Life On Hackberry Road

A Happy Birthday Boy in the House!

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Today we're celebrating KZ's 11th birthday! Don't be fooled by the solemn "game" face. This boy is full of bubbly energy and always has a big smile. He's never met a stranger and puts on a big tough guy persona, but has a soft heart. He always has to work just a little harder, be a little stronger, and things don't naturally come easy... but we couldn't be prouder of hard he has worked in school this year, how smartly he has handled some difficult situations and how well loved he is by friends and family. This baby boy healed the pain of loss in his mama's heart. Everyday he becomes more like his dad. So young, yet so sure of what he wants for his future... I can't wait to see where life takes him! Happy Birthday, K! We love you.

SSShhhh....

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:46:00 +0000

just a little peeking, but don't say a word. Come closer. Talk softly.

For the next 2 weeks, I'm busting a move or dancing a jig or doing the turkey trot... whatever you want to call it...

Christmas gifts are in the making... just a glimpse for now... my goal is 2 weeks until finished...

lots of projects in the works to share with you soon. lots of GREAT (oops, quiet now) links to wonderful handmade gifts ideas... I'm so excited!

Have a beautiful weekend and I will be back soon with some finished gifts. Sorry dad, no peeks for snoopers!

Cooking Day- Part 3, Whew-The End.

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:28:00 +0000

While Clover was snoozing, I set about to finish the final goodies I wanted to get done today. You can check here and here to see what I accomplished before nap time.

Apples were on sale this week for $.83lb which is a pretty good buy.

I bought 12 lbs. I used 6 lbs. today to make applesauce, which should be ready any minute. Later in the week, I hope to make pie and fresh apple cake for the freezer.
I wrapped up the oatmeal bread for the freezer. I know we won't need it for a day or two and it tends to dry out if not used quickly.

Since Clover can't have bread without peanut butter and jelly, it was time to make up some homemade grape jelly.

This is a super simple recipe that takes only a few minutes and tastes fantastic. I'll post the recipe another time. And because the empty container was staring at me, I made up a batch of cocoa mix. Now, it's time to call it a day. The boys and hubby will be home soon and I still have dinner to get on the table. Thank goodness, it's all ready to go!

Cooking Day- Part 2!!

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:39:00 +0000

A couple more things accomplished... made my second batch of bread dough into loaves and set them to rise. While I waited, I mixed up a double batch of chocolate chip muffins. Clover pitched in to help by putting the muffin liners in the pans and mixing the liquid ingredients. The recipe calls for sour cream and I substituted yogurt. This is hit and miss. Sometimes they turn out nice with the yogurt and sometimes they don't rise very well. Kinda like today.

Thankfully, they still taste really good.

And because I had some yogurt that still needed to be used we mixed up some custard style strawberry yogurt and added homemade strawberry syrup for extra yumminess.

Then the bread went into the oven. It will be done right about nap time, so I'll take a break and get Clover down for her nap. I'm still hoping to get a couple more items made. Stay tuned to see how it goes...

Cooking Day!!

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:25:00 +0000

It has been a looooong time since I've had a really productive cooking day. Since my menu plan for the week is in place and I have no worries come dinner time, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to cook up some goodies to help in the coming days.

First thing this morning I put a huge 22lb turkey in the roaster to slow cook all day. Next I put eggs on to boil, macaroni noodles on to cook, and sliced a 1/2 pound chunk of cheddar cheese. Once that was done I started a batch of bread dough in the Kitchenaid.

With half the eggs, the macaroni noodles, and some diced cheese cubes I threw together a large batch of macaroni salad. This will serve as lunches for me the next few days.

Next up, the rest of the eggs became egg salad for Clover's lunch. By this time the bread dough was ready. Half went into a greased bowl w/cover for tonight's Cheeseburger Rolls for dinner. The other half of the bread dough, along with part of the cheese slices and some smoked beef sausage became Sausage Rolls.

