Blog – Page 38 – Mary's Musings

Beautiful April day at the Kisner homestead

Today was a beautiful day…gives us hope for more days like this in the near future! I wanted to share a few pictures.

The garden plants that Bert started several weeks ago are coming along. The tomato plants will soon need to be repotted into larger pots. We still have a month to go before we risk planting them in the garden. Soon he’ll set them outside when it isn’t too windy.

The echinacea plants are struggling. We planted four different varieties and many did not even sprout. We’ll see what we get a month from now.

I wandered the yard and wanted to share that the redbud trees are finally in flower. They are especially pretty with the yellow goldfinches for contrast…but of course they fly away when I get too close.

Across the street the wild redbud trees are one of the first to blossom in the spring. They really show up when everything else is still brown.

The dogwood trees…in the foreground…are still waiting. That’s a good thing. We’ve had two nights of freezing temperatures, so for now their pretty white blossoms are safe.

Our son-in-law has provided us with a nifty planter to try. He’s experimenting with making them to sell to a local nursery. They are great for older folks that don’t (or can’t) get down to garden down low. I’ll use this right by the patio door for lettuce and radishes. They are not in the ground for very long and don’t have deep root systems.

We enjoy having our wind sock in the back yard. It’s pretty and Bert likes to know which way the wind is blowing before he burns wood in the shop.

Unfortunately, the weather is pretty hard on it and we’ve had to replace it more than once a year. This year he finally decided to go with a REAL wind sock like they use at the airport. Hopefully it will survive better this year. The neighbors must wonder if we anticipate low flying planes!

Bert has also recorded daily rainfall for 20 years! Imagine that! He reads the gauge every morning from March 1 to November 30. It has been helpful to know when to water plants because even though the weather folks might say we’ve had substantial rain, sometimes our specific location has had more or less.

It was time today to empty the compost pail. I notice when I buy a lot of vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli, I have a lot of vegetable scraps. I think we avoid an extra bag of garbage each week by composting.

The composter is made by the YIMBY Company (Yes In My Back Yard…cute name, right!). We have two of them. When one is full, we let it sit and start on the other one. Bert will rotate them both every week or two.

You can tell by the color of the grass in these pictures we have a beautiful lawn this year. Bert is cutting it today for the second time this spring.

We got a postcard in the mail yesterday advertising a plant sale at the Centre Furnace Mansion, sponsored by the Centre County Historical Society. Just the right time to see what’s available for the garden!

I hope all of you are having a great April day too. We may not have the earliest spring around here, but we certainly appreciate it when it gets here!

Please leave a comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net! Enjoy the day!

Make a Bowl Cozy for Soup or Ice cream

I seem to have collected an assortment of unfinished projects. I don’t notice them because they are stuffed into a bin waaaay up high on a shelf!

However, I needed another bowl cozy and remembered to check that bin today. Imagine that! I have several already cut out, ready to sew!

Several years ago, I was on a roll and made dozens in these colors for my high school friends (maroon and gray were our high school colors). Obviously, I had a few extra cut out.

These shaped potholders are great when I want to reheat a bowl of soup in the microwave. I lay a paper towel on top to catch spatters. When I take the hot bowl out of the microwave, I have a potholder already in place! It has saved me a lot of spilled soup and burned fingers. I have other friends that have discovered they are great to hold their cold bowl of ice cream!

You may have seen stacks of these potholders at craft fairs…all sizes. The larger ones are great for hot dishes. This size fits a standard cereal bowl.

Here are the instructions:

Step 1:

Cut out two 10″ squares of cotton fabric (not polyester…it may melt in the microwave).

Cut out two 10″ squares of lightweight cotton batting.

Step 2:

Place each square of fabric on top of a square of batting, right side up.

Stitch on the diagonal on both pieces of the fabric/batting sandwiches. I stitch with the batting on top to decrease the amount of lint that goes into the machine.

Step 3:

Fold each piece in half, right sides together.

Mark a stitching line, 1″ from the fold, and 2″ along the fold, as shown below.

Sew along both lines, on both pieces.

Step 4:

Open the squares and fold the other way. Mark and stitch again.

Step 5:

When you open the squares, they will sit like a bowl.

Trim seam allowance to 1/8″ to decrease bulk of darts.

Step 6:

Turn one piece right side up and the other right side down.

Pin the two halves with right sides together, lining up the darts.

Sew around the edges with a 1/4″ seam, turning your needle at the corners and the darts.

Leave about 3″ open for turning right side out.

Oops…in this picture I hadn’t trimmed the darts yet!

Step 7:

Trim corners. Turn cozy right side out, pushing corners out and nesting the two halves.

Step 8:

Top stitch around the edge of the bowl, folding in the opening 1/4″ to close. The cozy is reversible.

If you want a larger cozy, start with a larger square…11″, 12″, etc.

And that’s it! Enjoy your next bowl of soup or ice cream!

If you have comments or questions, leave a comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net! Enjoy!

Have Projects, Will Travel

I spent the weekend with my daughter and family. When I visit, I try to bring along appropriate crafts for them to try. This time I loaded up my air dry clay and all the supplies to make air fresheners. I also wanted to try painting flat rocks like a Mandala. I assumed (never assume!) that they wouldn’t have any problem with those projects. Of course, my grandkids are almost 14 and almost 9 so I wasn’t sure if they would be interested either. I did discover that they loved working with clay and painting rocks, but didn’t necessarily make what I had in mind! Such fun!

Air Dry Clay

We started with the air dry clay. I provided the clay and brought all my items to make impressions in the clay, round cookie cutters, and straws to make the holes for ribbon. I showed my granddaughter how to roll out the clay, make an impression and use the cookie cutter to make the finished circle cut out. Then I got out of the way. The hardest part for her was rolling the clay too thin. If the finished piece is too thin it will curl as it dries. So, I encouraged her to roll it thicker. She made some really cute items!

My grandson joined our project a little later and had his own ideas. He made two small pieces with impressions (one his own thumbprint) and then began working on his own idea…a skull, or head, with quite detailed facial features and hair. Quite the budding artist!

My daughter joined the party and enjoyed making some pieces also! She chose to leave two items without holes for hanging, suggesting she might put essential oil on them and slip them into a drawer.

Several things I learned, which will be added to my future instructions for the air dry clay…

…thicker pieces work better. The ones that were cut 3/8 inches to 1/2 inch thick dried fine and stayed pretty flat.

…as an alternative to hanging an essential oil freshener, you could slip a small disc with essential oil into a drawer.

…air dry clay can be fun for all ages no matter what they make!

Mandala Rock Art

The second project was to try to paint designs on some flat rocks. I purchased two kits at Barnes & Noble that had some rocks, some paint and an instruction booklet.

I thought the Mandala’s would be a good project for any age group. The rocks in the kits were not especially flat or smooth so I stopped at Michael’s and found a container of flat rocks for sale. I can’t believe I bought them…about 10 rocks ro $4.00! However, they were perfect!

I also picked up two sets of acrylic paint pens. This is what the pens looked like:

Before we started, I painted the rocks with some outdoor acrylic paint, thinking their designs would show up better on a white or dark background. I also wanted them painted ahead of time…waiting for paint to dry is tough!

Except for the three rocks painted with dots that my daughter and I tried, painting ahead of time was unnecessary. They ended up making animals or bugs, which involved painting the whole rock another color anyway.

So, what did I learn about painting on rocks?

…finding flat rocks that make good bases for paintings is tougher than I thought. Maybe I should find a better source if I’m going to do very much of this!

…the pens with acrylic paint worked very well but sometimes painting an all-over base coat works well. When the paint dried it was shiny.

…it works better to show lots of pictures of possibilities and let each person make their own design.

…I still think Mandala designs are fun. I’ll need to make more myself!

My weekend with the grandkids was fun. I wonder what I’ll try the next time?

Please leave a comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net! Enjoy!

Born in the middle of the story

One of the things I treasure from my parent’s generation was their foresight to save many written stories of their lives. Sometimes it was an envelope of letters from a loved one overseas, or stories they wrote for historical societies documenting life “back in the day” like my Grandfather did.

Sometimes, they specifically wrote “Autobiographies” with photographs, assembled in their later years. My mother had even saved a handwritten autobiography she wrote in high school (around 1926) that shared her life up to age 12 or so.

As I get older, I feel like I’ve let the next generation down. Somehow, I was never able to document my life adventures as it happened with daily journals. I did discover I had saved about 12 years of Christmas letters I had written over the years. What a treasure! And this week, while sorting through photographs and computer files, I found my first attempt at my own autobiography. In 2013, I had written several letters to my grandchildren which summarized my early life. I needed the focus of who was going to read the letters and since my grandchildren were just learning to read, I thought about them as I wrote.

I started with an assortment of photographs, hoping to show how as the youngest, I was joining a “family” that already had had many experiences. For a long time that was confusing to me. My sister would say, “Don’t you remember when…?” and it turned out it was before I was born!

I’d like to share that first letter I wrote to my grandchildren. It might encourage you to write your own letters!

April 17, 2013

Dear Aislinn, Annika, Ben and Anna,

My life story started when I was born in 1946 in New Jersey. Since I don’t remember those early years, thank goodness I have a few pictures of me when I was very small. I was born into a family that had been around for quite a few years already. My parents had been married for 11 years and had two children. They had already lived in Minnesota and New Jersey and apparently (from the picture) had a cat!

Before I was a year old, we moved to State College, Pennsylvania. I don’t remember anything my family did before I was born. I had seen pictures of my sister and brother with grandparents, uncles and aunts that I had never met.

Here is a picture of my sister and brother with our Grandma Cora Bixby. She was my Father’s Mother. This Grandmother died before I was born.

All this is to remind you that your family had adventures long before you born. Have them tell you stories about some of those adventures! It took me a long time to realize that I had joined the family somewhere in the middle of the story.

Here are some other pictures that show my sister feeding me and my brother playing with me on my new tricycle. Even today…both of us over 65 years old…my sister sometimes calls me her “baby sister.” That used to make me so mad because I’m all grown up now. She remembers me as a tiny baby and thought I was cute. So, I guess that’s OK.

So…do you remember any early events in your life? Sometimes you can remember a feeling but sometimes you only remember seeing the picture. Don’t feel bad if you don’t remember things like your parents do. As them what they remember from being a baby. And then ask your Grandma or Grandpa to tell you a story about that time and see if your Mom or Dad remembers that story.

Sometimes all they remember is seeing the picture and hearing the story! Your parents were born in the middle of a story too!

Here is a picture of Ted and Kathy playing with a laundry basket. Kathy was 1 year old and Ted was 2 1/2. Ask them if they remember doing this, or if they just remember seeing the picture.

Never forget, your life story started when you were born. You might not remember the first few years, but pictures can reassure you that you were part of the family from the beginning!

Love, Grandma K.

So, don’t worry if you haven’t kept a daily journal! You can begin documenting your life story now. Start with some pictures and create a story around them. Your children and grandchildren will treasure them forever!

Please leave a comment or send me an email directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

I’d love to hear about your “story.”

Make your own Dog Paw Balm & Protection Wax

Is your dog having trouble with his (or her, of course) paws in the winter with salt on the sidewalks? Is he biting or chewing on his paws like they itch…especially after a walk around the block in the spring? Taking care of your dog’s paws is an important part of being a dog owner. While this is true no matter what breed of dog you have, the greyhounds that are newly re-homed are not used to walking on gravel, salt or ice. They may be especially bothered with exposure to lawn care chemicals. Their feet are like our bare feet in the spring…remember how tender your feet are after a winter of protective shoes and boots. At any time in our lives, our dog’s feet could be affected by changing weather conditions, chemicals around them and their own changing health issues.

There are quite a few salves available on the market, from the simplest DIY recipe from the American Kennel Club to very expensive salves with Hemp oil in them and everything in between. I’d like to think we would have choices to find the one that works for our dog and is affordable.

In general, ingredients in these salves include oils (like olive oil, coconut oil and almond oil), shea butter and waxes (like beeswax, carnauba wax and paraffin wax). In addition, Vitamin E oil helps healing and serves as a preservative for the mixture. Essential oils like Lavender or Rosemary can also help with healing. I’m not sure the dogs care about the smell one way or the other but it can’t hurt.

The recipe I’ll share with you is very similar to the DIY recipe suggested by the American Kennel Club.

Here is the recipe I’ve used:

As you can see, I started with the calendula-infused oil I made recently (see the article, “Making Calendula-infused Oil…” published on April 8, 2021).

I kept the oil in the refrigerator until I needed it. The shea butter, beeswax and carnauba wax can be ordered from Amazon. The food-grade carnauba wax will leave a thin shiny coating that will help protect the paw pads from ice, salt or lawn chemicals.

This recipe begins with the glass measuring cup and saucepan with boiling water. Measure out your oil, shea butter, beeswax and carnauba wax into the measuring cup and set it in the saucepan of water. Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer until all the oil and wax is melted.

Remove the cup from the saucepan and stir in the Vitamin E oil and the Lavender essential oil.

Pour the melted ingredients into your holders. I first tried one ounce jars and then realized if I were trying to apply this balm to a dog’s paws, the jar would not be a convenient way to store and access it. Using these mini deodorant holders seemed like a much better idea. Even lip balm tubes would be easier to apply the balm. These are not too expensive from Amazon.

Allow the wax to cool completely before capping to prevent condensation from forming on the inside of the lids.

And my last step is always making a card to go with the item that lists the ingredients, with information on the back about how to apply it.

Take good care of your pets and they’ll have happy, healthy feet!

Please leave a comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net! Enjoy!

Calendula Salve for summer itches!

My first Covid shot reaction of itches made me think of my Calendula Salve! I was out of it so it was time to whip up a batch. First, I had to make the Calendula-infused olive oil. (See my previous post about “Making Calendula-infused oil”). That takes a whole day so I set it up on Monday, the day of the second shot. I knew all I had to do was monitor the low simmer on the stove. I wasn’t sure exactly what reaction I might have from the second shot, but the first one gave me an itchy arm. I wanted to be ready!

This recipe (from the internet) says that calendula oil can be purchased. I didn’t know that. I have never seen it available. However, it isn’t hard to make it yourself!

Once again, place your oil and beeswax into the glass cup in a saucepan of hot water. Let it simmer until it is all melted.

Once melted, remove the cup from the hot water and stir in the Vitamin E oil and lavender essential oil.

Have your jars or containers ready to fill. I always have a few extra just in case I need them! Let them cool before sealing. At the last minute I decided to include some container that could be used for deodorant and lip balm. They might make it easier for some folks to apply the salve this way.

I made 6 small oval container (like small deodorant tubes) and 8 lip balm size from this batch of salve.

And of course, I always make a card to go with the products so folks know what is in the item. The back of the card has a statement about how to use the product.

Now…I’m ready for any itchy reactions, plus I’m ready for summer!

I put the extra calendula-infused oil in the refrigerator, ready to experiment with Dog Paw Protection Balm/wax next! Stay tuned!

Please leave a comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net!

Enjoy!

NOTE:

For Topical Use: Do a skin patch test to ensure you’re not allergic to any new skin care product like this one. Apply a small amount of the product to a small patch of skin, like your inner wrist. Wait for 24 to 48 hours. If you see or feel irritation in that area discontinue use.

Making Calendula-infused oil for topical salves

Calendula officinalis or Pot Marigold is a favorite of herbalists. Do not confuse it with the common variety of marigold of the Tagets genus, planted in many gardens.

We planted Calendula in our garden last year and it did well. I wanted to dry the flowers so I could use them in my salves and soaps. They are small plants and the flowers are quite “sticky” so the flowers needed to be picked at their peak, otherwise tiny bugs collected on the petals.

When I realized the amount of work involved to get enough flowers for my projects, I finally ended up ordering a bag of dried flowers from STARWEST Botanicals online (www.starwestbotanicals.com). This company also has dried lavender, which I also use, and many other herbs. Great resource!

Calendula flowers are used externally for a wide range of skin problems and inflammations. An infusion (like tea) made from the petals can be used in a compress to help slow-healing wounds.

As part of a cream or lotion, Calendula-infused oil is good for many problems involving inflammation or dry skin wounds, dry eczema, scalds and sunburn.

