Kefir and Kombucha

How to make kombucha

How to make kefir

Several months ago I started brewing my own Kombucha.  It's easy, not horrible tasting, and supposed to be really good for you.  Probiotics, you know?  I try to drink about 8 oz. daily.  Sometimes I mix it with juice, but mostly I just drink it plain.  Want to see the scoby?

Because we've been a little under the weather (that might be an understatement) this past week, my scoby has been resting in the fridge until I can brew again.  I usually brew in a simple juice pitcher and the scoby grows to fit the opening of the top.  I have a friend who brews in a bowl and her scoby is the circumference of the entire bowl.  That's a little creepy.

And my kefir?  It's just an easy way to get those probiotics into everyone who won't drink kombucha.  That would be everyone except Madeline and I.  I might add the kefir to a smoothie, use it in place of milk for pancakes, or strain it and make a cream cheese substitute for dip.  I prefer making kefir to making yogurt because kefir is cultured at room temperature.  In order to make yogurt, you must heat the milk, cool the milk, introduce the culture, and then keep the milk at a temperature around 100 degrees for 8-12 hours.  Too fussy for me these days.  Kefir also contains more beneficial bacteria than yogurt.

And here's my kefir, culturing at room temperature.  Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day!

I have to tell you that after our recent bout of gastroenteritis (that's a super fancy word for barfing!) I dosed myself with a few tablespoons several times each day and I recovered faster than anyone else.  My tummy felt better in no time.  Coincidence or kefir?

Insomnia

Since insomnia is a frequent visitor at our house, I thought I would share a few things I've learned while   not sleeping.

First, if sleep was like shift work, most people would be working/sleeping the graveyard shift.  Me, I sleep more like a day shift.  When regular people are waking up, I'm just falling asleep.  "Regular people" includes my kids, so I have to get up then too.

Second, BuzzFeed is full of really cute pictures to look at.  So is Baby Animalz.

Third, why don't the letters in the alphabet all say their own names?  Like "A."  It says its own name.  What about "H"?   It says "ay-ch."  Or "W."  It's not even a flippin' double "U."  It's a "V."  "Y."  Its name starts with a "W."  "Q" makes no sense at all.  It's all so confusing.

Fourth, it's hard to be quiet at 3:00 AM when you're trying to find something to eat.  Running the blender or popcorn maker isn't very practical.

Fifth, every house should have a sound-proof room that is filled with the most comfortable bed imaginable.  The temperature should be a perfect 62 degrees.  The sheets should be line-dried.  And then I still wouldn't be able to sleep.

That's probably all for now, but I'm sure I'll think of a few more things to share tonight.

Since it Rains Here Frequently

And I cannot use my clothesline this time of year, I bought myself a H-U-G-E clothes drying rack.
This is the one I bought:   http://www.homesteaddryingracks.com/laundry.html

This thing can hold 2 loads of laundry on it.  Seriously, it's that big.

Once, when our old dryer was broken, a repairman told me that the average dryer costs around $30 a month to run.  That's like 1/4 of our power bill.  And since my family is larger than average, I figure our savings is probably closer to $50.  That figure pretty much converted me to line/rack drying.

Another laundry quandary that I've pondered is trying to decide if it is truly frugal to make your own laundry soap.  Is it worth the money and time and does it get your clothes clean?  Oh yeah, man, it's totally worth it.  Here's what I've learned:
First, don't bother making a batch of dry detergent.  According to several plumbing websites I visited the powder-type detergent doesn't completely dissolve and can be a problem for septic systems.  Specifically, the undissolved borax can leave a residue that clogs the filters leading into the drain field.  Not good.  You've got to make a "wet" version instead.  I've always been hesitant to do this type because most recipes I found were for huge, 5 gallon buckets of the stuff.  I didn't want to make that much and end up wasting it if I found it to be an inferior product.  Where's the frugality in that, I say?  I created my own smaller volume recipe as follows:
In a saucepan filled with a few (maybe 2 or 3?) cups of water, add 1/2 bar FelsNaptha soap, grated.  Heat this until the soap is dissolved.  Then stir in 1/2 C. borax and 1/2 C. washing soda.  Pour it into a gallon size container (or a few quart jars or whatever you have) and fill the remaining space with water.  Stir well.  This will turn into a gel.  I use about 1/3 C. (that happened to be the only measuring cup I was willing to devote to this project) with each load.
I've been told you can use Dr. Bronner's soap or Zote soap.  You could also add some essential oil for a more pronounced fragrance.  Personally, I like the smell of FelsNaptha, so I just leave it as is.  Several of my family have sensitive skin and we've not had any trouble with this.

