Corn Bread Madelines

My dad wanted some corn bread and bought the mix from Costco so I baked them yesterday in these small loaf pans. Turned out really cute!





I also bought a madeline pan for $12 from Sur La Table and wanted to bake some in here too just for fun. You can't see the scallop of the madelines but its still good! :)

Caramel Apples Outta Shape

I wanted to make a cute treat for halloween and I thought of caramel apples! But I don't like caramel as much so I made a healthy version and the original caramel version with a little twist. I just cut out the halloween shapes from apple slices, skip the caramel and cover the apples in lemon juice to keep it from oxidizing and put them on toothpicks. I got these cut outs from Sur La Table. The cat and the ghost cut outs were $1 and were the only big ones that would fit on an apple slice. The other small ones were part of a fall set and were about $4 bucks.




And for the original caramel apple v.2! I had a kit that my cousins gave to me a while back and finally decided it was time to make some. But this time I wanted to try it a bit differently. Instead of using the caramel apple whole, I decided to try cutting out shapes from slices of granny apples. I then sprinkled some sea salt on top for extra flavor. It was a bit of a fail because the caramel doesn't stick to the sliced and peeled apples because it is too moist for it to hold on. But I think if I could get around that it would be so perfect and cute! Anyone have ideas on how to make it happen?

My First Asymmetrical Pearl Necklace

I have been making earrings only so far and decided it was high time I started making necklaces! My passion for necklaces isn't really as great as it is for earrings but it was really fun and exciting to make this. I didn't expect much because it was my first but it turned out pretty nice, if I may say so myself. :)

Coraline Button Eye Earrings

You know, you could stay forever, if you want to. There's one tiny thing we have to do first...-Other Mother, Coraline






These were inspired by the Coraline movie. Simple but nice. And a little creepy...I will never again look at black buttons the same after watching that movie.

Trying to find a new skin

I am currently trying to find a new skin for my blog but it is so hard to choose!! :(

Money Saving Etiquette

I love to save money. Who doesn't? When I buy things that are a lot cheaper than the normal price I just love it. Such as when I go to the thrift store and I find something really awesome for a dollar I get so excited that I just want to scream to the world! But as much as I love to save money, I think that people should follow some etiquette while saving.

I stopped by a Walgreens the other day to quickly buy some medicine for my mom. I was planning on going in and out as fast as possible because I just came from Fresh & Easy and had some perishables in my car. It was probably smarter for me to go to Walgreens first but I didn't think that going to Walgreens would take too long. Pfft...Wrong! I walk into the store and at the register I see a lady with her kids checking their items out. She seemed to be the only one in line and the store was definitely not busy at all. I quickly walk over to get the medicine and walk back to the front where the registers were. The lady and her kids were still there but her kids were frantically running back and forth from register to the middle of the store. I quickly found out that the lady was sending her kids to find some clearance items that were posted in the Walgreens' newsletter. She was shopping at the register!!!! And she didn't even rip out the coupons that she needed! She just pointed them out to the clerk and if an item that her kids brought to her were the wrong items, she would send them back to find the right ones that were on sale. Daaah!!!! I thought about just leaving the medicine there and going to a CVS that was also on the way home but I thought she was done. A line started to form and a lady who just wanted to buy some candy groaned aloud, slammed the candy on the desk and stormed out. She finally finished and I bought my item in about a minute or less and I was out the door.

Moral of the story is: Save money when you can, but be courteous about it. Don't shop right there at the register! Find out exactly each item that you need and check that it is on sale instead of sending your minions to find each item for you. And cut out the coupons before getting to the register!!!! And love the sinner but hate the sin. This, I would say, was a sin in saving money. Guuhhh........ Bah...and I also should have just left right when I noticed what she was doing. Another lesson to learn--> read the signs.
I'm gonna go relax and look at my awesome one dollar mumu that I turned into a cute apron. Going to put that up soon! :)

My hen is a rooster?!

Yesterday I sadly found out one of our wonderful chickens who we thought was a hen was actually a rooster all along! I'm so sad because she or...he was so cute! His tail feather is starting to get tall and he made a funny noise yesterday like a kazoo or a small trumpet.




I wouldn't mind keeping him but roosters are not allowed in my town. Nopity nope nope. "Not allowed!" says the law. Therefore, I must give him away. Good bye love! Good bye!

Thrift Stores!!

This bean is from my scarlet bean runner. That plant really gave me lots of surprises because I didn't know how tall it would grow and I think if I gave it more pole to climb it would have kept going. The flowers from it were also very beautiful to see. Then the plant started to die and I thought that was the end of it but it gave me bean pods!! So pretty!!

I have been inspired to pick up sewing again because of a really cool lady who decided to pay only a buck for a piece of clothing at thrift stores, garage sales, etc, and turn it into something awesome!
http://newdressaday.wordpress.com/
Sewing and I aren't really the best of friends. I just don't understand sewing. Sewing doesn't understand me. But I continue to try to make our relationship work because sewing is just so awesome!!!! So, I went to the thrift store the other day too and got me some clothes!!



