Lately...

Lately we have been having snow and snow and more snow. Quite a bit of snow for our little corner of the world. I am a snow spectator, it's my belief that snow is lovelier when viewed through glass. But on Saturday the kids and I bundled up and did some fort building. The boys needed lots of "ammunition" shelves for the "ambush" they were planning for their dad when he came back from work. They are into military stuff right now in case you were wondering.

Here we usually get ice before any snow starts falling and this time was no exception. A good half inch of ice coated everything under the four inches of snow. The beautiful thing about it for me was that I didn't need a single thing from the store! We had been shopping a few days before so we had some fresh things but even without that we were prepared. I had plenty of food, batteries, candles, water, even a huge bar of chocolate with hazelnuts that our sweet neighbors brought us from their trip to Europe! What more could you want?

So we have been snowed-in. Keeping up with school and housework and doing a bit of reading. Reading with six chickadees underfoot really tests your comprehension but I am one determined woman. My little old blog has been a bit neglected of late but that how things go. More and then less, finding the ever changing balance.

We are having soup for dinner with Red Lobster biscuits. I'm washing the perpetual laundry. The big brothers are confined to their room to save the living room furniture, not to mention my sanity, from their roughhousing and now sweet babe is ready to be nursed. Fullness and plenty that is what I have lately. What is at your house lately? I love hearing snippets of your lives, so tell me about it! And check out the blog list for links to some of my new favorite blogs, I think you'll like them.

Friday Photo

Nesting bowls, how I love thee, let me count the ways. This complete set of vintage Pyrex was a Christmas gift from my older sister and youngest brother. Do they know me or what? I've been using them everyday and I'm not sure I'll find a place in my cabinets for them. It's much easier to grab one and mix up a batch of cornbread if they are out on the counter. And they do look striking in the afternoon sun. Don't you think?

The first installment of the Pantry Primer will be up bright and early Monday morning. I'm excited!

The Practical Pantry

The Pantry Primer. This idea has been in the planning stages for several months and now seems the perfect time to start a series of posts on building, maintaining and cooking from a pantry. A pantry has always been a feature of my kitchen whether it has been a few cabinets or the small closet off my kitchen that I have in our current home. I've always canned food from our garden and many years that has been the extent of my pantry. In the past few years I have been employing a strategy, a loose one but a strategy none the less, to build up and maintain a significant food storage pantry. Over the next few weeks I'll write about why our family is building up a pantry, how we are doing it and what we are doing with the food now that it's in there. Also, I want to show how you can have a pantry even if you have limited space. Join me and see if you want to have a pantry of your own. I think you will!

100th Post and and Exciting Recipe!

This is my 100th post! I have to say that this blogging thing has been more fun than I imagined. It's very gratifying to me to share bits and pieces of my days with who ever will listen. Oh and to do something that isn't undone in 5 minutes is psychologically necessary for me at this season of life. I can hear all you moms saying AMEN!

To commemorate this momentous day I am posting a Very Exciting Recipe for you. This concoction has changed my life and has won the hearts of several people I know. Are you ready? It's natural ant killer. See, I told you it was exciting.

Last spring brought the migration of black ant through our part of the world. Growing up in Louisiana makes one slightly immune to the threat of ants. We had black ants, sugar ants, fire ants (never was immune to those), carpenter ants and many other kids of crawling pests. As long as it wasn't a fire ant it just didn't bother me. Whenever I saw one I'd just get rid of it and not think of it again. Well, then one lovely morning I walked into my kitchen to find a swarm of them on my countertop and that was it. A swarm of anything just grosses me out.

As it happened the termite man came that day for our annual termite inspection and after I told him about the ants he kindly filled my spray bottle with some of his noxious poison to spray on the pests. After repeated warnings of how dangerous it was and how it could kill snakes and small animals, you can imagine how thrilled I was to spray it around my kitchen. So I looked up natural ant killer and found a recipe that used things I already had. A few hours later my container of goo was filled with dead ants and they never came back! When a few were found this month scoping out our kitchen again, I made up another batch and again we are ant free. It's the best thing ever!

All you need is borax, sugar, peanut butter and a small plastic container. Ants are attracted to sugar and protein, so the sugar and peanut butter act as bait. The borax is toxic to bugs. The ants eat the bait and die, then they are carried back to the colony where the other ants eat the dead ones (grotty, I know) and before long the whole colony is toast. Borax is toxic to people too if you eat a large amount so if you have small kids, make sure you keep it up out of reach. Or don't worry about it if your kids don't eat everything they see like mine.

Here's how to make your own ant killer. Mix 3 parts sugar to 1 part borax. For my trap I used 6 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of borax. Add just enough water to make a paste then stir in a teaspoon of peanut butter. I use a small plastic container that I can throw away after the demise of the ants. Use a knife to carefully poke some holes around the top so they can get in easily.

Here you can see a photo of my lovely trap. I would show you the inside with all the dead ants but it's pretty gross. Although after the plague last year I wanted to show everyone my dead ants. Now, run out and get yourself some borax and get rid of your ants. You can send me tokens of your gratitude when you see how quickly your ant problem is gone. Just don't send me your old ant trap, I know how excited you will be about it but just tell me, I'll believe you. Good luck!

A Little Bit of Pampering!

Recently, as I was perusing my favorite creative blogs I follow I came across a post about pampering yourself. Unfortunately I can't remember which blog it was, blame it on lack of sleep lately or what, but I can't for the life of me pinpoint who wrote about taking a little extra care of yourself during these long winter months. One of her ideas I already loved was homemade herbal bath salts. I've given this a Christmas gifts in the past, paired with a small cotton bag to fill and drop in the hot bath. I was right at the tail end of my last batch so it was time to replenish the supply.
It's so simple and pretty in a big jar. All you need is a box of rock salt from the grocery store and some dried herbs you like. The batch combines lavender, milk seed thistle and crushed juniper berries. Just mix it all together and store by your tub waiting for the stars to align so you can actually have a long soak in a hot bath. I have a small cotton bag I sewed to fill for my baths but you can pick up little muslin bags in the craft section, they are in the tea supply section of our natural food store where I stock up on herbs. You really have to try this, it is so lovely in jar, that's half the treat of it.

And as you can see, it's irresistible to anyone, no matter their age!

February Cheer

Not really too much cheer happens for me in February. Gray cloudy skies for days on end, kids trapped inside for days on end, all the Christmas chocolate is long since gone. I have found that any cheer has to be intentionally searched out and celebrated. One thing that I love to do is iron my growing collection of hand embroidered linens. They are pieces that I have picked up at garage sales or flea markets, a few have been gifts from my mom. So I get them out, spray on some heavy starch and iron away. After they are folded in a neat stack, I display them in their chosen place.

I love this one on my bedroom dresser. It covers the whole top and looks lovely against the light colored wood. Entirely hand embroidered, I am amazed by the delicate work of this cloth. That some homemaker took what she had, fabric, thread and a needle, and made this beautiful work of art that has probably outlasted herself is thrilling to me.

My sideboard is where this scarf resides. The creamy linen is a perfect contrast to the warm colors of the cedar. I picked it up the same day I found the sideboard at a little shop down the road from my house and it is a rare find in that is in pristine condition. Seeing these lovely things, nicely ironed, as I move through the general chaos of my day makes such a difference in my outlook. If you are feeling a bit blue lately, try finding something you can do or change in your home and see if that helps you a bit. Or do what my mom always recommends and make yourself a big plate of pasta. Or do both, I think I just might!