Skirting the Issue

I follow a blog on Instagram called Simple Simon and Co and saw them post about Skirting the Issue, click the link for more information. I knew that I'd be spending some time with my family, and we're all big sewers so I thought why not take a day and sew some skirts! We did a different size for each skirt/dress so that when we donate these skirts to a local foster home they have one for every size girls to juniors. I'm going to add later the basic skirt pattern that we used to make the skirts, and photo's of us making them, but here are pictures of all the skirts!

Stuffed Crochet Christmas Tree

Throughout this winter I've been going crazy crocheting things to keep myself sane. It's a great stress reliever and I love hand making things for people. Blankets have long since become boring for me unless they're for new babies so I have been trying new things. Stuffed animals, trucks, etc. thanks to this wonderful book called Cuddly Crochet by Stacey Trock. I added the light bar to the top of the truck, and changed the headlights because I was making it for a cop friend who drives a truck and I was trying to mimic it to the best of my abilities. The blue bird turned out much better than the red bird because it was my second time around so I learned what to do and what not to do. Ultimately my "nephew" loved the little birdie so it was a success!

I then decided to make a Christmas tree as a white elephant gift because it was easy and cheap and this was how it turned out:

I just thought it would be a cheap white elephant gift, the person that got it loved it and when I posted it on facebook my grandma then saw it and said she wanted one. So I decided to make bigger one and actually write down the pattern. Plus I had this super cute piece of fabric from a jar of bean soup that I thought would make a perfect "tree skirt." Grandma loved it and here's how it turned out:

Here's the pattern:

You are working in the round for this whole pattern so you will crochet in the back loops the entire time. It WILL help if you have a stitch maker to keep track of your rounds. If you don't have a fancy stitch marker you can use run of the mill safety pins to keep track of the end of your rounds so you know how far you've made it.

For the Tree:

Round 1: ch 2, sc 3 in 2nd ch from hook.

Round 2: sc 2 in each st.

Round 3: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 4: sc in each st.

Round 5: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 2 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 6: sc in each st.

Round 7: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 3 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 8: sc in each st.

Round 9: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 4 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 10: sc in each st.

Round 11: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 5 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 12: sc in each st.

Round 13: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 6 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 14: sc in each st.

Round 15: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 5 st, repeat from * 3 times.

Round 16: sc in each st.

Round 17: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 6 st, repeat from * 3 times.

Round 18: sc in each st.

Round 19: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 7 st, repeat from * 3 times.

Round 20: sc in each st.

Round 21: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 5 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 22: sc in each st.

Round 23: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 6 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 24: sc in each st.

Round 25: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 7 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 26: sc in each st.

Round 27: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 8 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 28: sc in each st.

Round 29: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 9 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 30: sc in each st, fasten off with long tail

For the bottom of the tree:

Round 1: ch 2, sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook.

Round 2: sc 2 in each st.

Round 3: *sc 2 in next 2 st, sc in next st, repeat from * 3 times.

Round 4: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next st, repeat from * 9 times.

Round 5: *sc in next 2 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 9 times.

Round 6: *sc in next 3 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 9 times.

Round 7: *sc in next 4 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 9 times.

Round 8: *sc in next 11 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 4 times.

Round 9: *sc in next 4 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 12 times.

Round 10: *sc in next 12 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 5 times, fasten off with long tail.

For the ornaments (Not worked in the round, can use multiple colors):

ch 2, sc 2 in the 2nd ch from hook, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, fasten off with tail.

For the tinsel I used an old bead necklace, cut it, and slip it through stitches to hold it in place. Use the tail of the ornaments to sew them on around the tree randomly. Stuff the tree and use the long tails of the bottom of the tree and the tree to stitch the bottom onto the tree. If you have a cute piece of fabric you can just stitch that onto the bottom.

Nut Butter

My parents destore  to surprise us and c  I doisit for about a week. Imicrowaveso nice to have someone actually come visit us in Lubbock! We went driving around Lubbock, seeing the sights, spending WAY too much money at Sprouts and other various locations. Mom had brought some homemade cashew butter with her and then ended up using almost all our peanut butter to make an amazing asian peanut sauce. All that toif you Ayotte it in the fridge, like I do, then you might want to microwave it for 20 -30 second to make it more  say we decided to buy some dry roasted, unsalted cashews and attempt to make some homemade cashew butter with my Magic Bullet (TM) because my mom had used her full size food processor and said that a small food processor would work better.

Doesn't just look so awesome! Don't worry I'll have the recipe below so you don't have to zoom in on the picture!

We took the dry roasted cashews and ground them in the magic bullet.

Then I suggest adding the salt and grinding one more time, especially if you chose to use any form of course salt. Then we added olive oil one-half tablespoon at a time, and honey one teaspoon at a time since we weren't sure how much it would take of either of them.

