Santa's List Post Card

My kitchen sink is still plugged so I am still doing dishes "camping style":( 

I have walked two days on the treadmill this week. Although I think I am going to have to only walk every other day and do Pilates on the off days to stretch. The walking is causing a lot of pain to my lower back and neck so the stretching should help. 

We got our first frost last night but it was a light one. The killing frost is still to come but hubby got the tomatoes and peppers brought in so they are safe. Even a light frost will make the tomatoes taste nasty! We have beautiful sunshine today but the temperature didn't quite reach 50 degrees (F).

Are you wondering about our sauerkraut? Well, it was two weeks Sunday since we made it. We can't take the lid off to peek so just have to hope that our diligence with the temperature is paying off. We have two more weeks to go before we can taste it. Then about two weeks after that we can move it into the root cellar to store for winter use. Sauerkraut is sooo good for your digestive system...as good as taking probiotics and a whole lot cheaper. You can read about the benefits of sauerkraut here and here.

Okay, now on to the card for today...

Santa's List is one of those stamp sets I bought but wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. My Happy Stampers made a card at our last stamping club meeting and you can see it here. Then I saw this super cute card on Pinterest and since I was wanting to order the Post Card stamp and Gorgeous Grunge (for the speckles), decided to get everything I needed and make it! I have been looking for the last hour for the original designer of this card and finally found her! Whoo Hoo! I would hate to not give due credit for this great card design. Her name is Jane Goldman and you can see her card at Petite Fleur Paperie . I really wanted to angle my post card like she did but evidently didn't cut my base card the right size. I love the way I can control the spots with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set. I used the stamp off method so as to get more subtle spotting. I sponged all the edges and the paper doily with Crumb Cake ink. 

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White
• Stamps: Santa's List; Post Card
• Ink: Crumb Cake, Baked Brown Sugar and Cherry Cobble
• Other: Tea Lace Paper Doily, Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine

What! No Dimensionals?!!! Not on this card! 

I hope you enjoyed this very cute card and please, stop over to see Jane's creations at Petite Fleur Paperie.

Have a great day...or what's left of it!

Kat

Happy Homemaker Monday

I am getting a late start today but...better late than never, right?!!! I got some laundry done; walked on the treadmill for an hour; and finally got hubby out the door to "do his thing" for the day! Now my time is my own:)

I value all the comments I receive from you but I have a fairly high rate of anonymous spam comments that come through so have set the comments so I have to review each one before posting. This morning I nearly panicked because it looked like I had inadvertently deleted TWO comments! No matter what I did, I couldn't find them. So, I came onto my blog to start this post and tada! they were waiting there for me to approve! I was one happy camper!!!

I hope you are ready for Happy Homemaker Monday because I sure am! I want to thank Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom who is the weekly host of Happy Homemaker Monday. She also photographs and makes the beautiful Happy Homemaker Buttons that those of us who participate use each week! So, let's get started...

Weather...Beautiful sunshine and looks like the high today will be 58 degrees (F). The low this morning was 48 degrees I believe. We open the door to our root cellar at night and close during the day to get the temperature down so we can store apples, potatoes, cabbage and other food for the winter.

Right now I am...Just working on this post.

Thinking...about what I want to eat for lunch and planning the cards I will be making this afternoon and tomorrow.

On my reading pile...Just finished The Replacement Wife by Eileen Gouge and am ready to finish Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy. Lined up is How to be Organized in Spite of Yourself by Sunny Schlenger and Roberta Roesch. Trust me, if this book doesn't help me get organized, I am a lost cause:( Keep your fingers crossed for me!

On my TV...Nothing! Doing a lot of reading:)

On the menu for this week...Soup Week!

Monday -- haven't decided yet
Tuesday -- Curried French Lentil Soup and green salad
Wednesday -- I will be gone all day so hubby will fend for himself (he's a great cook)
Thursday -- Vegetable Stew and Crudites
Friday -- Potato Corn Chowder and Cole Slaw
Saturday -- Leftover Soup with Green Salad
Sunday -- Not sure yet

On my to do list...

