Scarlet Pimpernel Party

A friend and I came up with a get-together for a bunch of girls (a.k.a. other mothers) we knew in order to have some quality kid-free girly time.  We started it kinda late after the kids were down and ate a ton of good food and watched the Scarlet Pimpernel. It was way fun, there were door prizes and everything, but none of us thought to take any pictures.
To go with the theme, I thought it would be fun to write love letters to our husbands or kids and seal them with wax like they do in the movie.  I couldn't find a suitable seal to imprint the wax with though, so I decided to make my own. I googled the image from the movie and copied the design.

movie original

mine

Not bad for my first try eh? I figure it's close enough anyway.

All it took was some sealing wax I bought online, and a piece of soapstone, which I carved easily using a nut pick I already had around the house.  The soapstone comes in sticks that are 11mm wide and about 5 inches long and are found at just about any hardware store for about five bucks (you can see them to the right in the first picture).  There are at least 7 sticks and they are generally used to mark metal for welding.

I also found an 11mm ring base and made my own personal signet ring.

What do you think?  Etsy material?

DIY pom-pom sorter

So back in February, my 18 month old went in for surgery.  I'm sure he'd love me later for blogging about this, so I won't say exactly what it was for, but it was a pretty simple procedure and we were in-and-out within a few hours. He's doing great. The night before, I was frantic though, worried about how he would deal with everything (especially about the part where I abandon him to strangers), and what I could do to keep him happy and distracted during the wait before and the recovery after.  I needed something new.

I knew he liked filling things and dumping them out, and I remembered seeing something like this on pinterest somewhere, so I stayed up late and made one myself.

 

It's a pom-pom color sorter!

Now, to be real, my 18 month old does not do the color thing, but he really gets a kick out of pushing those little puff balls through the holes over and over again.

I made mine out of an empty cashew can, covered it with fun paper, melted the holes in the lid with my wood burner and painted the colors around the holes on the underside of the lid. (note: although that is what's pictured, acrylic paint does not stay on the plastic for long, I ended up having to use sharpies to redo it a few days later --the red one in the picture is sharpie because I didn't have any red paint).

It was the perfect waiting room toy, since he was already a little antsy when the nurses came near.  This totally distracted him.  It was also really funny how when they gave him some kind of medicine to prep him for the surgery he was so loopy and thought everything was super hilarious, especially disappearing pom-poms. 
After the procedure though, he was mad.  Upon waking, they wanted to calm him down a little before they brought me in, but they decided it would be best to just go get me because he was totally inconsolable. However, even my attempts to console him were futile.  But then, I brought out the pom-pom sorter and just like I turned off a switch he was suddenly calm and happy.  I immediately felt that staying up so late to get that finished the night before was totally worth it.  In fact, I think the whole thing was inspired.

It's a fun and easy toy to make. True, you'll end up finding pom-poms everywhere, and before long they learn that it's much more fun throwing them and poking them down heater vents.  Still, every once in a while we pull it out and he sits there and pushes them all in.  I also hope that as he learns his colors it'll give him lots of great practice.

Homemade Sandbox

I have a love/hate relationship with sandboxes. I love how they keep the kids entertained outside in the fresh air for so long, but I hate sand in my house, all over the patio, and on heads and in diapers.

We built this sandbox a couple years ago and the kids loved it.

However, we moved several times and it never got set up again we just hauled the sand around in a big tupperware storage bin.  The problem with that was that the kids didn't like bending over to play in the sand and so they brought the sand out to where they could play with it comfortably (meaning all over my patio).  Also, when they wanted to add water, it stayed wet forever in the tub. Our sandbox has a canvas bottom (the same kind of ugly canvas as the lid -we got it at the thrift store for really cheap) so the water can drain out easily.  Overall it wasn't working for us and we either had to give up on sand altogether, or we had to rebuild the sandbox.

So this Fall we moved into a house that didn't have anything but grass in the backyard.  It's nice and big, with plenty of room for the kids to run around, but they were bored and wouldn't stay outside for very long. So we finally decided to resurrect the sandbox, adding in a new feature that we hoped would encourage the kids to play in the sandbox but not "in" the sandbox if you know what I mean (see above).

Benches!

not that they always use the benches...

  Not only that, but the benches are also the lid!!

This was taken a different day than the above pictures. It was raining. Otherwise they would have been playing in it.

We are also planning to add a lock for when kids lose sandbox privileges for doing things like this:

This was when it was in that blue tupperware. Apparently wet sand is fun to throw.

  or this:

  

 

  ...and thus continues my love/hate relationship with sandboxes.

Heaven.

The other place.

Ah sand.  Can't we just get along?

