First NY Craft Show

Last Sunday was my first craft show since moving to NY! I did several when I lived in Oklahoma but just haven't gotten around to signing up for one here. I finally made the time and effort to do it this spring. Bradley came along as my helper and we had a fun time together (even though I left our lunch in the fridge at home).

This show was at the Maxwell Station in Olcott, NY and there were about 40-50 vendors there.

This was also the first time I've done a show with my herbal products! Many moons ago I crocheted and sewed baby items, and only in the last 2-3 years have I transitioned to natural products/medicine. I was the only vendor there with this type of product! Everyone seemed to be intrigued and I handed out several cards.

Naturally in the last few weeks I had been very busy making products to have enough inventory to take along! I also decided to try out selling one of my tinctures, and it went well! I will be adding 2oz tinctures to my online store as well -- click here to see my FB page and follow it, or click here for my online order form!

My Etsy store has also been doing well, so I'm also staying busy making products for those shipments. Lots of repeat customers!! My next craft show is in May so I've got some breathing room before then, but my April is full of adventures so check back soon!

Staying Busy

We've been keeping ourselves occupied here at the Pierce house! One thing I have been doing is saving the heels from loaves of bread. I've been stashing them in the freezer until I had enough, then I chopped them up and tossed with oil and spices. I baked them in the oven and voila! Homemade croutons. Delish!

I also used some of my dried herbs to make teabags for a friend! I love a good cup of herbal tea.

We had a beautiful day last week that was sunny and in the 60s! I took full advantage and we all went outside. Jacob played in his car, Brad rode ride his bike, I pruned my fruit trees and rose garden...and Cinnabun got to go outside for her first time! We recently got her a pen and she didn't know what to think! After a bit she realized she could eat the grass, then she was a fan.

I'm taking the next step in gardening--Starting my own seeds! I bought a grow light and started some seeds recently. A few had already sprouted, so I transplanted those today and moved them into larger containers under the light. Grow baby grow! If things go well, I'll end up getting a second light.

Since the kids are home for awhile thanks to the plague....we are keeping them busy with homework and educational things to occupy and enrich. If the weather perks up, I'll be taking them out hiking somewhere for "PE"!

My Alcohol Stove and Backpacking Meal Ideas

For those who are new to camping/backpacking, or just looking for some inspiration and new ideas--this post is for you! I am new to backpacking, and being the super frugal person I am...I was on the hunt for an affordable and lightweight stove to pack. I came across THIS WEBSITE and  was inspired to try out his idea for a simple homemade alcohol stove! I used a Fancy Feast cat food can ("cat stove") and it turned out great.

I have a Stanley cooking kit to work with, and this stove is just the right size to set it on. I also improvised a windscreen by taking the top and bottom off a 28oz food can and drilling a few large holes around the bottom for airflow. The can fits perfectly around the Stanley pot for cooking, as well as storage/packing for minimal space.

And the stove sits just right inside the nesting mugs inside the pot!

As with any alcohol stove, there is no way to regulate the temperature or flame. I did some test runs before hitting the trail to see if my meal ideas work, and approximately how much fuel each meal would require. I did a simple Knorr rice side for the pilot run, and it turned out great!

I also took the stove on a camping trip prior to backpacking to try it out on the fly outdoors (in the rain). It worked like a charm, maybe just taking a minute longer due to colder outdoor temperatures vs room temperature.

Backpacking Meal Ideas

Here are some lunch, dinner, and snack ideas for backpacking to add to your list! I am not one to pay $8-$10 for a bag of premade backpacking "food" so I gathered these ideas from around the internet based on my preferences and abilities.

 Dinner: Stuffed burritos
Here I used tortillas, a pouch of black refried beans, precooked Spanish rice, and a pouch of fajita seasoned chicken. For weight/space restrictions I ended up having to ditch the black beans for my trip, however the burrito was still delicious! I only had to boil a minimal amount of water to just heat the rice and chicken.

Dinner: Chicken and rice
This was simply precooked wild rice and a pouch of plain chicken. Once again I only had to boil a minimal amount of water to heat them thru.

Dinner: Cheddar broccoli rice and tuna
This was a quick cooking rice mix that did require a bit of attention while boiling, but cooked up very well with just water. Just add tuna and voila!

Lunch/snack: Peanut butter and raisins/craisin burritos
I prefer a no-cook lunch for efficiency on the trail, and we loved this one!! The peanut butter and raisin combination is a classic, and the high protein and carbs is very filling for a meatfree option. Plus you can use the leftover tortillas for dinner ⬆

 Lunch/snack: Tuna salad and crackers
God bless the creators of the pouch tuna! I didn't even know they had tuna salad pouches until I saw them in the store. If you can manage to not crush your crackers, this is a perfect lunch on the go. If you crush them, you can still just eat it all on a spoon!

Breakfast: Instant oatmeal with fruit/nuts
This speaks for itself, and I had it each morning on the trail with instant coffee. There's nothing like a hot breakfast to get you started on a cold morning in the mountains!

Snacks
These are some of the snacks I brought on a 4 day trip...Babybel cheeses (yes they were still good even after no refrigeration for 4 days!), tuna pouches, beef jerky, protein bars, raisins, peanut butter, and fruit bars.

Hot drinks
On a cold morning you need a hot drink to warm you up! Tea and coffee are my go-to, and this is what I took. I portioned out my instant coffee, and of course had to have my creamer and sugar!

I hope this has helped you a bit with your planning! Feel free to comment with questions or your experiences. Click HERE to read my post about my first backpacking trip to the Adirondacks and see all the pictures!

Crafting Teacher Gifts

This week Bradley and I were busy crafting with old Christmas cards to make handmade presents for his teachers. There were 6 teachers so we made 2 of these geodisic ornaments....

(Instructions and pic from this site)

They were hard but turned out pretty!

Next we made 4 of these with Birch slices from Michael's. Brad helped me decoupage pictures to the front, and daddy drilled a small hole for the string.

These are my favorite! I save my cards every year to try new crafts with. We may have to do this again next year. He also wrote his name and the year on the back.

Crafts and Easter

Today I am 38 weeks and 5 days along! I have been trying to get a few last sewing projects out of the way, but one thing that just couldn't wait was baby's coming home outfit! I made a special onesie for him, and a shirt for Bradley.

I finally embroidered Brad's library bag that he uses during the summer for library trips while school is out.

A doctor I work with is due a week after me and she is naming her little boy Dash. Their nursery theme is Travel, so I made her some coordinating custom burp cloths!

 

And of course I couldn't go without making little Jacob his very own burp cloths!

 

 

Today is Easter and I hope everyone who celebrates was able to spend time with their family and remember the reason for the holiday. After our church service this morning we gathered up some food and headed over to my mom's house to join the rest of my family for a big lunch! It was moist outside but dry enough for the kiddos to run around looking for eggs!

 

 

This Thursday is my last checkup before my scheduled induction on the 13th. I really hope little Jacob decides to make his appearance before then! We have everything ready for him to join us and I can't wait to hold him and kiss his forehead.