Life With The Crew

All You Wanted To Know About Me!

-I'm Katie, a happy stay-at-home Mom of one little babe.

-My drink of choice used to be a chai latte, but I'm now addicted to homemade maple lattes.  (Really.  I get a mean headache if I don't start my day with one.)

-I have been a vegetarian since I was 16 years old.  My husband stopped eating meat so that he could be the lucky man to marry me. 

-Since learning to knit six years ago, it has moved from fun hobby to really important part of my life.  It is my form of meditation and keeping sane.

-I live in Pennsylvania in a small university town.  

-I currently have 4 dogs, 1 cats, and 5 chickens, and a French Angora rabbit. I also have a senior Thoroughbred named Frank.  My dream homestead includes many more animals.

-Besides my own Romanian dog that I adopted, I have also brought over 3 dogs from Romania that I have found homes for here in Pennsylvania.  

-I have a major sweet tooth and eat a baked good of some sort every day (normally more than one), though I pack them full of healthy ingredients.

-I believe in making over buying and buying from a sustainable source when you can't make it yourself.

-I'm raising my child on raw milk and homemade bread, keeping her sweet with plenty of maple syrup and honey, and trying my best to keep her screen free.  

Because life is too short and there are so many amazing things in it to discover and appreciate, including the things in our own backyards and daily hum-drum lives, I hope to use this blog to encourage people to slow down a bit, notice the beauty in the natural world around them, and make choices in their daily lives that respect this planet and the creatures that inhabit it.

You can find me on Facebook here and on Instagram as @warm_in_wool

My photos are available at Society6 as wall décor, greeting cards, and other fun things!  

Warm in Wool Designs is my Etsy shop were I sell my hand knit items.

You can email me at:  [email protected]

 

 

Recipe for the Weekend - Cheesy Grits

On our recent trip down South, we had three different kinds of grits in three days.  The several times that I have had them before, I have said, "Just what ARE grits?"  Here is the answer.

 Apparently they are not as strange as they sound.  And when you add cheese and butter, they are darn delicious!

Cheesy Grits #1

We had these the first night on our way into town and then on our last day we grabbed them on the way out of town and ate them in the car.  Please don't let my ugly white thighs turn you off from grits.  These grits had a coarse texture to them, not bad, but definitely a bit "gritty".  They had just the right amount of cheese (I don't know what kind) and they were my favorite.

Cheesy Grits #2

These were goat cheese grits that we had at breakfast, along with a heavenly fluffy and thick biscuit.  Yum, yum, yum!  The goat cheese was a bit overpowering and the texture was a bit runny, but they were still really good.

Cheesy Grits #3

We had these at a fancy restaurant in Beaufort with a view of the water.  I wasn't really a fan of these - they were too cheesy for me, but husband really liked them.  My little babe wouldn't eat them when we told her to eat her grits, but when we told her to eat her cheese, she dug right in.  The power of words!

Cheesy Grits #4

These are my homemade grits!  The first time I have ever made them and they turned out pretty good.  We happened to have some coarse corn meal in the pantry and I had enough raw milk, so I whipped some up in 30 minutes.  Here is the recipe I used, though I cut it in half because I didn't want to use up 2 cups of milk.

1.  Bring the milk, water, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan.

2.  Slowly stir in the grits with a whisk until all incorporated.

3.  Turn down the heat to low and cover.  Stir every 3-4 minutes making sure that the grits are not sticking to the bottom of the pot.

4.  After about 20 minutes, when the grits have thickened, add the butter.

5.  Then add the grated cheese and stir until melted.

6.  Eat while hot and say, "These are darn good grits!" with your best Southern drawl.

What do you think about grits - pure comfort food or strange looking mush?  

 

Flower Power

On our travels this past weekend, we attended a graduation at Duke University in North Carolina.  We discovered that there is a wonderful botanical garden on campus - the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.  They are just fantastic!  We had a wonderful time exploring.  There are different gardens, such as the Asiatic Garden, the Discovery Garden, etc.  Here is a quick tour of the gardens in May.

