Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever. Man, do I have a full-blown case of it. For some reason I thought I would avoid it this year, but, no. Here it is mid-February and I am starting to feel that overwhelming need to get outside, see green grass and blue sky and feel the sun on my skin. I'm feeling that heaviness that can weigh you down this time of year. I keep hearing a little voice in my head repeating "A body in motion stays in motion...don't sit down...if you do, you'll be there til April!" I get outside everyday, of course, there are animals to take care of, but it's cold and dark and gloomy so much of the time.

That pale, barely there, light in the sky? That would be the sun. OK, it is still very pretty...it's just this Cabin Fever making me negative! ;)

 Everyday is a winding road. Well, actually, here it's more of a straight, hilly one.

We love to play in the snow, but -12 is a little cold to be out here for long.

I do like the way the silence seems so loud in the snow.

 How many days is it til May when this will be full of green grass and cows?

I've been knitting when it's just too cold to stay out any longer. I've noticed I'm gravitating toward yellow yarns!

I guess the fact that I'm still enamored with the beauty out here means my case of Cabin Fever must not be terminal. And that Basil from a couple posts back? It's coming up nice and green. I might go stare at it for awhile before bed, then maybe dream of Spring!

How about you, are you sooooo ready for Spring?

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10 Things I Learned From Dad

Hi there! I hope you're enjoying your weekend so far! We still have crazy cold weather and are getting a bit of cabin fever, but we do get to have a little celebration this weekend as it is my Dad's 81st birthday. Now, I know I may be a little biased, but I really do believe he is a truly amazing person and I have learned so much from him. I could make an awfully long list, but for the sake of this post, here are the....

Top 10 Things I Learned From Dad

1. That everybody has a story. And they may never tell it to you. Dad is man of very few words, and will never tell anyone the wonderful things he's done. For example (and this is just one of many), I recently found an envelope with his old Army discharge papers in it. I was reading through some of that paperwork and found that there was a letter that had been sent to his superior from a woman who had been in a car wreck. To make long story somewhat shorter, she, her daughter, and her mother were hit by a drunk driver and left for dead. Dad (who would've been about 20) and his Army buddy were on the highway too and saw what happened. Dad took care of the women and girl, wrapped them in blankets, worked to slow their bleeding, deal with their injuries, and comfort them while his friend drove ahead to get help. Once more help had arrived, Dad and his friend went in search of the drunk driver who had hit them and found him at the nearest bar, where they held him until the police arrived. The women and girl all survived and, after months in the hospital, they located Dad's superior to ask that he order Dad to take the money they were sending to have his clothing cleaned because one of the woman remembered that the man who helped them had been covered in their blood, and to give Dad their letter of thanks, as they believed they had lived because of his care. And he never said a word about it in all these years. You just never know what someone's story might be.

2. All the skills a country kid needs to know. How to garden, ride a horse, fish, shoot, hunt, and butcher.

3. That kids are the very best thing. His biological children, his foster children, all of our friends, the kids who just showed up at our door because they had nowhere to go (yep, actually happened), the "kids" he met when they were 20 or 30 but they're still "the kids' to him.

4. That if you have a bumper crop of carrots and get sick and tired of scrubbing them all in the kitchen sink, you can just throw them in the washing machine. True story.

5. Think for yourself. Do what you know is right in your heart. It doesn't matter what everybody else is doing or what they think of you.

6. That "everybody does the best they can with what they've got". That being said, I have heard a few folks (mostly politicians) called "crooked son of a (word not appropriate for my blog)". I'm not sure if he really believes they're doing their best.

7. That optimism is a beautiful thing. He has lived through the Great Depression, World War II, and was drafted for Korea, and through everything he never felt anything but optimism about the future.

8. Don't borrow money. Or lend it. If you want to help someone out, just give it as a gift.

9. Laugh. A lot. So hard you can't talk. 

10. The Good Lord will take care of everything.

Of course, there are still a few things I'm trying to figure out.

1. If meals of primarily animal fats, bacon, beef, eggs and salt might actually keep you healthy. Seems to have worked well for him!

2.  How someone can say maybe 15 words a week and still somehow say it all. 

3. How long is "From hell to breakfast"? (Does anybody else use this figure of speech??)

4. How I could be so Blessed to have this man for my Dad.

So there it is, my little birthday tribute to the greatest cowboy I've had the honor to know.

Happy Birthday Dad!

What did you learn from your Dad, or what are your children learning from their Dad?

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Basil Facts and Folklore

The forecast this morning is telling us we're expecting snow, but we're watching for green to come up in the pots we've planted inside!  It's too early to start our garden seeds in our area, but we've started some herbs for potted plants. The first thing we planted was Basil, which is one of my favorite herbs, so I thought we'd talk about that a little today.

