Care Packages

It is definitely a time for care packages.  There are so many circumstances right now that call for a little (or a lot of) extra love, whether it’s sickness or loneliness or a family effected financially.  Even just a general cheer boost is so very needed right now.

When I hear about someone is struggling, whether it’s during Covid or otherwise, I always want to reach out and do something.  I often struggle though with where to begin.  What to say.  What to send.  Especially when the circumstances are very tough, it’s hard to know just what to do.

I’ve been the very grateful recipient of some amazing care packages and gestures during times I really needed it, and this has been a big help in me getting over the hurdle of overthinking things and just reaching out with what feels right at the time.

 

The occasions when a care package is a good idea are endless, but here’s a small list based on when I’ve received or sent one:

–Expecting a new baby
–After a miscarriage 
–After an operation or surgery or treatment
–A birthday
–After a divorce or break-up
–For the parents or siblings after a new baby’s arrival
–For a big celebration- new job, new house, new pet, retirement
–When someone is sick
–After losing a loved one
–For someone who will be alone on a holiday
–After a major life event, happy or sad

 

Obviously, the occasions are limitless.  Every care package I’ve received over the years has put so much joy into my heart.  And while something sent via an online store is fun too, there is definitely something extra special about the time and effort of a hand-packed package.  So, here are some ideas for what to put inside:

Homemade cookies (These usually travel well, unless there are terrible mail delays.  I often make the cookies ahead of time and freeze them for a few days to give them a little extra chance.  I think homemade cookies are good for pretty much any occasion.  (A friend even sent a whole box of cookies to us after my mother-in-law passed away, and they were very much welcomed and appreciated.)

–Store-bought food goodies (After I gave birth to my first kiddo, my sister sent a whole package of baby/mini-sized store-bought snacks for me, and I still think back to how wonderful those tasted.  New mamas are HUNGRY!)

Homemade granola  {If I’m sending homemade treats in a priority box where weight doesn’t matter, I love reusing/upcycling glass jars to package them.  There are also eco-friendly, compostable sandwich bags available at stores for affordable prices.}

–Bath tea blend (I bought a bag of homemade bath tea after I gave birth to my first baby, and I loved how relaxing and calming it felt, even amidst the chaos.  Bath blends could be great for anytime, but especially when someone needs extra love and self-care.  There are some very simple blend ideas online.)

–Eye pillow (These are fairly easy to sew your own)

Corn bags

 

Paper fortune cookies

–“Hugs” (In a recent care package I sent out, I wanted so badly to be able to give hugs, so I cut out small hearts and wrote a “hug” message on each of them.  I wrote a separate hug from each member of our family to each member of their family.  So for their family of five I had five hearts from each one of our four family members, making 20 hearts total.  ” A hug from Mary to Jon”. “A hug from Mary to Natalie” etc.  I put them in a small envelope along with everything else.)

–Pajamas.  (Something about a well-chosen set of soft pajamas just says comfort and self-care.)

–Ditto with slippers

–A hand-written card (Never underestimate the power of your words, even if those words are, “I don’t know what to say right now.”)

–Artwork (If you love painting or creating, or if you have kids who do, this is a great thing to include.)

–If kids are on the receiving end, it’s always fun to include something extra for them (while being conscious of things like the mess or effort it puts on the parents, the interests of the kids, and the environmental impact).

Homemade play-dough.  (It’s not just for kids.  There’s something very relaxing about working with dough, and an adult is probably more likely to try this if it’s sent as a gift.)

–Coloring pages (As above, not just for kids)

 

Care packages are ultimately about the thought–the care you put into the package and the care you’re sending someone’s way.  I try my best to stay away from items that will add more work for the recipient, but, of course, I’ve also got the environmental bug in my ear as well.  Hopefully, the recipient will feel the love and thought that went into what’s been sent and know they’re on my heart.  What can be better than a surprise package in the mailbox that reminds us that someone cares

Clothes-Reducing and Reusing

CLOTHING LIST A-Z (see end of post)

I have a ways to go in the eco-conscious clothing cycle, but I thought I’d offer some basic thoughts here:

WHY REDUCE?
–Crops like cotton can be hugely wasteful.  Between the water waste and pesticides, simple items like t-shirts are a big source of environmental damage and waste.
–The production, transportation, and maintenance (washing/storage tubs/etc) of clothes contributes to their environmental impact.
–In one year, up to 18 million tons of textiles end up in landfills!

