Teabag Tidbits

I have been drinking organic, store bought dandelion root tea.  I have depleted my homegrown stash of dehydrated root.  I love the little tags that come on them.  So inspiring.

I finished another scarf order last night, and have one left to do.  Then it's onto making new stuff to add to the inventory, plus one daughter's requested scarf.

Sorghum Molasses Candy ~ Tidbits

Sorghum molasses candy is one of our family favorite Christmas candies to make.  Once I started making it, I stopped making toffee for several years.  Although much of my family loves them both.  I just may make some toffee yet.  The sorghum cooks into a honeycomb type candy, is broken up, and then coated in dark chocolate.

Homemade Smoked Almonds

Hello?  Anyone out there in "cyber" land?

I love smoked almonds.  However, the ingredients in them are typically bad for good health.  Usually, they include bad oils and a form of soy.  In my opinion, all soy, unless it's organic/non-gmo, is bad for good health.  Very bad. If you saw how many times they spray the soybean field in my state, you'd never eat anything with it again.  Anyway....

I decided to make my own.

First, I made homemade celery salt using dehydrated organic celery leaves and salt. I had about 1/4 cup of dehydrated celery leaves, so I ground them up with a small amount of salt.  I didn't measure.  I just "eye-balled" it. 

Tip:  When you purchase organic celery with leaves, to freeze celery for winter, dehydrate your leaves for celery salt or to simply use in soups/stews, pastas, and other dishes too.

Then I made the almonds with the celery salt and other ingredients.  How did they taste?  

Delicious!  I used all organic ingredients and the egg white from one of our layers.

Cats to the Vet ~ Harry Potter Scarf ~ Calendula Cream Update ~ Cashew Brittle Recipe

(these are older pictures, but you can see who is who)

The cats have both been to the vet this week. Somehow, with the "car shuffle" we managed it.  Jasper had to be seen because of his teeth.  He has gum disease.  He's going back for a teeth cleaning to prevent it from getting any worse.  There is no cure for gum disease in a cat sadly.  He's on antibiotics until then, and he's not liking getting it.  

Tiger is sick.  He started to vomit all over the house, so we switched his food, and he'll only eat one wet type (and it has to be cold).  He was keeping it down, but now his back bones are sticking out too much, even though he was eating.  Now his hair is falling out in large clumps.  The vet looked him over, and blood work is getting processed.  We'll get results soon.

Random Tidbits ~ Cashew Brittle

Hubby and I had a long Monday.  Who puts events on a Monday evening anyway?!  Well, the public vocational high school, that our youngest daughter will attend next year, held their "career" night Monday night.  She is the one kiddo who will go to school to learn to be a full service cosmetologist.    

More vehicle troubles - Hubby's brake line broke while driving home on the highway.  We went to fetch daughter's old car (still need to transfer title), but she let the tags expire.  So....back to square one.

"Grad" Daughter got herself a second job.  She was hired during the first interview for Christmas help in a retail clothing store.  She is super happy.  She will need the money to pay for her car insurance.

Not much to update in the sense of homesteading lately.  I miss our goats right now (for some odd reason, maybe due to lack of outdoor garden work?).  The hens are continuing to supply me, so I am stashing some for Christmas baking.  It's been raining and cold, so the barn wood job is on hold for a day or so.  It's been cold too.

Cashew brittle was made.  I haven't made it in years, so it was due time this year.  I made two trays, but I think I will make one more.  It's not a hard rock brittle, so it's easy on your teeth.  We love it.  And of course I use organic/non-gmo corn syrup to make it.  One kiddo said, "Wait? you made it this early??"  Ha ha!  I told her, "you do realize there are only 20 days until Christmas?"  Hubby already found my stash and ate a good handful or two.  I'll have to re-stash my stash.

I decided to send the next finished scarf off to CA, considering the length of delivery time, and work up the next four for the local sales.  I'm saving the gifted one for my other daughter last.  I have only a few more rows to finish another scarf today, then I'll start another one.  I also sold another mug set and 4 dishcloths.  

Its a brisk 29°F out (feels like 17) and it'll only get up to a high of 40 today.  Yesterday we had almost zero sunshine, but today we should get some.  Ever so thankful for that sunshine too.

