Winter, We’re Not Doing This.

No. Just no.  I am not doing northeast Ohio winter again in 2017.

My options are 1.) Uproot my family and start our lives from scratch in the tropics, or 2.) Winterproof my life and make the cold my b– burrito? Yeah… That’s what I was going to say. I’ve broken this option into the three action steps:

1. Procure protection from the elements. In a perfect world, I would have gone to Appalachian Outfitters and told them I needed gear for an Everest expedition, but on my impulse budget, I just searched for Amazon reviews with the words “Warm”, “Minnesota”, “Wisconsin”, “Windy”, and “Slush”. Such provisions arrived this week.
2. Vitamin D3, a.k.a. sunshine in a bottle. My doctor told me my vitamin D levels were perfect this spring, but at the time I was spending at least 12 hours a day getting my bare skin as close as possible to the surface of the sun. Ever since school started and my hoodies are back in rotation, I’ve felt progressively more lethargic. Walmart sells vitamin D3 in a gummy bear form. I don’t know if it will actually help my mood and energy, but gummy bears are a delicious way to symbolize my defiance toward the endless grey expanse we’re facing.
3. Stay woke; stay triggered. No amount of pumpkin spice can sweeten this deal for me right now. I’m just sick of being chilly all the time. I’m counting on this anger to boost my adrenaline, aid my low blood pressure, and right my poor circulation when I’m digging out of the front door or scraping off the car. Could my rage burn hot enough to melt the snow? I can only hope.

33 Practical Christmas Gift Ideas

Merry Christmas, guys!  It’s been a million years since I’ve posted anything here, but I’ve been thinking of you as I’m scrambling this week to fluff up the stack under the tree.

If you’re like me, you’ve got the main presents taken care of, but here in the home stretch you might worry about there just being enough time spent unwrapping, or you’re thinking about what to put in the stockings, or you’re worried that maybe one person’s stack doesn’t look as big as another person’s stack.  Or maybe you just remembered your spouse…

Anyhow, I’ve been going back and forth with my BFF on ideas to “fluff” the piles under our trees without wasting money on trinkets or dollar store junk.  Together, we’ve been making a huge list of useful fluff to round everything out.  I’m sharing our list here with hopes that this helps you with some of your last minute shopping trips!

(the obvious)PERSONAL CARE ITEMS:

• Toiletries, Toothbrushes, Underwear, and Socks
• Clothes and Shoes
• Hair ties
• Razors
• Hair “product”
• Makeup
• Lip balm and lotions
• Fancy Cleaning Supplies and Soaps (Think Mrs. Meyers.  Put it in my stocking.  The basil is my favorite.)
• The little things of wipes that fit in a purse or backpack
• Makeup removal wipes

ELECTRONICS

• Headphones (BECAUSE we lose and break these every day!  Why is there not a subscription service for headphones yet?  Dollar Shave Club for headphones!  PLEASE somebody do it!  Take all my money!)
• Charging cables
• Batteries

TOYS

• Crayons and Markers and Paints and Construction Paper and Glue
• Play Doh!  We go through it like water around here!
• Slinky (because these are a CLASSIC, but they usually need replaced.)
• Silly Putty (see note on Slinky)
• Yo Yos (see note on Silly Putty)

STUFF YOU CARRY WITH YOU AND LOSE ALL THE FRIGGIN’ TIME (IF YOU’RE ME)

• Mittens and gloves
• Sock hats
• Sunglasses
• Travel Mugs and Water Bottles and Sippy Cups
• Lunch Boxes

HOUSEHOLD STUFF THAT MIGHT NEED REPLACED

• Pillows, pillow cases, and sheets
• Cookware and cooking utensils (Spatulas don’t last forever)
• Orange peelers (I lose these almost as fast as I lose headphones.  It’s amazing.)
• House plants (Better to have loved and lost…  Maybe I should add goldfish here, as well?)
• Notebooks
• Writing utensils

TREATS

• Favorite road trip snacks (if you’re traveling this holiday!)
• Favorite beverages (here’s some ideas:  Sleepy Time Tea, Ginger Ale, Diet Mountain Dew, Bob Evans Coffee, Great Lakes Christmas Ale…)
• Favorite breakfast cereals (Wraps up nicely under the tree!)
• Boxes of Brownie Mix (if you play your cards right, you might even get some brownies for yourself out of the deal!)

Hope that gives you a little inspiration!  Feel free to leave more ideas in the comments!  We can just keep adding to this list year by year!