A Few Fun Projects --Rock Pets, Magnet Fun, and Sun-dried Fruit Leather

So I have a few recent handmade ideas I thought I'd share.  

What was at first a way to keep the kids occupied while I got stuff done ("Go outside and find me some cool rocks!"), turned into a fun project with the kids one day.  They found a couple nice round rocks (the order of the day) and I decided to make some rock pets with hot melt glue.

They turned out super cute, but with just hot melt glue, they couldn't stand up to being handled by kids, so they turned into fun garden ornaments instead.  I'll have to figure out what kind of fast-setting glue would work better for holding rocks together.

So while I was in Utah,  I made the most of the resources available to me, as usual.  

When my oldest son found an abandoned speaker by the side of the road, he wanted to smash it open to get the large magnet out.  (He had just learned that speakers have magnets a few days earlier when his cousins found a smashed sub-woofer and got that huge magnet out.)  He was so excited to use a big hammer to smash something too. 

Well, this magnet wasn't quite as big, but it seemed almost stronger.  We had to go over magnet etiquette a bunch before releasing the kids to roam around with a super powerful magnet (...no going near TVs, computers, phones -basically anything with a cord or battery, not to mention painted objects such as cars).  It was a very educational activity as well, allowing the kids to discover certain properties of various objects.  Finally, we made a fun toy out of a clear plastic container and some metal shavings from under my dad's metal lathe.

Also while in Utah, we got to sample a bit of the summer harvest, my mother has an apricot tree, but alas, to the kid's disappointment, they weren't quite ripe.  However, my mom, who can't stand any kind of waste, still puts up as much fruit as she can each year.  Now that all seven of her kids have moved away, she doesn't have as many people at home to help eat it (although we do our best each time we come to visit).  So, to help her rotate some of that old fruit, we put her old bottled apricots and peaches to good use making homemade fruit leather!

This stuff was older than my first child, and a bit discolored and mushy, but still tasted fine and was safe to eat.

 We drained off the syrup,

And blended it, about 6 cups worth, along with 2 TBS lemon juice, and 2 TBS Honey.  (We did end up picking some apricots from neighbor's trees that were a little riper, and with the fresh fruit, I added 2 more TBS of honey since it didn't have the extra sweetness from the syrup).

I spread out some freezer paper on my parent's trampoline, securing it with clothespins, and sprayed it with cooking spray (actually, the first batch, I forgot that VERY important step and had to throw it all away because I couldn't get it off the paper --so sad!  If you try this don't forget the cooking spray! Pam it!).  

Then I poured/spread 6" circles of the mixture on the paper about a 1/4 in thick.  To make it even and smooth, I tapped on the trampoline next to each circle to flatten it out a bit.  It worked great.

We hit the weather perfectly, since it reached a very dry 100 degrees on a mostly wind-less day, and it only took about 6-7 hours for these to dry out.  (There have been years when the weather didn't cooperate for trampoline drying, but otherwise this is a great method for high-volume dehydration).

Once they were dry, they came right off the paper and I rolled them up and put them in freezer storage bags.  I left the bags open to allow them to cure for a few days, getting rid of any extra moisture just in case --like you would for dehydrated fruit, so they would store well without any danger of mold (not that I needed to store them though, they didn't last much longer than a few weeks anyway, maybe if I had been there longer to make more... all this was the product of just one day). 

I have to admit that this is my favorite way to enjoy apricots, well, next to jam -but I have a feeling this is healthier.

Delicious!

DIY PVC Pipe Play Sprinkler

This is another Pinterest find, although I didn't have instructions, just a picture to go by.  I've also seen even more elaborate constructions, but I was going for thrift and storability.  It cost me about 9 bucks at Ace Hardware.  It took 2 10-foot sections of 3/4" PVC pipe, two T shaped connectors, two elbows, 3 end caps, and one hose connector.  I made it 5 feet tall, 4 feet across, and each base is 3 feet across with two sections of 1 1/2 feet of pipe on either side of the T connectors. 

I used a very small bit to drill holes so we wouldn't lose pressure too easily.

It came in handy after the kids had already left the hose on earlier and I found them doing this:

I like the versatility of it too.  I think it would be fun some kind of plastic underneath like a slip'n'slide, plus it would save your grass.  We had to keep moving it around, since our yard doesn't drain very well, and our grass is doing pretty poorly.

Water Slide

It worked even better on the pavement.

"Car" Wash

You can even twist the top bar so the spray doesn't go straight down, but rather in a nice arc.

Happy kids = Success!

DIY Mini Terrarium

I know this isn't that original, I see it all over Pinterest, but I thought it would be fun anyway.

