2017 A Blogging Year In Review

I was just looking back over this year's blog posts. It is nice to spend time to reflect over the past year. I am grateful to have documented on my blog some of what I have done this year. I am not a good journal keeper so the things I have posted here really are how I remember what was going on when, for the most part.

These are the highlights from 2017 through blog posts.

Our trip to Maine
This trip turned out to have a huge impact on the year 2017. In this post I didn't say why, in any specific language, we had travelled to Maine. I just said it was a business trip. At that time Mr. In The Mid-west didn't want the specifics published to the world. The reason we had travelled to the very northern part of Maine was to look at an airplane that was for sale. Mr. In The Mid-west did end up purchasing the plane! He had decided to work on getting his pilot's license this year. He has dreamed of flying since he was a boy. Now is the time to do it, while he is still young enough to make a career out of flying, and his family is small enough to support on a part time job while he works on his license. So, this year Mr. In The Mid-west bought a plane and has learned a lot of new things about how to fly. He is very close to having his private pilot's license! The weather has not been cooperating for him to be able to finish his training. :/

He wasn't able to transport his plane to our home state until late July. And, that whole thing is another story.... He was supposed to be gone for 2 days, but it turned into 5 days. He had problems with the plane, problems with the weather, and most of all, problems with the pilot he had hired to fly the plane...
Yeah, we won't go into that story now....

Moving on,

The next highlight of my year, as documented by my blog is,
The Cloth Pad Series
This series/project was dear to my heart. It took many hours to develop and test the pattern, as well as write the instructions. I was really excited to, finally, launch the series. I hope it has influenced a few to give cloth pads a try and maybe even helped some ladies who were dealing with problems that (unknowingly) came from the chemicals in disposable pads.
The pattern I developed for this post has become my most popular item on my Etsy store and that has been encouraging to me.

Potatoes

This blog post was a lot of fun! I cooked potatoes in several different ways and fed them to Mr. In The Mid-west at every meal until the bag was used up. I could not eat any potatoes at that time because of an elimination diet I was on for health reasons. This diet was something that played a big role in this year of my life. I did it faithfully for 6 months, from February to July. I had to eliminate all seeds, nuts, grains, legumes, dairy, eggs, refined sugar, nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers), refined sugar, and spices that were made from seeds. What could I eat? Lots of meat, cruciferous vegetables, beets, carrots, squash, fruit, berries, olives, coconut oil, and olive oil, salt, cinnamon, cloves, tumeric, herbs, and that pretty much sums it up. Doing the potato challenge for Mr. In The Mid-west and writing a blog post about it was fun, but the reason it makes such a highlight of 2017 is how it reminds me of the elimination diet. I am sure you can understand why that diet made such a huge landmark in my year. Birthdays, holidays, parties, eating out, meals with friends, vacations, special events, and every day breakfasts, lunches and dinners were challenging. I made it through, though.

The sad thing is, that I may end up having to do it again. Before I could go to a natural Dr. and have all my blood work drawn and analyzed I became pregnant. I was not willing to risk having low thyroid hormone while pregnant so I started taking the prescription. When the baby is born I am planning to try going off the prescription and figuring out how to get my thyroid functional with the help of a natural Dr. who specializes in adrenal medicine. Hopefully that is an adventure for 2018! :)

Mother's Day
I put together a Mother's Day Tea Time package for Mr. In The Mid-west's Mom as a Mother's Day gift this year. I was really excited about this gift! When I thought of this idea early in April I could not stop thinking about it and making plans for what I would put in it and how I would make or find the items. I thought the items would be right up her alley and she would appreciate this kind of package. I really enjoyed putting it together and hearing her reaction after it arrived! :)

