20 Questions - Swap on Swap-Bot

During August I signed up for a few swaps on Swap-Bot. In the past, I did swaps through the mail. With the postage costs high and finances tight, I'm enjoy doing electronic swaps now, particularly ones that I can do on my blog.

For this swap, the challenge is to answer 20 questions and email them to three partners. Below are my answers to the questions.

What's rocking your world (making you very happy) today?

I'm going to the State Fair with my daughters and watching them compete in two categories each this year. Sophia is doing an illustrated presentation about bunions and their surgical removal (sharing her experience of going through two surgeries to remove bunions and then being able to watch a bunionectomy in the operating room at our local hospital) and competing in the Crafts project area with her Russian lace necklace made from 1,200 beads.

Sophia with the necklace she made.

Olivia also is doing an illustrated presentation. Her topic is on caves and cave exploration (sharing what she learned about different types around the world; and what she saw and learned about visiting ten caves this past year).

Olivia with the photo she took.

She is competing in the Photography project area as well with a photo that she took of a sculpture at Franconia Sculpture Park that illustrates the Leading Lines concept in photography.

What are you most worried about this month?

Figuring out where the money is coming from to pay for a major home repair that happened back in June and is still being worked on.

The new walls and steps to the basement.

All of this area had to excavated and rebuilt 

because of water and mud damage.

There also are aspects of the rebuilding process from the fire that are not covered by insurance.

The garage in progress.

We found out that building the garage is costing more than the hobby shed was insured for...so there are parts that we have to pay out-of-pocket.

What characteristic do you value the most in your friends?

That's a tough one because I value two characteristics equally: loyalty and honesty. To me, they go hand-in-hand. It's the friends who stay with you through a crisis, who are there for you at your lowest point that are truly valuable. Friends who are honest are ones you can trust.

What characteristic do you find most irritating in other people?

Self-absorption drives me crazy. People who are always posing for "selfies" and posting them on Facebook, to me, shows someone who is very insecure and needs affirmation from others. They aren't able to be comfortable with who they are or what they have to offer this world.

What would you like to hear from your boss or your teacher?

I don't have a boss in the traditional sense since I'm not employed. My job is homeschooling and raising my daughters; and volunteering in the community. So, my "bosses" are essentially people who interact with my daughters in some way - their music and art instructors; teachers at the homeschool co-op; and directors at non-profits where they volunteer.

Sophia talking with someone at the farmers market about a project 

she's doing for Sole Hope that she's inviting the community

to be a part of this Summer and Fall.

She has collected blue jeans and is cutting them into pieces using a pattern. 

The pieces will be used by cobblers in Uganda to make 

shoes for children so they don't get jiggers 

(little insects that burrow into one's feet and can cause crippling pain and even death).

Olivia is coloring pictures to donate to Color-a-Smile

which sends them to seniors who are homebound or in nursing homes as well as

veterans and those who are actively serving our country.

Whenever I hear positive comments about the girls' character and/or the impact that they are making in the world, that makes me very happy.

A woven clay breadbasket that I'm making. 

My only teacher that I have currently is my pottery instructor at a local arts center. I would like to get to a point where I do something and he would comment that the project is creative, turned out nicely, or he liked some element of it. Coming from an accomplished potter/artist, that would mean a lot.

What's the single most important factor to you, when looking for a job?

As my dad asked me whenever I took on a new job, "Does it make you happy?" I think that is one of the guiding questions throughout my life; and I can hear him still ask me that question now whenever I take on something new.

There are many elements that would contribute to a job making me feel happy - type of work, the level of challenge, pay rate, benefits, how I can dress, and how far it would be from home. Ultimately, though, the most important factor is: am I making a positive difference in the world?

What’s one thing you’re not good at, no matter how hard you try?

Drawing is something that I can't seem to do. It would be nice to be able to draw realistic-looking nature scenes, birds, flowers, and people. However, that's not a skill with which I've been gifted.

If you could live anywhere and have everything and everyone you love with you, where would you want to live?

I would live someplace where the temperature ranges from 30-75 degrees; is not humid; there are no mosquitoes or annoying insects; and where there are lakes and rivers; hills and mountains; forests and prairies.

I would like to see colorful flowers where I live.

I would want to be able to see both east and west - to see the sunrise and sunset; and where it is dark enough to see the stars at night.

I would want to see views of the clouds and sky.

I would want to live somewhere where it is quiet, peaceful, and people are respectful and caring towards one another, the environment, and animals.

