Creative Ways to Keep and Release

After I wrote yesterday's post I realized that in '09 I started several "keep and release" projects that have and should help reduce clutter and the accumulation of things. Here are a few of my projects and how I've progressed.

1. Photos - This was my big project this fall. I used it as a Christmas gift to my sibling, in-laws and older children too. Photos degrade no matter how carefully you care for them and certain photos; color and instant, fade in just a decade or two if they are of lesser quality. I scanned my

photos into the computer, labeled and corrected over 1000 photos from my family and my husband's family from the 1890's until 1997. In the process I realized that I would have had only a few years before losing some of the instant photos as unrestorable - they were horribly grainy and losing color. All of the photos I scanned in I touched up with a photo editing program and I labeled them (sometimes just a best guess) as to year and who is in the photo as well as any events I knew of. One of my grandmothers had written on the back of almost all of the pictures she had so it was not a hard as it could have been. This would be a great project to do with an elderly relative if they are available to reminisce. I made a copy of the file for over 10 people and have the satisfaction of knowing that our family photos are now preserved for future generations. I'm not going to throw out all my original photos, but they can all go into storage in closets, labeled as to decades and I will not have piles of photos waiting for me to deal with them - well at least after I do the ones from 1997 to the present...

2. Old recipe books. I use to collect recipe books - especially the ones from churches, junior leagues and community fund raisers. These books took up a large portion of a bookshelf and some I only look at to get one recipe out of occasionally. I'm going through the books and taking out the recipes I want keep. Right now I am just placing them in plastic sleeves in a three ring binder, but I'd like to transcribe them (including the source, date and all my cryptic notes of substitutions). My full shelf has been reduced to a three ring binder. I also do this with recipes from magazines and newspapers too. I use a binder with a clear front pocket and use different decorative papers to denote which recipes a book holds (one for family recipes and one for recipes from cookbooks and magazines). I bought dividers for the notebooks and have divided the recipes in the usual way. I would not do this to a cookbook that had a lot of recipes I use or one that I thought was valuable for it's historical or even sentimental significance (a signed copy of Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking?).

p.s. The photo is one of me at age 5 making a pie.

The Beginning of Out With the Old in With the New

I bought my husband a new jacket this afternoon. He's needed a new one for awhile now and I've been watching sales and prices on the style and color he's been interested in. The jacket I found was almost 75% off and is exactly what I've been looking for. After I brought it home and he tried it on he went to hang it up in the coat closet. I reached around him and pulled his old jacket from the closet. We took his gloves out of the pockets and I folded the jacket up and placed it in a bag of things I've been getting ready to take to Goodwill or the Rescue mission - because I have an unwritten rule that when something enters the house as new (or new to us) something has to go. This helps to keep the house uncluttered, closets accessible and also helps me remember that processions are tools to be used (even if their use is just to create atmosphere or beauty).

After Christmas is a time for us of bringing in the new and challenging ourselves to let go of the old. How many sweaters or turtlenecks does any one person need? I've actually thought about assigning a number to how many of one thing we should have, but that's a bit legalistic so I just try to use common sense. This works not only with clothing but with home accessories, small appliances, cookbooks and kitchen gadgets. If I haven't used it in the last year out it goes - with only a few exceptions.

As we approach the new year take the challenge and go through your closets - what do you not wear anymore (or enjoy wearing anymore), what do you not use, or read, or play with. Spend a few minutes and challenge yourself to remove as many items as you brought in at Christmas.

Laundry Day

I've been doing laundry for as long as I can remember. I know I was about two when my mom taught me to fold towels and washcloths and I think I was about 6 when I started ironing pillowcases. I was born at the end of the age when everything, including all sheets and pillowcases were ironed. I also remember that my very frugal mother went right out when perma press fabrics hit the stores in the mid sixties and bought all new sheets so she would never have to iron another sheet again.

