Crocheting for Myself

One of my friends (Thanks Jenn!) shared a link to a crocheted sweater pattern that is basically two hexagon granny "squares"  with a little alteration.  This time of year I wear heavy sweaters day and night, and this pattern looks like it should be warm.  I decided to start one for myself.  I'm using a red acrylic yarn -- in deference to my husband's wool allergies and because it is machine washable and dryable.  Red because it is a color that makes me happy.

The original pattern is here:

https://makeanddocrew.com/day-date-easy-crochet-sweater-pattern/

Nothing Beats Homemade

In an effort to keep using up items on hand I decided to look for recipes that will use up some of the canned pumpkin I have.  I found this recipe I had saved for a cakelike chocolate pumpkin doughnuts.  I altered mine to make them gluten free and for some reason I only ended up with 6 instead of the 8 the recipe said it would make.  However, they were a hit.  

The original recipe is here.

https://www.dashofsanity.com/chocolate-pumpkin-cake-donuts/

Make and Mend

Last week I picked up a pair of fleece pajama pants from the thrift store.  New fabric is anywhere from $5 a yard and up depending on what I looked at.  Since I was making a cat bed and I also like the idea of repurposing fabric, the thrift store seemed like the logical place to look.  I found a pair of 3X sized pants that had plenty of fabric for what I needed.  The bonus was I paid $1.69 for them.

I already had an old flattened bed pillow that I wanted to use for the insert.  (Due to allergies we don’t use feather pillows and the pillows we buy tend to flatten over time.  There’s nothing wrong with them per say except as they flatten they don’t offer much support.)

Since this was a simple project, I decided to allow myself the pleasure and time of hand sewing it.  It didn’t take long, but if you were in a hurry a sewing machine would make quick work of it.  I simply cut the legs off just below the crotch seem and went to work on sewing the legs closed. I turned it right side out and inserted the pillow.  A quick whip stitch of the elastic waist band finished my casing, but then I decided to do some light hand sewing on the bottom to smooth it out a little where the crotch seam was.  (I did go with whip stitch so when my daughter wants to wash the cover we can easily remove it.  I looked at either buttons or ribbons, but realized the cat would have a field day with those...lol)

A simple cat be doing that cost me less than $2 out of pocket.

Since I already had my needle and thread out, I went ahead and mended a dining chair cushion. The kitty had pulled the tie off. However I am not certain any of them were seen on securely because at this point I think I’ve reattached them all

Frugal Spring Floral on a Budget -- DIY

I participated in a floral DIY challenge.

This was super easy to make and all the supplies except for my pliers came from Dollar Tree.

I try to show how I made this in simple steps.

I'm really thinking I may make a second one or something similar for a Mother's Day present this year.

I bought some floral wire but ended up not using it. 

I'd love it if you guys would check it out and let me know what you think.

Link to 18 Ways to Use Whey

18 Ways to Use Whey

Just sharing in case anyone decides to try making their own yogurt.  I like that this showcases ways to avoid wasting the whey.

Pressure Cooker “Egg Bites” aka “Mini Quiches”

Apparently these things are all the rage amount the IP community.

Starbucks sells some overpriced version.

This is my quick version.

6 eggs, beaten with a dash of milk added

Some crumbled cooked bacon, shredded cheddar, onion powder, etc.

1 cup of water under the trivet in the IP

6 minutes high pressure

5 minutes natural release

Remove from pressure cooker.

Cool for 4 minutes and pop from liners.

You can easily use silicone baking cups.

If you don’t have any or just want this little shape they sell various molds.

Obviously this is a pretty versatile way to use up leftovers.

Pretty much any meat will work, pretty much any cheese, pretty much any form of milk/cream, etc.

 These are perfect to make up on a weekend to grab to go with breakfast throughout the week.