Bamboo groves in the Asiatic Gardens.  Seeing the new shoots coming out of the ground was really cool, though they look like giant larvae!

The flower gardens were in full bloom with a rainbow of color, including poppies, alliums, hollyhocks, and peonies.  They also had Chinese Tree Peonies (the first picture).

There were several water features that were full of ducks, fish, and turtles.  We even found a baby turtle.  The little babe loved seeing the animals.  

We saw some interesting plants and trees in the Asiatic Gardens.

If you are ever in the Durham/Raleigh area of North Carolina, I would highly recommend visiting.  It is a wonderful place to picnic, explore with children, and spend hours with a camera trying to capture the beauty of it all!

 

 

 

Reconnecting With Nature - 5.14.14

I don't know if other countries have rest stops like we do here in the United States.  When you travel on large highways that go across the country, there are rest stops along the way, maintained by each state's Department of Transportation.  They are normally spaced about 20 to 60 miles apart and the cleanliness, size, and amount of green space at them varies from state to state.  The nicer ones have large welcome centers with clean restrooms, an information desk, and well maintained grassy picnic areas.  The bad ones in the middle of nowhere might only have a porta-potty and a junk food vending machine right near the highway.  We were pleasantly surprised by Tennessee and North Carolina; they both had really nice rest stops.  We stopped about every 3 hours to let the little babe stretch her legs and get some rammies out.  

Climbing her first tree - her father's idea.  (Her face looks strange because she has started moving her jaw side to side.  Gotta put a stop to that quick - no money for corrective jaw surgery in the future.)

This rest stop in Tennessee was so pretty, with lots of maintained grass.  It was a warm afternoon, about 75 degrees - the hottest temperature we've felt this year - and it was really nice sitting in the sun.  We played with the ball, ate some cookies, and then I moved to the top of the hill to nurse her al fresco.  Then she waved at the trucks passing by and actually got a couple of waves in return.

Moral of the post - even along a fast, dirty, highway filled with cars, you can find a way to connect with nature.  It doesn't take much to offer a respite from the monotony of long distance driving -  a patch of grass (free from dog poop and cigarette butts), a pretty tree, and a couple of wild flowers.  Add in some homemade cookies and you're good to go!  

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. 

Wisteria Wednesday

I apologize for not doing my homework - there is no Hump Day Give-A-Way contest today.  With all of the traveling that we have been doing over the past three weeks, it slipped my mind to set up a feature artist for today.  So you will have to be happy with Wisteria Wednesday!  As you look at these pictures, you should imagine the happy hum of busy bumblebees, buzzing all over the wisteria.  I had to duck for cover a couple of times!  Also imagine a sweet fragrance filling the air, similar to how lilacs smell.

And because I thought these were pretty too...

Hope you have a happy Hump Day!

Shared on Mona's Picturesque for Floral Love.

 

 

She Finds Seashells By The Seashore

This past weekend we visited Beaufort, North Carolina, which is near the Atlantic Ocean.  It is actually located on the Taylor River, which flows into the Atlantic.  We took a 15 minute ferry ride out to a barrier island, Shackleford Banks, so that we could go to the beach and look for some seashells.  Just enough time for the little babe to do some exploring and get sand on her toes, for her Father to take a quick dip in the ocean and hunt for whelk shells, and for me to take some photos.  We saw several of the wild horses that live on the island.  Then on our way back to the mainland, we saw dolphins swimming in the water near our ferry.  It was a wonderful morning.

Crossing the river.

Nature's artwork - seashells.

Whelk shells, which are really difficult to find unbroken.

 We didn't know what this was at first, but then my husband found a whole one and decided that it is part of a Scotch Bonnet shell.

I was loving the driftwood.  It was sanded so smooth by the waves and the colors on it were amazing.