All it takes is:
~a jar ( I used a nice big pickle jar, although I've seen it done in lots of things --even big empty light bulbs.  I also have plans to take the paint off the lid),
~some rocks for drainage at the bottom (I got mine at the dollar store, and now I'm kicking myself because I should've just picked up pretty ones near the river instead of wasting money --especially since you can't see them very well anyway),
~some potting soil (I may have put too much in here, but maybe it will compress over time),
~some moss and other little plants. (I gleaned some from a nearby spring, but I know you can buy it all from the store as well.  Then maybe you won't get little stowaways --So far I've found small slugs, tiny beetles and some almost microscopic snails.  Oh, and a mosquito of all things, but I think he adds to the mesozoic theme we've got going, I'm sure they had giant bugs like that --or maybe I've been watching too much journey to the center of the earth).

Look closely, do you see it?

~a small figurine if you want. (I didn't have any cute woodland creatures, but I did have some dinosaurs, so that's what we put in there for fun.)

 ~Add some water and voila!  It's its own little ecosystem in there.  (Although, I open it up and blow in it every once in a while to give the plants some CO2 just in case).

It makes a nice centerpiece.

The kids think it's pretty cool (although it's hard not to want to get that dinosaur out).  We'll see how long it lasts.

How To Make Yogurt at Home

Recently, I got to teach a lesson in a Relief Society meeting (the Women's organization of my Church) about how to make your own yogurt.  I did a lot of research, tested out a lot of different things, and then compiled everything I learned into a handout.  This is essentially that handout, with a few pictures added.  I hope it's helpful to someone out there. We've definitely been enjoying this newfound commodity around here.

Actually, my favorite way to eat it is with peach nectar or fresh lemon juice and a little stevia.

How to Make Yogurt at Home

The Basics to Yogurt Making:

         I. Heat milk to 180°F

         II. Cool to 110°F and Add Starter.

         III. Culture at 110°F for at least 7 hours, stir, chill, and…

Voila!  You have yogurt!  It’s that simple!  Now let’s go through and add directions and various options to make yogurt making work for you.

I. Heating the milk. 

         You can use any type of milk you want, with varying results; so just use what’s easiest (or cheapest) for you. Skim and 1% will make a little bit thinner yogurt, while 2% and especially whole milk will make thicker, creamier yogurt.  Whole cream may not have enough lactose in it (which is what the yogurt bacteria uses for food), so try half and half if you want really thick yogurt.  Powdered milk, canned milk, raw milk, organic milk, and I think even soymilk, can all be used as well, so look for sales (or a neighbor with a cow).

The preliminary heating of the milk serves two purposes.  One reason is to kill unwanted bacteria (after all this is practically going to be one big Petri dish you’re making, so it would probably be a good idea to sterilize containers and instruments that will touch the milk after this phase as well) and to prepare the milk for only the good bacteria that makes yogurt to grow. Some think heating the milk to 180 is unnecessary, but I’d say, better safe than sorry.  The second reason is to prepare the proteins in the milk for culturing.  In fact, if you can keep it at 180 for 30 min, your yogurt will be thicker and creamier.  Using a thermometer helps a lot but is not absolutely necessary.  You’ll know you’re there when your milk is just starting to froth, but not quite boiling.  Don’t boil. Also, there may be a thin film that forms on top of the milk, just skim it off every once in a while.

Now there are various ways you can heat the milk:

1. Use a double boiler on the stove.

2. Microwave in a microwave safe bowl, stirring occasionally–test as you go until you figure out about how long it takes your particular microwave to heat milk to 180.

3. Heat directly over the stove.  This could scald if you’re not careful, so use a thick-bottomed saucepan, and stir constantly.

  

II. Adding starter. 

         After the milk has cooled to 110°F~120°F or a temperature you can stand to hold your finger in for more than 10 seconds (placing the pan or bowl in a sink full of ice water can speed up the process), go ahead and add your starter.  Starter can be a store-bought powder, or it can be as simple as a spoonful of plain yogurt at room temperature (going from cold to hot too quickly can shock your starter) –just make sure it says on the package that it contains “live” or “active” cultures.  Use about 2 ½ Tablespoons for a half gallon of milk, or similar ratio depending on how much you’re making.  More is not always better though. Bacteria don’t like to be crowded; if there is not enough food to go around (meaning the natural sugar in milk, or lactose) they will not produce enough of the lactic acid to thicken it into yogurt.  Incorporate your starter well.

