Author Archives: Simply Heidi

What Should Heidi Make From Pinterest Now?

Written on February 19, 2012 by in I Forgot to Assign a Catagory, Real Food

Oh my goodness, that was an incredibly full weekend.
After last week’s mini-rant, I am avoiding the word busy. We’re all busy. Who wants to hear my whining?
Not even me.
The combination of lots of rushing around and Oregon’s February rain (not to be confused with January, March, April, May, June, October, November or December rain) is putting me in the mood for homemade bread. There are few things nothing better than the warm coziness of a home where a lovely loaf of pure goodness has just been baked.
I’ve turned to Pinterest for inspiration; now I turn to you to decide. Tell me what to make. I’ll pick the most popular, try it out and let you know how it goes next week.

Sourdough English Muffins

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Pita Bread

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Whole Wheat Bagels

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Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

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Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

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Pick one and let me know in the comments.
And hurry!
I can’t wait to look out my steamy kitchen window and wonder how the transformative power of warm bread can make even February rain feel lovely.

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On My Mind

Written on February 16, 2012 by in That's So Random

one
I think I’ve figured out my preoccupation with baking lately. This is my dining room:

Yup, it’s Girl Scout cookie time (and I’d rather have homemade, but don’t tell the girls in Newt’s troop). I’m the cookie mom – in charge of inventory, ordering, scheduling booths and banking. It gets a little crazy around here from January to March.
You may have noticed that I am using a stack of Savanna Smiles as a table. On top of my makeshift table is a canvas box containing an electric blanket. Nestled in that blanket are three quarts of cultured milk, incubating into homemade yogurt. (See item two.)
You may have also noticed that I have plywood floors. Still. Don’t ask. (See item three.)

two
Newt has been requiring a bit more sleep lately. She is already taller than me, could she be having another growth spurt?
Anyway, this morning as she slept, I started a batch of yogurt (see item one). When I pulled my starter out of the fridge I realized that I had another pint that had gotten buried in the back. Instead of boring old yogurt for breakfast again, I whipped up a batch of strawberry-banana frozen yogurt. Yogurt, fresh raw cream, strawberry jam and a banana – first in the blender, then in the ice-cream maker. I felt like an awesome mom.
Of course that didn’t stop Newt from arguing with every.single.thing I said today. Wrong side of the bed, meet my daughter…
She did like her breakfast though.

three
So the floors… you just had to ask, didn’t you?
Yes, we still have plywood floors. Such is the life of a do-it-yourselfer. It took several weeks to get the insurance sorted out and when they finally sent the check it was made out to the mortgage company. Once we got that straightened out, we went to work on the bathrooms. They are both nearly finished. Now it’s time to get started on the hardwood, but time is at a premium. Walt and I haven’t even been able to carve out enough time in the last few weeks to pick out the flooring together, let alone start work.
On the plus side…
…
Give me a minute.
…
I got it. On the plus side, if Pepper scratches the plywood up, who cares?
Everything will get done, eventually.

four
This is my calendar:

There are so few empty squares. Thank goodness for Sundays. Is this normal?

Which brings me to
five
This post has taken on a life of its own. I didn’t intend for it to be a treatise of how busy I am. I’m doing fine, but I do have a lot going on right now. Don’t be alarmed if things are quiet around here for the next couple of months. I’ll still be posting regularly, but it may not be more than a couple of times a week. If you have a favorite type of post you’d like to see (recipes, crafts, homeschooling, etc.) let me know so I can prioritize them.

six
Pepper is taking obedience school. She pooped in class this week. Nice, right? The rule is: If your dog goes to the bathroom during class, you must bring cookies for everyone the next week. And now we are back to cookies.
I’m thinking peanut-butter. Got a favorite recipe?

