Felt Football Field Runner

I've posted this felt table runner in the past but always in another post about planning a Super Bowl party - I decided to give it a stand-alone post so we can find it easier in the future. Super easy, I've been using it for years now and it's held up well. You can make it as long and as wide as you like, and obviously you could make it more detailed if you are so inclined - more hash marks, hashmarks on both sides, numbers on both sides...

You can find felt in larger pieces than the normal 8x12 squares, I bought it in a package at the craft store but they also sell it by the yard. Cut a long strip of the felt to the length and width you want. 

Make the yard lines with white electrical tape, if you have the patience you could cut long strips from a roll of duct tape but I don't have a steady enough hand for that hahah. 

I printed the numbers on plain paper and cut them out, then traced around them onto a sheet of white duct tape (they make sheets in lots of different colors with peel-off backing) or as with the lines you could cut them out of a roll of tape but that's going to be a lot more work!

1.22.23: 🔥 week 4

1.22.22: whiskey sour lite

1.22.21: cauliflower crust pizza

1.22.20: jam crumb cake

1.22.19: kale salad

1.22.18: skillet chicken and veggie pot pie

1.22.17: reserved signs

1.22.16: pencil holder by B

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 3)

Dear Campers ~ 

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

1/14: 🔥week 2

1/15: indoor treasure hunt

1/16: TT buttercream frosting fix

1/17: hot and sour soup

1/18: omelet wrap

1/19: office in a closet

1/20: words

What's Cooking ~

• grilled chicken topped with marinara and melted mozzarella, spaghetti squash 'noodles', salad
• grilled tuna, coconut rice, wilted spinach
• marinated pork tenderloin, sautéed mushrooms, butternut squash, and tomatoes
• meatloaf, riced cauliflower, steamed green beans

That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

1.21.23: phone case and cute story

1.21.22: mushroom potato soup

1.21.21: Natalie's butter curry chicken 

1.21.20: making plarn

1.21.18: greek pork, lemon rice pilar, tzatziki sauce

1.21.17: Jen's stuffed spaghetti squash

1.21.16: painting a side table

   

1/20 ~ Words

 

1.20.23: shrimp scampi by Macey

1.20.22: smoothie tips and treats

1.20.21: mixed fruit crisp

1.20.20: transplanting from pot to ground

1.20.19: 🔥week 3

1.20.18: broccoli apple salad with creamy Italian dressing 

1.20.17: loaded cauliflower

1.20.16: dry erase message frame

Office in a Closet

I spent the day setting up a desk in the spare guest room that I use as an office - for years now I've had my office in the guest room closet, which has been a perfect solution when I also wanted to keep the guest room functioning as a guest room. Well the futon I had in here disintegrated (for real, the 'leather' cracked in a million pieces and it was a mess!) so I got rid of it and the room is now basically empty - and it occurred to me that instead of sitting in a closet waiting for guests to need the guest room I could come out of the closet and face the windows and have natural light instead. We have two perfectly nice air mattresses for when I need to use this room for guests. 

Anyway - I made this post longer than it needed to be! I just wanted to show you what my office in the closet looks like, I still have it set up with office stuff other than a handful of things I wanted in closer reach on my new desk setup. 

Mark did this for me so it looks way nicer than if I'd just emptied a closet and put a desk with shelves inside haha. He took the doors off, put up decorative headboard on the walls, and hung an adjustable shelf system along with a fixed desktop/countertop. Until I moved out of the closet I had sheer curtains hung across the opening on a tension rod, but I took them down thinking I'd put the doors back on - but I'm going to leave the doors off for now (making sure I like the new arrangement before I go to the trouble of rehanging them - plus I still enjoy looking at my office closet!). 

The closet is right next to my wrapping wall that I shared with you back in '16. 

My 'desk' is actually an IKEA dinner table, both ends fold down which is very cool and useful in small spaces. I like having both ends up tho and I'll use the left side for crafts or puzzles or sewing...

Remember the macrame wall hanging I made that is now hanging over my window? No, haha? Click here to see the post. 

