Homemade Honey Butter Ambrosia

A few weeks ago I visited Autumnwood Farm as part of the Local Bite Challenge. For 100 days, the challenge is to eat locally. Each week there is a new mini-challenge; and one of the first ones was to try something new. This could be done one time or for all 14 weeks of the challenge.

Homemade honey butter that we put on top of 

homemade blueberry muffins.

So, at Autumnwood I found gourmet honey butter that was made with five ingredients and no preservatives. It was incredibly good. Rather than pay $6 per jar for the honey butter, I was curious to know if I could make something similar at home.

So, I searched on Pinterest and found a pin on Pinterest for Honey Butter Ambrosia that led to One Good Thing.

Just like the honey butter that I purchased, there were only five ingredients: sugar, heavy cream/whipping cream, honey, butter, and vanilla. Since I hadn't tried this recipe before, I wanted to see if it was similar to the purchased one so I made only half a recipe.

After making the honey butter and letting it cool in the refrigerator there was no question that we had found either the exact recipe or one that was very similar and tasted identical to the purchased one. From now on, I'll be making full batches and keeping some and sharing with others.

To make the honey butter, you'll need:

1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream/whipping cream
1 cup honey
3 sticks butter (or 3/4 lb), softened
1 tsp vanilla

To make the honey butter, combine the sugar, cream, and honey in a sauce pan. Heat on medium high heat and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.

Put the softened butter in a blender or food processor (I used a Vita-Mix mixer), and pour the hot mixture over the butter. Blend on medium speed until mixed well. Add vanilla and blend again.

Pour mixture into a container, cover, and let cool in the refrigerator. Keep refrigerated since this is a dairy product.

The honey butter looks frothy on top, 

but can be stirred in once it cools.

Half the recipe above makes enough to fill two half-pint/jelly jars with some left over. The full recipe makes enough for two pint-size jars or four half-pint/jelly jars also with some left over.

Honey butter on a homemade blueberry muffin.

The blueberries were hand-picked from a pick-your-own farm and frozen.

We have used the honey butter on blueberry muffins, English muffins, crackers, and toast. You could also put it on freshly-made bread, yogurt, oatmeal, bagels, waffles, French toast, or pancakes. In terms of calories, the honey butter is about 19 calories per teaspoon.

Something That Makes Me Smile - P52 and 52 Week Photo Challenge 2014 - Week 21

As I looked back on pictures that I took during the past week, one that made me smile was of Sophia and Olivia with three of the seniors that we took for a Stroll & Roll activity at the nursing home.

Sophia and Olivia with three seniors who we always enjoy seeing 

when we visit the nursing home. 

We make a point of trying to see them each time we are there.

On Friday, we visited the nursing home to take some of the seniors out on the fitness trail. There's a paved path that leads from the nursing home, past the fitness center, and in front of the clinic and hospital.

The pathway was created last fall, and some preliminary landscape features added (e.g., trees, dirt mounds, rocks). This spring they added concrete pads for benches and exercise equipment. Hopefully soon these features will be added.

There were three seniors in wheelchairs and two seniors who walked the half-mile trail. Four of the five seniors had never seen the trail. For all of them it was a mood-lifter to be outdoors and feel the sunshine and breeze; and see the sea of dandelions over the vividly-green grass. When we returned, we enjoyed juice or water and talked for a bit.

We talked about doing the Stroll & Roll regularly during the summer so that these seniors and others who enjoy being outdoors can get away - even if it's for an hour - from the nursing home.

Posted on: 

52 Week Photo Challenge 2014 and  

Monthly Journal for Tweens and Teens

This month for the journal page that Sophia and Olivia are keeping, I found a pin that led to a cute "Day in the Life" page.

This was an easy and fun way to document one's day - from the time the day started and ended, what was eaten, people seen, and clothes worn.

One section asks what the girls did to make someone else smile. Olivia said she showed pictures of our new puppy, Aspen. Sophia said it was telling me that she was going to make me breakfast in bed. (I even picked out a recipe that I saw on my Facebook feed that looked delicious that Sophia said she would like to try to make!)

Olivia's journal entry for May.

One of the boxes focuses on a highlight of the day. For Olivia it was that she had a nice day. For Sophia it was going to the chiropractor and getting her back fixed.

Sophia's journal entry for May.

They also noted a challenge they experienced during the day. For Sophia it was taking Cooper to agility training. (He was so excitably and completely "off" on a couple of the activities because we had just introduced Aspen to our family five days prior to training and Aspen had come along to agility training to watch.)

Olivia's challenge for the day was a math problem she was having trouble with in her math book.

By the end of the year, the girls should have a nice reminder of some of the highlights from the past year. Perhaps they also will be interested in selecting one or more of the pages to use for keeping a journal in 2015.

Kitchen - Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks - Week 22

This week I read Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto for the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge. It is actually a novella and a companion short story - "Kitchen" and "Moonlight Shadow" - told through the eyes of a pair of contemporary young Japanese women.

The stories focus on themes of mothers, love, kitchens, tragedy, transsexuality, loneliness, loss,  grief, isolation, hope, and redemption. Out of the two stories, I preferred "Kitchen" which included all of the aforementioned themes.

In the story "Kitchen," a teen girl's (Mikage's) grandmother dies, and she is left with no family. She is devastated by her aloneness. Even after being taken in by a classmate, Yuichi, and his mother (who is transsexual) she is unable to shake her feeling of being alone in the world.