Basil does great as a potted plant, though you can put it outdoors also as long as you are at least zone 6. It will  adapt to most soils , but prefers a rich, moist soil. It will do best in full sun and likes the heat. It will grown up to 2 feet tall and about 18 inches in width, but if you're using the leaves you'll prune it long before it ever gets that big! And I really think you'll want to use those leaves. (Although if you don't, plant Basil anyway just for the amazing scent!) You can use them fresh, chop and freeze them, dry them, or make pesto. You can also keep leaves in a glass jar covered in olive oil and refrigerated. If you do dry your Basil, keep in mind it will lose some color and flavor over time. The dried version will keep best sealed in a  glass container and kept in a cool dark place for no more than six months. Basil will flower in mid summer, but prune away the flowers to maintain the best flavor in the leaves. If you are doing some companion planting, Basil is best planted near tomatoes and peppers and should be planted away from other members of the Mint family. There are many different kinds of Basil you can try. Besides Sweet Basil, Lemon, and Cinnamon Basil are two others I like

Because it's part of the mint family, it has many of the same medicinal properties as other other members of that family, such as a being used as a digestive aid and headache remedy. 

(I feel like I should put a disclaimer here. I'm not a doctor. If you have health issues, don't just eat your Basil plant. Talk to your doctor.) ;)

I always think it's interesting to read background and folklore about plants, so in case you do too, here's a little extra fun stuff about Basil:

There is some question as to where the name came from. It may have come from the Greek work basilikon or basileus meaning "royal" or "king", and showing the culture's great respect for the plant. Or, the name might have come  basilick, which is a legendary reptile who could kill you with a glance or breath! Personally, I'm going with the first one! 

Basil is a symbol of love in Italy and according to tradition, if a woman puts a pot of Basil on the balcony outside her bedroom, it means she is ready to receive her suitor. Once, many years ago, I had a pot of Basil on my balcony of my bedroom in my apartment in the city. If it attracted the "suitor" I had at that point in my life, then ..well...I recommend just keeping it in the kitchen window!

Romany gypsies had a "spell" using Basil as well. It was said that if you place a glass of water in the moonlight, sprinkle in a little basil, a pinch of Fennel seed, Nutmeg, Ginger, and Thyme, leave it to steep overnight, strain it into a clear glass jar, and then dab it on the clothing 

of the man or woman you love, they will be bewitched. (Another disclaimer, if you throw a glass of Basil-y water on someone, don't blame me if they are...less than bewitched.)

So now, I'm obsessively checking for any little green sprouts....

Nothing yet!

What's your favorite herb?

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Winter Survival Kit For The Car

I think by now everyone has heard about the havoc caused by the ice/snow storm in the South this week. I spent some time today reading some of the stories of the people who where stuck out on the roads unprepared, some for many hours, some with children...there are some scary stories out there! I had posted a little something on Facebook a week ago about getting a Winter Survival Kit ready for the car, but now I wish I had done a blog post too!

It's an important subject to me because I have a getting-stuck-in-bad-weather story too. A few years ago I was on my long commute home from work with one of the Farm Kids, who was still a baby,  in the car. It was raining and then there was a sudden, significant drop in temperature and the interstate became a sheet of ice in a matter of about a minute. I watched as every single vehicle in front of me slid off the interstate. We weren't far from an exit and I really didn't want to just pull over on the interstate for fear someone (perhaps in a semi) would slide into us. So I gripped the steering wheel, crawled along, and prayed like crazy. We miraculously made it to the exit and found  a place to park. We were only about 15-20 minutes from our town under normal driving conditions, but I knew there was no way we'd make it. We were very fortunate, we waited it out for awhile, (singing nursery rhymes and playing with everything in the car!) and in about 3-4 hours we were safely in our warm house. It was a little nerve-wracking but I was so thankful first of all that God had answered my prayers and we were safe and then that we had food, water, warm and dry clothes, blankets, everything we would need if we had to be out there for awhile.

So, better late than never, here's my Winter Survival Car Kit:

-Blankets and/or warm sleeping bags
-Bottled water
-A first aid kit (actually, never take this out of the car)
-Battery powered radio and flashlight (BUT you need to be sure to have fresh batteries with you because the cold will cause batteries to drain quickly)
-Lots of warm clothes.  Hats, mittens, coats, socks, boots, snow pants, whatever you can gather up.
-Food. Stuff that will keep in the car, and if you bring canned food, don't forget the can opener.
-Plastic bags. In my case they were great to have for diapers, but you never know what you'll need them for.
-Candles and matches
-Cat litter to help get traction if you get stuck.
-Shovel, ice scraper, and brush
-Jumper cables (again, just leave these in your car)
-Ideally, flares or a reflective triangle, but at the very least a piece of bright colored (red is best) cloth that you can tie to an antennae to attract attention from work crews or rescue personnel.
-Car charger for your cell phone
-If you have children, be sure to pack for them too. Clothes, diapers, wipes, food/drink that is age appropriate, toys or books, and children's first aid supplies

