reusable grocery bag

reusable grocery bag, originally uploaded by jjlrdomom.

Thought I'd try making some different kinds of bags. For this one, the pattern was actually a plastic grocery bag, so this is the same style as that except that it's fabric and lined. I followed a great tutorial at Craftster. The stripey material is a top sheet that I bought at Saver's thrift store for $3.....a lot except that there was enough that I'll have 5 bags when I'm done! They're lined with some gauzy material that I had laying around (for years!)

Fun with the rice cooker

I wanted to make Jambalaya for dinner. Then I started thinking about the rice cooker my friend gave me to try out. Then I put those two thoughts together and hopped online to see if it's possible (I didn't get a book with the rice cooker, so I may be singing an old song here). Wahooooo!! You can make Jambalaya in the rice cooker!! Rather than posting the recipe I made up in my head (and haven't tasted yet), here are some links to some good recipes. Yay! I'm so happy!!!!
Jambalaya (several recipes, keep scrolling down for more)
and from Now Your Cookin' (this looked a little bland, but is what I started with and then added my own things)

Now you try it and laissez les bon temps roulette!! (Cajun for "Let the good times roll!")

grocery bag

grocery bag, originally uploaded by jjlrdomom.

My friend K got me hooked on making reusable grocery bags out of recycled stuff (check out her blog for more ideas on this). This one, much loved by the Pink Princess, is made out of bandanas. Now I have to make myself another one as she has claimed this one. For more views, check out my Flickr page by clicking on either link under the picture.

my favorite cinnamon rolls (fairly quick)

My friend Alicia, who swears she cannot make bread, shared her "no fail" bread recipe with a group I'm on. Then my friend Pegi adapted it to this wonderful cinnamon roll recipe which goes a little quicker than usual recipes and tastes just as good. For my addition to this great recipe.....for the cinnamon-and-sugar sprinkling, I mix together dry pudding mix, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Yum!!! And I use lots to make it really gooey and tasty!!

Pegi's Cinnamon Rolls ala Alicia's Bread Recipe
6 cup flour
2 T yeast
6 T wheat gluten
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups VERY hot water
2 T vegetable oil (butter does not do that great)
2 t salt


Mix it all up in your standing mixer. Mix until it is mixed, lol. Let it rest five minutes and then knead it for about 2 minutes in the mixer, of course. Let it rise 30 minutes, punch it down and divide in half.
Then roll it out to a rectangle, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon, sprinkle with brown sugar, and sprinkle with raisins. Roll it up and pinch it shut then cut in halves until you get to 12. Put in pie plates six to a pan OR put all 12 in a 9 x 13 pan.
Let them rise in a warm oven for about 30 minutes, the bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. You can make a glaze of a little powdered sugar and water with some maple flavoring and put it on them when they are hot.
This recipe makes 24 so you can share with your neighbors!

If you'd rather do without the oil, check out this post on flax seed

Tuscan Chicken

I had to make out my grocery list and menu yesterday, so decided to use some of the links in my sidebar to come up with some good ideas. My friend Ashley is a great cook so I visited her recipe blog and discovered Tuscan Chicken. You really need to give it a try, it is delicious!!! Thanks Ashley! Made me think I was in the south again! Hee hee!!

For dessert we had strawberry shortcake and I got this great idea to make cupcakes out of yellow cake mix. It was WONDERFUL! Seemed lighter than using sweet biscuits. And.....ummm......my Beloved Hubby and I had that for breakfast too! Shhhhhh!! Don't tell the kids!!! :)

Homemade Laundry Soap (yep, I do that too!)

I've been asked for the recipe for the homemade laundry soap I use(which yes, works great....I've tested it on some pretty nasty laundry) If you click on the link below, it will take you to the website I got this from.

Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated (I think the website has other stuff you can use)
1/2 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda, but made by Arm and Hammer and found in the laundry aisle)
1/2 cup Borax (also found in laundry aisle)

Place grated soap (be sure to grate it or it takes forever and a day to melt!) and 6 cups of water in a large saucepan. Heat until soap melts. Add washing soda and Borax and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket you will store the soap in (I have a 2-gallon plastic bucket as that's about how much it makes). Add the soap mix to the water in the bucket and stir. Add 1 gallon + 6 more cups of water and stir. Let sit for 24 hours. It will get kind of gelled (both times I've made it, the consistency was a little different), but regardless, it WILL work! It doesn't make a lot of suds (which is good as we were getting too much with the regular soap). Use about 1/2 cup per load.

Also, if you want, you can add several drops of essential oil if you like your laundry to be scented (I do...I use a citrus type oil that I add in while the soap mix is in the saucepan)

For my brother

A while back I mentioned that someone near and dear to me was in serious trouble Well, that someone is my younger (and only) brother. And a week ago he was incarcerated until his sentencing in July. Hard stuff, and my brother admits to doing wrong (I won't share specifics, but suffice it to say he really did wrong). But in this God is doing AMAZING things!! My brother chose to accept responsibility for his actions rather than throwing blame, and he has worked so very hard to do all he can for those he hurt (his wife and kids and extended family). What he did was muck and mire, and yet God is lifting him up out of that. I am all the way across the country from him, as are my 2 sisters, so it is only my parents there to walk through this with him, but even in them I am seeing God shining. I am amazed! I thought my miracle with my husband was amazing, and yet, here we go again, I'm witnessing another incredible, seemingly impossible miracle. Wow!!!

So, this song, I had to post it because shortly after I heard that my brother was behind bars I was overwhelmed with this song and the lyrics to it. I am singing it ALL the time, in praise for our AWESOME God who can work beautiful things out of the muck and mire (Romans 8:28.....woohoo!!)

Blessings!
Amy