Banana Magic Muffins

This is my version of the Malt-o-Meal Magic Muffins. The originals are slightly dry and Corey does not like them much so I added my own stuff to it.

3/4 C dry Malt-o-Meal

3/4 C Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 C flour

1 banana (very ripe)

1/2 C agave or honey

3/4 C milk

1 egg

1/4 C oil (I used grapeseed)

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1tsb vanilla

1TBS vogurt

2 tsp chia seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare cupcake or mini loaf pans.

Mix together the flours, salt, baking powder, malt-o-meal and chia seeds in a bowl. To your mixing bowl mash the banana well, add wet ingredients until well mixed. Add dry mix and stir until moistened.DO NOT OVERBEAT!

Fill pans 3/4 full and bake for 19 min or until browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (in my oven, 15 minutes does it).

I serve mine with butter YUM!

Topponcino Sham

As promised, here is the sham or cover for the topponcino.

First, use your finished topponcino as the pattern. and place it over 2 layers of fabric. (1 yard folded in half) 

Make sure you have a 1/2" seam allowance. I trace it twice, once right at the topponcino so I know how big it is, then 1/2" out. I sew beween those marks because it needs to have dimension to cover the whole pillow, which is 3D really.

To make it more like a sham then a pillow case, you will need to make one of the 2 layers overlap itself by 1.5-2" (I think 2-3" would actually be better and will do that with the next one)

 Cut that longer/overlapped layer in half, then sew the edge in a seam. I made one seam 1/4" and one seam 1" just to make it look nicer. The larger seam will go over the smaller seam once turned right side out.

 Lay your (3) pieces together with RIGHT sides facing as if there were really only a front and a back. 

Remember that your split pieces should overlap each other, not match end to end.

This is how it will look, right sides together and whichever of the overlaps you want on the outside- put that one on the bottom.

 This is what I mean by tracing it twice; the inner line is the size of the actual pillow, the outer line is a seam allowance, then I sew in the middle of the two.

 (Um, make sure you put your pins the right way though- not like in the picture)

Sew around the entire thing with a regular straight stitch, then around again with a zig zag. (or if you have a serger- yeah, do that instead)

Flip it right side out, here is your pocket to insert the topponcino.

And here is the finished project, laying in the playpen.

Topponcino DIY

A friend of mine recently had a baby and she proudly displayed her topponcino on Facebook. Which of course sent a pregnant me scouring the web 

trying to figure out what the heck it was!

A Topponcino is basically a security pillow/mattress for newborn babies. It lets you hold them and lay them down or pass them to a family member securely and they stay warm and cozy. 

Because we are really trying to keep Finn in his own bed this time around,

 I wanted to try it out.

 Plus the girls have already asked to hold him and this will keep his head and neck supported too.

Of course, there are no DIY directions to be found online, maybe because they are mainly for montessori schools and the teachers have to order a kit to know how to make them (or no one besides me and my friend are using them LOL)

I did not want to spend $35 on buying on on Etsy if I could DIY it- so I did.

These are the basic instructions I was given.

 From this I had to piece together a pattern and how much material I needed. 

Materials: cotton batting (1 queen quilt bat will make 4 topponcini)

 2 yards of cotton muslin (or other heavy cotton material)

 1 yard of 45” muslin, or other soft cotton material, to make the lining (the permanent cover)

 1 yard of cotton material for each sham

 Pattern, pencil, pins, needle, coordinating thread, sewing machine, rotary cutter & mat.

There are three parts to a Topponcino (the finished size is about 15” x 25”): 

The Layered Batting:

Place 5 layers of cotton batting on top of each other. Lay the pattern on top of the batting, pin in place, and cut. Place 4 layers of the muslin on top of each other. Lay the pattern on top of the cotton material, pin in place, and cut. Layer the cotton batting with alternating layers of the muslin (batting, muslin, batting, muslin, etc.), pin together, and whipstitch the edges

The Lining (permanent cover):

Place the pattern on two thicknesses of lining material. Trace (or hand-baste) around edge of pattern through both pieces of material (but not the pattern). Cut the material around the basting or tracing, adding a seam allowance (3/8 to 1/2 inch, or 1/4” if sewing by hand). Sew the two pieces together on the basted stitches, leaving an opening about 5

inches wide at one end. Remove any basting, and turn right side out. Gently roll layered batting lengthwise, slip it into the opening in the end, and adjust to fit snugly and evenly into the lining. Blanket stitch the opening securely. Tack through the entire topponcino in 5 places, by machine or hand (small bows may be used).

The Sham

For front of sham, place pattern on one thickness of material. Trace stitching line and cutting line from pattern onto fabric (cutting line is 5/8” from stitching line). Cut on cutting line and set aside. For back of sham, place pattern on two thickness of material. Trace stitching and cutting lines around 3/4 the length of the pattern, leaving off one end of the oval. Cut out fabric on cutting line. Separate the 2 pieces. Fold straight edge of each piece under 1/4”, press, and fold under another 2 1/2”, press and stitch across. To put the 3 pieces of the sham together, lay the front piece right side up on a table. With right sides together, lay one piece of the back on top of the front, matching the top curve. On top of this, lay the second piece of the back (also right sides together with the front), this time matching the bottom curve. The two back pieces will overlap about 6”. Pin edges of all 3 layers together. Stitch 5/8”seam. Trim seam and clip curves. Turn right side out. Insert the topponcino. The sham should fit snugly.

Here is how I made it, following the above instructions.

I bought 3 yards 45" muslin, 2 yards batting (the roll stuff, not the super thick poly that comes in a bag) 1 yard fabric for the sham, which I made today!

