Scattered Sundays
YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!
Yes, I’m screaming. Shouting! Jumping up and down with joy, appreciation, and pure gratitude for you all.
As most of you saw, on Tuesday I put out a call for crowdfunding a mobility bike for a 16-year-old boy. Tuesday was the two year anniversary of my mom’s passing, and late Monday afternoon I got a bug up my butt about turning it into a day of service instead of one of just grief.
I had recently read an article about actress Selma Blair who has MS (like my mom did) and a three-wheeled bike called an Alinker that she uses. That got my mind churning and I checked out their website to see if there were any funding campaigns to take part in.
In honor of my mom, who taught elementary school for almost 25 years and loved kids, I chose the only youth who had an active campaign. And then I put out the word on Facebook, Instagram, email, and through many blogger friends like Brandi, Cassie, and Sarah.
And you guys…
We freaking did it! As a community, we bought the hell out of a bike for that kid!
His account had raised $750 in 47 days, and in ELEVEN hours, that kiddo had $3,200 raised, more than enough for a brand spanking new Alinker.
As soon as I saw that the campaign was fully funded, I went on Facebook and Instagram to say thank you in a video that could best be described as a hot mess. It was a day of all the feels.
And just when I thought it was safe to start wearing mascara again, the boy’s mom messaged me the next day to say thanks to you all for your amazing work. Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty much me being a squishy bag of emotions.
They have submitted their shipping details and don’t yet know when his Alinker will arrive. But you guys. You guys. She’s going to send me a photo of him with his new bike when it arrives and has given me permission to share it with all of you.
I.can’t.even.
Tuesday was a day that I couldn’t even believe this was my life. Where I could be connected to so many amazing people who were so generous either with money, prayers, or simply sharing the post on Facebook so that others could see it.
I was and remain in awe of you all. Thanks for letting me a part of it!
And…yeah we’re SO doing it again next year. August 6th – it’s on like Donkey Kong.
If you’re just hearing about this now and want to donate, there are so many worthy people who are trying to get their own Alinker. You can read their stories and donate here.
How I feel about all of you
Kylo Hen, one of our new “chickens”, did indeed turn out to be a rooster. As someone on Facebook noted, with a name like Kylo, he was bound to betray us.
A nice family from church with almost three acres was actually in need of a rooster for their flock, so Kylo joined them on Wednesday. Poor BB-Egg is alone in the mini portable isolation coop (she is too small to be with the other chickens yet. Chickens are mean assholes.) and is kinda sad.
And um, I think “she” might be a rooster too. 🙁 There is an occasional smokers cough sound coming from her. Like a 25 year waitress at a Reno casino. Sure hoping it’s just a phase…
Preschool man. It’s rough out there.
I’m trying something new for the rest of this month. I’m going to be publishing a post every single day. It will be a mix of new posts (Sunday posts and new recipes) and older posts that I have worked really hard on over the last six weeks to update and make better for you.
It’s just an experiment and part of me thinks it will be too much for everyone. Part of me thinks it could be really awesome. So keep me posted on how you’re feeling about it. And if I’m still standing and coherent, I’ll do the same. 🙂
Speaking of posts, I thought some of you would be interested in this article that a fellow food blogger from Imagelicious wrote called The Truth About Food Blogging. She talks about the work, time, and money that goes into developing recipes that we end up giving away for free.
I had a respectful discussion with someone recently about ads. Yep, ads suck. I hate them, you hate them, everyone hates them. But the truth is, this blog is a business and before I made a single penny, I’ve spent at least $800 a month to keep my site running and online.
And I have to buy ingredients to test recipes over and over. This Gluten-Free Chocolate Mug Cake took me seven months to get exactly right. This post on Where to Buy Bone Broth cost me $120 to source.
Her article is so true to life, especially the part about everyone having an opinion about what you name a recipe. I cannot tell you the heap of shit that comes through my emails and DMs about what I call things. It’s almost always “you’re wrong. It’s actually called xxx”.
They’re free recipes people. Unclench 🙂
Jack started soccer practice this week and is loving being back in game mode. But because he almost never lets me take photos of him anymore, Bennett agreed to be his stand-in.
And yes, those cleats ARE three sizes too big. But he wanted some “like bruddah” that that’s all Goodwill had.
A few months ago, I accidentally bought these silicone lids from Amazon. It was a happy accident and they have quickly come to be one of my favorite kitchen tools!