PS!  Guitar picks!  Just thought of guitar picks— and strings!

Hand Sanitizer Cozy–Makes a great teacher gift!

Here is a super quick but thoughtful gift you can make your kids’ teachers this year!  Practical, inexpensive, and adorable… Dust off your sewing machine, because you have no choice–you’re totally going to do this with me!

Materials:

• Pump Bottle of Hand Sanitizer
• One 8 3/4″ x 6 1/4″ piece of fabric  (Wash and dry your fabric before you cut it, to make sure this project is machine washable.)
• Straight Pins
• Sewing gauge or ruler
• Sewing Machine/Thread
• Iron and Ironing board
• Embellishments of your choice!

You’ll be able to  churn out several of these pretty quickly after the first one.  I based this tutorial on an 8 oz. bottle of Purell.

Step 1: With WRONG SIDES TOGETHER (in other words, you should be looking at the pretty side of the fabric as you sew) sew the 6 1/4″ ends of your fabric together leaving 1/4″ seam allowance.  That doesn’t leave you a ton of space, so go carefully, and pin it beforehand if you think it will help.  We’re about to make French seams!!!

Step 2:  Press that seam to one side.  Turn the piece inside out, and press the seam into a crease.

Step 3:  Using a 3/8″ seam allowance, stitch the side again with RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER.  (You should be looking at the wrong side of the fabric now.)

Step 4: Press the seam flat, and turn your work right side out again.  Before you begin the next step CENTER that seam.  You want it to be in the center of the back of your bottle.  It wouldn’t hurt to press your work flat this way so you remember.

Step 5:  With WRONG SIDES TOGETHER stitch the bottom with a 1/4″ seam allowance.  Press, turn inside out, then stitch again with a 3/8″ seam allowance.  You’re getting the hang of it now!  Have you noticed yet that 3/8″ is probably just the edge of your presser foot? 😉

Step 6:  Go back to your ironing board, and press that bottom seam flat.  Now, keeping your work inside out, turn it bottoms up, and sort of karate chop the center so you have two “ears”.  See?

Step 7:  Bring these ears together and press them flat.

Step 8:  Measuring 5/8″ from the tips of ears, stitch a line on each one.  You’ll want to press the ears so that they point upward, toward the bottle’s spout.

Step 9:  You’re almost done!  We just have to hem the top!  Fold down 1/2″ and press.  Fold down 1/2″ again and press.  Stitch with 3/8″ seam allowance.

Step 10:  Add embellishments!!!  This might just be a bow around the neck of the bottle, or bows/ buttons/embroidery/lace on the cozy itself!  Get creative!  Now do a happy dance!!!  You have an adorable gift for your kids’ teachers, or just for cuteness around your home!

I’m thinking I’ll tuck in one of these quick tissue holders to coordinate and voila!  Winter illnesses will be no match for my kids teachers!

Apx. cost of this project:
Hand Sanitizer: $1-3
Fabric: Free-$1
Thread/notions: Free-$1 depending on your embellisments!
Total: $1-$5
Mine cost: $3 because I paid full price for my hand sanitizer.  Dag nabit!

Time for this project: 12 minutes 6 seconds  (Full Disclosure: This was my personal best stopwatch time after a few practices.  Betcha’ can’t beat it!)

Send me a link to your photos because you’re totally doing this project!

-Mac-

Three Ways I’m Sewing and Saving this Christmas

November starts the rush at my house.  Sometimes I get all my handmade gifts done by Thanksgiving (a worthy goal), but other times I’ll be setting up my sewing machine well into December.  As I sit down to make a list of the handmade elements I want to tackle this season, I thought I’d share some of my plans.

1.  I’m keeping my sewing “in house” this year.  Every so often, I like to give our extended family (and myself) a break from my amazing (or occasionally not so amazing) handmade gifts.  And some years, it’s ALL handmade.  I might still make a few stocking stuffers, but nothing too elaborate this time around.  Instead, this season’s sewing will be mostly for our own kiddos.  That means the pressure for perfectionism goes way down, and I have a little more freedom to experiment and try new shortcuts–because being a home sewist shouldn’t feel like a part time job.

