Happy Monday Everyone!

I know Monday is just about over, but for me, my work day has just begun. So, I'm going to be hyper and cheerful as long as I can :) I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was filled with surprises, some frustrating, some awesome.

One of the not so great things was not getting my paycheck when I thought I would. Seems my bank has changed their system and my direct deposit doesn't show up as early as it used to. Oh well, just something else to plan around. Hopefully very soon we can stop living paycheck to paycheck and that won't be an issue.

Saturday I found out I won a tea set!!!! WOOHOO! Mary at her fabulous blog Little Red House (one of my favorite blogs) was giving away a silver plate tea set in honor of her 500th post, and I entered - not really thinking I'd win. I never win anything, but there was an email telling me I'd won! I am so thrilled. My mom had a set very much like it. I can't wait to get it. THANKS AGAIN MARY - in case you're reading hehe.

I stumbled upon Keeping the Christian Home blog recently. This is where I first learned of kefir and discovered how easy it is to make home-fermented things like kefir, yogurt, kombucha, sourdough starter and bread. After watching all 7 videos a few times, I decided I wanted to try the kefir and yogurt. We could all use the nutritional benefits and digestive aids, and if they do help with cholesterol and high blood pressure like some claim, then even better!

I made my first batch of yogurt overnight and got it in the fridge today. I saved some back and put it in a cloth lined strainer to make cream cheese and whey. This is all new to me, but I followed the directions and watched her do it in the videos, so we'll see what happens!

Oh, I also got a bottle of kefir at the store. I was surprised to see it there. They had lots of flavored ones, but I got a plain one. I had a glass sweetened with agave nectar and with a drop of vanilla. Really nice. I know I could have drank the whole bottle, but wanted to let the kids try it, and the hubby too. Plus I wanted to make some of my own using it as the starter. The kids weren't really thrilled with it, but I think it'll grow on them. I may have to use it to make smoothies for a while first. My first batch of kefir seemed to turn out the right consistency and I was so excited, until I realized it was not a good idea to have reused a pickle jar LOL! It had been washed and in my cupboard a while, but the dill flavor and smell permeated the kefir anyway. I'm not going to throw it out though, I should be able to make a cream sauce or salad dressing or something with it. I was excited it worked, and bummed I'd made such a silly mistake. So, I invested in a case of quart size mason jars, and now I have a new batch of kefir fermenting. I hope it turns out well! I'm going to be looking for kefir powder at the health food store this week.

I also need to get spring water so I can make sourdough starter with the directions I've found that seems most simple. I don't need complex. I don't think I'll be making kombucha. I'll stick with our iced tea :)

Well, better get to work. Hope everyone has a great week!
Patty

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