Crafting Soap

Right before the holidays, I went to a fun Relief Society activity where I learned how to make soap.  Technically, it's re-making soap, because you start with a big block of unscented soap and then re-make it into something more exciting.  I hope, before the year is over, to learn how to make soap the old fashioned way.  Until then, I'm going to keep experimenting with this method.  This is so easy, it's almost embarrassing to create a step by step tutorial.  You'll see what I mean shortly.

Start by going to a Michaels or Hobby Lobby and visit the soap section, where you can choose from a variety of soaps.  I've tried the goat's milk and shea butter and like both of them.  You could also buy glycerin if you want clear soap.  I purchased the two pound packages, a soap mold and soap coloring.  I already had the essential oils that I wanted to use, but you can buy those there as well.  

My mold holds three pounds of soap, so I use one and a half packages.  Cut the soap into small squares.

Microwave for a minute or two and stir.  As the soap starts to melt, I microwave for thirty second intervals, stirring well between.  This is a pretty large bowl and it takes me about 5 minutes to completely melt the soap.

For Christmas presents I made pumpkin spice (with pumpkin pie spice from the grocery store) and peppermint.  Today I'm using some dried lavender that I've been saving.  I'm a big fan of lavender, so this might be my favorite.  

I scraped the lavender off the stems into a bowl.

My gosh.  It smells divine.

Then I added lavender essential oil.  I didn't count how many drops, I just kept shaking until it smelled the way I wanted it to smell. 

Next I added purple soap coloring.  I used this entire little bottle and the soap turned out with a touch of purple tint.  I would have added more if I'd had some.  Don't use regular food coloring, as it's too potent, unless you want to dye your skin! 

Be sure and stir gently, so as not to incorporate lots of air bubbles.  I added the lavender at the end and poured it into the mold.

You can use individual molds, but I like the look of cut soap and the fact that this makes 8-10 bars, depending on the size bar you want.

I let the soap sit for about five hours before removing the sides of the mold.

Cut into slices.  I love the way it looks and smells.  Hmmm.  I'm thinking this will make some nice Valentine's gifts, packaged in little linen bags with ribbon.  Yay for re-making soap!  I won't tell how easy it is, if you don't.

I picked up rosemary essential oil today.  Next up, rosemary mint! 

The Soup From Heaven

We all have our favorite recipes, those we make over and over.   This soup is at the top of that list for me.  As soon as the leaves begin turning color and there's a nip in the air, I start making this and it becomes a regular menu item around here until spring.  I've given the recipe out countless times and everyone who's had it, loves it.  Packaged in jars, along with a loaf of homemade bread, it makes a nice gift at Christmas.  The last recipient said she needed the recipe because her husband thought this soup was from heaven.  Now, that's quite a compliment for a pot of soup made from a humble squash.  

I will admit that it takes a little time and effort to put together.  It's cutting up that squash that makes it a labor of love.  But, it's so worth it!  And once you have that job done, it's easy as can be.

Once I've peeled and removed the seeds, I cut the squash into chunks and set them aside.   

I use pancetta in this soup.  Pancetta is an Italian bacon that's cured with salt and spices, but not usually smoked like traditional bacon.  You can substitute a good thick sliced bacon if you don't have the pancetta.  But try the pancetta if you can.  It's so good!

Dice the pancetta into small pieces and add to your soup pot, along with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.   Over a low heat, brown the bacon and then remove to a small plate.  Hide it, or you might not have enough to add to the soup later on.  

While the pancetta is cooking, peel and dice an apple or maybe two, if they are on the small side.

Dice a shallot or half of a small onion and mince a clove of garlic.

Make sure and leave all the rendered fat in the pot after you take out the pancetta, and then add the diced shallot.  Cook until tender.  At this point, add the squash, give it a stir and then let it sit undisturbed for a few minutes, so the squash gently browns on one side.

Stir and let it brown a little on the other side.

Add the apple, garlic, sage and chicken broth.  Cover and cook until squash is tender, stirring every so often and adding more stock or water if needed.

