TAPA CLOTH

Kuulei asked me to teach her hula women how to make faux tapa cloth the way I did hers and Rachel (for their ancient dances pau skirts). Tuesday night we had a bunch of ladies over to learn from the biggest faker of "I know what I am doing". Kuulei brought her daughter, Tearzah and all my boys were in bed and three oldest were at mutual so I turned Tearzah loose with my camera. Here are just a few of her shots:

The women drew some really amazing designs. This leaf is perfect, in my opinion, as it will be simple to outline the negative space.

These geometric shapes are super cool, but I have to say I would tear off my own arm and beat myself with it before I would attempt to paint that.

Even this is a little complex for me, but it sure will be beautiful.

Just a few center details and this one is perfect, too.

A few of the women in my home.

And a few more. This mom and daughter team had me in stitches all night. They are perfectionists too. I will need divine intervention when I sew their dresses. Or my mom. I'll for sure have to get my machine tuned up so all my stitches are exactly the same size EVERY time.

A couple more ladies. And we aren't done yet!

Rachel's friend Erica wanted to add some pizzaz to her skirt from last year.

I had a great time! There was a lot of loud, fun, positive energy flowing.

BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO DO

Every year I try to make Valentine's Day t-shirts for my kids to wear. Here's what I just made tonight, at 11 p.m. . I had to miss E.R. to do them and so I am a little growly. And tired. Enough whine, on with the show:

Matthew's is the same as last year, but I made a new one. Really, do you think a WHITE shirt would last a year in this house? I should take a picture of last year's. It's bad. This is him with his preschool loot and Valentine's bag that he made.

(Disclaimer - the rest of the pictures are pretty bad because it is night and it is bad lighting and the flash makes everything just look white. The shirts are all bright white.)

I adore Rachel's. I've had the song "Hopelessly Devoted To You" by Olivia Newton John (Grease) in my head all day because of it. Maybe you will now, too. You are welcome.

And Miss Sari's. It has the double meaning because we sometimes call her "B" for Rebekah, her middle name, which she told me the other day that she hates. Try not having a middle name, then we can talk hating it. Plus Rebekah is a GREAT middle name. It goes PERFECTLY with the name Sari. She was 11 days late being born, believe me, Larry and I discussed IN GREAT DETAIL what her name should be. It's perfect. The end.

Daniel's. Because this is what 5th grade boys SHOULD think about love.

For the first time in 5 years, Ben participated! He selected this burning heart and it runs across the back of a vintage fit T-shirt shoulders, so it is nice and tight.

And now the piece de resistance! Folks, seriously, this picture does not do it justice. How cute is this white tiger cub growling with it's little toofers just growing in? Too cute. It is perfect for Joseph, the 1st grader, who also has his big teeth just growing in. Ben was instrumental in the design of Joseph's shirt and I think he did a really good job. Daniel just sat on the floor and laughed at Ben saying, "hugs and kisses" over and over again in his funny voice. I wish that I could upload a sound clip of that here. You would laugh too.

I made another shirt for Matthew, in a fit of insanity, because I felt bad that his shirt said the same thing as last year. Unfortunately, we were running low on ink in the printer at this point (and no new cartridges in sight) so the colors look pink instead of orange and red. Looks like he gets last year's model after all.

Why are the pictures just the shirts and not the kids? They are in bed. Where I should be. Where Larry is, after I told him to quit picking at me like a crow picks at roadkill with hot topics like, what are we doing with the tax return and when are we getting tickets and what if we have to change our Spring Break plans.

Sorry, Sweetie.

But really, I was at my limit. Still. He is a good man and I feel bad.

Anyway, I wanted to post this tonight because tomorrow I have a choir concert to post about AND Montana hair to write about too. Oh, and some stuff from the 80's and you know, my brain just gets too full and it has to go somewhere.

A PURSE and a mouse

I finally found a bag that I can live with, love even, that doesn't match my shirt (yellow and gray bag) so I don't have to change my bag if I am wearing the shirt.

I adore the colors:

I made up my own pattern, more or less, and I think it turned out okay. I should start writing notes to myself so I can do it again and not make the same mistakes, twice.

I love seeing polkadots when I open my bag and I love my pen slots.

Now that I know how to make a zippered pocket, I am completely addicted.