BMW's Birthday
I have a lot of good memories of BMW's second birthday party. That whole week was pretty stressful, in a good way. We set up and tended a garage sale for a few days, I was just finishing potty training BMW, we planned his party, and then he ended up coming down with a mild case of the flu. We held his birthday party gathering outdoors at the park. It was extremely windy that day. We had trouble keeping plates, cups, wrapping paper, etc... from blowing all over the place. I am glad we didn't bother decorating and putting table cloths out. We had a nice gathering with friends, neighbors, relatives, and church members. The whole thing went off without a hitch (at least that is the way I remember it happening). I didn't have to do all the cooking myself, and I am very grateful to those that offered to help. They really made a big difference! After the party we spontaneously invited our Pastor's family to come over to our house, to extend the party, so to speak. We had a nice long visit with them that evening. I think BMW had a good time on his birthday and that was the main thing! :)

Retiring My Trusty Toaster Oven
I like rereading this blog post. I have now gotten used to having a working oven and even take it for granted. From time to time it is good to remember what it was like to only have a toaster oven. Then I go thank Mr. In The Mid-west for giving me a working oven! ;)

Eclipse
The Great American Solar Eclipse was a really big deal for me this year! I will not rehash that whole event now. You can read about in the blog post. But, it was amazing! And, it is a huge highlight of 2017!

Skin Care
I had wanted to write a blog post like this for a while. I am glad I finally did. I have been trying to be more feminine over the past several years, and I really am enjoying it now. I have, also, made a point recently to spend some time relaxing. I have done a few foot soaks, nail pedi/manicures, face steams, and Epsom salts baths. Even if I can only do something like that once in a while it is really nice! I have even treated myself to an essential oil bath, complete with music and candlelight, in the middle of the night because that was the time that was available! Being pregnant I do wake up a few times in the night and I decided to use some of those occasions to pamper myself. ;)

What About You?
What are a few highlights from your year? And, I was just curious, do you have a favorite blog post from this year?

Ranger Cookies For Cookie Exchange

Here is my recipe for Ranger Cookies:

Ranger Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup coconut, sweetened and shredded

Preheat oven to 350°F. 
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in oats, cereal and coconut.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks.

Yields: 7 1/2 dozen

I made these Ranger Cookies for a cookie exchange with the ladies from church.

This was the first time I had done a cookie exchange. Our pastor's wife organized the exchange. It was a lot of fun and pretty easy!

If you would like to put together a cookie exchange with your friends this is what you need to do.

1. Determine how many people want to be involved.

2. Tell everyone to make 1/2 a dozen cookies for the number of participants. For example: if 8 people are signed up than every person needs to bake 4 dozen cookies.

3. Everyone needs to put their cookies on plates or containers (1/2 a dozen in each) to give to the other participants, along with a copy of the recipe they used. Make a plate of cookies for everyone involved, including yourself. The "extra" plate, (the one for yourself), gets eaten at the exchange.

4. Invite everyone over to share cookies and  have milk, hot cocoa, coffee, tea, etc... Everyone will pass their plates of 1/2 a dozen cookies out to the other participants to take home and will share one of their plates of half a dozen cookies at the party.
Everyone ends up taking home as many cookies as they brought, but they are all different varieties.

Realistic Paper Snowflakes

Snowflakes are six sided water crystals. Most paper snowflakes are four or eight sided.

I found some very thorough instructions for cutting realistic paper snowflakes on this web page Right Here. Please go check it out, if you are interested. There is a lot of good information on snowflakes with many details and some templates.

Here are the basic instructions:

Start with a square piece of paper.

Fold it in half, diagonally.

Fold the triangle in half.

Fold the new triangle into thirds. (This part can be tricky.)

Cut an angle off the top.

Cut your design. The templates from the aforementioned website come in handy here. Tip: don't leave more than 1/4 inch of dead space anywhere in your design.

Unfold to reveal your snowflake!

Sweat Sandwich Recipe

These sandwiches are kind of a special tradition in my family.