When the squash is easily pierced with a fork, remove from heat and puree in a blender.  I do this in several batches.  If you have a stick blender, you could do this right in the pot, but I like the silky texture of the soup when I process it in the blender.  I blend part of the pancetta with the soup and reserve some for garnish.

Return the soup to the pot and add cream, half and half, more stock or water as needed to bring the soup to a nice consistency.  This is where you get creative and add what you like.  I normally use half and half, but I've been making it with coconut milk this past month and I like it that way too.  Sometimes I add a little butter and let that melt, because you know, butter makes everything just a tad bit better.     

If you want to get all fancy, you can garnish each bowl with some of that pancetta, and chopped nuts.  Maybe a little brown sugar would be nice.  Enjoy this heavenly soup!

Butternut Squash Soup

3-4 slices pancetta

1 T. olive oil

large shallot or 1/2 of a small onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium - large butternut squash, peeled and chopped

1 apple, peeled and diced

1 1/2 T. freshly chopped sage or 1t. dried sage

4 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup cream, half and half

(can also use coconut milk)

Cook pancetta until crisp.  Transfer to a plate with 

paper towel.  Add onion or shallot to pan and cook 

until softened.  Add squash and let it sit undisturbed for

a few minutes, so it can brown.  Stir and let it continue

to brown.  Stir in apple, garlic, sage and broth.  Scrape

browned bits from bottom of pan.  Bring to boil and then

reduce and simmer until squash is tender.  Stir occasionally

and add more broth or water as needed.  Remove from 

heat.  Puree in blender (or using stick blender), adding

some of the pancetta.  Reserve some for topping.

Return pureed soup to pot and on low heat add cream,

half and half or move stock as desired.  You can also

add some butter and brown sugar if you like your soup

on the sweeter side.  Top the bowls with pancetta,

chopped pecans and brown sugar if desired.

Spring Teaser - Daybook Entry

Outside my window... Sunshine, glorious sunshine.  Day two of sixty degree plus weather.  Yesterday I sat on the front porch, propped up my feet, turned my head to the sky and closed my eyes.       I was like a cat soaking up the sun.  Today I felt more energetic and worked in the garden.  I had to keep reminding myself that even though it feels like spring, it's still January.  We are squarely in the middle of winter here.  In fact, the forecast is calling for snow later in the week.  That makes today's activities even more precious.

I am wearing... khakis, denim shirt and red cardigan.   This is outfit number three.  I started out in workout clothes this morning.  I had to change into old jeans and t shirt for gardening this afternoon. Good thing tomorrow is laundry day.

I'm listening to... the dryer tossing clothes and Paul McCartney and Wings playing in the background.  I feel like I'm in a time warp.  Jantzen's working here today and has been listening to all things Beatles related.

I'm thankful for... the beginning of a new year.  I love the end of year wrap ups, looking ahead, planning and setting goals.  I'm very geeky that way.  Starting fresh feels so good.  I have some

wonderful things to look forward to this year, one of which is welcoming my first grandchild.  I got my first glimpse yesterday when Becca texted pictures from the ultrasound.  New life is a miracle.

Around the house...  I've packed away Christmas and been trying to restore order.  I'm fighting that urge to organize something.   Does that come with the start of a new year too?   Organizing makes a mess and I've just got things cleaned up around here, on the surface anyway.   Maybe I'll tackle something small, like the coat closet.

In the garden...  I haven't stepped foot into the garden for a couple of months.  But today, Jantzen and I weeded and cleaned out the asparagus bed and pulled up the last of the fall plants from the raised beds.  Asparagus is the first thing I harvest in the spring and now that we've removed last years growth and pulled out the dead weeds,  it's ready to grow.   The garlic I planted in the fall is hanging out under a layer of straw, waiting for warmer weather.  I'm taking advantage of this time to rest from gardening duties and dream my way through the seed catalogues.

I'm loving...  my new cookware that Santa brought me for Christmas.  Every meal feels special when cooked in All-Clad.  Sounds like an advertisement, doesn't it?  I love the way my hands fit around the handles.  I'm trying like crazy to keep them looking brand spanking new with careful washing and hand drying.  No water spots on my stainless steel!

