Scrubby Love

I took this photo of Em on a Ruston Way walk last week. We had taken a nice long drive so she could experience busier highways and some bigger city driving. She did great. I can get good pics of her as long as she doesn't know I'm doing it. I love how this turned out, except Mount Rainier was visible with the naked eye, but the haze is just heavy enough to hide it with the phone camera (it's right by her elbow).

I've knit or crocheted almost all of my dish clothes and and scrubbies myself. Most of the scrubbies are worsted cotton and tulle. I love how they work, how well they wash up and how long they last. This week I'm experimenting with a new scrubby made from t-shirt yarn and tulle. So far I'm really pleased. Emma made a bunch of yarn from old t-shirts and I've crocheted a few baskets with it. I take mine on nearly every road trip we go on. It's really handy and strong.

I love the look and feel of my first t shirt scrubbies. I'll let you know how they wash up. I think they will be a new favorite for dish washing. I'm doing something looser with the cotton worsted and tulle for scrubbing veggies. Here's how I make them.

Materials needed: t shirt yarn, tulle cut in one inch strips, tied together and wound around something (I like using a wood clothespin),  size 15 knitting needles

1)    Hold the t shirt yarn and tulle strip together and

       cast on 8 stitches. 

2)    Knit rows until it's about 4 1/2 inches long

3)    Then cast off and weave in ends.

It's simple and super quick. I think they would be a great addition to a kitchen gift basket and they are very environmentally friendly. They can be used for dish washing or as a veggie scrubber.

Psalm 24:1 on etsy by Makewells

Hope you, too, can find fun ways to be greener this May!

Linda <><

Mothers Day Afterthoughts

At the end of our family's long Mothers' Day weekend I thanked my sweet husband and precious daughters for putting up with me and my 'plans'. My oldest said, "I love you, just not your plans! It would have been a lot easier to make you a card and get flowers!" Ultimately, I think she's glad we did what we did and her little sis is recovering. We didn't get many pictures with us, the little one doesn't like her pic taken. But the memories will remain in our hearts for all time. 

Doing the Free Them 5K made us all a little more aware of a world outside our own seemingly sheltered lives. We were able to exceed our team goal with folks donating over $500 in our team's name. Race day brought perfect weather, delicious food trucks, a petting zoo, cheerful participants and a sold out race. The girls learned that a 5K is no biggie and we are planning to do this one again next year.

Mother's Day was a bluebird day for hiking, or as my husband corrected me, climbing Mount Si. It was four miles up with an elevation gain of 3500 feet. We got some photos, but none with us. I promise we did it! We will have that memory forever! Luckily, the aches will only last a day or two. At the top is a boulder field and beyond it what they call the haystack. Even though we didn't attempt the haystack I feel like it was a major accomplishment. Here are some pics hubby and I got.

A view up Old Si trail

Mossy trees along the trail

View of North Bend area

Looking back at Snoqualmie Pass

View Back to Seattle

Here's Mount Si from Rattlesnake Ledge, on a hike we did last summer.

Feet selfie

The after hike plan was to eat cherry pie at Twede's Cafe in North Bend, the famed diner from Twin Peaks. It was crazy busy and we decided it should be rainy/misty/drizzly to get the true Twin Peaks ambiance, so we moved on and found a great little place, Chicago Pastrami, in Issaquah just down the road that had the best hot dogs. Now, I dearly love hot dogs, but I only eat one or two a year. I had just finished a ridiculous 8 mile hike so anything probably would have made me happy, but that Nathan's hot dog  with a Limonata and potato salad was a perfect Mother's Day meal!

At the end of the day, the best part of Mother's Day weekend was simply spending it with my dear family. God has blessed me with two grown daughters who put up with my hair brained ideas and a hubby just crazy enough to help me work out the details.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord:

for this is right."

Ephesians 6:1

May your May be filled with joyful memories!

Linda <><

Greek Salad with Farro and Kale

Greek salad is a quick, healthy salad with lots of variations. It's also one of my husbands favorites and can easily be made as a main dish. We've been creating this version or something like it quite a bit lately. Throw in some chicken to make it even more protein packed.

