Janalyn Voigt's Blog, page 14

Easy Homemade Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup

I’m not sure how I’ve made it this long without tasting a pumpkin spice latte, but oh my goodness, what a treat! I’ll have to be careful, because this lovely beverage sure could become addictive. And don’t start me on the pumpkin spice syrup for the coffee. It is absolutely delicious!

Easy Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

First off, I used homemade pumpkin puree made from sugar pie pumpkins I bought at a farmstand to make the syrup. I recommend doing that if you want the taste of real pumpkin, since most pumpkin puree sold in the United States, anyway, isn’t really made of pumpkin.

I made a big batch of the syrup so I could put some in the freezer to bring out during the coldest part of winter, when a warm, sweet, and spicy drink will certainly be welcome. I have some puree left over after making pumpkin pies, so I’m planning to put up some more for the freezer.

For all my recipes I use sugar that  has been minimally processed, which means that it has not been separated from its molasses and still contains iron, vitamin c, potassium and other vitamins and minerals. I hope you’ll consider trying Rapadura* so you can enjoy a healthier pumpkin spice latte.

Pumpkin Spice Syup

This syrup tastes great in coffee, and its also tasty on pancakes.

Ingredients

6 cups water
6 cups sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
3/4 cup  pumpkin puree

Step 1: Combine Your Ingredients

I whisk together everything right in the pan. What could be easier?

Step 2: Turn the Burner on on or Cook on the Stovetop

Cook until the sugar is melted and the syrup has thickened slightly. This should only take a few minutes.

Step 3: Strain Your Syrup

I use a small mesh strainer with a handle * for this task, because I like to leave the ground spices in the syrup but not the pumpkin solids. If you want your syrup clear, I use cheesecloth. I recommend using cheesecloth made from unbleached cotton*.

Refrigerate leftover pumpkin syrup

Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients

1 cup milk
1/4 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee
1-2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice syrup, or to taste
Whipped cream (optional)
Cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on the top (optional)

Step 1: Make the Coffee
Step 2: Prepare the Milk

You can use an espresso maker’s milk foamer or prepare the milk in a saucepan. If using a saucepan, heat milk until hot but not boiling. Remove pan from heat and whisk or blend with an immersion blender* until frothy.

Step 3: Combine the ingredients

Whisk or blend in the pumpkin spice syrup and coffee.

That’s it. Tough recipe, right? :o) Considering how easy it is to make your own healthier version of a pumpkin spice latte, it’s amazing so many people pay for one at Starbucks.

This recipe is ideal for a special brunch or to serve as a dessert coffee. Along with some healthy appetizers, it could serve as a pick-me-up to help ravenous guests wait for the turkey to finish cooking on Thanksgiving.

© Janalyn Voigt

*Starred items are my affiliate links. Purchasing items through the links I provide is a way at no additional cost that you can help support this site, and I thank you.

The post Easy Homemade Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

MyMemories Suite Review and Giveaway Winner

October Giveaway Winner and Product Review

This month’s giveaway winner is featured at the end of this post. But first, let’s give our benefactor center stage. MyMemories Suite won my respect by being both nimble and user-friendly, which is why I’m a MyMemories affiliate. I’ve used it to create many projects, website banners, stationery, business cards, calendars, and bookmarks like the one for DawnSinger, first book in Tales of Faeraven, my epic fantasy series. The front and back of the bookmark are side-by-side in the image, below.

I’ve never actually taken advantage of this software for its intended use, but as part of my simple life focus, I will at some point organize my digital images and challenge others to do the same. I’ll personally be using MyMemories Suite software to make this happen. Even without belonging to the design club at the site or purchasing any additional scapbooking kits, it is possible to turn out some pretty cool scrapbook pages.

