Craft Fairs 2013!

     Make sure you come and see me in all my crafting glory at, at least, one of my craft fairs this season. I still have a very few empty lines on my dance card so let me know if you've got a fair near you that needs a little Simple City Sam injection.

 (No, that's not me, that's my wildly talented mom, another SimpleCitySam engineer and my cousin in the foreground shopping like a pro.)


Oct. 26th, 10am-5pm. Freeport First Parish Market at the First Parish Church, Freeport, ME.

Nov. 2nd, 8am-3pm. The Great Pumpkin Craft Fair at the Page School, West Newbury, MA.

Nov. 9th, 9am-3pm. Atkinson Congregational Craft Fair at the Atkinson Congregational Church, NH.

*Nov. 23rd, 10am-2pm. Steep Falls PTO Holiday Fair at the Steep Falls Elementary, Standish, ME.
(*updated 10/31/13)

Nov. 29th, 9am-4pm AND Nov 30th, 9am-3pm. Christmas in the County Craft Fair at Bonny Eagle High School, Standish, ME.

Dec. 6th, 5pm-8pm AND Dec. 7th, 10am-4pm. Holly Jolly Fair at the First Parish Church, Freeport, ME.

As always, if you can't make it to one of our fairs you can always check out our offerings at our SimpleCitySam Etsy store or like us on Facebook. If you're local to Portland, Maine or know me real well :-) message me for a drop off and free shipping. Check it out and get a jump on Holiday shopping and gift giving.

Get it while the gettin's good.

Simple City Sam

Not-Childless By Choice

     I know! I know. I know. I have been a terrible blogger. I haven't been around as much as I'd like. Truth be told, losing one job and stepping back from the other simultaneously - but not purposely- has really thrown me for a loop. I can't seem to honestly figure out why really, but it has. I can't seem to find my motivation anymore. Which, in itself is doubly frustrating. I am still here, making soaps, detergents, home made meals and a multitude of crafts and quilts. I am not, however, finding time to write and explore just for myself. Those moments seem to be eluding me. To be honest I'm not sure why.

     I do see myself getting back into a "funk". I have battled depression my whole life and only partially successfully. Outlets and releases are something we all need. For the depressed they are literally prescribed not merely suggested. So in order to head this momentum off at the pass I am prescribing myself on outlet, a release. I am back to requiring something tangible of myself. I am back to writing and exploring and sharing simply.

     I must work actively to fight those voices I hear, both inside and out. "So how is it being back home, relaxing again?" Relaxing? You guessed it! That doozy was asked by a non parent. Because any parent out there knows a colonoscopy would be more relaxing than being home all day with a toddler or two.

     "How do you like being a mom again, finally?" Hey, nincompoop! I never stopped being a mom, I just used to be a mom with a paying job, that's all.

     "Pull it together, Sam, it's not as hard as you're making it out to be. Buck up, you've dealt with worse." While I have a point, I have dealt with worse. Harsh criticisms have always been my most brutal weapon against myself. Why allow perceived outside judgments and standards to affect my day to day being? I'm not sure I'll ever be able to answer that, though I so desperately hope that I do. As of late, as well, I have been taking offense to many of the opinions that seem to be thrown around so haphazardly. I'm working at not taking them all to heart, but some are more pervasive than others.

     Now, I know opinions are anyone's prerogative and are what keep life diverse. But with the onslaught of Facebook posts, Pinterest ideals, and a myriad of politically charged bumper stickers it's enough to make a girl want to rip her hair out! I will not digress into a political discord. I will however address my biggest irritant, the worst judgment given at the present moment. The one from your well-meaning friend, empowered aunt or trendy-well-to-do-gay office mate, that goes, "See? This is exactly why I CHOSE not to have kids." I can't begin to tell you how many blog pieces I've read lately that cite how enlightened they are at not having children. Some will even tell you that they are in fact smarter for having the forethought to not follow the unthinking masses into parenthood.

     Didn't you get the memo? In order to be happy you have to have money and be smart and have lots of friends. The only way to do that is to not have kids. Kids ruin your figure, spend all your money, run your friends out of town and remove any intelligence or professional drive you may have at once possessed. To anyone who has made this lofty decision these are not theories but facts.

     Well, let me be the one to set my record straight, please. I am smart, happy most of the time and find those that are still my friends to be the best ones I've ever had. Here's the thing...yeah, having kids is super tough and toughest on your previously fabulous single life. Yes, some- no, many- children are created by "accident". In no way does that mean all children. I CHOSE to have children. I even CHOSE to have them in my 20s. GASP! No! The shock, the horror. You're only allowed to choose to have a family if you're in your late 30s and married to a doctor. All other pregnancies are drunken one night stands from a population much too young and stupid to think for themselves.

     WRONG.

     I chose a road I knew would be difficult. I chose a life that by all right does not appear glamorous. Ever. I chose to put my professional goals, of which I have many, on hold for a temporary amount of time. Knowing that once rekindled it would still always be second in my life to my children. I chose to do all this while young, in good health, and before making my own personal fortune. This does not make me dumb, or those whose chose otherwise to be genius'. I, in no way, regret it. In fact, I wager, that if you ask any parent not one of them regrets it. Of course, we all would agree to a night off. Don't you like getting the night off from your glamorous, high paid, job that affords you all of your awesome-ness? Why are parents any different?