Barn Rubble ~ Tidbits

The crazy weekend has ended.   The weather warmed up again on Sunday, and we needed some R and R.  You bet, we took off on a motorcycle ride.  We needed coffee, so our ride was to the grocery store, ha ha!  We just took the long way home.

Hubby and I are back to cleaning up the barn rubble.  I am back to removing nails to prepare some siding for delivery (and put another dent in the clean up).

I told Hubby life would resume to normal after the craft show.  Well, it will be another week or two for me, ha ha!

Here are just a few photos from the Christmas craft show.  I totally forgot to take many, as I was crocheting the entire show.  I had some hand stitched cards, photo cards, facial scrubbies and cup cozies leftover from the Farmer's market, so the girls helped make price tags.

I also had pin cushions leftover, and one sold.  We had much more on our tables  - necklaces, keychains, all sorts of handicrafts.  

Here are some of the bottle cap charms I created 3 years ago.  I put them on necklaces and keychains.

I also had these granny squares made for keychains and necklace charms.

I also have some embroidered bottle cap necklaces to sell.  You can see a photo on my other blog here:  Bottle Cap Embroidered Necklace.

I sold one of the mug sets the very first minute we opened (the blue one).  I sold one wine cork (painted) necklace, and a few other items, but nothing to brag about.  It was a very long 9am-4pm day, in which we really didn't get a lot of customers.  I didn't sell one scarf either.  We made enough to cover cost of tables, and donated item, but it wasn't a best show.  Hubby wants me to find one more to do, but  guess what?

I completely finished the "Harry Potter" scarf for my youngest daughter's birthday.  She loves it.  While I was crocheting at the craft show, my "Vet Tech in training" daughter eye-spied it and wants one for Christmas.  So, with no customers, and a few hours left until the show ended I started another one.  

And.....because I was crocheting it, a customer placed an order for one (I don't even have a price yet, ha ha!).  Then...yes there is more, my cousin in CA, sent me a message that she too wants one.  As of this morning, I have 5 orders for the "Harry Potter" scarves, and one for Slytherin colors.  I will have to make a trip to the yarn store today or tomorrow.  I had no idea what "Slytherin" colors were either, so I had to look that up too.  

So, although the show wasn't that great of my time spent, I got orders for two scarves I'll be getting paid for soon.  I got one order just by my youngest wearing hers in a store.  The cashier ordered one for her sister. 

It will warm up even more today, but later this week we will be getting back below 20's at night.  Brr.  I'll try to squeeze in some outdoor time to get some more vitamin D today.  We are also cleaning house for someone's 16th birthday party soon.  My evenings will be busy with crochet work, ha ha!  I hope I can get enough yarn for all of them.

Preparing and Packing

The rain stopped late afternoon yesterday, and we had beautiful sunshine the remainder of the day.  Too bad it gets dark so quickly.  My hens were happy anyway.

Time for me to prepare for the craft show is coming to and end.  I was pretty successful at finishing a scarf, one last boot cuff, both of which need ends sewed in today.  

I sewed in ends to several bracelets, and sewed on buttons. I only have two 8 inch bracelets, so if time allows, I will crochet just one more.

I also (gulp) crocheted up 6 angel ornaments.  Five will be given away for free to the first 5 customers who make a minimum $15.00 purchase with me. I haven't decided if I want to spend extra time and add hangers either.  Most likely will give them as they are, or take thread with me tomorrow.  Two will be added to the ornaments and hopefully sold.  

I had hopes to get a few more granny square key fobs made too.  People like to pick up small items too.  Not sure if it will happen, but I can always take it with me and put a few out as the day goes by tomorrow too.

Over the years of selling at the Farmer's Market, I had laminated price tags to tape to the table.  This year the prices of some items are going up, so I need new ones.  I have decided to simply cut index cards in half, write on them, and tape them to the table.   I just hope my hand written tags will look professional.  My laminated ones were printed out off the computer.  I don't have time (nor money) to do that this year.

Tomorrow is a big day around our area, for the last of any Christmas craft shows.  Huge ones are taking place in other nearby towns, so I hope some travel to ours too.  

As Hubby said last night, "life will return to normal after Saturday," ha ha ha!  I have been  crocheting every night.  Meals will return to normal too.