Crocheted trim for towels and bathcloths

I went to the Black Friday sales last year. Hardly worth the effort but I did get a few cool things. I knew I wanted socks and pajamas but they also had yarn and plain towels on sale. I bought a bunch of white towels and planned out five colors of yarn to fit my five children.

Davy and James were easy. Davy likes blue. James likes green. Katie Rose got the girly pink color. The two little boys are based on their bedding. John Micah got red for Lightning McQueen. Joseph got Thomas the Train blue.

Flu and RSV prevented me from finishing them before Christmas. So I wrapped yarn, bathcloth and towel together and told them what a creative idea that Santa must have had. I finished them in a few short weeks and they have been making good use of them. 

They were so cheerful looking that I had to make some for the master bathroom. I found a red that coordinated with my towels and trimmed some of the beige bathcloths that were packaged in a stack with the white ones.

Here is how I did it.

I used a small steel hook that would poke through the cloth and still be able to grab the yarn. I single crocheted all the way around the bathcloth and on each end of the towel.

Next row. I switched to a F hook and chain 3 and slip stitch (I used a slip stitch instead of a single crochet that other patterns may call for because I didn't want huge holes with the added height of a single crochet) all the way around or along the length. This sometimes meant that I skipped two stitches and sometimes I skipped three. I just tried to have it spaced evenly. If it is too tight, it will ruffle up the edges.

Last row. In each chain three space, I worked this pattern; single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, half double crochet, single crochet.

Cut your yarn and pull it through to finish with a small knot. Then weave in your ends. Easy Peasy!

I have several more that I plan to do. I found a coordinating green hand towel for the master bathroom and I have several more towels and bathcloths in my stash that need cheering up.

These hold up very well even in regular wash cycles. I actually used a similar stitch on some homemade pillowcases. The seam has come apart a little after nearly five years of use and washes but the crocheting is still perfect! So I figure that the towels will probably wear out long before the crocheting will.

Happy Crocheting! I will try to get a pic of the Hello Kitty hat that I made for my daughter. I hate having to wait for her birthday to give it to her. Maybe sharing it on here will help me keep the secret from her til May.

Every day is not the same

Nor every week, month or year for that matter.

In organizing a household, you can find all manner of checklists for daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly tasks. But much of life doesn't fall so neatly into checklists. Sometimes you have to take whatever each day throws at you.

I like the daily draft by Ann Voskamp. I decided to try to follow it but my printer wouldn't work. That turned out to be a blessing. I used a plain piece of copy paper and started sketching it out myself. Then I started personalizing it to how my day works for me.

I kept The Dire. I like summing up the day's most important tasks in three parts. When I started this, we had just come back from a trip so laundry was a top priority. Another day, the younger three kids had a stomach bug so the priorities were keeping the diet bland, kids clean and cuddles. Some days, cooking a big meal might be a priority and others may be eating up leftovers. It takes each day, one at a time.

I have a personal section. This includes things like making up my bed, washing face, brushing hair, working out, shower, drinking water and brushing teeth.

My Domestic section contains laundry, dishes and trash. I include three bubbles after wash laundry and dry/hang laundry. Some days may only have one load but some days have three. Then a bubble each come after gather, fold, and put away. Dishes include load dishwasher, unload dishwasher, wash stones/pots and wash bottles. Then I have take out the trash. Things like dusting, vacuuming, mopping and such will get done when I can get to them.

I included a Notes and Shopping section. I can keep track of phone numbers or appt times that I get when making calls or checking email. These can be added later to the contacts and calendar but I am no longer trusting my head to keep track of them in the meantime. The shopping list can be compiled from several days whenever we are planning to go to town.

I included The Diner section to include breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. This is beneficial to me because I shop sales and then cook from my pantry and freezer. I find when I menu plan a week or more in advance that it is hard to work best. I often think of what I want to cook with what I have instead of what can I cook with what I have. My wants may require unnecessary extra ingredients that I end up buying when they aren't on sale. A day at a time is the way I plan when money is tight and I'm a much better steward then. I can be creative. I can be diligent about using my leftovers to create new meals.

