Life in Small Town, Wyoming

Redirecting!

2011-06-07T18:53:00.002-06:00

Last night, I made the move and purchased a domain name & a year of hosting. If you tried to stop by earlier today, you would have noticed that you were automatically being redirected to my new site. I tried it out to see if it would work, but I wanted to be sure to post a li'l something letting all of my wonderful readers know that it's time to update your bookmarks. In the next couple weeks, I will reinstate the redirect. Hope to see all of you over at Retro Momma, Vintage Wife!!!

I heart Vitamin Shoppe

2011-06-06T11:38:00.003-06:00

I've been shopping Vitamin Shoppe for a couple years now. I've shopped online and at the Fort Collins, CO brick & mortar. I *heart* them. I *heart their products.

This month, they're running a free shipping deal when your order is over $25. Good time for me you to stock up.

I have no affiliation with Vitamin Shoppe. I'm simply a happy customer.

Updated mirror

2011-06-05T08:28:00.002-06:00

Just a quick post to show what I did with a mirror that Hubba wouldn't part with. He offered for me to paint it. That means he finally started trusting my (spray can) trigger finger.

Before:

After:

Apparently I needed stupervision. Since this is Hubba's kitty, I have to wonder if he sent her....

I hung it in a corner in our bedroom, & he loves it!

See that lampshade? ^^

That's another post to come.

A couple pictures...

2011-05-21T18:55:00.003-06:00

The day our realtor came out to do a walk through of the house, she didn't take any pictures. We made sure we had 2 rooms in tip top shape for pictures (since we had 4 days between her walk through & the house hitting the market, we didn't get it all done). When I spoke to her the next day I mentioned how weird I thought it was that she didn't take any pics. She told me she'd forgotten to bring her camera. Oops. No biggie. After she left from the walk through, I snapped a few pictures, and I told her I'd email them to her. Here are the shots I got for her to post online.

She did get a picture of the front of the house this past Monday when she put the sign in the ground.

Creamy Tomato Soup

2011-05-19T18:01:00.003-06:00

4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
2 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
3 cups beef bone broth
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add flour & stir to blend.

Add undrained tomatoes and broth to saucepan. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until slightly thickened.

Transfer soup to a blender in batches and puree until smooth. Return soup to pan, stir in cream and cook over low heat, until heated through. Do not bring soup back to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

***************************************

The peanut gallery ratings on a scale of 1-10, 10 being da-bomb-diggety:

Hubba gave it a 8-9
14 year old said 10
11 year old said 9.9
7 year old just scrunched up his nose & tried not to swallow it (but I'm used to that!!!)
Mom gives it an 8.5

Beans & lentils & inflation- oh my!

2011-05-19T12:50:00.002-06:00

I popped over to Life In a Shoe today to be greeted by this post. How timely. I've taken a severe disliking to grocery shopping these days, but I've managed to keep the budget under control & still eat fairly well. Ironies of ironies, we were finishing up a lunch of taco style lentils & rice when I read this post. I added my Cowboy Beans to the list. YUMMY! Go check out the links if you're in need of trimming down the ever-rising grocery budget, too!

I was featured on Pinkapotamous...

2011-05-16T08:35:00.002-06:00

Thank you AmieAnn for showing my clock some love!!

AmieAnn hosts the Pink Hippo Party every Monday. Check them out for some wonderful projects & ideas. While you're over there, check out the rest of her blog. It's fun!

Unfortunately this week, I won't be able to join the linky parties. Our sale sign went in the ground today for the house, and I am thoroughly exhausted.

Maybe we don't need word verification?

2011-05-10T20:46:00.003-06:00

I "found" this GREAT tutorial about blogger's spam guard being added & working (well). While you're over there, be sure to check out the fantastic things she makes!

WOW!! A quick update!!

2011-05-09T14:49:00.001-06:00

The house goes up for show on Monday. 1 week from today. Please pray, not only that the house sells, but that I spend the next week being productive on the few loose ends we have. I'm so nervous. I started sweating once I got off the phone with her.

OK, I need to scream now....

AHHHHHHH. SQUUUEEEEEE!!!

Much better.

"Clock Face"-lift

2011-05-08T15:46:00.018-06:00

The perpetrator..... A brushed silver look clock..... We got it when we were married. It was on our registry. It was cool at the time. Actually it still wasn't a bad clock, I just refused to buy a new clock, and this one wasn't fitting into any of the rooms in the house.

I took the whole thing apart with some ideas on what to do. I decided on some parchment look paper we had. Unfortunately, the paper didn't cover the whole face, so I opted for a torn collage look. I used some Elmer's school glue & water to make a decoupage type adhesive. Once it was dry, I'd trim it.

Except that I think I added WAY too much water to the glue mix, and once it was dry, it was barely stuck in most places. The gob of paper came right off. Rather than even consider going that route again, I remembered I had just bought a remnant of burlap last Thursday. Yes, this would be perfect & even better for the look I was going for. I was planning on using scrapbook number stickers for the paper background, but with the burlap, I wasn't sure how that would work. I scrounged the house looking for something to use on the burlap. I was considering buying some wood disks, maybe some wooden numbers. I really didn't feel like going out, though. I did go to True Value, but that's only a few blocks from my house. I needed spray adhesive for the burlap. I just wasn't up to rummaging through the "big box" stores.

I was trying to come up with a way to make sure the "numbers" were aligned, so I jumped onto google images & did a search for printable clock. As a homeschooling momma, I knew those would be plentiful.

I printed one out, cut around the edge & did a loop of tape & centered it onto my burlap.

Then I added my "numbers." I found 2 packs of 6 buttons in one of my sewing boxes. They were solid brown, so using an emery board, I roughed them up a bit.

I removed my printed clock & voila! Now I just needed to put the clock back together....

Except that when I did, I realized I'd put the buttons too far to the outer edge, and the clock rim & glass wouldn't fit back on. I had to very carefully peel the buttons away & scootch them in a bit more. While the clock was a part I used Krylon's Ruddy Brown primer, followed by a couple coats of Krylon's Celery spray paint in gloss. Once those were dry, I used the aforementioned emery board & roughed it up a bit, giving it that beautiful distressed look I'm so fond of.

Here it is hanging in the kitchen again (pics of the kitchen will be soon to follow, since I just finished it-mostly-up a couple days ago).

And because everybody loves a good side by side before & after.....

This post is part of the following linky parties:

Making the World Cuter Monday
Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do
Mad Skills Party @ Mad In Crafts
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog

Happy Mother's Day...

2011-05-08T08:03:00.002-06:00

Happy Mother's Day

to all the Moms,

expecting Moms

& those who are wishing to be Moms ♥

I've been blessed with my Mum
& THREE bonus Moms.
I love them ALL so much!!

Another Candlestick Holder Up-do

2011-05-01T10:42:00.007-06:00

Maybe you remember these candlestick holders that I bought at thrift to up-do the Forbidden Candle Holders?

At $6 for the set, I refused to let them go to waste. So I switched the candle cup to the other end.....

Out to my trusty spray paint cave they went...

For a black primer.....

And a couple coats of Krylon's Satin Nickel....

A couple of on-hand candlesticks, and they match the mudroom quite well <3

This post is being linked to:

Monday:

The New Blog Name

2011-04-30T21:34:00.004-06:00

The poll to the left closed about an hour ago. I've been busy with kids & my Vicarious Girl staying the night.

After a couple days of the poll being open I saw it leaning toward "Primitive Momma, Vintage Wife." Most of the messages & comments I got mentioned the "Vintage Wife" part, so I figured that was the drawing point. Not only that, but I also began playing with banners & images & such. So, I began thinking of what I wanted to do with that name. For some reason "Primitive Momma, Vintage Wife" quit flowing for me. Plus, I was finding it difficult to tie primitive & vintage together. Or at least my ideas of the 2. Then it dawned on me what made even more sense.

So at some point in time, I will redirect you to "Retro Momma, Vintage Wife." Thanks for voting.

It's time for a change....

2011-04-30T08:59:00.000-06:00

I'm post dating this, so scroll down for newest posts!!

We'll be moving soon (soon, I hope). Life will no longer be in Small Town Wyoming. So now I've got a decision to make. I plan on renaming the blog..... but I'm not sure what. I'm asking your help. Here is what I've come up with so far:

> Ms. Wicked With... (Spray Paint, a Pan & a Garden Spade) - I think this encompasses a lot of what I do- gardening, crafting, thrifting, cooking.

> Martha Stewart Who? - Sebastion said that to me yesterday morning. "Martha Stewart who? I just want to know why YOU'RE not famous, Mom???"

> Growing Kids, Food & Ideas - See description for Ms. Wicked With ^^

> Primitive Momma, Vintage Wife - Don't know.... Just came to me.

> Hippie Yuppie Earth Freak - Actually this is what I've been dubbed (though it's more like Hippieyuppieearthfreak), because I'm a creamy crunchy Momma. Not sure if I'm serious about this one, though, LOL

Any thoughts? I've made a poll to your left (<< That way :D ). PLEASE VOTE!!

Prayer...

2011-04-28T08:39:00.003-06:00

I am praying
for those in the
Southeast
& thankful
that our families
are accounted for
& fine.

2-in-1 Project Updo

2011-04-25T06:00:00.011-06:00

I am on a roll. I've got so many cans of spray paint & surfed so many wonderful blogs. My wheels are turning & there's no stopping me now :D

One of the things I've been finding across the web are old window frame updos. I started kicking myself for getting rid of all those windows last summer. There were a LOT. I'd venture to say no less than 30 or 40 of them. Screen windows, glass windows, window frames, different sizes, etc.

I knew we still had a few doors still in the shed, so I went to take a look. I was hoping one of the doors with the glass panes in them might be suitable for cutting down. Above me in the rafters, something begged me to take a look, and I found a few window frames still hidden away. I squealed in delight & looked around for something to stand on to reach them. Amazingly our step stool had not been taken in from a week & a half before when we were cleaning out the shed. I managed to pull down this, among a few other things.

I wasn't sure when I cleaned it up what I had in mind. I had several ideas, but no idea where they'd take me. I thought of taking out all the glass & putting in hardware cloth. I considered frosting all the panes & attaching items to the panes. I thought of leaving 2 clear, 2 frosted. So many ideas. What I ended up doing was so much simpler & it didn't dawn on me what I wanted to do until the last minute.

While I was working on my Scrappy Shelf, I found 3 shadow box style pictures that I wanted to updo as well.... Take note of the green one in the middle :D

Here's the sequence.....

After I cleaned the window with vinegar & a cloth, I used various tool to get out the brittle & nasty pieces of trim that were holding the glass in. Thankfully, the brittle pieces were only on 2 sides of each pane, leaving 2 perfectly sturdy & strong pieces to hold the glass. Keenan wanted to be my photographer the evening I did this. He must have taken 40 pictures. Lucky for you, I only chose the few better ones :D

At some point in time, my darling boy brought me his authentic construction helmet "in case it falls on you, Mom." What a doll!! <3 <3

All done cleaning the brittle trim out!!!

My helper & photographer offered to vacuum up the mess.

One of my other handsome fellas came along & posed for a picture.

While my baby was cleaning up my mess, I scrounged for the caulk gun & found a tube of silicone caulk already open. On the sides that I'd removed the trim, I lightly caulked the edges of the panes.

Once that had dried, I taped & primered the window frame with brush on primer. I was going to go for a distressed white or cream to begin with.

Then I decided since I had already done an antique mirror in semi-gloss black, I'd do the window frame the same, since they'd be in the same room.

After the black coats were done, I removed the tape & started playing with the frosted window spray. I practiced on a couple panes and learned not to spray faux frosting while it's angled up. It ran :-(

No biggie. I broke out the 2 frosted panes. I knew now (after more practice) how to faux spray frost windows.

Oh, look at that! Is that? Was that? Yup, that's the green frame from above. I sprayed that in Satin Nickel, then slightly distressed it.

Then I adhered a piece of burlap cut to size to the inside piece of board, strung some silver beads onto safety pins & using a needle, I threaded some thread through the burlap & tied the safety pins down. "Love, Faith, Joy" (You can click this pic to enlarge it).

Then I laid my window frame on the floor & played for about a minute.

And up on the wall my new & simple masterpiece went.

We're quite chuffed with it. Hubba loves it, too!!!

This post is part of the following linky parties & blog carnivals:

Monday:

Sew Can Do, Craftastic Mondays

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

The Ladder Shelf

2011-04-24T09:30:00.001-06:00

When we decided to put the house on the market, I decided to do something I've wanted for awhile. I needed a fairly slim, low profile shelf for one section of our living room that also housed a built-in shelf. I decided to build a ladder shelf. I looked at some plans online, and thought "I can do that." So I bought some gorgeous pine wood at the local hardware/lumber store. We figured I'd paint it brown to match the painted tables. Once I put it together I realised we don't have a lot of nice *real* wood pieces, so I set out to find the perfect stain.

Enter Menard's and Minwax. And the stain colour called..... Jacobean.

