Crochet Drupal Drop - Free Pattern

A little background on this pattern. In my day job, I work with an open-source web platform called Drupal. Drupal has an adorable logo, called the Drupal drop.

So I crocheted a Drupal drop as a surprise for our awesome developer at work. She loved it, by the way. And it was so quick and fun to make, that I'll probably make a few more.

And in the spirit of Open Source, here's the instructions to make your own:

Materials:

• worsted weight yarn - bright blue
• worsted weight yarn - white
• 4.5mm G crochet hook
• yarn Needle for sewing pieces together
• Stuffing

Abbreviations:

• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• sc dec = decrease (one sc across two stitches)
• sl st = slip stitch
• st = stitch
• hdc = half double crochet
• x 2 = repeat two times (etc for multiple numbers)

Body:

Using blue yarn. Worked in a spiral. Do not join, do not turn.
Start a circle via magic ring or whatever is your preference.
Rnd 1: In the magic ring, 6 sc
Rnd 2: 2 Sc in each sc around: 12 sc
Rnd 3: [sc, 2 sc in next sc] x 6: 18 sc
Rnd 4: [sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next sc] x 6: 24 sc
Rnd 5: [sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc] x 6: 30 sc
Rnd 6: [sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc] x 6: 36 sc
Rnd 7: [sc in next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc] x 6: 42 sc
Rnd 8 - 15: sc in each sc around: 42 sc
Rnd 16: [sc in the next 5 sc, sc dec] x 6: 36 sc
Rnd 17: [sc in the next 4 sc, sc dec] x 6: 30 sc 
Rnd 18: [sc in the next 3 sc, sc dec] x 6: 24 sc 
Rnd 19: [sc in the next 2 sc, sc dec] x 6: 18 sc  Fill as full as you can with stuffing
Rnd 20: [sc, sc dec] x 6: 12 sc 
Rnd 21: [sc, sc dec] x 4: 8 sc Fill any further you can with stuffing

Rnd 22: [sc, sc dec] x 2: 5 sc

Rnd 23: [sc dec, sc, sc dec]: 3 sc

Join 3 top stitches, finish off and hide the extra yarn.

Eyes:

Note: the eyes are a little complicated, so apologies there. I tried to explain what I did the best I could.

using white yarn, ch 8

R1: hdc 3 times in the 2nd ch from hook, sc in next ch, sl st in next 3 chs, sc in next ch, hdc 3 times in last ch, and continue around to the other side of the chain (do not turn). You're circling around the chain.

R2: hdc in 1st st, sc in next st, sl st in next 2 stitches, sc, hdc, then sl st in next st.

R3: ch1, DO NOT TURN, sc, sc inc in next 2 st, sl st in next 5 st, sc, sc inc in next 2 st, sl stitch.

Finish off,  leaving tail long enough to sew the eyes onto the face.

Assembly:

Using a yarn needle, sew eyes onto face (see picture), then sew nose and mouth using white yarn.

2013 Review

Well I didn't post my annual birthday Goals review, and it doesn't even make sense to post a Places To Go review, as I didn't try to complete any goals or go anywhere this past year. But I figure I should at least post a quick recap and update for myself, at least.

2013 Travels - We took a family trip to Indiana in May for my cousin's wedding, and Chris and I made a quick (as in 24 hour long) trip to Chicago while we were up there. We also made our way to Lakeland, FL in July for Chris's cousin's wedding, and stopped by Gainesville for half a day to see friends on our way there. And that was it for the year.

• "Farm country," IN
• Chicaco, IL
• Lakeland, FL

2013 Milestones - I started taking project management classes to continue building skills, and I finally finished a crochet pattern for my most favorite Gourd Wrist Purse. Chris and I celebrated 10 years of marriage, Zeke started preschool, and Jonas started sleeping through the night (finally). Life is starting to level out.

And that's that! 

For 2014, I really just hope to lay low - keep taking classes, work, and spend time with the boys. We hope to make a couple trips to see family this year, but again, Jonas is still too young for ambitious traveling. Zeke will be starting kindergarten this year, so that will be a big change for the whole family. (And we'll probably enroll Jonas in preschool a couple mornings a week, since he's such an extrovert).