Geese that crossed the road to a nearby pond. 

We waited a while for them all to cross the road.

If you were sitting on a park bench, who would you want to come sit next to you? Would you talk to each other?

If they were still living, my parents and grandparents. I would talk with them as long as I could; listen to what they had to say; and tell them - repeatedly - how much I love them.

An old photo from the 1980s of my grandma, me, mom, and dad.

Otherwise, having anyone from my family sit with me would be nice. Spending time with people who I love is very important to me.

Which is your favorite time of day: sunrise, early morning, daylight, twilight, or night? 

That's a hard question. I like early morning because I'm awake and can get things done while everyone else is asleep. It's so quiet and I can hear the birds waking up and singing as they start their day.

Birds in one of our trees.

I don't have a clear view of the sun rising now that the evergreens have grown in so much over the past 23 years that we've lived here. Otherwise, that used to be my favorite time because I could see the sun rise and the sky and clouds change colors...often times as I walked the dogs.

If you could choose an age to be forever, what age would you choose and why?

Again...another tough question. I like the 5-6 year old age range because I was old enough to do some things on my own, didn't have a care in the world, wasn't stressed out or anxious about anything, loved to learn, enjoyed playing outdoors, could play for hours indoors with my sister (brother was too young), and could color in coloring books for the longest time. Everything was new, exciting, and safe. Life was a sense of wonder and exploration.

My sister and I on the swingset in our backyard 

when we were growing up. 

She was a bunny and I was a dog for Halloween.

My parents and grandparents were alive; and my sister, brother, and I all lived at home with my parents who cared for and loved us.

The flip side of that is that I didn't have Sophia and Olivia yet - our family was not yet complete. So, I would say another age when I would like to live forever would be around 40 years old. The girls are young, I'm still active and not dealing with lower-back pain, and we all are out hiking, playing, and exploring together. The world is ahead of us with opportunities!

If you could be in any movie, which would you choose and what character would you play?

One of my favorite movies is Defending Your Life with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep. If I was a gifted and talented actress, I would enjoy playing Meryl Streep's part. However, what would be more rewarding would be an extra or a supporting character who would get to meet and work with Meryl. Learning from her would be inspiring!

If you could meet any fictional character, who would you want to meet?

I haven't read a fiction book in a long time. I tend to read non-fiction books so this is a challenging question. First thing that came to mind: Christopher Robin.

It would be great to be able to have talking animals - like Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore - and be a part of their world.

What are some of your favorite foods?

For breakfast, I like cinnamon raisin rolls made from my grandma's recipe (I'm the only one who knows how to make them) and waffles.

For lunch, a good BLT, tuna fish sandwich, or egg salad sandwich would be good.

For dinner, I like tacos/nachos and anything that's made on the pellet grill, especially if it is barbecued. The smoky flavor and caramelized barbecue sauce are wonderful!

Homemade salsa to go with tacos.

For dessert, homemade ice cream that Sophia makes. She has made a variety of different flavors this summer - all of which have been delicious.

Homemade mint chocolate chip, strawberry, and vanilla ice creams

that Sophia made.

Are any of these healthy foods? Not by a long shot. However, they are all special treats for me that I have once in a while.

Which is your favorite season, and what do you like best about it?

Fall is my favorite season after the first frost because there are no insects (like mosquitoes, gnats, or hornets) and the leaves are changing colors to brilliant yellows, golds, oranges, and reds. The temperature is in the range that feels comfortable; and the mornings and evenings feel slightly chilly. Sweaters and jackets are worn daily...which I like.

The dogs can go on walks again because they aren't bothered by the horseflies or high temperatures and humidity. The roads are a comfortable temperature on their paws.

The horses love the cooler temperatures and will gallop more in the pasture.

Colorful leaves in October 2012.

We have fires in the woodstove again and things feel cozier and more comforting in the Fall.

Which season is your least favorite, and why?

Winter is becoming my least favorite season because of dealing with snow, ice, and extremely cold temperatures. Last winter, we had our water line freeze that went to the house and our well pump burned out as a result of that.

The truck in the backyard doing work on the well.

So, we started the beginning of the year with no water and then a multi-thousand dollar bill to fix the line and well pump. It wasn't a good way to start the year.

What item (that you don't already have), would you most like to own?

The fire that happened at our farm on May 5th took many items that had special meaning to us - books that I read to the girls when they were little, Christmas plates that belonged to Paige's parents, cards and gifts signed by and given to the girls by my parents, and bikes that we used to ride together.

