Blacksmith's Chai

 Blacksmith's Chai Concentrate

        Every so often, I make a big batch of chai concentrate to give out for Christmas.  The sweet spiciness is so nostalgic on many levels.  And this super dark version lends a smokiness that really appeals to my palate now!  Feel free to adjust ingredients to your heart's content!

Ingredients:

-About 2" knob of ginger, sliced

-2 nutmeg nuts, crushed

-4 cinnamon sticks, crushed

-16 cardamom pods, crushed

- 1 tsp crushed peppercorns

-8c water

-1/4 c. black tea leaves

-1/2 c sugar (may substitute honey)

In the bottom of a cast iron dutch oven, toast spices for 1 minute, then add water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 min.  Return to a boil, then remove from heat and add the tea leaves (I wrapped mine in cheesecloth to steep, but this is not necessary). After 5 minutes, stir in sugar until dissolved.  Strain through cheesecloth covered mesh into jars.  Let cool at room temp before storing in the fridge.

To use, heat with equal parts milk and enjoy!

Wild in the Rain: Gifts to GO!

There seems to be much more thought going into Christmas gifts lately and I love seeing it!  Do we really need or even want more toys?  I will always cherish my son's gift list the first Christmas he was really able to talk.  When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said, "I just want everyone to have a home."  Oh, my Mama heart!  Me too, Sweetheart!

Wait, are those musk ox, Canadian geese, and an emu holding up traffic?

And while there are things we do to give back to those in need in our community, and as much as I wish I could grant that request, we do want to get something special for our children.  I've really enjoyed this rhyme I hear popping up; "Something they want, something they need, something they wear, something they read."  What a practical and pleasantly limiting guide!  The one thing I might add, or blend into the "something they want" is somewhere to go, but I suppose that really throws off the rhythm of it!  

Last Christmas, my brother and his wife got our whole family tickets to Wildlife Safari, a game park about an hour south of us.  And it was SO much fun!  I felt like it was a gift, a mini-vacation, and a home school field trip all blended together!  The kids are all ready asking to go back again!  This was such a welcome gift!

Despite the rain, we saw such a variety of creatures from all over the world.  There was even a petting farm where the kids were able to pet and feed.  On the weekends, a train will take you through the park and it looked like there are always special animal encounters you can sign up for.  The little ones asked so many questions and I feel like we all learned a lot.  I highly recommend a visit if you get the opportunity!  

The joy of this trip and the memories made caused me to start brainstorming other potential non-stuff gifts we might consider in the future.  What would you add?

1. Zoo
2. Music lessons
3. Sports fees
4. Swimming lessons
5. Horseback ride
6. County/State park pass
7. Library card (for out-of-town dwellers)
8. Theme park
9. Art lessons
10. Museum admission

Color Technique: Muslin + Crayons?

Whew!  I realize this post has been almost a year in coming!  I first hinted at this technique almost a year ago when we made a banner for the lemonade stand!  I love how this turned out and have had so many people compliment it. (P.S. It still looks great after wintering outside!)  This technique is one my mother taught us when we were very young and I still have some of the pieces we made.  It takes the lowly crayon to a whole new level!

So without further ado, the muslin crayon technique:

Materials:
Muslin fabric in desired size
Crayons
Permanent Markers
Scrap fabric

Technique:
I like to sketch out my design in pencil first and then go over it with the permanent marker so I know it will turn out how I want it.  You also may choose to place a design from another source under the fabric and trace it on.  Really the permanent marker is optional, but it really helps with definition. 

Color in as desired with the crayons.  After you are completely finished coloring, place a piece of fabric (I use an OLD, thin towel) over the colored side of the art and iron through.  The color may dull or bleed ever so slightly and will likely stain the scrap piece.  And you're done!

Just in the last year we've used this technique for banners (lemonade and craft fair), wall hangings to be framed, and a pillow case!  The possibilities are endless!  I've not yet tried this technique on clothing that would be washed frequently, but if you do would you let me know how it goes?  These have made some fun gifts and the kids love getting involved with it, too!

Expecting Joy (and Nausea): Morning Sickeness Gift Basket

Havin’ a Baby!  (Morning Sickness Basket)

 

 

Worth the Morning Sickness!

 

No not me! =)  My dear friend just, JUST found out they were expecting baby #6!  Wow!  So excited for them! With so much joy, she’s also experiencing the common morning sickness (though you wouldn’t know it by looking at her!  That woman has endless energy!)  Those of you who’ve had to deal with that know it’s miserable, especially when you want to be soaking up life and cherishing every moment!

 

Eagerly Expecting

I’m going to insert a little excerpt of my first pregnancy here so you know where I’m coming from.  I should clarify.  My first successful pregnancy.  My very first pregnancy was a couple months prior and (this never stops hurting!) our first baby went to heaven in the second month.  But, to encourage you who are having morning sickness, it usually means that your baby and your body are progressing healthily!  So when I started feeling “off” a couple months later, I took a negative home pregnancy test.  A little discouraging, but I understood these things take time.   But a couple weeks later, I started crying profusely at a TV episode about the Iditarod (I’d almost NEVER cried at any movie!) and Josh said I should retest.  Sure enough!  Our little guy already had a beating heart by the time we were even sure he existed! 

