Just now have my head above water

As of last night I am finally caught up with what is listed in my Etsy shop.  I put the final snaps on three little slip sets.  Now my focus can change to making the little creative outfits I truly enjoy.  I have a few of those in the works.  My store stock fell to 13 items from 30 and that was with me continuing to add items.  The last week before Christmas, however, I put the sewing away and focused on the holiday with the family.

I made 110 sales before New Years Eve this year.  It is my first year on Etsy.  Not to shabby.  My bread and butter were the doll diapers.  I sold 57 sets of those in various sizes.  My goal for the coming year is to have 65 diaper sets of various sizes in stock going into next years Christmas season.  That's 185 diapers ya'll.   Yikes!  In addition, I would like to have my store stock level be at about 50 if possible.

Lest you think all I would talk about is Etsy (My sons says I'm a spokesperson), I have ventured into a few normal things again.  I've started making bread for us again.  There for a while it was too crazy and I bought bread at a local bread thrift store near us.  Still not as cheap as making bread, but cheaper than at the grocery store.  I am bummed to hear the Sams is no longer carrying the 80 oz packages of regular honey.   Now all they carry is the raw honey half that size, but the same price of 13.98.  I know why, apparently raw honey is all the rage.  I get that, but if you are baking with it, then you might as well use the regular.  Once raw honey is heated up past 95 degrees, all those wonderful attributes go away.  I use raw honey to make our cough syrup (Which is never heated up), but other than that, I use honey for bread and granola.

Here is the cough syrup recipe lest I forget:

COUGH SYRUP

3 TBS FRESH THYME-  I use lemon thyme, but you can use whatever you have on hand.  I just like the lemony taste with the honey.
1/3 CUP RAW HONEY
2 CUPS WATER

BRING THE 2 CUPS WATER TO BOIL.  ADD THE THYME AND REMOVE FROM HEAT.  LET STEEP AND COOL DOWN TO BELOW 95 DEGREES.  POUR THE TEA THROUGH A STRAINER TO REMOVE THE LEAVES.  ADD THE RAW HONEY TO THE TEA AND MIX WELL.  YOU CAN ADD EXTRA LEMON JUICE OR CHOP A FRESH LEMON TO PUT IN THE JAR.  STORE IN THE FRIDGE FOR UP TO 3 MONTHS.

The best thing about this cough syrup, is it is non toxic.  You can give it to small children, just not children under two if you use raw honey.  If you make this with regular honey, you can give it to any child, though many of the benefits are lost if you aren't using raw honey.  The Thyme is still medicinal.

In addition to the few things I've managed to accomplish aside from sewing, I have managed to start some of my seeds for gardening in 2017.  The tomatoes are doing fine.  I have about 36-40 plants right now.  I had to replant the broccoli and cabbage and a few snow peas.  The cold weather stuff I'm hoping I can start hardening off soon.  Soon will be the time of warmer weather.  With a temp of 15 degrees this morning and a projected low tonight of 9, I will take whatever warms thoughts I can get.

So not a barn burner, but hopefully this post is a start back on a new year.  How are things in your neck of the woods?