Rag Quilt

I was feeling creative this week so I raided my fabric stash.  I had some gorgeous quilting fabric I got for my birthday last year I had planned to make a lap quilt out of.  I also had been toying with the idea of making a rag quilt I saw on this website.  I thought, why not combine the two projects and make the rag quilt out of the birthday fabric?  So I went for it and this is the result...

As you can see, I have to share my new quilt...

It took me about 5 days and cost about $40. Not too bad, I think.  This quilt was unusual in that instead of sewing together the top squares, then attaching them to a backing, you actually make little quilt "sandwiches", assembling top, batting, and back, sewing together, then sewing the sandwiches wrong sides together to make the seams on the front.  Snip the seams and it toss in the washer and dryer and there you go!

I just love the finished look!

And I'm not the only one! :)

Forward

I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions.  I've been around enough to know that they don't last.  I usually don't stick to much of anything for more than a week or so, if I'm lucky.  I now know better than to use words like "always" and "never".  But words like growing, improving, and striving are friends of mine.  To be able to look back on the previous year and say, "I'm a better person now than I was then," whatever that means to you, is a huge achievement.  I would like to be able to say that.  To always be pressing forward, growing in grace, expanding in knowledge, bettering myself as a wife, mother, and friend.  Not becoming stagnant, but reaching out and making a difference in my little corner of the world.  I think that we can all do that.  By making little changes every day, adding and subtracting what we need to from our lives to slowly mold ourselves into what we want to be.  Knowing that we will inevitably fail, but not letting that stop us from getting back up and pressing forward again.

Here are some things I want to work on over this next year...

• spend less
• give more
• read more books
• watch less TV
• eat more veggies
• eat less sugar
• take more walks
• be outside more
• plant some flowers
• plant some herbs
• speak more softly
• be less easily angered
• repay evil with good
• smile more often
• give more hugs
• talk to strangers
• be thankful
• complain less
• go to bed a little earlier
• get up a little earlier
• write more
• sing more
• paint more
• sew more

Our Thankful Tree

One of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions is our Thankful Tree.  We started this a few years back with the kids and it is always a lot of fun.  We just used colored paper, scissors and tape.  We cut the trunk in sections and taped it together on the hall closet door. Then we cut out lots of curvy branches and taped them on wherever we felt like it. This year we printed out leaves onto the colored paper using this template.  It turned out to be a little tricky cutting all the points and curves, but we managed.  We made a little woven basket out of leftover paper strips and put the leaves, a marker and some tape in it and hung it on the door knob.  As we think of things we are thankful for, we write them on the leaves and tape them to the tree.  It's not the most perfect looking craft, but that's ok.  It was made with lots of loving, thankful little hands and to me it's the most beautiful tree in the world.

Thankful

photo from timeanddate.com

 I have always been bothered by the fact that everyone seems to skip straight from Halloween to Christmas.  This year, the Christmas stuff was in the stores even before Halloween!  Ridiculous.  I never understood why.  Then it struck me... a holiday that focuses on being thankful for what one has just doesn't fit into the modern excessive consumer mentality.  There is nothing for the companies to market.  No costumes, candy, lights, trees, presents, etc.  It is the one holiday that doesn't revolve around spending a lot of money.  It's about good, home cooked food, not buckets of candy.  It's about spending time with your friends and family, not spending tons of money on gifts for everyone and their brother.  Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas... the real Christmas.  Not the capitalistic, commercialized, consumer driven version it has evolved into.  But Thanksgiving is simply this... giving thanks.  So simple, so beautiful.  In this country we live in where we are constantly being bombarded with messages that what we have is not good enough, big enough, or new enough, how important is it to have that one day to reflect.  To choose to disregard all those lies and focus on what really matters.  To realize how truly blessed we are.  To realize we have all that we need and more.  I hope that maybe some of us will slow down and really think about Thanksgiving this year.  Maybe choose to have a different perspective of the coming Christmas season.  And most of all, remember to be thankful.

