Chicken Tortilla Soup Crockpot Recipe

A friend recently gave me her recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup. I have since adapted it to be my husband's favorite recipe. This event was the final excuse I needed to purchase a larger 7 quart crockpot. Bliss!

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts (can be frozen)
6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 can of low sodium black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of white beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of corn
1 cup of salsa
1/2 cup of low fat sour cream
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 large olive oil wrap (from Trader Joe's) or flour or corn tortilla, torn into bite sized pieces
2 handfulls of tortilla chips
1/2 cup of shredded cheese

Combine all ingredients in a large crockpot, except for last three ingredients. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. About half way through cooking, remove whole chicken breasts and cut into bite sized pieces. Place chicken back in crock pot. About 1/2 hour before serving, add wrap/tortilla pieces.

Serve with crunchy tortilla chips and shredded cheese sprinkled on top. Serves 6-8.

Gray Linen Shirt To Pillow

This is my new gray linen/cotton blend pillow accessorized with a yellow wool felt flower. It started out as a .55 cent thrifted shirt...

I already had a pillow form measuring 18 inches. So, I cut out my shirt...

with a 1/2" seam allowance on each side. Next, I sewed my seam, then zig-zagged for durability.

I cut out 7 circles in varying diameters - averaging 3.5 inches across. (Idea from here.)

Next, I pinched the felt together and stitched the bottom of my "scrunch".

I repeated for each circle, then placed all my scrunched circles together and stitched those together to form my flower.

Lastly, I safety-pinned the flower to my pillow (easily removed for washing).

The best part is actually the back of the pillow, which could be the front too. It's easily unbuttoned to remove the pillow case for washing!

The whole project cost me less than $1 for new materials. Love it!

Thrifted Clothing For One Week

There are some who say good clothes can't be found at a thrift store. They want name brands, clothes that fit and/or are the right style. I am here to show you that all of those things can be, and are, found in thrift stores. I've put together a whole week's wardrobe from my recent thrift store purchases (and a few new items).

I have a specific style right now... tunics, cardigans, leggings - all in gray, brown and black. I love the ability to reach (nearly blindfolded) into my closet, pull out three items and have them work together. No matter what.

I have great difficulty finding what I want at a conventional store. I almost always find items of clothing when I thrift. Take the above outfit, for example:

tan tunic sweater dress $5
navy Land's End cardigan sweater $4
gray leggings $6 new
white fur scarf $2
navy leather purse .55 cents

Outfit Total = $17.55

black tank dress $3
gray cardigan top .55 cents
black leggings $6 new
mustard yellow scarf $2 new on clearance

Outfit Total = $11.55

navy dress $4
white t-shirt - already owned
gray leggings $6 new
plaid scarf - made by me in the last post

Outfit Total = $10.00

perfect condition gray cashmere sweater $3
gray Banana Republic wool blend lined skirt $10
teal ruffle scarf - gift from this friend

Outfit Total = $13.00

khaki green skirt $5
white t-shirt - already owned
Forever 21 white sleeveless lace up shirt .55 cents
khaki green cowl - made by me here

Outfit Total = $5.55

beige tunic sweater $5
beige skirt $4
dark gray leggings $12 new
tan basket weave purse .55 cents

Outfit Total = $21.55

white tunic dress .25 cents
beige skirt $4
leggings $12 new
white crochet cardigan sweater $3
light blue pashmina - already owned by me

Outfit Total = $19.25

Regardless of your style, I know that your local thrift store has something for you. Enjoy your search!

Plaid and Lace Ruffle Scarf

For months I had a vision of this scarf, but no time to make it. Then, a month ago, I made it but had no time to post it. Time's up!

Using homespun cotton, I cut two sections of navy plaid in 19"x 36 1/2" rectangles. I then sewed them together, using a french seam to seal any frays, creating a 19"x 72" rectangle.

Next, I hemmed the edges.

