Hip, Hip Hooray for Handmade Gifts

I wish I were a more creative person. Some people tell me I am, but the older I get, the more I realize, I am not. This became more evident over the month of December when all my daughter wanted to do was make Christmas crafts. The best I could come up with were putting glitter stickers and foam stickers on glass ball ornaments and making snowmen out of mini-marshmallows. Oh, and those foam craft kits were quite handy as well.

Despite my lack of craftiness, there is creativity that runs in my family. One of my brothers is quite creative and witty with his writing. My other brother just made us a compost bin with wood from a futon that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. My older sister is very creative when it comes to food. While I enjoy eating and writing about food, she is great at experimenting with food and making food look really yummy (oh, and of course it tastes great too). At my nephew's recent birthday party there was a gorgeous camouflage cake and some super yummy and beautiful appetizers...things like mini-skewers of Italian meats,roasted peppers, and mozzarella balls. When she makes and presents food, it's just beautiful.

My younger sister amazed us all at Christmas. She lives on the opposite coast that we do and flew in bearing a least a suitcase full of handmade amazingness. I am still in awe at all of the things she managed to make in just a few short months. I would be lucky to have made one thing in that time. She even admitted to "messing a few things up," but yet, re-making them! While she has no formal sewing training, she has the patience and creative spirit to make magic happen! The things she brought for us could have been sold in those cute little shops that carry people's homemade things. Since I have no sewing talent whatsoever (OK, I MIGHT be able to sew a button), I love to support people who can make things on their own when possible. These items tend to be a bit more expensive than those made in factories across the world, but their uniqueness is priceless. But now that I know how talented my sister really is, I can just ask her to make them (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

So here are a few things that she made...

Onesies for the baby...note the matching slippers for the middle two.

On the left are plastic sandwich bag replacements. They velcro shut and you can wash and reuse them and save a few bags. On the top right is a cute little wallet. On the bottom right is a little wristband thing (not sure the formal name) made with my late grandmother's handkerchiefs. They also doubled well for Christmas dinner as napkin rings.

These are reusable produce bags!

Some pillows...as my husband would like our son to be into sports someday. Right now he's really into musical instruments, hence the next pillow she made him. Cute, right?

A super cute doll (sorry, couldn't figure out how to turn the picture.)

And finally, matching aprons and chef hats. Oh, and the aprons are reversible!

Amazing, right!? And the pictures don't really do justice to the quality of what she made.

Anyway, the point of this post, other than getting to show off my sister's cool things, is to support people who make and sell handmade things. I cannot imagine the hours she spent making these, plus lots of other stuff for the rest of my family members. I'm sure even if she sold them, the cost of her time and talent would go unrewarded.

I'm sure you've all been in little shops where they sell handmade loveliness. If not, you can always check out etsy.com, a great place to check out all things handmade. Not only can you support others who often make a living or have a small side business doing what they do, you can get something original for yourself or someone else.

Three cheers for that!

The Beauty of New Life

I was recently reading a blog of a friend who lists her friends down the side of her blog and it tells when they last posted. So when I caught a glimpse of mine that said something like 5 months ago, I was a bit surprised, but then again, not really. I seem to start every entry with an apology, as if anyone actually checks to see if I've written anything new. So I've decided, I'm not apologizing anymore, I'll just write when I feel led. It's not that I don't want to blog my thoughts and learning about food anymore, it's just that, with a new baby and time off from work at home with my other 2 gorgeous kids, well, it just hasn't been a priority for me. I've been enjoying being at home. I guess I've been a little self-centered in that priority, but for now, it's where I stand.
After our third child was born in October, I was in complete awe of her. I guess I was in awe after the other two as well, but it felt different this time. I kept thinking, "the beauty of new life." I would just stare at her, marveling at her beauty, innocence, perfect contentment at being held, trusting in me to care for her, all those thoughts that I'm sure all parents feel about their kids, those thoughts that make you marvel how much God loves us, how he adores and loves each of us. Maybe because this could be our last child were the thoughts stronger, maybe because God's timing is greater than our timing, I'm not sure. I'm amazed every day by my children, the things they do and say, what they're learning that you don't realize. There's just something about a newborn, though. The entry into the world, the newness, the hope, the beauty...so I'm still taking it all in and enjoying each day at home with my kids. I go back to work in 5 weeks, sigh...but I'm not thinking about that just yet. Maybe I'll write more when the time comes.
So while this has nothing to do with the main subject of my blog, it's where my heart has been. I have an ongoing list in my head of things I'd like to write about, but I'm not making a resolution to write more often. I'm not much for resolutions, but I do feel strongly about eating well and passing along some healthy tidbits here and there. So one of these days, I'll actually do that!

