Pleasures for the “Simple” Minded

“Hoarding” was the topic on Oprah a few weeks ago. I felt smothered and claustrophobic just watching it. I could only stand it so long, and then I decided to step over my piles of laundry and papers, out to my flower beds which always revive me.  But alas,  they had the same symptoms as the house spotlighted on TV.

Hardy perennials were overgrown, Calendulas crowded their neighbors, and oregano spilled out of its allotted space like a tangled green octopus.  Inspired by the show, I started pulling out the overgrown and over productive plants, giving their less assertive neighbors more space, air, and sun.  I filled a whole wheel barrow in about 15 minutes, and it made such a difference.  There is something very liberating and need-satisfying about cleaning things out.  Everything needs space to breath and grow whether they be plants, homes, or teenagers. 

My Corner Contribution of recycled clutter that week only consisted of three things: an end table and two towels, but I was so glad when someone came by and retrieved them, and my front room now has a little more space because of it.  As I watched Oprah I was dumbfounded that anyone would literally have clothes piled high in EVERY room of their 3 level house.   I couldn’t help but think of all the humanitarian programs in need of good clothing.  That woman needed a cause to help her overcome her addiction so she and her husband simplify and reclaim their lives.  My worst nightmare would be to leave this life, with a huge mess for my children to take care of.  If we live another 20 years, maybe we’ll have the garage cleaned out!

After watching “The Hoarding Horror Movie," I next decided to clean out a corner shelf in our family room.  I found two undelivered wedding gifts, three misplaced recipe books, seven errant quilting books, and then Bonanza!-- a Prevention Magazine titled “The Simpler Way.” 

Just the titles of the articles confirmed my recent efforts:

--Cut the clutter and have more “breathing Space”.  (Already I know my plants are happier!)

--Rev-up your energy and feel great! (Ripping out weed and overgrowth --What a rush!)

--Say Good-bye to Personal “Money Robbers!”  (We become rich because of the things we do without, not because the things we buy.)

--And Move into a Larger House—Without Moving!  (When there is less “stuff” in a house, it’s less stuffed, and it is bigger!)

Simple living is the goal of provident living, and without knowing it most of us have built layers and layers of complexity around us.  We have more gadgets, appliances, CDs, toys, and tools than we can keep track of, much less store.   Gandhi once wrote, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.”  When we declutter we let go of the things that entangle us, so we can “stroll” through life with greater grace and ease.  That means getting rid of entanglements.

  Another great mind, Albert Einstein knew a few things also about being focused and organized.  His mantra:

--Out of clutter, find simplicity

--From discord, find harmony

--In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

While you work to reclaim your life and your home, it helps to change things up throughout the work day.  A 20 minute nap is a great recharger.   Mix seat work, with tasks that require movement.  And them Mom’s famous quote: “A change is as good as a rest,” which I truly believe.  Well, that’s the summary of that little booklet, which was really designed to sell a bigger book…now it’s processed and tossed away, and I feel good-- and motivated!  Hope you do too.  Let me hear about your success stories: 42janetkw@gmail.com

Jammin’ Away" With Jalepenos

Jammin’ Away

Well, that’s one crop out of the way!  After two weeks of drying, bottling, and jamming apricots in every way possible, I’m taking a breather before the beans begin.   With all this rain, things are growing like the tropics…hmm, am I up for that bumper crop?

Some Like It Hot

If you’re tired of making fruit jam the same old way, try adding 1-3 jalapeños into the mix.  Follow any pectin based fruit jam recipe, but grind or chop up the hot peppers and measure them as part of the fruit.  It will give you a nice jump start with your toast in the morning, and is also delicious with cream cheese and crackers. 

My personal favorites are jams made from peach, plum, pear or raspberry with jalapeños –oh, did I mention apricots!   I’ve also added them to cherries…but Debbie Bayles makes a triple berry jam they call “Halle Berry“ ‘cause it’s so darned hot! You’ll have to ask her how many peppers they add.  Try it, you’ll be surprised!  And in a good way.  Not sure how many jalapeños to use?  Let you teenager or husband bite one, and tell you how hot they are!

Now if you’re a jalapeño purist, you might prefer this great recipe which is the first one I used to make hot pepper jam.  It’s from Shirley Christensen and was printed in that great Monticello Cookbook they did in 1991.

Hot Pepper Jelly

1 ½ C. green bell peppers

1 ½ red bell peppers

8-10 jalapenos peppers

6 ¼ C. sugar

1 ½ C. vinegar

1 bottle Certo

   Seed peppers (wear gloves when doing jalapenos) and grind.  Mix with sugar and vinegar.  Bring to rapid boil and add Certo.  Boil for 5 min.  Remove from head and stir for 5 min more, until peppers go to the bottom.  Put in sterile jars and seal.

Once you’re converted to the tangy taste of jalapeño jam, you’ll be wondering what to do with all your plain old jam.  In case you can’t “think outside the bottle” here’s some creative possibilities to explore, some of which are featured in the book All That Jam.

--Jam can be used as a sweetener in bread, rolls, or other pastries, consider it as flavored sugar.  I often use it in my whole wheat bread, instead of sugar or honey.

--If you want a more assertive flavor make jam bars, crepes, or fruit cakes of any flavor

--Jam is a good base for making barbeque sauces, or other sauces for grilling

--Use as glazes for chicken or ham: peach, apricot, cranberry, grape. 

--Use Jam as one of the layers in a trifle, instead of fruit, or Jello

--Use as the sauce for fruit pizza

--Mix with plain yogurt, or a topping on sundaes. Even Choke Cherry jelly is good on ice cream!