Step 1-REDUCE
–Before buying clothes, ask yourself if you really need them.  Are you wearing and appreciating what you already have?  Do you already have enough of this certain type of clothing?

–Choose wisely.  Choose clothes that are well-made, quality clothes, preferably ones that are made from conscious companies and sustainable materials.  These clothes may cost more initially, but will last longer and are better for our planet.

–Buy clothes that you’ll be able to enjoy for many years and make it a point to take pride in your clothing lasting.  I’m always surprised by how many people choose to comment in a negative way about their own outfits or others’ if they’ve had them too long.  This needs to start shifting, and I think people who are “influencers” can help this along.

–Speaking of which, buy clothing in classic styles that won’t be out of style anytime soon.

–Say “no” to free clothes that you won’t enjoy.  People have a tendency to get caught up in the moment of an event and the idea of “free,” but then usually quickly forget about these clothes.  It’s difficult for thrift stores to find customers for many of these event shirts.  Hopefully, as more people decline these free items that are causing environmental damage, events will start shifting away from these.

–Buy gently-used to keep the cycle going and to reduce the need for new clothing items.  There are SOOOoo many options for buying great gently-used clothing, whether it’s local thrift shops or online.  These are often great deals and unique finds!  (Just be sure your online purchases are staying eco-conscious too, between packaging, transportation, and the notes sellers sometimes like to include.)

Step 2- REUSE
When your time is done with an article of clothing, whether because you’re downsizing or the size doesn’t fit you or it’s worn out, you have a lot of options…

–IF the clothing item is still usable–and remember everyone has different standards on this–consider passing it along for someone else to enjoy.  This would be offering clothes to friends or family, putting it out at a sale, selling online, offering on Freecycle, having a clothing swap, or donating to a cause or thrift shop.

–IF the clothing item is a sentimental item for you, consider upcycling/repurposing it so you can continue enjoying it, instead of stuffing it in a box.  There are GREAT ideas online, and I’ve been collecting some on my Pinterest page.  Some that come to mind at the moment are–turning the item(s) into a pillow, a blanket, wall art, a stuffed animal, a shopping bag, a new/different item of clothing, etc.

–IF the clothing item has a flaw, but may still have life left in it, consider if it can be repaired.  Can you fix the zipper?  Can you naturally dye the stained clothing into a new color?  Can you turn the item into a new/different clothing item?  Can you sew it to fit a different member of the family?  Can you soak it in vinegar if it has developed a smell?  Can you add a new piece of elastic or a new button? etc.

–IF the clothing is no longer in wearable condition and can’t be repaired (excessive staining or tears), consider some of the upcycling/repurposing options mentioned above or others.  My favorite projects for usable pieces are making– fabric gift bags of all sizes, headbands and scrunchies, bean bags, doll clothes, bunting, decorations, and sewing projects with the kids.

–IF the clothing is no longer in wearable condition, etc. also consider salvaging pieces like buttons, zippers, laces, etc.  If you sew, these are great to have around!  If you don’t, you should learn!  ha.  Or offer them up to friends or on Freecycle or put them out in a bundle at a yard sale.  I also love saving and using back pockets from shorts and pants.  They’re already made and great for making seat back storage for cars or fun activities in kid busy books.

–IF the clothing is no longer in wearable condition, etc. and especially if you’ve been crafting/sewing with fabric, save your scraps!  Even if you don’t have scraps, you can make them by cutting your unwearable fabric into small pieces.  (A great project while watching a movie)  Save and use these as stuffing for new projects!

