My boy, "Loki."

 Now that I live alone, I have one dog, and two kitties. This one is called Loki. He is roughly 4 years old and came from a shelter. He's such a sweet boy, AND an excellent mouser

Tiny Tip - threading a sewing machine needle...

 

The older I get, the harder it is for me to see well enough to easily thread the needle on my sewing machine. I have found something that truly helps. I just take a tiny piece of white paper and hold it behind the eye of the needle and then it is MUCH easier to see.  

Re-post - Button Lamps in case your power goes out in the coming storm!

 

A Button Lamp

I just ran across this picture... and wondered if you have ever heard of a "button lamp." Many years ago, we got this idea from one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books called The Long Hard Winter. These are easy and fun to make and if you ever find yourself with no electricity, no candles... nothing to make light with, please remember this! All you need is a small glass dish or saucer, a button - not a plastic button, but one made of shell, glass or wood, a small square of cotton fabric, a piece of string and a match to light it with! The reason you don't use plastic is that if the flame contacts the button, you will have a cloud of toxic and not very nice smelling fumes coming off of it.

Cut your cotton fabric large enough to wrap tightly around the button and use the string or thread to tie it on, leaving the little pointy ends sticking up. Then, put some sort of oil or fat (Ma Ingalls used axle grease I think!) into your dish... don't use very much. You don't want to drown the flame. Put the wrapped button into the fat and get a little bit of it on the "wick" and then light it! This makes a very satisfactory light in an emergency.

One time, many years ago, the power went out. The children got busy making button lamps. We had several of them (more than we needed!) lit and happily giving light to our home, and then of course the power came back on! We were sincerely disappointed!

Surprisingly good healthy cookies....

 

Not the best picture, but all I had... :)

Here is a recipe for some really good cookies that are healthy. They do have maple syrup, so certainly are not "sugar free" so don't overdo it, but these are really good and very wholesome. It's funny how you can start to eat one and think maybe that it's not that exciting, but then you can't stop eating them. :)

PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

2 1/2 cups rolled oats - using a blender, turn half of them into oat flour

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 cup canned pumpkin or cooked fresh pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup chocolate chips (I use white chocolate chips because I can't eat the regular chocolate)

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt. 

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, rolled oats, maple syrup, pumpkin and pumkin pie spice.

Add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, vanilla and salt and mix it all well with a spoon.

Using a large cookie scoop, put the dough onto your lined baking pan with a space in between them. They should all fit on a half-sheet pan.

Put a little oil on the palm of your hand and slightly press the cookies down to make them more flat.

I bake mine for 17 minutes, but do it from 15 - 20 minutes until they are dry on top and starting to turn golden brown.

Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

I love chocolate, but....

 

Yes, I do love chocolate, but the older I have gotten, the more sensitive I have become to caffeine and the theobromine in chocolate.  Just before the Covid pandemic hit us, I had made an appointent with a cardiologist because I was having pre-ventricular contractions in my heart. I knew what it was, because I had experienced it some years before.  Well, we were "locked down" in March of 2020, I believe.  Right after that I was scheduled to see the cardiologist, and I had to cancel the appointment.  But Lo and Behold, the PVC's went away!  I figured out what was causing them. At Relief Society (Church women's group) meetings each Sunday,  the woman who was our teacher would pass around a basket of chocolate candy. I would take one piece each Sunday and eat it. Once we were locked down, I was cut off from my supply. I can eat it once in a while, but not on a regular basis at all, so for the most part, I avoid it altogether.  

So, here is the recipe for my Sweet Potato Carob pudding. When I made it for Jim, I would use cocoa, but when I make it for me, I use carob powder.

Sweet Potato Carob Pudding

In a high speed blender, combine the following:

2 cups cooked orange sweet potato

1 1/4 cup soymilk

8 Deglet Noor dates (or more if you prefer)

1 teaspoon almond extract (if I make it with cocoa, I use vanilla extract)

1/4 cup carob powder

Blend thoroughly, pour into a bowl and chill.  It's really very good, and it's completely healthy.

I want to tell you about something...

 After this, I'll get back to posting about homemaking, but I want to share this with you... After my husband passed away in February, I had a mighty struggle with my mental health for a while. I tried counseling and medications, but I am extremely sensitive and the medications were a disaster to put it mildly. 

Then, I found out about TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation.) It is FDA approved, non-invasive , with no side effects, and statistically helps 87% of patients who try it which is much much better than the medications available. The clinic where I had my treatments has been offering them for about 2 years and they have NEVER had a patient it did not help. It is used for anxiety, depression and OCD. It also has benefits for certain symptoms that can come on with Parkinson's Disease. Generally, here in the United States, if one or two medications have failed you, your health insurance will help pay for it. Mine did. It involved a series of 36 five - minute treatments. Very simple. And, it worked for me. 

I think it must be one of the best kept secrets. It is amazing. Two months ago I was still a mess. Now I am fine.  Of course, I still deal with the grief, but that is a separate issue. I am attending a GriefShare group and that is very helpful.

I just couldn't not tell you about this in case it might help someone else who is struggling. God bless you all. 

Just to let you know...

 My sweet Jim, the love of my life and husband of 53 years, passed away suddenly on February 18th. He died of heart failure in his sleep. There was no suffering. He was 78 years old. All 6 of our children gathered and we had several days together. The outpouring of love and support has been so wonderful. I really had no idea how many lives he had touched until the funeral. There were at least 200 people in attendance. Oh how I miss him. I know he is watching over me and when I am finished here on this earth, I will be with him eternally. He was the best man, the best husband, the best friend. I love him so. As one person said, "If Jim didn't go to heaven, there is no heaven." He will be greatly missed by many.