Eggactly what I wanted: How to Make a Beautiful Homemade Tablecloth on a Budget

One of my favorite ways to decorate a home is with fabric. A simple homemade tablecloth can completely transform an ordinary dining table, giving the room warmth and personality for very little money.

The fabric for this tablecloth came from the discount table at Walmart. I immediately fell in love with the soft blue floral print. Originally I planned to turn it into a quilt, but the fabric began to fray more than I expected. Instead of giving up on it, I changed directions, serged the edges, added a delicate lace trim, and created exactly the tablecloth I had been looking for.

Why I Love Homemade Tablecloths

One of the wonderful things about sewing your own tablecloth is that you're not limited to the standard sizes found in stores. Whether you have a small breakfast table, a farmhouse dining table, or even a folding table for holidays, you can make a custom tablecloth that fits perfectly.

Homemade tablecloths are also a wonderful way to give new life to beautiful fabrics. Floral cotton prints, vintage sheets, linen, canvas, upholstery fabric, and decorator fabrics can all become elegant table coverings. Sometimes the most beautiful fabric isn't found in the quilting department at all—it's hiding on a clearance rack waiting for a new purpose.

Decorating on a Budget

A tablecloth can also work wonders for older furniture. Instead of replacing a scratched or worn table, a custom tablecloth instantly creates a fresh new look while protecting the surface underneath. Changing fabrics with the seasons is an inexpensive way to refresh a room without spending a fortune on new furniture.

Over the years I've discovered that simple sewing projects like this often make the biggest difference in a home. A few yards of discounted fabric, a little lace, and an afternoon at the sewing machine turned into a tablecloth I'll enjoy for years to come.

I made a new table cloth this week. 

Originally, I was going to make a quilt, but the fabric started to fray... I serged the edges and lined with lace. It was exactly what I was looking for in a new tablecloth!

Found a brown egg this morning too! Now we have 3 hens laying.

Poor Chelsea: Losing One of Our Backyard Chickens

2 months old

Last night we lost one of our hens. And she was our favorite. Chelsea was the sweetest and tamest bird we've ever owned. Always glad to see us, first to approach us, and very very gentle.

I blame myself for waiting too long to trim their wings. Chelsea kept escaping the coop. Unfortunately, our dog played a bit too rough.

Thus the bittersweet experience of raising farm animals. Now we're down to 4 hens. We still have 2 egg layers, and waiting for the rest, but something's missing without Chelsea. I'm at work, so they're staying in their coop today until I can clip their wings on Monday. Better safe than sorry!

Chelsea wasn't just one of our hens—she had become part of the family. She was always the first to greet us at the coop, eager for attention and never shy about following us around the yard. Every flock seems to have that one special bird with a personality all her own, and for us, that was Chelsea.

Losing her was heartbreaking.

Although we had planned to clip the hens' wings, we simply waited too long. Chelsea had become quite skilled at flying over the fence, and one unfortunate afternoon our dog decided she wanted to play. Sadly, the game ended in tragedy.

Every Chicken Keeper Learns Difficult Lessons

Raising backyard chickens brings tremendous joy, but it also comes with responsibility and occasional heartbreak. Whether it's predators, illness, weather, or accidents, every flock owner eventually faces difficult days. Each loss reminds us how important it is to continually improve the safety of our coop and run.

After losing Chelsea, I kept the remaining hens safely confined until I could clip their wings and make a few changes around the coop. It was a difficult reminder that even friendly family pets can unintentionally injure chickens by following their natural instincts.

What Chelsea Taught Us

Chelsea may have been with us for only a short time, but she taught us some valuable lessons about animal care, responsibility, and never putting off small jobs that could make a big difference.

Although our flock continued to grow and the remaining hens eventually became wonderful egg layers, there was always something special about Chelsea that we'll never forget. Sometimes the smallest animals leave the biggest footprints on our hearts.

A Reason for the Season - Warm Christmas in Texas

We walked around the neighborhood tonight, looking at lights and enjoying the almost 70-degree weather. Sure doesn't feel like Winter is here, nor does it feel like Christmas is 3 days away!

In fact, after walking our block, we jumped in the car with the windows down, got a Hawaiian shaved ice, and walked again through downtown. It's evenings like this that stick in our memories, those spontaneous moments spent with family...