Going through books that were destroyed by the fire.

There were children's books that we were holding onto to 

give to the girls when they have children of their own.

With the exception of the bikes, these are all items that can't be replaced. If there was some way to have them again, I would like that.

What seemed like a great idea at the time, but turned out not so great?

We were just talking about this the other night at dinner. At our home on Morgan Avenue South in Minneapolis, which was a 1 1/2 story home, there was an odd, useless rectangular space at the top of the steps as you went to the second level.

I went to a home and garden show and saw an indoor garden with a little waterfall which I thought would be nice to do in that spot. The landscape company came to our home and built an indoor garden with a waterfall. The catch was that rather than real plants in the garden, they used fake ones since there wasn't enough light for plants to survive.

Needless to say, although it looked fake to us, it was realistic enough for our cat to think it was a playground for her. She would use her paws to mess up the bark chips and toss them in the water, monkey around with the plants, and drink the water.

It became an eyesore after a while - a place where plants never changed or were fragrant and life seemed "dead" rather than alive and growing. We have never had an indoor water garden like that again. Once was enough.

What’s something you almost always have on-hand?

The obvious thing here would be baking supplies, toothpaste, and things along that line. Something a bit out of the ordinary would be Watkins Menthol-Camphor Ointment and Petro-Carbo Salve.

These two items are things I grew up with and that are a staple in our home. The ointment is something that we use as a lip balm and under our noses to help with breathing.

The salve is something that we use on cuts, sores, or anything that needs to heal quickly. My dad used to use it on the farm when he was growing up - both on people and animals. He said that a horse one time had a cut and they used the salve. Very quickly that sore healed thanks to the salve.

What will you do after answering these questions?

It's 7:08 a.m. and it's time to start getting ready for the day.

The girls and I need to patch a hole in the fence that our miniature horse is getting out of and into another pasture (that is ours) where there is more grass. He gains weight on air, so he needs to be one of the two pastures that he already has access to.


The third pasture is one we don't use anymore now that we don't have sheep. It has very tall grass - taller than him - so it's also not safe for him to be back there. With coyotes around, it's better to be in an area that he can see all around.

After that it is breakfast time, I'll feed the animals (dogs and cats), and pack to go to the State Fair. It's going to be a long - but fun - day.

Project Simplify ---- Hot Spot #3 ----- Children's Toys

Project Simplify's Hot Spot #3 was focused on children's toys and clothes.  Since I'm preparing for the homeschooling conference and trying to assess what the girls have and what would be nice to supplement in terms of educational games and puzzles, I focused on the cabinet in the family room.

What did it look like before?  This:

Disorganized, messy shelf with games, puzzles,

musical instruments, and play-doh.

I removed everything from the shelves and asked the girls if they played with or used the game or puzzle I was holding.  This process resulted in a half-garbage bag filled with games and puzzles that are going to be donated to the local thrift shop. 

For a few of the games that are "too young" for the girls, I kept them aside and put them in one of my office closets just in case younger visitors or relatives come over and they want to play a game with them.  I tend to hold onto the Ravensburger games and puzzles since they meet or exceed all national and international safety testing standards. The games and puzzles are both educational and fun, and are made from high quality materials.

After the shelves were clear, I used Watkins Natural Lemon Furniture Polish with natural olive oil.

I put everything the girls played with back on the shelves, trying to place the puzzles and games that Olivia would use on the lower shelves as well as items that are used  most often.  Here's what the shelves look now:

Board games, puzzles, and card games are on the lower shelves.

More games, musical instruments, active & "old-fashioned" games, and

needle-felted letters in a basket on the upper shelves.

The needle-felted letters are ones I made in 2008.  They were ones the girls used when they were younger to put the letters of the alphabet in order.  Now, they can use them to spell different words.  Each letter is made from hand-dyed sheep wool.  The base is a cream-color wool from sheep that I raised many years ago.  The size of each letter is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" - a good size for small hands.

The needle-felted alphabet set I made.

No Impact Week Experiment (Day 2) - Trash

Today's focus of the No Impact Week Experiment is trash and discovering how wasting less improves your life.  One of the activities of the No Impact Week Experiment is to examine if the trash produced yesterday was used for ten minutes or longer, or ten minutes or less.  The only place I put trash yesterday was in the kitchen - the trash can or recycling bag. 

Recycling Bag

Looking at the items collected on Sunday, they included the newspaper, two cracker boxes, and three cans (mushrooms and two kidney beans).  Out of these items, everything was used for more than ten minutes. 

