Laina's Laundry

New Blog

2011-01-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

I've decided to close down my shop, at least temporarily. Having 2 kids is keeping my pretty busy with out adding sewing to the mix. I'm going to sell off what's left in my Etsy shop (and hopefully get a few remaining items listed) and after that, I'll just leave the shop there to save my name but there won't be anything active. That means that this blog will be pretty much inactive, too. (Not that I was that good about posting here, anyways!)

What I am doing now, however, is weekly meal planning. I've had a few friends ask for this, and I'm starting a new blog dedicated to posting the weekly meal plans and recipes each Sunday. If you're interested, you can check it out at www.52mealplans.blogspot.com. Let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Cut-Out Cookie Recipe

2010-10-30T17:25:00.004-06:00

This is a great pumpkin cookie recipe from a pumpkin cookbook I have. It's become a tradition over here to make them every Halloween. I usually double the recipe to have enough to share with friends and neighbors (the recipe says this will make 50 cookies but they must use miniature cutters. I find it only makes about a dozen cookies w/the cutters I have).

2 1/4 all-purpose flour (I like to use whole wheat)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch salt
3/4 cup butter, at room temp
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I like to use sucanat)
2-3 Tbs finely grated orange zest
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg yolk

Sift the flour, spices and salt together in large bowl. In separate bowl, cream together butter, sugar and orange zest. Add in flour mixture, pumpkin puree, and egg yolk and mix to form a soft yet stiff dough. Divide into 4 balls, flatten each and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 mins. Preheat oven to 375 F. Take one section of dough out of fridge at a time and roll out to about 1/8" thick. I like to roll between two sheets of wax paper, dusted w/a bit of flour. Cut out cookies w/Halloween or fall cookie cutters. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 10-15 mins or until light golden on the bottom. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely before frosting. You can frost these with a cream cheese frosting or a traditional sugar cookie icing and they are also delicious plain (not too sweet, which is perfect for me).

Meal Plan week of 8/15/10

2010-08-15T19:50:00.004-06:00

This week my customary two crock pot recipes are coming from the Crock Pot Lady. I'm just linking the recipes so I don't have to re-type them.

Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken and Veggies

Crock Pot Broccoli Beef (I will serve this over brown rice)

Mahi Mahi Steaks w/Mango Salsa and Curry Couscous (I'm pretty sure this came from Rachael Ray. I've had it in my recipe box for years and it is SO good!)

Make salsa ahead of time and refrigerate. Combine the following:
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1" fresh ginger, grated
1/4 of a cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
20 or so blades fresh chives, chopped
1 lime, juiced

Grill the Mahi Mahi:
Squeeze juice of one lime over 4 mahi mahi steaks. Drizzle with EVOO and season w/S&P. Grill about 5 mins per side.

Make the Couscous:
2 cups chicken broth or water
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs EVOO
1 handful raisins (I like golden raisins for this)
1 cup couscous
2 scallions, sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 navel orange, peeled and chopped
2 oz sliced almonds

Bring broth to boil w/curry powder, salt, oil & raisins. Place couscous in separate bowl. Add boiling liquid and cover. Let stand 10 mins. Fluff w/fork and stir in scallions, carrot, orange and almonds.

Top fish with salsa and serve w/couscous and additional veggies if desired.

"Happy" Pork Chops (this came from a wine tasting I held at my house)
6 pork chops (1/2 to 3/4" thick), seasoned w/S&P
EVOO for sauteing
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups uncooked rice
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 med jalapenos, minced
1 cup water or beer
2 cups chicken broth
fresh cilantro, chopped

heat oil in large skillet; add pork. Sear on both sides just until brown, about 1 min on each side. Remove from skillet and cover loosely w/foil.

Add garlic and onions to skillet. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 2 mins, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add rice, stirring until just begins to brown, about 3-4 mins. Add tomatoes, jalapenos, beer and broth. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 mins. (If using brown rice like I plan to, I'm guessing this would need to simmer more like 1/2 hr before proceeding to the next step and you might need more liquid - refer to package directions).

Place chops on top of rice, cover. Simmer 8-10 mins until pork is done. Let stand 5 mins before serving. Sprinke w/chopped cilantro and serve w/green salad or veggies of choice.

Salmon Salad Fajitas
Combine in mixing bowl:
1 tin salmon, drained
2 Tbs mayo
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 tsp chili powder

Add, stirring gently:
1 carrot, grated
1 green onion, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
S&P to taste

Serve in whole wheat tortillas or pitas. Makes 4 servings.

New Items in Shop

2010-08-15T19:45:00.004-06:00

I've just listed a few new items in my Etsy shop. I'm particularly fond of this adorable birdie prefold. Check it and the other new items out at LainasLaundry.etsy.com!

Meal Plan week of 8/8/10

2010-08-09T10:50:00.003-06:00

Szechuan Orange Ginger Chicken
1 orange, juiced and grated rind
2 cloves garlic, fnely chopped
1 tbs fresh grated ginger
1 tbs cider vinegar
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
2-3 bell peppers of various colors, cut into strips
oil for sauteeing
hot cooked brown rice

Mix orange rind w/ garlic and ginger, set aside. Whisk orange juice, vinegar, hot sauce, sugar and cornstarch, set aside. Saute chicken in oil until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Cool the ginger, orange rind, and garlic in same hot oil for about 10 sec (until fragrant). Add bell peppers and cook 2-3 mins. Return chicken to pan, add sauce, cook until thickened. Serve over rice.

Tuna Burgers
Mix:2 tins water packed tuna, drained
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat breadcrubs
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs teriyaki sauce
1 tbs ketchup

Shape into 4 patties. Sprinkle some cornmeal on dish and coat patties on each side. Fry in olve oil for about 6 mins per side or until browned and heated through. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce or in whole wheat bun or pita. Serve w/veggies or green salad

Thai Chicken Tortilla Pizza
Preheat oven to 375
Bake 4 large whole wheat tortillas for 3 mins on ungreased cookie sheet.
Make Thai peanut sauce:
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup light soy sauce (important to use light otherwise will be too salty)
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbs honey
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch red pepper flakes

Spread 1-2 Tbs peanut sauce on heated tortillas
Sprinkle evenly on tortillas:
2 cups diced cooked chicken
small red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Bake 10-12 mins until cheese is melted and edges are lightly browned.

Curried Chicken Apple Salad
1 tbs oil
1 tbs curry powder
1/3 cup diced red onion
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 med apple, cubed
6 dried apricots, diced
salad greens

For dressing: heat oil in small saucepan. Add curry powder and onion. Saute 1-2 mins or until onions are tender. Add lemon juice, honey and salt. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about a min. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in mayo and yogurt. Set aside. In large bol, toss chicken, celery, red pepper, apple and apricots. Add dressing and gently toss to coat. Serve over salad greens.

Crock pot chili
2 lbs ground beef or steak cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1- 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 tbs chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Brown ground beef in skillet. If using steak you don't have to brown. Mix all ingredients except beans in slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hrs. Stir in beans and cook on high 15-20 mins. Serve w/your favorite chili fixins and cornbread or tortillas.

Embellished Shades

2010-07-27T17:12:00.003-06:00

When our oldest moved out of the nursery into her big girl room, we moved the wooden blinds with her. That left the nursery with only a valance above the windows. We found these plain white roman-style shades and put them up. But they were so boring. So I decided to embellish them. I have a bit of a fabric stash going on, and found some complimenting colors in there. I was hoping to do two different fabrics and alternate them. Unfortunately I didn't have enough material of only two patterns, so I ended up with more of an eclectic, hodge-podge look. I think it works, though.

Weekly Meal Plan 7/26/10

2010-07-26T17:05:00.002-06:00

I told a friend that I would share my weekly meal plans with her. Since I'm writing them up for her, I thought I'd post them here, too.

I normally do 5 or 6 days of meals and plan to have leftovers one or two nights.

The meals:
1. Jenna's Penne with Veggies
2. Red Beans and Rice (I like to serve w/green salad)
3. Pork Chops w/apples and kraut (pick out some veggies of choice to serve with this)
4. BBQ Chicken w/quinoa (say keen-wa) and veggies
5. Crock Pot Chicken w/Pepper and Pineapple

The recipes:
Penne w/Veggies
1 lb box of Penne pasta cooked al dente (I like to use whole wheat pasta for better nutritional profile but any will work)
approx 1 lb Italian sausage, cooked and then sliced into rounds (I cook this up as I'm bringing my pasta water to boil)
1/2 med onion, sliced thin
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 med zucchini, sliced about 1/8" thick
2 med yellow squash, sliced the same
1-2 tomatoes, chopped (totally optional, sometimes I leave them out)
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) for sauteing and drizzling
S&P (salt & pepper) to taste
Parmesean or Romano cheese to taste

Saute the onion in a big skillet until translucent. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the two kinds of squash and saute until tender. Add the tomatoes if using and cook for just one min more then remove from heat. Add in your cooked and drained pasta and your cooked sausage. Drizzle w/EVOO, toss together, and season to taste w/S & P and cheese. This makes a lot so you can have your leftovers on a different night :)

Red Beans and Rice
2 stalks celery, with leaves, sliced
1 med red onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (or one cup dry beans, soaked overnight and cooked earlier in the day)
6 oz (approx) canadian bacon, cut into strips
1 cup chicken broth
about 5 Tbs parsley (here you go - a use for your parsley! I just eyeball it and never actually measure my parsley)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce (this is what my recipe calls for but I usually end up adding a lot more)
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 cup rice, cooked (I like brown rice, again for better nutritional content)
EVOO for sauteing

In large saucepan or skillet, saute celery, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf in EVOO about 10 mins until veggies are tender. Stir in beans, canadian bacon, broth, most of the parsley, worcestershire, and hot pepper sauce. Stir occasionally until heated through. Discard bay leaf. Spoon over hot rice and sprinkle with remaining parsley. This is a pretty good meal as-is but I often like to add a green salad. (You might get leftovers with this one, too).

Pork Chops w/Apples and Kraut
I'm gong to give you the recipe as it's written, which is for oven cooking. I'm going to assemble this and put it in the crock pot instead.
4 1" thick pork chops
2 apples, cored and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
14 tsp nutmeg
32 oz sauerkraut, drained
veggies of choice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brown chops in skillet about 5 mins on each side or until browned. Place chops in 9x13 baking dish (I don't see why you couldn't leave them in the skillet if it was oven safe). In bowl, combine remaining ingredients except veggies and mix well. Divide evenly and mound on chops. Cover and cook about 1 hr or until fork tender. Serve w/veggies of choice.

BBQ Chicken w/Quinoa and Veggies
This is simple. Just BBQ whatever kind of chicken pieces you like. We got a great tangy BBQ sauce at the local farmer's market that we'll use on this. Cook quinoa according to package directions (they have a big bag at Costco or I usually get mine in the bulk section at Sprouts). If you get the bulk kind, I think the ratio is one cup of quinoa to 2 cups water (like rice). I like to add butter and salt to the water when cooking. Steam until all the water is absorbed. You can also make in a rice cooker. Cook up whatever veggies you like and serve all together.