A Few Basil Ideas

Does anyone else love basil?

I love summer produce for so many reasons and fresh herbs are on that list! I love the smell of fresh basil when it's just sitting on the counter. While I haven't been too successful at growing my own this year (I truly have a blue thumb, I think), we've gotten a bunch in our CSA pick-up. While I look for new ways to use it, here are 2 of my favorite recipes that I come back to all the time! Both are simple and easy to make. And with all recipes I'll ever post, they are not my original ideas. Both of these came from the cookbook I've mentioned before, Simply in Season.

Pesto

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves and stems
1-3 cloves garlic (go for 3)
1/3 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or hazelnuts (toasted), although I usually skip the toasting step
3-6 TBSP. Parmesan cheese (go for fresh always!)
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
2 sprigs fresh parsley (optional, but good)

Finely chop in a food processor. While the processor is running, add 1/3-1/2 olive oil until you make a thick paste. Serve over hot pasta, and remember you only need a little! Pesto is great because you don't need to measure exactly.

You can then use this recipe (or just a jar if you're not up to making your own, to make the following).

Creamy Pesto Pasta

3 TBSP. butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and cook 3 minutes. Add milk and bring to a boil. Cook gently 5 minutes. (And seriously, pay attention when cooking milk and don't let your kids distract you like I did tonight and ended up with lots of burnt milk on my stovetop when it boiled over!)

1 cup Pesto (the recipe I listed is about 1 cup)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Stir into milk mixture and remove from heat. Add 1 pound cooked pasta of choice. Serve with extra parmesan cheese grated on top. YUMMY!

And here's one more simple and great tasting basil dish (with pasta of course!)

Fresh Tomato and Garlic Pasta

4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped and seeded and drained (another great summer special!)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt

Combine and let stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

Cook 1 pound of your choice of pasta. Add sauce and serve immediately. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. I've also used fresh mozzarella. It's great either way!

Enjoy!

Anyone else enjoy basil a different way?

Sunscreen Tips

It seems as though every post I have to begin with an apology and excuse for my absence from blogging. It just seems as though other priorities get in the way and I tend to forget to keep up with it. It's not that I don't want to, I have just been choosing to do other things with the little bit of free time that comes my way. However, after a few requests for some new information, I'm back (at least for tonight!) And thanks to those who have asked questions. I love to know that people actually read and learn and try something new! That makes my day!

A friend asked me about sunscreen and wondering about slathering it all over her kids if it is full of chemicals. A great question! And quite appropriate for our current summer weather! So here's my take on sunscreen.

Anything you put on your body, or on your children's body, is full of tons of different ingredients and, depending on the product you choose, tons of chemicals. This applies to sunscreen, lotion, bath soap, shampoo, perfume, toothpaste, deodorant, bath bubbles, etc...Knowing what is in the products you choose can help you make decisions that you feel are best. Obviously, anytime you choose a product without chemicals, the cost is going to go way up so you have to decide whether the cost is worth it to you. And just because it says natural or organic doesn't' mean it's the best choice. I've seen a few organic products that are still high in chemicals and use both organic products AND chemically laden products.