The decor on this shelf, actually this whole corner has been changed a few times, and of course with Easter, we've added some spring & Easter decor. The first picture of the unfinished shelf shows the corner a mess. This was near the beginning of our venture, and we were playing the shuffle game. Shuffle everything from one room to the next. So please excuse the mess.

But yeah, I'm fairly chuffed with the ladder shelf. Oh, and the living room walls are now painted white.

He is RISEN!!!

2011-04-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

He is risen indeed.

May your Easter be blessed!

Scrappy Shelf

2011-04-22T08:06:00.004-06:00

We did our trim in the big room a bit back (I need to blog about the redo, I know). We had several small pieces of moulding left. If you know me, you know I couldn't bear to throw them out. I paid good money for this stuff, and I couldn't just let those dollars go out to the curb.

So I set out on a new venture to save those pieces of wood. Did I mention that same morning (Wednesday morning), I also found out that our staple gun is also a light duty brad gun??? SQUEEE!!!

Here they are after I cut them. 1 piece of rounded moulding, 1 piece of lattice, 1 piece of screen window trim.

Here, I've used wood glue to glue the lattice to the widest part of the rounded trim. Then I used my nifty-now-brad-gun to hold it in place.

Excuse this photo. A bit blurry.

Then using the glue & my nifty-now-brad-gun, I attached the screen trim to the front of the lattice.

Another blurry photo, but I know you get the idea.

A couple coats of brushed on Zissner Bullseye 1-2-3 primer, then a couple coats of Krylon Bright White satin spray. 2 hangers on the back & voila!! A low profile shelf, perfect for small votive, smaller pics & whatever else I can fit.

I've hung it above my bed, and placed a couple things on for show, but this isn't the final decor.

Oooo, that last picture is slanted. Please don't mind that. The shelf is actually straight.

The Forbidden Candelholders.....

2011-04-21T19:14:00.007-06:00

OK, so they weren't forbidden. But they had a Very Bad Rep, even if just in My Book. Seriously, look at them. They scream 70's (and not this new wave back "in" 70's). They were filthy the part, too. I'd tried cleaning them up with brasso to no avail. So I hated them.....

Until......

Hubba said I could paint them (finally!!!).

So I set to work dusting them & cleaning them out...

He got them at the thrift store long before we got together. Whoever had them before had stuffed them with foil (???). And wax....

And..... MARBLES?!?!?

And a SCREWDRIVER!?!?!?! Oh wait no. That was was me getting a screwdriver stuck in the candlestick holder. How did that picture get into this lineup? What I didn't realize is that the insides of these things are hollow. From.one.end.to.the.other....

Anyhoo, let's move on.

I started with a spray primer. I sprayed a coat on them.

And a coat on my hands.

Then I sprayed a couple coats of the Sparkling Canyon on.

GORGEOUS already! I can't wait to see the finished product. Oh HURRY & dry, will ya???

Wow, what a difference!!! WOOHOO!!!

But now I have a problem. What to do with these "candlestick holders" (that by now I'm thinking weren't candleholders to begin with) to make them hold candles.

So I set off in this one horse town in search of..... something. All I could think was "Let's go thrifting. Surely we'll find SOMETHING I can paint & attach to these babies!!" Family Dollar was on the way, so we stopped there first. I let the guy at the register know I was bringing in an item that "I need to match up." I wish my camera would have been on to catch the look on his face.

Anyway, moving on.....

Nothing at Family Dollar was suitable, so off to our originally planned destination. The thrift store. I looked at glass candle holders. I looked at glass sconces. I looked at saucers. I looked at small glassware. I even looked at glass lids. I figured if I could find 2 small enough ones, I could invert them. Nothing.

So back to the candle holder shelf I went. I began putting several things on the counter to try out.

No...

These were from a creamer set.

What a perfect fit. I figured I'd paint them gloss black.

But no....

Wooden candlestick holders. I could attach them, then paint them the same colour.

*sigh* Still not quite right.

Small glass candle holders. I love these small simple ones. Let's try them out.

Oh I love these.

But I want to check the shelf ONE.LAST.TIME.... You see the base of that candle stick holder? Keep that in mind. It may appear again in this post. PERFECTPERFECTPERFECT!!! I cringed a little at $6 for the set of 2. But don't worry. You'll see these holders in a later post :D

SWEET success!!! The bottom of the thrift candlestick holder actually screws off. This was the intended look when my wheels started turning. It's wonderful, because it will hold a pillar candle (don't mind THIS pillar candle. I hate it. I'll be buying some new ones.).

It will hold glass jar candles.

And those small glass candle holders? The simple ones? I bought those as well. 25¢ each. I couldn't resist. Oh & they look GREAT on our upstyled candle holders too :D

I know you can't see it now.....

2011-04-20T14:54:00.003-06:00

But this is ART!!! I found this 4-pane window in our shed. It came with a quarter inch of dust...... I can't wait to get some Krylon on it. Oh & that 3rd colour I didn't have plans for yet??? Well, yet just arrived :D

After I took a broom to it & got most of the dust off *coughhackcough*

Funny thing is....

2011-04-20T12:37:00.006-06:00

Let me preface this by saying that
I have zero affiliation with Krylon,

other than my love for the product....

I was just telling Hubba last night that we should buy stock in Krylon & be done with it! I love the "EZ Touch 360º Dial." Pushing the button doesn't make your finger hurt like those other sprays. You can also control the spray, so you can spray sideways, up & down or at an angle. Krylon dries super quick to the touch (10 minutes according to the can, which sounds about right). And the colours are just DIVINE!!!

So off to True Value I go with 2 colours in mind. A light grey & a light green for a couple small projects.....

Green & grey- check.

What I didn't count on, were the clearance shelf tags.....

At 50% off.....

Oh, but aren't they beautiful??? I already have plans for the Brushed Nickel & the Oil Rubbed Bronze.

$2.00 a can. I couldn't resist. Even if I don't have plans yet for the Sparkling Canyon. Yet. I said yet.

Funny that..... Stock in Krylon.

Cabinet Door Up-do, Pt. 2

2011-04-04T09:11:00.009-06:00

In an earlier post, I promised to show you what I did with the next door. Remember this old beat up cabinet door?

I did the same as the other door, using drywall mud to fill in any holes from hinges or door knobs. After it was dry, I sanded it smooth.

I used the other side of the door, giving an illusion of being 2 completely different wall hangings. Once again, I taped off the center & used spray chalk board paint. Using a pencil, I drew lines measuring far enough in that the teeth marks would be cut off. Then, I had the Hubba cut the outer edge. This not only made it a little smaller (again, to appear different than my other sign), it also removed any indication that a dog had chewed the royal corners out of it.

I then proceeded to put 3 coats of Glidden eggshell paint in "Soft Suede" on it. The last coat I used a foam brush & sorta sponged it on for a slightly textured look.

I went through my hardware box to see what I had on hand, and decided I'd use these neat little hanging fobs.

I got those babies placed & nailed on.

Then, I proceeded to come up with something to write on it. After a few tries, I decided this was perfect for our household. I'm going to have to re-write it, though. Maybe I'll use a ruler so it's straighter before I hang it, LOL.

Creamy Vodka Sauce

2011-03-20T17:33:00.006-06:00

I found a recipe online that I had to seriously tweak, because I only had certain things. Not to mention, we enjoy flavour, so I had to add in all the herbs & spices you see below. By the time I was done, none of the measurements of the original recipe were the same, and the ingredients list had doubled. It's not a quick-cook recipe, but hands on time is quick. I opened & prepped everything at the beginning, so all I had to do was add, add, add at each interval. BOY was it DELIGHTFUL!!!

1 small onion, diced
1 stick butter
1/2 c vodka
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t dried basil
2 15-oz cans crushed tomatoes
12 oz cream
1 bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat butter in small stockpot until melted & just starting to sizzle. Add onion. Cook over medium heat until the mixture JUST begins to look a caramel colour, about 10 minutes, stirring 2-3 times. Add vodka, garlic powder, basil, & cook over medium another 10 minutes, again, stirring a few times. Add tomatoes & bay leaf. Continue cooking over medium low heat, stirring often to prevent sticking, 30 minutes. Finally add cream, salt & pepper, and continue cooking 30 minutes, stirring often.

We added tortellini & meatballs to ours. My meatballs were homemade & frozen, so I added those about 10 minutes after I added the cream, turning the heat back to medium. At the last 5 minutes, I added the frozen tortellini & turned the heat to med-high.

"Blog Like a Pirate Day"

2011-02-22T07:38:00.003-07:00

For a (mostly) complete list of fighting to take back our urban homesteading terms, similar to the one I posted yesterday, visit The Crunchy Chicken. She was still adding it as new links came in late last night.

I yam what I yam.....

2011-02-21T06:58:00.006-07:00

I'm a gardener. I raise small livestock. I can. I sew. I do all things primitive, and I do it on a scant more than a tenth of an acre. Then someone comes along & tells me I can't anymore. OK, so I'm not not allowed to garden, raise small livestock, can, sew or do primitive things, but now someone wants me to rewrite MY history, rewrite my blogs, rewrite MY notes & call me something I am not.

Last week the urban gardening community was attacked. Attacked as only BigAg can do. Attacked in a way that SCREAMS Monsanto. No one knows why because the attackers were such an inspiration to the urban community. They forged a bond & relationship with so many other small scale homesteaders & then they turned on us.

These.... um *cough*..... people trademarked a commonly referred to phrase (among MANY others, most of which are also common phrases). Instead of trademarking it in reference to their property &/or works, they started out saying the phrase(s) couldn't be used anywhere, anytime, for any purpose unless the phrase was credited directly to them, yada yada. After the uproar, they started backpeddling. I sure hope they continue backpeddling.

I'm still reeling from the fact that this is like saying I can't call myself a Mom. I AM a Mom, damn it. It's like saying when I had my children that I couldn't say I was "Giving Birth." Telling me I can't call my lifestyle.... that I've lived for a few years now..... A lifestyle that has been around for DECADES..... maybe centuries.... An Urban Movement. A community of homesteaders working with what they've been given, which is little......

In case you can't read between the lines...... I AM AN URBAN HOMESTEADER, and the dervaes family can kiss my green thumb, my big fat pressure canner & my chicken's asses!

Visit some more of the blogging community to see what they have to say about URBAN HOMESTEADING!!!

Grow & Resist

Krista & Jess

Moo Said the Mama

Domaphile

Heather's Homemaking

There are so MANY other GREAT bloggy links, but as a homesteader (of any sort), we are always perpetually behind. And I am behind.

I am amazed at how quickly & tightly the URBAN HOMESTEAD community came together. I am blessed to be an Urban Homesteader!

LA Weekly says....

SF Weekly says....

And if you haven't already, show your support by joining us on facebook as we take back urban homesteading!!

Where the dirty clothes gather....

2011-02-15T19:50:00.010-07:00

Staging a home is not only hard & tedious work, it isn't cheap. The first shelves I hit when shopping for the house are clearance racks. I thrift weekly these days to find a score. I scour Amazon in hopes they've knocked down the price on a wish item I've placed in my cart. Craigslist has become a hot spot on my web browser. I've always been one of those "think outside the box" gals, but when you're staging a house, it brings on a whole new meaning. And it still doesn't come cheap.

Another project I can call complete is the master bath cabinet. It was a very dingy white, and quite some time back, we had a mutt that thought everything was her own personal chew toy. Including the cabinet doors.

A couple weeks ago on an out of town venture, Hubba found the doors we were looking for. I'd been looking for a bit in town (and online) to no avail. They've been sitting in the master loo, leaning against the wall since. Until yesterday. I gussied up the strength & started the work. First I had to remove the doors & clean up the hinges. I taped off the walls & floor with tape & newsprint paper. I painted. I painted the cabinet base (sink base?). I painted the doors. 2 coats per side. Today I rehung the doors using the same hardware. The hardware was still in darn good shape. I bought a package of those cushion-y things so the doors don't slam shut.

What a difference!!! I am so psyched!!!

Then I ended up with 2 doors. One in perfectly good shape & my wheels started turning. No spinning..... And I decided we were in need of more wall art.....

Here is the dingy door.....

I filled in the holes with some drywall mud. Dry wall mud & I have become thick as thieves these days. No for real. Like lifelong besties.

I sanded the mud after it had dried & set to painting it. I was going for an aged look, so I used some leftover paint from when we redid the downstairs. It's an off-white, kinda cream colour. True Value something or other. True Value & I are besties these days, too. Anyhoo, the name of the colour began with a C, but please don't ask me the rest of the letters, because I can't remember, and I'm not going out to the garage tonight to look. Capital, maybe.

Anyhoo.....

After a base coat of that True Value paint, I went through my craft paints & found a khaki type colour & black. I decided to try it as a glaze. I watered the khaki one down & found a rag. What's the worst that happens? I hate it & have to re-coat it in Capital(?).

I dipped the rag into the paint & started swiping, being sure to go over the wet paint with the dry side.

Then I added a little bit of the black.....

Rinse. Repeat. Except I didn't rinse anything. Just follow along, ok?

Dry time.....

