Author: Heather Bartlett

I recently finished the book Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty.  It was a 5 star book, in my opinion.  As an author, she never fails to write great books.  That however, is not the point to what I am writing.  There was a line in the book, that I am paraphrasing, that has had me thinking.  A character had a heart attack and a nurse said that they always know which men will improve their health after such an event based on the condition of their facial hair.  A man who takes the time to groom himself is a man who will embrace the healthy lifestyle needed to survive.  The character immediately shaves her legs and for those who have read the book, takes a healthy lifestyle to levels of absolute crazy.

When I finished the book, I shaved my legs.  I also realized how true that statement is.  Self care and a healthy lifestyle should be the cornerstone of everything we do.  I know that I am guilty of indulging a bit too much on everything.  I don’t exercise nearly enough and I will let stress get to me more than it should.  Yoga, a form of exercise and relaxation, which I actually love doing, is nothing more than an occasional activity for me.  I also have been told a number of times that I need to start strength training.  I love it when 21-year-old personal trainers tell their 40 something clients that we are losing muscle mass due to our age.  I know that, I just hate doing it.  But, I should listen, she is just trying to help.  I will get on a treadmill, but tend to walk at a leisurely pace, I don’t actually think that is the point of a treadmill.

I think I need to really decide what kind of activities I love that will lead me to a healthier lifestyle.  I would love to hear what others do.  Is it yoga? Pilates? Hiking? NO RUNNING though.  The only time I will be seen running, a bear will be behind me.  I read over and over again that you have to find a form of exercise you love in order for it to truly stick, so I need to hear what people do, that they love.  I hate for this to sound like I am making some kind of resolution.  It just so happens that I finished the book December 30th (I think), so the timing is coincidental.

My dad walking on the beach on Lake Michigan.  His favorite self care ritual

This year for Christmas, my mom came through.  A mug and a box of tea.  This simple gift told me that she really knows me, understands what makes me happy and appreciates the activity that brings me the most calm.  A cup of  tea while reading a book.

Very few things in life bring me as much joy as reading a really good book.  I am a bit embarrassed to admit that when my children were little, I remember telling them to find something to do so “mommy can finish her book”.  This is no longer a request I have to make, but I would probably continue to do that if I had to.  Reading calms my nerves and relaxes me after a long day.  It is an escape when needed and takes me to places I have never been to.

2018 was a really stressful year.  As all families, we had our sources of personal sadness and stress, but those are not what I am speaking of.  The world as a whole has been a stressful place.  As an American, I am constantly on the edge of fear, never knowing what certain leaders, who shall remain nameless, will do.  I worry about the world we are destroying for our grandchildren.  I am not embarrassed or ashamed to say that these worries have stolen more than a couple of hours of sleep.  I tell myself I can’t do anything about what happens, so I shouldn’t worry.  Funny how that doesn’t work.  I am also very aware that we can all make a difference if we work together and make individual choices that will encourage change.  At this point, our awareness of the choices we make might actually make a noticeable difference.  Do I believe that one person choosing to enact Meatless Mondays will change the world?  No.  But a million people making that choice will.

My goal, not resolution, for 2019 is to calm these worries.  I plan on reading more positive books, enjoying a bit more tea, spending precious time with my family and friends and living in the moment.   I will continue to make lifestyle choices that I believe are healthy for the environment and will vote with my dollars.   That is really all I can do.  But, setting all that aside, I will continue hope that 2020 brings my nation a change of guard that might calm the worries of the last 2 years.

Recently I decided that Sundays would officially be soup night in my house.  Winters are long and cold and nothing tastes better than soup on a winter’s night.  Tonight I made Potato Leek Soup.  It was creamy, delicious and not at all fattening (that’s a lie, I love butter).

Potato Leek Soup

3 tbsp salted butter

2 leeks

1/2 cup celery

3 pounds golden Yukon potatoes

4 cups chicken broth (I used Penzey’s chicken soup stock base)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp dried rosemary

salt and pepper

In stock pot, heat 3 tbsp butter.  Saute leeks and celery in butter about 3-4 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add chicken stock, rosemary and potatoes, boil  until potatoes are soft.  With immersion blender, blend to desired consistency.  Add whipping cream.

I also made Lavender Cornbread.  This recipe was made up and had it been a disaster, it would not be on this blog.  Instead, it turned out perfectly.