I also remember finding glasses and towels in my grandmothers new boxes of laundry detergent. I guess she would let me be the one to open them and remove the "prize". Although I remember the smell of different detergents like Tide, All and Era I don't remember them being near as strong scent wise as they are now. In fact one of my big gripes is how pervasive the smell of detergent and fabric softeners is. Maybe the American public has accepted the idea that personal scent should come from whatever detergent or "flavor" of softener is used. These detergents and softeners are made using petroleum products and synthetic fragrances which can be irritating to the skin and can also cause people with chemical sensitivities to have headaches and other symptoms, some of which can be quite serious.

I prefer to use vegetable based detergents and have found several that do a good job. Charlie's Soap is one of my favorites http://www.charliesoap.com/ . Seventh Generation and method are two other companies that make plant based detergents as does Cirta-Solv http://www.citra-solv.com/pplaundry.shtml. Some of these detergents have a scent but it is very light and is made with essential oils. Charlie's has no scent.

I also use oxygen bleach instead of chlorine. Chlorine is harsh on clothing, people and the environment. I use pretreating sprays to help break up greasy or set stains. You can make your own pretreating spray with 2 tablespoons of citra-solve or castile soap and 1 tablespoon vinegar in 1 cup of water - mix in a spray bottle and shake before each use.

Wash anything that you think might have had a sugar based substance in cold water to avoid setting a sugar stain (those ugly yellow stains). In fact wash almost everything except diapers, sheets and pillowcases in cold water unless they are excessively dirty w/ grease. Cold water washing will help extend the life of clothing by protecting colors and will help you save on energy costs.

If you are having problems with static cling there are plant based softeners and dryer sheets on the market. Be aware that softeners keep towels or work out clothing from being as absorbent as they can be.

A Christmas Gift

I've decided to share a not so secret, secret recipe on my blog as my gift to you for Christmas. It is an original recipe and the baking technique is one I developed myself. If this were the days before church and community cookbooks when cooks kept their best recipes secret and passed them down to their next of kin by word of mouth this would be one of my "secret recipes", but since we live in a different time I'm publishing it on the web for all to see. :-)

This is my granola recipe. I make it about once every week to week and a half (for most families this recipe would last three to four weeks - it does freeze well) and we eat it for breakfast, on top of yogurt and straight as a snack. If you don't like nuts or coconut you can leave them out, but maybe you'd be better served finding another recipe to try if you don't like both. I use thick cut oats (which I buy in 50# bags) you may use old fashioned rolled oats - the granola just won't be quite as chewy. If you've never tried agave this is a great recipe to try it in - use the dark organic for best flavor. I think granola is a great homemade gift - a bit unexpected. You can find clear treat bags on the baking aisle of a store like Michaels to put it in.

Coconut Nut Granola

Place dry in a large bowl and mix together:

8 cups thick cut rolled oats

1 cup raw sliced almonds

2 cups other nuts and seeds coarsely chopped (pecans and walnuts are our favorites. I’ve used sunflower seeds too - or pick one nut your family loves and use three cups of just that one)

2 cups coconut, shredded or minced, unsweetened

2 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)

In at least a two cup liquid measuring cup mix;

1 cup vegetable oil (I use 1/2 cup coconut, 1/2 cup canola most of the time)

1 cup honey or agave (I use 3/4 cup agave and 1/4 cup honey)

2 tablespoons real vanilla

Mix this all up well with a fork or whisk, pour over oat mixture. Mix well with large spoon. Pour onto 2 large pans that have been greased, evenly spreading mixture (I use two broiler pans or three regular sized cookie sheets). Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Stir well. Replace pans, rotating pans on racks and close oven door. Turn off oven wait 25 minutes. Remove granola from oven and cool completely before adding any dried fruit you’d like and placing in air tight container or plastic bags. The true secret to this recipe is the baking method - instead of stirring every 15 minutes (which I could never seem to do successfully) you must remember to turn the oven off. The first time you make this I suggest checking it at the 20 minute mark. Some ovens run hot or your pan might be thin or dark which would mean a shorter baking time. Freeze what you don't think you'll use up in a week in well sealed freezer bags.

