Purple Dancing Dahlias

~ Simple Sweet Cream ~

2012-01-28T13:49:00.000-06:00

I forget how easy it is to make lotion until I have to make it again because we are out. In this case I used the stash we had in the house for the cow's udder, which doesn't seem to like cold weather.

4 ounces of oil: I have used almond, apricot, and castor. Castor oil is very nourishing to the skin and not quite as expensive as the other two.

2 ounces of water or milk: I used milk in the batch because it was small.

1 ounce of beeswax: the best price I have found is here or find a local beekeeper, they may have some.

10 drops of your favorite essential oil if you want. The beeswax will give it a pleasant smell without added oils.

I use a glass measuring cup in a small pot of hot water to melt the beeswax. Add oil and let cool a bit. Add essential oils and water/milk. If the beeswax hardens put it back into water to melt it all again. Pour oils into blender and whip until white and creamy. I pour mine into a small glass canning jar. Because there is no preservative in this you have to make sure your hands are clean when you dip into it. I have had the ones at the barn grow mold (its harder to keep clean hands out there) but never the ones in the house. I put the lotion slated for barn use in a plastic squeeze bottle this time so no dipping has to occur.

This is a small batch of very simple rich thick cream. I have played with this and other lotion recipes for awhile and have tweaked it to what we like the best. Skys the limit!

~ Jairden Update ~

2012-01-16T17:00:00.002-06:00

*the same entry is on his Caringbridge page*

11/22/11 - After a week break, we tested his ANC again last Friday and it went from .111 to 1.74 (100 to 1,700 a huge jump) so we are back for his last round of chemo. Every thing is going well, Jairden is playing and laughing. We received his lab work back and his AFP is NORMAL!!! 4.6, really good news. I am a bit disappointed that he has to do another whole round of chemo but they don't test chemo rounds in single, only in pairs. His hearing is still normal as well, really good for kids who get cisplatin. I was told that all kids who get cisplatin have high frequency hearing loss. We are spending an extra night in the hospital, Jairden has been sleeping lots and we know that he can get that here. He also had a visit from the music 'lady' as he calls her, she let him have 6 drums at once.

12/6/11 - LAST TREATMENT!!! He made it through with only one week missed on his roadmap, no illnesses, no fevers, and a med box full of meds we never had to use. He never once experience constipation and the vincristine is known to be extremely constipating, thanks to, we believe, the breastmilk he is still getting. Natures best laxative. No hearing loss that we know of at this point. No need to put in a g-tube. He didn't gain any weight but he maintained*.

*I have since found out that this was a good thing. Fat cells store the toxins in the body so the less fat he had the less toxins from the chemo he is storing. This will make a big difference later on when those very few fat cells break down and those toxins come out.

12/26/11- We are back at the hospital to have Jairden's port taken out, hearing test, chest x-ray, and abdominal ultrasound.

Hearing test: really bummed, he has some high frequency hearing loss due to the last round of chemo (that he didn't really need because there wasn't any cancer left according to his AFP levels) He has all ready formed all of the sounds that are heard at a high frequency but the audiologist still thinks he needs double hearing aids. We are taking him to the audiologist that my little sister has seen since she was three for a second opinion. I can not imagine trying to get a three years to wear the big over the ear hearing aids without losing them this summer.

Chest x-ray : Everything looks good. He will have several more throughout the next year. If his cancer moves it will most likely be to his lungs.

Ultrasound: Everything looks good there too! It was basically just to look at where everything has moved to after surgery and have a reference scan for future use.

AFP levels: 3.7 which is in normal range for someone his age.

Surgery: His surgery was bumped back to 11:15. Who ever decided that toddlers should be schedule for anything but first thing in the morning should have to tell them they can't have breakfast. By the time we made it to surgery is was pretty upset, so was mama. I told every person that walked into the room (including the surgeon) that I wanted to be with him when they woke him up. I knew, without a doubt, he would get really upset, really fast if I wasn't there.

Everyone assured me that I could be with him, until it actually came time to wake him up. Then they hummed and hawed and spent so much time trying to clear it with the surgeon that they woke him up with out me there. Sure enough, the nurse came running in to get me, saying they needed me right away. A recovery room nurse was trying to hold him while he was thrashing to get away from her screaming for me. I. was. not. happy. He nursed and slept for about an hour and a half, then woke up and was ready to go home. His wrist where they put the iv hurt more than the removal site for his port. He has worn an amber necklace for pain since the beginning and his necklace was enough pain relief for him.

1/15/12 - We are having a mini-vacay at Arrowwood Resort to celebrate Jairden being done with chemo and Grace's birthday (she wanted to go to a water park). Jairden is doing wonderful. He has gained two whole pounds since Dec. 6 and his hair is growing back. He is an eating machine with his favorite meal being slow cooked beef with potatoes and gravy.

~ We would like to say thank you so much to everyone who has prayed for us and lifted us up over the last 4 months. We couldn't have done it without all of your prayers and thoughts. Thank you!!! ~

~ The Blogging Bug ~

2012-01-11T22:17:00.001-06:00

I have so many thing that I want to write about and no time, its driving me crazy. I think I have over a months worth of posts just waiting to be written, lots of new homeschooling links, farm stuff, updates on Jairden, recipes... Hopefully I can slowly work into my schedule a little writing time.

~ Advent: Day 1 ~

2011-12-01T17:31:00.000-06:00

Its actually day 3 of Advent, but the fun little curriculum that we are using starts of December 1. I found Truth in the Tinsel by Amanda White. It is a simple way to teach kids about the true meaning of Christmas and they get to make a little ornament everyday.

~ The Power of Choice ~

2011-11-11T17:14:00.000-06:00

Jairden had to go to the clinic today to check his blood counts. He did not want to go. The first part of the car ride was not fun. He soon settled down and the rest of our trip was okay.

We made our way into the clinic, Thomas the Train engine in tow, thank goodness for Thomas and choice number one. I asked him if he would like to bring Thomas or his tractor with him, he chose Thomas.

Thomas kept us occupied while we waited our turn. Once his name was called it got dicey. This is the point were he started chanting "No cream on my button (EMLA cream on his power port)". Once I assured him that the cream was at home he calmed down a bit.

We sat in the chair and he started to panic a bit again. "NO poke, NO poke". I calmly and gently asked him to listen to me. He put his cheek against mine and was quiet. I gently told in that we needed to do a small poke, would he like to poke his finger or his toe. He chose his toe. One small whimper with the initial poke but that was all.

Last time it was an all out screaming and crying mess. Last time I never took the time to ask him which he would prefer, his finger or his toe. I chose his toe because I knew from past experience that his toe would work better but I still should have given him the choice. It is his body. He may not be able to past on the test but giving him a choice about what to poke allows him to have a say and lets him know that his feelings are being considered.

Throughout this journey we have had to make a conscience effort to allow Jairden to have as many choices as we can to keep a healthy emotional balance, because there are lots of things that he doesn't have a say over. Most of the clinic and hospital staff are very good but we have run into a few old school nurses that have tried to bully him into doing things 'right this minute, their way' when there is no need for such force. It automatically creates resistance and we kindly ask them to leave.

There have been a few times that we have had to hold him tight and just get it over with, like accessing/deaccessing his port. He hates having tape put on and taken off, there is only one way to put tape on and one way to take it off. I feel awful having to do this. We nurse and snuggle right after we are done, so he knows that he is loved. We talk about it as much as possible, making sure to recognize his feelings and apologizing to him when he feels he has been wronged.

We had good and bad news with his labs. His hemoglobin and platelets are up but his ANC is at .111. It needs to be at .750 so his chemo for next week has been pushed back a week. The good news is we get a break next week. No 8 hours in the car, no pokes or temp/blood pressure checks. Just a week to get to be 'normal' again.

South Dakota Sept. 2010

~ Kick'n Chemo Butt ~

2011-09-17T15:40:00.002-05:00

God is so good. Since the day that we found out Jairden has a liver cancer we have had people praying for us and God has blessed us more than we could ever ask for.

In the moments after Jairden was diagnosed, I closed my eyes, said a prayer, giving the entire situation over to the Lord and his will for our lives. Then, I looked at the doctors and said, "What's next?". I believe that my prayer has allowed me focus solely on what Jairden's needs were/are/will be. There have been moments of tears and feeling overwhelmed, but those have been far and few between. Just enough for a healthy emotional outlet, but to be honest I think those feelings came from being overloaded with super scary information that wasn't helpful or even relevant to our situation. We were prepped for the worst possible outcome which I think was stupid. What you focus on grows. We have chosen to focus on all the positives, expecting the best case outcomes while knowing about the worst so that we have the tools to deal with those IF they should come.

I had peace when it came to Jairden's surgery. I was not anxious, fearful, or overwhelmed. I didn't like leaving my baby in the OR but let's be honest, who would?

When it came to discussing chemotherapy I was basically bombarded with worst case information, told that there were things that I need/would have to do, like antibiotics, vaccinations, g-tube...things like he WON'T eat, he WILL lose weight, he WILL lose his hearing, he WILL lose his hair, he WILL throw up and get sick, he WILL most likely end up with neuropothy, he WILL get constipated. It all scare the crap out of me and on top of it Jairden was suppose to start chemo less than two weeks after his surgery. I couldn't imagine this little boy, that have just been through a horrific 10 days, being able to recover enough to have his body attacked by chemotherapy. ( For the record, I don't believe that chemo is the best way to treat cancer, but I have no choice in how I want to treat my child because laws in the US have taken those rights away from me.)

Well, guess what? He is eating, more than he every has. He is not losing weight, even with all the activity and miles of hospital halls that we have raced up and down to stave off boredom. His hearing is prefect and he may lose a small amount of hi-frequency hearing but since most of his language skills are developed it shouldn't be that big of a deal. We won't know how much of his hair he will lose yet (he hasn't hit his lowest cell count days yet). He wasn't sick during his chemo treatments, he played the entire time. He hasn't had one issue with being constipated and I credit that to the fact that he is still breastfeeding, yeah for full term nursing. I believe his weight has stay put because he is also nursing at night, getting in extra calories (even though all but one of his doctors think that his nursing has no nutrition value because he is so old).

I believe that his breastfeeding and diet of whole traditional foods have also had a critical impact on how his little body has handle chemotherapy. We have an awesome integrative medicine team at the hospital that has help us. Massage, healing touch, essential oils, baltic amber, music... The nutritionist looks at me like I have three heads and they have no concepts of the importance of lacto-fermented foods, but that's okay, gives us a chance to educate. I am really hoping (but not holding my breath) that someone will take genuine notice of how good he is doing and want to find out the reasons why. The nutritional help offered is really terrible, standard SAD diet nutrition. It needs to change. Pop in the refrigerator is really, really sad.

Jairden's name means "the enlighten one" or "the enlightener". I know that God has such amazing plans for this little boy. He has taught us so much already. Mostly that our minds really get in our way at times. He has no preconceived notions that chemotherapy is suppose to make him sick, so he isn't. His oncology doctor and nurses have said this many times, that little ones seem to do better because they have no clue that the medicines they are getting are suppose to make them feel cruddy.

So, we are focusing on the postive knowing what to do if the worst should come and relying on God to bless us. Again, thank you for all the prays and keep them coming, we have three more chemotherapy cycles to go.

I plan I doing another post on the specifics of Jairden's diet, the essential oils that we are using, and other healing methods that we are using.

~ The Words You Think You Will Never Hear ~

2011-09-05T16:12:00.000-05:00

"Your son has a massive liver tumor"

On Thursday, August 25, our older boys were hitting golf balls in the field and our youngest son, Jairden, was shagging balls for them. J was accidentally hit in the stomach with a club. He seemed fine at first but with in a matter of minutes he was throwing up, the color was gone from his face, his lips were white, and his eyes were starting to flutter.

We rushed him to the local ER where they did a CT scan and saw bleeding in his abdomen. We were brought by life flight to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis and had two more CTs early Friday morning. The results: there was a bleed but the bleeding was from the softball size tumor hanging off of his liver. His kidneys had been pushed so that they were smashed up against his spine, his bladder and spleen were smashed together on one side and his liver was pushed to the other side and twisted at a funny angle. The rest of his abdominal cavity was filled with this tumor.

We had to wait until Tuesday to do surgery to remove the tumor. It was a long wait for a little boy that was used to being outside and playing all of the time. In order to keep tabs on the bleeding he had to have his hematocit levels checked every twelve hours and his potassium/chloride checked every six. As any two year old, he didn't like being poked but sat perfectly still when they were doing it. When they checked his vitals he would lift his arm for the thermometer and hold out his leg for the blood pressure cuff. He wasn't sedated for any of his CT scans either. He had an IV the whole time but still gave us plenty of time to make it to the bathroom. The nurses were all very impressed at his helpfulness and the fact that he was potty trained.

The surgery on Tuesday couldn't have gone any smoother, they were able to get all of the tumor and clean out all the bad blood. Now we had to wait for pathology to come back. We knew before surgery that his tumor was most likely a hepatoblastoma, but need the tests to affirm it.

Wednesday was a very rough day. After surgery they left him of a respirator and sedated so that he could have some time to heal. He did great with waking up and getting the tube out but was very anxious the rest of the day. He had a feeding tube in his nose which was driving him absolutely bonkers. (Your stomach doesn't stop producing acid but the narcotics stop you bowels from working so the acid pools in your stomach. They had wanted to give him zantac but I wasn't okay with changing the pH and function of his stomach acid in any way. The only other option, a medication to simply coated his stomach, had to be delivered via feeding tube.)

