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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Re-Usable Menstrual Pads - My Journey

{Buy my Cloth Pad Pattern HERE.}


I am going to talk about re-usable menstrual pads, also know as: R.U.M.P.S., Mama Cloth, and Cloth Pads.

*You have now been fairly warned.*

My journey to cloth reusable menstrual pads began with my journey from Kleenexes to cloth tissues. My nose and upper lip always get so raw when I use paper tissues. I just avoid tissues as much as possible.
When I was a child my mother gave us burp rags to use, when we had colds, to blow our noses on. I never remember getting a raw nose from using those old burp rags, which were actually cloth diapers, I just didn't know that at the time because we called them burp rags. Remembering this about my childhood, I cut up a bunch of old t-shirts to use as tissues.
 I loved them! I didn't get any raw skin that winter. I could blow my nose all I wanted and not have any soreness. I also didn't have to run to the store to buy more Kleenexes when I "ran out". I just had to wash my cloth tissues and they were ready to use again. I didn't mind washing them out. Most of the time they come clean in a regular load of clothes, but during a really bad sinus infection I have had to soak them and scrub them first.
I rarely use paper tissues any more. I always have a cloth rag close by. I don't leave home with out one. :)
Cloth Kleenexes progressed into cloth napkins, and cloth un-paper towels. Let me be clear, we still buy paper towels, I just don't use them often. Anything I would have formally grabbed a paper towel for, I just started grabbing a rag for instead. It made so much sense and it felt good. Why throw something away when you can reuse it? Save money, save time shopping, save stress over worrying about "running out", save resources (if you are concerned about that kind of thing), save chlorine, and, who knows what other chemicals, from being rubbed against, and absorbed by your skin.

The next leg in my reusable journey was becoming a cloth diapering mama.
When I found out that I was pregnant with our baby I seriously wanted to use cloth diapers. I was interested in cloth diapering for all the reasons that are most commonly listed, but the main reason I wanted to cloth diaper my baby was because cloth diapering is old fashioned. I wanted my mothering experience to mimic that of my foremothers.  I wanted to know that I was just as capable and strong as the women that had gone before me. I spent hours upon hours watching modern cloth diapering mamas on YouTube explain their systems and go through their 'stashes'. I listened to reviews of different cloth diapering products, reviews of different cloth diapering methods, discussions about the best detergents. I learned all the terms. I worked on putting together my 'stash'.
When my baby came I was excited about cloth diapering and, also, nervous. I felt intimidated and wondered if I would be able to last. I didn't want to quit after the first month because it was too hard for me.
I passed the test that I had made for myself. I really enjoyed my cloth diapering experience! Everything I thought I would enjoy about cloth diapering I did enjoy about cloth diapering. I had not been too romantic for reality. I learned that I didn't have to be Super Woman to be a cloth diapering mama. I was just a normal person who chose to use cloth diapers for my baby.

Then, I became a normal person who chose to use cloth wipes for my baby, along with cloth diapers. Using cloth wipes was actually a decision made purely out of convenience. One of the worst parts about rinsing out my baby's cloth diapers was picking all the soggy, nasty, disposable wipes out of the water and wringing them out and having to take the dripping mess to a trash can. Eww. And, so inconvenient.
My cloth Kleenexes worked well for cloth diaper wipes. And, little Terry cloth, baby wash rags, worked really well for cloth diaper wipes. The nice part was that I could just roll them up in a soiled diaper, like normal, and wash them along with the diaper without any special treatment.

Now, we are getting to the main subject of this post.
Getting into cloth menstrual pads is a natural progression from using cloth diapers, which is where the term, Mama Cloth, comes from: the cloth diapering community. Whether you cloth diapered your baby for financial reasons, or environmental reasons, or health reasons, you start to look at other disposable products in your life and wonder how much they cost, or where they go after you throw them away, and what toxins they contain.
I sewed my first set of cloth pads last December (2015).
I have used them through 10 cycles. And, I love them.
The things I love most about my cloth pads are:

1. They are so comfortable! They don't feel like a diaper. They feel like an article of clothing. They are soft, plus, they are thin.

2. They don't have any plastic in or on them. Plastic is not something I want against my skin. I don't think it can be healthy, but regardless of the health concerns, plastic is not comfortable. It feels nasty, in my opinion.

3. They don't make any crunchy, raspy, noises when I "unwrap" them. Talk about embarrassing! I did not like having to use a public restroom and know that everyone else in there can hear me tearing off or opening up my feminine products.

4. They don't smell like garbage. I don't know what they put in disposable pads to make them smell so dreadfully gross, but my cloth pads do not smell like garbage.

5. They are pretty!
Don't you agree? If you don't, then you can use different material and make them pretty by your own standards. That is the beauty of cloth pads; you can customize and personalize them in innumerable ways.

6. They have made me much more in touch with my femininity. That may sound weird, but it's not that weird, it has actually been very good for me. By using cloth pads, I have eliminated so many unpleasant things about that time of the month. I love getting to use my cloth pads. I have learned more about how my body is designed. I can appreciate how well it works instead of complain about how it works, because going through a period is not dreadful anymore.

7. They work really well! I have never had an issue with how my cloth pads function. The capacity can be customized, based on what materials you construct your pads from and how many layers of absorbent material you use. I plan on writing a DIY post about how to make your own cloth pads from up-cycled fabrics.