2012 - Places I've been, Places to Go

At the end of 2011, I dubbed 2012 the Year of Staying Put. I wasn't going to travel anywhere...traveling had kicked my butt in 2011, and between pregnancy and the first 6 months of this baby's life, I was determined not to go anywhere in 2012.

Well, at least I didn't travel much.

In 2012 I made a short trip to Greenville, SC with my 3 year old during the very short period of time that I wasn't terribly sick with the pregnancy. I took him right after we closed on our house, to give Chris a chance to pack and prepare for our big move without us in the way. It was a nice trip and Zeke had a blast. 

Then right after the baby was born, a death in the family sent us to Florida for two weeks. The drive was exhausting, but it was nice to spend so much time getting reacquainted with family.

For the next year or so we plan to only travel to see family again, while I'm tethered to the baby. So it will be a while before I can check off any of the places to visit before I'm 40. This list is probably more realistic as a Places to Visit before I'm 60, but for now we'll leave it as-is. Who knows what the last 5 years of my 30s will bring, right?

Places I hope to visit before I'm 40:

• Seattle, WA
• Vancouver, CA
• Boston, MA
• Rome, Italy
• Yellowstone
• Chicago, IL completed May 2010
• Austin, TX
• Denver, CO

Turning 33: Goals for my 30s, take 3

Well, I made it through another year. And whoa, what a year. This one rocked me, and definitely felt like survival was all I could accomplish through a lot of it. Good things can be exhausting, world rocking things when they're in their development stages... and let's just say that the development of my second son has been a doozy on me physically, both in and out of the womb. Jonas is a joy... but my body didn't handle this pregnancy well, nor did it handle recovery well... or the lack of sleep that comes with a newborn... then our family launched right into cold after flu after cold after... to be honest, I'm happy to say goodbye to 32 and welcoming 33 with open arms and an earnest hope that our family can just settle into life for a while.

Last year, when I revisited my Goals for my 30s, it had become a list of things I didn't know if I was even interested in doing, save for two big ones. One of the interesting things about revisiting my list every year is not only to see if I can check any off, but also to see how the priorities change as I get older. So here we are again, another year older, with a revised list.

Accomplished

1. ✔ Have baby #2. Jonas Emmanuel Skeene was born at the end of June. He's perfect, and he gave me with one heck of a birth story to boot. 
2. ✔ Buy a house. I still can't believe this one happened this year. It started out as a pipe dream to even put it on my list when I was 30. The Lord really blessed us with a home I hope to see my children grow up in.

New Goals

3. Go to Europe. Saving up as we speak. Chris and I plan to go for our 15 year anniversary, in 5 more years.

Outstanding

4. Learn to do wet felting.
5. Learn to sew. 
6. Figure out if I want to go to grad school, and if I do, get started with it. I still think I'm 5 years away from really considering it, and I'm still not sure it's something I need to do.
7. Complete a fine art project. I still have a project I think of every now and again that I'd like to do some day. Some day.

Rejected 

8. Become a Stay-At-Home Mom. Right now I think the working world is exactly where I need to be and want to be. Staying home with little kids is exhausting.
9. Find a place where I can get into wheel-throwing pottery again. Okay, I still want to do this. But I think it might be a goal for my 60s, not my 30s. Fun Things To Do When I'm Old and Retired.
10. Produce another film.
11. Learn to knit. 

What about this year?

I think my goal for my 33rd year is to just be. Enjoy my children and my husband. Zeke was 2 years old before I started feeling like I started to have enough freedom to do things for myself again... and then I got pregnant. So trying to have any personal development goals with a baby in the house seems silly. If I get a bit of free time and the craft bug bites maybe I'll finally finish a crochet pattern or something, but if I don't check off any goals this year, I'm okay with that. 

Advent Calendar Photos!

 Before we took down our advent calendar, I got Chris to take a couple of GOOD photos of it. Here they are...

Beginning of Advent

End of Advent. Artwork courtesy of the talented Kimberly Swait.

With the ornaments

Year in Review - Places I've been, Places to Go

So I'm revisiting my list of Places to Go that I posted when I turned 30.

In 2011, Chris and I made it to Chicago, and even a short trip to NYC.

