Chicken Feed Grocery Bag

Originally I made this bag about a month or so ago for a friend. Of course I showed it off on my Facebook and at my favorite chicken chat forums (backyardchickens.com) Oh and if you don't know this about me, my chicken coop is featured as the a frame chicken house in their Raising Chickens for Dummies book!
I have been asked to make bags for all sorts of folks but I am just not looking for another way to make money. So instead I am making this tutorial for all you lovely people who love chickens and recycling.
First things first, you need one of these feed bags (I think horse feed and other types of feed come in this stuff now too)



1. cut the bottom and top of the bag so that the lines are nice and straight and then turn it inside out, and serge or sew the bottom of the bag (look inside to make sure it's the bottom cause you don't want your bag to be upside down when you turn it back right side out)


2. once you have the bottom secured, you need to fold the bottom so that the sewn or serged line is at the bottom and it triangulates to make a square flat bottom.


3. Sew the crease to keep it flat bottomed.


4. Here is where it gets a little tricky. Now you are going to attempt to turn the bag right side out again and then flatten the sides down enough to get the bottom of the bag onto the sewing machine so you can sew the triangle flaps onto the bottom of the bag. You could always cut them off but if you are going to be using the bag for heavier items you will want this extra support.***


Once that is all done it should look like this inside.

and outside it should stand up quite nicely.

You are more than halfway there...

5. Now that we have that all finished you will want to trim the top about 4 inches (save this for the handles), then fold down and hem the top all the way around.


6. for the handles what I like to do is fold them in half and fold in the cut edges and then sew all the way around so both sides of the handle are hemmed.


7. Here it's going to take a little play, since every bag is different you will want to make sure the handles are exactly the same length. I do this by making identical marks on both sides of the bag, I know you only see two but there are 4 marks total.


8. Sew the fist handle in place using a box method, I go forward and back several times to ensure a good bond.

I measure and mark my second handle to ensure everything is perfectly aligned. Then sew on the second handle.


TA DA! You have finished your bag!


It takes me between 30 minutes to an hour to finish a bag.
Have fun!

**** Edited to add that if you don't want to sew down the triangles on the inside you can glue them down.

Depression

I think I am going through some sort of depression and I think it is seasonal. The weird thing is that I know I am not the only one. I have a couple friends who are dealing with the same thing. I can feel it come over me in waves, like how it felt when I lost my first real high school love and I was on the mend but still not quite ready to move forward. I absolutely hate it, and I hate even more knowing there is no real reason for me to be feeling this way. I have so many blessings in my life and I should be joyous for all the gifts given to me but I am not. Geez even typing this out is making me want to cry but I just can't seem to boil that over either. I feel like if I could then I would start feeling better. I wanted to post about this because I figure if I am feeling this way and I know there are at least two of my close friends feeling this way as well then maybe someone else out there needs to know they aren't alone. If you are feeling down and just want to vent about it, please post. This spring fever is getting to me and if it's getting to you too I want to give you a virtual hug! Hang in there!

A New Blog for Me- Into a School Lunch Program

OK so I wanted to update those of you who read but don't know me all that well.
I have decided to take on this monkey.
http://aisdschoollunchprogram.blogspot.com/
Please come and take a look. I have a meeting tomorrow morning with the NFS director for AISD.

Wish me luck!

Holy Healthful Eating

So I have been thinking about healthy eating more and more lately. Not because I think my family needs a huge change because in reality I try to make sure the kids eat healthy as often as possible, but because in general we could do better. I confessed to my friends today that I have an unhealthy addiction to Starbucks Mocha's. 46 times through the drive through in the last 3 months is not healthy...
Anyhow I have also been researching school lunches because I go to school with my kiddos on a daily basis and I know what is coming out of that kitchen. Although the menu reads quite nicely, the food coming out of that kitchen looks like a walking heart attack. They serve some form of breaded meat at least 4 days a week and we all know how breaded meat just oozes oils. Every Tuesday is Hamburger day and Friday is Pizza day (with a white crust no less)
Now for most people the reality is that they can afford to send their kids to school with a healthy lunch, but there is a HUGE percentage of children who go to school every day and this is the only hot meal they will get. It's a very unfortunate thing because it's not a very nutrient dense meal, sure it's filling and it's tasty (well at least to kids who don't know what real food tastes like), but at what expense?
So what can I really do about this? I ask myself this all the time and I'm still not sure, but I am starting here @ two angry moms. I want to see this movie so bad! I also don't know if I have the energy to take this on... sometimes I wonder what the heck should I care? But I do... UGH a moral dilemma I constantly feel pulling at me and if you know me you know it's not the first one I have had to deal with (Bucket Fillers, remember that one?) I am going to have to stew on this some more and see if someone will board this train and go down the track with me because I just hate going alone. If you are reading this and you have helped to make positive changes in your school, or district, please let me know about it. I am always learning and want to hear.