Crock Pot Chicken w/Peppers and Pineapple
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2" pieces
4 med carrots, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbs grated gingerroot (or 1 tsp ground but it tastes better w/fresh)
1 Tbs packed brown sugar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp red pepper sauce
8 oz pineapple chunks in juice, drained and juice reserved
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 med red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
hot cooked rice for serving

Mix everything except pineapple, cornstarch and bell pepper in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hrs. Mix reserved pineapple juice and cornstarch until smooth and gradually stir into chicken mixture in crock pot. Stir in pineapple and bell pepper. Cover and finish cooking on high about 15 mins until slightly thickened. Serve over rice. You can top w/sliced green onions (or chives - come on over and get some!), toasted coconut (unsweetened), and/or chopped peanuts or cashews.

Getting Outside

2010-05-06T13:53:00.004-06:00

This is going to sound slightly silly, but I love my new retractable clothesline! I love how it gets me outside in the sunshine. We have a great little water feature behind the line (you can sort of see it in the photo) and it actually feels therapeutic to hang the laundry and listen to the soothing water sounds. Being outside in the fresh air with spring's greenery all around is a simple way to "pause" in my day and get new perspectives. The other plus of hanging diaper laundry is of course the natural stain-fighting power of the sun and the clean freshness you get from hanging diapers outside. I wish we would have hung the line when Laina was in diapers. (And if you're wondering why none of the prefolds are embellished, it's because they are all new infant-sized ones that we bought for our new baby, and of course I have not had the time to pretty up our own personal stash yet.)

Welcome to the World, Lia!

2010-05-04T16:32:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. We welcomed our second baby girl into the world on April 21st! Lia was born at home as planned with our wonderful midwife. It was a crazy, intense, fast labor but went well and I'm so glad we did it at home. I will spare you the whole story here as most of you have probably either heard it in person or read it in Facebook already. If anyone has not read it yet and wants to, just let me know in the comments.

So I've been busy with both Laina and Lia and also my parents are here, which has drastically reduced the time I have for sewing and listing items (as in, reduced to zero). But I do have a few items I managed to get sewn before Lia made her grand entrance and I will hopefully get pictures and list them soon. I will say there are some great unbleached embellished prefolds I've got ready to go.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-04-13T19:38:00.002-06:00

Made this tonight and was quite pleased with the results. It's modified from a mothering.com recipe.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can diced green chilis
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more or less to taste)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 red bell pepper, diced

topping ideas:
shredded cheese of choice (we didn't bother)
sour cream
crushed tortilla chips (could easily omit these if going low-carb)
chopped cilantro
sliced avocado (would have been divine if I had any in the house)

Mix all ingredients except chicken, bell pepper and toppings in slow cooker. Put chicken breasts on top and press down slightly to cover with liquid. Cook on low for 5 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Place back in slow cooker and cook another 2 hours on low. (This last step of cooking again wasn't really necessary, as my chicken was fully cooked after the 5 hrs on low. However, letting it cook again for a while on low did thicken it up some and gave a richer flavor). In the last 5 mins stir in bell pepper and continue cooking on low while you prepare toppings. You could also easily throw the bell pepper in from the beginning, but I prefer mine with a little crunch.

Serve in big bowls with plenty of toppings :)

Undercover Mama Give-a-Way

2010-03-30T14:38:00.003-06:00

Check out Life More Simply's blog for an awesome give-a-way: an Undercover Mama shirt! It transforms any shirt into a nursing shirt and looks really functional. I can't wait to try one out with this next baby. Life More Simply is also doing a huge "baby mama shower" the month of April with tons of give-a-ways. (You'll see I put the linky button in my sidebar to the right, so you can have a convenient way of getting over to her site). Good luck!

Amazingly Good-for-You Chocolate Almond Shake

2010-03-23T12:28:00.002-06:00

When I need a tasty, chocolaty treat, I make this shake. It's thick and creamy like a milk shake, but it's actually healthy, too!

Ingredients (all are approximate, I just go by sight):

1 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 frozen banana
2 Tablespoons almond butter
1/2 Tablespoon OptOmega oil
1/2 Tablespoon blackstrap molasses (you could omit this if molasses is too strong for you. The reason I have it in right now is for the extra iron needed during pregnancy)
3 scoops Chocolate Whey Nutrimeal
water or ice as needed to thin or thicken the consistency

Blend everything in a blender until well combined. I like to keep my bananas frozen because it makes the shake smooth and thick without having to add extra ice. If your banana is not frozen, I would definitely add extra ice to make it colder, but then you may have to add extra water to thin it out some, too. You can make it super thick like a milkshake or you can make it thin enough to drink with a straw. The beauty of making it at home is you can make it how you like :)

Congrats are in Order...and Happy St Patty's Day

2010-03-17T22:59:00.004-06:00

First off, Happy Saint Patrick's Day! And congrats to Nature Manipulated, the winner of my embellished prefold set from the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team give-a-way! I hope you love the prefolds!

This is not cloth diaper related, but being St Patty's day and all, I figured I'd ask who celebrates and what you do? I made Irish soda bread for the first time and it came out pretty well. Also I make the typical corned beef and cabbage. I must say that the past couple times I've made it, I tried it in the crock pot and was not really happy with the results. The crock pot really just never got it tender enough where it pretty much falls apart, which is how I like it. Maybe it's the altitude here or maybe it's because my slow cooker is getting old. Either way it didn't come out well with that method, so this time I tried the pressure cooker and was very happy with the results.

This is the recipe I used for the soda bread. I added about 1/2 cup soaked currants w/the buttermilk and a tablespoon of caraway seeds to the dry ingredients. It was delicious!

Give-A-Way Still Open

2010-03-13T07:57:00.001-07:00

The embellished prefold give-a-way is still going on so be sure to get your entries in before March 17th! http://etsyclothdiapers.blogspot.com/2010/03/lainas-laundry-fluff-rump-featured.html

Today's Give-A-Way Day!

2010-03-10T08:50:00.004-07:00

Today is "Fluff-a-Rump on Hump Day" at the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team, which means one team member gets featured and has a give-a-way. Well today that featured member is your very own Laina's Laundry! I am giving away a set of two embellished prefolds. Be sure to head on over to the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team Blog where the contest is actually being held and get your entries in.

Polenta-Stuffed Poblano Pepper Recipe

2010-03-09T19:56:00.003-07:00

This is so good that I had to share. We were trying to figure out what region this would be considered as coming from, but I think it's really just a fusion of different flavors and it definitely works.

Also, stay tuned tomorrow for info on the Laina's Laundry give-a-way!

Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Polenta, Sage, Greens and Feta:
3 cups vegetable broth (I actually used turkey stock)
1 cup water
3/4 cup dry polenta (corn grits)
6 large fresh (not dried) poblano or pasilla chilies
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup diced red onion (or about 1/2 a good-sized onion)
1 med red bell pepper, diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cups packed spinach leaves, chopped small
2 tsp dried sage (or 2 Tbs minced fresh sage)
1/4 tsp paprika, plus more for sprinkling (I used more like 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp chipotle powder, plus more for sprinkling (I use smoked paprika since I didn't have chipotle powder. The smokiness lends a similar flavor without the heat of chipotle powder. Again, I used more like 1/2 tsp)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup feta cheese, divided

Bring broth and water to boil in 4-qt heavy pot; whisk in polenta. Cook over med heat for 2 mins, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for about 20-30 mins, stirring frequently, until soft and creamy. I think the timing depends on the coarseness of your particular polenta, so just keep checking and stirring until it seems the liquid is absorbed and you have a thick, creamy porridge.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to broil. Place chiles on baking sheet and broil, turning every few minutes until lightly charred. Remove from oven and place in paper bag 5-10 mins until cooled enough to handle. Peel skins, cut slit down length and remove seeds. I ended up having to run them under water to get all the seeds out.

Heat oil in large skillet. Saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic until softened. Stir in spinach, cook about a minute more. Stir in sage, paprika and chipotle powder (or smoked paprika). Salt and pepper to taste.

Put oven back on broil. Stir spinach mixture into polenta and add 1/2 cup feta. Place chilies back on baking sheet with slit side up, and divide polenta mixture among chilies. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup feta. Broil 3-5 mins until browned. Remove from oven, sprinkle with additional paprika and chipotle powder, if desired. Serve immediately.

This is pretty labor intensive but so worth it. Also, if I would have thought about it early enough, you can easily prepare the peppers and the filling ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use. Warm the polenta mixture up before stuffing, then stuff the chilies and broil for 5 mins and you're ready to eat.

Wetbag Give-a-Way

2010-03-08T15:50:00.003-07:00

There is a cool Monkey Foot Designs Wetbag give-a-way going on here. Be sure to check it out and enter, it's so cute!!

And again, be sure to check back on Wednesday for my own give-a-way: a 2-pack of embellished prefolds. The give-a-way will actually happen on the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team blog, but I will link to it from here. Good luck!!

March Theme

2010-03-05T12:42:00.004-07:00

The Etsy Cloth Diaper team is doing monthly "themes" and March is stripes and polka dots. Here are the listings I have that go along with the theme. Pics are links to the listings, so check them out :)

March 10 Give-A-Way

2010-03-03T15:25:00.005-07:00

Just a head's up that Laina's Laundry will be the featured shop on the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team next Wednesday (March 10) and I will be giving away this beautiful embellished prefold two-pack. Be sure to check here and also the team blog for more info on the 10th.

Free Printable Valentines

2010-02-09T14:10:00.004-07:00

You have to check out these super cute, retro valentines (from Tipnut.com)! Just click on the one you want and then print it out. You can also download the images directly to you computer.

You could easily print these out on a lightweight cardstock, cut them out, and use them for your child's valentines instead of buying a box at the store (which no doubt are full of cheesy copyrighted characters). If you have older kids, they could certainly help with the printing and/or cutting.

I am bummed because we don't have a color printer. But they are so adorable! There are actually two different sets so check this page, too. Enjoy!

Hot and Sour Slow-Cooker Soup with Pork

2010-02-04T20:38:00.004-07:00

This is a really delicious and healthy soup. We had it all on it's own for dinner and it felt satisfying enough. It's pretty low-glycemic and you could make it even more so by substituting agave for the brown sugar. I made it with pork because I think the flavor works best with the soup and is pretty traditional, but you could easily substitute chicken or even beef (use beef stock instead of chicken). Also, you can add more red pepper flakes when serving if you need more heat like I did.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless pork ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces or even a bit smaller
4 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small to medium head of cabbage, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 cups chicken stock (I used homemade turkey stock)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained

Procedure:
Layer veggies in bottom of large slow-cooker (at least 4 qt, which is what mine is and it barely fit)
Layer on pork pieces
mix brown sugar, stock, red pepper, salt, pepper and tomatoes in separate bowl and pour on top of veggies and pork
cook on low 8-10 hours or high 5-6 hours or until veggies are tender and pork is cooked through

Fluff-a-Rump...

2010-02-03T15:33:00.002-07:00

The Etsy Cloth Diaper Team is doing something unique and fun - Fluff-a-Rump on Hump Day Giveaways! We are featuring one shop and give-a-way each Wednesday in Feb and then the fun continues on twice a month indefinitely (at least through August)!

Today's featured store is Catchick 6 Creations and they are giving away a pair of custom wool longies...wow! Get all the details and enter at the Etsy CD Team Blog here: http://etsyclothdiapers.blogspot.com/

Wow - affordable organic baby clothes!

