Looking for Crafty Readers

Hey, Friends! So this is something I've done in years past, and I thought it would be fun to do again.

As you know, I love all things crafty and DIY. I wish I had the desire and ambition to make things to sell, but I'm usually a one-project-and-move-on kind of girl. I might make something and then get lots of people who request one, but I just don't enjoy making the same things over again (the masks last yera totally wiped me out! hahaha). Also, I get nervous that it won't be good enough if someone is paying for it! I'm kind of a perfectionist in that way.

I know just how much time and effort goes into crafts and it's not always easy to sell them. So, with the holidays coming up, I'd like to offer free advertising for those of you with Etsy shops or other ways of selling your handmade crafts. I don't have the largest reach in the blogosphere (I'm a minnow in the ocean!) but I do have a bigger audience than I ever anticipated. I am SO grateful that it has allowed me to earn a modest income and I like to share that in various ways with my readers when I can.

So, if you would like to share a link to your small crafting business/Etsy page/etc., here is your chance! I would also like to promote anyone who is looking for donations for particular gifting items (if you are adopting a family for the holidays, for example, adopting a soldier, donating toys to a shelter, or even donating items to an animal shelter). 

Here are a few guidelines:

1) The stores must be small self-run businesses or Etsy shops or something like that, where you are the sole owner/crafter.

2) They must be exclusively handmade or DIY items by YOU.

3) Donations requested may not be monetary donations; you can make a wishlist on Amazon to share or create a list of items requested and to where they can be sent. No links to GoFundMe or other sites like that.

4) If you are requesting items for donation, you must explain who it is for (without giving personal identifying details, of course) and why they need donations. Also, when and how you plan to deliver them.

5) You may include a discount code for Runs for Cookies readers (this has been popular in the past) if you'd like.

To make a submission:

1. Please send me an email describing your crafting business--what your craft is, what sort of items you make, how you sell them, a link where people can find it, and anything else you may find relevant. Keep this to 1-2 paragraphs (or if it's longer, I may edit it down depending on how many submissions I get).

2. Please attach 2-4 photos of your items for sale (or more if you'd like me to choose the best ones to use) or pictures of items that you've sold in the past. (Please don't edit the photos or collage them--I'd like to do that in a uniform way for my blog.) The higher the resolution, the better!

I really hope that you'll consider sharing your business on here! It's been super fun to see in the past. Here is an example post: Handmade with Love: Readers share their handmade crafts.

It's important to note that I reserve the right not to post something if it doesn't follow the guidelines or if I otherwise see a reason for it. But the point of this is to share your talents and maybe make some sales for the holidays! (You may want to note whether orders can be fulfilled before Christmas.)

Deadline: Please make sure to submit the info by Friday, November 26th so that I can have the weekend to put the post together and get it published ASAP. 

Like I said, I don't typically sell things (once in a GREAT while I'll do it) but here are a ton of things I've made for gifts over the years...

I've seen a TON of amazing crafts from readers, things I couldn't imagine being able to do, and it's super fun to see all of the talented crafters' work out there. So, please please consider submitting!

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HERITAGE RECIPE: Sausage Upside-Down Pie

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while because Sausage Upside Down Pie is not a recipe I've ever heard of. (I don't google recipes before I make them because if they already exist on the internet--highly likely--I don't want to know that. These recipes are OLD--much older than the internet--so it's fun to think of them as being unique.)

This recipe was submitted to the Rockwood, Michigan Area Historical Society via James Lezotte's Groceries & Meats Meat Recipe book, noted to be from 1948-1949, submitted by Jeanne Drouillard. I really wanted to find some information about James Lezotte's Groceries & Meats--I'd never heard of it and I couldn't find anything about it. I searched and searched (for a few hours) and I found a few men named James Lezotte from that area, but I don't know which one is him. And I didn't find anything at all about about the recipe book. It is noted that the featured recipe in the book was called "The Stew of Distinction".

There are several recipes from that cookbook in this heritage recipe book, so I may be making more of them in the future. This one for Sausage Upside-Down Pie was DELICIOUS. I think the flavor depends a lot on the type of sausage you use. It doesn't specify the sausage other than "pork sausage"; I used hot pork sausage because we like spicy food.

Jerry and I both loved this (my kids don't like sausage, so they weren't into it). It was kind of fun making the layers and then getting to turn it over onto a platter when it was done (or, in my case, a tart dish, which is what I had).

Because this is called a "Pie", I made it in a pie pan. It was the perfect size!

