Project 31: Journal Day 8

Journal~Day 8:

A) Esther responded back by email with raw milk link:  (buy local, whole foods)

• www.realmilk.com -contains directory of local cowshare farms
• Also highly recommended this site for healthy eating/living www.westonaprice.org

Note: At our last Waldorf Meetup group, the other moms and I

were discussing unpasteurized milk and where to get it.

After our hike in the woods, we've been going back to Esther's farm house

and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate made with the raw milk she gets. Delicious!

 

B) Facebooked Mary about where she used to get her fresh milk, wanting a farm that came recommended and trusted.

• They got theirs from Hedgebrook Farm- www.hedgebrook.com ; group share instead of private share, so would need to rotate pickup amongst 6 families :(  would prefer to responsible for my own milk. Celeste's milk pickup is the same way and I wasn't really interested in that model.
• 1 gallon of milk a week
• One time fee of $60 for share; one time fee of $20 for jars & lids; monthly boarding fee of $28. Money collected quarterly
• Works out to be about $5.25/gallon (after the one time fees of course)

C) Made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch with the homemade bread I made on Day 6. There's a sense of pride in using/eating something you made yourself. I tell you, I was walking a little taller and feeling all puffed up, lol :) (healthy, homemade)

 

Note: Our day 6 bread making.

The 2 loaves on the left were made by scratch by my 9 year old daughter, Anna,

without ANY assistance. They're a honey wheat. Pretty awesome, huh?!

She's got more skills than I did at her age, that's for sure.

 The one on the one right was mine~ a simple wheat bread recipe

from Laural's Kitchen cookbook. Attempt one in making this bread.

***I felt so proud using MY homemade that I made myself. I was all puffed up**

D) Began making heart and star Christmas ornaments from old fabric. (sewing, handmade, resourceful)

Note: Fabric from my baby quilt and Kittens in a Basket.
 It's the fabric that keeps on giving :)
 
E) Continued worked on Christy's wool felt baby booties, began embroidery designs.
 
F) Husband brought home the beeswax and honey! (local, small business, organic)
Note: One of the ladies at my husband's work has a little side business beekeeping:
Lunsford Bee Farm. At our Waldrolf Group on Monday we will be making
 hand dipped beeswax candles!!




 

Project 31: Day 7

So I explained yesterday what Project 31 was. My year of reinventing my life towards a healthy, more conscious, self-sustaining, and holistic lifestyle. Working towards that end little by little, day by day, piece by piece. I not only want to learn the "how" of these things but also to know the "why". So it's a year of hands and head--and as with everything I strive for heart~contemplation, being present to God and to the moment. Out of all my endevours for this coming 31st year of life that will be the hardest, yet the one I most aspire and hope to attain.

Here's the page from my journal~ Day 7:

A) Continued work on Christy's wool felt Christmas booties. (objective: sewing skills, made by hand, resourceful)

 

Side Note: Started these on Day 5.

The wool was felt left over from an unfinished puppet my daughter was

making for one of our Waldorf Group activity days.

I am using Simplicty Pattern 2867 from my old stash of patterns.

 

 



B) Researched freezing vegetables such as potatoes so I can start reducing the amount of frozen veggies I buy in the frozen food section of the grocery store. (Unprocessed, healthy, whole foods)

•  Site I visited: here

C) Learned about blanching vegetables, from the same site above, and the importance to the preserving process. (Learning to can/preserve foods)

• Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps retard loss of vitamins. It also wilts or softens vegetables and makes them easier to pack.  Blanching time is crucial and varies with the vegetable and size. Underblanching stimulates the activity of enzymes and is worse than no blanching. Overblanching causes loss of flavor, color, vitamins and minerals. Use one gallon water per pound of prepared vegetables. Put the vegetable in a blanching basket and lower into vigorously boiling water. Place a lid on the blancher. The water should return to boiling within 1 minute, or you are using too much vegetable for the amount of boiling water. Start counting blanching time as soon as the water returns to a boil. Keep heat high for the time given in the directions for the vegetable you are freezing.

Art Unveiling

The time has come, Christmas has passed, that now I can share with you what I was working on during the Advent season. I had two new commissions that changed my crafting plans for the holiday a bit, but were very much worth it. The pictures were commissioned as Christmas gifts so I was asked to keep them hush-hush until after the fact.

Now for the unveiling . . .

As always, I enjoy making my art. For me it is not about the art or money--but how my art can help others. I'm still discovering how to do that. It's a little pieces of the story like this, after the art leaves my easel, that make me think I'm on the right path:

. . . I had to giver her the picture in the parking lot. I got it on tape . One of the ladies of her dept was there on a smoke break as well.