Then I sewed a long running stitch down the middle (without backstitching to secure it) and pulled one thread to create my ruffle. I wanted the length of my scarf to be 36", so it's got a lot of ruffle.

Next up was applying my vintage thrifted lace. I used a multi-stitch zig zag to attach the lace, to the center gather, with nearly invisible stitches. One seam down the middle and two more - one along each edge. *Note: I used scalloped lace which requires you to line it up evenly on both sides before stitching. It would be much quicker to use a straight trim.

Final product... a ruffley, lacey scarf. So far, it's been very versatile. I can see changing up the colors a bit and wearing this right into the spring.

My Outfit

So I snapped this pic as I was walking down the hallway tonight (thus the poor quality.) It's a shot of my new khaki green thrifted coat. The price was a steal, at half off, for $3.50. It's lined and in brand new condition. I was already wearing an army green colored sweater, then the khaki jacket... so I decided to quickly (seriously, like 3 minutes) make a matching cowl/neck wrap from here. (These would make great gifts!) Did I mention that I love green?

This is the second pair of jeans I've worn today. Unlike my daughter who changes her clothes, on average, 7 times a day, I try to wear only one outfit.

But a colicky baby can have other ideas. After burping him, my low back felt damp. Somehow, my baby managed to spit up on the back of my jeans - under my sweater, which was dry. Maybe we shouldn't have named him Henry, but Houdini.

Slipper Bootie Tutorial

We were searching for slippers for my daughter (a toddler). But, post-Christmas there are tumbleweeds in the slipper aisles. Nada. So, I used what I have to make her comfy, cozy slipper booties. Here's how:

First, I gathered my supplies - a thrifted vinyl tablecloth for the sole, fleece for sole padding, scrap fleece (from this project) for the bootie, thread, elastic, scissors, paper and a pen and any embellishments I wanted to add, such as ribbons or buttons.

My next step, which was actually a challenge, was to trace my jumping/dancing/kicking toddler's feet.

Adding my seam allowance (about 1/2",) I then cut out the soles from the vinyl tablecloth and two layers of fleece for each foot. I baste stitched them together. The sole is now three layers thick.

Remember, none of this has to be exact because fleece (and bows) cover a multitude of sins ;) I roughly cut out two profile bootie shapes for each foot.

Next, I sewed the right sides together of the top of the foot and from the heel to the ankle of the bootie. (Confused? Just leave the sole open and the foot opening at the top open.)

Pin the upper of your slipper to the sole, right sides together.

Now, trim any excess fabric. This is what your inside-out slipper should look like.

Next, turn the slipper right-side out.

This next step I forgot to photograph, but I took a narrow strip of elastic, 1" less than my daughter's ankle circumference, and sewed it to the inside of the ankle part of the slipper. This helps to keep it on. I just pinned the elastic in a few places and let it gather naturally as I secured it with a zig-zag stitch for stretch. Be careful not to sew the slipper shut. Not that *I did* the first time or anything.

I tied a couple of bows and stitched them onto the fronts for custom appeal. (Pics were taken before I sealed the fray on the ribbon.)

Remember, it's ok to not have it exact. The first time I sewed the top portion of the foot, my slippers had noses. Um, not what I wanted to see. So, I just stitched it again in a smooth sloping line. Better!

They passed the test because my daughter slept in them the first night. She loves 'em! That's all that matters to me. But, I'm also glad they no longer have noses.

Thrifted Owls, Acorns and Famous Australian Children

So I went thrifting, but did not thrift famous Australian children. More on that in a moment...

See my new jammies? I own nothing like them. But when I saw them, they made me laugh, so I had to *splurge*. It's funny because they're actually a children's size, but I knew holding them up that they would fit. In perfect silky turquoise condition, the pants and shirt fit indeed. Extra bonus: all children's clothes were 30% off!

Look at those prints... it reminds me of this owl. I am loving Seattle thrift stores!