As always, my rule for making the heritage recipes is that I cannot substitute or modify ingredients--I make the dish exactly as specified, and when it's unclear, I interpret it the best I can. The "printer-friendly" version is rewritten with my clarifications after making the recipe. On this post, I've written it out exactly as it is printed in the heritage cookbook. See my notes after the recipe for clarifications.

Definitely not very pretty... but sometimes the best foods just don't look very good!

Here is a printer-friendly version!

Sausage Upside-Down Pie

1 lb. bulk pork sausage
2 T. water
2 med. onions, sliced
1 can tomato soup
2 c. biscuit mix
1/2 to 2/3 c. milk

Shape sausage into patties and place in frying pan. Add water, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove cover and allow water to evaporate and sausage to brown. Place sausage in casserole. Brown onion rings in sausage drippings. Arrange onions on meat. Cover with tomato soup. Add enough milk to biscuit mix to make a soft dough. Roll it to fit casserole and place on top of meat mixture. Bake in moderately hot oven (400 F) for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn out on platter and serve. 6 servings.

My Notes:

Like I said, I just chose hot pork sausage. It was a delicious choice!

I assumed the tomato soup was condensed tomato soup from a can. I just used Campbell's, which has been around since 1897--that really surprised me! I assumed it would have been from the 1950's for some reason.

I assumed the biscuit mix referred to Jiffy brand baking mix, which has been around since the 1930's (and originated in Michigan!).

I ended up using 1/2 cup milk to get the soft dough. Keep in mind that it needs to be rolled out, so you don't want a sticky dough. Mine seemed really dry at first, but once I stirred it well, it was a good consistency. It was very soft like bread dough; not stretchy like pizza dough or crumbly like pie crust.

When I cooked the onions, I wasn't sure how long to cook them--to totally caramelize them or just get them soft? I did somewhere in-between. They were soft, but still had some texture and weren't totally browned. I could have eaten a whole bowl of the onions themselves--they were spicy from the sausage drippings and sweet from the slight caramelization.

Baking time was perfect--I baked mine for 19 minutes.

I was surprised just how easy it was to flip the whole thing over after it baked. I don't know if it was because of a new-ish non-stick pie pan, but I didn't have to fight with the dough to loosen from the sides. I placed the tart dish over the top of the pie plate and quickly flipped the whole thing over. A little tomato soup spilled over the side, but it was no big deal.

It smelled delicious! (As far as looks, well... I'm not a food photographer!) It was a little difficult to cut evenly because of the sausage patties. I think next time, I will arrange the patties so they fit neatly into where I could make cuts. Or perhaps just crumble the meat while I brown it rather than form patties (actually, that would be a great idea).

The biscuit later was pretty thick--I loved it like that, but if you're not so much into biscuits, you might want to use 1-1/2 cups of mix instead of 2 cups. I rolled mine out a little too big and had to smush it into the pan a bit.

Overall, this recipe was a winner! I wish I knew more about Jame's Lezotte's Groceries & Meats. I'll definitely make more of his recipes, though.

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Friday Night Photos

Unfortunately, I don't have many photos to post tonight. I already shared a lot of them this week! But here is what I do have...

Do you ever feel like someone is reading over your shoulder? I always hate that! When I'm trying to read something out loud to Jerry, it drives me crazy when he looks at it along with me. Well, I was writing my blog post and definitely had the feeling someone was reading over my shoulder. I literally gasped out loud when I turned and the kittens were right in my face.

They were being so funny! There was a tiny moth in the house and they followed it around for the longest time. It's hilarious to watch them because their heads move totally in sync with each other as they follow the path of the moth with their eyes.

I've been trying to make more room in the garage and take up less space with my woodworking stuff, so I've been trying to condense things. I added a little shelf out of scraps today underneath the table that I made for my table saw. There, I'm able to store all of my small tools like the drill, circular saw, router, etc. I hung my cross cut sled on the left side (that takes up a lot of room, so hanging it there is super helpful). 

I also built this little cart on wheels out of some scraps I had--it's just for my planer (there is a shelf underneath, so I'll put stuff there, too). Weighing 90 pounds, the planer is the heaviest tool (by far) in the garage. It makes a ton of shavings, so I like to use it outside--which means I have to carry it. It's a very awkward thing to carry because of its width and I'm 100% sure that it contributed to my recent back issues. So this little cart is my new favorite thing! 

This is how dark it's been when I get done running! It's pitch black by 6:00 PM. I really love running at dusk, though. It feels more like fall to me for some reason.

My mom sent me this picture of Luke and Riley. She took them trick-or-treating at some of the shops downtown and she knows how much I like skeletons, so she had them sit next to one for a picture. They are so cute!