Then we ground it, add more honey and olive oil, ground it more, etc. until it became a thick paste, like peanut butter :-)

Then I scooped it into a half-pint jar, ready to be eaten and enjoyed!

I haven't tried almonds yet but that will be next and I will update the blog accordingly! Now that you've listened to me ramble on and have suffered through my amateur photographs here's the recipe:

Nut Butter

1 cup dry, roasted, unsalted nuts (choose any nut you would like, we chose unsalted so we could control the amount of salt in it)
1/2 t salt
2 t honey
2-4 T oil (peanut, almond, olive, vegetable, if you can stick with whatever nut you're using)

Blend or grind nuts in a small food processor or a magic bullet. If using sea salt or Kosher salt add after nuts are ground and blend or process again. Add honey and oil one teaspoon or tablespoon at a time and blend well. Add just enough oil to make it smooth, if you do more than one round as the blade gets hot it will be more doughy than buttery, just be prepared for that and don't over-add oil.

NOTE: If you store it in the fridge, like I do, then you will want to microwave it for 20-30 seconds before you use it to make it spread easier. Microwave without the ring and lid :)

Happy Fall Y'all!

Hey Y'all!

I'm super happy that it's fall and I had found some cute printables that said "Give Thanks" but I wanted to make my own that said "Happy Fall Y'all" and get some Texas spirit into the fall! I have made two different banners, one more simple, and one more complex and festive. I hope you enjoy!

Pictures to come!

Befit Go Beach Body AKA Operation Bride

We have officially started Operation Bride for the majority of the bridal party for the wedding coming up in January. The Official schedule was posted by Lionsgate Befit on their Twitter account, but we couldn't find two of the videos so we put together a schedule with all the links to the videos!

Week 1	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
	20 Min Total Core & Thighs Workout	10 Min Sexy Arms Workout	30 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 1	REST	30 Min Powerhouse Yoga Workout	20 Min Lean Legs & Abs Workout	10 Min Beach Butt & Tummy Tuck Workout
Week 2	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10	Day 11	Day 12	Day 13	Day 14
	REST	20 Min Total Core & Thighs Workout	40 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 2	20 Min Lean Legs & Abs Workout	REST	30 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 1	10 Min Beach Butt & Tummy Tuck Workout & 10 Min Sexy Arms Workout
Week 3	Day 15	Day 16	Day 17	Day 18	Day 19	Day 20	Day 21
	30 Min Powerhouse Yoga Workout	REST	40 Min Fat-Burning HIIT Workout	20 Min Lean Legs & Abs Workout	10 Min Beach Butt & Tummy Tuck Workout	REST	20 Min Total Core & Thighs Workout
Week 4	Day 22	Day 23	Day 24	Day 25	Day 26	Day 27	Day 28
	30 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 1	30 Min Powerhouse Yoga Workout	REST	20 Min Lean Legs & Abs Workout	10 Min Beach Butt & Tummy Tuck Workout & 10 Min Sexy Arms Workout	40 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 2	REST
Week 5	Day 29	Day 30
	30 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 1	40 Min Fat-Burning HIIT Workout

Be aware that at Day 25 we may switch to Befit in 90, which is their version of P90X. So this will be our ramping up month and then I think we're going to switch to a much harder workout but it's way easier to follow because it tells you what videos to do for each day!

Enjoy!

Big Swiss Cake Roll

Mom and I stumbled across this pin and thought it was worth a shot.

We followed the directions and made the cake in a half sheet pan, using Reynolds Wrap new parchment paper that is half foil half parchment paper

After peeling off the Parchment paper we had to roll up the warm cake so that it would retain a memory of the roll shape. I used a sackcloth towel

 Little Miss Thang kept our cake safe and in shape while it was cooling!

While the cake was cooling we made the marshmallow creme filling

 Spread it out on the cake

 And rolled the cake back up!

Then we made the chocolate ganache, using mostly semi-sweet bakers chocolate, still following their recipe

Then we covered the cake in the chocolate ganache

then cut it up and ate it:

We decided the cake was a bit dense and the ganache a bit bitter so we modified the recipe

We found a chocolate cake roll recipe in the Betty Crocker Bridal Edition Cookbook and decided to make that one, and we changed the ganache to include more milk chocolate.

 Then we cut it up and ate it. It isn't quite as pretty but it sure tasted yummy!

So here's the recipe to make the second Swiss Cake Roll:

Cake

4 Large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup cake flour

¼ cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

For dusting tea towel:

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon baking cocoa

Marshmallow Crème Filling

1 Stick butter softened

¼ cup vegetable shortening

1 small (8oz) jar marshmallow crème

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

½ cup heavy whipping cream

2 Tablespoons salted butter

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup semi-sweet chips

½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup powdered sugar

1.       Heat oven to 375. Line jelly roll pan, or half sheet cake pan, with parchment paper.

2.       Beat eggs in Kitchen-aid mixer on high speed about 5 minutes or until very thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in granulated sugar. Beat in water and vanilla on low speed. Gradually add flour, baking cocoa, baking powder and salt, beating on medium just until batter is smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down and mix it in. Pour into pan, spreading evenly with spatula to corners.

