So Much for Lent

It's just about the third Sunday in Lent.  What I hate about Lent is all the people that treat it as the time for taking a second stab at the diet they abandoned three weeks after New Year's.  The thing you give up, or, alternatively, try to do more of, is supposed to be something that is a SACRIFICE.  Something that pains you so that when you're tempted you pause for some reflection and inner growth instead.

I gave up thrift store shopping.  And, boy, has it been hard.  I wear thrift store clothes, I furnish my home with thrift store decor, I use old sheets as muslins for sewing, and I find lots of raw materials to re-do, reupholster, and re-paint.  To stay away from the thrift stores is a Sacrifice, indeed.

We're a whole month from Easter and already I've failed.  I went to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore today.  And I came home with this:

But let me rationalize explain. 

First, The bagged stuff is actually on it's way TO Goodwill.  (See - I can purge every now and then!)

Second, spring is coming fast and it's time to plan the garden.  I've always wanted raised beds but new wood is Ex-Pen-Sive.  So I wanted to find some scraps.  And I did!!  I found enough pieces of NEW wood, already cut in equal measures for THREE raised beds. 

The drawers are for a future project that will help me eliminate clutter.  And the picket pieces are for a quickie craft project. 

The particle board is for a spring cleaning project that I'm already halfway done with. 

And the last piece only took me 10 minutes to put into place.  Watch:

Here's my current pull-out cutting board. 

Nasty.  The wood has been pulling off in chunks which, of course, has nearly gotten in my food many times.  I flipped it over to use the underside.

But you can see that, in the divet used for pulling it out, food scraps collect and are impossible to get out.  I especially like when pie crusts get caked in there.  Yick!  I've been hoping to find a suitable replacement and I finally did, today!

It was a little wider than the original so I just laid the old one on top centering it over the pullout divet,  and drew some cutting lines.  Two quick passes over the cutting table was all it took.

Back in the kitchen I cleaned both sides with a mix of baking soda and vinegar.  If you remember 4th grade science, vinegar makes baking soda get all bubbly.  It's about the best, albeit stinkiest, all-natural cleaner for surfaces like wood that are porous. 

And there you have it.  My brand "new", Lousy Catholic cutting board.  So....

Still No Spring

Well, spring still hasn't come to Wisconsin. 

In my Magical Garden, Veronica here is looking over dirt and mud as if to say, "For the love of God, grow!!"

Gabriella has simply given in to despair and collapsed in grief.

But there's some hope that Spring is on the way.  Some tulips poking out:

Some crocus emerging amid the snow:

The irises my friend The Gardener gave me last year look like they were a successful transplant.  They're out by the curbside so, hopefully, my sloppy neighbors don't squash them:

And finally, I left these nurserty pots of sorrel on the side, too lazy tired at the end of the season to dig a hole and throw them in anywhere.  Sorrel is a perennial and it looks like one of the two survived.  Hopefully they'll last enough so I can plant them for real:

Since spring clearly doesn't want to come to Wisconsin, I continue to try and cure my cabin fever indoors.  This past weekend, I tried a new pattern, Simplicity 2615.

I've been in search of a blouse with either kimono or raglan sleeves because I am sick of setting in sleeves.  I also wanted one that had no buttons down the front, since my bustiness makes positioning buttons a real chore.

I'm not sure I completely love it becuase the tie, combined with the gathered fabric might, I worry, create a maternity top effect over my potbelly.

But the fabric I used is a bit stiff.  I'm going to try it again with a more drapey fabric and see how the effect is.  I really like the pattern since it was incredibly easy to work with.

Curing Cabin Fever: Compst Bin

Well, I'm still stick of winter.  After another 1/2 inch of snow yesterday, I am really missing my garden. 

The Sunday paper today featured a recipe for soup with root vegetables.  I am SICK of soup.  I am SICK of stews.  And I am SICK of root vegetables.  Root veggies are what you eat in the dead of winter when there's no vegetation in sight. 

I am SICK of not seeing any vegetation.

So, to help cure my cabin fever, I started my compost bin.  I usually start one about this time every year.  Right in my kitchen. 

I just take a regular houshold garbage can.  Make sure to use one with a lid.  Things happen inside a compost bin that you won't want to see when you walk past it.