Mikage's solace is the kitchen, especially the cooking and sharing of food which is her salvation. Yet, that's not the main focus of this room. Rather, it is in and through kitchens that Mikage feels loss, is saved from despair, and reconnects with life.  Further, through food from kitchens, Mikage realizes and nurtures love.

I found this book to provide interesting insight on different types of loss and the bereavement process. It explored how survivors - those closest to people who have died - adjust or find escape in places or things associated with the person who passed away.

One of the things that stood out for me was what Eriko (Yuichi's mother/father) told Mikage: "If a person wants to stand on her own two feet, I recommend undertaking the care and feeding of something. It could be children, or it could be house plants....by doing that you come to understand your own limitations. That's where it starts."

Eriko continued, "If a person hasn't ever experienced true despair, she grows old never knowing how to evaluate where she is in life; never understanding what joy really is. I'm grateful for it."

There was one description of a time when Mikage was along in Yuichi's home after Eriko died tragically and unexpectedly. She said, "The room was so unearthly quiet, I lost all sense of time being divided into seconds. I felt that I was the only person alive and moving in a world brought to a stop. Houses always feel like that after someone had died."

Those few sentences immediately brought me mentally back to the time that I went into the my parents' home after my father had died three months earlier. My mother was in transitional care at a nursing home and I needed to pick up some things for her. I remember entering the home to complete silence - no welcoming announcement ("It's Ann Marie!" - as my dad would often greet me with), no movement, nothing. Just silence. It was literally like time had stopped on the day my father died. The spirit and life of the home was no longer there.

So, reading Yokomoto's words deeply resonated with me. I had never heard anyone describe that deep feeling of aloneness - of silence - of loss. I felt less alone knowing that probably others have felt that same sensation.

Kitchen was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm glad he suggested I read it. Had he not mentioned it, I don't think I would have found it; and been able to enjoy and reflect upon it as I did.

101 Days of Summer Fun

With Memorial Day weekend only a couple of days away, it was time to plan the summer and the activities we hope to do.

After looking at weekly themes on Pinterest, I decided on the following schedule for our family:

Monday - Make Something Monday. This can be something we build, a craft project, or a new recipe we try.

Tuesday - Take a Trip Tuesday. This is the day that we will go to a park, take a hike, see a movie, or go on an outing.

Wednesday - Wet and Wild Wednesday. We'll be going swimming, doing something water-related in the backyard, or heading to a water park on these days.

Thursday - Thoughtful Thursday. Thursdays will be days to try science experiments, volunteer, or visit the library.

Friday - Fabulously Fun Friday. We'll be doing something we found on Pinterest that interests us.

Saturday and Sunday. These are free days. We can do whatever we want...and it doesn't have to fit into a theme.

This is a tentative schedule dependent on weather and our energy levels. We may see something different than we had planned and do that instead. But at least this is a starting point.

MAY

Day 1 - Saturday, May 24 - Go to the St. Paul Farmers Market. Go to St. Croix State Park in the afternoon with the dogs.

Day 2 - Sunday, May 25 - Immigrant for a Day at Gammelgarden Museum

Day 3 - Monday, May 26 - Memorial Day - Make a silverware holder for a backyard picnic.

Day 4 - Tuesday, May 27 - Take a short hike and have a picnic at Big Marine Park.

Day 5 - Wednesday, May 28 - Go to Lake Alice at William O'Brien State Park.

Day 6 - Thursday, May 29 - Do the Mentos Soda Pop Drop. 

Day 7 - Friday, May 30 - Make an apple-printed canvas tote bag for visits to the farmers markets.

Day 8 - Saturday, May 31 - Go to the Minneapolis Farmers Market in the early morning.  Go to the Canine Carnival at the Wildlife Science Center OR Discover Aviation Day at Blaine Airport mid-day to the afternoon.

JUNE

Day 9 - Sunday, June 1- Get a trampoline. Go to Fort Snelling State Park.

Day 10 - Monday, June 2 - Make beef and broccoli over rice.

Day 11 - Tuesday, June 3 - Go to French Regional Park and have a picnic with grandmother.

Day 12 - Wednesday, June 4 - Make a backyard water garden.

Day 13 - Thursday, June 5 - Do a science-related 4-H project for the County Fair next month.

Day 14 - Friday, June 6 - Make some of the candy and treats for the Candyland project for the 4-H County Fair theme project. Go to the Chisago City Farmers Market. 

Day 15 - Saturday, June 7 - Rhubarb Days in Osceola, Wisconsin. 

Day 16 - Sunday, June 8 - Celebrate Whitsun by making a snack.

Day 17 - Monday, June 9 - Finger print art.

Day 18 - Tuesday, June 10 - Como Park Zoo. Go to the Forest Lake Farmers Market. 

Day 19 - Wednesday, June 11 - Make a sprinkler using PVC pile that has been drilled with holes and put into a square shape.

Day 20 - Thursday, June 12 - Make a fairy garden.

Day 21 - Friday, June 13 - Make a dog agility chute.

Day 22 - Saturday, June 14 - Go to the Mill City Farmers Market with a Backyard Beekeeping focus.

Day 23 - Sunday, June 15 - Wannigan Days in Taylors Falls.

Day 24 - Monday, June 16 - York fudge peppermint patty cookies.

Day 25 - Tuesday, June 17 - Pick strawberries and/or go to Abdallah Chocolate Candies in Burnsville for a tour.

