Homemade Christmas Ornaments Are The Best

Every year when I take out the Christmas decorations it brings back memories.  Every ornament makes you remember where and when you got it.  When our daughters were young, we made a lot our ornaments.  They would also make ornaments in school.  Even our friends would exchange home made ornaments using bottle caps, popsicle sticks, yarn and thread.  Back in those days we didn't just make a trip to Hallmark and load up on ornaments.  My daughters just took it for granted that is how we decorated the Christmas tree.  When they got married and left home, they took their ornaments with them.  For a few years I had to accumulate my own ornaments in my own style.  We live in a cabin and I tend to go with woodsy items.  I have used dried hydrangea flowers, we dried oranges, apples, lemons and limes and of course pine cones.  I have made gingerbread man ornaments from cinnamon and applesauce.  Back in 1995, my aunt passed away.  I won't say she was a hoarder, but she had a lot of stuff that needed to be disposed of.  I lived nearby, so day after day I would go to her apartment and go through things.  There were many things that were thrown away and donated to charity.  I bring this up because there was an old tin of cookies in the kitchen.  I opened them up and there were some old gingerbread man cookies.  I took them home and varnished them.  Then I poked a hole in the top and strung a red ribbon.  They are still being used to this day.  You have to wonder what they were made of in the first place.  We probably don't want to know.

Applesauce cinnamon ornament and 18 year old gingerbread man cookie ornaments.

Another favorite ornament was made by my oldest daughter when she was just starting school.  When the girls were little and decorated the tree, Sarah would always put her homemade ornament front and center…Heather hated it and would move it. Sarah would move it back.  They would go around and around.  Then when they were grown adults, Sarah made Heather one nearly identical to hers so she could have one of her very own.   Now every year Heather places her own ornament front and center on her tree.

I actually made some for myself.  Here it is, hanging on my tree.  It makes me happy.

This is the perfect project for kids of all ages.  All you do is find a plastic lid.  It can be any size as long as it is flat on the bottom.  Pour some school glue to cover the bottom of the lid.  Sprinkle with any kind of seeds.  I used lentils and yellow  and green split peas.

All you need to make an ornament.

After you put everything in the lid with glue, it has to dry.

Pop it out of the lid and tie it with ribbon or string.

Three Weeks Until Christmas 2013

Santa's watching us to see if we are naughty or nice.

 
It's exactly three weeks until Christmas, but it sure didn't seem that way.  It was a very dark, dreary, foggy day.  Other parts of our state of Wisconsin had a lot of snow, but we had rain.  The temperatures will be falling drastically in the next 24 hours, and I imagine the snow will be reaching us soon.  I hope so, we like it when we have a white Christmas.

The temperature was around 44 today, so some of the ice has melted.

A damp, dreary, foggy day.

Gun hunting season ended last Sunday.  Monday there was a doe and two small bucks on the trail camera, but I haven't seen any since.  I hope our deer made it though the hunting season.  It has been raining, and the deer aren't as active in this kind of weather.  Hopefully I will see them soon.

We went to a local health food store today.  With all the talk of shopping locally I wanted to give them some business.  It was sad.  I doubt if he will be able to stay in business for very much longer.  The shelves were almost bare.  He said his business partner had already left, but he was trying to weather the lack of business.   I felt obligated to buy something.  I won't bother with any photos of the place because I imagine he will be gone before the end of the year.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a nicer day for the deer, for the small business owners and for getting into the swing of the Christmas season.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal

Every Sunday night my daughter makes this slow cooker oats recipe.  On Monday morning she has warm oatmeal and there is enough left over to heat up every morning for the rest of the week.  It's a good way to have a nice warm breakfast quickly.  She has a dairy allergy so she uses Almond milk, but any milk would work.  The recipe calls for steel cut oats.  That is necessary.  Regular oatmeal doesn't work as well.  Steel cut oats are the the inner portion of the oat kernel. Rather than being rolled flat like rolled oats, they are hulled and cut into smaller pieces.  Because they aren’t rolled, they undergo less processing. We have a Mennonite store nearby which sells Steel Cut Oats for a very good price, but they are available in every grocery store.

Ingredients for making slow cooker steel cut oatmeal.

This is her slow cooker oats recipe.
She omits the butter and brown sugar, but I think that would be a great addition.   She sprays the slow cooker with Pam and doesn't add the raisins or craisins because they get bloated and she thinks they look yucky.  She has some texture issues.  I would put craisins and almonds in.  Set a timer to turn on the slow cooker so it cooks for 7.5 hours on low.