My late Uncle Kenny was the inventor of The Sweat Sandwich. He passed away at a young age when I was only 8 years old. I don't have many memories of my Uncle Kenny. But, when I crave the unique combination of cream cheese and pickled jalapenos, I think of him. These are such a simple snack that I feel funny calling this a recipe. Here it is anyway:

Sweat Sandwich Recipe

2 slices of bread (any variety of your choice)
3 TBS. soft cream cheese
Pickled jalapeno slices

Spread the cream cheese on both slices of bread. Cover the cream cheese on one slice with a layer of pickled jalapeno slices. Place the other slice of bread, cream cheese side down, over the jalapenos. Enjoy!

Lacto Fermented Peppers Recipe

These are the very best picked peppers that I have ever had!

Lacto-Fermented Peppers 

1/2 peck (4 quarts) sweet peppers 

1/2 peck (4 quarts) hot peppers 

1 cup sea salt 

3/4 cup water 

1 quart live apple cider vinegar 

2 cups extra virgin olive oil 

3 garlic cloves, chopped 

1/4 cup oregano 

Cut the peppers into rings or cracker size squares.  Mix all the ingredients together. Let sit at room temperature overnight. Pack into jars. Store in cool dark place.

 I made this recipe before I was married with hot Banana peppers and Anaheim chilli's and my family really enjoyed them. I haven't had the opportunity to make this recipe since I have been married until this year.

This year our next door neighbors grew more peppers than they could use. They offered me their extra peppers. I only had enough to make a 1/4 batch. I think this recipe is intended to be store in jars in cellar like conditions. I have always kept my jars in the refrigerator. I am just to nervous about leaving them unrefrigerated.

These picked peppers make great Sweat Sandwiches. Never heard of a Sweat Sandwich? Don't worry, I am planning to tell you in my next post! ;)

This Season's Butternut Squash Harvest

We have had our first hard frost of the season. And, that means all of our winter squash have been picked and stored.

The only winter sqaush we grew this year were Butternut squash. I planted two hills, and I think there were 6 plants. We did have some volunteer Pink Banana sqaush. They were not able to mature fully, thanks to squash beetles killing their vines. So, they had to be eaten in short order instead of being stored through the winter.

I think Butternut squash are the best! Grant it, I have not tasted every variety of winter sqaush. :) Of the winter squash I have eaten, which includes Acorn, Burgess Buttercup, Hubbard, Pink Banana, and Pumpkin, I prefer Butternut.

Butternut squash seems to be the sweetest variety. It can be enjoyed plain without adding anything, and it is delicious!

Generally, Butternut squash is a great keeper. In proper conditions it can be stored all winter. This year I had several specimens that had to be cooked right away because of blemishes and flaws that would cause them to rot if stored.

I have found that I really like the flesh to be pureed. After I bake up several squash, I scoop out the flesh. At this point I can just put it into a large bowl and refrigerate it if I don't have time to blend it and bag it. The next step is to run it through the food processor in batches. And then it can be put in plastic bags and frozen for long term storage. I like to measure it and make sure I have 2 cups of pulp in each bag. That makes it nice in the future if I want to be able to use a bag to make "Pumpkin" bread or cake or something. So far, I have 14 bags of Butternut squash in the freezer. There are still 12 uncooked squash in the basement.

Do you have a favorite sqaush? Or squash recipe? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section! :)

Proverbs 20:4 

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

Applesauce Numbers For Future Reference

I want to keep track of how many apples I canned, what they cost, where I bought them, how many quarts they yielded, etc.... I usually don't write these details down and forget from year to year.

We drove a couple hours to the Amish orchard. We went on October 18th and they still had plenty of apples. We bought 2 bushels of golden delicious apples.

The price was $16 per bushel for bag-it-yourself apples. We didn't have to pick any apples. They were in a large bin and we just had to put them into the bag ourselves. The apples were big and beautiful. They didn't have any blemishes. No doubt they had been sprayed with chemicals. Oh well. I didn't have to cut out any worm holes. :)

The bags of apples sat on the floor in our foyer for 12 days. The conditions weren't the best for storing apple because it got a little warmer than ideal in that room.  One apple rotted and two others had bad spots.

We probably ate 3+ pounds of apples fresh. Before I turned them all into applesauce.

