Category Archives: DIY

Why I’ve decided to stop using E-mail.

7 Replies


This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you purchase something after clicking on one of these links.

Email.  Electronic mail. “…messages distributed by electronic means from one computer user to one or more recipients via a network.”

Annoying, outdated and overwhelming.

“You’ve got mail!”

I am weary of my inbox filling up no matter how many times I unsubscribe. I am tired of spam and endless requests to fill my bank account with millions of dollars. Undesirable and unwanted information about parts of the body I do not care to mention in this family-friendly post. I am not interested in your product!
If they aren’t selling something then they want something. I can’t be all things to all people, people!

Phishing, hacking, emoticons, bold it, italicize it, put a signature on it and don’t forget your bio and picture!

Folders, circles, archives, mark as read, and on and on and on.
When will it ever end?
So I have decided to go back to basics.

I’m returning to Snail Mail.

EmailEvery morning I will put freshly stamped pieces of mail in the box at the end of my driveway. Every afternoon the postman will bring me stacks of letters just begging to be opened.
All of my friends are going to love this too.
Do you want to ask me something about my kids? Write me a letter!
Want to make a comment on my blog? Drop me a postcard!

Want to correspond about the latest diet fad? Just scribble a note, stamp it FOREVER and drop it in a big blue box.

How about just to tell me you are thinking of me? Hallmark has that covered. Big time. Head over to the drugstore, pick out something from the 99 cent section and mail it on the way home! (Don’t forget to sign your name.)
Bills online? Not me! Back to hours spent writing checks and stuffing them in envelopes. The Sweetheart won’t mind.
My postal service person, mailman, mailwoman, will be thrilled. So much mail to deliver, so little time! What if we all went back to real mail? The number of new jobs at the post office would soar! The economy would thrive and more little white trucks would circle our neighborhoods than ever before. (Don’t you just love those little trucks?!)

The Post Master is gonna love me.

Happy April!

 

 

Knock-your-socks-off Carrot Cake!

3 Replies

With the holidays upon us, the baking frenzy has begun! I am not a great cook but I love to bake…my figure and shape attest to it.

While we were overseas, I baked every Tuesday and Thursday for my Latvian house church group and our English Club. They enjoyed trying new things and I loved to see their happy faces when they tried graham cracker crust or Oreo dessert for the first time. I would even pack my suitcase with delicacies that I could not find in the Baltics…anticipating all of the things I could make for them. This cake is one that they literally ate up!

By far the very best Carrot Cake…EVER…I  have made this one for almost 30 years, borrowing the recipe from an old friend, Betty Shields. We worked together back-in-the-day and she had published her very own cookbook at the urging of her friends and family.

I have literally abused that poor book! I was a newlywed then and not a very good cook. I have tried almost every recipe in there and all of the tips that go along with it. She was fabulous; bringing in her desserts to our Re/Max office and causing us all to gain a few pounds.

I lost contact with her years ago but her recipes live on in my kitchen. You will enjoy this super-moist and absolutely perfect carrot cake for many generations to come. It’s a keeper!

carrotcake2

Knock-your-socks-off Carrot Cake

The great thing about this recipe is you literally put the ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand all at once….that’s it!

I have included the original copy (you can see how USED it is!) and also listed the ingredients for you to make it easier to read.

IMG_7281

1 1/2 c. corn oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 c. flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 c. coconut (optional!)
2 c. shredded carrots
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
1 small can crushed pineapple

Mix all together in one bowl, pour into 13×9 pan, sprayed with baking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-50 minutes; until done, or toothpick comes out clean. May frost with cream cheese frosting.

IMG_7280

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 C salted butter
1 8oz Cream cheese
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 C milk
4 1/2 C confectioners/Powdered sugar

Let cream cheese and butter soften at room temperature. Mix together first four ingredients with one cup of powdered sugar…then slowly add the rest until desired consistency. Delicious!

 

carrot cake

Enjoy, share and Pin away!

 

Sharing with Family Fun Friday, Thriving Thursday, Hearts for home, Homemaking Party, Heart filled Fridays, Friendship Fridays, Fellowship Fridays, Faith and Fellowship Friday, Treasure Box Tuesday

DIY Pumpkin Spice Creamer AND Pumpkin Spice Syrup!

17 Replies
Yep, it’s fall, ya’ll. (I’ve spent way too much time in the south the last couple of weeks.) But even down here, fall is in the air and it is pumpkin mania everywhere you look.

Before I left home on this particular journey, I made my own Pumpkin Spice  Creamer for my beloved morning coffee. Now, I am a big Starbucks fan, but not a fan of their Pumpkin Spice latte’s or anything else pumpkin flavored. And as we have all learned from social media this season, Starbucks does not even have any PUMPKIN in their pumpkin creations!

Since my Homemade Vanilla Creamer was so easy to master, even while overseas, I decided to try my hand at the pumpkin. Friends, this is just as simple and in no time you will be enjoying your own concoctions, for less money and with all natural ingredients.

DIY Pumpkin Spice Creamer

Let’s get busy!
 1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 c. pureed pumpkin
1 tsp. pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

I put everything except the vanilla in a blender first, puree just about thirty seconds to get it all mixed well.

photo 1 (78)

Then, pour in a medium saucepan, whisk the blended mixture over medium heat.  It will start to steam, do not let it boil! Promptly remove it from the heat and add the vanilla.

Next, you will want to strain it through a strainer, or mesh sieve, to avoid too much pumpkin goop in the bottom of your coffee cup! Anything that is stuck to the outside of the strainer, after being forced through, can be scraped off into your mixture. It’s been pressed through already.

Pour into a glass jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator about a week.

Of course you can use skim milk and half and half for a lighter calorie version.

It is also delicious to add about three tablespoons of white chocolate chips after it has been heated. Stir, let them melt well and then add your vanilla.

photo 3 (81)

If you prefer a syrup, instead of the milk based creamer, follow these easy steps:

1 cup water
2/3 – 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons canned pumpkin puree 
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Mix all ingredients in a small pan and simmer about 15 minutes, stir occasionally. Make sure it is of syrup consistency. It will get a little thicker once it cools. When it does, strain it through a sieve or a piece of cheesecloth. That’s it! It will keep about a month in the fridge.

Enjoy a lovely cup of coffee sitting on your porch or deck in the morning, adding about a tablespoon (or two!) of your fresh Pumpkin Spice Creamer. Be sure and bring your Bible!

 

treasure box tuesday