My boys love these for breakfast or an after school snack. They are made just like pigs in a blanket only I use the smoked sausage instead. They also freeze great! So.... while those were baking, I started some ground sausage to browning in a skillet. Once that was done, half of the sausage along with all the grease went into a freezer container for sausage gravy later in the month. The other half of the browned sausage was added to scrambled eggs and a little more of the cheese to make filling for breakfast burritos.

Normally, I would go ahead and make up the burritos, but instead I put the filling in a bowl grabbed a package of tortilla shells from the freezer and stuck it all in the fridge. This will be easy to throw together for breakfast tomorrow.

With all this good food cooking/cooling, my tummy said it was time for a break! Coffee and a sausage roll hit the spot. Barely, 10:30 a.m. I think I've had a great start to the day. Time to hang some clothes while my second batch of bread dough is rising. Check back to see what I get accomplished later!

Menu Plan- Oh, How You Make My Life Easy!

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:35:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but when I take the time to plan a menu for a week/month my life runs so much smoother! If you're new here the craziness of "life" here on Hackberry Road can be an everyday challenge.

To be totally honest, I'm an on-again off-again menu planner. When I don't take the time to plan it's because the conversation in my head goes something like this:
"i should plan a menu"
"nay, it will take too much time"
"i should plan a menu, it will save me time"
"nay, i'd rather do something else"
"okay, sounds good to me"
A few hours later.... "man, i wish I had planned something for dinner!"

So... because I know that planning a menu frees up time for so many other things, I got back on board and made up meals for the next 3 weeks. And for the first time ever, I'm even posting it so you all can hold me accountable.
This week's plan...

Monday: Spaghetti Casserole, veggie, and garlic breadsticks

Tuesday: Cheeseburger rolls and cole slaw

Wednesday: Burritos and mexican rice

Thursday: Crockpot pork roast with carrots and zucchini patties

Friday: Taco soup and cinnamon rolls

Saturday: Homemade pizza

Sunday: Lunch- Italian patty melts (new recipe) Dinner-YOYO (your on your own)

The easiest plan for me is to get the main dishes out of the way. Once that is established I am able to choose from a stockpile of frozen veggies, salad, fruit, etc. to compliment the meal. Generally, I make some type of homemade bread to go along with it. Be sure to visit Organizing Junkie for a huge list of menu plans for the week. Just think... you could be totally inspired to make your life a whole lot easier too!

The $0 Duck Costume

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:18:00 +0000

For months Clover has been telling me that she wanted to be a duck for Halloween. Truth be told, I thought she would change her mind. Nothing doing... she was serious about being a duck. Here is how I pulled it all together.

The off white jacket and matching pants were hand me downs we found tucked away in her closet. Since they had a few minor blemishes I didn't mind sacrificing them for the cause. The wings are made from large pieces of felt and sewn at an angle, so they would slip over her sleeves.

Her feet were 2 layers of orange felt that I cut to look like duck feet. I then sewed them together and cut a slit in the center so we could slip them on. The feet sit right on top of her shoes. (better seen in the above picture)

The mask I based off the same pattern that I made these. Oh, isn't that a face that only a mama could love? She wore a long sleeve t-shirt underneath her jacket for extra warmth and her yellow crocs as shoes to complete the outfit. Today she tells me that next year she wants to be a trash sack!! Okay, let's hope she DOES change her mind about that.

Max- The Puppy

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:17:00 +0000

Saturday we went to our church's annual Harvest Auction. We look forward to it every year and get excited about new "treasures" that others deem as junk. Different than most years was the appearance of this little guy.

As the story goes, this fellow was abandoned on a train track. The person who found him believes that a train cut his tail as it has been severed. After playing for a short time he also has a paw that he favors slightly, so he may have been injured a little.

If he didn't find a home by today, he was headed to the pound. And well, we just fell in love with that face. So meet Max, (name by Clover) our fat little fur ball.

