RECHARGING!
Next post…January 1, 2016
Praise – Merry Christmas!
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Perspective – Wisdom
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Quick Tip – Candy Cane Cure
Candy Canes, made with natural peppermint oil, are not just decorative and fun to eat; candy canes can battle stomach ailments during the holiday season.
“Peppermint is effective at settling an upset stomach, and it tastes strong and refreshing. If that rich holiday dinner leaves you feeling a little queasy, just snag a candy cane off the tree and you have dessert and a convenient stomach remedy all in one. It also makes a handy breath freshener. If you don’t have a candy cane around, a peppermint lozenge will work just as well.” ~ How Stuff Works
Read more on the history and benefits of candy canes: How Stuff Works – Candy Canes
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Project – Salt-Dough Snowmen
Re-blogged from 2014:
Salt Dough Snowmen are easy to craft. We spent two dollars at the dollar store and purchased a three pair pack of colorful girl’s socks and a microfiber towel that matched the color of the socks. The materials we used at home probably added up to about another two dollars.
The salt dough is so easy to mix up…knead it in a ziptop bag and slowly dry in a low temperature oven. The salt-dough can be used to make Christmas ornaments and other holiday gifts too.
SALT DOUGH CLAY
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Place the dough in ziplock bag and knead until smooth. Could also be kneaded on a board or countertop with no problem. A ziplock bag is recommended because it keeps the dough, counter and your hands very clean.
(We doubled the recipe to make three good-sized snowmen)
After the dough is kneaded, take out of the ziplock bag and form into three smooth balls. They should be graduated in size, just like a snowman made out of snow.
Have a plate handy to set them upon as they are formed.
Place them together in a snowman shape to make sure they sit well. Cover a cookie sheet or flat pan with parchment paper or foil. Take the snowmen apart once more and bake them in a 180 degree oven until they are hard. Ours took about three hours. I checked them constantly for browning. You don’t want any browning to mar the off white color. I also turned them several times as they dried out.
When they are hard to the touch let them cool. Glue the pieces together. We used a glue gun which did not hold after a few hours. Tacky glue is a better choice.
I made a mistake at this point and added the features with permanent felt-tipped pen before brushing on Mod-podge. (Mod-Podge is the name of a waterproofing glaze, we used the glossy variety.) The foam brush I used smeared a bit of the ink, even though it is supposed to be permanent. I reapplied the eyes after the Mod-Podge dried. I had no problem adding it at this point. Much better to draw the features on after the glaze is applied. (Glaze is a good protection, not sure how well the snowmen would hold up without it.) You also could use acrylic paint to create features. This would add at least a half hour to completion time for drying.
The salt dough is still a bit pliable at this point. We were able to push small branches into their torsos to create arms. Small buttons were added and a toothpick was colored orange and pushed into the face as a nose.
We cut the top of the socks off, rolled up a brim, and placed them on the heads of the snowmen as hats. We added pompoms to the top of one. The hats were a little ornery to get on…they kept popping off until somehow they gripped and stayed in place. We cut the microfiber towel into long strands and used these as scarves. We were so very happy with the way our sweet snowmen turned out.
The boys were able to form the snowmen, but an adult or older child might need to draw the features as was the case with ours.
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Plants & Problem-solving – Sage/Treating Powdery Mildew Naturally
I love cooking with fresh herbs. I have several on my windowsill at the ready for use in my favorite recipes.
Recently, I was shocked to find my sage plant covered with powdery mildew. How did this happen so fast? While researching, I read mildew is spread by water. Oh no! In an attempt to keep the plant spider mite free I had sprayed with water. I should have used a solution of chamomile tea, a natural fungicide, when I sprayed the sage.
The affected leaves could not be saved. Drastic measures needed to be taken.
I plucked away all the spotted leaves and discarded them, leaving what I hope are mildew-free leaves. I will check the plant daily, and if I find the same problem I will try a spray of chamomile. Placing the sage alongside a rotary fan will help with quicker drying time. If the plant is still diseased I will be forced to discard it and try again. In the meantime, I must remember to keep it in “plant quarantine.”
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Paths – Inspiration Art
My sister is an art teacher for junior and senior high school. I love this inspirational artwork she created. What words of inspiration do you need to remind yourself of as you walk along your path?