Speaking of skeletons, Jerry posed ours this way to bug the kids into putting away their laundry. This is a CONSTANT battle with them! I've gone as far as taking their basket of clothes out to the garage so they'd have to go get clothes from out there. I've threatened to throw their clothes in the fire pit (and I was VERY close to doing it--it was a bad day!). I've given them deadlines and whatever isn't put away when the time is up, I'll take it and charge them $1 per item to get back from me. If any of you have ideas that work for getting your kids to put away their laundry, please tell me!

Also, I'm curious if other people noticed something about the skeletons. My kids think I'm crazy (haha, joke's on them--I *am* crazy!) for noticing it, but the tibia and fibula bones are switched in the skeletons. I thought maybe it was just ours, but even in the pictures of them on Amazon the fibula is on the inside instead of the outside.

It's so funny whenever we get a box in the mail. The cats all take turns getting inside. Chick was first, then Estelle, then Duck--all within an hour or so. (Phoebe waited until later.) This box was pretty small and Chick looked so big inside!

But why sit in one box when you can sit in four at the same time? Hahaha! We had four boxes that happened to work out like nesting boxes and I actually felt bad for nesting them because then the cats couldn't play in them. Well, Duck begged to differ ;)

Jerry sent this to me and I thought it was hilarious. That poor cat! Hahahaha. 

Finally, I saved this one for last in case anyone needs cheering up. I saw this on Instagram. I tried these as I read them, and I literally laughed out loud. My favorite is when you pinch your nose and say "sneep snop" over and over. Then I told Jerry to try it and it was even funnier listening to him to do it.

Have a great weekend! xo

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Return to Running Recap : Week 24

Man, Daylight Saving Time really messed me up. It's 7:00 PM right now but it's pitch black outside and I feel like I should be getting ready for bed! I've been running at around 5:00-5:15 PM and it's dark when I get home. If my joints didn't hurt so badly in the mornings, I'd run early, when it gets light outside. (My appointment with the rheumatologist is on Monday; I'm 99% sure she's going to order an MRI of my back based on the recommendation of the radiologist due to my x-ray results. REALLY hoping for some real answers this time.)

Anyway, remember I said I was super determined to get all four runs in this week in order to complete the first week of MAF80? Well I did it! This post might be long (there is a 100% chance that it will be) so I'll just get right to it. (If you're not familiar with my current training, you can find the details on this training plan I wrote.)

Week 24, Run #1 - Run 40 minutes at MAF heart rate.

This run just plain sucked. I don't mind bringing Joey with me when I don't have to watch my heart rate, but when I am running at MAF, he gets impatient and wants to go faster. So he nearly chokes himself by pulling on the leash, which causes me to have to give resistance, which causes my heart rate to rise a bit. So keeping my heart rate low was tough, and I went at a slower-than-normal pace.

I didn't even run 3 miles in the 40 minutes! I didn't want to bring Joey but I felt guilty because he KNOWS when I'm going for a run. As quiet as I am getting dressed, putting on my shoes, etc., he just somehow knows. So I told my kids that from now on, when I'm going for a run, they need to take Joey for a walk at the same time.

I noticed that this graph is wrong, and I don't know if it's been like that all along and I didn't notice or if there was an update or something that changed my zones. But Zone 2 should be 131-141 bpm. My heart rate got up to 141 several times, but that's my MAF rate; it should be Zone 2. I changed the settings after this.

Week 24, Run #2 : 8 mins at MAF, then 4x (3 mins H, 5 min MAF)

I actually really like doing intervals when I keep my easy running to MAF heart rate. It feels good to go for a short hard run and then I get to walk until my heart rate returns to 131 (the bottom of my MAF range). Then jog a little and repeat.

I really wasn't in the mood to run, but as soon as I started, I was happy I did. The weather was PERFECT for running and I tried to push myself harder than last week during the "hard" intervals. I actually managed to do a couple of them at a sub-10:00 pace. Last week, my average for the harder intervals was 10:27 and this week it was 10:03. 

I put little red dots next to the harder intervals. My heart rate didn't get very high, so I certainly could have gone faster. I'm still figuring out my paces for each heart rate target.

The recovery/MAF laps include my walking time; I found that it usually takes about 80 seconds for my heart rate to get down to 131 bpm, which is when I start jogging again.

This was a great run! I felt accomplished.

Week 24, Run #3 : Run 40 minutes at MAF heart rate.

This time I wanted to try something a little different. Usually, I aim for the middle of my MAF heart rate zone (my zone is 131-141, so I like to see the mid-130's). For this particular run, I decided to try to stay at the very top of my MAF zone and see what my pace was. I set my Garmin to alert me at 142 bpm so that I would know to slow down.