You should have heard the 2 of them, they couldn't believe it, at first, they didn't think it was a drawing, they thought it was a picture!! When I told them you drew it, they were in disbelief. They both said what everyone else said that I showed the picture to "I feel like I can just reach out and touch her " meaning A*** in the picture, because you got it that close to real life.

Personal Portraits are your specialty because you really capture the spirit of the person, like I said before not many people can do that.When you see the video, you will see what your work does for people.

A**** gave me a great big hug and said it was "The Best Present I EVER got" . . . I know this picture meant the world to her, because this time it was about HER !!!!!! I couldn't have given her anything better :-)

SO C*****'s picture, came out beautifully framed !! C***** opened it and didn't realize it was a drawing, said this is Beautiful and then asked me, "where did I find it?" then S**** said "Look at the signature " then C***** said "Get the Hell out of here" She was in disbelief too. I'm not sure if I got hers on tape, if I do will send that down too. I got a new camera and still learning it.

She loved it and could not believe the amount of detail . All the girls at work want to know if you realize what kind of money you can command for these types of drawings. A few people said you need to draw these pictures and keep them going , as you can always sell them at a later time .

I proudly said that I am going to be your agent and will make you famous !!!

You are on your way to something Special !!! One thing people love is pictures of themselves, loved ones, deceased , babies and their pets !!!!

So as I enter the New Year, wish me luck and offer me prayers as I begin St. Catherine's Apprentice: Fine Art & Commissions by Carrie Goad. St. Catherine of Bologna is the patron saint of artists, who is my patron saint. I have always forsaken her in the past, wishing I had gone rather with St. Jude, patron saint of hopeless cases, which I believed to be better suited for me :) I figured it was time to pay St. Catherine the homage due her. I ask for prayers for confidence--which I lack--and divine guidance--which I need--as I begin this venture. Let it about what my art can do for others and not merely about the art itself or the money it can provide for my family.

Christmas EveTradition

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday. While I feel like I just went through a whirlwind Christmas season~barely being able to catch my breath~our Christmas turned out well. We visited family, attended Christmas Mass, ate lots of food, and the kids enjoyed themselves. What more could you ask for?

I wanted to share one of my family's Christmas Eve traditions. Whenever I say that word, tradition, the song from Fiddler on the Roof, one of my all time favorite movies, plays through my mind (**chuckle**). Sorry, I'm getting a kick out of it :) Any who, my grandmother on my father's side is Italian. This recipe was passed done from my grandmother, by her mother, etc~like I said: Tradition!
Every Christmas Eve we go up to my parent's house and my mother, my daughters, and I make a homemade pasta called cavatellis (which we, in our Americanized ways, pronounce them gov-a-deals ??).

And after all the hard work . . .

 OUR FINAL PRODUCT!

Some Italian Yumminess.

Homemade Holidays: Stocking Stuffers

Filling a stocking can take a small fortune. While we do put in some candy, we try not to over do it. We realize a stocking wouldn't be a stocking without some treats, however, the last thing my kids need is a huge amount of sugar. Okay, lets get real, the last thing this mama needs is a house full of five sugared up kids! So we add little toys and such. Those little trinkets add up though, so this year I thought I'd create some stocking stuffers the kids would enjoy and fill out their stockings. Here are a couple of my ideas:

I discovered a wonderful site called The Toymaker. There is section for free paper toys. You print, cut, and glue some really neat little paper craft toys. Take a look for yourself here. Unfortunately, my printer pooped out on me not too long ago. While not being fully functional, it works a bit--enough for us to get by for homeschool purposes just not for quality images. I will be replacing it shortly, but with all the money going out at the moment with the holiday, the regular bills, and the midwife, it has had to take a backseat. I will be trekking to my mother's office (all of a few miles) to borrow her printer for these. The plan is simply to print out a few for each of my older girls and either put them in some sort of envelope or use the shrink wrap I spoke of yesterday, to give them a nice "gift" look. Then at another time, my girls can have fun cutting them out and gluing them together themselves--a little activity for them to do.

Another idea I have--which also requires a printer, go figure, unless you happen to be one of those who have physical photos on hand, which I am not--are popsicle stick puzzles. I found a great tutorial here. You can find directions and tips/hints all over the Internet for this activity. I especially liked the idea on this site for adding magnets to the back of the puzzle for use on a magnet board, or for us--the refrigerator. While I'll be being make one~or more~ for all four of my older girls, I thought the magnets would be nice for O(3). You need a picture, thick popsicle sticks, an exacto knife, and Modge Podge. You glue the sticks to the back of the picture and carefully cut them apart. Place the pieces in a bag and you're finished. Quick and easy! I thought I'd find a nice picture~a special moment~of each of the girls to make a puzzle out for them. You can use family photos but any image would do--favorite TV or story characters, animals, famous works of art, etc. . . Be creative! I tell ya, as a homeschooling mom, the endless educational possibilities of these for my preschooler gets me excited. I foresee a lot of popsicle stick puzzles in our future.