1 cup steel cut oats
3 1/2 cup water or milk (I use Almond Milk)
1 cup apple, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Nuts, craisins or raisins optional

I think this looks delicious, and I can't wait to make it myself.  I make oatmeal almost every morning and this would add a little variety.  Thanks Heather for the recipe.

Cutting Evergreens for Decoration

Well, Thanksgiving is past and I have a good start on my Christmas decorations.  Every year I try to cut back a little and not get so stressed out.  Thank goodness I can depend on my daughters for gift ideas for the kids.  Half the time I don't have a clue what the older kids are asking for.  My granddaughter saw my phone and said "I see you upgraded to OS7".  I asked her how she knew that and she said "it looks entirely different".  It looks almost the same to me.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is a day my daughters come out to our house to cut evergreens.  They get a variety to decorate their homes.  We have a little bit of everything from cedar to soft white pine.  It was a pleasant day with temperatures in the 40's.  I think we need some snow to make it feel more like Christmas.

Heather cutting greens for decoration.

She didn't bring the pickup truck this year, but she filled the trunk.

Sarah sent a photo of the first project.  She just needs a bow.

After lunch the kids went out to play.  They went for a walk in the woods, played football and played with the dog.  Piper got quite a workout.  I bet she is tired tonight.

Playing outside with Piper.

See the shovel on one side of the garage door and a rake on the other.  You never know which you will need around here.

Piper waiting patiently for someone to chase.

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

It is recipe Tuesday.  Since it's Thanksgiving week, I will post a new recipe that I am trying this year.
My family doesn't like regular cranberry sauce.  They like the sauce in the shape of a can.  I just open
the can and plop it out.  This year is going to be different.  Canned jellied cranberry sauce has high fructose corn syrup plus more corn syrup.  I had to find a recipe to make my own.

I found a website that had a pressure cooker recipe because I make most of my meals in a pressure cooker.   It was easy, but makes a big batch.  More than we need.  I also used my vitamix blender instead of a food mill.  There weren't any seeds or skins left but I put it through a mesh strainer just to be sure.  Here is the web address to give credit to her.
 http://www.barbarabakes.com/2013/11/cranberry-jelly/

I put it in a jello mold but I won't know if it unmolds properly until Thursday. I had this mold in the shape of a leaf.   If it doesn't, it tastes very good, and we will just use a spoon.

This photo from the website put it in cute turkey shaped molds.

 Cranberry Jelly

• 2 bags (12 oz each) fresh cranberries, about 6 cups
• 1 cup apple juice
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons liquid pectin

Directions

1. Wash and pick over cranberries. Add the cranberries and apple juice to the pressure cooking pot.
2. Select High Pressure and 5 minutes cook time. When timer sounds, turn pressure cooker off and use a quick pressure release. When valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
3. Pour the cooked cranberries in a food mill over a large bowl to separate the cranberry juice from the skins and seeds. (You could also use a blender to puree the berries and then use a strainer to strain the skin and seeds.) Rinse out and dry the pressure cooking pot.
4. Put the cranberry juice back in the pressure cooking pot and add the sugar and the liquid pectin. Select saute and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil one minute. Remove the pressure cooking pot from the pressure cooker.
5. Allow mixture to cool slightly and then pour jelly in to a bowl or molds. Chill until set.
6. To unmold, dip mold in warm water for 5 seconds, then invert jelly onto platter. (I turned them out on to a Silpat.)

Notes

If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook on the stove for 10 to 15 minutes until cranberries have softened and popped.

*This recipe turned out great.  It is definitely a keeper.  My daughters ask me to make it again.

Our Yellow Finches

Today was a quiet day.  My husband has a bad cold, so he is laying low for a few days.  He wants to feel better before Thanksgiving Day.  I made a kettle of Chicken Soup and put in extra onions and garlic.  That should help. 

I checked the trail camera, and I didn't see our big buck but all the other deer are still safe and sound.  In fact, our doe brought her friend again.  As I was sitting watching the birds, I noticed they were very busy.  In the summer we have a hummingbird feeder hanging with suction cups on the window.  In the winter, I hang another feeder.  This year a feeder with finch food in it.  The birds are so close it's like having a pet bird in a cage without having to change the newspaper.  Today the finches were taking turns with the nuthatches.  I saw these two finches, and they looked like very good friends having a conversation.

In this picture it looks like he is whispering in her ear.