We had a hard time getting on top of his pain. They finally increased his baseline levels and that helped a ton. They had talked about giving him an anti anxiety med but I wasn't for that either. He tried drinking some water and threw all of that back up along with all the crap that he was trying to cough up from his lungs. Getting him to cough was very hard too! Try talking a toddler with a four inch incision across his belly into coughing to bring up the mucus in his lungs.

He didn't sleep for about 36 hours after surgery even after we calmed his down. That night I slept with him and had pretty much pasted out from exhaustion. While I was sleeping the night nurse gave him he anti anxiety meds without my permission, I was NOT happy and it didn't help at all.

He has the most amazing massage therapists, Candace and Karen. One of them came everyday we stayed in the PICU and did cranial work, healing touch, and some massage. Late Thursday afternoon, Karen came down and told him a story and did healing touch, smoothing out the magnetic field around him. His dad read him a story and he fell asleep for the first time since his respirator tube was taking out on Wednesday morning. When he woke up, I smiled at him and said "Hey baby" and he smiled back at me with the most beautiful smile ever. It took everything I had not to cry, I didn't want him to think I was upset. He hadn't really smiled since the accident, he was just to confused and perplexed at what was going on.

He continued to improve and late Friday afternoon we were moved out of the PICU up to 7th floor. Sunday night we were able to come home. Our trip home is going to be rather short lived. We have to go back on Thursday to figure out what our exact chemo plan is and to start chemo. We will be there at least two day and then if we are okay we can go home.

~ Homeschooling ~

2011-08-04T19:38:00.001-05:00

Now that the fair is over I can focus on getting ready for the new homeschooling year. I have found some great links in the past few months and will be up dating the homeschooling page with them.

A great one that I will share right now is Homeschool Creations. She has so many fun preschool printables and there are tons of other great homeschool moms with free printables linked to her blog. Lots of fun! Go check them out.

Another great resource I have found this year is Heart of Dakota and Doorpost. Hopefully in the next few days I can add some more links...

~ Mom Fail ~

2011-08-01T00:06:00.000-05:00

When Zach said to me " Mom, I thought that it was just a bees nest in the back on the house, but now I know it was a paper wasp nest". Me, "okay buddy, good to know" I thought he meant this little nest that is old and doesn't have any bees in it.

What he meant was this, a giant paper wasp nest that is the size of a volley ball. When I said, "There is a huge bees nest back here" the response was "yaaaha, we know" "Well why didn't you tell me?" " We did, we said there were paper wasps on the house".

Yup, they did...

~ Gardens are Rock'in ~

2011-07-09T11:07:00.000-05:00

Still needs some weeding.

Fifty-seven tomato plants, just about as many pepper plants and lots of eggplant.

Kids square foot garden.

~ Toothsoap BOGO ~

2011-07-01T11:46:00.002-05:00

The entire month of July is Buy One Get One at Toothsoaps. My kids love the Groovy Grape flavor.

~ Homemade Marshmallows ~

2011-06-16T13:09:00.000-05:00

Camping requires smores, which require marshmallows. I prefer not to use the ones that are loaded with HFCS, blue dye, tetrasodium pyrophospate and artificial flavor.

3 tbsp of unflavored gelatin, I use Bernard Jensen's
1 c water
1 1/2 c organic cane sugar
1 c raw honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
coconut oil
arrowroot powder

Add a 1/2 cup chilled water and gelatin to mixing bowl.

In a pan combine the rest of the water, sugar, honey, and salt. Bring to a temp of 235-240. My meat thermometer only goes to 220, so I just cook it a few seconds longer.

Turn your mixer on low and very carefully add your syrup to your gelatin. Whip as high a speed you can without it splattering all over the place. Once it thickens and cool a bit add your vanilla and slowly increase the speed until your mixer is on high. Just let it whip until your mixture becomes thick and white like marshmallow fluff/cream.

While it is whipping, grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with coconut oil and dust with the arrowroot powder. Spread your fluff/cream out in the pan and then cover with a light towel to cure overnight. Cut into cubes and store in a tightly sealed container at room temp.

These don't really brown like regular marshmallows but they will melt and make divine smores. This is the graham cracker recipe I use, these are also super simple and easy. Enjoy!!

~ Crazy ~

2011-06-06T11:27:00.000-05:00

Craziness does not even begin to describe the atmosphere around here. From the moment my feet hit the floor until I go to bed I am busy. The upside to this is my days go really fast. Sometimes I feel like I am getting nothing done, just running in circles but little by little it is coming together and starting to look nice.

~ Garden Progress ~

2011-05-30T20:39:00.002-05:00

My camera is broken so I couldn't take pictures of the peas or any of my other seedlings. My mom rocked the house and planted the entire big garden by herself, the boys did help with the potatoes by dropping them in the holes. We don't have all of our garden space planted yet but we (I) am working on it little by little. Our major priority is finishing the fence around the pasture.

We don't know what this is. Any ideas?

Dandelions

Heartease or Jonhy Jump-ups

Plum Blossoms

Apple Blossoms

Asparagus

Garlic

Phlox

Newly fenced pasture that is finally GREEN

Rhubarb

Bleeding Hearts

This post is shared at the HSV Garden Challenge

~ Just Like Daddy ~

2011-05-25T08:10:00.000-05:00

~ A Great New Way to Brush Your Teeth ~

2011-05-17T11:02:00.001-05:00

After not being able to find a tooth paste that was chemical free at local stores I turned to a google search. I found toothsoaps, an awesome alternative to the chemical filled toothpaste that are widely available.

During the month of May is buy one get one so I stocked up. I want to do a longer post but it has to wait because we are in the middle of a big fencing projects and almost out of hay. So, click the link and head on over to check out a healthy way to achieve awesome oral health.

~ Our Recycled Polytunnel ~

2011-05-16T15:55:00.006-05:00

This kind of happened by accident. We were going to use the black pipe to make a hoop to drape the deer fence over the asparagus but when I saw how nice the pipe arched I just couldn't do a little hoop cover.

I found some medium fence posts in the garden shed, I think they are around a $1.70 at Menard's. The black pipe was one great big coil that we had used to water the horses before we had a hydrant in the barn. It ran from the house spicket to the pasture. I don't remember how much it was but I will look on Thursday and report back.

The black pipe fit over the fence post, creating a lovely arch. I thought I had a picture of this but maybe not. Kids were playing with the camera so one never knows.

We made the base 8' wide by 12' long. Eight posts were used with four pieces of pipe cut 12' long. To figure your arch take the width x 1.5

The plastic was just what we had one hand, the left over stuff that was on the ground under our ice skating rink. It had some good holes but we tried to just work around them. We will buy some nicer stuff, 12mil, as soon as we get the chance. We are going to build another door frame so that both ends have doors making it easier to vent. We will also frame in the bottom with some lumber so that we have something to staple the plastic to.

The high temp for today was 67 and inside the tunnel with the door wide open it was 98. The peppers and tomatoes are loving it. I finally have all the pepper and tomato seedlings in bigger pots. It should have been done long ago but was so cold outside and I just didn't have the room inside for all those 2" pots.

Fence post 8' apart.

At the moment, its not pretty. As soon as we get a chance we will get some heavier plastic for it. This will be the small tunnel and we will still make a big one by the chicken yard.

This was so easy to do, I could have done it myself but it was nice to have some muscle to help with bending the pipe. I had no idea how much faster it is to plant seeds and seedlings when you don't have to be neat. It only took me about an hour to re-pot 48 pepper plants, 12 eggplants, and 12 more tomato plants.

So, Thursday I go to the "big" town and I will add up the cost of what it took to build this little gem of a garden tool and report back.

This post is shared at:

Homestead Barn Hop

~ Bees ~

2011-05-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

If the weather warms up we should be getting our bees next week or the week after. Hubby is really excited! This book was recommend by a family friend, Don (who is also a state bee inspector) and the local bee keeping association. We are getting our bees from Don so we know that they are disease free and in good shape. They will be coming in their own boxes so there won't be a lot of setup for us to do. Looking forward to posting more pictures when we get them and thinking of doing a honey giveaway during honey harvest. We will have to see how well our little bees do.

~ Asparagus ~

2011-05-14T16:11:00.002-05:00

Last year I order asparagus seeds but never planted them because we just ran out of time. Most people order asparagus crowns but it still takes at least three years till you can harvest. With the seeds it takes an extra year but the yield is suppose to be greater. We will see. This particular variety is a heirloom Martha Washington. The asparagus shoots are small and tender. Lightly steamed and topped with lots of grass-fed butter and fresh lemon juice, hmmm...

We planted the seedlings 6 inches deep 12 inches apart. Hubby tilled a new spot for them. The ground had some top soil but we have lots of sand so we tilled in lots of compost. We covered the whole patch with deer off netting to keep the critters out. So far they look good. Hopefully the time will fly by and we will be eating and freezing fresh asparagus in no time.

I ordered my seeds from Baker's Creek. There was supposed to be 75 seeds in the package but there were at least double that. We have 90 seedlings in the patch and another 90 to find a home for.

This post is shared at:

Homestead Barn Hop

~ Cold Crop Veggie Boxes ~

2011-05-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

After realizing that between the dog and my youngest, garden row just would not work, they would get trampled. Jairden tries hard to stay out, but the dog has no concept of rows when he is chasing chipmunks.

So, I found some extra lumber, cut it down to two foot lengths and made some easy 2x2 boxes. I found another use for those plastic blind slats, they make great dividers. I planted eight kinds of lettuce, four kinds of radishes, and two kinds of carrots.

This is going to be the future home of our polytunnel. The book “How to Grow Food in your Polytunnel all Year Round” is awesome. We are really excited to be able to have fresh veggies in the near middle of winter. We figure that the cost of the tunnel will pay itself back if the only thing we grow is lettuce the first winter. Right now we spend about four dollars a week on lettuce and that is just for my husband's dinners at work.

Right now we are using the space as a place to till soil for the planter boxes and new garden beds.

All of the seedling enjoying some shady sunshine. Hopefully they can go in the ground soon under the cover of some hoop row covers at night.

This post is shared at:

Homestead Barn Hop

~ Wordless Wednesday ~

2011-05-04T08:51:00.000-05:00

~ My Baby's First Shiner ~

2011-05-04T08:48:00.000-05:00

~~Tired~~ Exhausted toddler vs. playground equipment. Playground equipment won.

~ Strawberry Kefir Yogurt ~

2011-05-02T10:42:00.002-05:00

My daughter loves dairy, specifically yogurt and kefir. I had a room temp yogurt culture, the Matsoni from Cultures for Health and loved it but then my supply of raw milk was inconsistent so I let the yogurt go and kept up with the kefir. I also purchased my kefir grains from Cultures for Health and love them. I even preheated them to 400 degrees and they lived. Kefir grains are not tolerant of high heat, but these little guys keep right on trucking. For more info on the products that Cultures for Health carries please see the link on the left sidebar.

Grace loves kefir and has it three to four times a day and she is rarely sick. In fact, this winter, when that horrible stomach bug was going around she was the only on that didn't get it. I believe that from eating all the kefir she does she has exceptional gut flora which in turn gives her an exceptional immune system.

Bowl, strainer, flour sack towel.

To make yogurt out of kefir I lay a clean flour sack towel in a strainer and pour my kefir in. I put the strainer on top of a bowl to collect they whey that drains out. As the whey drains the kefir thickens. I let it sit over night and it is perfect "greek" yogurt. Smooth and creamy. Past flavors have included Vanilla Maple and today we made Strawberry.

I blended a dozen half frozen strawberries in the food processor and then dumped in my strained kefir. I didn't add any sugar which I love and then members of the family who need a little extra sweet can add some raw honey.

I was considering getting a yogurt culture again but I think I will order another batch of kefir grains and make a gallon of kefir at a time. We make a half gallon at a time at the moment but that doesn't last very long especially when it isn't just Grace that is eating the kefir yogurt.

Super simple and super good!

This post is shared at:

Monday Mania

Homestead Barn Hop
Traditional Tuesday Blog Hop

~ May 1st ~

2011-05-02T02:14:00.001-05:00

I wish I had more hours in the day, but then don't we all. I had a really great time (what little it was) participating in the Natural Parenting Blog Party hosted by The Peaceful Housewife. I only got to write one little post on co-sleeping and so far have only made it to a few blogs but I am going to keep plodding along, visiting the blogs on the linky list with the few moments that I get here and there.

I had every intention to write a post on gentle christian discipline. I didn't get it done, life has just been too busy and with the return of warm weather equals even less inside time. For those who asked, this is my all time favorite article of gentle christian discipline, Is Spanking Biblical? (NO!) at Parenting Freedom. It is long but indepth. I also love reading Dulce de Leche and The Hippie Housewife. The both offer such great reminders and write about gentle discipline in such a graceful way. Another great blog that I found during the party is Hybrid Rasta Mama.

I wanted to write a post for National Spank Out Day but will instead link to Jennifer's {Hybrid Rasta Mama} because it is so good.

I am trying to outline a schedule that will allow me to write about the topics I love to talk about while maintaining balance in our family's life. I have several new recipes to share too!

~ Pepper Seedling Starts ~

2011-05-01T09:49:00.000-05:00

This was in March, they are much bigger now.