Then I was ready to tape off the outside part of the door for the part I have been dying (or wanting) to try for oh so long. See, about 2 years or so ago, I bought chalkboard paint..... 2 years ago. I finally tried it.....

I will add 2 sawtooth hangers to the back of this for an on-the-cheap wall hanging for the ~~dungeon~~ laundry room.

If you've enjoyed this project, stay tuned to see what I do with this one:

As promised (though it took me awhile), door number 2 can be found here.

Pumpkin Farina

2011-02-10T11:44:00.003-07:00

1 cup farina
2 cups milk (or non-dairy alternative)
2 cups water
1/4 can pumpkin (about 4 oz)
1/2 t cinnamon
2-4 T sweetener (suit to taste)

Bring water & milk to a boil. Whisk in farina reducing heat to medium-low. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Simmer about 40 minutes or until desired thickness whisking often. If your farina gets too thick, you can add more liquid.

The peanut gallery said this is the "perfect" amount of pumpkin. We made pumpkin rice cereal once & the pumpkin was overkill. They all drooled & asked for 2nds. The peanut gallery consists of 3 boys ages 14, 10 & 7.

Life Lately...

2011-02-03T10:45:00.003-07:00

I wasn't sure what to title this post, but it's been several months in the making. We've been so busy around here lately, so many new things, so many changes. The end of last summer, I took on a very part time job. I also decided that when my daycare girl went to school, I would no longer be watching children on a long-term/permanent basis. School began the end of August & my hours at my job increased. In November I began another rep job. December brought an unpaid promotion to Hubba, where he took over the department in which I was working. Policy states that family cannot work directly for each other, so I put in my notice, and as of now, I am just working my rep jobs.

This is totally ok, though, as we also decided to put our house on the market. Repairing, redecorating & renovating a house to stage for market is a full-plus-overtime job, and it can be very overwhelming. By leaving my job, I have freed up 20 hours of my week. The kids are so happy to have me home again, too. It was surprising that even my teenage boy was unhappy with me working. He dealt with it, because he is old enough to understand, but he thinks me not working there anymore is like sliced bread, LOL.

I've been logging some of our progress on facebook, and you can view the pictures here.

Christmas was an amazing time. We spent it, just the 5 of us, at home. The boys were amazingly spoiled. We got a Wii for the family & 2 of the boys got a PSP & a Nintendo DS Lite. Keenan celebrated his birthday a week ago, & he also got a DS for his birthday.

This past Saturday I went to a freezer cooking class, aka Once-a-month-cooking (OAMC). Everyone I told about the class ahead of time laughed at me. Apparently I don't need cooking classes. I know I don't need it, but I had this fluky moment of "I WANT to do this." It was my first Saturday as a "free woman." I used the class for many reasons- weaning off of having something to do on Saturday, fellowship with like-minded people but mainly for inspiration. See, I love OAMC, but hadn't done it in a while. Knowing the overwhelming things happening in our lives right now, I went for inspiration. We need freezer meals right now. We need to know that there are meals ready for us just as quickly as pizza would arrive on our doorstep.

Sure enough, the inspiring part kicked in, and this past Tuesday I added 16 family meals to the freezer, along with 9 individual meals for Hubba to take to work. I love opening the freezer & seeing so many wonderful options in there. I love opening the freezer & thinking- tonight we will NOT order pizza.

So now I've freed up a couple of things to help with our transition- 20 hours a week & a few meals for the super busy days. We have so much to do. Some days I walk around in circles, because I don't know where to begin that day. One of our biggest issues is storage. When staging a house, you can't have boxes stacked everywhere. 2 of the storage properties I've called are full, and another hasn't returned my phone calls. Another place I was looking into, I found out, has horse stalls (more or less), so there's no privacy or security (yeah I thought "HUH?" too!). It's time to think outside the box on this one, and I have a couple plans.

So that's what's going on here in a very.small.nutshell. I don't have a lot of time, so I'll sign off with this for now, and I hope to "see" you all soon!

Creamy Fruit Dip

2010-12-24T14:59:00.003-07:00

8oz cream cheese, kefir cheese or labneh (yoghurt cheese), at room temperature
1/3 c sour cream, plain yoghurt or creme fraiche, at room temperature
2-4 T raw honey or agave nectar
1 t vanilla extract

Add cream cheese, sour cream & vanilla to stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment to blend until well-combined. Drizzle in your honey or agave. While running the mixer, blend until light & fluffy. Store in refrigerator. This is good on sweet crackers & served with fruit for dipping.

Ranch Dressing/Dip

2010-12-24T09:49:00.002-07:00

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk or dairy kefir
1/2 cup sour cream, crème fraiche or plain yoghurt
2 T minced onion
1/2 t dried oregano
1 t dried parsley
1/2-1 clove minced garlic
1/4 t paprika
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t each salt & pepper or to taste

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Leave at room temperature 7 hours (If you've already fermented your mayo, skip this step). Chill before serving (If you fermented your mayo, and you are not leaving at room temp for 7 hours, be sure to chill for at least 2 hours to allow the flavours to mingle).

This Christmas....

2010-12-23T12:46:00.005-07:00

Today I am an emotional wreck. There are many loved ones who are suffering this Christmas season. I am so sad that so many people are hurting today and during the season of Christ & the beginning of His sacrificial life. We've (my family & I) had such a rough year & I've actually been "in the spirit." After the year we've had, this is the first time this year I've REALLY had something to look forward to. Something big- family, food, giving. The only thing missing are those we've lost, and those we're not near right now.

Then today comes & I keep welling up in tears. It dawned on me a few minutes ago why. I'm excited about Christmas this year, but at the same rate, I feel bad because I know my parents are having a hard time, and at the same time, I'm homesick today. I miss our families.

This year, we've tried to do for others. We've plucked paper angels off the trees at the stores in hopes that a child with little or nothing would smile on Christmas morning. We took food on Thanksgiving to an exchange student (that is now here on a work visa) from Brazil. He hasn't been home, nor has he seen his family in almost 2 years. We're planning on taking him breakfast on Christmas morning as well.

I wish everyone could feel the Joy I have had in my heart, yet I wish the roller coaster I'm on would come to a stop, so that *I* can be Joyful again. I'm praying for those that are hurting.

I pray that all of you that read this, for all those that we love- you have a very blessed Christmas. Know that I am praying for you.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2010-12-08T19:59:00.002-07:00

4-6 slices bacon
1 pound sprouts, ends cut off & halved
1 medium onion, diced
3T oil (butter, coconut oil, rice bran oil, olive oil, etc)
1/2-1 t garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Fry onions & bacon til crisp & browned oil (I used CO). Add salt, pepper & garlic powder, toss with halved brussel sprouts, mix to coat the sprouts in oil & spices. Roast til browned.

I baked mine 45m at 350º

My oldest son said these taste like egg roll filling. This past Thanksgiving was the first year I was able to get him to actually EAT, not one, but 2 servings of them. Each year past, I've been able to feed a single taste to a scrunched up nosed face.

Can you say SCORE!?!?!

Menu 12/6-11

2010-12-06T11:57:00.007-07:00

I'm finally getting back here to blog a little. This past week has found me near invalid stage. I managed to do something to my back, though I don't know what. All I know is Sunday night it began hurting. By late Monday morning I was in tears over the pain. I tried stretching, aleve, excedrin, hot packs, hot baths, Tiger Balm, etc. Tuesday found me in not AS MUCH pain. I wasn't in tears over it. We went grocery shopping on Wednesday & I knew it was bad. I'm walking across the parking lot & this little old lady zoomed right by. No, I'm not kidding!

By Friday I was in the urgent care, knowing if I didn't get some relief, there was no way I could work on Saturday. I was prescribed flexeril & pain meds and sent off with a note to keep me from working on Saturday. Flexeril is now my new BFF. Except that second F part. I'm still a bit tense today, but I'm not in absolute pain.

The past few days I've found myself working on sit-down stuff- menu planning, reading, inventory lists, grocery lists, etc. It's been nice, but I have to tell you sit-down work is NOT my cuppa tea! I'm ready to get up & go again....

Alas, that will be a few more days :-(

So here's the menu. Last night we had spaghetti. It was the first time in a week I was able to actually cook dinner. It was rather uncomfortable, but it needed doing! The first few days are relatively easy fix meals or meals the kids can help with.

Menu 12/6-11

Monday- Cowboy beans & cornbread

*pull roast for tomorrow

Tuesday- Roast & taters, green beans a'la crockpot

*Pull chicken to thaw

Wednesday- Filipino Chicken Adobo, rice, peas

*soak beans for tomorrow, pull meat to thaw

Thursday- Korean style pork, white rice, Kongjaban

*Pull cubed steak & hoagie rolls to thaw

Friday- Marlboro Man sandwiches, baked potato wedges, fruit tray

*Pull liver & steak to thaw

Saturday- Steak (For Hubba & Keenan), liver & onions, mashed potatoes, corn

***

Cinnamon Sage Honey

2010-11-25T18:53:00.002-07:00

Remember the Cinnamon Honey I posted recently? I found that sage is a GREAT decongestant & dries up the nasal passages. So I added some sage to the mixture & WOW!!! It worked so well.

The measurements I devised are:

4 parts honey, 1 part ground cinnamon & 1/2 part sage.

Same dosage as last time- 1 teaspoon up to 3 times a day.

Glazed Sugar & Rosemary Pork Loin

2010-11-19T18:50:00.002-07:00

Mix together

1/4 c brown sugar
1 t dried rosemary
1/4 t nutmeg
1 T apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Rub all over a large pork loin (mine was probably 3-4 pounds). Set crockpot to low & cook 7-8 hours.

Cinnamon Honey

2010-11-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I could feel a cold coming on & by chance, I stumbled across a recipe for cinnamon honey. It is so tasty (like candy). I have to warn you, the concoction is very gritty, and it’s so thick, you need a chug of water to help get it down. You can also mix it in a small glass of water & drink it that way. I’ve just been in such a rush to get things done that I’ve been eating it off the spoon, followed by water.

Enjoy!!!

Cinnamon Honey

1 part ground cinnamon

4 parts honey (raw & unfiltered from a local source is beat)

Mix well. Take a teaspoonful 3X a day at the first sign of a cold.

Coconut Curry Rice with Butternut Squash

2010-10-13T12:53:00.002-06:00

1 quart bone broth (chicken or rabbit, preferably)
2 cups rice
1/2 cup butternut squash puree
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 t curry powder

Bring stock to a boil. Add rice, curry powder, puree & coconut milk, lower heat & cover. Cook 45 minutes (20 minutes if you're using white rice), stirring occasionally.

Toothpaste

2010-10-05T12:25:00.005-06:00

Toothpaste

2 T coconut oil
3T baking soda (sifted)
1 T xylitol (birch based, sifted)
2 capfuls of peppermint oil (or about 1/2 t)

Blend all ingredients well using a fork. Store in an airtight container, dipping your toothbrush in to use.

Each ingredient serves a purpose as follows:

Coconut oil not only gives the toothpaste a paste quality, it is also a natural anti-bacterial.
Baking soda is a mild abrasive & also combats odors naturally.
Xylitol gives the paste a sweeter taste, as the baking soda is extremely salty tasting. It has a cooling taste to it, making your mouth feel cool & fresh. The xylitol is also excellent for dental health.
Peppermint oil (you can use other oils if desired) gives your mouth a clean minty feel & taste.

Homemade cat urine smell remover

2010-08-24T20:26:00.001-06:00

I'd been looking for this for several weeks. It never dawned on me to check my old blog.

Homemade cat urine smell remover:

1/4c hydrogen peroxide
1/4 c baking soda
1/4 c white vinegar
1 T. dish liquid

Here's what I did:
mix well & put on area to be cleaned. Rub in well (I just used my hands). I sucked it up with our carpet cleaner, then used vinegar & water in the cleaner to go over it again. The vinegar reeks, but once it's dry, the smell of the vinegar is gone, along with the odors.

Tuesday Twister

2010-08-24T08:05:00.001-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting a Tuesday Twister, hosted by Wardeh at GNOWFGLINS.

After a rough year & a very rough summer, I jumped in the kitchen, after the whole family came down with a stomach bug & decided I HAD to get back on the wagon. And.stay.there.

On Thursday I got my act together & did water kefir, dairy kefir & kombucha.

We've also fallen in love with the egg drink. It's made the table regularly in an effort to cram as many nutrients in as possible. I've also added trace minerals, powdered vitamins & powdered greens to it, to pack more of a punch.

Yesterday was stuffed jalapenos for the freezer (after we snacked on a few).

A few other things we've worked on the past few days:

I cut up 2 heads of red cabbage. I pulled out 8 cups to make a double batch of coleslaw. Coleslaw is a semi-rare treat around here. This was SO pretty going together!!

The rest was layered in a 9x13 pan with salt & whey for kraut.

I also decided to try escabeche after seeing this recipe. It went into cold storage yesterday. It smells absolutely YUMMY! I'm looking forward to trying it! Again, this was so colourful & pretty!

