Laughter Truly Is The Best Medicine

The Mustache

Welcome to Monday, dear reader. Sadly, it was a rather somber weekend at the farm. Just know that we are all okay and will be okay, and it is a highly unusual and private matter. Amidst the sadness, we had little moments of joy and a reprieve from the anxiety. I made The Bean and her beau the TikTok trendy Brrr baskets for Christmas. A Brrr basket is like an Easter basket but winter-related. I filled the kid's Brrr baskets with matching pajamas and slippers, hot cocoa, matching mugs, a variety of card games, jigsaw puzzles, candy, snacks, scented candles, and self-care products (Seriously, her parents make self-care products it's only fitting).

This weekend, the Brrr baskets were a welcome distraction. We broke out the snacks, made hot cocoa, and played one of the card games together as a family. The chosen card game was Truth or Dare. I am a reluctant game player. Again, I believe this is just part of my boring, introverted personality, but honestly, I would rather quietly read than play a game. I know I am not fun. My family and I were pleasantly surprised at just how much fun this new game was for everyone.

Once we mastered the rules, and it took a few rounds before we all caught on, we had a good time. I don't think it was coincidental that the most outlandish dares always involved me. I had my head wrapped in toilet paper like a mummy and a mustache drawn under my nose with a Sharpie. The Bean had to reenact a scene from her favorite television show playing all the parts, Pook-A-Dook had to go out on the porch and yell three times, "I do believe in fairies!" and my bib overall wearing wonder buns had to bust out his favorite dance moves. At one point, I laughed so hard I couldn't catch my breath. It was good for all of us to have an opportunity to shake the heaviness of the happenings and laugh together.

After we finished several rounds of our game, we felt a little lighter. Although laughter did not cure our sadness, it helped us get through a complex and emotional situation. Laughter is the best medicine. With our crew, you'd better have a good sense of humor, or you'll be in trouble. I'm generally a good sport and do an exceptional job laughing at myself. When you screw up as much as I do, it's good not to take yourself too seriously. If it gives the people I love a reason to giggle and forget about their grief for a few minutes, go ahead and wrap me in toilet paper and draw handlebar mustaches on me until your little heart is content. Of course, there is visual proof of the shenanigans that occurred.

On this chilly, grey January day, stay safe, be smart, laugh when possible, sometimes laughing is all you can do to keep from crying, and keep washing your hands.

Foodie Friday: Long Island Pot Pie

I don't know what part of the country you are in, dear reader. I can tell you that here, in Southwestern Pennsylvania, it is cold. I am not describing just a brief chill but a deep, bone-chilling cold that makes one not want to go outside unless one has to walk one's large, obnoxious dog or break through layers of ice multiple times a day for one's animals to drink. With animals, one has no choice but to bundle up and get tasks done as quickly as possible. My bib overall-wearing buddy spoils me. He has been watering my chickens, feeding my geese, and caring for the goats so I don't have to go out into the cold. The only thing he doesn't do is walk Buster. Buster does not want to venture out for too long, either. Yesterday, given the choice of going for a walk or sleeping on a pile of The Bean's dirty laundry, he chose the latter.

Weather like we have experienced the past few weeks makes me crave warm, cozy comfort food. I have forced myself to refrain from making soup no more than once a week. However, dark winter weather makes my soul crave meals from my childhood, thick, comforting stews, and the occasional spiced baked treat. Our work in the studio is on track, and we are well caught up from the holiday rush. Our girls only produce an average of three cups of milk daily. When milk production is down, so is soap and moisturizer production. I have time to work on house projects and spend rare, nonplussed time in the kitchen. Today, I think I will take advantage of that time and begin my kitchen overhaul. That will begin with painting the ceiling. Sigh, I hate to paint ceilings. If I am working on painting the kitchen, I must simplify my meals. The recipe I share today can be made in the crockpot for hands-off simplicity or in the oven. I have done both and am pleased with the results.

When I was a kid, my mom made a simple meal she called Long Island Pot Pie. I have researched and Googled this recipe and the ingredients but have come up empty-handed. I am unsure where the recipe originated. However, as a kid, it was one of my favorites. The ingredients are pantry staples: tomato sauce, carrots, ground beef, onion, diced potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, a bit of sugar, and biscuits. My mom always made Bisquick biscuits, but you could substitute them with your favorite biscuit recipe. This recipe comes together rather quickly and is warm, comforting, and filling. It is the perfect cold-weather meal. Let's get started.