Woodland Creature Masks

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:44:00 +0000

My oldest DD is involved in a group called the Eco (as in ecology) team this year and in true teenager style she waited until the last minute to pull together props for a skit. Finding full costumes was out of the question with only 1 day to think of something, so I suggested masks instead.

I had a pattern from my MOPS days that made a duck, sheep or bunny out of craft foam. Of course I didn't have any of that on hand, so I turned to my stack of felt. I was able to adapt the pattern to make the woodland creatures that she needed.

The field mouse, the field bunny, and a raccoon. Hopefully the judges of the contest could tell what they were!

Butterfly Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Today I started working on the handmade items on my Christmas list. Time's a tickin' and I've gotta get kickin.' While I don't have anything completely finished, I did want to share this super cute hat I made for Clover. This is a great pattern and comes together in no time. Even if you aren't interested in the pattern, you should click on over and check out the adorable little girl modeling her mama's work. Isn't she a cutie?

Can you see the butterfly image in the hat? I made this in a soft mauve. Should you want to make some for the little gals on your list check out this post at Vallie's Kids.

Disappearing Act

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:59:00 +0000

Why do I continue to do that? Here for a post, then disappear for days... really I don't mean to.

I promise I have a great excuse...

First, I've been caulking every crack I can find... okay, I should state for the record, every crack "in the house." : )

Already done all around the outside foundation, now working on all the windows (inside for now). Also pulled off all the trim around the north windows and doors to find huge gaps where not only Old Man Winter has been whistling in, but signs of nasty mice.

So all that has been dealt with. Today I pulled out the kids tubs of winter clothes, hung up the warm... stored away the summer items... put the pile of outgrown items in a pile for donation.

Also pulled out blankets and started a list of things needed to get through the winter. I know, I know I should just be enjoying and embracing fall.

How about you? Are you ready for those cool temps?

It's Good to be Back...

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:50:00 +0000

After such a lengthy break, it is nice to be back in blogland! I was gone long enough that I had to stop and think how to post... and little did I know that Blogger had made some updates. Very cool!

We've finally gotten back into the swing of school and activities. My oldest DD is having an exceptional year of high school golf and BIG! news... she sent a picture to the State Fair where it received a purple ribbon AND was chosen to be displayed in the Kansas Congressional office in Washington, D.C. for a year!

My boy, KZ, is involved in his first year of 5th-6th grade football. Excited as ever when a 6th grader was unable to attend and he saw lots of playing time... now the older boy is back and KZ is struggling with standing on the side line. Was a suitable time to have that, "life is sometimes dissappointing but you are not alone" speech.

Red is burning up the path with his reading this year. Our school is involved in the Accelerated Reader program in which kids earn points and move to different levels with rewards at each level. He's just points away from the 50 point club which he didn't reach until the 3rd nine weeks last year. He seems to gobble up any book he can find.

Clover is loving having most of the day with mom. She is always ready for the boys to get off the bus and spends most of the evening participating in whatever activity they concoct. She has developed several imaginary friends with a very mischevious one known as "Annie." Annie is constantly getting Clover into trouble and when you try to discipline Annie she flys away. Hmmm...

September was a month of struggle with my job. I won't go into details, but I spent a lot of time researching, learning, and trying new things. Also trying to juggle 4 kids and find time to work has been challenging but as with all things I think as time passes it will become easier.

Some exciting new:
We finally got our stinkin', leakin', roof replaced! Hooray... Oh, yeah... doin' a little happy dance! Hubby and his dad took time to put it on which saved us a huge amount of money and it looks great! Now we are in the process of caulking all the windows and every hole where the tiniest bit of cold winter air might seep in. Also fixing the stains left from the leaks in the ceiling.
Of course if we got a new roof that means the fireplace is now gone and... you guessed it!! I now have a craft room. It's not too pretty... still have to fix the corner where the fireplace was, paint, cover the floor... but who cares at this point? All in due time.
Also got registered with Etsy... nothing in my shop yet, but I'm getting there. Will also start selling items on Ebay. Hoping this will help us get to our financial goals a little quicker. Got to get some momentum going.

