WHOLE FOODS CHALLENGE

Beginning June 1st, I (Amy) , am challenging you to begin eating a whole foods, all-natural diet. Don't be scared! Pull up a trash can and throw out that junk that is silently harming you and your family. If it's processed or white get it out!!!! I know you're thinking she's gone mad and besides that where are we to get the money for this?!?!?  Well, I have NOT gone completely crazy; as wives and mothers we have a responsibility to care for our homes and the people in them & we all know that whole foods keep us healthier. I love the saying, "If it doesn't grow from the ground or doesn't have a mother then don't eat it."  Also, each week we will post an inexpensive whole foods recipe that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Happy Eating!

valu-pak indian hat

I love but hate receiving those valu pak coupons in the mail. The nifty little over stuffed blue envelope filled with coupons,that you cant wait to delve into. When its said and done you have wasted quite a bit of time for only a couple good coupons that you could probably live without. So as a grab my stack of precut coupons to toss them away only to get a new blue envelope with the same. I thought "what a waste." I dont know why I thought feathers at that moment(craft mom mindset) but I did. I stacked them up and cut the 1 feather cut for who knows how many feathers. I made a paper headband and let my son color it then glue the " feathers" to the headband. We then sat and watched a bit of Pocahontas so he would understand it. He loved it and it gave us a way to recycle all that paper.

have fun
~Lane

Learning to crochet

This is not a tutorial! My sister and I have decided to try something new and surprisingly we don't know how to crochet. so we are bucking down and going for it alone. Using what resources we can conjure youtube,online,books ect. wish us luck we will track it all on the blog but I can say we both know some basic things. So #1 learn the lingo,we cant follow instructions if we cant read them lol.
Here we go, a cool crochet abbreviation chart I hope it helps if you're following along.
~lane

