the little entrepreneur in me . . .

When I was a kid I somehow accumulated a large amount of seashells. I don't know if I got them at the shore myself or they were given to me. Either way, I tried to sell them at my parents yard sale. I eagerly sat waiting for someone to come and buy them for .10 each. Much to my delight, a lady came and offered to take the WHOLE bucket of sea shells (I don't remember the amount - probably like $3!). She wanted them for her flower beds! I was beyond delighted!

Since I was a kid I've loved "crafting". I was the kid that would go with my dad to his office and make something out of Scotch tape, scissors, paper, highlighters and the stapler. Through the years I've enjoyed making cards, jewelry, and random other little projects.

Since being married, I've jumped into the roll of being a house wife. I found that I enjoy cooking and making homemade food and yes, even cleaning! I've been too busy to craft between homemaking and work. Or maybe it was I didn't feel inspired. In the past few months, I've turned the office into a craft room. It's very temporary and un-pretty, but it's a place I can have everything out and accessible, including my sewing machine! I've come alive!!! As I mentioned in my last post, Miss Lyss Designs has been born in the past few weeks. It all started with making headbands for myself. It's something I enjoy, and the little entrepreneur in me is so excited to have people buying something I made!!!!!

I want woman to feel beautiful through my creativity. 

More than making a little extra money on the side, I want the buyers of my product to feel beautiful when they wear what I've created. Whether it's a mom having a bad hair day or a girl who just wants to feel a little more "dressed up", my prayer is that whoever's head my designs are on, they will KNOW they are beautiful. 

Oh Fall, how I love you!

I have been thoroughly enjoying life the past couple of weeks. I feel energetic, excited and at times giddy. The fall season has something to do with that, I know. Here are some other things I've been up to that have brought me joy:

Date night with my hubby! We went to Second Friday in Lititz. Grabbed coffee/tea at the Tomato Pie Cafe and then walked around and checked out the shops! A great and relaxing night :)

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Shoe rack!!

Durrell build me a new shoe rack for the laundry room closet. We had a dumb one from Walmart that was tilted and shoes wouldn't stay on. 

stained and in use!

my hubby is a w e s o m e!!!!

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HAIR CUT!!

before (in the early morn before work and no makeup)

after!!!!!

I liked the look of having long hair - WHEN I took the time to style it. But it took me an hour to actually blow dry it, and then straighten or curl it. I just don't feel like taking that much time to look good! So it ended up in a pony tail most of the time. Sooooo I decided to chop it off!!! And l o v e it.

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Crafting and fall decorating . . .

my wreath I made

I think I've inherited my mom's enjoyment of decorating for each season. When I lived at home my mom would decorate for each season and even some holidays like July 4th and valentines day. I used to think she was crazy sometimes but now find joy in decorating for the seasons too :)

My front porch has a mum and pumpkins. Fall is fav season of mine to decorate for! 

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Miss Lyss

Designs

  

One of the most exciting things currently is the beginning of my small at home business called Miss Lyss Designs. It all began with my sis in law showing me how to make fun flowers on a hair clip. I've become obsessed! I make and wear them often and have people asking "where did you get that". I decided to begin making them to sell!! I now have a facebook page that you can order my creations and have also put some of my pieces at a local hair salon. It has made me feel so alive to have people love my work! It's also a great little side job that brings in some extra spending money for me :)

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So that's my life from the past few weeks in a nut shell! My hubby has been so wonderfully supportive of my time in the craft room. I can't imagine my life without him being by my side. He's the best!!!!!!

Crock Pot Apple Butter (no sugar added)

I love autumn here in Pennsylvania. The crisp mornings, cool evenings and changing leaves. The excitement and anticipation of the upcoming fairs. Fresh apples and everything pumpkin! Yes, autumn is probably as equally my favorite season as spring.

I went to my favorite local orchard store and bought some sweet apples and some tart apples. I decided to make some apple butter!! Here's the recipe . . .  so easy!

Crock Pot Apple Butter

(no sugar added)

8 medium sized apples (peeled, cored and sliced)

3 cups apple cider (no sugar added)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

- Put apples and all other ingredients in crock pot. Set cooker to low and let simmer 12 - 15 hours, stirring occasionally (makes the house smell a m a z i n g!!)

- Once apples have browned and most of the juices have been reduced, use an immersion blender (or regular blender) and blend until smooth

- If apple butter still has a big of liquid in it, place in a pot on top of the stove and cook uncovered on Medium until juiced evaporate to desired thickness. 

- Put in jars/containers once cooled. Keeps 3 - 4 months in fridge.

I love to eat this with pretzels. Weird, I know. Hubby likes it with his cottage cheese. It's so yummy I can eat it by itself by the spoonful :)

Happy autumn! 

homemade yogurt

I am blessed to live here in Lancaster County where down on the farm traditions such as canning, preserving and home made things are still being passed down from older generations. Now that I am married I truly appreciate the inherited knowledge. I love being able to go down many of the back country roads here and find a road side stand with locally fresh produce or dairy. It makes my heart giddy to buy such yummy goods!

Durrell eats a yogurt a day in his packed lunch. When we first got married, I hated buying the little cups of sugar filled, flavored yogurts. It went against everything in me to feed my hubby that stuff. Plus, those little things are expensive! I began buying a large container of plain yogurt and adding my own flavorings (maple syrup, no sugar added jelly, etc), then dividing it up into smaller, re-usable containers for him.

My mom-in-law is great at canning and making her own things and has shown me how to make my own homemade yogurt!! It's so easy and YUMMY! Durrell loves it with some homemade granola (recipe to come for that). I thought I would share the recipe with you all.

Home Made Plain Yogurt

(Recipe makes 2 gallons. I generally cut the recipe in half and make only 1 gallon)

- 2 gallons of milk (I use raw milk, fresh from a local farm but you can use bought milk too)

- 1/4 cup water

- 1/4 cup unflavored gelatin (it's like jello, but unflavored. I found this in the bulk section of a local store)

- 2 cups of plain yogurt (this acts as a starter - I buy WalMart's brand which works great!)

- meat thermometer 

- ice chest

- Heat milk to 180 degrees on Medium-low heat stirring occasionally with a whisk. Use the meat thermometer to check temperature. It is important that you don't let the milk boil or it will burn. 

- Once the milk has reached 180 degrees, mix the gelatin and water together in a bowl and add to milk. Stir the milk for a few minutes with a whisk after adding the gelatin to ensure it hasn't settled on the bottom. 

- Let milk cool to 110 degrees and add the 2 cups of plain yogurt. Stir. (the mixture will still be a liquid)

- Pour milk mixture into jars (I usually get 4 quarts and a pint) and put lids on

- fill the ice chest with hot tap water (enough water to at least cover jars).

- put jars in the ice chest and close the lid for 6 - 8 hours. (The heat causes the liquid to gel)

Don't be alarmed if when you get the jars out the yogurt is still a little runny. Shake them really well and place them in the fridge. Most times it will gel after being chilled. 

TIPS:
- Don't mix the gelatin and water until you are ready to add to the milk. 

- Make sure you stir continuously with a whisk after adding the gelatin to the milk 

- I tried only heating the milk to 110 degrees so as not to kill all the good stuff in the milk but I didn't have success with the end result. I figure it's still better than buying sugary store bought stuff.

- If it stays runny and doesn't gel after chilling, don't get discouraged! Try again. You can always use the runny stuff for shakes or smoothies! (I've had a few runny batches and still can't figure out why)

- Add your flavoring after it has been chilled

And this is my end result!

Oh how I love being a wife and homemaker :)