Peppers are started. Some varieties got starter earlier than other because, gosh darn-it, there are just not enough hours in the day. You can read about the tomato seedling here. This year I started:

Jalapeno, Traveler Strain

Cayenne Pepper Blend

Orange Sun Pepper

California Wonder Gold

California Wonder Purple

Red Cherry Sweet Pepper

Beaver Dam Pepper

Sweet Pickle Pepper

Purple Mini Bells

Red Mini Bells

Yellow Mini Bells

Jimmy Nardello's Pepper (the packet was empty but another packet had twice as many seeds as it should have so I will have to identify by the type of peppers we get to see if I actually will get any of this variety)

Apple Green Eggplant

Rosa Bianca Eggplant

~ Recycled Lumber Chicken Coops ~

2011-04-28T11:34:00.003-05:00

My husband built this coop for some friends for a wedding present. Except for the hardware, all the materials used were from recycled pallets. The shingles are left over from another project we had. It will be delivered today along with four hens and a rooster so that they have eggs right away.

This post is shared at:

Monday Mania

Real Food Wednesday

Simple Lives Thursday
Homestead Barn Hop

~ Gardens are Coming Along ~

2011-04-28T11:13:00.000-05:00

While we haven't planted anything outside yet (it was snowing yesterday) we have been very busy getting everything ready. My seedling desperately need to be potted up to the next size. I have raked the leaves out of all established garden space. Some landscaping has been done, partly to make things look nicer, partly to keep the chickens out and cut done on the amount of grass that we have to mow. I hate mowing grass, I would rather pick weeds and water and get something for my effort. Hopefully it will warm up here and we can get to planting. I took lots of pictures just to show some of the things we have been doing. I think my yard is cleaner that my house, but oh well.

This was grass/yard last year (barely) but will be garden this year. It will be for herbs and edible flowers.

Left side of the picture above.

This is the garden by the side of the house. This was tomato territory last year but will be for melons this year. Another spot that used to be grass. The chickens have done a good job of turning the dirt for me.

The small garden behind the garage. We need to take out some trees so there is less shade. The strawberries are under the lattice so that the chickens won't eat them. Lettuce, peas, and other cold crops will go there this year once the chickens have left.

Flower boxes I built last year for the cucumbers. Revamped them a bit, put post in the corners to hold the fence and created space for growing vines. I don't know whether I will plant flowers or pole beans there yet.

Space at our house that is going to become garden instead of mowing grass. The fruit trees are planted at the edge of the yard in the back.

Big garden at the big house.

Flower garden at the big house.

Small garden at the big house.

Strawberries

Garlic

Raspberries

This post is part of the HSV Garden Challenge Link Up #2

~ Happy Resurrection Day ~

2011-04-23T23:03:00.002-05:00

~ The Pretty Pink Room ~

2011-04-21T22:58:00.000-05:00

There are three and a half years between my second and third child. I slept with both my older kids just so I could get some sleep. I did not plan it that way, if fact I said my babies would never sleep in my bed, because that would just be a bad habit. We struggle for the first week and then I said forget it! I need sleep and this baby will sleep next to me. Sleep is what we all needed.

Fast forward to the third baby. This time it was a girl. Excitement could not be contained and man did I go crazy. The perfect pink ballerina room. Martha Stewart Bonnet Pink on the bottom three-quarters and Magnolia White on the top one-quarter with a ballerina border in between. The dresser and changing table got the supreme pink and white treatment too. Apparently I forgot how much my previous two kids slept in their decked out nurseries. None.

Guess how much my baby girl slept in that pretty pink room with in the first year. None. Baby number four didn't get the nursery treatment other than a little bedskirt in blue for the crib that has seen more clean clothes that babies. Why I took the time to make it I don't know. Its not that my kids have never used the crib for a nap here or there, its just that those times were far and few between.

We now have that crib side-car onto our queen bed giving us all more room to sleep. It has been the best way to nurse at night, no need to get up and stumble in the darkness stubbing toes to get to baby and no more being squashed.

For more information on co-sleeping/baby sleep research from Peaceful Parenting click here
The Benefits of Co-Sleeping from Breastfeeding.com
Hobo Mama: How to Co-Sleep Safely: A tutorial in pictures

~ And the Winner Is...~

2011-04-18T16:28:00.000-05:00

This was the giveaway that I was doing for the Ultimate Blog Party, to celebrate all of my lovely followers but our mama cow delivered that Sunday night and then it actually got warm and things got really busy and I got really tired...

...the reusable recycled produce bags are done, have been for awhile...

Amanda Congrats, send me an email so I can send you your bags!

~ Natural Parenting Blog Party ~

2011-04-15T15:58:00.001-05:00

Joining in on the Natural Parenting Blog Party for April 15 - 30.
1. How many children do you have, and how old are they?
     I have four children 9,7,4,2

2. Do you have a partner, or are you a single parent?
     I have a wonderful husband.

3. What are your “hot button” parenting issues?
     Food and how it affects our children's behavior is the number one thing I write about. Want to get my
     blood boiling, talk about the "biblical way" to "train" a child using the rod verses ignoring all original Hebrew text and its correct translation and accurate historical setting.

4. Have you made any parenting choices that you didn't think you would make before you were a parent, i.e. cloth diapering a child when you had previously thought it was disgusting?
     I thought baby was going to sleep in his own bed, but soon realized that sleeping with baby was the
     best and easiest way to get some sleep.

5. Is there one book or person in particular that’s heavily influenced your parenting choices?
     no, I have recently found quite a few blogs that have helped me immensely, post will links to come

6. If you had to describe each of your children using only one word, what word would you use?
     thoughtful, kind hearted, vivacious, and delightful

7. Is there one parenting decision that you regret more than others and wish you could change?
     Vaccinating and circumcision.

8. Is there an area of your parenting you wish you were better at?
     Being consistent.

9. Now for the fun questions – is there one particular food or type of food that you could eat every day?
     raw smoothies

10. Vanilla ice cream or chocolate?
      homemade raw cream vanilla

11.What’s your guilty pleasure?
     organic chocolate covered tart cherries

12.If you could be part of any television show, which show would it be?
     I don't watch tv.

~ Spicy Sweet Potato Frittata ~

2011-04-14T10:25:00.001-05:00

I make at least two baked egg dishes a week. It is an easy way to get everyone fed and they all love eggs (good thing because we get about 40 a day).

3 nitrate free grassfed spicy chicken sausage or 3 strips of turkey bacon (sausage removed from casing and crumbled)

1 large organic onion chopped

2 large organic sweet potato, 1/2 inch diced

1 organic red bell pepper, 1/4 dice

1/2 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp curry powder

8 pastured eggs

1/2 cup raw heavy cream

1 1/2 cup raw or organic sharp cheddar

salt and pepper

1 bunch of green onions, garnish

Saute your sausage/bacon, onion, sweet potatoes, and red pepper in some coconut oil until soft. Blend eggs and cream together. If you used a cast iron pan you can pour your eggs right into your sweet potato mixture, top with cheese and pop into the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.

Monday Mania

Real Food Wednesday

Simple Lives Thursday

~ Oh Me, Oh My ~

2011-04-13T17:13:00.000-05:00

So much to do so little daylight. I raked leaves until I couldn't see what I was doing last night. I have a ton of pictures but they will have to wait because we have church tonight. I having been making the tried and true recipes lately but have a few new ones to post. Maybe tonight I won't be exhaused and just fall into bed!

~ Busy Week ~

2011-04-09T23:36:00.000-05:00

I can't believe the week is almost over. I was really excited for the Ultimate Blog Party and then we (I say we but I really had nothing to do with it) had a baby calf and moved the baby chicks outside (yay!!!). It has started to get really nice outside so I have had very little time to check out new blogs or even blog on my own blog!

This was early morning, hard to believe that by afternoon they were all running around in t-shirts! Jairden is a farm boy through and through. I swear he can hear that tractor start from the next county over.

For all those who visited from the UBP and left comments know that I am coming to check out your blog soon! I stole a few moments today and whipped up a reusable produce bag and will find time to make a couple more for the give away!

The asparagus plants that I started from seeds came up, so much for ten weeks till germination. All of my seedlings are doing really good and I will have to pot up the tomato and pepper seedlings soon. Now that it is nice I can make some hoop covers to start warming the dirt for my melon plants. I am determined to get melons this year. Last year was just to cold and rainy. A few very small melons were harvested but nothing big enough to eat.

Our homeschooling is still going well! There are weeks that are not as structured (no structure?) but full of practical application, like cooking and baking to learn fractions and Celsius/Fahrenheit or building chicken coops for wedding presents to learn about architecture.

My Little Cowboy!

~ Spring! Its Finally Here!! ~

2011-04-08T14:43:00.000-05:00

The house is totaled but its nice outside so...off to see if I can work up the dirt and get ready to plant peas. Moving the leeks into our little green house. Child screaming for me...Hoping to get pictures up later and hoping you are having a great day!

~ Rambunctious Rosie ~

2011-04-07T13:51:00.000-05:00

The quality of the video isn't that great, I was just using my camera but she is cute none the less.

~ Easy Recycled Plant Tags ~

2011-04-07T12:51:00.001-05:00

In a house with four kids, three being boys, for long winter days keeping the house in one piece can be challenging. After one particular, wild, adventurous afternoon of play it was discovered that the blind in one of the bedrooms had a few broken slats and one of the strings to pull it up was lost "down the hole". I wasn't really upset, with a Menard's rebate we paid a dollar a blind eight years ago and because we have such a moisture problem we can't have the blinds down anyway. Good thing we live in the country!

Because of said moisture issue, the blind had to come down. It moved from location to location for awhile. I just couldn't throw it away, it had to be good for something. Plant Labels!! I cut each slat in half length wise and then cut them to length I need to mark each cell. I use a permanent marker to write what kind of seeds were planted. Since they are plastic they won't rot and as long as I keep little fingers from pulling them all out I will know which tomatoes are which this year.

~ Rosie ~

2011-04-03T23:13:00.004-05:00

Our mama cow had her calf this evening. A beautiful little heifer calf. I missed the birth by no more than 15 minutes by my estimation. I got to watch her take those first wobbly steps and I am now on baby watch every two hours. I am most likely being overprotective, but this is *my* first calf. We are really blessed that we have such a gentle mama cow. We had to move them into the barn because it started to rain outside. She didn't mind one bit.

*Update : Just peeked a couple of times last night. Went out this morning to feed. Oh My Goodness, can you say cute! I sat down in the stall, mama and baby were laying down. Baby got up and came over to smell my face and let me rub her all over. Mama just laid there and watched, mooing every now and again. I got up to get hay so mama got up and baby immediately went back to nurse. Can we say engorged? I know how she feels and its not a nice feeling. I helped baby get a really good hold on those great big nipples and she nurse with great joy, that little tail just a going.

I am glad she delivered yesterday evening because last night was snowing and the wind was whipping. They were snug as a bug in the barn. The sun is shining now so hopefully it will warm up some and I can let them out of their stall for some extra sunshine.

This post is shared at:

Monday Mania

Homestead Barn Hop
Simple Lives Thursday

~ The Homeschool Village ~

2011-04-02T10:24:00.002-05:00

For all my homeschooling mommy friends out there I want to share with you a fabulous new blog that I found. The Homeschool Village. The organizational, OCD nerd in me has found a new love. She uses a system call workboxes. You can also use workstrips. Not only do they help the kids stay on tract but me too. My brain is swimming with the ways that they can help our house run smoother, now to just find the time to get it all done.

Right now Jolanthe is hosting The Homeschooling Village Gardening Challenge. You don't have to have a huge garden or even a blog to participate, a flower box or container will do! So, go check it out and link up. She also has some great gardening challenge preschool packs that are chalked full of fun!

~ 2011 Ultimate Blog Party ~

2011-04-01T09:31:00.003-05:00

I am a Christian AP momma, living my dream of being a domestic diva to a wonderful husband and four beautiful kids. I love to share my knowledge and experiences on alternative healing, vaccine injury in children, homebirth, attachment and natural parenting issues, intactivism, lactivism, whole foods/nourishing nutrition, co-op shopping, organic gardening and farming, cooking, and homeschool/unschooling. I love being a momma and wouldn't want to do anything else, (even when life is not always a ton of fun).

Our family is very blessed by my parents and their willingness to share their 80 acre farm. We are in the process of building it back up and becoming self sustaining. We are also trying to balance the passion of everyone having access to really good food at a reasonable price while still trying to make a living.

Right now I am trying balance and find a new balance as summer approaches for all of the plates I have spinning in the air. I try and answer question as quick as I can. I love comments and hearing from you!! Anything you see or find on my blog is something that I wholeheartedly believe in. I don't recommend things that I don't love and use myself.

***Give Away ***
Because I finally found my sheer curtains that I have been meaning to make reusable produce bags out of and because I have gained quite a few new followers lately I will be making some extras and doing a giveaway. I think it is kind of funny, I get so excited every time someone new starts to follow my blog, that I could really write something that someone else would find interesting. When I visit sites that have 1000s of followers I always wonder if they are still as excited as when they first started blogging. If I ever get to that point, I sure hope I am.

So, if you follow my blog you will automatically be entered to win some nifty reusable produce bags made out of recycled sheer curtains.

~ Last Days of the March of Kindness Month ~

2011-03-31T22:39:00.005-05:00

26th ~ Ordered myself a bag of super dark chocolate covered cherries.

27th ~ Didn't feel very good so I stayed home from church but made my husband his lunch for work that night so he wouldn't be rushed when he got home.

28th ~ Snuggled in bed with my daughter and read her a giagantic stack of books. She only had to elbow me a couple of times to keep me awake.

29th ~ Set aside everything I had to do and spent the entire afternoon with my oldest. He's getting so big so fast.

30th ~ Took a big bag of cloth diapers I wasn't using anymore to a friend who's family is living on faith at the moment.

31st ~ My two years old helped me make carob cupcakes with chocolate g'nosh. He was covered from head to toe in sticky yumminess! My oldest turned 9 today! Happy Birthday Buddy!!