For 2012 I pretty much don't plan on traveling much at all; first I'll be pregnant and not wanting to travel, then I'll have a newborn and won't want to travel. So ,my plan is for 2012 to be the Year Of Staying Put.

Here's my revised list of Places to visit before I'm 40. it looks like I have about 8 more years to get to 7 places... make that 7 years if we don't travel in 2012. Doable, but a little intimidating.

Places I hope to visit before I'm 40:

• Seattle, WA
• Vancouver, CA
• Boston, MA
• Rome, Italy
• Yellowstone
• Chicago, IL complete!
• Austin, TX
• Denver, CO

Turning 32 - Goals for my 30s Revisited

Okay, I'm a little behind on doing much of anything lately... I'm 10 weeks pregnant (yay!) and feeling pretty sick (boo!) so my productivity level has DROPPED as of late. I'm really hoping that turns around in January, but we'll see how that goes.

So I'm a few days late in thinking about Goals for my 32nd year (my birthday was 3 days ago), but I figure this is close enough. I looked back on my Goals for my 30s that I posted a couple years ago, and it's interesting what can change in a couple years' time.

1. Have baby #2. Looks like I'm on the right track with this one! Baby #2 is due this July.
2. Buy a house. This has actually moved up as a goal for THIS year, if we can find the right now. Actually, a goal for the first half of the year. If not now, we'll try again in a couple more years. So yes, this has moved up. We really want a yard. And a little more space for our growing family. And a place to call our own for good.
3. Figure out if I want to go to grad school, and if I do, get started with it. Still not sure about this one. I'm thinking it's at least 5 years away to even consider it.
4. Become a Stay-At-Home Mom. Okay, sure. I still would like for this to happen. But it's not really on my radar. My goals for the next 5 years revolve more around growing in my career than leaving it.
5. Learn to do wet felting. Sure that would be fun but right now I don't really care if I do it.
6. Learn to knit. I'm pretty content as a crocheter. I don't think it matters if I don't pick up knitting.
7. Learn to sew. Something else that I don't care about AT ALL right now. But who knows, maybe I'll care again before I'm 40.
8. Complete a fine art project. Even if I were to do one, what would I do with it? I don't really "self identify" as a fine artist, so I don't know that I'm too concerned about that.
9. Find a place where I can get into wheel-throwing pottery again. Okay, I still want to do this. But I think it might be a goal for my 60s, not my 30s. Fun Things To Do When I'm Old and Retired.
10. Produce another film.Nope. Don't care.

So now I'm down to 4 goals for the next 8 years, and I'm only passionate about the first two. Wow. I feel... pretty melancholy. I'm sure this will all change again in a few months. After all, I'm experiencing first trimester nausea and exhaustion as a consistent way of being right now. At any rate, I think the next two plus years of my life will be about supporting our growing family (financially, emotionally, physically), and maintaining my sanity in the midst of it. I wonder what it will look like next December?

Pen Holder Bookmark - Free Crochet Pattern

I have been pretty obsessed with pinterest lately as a source of ideas for crafty fun times. After seeing a photo of a knitted pen tube bookmark on pinterest, I decided I had to have one. But I don't knit, so I just winged it and came up with a pretty simple pattern for a crochet version for my notebook.

Download the printer-friendly PDF version.

Materials:

sock-weight yarn
Hook Size: D -3.25mm
button
Yarn Sewing Needle

Stitches:

ch = chain stitch
hdc = half double crochet
hdc dec = half double crochet decrease (one hdc across two stitches)
FLO = front loop only
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
st = stitch

Pattern:

ch 5
R1: sc in 2nd chain from hook, sc in each additional chain (4 sc)
R2: ch 1, 4 sc (4 sc)
R3-6: Repeat R2
Rnd 7: ch 1, 4 hdc FLO, turn and in the SAME stitches, 3 hdc FLO, 1 hdc inc FLO in last sc. join first hdc with last hdc using a sl st. (9 hdc)
Rnd 8 : ch 1, turn, 9 hdc around, sl st to join. (9 hdc)
Rnd 9-21: Repeat rnd 8
Rnd 22: 2 sl st, 2 sc, 2 hdc, 2 sc, sl st
Rnd 23: ch 1, turn, skip sl st, 1 sl st, 1 sc, 2 hdc, 1 sc, 1 sl st
Rnd 24: ch 1, turn, skip sl st, 1 sl st, 1 sc, hdc, 1 sl st
Rnd 25: ch 1, turn, skip sl st, 2 sc
Rnd 26: ch 1, turn, 1 hdc dec
ch 40 to create bookmark strip. FO and leave a long tail.