Calendula oil has antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties that might make it useful in healing wounds, soothing eczema and relieving diaper rash. It’s also used as an antiseptic.

Calendula oil is made by infusing flowers in a carrier oil. I use organic extra virgin olive oil. This Calendula-infused oil can then be used on its own or to make ointments, creams or salves.

Here’s one of my favorite books about using herbs:

Making Calendula-infused oil

Here are the basic instructions:

First, I filled a quart jar with dried Calendula flowers. This 1 lb. bag of dried flowers will probably last me the rest of my life! After the challenge of growing, picking and drying the flowers myself, this was a great compromise!

Then I poured olive oil over them and filled the jar. I used a long-handled spoon to gently poke the flowers to distribute oil. I set the jar into the sauce pan of water. I brought the water up to a boil and then lowered the temperature so it would just simmer for about 6 hours. I did have to add water to the sauce pan every hour or so as it evaporated.

Then, I poured the oil/flower mixture through the strainer, disposing of the flowers. I strained it again by lining the strainer with cheesecloth to make sure I didn’t have any crumbs from the dried flowers.

I ended up with almost 2 cups of lovely calendula-infused olive oil. This strained oil will be used in my next two projects…the Calendula Salve and a Dog Paw Protection Wax…which will be described in the next two posts.

Check the next post about using this oil to make a wonderful salve. I’m counting on it to soothe my itches!

Leave a comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net! Enjoy!

NOTE:

For Topical Use…do a skin patch test.

Do a skin patch test to ensure you’re not allergic to a new skin care product like this one. Apply a small amount of the product to a small patch of skin, like your inner wrist. Wait for 24-48 hours. If you see or feel irritation in that area after that time frame, discontinue use.

For Internal Use…not recommended without consulting a health professional.

How about a holder for the lip balm!

Now that I have a handful of lip balms to give away, I like to also hand someone the holder to put it in. I carry mine on my purse so I never have to dig for it. My grandkids have fastened them to their backpacks!

I first went to WalMart and Pinterest to get ideas. I bought a few to take apart. I basically experimented to find ways to end up with all the seams turned to the inside and still be possible with my sewing machine. After taking a few apart, I sketched out my pattern.

You might think I have a special pattern to make this holder. Ha! Let me show you what I use:

As I made a few samples I refined the process. So, here are the steps with pictures:

Step 1: Your materials

A piece of fabric 2 1/2″ by 12″; a piece of fabric 2 1/2″ by 3 1/2″; a 1/2″ D-ring

Step 2: Make the D-ring attachment

Using the 2 1/2″ by 3 1/2″ piece of fabric, fold the two ends to the center, then fold the piece in half. Top stitch the edges together.

Step 3: Attach the D-ring

Insert the tab through the D-ring and fold in half. Stitch close to the D-ring (I had to use my zipper foot to get close enough).

Step 4: Fold the 2 1/2″ by 12″ piece almost in half, leaving 1/4″ to fold over. Stitch the edge folded over and top stitch along the other folded edge.

Step 5: Attach the D-ring tab to the folded edge (on the right, above), stitching close to the D-ring. This is the inside of the holder.

Step 6: Fold the holder in half, right sides together. Stitch the sides with a 1/4″ to 3/8″ seam.

Step 7: Turn the holder right side out. I use a stick that came with my stuffing to help poke out the corners.

Step 8: Top stitch the sides with a 1/4″ to 3/8″ seam. (Depends on how big your lip balm is. Some lipsticks are larger around so the smaller seam is necessary).

I use a carabiner clip to attach my holder to my purse, and I include one with each holder I give away.

This works great to fasten my holder and all my grocery tags to the outside of my purse so I don’t have to hunt for them!

This same holder pattern could be enlarged to handle an essential oil roller ball or a small flashlight. Experiment!! Have fun! If you have questions, leave a comment or send me an email directly at marykisner@comcast.net. Enjoy!