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A Little Bit of a Fuss

Written on February 14, 2012 by in Family Activities, Real Food


I was feeling downright domestic this week. Besides all the Valentines I helped Newt with, we had a second round of sugar cookie-ing, this batch dipped in dark chocolate. (And can I just tell you? Yum. The buttery lemony cookies went perfectly with that rich dark chocolate. So good.) These we shared with friends: taking a plate to a party and little care packages to seven(!) houses.
And then there was our oh-so lovely Valentine’s evening. Our family invited Grandma over to be our sweetheart for the night. Newt made the salad (her own delicious creation: baby greens, pears, dried cranberries, feta and my maple vinaigrette). Walt made dinner (Fettuccine Alfredo from this recipe, though he accidentally used cilantro instead of parsley – and it was even more wonderful.) And me? Well, since we gave all our cookies away, I made dessert:

This delectable creation is called Boccone Dolce and it is modeled on Walt’s favorite dessert from our favorite restaurant. It is made from layers of chocolate coated Swiss Meringue with fresh fruit and lightly sweetened whipped cream. I used this recipe, with minor modifications (whip the meringue as long as you possibly can. The restaurant whips it for a full hour. I whipped for 15 minutes). I was amazed that it turned out so well. Almost perfect.
After such a rich meal, I was considering passing out Pepto tabs for after dinner mints… Instead, we put on our jammie-pants (except for grandma who did not bring hers) and curled up in the living room with You’ve Got Mail* on DVD.
Lovely.
How was your night?

*Oh, the irony. The movie: People enjoying the novelty of the internet while a big-box book store drives the independent companies out of business. Today’s reality: People enjoying the novelty of independent book stores while the internet drives the big-box stores out of business. Who would have thunk it?

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Dr. Who Free Printable Valentines

Written on February 12, 2012 by in She's Crafty...

Valentine’s Day is generally a no.big.deal type of holiday around here. We love each other all the time, you know?
However, this year, I feel like making a bit of a fuss about it. A very small fuss, but a fuss nonetheless.
Last week Newt and I spent a happy hour making homemade Valentines for a party she is attending tomorrow. It was so much fun to to create with paper scissors and glue. And the end result was very sweet… just not very Newt. Pink hearts are not really her thing. We decided that the creative process was more fun than the actual Valentines; those we’ll keep and use for postcards. Over the weekend, we set out to come up with something better.
These are definitely Newt:

We are both fans of Dr. Who, so these were especially fun to create. With plenty of input from Newt and images we found online (credit at the end of this post), I whipped them up in a jiffy. I printed them on a glossy postcard paper pilfered from Walt’s home office. The pilfered paper was perforated (hee) so Newt could easily tear the Valentines out. Besides making them super easy (no cutting) it also left slightly ragged edges which give them a “from the box” feeling that is sort of fun.
If you would like to print some for your own use, feel free. Just please do not use them for commercial purposes. I took Newt’s name off so you can personalize them yourself.

Dr. Who Valentines PDF

Now, aren’t you glad I made a fuss?

Dr. Who artwork credit: Dalek, Ood, Tardis, Weeping Angel

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Heart Shaped Rag Wreath – Inspired By Pinterest Part 2

Written on February 9, 2012 by in She's Crafty...

Last week, I asked you to help me select a project from my Valentine’s Day pin board so I could move beyond being nothing but a big ol’ pinner. I wanted to actually create something, not just dream. You chose the heart garland and I posted my completed project earlier this week. However, this adorable rag wreath came in second:

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It just so happens that I have a ton of fabric strips left over from Newt’s quilt. Newt and I each decided to make a wreath.
The inspiration wreath used a purchased heart-shaped wire form. I didn’t know where to find one of those, but Walt’s closet has plenty of wire hangers.
I used wire cutters to nip off the hook and the part where the ends twist together. I then bent the hanger into a rough circle, overlapped the ends by an inch or so and used a generous amount of electrical tape to secure them together. Once the ends were secure, I bent the wire into a heart shape. If you make one, bear in mind that it does not need to be perfect. If one hump is a little larger than the other, don’t worry! Lots of girls have that issue. You won’t really be able to tell with all the fabric strips on.

