Category: Handmade

Crafting · Crocheting · Eclectic · employment · employment seeking · Handmade · Hobbies · Interests · Life · Pain · Reality · thoughts

My latest

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Since I have been between jobs, training for a new one to do at home, still interviewing for something more permanent. I finally got an interview for a great job as well as an awesome one that has to use my degree background. The great job, I got… the awesome one, still no word. 🤔

So while I wait on the start date of the great job, and waiting on some word as promised by the awesome one, I have been crocheting 🧶.

The 1st one was coming out so beautiful I had to make one for myself in colors I love. I followed a YouTube video to make… Grandma’s German Shells Blanket

My husband kept telling me I needed to make his mom a headband thingy to keep her ears warm, especially at work, since she gets cold easily. So I whipped this one out, one of the stitches was a real pain for me since my hook kept getting snagged on the yarn. But all in all it came out very pretty.

Thanks to my daughter who brought such a delightful sickness into our lives, of course she had it during her spring break and incubated it and then gave it to me and the hubby at the end of that week and all of last week, and we are still sick now. 😧. We have been trying to keep out of public and such.

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Our Homemade Pizza

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We have now decided, after making it a few times (like 5 in the last month and a half), that homemade pizza is best!

So good that I didn’t get pics of when they were finished….except when my daughter decided to make a stromboli this last time.

My hubby likes pepperoni (sausage give him heartburn) and the kids and I like sausage (pepperoni give me heartburn). We use breakfast sausage, jimmy dean type, and the sauce we use is Prego (I grew up using and still use).

I brown all meats, except for the pepperoni, and for me I sauté an onion in alittle butter, to top mine.

We use pilsbury pizza dough, we have even used Walmart’s brand too. I pop the container and put the dough on a silicone mat, rolling it out to desired thickness. I like a thicker crust while the hubby likes a very thin and crispy crust. We brush a thin layer of olive oil and prebake it….my son 10 minutes, my daughter and me 12-13 minutes and my husband until almost burnt (a joke in our house….he likes it very crispy!)

Then after prebaking, we let it cool about 10 minutes, that way the sauce doesn’t make the crust soggy. After that we assemble as we wish, I make everyone do their own so Im not to blame about too much or not enough toppings. And then bake atleast 10 more minutes, depending on the person.

This is my hubby’s after final bake, my opinion its burnt.

My daughter decided last time to make stomboli, no prebaking. She said it was great!

Cooking · Eclectic · Handmade · Hobbies · Homemade · Interests · Invisible Disease · Life · Pain · Reality · thoughts

Disease maintenance with food.

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I went for a surgical consult last week about removing the part of intestine that is infected by the diverticulitis. The surgeon 😷 didn’t seem like he was too willing for doing the procedure, reason being I have only had 2 flares in 2 months….granted all doctors I have previously seen (GI and all the ones in the ER) all agree surgery would be a great idea so I don’t suffer all the symptoms I do. He also was not happy about the fact I had been on antibiotics a week prior and was still having tenderness. He decided to put me back on antibiotics and put me on the surgery schedule tentatively in March. So I have decided to do more homemade dinners especially.

Friday I made a very mild red beans and rice, hubby added salsa chips. I made this from dried beans in my multi pot, adding in sautéed onions, carrots, bell pepper, celery and mushrooms, along with ham hocks, spice mix we like and water to cover.

Saturday I then made pork tacos. I took a picnic pork roast and put it in my multi pot to make it shredable. It was falling apart by the time I was done. Adding in the onion, carrot, celery and our goto spices and of course some water.

Sunday I made spaghetti 🍝 and meatballs, homemade meatballs. These meatballs were very tender and moist. I chopped up 2 pieces of white bread and added milk to moisten. I then added 2 eggs, chopped onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Then of course added hamburger meat and lastly 1/2 cup of oatmeal. Mixed the mixture and made into balls and then cooked in the oven. I removed them from the grease that was left over and cooled completely. Then while the pasta was cooking I made the sauce and warmed the meatballs in it. Adding the pasta to complete and a side of garlic bread.

Cooking · Eclectic · Handmade · Homemade · Life · Reality · thoughts

Soup….homemade….

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Homemade soup is always best. With my bout or flare up of diverticulitis I have to go back to clear liquid diet and work back to solid food. All last week I was eating or rather drinking my meals, pre-made soups and broths. Then I worked up to these….

