/s1600/IMG_5743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DPAmngc4TvywfqXhyQMHaVx_9z-CvQt3sqSbOV7EHMOxHyVBPFXjrqHL7DPuQ_4FpvOqp9DH9QAkG93V2YzLxifyqa4tv98cL2tZbzLhgN4vzMWSwyQXa6I0hM1ey__9RaNplWLruo8/s640/IMG_5743.JPG" width="480" /></a><br />
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Here is a closer look at the contents. I printed off the labels you see above from the link below and attached to empty containers we had around the house. I love the vintage uniform look. The doctor badges I printed off from a great link I posted below that allows you to add your own photo and customize the text. The silver bottle is a spray bottle filled with water for "wound care" or other imaginative play. I added some band aid stickers that I printed from the computer onto sticky paper cut them out and put them in a band aid box. The cotton balls and Q-tips they can use to "clean wounds", and doctor up their siblings or stuffed animals. The plastic syringes we had as well as the medicine dosser. You can also get a better look at the monogramed bag tag that I used to girly it up for my Bella.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVro84gB2ayg43SAKREnEObBIBouBYKz4o_9gcEX4N5bCTyusYESPctNAm17-jV0bMY4JNY9x0d9LaS8mz4v2MD1B8GwzhYeEDd5Fu9-PFainppAlXuOO4s5629_b4DiX3c6ng2R_9ZiE/s1600/IMG_5744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVro84gB2ayg43SAKREnEObBIBouBYKz4o_9gcEX4N5bCTyusYESPctNAm17-jV0bMY4JNY9x0d9LaS8mz4v2MD1B8GwzhYeEDd5Fu9-PFainppAlXuOO4s5629_b4DiX3c6ng2R_9ZiE/s400/IMG_5744.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I added a ear bulb for fun, a water balloon filler as otoscope for inspecting ears, some play money we had to pay the doctor, an ace bandage for wrapping up those sprains and broken bones, surgical masks, and of course the real working brand new stethoscope! I made both my daughters a badge as I know they will both want to be the doctor at some point in the game.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvRgXX_2CLW2lVlkRWTcOhj6NiUEYoOuBZvlI8hyvD0K_UWEPYa1bm0hPq03BrltWkldabg2udwnX7hos02zKA69C38yBx4uhjJldRl5gWzsxaJdma36YV8SYABtkIx3goc-64js_6eE/s1600/IMG_5741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvRgXX_2CLW2lVlkRWTcOhj6NiUEYoOuBZvlI8hyvD0K_UWEPYa1bm0hPq03BrltWkldabg2udwnX7hos02zKA69C38yBx4uhjJldRl5gWzsxaJdma36YV8SYABtkIx3goc-64js_6eE/s400/IMG_5741.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I put it all together in this really cute doctor shaped bag and added a cute little laminated initial tag to give it a little more feminine appeal since it was for my daughter. I may add a red felt cross to the front of the bag on the black. We will see.</div>
<img alt="Apothecary Bottles" height="320" src="http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/assets/content//apothecary_bottles_02.jpg" width="237" /></div>
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Vintage medicine labels found free <a href="http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/post.cfm/vintage-apothecary-bottles-free-labels#">HERE at Eat Drink Chick</a>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_G-yV5yYlOlP6wB-XVGY-gqDVVHA58Lv5ZDlAiSgEtISzWdZCd91drhRMMKSKc2zGyMqSRrLQRzsQB5HjHwswn4oBcwx_tFHi1vWzKLX6jM81Z4urL17NjDYX-u6hu27xCSJ9DicSidU/s1600/badgea270f59f52e2dce601a6ce4042860a35bb024381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_G-yV5yYlOlP6wB-XVGY-gqDVVHA58Lv5ZDlAiSgEtISzWdZCd91drhRMMKSKc2zGyMqSRrLQRzsQB5HjHwswn4oBcwx_tFHi1vWzKLX6jM81Z4urL17NjDYX-u6hu27xCSJ9DicSidU/s320/badgea270f59f52e2dce601a6ce4042860a35bb024381.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Official Doctor badges created for free<a href="http://bighugelabs.com/badge.php"> HERE at Big Huge Labs</a></span></td></tr>
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I am still thinking of adding a small clip board, white shirt for a lab coat (cut of the sleeve's cuff and the tail and hem), and file folder for official doctor papers to include...<br />
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<img height="320" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/np/kids-mummies-pharaohs-pyramids-puzzles-activities/9781598697971_0113_001.jpg" width="310" /></div>
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Printable x-ray images like those found <a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-mummies-pharaohs-pyramids-puzzles-activities/high-tech-meets-the-mummy/close-encounters.htm">Here from Net Places</a>, <span style="text-align: left;">and free printable customizable eye chart from </span><a href="http://www.eyechartmaker.com/" style="text-align: left;">Eye Chart Maker</a><span style="text-align: left;">.</span></div>
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<img height="200" src="http://www.eyechartmaker.com/demo.png" width="188" /></div>
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I know she will love it! I expect to get hours of play from all the kids out of this one!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8fPe86t_VeeUkle8znLPHkanuWFyEOoVQXFA2ZGEtEartCwUIqxsLw1urk-iBVmzqy2ooOvDzMe1gP8n7zw-TLx5UB7jTXUKSPPORyPk0EfJcs8U6t1fHdaSe0muMNeIQfPgq-JRcqg/s1600/IMG_5742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8fPe86t_VeeUkle8znLPHkanuWFyEOoVQXFA2ZGEtEartCwUIqxsLw1urk-iBVmzqy2ooOvDzMe1gP8n7zw-TLx5UB7jTXUKSPPORyPk0EfJcs8U6t1fHdaSe0muMNeIQfPgq-JRcqg/s400/IMG_5742.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you happened across a pair of kids crutches at a thrift store that would be pretty fun for the kids too! I am sure I will find little things from now till Christmas to be adding in as well. Hope you found some inspiration for a handmade kit for the kiddo in your life! Love to hear if you make one and how it goes! </div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-34235666340874910552012-11-30T09:34:00.002-08:002012-11-30T09:34:12.592-08:00Friday Freebie! 15 page preschool Christmas Fun Pages from Mama's Learning Corner!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am printing these off as we speak! Great entertainment for the little ones so we can get some crafting for Christmas done! Sure beats TV!<br />
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<img alt="Christmas Fun Pages: 15-page worksheet set from Mama's Learning Corner" src="http://www.mamaslearningcorner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Christmas-Fun-Pages.png" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.mamaslearningcorner.com/2012/11/christmas-worksheets-for-kids/">Find them HERE at Mama's Learning Corner!</a>.</div>
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She has lots of great freebies so be sure to check them all out!</div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-20697369268794643422012-11-29T15:12:00.001-08:002012-11-30T09:43:12.925-08:00Felt Christmas Tree Advent Calendar & Kids Felt Play Tree in one!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">I wanted to share this quick easy tutorial for a handmade felt Christmas tree advent calendar. It is similar to one I saw at Pottery Barn. No sewing machine needed. I attached the simple pockets on the front with hand stitching while watching TV. You can of course pull out the machine if you feel so inclined. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> On the back side I made a play felt tree for the kids to decorate over and over. I even had them cut out the shapes of the felt ornaments themselves using cookie cutters and chalk to trace. You can of course do it yourself and make them much more elaborate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I first saw this idea here at<a href="http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2011/12/kid-friendly-christmas-tree/"> I can Teach My Child</a></span></div>