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

(or a pint of halved cherry tomatoes)

1 large cucumber, chopped

1/4 to 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup  Kalamata olives, halved (or to taste)

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 big handfuls kale, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cup cooked farro

2 tablespoons dried oregano 

olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper

feta or crumbled goat cheese

Mix all ingredients up to the oregano and add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheese. Serve intermediately or chill. It's better the second and third day. 

We also like it with brown rice or quinoa instead of the farro. I slice my onion with a simple mandolin slicer, one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. There are no exact amounts to make this salad perfect. It's much better with home grown tomatoes, but I've got a long wait for that. I usually put the tomato and pepper starts in after Mother's Day. Here in the Pacific Northwest growing tomatoes is an art and the season is short. Wish me luck! And have a great Mother's Day weekend.

Doodle of our backyard on my daughter's Economic's notebook

Linda <><

Mother's Day

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are enjoying sunshine and 70's for the first time this year. The garden is going in thus I must keep this short and sweet.

As an adult I rarely got to spend Mother's Day with my own mom. She lived too far away. I would send a corsage for her to wear to church and call. Now, she has been gone for two years and I still miss her dearly. So far I've been blessed to spend most Mother's Days with the two precious ones who call me Mom.

1994 waiting for the parade to pass with Mom & daughters

This year we have a full weekend planned. First, there is this:

We are a team: Family of 4

We live such a sheltered life, it is unimaginable what is happening right now on this planet. If you feel inspired to help with a small donation that would be awesome! Every little bit helps!

Next on our agenda is the annual Mother's Day hike. Weather permitting we'll be hiking Mount Si. 

Mount Si

If all goes as planned I will follow up with some pics of our adventures. 

I hope your May basket is filled with sweets and blessings!

Linda <><

Reflections on Earth Day

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Isaiah 6:3

It's Earth Day 2014! What are you doing about it? I have always tried to live 'green', but I know there are many areas where I fall short. Here is a list of what I've done, what I do and what I hope to do!

1)   Ever since I went to college (1978) I've used cloth napkins. Back then my roommate and I bought a few on sale to save money. Since then I've made my own and even used old shirts to make some. We use them every day. They don't really take up much room in the wash and folding them is a small chore for a child. It helps make every meal a special meal. Here are some great ones from RecycledGrace on etsy.

cloth napkins by RecycledGrace

2)   I do the least amount of cleaning necessary saving cleaning products and my own energy! The truth is I am trying to make most of my cleaning products with earth friendly ingredients and have found many, many sources online for great alternatives for most household products. Check out these beautifully packaged cleaners from NaturalGreenCleaning on etsy.

Natural Cleaning Products by NaturalGreenCleaning

3)   I work from home and plan carefully my errands so use less gas. 

4)   We have a mostly organic vegetable garden with some veggies and herbs to use year round. Etsy is a great place to fine a wide variety of seeds. I've used several from DigDirtCheapSeeds. We also eat local and love our town's farmers' market.

Brussells Sprout seeds by DigDirtCheapSeeds

5)   I love buying my clothes and housewares from thrift stores. And sending the unwanted and unneeded back that way. I've made yarn from t shirts and totes and quilts from old clothes.

basket I made from recycled t shirt yarn

6)   Recycling. It is easy in our town. Love this by VeganeseTees on esty.

Organic cotton tee by Veganesetees

7)   I always bring shopping bags, mostly ones I've made from old clothes or fabric remnants. Many towns here are banning plastic shopping bags. Here's a neat one by julsofparadise on esty.

reusable shopping bag by julsofparadise

There are probably others, but that's all I can think of now! Here's some of the biggies I hope to change in the future.

1)   Composting. I try, but it's not very convenient here. We eat a lot of fruits and veggies so I need to make a greater effort. Maybe this would help by VintageGardenArt.

