Homemade Peanut Butter

I have tried several rounds of homemade peanut butter. After the first round, I thought 'well, that was fun but I doubt I will do it again'. I was wrong. The second round was much better and the third round has been the best. There are TONS of recipes out there. I got the idea from Pinterest here. Just peanuts - sounded intriguing. Nope - definitely NOT what I was looking for. You know how PB tends to stick to your mouth - well, multiply that by a thousand. And, well I am use to store bought which a bit more sweet. So I did a little experimenting and added some white sugar and some coconut oil. This made it edible, but grainy.

The second round I used honey as the sweetener and again coconut oil to help smooth out. This was good. but the flavor was not quite what I was looking for. If you really like all natural type stuff, this is probably perfect for you. I still need a little more of the refined, not good for you, sugar flavor. I know - crazy, but true.

This round, I used corn syrup and coconut oil. The good news, I needed much less sugar in this recipe as opposed to the honey version. I have actually started to prefer this to the store bought. BUT, they are different. Do not think you are getting store bought texture or flavor. You are never going to get the smoothness like a creamy PB in the store - at least I have not been able to. Maybe with a bit more experimenting. Instead it is more like a cross between crunchy and smooth - which I really like. You can see the texture  here. And yes, it is almost gone and I finally decided to write this post and take pics. :)

So, I case you are interested in how I made mine, I will share.

1 container of salted dry roasted peanuts. (I don't remember the size, 12-14 oz I think) - the one that is $2.88 at walmart - for the off brand.
2-3 TBSP coconut oil (FYI, it is solid at room temp)
3ish TBSP corn syrup

Put peanuts in the food processor. Let her go for several minutes. Wait until it is smooth - or the texture you want. Adding the other ingredients will make it so the peanuts don't get any smoother. Then, add the oil and sugar to taste. This is REALLY forgiving. I play with it until I like the texture and flavor, so the above amounts are an estimation.

Store in a jar with a tight lid in the fridge. I have read this lasts up to 2 months in the fridge - mine doesn't last that long. Also, it gets hard when stored in the fridge. I have to pop mine in the microwave to soften. I usually do about 20 sec at 50% power.

Note: You can also use a veggie oil, but you will have oil separation and have to mix every time before using. This does not happen with the coconut oil since it is solid at room temp - which is why I use it.

Happy Packing - oh New Year?

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and had a great celebration to bring in the new year. I spent the day packing and went to bed by 8:30! Not much of a party girl I guess.

We have just 7 days until we have to be out of our house! EEK! We have made some great progress with packing, but still have a ways to go. I just started doing my craft/sewing space. It is a bit overwhelming. I am so good going through everything else and getting rid of things we are not using. Even the kids did a great job getting rid of toys. I must say, that all changed when I got to MY stuff (the fun stuff that is).

We are not entirely sure where we will be moving to. We are under contract with a property, but things are still up in the air a bit. Even if we do close, we won't know for sure what day until the very end. So, we may just be homeless for a couple of days. 

As for my weight, yes, I gained a little over the holidays. But, after weigh in this morning - I am still in an overall net weight LOSS as compared to where I was a year ago. So, I will take that as success. And, since we got Boomer I have been walking a whole lot more. Now that we are past the holidays and I am a bit sick of all the junk food - it is a good time to really try hard again to drop a few pounds. Not to mention all the exercise I get while packing (and soon - while moving). I don't do a whole lot of sitting these days - although I don't do a whole lot of hard core exercise either. I think my biggest challenge in the next few weeks will be with food. Not having a fully functional kitchen for a while may hinder things a bit. But, I will really try to get good meals on the table.

As of last week, I reinstated no dessert Wednesdays. I will also shoot to add a second day each week of no desserts.

So, lots going on here. All part of the adventure. Anyone else having a big adventure to start the new year?

Family Changes

Lots of changes happening around here these days.

First, we have a new addition to the family. Meet Boomer.