• Working on my list of 20 things to do before Thanksgiving to get this house "company ready" (deep cleaning stuff)
• Laundry--always laundry! I try to do one or two loads per day except weekends.
• Get ready for my Happy Stampers Club (meets on Wednesday night)
• Thank you cards for hubby's clients and my customers (I am sooo far behind)

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating...Nothing! However, this is what I NEED to be working on:

• I am stuck at the moment! I need to finish the socks I was knitting last month so will take them to my friend, Barb, so she can help me figure out where I went wrong. 
• I need to start putting the blocks together for the Granny Square Afghan I was working on.
• I decided I want to make a Traveling Toiletry & Makeup Bag set with the beautiful Sassy Shoes fabric I bought in September.
• I need to start making American Girl doll clothes to go with the new doll I just bought for my granddaughter for Christmas.

Looking around the house...Dogs everywhere as usual but so far today they haven't cleared their toy box out! Kitchen is clean and the two crocks of sauerkraut are sitting on the floor doing their thing! Bed is made and laundry is done! All in all, it looks pretty good around here:) Even the kitchen table is clear--no mail piled up on it as it usually is!

From the camera...

More sauerkraut mess from yesterday!

On my prayer list...

• My brother
• My mom
• My sister in need of hip replacements
• Christmas Jar recipient for this year
• Widow and children of my husband's uncle who recently died
• Acquaintances who need a house
• My nephew-in-law who recently lost his father

Bible verse/devotional...

"Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 9: 23, 24

Well, looks like that's it for me today!

I have a card for you tomorrow and hopefully every day for the rest of the week!

Kat

Sunday Night Chit-Chat

Welcome to the Sunday Night Chit-Chat! Hubby and I have been making sauerkraut all afternoon and evening so hopefully will have lots of yummy sauerkraut to take us through the winter:) We made a 15L crock and a 30L crock--that's a lot of sauerkraut!!!

Carla at My 1/2 Dozen Daily is the host for the weekly Sunday Night Chit-Chat so be sure to check out her blog to see what new items she has been creating! She is on the design team for Warp & Weft and weekly shows her creations using their incredible fabrics.

15 L crock nearly full of cabbage and sea salt to make sauerkraut

Okay, let's get started! I am...

Reading...The Replacement Wife by Eileen Gouge

Listening to...the radio playing in the background.

Watching...Nothing

Cooking/Baking...We just ate sandwiches today because the kitchen was a mess with making sauerkraut.

Happy I accomplished this week...So glad to have the sauerkraut done and working! Now to be able to keep the temperature right. Last year we made one batch that was perfect and a batch that wasn't so good because we weren't as careful about the temperature. 

I also got my list made of things I need to get done before the US Thanksgiving on November 28. So many neglected cleaning duties so will just take one thing per day to hopefully have a "company ready" house by then.

Looking forward to next week...It's time for my Happy Stampers to meet again this week! I am pretty excited about the projects I have for them and it is always so much fun to get together with this group of ladies:)

Thankful for today...I am finally well after being sick with a cold/flu for 2 1/2 weeks! Whew! I didn't think that was ever going to leave! 

*Bonus Question* What is my favorite part of Thanksgiving food-wise?
I would have to say stuffing/dressing...whatever you call it! We are vegans so I had to rework the delicious stuffing recipe my mom used to make. Check out my recipe HERE. Second would have to be Pumpkin Pie.

Well, I'm off to finish up the sauerkraut (Hubby's doing the lion's share of the job for sure...I am just his assistant)! Tomorrow is Happy Homemaker Monday!

