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Chevron Baby Quilt

May 7, 2012

Well, I finished it this week.  I shared my pattern for this quilt a while back.  But when
I found out my brother and sister in law’s baby shower was this weekend, I had to put my rear in gear and sew like there was no tomorrow.  And that’s what I did for 3 days straight (hence the lack of posts this last week).

I am so excited about how this quilt turned out.  I want one now too.

I had fun with the back of this quilt too, and decided to add a little pattern.

For this quilt I cut 5″ squares and then cut them in half to make triangles.  Each row is 12 triangles across and I made the quilt 10 rows in length.  Then I added a 2″ white border and a 4″ teal border.  I made my own binding and used this fantastic tutorial from See Kate Sew.

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Irish Souvenirs

May 5, 2012

I thought I would share a few of my Irish souvenirs.  I love to bring back things for my home on my travels.  I feel like these are the kind of treasures that last a long time.  And they are also the things I can pass onto my kids.  

This sweet Eden strawberry bowl is my new favorite summer dish.  I kind of have a thing for bowls, I’ll share pictures of them sometime.  Each Eden piece is hand painted and they are made in the County of Down (which is where Lon’s family traces back to).  Eden has a lot of great patterns, I’m also loving their Lemon line.   Luckily I didn’t have an extra suitcase, because I probably would have brought home a lot more dishes.

My other big purchase was the Foxford lambswool throw.  It is so soft and I was drawn to the modern feel this grey and modern polka dot throw has.

It looks pretty good on my green leather chair in my bedroom.

What do you like to buy as souvenirs when you travel?  Is their something you always look for?

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Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers

May 2, 2012

Why did we ever eat store bought graham crackers?  These chocolate, homemade versions are so amazing.   I don’t know if we can ever go back.  This weekend we went camping in the Mojave Desert.  We have definitely found a new favorite spot.  We climbed on the cliffs, hiked and ate yummy things like s’mores and hobo meals on the fire.  It was nice to get away and just enjoy sometime with our family and the great outdoors.

I have to share my recipe for Chocolate Graham Crackers with you.  They made the best s’mores ever.



Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers
1 cup each of whole wheat and white flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

Cream butter and sugar together.  In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.  Mix well with a whisk.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes together.  Place the dough between to floured pieces of parchment paper.  Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut into squares (mine were 3″x3″) with a pizza cutter.  Chill for 10-15 mins, then transfer the individual square to a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Prick them with a fork and bake for 15-18 mins in a 325 F oven.  Cool on a wire rack.

Here’s some images to help with the how to:

I used Martha’s recipe for my starting point and then changed a few ingredients here and there.

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DIY Sophie Leash

May 1, 2012

We LOVE Sophie!  When I was preggo, I laughed at the thought of owning a $25 squeaky toy.  But my sister-in-law bought Sophie for Olivia.  Now I’ve decided that the French knew what they were doing when they made this toy, because Sophie is our favorite toy.  She goes everywhere with us!  Just this week we were in Target (our favorite shop), and Sophie went missing.  There was a 5 minute panic while we retraced our steps.  But luckily for us she was waiting on the floor, right where we had dropped her.  No more taking chances — Sophie’s got a leash now!  She’ll be safe from being dropped or worse, lost.
I really did make this leash in 5 minutes or less.  It could be used on any special toy that you don’t want to lose.  Here’s what you’ll need:
– about 2 feet of ribbon (1 inch wide grograin)
– 2 snap sets (I used dritz 5/8″ snaps and it comes with the tool – I bought mine at Joann’s Fabrics)
– a hammer

To start, you are going to fold the end of the ribbon over an inch, and then an inch again (this will encase the end of the ribbon).  Then you will attach the first snap (the male end) using the tool provided in the package and your hammer.

Next, measure Sophie’s or any other toy’s neck.  Mark where the other side (the female end) of the snap will go, and then attach it using the tool and hammer again.
Now you simply attach another set of snaps on the other end.  I made this loop a little larger so that I could attach it to the the side of the stroller, the car seat handle, or even the shopping cart.  You can make the leash as long or as short as you want.  Mine is about 18 inches long — just long enough to hold and play with, but not long enough to touch the ground when dropped.
Do you own a Sophie?  Have you lost a special toy?

