Sunday, November 20, 2016

Kid's Crafts:Roly-Poly Turkeys for the Table

Thanksgiving is less than a week away...OH MY!
Our Grand was here for Sunday and we try to do a craft.

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Yesterday I found a large bag of OLD Vintage plastic ball ornaments at a thrift store, 3 dozen or so for $4.00. Well, over half were lime green (for my D-in-law), with a few gold and 8 orange. 


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Knowing I was never going to have an orange Christmas tree, I dug in my craft stashes, and decided to REDO them into Turkeys for the table with the Grand, today.

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I had everything on hand, I shop end of season sales (70-90% off) for kid's craft supplies, 
and keep a huge tub in the kitchen corner buffet. 
I had a bag of brown feathers, chenille stems, google eyes and lots of foam sheets, 
foam glue and brown paper drip coffee filters. Rather than throw them out when that coffee pot passed on---I saved them for crafts-a GREEN thing to do.

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I precut the black, (I didn't have brown) foam sheets into proportional squash shaped heads. The Grand isn't ready for scissors yet, she just turned 4. 

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Here are the supplies ready for crafting. I corral supplies into plastic tubs, 
to keep the table organized and easy to go fishing in. The Grand picks out the eyes, she made sure she matched them---sometimes eyes don't match though, which can be fun.
I cut each chenille stem in half with a wire cutter and twisted the two pieces
 together leaving the ends open and sticking out for turkey feet.

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Here the Grand traces her hand on two-layers of foam sheet. 
You need two hand shapes for each turkey. 

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She does a pretty good job, we used washable markers.


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We use wax paper or parchment paper for work surfaces.
 Nothing sticks to it, and makes for easy clean-up.

While Gramma cut the hands out, Grampa and the Grand glued feathers on the opened coffee filters. 
This worked great, the foam glue is thick and tacky, and the feathers stuck super. 
We each did two or three. The Grand was very patient in placing her feathers without help.

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They look very fluffy. The shape of the filter is perfect for a tail. We let these dry for over an hour.


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I made one google-eyed turkey face with the precut beaks and wattles. The Grand knew the red thing was the wattle from story hour at the Library. 
She patiently did all the beaks, eyes, and Wattles...(that's a funny word, Gramma, giggles).
I squeezed the glue, because it was thick and sticky. She doesn't like getting sticky, lol.

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I love that they are all different, I didn't use patterns and free handed the shapes



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I tried to use the foam glue, but as a crafter I'M IMPATIENT, so I got out the hot glue gun. 
First I put the feather layer on, and then the two hands behind, thumbs pointing out.  The Grand helped by pushing on the pieces. She pushed on all the faces after okaying their placement.

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Yes, those are cookies she is working on too, we multi-task around here. I always have a plan B when working with kids. You just never know when they will want to do something else.

Gramma hot-glued the turkey feet on by herself. 
I used an extra hot glue-stick as a finger to pushdown on the 'feet'.
No burns that way.

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Results, some NEW roly-poly turkeys, that sit up straight on top of a REDO canning jar rims. 
The foam glue will dry completely clear, eventually.  (my Impatience-again)

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A Happy Face and Gobble-Gobble Turkeys!

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Gobble-Gobble! Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Supplies for a Roly-Poly Turkey

1ball ornament-orange, gold or brown would work, these were soft-ball size
yellow, green, orange, red (glitter is what I had) and black plastic foam sheets.
Google eyes (I buy assorted packs on sale.
Paper coffee filter for a drip coffee pot, or cut a fan circle shape from a paper bag.
1 chenille stem, cut in half and twisted together (yellow or orange)
Foam Glue
rubber bands to hold pieces in place if you use foam glue.
or hot glue used by an adult.
Feathers, we used a bag of assorted brown feathers. 
washable marker, scissors
canning jar lid ring for a base.

Tips: 
Have small pieces cut out ahead of time. 
Make a sample to show what stages of a finished project might look like. 
Put leftover supplies in zip-plastic bags, for easy finding, in your craft tote.


Thanks always for visiting. 
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!




Sandi











Friday, November 18, 2016

Homemade Turkey Soup

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Once upon a time, I said I was an awesome cook and yet I seldom write food posts. But, when I think of Fall, I just have to think of a steaming kettle of homemade soup. Fresh turkey legs were in the counter this week and they were huge. So I picked up a package of two with the intention of making soup for our healthy living style.

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If I were going to make a kettle full, I would use a 16 quart large kettle. But for a single turkey leg, I pulled out my trusty 8 quart crock pot. Then I cleaned out the refrigerator of the vegetables we had on hand.

At this stage of my life, I'm a taste cook for many recipes, in other words I don't use a recipe.
I know what I want something to taste like, so I start in my mind and use what I have basically in the house or freezer and go from there. No running to the store ten times a week, not really a GREEN thing to do. I shop when I'm out for other reasons, and not exuding extra carbon emissions on running to the store.


