CHD Awareness Week!

CHD Awareness Week
February 7th-14th

 

I have an adorable niece named Brynley who has been affected by a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD).  Please read her story below as written by her mom (my rockstar sister who is one of the strongest people I know).

and... Please wear red this week to bring awareness to CHD!

Our Miracle:

Our HEART journey started with this sweet baby girl born with a BROKEN HEART....

 and today that sweet baby girl is a fun, vivacious, 6 1/2 year old who unless you catch a glimpse of her "Special Heart Zipper" you would never guess that she had to fight for LIFE!
She won that fight!

 Brynley's open heart surgery in May 2006 repaired two large Atrial Spetal Defects (ASD) and repaired a cleft in her mitral valve. It was a miracle that they found the defects in her tiny little heart and it was by Divine guidance that her surgeon was able to repair them. Now 6 years old, we give thanks that our sweet baby girl was given the opportunity to grow and thrive.

Here’s to the opportunities that the future holds; to the passion and knowledge of medical professionals, to more advanced technology and care, and to those of us that can spread the message about heart defects, bring more funding, more research and better outcomes for kids born with CHD.

And to our Family and friends that carried us through the roughest parts of this journey....

THANK YOU!

(Heart Check 2011)

In honor of CHD awareness and "Princess B"

Please wear RED February 7th-14th

 

The Art of Bread Making

**This fabulous loaf was made by Melinda last night ( See below)

TWO out of the three Craft Nights we've had (See previous posts), Melinda-who is super crafty and talented at MANY things- has brought fresh baked homemade bread. MAKING BREAD SCARES ME! It just seems like a bear to tackle. Lo and behold she introduced me to this book- I can't say enough good things about this book- laid out nicely, easy to read, great tips, quick easy recipes with minimal work. She let me borrow it, and gave me a bread stone to keep, to inspire my bread making skills.

3 weeks later, I still had not made bread... So, because Melinda's so great she offered to show me-I know, I'm a wuss-"It's bread, it's only bread" All I had to bring was a plastic container with a lid that holds five quarts. (see picture below- Target 97 cents) So we made bread!


Me and Melinda- After we made our batch, she whipped up some beautiful tastey sandwich bread (pictured above)- AND sent some home with me :)


Why this bread is so wonderful:

• It's artisan bread- VERY Tastey.
• It literally takes 5 minutes to make the dough in your little plastic container.
• It only has about 5 ingredients.
• You make one Batch of dough in your container and put it in the fridge. When you want fresh baked bread, you grab a hunk of dough out of the container and bake it- the The dough is good up to 2 weeks in your fridge, the flavor gets a more sourdough flavor.
• This basic recipe- can be added to, to do make dozens of recipes- just through in herbs etc.

I'll post pics of the actual baked bread once I bake it. It's sitting in my fridge- and I have 2 whole weeks to do it! Watch out People, Rachel's making bread!

A Hard Battle

I am struggling at work with a girl. She's cut throat. For some reason she's out to get me. While venting the frustrations to my sister "Doll", blowing off some steam, she said something like, "maybe she has a crappy life." Wow. Great point of view. So now, when I'm struggling with the rudeness and cutting remarks directed toward me I remember this quote,

"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I'm in the process of learning the humbling experience of praying for those who "dispitefully use and hurt me". It's hard. Really hard.

p.s. What an inspiring woman. I'll share some more of her quotes soon.

Sweet Justice

Make a 2 inch area of space with your thumb and pointer finger. Yeah now picture a cockroach in that space. Now add on another 3 inches to account for the antanaes. Just looking at the pic in this post brings back the heebeegeebees (I'm trying to post quick so my skin will quit crawling!) I can do rats, snakes, and most other bugs, but the roach is too much. I know this is weird, but Husband thinks I exaggerate the size of the roaches here, so I left this one floating till he got home as proof. The crappy thing, is no matter how much you spray, lay traps, and keep your house clean, they are still in your house. It's just one of the Florida "thrills" , you know, go see mickey at Disney and see cat size roaches :)

When I gloat about the fabulous weather and gorgeous green view out my window from October to May, just remember this picture. Nice weather brings nasty bugs. As it gets colder (60s :)) We see more and more in the house, they come in to warm themselves by the fire. Kev asks me often if I'm liking Florida. I always say, "I love it, I can stay here for years!" After finding this guy, I told him I'd like to restate my commitment to Florida and the warmth.