2010-01-16T22:45:00.003-07:00

Life More Simply posted a review and give-a-way for Organic Beginnings baby clothes. They are so cute you have to check it out!! But the best part is how affordable they are. With other organic baby clothing getting up into the $40 per piece range, these $15 styles are refreshing and affordable for the average mommy. YAY!

Organic Beginnings website.

How cute is this!!

Christmas is Coming...

2009-12-01T15:10:00.003-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's already December and I am thinking about Christmas. Being pregnant with baby #2 has slowed down "production" in my Etsy shop, but I did make these festive embellished prefolds. What a great gift for a little one on your list!

I also wanted to provide a link to the recipe I used for pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I think it was the best pumpkin pie I've ever had! A quality fresh pumpkin makes all the difference, and I like the fact that it was minimally spiced (I only used cinnamon) and had very little sugar. I put it in a whole wheat pie crust and it was delectable. (One note - I did have to double the recipe to fill a deep-dish pie crust). Maybe a good Christmas dessert if you're not already pumpkin pied-out (which I never am)!

Moroccan Tagine Recipe

2009-10-23T16:40:00.004-06:00

I tried this Moroccan Tagine recipe from Mothering Magazine the other night and it was good enough to post about :) I made a couple changes - I used a whole, small onion instead of 1/2, used agave nectar instead of sugar, used a decent-sized butternut squash (not small), and only about 1/2 can of garbanzos (because that's all I had on hand). Next time I think I will make it vegetarian and omit the chicken. It could be a pregnancy thing for me right now, but I didn't really think the chicken complimented the dish. I would also use a lot more onion, like at least one big one. And if you use agave, use less than called for as it is sweeter than sugar.

But, the good part - the butternut squash was delicious, and even though the spices and flavors were simple, it really came together well for a great autumn meal. And it's fast. Like 30 minutes fast if you do your chopping during toddler's nap times :) Which makes it a great weeknight meal, too.

(Just a note on the pic in the link - that is absolutely not what the dish looks like, not sure where that picture came from but I don't think it belongs with that recipe.)

Pumpkin and Bacon Soup

2009-10-08T20:27:00.003-06:00

I originally planned to make this as a first course, but it turned out so rich and creamy that it was our whole meal (along with some crusty sourdough bread and olive oil).

2 lb pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-in chunks. (Or do what I did - knock off the stem, pierce several times with a fork, and bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. Let cool, then scrape out flesh with a spoon.)
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups peeled, diced carrots (or about 2 med)
1 celery stalk, trimmed and chopped
1 Tbs canola or olive oil
2 tsp curry powder (or to taste, I started with one and ended up adding the other at the end)
1 Tbs whole wheat flour (I think this makes it thicker, but really not necessary if you don't want to add it - I only used 1/2 Tbs and it was plenty thick enough)
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb bacon, diced
salt and/or freshly ground pepper to taste

to garnish: pumpkin seeds and fresh grated nutmeg (I had already thrown away my pumpkin seeds so didn't use those. But you absolutely need the nutmeg!)

Combine pumpkin, onion, carrots and celery in large saucepan with oil. (Since my pumpkin was already baked and the pulp scraped, I just sauteed the mirepoix and then added the cooked pumpkin later) Saute over moderate heat 5-1o mins or until lightly colored and softening. Stir in curry powder and cook 1 min. Stir in the flour, remove from heat and add the stock. (Here's where I added the pumpkin pulp) Puree the whole thing with a "boat motor" or in a food processor or blender. (I had to do about 4 batches in my blender). Put the pureed soup back in the saucepot.

Fry the bacon until crispy. Drain off the fat and add bacon to the soup. Taste, and adjust seasoning as desired. (I did taste my soup before adding the bacon, and you could definitely do it without if you wanted to skip the bacon. You may need to add salt though. I found that the bacon was salty enough to season the whole soup w/out adding more). Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5 mins, stirring.

Serve in warmed bowls and garnish with pumpkin seeds and grated nutmeg. Enjoy!

It's official...

2009-08-29T20:24:00.003-06:00

...I'm now a shareholder in a goat herd! After visiting three somewhat local goat farms, I was able to feel comfortable enough with one to sign up as a shareholder. The farm is immaculate and the animals are superbly cared for. The owner feeds grass and alfalfa hay as well as her own grain that she has mixed specially for them. It's got oats, flax, black oil sunflower seeds, and some other goodies that I just can't remember. She let Laina and I feed them organic animal cookies (the ones designed for kids - ha, I mean children) because she said the ingredients are better for the goats than the feed-store-bought "goat cookies". She is really big on proper nutrition for her goats, not only so they produce top-notch milk, but also so they can live long and healthy lives. I love that she cares so well for the herd.

There were also chickens, ducks, a cat, a dog and a horse. And she hopes to have extra fruit from her trees and veggies from her garden to distribute to share-holders next season. I love that! And yes, even with all these farm animals, her place was so clean. That, coupled with the great care she gives her animals, sold me on the farm.

I get to pick up our shares of the milk on Wednesdays, and last Wednesday was my first pick up. The milk is awesome and Laina keeps asking for "goat milk". It's really cute.

I know many people want to know why I am choosing to do this whole share-holder thing and get raw milk. The more I research not only this subject, but more and more about food in general, I'm convinced that eating as much raw food as we can is so beneficial to us. But, instead of re-hashing out all the details here, check out this great post I came across: http://www.cheeseslave.com/2009/08/24/got-raw-food-50-ways-to-increase-enzymes-in-your-diet/. The author of the blog talks briefly about raw milk in that post, and also has a link to "Top 10 Reasons to Drink Raw Milk" which is also very informative. So, in addition to the reasons she states, one other thing that I will add is that I love the idea of Laina going with me to the farm to pick up farm-fresh food. Milk for now, and hopefully all kinds of other goodies in the future. I want her to see where food comes from, in it's natural state, and appreciate the work that goes into producing it.

I have Zucchini!

2009-08-06T16:20:00.004-06:00

I was out of town for almost 3 weeks and my wonderful husband took care of the garden for me. He put in automatic waterers which is super awesome! I returned to HUGE squash plants. They were so big they were taking over everything else in the garden. Yes, it is a small garden, but I was hoping to get some of my other plants growing, too.

I found out that you have to have two squash plants to actually get any fruit. Only one of my zucchini plants actually survived, and I also purchased a small patty pan (white squash) plant. I checked on the garden yesterday and didn't see any fruits, but tons of flowers. Today I decided to go out and pull up the squash plants, to allow the other plants some room. I pulled up the patty pan and had my hands on the zucchini plant ready to yank, when I spotted, lo and behold, a zucchini!! A big one, too! And there is a second one which is pretty small, and several more flowers which look like will produce fruit! Yay! Now my regret in this situation is two-fold. One, I hope the two squashes weren't actually pollinating eachother, and now I've in essence killed them both. And two, on closer inspection, it turns out the patty pan WAS producing fruit. Too bad it's withered up on the walkway now.

above you can see the biggest zucchini fruit. I think I'll either use it today or tomorrow. Mmm.

Here you can see the patty pan after demolition :(
At least I have room to plant some lettuce now.

Above is almost the whole garden. In the foreground (but behind the flowers) I have a Japanese eggplant. Behind and to the left is the zucchini, and behind and to the right is one of my cauliflower plants. I have 4 of those but none seem to be doing too hot. The leaves are pretty holey from the hail we had a while back (below).

My Anaheim chili pepper. It already produced one pepper a while back which I let turn red before picking it and trying it. It had some heat! This time I'm going to pick it while it's still green because that's how I think of Anaheim chilies.

Next year I think I'll do jalapenos instead of the Anaheim, though. I also want to try tomatoes next year, probably the little cherry ones. And I will try beets again. I have them planted way in the back, but I think they didn't get enough sun. They also got a lot of hail damage.

Washing Cloth Diapers is Simple :)

2009-07-18T22:59:00.002-06:00

Here is a great short article on washing cloth diapers. It really does not have to be complicated! This was written on the blog of a super cute little cloth diaper store that my friend and I went to go visit in Boulder, CO. It's called Bundle. How cute is that?

Washies in Stock

2009-07-08T22:54:00.005-06:00

I just stocked a few new sets of Washies in my Etsy shop. My "washies" are perfect for so many uses! Use them as washable cloth baby wipes, face cloths, washcloths, napkins, etc. Keep a few in your diaper bag for easy re-useable mess clean up. Do something good for the earth and stop throwing away baby wipes - use these washies instead!

Rockin' Baby Sling Contest

2009-07-02T18:15:00.002-06:00

Life More Simply is giving away a Rockin' Baby Sling!! This sling is awesome so be sure to check out the contest and the manufacturer's website :)

Contest: http://lifemoresimply.blogspot.com/2009/06/rockin-baby-sling-review-and-giveaway.html

Rockin' Baby Slings: http://www.rockinbabysling.com/

Cloth Diaper Extravaganza Giveaways

2009-07-01T13:53:00.003-06:00

I've finalized, finished, and shipped the items I'm having reviewed by Life More Simply. I'm not sure when my items will appear on the blog, but do check often (not only for my items, but also for a host of other great reviews and giveaways). I will have one set of toddler-sized leg warmers and one embellished prefold (in a super cute retro li'l cowpoke pattern) given away, and a couple of cloth wipes reviewed.

Right now at Life More Simply there is a great Snappi giveaway. Snappis have seriously revolutionized cloth diapering - no more pins! Be sure to check it out!

Custom Dress #2

2009-07-01T13:49:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple pics of the second custom reversible dress I did for my friend's twins.

3-Day Potty Training

2009-06-24T07:49:00.003-06:00

I am in the midst of doing Lora Jensen's 3-Day Potty Training with Laina. My little girl isn't so little anymore. We took a few parting shots of her huge nighttime fluffy butt. But I don't think I'll miss it too much ;)

So far the method does seem solid, and Lora recommends starting around 22 months. Laina is now 26 months and I can see how starting earlier would be beneficial. She already is somewhat resistant and I think there would be less resistance if she was younger. I have a friend who did have success with this method, and of course there are tons of testimonials on Lora's website.

Yesterday was day 3 for us (well I think it officially ends this morning since we started after breakfast on day 1), and I'm sure Laina "gets it"for pee but not yet for poop. With that said, "getting it" is much different than having her 100% dry and using the potty all the time. I know there will still be accidents, possibly for months. This is definitely a new adventure in parenting and I just have to keep praying for grace and patience.

Life More Simply

2009-06-18T16:13:00.003-06:00

Life More Simply is hosting a Cloth Diaper Extravaganza in July and I am super excited to be a part of it! They are reviewing several cloth diapering products and doing give-a-ways the entire month of July. Laina's Laundry leg warmers, embellished prefolds, and cloth wipes will be featured and also be part of the give-a-way. Be sure to check it out!!

Custom Dress #1

2009-06-18T16:02:00.003-06:00

I am in the midst of making custom dresses for a friend's twins' 1st birthday. They are reversible with beach-themed applique's on the front. So adorable! Here are some pics of the completed one. The other one is well on it's way and will be done by week's end.

