HOW TO MAKE FELTED WOOL DRYER BALLS

Want to save money, time, AND the planet?

There is an easy way to do this.  Make a set of Felted Wool Dryer Balls. 

Once you do, you will never have to buy over-scented dryer sheets or bulky bottles of fabric softener again.

Dryer balls will also reduce static cling and cut your clothes drying time significantly {25-50%}.

These nifty little felted wool dryer balls will do all of these things while happily bouncing around in your dryer.

Things You Will Need:

• 100% Wool Yarn (mine had 223 yds.)
• Panty Hose
• Dental Floss 
• Crochet Needle with blunt tip
• Lavender Oil (optional)

Begin by wrapped several strands of yarn around your fingers 10-20 times.

Pull the yarn off your fingers and pinch together in the center. 

Tightly wrap yarn around the middle.

Start wrapping until the yarn takes on the shape of a ball.

Continue wrapping the yarn around the small wool ball. 

Optional:  When it reaches about half the size of a tennis ball, sprinkle a 2-4 drops of lavender oil on the wool.

Keep wrapping until your wool ball is about the size of a tennis ball.

Cut a short yarn tail and thread it through a crochet needle.

Push the blunt end of the needle into the center of the wool ball and pull through.  Clip the yarn tail.

 
Repeat the above steps until you have 4-6 yarn balls.

My skein of yarn was 223 yards and it made 4 dryer balls.

 

Now, you are ready to begin the felting process.

Push the first wool ball down into the toe of the panty hose leg.  Tie a square knot using a piece of dental floss.

Note:  Do not use any of your left over wool yarn or it will felt during the washing process.

To felt your wool balls, wash on your machine’s hottest setting.  If you have a front loader, add in some towels to help muffle the noise of the balls flinging around.

Once the wash cycle is complete, dry on the hottest dryer setting.

 Notice the difference in size before and after.  The felting process took place in the washer.  The dryer balls did not continue to shrink after drying.

 

This set should last at least a year. Simple and economical ~ always a winner with me.

Living Room Makeover

It all started with a new TV.  Mr. SH and I had this great TV armoire in our living room.  It worked for 20 years.  Then, on a crisp Fall day last year we went and bought ourselves a new TV.  We paid under $600 for a sleek, new flat screen and had no idea how this one little treat would turn into months and months of auxiliary purchases.

Our living room has an ‘open floor plan’ with this I-wish-it-wasn’t-there corner fireplace that dominates the room with its muy grande mantle.  Without the TV armoire sitting in the room to balance out the fireplace we needed a new idea.

We were so naïve.

First, we bought a modern-ish used buffet to sit below the new TV.  It was a similar wood tone as the old TV armoire and could hold the components.  Since it was used, we only paid $200 for it.  Budget-wise, so far-so good.  It worked OK for a while, but that TV just threw off the scale of the room.  And the buffet was a little under scale, too.  (sorry, I never took a picture of this)

Without the old TV armoire to balance out the corner fireplace, the room still wasn’t working.  And, it had beige walls.  And, I thought I was the mantle’s fault.

When you walked into the room, the first thing you noticed was the beige-tiled fireplace with it’s Grande mantle.
  

So, last January we set out to get a few new pieces and bring everything into scale.   We started with the de-beigeing {I’m sure the grammar police will cite me for that one} of the room.  I chose Benjamin Moore’s Moonshine.  A cool, bluish-gray (since gray is now the new beige).

Said, “Adios!” to the old mantle {don’t gasp, it’s in our attic}.

 

Notice the cool gray up against the old beige.  What a huge difference.
   

Removing the mantle revealed this gaping space that needed filling.  Since I couldn’t convince Mr. SH that we really didn’t need a mantle, instead, I found this tile at Lowes and we used it to fill in this empty space left from the great mantle exchange.

The travertine tiles have a lot of gray mixed in with a natural stone color.  I was hoping to tone down the beige in this tile.  

Mehh.

Every room starts with an idea and this is the look I was trying to recreate, minus the Crate and Barrel prices.

 {source}

 
So, after months of waiting for the upholstered pieces, shopping for new accessories, building a new mantle, and spending the equivalency of A Vacation in Paris, I am calling this project D-O-N-E.

Well, no room is ever done.  There is an on-going controversy over the fireplace pooch named Maris {if you are a fan of Frasier, you will understand this}.
 
I bought Maris as a way to de-beige the fireplace tiles.  She isn’t an overall favorite with some members of my family. 

So, I’m asking you to chime in and cast a vote:
 
Should Maris Stay

or

Should Maris Go.

Please comment accordingly.

A Garbage Truck in the Kitchen

And a bunch of trains, a few dinosaurs, and some zoo animals.

On Friday, I kept my two grandsons {ages 5 and 2} all day while Kitty and Mr. Wonderful had a day-date.
 