Finishing Touches:

Sew the button to the middle of the area made by the first 6 rows. If you will be using this bookmark with one specific notebook, put the body of the bookmark on the spine, wrap the tail into the book, wind the end around the button and pull tight. Use that “measurement” to tie a loop that can hook onto the button.
If this bookmark will be “multiuse” between books, you can just pull the tail tight and wind it back through the book to keep it secure.

Notes:

The person who wrote the original design sells the knitting pattern on ravelry and on her own site, as well. This crochet pattern is released as Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. You may not sell this pattern. You may sell bookmarks made using this pattern.

Jesse Tree Advent Calendar project

Having a young child has really made me want to start establishing some Christmas traditions that keep us focused on the "reason for the season," if you will. Last year I learned about the Jesse Tree advent calendar from my church's Children's Pastor, and I really liked the idea on a number of levels. It seems like a simple way to introduce children to the Bible stories that lead up to Christmas, with just a short reading each day, and I love that it's reinforced with an image for each day. So this year, since my fall calendar is already pretty full, I decided to get a head start on Christmas by making my own Jesse Tree Advent Calendar that will last us for many Advent seasons.

I used this book, The Advent Jesse Tree to get the idea for the symbol for each day, as well as the Bible verses to read to children for each day leading up to Christmas. Our church uses the same book on Sundays during advent, so I wanted to stickHide all with the same thing to keep it familiar (Google searches taught me that there are a number of lists of verses and symbols to choose from). And after many Etsy and Pinterest searches, and some crafting advice from friends, I finally settled on what I wanted to do for our family. I wanted something I could make myself, that would be lasting and could help build tradition for the years to come.

There are a few components to the final result.

1. Advent Calendar - made out of stiff cardboard and purchased at Hobby Lobby; the drawers are 2" cubes. I used Modge Podge to glue 2" squares of scrapbooking paper to each drawer, and after searching high and low at the craft store for some number stickers I could use, gave up and made the number labels myself.

2. Ornaments - I made each ornament out of Paper Clay, which is pretty nice air-dry white clay. It was my first time using it, and was actually pretty easy to work with. For more of the symbols I just made round ornaments that I could paint symbols on, but I had appropriate cookie cutters for a couple of them, and a few more I decided to hand sculpt just to add some variety to the ornaments. Once they had hardened, I used water color pencils to add the symbols to each one. Then I wrote the day and symbol name on the back of each one just so it will be easy to return them to their appropriate boxes at the end of the season.

3. Verses - I typed out short verse cards to accompany each ornament in their respective boxes. Every day had a short memory verse and a longer Bible passage to read. These verse cards contain the name of the symbol, the full text of the memory verse, and the name of the other passage to be read. Verses are rolled up and tied with a bit of string.

4. Tree - so this part isn't done yet, because I haven't decided the best way to go about it. But I need a small tree that we can hang one ornament on every day. My requirement is that it be something simple and affordable (if I need to buy anything at all), and it can't take up too much space in my closet during the year. This isn't to take the place of a traditional Christmas tree, it's in addition to it. (Not that we're very traditional when it comes to the tree anyways).

5. Oh yeah... I'm also planning on one extra piece to this whole thing, but it's hard to explain so I'll just post about it when I'm done.

Ok, so I showed you mine. Now it's your turn!

What's your favorite Christmas tradition? Do you have any projects planned to make your holiday season special?

Crochet / Felted Purse Patterns

I've been working on these for a while, and finally finished the patterns for my two favorite purses. Both are crocheted with a 4.5mm hook with 100% wool yarn, and felted in a washing machine. Both are designed to hold a notebook in the back pocket, a cell phone, and a chapstick for easy access. Either one would be a great project. And both are available to purchase for $4.95 on Etsy and on Ravelry.