Here he is saying "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Knitted Headband Ear Warmer

Last week I saw a wide headband ear warmer for sale.  It was really cute, and they are popular right now.  My daughters both asked me if I could make them one.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, I went online and searched for a pattern.  I found a blog post with a pattern.  I asked permission to post the pattern and she allowed me to do so.

http://tmatthewsfineart.blogspot.com/2011/11/free-knitting-pattern-headband-ear.html

I decided to dig in my yarn stash to see if I had some yarn to make a sample headband.  I found a ball of bulky yarn that I thought I could use.  I basically followed the pattern for the thick yarn version, and this is what I came up with.

I had Heather try it on to see if it fit.   The flower can go in either side.

Next I needed to find some yarn in a color that would match better.  Our options are so limited where we live, but I found some chunky yarn to try.  I wanted to see how that would work.  I modified the pattern a little.  Instead of increasing to 23 stitches, I increased to 19 stitches.  It didn't stretch as much, so I made it an inch longer before the decrease.  It is a little bulky but it looks fine.  Next I will try a regular worsted weight yarn in a double strand.  These headband work up really fast, so I can try different yarns until I'm satisfied with it.

I tried another headband with worsted weight yarn.  I used Caron brand Simply Soft paints.  Rainbow Brights was the color.  It seemed a little thinner than some worsted yarn, so I used three strands for the band and two strands for the flower.  It turned out almost the same size as the one I made with chunky yarn.  Being able to use this type of yarn increases the color choices and availability for me.

Sarah and Melissa in their new headbands.

Rural Health Photo Contest Winner

In early January of 2012 my dad, who was 87 at the time, was asked to participate in a photoshoot at an area hospital.  We got some outfits together, gave him a haircut and took him.  He said almost everyone needed some makeup, but he didn't need any.  A professional photographer came in to take photos of him and others.  They had different scenarios.  They had different departments of the hospital represented. They had maternity, family practice, physical therapy, volunteers, imaging and geriatric care.  This happened a couple weeks before mom died.   It's a shame she died before seeing the final pictures.  She would have been proud of her husband being a model at his age.  All of the photos turned out great and large 4 by 6 foot canvas prints were made of each department and placed on the walls throughout the hospital.

The one of my dad was also made into a banner which is hanging in front of the nursing home which 

 is associated with the hospital.  

  

We got used to seeing the banners and the photo and forgot about it.  Then this week we heard that this photo had won a photo contest.

Wisconsin Office of Rural Health

Wisconsin Office of Rural Health

Yesterday, November 21, was Rural Health Day.  It was a day to showcase rural America and to increase awareness of rural health-related issues.  As part of the celebration, Rural Health sponsored a a photo contest.  The hospital submitted the photos from the large canvas prints they had done and three of them won—including the one of my dad.  When he heard the news he puffed up like a proud peacock and grinned.  It was so much fun to see that you are never too old to be proud of yourself.

A Holiday Parade

Oh Dear.  It isn't even Thanksgiving Day yet, and the local communities are having their holiday parades.  We went to one tonight in Berlin Wisconsin.  Every year our grandchildren are in the parade.  This year it was only the youngest who participated.  He was in the parade with his daycare.  He was so excited.  He didn't even want to go to school today because he didn't want to miss going to the parade.  Last night they decorated his truck and he drove the parade route.

Ewan's truck all decked out for the Holiday parade.

He drove the whole parade route.

His mom and dad walked along beside him.

 

The parade is over and Ewan is heading home.

Even Piper the Puppy got to walk along.

It was difficult to photograph in the dark, but I got a few shots of some of the floats.  The weather was cool but not too bad.  It was supposed to snow a little but it didn't.  It was a perfect night for a parade.  Now to get on with the Holiday preparations.  The next month will be a busy one.

A Surprise Bluebird Visitor

Today I woke up really early.  It was very dark outside.  I went in the kitchen and made the coffee as I do every morning.  Then I turned on the TV and watched the local news.  I saw there was a bad car accident and other sad news.  Then I heard that a baby was born on Sunday in the Green Bay area with a broken collar bone.  They named the baby Aaron Rodger after the Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers who has a broken collar bone.  It was a happy story.  As it began to get light out, I noticed the birds were really busy at the bird feeders.  They hadn't been very active lately, so I figured that this means the weather is about to change.  That fact was confirmed by the weather report.  As I looked I saw the rose breasted nuthatches eating seed.  Then I thought the nuthatch looked really big.  I looked more closely and discovered it was a bluebird.  This is really late in the year for us to see bluebirds.  I grabbed the camera and took the first picture through the dirty window.  It was just getting light so the picture didn't turn out very bright but you can see how cute he is.

