The monkey I was working on last post is finished! I made him along with his chocolate brother over the past couple days and am now crafting a giraffe, this time reading the directions correctly  (he is actually coming along quite nicely). 


Here are a few shots of the monkeys.
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The brown/chocolate monkey I made as a prize for one of the middle school girls in my Bible study. My mom and I teach the 6th grade girls Bible study on Wednesday evenings, and my mom has come up with this thing called "Memorize For a Prize". This is where we give the girls a couple of verses or a passage from the Bible and if they can come back in the following weeks and recite what we gave them, they win a prize. Hopefully the prizes will encourage them to hide God's word in their hearts (Psalm 119:11).


Now I'm off to figuring out what verses are next in the Memorize For a Prize series. . .
 
I am still alive! Although, sometimes I believe my brain would beg to differ (just ask my husband... haha).


I have been a bit busy with life, which, in this case, is also known as not taking the time to organize my thoughts enough to write a paragraph, let alone a blog post. That being said, today's blog will be about a bit of what I've been up to these last two and a half weeks. 


About two weeks ago, I decided to teach myself how to read crocheting instructions. I found some patterns that I really liked and, with some online help, started figuring out amigurumi animals. (Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting dolls and other toys). I started with this Snowy Owl, pictured below.
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Then, I found a pattern for a Bumble Bee. I think he turned out quite adorable!
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Next, came Mr. Giraffe. It appears as if I may have misread/mis-stitched his neck... it's just a mite too thick. But I do believe that gives him character! (The next one will, hopefully, be slightly more proportionate!)
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The amigurumi I have most recently finished is this handsome little Elephant. Who says Elephants can't be blue?
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I am currently finishing up a sweet little monkey, and then will tackle the rest of the zoo. 


I hope you enjoyed the photo blog, as the following blogs may very well be made up mostly of photos. Thanks for taking time to read my ramblings!
 
I made Chicken Dijon for dinner tonight, after realizing that included in the name "toaster oven" is the word oven. I can bake! So, I made this dish and it was quite good. I used the convection setting on my toaster oven, and my food was finished in half the time. 


I got this recipe from the Leaving Home Cookbook and Survival Guide by Seth Braun. There are so many good tips and recipes in here, I can't wait to try more!


If anyone decides to make this, leave a comment and let me know how it turned out! Especially if you have any alternate suggestions, or any good side dishes to serve with it.

Enjoy!


Chicken Dijon

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup dijon-style mustard
2 cups finely crumbled seasoned breadcrumbs

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place chicken breasts in sprayed baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and generously spread mustard on both sides of chicken. Coat with breadcrumbs and return to baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until juices run clear. Serves 6 to 8.
TIP:  The mustard gives chicken a tangy flavor and makes it moist.
        Don't overcook.



 
Today's Facebook status: Katie just did two very scary things. #1: Bought a Wii. #2: Used the credit card for the first time to buy the Wii. Yikes!

Today we took that step, a step which takes us to a place from where there is no return. We used the credit card. 
I am that type of person who likes stuff, but doesn't like to spend the money to get that stuff. So, you would think that someone like me would love the idea of credit cards, a method of acquiring stuff without reducing the bank account immediately. However, debt terrifies the stuffing out of me. I forget things, and paying off a credit card balance is something that, if forgotten, would have some serious repercussions. 


That being said, I am determined to stay on top of this.