My Perfect Cup of Coffee

My coffee journey began sometime in junior high. It was pretty popular to be one of the kids who drank coffee. Of course, at that age, I really did not like the bitter flavor. When coffee was available, I mixed it with hot chocolate and called it my coffee. What I actually preferred was the sweetness of the chocolate.

After that phase, I moved on to the more sophisticated version of drinking coffee that really didn't taste like coffee: the heavily flavored latte. My personal choice for years was a Starbucks vanilla latte with two packets of sugar. Did I like coffee then? I would say no. Looking back, I think I liked sugar and the thought of coffee. I mean, it really doesn't taste like coffee since it is so thoroughly diluted by milk and sugar.  In the double income before kids phase, though, it was my morning coffee drink.

When our first little bundle of joy arrived and our income reduced to practically poverty level, I decided that my special coffee drink must be one of the items to cut from the budget. Sadly, it was not a necessity. Drinking a latte became a splurge or a luxury I only enjoyed with my mom (because she bought me a latte).

Around this same time, my husband's coffee drinking habits began to dramatically change. To call his initial drink "coffee" was practically a joke. He filled his cup about halfway with creamer, added a generous helping of sugar, then topped it off with a dash of coffee. He suddenly decided that he wanted to be able to drink coffee however it was offered, which frequently meant "black" coffee. Slowly and progressively he began to reduce the amount of sugar and creamer and increase the amount of coffee in his cup. He finally changed his tastes and for several years now enjoys, even prefers, his coffee black.

Watching my husband go through this process inspired me. Why should I be so picky that the only coffee I consumed was a sugary vanilla latte? I started to make my own coffee at home and learned to enjoy it with my own milk and sugar. In the beginning, I used Starbucks coffee beans and a cheap little whirly coffee grinder.

Soon my horizons expanded yet again. My brother, who prefers to have coffee running through his veins rather than blood, introduced me to a coffee shop and roasting place downtown. He began to talk about the roasting process, which produced a coffee with a dramatically reduced bitter taste and no burned flavor. At first I had no idea what he was talking about. Isn't that just how all coffee tastes?

As I transitioned to purchasing my beans from Olympia Coffee Roasting Co, I began to notice the difference. The coffee was rich, flavorful and delicious. When I used those beans, I needed dramatically less sugar and milk. In other words, there was less "bad" flavor to mask. As an added perk, the coffee is organic. If you want to try a cup of really good coffee with incredible flavor, I highly recommend Olympia Coffee Roasting Co in downtown Olympia or the west side.

The only problem is that I am now spoiled. I like my coffee the way I prepare my coffee. Other coffee tastes bitter and burned. It is hardly worth drinking.

Oh, how do I prepare my coffee? Well, glad you asked. Here is my perfect cup of coffee:

1. Start with some perfectly roasted coffee beans, obviously, from Olympia Coffee Roasting Co.

2. Grind the coffee beans in a burr coffee grinder. 

3. Measure amount of water. (My method is to use our coffee cups and fill them with filtered water from the fridge.)

4. Prepare the coffee in either a coffee maker or a French Press. I go through phases as to which one I use. Right now I am just using my coffee maker.

5. Pour the coffee into our cups. In my cup, I add some sweetener. My favorite sweeteners are raw sugar, raw honey or real maple syrup. Today I used raw honey.

6. When I feel like something special, I add a spoonful of real vanilla extract. (Or sometimes I forgo the sweetener and vanilla and instead add a spoonful of homemade Kahlua.)

7. Lastly, I add my warmed raw whole milk. Yes, whole milk. In my opinion, whole milk tastes way better than half and half.

And there you have it. A perfect cup of coffee for myself and my husband. And you know, coffee just tastes better when it is served in your favorite coffee cup.

To Cheese or Not to Cheese

Cheese: a solid food prepared from the pressed curd of milk, often seasoned and aged. A simple definition of cheese does not do it any justice at all. It does not describe the incredible creaminess and richness of high quality cheese. Just tonight we thoroughly enjoyed our cheese with our dinner. I made a lasagna with mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar and ricotta cheeses. Along with the lasagna, I served salad with Feta cheese. Each cheese had its own, unique taste, joining together to create a complex, delicious flavor.

Cottage Cheese picture from GNOWFGLINS

No, I am not considering swearing off cheese. How could anyone in her right mind do such a thing? No, what I am considering is whether or not I will be doing the next e-course with GNOWFGLINS. The upcoming e-course covers Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese.

Can you imagine how fun it would be to make cheese at home? In my experience, most everything homemade just plain old tastes better. And, I would assume, cheese must not be an exception.