From around 9am until after 6pm.  That’s a lot of squirming, running, jumping, and attempted flying..but it was all good.

When I know I’m going to have the the boys all day I try to have an idea of what we can do.  

I had planned to go to story time at the library, but it wasn’t happening.
 
On to Plan B – Remember this – well it left me this lovely empty box which I snatched from the A/C repairman’s sweaty hands requested the A/C repair folks leave at my house.
 

When D-Boy and T-Bone arrived, there was an immediate rush to the fort, house, truck, ship, tent, box.
 
Ideas were flying every which way.  What kid can actually resist a box?   {FYI - Here’s a fun box book for kids}
 
It is a big box and making it into a house/fire station/garbage truck/airplane takes some planning.

There was a squeal when I told them they could have UNRESTRICTED MARKERS FOR BOX REPURPOSING.
 
It was busy town for a long time. 
Unrestricted markers can do that for kids.

Eventually, it was on to other things, like making...

Ice Cream for dessert after dinner.
 

Shhh, there’s actually no cream or milk – instead, I’m using kefir and yogurt.

Of course, we scraped the bowl, licked the beaters, and talked about how good our ice cream was going to taste.

D-Boy is certain that it will be, “The best ice cream anyone ever had.”
 

Later, we spent some time outside exploring the wonders of nature and even touched a large caterpillar.

 

When there was more sun than shade it was back inside for some lunch and a little rest.

This is how D-Boy rests when he’s at my house…

It’s more of a restful feeling that you get from being creative.

And, in Texas during the month of August, there’s only one way to really cool off…

…in the sprinkler!

Then, it was back inside for some Veggie Pasta Sauce over Gluten-Free Penne {which the boys unanimously agreed we must have for dinner}, followed by “The best ice cream anyone ever had.”
 

Altogether, a wonderful way to spend a hot day in Texas.

The Mid-Summer Gardener Laments

What innocently started as this…


…a few tomatoes, some onions, garlic, beans, etc. has now taken over my life.



It is that time again when I become disgusted with gardening.  It is hot {like 100-degrees}, I manually squish at least six bugs a day {yuk!}, I’ve seen a snake {non-poisonous}, it’s really hot, the soil dries five seconds after I put water on it…

And, I wonder why on earth I ever planted a vegetable garden.  Because, when you plant a garden, you get a harvest {hopefully}. And that means work. 

Every day, I stare down the tomatoes on my counter and think, “You will not get the best of me; I will find something for you to do.” 

I’ve mixed them in yogurt and passed them off as a snack to my grandson’s.  I’ve peeled, chopped and canned so many tomatoes I’ve run out of jars. 

If you’re eating a meal at Chez Leslie, you’re getting some tomatoes.



Then, there is the eggplant.  These guys don’t store so well and there are at least six huge ones outside.  We haven’t even finished the leftovers from the last eggplant meal.

The okra, while we love it, if I don’t pick it every day, it gets huge; like mutant huge.  And tough, like dull-you-knife tough.  It needs to be either pickled, frozen, or eaten daily.  And, tomorrow, there will be another dozen.

Don’t get me started on the figs.  I read somewhere that if you plant a fig tree, the birds and insects will hang out there and leave the veggies alone.  Well, this is true, but if you have 300 figs on a tree, the bird/butterfly to fig ratio is slightly out of proportion.  Hence, we will be eating fig preserves very soon.  Expect a recipe, soon.

The black-eyed peas and bush beans are starting to flower and I know what is about to happen there.
 
In a few weeks it will be time to start putting my fall garden into the ground.

What was I thinking.
 

Happy Birthday to Meeeeeee

Yep, today’s my birthday.  So I get to reflect on life in general and take a day off from everything else.

What you get when you put in 54 years…

1.  Gray hair – it’s a fact of life.  I think I can still call it salt and pepper.  Definitely more salt, with pepper in swift retreat.   I’m not coloring it. Been there – done that.  My hair grows so fast, I get a skunk stripe in about three weeks.  I feel like each gray hair represents maturity and wisdom…so, it’s a keeper.

2. Poor Eyesight – My eye doctor had the nerve to say that my vision difficulty was just old age eyes.  So what if I can’t see a blasted thing without glasses - my ability to see people and situations is clearer than ever.  I’m keeping the peepers and looking at new glasses.  I got a new doctor, too.
 
3.  Wrinkles - especially around the eyes. The collagen is fading as fast as my eyesight.  I think these clue people to the fact that I’m not in my 30’s.  Recently, my pastor mentioned to me that he wanted to start a group for the 55 and older set.  I snorted back that I wasn’t 55, or for that matter, 54!  He hasn’t come up and given me a hug after church.  Or, maybe he did and I just couldn’t see him.  Anyway, it must be the wrinkles – they are a dead give away.  With the right glasses, I bet I can keep from looking like I might be heading towards 55.