2.  I’m reducing the Christmas wrapping for this year (and years to come) by stitching reusable Christmas gift bags!  (This will give you the gist.)  I never get the gift wrapping done before Christmas Eve, so it’ll be wonderful to have a nice stash of festive drawstring bags to tuck gifts in neatly!  Less mess, better for the environment, better for my stress levels, and better for our wallets considering how much of my fabric stash was handed down to me or purchased in the form of thrift store sheets!  (99 cents!)  I’m also pretty confident that with a good process in place, I can make a gift bag almost as fast as I can wrap a gift.

3.  I’m sewing pieces for my winter wardrobe.  We always have a lot of events during the holidays, and my closet is in such a state, that if I want to stay out of the stores, I’ll need to sew a few basic wardrobe pieces for myself.  Nothing fancy.  Mostly some hemming and a couple winter skirts.  The kids are becoming a little more self sufficient, and I’m feeling like I might just be starting to wake up from my frumpy mom phase.  I might even think about looking cute again!  (I know!  Right?!  I thought it’d NEVER get easier!)

So, what are your plans?  Do you have a timeline in mind?  Got a sewing buddy to keep you motivated? Good luck!

-Mac-

P.S.  Just in case you were wondering how my other son’s Halloween costume turned out, here’s the pic.  They were both SO proud of their super hero garb.  They didn’t seem to notice a single imperfection. 🙂

 

When should you throw away your sewing project?

Halloween’s in two days, and I almost abandoned ship on this one.  The helmet.  The eye holes in the helmet.  I tried cutting them a few different ways.  Tried stitching around them (that just made it worse).  Then I was almost out of the blue fabric, so I had to awkwardly piece together the top of the thing.  It’s just not my best work.

I started thinking of what his pre-K teachers would think at his Halloween party when they pulled out this awkward costume I sped through, attempting to upcycle what are, admittedly, kind of ragged old t-shirts.  I thought about how my son might feel when he sees another Captain America looking like this.  And the project was taking too long.  Way longer than I’d imagined it’d take.

But then my son came home from preschool.  And he was so excited.  I finished the project, for better or for worse.  And Captain America is wearing blue jeans, too.  Because he does that sometimes, right?

But then I look at these pictures and feel the nostalgia that raggedy homemade costumes tend to muster up.  I think about the conversations we’ll have over old photo albums when my kids are teenagers or young adults about how I really might have been a little Pinterest crazy when they were little.  Or maybe they’ll look back and think I was totally awesome at making stuff.  Either way, I’m glad I didn’t throw away that helmet.

-Mac-

The Green Team

What is this kid drinking?!

 

Green smoothies.  This is one of those things that seems to be pretty trendy in blog land.  My parents have been touting their benefits all year, but everyone else I know thinks I’m crazy.  Jumping on this bandwagon was not my idea per se.  It was that ^^^^^ kid’s idea.

I had just finished listening to a podcast interview with a woman who talked about her life as a busy mom on a tight budget.  She was kind of depressed, gained a lot of weight in a very short time, and it felt nothing was going according to plan.  So, she decided to do one thing for herself:  drink a green smoothie every morning.  She did nothing else, at first, but it turns out that simple step was the catalyst for all kinds of healthy changes in her life.

Hm… I thought, Maybe I could do that.  What she was describing was not very expensive or a huge commitment, so I started browsing her beautiful website to get some recipe ideas.  Right about that time, my youngest sat on my lap.

 

“FUNNY MILKSHAKE!!!!!!!!!!  FUNNY MILKSHAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

 

It’s  this screaming thing he does when he really really wants something.  (I hesitate to even share this, but it sounds remarkably similar to this slightly less well behaved child you might be familiar with.)

I tried to scroll away from the picture, but he kept totally freaking out, trying to scroll back up to the picture of the “funny milkshake”!

So, that’s what did it.

We’re converts now.

Okay, so the first question is always, “What’s in it?”  So far, pineapple, strawberry, almond milk, bananas, peaches, and, oh yeah, a tightly packed cup of raw spinach.  I had you until the spinach, right?

Well, the good news is, you don’t really taste the spinach.  At least I don’t.  I’m assuming my kiddo doesn’t.  I’m excited to try some new recipes.  I can’t report on any major health updates, since we’ve been at this less than a week.  I do like that this is a fairly affordable, fairly simple thing I can do to get a little more nutrition in my diet, but the fact that my son thinks this is a treat?  This is the healthiest thing he’s probably ever eaten!  I HAVE to keep doing this!

The second question is, “He REALLY likes it?”  YES!  The first smoothie I made him, (in the first picture here) was in the way of something, so I just scooted it to the side for a second.  His response was to give me the dirtiest look ever and tell me “NO!  That’s MINE!”  That might seem like ugly attitude, but when he overcomes his language delays to communicate so clearly… I take it very seriously!