A couple other important things to remember: if you run the heater in your car to keep warm, only run it for about 10 minutes each hour, roll a window down a little and make sure your exhaust pipe isn't covered in snow to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. It is usually best to stay in your vehicle rather than trying to walk anywhere, unless you are absolutely certain there is a safe building very close. It's easy to get disoriented in blowing snow. Also, really try to keep your gas tank at least half full. When I used to make that commute, that meant getting gas every other day, which was kind of a pain, but I think it's worth it.

We put all our gear into plastic totes and leave a kit in each of our vehicles during the times that storms are possible in our area. I know it seems like a lot of prep for something may likely never happen, but if it does you'll be so glad you did!

Did I miss anything? What do you keep in your car for emergencies?

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Felted Dryer Balls

Winters are dry around here. Dry skin , dry hair, and when you open the dryer it's like a fireworks show in there. We've been on a quest for awhile to find something that will take the static out of our clothes. We were using a dryer sheet, then two dryer sheets and still getting shocked by our clothes! Plus, I'm not a huge fan of all the chemicals in dryer sheets. I looked into those rubbery dryer balls, but found some information that they may release some unpleasant chemicals when they heat up too. So, I decided to try the old felted wool balls method. Want to try it too? Here's how...

You'll need to have some 100 % wool yarn. Make sure your yarn isn't a blend or it will not felt. You will need enough to make 4-6 tennis ball size balls. Also, keep in mind you may not want super dark colors, or if you do, you will need to be sure to wash them enough that they don't bleed on your clothes.

Start by winding one end of the yarn around two fingers, about 10-15 times.

Slip the yarn off your fingers and start wrapping it around the middle of the bundle.

Keep wrapping to make a tight ball.

                   

When you get to the size you want (I did about tennis ball size, you could make them a little bigger to make drying time even shorter) use a yarn needle or crochet hook to pull the end under several layers and then trim off the remainder.        

Then you need an old pair of tights or pantyhose. (I last wore these to my sit-at-a desk office job, I must admit, I smiled a little when I cut them up!) 

 Put each ball into the leg of the tights and tie between each ball with cotton or acrylic yarn or string (don't use the wool, it will felt right to the tights!).       

It will kind of look like a caterpillar!

Put the whole thing in the washer and wash in hot water, then dry on high heat. You may need to do this more than once. I did it three times to be sure it was all felted together really well.

Take them out of the tights/pantyhose, and they're ready to go!

Throw them in the dryer with your next load of clothes, you will be static free, and you won't have to worry about sending your construction-working Hubby off to the job site with princess underpants stuck to the back of his shirt!

Have a beautiful week!

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Crock Pot Enchiladas

I have to make a trip over to our old house today (you can read a little about that house here), which means I won't be here to make dinner, so I'm leaving this in the crock pot for the family to have tonight!

Crock Pot Enchiladas
2 lbs ground beef
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 15oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 15oz can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 15oz can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin (ground)
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese or Monterey Jack
6-8  6 inch flour tortillas

Cook beef, pepper, and onion in skillet until meat is cooked through.

Drain. Add both cans of beans, tomatoes, water, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the cheeses together in a bowl.

In your crock pot, layer some of the meat mixture, two tortillas, 

and then some of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers to use up all ingredients.

Cover and cook on low about 6 hours (or until hot all the way through).

When you serve it, just be sure to spoon through all the layers! It's an easy, hot, and delicious meal, perfect to have cooking in the crock pot while you get on with all your weekend projects!

What are your plans for this weekend?

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Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

It's cold. Again. As I write this we're headed toward -11 with a -30 wind chill. So that makes it a perfect evening for some hot chocolate! Once I realized how many ingredients on the store bought packets of hot chocolate aren't things I recognize, I decided to try making my own mix. It turned out to be super simple to make a delicious mix, so I want to share it with you!

It only takes a few ingredients that you probably already have!

You'll need:

2 Cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/3 Cups sugar-I used this Washed Raw Sugar but you could use regular sugar, Turbinado, or Sucanat also.

1 tsp salt

Put cocoa and sugar in a blender and blend until sugar is powdered. Mix in the salt and place your mix in a container.

Use about 2 heaping Tablespoons in a mug of hot milk.

You can add a few drops of Vanilla in for a little flavoring if you like, it's good either way!

Now I'm going to make a cup, grab a blanket, and listen to that cold wind blow outside!

What's your favorite cold weather drink?

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