The newspaper took me longer than ten minutes to read.  In fact, there was an interesting article about Alzheimer's Disease in the main section which was very timely to read since my father has A.D.  There's a place in Phoenix that is doing some rather alternative care of patients with A.D. that is resulting in less anxiety, stress, angry outbursts, and negative behavior that can be associated with the disease.  Some of the things they are doing are quite applicable to caregiving in the home.

The food items (boxes and cans) were used for meals.  The crackers were consumed during several meals, the can of mushrooms was used over two lunches (homemade pizza on bagels), and the kidney beans were used with chili (also to be used for multiple meals).  I canned the tomatoes that I used in the chili, so the jars and metal rings can be re-used next year when I do some more canning.

Trash

As much as I'm interested in separating the trash into the piles, I don't like to go through the garbage once it goes into the bag.  However, as I was putting the items into the trash yesterday I realized that the majority of the items were plastic bags that stored food (e.g., bags used to package a loaf or bread or rolls). 

There was some food waste (e.g., a partial loaf of bread, grease, orange rinds).  In retrospect, I probably could have cut the bread up and used it for bread crumbs like I do with the end pieces of loaves of bread. 

Beeswax Impressions

My daughter and I were making beeswax impressions (a new product that is in my shop today), and we threw away a couple of toothpicks and some scraps of beeswax that had some spots in it.  The toothpicks I could have burned in the woodstove if I had a fire in it.  The beeswax I could have put outside since it was a natural product. 

Some ideas offered in the No Impact Week Experiment book, are ones I'm going to do or have already done that are worth noting:

Put Together a No-Trash Travel Kit for the Week

I am planning to put together a kit in a reusable canvas bag that has: a reusable drinking cup (for either hot or cold beverages); "Kleenexes" made from t-shirts or knit shirts (I have found that cotton "Kleenexes" fray too much and aren't as soft); and silverware and a plate that I can bring home to wash/reuse. Since I don't commute to a job, this would be used when I'm out doing errands or visiting my parents on Thursday. 

Reduce, Reuse, or Recycle Trash

I need to improve in the areas of reducing trash - particularly when it comes to packaging.  Purchasing in bulk or in larger quantities is something I need to work on during 2011.  Reusing and recycling is something that I do quite a bit of now. 

In fact, in terms of recycling, I'd like to see if Waste Management has a larger recycling container since the recycling container is completely full when it is picked up every two weeks.  Often times, I have bags of recycling waiting to be put in the container once it is empty.

Bring Cloth Bags to the Grocery Store 

When I shop at the grocery store, I tend to use the bags there because the paper ones I reuse my recycling (they don't allow plastic bags in the recycling container).  The plastic bags I use for cat litter.  However, when I go to the co-op, I always use my own cloth bags. 

Perhaps a good action would be to use the bags I have on hand first for recycling and cat litter.  Once those are depleted, then replenish my supply. In the meantime, I could use cloth bags when I go to the grocery store. 

Use the Bulk Bins

This is something I need to use more at the grocery store.  When I go to the co-op, it is the area I spend the most time (and money) in.  There are more items stocked in the bulk section at the co-op that I need than at the grocery store. 

The former has a variety of flours, dairy-free items (e.g., dairy-free milk powder, dairy-free chocolate chips), and other items I need for baking bread and desserts.  The latter has more snack and candy in bulk - items I don't tend to purchase often.

Rid Your Life of Paper Towels, Napkins, and Kleenex

When I was growing up, my parents had paper towels but they were rarely used.  Instead, for cleaning we went to the "rag bin" that was in the laundry room.  My mom tore up clothing that no longer was good and made them into rags.  These were used exclusively for cleaning. 

When I clean now, often I use a rag or dishcloth.  I still use paper towels at times - there are just some jobs that I prefer to use paper towels for versus rags.  Maybe the goal is to use rags a greater percentage of the time...rather than completely eliminate them. 

I have a wide selection of handmade and purchased napkins that are in the dining room.  I don't remember the last time that I purchased a container of napkins.  Many years ago, my mom and I made quite a few sets of napkins from fabric "discards" at a textile mill.  I still have those napkins today.  She showed me how to make the napkins and a matching tablecloth - something simple to add beauty to everyday life.

Last fall, I began making homemade "Kleenex" from t-shirts and knit fabric for my daughter who has severe allergies.  It was suggested that since she has a dust allergy that she avoid paper "Kleenex" since it generates dust everytime it is used. 

