Make Ahead meals

Ever since I saw this photo of someone's freezer on joelens.blogspot.com, I have been

wanting to make some meals and fill my freezer! So I finally made preparations & did it this week! For 3 nights, I cooked extra and prepared it for the freezer. On the first night I cooked a whole bunch of chicken and made chicken enchiladas. That was enough for our supper and 3 dishes for the freezer. I also had enough to make 3 chicken & broccoli casseroles and some chicken left over for my kitty, Mr. Spock. On the 2nd night I cooked a lot of ground beef & turkey and made spaghetti for supper. I had enough left for 2 servings for lunches, 3 dishes of lasagne and several containers of baked beans. Tonight I made homemade pizza dough and we had pizza for supper, so I have 2 crusts to make pizza later, plus I made 7 small pizzas for lunches so we won't have to buy those yucky, greasy frozen pizza for when we are in a hurry. I also made "Aunt Shirley's baked beans" in the crock pot and they are a whole meal with cornbread. I did a few other things, so now I am hoping I can be set to not go to the store for a month except for things to fill in (milk, bread, fresh veggies). I even have several breakfasts in there because I hate getting up early to cook! I will try to get some of my recipes and let you know how they turn out after being frozen. I finished all my cooking tonight, so should be able to use up the food for about 3 more weeks and take it easy and hopefully concentrate on creating now!

We've had a new kitty hanging around for a couple of weeks. I was hoping to find him a home on my own, but my kitties outside were so upset by having him here. Monday I took him to a local no-kill shelter. I was sad to take him, but I know he will find a good home. All his tests were negative, so he is ready to be neutered and start looking for his new home! I wish I could keep them all, but at 13, I am pretty full here. They can get expensive and I want to be able to take good care of the ones I have now. Maybe someday when I am rich and don't have to work.....I am still waiting for that day though!!

Sunsets....

I am obsessed with taking photos of sunsets lately....there is a good spot across the road from me where I love to go, or its fun to find a new spot some days. My next goal is to learn to take some pictures of the moon. That will be a challenge, haven't had much luck so far! But right now, I am still enjoying the sunsets. Its amazing that they can be so different every day, isn't it?

We have had some really warm days lately and its hard to believe it is winter! I'm already thinking about my garden and all the things I can do outside. Its so tempting to plant when its nice, but guess I should wait...Poncho (in the photo) is taking advantage of all these warm days!!

In the meantime, I have some new things to try that I can do inside. First is making some homemade laundry detergent. I am almost out, so will be trying it soon and will let you all know how it works out. I have been doing some early spring cleaning and cleaned out a lot of "stuff" (like my Raggedy Ann collection) from my laundry room. This will make room for things that are needed, now I just need to find a way that looks pretty!!

Tutorial update

I just updated the post below with the correct link for the Cat Palace tutorial:

http://www.box.com/s/amvu7z2h88jmkbvf16t8

Please let me know if this doesn't work for you!

Turn an old stereo cabinet into a Kitty Palace!

If you prefer the printable pdf version of this project, click here:  

http://www.box.com/s/amvu7z2h88jmkbvf16t8

 Text version:


1. Gather items needed





Old stereo cabinet, sand paper, paint for outside & accent paint for inside cabinet, paint brushes, newspaper (to put down on floor), fabrics for pillows, hammer, small nails, sewing machine, matching threads, hand-sewing needle, tape, scissors, polyfil, plywood cut to fit back, velcro (sew on kind & sticky back kind.)












2. Choose your paint & fabrics




Remove any unnecessary hardware. Sand all surfaces to be painted. This will scratch up the surface & allow the paint to stick to the surface. Try to get one of your cats to help you sand to make the job go a little faster.4. Paint Inside of cabinet

Paint inside of cabinet & back panel with your accent color. You can put the back panel on first but I think its easier to paint it, then attach to the back of your cabinet. It will probably take several coats to cover well. Its best if you DON'T let your cats help with the painting. They will be ready for a nap after sanding anyway

 5. Add back to cabinet

6. Paint Outside & back of cabinet 



Paint outside, edges and back (if you want) and allow to dry. If you are going with a light color, it will take several coats. I think I painted mine about 4-5 coats. You can work on the pillows while you are waiting for the paint to dry.

 7. Antique your cabinet








Hold your piece of plywood in place and nail with small nails. You can glue it too if you want...but I didn't want to....



