Todays tip, making a straight centered crease in your jeans every time.

I thought that since my blog was fairly new I would start adding "Tip of the Week" but then I realized that I don't know or have that many tips, so I decided to go with tip of the month. So with out further ado here is January's Tip of the Month

I don't know about you but sometimes I have a real problem getting my jeans to cooperate when I'm ironing them. I discovered this tip about 10 years ago when I was ironing a pair of jeans and it just so happen that I was working on sewing a dress at the same time. My pin cushion was near by that I had a thought.

I like using quilting pin because they are longer and have flat heads. You can use any kind of pins that you like.

Find the seams and line them up.

Pin in place (the mauve nail polish came back as you can see)












Line the seams at the top and pin in place. Then place pins down the length of the pant leg, I used 5 pins












Then iron as usual. And you'll have a straight centered crease every time.

Music video of the week.

One of my Facebook friends posted this, its not really my style but I really like it.

The search for the missing shoe.

I like to keep all of my workout gear, shoes, workout clothes, a clean pair of socks etc. in a basket under my vanity for the next mornings use. So as I was gathering my goods for tomorrows treadmill session and I can only find one shoe. One? Ok we're all adults in this house its not like I'm looking for a three year olds shoe. I look in the closet.... nothing the closet is clean, I'm somewhat impressed with myself. Ok under the bed..... nothing, wow there is literally nothing under my bed. Again I'm impressed but I must stick to the task at hand. Where is my darn shoe? I looked in the hamper..... nothing. I took another look in the hamper and then sorted all the laundry. I'm getting side tracked again. I ask the Girl and she just laughed at me for loosing a shoe at my age. I looked in the office.... found my work boots, but I knew those were there, put them in the closet. Looked under the bed again, wow there's really nothing under there. Looked in the living room, nothing. Looked in the den, nothing. I finally found it. It was in a basket of clothes that was in the bottom of my daughters closet. Your guess is only as good as mine as to how it got there. Oh well at least I got most of the laundry sorted for tomorrow.

Final pictures from the stock show

Best Ever Butter Cookies

Well if you know me the name says it all BUTTER. These are some of the best cookies I have ever tasted. I usually only make them at Christmas time but I was in the baking mood and had everything I needed to make them in the kitchen. The best part is (other than the fact they are delicious) that they are very simple to make and with ingredients that most who bake will have on hand.


Cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon vanilla (yes that sounds like a lot but its not overwhelming)
1 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup vanilla
2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Combine sugar and butter and egg in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy.
Reduce speed to low; add flour water and vanilla and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.

Here's my first tip. Before adding the flour and powder whisk them together in a bowl, that way the baking powder is thoroughly distributed. Same with the vanilla. I always mix the vanilla in with the water before adding.

Divide the dough into thirds and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

This is what the instructions say to do:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on lightly flours surface, one third at a time, keeping the other thirds refrigerated, to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with 3 inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely.

This is what I say to do:
Heat oven to 300 degrees. I don't roll mine out and cut them with a cookie cutter. I wrap the entire dough ball in plastic, forming it into a log shape. I refrigerate over night, but it can be kept longer up to 3 days. When I'm ready to make the cookies I preheat the oven, line my cookie sheets with foil and lightly spray them with cooking spray. I don't take the dough out until the oven and the pans are ready. When I do take it out I quickly unwrap the dough and cut it (the entire log of dough) in to slices 1/4 inch thick. I place them 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets and bake them for 10 to 12 minutes. With the remaining dough I separate the slices and lay them flat side by side on the plastic wrap, they will come to room temp very quickly and become misshapen if you skip this step. I let them cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing them.

For the frosting:
Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter in medium bowl. Beat at low speed, gradually adding milk for desired spreading consistency.

My tips
Combine sugar and butter and beat. Add vanilla to the first 2 TBSP of milk. Add milk and vanilla to sugar, beat. Add milk 1 TBSP at a time until you reach desired consistency, I used 4 this time some times I use 5 or more.

I really hope you like these cookies as much as we do.

Yikes, my nails for today.

I don't know if I'm going to be using this nail color on my hands ever again. Its a beautiful color for toes, but I felt like I was walking around the stock show with pink neon beacons coming from my finger tips. I guess I'm just too old for neon fingers. The color is Shocking Pink Neon by China Glaze. This color is really bright and neon florescent, in fact it glows under the UV dryer, this picture does it no justice. It looks like its back to mauve for me, I have to work the concession stand tomorrow and I don't want to blind any of the old folks.

This just in more news from the stock show.

Its wash day here at the 2012 stock show.

Arrival of the princess


Bacon Bit gets a bath

Jimmy gets a bath

All bathed and shiny.

Same with the Bit

Bit was holding her hand with his little monkey tail.

All worn out from the washing.

Jimmy's cutie nose.

Bacon Bits cutie nose.

This stock show thing is under way......

Today was moving day at the ol' ag farm. I'm not quite sure why but the powers that be decided this was best done while the kids were in school and not there to help out in the process.

Jimmy waiting for his belly rub

And now he's ready for his close up, say cheese Jimmy.



Bacon Bit doing what he does best, eating.

The joys of living in West Texas on a blustery windy day.

Loading them in the trailer.

Jimmy helping me open his pack of wood shavings.

Finishing the job on my own.

My thought for the day 01/11/12

I need to remember that it is up to me and only me. I'm the only one that can do this for my self! I'm my best cheerleader and my worst enemy. Its all up to me, and in the end if I fail I'm the only one to blame.

