The Saturday Pants- Sweatshirt to Shorts

Since I moved last week I have been reacquainted with a lot of my stuff. I found an old sweatshirt from far too long ago that doesn't have a hood, so I don't ever wear it. I decided to turn it into shorts. Looking back it would have worked better if it was a tad bit bigger. The weather right now is kind of in between here in the south. We have cool(ish) nights but the days are still in the 80's. I wanted some comfy pants that didn't make me too hot.

Here is how I did it:

1. I cut off the collar, the sleeves, and the waist band. I opened it up and matched the sides together. The arm holes became the inside of the legs. I then found that it was too skinny for my legs so I cut a couple inch wide piece and added it to the inside of the legs.

2. I used a pair of shorts to see how high up to sew between the legs. I snipped and sewed. I cut off the bottom even with how long the shorts were.

3. I cut the seam off of the waist band and measured around my waist. I pulled it tight so it will hold the pants up. I cut 3 skinny pieces from one of the sleeves and sewed them together so I had one long piece. I folded them in half lengthwise and zig zagged it to make the drawstring. I cut two holes in the middle of the waist band through one layer. I laced the drawstring through one hole and out the end and into the other end and out the other hole. I evened them out and sewed the back to create a circle with the seam facing in. I then sewed it onto the top of the pants.

4. I added an edge to the bottom and was comfy all day :)

General Conference Kits

So, as I've mentioned, all of us Wayward Girls are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called "Mormon," One really neat thing about our church is that twice a year we get to hear from our church leaders in a worldwide broadcast. This includes a living prophet, just like Noah and Moses.  We call this meeting General Conference.

 

I wanted to prepare a goodie bag for the sisters I visit teach in preparation for Conference. Visiting teaching is another program in our church, set up to take care of every individual. Two women are assigned to visit another woman monthly and share a spiritual message. They are also directed to pray for this sister throughout the month and help minister to her needs. I wanted to help the sisters I visit teach gear up for conference. I put together these little kits to help.

Here are the contents: 

A notebook and nice pen to take notes

Hot Tamales to help you stay awake!

M&Ms to much on

Tissues, in case you tear up

Cost break down:

Notebook: $1

Pen: $0.50

Tissues: $0.15

Hot Tamales: $1

M&Ms: $0.79

Bag: $0.50

Total:  $3.94

I also plan to write a little note about conference, maybe something like this. I'm really excited for General Conference, and invite you to check it out. 

What would you put in this kit?

Pear Pie

Happy October! It's a great time to celebrate the harvest, and one of those harvest fruits today: I love pears! This week there was an article on pears in our newspaper with several recipes. When I saw Bartletts on sale at the grocery store, I grabbed enough to make the pie listed in the article, because I'd never had a pear pie before.

Unfortunately, the newspaper editor apparently thought the attribution for the recipe was a waste of space, so I don't know where this recipe comes from. Some important little steps are missing as well, so I'm adding corrections and extra information here to ensure your pear pie results are fantastic. My additions are in blue.

Pear Pie

• Double-crust pie pastry
• 5 cups firm, ripe Bartlett pears (about 6 or 7), peeled, cored and sliced 

Yeah, you'd think they'd include that information. Unless this is the intended result:

Note: Bartletts work all right, but the results would most likely be a little better with a firmer-fleshed variety like Bosc or d'Anjou/Anjou. Or at least you'd be able to find fruit that is both firm and ripe.

• 4 Tbsp apricot preserves
• 1/3 c granulated sugar
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 2 1/2 - 3 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca (or tapioca flour)
• 3 Tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line pie pan with bottom crust. You can layer the pear slices in the crust now, or combine them with the filling ingredients before pouring them in.

2. Melt apricot preserves in the microwave or on the stovetop. I just don't see this:

mixing with whole pears and sugar really well.

3. Add the sugars, spices and tapioca to the melted preserves and stir until combined. If you haven't already placed the pear pieces in the crust, mix them in with the filling and pour into the crust. Otherwise, pour the filling mixture over the pears in the crust. 

It's okay if it doesn't get everywhere right now. It will.

4. Dot the pears and filling with small bits of butter. Cover with the top crust, seal and cut steam vents. Bake for 40 - 50 or 60 minutes.

I had to look on the Internet to make sure the pears needed to be peeled before making this pie, and I came across a couple pear pie recipes that "taste just like apple pie!"

This pie does NOT taste like apple pie--and that's a good thing. It keeps the natural sweetness, flavor and texture of the pears. They become softer but don't break down so much that you can't pick them up with a fork. It's definitely a pear pie, and the filling complements the pears perfect.

What's your favorite way to eat pears?

My favorite way to eat pears is actually dried, like our grandma made them. I've tried drying some but I haven't been able to replicate her wonderful, chewy results yet.

So what's going on with WGC?

The wayward girls have indeed been wayward this week. We apologize for our lack of posts! The NC contingent of the WGC have been involved in some big events. Last Saturday, I, along with 2 other women, spearheaded Women's Day at our church. We had about 300 women spend Saturday with us, making crafts, taking classes, and having lunch. It was all-consuming, and I have been in recovery mode this week. We had some great classes, including a couple that I showcased here earlier. Other craft classes included:

Painted glass bottles taught by Stephanie A.

These cute ties for boys taught by Melissa B.