Here are some of the courses that will be covered:

1. Sour Cream / Creme Fraiche and Whole Milk Buttermilk
2. Cultured Butter and Buttermilk
3. Clabbered Milk and Cheese
4. Heritage Yogurt
5. Greek Yogurt*
6. Kefir and Kefir Cheese
7. Kefir Cream and Kefir Ice Cream
8. Ricotta* and Soft Cheese
9. Cottage Cheese
10. Feta Cheese
11. Middle Eastern Fresh Cheese
12. Queso Fresco Cheese
13. Fresh Cheddar Cheese
14. Traditional Mozzarella Cheese

So with all this yummines, why would I possibly choose not to take this course? Well, it really is a simply financial matter. There are two discounted supply kits recommended, one from Cultures for Health and one from Homesteader Supply. They both look wonderful, but they would run me around $100! And that is for the basic kits!


How I wish I could be one of those people who are paid to try things and then share the experience with others. (Okay, maybe I would just like to be paid to try it and blog about it. Is that so bad?)


So for now, I will continue to salivate over this list of delicious looking cheese. It is wonderful to know that the course will still be there waiting for me if I decide that it is worth the splurge, that is, unless you decide that you want to fund my obsession...

Loving My Tea Kettle

 

Most people talk about receiving an abundance of toasters as wedding gifts. Well, for us, it was tea kettles. Yes, we do love tea, but you can only use so many tea kettles. We decided to keep one tea kettle and return or -ahem- regift the remaining tea kettles. 

That first little tea kettle worked hard and produced some wonderful, boiling hot water for us. It certainly kept us on our toes too. Who can ignore the piercing screech of the kettle's whistle? Not us! Especially after we had kids. Imagine, little kids finally in bed and I decided that was the perfect opportunity for a cup of tea. I placed the tea kettle on the stove and waited for the water to boil. Only, as a sleep deprived mom, my memory was short and my attention span even shorter. Then the shrill whistle practically shook the house, quickly reminded me of my tea and forced me into a sprint for the stove, hoping to reach the stove before the horrible noise woke one or both of our kids. Ah, the memories.

After years of hot water production, the handle of our little tea kettle broke. As annoying as that was, I persevered with that little kettle for quite some time. Finally, I realized it was probably time to move on and find a new tea kettle.

At a friend's house, I ran across a different kind of tea kettle. I must say, it was love at first sight. Well, not really first sight, at first whistle. Her tea kettle made a different kind of sound. It wasn't high pitched, piercing the ear drums. It was a nice low pitch. As the water boiled even more, the low pitch turned into a beautiful, harmonious sound. As tempted as I was, I did not beg her to allow me to bring her tea kettle home. I took note of the brand name, went home, and immediately started searching online for one of my own.

Now, when the water is hot, I am kindly beckoned to my stove. In fact, my kids will at times hum along with the tea kettle. I no longer sprint to the tea kettle in an attempt to stop the noise as quickly as humanly possible. Now, I hear the noise, smile, and walk to the stove. Sometimes I even wait a minute so I can listen to the full chord.

Drinking a cup of tea should be a time of relaxation and enjoyment. Thanks to my tea kettle, the whole process is now calm and pleasurable. If you are in the market for a new tea kettle, I definitely recommend a Chantal.

Goals for 2011

Many people make New Year's resolutions and thoroughly enjoy attempting to keep them. I know myself too well, though. Although I am great at making plans and knowing the "right" thing to do, I am awful at follow through. I procrastinate and put things off until the last minute. Why bother making a New Year's resolution I know I will break before January is even over?

Last night my husband and I helped in the junior high group at our church and the youth pastor, Sam Christensen, challenged the youth to set goals for this coming year. He said to stop and consider what decisions we are making and what direction we are going. I know the message was mostly intended for the youth, but it really struck me and challenged me. What steps am I taking? Where will those steps lead me? Is that really where I want to go?

A resolution is easily broken, but a goal is different. My Webster's dictionary defines a goal as "an end that one strives to attain." In that striving, there is room for both progress and failure. Even if I don't attain all of my goals this year, I can know that I at least moved in that general direction. I can make progress and that is encouraging to me.

I thought about my goals and the direction I want my life to go. These are the goals that I thought of so far. My list is probably incomplete and will continue to be tweaked, but it is a good starting point for me.

Life Goal

• Glorify God. Honor Him in all I do.

Long Term Goals

• Have a deep, growing relationship with the Lord.
• Be madly in love with my husband.
• Train our girls to be responsible, mature, loving women.
• Serve and love others in our church and community.
• Pay off our house and live debt free.
• Eat and feed my family only nourishing healthy foods. Prepare a balanced diet.
• Produce much of our food in our garden. Purchase remaining food locally.
• Be healthy and physically fit.
• Keep a generally organized and clean house.