Yesterday, (10/30/17) I canned applesauce. I started at around 11 a.m. and finished at 6 p.m. Everything went smoothly. I didn't have to stop progress to do any other duties. Since the apples didn't have any worm holes cutting them up was easy. I just quartered the apples and put them into pots to cook. No peeling, no coring. It couldn't be easier. I was able to keep at least two pots of apples cooking on the stove and 2 pots ready to process at all times. I put 2 cups of water in the apple pots to keep them from burning. That amount of water seemed to be just enough to make the applesauce a good consistency. So, I didn't have to pour any water off before processing.

When the apples were good and soft (they were falling apart when stirred) I pulled them off the heat and ran them through my Victorio strainer. While the sauce was still hot I ladled it into clean quart jars. When I had 7 jars finished they went into the canner.

They were water bathed for 20 minutes. I was able to keep up with the canner and had a batch to put in as soon as one load came out, or almost ready (I just had to ladle sauce into a few jars). I used all of the apples and canned 40 quarts.
We are going to enjoy all that sauce!

Pressed Nasturtium Cards

Here are some Nasturtium blossoms I gathered this summer.

I arranged them in my flower press. (With plenty of paper towels. See why that matters in my post HERE and HERE) I pressed some of the flowers whole and some of the flowers in pieces.

I recently had fun using my pressed Nasturtiums to make some cards. I tried to be creative. I use the orange petals as flames for the tops of birthday candles. I made some of the petals into hot air balloons. Some became a bundle of birthday balloons. I displayed a few whole blossoms with their Latin name, like a botanists identification card. And, I made a little Dutch girl with Nasturtium petals as her skirt and bonnet.

This was a fun little project. I hope to do more flower pressing next year. :)

Marble Rolling Pin

For my birthday this year my Mom sent me a marble rolling pin. And, I have been so grateful to have it. :) I have used it to make cinnamon rolls,

Homemade noodles,

Croissant Rolls,

And Tortillas; flour tortillas and corn tortillas.

I have used a wooden rolling pin for several years and it has done a good job for me. But, I can tell you, after comparing the two, that the marble pin makes rolling out all these foods much easier! It is quite a bit heavier and the weight helps things flatten a lot faster.

Another great thing about a marble rolling pin is that it can be chilled and will stay cool, which can be useful when rolling out pastries. Although I haven't used mine for pie pastry yet, I know from experience in my mother's kitchen, using her marble rolling pin, that a cold rolling pin makes pie pastry easier to work with.

"Thank you so much, Mommy! You know a rolling pin in my kitchen is sure to get a lot of use, and one of such quality has made my job easier." ;)

Personal Care Products That I Use

I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite personal care products. I am going to split it up into three categories; skin care, hair cleanser, and perfume.

I hope you find this interesting! :)

Skin Care:

A skin care product that I use all of the time and find makes a positive difference in how my skin feels and looks is a luffa sponge. I use very few skin products, but I consider having a luffa sponge to be a worthwhile purchase.

I usually pay around $1.50-$2.00 for a luffa sponge. I can sometimes find them for the $1.50 price at Big Lots and closer to $2.00 at Walmart. The most recent one I purchased was actually 25¢ at a garage sale, still in the original packaging! (I wouldn't have been interested if it was not brand new, gross!) I was really excited to find such a good deal on something I consider a luxury item.

Luffa sponges are actually not sponges at all. They are part of the cucumber family! The sponge part of the luffa is from the inside of the squash-like fruit. The sqaush is dried and then the inside is harvested. It is a light, rigged, porous substance.

Luffa sponges are great at exfoliating the skin. The scrubbing action can stimulate blood flow, which is great, because your blood is how your body carries nutrients and oxygen to your skin. This makes your skin healthier. And healthy skin is beautiful skin!

I replace my luffa sponge about every six months. It starts to get dark spots, which I believe to be mold growth, at around that time. I will sometimes soak my sponge in vinegar to kill the mold, but eventually it needs to be replaced. Another thing I try to do to extend the useful life of my sponge is let it dry between uses. I try not to store it in the shower where conditions are always damp and moist.