My model looks quite silly in these pictures because I was trying to catch her in the middle of a jump but I always caught her after or before she jumped... booo on me. Oh well. These are the dresses I bought. I hope to turn them into aprons because we need more of them. I was hoping something that Anne of Green Gables wore...but that seems kind of hard at the moment. Off to sewing!!~~

Fail Sunday Grilling

Yesterday I attempted to cook on the grill by myself. That wasn't a problem because I had all the food prepped to cook on the grill. The only issue and it will always be the only issue, is getting the grill started. I told my sister not to get any lighter fluid because everyone says it gives a nasty taste if used wrong. So, I said, "Just coal. No lighter fluid. I'm gonna do this naturally." And then there I was...in the backyard...with my dried pine needles, one pine cone, and the briquettes. Did it start? Well, the pine needles caught fire and burned...out. So I tried sticking in some scratch paper and lit that. That burned but didn't do anything to the briquettes. I went online and someone said, if desperate, use vegetable oil on the papers. So I did and it sort of burned longer but still not good enough. Close to being an hour and all I had were a bunch of small bits of flames here and there and lots of continuous smoke. Every time I heard a fire truck and sirens I was so scared it was for me. I was going to give up because it was close to 3pm and I had to get to my cousin's birthday party. But my dad wasn't home and we couldn't leave our mom alone so I just kept at it. Dad finally arrived and all I still had was smoke. But he had to leave for another appointment and then yelled at us to stop that smoke. So...that is how my day ended. End.
I am currently in the process of ordering a chimney starter. I pray pray pray it will work.
Since grilling was not going to happen I just cooked up the chicken and vegetables in the oven.





And then I made fail mac and cheese. It was too dry. Eww ew ewewew....ew. Ended up just heating it up again individually in the oven with milk in it. Sort of helped.


I should have said this on Aug. 20 but its better late than never, right?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3<3 Nature's birthday "balloons" from my backyard. :)

The Garden Dwellers

Sometimes I almost forget that my dogs are dogs. Two of our dogs, Chanel and Tobit were loitering in front of the window and Chanel stared at me. Her characteristics are: bodacious, elegant, sensitive, and the nicest dog out of the pack. I thought of her characteristics and what she might have been thinking as she stared at me and then she lifted her hind leg and started scratching her face. I was sort of taken aback because at that moment I forgot she was a dog until she did that. Ha! I love dogs and I don't care what anyone says.


I bought this the other day and it is good! It is some Korean uh...thing...I don't know what to call it in English. I just know you call it meesootgaru. It's a powder and you mix it into water or soymilk and you can drink it as a cold or hot beverage. I usually don't like meesootgaru because it tastes like...grainy soy nut or other nut milk. But this one was sweet and had actual pieces of nuts in it so it was crunchilicious!!! Pretty yummy and there was no need to add extra sugar.


This is our pumpkin. It looks really pretty but I hope it grows us some pumpkin!


I neglected my mint and so it shriveled up and died. I thought it was a goner and just left it there but my sister was watering it everyday behind my back, hoping it would come back and it did! It's alive!!


Our backyard. The big thing in the back is the hen house. We have 4 hens! I can't believe they lived. Actually, I can't believe we even have chickens at all! Can't wait till they lay eggs! Sigh...they are going to be the most expensive eggs we will ever eat. They better be good, my little pretties!! They are still teens though and are just going through the puberty stage. Their bawkaking is in between chirps and mini bawks. I wish they would continue to chirp though because it's a little quieter and cuter and I don't want my neighbors to freak out or anything. Chickens are legal in my city but you never know with neighbors.

Chicken Lemon Quesedilla Recipe

Wow...its been a while since my last post...
This post is a recipe that I made the other day for my mom and I just wanted to remember it because I just winged it and it came out pretty good!

-1 boneless chicken breast
-1/2 lemon
-1/2 bell pepper
-1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
-1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
-1/4 cup of thinly sliced onions
-2 whole grain tortillas

for those who have stomach acid problems:
1. set oven to 350 deg and roast bell pepper for 40 min or until its soft enough that the peel will come off easy.
peel the bell pepper and slice thinly.
2.beat chicken breast with mallet to soften it and squeeze lemon juice onto it. slice thinly.
3.heat up a frying pan and put some olive oil. put in the onion slices and cook. when slightly brown stick in the bell pepper slices.
4.put in the chicken slices and sprinkle some salt and pepper and cook till done.
5. take out this mixture on a separate plate.
6. clean pan with water and paper towel and place one tortilla.
7. mix the two cheese together and place half of the mixture onto the tortilla
8. put back the mixture on top of the cheese and then add the rest of the cheese
9. put the second tortilla and then cook till cheese melts and flip so other side can get nice and toasty too!
10. take out, slice, and eat!

