Chai Concentrate

oh my...I am so so so so so so SO stoked about this latest recipe. I love reading the angrychicken blog, the author is Amy Karol and she lives in portland. Anyways, I saw a post she had for a chai concentrate and decided to give it a go. Its so simple, just sweetened condensed milk, spices and voila. I used an old jam jar that had a tight lid. It keeps in the fridge for six months!! Makes about 28 cups of tea and is so friggin' delicious. The perfect sweetness, spice, and cream....sometimes, just for fun, I add a splash of cream to make it super decadent. Here you go!

Chai Concentrate
makes 28 cups

Ingredients
•1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
•1 teaspoon granulated sugar
•1 teaspoon ground cardamom
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
•1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Empty condensed milk into a jar or plastic container with tight-fitting lid. Stir in the sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Store in refrigerator.

To use: Brew a cup of strong black tea, such as Assam, then add two heaping teaspoons of concentrate or more to taste. Stir well until concentrate has fully melted.

To give: Pour into small jars with lids and tie with an attractive bow, or wrap the jar first. Attach a tag with instructions to keep the mix refrigerated and how to use it.

To keep: Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Homemade nursing pads...

HA! I never ever thought I would ever have a blog with that as a header. I feel old. sigh...ah well...I love nursing my babies and it seems to be the healthiest thing for them, and even though I ususally debate giving up for like the first six months, I know its part of God's plan for mothering so I've come to really really love it. However, nursing pads are ridiculously spendy. I made a set of 10 today and love the results!! Yes the flannel is skulls, I had to have some sort of ode to my youth, I seriously felt weird making my own nursing pads, like really, what 23 yr. old does that for fun?! I can imagine the convo, "Hey Sophie this is so and so, we're going out to the mall like normal 23 yr. olds, wanna come?" "I'd love to guys but i'm working on a project!" "oh yeah? awesome! whatcha making"....."reusable nursing pads...." "um, sweet, so yeah, talk to you later"

yeah....ha. but like I said, the skulls helped preserve some of my youth (in my mind anyways)

What you'll need:
1 yard of microfleece
1 yard of flannel (can use an old receiving blanket!)
CD or bowl with 5" diameter

Instructions:
You'll be using 1 layer of fleece and 3 layers of flannel. The flannel is soft and non irritating and the fleece will keep the moisture away from your clothes.
I Cut out the fleece and one layer of flannel in the 5" size, then cut out the two middle flannel pieces in slightly smaller diameters (to decrease bulkiness)
I found that 1 yard of flannel produced 10 pads.
Fold the fleece and flannel in half (to minimize cutting time)
Trace your circles
Cut them out
Stack the layers starting with the fleece then two smaller flannel pieces then the large flannel piece.
Sew a straight stitch down the middle (to hold all the pieces together)
I did all the sewing without ever lifting the needle...just sew straight down then with the needle depressed lift the foot and rotate your fabric so that you'll now be sewing a straight stitch around the entire diameter of the pad, giving about a 1/8" allowance. Once you've completely stitched around, go over the straight stitch with a zigzag stitch (once again I never clipped the thread, just lifted the needle and changed the setting to zigzag and continued on)
Sew the excess fabric (this will prevent fraying)
ENJOY!!
(I tried cutting a slit down the middle and overlapping the layers to make a cone shape, but found that addded to much bulk for me, but it does have nicer countour)
TUTORIAL THANKS TO PASSIONATEHOMEMAKING.COM!!!

She's got a baby inside....

I am officially 38 weeks pregnant today...my due date has changed to Feb. 17th...say a prayer that I have this little one soon...if I don't, then I have a C-Section scheduled for the 25th, and as that day comes closer my heart gets more worried...both girls were ten days early, so fingers are crossed, prayers are being said and off we go...to one more day until I meet my little baby girl...

Sisters...

She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child. ~Barbara Alpert

There is nothing that makes my heart long for my sisters more, than seeing Mailey and Emry so caught up in their own little world...such best friends already. Already each others greatest friend and greatest enemy...truly there is nothing like a sister and I miss mine so badly it hurts.

This is for Lacy...

LACY! I'm hoping you actually read my blog haha (I guess this will tell me!) But I ran across THIS blog and its awesome! right up your ally :) if you look through everything in her sewing category its so fun! I'd love to try the highchair cover and the little boy costume...you'll see...anyways, I know this says "this is for Lacy" but its also just for anyone who likes to sew :)

Days like this...

So...for all of you mama's who have been pregnant, you know those last few weeks just draaaaaag on by. Im 37 weeks and man, what I would do to have this child evacuate the premises which are my insides. Chasing a 3 and 2yr old, upstairs, downstairs, church, outreach, long drives...oh my. And my poor husband in all this just sits back and watches hurricane sophie manifest her way through the days haha..I fell asleep on the couch this morning after I got the girls dressed, house cleaned, beds made, and when I woke up, this was laying on my pillow beside me.
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A rural housewife, Fay Inchfawn, who lived a generation ago, wrote these lines on her need and expectancy of God's presence which speak to us of the more sophisticated frustrations of our modern day:

Sometimes, when everything goes wrong;
When days are short and nights are long,
When wash day brings so dull a sky,
That not a single thing will dry.
And when the kitchen chimney smokes,
And when there's none so "old" as folks;
When friends deplore my faded youth,
And when the baby cuts a tooth
While John, the baby last but one,
Clings round my skirts till day is done;
And fat, good-natured Jane is glum
And butcher's man forgets to come.
Sometimes I say, on days like these
I get a sudden gleam of bliss.
Not on some sunny day of ease
He'll come...but on a day like this.

Dear God...

Boys who wear skinny jeans and then sag them...we have begun the revolution of the homosexual gangster...oh God, please come back soon.
That is all, thank you.
Amen