Garden Update

2009-05-26T21:23:00.004-06:00

My little garden is coming along, rather slowly, but it is growing. I planted the peat pots which had zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, cauliflower and bell peppers. The squashes actually all died, unfortunately. But, fortunately, I had some extra seeds so I just planted those right outside in the soil. I also transplanted some basil I had inside. And planted my beets which just sprouted, looking so pretty with their red stems.

I picked up a scalloped squash plant at the farmer's market last weekend, along with some marigolds and an Anaheim chili plant. I hope to transplant those this week. Finally, the last thing I hope to plant is lettuce. I'd like to get two varieties, probably a romaine and a red-leaf. I hear they grow well into the cold so I'll still have something fresh even when fall hits.

Little Laina really enjoyed helping mommy in the garden (with daddy's gloves)!

Lessons for a Healthy Life from Ikaria

2009-05-20T15:03:00.004-06:00

I saw a great Dateline about a tiny Greek island called Ikaria and what it's inhabitants do to maintain their health and live long and well. Here are the eight tips summarized, but be sure to check out the full article (with video), too.

1. Fresh goat's milk (straight from the goat, not pasteurized)
2. Mountain living (work hard and lead an active life with everyday moderate-intensity activity)
3. Mediterranean diet (veggies, fruits, whole grains, olive oils)
4. Lots of healthy greens (greens high in antioxidants abound on the island)
5. Drink herbal teas regularly
6. Get lots of sleep (napping is commonplace)
7. Take your time (have a low sense of time urgency)
8. Embrace community and family

I love them all and want to incorporate each and every one of them into my life and my family's life. In reality, it might only be possible to practice a few of them. But I will do what I can little by little and keep adding what I can to the mix as we go along.

Cloth Love and Frog Mama

2009-04-29T14:22:00.004-06:00

Two cute sites I just found out about: Clothlove.com is a cloth diaper forum which is just getting started and looks promising. Frogmama.com has super cute baby slings. Strange, you may be thinking, for me to mention these two together. Well, the fact is that Cloth Love is running a contest and you could win a $25 gift certificate to Frog Mama. Get the details here: http://clothlove.com/blog/

Look Locally

2009-04-01T13:58:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to post a link I came across today:

http://www.localharvest.org/

This is a great site where you can put in your zip code and find all kinds of local farms - from produce and farmer's markets to cattle ranches. Check it out and see where and how you can support your local farmers!

Easter Leggings

2009-03-29T16:05:00.006-06:00

I just listed some cute white leggings on my shop. They would be just perfect with your little girl's Easter dress! I have one pair in each - toddler and infant size.

Mini Greek Pizzas

2009-03-29T15:50:00.007-06:00

These mini Greek-inspired "pizzas" are fun to make and even more fun to eat - even Laina thought so!

For the crust I used soft, flat pitas (the kind with OUT a pocket). The sauce is whipped up from a good dollop of plain yogurt, a squeeze of half a lemon, minced garlic, and dill. Spread that over the crusts and then top with thinly sliced cucumber, tomato, and red onion, chopped black olives and shredded smoked salmon. Yes, salmon. (My favorite is the honey-smoked one from Costco.) Then sprinkle a tad more dill over the top. Laina loved every bit, including the salmon!

Growing Good Things

2009-03-24T13:07:00.003-06:00

I've never been much of a gardener, but with the help of a friend, I am going to plant my first vegetable garden this year. I am really clueless about gardening, so it's nice to have help and support from someone who's done it successfully before. We are going to plan where to put the garden tomorrow, and then I'll need to start preparing the site.

I've already got seeds started and it's pretty neat to watch them grow. I got little peat pots and planted seeds for bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and cauliflower. I also got seeds for beets but those will go directly into the ground later.

The reason I'm doing this is two-fold: first, a different friend of mine, Beth, was interested in doing joining a CSA (Crop Sharing Association, I think), and we were talking about possible sharing a "share". But there is a substantial cost involved (if I figured it out, I probably would actually save money in the long run, but it is a chunk of change up front). We also talked about growing our own veggies and sharing those. That is definitely the least expensive route to go. When I knew I could get help from my experienced gardener friend, I decided to give growing a shot. The second reason I'm growing my own veggies is that I know they will be more nutritious than what can be bought in the store (which has been grown who knows where in nutrient-defficient soil and travelled for who knows how many miles).

And I guess maybe there is a third reason, but I am hesitant about it - it may turn out to be very fulfilling to grow my own "crops" and eat what I grow. But I'm hesitant about this because if I fail and nothing grows well, then that will just be a big bummer. But I am hopeful that with the help of knowledgeable friends, I will be able to grow at least something edible!

Wish me luck!

New Leggings in Stock

2009-03-06T12:53:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have posted some new leggings and a couple new embellished prefolds. I will be adding more new leggings in the coming days. I think I mentioned before that the CPSIA law has been put on hold for a year, so I am going to keep making and selling my items! Yay!

White Chocolate Chunk Ginger Oatmeal Cookies

2009-02-19T13:51:00.002-07:00

I modified a recipe I had for "Chewey Oatmeal Cookies" and boy did they come out great! Not necessarily the healthiest, but at least it has oats which provide good carbs, fiber and a little protein, and ginger, which is known to have beneficial health properties, including relief from headaches, nausea, motion sickness and morning sickness.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar (next time I make these I want to experiment w/agave nectar)
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned (rolled) oats (NOT quick-cook which have been overly processed and lose most of the fiber)
1 cup all-purpose four (also want to experiment here w/whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
4 oz white chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli's white baking chocolate)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease baking sheets. Cream together shortening, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla at med speed of electric mixer. In separate large bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix into creamed mixture at low speed just until blended. Stir in ginger and white chocolate. Drop by heaping spoonfulls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Bake one sheet at a time in center of oven for 10-12 mins or until lightly browned. Cool several mins on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack. Makes about 2 doz. Store in an airtight container.

Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach and Turkey Wrap

2009-02-18T09:48:00.003-07:00

Sorry no pics of this one, but it sure was tasty! I love anything with red peppers.

Ingredients for 2 wraps:
2 whole wheat or sprouted grain tortilla or wrap
2 thick-cut slices turkey deli meat (the kind w/out nitrates is of course much preferred)
1 roasted red pepper (see below for making your own)
couple handfuls baby spinach
mayo (the kind made w/canola oil is healthier)
prepared pesto (I used Classico Traditional Basil Pesto)
shredded mozzarella
grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

To roast a red bell pepper (on a gas range, sorry folks, I'm not sure how you would do this on an electric stove, though I think I've heard you can broil them in the oven to get the same effect): Place washed and dried pepper directly on grate with heat around med-low. You want the flames to be high enough that the pepper's skin chars. Turn the pepper frequently until the skin is more charred than not. Then wrap the pepper in a clean dish cloth and let sit for about 5 mins. Peel the skin off with your fingers. Slice open the pepper and remove stem, seeds, and membranes. Then cut into strips.

To assemble the wrap: I spread a thin layer of mayo on each tortilla, then spread a dab of pesto on top of that. Layer the turkey, spinach, and then peppers. I grate the mozzarella and Parmesan right on top until it looks good to me. Season w/salt and pepper. Wrap up and enjoy!

"The Case for Nutritional Supplements"

2009-02-12T14:24:00.004-07:00

I'd like to share an excerpt from Dr. Tim Wood's "The Case for Nutritional Supplements" which I found highly educational. I would love to post the whole study but it was pretty long, and don't want to bore those of you who may not be interested...If you would like to read the whole study, just let me know and I can email it to you.

"Why would medical professionals have a negative bias against
nutritional supplements? Several reasons come to mind. Most doctors
receive no more than a few hours of nutritional training during their
medical education. They know little about nutrition and the important
role it plays in human health. Second, many express concerns that
their patients might use supplements as an excuse to eat poorly. This
concern has proved to be unfounded. Surveys show that supplement
users tend to be health-conscious and to follow generally healthy
habits. Third, many doctors have a low opinion of the nutritional
supplement industry - and rightfully so. Too many supplement
companies sell substandard products that fail to meet pharmaceutical
standards for potency, purity, and efficacy. Too many companies fail
to pay sufficient attention to safety. And too many companies make
false and outrageous health claims for their products. Clearly this
industry needs an overhaul to win the respect and confidence of
doctors and the general public. But just as clearly, there are very
reputable supplement companies in business today; companies that have
adopted pharmaceutical standards for product quality, safety and
efficacy; company’s that deserve the public’s trust.

These issues aside, I believe that the most significant barrier to the
open consideration of supplement use in mainstream healthcare is the
closed mind. Primary prevention, the focus of keeping healthy people
healthy, lies outside the acute-care paradigm, and so it is ignored.
Some in the mainstream pay lip service to prevention, but few base
their practices or research careers on it. And sadly, because primary
prevention is “alien”, it is often derided as “ineffective”, “too
slow”, “unreliable”, “clinically unproven”, and “only partially
effective”.

Unfortunately, these attitudes carry over to nutritional supplements.
As tools of primary prevention, nutritional supplements also lie
outside the acute care paradigm. When they are evaluated within that
paradigm for short-term treatment / curative benefits, one or two
nutrients at a time, on chronically ill people, they often fail.
These failures, in turn, are judged as evidence that supplements have
no benefit whatsoever.

Clearly it’s time to challenge these notions and views. Change may
begin at the grass roots level, as rising healthcare costs threaten to
close the doors of access to good medical care. Today, too many
Americans literally can’t afford to get sick. Our alternative is
primary prevention. We can choose to take charge of our health by
adopting prudent lifestyle strategies and habits for staying healthy
long-term. Nutritional supplementation can play an important role in
this endeavor. The science, when approached broadly with an open
mind, is convincing on this point. As components of healthy living,
nutritional supplements can help people add years of health to their
lives."

CPSIA Update

2009-02-05T14:42:00.002-07:00

The following is an email I got from the "Handmade Toy Alliance" today regarding the status of the CPSIA law:

Thank you for your continued support to Save Small Business from the CPSIA. It has been an active week. A stay of enforcement was issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Friday, January 30th. Although it has stayed enforcement of many provisions of the law, the CPSC has made it clear that they lack authority to fully correct the CPSIA. Urge Congress to provide the CPSC with guidance that will protect toymakers, thrift resellers, publishers, and clothing manufacturers from the unintended consequences of the CPSIA. A technical amendment, the CPSIA Regulatory Relief Bill, will be introduced on the Senate floor soon. It is important that we gain Senate support for this necessary legislation. Here's what you can do:

Call your Senator (switchboard: 202-224-3121).
Identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak with the Senator or the staff assistant who follows Commerce issues.
Ask him/her to co-sponsor the CPSIA Regulatory Relief Legislation, and tell them if they have questions about the legislation they can contact Tom Jones in Senator DeMint’s DC office at 202-224-6121. Tom’s email address is tom_jones@commerce.senate.gov
Ask them to vote for the CPSIA Regulatory Relief legislation when it comes to the Senate floor, possibly as an amendment to the stimulus package as has been rumored.
Get five friends to do steps 1-4.

We need to show strong support of this amendment in order to get the Senate to pass it. To read the specifics of the amendment, go to:
http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=JimsJournal.Detail&Blog_ID=295d58b2-b6fe-c446-1432-24b6199424ed

We have also made strides in our intiative at change.org. We are in the final stages of teaming with a non profit agency and going forward with our national campaign to save small businesses. There is a new petition that you can sign and send a letter to Congress. To see the petition, go to: http://www.change.org/ideas/4203/view_action/tell_congress_to_save_small_business. Our blog posts have also begun. View these at: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia .

Thank you again for your support. Our grassroots campaign would never have gotten as far as it has without the support of people like you.

www.handmadetoyalliance.org

CPSIA Article

2009-01-17T19:39:00.002-07:00

This is a good article from Forbes with more details on the CPSIA:

http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

Huge CPSIA Blowout Sale!

2009-01-16T10:42:00.002-07:00

Because I don't know if I'll be able to sell my items on Etsy once the CPSIA goes into effect on Feb 10, I'm holding a huge inventory reduction sale at Laina's Laundry! I have embellished prefolds for $6.50 each, leggings as low as $5 a pair, and organic bamboo washie sets for $8!!! PLUS, buy one item, get free shipping on all additional items!!! Here are just a few samples. Click the pictures to go to the listings.

New Law will Put me and Many Others out of Business

2009-01-09T22:31:00.003-07:00

Please click the picture above to read about the new law that congress passed back in August '08 and will take effect in Feb. If this doesn't get changed, Laina's Laundry and many other small businesses and work-at-home-mom shops will have to close down.

In a nutshell, the law states that it will be illegal to sell any item (including clothing) designed for children under 12 that has not undergone lead testing and have permanent labeling identifying such testing. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about safety in children's products (well, ALL products, actually!), but this law has taken things too far. It came about because of all the lead found in Chinese products sold in America. Many people sought American-made and WAHM-made products because of that, and now those products are no longer going to be available.

So, again, I urge you, please click the picture above to learn more about the law and how you can help. You can also go HERE to vote to change this law and have it presented to President Obama. After my vote, there are only 9 more votes needed to keep it in the top 10 proposals!

Healthy Snacking

2009-01-07T14:17:00.003-07:00

I made up a yummy, healthy and fun snack the other day and it even looked pretty so I had to share. I sliced a raw red bell pepper into thick strips, spooned on some tuna salad, and then topped with a chunk of avocado. I think next time I will actually cut the pepper into larger strips, more like cups so they hold more tuna. You can make the tuna salad up however you prefer, but I like to make mine with a little mayo (get the kind made with canola oil so it's healthier), mustard, and pepper. So easy and so delicious! It's low glycemic, the tuna is of course a great source of protein, and the red pepper is a super source of vitamins A and C and also has lycopene!

"Little Twig" Bubble Bath give-a-way

2009-01-02T17:58:00.003-07:00

One of my favorite blogs, the Mama Manifesto, is giving away 2 sets of baby bubble bath by eco-friendly Little Twig. Click the link below to check it out and enter!

http://mamamanifesto.blogspot.com/2009/01/friday-giveaway-little-twig.html

UPDATE: I WON!!!

Christmas Card Recycling

2009-01-01T16:47:00.006-07:00

The credit for this idea goes to my mom, but I get to blog about it. Instead of throwing away your Christmas cards this year (or saving them in a box for who knows how long in the basement...), re-purpose them by making gift tags for next year! Pick cards that don't have any writing on the back of the design, and go to town cutting strips or shapes out of your favorite parts. Below are some examples that I just got finished with. Certain photo cards even work great, like the one pictured - you can remove the photo to keep and cut up the border into tags. It's brilliant. You'll never have to buy another gift tag again, and you're helping cut down on waste. Thanks, Mom!

Free Cooking Class!

2008-12-28T17:24:00.005-07:00

I purchase Imagine broths and cooking stocks pretty regularly, especially since they seem to be on perpetual sale for two-for-one. Last month, I saw one box had a sticker on it saying I could get a free cooking class if I purchased three qualifying products. So, I purchased my three qualifying products, completed the online form, and wha-lah, my certificate for a free cooking class arrived!

You have to actually have the certificate in-hand to look up the locations, so I was figuring I would most likely have to go to Denver for my class (which isn't that far), but it turns out there is one even closer! I am so excited and will be calling to book my free class tomorrow!

Check out the details here!

Hearty Banana Date Bread

2008-12-13T18:58:00.004-07:00

I knew I wanted to make banana bread - I had 2 bananas sitting on the counter getting browner by the day. Laina doesn't like to eat them once they start to get too soft, so these ones were destined to be bread. I also have a humongous tub of pitted dates. Hadley's no less - way out here in Colorado! I have great memories of taking road trips with my family growing up and we would always stop at Hadley's if we were driving towards Palm Springs. Their date shakes were a special treat! I had no idea they were so widely distributed now.

Anyway, on with the story.

So I needed to make banana bread. And I had a huge tub of dates that, even though Laina and I love dates, we would be hard-pressed to make it to the bottom of. So I had this wild idea to make banana date bread. I searched online for a recipe that would suit my fancy. I wanted it to have, of course, dates and bananas, and preferably be healthy. Not finding anything I liked, I decided to improvise. The following recipe is my own concoction and I'm pleased to say it came out wonderfully!

Hearty Banana Date Bread

1 cup regular flour (I use unbleached white)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped dates
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (mine were med-large)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/8 to 1/4 cup agave nectar (I started with 1/8 cup but ended up adding a little more)
1/8 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x4" loaf pan with cooking spray. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Stir in dates. In separate bowl, beat bananas, oil, eggs, agave and water until smooth. If the batter is too thick you may need to add a bit more water. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture and mix well. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for approx 55-60 mins, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool a few minutes, slice and enjoy. I store mine in the loaf pan on the countertop covered with foil.

"The Second Nine Months"

2008-12-12T13:50:00.002-07:00

My dear friend, Beth, lent me "The Second Nine Months," by Vicki Glembocki, after a real heart-to-heart conversation about how hard being a mom to little ones is and how neither of us had that immediate bond and ooey-gooey feelings for our babies when they were first born (or for several months afterward).

I wish I would have read this book while I was pregnant. I wish I would have read it again when Laina was itty-bitty and her and I (and sometimes my husband, too) would end up crying together because we were so distraught and just didn't know what to do with eachother.

Vicki writes how everything about being a new mom was alien to her. About how all her other new mom friends seemed to have it all together and be in total, rapturous love with thier babies. About how she loved email more than her daughter. About how her daughter, Blair, cried and cried and cried and she couldn't figure out how to soothe her (man have I been there). About how she felt like a failure at this motherhood thing. So much of this book I could completely relate to. Looking back on the first several months of my own daughter's life, I was so overwhelmingly in the same place.

There were surveys that Vicki had to fill out at her baby's well-child appointments to screen for postpartum depression. They never identified her with depression. I never had such surveys, but I remember feeling similar - I just wanted someone to diagnose that something was wrong with me, so that there would be a valid reason why I felt the way I did. A valid reason why I didn't love my baby. A vaild reason why I really didn't feel any emotion at all. Sometimes anger, sometimes frustration, sometimes sadness. But mostly nothing, mostly apathy, mostly wanting to crawl up into the fetal position and cry and be swallowed up into a black hole, never to return.

So many people tell you before hand that having a baby is hard. They say it's "the hardest job you'll ever love". But that sounds so gushy. Like, ya, it's so hard but it's so rewarding. Well when you're in those first months, there is nothing rewarding about it. It's just hard and it just sucks. Literally, sucks everything out of you. There was one couple Jay and I met at a party when I was newly pregnant (or maybe we were not even pregnant yet, I can't remember), who told us like it is: They said "don't have kids, we're not kidding". And you could just tell they really weren't kidding. I think they are the only people who conveyed a real sense of how hard it is.

I can remember one meeting with our church mom's group where the speaker was talking about how hard it is to be a mom, but in the end said we love our children so much and asked how many of us would, of course, put ourselves in harm's way to protect our children. Well I could not honestly say that I would at that time. I didn't know for sure that I wouldn't, but I couldn't say for sure that I would sacrifice myself to save my baby. I wasn't sure I loved her that much. It sounds horrible to say, and at the time it made me feel like the worst mother on the planet, for even having the thought that I might stand idly by and let my own child get run over by a bus.

By the grace of God somehow we got through those first months, and just like Vicki describes, somehow along the way, little moments happen where you realize that you do love your baby, after all. Little by little you form a real relationship with this new little being that you are mother to. I can honestly say that it's only been in the last few months that I feel like I am truly connecting with my daughter. Truly loving her. Truly loving staying home with her and nurturing her and watching her grow.

By writing this, I don't want to dismiss those who really are naturally and blissfully in love with their babies from the beginning. I know that it happens and I know that it's wonderful. But for some of us, that's just not how it is. And I don't think that new moms should have to feel alienated or like there's something wrong with them if they don't have that immediate gushy lovey feeling to carry them through the tough times. So to any new moms who might be feeling anything less than bliss, read "The Second Nine Months". It's poignant, it's funny, it's sad, but most of all, it's real.

Check out the Longies!

2008-12-11T15:15:00.009-07:00

I finally started listing my wool pants in my Etsy shop! They are made from recycled 100% wool sweaters and are perfect for these cold winter days! They are awesome just as pants, or I can lanolize them at no charge for you to make them into cloth diaper covers, or "longies".

Wool pants make great diaper covers as they are a natural fiber and breathable. They really don't require that much extra care. I was hesitant to try out wool covers on my own daughter, until someone gave me a beautiful pair of hand knit longies. I had to try them and now I love all things wool! I only wash mine once a month or so unless they become soiled (usually from Laina spilling yogurt or something on them). Just stir a squirt of baby wash and a squirt of pure lanolin in a small cup of hot water (I just use the leftover PureLan that I have from my breastfeeding days). The soap and lanolin will melt and mix and become milky looking. Fill a sink or small wash tub with luke warm water and then mix in the lanolin mixture. Gently dunk in the wool longies (or shorties or whatever) and squeeze the water through a few times. Then let sit for several hours. After soaking, gently squeeze out excess water with your hands, then roll in a towel to get the rest. I usually hang the towel up on a towel bar and lay the longies over that to finish drying. It will take overnight or sometimes even longer to completely dry.

The extra care is so worth it! Whenever Laina is looking a little rashy, I make sure to put her in wool and it does help her bum air out and clear up. Check it out for yourself - you'll be glad you did!

(To the right is Laina modeling a pair of longies I made just for her.)

Gift-Giving from the Heart

2008-12-06T14:31:00.004-07:00

I have noticed my crafty side really coming out lately. We leaders of our mom's group at church wanted to do a really special gift give-a-way at our last meeting of the semester, which was Thursday. We wanted to put special things together that we could show the moms and explain how to do it at home to make special, home made (or home-put-together) gifts, that would also help cut the expense of gift-giving. Then we gave away what we made. We called it gift-giving from the heart.

I put together a couple things - a spa basket filled with good-for-you, paraben-free face and body care products, scrubby bath mitts, washcloth, and floating bath candles. I found a cool sparkly star-shaped basket at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 off so I filled that up with my goodies.