His First School Dance

Well it's happened, he is going to his first school dance. I don't think he originally intended to go so I prodded him in the right direction, I mean these things are designed for a reason. Aside from the surface benefit of him being able to socialize in a safe environment without me hovering (as I can tend to do) he is benefiting from some valuable social lessons. Because I hover so much though I know a little more than most teens would want to share, thankfully he doesn't mind (I do tell him though when he gets married SHE comes first;) so I AM trying not to raise a momma's boy)
Well he came home to announce today that he has a date for the dance... I am not sure whether to be excited or scared but I put on my excited face and ask who and how it happened. He didn't exactly ask in a traditional manner and she didn't exactly accept in a traditional matter so at this point it appears they are going as friends which is PERFECT for me (it really shouldn't be about me, but hey I am his mom so I can make it so, at least on the blog right?) He went to his group of gal pals and said he needed a date for the dance and she stepped forward to volunteer. To be perfectly honest I think she has had her pupil focused on him for a while and I told him so a few weeks ago, I think he believes I know EVERYTHING now HA!
sigh...
The funny teenager is growing up and very nicely I might add.

My First Free Blogger Template

Ok so who is interested in a free template made by me? I have no clue why I am sitting here doing this when I have paying clients who I could be working for right now. I think it's just that sometimes I need to do something just for me to refresh my creative juices... ok well that is the excuse I am going to use for now :)
Anyhow check it out! Click on the image above to see it in action and get the code work.

ENJOY!

Really Cool Kids Kitchen from and old Nightstand

One of my best friends has been looking for a play kitchen to add to hers for her little girl for a long time. I know by now she has found it but I was reading this blog today called "Out of the Crayon Box" and she makes these cool little kitchens out of recycled nightstands. Not only that but what makes it her stuff even cooler is that she sells them to benefit a charity!
Follow this link to her blue kitchen tutorial. I found it very inspiring and now if I ever see an old throw away nightstand I am totally going to swipe it up and run with it! Thanks for the inspiration Jane!

Blog Design Giveaway

OK so I know that most people have NO CLUE what the value of my blog design giveaway is and truthfully neither do I. I do know that I am a pretty decent graphic designer and that my clients seem to love me.
Here is a list of blog designs I have done (apart from my own)

http://thewholeorrdeal.blogspot.com/
http://theindigoonion.blogspot.com/
http://retro-mama.blogspot.com/
http://newbawn.blogspot.com/

If you have a personal blog that you would like to have designed, redesigned, etc please enter my giveaway by just posting a comment. Then enjoy the rest of my random postings if you wish. Please also feel free to grab my button while you are here!
If you are a business and are interested in having your blog done by mean please feel free to contact me... I am currently doing them very inexpensively (but not cheaply!)

This Giveaway ends on March 7th and will be announced on March 8th.

