Height Chart

Welcome Back!

As a former military member, my family and I moved around quite a bit. With young children I always wanted to keep track of our kids' heights but also didn't want to pay extra for "damaging" the residence. I had tried different things but never really fell in love with it. That's when I made this. I have a ton of random craft material, and I get so excited when I make something like this. Lol. Shouldn't we all though?

This one is really simple, 6.5 feet of satin ribbon and mini clothes pins. I lined the clothes pins up with the height chart that I had just drawn on the door frame, wrote the child's name and age, then simply glued them in place. If I had thought about it then, I would have added lace ribbon also. I love lace. I also think that if you could some how print the names on the clothes pins it would look neater. Either way I love this and I'm so happy with how it turned out.

Short and simple. What do yours look like? What materials did you choose? You have an amazing day!!

Camo Blanket

 Good Day All,

This is the first "big" project I did. It is about the size of a lap blanket and felt like it took forever to finish. I am rather proud of it, seeing as how it was the first of it's kind. :-) I have to admit that I got the pattern from Walmart as a kind of "maybe-one-day-I'll-do-this-but-I'll-probably-lose-it-first" kind of project. Everything turned out well though and I got to pass a good bit of time. This is very warm and would be cute in a multitude of colors and most likely better as a baby blanket or young child's blanket. As always I will post the pattern below and I am currently working on a category for patterns, references and symbol patterns for quick referencing. For now this is what we have. As you can tell in the photo below there are a few places where I miss counted or wasn't paying attention to what I was doing so there are mistakes, but unless you are really looking you wouldn't notice them. lol.


Small Blanket 

Inside

Start - Ch105, ch3 (First dc)

Row 1-200- dc3, ch1, skip next stitch (snsts) dc1, ch1, snsts, (dc4, ch1, snsts,  dc1, ch1, snsts,)x14

On row 200 tie off at the end and begin boarder.

Boarder

Rows 1&2- (dc1, ch1, snsts) all the way around the blanket (about 610 sts around)

Rows 3&4- dc105, ch3, dc200, ch3, dc105, ch3, dc200, tie off and weave in.

Let me know what you think and how your own creations have turned out.

As Always,
Dawn

Slow Cooker Jambalya

Good Morning Amazing Readers,

Today we have food! I love meals that incorporate all the nutrition my family needs and is super simple. This is one of my families favorite meals - Jambalaya. Our version isn't as spicy as it should be because of my girls (my boy loves spicy!) So we leave the cayenne pepper out of it. Other than that you throw everything into a crock-pot and leave it on high for 4 hours or low for 8. When I had to get up at 0400 every morning and get ready for work and then wasn't getting home until almost 6, I would make this the night before and just put it in a Ziploc, put it in the fridge. This allowed me to put it on in the morning and not have to worry about rushing to get dinner done when I got home. This recipe made more than enough for our family of 5 and I typically had some left over for lunch the next day. I serve this with some white rice and everyone is happy. Feel free to adjust this recipe as needed, I've done it many times over and it is loved just the same. This version also calls for a few types of meat. I have found that the chicken tends to dry out very easily so if you can stick with the 4 hours instead of the 8 or you can simply leave it out altogether. Either way is up to you. It still make a lot of food and turns out great.

Jambalaya

1lb Cubed Chicken

1lb Auodville Sausage

1lb Cubed Ham

1 Green Pepper chopped

1 Sm Onion chopped

1 Can  Diced Tomatoes

2 Cups Chicken Broth

2 tbls Cajun Seasoning

1 tbls cayenne pepper (adjust for desired heat)

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp parsley

If you are going to be home while this is cooking you can add rice to the soup about 30-45 mins before it's done cooking. Otherwise simply make it afterward. When using a crock-pot I recommend using the slow-cooker liners. They make everything even easier and clean up is nothing. For the already busy family, we can need all the help we can get. This recipe is amazing and it is one of my most request recipes by my family. What are your favorite meals in your home? I would love to hear your versions of this also. Happy cooking!!

As Always,
Dawn

Homemade Playdoh

Happy Monday!!