The second thing I did was much more time consuming, but also less expensive. I made felt Christmas ornaments. I bought felt and embroidery thread for super cheap and then went to town. I used cookie cutters to trace some shapes onto the felt (I have angels, Christmas trees, stars, and candy canes). I really wanted snowmen so I had to draw my own pattern for that one. Cut a front and back for each ornament, plus any other decorative things you might want to put on your ornaments (like a scarf and hat for the snowmen). You can also use sequins, buttons, and other decorations to embellish your ornaments. Important - stitch your embellishments on the front side before sewing the front and back together! Then stitch the fronts and backs together (some people like to stuff the ornaments with fiber-fill, but I left them unstuffed). I used a blanket stitch to finish everything off, which I actually didn't know how to do, so I looked it up on Google and found this video. Plus, I also found a blog post with some great info as well - Futuregirl.com's blanket stitch tutorial. To finish, use ribbon, string, twine or something to make a hanging loop. Thread the ribbon through a stitch or two at the top and tie. They really came out cute!

There were so many other great things that everyone came up with for giving: homemade bath salts and soaks, lots of baked goods, a movie night bucket (popcorn bucket with movie rental gift cards, candy and popcorn - you could also put this together with a great family DVD inside), handmade barrettes/hair bows, handmade glycerin soap, there was so much more I can't remember it all but it was a really great time and the moms loved all the give-a-ways.

Sorry I don't have more pics, but here are some of the ornaments.

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

2008-11-30T13:21:00.007-07:00

This recipe comes from a chocolate cookbook that I got on clearance forever ago and never even make anything out of because after I bought it, I saw that it's from Australia, and all the measurements are metric. There is a conversion table in the back, but I just never wanted to put that much effort into baking something.

For Thanksgiving, however, I thought I would pull it out again and look for something yummy to make for dessert. I figured for a special occasion it was worth it to do the math. The great thing about taking a second look is that in addition to the metric cup/teaspoon/tablespoon measurements, each recipe also lists the weight for each ingredient. Fabulous! I do have a kitchen scale, and I've always known that for baking it's better to measure in weight anyways, so I decided on the Chocolate Yogurt Cake and I'm so glad I tried it. Delicious! The yogurt makes the cake really moist and also lends a little depth to the flavor.

Measurements are listed in both grams and ounces. For my cheapie, non-digital scale, I found it more accurate to use grams. I did make a few modifications for the high altitude we live in, and I've noted those where appropriate. Also the recipe doesn't call for strawberries, but I figured I could decorate it however I wanted, and I had the strawberries, so I put them on top.

Chocolate Yogurt Cake
125 g/4 oz self-rising flour
40 g/1 1/3 oz plain four
30 g/1 oz cocoa powder (the higher the quality of cocoa powder, the better the cake will be)
125 g/4 oz butter
310 g/9 3/4 oz caster sugar (this is super fine sugar, I use C&H Baker's Sugar) Omit 1 Tbs for high altitude
2 eggs, lightly beaten
125 g/4 oz plain yogurt
125 ml/4 fl oz water (for high altitude add 3 extra Tbs)
125 ml/8 fl oz cream, whipped (I used stabilized whipped cream, recipe below, since I made mine in the morning and I didn't want the whipped cream to deflate by the time we ate)

Topping
175 g/approx 6 oz white chocolate, roughly chopped
60 ml/2 fl oz cream
60 g/2 oz dark chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (370 for high altitude). Brush a deep 9" round cake pan with melted butter or oil. Line base and sides with baking paper (parchment paper). (Later the recipe calls for you to split the cake in half horizontally, so I just used two 8" cake pans and divided the batter between them).

Sift flours and cocoa together. Using electric beaters, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and creamy. Add the eggs gradually, beating thoroughly after each addition. Combine yogurt and water in small bowl.

Using metal spoon (I used the paddle on my Kitchen-Aid mixer and did not do this by hand), fold mixed flours/cocoa alternately with yogurt mixture into creamed butter. (I did this in thirds, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of bowl). Stir until well combined and mixture is smooth. Pour into prepared baking pan(s) and smooth surface if necessary. Bake 45 mins or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (baking time was approx 25 mins for me with the increased oven temp for altitude plus the fact that I split the batter between two pans). Leave cake in pan 10 mins then turn onto wire rack to cool.

To make topping: combine white chocolate and cream in double boiler and melt, stirring frequently until smooth. Cool slightly.

To assemble cake: cut cake in half horizontally. Spread whipped cream over one half of cake; top with other half. Spread white chocolate mixture gently over top of cake. (I don't think I let my white chocolate cool enough before doing this as it ran right off the edges of the cake and it's not supposed to do that). Place melted dark chocolate in piping bag and pipe rings around cake. Use a toothpick to draw lines from center of cake out to form "feathered" pattern. (You'd have to see the pic in my cookbook to know exactly how this pattern is supposed to look. I decided to top mine with strawberries, then pipe the dark chocolate on top like drizzles).

Stabilized Whipped Cream
(this is using American measurements)
2 teaspoons water
3 teaspoons brandy, rum, or other liquor
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar (for a healthier version, I substituted 1 packet Truvia, you could also use a tablespoon or so of agave nectar or other natural sweetener.)

-Chill bowl and beaters in refrigerator
-In a small, heat-resistant bowl or cup, sprinkle gelatin over water and brandy, let stand 5 mins
-Place cup in pan of very hot water, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and let stand, stirring frequently, until it reaches room temp.
-While gelatin cools, beat cream, remembering to stir gelatin frequently so it doesn't solidify
-Once cream is a medium consistency, keep beating and add sugar or sweetener and gelatin all at once. Keep beating until stiff peaks form.
-Cover and chill. Will keep upto 2 days.

Book Report: How to Get Kids to Eat Great and Love It!

2008-11-24T13:19:00.009-07:00

How to Get Kids to Eat Great and Love it, by Christine Wood, MD, was recommended to me by a couple different people.

In general, I feel like Laina is a good eater and will usually try whatever we put on her plate. Lately, that has been changing a bit. She does still eat a pretty wide variety of foods, especially grains - she loves them all, in any form. She also loves dairy products, fruit, and some veggies (peas, please!). The problem I'm running into is that she is less likely to eat veggies that she is not familiar with (and sometimes even those she is). So, thought I'd check this book out. The local library did not have it, so I had to put in a request for them to acquire it from a different county's library. It came and I read through it fairly quickly. Part of that haste was knowing that I wouldn't be able to renew it since it's an interlibrary loan and it HAS to be back on the due date.

Some of it was good, some of it was ok, and some of it was outdated. It was published in 2002, but already there are newer studies challenging some of her claims (like new studies on food allergies and how it may not be necessary or even beneficial to delay introducing certain "highly allergenic" foods). Dr Wood places a lot of emphasis on the Food Guide Pyramid, which I don't necessarily agree with. (It's ok as long as you realize that the grains and breads forming the base of the pyramid need to be whole grain. And, good fats should not be limited to the "use sparingly" category.)

Over all it was educational, had some good info, and I think will help me. One thing that makes a lot of sense and that I definitely will remember is that as a parent, it's our job to provide healthy meals, and it's the kid's job to eat it. She said children are very good at regulating their hunger, and if they don't eat as much as we feel like they should, that's ok. On some level I already knew this, but it's helpful to hear it from a doctor.

The book is divided into three sections. Section A contains information on what in our environment is detrimental to our and our children's health and how antioxidants in the diet (and through proper supplementation) are so important in fighting off environmental toxins. It's the basic background to why we need to be thoughtful about what we put into our children's bodies.

Section B takes the reader through each stage in childhood from infants to adolescents and gives tips on how best to approach feeding and nutrition in each stage.

I found Section C the most interesting. Titled "The War Against Diseases - Now & Long into Adulthood" it talks about how different nutrients play a key role in preventing and even improving different conditions such as allergies, asthma, exzema, ear infections, sinus problems, and attention deficit disorder.

Over all I do recommend checking it out. It's a good resource and there is definitely more that I did agree with than those few parts I didn't. Setting up the proper foundation for healthy eating and living is so important and has the potential to protect our kids from degenerative disease and obesity. The book reminded me of something I read somewhere else (I think from "Healthy for Life", which will have it's own review in due time) - in America, we live in the land of plenty, are overeating, yet starving nutritionally. It is making me more and more want to move out to the country, milk my own goats and farm my own food like my parents did when I was young (see pic below, me and my mom in the late 70s). For now, I'm going to be extra conscientious of what I buy (try to buy organic as much as possible), where I buy it (farmer's markets), and how I prepare it. Then, to make up for what we still lack from our foods, we are taking high quality nutritional supplements (which will be another review I'm sure).

Mini Pumpkin Pies

2008-11-21T09:10:00.002-07:00

The church moms group I'm a part of made mini pumpkin pies yesterday for our "playgroup" time. It was great - the kids rolled out dough for either crusts or to cut "cookies" out of and sprinkled cinnamon sugar all over. The adults placed the crusts in muffin tins and filled with pumpkin pie mix. They came out so great! We used the recipe from the back of the canned Libby's pumpkin pie mix. Personally, I prefer the recipe from the back of Libby's pure pumpkin, but this one was of course easier for a group. I'm not entirely sure on how long they ended up taking to cook, we just kept an eye on them. You know they're done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. I think it was somewhere around 20-30 mins.

This is a great fun cooking project for you and your little ones! The kids loved helping and the little pies are just perfect for little hands! (The adults loved them, too!) You could even make them for holiday dessert and everyone could get thier own pie. Dress it up like I did above by grating fresh nutmeg on top and around the plate, place some nuts and/or berries as garnish, and the final touch which I did not do would be to place a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top!

Pasta with Smoked Salmon Recipe

2008-11-20T13:59:00.004-07:00

This is what I threw together for dinner last night, and it came out great! I searched online for smoked salmon pasta recipes and ended up making up my own. Note that measurements are approximate - this is cooking, not baking, we're talking about here - do everything to taste.

1/2 lb spaghetti or other pasta of choice (I used Barilla Plus spaghetti which I got for free because I had a coupon)
8 oz (or so) smoked salmon, flaked (I used honey smoked salmon from Costco which is so yummy that Jay thought it was ham!) Go for something that is thick and meaty, not the thinly sliced lox-style smoked salmon
1/2 cup frozen peas (I think this would also work well with asparagus)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs butter
4 oz (or so) sour cream
a swig or two of whole milk or cream or both (I used both)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
fresh ground black pepper - lots of it!
a sprinkling of crushed red pepper
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped

Cook pasta according to package directions, being sure to strain it just as it hits the al dente tenderness. If there's one thing I can't stand it's over-cooked pasta. Add the peas to the cooking pasta one minute before the pasta is done. Strain it all together, reserving some of the pasta water for later.

Melt butter in large skillet over med heat. Add garlic and saute just a minute. Add milk, cream, sour cream, and lemon juice. Whisk together in skillet until it begins to bubble. Turn heat down and add black pepper and red peppers. Keep whisking and let the sauce reduce a little. Add cooked pasta and peas, and salmon. Toss well to coat everything and mingle flavors. Sprinkle basil on top. Enjoy!

Banana Muffin Recipe

2008-11-18T19:51:00.003-07:00

I had a fabulous jewelry party this morning and my friend asked for the recipe for the banana muffins I made. So, here it is. Sorry I didn't know the recipe would be requested otherwise I would have taken some pics! This isn't the most healthful recipe, but it sure is yummy! I imagine you could make it more healthy by using whole wheat flour instead of white, but I haven't tried it that way...yet.

