Fruit Muffin Recipes

I have had a few requests for the Blueberry-Strawberry Muffin recipe.  It is on my blog, just click on:

Blueberry Strawberry Muffin Recipe

This and That ~ Goodbye Netflix ~ Staying Fit in Winter

There is a book at the library, I've had on hold for a long time. There are only two copies, and people are renewing and renewing, and I am still 18 on the wait list.  I'm considering buying it, but I don't have time to read this month (just yet).

Garden Planning ~ Lunch Packings ~ Chicken Treat

Looked what arrived in the mail.  It's my current "read."  Thank you Leigh for telling me about this company.  I am having a fun time looking through it, and planning the garden this coming spring.   What is your favorite seed source?  


I got the "Mom!" alert yesterday. School lunch packings were at a minimum.  

Random Tidbits ~ Homemade Tea bags

It's cold.  Very, very cold.  However, we warmed up to a 10°F this morning.  It actually feels warm, ha ha!  The high today is 11°F.

My kitchen is back to the basics and we are loading up on greens.  It was so nice to have enough eggs to make a

Pickled Garlic ~ Mullein ~ Supplies ~ More Repairs

I strained the pickled garlic, and a jar of infusing mullein.  I totally forgot to check the calendar, but I was only a few days late on both jars.  I can't wait to taste the garlic.  It's the first time for me to pickle garlic.  I've made mullein tincture for a few years now, so that's not new, but needed.  Just in case.

So far, we are staying rather healthy, and keeping germs away (using homemade "lysol" wipes, a diffuser in my

Homemade Reusable "Cotton Balls"

I'm on a roll with posts this new 2018 year.  I'm also on a roll in getting things done and lists crossed off.  I literally have a list that I never finished from bike week, and one to do after the last craft show.  

Well?  They are both getting crossed off. It was actually fun doing something different than crocheting or knitting.

I have been wanting to make reusable "cotton balls" for years, and just haven't found the time into making them.  I decided to hand sew them, but I'll be getting the sewing machine out soon. I needed my hand sewing skills renewed anyway.

I apply apple cider vinegar toner to my face daily, so we were going through a lot of cotton balls.

If you are not aware, I also have a blog, where I post recycled, up-cycled or scrap type projects/crafts/handiwork.  

The DIY "cotton balls" are eco-friendly, and help keep our homestead on the path to a deeper self-sufficiency.  

How I made my reusable pads:  S.C.R.A.P. Blogspot

I made them using scrap fabric and old flannel twin bed sheets.  The flannel bed sheets had been used on my bed as a child, then passed down to my own kids. The elastic is worn out on the bottom sheet, and I had kept them to use in one way or another.

Now if I can just carve out a day to dig out my sewing machine, I'll be heading into new learning territories.    I love receiving scrap fabric from those who sew, and can't use the scraps (or have too many of them).  The fabric I used to make my cotton pads with was gifted to me.  I am so ever grateful for that.

Happy New Year! Random Tidbits ~ Handiwork Updates

Happy New Year!  Did you stay up until midnight and watch the ball drop?  We did not, ha ha!  We were fast asleep watching "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."  We'll have to back up the next time we watch it, ha ha!  Hubby fell asleep way before me. 

The deconstruction process of the Christmas decor has already started.  We'll have to bring in the totes and take them back out in one trip.  It's cold.  I do not make "resolutions" for the new year, I simply keep on, keeping on (but better).


I made my first cup of hot basil tea.  Not "Holy Basil" but regular, good ol' herb garden basil.  I keep a fresh pot growing indoors during winter.  I ran out of dandelion root, then ran out of dandelion teabags, so I made basil tea for a "detox" tea.  

It is said to help fight off illnesses and infections, clean the kidneys, builds the blood (purifying it), and kills bacteria. It's also said to be a circulatory stimulant.  My brain could use a boost of oxygen, so I made the tea.  It was pleasantly delicious.  I could also simply eat the basil in a meal too.  It's good for preventing tension headaches, as it strengthens the nervous system as well.

Finished!

One more double wrap infinity scarf with a matching slouchy hat.  The slouchy hats are selling quickly, so I hope January goes slow.  Really slow.  I need to restock items.

....this will become another scarf soon.
   

Here was my dilemma.  The one on the left was the yarn color I could not locate.  I was one granny square from re-creating a scarf I made back in 2010.  I made one for a daughter and it came up missing.  I even have a matching hat before I realized I needed more yarn.  Hence why I bought yarn keys.

The colors are so nice together, so I have kept the two granny squares in case I do find it.  It's like a cranberry color, but with orange in it.  I can't remember if it's Red Heart or Bernat.  I want to say Red Heart. So, hence the burgundy squares for the scarf this time.  It's not even close to the color.  I found one similar (Lion Brand), but the skein was small, and the price was twice what the other brands are.

I also crocheted myself a "messy bun" hat using the free pattern on Ravelry, but skipped rows 9-11.  It's still not as tight as I'd like, so I'm making it again with a smaller hook to try and get a better fit.  That's the problem with free patterns.  I get better luck using patterns from books. 

I got a few more heart keychains crocheted.

I'm back to finishing this baby blanket now too.

It's a whopping 3°F here this morning, and Hubby said, "it's actually warm in here today."  Ha ha!  It's dipping back down again before it warms up.  The sun is shining, so that is good.