Lavender Cornbread

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup corn meal

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 canola oil

1 egg

1 tbsp dried lavender (I use Penzey’s lavender)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a skillet.  Combine the dry ingredients.  Stir in milk, oil and egg.  Once mixed, add lavender.  Pour into prepared skillet.  Bake 25 minutes or until golden.  Serve with honey and butter.

This meal made the perfect Sunday dinner for a cozy night.

It has been several weeks since I have written.  Life has a way of getting in the way of our best intentions and before you know it, 6 weeks have passed.  Without getting into details, several things have come up which needed my attention.  We seem to have reached a point of quiet, so I can get back to the projects I wish to try, the recipes I can’t wait to make and my desire to enjoy the short days and long nights ahead.

Tomorrow is Halloween!  It was on Halloween night 1997 that I went into the hospital to have my first baby.  To the frustration of my doctor, my husband and myself, he did not make his appearance until November 4th!  It was not actually 5 days of labor, I went in at about 11:30 pm on Halloween and he was born just after midnight on the 4th, but 3 days was long enough.  Thankfully, his sisters did not need as much time.

We all say time flies, but I truly cannot believe how fast 21 years have gone by.  I remember when my son was a couple weeks old I was sitting on the couch with him and was watching Oprah.  A guest said “cherish your babies for as long as you can because they grow up so fast.” I looked down at him, tired, still in a lot of a pain and thought “there is no way this time is going to go by fast.”  Exhaustion has way of making you not see things so clearly.  Fast forward 21 years and here I am with 3 kids, 2 who are adults in college and one who got her driver’s license 2 weeks ago.   I am less than 2 years away from being an empty nester and while that makes me sad in a lot of ways, it also makes me excited about the future.

I have a bucket list started with all the things I want to do.  It has some of the obvious things, go to Paris.  But I also have read the book “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace.  That will probably prove to be more difficult than going to Paris.  Have you seen the size of that book?  I have never seen the Northern Lights or been to New Orleans, both things that I have added to my list.  So much to do and just not enough time or money to do it all.  I am going to try to start knocking the easy stuff off now, we all know that tomorrow is not promised.  Accidents happen and sometimes we lose loved ones without notice.

I would highly recommend adding a bucket list to your journal so you have an idea of things you want to do on our one trip on this planet.

A few weeks ago, we had several days in a row of drenching rain.  With that, came so many mosquitoes that it is impossible to spend more than a couple of minutes at a time outside.  It feels like the start of summer instead of the end.  Mind you, I am not complaining.  Hurricane Florence had a way of putting this into perspective.  My heart goes out the people who have had to endure what true drenching rain is, we are merely inconvenienced right now.

I am however, anxiously awaiting Autumn.  This truly is my favorite time of year.  I like the crisp mornings, pumpkin everything (except the pumpkin spice bologna I read is a thing), apple cider and going to the local farms for apple and pumpkin picking.   When my kids were little, I used to take them to every fall activity I could find.  It seemed our days were filled with pumpkin patches, petting zoos, apple picking and corn mazes.  Now that they are older, 2 of them moved out, these activities are no longer a guarantee.   That doesn’t mean that I have not adapted to find my new fall routine.  A recent trip to Trader Joe’s reminded me of all the things this season has to offer, and I don’t have to share the Pumpkin Ice Cream with my son!

Anybody who has ever planted zucchini in their garden, knows the struggle is real.  As of today, we are losing a battle against the zucchini that seems to appear out of nowhere, hours after harvest.  We plant it every year because it is a reliable vegetable, we know that when all else fails, we will have zucchini for weeks to provide us with vegetables.  However, this reliable plant is not easily preserved, so for several weeks from mid summer to early autumn, I find myself in search of creative and tasty recipes that call for zucchini.  Today, I found something in a cookbook, but changed it a bit so that I could use ingredients I have on hand.  Not sure what to name it, maybe Dammit, I Have More Zucchini.

2 Medium Zucchini, sliced

Several tomatoes, chopped

Handful of Basil

Bread Crumbs (I used the ignored end pieces of bread in my pantry)

Parmesan Cheese (As much as you want to help the zucchini taste better)

salt and pepper

Layer the zucchini and tomatoes as you would lasagna.  Top off with bread crumbs, basil and cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

I have not baked it yet, I leave for work in a bit so my husband will cook it.  We will be eating this for dinner with a side salad of tomatoes and the other summer over producer, cucumbers.  My 16-year-old will be thrilled to be eating another meal that includes all these ingredients.