*P.S. I bought my thick popsicle sticks from the craft store for $2-$3.  After I already purchased them I saw some at the Dollar Tree for a buck. You might want to try your local dollar store first.

Homemade Holidays: Kittens in a Basket

I was so excited about this Christmas season and all the homemade gifts I planned to make. I had a number of projects lined up, just itching to get to them. Sadly, plans changed and most of them had to be put on the back burner. Out of everything I had planned, I managed to complete one gift! They’re called A Litter of Kittens in a Basket, or as I like to call them --"Coraline Kittens", after the movie with the characters with button eyes. I started them good and early back in November. I made them with my signature Mama-made love ~in other words they're not made with perfection only lots of love~ for O(3) this Christmas. These little fellas are so ugly they're cute in my opinion. I got the idea from the blog Doing Without. You can get the instructions and template here.

 

I followed the bulk of the directions but changed it up just a tad with a few variations. I used left over fabric from the baby quilt and apron. The embroidery floss I borrowed from my daughter’s bracelet making stash.  The stuffing is reused from a small, old, unplayed with, cheap teddy bear. And the basket and little buttons I scored from my mother’s craft closet. So, when all was said and done it cost me $0 to make my kittens!!

My basket was a little bigger than I would of liked. I tried keeping an eye out for a slightly smaller one while I was out doing my Christmas shopping, but didn't see anything. To remedy that I made a quick little pillow to go on the bottom of the basket and a blanket. They fill the basket but will also give O a bed to play with for her kitties as well.





To finish it off, my mother bought some of that clear window shrink wrap for the windows in her drafty office. She had a bunch left over she passed on to me. Not only does it work for windows, you can use it for shrink wrapping gifts. To give my kittens that official gift look I will shrink wrap the basket to give O something to tear into for an extra excitement factor~

Christmas Nursing Home Visit

I believe the greatest of all human sufferings is to feel alone. Visit someone this week who needs your company. You will bring the light of Christ to that person's life and you will learn more than you think.

- Mustard Seeds My girls are blessed to be a part of a small, but fruitful Junior Legion of Mary group at our church. Aside from weekly meetings, they go out and do good works for the community. One these good deeds is visiting a local nursing. For this visit the kids made and decorated Christmas cards for the residents. We walked throughout the home, passing them out and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. The kids always have a good time during these visits, and the residents seem to enjoy it. O(3) got the hang of it fast and got to hand out cards with the big kids.    Our small group of Legionaries. Out of respect and dignity for the residents, I didn't snap any photos inside the homes. But I figured between buildings was fair game! My goofball troop :) My oldest was at school-she didn't get to participate this time. I had to snap a picture fast, getting them all together lasts only a split second. There is much suffering in the world - physical, material, mental. The suffering of some can be blamed on the greed of others. The material and physical suffering is suffering from hunger, from homelessness, from all kinds of diseases. But the greatest suffering is being lonely, feeling unloved, having no one. I have come more and more to realize that it is being unwanted that is the worst disease that any human being can ever experience. ~ Mother Theresa Quotes

A Time to Breathe

Finally! A week before Christmas--December mostly over--I have finally come to a place where I can take the time to breathe.

December has come and gone so fast it has left my head spinning and me scrambling to catch my barrings. Not exactly what I had in mind and anticipated for my Advent.

Slow. Intentional. Meditative. Spiritual. Meaningful.

These are some of the descriptive words I would have used. It has been anything but! Such is life. I have been busily working on drawings, finishing them up in the nick-of-time (more on those later). I had wanted to slowly pull together my child's Christmas gifts over time, but finances said otherwise. We couldn't even begin our Christmas shopping--not one single gift-- until this past Saturday. Hence, the no blog posting for Saturday--we were out and about with absolutely no spare time for that. A big thank you to my parents, who took my four older kids for the better part of the weekend to allow that to happen. My husband and I had to do a whirlwind shopping spree, but we got it done. I even got them wrapped and stashed at my mothers nearby office to keep them from prying eyes. In addition to the Holiday preparations, I have had to keep up the homeschooling, and the house cleaning, and the bills, the social events, add in a December birthday, a doctor's appointment, a midwife appointment. . . .AHHHHHHHHHH!

It's been too much. Just trying to keep my sanity has been a chore. I don't know if I always succeeded.