    Here’s an easy recipe for sweet and sour sauce from the Utah authors, Hollee Eckman and Heather Higgins

1 ½  Cups Apricot pineapple jam

1 C. chicken broth (can be made from bullion)

½ C rice vinegar

2 tsp. Soy sauce

½ green pepper coarsely chopped.

Combine everything except green pepper in med. Saucepan.  Cook on high heat for 5-7 mintes stirring frequently, until smooth and thickened.  Reduce heat and stir in green pepper and cook another 2-3 min.  Serve over meatballs or pot stickers.  Makes about 2 ½ cups.

   But never, no never, throw old jam away….that is like throwing out a sack of sugar!

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Games for the Young in Heart

Reunion Games

     My love affair with games started back in the Golden Era of the Fifties, BT-- Before TV. There were five of us kids and we were often snow bound on our farm and games prevented the onslaught of cabin fever. When we weren’t snowed in, we still lived 4 miles from the nearest neighbor who had kids, so we learned to play games with our parents. (Shocking, I know!) Our favorites in those days leaned towards parents’ preferences like Scrabble, Pinochle, Canasta, Aggravation, and Dominoes with a math twist that Dad taught us, so we’d learn to think. We also had a pool table and ping pong table downstairs, which provided lots of friendly competition. Outside we played Annie-I-Over, Horse, Boss of Bunker Hill, Run Sheepie Run, and other games.
     Games are great gathering catalysts and leveling agents. They bring people of all ages together in a friendly, fun challenge, where humor is bound to spill over. There is something very wholesome, joyous and enduring about occasions when families are joined together in a common light-hearted activity. We need to create more opportunities for games in this world of stress and hard work. This gives the left side of the brain time to rest, and the right side a chance to let loose and shine.

With plenty of time still left for reunions and family gatherings this season, both both the formal and informal kind, here are some games that I’ve used over and over with variations through the years. 

Gathering Games: What to do while waiting

Guess how many balloons, candy, angle worms, etc. are in a container:

--or guess how long all the 4 year-olds would be measured end to end, or the teen-agers, or the circumference of a tent or trailer.

--or guess the combined weight or height of all the siblings. Then, of course, the fun thing is doing the measuring! Have prizes for each winner.

Water Rockets: Most recently we’ve upgraded an old Cub Scout activity of shooting soda or water bottles 1/3^rd full of water. My husband has rigged up plastic pipes and a compressor, which makes creating pressure a lot easier than manning a bicycle pump. We’ve done this with kids, Young Singles, and Old fogies and it’s always fun. Get some prizes for those who actually manage to catch one of these high-altitude missiles!

Giant Genealogy Chart: Post the basics of the family tree, i.e. parents, and grandparents. Have each person write down their name and birthday under their parents names. This is fun for cousins to see how they are connected.

Whole Group Get-acquainted Games:

I love noisy games that involve everyone and these are some of the best:

1. Where the West Wind Blows

Everyone sits in a circle; the leader is IT the first time around. If a person matches the criteria IT calls out, then they get up and run to a new seat. Anyone losing their seat, becomes “it”.

Example:

The West Wind blows for everyone wearing contacts, or with sandals or, with a beard…. The West wind blows for everyone who is a cousin to Hailey Wilcox, or a grandchild of Kay Shumway, is a teen-ager,or anyone over 60. It is fun to come up with exotic, strange descriptions, just to see who matches!

In games like this, it’s important to switch games while everyone is still having fun. Keep things moving. I’ll share more another time.

2. Name Bop game: “It” stands in circle, everyone else is seated on chairs. Go around the circle and have everyone give their first name loud enough so that everyone hears and remembers. (If they know each other, pick a category like states). Call on someone to stand and call out a name. That person must jump up, call out another name, before he gets bopped (use rolled up newspapers, wrapping paper inside cone). If he gets hit, then he is “it”. Out-going “It” must stand and say a name before he sits down, or he can be bopped. A wild crazy game. One of my favorites.

3. Family Outburst

Have several members of the family get together and make category cards ahead of time. Each card needs the category listed on one side, and 10 possible right answers on the other side.

Possible family categories: Missions served by family members, favorite places to camp, favorite reunion foods, Favorite primary songs, TV shows, Disney characters, etc, Chores grandpa had to do as a child, Places Grandpa took the family for vacation, States the family now lives in, Names of 1^st cousins, things people forget to bring camping, etc

Divide the whole group into two teams. A moderator holds the cards and gives one with the answers on to the opposing team. When timer beings, the other team shouts out answers they think are on the card. Let them know that not all answers are on card, only 10. They have 2 minutes to name as many as possible in their “outburst”. Award 1 pt, per right answer. Assign a couple of people on the opposing team to be the listeners to mark of the ones guessed. Switch back and forth, making sure teams have the same number of turns. Award prizes to team with most points.

4. Reunion Bingo

-- Design and print off Bingo sheets ahead of time. Most squares on the sheet you will leave blank. However, you can fill in 4 or five with things such as: Someone who was born the same year as you. Someone who has lived in more than 4 states, etc. (If you want a template for this, e-mail me.)

-- Collect information

The purpose of the game is to learn something about their relatives. So ask questions you want to know. It’s important to ask a different question to as many people as possible. Write down the answer in each square and have them sign it. Do that for as many squares as possible.

-- When you have all squares filled call out “Ebenezer Pickle” or some other illustrious family name. I’ve used this many times for reunions of all kinds and as a class get-acquainted activity when I was teaching school. It’s one of my favorites