I was surprised at how much faster I was able to run with the difference of just a few beats per minute. When I aim for the mid-130's, my pace is usually about 13:30/mile. During this run, I kept my heart rate very close to 141 the whole time, and my pace ended up being about 12:30/mile.

Interestingly, though, I didn't enjoy the run nearly as much as I do when I run at a mid-130's heart rate. A few beats per minute made a big difference! I felt more tired, my breathing was heavier, and I just plain didn't enjoy it as much. So I'll likely do my 40-minute MAF runs at mid-MAF range. I want to truly LIKE running! And when I go slowly at a low heart rate, I really do like it.

The reason it got into Zone 3 was because I'd accidentally set the alert to 142 thinking that it would alert me when it reached 142. However, it alerted me when it shifted from 142 to 143--so I spent some time at 142, thinking it was 141. (Yes, that was confusing to read.) Now I know to change it for next time.

Week 24, Run #4 : Run 20 mins at MAF heart rate, then 8 mins hard, 2 mins walk, 10 mins hard.

I almost skipped this run. I was feeling SO lethargic from taking my anxiety medication (I don't take it often because I hate this side effect--my limbs get heavy and I just feel kind of lazy. It basically acts like a mild sedative. My anxiety has been pretty bad, so I took it and then regretted it all day because I couldn't get anything done.

It was also cold, windy, and raining all afternoon. I love running in the rain, but not when it's cold and windy on top of it! By evening when I was supposed to head out, the wind had died down and it was barely sprinkling. I knew I'd regret it if I skipped this final run, so I went for it.

After a couple of minutes, I realized that I'd forgotten to get my heart rate monitor wet again, so my heart rate was reading really high. I knew it was because of my chest strap being so dry. So what's a girl to do in that situation? I licked my hand, reached under my shirt, and wiped the spit underneath the chest strap--hahaha! I'm hoping no one was looking out their windows. There is really no way to do that discreetly. It worked, though! My heart rate dropped into the 130's immediately.

But oh, man, the run felt hard. My legs felt like lead! I was moving really slowly but my heart rate was at the top of my MAF zone for the first 20 minutes. I was kind of relieved to hit the first tempo interval so that I didn't have to worry about my heart rate--I could just run faster so it would be over sooner.

The 8 minutes seemed to last forever; then I got to walk for 2 minutes and catch my breath; then I started running hard again. As soon as I started running, I realized I needed to listen to music instead of a podcast. The podcast was boring and wasn't taking my mind off of my feeling uncomfortable, so I turned on my running playlist.

The first song to come on was 'Bump' by the Kottonmouth Kings and it couldn't have been more perfect at that moment! I immediately picked up my speed and my legs felt a little springier. I'm going to make that my go-to song when I need a pick-me-up while running. (A lot of people have never heard of Kottonmouth Kings, but those who know them are usually quite taken aback that I like them so much! Hahaha.)

The music definitely helped me feel less like I was dragging my feet and more like I was running. I could have sworn my pace was a lot faster than it was, but maybe that's because my legs were so tired.

I felt really good when I got home. And so glad that I actually finished all four days this week. Hopefully I can do it again for Week 25 :)

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Wednesday Weigh-In : Week 24

After a super disappointing weigh-in last week (even though I expected it), I was really determined to be meticulous this week about my calorie counting.

The four-week DietBet that I joined ends next Wednesday (I have to do my final weigh-in on Wednesday or Thursday). I have to be at 156.9 or less in order to win my money back--and it was a $100 bet!

Last week's weigh-in was 162.8, so I was feeling a bit panicked. I hadn't made any progress in a whole month (which was my own fault). I had hoped that joining the DietBet would keep me on track so I would continue losing weight. Anyway, last week's weigh-in was a wake-up call and it definitely helped me to have a great week.

I spread my calories a little more through the day (I ate breakfast for a few days, but then went back to no breakfast--I just really don't like eating in the mornings). I've been eating lunch, dinner, and a snack. I've been choosing lower calorie foods than usual to reduce my total daily intake a little. I usually average around 1600 per day, but I've been averaging around 1400 this week. I don't plan to do that forever, but I want to hit my goal for the DietBet next week.

As you know, I've been dying to get back into the 150's--I've been so close for six weeks or so--and today, I did it!

I was at 158.8 this morning. I was shocked and thrilled at the same time. I'm down 4 pounds from last week and 38.2 pounds in 24 weeks. I still don't know if I'll hit my DietBet goal--I'd have to drop another 2 pounds this week--but if I don't, at least I'll know that I tried my best (well, for the last couple of weeks of the bet, haha).

