A New, Old-fashioned Favorite

I have a cookware curse. No, really, I do. It seems that no matter how much I spend on cookware, it just doesn't seem to last as long as I think it should. Maybe it's because of constant use? Anyway, when my skillet, my big super-family sized skillet, needed to be replaced - AGAIN - I decided to bite the bullet and buy another cast iron skillet.
I received a 10 inch skillet from my grandmother a couple years back, and have loved it. Since she's had hers for over 50 years, I have hopes that maybe I can hold on to mine for a while. So I decided to order this skillet from Amazon. Boy, is it BIG.
This is my new skillet next to an older 10 inch skillet, just to get an idea of the size of this thing. And it is heavy, too. But you know what? It cooks wonderfully! And, I can brown 5 pounds of ground beef at the same time in it! And relatively quickly, too, because of the great heat distribution. And it came pre-seasoned. Now I am thinking I need a 12 inch one to round out my collection. :-)

Brings back memories

Lauryn and Ashlynn are at an age/size where they are wearing clothing that was made for Kora and Aubrey, in matching sets. Some I made, some were bought as a matching set, some were made by my mother-in-law, such as this set:
I can hardly realize that Kora and Aubrey aren't this size anymore. But the present owners of the wardrobes sure are cute, aren't they?

Marie Madeline: Gracie Ruffle Skirt

I've actually done some sewing lately! There was once a time when I sewed 15-20 hours a week; when I sewed virtually all the girls' clothes, especially in the spring/summer. But then I had a third baby. And then a fourth. And I started homeschooling...

Anyway, so I usually sew in fits and spurts these days. But I saw these skirts earlier this spring and fell in love. They are so cute! And since each ruffle uses just a little fabric, and you can mix and match, it was a great way to use up some of my fabric stash, which is quite impressive, though I don't think I've bought any for 4-5 years.

Here's Kora's. Some of this fabric actually came from Hawaii!

This one is Hailey's.

They love how "twirly" they are.

Of course, now the other three want one too. :-) If you go to the Marie Madeline site, you can buy the pattern there (as far as I am aware, that is the only place you can buy them). They also sell some cute, cute fabric, though I didn't buy any. If you don't sew, you can also buy them pre-made. But this is really a very basic pattern, with nothing but straight lines, gathering, and a casing for the elastic waist. If you're looking for a fairly easy pattern to make your daughter a skirt, this is it!

Canning Jars - gotta love 'em

Is anyone else besides me in love with their canning jars, even if you don't can vegetables or make jelly? I love mine. I use them for all sorts of things, like storing excess pizza sauce. Or salvaging the contents of a can that was opened by mistake (like when my child opens cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom).
I especially like that you can freeze with them. I don't trust my regular "glad-ware" containers in the freezer but the jars work just fine! For instance, I have a couple of recipes that call for V8 juice. I don't use it often, but it is so much more economical to buy the big jug of it - the 64 oz. jug is just a little more than 12-oz. can. So I bought the bigger container, and poured the remainder into clean jars and popped them into the freezer. I poured the amount that I normally use in my recipes into each jar, so that next time I make one, I'll just let one thaw in the fridge the day before.

Just remember to always leave some head space at the top of the jar for expansion!

Uhg.

Hypothetically speaking, why would a child of, say, about 4 get sick to her stomach, make it to the bathroom, but then decide to use the sink instead of the toilet? And then NOT TELL HER PARENTS ABOUT IT??? Then, let's say, this hypothetical father walks into the bathroom later in the evening to give the 4- and 1-year-olds baths on a Saturday evening to find such a lovely sight.

And of course, in any hypothetical family of, say, 6 girls, once one of 'em starts, at least a couple of others must follow. Which would cause these hypothetical parents much loss of sleep and much middle-of-the-night laundry.

Which, hypothetically, might be a possible reason I am blogging instead of sitting in church right now. Uhg.

Hailey's Hobby

Hailey (aged 6.5) has decided to take up photography. Either that or she just likes to play with our camera. She did ask permission, so I let her click away the other day. When I uploaded pictures the other day, I found some interesting subjects. Like our front door, bookshelves, random objects lying around the house, the garden, etc. There were about 100 (give or take about 90) of Brynna. I deleted most of her pictures, but kept a few. I love digital cameras - never in a million years would I have let her take over 60 pictures with film!

Hailey's Gallery

Brynna - being a ham runs in (her father's) family

Didn't know doing dishes was so fascinating.

Don't I look excited? I was grading a math assignment. Notice all the bookshelves behind me? Yep, you might be a homeschooler if...

Way cool Daddy.

There were also about 20 pictures of Ashlynn. No joke.
This one just made me laugh. It's a picture of a doll shoe. No, I have no idea why.

South Texas Technology Solutions

I have added the contact information to the sidebar on the right for our computer business, South Texas Technology Solutions. As of today we are open for business! Visit us at www.southtexastech.com!