IN OTHER NEWS -

Sari had friends over to make cupcakes for some cupcake choir contest. The girls did EVERYTHING themselves. I didn't help with even one thing. They did a good job. The cupcakes are decorated like mice. Alyssa, Sari, and Iris.

Here's the presentation cupcake - the rest are to share with the class.

GALLETS - waffle cookie recipe

I got this recipe from a nice couple in our ward, the DuPapes. She said that it came from Belgium with her husband's family in the late 1890's. I didn't think they had waffle irons back then, but maybe they had panini makers or plain old grills. I don't know. In any case, here's the recipe:

12 eggs
3 cups of sugar
1 POUND of butter, softened
2 oz. vanilla
1/3 tsp. cream of tartar
7 - 9 cups of flour

Cream everything except the flour, then add the flour one cup at a time until you get a sticky, thick dough.

Drop by spoonfuls (I use my small Pampered Chef icecream scooper-thingy) on the hot waffle iron, in the middle of the squares. Set the done to medium but check to see how your waffle iron does.

Eat 'em warm, eat 'em cold, but eat 'em you will! Also, be sure to store them air-tight, they dry out really fast.

I asked Rachel and Ben to please take a picture of the gallets in the waffle iron and when I went to download the picture this was the only one on the camera:

Sorry you missed it folks! Ben asked me to remove the picture. Suffice it to say, it was NOT a picture of waffles.

And people wonder why I have a tic in my left eye.

I CAN POST ABOUT SOMETHING OTHER THAN A BAG (but first you have to read about the monk bag!)

Now that plans are being finalized for the second-every-few-years-or-so-Hathaway Daughters Chick-Trip (we really need to shortened that), the trip to the Oregon Coast to our favorite Bed and Breakfast, a trip to Hawaii, a trip to Washington DC for a wedding, and a trip to Utah (whew! What a summer! Yay!) I am in the market for a fabulous travel bag. It needs to have wide shoulder straps so my loot doesn't break my neck, it's got to just drop stuff in - camera, water bottle, maps and have a zipper pocket for my monies. A monk bag fit the bill.

I still need to get a zipper to try adding a zippered pocket. I also added a magnetic snap to the top of this one so that the goods don't dump out.

I think this may be my favorite bag of the four. Even if the pockets are wonky. Which they are. My eyes must be crooked. I got the pattern tutorial here at the Purl Bee.

The bag does look great on Sari but she will not be going on the Chick Trip. She'll have to wait until The Summer Before Her Senior Year.

Made another one - a prototype for my height challenged friend (she's tall) and I would think that she has a hard time finding cross-shoulder bags that don't get stuck under her armpits. I am thinking anyway ... I wouldn't know what it's like to be tall. (And while at my above mentioned friend's house, she has INDEED offered me a PHONE BOOK to sit on! And I needed it but I refused because of my short pride.)

AND ANOTHER ONE - becuase I know that you all have missed seeing my crafties

My house is a wreck, but I am really motivated to knock some projects off because there is some great fabric from a new designer named Lizzy Dish but I promised myself no more new fabric until I have some room to stash it! Or at least until I whittle it down a little.

I made this bag before. You can see it here. You'll have to scroll down about half way. It is the Birdie Sling by Amy Butler and it is super big and sturdy. This time I thought I would use lighter-than-recommended interfacing and the lining is lighter fabric, too. I also made it a smidge smaller.

Note to self, don't adjust patterns. I think the straps are too short for comfort. Update - while shopping on Saturday I noticed that a lot of purses are going with shorter straps and big bags under them so maybe this is just right after all. Sari declared it perfect and took it to her room.

When I found a turquoise zipper, I knew it was MEANT TO BE! So this bag even has a ZIPPERED POCKET!

ANOTHER BAG

I had a little purple owl fabric left over from my previous project and so I made another bag. (You can't have too many, right?)

Well, maybe you can. I might send this one off to someone ...

And the inside. Too exciting, I know. I was going to put in a ZIPPERED POCKET (my new favorite thing to sew) but then I remembered - I need a ZIPPER to sew into the ZIPPERED POCKET. Oops. A quick look confirmed my worse fear - the bright red 22 inch zipper, the only one in my stash, would NOT do. Oh well.

This simple bag pattern from SewBaby! is one of my favorite to make. In addition to being fool proof, the pattern is called "Double Duty Bag".

