Oh I love them

My cute Italian Greyhounds ready for some love

Miles and Willow

LEARNING TO QUILT

I've been making flannel baby blankets and burp cloths for 17 years now.  My first blanket however, was for my nephew in 1991 when I was just finishing up High School.  It was a tied blanket made with two pieces of fabric... no piecing.  The batting was lumpy, the binding was... well... there, and the ties were uneven.

I don't think I ever made a niece or nephew a blanket like that again.

Then in college I made some quilt tops, but they were all just giant squares pieced together.  They were all tied quilts and connected to the back envelope style with no binding.  Binding has always scared me.  I have made my daughter several quilts for her bed but they too have all been tied and are either in large squares or big strip quilts.

I made this cute picnic blanket one year that was a watermelon design on one side and then a variegated green on the other side.  It was tied with black yarn.  I intended to learn how to bind a quilt and even bought the binding.  But some 5+ years later it still had the batting sticking out... but we used it that way.

One day my neighbor came over and we were having a picnic in the backyard on the watermelon blanket and she is like... "why is your blanket not done"  She was horrified, so she took my little blanket home and finished the binding for me.  THANK YOU Martha!

So lately I haven't been doing much sewing and I miss it.  I also have gained an appreciation for quilting and people who hand quilt.  So I decided to try and learn some quilting other than large squares and strip quilt tops.  I also wanted to try my hand and actually quilting the tops on my sewing machine instead of just tying them.

Plus my nephew, who received my first quilt ever, is having his first child in January.  So he gets to be the guinea pig again.

I decided to make a blanket like this.

It didn't look too hard for me. 
However, quilting on a sewing machine, in straight lines, WAS hard.
Here was my finished project before the binding.

So then I freaked out a bit.  I watched all of these videos on how to make your own blanket binding and then how to sew it to your blanket.  While it looked easy, connecting the fabric strips into a STRAIGHT binding was NOT easy.  I messed up in a few places and I think that is why it was harder to bind my quilt.  Anyway, yesterday I bound my first quilt with binding I made myself.  Here is the finished project.

I purchased fabric to make a boy blanket... since the chances of Jake having a girl are pretty slim in our family.  So that will be my next project... and then I bought ladybug fabric... BECAUSE I can't help myself!

Italian Greyhound Life

Today I was looking through old photos and realized that it has been three years now that we have had Italian Greyhounds in our home.... commonly called IGGYS. 

We purchased 'Miles', a seal colored Italian greyhound with irish markings in June 2014.  He was a high energy puppy that grew into a mild manner sweetheart who is more of a spoiled baby. 
We sure do love him

 

 

 

Then last July, we brought 'Willow' into our home.  She is a smaller blue colored Italian Greyhound with very little white on her.  She is very skittish and yet is a cuddle bug at night.  Her personality is much more normal for Italian greyhounds and she has been so much fun to have.



 

 

 

The day Willow arrived

 

 

 

As you can see.  They are adorable and well loved in our home.

 

EASY WHITE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Charity's White Chicken Enchiladas

2 Lg Cans   Chunk Chicken (save the liquid)
2 Cups        Chicken Broth (or use chicken liquid + water and a bullion cube)
10               Small Flour or White Corn Tortillas
1  Sm Can   Green Chilies
4 Tbsp        Butter
4 Tbsp        Flour
1 Cup         Sour Cream
2 Cups        Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese

Directions

• Open cans of chicken, drain the liquid into a measuring cup.  This should give you almost a cup and a half of liquid.  I then add enough water to make a full 2 cups and add a bullion cube.  If you don't want to do this, just use chicken broth for the full 2 cups.
• Mix chicken chunks with 1 cup of the cheese.  Stir until it is broken up a bit
• Grease a large casserole dish with cooking spray
• Put a small handful of the chicken and cheese mixture into each tortilla shell and roll them.  Place in the casserole dish.  They stay together better if you put the folded ends of the tortilla on the bottom.
• In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour.  Stir until smooth. Pour in the chicken broth and stir.  Bring to a bubble and cook for a couple of minutes.  The sauce should thicken.  Add the chili's and sour cram and stir until smooth.
• Remove from the heat and pour over the rolled tortillas. 
• Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
• Turn the oven to broil and brown the top  (optional)

This is a great meal for the family.... my kids sure love it.  
BTW.... I have used both flour and corn tortillas.  The flour are easier to roll and don't break as easily, but I actually like the white corn shells better.  But really, it doesn't matter what you use.

