Simple Makes

Simple Hopes

2009-06-08T16:01:00.005+08:00

I'm here again at last. Let me share where I've been and why I don't know whether I'll be back... back here, that is.

Baby Clothes by Joe Shlabotnik on flickr

Since Last I Wrote...

This March, we got the news: I was pregnant! This was exactly what we’d hoped for.

Over the past year, I’ve occasionally wondered whether I spent too much time blogging about simplicity and not enough time living that lifestyle. However, hoping to make a difference in my readers’ lives, I had pressed on.

Within a few weeks, though, the feelings intensified. Exhausted from pregnancy, absorbed in baby blanket projects, and thinking about the future, I wondered... How can I be the Mama I hope to be when my time is split between family and the computer? Unsure what to do, I continued, but with less-frequent posts.

Until April 27th.

I started bleeding.

Though scared at first, I had hope. A disappointing ultrasound came next, but we clung onto the words of hope we were hearing from friends, music, and scripture. During this time of waiting and hoping, nothing mattered to me but relationships: God, family, friends. And we wanted their words of hope to mean that our baby was okay.

But they didn’t.

Two weeks after the ordeal began, I miscarried. After returning from the hospital the next day, I journaled, “We shed no tears - all those throughout the week had been enough... yesterday just gave a sense of finality to it all and reassuring hope that He was in control, since everything happened naturally and no further procedure was needed.”

What Now?

It seems to me I now have two options. I’ve recently realized it’s the same options Jesus’ followers had when they heard Him make the incredible, mathematically inaccurate statement “this poor widow put in more than all the rich people” (Luke 21:3). Option one: assume He’s wrong, or else a (in my case, cruel) liar. Option two: realize that He means something different than I understood.

The disciples had to realize that Jesus’ “more” didn’t mean money amounts. I have to realize that His promises of “hope” didn’t mean “this baby will make it”. The truths Jesus was teaching the disciples, about His value of money, giving, and motives, were far greater than what the disciples’ own eyes saw. I’m waiting... and, yes, hoping... to see what greater good will come out of our experience. I know I might never see it... but I can hope.

Simple Living?

Simple living is still what I do. In fact, my simple living has been refined as I’ve seen the uselessness of things that were clearly unimportant compared to our baby. For the moment, this workaholic-produced blog, SimpleMakes, is one of those unimportant things to me. I’ve decided to begin blogging again, but at a more personal, less time-consuming site. In the next month or two, I plan to begin regular posts there. I hope... there’s that word again... it’ll be an inspiration to readers and to myself.

I still get sad sometimes, I still wish I were pregnant, and yes, I have to fight jealousy when I find out about friends who are. But hey, Abraham “hoped and believed against all hope, and that’s how he became the father of many nations” (Rom 4:18, my paraphrase)... who knows what will happen to me!

Please Answer...

2009-04-18T21:00:00.000+08:00

I'm almost home! Until I am, I'll leave this post live so you can share your thoughts.

question by tj scenes on flickr

Please Answer:

"Why are you reading a blog about simplicity?"

You can take that to mean whatever you want, and I welcome anything from a few words to an essay full of your inner thoughts! :-)

Please also encourage, ask, and discuss amongst yourselves; the IntenseDebate commenting system I use lets you reply to specific comments which will show up threaded... meaning it's easy to see who's responding to whom.

SpringPad-It!

2009-04-11T21:00:00.000+08:00

Notebook by D Sharon Pruitt on flickr

I'm away, but wanted to introduce you all to a website I've been using more and more lately. Check out SpringPad and play with it for the next few weeks; I personally use the Weekly Meal Planner, Date Planner, and several others.

When I come back, I hope to post some ways you can use SpringPad in conjunction with SimpleMakes posts. Think one-click grabbing the content from the Efficient Packing List into a SpringPad list you can customize and use as your own!

Pixe's Treasure Chest Earrings Winner!

2009-04-05T09:00:00.001+08:00

What Earrings?

Thanks to Mich from Pixe's Treasure Chest, March's Simple Makes giveaway is the earrings in the picture above! I support buying handmade, and shops like hers on Etsy are great ways to do that. If you missed the giveaway, you can read about it here.

Who Won!?

Random.org says entry #4, which is Stephanie, for her comment on Sorting Recipes. Congrats, and I'll get in touch so the prize can be sent your way!

How Can I Win?