What I Like

The ability to use stickers and imprints, like flourishes, buttons, shapes, and medallions
The calendar feature, which can be used to create calendars for any year featuring your own images
The fact that the software sizes pages by pixels or inches (so you don’t have to convert pixels to inches to size pages)
Numerous photo-editing capabilities, including croping, matting, drop-shadow, colorizing, special effects, mirror imaging, and orientation, at the touch of buttons
The Word Art feature, which lets you shape and design words
The ability to add clickable links and embed audio, video, music or narration
The fact that you can have your scrapbook pages professionally printed as photobooks

What I Don’t Like So Well

Some of the stickers that come with the software seem a little cutesy to me. If that’s what you like, you’ll have a lot to choose from. Otherwise, you’ll either be limited in your choices or need to add an additional design kit.
I want the photo editing to allow me to erase. That’s not an option, and importing transparencies turns them black.
Saving a completed design to your computer puts it in its own file, by default, so you can wind up with lots of file folders.
It’s not that difficult to accidentally save a new version over an old one when you wanted to keep both.
Likewise, it’s not that hard to inadvertantly save a new version over an old one to your computer.
Importing additional scrapbook pages escaped me, and I never took the time to sort it out. This may be operator error rather than any fault with the program.

A Special Offer from MyMemories

If you purchase MyMemories Suite using my sharing code, you can get a $10 discount on the purchase of MyMemories suite from the website.  Sharing code: STMMMS54994 

You are welcome to share this code.

And Now for the Winner

Deb Haggerty, who blogs at www.PositiveGrace.com , won a free download of MyMemories Suite digital scrapbooking software.  She promises to let us know what she thinks of the software. Thanks for use of such a great image, Deb!

About Deb Haggerty

She’s a blogger, fiction editor (for Elk Lake Publishing), and speaker, and has been married to Roy over thirty years. They live in Plymouth, MA, along with Coki the Dog.

© Janalyn Voigt

 

 

The post MyMemories Suite Review and Giveaway Winner appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

Stock up on Loose Leaf Tea for Your Winter Pantry

I’m an avid tea drinker, which turns out to be a good thing, since drinking black, green and oolong teas aids alertness and provides the benefits of polyphenols and catechins, antioxidents that studies suggest prevent clogged arteries, especially in women. Benefits of tea drinking may also include prevention of heart attack, diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney stones, osteoporosis, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, alzheimers, and parkinson’s disease. This is good news, but please remember that these teas also contain caffeine and should be consumed in moderation.

Herbal teas offer many health bonuses as well. To name a few, licorice tea normalizes the appetite, chamomile tea wards off stress and aids sleep, and rose hip tea is high in vitamin c.  Please be aware that there can be contra-indications and dangers to the over-consumption of certain teas. I mention that not to frighten you, but to remind you that drinking herbal tea does impact your body, so it’s important to do your research.

Besides all of the health benefits, tea is soothing in the winter and just plain delicious. It’s simple to use a tea infusor, and the flavor of loose leaf tea is fuller than that made from a bag. Purchasing tea in bulk also lets you sample a wider variety.

I had a bit of sticker shock the first time I ordered bulk tea, but when I realized it was a bargain compared to fine tea sold in individual tea bags, I recovered. Opinions vary on how many cups you can get from a pound of loose leaf tea, ranging from 200 to 600, depending on how you make it, the size of cup, and if the kind of tea you purchase allows for multiple infusions.

However, we can figure costs by comparing the 453 grams in a pound of tea to the 2.5 grams of an average tea bag. Simple math tells us that a pound of loose leaf tea is equivalent to 181 bags. Compared straight across to quality tea usually sold 20 bags to the package from $4 to $6 (for organic tea), you’d need  about 9 boxes at a cost of $36 to $54 for the same amount of loose leaf tea.

Some Loose Leaf Teas to Try

Note: the following content contains my Rose Mountain Herbs affiliate links. Using them is a simple way you can support this site at no additional cost to you.

English Breakfast is my husband’s personal favorite. It is so hearty you can substitute it for coffee and feel satisfied.

Earl Grey, one of my all-time favorites, has pleasing citrusy notes because it contains an oil derived from the skin of the bergamot orange.

Darjeeling, the champagne of all teas, is delcate and fragrant.

Ancient Forest is a tea I’ve not tried yet, but coming as it does from Chinese tea plants ranging from 500 to 2,700 years old, it just sounds awesome!

Classic Chai, formerly called Oregon Chai, contains an exotic spice blend of  ginger, cinnamon Darjeeling  tea, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla.

Oolong contains both brown and off-green leaves, and offers a more subtle taste if, like me, you don’t like the sharpness of green tea.

Chamomile, as a loose leaf tea, may surprise you with its delicious flavor. Served with a spoonful of honey, it makes a perfect nightcap.