Did any of you see the "Scrubs" where JD and Turk crack up every time someone says "duty" because it sounds like "doody"? We did. As a result, we all crack up too. Especially Ben and me. And Sari. Daniel too. I am sure that the ward chorister was NOT impressed with the Sant Family the last time we sang, "Put Your Shoulder To The Wheel".

It is EXTRA funny to us because Joseph sings while he is using the bathroom so "do your duty with a heart full of song" makes us all about fall on the floor laughing.

So mature, I know.

I SEWED A NEW PURSE YESTERDAY

I used SewLiberated's gnome messenger bag pattern. But you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at it. Haha! I love the front two pockets. They are deep enough to hold my not-tiny cell phone without losing it (something my current purse cannot boast).

I am so EXCITED about this! I learned how to put in a ZIPPERED POCKET! That's right, folks! A ZIPPERED POCKET! It was so much easier than I thought it would be.

Except I put it on the wrong side so the messenger bag became a large purse. Oops.

Here's the back - has a large pocket. Perfect for a book. Which I must always carry with me. Never know when the car will die and I will have a nice, long time, waiting for the tow, to catch up.

"JIJRBRED DAY" a photo essay by Joseph

That's what Joseph wrote on the family calendar.

What it means is "Gingerbread Day". With the snow days the last two days of school, I was in high stress mode with unfinished projects abounding (sorry Michael and Jon and your respective families - I hope to get your stuff out early next week!) I wasn't in the mood to spend a small fortune on candy and I certainly didn't have time to make the houses. I refuse to buy a kit (or 10).

Monday morning, I realized that nothing would change and it was time to do gingerbread houses. We like to have gingerbread parties, but the snow and late date made it so only Rachel had two friends over. It was still fun!

Now, we've had some really good years with gingerbread houses. One of my favorites was with the Stauffenbergs - GusGus made a trailer and another year a dog house with a bleeding postman (this year he made a dumpster, complete with a drunk peeing on the side). It was hilarious! But for the last three years or so, I find that by the time I've made enough house for friends and kids, I am not in the mood to make my own. That's okay. This year was very last minute, so it wasn't one of our more creative ones. I just did basic A frames houses, which the kids seem to prefer since it gives the most area for candy, and stacking on the candy seems to be the main goal.

I have fond memories of making gingerbread houses at my mom's house. My brother, Snookie, seemed to have a real knack for the darker side, with dead cinnamon bears as a main theme. It makes me proud.

So, I started with the dough, which is the BEST gingerbread house dough I have ever tasted. I love the dough. I eat the dough. I ate so much, I got a tummy ache.

Joseph was totally IN MY FACE and MY HAIR and MY EARS and MY HANDS and I knew I wouldn't make it. He might not either. So I gave him the camera. He took 91 pictures of me rolling out the gingerbread. Except for a few instructions ("Back up Mom, I don't want you in this picture") he was completely occupied.

He was very detailed. Here are A FEW of his shots. (Not every pictures makes the edit, right? You are welcome.)

The dough recipe is from a baker in our ward.

So I pound in the flour.

And then I roll it out with my broken rolling pin. I love my rolling pin. I wish it wasn't broken, but I love it and use it.

I cut out every piece with a knife by tracing my complex pattern.

Such as this one:

But I didn't make any outhouses this year. I just ran out of patience time.

Here they are cooling on the stove top.

At this point, I began to beg, "PLEASE GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!" When Joseph realized that the gingerbread had to cool and there was no action, he consented.

THANK GOODNESS!! I was at the end of my rope! It's important for kids to get fresh air every day.

Matthew joined him.

Later that night, I assembled the gingerbread by melting sugar in a pan and dipping the sides in the liquid sugar and sticking it to the covered cardboard and to each other. Be careful, it's hot! It's also the most superior way for assembling gingerbread houses. It's fast and strong.

At last!

Joseph begins his assembly.

Rachel, Clay, and Daniel ponder the possibilities ...

Daniel is a story teller. I don't remember what he was saying, but Clayton looks amused.

Ben was the lucky recipient of the one of the "special" gingerbread houses with an open air ventilation system and sky lights. He was determined to fill it in with frosting. After the frosting filled the house (nearly) he finally broke down and covered the structural flaw with candy bars.

Daniel working on balancing his candy canes. We had a discussion about physics. It is impossible to stick two candy canes upright with a dab of frosting on the end. I wonder now, if the melted sugar would have worked ... note to self ...