Flip it upside down and drill several small - and I mean small - holes.  The holes allow the air to circulate.   I also put a disposable tray underneath (just 'cuz I don't have anything prettier) since compost sometimes makes juice. 

On the bottom you spread a layer of shredded newspaper and a little bit of dirt or potting soil. 

Then you go visit Joe at the bait shop and buy a package of these:

Worms!  I keep my compost bin inside, so I use red wigglers.  They are tiny - whch is why you need to drill very small drain holes.  I came home my first year doing this to find the worms tried to make a run for it.  They failed.  But sweeping them up was kind of ick. 

SIDENOTE:  Which meant I had to go back to see Joe and explain that the worms made a run for it.  Now, Joe already thinks I'm weird because the first time I walked in I was eating ice cream and wearing my business suit.  In a bait shop.  He probably thought I lost my way to the mall or something.  When I told him I was composting, he looked at me like I was even weirder.  Only hippies compost.  Not girls in business suits, you see. 

So having to go back and explain about the runawayt worms to Joe and have him harumph under his breath that I should have drilled smaller holes was kind of annoying. 

Anyways, red wigglers work better for compost but they cost more.  The timid soul that can't stomach the idea of compost inside and who would rather keep their bin outside can use regular earth (fishing) worms because they can tolerate cold. 

Plop them on top of the dirt/paper and shut the lid.  They'll burrow down to the bottom.  After that, you can start tossing your plant-based scraps into the bin.  Coffee grounds are also an excellent addition.

Some rules to remember: 

NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS - That means no oils, no meat, no bones or skins.  Eggshells (but not eggs themselves) are the only exception. 

NO GARBAGE - Compost is plant matter that is broken down so the remaining nutrients can fertilize your garden.  Garbage does not break down like plant based materials do.  Would you bury cans and bottles all over your garden?  No?  Then don't toss them in the compost.

I also don't put in FUNGUS material.  It probably has to do with the biology of mushrooms or something but I threw in some old 'shrooms one year and had fruit flies for ages. 

So, as you add your plant matter, the worms will break it down and turn it into lovely fertilizer like this:

Yup.  You will see fuzz.  You will see mold.  You will see rot.  And you might think, "why on earth would anyone want this in the same room that they cook and eat in?"

Well, I assure you, you will not SMELL anything.  The picture above is from two weeks of composting and I have yet to smell an odor.  As long as your worms are alive, they do their thing which keeps the smell down just about nothing.  Periodically spreading another layer of shredded newspaper or a thin layer of potting soil also keeps odor down.  I find that dumping my coffee grounds in on a daily basis does wonders. 

You might smell a slight grassy smell.  I LOVE that smell. It reminds me of the scent of being outside with my hands in the dirt.  It's the same smell I get when I twist a squash off the vine, or snap a pea off the bush, or rip a weed out of the ground.

In other words, it smells like LIFE happening.  Right there in your kitchen.  By the time spring comes around, I will have a full bin of this stuff ready to pour into my garden for the first spring planting. Can't come soon enough! 

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Oh my gosh!  I never win anything.  Until now!!

I stumbled upon a great health blog called Living Healthy in the Real World written by a Canadian gal named Sagan.  She writes on a wide variety of health topics - everything from nutrition methods, ingredients, fitness, healthy recipes, you name it.  She recently had a giveaway for a sample of Tropical Traditions Household Traditions Dish Liquid.   

Times are pretty tense at work right now.  I work in local government and,thanks to our dictator of a governor, thousands of dedicated public servants like me are on edge wondering if they'll be put out of work soon.  Things are really gloomy.  So I was just elated to open my mailbox and read that I WON THE GIVEAWAY!!! 

Sagan's message was the silver lining of an otherwise cloudy day!

I'm thrilled because I really want to transition away from using harsher chemical based cleaning products in my home toward using more all-natural products.  According to Sagan's review, this stuff only has deionized water, coconut and sugar based sudsing agents, surfactants, and emulsifiers.  There's no fragrances or dyes which is great, since I wash dishes without gloves.

I'm eagerly awaiting delivery in the mail.  In the meantime, check out Sagan's blog by clicking the link above.She writes in plain English - you don't need to be a health expert to understand what she's saying and  I'm sure you'll learn some new things and get some great inspiration for how to live healthfully in the real world.

Thanks Sagan!!   

