My first "Homestead Blessings" Review--Bread-making!

(See my post HERE for more info on my new "Homestead Blessings" collection!)

The only DVD I have watched so far is "The Art of Bread-Making" and I loved it!!!  Just seeing how simple the whole process really is and how the West girls explain each step so clearly, was wonderful.  Plus, they threw in lots of tips and extra info just so you know why you use what you use and why you do things a certain way..and why each food has a different bread recipe!  And I don't know about you, but I like knowing the reasoning behind the methods!

They show you how to make both basic breads and quick breads...

So the video includes the following bread recipes:

Basic Bread
Sourdough Bread

Cinnamon Rolls

Hamburger Buns (I'm sure this would be handy for my hometown friend, Candace, who makes a different burger every Friday!)

Pizza Dough

Stuffed Bread Sticks

A "Loaf Meal" (more below)

Corn Bread

I was so excited about all of them, I didn't know where to start!  But I finally decided to be a bit daring and give the "Meal Loaf" a try.  In the video, they show you how to make a breakfast loaf (eggs, sausage, zucchini and squash) but I decided to branch out and make it in what I'm calling a "Pizza Loaf".

I made the bread first...

 Then I started working on some homemade pizza sauce (I wanted the WHOLE meal to be from scratch!)...

My hubby LOVED it!  He wants me to keep it around as marinara to dip in! 

My Pizza Sauce:

Tomato Sauce

Olive Oil
Garlic

Basil

Rosemary

Oregano

After the bread had it's second rise, I rolled out my dough and added my Pizza mixture to it...

My Pizza Mixture:

Pizza Sauce

Hamburger

Onion

Green Peppers

Cheese

Garlic

Butter

Salt

(and I think I threw in some other stuff as I went along!)

Then I did a little decorating (the video shows you how to do this)...

Then

came

the

reward

of 

all

that
hard
work...

I was

SO

excited 

to 

see 

the finished

product!

VOILA!!!

I brushed on some garlic butter and topped it with mozzarella cheese and IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!

The thing I loved about this recipe, is that I was able to make TWO "meal loafs", PLUS an extra loaf of just plain "Basic Bread"!!!  So three food items for the work of one!

I took the extra Pizza Loaf to a recent widow (the mom of one of my most precious friends, Morgan- she lost her dad unexpectedly just weeks ago-Please pray for the "Ward" family!)

So all in all, my first baking experience was fast, smooth and without any mistakes...I attribute that to the thorough tutorial I got from my "Homestead Blessings"!  (I am NOT very homemaker-minded or talented!!)

And guess what?  There's more to come--I've already made the cinnamon rolls and the stuffed bread sticks!!!  (I told ya I was feeling better!)

LOOK WHAT JUST CAME IN THE MAIL!!!

I can't even BEGIN to tell you HOW STINKIN' EXCITED I AM about my new DVD's!!!

I want to scream...AHHHHHH!!! (okay, that's my virtual scream!)

Remember my very successful garage sale I told you about HERE?

Well, while the majority of our money went into savings, my sweet hubby let me choose between a new printer for my computer or these DVD's I've been coveting wanting!

So of course, I chose the DVD's!!!

A few weeks ago, Franklin Springs Films was running a major deal on the Homestead Blessing videos, so I got these 10 DVD's on SUPER sale!  

In my collection are the following:
~The Art of Gardening
~The Art of Sewing
~The Art of Canning
~The Art of Quilting
~The Art of Dairy Delights
~The Art of Bread Making
~The Art of Soap Making
~The Art of Candle Making
~The Art of Herbs
and I even got...
~The Art of Cooking (which teaches you how to make the following meals completely from SCRATCH-NO grocery store needed!) 
     ~Breakfast: pancakes, fried potatoes, fried apples & onions
     ~Lunch: pizza, tomato soup, salads & homemade dressings
     ~Dinner: pot roast & veggies, buttermilk biscuits & gravy, green beans, peach cobbler. 


For a girl who grew up a bit spoiled (yes, I'm admitting it) these DVD's are a dream come true, because our family's desire to become self-reliant, country-living homesteaders grows more and more every day!

The Purging of STUFF

Our house has been undergoing a serious "purging" over the last 2 weeks. We just have so much, STUFF, you know? Just stuff...it's everywhere, I look!  Stuff, Stuff, STUFF.


We live in smaller home (for our family size) and we often talk about how we wished we had more room.  But, the simple truth is, we do have room...it's just that STUFF is taking up all our room!

Finally, after a late night talk, Ryan and I got serious.  The next day, we went into "purge" mode and decided to "half our stuff".

This wasn't just casual "Spring cleaning", this was serious, no emotions, "just let it go" cleaning like we'd never done before.

My first spark of inspiration came from my friend Amy, at Raising Arrows, who has been blogging every Saturday as she "halves her stuff" room by room.  Well, we caught onto her vision about 3 months late, but caught up in two weeks!

~~So what'd we do?

Well, first of all, we decided to "practice what we preach".

You see, one of my boys is always saying, "But I need..." 
To which I always say (and now he quotes...), "No, that's what you want.  What you need is air, shelter, sleep, clothing, food, water and Jesus."

So, we simply stopped riding the fence on certain toys, clothes that we've hung onto that get worn too infrequently, books we'll never read again, etc.  And we even took it a step further...

We took a spin on the Amish saying for clothing:

"One for wash, One for wear,

One for play and One to spare"

We have tubs full of cute outfits and matching accessories.  But being a practical momma, I usually gravitate for clothes that can be mixed and matched.  Simple, solid, practical. 

So, we accumulated 15 trash sacks of clothes as we took each age's "tub" and simplified to 7 play outfits, 5 dress outfits and 4 pajamas for both winter and summer.

Yes, those 15 trash sacks sat on our front porch for a few days...

I'm sure our poor, sweet neighbors were less than thrilled!

And let me tell ya...

It felt SO good to condense all our STUFF we had in storage, down to half of what it was before!

Around the house, we literally went room by room and just started throwing stuff into boxes.  We don't use it?... we don't need it.  Can't remember the last time we touched it?...we don't need it.  Etc.

~~The hard part
We had to resolve to not let our my emotions get too involved.  My love language is gifts, so I remember almost every item, who gave it to us, if it's clothes~when a certain kid wore it...and on and on.

Plus, I kept struggling with the thought that we were being ungrateful for all the blessings we had recieved.  But the Lord kept reminding me that people gave us these things to bless us, and if they are no longer a blessing (but a burden, taking up space we need) then it was time to let them go.

So I had to "put on my brave face" and just think practically...which is not an easy endeavor for me!

~~The fun part
Some people don't think of garage sales as very much fun...but I do!!!  We had a one-day yard sale.  I put an ad in the paper and 2 simple, paper signs up on busier streets and set our stuff out.

I went for SIMPLE pricing.  All clothes, all shoes $.50.  We weren't out to make money, so I priced low in hopes that more would get purchased!  And it WORKED!!!

Almost all the toys/decor were $.50-$1.00. 

Books, VHS tapes, DVD's and CD's were $.25 (I told you I wasn't in it for the money...I wanted to get RID of this stuff!)

We had four "big" items (a TV, an old laptop, a DVD player and a camera) but everything else was small "piddley" stuff.

And guess what?  We made almost $800 dollars in those 6 hours!!!

Pricing low was worth it (pun intended!) and now we are a lighter, happier home with more room to run, play and prepare to GROW even more!!!

Lies Women Believe About Cloth Diapering!

I first thought about using cloth diapers when we were expecting our first child.  But it seemed the more I mentioned this idea to other seasoned moms, the more discouraged I got.

Everyone seemed to have a negative reaction, wondering why in the world I would hassle with cloth diapers when we could afford disposables?  Then I heard lots of stories about how "so and so" used to use them and their house always smelled, or they were always poking themselves in the middle of the night with saftety pins, etc.

Plus, I had my own hang-ups...like what do you do with the POOP????

Looking back, I didn't talk to anyone who WAS using cloth diapers, just people who had HEARD about them.

Then I met MOMYS :)  and *I* was the oddball for not using cloth diapers!  So I started asking questions and researching...

As I've said before, I've been using them for almost 3 years and I love them!

Good for the environment? Yes!  Good for my children's health?  Yes!  Less expensive?  Yes!

Misunderstood?  Yes!  :)  (Poor cloth diapers!)

Here are just a few myths I was tricked by...


#1--Cloth diapering makes you a tree-loving hippy, or worse, a backwoods hillbilly!
Well, sure, they kinda are kinda hippy/hillbilly, but just be aware that they have so many new choices now.  
http://www.cottonbabies.com/ is a great place to check out your options!
These days cloth diapering is fashionable and they are easy to use--it ain't your momma's cloth diapers anymore!


#2--Dealing with poop in cloth diapers is disgusting and messy.
Poop is always disgusting--cloth or disposable diaper.  There's no getting around that.  Unless you can figure out how to get your kid to not poop, it's just a part of life. :)
With cloth diapers, I actually think poop is easier to deal with...
~The poop "sticks" to the cloth diaper, so there is less mess on the bum. 
~Newborn poop is the easiest, you just throw the cloth dipe in the washer and let it run through one cycle before washing it with detergent.
~For more solid poop, you just plop it right into the toilet.  And there are actual sprayers that you can purchase that attach to your toilet to rinse it before washing, but I don't have one and have never felt I needed one.