This year, as I do every year, I reflected over the holidays. As we pulled into our driveway, we were talking about the true meaning of Christmas -- stuff like nobody knows WHAT DAY Jesus was really born, WHY we have decorated Christmas trees, Santa Clause, elves, strange traditions of so many things...


But regardless of all these things, I do see good will happening towards one another. The full pantry at the women's shelter where I work, phone calls from strangers wanting to give, the donated gifts locked away till Christmas morning....

A lady called me last weekend on the hotline. She asked if it were possible her daughter could give a gift to a child in our shelter. She wanted her daughter to give away a toy that she wanted for herself, to experience that selfless moment when she stopped thinking about herself.

Many, many a year I've threatened my kids with promises of soup kitchens on Christmas day. Instead of emptying our bank accounts to buy more STUFF, I wanted us to roll up our sleeves...

I knew exactly why that lady called.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:8-11

Scoot Over, My Turn! Two Hens Finally Laying Eggs

Meet Penelope. Found her in the nest this morning laying an egg. So now we have two hens a layin (say that with the sing-song voice, six geese a layin!) As our other hen Cleopatra layed an egg this morning too! Yesterday we nearly lost her. In fact, I'm still holding my breath. It's a miracle! Seriously. I won't go into details on her injury. It's pretty bad, and I'm afraid to look again at her neck. I know... I'm being a chicken. :(

One of the most exciting milestones for any backyard chicken keeper is finding that first egg—and even more exciting is discovering another hen has decided to join the egg-laying club. That morning I opened the nesting box to find Penelope happily sitting on her freshly laid egg, while Cleopatra had already left us another surprise earlier in the day.

Watching young hens begin laying is incredibly rewarding. After months of caring for them as fluffy little chicks, providing fresh food and water, cleaning the coop, and patiently waiting, those first eggs make all the work worthwhile.

Winter Challenges with Backyard Chickens

Of course, raising chickens isn't always glamorous.

Heavy rain had turned the chicken yard into one giant mud puddle. Trying to collect eggs while wearing flip-flops and a nightgown probably wasn't my brightest idea. One quick step later, I found myself windmilling through the mud trying desperately not to become the morning's entertainment. Somehow I managed to stay upright, although my daughter later wasn't quite as fortunate and ended up changing clothes after taking a tumble herself!

Every Chicken Has Its Own Personality

One of the things that surprised me most about keeping chickens was how different each hen's personality became. Some were bold and curious, while others preferred to keep their distance. Penelope quickly became one of our dependable layers, and every new egg felt like another small reward for all the time we'd invested caring for our flock.

Despite the muddy boots, rainy weather, and occasional surprises, collecting fresh eggs never lost its excitement. Those simple moments are still some of my favorite memories from raising backyard chickens.

Diary Entry:  Now if only we can get the ground to dry outside! It's been raining like crazy. My daughter (who was still in bed) actually heard me scream this morning while I was tending the coop. I nearly did a back flip slipping and sliding in my nightgown, and ridiculous flip flops. Fortunately, I caught myself in mid air, but I pictured myself sprawled in mud and poop, yelling, I've fallen and I can't get up!

Pamela, wasn't so lucky. She later slipped and fell, having to change clothes. Yesterday, she almost did the splits. It's nasty outside. What a crazy week it's been! Now, we're hoping this guy follows through and shows up this Friday. He offered to adopt our rooster, Jesse!! Yay!!

One of the most exciting milestones for any backyard chicken keeper is finding that first egg—and even more exciting is discovering another hen has decided to join the egg-laying club. That morning I opened the nesting box to find Penelope happily sitting on her freshly laid egg, while Cleopatra had already left us another surprise earlier in the day.

Watching young hens begin laying is incredibly rewarding. After months of caring for them as fluffy little chicks, providing fresh food and water, cleaning the coop, and patiently waiting, those first eggs make all the work worthwhile.

A Dozen Smiles and a Heavy Heart: Losing a Hen

So far, we've collected our dozen and then some. 14 total.

Fresh and warm.

The fresh yoke is at the top. We scrambled 2 store bought, and 1 fresh egg to do a comparison on yoke color. The darker the yoke, the more nutritious.