Happy Tummy is a digestive tea I want to have on hand this Thanksgiving.

Mint needs no introduction for most of us. It’s easy on the tummy, contains no caffeine, and is perfect with a touch of lemon and honey.

Winter Spice is a warming blend I enjoy in the colder months. But then, what’s not to like about a tea that contains both licorice and sarsaparilla?

When it comes to teas to stock in your pantry this winter, its hard to choose from all the options, but that’s a good problem to have.

Tweetables

Stay warm this winter by stocking your pantry with this homey item. Click to Tweet.
The benefits of tea drinking are many. Click to Tweet.
When it comes to teas to stock in your pantry, its hard to choose. Click to Tweet.

Share Your Knowledge

Have I hit on some of your favorite teas? Are there any I missed you would include?

©2014 by Janalyn Voigt

The post Stock up on Loose Leaf Tea for Your Winter Pantry appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

Virtual Travel Relaxation Video: Bodie Ghost Town

About This Virtual Travel Relaxation Video

I took these images of the ghost town of Bodie, California on an extremely hot day in the summer. The heat was so ennervating it was all I could do to keep walking. The shade beside some of the buildings wasn’t that much cooler, and the sagebrush underfoot looked like perfect cover for rattlesnakes.

I’d read that Bodie was famous for its inhospitable weather, being blazing hot in the summer and bone-chillingly cold in the winter. Bodie’s violent past now took on new meaning. It would be easy to become cranky in such heat.

I wondered, not for the first time while exploring historical sites, how the original inhabitants ever managed to function. They must indeed have been hardier souls.

Bodie covers so vast an area that I captured pitifully few of the sights to be seen on camera. My biggest find was when I peered into the listing brick strong building and discovered a safe in beautiful condition hidden inside. Whenever I think of this treasure, abandoned and forgotten, it makes me sad. How much longer will the building remain standing to shelter it?

The most tender moment in this video is the shot of peeling wallpaper. Although the image isn’t the best quality, it strikes me as particularly poignant, so I included it anyway.

Artifacts left lying in the grass, like the rusted washbasin in the video, make me wonder whose hands placed them there. Tattered curtains at the windows remind me that some brave souls attempted to make a home of this inhospitable place.

I played with interposing nature in several of the images. A bird was nice enough to pose on top of the church tower in an image that suggests the outcome of Bodie’s defiant struggle to remain standing against the force of nature. Also, while traveling down one of the streets in the town proper, I noticed that the reflection of clouds in the glass made them seem to float across the tin ceiling inside. This particular image still makes my throat close up because of the unspoken message it relays.

These aren’t all of the pictures I caught on camera at Bodie, California. There are more, like this picture of the Gentlemen’s Club (the saloon).

Gentlemen’s Club, Bodie Ghost Town

If you’re interested, you can see the full gallery of my images of Bodie, California at my Literary Wayfarer Travel site, as well as read Road to Bodie Ghost Town,  the travel journal I wrote during the trip.

Getting to Bodie is not for the faint of heart. You have to travel for several miles along an unpaved access road. The surface washboards in the summer, but it must be full of mud in the wetter months. If you’d like to explore it yourself, either in person or online, here’s the website for the Bodie State Historic Park. If you do visit, go early in the summer and early in the day to avoid the heat. There’s bottled water and an amazing horse-drawn hearse complete with black plumes, in the museum.

Tweetables

Take a moment for a video of an amazing ghost town. Click to Tweet.
This ghost town video shows an old safe in perfect condition. Click to Tweet.
Take a virtual tour of Bodie ghost town. Click to Tweet.

It’s All About You

Have you also made some interesting historic discoveries? Which ghost towns would you like to visit? I’d love to know!

©2014 by Janalyn Voigt

©Janalyn Voigt

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The post Virtual Travel Relaxation Video: Bodie Ghost Town appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

Relaxation Videos: Bodie Ghost Town

Relaxation Videos: Bodie Ghost Town

I took these images of the ghost town of Bodie, California on an extremely hot day in the summer. The heat was so ennervating it was all I could do to keep walking. The shade beside some of the buildings wasn’t that much cooler, and the sagebrush underfoot looked like perfect cover for rattlesnakes.