Okay, have you had enough of an ear full? Thanks for stopping by. It is great to be back.

Extended Break

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:57:00 +0000

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I have decided to take a break from blogging. My work load is quite full, topped with a long list of "I am going to make time for" projects, mixed in with a little home pre-school for Clover and keeping up with 3 involved older kids makes me feel like this is the right thing to do. I should be back in a few weeks. Thanks for understanding!

Back to School & Late Birthday Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:56:00 +0000

Today marks the first day back to school for my 3 oldest. The last few days have been busy with anticipation. With back to school comes a new schedule, new events... this year golf for Miss Em and football for KZ, adjusting to new classes, etc. Clover slept through the bustle and excitement this morning and was quite unhappy when she realized that everyone was gone.

With so much going on, I haven't had time to post about Clover's birthday! She turned 4 last Thursday, just 2 days after big sis turned 16. There's nothing like having kids 12 years apart (with 2 others in between) to make most days feel like I'm living on the funny farm. : ) We had a party over the weekend with grandparents, siblings and cousins. She asked for a horse cake and I did my best to oblige. I feel if you can tell what it is supposed to be and it is edible, then I've done a good job.

She was happy with it.

I'm done with birthday parties for awhile. Now if I can just get back into the school routine I'll be doing good!

Garden Woes

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Despite my ploy to have a much better garden this year, it seems that there are forces working against me. First, every ear of our sweet corn was demolished by raccoons. And now, this is what I find most mornings:

They seem to like their cantaloupe slightly green, where I prefer mine ripe. The grasshoppers and blister bugs are also wrecking havoc on my tomatoes. They eat their juicy share just as the fruit is beginning to ripen. Raccoons and bugs don't seem to care much about hot peppers. Is that a blessing or not?

Sweet 16!

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Today my oldest daughter turns 16! Saturday night we let her invite her closest friends over for a cookout and to hang out for awhile. Although I've made every birthday cake for the last fifteen years, we decided that this year deserved an extra special one.

One of my closest friends can work true magic with a cake. I'm sure she rolled her eyes and laughed when I asked her to use the design from my daughter's new comforter as inspiration. But being the wonderful gal she is, she created this very cool cake. My daughter loved it.
Today we're celebrating with one of her favorite meals and unfortunately have a busy evening of non-birthday activities. I'm sure more than once I'll be looking at my young lady and wondering where all that time went!

Blah, blah, blah.

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:02:00 +0000

This has been one of those busy, yet very boring weeks. Nothing fun accomplished. Nothing new to report. I did learn how to thread my serger. That was an accomplishment, lol! And other than 4 little jars of peppers, I haven't even had much out of my garden this week.

We did get to a "city" over the weekend and took advantage of a one day pass to Sam's Club. I stocked up on spices, yeast, chocolate chips and other basics (notice I include chocolate in the basic necessities) that were good buys. I went online before we went and did some comparison shopping. That way I knew what was a good deal when we got there. On the way home we stopped at Aldi and finished up our stockpiling there. Ya know the sad thing? Now my pantry and freezer are so full, I don't know where to start. I did make up a menu for the month. Life just seems more organized when I can look at that menu and know what I need to cook or thaw for the day.

Tomorrow we are hosting a Sweet 16 party for my daughter. A cookout for her and friends followed by a sleepover for the girls. I can't believe my girl will by 16. Then next weekend we will have a birthday party for Clover... a big 4! My girls are exactly 12 years and 2 days apart. Makes for a busy August.

So I won't bore you any further with all the things I didn't get motivated to do this week. : ) I'm blaming it on the August heat... how about you?

Spoiled!

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:24:00 +0000

I'm feeling totally spoiled right now!! Hubby and I celebrated our 14 year anniversary last week and he surprised me with this Brother 1034D serger that I had bookmarked and then drooled over daily.

And when my wonderful mom found out my sewing machine was on the blink... she sweetly bought this Kenmore 18221 sewing machine as an early birthday present.