Cleopatra is our productive hen. Other than skipping a day or two, she's layed every single day, and two yesterday. We're thinking how is that possible? Maybe we have another hen laying? Every time we sneak outside, it's her that's in the nest. Hmmm...

Either way, we have heavy hearts and I'm thankful I got this picture. It will be a miracle if Cleopatra survives the night. We've been having an unfortunate struggle with our rooster and dog. Both beast and fowl have been fighting, and the taunting from the rooster has caused our dog to go beserk. Somehow or another two of our hens got out of their pen and we found Cleopatra with a bloody neck. Feathers everywhere. I ever so tenderly placed her back into the pen. With an unsure smile we watched as she pecked at some corn, and took a small drink of water.

We've been having an unsuccessful time giving away our rooster, Jesse. Not sure what else to do, other than drag out the stew pot...

We're going to let nature take it's course for Cleopatra. Thus the hard lessons of caring for animals. Their lives are so short, so sweet, and ever so fragile.

Main Street Bethlehem - Burnet, Texas

This past weekend we drove out to Burnet to see the annual celebration of putting the "Christ" back into Christmas. This is a gift from the First Baptist church of Burnet, that's been going on since 1993. Pictured below is how the "living history" city of Bethlehem is layed out. You could tell the church put a lot of time, money, and thought into the architecture.

It was a cold evening, with heavy mist as we headed out. Forecasts for thick fog, kept us moving fast as we drove the 45-something miles to Burnet. With long dark stretches of road, we kept our eyes peeled for deer crossing.

The fires were a welcoming sight as we approached Bethlehem. We stood in the fast growing line outside the city walls as we waited our turn. I took a few photo's, but ended up tucking my camera away. I'm sooo ready to buy a new one. Can't figure out my shutter and night pictures are the worst. Anyway, here's a few.

Click picture and you can see the nativity.




Hmmmm Camels! I'll be seeing plenty of those soon enough!
After exiting Bethlehem, we were greeted with warm smiles, hot cocoa, and lots of cookies! All free from the very generous Baptist church.
While leaving the festivities, we noticed street vendors selling their wares along downtown main street. I was sooo tempted to ask Alan to stop and buy that homemade pecan brittle. They were the size of a frying pan! We headed for the river, and walked along the lights, until the mist fell. Time to head home before the fog sets in!

World War II Cake

Today, we experimented with a cake recipe taken from the back of an American Girl mystery book.

WACKY CAKE

A super-easy World War Two recipe that uses no butter or eggs and very little sugar and chocolate. The "wacky" mixing method helps the eggless cake to rise and turn out light and tender!

You can only imagine how easy it would be to stock up on these ingredients. No refrigeration needed!

RECIPE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8" square baking pan with cooking spray.

Measure into the pan: 1- 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt. Use whisk to blend dry ingredients together.

Use a spoon to make 1 large crater and 2 small craters in the dry mix. Pour 5 tablespoons vegetable oil into the large crater. Pour 1 tablespoon vinegar into small crater. Pour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into the last crater. Pour 1 cup water into the pan.

Using wooden spoon, gently mix everything together until you see only a few streaks of flour in the mixture.

Bake cake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

Cool the cake completely, and then dust it with powdered sugar. Serve plain or with a spoonful of ice cream or whipped topping.

** Our personal opinion about the cake was positive. I tasted a hint of baking soda, but was impressed with the moistness and richness of the cake - minus the eggs and butter! This cake is a sure winner for staples. Even better, very little ingredients involved, and easy (fun) for children to make. Give it a try. History is fun!

 

Wacky Cake

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup water
• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt directly into the pan and whisk together.
3. Make one large well and two small wells in the dry ingredients.
4. Pour the vegetable oil into the large well, the vinegar into one small well, and the vanilla into the other.
5. Pour the water over everything and gently stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
6. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
7. Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar, or serve with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A Slice of Texas

One of the things I enjoy most about old recipes is discovering how resourceful previous generations had to be. During difficult times, families learned to make the most of simple ingredients they already had in the pantry. Recipes like Wacky Cake remind us that good food doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. It's a delicious little piece of history—and one that's still just as enjoyable around today's kitchen table.