Larry HATES sticky. So I was very proud of him for sucking it up and helping Matthew assemble his house.

Joseph worked a couple of windows in his A-frame. Being cursed blessed with a perfect memory, he pined a little for past gingerbread creations. Time to move on.

Hmmm... this design should be no surprise to anyone who knows Rachel - perfectly symmetrical.

This year was great because most of the kids were able to keep the frosting IN the squeeze bag. Trust me, not scraping up the frosting out the top and putting it back in makes a lot of difference in my frustration level.

Larry put the frosting on the end of the candy and Matthew stuck it on the house. Success!

Just as Rachel's house was symmetrical, Sari's is kicked up a notch. Their houses define their personalities. By the way, Sari went on to make a dog for her house and then she scattered mini chocolate chips all around it and Larry put a cling-on on the dog and Sari said she was inspired by GusGus.

Clayton impressed us all with his ability to spell his name on the side of his house

Matthew with his finished house.

Ben with his finished house (and Joseph still hard at work in the background.)

Later that evening, Rachel's sweet friend, Courtney came over and made her house. She missed the general party, but we were glad to have her when we did.

PANCAKES

You all who know me, know that I am not a good cook. I don't really enjoy it. I even took a cooking class at BYU once in an effort to have 12 credits to qualify for my Pell Grant learn some skills so I would enjoy that aspect of homemaking more.

That really didn't work AND I got a B. Which really ticked me off.

For one year, a few years back, we had a law school family in our ward named Amy and Joe. They were a cute, busy young couple. So cute! But then they moved. Thanks to blogging, we have stayed in touch. About a year ago Amy wrote a post with this recipe. As I recall the story, she was home sick one day, when she was still in high school. Joe, her crush, who would someday become her dear husband, made her these pancakes.

Rachel has just recently discovered true romance and she LOVES that story. She also loves a post Amy did once about how Joseph always gives her a kiss goodnight. Rachel has a whole set of expectations based on Joseph Lee. He once told me I was of "advanced years" but since I live with my foot in my mouth, I understand that he doesn't realize that I am 25 on the inside.

Here's a picture of the darling family. My friend, Sue, will recognize Joseph as the son of her friend from Salem, and the brother of one of her young women, Michal Lee. It's a small world.

Back to not liking to cook - pancakes are right up my alley and I love the weekly occasional breakfast for dinner idea. I also love pumpkin. When the kids asked what we were having they were skeptical. They were scared. They were suddenly not hungry. I made them all try one. My Joseph ate NINE. In short, we all LOVE this recipe! We titled them the AmyJoe Lee Pancakes (which is a play on Amy's middle name, Jo, and her husband's name Joseph. Get it?) or True Love Pancakes which a is a play on the fact that we LOVE them and Joe made them for Amy and that is true love too (let's remember he was in high school!)

AMYJOE LEE Pumpkin Puff Pancakes
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cooked pumpkin
1 3/4 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup vegetable oil
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. soda
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger

In small mixing bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or ubtil thick and lemon colored. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour batter from 1/4 cup onto medium hot ungreased griddle. Bake until puffed and bubbles begin to break.

AMYJOE LEE Apple Cider Syrup
1 cup sugar (I actually put very little sugar in, maybe 1/4 cup or less, we think the cider makes it sweet enough, do what you like
2 T. cornstartch
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups apple cider
2 T. Lemon juice
1/4 cup melted butter

In saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir in apple cider and lemon juice. Cook stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute. remove from heat, stir in melted butter. Makes 2 1/2 cups syrup.

Because Sari and Joseph have hollow legs and can eat more in a meal than some small countries do in a day For my size family I times the pancakes by 5 and put the leftovers in a tupperware pitcher to make individual pancakes as liked. I also 2 1/2 times the cider syrup recipe and that seems to be almost the right ratio. We LOVE the cider syrup! I recommend tasting your cider first to determine how much sugar you need to add. Ours was made with less sweet apples than we usually get, so I added the full one cup of sugar. They really do get super puffy and are light as air. If you prefer waffles, like Larry does, just add another egg white or two and a smidge more vegetable oil.

Do NOT wait a year like I did to make these pancakes. Make them NOW. Tonight. Tomorrow morning. But do it soon. You'll be thanking me!