When completely dry, sand the piece a little to make it look old. Especially concentrate on the edges and corners. I didn't sand the inside at all, but you can do that too if you want. I didn't seal mine because I like the flat finish, but if you choose to seal it, do it now, before you add the pillows and be SURE it is dry before moving on.





8. Measure for pillow


 Measure inside your cabinets for the pillows. Add 1/2" to the measurements. For example, my shelves were 13" x 17.5" so I made my pillows 13.5" x 18". I wanted to make my pillows thick, so I added a strip 3.5" wide, but that isn't necessary and I don't think I would do it that way if I had it to do over.

9. Cut fabric & get ready to sew


 Cut out all pieces for your pillow. I made a pillow for the top, but didn't like the look. You might like the look and want to try it. Cut 2 pieces for each pillow. If you want the gusset to make the pillows thick, cut it 3.5" (or the size thickness you want) and long enough to go all around your pillow, plus a little extra. The extra can be easily trimmed away.

10. Add velcro strips



I used 2 sets of velcro strips to hold my pillows in place. (You can leave off this step) I matched a sew on strip to a sticky back strip. Sew 2 strips on the back of each pillow. Stick the sticky back one on the sewn on piece but don't remove sticky back just yet...




11. Sew Pillows


If you are making pillows with 2 pieces, just sew the 2 pieces together with a small opening for turning & stuffing. If you are addign the gusset, pin the strip to the top piece (wrong sides together) and sew all the way around, matching the strip to the corners as you sew. Pin the bottom piece to gussett and repeat, leaving a small opening to turn & stuff. Stuff lightly and hand sew the opening.


 12. Add pillows/final approval


Place pillows on shelves and get final approval on placement. When you get them where you want them remove strip from the sticky back and place on shelf. Press down and mash them firmly against the shelf so they will stay put. Step back and admire your work--along with your cats.

13. Add cats


Place cats on shelves in a pleasing manner....or just wait and they will find the perfect spot!

14. Little extras


I sprayed some catnip spray on the pillows--some like it, some could care less. I thought later that on the taller shelf you could put an eye screw and hang a toy from the top on the inside. You could line the sides (inside) with cork or sisal for scratching. Or you could elminate the pillow in the middle and make a big hole for them to climb through. OR Cut a hole in the side, just above the middle shlf and build some steps for them to climb on to get to the 2nd level!



Note: you are welcome to place this tutorial on your blog or website, but you must link it back to my blog or website (below), give credit to Denise White of the Cat's Pyjamas and you must include all pages,




 www.thecatspyjamas.typepad.com or www.thecatspyjamaspatterns.com


You may not sell this project or tutorial or print in a publication without my permission. Any questions, email denise@scottsboro.org

Bilbo

I am sad to say that we lost Bilbo last Tuesday. He has been diagnosed with a heart condition for almost 3 years and has done well with it. Besides one upper respiratory infection last spring, he has done well and got a really good report from his heart doctor this summer. One Tuesday morning, he started having blood clots and was struggling to breath. It was a hard decision to let him go, but we were both able to be with him until the very end. I will miss him so much, but it does help me to know that he was one of the happiest cats I have ever been around. I am sharing this Christmas picture with you because this just shows his personality perfectly. We used to laugh because he would purr if you just looked at him or just touched him with your finger. He was the one cat that was happy to let the kids pet him when he came over and always wanted to snuggle with the other cats. He has been like that since Kenyon brought him home almost 12 years ago. I am glad for every day that he got to be with us...we will miss you, Bilbo!!

Just a quick note to say Happy Thanksgiving and let you know I have some great sales on my sites! At www.thecatspyjamas.com I have 15% off everything on my site! Then go over to www.thecatspyjamaspatterns.com to get $3 off any pattern or e-pattern! That means most epatterns are $3.50 and the instructions/recipes are only $2.50. That's a good price for stocking up! If you are looking for some jewelry (especially for gifts!), at www.tcpstyle.com , just about everything is 10% off. That makes a big difference, especially if you have been eyeing some of the higher priced pieces. Even the brand new pieces I just listed are 10% off.



Have fun shopping and have a Happy Thanksgiving! Prices are good through Monday and I will fill orders/answer questions on Friday.

I've been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY working on new jewelry! I have a few pieces listed at www.tcpstyle.com and hope to get all of it listed in time for Holiday shopping. Please check out what I've listed so far and keep an eye out for new stuff!!