LAYERED BATTING:

I made a rectangle pattern out of newsprint that was 25" x15".

Then I matched all 4 corners and rounded them to make the entire thing oblong.
Lay it over 5 layers of batting 
(I did a 2 and a 3 layer cut because my scissors would not go through all 5 layers without pulling the material.) 
Cut it TO SIZE- don't add a seam allowance.


Cut 4 layers of muslin also to size.


Then alternate the layers (PATTERN POWER as my 4 year old said)

It seems really thick, until you start to whipstich around the entire thing. Plop down infront of your favorite HGTV show and go to town. If you need to know what a whip stitch is, you can look it up. Basically it is a loop where your needle goes under the loop of thread again. 

I tried to take a good picture of it.

PERMANENT COVER/LINING/CASE THING

Using the inside of the topponcino as a new pattern, cut 2 layers of muslin. This time, you WANT a 1/2" seam allowance. Sew around it (I don't know if muslin has a right and wrong side, but you are going to turn it inside out, so leave a 8" gap in the fabric to turn and stuff. 


You will also sew closer to the outside of the seam allowance because this is a 3D mattress, so if you sew it the same size as the inner part- the cover you are making won't fit!


SEE: you will now roll and stuff the inside batting layers into the muslin case.

Don't forget to sew your opening shut

You will dart 5 places to hold the material all together and keep it from shifting.
This was actually the hardest part for me!

And done...now you need a cover to make it pretty and to keep the baby drool off of it.

I don't think this is machine washable, I would recommend hand washing and laying flat to dry, like a duvet.


I will blog about the sham next. I did not have a pattern for that one, so I made it up (and am pretty proud of that actually)

Finn's Mobile

So, here is the mobile we made for Finn. I contacted a lady on Etsy who custom made the disks for me. I  should have ordered twice as many so they were on each side of the string, but for a first time attempt, I don't think he will mind so much. 

First, Lily arranged the disks in a "pattern" (She wanted to help so bad, but I was working with hot glue so that was the only thing I could find for her to do.

The camera died after that, but I held a 2' length of fishing line in the middle of the strip and DH dotted some hot glue on the top and bottom to hold the string in place. This is where I wanted doubles, we could have just glued the disks together and no one would have seen the fishing line at all. 

Oh well...

I then wrapped the inner part of a wooden embroidery hoop with ribbon, dotting it with hot glue every few wraps to keep it tight.  

I finished it with a ribbon to hang it up and DH hung it from the ceiling with more fishing line (after I took this picture of course)

Overall, I was pretty happy with the way it turned out and it was the cheap modern mobile I wanted for his corner, with the gradation of color that is supposed to help them with their vison and seeing the differences in color.

BEST PART: Total Cost $ 6! 

Homemade Laundry Soap

I am getting my frugal homemaker on. I noticed that the soap we have been using, while it smelled great, seemed to make Chloe's cloth diapers leak. 

I really don't want to spend the money on the fancy diaper soaps like Rocking Green or Charlies, so I decided to see if the basic homemade soap recipe would work.

Guess what- it made her diapers smell fresh again (when they are clean anyway.

I had to really search to find a recipe that was not the large, fill up my garage stash of soap. 

I found this recipe on another blog. 

She went through the trouble of working on the directions and taking pictures so I'll give the credit where it is due!

I used the small batch, which is

1/4 bar Ivory soap

1/2 C Washing Soda

1/8 C Borax

Then I mixed it all up in the left over Purex container I had (and pulled the stickers off to make my own labels)

And tomorrow after it gels, I will see if it is possible to get 1 cup poured through the top. 

Next stop in my frugal quest: homemade dishwashing liquid.

UPDATE after using it for a few loads:


My clothes are not softer so I need to look into the homemade softener, but they smell amazing. Even the cloth diapers have a fresh scent that I was not able to get with the store bought detergent.

 I do not care for the Ivory soap, but when it is combined with everything else, the clothes come out so fresh and clean smelling. I also added a few drops of Lavender Essential Oils to the last bit of the batch and it added to the wonderful clean smell. 


I will say that this smaller batch did not last as long as I would like, so I am going to go ahead and make the larger batch and store it so I don't have to keep making more every other week.

Husbands love your wives, wives, honor your husbands

We had our Couple's Valentines dinner with the church at a very nice italian restaurant this past Sunday.

It was so refreshing to hear couples that are celebrating 10, 15,25, 48 years of marriage with their honey. In this world, divorce happens so quick because neither one is able to say their are sorry, or forego some of their own needs to love their spouse. Greed and selfishness has become the norm in society and there is a lack of love all over.

I am blessed to be part of a ministry that counsels and serves others so that love is shown to all who enter the doors. God is about love and loving your neighbor. If we are to love those around us, how much more should we love the very one that we share our lives and body with?

I love my husband. Sure, there are days when I don't understand what his logic is and I wish he would put the bag back when he takes the trash out. But I have to pick my battles and the very fact that he takes the trash out without fail every Monday should be enough for me to appreciate that the empty trash can (with no bag) means one less thing I have to do, because he has done it for me. 

So when I cook, I try to steer clear of things he does not like (mushrooms) to give him food that he enjoys and when he is happy I am happy. It is not only a happy wife that makes a happy home...

A happy marriage makes a happy home.

Are you happily married?

For all you expectant moms, or have expecting friends!

Keeper of the Home and Simply Nurtured is having a Baby Shower Giveaway!
Simply go to the Simply Nurtured site and you can enter to win and bless another mother, or be blessed yourself.


Since Finn is due in the next 3 weeks maybe we will get a little blessing.