Curing Cabin Fever: Tomato Soup

At some point, it happens every winter.  I'm going along just fine and then the day finally comes. 

Last Thursday was the day. 

I opened my door in the morning to let the dog back in and saw, for the 1,436th time this winter, this:

And that was officially It.  I am SICK OF WINTER.

I am sick of having to bundle up and step out into the cold to untangle my dog's leash.
I'm sick of shoveling.  I'm sick of sloshing through slush and slipping on ice.  I am REALLY sick of water leaking into my boots.
I'm sick of walking into work in my nice clothes only to find I've kicked up dirty snow water on the backs of my legs.
I'm sick of eating stews and roasts and squash while I shiver under a blanket on my couch. 
I'm sick of looking out into my backyard and seeing this:

I've got Cabin Fever and I've got it bad.

But there's March, April, and most of May to get through before it's officially spring in Wisconsin.  So, in the meantime, I've got some projects planned to get me through. 

First, is tomato soup.  Which doesn't sound like much.  Unless you have REAL tomatos.

And I don't mean the pink, hard, tasteless Faux-matos that are in the grocery stores now. 

I mean these:

Those are REAL tomatoes picked from my garden last summer.  I grow more than I can eat while they're fresh.  So I toss the ones that are ripe into the freezer for later.  Thursday was officially "later". 

I took them out to defrost over night in a pan. 

Aren't they beautiful in their Real Red goodness?  I love homemade tomato soup but peeling tomatoes is a pain.  I like freezing them because they get gooshy when they defrost and I can just squeeze the meat right out of the peel.  Here's what they looked like in the morning. 

You can really just rip into them wih your fingers a bit and let the meat plop out into a bowl.  I was left with this in skins:

But more importantly, I had a beautiful bowlful of this:

{Steps onto soapbox}:  People open my freezer in the winter and see the big pile of tomatoes and exlaim, "You just throw tomatoes in your freezer?!?"  Yup.  Let me tell you, even after these babies sit in the freezer for months, with no plastic wrap or anything to keep them sealed, the minute I start squeezing out the meat, it smells like I just stepped outside into the hot summer sun to pick them right then.

Does a storebought faux-mato do that? 

THAT is the difference between real, homegrown produce and the plastic crap they sell at the grocery store.
Any food that can maintain it's natural scent - even after months of unprotected freezing - is REAL FOOD.  Why would you settle for plastic? {Steps off soapbox}.

Back to the soup.  To the bowlful of meat, I added about 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp basil, 2 tsp oregano.  I stirred it, covered it, and let it sit while I went to work.

After I came home, I sauteed a bit of spring in some olive oil:

Mmm!  Leeks are pricey now, at $2.49/pound (and you only use the bottom part!).  But I didn't care.  I'm sick with cabin fever and food is my medicine.

When those were sauteed, I poured in the tomato mix and also added:
a tsp minced garlic, a cup of canned broth, 3 Tbsp blue cheese, 2 Tbsp srirachi sauce.  (The srirachi adds a wonderful kick and the blue cheese smooths out the heat - fabulous!!)  Once that all cooked, I used my immersion blender to smooth it all out then stirred in 1/2 cup of cream.

To help bring more summer in, I used my indoor Lodge grill to fry up some lamb burgers:

I put out a simple sauce of Greek yogurt mixed with lime juice and dill.

And, while I was defrosting summer, I also took out the last of my bucket of frozen raspberries.  After defrosting I was left with this:

Enough raspberries to mix with apples for a pie and just over a quart of pure raspberry juice which, I gotta say, is like ecstasy in a glass when you drink it straight up.

A Greek salad, some oven roasted potatoe "fries", and some rolls rounded out a delicious REAL summer meal in the dead of winter:

Stay tuned for more Cabin Fever relief! 
As a sidenote, I'm drinking Pepsi with my dinner there...my mom never, ever allowed soda water with dinner.  Even though I'm a grown-up and I can do what I darn well please, I still feel like I'm doing something bad when I'm having a soda with supper.

Bowl Full of Lemons - House Binder

You can see by the button on my sidebar that I'm participating in A Bowl Full of Lemon's newest challenge.  (Click on the button to get to Toni's write up).

Our first task was for me to take all of this:

and turn it into a useful house binder.  I've been meaning to do this for years and Toni's challenge was the kick in the pants I needed. 