Every month during 2009, one SimpleMakes reader will win a prize from one of the generous sponsoring shops. All you have to do is comment! (More details in each month's contest announcement post.)

How Can I Sponsor?

If your etsy or other shop would like to offer an item for a giveaway to SimpleMakes readers, contact me with your shop name, proposed giveaway item, and preferred month for giveaway (if any). I'm looking for a shop to give away an item each month in 2009, and will mention your shop's name and link in each post that month.

Sorry for being behind with this. I'm out of the country and taking a rest from blogging. Read more here.

rest

2009-04-02T11:27:00.003+08:00

by maryjuana on flickr

Sometimes I find that simplicity and blogging (even blogging about simplicity) conflict.
Sometimes I need to spend less time on the computer, more with my family and friends.
Sometimes I need to write less about a simple life, and more time living one.

This is one of those times.

March and April are full of travel, visiting friends, several exciting craft projects, more travel, and a bit of unfortunate sickness thrown in here and there to make sure things stay interesting.

Then again, maybe it's not unfortunate... it does make me rest!

Repeat Meal Planning

2009-03-25T16:47:00.003+08:00

Simplify meal planning & grocery shopping by compiling sets of recipes and their ingredients in advance! This is step 7 of 7 in the 2-Week Meal Planning series.

breakfast by eyeliam on flickr

Step #7: Repeat and Enjoy!

I keep my plans in the back of our binder-cookbook. Every night, I decide what I want for breakfast the next day from the choices in the current 2-Week Meal Plan. I love the flexibility; knowing my house is stocked with everything I need for so many recipes, we’re never bored by our options!

...and you?

How do you plan and prepare meals? Having typed it out, my system seems long and complicated, but honestly it’s just a few minutes here and there. What do you think about it?

Comment for a chance to win March's giveaway: gorgeous earrings from Pixe's Treasure Chest!

Pause

2009-03-23T12:32:00.002+08:00

Hi all. I'm still here, just not feeling well, and hope to be back with the next post in the 2-Week Meal Planning series later this week.

by Eran Finkle - ערן פינקל on Flickr

In the meantime, check out the photos I uploaded on flickr or read the links I've posted on Simple Shorts (our tumblr site).

Comment for a chance to win March's giveaway: gorgeous earrings from Pixe's Treasure Chest!

Go Shopping

2009-03-17T21:00:00.000+08:00

Simplify meal planning & grocery shopping by compiling sets of recipes and their ingredients in advance! This is step 6 of 7 in the 2-Week Meal Planning series.

shopping list by Bruce Turner on Flickr

Step #6: Go Shopping

This part you will do more often, but still less than if you were cooking without plans!

All you do is take the step 5 list (which, if you continue with this system, you may have written years beforeheand!) and walk into your kitchen. Obviously, if you have enough, do nothing; if you don’t have any (or enough), write down what you need. I like to add fresh fruit and yogurt to all my lists as a reminder to get enough to healthily snack throughout the day. I also add household supplies as needed.

When you go shopping, buy anything that will last for the next entire two weeks.

For fruits and other perishables (which are most healthy when most fresh, anyway), pick these up as needed as often as you can - twice a week if possible for optimum nutrition, but at least once a week so they won’t go bad.

...and you?

Stephanie asked about meal planning shopping on the Sort Recipes post, and I shared some of my thoughts there. Ask your questions about what I've written so far in the comments!

Comment for a chance to win March's giveaway: gorgeous earrings from Pixe's Treasure Chest!

List Ingredients

2009-03-12T21:00:00.001+08:00

Simplify meal planning & grocery shopping by compiling sets of recipes and their ingredients in advance! This is step 5 of 7 in the 2-Week Meal Planning series.

Step #5: List all ingredients

One point of all this planning is to simplify shopping! Grab a piece of scrap paper and, starting with the first recipe, begin listing the ingredients and amounts. It should look something like this:

flour: 1 cup
oats: 1 cup
bananas: 2
sugar: 1/4 cup
raisins: 1/4 cup

...and so on.

Now, take your second recipe. Where the ingredients overlap, add them together. Where they don’t, start a new line:

flour: 1 cup
oats: 1 cup + 1 cup
bananas: 2
sugar: 1/4 cup
raisins: 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup
apples: 1

Continue with the rest of the recipes. Don’t worry, you won’t do this every other week, just when you start your meal planning.