1.19.23: peach mustard barbecue sauce

1.19.22: 12 week workout plan

1.19.21: TT Teri's baked chicken tenderloins

1.19.20: 🔥 week 3

1.19.19: tri-color veggie saute 

1.19.18: carved watermelon helmet

1.19.17: color coded keys

1.19.16: chopping vegetables (and not your fingers) 

 

Omelet Wrap

I saw the idea for a ham and swiss omelet breakfast wrap in a cookbook titled "Skinnytaste Simple", it reminds me a little bit of my sis's 'TikTok egg sandwich' and I thought I'd give this a try. I did mine using chopped onions and sweet peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, and shredded cheese because that's what I had on hand - it was a little messy because of the small pieces of chopped veggies, I'm sure if I followed her recipe using ham, swiss, and baby spinach it might have been easier to pick up and eat. As it is, I just ate mine and let it be messy - or I could have used a fork hahaha. The point of this is that you can customize the fillings to whatever you like.

Here's the original recipe:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 oz. thinly sliced low-sodium ham, chopped (scant 1/3 cup)
• 1 oz. light Swiss or nondairy cheese, chopped (scant 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup loosely packed baby spinach and baby kale, chopped
• 1 (8- or 9") low carb whole wheat or gluten-free tortilla
• hot sauce (optional) for serving
• olive oil, salt and pepper

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs; then add the ham, cheese, spinach, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spray a nonstick medium skillet with olive oil and heat over medium-low heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and swirl the pan to create a round omelet to match the size of your tortilla. Place the tortilla on top of the egg mixture and press gently with your hands (the uncooked eggs will act as a sort of glue that sticks to the tortilla).

Let the bottom of the eggs cook until set and no longer runny, 1 to 2 minutes, then run a flat spatula along the outside of the omelet, carefully releasing the outer edges to prepare for flipping. Flip the omelet and cook, tortilla side down, for about 1 minute more, or until the tortilla is browned and begins to crisp.

Transfer the omelet/tortilla to a plate and carefully roll it up. Place seam side down and cut in half. Serve with hot sauce if desired.

Per (1 wrap) serving: calories 301, fat 15g, carb 20g, fiber 12g, protein 31g

1.18.23: ham. potato, and bean soup

1.18.22: healthy-er potato soup

1.18.21: chain mask leash

1.18.20: avocado fries 

1.18.19: meat lovers pasta sauce
1.18.18: birthday card gift box
1.18.17: cinnamon roll fail
1.18.16: parachute cord dog collar

Hot and Sour Soup

I love hot and sour soup but have never made it - I'm sorry it took me this long because it isn't difficult at all and it's DELICIOUS! I had all of the ingredients on hand other than bamboo shoots so I just left them out, I think the texture they would add would be good but this is great without them so do what you want regarding adding or not. I used chicken broth, sliced baby bella mushrooms, and cooked ground pork just FYI. Don't know how much veggie broth, shiitakes, and tofu would change the outcome. I also was worried about how spicy chili garlic sauce was going to be so I started with 1/2 t. and ended up adding more (and more vinegar too). Yum. 

• 8 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms (or baby bella mushrooms), thinly-sliced, discard the stems
• 1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained (optional)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar, or more to taste
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 t. ground ginger
• 1 t. chili garlic sauce (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• 8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes (or cooked ground pork)
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced (divided)
• 1 t. toasted sesame oil
• salt and pepper to taste

 Set aside 1/4 cup of the broth for later use.

Add the remaining 7 3/4 cups broth, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and chili garlic sauce to a large stock pot , and stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until the soup starts to simmer. 

While the soup is heating, whisk together the 1/4 cup or broth that you had set aside, and cornstarch in a small bowl until completely smooth. Once the soup has reached a simmer, stir in the cornstarch mixture and stir for 1 minute or so until the soup has thickened.

Continue stirring the soup in a circular motion, then drizzle in the eggs in a thin stream (while still stirring the soup) to create egg ribbons. Stir in the tofu or cooked pork, half of the green onions, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. If you'd like a more 'sour' soup, feel free to add in another tablespoon or two of rice vinegar; or if you'd like a spicier soup, add in more chili garlic sauce. 