Kat

Sunday Night Chit-Chat`

Welcome to the Sunday Night Chit-Chat initiated each Sunday by Carla at My 1/2 Dozen Daily. I found the picture/quote for today on Pinterest and I really needed it. I am overwhelmed! Not because I have too much to do but because I don't feel well enough to do much of anything--just the bare bone basics! We hit on another idea of what might be causing my terrible rash/hives thing...he laundry detergent. I have changed laundry detergent 3 times but it has always been he. It appears he laundry detergent has a chemical in it to minimize the suds. I just happened to have a small container of laundry detergent we bought from Tropical Traditions that is more natural. Sooo, today was spent washing "clean" clothes! First I washed the machine by putting 2 quarts of white vinegar into the washer and running it with no clothes. Then I washed sheets, towels, underwear, outwear--everything! What a day! Hoping it helps! We ordered some Charlie's Soap after a lot of reading on the internet--lots of great reviews!

So let's get started with the Sunday Night Chit-Chat!

I am...

Reading...I finished Daughter of Joy by Kathleen Morgan but won't let myself order the next book until I finish some of my other reading. I am currently reading Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart. As a family we are reading To the Far Blue Mountains by Louis L'Amour and Christmas in My Heart #21, compiled and edited by Joe Wheeler. Haven't had much read aloud time for the last week because the family has been pretty busy and scattered.

Watching...Nothing tonight but I plan to watch Christmas movies on Netflix tomorrow while I am sewing:)

Listening to...The dogs...Rocky is snoring and Beau is chewing on a Nylabone!

Cooking/Baking...I made Garbanzo Oat Waffles for breakfast (gluten free); we made a 15L crock of sauerkraut early afternoon; I am currently baking sweet potatoes for dinner.

Happy I accomplished this week...I got out of bed each and every day! LOL Seriously, I don't have energy to do much of anything but that should start getting better. I need to supplement with copper so my body can metabolize iron and I am taking B12 injections 2x/week. That should really help to get me up and moving. Getting all those clothes rewashed was a big accomplishment today.

Looking forward to next week...Feeling better! Also hoping my Secret Sister Swap will arrive this week. 

Thankful for today...Sauerkraut is made and most of the rewashing of the laundry is done!

*BONUS QUESTION*

You (I) receive a clothing gift from someone who is very close to you and has very sensitive feelings, but you absolutely HATE it. Yet you KNOW that they're going to expect you to wear the item and "can't wait to see you in it!!!" What do you do?

I would wear the item one time when that person was going to be present. I have had this happen to me and it is very awkward. My mom used to make lots of clothing gifts for us--knitted, crocheted and sewn. Most of them were wonderful but occasionally she really missed the mark. She has VERY sensitive feelings and if she thought we didn't like something would NEVER make us anything again. Couldn't risk THAT happening! 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the little foray into my life via the Sunday Night Chit-Chat! I love having you visit and hope you'll come back again tomorrow. 

Kat

Adventures in Sauerkraut

I have been on the phone this morning with the doctor's office regarding a rash I have had since early September. It is getting worse and I can't figure out what is causing it. I was hoping he might have a clue after all the blood tests he ordered two weeks ago. I have changed laundry detergent thinking that might be it. Then changed my shower soap. Then we took all the memory foam off our bed and totally cleaned and vacuumed everything in the bedroom. I hope he has some answers for me when he comes back to the office on Thursday.

Today I promised you a peephole into our sauerkraut making adventure. First off, I have to tell you this is my husband's "thing"! I help but it is HIS "baby"!!! He first became interested in making sauerkraut when he read online about the health benefits of naturally fermented foods like sauerkraut and Kombucha Tea--especially the probiotics. 

