Life With The Crew

Good Shoes

Since my little babe is officially a big girl walker now, she needed some big girl walker shoes.  The snow has melted and she can walk outside.  I didn't want to buy a cheap pair of shoes made in China, but I also know that little kid's feet grow fast and she won't be able to wear them for more than one season, so I didn't want to spend a ton of money.  I also didn't want to buy her leather shoes.  Several months ago, I received a catalog in the mail intended for someone else.  Instead of being just junk, it was a TOMS catalog.  I was happy to discover that TOMS is a socially progressive company that does a lot of good in the world.  For each pair of shoes that are bought, they give one pair of shoes to a child in need.  They also have a similar program for eye glasses.  Although their shoes are not made in the United States, they are open about their manufacturing process and their level of corporate responsibility is much better than most companies.  They offer shoes made from canvas, hemp, organic cotton, and recycled materials.  I thought that they would make a great first pair of shoes for my little babe.  I think my little babe agrees.  We opened up the box this morning and she wanted to put them on immediately.  She was so excited she pulled them out of the box faster than I could!

The shoes come in a really cool box that has pictures of some of the kids that have received shoes.

I am not affiliated with TOMS in any way.  I just happen to think they are a cool company making a direct positive impact on children's lives.  And they happen to make some really cute shoes!  What's not to like about that?  If I can spread the word and one more barefooted child gets a pair of shoes, that's great.  

Look Who's Using A Pattern!

Yep, I decided it was time to take the plunge and actually knit something from a pattern.  Oh, such a scary word for me - it means sticking to the rules and doing new tricky knitting manuevers.  After seeing the beautiful In Threes cardigan that Emily made at Front Forty Farm for her daughter, I wanted one too!  So far, so good.  I did a little YouTube watching to figure out how to KFB, but I have made it through the first couple of inches of the garter yoke and it looks just like the picture!  I'm hoping to get it completed by Easter - that gives me a month.  Wish me lots of long, quiet nap times!

And here are some pretty pictures to wish you a Happy Thursday!

Reconnecting With Nature - 3.26.14

I am joining Chrisy at Living A Good North Coast Life for her "Reconnecting With Nature" series.  As we bloggers sit around connected to our computers, it is a great way to force us to step outside and maybe notice something new in the natural world or just appreciate something that we see every day.  Read more about the Reconnect with Nature - one photograph at a time idea here. 

This past weekend we visited the local nature center for their Maple Harvest Festival.  They serve pancakes, have bird of prey demonstrations, and have educational displays about maple syrup - how it was collected throughout history,  identification of maple trees, the extraction process, etc.  It is a pretty neat event.  Though the little babe is too small to actually learn anything about the maple syrup harvesting process, she had a great time walking around, looking at the people, and exploring.  She did a lot of real, physical connecting  with nature.

These are larch cones.  I love their round shape and texture - perfect for little hands!

At the insistence of my little babe, my husband also connected with nature.

We also saw some beautiful birds of prey.  The nature center takes care of wild animals that were injured and cannot survive on their own.  Volunteers were walking around with several of the birds and owls - really cool!

A Great Horned Owl

A Barn Owl

A co-worker of my husband is really into birds.  He keeps a lifetime birding list and goes birding whenever he has the chance.  He even recently quit his job and is spending a month and a half doing a "hawk watch".  For $50 per day, he will be sitting outside in one spot, 6 days a week, to observe and record any raptor activity that he sees.  He is doing this on the top of a mountain, about halfway between our house and this nature center.  Apparently it is a real hot spot for hawks.  I wonder what kind of experience he had with nature as a child, to have such a great love for birds instilled in him.  I hope that by exposing my little babe to these things now, even at such a young age, or more importantly, because she is seeing them at such a young age, that she will appreciate and care for the natural world when she is older.

Do you have a favorite childhood memory of experiencing nature?

Thankful Tuesday - 3.25.14

Today I am thankful for...