 I watched as he checked out all the bluebird houses.  I grabbed the meal worms and put some in the feeder.  Eventually he left and I'm not sure if he will stay or if he was just passing through on the way to a warmer climate.

Ebleskiver Pan

Today while putting some pans away in the little drawer under the stove, I discovered an Ebleskiver pan.  I have seen it spelled Aebleskiver and Ableskiver also.   It had been my mom's.   I'm pretty sure it was not the one her mother used.   Even though it is well seasoned, I don't remember my mom making them.   I kept it, but I never tried them before.  For those who don't know, an Aebleskiver is a Danish Pancake Ball. 

The pan says Ebleskiver Pan and then Apple Pancake Balls.

I had a recipe which I don't think this is a family recipe either.  I thought this would be something cute to make for Christmas brunch, but I needed to practice.  Way back, probably before 1930, my great grandmother made these.  I figured if she could make dozens on a wood stove, why couldn't I.  Well, it wasn't as easy as it looks.  I finally got the hang of turning them over.  I didn't have a skewer which might have worked better,  so I used a toothpick and it worked.

Danish Pancake Balls (Aebleskiver)

This recipe makes about a dozen pancake balls.  You can eat them with butter and jam or just rolled in powdered sugar. 

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of flour
2 Tablespoons of sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon or cardamon
14 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoon melted butter

Mix the flour with the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Then beat the egg and blend with milk and butter.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir until evenly moistened.

Put the Ebelskiver pan over the heat and heat the pan.  Then bush the wells of the pan with butter and fill almost full with batter.  Let them cook for a couple minutes.  You can see the bubbles form on top just like when making a regular pancake.  You can place a piece of apple or piece of sausage into the batter before you turn them.  Then take a tooth pick and flip the pancake over.  When the bottom is browned.  They come out very clean in the shape of a ball.

The pancake balls just before they were ready to turn.

The pancake balls are ready to eat.  Too bad we can't eat wheat anymore.

I forgot that many of us are not eating wheat but they were fun to make, and maybe I will make them again for Christmas.  I will give my dad a couple to see if they are good.   He is 89 and isn't too worried about eating gluten, high fructose corn syrup or fats.  Maybe that's the answer,  just eat what ever you want and not worry about it.  I did find a gluten free recipe and I may try that someday.  Stay tuned.

Country Values Country Store

We made a wonderful discovery recently.  I think I mentioned it briefly in another blog, but I want to talk more about it.  Last summer, we noticed a sign while traveling between our house and Montello, Wisconsin.  The actual address is W5798 Hwy 23, Princeton, WI  54968.  They are open everyday except Sunday.  The phone number is 920-896-1025. 

We didn't stop at the time because we were on a schedule, and we weren't quite sure what it was.  It looked like a little country store. We made a note to come back later.

Country Values Store

Since it is only two miles from our house, we returned a few weeks later to check it out.  I am very glad we did.  It is actually referred to as a "Bent and Dent" store.  Other bent and dents we have shopped at were not nearly as clean and tidy.  Actually I saw very few bent and dented cans.  This store had a variety of grocery items, some craft items,  Amish bakery, produce when it is in season and hand made Goat milk soaps and lotions.

A lot of canned goods neatly arranged on the shelf.

Coconut water, sparkling cranberry juice and other drinks.

We have been there several times now.  We bought a few new things last week that were gluten free items.  When I got home and tasted them, they were delicious.  We went back today to buy more.

Udi's granola usually sells for about $4.75 and Blue Diamond Nut Thins are $2.50 in a store.

As you can see we paid a lot less for these items.  $1.50 for granola and $.50 for the Nut Thins.

 When we first drove up we noticed they had a lot of goats. 

These goats were very friendly, and I knew why when we walked into the store.  On the counter were little packets of goat food.  The goats were hoping that we would feed them and not just take their picture.

I asked the proprietor of the store about the goats and if she made the soaps.  She told me she did and that she made each batch in a crock pot, but uses goat milk instead of the usual water.  I bought a bar of soap that smelled like lemons.  It is wonderful and leaves my skin so soft.  I will definitely be buying more of Creamy Doe Suds.

Hand made goat milk products like soap and lotions.

If any of you want to learn more about this store you can visit them on Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/countryvalues  

They post what is going on and any new items that arrive.  Recently they have a lot of gluten free items at a wonderful price.  It gave us the opportunity to try some items we wouldn't normally have access to or wouldn't want to pay full price for.  I really like visiting small businesses like this and wish them all the best in their new business venture.