I’d read that Bodie was famous for its inhospitable weather, being blazing hot in the summer and bone-chillingly cold in the winter. Bodie’s violent past now took on new meaning. It would be easy to become cranky in such heat.

I wondered, not for the first time while exploring historical sites, how the original inhabitants ever managed to function. They must indeed have been hardier souls.

Bodie covers so vast an area that I captured pitifully few of the sights to be seen on camera. My biggest find was when I peered into the listing brick strong building and discovered a safe in beautiful condition hidden inside. Whenever I think of this treasure, abandoned and forgotten, it makes me sad. How much longer will the building remain standing to shelter it?

The most tender moment in this video is the shot of peeling wallpaper. Although the image isn’t the best quality, it strikes me as particularly poignant, so I included it anyway.

Artifacts left lying in the grass, like the rusted washbasin in the video, make me wonder whose hands placed them there. Tattered curtains at the windows remind me that some brave souls attempted to make a home of this inhospitable place.

I played with interposing nature in several of the images. A bird was nice enough to pose on top of the church tower in an image that suggests the outcome of Bodie’s defiant struggle to remain standing against the force of nature. Also, while traveling down one of the streets in the town proper, I noticed that the reflection of clouds in the glass made them seem to float across the tin ceiling inside. This particular image still makes my throat close up because of the unspoken message it relays.

These aren’t all of the pictures I caught on camera at Bodie, California. There are more, like this picture of the Gentlemen’s Club (the saloon).

Gentlemen’s Club, Bodie Ghost Town

If you’re interested, you can see the full gallery of my images of Bodie, California at my Literary Wayfarer Travel site, as well as read Road to Bodie Ghost Town,  the travel journal I wrote during the trip.

Getting to Bodie is not for the faint of heart. You have to travel for several miles along an unpaved access road. The surface washboards in the summer, but it must be full of mud in the wetter months. If you’d like to explore it yourself, either in person or online, here’s the website for the Bodie State Historic Park. If you do visit, go early in the summer and early in the day to avoid the heat. There’s bottled water and an amazing horse-drawn hearse complete with black plumes, in the museum.

Tweetables

Take a moment for a video of an amazing ghost town. Click to Tweet.
This ghost town video shows an old safe in perfect condition. Click to Tweet.
Take a virtual tour of Bodie ghost town. Click to Tweet.

It’s All About You

Have you also made some interesting historic discoveries? Which ghost towns would you like to visit? I’d love to know!

©2014 by Janalyn Voigt

The post Relaxation Videos: Bodie Ghost Town appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

How to Cook Pumpkin

The cooler days of autumn bring us hot cider, the comfort of soups and stews, and the beauty of turning leaves. A hint of mystery permeates the air, and with it the promise of soon-coming holidays. Bright pumpkins sit outside grocery stores and dot farmers’ fields, waiting for eager hands to carry them home.

During the years I worked at a CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) farm, I must have weighed thousand of pounds of pumpkins in October. It was hard work, standing outdoors in the cold, come rain or shine, but it was always fun.

Time and again, I saw grown ups regressing to childhood. It’s impossible to remain dignified while balancing twenty pounds of muddy pumpkin in your arms. But it’s more than that. There’s just something about pumpkins that makes us smile.

One of the best tastes of fall isn’t that hard to capture. It’s easy, once you know how to cook pumpkin. Read on.

How to Cook Pumpkin

If you will be making pie, it’s best to use home-grown sugar pie pumpkin.  For soup, I really like growing cinderella pumpkins. To eat pumpkin like a vegetable (it’s really a fruit), I recommend growing Connecticut field pumpkins,  the American heirloom variety that sustained the New England colonies. Note: Pies made from jack-o-lantern pumpkins will probably not be organic and may be genetically modified (GMO) and/or contain pesticide residues.
Wash every bit of mud off the outside of your pumpkin. I like a bamboo vegetable brush for this.
Remove the pumpkin stem by scoring around it at an angle with a flexible blade (like a paring knife), and then breaking it off.
Don’t worry about the blossom end, and there’s no need to peel the pumpkin at this point. We’ll deal with all that after cooking.
Put your knife into the midsection of the pumpkin and, turning the pumpkin as you go, cut through the meat until you reach the place where you started. The pulp in the middle doesn’t need cutting and will just pull apart when you separate the halves.
Remove the pumpkin seeds. I save some for the seeds for next year’s planting. I just rinse them off and lay them on a plate. After they are dry, I break them up and turn them over, then repeat that until they don’t stick any more. The remainder can be used to make toasted pumpkin seeds.
Remove the pulp. A large spoon is handy for scraping the inside of the pumpkin until you only have the meat.
Place cut side down on a cookie sheet, baking pan, or pie plates and bake in a 350 F oven until a fork can be inserted easily.
Cool until the pieces are comfortable to handle.
Peeling the pumpkin with a small knife should be easy at this point.  You can cut it up to add to soups or to eat as a vegetable.
To make puree for pies and other recipes, cut the pumpkin flesh into sections and put them into your blender or food processor to process.  Don’t add water! It’s a little harder, but stop the blender and stir the pieces down until they break into a puree.  This is what it will eventually look like:

