Progressive Pioneer

The Friday Make and Do

Little paper toys to make, perfect for drizzly weather and chilly days.

Raw Experience

I often have trouble with gift giving.  For one thing I just kind of stink at picking out the perfect thing.  And for a lot of my growing up years, money was tight, so if a gift was to be gotten, it had to be good, and it had to be EXACTLY what the person wanted and needed, and not just something to fill a gift bag.  Also, not to be a scrooge, but I just think there's a lot of stuff in this world already, and if you live in a first world country you're really not hurting for much, so gift giving sometimes seems a little, I don't know, silly?  So with all that overthinking of gift giving swirling around in my head, when it comes time to give birthday and Christmas presents, I often feel completely lost!

I love what our friend Greg got for his wife Megan, for her birthday.  Something absolutely perfect for her, that she loved, that wasn't more stuff, and that she could share with her friends!

Mmm, Yogurt!

Do you make your own yogurt?  It's finally a regular part of my weekly routine; I make a whole gallon at once!  We mostly use ours in smoothies.  I posted about it here.

The Friday Make and Do

This is a BEAUTIFUL quilt made from felted wool scraps.  I'm wondering if I have enough in my stash to make one...  It looks so cozy!  (And speaking of cozy things, these aren't so much a make and do, but you could totally buy some of these cozy fish and support the artist- I love them!)

What Grandparents are Good For (and How to Sew Elbow Patches)

My parents flew out for a solid three weeks over the holidays and it was absolutely blissful.  My mom couldn't tear herself away and decided to extend her stay a few weeks more, so she's still here!  The more time my kids spend with their grandparents, the more ridiculous I think it is that we live so far away from both sets!  I noticed some pretty important and wonderful things happening with my kids when my parents were here.  There are just some things that grandparents do better...

Winter Squash Masala with Red Lentils

This post is sponsored by Cali's, a natural foods market at 389 W 1700 S in Salt Lake City.  Cali's carries everything listed in the following recipe except hot peppers. They have great deals on local and organically grown potatoes, onions, and garlic - perfect for this recipe!

About this time of year I start hankering for fresh and delicious SUMMER veggies!  Crazy, I know.  And it would be even crazier to buy them at the grocery store because A) they're flown in from who-knows-where, and B) they taste nasty!  I pretty much go without tomatoes all winter long if I can't get something grown locally.  Those hard, pithy, tomatoes should've even be allowed to carry the same name!  Anyway, point being, it's around this time of year that I start needing some exciting recipes for the good old winter stand bys (potatoes, squash, hearty greens, grains etc.).  I love this recipe because it's a crazy delicious spin on some of my winter pantry staples.