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.<a href="http://www.icanteachmychild.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_9484-500x750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.icanteachmychild.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_9484-500x750.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">You will need some green felt for the tree, and other colors for the decorations on the back, needle and thread, chalk, ruler, scissors, felt decorative stickers, and a sharpie. I like to use a rotary cutter and cutting mat with ruler but you don't have to by any means.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">The first step is to measure out your tree size. Cut out a square that size and fold it in half. Now take your chalk and draw the outline of half a tree since your fabric is folded in half. Cut along that line. You should have something like the photo below.</span></div>
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Now use your ruler to mark out your squares using chalk. I marked in each square how many pockets fit on each row.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60zjAty8F8u44bVBvVrjQ86kOV4UzxdzF_qT0Sr3ywIEsmqp4bpMUqJ3dGZYi0yfSSnbtWPwLQNDAWXJrohIhUvoikMD8EHz_-tK_qVIRhPuQNRiANCvzpK9hJM5Rr4eia2_aBOQORMw/s1600/IMG_4598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60zjAty8F8u44bVBvVrjQ86kOV4UzxdzF_qT0Sr3ywIEsmqp4bpMUqJ3dGZYi0yfSSnbtWPwLQNDAWXJrohIhUvoikMD8EHz_-tK_qVIRhPuQNRiANCvzpK9hJM5Rr4eia2_aBOQORMw/s320/IMG_4598.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Once you measure those out, you can fold your fabric accordingly and cut the advent pockets with a rotary cutting tool and ruler. If you don't have one you can just cut them out with scissors.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQLgHYzpdK0ThBDkEEnjLlxnlZZdXNfoVnUsXVkKlKR1Sm7tcv0BwsbkzA3QqQ-hV_M3vyi8IuufuwyXN0luBJY2j4tShXLOcMJ7aWIG8Ut2vOJfb9sFj6KBsGBiRIBbRLgbrQSJ636E/s1600/IMG_4607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQLgHYzpdK0ThBDkEEnjLlxnlZZdXNfoVnUsXVkKlKR1Sm7tcv0BwsbkzA3QqQ-hV_M3vyi8IuufuwyXN0luBJY2j4tShXLOcMJ7aWIG8Ut2vOJfb9sFj6KBsGBiRIBbRLgbrQSJ636E/s320/IMG_4607.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then simply attach the pockets to the tree with your needle and thread!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5RJjM-995oDmZOt-PBJrdDJfThSSwyopbI6P59fsz8EgPQzs-qnjnzP_M6hTiNBJ3r6bOxwxIvI8atNstaN4Hq7qJGvbZ9nsQOI4RsffRGtESFpEz9eWfbC1sa3UT4s2jm3eDadAInQ/s1600/IMG_5727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5RJjM-995oDmZOt-PBJrdDJfThSSwyopbI6P59fsz8EgPQzs-qnjnzP_M6hTiNBJ3r6bOxwxIvI8atNstaN4Hq7qJGvbZ9nsQOI4RsffRGtESFpEz9eWfbC1sa3UT4s2jm3eDadAInQ/s320/IMG_5727.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
I then randomly added the felt stickers where ever I liked, and marked the date on each box with a sharpie. You could use cool felt number stickers but I was in a hurry and couldn't find any locally. I could not get the above photo to turn (though I turned it several times!) so sorry for it's sideways view.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yT-0PnpuHI_4Yeu3gkS38KSiKwdt_WmoXC3Xa0CeqtvBqXJGQcXJRb3DziDFkXjo0ENmephSw3qAXTqb9LIFJuu3K0yuzqk8zvmx_nru1YdQvoe9A8ml2f_PdJiJCA0wBEu6XD9NOlE/s1600/IMG_5730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yT-0PnpuHI_4Yeu3gkS38KSiKwdt_WmoXC3Xa0CeqtvBqXJGQcXJRb3DziDFkXjo0ENmephSw3qAXTqb9LIFJuu3K0yuzqk8zvmx_nru1YdQvoe9A8ml2f_PdJiJCA0wBEu6XD9NOlE/s320/IMG_5730.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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In each pocket I placed one of the tickets that will have the activity for that day. I simply write the activity on the back.<br />
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<img alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic" height="240" src="http://i36.tinypic.com/2e53zsw.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"> I found that printable for the free Christmas "tickets"</span><a href="http://misscutiepiegoes80s.blogspot.com/2009/11/printable-vintage-style-christmas.html" style="text-align: left;"> HERE from Miss Cutie pie goes 80s</a>. These make really cute gift tags too!</div>
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There is a great list of activities here at <a href="http://baltimoremommies.blogspot.com/2011/12/winter-bucket-list.html">Baltimore Mommies</a> or you can type in winter bucket list into a google search for a whole array of options.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzIZvxftfhHScvxkpsZtnCAxf4gDkQrw6jC1en6JdVHkx3JfEPKFrkKi4W3fhN4k57BTLjb7Wq6hKw6EOroT0A2Id8ewY34O1FyKH23Kh6Js4cTTOuXv00Omooj90BTW72XcPTkh-uXPx/s1600/281935426.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzIZvxftfhHScvxkpsZtnCAxf4gDkQrw6jC1en6JdVHkx3JfEPKFrkKi4W3fhN4k57BTLjb7Wq6hKw6EOroT0A2Id8ewY34O1FyKH23Kh6Js4cTTOuXv00Omooj90BTW72XcPTkh-uXPx/s400/281935426.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">And that is it! You can EASILY whip this out in a few hours. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWv2QSESGUrN_08wgWDh-SouwdmEfU7BhlwRs56xQDUpixd2-EEtw1NYtNRzONMWovL845sivSO2v3xV7uKnjLNAspYfo6VMWbsxztiSWnlu_ZB-R5gvxLaCrrjf4qG-FaU4wU7KKtB7Y/s1600/tree+advent+calendar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWv2QSESGUrN_08wgWDh-SouwdmEfU7BhlwRs56xQDUpixd2-EEtw1NYtNRzONMWovL845sivSO2v3xV7uKnjLNAspYfo6VMWbsxztiSWnlu_ZB-R5gvxLaCrrjf4qG-FaU4wU7KKtB7Y/s640/tree+advent+calendar.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Have fun and let me know how it turns out! </span></div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-24923968795016106752012-11-23T09:41:00.001-08:002012-11-23T09:47:59.228-08:00Gifts that bring JOY and OPPORTUNITY to the poor!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://support.foodforthepoor.org/site/R?i=d2JYUJ_A0lHTdsygLXoS6Q" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 20px;" target="_blank">Gifts that bring joy and opportunity to the poor!</a></h1>
<a href="http://support.foodforthepoor.org/site/R?i=NaXrfcqUMpjntskaXF3TRQ" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; line-height: 13px;" target="_blank">View on the Web</a> | <a href="http://support.foodforthepoor.org/site/R?i=rZ-c0laBzsgQp2f6zuL3CA" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; line-height: 13px;" target="_blank">Forward to a Friend</a></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3"><a href="http://support.foodforthepoor.org/site/R?i=BDO5nlshLF8erD-66ypHPw" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gift Catalog" border="0" height="115" src="https://secure3.convio.net/ffp/images/content/pagebuilder/christmas12-13_email.jpg" style="border: none;" width="560" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="26"><img alt="" border="0" height="10" src="https://secure3.convio.net/ffp/images/content/pagebuilder/13657.gif" width="26" /></td><td height="200" valign="top" width="508"><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 9px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Dear Kristy,</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 9px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
This Black Friday, instead of running around town to find this year’s “it” gift, take a moment and choose a present that will save a life.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 9px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://support.foodforthepoor.org/site/R?i=p0kDtuWbsGIEKSf2FeoRRA" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; line-height: 15px;" target="_blank"><b>Food For The Poor’s Christmas Gift Catalog</b></a> makes gift giving easy, meaningful, and there are options to fit every budget.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 9px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Your loved ones will be delighted to know that a practical, desperately-needed gift has been given to the poor in their honor.</div>
