Thursday, September 15, 2011

I'm Baaaaack! (Kinda)

Whew!  We have been so busy lately getting the business up and running. I have lost 15 pounds on the "Harrison Law Diet."  I realize that it is time to go pick up my son from Kindergarten and I have been so busy that I have missed lunch completely.

In more somber news, my father passed away on Labor Day.  It was unexpected but not surprising.  He'd been in and out of the hospital several times in August, and it was just his time to go "home."  His services were very nice and now my son thinks that every funeral includes a bagpiper.  :)

Here is some happy news...My husband's website is up and running.  Click HERE or on the logo below for a look.  Tell me what you think...(but I LOVE it)!  Our graphic designer did a wonderful job!  I especially love our logo!

It is awesome, right?  I absolutely LOVE how the two "R's" are turned into the scales of justice.  COMPLETELY COOL!

Have no fear.  I am still making yo-yos, I am still cooking, and I am still working on crafts.  I hope to soon have some time blog about it all.

Have a great day!


Monday, July 25, 2011

Blogger M.I.A.

Hey!  I am so sorry that I have been keeping all of you from my crazy blogginess.  My life has gotten EXTRA crazy of late. 

Here is the great news why...

My husband is in the process of opening his own law firm!  Hooray!  (Can you hear the cheering?)   Everything that goes into that has kept me on my toes, on the Internet, and on the phone! 

I have been doing small projects and making fun (read that easy) recipes; the photos are waiting patiently on my computer for me to tend to them, but I simply run out of steam once my kids are in bed. 

SOOO...If you live in Arizona or Utah, keep Harrison Law, PLLC in mind for all of your legal needs!  :)

Friday, July 8, 2011

Onesies, Twosies, Threesies, Lotsies!

Who doesn't love a baby in a onesie?  I'll tell you who, nobody!  That's right the whole world loves a baby in a onesie.  Why else would there be hundreds of them in baby stores across the globe in styles and colors to fit everyone's taste?  You bet!  The simple onesie is the no-fail fashion statement for all posh newborns.  They are all crying for a onesie (or lunch, or a diaper change, or entertainment, or whatever).  It is up to us to give it to them! 

I saw a project on Martha Stewart Living for appliqued onesies.  CUTE!  I told myself.  I was pregnant with my daughter at the time (she just turned three).  I knew that I wanted to make some appliqued onesies for her.  However, my ancient sewing machine has a big chunky platform at the bottom so I couldn't applique directly onto the onesie so I had to modify the directions a bit.  Here is what I created:

See...cute huh?

 And these:




Click on the photos to get an enlarged view!



Since I made these onesies so long ago I don't have a tutorial, but I did the same steps to create these onesies as I did the cuddle blanket I made for my daughter found here with a few small changes.

  • First, I used clip art to find the shapes.  Simpler designs are the best for making the patterns.  Adjust them to a useable size, and print them out using your computer printer.  
  • I transferred the design to the paper side of the fusible webbing with a fine pointed Sharpie marker.  To do this I used a light box, but a bright window works great too.  Make sure you reverse your design or it will come out opposite of the original.  I didn't care which way these pictures went so I didn't bother with this step.  
  • I ironed the piece of fusible webbing onto the colored fabric before cutting out the design.  This gives the edge of the applique a crisp, clear line.  
  • I sewed the applique onto a piece of white cotton fabric, and used fusible webbing to attach the white fabric to the onesie.  
  • After ironing the white fabric onto the onesie I secured it with a decorative blanket stitch
  • I ironed soft fabric interfacing to the inside of the onesies so that the blanket stitches would not irritate the baby's skin.  (Much like you find on commercially available decorated onesies.)

 Here are some close-up shots of the onesies pictured above.

Fish with bubbles

Sun

Shamrock

Paintbrush with paint.  (Notice the stitching that identifies the bristles.)

Leaf  (There is the extra stitching for the leaf's veins.)

I made some special onesies for my long-time friend and her son.  He is the same one who received a Kids Document Keeper and a Hide and Seek Bag.   You can read about the symbolism and see him wearing his special onesies here

Here are some photos of those onesies (except "happiness"  I'm not sure why).

Peace

Love
Happiness is supposed to go here!  :)


Music
Recycling is not one of the original symbols, but my package had an extra onesie so I added this because  thought it was cute.  Cute, right?  (Please tell me you are nodding.)

Recycling

Well there you have it, appliqued onesies for those of us who cannot applique easily onto tiny things because our sewing machines date back to the Roosevelt administration (Franklin not Teddy).  :)  See...

Big and clunky, but totally awesome!
I have made several other styles for lots of other moms, but these are the only onesies of which I have pictures.  Don't think that this is a hard project.  It is totally easy.  You can get a crop done in a day.  The hardest part is finding the pictures you want to use as a pattern.

Send me pictures if you make some of these appliqued onesies!  I would love to see what you have made, AND I' love to show your work of here on my "You Made It" page!

I would love it if you became a follower of Greetings From the Asylum here through Google  Friend Connect, on Facebook, and on Pinterest!  You can find the links on the side bar! 

I am linking up to these and other awesome link parties!  For a complete list click here or on the Linky Party button in the header.

Thanks for visiting!












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Photobucket














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Keeping It Simple














Making




Pink Hippo Party


 


Sumo's Sweet Stuff



http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac133/cerise422/sewcandoPARTYbuttonworking.jpg"
















The DIY Show Off


”Photobucket”


 UndertheTableandDreaming

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Lovely Blog Award! Who, Me?

