Big Sister Baby Brother

April 24, 2013April 22, 2013 / makingofahome / 3 Comments

This May marks ten years since I graduated from The University of Illinois. (How is this possible I ask you? Oh my!) In honor of our decade since graduating, and the birth of the 15th baby born to my group of college girlfriends, we gathered in central Illinois for some food, fun and fabulous conversation.

And of course with every new birth, there must be presents. I had a bit more vintage fabric in my closet, so I decided to try my hand at a stuffed animal for the new baby, and why not a skirt to match for the big sister? I used the same variation on the Butterick pattern I mentioned in yesterday’s post for the Big Sis Skirt. And I played around a bit and came up with the following process for the stuffed owl. I hope you enjoy!

Step 1: I took a wool sweater I had already felted (I washed it in warm water, then let it dry. Repeat this step several times to shrink the stitching up a bit.), and using the edge of the sweater as my fold, I cut 2 4″ X 8″ strips.

Step 2: Placing right sides together, sew around 2 sides of the strip, leaving the top open. (I actually sewed two lines of stitching to strengthen the edge.)

Step 3: Turn right side out, and stuff the “legs.” Set aside.

Step 4: I then used the cuffs of the sweater and cut out two ovals. Then take remnant fabric and cut out two more ovals a bit smaller than the first two. Stitch the smaller oval on top of the larger, sew on a button and your eyes are done.

Step 5: Again using remnant fabric, cut out a triangle for the nose.

Step 6: Draw an owl pattern on a large sheet of paper. Take a large piece of fabric, fold it so the right sides are together, trace the owl pattern and cut out both pieces.

Step 7: Sew the eyes and nose to one of the owl cut outs.

Step 8: Place one owl-shaped piece down on a table (right side facing up). Pin each leg in place along the bottom of the owl.

Then place the second owl-shaped piece on top with the right side facing down.

Step 9: Sew around the outer edge of the owl, being sure to capture both legs in your stitching. (Again here, I also sewed two lines of stitching to strengthen the edge.) Be sure to leave about a 2″ opening so you can feed the fabric back through and stuff the owl.

Step 10: Feed the fabric and legs through the opening, and remove pins. Stuff the owl and then sew shut the opening.

Spring Sewing

April 23, 2013September 1, 2015 / makingofahome / 1 Comment

I can feel it. Spring weather is on its way. It has surely been slow in coming, but I think it is just around the corner. For that reason, I tucked myself in behind my sewing machine to craft some Spring goodies for my girls. Using vintage fabric I found at a thrift store, I made a slightly adjusted version of Butterick B5757 for my oldest daughter.

And then I made a mini-verson of the maxi dress from this wonderful blog for my youngest. I kid you not, both of these pieces took under 30 minutes total time to sew. This mama has got to make a few more of these quick projects to finish off the girls’ spring wardrobes.

Corn Sausage Chowder

April 16, 2013April 13, 2013 / makingofahome / 1 Comment

It seems that this is going to be a recipe-type week here at Making of a Home. As we inch closer to the growing season, we have been eating lots of food from our larder, to make space for this year’s bounty. Last night I grabbed bell peppers, sweet corn and chicken stock from our deep freeze and came up with this recipe from those ingredients. This is a hearty soup that will put some meat on your bones during these damp, April-shower-filled days.

In a stock pot, heat 1/2 stick butter and 2 tablespoons flour over medium heat to make a roux. Stirring constantly, heat this mixture until it turns a rich caramel color.

Add 1 diced red pepper, 1 diced green pepper, and 1 diced yellow onion to the roux mixture. Cook the vegetables until the onions become translucent. Be sure to stir often, scraping all of the roux-goodness from the bottom of the pan while you stir.

While the veggies are cooking, cook 2 pounds ground sausage in a skillet. Once cooked, set aside.

Add 1 quart chicken stock, 2 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup cream, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 pepper to the vegetable mixture. Simmer, with the lid on, for 20 minutes.

Add the kernels from 4 ears of sweet corn, the cooked sausage from earlier, and 8 ounces shredded Monterey jack cheese. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to one hour.

Garnish the chowder with a dollop of sour cream if you desire. Enjoy!

*A note about all my recipes: I use all organic ingredients, local when available. I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified. All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished. All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.

Grandpa Dit’s Molasses Cookies with a Twist

April 15, 2013September 1, 2015 / makingofahome / 2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I can’t quite think of anything better on a Monday morning than cookies. So today, I bring you another of my Grandpa Dit’s recipes: Molasses Cookies.

(I just love showing pictures of my Grandpa’s recipe box…Doesn’t it just look like the type of recipe box a man would have…Made out of steel, splattered with rust marks? Love it 🙂 ) I played around a bit with his recipe, to sub out the shortening he called for, with a combination of butter and coconut oil. After some experimentation, and trial and error, I’ve come up with what I think is a really tasty molasses cookie that is bit different than the traditional molasses-filled treat.

Grandpa Dit’s Molasses Cookies

Step 1. Cream together the following with an electric mixer:

1/4 cup softened butter

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 cup sugar

Step 2. Once creamed, add:

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Step 3. Continuing with the electric mixer, add:

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup molasses

Step 4. Using a wooden spoon, mix in:

2 cups all-purpuse flour

3/4 cups rolled oats

Step 5. Using a cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough on a greased cookie sheet. Then use the back of a tablespoon and make a depression in each dropped cookie. Sprinkle with sugar.