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Pheathers & Quick Tip – Winter Bird Bath Solutions
“Bathing is especially important in cold weather in order to keep feathers in top condition. Research has shown that a chickadee with well-maintained feathers can sustain a 70 degree layer of insulation between the outside air and its skin”. Wild Birds Unlimited
I have a bird bath that is over fifty years old. It once sat in the yard of my grandparents in McDonald, Pennsylvania. I remember peering into it, so small that my eyes were level with the rim, fascinated by the mirrored bottom. Leaving this heirloom outdoors in the cold is not an option. The constant freeze and thaw of winter weather would likely crack it. Still, birds need water in the winter as much as they do in summertime. I decided a solution would be to replace the bird bath with a Rubbermaid trashcan lid. The plastic should expand and contract during freezing weather without cracking. The lid is also very light and will be easy to empty out and change. When the water in the lid freezes, I can pour on a bit of hot water for thawing, without worrying about cracking.
The birds accepted the lid as a substitute for the fancier bird bath. Within a hour or two of setting up the bath a little sparrow took a quick dip. Oh Happy Day
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Pots & Pans & Phailures – OOPS!
I found a new flavor of Hershey Kisses…oh my, wait just a minute…I must run downstairs and grab a few before I continue writing this post, or I will be so totally distracted by craving them, I won’t make any sense at all…does that make sense??? I’m laughing…and also in reality…getting up…and finding some Hershey Kisses!
Okay, now that I am eating my “Mint Truffle” and “Cherry Cordial” Hershey kisses I can go on with the posting. A week or so ago I found these delicious nougats of joy in my grocery store. I’ve seen beautiful cookies created with plain kisses, I immediately imagined amazing cookie possibilities concocted with these new flavors. I found a recipe online, softened my butter, gathered ingredients, mixed it all up, baked…and tasted…and grimaced!
The cookies were horrible. I was so glad the kisses were saved until after baking, at least they weren’t wasted. OOPS! I was going to throw the cookies out, but thought twice, and froze them in a ziplock bag to feed the birds and squirrels.
At least the back yard squirrels appreciated my attempt at a cookie masterpiece.
Another good use for cookies that are not up to par is grinding them down and using them as the crust for cheesecakes and other pies. I used my food processor and reduced about six cookies to crumbs, added two melted tablespoons of butter, and pressed this in the bottom of cupcake liners in a muffin tin. I baked this for five minutes in a 325 degree oven. When they cooled down they hardened up into perfect little crusts for my mini cheesecakes. The recipe is below. Oreo halves or vanilla wafers are also options for the crusts.
MINI CHEESECAKES (12 Mini Cheesecakes)
Cookie Crust or 12 Vanilla Wafers/Oreos for Crust
2 8 oz pkgs of cream cheese softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
Any topping desired: fruits, jam, melted chocolate, sour cream, etc.
(I like them plain!)
Oven preheated to 325 degrees.
Use cupcake liners in muffin/cupcake pan. Vanilla Wafers or scraped Oreo halves can be placed in bottom of liner. Another option is using 6 cookies (such as my disappointing recipe) and grind them in a food processor until they are crumbs. Mix with 2 tbs melted butter and press in liners, bake for about five minutes to harden.
Beat with mixer, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and mix until blended. Fill each cup to about 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes, or until no longer jiggly in middle. When cool, remove from pan and place in refrigerator until cold. The mini cheesecakes are super-easy and delicious.
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Plants & Quick Tip – Amaryllis Blooms & Natural Supports
My amaryllis has opened, displaying white petals blushed with pink. Before the plant bloomed, the heaviness of the buds caused the stem to lean precariously to the right. A quick walk in the woods yielded a dead branch from a laurel bush. I prefer to use natural support for my houseplants. The curvy twig was the perfect helping hand for my amaryllis stem, and gives an artsy/woodsy feel to the flower display.
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Praise – Lo How a Rose
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Pheathers & Product – White-Throated Sparrow
I heard loud rustling as I strolled a wooded path in the park yesterday. I was surprised to see a fountain of leaves exploding from the mossy ground. A couple of peeps alerted me to the presence of a bird beneath the cascade. He created quite a crackling ruckus as he foraged for insects. Aha, he was exactly my purpose for walking the path. I raised my camera, the new Canon with the super zoom feature, and clicked several shots.