~ Learning to Sew ~

2011-03-31T22:00:00.003-05:00

My son Zach has wanted to learn to sew for awhile now and it was one of his friends birthdays this week and I just happen to see this little penguin and it was the perfect project for both learning to sew and a birthday gift.

First we traced our pattern on some felt. As much as I love the luscious feel of 100% wool felt its just too spendy. I find that the eco felt, made from recycled plastic bottle does a perfectly good job when it comes to projects like this.

Next, Zach cut out all the pieces he would need to make his penguin. He chose all the colors and traced the pattern on to the felt himself too! We did some sewing machine work, I ran the pedal and he guided the fabric. This project could easily be done by hand if you have the time. Then he stuffed him full of cotton and sewed up the bottom.

This was the final project and he was really proud of the little penguin he had made. I also made a little hobo sack real quick to put the penguin it. He had lots of fun learn to sew and is ready to tackle the next project, a penguin for himself.

March’s Families, Create! challenge was filled with awesome animal-themed posts. From Mo Willems to monkey finger puppets, our writers and crafters kept busy getting creative with the little animals in their lives.

Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival. Our April theme is "Fantasy" - childhood is a fascinating time, filled with magic around every corner. What can your family imagine and create?

Please take time to read the March submissions by the other carnival participants:

Lizz at Am I a Funny Girl turns a family outing at the zoo into a picture book to keep.

Maman A Droit shares her easy pattern for a felt monkey finger puppet with you!

The kids at Living Peacefully with Children celebrated the emergence of Spring with butterflies. Check out their Coffee Filter Butterfly mobile and Pipe Cleaner Art.

Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes offers helpful ways for a child to remember calming techniques with a “Calming your Beast” basket.

Most of us have monkeys running around our house at times. Or lions. Or elephants. Make your child's creative animal play even better with stuffed animal tails! Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares an easy tutorial.

Galit Breen at These Little Waves shares an easy way to get creative with Mo Willems' "We Are In A Book."

Maman A Droit shares her pattern for a felt bunny finger puppet-a perfect Easter basket filler!

Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares a look at butterflies through metaphor, books and a coffee filter craft.

Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children knitted some simple Nugget Bunnies for her children's Ostara baskets while practicing a new technique.

Amy at Anktangle shares photographs of crocheting a lovable stuffed turtle for her son to play with.

Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes knows a few ways to bring beneficial birds to the garden.

Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias shares a fun little first sewing project.

Lauren at Hobo Mama has a fun and easy game to make to stimulate your preschooler's memory.

Using her children's artwork as inspiration, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children woodburned wooden eggs for them to color in honor of Spring.

Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes is making nature bags or field bags for nature journals and the other things we may need as we explore our planet.

Animals are the inspiration for this set of handmade clay items for an I Spy bag at Living Peacefully with Children.

~ Masks ~

2011-03-31T21:32:00.000-05:00

These are the masks we made for art today. A butterfly and an eagle, they were a flying super hero team! We used this printable if you want to make your own. We used yarn and tied them in the back instead of putting them on straws.

~ Kids ~

2011-03-25T23:33:00.002-05:00

If I fell asleep like this I can only imagine the outcome

~ March of Kindness ~

2011-03-25T23:07:00.004-05:00

...boy, am I slacking with the posting...

20th - Let hubby sneak off to go to the "big town" to run errands and go to the bee meeting all by himself.

21st - Made a table for the nursery at church.

22nd - I let myself go to bed before everyone else. I was exhausted!

23rd - Read my daughter the same book 6 times because "mummy, I just love this story so" yes, she said it exactly like that!

24th - Letting 66 birds take up residence in my porch because apparently Spring didn't receive its memo about it being SPRING yet!

25th - Let my two years old put the dirt into my starting cells. I knew it would make a mess and would just be faster to do it myself but I just couldn't resist that little smile and "me too"!

~ How to Make Your Own Chick Starter & Elecrolyte Water ~

2011-03-20T13:23:00.016-05:00

This is what we are using for a chick starter this year. We left the grains whole but soaked them and the chicks are eating them fine. I think we are going to run them through the grain grinder on coarse for the next batch just to make it a little easier for the little ones to eat.

2 cups wheat
1 cup each of oats and barley
3/4 cup greenstuff
3/4 cup lentils or peas, which ever the co-op has
1/4 raw milk kefir
1 Tablespoon molasses
3 teaspoons trace mineral salt pieces of apple core, carrot peelings, alfalfa,...

We decided to make our own electrolyte mix for their water this year as well.

1 qrt of water
1/2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp raw honey
1/2 tsp sea salt

We really just wanted to get away from all commercial feeds and mixes so that we can make sure that we know exactly what our birds are getting. We get organic grains and when we mix them ourselves it is also cheaper. Stayed tuned for some more pictures, the boys ordered "ninja chicks" for their 4H projects and they are so cute. This post is shared at:

Monday Mania

Real Food Wednesday

Simple Lives Thursday

Fight Back Friday

Homestead Barn Hop

~ March of Kindness ~

2011-03-20T13:22:00.004-05:00

March 16 ~ Went to my mom's house and grabbed her book and renewed it for her since I was going to the library.

March 17 ~ Made a sling for a friend so she didn't have to haul around a carseat (which really belong in the car) when she went shopping.

March 18 ~ This isn't my act of random kindness but my son's. Yesterday my oldest opened the dishwasher and saw that there were clean dishes so he put them away.

March 19 ~ Loaded up the kids and drove to Brainerd to pick up the chicks so my husband wouldn't have to do it when he got off from work (at 1:30 AM) and then kept my grumbles to myself as I had to hunt for feed trays in the dark because he forgot to get them out for me.

~ New Babies Have Arrived ~

2011-03-19T20:38:00.002-05:00

~ New Chickens ~

2011-03-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

We have one broody hen at the moment and come Sunday, we should have about 66 balls of fluff running around. Twenty-five new laying hens, 25 meat birds, 6 chickens for 4H, 6 new ducks and 4 geese. The kids are really excited and so I am. I will post pictures and maybe even a video, so stay tuned.

~ Ditch the Vic, Super Easy Stuffy Nose Rub ~

2011-03-18T10:27:00.003-05:00

This is the easiest way to help relieve stuffy little noses. I took some jojoba oil, about 2 ounces and mixed it with about 15 drops of essential peppermint oil. Rub it on the bottoms of your little ones feet, pop on a pair of socks and your good to go. Best thing, it smells like Christmas!! This post is part of the Herbal Medicine Chest Blog Hop

~ March of Kindness - March 12, 13, 14 & 15 ~

2011-03-15T11:08:00.003-05:00

March 12 ~ Held my baby while he slept. I pushed aside the thoughts of what I could have been doing and just enjoyed the moment.

March 13 ~ Swept my son up and gave him a great big hug and told him how much I love him and how proud I am of him for just being him.

March 14 ~ Suggested to my husband to just have a splash fight with our daughter (who was in the tub), to let go of the power struggle of keeping the water in the tub and I would clean up the mess. The pure joy and giggle that came forth from both of them were totally worth cleaning up. Another perk, the bathroom floor got washed.

March 15 ~ Gave my cow a good brush down, a cow massage, lol. She is getting ready to calf(looks like within the next few days) so I am sending her good birth vibes too!

~ 8 Reasons to Eat Fermented Foods ~

2011-03-14T15:50:00.004-05:00

I love this post from Cheeseslave on why we need to eat lacto-fermented foods. Her whole post is longer than this, so hop on over and read the rest of the really great info she has.

8 Reasons to Eat Fermented Foods

1. Fermented foods improve digestion. Fermenting our foods before we eat them is like partially digesting them before we consume them. According to Joanne Slavin, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, “…sometimes people who cannot tolerate milk can eat yogurt. That’s because the lactose (which is usually the part people can’t tolerate) in milk is broken down as the milk is fermented and turns into yogurt.”

2. Fermented foods restore the proper balance of bacteria in the gut. Do you suffer from lactose intolerance? Gluten intolerance? Constipation? Irritable bowel syndrome? Yeast infections? Allergies? Asthma? All of these conditions have been linked to a lack of good bacteria in the gut.

3. Raw, fermented foods are rich in enzymes. According to the Food Renegade blog, “Your body needs [enzymes] to properly digest, absorb, and make full use of your food. As you age, your body’s supply of enzymes decreases. This has caused many scientists to hypothesize that if you could guard against enzyme depletion, you could live a longer, healthier life.”

4. Fermenting food actually increases the vitamin content. According to the Nourished Kitchen blog, “Fermented dairy products consistently reveal an increasedlevel of folic acid which is critical to producing healthy babies as well as pyroxidine, B vitamins, riboflavin and biotin depending on the strains of bacteria present. [1. Vitamin Profiles of Kefirs Made from Milk of Different Species. International Journal of Food Science & Technology. 1991. Kneifel et al]“

5. Eating fermented food helps us to absorb the nutrients we’re consuming. You can ingest huge amounts of nutrients, but unless you actually absorb them, they’re useless to you. When you improve digestion, you improve absorption.

6. Fermenting food helps to preserve it for longer periods of time. Milk will go bad in the fridge but kefir and yogurt last a lot longer. Sauerkraut, pickles and salsa will keep for months. And if you’ve got a huge batch of produce in your garden that you don’t know how to use up — ferment it!

7. Fermenting food is inexpensive. There’s nothing fancy required for this hobby. And many of the foods required to make these recipes are very cheap. You can use inexpensive cabbage to make sauerkraut, or get yourself a kombucha scoby and with just pennies’ worth of water, sugar and tea, you’ve got a health elixir slash soda pop.

8. Fermenting food increases the flavor. There’s a reason humans enjoy drinking wine and eating stinky cheese. There’s a reason we like sauerkraut on our hot dogs and salsa on our tortilla chips. It tastes good!

~ Let It Be Spring ~

2011-03-14T15:22:00.004-05:00

This post was written for Fertile Imagination @ http://community.fertilityflower.com/ where I have monthly column. Feel free to visit me over there, too!
Let me just say, emphatically, that I am sooo ready for winter to be over. It is not cooperating one bit. Last year, with March generally being our snowiest month, we didn’t get one drop of snow. It was melting by now.
This year, we still have lots of snow and the temperature today is a whopping 22 degrees outside but feels like 11 with a low of -13 tonight. Fun!

Inside however we have started our seedlings. American Flag Leeks, Carantan Leeks, Giant Musselburg Leeks, Pepinos, Thai Red Papaya, Pink Bananas, and Heartseal (Johnny Jump-ups). The bananas, papayas, and pepinos will be planted in big pots so that they can be brought in when it starts to get cold again.

In another week we will start all of our tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, tomatillos, strawberries, huckleberries, and sun berries. We are anticipating so much new growth over the next few months farm wise. We ordered our new chickens, ducks, and geese last night. Twenty-five meat birds, twenty-five new laying hens (a few will go to some good friends) Black Swedish Ducks, Khaki Campbell Ducks, and White Embden Geese. The boys got Crevecoeurs, Golden Polish, and Silver Polish Chickens for 4H. We will place additional seed orders today.

Lots of prayer and planning have gone on these long winter months and we have realized that we have a passion for helping people, all people, have access to really good, wholesome food that they can afford. The reality is, that until massive changes are made to the food supply system we have now, its up to us to enact change. Its up to us to help our local economies and communities. We are striving to achieve a balance between affordable food and being able to make a living. We have ordered our bees and will be getting those set up in the next month or two, whenever the weather decides to cooperate. We have found goats for meat, still searching high and low for milk goats. Our barn and fences really need some work before we get anymore big animals, so we are looking into the smaller ones right now.

If you are looking for a way to be a bit more self sustainable but have a small space to work with meat rabbits may be the way to go. They take up much less space, are not noisy like cows, goats, or chickens. They breed eight times a year regardless of season, furs can be a additional source of income, and rabbit meat has a delicate flavor and is leaner than beef or pork. They are very easy to maintain as long as they have proper ventilation in their housing and are easy to clean and prepare for the freezer. Rabbit poo is also very good for your garden and doesn’t need to be composted. There is also a rising demand for rabbit meat. I have looked online for rabbit and average prices are $25 - $30 for one 3 lb rabbit. I can tell you right now that I won’t be charging that price because I can’t afford it and reasonably priced food is our goal with this farm.

Another great way to maximize your growing space is to utilize squares instead of rows for some plants. I am going to plant in 2'x2' squares this year instead of rows. A 1'x4' row will yield 12 beets while a 2'x2' box will yield 36 plants because you can stagger them. If you have a small garden space this may be something to consider. We will also be doing raised beds with our 2'x2' boxes to make it easier for the kids to know exactly where they can step. It is our hope that gardening this way will cut down on the weeding we have to do as well. Things are moving along and if weren’t for the snow they would be moving much faster.

I would love to hear what you are planning at your home this growing season, whether it is just a few pots of tomatoes on the patio, a new garden, or the addition of backyard animals. Have questions? I would love to help if I can! Happy Growing!

~ Lacto-fermented Ketchup ~

2011-03-14T14:42:00.001-05:00

Do you know why most kids love ketchup? Commercial ketchups are 1/3 sugar. This is a kid approved recipe by kids that are not all that fond of ketchup in the first place. B-b-q season is almost upon us so make sure you have this one in your fridge. I found this recipe at GNOWFGLINS.

12 ounces organic tomato paste - I use Bionaturae, it comes in glass jars, not BPA lined cans
1/4 + 1/8 c water
1/4 c raw honey or maple syrup
1/8 c whey
2 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp organic mustard powder
1/4 tsp organic cinnamon 1/8 tsp each cloves, allspice, cayenne touch of molasses

I toss everything in the blender to mix. If you end up with more of a spreadable ketchup you can add a bit more water or tomato juice to thin it out. Pour/spoon into a mason jar, cap and leave the jar on the counter for a 24 hours so that the good bacteria has a chance to grow a bit. Put into the fridge and enjoy.