Dinners started out bland after being sick. Chicken & rice; beef short ribs, mashed potatoes & watermelon (we've had a LOT of watermelon this past week to help combat dehydration); and yesterday we were able to eat spaghetti. I still have some cheats in my kitchen until my energy returns, but as it does, those cheats slowly will be weaned away again. Thankfully those cheats are organic, HFCS-free, natural, etc.

And totally off topic & not in the kitchen, I couldn't resist showing you this picture. We are loving this little critter.

Stuffed Jalapenos 2

2010-08-23T08:35:00.003-06:00

1 pound jalapenos, cut long in half, seeds & membranes removed
1 1/2 blocks cream cheese (12 oz)
1 12oz pkg bacon, fried to a crisp & cut into tiny pieces, cooled
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 t each onion powder, garlic powder

Mix together everything except the peppers. Stuff each pepper half with the mixture & line up on a baking sheet (with sides) close together. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted & they are toasty brown.

Addictive!!! There, you've been warned.

Egg drink

2010-08-23T06:30:00.000-06:00

I have to share a recipe I saw on the web (I actually just got the ingredient list & had to come up with my own measurements, as well as some tweaks). I'll also let you know some additions we've tried & liked :D

3 pastured eggs
1/2 t ground cinnamon
2 T honey
2 T coconut oil or butter, or mix & match
1 cup boiling water (also, see notes following)

Bring to a whirl in blender all but boiling water. After all ingredients are well incorporated & frothy, slowly add boiling water while blender is running. Serve warm.

To serve cold, add about 1/2 cup boiling water instead of the full cup. After blending the water in, add 8 large ice cubes, & continue blending until mix is chilled & ice cubes are blended.

We liked this with 2 bananas added with the first 4 ingredients.

I have many more plans for this recipe as well!!!

A couple pics from around here lately

2010-08-21T06:27:00.000-06:00

We got a new kitty!!! This occurred on Sunday, August 15th.

My poor babies, in the midst of being sick were actually getting along!!!

And wonderful things to those that are patient. My wee bub lost his first tooth on Tuesday, the 17. But not just a tooth..... TWO teeth!!!

Seriously, how lucky can a first-time-tooth-losing-kid get???

Yesterday I rocked the kitchen along....

2010-08-20T06:34:00.000-06:00

As well as recuperation would allow!!

I rinsed & fed my cold storage water kefir grains....... After severely neglecting them.....

I finally rebatched my water kefir....... after severely neglecting it

I f.i.n.a.l.l.y got around to making a new batch of k-tea.....

.....after SEVERELY neglecting my last batch. I'm so ashamed. No, wait. Nevermind, I'm not ashamed. I think this one is funny!!!

I revamped my dairy kefir grains & hope for dairy kefir later today or tomorrow. These ones weren't TOO severely neglected, thank you very much!

Leaving a little bit of history....

2010-08-19T16:30:00.005-06:00

We finished the flooring downstairs recently (pics to come), and since we had an existing concrete floor, I decided we'd let the boys do a little something special before we put down the laminate.

LOVE IT!!!

Saddling up..... AGAIN!!!

2010-08-19T11:16:00.002-06:00

We've just battled the stomach flu. All.5.of.us.got.it.this.time. We have NEVER ALL 5 gotten the same thing at the same time. Usually it's 1-3 of us, or it's at least a week or 3 apart. It was BAD. BADBADBAD!!!! We're, thankfully, on the mend now. This year has sent us through so many loops & obstacles, that every time I get back up, dust my butt off & get our healthy lifestyle going again, something backhands me back to the ground again.

I'd just gotten through telling Hubba just a few days ago that this year we just haven't been able to get healthy & STAY healthy. I figured it out, just a day or 2 before the first of us got sick. It just wasn't enough time to fix it.....

I have so much to catch you up on, but first..... first I must get my home back in order. I must get my KITCHEN back in order.

For the umpteenth time this year...

*le sigh*

Life these days

2010-07-25T08:37:00.003-06:00

Still haven't found my camera cord, but I'm hoping that will change soon :D I've got the primer coat done on the downstairs, and that means I'm ready for the top coat. Once I get that done, we'll begin setting up one end of the big room as our homeschool area. The other end will likely still be empty. We're hoping to get flooring in the next 1-2 months max. We'll floor the empty end of the room, then move the HS stuff to that end & finish in the other end.Tomorrow, I start my new again job. Last year I worked for the same company as Hubba. It was just a couple of hours a night, a few nights a week. It was more or less on my own schedule. I basically just stocked shelves, faced & fronted the store & did the merchandising. I enjoyed that it was in the evenings, and I didn't have to leave my kids home all day. I was presented with the same opportunity again a couple of weeks ago, but this time in a different dept. I'll have the same "hours," the same boss, the same job. I decided that when the girls started school, I'd no longer be watching children. It's going to be less than time & cost effective.

Now, don't get me wrong. If a daycare charge fell into my lap that was under school age, I'd likely care for them. I don't see that happening. One of my stipulations, and the one everyone seems to have a problem with, is that I no longer wait until the end of the week, pay period or month. I've been ripped off 3 times by 3 different families, and I'm out over $100. I figure if they're not willing to pay me up front, they're not willing o pay me at all. I say this because it's not like they have to have $200 up front for a full week or 2. I am ok with them paying up front on a DAILY basis. That typically only runs $20-25 at the most.So, anyway, it will be nice to work for this lady again. I did the math. I can earn more after taxes in less then 1/4th of the time that I do with one daycare charge.

Seb & Hubba have spent this past week in hunter safety classes. They were going from 6-9 M-F & then they did the shooting range Sat. morning 8:30-11:30. They are both now certified to "hunt safely." I'm so proud of both of them. Hubba got 100% on his final test. The instructor said that he's only the 2nd *man* that has scored 100%. Women apparently breeze through the test & scoree 100, but men don't typically score 100. Seb on the other hand got a 96%. PHENOM for a boy his age (even if that's only MY mom opinion, LOL). Next year, we want to sign Tris up for the classes & Kee the following year.

I asked Hubba to get a couple pics at the range. These are taken under a cover with a cell, so the picture quality isn't great (ok, it downright sucks). Here are a couple of Seb:

A friend of ours will be taking Seb hunting this year, even if Hubba can't always go. We're all pretty excited about this new chapter in our life.

I'm also praying for a HARD freeze in our bodies of water here. This past winter, we were supposed to go ice fishing (myself & aforementioned friend), but the water didn't freeze hard enough. If we get a hard freeze, we're aiming to do it this year!

Otherwise, life is good. The animals are doing well, the garden is ding well, all things considered.

God is a wonderful God!!

A little update

2010-07-16T22:42:00.002-06:00

Still can't find the camera cord, but lately we have been so busy. We've been gardening, raising chickens & rabbits and doing all sorts of other things around the mini-stead. Since May 23rd, our downstairs still hasn't been the same. Most of our things from down there are still in the garage. Instead of bringing it in, we decided this would be a good opportunity to finish it. It's been drywall since we moved in almost 2 years ago. We've had a friend over showing us how to properly drywall & tomorrow we are hoping to get the bulk of it done. Today was spent moving things from the big room, hanging plastic & removing hardware from the walls.

Anyhoo, I'm hoping my cord shows up soon, so I can show you all the neat things we've been doing.

Be blessed!

As soon as.....

2010-07-12T15:53:00.002-06:00

I find my camera cord, I'll be blogging about the things we've done so far to prepare for this next school year. :D

Reusable canning lids bulk order "co-op"

2010-07-02T09:02:00.001-06:00

Some of you have heard about the Tattler reusable canning lids. The more you order, the cheaper they are (in a bulk order of 500 or more). Is anyone interested in ordering these & how many would you want? Here's what I want to do- You tell me how many you want, I'll get a tally after a week or 2 (deadline TBA, depending on if there's interest) of how much they'll be & ship them to you for the total cost of the lids & Tattler's shipping + shipping & handling from me to you.

After I find if there's interest, I'll place an ordering deadline. Once we reach that deadline, you will have 1 week to get your money to me. I will accept immediate pay via paypal & I'll accept well-concealed cash & money orders via snail mail. I will NOT accept e-checks nor will I accept mailed checks. I'm looking to have these ordered by the end of July, which means orders & payment in by then.

Filipino Chicken Adobo

2010-06-28T16:21:00.002-06:00

I found this recipe on a forum I was a member of quite some time ago. It is delicious served with rice. I like to double the sauce ingredients so we can ladle it over the rice.

3# chicken thighs
3 crushed garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
peppercorns (about 12-15, your preference)
1 c vinegar
1 c water
1/2 c organic soy sauce
2 T sugar
S&P to taste

Place chicken in a heavy bottomed pan. Add remaining ingredients. Cover & bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium/medium-low. Simmer til liquid has thickened, and chicken is cooked. Remove bay leaves, & serve over rice.

Seminoe Reservoir, N Platte arm & beautiful Wyoming scenery & sky

2010-06-24T09:53:00.002-06:00

April birthdays

2010-06-24T08:39:00.005-06:00

Yup, way late posting this. Tris & Hubba's birthdays are the end of April. Here they are opening their pressies.

Yu-gi-oh cards from the brothers

Indiana Jones stuff from Meema

Nice shirt from Mamaa

And his own pick from Mom & Dad- fishing pole & a filet knife

Hubba got cards, money & a book. The book was from his Mom.

Kahlua

2010-06-16T12:50:00.004-06:00

I am blessed. I have awesome Mom & Dad in-laws. Truly, I mean that! I emailed my Mom in-law a couple months ago. Several years back she shared a homemade kahlua recipe with me & in between lots of moves it got lost. So.... I asked for it again. Here's the email she sent me. I did change *names of the family members* she mentions:

I can't believe I found it! It had addresses on the back of where * Jane, Joanne & Sam* lived 30 years ago.

Here you go!

Kahlua (I'm not sure if that is correct)

3 Cups Water

3 Cups Granulated Sugar

10 Teaspoons Instant Coffee

4 Teaspoons Vanilla

1 Quart Vodka (Cheapest you can get)

Bring water, sugar and coffee to boil. Simmer 1 hour. Cool to room temperature, add vanilla and vodka.

Easy as pie!

Enjoy

Love,
Mom

See? I told you she rocks!!

Thank you Hunt's brand!

2010-06-07T14:35:00.003-06:00

I had heard that Hunt's ketchup had gone back to a HFCS-free ketchup. While in the store a couple days ago, I saw it with my very own eyes. I'm very excited about this. While I know that Hunt's ketchup is still not the perfect food (neither is the organic stuff that's processed), this is one of our "compromise foods."

If you enjoy a HFCS-free diet, or you like ketchup, please send Hunt's an email showing your appreciation!
I did:

"I wanted to thank you for going back to a HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) free product with your ketchup. I had been buying organic ketchup, as in my area, it was the only ketchup I could find with no HFCS. HFCS-free foods are extremely important to our family. Thank you so much for making this change. We will be able to purchase Hunt's ketchup & do so more affordably now that we don't *have to* buy organic."

My week long "internet sabbatical" in review

2010-06-03T09:55:00.029-06:00

"A sabbatical is a period away from your normal routine - a time to immerse yourself in a different environment, a chance to see your life from a different perspective"

This past week I have taken time away from the internet to refocus & play a little game of catch up. I did get online each day to check emails, as that's how my jobs are doled out & how I head up the food co-op & homeschool group. I went into this week knowing that there was no way I could catch up 100%, but I wanted to begin.This is only part of the week. I have another post lined up with more pics & more stuff that we did. I also plan on catching up on more stuff over the weekend & & next week.

After the year I've had, I have gotten so far behind in...... well, everything. My home has taken a hit. Our homeschooling has taken a hit. The garden, the animals & "homestead" projects.... all have taken a hit. As a friend of mine said "it's been an armpit of a year."

So, I decided to shower my year, add some deodorant & pray for the best......Here is my week in review:

We spent Monday at the lake with some people we know. I think I found a true & good friend. They also helped BIG time when we had the sewage flood. I got burned horribly on my lower shins. We had fried chicken & chips & cake, and we fished. The kids got to go 4-wheelin'! It was a blast!

I got my bathroom back on Tuesday..... The sanitation crew came & took their last 3 fans & the dehumidifier

More importantly, I got my bedroom back!!! I love my bed!

I made another batch of mayo. This stuff is the bestest!

I used the delicious mayo to make a batch of coleslaw

I made a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce

We enjoyed that sauce with pasta, spinach salads & watermelon....

I started a batch of kraut in my new-to-me glazed crock. I got it for 2 bucks at a yard sale last weekend!

I made time to enjoy some hot tea. Mmmm.... Madagascar Vanilla Red.....

We played Uno

I did lots & lots of laundry. The good news is- I caught up from the sewage flood we had.

I fixed the gate to the chicken run

We enjoyed some DELICIOUS hard boiled eggs from the backyard. Oh.my.yum!

We watched the puppy play. We played with the puppy. We laughed at the puppy. We even had to get on to the naughty puppy some.

The joys of having a St. Bernard..... We vacuumed lots of fur..... lots.

I got sunburned twice. In the same place on my body..... YOUCH!