Day 26 - Wednesday, June 18 - Play some water games in the backyard. Go to the Scandia Farmers Market for an ice cream social. (Ice Cream stamp)

Day 27 - Thursday, June 19 - Learn about Canada and do some Canadian activities.

Day 28 - Friday, June 20 - Make a tin can grill and then make lunch on it.

Day 29 - Saturday, June 21 - Summer Solstice - make a sun cake. Go to the Afton Strawberry Festival and Afton State Park. Visit Marine Log Cabin on the way back home. (Ice Cream stamp)

Day 30 - Sunday, June 22 - Create a backyard beach.

Day 31 - Monday, June 23 - Make a vertical garden with succulents.

Day 32 - Tuesday, June 24 - Go to the Minneapolis Farmers Market, Walker Art Center, and Midtown Global Market. Make midsummer strawberry meringue layer cake.

Day 33 - Wednesday, June 25 - Go swimming. Go to the Lindstrom Farmers Market on the way home.

Day 34 - Thursday, June 26 - Make a density column and multi-color rose.

Day 35 - Friday, June 27 - Make a pool noodle obstacle course.

Day 36 - Saturday, June 28 - Go to Art Soup in Elk River (a community festival) OR Pet-a-Palooza at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. There's a community band concert at William O'Brien State Park in the evening.

Day 37 - Sunday, June 29 - My birthday. Had thought of going to Harkin Store in New Ulm (one of the Minnesota History Center sites) for the Afternoon of Leisure event. However, with a puppy that may change what is possible.

Day 38 - Monday, June 30 - Sophia's half-birthday. Make a half-birthday cake, half-plates, and so forth.

JULY

Day 39 - Tuesday, July 1 - Go to the Bell Museum.

Day 40 - Wednesday, July 2 - Hook up the hose to 20 liter bottles with holes. Go to Wild River State Park.

Day 41 - Thursday, July 3 - Make a biodome. 

Day 42 - Friday, July 4 - Make fireworks cookies with Pop Rocks. 

Day 43 - Saturday, July 5 - Go to the Stillwater Farmers Market, and then head over to the Gibbs Museum and James J. Hill House in the later morning.

Day 44 - Sunday, July 6 - Fly a kite.

Day 45 - Monday, July 7 - Do a backyard rope bridge.

Day 46 - Tuesday, July 8 - Pick blueberries. Also do the Christmas Crafting in July class. Leave for Grand Marais. Stop at Jay Cooke State Park on the way to see the suspension bridge.

Day 47 - Wednesday, July 9 - Go on a day-long horseback ride on trails along the Gunflint Trail. Experiment with essential oils and mosquito repellent that day. Go kayaking after that.

Day 48 - Thursday, July 10 - Go zip lining. Also go kayaking and motor boating on Gunflint Lake.

Day 49 - Friday, July 11 - Go on a shorter horseback ride along the Gunflint Trail. Go on an afternoon sailing trip for about 1 1/4 hours. Drive to Silver Bay and go swimming and enjoy the indoor water park. Make a rock mandala in the evening.

Day 50 - Saturday, July 12 - Go rock climbing at Tettegouche State Park in the morning. Go sea kayaking on Lake Superior in the afternoon at Split Rock Lighthouse. See Enger Tower in Duluth. Go swimming in the evening.

Day 51 - Sunday, July 13 - Go to Hay Lake Museum and Erickson House (Ice Cream Stamp). Also make homemade pizza.

Day 52 - Monday, July 14 - Make molasses horse treats.

Day 53 - Tuesday, July 15 - Go to the Minnesota State Capitol and see the LEGO version of the Capitol building made with 75,000 bricks.

Day 54 - Wednesday, July 16 - Bring 4-H projects to the County Fair. Use cooling mists to handle the heat.

Day 55 - Thursday, July 17 - Make a fruit solar system. Go to the Hugo Farmers Market.

Day 56 - Friday, July 18 - Celebrate Olivia's half-birthday. Make a tarp throwing game and a natural play area outdoors.

Day 57 - Saturday, July 19 - Visit Stone House Museum. (Ice Cream stamp). Do archery at William O'Brien State Park.

Day 58 - Sunday, July 20 - Pick up projects at the County Fair.

Day 59 - Monday, July 21 - Make Olive Garden salad dressing.

Day 60 - Tuesday, July 22 - Go to Mill City Museum.

Day 61 - Wednesday, July 23 - Make a water pinata. Go to the Scandia Farmers Market.

Day 62 - Thursday, July 24 - Go to the book club for Children of Green Knowe and learn about/make a topiary and have an English tea. "Travel" to Mexico to learn about the food and culture in the afternoon.

Day 63 - Friday, July 25 - Make an insect hotel.

Day 64 - Saturday, July 26 - Go to the Marine on St. Croix Farmers Market. Make an ice cream sundae with sea salted caramel.

Day 65 - Sunday, July 27 - Play a game of lawn bowling.

Day 66 - Monday, July 28 - Make glow-in-the-dark bubbles.

Day 67 - Tuesday, July 29 - Bring open class projects to the County Fair.

Day 68 - Wednesday, July 30 - Go to the County Fair and see how we did. To cool down in the afternoon, put a tarp under the slide and put a sprinkler on it.

Day 69 - Thursday, July 31 - Experiment with solar cooking and see what's the quickest method.

AUGUST

Day 70 - Friday, August 1 - Go to the White Bear Lake Farmers Market. Celebrate Lammas by making bread and using local honey.

