First of all, I love yogurt and eat it for lunch every day, but so many have artificial sweeteners, colors and flavors. I have been buying Stonyfield Farm brand yogurt for years because I love the creaminess, but it tends to be expensive. I think it’s like $0.85 per 6 ounce cup at Wegman’s or $3.79 for a 32 ounce container. (I buy the large containers of vanilla for myself, but Ben prefers the other individual flavors.) Recently Ben has been liking the Greek style yogurt which is even more expensive, eek!

I had heard making yogurt was easy, but I didn’t know it was THIS easy. Last weekend I used my crockpot to make 64 ounces of delicious yogurt for the cost of half a gallon of milk at $1.71. That adds up to costing about 1/5 of what it costs to buy the volume equivalent of Stonyfield Farm brand yogurt.

I strained about half of it to make the thick Greek style yogurt that Ben loves. The leftover whey can be used in place of the liquid in many baking recipes, is highly nutritious, and keeps well in the refridgerator for a couple weeks. We’ve been swirling in a little honey for sweetness, but honestly, I love the slightly tart plain yogurt flavor. Last night I used it in place of buttermilk when I made banana bread for our Bible study and this morning we ate it with fresh raspberries and a drizzle of honey. Anyhow, I am completely converted. I will be experimenting with more flavors in the near future. Stay tuned. Love you and miss you!

Kerstin

Happy Snow Day!

Kerstin

First, I want to wrap up some loose ends on the blog. Well, it’s one loose end, really. Remember the flower girl dresses I was making for my brother-in-law’s wedding back in August during my summer vacation? The entire endeavor was a huge flop. I don’t care what everyone else says to try to dissuade me; to me it will always be a flop in my mind.

It all started when I volunteered to make the dresses for my nieces and my now sister-in-law’s cousin’s little girl. I had set my deadline for the end of August before school was back in session again, well ahead of the October wedding. I took my nieces’ measurements and happily began to cut out the pieces. The other flower girl lives out of state and so measurements came from the girl’s mother. BIG MISTAKE. I suspected that the measurements were a little off. I’ve been around enough kids to know that if these measurements were accurate, the little girl was chubby and short, especially compared to my nieces. I checked with the bride and the bride checked with the girl’s mom and I was given the go ahead.

Skip ahead 2 months to the wedding. For reasons beyond our control, my nieces did not participate in the wedding. (Bummer #1) The other flower girl turned out to be tall and slim and the dress was way too big on her. (Bummer #2) I was left feeling irritated because this disaster, which was beyond my control, made me look completely incompetent. So this is my New Year’s Sewing Resolution – I will never sew another article of clothing without being able to do the measurements and fittings myself. Lesson learned.

Can you see how BIG it is? Ugh.

Looking on the bright side, if anyone is interested in buying a size 7 and/or size 4 white cotton knee-length, sleeveless, empire waist dress with sweetheart neckline and purple sash, let me know.

All three dresses close to being complete (August 2010)

Anne, I look forward to seeing all your beautiful photos using your new camera!

Love you,

Kerstin

I hope you and Matthew are doing really well and are getting into the spirit of the season, too. I have a pot of vegetable soup simmering, a Christmas station playing on iTunes radio and handmade Christmas cards waiting to be sent out.

Love you lots,

Kers

It’s not the greatest picture, but I’m very pleased to have finished this scarf/cowl. I didn’t have enough Noro to make it a scarf, so I finally just kitchenered the two ends, wrapped it around my neck a couple times and called it a day. I like it and will probably wear it this fall and winter. It just feels good to have it off of my Work In Progress list on Ravelry.

See you tomorrow!

Kerstin

We’ve dubbed November through January as “vacation season” at school because it seems like there is one holiday after another that requires days off from school. While we find it challenging to accomplish a lot during these choppy months, we ultimately enjoy the spirit of the holidays in school, even if it means that the students are off the wall most of the time. I have Wednesday through Friday off for Thanksgiving and then it’s a mere three and a half weeks until Christmas vacation, followed closely by Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the inevitable SNOW DAYS.

Last night I got home early and finished Ben’s first Hanukkah present:

It was made using the Spud & Chloe leftovers from Zeke’s & Noah’s Hoot Hats. (Remember I made a third newborn-sized Hoot Hat on the way home from OBX? Well, I had to sacrifice that one to finish Ben’s hat. I know, I was a little sad because it was so tiny and cute; I had fallen in love with that little hat.) It also matches his current winter coat! (Note that I said “current” and not “new” because we all know Ben doesn’t buy clothes. This happens to be a hand-me-down(up?) from Brett.) Anyhow, Ben has graciously worn the hat I knit him two winters ago (the Turn a Square), but I know it’s not the softest wool (I want to say Debbie Bliss Aran, but it might have been Cascade 220). This is going to make his little head very happy because it’s super soft. It is a bit thick, but I’m hoping that his head won’t overheat because it’s 50/50 wool & cotton.

Love you,

Kerstin

When made with all the intended ingredients, it is nourishing, yet bright; it’s perfect in a mug for a cool fall afternoon or as light summer fare when the temperatures rise. The basic recipe is easy – onions, butter, butternut squash, chicken stock, heavy cream, lemon juice and egg yolks. It’s so simple to make, and yet so satisfying!

Love ya,
Kerstin

These cookies were a huge hit. Just look at them, they are gorgeous!

These are Rebekah’s Pumpkin Spice Cookies from the kitchn. In her words, “Flush with the flavors of autumn these cookies get a dose of warmth from the combination of cinnamon, browned butter and candied walnuts.”

I opted to top mine with a pecan because that’s what I had in the pantry. Absolutely delish! Ben had five in a row when he got home from work.

Love,

Kerstin

My Veteran’s Day holiday was spent catching up on some of my crafty endeavors, including these Felt Christmas Trees. Mum came over with 4 styrofoam cones, 2 yards of felt and four packages of gold head pins. We managed to make 2 of them this afternoon; Mum took them home to display on the mantle.

They were really pretty easy to make. We cut out over 100 felt circles, each about 2″ in diameter. Then we layered the circles around the base of the cone, inserting a pin in the center of each circle. At the top, we used a little hot glue to secure the three circles and make them come to a point.

Mum left me with 2 cones and the remaining fabric. I think I’m going to have Ben cut down one of the cones to make it shorter. Then, I’ll buy one more cone, so I can display a group of three trees on the top of my Expedit for Christmas.

Hope you have a great weekend with Mum and Daddy! We’ll be wishing we were with you!

Much love,

Kerstin

I know I’m a little late in posting my harvest centerpiece, but it’s only November, right? This centerpiece has donned my table since mid October, and I must say, I love it!

I gathered some leaves, pressed them between pages in a book, sprinkled the edges with fine gold glitter, and tacked them onto the square vase with a little double-sided tape. I inserted an ivory pillar candle and surrounded the vase with walnuts and a few mini pumpkins. Pretty, right?

Kerstin