~ Our Sickness Protocol ~

2011-03-12T00:09:00.002-06:00

Last week three of our children were sick (first time this year) so I thought I would share what has worked for us to help them recover and heal. We use a holistic or whole body approach.

First stop, chiropractor. Basically your spine is like the central intelligence agency of your body. Each vertebrae in your spine has nerves that "plug" into it and send signals to different parts of your body. If your spine has any subluxations, or twisted vertebrae, your body will not run properly because the nerve signal is being interrupted.

Our next go to is good bone broths and homemade chicken stocks. I always have them on hand in the fridge as part of our protocol for healthy teeth. This simple, easy recipe from The Healthy Home Economist on Potassium Broth would as be very beneficial to anyone try to recover from an illness or surgery.

1 part fresh lemon to 1 part raw honey + as much raw garlic or ginger as you or your kids can stand. I talk more about this here. We use garlic ear oil if ear pain is an issue. Garlic is a natural antibiotic that is much more effects that prescription antibiotics because it works synergistically as a whole plant rather than a single isolated antibiotic. Its main route of action is in it sulphur compound allicin. If we really need a boost we utilize Grapefruit Seed Extract. Stephen Harrod Buhner's book Herbal Antibiotics is a must read.

Fever! A fever is not to be fear unlike the medical establishment would have you believe. It is our bodies natural response to the invaders in our system. Most bacteria/viruses can not handle high heat so they are literally cooked to death when the body spikes a fever. When you reach for the bottle of fever reducer you are doing more harm than good. You are giving the bacteria a leg up by reducing your temperature to a level that they can readily reproduce in making an illness last much longer than it normally would. I am again going to direct you to The Healthy Home Economist because she wrote a very good, concise post here. If you have a child that is very uncomfortable a bit of diluted green tea can help. The small amount of caffeine can dilate the blood vessels just enough to bring comfort without compromising the healing aspects of a fever.

It is said that the ability to run a high fever is a sign of vitality and I can attest to that. My daughter will run temps of 103-104 and she still runs circles around us. She generally sleeps right through them waking healthy as though she had a perfectly normal night with no temperature.

Nourishing foods and probiotics: Your immune system is only has healthy as your gut. We all have on a daily basis, raw milk products, kombucha or water kefir and my husband takes extra probiotics because they promote flu vaccinations at his work and I don't want him bringing home the flu because of others shedding the virus. We don't vaccinate as vaccinating compromises the immune system.

And last but most important is rest. Your body needs downtime. The only reason you got sick in the first place is that your body was run down and your immune system was not running on all cylinders. Just because you get a "germ" in your body doesn't automatically mean you are going to get sick. Bacteria and viruses have to have the right medium to grow on in order to make someone sick. If you are eating lots of sugar and processed foods (or even just a little) you are compromising your immune system by destroying your gut health.

Last week three out of the four were sick. We got a new bucket of raw honey that is crystallized (oh so yummy!) and the kids had been allowed one to many spoonfuls. To a certain degree, sugar is sugar and the extra sugar weaken their gut health by feeding the bad flora and in turn weakened their immune system. We were around two different families dealing with two different illnesses that we picked up. They all had quick recoveries, 24 -48 hours. We ran temps in the 104 range, drank lots of water kefir to stay hydrated and kept blood glucose levels up and encouraged them to sleep a lot. We haven't been to a doctor for illness in 6 years and my oldest has had one round of prescription antibiotics when he was 18 months old before the stance on ear infections was to just wait it out.

People get sick. Its not inherently a bad thing. It's Gods way of building our immune systems improving our overall health. Are there those that haven't been sick in years? Yep, and coo-dos to them but I live with four kids who touch everything (an occasionally lick stuff! yuk!!) and we are bound to get sick. This is just what has worked best for our family to help us make a speedy recovery without the side effects of OTC or prescription drugs.

~ Tomato Seedling Starts ~

2011-03-12T00:04:00.004-06:00

The tomatoes are started. We are anxiously watching and waiting for those little green sprouts to start poking out of the soil. This year we planted:

Anna Russian
Black from Tula
Riesentraube
Jaune Flammee
Mule Team
Amish Paste
Pink Ponderosa
Baxter's Bush Cherry
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Kellogg's Breakfast
Box Car Willie
Druzba
Green Grape
Eva Purple Ball
Valenciano
Purple Tomatillo
Pineapple Tomatillo

Now the trick is going to be digging up enough new space to plant all of those. Hurry up and melts snow, we want to get outside!!!

~ March of Kindness - March 10 & 11 ~

2011-03-11T10:32:00.004-06:00

March 10 - I took my kids and my niece to play in the gym at the local community center. We have a "gym bin" full of activities(bowling set, kids size basketballs, tennis balls, mini soccer set)only for the gym. Story hour got out right as we were getting ready to leave and the majority of the kids came in the gym to play. The gym bin was a huge hit so we stayed an extra 15 minutes. I had been up with Jairden at least 12 times the night before and really, really wanted lunch and a nap but watching all those kids having a blast brought a smile to my face. I felt really bad having to pack up and go but I think the other mom's were relieved because they were ready for lunch and a nap too! March 11 - Told my mom I loved her and appreciated all the thoughtful things she does for me.

~ Wild Rice Burgers ~

2011-03-09T22:00:00.007-06:00

Despite my best efforts, I don't often get dinner together all at the same time especially the nights that Jake works. I get the main course done, then remember that I didn't make any veggies, get milk poured half way through supper, and yes, we can still have mangos, yogurt and granola for dessert (mustn't forget the important things).

These have become a favorite around here, even the little ones will eat them. They are super easy and since I had dinner on the table all at the same time I though I would share. Check out my post on lacto-fermented ketchup to go with these yummy burgers.

Main Course : Wild Rice Burgers
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 lb free range/organic ground meat, beef or venison
1/2 cup raw cheddar cheese
2 large free range eggs
2 tsp organic curry powder
1 tsp sea or Himalayan salt
dash of organic black pepper

Mix together in no particular order, if you don't want to use your hands a potato masher works great. I use a cast iron skillet to fry in (no Teflon, will leave that for another post), a little coconut oil in the bottom, cook for about 4 minutes a side, until they are nicely browned.

We use sprouted hamburger buns, lettuce & tomatoes, and homemade pickles for garnish. Last night I got 6 half pound patties and 2 quarter pound patties for the little ones. You can leave out the meat if you wish, they are just as good. Add 1/3 cup of crushed cracker to your pattie mix and then before you fry them coat each side with more cracker crumbs, cook until brown. These would also be wonderful served on a bed of lettuce if are gluten intolerant.

Veggies : Fresh Garden Asparagus & Simple Coleslaw This is the first year we have been able to pick asparagus, Zach was so excited. Steam crisp with a generous dollop of real butter. I shredded an small head of cabbage, added some shredded carrots and sliced almonds, made a batch of Russian dressing with the homemade mayo, little salt and pepper, it was yummy.

I also made a bag of organic tator tots (gag) but the kids really like them and now there is only one bag left and then there will be no more (yah!!) Next time I will make a pan of oven roasted potatoes with garlic, fresh chives, and onion.

To drink, a tall glass of raw whole milk we get fresh from a local farm or our cow when I am milking her. Yogurt and granola are pretty standard fair for dessert around here, one kid doesn't like yogurt or mango so he has just milk and granola. I have been known, on occasion, to buy a box of organic icecream sandwhiches, but even then they have to spilt it in fourths and we don't call it a treat. We call fresh fruit and veggies a treat around here. I refuse to set up my kids to think that anything sugar based is a "treat" when in reality it is harming their bodies and minds. We often discuss the chapter in Little House on the Prairie where Mary and Laura receive an orange for Christmas and why that was such a big deal. What do you consider a treat in your house? And what are you teaching your kids about the impact of food choices on their health and well being? This post is shared at:

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~ March of Kindness - March 8 & 9 ~

2011-03-09T21:48:00.003-06:00

8th ~ I let my kids make homemade icecream and eat it for lunch just because they asked. They thought it was great!

9th ~ Picked up my oldest son's towel off the bathroom floor and didn't say a word about how I ask him to do it just about every day.

~ March if Kindness - March 7 ~

2011-03-07T18:46:00.003-06:00

Today my kindness was directed toward myself. I allowed myself to eat alone, in another room. The kids have severe cabin fever even after playing outside today. I needed to be able to wind down emotionally before I exploded from frustration from my own limited abilities and expectation of keeping up with them. It was one of those days when it felt like I went from one mess to another...and another...and another...

~ Is Raw Milk Mucus Producing? ~

2011-03-07T15:29:00.002-06:00

Answer - from Cheeseslave's March 5 Q & A The short answer is no. Raw milk (and raw dairy) contains lactase, which is the enzyme that helps us digest lactose. People who are lactose intolerant are lacking lactase so they can’t digest the lactose. This is why so many people who are lactose-intolerant have no problems drinking raw milk. (Excessive mucus production is a common sign of an allergic reaction). Here’s the long answer: According to nutritionist, David Getoff of the Price-Pottenger Foundation:

I’m a little bit tired of hearing the statement that dairy is mucus-producing because if you take 1,000 people who, when they drink milk or eat dairy products, it stuffs them up, and if you take another 1,000 people who, when they’re exposed to either a cat or dog (or something else they’re allergic to) that that stuffs them up, nobody is going to say that cats and dogs are mucus-producing. A lot of people are allergic to dairy, to cats, dogs or dust mites. The allergic reaction is called a histamine reaction in which case they get stuffed up, so a lot of people are allergic to milk! It’s not mucus producing any more than cats and dogs are mucus-producing. A lot of people are simply allergic to it.

He goes on to explain why so many people are allergic to milk (which is why they think it is mucus-producing) — it’s a long response but very well-written:

In general, there isn’t anything in milk that a large percentage of the population is allergic to…until we start changing it and altering it, otherwise known as homogenization and pasteurization. Raw milk shouldn’t be called raw milk, it should only be called milk. Nobody ever calls the broccoli that they buy in the store raw broccoli, or cauliflower, raw cauliflower. They just say broccoli and cauliflower, and if you cook it, you say it’s cooked. Well, we shouldn’t say raw milk, we should say milk if it’s raw and cooked milk instead of pasteurized (because you are basically bringing up the temperature that is starting to cook it). When you do that you destroy all the enzymes that are in the milk, and you also denature some of the proteins. Pasteurization alters the milk. A lot of people are intolerant of some of the changes that have occurred in this food that otherwise wouldn’t have bothered them. From my own impromptu research with a couple of thousand students and patients over many years, approximately 8 out of every 10 people who have a problem with milk or dairy, do not have the problem when it is consumed RAW. Pasteurized dairy causes one of a variety of problems depending on the person, and people do not realize that they do not have a problem with raw milk, they only have a problem after it’s been pasteurized and homogenized. So milk is not necessarily the issue. A lot of people know that they are lactose intolerant which is the sugar that occurs in milk. Lactose intolerance is not a milk allergy. It doesn’t mean milk is not good for them. It simply means that the milk sugar, which is called lactose, can’t be properly assimilated by the body because the lactase enzyme is either not there or is in an insufficient amount and therefore causes a problem. Lo and behold Mother Nature knows that the human body generally doesn’t do well with lactose. So she put plenty of lactase into the milk so it wouldn’t cause a problem, but we kill it all by pasteurizing the milk. Most people who are lactose intolerant can handle raw milk (as long as they don’t use it to cook with). When you cook with raw milk, you are raising the temperature even higher than the heat of pasteurization, so obviously, it is no longer RAW. Other people have a problem with denaturing of the protein in the milk, which, of course, does not occur until it is heated. This is another reason why people who otherwise could handle raw milk have a problem with pasteurized milk. Raw milk, in general, is much higher in quality than pasteurized milk because the cows are much healthier. What the public also doesn’t realize is that the bacteria is still in the pasteurized milk, it’s just dead bacteria, and, of course, that’s not good for us either. It’s toxic. Killing something (bacteria) doesn’t make it go away, it just makes it dead.

~ Water Kefir ~

2011-03-07T09:00:00.008-06:00

* Update: I wanted to give a shout out to Kathy Atkinson's website Mind, Body, and Sole. The recipe for Ginger Ale Water Kefir that I listed was from her site and I didn't hyperlink. I have also add our recipe for Cream Soda Water Kefir*

We have had so much fun with water kefir lately. We are currently brewing over a half gallon a day and flavoring it with frozen fruit during a second fermentation. A second fermentation causes lots of bubble to form and trapped basically creating a healthy soda pop.

The basic recipe is: Ginger Ale Water Kefir

6 c unfiltered water, the grains need minerals
1/2 c organic sugar
1/4 c kefir grains
1 tbsp organic ginger, small dice
pinch of baking soda

Dissolve the sugar in the water, then add the ginger and kefir grains. Make sure your water is room temp so that the kefir grains don't get cooked. We usually let it sit for two days. Cover your jar with some cheese cloth and a rubber band so that the bugs and dust stay out. After two days I strain out my grains and ginger and start another batch.

With the freshly strained water kefir I add frozen fruit, cap the jar and set it on a high shelf in my kitchen. So far we have added blueberries, strawberries, cherries, and lemon juice for just plain ginger ale. This is where you will want to add your pinch of baking soda, it adds a few extra bubbles.