Sweet-n-Spicy Popcorn

Popcorn and movies are some of those things that were just meant to be together.  But I've been getting tired of the plain old butter and salt version.  I recently saw a cooking show with a girl making unusual flavored popcorn and it inspired me to create my own.  I wanted something sweet with just a hint of spice.  I came up with this, and it was just the twist the popcorn needed.

Sweet-n-Spicy Popcorn

 What You Need:

1/4 c. unpopped kernels

2 T. butter

2 T. honey

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/16 tsp. cayenne powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

What You Do:

Pop your popcorn, using either the kettle or air pop method.  

Please don't use microwave popcorn, you will make me cry. 

We got this cool popcorn maker for Christmas last year, so that is what I use.

While your corn is popcorn, melt the butter and honey.

Ok, so I did cheat here and melt it in the microwave in a Pyrex measuring cup.

Hey, I'm not perfect.

Stir in the cinnamon and cayenne until completely mixed.

Trust me, you don't want to bite into any cayenne clumps.

I only used a pinch of cayenne, 

but of course you can increase it if you like it hotter.

Now put your popcorn in your serving bowl and drizzle the 

sweet and spicy mixture all over the popcorn and toss to coat. 

Sprinkle with the sea salt and toss again.

That's it! So simple and really tasty.

It serves up to 4, if you're being reasonable. 

Of course I'm never reasonable with popcorn and could easily eat it all myself  :)

Cat in the Box

 Our darling girl, Pepper

So stinking cute!

Crocheted Owl Hand Bag

Well, I was trying to use up some leftover yarn I had in cream, brown and blue.  I decided to make a handbag.  Then I thought how cute it would be to make an owl.  Then, alas, too late I realized that the owl belonged on a green and cream handbag.  So away to the store I went to buy some green yarn. *sigh*  I think it's super cute, even if I did defeat the purpose of using up my yarn.  Oh well, I will find a project for the blue, I'm sure...

Smoothies

I have been trying to exercise (bleck!) so I've been walking to pick up the kids this week.  Boy, is it hot out there!  When we got home today, I decided to make some smoothies to cool us down.  Smoothies are super simple to make, and very healthy if you don't add a lot of sugar, or even ice cream (that's a milkshake, IMO) like some recipes say.  Now I would like to give you measurements on this, but I don't ever measure it.  But it always turns out right in the end!

What You Need

a couple cups of frozen fruit-

strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, etc.

Today I had strawberries and peaches.

1 or 2 bananas-

depending on how much you like bananas...

1/2 cup or so of yogurt- 

I just put a big blop of it in.

Pretty much any kind will do.  

I like plain greek yogurt as it doesn't have any sweeteners or artificial nastiness.

orange juice or milk-

I just add a hefty splash to it, and if it's looking too thick while blending, I add a little more.

I prefer OJ in my smoothies because you're already getting a dose of dairy form the yogurt, 

but today I didn't have any, so milk it was.

honey (optional)-

I find if you use a pre-sweetened yogurt you don't need to add any sweetener.  Today I used plain yogurt and it was a little tart so I added some honey

What You Do

Here's the super hard part- put it all in the blender and press the button!

I have to stir it around a bit to help the blender out, but it only takes a minute or two for it to all come together.

Delicious refreshing smoothies!

And BTW, are these mugs not the cutest things ever?

Tomatoes!

 After years of tomato failures we finally have success!  Beautiful, luscious, juicy tomatoes!  Okay, heirloom tomatoes never really look beautiful, but they taste it.  I planted 6 Brandywines, thinking that was a modest amount.  Well we now have 6 tomato "trees" with hundreds of fruits.  Salsas and sauces and soups, oh my!  At this point were just eating them straight off the vine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Yay for homegrown tomatoes!