8. They come clean! They can be washed in such a way that you will have almost no staining. When done properly, you should have absolutely no staining, whatsoever. And, it is not hard. Just two ingredients; a powdered hydrogen peroxide cleaner (oxyclean for example) and a bar of felsnaptha soap. I can give more details in a future post.

 That is how I came to use cloth pads and why I love them so much!

If you have any questions please don't be afraid to ask! Of course you can ask anonymously if that makes you more comfortable. :)

If you do YouTube, and, are interested in this kind of thing, I highly *recommend Amy Nix's channel. She has a lot of great information on cloth pads and cloth pad sewing tutorials. I feel like she addresses this topic in a respectful and intelligent way.


*This should go without saying, I don't agree with everything Amy says or believes. She has a lot of great information about cloth pads. You'll have to take that for what it's worth.


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I have a lot to be thankful for! I am most thankful for the salvation I have in Jesus Christ. I am grateful that eternal life is a free gift and I do not have to work to receive it or work to keep it. I am thankful that the life I have in Christ will last forever and I can't do anything to "mess" that up.

John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 



I hope that you all are blessed by being able to be surrounded by loved ones and share a special time together around a bountifully spread table this Thanksgiving holiday!



Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.Psalm 103:1-5


Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Flower Press: Attempt No. 1

I received a really nice flower pressing kit for my birthday, a couple months ago, from my older sister.


I was really excited to put flowers in the press and see how they turned out.
I selected a few zinnias, because they were plentiful, and got started.


I layered brown paper and paper towels around my flowers and leaves, following the instructions in the book.
I waited for six weeks while the flowers dried and flattened.
When I opened the press, this is what I found....

Apparently, something went wrong. It looks like the thickest parts in the center molded.


Thankfully, there are still some flowers blooming, so, I set up another batch. We will see how they turn out in about six weeks. :)

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Authentic Homemade Pork Tamales

Here are the ingredients for making tamales.


> A large pork butt roast, seasoned and cooked
> Broth (about 4 cups) and Fat (about a cup) reserved from cooking the pork roast
> Shortening, lard, or oil (I used coconut oil) to combine with the fat from the roast to equal 1 cup
> Masa, 4 cups
> Baking powder
> Spices; ground cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt
> Several cloves of garlic
> 1package dried chilies
> Dried corn husks for wrapping tamales

Tamales are cooked by steam. There is a special kind of pot that is made especially for cooking tamales. Most people in the US do not own one of these special pots. And I don't know where you can buy one.

I had to improvise. I took my large water bath canner and put some small jelly jars in the bottom along with a few inches of water.


Then I placed the grate, that usually sits on the bottom of the pot when you are water bath canning to keep the canning jars from bouncing too hard on the bottom of the pot and possibly breaking, on top of the jelly jars.

The grate was above the water. It has holes in it that allowed steam to come up through and cook the tamales. My lid would not fit on top snugly so I used aluminum foil to seal the top.

Step 1.


Soak the corn husks in warm water.

Step 2.

Boil some water and soak the dried chili peppers with said water.


Step 3.
Make Masa dough:
4 cups Masa flour
4 cups broth (from pork roast)
1 cup oil/fat (heated to liquify)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon baking powder

Mix the broth and Masa flour together.
Melt your fats and add spices to the fat.
Mix the fat/spices into the hydrated Masa flour.
Sprinkle the baking powder over the dough and mix in thoroughly.

Step 4.
Shred pork roast in food processor.

Step 5.

Cut the stems off of the hydrated chilies with scissors. Put the peppers into a blender along with 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 5 or so garlic cloves, salt to taste, and liquor from soaking the peppers. Blend until smooth.

Step 6.

Combine the pepper mixture with the shredded pork.

Step 7.

Preheat your steamer pot. Fill with 3-4 inches of water. Turn on the burner. Bring the water to a boil and turn down the heat to keep the water simmering.

Step 8.

Spread Masa dough in a thin layer onto a prepared corn husk. Fill with a tablespoon or so of meat filling.


 Fold the tamale and secure with a piece of cooking twine or thin ribbon of corn husk.
(See video from last week on how to fold tamales.)

Step 9.
Layer tamales into the preheated steamer.
Put the lid on the steamer. Turn heat to medium low. Steam tamales for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Or until Masa is done. Make sure the water in the pot does not run dry.
You can check for doneness by unwrapping a tamale. If the Masa sticks to the corn husk the tamales need to cook longer. If the corn husk comes away clean then the tamales are done.

Step 10.
Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

These were a special treat! They turned out really good!



Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Tamales Coming Up


I made traditional tamales recently. I will be sharing my recipe in the next post.

In the meantime I wanted to share the videos I watched to come up with an authentic recipe.

I have some Mexican heritage on my mother's side of the family. At large family events sometimes tamales are catered. I always enjoy them. My mom makes them occasionally and I know the basic method of preparing traditional tamales.

I don't have a family recipe that has been passed down, or anything like that, though, so I did a little searching on the internet to find a good recipe.

This lady in the video assembles and folds her tamales so fast! Her Masa spreader tool looks like it is worth buying if you plan on making tamales often.

She explains each step in English and in Spanish.



To see the full instructional video series follow the links below.

Mixing the Masa:
https://youtu.be/0fW7vV7BpTc

Making the meat filling:
https://youtu.be/iD5suWZdiaw

Speading Masa:
https://youtu.be/SmQU4N7zMFA

Filling and rolling up tamales:
https://youtu.be/63MsW8Nbplk

Cooking tamales:
https://youtu.be/FHvFPpTvN_0