Voting and Politics

OK so I love to argue politics with friends who love to argue politics and don't take it personally. And let me tell you it is very hard to find those kind of friends so I have learned not to talk to just anyone about it. On Tuesday we had our state Primaries. I went and voted and learned that voting in the primaries is where some political careers start. I was asked to attend the Precinct Level Convention that is held right after the polls close and the last voter has cast his/her vote.
At this convention all qualifies persons who attend can participate in electing a Permanent Chair person and Secretary, propose and adopt resolutions to be forwarded to the next convention level and then finally elect delegates and alternate delegates to attend the next level convention. Now, this whole adoption of resolutions thing... wow this part just blows me away, THIS is where we have a real voice in what is going to happen in our government. This is how we tell our nominated candidate what it is that we want from him or her.
When I arrived home from the convention I was pleased to announce to my husband that I was elected Secretary and that I was also elected as an alternate delegate. Funny thing was he was not surprised, seems I am always going to some meeting somewhere (PTA, COP, Neighborhood Association, ETC) and becoming involved some way. It irks him to no end but he loves me non-the-less. You do have to volunteer for these parts and when there are only two people attending for your convention at Precinct Level it isn't hard to be elected. I did learn so much about how this process works and I am excited to be going on to the next level. There are 4 levels, Precinct, County or Senatorial, State and National. These conventions are help every two years and National Level is help when there is a National Level Election (presidential). I highly encourage everyone to attend their County/Senatorial Level convention to see how the process works. Even though you are not eligible to vote, it is a valuable learning experience.

Snow Heavenly!

Some pictures from the last days record breaking snow event in Texas!



This picture was from this morning.
I am not sure I have ever seen it this white anywhere before.
and a rare picture...



ahhhh...

Sew Pink

It's not often that I get my sewing machine out anymore and that is because I am so busy designing websites all the time. Another reason I can't post on here much either, but a few weeks ago I was browsing through a really cool craft tutorial website (which I cannot find the link to again and I am sad) and found some things that I really had to try.
The website features really great tutorials from around the net. It led me to the vlijtig blog and this tutorial. I had to make a few changes to adjust for my sewing abilities and well becuase I didn't want to sew more than I had to:) I am a lazy seamstress.
Here are the beautiful baskets I made out of some fabric I have been saving for sweatpea for several years now. I love how they turned out and so does she.

The teenager thinks he is funny

Well the truth is ... he is funny. But not when I need him to be. He is always trying to deflect when I am yelling at him. The other day he even answered the phone a proceeded to tell the caller that I couldn't hear the phone ringing because I was yelling at him to loudly. Thank goodness the caller knew him well enough to appreciate his sense of humor. He might have a career in stand-up comedy if he survives to adulthood. I just really really want to pinch his little head off when I am trying to be serious and a little spit rolls off my tongue into his eye and he pretends like it is acid making him melt. Last week at counseling (yes I have him in counseling) we left and the goal I am supposed to reach for is not falling into his humor trap... I am not mentally prepared for this, he's too good and I am weak! There is no winning this war with him. I just want to curl up into a ball and laugh so hard I cry...


wahhhh....

Recognize Someone

WOW, it's been over a month since I blogged. Truth be told I have been really busy and I am so exhausted every night I actually hit the sack around 8 pm... every night.
Time to myself is non-existent right now, but I am ok with that.
So I had to take my truck by Service King again today so they could finish up a couple repairs that they didn't get last month while the truck was in the shop (for 3 LONG weeks). While I was there our service rep came and talked to me. He has been so nice this whole time and while I am not completely satisfied with our experience at Service King it is through no fault of his. He has been kind and patient and knowledgeable and has worked hard to get things done in a timely manner. With a truck as old as ours is though getting parts isn't always easy. They recycle parts at this shop, which is why I like to take our truck to them for body work but our truck isn't only old it is also a weird year where they made parts differently than any other year. Why Dodge would do this, I have no clue but they did and so it is.
Needless to say he saved our truck from being totaled based on the fact that our original quote was on used parts. In the end they had to purchase some new parts to get the truck completed and back into it's full time job as a child hauler.
Where am I going with this... based on my experience with Jeremy at Service King, I have decided to write a letter to the company acknowledging his hard work. I have also decided to write a letter to Starbucks acknowledging my appreciation of all the folks at my corner Starbucks, especially Melissa and Sharon. The I plan on writing one letter a week in appreciation of someones hard work at various places I go to around town. I have realized that today.. in 2010 we so often forget to thank people by writing to their company and telling them they are doing a good job. Of course I always smile and say thank you as I am sure many of you do too, but I want to challenge myself and you guys to do the same thing. Is there someone at one of your regular daily stops that you would like to say an extra special "thank you" to? Write their boss a letter. I know for a fact it will mean the world to them!