The bestest..... We had brotherly love.

We enjoyed many breakfasts & lunches together. Usually, I don't eat at the same time as the kids, so we tend to miss out eating together (except at dinner). This was one of the best parts of my week

I made kefir cheese

We had BBQ ribs in the crockpot

We did a lot of dishes..... A.lot.

I got to go to a "pre-yard sale" sale at a friend's house. We got some books & a rug, and a pair of shoes for Kee to grow into, and this (I have wanted one of these for ages!):

I made chocolate syrup

And I rescued my dairy kefir grains from the fridge

I rescued my sourdough starter from moldy neglect, only to find out..... it didn't work :-(

I made Amish Friendship Bread. Instead of mixing & baking, I allowed it to soak for 7 hours, just to see if it's work. I didn't get a pic because it went that quickly. Oops. Yeah, it worked!

I enforced some child labour

But we got the walkways dug & the garden beds raised. That aforementioned boy ROCKED!!!

I finished 2 of my recycled lilac limbs trellises

We planted bean plants & bean seeds, pepper seeds, squash plants & seeds, carrot seeds & I covered the corn plants again.

After going to the lake, the poor Uplander was in dire need of some TLC. We vacced & wiped & scrubbed the inside of that baby..... Sand, dirt, puppy fur be gone!

We tormented the poor little kitty. OK, no we didn't.

We fed the puppy a.lot. Another joy of having a Saint puppy.

I finally filled the pepper shakers. No more pinching it from the tub & then **OOPS** touching our noses. HAHA!!!

We tried a new recipe for pancakes..... RYE pancakes. Oh yummy!

I'm hoping to get back to blogging more. I'm aiming for at least once a week for now, so if I do that, expect longer picture-heavy posts. I hope you've enjoyed this one!

Year in review..... 2010

2010-06-03T07:18:00.001-06:00

(This is a scheduled post)

This has been my "bad" year. Here's a recap of things, for those that don't know, or for those that don't know all of it:

My brother passed away (January 25th)
In ONE day (in March) My SFIL cut his thumb off in woodworking accident; my cousin was life flighted to an ATL hospital after an accident, with a cracked skull & vertebrae AND Hubba's nephew was hiding in a closet during a home invasion while his roommate was shot & killed.
May 23rd while trying to snake our drains, we had a HUGE & NASTY sewage backup into our house..... Come to find out it wasn't just *our* fecal matter washing into our house, it was a clog in the CITY'S pipes & we got EVERYONE'S poo flooding our home from uphill. We lost most of our garden seedlings when this happened as well as some home furnishings & misc. things. We also found out who our true friends are. More importantly, we found out who our true friends are NOT.
My Mum was excruciatingly sick.
And we've all been sick more than normal this year.

Needless to say, every time I get back on my horse, he bucks me off again. I'm not even sure that's everything ^^ It seems like I'm forgetting something, but this seems to be the year that everyone else needs to think for me, because I'm having a difficult time thinking for myself. I know we'll get through this, but sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. For now, I cry when no one's looking & I pray, and I hope.....

Internet break

2010-06-02T07:15:00.003-06:00

I've been spending this week off the internet for the most part (emails, insurance claim work & weather aside), but I plan on being back this weekend with a HUGE post! I've been spending the week recuping, reorganising & trying to get "it" back together. I'll explain when I get back! Keep a lookout, and have a super blessed week!

Seed companies supplied by Monsanto

2010-05-18T18:06:00.002-06:00

Burpee has responded in the comments below. While I neither believe nor disbelieve the response, I advise you to take caution, no matter who you buy from. I will be contacting Burpee to see if they've actually signed the Non-GMO pledge before I make a decision.

This entire post is a quote from Kelle over on Never Done Farm:

Some info I already knew, had saved and now is found. Unfortunately this won't help you this season in your seed choices, but save the info. for future reference.

Here is an interesting post on Seed companies supplied by monsanto. If you think it is relevant please pass it on to the growing food and justice list serve.

Recently on a gardening forum in which I participate, a list of various seed companies now owned by Monsanto was posted. I was so shocked to discover Territorial Seeds on the list that I immediately wrote to them to ask if it was true... As it turns out, while Territorial continues to be owned
privately, by Tom & Julie Johns, one of their seed suppliers, Seminis, is in fact owned by Monsanto. Over the course of my correspondence with staff from Territorial, they provided me with a list of the seeds currently purchased by Seminis, which I have attached. And I was told that the owners are 'considering' whether or not to continue using Seminis as a vendor.

I'm sending this information out in the hopes that *you'll* consider writing to Territorial Seeds to request they terminate their relationship with Seminis, as well as expressing support for them as a company you'd continue to buy seeds from in the future. I can't express enough how important it is for those of us who are dedicated to food security, and the ongoing availability of good, local, organic produce, to do whatever we can to prevent Monsanto from colonizing our primary sources of seed. Toward that end, I'm also posting the list of companies owned by Monsanto for your
review, in case you find others whose seeds you've bought.

* Territorial Seeds
* Totally Tomato
* Vermont Bean Seed Co.
* Burpee
* Cook's Garden
* Johnny's Seeds
* Earl May Seed
* Gardens Alive
* Lindenberg Seeds
* Mountain Valley Seed
* Park Seed
* T&T Seeds
* Tomato Growers Supply
* Willhite Seed Co.
* Nichol's
* Rupp
* Osborne
* Snow
* Stokes
* Jungs
* R.H. Shumway
* The Vermont Bean Seed Company
* Seeds for the World
* Seymour's Selected Seeds
* HPS
* Roots and Rhizomes
* McClure and Zimmerman Quality Bulb Brokers
* Spring Hill Nurseries
* Breck's Bulbs
* Audubon Workshop
* Flower of the Month Club
* Wayside Gardens
* Park Bulbs
* Park's Countryside Garden

And one final thing: here's a link to another seed company, Fedco, who posted information on their website about their own decision to forgo using Seminis any longer once they had been purchased by Monsanto: http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/monsanto.htm
Fedco Seeds - The Monsanto Debate/Monsanto Buys Seminis

Food co-ops, Free "advertising"

2010-05-07T11:02:00.005-06:00

I was reading over on Homestead Revival about food co-ops. I left a comment (a shameless plug) about the food co-op I coordinate here in Southern Central Wyoming. Comments are moderated over on Homestead Revival, so after my comment was approved, I noticed I wasn't the only one plugging a local (wherever that might be) co-op. I got to thinking that it would be nice if we had a place that listed several co-ops from around the US (and globe???). So here's your chance. If you're heading up a co-op, I would like to add you to a consolidated list on my blog!!! I know I don't have a ton of readers, but I'm hoping over time, the list of co-ops will grow.

Here's what I need from you if you are the coordinator in this order:

Location (Be as specific as possible. I know of several co-ops in Wyoming alone, and they range from Southern Central, Central, Northeast & Northwest)
Your name (first is fine, as long as you're the only one with that name at the contact information)
Your contact information (phone number &/or email address)
What company(ies) you order from
How often you order
The minimum for each member/family to order each time

Based on these few things, I believe most others can decide if they're interested, and they may get any further information from you when they contact you. Here's an example of how this would read:

Southern Central Wyoming (Carbon County & surrounding areas)
Michaela Leeper
wyo.helpmeet(at gmail dot)com
Azure Standard
We order as often as we can, depending on the committed interest each month
Each family agrees to spend $50 each order

Easy, huh? So leave a comment or contact me at the above email addy & we'll get you added! Remember you have to be the coordinator, as I only want information that is voluntarily given.

Sunflower Seed Butter

2010-05-04T13:23:00.003-06:00

I don't eat a lot of nut butters. I do like cashew butter. The problem with them is the nuts are not soaked. Soaking is a vital part of healing cavities, as well as overall health. This includes nuts & grains. Sunflower seeds do not have to be soaked from what I'm told & from what I can find on the subject. The only other nut I have on hand is walnuts, and since I wanted to make something now, I went with sunflower seeds. Before I go to bed tonight, I will (hopefully, if I remember) set some walnuts to soak.

Here's how I did my sunflower seed butter:

Sunflower Seed Butter

1 cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
2-4 T light oil (olive oil, rice bran oil, etc. I advise against coconut oil in this recipe, as it will be stored in the refrigerator & will become rock solid & unspreadable)
pinch of salt

Blend seeds in blender or processor until ground well. You want almost a powder form. If you can attain a powder form, even better. Once your seeds are (close to) powdered add salt, and slowly stream your oil in while your blender is running. Add enough oil to your desired consistency. Store in a glass jar in your refrigerator. Makes about 3/4 cup.

All of the recipes I've seen called for a sweetener. Personally, I think raw sunflower seeds are sweet enough on their own, and I chose to forgo the sweeteners. This will also help in the healing of cavities.

Momma's Dental Healing Smoothie

2010-05-04T08:57:00.004-06:00

Refrigerate the following ingredients, so your smoothie is cold without having to water it down with ice. This makes about 5 cups of smoothie.

2 cups plain yoghurt or mild dairy kefir
1 large avocado, cut into chunks
2 large bananas, cut into chunks
1 packet of powdered stevia
4 pastured eggs

Add all ingredients to blender & blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Mango Smoothies

2010-05-01T15:25:00.004-06:00

Quick, easy & sure to please. These super thick & creamy smoothies are not overly sweet. My kids scraped the sides of their glasses with spoons (After making Tropsicles, our local grocery put mangoes on sale 2/$1, so I grabbed 8. I've used 4 for the Tropsicles & found myself tiring of making them, so I decided to go with the basic recipe I linked & try smoothies.). As the kids said "Make.a.gain....."

So I have to "write it down:"

Mango Smoothies

1 can coconut milk
1 mango cut into chunks
1 large banana cut into chunks
7 ice cubes

Put everything but ice cubes into blender. Blend until smooth. Add ice cubes and blend well. Serve in glasses. Add a spoon. You'll need one :D

Garlic Dill Mayonnaise

2010-05-01T11:52:00.004-06:00

This stuff is so good, I could eat it with a spoon..... No seriously, I just did.

Garlic Dill Mayonnaise

1 small clove garlic chopped
1-2 T freeze dried dill (suit to taste)
1 pastured egg yolk, room temperature
1 pastured egg, room temperature
1/2 t real salt
1 t yellow mustard
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 c light oil (extra light olive oil, rice bran oil, etc. You may sub up to 1/4 c coconut oil, melted & cooled, but this tends to chill rock hard in the fridge)

Place all ingredients in blender except oil. Blend until light & fluffy, about a minute. Slowly add oil while blending. Once all your oil is added, scrape sides of blender, and blend about 30 seconds longer. Scrape sides of blender again & mix with a rubber spatula. Scrape into a clean glass jar (Since it's dill, I used a dill pickle jar, LOL). Allow to mingle a couple of hours before using either in the fridge or on your countertop. Store in the fridge.

Keeps about 2 weeks.

CNN- Activists call foul on KFC bucket campaign

2010-04-28T13:21:00.001-06:00

Activists call foul on KFC bucket campaign
By Kat Kinsman, Special to CNN
April 28, 2010 10:00 a.m. EDT

KFC will donate 50 cents from each pink bucket sale to organizations funding cancer research.

(CNN) -- Can chicken breasts help beat breast cancer? KFC officials are hoping customers will flock to help the chicken chain make a record-breaking donation of $8.5 million.

But some critics are calling foul on the company's mixed message, especially in light of the recent, heavily publicized addition of the aggressively fat-and-sodium laden Double Down sandwich to their menu.
KFC's "Buckets for the Cure" initiative boasts a bright pink website, packed with breast cancer facts, survivor stories and a pledge to.....

Read the rest of the story here.....

Tropsicles..... (Tropical popsicles)

2010-04-27T16:35:00.004-06:00

Bestill my heart!!!

I saw a very basic popsicle recipe. So I was going to do it.... Then I started adding more & more stuff.... If these babies are as good frozen as they are by the spoon, I'm in.big.trouble.....

Tropsicles (Tropical Popsicles)

1 14oz can coconut milk
1 large banana, cut into chunks
2 medium mangoes, peeled & cut into chunks
juice of 1 lime (and any pulp from juicing)
2-4T honey (depending on your taste & the size of your lime/amount of lime juice)

Add all ingredients to your blender. Blend & freeze in popsicle molds.

Check out.....

2010-04-25T13:58:00.000-06:00

Our new babies!!!

Why we will no longer support the Susan G Komen Foundation

2010-04-24T15:45:00.005-06:00

I'll be back with more. This is an opening to many more posts. I will be linking up. I will be quoting others & I will continue to share the reasons why we will no longer support the Susan G Komen Foundation. Shame really, they have the capacity to do so much.

On 4/23 I posted to the wall on facebook of the Susan G Komen page.

"<< From your sidebar- "Imagine life without breast cancer"

KFC, Pepsi, etc. For real?Have you SEEN the cancer causing ingredients in these items? Have you considered hitting up chiquita, Horizon or other companies that actually have a healthy natural product?"

