Dehydrating #5 and #6

Life has been busy. I'm finally getting around to writing the next part of my dehydrating series! 

Apple Chips

I made apple chips! Typically, I'm not a fan of apples. I think I've been scarred growing up eating fruit. My dad didn't cut the core out of the apple. He would just cut the apple and hand me and my brother each a half. I ate around the core but did so pretty sloppily so a lot of the apple went to the trash. I'd also get in trouble for eating it sloppily so I hid my apple trash in various places around the house so they wouldn't be found. Needless to say, I don't have good memories eating apples.

Lesson to parents: just cut the core out of apples for your kids. Do it forever if you can. One day they will notice.

I bought apples specifically to dehydrate for this "experiment." They turned out well! It made me actually want to eat apples.

 

It's been so long I honestly can't remember what temperature I dehydrated them at anymore. I would think I did about 135 degrees for 8-10 hours as that is pretty standard for dehydrating. I did both regular apples and cinnamon apples. My preference was for the cinnamon apples because they had a sweetening effect on the apples. 

As you can see from the photo, I had to cut my apple in half and then slice into semi-circle shaped slices. Ideally, I would have loved to be able to slice them in a donut shape with the center cored out. However, my mandolin would not fit my apple all the way across in diameter so I had to slice. They are more aesthetically pleasing as cored out rounds, but that would also affect the dehydrating time because the pieces would be larger. 

Kani Crab

I was inspired to try dehydrating Kani Crab because I saw someone do an air fryer recipe. I actually tried the air fryer recipe in our toaster oven as well and it didn't turn out like the video...so I adapted it for myself.

The consistency of these was not there because I bought kani in strips and pulled them apart by hand. The pieces were not evenly sized so they cooked at different rates. Some pieces were perfect, some were still on the chewy side, and some were overcooked and too brown. 

I attempted to make this two times. The first time, my temperature was too high and the pieces were uneven so we had a gamut of overcooked, perfect, and not cooked enough.  The second time, I think my temperature was too low but the pieces were more uniform. As a result, they ended up hard and tough, not light and airy as I'd hoped. I think I'd aim for a temperature of around 380 degrees for 15 minutes and tweak from there if I were to try again. 

The video I originally saw was great inspiration to make these, but the results just didn't turn out as I'd expected. There was a lot of flavor within each piece, but because I didn't perfect the cooking instructions, it wasn't completely enjoyable for the work it entailed. If I were to commit unlimited time and resources, I would further develop this recipe. However, I don't think I will.

No Use Crying Over Spilled Beads

I started a new craft project this year. I was inspired after seeing a social media post and decided I could make it myself. I''m not revealing what I made just yet but I will reveal the supplies I purchased and what happened to hinder my progress.

My project this year was related to beads. I had to do some research before beginning on this project because I'm not someone who likes to start projects and not finish them. If I'm going to start something, I'm going to be 80% confident I can see it through to the end. After doing some research and learning about the types of beads I needed (bugle beads and seed beads), I purchased them and they arrived on January 4th. I was mesmerized by how small these seed beads are and how pretty they can be when they reflect light. 

I had been on a groove and was really enjoying my pockets of time getting to listen to an audiobook and work on my craft. Things were going great. Then, three weeks later to the day, disaster struck. I was on the couch with my craft station set up when my tray of beads slipped off the couch onto the rug below.  

Every single bead fell out of the case...and was piled into the glass bowl seen adjacent.

I didn't scream when it happened but I was in so much shock. These beads are so tiny. You have to see them to really understand, but they're smaller than a grain of rice. They're probably about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of a grain of rice. I kid you not, these are small. The original product listing said this was a pack of 24,000 beads. I'm pretty sure I spilled at least 20,000 of them...

It didn't occur to me at the time, but I could have spent about $10 and just purchased a new one instead of bothering with sorting them back into colors. The problem was, this was during the week of the freeze in town when everything sat at a standstill for about 2 days. Even if I had ordered it again from Amazon, it wouldn't have arrived until 2-3 days later. 

 I got to work picking out each color one by one.  

One hour of hard work.

After an hour, this was how much I got done. Certain colors were easy to spot and separate. Other colors were so close to each other and looking at them all swirled together was making my head spin. 

Four days later, I made significant progress:
 

Four days of hard work.
 

After days of sorting these minuscule beads, I had come to the conclusion my colors were not going to go back to the original categories which they came. Iridescent clear, iridescent pink, and iridescent blue looked identical unless I shined a light at just the right angle. The two greens which came in the original pack were now indistinguishable. Orange and magenta looked the same. The original five different shades of blue all looked the same now. These were just going to be blends.

Once I had a good number of beads sorted, I could resume my crafting again. I was actually able to make great progress in February and so far in March with my original projects. Periodically, I'd continue sorting the beads from the glass bowl, but eventually, I reached a point where the remaining colors in the glass bowl complemented each other in their own blend.  

It's hard to tell, but the seed beads in the glass bowl only fill one layer now - a far cry from the 20,000+ originally spilled....