A fruit bag made from a T-shirt taught by Liz. C

These ideas for embellishing kids' clothes by Kristie A

A crochet potholders.

 

It was a great day. We will be posting directions for many of these crafts at the website: durhamstakewomensday.com

Brooke and Jasmine have both been equally busy. They taught a class on hair styles at Women's Day. Expect to see the results here soon.
Brooke also had the very exciting experience of MOVING this week. She has been very busy and is likely unpacking right this very minute. Jasmine and I have spent some time helping her.
This morning, Jasmine left for a much awaited trip out to Utah. She met up with Jordan and they will be heading north to visit a very special friend!

So that's what's going on with us!

Cereal-ously Fun Post Cards!

One day I was at my aunt's house, looking at all the fun things you can send through the mail on Giver's Log with her teenage daughters. My aunt then said that one of the coolest things she ever got in the mail was a post card made from a cereal box. I LOVED this idea and wanted to send some fun post cards to my nephew and niece (Jordan's kids). Another thing I loved about it? The cost: it's free!

What you do:

Take a cereal box, and cut it up in to a rectangle. Make sure to cut it between the minimum and maximum sizes set by the Post Office:

• Minimum: 5" long by 3 &1/2" high 
• Maximum: 11" long by 6 & 1/8" high 

On the back, write out your message. Then address it and stamp it. 

 

And send!

Here's proof my niece (4 years old) and nephew (6 years old) liked 'em



 These would be equally fun for kids to make!

 

Other boxes to cut up and send: Mac and Cheese, Brownie or Cake mix, Tampon box (if you're feeling brave/funny/stupid with your menstruating friend), Toothpaste box (post card from the tooth fairy?). Tissue boxes for sick or sad friends, or a shoe box for shoe lover. Tons of possibilities and all of 'em are free! 

How to freeze pies

We're coming up on Fall and the holidays. It's pie time!

Sorry, no advice on fitting them  inside!

For any holiday where pies are the traditional dessert, it can take a lot of prep time—time you probably want to spend making sure that turkey doesn’t turn the texture of sawdust. Freezing pies in advance is one way to cut down on the stress of Thanksgiving.

Not all pies can be frozen, of course. Cooked custard pies don’t freeze well. Fruit pies, however, like the perennial favorite apple, are great to freeze. So prep them now and you can simply pop them in the oven the day of: don’t thaw.

Here are a few tips and baking time adjustments to make sure your pies taste just as amazing as they would if you’d slaved all morning peeling, pitting and chopping.

Freezing unbaked pies
Some say that freezing an unbaked pie makes the crust soggy between the moisture of the freezer and the fruit. Others, however, report success with freezing unbaked pies.

Purdue University says you can freeze raw pumpkin pies: don’t bake the crust, pour in the cold custard filling, wrap well with plastic wrap and freeze. Make double sure it’s level in the freezer! When you’re ready, take off the plastic, pop it in the oven without thawing at 400°F for 10 minutes. Then reduce to 325°F to finish baking. Remember that even unfrozen pumpkin pies can take an hour to bake, so watch it carefully.

For fruit pies,

• If you’re using a fruit that browns (like apples), don’t forget to include lemon juice in your filling to prevent too much discoloration.
• Wrap well in plastic wrap before placing in the freezer.
• Purdue says to add an extra Tbsp thickener to the filling and don’t cut steam vents before freezing.
• Again from Purdue: when you’re ready to bake, do not thaw. Unwrap, cut the steam vents and put the pan on a cookie sheet (always a good idea!). Bake at 450°F for 15 to 20 minutes, then 375°F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top crust is brown.
• You might also consider just making the filling in advance and freezing it. Thaw just until you can get it in the crust and it’s ready to use!

Freezing baked pies
Again, don’t freeze a baked custard pie, like a pumpkin pie. The texture just doesn’t hold up in the freezer.

When you’re freezing a pie you’ve already baked, make sure you:

• Cool the pie completely before freezing.
• Wrap well with plastic wrap.
• To reheat them, Purdue recommends unwrapping the pies to let them stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then bake at 350°F until warm, approximately 30 minutes.

All frozen pies keep about 4 months in the freezer. Purdue also recommends using a crust with a higher fat content if you’re going to be freezing it.

My recommendation? Freeze unbaked pies. It’s less work than essentially baking them twice, and the after-freezer baking time is almost exactly the same whether you baked it first or not. Plus, your risk of a crust made soggy by trapped condensation from the first baking is a lot lower.

What do you think? Do you freeze pies? Baked or unbaked?

Sources:
http://www.four-h.purdue.edu/foods/freezing%20pies.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_5104696_freeze-fruit-pies.html

Freezer photo by Lynn Gardner

No-Slip Shoes

I have a problem! Many of my shoes slip off my heels. I am trying to look all professional and suddenly I walk right out of my shoes. Yikes!
I really liked these cute shoes, but I couldn't stay in them.

I have tried various things, including purchasing a product made for this, but hadn't found the best answer.UNTIL NOW!
Look what I did last week.

I already had these things on hand. The carpet tape is about 1.25" wide and has a strong double sided adhesive.

I got a piece of tape about 3" long and applied it firmly to the rubbering, no-slip shelve liner.

I cut the mat to fit, rounded the edges, and applied it to my shoes.

It worked. I stayed in my shoes all day, and the heel inserts were soft and comfy.