Abbreviation	Description	Instruction
( )	Parenthesizes	Instructions in between need to be worked as many times as instructed
[ ]	Brackets	Instructions in between need to be worked as many times as instructed
*	Asterisk	Instructions following should be repeated as directed.
* *	Asterisks	Instructions in between should be repeated as many times as instructed
Alt	Alternate
Approx	Approximately
Beg	Begin/beginning
Bet	Between
Bl/Bls	Back Loop/Back Loops	There are 2 loops on top of each stitch. The back loop is the farthest away from you
BP	Back Post	Insert hook from behind of work around post of stitch indicated from the previous round or row.
BPdc	Back Post, Double Crochet	Yarn over and insert hook from behind of work around the post of stitch indicated from previous round or row. Yarn over and pull up a loop, (3 Loops on hook) (Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) twice.
BPsc	Back Post Single Crochet	Yarn over and insert hook from behind of work around the post of stitch indicated from previous round or row. Yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through both loops on hook.
BPtr	Back Post Treble Crochet	Yarn over twice and insert hook from behind of work around the post of stitch indicated from previous round or row. Yarn over and pull up a loop (4 loops on hook) (Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) 3 times.
CA	Color A	A color used in pattern
CB	Color B	A color used in pattern
CC	Contrasting Color	A color used in pattern
Ch	Chain stitch	To start the chain stitch make a slip knot, yarn over and pull through loop on hook.
Ch-1 Sp	Chain 1 Space	Work stitch into chain 1 space of previous round. Work the stitch into the hole below the chain and not into the chain.
Ch-sp	Chain space	Work stitch into chain space of previous round. Work stitch in to the hole below chain(s) and not into the chain(s).
CL	Cluster	More than one stitch worked together into a cluster
Cm	Centimeter(s)
Cont	Continue
CR DC	Crossed Double Crochet	Skip a stitch and double crochet in next stitch, then back up and double crochet in the skipped stitch.
Dec	Decrease, Decreases, decreasing	Work 2 or more stitches together as one, you do that by working the stitches within one step of completion, then pull yarn through all loops on hook.
DC	Double Crochet	Yarn over, insert hook in stitch indicated, yarn over and pull up a loop, (yarn over and pull through 2 loops on hook) twice.
Dc2tog	Double Crochet 2 Together	*Work Double Crochet in next stitch omitting the last step,* (2 loops on hook). Repeat from *to* once. (3 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on hook.
Dc3tog	Double Crochet 3 together	*Work Double Crochet in next stitch omitting the last step* (2 loops on hook). Repeat from * to * twice. (4 loops on hook.) Yarn over and pull through all 4 loops on hook.
Dc dec	Double Crochet Decrease	Same as the Dc2tog.
Dtr	Double Treble	Yarn over 3 times, insert hook into stitch indicated. Yarn over and pull up a loop. (Yarn over and pull through two loops on hook) 4 times.
Esc	Extended Single Crochet	Insert hook in stitch indicated, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through one loop, yarn over and pull through both loops on hook.
FL	Front Loop	There are 2 loops on top of each stitch. The front loop is the closest to you
Foll	Follow, Follows, Following
FO	Fasten Off	Cut the yarn or thread, yarn over and pull through the active loop and pull it tight.
FP	Front Post	Insert hook from in front of work around post of stitch indicated from the previous round or row.
FPdc	Front Post Double Crochet	Yarn over and insert hook in front of work around the post of stitch indicated from previous round or row. Yarn over and pull up a loop, (3 Loops on hook) (Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) twice.
FPtr	Front Post Treble Crochet	Yarn over twice and insert hook in front of work around the post of stitch indicated from previous round or row. Yarn over and pull up a loop (4 loops on hook) (Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) 3 times.
FSC	Foundation Single Crochet	To make the fsc chain 2 and insert the hook into the chain, yarn over and pull through, yarn over and pull through 1 loop, yarn over and pull through both loops on hook. The next stitch is worked into the base of the previous fsc and so on.
G	Gram
Hdc	Half Double Crochet	Yarn over and insert hook in stitch indicated, yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on hook
Hdc dec Or Hdc2tog	Half Double Crochet Decrease	*Work half double crochet in stitch indicated omitting the last step,* (3 loops on hook) Repeat from *to* once in next stitch. (5 loops on hook) Yarn over and pull through all loops on hook.
Hdc3tog	Half Double Crochet Three Together	*Work half double crochet in next stitch omitting the last step,* (3 loops on hook) Repeat from * to * twice. (7 loops on hook,) yarn over and pull through all 7 loops on hook.
Inc	Increase, Increases, Increasing	Work 2 or more stitches in one stitch.
Lp(s)	Loop(s)	A loop is simply a series of chains
m	Meter(s)
MC	Main Color	Main Color of your project
mm	Millimeter(s)
Oz	Ounce(s)
p	Picot	Chain the amount of chains instructed, then slip stitch in chain indicated to form a small bump
Pat(s) or Patt	Pattern(s)
pc	Popcorn	Pattern will usually explain as they are different.
Pm	Place Marker	Place a marker in stitch or space indicated to help you keep track of where you are in the pattern.
Prev	Previous
rem	Remain, Remaining
Rep	Repeat(s)
Rnd(s)	Round(s)	Term used when working in a circle
RS	Right Side
Sc	Single Crochet	Insert hook in stitch indicated, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through both loops on hook.
Sc2tog	Single Crochet 2 together	*Insert hook in stitch indicated, yarn over and pull up a loop,* repeat from *to* once in next stitch. Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on hook.
Sc3tog	Single Crochet 3 together	*Insert hook in next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop,* repeat from * to * twice. (4 loops on hook) Yarn over and pull through all 4 loops on hook.
sk	Skip	Skip stitches or spaces indicated.
Sl st	Slip Stitch	Insert hook in stitch or space indicated, yarn over and pull through stitch and loop on hook.
Sp(s)	Space(s)	Refers to a loop or a hole beneath 1 or more chains.
St(s)	Stitch(es)	Any stitch such as a double crochet, single crochet, chain and so on.
WS	Wrong Side
Yd(s)	Yard(s)
Yo	Yarn Over	Wrap the yarn over hook
Yoh	Yarn Over Hook	Wrap the yarn over hookYup