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<tr><td align="left" height="232" valign="top"><a href="http://support.foodforthepoor.org/site/R?i=6kHMIz5WulGY_eFzTOELQQ" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank"><img alt="Your gift will commemorate the birth of our Lord by providing a hungry child with "daily bread" for an entire year." border="0" src="https://secure3.convio.net/ffp/images/content/pagebuilder/1123feedachild19567.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td align="right" height="229" valign="top"><a href="http://support.foodforthepoor.org/site/R?i=dAdR6prtmSZA9p7hEWAn3A" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank"><img align="baseline" alt="A goat provides poor families with " border="0" src="https://secure3.convio.net/ffp/images/content/pagebuilder/1123goat19566.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td height="219" valign="top"><a href="http://support.foodforthepoor.org/site/R?i=Jwy50Y-jp8GgA1HA109VxA" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank"><img alt="Contaminated water causes disease and even death among young children. Your generosity will save lives." border="0" src="https://secure3.convio.net/ffp/images/content/pagebuilder/1123pump19565.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></td></tr>
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Let your dollars do double duty! Get your Christmas presents and feed the poor!<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-52912456572719090022012-11-22T22:10:00.000-08:002012-11-22T22:34:56.189-08:00How To Have a Peaceful, Budget Friendly Christmas Season.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We had a wonderful Thanksgiving up at my parents with all the kid-lets, my uncle, and some friends. We ate a beautiful feast. Of course I forgot my camera, which is my common response to a lot going on! We ate our typical feast (all the recipes listed earlier on<a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-all-time-favorite-thanksgiving-and.html"> "My All Favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner Recipes year after year (made with whole foods)."</a> YUMMY! <br />
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When we are being thankful it is such a reminder of God's grace in our lives. All the little and big things we are thankful for are gifts from God. Made me think that next year I would love to add a time of praise and worship to our traditional celebration. A time of showing God our thankfulness and enjoying His presence.<br />
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Came home by 5:30 after stopping to look at Christmas lights on the way home, got everyone into jammies and watched a fun family movie. By 7:30 we were all exhausted (pregnancy and sleep are not going that great for me at the moment) and in bed! I was of course just "laying down with Cruz" my 2 year old, but at nine I woke up to find a quiet house, husband in bed and feeling refreshed :). I love a quiet house to sew, blog or craft in!<br />
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The end of Thanksgiving signifies for my family the start of the Christmas season as well. I love the weekend after Thanksgiving as it is so fun to put up the tree, decorate and get in the Christmas Spirit. I don't however get into the whole Black Friday craze, and was sorry to see that so many stores started black Friday tonight. The consumerism can really rob from the time of thankfulness and time with family. <br />
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I LOVE Christmas. Everything about it... The lights, the craftiness of making decorations, presents, and what not, the music, the spirit of generosity. It is the perfect way to celebrate the gift of Jesus. Being generous with others as God was so generous with the gift of his Son Jesus the hope of salvation. I always explain it to my kids like this.."We give gifts to others, because God gave Jesus to us." It blesses Gods heart to see generosity, so that is our gift to God. We also keep it simple at our house. Setting a budget at the begining of the season helps too. We have 5 kids (if you count the one due Christmas day), and a small budget so we make a lot of gifts, swap names between the adults and include thrifted gifts as well that we have scoped out at the local thrift store, on craigslist, or at garage sales. This year I found a pink DS in great shape for my daughter at a garage sale for $1!!! I also found her a kids sewing machine (something I had been wanting to get her), and a few board games that looked new. She is by far the easiest to get gifts for!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Christmas can be simple, budget friendly, and peaceful.</span> I try to focus on the traditions and season of giving more than just the presents. I wasn't raised with Santa and we choose not to do it at all at our house. I didn't want to confuse the reason for the season with Santa as it can be overshadowing but we do read stories about Saint Nick and other Christmas tales that inspire generosity and love. We have started a few holiday traditions like wrapping 24 Christmas books under the tree, some we own, tons are from the library, etc.. and then the kids take turns every night of December till Christmas unwrapping one and that is what we read before bedtime. We try to incorporate giving to the hungry or needy where ever we can. We might sponsor a child, give gifts from World Vision so the profits go to feed the hungry, or buy a sheep through World Vision for a family across the globe in need etc.. in someones name on our gift list who doesn't want anything. We also have an advent calender (tutorial coming soon) that we fill with activity ideas like making cookies, seeing the lights, giving a gift in secret to a friend, etc... Christmas morning we will eat a big fun breakfast and read the Christmas story, and we always have our big meal Christmas Eve so mom's don't have to cook Christmas day! Then we can snack on all the leftovers all day on Christmas. I also have the kids find or make each other presents so they get to participate in the giving side of things. They love it!</div>
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These fun things keep the focus on togetherness, generosity and love the real reason of the Season. If I don't get it all crafted I am not too worried. <span style="font-size: large;">I am not looking to focus on getting everyone the perfect gift (although I would love it if they were thrilled!), but on really enjoying each other and God's goodness the whole season through. </span> I do not want consumerism, long lists of "I want", in fact we don't let the kids make lists or get them into the habit of thinking they need to tell us exactly what they want for this very reason. It should all be a pleasant surprise not a demand or expectation. They know that thrifted presents are part of it and in fact they look forward to finding things for their brothers and sisters at the thrift store too! It just sets them up to appreciate whatever comes their way and allows us to get them something they would really like even though it is not in a new wrapper.<br />
Here are some of the fun DIY ideas I am using for my kids this year!</div>
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<img alt="OWL PILLOW" src="http://media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com/upload/262686590734739141_disMQ0hw_b.jpg" /></div>
I am making her and my younger daughter <a href="http://www.buttonbirddesigns.com/2011/09/your-football-food-is-gonna-to-have-to-wait.html">these owl pillows from Button Bird Designs</a> but in fun fabrics (in fact I started those a while ago and am almost done).<br />
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<img alt="Cape Tutorial" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/27584616437739859_sYQKcWCA_b.jpg" /></div>
These amazingly cute wool cape's for the girls are next on the sewing list! The pattern is made like a simple circle skirt so as cute as they are they shouldn't take long. I LOVE them and once I get the hang of how to make them I plan on making one for myself!<br />
I think with all the things I have to sew for her, and all the gifts I have found over time that I need to be done for her. They get gifts from grandmas, and grandpas, and aunts so we try not to go overboard. I do not want to set the expectation at this stage in life that Christmas is an over top budget blower. My youngest is really starting to get into imaginative play so I am making her a DIY doctor kit. I have found some really fun ideas for it and have so many of the supplies on hand around the house. She will love it! I will post a tutorial on that once it is done.<br />
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<img alt="fort kits | diy hang tags | saltwater-kids" height="200" src="http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/upload/114841859219425579_60W8qMHM_c.jpg" width="196" /></div>
My oldest son who is 8 will be getting a really cool fort kid that I found a tutorial for <a href="http://www.saltwater-kids.com/2008/11/fort-kit-mini-tutorial.html">here at Saltwater-kids</a>. I can't wait to get started on this! He will love it! What a great birthday presents for his friends as well. I am sure I will have to sew a few more up in the near future! Just so you know I really don't get to sew that often. We homeschool and being pregnant, having a 2 yr old, 3 yr old, 5 yr old and 8 yr old they keep me busy getting water, doing school, cleaning, cooking etc... So most of the projects I picked for this year are really simple ones! <br />
<img height="132" src="http://www.howdoesshe.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_8636HDS.jpg" width="200" /> <img height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVh4zkijVAY/TpJZ-rm4LeI/AAAAAAAAEs4/ToeqyCRr_KQ/s200/title.jpg" width="200" /><br />
Like this cape for my youngest son. I followed the cutting tutorial to get the right shape from the picture above at <a href="http://www.momsrising.org/blog/how-to-make-a-superhero-cape-by-lara-from-howdoesshe/">Moms Rising</a>, but used black knit so there was no sewing involved with that part. I did however create the CUTEST felt logo with a lightning bolt and his initial out of felt that I sewed on the back! I love it! I added some cuffs from this tutorial at <a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/2011/10/handmade-dress-up-diy-superhero-cuffs-tutorial.html">The Train To Crazy</a>, and made two cute super hero masks with lightning bolts that I will have to show you when I make my DIY super hero outfit tutorial. I hope he loves it. It is too cute and we can't let the girls have all the fun with their princess dress ups!<br />
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<img alt="How To Sew Sock Monkey ~ tutorial and pattern" src="http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/upload/199565827209142582_M9q8DfFp_b.jpg" /></div>
I plan to make these sock monkeys for Cruz my youngest and our newest baby boy for when he is born. They are so cute!! Not sure how hard they are. We will see. I have lots of stuff to make all the kids on my list but this last one for Cruz is so cute I had to share in case you have a little "cowboy" on your list as well!<br />
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<img alt="lightbluegrey: Let's diy!" height="159" src="http://media-cache0.pinterest.com/upload/114841859219425431_TK5k3QLm_c.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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I adore these stick horse, hobby horse or whatever you want to call them! The tutorial is <a href="http://lightbluegrey.blogspot.com/2011/01/lets-diy.html">Here at Light Blue Grey</a>. So like I said I have way more ideas of what I want to make for all kinds of people on my list and if you want to see the tutorials and gift ideas I am pinning at pinterest be sure to <a href="http://pinterest.com/apronsandapples/" style="text-align: left;"><img alt="Follow Me on Pinterest" height="28" src="http://passets-lt.pinterest.com/images/about/buttons/follow-me-on-pinterest-button.png" width="169" /></a> and check out my Christmas gift ideas board and my Christmas and fall holidays board. There are tons of fun ideas that I plan on adding to as well. I figure if I don't make it all this Christmas there are plenty of holidays that I will be looking for gift ideas for! I also posted some money saving ideas on these older posts <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/12/need-some-crafty-christmas-inspiration.html">Here</a> and <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/12/need-to-save-some-cash-homemade-gifts.html">Here</a>.</div>
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Anyway, I got a little sidetracked showing you all the fun DIY ideas out there for presents but my point was that Christmas is about God's Love and should remain the focus of the season! I may not get all my ideas crafted, or get around to Christmas cards (so please don't be offended if you don't get one), or get my house perfectly decked out, or get around to throwing that great holiday party, but that is ok. I don't want anything to take the place of focusing on God's great gift and opportunities to be generous and be a blessing. I really want to take the time to enjoy my family which is His second greatest gift to me. If any to-do item is robbing me of my joy and stressing me out than it isn't that important! What do you do to keep the spirit in the season and avoid the craziness that can rob your joy during the holidays?</div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-84524643863930757882012-11-17T11:05:00.000-08:002012-11-17T11:42:35.172-08:00Show Your Gratitude This Season SPONSOR A CHILD Who Needs You!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and he will be rewarded for what he has done!"</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Proverbs 17:19</span></b></div>
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In this season of gratitude as we approach Thanksgiving lets show it! Lets thank God for all he has provided by sharing! These children need people like you and me. Before the great spending sprees start for Christmas shopping spend where it matters first.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.hopechest.org/community/shanto/sponsor">Sponsor a Child with Children's Hope Chest </a>and help a child in Ethiopia!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You will never regret a decision to put others first and care for the poor in a real and meaningful way!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Click <a href="http://www.hopechest.org/community/shanto/sponsor">HERE</a> to put your gratitude to work and make a difference today! We sponsor a child through this charity and fully trust it.</span><br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-74882247801043761212012-11-15T11:43:00.002-08:002012-11-15T12:13:05.073-08:00Free Thanksgiving Printables and Craft Ideas for the Kids!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love the holidays! What a fun time to make crafts, color, and create with the kids! Being that I have 4 kids and one more due on Christmas I know how important it is to make some family time and just play together. With that inspiration I put together this huge list of fun things to do, create, or print off! Hope you enjoy it!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Fun Thanksgiving Printables and Crafts</span></b></div>
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<img height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wgk8ElnPNbgZNBc1jD9MpZKfv3Cnmeyfs90aZ5YghUo5ea5dUZ8Noo5_HpNCKebK8fV-vr7aQO7KuqrzwR_DogJ20zStHbuP-jR9Bth9dEk7AAMMM5qJeCStmf9s4TsSkLtxDi1JIL8/s400/thanksgiving+freebie23.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWOthYLPwQSX_bAPsQljij62na425t5V5UDHmU13ks-BFKcpuum9Zkajyd8rJCum7OkmcnLrpWHDuZ-8hjxE_UYhsRyzHQ9wWfLpsCq7SbJH7r6l5kdSpXQ8ZgEIQZPYBs7-bd9Rw6cw/s1600/thanksgiving+freebie32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWOthYLPwQSX_bAPsQljij62na425t5V5UDHmU13ks-BFKcpuum9Zkajyd8rJCum7OkmcnLrpWHDuZ-8hjxE_UYhsRyzHQ9wWfLpsCq7SbJH7r6l5kdSpXQ8ZgEIQZPYBs7-bd9Rw6cw/s400/thanksgiving+freebie32.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="400" /></a></div>
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There are TONS of fun things in this free downloadable pack. crafts, busy sheets, printables and more! So check it out at <a href="http://amandaparkerandfamily.blogspot.com/2012/11/free-thanksgiving-printables.html">Amanda Parker and Family</a>. She even has a lot of free adult thanksgiving printables!</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Free Printable Thanksgiving Mazes</b></span></div>
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<img height="320" src="http://www.busybeekidsprintables.com/images/Pilgrim_Medium.jpg" width="247" /></div>
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The mazes found <a href="http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/">HERE at busybee kids crafts</a> come in varying levels of difficulty! The one you see is marked medium recommended for age 5, but they go up to "Super Hard" age 8 and up! Should keep your little ones busy while you are cooking away!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Thanksgiving Kids Table</span></b></div>
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<img alt="Thanksgiving Kids Table" height="319" src="http://www2.fiskars.com/var/fiskars_amer/storage/images/frontpage2/crafting/projects/entertaining-parties/themes-party-ideas/thanksgiving-kids-table/542950-1-eng-US/Thanksgiving-Kids-Table.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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If you are feeling ambitious there are several fun crafts you can do with the kids to set the kids table. Find them <a href="http://www2.fiskars.com/Crafting/Projects/Holiday/Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving-Kids-Table">HERE at Fiscars</a>.<br />
<img alt="kids only party" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/19281104624165667_llrqg8uF_c.jpg" /><br />
Find all this fun stuff <a href="http://bellagracepartydesigns.blogspot.com/2009/11/party-dress-kids-only-thanksgiving.html">Bella Grace Party Designs</a>.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Pilgrim Blessings Mix</span></b><br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxX9Q_8xoYFyrXfkGj9EFh0pKiNQ5Ax_UfUxVMC2_t0pm9t0lbuMxG1M2PXbTLg-GmCf0VxuFQCbpVmBykROPytIHom_3wQgZNy0EKTyAFlCmM_df8rBDrhDXol-AVciobxxqnIJiAG9t/s640/IMG_2422.jpg" /><br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMAPWvQiaq99Cpzj4kTuQ9woDDWzOI_2Yxn8Yz9_qnhLakKxbFFqfqAlfVWpkmlmC-1U2yPKdm-j1HXQwTozpqMhhnn3rIoWUN4mFoXV7fXjUuP8ZkbEAoo1UBqH7gWY00cDoX8-Z9Drn/s640/PILGRIMS+MIX.jpg" /><br />
Have fun putting these cute little treats together in a bag for friends. Find it<a href="http://organicfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/11/pilgrims-blessing-mix.html"> HERE at Organic Families</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Free Printable Coloring Sheets</b></span><br />
<img alt="Thanksgiving Coloring Fun" src="http://assets.freeprintable.com/images/item/thumb/thanksgiving-coloring-fun.jpg" /><br />
From <a href="http://www.freeprintable.com/free-printable-coloring-sheets/thanksgiving-coloring-fun">free printable</a><br />
<img height="280" src="http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/artscraftsideaskids/coloringpages/freeprintables/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-drawing-pilgrims-faces-printables.png" width="400" /><br />
Print from<br />
<img alt="Thanksgiving Pilgrim Coloring Pages" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVbm5LD9fNK9HLJ50WupOc2XYu6f22azERK1238Zy0GgFPC5dud6BANq2vFH-jCUS-Toq2q_FFmFMbi-wa6bpSZWwgfpSytOHmFMetk0P2yUbOZj2Zw22Hww7UfZWfr-unxIt8bywyAc/s400/thanksgiving+pilgrim+coloring+pages+4.gif" /><br />
Find this and tons more at <a href="http://neverland-tinkerbell-coloring-pages.blogspot.com/2011/10/thanksgiving-pilgrim-coloring-pages.html">neverland tinkerbell coloring pages</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Free Bible </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Based</span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Preschool Printables, and Crafts.</span></b><br />
<img src="http://thecraftyclassroom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ThanksgivingPin.gif" /><br />
Find them all <a href="http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/Thanksgiving2.html">HERE at Christian Preschool Pritables</a>.<br />
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<img src="http://thecraftyclassroom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ThanksgivingPin2.gif" /><br />
<a href="http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/Pages/BibleVerseCards/BibleVerseCards1Thessalonians.html">These are HERE at Christian Preschool Printables too.</a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">How About a Bit of Thanksgiving Trivia?</span></b><br />
<img src="http://onecharmingparty.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/turkey-trivia-pics-e1288753519544.png" /><br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoivcNx0THnzYuxaoeFnVYfQNZBan6DiLJacGxZfHbaBGO_HbFS-LfDrgDKx1oUAAlBTCv6292W4Lqddfpff0Adb3UzBx9wroHhyphenhyphenvn5iRGcacL5aY2mWv7pwKzFmQ8eGwFP_lCgBO-l7g/s400/turk.jpg" /><br />
Both found <a href="http://prettieparties.blogspot.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-trivia.html">HERE at Prettie Parties</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Color by Number Turkey's</span></b><br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9FgGEUu1B0ZipOyIKAqZdJBloOXLa2ObnIOTHa1rLWeHfcsuxLMR1QiHO5mUYhRLNV0X14HuOfzhcBiSZJkmbO5J_HnZNVfXcDaem5777fwOHM8AQE8ZA8hEk6b2X_bgbal_cKSbh48/s400/color+by+number+turkey.jpg" /><br />
Find a few of them <a href="http://crisscrossapplesaucelearning.blogspot.com/2011/11/color-by-number-turkey.html">HERE at Criss Cross Apple Sauce Learning</a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Make some Fun Treats and Party Favors!</span></b><br />
<img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV6qFMFwLyGb7TWpfb8vtONK5dpFVRCPRiPNBxmcsYOltJSwTD3M9V2xPfheCSNMy9z9QZ2zh8BohWb31_F7rGIVM5jPJc5q2U5ug5VRToHJlc6nDcijB4dyb0m3iUEBQkI6GPwKEfww/s400/MM-Turkey-Favors-01.jpg" width="358" /><br />
Instructions and details at <a href="http://thepinkinkdoodle.blogspot.com/2010/11/m-turkey-favors.html">The Pink Ink Doodle</a><br />
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<img alt="turkey treats" src="http://media-cache0.pinterest.com/upload/46161964900090277_uUL76H6c_c.jpg" /><br />
I know these are sugary but they sure look like fun to make! <a href="http://7thhouseontheleft.com/2010/10/gobble-gobble-gobble/">Find them here at 7th house on the left</a>.<br />
<img height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqpIwjnuwUvc22mTCyxxpUmUD09F12CEfmBz1Nu6G6ZCu2evgIc4C76B8LXY5RJNPUOQ7hoTm_Oa9cOM6XkWh8XjXM8WvOSXQimV35-FYi-mtkYDoQ0gBpphlRrFYSOBIsIDLx1XIvz8/s400/cornucopia+favors+016.jpg" width="400" /><br />
What fun these look like! I love the tags as well! Get directions from <a href="http://paperturtle.blogspot.com/2011/11/cornucopia-of-flavorsand-favors.html">Paper Turtle</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">How About a Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt?</span></b><br />
