...no excuse..

well, there is no excuse to the fact that it is now almost Thanksgiving and I have not posted on my blog since JUNE!!! wow...time really does fly when you are having fun! Let's see, summer was great! we enjoyed a family vacation to a Minnesota lake! the girls got back in school we now have a 6th grader and a sophomore! whew... fall? fall was busy, between Melanie's cheerleading & musical and field work we were meeting ourselves coming and going. and so now we find ourselves in November...Amanda is in basketball, Melanie still cheerleading and back to her job at the grocery store, Brad putting on those truck driving miles and myself cramming in some Holiday craft/art shows for Recycks! life is good, no, life is GRAND!

moral of the story: Be good to yourself, don't let time rush by without having FUN!

WOW! it's been awhile...

i apologize...

it has been so long since i've updated my blog...i know there are no excuses but we have been over-loaded here! the girls have been out of school for almost 2 weeks already...amanda is playing softball...baby kitties have been born...the calves are now weaned from their bottles...we have a guinea pig...recycks has began her season of craft shows...corn and beans have been planted...corn is sprayed...chickens are laying eggs...gardens have been planted...and unfortunately we've had 2 deaths in the past few months.

now, like i said, there are no excuses to leave you hanging in the blogging world, but geez...we've been over-loaded!!! but now i'm back...life is somewhat normal and we've settled into the relaxing summer lifestyle!

recycks is excited to announce her acceptence into market day in downtown des moines ( a monthly indie fair). she is also offering home trunk shows for 2011~ first one was just last night and it was AWESOME!!! 2 miles from home with a great group of ladies feasting, visiting and shopping! can't beat that!

today is an extremly warm day in central iowa...92* and 100% humidity!!! maybe 150* humidity!!! i spent my morning baking sheet cakes for our adorable niece, isabella. her #4 birthday party is this afternoon. should be a wonderful day as long as the frosting does not melt off the cakes at the park!!! *ughhhhh* pray for me and the cakes!!!

school spirit

our school district hosts a carnival each spring...tons of fun for the kids and adults alike! so, recycks decided she needed to donate something this year to the silent auction! i had a pile of school sweatshirts and t-shirts that either were just plain worn out of had met the bleach bottle! so i went to work and created a fun school spirit pillow. along with it will be a bag made from the bottom of the t-shirt filled with candies and a homemade bunny!

it feels good to donate. to give back to organizations that have been good for you. it makes me feel bad that schools are on such financial cut backs when the future of our kids is in that building! we need to all donate time, materials whatever to help the youth. whether it's a school or an organization...

i hope the pillow sells...wouldn't it be embarassing if there was not even a bid on it!!! ughhhh..... i guess i'll have to buy it back!!! :)

wish me luck!

...cool new stuff...

recycks came up with this cool new idea...wrapping paper! i keep everything, including the smallest pieces of paper, damaged books...etc! finally, an idea to use some of them up!

our daughter's last birthday party we found it cool that both grandma's had bought the exact same wrapping paper...one even stated, "there just was not much to choose from!" hmmmmmm......

now, our packages can stand out from all the rest! measuring 18"x28" they will wrap up a good sized gift!

i even fashioned bows to match out of magazine pages! sure to be the talk of the party - and it's upcycling what you already have! *genious*

..and then there were backpacks!..

my parents, rollie & connie, have worked hard all their lives...business owners, farmers, parents and grandparents. they have earned the priviledge of spending their winters in the warm sunshine of arizona. so how does this pertain to the above owl backpack? well, dad is always 'shopping' for me - thanks to him i have a wonderful cookie cutter collection!!! but, he phoned me and said, "i found a great idea for recycks!' - that night the first owl backpack was designed! it's amazing when you have a passion, whether it's a business or a hobby, how it wears off onto those people around you! friends of mine are always sharing wonderful new ideas...and most of these will be made and travel with me to my 2011 shows! i hope to see you and share my recycled, usable, eco-friendly, repurposed, using what you have ideas!!!

