Thankful Thursday

I wanted to take a moment each Thursday this month to focus on something I am thankful for. I have been thinking a lot about my best friend's Grandma this last month. Dear Sweet Sister Hinkson, or Grandma, has been in my life for 20 years now. She came to my baptism when I was 11 years old. I had never met her, but she came to support me.

She is always friendly and you can tell she loved to serve others. My BBF"s mom worked so Grandma was usually driving her grand-daughters around to their activities. She could sew, cook, bake. When I was about 12 she taught me and my BFF  Jayne how to sew. I was really horrible. I was always un-picking my stitches and doing it again, while Jayne was able to go on to the next stage. (The seam ripper is still one of my most used tools. I have two just in case.)

Grandma Hinkson showing my oldest her flowes

I would make small things or skirts. Then I was 16 and she made me my first formal dress for me. It was empire waist with pink chiffon and peter pan sleeves. Sometimes I can't believe I asked her to make it for me. I think I may have asked her to help me make it, but I am pretty sure she did most of it. She taught me how to read patterns when sewing.

We have kept in touch through the years and I love seeing her. Especially at fabric stores. I hope she is happy I am still sewing. She taught me something that has blessed my life so much. I went on to sew my own formal dresses. I make my Halloween costumes, baby blessing dresses, home decor, and so much more. This skill has saved me money and has helped me work on my talents. She didn't have to invest that much time in me. I can't tell you how many blonde grandchildren she has. She had a full and busy life. Lots of children and grandchildren. Always callings and responsibilities. Her husband always had lots of callings and responsibilities. But she took time out of her busy life to help me. I am so thankful for that.

Not only did she teach me how to sew, but she is an amazing example of a woman of faith. She shared goodness and her testimony. She was positive and funny. She made lots of yummy treats. And she taught me you only had to wash your hands if the people you were cooking for were there when you were making it. (I am sure she always washed her hands, but that still makes me laugh)

I want to be like her. I want to help and teach others. We should take time out to help our youth and young friends, whatever our talents are. Let us share our talents and passions with those around us. Let us help and uplift each other. Because we never may know our influence.



An extra thankful thought! This morning we were able to get squeezed to see a GI specialist with Phoenix Children's Hospital. Otherwise our appointment would have been in February. I have been keeping a food diary (why I wasn't do this earlier, I have no idea?) so I brought that along with the rest of Baby Girl's medical folder.

She weighs a whopping 18 lbs and 12.6 oz!!!!

And this office told me about a WHO Growth Child chart they use for breastfed babies around the world and she is in the 18% for her weight!!! I wanted to cry that she was even on the chart! And 15% for her height. They told me it was a better way to gauge breastfed kids progress and their percentile.

We have been pushing good fats, especially the last two weeks. French toast every morning. And I don't add milk, just straight heavy whipping cream. And butter. Always butter. And she has been loving hummus as well.

We got to meet with a dietitian. She saw her previous numbers and totally understood our concerns, but thinks she is doing great. We will be meeting with them in 3 months to make sure. And they could call us back to come in sooner if her blood work shows something, but I am thrilled! And so thankful. The dietitian told me we are doing the right things. Here are somethings to help, but keep up the great work. And I really appreciate it because it is stressful. I want her to thrive and do well. Meal time is already complicated enough with my crazy diabetic kid. :)

There is so much to be thankful for!!

Remember Remember The 5th of November

Last year my oldest son Gandalf had a fun school report where he had to learn about one of our ancestors. And it had to be someone who was an immigrant. As someone who loves all things Family History, I was so excited for this report. I pulled up all our immigrant relatives and he picked one. George Taylor from England.

He had to learn about him and his travels to America. Then he had to decorate a clothes pin in traditional clothing. One part of his report he had to learn about the country, including holidays.

And that is when we stumbled upon Guy Fawkes Day.

I immediately called one of my besties who is from England herself, to find out more about this holiday. I asked her, "Why haven't we been celebrating this awesome holiday?" She knows how much I love crazy holidays. Currently we have celebrated Shrove Tuesday with her. I love getting in touch with my ancestral roots, and it's fun to see Alex in her element. She is a natural when it comes to flipping pancakes.

According to Wikipedia:

" Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure."

It is celebrated with fireworks and a great bonfire where you burn a fake body of Guy Fawkes. Children (because it's always best to involve them in this kind of celebration) go around and say "A penny for a guy/" and collect funds for the firewood. When my son learned about this his response was "Awesome!" 

