Jonah Lisa Land

Sixth Photo

Late Summer Rainbow over Teton Valley.  I never saw a full rainbow until I moved up here.  Sometimes we even get double full rainbows.  They are amazing.

I'm doing a meme.  Alert the media.  I never do these.  It's not any philosophical thing, I assure you.  I almost always intend to do them, then I just forget.  And when (that is IF) I actually remember it again, it's like months and months later and it seems silly to do it so after the fact.

All of this to say, if you send me a meme, please don't be offended if I don't participate.  I probably saw it, got all excited, told myself I'd do it later when I had the time, then did something mentally taxing like make a fruit salad and wiped the old mental slate clean as a whistle.  I had already forgetten about this one I got a few days ago from my pal Carolyn, but then I saw someone else do it this morning.  Seeing it at a time when I could actually do it right then, coupled with having the 6th photo already loaded onto Flickr created the perfect participatory storm.

So...here's the meme:  Go into your photo software, go to the 6th photo in the 6th folder and post about it.  I lucked out because my 6th folder was my screen saver folder so it's only good photos.  I'm tagging Amy Z, Amanda, and Special K and anyone else who wants to do it.  I think there are specific rules but it's basically, do the meme, reference the person who sent it to you and send it to another 6 people or so people.  But Carolyn is a meme slacker like me so we are only doing three--plus I'm so late to the game most of the bloggers I know have already been tagged.  Have fun!

Travels with Children :: Fossil Rim Wildlife Park

I've got another guest post up on Travels with Children reviewing our adventure to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Park in Glen Rose, Texas.  It was a really fun day.  Go check it out.

Green Holiday Series :: Stocking Stuffers

I tried to do a Green Holiday Series last year but started entirely too close to Christmas and then got bogged down in my own holiday preparations, so it didn't go very far.  This year I'm getting a jump on things!  It may feel early to some, but if you start buying or making a few things here or there you won't be hit with the big expense all at once. 

I'll be posting on different green holiday ideas every week or so into early December and compiling all the posts on a Green Holiday Series page which you can access from a button in my sidebar.  You can even check out the page now.  It has a few posts collected from last year and you can see a list of posts I'm planning for this year as well.  Feel free to send me ideas for any of the entries I haven't posted yet if you have them.

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Stocking stuffers are so often CRAP!  Just junk your kids don't need or necessarily want, but dang-it, it's cheap and it fits in an oversized sock--so you get it.  I want to try very hard to avoid that temptation this year.  So, below are some suggestions for fun, homemade, handmade, edible stocking stuffers that won't end up in the trash can by new years.  Some cost more than your average Dollar store finds, but some are even cheaper. 

 

FRUIT AND NUTS
Traditionally stockings were filled with...food!  Now don't you love Santa even more??  Winter was a lean time (and may be again!) so edible treats were very cool items to receive.  Oranges were a biggie because citrus fruits (and the vitamins in them) were hard to come by in the shorter, darker days of winter.  Let fruit and nuts help you fill out your stocking and use the items as a way to talk to your kids about tradition, history, the seasons, even the way that animals forage and store food for the winter.

 

 

CHOCOLATE
My husband's family grew up in Holland where Sinterklass gives everyone a chocolate initial of their first name.  You can read more about the tradition here and buy chocolate letters from The Dutch Market or Hollands Best online.  Here in the states I always got a chocolate Santa wrapped in foil--you can find those everywhere.  I bet you can find organic chocolate ones if you really look.

 

COINS
There are many stories claiming to be the original Christmas stocking tale.  One of them, from Great Britain, tells of a generous rich man named Nicolaus who threw gold coins in the open window of a proud widower who didn't have enough money for his 3 daughters' dowries.  Some of the money landed in the family's shoes and stockings which had been laid out at the hearth to dry.  Silver Half Dollars, Presidential $1 Coins, or Sacagawea Golden Dollars (loose or in a little sack) would all be wonderful for a young child's stocking and way to teach about spending, saving and charity.  And to carry on with the multi-cultural theme, there's also Chocolate Gelt (chocolate money), a Chanukah tradition.  

ART SUPPLIES
Crayon Rocks, Ferby Pencils, Stockmar Caryons.  High quality, all natural art supplies cost more but really go the distance.   Too spendy?  Crayola is still, as always, non-toxic, inexpensive and made in the USA.  Even greener, you say?  Instead of buying new art supplies, make them from old art supplies.  Since I originally posted about making Color Cookies from broken crayons last year, I've seen it done many times in silicone baking molds rather than the plain round muffin tins I used.   You can make letters, numbers, hearts, even snowmen, gingerbread men or Christmas trees.   You could even make a set of homemade finger paints.  Rubber stamps, like these and these on Etsy, are also fun and small.  I'm told making your own rubbr stamps is fun and simple, but I've never tried it.