But the time has come. The storm has passed. Now the calm. With all those things behind me and a week off of homeschooling, I can take this time to slow down--center myself. Savor the moments. I get a week to do a little housecleaning (not too much, that can wait for the New Year; but a much needed general cleaning is required).  I get a week to get around to some holiday baking. My girls and I will be cookie making machines--we have a variety of recipes lined up. Hopefully, even more then making cookies, we can make some warm holiday memories for them. I can take a week to meditate and spiritually prepare myself for Jesus' birth--the whole reason for the December hoopla (though it wasn't meant to be that way--the hoopla, I mean). Again, such is life. . .



Breathe in.
Breathe out.

Breathe in.
Breathe out.

You know what this is? Time to breathe. This is what I needed.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree . . .

My family started a new Christmas tradition this year. Since the time our family began, we have used a fake tree. It was practical, but always seemed to lack something. This year we donated that tree to a local Assistance Ministry to find it a new home with someone less fortunate who could appreciate it. In lieu of our fake tree, we started the first year of our family's new custom of going together and picking out a real tree. A huge part of Christmas for me are the experiences you have together as a family--the bonding and creating memories. This is one little way of adding another tradition for my kids to remember and to look forward to each year.

This past weekend we got our very first live Christmas tree! It is so wonderful to have a live tree in my house. It has that living factor that my fake tree lacked. It's bringing a bit of nature indoors. And my god, does it's evergreen scent smell marvelous! I love it, love it, love it! While we didn't physically get to cut it down at a farm as we attended (we'll try for that next year) we still had a great time, had some good laughs, lots of smiles, and made memories. Mission complete.



V helping O pick a candy cane off Santa's tree.



O having a blast amongst all the trees.



She found one her size.



V and J, trying to stay warm on a very chilly day.



Our tree comes home!

The finished, or should I say unfinished, product! Our tree's appearance will morph over time as J(15mos) pulls the decorations off the tree and they get moved higher and higher. By the time Christmas rolls around the tree will be top heavy with ornaments and the entire bottom will be bare!

You can see the morphing has already begun! The bottom has less ornaments than the top and we just put it up.

Applesauce Ornaments

The Thanksgiving Holiday flew by. Despite the colds my children contracted somewhere this past week (I'm praying they don't share it with me; pregnant with a cold is never fun), it's time to turn my attention towards Christmas. Usually this time of year leaves me feeling like the Grinch. I don't want to think about Christmas until I absolutely have to. I procrastinate on shopping the busy, merchandised stocked stores. Decorating doesn’t happen until last minute. Radio stations playing holiday music get quickly changed. Baa hum bug! It’s all so commercialized and materialist-I can’t seem to get into that spirit.

This year is different. I can already feel anticipation for the season. This is a year of new traditions. We donated out old fake Christmas tree to a local needs-assistance organization a couple weeks ago. We are going as a family to a tree farm and getting a live a tree from here forward! Also, our traditions will start focusing more on making gifts and holiday crafting. So it’s not just the things themselves, but the fun in making them, the thought and effort behind them, and sharing activities as a family, hence making memories in the process. Sure we will still buy our children some thoughtful, tastefully picked toys. But Christmas will be family-centered, putting the emphasis back on the birth of Jesus then on the commercialized, materialistic holiday Christmas has evolved into. I have so many crafts, gifts, and baking plans lined up, I’m gitty just thinking about them! With that said, let me share with you one of our first crafts of the season . . .applesauce ornaments.
As I just mentioned, 'Tis the season for crafting and baking.  For filling your house with sweet aromas. Applesauce ornaments are the best of both worlds--baking and crafting--and make your house smell like cinnamon!  I have wanted to make applesauce ornaments for quite some time. We just never got around to it. It's a very easy project requiring only two ingredients--applesauce and cinnamon--you can't get much simpler than that! There are many recipes out there to choose from- some with more or less cinnamon vs. applesauce, others mix in Elmer's glue. I settled on the McCormick recipe to try.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup applesauce
1 bottle (4.12 ounces) cinnamon (or 2 of the smaller bottles)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 200°F. Mix applesauce and cinnamon in small bowl until a smooth ball of dough is formed. Yes, I used generic brands for this project--money saver! Use your hands to incorporate all of the cinnamon.

Roll dough to 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thickness.

Cut dough into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Make a hole at top of ornament using a skewer. Place ornaments on baking sheet.

Bake 2 1/2 hours. Cool ornaments on wire rack. (Or, to dry ornaments at room temperature, carefully place them on wire rack. Let stand 1 to 2 days or until thoroughly dry, turning occasionally.)

Insert ribbon through holes and tie to hang. Decorate!