It's Soup Weather

I really like soup. It can take me from cold, hungry and miserable to warm and full in just a few minutes. Soups can also be quick and easy to make. In fact I'm fixing soup tonight. I froze the smoked turkey that I cooked off the bones after Thanksgiving and tonight will be good night for turkey and rice soup.

There are a lot of recipes for soup - really good ones, so I thought instead writing out a recipe I'd blog on some tips to making good soup.

1. Use a good base. Soup base is easy to make yourself using vegetables or whole chickens, but if you don't want to take the time make sure you buy a base (sometimes called stock or broth) that doesn't have lots of sodium and monosodium glutamate. Cream bases are also pretty easy to make just follow the instructions to a good recipe. The easiest soup in the world is probably a chowder of some type (I'll include instructions at the end of the post).

2. Fats carry flavor so include a bit of a good olive oil or some butter (just a tablespoon or so) in your soup if it doesn't naturally have much fat in it.

3. Throw carrots and celery in the pot just washed and with tops removed. After they are cooked chopping them up is a breeze. If you're going to cream the soup you're making throw onion and garlic in whole. or just chopped in half. If you're using organic onions wash them before peeling and add the skins to make your broth even better (remove before finishing soup) and to add a nice golden color.

4. Soups are great for hiding veggies in. I grate summer squash, zucchini or broccoli stalks into soup for extra nutrition.

5. Use short cuts if you need to. I keep frozen hash browns on hand to throw in soup so I don't have to chop potatoes when I'm in a hurry. Velveeta is not as gourmet (or as good for you) as cheddar but it makes good filling soup. A block of cream cheese or some sour cream added to just about any soup kicks it up a notch.

6. If a soup calls for dried beans you can always use canned instead.

Here's a quick easy chowder recipe; in saucepan over medium low heat melt 1 tablespoon butter (or use olive oil) cook 1 chopped onion until soft. Add 2 chopped cloves of garlic. Add 2 cups of water to pot. Grate a carrot and add to the pot. Dice two potatoes and add to pot. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (12 to 15 minutes). Add 1 can of corn, drained (or frozen). Pour 2 cups of milk into pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped ham, turkey ham or a few bacon slices to make it even hardier. Heat through and serve.

Smells of the Season - Naturally

I love the smells of Christmas and love to have my house smell like cinnamon and spice or fresh cut Christmas trees, but what I don't like is the idea of using petroleum based candles w/ artificial scents or some kind of diffuser that throws synthetic scents (made w/ petroleum products) into the air. Actually I don't have much of a choice even if I didn't care about the origin of my household scents because my husband is very sensitive to scents and has even had an asthma episode triggered by a scented lotion I was wearing. My solution has been to find and use scents that are made from essential oils or natural elements. Below are a few of the recipes and concoctions I've come up with.

Stove Top Mix

In a small sauce pan mix 1 cup orange or pineapple juice,1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, lemon or orange peels, 4 or 5 cinnamon sticks, 3 or 4 cloves, 1 teaspoon ground ginger. Allow this to stimmer for a great scent. This can be kept for quite awhile (the sugar acts as a preservative) as long as you keep adding water. Simmer any time you like or place on burners that have just been used and are still hot. If by chance you have a wood stove this is a wonderful thing to keep going on your stove all day - just remember to keep adding plenty of water.

Essential Oil Spritzer

Use a sprayer that will spray a fine mist. Mix water and essential oils of your choice (a few drops will do it). Spray into the air when ever you want scent. This can also be used to spritz pillows or spray it on yourself for light scent. Some suggestions for essential oil combinations are; orange oil w/ rosemary, rose w/ vanilla, lavender and rose, cinnamon and juniper.

Reusing Old Potpourri

I rarely ever throw out old potpourri because it is easy to refresh its scent it and reuse it. I place it in a baggie and store it using appropriately colored potpourri for each season. When it's time to use it I pick out which essential oils I'd like to use and drop a few drops into the bag. Shake well and then pour into container. If scent becomes too faint just add a few more drops of essential oil.