 

SMALL GAMES
Haba makes some wonderful mini games that come in small tins no bigger than an Altoids box.  They are cute, great for travel, and fun to boot.  You can also make your own memory game.  Something along the lines of the Jan Brett Animal Matching Cards I did this summer, tied with a pretty ribbon, would be great.  Or draw or cut out your own pictures from magazines and have them laminated on colored card stock.  There's also this great handmade set I ran across on Etsy of a matching game made from small wood squares.  Want to make your own?  Get some acrylic paint, a little non-toxic satin varnish from the craft store, and these 2" wood square cut-outs from Casey's Wood for 22 cents each.  And how about old fashioned stand-by's, Yo-yo's and Jacks ! 

 

TINY TOYS
A couple of the small, handmade toy projects I've done here would make perfect stocking stuffers:  Little Wooden Peg People and Felt Finger Puppets.  Other versions of both of these kinds of toys can be found for sale all over Etsy.  Just do a search. 

Also on Etsy (which for anyone who doesn't know is a collective of handmade arts and crafts) are these wonderful small toys all under $10:  Spinning Tops like this or these, Gnomes, or how about something really cool like a mustache on a stick?

 

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
If you dare, the classic Blues Band Harmonica is a perennial favorite.   Kazoos, maracas and train whistles are always a hit too.  And remember the fairy bell idea I got from the Rowdy Pea and made for Huck's Easter Basket?  Perfect size for a stocking! 

That's all on stocking stuffers for now but I may well add to this list as the ideas hit me.

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Sheriff's Log :: 1

I'm going to try out a new weekly feature for a while.  See, my small town newspaper runs a section where they publish the call log from the Sheriff's office every week.  I've been reading it religiously since we moved up here.  Some people watch Passions, or Big Brother, I read the Sheriff's Log. 

It's usually mundane, but often hysterical, and always an amazing glimpse at real, small town life.   Why keep this kind of comedy gold to myself? 

Though I will be cutting down to only include a few log entries each week, I have not, and will not be editing the entries themselves from how they actually appeared in the paper.  This is how they were originally transcribed by the police dispatcher, folks.  You can't make this shit up.

My impulse was to comment on them, but honestly, I think they speak better on their own.

Enjoy.

OCT. 2

8:17 a.m.    A walk in report of a lost firearm.

9:12 p.m.    A man reported that a large bull was on his property disrupting his cattle.  He said it looked like the bull was bred with a bison.  He would like something done about the bull.

10:44 a.m.    Firearm found.

OCT. 3

4:03 p.m.    Cows at large.  County.

6:30 p.m.    Theft reported after a man was going to sell tires, then didn't, but one was missing later.

OCT. 4

6:37 a.m.    A woman reported that someone tore down part of her fence and took two of her rodeo horses.  She states that when she finds them she is going to shoot them.

1:20 a.m.    Suspicious activity was reported after people were selling vacuums and being very pushy.

Comfort Food :: Crockpot Oatmeal Recipes

Know what all this early snow means here in the shadow of the Tetons?

It's oatmeal season!.  Mmmmmm. 

We make oatmeal in the crockpot about once a week during the fall and winter months.  It couldn't be any easier and it makes for a really simple morning.  You just toss everything together in the crockpot before you go to bed at night and then voila, you have homemade oatmeal from scratch when you wake up on a cold morning.  Set your coffee maker's auto feature and it's like having someone else make breakfast for you--only without all that banging around in the kitchen while you're trying to sleep in.

The first recipe is Stephen's favorite and the second one is mine.  Huck is an equal opportunity oatmeal gobbler and couldn't care less which one we put in front of him.  He often wolfs down two 2 bowls of the stuff.  Just look at that gaping maw! 

Creamy Oatmeal with Dried Fruit

1 cup steal cut oats (you can get it in bulk or I like McCain's in the metal can)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 dried apricots, chopped
2/3 cup dates or figs, chopped
1/2 cup Half & Half or evaporated milk
4 1/2 cups water

I'd use a smaller 3-4qt crockpot if you have one.  Also, I ALWAYS double the recipe above.  If you make a single recipe you'll get some burny stuff at the bottom of the pot, but if you double the recipe you don't get that.  Plus you get lots left overs--see note at the bottom about leftover oatmeal.