-the place that we live.  The town and surrounding area has almost everything that my husband and I want.  (The ocean, a decent place to rock climb, and a Flatbread Pizza would make it perfect, but a girl can't have everything!)  One of the great resources in our area is Shaver's Creek Nature Center.  We went there on Saturday for their Maple Harvest Festival.  We had a great day outside together as a family, forgetting about the stresses of home and work for a couple of hours.  The little babe had her new walking shoes on and was ready to cruise.  We saw a lot of cool things, just in the woods on our own and also at the interpretive displays at the nature center.  I am thankful that we have such great places to connect with nature in such close proximity to our home.

We parked on the opposite side of the lake to avoid the traffic and then walked through the woods.

 A Shagbark Hickory, which I remembered from my college semester at the nature center.

 Deer poop! (Oh, I know I'm such a suburban girl if I get excited about seeing deer poop.)

On the boardwalk - it may be Spring, but we needed to be bundled up.

 A tap on a maple tree.

 My husband looking through a refractometer to measure the amount of sugar in the sap.  (I think that is what it does - I didn't quite get the whole science behind it.)

 I discovered this little tunnel in the dried field grass - mole, vole, field mouse?

 Wintergreen berries - some of the only bright color to be found at this time of year.

 The Sugar Shack where they had the evaporator pan demonstration - it is where the sap is boiled down into maple syrup.

 I loved the old scenes on these syrup containers.

 And the pretty tree scene on the front of the stove.

 Barred owls at the raptor center.  All three turned their heads in the same direction at the same time.

 

Tune in tomorrow for Reconnecting With Nature to see more pictures from our little adventure!

I welcome other bloggers to join me for Thankful Tuesday by sharing a link to their post in the comment section below.  And I always welcome anybody to share what they are thankful for!

Sewing Snippets

I've done some sewing recently, at nap times when the little babe is sleeping, and also when she has woken up and decided to join me at the table.  Since I do not use patterns, I never really know if what I'm making is going to actually fit. 

I'm really happy with this tunic.

I had bought the fabric to make curtains for my little babe's room, but when I got home and looked at it, the print was too busy.  However, I think it is perfect for a new Spring tunic for the little busy babe of mine!

The top part fits great, but the body is a bit wide.  However, it allows for lots of movement, which is what this little babe needs.  Just look at how she can move in it!

Next, I decided that it was time to take down the dried orange peel garland from our kitchen door and replace it with something for Spring.  I thought that a simple, small bunting would do.  I just used some fabric scraps.  Easy, raw edges, kitchen twine.  Here it is.

Then at naptime today I felt like playing a little bit, so I broke out a pretty blue linen dress that I had stashed away for several years now.  It was in perfect condition except that the top of the zipper had been chewed by a dog.  (In my house - big surprise!)  I decided to try and make some pants for the little babe.  I really butchered the dress in the process and then had two pants legs, but no butt area.  So I broke out some MonaLuna fabric and had just enough fabric to sew onto the legs.  I know - I make it much harder on myself than it needs to be - I just need to take the time and actually follow a pattern!  They are wearable, but just barely.  If she didn't have a big diaper to hold them up, she'd have some plumber's crack going on.  But they look really cute from the front!  

And to show you what a good helper she is...

What would I do without my little babe?

 

Recipe for the Weekend - Orange Chocolate Brownies

Earlier this week I made some egg-free chocolate brownies.  Our chickens are laying eggs again, but they are eating them before I can collect them.  So we were out of eggs, but I wanted to make some brownies.  I decided to make my own recipe and so made brownies that were really healthy, but only tasted so-so.  My husband wasn't really impressed.  They had yogurt, a banana, maple syrup, and only a little sugar - really good stuff.  But I think because they only had cocoa powder, no chocolate or chocolate chips, they were a little bland.  However, my little babe didn't seem to mind.

Since we didn't have dessert yesterday on my birthday, I decided to make a non-healthy chocolate dessert for tonight.  I found a brownie recipe in my trusty "Hershey's Classic Recipes" book and added some orange zest to it.  Yum - totally full of sugar and chocolate chips - not a drop of maple syrup or honey in sight!  My husband said, "These are good!"  So if you need a daily dose of sugar, here it is.