Day 71 - Saturday, August 2 - Go to the Alexander Ramsey House and do the "Time Capsule for Kids" program.

Day 72 - Sunday, August 3 - Do chalk games on the tar.

Day 73 - Monday, August 4 - Make flower fruit bites.

Day 74 - Tuesday, August 5 - Go to the Bakken Museum. In the afternoon go to the Marine Mill and get the Ice Cream stamp int the library.

Day 75 - Wednesday, August 6 - Go to the aquatic park in St. Louis Park.

Day 76 - Thursday, August 7 - Do the exploding craft stick reaction.

Day 77 - Friday, August 8 - Make a toss game with cans.

Day 78 - Saturday, August 9 - Go to the St. Paul Farmers Market (for major canning/food preservation items). Go to a drive in movie.

Day 79 - Sunday, August 10 - Do active hopscotch.

Day 80 - Monday, August 11 - Make a biosphere.

Day 81 - Tuesday, August 12 - Go to the Minnesota History Center.

Day 82 - Wednesday, August 13 - Go to the water park at Wild Mountain.

Day 83 - Thursday, August 14 - Do the book club for Dragon of the Lost Sea at Gammelgarden in the morning. In the afternoon, learn about Iceland - the food and culture.

Day 84 - Friday, August 15 - Go to the Chisago City Farmers Market. Make strawberry lemonade.

Day 85 - Saturday, August 16 - Go to the Oliver Kelly Farm and do The Useful Art of Pickling activity. Go to Spelmanstamma at Gammelgarden in the afternoon.

Day 86 - Sunday, August 17 - Make a pie.

Day 87 - Monday, August 18 - Make taco pizza.

Day 88 - Tuesday, August 19 - Go to Love Tree Farm in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, for Pizza Beyond the Pond.

Day 89 - Wednesday, August 20 - Go to Bunker Beach Water Park in the morning and the Scandia Farmers Market in the evening.

Day 90 - Thursday, August 21 - Go geocaching.

Day 91 - Friday, August 22 - Play the glow in the dark ring toss.

Day 92 - Saturday, August 23 - Make homemade bagels.

Day 93 - Sunday, August 24 - Go to the Woodbury Farmers Market. Do a random act of kindness.

Day 94 - Monday, August 25 - Sew some geometry cards.

Day 95 - Tuesday, August 26 - Go to the Forest Lake Farmers Market and/or go camping in a camper cabin.

Day 96 - Wednesday, August 27 - Play a game of growing wet sponges at a bulls eye.

Day 97 - Thursday, August 28 - Experiment with ways to cook on a rocket stove.

Day 98 - Friday, August 29 - Make an ice cream sandwich cake.

Day 99 - Saturday, August 30 - Go to the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Make crescent roll taco dinner.

Day 100 - Sunday, August 31 - Go to Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area during the day; and have a family board game at night.

SEPTEMBER

Day 101 - Monday, September 1 - Make peach cheesecake ice cream.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Throughout the summer, I'd like to pick fruit at The Berry Patch (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), Covered Bridge (blueberries), Natura Farms (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and grapes), and Pleasant Valley Apple Orchard (strawberries and apples).

Kira-Kira - Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks - Week 21

This week I read Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata for the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge. It received the Newbery Medal in 2005.

The story focuses on the Takeshima family - a two-parent household with three children (Lynn, Katie, and Sammy), set in the 1960s in Iowa.

The parents own an Asian supermarket, but unfortunately it goes out of business. They move to Georgia and live in a small apartment, having to work in hatcheries to make ends meet.

Katie loves her older sister, Lynn, who sees even ordinary things in the world as kira-kira, a Japanese word for glittering. Born in the United States to Japanese parents, the girls face prejudices at school - especially in Georgia - and watch their parents endure hardships to make ends meet in a predominantly Caucasian culture.

When Lynn gets sick, Mr. and Mrs. Takeshima take their hard-earned money to purchase a home that Lynn always dreamed about when she was younger. Their hope is that Lynn will recover. Initially, the move seems to improve Lynn's health. However, Lynn experiences a relapse from distress when Sammy is caught in a metal animal trap owned by Mr. Lyndon, the owner of the hatchery.

As a preteen, Katie becomes the primary caregiver for her younger brother and dying sister while her parents work long hours at chicken processing plants.

While the parents are working long hours, often the children sit and/or sleep in the car in the parking lot. It is when she is waiting in the car for her mother that Katie meets and becomes friends with a girl named Silly Kilgore.

Silly's mother supports having a union at the hatchery, but Katie's mother does not. She simply wants to ensure that she has a job and doesn't appear disrespectful to those who are paying her wages. She is willing to endure less than ideal work conditions - including unreasonable long hours without breaks - just to have some money to pay for Lynn's growing medical bills.

After Lynn dies, the family searches through everything in the house for items that had a connection to Lynn. Mrs. Takeshima even sends Katie out to the garbage to go through it and find anything that Lynn touched.

These items are used to create a special altar in honor of Lynn. The family feels that Lynn's spirit will stay around as long as they have her belongings around, though Katie thinks that Lynn's spirit will only stay around 49 days after she dies from an old story her uncle told her.

Shortly after Lynn's death, a vote is taken regarding the union. Mrs. Takeshima votes in favor of the union so that a three-day grief leave for families handling adversities can be implemented. Although she knows it's too late for her family, it won't be too late for the next family suffering grief.