It was overcast for most of the time we were there, which was great because there is no tall vegetation to provide shade.

One of the wild horses in the distance.

The little babe had a good time cruising on the beach.

There was a great boardwalk along the riverfront, with seafood restaurants and boutiques.  There is a really cool business called Hungry Town Bike Tours, which takes you on biking tours while providing you with insider's knowledge of the local culinary scene.  One of the tours is the Bike, Brunch, and Bubbles, which sounds like a lot of fun!

Since this is Tuesday, this post is doubling as my Thankful Tuesday post.  I am thankful for the dose of sun and sand!

 

A Morning In May

Last week we had a fantastically blue sky, white clouds, sunny morning in May.  The little babe and I had a little outing - a long run to the local park with lots of sliding and climbing time and quick stop at Starbucks.  By the time we got home, she was asleep in her stroller, so I was able to do a little yard work and admire the beauty of the morning.

And the little babe slept through it all.

Helping a Mother on Mother's Day

If you are interested in helping another mother on this Mother's Day, Mom Bloggers for Social Good has showcased six organizations that are providing prenatal care and birthing services to woman around the world.  You can read about them in this article.

My favorite organization is Kangu because you can choose which pregnant woman you would like to help.  It makes it a bit more personal than just sending a donation to a large organization.  Kangu provides life saving healthcare services to the mother and child of your choice during and after birth.  Every day woman die during pregnancy and children are born without ever having the chance to be held by their mothers (if they survive the birth).  If a woman has access to high quality obstetric services, her chances of surviving the birth to become a mother are much higher.  Now that is something to celebrate on this day of honoring Mothers!

 

Knitted Summer Tunic

After the success of my last sweater (I actually can knit something other than a hat or scarf!), I was ready to try something new.  I found this pattern for the Tea Party Top on Ravelry.  It was cute, looked simple enough, was a knitted item that the little babe could wear this summer, and the pattern was free!

I took the pattern to my local yarn shop, Stitch Your Art Out, and asked for help with the yarn selection.  They suggested a cotton/acrylic blend, which was new for me.  I have only ever knitted with wool.  I choose a pretty grass green color that felt right for Summer.  I happened to have a pair of metal round needles that were the right size, though I had never used them before.  The combination of the thin cotton yarn and the metal needles was a little slippery and it took some getting used to.  I've been in the car a lot lately and so was able to complete this in three weeks.  It was a really easy pattern, though I had to ask what a stitch holder was and how to use it.  What a neat little contraption!  The whole tunic was just knit and purl easy, but I did have to watch a YouTube video to learn how to rejoin the yarn onto the shoulder strap that was on the stitch holder.  

Working on the yoke with arm hole decreases.

A late night finishing it up - I stayed up until 11:30pm - way late for me!  I had my trusty sofa companion to keep me company.

The two sides before being sewn together.

And the finished product!  I feverishly sewed them together while the little babe was taking a short morning nap.  I wanted to get it washed before our upcoming trip - it looks like the perfect thing for May in North Carolina!

(I had not washed or blocked it yet in these photos, so it is a little rumply.)

Shared on The HomeAcre Hop.

Lots of Sweetness

There it is.  Our year's supply of maple syrup.  Six gallons on the shelf with one already open in the fridge.  We finished the last gallon from last year about 3 weeks ago and I have been rationing the expensive store bought syrup.  Not that this isn't expensive, but buying it in bulk definitely saves money.  Last year we went through four gallons and since I only started replacing most of the white sugar in my baking with maple syrup half way through the year, I know I will need a lot more this year.  

What is your favorite way to use maple syrup?  Granola* rules around here, but in winter, pancakes are a weekend staple.

*I've decided that the finer quick cooking oats make better granola than the rolled oats.  I like the texture better.

 

Shared on The Self Sufficient HomeAcre for The HomeAcre Hop.