1954 in the wall

As we were tearing down the bedroom walls, I found this cute little Easter Seal Christmas Greeting stamp from 1954.  I wonder what life was like in this old house in 1954? I hear from long time residents that it used to be a parsonage.  I am only guessing, but I can imagine a lot of prayers were said in the master bedroom.  I find comfort in that.  A little research about this time period helps me understand what was happening in the world back when this stamp made it's way behind the baseboards.

• Supreme Court rules unanimously that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
•  Federal debt: $270.8 billion
• Unemployment: 2.9%
• The first all electronic color television goes on sale from RCA selling for $1,000
• The words "under God" are added to the United States Pledge of Allegiance
• gas cost $.21 a gallon

And this stamp cost $0.03!  Wow have things changed.  I may just have to sneak something behind these walls for the next generation.

Jewelry Tower

I believe 'Necessity is the mother of invention'.  I needed a place to store all of my necklaces to keep them from getting tangled into a ball.  I found an old board in the garage, hammered an old star nail that I bought at an antique shop years ago to one end, screwed in some brass hooks and VIOLA! 

Spudtastic

Mashed Potato Pancakes

• Put mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl
• Add in eggs until you have the consistency of pancake mix
• Pour about 1/4 of a cup of batter in a pan with a little bit of oil on medium heat
• Top with cheddar cheese, fresh dill, and salt and pepper
• When the bottom looks brown, carefully flip over to brown the other side

This is a great substitute for hashbrowns or any kind of pancake. 

Putting out the Fleece

This past week, my adventurous parents purchased two pet alpacas, Milee and Pegasus.  If you aren't familiar with this beautiful creature, they are a little smaller in stature than a llama with a head that looks similar to a camel.  As someone who has had very little desire to own any type of pet for most of my life, I was a bit perplexed by their newest residents.  But after watching my mom and dad parade these harnessed babes around the yard for their grand kids this past Fathers Day weekend with gigantic smiles, it makes perfect sense.  Why not?  If a couple of 60 yr old, ex-hippie's want to dabble in semi-exotic livestock then where's the harm in that. 

As we were leaving, my dad went to the garage and handed me a 13 gallon garbage bag full of Pegasus trimmings.... because I knit.  Hmmmm...  I accepted the gift, knowing that my dad would in no way expect me to return with socks for him for the winter.  My dad, like he's always done, was giving a spark to his inquisitive middle kid (like when I was 10 and he gave me access to innumerable boards, nails, and a hammer to make a tree house).  With appreciation I left with my fleece and here it sits beside me with a decision to make.  Do I really have time to learn a new trick?  Spinning fleece into yarn is not like experimenting on a new bread recipe.  I am a busy mother of three with a fairly new knitting habit.  I buy my yarn at a store clean, weighed, dyed, and neatly packaged.  Maybe I should lay a piece of fleece out on the table and ask God for a sign :)  To spin or not to spin?

Gluten-Free Bread Machine Sandwich Bread

My oldest daughter and I started ourselves on a Gluten-free diet about a year ago after struggling with 'tummy' aches and a host of other not so pleasant symptoms of which I will spare you.  The results have been amazing!  However, this new lifestyle has not come without its struggles: from learning to decipher food labels for hours in the grocery store, to avoiding restaurants and potlucks, to turning our kitchen into a little experimental science lab of sorts.  We are slowly progressing from purchasing ready made mixes, which can be VERY expensive, to making our own bread and desserts. 

The latest time and money saving endeavor is Gluten free Bread Machine Bread.  Before you in plug in the machine, you'll need to stock your pantry with a variety of different flours.  We go through about three loaves a week between the two of us, one being a growing teenager with limited food options, mind you.  My recommendations, purchase in bulk (I like Bob's Red Mill through Amazon) Brown rice flour, Garbanzo and Fava flour, Sorghum flour, Tapioca flour, and Potato Flour.  You will also need Gluten Free Xanthan Gum (Bob's Red Mill), active dry yeast, dry milk, and organic apple cider vinegar (those with very sensitive tummy's may need to find distilled vinegar).  If you have these items in stock, half the hastle disappears.  Here is one recipe that works well,

Gluten Free Bread Machine Sandwich Bread:
3 eggs
1 2/3 cup water
3 Tb oil
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1 cup Tapioca flour
1 1/2 cups of sorghum flour, or garbanzo & fava flour
1/2 cup of dry milk
3 Tb of sugar or honey
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Set Bread machine on whole wheat, and light settings. 
When your bread is done, slide a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the loaf.  It will be harder to remove than a traditional recipe but the longer you wait to remove it from the pan the harder it will be to remove.  Let the bread cool before slicing or storing.  Store in an air tight container.  If you store it before it is cool, the steam will condense and mold your bread.

Other options I'm trying...
I keep a couple of GF all- purpose flour blends on hand for brownies, and other recipes.  This one is easy and universal.
GF All-purpose flour blend 1:
2 cups white rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour

This one is better when making cakes...
GF All-purpose flour blend 2:
2 parts brown rice flour
1 part sorghum flour
1 part tapioca flour
1/2 part potato starch

This morning I decided to make the bread recipe above with the GF All-purpose flour blend 2... except I used Garbanzo bean flour instead of sorghum since I am clean out.  More specifically, I used 3 1/4 cups of this all purpose blend as an alternative to the 3 flour ingredients, which add up to 3 1/4 cups of flour.  I also am trying different settings.  I used the dough setting instead of the whole wheat setting (to save time because we're hungry).  When the dough setting is done, push STOP, wait 5 minutes, and push BAKE on your machine.  I'll let you know how this new experiment turns out.  Good Luck! 

