Rejuvenating Weekend

This weekend was the perfect combination of relaxing and productive. Last night I made a trip to Joann's and purchased what I needed to finally be able to finish my latest crochet project and try a new one. Gearing up for 2014 season of baby showers. 

Right now, they're just bows. I bought silver barrettes to glue them to, or may end up attaching them to headbands. Here are some of the arrangements I played around with: 

I followed this tutorial using the materials below: 

And here is my finished crochet project: 

To make it a rattle, I used a jingle bell that came on some Christmas candy and put it inside of a tooth box (you know- where kids save the teeth they lose for the Tooth Fairy. My sister-in-law is a dental hygienist and it's the best I could come up with!) I chose these colors to be gender neutral, because Ryan's cousin, the mommy-to-be, does not know what she's having.

Among other things, little safety pins from clothing tags are one of the items I save! This way, I could attach a little homemade tag. 

***

Saturday morning started with a trip to the Public Market and then time in the kitchen. We bought locally raised, organic breakfast sausage and eggs to anchor this amazing breakfast casserole. Leftovers should last us through the week for a quick eat before work. I looked at both of these recipes (one and two) and took what I liked from each one to make it my own. 

Also in the kitchen, I made these gummies following this recipe. I just bought this gelatin after reading of all the benefits. Gummies are, in my opinion, the best way to eat this superfood. 

I was then spoiled to a massage in the afternoon and dinner with both my parents and Ryan's parents. 

Spring has sprung and Ryan has ordered earthworms! I'll leave you with this lovely photo of food we're waiting to feed the little creepy crawlers when they get here this week! 

Right in Our Own Backyard

There's a nature center about 3 miles from our house. Each year, they have a maple syrup open house when people can come out and learn about how they tap their trees and make maple syrup. Ryan and I were the only adults there without kids! Haha! Oh well... it was pretty cool seeing it and I love the fact that the syrup comes from our own town! 

They said it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. That explains why it's so pricey. We got to sample both the freshly tapped sap and then the finished product. Mmm so sweet!

Roasted Butternut Squash- Two-for-One Recipes

We had a snow day today! Yesterday my classroom windows were open to let in the fresh 50 degree air. Mother Nature is as fickle about her seasons as my lunch was... I made squash hash and roasted winter squash & apple soup, along with a summer salad with blackberries. 

I wanted to make this hash for about a week now.  I had cooked chicken from dinner two nights ago, so I started out by making my bacon and roasting the squash. Once it was all ready to be sauteed together, I used the leftover bacon grease to cook everything else in. I also added mushrooms because I had them leftover. The recipe only calls for half of a butternut squash, so I decided to use the other half to make the soup below. 

The soup and hash had almost identical ingredients. I chopped everything all at once and roasted the veggies for the soup at the same time I did the squash for the hash recipe.  I've made this soup one other time and absolutely loved it! It's great for a quick lunch. I didn't even eat it today, I poured it right out of the blender and into a glass jar for the future. 

Ryan and I have by and large gotten away from buying salad dressings. We make our own using an olive oil/vinegar combo. My latest fad is this garlic herb balsamic vinegar from a local specialty store mixed with some extra virgin olive oil.

Remedies for a Stuffy Nose

I got a random stuffy nose yesterday that has lasted me all day today, too. It's the annoying stuffy/runny combo. Gross. I know. Since meds are out for a bit, I looked up what else I could do to get some relief. Beefing up on spices like turmeric was one suggestion. Turmeric tea is something I've tried several times before. I quite like the taste, and I'm downing my second mug as I type. 

Another suggestion was loading up on Vitamin C. I don't have a problem with that normally, with my slight pineapple addiction, but I decided to rev it up a bit. I'm making kiwi fruit leather (in the oven right now), following this tutorial. 

I came out with 9 rolls. Wegmans sells organic fruit strips, 8 for $2.99. I spent a similar amount- 8 organic kiwi from Trader Joe's for $2.49 (I used 7), plus the cost of a few tablespoons of honey and wax paper, both which I already had. 

 Of course, sleep was on the list, but I tried taking a nap and just couldn't fall asleep. I settled on crocheting in bed instead. This will hopefully turn out like this when I'm done. My first time with stripes and I love how it's coming along! 

I'm also planning on sleeping with a garlic sock tonight. I found all of these home remedies on mercola.com. It's my first time on the website. I'm willing to try it. Will update tomorrow to see if it did me any good. 

And, one of the best remedies out there- flowers :) Since Mother Nature hasn't brought spring yet, Ryan gave it to me in the form of this hyacinth. This is the best, most potent smelling flower. Its scent has potpourried our whole downstairs for days now. and it does its part to wipe away any lingering winter blues.