Joanie Purse
Buy on Ravelry

Mobile / Content Purse
Buy on Ravelry

Easy protein-packed "pancakes"

My nearly-two-year-old son is a bit of a picky eater. Aren't they all at this age? I can pretty much get him to eat any sort of carb-filled food -- breads, rice, quinoa, Morning O's (wheat-free cheerios), rice chex, bananas, fruits -- anything sweet or full of carbs that turn into sugar. But vegetables are always elusive, and protein, as well. Sure, he'll eat lentils and beans and such (sometimes) so that helps, and I make him a green smoothie every morning that he just LOVES, which makes me feel better about him getting some veggies in his diet. But nuts are kind of a choking hazard at this age, and he just doesn't like meat, and he liked eggs for about two days before he decided he hated eggs. So what's a mom to do?

I had decided to stop feeding him carbs for breakfast. No more oatmeal and rice cereal, because he's eating too many carbs and if I start the day off with them, then he's just going to be in a carb-frenzy for the rest of the day. Veggies are a hard sell any time of day, so I certainly didn't plan to fill his breakfast plate with veggies. Eggs seemed like the perfect option, but we've already covered his anti-eggs stance.

Time to get creative.

Egg "pancake"

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp coconut oil (or oil of choice)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp almond meal 
• 1/2 tbsp flax meal
• 1 tbsp pureed veggie or squash of choice (if available)
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup (or honey, etc)

Directions:

1. Whisk together egg, almond meal, flax meal, syrup, and veggie puree (I've used minced zucchini, butternut squash, and green beans from a baby food jar. This one isn't essential but is a way to sneak other goodies into it, and the butternut squash is by far the favorite). 
2. Heat oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
3. When oil is hot, pour mixture into skillet. Is should spread out pretty thin. Let the pancake cook until you can easily flip it over in one piece.
4. When both sides are cooked, put it on a plate to cool. 

Makes one pancake. One pancake is approx 190 calories, 15 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein, and only 7 grams of carbs (2 grams sugars).  

I call them pancakes for my son as sort of a marketing technique. But they're more like crepes, which means you can smear them with almond butter or fruit filling or something and roll them up if you want to get fancy.

Sometimes Zeke likes them plain, but when he gets bored with it I will put almond butter on it, or a dab of honey, or some almond butter and dried cranberries... you get the idea. These (below) are made with butternut squash, and have a light layer of honey on the inside before they're rolled up, per the Little Man's request.

Allergen-Free Thanksgiving

photo by Deiru

Two years ago I had my first allergen-free Thanksgiving, and I blogged my recipe list here. I'm so glad that I did, because I've been able to refer to the list for the past two years to remind me what I wanted to tackle. Last year's Thanksgiving was up in Indiana, and if I remember correctly, I just made my stuffing and made sure the turkey and sweet potato casserole were safe for me to eat, and otherwise just admired all the other amazing dishes.

Well, this year Thanksgiving is back here, and my Grandma and my Aunt Deb are coming down for it! We'll also have one or two other friends over who didn't have anywhere to go for the holiday. My grandma is bringing a couple of very gluten filled dishes for her and Chris to enjoy, but my aunt can't have wheat OR dairy OR - eggs, OR get this one - POULTRY. So I'm making some modifications to a couple of my recipes to remove eggs and dairy, and we're going to have some adventures in allergen-free cooking. I've got a couple of pork tenderloins for my aunt to have while the rest of us eat turkey, and I'll use veggie broth in any recipes calling for turkey or chicken broth. Luckily Deb can tolerate some dairy, because my stuffing recipe won't be very good without the cottage cheese, but I've got almond milk to try out for the cream of mushroom soup.

I'm looking forward to all the good times ahead! Thanksgiving just might be my favorite holiday. What's not to love about a holiday that is centered around food, family, and fellowship?

Pumpkin Stew

My husband scored us some free pumpkins a few days ago. I have baked and made pumpkin puree out of two of them. I got a friend to help me cube and peel the third, and most of it is in the freezer. But 5 cups of it went into making Talitha's Vegan Pumpkin Stew today. Sooo good. I had to make my own garam masala because I had most of the ingredients but no time to get to a grocery store. That made my house smell oh-so-yummy.