     Just because my health insurance premium is higher than any medical procedure you'll ever have, doesn't mean I should have waited until I had six figures sitting in the bank. Just because I don't get to go out on Friday nights anymore because I'm on kid duty while hubby works, doesn't mean I should have waited until the bar scene lost it's appeal to me otherwise. Just because I had my first daughter at the age of 25 doesn't mean she was un-planned. Just because my choices are different from yours doesn't mean I'm missing the big picture or have made foolish mistakes. It just means we're different.

     My husband and I had been together for 5 years and married for two and a family was so much of what we wanted. (In no way do I mean to imply that longevity or marriage equal good parents, just citing some statistics that shouldn't actually matter, but seem to nonetheless.) We tried for a long time to conceive. It was hard. I believe that my children will learn a great deal about money and responsibility and work ethics from watching parents who need to work and economize to survive. I can't wait to be in my forties and enjoying their company as young adults. Hopefully, I'll still be out there, "playing" with them considering I'll still be young enough to be in good health. Hiking, biking, even maybe drinking...again, the horror! I will be able to focus on my career and still work hard for it after having learned some valuable life lessons about what really matters in life and what can slide for the sake of the big picture. Suffice it to say that, I have a plan.

     So, get off my back. There's absolutely no need to pity me. And please, think about the connotation of your comments before you come at me with them. Because guess what? My kids aren't dumb either and they can hear you. Let's not make them question the consciousness of their beings, not just yet, huh? Perhaps you speak so loudly of your many choices because in fact they have not been choices but paths you simply were lead to and followed. Perhaps they were conscious choices.

     How would I know? I'm not you. Isn't that the whole damn point?!

Simple City Sam

Chicken Stock Ready To Go

      At this point everybody knows how much I love chicken stock. I make some with every carcass I have. In addition to using it for a plethora of soups, I also use it when making risotto, cous cous, wild rice and as a braising liquid occasionally. The tricky part is that I don't always need a quart or a gallon, like when I'm making soup. The other applications only used a little bit.

 

     So I freeze cubes. The average ice cube is around 2 ounces. Now whenever I make risotto I just reach into the freezer and grab a couple of cubes. They thaw in the pan and I have just the right amount that I need. Also, it's easy to add just a little more if ever needed, instead of trying to thaw or chip a piece off of a quart container.

 

 

     It only takes a few minutes but the payoff is monumental. I try to always have some in the freezer! And look at that gorgeous freezer! She's getting full alright. Now to get some proteins in there.

 

Happy freezing.

 

Simple City Sam

Pineapple Resurrected

      We didn't kill it! Yet. You all undoubtedly remember the riveting piece I wrote months ago about trying to grow a pineapple. Yeah, right. Well, we spent the next few months trying desperately to kill the poor thing, it seemed.

 

     Every time I came around the corner our cat, Noche, would have the leaves in his teeth, yanking it from the soil. We replanted that thing countless times. The girls were a bit over zealous in their watering schedule and appeared to be drowning it daily. In fact hubby was ready to throw it out. I can't say I blamed him. Actually, the only reason he didn't was because I asked him not to, to wait for our girls to help dispose of it so they would have a greater understanding to natural cycles. Blah, blah, blah. Our busy schedule erased the issue from our minds and we forgot about the task. As luck would have it, it's a good thing we didn't throw it out.  

 

     I had set the entire pot outside early this summer with the afore-mentioned intention of throwing it out. I needed to get it away from that darn cat. (Hehe, see what I did there? No? Well, my mom did, it's cool.) We let this baby enjoy the Maine summer outdoors. It got sun, rain, and (to my knowledge) no cat teeth.

 

     Lo and behold! New growth! Check it out. I noticed it two weeks ago while watering the nearby carrots. It became "all hands on deck" as we made sure to protect our new beauty. We have since secured it a spot in one of the sunniest rooms of the house, which is also conveniently closed and "off limits" to all pets- especially Noche. We rotate it so it can get optimal sunshine and we monitor it's water content better than we had before.

 

 

 

 

 

     The original parts are certainly a bit worse for the wear, but there is no mistaking that beautiful bright green new growth! I am excited and so are the girlies. We will continue to keep you posted of course.

 

The con continues.

 

Simple City Sam 

The Beet Goes On

      Like anyone with a garden, the Fall for us is filled with harvesting and storing what we can from our garden for the long winter. It may sound silly but it makes me feel a little like Laura Ingles Wilder. I like that. I also generally end up getting super ambitious and driving the Hubby crazy, but I just get so excited and wrapped up in all of it that I can't help myself!

 

     Ok, so today was beets. I actually bought a "Bowl of Beets" from Snell Family Farm for $10 at Farmer's Market. There were 10 ENORMOUS beets in the bowl and a handful of medium sized beets and they were beautiful! I love beets. I roast them, pickle them, I ate a bowl full just after they were boiled for crying out loud.