If you notice an ingredient ‘straggler’ (maybe a few Tbsp of something fresh that’s only sold in larger quantitates), you may switch out a different recipe at this point.

Writing one or two 2-Week Plans for each season means we never get tired of recipes, plus they’re geared to seasonal produce (like fruit) and weather (oatmeal in the winter, granola in the summer).

Once you’ve finished all the recipes, add the lines to find the total for each ingredient. Save this list for step 6, “Go Shopping”.

...and you?

What favorite ingredients are on your list? I'm loving the thought of all the grains and fruits on mine! You can share a photo at our flickr group!

Comment for a chance to win March's giveaway: gorgeous earrings from Pixe's Treasure Chest!

Sort Recipes

2009-03-09T21:00:00.002+08:00

Simplify meal planning & grocery shopping by compiling sets of recipes and their ingredients in advance! This is step 4 of 7 in the 2-Week Meal Planning series.

recipe by bilateral on flickr

Step #4: Sort recipes

Steps 1, 2, & 3 helped you decide on which recipes to use in your 2-Week Meal Plan. What now?

Simply:

* Print out recipes from the computer
* Pull other recipes out of your family cookbook (i.e. 3-ring binder)
* Bookmark recipes in your cookbooks

That’s it.

...and you?

So go spend the time you’d usually spend reading a longer post by doing it yourself! If you haven’t already, find recipes, select recipes, choose recipes, and then follow this easy step to sort recipes.

Stay tuned for the next step where you’ll list ALL the ingredients.

Comment for a chance to win March's giveaway: gorgeous earrings from Pixe's Treasure Chest!

Simple Shorts

2009-03-07T21:00:00.001+08:00

Since I'm not posting weekend link love posts anymore, I'm playing around with Tumblr as a way to share what I'm up to and what's inspiring me.

Bookmark (or subscribe to) SimpleShorts to see the links, videos, images, and more that I enjoy throughout the week.

Have something I might like? Bookmark the link as "for:simplyla" on delicious, or email me!

Comment for a chance to win March's giveaway: gorgeous earrings from Pixe's Treasure Chest!

Choosing Recipes

2009-03-05T21:00:00.000+08:00

Simplify meal planning & grocery shopping by compiling sets of recipes and their ingredients in advance! This is step 3 of 7 in the 2-Week Meal Planning series.

Inside Cover from nate steiner on Flickr

Step #3: Choose recipes

If you completed Step #2, you have a lot of recipes to consider. Now it's time to narrow them down.

It’s hard to choose, so I eliminate instead. Out are recipes that:

* call for out-of-season produce
* call for a small amount of a random ingredient that none of the other recipes call for

I also look at the selection of recipes as a whole. I’m okay with one, but won’t cook two, recipes that are:

* sugary
* mostly white flour (unless I can substitute a whole grain)

I do try to prepare balanced and high-energy breakfasts, which to me means there is something with:

* (preferably whole) grain
* calcium
* fruit
* protein

I also like to try at least one new recipe a week, so two per 2-Week Meal Plan.

I should end up with enough recipes for 20 servings (10 meals for my husband and me; we eat out twice a week), which could be anywhere from 3-10 recipes (but usually 4 or 5... we like leftovers).

...and you?

If you found (or could type) any of the recipes you've chosen, comment here! It'll be fun to see what everyone's cooking.

Comment for a chance to win March's giveaway: gorgeous earrings from Pixe's Treasure Chest!

March Giveaway: Earrings

2009-03-03T21:00:00.003+08:00

Mich from Pixe's Treasure Chest is giving away these Aragonite and Freshwater Pearl Earrings to one lucky Simple Makes reader at the end of March! Find out how to enter all throughout the month.

How to Enter

There are two ways to enter... and you can do so over and over all month long!

1. link to any March Simple Makes post on your blog or in a tweet. In order to count, comment on THIS POST with the link. You can do this as many times as you would like, as long as all the links are different.

2. comment with something relevant on any SimpleMakes post not counting this one the rest of this month (March 2009). So that I can contact the winner, you have to type in your e-mail address when you leave your comment. Don't worry, other readers can't see it.

Show Some Love!

Check out Mich's shop, Pixe's Treasure Chest, to thank her for sponsoring this giveaway! I personally love the calm, natural colors she uses in so much of her jewelry.

Only one person can win the free earrings, but if you fall in love with it or any of her other jewelry, you can order from her shop!