Cream Soda Water Kefir
6 c unfiltered water
1/2 c organic sugar
1/4 c water kefir grains
2 tbsp molasses pinch of baking soda
4 tsp vanilla

Dissolve the sugar and molasses in the water and then add grains. Let sit at room temp for 24 - 48 hours. Strain and add vanilla. Let sit another 24 hours capped. We ordered the water kefir grain kits of Cultures for Health. Our grains are multiplying like rabbits which is a good thing because we basically drink it as fast as we can make it. I am pretty sure we will be up to a gallon at a time pretty soon. We have three gallon jars of kombucha going at all times too. To see what Cultures for Health has to offer, click on the Cultures for Health banner above. Happy Brewing!! This post is share at:

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~ Cultures for Health ~

2011-03-06T23:39:00.006-06:00

My first real world experience with unknown cultured foods was kombucha. I bought it on a whim from the grocery store and I really liked it but didn't like the price tag, 3.99 for a 16 oz. bottle. I googled it and low and behold there was a way to make it at home. I made my own kombucha mother and have been brewing ever since. I had no idea that I could have order a ready made kombucha mother online.

My next "weird" culture food was kefir and buying that from the store isn't always easy on the check book either. It wasn't until we purchased our family dairy cow that I really needed to get interested in making my own kefir, partly because I needed something to do with all the milk. On one late night clicking spree I happened upon a FB page called Cultures for Health and then stumbled into their store. Cultures, a whole store of cultures, bliss! I ordered right then milk kefir grains and yogurt starters (2 different kinds, Matsoni and Greek). The site was easy to navigate and the shipping was flat rate shipping (LOVE that) and my stuff came really fast. What most impressed me was the quality of the product. If I may, let me share the story of my milk kefir grains.

Our house is very open and the instructions say to keep out of drafts. I put my little grains in the oven so they would stay nice and toasty warm. The next morning upon waking I decided that muffins sounded really good to go with breakfast. So, I got up and started to preheat the oven to 425 and didn't remember that my poor little kefir grains were in the oven. By the time I realized they were in there (thanks to a reminder from my hubby) the milk was steaming. Kefir grains do not tolerate excessive heat. I quickly rinsed them in really cold water and poured fresh cold milk over them. I was crushed. They had been growing so well that I had shared some with a friend. I went online to Cultures for Health and asked if they would live? The answer, most likely no, they don't like heat. I was crushed. Julie, from Cultures for Health gave me a coupon code for 10% off my next order which was really cool, but even cooler, my grains LIVED. Those little grains lived through being preheated to 425 degrees.

I have also ordered water kefir and sourdough starter from there and have been very impressed. We make over a half gallon of water kefir a day because they have multiply so much. I even took some and added them to my milk kefir to help give my grains a boost. They have done wonderfully. I am excited to tell you that I am now an affiliate member of Cultures for Health. What does that mean? That means if you click on the Cultures for Health banner in my sidebar and make a purchase I get a small portion of the sale. One of the reasons I don't have google ads on my blog is because I can't control the content of what is advertised and I only will advertise something that I whole heartily believe in. So click and see what Cultures for Health has to offer and get some culture in your life.

~ March of Kindness - March 6 ~

2011-03-06T23:22:00.003-06:00

I didn't hang my toddler on a hook! Wow, what a day! A vivacious, happy day fill with lots of loud, exuberant noise from a 2.5 year old who was in a mood to make messes. Even with my two older boys help I could barely keep up, but I am not going to complain because he was happy and doing normal stuff for a 2.5 year old. He even helped clean up! p.s. not sure if this really counts but I didn't have any time to do anything else nice.

~ A Month of Kindness - March 5 ~

2011-03-05T15:38:00.002-06:00

As I was preparing to make Soaked Pumpkin Bread last night I decided to double the batch so that I could give one to my mom and dad. My sister is here for the weekend with her two girls and I thought it would be a fun snack!

~ A Month of Kindness ~

2011-03-04T09:00:00.003-06:00

Dionna at CodeName:Mama is hosting CodeName: Mama's March of Kindness. Will you join in with me and perform one random act of kindness every day in March? Blog about it or facebook about it. One little act every day. This is the first chance I have gotten to blog about it so here are the first 4 days. 1. Bought my daughter another dance outfit even though she didn't really need another one. It was $3 at the thrift store, it was purple velvet with embossed flowers. I just couldn't pass it up knowing the smile that it would bring to her face. She wore it for 48 hours straight before she changed. 2. When the kids weren't looking I shoo-ed my husband out the door to go work on the storage system he is making without kids after an especially loud morning. 3. Read my kids an extra chapter in each of the books we read at bedtime even though it was late, I was tired, and it had been a long day. They were really into the story and the look of pure enjoyment on their faces was priceless. I also bought my dad a tin of Arnica Sore Joint Rub that I happen to see at the co-op. After 30+ years of carpentary his hands and elbows are in rough shape. 4. Made my husband Blueberry Basil Roasted Chicken and Rice for his dinner this evening this morning. He works in the afternoons/night on the weekends so the mornings are the time I get to try and get lots done when I have help with the kids. The house is trashed but I know he has a really great dinner for tonight at work.

~ Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed ~

2011-02-22T23:41:00.005-06:00

This months theme for Families Create! is Heroes and Heroines and again we have found the perfect book. Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson illustrations by Fumi Kosaka.

"You see, when Mrs. Bishop made muffins from Mary's blueberries, not only the paperboy, Billy Parker, but the other four people, too, made five people smile, and those five did, too, and after a while - in only fifteen days- love was sent to every person everywhere!"

If we were to do one nice thing for one person and that person did one nice thing for 5 people and those five people did one nice thing for five more people, in 15 days 6,103,515,625 people would have something nice or kindness shown to them. Pretty incredible!!

And, to go along with our story the kids and I made blueberry bread. They wanted to make muffins but the muffin papers were gone and all I have is aluminum muffin tins so blueberry bread was the next best thing.

Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins/Bread

6 eggs

5 tbsp butter or coconut oil melted

6 tbsp coconut milk or whole milk

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp rapadura

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp bourbon vanilla

1/2 c sifted coconut flour

1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder

1 c frozen blueberries

Whisk together liquids and the add the dry. Whisk really well until all the lumps are gone. Stir in blueberries. Pour into a glass loaf pan and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!!

Lesson Plan for Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deeds

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February brought many heroic crafts to the Families, Create! Carnival. Check out some of the wonderful posts from last month's participants below, and be sure to visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival.

The Artsy Mama made a personalized birthday hat for her son's first birthday. Learn how to make a Hero's Birthday Hat for your hero or heroine with very few sewing skills.
Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children found inspiration in books for some I-Spy items in her post, I Spy Items - The Last Olympians and The Lost Heroes.
Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias found out how one random act of kindness can shower the world in kindness in the book Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed.
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super Kieran! Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares the Superhero Capes she made to celebrate her son's heroic qualities.
At Z Everyday Things, Mama G made easy and quick Super Zs!, personalized superhero appliques on shirts, for her children. Easy and quick!
Lauren at Hobo Mama has a son who loves to dream up stories and one heroic imaginary friend. Read her post about Space-Alien Hot-Dog Monster & Silly Guy .
Heroes are often everyday people. Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children was inspired by the gift of a sock in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, prompting her to make Dobby's Sock as part of her Harry Potter ornaments.
Galit Breen at Three Little Waves used the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes as a springboard for a sensitive discussion and a fun origami project for her whole family in her post Families Create: Heroes and Heroines.
Need a creative gift idea for a toddler or preschooler? Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares a simple Tutorial for a Two-Sided Felt Playmat (one side is outer space, one side is a jungle scene).
Literature and adventure inspired Mandy @ Living Peacefully with Children to make these Treasure Bags for Imbolc.

Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival. Our March theme is "Animals" - what animals are your favorites and why? Get creative and share with us how animals are a part of your and your children's lives

~ Coconut Flour Pizza Crust ~

2011-02-21T13:45:00.005-06:00

My kids love pizza but if I haven't soaked the flour for crust we can't do pizza. I found an almond flour crust that we really liked but wanted to have an alternative too. I found the coconut flour crust at Food Renegade and it worked out really well. I made some very minor changes(shown in purple).

4 pasture raised eggs 1/4 c + 1/8 c coconut flour
1/4 c organic plain whole milk yogurt
1/2 tsp pizza seasoning
1/4 tsp of garlic granules I mixed everything in the blender and then let it sit for five minutes. You have to let it sit so the coconut flour has a chance to absorb the liquid. Heat up a cast iron skillet with some coconut oil and pour out enough batter to make a 5 to 6 inch circle.

I ended up with eight crusts + a little one. I let them cool on a rack before adding toppings. I put a teaspoon of sauce on each one, finely diced a slice of uncured beef summer sausage for "pepperoni" and a handful of mozzarella cheese. I put them in the toaster oven to melt the cheese until it was bubbly and starting to brown. The kids really liked them and next time I am going to make a quadruple batch so I can have some for the freezer. This post is share at:

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~ Homeschooling Page ~

2011-02-11T22:13:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to send out an FYI that I worked on the homeschooling page today. I went through all of the sites I had favorited over the last few years. There are lots of great free printables for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners.

~ Apple Date Nut Granola (grain free) ~

2011-02-09T14:52:00.010-06:00

I didn't have any oats soaked and dehydrated to make granola but had all of my nuts and seeds soaked and ready to go so this is what I came up with.
1 c crispy almonds
1 c crispy walnuts
1 c crispy pecans
1 c crispy cashews
1 c of soaked and dehydrated sunflower seeds
4 Pippin apples, cored and peeled 8 whole dates, pitted and rough chopped
1/4 melted coconut oil

I have a small food processor so I did processed one cup of nuts/seeds at a time. Process them just enough to break them into small pieces. Dump all the nuts into a bowl. Process your apples till they are really small but not mush. Add apples to bowl. Process your dates as small as you can get them. Add dates to apples and nuts. Pour coconut oil in and mix well. Spread on a well oiled or parchment covered sheet pan and bake at 200 for 45 minutes. This turned out so well and because it is all nuts it is protein packed and the kids don't have to eat as much to get full. And, there is no added sugar, which is a bonus for the sugar sensitive people in this house. This post is shared at:

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~ Asa's Homeschooling Materials ~

2011-02-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

So, right now this is what our curriculum looks like for Asa, he is doing work in the third/fourth grade range.

Science: Apologia ~ Exploring Creation with Astrology, we are using lap books instead of the note booking method. Asa has tried note booking in the past and didn't like it.

English: Language Smarts level D by The Critical Thinking Company

Spelling: Spelling DooRiddles by The Critical Thinking Company

Math: Mathematical Reasoning level D by The Critical Thinking Company, Extreme Dot to Dots

History: Christian Liberty Press, I wanted to do an broad overview so I order workbooks for kindergarten through fourth grade. We stared with the kindergarten book and are doing a quick read through and overview before digging in to the fourth grade material.

Music: A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers and we are learning to play the guitar.

Art: God and the History of Art, books one and two. We love this so far.

Reading: We go to the library once a week. Both Asa and Zach love the Boxcar Children series, The Magic Tree House series, Little House on the Prairie, Max and Liz series, Treasure Island, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, The Truth Seekers Mystery Series,...we read lots!

Computer: Building Thinking Skills, Critical Thinking Skills for Reading, Math, & Science Level 2

We don't do all of this in one day. We tend to have a rotating schedule and we just pick up where we left of last time. I don't worry a ton about missing a day here and there simply because we get so much done in such a small amount of time.

~ Homeschooling the Loukota Children Part 1 ~

2011-02-01T11:25:00.007-06:00

I have been asked several times lately what we do for homeschooling. When we first decided that we were going to homeschool I looked into curriculum online and in doing so found lots of free resources for the 3 to 5 age range. For kindergarten I used a mish-mash of store bought workbooks and fun projects/printable from online. My oldest went to two years of Christian preschool and knew all of his letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. He could also write/draw all of his letters, numbers, shapes, and his name. I found a check list of what a kindergartner is "suppose" to know by state standards. We finished up the checklist before Christmas.

While making my own materials was free it was time consuming. I knew that I would need to order some sort of curriculum for first grade because I had a baby due in January and there was no way I was going to be able to devote the same amount of time to looking for and collecting/organizing materials. After asking many church friends and other homeschooling moms I settled on My Father's World. They offer a complete package, all put together for you. Minimal trips to the library are suggested by not required. Asa and I both loved it. It was simple, had some repetition to it but wasn't so repetitious that it was boring. My biggest worry was teaching him how to read but with their comprehensive phonics program it was no big deal.

The next year Zach started kindergarten so I order the kindergarten package from My Father's World and again was very impressed with the materials. Easy to follow, a bit more time spent at the library but that was good for us, got us out and about more. We are also very lucky that one of our local libraries is part of the community center so we could utilize the library and the gym, a great way to blow off some extra steam in the middle of these Minnesota winters. Asa did the first grade studies from January to September and then went right into the second grade curriculum from My Father's World. This is where we started to have a bit of a problem with the repetition of the program but we still liked it enough to utilize it for all of the second and third grade years. Math and english are ordered separate once second grade is reach.

My Father's World recommends Singapore Math and English Primer. Asa couldn't even make it through the Singapore Math placement test and I had heard from other moms that their kids didn't like the program either. I had one mom give me some books from The Critical Thinking Company and we used them as part of our kindergarten work and really liked them. I order the math and english workbooks to go with our second grade materials and have order them every since. I have ordered several other workbooks and CD-ROMS from them and the boys love them. It also offers me the chance to have them work alone, great for when I need to take care of the little ones or change that load of laundry around.