 

Voila!

 

©2014 by Janalyn Voigt

©2014 by Janalyn Voigt

The post How to Cook Pumpkin appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

Introducing a Simple Christmas Plan

A Simple Christmas Plan

On Christmas Eve, I remember hurrying from store to store, frantically purchasing presents. The last store turned me out, and I rushed home to slap wrapping paper on the meager gifts I’d found while fretting that they weren’t enough. For years this scenario haunted me in a vivid nightmare that reoccurred in the weeks before Christmas. Holiday stress obviously trigged the dream, which returned until I learned how to plan ahead for Christmas. This reduced my stress level, allowing me restful sleep even with Christmas looming.

I’m happy to report that it’s been many years since that particular nightmare afflicted me. That’s not to say the budget always works, I never purchase last-minute gifts, or never stay up late wrapping presents on Christmas Eve. Life sometimes intrudes on the best-laid plans. I can say that my Holiday season is much more peaceful and joyous these days, with time built in for light displays, theater, and time spent with those nearest to my heart.

This is your invitation to join me in planning a simple Christmas. I can’t promise there won’t be work involved, but following my simple Christmas plan should help ease your holiday stress level and move you closer to creating a more meaningful Christmas for yourself and your family to enjoy.

When you sign up, you’ll receive as my gift to you the first chapter of A Simple Christmas Planner,  giving tips and a system to help you declutter your house now so you won’t have to do it with holiday company coming. This planner is in production and will be available early in November. I’ll provide more details soon.

Starting on November 1st, you’ll receive brief daily action emails with simple tasks to complete. Where applicable, I’ll include resources you can take advantage of and links to tutorials or extra reading material. Save these in an email folder for your days off or complete them each day. It’s up to you.

We’ll discuss decluttering your home, meal planning, recipes, decorating, gift shopping, Christmas tree care, activities and outings, establishing family traditions, Christmas activities, and more. We’ll also take a look at ways to make Christmas more meaningful, explore the Yule tide tradition of seasonal feasts, and discover the 12 days of Christmas. You’ll gain access to planning resources like my Christmas cheat sheet to help you make sense of your holiday schedule so you can avoid having a chaotic holiday season.

You can create a more joyous Christmas centered on what matters most, spending time with friends and family, enjoying good food that doesn’t turn you into a kitchen slave, and creating experiences you and your family will remember for a lifetime. Are you ready to end the holiday insanity and create a meaningful Christmas?

Yes! I  Want a Simple Christmas
Get Started Early

The first email in a simple Christmas plan will go out on November first, but you can get started early. If you haven’t already done so, listen to the Declutter Your Home So You’ll Want to Live There, episode of my Escape into a Simple Life podcast, addresses decluttering your home for the Holidays. After that, download the detailed instructions on how to declutter your home, free when you join the simple Christmas plan .

Tweetables

There’s only two months until Christmas. Declutter your home now! Click to Tweet.
The Simple Christmas plan starts November 1st! There’s still time to sign up.   Click to Tweet.
Sign up to create a more joyous Christmas centered on the things that matter most. Click to Tweet.

©2014 by Janalyn Voigt

The post Introducing a Simple Christmas Plan appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

Episode #4: Declutter Your Home So You’ll Want to Live There

For years I suffered from a reoccurring nightmare. In my dream, it was Christmas Eve, the stores were closing, and I didn’t have all my presents purchased. I’ve stopped having that dream, thankfully, but I still find the Holidays stressful. There’s a lot I love about the Christmas season but on the list you won’t find trying to cram too much into too short a time.

