My Make Nine for 2020

In early December I ran across a post on Instagram where someone was giving a year-end recap of how many of their “Make Nine” projects they’d completed. I did a quick search and found that Rochelle of Lucky Lucille had started Make Nine a few years back in response to all the Top 9 trends. I knew instantly that I’d be making one for 2020!

Years ago I made plenty of times for my hobbies--reading, nail painting, knitting, crafting. But then I went back to college to finish my degree followed immediately by jumping into my new career, and my hobbies were the very first thing to go. For years they lay dormant until I felt my life was moving too quickly, like my life focused solely on work was incomplete. 

My hobbies were the biggest part of slowing my life down. I recently took up my knitting again after my grandma passed away. The slow, methodical rhythm of counting stitches kept my mind engaged and at peace. I finished three projects these last two months so I’m so excited to work on the following nine projects in 2020!

My mom taught me knitting at Christmastime in 2010, however having let my knitting slow to a snail’s pace during busier seasons of life, my skills haven’t progressed much. This year I want to focus on two projects I’ve deemed too difficult and put off (socks and sweaters) as well as gaining some new knitting skills (colorwork and brioche).

So here is my Make Nine list for 2020!!

Over the last couple of months I have decided to put new clothing purchases (almost entirely) behind me, in favor of purchasing previously loved clothing. I don’t want to participate in fast fashion trends, and it’s important to me to constantly keep my consumerism in check. So instead I am opting for used (Goodwill, Thred Up, Poshmark, etc.), and I’m really excited to be able to add some of my own hand made pieces into my closet!

Hopeful Homesteading: Tangelo Edition

In another life, I would be a homesteader. Think, modern day Ma Ingalls--home all day growing my own food, making my own clothes, prepping, canning, baking, knitting. Guys, that is #goals. If I could, I would live somewhere secluded with my own plot for growing herbs and vegetables; I would harvest my food and then use up every last bit of the harvest. Instead, I live in a one bedroom apartment with no access to gardening land.

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I'm going to start a segment called Hopeful Homesteading, how I use up huge batches of certain produce before it goes bad. In Phoenix there is a great program for buying large amounts of produce that didn’t sell to grocery stores and would otherwise go to waste. It’s all seasonal, rotating produce and oftentimes I end up with large amounts of one item nearing their expiration date. These are often not items that can sit out on my counter or in my fridge for more than a couple of days, so I have learned to get very creative.

I was completely overwhelmed the first time I had 20 lbs of tomatoes. But now, armed with an arsenal of various canning jars and a stack of recipes and ideas, I can take care of those tomatoes easily.

Pinterest is a great tool for finding creative solutions when I masses of something that I’ve never eaten before.. Like this week, when I got 6 pounds of tangelos! Tangelos? Besides resembling an orange, I had no idea what they were like.

Tangelos are a hybrid fruit and the name is a portmanteau for the two fruits, tangerine and pomelo. They peel easily and are incredibly juicy. I have to REALLY be in the mood for eating a plain orange, so I started scouring Pinterest for what to do with 6 lbs. of tangelos.

In the end, I used 4 pounds to make marmalade. It’s slightly sweeter than marmalade, which I’m actually not a fan of, but I wanted to use it on a cake in the future.

With the remaining 2.5 pounds, I used half to make garland and half to make tangelo simple syrup. For the simple syrup,  I juiced the tangelos and measured it out with an equal amount of sugar in a small saucepan. I brought it to a gentle boil, then let it cool before transferring it to a jar and refrigerating it.

I used the remaining tangelos to use as Christmas decorations! My dream Christmas decor is basically the March home from the 1994 Little Women--all candles and greenery and homemade decor. The diy tangelo garland is just bringing me one step closer to my goals, ya’ll. I sliced four of them on my mandoline slicer, then arranged them on two sheet trays. These can be touching, because they shrink as they cook and they won’t stick together. These cooked in a 200°F oven for three hours. I flipped them over every hour and rotated the pans. 

Do you have a mandoline in your kitchen? Because you honestly need one. You can certainly slice these up, but to avoid mess and frustration and achieve QUICK and consistently thin slices using a mandoline. There are definitely some simple, cheaper options out there, but I have this mandoline and I highly recommend it. Mandolines are extremely sharp and make quick work of slicing through fruits and vegetables. The model I have can slice in two different thicknesses, as well and chopping and slicing as well. I sliced all four of my tangelos in about 60 seconds.

Also, may I suggest leaving your oven light on while you make this? The 200°F oven barely registers heat, so without timers and the light on, it would be easy to forget your oranges and burn them, she says from personal experience...Yep, last year I forgot about my oranges and left the house for a Christmas parade only to return to COMPLETELY BLACK oranges that evening.

These dried oranges make such a lovely addition to Christmas decor no matter how you use them. You can hang them on your tree, string them up and run them along your fireplace, even drop them in your apple cider and Grand Marnier! Go crazy and then definitely tag me on Instagram, @meganbmccarthy!

Dry shampoo

You know what really freaked me out? Writing post number two.

My first post felt like a bit of a cop out, simply attaching my goals list I'd been working on. There was nothing really involved in that, and it didn't push my blog into a certain direction. I felt stuck.

All big blogs that have ever been, sucked in the beginning. It takes so much time to find your voice, to find your direction, to find your style. The need to have all those things figured out from day one gave me some serious creative blocks in my path of moving forward.

So today's post, is nothing special. It is simply a step forward past those fears as I figure out where my little space of the interwebs is headed. I want to talk about so much--cooking, baking, marriage, therapy, self-care, chemical free/homemade products, creative pursuits, etc. So today I'm starting small just so I can take my next step:

So, if you're anything like me, you can't be bothered to wash your hair everyday. I mean, first and foremost it's simply not good for your hair, but also...ain't nobody got time for that. I mean really, who has time to wash and dry their hair every.damn.day?! Nope, no thank you, next please.

Enter...dry shampoo! My hair is naturally on the more oily side, so I can't simply skip washing and walk around looking like a normal, well adjusted human being. For years I alternated between a variety of powder and spray bottle brands, which inevitably ran out at all of the least convenient times. I get sick of paying for certain things repeatedly and dry shampoo quickly became one of those things, so I set out to make my own.

My only problem with powdered dry shampoo has always been white powder making me look like a little old lady even after I comb/rub them in. I knew I needed something different for my brown hair, and cocoa powder was just the trick!

So to start you'll need:
Small jar
Cocoa powder
Cornstarch
Your favorite essential oils

This dry shampoo is a 1:1 ratio of the powders combined.  I personally use 1/2 cup each and keep them in a jar with a clamp lid. This requires 10-15 drops of oils.

Bear in mind your dry shampoo is already going to be lightly cocoa scented so pair your oils accordingly. I love to add a little peppermint (4-5 drops) because smelling like peppermint hot chocolate is my jam. Additionally I add 10 drops of rosemary, because both of those oils are great for stimulating hair growth, and they smell amazing together! Cedarwood and tea tree are also great options!

When using the dry shampoo, use a small brush to apply directly to your scalp. Don't forget to lift up your hair especially around your temples and apply there! Now wait a few minutes--wash your face, make your breakfast, do some yoga--but give your dry shampoo a few minutes to absorb before rubbing or brushing it into your hair.

I totally get that this won't be for everyone. Some people cannot be bothered to make dry shampoo, and the cost of a pre-made bottle is worth their time. I get that. I make compromises on paying for things all the time that I feel are worth my time saved. But you guys, this dry shampoo is dark, all-natural, non-toxic, simple to make, and cheeeeeap!

Hit me up below if you give this a try, or let me know your favorite dry shampoo worth your money!!