How to Win

At the end of March, I'll use a computer randomizer to pick one comment out of all the qualified ones. The person who left that comment, assuming I can get to a contact e-mail address easily enough, will be messaged for a mailing address. That person'll have 1 week to respond, then we'll mail the prize or choose a new winner.

The Fine Print

Let's not be picky here. We're nice people hosting a fun giveaway. If I say Suzy wins, then Suzy wins. No challenging me, claiming it's not fair, or any other nonsense. It's up to me what is considered a "qualifying" and "relevant" comment.

One thing, though: the earrings will only be shipped to a U.S. address, so if you don't live there, you'd better be entering to send it as a gift to a friend who does.

...and you?

Comment here with the link to a blog entry where you've linked to a March Simple Makes post! It's an extra entry to the giveaway :-)

If your etsy or other shop would like to offer an item for a giveaway to SimpleMakes readers, contact me. I'm looking for a shop to give away an item to a reader each month in 2009, which promotes your shop as I mention the contest in each post that month.

Panda Pillow Winner!

2009-03-02T21:00:00.001+08:00

Panda Pillow?

Thanks to Akiyo from the lovely Etsy shop, "My Dear Darling," I got to be a part of giving away the adorable panda pillow in the picture above! I support buying handmade, and shops like hers on Etsy are great ways to do that. If you missed the giveaway, you can read about it here.

Who Won!?

Random.org says entry #42, which is Carolyn, for her comment on 2-Week Meal Planning. Congrats, Carolyn, and I'll get you in touch with Akiyo so she can send your prize your way!

How Can I Win?

Every month during 2009, one SimpleMakes reader will win a prize from one of the generous sponsoring shops. All you have to do is comment! (More details in each month's contest announcement post.)

Look out for my next post, announcing an exciting giveaway for March!!

How Can I Sponsor?

If your etsy or other shop would like to offer an item for a giveaway to SimpleMakes readers, contact me with your shop name, proposed giveaway item, and preferred month for giveaway (if any). I'm looking for a shop to give away an item each month in 2009, and will mention your shop's name and link in each post that month.

Select Recipes

2009-02-26T21:00:00.002+08:00

Simplify meal planning & grocery shopping by compiling sets of recipes and their ingredients in advance! This is step 2 of 7 in the 2-Week Meal Planning series.

Recipe by Mel B. on Flickr

Step #2: Select recipes

Avoid the 6am "now what am I going to make for breakfast!?" Plan ahead!

Equipped with your cookbooks you gathered in Step 1: Find Recipes, you're ready to select potentials for your meal plan.

Follow along and write selected recipe names on piece of scrap paper. These aren't necessarily final, so choose as many as you'd like.

note: As an example throughout this 2-Week Meal Planning series, I'll plan 2 weeks of healthy breakfasts.

Family Cookbook

I start by scanning recipe titles in relevant sections from my family cookbook. It’s a three-ring binder, so I can pull out recipes or just note the names.

Flipping past the breakfast tab, I find pancakes, oatmeals, and other warm dishes. They worked great during the winter, but I'm ready for something different.

I pull the whole wheat carrot cake muffins and zucchini-carrot muffins from the next tab, and grab the banana bread from the bread section.

Real Cookbooks

I know them well, so I don't actually look through them, but I write down "beignets," an Artisan Bread in Five recipe which will probably be our non-healthy, sweet treat for the two weeks (I generally allow one per plan).

Delicious Cookbook

I go to my Delicious Cookbook’s breakfast section and click on the “healthy” tag to only see those bookmarks. I open recipes that sound promising in new tabs. Though at this stage I’m mostly browsing, I do avoid those tagged with fruits that are now out of season. Fresh ingredient overlap is also nice, and I try to maintain a little variety.

We eat out two breakfasts a week (strange, I know, since we don’t eat any other meals out, but South Chinese rice noodles on market days are too good to miss!), so I’m looking for at least 10 recipes.

...and you?

Keep your list of recipes you might like to try for Step #3 - Choose Recipes. Keep the healthy breakfast ideas coming... I'm loving all the ideas so far.

Finding Recipes

2009-02-24T21:00:00.002+08:00

Simplify meal planning & grocery shopping by compiling sets of recipes and their ingredients in advance! This is step 1 in the 2-Week Meal Planning series.

mao's secret recipes by Aschaf on flickr... funny, of course, since I live in China!

