Monthly 9

Did we really get all the days we were supposed to in January?  It somehow felt like a short month and I know it wasn't!

Here is my Monthly 9 Link Up - and don't forget to check out the others here.  This is kind of a fun way to look back at the month and see how we did on our goals and set new ones.

Nourish-  It was January, it was cold and about 3/4 of the month there was snow on the ground.  That means we ate, soups and breads and homemade cookies.  It's not that healthy but it is comforting!  My biggest problem with food in January was trying to fix what went wrong with my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  This is a recipe I have been making since 4-H and the county fair, we experimented all summer that year till we got a great recipe and then got a first place ribbon!  That was a 'few' years ago (I was 13!) so this is a recipe that I figured I had down pat!  The last 3 batches I had made came out with a greasy texture, so I experimented with adding a little more flour and finally came up with a fix (1/2 cup more flour) but still don't know why I needed a fix after all these years.  I am asking others if they have had a problem, could Crisco have changed their formula after all these years?    (probably some government plot...)

Prepare-  Preps this month consisted of lists, I made lists of things that I want to add to the 'pantry', lists of what was in the 'pantry' and inventoried the freezer.  I also learned to leave a pair of gloves near the freezer as I nearly gave myself frostbite.  (that is only a slight exaggeration!)  I use the word pantry lightly as I just have cupboards and not a pantry as such.

Reduce-  I cleaned out my scrap basket that contains the bigger scraps that could still be useful. I got enough out and cut into squares and neatly stacked that the cat could use the basket as a nap spot!  Cats do not like snow but they seem fond of the woodstove and warm boxes.







Green- Speaking of cats, we have had an issue with one of the cats that felt the need to urinate on the couch and hubby's chair.  I have put down plastic and some covers and am experimenting with homemade cat repellent spray, vinegar and citrus.  The jury is still out and I will keep you posted.  The cat never marks my chair - I tell hubby he is afraid of me!  :)

Grow-  We are not growing right now, we are cutting, when we have a chance.  The cherry tree that was here when we moved in, that is the biggest one I have ever seen, had to be topped as it was getting to the power lines.  When we had a day of no snow and unseasonable highs (10 degrees above freezing) we did it, we will see if it recovers, I hope it will, but there really was no choice.  We have measured the bottom that is left and the part we cut off and the silly thing was 30 feet tall!   We were just growing half the cherries for the birds!

Create-  I am on my second set of slippers this winter as I am playing with a double thickness of slipper.  I will show a halfway photo here and then when I get them all done will do a full post on them.  The premise is that I would start the slipper, get to the back which then becomes the center - (follow along here!) and then continue on doing the opposite so that I end up with a one piece that I can put together and have a double layer for warmth and strength.  I have done one pair already but they ended up too loose, so this next one is adjusted.

Discover- I like to sew as a rule, just not for myself!  It is silly I know.  I have had some fabric that I found on the clearance rack at Joann's for $2 a yard.  I have a skirt pattern that fits and a sleeveless top that fits, but I wanted a jacket.  I have a ton of patterns for jackets from the 80's (hush - quit laughing) that of course are no longer the correct size!  I had recently pulled out and gone through a box of books and found this old Coats and Clark's sewing book from 1967 (I think learned to iron on one like that).  The book had a chapter on making patterns bigger and smaller (like I'm gonna need that!) on a fairly large scale.  This has been really fun and now that I remember it's here I've been looking through at some of the things I got lazy and skipped in recent years, this is going to take my seamstressing up a notch I think!










Enhance-  We have had an elderly friend who has had the flu and various complications since Christmas, her husband has Alzheimer's disease and can't be left alone, so we have stayed with him and taken food and helped in any way we can this month - she asked how she could repay us and I laughed.  I don't live close enough to my mother to help her when when is ill but there are those who do help her so I will help Pearl and someone will help my mom and the world goes round.  I may need help one day too you know!

Enjoy-  I really do enjoy the cold days of winter.  I love the feel of warm clothes, gloves and wooly scarves.  I like the crawling in a bed under quilts and layers of blankets.  I relish the time to do things in the house and sew and crochet etc. to my hearts content.  Soon enough the garden will start making demands and it will be too hot to have yarn on my lap so I am soaking up the fun of winter while I can!  Besides it is beautiful!

Bears have been much in the news here in Idaho lately and so I am sharing this with you all as it makes me laugh every time I see it.  Have a wonderful February!