St. Augustine

If you do not like history or travel, you might want to forgo this post, I drone on and on about my adventures in on old city :)

St. Augustine is considered the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. It's one of my favorite cities ever. You have the feeling of warping into another place. When you enter St. Augustine history screams at you. The buildings are cool, the landscape is lush, the shops are so fun. Lots of history, lots of art. We took Aunt Mary, because everyone should experience St. Augustine at least once in their life.

Ill give you a little history tour:


My favorite stop is Flagler college. Once named Hotel Ponce De Leon. Built in 1888. Built by Henry Flagler who started the Standard Oil Company with none other then Rockefeller. The Hotel was built for the Rich to vacation during the winter months down in sunny Florida.


The fountain out front is also a sundial. The towers are water holding tanks, seeing as this hotel was one of the first to have running water.


What you see when you walk in. All the floor tiles are shipped from Africa and were hand laid.


When you look up... Yes it is all gold leafed, and there are symbolisms in the paintings.


The now Dining Hall was once the Ball Room. It includes the largest collection of Original Tiffany Glass. It is insured for 35 million dollars. Mr. Tiffany supervised and designed all of these windows and chandeliers himself. Thomas Edison helped with the original electrical wiring.


One of many of Mr. Tiffany's beauties...



The balconies above were for the orchestras. Can you imagine eating lunch here everyday?



This room is original decor. Once again, the detail is emaculant! In the 1800s it was the ladies sitting room where they did all their socializing while staying in the hotel. The clock on the mantel is enclosed in the largest peice of solid white granite in the world. The clock was crafted by Thomas Edison. One of two original clocks by Mr. Edison in the hotel. This is called the "day clock" the other is the "night clock" and is black with gold hands.



Prespiterian Memorial Church- Built by Flagler as a memorial to his daughter Jennie who died giving birth. Flagler, his first wife, their daughter and her baby are all in the mosolium in this church. the church is AMAZING inside. Stain glass windows, paintings.



CITY GATES- These are the gates built to keep out the enemy at the entrance to the city and the original main street. A wall then connected to the Fort (which I for some reason always call "the castle")


The Fort- aka the castle. Built by the spanish in the 15oo's when they settled this area. Faces the outlet to the ocean to watch for invaders. You can go inside and see their living quarters, prisoners quarters, watchtowers etc. Very cool...







Enjoying some homemade pizza in one of the local pizza parlors. (p.s. did i mention there are awesome shops and restaurants here?!)


An example of the hundreds of years old home.

Ok? Oh...Fay!

Well, Fay is headed our way!




We live in the "Tues Eve" line where it is still dark red.

Water- check

72 hour kits- check

gas-check

Hopefully we are set!

Poor Aunty Mary is visiting with us and is supposed to head home to Oregon on Wednesday. Will she be extending her trip due to the storm? We shall see. If so lucky me!

SOOO BUSY!

Sorry for my absence, I have been extremely busy trying to beat this woman's world record of the most peircings on the human body. Elaine Davidson from Scotland has 5920 peircings. I'm only up to 4,926. Just kidding! I only have 2. One in each ear :) Crazy picture though huh?! Imagine her getting a sinus infection or cold....yeah. I really have been extremely busy, but will post pics of new products Twinklebee.com has to offer soon! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Back in the Saddle

My bike bucked me off this week (not the first time), resulting in skinned knee and hand+lots of bruises. They say when you get bucked off, you gotta get right back on. This picture makes me want to take puppy on a nice long bike ride this weekend.

Sweedish Bikes

taken by tinoqahoush via webshots

Latest Jewelry Finds

Moseying around on my lunch break I found a bead/jewelry store, near my office. I have one word to describe it, DANGEROUS! All the stones in there are real, they have walls and walls, divided by color. It's a jewelry lover's dream come true. I couldn't resist the temptation, and bought these stones. Hubby couldn't understand why I couldn't resist. Wouldn't this be a gorgeous necklace! You buy the stones then if you want to take a jewelry making class it's $10 and they teach you everything you need to know and how to string up your jewels, or you they will make the piece for you for about $20. When I finally left they had to wipe my drool off the floor :) Next I want to go back and get some gorgeous Onyx stones.