If you like what you see, BE A FRIEND!  Leave a comment, follow Oleander and Palm by email, Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter.

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Monthly Memory Verse – April

April 26, 2012

Better late then never, right?  Sorry friends.  I had big plans of having this month’s verse ready before my trip to Ireland.  And, well, that didn’t happen.  And now April is almost over, and I just finished this free downloadable PDF tonight.  
I wanted an Easter themed verse, so I went with Jesus’ words for the great commission.  What could possibly be more comforting then these words.  I need this reminder.  Sometimes it’s easy to feel alone and lost, but he is with us, ALWAYS.  I hope this is encouraging and brings you hope today.
It’s free for you to download here.  If you want to know more about my Monthly Memory Verse, read here.

If you printed any of the Monthly Memory Verses or just think it’s a fun idea, please be a friend and “follow” my little blog.  If you already are a follower, please “like” my facebook page, follow my Pinterest or Twitter, sign up to follow by email, share this link with others, “Pin” it, or just leave me a comment.  

This is intended for personal use only.  

(Note: The text at the bottom of the image may print, but it is not within the 8 X10 measurement.  When you print, do not scale the image)

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Vintage Needle Point

April 24, 2012

I found this sweet vintage needlepoint at an antique store a couple of months ago.  I fell in love with it and felt like it needed a home.  Someone had put a lot of time and effort into making it, and now it was just collecting dust at the antique mall.

The only thing I did to it was paint the yellowy oak frame a nice creamy white.  I think it’s pretty darn cute with my “Jesus Loves the Little Children” print.

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Ireland: Day 4 (Dunluce Castle)

April 17, 2012

We started our morning with a visit to Dunluce Castle ruins.  It was a fascinating sight and had a great audio tour.  The kids even had their own children’s audio tour that had activities and a treasure hunt as they went.  It was well worth the visit, and we learned a lot.

We found a cute and quirky Tea House near the castle and stopped for a spot of tea and a Raspberry White Chocolate Scone (oh, I’ll be coming up with a recipe for those very soon).  I love me a good scone.  I have been known to make them from time to time (click here for lots of my scone recipes).

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Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

April 16, 2012

Marks and Spencer is a fantastic grocery and department store in the UK.  When I first went to London, I discovered this great shop and their bakery.  I ate way too many of their choc chunk shortbread cookies.   I made sure to hunt out a M & S as soon as we arrived in Dublin, Ireland.  The shortbread was still amazing.  So this time when I came home, I knew I needed to come up with a recipe for these buttery biscuits.

M & S Chocolate Chunk Shortbread
1 cup butter (room temp)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk choc chunks (I used an Easter Bunny)

Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer.  Add the salt, vanilla and egg yolks and beat until smooth.  Add the flour and mix till dough comes together.  Add the choc chunks.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4″ thick.  Using a ruler, cut the dough into 3×3″ squares.  Bake at 325 F for about 12-15 mins or just until the edges of the cookie start to turn golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

I think these are a pretty good replica of M & S’s.

We had a little fun “killing” the Chocolate Easter Bunny.  He was really yummy Irish chocolate from Butlers Chocolates.  His sacrifice made great cookies.  My 8 year old son, Dylan, got a kick out of this.

Plus I’m practicing my photoshop skills by putting this collage together.  I have been reading lots and watching tutorials online to try to learn how to use this program.  I’m definitely not there yet.  But, it’s a start. I’ll share with you some of the resources that were helpful to me very soon.

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Ireland: Day 3 (Giant’s Causeway)

April 15, 2012

Located on one of the most Northern points of Ireland, The Giant’s Causeway was a highlight of our trip. These coastal rock formations are both beautiful and fascinating.  Created by either volcanic heating and cooling or by Finn MacCool throwing stones into the ocean so that he could get to a Scottish giant that was taunting him.

We had a lot of fun climbing around on these geometric pillars of rock.  Can you believe the sunshine?  We were so blessed to have a rain-free day for our time at the Causeway.

Definitely a MUST-SEE if you visit Ireland.