 

     I am, however, the only one in the house who will enjoy them with such fervor. The others may indulge me by eating a few but I know that will be the extent of their commitment. So I only "cold pickled" two jars as opposed to actually canning a ton of them. I sliced the beets and placed them in jars. Then, to the jars I added 1/4 red wine and filled the jar the rest of the way with red wine vinegar (leaving roughly 1/2" of space). I added some fresh dill, minced garlic and raw sugar. I sealed them up and they are resting peacefully in the fridge as we speak. In a few weeks they will be divine and I will undoubtedly devour them.

 

     I saved out two for roasting with meals over the next few days as well. I've left them whole but if you wanted to you could peel and chop them and then store them for easy use later.

 

     Then we took the rest of them and set to work so that they could be frozen. The beets were tossed into boiling water (skins on)  for roughly 45 minutes to an hour. When done, a knife will easily puncture one. Then we took the skins off, which are removed easily at this point, and chopped them. We let them cool fully and packed them up into a few serving size containers. These will be pulled and prepared for family meals throughout the winter.  We also filled a 1 gallon sized freezer bag with them. This will be used for a large family gathering, probably Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

 

     The project was easy and will give us some variety this winter while still giving us local freshness too. My standing chest freezer is growing fuller and happier by the day! Hooray!

 

Winter will be delicious.

 

Simple City Sam      

Dessert, Scavenger Style

      Well, it's the end of the week again. No more school lunches to pack for a few days. A busy, hectic, weekend is no doubt in store. It's that time of the week when we run a real solid chance of having some food go bad in the refrigerator before we can get to it. Hey, now, it happens to the best of us. We do great in not wasting food and work all week at making sure we use what we bought. I also make a huge effort during grocery shopping to not over buy. I know my family's eating habits and I know what we need to do to stay healthy. It's not easy but I balance them both, and that's the key. Nonetheless there is sometimes that one random clementine juiced in it's own rind rolling around the bottom of the fruit drawer, that sad limp celery stalk in the back of the crisper, the lonely handful of grapes on their way to making their own wine. I can't let that happen!

 

     If I notice a few things here and there that are straggling toward the end of the week I try desperately to take action. Last night we had a glorious fruit tart for desert. All in the name of conservation!

 

 

     We had one plum, two small peaches, 3 strawberries, and about a 1/4 cup of blueberries (which had already made their way to the freezer for longevity's sake). Hubby offered to whip up a quick pastry dough. Then I remember a random, lonely, single pre-made pie crust that my mom brought over for the last family get-together that was never used. It's just been taking up space in my freezer...sure not a ton of space but you get my drift. Plus unless I'm making pumpkin pie I'm going to need two crusts so this lil guy was never going to be used.

 

     We took the fruit and grilled it to really enhance the flavor. It makes the fruit super yummy! The grill adds a "rustic", earthy element to any item that I really love. Then we cut it all down to generally the same size pieces and tossed it with brown sugar, a teeny bit of cornstarch to bind and a pinch of salt to elevate the flavors. The mixture was placed in the center of the pie crust and the sides were folded up and pinched secure. We left the top open so it would cook faster, not be stretched too thin, and look cool too. With a damp hand hubby moistened the crust edges and then sprinkled a bit of raw sugar around the top. (Oh good, now there's no chance I won't eat ALL of it tonight, thanks Hubby.)

 

     It was popped in the oven at 375degF for 15-20 minutes. We put it in as we sat down to dinner, having made it with dinner prep, and it was perfectly cooled and ready to serve right after.  

 

 

     In the words of my youngest, "Tso, TSO yummy". What's best is that the reality is that these ingredients could have easily found their way into the trash or compost- a total waste. All it took was a teensy bit of creativity and effort and instead we had a glorious desert.

 

Happy Salvaging!

 

Simple City Sam 

Charting "Growth"

      The first day of Kindergarten has come and gone. I did well, no tears. She did amazingly! In fact it was all I could do to get her to allow us to accompany her all the way to the classroom, as opposed to leaving us outside school as she had suggested. Nonetheless she did it. We did it.

 

     I decided a few days ago that I needed to do something to help remember the first day of school every year! I wanted to make something special for me and her (and later her sister) to do together. So I thought about the questions that would be most changing, telling, and meaningful over the next several years of growth. I came up with three. I intend to ask her the same three questions every year and, of course, record for posterity and general overall embarrassment by her parents.

 

 

     This morning she and I sat down and went over the questions.

 

1. What is your favorite item? The thing you just can't do without?

2. What do you want to learn in school this year? What is your goal?

3. What's your life's ambition? What do you want to be when you grow up?

 

     I fully expect this to be a chore, filled with rolling eyes, in anywhere from 5-10 years from now. If that long! But I won't stop, oh no! I can't wait to see how her answers change. I can't wait to see how she reacts to her previous answers. Most of all I can't wait to see what the end of the school year brings and if she'll have mastered that hand stand!

 

 

For now we are taking it one step at a time. Mostly because that's all I can handle.

 

Simple City Sam