Lynn's ultimate death from lymphoma brings out a range of challenging emotions for the family, but as they begin to heal, they take a trip to California — a place where Lynn always wanted to live — in her honor.

This book, though written for middle school youth, has subjects that have been part of my life for some time now - caregiving; high costs of medical bills and how it can negatively impact one's family; and processing grief and loss issues.

As a historical fiction book, I enjoyed it. It made me aware of the many challenges that Japanese Americans had back in the 1960s - the decade when I was born. I also was not aware of the difficult situations in factories and hatcheries during that decade; and how poorly people were treated.

Some of these issues - fair treatment for workers and prejudice - still, unfortunately, exist today. Hopefully in my lifetime this will change.

Local Bite Challenge Update - Week #4

Over on Ever Growing Farm there's a 100-day Local Bite Challenge. It’s an experiment to see how much local food a person can live on within certain parameters (e.g., distance, budget). The first four weeks of the challenge are now complete, and this week we already are in Week 5.

The first few weeks of the challenge our enthusiasm was high and we were committed to trying to eat as much locally-grown and locally-produced as we could. We tried new food, planted seeds for peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes in a seed-starting greenhouse, and had some meals that were made with 100% local ingredients.

And then Week 4 happened. There was too much going on between homeschooling, caregiving, house re-construction (due to an ice dam that happened in early-March), volunteering, and the girls' activities.

Finding the time to consciously and deliberately choose locally-made and locally-produced food simply was not high on my priority list. Because I was pressed for time, I simply went to the grocery store and Autumnwood Farm with Sophia and Olivia and we picked what we needed to get through the week.

That being said, we did find some locally-produced cheese and meat products that we enjoyed during the past week such as beef snack snacks and cheddar cheese curds.

Clearly the beef sticks were a hit. 

The cheese curds we limit to 2-3 curds per serving so they last longer.

Both products are from Wisconsin which is relatively close to where we live.

A product we tried that was new to us was Velvet Bees gourmet honey butter. We have used this on homemade biscuits that are hot out of the oven and the honey butter just melts into them.

We're trying to make this last, but clearly this has been something 

that we've enjoyed during the past week.

The honey butter is different than what I've tasted before. Perhaps it's the addition of cream and vanilla that make a difference. We looked online for some recipes for honey butter that use the five ingredients noted on the jar and came across a couple that we will be trying. It would be nice to be able to make our own butter rather than having to purchase it.

The label on the honey butter jar.

I also went to another grocery store to get some food for a quick dinner. It had been a long day and I just needed something easy to make. As I was walking past the bakery section, I saw there was bread that was on sale.

Even better: it was locally-made bread!

The price was $3.39 for the loaf, but it was marked down to only $1.69. It is great for toasting, but a little too fragile for making sandwiches. The honey butter on this natural grain bread has been a simple, locally-made meal that we have enjoyed on several mornings.

We also bought skim milk and chocolate milk from Autumnwood Farm as we have been doing since the start of the Local Bite challenge.

The seeds that we planted during the second week of the challenge are so tall that we had to take the top of the table-top greenhouse off. However, the plants seem real spindly and small compared to ones that are available in stores now. It probably would have been better to start the seeds several months ago so they were ready to be planted outdoors now. I think we'll just be purchasing some more sturdy plants that are a bit further along so that we get some produce out of our garden earlier in the summer.

Nonetheless, the seedlings we planted still can be planted outdoors and we'll see if they produce vegetables. Either it will take the whole season for the plants to grow or we'll have a super-huge crop of vegetables late in the season.

So, it's been a mixed week for us. We had some successes in terms of trying new locally-grown/produced products and enjoying the ones that we have since the beginning of the challenge. At the same time, we had some challenges with being able to thoughtfully choose locally-grown/produced food when presented with limited time due to the demands and responsibilities of daily life.

Pink - P52 and 52 Week Photo Challenge 2014 - Week 20

The crab apple tree is in full bloom...just in time for the "pink" theme this week for the photography challenges.

The tree used to be grafted - one half was the crab apple that had pink blossoms and one half was a green apple that had white blossoms.

A couple years ago, we had to cut down the green apple part of the tree after it was damaged during an ice storm.

The crab apple part has managed to continue to grow providing food for the bees in the spring; and a waiting and relaxing area for the birds while they are visiting the feeder on the mudroom roof.

Interestingly, there is another crab apple tree that we planted nearby. A few years ago I noticed a different type of tree growing right next to it. Last year there was an apple on one of the branches. It was the green apple tree...except next to this new tree. Hopefully this year both parts of the tree bloom at the same time. It's so eye-catching when a tree has two different colors of blossoms.

Posted on: 

52 Week Photo Challenge 2014 and  

Freezer Organization

During March and April, I did the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge. Because there was still work left that I wanted to do, I have been doing 35 Bags in 35 Days that covers the time period from Easter to Memorial Day.

One of the projects I wanted to work on was organizing my refrigerator and freezers. So, I looked on Pinterest for some ideas about how to create a more orderly system in a freezer. I found a pin that lead to iheart organizing about doing just that.

My freezer after I was done cleaning and organizing it.

On Saturday, I unplugged the freezer and then quickly unloaded everything from it.

This is what the freezer looked like before I began 

the cleaning and organizing process.

 I threw away anything that had been in the freezer too long and/or that had freezer burn.

I got rid of one bag of food that was either freezer burned or

things we would no longer eat.