Just days ago, I mentioned to my dear H that I wanted salt and pepper shakers. What a curious item for me to want to own, seeing as how I never use salt or pepper. Ever.

Accidentally turning down the wrong aisle, led me to more squirrel/acorn goodness. Behold these simple wooden acorn salt and pepper shakers - unused. Score!

I also bought Charlotte 22 books. At .79 cents a piece, we can go a little crazy. Ok, a lot crazy. I've always maintained that I'll never skimp on books for the children. We don't mind being the "book people down the street with no t.v." ;)

Speaking of books, my husband recently announced the birth of our son, Henry, to an acquaintance. She asked about any older children. Yes, there's Charlotte. "Wow," she replied, "just like the Australian tv show!" WHAT?!

We thought we dodged that bullet by not naming our son Wilbur.

A quick google search helped us find the series of books by author Bob Graham. His series that was turned into a hit tv show. (With no tv, we just didn't know!) See more here. My dear H surprised us by secretly purchasing a copy for us to keep. Yep, more books. We just can't have too many...

And Charlotte (in the book) wears glasses, just like my Charlotte. Gotta love it!

No-Sew Fleece Scarf

Another great scarf tutorial was found through One Pretty Thing -- this time from Creative Jewish Mom. This one is for Charlotte. She chose chocolate brown and lavender fleece. (Sorry for the terrible photo -- I blame it on these overcast Seattle days!)

It's a super easy, no-sew scarf that I made using fleece scraps, scissors and masking tape.

First, take two pieces of fleece in 1/2 the width + 2 inches of your ideal scarf width, and in the desired length. Tape a line 2 inches in from one long edge on each half. (see pic)

Now carefully cut even strips 1.5 cm apart down the length of the scarf.

Next, tie two strips together - one from each half. Make each knot the same (i.e. - right over left, right over left).

Finally, wrap around your neck and be warm!

Wooly Sheep and Warm Legs

My daughter and I made wooly sheep this morning. She calls them "lamb-ees". We found the idea through One Pretty Thing. She has wonderful crafting ideas for kids amongst all her gatherings from around the internet.

First, we gathered up some scrap yarn, an empty cardboard box (yes, I'm an official Washingtonian because I finally got some Ugg boots) some clothes pins, paint, brushes, glue and scissors.

Paint the clothespins black... along with the faces of the kidney bean shape you cut out of the cardboard. Let dry. Next, pinch the clothespins onto a glued area at the bottom of your bean shape. These will be your legs. Finally, clip one end of the yarn under one leg before the glue dries and start wrapping. Keep wrapping the yarn until your sheep is as fluffy as you'd like... or you run out of scrap yarn.

Ta-da! Sheep! I left their faces plain because I sort of like the amish look. But, you could add eyes, ears, a tail... etc.

Also, since Henry decided to nap a few days ago, I was able to whip up four more pairs of baby legs for Charlotte. I was sort of disappointed in the heart socks from Target as they frayed after just one wearing. But, they are still perfect for Valentine's Day.

Now to the laundry and dishes... ;)

Mantle Decor

The mystery is revealed... I've decorated the mantle in our new home. Remember the small "S" from here? And I made the big "S" and the squirrel art, the acorn jar was a gift from dear H a couple of years ago and the twig leaf was a decoration from our previous house. Since we are forest-y folk, it all suits us perfectly.

We love this fireplace. We use it all the time to stay cozy.

A complete living room makeover is on the way too... Because our home is a rental - and all white, it gave us a clean palate to work with. But, there are limitations... such as, lots of windows and no curtain rods! So, stay tuned for further decorating updates.
This is what our mantle looked like at Christmastime. It was still odd to see 4 stockings this year. But it was also great to see 4 stockings this year :)

P.S. Thank you to One Pretty Thing for featuring Charlotte's Scottish Birthday Party in the Birthday Roundup yesterday!