Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Fat Tie Makeover


Have you ever wondered how to make a tie that you really love just a bit skinnier?  

I have !

So when one of my missionaries asked me if I could make his fat tie skinnier, I agreed to do it just so I could learn.  I had so much fun turning those fat ugly ties into something that really looked great!

So here we go... a tutorial on how to make a fat tie skinny

the first thing you are going to do is take the stitching out, starting at the bottom of the tie and trying not to cut the thread if you are able to.  You will use this thread later to stitch it back together. Take it out just about half way, until you get to the point where it is a little smaller than the width that you want it to be.  
 You will also need to clip the thread on any tags or loops that might be on the underside of the tie.

Your tie will look something like this...



Next, you will gently pull out the felt piece that shapes the tie.  
Using another skinny tie as a pattern, use a pencil and draw a line on the felt to match the dimensions that you would like.  If you don't have another skinny tie, mark the felt at the bottom in the width you would like and gradually draw a line up to the middle of the tie where you stopped taking out the thread.  
Cut along this line so that the felt is the new shape of your tie


Use a ruler and determine how much skinnier your tie will be by measuring the distance between the edge of the felt and the old fold line.  Double this amount. In this situation my new tie is a half inch smaller on both sides, so I will use 1" as my measurement.


Next, you will turn the tie inside out at the bottom where the lining is.  



Stitch a new seam on the sides of the tie in the same amount that you measured and doubled.  Just stitch as far as the lining goes. I will be sewing my new seam 1" from the old stitching.  Be sure to fold the tie along the same fold at the bottom of the tie so that the lining will pull to the inside.


After you stitch the new seam, cut off both sides of the existing tie starting at the fold along the bottom of the tie.  You will start cutting the same amount that you doubled and eventually taper the amount until you get up to the middle of the tie.  In this case I started with 1" and tapered to nothing at the top.


if you are worried that you will cut too much off, you can start with a lesser amount and cut more off after you have measured.  It would be better to cut less than more!


turn your tie right side out, tuck the felt under the lining and press the new seam flat


on the right side of the tie you will press the seam, then flatten the edge.  On the left side press the edge under about 1/4"-1/2".  This should have been the way it was pressed when you took out the stitching. 



the left side is pressed under 1/2"


Next, you will turn and press the right side of the tie up against the edge of the felt and trim the edge if necessary so that it is not quite to the left side of the felt.  It should be more than half way across the tie






Fold and press the left side of the tie on top of the right side.  If it is too wide, you can measure and cut more off in order to make the seam go down the center of the tie.  Pay special attention to the point at the bottom.  The corners should be even.



Use the thread that you pulled out at the beginning to sew a loose running stitch to join the two sides.  Sew on the tags that you took off and press one last time.



You now have a beautiful skinny tie that looks great!



Some other ties I have altered
From this...


...to this!


This is a fairly easy project, but it may take some practice with measuring and cutting.  Needless to say, once I did this for one missionary, I had more ties to alter than I knew what to do with!  But at least now my missionaries are looking very dashing in their new, skinny ties!  If you are nervous about ruining a good tie, practice on one that you don't care about.  Happy sewing!




Tuesday, September 2, 2014

We recently visited Hawaii and were staying at the KoOlina Resort on Oahu.  We were there with several of our children and every day they would post pictures on Instagram and Facebook of all the beautiful places we saw and the activities we did.  I didn't feel the need to take a lot of pictures, but one day while I was sitting at the pool, waiting for everyone to come BBQ, I decided to snap a quick picture and post it.  I really didn't hardly try at all, but it came out so beautiful, I wanted to share it here...


It's hard to take a bad picture when you're in such a beautiful place...

Thursday, August 28, 2014

A little twist...

We have been trying to eat a little more healthy lately, so I was trying to make one of our favorite meals a little more healthy.  One of the casseroles that I have made for years is Hamburger Casserole or Shepherd's Pie.  Usually it is made with hamburger meat and green beans.  Last night I made it with the usual hamburger meat, but instead of green beans, I used red and green bell peppers and some yellow crook neck squash.  I also used some sweet potato instead of all regular potatoes.  It turned out pretty good and the colors really made it look much more appetizing.