Step 3-RECYCLE
Once all the steps above have been explored…
–There are lots of places to recycle textiles.  Many towns offer large bins which say that they donate or recycle clothing.  My understanding is they use what’s usable and then reuse the rest as textile scraps.  You can search to see if your area has these bins.  I was happily surprised to find these in small towns where I’ve lived, although I have yet to find one in our current area.  I can’t bear to throw away so much fabric, so I’m making everything into my own scraps after I’ve done all I can with them, and I’ll use it as stuffing for animals, pillows, etc.

 

I shudder to think how many textiles are thrown into the trash each year.  I can’t even bear to look at a statistic for this post.  But hopefully, we as a collective are starting to make more conscious choices from the start by reducing, then reusing, and then, when we have to, recycling.  We can and will make a difference!

CLOTHING LIST A-Z

(These posts in progress.  Mostly just links to Pinterest pages about these items.)

Baby and Kid Clothes
Jeans
Shoes and Other Footwear
Socks
T-shirts/Jersey Fabrics
Undergarments

 

Pizza Pasta-Instant Pot

Pizza Pasta recipe

Well, this was some decadent goodness!  Quite easy and a big hit.

I did not add the sausage this time, because, well, I didn’t.  Also, I’m just realizing I completely forgot the Italian seasonings-oops.  I’m sure that would help bump this recipe up even more.  I was originally going to make our very simple homemade sauce, but we ended up using a jar of pasta sauce that was 18 oz.  So, that’s all I used.  I also think I only added about 20 oz of water.  I will check and update.  Oh, and definitely added more pepperoni.  I chopped the pieces that were being mixed in and left the others whole.  We used our home-grated cheddar from the freezer and a little Romano, instead of mozzarella.

Anyway, very good and very simple.

Best Curried Pumpkin Soup

Curried Pumpkin Soup recipe

This soup was so delicious!  We used coconut milk in place of evaporated milk, because we had one on hand and it sounded like a good combo.  I will say–Our kids, who normally eat almost anything (well…one of them does) did not care for this.  Maybe the curry?  I, on the other hand, couldn’t stop eating bowl after bowl.  Simple and delicious.  A definite keeper.

Homemade Butter

One of my favorite cookbooks is actually called, Make the Bread, Buy the Butter.  The author talks about which foods make more sense to create from scratch at home and which ones are better to just buy.  In the bigger picture, yes, butter for recipes and daily life is easier to buy.  But, the pure beauty and Wow! factor of homemade butter is just divine.

We had tried our hand at butter-making a couple other times in the past, but we were re-inspired after watching this video from the wonderful folks at Shelburne Farms.  (Check out all their videos and links–they are amazing!)  So, we grabbed some heavy cream and one of our Mason jars and got to work.  We shook and shook.  It only took about 5 minutes to get some beautiful whipped cream.  The butter took a bit longer.  I think the wonderful part about this activity is its parallel to so many of our goals in life.  At first, you’re just shaking and shaking the jar and it doesn’t seem like anything is happening…BUT, it is!  And then we were ready to give in at the whipped cream stage and just spread that on our gorgeous loaf of local bread, but we kept going.  This was the part that really seemed impossible at first.  How was a jar of whipped cream suddenly going to transform into butter?  But, keep going.  It’ll start to form a clump.  Then, keep going.  Suddenly you will feel and hear the liquid you heard in the first stages.  Only this time, the liquid is buttermilk that has separated from a lovely little ball of butter.

Homemade butter on fresh bread is one of the best treats I can think of.  I added some salt and crushed rosemary to mine.  Wow.  I highly recommend everyone give this a try at least once.

Some tips:
-I later read that it helps to leave the heavy cream out of the fridge for a bit (an hour?) before starting to help speed the process.  Noted
-As Cat says in the video, it’s definitely a good project to do with friends, as your arms may get tired.
-This is a good lesson in trust and perseverance.  The butter will happen.  I promise.
-Save the buttermilk and make something with it. (Pancakes?)
-We were wondering why they didn’t just add the salt during the mixing/shaking stage, until we realized the buttermilk would be affected.
-This is a great opportunity to look at pics and videos of old-fashioned butter churners.  (Word to the wise-Do NOT just type in “butter churner” and look at images in front of your kid–eeps!  Make sure to include the word “old-fashioned” or “traditional,” or preview ahead of time.)