I am so stinkin' excited, I can't even decide what to start sewing to try them both out.

Zucchini

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:37:00 +0000

Zucchini is piled on my counter right now. Yes, we are having a bumper crop. What to do with it all? First I shred it. I put 2 cups in quart size freezer bags. This will be used later for zucchini bread and zucchini patties. It can also be used as filler in pasta sauce, casseroles, meatloaf, etc. The unique characteristic of zucchini is that it will take on the flavor of whatever you add it to.

This year I'm also "experimenting" with zucchini "milk." Wash, peel, and slice into chunks. Then in a food processor or blender, process until smooth. Mine looks like lime slush. I froze in 1 cup portions. Now, I've heard this can be used in place of milk in recipes like muffins, biscuits, or pancakes. I haven't tried this yet. I'm pretty sure my kids won't eat pancakes that taste like squash, so we'll see how it goes and report back later.

We also really like fried zucchini, but I really hate the mess and the clean up. Last night we tried this recipe and it was GOOD!

Zucchini Patties
grate one or two zucchini and place in a bowl
add an egg or two, depending on size of zucchini
add enough flour to make a thick pancake batter type consistency

Heat griddle with a little melted butter or oil. Drop by spoonfuls and flatten slightly. Cook like a pancake until crispy and brown.
NOTE- I made my first ones too big. I also only cooked until they were slightly brown. This was good, but next time I will make them crispier. I sprinkled with seasoning salt as they cooked. This tastes a lot like fried zucchini without the mess. If using frozen/thawed zucchini, be sure to drain the water off. Otherwise it will be too runny. I've also heard it is good with salsa on top.

Now that I know how much my family likes this recipe, I will probably shred and freeze all the remaining zucchini. Then we can continue to enjoy this all winter.

Green Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:03:00 +0000

In my "pre" Clover days I wisely saved my pennies (literally) and purchased a pressure canner. That summer I canned a few green beans, but didn't really use it to my advantage. Sadly, I haven't used it since. It was that next summer that I was terribly pregnant and I have never gotten back into the "super" canning stage. Maybe one day I will pull out my canner and try it again.

Still we eat a lot of green beans during the year. And unfortunately, my kids aren't crazy about your normal blanched-throw-in-the-freezer beans.

Then 2 years ago I stumbled upon a unique to me recipe for frozen green beans and gave it a try. I haven't turned back as we like it so well.

So, just in case you too are a "I planted too many green beans to ever possibly eat them all fresh and I don't really want to can them and Oh, what should I do" kind of person like me... you might enjoy this recipe:

Frozen Green Beans:
Prepare your beans (up to 4 quarts) by washing, stemming and breaking into uniform size pieces.
In a large kettle, combine
8 cups water
8 beef bouillon cubes (I use low sodium)
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
Heat to boiling; add green beans. Cover and bring back to a boil. Boil exactly 12 minutes. This time is crucial- too short, too firm... too long, mushy! Stir occasionally. When time is up, fill freezer containers with beans. Cover beans with liquid up to within 1/2 inch of the top of the container. Be certain the liquid covers the beans. Seal and freeze.
NOTE: I usually double the amount of liquid if I have a lot of beans. That way I have plenty of liquid to cover the beans. I use pint size freezer containers and allow them to cool slightly before transferring to freezer. To thaw: Place in fridge over night or straight from freezer dip container in hot water to loosen. Place beans in saucepan. Cover and heat slowly until liquid begins to boil. This method does result in the loss of the bright green color and will resemble the look of canned green beans.

Garden Goodness- Hot Peppers

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:17:00 +0000

It seems my garden has finally started producing some yummy goodies. The last couple of years my garden has yielded in the way of a few items here and there. I was also pretty lazy about getting much preserved, unlike a few years ago when I canned everything.

The obstacle that I faced with a medium scale garden was that one day I might have 2 peppers, and 3 days later I'd have three more. I never had enough to go to the effort of canning. I did freeze as much as I would use and sadly, after that, I let most of it go. What a waste!