I'm reading...  The Agony and the Ectasy, a biographical novel about Michelangelo.  This is the start of some serious prep for my Italy trip, later in the fall.  I just finished Pure Before Thee  and it was excellent.  I think I'm going to turn right around and read it again.  It's short, but packed with so much information, that I feel as though one reading didn't do it justice.  I've never fully understood the difference between the doctrinal terms justification and sanctification as they relate to the atonement.  These words pop up in the scriptures often and now I'm beginning to understand them better.  I'm rereading Anne of Green Gables for a Relief Society book discussion this month.  Oh, how I love Anne Shirley.

I'm creating... a present for a new baby.  My knitting needles are clicking, clicking.

I'm learning... how to take better pictures.  Santa also brought me a photography course (what a guy!) and I'm taking one class a week.  The instructor with the Great Courses is a National Geographic photographer.  I'm three lessons into the course and have already learned so much.  I'm trying to figure out how to work the things I'm learning into a regular blog post series.  You might want to learn along with me.  This course is also prep work for my trip, because I want to capture those memories with amazing photos.

30 Day Challenge... I'm cleaning out my body from all the wonderful holiday indulgences with the Whole 30 eating plan.   Ten more days to go and I'm feeling pretty good.  No grains, sugar or dairy.  Lots of lean protein, veggies, healthy oils and some fruit.  Oh, and eggs.  Plenty of eggs.  My goal is to get my blood sugar back down and maybe lose some extra pounds in the process.  I think it's working.

From the Kitchen... lots of healthy foods!  I've learned to make my own mayonnaise, to use in salads.  My favorite is the broccoli salad with bacon, raisins and nuts.  So very good.  I've been roasting chicken, pork and beef on Sundays for a nice Sabbath meal and then using the leftovers throughout the week.  I've adapted my Butternut Squash recipe to Whole 30 compliant.   A grilled hamburger pilled high with sautéed mushrooms, peppers and onions is so delicious, I don't even miss the bun.  Mashed sweet potatoes with coconut milk and raisins tastes like dessert.   I am never hungry on this eating plan and haven't struggled with cravings, so far.

I am pondering... "Ultimate hope and daily grumpiness are not reconcilable.  It is ungraceful, unjustified and unbecoming of us as committed Church members to be constantly grumpy or of woeful countenance.  Do we have moments of misery or some down days?  Yes!  But the promise is that Christ will 'lift thee up' (Moroni 9:25)"           Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Some plans for the rest of the month... visiting teaching, lunch with Sandy, a temple trip where I'll meet up with a dear friend, gathering tax documents and book club meeting.

Favorite Reads From 2014 and One Disappointment

I read some books last year.  Sixty-eight to be exact.  I enjoy keeping a list , so I can remember.  It's under the Books tab at the top of the blog.  In fact, anything I want to remember these days, usually finds its way onto a list of some kind. 

I like to imagine that in the future, my great, great grandchildren might be interested.  That's the kind of thing I would like to know about my ancestors.  I have a few books that belonged to both of my grandmothers and one of my mom's poetry books, with her notations in the margins.  They are precious to me.  

The books we read say a lot about the kind of person we are and the things we're interested in at different times in our lives.  When I go back to my 2012 list, I can see that I was rereading the Chronicles of Narnia series, and lots of classics.  I was in a Great Books discussion group at the time and was swimming in some pretty deep water.  I didn't understand half of what I read.  In 2013, I must have rebelled, because I was on a kid lit kick. That was the year I also discovered Shauna Niequist, and wanted to read everything she had written.  This year, well, I've been a little all over the place.  I've read two books by Jane Austin, several about St. Francis, some young adult fiction, short stories and poetry, along with the ones below.   They're in no particular order.

This is the third book I've read by this author.  I enjoy her writing very much.  So far, The Poisonwood Bible  has been my favorite, but I liked this one too.  My copy of her memoir, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is dog eared and underlined throughout.  It motivates me to get outside and work in my garden.

This was a reread for me, as I had suggested it for our book club meeting a few months ago, and it had been a number of years since I had read it.  I liked it even better the second time around.  The ladies in the club loved it too, and we had plenty to discuss.  Some book discussions seem to fall flat, but everyone had something to say about this book.  It was a lively evening.