I checked my comments a few mornings ago to find that Lesley from Life of the Cocktail Party had given me a Lovely Blog Award!  Wow!  Fun!


To accept this award I am required to tell you all seven things about myself that no one knows.  I have been wracking my brain trying to decide what to say.  I'm still not sure what I can say, but here goes...

1.  I grew up in a house that was next-door to the house in which my father grew up.  My grandmother lived there until I was 10.  Then she moved a few miles away.  I grew up in the Phoenix/Metro area without air conditioning!  Yup, no a/c!  We had an evaporative cooler, but during the summer monsoon it was little to no help.  My husband teases me that I married him just to get air conditioning, but my parents had a/c installed in their house during the winter before we got married.  I was never living in the house when it was functional!

2.  I have played several instruments throughout my life.  I played the piano first, the alto saxophone in elementary school, the oboe in junior high, singing in the choir in high school, and the cello in college.  I was even a councilor at band camp for two summers.  It was pretty fun!

3.  I was on the pom line in high school.  I managed to get some kind of injury every week.  I was hit in the head with something from the stands one week.  (Scalps bleed a lot.)  Another week I fell getting onto the bus after an away game.  (Shins bleed a lot.)  Then there was the dislocated thumb after the jump splits.  (Twenty years later and it still looks funny.)  Fortunately for me, our sponsor was the school nurse.  (She really was!)

4.  I participated in musical theater productions in college.  During one performance of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (with my future husband in the audience) I suffered a PG wardrobe malfunction during the "Spring Dance" scene.  After a quick change of costumes, my zipper got stuck and refused to go either up or down.  My dresser found a giant safety pin to secure the top of the dress and my partner and I went out to do the dance.  The stage manager even tried to tape the hole closed in the middle of the dance.  You could feel the tension in the audience building as the dance progressed, but we got the biggest round of applause when the dance finally ended.  (I still wish I had thought to throw some of the set decoration straw in my hair and into the hair of my partner to "explain" our tardiness.  That would have been funny.) 

5.  I was born on my uncle's birthday, and when I was pregnant with my son, he was due on my birthday too.  He was born 11 days early so our birthdays are not the same!  One of my church friends was due on that day too.  Her son was one day late so our boys' birthdays are 12 days apart.  Then the next time we were pregnant, we were due 5 days apart.  We totally didn't plan that!

6.  I have my own candy business called "Sugarthumbs."  I LOVE to make candy, but I never want to eat it after I have put so much work into making it.  I guess that is probably a good thing.  I have filled orders for major holidays and for special occasions such as birthday parties and business celebrations. 

7.  The man that was my sixth grade teacher was later my principal years later after I became a teacher.  The gal that was my fifth grade teacher was in all of the classes for my Master's Degree.  She seemed a little surprised when she walked into class on the first day to find me sitting there.  We had a great time!


I am presenting a "Lovely Blog Award" to the following completely wonderful blogs:








Stop by and check them out!

I am linking this up to  Alphabe-Thursday!  Come and check out all of the fun.  Use the button below!

Jenny Matlock

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Cheater, Cheater, Guacamole Eater!

You may have noticed that I like Mexican food.  We eat a lot of it here at the Asylum!  Sometimes I cook it myself like here or here.  (I also like take-out!)  The other day I got really crazy and made grilled steak quesadillas with homemade guacamole.  My guacamole "recipe" is soooo easy I simply had to share it with you!  Are you ready?  Here goes...

Quesadillas, refried black beans, sour cream, and guacamole!  M-M-M-M-M!
 Here is how you can make your own cheater guacamole!



Cheater Guacamole

  • avocados (I used 4 today.)
  • prepared salsa (to taste)
  • Salt & Pepper

Mash your avocados in a bowl.  Fold in prepared salsa.  Season with salt and pepper. 

That's it!  Seriously, that is it!

I'll show you a few of my own tricks!

Cut the avocados in half, and remove the pits.
 Use a large, SHARP chef's knife to cut your vegetables! To remove the pit, pop the knife blade into the pit and twist.  Save one of the pits for later. 

SQUEEZE!

I don't ever scoop the avocado out of the skin.  I fold the skin over and squeeze out the fruit.  This only works with avocados that are perfectly ripe.  It is totally quick and I keep from messing up a spoon.  

Mash your avocados!



I couldn't find my potato masher when I went to make this guacamole so I grabbed my pastry cutter instead.  Do you know what?  I LOVED it!  The pastry cutter was absolutely perfect!  It fit the round edges of my bowl without leaving any huge chunks behind.   LOVE IT!

Add your salsa!
I like chunky guacamole so I didn't pulverize the avocados into a super-smooth mash.  I also added a chunky style salsa.  I folded the salsa gently into the avocados to keep the chunky consistency of the avocados.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  You will definitely need to add some salt.  I added about 1/4 of a teaspoon for this batch.  It will vary with different recipes of salsa. 


Here is the pit!
Once you are finished making your guacamole, drop the pit you reserved at the beginning into the bowl.  This will help the guacamole from turning brown before you serve it!  If you are not eating the guacamole right away cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Try making this cheater guacamole with your favorite salsa.  I used the same variety I used to make the salsa chicken, but that was just a coincidence.

The Cheater Guacamole was extra delicious on the quesdillas (I'll share that recipe later!), but it would be awesome on some corn chips too! 

MMMMM!  Dinner!

I would love it if you became a follower of Greetings From the Asylum here through Google  Friend Connect, on Facebook, and on Pinterest!  You can find the links on the side bar! 

I am linking up to these and other awesome link parties!  For a complete list click here or on the Linky Party button in the header.

Thanks for visiting!

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage