March 16, 2012

Fiber Fridays: a Felted Future!

I am so excited, i can hardly contain myself. As if i didn’t have enough things to do in my “spare time” (of which, if you knew me personally, you’d know that i have none of due to my knack at filling every minute of the day with SOMETHING), i have picked up another hobby: felting! I fill my days with drawing, knitting, spinning, making soap and now another fiber art is taking over: needle felting. Needle felting combines my artistic skills with my interest in fiber, and is pretty much the most fun that i’ve had since i first picked up a colored pencil. Knitting and spinning are both relaxing and fascinating, but they lack the pure artistry of sculpture, which is essentially what needle felting is. There is even an element of danger: felting needs are SHARP! Band-aids required with this activity.

I have high hopes for my improving skills in this new medium. I’ve always been the type that catches on to new things very quickly, or not at all – with great frustration. So far my little fiber friends are pretty rudimentary looking, but i think there is some serious potential! I’m so confident, that i am preparing to announce a new weekly or bi-weekly feature here at Pocket Pause….. with luck, the announcement will coincide with an extra special giveaway – so stay posted!

As i develop this skill, i’ll be posting tons of felty inspiration to my Pinterest board (screen shot above), and all the best resources i find to my blogroll or resources page. I used some birthday cash to place a big order for new needles, felting mats and more from Living Felt – which ironically enough is based out of Dripping Springs, TX (about 30 minutes west of where i used to live – can i still claim it as a local resource? No? Oh well, i still think they’re great). Check out their Facebook page and blog (in my blogroll) for tons of awesome tutorials and felting supplies. I’ve already improved just by looking through some of their tutorials, and am sure that I’ll have a ton of adora-felties to share with you next Fiber Friday!

For now: welcome “Felted Pocket #1” to the family! I felted this Pocket during a few sunny hours outside, without any instruction or real research on how one is “supposed” to needle felt… so she’s pretty darned rugged. I think a before and after is called for – this Pocket side by side with my second Pocket attempt?

PS – Don’t forget to enter our FIRST giveaway! That soap isn’t going to lather itself!

 

Would you like to have a little mini Pocket to call YOUR own? I think she’d love to perch on your computer monitor or car dashboard… (I sense some foreshadowing).

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March 15, 2012

Dog Treats: Pumpkin/Oat

This is a re-post from back when Pocket was just a little puppy: wasn’t she silly!? She loved these pumpkin treats, and any dog who is a fan of squash or yams should love them too. They aren’t grain free, but they don’t contain any corn, wheat or soy so should be suitable as a treat for most dogs.
Yes, mom – i like this batter juuuuust fiiiine.

I used what i had on hand and came up with THIS:

Blending the grains
    • 2 1/2 (plus) Cups Grain: i used leftover brown rice, steamed oatmeal, and chopped veg- carrot and apple. I simmered the oatmeal with the veg until a little soft then blended that along with some dry oats and the rice in a food processor. *Don’t worry about cooking the oats: just use raw oats or the cookies get a bit soupy.
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/2 can pumpkin (or fresh cooked butternut or yam or pumpkin)
    • Big spoonful peanut butter
    • Sprinkle salt and baking powder
    • Spoonful nutritional yeast (or more)
    • Several capsules of fish oil

You could add plenty of other things, different veggies, etc. But that’s what i used this time around. I let Pocket taste the batter with positive response, so i baked them up at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. They’re a bit like oatmeal cookies in texture (but i won’t be snacking on them, as fish oil is naaasty).

And here’s how they look:

Combining the ingredients
Ready to go in the oven
Soft and chewy. Just how she likes them.

Some ideas for other ingredients:

  • Brewers yeast
  • Rye flour
  • Oat flour
  • Spinach
  • Broccoli (finely chopped and steamed, of course)
  • Yogurt
  • Flax or hemp seeds/ oil
  • Banana
  • Zuccini
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Vitamin E oil
  • Kelp powder

You could really add all manner of things – but you may want to keep it simple for storage purposes at least. These cookies should be kept in the fridge or freezer, and are great for teething snacks when frozen.

I believe this expression means: “Omigod  omigod omigod this is amazing”
But perhaps one whole cookie is a bit much for one small puppy. I’ll break ’em up next time.

I hope you’ll try your hand at baking for your dog. It’s as easy as baking cookies, and her health and attitude will respond well to the quality nutrition. Milk bones just don’t cut it! If you’re feeding raw or grain free, don’t mess up that great diet by feeding your pup store bought wheat-based cookies full of preservatives! Healthy dogs are Happy dogs.

 

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March 13, 2012

It’s Giveaway Time!

** This giveaway is over, wah wah. Check out our newest posts instead, and watch for fresh giveaways on the horizon!**

I love writing about sustainability, cooking, travelling and playing with my corgi, but i’d rather not write just to see myself type. I write for readers! I love my readers, and i love being part of an awesome online community. Some of you have followed me from An Austin Homestead here to Pocket Pause, to read about my more Oregon-based adventures. Some readers are brand new, others have been with me a long time. This blog is definitely brand new, however: and it’s lacking a certain something that AAH had: readership! I miss my readers, both here and at Facebook.

And so: it is giveaway time! Entering this giveaway is easy, and you get bonus points for dragging your friends along. You know they won’t mind, because you’ll be introducing them to a fun diversion for info, stories, education and wit. Introduce yourself and your friends to Pocket Pause.

Pocket Pause is a blog for pausing before dinner prep, your morning weeding, or a trip to the grocery store. Pocket Pause is a blog to enjoy over a cup of tea or glass of wine. Pocket Pause is a place to learn some things, contribute your own knowledge, or get some ideas on projects you’d like to learn more about. Pocket Pause also features one heck of a cute corgi named Pocket, always ready to write the occasional guest post, or just smile for the camera.

If you’re not already won over, here’s more incentive for following my blog: a giveaway! Nude Soap is happy to give away a bar of soap and a tin of their herbal balm, great for cleaning up gardeners’ and spinners’ hands alike, and conditioning even the most stubbornly dry cuticle. The winner even gets to choose their favorite blend of soap (excluding shampoo bars)!

Hot dog, i bet you can’t wait to find out how you can enter. You get points for each bulleted method. Here’s how:

  1. Follow this blog! -By email, RSS, or whatever method you find most convenient. Click the “follow” handle at the right and choose your method. Don’t see your favorite reader? Let us know and we’ll try to get that option available.
  2. Follow us on Twitter! You can read our latest tweets anytime from the toolbar at the bottom of this screen, but die hard Twitter users are sure to want to follow us and re-tweet all the goodies we dig out of our bag of tricks.
  3. Like us on Facebook! We post all our updates on Facebook, despite hating the new “timeline,” so stay in touch there and share with your friends.
  4. Follow “Bathtime” our sister blog. Bathtime posts just once weekly with DIY beauty and natural living tips. You’re sure to find some cool projects to help get your household back to basics, all natural style.
  5. Bring a friend! Bonus points go to you if you get a friend to follow your lead. Be sure and tell your friend to comment with your handle so that you get credit.
  6. BONUS ENTRY! Get even more bonus points for “liking” our giveaway host: Nude Soap! You can find Nude Soap on Facebook, online, and on Twitter.

Once you’ve completed any of the above, just comment on this post. Post a new comment for every action, and be sure to include some kind of contact info so that i know how to get in touch with you if you’re the winner. Post a “hello” on Facebook and Twitter as well, and share this giveaway with your friends! The winner will be chosen next TUESDAY sometime before i go to bed, so get those entries started! Yay!

Ready, set, follow!

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March 12, 2012

Spiced Brunch Cake

So, mixing together ingredients to be baked for an hour isn’t my FIRST choice for first thing on a weekend morning, but my craving for molasses was too strong. I found the recipe for this Spice Cake at Real Simple and again at “happyolks,” so i knew i had to try it. I did adapt it, and i’m glad i did. No oil to be found in this cake, just applesauce and yogurt along with some diced apples i froze this past Autumn.

  • 1/2 cup applesauce and yogurt (substitute for oil)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1 t cinnamon (i freshly grate mine, so measurements weren’t accurate
  • 1/2 t cloves
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/2 C molasses
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 T grated ginger: fresh and crystallized
  • 1/2 C boiling water
  • 1-2 cups chopped apples

I like to use one bowl when i bake, so first i mixed the wet together ( molasses, sugar, egg, ginger, apples, water ), then added the dry to the top, mixed the dry, then worked it all together gently. Pour into a greased cast iron at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Moist, delicious, not too sweet, and definitely molassesy. Great with coffee and NPR.

Do you ever just “have” to bake something to satisfy a craving?

This recipe is part of a blog hop.

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