PART 7 NINE YEARS LATER

9 year anniversary




I thought today, on this 9 year anniversary, I would add to my story, seeing as how so very much has changed in my life over the last few years.



First of all I need to tell you that on August 4th I woke up, stepped out of bed and was immediately bombarded with intense pain in my left leg and foot. I laid back down for a bit until the pain subsided a bit and then tried again, only to have the same response. I realized that I could feel the bottom of my foot, which I haven’t felt in over nine years. It was really weird when I stepped on a cookie crumb and could feel it. It was also really hard to walk because I have become so used to walking on a leg with so little feeling on the outside. As the day progressed I realized that I could feel more and more of my left leg and foot. I went to bed that night in so very much pain, and kind of hoped that when I woke up my leg would be back to being mostly numb. But that didn’t happen. As Monday and Tuesday passed and more and more feeling returned so did more and more nerve pain. It has been two weeks now and I’ve come to accept that this is my new normal. I see the doctor tomorrow, but I know that until I can become accustomed to the new pain level I am going to struggle… as is my family.



Now let me tell you a bit about my family… and then I will get back to my medical stuff.



In February of 2012 I was asked out on a date by a wonderful friend. Six months later, on August 4th he asked me to marry me. We were married for time and all eternity in the Bountiful Utah LDS temple. G. has three sons and a daughter, and I have a daughter. So overnight I went from a family of two, to a family of seven. It is so wacky when I think about it.



The three youngest kids live with us, and I have to say it has been really difficult adjusting my life so that everything gets done and everyone’s needs are met. I don’t get to rest my body as much as I used to, so my pain level increased. While at first it was difficult, it has become easier to deal with. I love being married to G, he is the love of my life and such a wonderful, patient and loving husband.



I have to admit that the effects of my medical condition are hard on the family at times and I struggle with that. Before it was just me and my daughter, and even then I struggled hard with not being able to do certain things with her, or having bad days when I couldn’t get out of bed or was really tired. Those feelings of inadequacy and feeling like a burden have increased tenfold. I try to not talk to anyone about how I feel on any given day, but I know my husband struggles with it and doesn’t know how to handle it or really how to feel about it all. And that saddens me. There are many times I just wish I were normal and that my husband and his kids didn’t have to deal with the pains and frustrations I bring to the table. Don’t get me wrong, not every day is hard, and my husband has implemented a schedule so the kids help with cooking and cleaning. But there are still many days I come home from work exhausted and in so much pain and know that I have a ton of stuff waiting for me. It is hard… but with it comes the blessings of feeling like I am being a good wife and mother.



And that matters a ton.



So now that the feeling has returned… for who knows what reason, to my leg and foot, and with it has come an increase in nerve pain, I worry about the effects this change will have on my family. The over the counter medication I was taking (instead of taking narcotics), doesn’t seem to help much and the narcotic medication I have doesn’t work extremely well either. I’m hoping my doctor can give me some hope tomorrow as far as the pain is concerned. But I do know that over time you get used to the nerve pain… that is what happened in the beginning. I’m hoping that will happen again.



I will keep you posted.

BACON HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN (Alice Springs Chicken)

Okay.... this will make the man in your life drool.... because as my sweet husband says "everything is better with bacon."
I promise, there will be drooling involved!!!

A few months back, I happened upon a recipe on a friends facebook page called "Alice Springs Chicken" that was a knock-off from a restaurant.  It had bacon in it, and since my husband just LOOOOVES bacon, I decided to give it a whirl.  I made a few adjustments, but here you go.

BACON HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN (Alice Springs Chicken)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Lowry's Seasoning Salt
8 strips of bacon
1 cup sliced fresh mushroom
2 cups shredded cheese
Honey Mustard Sauce

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes

• Either cut or pound chicken so that it is the same thickness and is about a half inch thick.

• Make honey mustard sauce by mixing mustard, honey, onion flakes and mayonnaise in a small bowl.

• Sprinkle the chicken breasts with Lowry's seasoning salt (both sides).

• Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon, break into pieces and set aside.

• Do not discard grease.

• Cook chicken in the bacon grease for 5 minutes per side, or until browned.

• Place chicken in a 9" × 13" casserole dish.

• Spread honey mustard sauce over each piece of chicken

• Sprinkle with bacon

• Add chopped mushrooms and cheese to each chicken breast.

Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken is done.