Mmmm, Yummy blackberries!

Well these were growing in our back yard. As I was watering the garden I looked up and the beautiful plump blackberries were calling my name. Time to start harvesting!

These blackberries unfortunately, aren't the thorn-less type, but I was really careful and didn't get any major "owies". But the thing that made me really nervous while I was picking them wasn't the thorns, but the spiders. I hate, Hate, HATE spiders!!!! Did I say that I hated spiders? I think that it is worse than hate actually, but....

We have had a lot of spiders around our yard this year, and I had to kill a couple to get to the blackberries safely! None touched me (nor their webs) so I wasn't doing the heebie jeebie dance around the yard while the neighbors looked through their windows laughing at what ever the heck I was doing.(But thank goodness this didn't happen!)

But don't they look yummy? Samantha was my bucket holder while I stood on a step stool to get to these berries, and we tasted a few along the way. Oh my goodness, they are delicious!

And as much as I love jam, I'm just not crazy about blackberry jam (its too seedy for my liking). So I think tonight our family will be having a yummy blackberry cobbler, and I will be remembering & talking about my Grandma Ferguson, who made the yummiest blackberry cobbler when I was growing up! Just wish I would have gotten her recipe for it. Darn it! {I'll have to write down my favorite recipes for my kids and grandkids (one day) so they don't have this regret too!}

Hey I heard that Minto Brown Park is full of berries right now! Great time to go pick'em for free!

"Grandma, this blackberry cobbler is for you!" I'll try to remember to post a picture of the cobbler after I make it!

Emogene Ferguson July 4, 1914-May 9, 2009 I love you Grandma!

Thomas S Monson: printable quote from “Emma’s place” blog

This is from Emma's place: you can see more of her quotes here:

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person being loved." Thomas S. Monson

This is a quote I won't forget and will take to heart. Too often we try to fix people and there problems without thinking about them and taking thier feelings into consideration. Maybe a better way would be to ask for help in our prayers to Heavenly Father.

Anyway, enough of my opinions, here is a couple of links from Emma's Place who has devoted her blog to church helps for our benefit. Thanks Emma!!!

http://sites.google.com/site/emmasplacetobe/Home/conference

http://emmasplacetobe.blogspot.com/2008/09/conference-packets.html

"Mom, I'm Bored" no more

I cannot stand when kids (mine have basically learned not to say this --They know it's one of my pet peeves! --but every once in a while they slip up!: )

When they do say this I think that their imaginations just needs a jump start-so they can think of something fun to do. I found this cool idea on SugarDoodle.net this morning. Customize this list to fit your family and put it on the fridge. Then next time you hear those words (I'm bored) then refer them to the "Jumstart Idea List" on the refrigerator. This should get their brains going for sure.

Sugar Doodles' suggestions for a list: (she says that "Take a nap" should always be the last item on the list) I'm going to be making a list like this for our family today. ~Enjoy~

1.  Decorate the back patio with sidewalk chalk

2.  Make a daisy chain (or dandelions)

3.  Take some blank paper and envelopes and decorate your own stationary

4.  Get some magazines out of recycling and make a collage

5.  Get out your Faith in God book/Duty to God and check something off

6.  Paint the dog's toenails

7.  Make a border for your room with continuous paper

8.  Play with Barbies/Airplanes

9.  Measure 10 things with a ruler

10.  Get out your last year's school things and play school

11.  Make a calendar

12.  Decorate bookmarks, "laminate" with clear packing tape

13.  Write a poem about something in the yard

14.  Blow bubbles or take a bubble bath

15.  Make a keytag to hang on your bookpack - bead animal, letter beads with your name, or a scripture verse on construction paper then laminated with tape and a hole poked through

16.  Make cookies (from a mix, with easy-bake oven, or from scratch)

17.  Organize sock drawer

18.  Write a play and produce it

19.  Make a castle from toilet paper tubes and boxes in recycling

20.  Write a letter to a cousin or grandma

21.  Write a talk, color pictures to go with it

22.  Find a scripture verse you like and type it on the computer/typewriter or write with fancy letters and color

23.  Make 9 Bees and write Gordon B. Hinckley's "Be's" on them, hide them for Family Home Evening

24.  Play with toy soldiers outside

25.  Make a snack with fruit and vegetables

26.  Take pictures with digital camera (with permission)

27.  Call a friend

28.  Look up your favorite animal in the encyclopedia or dictionary

29.  Find your house on a map

30.  Make a boredom kit for the car or for a friend.  Include word searches, "mad libs", drawings to color, and supplies if you have them 

31.  Fluff up all the pillows in the house

32.  Make a birthday card for a friend

33.  Play with legos/duplos/building sets/lincoln logs/tinkertoys

34.  Play a game (Chutes and Ladders, Checkers)

35.  Make a list of movies/books you own.  Put them in alphabetical order. Make a list of movies/books you would like to own.