Step #1: Find recipes

Good recipes aren't hard to find... as long as you start looking before it's time to start cooking!

I have three "cookbooks" I go to:

1) our family cookbook
2) our five published cookbooks
3) my delicious cookbook

In step 2 I'll tell you how I decide which recipes to even consider, but for now, I want to share where my recipes come from.

Family Cookbook

Handwritten recipes and those I print that we like are filed in a three-ring binder under handmade tabs:

breakfast * muffins * bread * drinks * soup & slow cooker * stir-fry * poultry * meat * other main * veggies & sides * sweets

Your categories may be different based on what you cook more and less, but organizing your recipes in a similar style should help you find them easily.

Real Cookbooks

You can read more about our five cookbooks in a previous post. Obviously, you'll just want to pull out whatever cookbooks you have.

Delicious Cookbook

I tag links to all the recipes I find online in delicious. Make sure your tags are useful! I tag by:

* meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner
* part: side, main, drink
* type: muffin, pancake, granola
* nutrition: grain, veggie, dairy
* ingredient: banana, carrot, butter
* trait: sweet, healthy, quick

...and you?

I need a little help. Can you share a healthy breakfast recipe? Link to or write it in the comments! You can also tag it "for:simplyla" on delicious, which will make sure it gets into my delicious cookbook.

Comment for a chance to win February's giveaway: an adorable panda pillow from My Dear Darling!

2-Week Meal Planning

2009-02-19T21:00:00.002+08:00

Simplify meal planning & grocery shopping by compiling sets of recipes and their ingredients in advance! Follow this series to learn how.

Strawberry Pie Recipe by deb roby on Flickr

With spring and warmer days coming, I’m scouring my delicious bookmarks for more weather-appropriate breakfast recipes. Though I haven’t yet figured out “OAMC” (once a month cooking), I do like to plan 2 weeks at a time to simplify grocery shopping.

For the rest of February, I’ll post on the steps I go through in my 2-Week Meal Planning. Here’s an outline; if you bookmark this page, you can come back to it and I’ll link the text in each step to its how-to post.

1. Find recipes
2. Select recipes
3. Choose recipes
4. Sort recipes
5. List ingredients
6. Go shopping
7. Repeat & enjoy

...and you?

* Bookmark this post and/or subscribe to SimpleMakes to stay updated with the series. I'll link each step in the list above once its post is live!

* Help me find a recipe! I'm looking for healthy recipes for breakfast that are simple to prepare. Have a good candidate? Write or link in the comments, tag for:simplyla on delicious, or email me here. Thanks!

Comment for a chance to win February's giveaway: an adorable panda pillow from My Dear Darling!

(Another) Change of Pace

2009-02-17T21:00:00.001+08:00

Happy Spring!!

my photo, on flickr

Actually, most of you are probably still shivering through winter (or am I wrong? I hope?) Here, however, spring came early, or at least its warm temperatures and sunny days!

These past weeks I've been struggling with how to keep a new year's resolution to spend more time with my family and less on the computer. I think you'll like what I've decided as much as I do!

Past

I started SimpleMakes in mid-September 2008. At first, I overwhelmed myself with four posts a week. I scaled back to three, but my content still wasn't as high-quality as I would like because I was trying to write so much!

Getting into photography with my new dSLR camera, I began my other blog last month and continued Tuesday/Thursday posting here, Saturdays there. It made sense, but the rhythm wasn't working for me, plus my posts were getting little too long-winded for my own taste!

Future

I have a new rhythm for SimpleMakes. It'll keep me focused, keep individual posts shorter & simpler, and hopefully keep you interested, too!

Starting now, I'm going to pick a theme for each month(ish). I'm going to finish February with a series on meal planning, including healthy breakfast recipes as examples! I'm really excited.

I think spreading one topic out over multiple short, bite-sized posts will be simpler to write and simpler to read!

...and you?

Comment to let me know how you feel about this new idea, and if you have any topic suggestions. Ask your questions about simple, green, crafty, frugal, family, and home living in the comments here... you may inspire a whole month of writing!

Also, I'd like to survey SimpleMakes readers as to how frequent they like new posts to appear. Do you like reading one new post a week? Two? Three? (I think four's too much for me, sorry!) Comment with your advice.