Banana Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour (I use unbleached)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups mashed bananas (approx 4-6 bananas)
1/2 canola oil
1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease 12-muffin tin.
Mix dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt) in large bowl
Mix brown sugar, bananas, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla in separate bowl
Make a well in the center of the mixed dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients in
Mix until moistened but still lumpy. Do NOT over mix (this will make muffins tough)
Divide batter evenly into prepared tin
Bake 20-25 mins until golden
Cool muffins in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool

The above is how I did it. As I read through my recipe another time here, I realized I did something wrong, yet the muffins still came out great. The recipe says that when you put the muffins into the oven to reduce the temp to 375 degrees F. I totally skipped this, and my muffins came out great - cooking at 425 for about 23 mins. I think this may have to do with the altitude here (6100'). The recipe also calls for 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, but I don't really care for walnuts so I just left them out. My muffin tins were filled pretty full with the batter sans nuts, so I imagine if you did add nuts you might have enough batter for one and a half muffin tins. If you do fill a muffin tin only partially, be sure to fill the empty spots with some water so the muffins still cook evenly.

Enjoy!

Goat Farm and Raw Milk

2008-11-17T14:13:00.009-07:00

I took the family out to visit a goat farm yesterday (this semi-crappy picture is the only one we took and it was taken with a camera phone). I have been researching where in the Denver area you can get raw milk, because I've never seen it in stores. My parents had goats for milk when I was a preschooler (Candy and Licorice..."sweet" goats that I wish I had pictures of to post here), and then even after that my brother and I were raised on raw cow's milk (my brother had milk "allergies" which is generally an inability for the body to digest pasteurized milk properly).

I have discovered that it's illegal to sell raw milk in Colorado, but there are several farms where you can basically purchase shares in a herd (goats around our area, though I did find cow herds elsewhere in CO) and then you are entitled to a portion of the milk the herd produces. If you're curious as to why I am looking for raw milk, the short version is that milk, as God created it, has beneficial properties and enzymes, much like yogurt. The pasteurization process however kills off the good and the potentially bad and you are left with something that really doesn't resemble milk anymore. Just like human milk, cow and goat and every other mammal's milk is sterile. Contamination occurs as a result of improper milking, handling, and/or storage of milk. Here are some links if you are interested in researching this further:

A Campain for Real Milk
Raw Milk Association of Colorado
Drink It Raw - an article about how raw milk is the only illegal food in NC and why obtaining it is more difficult than buying marijuana

The goat farm we visited had a lovely little herd of Nubians, as well as some egg-laying hens and cute kittens that Laina loved. There is a waiting list to become a shareholder in the herd. We sampled the milk and some soft cheese that the owner made, and both were delicious. They were nothing at all like the "goaty" tasting pasteurized goat's milk and cheeses available in the grocery store. The owner explained how everything is kept very clean and how they have their milk tested for bacteria levels every month.

Besides the health benefits and the general "goodness" of raw milk, there are a couple other reasons I'm anxious to get started in this process of becoming a herd shareholder. It will be a step away from big business and government regulations, and a step towards nature, the local farmer, and being "close to the earth" (wow that really sounds hippie-ish). Also, it will be so much fun to visit "our" goats every week when we pick up milk and will provide Laina with a wonderful opportunity to learn about farming and country life. Now I just have to take a look at our budget and make sure we can fit it in, and also wait for the paperwork and contracts to be emailed to me so I can get on the waiting list!

Immaculate Deception II - Myth, Magic & Birth

2008-11-14T13:24:00.008-07:00

I'm reading Immaculate Deception II. I have it on loan from a friend but I must buy my own copy because it is very good and will make a great resource as I embark on a journey of researching midwifery and homebirth. This is the second edition and was published in 1994, so some of the more technical information is getting dated, but the concepts remain the same.

There is a note at the beginning of the book:

"The original Immaculate Deception was in print for two decades. It continues to be required reading in many medical schools and nursing programs. Suzanne Arms was an early champion of midwives and birth centers, and founder of The Birth Place in Menlo Park, California. Her film, 'Five Women, Five Births' is considered a classic in childbirth education."

It is wonderful that the original version of this book is required reading in many medical schools and nursing programs, and I also think it should be required reading for anyone who is pregnant or is planning on becoming pregnant. Heck, it's probably even an important book to read for ALL women!

I do have to mention that there is a chapter on religion and how it has affected and oppressed women, and it's not written from a Christian perspective at all. I don't discount the entire chapter, however, as I think there is probably some truth to the things she mentions. Such as how the Catholic Church labeled Jesus' mother the "Virgin Mary" and wanted everyone to believe she was forever a virgin, when it is clear from scripture that she was indeed a virgin when Jesus was conceived and born, she was not her whole life - Jesus later had siblings.

I believe this is an important read, you just may want to take certain parts of it with a grain of salt. The chapters on normal pregnancy and birth are great. I also find her philosophy on fear very interesting. American women have become so afraid of pregnancy and the birth process that they believe they NEED many of the interventions "modern medicine" has to offer. Not that there isn't unfounded basis for this fear. In the past century and more American women were treated horrendously in labor; and of course there are real problems that may arise in pregnancy or labor and delivery. But on the whole, problems are rare, and our fear mostly gets in the way of and complicates our bodies' natural process.

I am looking forward to doing more research and gathering more information on the topics of midwifery, homebirth, and pregnancy in general. As some of you may know, I had wanted a home birth with our first baby, but got talked out of it by everyone I knew, and after taking a tour of the local hospital, decided it wasn't so bad. I did end up having an okay experience there, but I think it would have been even better at home. We'll see if I can get my wish with the second one.

And no, the second one is not on the way yet...but maybe soon...

"Mama Cloth"

2008-11-13T13:30:00.010-07:00

disclaimer: This post may contain TMI (too much information) for some readers - namely, men!

I gave birth to my baby girl 18, almost 19, months ago. I breastfed for 14 or 15 months. My dear Aunt Flo, thank God, did not bother to visit during most of those breastfeeding months. She showed up once around 13 months, and then not again until I had completely stopped breastfeeding. The very idea of using tampons in that sensitive, episiotomy-scarred area was akin to fingernails screeching across a chalkboard. So I was in no way going that route. Disposable sanitary pads are, well, gross. And stinky. And uncomfortable. And a waste of money. And generate a lot of trash for my tiny bathroom trash can that I am too lazy to empty everyday. You get the point - not going that route, either. Are there really alternatives? You betcha! I discovered "mama cloth" in the course of cloth diapering and participating in a few different online communities of cloth diapering mamas. Turns out, there are a plethora of mama cloth makers right on Etsy! It really is less gross than disposable pads, they do not stink, and they are super comfortable.

I have tried a few different brands now, and my favorites so far are April M Designs. They are all 100% cotton flannel, which is soft, trim fitting, and absorbant. I am definitely liking the more natural fibers like cotton, hemp and bamboo better than synthetics. Just look at this adorable panty liner she has available right now! And, I can't say if it's for sure from using cloth, or maybe just from being different since giving birth, but my cycles are definitly lighter. I wish I could say they are also shorter like some people supposedly experience when using cloth, but they are not. Another plus for me though is way less cramping! I have read that all the chemicals in disposables contribute to excessive bleeding and cramping. And, I'm doing laundry all the time anyways, so it's not any harder or adding more work to my day.

Expanding Blog

2008-11-13T12:57:00.005-07:00

Since Laina's Laundry is a small shop and only has so many updates, and I personally have a LOT of things I would love to share, I'm expanding the intent and content of this blog to not only include shop updates, but also some personal insights, ideas, and notions I feel are worth sharing. For instance, some of the many things I want to share on this blog are my journey researching midwifery and hopefully having a home birth with the next baby (whenever God grants me another pregnancy), organic/natural and good-for-you foods and recipes, my quest to find "real milk" (aka raw milk) in my area, my desire to be more "green" (yes, I know that word is becoming super cliche and trendy right now), reduce, reuse, and recycle, etc, becoming more aware of my body and what I put into it and how I treat it, and many other things that have been swimming around inside my head and keeping me up at night. Maybe if I have an outlet for those thoughts here in this blog, I can put them to rest at night and actually get some sleep!

My hope is that many people would find and read this blog and be able to share their knowledge and experiences with me as well. Some of you are probably thinking "wow, this chick is super crunchy and I don't know how I feel about that", but I hope that you will still stay a while and see things from anther perspective. On the surface, I don't normally think of myself as being hippie, crunchy, green, or whatever the trendy term is lately. But maybe deep down, I really am. There is something about being a little unconventional, going against the grain, counter-culture. I think my parents would tell you that this isn't new for me. In reality, even true Christianity is about as counter-culture as you can get. I really do want to strive to walk in true Christianity. I know that may have little to do with the things I mentioned above. But maybe it all still fits together somehow in making up the conglomerate person that is me.

So sit back and stay a while as this blog, and myself, evolve into something more, something responsible and full of information to share, and hopefully something beautiful.

-Jenna

Coming Soon...

2008-11-05T15:10:00.003-07:00

Big Kid sized leg warmers!!! After popular demand, I've decided to add this category to my shop. I'm working on getting it stocked, so stay tuned.

Also, wool pants (aka "longies") are coming!!! I'm "upcycling"/repurposing wool sweaters and making them into super cute, eco-friendly wool pants! These are most commonly used for natural cloth diaper covers, but they are so cute many people want to use them regardless of what type of diaper is underneath! As I get them listed, watch the blog for info on caring for your wool.

Shop Update

2008-10-22T17:49:00.003-06:00

I have all my in-stock baby dresses and cloth wipes listed, but am still working on getting all my in-stock leg warmers and diapers up. I also have some more plain solid color leg warmers and more "girly" ones that are waiting to be made, so if you don't see what you want, just send me a message and I may have just what you're looking for!

Also, I've decided to offer FREE shipping of additional items when you buy more than one thing! You will now see this reflected in my listings.

Happy shopping!

Great CDing article

2008-10-16T22:37:00.005-06:00

Here is a link to a fabulous article on cloth diapering, and, it features one of my embellished prefolds in a photo!

http://hubpages.com/hub/Cloth-Diapering----One-Moms-Lessons

New Items Listed

2008-10-14T16:53:00.004-06:00

I am slowly getting new stuff up on my shop. Check out all the new items and especially the adorable reversible dresses!

I'm Back!

2008-10-07T18:16:00.005-06:00

Back from the craft fair and gearing my Etsy shop back up. The fair was an interesting experience and I'm not sure that I'll do it again. It went ok, but the majority of other vendors there were selling more crafty, knick-knacky type things and not so much unique and modern baby (or otherwise) goods. I think it basically wasn't the right market for my items. However, that means that I have a lot of great stuff that will be listed on my Etsy shop in the coming days and weeks. Fashionable embellished prefolds, super soft bamboo velour wipes, lots of baby leg warmers, and even a few dresses! Check back often as it's going to take me a while to get everything listed. Here is a preview of some of the items:

Official Craft Fair Announcement and Coupon!

2008-09-20T22:11:00.004-06:00

I am pleased to announce that Laina's Laundry will have a sales booth at the 37th Annual Friends Craft Fair in Littleton, CO, on October 4th, along with Stella Bini and Saxon Moss. If you are in the area, please stop by and say "hi", and take advantage of the "20% off your total order" coupon below. We'll be at booth #B20 from 9am-4pm. Shop early for the best selection! Please forward this post on to anyone else who might be interested! And, if you are not in the area and unable to attend, check our websites for any remaining items after October 4th (see below for links).