We trimmed our fabric strips to about 1 – 1/2 inches wide and six inches long.
quilt strips
To tie the knot, fold your fabric strip in half. (It doesn’t matter if it’s right sides or wrong sides together.) slip the looped end under your wire. Take the loose ends, pull them over the wire and through the loop. Tighten and repeat with the next strip.
I really should have taken a picture of the actual knotting, but once we got started, neither one of us wanted to quit. This was one of those activities that your fingers just feel happy doing. Just pretend there is a picture here, k?
Keep adding strips until your heart is full. Ahhww!
Right at the top, in the ah, cleavage(?) of the heart, tie two loose ends together to create a loop for hanging. After hanging you can either fluff it up so the rags go every which way:

Made by Newt

Or straighten them up so all the loose ends point out kind of:

Made by Me

Ooh, this is fun. What should we make next?

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BlogHer Book Club Review: The Weird Sisters

Written on February 9, 2012 by in Books

“Our estrangement is not drama-laden – we have not betrayed one another’s trust, we have not stolen lovers or fought over money or property of any of the things that irreparably break families apart. The answer for us is much simpler.
See, we love one other. We just don’t happen to like one another very much.”

Eleanor Brown – The Weird Sisters

Though true of many families, this particular quote is meant to sum up the relationship of three fictional adult sisters, Rose, Bean and Cordy, who come home to run away from their problems care for their sick mother.


Rose (Rosalyn), the eldest, is the responsible one. She cares for her family because she must; it is who she is. How shocking to discover that playing the role of “martyred good daughter” might conflict with her fiance’s plans for their future together.
Bean (Bianca) is in trouble. She has lived her life with the sole aim of getting attention, in any way possible. This time though, her bad choices have caught up with her.
And then there is the flaky, flighty baby of the family, Cordy (Cordelia) who is used to everyone else cleaning up her messes. When she discovers that she is pregnant with no father in sight, she is faced for the first time with being an adult.
The cast of family is rounded out by their mother (she is never given a name) who is bravely and gracefully battling cancer, and their father, Dr. Andreas, a Shakespearean professor of great renown who can only truly communicate through the words of The Bard. Besides the fact that these people happen to be related, their most common bond is a mutual love, or even a reverence, for books.
I enjoyed reading this book, seeing parts of myself in all three sisters, though I certainly didn’t take as long to grow up as they seem to be doing. One of my favorite things was the unique choice the author made to use a plural first person voice wherein all three sisters narrate together. If done poorly, this device might be distracting from the story or clunky, but this was well done. It seemed to serve as a reminder that no matter what we are doing or where we are, our family is always with us.

Where do you fit in your family? Of the three sisters, which do you feel is most like you?

Join the conversation at BlogHer Book Club.

This review has been sponsored by BlogHer Books. All text and opinions are my own.

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Heidi Homeschools: Magnet Board

Written on February 8, 2012 by in Homeschooling

Newt is a planner.
She wants to know what’s going to happen, when, where, why and how.
Every night, she has to check the calendar to see what’s going on the next day and Walt’s iPhone for the weather forecast before she can go to bed.
Even with all her advance preparation, Newt still starts each day with:
What’s happening today Mama?
and
What are we doing for school today?
I bought her a planner to help her keep track of her schedule, but it never really caught on. For one thing, it kept getting misplaced. Then I’d get:
Mama, I can’t find my schedule.
and
What are we doing today?

In an effort to help preserve my sanity her keep track, I created a big magnetic board that holds all of her activities and lessons for the week.

I looked around for a big magnet board, but they were all more expensive than I wanted to spend. Instead, I contacted a local heating and sheet metal place and asked them to cut me a 3′ x 5′ piece of sheet metal. That cost me $34. Walt and I hung it using six picture-hanging strips (click link to see product on Amazon).
I made a list of our main subjects and activities and figured out how many I might need. For example, we do spelling three times a week, so I planned for three spelling cards. I also planned for several blank cards that I could use to write in subjects or activities as needed. I created the cards in a word document using a business-card template, with Newt helping to choose fun fonts. In order to make things easier on myself, I added a light colored border around each card to aide in cutting.
I printed the cards on plain white copy paper, cut them out and stuck them to self-adhesive business card magnets .
A strip of packing tape over the top (which just happens to be the same width as the cards) turns them into little dry erase boards.