Kids love squishy stuff, right? I know mine love anything that can possibly make a mess. I have seen many recipes for homemade playdoh but I hadn't tried it until recently. I used one that was a "non-cook" recipe. (I definitely didn't think you had to cook playdoh lol.) I would like to improve on this recipe in the future, I found that it took forever to get a smooth texture and the colors weren't as vibrant as I wanted them to be. Despite this the kids loved it. I purchased some left over table covers for 75% off after Easter and used one of these so that it was an easy clean up.

The recipe I used is as follows

1 cup salt

4 cups flour

2 tbls vegetable oil

1 cup water (add more if needed)

Mix all ingredients until well blended. If you so desire mix all or parts with food coloring. I would also recommend mixing it with either vanilla or peppermint extract (or any you would like). This makes it smell amazing. I did love this part of it and the part that if one of the kids desired to try to eat it it would completely safe. Have any of y'all made this with your children before? If so, what recipe did you use and did you like it or not? Have an amazing day!!

As Always
Dawn

Samsung Galaxy S6

Hello!!

This one is different than the other posts that I've done. As mentioned in my first post Just the Beginning! I have experience in electronics. This does not mean that I am an expert, but I know what I'm doing most of the time. That being said, I did extensive research and had practice before gutting this device. The device above had a minor superficial crack at the very top, but it's main issue was that the display would not work. No part of it. I could tell that it was trying to work with the lights at the bottom illuminating but still nothing on the screen.

This site is my go-to site for electronic repair. They have an amazing selection, user friendly website, videos on how to fix the device you are working on, and the tools needed to do it. I have spoke with customer service when I purchased my tools and materials for this phone (which were by far a lot cheaper than I had found on other sites) and the gentleman I spoke to was amazing and I received my order very quickly.

Now for the money saving aspect. The person I was repairing the phone for was told by their insurance company that screen replacement was not covered for this defect and it was going to cost them about $200-300 to fix it and send back to them. I knew you could do it yourself for much cheaper so I told them I could do it. 1) I love fixing stuff and 2) it gave me an excuse to get a good set of tools :-P. In all for just the screen it was about $140. Now this is one of the more expensive screens that I have found. Depending on the device that you have it could be as low as $10-20. This is an amazing savings for those who love DIY and saving money. I would suggest if you have not done it before, get a cheap phone (older IPhone or Galaxy) and practice on those. It won't blow your budget and you'll gain the experience.

This is just one of the devices I have fixed, so if you have any questions feel free to ask. If you have fixed anything like this please share, we will only get better from learning from each other!! Stay beautiful all!!

As Always
Dawn

Granny Squares!!

Good Morning Beautiful People!

This is a continuation of my previous post about crocheting. In between each of the wash cloths that I've been making I have been making one of these granny squares. I figure that I need to about 200 of these to make the blanket that I'm wanting to make. Anyway these are really quick and take me about 20 mins. I am using an F hook for this and also using the large reel of Peaches and Cream I found at Walmart. For some reason this is one of the last things I've learned to make, although it is definitely the easiest. I'll post the pattern below.



Row 1- ch10, slip stitch(ss), ch3 (first dc)

Row 2-  dc2, ch1, dc3, ch3, dc3, ch3, dc3, ch3, ss, ch3 (first dc).

Row 3- dc2, ch1, dc3, ch3 and continue around until you get back to the first dc and ss, ch3.

Row 4- same as Row 3 except for the final part where instead of ss, ch3 you will tie off and weave the ends back. 

*For each of the dc's I went under the ch3 stitch of the pervious row rather than going through the stitch. This let the dc stitch wrap completely around the row and allowed me to control where the stitches landed.

I will post more as I continue with this project but I'm super excited about it. I've made blankets before but none quite like this. 😆

Please comment below and tell me what you think or post projects you've done, I'd love to see them!!

As Always,

Dawn

Scheduling My Day

Hello All!

So one of my biggest challenges has been getting a routine down during the day since I became a Sahm. I think i have this by now. Although everyday isn't the same, most are.