When it is time to replace my luffa sponge I throw the old one in the compost. Luffa sponges are 100% natural and biodegradable.

I wear lipstick from time to time, but I wear either A+D ointment or lanolin on my lips all the time. Both products are not exactly marketed as lip moisturizer.

A+D ointment is found in the baby care section of stores next to diaper rash cream. A+D ointment is a very good diaper rash cream. It is also a good healing ointment to put on minor scrapes and cuts. It also makes a good lip moisturizer and gloss.

Lanolin is also sold in the baby department of most stores. It is next to all of the nursing supplies. Lanolin is know for being a soothing, protective saav to use on dry, cracked nipples. Lanolin is safe to be consumed by the baby and that makes it great for nursing mothers. Lanolin also makes a really good lip moisturizer and gloss, as well.

I usually carry Lanolin in my purse and A+D ointment stays in the bathroom cabinet. Both products are pretty inexpensive and have multiple applications. I use such small amounts that each tube will last for several years.


Hair Cleanser:

I use a cleansing conditioner as my only hair product.

I used to do the no shampoo method with just baking soda and vinegar. (I even wrote a blog post about it here.) I did that for well over a year. I started running into problems with my ends getting really brittle (pH imbalance?) and really gross grease or mineral (or both) build ups matting my hair.

I discovered Renpure Cleansing Conditioner about a year ago. The product is made in the United States and contains zero sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and propylene glycol. It comes in four scents, that I am aware of, Rosemary Mint, Vanilla Mint, Lavender, and Sweet Pomegranate.

The product is kind of pricey. A 16 ounce bottle is almost $7.00 at Walmart. One bottle lasted me exactly one year, though. For us, $7.00 a year for hair care products is affordable. Keep in mind that how long a bottle of shampoo will last has a lot of variables like your hair type, hair length, frequency of washing, ect. My hair is a little dry and course and frizzy. It is down to my waist. And, I only wash it every 5-6 days.

I have really enjoyed using the Renpure Cleansing Conditioner. The Conditioner does a really good job at keeping my hair clean and hydrated. The product is designed to be used in between washes with real shampoo. The suggestion on the bottle is to wash your hair with shampoo every sixth wash or so. The brand also has a shampoo that is sulfate and paraben free.

With my particular hair type I have never felt the need to use a shampoo at all while using the Cleansing Conditioner. I liked the Rosemary Mint scent. The new bottle I purchased is the Vanilla Mint scent. They are both nice, but I like the Rosemary Mint best.

Perfume

I started wearing perfume a year ago. My husband and I went to a 18th century historical reenactment of life in a French and Native American fort in the wilderness last October. At the reenactment there were vendors or "suttlers" who sold period supplies and such. One of the suttlers was an appothecary business from Wisconsin. Here is a link to their Etsy store. They sell many different authentic personal care products. Some of their perfumes are made from actual recipes from the 1700's and others are just made with techniques and ingredients from the time period.

The LCC Historical Appothecary sells an Austin (as in Jane Austin) perfume collection. Each scent is named after one Jane Austin's famous heroines and is formulated to accentuate her particular characteristics. After sampling the perfumes we settled on"Jane", which is very fitting in many ways. (Those who know me closely will understand. 😁) The perfume is very floral with notes of rose, Lily, and jasmine.

When sampling a perfume it is important to actually put it on your skin. The various chemical make up and oils of your skin can make the perfume smell different than it does in the bottle.

After coming home with my very first perfume I wanted to make sure I used it properly. I read several helpful articles on line that gave some guidelines and tips. I also learned that wether a scent is called a toilet water, perfume, or cologne is based solely on the concentration of the fragrance, and not on the gender for whom it is intended.

These are the guidelines I follow when applying my perfume.

