DIY

I don't often place myself into the category of a "do-it-yourselfer." My nickname around the house is Mrs. MacGyver, but that is because whenever some electrical/mechanical thingy is broken, I often have this natural knack for fixing it. But to create something from scratch, well, that's not my forte. My husband is the cook in the house. I bake. I can use and follow most recipes and do fairly well. Give my husband a recipe and 99% of the time it doesn't turn out right. But he works marvels with the spice rack when given free reign.

Why do I mention these things? Because Ms. Lion has issued a challenge which includes making something from scratch that you would normally purchase. By doing so I am supposed to feel mass quantities of superiority and probably a little bit like Martha Stewart does every day.

And while I normally would balk at such a challenge, it just so happens that I had some time to be a wee bit Quaker this weekend.

Here is the soup I made yesterday that I brought for lunch today

The important thing to note, aside from the snow in the background, is that those beans in that soup started out dry. Yes, I had to soak beans in order to make that soup. I did use Mirepoix, and perhaps that is cheating, but because I get to say "I used Mirepoix" and it sounds foreign and mysterious, it still makes me feel superior.

Then there is the fact that I just finished my first pair of socks this weekend.

And while it does not save you money to knit your own socks, you do feel superior when you put them on. I can attest to that.