36.  Make a Christmas/Birthday list

37.  Make animals out of pipe cleaners

38.  Change your bed

39.  Have a picnic

40.  Read a book

41.  Make something with Origami paper

42.  Pick some flowers in the yard, put in vase

43.  Do a secret good deed :)

44.  Look in your Scout book and decide on something you can finish today/Work on your collection

45.  Decorate old socks for a puppet show

46.  Sing a song 

47.  Look through your old books, find 3 to donate; or find clothes you have outgrown to donate 

48.  Play a musical instrument in the house or outside. 

49.  look at old pictures or scrapbooks

50.  Take a nap

Buckwheat Neck Pillow

This looks like exactly what I need to help save my neck, ha! Actually I have a weak neck and it is constantly causing my problems by giving my headaches, and I love these little pillows for the neck! Looks like getting the buckwheat is the hardest thing to this project!

 

There is also a video on how to make this on Martha's website.

This small, hourglass-shaped pillow, filled with buckwheat hulls, offers just the right amount of support for your neck while reading in bed. As stylist Cindy Treen advises, when buying buckwheat, perform a simple test to determine if the hulls are clean: Slide your hand into the container; if it's clean when you remove it, the hulls are suitable for use.

Tools and Materials
3/4 yard tightly woven fabric, such as strie taffeta
Buckwheat Neck Roll Template
Velcro
Buckwheat hulls
3/4-inch bias tape
Scissors
Pins

Neck Roll How-To
1. Download and print neck roll template. Using the template, cut out four "pillow" pattern pieces. Machine-sew the first two pieces together along the length of one side, from the top point to the bottom, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Repeat for the second set of pieces.

2. Pin the right sides of the pieces together, matching the center seam, and sew around the perimeter of the pillow, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Leave an opening at one end of the pillow between the center point and a side seam.

3. Turn the pillow right side out, fill it with hulls, and whipstitch it shut.

4. To make a sleeve for the pillow, use the "sleeve" template patterns to cut out two pieces of pattern A and three pieces of pattern B. With the straight sides at either end, pin the pieces, right sides together, in the order ABBBA. Sew the pieces together.

5. Cut two pieces of 3/4-inch bias tape to the length of the sides. Sew the bias and the sleeve side right sides together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Turn the bias to the back side of the sleeve, turn the bias under 1/4 inch, and topstitch it down.

6. To finish the ends, cut one piece each of the hook and eye sides of Velcro the length of the ends. The circumference of the sleeve may vary, depending on how much you've stuffed your pillow. Adjust its length as necessary, leaving enough fabric to allow for the overlapping Velcro plus 1/4-inch seam allowance.

7. Fold down one end 1/4 inch toward the wrong side of the sleeve, and press. Lay one side of the Velcro on top of this 1/4-inch fold, and topstitch the Velcro down around all four sides. For the other end, fold down 1/4 inch toward the right side of the sleeve, and press. Lay the remaining piece of Velcro over the folded edge, and topstitch it down around all four sides.

Resources
Strie lining can be purchased from Calico Corners. A magnetic seam guide is available from Sew Fast Sew Easy.

Special Thanks
Special thanks to Cindy Treen for demonstrating this craft.

Bubble Wands from Martha Stewart

Blowing the perfect bubble depends on equal parts science and magic. With a few twists of wire, you can make fantastic bubble wands and spend long, lazy days practicing your technique. The best bubble solution is 10 cups water to 4 cups dish-washing liquid, plus 1 cup Karo corn syrup. For large wands, you'll need plastic-coated wire coat hangers and either floral netting or plastic-coated chicken wire. Hold the hook at the top of the hanger, and pull the bottom down so that it forms a circle. Cut away the hook and twisted neck of the hanger with wire cutters; you should have about a 31-inch length of wire. With needle-nose pliers, twist a tiny hook into one end of the wire. Bend that end around, and hook it on the wire about 9 inches from the opposite end, forming a 7-inch-diameter circle. Squeeze the hook with pliers to fasten, and straighten the end to form a handle. Cut an 8-inch-diameter circle of floral netting. With pliers, fold the netting's edge tightly around the frame, snipping off any sharp ends.  For small wands, use 18-gauge cloth-covered wire cut to a length of 15 inches. Bend the wire into a lollipop shape, securing the end of the wire where the loop meets the handle with a dab of glue. To make a star, divide the circle into five even increments, then crimp with pliers. To make a heart, crimp only the top center of the circle. A tin can, with its top and bottom removed, also makes great bubbles -- carefully trim any sharp edges, dip one end in solution, and pull through the air to make one long bubble. http://www.marthastewart.com/good-things/bubble-wands?xsc=eml_crd_2009_07_31

Too Pretty to eat Birthday cakes

I just LOVE this birthday cake and the beautiful colors, designs and flowers on it. This is made from a bakery in Provo Utah, called "The Sweet Tooth Fairy".

They have some beautful cakes and some really fun cakes too. They have one of a rubik's cube!

Check them out and go to their cake section (celebration cakes) too see more of their really creative cakes! They are just too pretty to eat! To order a sweet treat to be shipped, check out their online store.

Oh, No, SHE’S up!

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning
the devil says,
"OH NO, SHE'S UP"!

Do good works continually and make everyone stop and look at you in awe!