3.       Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean/ Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan and turn upside down onto tea towel generously sprinkled with powdered sugar and baking cocoa. Carefully remove paper. Trim off stiff edges of cake if necessary. While cake is hot, carefully roll cake and towel from narrow end. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes.

4.       Prepare marshmallow crème filling:

a.       Cream together butter, shortening marshmallow crème, vanilla, and salt. Slowly beat in powdered sugar.

5.       Prepare Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

a.       Warm heavy whipping cream and butter in small sauce pan on low heat. Continuously stir in chocolate chips until melted. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, continuously stirring until combined.

6.       Unroll cake and remove towel. Spread marshmallow crème filling over cake evenly, to edges. Roll up cake. Place on a wire rack on top of baking sheet.

7.       Generously coat with Chocolate Ganache Glaze. Scrape extras off the baking sheet, re-warm if necessary and re-coat the cake roll.

2nd Annual Running 2 Rescue, and Free Eggs and Bacon

This past weekend was Trinity Church's Second Annual Running 2 Rescue, it was AMAZING! This year they held it on the TTU Campus and a whole hour earlier so it wasn't crazy hot (Hello, it's June in Texas!). The turnout was a huge success and we beat the amount we raised last year! All the proceeds go to fight human trafficking, to save girls who have been sold into sex slavery in America and beyond. Fight for freedom! So as un-pretty as race pictures can be here are a few.

Above is a picture of pretty much our whole team. We thought we were being ingenious by wearing hot yellow team shirts... Apparently it was THE shirt color to wear!

The girls from our LG that were on the team (Ashley was busy running the whole show and wasn't present in the picture).

A before picture of me and my wonderfully amazing husband!

This is us holding hands as we run across the finish line together, I know you can't see our hands but just trust me :-) 

The ever so beautiful after picture! We did a run/walk for the 5K since we're breaking our legs into our Five Fingers, so we were slow coming in at 42:19 but it was worth it because we were sore enough from that.

Since then I've had a very busy week, working a lot on data and statistical coding, the joys of grad school. Speaking of grad school I will take just about any free food that is thrown my way, some of which were eggs and bacon. I had 4 packages of bacon and a rack of 30 eggs! So I decided to re-make my eggs in a bacon basket thing that I have made in the past. Unfortunately I didn't blog about it so I didn't have my comments to refer back to (I may be in grad school but I have the memory of a doorknob!). Hence the double post! So here are my semi-beautiful egg baskets with what I did do and what I would do differently for the next time I get a ton of free eggs.

A few things to mention first:

1. I made these so that I can freeze them and then microwave them right before putting them on toast or an english muffin.
2. My oven temperature notoriously runs hot (about 25°F) so if by chance you decide to follow my instructions yours might take a bit longer.

Alright, on to making these money-saving beauties!

• I cooked the bacon so that it was NOT crispy, just a slight cook to get most of the grease out, then let it drip on a paper towel.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F
• Spray the muffin tin(s) well with some Pam
• Here I used the bacon and wrapped it around the outside, I forgot that if you cut it in half and put it in the bottom in the shape of an X it stays better. You can see that my eggs kinda pushed the bacon towards the center. Plus then you can get a bite of bacon with almost every bite.
• One by one I crack an egg into a small bowl (to make sure that it's still good) and then gently pour it into the bacon ring, or on top of the bacon X. Be very careful to not break the yolk. 
• On a side note if you want you can also scramble the eggs and add a touch of water to make them fluffy.
• Season the eggs with anything you would normally season eggs with. My favorite seasonings are salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. I added paprika to some of them to see if I like that!

Here you can see that I happened to have a twosie in one of my eggs!

• Put the muffin pan(s) in the oven for 15-20 minutes, I did exactly 18 minutes. You want it so that when you jiggle the pan(s) the top stops jiggling. But don't go much beyond that because then your yolk will overcook. This allows the egg to finish cooking when we re-heat them in the microwave and ensures that you don't overcook your egg.
• If you are serving these to people right away (no freezing) just let them cook a couple minutes longer. If they will be sitting in a well insulated serving dish while waiting to be served you don't need to cook a few more minutes because the eggs will cook themselves.
• Once the sides are bubbling and the top of the egg stops jiggling pull it out and let cool for 10 minutes.
• You should be able to use a plastic knife to run around the edges, or your fingers to just wiggle it away from the edge of the pan. Put in a ziploc bag and freeze!
• When you are ready to eat them put them in the microwave top side down for 30 seconds, then right-side-up for 30 seconds, place on an english muffin with some cheese and enjoy!