Mid Term Goals (1-5 years)

• Read the Bible daily. 
• Continue serving in our church.
• In addition to monthly date nights, plan weekends away with my husband.
• Save for and plan a family vacation.
• Grow and correctly store vegetables from our garden.
• Run a 10k (2 years).
• Run a half marathon (3-5 years).
• Make and use a menu plan for our meals.
• Create and maintain a cleaning and organizing schedule for our home.

Short Term Goals (This year)

• Be faithful in WEB (Bible Study) to complete my lessons and thoroughly prepare for my teachings and leading worship.
• Schedule monthly date nights with my husband.
• Make our Monday family night a priority. Plan fun things to do together.
• Take the initiative in friendships.
• Run a 5k this spring/summer.
• Run a 5k this summer/fall.
• Fence the yard (wood deer fence, upper area and garden).
• Plant and maintain a vegetable garden.
• Continue GNOWFGLINS e-course.
• Write a blog post at least once a week.

A Scrappy Gift

Let's answer my previous question: "Now what to do with the leftover fabric..." The answer seemed pretty simple: a flannel baby blanket and a couple of burp rags!

About 6 weeks ago a new little baby girl was added to our family. Well, not our immediate family. I did not have any sort of secret pregnancy. This little beauty is actually my new little niece on my husband's side of the family. It worked out just perfectly to use my leftover girly fabric for a Christmas gift for this new little girl! I also really like the idea of combining four fabrics into one blanket.

So here is what I did with my scraps.

First of all, I wanted to make a full sized fitted sheet for my girls. I did my best to measure and cut the twin sized fitted sheets apart. (That was a headache since the fitted sheets had elastic all the way around and not just on the corners.) Then I sewed them together. Yes, with a sewing machine. And can you believe it? I even managed to do this sewing all by myself, without my mother's supervision.

With that project finished, I still had several flannel scraps left. Time to make a flannel baby blanket.

I used a self-healing cutting mat and a rotary fabric cutter to trim all the fabric scraps straight and to correct widths. My goal was for all the strips to produce an approximately 36" by 36" two sided flannel blanket. After cutting, I sewed all the strips together and then ironed the hems flat. Now I had an approximate 6 foot by 3 foot piece of fabric. I folded it in half (ugly side out) and sewed the three edges, leaving a six inch gap. Next I turned it right side out and ironed the edges. Finally, I sewed the edges all the way around, closing my six inch gap. Voilà, it's done!


For the flannel burp rags, I made two different sizes (only because my last scraps of pink fabric were so narrow). I cut the pink fabric and corresponding prints 7" by 16". The green fabric combos I cut 10" by 17". Then I followed the same process I used to make the flannel blanket. Overall, they were pretty quick and easy. Absolute perfection was not my goal with these. The way I figure, they are just going to collect spit up, right? 

Now, I have a great gift for my niece (that basically cost me nothing since all the fabric was scraps) and one more sewing project under my belt. I love that Christmas gifts inspire and motivate me to new levels of creativity.

Christmas Quilts

I have always enjoyed artsy craftsy projects, but sewing has never been one of my fortes. Many people have asked me if I sew and my response has always been, "I only sew buttons." Give me a needle and some thread and watch me stick a button back on a shirt. There have also been the occasional hems that needed fixing. For those, I either take them over to my mom to fix or do a hack job myself. And when I say hack job, I really do mean a serious hack job. I only fix hems that will not be visible.

In light of my sewing inexperience, you may wonder: Why did I decide to sew quilts for my girls for Christmas? There is just something about a nice, cozy flannel quilt. My husband and I have one on our bed and thoroughly enjoy it every winter.

Ayla's Quilt (Her favorite color is currently pink.)

Right now our girls share a loft full sized bed. At times they (ahem) need to be separated so that they will actually sleep at night. This is part of the reason our girls do not sleep in regular sheets and covers. They have a fitted sheet and then individual blankets. Mostly, they sleep with fleece blankets. The fact that they sleep with a purely synthetic fabric has bothered me for a while, but a few weeks ago my husband said that they needed better blankets. At that point, I made up my mind to make them quilts for Christmas.

I knew the basics and set out to buy twin sized flannel sheet sets to use for the fabric. (That was quite an adventure all by itself!) After finding a sheet set for each of them, I went to Joann Fabric and Crafts to find some flannel for the backing, yarn to use to tie the quilts and matching thread. (Yes, these are just tied together quilts. Nothing fancy here!)

Next stop: my mom's house. (No, I did not do this project all by myself.) At my mom's house we laid out the fabric, the cotton quilt batting my mom had, and the flat sheet. After pinning it in place, I sewed in the yarn and my mom followed behind, cutting and tying the yarn. Next, I cut off the extra batting and trimmed the fabric to the right size. Then I ironed over the edge of the fabric, getting it ready to sew.

Kylie's Quilt (Her favorite color is currently green.)