I added a section for my kids. I listed each name and it gives me a place to record symptoms of illness, school objectives/events, needed clothes/other items, achievements, extra curricular activities, etc. My oldest asked me when the little ones were sick earlier this month how many times he had thrown up in his ten years of life. He is blessed with superb memory but I am not. But if I keep my lists in a binder, I can review before going to the doctor and have an accurate report of when symptoms started and any details related to their health.

I included a place for the date and the day (as in feast day, holiday, or weekday)

I included a section for spiritual things like Saint of the day, devotions, scripture readings, prayer (doing the St Peregrine cancer novena), light a candle, and memory verse. I keep track of my memory verses with Scripture Typer but writing them down also helps me memorize them.

So all in all, my New Year's resolutions are going well. I'm learning to focus on one thing at a time. Writing down my objectives so my mind is free from distractions. I really think slowing down helps to make the day longer and rushing seems to make the day shorter. It makes me think of the people on a rush on the road. They rush up behind you. They brake and pass, weaving in and out of the traffic. But oftentimes, the red light catches them and you end up right beside them. Rushing just stresses and doesn't provide any more forward traction.

My resolution for 2014 - Slow down

I was going to sit down and make resolutions for the year. Probably over-complicate things. But I found this manifesto from Ann Voskamp. I may adjust it to personally fit me in the future but right now, I can't think of any way to improve upon it. She is quite amazing in her writing!

One part really struck me.

Life isn't an emergency. It's a gift. Only the slow truly see their lives. Which makes their lives seem longer and richer.

Everyone that I know, especially this time of year, complain of how time flies by faster and faster with each passing year. Including myself. But what if it isn't time's doing. What if with all our rushing around, we are speeding through our life unnecessarily fast.

A decade ago, I wanted to do all the fun stuff. Cooking instead of washing dishes. Crafts instead of tidying up. That wasn't sustainable so for several years now, I have worked on routines. Routines have helped a great deal but my viewpoint is largely the same. I'm rushing through the mundane to get to the fun. My days fly by and it is my own doing.

This year, I want to slow down. I want to find the sacred in the everyday. It is those mundane things that done with love make us holy.

I took the manifesto and printed it on card stock. I put it in a frame that my second child, James, got me as a Christmas gift. I placed it on my kitchen window sill. Now I have a daily reminder to slow down and savor life.

2013 in review - Counting my blessings

Another year comes to a close. They fly by faster and faster. But there is an excitement at the prospect of a new year.

A new beginning.

365 grace-filled days ahead.

365 days have past. Mistakes have been made. Some goals have not been met. But it's done. We now have the opportunity to try once again to get it right. Or at least more of it right.

2013's greatest blessing: Joseph Christian Harrill

It is amazing how your family feels complete and yet another is added making you wonder how you ever considered your family complete without this one.

Another blessing - My husband is still cancer-free.

Yet another - the wonderful elementary school full of people who love my boys and are doing a great job in educating them at this time when our home is too crazy for them to focus. And for being honest with me about their apprehensions of what they might face with homeschooled children who hadn't been in school for several years. And how their test scores and behavior have proven what a great job that I strived to do in giving them a quality education.

Another blessing is the Moms group at church that supported us generously and tangibly with our new addition. As well as my aunt who took a couple days of work in the middle of the week (the thing that I thought was an impossibility to even ask for) and came to stay with my older children while I was in the hospital.

We were blessed with 17 years of canine love. Our elderly chihuahua had to be let go. Several weeks later, we still find ourselves expecting to see him cleaning up something the children dropped from the table. I find myself checking to make sure the toddler isn't in the dog's bowl.

We are blessed with a couple of stray kittens. They have made Tito's absence a bit easier. It's been nice to feed and care for a couple of half-starved strays and see them grow and become healthier each time we open the door.

We are blessed to be where we truly feel at home. We are blessed with innumerable family and friends. We are blessed beyond measure. Whatever didn't get done in 2013 is really of no consequence. It was plenty full!

Here's to a great 2014!

Rotel Enchilada Lasaga

I was in the mood for enchiladas last night. I call mine an enchilada lasagna because rolling them up is futile. They end up tearing and falling out the sides. SO in the interest of keeping my sanity and not wasting a whole lot of time, I started layering the ingredients.