So here's the recipe I used...

2 lbs. hamburger meat, cooked and drained
¼ onion, diced
4-5 bell peppers or more if you like more, sliced and the seeds discarded
1-2 yellow crook neck squash, quartered then sliced
2 cans condensed tomato soup
4-5 potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
milk, butter and Ranch dressing for the potatoes
½ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. garlic and parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Shredded Cheese

Directions...
Brown hamburger in a large frying pan and add onions.  Break apart the meat as it cooks.  Cook till done and drain grease.  You can start the potatoes cooking at this point so they are done when the meat is ready for the oven.


Prepare the bell peppers and squash by cutting.  


Set aside until meat is done cooking, then add to the meat, squash first, then peppers. 
Cook till barely done. They should still be a bit crisp.
  


Next, add the tomato soup and seasonings.  Cook until just heated up.


Pour mixture into a baking dish, then sprinkle with shredded cheese if you like. 
I like them cheesy, so I added a little bit here...


I put both potatoes together and mashed them using half a stick of butter, some milk and just a spoon or two of Ranch dressing.  You can make the potatoes any way you like them.


Place potatoes in mounds on top of the meat, then sprinkle with more cheese.


Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  This serves 8-10 people
Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Always Hawaii

We have been lovers of Hawaii ever since the first time we visited way back in 1977.  We recently returned from a trip with several of our children and I wanted to share some of our pictures.  All of these pictures are from our hike of the Diamond Head Crater on the island of Oahu.  We have never hiked the crater before so it was a new experience for us.  It was a little bit hard, but if you pace yourself, you can make it! And the view makes it totally worth the effort!


This is a panoramic view from the top, from one side of the volcano to the other


this is the right side of the volcano...


...and this is the left side.  You can see the parking lot and part of the trail we came up.


this is a view of Waikiki


proof that we made it!





 a cute lighthouse that we saw from the top.  

I would recommend this hike to anyone visiting Oahu.  

Thursday, August 7, 2014

how cute is this?

This is something that I saw on Pinterest that I wanted to share with you all.  I thought it was really cute and it looks super easy to make.  You can use any bottle with a lid that you like and have cleaned out really well.  If you have some old drawer knobs lying around, you can use those, but if not, buy some that you like.  Spray the knobs and the lids the same color and attach the knob to the lid.  You now have some really great candy or apothecary jars!



You can see it on Pinterest here...

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Variation on Chicken Broccoli Casserole

While on our mission, we had some friends over for dinner one night and I decided to make Chicken Broccoli Casserole. You can find the recipe for that here.  I wanted to get it done in the morning so I could just put it in the oven and not have a lot of clean up to do right before dinner.  But when I looked in the freezer, I realized I didn't have enough chicken and I was out of Cream of Chicken soup.  I did have some Tyson breaded Chicken Tenders, so I decided to cook up some of those and cut them up and add them to the recipe.  I also used Cream of Mushroom soup instead of the chicken.  It was delicious!




Janet's Chicken Broccoli Casserole                                      serves 8

16 frozen chicken tenderloins
9 frozen Tyson breaded chicken tenders, picante style or regular
5-6 c. fresh or frozen broccoli, cut in bite size pieces (you can adjust this amount)
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 c. milk
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 tsp. lime juice
1 c. cheese

Bring a pot of water to boiling and put the frozen chicken tenderloins in the pot.  Cook on low for about 20 minutes or until done.  At the same time, pan fry the breaded chicken tenders in 1 tsp. of coconut oil until done.  Remove chicken from the pot, reserving the water, and the pan and let both cool.  Place broccoli in pot of hot water and let it sit while preparing the chicken.  Either shred or cut the chicken into bite size pieces and place in large mixing bowl.  Drain the broccoli and add to the chicken.  Set aside to cool.

Combine the soup, milk, mayonnaise and the lime juice in a separate bowl.

When the broccoli has cooled, add the cheese to the chicken and broccoli and mix well.  Empty the chicken and broccoli mixture into a greased 9" x 13" baking dish (top picture).  Cover with the soup mixture (bottom picture).  Bake uncovered at 350* for 30 minutes.

You can serve this with rice, mashed potatoes or pasta.  Add salad and bread and enjoy!