We harvested the little bit of Kale that we were able to salvage tonight.  The salad that I make with Kale is delicious!  I actually love it.

Kale Salad

1 bunch Kale

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Shred kale into strips, add all ingredients to bowl.  Mix oil and vinegar and add toss with salad.

What do you do to save money?  To live frugally? To live a life that makes you happy and feel complete?  Simple living and frugal living are buzz words these days, ideals that my husband and I were raised on.  We have tried  (and have failed often) to live our adult lives this way.  But, for the most part, we live very frugally.  We enjoy the simple things in life and try to appreciate what we have.  Here is a partial list of the things we do to live a frugal lifestyle:

1. We rarely eat out.  Maybe twice a month and it’s for lunch.  I cannot remember the last time we ate in a restaurant, as a family, for dinner.  Maybe December and we used a gift card.
2. We reuse and repair as much as possible.  Eric is the best DIY’er I know.  If it needs fixing, he can do it.  If he can’t, it’s not fixable.
3. I make most of our cleaning products.  All you need is vinegar, water, baking soda, vodka and essential oils.
4. We use the library.  I wrote a post about the library.
5. We buy in bulk.  Not just Costco bulk, but the bulk department at the grocery store.
6. We meal plan.  I try to plan our meals a month in advance.  That does not mean we always follow that plan, but it’s a useful guide.
7. We rarely go to the mall or Target.  Enough said.
8. We grow a lot of our vegetables (fully disclosure, this summer has been a dud for that so far).
9. Eric makes his own beer and wine
10. We line dry as much laundry as we can.  This can be difficult when the days are to humid or it’s raining.  But, we try.
11. We use cash, for the most part.  Online purchases require a credit card.

We also do a lot of things that are not frugal:

1. We have 3 dogs, which means a lot of dog food, vet bills and preventative meds.  They bring us joy though and that is what life is.
2. We have 3 kids, which means a lot of food, dr bills and college tuition.  They are the reason I am here and make every single day worth living.
3. We might eat at home, but we buy good food and never regret it.
4. I don’t use manufacturers coupons very much.  I find that they rarely offer what I would buy and if I would buy it, I don’t need it.
5. I have a candle obsession, which I am trying to temper by making my own at home.  But the obsession is real.
6. We have gym memberships that we don’t use enough, but enjoy them when we can.

Life is about balance and I think that for the most part, we live a balanced life that helps us achieve our goals.  What are some of the things you do stay frugal?  I always love new ideas.

So far this summer, our garden has not been providing us with as much of a bounty as previous years.  I blame that epic blizzard we had on April 15th!  However, we have been getting a steady amount of cucumbers.  Too many for your typical dinner salad but not enough for a full day of canning.  Instead, I am making refrigerator pickles.

The recipe is simple.

Refrigerator Pickles

Last weekend we picked up the half pig that we ordered from a local farmer.  The cost for 122 pounds of locally raised, organic pork came to $3.50 pound.  We have a freezer full of bacon, breakfast links, Italian sausage, ham, pork chops, pork roast, ham hocks and a Wisconsin favorite, bratwurst!  It is safe to say that our freezer is full.

For my local friends, we bought from Melissa’s Farm.  She sells wonderful eggs, her meat is always fresh and the Thanksgiving turkeys are a wonderful, seasonal treat.  In addition to animal products, we often see local honey and maple syrup.  The farm is 4 miles from our house.  We appreciate knowing where our food came from and knowing that the animals were treated humanely.

Purchasing a pig with a daughter who is a vegan and another who is a vegetarian did come with controversy.  I respect their choices and understand their point of view.  I myself was a vegetarian for a while.  As I have gotten older, I have realized that for myself, eating meat is okay.  We make every effort to make sure that our meats come from farms that highlight the buzzwords of the food industry.  Free range, organic, hormone free, antibiotic free, humanely raised and local.  We try.  I appreciate and acknowledge that many reading this may not agree with me and instead agree with my daughters.  My only response would be that I respect everyone’s choice, please respect the choice Eric and I have made.  Okay off the preemptive soap box.

Our box included ham and a ham hock.  Fall is coming and Split Pea Soup season is on the horizon.  Please send me your favorite soup recipes so that I can get the most of that ham hock.