The third question: “Do you guys ALL drink it?”  No.  Amazingly, I got my five year old to try it the first day, telling him it was a funny green halloween milkshake.  He didn’t care for it.  (But can you believe he fell for that?!  Pssht! Five year olds.) My husband, on the other hand, said he didn’t like the first batch, but wants to try again after looking at all the recipes that started this whole thing.

Fortunately, the fact that this treat is something just my youngest and I share makes it all the more appealing to him.  We’re Team Green–a smoothie drinking machine!

 

I’m such a fan of baby steps and small wins.  A green smoothie is pretty easy, but it is making me feel like I’ve done something for my health and my kiddo’s health before we even get dressed for school.  I’m pretty excited to see the impact that could make on my attitude about the day, if not the vitamins and nutrients themselves!

Do you do anything weird for your health?  Tell me all about it!

-Mac-

My First Wreath Decorating Attempt

As much as I love Pinterest, and DIY, and crafting, I have to admit, anything near to the realm of floral arrangement intimidates me.  It seems like no matter how beautiful the bouquet, as soon as I remove the tissue paper and put it in a vase, I totally ruin it.  Does anybody else have this problem?  I’ve been learning a little more here and there, but still.  Intimidating.

But, now that I have all these handmade grapevine wreaths from our garden, it was time to try working with foliage again.  I had a few harvesty “permanent florals” stowed away in my basement, so I just worked with them, as well as cutting up a few fabric scraps for a little variety.  The wreath above hangs in my kitchen, and the one below is the very first harvest wreath to grace my front door.

Oh, look! There I am!

 

I obviously have a lot to learn, but I really like the earthy style.  I always feel a bit conflicted about using fake flowers in decorating, but I think it’s not too obvious here.  And also, just, come on.  My little scrap fabric bows!  I don’t have a lot of shabby-chic/rustic/country themed stuff going on in my home, but those little bows almost make me want to convert.  😉

 

And now that I have these pretty harvest wreaths up, I feel like these guys are trying to get my attention.  What have you been doing to welcome fall into your home?

-Mac-

Done is better than perfect.

At least that’s what they say at Facebook headquarters.  I’m no Zuckerberg, but in my quest to makeover my kitchen on the cheap, it’ll be a while before I can spend the resources required to get my dream kitchen.  So, I’m not aiming for a dream kitchen.  I’m aiming for two goals:

1. Neutralize eyesores.
2. Replace the personal touches of the last residents with a bit of our own personality.

This five minute project was about the first goal.

I can tolerate a lot of things, but I cannot endure this country blue paper towel holder, or  the nasty chipping paint on the floor vent.

 

I could have bought a new paper towel holder for like a dollar, and the floor vent will probably be replaced eventually, too, but why even mess with that when I had five minutes and a perfectly good can of black spray paint in the basement?

 

Done and done.  If it’s free and it works, why not?  Amiright?

-Mac-

P.S.  It’s October?! Yowza!

The Happy Homester’s Hierarchy of Homemaking

A few weeks ago I happened upon this podcast about understanding complex concepts through doodling.  Hm, I thought, if I had to somehow map out “homemaking”, what would that look like?  I ended up with something that reminded me of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  I set my scribbly piece of paper on my kitchen counter, but somehow felt compelled to cycle through it every time I start to feel overwhelmed or lost about housework.  It’s kind of becoming a compass in our often chaotic home.  I’ve been refining it a little here and there, and it’s really helping me keep our home a lot more organized!

Tour the pyramid with me, won’t you?

Let’s start at the bottom:

What’s on the calendar?

I put this at the bottom of my pyramid.  When I cycle through, I start here.  If I do everything else, but forget an appointment or an important birthday, it doesn’t matter how tidy the house is–I’m not going to feel at peace.

Next, how are we doing on our budget?

Basically, I’m taking a peek at our bank account online, and updating our budget spreadsheet with any necessary changes.  (Both these things can be quickly done from my phone.)  If we’re coming close to the next payday, I might double check our grocery cash envelope to make sure I know how much we have to work with.  I chose to put this next, because if we end up over-drafting, or if we end up taking money out of the emergency fund for non-emergencies, I don’t have peace, no matter how shiny my sinks are.  This may or may not be applicable to you if you aren’t the primary budgetier of your home, but even if you’re just the one that shops for groceries, it’s good to take a quick glance at where you stand.