A little while later I noticed that my message was no longer there. Since facebook has been having some issues, I chose to give them the benefit of the doubt. My gut, of course, told me they'd deleted it.

My initial response was:

“Freedom of speech is not an option on this page? I posted earlier about KFC & Pepsi causing cancer & it's been removed.
Make no mistake- I've lost loved ones to Breast Cancer, so believe me when I say I WAS a HUGE supporter. I'll find a company that truly believes in a cure from now on. I'll also be sure to let others know that you are in for the money, not for the cure.”

I chose not to do that one JUST IN CASE it was a glitch & they truly hadn't deleted it. Instead I went with a “nicer” approach:

“Interesting I posted something earlier & it's not here anymore? I'm wondering if any of the "researchers" have researched the ingredients, the cancer causing ingredients in the sponsors of SGK? Pepsi, KFC, Yoplait??? Will this message be deleted as well???”

After posting above, I noticed the comment right below mine was asking if the page deleted the comments of the members, to which I also responded.

I'm not stupid. As I mentioned, I had a gut feeling that they CHOSE to delete my comment. So this go round, I took a screenshot of my messages on the page (Please click on image for a larger view).

Sure enough, by the time I went to bed, not only was MY comment deleted, but also the one questioning if posters are censored.

Now according to their sidebar, they also mention “We must remain loyal to our participants......” I'm wondering if the loyalty these days is actually about finding a cure or if it's loyalty of another sort. After all, this is a HUGE corporation. If breast cancer ceases to exist, there will be a LOT of people out of a job. If you think for a moment this statement isn't true, think again. If you think all the people working for SGK aren't paid, and that they are volunteer, think again. The only loyalty they've come to know is greed. Let's break this down.....

Susan G. Komen site states:

“KFC and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® are teaming up this spring to raise funds and spread breast cancer awareness and educational messaging via a major national campaign which will reach thousands of communities served by nearly 5000 KFC restaurants.

Participating KFC franchise locations will be selling specially designed pink buckets of grilled and Original Recipe chicken. KFC has pledged 50 cents to Komen for every pink bucket ordered by its restaurant operators during the promotion period, with a minimum donation of $1 million and a goal to raise more than $8 million. Twenty-five percent of the funds raised will be earmarked to Komen’s 120-plus domestic Affiliates for breast cancer programs in their communities. The remainder of the funds will support Komen’s national research and community programs.

The lids of these special pink buckets will have a call to action to get involved. Names of breast cancer survivors and those who have lost their battle with breast cancer will be listed on the sides of the bucket. The pink buckets will be available through May 30, or while supplies last.”

Original Recipe® Chicken

Fresh Chicken Marinated With: Salt, Sodium Phosphate and Monosodium Glutamate. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Sodium Chloride and Anti-caking agent (Tricalcium Phosphate), Nonfat Milk, Egg Whites, Colonel’s Secret Original Recipe Seasoning.

Here's what's really pathetic. The grilled chicken they make mention of? I can't find the nutrition information on the site for that. Kinda scary, no? In the above you see quite a few chemicals.

Going beyond..... My friend Julia put it best with the following. It's another reason, I've learned that I am falling out of respect with Susan G Komen Foundation.

“They focus on early detection to the exclusion of prevention. Okay, early detection is great and surely saves lives, but they should be putting MORE emphasis on prevention. Why don't they do that? Oh, because preventing breast cancer doesn't make anyone any money. Early detection, on the other hand, makes the Cancer Industry beaucoup money throughout a cancer patient's life. The Komen foundation is now ALL about making money, not saving anyone's lives (though they are great at pretending to care about saving lives). As a breast cancer survivor, that makes me SICK and I cannot support them in any way shape or form unless they radically change.”

Now I don't know about you, but I'd much rather say goodbye to breast cancer from the get-go. If cancer were prevented, poor Komen Foundation wouldn't have a leg left to stand on. BUT..... even early detection doesn't always save lives. This goes back to their sidebar that reads "Imagine life without breast cancer.”

Imagine

Life

Without

Breast

Cancer......

Imagine that. Imagine a world where the key is NOT early detection, but prevention.....

More to come.

Gamma lids, oh how I want thee!!!

2010-04-20T17:31:00.004-06:00

I was facebook hopping today & came across this great giveaway over at Homestead Revival. I buy so much stuff in bulk (seeing as how we go though it so quickly- 3 growing boys and all) from the co-op that I decided to add gamma lids last night to my cart for my next Azure Standard order. Today I came across this super giveaway!

Hope to see your comment over there for your chance to win 6 gamma lids from USA Emergency Supply!!!

What a glorious shopping day!

2010-04-19T22:10:00.005-06:00

Even if things did go a bit awry.

Let me tell you- Azure Standard ROCKS!!! The last 6 orders that were loaded onto the truck, the printer died, so there were no invoices. Of course, that's not why they rock..... That stinks, to be quite honest. So when Kyle (fabulous driver) shows up neither of us know how many cases I'm supposed to be getting. Here's the turn of events.....

I'm sick, have 0 energy, have 2 people coming to help with the drop (1 of them I arranged at the last minute because I knew I couldn't handle it even with *D* there). I arrive 10m early, and he's already there. Um.... it's just he & I...... We (Kyle & I) load the stuff into my truck. He rocks.
I call *D* to tell her to go ahead & head to my house, he was early, we're done (my kids are at home & they know her, so I wasn't sending her to sit by the curb). Her stuff is sitting on the ground next to my truck, and *M* shows up, so she helps me get the rest of *D's* stuff into the truck. We chat for a couple, I head home.
Get home
Get on Azure to print invoices from the drop point manager
Drop manager refuses to load.....
And refuses to load.....
Go back to garage & call Azure
HAND WRITE 3 people's worth of orders so we can separate them
Run back in to check something......Drop manager has loaded
Print previously hand written lists for double checking. Good thing, too, we had a couple things wrong that the lady at Azure missed.
Realise we're missing a WHOLE BOX of frozen items
Remember, we had no case count......
My corn, 2 gals' bison & another gal's roast.....
Call Azure to let them know. Spend awhile on the phone giving order numbers & lists of items missing. The 3 of us missing items will be credited
Call Kyle (awesome driver) to let him know what happened & ask him to keep an eye out

Thankfully that ordeal is over, but I was so frustrated. I've been wicked sick for a few days. I was ready to cry BEFORE I left to get the order, and poor *D* was so patient (bless you, *D*, I know you'll be reading this soon). I told her when *I* did the orders it took an hour max..... No seriously, it did. As soon as I have help, the time doubles??? LOL

The good news is, the Boys are happy to have hot dogs in the house again..... and dried papaya..... and organic raisins..... and..... well, here are the pics of the Azure Standard order. Not pictured are the hot dogs, as they were in the freezer. And my corn.... obviously. NO CORN!!!!! *cries* They were also out of the kids' vitamins I ordered & the organic corn chips. I already knew those weren't coming, so I wasn't expecting those. BUT MY CORN *wails in tears again*

25# brown rice, 25# organic cornmeal, 50# raw sugar

1# raw walnuts (*M* & I bought a 2# bag to split, they are in the rubbermaid container), 2 of the 3 bags of organic chips (we opened a bag- YUM!), 5# organic raisins, 1 gallon Biokleen cleaner, 1 gallon rice bran oil & in the jars are organic kelp granules & dried papaya strips.

Then I realised we didn't have any hot dog buns, so off to shopping we go. We stop at the discount grocery store to see what they have..... I bought 5 packages of their baked in-house breads of various kinds. We decided to go with these yummy little dinner rolls they offer & cut the hot dogs in half for mini-dogs.

And came home with all this.....

I also scored some Hansen's sodas for the kids, some organic applesauce cups, and lest you think we are this perfect little TF family..... A little something for Hubba (if I don't buy it he will. Steak sauce is on my to-learn-make-do list though).....

I have yet to put away all the groceries we got today & I'm already drooling over, highlighting & dog-earing this:

Hopefully in a couple days, I will be able to blog good news about corn, vitamins & corn chips.

Ginger honey- the medicinal candy.....

2010-04-15T12:11:00.005-06:00

The weather here the past several weeks has been nuts. One week it's almost 60, the next, it's 20 & snowing. Needless to say, we've had some on & off hacking of the lungs :-(

KerryAnn was telling me about some ginger honey she makes & then she decided to blog about it. I made some yesterday. She says at 24h you can start taking it, but she also said a week of steeping is good as well. Another gal recommends 2 weeks.

Isn't it beautiful?

We just took our first dose & I am feeling (and hearing) a difference already!!! It tastes like candy, the kids love it & it's been requested to be made again!!!

Time to catch up....

2010-04-10T09:02:00.003-06:00

Since TJ passed away, I've been very unmotivated. Between grief, the 15 days I was away from home, the 40+ hours on the road, less than optimal eating, etc. it's been a long road getting back.

A couple weeks ago here in frigid Wyoming, we had the most beautiful weather. It was in the upper 40's-mid 50's. We were able to get out in the yard some..... Then the temps plummeted down into the teens & low 20's and we got swamped with snow..... Then we got swamped with more snow. Our temps are headed up again now, and yesterday we were able to work the compost piles, get an arbor moved & a few other things done.

This week I have been in the kitchen. A lot. So far I've managed a batch of tortillas, 4 loaves wheat bread, 2 batches cheddar puffs, no-bake cookies, chocolate chips, and a couple of pans of pull apart bread. Today I hope to get the chocolate chip cookies baked.

I've also started a new sourdough, so I have 2 and still have my Amish Friendship Bread Starter. My daycare hours have gone up again (yay), and I've also snagged a very.part.time job, which I've yet to get my first assignment. I am a rep for BMA & will visit 2 stores in town here 1X a month to inventory & order greeting cards. Once I get the hang of it, my visits should take no more than an hour. Every so often, I'll need to do a reset as well. From what I understand, I get the assignment emailed to me and will have a certain timeframe in which to get it done. I'm looking forward to this, as it's more or less make my own schedule, and I can take the kids if need be.

My beef order will be sent to the processor between mid-May & mid-June, and my baby chicks & poults are due to arrive the week of May 21st. We've been planting seeds as well. Lots of them & have so much green-age downstairs under the lights- it's amazing!!! You can read more about our mini-homesteading adventures on our 1/10th acre blog.

Our puppy has gotten huge already. He was 5months on the 7th & has already topped 70 pounds. He's a bundle of joy, though.

The kids have been doing great with homeschooling & a few weeks ago, my 13 year old was so very happy to finish his 6th grade math, and finally be a "total 7th grader." We were well ahead in November, and we took a good chunk of December off for the holidays. BIG mistake..... We've had a time getting back into it since TJ went to Heaven, and now we're bordering on falling behind again. Of course, this is just one of the MANY reasons we love homeschooling. When schools are out in May, we can work another week or three & catch up. Because we were homeshooling, I had the choice to take the 15 days (or more if I wanted), and not worry about truancy, falling behind with no chance to catch up, etc.

The homeschool group is doing WONDERFULLY!!! In just 2 months & 3 meetings, we had a total of TWELVE families. The 1st of this month marked 4 meetings, 3 months & a new family. The beginning of May, we're holding a science fair with our meeting. We've got many opportunities lined up in the month of April, and even more in May. I had some approach me about the "seclusion" of our group & that we'd scare people away by saying they had to pay an annual dues to be "privvy" to the calendar of events and the other things we did as a group. It's a Wyoming thing, LOL. But let me tell you, we were *praying for JUST 5-6 families this first year (the 3 of us that have coordinated this group included)* and for *JUST 8-10 families next year.* The turnout has just been PHENOM!!!!!

Right now, I must get off my toosh, though. The boys are done with their chores, and I need ot feed them. The Elders are going snowshoeing with our pastor & the Chief of Police (who also goes to our church). I was considering taking Keenan to see How to Train Your Dragon, but the first showing isn't until 2. So I may take him to the "train park" which he's been begging me to take him to, almost the whole times we've been here.

Hope you have a very blessed weekend!!!

Praise God! It's Sunday!

2010-04-04T06:58:00.001-06:00

Pork Chops with Apple Curry Sauce

2010-03-20T07:32:00.002-06:00

A couple months ago I decided to start trying a few new recipes each time I went grocery shopping (which is twice a month). I've been poring & drooling over allrecipes. I'm loving allrecipes, because I find the recipes I want to try, then I add them to my shopping list. I can change the number of servings if I so desire. Then all I do is PRINT!!! Here's a recipe we tried recently from allrecipes. We loved it! We served it over cooked rice.

Pork Chops with Apple Curry Sauce

"A wonderful change from the traditional pork chops and applesauce. Boneless pork chops are browned, and then baked in a coating of caramelized onions, apples, and curry powder. Savory and wonderful! Serve with rice and your favorite vegetable."

Ingredients:

4 (1 inch thick) boneless pork chops

vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion, diced

1 large apple, cored and diced

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 cups apple juice

1/4 cup margarine

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons ground curry powder, or

to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

	Season pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown pork chops in a small amount of oil, flipping once to brown both sides. Arrange chops in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
	In the same skillet, melt margarine over medium heat. Cook and stir onions and apples in margarine until caramelized. Stir in applesauce, apple juice, chicken bouillon, garlic, and curry powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over chops, and cover dish with foil.
	Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until pork chops are cooked through.

