The stay inside, snugglely days of winter always feel even better to me with a cup of hot cocoa, giant marshmallows, and some sort of yarn and hook to make a bit of warmth with.
Almost like that’s what winter expects of us…
what winter is actually for.
I’m finding that it’s not just me either. The girls are starting to feel more comfortable with the yarn and–surprisingly–not hooks, but needles. My they are brave. Teaching themselves to knit from books or blogs and then just…you know, knitting. Knitting little sweaters, and scarves and hats for their own little loves.
Personally, I’m amazed at how one keeps the yarn on that pointy stick when there’s no…hook…at the end.
But then, Mamas do find a way–don’t they?
Hooks or needles, sweaters, scarves, hats or headbands—it isn’t only the thing that’s being crafted that feels so good and right. It’s coming together–and doing that womanly thing, the gathering to talk and laugh and sip and nibble all the while creating warmth for the baby birds we love.
Now I know that the topic of preparedness is not exactly the most interesting and certainly not the most fun topic on earth–but…I feel compelled.
Did you know that this week–our lovely state of Utah has experienced 2 earthquakes–right here in Utah county? One on Sunday night and the next on Monday night. Yeah. Who knew?
In an article on the Ready.gov site, it says:
“You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.”
With this in mind—the Preparedness tab is the newest addition to our site and feels very important right now. I have big plans for this place–not because I think I know something–but more because there are some great links that we can tap into and share with each other. The info is all around us–we just need to gather and then act. I’ll add more each week or so.
“Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.”
Maybe not…
but I bet it’s dang close.
Sheesh.
Buttermilk Doughnuts
Ingredients
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups buttermilk
Oil for deep-fat frying
Additional sugar, cinnamon-sugar or confectioners’ sugar, optional
Directions
In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and lemon-colored. Add butter and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; add to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. doughnut cutter.
In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, for 1 minute on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Roll in additional sugar if desired. Yield: 4 dozen.