The 28th Division Infantry Shrine, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg

Yesterday I went on the hunt…for flowers! I had seen many tulips and daffodils in yards around us. We do not have any bulbs planted (mostly because underground critters and bunnies have eaten them before we could enjoy them)! So, I thought I’d explore the Pennsylvania Military Museum grounds to see if any spring flowers were sprouting. I did find a huge tree that is showing signs of life.

So, I decided to keep exploring. Right in front of my car were the two giant cannons that came from the ship the USS Pennsylvania BB-38. The signs nearby explained the activities of the ship in battle during WWII and how Boalsburg came to acquire the cannons for display.

I decided to continue my tour, with my thoughts focused on all our service members who have served and are now serving away from home on this Easter weekend.

The Museum grounds are an impressive green space, with various memorials to many groups of the 28th Division Infantry. The Museum itself is closed at the moment and hopes to reopen by Fall, 2021 for tours. The grounds serve as a place for visitors to walk and reflect.

Beautiful day; beautiful weather; wonderful time to reflect this Easter weekend.

However, no flowers…anywhere!

Saved by the grocery store! I brought home two pots of daffodils! I should be able to plant the bulbs this fall and we’ll see if we can have them sprout next spring…before they get eaten!

I hope you had a lovely Easter too!

Make a regular batch of Honey Lip Balm

In the last post, I shared a kit that makes just one lip balm at a time. Great to know how to do it but I’d much prefer to spend almost the same amount of time and a few more ingredients to end up with more than one of something!

If I’m going to spend the day making bread, I’d sure rather have 6 loaves than just 3. I think it’s because I like to share a loaf with my neighbors! Same issue with lip balm, lotion bars and soap! Of course, that means I end up with stuff to share all the time. So be careful if you stop by, I might hand you a lip balm, a nifty bar of soap or a loaf of bread!

So, here’s the recipe to make a regular batch of Honey Lip Balm:

You will need a double boiler made with a sauce pan and a heat-safe measuring cup. This will melt the wax but keep it from getting too hot.

Some folks use the microwave, a few seconds at a time. It drives me nuts to open and close the door of the microwave every 10-20 seconds for several minutes and I can’t monitor the wax to make sure it doesn’t get too hot.

Sorry, no pictures of the wooden stick and the measuring spoon!

Before you start, decide what kind of container you want to put the finished melted lip balm into.

I purchased regular holders and I also have very small plastic containers. All can be purchased on Amazon. If you decide to use regular holders, make sure you also get the rack to hold them upright so you can pour directly into them.

Next, assemble your ingredients. I use white beeswax pellets, coconut oil, shea butter and oil. In this project I chose Almond oil.

Optional ingredients include: Vitamin E serves as a preservative; the Coconut essential oil gives it some flavor (you could choose citrus or vanilla); and a tiny bit of honey is always nice. All three of these ingredients are optional.

Before starting to melt the ingredients, attach the lip balm tubes to the holder, starting in the center so when the holder is flipped upright they are stable without having to be held. Open any small containers.

Measure the beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter and almond oil into the glass cup.

Place the cup into the sauce pan with several inches of water and bring the water to a gentle boil. Use the wooden stick to stir as needed.

When completely melted, turn off the burner.

Add the Vitamin oil and the Essential oil if desired. Stir well,

Add the honey. Mix thoroughly.

As you pour the wax into the holders, stop every now and then and stir again. The honey does not stay mixed easily.

While things are cooling, carefully wipe the wax out of your glass cup.

DO NOT POUR WARM WAX DOWN THE DRAIN. IT WILL CLOG YOUR DRAIN AS IT COOLS!

Once you have wiped out as much as you can, it is safe to put the cup in the dishwasher.

You can see I did not stir the mixture before pouring these last 4 containers. The honey settled to the bottom of the mixture.

Let the holders cool for at least an hour. Use a paper towel to wipe off any drips around the holders.

The Lip Balm holders come with labels (or they are sold near the holders). Regular circular labels work well on the small round containers.

After I make a batch of any body product, I make a card to go with it listing the ingredients. Many folks are sensitive to certain ingredients and I don’t want anyone to have a bad reaction to something I make.

NOTE: If you decide to make things like this to sell at craft fairs, PLEASE do the research about legal requirements for labeling your products.

As always, if you have questions, leave a comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net. Enjoy!