Monday's New Face

Jenn here, a new voice at Make It From Scratch. I'm a SAHM mom with three fabulous kids of my own plus two great step kids. I've been married to the love of my life for a little over three years. We've got several goldfish plus a cat and a dog who don't quite get along! I can't imagine why! lol I am a southern city girl accustomed to the hot humid big city life in middle Tennessee-everything's open 24/7, busy traffic, coffee shops, Walmart, shorts, tank tops and flip flops...

At least until we moved to Hallock Minnesota early last year. There's a population of nearly 1,500. NO Walmart. NOTHING is open 24/7. ZERO coffee shops. Everything's closed on Sunday except the grocery store and gas station! PLUS we have some of the country's harshest winter weather with subzero temps six months out of the year. Talk about an adjustment! ;) My daily and weekly trips to the stores are reduced to monthly trips and the fast food has nearly been cut from our diet (not hard since there's only ONE restaurant in town!) We make due with what's on hand and buy only what we need at the local grocery store in between trips. This has led me to live a more handmade lifestyle. The simplicity of our new lifestyle has done wonders for my marriage, character, and my new philosophy in raising my kids. I am truly blessed and hope to share some of what I learn with you here every Monday.

This past week has been a little slow when it comes to making anything from scratch. I've been sick with strep throat so I piled up on the couch for most of the week. (I was such a smarty pants thinking it would pass; I miserably waited till Thursday to go to the doctor. For Future Reference-seek immediate doctor's care when experiencing difficulty eating and drinking combined with fever and chills!). If it's been a while since you've been sick-TRUST ME-your kids are telling the truth when they tell you how crappy they're feeling! Thankfully, I'm MUCH MUCH better now and will be making who knows what this week! I will leave you with this little crafty idea I came up with after our Christmas Kitty arrived.

Make your own cat teaser toy using things from around your home. Cut 3 long strips of fabric (18" is a good length), knot together at one end, braid and tie off leaving several inches unbraided. Wind several milk jug rings & soda can tabs or unused jingle bells onto an old key ring. Tie the ring to one end of the fabric and watch your cat enjoy. It's durable and depending on the fabric you use, washable. Sandy still plays with this one and hasn't worn it out yet!

I love to cook and create with just about any medium so there's no telling what new things I'll be writing but you can bet it will be lots of fun. I also write at the Frugal Front Porch if you'd like to read more about me and the other things I'm working on!