Mac & Cheese & Peas

Mac & Cheese is a favorite here for Meatless Mondays.  And of course it has to be homemade!  I have experimented for years to get a good cheese sauce and by golly I think I've finally found it.  Mmm, Cheese Sauce.  Liquid gold, it's been called, and I must agree.  Add pasta of any kind and it's called foodie heaven.

Mac & Cheese & Peas

What you Need:

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. flour

2 c. milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

2 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 lb. elbow pasta

1/2 lb. frozen peas

What You Do:

Fill large pot with water and a handful of salt.

Cover and bring to boil.

While water is coming to a boil-

In medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat.

Whisk in flour and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly.

Add milk slowly, whisking to combine.

Add salt and pepper.

Cook over medium-high heat until thick and creamy, stirring frequently.

 While sauce is thickening-

Add pasta to boiling water and cook for one minute less than package directions.

When sauce has thickened, remove saucepan from heat and add cream cheese.

Stir until cream cheese has melted, then add cheddar cheese in 4 batches.

Stir until cheese has completely melted between each addition.

When pasta timer goes off, add frozen peas to pasta and water and boil for one more minute.

Drain and dump back in pot.

Add all that glorious cheese sauce and stir until well combined.

If it's not Meatless Monday, add cooked crumbled bacon...

Or add cubed ham and substitute broccoli for the peas...

With cheese and pasta, the possibilities are endless...

Easy Homemade Guacamole

I've never understood people who don't like avocados.  Who could resist such cool creamy deliciousness?  And of course, you can't talk about avocados without mentioning guacamole.  Yum.  I have to admit, it's my favorite part of eating Mexican food.  Before I got into cooking from scratch, I always made guacamole with the packet of seasoning you get in the produce section right next to the avocados.  That was homemade, right?  I never even knew there was any other option.  But real homemade guacamole is so easy and SO much tastier.  Once you learn how to make it, you will never touch those packets again!

Guacamole

What You Need:

2 medium ripe avocados

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. lime or lemon juice

What You Do:

Put all ingredients in a bowl.

Mash them up thoroughly with a fork.

Cover and chill for 30 min.

Enjoy with homemade tortilla chips!

It's really that simple. And so delicious!  The recipe can easily be doubled for more people. If you prefer a smoother texture, a stick blender works very well.  Most of the time I'm too lazy to pull it out, so I just use a fork.  Besides, the little chunks of avocado make it more rustic :)

This recipe freezes well, so when all those really ripe avocados go on sale, you can whip up a giant batch and freeze it in individual portions.  I use the 8 oz. wide mouth mason jars.  Just defrost in the fridge the day before you need it.

Friday Night Cookies

I just made these tonight and they are so good I had to share!

Apricot Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. rolled oats

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 t. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. butter

1/2 c. organic cane sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. honey

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. finely chopped dried apricots

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine flours, oats, spices, salt, baking soda and powder. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and honey until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
• Beat in vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and beat until well combined.
• Stir in apricots.
• Scoop spoonfuls of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
• Let set on baking sheet for a couple minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack 

 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies, depending on how much dough you eat ;)