III. Allowing milk to Culture.

         Keeping the temperature between 100°F and 120°F allows the bacteria to grow, with 110°F-115°F being ideal.  7 hours is average if not minimum amount of time for yogurt to set up.  The longer you let it culture the more lactic acid the bacteria will produce which gives the yogurt its “tang,” and the thicker it may be --too long though will result in a more sour taste. Also, if it is lumpy, a blender will take care of the lumps nicely, and you can still have the smooth texture you expect in a yogurt.  Experiment with what tastes best to you –tangy or mild, lumpy or smooth, thicker or “drinkable.”

         There are various methods for keeping the yogurt at a constant temperature of 100-120.  Obviously a yogurt maker will do, and often you can find these at a second-hand store very inexpensively, but for those of us who don’t have kitchen space for a “one-use wonder” appliance like that, here are several ways to do it using everyday household items. Just set it out of the way where it won’t get disturbed; that could interrupt the bacteria and cause it to stop growing.

1. Crock pot with a “keep warm” setting.  Crockpot temperatures vary, so keep an eye on it the first time.  Using a water bath in the crockpot, and setting another container with the milk and cultures in that, will keep the temperature from fluctuating.

2. Oven.  If your oven has a “proof” setting or goes down to 100°F, then you can just use that.  Otherwise, heat your oven for a few minutes, and turn on the oven light.  A 60 watt bulb will keep the oven at the temperature you need.

3. Cooler.  Coolers can keep things warm just as well as they can keep things cool.  Add a couple bottles of really hot water, and wrap everything in blankets.  You may need to replace the hot water halfway through the process, just be careful not to jiggle things too much.

4. Electric Heating pad.  Generally, set at medium this will keep your milk at the right temperature. Wrap your container in the heating pad and a blanket and stick it in a box, or set it flat on the counter with a blanket or towel over top of it.

         5. In a closed car on a sunny day.  Generally, if it is cloudless day in the upper eighties or nineties outside, car temperatures will be around 110°F -120°F.  It might get too hot if it is over 100 outside, otherwise it should be fine. The only problem with this method is what to do if you need to use the car.

These are just a few ideas. There may be others I haven’t mentioned …under heat lamps, using lizard rocks, food dehydrators…you get the idea.

Once you’ve left it 7 or so hours, you should have a noticeably thicker consistency (it will never start out as thick as the stuff in stores, but they often add gelatin and other fillers to make it thicker anyway). Drain off any of the watery whey –but don’t throw it away; whey is packed with protein and nutrients –great for making bread or pancakes etc, and if nothing else you could feed it to your cat or dog or even use it to water your plants. After pouring off the excess whey, give the yogurt a good stir.  This will interrupt the bacteria, and refrigerating it for a couple hours will pretty much halt the culturing process. You may drain it even more with cheesecloth or a very fine mesh sieve, and you will have Greek Style Yogurt.  

(Authentic Greek yogurt is actually made with sheep or goat milk, so the stuff you find in the U.S. is usually only “Greek Style,” and yes, removing the whey is the only difference.) Drain it even longer and you’ll have Yogurt Cheese, which is comparable to cream cheese and with a few added ingredients can be a delicious topping or spread. 

Just remember to set some of the yogurt aside to be used as a starter for your next batch!

Add flavorings and enjoy! Honey and nuts, real maple syrup, agave nectar, juice concentrates, fresh fruits, and other natural sweeteners such as stevia, can make a tasty, healthy treat.  Adding your favorite flavored syrups, any flavored Jell-o powder you like, or even just adding jellies and jams can sweeten your yogurt, but at least you can control how much sugar is in there. Eat it with granola, add it to smoothies, use it in place of sour cream, make it into dressings, dips, spreads… enjoy it in a myriad of ways!

Making your own yogurt can be an inexpensive and healthy alternative to many of the over-processed, over-sugared, and over-priced products we find in the stores today.

Here’s a few recipes to use your yogurt in:

Avocado Smoothie (from Everyday Foods)

1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

3 cups fresh squeezed orange juice

¼ cup honey

1 ripe banana

1 ripe avocado

3 cups ice cubes

Blueberry “Secret Ingredient” Smoothie

1 ½ cups Apple juice

1 c fresh baby spinach

         blend until smooth

1 1/2 c frozen blueberries (if your blueberries aren't very sweet, add a little sugar or stevia to taste)

1 tsp vanilla

1 ripe banana

1 c Plain Yogurt

8-12 ice cubes (depends on size of cubes)

Easy Yogurt Vegetable/Cracker Dip

1 cup Greek or Thick-Strained Yogurt

1 tsp Original Mrs. Dash (salt-free)

½ tsp salt

dash garlic salt

Yogurt Fruit Dip

1 c Greek or Thick-Strained Yogurt

1/3 c Brown Sugar