Next, I began to chop away at the ice and frost, and took baking pan after baking pan filled with ice chips to the sink. (By the time I was done, the entire sink was full of ice.)

Then I used a hair dryer on high/hot air to help remove the rest of the ice while I chopped away at it. Once that step was done, I used a lavender essential oil spray and wiped down all the shelves and walls.

The freezer cleaned out and ready to be re-loaded with food.

Next, I filled several bins with like-items. For example, crushed bananas (for banana bread) was put in one bin. Different types of peppers and vegetables went in another. Applesauce went in another.

This is so helpful as I go into the summer season when produce is more readily available and less expensive. I know what I have on hand and what I need to freeze for the upcoming year. This will ensure that we are eating healthier; have organic food at a fraction of the cost on hand; and help us eat locally throughout the year.

Top shelf: fruit; second shelf: crushed bananas (for banana bread), 

different types of peppers, and vegetables; 

third shelf: homemade chicken broth, ready-to-eat meals, and applesauce; and 

bottom shelf: ice packs and Amish friendship bread starter.

I am so happy with this new system! This should have been done a long time ago. It sure would have made things much easier.

Animals - P52 and 52 Week Photo Challenge 2014 - Week 19

On Thursday, Sophia, Olivia, and I went to Northwoods Humane Society and took a look at four puppies that were part of an 11-puppy litter. After meeting two of the puppies and seeing how they interacted with us and one another, we decided to look at another one.

So, we went back to the kennel area and took Aspen out and brought her to a "meeting room." 

We spent a lot of time with her to see how she responded to each of us, how she played with the toys, and her general temperament. 

We needed to be particularly careful because we have another dog, Cooper, who we introduced to another young dog a couple of weeks ago. That didn't go so well. In fact, he was so stressed out by the other dog that he began foaming at the mouth and showed other signs of high anxiety. So, we didn't go ahead with adding that puppy to our family.

Aspen had a nice mixture between puppy-playfulness and mellowness. She would play, cuddle, and rest on our legs. Not too overwhelming and not super high energy. Seemed like a perfect companion for Cooper and for our family. 

We were given the opportunity to "try out" Aspen and see how Cooper responded to her (and vice versa) at home.

So, after resting during the car ride, Aspen arrived at her new potential home. We took Cooper out for a walk and brought Aspen with as a way to introduce them on neutral territory. This was the same process we used to introduce Cooper to Montague.

They were curious about one another and seemed to do well together.

There were times on the walk, though, that Aspen needed reassurance that the big animals she was seeing (Cooper and Hoss, our miniature horse who walked up to the fence to see the new family member) weren't going to hurt her. She would hide behind Sophia's legs or between her ankles, knowing she felt much safer there.

After a positive first afternoon and night together, we went on another walk the next day at Osceola Landing (it's one of many parks along the St. Croix River that is managed by the National Park Service). 

Aspen seemed to enjoy the walk, would take some breaks, and ran a bit. 

Most of all, she enjoyed being wrapped up in the towel and being carried. 

By Friday afternoon, Aspen was feeling quite comfortable in her new home. As Olivia read on the deck, Aspen chewed a stick while relaxing next to her. 

This morning Cooper and Aspen played together so well. It reminded me in some ways of the first few days that Montague and Cooper would play for two hours non-stop in the mornings. Hopefully this is a sign of how well they will get together.

Playing is tiring business for a puppy, though. It was so nice to see Cooper and Aspen resting together on the couch as I read the newspaper next to them. This seems like a match that is meant to be.

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52 Week Photo Challenge 2014 and  

Joy for Beginners - Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks - Week 20

This week I read Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister for the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.

The premise of the book sounded interesting: at a dinner party in Seattle, six women gather to celebrate their friend Kate's recovery from breast cancer. At the party, Kate strikes a bargain with each of her friends. To celebrate her new lease on life, she'll do white-water rafting - something that has always terrified her. But if she goes, all of her friends must do something they always said they would never do - and Kate is going to choose their adventures.

I was hoping that there would be some truly adventurous challenges in Joy for Beginners. Instead, there were ones that were rather minor and, to me, not "high-adventure" or "high risk" as I anticipated.

For example, one of the friends (Caroline) was recently divorced. The challenge she received from Kate was to sort through her ex-husband's library and dispose of all the books he left behind. This action was to pave the way for a new life for Caroline.

Another friend, Daria, is directed to learn to make bread. Supposedly by doing this, it would help her move past the emotional damage done by her mother who was hypercritical.

Other challenges revolved around getting a tattoo, working in an overgrown garden, and doing a sixty-mile fundraising walk for breast cancer.

Conceptually, I like this idea of pushing oneself out of one's comfort zone to address fears and issues that are holding a person back. Perhaps the challenges don't have to be formidable ones that are high-risk or garner national or international attention. Maybe everything does come down to the little things that are hampering one's ability to live a fully joyful life.

Joy for Beginners is a book written primarily for women who like to read about inspirational stories about how other women can help one another transform their lives. Its message is a simple yet powerful one: if you take risks, you open yourself up to joy. Any personal obstacle you are facing is possible to overcome.

Perhaps that's the goal of the book: to help each reader think about something in her life that she needs to deal with in order to live more joyfully.

Overall, I like the premise of the book. However, I skimmed through some parts of the book that I simply couldn't identify with or - honestly - had no interest in the challenge since it wouldn't be something I would do.