I don't like this feeling of a deadline, so I'm not going to join another DietBet. This is one of the reasons I've never been a big fan of DietBet. I'm still doing the six-month one, and that ends in just over a month. I've already met my goal for that, so I just have to make sure I don't gain the weight back.

This week, I'm just going to continue doing what I've been doing. One thing I can definitely improve on though is my water intake. The weather is colder and I'm always freezing--and when I'm cold, the thought of drinking water is completely unappealing. (Funnily enough, I still chew ice all day long, haha!)

I get a LOT of water intake due to the ice (I recently started measuring the water that I put in the ice machine out of curiosity--I wanted to know how much water I get from the ice--and it's about a gallon a day! Crazy, right?). Because of the ice, I am not technically dehydrated, but somehow I always feel dehydrated when I don't drink actual water. And my mouth is always dry when I chew ice, so I still feel thirsty.

I think I'll make myself drink a water bottle full of water in between each water bottle filled with ice. The ice will be my incentive for drinking the water.

(I know it's weird that I chew ice. I am not anemic--people always ask that--and there is really no reason for the ice chewing. I just like it! Jerry bought me an ice machine that makes really soft ice so it doesn't break my teeth. It's probably my favorite gift ever, haha.)

In summary, I had a great week and hope to have another great week. I feel really encouraged because I haven't been in the 150's since August of 2018--over three years ago! I'd still like to lose about 20 more pounds, but I feel a million times better than I did 24 weeks ago. My next big goal is 153--that will put me back at 100 pounds lost!

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Transformation Tuesday #48

Happy Transformation Tuesday! I have a few fun transformations to share today...

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This may seem like an obvious one--this is simply before and after watering my plant! As a health coach, I always encourage my clients to stay hydrated--as humans, water is just as important, even if the signs of dehydration aren't quite as dramatic as my Calla Lily!

- Judy, North Carolina

Judy, that is such a great tool to use as a lesson to drink more water! Haha, I love how it looks so much perkier. What an awesome visual for the power of hydration. -Katie

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About three years ago, we took some money we got from the passing of my mother-in-law to build a cabin on a lake in Northwest Minnesota. We've done a great deal of work ourselves (picture shingling in late November on an icy roof), but that makes us appreciate it all the more. I'm sure you know how expensive cabinets are--and that old cabinets were often times much better quality! I purchased a "solid oak kitchen" off of Craigslist for $600 and was able to repurpose the cabinets for the kitchen and two bathrooms with a little rebuilding and paint. 

- Melissa

Melissa, you got such a great deal on those cabinets!! And WOW--they look absolutely stunning. It's insane how much new cabinets cost (which is why I just painted my cheap-o ones). I love the colors you chose! -Katie

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I just wanted to share a couple of transformations I recently completed. I am proud of them because I did them myself! I saw that a few people started changing their kitchen backsplashes simply with stick on type tiles.

I found something called Smart Tiles which got great reviews and seemed simple enough to use after watching a few YouTube videos. My original backsplash was plain white linear square ceramic tiles which were just boring to me. The nice thing about these Smart tiles were that they were able to go right over the ceramic ones with no demolition required.

After that, I got ambitious and decided that I wanted to resurface the fireplace mantle. The old black slate just seemed too outdated. So again I found a tile that you could stick on top. However, due to the nature of this tile material and the thickness, I could not simply use a box cutter. Although some of the reviews indicated that is what they used, it would not work for me. I tried using a little variable speed scroll saw, but kept messing up the cuts unable to hold the tiles straight. Finally after lots of frustration, I pulled out the scary sliding mitre saw and got it done. Not as simple as I hoped, but happy it's completed. My next step is to follow some YouTube videos to replace the fireplace glass. 

- Laura

Laura, you did an AMAZING job! I applied those in my kitchen and it was definitely a lot more work than I thought it would be, but it was worth it. The color looks so much warmer in your kitchen--love it. And your fireplace looks fantastic! I'm excited to see what you do with the glass :)  -Katie

(If anyone is interested, here is the (affiliate) link to Smart Tiles on Amazon. There are SO many different ones to choose from. I want to get some for my bathroom eventually.)

Thanks so much for sharing your transformations! I'm always excited to see what you come up with for Transformation Tuesday. Please keep sending them! Just take a before photo and an after photo and send it to me at: katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com. Include your name and a description of the transformation. Remember--it can be a transformation of ANYTHING, so get creative!

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