Oh, and thank you. Thank you, all my readers, for being patient with me. "Learning to blog" takes a lot of work, and though I don't want to put in less time than it needs, I don't want blogging to be my only work, either! My husband appreciates your understanding. :-)

Comment for a chance to win February's giveaway: an adorable panda pillow from My Dear Darling!

Valentine's Day Fun & Food

2009-02-12T21:00:00.003+08:00

Enjoy Valentine's Day with your tastebuds and your crafty hands! Here are some treats & meal ideas from the kitchen, plus craft ideas to share.

String of hearts by aussiegall on Flickr

Snacks: Sweet Snack Mix from scrumdilly-do

Drink: Healthy Strawberry-Banana Smoothie from SimpleMakes (er, me!)

Dinner: Candlelight on a Budget from MyRecipes

Dessert: Valentine's Day Treat Hit List from TipNut

Handmade Valentine: Little Acorn Valentine from Little Acorn

Crafty Gift: Valentine's Treasures from Schlosser Designs

Decor: Origami Cherry Blossoms from The Flirty Guide

Comment for a chance to win February's giveaway: an adorable panda pillow from My Dear Darling!

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

2009-02-10T21:00:00.001+08:00

A healthy & simple sweet treat, this smoothie has no added sugar and looks great for Valentine's Day with a sliced strawberry on top!

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

ingredients:

6 large strawberries (or 18 small strawberries)
3 small bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
4/5 to 1 cup (200 ml) plain yogurt
2 cups (500 ml) ice*

1) Peel bananas, wash strawberries and remove stems.

2) Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

3) Pour into two glasses and enjoy!

* ice tip: Freeze water in small ice cube trays just 3 or so hours until not entirely frozen; you'll still see some water in the middle of the cubes. This makes for easier-to-blend ice and a smoother smoothie!

...and you?

Surprise your sweetie (or kids, or friend, or whomever!) with this treat and let me know how it goes. Stay tuned for Thursday's post, a complete menu for Valentine's day including this smoothie and more!

Comment for a chance to win February's giveaway: an adorable panda pillow from My Dear Darling!

Whole Wheat Rolls!

2009-02-05T21:00:00.002+08:00

I've been making dozens of these wheat rolls every month lately (a batch a week). Healthy, easy, and yummy. Nice!

my photo on flickr

The Recipe

I use an adapted dough from Artisan Bread in Five. Their 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread dough, adjusted for my high but humid home, makes a nice loaf or free-form bread. I found out after baking it a few times that it also works great to make these adorable, high-fiber rolls!

I don't want to steal their recipe by posting it here, but you can find it in the "Peasant Loaves" section of Artisan Bread in Five. To make rolls of your own, start with a whole wheat bread dough or use the main "Master Recipe" from Artisan Bread in Five, a white flour dough, maybe substituting whole wheat flour.

The Technique

Unlike some recipes, the Artisan Bread in Five technique doesn't require extra time for a knead - rest - rise cycle. Instead, it rises slowly in the refrigerator overnight. Regardless of what you use, flour your hands, the risen dough, and the table.

Since I like to eat these rolls for health reasons, I weigh out the dough so each roll is an equal 1 oz roll. That way, I know how much whole grain I'm getting. If it doesn't matter for you, just do this by sight.

First, cut the dough in half using a floured or oiled serrated knife. Then, do this again. Next, do it again. You get the point. Keep cutting in half until the rolls are around 1 oz. I use a pound of dough and end up with 16 rolls.

Now, shape each chunk of dough into a ball using the technique in step 3 at the Artisan Bread in Five Master Recipe.

At this point, you can leave the dough to rise for larger, fluffier rolls, or bake them right away for a more dense, chewy dough. I bake mine on 200C (that's about 400F; try 350F if you're not at a high altitude). Use this Artisan Bread in Five technique: preheat the oven with a baking stone and a broiler tray or other pan. When the oven's heated, place the rolls on the stone and pour a cup of water into the broiler tray. The steam creates moisture for a soft inside and crisp crust!

These usually take about 3/4ths as long as the recipe says, since you're baking small rolls, not one large loaf.

The Verdict?

These have come out wonderfully for me every time. They're quick to make and are also healthy, tasty, and versatile! (Try poking a hole in a roll with your finger and sticking a cheddar cheese cube in there. Microwave 5 minutes. Delicious!)