0500- Hubby gets up and goes to work from time to time I get up and make him breakfast in the morning. He enjoys it and it gives us sometime together before the day starts.

0800- Kids get up for the day. My oldest (7) gets ready for school and my little ones (3) get up, get dressed and eat breakfast.

0830- We all go outside (on good days) and play until my oldest gets on the bus around 0900.

0900- Me and the little ones go inside and play/watch movies/random crafts. 

1100- I put on more coffee (I live off of this stuff lol) and start lunch. 

1130- Kids get to the table and eat. Although I may not directly encourage them to play with their food. I don't always stop them. I love watching their imaginations. 

1200- By this time they are usually done with their food and they clean up their places (put anything they didn't eat in the trash/ wipe up their mess/ clean up any food on the floor/ and put plates in the sink)

1215- They go to the bathroom and go to bed. This is also the time of the day that I get some peace to myself (most of the time). At times they don't want to sleep so they play in their rooms. I take this time to concentrate on me. Whether this is working on my blog or make something or cut out coupons. We all need that time to us so that we don't lose our minds lol. 

1500- I get the kids up. By now they have gotten some sleep and are ready for the rest of the day. They are back at the table for their snack and juice. Then they go to the bathroom before we do anything else.

1530- This is when I start my "real" cleaning. It doesn't take much or long. All day I do laundry and just set the baskets in the living room so this is when I take care of them. I sweep and mop the floors, the kids take care of the bathroom in the hallway and their own rooms.

1645- My oldest gets home from school and starts her homework at the kitchen table while I start dinner. (I love crockpot meals because I can use this time to go outside again and play with the kids.)

1800- Dinner is served! Hubby is usually home by now and gets a hot meal :-)

1830- Bathtime for the babies!!! This is the same routine as lunch. They clean up after themselves. Oldest gets everything ready for the next day, including cleaning up her room.

1900- Books and bedtime for babies, oldest gets in the shower. 

2000- Oldest goes to bed after I tell her her favorite stories. 

2200- Me and hubby go to bed. We usually watch some TV while the other takes a shower. 

This is what works for us and it is just a rough estimate. Let me know what yall have found that works for you. Anything that you have found particularly helpful?

As Always,
Dawn

Crochet Washcloth

Hello Beautiful People,

The attached picture is just one of the several wash cloths I have made. I bought one of the large reels of Peaches and Cream yarn (I love the texture of the material for this purpose but you can use what ever you can find) and already had my set of crochet hooks. I used an F hook for this project and I think it turned out really well. It too a few tries but I created a pattern that I love. It only took me about an hour to do and just cost me a few cents. these are very absorbent and look awesome. below is the pattern I used for this. I would love to see pics of the ones yall make. Post them in the comments or email to me. Happy crocheting!

Row 1- Ch27+1

Row 2- sc26, ch1, turn

Row 3-sc26, ch3, turn

Row 4- dc26, ch1, turn

Repeat row 2,3 and 4 for a total of 22 rows or until desired.

I added and dc border on mine just to make it look complete but it is not needed. If you decide to do the same just make sure to add the ch3 at the corners. I tried it both ways and found that this was the one that looked the best. 

As Always,

Dawn

Just the Beginning!

Hi All,

     Welcome to a new start. My goal with this blog is to share the DIY, kid friendly, and home organization/savings projects I find. In short I am a US Navy veteran. I just recently got out of the service where I served as an Aviation Electrician. This experience has given me the knowledge and ability to do things around the house that I would have never thought of doing before.
     I am also the mother of 4 children. Two are mine and the other two are my stepchildren. This has created a unique challenge for me. I love all of my children, but good Lord they can be a stress. Lol. It has also meant that saving money is a top priority. I have started making my own wash cloths, decor, toys etc. I have also started couponing (which has saved hundreds a month) and because of all of this I want to share it with the world! 
     Feel free to contact me at any time and I will get back with you as soon as I can. I encourage suggestions, comments, critiques, praises :-D. Have an amazing day and stay beautiful! 
     
As Always,
Dawn