It does give me pause for thought, though, about things that could potentially be holding me back and how I would overcome them. For that reason, I'm glad I read Joy for Beginners.

Local Bite - Update #3

Over on Ever Growing Farm there's a 100-day Local Bite Challenge. It’s an experiment to see how much local food a person can live on within certain parameters (e.g., distance, budget).

The first three weeks of the challenge are now complete, and starting tomorrow we are going into Week 4. As we have been for the challenge so far, we are not eating 100% locally yet. Instead, we have been eating more local food at each meal - such as cheese and milk from a local organic dairy farm, and pears, peaches, and applesauce that I canned last summer.

I also have continued to use up what I have on hand. As I looked in the freezer this week, there was a turkey that was from Minnesota. So, many of our dinners and lunches revolved around the turkey (e.g., turkey sandwiches; turkey dinner with potatoes and gravy; turkey casserole with brown rice, mushrooms, green peppers that I had cut and froze from a previous summer, and a homemade gravy).

During the second week of this challenge, I focused on looking online and in a past Minnesota Grown Directory for a list of farmers markets. I also ordered a free 2014-2015 Minnesota Grown directory. From that, I came up with a schedule for visiting 13 different markets throughout the summer - 12 within the Twin Cities and one in Duluth when we will be passing through on our way back home after a stay in Grand Marais.

Our seeds that we planted during Week 2 are doing very well. The cucumbers have reached the top of the small table-top greenhouse; the tomatoes seeds have all sprouted and are about an inch or so tall; and some of the peppers (sweet and hot) now are beginning to emerge.

We attended the dreamXchange event on May 1st (a fundraiser for the Ann Bancroft Foundation) and one of the appetizers was fresh mozzarella balls, a basil leaf, and cherry tomato.

Sophia and Olivia at the dreamXchange event.

Sophia and I enjoyed this appetizer, and she asked if we could make this at home. So, on our list of things to purchase at the farmers market will be a cherry tomato and basil plants. We also will be trying our hand at making fresh mozzarella this summer!

On Friday, after volunteering at the nursing home we went to the Osceola Landing (a park and camping area on the St. Croix River). There was a group of fishermen there - two local men and two men from out-of-state. They were trying to catch some fish that they have never caught before.

One of them caught a silver redhorse which I guess likes to be in the river at this particular spot. We had never seen one before, so it was interesting to have the opportunity to learn more about this species of fish.

The man who caught it says he has smoked this type of fish before. There are other species like it and each has a slightly different taste, he said. Here was someone who was definitely eating local!

On Saturday, we went on an art studio tour along the St. Croix River. One of the studios we visited had a wood-fired oven. They invited us to make pizza using the variety of ingredients they had on the table.

The oven baked the pizza in under five minutes. I could only imagine how great pizza like this would taste in the middle of the summer with pizza sauce made with tomatoes and herbs grown in the garden, and topped with fresh vegetables from the farmers market and cheese from the dairy farm.

At some point, I would like to have one of these ovens in the backyard to make pizza and bread. Until then, I can gather the ideas and instructions to make one, and hope that this can happen either this summer or next summer.

Local Ingredients Purchased This Week

I went to Autumnwood Farm again on Monday and purchased organic skim milk and organic chocolate milk.

Then I went to the grocery store and found cheese sticks, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese from a dairy farm in Wisconsin.

I also went to the co-op and purchased a loaf of multi-grain/seed bread that was made at New French Bakery in Minneapolis.

Local Ingredients on Hand (Preserved During Summer 2013):

We continued to use several items that I canned last summer and fall: applesauce, pears, and peaches.

Looking Forward to Week 4

My goals this week are to:

1. Call the customer service numbers of local food companies and ask where the products are grown and manufactured. I keep putting this off...maybe because it seems so overwhelming to do. Yet, by doing this I will find more products that are readily available throughout the year.

2. Create another meal plan. This worked very well for the past two weeks, and I plan to do this again for the upcoming week. I'm finding that by using what we have on hand that I am not purchasing things that we don't need. There is an increasing amount of space in the freezer, refrigerator, and cupboards which is nice to have and is better preparing us for the transition to more vegetable- and fruit-based meals this summer.

3. Do the Local Bite Mini-Challenge. The challenge this week is to enjoy a meal in a cafe, coffee shop, or restaurant that sources at least some of their ingredients locally. It will be interesting to see what places use locally-grown and/or locally-produced items at this time of the year.

4. Find a new locally-made or locally-produced item to try. During the first week of the challenge, the mini-challenge was to try something new that is locally-made or produced. During the first week we tried elk sausage which everyone enjoyed.

During the second week we tried two pounds of butter and a small bottle of cream from Autumnwood Farm (a local, organic dairy farm). Sophia used the cream to make fresh butter which tasted very good. We used it on crackers as well as multi-grain/seed bread.

During the third week, we tried locally-made multi-grain/seed bread that was made at the New French Bakery in Minneapolis. It was delicious and perfect for toasting and making sandwiches. The grilled sandwiches that we made with locally-produced cheese and the bread was delicious, and everyone wanted to have it again.

Perhaps when doing the mini-challenge this week I'll find another new item to bring home and have everyone try.

Jesus CEO - Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks - Week 19

This week I read Jesus CEO - Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership by Laurie Beth Jones for the 19th week of the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.

Basically the book focuses on three areas that Jesus used to train and motivate his team. His strength of self-mastery, action, and relationships.