What’s for breakfast/lunch/supper?

I don’t need to have the meal cooked, I just need to have decided what I’ll feed the family over the next 24 hours.  That’s long enough to pull something out of the freezer to thaw if necessary, or if I know I need to hit the grocery store soon, this is where I make a list and do a little long term planning.  If I’ve tackled two weeks worth of laundry, but it’s 6:30 and I don’t know how I’m going to pull together supper… That’s not a peaceful household!

Are the dishes clean?

The wonderfully FlyLady has been teaching us to keep a shiny sink for years!  It’s awfully hard to cook when the kitchen’s a wreck.  And no meal is quite as appetizing when it’s served on tupperware lids because the plates are all dirty.  (Come on!  I know some of you have pulled that trick, too!)  There’s nothing more depressing then when you’re feeling a little worn, and your kitchen counters greet you with armloads of dirty dishes.  Let’s nip that mess in the bud!

Laundry time!

You know what’s on the calendar, you’ve got a handle on the budget.  You know what you’re having for lunch, and supper, and breakfast.  The kitchen is ready for cooking.  But you’ve got time before dinner.  Cycle that laundry!  I don’t feel like I have to have everything done, but when I’m concentrating on housework, I like to know that all our laundry is ready to keep cycling. That means dirty laundry is sorted, clean laundry is folded, and both machines are running every day.  I do have a confession, here.  I have three laundry baskets, and I wait until all three are filled with clean loads before I bring them up from the basement for folding.  This is simply because it takes less time for me to fold and put away in larger batches.  Your system might be different.

And finally, tidy up!

With all the other items in place, NOW I can put the toys back in the toy room, make sure my craft stuff is stowed the way it should be, fluff the sofa pillows, maybe even make a bed or two.  This stuff is a breeze, because the dishes are done, the laundry is done, and I know what’s for dinner.  This is where I get to break out a home fragrance, put on some relaxing music, and just enjoy straightening up our little home.

Obviously, my little pyramid doesn’t encompass everything.  What about parenting responsibilities, or detail cleaning, or sorting coupons, or whatever else…  But it covers essential housework pretty well, and it’s really helped me out!  Let me know in the comments if you end up trying out my little map, or share a link if you end up doodling one of your own!  And if you think I’m totally crazy for having to doodle a whole chart about housework…  you’re probably born organized, and I envy you!  LOL

-Mac-

Tea Time Confessions

Alright, I’ll just come out with it:  I found some weird herb growing out by the side of our garage, and I’ve been brewing it and drinking it to help me get to sleep at night.  It also might be giving me these really vivid dreams…

Lemon balm tea, friends.  It’s totally a thing.  Unless it isn’t.

 

I was first introduced to the herb this spring when I noticed it growing up out of a sidewalk crack behind my house.  Is that spearmint?  I plucked it for further examination, but it didn’t have a minty smell.  I crushed some leaves and it smelled like lemons!  What?!  It was kind of growing invasively, but I delighted in the fragrance of fresh lemon that filled the air when I hit it with the weed whip.  It wasn’t until browsing gardening boards on Pinterest that I saw its beautiful leaves springing from a lovely pot labeled “Lemon Balm”!  Hooray!  I had an abundance of a useful herb!  But just how useful?

This member of the mint family is known as a powerful antiviral that’s used to aid sleep, calm ADHD, heal cold sores, relieve stress, heal dementia, repel mosquitos, attract bees, and make you hear colors.  Maybe I was kidding about that last one.  But you shouldn’t use too much of it or maybe any of it if you have certain health conditions, and some of the studies on it are way more conclusive than others.  So, just don’t be a weirdo hippie about it, like I am.  Do your research.

You can use it in salads, cook with it, bake with it, or do what I do!  Let’s make really yummy tea!

You can use a generous handful of fresh leaves, or a heaping teaspoon per cup of crushed dried leaves.  (You can buy it on Amazon.  Told you this is totally a thing.)  Boil some water, poor it over, and let it steep for five minutes.

I have this fancy tea maker, but I know Alton Brown just makes his loose tea in a French press.

 

Mmmm.  My new favorite beverage!  Sweeten with honey, and you’ve got a soothing, but fresh cup.  How does it taste?  Even my husband says, “Not bad!”  It smells like lemons but it’s not sour tasting at all.  Just maybe a bit minty I guess?!  You’ll just have to try it.  I really love it.

-Mac-