There are just over two months until Christmas, but many of us don’t think about it much until it’s upon us. And yet, preparing in advance affords you the time to really celebrate with your friends and family during the holidays.

That’s why I’m decluttering and deep-cleaning my home before the holidays arrive.  This podcast is one of my first efforts to help you do the same, but I’ll be revisiting this topic from different angles in this podcast, in A Simple Life articles, and in the videos I create and share with you.

Let’s do this together.

Escape into a Simple Life Podcast, Episode #4:
Declutter Your Home so You’ll Want to Live There
Show Notes
Introduction

I update you on my progress and provide tips in the areas of weight loss, financial planning, gardening, holiday prep, quiet time, and decluttering. I’ve made progress in some areas and not in others, and I give the reason why.

I talk about how, in the past week, I had two meetings (actually three except that I forgot one.) and explain why two many meetings close together doesn’t work very well for me.  If you’re an introvert also, you may already understand.

 Main Topic
The Problem

Your home should serve as a refuge, staging ground for activities, and a platform for socializing . A refuge isn’t very peaceful when there’s a mess. A staging ground doesn’t work well when you can’t find the items you need for activities, and socializing can’t happen when you have chaos (can’t have anyone over syndrome).

The failure of your home to meet any of these functions is a reason to declutter.

Solutions
To the immediate crisis

There are two options for decluttering your home, the fast plan and a slower method. I address pros and cons of both tacks and give perspectives from my own decluttering. Emotional considerations come under discussion, and I offer a gentle solution to our natural reluctance to part with belongings.

To prevent future clutter

I identify five tactics to help guard against future clutter. One in particular is something I’ve not seen at other sites that teach how to declutter. We cover monitoring your spending, avoiding self-delusion, when repairing over replacing does and doesn’t make sense, and more.

Conclusion

I invite you to join me in decluttering our homes for the holidays. It’s fun to know that we’re both working on this at the same time. If you would be so kind as to let me know in the comments or by email, I’d appreciate it.

Thanks for listening, and I hope to catch you next time. Until then, you can find articles, videos, and podcast episodes to inform your escape into a simple life at JanalynVoigt.com.

Tweetables

There are just over two months until Christmas. Declutter now! Click to Tweet.
There are two options for decluttering your home, the fast plan and a slower method. Click to Tweet.
Join Janalyn Voigt and me in decluttering our homes for the Holidays. Click to Tweet.

Previous Podcast: How to Find Time For Yourself in a Busy Schedule

©2014 by Janalyn Voigt

The post Episode #4: Declutter Your Home So You’ll Want to Live There appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

Declutter Your Home So You’ll Want to Live There

For years I suffered from a reoccurring nightmare. In my dream, it was Christmas Eve, the stores were closing, and I didn’t have all my presents purchased. I’ve stopped having that dream, thankfully, but I still find the Holidays stressful. There’s a lot I love about the Christmas season but on the list you won’t find trying to cram too much into too short a time.

There are just over two months until Christmas, but many of us don’t think about it much until it’s upon us. And yet, preparing in advance affords you the time to really celebrate with your friends and family during the holidays.

That’s why I’m decluttering and deep-cleaning my home before the holidays arrive.  This podcast is one of my first efforts to help you do the same, but I’ll be revisiting this topic from different angles in this podcast, in A Simple Life articles, and in the videos I create and share with you.

Let’s do this together.

Escape into a Simple Life Podcast, Episode #4:
Declutter Your Home so You’ll Want to Live There
Show Notes
Introduction

I update you on my progress and provide tips in the areas of weight loss, financial planning, gardening, holiday prep, quiet time, and decluttering. I’ve made progress in some areas and not in others, and I give the reason why.

I talk about how, in the past week, I had two meetings (actually three except that I forgot one.) and explain why two many meetings close together doesn’t work very well for me.  If you’re an introvert also, you may already understand.

 Main Topic
The Problem

Your home should serve as a refuge, staging ground for activities, and a platform for socializing . A refuge isn’t very peaceful when there’s a mess. A staging ground doesn’t work well when you can’t find the items you need for activities, and socializing can’t happen when you have chaos (can’t have anyone over syndrome).