There are other tricks like keeping a bit of bread or cookie dough in you freezer and baking to fill the house w/ fresh baked scent (I had a Realtor suggest this to me once). Candles effect air quality by producing soot and the higher the scent the higher the amount of soot produced according to the FDA so we burn candles only minimally.

The Season of Peace and Joy?

The Christmas season can be "the best of times and the worst of times" for me depending on how much I attempt to do. A few years ago I realized a lot of my joy in the season was being robbed by exhaustion and I sat down with my family to talk it out. At the time I was buying or making gifts for my children, their spouses, each grandchild, my father and step mom, mother in law, sister (and her family of three children), brothers (and niece and nephew) - 36 people the last year I did it! We were also having a big Christmas dinner w/ turkey, dressing, etc. and I was also usually hosting at least two and sometime three Christmas parties a year including a cookie exchange and one large adult event. The kids were usually in a Christmas production of some sort that included multiple rehearsals and my chauffeuring skills. What on earth was I thinking! it was crazy!

The first thing we did was pare down the gift list. Each unmarried child gets presents, each grandchild gets a pair of pjs and each married child gets a family gift. One year we gave everyone an ice cream maker and last year it was waffle makers. We also talked to our extended families about gifts and cut down significantly.

At the same time we decided that our very favorite meal (Except for the vegetarians among us) is steak, roasted veggies, a great salad and a wonderful dessert (cheesecake most years) so that's what we have for Christmas dinner now. On Christmas Eve we have a party w/ whoever is in town with all kinds of party finger food and punch - almost all of which can easily be made ahead and warmed up.

This year I have three Christmas events on the calendar - only one at my house. Maybe some day I will be back at the place of having multiple gatherings, but right now I'm content w/ my simplified season. I have noticed that although days are always full, they are not too full to enjoy the sights, sounds and moments of Christmas. Best of all there is time to experience the awe of contemplating Christ born to us - fully God come down to dwell with us as fully man. Part of this contemplation is reaffirming that my worth to God and those in my life is not dependent on what I do, how much I do and how well I do it, but rather it is in the fact that God loved me first and there is nothing I can do that earns His love. It is His gift to me. The best part of Christmas.

Surviving the Holidays - Part 4

Thanksgiving is over. The house is almost back in order and I am finally caught up with all the laundry. All the cleaning I've done this week has brought to mind several of my favorite made at home cleaning formulas.

There is a product called CitraSolv that I have found available at Whole Foods as well as my local grocery stores. It's a citrus based cleaner that can be used several ways. I dilute it w/ water and use it as an all purpose cleaner. It has a nice citrus scent and works well on greasy spills and spots. Since I'm using about 1 tablespoon in 3 cups of water it goes a long way. I add peroxide to make a carpet spot cleaner.

The same company makes a dish washing liquid that I like better than Seventh Generation and some of the other non petroleum based liquids. This dish washing liquid also makes an incredible shampoo - and is way less expensive. A good shampoo is a good detergent. I remember that years ago Consumer Reports gave people disguised dawn dish washing liquid and asked them to rate it as a shampoo against several others. The Dawn came out on top. If you have normal to oily hair give the CitraSov dish washing liquid a try (no sodium laurel sulphates or parbens).

I have an interesting way of mopping our kitchen floor that uses the CitraSolv all purpose mix. I use a mop that holds disposable pads but instead of a disposable pad I use microfiber cloths or old wash cloths. I dampen the cloth and place it on the mop. The floor is then sprayed only in gunky spots with the all purpose cleaner. After the floor is sprayed I spritz the mop with the all purpose spray and mop for awhile. When the cloth is dirty I take it off the mop wash it out and repeat the process until the floor is clean. This way I am not dragging dirty water all over the kitchen. I think the floor gets much cleaner w/o dealing with sink or buckets full of dirty water. I also never have to buy a refill pad for the mop - just throw the dirty cloths in the washer. A wood floor can also be mopped this way.