Cleanup is easy; with Artisan Bread in Five dough, all you have to wash is a bowl, a measuring cup, and a spoon. Rolling the dough on the table, I just use a plastic rice paddle (what comes with rice cookers) to scrape it off, maybe wiping it off with a bit of vinegar, and it's clean. And the baking stone doesn't need much washing; the bread should come off of it cleanly since it's so hot.

...and you?

I'd recommend getting a copy of the book I use (yes, I get a commission if you buy it through these links, but I honestly do think it's a good buy for simple families everywhere!), but if you don't have it, try the bread-dough-as-rolls technique on other favorite recipes, and comment here with how they turn out (and links to recipes, if you have 'em!)

Comment for a chance to win February's giveaway: an adorable panda pillow from My Dear Darling!

February Giveaway: Panda Pillow

2009-02-03T09:00:00.002+08:00

Akiyo from My Dear Darling is giving away this adorable panda pillow to one lucky Simple Makes reader at the end of February! Find out how to enter all throughout the month.

How to Enter

There are two ways to enter... and you can do so over and over all month long!

The first way to enter is to link to any February Simple Makes post on your blog or in a tweet. In order to count, comment on THIS POST with the link. You can do this as many times as you would like, as long as all the links are different.

The second way to enter is to comment with something relevant on any SimpleMakes post not counting this one the rest of this month (February 2009). If you comment twice on one post, you only get one entry. But, if you comment on five posts, that's five entries!! So that I can contact the winner, you have to type in your e-mail address when you leave your comment. Don't worry, only I can see it.

Show Some Love!

Check out Akiyo's shop, My Dear Darling, to thank her for sponsoring this giveaway! Her handmade gifts are all as adorable as the one in the giveaway.

Only one person can win the free LOVE Panda Pillow, but if you can't help but fall in love with it (how could you!?) and want to give it to someone special for Valentine's Day, you can order your own from Akiyo's shop. She has several other designs, and takes custom orders, too!

How to Win

At the end of February, I'll use a computer randomizer to pick one comment out of all the qualified ones. The person who left that comment, assuming I can get to a contact e-mail address easily enough, will be messaged for a mailing address. That person'll have 1 week to respond, then we'll mail the prize or choose a new winner.

The Fine Print

Let's not be picky here. We're nice people trying to host a give-away, which is fun for me and fun for you. If I say Suzy wins, then Suzy wins. No challenging me, calling me a liar, screaming that it's not fair, or any other nonsense. It's up to me what is considered a "qualifying" and "relevant" comment.

One thing, though: the giveaway's pillow can only be shipped to a U.S. or Canada address, so if you don't live there, you'd better be entering to send it as a gift to a friend who does.

...and you?

Comment here with the link to a blog entry where you've linked to a January Simple Makes post! It's an extra entry to the giveaway :-)

If your etsy or other shop would like to offer an item for a giveaway to SimpleMakes readers, contact me. I'm looking for a shop to give away an item to a reader each month in 2009, which will get your shop's name and link out as I mention the contest in each post that month.

Layla Legs Winner!

2009-02-01T21:00:00.004+08:00

Layla Legs?

Visit Kim's Layla Legs Shop on Etsy to thank her for sponsoring January's giveaway. If you missed the whole thing, see the original post here.

Who Won!?

Random.org says entry #13, which is Andrea, for her comment on Quick Oatmeal. Congrats, Andrea, and I'll get you in touch with Kim so she can send some adorable Layla Legs your way!

How Can I Win?

Every month during 2009, one SimpleMakes reader will win a prize from one of the generous sponsoring shops. All you have to do is comment! (More details in each month's contest announcement post.)

Look out for my next post early next week, announcing an exciting giveaway for February!!

How Can I Sponsor?

If your etsy or other shop would like to offer an item for a giveaway to SimpleMakes readers, contact me with your shop name, proposed giveaway item, and preferred month for giveaway (if any). I'm looking for a shop to give away an item each month in 2009, and will mention your shop's name and link in each post that month.

Chinese New Year

2009-01-28T18:30:00.003+08:00

Chun Jie Kuai Le! I live in China, so figured I should share something of Chinese New Year with the rest of the world. Crafts, recipes, and characters... oh my!

Chinese New Year Dinner 2009 by chanchan222 on Flickr

When is it?

Chinese New Year, or "Spring Festival" (Chun Jie) is celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar, so it began on January 26th this year, 2009. However, in many parts of China including my own, the holiday is celebrated all the way through the Lantern Festival 15 days later... so you still have time to have some Chinese New Year fun!