1. Always apply perfume to clean, dry skin. I apply perfume every time after I shower and have thoroughly dried off.

2. Apply a small amount of perfume on three areas of the body. Your scent should not be wafting off of you in your wake. The scent should be something that only people who are very close to you might smell, like when you give a loved one a hug.
I usually apply perfume at the base of my neck, under my ear, and at my collar bone.

3. Allow your perfume to dry on you skin before dressing to avoid your clothing crushing the scent. You do not want to rub your perfume into your skin. That can diminish the more delicate notes of your scent.

I have really enjoyed getting to wear perfume. It is one of those things that makes me feel grown-up and sophisticated. I, also, really like how Mr. In The Mid-west notices my perfume. :) He loves it and always tells me how nice I smell. :)

"More Cookies, Please!"

Over the past month I have been a "Cookie Jar Mama".  What is a "Cookie Jar Mama"? It is just what I decided to call those kind of mother who always have a full cookie jar and let their children (or grandchildren) have free range of the cookies.

I don't actually have a cookie jar. What I did was bake a couple batches of cookies and put them into containers in the freezer. Boy In The Mid-west knows where they are located. He can open the freezer by himself and get cookies whenever he wants.

I have not had the heart or resolve to stop him. He doesn't spoil his appetite with cookies before meals. Nor does he pig out on cookies. So far, I have no problems with him helping himself to cookies.

Most nights he wakes up in the middle of the night and goes to the kitchen to fetch a cookie as a midnight snack. I really think it is kind of cute. :) He is just two years old, but he toddles in there, opens the freezer, and pulls a cookie out like a tiny grown-up.

The night before last we were out of cookies. BMW didn't know what to do. How could we be out of cookies?! I told him we would make some "tomorrow".

Yesterday I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies to restock the freezer.

While I was taking cookies off of baking sheet, BMW was sitting across the counter from me eating a chocolate chip cookie. He looked at me with a smile on his chocolate-y face and said, "Thank you for make cookies!"

Awww. "You're welcome, Son!"

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 

Matthew 7:11 (KJV)

The Little House, Does Anyone Remember This Picture Book?

During our weekly trip to the library I found The Little House and checked it out. 

I remember this picture book from my childhood. I loved the story. The very nature of the tale evokes nostalgia.

For those who are unfamiliar with the book I will give you a short summary. I will share some pictures, too, hoping not to violate copy right laws.

The little house was a sturdy home built out in the country a long, long time ago. The man who built the house said that the house could never be sold and his great-great grand-children's, great-great grand-children would live there. The seasons came and went. The children grew up. The apple trees died and had to be replaced. Way off in the distance the little house could see the glow of the city lights at night. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to live in the city.

Very slowly the city was built up around the little house. First came automobiles, then the road, then neighborhoods, then shops and tenement houses, and eventually the subway and El train. The tenement houses were torn down and skyscrapers were built. The little house was very sad and lonely. No one lived in her any more. She missed living in the country. She missed the field of daisies and apple trees and seeing the stars at night.

One day the great- great grand-daughter of the man who built the house walked by the little house. She didn't rush past. She stopped, and said, "This looks like the house that my grandmother grew up in."

The great-great grand-daughter had the house moved way out into the country. Once again the little house was lived in, and she could watch the seasons change. And they all lived happily ever after.

Well, that turned out to be not such a short summary. I hope that I have conveyed the charm of The Little House. 

We never owned this story when I was a child, and we never checked it out from the library. This was one of the books in the Dr.'s office waiting room. That is where I read The Little House. Every time I was in the waiting room I remember finding that book to read.

Do you remember this book from your childhood? My husband did. I was pretty excited about it when I got home from the library. In my enthusiasm I was like, "Guess what I found at the library, The Little House!" Mr. In The Mid-west had fond memories of the book, so he shared in my excitement.

For those who would like to find out more about The Little House here is the publishing information:

The Little House

Written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton

Copyright 1942 by Virginia Lee Demetrios

Copyright renewed 1969 by George Demetrios

Published by Houghton Mifflin Company