I use them to cover the bowls during the long rise when making No-Knead Bread. We use them to cover bowls of half-eaten food (kids are annoyingly wasteful), but my favorite discovery for them has been what Troy refers to as the “watermelon condom”.
I can keep half of a melon covered in the fridge for a few days while we eat the other half. It’s so nice to not use plastic wrap!
Butcher Box just announced they’re offering free scallops and bacon in the first box for all new subscribers. The scallops are all wild-caught and the bacon is nitrate-free and sugar-free (qualifies for Whole30).
We’re still making our way slowly through The Boys on Amazon. On nights when Troy is gone, I have my own shows that I watch without him. My most recent was Bad Blood on Netflix. Anyone who enjoyed Sons of Anarchy will love it. And it stars Tig!
I’m trying to decide what to watch next. I’m thinking Insecure or Fleabag. Any suggestions?
Our 10 by 10 experiment is going well. This week there was only one night of Jack cooking just due to schedules. He made Whole Wheat Pancakes and Make-Ahead Scrambled Eggs (which I ate for breakfast for four days).
What I’m Listening To This Week
Con Artists is a new show from Parcasters (I always think they’re saying Purrcasters) and it focuses on con men, pyramid schemes (if you “like” pyramid schemes and MLMs, check out The Dream) and grifters.
Reader Spotlight of the Week
Erin left this (hilarious) five-star review on my Nana’s Cucumber and Onion Salad:
This is always a huge hit in the summer when the garden is exploding with cucumbers and I don’t want to heat up the kitchen making long-term pickles. Even my little eats these! He requests them by name, “I have frugalpants cucs, Mom?” Note: We call Sarah by MrFrugalpants…
On Sustainable Cooks This Week
15 Easy Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes – You’ll love serving up these 15 Easy Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes for a fast morning meal. You’ll find Instant Pot oatmeal, eggs, and other pressure cooker breakfast recipes that are packed with flavor while being quick on time. Many recipes are Whole30 compliant, paleo, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian. There is a make-ahead breakfast here for everyone!
Canning Tomato Soup {Homemade Canned Tomato Soup} – Follow this step by step tutorial to learn how easy Canning Tomato Soup can be. The ultimate comfort food, this tomato soup base recipe can be pressure canned or done via water bath canning. You’ll love how quickly you can whip up an easy tomato soup recipe when you’re short on time.
Healthy Cinnamon Apples – Simple and sweet, these stovetop Healthy Cinnamon Apples are the perfect good for you comfort food. A bowl of cozy steamed apples are sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and Whole30 compliant. Cinnamon apples are also freezer-friendly and a perfect food for adults and kids alike.
31 Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes – 31 of the best Make-Ahead Breakfast recipes to help you and your family get out the door on time. Pop some of these simple breakfast recipes in the freezer and make it simple for kids to make their own meals. You’ll even find easy breakfast ideas that are vegan, low-carb, Whole30, and keto options.
Canning Carrots – Follow this step by step tutorial to learn how simple Canning Carrots can be. A key ingredient for so many comfort foods, once you know how to can carrots, your favorite soups/stews, and roasts can be ready in a flash. Pressure canning carrots is so much easier than you would expect.
The Five Most Popular Posts This Week
Yes, yes, my Mojito Mocktail is still #1 and the Trader Joe’s Whole30 Shopping List is still #2, and the rest of the posts are a celebration of delicious summer eating. And prepper food. 🙂
- Canning Peaches {Pin this tutorial}
- Dill Pickle Relish {Pin this recipe}
- Refrigerator Dilly Beans {Pin this recipe}
- Homemade Peach Ice Cream {Pin this recipe}
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips {Pin this recipe}
Meal Plan
If you’re looking for some help with meal planning, we highly recommend Momables. Momables emails you a weekly meal plan, shopping list and prep list for $10 a month. It rules.
Monday:: Salad with corn on the cob and grilled steak from Butcher Box. Yay summer!
Tuesday:: Paleo Salmon Cakes (I have everything in the pantry and fridge already) and salad.
Wednesday:: Soup. It’s going to be low 70’s and I need to photograph an upcoming recipe for November. Yep, working ahead! Grilled bread on the side.
Thursday:: Greek Turkey Meatballs with zoodles and potentially some bread for the boys. We have all the ingredients in the fridge/freezer/garden. Hurray!