I think I posted the link that I love to use to determine what chemicals are in the products I'm choosing. Here it is again. You can look up just about any skin care product, find the ingredients, chemicals, and what diseases the chemicals have been linked to. You will also get a rating for how toxic the product is, from 0-10, 0 being the safest. I use this website frequently and we have gradually switched all of our personal care products to more safe products. I personally try to not buy anything rated higher than a 3. While a bit pricey, I'm fond of Aubrey Organics (for shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, makeup, etc...) Desert Essence for toothpaste, Crystal Stone for deodorant, and California Baby for sunscreen and a few other things. It's really interesting looking up the products you use and seeing the rating for them.


So, about the original question of sunscreen. All of us as humans, need sunlight. Most of us stay indoors cooped up way too much, especially our kids that need to be running around getting exercise in the sun (even when we are too hot and lazy to go outside...or is that just me?) I've read some interesting articles about sunlight being the only real source of Vitamin D (not the stuff added to your milk). Vitamin D can help protect against certain kinds of cancer, especially of the digestive system. When you absorb sunlight into your skin, it attracts immune cells to your skin's surface which can help control skin disease. Kids growing bodies need lots of Vitamin D and higher levels of vitamin D in kids could reduce neurological and autoimmune diseases (so I have read). Kids can actually get a good daily dose of Vitamin D with just 20 minutes in the sun (which would not necessarily need sunblock). But obviously, long bouts in the sun, especially between 10am and 2pm are necessary. Use SPF of at least 15. I know most people say use these super-high levels of SPF and I usually use around a 30. However, just for information sake, I've read that when you use above SPF 15, vitamin D can't be synthesized. Again, that's a personal choice.


Because whatever you rub into your child's (or your own) skin will soak in and spread to the bloodstream, I think the less chemicals the better. Here are a few ratings from the above listed website to give you an idea. You can follow the link to go directly to the page.

Banana Boat -there were a ton listed for this brand and most were ranked between 7 and 10 which is the highest rating for chemicals. This would not be the best choice.
Aveeno-ranked between 4 and 7 which is average. Not great, but better than some.
Coppertone-most were high hazard

If you want more information on sunscreen, read this article from the Environmental Working Group concerning their studies done on nearly 1000 sunscreens. "In a new investigation of 898 name-brand sunscreens, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that 4 out of 5 sunscreen products offer inadequate protection from the sun, or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns. Leading brands were the worst offenders: None of market leader Coppertone's 33 sunscreen products met EWG's criteria for safety and effectiveness, and only 1 of 85 products from Banana Boat and Neutrogena, the second- and third-largest manufacturers, are recommended by EWG." This article will also give you their top recommended brands and chemical ratings. Have fun exploring!

Oh, and truthfully, chemicals are everywhere. Part of the food we might choose to eat, the water we drink, the products we clean with, the mattresses we sleep on, the air we breath...it can be overwhelming to think about. I don't think it's possible to eliminate everything, but whatever small things we can do, can help take the stress off our our bodies just a little bit. So anything small you do is better than nothing! If you find some new favorites, let me know.

Hummus

Mmmm...I love a good hummus, don't you?

Truthfully, I've never really tasted a good hummus until recently and now I'm hooked! Most hummus brands I've tried in stores don't really have much taste. A friend recently shared this recipe and my husband and I ate the entire batch in two days. That's a lot of garlic, my friends, let me tell you. It was seeping from our pores. This recipe is full of flavor!

Nothing to not love about this recipe and oh so good for you!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. As soon as the parsley grows in our recently planted herbs in our backyard, we'll be making some more!

Hummus

2 15-oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste-you can find with peanut butter)
1/4 cup lemon juice (she says lime works too but I didn't try that version)
4-5 cloves garlic (less if you're not fond of garlic)
1/4 cup packed parsley
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2-1 cup water (start with 1/2 and add more if too thick)
salt and pepper to taste, or other seasonings like Spike (natural all purpose seasoning)

Blend with the appliance of your choosing.

Serve with raw veggies, crackers or tortilla chips. Garlic crackers add an extra pizazz!