Note: I want some turquoise jewelry. A strand of turquoise was over $100. This is dyed Hawlite, which is a natural stone too, but about a quarter of the cost. Could you tell? I just received a cool turquoise ring as a gift, that will go very nicely with the necklace.

How to store that jewelry?

Calling all Jewelry feigns- I have been LOVING this! It hangs in your closet with your clothes and has small plastic pouches you put all your jewelry in. It is an excellent use of space!! I have kept my jewelery in a small 3 drawer plastic organizing container. As my jewelry collection has grown everything gets tangled and mixed up, what a pain! Now I can have more space on my dresser and keep all the jewelry organized and separate. I might have to get a second, I've only put a few pieces in here, but am afraid when I finally switch it all over, it'll be full. One of the best investments I've made in a long time.

Let's Eat!

Someone is a genious! We went to "LET'S EAT!" for a team building activity at work, I'm hooked! It is a place where you prepare meals to freeze for a later date. You select the items ahead of time, and when you show up it's all layed out for you. You throw the ingredients together and then package it for the freezer including a label of how to cook it and what sides to serve with it. The food is gourmet too! For example, a dish I made when I went with the ladies at work was coconut/cashew crusted mahi mahi with red pepper Coulis sauce. Another: Spinach and pine nut meatloaf, or how about the fire roasted turkey burgers with zesty red pepper pesto- sweet potato french fries as a side.

You have to do a minimum of 8 dishes which ends up being about $150. The meals feed 4-6, or you have the option to split. So someone like me split all the meals in half and came out with 16 meals for me and hubby, for the same price. There are rotating menu, so each month brings new things. It can get spendy to use these meals every night, but if you stretch them out, it's very reasonable, especially if you are a busy household. I recommend to those expecting, to stop by and give it a whirl. It will help out right after having the baby to have some meals on hand to feed the family. They also have a mini service called "Two for Tuesday!" Where you don't have to choose 8 meals you can do 2 meals. I'm gonna go and do 2 meals, split them, and have 4 emergency meals in the freezer for the month, those nights when you just dont have time...
Not to mention, it's just plain fun, especially if you do it with girlfriends!
If you're in my neighborhood and you want to invite yourself over for dinner to try one of the meals, give me a ring :)

Until we meet again...

So I'm a cereal person through and through. I look forward to my cereal/granola in the morning, and occasionally for dinner. Trainer says avoid. "It's ok, but there are better choices"-in his words. He suggested oatmeal. I was thinking it doesn't make much difference because there are carbs and sugar in oatmeal too. Further investigation- the oatmeal (to make it taste good) has sugar and of course carbs, just like the cereal, but the grains are better for you. I looked at skim milk and it has 13 carbs and 12 grams of sugar. you cut out those extra carbs and sugar just by eliminating the milk. "But I don't like oatmeal" you say. I know, me neither, it gets too gummy and slimy for me. I found this tasty blend that I'm very happy with. All the grains give it a good texture.
Flavors:
Apples and cinnamon
Maple Brown sugar with Pecans (my choice for this week, very tasty)
Vanilla Almond and Honey

So Cereal, I'll miss you, but we'll still rendezvous a few times a week :)

How to Choose YOUR Perfect Sewing Machine

(my machine pictured above)

A little over a year ago I bought this amazing Machine. It's the Scandanavia 200 from Husqvarna Viking. It is computerized, but basic. It is considered a "work horse" because it was handmade in Sweden, with high quality parts, but doesn't have all the extra buttons and things I didn't think I would use. I've never had a problem with it and it's always sewn like a dream! It was a long process, deciding what to get. Here are some tips I learned: (I might be biased cause I LOVE the machine I got! Taking time to decide paid off!)

Some Things to remember when choosing your sewing machine:

Do your homework!
1. Where was the machine made?
Made in China usually means poor quality. Every brand has a lower end machines which =lower quality. One step up from that usually ensures better quality. For example, Bernina is made in Switzerland and Husqvarna have lowerend lines of machines that are made in China, and higher end lines that are made by little old men in Sweden. Higher quality parts= longer lasting machine. You need to do your homework to determine which line in the brand bumps the machines to higher quality.