I told Alex we have to celebrate this next year and then I had to ruin it all by moving out of state. I was doing my research and I found out there is even Bonfire Toffee because what bonfire burning would be complete with out a special treat. 

We are looking forward to celebrate this new tradition for our family. I will be making Guy Fawkes masks and the toffee below. I don't know if we will have a chance to get fireworks this time. I'll let you know how it goes. Super excited to celebrate our English heritage!!!

Remember Remember the 5th of November...

Bonfire toffee

From the BBC Food Recipes

A real British classic, this jaw-breaking treacle toffee dates back hundreds of years and is really easy to make. You will need a candy thermometer, preferably a digital one.

Ingredients

75g/3oz golden syrup

75g/3oz black treacle

150g/6oz light soft brown sugar

75g/3oz butter

¼ tsp cream of tartar

Preparation method

Line a 15 x 20cm/6 x 8in baking tray with non-stick baking parchment.

Measure all the ingredients into a deep, heavy-based saucepan. Place over a medium heat and stir occasionally until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved.

When the mixture is smooth and well-combined, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a fast boil. When the mixture reaches 140C/285F, pour carefully into the lined tray.

If you want even pieces, wait until the toffee is cool enough to handle, but elastic enough so that a finger pressed in the top leaves a slight indent (about 15-20 minutes depending on the room temperature). Partially cut the toffee into even pieces with an oiled knife. When it has cooled completely, break along these lines. Alternatively let the toffee cool completely, then break into shards with a toffee hammer or rolling pin.

Store in an airtight container, with individual layers of toffee separated by baking parchment. If left exposed to humidity, the toffee will soften and stick together.

Print Recipe 

November Menu Plan

Our menu plan for November

1 Leftovers
2 Steak Tacos
3 Dinner at a friends house
4 BBQ Pulled Pork
5 Cafe Rio Chicken
6 Chicken Pesto
7 Philly Sandwiches
8 Pesto Sandwiches
9 Baked Flautas ( I don't use beer in my though)
10 Hamburgers
11 Oven Fried Chicken
12 Taco Tuesday with Crock Pot Re-fried Beans
13 Baked Potato Soup
14 Poor Boy's Steak
15 Taco Pizza
16 Thanksgiving Dinner
17 Leftovers
18 Fajitas
19 Baked Rosemary Chicken
20 BBQ Chopped Salad
21 Turkey Soup
22 Lemon Chicken
23 Cafe Rio Soup
24 Leftovers
25 Baked Chicken Parmesan
26 Au Jus Sandwiches
27 Leftovers
28 Thanksgiving
29 Eating Out
30 Salad and Bread

When planning the menu for the month I like to plan our family nights as well. Every Monday night we gather to learn, sing, feel the spirit, and eat some treats together. It's a wonderful tradition that helps our family have more love and peace. It also strengthens family relationships. I invite you to try to have Monday night your family night. Even if you just play a game together or just share dessert.

3rd. Helping out around the House.
Our family always seems to need this one. ;)

10th Brigham Young We are working on studying about our Prophets in these latter days.

17th The 3rd week we review a General Conference Talk. I really enjoyed this one, Are We Not All Beggars? I think it's especially a good listen with Thanksgiving this month.
I would encourage you, no matter what faith you are, to listen to this powerful message. I know it is filled with true and good things. We all can extend kindness and compassion.

24th Preach My Gospel. As we have 3 sons who will someday serve missions we are trying to teach correct principals and truths that will better prepare them to serve others.

Last night I had the opportunity to hear a local church leader give advice on how I can be better as a parent. One of the things I felt I needed to do was invite my children to act. I will try this month to give assignments and encourage my sons to organize a game, share an experience, or teach a scripture. I know this will help them more fully live their faith.

Past Family Halloween Costumes

As I have said before, I love Halloween! And I love that my husband has kept his promise that we would do matching costumes every year. I made a little collage of our past Halloweens. Some of these family themes we will repeat I am sure.

2002- Our very first Halloween we didn't dress up. It was the first time I have ever NOT dressed up in my life. I was in beauty school and the hubs was working and going to school. Little money and hardly any time equals sadness for our 1st Halloween.