Long Island Pot Pie

-1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained of fat

-4 large potatoes: I like Yukon Gold potatoes

-5-6 carrots, cleaned, peeled, and sliced into chunks

-1 large onion chopped

-2 16oz. cans of tomato sauce

-1 TBLS. Worcestershire sauce

-1 TBLS. sugar

-1 tsp. garlic powder

-salt and pepper to taste

-In a Dutch oven or large, heavy skillet, brown the ground beef and drain the fat

-Add the onion and spices, cook until the onions are translucent

-Add the tomato and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for five minutes

-Add the potatoes and carrots if using a crockpot or Dutch oven. If using a large skillet, transfer the contents to a large, heavy baking dish.

-Combine all ingredients and bake for one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes at 350 degrees.

-Combine all ingredients and cook on low for six to eight hours if using a crockpot

-When thirty minutes of cooking time remain, mix up your biscuits and bake them following your recipe's directions

-Serve the stew in bowls and top with the biscuits

-Enjoy

On this cold January day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy delicious comfort food, and wash your hands.

There Is Luxury In Simplicity

My excitement for the new year continues. Much of this excitement surrounds new soaps, scents, products, and business growth. I LOVE creating new products. I genuinely enjoy seeing ideas become a reality. I like it even more when my new ideas are well received by my soap family. I think of new products from a problem-solving perspective. What problems are my soap family facing regarding skincare? How can I create something that will improve someone's life, make it a bit more comfortable, aid in healing, and add comfort and luxury to self-care? My new mantra is, "There is luxury in simplicity."

Allow me to share my skincare concerns with you. As a 50+ woman, I notice fine lines around my eyes and, even more disturbingly, my lips. I am not a smoker; I have never been one. I naively thought fine lines around one's lips only happened to smokers. Again, no one willingly or openly shares this information about aging. You don't have to live a life filled with harsh habits to suffer the effects of aging. Sigh. I also am noticing deeper lines around my eyes. Oh, and let's talk about eyelids. I have sagging eyelids. My Grandma Tillie was a beautiful woman. She loved to have her hair played with and her make-up done. Doing Gram's hair and make-up was a rare treat as a child. Nobody, and I mean nobody, wanted a six- or seven-year-old to do their hair except for Tillie. I remember using both hands to flatten her eyelids when applying eyeshadow. Rather than a smooth, flat surface, I would chase the saggy skin of her eyelids across the expanse of her face. She would always laugh at me for commenting on her loose skin. Where most women would take offense, Tillie laughed it off. She was a good sport.

I am sad to report, dear reader, that I seem to have inherited Tillie's saggy eyelids. Each morning, I wake up and cautiously look in the mirror, expecting to see my dad's "Boss Hog jowls" swaying in the draft. I am pleased to report this is one Tonkin trait I have yet to develop. I am sure the Boss Hog jowls are in my future, but for now, Tillie's saggy eyelids and fine lines around my lips are my main concert.

I pushed for hyaluronic acid to deal with the sagging eyelids and fine lines. One bib overall-wearing diplomat declares I am beautiful regardless of fine lines and wrinkles, which he lies and says do not exist. Although I appreciate his kindness, I am not a fool. After slathering myself in layers of hyaluronic acid cream, he claims he sees a difference in the appearance of the fine lines and wrinkles that concern me. I believe I see a difference, too. I also notice a new, dewy softness to my skin. I am continuing my love affair with hyaluronic acid.

My next area of concern is my feet, more explicitly, my heels. My dear, twenty-four-year-old buddy Jenna pointed out that my heels are "nasty." Sigh. Jenna still has youth on her side, growth hormones, and doesn't creak and crack when she bends over to pumice the dead skin off her heels. Oh, the things we take for granted when we are young! Jenna is correct in her observation that my heels are nasty. I have always struggled with calloused, dry, cracked heels. Well, dear reader, since my bib overall-wearing buddy has been so open and agreeable to using hyaluronic acid, I am now making my pitch for a line of foot care products. In my little mind, I envision a milk-based foot soak, a milk-based foot scrub, a pumice soap for feet, and a hyaluronic acid-filled foot balm to complete the foot care process. I went rogue and ordered crushed pumice for the soap and scrubs without conferring with my business partner. It's coming, dear reader. I'm going to get this done while he is weak and agreeable. Insert a wink.

What are your areas of concern, dear reader? I would love to hear what you, as my soap family, want to see regarding new products. Is there a problem area, a new ingredient, or something I could help combat? I am open to suggestions. Now is a great time to strike. One bib overall wearing nay-sayer is feeling very agreeable.

On this gloomy, grey January day, stay safe, be smart, and let me know what you think; we can age gracefully together; there truly is luxury in simplicity, and keep washing your hands.