Friday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night
Saturday:: Jack will tackle making homemade pizza using our whole wheat pizza dough recipe.
Sunday:: Family dinner
What are you having this week?
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This post contains affiliate links and we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you click through and make a purchase. This allows me to continue to provide free content, and I only share products that I use and love myself.
Loved Fleabag. Currently watching the last season of Orange is the New Black and it hurts to see the ICE deportation center that is featuring heavily this season. Too real!
Also loving The Expanse on Amazon. Its a sci-fi and super thrilling.
I stopped OINB maybe mid-way through the third season. I just found I no longer cared about most of the characters. But I’m sure the deportation center is stomach-churning given our reality.
Oh, I cannot recommend Fleabag highly enough. Watch it no matter what – it’s so quick (even with two seasons) that it almost doesn’t feel like a proper binge-watch. I adore it.
I started it last night and had to turn it off after three episodes.
It was TOO good and I wasn’t focusing on my work. Lol.
Been there!
Watermelon condom LOL! You can send J over here to practice making me food. I’d be totally OK with that 😛 And I can’t wait to see the photo of Jacob and his bike.
He’ll be there in 17 hours! 🙂
$800 a month! Plus all your time and labor! I’m not sure we’re worthy of you. So thank you. Though not a huge fan of kitchen stuff, I love your sustainability / environmental bent, family glimpses, and especially the bad (very bad) puns. Not to get too grandmothery, but don’t overdue and lose site of the wonder of you and your life. I’m a fan.
P.S. Don’t worry about the ads – You’re not even close to overload.
It took me 8 years before I wasn’t losing money on my blog every month. A bigger blogs pay a lot more for hosting (you pay for the number of visitors that come to your site) and their email service often reaches $1k a month!
I think all ads are too many, so I appreciate you saying that.
As someone who is not at all creative in the kitchen, I am so indebted to the delicious recipes that you food bloggers produce and share with us for free! I’ve learned so much and am forever amazed by the things people who are more creative than me can come up with. I’m amazed that there are people who actually complain about that.
On a completely random note: thank you for all the random other bits of info you share. At some point you mentioned that you line dry your clothes and then put them in the dryer for 10 minutes or so to kill off the pollen. My pansy-ass is suddenly allergic to the air again and I was mourning the loss of my ability to line dry clothes. Not anymore!!! That one statement has changed my life and the fella and I are thankful to enjoy the energy savings of linedrying again! So thank you for all that you do!
Wow, that is a total callback to years ago Bernie! So glad that little tip stuck in your mind and you’re still able to line dry. It’s one of my favorite tips, and if you toss a super damp washcloth in with the clothes it helps soften them up even more.
I must have been reading an older post or something. It was like brand new info lol. I’ll have to remember the damp rag trick; we had a towel that stayed a little crunchy this week.
I told my 9 year old about the 10 by 10 idea and he loved it. We’re in! So far, we’ve worked on chocolate chip cookies (and I’m all for that!). Next up is hard boiled eggs and maybe a pasta recipe? Whatever strikes his fancy.
I have problems with the messiness, but am doing my best to not micromanage and let him do his thing. We’ll see how it goes! Thank you for the idea!!
I think chocolate chip cookies are one that benefits everyone! 🙂
The messiness still bothers me every single time. Maybe I’ll get over it eventually. Good luck to you both!
If you haven’t seen Derry Girls on Netflix yet, I highly recommend it.Â
I’ve heard that recommended on another podcast before. I’ll check it out!
Wow, Sarah. I thought I had a bit of understanding about what food blogging entailed. I was so wrong. Thank you for all you do to keep me entertained and informed. I especially appreciate the way you include vegan recipes! I clicked through to The Truth about Food Blogging, which had a link to Stop Complaining about Free Recipes. I have a new appreciation and understanding of why food blogs are structured the way they are and the time/money it takes to provide the content to readers. I’m in awe of anyone who creates a recipe out of thin air! Thank you so much for all you do. I never miss a post, and I believe I’ll start clicking on your site over and over again:)
The Stop Complaining About Free Recipes is a great article too! Everything she mentions is so very true. And I’m not sure if you read the comments, but some people were upset that she was being negative and another person asked her to speak slowly on videos. You can’t win when you’re working with the public!
Thanks so much for being a reader! 🙂