30L Harsch Fermenting Crock ready for cabbage

Our first try with sauerkraut was in August. We used our 15L Harsch Fermenting Crock and filled it a little more than half full of cabbage shredded with my Pampered Chef Mandoline (which was a little small for the job) and salt.  We put the stones in, the lid on, water in the well around the lid and waited four very long weeks before tasting...it was DELICIOUS! Now, I realize some of you don't like sauerkraut and will never like sauerkraut but we like it a lot at our house so this will not be nasty medicine to us. Knowing we would be making more sauerkraut we went to trusty Cabela's (online, of course) and purchased a Weston Heavy Duty Slaw Board and Cabbage Shredder. Now, this baby can do the job!!! Well, fast forward to Thanksgiving Day and we only have 3 quarts of sauerkraut left so...

Cabbage Shredder with shredded cabbage

Hubby purchases several large, firm heads of cabbage, washed up our 30L Harsch Fermenting Crock and we set to work Sunday afternoon. To put the photo in perspective we were using a huge stainless steel bowl and the cabbage shredder is almost 2 feet long and 8.7" wide. I think we used seven large heads of cabbage. Hubby mixed each bowl of shredded cabbage with 2 Tablespoons of Celtic Sea Salt then put it in the crock and tamped it down with an old fashioned potato masher. The idea is to get the cabbage and salt to make some juice. The more natural juice you get, the less water you have to put in.

Shredded cabbage and salt tamped down in crock

When the crock was 3/4 full of tamped down shredded cabbage mixed with salt, we just had to put the stones in, pour in cooled salted water to cover the stones, put the lid on and fill the well around the lid with water (which keeps the air out). Now we just have to keep it at a temperature between 68 and 72 degrees (F) for a few days so it can get a good start. In about 4 weeks we can taste it to see if it's ready to eat:) We will then put the crock in our root cellar and take out of it for eating as needed.

As I said, Hubby does most of the work especially since he doesn't want me using anything sharp after I cut myself on Thanksgiving! I give him lots of encouragement though:) 

A book we have found very helpful in the whole sauerkraut making process is Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables at Home by Klaus Kaufmann, DSc and Annelies Schoneck. We are looking forward to pickling more vegetables via fermentation next summer/fall and this book tells how to do it.

I hope you have enjoyed our little foray into making sauerkraut. Maybe you'll even try it on your own. Maybe you already have???

Have you been on any culinary adventures lately? I would love to hear about them.

Have a great day. I hope to have something crafty to show you tomorrow!

Kat

Sunday Night Chit-Chat

My picture is of a card I received in the mail last week from Alison Plummer from France. I participated in an RAK Swap and Alison is the one I was partnered with for August. What a great card and so fun to get mail from France:) Believe it or not, it was even fun mailing a card TO France!

Well, it's time for the Sunday Night Chit-Chat. We are started off each week by Carla at My 1/2 Dozen Daily so be sure to check in with Carla to see what she's been up to.

I am...

Reading...Nothing:( Need to start the second book in the Jane Kirkpatrick series I started, The Kinship and Courage Series.

Watching...I watched the Snows of Kilimanjaro on PBS this morning and we watched Soda Springs this afternoon but don't have anything planned for tonight.

Listening to...Our wind turbine making power for our home:)

Cooking/baking...It's hot so haven't been doing much real cooking. However, I filled our food dryers with peaches today and we started our first ever batch of sauerkraut (shredded 17 pounds of cabbage)!

Happy I accomplished this week...I can't think of anything special I accomplished but I got the things done that needed to be done and remained sane:) I guess that in itself is an accomplishment!

Looking forward to this week...A special day with my favorite 10 year old:) She loves to craft and so do I! We will spend the whole day crafting, playing with the dogs and maybe watching a movie on Netflix. 

Thankful for today...The sauerkraut is finally started. It was a total unknown for me and hubby took the lead on the project but it is in the crock and hopefully will turn out. We will know in 4-6 weeks!

*Bonus Question*

As a famous athlete, you are offered a $500,000 endorsement to promote a product that you dislike and would NEVER use. Do you endorse it?

No, no, absolutely not! I could never endorse something I didn't really think was the best product of it's kind out there.  

So, that's it for my Sunday Night Chit-Chat! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will visit again tomorrow.

Kat