4.  Memory Loss - Where did my memory go, I can’t find it anywhere.  I don’t remember where I parked my car, but I can remember the names of my 5th grade classmates.  I can’t complete a clear thought, but I can recite all of the states in alphabetical order to the tune of Turkey in the Straw.  I’m sticking with this one because I’ve got a lot stored on the hard drive.

5.  Bags – and I’m not talking about Dooney and Burke.  Things keep creeping closer and closer to the ground.  Pretty soon, I’m going to have to hire someone to put it in a wheelbarrow and follow from behind.  I’m filing this under, I don’t want to think about it anymore.

6.  The Middle – I’m not talking about bulges, either.  Grown kids on one side who want/need you and aging parents on the other side who want/need you.  Who are those unfettered 50-something’s in commercials who ride motorcycles and hang glide.  I’ve got too many responsibilities.  I don’t want a motorcycle, I’d prefer an assistant.

You know you no longer relate to young people when being excited about going to bed with your man means getting to sleep before 9pm.


That's what 54 looks like.

Gluten-Free CHICKEN TETRAZZINI RECIPE

aka Chicken Spaghetti.  It's a casserole.  I make a lot of casseroles?  

Why?  My dad hates casseroles.  Probably has something to do with being on an aircraft carrier during the Korean War.  So, I never ate them growing up.  I actually remember the first time I ate a casserole; it was at my best friend's house and her mom had made Tuna Casserole.  I thought it was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten.  I was hooked.

I married a man who also loves casseroles.  We raised kids on weekly casseroles. 

When  I discovered I had Celiac Disease and could no longer eat anything with gluten if I expected to live, I began converting family favorites into gluten-free recipes.  

When I discovered that nutrient-depleted foods may have caused my problems, I began incorporating methods to add nutrient-dense foods into everyday recipes.

Today, my gluten-free, nutrient dense version of Chicken Tetrazzini.  The full recipe will be at the bottom of this post.

Prior to making your casserole, you will need to either roast or boil a whole chicken.  Debone cooked chicken and set aside the meat.  For a more flavorful chicken and broth, simmer the chicken in a pot of (filtered) water with 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, and 1 whole onion.  Remove the chicken and veggies and save the broth for the recipe.

Dice the deboned chicken.  You should have 4-5 Cups of chicken for your cassarole.  Note:  I usually use 2 Cups of chicken since we are attempting to eat less meat. AND, have you seen the cost of an organic whole chicken?  Yikes! It's like $15.

   Cook gluten-free spaghetti, drain, and set aside.  Because gluten-free spaghetti is a little more delicate than other pastas, do not overcook or it will be mushy.

Dice mushrooms.  Melt butter in pan. 

 Saute mushrooms in butter and set aside.

Make the sauce. Put corn starch in a measuring cup and slowly add 1 C. chicken broth.  Pour into sauce pan and slowly heat, stirring constantly.  As mixture begins thickening, slowly add remaining cup of broth.  Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and poultry seasoning (Frontier Organic Spices are available in bulk at health food markets).  Blend spices into sauce and gradually add yogurt and cooking sherry.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes.

 Mix one-half sauce (about 1 ½ C.) with mushrooms and spaghetti.

  

Pour into buttered 9 x 13 cassarole dish.

 Mix remaining sauce with chicken and pour over pasta mixture.

Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Put casserole into 350-degree oven.  Bake 15 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered, until top is lightly browned.  It should be bubbling along the sides. 

I understand that the cost of some of these ingredients can really add up.  If you are wanting to convert your cooking to include more nutrient-dense foods, then start small.  Begin by making your own broth and purchasing small amounts of the spices and the corn starch from the bulk section at a health food market.  Choose one or two organic ingredients to incorporate into your casserole.  

Chicken Tetrazzini

12 oz. Pkg. Organic Gluten-Free Spaghetti

½ lb. Organic Mushrooms

3 T. Organic Butter

2 T. Organic, non-GMO Corn Starch

2 C. Organic Chicken Broth (Homemade is best)

1 C. Organic Yogurt

3 T. Cooking Sherry

4 C. Cubed Cooked Chicken

½ C. Parmesan Cheese

½ t. Garlic Powder

½ t. Onion Powder

½ t. Poultry Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Cook spaghetti and set aside.  Saute mushrooms in butter and set aside.  Put corn starch in a measuring cup and slowly add 1 C. chicken broth.  Pour into sauce pan and slowly heat, stirring constantly.  As mixture begins thickening, slowly add remaining cup of broth.  Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and poultry seasoning.  Blend spices into sauce and gradually add yogurt and cooking sherry.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes. 

Pour into buttered 9 x 13 casserole.  Mix remaining sauce with chicken and pour over pasta mixture.  Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Bake 15 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered, until top is lightly browned.

As Julia says, Bon appetit'