2003 Star Wars: The Mr. was Hans and I was Princess Leia.

2004 Scooby Doo: He let me bleach his hair. He made a handsome Fred. I was Daphine. I made our costumes by sewing a little and getting the rest of items of clothing. Adults had no idea who we were. No one at my Salon recognized me. Then someone from Cinderella Cakes stopped by. She ran back to her store and brought back a figurine of me. Then everyone saw it.

2005 Popeye: We had Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Sweetpea. One bummer was Popeye had to work and miss Trunk or Treat, and not a lot of people knew we dressed up. (lesson learned)

2006 Gilligan's Island: We had the Skipper, MaryAnn, and Gilligan. It was perfect because my hubby calls our son "Little Buddy". Everyone told me I was the most modest MaryAnn ever. (Bonus Points!)

2007 Peter Pan: I was Wendy. I had a costume from when my little sister and I were Wendy and Tinkerbell. The Hubby was Captain Hook. I made an amazing coat only to have him get sick that year and he wasn't able to wear it. Little Gandalf was Peter Pan. We bought his costume and my kids still wear it. We even had our favorite neighbor (and my future daughter in law) match us by being Tinkerbell.

2008 The Wizard of Oz: We had Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and our Cowardly Lion. His costume was my favorite! I made all of them except for the Scarecrow I borrowed from my friend Wayne. Happy Hallo-Wayne! He has great costumes!

2009 Harry Potter. Our neighbor hood friend with red hair was going to be Ron. I told my English girlfriend her kids would be a perfect Harry and Hermione. My Hubby insisted we join as well. We bleached Gandalf's hair. He didn't want to be a bad guy so I told him Draco makes better choices later. I was Professor Trelawny. The hubby was Sirius Black. (not pictured) Also I had 3 of my Young Women dress up as Luna, Fleur, and Moaning Myrtle.

2010 Peanuts: Probably the easiest costumes to make. Which was great because we had a new baby that month. He was Snoopy and the older two were Charlie Brown and Linus. I was going to be Lucy and my hubby that piano guy, but for the 2nd time in my life I didn't dress up.

2011 Batman: Not just any Batman, the Adam West version. My favorite! Draco looked so adorable in those speedo's I made. I loved seeing him strut around. I was BatGirl and the hubby Commissioner Gordon. Baby Yoda was the cutest Penguin. And my older boys were the best dynamic duo. The pictures are really amazing because Shari Hanson took them. I'm glad she was able to capture one of my favorite themes. PS I loved grocery shopping that day in my awesome heel boots and costume.

2012 Pokémon: I wasn't thrilled about this one but my boys LOVED it. We had Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pokémon Pikachu and Bulbasour. It was a fun year! I made all of them except for Ash, which we borrowed. (Don't you love Brock's face?)

2013 Peter Pan: I know we did this one already, but we switched the costumes up. My older Brother suggested he be Captian Hook because of his amazing mustache. The boys loved having their uncle come and trick or treat with us. The Hubby was Smee instead. It was fun having more characters this time.

2014 Frozen

It's so much fun looking through old Halloween pictures and remembering the fun. I have learned to get pictures earlier in the month so we can enjoy our Halloween and still get the shots I want.

Here are some great blogs that have some great tips on photographing your kids. I need to work on my skills...

Click it Up a Notch
Simple As That

Happy Halloween!!!

Family Halloween Costumes!!!

I feel so much better now that all our costumes are complete!!! I love how they turned out. I defiantly learned a lot and would have done some things differently, but that's okay. My heart just bursts on Halloween. One of my favorite things is going on Facebook after a Trunk or Treat or on Halloween night and seeing all the great costumes. Homemade or store bought, they are all fun!  I love dressing up! And as an adult I just don't get the opportunity like I use to. I hope you enjoy our Family Theme this year. I know there are a ton of Anna and Elsa costumes out there, but it is still so much fun.

I love this picture of me and my baby girl! She is so small and sweet. And someday she isn't going to want to match me anymore. So I am soaking it up. I love that my boys picked this theme and baby girl and I got to be strong girl characters. The lessons on sisters, friendship, and love are wonderful.

(Plus side of being a hairdresser is coloring my hair red and adding blond extensions!)

More shots of our family. Love our frozen boys. And Draco loved being baby girl's protector. He told someone at the park he wasn't bad, he just loves baby girl the most.