Spoon garden art by VintageGardenArt

2)   Driving a more energy efficient car and living in a place where walking and bike riding would be more convenient to run errands. It's just far enough and hilly enough to make it generally pretty difficult to get anywhere useful from my home. Even public transportation falls short. 

3)   I live in the Pacific Northwest, why don't I have some rain barrels?

4)   I've recently decided that lawns are just stupid. Well, that was after a weekend of thatching and aerating the neighborhood lawns. I want to plant more food and native plants and less lawn.

Again, there is probably more, much more I could do. I think we are called to be stewards of this beautiful planet we inhabit! And what is God's greatest creation? Us! So first and foremost we must care for each other! What are you doing?

Have a great Earth Day!

Linda <><

Spring Cleaning

Today in my exercise class we did something new. Some kind of side plank, lift and kick thing. Our fearless leader said, "This is new, this is big, this is ugly!" I think oftentimes that is true of new things in life. They may even be a bit painful, but ultimately it's worthwhile! I am reflecting on this as the Lenten season comes to it's joyous end.

My husband and I decided for Lent we would get rid of at least one thing every day. And although we might have missed a day or two we definitely made up for it other days and can easily continue long after Easter. One full truckload has already gone to the thrift store and more is gathering. The goal was not just to get rid of stuff, but to simplify, scale down and truly give sacrificially. Not just getting rid of what we don't want, but keeping only the minimum of what we really need. That scenario will require much more from us, but I'm ready!

I've been, ever so slowly, reading the book Radical by David Platt. It's not a long book, but it is deeply convicting. Part of it is a message similar to that of this sculpture. It is the message Jesus shares with us in Matthew 25:31-46. 

Homeless Jesus

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:37-40 (The Message)

 by Rachelle Levingston

So I look forward to celebrating Christ's resurrection Sunday and continuing my journey going new, big and, yes, ugly! 

photo by Brian David Casey

Rejoice! He is risen!

Linda <><

post apocalyptic skills

Just got back from a run. 3.5 miles. Let me be  more specific. When I say run I mean jog and when I say jog, it's a very slow jog. But it's more than I could do 10, 20, even 30 years ago. As I ran I listened to my playlist and considered other things I never could have dreamed I would be doing.

First of all, I was listening to a mix of hundreds of songs on my phone. I usually don't do that because I feel like I need all of my senses to keep from falling over. I've never been very graceful, but it's amazing how the music distracts, energizes and in general improves any workout. New Shoes by Paolo Nutini got me going and an old favorite, Your Smiling Face by James Taylor, got me up the biggest hill with a smile on my face. The list includes two other new workout favorites: Shake by Mercy Me and Overcomer by Mandisa. What are your favorites?

My new running shoes

On that same phone I tracked my miles run, speed and calories burned! I couldn't have come up with all this in my wildest dreams. Had it been a bit sunnier I could have snapped a pic of Mt. Rainier and shared it with the world instantly.  Like I did  with this picture I instagramed on a recent run with my daughter in Bellingham.

Misty morning run Klipsun Trail

Before the run I used my 'read the Bible in a year schedule' app for today's reading and even read the Bible selection there. I am in awe!

I can't tell you how many times that smart little thing has set on the kitchen counter with a recipe I found on Pinterest to guide me through another meal prep. I even use it to Skype with the next door neighbors and family that lives on the opposite end of the country! And then I do much of my etsy business with it.

This is all fun and games, but I continue to keep my post apocalyptic skills honed even though I don't intend to be here to use them. I crochet, knit, hand sew and garden to name a few. 

Mason jar cozies

It's just all so mind-boggling when I think of my dad. Just one generation ago and what I call post apocalyptic skills were his reality. Born in a sod house on the Oregon Trail he lived without electricity or running water. Both of my grandmothers found time for great scratch cooking and amazing quilts and fine tatted lace.

So, yes, I love all of my convenience devices, especially the phone that is rarely used for a phone call, but do they really save time or enhance the quality of life?

Snow hiking at Mount Baker

I'm not so sure. May your week be blessed with simple pleasures.

Linda <><