I have just replaced my old Canon Camera with a newer model. I wouldn’t have chosen any other brand. My old camera has taken thousands of photographs. It has traveled with me everywhere I have gone in the past few years. It has chronicled parties and family gatherings, holiday dinners and the goings-on in my gardens. Over the years, the camera has been dropped, been left outdoors, weathered drizzle and dew, and still…through it all has continued taking photographs.
After one of the more recent drops, the battery and SF card compartment stopped shutting correctly. No worries, and no replacing it right away, duct tape held it together for a time. Recently though, even the strongest tape, the addition of a rubber band, and the hardest grip of my thumb would not keep the batteries connected. It was time for a new camera. The brand has performed for me so well, I knew another Canon was only choice. I replaced the old camera with a PowerShot SX400 IS.
Eye-Spy a White-Throated Sparrow.
Oh the joy of it. On my first outing I zoomed in on the foraging sparrow. Imagine my surprise when I downloaded the photographs and found that the sparrow was quite a fancy fellow. The yellow streaks and white ruff under his chin soon had me goggling, and I was able to identify him as a White-Throated Sparrow.
I have probably seen these birds over the years, but until I was able to zoom in close, I had no idea such beautiful little sparrows visited our area in the winter. Final thought: if you are in the market for a new camera check out Canon brand. They are reasonably priced, set up easily, take amazing photographs, and best of all…last and last and last.
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Projects & Phun – Children’s Christmas Tree
It’s always good to prepare a few projects to have on hand if young ones are going to be your guests over the holiday season. Younger children, 2 1/2 – 6 years, will find this project easy and satisfying. The materials are easy to gather, cut into strips, and store until needed. The creation of the tree is pretty much self-explanatory. All you need to do is follow the lead of the photographs.
MATERIALS:
* Strips of colorful papers, cut into 1/2 inch strips. (2 inch, 2.5 inch, 3 inch, 3.5 inch, 4 inch, 4.5 inch, and one brown strip 8.5 inches in length.)
* A background piece of paper at least 8.5 x 11 inches.
* Glue stick
* Small colorful foam stickers with sticky backing.
Follow along:
Colorful magazine strips can also be used. Light items that are bright, shiny or glittery, can be glued down and will work as ornaments. (Buttons, beads, glitter) Have Fun!
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Planting – Looking Ahead/Creating a Garden Bed
The removal of our large oak tree has broadened the area of sunshine in the back yard. I want to expand my herb garden in the Spring. Now is the time to take action to clear away the grass. I placed some packing paper( black and white newspaper works fine too) on the ground in the shape I want, and covered it over with a few inches of garden soil. The grass, shielded from the sunlight, will yellow and begin to decompose into the soil. If there are any remains of the lawn when I am ready to plant my garden, I can easily turn the sod over with a shovel or garden rake.
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Photograph – Merry Monday/Tiny Cottage Christmas
A sweet cottage in Pitman, New Jersey, on the grounds of the Pitman Methodist Camp.
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Praise – Mary’s Song
Mary’s Song – Written by Wellington E. Watts/Soloist Nancy Watts
The beautiful photographs in the video, several photos of the National Cathedral, were taken by Lyons Photography. The link below leads to an e-card of the video that can be sent to family and friends.
Send “Mary’s Song” as a Christmas E-Card
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Place – Under the Boardwalk/Transition
I ran into another example of transition on my weekend getaway to Ocean City. The boardwalk is under construction, transitioning to a brand new set of boards for several blocks in front of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier. It was eye-opening to see the thick concrete grid that supports the steps of hundreds of walkers and the wheels of bicycles and surreys.
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Quick Tip – Repelling Fruit Flies
This year, the usual horde of fruit flies swarming our fruit bowl seemed non-existent. I realized this is probably due to the herbs we have on our kitchen windowsill. Strong-smelling herbs, oregano, rosemary and others, repel fruit flies. Even in winter months a few stray fruit flies make their winter abode in our home. To keep them out of the fruit bowl I’ve placed a piece of rosemary amidst the fruits.