This Week, So Far

 Vadar loves to chase snowballs.  And Jon loves to throw them for Vadar.  Check out how high he's jumping!

 Sarah singing, "Away in a Manger" for the church kids' program.  Don't you want to squeeze that little girl in the pink?!

 Jon, in his new bow tie, also singing at church.

A homegrown Christmas tree.  Yes, I know it's crooked and a bit sparse on one side.  It's a second/cull tree.  We think it's lovely.

We've had a nice amount of snow since Sunday night.  Just enough to turn everything white and build a snowman, but not so much that I can't drive (if I really need to--I'm horrible scared of snow driving.) to town.  

The little kids helped make Christmas cookies last night.  Why is it that I'm the only one who completes this project?  After haphazardly mangling the dough (my mom always made us start around the edges, all tidy-like) everyone abandons me until the frosting comes out.  Then after eating/licking the better part of the bowl of frosting they all walk away and leave me to finish.  I don't even LIKE to decorate cookies!  I did, finally, find a cookie recipe that I like.  I'll post it later.

I made a super easy dinner last night too.  Shrimp and rice.  And beans.  I bought large shrimp ($16!) and marinated them in a mixture of 1/2 C. olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, juice from 2 limes, and a dash of chili powder.  Then I simply broiled them under the oven broiler for about 5 minutes.  That's it!  The rice was just a version of Spanish rice: 1 C. rice sauteed with butter, onions, and peppers, then cooked with a can of diced tomatoes and enough water to equal 2 C. liquid.  Oh, and salt and chili powder too.  

Simplicity

Isn't that just such a trendy word these days?  Everywhere you look there's a magazine article, a book, or some other media source touting the need to simplify.  Simplify what?  Evidently everything.  We're told to simplify our spending, our possessions, our wardrobe, or homes.  We need to make our meals simpler.  The time we spend just doing needs to be simplified.  Our kids need to be simplified too. Personally, I think that the word is grossly overused, but more importantly, misused.

Let me explain.  According to the dictionary, simplify means "the act of making something easier."  Well, that's a bit of a subjective idea, isn't it?  What would make something easier for me isn't necessarily what would be easier for another person, you know?  Think about laundry for a second:  Most people involved in the simplicity movement would tell you to get rid of your dryer and hang all of your laundry on a clothesline.  Is that really simpler than throwing everything in a dryer, turning the knob, and waiting for the machine to do all the work?  Heck no!  Now think about cooking:  Isn't it easier to run to the store and buy bread or soup or applesauce rather than spending the time to make it yourself?  Of course!  But here's the catch in all of it--does it really matter if a task is simpler/easier to complete if you truly enjoy the experience and process of doing it the unsimplified way better? So maybe the first thing we need to do is take a step away from Pinterest or other people's blogs that chronicle their incredibly exciting lives, and really stop and think what it is that we truly enjoy.  What makes us honest-to-goodness happy?  How do we really want to live?  Sometimes the answer will be EXACTLY what the other 99% of people are doing, but other times, we'll be alone in our choices. When you are true to yourself, everything seems simpler.

