Raw Milk, Wheat Grinding, and Family Fun at the Aquarium
My parents left today from a week in town. Well, it was my mom, dad, my sister (Angie), brother in law (John), and their two kids. It was an amazing visit, but it was over far too soon! God has been doing some incredible things in my family's life, and it was really neat to have an opportunity to spend some time with them.
My mom and my dad just seem much more peaceful (and simultaneously enthusiastic) about everything in life than I ever can remember them being. It's pretty fantastic. On top of all that, it was great to spend some good time with my sister, and with John, and their kids. Elisha and Ethan are too adorable for words. I can't remember ever having so much fun with my sister :)
We got to go to the Atlanta Aquarium yesterday, and I'd never been. It is the world's largest aquarium, and they have four young whale sharks. I know, I know, I'm a nerd. But, ever since learning in elementary that the whale sharks were the biggest fish in the sea, and loving anything that had to do with whales anyway (even though whale sharks are fish), I've always wanted to see one. Long time childhood dream. Anyway... add that to the joy of seeing my lovely nieces and nephews in starry-eyed wonder as they looked at the fish. And then the joy on Jeff's face as he took them in, too. I love watching the fish, and I really love watching people who love to watch fish.
Then I got home to find that not only did my yogurt maker show up, but also the wheat-grinding attachment to my kitchen aid mixer. I'm so excited that I can finally stop wandering all over creation just to grind wheat. That makes carving out time to do the baking so much easier. And, as helpful as everyone has been in offering up their mills (and everyone has been incredibly helpful), I can stop feeling like such an imposition. I know that people are glad to help and all. But I feel like I don't have a great way to thank people. Maybe I should have been (and should start) offering babysitting services to them. I mean, it seems a little empty to bake yummy treats for people who are more expert bakers than I, you know? So it's like...how do I say thank you (other than just saying thank you)?
Recently we started drinking raw milk, because somehow Jeff does not have any allergic reaction to it. Someone suggested it, and mentioned that often people with milk allergies can drink raw milk, because it still contains a digestive enzyme that pasteurization can destroy, and that enzyme helps the body to better digest bovine lactose. Wonder of wonders, it works! Now, to help save money on yogurt and ALSO to have yogurt that both of us can eat, we ordered a yogurt maker off of Amazon. I was planning on getting it started tonight, but that didn't go as planned. Maybe tomorrow we can get it going. I'm really excited about making our own yogurt.
We found a great recipe for fabric softener, nice and simple, so soon we'll be making our own fabric softener, too. It's pretty exciting to know that you can slash the budget for laundry without taking up ridiculous amounts of time or being incredibly crafty. The detergent was simple enough, but the fabric softener is even more simple (though not quite as cheap. The recipe is really simple: 1 c. glycerin mixed with 1 gallon of water. Add 1/2 c. of the mixture to your wash during the rinse.
CVS has glycerin for sale in 4 oz. bottles in the skin care section. I think they are about to discontinue it, though, because it is on sale for 50% off ($1.75). Just an FYI if anyone is interested in making fabric softener.
Christmas was a lot more enjoyable for me this year than last. I mean, last year had its definite up points. Jeff and I had just started dating. I got to meet his family. I was surrounded by loved ones at Aaron and Jen's house, too. Losing my job right before Christmas, though, was really rough on my Christmas experience. I love to be able to pick out gifts that remind me of the people I'm giving them too. Things that will be practical and useful, perhaps, but also fun and enjoyable, with the personality of the recipient written all over them, you know? But last year I barely got anybody anything, because I had no money for that. And I felt pretty lousy about it, because it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. This year Christmas was better for so many reasons. First there's the obvious first married Christmas. Jeff and I had a lot of fun doing the gift-giving thing together. Discussing what to get people, picking things out. We picked out and decorated our first tree (which is not coming down until Epiphany, thank you very much). We started to do our own advent wreath, which was a fantastic experience. Taking the whole month to cultivate and meditate on the spirit of longing that Christmas is supposed to be reminding us of. Not just the excitement of Christ being born, but the anticipation of His return. Christmas was not a blinding flash this year, I was able to enjoy so much of it. Having a job enabled Jeff and I to buy gifts for family, and taking the time to soak in the joy and anticipation of the season gave us a new appreciation for the depth and meaning of the entire Christmas season. Then second Christmas with my parents and some of my sibs was great, too.