Each of the strengths is divided into sub-categories or chapters. The chapters often share a religious as well as business or real-life example of the theme. At the end of each chapter, there are several questions for readers to reflect upon.

Although the book is written for businesses, endeavors, and services that use more than one person to accomplish a goal, I felt as if the book could be adapted to families and/or homeschooling.

For the most part, the book is interesting and points out ideas that I would not have thought about on my own. However, the more I read the book I felt as if it were over-simplifying concepts and/or not providing substantial information.

Many of the ideas for being a strong leader, to me, are common-sense and things I have already done in my life in leadership roles. When these concepts were being presented, I didn't feel a need to read the book word-for-word.

So, for at least half of the book I felt like I was skimming it and trying to find that nugget of valuable information that would inspire me to take my leadership skills to the next level. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Jesus CEO has some valuable ideas, questions for reflection, and affirmations for leaders. It is for these aspects that I would recommend the book. For the rest of the book that I skimmed through, I wouldn't recommend it. There are other books about being a positive and inspiring visionary leader who has a strong mission and purpose in life that would be more worth one's time.

Flowers (Pottery, and Wood-Fired Pizza) - P52 and 52 Week Photo Challenge 2014 - Week 18

Yesterday, my sister (Mary), Sophia, Olivia, and I spent the afternoon doing the artOPENer tour along the St. Croix River.

We visited eight of the eleven studios which featured a variety of mediums including glass, jewelry, painting, pottery, and sculpture. My favorite ones were the pottery studios - especially Spiritworks Pottery in Stillwater, Minnesota, and Zac Spates Pottery in Hudson, Wisconsin.

Flowering branches in vases at Spiritworks Pottery in Stillwater.

Both of these potters make handmade dishes. At some point in my life, I would like to reduce the number of mis-matched plates, cups, and bowls we use and invest in a set of handmade plates, bowls, and cups. Just one set per person...and maybe a few spare pieces just in case one breaks.

We have some hand-sculpted bowls that we use to put small meals, cereal, or fruit in. There is just something about eating food from hand-crafted pieces that make the meal more special.

At any rate, while we were at Zac Spates Pottery, they had their wood-fired oven going and a table filled with pizza-making ingredients.

Olivia, Sophia, and my sister (Mary) at the table with the pizza ingredients.

They invited us to make our own pizzas that they would bake in the oven.

The wood-fired oven ready for baking pizzas.

Zac created this oven and the interior has clay that he placed around a sand mound in order to create the shape.

My pizza in the oven baking.

The fire was started at 9:00 a.m. and by mid-afternoon it was about 500 degrees in that oven. Needless to say, the pizza was baked and ready to eat in less than five minutes.

Sophia watching her pizza bake in the oven.

Seeing the wood-fired oven in action made me want to build one of these in the backyard even more.

One of the finished pizzas.

I think of how nice it would be to use the oven and then open it up to others who want to make pizza or bake a loaf or two of bread in the oven. It would be a way to building community and developing friendships around a common interest: healthy food.

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52 Week Photo Challenge 2014 and  

Planting Trees from Neighborhood Forest

Earlier this year I signed up to participate in Neighborhood Forest's annual Earth Day event.

Neighborhood Forest has three main goals:
=> Give children a way to connect with the Earth.
=> Beautify neighborhoods.
=> Help families make a small dent in their carbon foot-print.

Each year for Earth Day the organization gives free trees (6-12 inches in size) to school children. They do this in cooperation with parents, school administrators, and teachers throughout the Twin Cities with the hope that the students and their parents are willing to plant and care for them.

Olivia with one of the trees she planted next to the driveway.

Since 2010, Neighborhood Forest has reached over 10,000 school children who have helped plant over 5,000 trees across the Twin Cities and beyond.

So, I signed up Sophia and Olivia to each receive a tree. I received an email back asking if I would be willing to plant more trees. Absolutely!

Sophia planting one of the trees in the front yard.

So, in late-April, right before Earth Day, we received 12 free northern white cedar trees from Neighborhood Forest.

Olivia planting one of the trees in the grouping in the front yard.

This should make a nice windbreak, and 

hopefully we'll see some wildlife benefit from the shelter once the trees are larger.

We talked about where we wanted to plant the trees - not only to benefit us, but for others to enjoy as well. We decided to plant ten of the twelve trees in the front yard where people driving, walking, or biking by can see them. The remaining two trees are in the backyard.

Sophia lifting the sod and preparing a hole for the tree.

The northern white cedar trees are a new type of tree to our farm. We have a variety of evergreen trees, but not of this variety.

Olivia and Sophia in the process of planting eight trees in the front yard.

The trees will grow to a height of 25 to 50 feet, and a diameter of 1 to 2 feet. There will be small, oblong cones that stand up on flattened branchlets that are covered by overlapping, scale-like leaves.

The thin bark sheds in long, narrow strips. Sometimes referred to as the "Swamp Cedar" it typically is found growing on limestone soils in moist to boggy habitats. \

Olivia planting one of the trees in a wooded area next to the driveway.

We planted two of the twelve trees in this area.

White-tailed deer use these thickets in winter, and smaller mammals as well as birds feed on its seeds. Because of this, we grouped the trees together so they can provide some shelter during the winter. There are eight trees in the front yard, two next to the driveway, and two in the backyard.

We're excited to see the trees grow, and are so happy that Neighborhood Forest gave us this opportunity to plant a dozen trees!