 This was one of my favorite kid lit selections.  I was surprised when I received it in the mail and it had a hefty 600 pages!  A  combination of pictures and prose make it a pretty quick read, despite it's size.  The story line is thought provoking.

I know very little about fashion and I'm ok with that.  But,  when I heard this book reviewed on NPR, it caught my interest.  I've wondered how some stores can sell clothing so inexpensively and after reading this book, now I know.  It may seem like a great thing, to buy a pair of jeans from TJ Maxx for $20, but there are serious ramifications to that decision.  This book made me think about my shopping habits, and want to be a more responsible consumer.  I don't need an overflowing closet of cheap clothes. 

This was a reread from my bookshelf, just because I love it.   I've talked our book club into reading this for one of our selections this year (it's taken me two years to convince them).  It's serious and beautiful and will make you cry and want to be a better person.  I got excited when I found a copy of this book on my Nana's bookshelf.  To think that I was reading something that she had read also, made me smile, and wish she was here so we could talk about it.

This is the true story of a nine year old girl and her librarian father, and their journey into books.  After making a promise to each other to read together every day, and never miss, they read for over 3000 days and ended their reading streak only when she left to go to college.  This isn't so much about the books they read, but more about how those books helped them navigate through family life.  I'm a big proponent of reading aloud to children of all ages and loved this book.

This is by far my favorite read of the year, but I already told you that back here.  You can scroll to the bottom of that post to read my thoughts, or just read the book.  I can almost promise you'll love it.

I had heard so much uproar about this series that I finally broke down and read the first book.  And, I didn't really love it.  I do love Scotland and historical fiction, but time travel, not so much.  I don't even object to a steamy romance sometimes, but this was over the top.  So, this is the book that disappointed me this year.  In a way, I'm glad though, because this lengthy series would monopolize my reading time and I have a number of stacks to work my way through.   Kenzie found this challenge and asked me to do it with her, and you know how I am about a challenge.  Let the reading begin!

A Year of 30 Day Challenges = A Healthier Me

Last year I wrote this post about 30 Day Challenges and my thoughts on how I would use them to help me become healthier in 2014.  If you aren't familiar with 30 Day Challenges, you might want to go back and read that.  A short, but really good, TED talk is included in the post.  Over the past few years, I've used these challenges to motivate me in lots of ways, but this past year the focus was on my health.  

Trying to shed a few pounds, eat better and move more have become a new normal way of life.  The older I get, the harder it seems to be.  Even if the scales don't move, the weight seems to redistribute itself in weird ways, that I don't like very much.  Now, I'm not obsessed with body image, but I know that when I'm not carrying extra weight around, I feel better and have more energy.  I also believe that learning to have self mastery over the body is a spiritual discipline.  My body is a temple that houses my spirit, so I have a responsibility to take care of it in the best way that I can.  But bottom line is, it's still hard. 

The 30 Day Challenges helped motivate me though, and I don't think I realized how much, until I looked back at the entire year.  It's that baby steps approach that I love so much.  Doing a little bit, over time, adds up to a lot.  I listed each month's challenge in the sidebar and sometimes I would post about my progress, but mostly I just let those goals hang out there as a reminder to myself.  Here's a quick recap of each month.

January- Use the Fast Metabolism Diet to shed some holiday weight.  This was a healthy eating plan that freed me from addictions to sugar, dairy, and most carbs.  I lost 15 pounds and felt great.  At the end of the month I wrote this post about the experience. 

February - Join the Y, start pilates class.  After years of being a solo exerciser, I thought it might be fun to take some classes, do something new.  I joined the Y and started going to pilates.  I didn't  like pilates, at all.  It was too hard and just frustrated me.  So, I started going to yoga instead and found it to be just what I needed.   Almost a year later, I can speak the "down dog" language.  Many times I still have sore muscles for days after a class.  Yoga is not easy, but I can tell it's good for my body.   After a few months of yoga, it occurred to me that I wasn't having any back pain, something that I had struggled with intermittently, since my back surgery.  This was an unexpected result that was a real blessing. 