With a quick math estimation, I've used approximately 8,000 beads. Eventually in the future, I will need to sort the rest of the beads back into the bead case whether that be sorted into the correct colors or creating a new section for the blend. My glass container needs to return to the kitchen eventually.

There were many times I wanted to give up on sorting these beads and scrap the project entirely or just buy a new box and start over. It's absolutely true the $10 to buy a new box of beads is more "efficient" than taking the time to sort the ones I spilled. However, the satisfaction I have from knowing I sorted these beads back into their colors gives me strength and encouragement to know I can overcome difficulties and do hard things. No matter how many struggles we face, sometimes, we still need reminders to know it's possible and we can do it. 

In a few months, I will be ready to reveal my craft, but not yet. :)  

Critical Thinking Loves Creativity

When I first got pregnant, I loved baby/children's consignments. They were exciting, fun and I could go to one place and be bombarded by all the baby clothes and gear I could ever dream of. It was amazing to see such low prices because new baby things are costly. We didn't buy everything second hand and there are items I would not recommend getting second hand, but it was so much fun for me to walk through the consignment and get early access as a first-time mom. This was over 8 years ago. I haven't been to a consignment in the last 5-6 years because by the time I got pregnant with my second, we basically already had everything. 

A few weeks ago, I went to a kids consignment again for the first time in years. I didn't have anything in mind for things my kids needed, but I was curious to go look. I went over during their half price sale on a Monday evening and we ended up perusing for about an hour.

A lot of the good stuff had been picked over - I wasn't surprised - and what was left was consolidated into one large room. I wandered over to the shoes to see what they had and didn't see anything for my daughter. Then I went around the perimeter and found the boys shoes. There were a few contenders I debated. Then, I wandered over to the toy section. I was originally looking for roller blades but the ones they had probably sold pretty quickly at regular price. While perusing the toys, I saw old toys we used to have which have been passed on to other families and friends over the years. It was a little sad being reminded of the toys my children used to play with, but honestly, it was a lot of clutter and a trip hazard when at our house. I'm thankful for that phase of life we had, but I'm also thankful to be in our current phase of life.

Lastly, I wandered the aisles of clothing left on the racks. My daughter doesn't own any jeans because I got rid of all the ones we had at one point due to her reluctance to wear them. We've gotten to a place where although she still doesn't like wearing jeans, it would be nice to still have a pair. I browsed the aisle and saw a few pairs with tacky designs or faux rips on them. Those were not what I wanted. As I wandered the second aisle, a pair of jeggings in a basic blue wash caught my eye. They looked pristine as what happens with a lot of items at consignments. 

This is the exact pair of jeggings I found sold new on the retailer website. 
When I went to the consignment, these jeggings were listed at $12.99

 
Then I saw it. The imperfection. The reason why other moms and dads did not purchase this and put it back on the rack. The adjustable waist elastic was missing on one side. 

I'll spoil it for you now: I bought them. At $2.25,  this was a great deal. And I'll break down for you why I did.

1. I did notice the missing elastic. I'm a saavy enough shopper and observant enough mother to notice details like this. I'm also experienced enough to know how manufacturers make these elastic adjustable waistbands. I saw that the elastic was buttoned on one side of the jeggings and missing on the other. These elastics are one piece which meant the "missing" side had to be lost inside the waistband of the jeggings. I felt around, and sure enough, I found the lost end of the elastic hiding inside the waistband. 

2. Could I fix it? Yes, I was confident I could. Last fall, I replaced the elastic in one of our queen sheets. 

After coming home, I got right to work. From the opening in the waistband to where the elastic had slipped to, it was about 7-8 inches in. I needed something long and firm enough for me to grab a hold of the elastic and pull it out. I'm no sewing and alterations expert, but my critical thinking skills are good enough to where I've solved a number of life problems with creative solutions. I grabbed a metal chopstick from our kitchen drawer and stuck it through the waistband. When I had gotten a hold of the elastic, I attempted to guess where a buttonhole was to loop the end of the chopstick through so I could pull the elastic out. 

I worked in slow increments, making sure to hold the elastic every time I pulled it closer toward the opening a few inches at a time. I had managed to use the chopstick and pull the elastic out almost to the opening. I was trying to figure out how to angle the chopstick to get the elastic out of the hole when the elastic fell off the tip of my chopstick and slipped back in. It didn't recede nearly as far back as originally, but I had to pull it back out a good 3 inches or so. 

On my second try, I got it out and securely buttoned to complete the adjustable waistband. This pair of jeggings was like new again and completely adjustable. It took me about 5-7 minutes from start to finish. For over $10 in savings compared to buying new, I'll take it!  

As annoying as it can be to see my children put deflated ballons in a water bottle and call it an "experiment", use medicine dosage cups as maracas, or tape paper onto colored pencils and call it a sign, this is the start of their creative journey. And when paired with the right amount of intelligence, you never know what beautiful successes are coming for them. Because I still amaze myself at my own.  😄