I want to get started for real on my music again, and I have been trying to think of a way to raise money specifically toward manufacturing a cd. I think I'm going to start making my own skin care products, candles, and such. It's pretty simple and can be very inexpensive. I may have access to a good source of beeswax, and that is going to be pretty needed. Anyway...that's the long overdue update.
My mom and my dad just seem much more peaceful (and simultaneously enthusiastic) about everything in life than I ever can remember them being. It's pretty fantastic. On top of all that, it was great to spend some good time with my sister, and with John, and their kids. Elisha and Ethan are too adorable for words. I can't remember ever having so much fun with my sister :)
We got to go to the Atlanta Aquarium yesterday, and I'd never been. It is the world's largest aquarium, and they have four young whale sharks. I know, I know, I'm a nerd. But, ever since learning in elementary that the whale sharks were the biggest fish in the sea, and loving anything that had to do with whales anyway (even though whale sharks are fish), I've always wanted to see one. Long time childhood dream. Anyway... add that to the joy of seeing my lovely nieces and nephews in starry-eyed wonder as they looked at the fish. And then the joy on Jeff's face as he took them in, too. I love watching the fish, and I really love watching people who love to watch fish.
Then I got home to find that not only did my yogurt maker show up, but also the wheat-grinding attachment to my kitchen aid mixer. I'm so excited that I can finally stop wandering all over creation just to grind wheat. That makes carving out time to do the baking so much easier. And, as helpful as everyone has been in offering up their mills (and everyone has been incredibly helpful), I can stop feeling like such an imposition. I know that people are glad to help and all. But I feel like I don't have a great way to thank people. Maybe I should have been (and should start) offering babysitting services to them. I mean, it seems a little empty to bake yummy treats for people who are more expert bakers than I, you know? So it's like...how do I say thank you (other than just saying thank you)?
Recently we started drinking raw milk, because somehow Jeff does not have any allergic reaction to it. Someone suggested it, and mentioned that often people with milk allergies can drink raw milk, because it still contains a digestive enzyme that pasteurization can destroy, and that enzyme helps the body to better digest bovine lactose. Wonder of wonders, it works! Now, to help save money on yogurt and ALSO to have yogurt that both of us can eat, we ordered a yogurt maker off of Amazon. I was planning on getting it started tonight, but that didn't go as planned. Maybe tomorrow we can get it going. I'm really excited about making our own yogurt.
We found a great recipe for fabric softener, nice and simple, so soon we'll be making our own fabric softener, too. It's pretty exciting to know that you can slash the budget for laundry without taking up ridiculous amounts of time or being incredibly crafty. The detergent was simple enough, but the fabric softener is even more simple (though not quite as cheap. The recipe is really simple: 1 c. glycerin mixed with 1 gallon of water. Add 1/2 c. of the mixture to your wash during the rinse.
CVS has glycerin for sale in 4 oz. bottles in the skin care section. I think they are about to discontinue it, though, because it is on sale for 50% off ($1.75). Just an FYI if anyone is interested in making fabric softener.
Christmas was a lot more enjoyable for me this year than last. I mean, last year had its definite up points. Jeff and I had just started dating. I got to meet his family. I was surrounded by loved ones at Aaron and Jen's house, too. Losing my job right before Christmas, though, was really rough on my Christmas experience. I love to be able to pick out gifts that remind me of the people I'm giving them too. Things that will be practical and useful, perhaps, but also fun and enjoyable, with the personality of the recipient written all over them, you know? But last year I barely got anybody anything, because I had no money for that. And I felt pretty lousy about it, because it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. This year Christmas was better for so many reasons. First there's the obvious first married Christmas. Jeff and I had a lot of fun doing the gift-giving thing together. Discussing what to get people, picking things out. We picked out and decorated our first tree (which is not coming down until Epiphany, thank you very much). We started to do our own advent wreath, which was a fantastic experience. Taking the whole month to cultivate and meditate on the spirit of longing that Christmas is supposed to be reminding us of. Not just the excitement of Christ being born, but the anticipation of His return. Christmas was not a blinding flash this year, I was able to enjoy so much of it. Having a job enabled Jeff and I to buy gifts for family, and taking the time to soak in the joy and anticipation of the season gave us a new appreciation for the depth and meaning of the entire Christmas season. Then second Christmas with my parents and some of my sibs was great, too.
I want to get started for real on my music again, and I have been trying to think of a way to raise money specifically toward manufacturing a cd. I think I'm going to start making my own skin care products, candles, and such. It's pretty simple and can be very inexpensive. I may have access to a good source of beeswax, and that is going to be pretty needed. Anyway...that's the long overdue update.