What I did different: I just boiled the pumpkin / broth mix for about 90 minutes before pureeing because I didn't have the time for a slow 4-hour simmer. Then I threw it all in a crock pot with the pre-soaked beans for 8 hours. It wound up being a little spicier than we normally do (and we like spice!) but maybe that was because it was homemade garam masala. And it was a bit too thick for my tastes, so next time I will probably try 5 cups of broth instead of 3. But trust me, there WILL be a next time. Very tasty stuff. I am excited about my leftovers... I didn't think to garnish it with kefir or anything for dinner, but I plan to add some homemade kefir to it for my leftovers.

Adventures in ... Kefir! Part 2 - Coconut Kefir FAIL.

While my milk kefir has been a very easy and successful project, I also have been trying to start a batch of coconut kefir. The process is the same, and from all my research, all I needed to do was take some of my kefir grains, and cover it with coconut milk instead of cow's milk. Apparently it can take a couple of tries before the culture "figures out" what to do with the coconut milk, so for a week I would cover the grains with a cup of coconut milk, let it sit overnight, pour out the failed kefir the next day, and add fresh coconut milk. By the end of the week I would just have sour coconut milk the next day instead of coconut kefir, so I gave up trying. My last batch smelled so bad that I dumped the culture as well, figuring it had probably gone bad.

I'm not sure what I was doing wrong. I guess when I have an abundance of kefir grains again, I will do some more research and try again. I was really looking forward to mixing up my kefir smoothies so that I wasn't always eating cow's milk each time.

Anyone out there have any experience with this?

Adventures in ... Kefir! Part 1 - Cow's Milk Kefir = Success!

Kefir Grains

Kefir "cheese"

I finally scored myself some kefir grains a couple weeks ago, and have since been healing my gut with some probiotic goodness from homemade kefir. 


The process is super simple. Literally, the hardest part of starting to make my own kefir was locating some grains. You see, the kefir culture multiplies over time, so anyone who is culturing kefir will wind up with more culture than they need. So if you know someone who is already making kefir and who has some extra grains, that's a cheap and easy way to get started. Otherwise you will need to order some online, or check your local craigslist to see if someone has some to sell or give away. 


Once you've got the grains it's an easy-peasy process. All I do each morning is put my tablespoon of grains in a glass and cover it with about a cup of milk. Then I put a towel over the glass to keep bugs out, and stick it in a cupboard for the next 24 hours. The next morning, I put the kefir in the blender for my smoothie, and scoop out the grains to repeat the process. 


If I decide that I don't want to drink the kefir right away, I can stick it in the fridge and it will keep for a couple of weeks there. I can also put the grains in the fridge with some milk if I don't want to make any more kefir for a couple of weeks. 


I've also been straining some of it to make the thicker spread and mixing it with a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast for a spread. I've also used kefir cheese in place of mayonaisse for deviled eggs (which garnered rave reviews), and I could use it for a veggie dip, too. So many options, so much healthy probiotic goodness!

Adventures in Budgeting

So with the demise of our savings (see the last post), we've gone full speed ahead into budget mode. I'm still struggling it, though, to be honest. We've been "at it" for a little over a month now, and after budgeting for all the necessities, we don't have much left over for paying off the other loan, giving, and preparing for the holiday season. I keep trying to figure out how to cut down on some of the necessities, but I'm not having ANY luck.

We cut down Chris's cell phone plan recently, but Chris is having a really tough time sticking within the limited minutes. Apparently we ARE paying the least amount possible on car insurance for our two 10 year old cars. Removing our less-than-basic cable will not actually reduce our cable bill since that just means Comcast will change the price for our cable internet (might I remind you that I'm a web designer, so internet is a work necessity, not a luxury). So I keep trying to figure out how to cut our grocery bill, because that's what we spend the most on that we have some control over.