Isn't my Hans handsome??? He's a looker and super funny. (Notice his hair color changed too!) He was such a gem to go along with our craziness. He promised me before we were married that he would always match me for Halloween. And he is making good at that promise. I am so happy how his costume turned out. I will share a tutorial on his and mine next week. I am happy with my costume too. And I have leftover material so baby girl maybe getting a dress up cape for Christmas.

Our family being silly. And of course my kids have been talking for weeks about me punching Hans. Anything to make them happy. 

I love my family!!! I love Halloween! 

If you missed any of these tutorials for Halloween or dress up you can check them out below....

Baby Elsa Costume

Olaf Costume

Marshmallow Costume

Kristoff Costume

Feel free to share a link to your amazing  costumes in the comments. Yay for dressing up!

Kristoff Costume Tutorial

My oldest boy Gandalf wanted to be Kristoff, of course. He likes him more than Olaf. His favorite line is when he is talking to Anna and asks, "What if you don't like the way he picks his nose? And eats it.." His tunic was pretty easy and I was able to make it in one morning.

Materials

Grey material (fleece or sweatshirt material works great, And it's on sale this week at JoAnne's)
Fur material
Burgondy trim or ribbon
Thread
Sewing Machine

Also for the costume
Snow boots
Pants
Thermal or long sleeve tee

I started by folding my material and laying a shirt down for a pattern. I wanted it to be bulkier than the shirt I used. You could cut out two pieces, but I choose to skip the step to sew the top by making my fold there. Next I cut a V where the neck would go. (See picture) I turned the material inside out with right sides together. I pinned where I would stop sewing for the sleeves. I love using my quilting ruler for this. Sew up the sides.

With the shirt still inside out I cut two small rectangles on a fold for my sleeves. Sew the seam for each sleeve. Then pulling the sleeve out so it's the "right" way, tucked it into your shirt. (See picture) Sew, matching your seam. It doesn't have to be perfect because he probably got it from the trolls.

Then I cut a long rectangle 4" long strip for my collar. (See picture) Next I arranged it on my shirt. Starting at the arrow I stitched across the two pieces with my "collar" piece in the front. This helped it stay upright. Make sure to stop where the collar ends on the back section. Then you can stitch your two ends of your collar to the front part of the shirt. I kept the collar on top of the shirt.

Now we can apply our trim. I was really excited about this trim I found at JoAnne's. I think it matches pretty well. Starting at the left part of the collar I laid my trim out and stitched down the V of the neck. Leave a tail. (See picture) Then I went back to the starting point and zig zagged across the trim so it wouldn't fray. Then I put another piece on that and zig zagged that on top. Then I followed with a basic stitch to the other side of the V, going around the neck. Again I left a tail, this one slightly longer. Bending the trim and tucking in a corner to make the design go straight down, pin it to stay in place. Do this for both sides of loose trim. With my trim I stitched it down following the design and stitching next to the border. Once I did one of the loose ends I clip the other loose end to match exactly. When finished with both lines make sure to zig zag the bottom of the trim. I added another line of trim across the shoulders. Then I did my basic stitch on the other side of the border for the whole garment.

Now it's time to work with the fur. It wasn't too bad. After each cut I went through and removed extra hair then so it wouldn't get all over as I was sewing. It still did, kinda. But it was manageable. I cut long rectangles, the whole width of my material. Then with my shirt facing right side up I laid the fur facing down on top of the shirt. I stitch along the bottom. I then folded it down when I was done. Do the same thing with the sleeves.

For his hat I used a beanie as a pattern. Cut two pieces and sew right sides together. My 4 year old told me I needed a ball on top. I grabbed a rectangle scrap and with my rotary cutter and ruler I sliced tiny strips. (See below) Then using thread wrap it around the middles and double knot it. Fluff up the pieces and sew it on top.

Gandalf was a great sport. Especially since we live in Arizona and he's gotta be hot in that costume. In between homework, dinner, and pack meeting I was able to get some pictures. He is growing up so fast. I can't believe he is going to be double digits in 6 months. So glad he still wants dress up as a family. And he totally doesn't mind that I am going to be Anna. (Just to clarify I am playing the Anna who is still in love with Hans) Love this boy so much!

Baby Elsa Costume Tutorial

Olaf Costume Tutorial

Marshmallow Costume Tutorial

Stay tuned for the rest of our family...