Every weekend, Newt and I take a few minutes to review the upcoming week’s calendar. We place cards for activities (horseback riding, girl scouts, 4H, etc.) on the appropriate days then fill in the rest of the week with the lessons I have planned. Each day as Newt completes the lesson, she moves the card to the “Done” column. Any that don’t get completed for whatever reason get shifted to another day in the week.
My total cost for this project was about $50, but it’s worth so much more. Though it has given Newt a new thing to check before bed every night…

How do you keep track of your schedule?

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Sugar Cookies That Actually Taste Good

Written on February 7, 2012 by in Family Activities, Real Food


I admit it. I’m prejudiced against sugar cookies.
Surprisingly, it’s not the white flour or white sugar that bothers me. I think there is room in our diet for the occasional treat – and homemade is always better.
It’s not they way they look, for sure. If they are decorated well, they are really cute.
However, I’ve always thought that cuteness was the only thing they had going for them. Flavor wise, they’re too bland and too boring. Beyond that they are messy and super time consuming to make.
Confession: I am also the teeniest bit afraid of trying my hand at icing. It looks hard.
My prejudices aside, we make sugar cookies – every year at Christmas.
Because our flood put me a few weeks behind in Christmas preparations, we didn’t get around to making any this year.
On Sunday, while Walt and Newt were watching the Super Bowl, I looked around online for a sugar-cookie recipe that might be tastier than sawdust. Once I found a promising recipe, I whipped up a batch and stuck it in the fridge.
Last night I surprised Walt and Newt with a family cookie making party.

See what I mean about messy?


I was going for Valentine’s Day cookies, but we ended up with a mishmash of holidays: hearts, bats, birdhouses and stars decorated with red and green sugar. Perhaps everyone was afraid that this would be the one and only sugar cookie making session of the year. They had to get their favorites in.
Want to know something though?
These cookies are actually really good.
They are firm enough to not crumble when dipped in my herbal tea, but still slightly soft. And that buttery taste with just a hint of lemon? Let’s just say, I now have a new outlook on sugar cookies.
I might even try icing them one day…

Bee in Our Bonnet has the recipe I used, as well as fantastic decorating tips and tricks. The only modification I made to the recipe was using about a teaspoon of grated lemon zest instead of the lemon extract.

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Valentine’s Day Heart Garland – Inspired by Pinterest

Written on February 6, 2012 by in She's Crafty...

Last week, I lamented the fact that Pinterest was making me craft-lazy , but I knew I could change. So I posted several Valentine’s projects that I had pinned and asked you to pick one for Newt and me to make. This was the winner:

Source: ohcrafts.net via Heidi on Pinterest

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Adorable, no?
The garland that we made looks no where near as cute, but oh-well pretty much nothing like it. However, I do like the way ours turned out and it was fun to do a little crafting together.

Here’s how to make one like ours:

1. Go to the Wal-Mart paint department. Consider the colors… Choose reds, pinks and purple for Valentine’s Day.
I loved the colors on my inspiration garland, but was, um, less than inspired by the paint card choices at the store. Though I’m not sure I can entirely blame the paint cards – the whole process made me a bit nervous.
Look furtively around then slip several paint cards into your purse.
I know they are free, but I still felt a bit like I was up to no good (considering the fact that I had no intentions to buy their paint for this project). What are your thoughts? Is it ethical to take paint cards without intending to buy paint? #firstworldproblems

2. While at Wal-Mart, go look at their paper punches. They do not, have not, and likely will not ever have what is needed. Remember that you have a punch at home that will work.

3. Go home and dump out three baskets of craft supplies to find heart-shaped punch. Huh. It’s smaller than you remember. Make do.

4. Start punching. Realize that you do not want to poke a needle (twice each) through all those tiny hearts. Decide to glue. Realize that this will not only be easier, it will make your garland double-sided, perfect for hanging on a window. In your face, inspiration piece!