After folding over the fabric and pinning it in place, I headed to my mom's intimidating sewing machine. (Intimidating because of my lack of experience, not because of the sewing machine itself.) After my mom helped me get all set up, I started sewing away. Maybe sewing through two layers of flannel plus quilt batting wasn't the best beginners project, but I eventually got the hang of it. (Honestly, I was afraid I might give up in frustration and, in tears, ask my mom to finish for me.) Once the edges were finished, I sat back down with my mom and we pinned the corners. Lastly, I sewed the corners. Done! Yay! On to the next quilt.... (The second quilt went much quicker than the first one.)

Now, their Christmas presents are done. They are wrapped in boxes and under the tree. I can't wait to see their faces when they open the gifts. Hopefully, they love these blankets and use them for many years.

Now what to do with the leftover fabric...

O Christmas Tree

One of my favorite Christmas traditions has always been the Christmas tree. What's not to love? There is such novelty in bringing part of nature indoors. The process of decorating the tree is always a special family time.

As a child, I think I anticipated getting the tree even more than receiving gifts or most any other part of Christmas. Each year we rode in my dad's truck to the Christmas tree farm and proceeded to spend as much time as necessary finding the perfect Christmas tree. It had to be just the right height and just the right denseness. Sometimes the hunt took quite some time, but it was always worth the effort. One year it was so snowy we had to shake the snow off of each Christmas tree just so we could see the shape of the tree.

My brother and I in front of our Christmas tree in 1989.

After the perfect tree was selected, cut down and purchased, we came home to begin the decorating process. (My parents must have labored to set up our Christmas tree, but my childhood memory excludes this part of the Christmas tree routine)

While breathing deeply of the incredible fragrance of the fresh cut Christmas tree, we opened the box of Christmas lights and began the process of finding the 3 lights on every strand that were either loose or burned out, causing the majority of the rest of the lights on the strand to not work either. Our living room had strand upon strand of white lights stretched out, ready to be checked. In my memory, this was just all part of the fun. Christmas music was playing on the overhead speaker and our family was together working on this project. Ah, the memories.

After giving up on a few strands of lights, we ended up with enough strands to adequately light the Christmas tree. With Christmas music still playing, my brother and I sat back and watch my parents transform the evergreen tree to an object of light and beauty.

Once lights were on the tree and the angel was placed on top, my brother and I could join in the decorating fun. Out came the Christmas ornaments. We covered the tree with our favorites. (My favorites were of course placed where I could see them best as a child. So what if the ornaments were not evenly distributed over the whole tree.)

After bows and candy canes were placed on the tree, we all sat back and admired our handiwork. We of course had the best smelling and most beautiful tree. (Sorry if you thought otherwise.) I always felt so sorry for those poor people who had artificial trees and didn't get to experience the tree hunt and amazing smell of the fresh tree.

Now, 20 years later, I am married and have children of my own. For nine years my husband and I carried on the Christmas tree tradition in our own home. We have trudged out in cold sunny weather, on rainy days and maybe even a little snow over the years.

My kids began to form memories of their own of what a Christmas tree should look like and smell like. They fondly remembered the process, just like I did as a child.

Then, to my nostalgic childhood memories, I began to add adulthood memories of Christmas tree frustration. One year, our tree would not stay standing. I think it fell over 3 times. Then there is the year that fairly early on I forgot to water the tree. By Christmas it was no longer green. It looked more like kindling. Instead of a beautiful Christmas tree, we had a decorated dead tree and I was afraid to even turn on the lights in fear it might just burst into flames.

As an adult the Christmas tree process became something I almost dreaded. What if it was pouring down rain on the day we went to hunt for the tree? How many times will we have to trim the base of the tree and slam it into the stand so it stick and stays? It seems like no matter how many times we try to twist the little things on the stand that holds the tree in place, it still leans one direction or another. And then there is the problem of remembering to water the tree. It needs to be watered just about twice a day. And if you forget to water it? It's toast! Don't even get me started on the lights. After we get the all working and the lights on the tree, it always seems like half a strand decides to stop working. And then when it is time to take the tree down, you may as well just TRY to get needles all over the house. It always happens anyway. Oh my.

This year, I changed things. No more hassle! After my final hunt for the perfect tree with realistic looking needles, I settled on a Fresh Cut Grand artificial tree. Yes, our family has gone artificial. Those of you who know me well are probably still in shock, but it is true.

After we set up the tree, I had that momentary realization that I hadn't watered the tree yet. But, no more tree watering for me.

My kids were less than thrilled about the thought of an artificial tree. My 6 1/2 year old daughter was devastated that our tree will not smell good. But now that the tree is set up, she seems to be fine. In fact, while we were listening to Christmas music and decorating the artificial tree as a family, she said "We have the best family ever." Yes, that is how Christmas tree decorating should feel to a child.