This year we decided not to go with My Father's World, it just wasn't working out well enough. That is one of the great things about homeschooling, if something isn't working, you change it. I am embarrassed to admit that it took me awhile to figure that out. I was so convinced that if I just followed the program and its schedule it would all work out great. After some serious frustration over the English Primer, I finally realized that if it wasn't working we didn't have to do it.

~ One Snowy Night ~

2011-01-31T20:01:00.004-06:00

Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival.

This is one of our absolute favorite stories. In this particular version the hat has the velvety coating to make it soft so it is fun to feel. This is a great story to help show kindness and compassion for one another.

To go with our story I made this little amigurumi hedgehog and red hat. The kids loved him and call him Hedgie. He snuggles right down in his warm little hat. We are off to read our story so I will post more pictures of the kids and Hedgie tomorrow.

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

What's the perfect way to snuggle up on a cold winter night? Acacia at Fingerpaint & Superheroes knows the answer: make the perfect soup!

Simply decorated jars by children bring warmth and light to cold Winter's days at Living Peacefully with Children.

The ArtsyMama teaches us how to create a no sew fleece throw inspired by your favorite snuggle time book.

Movies made from books are often pretty poor representations, but this family-made movie from Dionna at Code Name: Mama is monster-ific!

Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes created a cozy for her Kindle, to protect it from little hands that think they need to cuddle with it.

What better way to cuddle and get cozy than in new jammies made by Mama G @ Z everyday things?

Inspired by her family's love of the Harry Potter series, Mandy at Nestled Under Rainbows shared a reflection on and a celebration of snuggies, lovies, cuddlies and specials.

Little Hedgehog got a wonderful idea when his red hat from Father Christmas didn't fit, and Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias got a wonderful idea to knit a sweet hedgehog!

Monster-inspired artwork by a monster-clad kid. Despite the growling, he really is cuddly! Monster love courtesy of Dionna at Code Name: Mama.

Arpita at Up, Down & Natural shares a quick tutorial on how to make your very own Pippalily inspire pouch sling, with zippered pocket & key ring, and a matching nursing cover to boot!

Amy at Anktangle finally completed something cuddly and warm for her son Daniel: his very own afghan, crocheted with love by Momma.

Who'd want to cuddle with a cuttlefish? Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes thinks you might want to cuddle up with this sweet plush cuttlefish!

In an attempt to slow down and relax while watching her children, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children decided to give knitting another chance.

Join us in February to create something with (or for) your own family. Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out more about February's "Heroes and Heroines" theme.

~ Garden Plans ~

2011-01-31T07:15:00.015-06:00

I love this article on Food Freedom about growing plants vertically to maximize your gardening space thus maximizing yields. We created tipis last year for our pole beans and they were so pretty. We used Ironwood trees for our poles and twine strung from one side to another for extra supports. We had 28 plants on each tipi. The mistake I made was planting one variety too close to another and they cross pollinated so I couldn't really save seeds. We did get very interesting looking beans! This is a close up of the flowers that adorned our tipis. This particular one is from a Scarlett Runner Pole Bean. We also planted Rattlesnake Pole Beans and Hidatsa Pole Beans. The Rattlesnakes had lavender flowers and the Hidatsa had light pink flowers. These would be absolutely gorgeous growing up the side of a house. They will grow between 10 to 12 feet so they wouldn't really work for a front yard fence. You could grow peas that grow around 32" on a front yard fence and get the benefits of flowers, pretty greenery, and food! What more could you ask for? This is one of my favorite green bean recipes. The original recipe comes from Laurel's Kitchen, I have change it just a bit to our taste preferences.

Creamy Sesame Beans and Celery

3 c green beans, 3/4" length
1 c celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tbsp arrow root powder
1 tsp of sea salt
1 c raw milk yogurt
1/2 c full fat cottage cheese
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano dash of garlic powder
1/4 c toasted sesame seeds, ground
1/4 to 1/2 cup sourdough bread crumbs
1 tbsp of butter

Cook green beans, celery, and onion in a small amount of stock until barely tender. Drain and reserve liquid to mix with arrowroot powder. Mix stock, sea salt, and arrowroot powder and mix with veggies. Add yogurt and stir; place in a deep casserole pan. Mix seasoning with cottage cheese and spread over vegetables. Melt butter and add sesame seeds and breadcrumbs, then spread them over the cottage cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. This post is shared at :

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~ Spring...~

2011-01-27T13:49:00.004-06:00

It looks like this outside...

And I am doing this... Organizing seeds and plotting gardens. I can not wait (but I have too) till it is warm enough to start planting. I will be starting lots seeds inside and the first one to start will be:

8 weeks before last spring frost

American Flag Leeks
Carantan Leeks
Giant Musselburg Leeks
Pepinos
Huckleberries
Thai Red Papaya
Pink Bananas

And, if you look closely at the second picture you will notice the squares instead of rows. I am going to plant in 2'x2' squares this year instead of rows. A 1'x4' row will yield 12 beets while a 2'x2' box will yield 36 plants because you can stagger them. If you have a small garden space this may be something to consider. We will also be doing raised beds with our 2'x2' boxes to make it easier for the kids to know exactly where they can step. It is our hope that gardening this way will cut down on the weeding we have to do as well.
Plants to start indoors 6 weeks before last spring frost:

Sunberries
Strawberries
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplants

I will post pictures and the varieties that I grow closer to the time I need to start them.

~ Grain Free Pizza Crust ~

2011-01-26T09:13:00.003-06:00

I made the grain free pizza crust from The Healthy Home Economist and it was so good. I made a double batch and it fed all six of us with half a pizza left over.

The only changes I made were instead of the individual spices I used Bragg's No Salt Seasoning because I was in a hurry. This was really good and a thumbs up with the kids. We will be making this again, most likely replacing our regular whole wheat flour crust.

~ The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly ~

2011-01-22T14:12:00.008-06:00

The Good: I can salvage just about anything when it comes to cooking. Even with huge screw-ups, I always seem to be able to manage to turn it into something that tastes good.

The Bad: Common sense says that I have screwed up a lot and had lots of practice making something from nothing.

The Ugly: There is really only one thing I can remember throwing in the garbage, more out of fustration I think than anything else. I tried making sloppyjoes under-the-bun. It called for Bisquic which isn't allowed in my home, so I made corn bread and put that on top of my sloppyjoe meat. Big time fail! I used way to small of a pan and after 1 1/2 of cooking it still wasn't done. My husband was still going to eat it, his reasoning, "I'm hungry". Seriouly dude, you are not eating that half cooked pan of slop.

Well, I did it again this morning. I started making sourdough last night with the intent of having 5 french loaves ready for breakfast in the morning. It must have been cold in the house (imagine that with the average temp for the last few days in the -20) because it took forever to rise. So long, in fact that I completely forgot about it and went to bed. My nice round loaf of dough that I put in the oven to rise was no longer my nice ball of dough but a bowl of goo by morning.

I still managed so get 6 loaves of sourdough french bread and 2 loaves of raisin cinnamon bread. It took a lot of extra flour and patiences. On a sad note, my sourdough aquire some extra cultures somewhere in the past few days and started to grow some where orange stuff so I tossed it. I was thinking about going grain free for awhile anyway so maybe this is just the push I needed.

~ Homeschooling ~

2011-01-21T15:50:00.006-06:00

This post was written for Fertile Imagination @ http://community.fertilityflower.com/ where I have monthly column. Feel free to visit me over there, too! Wow, a new year! What I would like to know is where did last year go? Did everyone else’s year go as fast as mine did? We have had a very fun, relaxing year of home schooling thus far. We have incorporated quite a bit of unschooling, keeping a relaxed atmosphere encouraging learning when the kids are most open to experiencing new things. We have utilized some teaching textbooks from The Critical Thinking Company. The boys really like them and it is a great way for them to learn to get a few things done on their own which leaves me with a little wiggle room to knead bread or change the laundry around. We did lap books this year for science and WHAT A BLAST! Putting them together was a huge project all on its own and now they are busy filling them in. It amazes me how much more they retain verses just reading it from a textbook. Last year we didn’t do a lot in the arts and crafts department. It was a bit of a trick to get a project done from start to finish with little helpers around to suck on glue sticks and sprinkle “pixie dust” around the house. For this years projects I opted for spending a little bit more money and buy craft kits that incorporate other subjects. Mosaic art that has a math base, paint by number for learning numbers and following directions, and snowflakes that included a science lesson. Our big highlight for this year will be the birth of a new baby calf. It doesn’t get anymore hands on than that. We have the opportunity to see pictures of a friends new calf and the placenta so the kids have a bit of knowledge in the birth department, but it will be really cool to experience it in real life. I am going to try and get it on video, hopefully she won’t deliver in the middle of the night when no one is around. We are already working on a seed order for this year. The kids are each getting a small square of dirt to work with. They will get to choose what they want to grow and will tend to it. We are going to keep a journal for measuring growth, weather conditions, and soil temps. Depending on what they grow and how much they plant they will have the option to come to the farmers market with me and sell what they produce. I realize that home schooling isn’t for everyone. The biggest thing people ask me is how do they socialize. Without going into a great deal of detail, we have ample opportunity to socialize with people of all age ranges, not just the other 30 kids of the same age in their classroom. My kids are comfortable playing and talking with someone to is 2 to 92. I feel that we get a much more rounded education with home schooling/unschooling than we would get in the public education system. It works especially well with our second son who is dealing with vaccine injury. It has aloud us to continually utilize what works and drop what doesn’t. The freedom teachers don’t have, to customize a learning plan for one student who is very bright and intelligent, but happens to learn differently than most kids. I bought him reading material at the fifth grade level for Christmas (he’s 7) and he is halfway through what I bought already. We are planning on mixing it up with a few more field trips (we started our school year with a field trip/family vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota) and plan on having a ton of fun learning as a family.

~ Rice Custard ~

2011-01-20T13:36:00.006-06:00

This is from my friend Nikki, one of a handful of real food friends I have in real life. This recipe is from her Grammy and is said to be delish. Our hens haven't been laying quite as much because of the cold so I haven't gotten to make it yet. 1cup rice (uncooked) 2 cups water 2 cups milk (I use all water) 3/4 t salt (I omit) 4 cups milk 1 cup or less honey (or other sweetener) 1 T vanilla 12 eggs, well beaten nutmeg & cinnamon Comb. rice, water, milk, and salt in heavy pan. Bring to boil. Cook on low until done, stirring occasionally. add remaining milk, honey, and vanilla. Add beaten eggs. Pour into pan. Sprinkle w spices and bake at 300 degrees for about 45m or until a knife comes out clean. Shared at:

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~ Breaking the Silence ~

2011-01-19T21:01:00.006-06:00

Wow, it has been a few days since my last post but my mom duties were calling. Our school room was looking more like the...I don't have a word for it, only pictures. Also, the laundry monster needed to be taken care of, everyone running out of underwear causes a bit of an uproar in this house.

Before

After

Our kitchen has been rock'in in the lacto-fermentation department too! Mayo, ketchup, ginger ale, kombucha, sourdough, kefir, and water kefir.

We have also made cookies for church, soaked flour English muffins, chicken wild rice soup. I have a recipe for Italian Spaghetti Squash and one for Rice Custard to share, but Grace and I have been reading out loud the story of Rose Wilder (Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter) at bedtime and I want to see what happens next as much as she does!

~ Peanutbutter Cups and Peanutbutter Fudge ~

2011-01-14T13:36:00.001-06:00

These are so good and super, super easy, peanutbutter cups and peanutbutter fudge. I found these mini-muffin cups at...cough...Walmart, but I have mini-muffin tins so next time I am going to use those. I found both of these recipes at The Nourishing Homemaker, she has the best stuff. I change the fudge recipe a bit. The kids and hubby thought it was too oily so I add the rest of the peanutbutter mixed with nutrition yeast flakes that was left over from the peanutbutter cups, at least a half cup(got a bit ahead of myself). We really like the nutrition yeast flakes in the fudge, they gave it some crunch. This is a really great way to get some coconut oil into your kids too. A bit about coconut oil from The Healthy Home Economist's article about the Five Fats You MUST Have in Your Kitchen

COCONUT OIL Coconut oil is loaded with medium chain saturated fats which are utilized by the body for immediate energy! Want to feel better and have more energy? Incorporate this wonderful, healthy fat into your diet in copious amounts. Coconut oil is a highly stable oil, so much so, that you can keep it unrefrigerated in your pantry for years and it will not go rancid (I have a 5 gallon bucket in my garage .. it stays perfect through the long, hot, humid Florida summers!) It remains stable even at very high heat, so it is the ideal cooking oil. I use coconut oil anytime a recipe calls for cooking oil or shortening. Coconut oil used in your baked goods will result in cookies, cakes, and pastries so moist – you and your family will be delighted. Pepperidge Farm used to use coconut oil in their line of cookies years ago, only to replace it with very unhealthy, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (aka, Factory Fats) when saturated fats became erroneously regarded as heart unhealthy. Coconut oil, however, is now known to be extremely heart healthy .. the Traditional Cultures that consume coconuts and coconut oil have some of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world (not to mention are some of the slimmest people in the world). Physiologically, coconut oil stimulates the thyroid gland, so is a fantastic addition to the diet for those that tend toward hypothyroidism (by some estimates, some 80% of Westerners over the age of 25 fall into this category). Lauric acid, a very important medium chain saturated fatty acid, is found in abundance in coconut oil. Lauric acid is highly antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal. And guess what? The human mammary gland produces lauric acid and it is contained in breastmilk! Anyone with candida issues of any kind should be regularly consuming coconut oil in their diet. Rubbing coconut oil into the scalp and then shampooing out is a wonderful home remedy for dandruff, a fungal infection of the skin. If you have an allergy to coconut, try palm oil or palm kernel oil, two other healthy tropical oils.