So, I went through the closets and took out all the t-shirts that we didn't wear and cut them into circles, squares, and rectangles of various sizes.  She has a basket with unused fabric "Kleenex" and another container to put the used ones.

Every time I do laundry, I wash them and they get softer.  The fabric "Kleenexes" are much more economical and environmentally-friendly than the paper version. 

Use Eco-Friendly Cooking, Personal, and Household Products

It's amazing at what chemicals are put into products and the damage they can do to one's body.  The Sierra Club wrote an interesting article about the importance of using eco-friendly products. 

Watkins Rejuvenating Foot Cream - Peppermint

So, last fall I began eliminating cooking, personal, and household products from the home that were not natural.  After doing this, I replaced them with natural and/or organic products - the majority of which were from J.R. Watkins Natural Products - a company that's been around since 1868, and one that my parents used products from when I was growing up.   

Since I planned on using these products on a regular basis, I became an Associate.  Associates receive a 25% discount off of all the products which is very helpful.  I have tried a wide variety of products and I have been so happy with them.  It's been wonderful having the scent of lavender, citrus, peppermint, and vanilla throughout the home.  (To see the products, please go here:  http://www.watkinsonline.com/ . If you want to buy anything, use Associate #390175.  Or maybe become an Associate yourself and make a radical - and healthy - change for 2011.)

Watkins Vanilla, Black Pepper, and Cinnamon

Consider Gifts that Don't Come Wrapped in Packages

Rather than purchasing items that are wrapped in lots of packaging that will end up in the trash, consider giving experiences.  For example, this Thursday is my Dad's 79th birthday.  My mom and I are taking him out to eat for lunch and then to a movie afterwards.  I'll be making him homemade bird suet and hanging it in this feeders (he loves watching birds). 

Black-capped Chickadee on Feeder with Homemade Suet

Later this month, my daughter (Olivia) is celebrating her 8th birthday.  She has asked to go to Mall of America.  We will go to Underwater World where she can see the fish and other aquatic life - something fun and educational.  If it's warm enough, there's a wildlife park nearby that we enjoy exploring.  We still talk about the albino squirrel and the hawk that we saw there on past visits. 

Explore Trash-Free Alternatives to Gift Wrap

This is the second year that I've used fabric bags for birthdays and Christmas. 

Fabric Bags for Birthdays

It was nice to be able to wrap this year's gifts in the bags that I made last year.

Christmas Gifts in Fabric Bags with Reusable Tags

So, is it difficult to not generate trash?  In some ways, it is simply a matter of being more conscious of the actions taken during the day (e.g., rather than throwing something in the trash - thinking about whether it could be reused or recycled). 

Some things do require a bit more effort initially, but in the long-term become easier and require less time (e.g., making and using fabric bags). 

Ultimately, at least in my home, it seems like there will always be some trash.  It's the amount of trash that I choose to send to the landfill that I am responsible for...and hope to greatly reduce in 2011.



Grandma Olive's Banana Bread

Banana Bread
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

This is banana bread that is from my grandma's recipe. It is very moist. It is a recipe that I'm including in the recipe book I'm making for my daughters called "52 Weeks of Baking."

Originally a weekly swap was happening on Swap-Bot with the same name. The swap hostess stopped hosting them, but I've continued baking so I can complete the cookbook.

This is the recipe for Grandma Olive's Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened (I used dairy-free butter)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
3 bananas, mashed
1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional...I didn't use them)

Cream butter and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs; mix well. Sift in flour and soda. Stir in bananas and pecans. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Note: I doubled this recipe and used 7 bananas instead of 6. I also added 2 teaspoons of Watkins Vanilla. I normally don't use vanilla, but wanted to see what it would taste like. I thought it added a nice flavor to the bread.

When making a double batch, you can put it into a 9"x13" pan rather than two loaf pans. Make sure the middle of the bread is done...it could take longer than the 45-50 minutes noted.

****If you haven't tried Watkins products, I would highly recommend them. My parents used Watkins products when I was growing up - mostly the vanilla, cinnamon, spices, spice blends, and some household items.

The vanilla is far superior to what is available in grocery stores. It's made with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, and brewed using a process that Watkins has used for over 140 years. The flavor is bake-proof and freeze-proof as well as double-strength.

If you're interested in trying Watkins products, head over to the Watkins site HERE. When it asks for an Associate Number, please use #390175 (Ann Rinkenberger).