I usually chop and combine all the dry ingredients at some point during the day when I'm doing something else in the kitchen, then I add just add the liquid at the very end of the night before I go to sleep.  Give a good stir, cover and set the cooker on low overnight (7-9 hours). 

In the morning, spoon it into bowls.  Each bowl gets a pinch of salt and a pat of butter.  Stephen likes to pour a little milk over his as well but I like the thicker consistency.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 Tbsp light or dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium apple( or pear) peeled, cored & chopped
2 1/2 cups water, or a combo of water & unfiltered apple juice

Same deal about doubling this recipe--I always do.  Crockpots just work better when they are a bit fuller than these single recipes. 

Combine dry ingredients in the crockpot.  Cover & cook on Low 7-9 hours or overnight (or on High for 2-3 hours).  If you put the apples in for the entire cooking time, they essentially become applesauce in the oatmeal.  Very yummy, but if you'd rather have apple chunks then hold off and add then in the morning roughly 30 minutes before the oatmeal is done.

In the morning, give it a good stir and scoop into bowls.  Again, you can serve with milk or cream if you like it that way.  Two other yummy additions (after it's cooked) to this oatmeal recipe are a drizzle of maple syrup or a heaping spoonful of peanut butter.  Mmmmm.

LEFTOVERS:  We put the leftovers in the fridge.  It'll get a little rubbery looking in there but will go back to a normal consistency with a quick zap in the microwave.  Just add the pat of butter and pinch of salt, put it in for a minute and stir.  You can also heat it up on the stovetop.

NOTE:  Steel cut oats and rolled oats are 2 entirely different beasts.  Make sure you know what you're getting.

This is warm, healthful, good way to start the day.

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Like these recipes? 
Visit my Comfort Food Page for more of the same and then...

 

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A big autumn weekend...

...that turned out to be a big WINTER weekend.

First stop...The Pumpkin Patch.  I didn't quite get the perfect pumpkin patch pictures I was hoping for.

It started snowing the minute we got there.  Fat, heavy, wet snow.

But we all toughed it out and got our pumpkins. 

We even muscled through and did the haybale maze. 

Then finally, into the barn to warm up, pay for the pumpkins and have a cup of cider--all of which are on the honor system.  That's Idaho.  We also bought a dozen farm fresh eggs for $2.  SWEET!

By the time we drove the hour back home, the deck looked like this.

Ahh, Idaho.  And this morning? 

We were supposed to get our wood delivered on Sunday but it didn't happen.  That's typical for Idaho too.  Fine by me though.  Sunday was also supposed to be wood-stacking day but instead got to be eat buckwheat pancakes and stay in our jammies all day day. 

Damn good thing I got those autumn decorations up last week, huh?

We have waddle

It's here.  The waddle. 

Most days I can no longer walk like a normal human being.  Instead, I lead with my belly and have that slight tipping from side to side with each step.  You'd think a person could help walking like that but with my hips loosening up and this being a second baby, and thus sitting a little lower than the first much of the time, I just can't.  It's much more comfortable to walk like a freaking penguin.  And at this stage in the game, comfort trumps everything.

So here's an update of how the big belly is looking at 30 weeks....

 

ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATO!!!!

 

I've been craving milk like a fiend!  I mean, I always want milk when I'm pregnant but it's been ridiculous lately.  I honestly think I could sit down and drink an entire half gallon of whole milk in one sitting and it would be orgasmic.  Organically orgasmic.  I swear, three swallows, I moan, and then my eyes start to roll back in my head. 

I get a little email update from Baby Center telling me what's happening on the inside each week.  A few days ago I got one that said the baby's bones are hardening right now and she'll be leaching large quantities of calcium from my system in the coming weeks.  Doh! So THAT'S it!  Isn't it just insane that my body somehow knows that and is screaming for milk right now?

Okay, so maybe that's a stretch.  I mean, I'm pretty sure she's not building anything with the Hostess Donettes I've been shoveling down there, so maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Cheapest & Easiest Homemade Kids Game EVAH!

Christmas looking bleak this year?

Think you might not get that big year-end bonus?

Let's face it, the economy is in the shitbox and lots of people are really struggling to make ends meet.  And even though most of the toys and games I post about are cheap and easy, most do require some small output of cash.  This one doesn't. 

Not even a dime.

It's totally, 100% FREE!!

And guaranteed to get you through the tough financial times ahead... 