Orange Chocolate Brownies

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9x13" pan.  (You know what I recently realized?  Instead of greasing your pan with olive or veggie oil, which is what I normally did, you can use the wrapper from your stick of butter to smear in the pan!  Why did I not think of that before?!  I have been so wasteful!)

2.  In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) and 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  When chocolate chips are melted, remove from heat.

3.  Pour into a bowl and add the following:  1 1/2 cups of white sugar, 1 1/4 cups of flour, 3 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Stir until smooth.

4.  Add the zest of two oranges - use organic if possible.

5.  Stir in 1 more cup of chocolate chips.

6.  Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until center is set.  Do not over bake - brownies are better slightly underdone!

*You may notice that I do not use vanilla extract in any of my recipes.  I do a lot of baking and it seems that every recipe calls for vanilla.  Doesn't matter what it is - chocolate cake, sugar cookies, gingerbread - it all calls for vanilla in some insanely small amount.  I decided that it is bogus bunk and decided to stop using it.  I have more important things to spend my money on - vanilla extract isn't cheap!  So if you are a faithful vanilla user, then please go ahead and add a teaspoon to these brownies.  

 

Special First Day of Spring/Birthday Give-A-Way!

It is March 20th, which means that it is the first day of Spring and it is my birthday!  Even though I always consider my birthday to be the first day of Spring, some years it is officially not.  This is one of the officially YES years, so time to celebrate!

I contacted the wonderfully creative Svenna at Stitch & Purl and asked if she would donate a handmade felt and wooden peg gnome for the occasion.  I have been admiring them on her blog and thought that one would be the perfect give-a-way item to celebrate the first day of Spring!  She was kind enough to ask for my suggestion.  The flower of the month for March is the Jonquil and the birthstone is the Aquamarine, so I thought combining those would be appropriate.  Here is the custom gnome that Svenna made for me to give to one lucky reader!  My own custom gnome - I am so excited!

Isn't she positively beautiful?  Here is a side view.

Svenna does amazing embroidery - look at the details on this little gnome's cape. 

Svenna lovingly makes these gnomes using a wooden peg doll and 100% wool felt that she stitches by hand.  This gnome is about 2 1/2" tall.  Besides making these tiny detailed creations, she is a talented knitter and seamstress.  She sells her items through her Etsy shop, Stitch & Purl.  Svenna has two young boys to keep her busy, yet she manages to keep her Etsy shop full of treasures.  Here are some of her other creations.

 

For your chance to win the custom handmade March Gnome, please leave a comment below sharing your favorite first sign of Spring.  If you want to earn a second chance, "Like" my new Life With The Crew Facebook page.  The contest is open now until Saturday, March 22nd at 7am.  The gnome will be shipped directly from England.  She will bring a fresh touch of Spring to one lucky winner!  I think one of Svenna's gnomes would make a lovely Mother's Day gift also, so be sure to stop by her Etsy shop to see all that she has to offer.   

**All photos courtesy of Stitch & Purl

Hump Day Give-A-Way 3.19.14

If you are trying to reduce the amount of plastic in your life, but like drinking your smoothies, natural sodas, or milkshakes with a straw, this is your lucky day!  Today's Hump Day Give-A-Way is for two green colored, green eco-friendly, glass straws.  Yes, glass drinking straws!  When I first heard of glass straws, I was amazed - what a cool concept.  The straws are made in Orgeon by Carli, who sells them on Etsy at StrawbyCarli.  They are made of borosilicate glass, which is very strong.

I like drinking my smoothies with straws.  They just taste better when I drink them through a straw rather than out of the cup.  Plus, if the smoothie is thick and full of good stuff like flax seeds and coconut, it threatens to all pour out at once when you drink it.  A straw is just much easier.  I used to save the straws from our Starbucks iced chai lattes, which are also green, but they are just posing - these are the real deal.  I don't like the idea of reusing the cheap plastic multiple times, so a glass straw is a great invention.  Plus it is easier to clean - those plastic straws get a little gunky after a couple of uses!  These StrawsbyCarli are dishwasher safe. 

Here is my little interview with Carli:

-How did you get started working with glass?