<img alt="Thanksgiving Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt" src="http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/upload/48273027225461549_ZZX5YMIE_c.jpg" /><br />
Found here <a href="http://spoonful.com/printables/thanksgiving-scavenger-hunt">from Family Fun Magazine</a><br />
Or create your own photo scavenger hunt making it more difficult and including adults! Simply print off a list and send everyone out in teams with digital cameras! First team back gets the first slices of pie!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Still Need More Ideas, Coloring Sheets, and Printables? Check out my<a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/11/free-thanksgiving-printables.html"> Last years Post </a>Filled With Fun Stuff for You and the Kids!</span></b><br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UkPODudvCTY8dheyH-fNah7Bpa15JOFSEggt6Y3Ex0v_QiHXjdex2xxgBEe0Bh-82V77r9f2iFSjZe3fLBMS3dlGAoX-VrRBALEuG5bTURYSdeHxIMqIeMKNPvl1MHD1leLMfA0n-FQ/s400/THANKSGIVING+skit-1.jpg" /><br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2D60eh_7ytj8bbh-WRR9ZmniIo9zye9TiMbqHnDvLJpVy5hnNcPS31oIqR-cJkTOXHdYnTvoT1rDAcZNaXS5vg6I3mzRXzJ0yfvwbUUBHd70jpETkEgo_cYsTeZVKgafPkOxYLBgImuk/s400/Thanksgiving+Children%2527s+Activity+Placemat+Printable+12x16.jpg" /><br />
All these and more found on my previous post <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/11/free-thanksgiving-printables.html">Thanksgiving Printables</a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!</span></b><br />
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If you looking for Thanksgiving recipe ideas check back soon as I plan on posting all my decadent but healthier go to recipes! I always love new recipes but some just can't be beat!</div>
<img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee461/kristyneeley/signature.jpg" /></div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-39012843231511233932012-11-10T12:44:00.000-08:002012-11-10T13:21:22.521-08:00EASY 3 ingredient No Grate, No Cook Homemade DIY Laundry Detergent PLUS Free Printable Labels To Go With It!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I had originally intended to make the laundry soap that requires grating a bar of soap and cooking it all. I loved the "green" appeal removing all those weird chemicals, and the money saving side of things. The thing that stopped me (after I bought everything for it of course) was the fact that I did not have a place to store 5 gallons of laundry soap and grating and cooking really didn't sound that fun. I am 7 months pregnant, and have 4 other kids to chase after to occupy my time! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldDRtQcPxhjUUkRyzSzCFhbW_4oXHl08h6GdoZMQmPt6IWiceRI06fwdofb7ckjPDjFQ-oRI94X-1HJuucq7KX2yZonZfeSTjWWh_KLh1IdiqfzJLOSFktd31a_MAR0TrPCPfJSgJjFg/s1600/IMG_5716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldDRtQcPxhjUUkRyzSzCFhbW_4oXHl08h6GdoZMQmPt6IWiceRI06fwdofb7ckjPDjFQ-oRI94X-1HJuucq7KX2yZonZfeSTjWWh_KLh1IdiqfzJLOSFktd31a_MAR0TrPCPfJSgJjFg/s400/IMG_5716.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This recipe is SO fast that I whipped it up at 9pm at night in 4 minutes flat! </span>This recipe is DIRT CHEAP and works well.<span style="text-align: left;"> All you need are a few simple supplies..</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86xZ9sXIN2oaEErPDGODt6x7Pt-djJPpBK2DDGjOGD3s1qhF_Ngeqco5qv5rNWlOnuhwyliw3fIe6VEVwf1bLSYao_ARmwLPuDHrdJNSKZARh-H1ON4NMogOivl_v79jn6tRGn-Kw0CE/s1600/IMG_5708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86xZ9sXIN2oaEErPDGODt6x7Pt-djJPpBK2DDGjOGD3s1qhF_Ngeqco5qv5rNWlOnuhwyliw3fIe6VEVwf1bLSYao_ARmwLPuDHrdJNSKZARh-H1ON4NMogOivl_v79jn6tRGn-Kw0CE/s320/IMG_5708.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Then I saw a simple recipe THANKS to </span><a href="http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/no-grate-homemade-laundry-soap.html" style="text-align: left;">One Good Thing by Jilee</a><span style="text-align: left;">!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">DIY No Grate, No Cook Concentrated Laundry Detergent </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3 Tablespoons Borax</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3 Tablespoons Washing Soda (not the same as baking soda)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2 Tablespoons Dawn or other non bleach effective dish soap</span></div>
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All you do is pour those into a jar or plastic container like your old laundry detergent bottle if you prefer. Then add 4 cups boiling or really hot tap water to the mix to dissolve it all. Once it is dissolved simply add enough water to make 1/2 gallon. Because this is concentrated I only have to use 1/4 cup of the mixture. You can always see how you like it and adjust how much you need based on your size of load and level of dirtiness. I used a palmolive dish soap but many swear by blue dawn (specifically the blue one) for it's amazing degreasing abilities. You can buy all these supplies in the laundry isle at walmart. I had to ask because they were tricky to find but they had all of them and they were very cheap.</div>
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Now if you want to be all practical you can simply make this mixture in an old fabric softer bottle or laundry detergent container, but I wanted mine cute. I have been slowly redoing the laundry/entry/crafty/office space so I wanted mine to look nice. Notice the beautiful ironing table /counter surface on the washer and dryer under the laundry detergent? I just redid that and you can see my<a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2012/10/tutorial-make-ironing-surface-table-on.html"> ironing table/counter tutorial HERE</a>. Needless to say I was trying to get rid of the big ugly plastic red jug so here was my solution.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldDRtQcPxhjUUkRyzSzCFhbW_4oXHl08h6GdoZMQmPt6IWiceRI06fwdofb7ckjPDjFQ-oRI94X-1HJuucq7KX2yZonZfeSTjWWh_KLh1IdiqfzJLOSFktd31a_MAR0TrPCPfJSgJjFg/s1600/IMG_5716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldDRtQcPxhjUUkRyzSzCFhbW_4oXHl08h6GdoZMQmPt6IWiceRI06fwdofb7ckjPDjFQ-oRI94X-1HJuucq7KX2yZonZfeSTjWWh_KLh1IdiqfzJLOSFktd31a_MAR0TrPCPfJSgJjFg/s320/IMG_5716.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I used an old 1/2 gallon Vlasic pickle jar, some scrap fabric, the free printable labels I provide below and fabric starch to modge podge it all on. So just to clarify I did not use modge podge, I used fabric starch in it's place. It's much cheaper and I happened to have some from my <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/05/diy-silly-putty-tutorial-something-fun.html">DIY Silly Putty Tutorial a while back.</a></div>
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Here is how I did it.</div>