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Crock Pot Homemade Turkey Soup
1 fresh Turkey leg 1-1/2 to 2#
6-8 quarts of water depending on the size of your crockpot
Seasoning (I use 3 tablespoons of dried chives, 2 bay leaves, pepper to taste 2 tsp. salt, 3 Tblsp of salt free-seasoning, fresh or dried garlic to taste)
2 small onions, chopped
4 stalks of celery including tops, chopped

Cook on High for 4 hours or more, until meat begins to separate from the bones. Remove turkey to cool. Remove fat, skin, and bones.

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Soup is a great way to utilize what is in the refrigerator. Other great soup vegetables are tomatoes, zucchini, yellow summer squash, Swiss Chard, mushrooms. Take your pick.


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These large carrots have been particularly sweet and tasty.
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I rough cut the cabbage also using the outer leaves.
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Small head of cabbage and chopped peppers.

Add:
5 large carrots sliced thick
1 1/2  cups of assorted chopped sweet peppers
1/2 small head of cabbage sliced thin
Add chopped parsley or cilantro with vegetables or fresh rosemary or all.
Squeeze juice of one lemon as a non-salt enhancer and also to clarify the soup.

Cook on high for 1 hour. Taste add more seasoning if needed. Add chopped turkey and cook on high for 1-2 more hours.

Hint: if your pot is going to be too full, remove 2 cups of broth. Your vegetables will cook down and you can add the broth back in.

Overnight Method:
Throw everything together and cook on low all day or over night. You can add rice, navy beans, barley or wild rice in the overnight method. I squeeze the juice of one lemon into the soup to help clarify it at the end, when I chop the turkey up and put it back in.

PS Smoked Turkey legs are awesome for bean soups--and healthy choice over ham/pork hocks.




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Healthy Living:fresh vegetables and Turkey!
Enjoy!

Thanks always for visiting. 
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!









Sandi




Thursday, November 10, 2016

Decisions:Kitchen Corner Buffet and Wall Bits

Okay, we have this lovely---all white kitchen now, except from my bits and pieces entering into the equation. The blue rugs are super, they have two families of blue, mustard gold/brown, cranberry red and cream in them. Works with any direction I may go.

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Blue rugs, blue jars, a red antique eggscale, a new runner on the counter. 
The stools are slotted to be red.


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The real problem is the corner buffet in the eating area.



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Not just that it's colonial blue, circa 1986, but so is the wallpaper.


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Suddenly it is dated, well it was dated before but I ignored that fact. 
So looking for inspiration, I brought home....


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...this April Cornell runner and placemats. WOW! We are planning on painting the chairs and the dining table legs and creamy white, and leaving the wood top as it is, oak. The table is huge. Hubby really loved this, and said, go find wallpaper-just like that. HMMMMMM?


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I started to think of a red color scheme for all the seasons in my kitchen. 
Spring my go to colors are yellow and paler blue and white.
 So popping red in-wouldn't be a problem.


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Summer is all about red,white and blue---no problem here.

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Then there is the link to nature, what could be better than tomato red, in our tummies or on the walls?

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A post last spring with strawberries and the  blues.

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I remember thinking the pinks and red didn't go together, but Nature has no color palette,
 other than ALL colors.

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My garden had lots of early summer pinks, we could change that next year.


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Late summer garden was full of reds, yellows, and oranges....perfect in my new kitchen.


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I took a tour of my old photos to see what 'red' had crept into my home during the year.
 Here was a runner with burgundy berries from Denmark, 
and a tin I found at a thrift store.


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All these chairs will be creamy white, 
and my favorite tablecloth for over a year has been this rusty red one,
 which matches the runner perfect. 
This was last Fall's table setting. The wallpaper in the lower back will be changed to red.

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Christmas was a Red season and my kitchen pops, here with red. 
The Danish national flag, the Dannebrog decorated our kitchen tree. 
Last year I used peppermint ribbons...

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Everywhere...this is the best color shot of the blue cabinet, 
which refuses to show up in natural light because of being in the corner.

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So this is basically the color scheme, I'm seeing in my head. Red paper on the lower walls, and the stripe ticking replacing the upper walls and the border at the ceiling. 
The strips are softer and echo the bead-board ceiling and all my slatted blinds. 
Too many stripes??? I might have to use the peppermint ribbon elsewhere.


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Here are samples with a few other options...
the curly red vines to the right were my first choice. 
The white paper with the trifoils is too white, 
the stripes seem to be the best idea. 

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All the things I love. My favorite vintage tablecloth, a new vintage teapot, 
Great Granny's bowls, Grandmothers coffeepot, 
Hubby's Granny's carders and peonies I originally moved from my parent's cottage.

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Changes and choices...are sometimes hard.

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This is the latest picture of the area...as it is now. I have problems with photos in the area because you battle direct sun in the camera's eye.

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Okay, so red paper....on the lower, creamy stripes on top---but the cabinet???
Red, cream, or cream with red-stripe paper inside, or red cabinet with paper inside, I just don't know? 

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Waiting for the paper to come and go up, but...
 I really should paint the cabinet now.
HELP!?


UPDATE 11/16/16
First piece of the striped wallpaper is up...and we are both thrilled. Cabinet will be painted last, as the jury is still out. Sandi

Thanks always for visiting. 
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!

Sandi