Endings and Beginnings

It's funny how life can totally change.  You think you know the future for miles ahead.  Then suddenly everything's different.  Last fall, due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to abandon our home of 9 years and move across town to a rental home.  I admit, the extra space has been nice (900 sq ft to 2100 sq ft), but the cost- financially  (the high rent), of losing property therefore garden space (1/3 acre to a postage size lot) and moving from county to city ( losing my chickens) has been very hard on me.  Add in the stress of going to school full-time while managing the move and being mama to 3 boys, and I have pretty much been depleted, exhausted, depressed, stressed, etc. for the last 5-6 months.  There were way too many days of unnecessary shopping, eating fast food, using paper plates and paper towels, and pretty much living and doing everything I stand against.  It felt horrible and I knew I had to pull myself together.  While coming to grips with my new living situation I've realized that I am going to have to master that old adage of being happy regardless of circumstances.  I've figured that I can squeeze in some herbs here and there amongst the flower beds and maybe even try growing some veggies in pots on the deck.  Meanwhile I can support my local farmers by shopping at the Farmer's Market and the Saturday Grower's Market when the season starts.  I have scrounged together all the canvas bags I could find in a determination to stop using paper and plastic bags from the store.  I'm getting back into shopping the sales and cooking from scratch as much as possible.  Another blessing has been having the space to create my own sewing/craft room.  I am hoping that I will be able to make many homemade projects and gifts when time allows.  And hopefully I will have more time as well.  After much consideration, I have dropped some of my classes and decided to spread my program out over 2 years instead of 1.  While this will cost more, I think that I need to be able to focus more of my time and energy at home and on my kids.  So, all in all, while this has been a very difficult season in my life, I think it will all work out for good.  Though the growing and stretching may not always be pleasant, I trust that I will find many surprising moments of happiness and new opportunities along the way of this new journey.

Spring Cleaning

I know it's been awhile, but I have been so busy with yard and house work.  We have company staying right now, so for a couple weeks I was crazily cleaning.  I'm not terribly fond of house cleaning.  I'm much happier cooking or crocheting, but I love the end result.  It's amazing how much a clean organized house can affect everyone's mood.  Everybody just seems calmer and more relaxed and the day runs more smoothly.  So, cleaning rags- check, cleaners- check, mop- check, loud music- check, and away we go.

As with everything, I am always looking for cheaper, safer alternatives to commercial products.  So naturally I have been looking into in learning about homemade cleaning products.  I find it very interesting how complicated companies make their products.  They have a million different products with a million different chemical ingredients for every different cleaning job you can imagine.   Of course they want you to think that you need all these bottles- your house won't possibly be clean enough without them.  And now on top of that they are making everything disposable!  Instead of using a cleaning rag, there are tubs of pre-moistened wipes for the kitchen and bath.  Instead of a toilet brush, you can use a toilet wand with disposable scrubbie pads.  It just amazes me how many ways the corporations can come up with for us to throw away our money while at the same time consuming even more resources and overflowing the landfills.  However, in researching the topic, I was pleased to discover how simple, safe and effective natural homemade cleaners are.  Vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, and good old-fashioned soap and water are a few of the things I came across.  Here are a few links to some good sites with cleaning recipes.  Experiment, have fun.  Find what you like and what works for you.  And be happy that you've taken one more step towards self-sufficiency and natural living :)

http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

http://organizedhome.com/clean-house/pantry-recipes-homemade-cleaning-products

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html

http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/08/various-recipes-for-green-cleaning.html

Radishes

I've been neglecting my garden a bit lately, I must admit.  We have had rain almost every day so I've not had to water for a while.  But I went out today and was pleasantly surprised to see all the radishes popping their bright red heads out of the ground.  I'm not a huge fan of eating radishes by themselves (they are too spicy for me!) but I do love growing them because they grow so darn fast and with minimal effort on my part.  And they are so pretty, all shiny and red.  I will put some in our salads for a nice crunch and a little zing.

Homemade Toothpaste

So by now you've realized I am a huge DIY-er.  It's not just about saving money, which is great, but a lot of the choices I make have to do with health.  If I can make something myself and the result is healthier AND saves me money, then I'm a happy camper for sure.  So when it came time to buy toothpaste a while back, I stopped and thought, "There's got to be a cheaper AND healthier way to clean teeth."  So, as always, Google was my friend.  After reading several different articles and trying a few different recipes, I came up with this one.

Homemade Toothpaste

What You Need:

3 Tbls. Baking Soda (a natural antiseptic, mildly abrasive to remove build-up)
2 Tbls. Coconut Oil (anti-bacterial, makes it paste-like)
1 Tbl. Xylitol (a natural sweetener, prevents cavities)
1 tsp. Hydrogen Peroxide (kills those bad breath germs)
20 drops Essential Oil (for flavor, Peppermint and Mint are good, I use Tangerine for the kids)

What You Do:

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl with a fork until a paste forms.  (It takes a minute for the coconut oil to soften)
Store in an airtight container.
Use a pea-size amount for teeth-brushing for a super clean mouth!