Our want to try list- Produce

2010-02-28T19:04:00.003-07:00

This past payday we tried starfruit. I took this post (in my head) when I went grocery shopping. It was actually kind of ironic, because a few days before I read Amy's post, I'd added 4 new recipes to my shopping list at All Recipes dot com.

Then I realised how many things the kids had asked me to buy to try while we were in the store. Now, we've tried many new things, especially since going whole/traditional foods. But there is SO much more out there!!! I couldn't find kumquats, but after reading the above post, those were on my hit list..... Recently we've tried the starfruit, as well as blood oranges, different types of squash and a variety of sweet potatoes. I am a SUCKER when the kids ask for healthy items. I am the type of Mom that can say no to anything & not feel a smidge of guilt......

Except healthy items- fresh produce, olives, pickles, cheeses, real (fresh) juices, fresh fish, ingredients for certain recipes, etc. Cakes & cookies & chips, I can say no to & not.bat.a.lash....

Here's the conversation I was having with KerryAnn:

stonythorn: Maybe we'll do coconut next payday. I figure I can squeeze one new thing in each payday
stonythorn: coconut, then maybe red bananas
stonythorn: the boys think those & baby bananas are cool
stonythorn: then jicama (for cookies)
stonythorn: I should write a list

So...... here I am. Writing a list.....

Kumquats
~~Coconut~~ ( the boys -mostly Tris- want one. I've had them. My Dad used to scale trees in FL and toss them down to us)
Red bananas
~~Baby bananas~~ These were so gross. They are so beyond sickeningly sweet & taste more like sugar than bananas.
Jicama
Key limes
Plantain
~~Pomegranate~~ (I've tried pomegranate, the kids have not)
Kale (fried kale chips, yum)
Honeydew melon (again, I've tried it, the kids have not)
Patty pan squash (getting some seed this year for the garden- YAY!!!)
Romanesco Italia Broccoli (getting some seed this year for the garden- YAY!!!)

I'll add to the list, and I'll cross off from this list as I think of more, or as we try them.

What's new on your palate these days?

WOW!

2010-02-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

This has been great! All of my current dried grains are spoken for and/or paid for. I will have another batch ready in a few days & will be setting more to dry in the next day or 2. Keep those requests coming & you'll be added to the list on a 1st come, 1st serve basis!!!

Water kefir on every counter- LET'S DO IT!!!!

Questions about kefir

2010-02-24T13:39:00.002-07:00

"I've heard of kefir, but I'm not really sure what it is."

Kefir (dairy and water) is a probiotic drink. It has many of the same benefits as yoghurt, however, it has more of a probiotic punch. Kefir does more to balance your system & heal your "gut" with good bacteria. Kefir can also be used as a soda replacement. It is a fantastically better choice.

Kefir also contains many valuable enzymes & nutrients.

Water kefir is also known as tibicos & Japanese water crystals. No matter what you call them, they are fantastic for the body!

Questions about kefir

2010-02-24T09:40:00.002-07:00

"Hey, I'd like some but have on question, will they keep until our cow freshens end of April? I know very little about kefir, just what I've read on your blog but want to try some."

Dried kefir grains will keep for several months if stored in an airtight container in cool, dry conditions. To add longevity to your storage, you can put them in the refrigerator.

My how they reproduce!!!

2010-02-21T17:31:00.003-07:00

I am changing the post date on this to keep it at the top. The interest has been phenomenal, so I want to be sure everyone has a chance to see it. Please scroll down for newer blog posts!!

I have been doing water kefir now for several months. My kids particularly love the "apple soda" I make. I finally figured out the way to make my grains reproduce like no other..... The only bad part (for me) is that I have LOADS of them now.

So, not bad for you, I'm offering dried grains at $6.50 a batch shipped (in the US. Ask about international shipping). My grains are only grown in raw sugar with filtered water & my own pastured eggs shells. Occasionally I add organic raisins, sometimes not. My grains have been coming out HUGE. The dried grains have a brown tint to them. This is because of the raw sugar I use. You will receive 2 heaping teaspoons of dried grains & instructions on how to brew them, along with my apple soda recipe!

If you wish to take me up on this offer, please leave a comment with your email address (my comments are moderated & any comment that includes an email address, I will not publish). Include in your comment your email address & that you are interested in the grains. I will send you my paypal information, and let you know the the availability of grains.

If you have rec'd ferment starters from me in the past, I would love if you left a comment with your testimonial. Feedback for me, so to speak!

Emeril's Worcestershire Sauce

2010-02-21T10:35:00.003-07:00

Time consuming & with a lot of prep involved, this yields a much sweeter & less pungent & spicy version of the store bought sauce!

Emeril's Worcestershire Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups coarsely chopped onions

4 jalapenos, with stems and seeds, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

4 (2-ounce) cans anchovy fillets (or an 8-ounce can), drained of oil

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

2 tablespoons salt

2 whole, medium lemons, skin and pith removed

4 cups dark corn syrup

2 cups 100 percent Pure Cane Syrup (recommended: Steen's)

2 quarts distilled white vinegar

4 cups water

3/4 pound fresh horseradish, peeled and grated

3 pint-sized canning jars

Combine the oil, onions and jalapenos in a large stockpot over a high heat. Cook, stirring, until slightly soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, pepper, anchovy fillets, cloves, salt, lemons, corn syrup, cane syrup, vinegar, water and horseradish and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture barely coats a wooden spoon, about 6 hours. Strain into a clean container.

Worcestershire Sauce may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or processed as directed below and kept for up to 1 year.

Sterilize 3 pint-sized jars and their metal lids according to the manufacturer's instructions. Spoon the hot mixture into the jars, filling to within 1/2-inch of the rim. With a clean, damp towel, wipe the rims and fit with a hot lid. Tightly screw on the metal ring. Place, without touching, on a rack in a large, deep canning kettle or stockpot of rapidly boiling water; water should cover the cans by 1 inch. Boil and process for 15 minutes. Using tongs, remove the jars, place on a towel and let cool completely before storing. Test the seals and tighten the rings as needed. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks before using. After opening, store jars in the refrigerator.

Yield: 3 pints

A huge thanks & some disappointments!

2010-02-20T10:11:00.004-07:00

The past few weeks have been an extremely trying time for my family & me. SO many people have come through for me in a way I never thought possible. People I've never met, nor have I talked to on the phone, are still sending their well wishes. Close friends & family still call occasionally to check on me & to ask how my parents are doing. I am so appreciative for those kind hearts.

At the same rate, I've found who my true friends are. I've heard "I want" phrases. From people I know in real life.

Etc, etc.....

I'm saddened to say some of those phrases were not meant.

I'm saddened to have lost some that I thought truly cared.

And then there were those that we parted ways with in the past. Some of them stepped up with offers of prayers, money and other things we needed. And all we'd asked for is prayer.

It is with a heavy AND a joyful heart that I thank those, that in a time of need, came through for not only myself, but my family. Those that sent emails, texts, messages, cards & picked up the phone call & those that prayed. Most have been very patient with me as I adjust to a new chapter in my life, and I appreciate that.

Thank you to those that have been faithful to me, that haven't expected anything out of me, and especially to those that been patient with me.

And to my Hubba, thank you the most! Your love, patience & drive to do what was needed to get me home to the rest of my family. You're still being patient with me, and I need that so! I love you the mostest on Earth forever & always!

Bless you all- those that were there for us AND not.

Sourdough Pancakes

2010-02-19T07:00:00.005-07:00

Sourdough Pancakes

1c sourdough starter
3-3 1/2 c flour
2c water
1/4c honey, maple syrup or cane sugar
3 large pastured eggs, lightly beaten
1/4c melted coconut oil or butter
1 teaspoon real salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Optional ingredients: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup blueberries (these need to be folded in gently after your ingredients are whisked), 1/4 c chopped nuts.

12 to 24 hours (Hotter weather=shorter soak time, cooler weather=longer soak time) before you make these, combine in a large bowl the starter, water, and flour. Leave on the counter.

Preheat your griddle to 300° or your pan to medium to medium-high. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients. If your mixture is too thick, add more milk or water, likewise if your mixture is too thin, add more flour (everybody's sourdough starter is different, depending on their recipe, so your starter will play a huge part in how much flour you add to recipes). Drop the batter by ladlefuls onto a preheated & oiled griddle & cook until the top bubbles around the edges. Flip the pancake and cook until the pancake is lightly browned on the other side.

I have a confession to make.....

2010-02-18T13:51:00.001-07:00

The Hot Fudge Sauce recipe I posted earlier this week...... When popped in the refrigerator becomes chocolate almost mousse....... Yum!!!

Hot fudge sauce

2010-02-15T18:07:00.003-07:00

After looking at many recipes I didn't have the ingredients for, I made changes and came up with this. A little thinner than traditional hot fudge sauce, it is yummy just the same.

1 can coconut milk, chilled (you want the cream)
2 blocks of semi-sweet chocolate (1oz each)
2 T butter
1 t vanilla
Sweetener if desired, to taste

Place chocolate & butter in a small saucepan & turn to medium low. Open your can of chilled coconut milk & scrape just the hardened cream into your pan. Once you break through to the almost clear liquid at the bottom, you can pour the water into a glass (and enjoy it while you make the sauce). Scrape the remaining cream into your pan. Stir often until your ingredients are melted. Whisk ingredients until smooth. Remove from heat & whisk in vanilla.

Refrigerate leftovers.

Menu 2/14-2/20/2010

2010-02-12T08:49:00.003-07:00

This week's menu is very simple & I regain my footing here at home. I also hope (next week) to resume the sourdough series that I starter prior to our emergency trip out of town. KGW will be soon to follow. I had plans to resume KGW the beginning of Feb, but at that time, all my starters were in a freezer, LOL. Please bear with me as I recupe, recenter & refocus.

Sunday- GAD- Tater soup & bread

Monday- Eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, jarred fruit

Tuesday- Turkey soup, salad, bread

Wednesday- Spags, garlic bread, salad

Thursday- Bison roast, taters, carrots, rolls

Friday- Pizza, cheesy bread

Saturday- Pork chops, grilled taters, corn

Mayonnaise

2010-02-11T12:23:00.004-07:00

(picture taken with a cell phone. Please excuse the quality)

1 pastured egg yolk, room temperature
1 pastured whole egg, room temperature
1-2 T raw apple cider vinegar
1 t yellow mustard
Real salt or grey or pink sea salt, to taste
1/4 c melted coconut oil
1/2 c light olive oil

Put egg & egg yolk in blender. Add apple cider vinegar, mustard & salt. Blend until thoroughly mixed & the mixture takes on a light colour. While blender is still running, slowly add oils, blending until thick. Taste & add salt, vinegar or mustard as needed.

Refrigerate immediately. I have kept this in the fridge for a couple of weeks, but do not know the full shelf life.

Tomorrow....

2010-01-24T22:26:00.002-07:00

They'll remove life support & have signed a DNR. He'll be with God, and our Grandma is waiting for him. She will be the first to see him run, to see him in perfect bodily form & to see him smile & speak. For the first time he will feel no pain.

Thank you for your prayers. Please keep my Mum & Dad in your prayers.

I don't know what the near future holds- WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!!!

2010-01-23T21:30:00.002-07:00

Copied from my facebook page. I posted this about 5:30MST. His name is T.J.

Michaela Dunn Leeper covets your prayers for God's will. My brother (who has CP) in in CCU. He went into cardiac arrest, died on the table & they brought him back. If he dies again, they'll bring him back, but if it hapens a 3rd time, my parents will let him go, as they realise it's meant to be. She said it's REALLY bad this time. He's already outlived the dr's saying he'd die by 3. He'll be 30 this year in August.

Menu 1/17-1/23/10

2010-01-16T06:00:00.002-07:00

Breakfast ideas:

Super Creamy Crockpot Oats, sourdough toast & fruit, kefired coconut milk smoothies, multi-grain slow cooker cereal, muesli, muffins

Saturday I plan on making a big breakfast- eggs or tortilla de patata, pancakes, fruit, floured thin deer steaks

Lunch will be leftovers, sandwiches, pasta, etc

Dinner:

Sun- Graze all day potato soup & rolls
Mon- eggs, bacon, waffles, cinnamon apples
Tue- Venison loaf, mashed potatoes, fried onions, corn, biscuits
Wed- Loaded baked potato night, salads
Thu- Slow cooker pepper steak, brown rice
Fri- Pizza, cheesy bread
Sat- Chicken satay with hot peanut sauce, brown rice, peas

Reconstituting Sourdough Flakes (or Dried Sourdough Starter)

2010-01-15T15:51:00.002-07:00

Take about 2 tablespoons of your dried sourdough starter. Add enough water to make a paste. To your paste, add 1 cup each of water & flour. Mix well. After 24 hours, check to see if your starter is living yet. This would be in the form of many bubbles on the surface. If there are no bubbles, or not many yet, give it a stir and allow to sit for another 24 hours. Once you have revived your starter, feed as you would normal sourdough starter.