What joy and excitement!  And then came the morning sickness, gradually progressing through the first couple months, then intense until the last couple.  I ended up feeling sick nearly the entire pregnancy and actually had hyperemesis gravidum (extreme morning sickness) with my first.  I lost more weight (25 lbs) though the second trimester than I gained in the whole pregnancy.   Even sounds could set it off!  It was so weird!  I couldn’t even listen to some of my favorite music because it made me so nauseous!  Anyway, raw ginger was the only thing that would touch it.  I would seriously chew on it raw.  Now the idea of that nearly makes me sick! =)  When it reached the clinical level, I did accept a prescription medication for a couple months so that I could continue working and maintain a healthy pregnancy.

He arrived!

There are a lot of suggestions out there about how to ease the symptoms of nausea, but they can have different effects on different individuals, even different pregnancies!  I was only minimally nauseous with our daughter and I only threw up once (and that was on a very turbulent, windy jet landing in Seattle!) 

So in putting together a little basket for my friend, I definitely wanted to include ginger, and I found a recipe for homemade ginger ale sweetened with honey to include.  You know, to whip up in all her spare time.  Yeah, I’ll throw in some pre-made, too.  =)  Just want to make sure it has real ginger in it.  Many brands now don’t.   I got ginger capsules that some pregnant friends swore by, but they didn’t touch my nausea either pregnancy.

Peppermint, my other lifesaver, is also a must.  Peppermints are good, but sometimes just the sweetness is counteractive in this case.  Peppermint oil is very helpful.

Have you ever tried acupressure?  I feel like it made a dent in the nausea sometimes.  Was it just a mental change?  Possibly, but whatever works, right?  Pressing two fingers against the indent of the inner side of your wrist (just before your thumb) can be helpful.

Fresh or frozen lemon can alleviate the symptoms of morning sickness, also.  To use the whole thing, cut a small slice from an end to suck on, then place what you don’t use in a day in the freezer and keep slicing off pieces as you need them.

Cold: while it was winter in Fairbanks, it was so nice just to be able to step out on the porch for a breath of fresh air.  When that’s not available, a cold pack around the back of your neck can really help!  These can later be used as heat packs for any painful cramping! I found this easy, inexpensive pattern for one from Satsuma using dollar store socks!

Breathe and try to relax: anxiety can increase nausea

Finally, hydration.  This can be super hard when anything at all in your stomach makes you want to hurl, but as much as you can, keep yourself hydrated.  Sucking on ice chips or taking tiny sips seems to help.

What have you found to be most helpful in alleviating morning sickness?  Any other ideas for the next basket?

Note: this was written some time back, but I am revising it for another friend currently expecting!

Josh's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!  Can I brag him up just a little bit?  Besides being incredibly handsome, he is so good to Fynn and I!  He works so hard so I can take care of our little guy at home!  He is a great provider, yet still makes it clear that his family comes before his work.  And he loves God and we have the blessing of being able to be growing in our faith together.  He's funny and puts up with all my weird quirks!  And he makes a mean chicken taco.  I could go on all day!  He's working up at the mine today, but we're going out to dinner tonight, then I wrote him a note with some of his favorite candies I got at the store yesterday.  Here are a few excerpts:


You are such a handsome

Your love makes me want to do 

or blast off into

In fact, our life really

Even if we hit a






I know we'll be just fine,

You mean more to me than silver or


This was so fun to try to piece together!  I think I'm going to tweak it to use again in the future...

Tea Wreath

Boy, what a cold week it has been!  I’m so thankful for our warm cabin and firewood to burn!  Our poor little chickens have probably been suffering the worst.  I can’t keep their water thawed for anything, and we’ve had several eggs completely frozen and cracked open.  Last night I found the oddity below (I think eggs are just so beautiful!). No, things just aren’t quite right in chickenland!

I just can’t get enough tea of any kind on these days. It warms my bones.  I found a cute little project of Tea Wreaths that I thought would be a sweet Christmas gift on a budget.   Supplies would include individually wrapped tea bags of choice (12), willow swatches (3-could use other branches or even thin dowels), decorations to taste and glue (I’d recommend hot glue or superglue for this one.)

I ended up whittling down the middles of the branches first to have a flat area to work from.  Glue all three in the middle.  You could even do a bit of a God’s eye at this point by wrapping yarn or embroidery floss through the branches for added support.   Then glue a tea bag to the ends of each branch and fill in the gaps by gluing the corners of the tea bags together.   Decorate as desired with ribbons, bows, or sprigs of evergreen and gift generously!  Total cost < $5.