Projects

I have been busy doing some fun projects to keep my sanity in between running from preschool to soccer then baseball and my softball games, etc. I realize that I am well overdue on a family update and that is coming..., but first I wanted to share a few finished projects.

Here are a couple cards that I made for my mom for Mother's Day. Actually I made half of the cards before Christmas but then opted to finish it for Mother's Day (it is impossible to finish a homemade project in December without sucking all the Christmas spirit out of it with how BUSY things seem to get at that time...I don't know why I ever start anything then, it never gets finished with a smile on my face). Anyway, here is a sampling of what she got for Mother's Day:

It is always a big mess on my kitchen table when I start making cards, but from the rubble emerges a few keepers. Someday I will get my craft room...Oh, I will.

Here are little loaves of bread that I made for teacher appreciation week last week. 47 loaves with honey butter.

Homemade Bread Recipe:

*Half the recipe in order to fit it in your Kitchenaid unless you use a larger machine.

10 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp salt

3 rounded Tbsp saf-instant yeast (any brand really)

3 Tbsp. liquid lecithin (found at health food stores - totally worth getting)

4 cups hot water

Mix dry ingredients. Mix in liquid lecithin and water. If dough is too moist, add more flour. Mix in mixer for 5 minutes. Spray counter and pans with Pam. This recipe makes 4 loaves of bread. Cut dough into 4 sections before forming into loaves. Shape loaves and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise for 25-35 minutes. Bake at 350 for 25 min. Remove from pans and coat tops with butter. Serve hot or cover with towel and let cool for about 3 hours before wrapping with saran wrap.

*a half recipe makes 8 mini loaves. Cook for 12-15 minutes.

Honey Butter Recipe:

2 sticks of butter, softened

1/2 cup of honey

1/2 cup of marshmallow fluff

Mix all together with an electric mixer and serve at room temperature. (Can be refrigeated and then softened).

**Together = you get a little slice of heaven.

I also got some of my cheap yardsale and craigslist furniture painted black that was filling up the shop. Here is a chair for my front porch that my cats love to sit on. More painted projects to come.

These are my weathered chairs out front of my little house that I recovered the seats with a fun oil cloth that I got with my sisters at Craft Warehouse. They make me smile.

And lastly, here are my recovered damask pillows that my mom basically should take all the credit for. Sewing brings me anxiety and anger but I hope to change that someday with a little practice and my new sewing machine. Got the fabric on ebay for a good deal.

Now that spring has sprung, happy project finishing to you too!