Marshmallow From Frozen Costume Tutorial

Last January when we were discussing our Family Theme for Halloween, (I like to plan at least 9 months in advance because I am crazy like that) I suggested Lord of the Rings, Avengers, or Star Wars. With three sons I wanted to pick a theme they would like. I still can't believe they were willing to dress with a family theme when our oldest is 9! I guess they have never thought they could choose their own thing. I hope we can keep this tradition alive because I love it.

Well the boys chose Frozen, which surprised me. But the only problem was who my 2nd son would be. I told them if we couldn't work it out we would have to choose a new theme. He really wanted to be Olaf, but my youngest boy really loved Olaf too! And the previous year when my youngest wanted to be Peter Pan he had to be Michael, because I wasn't going to make my 5 year old wear pink to school. I suggest Sven but he told me my drawing was "lame". Finally my little "Draco" chose Marshmallow. He loved the idea of being his sister's protector. And he wanted to be the Marshmallow version with the spikes. Way cooler. I wanted to make it as cool as possible.

Draco loves sewing. He loves watching me sew. And he thinks I can sew anything. I love sewing for him because he gets so excited, even if it's not for him. When I was sewing my costume he told me it looked so beautiful in just the sweetest voice.

So let's get started!

Materials

White material ( I choose fleece leftover from our Olaf Costume)
Long sleeve white shirt in a bit of a bigger size
Blue felt
Blue material for the spikes
foam
thread
elastic
sewing machine
Velcro

I started with fleece folded so I could cut two pieces for his hat. (See picture) You trace your child's head and add extra for seam allowance. My son recognized this pattern from when I made our pikcachu costume two years ago. I use it all the time. Make sure to leave tabs so you can wrap it around your child's neck. Sew the two pieces together, right sides together. Turn it out and try it on. My boys always love that part.

Cut teeth with your fleece. (See picture) Sew the teeth to your hat. Cut out eyes from your blue felt. Glue them on with Fabric Tac. I like doing it while they are wearing the hat. Sew Velcro on the straps so you can wrap it around their face.

I take a pair of PJ bottoms and use it as a pattern. You want to cut out two legs on folded material so you can cut two. (See picture) I tapered the legs because Marshmallow has bigger legs. Also leave some extra space on top to make your elastic casing. With right sides together you want to sew the legs together at the sides, but not the crotch part. Then when you have done this to both legs, turn one of the legs right side out. Then slide it into the wrong side of the leg. (See picture) Sew along the crotch. You can even reinforce that seam and go over the middle again. Turn them out the right way.

To make the casing you first need to get some elastic and put it around your child's waist. Pull it a bit tight. Fold over your fabric a good inch and sew around to create a gap. Leave a small hole by not completing your stitch back where you started but leaving some space. Take a safety pin and attach it to your elastic. Push it through your gap in your pants. Pull the elastic out, but not all the way. Undo the safety pin and sew the elastic together. Then finish off the seam so your line connects. I didn't hem my pants to keep things simple. (yay for fleece!)

I love my Fiskars mat! I love cutting material on my bed if my baby is around. And I love the mats great size. I used my rotary blade and mat to cut my spikes. I wouldn't recommend this material because it frayss so easily, but I had it from my baby girls Elsa costume. And I love being thrifty. My mat had a great triangle that I used to help me keep the spikes the same size and angle. I purposely made the ends of the triangle the selvage edge so it wouldn't fray. I cut two of each spike and sew them together. Then I zig zagged the edges so they wouldn't fray on me. Next I cut some foam I had leftover from Little brothers Penguin costume. I was going to use wire too, but I really didn't need it. My son wanted two spikes on each shoulder. I was happy with the small amount requested as I still have so much to sew. Feel free to make more.

Once my spikes were done, (See picture) I folded over the small side like a present and with the sewing machine sew a long side to his shirt. I then hand sew the rest of it on. Repeat with all your spikes, taking care to match them up. Then I cut four rectangle foam pieces and 1 long rectangle. I put two foam pieces where his shoulders are to create bulk. And then added the long piece across his chest. He loved feeling buff.

"Oh hi, we were just talking about you. All good things, all good things!"

He is such a joy to sew for. He loves to watch me, but and he insisted I was doing it wrong. He warned me I would have to do it over again. When I finished his hat it blew his mind that it turned out. Can't wait for him to want to learn how to sew.  The boys had so much fun taking pictures together!

You can check out

Elsa Costume Tutorial

Olaf Costume Tutorial

Thanks so much for reading...