However, the combination of my food allergies and my unwillingness to compromise our physical health for our financial health are making that much harder than I expected. We are still doing all the things we started last year to keep grocery costs down. But a handful of things are making it harder to stay within budget. Primarily, we have a toddler who eats a LOT (and throws more of it on the floor). Secondarily, I've been having some health issues lately that I suspect are food related, and I'm trying to put my finger on it... right now I suspect that our attempts to eat less meat have taken a negative toll on my body. And, as I mentioned before, it's really important to me that we buy organic for our dairy and essential vegetables.

We also have been having guests over for dinner pretty frequently, and this is another thing I am not willing to compromise on. We are blessed to be able to have friends over for meals, and when we're hosting the meal, I don't feel like I'm burdening someone else with my crazy food issues (or potentially getting glutened). Add to that the fact that we're hosting Thanksgiving AND Christmas this year - something I am very excited about.

So I am left with the idea that, we will try for one more month to stay within what should be a VERY reasonable food budget. If we can't do it, then I will just have to decide to bump up the food budget and figure out another place to make a cut. We DO have some wiggle room in the amount we put towards the loan every month, so that's good.

That, and I just need to trust that enough freelance work will keep coming our way to fill in the gaps. So far so good, but this is where I have a tough time with trusting... I start worrying whenever a project ends that another one won't come along. So with that in mind... anyone need a web designer, a print designer, a videographer, or a photographer? I'm only half joking. ;-)

Adventures in Getting Debt Free, or, Will this make me lose more sleep or less?

This little note greeted me the last time I logged into one of Chris's student loan websites. "Paid in Full." Granted, it's only one of two school loans we are paying off from his 3 years at SCAD. But it was the larger loan, with a higher interest rate. We recently met with a financial advisor who recommended that we use all of our savings to get these loans paid down as much as possible, and then continue to throw all of our money at them until they're gone. THEN we worry about saving up after these are paid off. He recommended this because, with the economy what it is, our savings was gaining basically zero interest, while the loans, of course, continue to accumulate. Before this meeting, I had us "on track" to pay off these loans by 2015. Now we have one paid and - if we keep paying off the other one at the rate we were previously paying off two - we should have the other paid off by the end of 2011 or so.

When we first made the big transfer out of the savings account and off to Ending Debt Land, I had mixed feelings... a bit of relief that this loan was GONE, but a bit of fear that the savings was also GONE. What are we going to do if I lose my job? What if someone totals our car? What if Zeke spills smoothie all over my laptop and I have to buy a new machine? Chris was worried that, rather than reducing my stress level, paying off this debt would increase my stress because I would worry more about not having any sort of safety net. And to be honest, I was a little concerned about that, too. I still am.

But a nearly month has passed an so far I'm still pretty excited about the prospect of saying "Bye Bye," to the debt. Now, I am a little more concerned about us staying within budget for each month, but for now that is probably a good thing.

We've also heard some timely sermons at church about being thankful for what we have, and recognizing that we - all of us with a roof over our heads - are rich, and that what we have is a blessing. So this season may mean trusting for the Lord to get us through every month a little more than we had to before... but that is a GOOD thing. That's where our trust should be in the first place, not in the dollar signs in a savings account. Ultimately, getting out of debt is biblical, and trusting in the Lord for everything is biblical, and I'm feeling like we're on the right track.

Not to say all of this is easy. I'm still struggling with some aspects of the budget, and with fear of not making ends meet, but ultimately, overall, when all is said and done, we're on the right track and I'm feeling good about that. The rest shall be left to other posts, or, more likely, left out of the public space that is the interwebs.

Zeke’s Butternut Squash Muffins

I started making these muffins soon after Zeke started eating enough solids that we needed to bring snacks with us so he had finger foods to munch on. They're still one of his favorite foods, months later. Gluten free and vegan (if you omit the eggs), and relatively healthy! I wouldn't let Zeke eat them all day long, but a couple muffin bites a day keeps the little man happy.

I've passed along this recipe a number of times, so I thought it was time I put it up online.

Remember, this is all easily adaptable. For instance, If you don't have tapioca starch, you can use another kind of starch that you have in the house. If you want dried cranberries in yours, go wild. This is just a start.

Zeke's Butternut Squash Muffins.

