June. Off to a great start + summer goals!

We have had a great start to June & our summer break so far!

Monday, we had the privilege of delivering 166 stuffed friends to our Juvenile Court to be gifted to children in foster care. I've already received warm and encouraging messages about how well received our FLUFF Project donations are too! 

 That's right, to date, we have delivered 1,189 stuffed friends for children in foster care! 

Sooooo exciting! And I can't wait to make more! 

I have several stuffed friend patterns on my "To Sew" list for the summer! It's always hard to narrow down which one to sew next, I love them all! 

That's just one of the many things on my goals list for the summer though...in no particular order, here are some of the (maybe a bit lofty) things I hope to accomplish over the next few months.

Cook more, especially with my children.

Sew curtains for my youngest daughter's room. (FINALLY!!!)

Fresh paint for several rooms in our home.

New skirts for my girls.

Sew "Busy Bags" & Totes for the foster closet.

Read some chapter books aloud to my kiddos.

Gifts for our local Animal Shelter.

Participate in library events.
Sort my patterns. ALL of them! 

Visit the zoo.

Help my youngest daughter, now 5, sew her first "something".

Create a pattern/tutorial for a special medical comfort item.

Sew some adult sized bibs for my grandfather.

Make new oven mitts, potholders and such for our kitchen.

Go on a picnic.

And, take a few naps! ;)

Whew!!! I'm already tired just planning it! :)

We shall see just how much I'm able to get done.....I always tend to over estimate. 

How about you? Any great summer plans?

Any new patterns or recipes you hope to try?

Would love to hear, so feel free to share in the comments, and hope you have a GREAT summer whatever you choose to do with your time!

Summer Sewing Up-cycles!

You know it's bad when you start getting excited about worn out knees and wholes when you are doing the laundry! ;) But, with warmer temperatures arriving here, I couldn't wait to turn winter's worn pants into summer's super cute shorts and capris!

For the first 2 pair, I used my quick & easy "Cuffed Capris" tutorial you can find here on my Tips & Tutorials page. (that page badly needs updating I must add! On the list....)

Thanks to the inspiration of this "PIN", I made this pair with some adorable printed bias tape! 

SO CUTE! SO QUICK!!!

My daughter loves them, and I love that we just stretched the life of these pants that much farther! They all look so cute on her and each has it's own "personality". :) The possibilities are endless and they are so fun to make....but beware.....you'll start hoping for those holey pants in your laundry too! ;)

Summer Salad Recipe - A family favorite!

Yum! I love all the fresh summer salads!

This is another of our family favorites that I can't remember who first made it for us. Maybe my aunt??? Either way, it's one we really enjoy, so I thought I'd share with you all. 

 The "secret" ingredient in this salad is the Jiffy Cornbread. It's a sweet cornbread that we don't normally eat, but it really makes this salad, so make sure you find Jiffy. :)

 While your cornbread muffins are baking, prepare your veggies.

 You will mix together:

1 diced cucumber

3-4 chopped green onions

1 chopped tomato

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1 can corn (drained) *Note- fresh corn cut from the cob would be great too!

1 can pinto beans (rinsed & drained) You can also use Garbanzo Beans or any other firm bean you like. 

This mix is so fresh and colorful! It's my favorite part of making this recipe. 

Next up is the dressing.

 Once your cornbread cools, you'll want to crumble it.

 Now, you will alternately layer the veggies, dressing and cornbread in your bowl or casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese and you are ready to eat!

We think it pairs deliciously with our favorite Sweet & Sour Meatballs!

I found the recipe for these yummy meatballs last year at the blog Me & My Boys and I highly recommend it! You can find it here. They're the only meatballs we make now! Thanks for sharing Ashley! :)

So, there's our suggestion for a super yummy summer meal!

Enjoy!

Kristy