All my long(ish) term readers out there know that I love canning and of my penchant for following prepper websites. One day, these circles collided. I was minding my own business, reading through my RSS feeds, when I learned something new: I could make my own pectin! [For the uninitiated, pectin is what makes jam… Continue reading Cooking with Apples
Category: Undiscovered Talents
New to Me
Back when I was new to trying new things (when I was planning to be spontaneous), one thing I would do was plan to try a new-to-me food and recipe each month. I just so happened that this month I've done both without really trying. Technically, the new-to-me food was a variety of one I'd… Continue reading New to Me
From Scratch Ketchup
Early on in my canning adventures and when my tomato plants were about to provide me a ton of produce all at once, I decided to try making homemade ketchup. It was a fermentation recipe, where after going through the preparation process, it sat out so biology could do its thing. Well, it did, but… Continue reading From Scratch Ketchup
Money Basics
Several times a month I listen to the Dave Ramsey show. I don’t agree with all he says, but a lot of his message makes sense to me. I am often shocked by the conceptions so many of his callers hold about money and how much misinformation they have learned. I didn’t realize how unusual… Continue reading Money Basics
Where I Feel Most Alive
Despite how I have historically equated the process of learning new things with making a fool of myself, I realize that I am now at a point in my life where the time I spend acquiring a new skill is when I feel the most alive. Strangely enough, I've always been really patient with myself when… Continue reading Where I Feel Most Alive
Lost Art
September is National Preparedness Month. Are you ready for a natural disaster ... or an unnatural one? This got me thinking of my grandparents' generation who grew up during the Great Depression. They were very frugal and had an entire skill set that seemed to have gotten lost along the way but is now seeing… Continue reading Lost Art
Sarcasm
I love the show Big Bang Theory. It meets my need to geek out and to laugh at the same time. Thank you, CBS, for streaming episodes online so I can watch them! I know it was done just for me! Sheldon, because of all his quirkiness is my favorite character, just as he is… Continue reading Sarcasm
I’m a Guest Blogger today!
I'm so excited! My very first guest blogging post is up over at Smitten by Britain! It's about culture shock and my first Fourth of July spent abroad. If you would be willing to go visit ... and leave a comment... it would be much appreciated ... and might get me asked back!!!!!
Joy of the New
Back in January, I saw the following tweet: It made me stop and think. At the time, I was really missing the joy of the new, where I get all swept up in a new activity and start to see everything through that lens ... the complete throwing of myself at something without looking back.… Continue reading Joy of the New
The Good Life
Last week The American Resident ran a couple blog posts about her family’s desire to be more self-sufficient, which includes planting foods, canning, and even raising chickens. She brought up my favorite television show that I discovered while living in England: The Good Life (US title is The Good Neighbors). It is a 1970’s show… Continue reading The Good Life
Grown Up, Now What? 