This year I decided that I would have to find a plan that would work. I just don't want to let anything go to waste. I started searching for recipes that could be used with small amounts of veggies AND were simple to put together in a short time. Because I know my family won't eat 15 jars of relish (or relish at all) I wanted to find recipes that would really work for us!

So far, I have been very pleased with how things are going and thought, "Hey I bet others would enjoy this too!" So this week, I'm sharing the easy recipes I've been using to put up my garden goodies. First up... Hot Peppers!

I always grow jalapenos to use in my homemade salsa. The first few weeks I wash, seed and chop the peppers and throw them directly into the freezer until I have enough for several jars of salsa. Now here's the thing about peppers... everything else in my garden could be d-e-a-d but I can grow hot peppers like crazy! What to do with all those peppers?

I found this super easy Pickled Pepper Recipe, and it IS super easy. I used a jar (drained) in a Mexican casserole and it was delicious! Just enough zip. You can use them the same as those little cans at the store. If you try the recipe, please read my notes at the end:

Sweet Pickled Peppers:
You will need 1/2 pound or 2 cups of peppers.
Use 1/2 pint jars and sterilize them by washing in HOT soapy water and rinsing well.
Take your hot peppers and wash, seed, and slice into rings.
Now bring 2 cups white vinegar, 2/3 cups sugar, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, and 1/2 tsp celery seed(I didn't use this) to a rolling boil.
Place peppers in your jars.
Pour on the pickling juice. Bring juice to within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar.
Be sure the edge of the jar has no juice on it. Wipe carefully.
Seal jar and leave for 2 weeks. That's it!

NOTES: I only had 1 cup of peppers and halved the recipe. It can also be doubled.
I only filled my jar with the amount of peppers I knew my family would use in a recipe.
You should note that this recipe is not canned. If you are skeptical, use a hot water bath for 10 minutes. I used the inversion method. As soon as my jar was seal, I turned it upside down. The hot juice causes the jar to seal. This is my choice on how to do it, so please decide what is appropriate for you. : ) Remember if the jar does not completely seal, store in the fridge and use within a few weeks. You can use any type or mix of peppers with this recipe.
Don't want sweet peppers? Leave out the sugar and add 1 tsp canning salt. Enjoy!

Softie Doll

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:37:00 +0000

After finding the cutest pattern over at 6o Piggies, I've been anxiously waiting for enough time to make one of these adorable dolls for Clover.

I didn't have any peach felt as called for, but tan muslin worked out fine for her face, legs and hands. Her tummy is soft flannel. She is squeezably sweet.

I would love to make a few more of these, now that I know how easy they are to sew and how cute they look.

Swiffer Mop Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Want a great reusable cover for your Swiffer mop? This pattern crochets up quickly and works great! I made 2 last week and won't be buying any more of those expensive refills!

Craft Hope project Completed!

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:44:00 +0000

Yeah! I finished the little items that I pledged to Craft Hope and still have plenty of time to get it mailed! lol.

My goal was 3 hats and 3 sets of booties, but I wanted to try a couple new patterns. So I have 2 extra pair of shoes to send! The final date is July 25, so if you sew or crochet quickly you could still participate. Check it out at crafthope.com.

Whew! Who Ever Said Summer Is Lazy?

noreply@blogger.com (Miranda) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:41:00 +0000

There's no end to the hustle and bustle around here! Last week and the week before were tiring, stressful, and full of constant motion.

This week is a little slower, but still has its busy days. Like today for instance! The two youngest boys of my good friends are staying with us. My boys are so excited to have friends here today... and tomorrow. It's barely nine o'clock and they're already in the pool.

We got a few 4-H projects finished for the fair. Still trying to find a project for my oldest son, the craft we tried didn't turn out so well. He'll be too busy with his friends to worry about it for a day or two.

I'm finishing up my Craft Hope projects and hope to share them later. For now, I better go check on the kids...