Some days...

There are just some days when even when the sun is shining its brightest, the sky is so blue, and all the birds and flowers sing and dance in their own way, all these can't seem to clear the gray clouds that hang over my heart.

Then I eat junk food, and try to temporarily escape with hours of watching and mindlessly laughing at arthur, spongebob, and jeeves and wooster. -.- buh....

Then I again realize that this escape is very temporary, like the minute I turn off the tube, and must find a better solution.

I must pray and have faith. Jesus, Almighty Savior, help those of us who are down and can't seem to pick ourselves up again without your help. Amen.

Books~~

I got myself into reading books again!! I finally found some good books to read.

First one was


I must say that I expected more out of this book. It was really great in the beginning and then...I was pretty disappointed towards the middle and end. Some say that the book is like The Handmaid's Tale and that that book was better. So I went off to read that book. I didn't like it too much either.



Then the next book on the list was The Last River Child.

This book was really good. It did not disappoint me at all. I loved it!! I love books like this!

I am still hungry for books so I went to library and borrowed some books from Tamora Pierce. I used to read her books when I was in highschool. They were pretty fun but I didn't realize how "girl power" it was. Haha! I just figured that out. Lots of girl power stuff in it and some other contents I don't like too much but overall her books are very exciting, quick and easy to read. This time I borrowed the Beka Cooper Series. She has two: Terrier and Bloodhound.


I'm still on the hunt for more books like Icy Sparks and Last River Child. Anyone have suggestions?

To Do List

I have recently added lots on my to do list now that my sister is back home from college for the summer and plus the additions to our family. Which is good because it keeps my mind off of my Etsy shop so that I am not freaking out when I am not selling anything. I was spending way too much time worrying and sitting in chatrooms and such. :)

1. Make Chicken coop: now that I have chickies I have to make a house for them before they get too big.
I plan to make it look like a combination of these: *all these pictures come from members from backyardchickens.com

this is by trictle http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=49209


by happychickengirls http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=51786-our-coop


by Deena in Fremont, Indiana http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=16313-a-real-chickenhaus

sigh...but I am not a carpenter at all...

2. Clean up the garden and start raised beds with vegetables and such...

This is a super small raised vegetable garden from Sunset.
http://www.sunset.com/garden/fruits-veggies/small-space-salad-box-00400000011785/

Anyone also hear of square foot gardening by Mel Bartholomew? Just heard of this awesome idea!! Working on that too. Haha...apparently I am late to this old news...it's been around since 1980's I think. Oh well, it's never too late!!


These are Morning Glories beautifully climbing up a rope trellis posted by gochrisgo75 on Brooklyn Roof Garden blog.
http://brooklynroofgarden.com/2010/06/04/glorious-growing-morning-glories-on-a-roof-garden/

and...of course...
3. Etsy shop:
continue to work on my etsy shop but that is last on my list for the moment. Haha! Right now I have chicks and plants that need a home and they are growing fast and must be moved to a bigger habitat! Work Work Work for the GardenPig and her sister!!

Chick Water and Feed Bowl Tutorial

First...
RIP to Sophie...she was my cousin's beautiful Americauna chick. She was so cute and lovely. She followed my cousin around and would fall asleep right her the palm of her hand. :( She died this morning. Farewell, oh wonderful creature of God!! We will miss you even though you were with us only for a few days.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a happier note:
I want to introduce our new chick! Her name is Popeye and she is a Red Star!! My mom named her Popeye so that she can be strong haha!! She is one of the chicks that we really wanted and we made a trip all the way up to Blue Hill Farms in Ventura, CA from Orange County just to retrieve her! Yay!!


So, I only have 3 chicks and I didn't think I needed to buy the long feeder. Instead I decided to make my own with water bottles! It works fairly well, a lot better than just little bowls or plates.

Materials:
-sharp knife
-sharp scissors
-lighter, long or small lighters
-water bottle(around 0.9 fl oz)


Then cut the top of the bottle. You might want to cut a bit higher, just below the neck of the bottle. That way you don't get the opening to be too wide. This will be the top portion of the bowl.




Now cut the bottom of the bottle just so it is about 2.5 inches. This is the base of the bowl.




Back to the top and cut around 1.5-2 inches below.


Cut any fray plastic pieces.


Now get the lighter and if you have the option, set it to the lowest flame. Use the blue part of the flame and melt the edge of the bowl rim of the top. This is to soften the edges so that the chicks don't hurt them selves while trying to get at the water or starter feed. You really only need to do this to the bowl rim.


Now try to piece the two together. You might have to fold a part of the bottom portion so that the top can fit and also maybe cut the top and bottom parts a bit so that it isn't too high so that the chicks don't have a hard time getting at whatever they need.







Now fill it with water and feed!! Make sure you only put enough water in the bowl so that it won't spill out. Only fill up to however high the base goes. If you go any higher than the base part is, the water will just spill out.