I took a beginner's fusing class in California. Within the year I moved to the Portland area of Oregon, which is where a lot of the art glass used today is manufactured. I took a class at Bullseye glass and fell in love with manipulating glass in the torch. 

-What inspired you to start making glass straws?

I wanted to do something with my environmental science major, and I also wanted a way to stay connected and productive as a Mom, when I had my son in 2007. I had started playing with borosilicate glass by then, which is the glass used in my straws, it is a lot sturdier than soda lime glass. Borosilicate is basically Pyrex. So I had glass tubing and I just started making straws with them.

-Are the straws made from recycled glass and if so, where do you get your material?

Sadly, the straws are not made with recycled glass. without getting too technical about it, different glass cools and heats at different speeds, and combining different glasses can cause stress within things that are made of glass that cannot be relieved. I need to be absolutely certain of what glass I am using to make straws.

Along with the straight straws that come in assorted colors, Carli also makes bended straws like these.

(Above photo courtesy of strawsbycarli.)

For a chance to win these two 8" glass straws, please leave a comment below.  Two earn a second chance at winning, hop on over to Facebook and "Like" Life With The Crew.  The contest is open now until Friday, March 21, at 7am.  I will assign a number to each comment and randomly draw a number, which will be announced by Saturday at noon.  Stop by StrawsbyCarli to see the assortment of colored glass straws that she makes.

CONTEST CLOSED

Reconnecting With Nature - 3.19.14

I am joining Chrisy at Living A Good North Coast Life for her "Reconnecting With Nature" series.  As we bloggers sit around connected to our computers, it is a great way to force us to step outside and maybe notice something new in the natural world or just appreciate something that we see every day.  Read more about the Reconnect with Nature - one photograph at a time idea here. 

This past weekend my husband, little babe, and I took a stroll to one of the local parks.  This park happens to adjoin a farm where they keep a ferocious beast that made my little babe cry.  Here are some pictures that I managed to take, while making sure to stay on the opposite side of the fence.  Can you guess what it is?

Yes folks, an evil miniature donkey.  Hee-haw.

I was thrilled to see that not only were there horses, but there was this adorable little donkey too!  However, as soon as my little babe saw them from a distance, she started crying.

Then the donkey started coming closer and she clung to my husband while I got even more excited.

Then the donkey came right up to the fence so that we could see how dusty he was and smell his wonderful donkey smell and my little babe considered heading for home, with or without me.

My husband tried to talk her into petting the furry beast, but she wasn't having it.

As a horse lover and someone who took riding lessons during her entire childhood, this is a little worrisome.  I have grand plans for my little babe to start riding lessons as soon as she knows her left from her right.  We will just have to continue going to the park for some desensitization therapy.

 Moral of the story - nature might be willing to connect with you, but not everyone is ready to connect with nature.  It is a learning process and sometimes requires people to go outside of their comfort zones in order to experience something new.  Though I'm not looking to connect with spiders anytime soon.

Thankful Tuesday - 3.18.14

Today I am thankful for...

-a fun Sunday with my husband and little babe.  This past week was a long one, with my husband working long hours and all day on Saturday.  The little babe is going through a bit of a demanding, I-want-to-do-everything-by-myself phase, and so she and I have had some rough moments.  It was a much needed break to have her father with us and to get out of the house on a little adventure.  We ran for a coffee treat, then to a local park so the little babe could try out her new big girl shoes.  I happened to find them for $8 at the local second hand kids store.  Not what I would normally choose to spend my money on - plastic, pink, and sparkly - but, they were cheap and she loves them!  

While I would love to be able to share some beautiful pictures of signs of Spring - this is early March in Pennsylvania, so no daffodils here.  Plus, it isn't technically Spring until this Thursday.  (Make sure to stop back to see the special give-a-way I have planned!)

The local Master Gardener's club maintains a wonderful butterfly garden in the park.  I loved the shape and texture of the dried flowers.

 

It did look like the grass was getting a bit greener.

Even though it was cold, just around freezing, we all had a great time.

Make sure to stop back tomorrow for Reconnecting With Nature to see what else we discovered on our trip!