March -Make and drink healthy smoothies.  Here was a challenge that I could get into.   I searched for new recipes and pulled out the blender.  I tried and tried to like green smoothies, but I just couldn't.  Turns out I like to chew my greens more than I like to drink them.  But I do love a good fruit and yogurt smoothie.  

April - Take extra steps by parking in the farthest parking spot.

This is a simple thing that adds up.  Instead of scouring the lot for the closest parking spot, park at the back and walk a little more.  Sometimes I would forget, but now it's an ingrained habit.  I still do this.

May- Begin training for a 5K.   This is something I've had on my bucket list for awhile now.  Don't ask me why I want to do this.  I have no idea.  I'm not an athlete, never have been.  I just want to say that I've done it.  This seemed like as good a time as any to get started.  I used a couch to 5K app on my phone and it worked out well for about a month.  I realized it wasn't my friend when it told me I should be able to run for twenty minutes and I could barely make it for ten.  I knew if I pushed myself too hard, I would just quit.  So I deleted the app and ran on my own schedule.  I'm still working on this.  It's taking me much longer than I thought it would.  But slow and steady will win this race.  

June- Get eight hours of sleep each night.  I loved this challenge. But I think I've decided that seven hours is about right for me.  I don't need eight hours of sleep every night.

July- Eat from the garden.   Maybe I was getting a little easy on myself at this point.  I mean really, how hard is it to eat wonderful garden food?   I love nothing more than a dinner that I've grown myself.  I'd like to have a good tomato right about now.

August- Try to walk 10,000 steps a day with my Fitbit.   I love my Fitbit.  It helps me to be more active.  Getting in 10,000 steps a day takes effort.  I don't sit a lot during the day, but I can't usually get in 10,000 steps without intentionally choosing to do some extra walking.  On the days that I train for the 5k, I can do it.  On yoga days, I don't always make it.  Having that wristband vibrate and light up to indicate that I've met my goal still makes me smile every time.  I have friends who use a Fitbit and it's fun to encourage each other.

September- Yoga twice a week, continue training for 5K .  My ideal exercise week is to train on M,W, F and Sat. and take yoga on Tues and Thurs.  It doesn't always work out, but that's what I shoot for.  Having this as a challenge helped me to establish a routine and get in the habit of being at the Y at certain times.  Now I don't have to think about what I do on each day.  I'm in the habit.  I just have to make myself get up, get dressed and out the door.  Sometimes thats harder than the exercise.

October - Strength training twice a week  Since I was at the Y to take my yoga class, I figured I should go a little early and work out on the weight machines.   After all, I was paying to use them, but not taking advantage of it.  When I joined the Y in February, I went to a few training sessions.  My trainer told me then, that to be strong and healthy, I needed to work on four things; strength, balance, stretching and aerobic activity.  I wasn't interested in building muscle, just trying to be a little stronger.  I want to be able to easily lift that carry on bag over my head to put it in the overhead bin! 

November - Continue to work on 5k training  It had been seven months since I started this running thing.  I needed to stay focused on my goal.  At this point I was up to running 2 miles at a time, but not to my goal of 3.  I was starting to get a little discouraged at how long this was taking me, so I had to give this my full attention.  I found a running podcast that I enjoyed and tried to stay motivated.

December- Stick to the exercise plan through the holidays.  I always abandon exercise in the month of December.  I tell myself I'm not going to, because it will help me eliminate the stress that comes with the season, but then I get busy and it's the first thing to go.   But not this year, because I was making it my 30 Day Challenge.  I did well until Dec. 12th, and then I got sick.  And was sick for the next two weeks.  Oh well, I tried.

I know that I am healthier now than I was a year ago.  I challenged myself to something new each month and then moved on.  Some of the challenges "stuck" and became habits.  This is what I love about a 30 Day Challenge.  I can do most anything for 30 days.  Knowing that I only have to do it for 30 days means there is light at the end of the tunnel.  But the great thing is that after 30 days, sometimes that challenge isn't so much of a challenge anymore.  I love that.