Book Review by Maggie: {The Boxcar Children}

I'm excited to introduce a new segment to this blog! My daughter is an avid reader and I am encouraging her to write book reviews on all of the books she's been reading {and has already read previously}. I thought it would be a neat way for her to remember what she has read and to share those thoughts with you. This is also a way for her to learn to write creatively and use the tools she's learning in school. I hope you enjoy this!
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Title: The Boxcar Children #1

 

Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner

 

Summary: "Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are orphans. Determined to make it on their own, they set out to find a safe place to live.

They discover an old, red boxcar that provides shelter from a storm. Against all odds, they make it into their home - and become The Boxcar Children!" {taken from back cover of book}

 

Review: The book The Boxcar Children is a great book for kids {and grown-ups, too!} 1st grade and up. My favorite part is when they turn the boxcar into their home. This book made me feel excited and it made me want to keep reading. It made me use my imagination because there are only a few pictures. I liked imagining what the inside of the boxcar looked like when they had all of the stuff in it.

 

I give this book 5 stars!!

{Mom note: This is a series of 40 books that is worth checking out!}

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What books are you reading this summer? Leave us a note in the comments! We love hearing about new books.

Thanks for stopping by!

I {Heart} My State Art {Tutorial}

When I started this project, I was planning to make another pillow cover like this one. However, I didn't have enough dropcloth left to make another one. I was going to use the freezer paper method and make a silhouette of my state to replace the bunny silhouette from Spring. It took me about five minutes to change my mind and I decided to make this. It will be a great addition to the living room!

 

I'm sharing this with these friends!

 

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You can follow me on Pinterest here and Facebook here.

Quotage {Free Printable}

 

Love this little free printable.

{Source}

 

Perfect for your craft room or hobby corner! Can't wait to frame this one.

 

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Framed {a personal note}

This post brought to you by GlassesUSA.com.

Several months ago, we noticed it. Our 9 year old was squinting. Squinting at the TV, while she was reading, looking out the window in the car, etc. My husband and I knew it would happen sooner or later, especially given his history with poor eyesight. Mine wasn't as bad as his. I just remember being in the 6th grade and a lot of my friends beginning to get glasses and thinking how much I wanted a pair. My first pair probably barely had a prescription in it. They were those plastic ones that were kind of clear, with a hint of peach and light blue mixed in. I'm pretty sure my Mamaw had a pair very similar.

My second pair of eyeglasses were red. Big, round, plastic and red. {Sally Jesse Raphael, anyone?} They had a faux diamond on one side near the top. I can't remember what grade I was in, but I am still surprised my parents let me get those. That was a fleeting fad. I've had a few different pairs since, but they've all been very neutral.

While looking around for my daughter's glasses, I didn't realize how easy it could be to order online eyeglasses. I like the convenience of never having to leave your home and run all over town searching for the perfect frames. And maybe the best part of all is that at GlassesUSA.com, you can virtually try on any frame and see what you look like! I tried these frames on using my webcam...

 

If you are looking to buy glasses anytime soon, you really should check out GlassesUSA.com to see what great frames you can find for a great deal! I love their selections! 

GlassesUSA.com is offering my readers 10% off your next purchase! Use code Blog10 at checkout! Also, check out their Sales & Coupon page for current site-wide deals!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tutorial Roundup {Elastic Waist Skirts}

I've been noticing a trend lately and thought I'd throw together a few links to good elastic waist skirt tutorials. I've done a few {click here}, but these are a few more that caught my eye and I wanted to share them with you! Elastic waist skirts are about the easiest clothing item to sew, in my opinion. Whether you're a beginner or an expert sewer, these are fun and easy! I hope these will inspire you to get your machines out and whip up a few for summer!

 {Delia Creates}

 {SEWBON}

 {a small SNIPPET}

 {FRESHLY PICKED}

 {MADE - danamadeit.com}

 {MADE - danamadeit.com}

Please click over and check out these tutorials and show the bloggers some love. 

I'm sharing with a few of these friends!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shop for these products:
Dritz 9532W Braided Elastic, White, 4.5 Yards by 1/2-Inch

Broccoli Kale Quinoa {recipe}

With Summer having made its arrival here in the South, I have been looking for some new summer salads and dishes to make. I've been learning to change my eating habits this year and the goal is to eat more of the superfoods and less of the sugary foods. I've witnessed dramatic changes in my health and the way I feel in general, so it's been worth it. This little gem of a recipe would be delicious all year long, but especially in summer. It literally takes about 20 minutes start to finish!

Broccoli Kale Quinoa

{slightly adapted from this recipe}

 

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

 

2 cups broth {for cooking quinoa, can sub water}

 

Cook according to package directions. Takes about 15 minutes or until quinoa has sprouted.

 

2 Tbsp oil

 

1/2 cup onion, chopped {can sub onion powder}

 

2 cloves garlic, minced {can sub garlic salt}

 

1/2 cup broth

 

1 large head broccoli, chopped into small florets

 

1 large bunch of kale, washed & chopped {or two giant handfuls from the bag}

 

Orange bell pepper, chopped {I used 1/2 cup orange sweet pepper}

 

1 cup parmesean cheese, shredded {more or less as desired}

 

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat up 2 Tbsp oil. Add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is almost translucent. Add broth, broccoli, kale & peppers. Cover and simmer until kale is just wilted.

 

Place quinoa into a serving dish. Cover with parmesean cheese. Add broccoli/kale mixture to quinoa. Mix carefully. Add more cheese as desired.

This dish is so tasty and so healthy! You might not want to share it.

 

Thanks for stopping by! I'm sharing this recipe with some of these friends.

Easy Duvet Cover {Tutorial}

As I've mentioned before, I'm in the early stages of redecorating my girls' rooms. So far I've made a few things like these silhouettes, this framed birdcage, and a few others. The big project is painting the rooms which I hope to get done in a couple of weeks. But in the meantime, I'm getting started on some of the little things since they take hardly any time to complete. The bedding is getting changed on all three beds and I'm pretty sure all three will have a white duvet on them. This project took me about 45 minutes to complete because of a few interruptions, but really the next one should only take about 30 minutes. I made my duvet out of two flat sheets. They're wide enough without having unsightly seams, the top edge is already finished and they were cheap! {$2.99 each} If you're wanting a cheap new duvet, this is it!

Now, mark each side of the top opening for your buttonholes. Be sure to line them up on each side of the opening! I made 7 on each side for my twin duvet.
Click here for the 2 step tutorial for making a faux buttonhole {no need for a special presser foot or fancy machine!}.

This was so easy! And it cost me $6 to make! {Not including the duvet itself which I already had on hand.}
I can't wait to get that room painted so I can finish the look!

I'm sharing this with some of these friends. Click to see what other people are making!

Thanks for stopping by!

How to Make a Faux Buttonhole {Tutorial}

Sometimes, we just don't have the right presser foot for the project we want to do. And sometimes, we do have it and can't find the manual to figure out the right buttons to push to make it work. That's where I found myself earlier! And that's the background for this little tutorial.
It's been awhile since I've used a buttonhole presser foot and I clearly could not remember how to make that thing work. I was running low on time and just wanted to get my project finished so I improvised. If you find yourself in that place, this is for you!
Two easy steps...

Practice on a scrap fabric first to make sure you get your stitch length just the way you want it. Then you'll be ready!
This literally takes just seconds to do and there's no hunting down the manual or presser foot involved!

I'm sharing this with some of these friends! Go check them out for more great tutorials and ideas!