Serve immediately, garnished with the extra green onions.

recipe found here at gimme some oven - there are lots more notes and info at the site if you want to read more or need additional details. 

1.17.23: ham stock

1.17.22: sliding side lunge

1.17.21: 🔥 week 3

1.17.20: fried cabbage with bacon

1.17.19: how to clean a fan

1.17.18: baked eggs in avocado

1.17.17: tuna-egg salad

1.17.16: best meatballs ever

Tip-sy Tuesday: Buttercream Frosting Fix

Sometimes my frosting get's a weird texture that isn't very pretty - I finally researched and it's caused by tiny air bubbles. An easy fix is to turn out the buttercream onto a silpat (I imagine parchment would work just fine too) and smooth it out using a frosting knife. Just keep pushing the frosting back and forth and the buttercream will smooth out. Good to know!

Here's a good example - you can especially see what I'm talking about on the bottom darkest layer of the mermaid scale cake, it's almost bumpy looking. Wish I knew this fix before frosting this pretty cake!

1.16.23: MNIH: gluten-free poke brownies

1.16.22: 🔥 week 3

1.16.21: crochet cat basket version 2

1.16.20: TBT: potted ham

1.16.19: removable wallpaper

1.16.18: beading basics

1.16.17: unfinished projects

1.16.16: whiskey sours

Treasure Hunt in the House

Here's a fun kid thing to do that's an activity without having to go outside (in case you're stuck in the snow in MI right now!) or really it's fun any ol' time. I came across these 'clues' in my desk drawer and love the memory of Brooke and I doing this ALL the time when she was little. Write your clues on pieces of paper and number them (in case the person finds a clue that is out of order, she wouldn't know where to go next if some clues are skipped). The person figures out where the clue is sending them, they go to that place and find the next clue. Once all the clues have been collected it leads them to the last stop and there is a prize at the end. 

In the above example:

#2 "quiet time is over, what is that sound? I hear music". Brooke didn't have to take a nap at my house but we always had a quiet time period (and yes, she usually fell asleep haha); when she woke up or decided quiet time was over she would jiggle a wind chime I had hanging in 'her' room and I would call out 'what is that sound? why do I hear music?'. So she read the clue and knew to go to the wind chime to get clue #3. At the end, clue #10 led her to Uncle who was holding the prize for her (it can be anything - snacks, candy, whatever - that part never mattered haha). 

And then she would make clues for me to go on my own treasure hunt :)

1.15.23: 🔥 week 3

1.15.22: Dave's cosmopolitans

1.15.21: skinny chicken parmesan

1.15.20: spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

1.15.19: chocolate chip marshmallow cookies (the worlds ugliest cookies!)

1.15.18: bird cage slipcover

1.15.17: Mimi's neighbor's fish tacos 

1.15.16: dipped shortbread cookies

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 2)

Dear Campers ~ 

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week (I realize it's all food related, no time to make anything else!):

Posts ~

1/7: 🔥 week 1

1/8: three-cheese potato gratin

1/9: TT alcohol by volume vs. proof

1/10: creamed new potatoes and peas

1/11: couscous cakes

1/12: two-toned candy melt curls

1/13: words

What's Cooking ~ (we were on the road for a few days, here's what we had in the RV)

• meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mixed veg
• grilled chicken (ahead of time), pasta with red sauce, caesar salad
• shredded pork (cooked ahead of time) tacos, spanish rice
• pasta with italian sausage and mushrooms, steamed green beans
• steak, microwave baked potatoes, wilted spinach

That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

1.14.23: sweet tea swagger

1.14.22: t-shirt rag quilt

1.14.21: dog crochet basket 

1.14.20: TT: cleaning your mattress

1.14.19: bath salt cakes

1.14.18: west coast chili

1.14.17: Janis's chicken soup

1.14.16: fringe and chain necklace

   

1/13 ~ Words

1.13.23: vegetable parmigiana 

1.13.22: chicken parmigiana stuffed mushrooms

1.13.21: lemon honey dijon chicken

1.13.20 - crocheted messy bun hat

1.13.19 - 🔥week 2

1.13.18 - lentil gravy

1.13.17 - bath bombs

1.13.16 - cover a side table