I have been using this for several months and have been very pleased with it.  The baking soda taste was a little off-putting at first, but you get used to it after a while.  The Xylitol you can find sold in bulk in most health food stores.  I haven't priced this out yet, but I'm sure it is MUCH cheaper than commercial toothpaste.

Why make your own toothpaste?

Well, besides cost, the more I learn about the chemicals that are in almost every cleaning product like laundry soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, etc., the more concerned I become.  Especially when you start to see the connection to the astounding rise in cancers and diseases like Alzheimer's.  We are putting this stuff on and in our bodies every day.  I know we can't protect ourselves from every single toxin out there, and yes, we are ALL going to die eventually, but there are some simple things that everyone can do to lessen the exposure and live a happier healthier life.

Pumpkin-Cranberry-Pecan Granola Bars

These granola bars actually started over a year ago.  Really, they did.  With a little seed, to be exact.  Last year we grew our first sugar-pie pumpkins.  They were so delicious!  It was awesome to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner from our own little pumpkins.  Most of the pumpkin puree got used up in making pies and muffins and cookies, but one jar was tucked away in the freezer for a day such as this.  I was digging around in there and saw the frosty dark-orange jar and decided some pumpkin-y, spicy, chewy goodness was in order.  Aha! Granola bars.  I really like making homemade granola bars.  They are very simple to make and so much healthier than store-bought.  They are also incredibly versatile.   I’ve made all sorts of combos like Chocolate-Cranberry, Apricot-Almond-Coconut, and Apple Cinnamon.  But today was all about the pumpkin.

Pumpkin-Cranberry-Pecan Granola Bars

What You Need:

3 cups regular rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

1 cup dried cranberries

3/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves (I use 1 tsp. because I’m a clove freak)

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

1 beaten egg

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree (homegrown is best!)

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Spoon into a well-buttered 9x13 baking dish.

Press evenly and firmly with buttered hands (because this stuff is sticky!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until all golden brown and puffy.

Now the hard part- Wait! You must wait until they are cool to cut them. Otherwise they will crumble to pieces.  I learned that by experience, lol.  Of course the crumbs taste just as fabulous.  So now that you’ve resisted the urge to mess with them, you can cut them up into bars or squares or whatever shape you like, and store them in the pantry in an airtight container.  I can’t tell you how long they will keep because homemade granola bars are gone pretty fast around here!

Autumn Throw

Yes, I know it's spring, but I actually started this blanket last fall!  It just took me a few seasons to finish it.  I have this fabulous crochet book and it had the directions for this popcorn motif.  I thought it would be really cute to make a bunch and sew them together and make a blanket.  I have made baby blankets before, so I thought this wouldn't be that much more difficult.  Well, it was actually pretty tricky.  Part of the reason it took me so long to finish was that I gave up on it for a while.  But I hate not finishing projects, so I pulled myself together and got through it.  The yarn is Vanna's Choice in lovely fall colors of Cranberry, Olive, Mustard, Chocolate, and Rust, all sewn together in a random pattern with Beige.  The final effect is pretty, and the popcorn motif is really fun, but I don't know that I would go through it all again.  You never know though, maybe there will be a spring blanket finished by Christmas!

Hamburger Buns

I tried my hand at homemade hamburger buns the other day using this recipe.  They came out surprisingly well.  They were very tasty with a nice texture that held up to the burger's juiciness.  Plus they were super easy since the dough was made in the bread machine.  I increased the yeast to 2 tsp. and decreased the sugar to 2 T.  I also substituted one cup of the white flour with whole wheat.  I will definitely make these again!