I believe that the key to living a simple life is simply to be filled with gratitude.  About everything.  I am not an optimist by nature.  In fact, I'm pretty sure the world is going to end at least once a week.  It's a habit, though, to train ourselves to see what to be thankful for in the everyday, simple things in life.  I think this is what draws us to the simplicity movement--the desire for contentedness in everything.  Have you ever known someone who was always content?  Not always happy (now THAT would be just plain annoying!), but always content with what they had.  I've known a few of those, and they are so awesome to be around!  Rather than filling our lives with more, more, more, maybe we need to be more appreciative for what we already have.

So, that's my take on the simplicity movement.  First, identify how you (not your neighbor, not your friends, not your family) really want to live.  Then, be filled with gratitude for what you have.  Always stay true to your real self in the process.

And there's nothing wrong with downsizing our home, our wardrobe, our car, our spending, our possessions, etc. in order to better live our lives.  I think those are the things most people think of when they consider simplifying.    Sometime when we have too much we can't see the joy in the simple.  There is, however, something inherently wrong with downsizing ice-cream sizes.  Did you know that many ice cream manufacturers have done just that?   But NOT Ben & Jerry's.  Whew.

26 Things I've Learned in the Past 2 Months

1.  Traveling with a dog isn't nearly as difficult as I had expected.

2.  Packing up a house is a terrible, torturous thing to do.

3.  A moving van always holds more than anticipated.

4.  Really sweet friends take the time to bring lunch over for all the moving help on moving day.

5.  Saying good-bye is not one of my strong points.

6.  West VA allows "totally nude" dancers at, ahem, "Gentleman's clubs."  Ahem.

7.  So does Missouri.

8.  The Mississippi River can easily escape notice, due to its unusually low level.  Or maybe some people should pay a bit more attention during geography.  (And I mean myself)

9.  NEVER stay at a Microtel.  Gross.

10.  GPS devices were created to mock us.  Though I did appreciate the ability to locate the closest Starbucks at the touch of a button.

11.  I had the greatest co-pilot.

12.  Legos are the greatest toy ever made.  Except when Mom gets mad and throws the box out the car door in Utah.  Then it's hard to find all the little pieces.

13.  Echo, UT has a scary rest area.

14.  There are very few coffee shops in UT.  But lots of Golden Corrals.  Thanks, Macy Reece, for the suggestion!

15.  Wyoming goes on forever.

16.  Old houses have persnickety plumbing.  At best.

17.  Lead paint wears like iron.  I say we bring it back.

18.  Paneling should be outlawed.

19.  One bathroom is easier to clean than two.

20.  Rain and humidity are both equally bad forms of water.

21.  Everyone should drive across the country at least one time in their life.  Truly the best experience we've every had.

22.  S&B Donuts cannot be beat.

23.  Old houses have a lot of character.  And living in old houses builds a lot of character.

24.  I'm glad to be "home."

25.  I really miss my other "home" in VA.  And my friends.  And my Walmart.  And my library.  And Raleigh.  And Roanoke Rapids.  And Winchester.  Heck, I even miss Blackstone!  (There's a really great antique store in Blackstone)

26.  I think I've learned that "home" is not just one place, but really lots of places--each one filled with great people (sometimes family, sometimes friends), happy memories, and always the six of us.  Or seven counting Vader.

Now, this is by no means a complete list.  I've learned lots more, for sure.  These are just the ones that come to me easily.  Oh, and I just thought of one more:  I totally miss my Amish friend, Emma.

Tangier Island

 On the way back to the mainland.

 Leaving the dock on Tangier.

 Tourists.

 An example of a Tangier crabshack.  These are only accessible by boat.

 THE mode of transportation.  

 My favorite house on the island.

 Postal service, 6 days per week.  Weather permitting, of course.

 Top picture is of the typical salt marsh on Tangier.  There are little creeks that run through the island that you can boat on, like a road.

Bottom picture is the lighthouse when you enter the Chesapeake Bay.

 Historic smokestack in Reedville.

 A bay front home.

Before we sailed.  If I only knew what my future held. 

Here is some information about Tangier Island:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangier,_Virginia

This was a great trip.  Totally worth the money and sea sickness.