The Friends Craft Fair, held in Ketring Park in Littleton, Colorado, is a large venue for over 300 sellers to showcase and sell their unique handmade items. So, besides getting some great baby and kids items from Stella Bini, Laina's Laundry, and Saxon Moss, you may find other great items for yourself or for gifts, as well.

Details:

Who - Stella Bini - bibs, burpies, blankets and "droolers" (www.stellabini.etsy.com)
Laina's Laundry - diapers, baby leg warmers, and baby dresses (www.lainaslaundry.etsy.com)
Saxon Moss - wooden toys and playscape puzzles

What - 37th Annual Friends Craft Fair (http://www.littletongov.org/museum/events/details.asp?ID=5)

When - Saturday, October 4th, 9am-4pm

Where - Booth B20, Ketring Park, Littleton, CO (http://maps.google.co m/maps?q=6000+S.+Gallup+St.+Littleton+CO+80120+United+States)

Why - come support all things handmade and find great items for yourself or for gifts!

I hope to see you there!!!

~Jenna

Honest to Goodness!

2008-09-19T22:26:00.005-06:00

I wanted to post a link to the Mama Manifesto's Honest Kids Thirst Quenchers. They also talk about the Honest Teas, but I am more excited about the kids drink at the moment. Since we're being honest here, the real reason I am posting this here is because by doing so I have an entry into their contest to win some Honest stuff! Yay! So check it out. The Mama Manifesto is one of my favorite blogs to read and I hope you like it, too.

Dresses are coming!

2008-08-10T16:53:00.007-06:00

In preparation for the upcoming and much anticipated handmade fair, I am making baby and toddler dresses! Here is a reversible one that I recently finished. Look for more at the fair (Littleton, CO on Oct 4th) and afterwards in my Etsy shop!

Dresses

2008-08-10T16:53:00.006-06:00

In preparation for the upcoming, much anticipated handmade fair, I am making baby and toddler dresses! Here is one that I recently finished

Clothing Labels

2008-08-10T16:38:00.006-06:00

I now have clothing labels! I designed these myself and had them printed by Jennifer's Jewels
who does custom printed fabric labels. They are so nice, very high quality, and finish off my items perfectly! First pictured is one sewn onto a legging cuff:
And here is one untrimmed and not sewn on yet, just placed there so you can get an idea of how it will look on the prefolds:
I am very excited to have these labels and thank you so much, Jennifer!

Labels, Handmade Fair, and Big Kid Leggings!

2008-07-04T11:35:00.006-06:00

I've been so busy with custom orders and going on vacation, that I haven't had time to update the blog lately...but today I need to announce three exciting things:

1 - I am in the process of ordering clothing labels for my diapers and leggings! I'm really excited to be doing this as it will add such a nice finishing touch to my items. I have been working on the design of my logo for a while and finally feel that it's worthy of being finalized and put into production. With some background in graphic design, it's hard to actually say "I'm done", but the time has come and I really need these labels. I'm ordering the labels from Jennifer's Jewels at Etsy. I've heard lots of great things about her labels, even from other cloth diaper makers, so I'm really looking forward to getting them!

2 - Part of the reason I'm so anxious to get the labels is that I really want to have them on all my items at the "handmade fair" that I'll be selling at this October! Stella Bini and Laina's Laundry are sharing a booth at this exciting event. I don't have all the details, yet, as Lauren from Stella Bini is putting the whole thing together for us, but I do know it's in the Denver Metro area and it's a craft fair full of all things handmade! Stay tuned for more info.

3 - I am working on making Big Kid Leggings! I've had several requests for them, and I have someone who is willing to be a "tester" for me so I can get these into production! I am really excited to be able to offer adorable leggings for big girls, too! Watch for them this fall.

wetbag

2008-05-30T14:48:00.005-06:00

I completed my second wetbag (cute outer and PUL waterproof inner for holding dirty diapers or wet bathing suits) and thought it came out so well that I should share it here. I am just currently making these for personal use, and don't have any plans yet to include them in my shop, but who knows, maybe in the future...

I Think I'm Turning Japanese,

2008-05-10T14:35:00.003-06:00

I Think I'm Turning Japanese, I Really Think So!

In the next few days I will be adding prefolds embellished with kanji and geisha. They will make up what I'm calling "I Think I'm Turning Japanese Collection"! Be sure to check Laina's Laundry for the collection as I will be listing new ones every couple of days!

Appliqued Onesie

2008-05-03T19:36:00.008-06:00

Well I finally have a sample of an appliquéd onesie! I just finished this up today and am pretty happy with the results. I did it on an old cheapie onesie of Laina's, so the quality of the actual onesie isn't the best and I think that translated into reducing the quality of the appliqué. I also didn't cut out perfect circles and that makes a difference, too. But I think when I get some nice new onesies and sharpen up my circles it will really look nice. Then I can start thinking up fun designs and adding them to my shop!

One tip I wanted to pass along to anyone who does appliqué or wants to try it is to use a paper coffee filter as a stabilizer. To get nice results, it's recommended to use a "stabilizer" behind the material. Well stabilizers are a wee bit expensive, and I found this tip somewhere online that a coffee filter works just as well! Just iron it flat, put it behind the material, sew your appliqué, and then tear off the paper when you're all done. Super easy and super frugal!

A Newfound Blog

2008-05-01T14:00:00.005-06:00

I found Mama Manifesto and am loving it! I haven't gotten to all the posts yet, but I saw this one about African chicken stew and it sounds sooo yummy, I am definitely going to try it out next week. It also fits in with my resolution to use the crock pot at least once a week. I'll let you all know how it comes out!

Edited for review: This wasn't my favorite. The flavors were more subtle than I thought they would be so maybe it just needed the spices kicked up a notch. Still worth trying if you are in the mood for something different.

My new Favorite Diaper Cover

2008-04-29T18:37:00.006-06:00

The Turtle Butt by Adorabubble is the most adorable and fun cover! Melanie from Adorabubble and I worked out a trade and I got to add this soaker to my slowly growing wool collection. I am just starting to appreciate wool and all the great things about it, but mostly I just love how cute the "soakers", "longies", and "skirties" can be! The Turtle Butt has to be the cutest cover I have now. Click on the picture to go to the listing to get your very own customized Turtle Butt!

Here are the embellished prefolds I made for part of the trade:

Now I am addicted to trading and will be looking out for anyone else who would like to work out a trade deal! Let me know what you've got!

HUGE Team Promo starts tomorrow!

2008-04-17T18:28:00.004-06:00

The Etsy Cloth Diapers Street Team is starting a huge promo/giveaway tomorrow! Go to the team blog to see a full list of participating shops and for more info. I will be giving away a free minky lovey blankey to the person who finds and purchases the featured item! Just look for the item with this logo in one of the pictures within the listing:

Birthday Bib

2008-04-16T08:08:00.006-06:00

Maybe I'm going a little crazy with the birthday stuff...
My friend, Lauren of Stella Bini, offered to make Laina a bib to match her birthday dress.
It came out so cute - thanks, Lauren!

Revolution Money Exchange

2008-04-15T09:47:00.007-06:00

I've been using this money transfer service for a little while now and I really like it. I just saw they have this handy button to refer a friend! If you're interested in signing up, just click it and you're on your way to being able to pay for Laina's Laundry items with it (you get $25 free for signing up and I get a referral bonus, too!) What a deal! (Lots of other sellers are accepting it now, too, so you don't have to use it at my shop, but I know you love me enough to).

Hmmm, blogger isn't letting me post the button in the post, I'm going to add it to the sidebar on the right.

Swim Diaper from Georganne!

2008-04-13T12:59:00.007-06:00

I got a swim diaper in the mail the other day from Georganne, another member of the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team! It is so cute I just had to post about it here. Unfortunately, the swimsuit I got for Laina from Old Navy doesn't fit, so I'll have to get another and then post pics of the swimsuit and diaper all together. For now, here is a pic of the swim dipe as seen on Georganne's shop (click on the image to go to the listing):

Thanks, Georganne!

Custom Embellished Prefolds now available!

2008-04-12T20:16:00.003-06:00

I got a listing all set up on Etsy to sell custom embellished prefolds. Like I mentioned in the last post, just pick a fabric from my wide selection and I will create it for you! (And yes, I did get all my fabrics pictured, including the girly ones). The great thing about the custom orders is that I don't have to guess what people will want and buy, they can pick it out themselves!

Fabrics Galore!

2008-04-11T10:22:00.007-06:00

I have uploaded some of my fabrics into my Photobucket album. So far I have just photographed and uploaded the gender neutral and boy fabrics. Soon I will get to the girly ones.

Click here for my Fabric Album

I decided to go ahead and take semi-custom orders on embellished prefolds. I will probably be able to do custom wipes orders, too. Hence the need to showcase my fabric collection :)

In other news, I am also working on perfecting my appliquéing skills so I can offer appliquéd baby onesies and shirts! I am really looking forward to offering this as I think it is really fun to do and they come out so cute! I will get some pics soon.

Featured Shop: Bee Charmer Primitives

2008-04-10T10:23:00.005-06:00

Every once in a while I plan to feature one of my favorite shops. Bee Charmer Primitives (www.BeeCharmerPrimitives.etsy.com) creates fantastic wooden decorative signs. I am getting one for the nursery that I just cannot wait for! If you have a moment, stop by her shop and check it out! Here are some examples of her work:

Wooden or Natural Baby Toys

2008-04-09T21:58:00.006-06:00

I've been on the hunt for wooden and/or natural toys. So far I've found a few things locally and many online stores that sell this type toy. Melissa and Doug and Under the Nile are two prominent brand that seem to be sold at most places I've found. I've also found a few sellers right on Etsy that sell handcrafted toys made from wood, various fabrics or yarns. What other wooden or natural toys have you found and what do you like or dislike about them?

New Banner for the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team

2008-04-09T10:21:00.006-06:00

Wow! I just have to rave about this new banner that Krisitn of the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team made for us! I don't know if this is the final one we are going to use, but I love it and hope it gets up on the team site soon!

Also I want to let everyone know there is going to be a big promotion within the ECDTeam coming up starting April 18th! All participating shops will be giving away a special item when someone finds and purchases the qualifying item in their shop! Giveaways will range from hand knit booties to cloth wipes to diapers and more! There will be more info in the days to come so stay tuned!

A New Blog for My New Baby Shop!

2008-04-08T16:35:00.002-06:00

I've decided to set up a blog dedicated to my very own Etsy diaper/baby shop. I'm planning on announcing new items here and also maybe talking about diapering tips and tricks.

My shop is called Laina's Laundry, named for my beautiful baby girl and all the laundry she creates! You can find handmade embellished prefold cloth diapers (the nice soft absorbent Diaper Service Quality kind!), cloth baby wipes or washcloths, baby leg warmers, and hopefully in the near future, baby and toddler dresses and appliquéd onesies! Here is a picture of the dress I made for Laina's 1-year birthday, that I'm hoping to use as a template for the dresses I plan to make and sell:

Check it out: www.LainasLaundry.etsy.com