This post is for my little friend, Victoria, and her amazing mom....

Warning: Woman without fear

Does anyone find this label insulting?  I would prefer a warning that was a little more honest.  For example, Danger: if you are stupid enough to fall off of this 3 foot ladder and die, do not sue the maker of this product.  It will be a tragic accident that will no doubt make the paper, but it is certainly not our fault. 

There are warning, danger, and caution signs all around preaching to us that this world is not safe, that in this world you are going to die.  Duh?!   Most of these signs teach us to worry, be anxious, and live cautiously.  I say, how boring!  I sometimes wish there were warning signs reminding us that we are living. 

Caution:  This is the last time you will see your mother; hug her. 
Warning: Stop complaining about your jeans being tight because someday you'll wish they still fit. 
Stop!  Working so hard and play with your kids.  Some day you will want them to play with you and they will be 'too busy'. 

I don't really know where this is coming from today.  Probably because I see so many of my friends making poor decisions in their lives based on fear and it just looks like slavery to me.  I want to shake them awake! (in love of course)  So I say practice living without fear, take (healthy) risks, be brave, draw outside the lines, think outside the box, trust God.   He reminds us to 'fear not' over 62 times in the book He wrote for us.

40% Grateful

This is my tub.  Lately I've been feeling a little whiny about my current bathroom situation.  We are almost finished remodeling our bedroom and soon will be moving on to the bathrooms.  Soon but not soon enough.  I hate that my mood is affected by my surroundings. In an attempt to adjust my attitude, I did a little Bing search on indoor plumbing.  Did you know that 40% of the world's population does not have the luxury of indoor plumbing?  They don't even have an ugly tub to come home to at the end of a hard day.  So today, I am choosing to be grateful for running water and a toilet that still flushes.  Tomorrow I may still curse my crooked toilet but today I'm gonna choose to love my ugly bathroom.

The Never Ending Pile

I have 3 beautiful daughters.  That being said, I also have a mountain of laundry that never seems to disappear despite my constant pecking through it.  The sad truth is, as their jeans get longer and the sports uniforms multiple, the mountain is sure to grow right along with them.  Being frugal (1/4 dutch), with frugal (probably more than 1/4 dutch) friends, I've been given several recipes for home made laundry soap over the years.  This week, after staring at a bottle of $13 sensitive skin, dye free laundry soap, I decided to give the < $3.00 stuff a try.  What's the worst thing that could happen?  After all, most of the clothes in my mountain I know for a fact were only worn for a couple of non-stinky hours. 

I know that some day my girls will be gone and so will their laundry and my lint will turn from pink to gray, and the mountain will look more like a mole hill, but until that day comes... 

Home made Laundry soap:
1 cup of Borax,
1 cup of Baking Soda,
1 bar of fragrance free, dye free soap (Dial works just fine) 
Grate the bar of soap with a cheese grater and mix the 3 ingredients together.  You'll need an empty ice cream bucket (with lid) for storage.
Use 1 1/2 Tb per load and use the extra cash you saved to buy more clothes... so they can end up in the neverending pile. 

Found an old gem

I found this chair at a consignment furniture store. 

 I have no idea how old it is but I just love it. 

Dye Trying

Easter Monday, Sarah and I tried a few creative suggestions from the www on dyeing hard boiled eggs.  They turned out... ok.  Above right in blue is the result of 1/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup of crushed (we used frozen, microwaved) blueberries, and 1/4 cup water.  The left brown egg was created with paprika, 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup water.  And the beautiful yellow speckled eggs were same liquid combo with 1 Tb tumeric.  What did NOT work so well and just made a fabulous mess was spinach (frozen and microwaved), and grape juice.   Next year, perhaps we will try beets, red onions, or mustard. 

Spring Knitting

The greatest part about knitting dishcloths is that they require very little brain energy.  If spring is as busy for you as it is around here, mindless knitting can be a great stress reliever.  Not to mention, you'll have a pile of beautiful hand made gifts for showers, birthdays, mother's day, or just to give to your friends to show them how much you love them. 

Pattern:  Row 1: K4, Row 2: K2 YO knit 2, Row 3: K2 YO K to the end.  You will increase (YO) until you have 45 stitches, then K1, K2tog, YoK2tog, K to the end of the row.  Do this until you have 5 stitches left, then K2, K2tog, K to the end.  When you have 4 stitches left, bind off.  That's it!   Pick a fun color and go to town!  One skewn makes about 1 1/2 clothes so I buy 2 skewns to make 3 cloths.  Use Sugar n' Cream 100% cotton yarn.

Spring kicks

Muddy shoes are the enemy of any clean floor lovin' woman. 

Welcome Spring!

There is something about an extremely long, cold and difficult winter that makes the arrival of spring a most welcome friend.  We long for her.  We greet her with giggles and flip flops and running in her air.  We wear ourselves out eating up every drop of precious daylight.  We plan long days with her as we remember how to play and ride our bikes again.  Spring is finally here!  As a mom, this means a very welcome change in menus as well.  We trade in our soup and bread for fresh produce and herbs, squash for fruit, and coffee for iced tea.  We plan our vegetable gardens and maybe even a few new flower beds.  But the best part about spring, as new life emerges from the ground through the dead debree, is Easter.  We remember our rebirth made possible through Christ and how He changed us from dead to life and from slave to free.  The result... inexpressable joy.  Happy Spring!