In this flavor and creamy tomato 🍅 as well. They are really good.

Then to work up some more… so I decided to make my own chicken and veggie soup.

I sautéed celery, onions, carrots, bell pepper, and mushrooms with olive oil in my multipot and some spices. Then added chicken broth and a whole chicken, put it in pressure cook for 40 minutes and let it release for 30 minutes. I added 2 cans of navy beans and pressure cooked for another 10 minutes, quick release and ate.

It was delicious!

I am eating, slowly on solid foods but I couldn’t turn down a chance for a good tomato soup. So I am making my own tomato 🍅 soup.

Starting out with 2 types of tomatoes, onions and bell pepper with olive oil and my goto spices. Roasting at 350 degrees at 15 minute intervals, turning each time. When the skins of the tomatoes 🍅 are ready to come off I peel them off.

I decided, after talking to my sis-in-law and she mentioned tomato 🍅 bisque, to look at recipes for it. It had an addition of bacon, carrots and celery and they even used canned tomatoes, I feel if you’re going to make it homemade you have to have fresh tomatoes 🍅! So in addition I put in a batch of bacon, celery and carrots in the oven with olive oil and my spices to roast.

After blending the tomato 🍅 pan and putting it in my multipot to simmer, I blended the carrot pan and some tomato blend until smooth. Once that all was combined and heated thru I added 2 cups of heavy cream.

I snuck a taste, since I had just eaten lunch, and….WOW the flavor!! The bacon was the first thing I tasted, right after the tomatoes, then a smidge of everything else. It is good! Will have to remember all that I included!! 😋

Crafting · Eclectic · Essential Oils · Handmade · Hobbies · Homemade · Interests · Life · Reality · recipes · Skin Care · Soap · Soap Making · Soaping · thoughts

Valentines soap…

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Alittle while ago, December 17th to be exact I made what I was calling ChocoBerry soap. To be ready, ok I didn’t calculate the times that great….Im new to making soap, but anyway to be ready for valentine’s day.

I scented it with chocolate covered strawberry scent, via Natures Garden fragrance oil. Well I went, apparently, light handed on the scent.

This was the day after making, unmolded and was disappointed. No scent and it was yellow and red instead of brown and red like a strawberry with chocolate on it.

Later, it has turned the colors I wanted but again no scent.

They are even darker now! I wish I had a picture but Im not where I can get a snip.

Anyway they are luxurious anyway from all the oils used, just not scented as I want. 🤷‍♀️ Live and learn.

Crafting · Eclectic · Essential Oils · Handmade · Homemade · Interests · Life · Reality · recipes · Skin Care · Soap · Soap Making · Soaping

Aids in healing….

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Yesterday I made a batch of Baby Soft/Sensitive soap.

I unmolded and cut it today. Looks nice!

In the olive oil, I infused calendula, comfrey and chamomile; those aid in healing the skin. I use the calendula and comfrey in my homemade Neosporin and it helps in healing wonderfully!

My next soap, for valentines is going to be made with this!

My Valentines inspired soap, I may call it ChocoBerry. 🤔

Im thinking I should make the middle red and all around brown, just like a chocolate covered berry!

Crafting · Eclectic · Essential Oils · Handmade · Hobbies · Homemade · Interests · Life · Reality · recipes · Skin Care · Soap · Soap Making · Soaping · thoughts

Magical Mermaid Soap

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Made a new soap last night, a partial lard bar and it was beautiful when making it, but the cut was even better than I thought it would come out!Thanks to some name suggestions I named this batch Magical Mermaid 🧜‍♀️. The smell is sweet and kind of oceany, it was Sea Salt fragrance from Bramble Berry. It will be wrapped and ready to go mid to late January.

Crafting · Eclectic · Essential Oils · Handmade · Hobbies · Homemade · Interests · Life · recipes · Skin Care

Body butter

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Hubby needed some kind of good and moisturizing cream for his feet, that is unscented. So I made my own body butter with avocado oil, coconut oil, shea butter and castor oil.

Out of the remainder of the butter that wouldn’t fit all into this container and added peppermint essential oil and some red mica. So I made Candy Cane Body Butter.

Then I had not quite enough to fill another container like the previous ones, so I made samples.

This body butter, like most of my others is very lightly scented, but luxurious.