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I created the free printable laundry labels for you using <a href="http://justsomethingimade.com/2011/04/free-apothecary-style-labels-worldlabel-com/">Cathe Holden's</a> very cool apothecary labels I blogged about earlier in my post on <a href="http://apronsandapples.blogspot.com/2011/05/freebies-gorgeous-printable-labels-of.html">Free Printable Labels</a> where I gave you TONS of links to great printable labels. Those labels are available to download and customize. For this project I did all that for you already. You just need to right click on the image below and open it in another window and print.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTZVYfTshSBvJw4M9qqTMdYWD5Y6Eox5wYkU0g8o1-qrNSkeak8aYm7lZ4nJ9Z4tGUXCdY1BYlkTra-NmTjdlDmqLI3dUUdqZkVOhknwpHVxhOSfI2NEByr-OCaLZvu2B0Qcmz42tIjo/s1600/Laundry+labels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTZVYfTshSBvJw4M9qqTMdYWD5Y6Eox5wYkU0g8o1-qrNSkeak8aYm7lZ4nJ9Z4tGUXCdY1BYlkTra-NmTjdlDmqLI3dUUdqZkVOhknwpHVxhOSfI2NEByr-OCaLZvu2B0Qcmz42tIjo/s640/Laundry+labels.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I used a rotary cutter and cutting mat with ruler to get a nice straight edge on my fabric (you cold of course use scrap book paper here too) when I cut it to the width I wanted.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvA0pmEtLs_yIfy00QdVqvTbPYO-q7_WSEm6rSYgFWKj9RGQp_LeRIiA3b9hDhpwZlYF-p81yzNG58gMGmNJiX21a-oBf6Hxtkfi6Z5IkYPZ49H2GR6_fgVi_B8HhPei8Ebh2HxVUFtFU/s1600/IMG_5709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvA0pmEtLs_yIfy00QdVqvTbPYO-q7_WSEm6rSYgFWKj9RGQp_LeRIiA3b9hDhpwZlYF-p81yzNG58gMGmNJiX21a-oBf6Hxtkfi6Z5IkYPZ49H2GR6_fgVi_B8HhPei8Ebh2HxVUFtFU/s400/IMG_5709.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Next pour some liquid starch ( a few bucks at walmart in the laundry isle) into a container and lay the fabric down into it so that it is fully coated. Then use your fingers to strip off the excess as you pull it out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XsBH7h_ZhjTJOqKpoeBm14aIBS2ubRRdwU3H2mAoBeBAmk0z6UagAyNKnPehTSSGhNhWk4WPZk-wL1TWx5SbZ5IqedsfYHFVCYr2DvDVnrvc9lhivfAOEDJiW5gV-HzF1O1z5csO5U0/s1600/IMG_5710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XsBH7h_ZhjTJOqKpoeBm14aIBS2ubRRdwU3H2mAoBeBAmk0z6UagAyNKnPehTSSGhNhWk4WPZk-wL1TWx5SbZ5IqedsfYHFVCYr2DvDVnrvc9lhivfAOEDJiW5gV-HzF1O1z5csO5U0/s400/IMG_5710.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Now place it on the jar just the way want it. It slides around nicely while you adjust it unlike other adhesives like straight up glue.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F2GlhXE1hfxkTPngQc_uYI9_8_NLxqxQ8laCYv6_doxhv9shFXHbwSOrx1YV-A_-BnNWkogqZXT6uDsazIouq4pR9HQLvxi_P_obtrIUUGTNvAY1ckqdb_Exg3F7t2g5f9x7V3NLS1E/s1600/IMG_5712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F2GlhXE1hfxkTPngQc_uYI9_8_NLxqxQ8laCYv6_doxhv9shFXHbwSOrx1YV-A_-BnNWkogqZXT6uDsazIouq4pR9HQLvxi_P_obtrIUUGTNvAY1ckqdb_Exg3F7t2g5f9x7V3NLS1E/s400/IMG_5712.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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You do the same thing with the label making sure it is coated with the fabric starch and then simply place it over the fabric where you want it. Be warned if you use really cheap ink like I do in your printer it may fade a little. Mine didn't really do too bad but it can happen since we are dipping it in so much liquid.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qP-WPZwpADqU0R2eFy1Z0ktApOQ5VI0eZlnAwKuA3GomHyjHDBh9hrR2TA-PPxcuSviN8xo-PTAgY73jymJoAb9HdrDFmkDWZwYugICSpBh6R9LRLifpl3HtIgW3M67WcqlTgRUJ4N8/s1600/IMG_5711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qP-WPZwpADqU0R2eFy1Z0ktApOQ5VI0eZlnAwKuA3GomHyjHDBh9hrR2TA-PPxcuSviN8xo-PTAgY73jymJoAb9HdrDFmkDWZwYugICSpBh6R9LRLifpl3HtIgW3M67WcqlTgRUJ4N8/s400/IMG_5711.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
To cover the lid with fabric trace a round shape the same size as the top of your lid and cut it out. Then dip it in fabric starch and place on top the lid. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsut0ViFynZARBUGrImAWdUBLTVSRiljk_9-z7aTlhrEdtVLtgzx8M77ZiDAGJaPaaViV4bfrYyfZcyP6ztTcuGSM6y8kQOUNzsQVyPClThpZSf36l1CVCoKDGgU3dh9_7Y2GGjGTwZ0/s1600/IMG_5714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsut0ViFynZARBUGrImAWdUBLTVSRiljk_9-z7aTlhrEdtVLtgzx8M77ZiDAGJaPaaViV4bfrYyfZcyP6ztTcuGSM6y8kQOUNzsQVyPClThpZSf36l1CVCoKDGgU3dh9_7Y2GGjGTwZ0/s400/IMG_5714.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
For the edges you can cut a thin strip again using your rotary cutting tool, cutting mat and ruler. Dip in fabric starch and place around the lid. Would it be nicer to paint the lid first? Probably, but I didn't want to go get the spray paint out. So I went with what I was already using. Below is a picture I did with another of the labels I provided above. That is the nice thing.. You have lots of choices. You can adhere the label straight to the jar but I just wanted to add the fabric for decor reasons as that is how I roll!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31b8O8OahFRGJixy0RMESTRYZTEosA1ySbXHWUc5tUn_6lFwUrLsZwKOpCs4VNcU5smnvaM84C-9tTVcFfr9a3RhoAPnbweylZD64RdvJkICmJmB6PZERt64k6My4rwgRdyiiaYQz4Gk/s1600/IMG_5715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31b8O8OahFRGJixy0RMESTRYZTEosA1ySbXHWUc5tUn_6lFwUrLsZwKOpCs4VNcU5smnvaM84C-9tTVcFfr9a3RhoAPnbweylZD64RdvJkICmJmB6PZERt64k6My4rwgRdyiiaYQz4Gk/s320/IMG_5715.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I really love the results. So just to recap.. the soap takes all of 4 minutes to make and costs pennies. You don't have to bother with all the jar decorating, but how fun would that be? What do you think? You gonna give it a go? I didn't give a price breakdown earlier but it is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP to make this soap and it works just as good as other detergent. It is very low suddsing so you can use it in a HE front loader like I do. You can even try scenting it with essential oils, like lavender. I think when I am done posting this for you I will go grab my lavender essential oil and do just that!</div>
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-45648365343828423792012-10-31T10:56:00.001-07:002012-10-31T10:56:47.672-07:00Tutorial - Make an Ironing Surface / Table on Your Washer and Dryer, and Line a Book Case!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have a mismatched washer and dryer and no room for an ironing board in my laundry room. I needed to come up with a solution to make the two look more unified and give me an ironing surface. My laundry room is a tiny multipurpose space that serves as my office, laundry room, back entry, and crafty sewing space. So not only did I need an ironing surface I also needed a place to fold the laundry, as well as lay out any patterns for cutting and sewing. This is what I came up with and it is serving me well! I also love the way it looks and it was VERY simple to complete. All for the price of two yards of fabric!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLs5LY-xNcZxvaztJ4ZHKMu6sxJ8sr4XUzgkcDfpum7Xpr5Qsxicphdc0sOM9-U4T2Cf1kSPHUBUjEZbPk6EDrhXGt6hDLujv7wtLJxmdg36Nn8GYRR35brQPpuVSO2O1vpjelbpzlA2c/s1600/IMG_5675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLs5LY-xNcZxvaztJ4ZHKMu6sxJ8sr4XUzgkcDfpum7Xpr5Qsxicphdc0sOM9-U4T2Cf1kSPHUBUjEZbPk6EDrhXGt6hDLujv7wtLJxmdg36Nn8GYRR35brQPpuVSO2O1vpjelbpzlA2c/s320/IMG_5675.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I ended up pulling an old book shelf from the garage and putting it on the end to make a little bit of a separation between the entry and the laundry area. It will also discourage everyone from throwing things down on top of the washer as they come in the door. I used the same material (scraps left over) to line the back of the shelves and it came out great! I am going to add a hook to the back of the shelve to hold my laundry basket but until then it is still on the back of the dryer. I love it! Now I have separation, more storage and a cleaner overall look. It was a quick and easy project and I feel like my laundry room had a makeover!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mC6kevDZHTHMHK5m8F7L-Y3_kFetmwdGRHy_v-5BOWbtpct8lrPFDYBCXa7lP8LXgBg_DgNs4bOSl1bbmLzypoGLnsAKMY7MpwCSArtLSIEryipJtP_MDl_siwIH3-_-fq242ctTi50/s1600/IMG_5682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mC6kevDZHTHMHK5m8F7L-Y3_kFetmwdGRHy_v-5BOWbtpct8lrPFDYBCXa7lP8LXgBg_DgNs4bOSl1bbmLzypoGLnsAKMY7MpwCSArtLSIEryipJtP_MDl_siwIH3-_-fq242ctTi50/s320/IMG_5682.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
So here is how I did it..<br />
You will need :<br />
