Clothespin Holder--Easiest sewing project ever!

by Leslie

Most of you know that we recently bought and moved into a house.  So far, home owning has been wonderful.  I know that soon a pipe will break or something, but for right now, I am relishing the idea of having something of our own.  

One amazing thing that came with the house was a clothesline!  I have many summer memories of hanging clothes on the line, using them as curtains in a stage show, and frantically running out to take them off the line when it began to rain.  Although it was a chore when I was a kid, I am happy to hang clothes on the line now.  I mean, it saves a ton of money when it comes to our electricity bill and the clothes smell super fresh afterward.  

One thing I needed when we started using it, though, was something to hold my clothespins.  I know that there are zillions of tried and true methods housewives the world over use to hold their pins, but I didn't want to go to the work of making some wire contraption that would have turned into a mess.  I saw a couple tutorials online and went for a concept that combined ideas from several.  It was the most simple sewing project I have done in a long time!

Start with your supplies: A wire hanger, a placemat, thread, and a sewing machine.  

Fold one short edge over the horizonal wire on your hanger and pin it to hold it in place.  Stitch the fold in place.

Now, fold up the other short end to almost meet the bottom of your first fold.  Stitch each side to hold your new "pocket" in place.

Make sure you backstitch at the end of each line of sewing--you want this baby to hold up.

Then, you're done!  Go hang it on the line and revel in its beauty.

Oh, and by all means, snip the threads at the end or they will show up in your photos!! Gah!

Also, bend your wire hanger around the line a bit so it doesn't blow away.  

So, go ye and make a clothespin bag.  Or, if you don't have a clothesline, I guess you'll have to bake cookies instead.  It's a tough trade, I know.  

Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats...Toddler time!

By: Laura

If you're like me, you want your child to be involved in the many things you do in your home.  Sometimes that's playing, doing laundry or baking, among other things, of course.  I love getting Ella to try new things and in today's case, we tried a brother to the rice crispy bar, peanut butter cheerio bars.  These are a great way to get your child to "help" in the kitchen without the messy ingredients like flour and sugar.  Ella was delighted to participate and even tested out the ingredients during the making of the bars to ensure they were quality products.  Ha.  Like mother, like daughter, eh?

Here is my little helper, Ella Jane

I started off this dessert by melting two tablespoons of butter.

Next, I added 1/3 of a cup of peanut butter.

Now, as I was doing that, Ella was helping to taste test the mallows.  Verdict: delicious!

Ella and I then added about 40 large marshmallows to the butter and peanut butter.  Counting was fun!

Look at that concentration!

Mixing up nicely...

Now the cheerios.  The cheerios we used were multi grain peanut butter cheerios.  (a new item on the market)

Finally, we topped off the bars with some chocolate chips.  A very nice addition, indeed!

Ella smiled about the whole process!  Yum!

Now that's a fun and easy dessert to make with your little helper.  Plus, there is no need to turn on the oven, which is an added bonus during this 100 degree weather.  Let us know what you like to make with your little ones.  We'd love to hear from you! 

For the recipe:  click here

Individual Raspberry Cobblers

by Leslie

Today has been a productive day.  Sundays usually don't work that way for me.  It's usually a day filled with "I should"s and "I wish I would have"s.  I don't know what hit me today, but I've been going and going.  I cooked, cleaned, washed and waxed my car, weeded the garden, and cleaned up some furniture found curbside. That means, in a few minutes, probably after finishing this post, I will go down to our basement and relax in the form of mind-numbing television.  For right now, though, I'm going to keep going!

One of the great things about moving into our new house was our fully landscaped lawn.  I mean, the previous homeowners must have spend major time and effort making our backyard look like the secret garden.  I'll share some photos when the sun stops baking our yard.

The day we moved in, much to my surprise, I found a raspberry bush in our backyard, just starting to yield fruit.  For the following weeks, we enjoyed a modest harvest of raspberries--just enough to put on morning oatmeal or make a small-ish recipe.

This raspberry cobbler definitely puts the raspberries on display.  They taste tart and fresh, and the biscuit topping adds just the right amount of mellowness to counteract the sweet.

Grocery store raspberries would be excellent here, as well, so don't shy away if you don't have your own bushes!

Individual Raspberry Cobblers
Print Recipe here
Adapted from a recipe from Martha Stewart Living

Filling:

2 1/2 cups raspberries (this is approximate--just use what you have!)
1/4 cup plus 2 T. granulated sugar
1 T cornstarch
pinch of salt

Topping:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
3 T. cold, unsalted butter
a generous 1/4 cup buttermilk (more if dough is too dry)
turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)

1.  Preheat the oven to 375.  Mix raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Pour into four small ramekins (or two larger ones if you are feeling wild).

2.  Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fork until the butter is crumbled to the size of peas.  Add buttermilk bit by bit, lightly mixing with a fork.  Mix until the buttermilk is just absorbed (some dry ingredients may still be loose).

3.  Flip the dough out onto a floured surface and give it a quick knead, gathering up the loose pieces and forming into a flat disc (about 1" thick).  Cut into four circles, approximately the same size as your dishes.  Place the circles on top of filling and brush with a bit of buttermilk (optional).  Sprinkle with sugar if you wish!

4.  Place the dishes on a large baking sheet (to catch possible drips) and bake for approx. 50 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the top is browned.  Let stand before serving (although this is the hardest part about the recipe!).

Guess what? We're homeowners, too!

by Leslie

Yes, that's right.  Laura and Erin have both settled down in their very own homes, and now Jaime and I have joined the crowd.  The market here in Rochester is pretty good, so we couldn't pass up the great houses for sale and the great loan interest rates!  Here's a little sample of our cute little ranch home that we are just getting settled in to.  Obviously, there is still a lot to do, but we are really excited!

Here's the outside.  Check out the nice big windows!

SOLD, ya'll!

Here's our little kitchen (before we moved in).  It is actually quite functional.

Here's our bathroom.  I love the fact that there is a window and a great tiled floor.

I had to show you my great anniversary gift from my husband--salt and pepper grinders designed by Alessi.  They have the cutest, quirkiest kitchen gadgets.

Here's the office, or "studio", as Jaime calls it.

The hippo bedspread and plaid curtains are just waiting for you to come visit!

Here's the master bedroom.  Still needs some work, but I love the view out into the garden!

The door leads right out to our deck!

I had to chair our twin closets!

Here's the living room.  I am glad to have some color!

More living room---

Here's the dining room.  We just bought a new table, but definitely need new curtains!

We'd love to hear what you think!  Come up to Minnesota for a visit!