Adapted from Tova's Chia Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups steamed and pureed butternut squash (or pumpkin, or sweet potato)
• 1 cup gluten-free flour of choice (I use 1/2 cup brown rice and 1/2 cup sorghum)
• 1/2 cup tapioc starch (or arrowroot)
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp ground flax mixed with 6 tbsp warm water (or 2 eggs)
• 1/4 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• Optional: nutmeg, cinnamon, and/or crushed nuts.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°
2. Mix all ingredients together
3. Spoon into muffin tray or muffin bites tray. (If pouring into a muffin tray, only fill each cup about 1/3 to 1/2 full).
4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until tooth pick insterted comes out clean (often takes longer than this to cook)

I usually make these in a "brownie bites" tray so that they're pretty small, but there's more batter than what fits into that tray so I pour whatever is left into normal sized muffin tins. I only fill them about 1/2 way full, and they do not rise much. After they bake and cool, I stick a couple in the fridge and freeze the rest. Then I'll pull out as much as I plan to let Zeke have early in the morning and put it in the refrigerator. Once I'm ready to give him some, it's thawed out and I can cut it into bite-sized chunks. If I'm taking them "on the go" with me, I will cut them into chunks before we leave the house, and store them in a small tupperware. Then they're ready whenever the little bug needs a snack.

Here's a printer-friendly PDF.

Crochet Octopus

I bought this crochet octopus pattern back in January. I started crocheting it, piece by piece, tentacle by tentacle, sucker by sucker in May or so. I wasn't in a hurry, I just wanted to work on it whenever I had a little bit of time. You know, during lunch breaks, long car rides, church service, whatever. The cool thing about a pattern like this is that you really can just bring a little bit of yarn with you and just work on one piece of it at a time and then put them all together at home later.

And last night I finally finished him! I haven't named him yet. I think he will be Zeke's Christmas gift from me. So maybe I'll let Zeke name him.

I love how realistic he looks, and how easy the pattern is. I recommend it to anyone wanting to get into crochet. I've actually taught a few people how to crochet recently, and plan to do another craft night at my house in a couple of months to do a "refresher" course for anyone who needs it. Crochet is just too enjoyable to keep it all to myself.

Amazake Experiment on hold

Okay, so I've been doing more research on making koji rice from spores (if you're having a tough time keeping up, koji rice is the moldy rice that is mixed with cooked rice to make sake and, in my case, amazake. I have koji rice SPORES that I need to innoculate into koji rice, which I will THEN be able to use to mix a cup of koji rice with a couple cups of brown rice to make a fermented rice beverage that is ALSO a handy ingredient for gluten-free baking). I finally found a couple of websites that have instructions on making koji rice, and one that is AMAZINGLY detailed, AND contains the holy grail - instructions on how to convert some of the koji rice into spores that can be used to make MORE koji rice later... which would mean if I get it right next time, I won't have to buy more spores online in order to make more koji rice.

What I figured out from reading his tutorial is that the instructions that came with my spores were sorely lacking, AND lacking in caution. Turns out you need to be really careful with the spores because you don't want to breath them in. Uh, what? So now I've got a graphic image of mold spores covering my esophagus. Let's pray that's not the case. He also has a whole page devoted to how to steam the rice, and what it should look like at the end, which was my biggest issue.

While I do feel much better informed to make my next batch of koji rice, I am also a bit unprepared by way of equipment. While I think I can mainly get by with what I have on hand to create an incubation area, my biggest problem there was that I don't have a food thermometer that falls below 100 degrees... and I need to keep the koji rice incubated in the 90s. I think this all-in-one cooking timer/thermometer would do the trick, but... well, we've put the lock-down on our spending. Starting this month we are on a strict budget and I can't just drop $20 on a thermometer because I think it would be fun to do this koji rice experiment. So I basically need to wait until the end of the month and see if there's anything left in the budget for this little goody. If not, there's always next month... and if we really get in a bind, then there's always my birthday in December!

Also, now that I found that fantastic tutorial, I may not put up an Instructable on koji rice... I'm a big proponent of the "no need to reinvent the wheel" philosophy. But we'll see... maybe I'll still put one up there just so the information is in more than one place, and make sure to reference the original.

Next up, I need to find someone with extra kefir grains so I can get my culture fix that way. Anyone know someone with extras?