...scrapmarks...

all those little pieces of left-over fabrics & papers get tossed into a basket...some make it into the bird nesting balls and others just sit there waiting patiently for their upcycling purpose. i keep looking at them, seeing their beauty and promising them i will use them. yup, i speak to my 'materials'! and shhhhhhh, sometimes they speak back!

this bookmark was dreamed up on an afternoon when i was upstairs 'piddling' in my sewing room! the tassel is made from t-shirts made into 'yarn'. they are purposeful, beautiful, unique and certainly one of a kind!

they will make their 'de-bout' showing at prarieland herbs sample sunday on march 13th. you really should make the journey to woodward, iowa for this event! truly wonderful! you will not regret it!

and then there were workshirts...

workshirts...an iowa staple! every farm house closet has many stashed into the corners. every farm family has memories of great grandpa - and every generation to follow - wearing their workshirts to do chores, to go to town for coffee & even to wear to church! flannel workshirts - a feel good thing!

so, when i got a call from a cedar falls shop named "Barn Happy" workshirts popped into my head! i offered 2 new items for her - the 'barn owls' whooooo even have the pocket on the back of them! and the 'iowa' mats crocheted from all the parts of the shirt i don't use when making the owls! she loved them both so i added them to the list of orders!

iowa workshirts....a good thing. an iowa icon.

sugar-free?

super-bowl sunday - and i didn't want to fall completely off the 'diet-wagon'! so here was my attempt...and a good one it was! brad's most favorite quick dessert is jello instant cheesecake! i thought i had a box mix in the house but as it was i did not! so research on the computer and i found a recipe for an 'instant' recipe! when i looked at it i thought - hey, that would work as 'sugar-free'! better for all of us! they were amazingly good ... super light and creamy. you could dollap sugar free jam on top instead of the light sugar pie filling. so i have to share the recipe! you will not be sorry...and they are super easy to create!

Crust:

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers

2 T. melted REAL butter

2 T. splenda

mix this together. i used small cupcake liners (2 biters!) or you can do a pie plate!

Filling:

(yes, really there are only 3 ingredients!!!)

1 8 oz. container sugar free whipped topping

1 8 oz. block light cream cheese

2 T. splenda

let all warm up a bit. Mix with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Fill your 2 biters or pie plate. I made a little 'dip' in the middle to hold the filling.

Cool in fridge...ENJOY!!!

time out!

time out of our busy schedules to wish my grandpa joe a happy 88th birthday.

this is the man who:

*taught me how to fish

*gave me a lesson (or two) on hunting morel mushrooms

*built me the most awesome dollhouse for my 9th birthday

*taught us animal respect

*played cards with us

*picked us strawberries and dug us potatoes

*sat on the porch swing and shared wonderful memories

*babysat my girls one summer while i cleaned houses

*worked on math with amanda

*combed my long hair 100 strokes when i spent the night

*played us the harmonica

*owned a rockin' red mercury!

*taught brad how to clean fish

*still gives me 'chicken raising' pointers

*showed me love & taught me respect

~loves to you grandpa~

...miss sophie...

i know i introduced you earlier to our sophie. she is now 8 months old and the love of our lives. she has made it her life goal to please us ... and please us she does! she loves to be right next to us and i truly think if she had thumbs she could crochet! :)


can't wait until the weather warms up for many reasons, but one is to take her on the boat again and introduce her to the water! she loves her baths...just sits down, once even laid down! so i'm thinking she'll be a good swimmer! but for now, the temps are cold (today -3*) so we'll just cuddle on the couch, eat treats and talk!!!

angie meets crochet...

anyone who knows me well enough knows that when angie gets the notion to 'learn' she goes all out. no holds bars! so 2 weeks ago i decided that i needed to learn how to crochet! grandma babe taught me how to 'chain' but after that i was lost!!! my sister.in.law (sandy) got me going and I WAS OFF!!! crocheting everything in sight! what fun and a true addiction! and i truly believe grandma would be proud!

so, long story short, recycks has some new items in her line! the above picture is a dish scrubber. soft on one side and scrubby on the other! soft side is 100% cotton yarn and the scrubby is - you guessed it - plastic grocery bags!!! totally machine washable & dryable and they do their job...WELL!!!

2011 shows will have some new items along with the good ole stand-bys. i'll keep ya posted!

moral of the story ... don't be afraid to try something new...keep your mind young. the internet is the host to many wonderful instructionals to help you along. youtube is an amazing tool. think about what you want to learn to do! AND GO FOR IT!!!