A sheet of plywood large enough to cover your washer and dryer.<br />
2 yards of fabric or a little less. I like to use the thicker home decor fabric.<br />
1-2 large bath towels you no longer need.<br />
A staple gun.<br />
This is what it looked like before.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qdUXC81gnulyLjTfaWUmi4oGmztUJPsdWdZ6_in16NF1xKq2MDc9rBErQTGrz0FsT_pqjg7Esq3EioOozGgjEdGMWZyarCRIY01_9qHzuGL84cHVFDqg3y7mWsKC_TBDVymVQ3pNV5s/s1600/IMG_5670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qdUXC81gnulyLjTfaWUmi4oGmztUJPsdWdZ6_in16NF1xKq2MDc9rBErQTGrz0FsT_pqjg7Esq3EioOozGgjEdGMWZyarCRIY01_9qHzuGL84cHVFDqg3y7mWsKC_TBDVymVQ3pNV5s/s320/IMG_5670.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The first thing I did was measure the space that I wanted to cover. I then (OK my husband) cut the plywood to the size I needed. I then stretched the towels over the board to create a softer surface and stapled them down around the edges (you can see the bottom layer in the photo below). .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHXxKDaH93jaDWjIFn42svqdiXI4Lpcr7cRB-g3ciPbFngaANgr2pHCE4nZHQ4h04fguRatje8kPyqU4SAX1WZ8c1AU4hzjP1_Rz2mpH7yLJjORB1WSQ-dU3x9ewOMT5pYvaXiExLmKU/s1600/IMG_5673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHXxKDaH93jaDWjIFn42svqdiXI4Lpcr7cRB-g3ciPbFngaANgr2pHCE4nZHQ4h04fguRatje8kPyqU4SAX1WZ8c1AU4hzjP1_Rz2mpH7yLJjORB1WSQ-dU3x9ewOMT5pYvaXiExLmKU/s320/IMG_5673.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Next I laid the fabric under the board and trimmed it so that I could wrap the edges over and staple it down<br />
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I made sure to pull tight before I stapled so that the top would be nice and smooth.<br />
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Then all I had to do was flip it over and lay it in place. Mine stays in place, but if you have trouble with it sliding just add some sticky backed velcro at all the four corners of the board and down to the washer and dryer as well. <br />
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For the book case I just used the scraps from the project to line the back of this lackluster book case. I simply cut rectangles to fit the back of the book case one shelf at a time. I recommend using a rotary cutter with cutting mats and rulers to get a nice even rectangle. Then I just used spray adhesive to spray the back of the material and the back of the bookcase and applied them one shelve at a time. The spray adhesive is really smelly so make sure you do it outside or right next to an open door! It doesn't stay tacky too long so I did them one at a time and reapplied under any areas that were coming loose. Now if your shelves come out you simply do one big rectangle but my shelves wouldn't come out.<br />
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And here it is again after it was all said and done! I am thinking about adding fabric or paint to the cupboard doors on the bottom but like I said this was a quick afternoon last minute project, and the shelves were just an after thought. I love how it completes the space a bit, and gives it a more organized feel.<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-65494706829229817772012-10-25T09:03:00.000-07:002012-10-25T09:03:49.767-07:00FREE dramatized AUDIO New Testament Download!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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FREE dramatized audio New Testament to download! <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007NMTPUO/ref=dm_ty_trk">Just click Here to get it from Amazon.</a> I just downloaded mine and put it into itunes. Super easy! This is great for kids too as they go to sleep or as we travel in the car. I love that they get to hear God's word and they enjoy listening.<br />
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www.apronsandapples@blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14017366283859554428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701087834974972099.post-61766376911113749182012-10-24T14:05:00.000-07:002012-10-24T14:06:18.854-07:00The Tomato Sauce Recipe No One Should Live With Out! A Famous 4 Ingredient Sauce That Happens To Be The BEST Tomato Sauce Ever!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I know what you are thinking... How can a simple 4 ingredient sauce be the best sauce ever? I am sorry to admit that I usually buy my tomato sauce. It is such an easy nice thing to have on hand. I have made crock pot sauce, stove top sauce and it has been good but a little labor intensive and not really that much better than the jar sauce. I know it is healthier, but sometimes you just don't have time for all homemade. In fact, I had jarred sauce in my cupboard when I went to make a baked pasta dish the other day. When I was looking on line for a good pasta bake recipe I landed on one that included this tomato sauce.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="2011_04_18-Sauce03.jpg" src="http://i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/kitchen/2011_04_18-Sauce03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesey of <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/marcella-hazans-amazing-4ingre-144538">The Kitchn</a> where I found this great recipe!</td></tr>
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The blog post raved about the richness, smoothness and deep flavor of this sauce. It looked so simple and I had all the ingredients, because who doesn't have 1 onion, salt, butter and a can of tomatoes? Evidently this is a true Italian recipe by Marcella Hazan from a cookbook called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/039458404X/?tag=apartmentth0a-20">Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking</a><br />
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<img alt="Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51A8i2okc%2BL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-56,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></div>
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So here it is! The simplest tomato sauce recipe you will ever make that give you rich, full flavor, mouth watering results!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Marcella Hazel's 4 Ingredient Tomato Sauce <span style="text-align: left;">Recipe</span></span></div>
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1 onion cut in half</div>
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1 28 oz. can plumb tomatoes</div>
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5 Tablespoons salted butter (I did not use all 5 Tablespoons, and it was still delicious)</div>
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Salt to season to taste. ( I like sea salt)</div>
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Throw all of the ingredients into a pot and simply simmer this concoction for 45 minutes or so on the stove top. The butter adds an incredible richness and really brings out a deep flavor in the tomatoes. Now Marcella says to remove the onion all together. I tasted it and it was delicious! However, I decided to leave it in for the added nutritional benefit and just used an immersion blender. Now prepare to be amazed! INCREDIBLE! </div>
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That is it! You can memorize this classic recipe and have a quick fix for any night you are in need of a quick supper. Just toss this over whole grain pasta, or add to any recipe calling for tomato sauce. I would imagine this would be great to make in large batches and can! Then you can have the convenience of jarred sauce and all the goodness of homemade taste! Let me know what you think! Have any simple recipes we should know about? Share them in the comments. Thanks!</div>
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