Step 6. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Join Me

April 10, 2013April 8, 2013 / makingofahome / Leave a comment

If you are looking for something to do this evening, join me at the Rockford Holistic Moms Network Meeting tonight at Just Goods in Rockford at 7 PM. I will be presenting at tonight’s meeting, and I would love to see some of you there! At tonight’s meeting, I will be discussing the ways in which my family has tried to create a “Suburban Homestead” of sorts, and how we try to create a means of food security for our family. It is sure to be a wonderful night. For more detailed information, visit our chapter Facebook page.

Holistic Moms Network is “a non-profit organization connecting parents who are interested in holistic health and green living. We encourage moms to trust their instincts, parent from the heart, use their innate sense of what is best for their children, live in balance with the Earth, and learn about the pros and cons of all healthcare and parenting options.

No matter where you are on your parenting or holistic living journey, you are welcome at HMN! We are a diverse and open-minded community, a place where your choices are respected and where you can learn and become informed! “

I hope to see you there!

Drawing Fun

April 9, 2013September 2, 2015 / makingofahome / Leave a comment

Ever since our February trip to the Northwoods, and my visit to this fabulous antique mall, I have had some lovely vintage fabric sitting on my shelf, just begging to be fashioned into some type of lovely.

Inspired by the “Felt Pencil Roll” in The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule, I made some adjustments to the pattern and created a lovely crayon/colored pencil roll for a brand new “Big Sister” friend of ours.

A Bit More

March 28, 2013March 25, 2013 / makingofahome / 1 Comment

We had so much fun dyeing Easter eggs over the weekend, I decided to hop on the natural dye agent train and go for a real ride. I had one skein of wool left after I finished making the woolens in this post, and a few left over beets from dyeing eggs. I decided I would try to dye the wool yarn. Here’s what I did…

Put the following ingredients in a large stainless steel pot:

4 large beets, peeled and chopped

16 cups water

4 cups white vinegar

Bring the ingredients to a boil. Let it slow boil for about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the yarn. (I tied off the skein a bit more too. I didn’t want it to get tangled while it “cooked.”)

Then remove the pot from the heat, cover and let it rest overnight. (Yes, just leave those beets in there…It’s fine.) Rinse the yarn 2-3 times in luke warm water.

Allow to dry completely on a drying rack.

Just Go With It

March 27, 2013March 25, 2013 / makingofahome / 3 Comments

Yes, it is March 27th. Yes, it is Spring. Yes, we are completely snow-covered and freezing. I’ve decided I need to move to the positive of this situation instead of dwelling on the negative. So, woolens it is. Why not sit under a quilt, with a mug of steaming hot coffee and crochet with a bit of lovely wool. And that’s just what I did.

The yarn is from this farm in Wisconsin. They can be found at the weekly farmers’ market in Madison, and they normally have their yarn for sale at their booth. (If you have never visited the Dane County Farmers’ Market, you must go! It is absolutely amazing…no matter the season…it’s year round and awesome!)

This is me embracing the frigid March temps. I’m just going with it.

Al Naturale

March 26, 2013September 2, 2015 / makingofahome / 4 Comments

Another of my favorite days is right around the corner. Sure, it is snowing outside as I write this, and the temperature last night dipped well below freezing, but no matter. Easter is just a few short days away.

Our house is always abustle with baking and crafts at this time of year, but our most favorite of all activities we find ourselves immersed in is dyeing those lovely little Easter eggs. For the second year now, we have opted to use natural dyeing agents to dye our eggs, and let me tell you…If you have never dyed eggs this way, you must try it! The entire process leads to a day full of fun, and this year we were even glad to find ourselves in our toasty kitchen from all that steam the pots were kicking off. I mean it was twenty-five degrees outside. Oh my.

There are many resources out there with a bunch of great ideas for natural dyeing agents. The book we used this year was Keeping Chickens: All You Need to Know to Care for a Happy, Healthy Flock by Ashley English.

One recommendation I would give is to try to find organic white eggs to use with these natural dyeing agents. These are sometimes difficult to find, as it took me driving to three different stores before I could find some, but it is well worth it. Last year we dyed organic brown eggs and the colors did not pop as much as they did this year.

Just to give you a frame of reference, starting with the yellow egg and moving clockwise…yellow (turmeric), violet (cranberries), brown (coffee grounds), pink (beets), bluish violet (blueberries and blackberries).

Please Pass the Butter

March 21, 2013March 20, 2013 / makingofahome / 1 Comment

Butter. Who doesn’t love its creamy sweetness, with the hint of salt, as it melts over a hot roll or freshly baked muffin?

During my substitute teaching stitch, my oldest daughter and I had to leave the house quite early, and our normal routine of homemade granola or pancakes for breakfast was not really a feasible option. We needed something fast, easy and delish.

So on Sunday afternoon, I whipped up a batch of muffins (I used this recipe). Then I froze the muffins so that I could pull out two the night before, allow them to defrost overnight, and then we had yummy muffins to eat in the car on our way to school. But what is a good muffin without butter?

This is quite possibly the easiest way to make homemade butter. Think elementary school when we all took turns shaking a baby food jar filled with cream until the butter formed. Same idea.

Simply pour some whipping cream in a glass bowl, and then mix it on high with an elective mixer.

You need to beat it past the point of whipped cream phase. You will start to notice a separation in the mixture.

Once there is a clear separation between the butter solids and watery substance, place the butter in a fine mesh strainer or in butter muslin until all of the moisture has been drained.

I like to then mix in a bit of salt. And you are set to go!

Be sure to keep your homemade butter in a sealed glass container in your fridge. It will stay good for about 5 days.

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