I modified a homemade enchilada recipe. I used garbanzo bean flour to make it gluten free. I was out of tomato paste so I thought I would just add a can of tomatoes to the crockpot. In looking in the pantry for the diced tomatoes, I saw rotel and added that instead. I added the enchilada sauce, rotel and a quart bag of already cooked and cubed chicken that I had in the freezer. I let this simmer about 6 hours.


I took a 13x9 pan and added a little of the liquid from the crockpot to the bottom. I layered 6 of the corn tortillas. Then half the meat. Then about a cup of grated cheddar cheese. I repeated 6 more tortillas, the rest of the meat and another cup of cheese. I topped with 6 more tortillas, the remaining juice from the crockpot and more cheese on top.

It was fabulous! The older boys who don't love enchiladas got seconds. The toddler boy and Daddy got thirds. Definitely a keeper!

GF Banana White Chocolate Pancakes

Often, we have something special for Sunday meals. I'll fix a roast dinner or Mike will grill for us. This Sunday, we were getting over two weeks of colds, coughs and strep throat. We needed a simple day.

So I planned pancakes for Sunday supper. But after getting a few hours of extra sleep and a good hot shower, I was feeling better and wanted to jazz the pancakes up a bit. I would normally make blueberry pancakes but I had already made blueberry muffins for breakfast using Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix, 4-Pound Bags (Pack of 3)

Blueberries twice in one day would be a bit overkill. I had some white chocolate chips that needed to be used up. So I looked online at a few recipes and then came up with my own version. I would have used cinnamon in the pancakes if two of my kiddos hadn't shown sensitivities to it. But they turned out delicious none-the-less. My second child only ate two when he is normally begging for a fourth or fifth of my blueberry pancakes. But he has this weird aversion to most things white. He thought at first that the white chocolate chips was cottage cheese. I tried to explain to him that he really needs to let his tastebuds make the decision.

I absolutely love Pamela's Baking mix. It is a very easy way to fix gluten free goodies when I am short on time and energy. No guesswork! I know whatever I make with it will turn out perfect. No wasted time making something not worth eating. I included the link above where I order it by the box from Amazon.

GF Banana White Chocolate Pancakes

3 bananas, mashed
2 cups Pamela's Baking Mix
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
2 T oil
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Mash bananas in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients except for chocolate chips. Whisk well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto a 325 degree griddle. (Love my griddle, too! Invaluable in making pancakes, grilled cheese, crispy bacon and even fried eggs. Saves a lot of time standing over the stove.)

I doubled this recipe for my big brood. Many times, there isn't any left. Because these were a bit rich, there were more leftover so I am eating some for breakfast. They reheat well.

Enjoy!

Healthy Beverages

When my first two boys were little, I gave them mostly milk and apple juice. I was thinking that those were healthy options except that one of the boys having a lactose sensitivity and even watered down apple juice prevented their gastrointestinal problems from going away.

When my next two started having similar problems, I asked the pediatrician what to do and she recommended water with the squeeze-in liquid flavoring like Mio. I LOVE having a mom for a pediatrician. Our old pediatrician had five children and was pretty kid savvy but nothing beats mom-experience coupled with a medical degree. She knows the best, easiest ways of accomplishing what needs to be done.

We had a cold last week and this week, one child has strep with possibly a sinus infection. I have been drinking GGMS which gives me apple cider vinegar daily.



I don't get near the sinus infections that I used to with apple cider vinegar. I can't exactly explain how it works but after drinking an ACV drink, I can feel the mucus loosening and coming down my throat. By clearing my sinuses, it doesn't sit and fester and turn into an infection.

I wanted to get my kids to drink something similar but they aren't fans of that kombucha-like taste. Then I found this recipe for healthy Cool-aid. I don't have any fruity herbal tea at the moment so I'm using up some koolaid packages. While we use up what we got, I'm gonna keep an eye out for herbal tea coupons and sales.



Today I used orange and mango in a gallon of water. I added a few shakes of Sweet Leaf Stevia and a generous splash of ACV. I stirred it up and asked James to try it and tell me if it was sweet enough. He loved it and told me that it was the best drink I had ever made. Told me that he loved me and gave me a hug for it. I do believe that it is a success!