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

everything hopskotch!

I just started following a friend of mine on Pinterest, and what was the first thing I saw?  This adorable picture of hopscotch stones in a backyard.  You can view it and learn how to make your own by visiting my Pinterest page here.  What a cute idea!  I'm already trying to think of a place to put it in my backyard.  Hmmmmmmmm.....


Isn't it darling?

Monday, July 28, 2014

I've been trying to change the way I eat in the past few months.  Not only do I need to lose a few unwanted pounds (and who doesn't?) but I also want to feel healthy and eat foods that will help me to do just that.  It's been really hard!  But I keep working at it and hopefully one day I'll feel like I have more control over what I eat and why.
One of the things I've found recently to help me are Bob Harper's Skinny Rules.  You can see them here on my Pinterest board.  I love the rule about drinking water before each meal.  You would think it would be easy to do, but I do forget from time to time.  But I find that when I remember, it makes it much easier to not overeat at mealtime.
Whatever you choose to do to eat healthier, I encourage you to stick with it and make those changes!  You'll be glad you did!




Thursday, July 24, 2014

A Family Favorite


As my children started getting married and left home, I started getting phone calls.  "Mom, how do you make this or that?"  I realized that the recipes that they had grown up with were important to them and they wanted to continue some of our family traditions.  The following recipe is one of those traditions that they just can't seem to live without!



Chicken Broccoli Casserole                                      serves 8

24 frozen chicken tenderloins (3 per person)
5-6 c. fresh or frozen broccoli, cut in bite size pieces (you can adjust this amount)
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 c. milk
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 c. shredded cheese

Bring a pot of water to boiling and put the frozen chicken tenderloins in the pot.  Cook on low for about 20 minutes or until done.  Remove chicken from the pot and let cool.  Bring water back to boiling, then turn off the heat and place broccoli in pot of water and cover.  Let it sit (no heat) while preparing the chicken.  Either shred or cut the chicken into bite size pieces and place in bottom of a greased 9" x 13" baking dish.  Drain the broccoli and place on top of the chicken.  Set aside.

Combine the soup, milk, mayonnaise, cheese and the lemon juice in a bowl.  Cover the chicken with the soup mixture.  Bake uncovered at 350* for 30 minutes.  Serve with potatoes, rice or pasta.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

One of my favorites




This picture I have entitled "The Road Less Traveled" and is one of my favorites.  My son, Larry Reeves, is a professional photographer and I love a lot of his captures. This one really caught my eye.

If you are interested in purchasing prints from Larry, or seeing more of his work, you can visit his website by going to reeves visuals

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The Great and Terrible




I've been reading this book for several months now.  It is by Chris Stewart and is actually a series of six books by an LDS author.  I have really enjoyed it.  Because I downloaded it onto my iPad, I'm not really sure which book I'm in, but I think I'm near the end of the series.



I like the part I'm in now because it gives me a good idea of what life would be like during a crisis.  Did I say too much?
You'll have to read it, too, to find out what I mean by that...

Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico

We had the opportunity to visit Huatulco, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico this last October.  It was beautiful!  If you're thinking of taking a trip to Mexico and want a beautiful resort to stay in and quaint shopping experiences, Huatulco is the destination you want.  When we were there it was almost uninhabited, so if you like crowds, don't go in October.  There weren't a lot of places to shop really close to the resort, but there were enough for our needs.  Enjoy the pictures!


the entrance to the airport... very interesting!


our hotel, the Dreams Huatulco Resort and Spa



You'll know you're in the right place if you see this huge dragon out in front of the hotel



the view from our room was the best.  Imagine waking up to this every morning!


the view from the end of the hall


sunrise


This is the shopping area within walking distance of the hotel.  
There is also a golf course very close to the hotel if you like golfing. 


We went for a small day cruise on a catamaran and the cliffs were stunning.


We went into another area of Huatulco after our cruise and there was plenty of shopping and bargain hunting to do.  One of our favorite places was this shop where they spun and dyed their own yarn to make beautiful rugs, hammocks and more.  This woman is making a rug on the loom.


One of our favorite flowers, Plumeria, right outside the hotel

I hope you enjoyed the tour!