2. Where can you take it if it breaks or you have a problem?
Buying your machine from a dealer located near buy eliminates headache. I can drop my machine off and they take care of everything, and I pick it up- that simple! It is worth eliminating the headache of finding a repair shop and finding someone that knows your brand of machine.

3. Ask people who sew if they like their machine.
If you ask an older, more seasoned seamstress, what kind of machine they have and if they like it, You'll get a more honest answer then from a salesman at the shop that is trying to push their product, and what's even better- chances are they've had more then one machine to compare brands and quality. Which worked best for them, what would they recommend? I got great advice from these ladies!

4. What do you want from your machine?
Are you expecting to sew clothes? quilt on it? I wouldn't use the embroidry much, so I opted out. I would however use lots of decorative stitches. I do more quilting and home decor then clothes, so it was important to me to have a quality stitch with out much hastle. A lot of machines come with bells and whistles to make them look exciting. Often times you have to choose which bells and whistles you want and would use most. Cutting out the things you won't often use can cut down greatly on the cost.

5. How much are you willing to spend?
Go in with a budget in mind. Determine the highest amount you are willing to pay and stick to it. There is always the "one step up will do these extra features". You can one step up it $7,000 worth of a machine, so be prepared to be strong. To get a good quality machine these days be prepared to spend at least $500-$800. That is for a good quality machine, that will last you for many many years. When you buy a machine for a couple hundered, it will last a few years, the quality of stitch and product turn out won't be as good, and you will have ALOT more frusteration. I've known people that learned to sew on a crappy machine, and in turn hated sewing. When placed on a basic, good quality machine, learned that sewing can be easy and LOADS of fun! Bottom line: It's worth it to pay more for good quality, you'll be a million times happier with your machine and every time you sew. p.s. A lot of dealers will set up a payment plan for you so you can get the machine you want and make payments to slowly pay it off.

6. A good deal
A good deal includes extras. Extra sewing feet or kits. After buying my machine I went in a few months later to buy a "walking foot" for quilting, and about had a heart attack. It was $120!! Ask about free sewing classes. At Husqvarna Viking free sewing classes are included. They teach you how to use all the features on your machine. Very cool!

7. Try it out!
Be wary of a place that won't let you try the machine. Most places who are confident in their machines will happily give you a demo of what the machine can do, and even let you set down and give it a whirl. Do just that! Try it out, does it feel right? Is it easy to use? Watch them thread the machine too(I picked up some good tips by doing that).

8. Take your time!
Do a little research on the internet reading the history of companies and reviews from users, visit multiple sewing studios. You'll be happier that you did, and in the end, go home with a machine you love and will last a long time!

Hope these tips help! It was a huge learning process for me to go through these steps!

Karaoke= Crazy + Freedom

I never thought I'd be the one saying I go to Karaoke night. But there it is. I do. Every once in awhile. I work with all women, most of which are single. So when we do fun girls nights we go to a mexican restaurant that has Tuesday night Karaoke. So that's where I could be found last Tuesday night. I swore I would never punish the general public by singing where anyone could hear me, but I somehow have found myself up there singing "Wide Open Spaces" and the classic "Love Shack" among others with the girls. And now I understand why people humiliate themselves singing karoake. Because everyone else understands and cheers you on (most have had a few drinks) telling you that you were wonderful (even when you're not). It is very liberating. This particular place called "La Fiesta" has their very own hard core Elvis impersonator, that dresses the part and sings Elvis whenever it's his turn, and several old ladies that are making their debut and living their dream before time runs out. It's a nice family place with great food and loads of fun. I've had some of my best laughs with the girls there! I don't have any pics, maybe the next time we brave the Karaoke scene.

Room Transformations

Check out these room transformations from Domino Mag

I LOVE the mirror inside the fireplace frame. Very clever. makes the room look bigger.

I always tell my hubby, "windows make a HUGE diffrence in a house", this is the visual example

I threw this in, because of the throw blanket. That's really where the main transformation took place. I have an ottoman, but hadn't thought to do this. Another great idea.


And other finds...
I'm digging this red door, right smack in the middle of the house. Very cool.

A phrase comes to mind when I see this room: Relaxing in style.


How to make ceilings look taller from Domino Mag

• Paint a 3 inch contrasting color border at the top of the wall.
• buy low slung furniture
• raise your curtains, and use crisp panels
• Do not use overhead lights, use wall sconces (I thought this one was particularly intresting)