The failure of your home to meet any of these functions is a reason to declutter.

Solutions
To the immediate crisis

There are two options for decluttering your home, the fast plan and a slower method. I address pros and cons of both tacks and give perspectives from my own decluttering. Emotional considerations come under discussion, and I offer a gentle solution to our natural reluctance to part with belongings.

To prevent future clutter

I identify five tactics to help guard against future clutter. One in particular is something I’ve not seen at other sites that teach how to declutter. We cover monitoring your spending, avoiding self-delusion, when repairing over replacing does and doesn’t make sense, and more.

Conclusion

I invite you to join me in decluttering our homes for the holidays. It’s fun to know that we’re both working on this at the same time. If you would be so kind as to let me know in the comments or by email, I’d appreciate it.

Thanks for listening, and I hope to catch you next time. Until then, you can find articles, videos, and podcast episodes to inform your escape into a simple life at JanalynVoigt.com.

Tweetables

There are just over two months until Christmas. Declutter now! Click to Tweet.
There are two options for decluttering your home, the fast plan and a slower method. Click to Tweet.
Join Janalyn Voigt and me in decluttering our homes for the Holidays. Click to Tweet.

Previous Podcast: How to Find Time For Yourself in a Busy Schedule

©2014 by Janalyn Voigt

The post Declutter Your Home So You’ll Want to Live There appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

Make a Culinary Herb Wreath in Minutes

Making an herb wreath is a fun way to dry culinary herbs. You can either leave the wreath up all winter and pluck leaves here and there for your recipes or after the leaves dry, remove them to airtight containers that you store in a dark cupboard. The second method better protects the flavors, and provided the leaves dry quickly, you can make several wreaths before winter hits.

How to Make a Culinary Herb Wreath
Step One: Gather Your Supplies
Here’s my grapevine wreath form and some of the herbs I used. I had to go back outside for more sage and the oregano heads.
Wreath Form

Start by gathering your supplies. A straw or grapevine wreath form looks best with herbs, and both hold stems without the need for glue.

Herbs

Whatever culinary herbs you have growing in the yard will go fine in your wreath. Gather these before you start, and remember its better to cut the stems a little long. You can always trim off any excess as you make the wreath. For safety reasons, I don’t include non-culinary herbs on a culinary wreath, even as accents.

If you don’t have culinary herbs growing in your yard, you can still make this wreath with herbs purchased from the grocery store or a farmers market.  Herbs that make good bases are sage, rosemary, oregano heads,  bay leaves, Herbs that are good as accents include rosemary, rose hips, thyme, and oregano heads. The herbs you actually use in cooking are the ones that should go into the wreath.

Ornaments

I chose to leave my wreath unadorned, but you might want to add ribbons, beads, craft birds, and many other decorations could be added to beautify the wreath. If you intend to use the herbs in the wreath for cooking, you’ll want to bear that in mind when choosing ornaments. For instance, look for craft birds with wires on their feet so you can tie, rather than glue, them on.

Step Two: Add The Base Layer
You can cover the whole form or leave part of the grapevine showing.

As you can see in this image, I just tucked my base layer of sage into the grapevine wreath form. Keeping the leaves pointing in one direction, work all the way around the form. Make the base layer nice and full, but don’t overcrowd the leaves since your aim is to dry them.

Step Three: Add the accents
There’s nothing lovelier than the smell of lavendar and sage.

I gathered small bunches of lavendar and snipped the ends even, then threaded them into the form beneath the sage. I find that if the ends bend, it helps to snip them a little shorter. I also added oregano heads as an accent.

Step Four: Add Ornaments, if Desired

Gently wind ribbon or beads around the wreath, add craft birds and the like,

Step Five: Hang and Admire Your New Wreath
This lovely fresh herb wreath now greets all who enter my home with the scents of sage, lavender, and oregano.

You can either use an over door wreath holder or a loop of string or ribbon to hang your wreath. Standing back and admiring your wreath is so fulfilling. And from now on, that beautiful scent will fill your home.

Previous Craft Article: Quick and Frugal Gazing Ball Stand

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Do you have any tips on makiing culinary herb wreaths? Which herbs do you like to cook with?

©2014 by Janalyn Voigt

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