~ Wordless Wednesday ~

2011-01-12T10:33:00.003-06:00

~ Hot Chicken Salad ~

2011-01-10T21:24:00.001-06:00

This is one of those recipes that I love. The pan is never big enough and each day it seems to just get better. It is also one of those recipes that originally called for canned condensed soup and store bought mayo. Can we say yuk! So, this is my healthy, nourishing food rendition: 2 1/2 c diced cooked pasture fed chicken 2 c cooked organic rice 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained 1 c diced organic celery 1 c organic sliced fresh mushrooms 1 tbsp finely diced organic onion 1 tsp fresh organic lemon juice 1/2 tsp dried organic rosemary 1/4 tsp pepper 2 c homemade cream chicken soup 3/4 c homemade mayo Topping: 3 tbsp organic butter 1/2 c sourdough bread crumbs 1/2 c slivered crispy almonds Mix the first 9 ingredients. Blend soup and mayo together and toss with chicken and rice mixture. Put into a grease 2 qt casserole dish; sprinkle with topping and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Enjoy! This post was shared at:

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~ Pay it Forward 2011 ~

2011-01-09T21:09:00.002-06:00

I put this on my facebook page but haven't had any taker so far so I am going to share it here. I am going to put my own special twist on it so don't miss out!

Pay it forward 2011: I promise something handmade to the FIRST 5 people who leave a comment here. However, to be eligible, you MUST repost this status, offering something handmade to 5 other people. The rules are that it must be handmade by YOU & it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011. Ready, set, CREATE!

Hat for Grace

~ The Stylish Blogger Award ~

2011-01-08T19:15:00.006-06:00

Lisa at The Nourishing Homemaker awarded me The Stylish Blogger Award. Thanks Lisa! Its hard to believe that a month ago I was getting zero hits and after sharing my blog for a few weeks with the foodie community I have been blessed to meet lots of other rock'in foodie moms and get to receive and give awards. So much fun! Stylish Bloggers Award Winners: 1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award. 2. Share 7 things about yourself. 3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers. 4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award! 1. Come Walk with Me 2. Connected Mom 3. Crunchy not Hippie 4. girlichef 5. juliecache 6. One Mama's Adventure in the Compact 7. Sense of Home 8. Mexican Wildflower 9. Simply Homemaking 10. Sustainable Suburbia: The Blog 11. The Homemade Housewife 12. Day to Day Adventures 13. a Good and Simple life 14. Healthy Homesteading 15. Quotidian

7 Things About Myself

1. I love to learn and share. I may go back to school for Holistic Nutrition or start a WAP chapter and teach with the local community ed program.

2. If I could be outside every moment of the day I would. We are thinking of building a summer kitchen with a wood cook stove.

3. Whatever I am doing consumes my mind and time. It either all or nothing. Hence lots of food in the kitchen at the moment and lots of dirty laundry too!

4. I love to snowboard but haven't done it since my first baby eight years ago.

5. I went to school for Animal Science and used to train horses and give riding lessons.

6. I love food, I mean, I REALLY love food!

7. I love to make people happy but I am not a people pleaser. I will not walk on eggshells for fear of offending someone.

"We cannot withhold facts for fear of offending because the importance of the information outweighs people's right to not be challenged in their beliefs". ~ Maddy Reid

~ Breakfast on the Go ~

2011-01-08T19:09:00.002-06:00

Long story short, I ran out of baking dishes so I had to get creative when it came to the baked oatmeal. Used my favorite unbleached paper liners (my pans are aluminum) and filled them to the top with oatmeal batter. They turned out prefect and would be a great quick grab and go breakfast. You could even bake a bunch at the beginning of the week so that you had them when you needed them.

~ Soaked Pumpkin Bread ~

2011-01-07T18:46:00.001-06:00

photo credit

This is my all time favorite pumpkin bread recipe. I use it for cake and frost it with cream cheese frosting for dessert and no one is the wiser, yet we can eat it at breakfast and its still healthy. I stumbled upon it at GNOWFGLINS, Embracing "God's Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season" and I am so glad that I did.

I debated a good long while with myself on whether I should type out the recipe and give credit where credit is due, to Wardeh or give you a link so that you have to go and check out the recipe at her site and find all the other really good stuff she has there. Do to a small cling-on, its the latter, so buzz on over to GNOWFGLINS to get the recipe, you won't be sorry you did.

~ My Baby Girl is Four! ~

2011-01-06T18:16:00.006-06:00

My baby girl turned four today. My, does time fly. As she was eating breakfast I said to her "How did you get so big? It was just yesterday you were a little baby". Her response "No! yesterday I was three". Grace was my first planned homebirth which I wrote about here. The one thing that I would do differently is let my water break on its own. There aren't enough words to describe how different homebirths are compared to hospital births. I can't ever imagine going back to the hospital to give birth (unless a true emergency were to happen). My sister made this absolutely adorable apron for her and sent her some felt food from Ikea. She loved it. It was her favorite gift! Thanks Auntie Lexie!!

I wrote this post on the 6th but waited to post it because I knew my sister was most likely sending something really fun and I wanted to share.

~ Organic Gardening and Farming Books

2011-01-05T23:04:00.001-06:00

Even with snow on the ground and sub-zero temperatures I have been thinking about spring and gardens and starting seeds. These are books I have read or they are on my list. I am a picture person, I have to see it to understand what you are talking about so I love books with lots of great pictures, especially when it comes to greenhouses and farm buildings. I check as many books out from the library as I can. If I really like a book I will order it. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than spending good money on a not so great book.

The Greenhouse Book by Sidney Clapham

The Greenhouse Expert by Dr.D.G. Hessayon

The Backyard Homestead;Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! Edited by Carleen Madigan

Organic Gardening in Cold Climates by Sandra Perrin

Old-Time Gardening Wisdom by Jerry Baker ~ Learned so much from this one.

The Practical Homestead by Paul Heiney ~ Love this one, great pictures too!

Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

Square Foot Gardening Lesson Plans for Kids by Mel Bartholomew ~ I will be ordering this!

I have always loved catalog shopping. When I was little I would page through the J.C.Penny catalog and circle all of the things I would have loved to have. Now my catalogs of choice are seed catalogs. These are a few of my favorite companies.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Heirloomseeds.com ~ no catalog but awesome variety

Turtle Tree Seeds ~ I have never ordered from them but have heard rave reviews, ordered catalog

Fedco Seeds

~ How to Make Homemade Jerky Using Ground Meat ~

2011-01-05T10:49:00.010-06:00

I made this jerky using an older ground venison roast we had in the freezer. It was a four pound roast and I made four different kinds of jerky with it. The kids and hubby ate it all in less than three weeks. I made this in my Excalibur dehydrator but you could do it in the oven as well. I am giving the instructions to do just one pound of meat. This recipe is totally chemical free, no nitrate, nitrites, or MSG. Our meat grinder is one of the best investments in kitchen gadgets we have made. It allows us to process our own meat which saves us a ton of money. Ingredients:

1 lb ground venison or pasture raised ground beef or chicken

1 tbsp organic coconut amino acids

1 tsp Bragg's no salt seasoning

1/4 tsp white pepper

Mix really well. There are two ways that we make jerky from ground meat, with a jerky gun or a patty maker. Either way you want about a 1/4 thickness of meat. I used the jerky gun and squeezed the meat right onto my trays. I set the temperature at 155 for 4 to 6 hours. After four hours watch them, you want them to bend but not break. All set for the dehydrator. When they were finished I took my kitchen shears and cut them into thirds.If you have metal dehydrator racks you can do this in your oven as well. A convection oven works best because it moves the air around. Set your oven at 155 and leave the door ajar slightly so that the moisture can escape.

These made an awesome breakfast stick as they tasted like breakfast sausage from the rosemary and sage in the no salt seasoning. It keeps best in the freezer but we eat it so fast that it doesn't get into the freezer. If fact, they ate it so fast that I didn't even get a picture of the finished product. Also, using the coconut aminos instead of soy sauce gave them a sweet and salty taste, which the kids really loved.

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~ Christmas Gifts ~

2011-01-04T21:45:00.005-06:00

The hubs and kids gave me a great gift this year for Christmas. It wasn't diamonds but almost as good. A new blender/food processor combo. I think I have used it everyday, what a time saver. We think this was my great-grandmothers ring but we are not sure. I had it cleaned and the bands totally reconstructed because they were so thin and frail. I love the detail and two toned looked, my wedding ring is a mix of white and yellow gold too. This was a bit of a present to myself, I have had the rings for eight years waiting for the money to have them repaired. Adam at Stonehouse Jewelers did the work for me (and he fixed my wedding ring when it went through the blender).

~ My New Fun Project ~

2011-01-03T23:02:00.003-06:00

My fun new crafty project includes this book and the theme Cuddles. Want to join me, click here to find out more.

~ Getting Back in the Groove ~

2011-01-02T16:25:00.002-06:00

I had a small secret goal for the month of December, to post every single day. I almost made it, but between most of my family getting that really nasty stomach bug (the week of Christmas), the four Christmas gatherings we had, and New Years, I didn’t quite make it. I have a rather long list of things that I would like to blog about, including this months Carnival of Natural Parenting and the new Crafty Carnival : Cuddling. Blogging has become my “mom time” and I love it. I get to share all that I am passionate about which is important to me. I also started joining linky parties to share my blog with others online and in the process have found lots of other great blogs. If you have a blog you really like and I don’t have it listed, me let me know so I can add it to my favorites list. I am in the process of putting together a book list of must reads and must haves, so if you have a favorite real food cookbook, alternative healing books, AP parenting books, organic gardening/farming book, crafty books or home school resource books, let me know. I will check it out and add it to the list. If you would like to do a guest post please let me know, I would love to have others share their personal experiences on the subjects that I am passionate about. I have learned so much from others who are willing to share what they know.

~Our Farm ~

2011-01-01T06:00:00.005-06:00

Right now our farm consist of three horses, one Arabian (B), one Appolosa (Bandit), and one pinto pony (Duck). Two Scottish Highland cattle, our family milk cow (Myra) and her calf (Carmel) with one on the way, we think! Two cats, one we found in the barn (Tinker Bell) and one we got from another farm (Tiger Lily). One Blue Heeler/Catahooi mix cattle dog (Roscoe). At last count we have about 45 chickens and 12 ducks. We are hoping to add another milk cow in the near future, a Jersey and some more Scottish Highlanders. We would also like to add at least one milk goat (I have a friend that would be over the moon) and some Icelandic Sheep along with another breed that would have wool qualities better suited for homemade wool diaper covers and leggies. My husband has turned into the crazy poultry man so the chances of adding geese and turkeys to the mix is highly likely. We managed to plant four apricot trees and four cherries last spring, fingers crossed that they will come up again this spring. We had to replant last spring because they didn't make it through the winter. We would like to add a Belgian Fence of apples, maybe even pears, peaches, and plums. I have access to grapes so the urge to plant those isn't has high but they do take awhile to get going to the sooner I started them the better. We are looking at planting a u-pick patch of aspargus, strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, and cranberries. We have new fences to put up, a barn to repair, a huge garden to plant (would love to be at the farmers market and sell produce at a price people can afford), starting medicinal herb patches and a million other ideas brewing in my head. I get butterflies just thinking about it, both from the excitment to see things get done and the incredible work load it entails. I am living my dream and I feel very blessed to start out 2011 with such an incredible vision. What are your dreams, goals, aspirations for the coming year? Shared at: Monday Mania Tuesday Twister

2010-12-24T15:17:00.000-06:00

Luke 2:1-20 (New International Version, ©2010) Luke 2 The Birth of Jesus 1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

One Down, One to Go

2010-12-23T21:48:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T13:51:00.005-06:00

I know I am technically a few days early, but wanted to say Merry Christmas to all of my new followers and all of old followers. I have been linking to other whole food blogs this past month and have discovered quite a few new blogs with lots of yummy recipes and feel like I have made some wonderful connections with other moms who are on their own "food journeys". It is also a bit exciting to see I have gained 6 new followers in the past two weeks. I did have 16 and couldn't figure out who left, but just realized it was my little sis. Get your butt back over here! So, I have a favor to ask, it would make my year if I was at 25 followers by the time January 1 rolled around. I am planning to write a bit more about our homeschooling adventures and we may be having a new baby calf come February! Could you share my blog with someone you think would like it? My end goal is to make enough money with sponsors to put up new fence, fix the barn, start some u-pick fruit patches and have enough veggies started so that I can go to the farmers market next year and offer really good food at an affordable price. Maybe even be able to purchase another milk cow in the spring. Ultimately, I would love our farm to be a place were people can come and learn what farming and gardening are all about, so that we can get away from our modernized food system and come back to our traditional roots.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-22T11:59:00.000-06:00

Sourdough Cinnamin Rolls

2010-12-21T20:27:00.000-06:00

I have to share this today, I am going to get it started after I get all the kids in bed. Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls from Heartland Renaissance. Enjoy!!

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

2010-12-20T22:11:00.001-06:00

This is a really simple way to have pumpkin in the freezer all year long. This most likely would have been better shared around Halloween when pumpkins were plentiful but you can bookmark this for next year. I still have a couple of pumpkins from the garden to do.

I cut my pumpkin into pieces and peel the outside. I cut it into even chunks and put it into the oven at 350 and bake it. When it is all really soft I puree it in the blender using the pumpkin juice from the bottom of the pan to get everything going.

Once pureed, I put the pumpkin in my cheese making bag so all the extra water can drain out giving me nice thick pumpkin like out of a can but without the metal taste or BPA using to line the can.