Confession

I know I've been absent for some time. A few people have noticed and mentioned something to me. Actually, the only people who have mentioned anything are probably the only people who actually pay attention to this blog. Anyway, I thought I owed an explanation as to my whereabouts along with a small confession.

The main reason I haven't been blogging is that, well, I haven't been eating very healthy for the last, oh, 7 or so weeks. So it's been hard to motivate myself to actually write and tell other people what they should or should not be eating when I am not doing so well with that.

The main reason is that I've been pretty nauseous for the last, oh, 7 or so weeks, since I found out I was pregnant again. Plus, the added extra fatigue that comes with being pregnant has added to the fatigue already in existence from working full-time outside the home and taking care of two little ones. Honestly, the last 2 months have sort of just been survival, getting up and doing what has to be done and ignoring pretty much everything else.

I had nausea with my other 2 pregnancies but this time seemed to be much worse. Evenings were REALLY, really tough and sometimes I just went to bed because it was the only thing that helped. And when I felt sick, I just sort of ate whatever sounded good, whether it helped the nausea or not. And if it did help, it lasted about 5 minutes. Things that helped for a few minutes: usually potato chips and lemonade. I've had lots of those. And, here's the big confession, fast food a few times. I NEVER (seriously) eat fast food and I've had it probably 4 times since getting pregnant. And felt pretty miserable after, but you know, it sounded good at the time. Plus, I got a stomach bug a few weeks ago and spent a week where my body was pretty mixed up and I didn't eat much of anything other than soda and crackers. Yeah, tasty. Tasty and healthy.

I think the nausea has finally subsided so I'm hoping to start craving some good ole' tomatoes and lettuce soon. And if you're one of those people who never gets sick during pregnancy, please keep those comments to yourself.

So, now that I'm feeling somewhat better, I'm hoping to be a little more motivated to talk about (and eat) healthy food. With spring and summer veggies around the corner, I hope to post some good info on reasons to eat them! So stay tuned and don't give up making good, healthy lifestyle choices. They are worth it in the long run!

Global Food Crisis

Whether or not you are aware of it, there is a true global food crisis in our world. Much of it stems from rising fuel costs, deep global economic problems, natural disasters, and rising food demands. For many that can grow their own food, they can't afford to buy it!

I think it saddens me so deeply to think about it, that sometimes I prefer not to think about it.

This taken directly from Compassion International's website (why put it into my own words?)

"The global food crisis threatens the lives of millions and has been called a "silent tsunami," unleashing turmoil against the most vulnerable children. The Secretary-General of the UN calls it a "moral outrage" and estimates that as much as $40 billion a year is required for the next three to five years.
Compassion International exists as an advocate for children in poverty and works in some of the areas hardest hit by this crisis. We are providing solutions through local churches with nutritional provision and long-term strategies, such as agricultural education, training and tools, so that those consumed by this crisis have the opportunity to grow and prepare their own food."

To read some startling statistics about children in povery around the world, go to http://www.compassion.com/poverty-map/.

Sometimes it seems that the problem is so huge, nothing will help!

But, every little bit of giving helps! And you can do something to help! As Christians, we are commanded to help those in need.

Compassion International, an organization I highly believe in, is sponsoring a Global Food Crisis day. Yes, it is today, and yes, I'm way behind as usual. But you can give anytime, not just in the next few hours. Compassion supports releasing children from poverty in the name of Christ and you can support children with a monthly donation to provide food, shelter, schooling, medicine, and many other things as well as a Christian education.

But even if you don't support a child, you can help with the food crisis. For just 13 dollars, you can feed a child for a month! I know I can't feed my children for that little a month. Knowing that the money donated goes directly to feeding hungry children is so encouraging to me!

I know that sometimes problems seem so insurmountable and that even a little doesn't really do much. But in giving a little, God can do so much more! He can use any gift, in any amount.

Please consider! Give from your heart!

To donate or find out more, click here.