5. Lay several hearts, wrong side up on a piece of tag-board (which is fancy-speak for an old manilla folder). Put a dab of craft glue near the top of each heart. Lay a length of crochet thread (or whatever you have lying in a drawer somewhere) on top of the glue.

6. Place another heart wrong side down, sandwiching thread and glue in the middle. Allow to dry, then hang somewhere prominent so everyone can ooh-and-ahh over (or make crazy-eyes under) your “hard” “work”.

Total cost: $0 (if you have a punch, glue and thread buried in your crafting supplies).

Newt and I had so much fun, we also made the scrap fabric knotted heart wreath. I’ll share it later in the week.

What projects are you working on?

Linked with Works For Me Wednesday, Trendy Treehouse

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The Reading Chair

Written on February 3, 2012 by in Books, Homeschooling

I am a reader, happily married to a tv watcher. Most nights, while he watches, I read.
Sometimes, he’ll rewind a show to show me a particularly funny or interesting scene. Sometimes, I’ll ask him to pause it while I read him a particularly funny or interesting passage.
There are a few shows I find worthy enough to put down whatever book I’m reading and watch with him. There are a few books he finds worthy enough to click the tv off and read.
A tv watcher and a reader… against the odds, we make it work.
Doesn’t that sound like the premise of a great tv show book?

What I’ve Been Reading
I’m all over the place lately. From classics to non-fiction to YA to light romance (but no bodice ripping for me).
Here’s a sampling of what has been on my nightstand:

Across the Universe
Loved it. YA distopian future society, murder mystery, and even a bit of romance all taking place on board a giant space ship.
The very first scene, of the protagonist’s mother being cryogenically frozen for a 300 year flight to a new planet, hooked me right in. I happily stayed up too late for a couple of nights in order to finish.
Can’t wait to read book two.

The Seer of Shadows
A deliciously creepy ghost story set in the early days of the art of photography. A short read, I finished in one evening, but I haven’t stopped thinking of it.

The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story
I had such high hopes for this book. After all, it is a true account of a WWII Polish family risking their lives to hide more than 300 Jews in their bombed-out zoo, right under the noses of German guards. How could it fail to be a good, inspiring read? Sadly, I only got about half-way through before abandoning it. I’m sure it was inspiring, or at least it could have been, if it wasn’t so dull and meandering.

What I’ve Been Reading to Newt
Poems of William Blake Free for Kindle
These poems are a mixed bag. There have been some that we both have really enjoyed (The Lamb, The Chimney Sweeper) and others that have been less than interesting (The Laughing Song, The Blossom). And then there is the rather racist The Little Black Boy. I skipped over that one…

The Princess and the Goblin Also free for Kindle
This is the first time I have ever read this classic fairy-tale. I’m glad I found it; it’s a good one. Newt can’t wait to see how Princess Irene and her friend Curdie, the miner boy, will outwit the goblins that live under the mountain.

What We’ve Been Listening To
We both love a good CD in the car. Our latest choice is Ella Enchanted. This is such a fun twist on the Cinderella classic story, and I love the youthful voice of the narrator. She sounds familiar… I wonder is she has done some of the Dear America audiobooks.
Note: If you have seen the movie, it really, really does not do the book justice. The book has far more depth and feeling.

What Newt Has Been Reading
Lucille Ball: Pioneer of Comedy
This is for next month’s History’s Heroines Club. It’s fun to hear Newt tell me facts about the I Love Lucy Show. We rented a DVD of season two and both laughed out loud several times watching Lucy try to “teach Ricky a lesson”. Even after all these years, Lucille Ball is still relevant and funny.

A Series of Unfortunate Events
Newt rediscovered these on our bookshelf a few weeks ago and has been working her way through the series. I enjoyed them when I read them a few years ago too – all but the last one. I’m not telling Newt that though. I wonder if she’ll find the end as annoying as I did?

What’s on you nightstand right now?

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