 

Pull My Finger

Just in case your Granddad wasn't quite as colorful as mine, here's how it goes:

1. Call your kid over.
2. Stick out your finger.
3. Say, "Pull my finger."
4. When they pull it, rip one.
5. Wait for the peels of laughter and bask in the sheer joy this brings to the little people.
6. Repeat as needed.  Or just for the hell of it.

This game trumps every game or toy I've ever made or bought for Huck.  He will drop the felt board in the dust if he hears those 3 precious words.  He'll dump the beanbags in a forgotten heap on the floor.  Little peg people?  What little peg people?  It will never get old.

It's a miracle game that takes my mind back to the good old days when families found fun in simple activities like sitting around the fire listening to the radio, exchanging Limericks, or mixing highballs for Granddad.

Remember, frugal is the new black and laughter is cheap.

Felt Autumn Leaves Garland

Here's the first of the fully executed craft projects that have been junking up my flow.  I've had the stack of 32 felt leaves for this project sitting around for months now and I finally turned them into what they were meant to be...  An Autumn Garland!

I got the idea out of a Pottery Barn catalog.  I'm sure mine are more..."folksy" but they also didn't cost 40 bucks.  I had all the felt and embroidery floss on hand and the ribbon ran me $5.  Plus, no shipping and the added pride that I made it myself.

I'm really trying to draw down my supply of cheap craft felt so I can invest in some nicer wool felt for toys and I thought this would be a great project for that.  So I pulled all my red, orange, yellow, olive green and brown felt, then started cutting various shaped leaves.  Then I used contrasting embroidery floss in the same color palette to do a simple running stitch for outlines and veins.

I made 32 leaves and used 6 yards of ribbon.  I cut the ribbon in half and made 2 separate garlands--each 3 yards long with 16 leaves.  I left about 18 inches of ribbon  empty on each end for a tie.

I thought I might not use them until closer to Thanksgiving, but screw that.  I went ahead and put them up on the stair railing now and will leave them up until we do Christmas decorations.  I just like the look of them and we're getting pumpkins this weekend anyway!

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If you like this simple project, be sure to check out my page of Cheap & Easy projects for kids and for the home.  And look for the Green Holiday Series to start appearing soon with lots more ideas for handmade gift and decorations.

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Pumpkin Apple Butter

Okay, I never, ever, ever thought I'd type the following words...   

I made homemade apple butter yesterday.

WHAT?  If you'd have told me 5 years ago, I'd have laughed in your face.  

HA!  Good one!

But it's true.  I made apple butter.  Pumpkin apple butter in fact.  Now, I did make it in the bread machine.  But still.  Did you know you could do that?  Well, you can.  At least most of the newer ones can.  It's dead easy and it tastes fan-freaking-tastic.

 

PUMPKIN APPLE BUTTER

15 ounce can of pumpkin puree (or use your jack-o-lantern guts!)
1 tart cooking apple--peeled, cored & grated
1/2 unfiltered, unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp unsalted butter

Dump it all in the pan, except for the butter.  Turn the machine on Jam cycle and push start. 

I'm exhausted from the effort.

The cycle on my machine (Zojirushi Home Bakery) took an hour and twenty minutes, during which time I sat on my ass, read Wondertime, then scared myself silly reading about the economy on the Internet. Huck was napping, not locked in closet or anything.

When the bread maker chimes, remove the hot pan carefully, stir in the butter until melted, let it stand for 15 minutes, pour it into canning jars.  Boom.  Done. 

The recipe filled three 8 ounce jars for me and the stuff keeps in the fridge for 2 months.

I'm kind of in awe.  I just had no clue you could make something so delicious and so...impressive, so easily.  Or am I just an idiot for ever having been impressed with apple butter in the first place?  Am I like the African bushman who thinks the Coke bottle is a gift from the Gods?

That's is how I feel about my bread machine in general.  I love it.  I know making bread by hand is not that hard.  But I get scattered.  I leave it too long.  I start the day interested in making bread but have lost my motivation before all the steps are complete and end up with the doughball that ate Cincinatti on my counter.  The bread machine frees me.  It's like taking a baby steps. 

I also love the book The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook.  It's full of great loaves and a variety of sizes.  Daily breads, savory and sweet breads, pizza doughs, rolls, and jams.  The Pumpkin Apple butter recipe is straight out of it.  Okay, I added a little more butter.

Now, here's what you do.  Whip some up, pour it in nice jars, slap on a label, and give it to friends. And never ever mention me, or the machine, or the book.  In fact, repeat after me: 

"Oh, it was nothing.  It's just an old family recipe.  I hope you like it."