Multi-grain Hot Cereal

2010-01-14T10:06:00.006-07:00

This is such a great recipe to play with. You can choose any whole grains you wish as long as you end up with one cup worth. For example, you can do 1/2 cup each of brown rice & farina; or 1/3 cup each brown rice, farina, steel cut oats; or 1/4 cup wheat bran & 3/4 cup farina. Mix & match whatever whole grain you wish to use.

In a steel bowl that will fit inside your crockpot combine your chosen grains.

Add:

1/4c sweetener (honey, maple syrup, unrefined sugar, etc. You may use stevia**)
4 cups of liquid (coconut milk, milk, water, cocnut water, etc. or any combination of)
Generous dash of cinnamon
2 T of an acidic liquid (apple cider vinegar, whey, buttermilk, yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, etc)

Optional ingredients- dried fruit, nuts, coconut, additional spices (nutmeg, cloves, ginger, etc).

Mix your ingredients well. Fill the crock so that your bowl is in at least an inch of water (1-2" is good). Cover your crockpot & set on low. Go to bed! If you choose, you can add your optional ingredients after you've dished up the oats, rather than cooking them in. We've also poured maple syrup & coconut cream on top in the bowls. SO yummy!

**If you choose stevia as your sweetener, keep in mind that it is MUCH stronger than the above mentioned sweeteners. I've also found that different brands seem to have different strengths of sweetness. You will use just as much as your tastes desire.

Pizza Sauce

2010-01-14T09:39:00.003-07:00

1 large can crushed tomatoes (29-32oz)
1 6oz can tomato paste
1/2t each garlic powder, onion powder
1/4t each parsley, rosemary (crushed), basil, oregano
1/2t salt
2t raw sugar
dash pepper
1 small bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer 30 minutes to mingle flavours, longer to reach desired consistency.

This recipe makes enough for 4 large pizzas (using an "average" amount of sauce). Since I typically make 2 pizzas at a time, I divide the sauce in half & freeze the 2 portions. If you like a LOT of sauce, it will do 2-3 large pizzas.

Drying your sourdough starter

2010-01-14T06:53:00.005-07:00

Now that you've got your starter going, it's time to start thinking about preserving it. This is really so simple. Remember to do this as soon as as your stater is happily & healthily going!

Line a cookie sheet or plate with wax paper. Pour or spoon some some of your starter (about 1/4 cup) onto the wax paper. Remember not to use metal utensils!!! Spread it thin. Place it somewhere out of the way. Warm (not hot) is best. Allow to dry for a few days. This can take 2 days to a week, depending on your house temperature & humidity. Once your starter is completely dried, you can peel/scrape the dried starter into a jar. Seal tightly. Some people like to store their starter in the freezer, but as long as it's fully dried, you can store it in a dark cool place.

Tomorrow I'll get the first couple of recipes up for you & next week a how-to on revamping your dried starter!

I've been awarded a Lemonade Stand Award

2010-01-13T08:20:00.008-07:00

As copied from Kim at Jabez Farm:

"It is to be awarded to bloggers that show great attitude and gratitude."

Here's where I get to nominate my favorite 10 blogs. There are rules in accepting this award.

~Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
~Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude and gratitude.
~Link the nominees within your post.
~Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
~Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

And in no particular order...

A Sparrow in the Snow- When recently faced with a life or death situation, she remained true to the Lord & never questioned His doings. I've know this gal for some years & she never ceases to amaze me.
A Dash of Wife- Brandy, she's just REAL. She chronicles her life & their lifestyle changes on her blog. And her girls- they're just too stinkin' cute!
Everything Free Eating- Challenged with many household food allergies, LZ rose to the occasion & shares her dangerous cooking techniques with us. I just love the way she writes.
GNOWFGLINS- I love this blog anyway. But to me the most precious part is her welcome video the first time I saw her site. I watched it & almost cried for a woman that was willing to put her love for the Lord out in plain sight. No apologies!
Green(ish) Mama- Julee inspires me. She has great projects & wonderful photography on her blog.
Katidids- She just makes me smile with her awesome projects & the little snippets she puts up.
Mom's Frugal- another great lady sharing her daily life AND RECIPES (have I mentioned I love food?!?!?).
One Blessed Mama of Boys- Jodi has faced many trials & tribulations & keeps her focus on becoming a God-fearing Christian. She reminds me a lot of me.
The Never Done Farm- What I wouldn't do to spend a day in Kelle's home! And as soon as the weather warms up, I plan on doing just that!
Zookeeping 101- The title of her blog alone, is funny. She is raising 9 children here on Earth.

Thank you, Kim, and know that you are included in my list. I wish I could have added everyone on my feed, but if you've seen my feed, you know that it would take me awhile to type it all up, link it, etc. Go here to see the majority of my list.

Rye Sourdough Starter

2010-01-12T04:00:00.002-07:00

When making sourdough, I don't tend to dump half out anymore (as most recipes call for). I found, not only do I have more starter by the time it's ready, but that it also gets going quicker & makes for a healthier sourdough starter. It took EIGHT YEARS to perfect a starter. This starter has been going since June. I found the original recipe on Backwoods Home, but after even that flopped, I've tweaked it to fit my (at the time) limited experience with sourdough. Rye has definitely been the easiest for me to start. I had a rye & a regular flour sourdough side by side when I made this one, and the only way I could get the regular starter going, was by mixing my rye & using the same spoon (without rinsing) in the regular starter. After they were both started (thanks to the rye), I just dumped them together. Rye is my tried & true of choice.

Once you get your sourdough going, you have to dry some. If for any reason your sourdough starter dies, or you have to leave it unattended while you go out of town & forget to put it in the refrigerator, you'll want a back up. Drying is easy & probably best method of having a back up. If you do need to leave your starter unattended, you can store it in the refrigerator, where the chill will retard it's growth. I'll write more posts on storing & drying starters soon. Today you want to start your sourdough starter. You'll have a week & a half before you'll need the recipes & storage techniques.

I've added some links & information after the recipe to show why sourdough bread is a much healthier option than a yeast bread or an un-soaked bread.

In a large, clean, glass jar mix the following together with a plastic, wooden, bamboo or silicone stirrer (spoon, spatula, whisk). Never, ever use metal for any part of the sourdough starter making/caring process. It will react to the acids & kill the good germies.

Day 1

1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup water

Day 2

Stir

Day 3

Add & mix well:

1/4 cup rye flour
1/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup water

Day 4

Add & mix well:

1/8 cup rye flour
3/8 cup white flour
1/2 cup water

Day 5

Add & mix well:

1/8 cup rye flour
3/8 cup white flour
1/2 cup water

By this time your starter should have a sour smell. This can range from a beer smell to a fruity smell. You'll see it live. It will bubble. It will be good :D

Day 6 is when you quit using rye & begin adding unbleached all-purpose flour. You'll use equal parts water & all-purpose flour until your starter is rising & falling regularly (1/4 cup each minimum). Mine took all of 2 or 3 days to see this. If your rye starter was a success & your home is relatively warm, you should have rise & fall within just a few days. Make sure that this continues for 2-3 days before claiming your starter just right. All in all, your starter should take about 10-14 days to "perfect." As you tend to your starter over the next few months, it will get better & better.

When you switch to the all purpose feeding, I highly recommend using just that. Your starter is still fragile, and you want the content of all purpose flour to make it thrive. After your starter has lived for several weeks (not from the start, but actually "come alive" you can switch to a wheat flour. I find WW pastry flour ROCKS!).

Why Sourdough? By soaking your flours, you break down the phytic acids in flours that hinder the absorption of minerals by the body. Here are some links for your perusal. Google will also bring up MANY hits if you type phytic acid, sourdough:

The Fresh Loaf

Weston A. Price

Monday, February 1st, 2010

2010-01-11T07:13:00.001-07:00

I will resume Kitchens Gone Wild.

Hope to see you there!

Egg Drop Soup (or Egg Flower Soup)

2010-01-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was hungry. I was reading a forum in which someone mentioned "slurping the egg drop soup." So I googled a recipe, figuring I'd add it to next month's menu plan. I found a recipe on about.com & decided to give it a whirl. Right then. I never realised how easy egg drop soup was to make. In an effort to feed my family more foods that are nutrient dense (in other words, more bang for my buck), it is important to use homemade broth or stock. I also specified pastured eggs, which are far more nutritious than caged birds. If you don't know where to find pastured eggs, try Local Harvest or Eat Wild. This is my tweaked version of the original recipe:

Egg Flower Soup

1 quart homemade bone broth (chicken or turkey)
2 pastured eggs, beaten
1/8 t Chinese 5-spice powder
1/4 t each onion powder & garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Green onions, chopped, optional

Bring to a boil the stock. Add the rest of the ingredients except the eggs. Stir. Slowly pour in your eggs, stirring the whole time. Remove from heat & enjoy!

The 5-spice, onion & garlic powders add a very authentic taste. I think they really pumped up the flavour & were much better than the original recipe would have been.

CHRISTmas Menu 09

2009-12-27T09:16:00.007-07:00

This year our CHRISTmas dinner rocked. It was the first time I'd tried brining a turkey, and every.single.thing I made this year was from scratch. In past years I've always had a box or 3 (or 5 or 6) of something I could "just add XXX" to or open & pour/heat/slice. Since changing our eating habits in January of this year, it was a huge undertaking. I made the pumpkin pie almost a week before & popped it in the freezer. CHRISTmas Eve I made almost all my other dishes, so I could just pop things into the oven, crockpot or in a pan on the stovetop as needed.

Here is what we had (Please excuse the picture quality. I got a camcorder for CHRISTmas & decided to use that instead of my "real" still shot camera for these. The camcorder has no flash option):

Brined Turkey (We tried the traditional turkey this year)
Mashed potatoes
Cornbread Stuffing & Brussel Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

Corn
Sweet Potato Casserole
Cranberry Apple Orange Relish (Which I don't have a picture of)

Gravy (made with pan dripping & my homemade chicken stock)
Dinner rolls

I also made peppermint iced tea to drink &

pumpkin pie with oatmeal crust.
Friends brought deviled eggs from their own chickens, "puppy chow" (chex mix sort of thing) & blueberry baklava (YUM!!!).

I had a GREAT time cooking all this stuff. I can't wait to get a "real" turkey for next year. This year I just could not afford a pastured turkey. But next year I will.... somehow. Baby Steps.

Hope your CHRISTmas was blessed & that you were stuffed to the gills & beyond like we were!!

To be continued....

2009-12-22T15:24:00.001-07:00

Blogging will resume after the new year.

Have a very Merry CHRISTmas & a happy new year!

Life in Small Town, Wyoming

Redirecting!

I *heart* Vitamin Shoppe

Updated mirror

A couple pictures...

Creamy Tomato Soup

Beans & lentils & inflation- oh my!

I was featured on Pinkapotamous...

Maybe we don't need word verification?

WOW!! A quick update!!

"Clock Face"-lift

Happy Mother's Day...

Happy Mother's Day

to all the Moms,

expecting Moms

& those who are wishing to be Moms ♥

Another Candlestick Holder Up-do

The New Blog Name

It's time for a change....

Prayer...

2-in-1 Project Updo

The Ladder Shelf

He is RISEN!!!

Scrappy Shelf

The Forbidden Candelholders.....

I know you can't see it now.....

Funny thing is....

Cabinet Door Up-do, Pt. 2

Creamy Vodka Sauce

"Blog Like a Pirate Day"

I yam what I yam.....

Where the dirty clothes gather....

Pumpkin Farina

Life Lately...

Creamy Fruit Dip

Ranch Dressing/Dip

This Christmas....

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Menu 12/6-11

Cinnamon Sage Honey

Glazed Sugar & Rosemary Pork Loin

Cinnamon Honey

Coconut Curry Rice with Butternut Squash

Toothpaste

Homemade cat urine smell remover

Tuesday Twister

Stuffed Jalapenos 2

Egg drink

A couple pics from around here lately

Yesterday I rocked the kitchen along....

Leaving a little bit of history....

Saddling up..... AGAIN!!!

Life these days

A little update

As soon as.....

Reusable canning lids bulk order "co-op"

Filipino Chicken Adobo

Seminoe Reservoir, N Platte arm & beautiful Wyoming scenery & sky

April birthdays

Kahlua

Thank you Hunt's brand!

My week long "internet sabbatical" in review

Year in review..... 2010

Internet break

Seed companies supplied by Monsanto

Food co-ops, Free "advertising"

Sunflower Seed Butter

Momma's Dental Healing Smoothie

Mango Smoothies

Garlic Dill Mayonnaise

CNN- Activists call foul on KFC bucket campaign

Activists call foul on KFC bucket campaign

Tropsicles..... (Tropical popsicles)

Check out.....

Why we will no longer support the Susan G Komen Foundation

Gamma lids, oh how I want thee!!!

What a glorious shopping day!

Ginger honey- the medicinal candy.....

Time to catch up....

Praise God! It's Sunday!

I heart Vitamin Shoppe