Chocolate Icebox Pie

I love to cook, that's one of the reasons that I'm always on a diet. Yesterday I made this yummy pie. MMMMM too bad I cant have more than one bite :(

This is what you will need: A pie plate, several mixing bowls, a whisk, a rubber scraper, measuring cups and spoons, a medium sauce pan, a food processor or blender, plastic wrap and whipped cream of your choice.

Filling.
2 1/2 cup milk separated
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon butter
7 Tablespoons cornstarch
6 Tablespoons water
3 lg egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mini marshmallows or 8 lg mallows cut into pieces



Shell,
2 cups cookie crumbs aprox. 70 cookies
1/4 cup melted butter











I used vanilla wafers rather than the traditional graham cracker cookie crust. You can use what ever pie shell you like.

I don't have a food processor so I used my oh so fabulous blender that I received for Christmas.

I placed 10 cookies at a time in the blender and pulsed them until they were fine crumbs





Add the melted butter and mix thoroughly













Press into a 9 inch pie plate and bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350












Cut up your marshmallow and place to the side













In a medium mixing bowl, mix cornstarch and water until cornstarch is completely dissolved.

Stir in 1/2 cup milk and whisk in egg yolks and vanilla until well blended.


Set aside as well.






In a medium sauce pan, combine 2 cups of milk, sugar, cocoa and butter.



Bring to a boil over a medium heat.









I don't have pictures of the next two steps because my cameras batteries died and I couldn't stop to get new ones.

Gradually add corn starch mixture to the mixture in the saucepan, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thickened and smooth.

Add marshmallows and stir until they are melted and mixture is smooth.

Pour into pie shell













Press plastic wrap directly onto pie filling. This prevents the formation of a tough dry skin while cooling

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours I recommend over night before serving.

To serve remove plastic wrap and top with whipped cream.





I really hope you try this recipe it is so delicious. I made this pie for Christmas about 5 years ago and everyone still talks about it. Want to know why? Because I forgot to put sugar in it. We still ate it with the whipped cream it really wasn't all that bad. But please remember to put the sugar in it. Unless you want one of those unforgettable moments too.

Stock show prep.

Preparation for the county stock show started today. That's right we dun clipped us some hogs :) ok ok Daughter Dear and her Daddy clipped pigs I watched. So thats one step down twenty million to go all in preparation for Fridays big event. I would post pictures of today's events but I killed my computer mouse with a big shock of static electricity and I have to post on my iPod for now. More to come in the week ahead. On another note the weather man is calling for more snow. And all I can say is BRING IT ON! The more moisture we get the better the chances of a crop this year and a big garden. Both of which I am completely looking forward to.

A little bird told me.

I am going to be working on a series of fussy cut log cabin quilts over the course of 2012. This is a sample of some of the fabrics that I picked up on my shopping trip yesterday. The colors are so cute and work so well together.

I think the bird fabric would also be very cute on a little girls dress or pj's.

More pictures to come as I get started in my year of sewing. Yay I cant wait, I just love to sew.

Sparkle nails

Part of my goals for this year (I will not call them resolutions) is to take better care of my nails and to do them more often. So today I wanted some shine!

I started off with a base coat in a beautiful mauve color that I recently purchased at Ulta. Its called Lady Like by Essie, and to be honest with you this is the prettiest nail polish that I have ever seen. It compliment my skin tone so well that I think its going to be my new signature color. I almost didn't want to glitter it :)

I let them dry a little and followed with two coats, as per the daughters suggestion, with Disco Lights by Milani. And this is what I came up with.

You ll have to forgive the quality of the second photo glitter is not very photogenic.

Just say no to skinny jeans

I only wish skinny jeans where a choice and not the only choice. There are so many women out there, such as my self, that can not in their wildest dreams wear them. Lets face it the only people that skinny jeans look good on are prepubescent GIRLS. Don't even get me started on the guys in them. Just last week I was in the mall and there were these jeans in every color imaginable I picked up a pair in green, or was it red?, I don't know who cares. They were all stinking skinny jeans!

When will this madness end?

Now I know how smokers feel.

I have been on an off again on again diet for...... well honestly the last 18 years. Sad I'm only 35. So with that said as of Sunday its back on and I'm hungry!!! I'm not the most pleasant person to be around when I'm hungry. Not at all. I gained somewhere between 3-5 pounds over the holidays (Thanksgiving day to New Years Eve) and I'm not happy with that either.

I've set a goal for myself, and that goal is to be at my goal weight for my sons graduation. Which is sometime in May, I'm not sure of the exact date, I'll have to look that up.

I've tried every diet that you can think of and I'm sure some that you haven't. All but one have failed, and that my friends is the low carb diet. Ive been on the South Beach diet and I've tried the Atkins diet. Both with success. I went from 180 pounds to my current weight of 155 pounds. That's 25 pounds, and I'm hoping to lose 25 more.

So as the title say "now I know how smokers feel". I've ask people who smoke why don't they just stop? Because they can't "just stop" just like I cant just spot over eating. Its a habit. I have caught my self (today alone) over and over asking are you really hungry or just bored, or mad, or any other emotion that makes me over eat. I have to make a conscious effort not to eat if I'm not truly hungry. And honestly its hard.

So as was said in the beginning of this post I'm hungry, really hungry not just bored. So I'm going to go eat a piece of cheese and drink a big glass of water before I eat the keyboard.

Goodnight all.

My first post in a new blog.

So this is the third day of January in the year 2012. I have created this blog to share the things that I learn and experience this year and in the years to come. There will be cooking tips and recipes, quilting and sewing, a few beauty product reviews, and of course my adventures out at the farm. Thanks for reading and I hope you have fun.