I used a small 6 x 8 binder so that it fits in my errand-running purse

Because I take this binder shopping, I put a funny reminder on the inside cover to keep myself in check

The caption reads "Remember:  Today's must haves often become tomorrow's what was I thinkings!"

Toni has a linky party set up so we can see the work of other participants. Lots of others are moms so their binders include pages for keeping track of doctor appointments, extracurriculars, and weekly meal plans.

But I'm single with no kids so I don't need to track those things. My binder will look a little different but I hope the tabs I use inspire moms and non-moms alike:

ROOM TABS - I have a separate tab for each room.  Whenever I'm shopping I inevitably find a cute knick-knack, picture, pillow, etc. that catches my eye but I"m never quite sure if it will fit or match.  These tabs will help me out.  Each has a similar page that works like this:

First, I designed the page layout and printed it on 8x11 paper.  I cut an inch off the right side, and hole punched the left:

Then I folded the right side towards the back.  Cutting off the the far right edge allows each page to be folding back in such a way that the hole punches are exposed.

  The grid is where I colored in the floor layout for each room.  I'll show my kitchen as a sample:

I wrote in the measurements.  The diagram also shows the way each door opens, and where counters and windows are.  Lastly, there are symbols showing where each electrical, phone, and cable outlets are. 

Second, I measured each physical feature of the room - door and window sizes, shelf height and depth, and closet floor space and wrote them next to the appropriate symbol. 

This page is also where I'd note measurements of things I always forget.  For example, my Basement tab would have the measurements of the furnace filters I need. 

Third, You can see how this page looks like it flips open.  Indeed!  On the inside I put the paint chips and fabric swatches for each room.  Now I'll know for sure if what I want to buy will match or not:

Other tabs are:



PRICE LIST

Those familiar with The Tightwad Gazette books will know how much the author stressed taking a price book with you to the store to ensure that you're truly getting the best prices.  Living in a big city, my shopping choices are overwhelming so I wanted to add this tab so I at least have a point of reference in the stores. 

INVENTORIES
When I do find a good price, I buy a lifetime supply. That's food, hobby supplies, hardware, anything.  Here's PART of my pantry

(um...yea...and I'm single with no kids).    I added a tab for a running inventory of these types of things so I can shop at home before I run out to the stores and use up what I've got first.

COLLECTIONS - I added a tab for lists of various items I collect, such as old Nancy Drew books, so when I'm out thrifting, rummaging, or antiquing  I have a ready list of which parts of my collection I have and which I still need.

DIRECTIONS - This tab is for when I'm out and about and can't remember how to get where I want to go

KNOW-HOW - This tab is a catchall tab for such things as measurement conversions, and other shopping helps.  The picture below is a picture list of various nuts, bolts, and screws.  The directions for a project may say "five cartirdge bolts" but heck if I know what they look like.  This tab will show me the way.

And if we ever geet rid of this:

I want to add a tab for my yard and garage as well. 

And while I don't have a typical "mom binder", I did notice that a lot of moms in the party have a section for phone numbers.  I need to add one of those - I'm too reliant on my cell phone for storing numbers.  So thanks to the many moms in the party for that good reminder.

I'm ready to see what the next week's challenge is.  But there's another challenge I have to deal with today.  I live in Wisconsin.  We have a little town here called Green Bay.  And they have a football team playing a game today.  Here's my contribution of Oreos baked inside brownies with green and gold sprinkles on top. 
Go Packers! 



Snow Day!

No time to work on the home binder for the Bowl Full of Lemons Challenge today.  We had a Snow Day of epic proportions here in Milwaukee.  The Interstate was even shut down! 

There's the Conductor getting  his shovel from his car that was buried in the snow on the street.  We woke up to snow drifts as high as five feet in some places. 

Here's me in the backyard.  Look how tall the drifts are!  (Don't look at how goofy I look in my un-matching winter garb).  It took us almost an hour just to clean the back yard walks out. 

Here's the Conductor, waist-deep in the backyard drifts before we got it cleaned out.

In a bit of irony, the sunshine I had hung on the side of my garage was blown down and fell in a snowdrift.

And here's my hero again.  I absolutely couldn't have tunneled my way out of the avalanche without his help. 

Ugh.  But we're still not done.   Half the alley to go, and it's already 3:30!