What do you do?

Everyone who possibly can returns home to spend the holiday with their family. On any given day during the Spring Festival weeks, but especially on New Year's Eve and New Year's day, kids and adults set off firecrackers just before they eat their dinner meal. Kids get cash in red envelopes, red being the color symbolizing happiness. Families prepare and eat large meals together on New Year's Eve and day, plus any other days they're off work (some do get the full 15 days off!).

How to Celebrate?

What about some crafts? Kids Craft Weekly put out a tutorial series with four craft tutorials for the Chinese New Year: a Shiny Lantern, Lucky Garland, Paper Plate Ox, and Red Packet Lantern. Check them out here.

What to Eat?

You probably have heard about foods that are eaten for symbolic reasons: whole fish for success and family togetherness, oranges for wealth, uncut noodles for longevity, eggs for fertility. To celebrate at home, try a noodle dish, serve some oranges, have eggs in your fried rice, and if you want to be really authentic, have a JiaoZi (Chinese dumpling) making party! They're shaped like the old form of Chinese gold, so they symbolize fortune in the new year.

...and you?

Take pictures of your family's Chinese New Year celebration and add them to our flickr group!

Comment for a chance to win January's giveaway: Layla Legs!

Don't forget to check out Mary's Jewelry shop on Etsy and use the 10% discount code for this month.

Family Qlubb

2009-01-27T21:00:00.002+08:00

Organizing family events always seems to be a hassle... can the new Qlubb.com help? My answer: Yes... but only if you can convince your family.

This beautiful family photo by Emma & Michael's Excellent Adventures on Flickr

I signed up on TwitterMoms a few months back to review Qlubb.com, but then life happened (travel, class, readjusting schedules) and I never blogged about it. I did, however, start a Qlubb for the only group I could think of: my family.

We live in 2 countries, 3 states, and 5 cities. We have birthdays that are hard to remember. We plan trips that are hard to coordinate. We host Christmas exchanges that have to be planned. Most of those activities seemed to require a half-dozen emails or phone calls, so I was excited to have an online club ("Qlubb") to keep it all in one place.

I set a password (it gives the same one for every member) and began playing with the features. The birthdays I remembered, I added to the calendar. The ones I didn't, I posted a request under the "Blurbs" (kind of like an ongoing chat) feature for other people to post.

I explained how family members (especially those with cute kiddos) could upload their photos. I used the "files" section to post our 2009 Christmas gift exchange list, generated at Random.org.

And, of course, since this is a group, not a personal message center, I sent invitations to my family members.

All the above-mentioned features work great, and unlike a previous site where we hosted a family group, it actually LOOKS great, too! Stylish and clean-cut, I like being able to see everything at one glance, though there are some limitations (I can't find any way to delete things like calendars that aren't relevant for a group I run, and everyone has equal editing permissions, so I don't feel safe inviting people I don't know to a group).

The problem isn't Qlubb's layout or features, it's what happens after the invitations go out. I reworded the default invitation so it wouldn't sound spammy, and sent them out on Nov. 30, 2008. Last week, I was chatting online with one sister, resent the link to her, and she finally joined. Member number two. I've resent all the invitations, texted them, and mentioned it. No more members.

I'm not sure whether this is a Qlubb.com problem or a problem with online groups in general (though our previous Yahoo! group saw everyone join the week invitations went out). If most people are like me, I'm pretty member account-ed out from everything online these days that requires a sign-in.

I used to stick with major accounts, like one on Yahoo, that let me get into multiple features (chats, games, website, groups, email, etc.). Nowadays, it doesn't seem to be realistic (partly because the big guys seem to me to spread themselves too thin and are no longer good at all of what they do), so I have accounts all over: google, flickr, twitter, ravelry, tons of single-topic forums, bookcrossing, several social networking sites, wordpress, Amazon and multiple other online stores, several bookmarking networks... you get the picture.

But is adding yet another place to sign in too much?

...and you?

Start your own Qlubb (for a book club, a Bible study, a coffee group, or your family!), and let me know how it goes. Do people join?

Even if you don't want or need a Qlubb, what do you think about the way the internet is going? My simple life sometimes seems overburned by so much to keep track of. What about you?

Comment to enter January's giveaway: Layla Legs!

Don't forget to check out Mary's Jewelry shop on Etsy and use the 10% discount code for this month.