He is approximately 3-4 years old and has been a delight so far! He is a Treeing Walker Coonhound. The kids are SOOOOO excited. Training is going pretty well, but we are new at it and we have our own struggles to overcome too. ;)


And, just a few days after bringing Boomer home, we got an offer on our house. Finally. Of course. We are excited to sell the house and move on to our next adventure. We are not entirely sure what that will be yet, but we know it will be interesting. We have found we may not always have chosen the path life has lead us down, but we have always landed in a great place. We look forward to see where this path leads us.

Kids learning to sew

I have seen this topic a lot lately. At what age should kids learn to sew? Of course, there is no cookie cutter answer to this. My 2 older kids started out around 5. The youngest is only 3, so she has not started yet - other than sitting on my lap while I sew. Yes, that is a bit awkward, but she loves it so I enjoy that time with her.

In general, I think 5-6 is a pretty good age to get kids started on a machine. Sessions are short and really focus on a quick and dirty project.  Think bean bags. Sometimes they just want to use the machine to make pretty lines all over. Ok with me! I point the kids to the scrap bins and let them choose the stitches. We always talk about safety - but they hear that from me when they are just hanging out and playing while I sew.

Machine recommendations:
I have let the big noisemakers use my machine. For my daughter's 6th b-day, gma got her a machine - which was actually nicer than mine. So they all sew on that now. Recently I got a new machine!! yippee!  So, they can also use my old one. I am a firm believer in letting them use real machines. No toy/kid machines please. They just lead to frustration. I'm not saying they have to use a top of the line machine. I sewed on a $150 machine for YEARS (and still would be if it wasn't for my amazing gift). There are typically machines available on Craig's list. If you don't have a machine at home, or don't want to share, I would suggest starting with a used machine. Just be careful, and do your research. Make sure it works properly. I personally don't like to spend a ton of money on something that I am not sure the kids will want to do for very long. So, you decide what is best for you - just no 'kid' machines please.


Now, what to teach?? Here is a list of the things we have started with. You can also check out my sewing Pinterest board for more sewing ideas. Some are kid appropriate, some are not. But lots of ideas are there.

Kid Projects:
There are several projects that my kids have really enjoyed.

1. Stitching lines on scrap fabric. This is a great way to teach them how to control the fabric and stitching. You can also print lines and curves on paper and have them stitch on that. Just remember to change your needle before going back to fabric.
2. Bean bags. These are a favorite in my house. They can cut 'shapes' and sew them into bean or rice bags. These are then used to 'toss' all over the house or are put into the freezer and used as 'boo boo' packs.
3. Animal/doll blanket.
4. Simple tote
5. Skirt for dolls
6. Basic quilt
7. wrist warmers (I have no idea what these are called, but they are hugely popular these days and super simple with some knit fabric.

This is all we have accomplished in the 5-8 age range. Notice none of these need patterns. So far they have not really been ready to learn to use a pattern. That takes too much time. Projects like these are all my kids seem to handle for their attention spans. They could do more, but don't really care to. So, we try to keep it fun and pretty free flowing.

I have been giving lessons to a lovely 12 year old girl this year. Here are some of the projects she has wanted to do:

1. Pillow cases. The sleepover pillowcase by A Lemon Squeezy Home is one of many great options.
2. Apron - she chose a retro style
3. Messenger Bag - simple tote with a single long strap and a flap.
4. PJ pants
5. quilt with binding

That is all we have gotten through so far, but I look forward to see what other projects she picks. These projects have included tutorials and/or patterns. I let her pick the projects but am working towards giving her the skills to pick up a pattern and be able to make anything. She is quick and probably won't need me much longer. :)

What projects do you like to do with kids?

Christmas Ornaments, a family tradition

I come from a long line of creative people. My great grandmother (gma Lefler) is as far back as I remember. She use to braid my hair, taught me how to do needlepoint when I was little, made amazing rolls and molasses cookies, was always making us clean (boo hiss), and always had yarn in her hands. I currently have  4 afghan blankets she made. One of which she made for my wedding day, which she never witnessed.

Then there is my gma Hewitt (currently known as cowboy gma). Gma is always positive, willing to do just about anything, and (sorry gma) can't bake. She loves to thrift shop, play bingo, and eat out. She also paints. I wish I had just an ounce of her painting abilities. She will say she isn't very good - but I disagree. She and gpa have been making Christmas ornaments ever since I can remember.