Still, there is an easier solution!  My sister uses flushable liners that can be removed from the diaper and go right into the toilet.  They are pretty cheap (about $12 for 250 liners) and Target sells these!


#3--They will always smell like urine.
Not true!  If you're worried about this, there are a lot of things you can do to prevent stinky diapers.
I use a splash of vinegar in my pre-rinse which takes away any ammonia/urine smell in the cloth dipes.
Also, small bit of bleach (used once per month) in the hot water cycle will eradicate any stink.

#4--Once they are stained, they are stained forever.
The good ol' fashioned SUN does wonders for stains.  It's amazing!  Just hang them up outside in the sun or lay them on your lawn wet and stain up (and watch your neighbors stare) then rewash and the stains will be G-O-N-E!


#5--Washing cloth diapers is time consuming and inconvenient.
I really don't notice myself doing any more laundry than I did before, even though I know I do.  It's just that it's pretty easy and they are a breeze to fold (this is Trusten's job now-he loves to help)!  I usually do 2 loads of cloth diapers a week.

I wash on cold with just a dash of vinegar and detergent (the cold is to remove any left over yuck).
Then I wash the load again on hot to sanitize.
Usually I run one last rinse on them to make sure the detergent is totally gone.
Next, throw them in dryer!

For laundromat's, look HERE.

#6--Your baby will have a "bubble butt".
Welp, this one is true...especially if you use prefolds.  Some of the fancier diapers are just like disposables (in bulkiness) but if you use prefolds, it's inevitable...your baby will have a big rump!

But there are benefits to this...
~They will never crawl out of their pants again!  Pants will stay on securly thanks to the extra fluff offered by cloth diapers!
~Their fall will be cushioned when they're learning to walk!  Extra padding prevents tears!

Any other questions/concerns may be addressed here.

Any other cloth diapering Momma's wanna help dispel any myths???  Feel free to chime in!!!

Finally...The Laundry Detergent Recipe for Cloth Dipes!

About a year ago, I had found a homemade laundry detergent recipe for cloth diapers and just now found it again!

It's from ...

and it can be found HERE.

Basically, it's...

1 cup washing soda

1 cup borax

1/2 cup of oxiclean

Since it's soap-free, it can be used on any cloth diaper!

(and it's super duper cheap to make!)

Homemade Baby Wipes and A Miracle Rash Solution!

Making your own wipes is simple.  

General Wipes Solution:

Boil 2 cups of water

Once boiled, remove from heat

Add 2 Tbs Baby Lotion

Add 2 Tbs Baby Wash

Stir till everything is dissolved

This is how I used to use this solution:

(I'll tell you why I don't do this anymore, below*)

1.  Cut Bounty paper towel roll into thirds

2.  Place one or all three cut rolls in old wipes dispensers.

3.  Pour wipe solution on top

4.  Pull paper towels through top, just like packaged wipes

Note: You don't have to have wipes dispensers.  You can also use any sealed container that will fit your paper towels.

*In order for these to wipes to work well, you have to buy the nice, more expensive Bounty wipes which ends up being about the same price breakdown as the store brand wipes.  We tried using Bounty Basic to save money, but they were still too thin.  So in the end, we fount out there is barely a difference in cost between these wipes and store-name wipes.  For us, we only get 12 extra wipes out of these homemade wipes verses Wal-Marts brand (for sensitive skin).

So now, we use store-brand wipes on Samuel and for Liberty I use cloth wipes...

If you're going to cloth diaper, you might as well, cloth wipe too!  
I shared about it in this post.

Basically, you use the same wipe solution, but keep it in a separate container.  

1.  Cut your own wipes from old blankets or old cloth diapers...

2.  Then you just dip your wipes into the solution right before you use them.

It's as simple as that!  They are nice and thick, so no tearing or sopping wipes like what can happen with the paper towel ones above.

AND ONE MORE THING!!!!

For babies who often break out in diaper rashes, I have the miracle solution! 

Now I sound like an infomercial!  :)

Samuel used to always get Really Bad yeasty diaper rashes.  It didn't matter what I tried, he ALWAYS got them.  Cloth diaper or disposable, sensitive wipe or homemade solution, I tried all sorts of rash cremes...nothing fixed it.

We thought it was yeast in his diet and adjusted that, but still, the rash persisted...

And the last thing you want to do with a rash is rub a wipe on the raw bottom, right?

(((I got this tip from my MOMYS and it's a miracle!)))

I mix 1 TBS of white distilled vinegar in 1 cup of water.

That's it.  I use THAT as my wipe solution (with cloth wipes) and it not only cleared up his rash, it KEPT IT FROM COMING BACK!!!

Now that he's older, he doesn't have those rashes anymore, but whenever we start to see a sign of it, we just swipe his bottom with that mixture and VOILA--no yeast, no rash!

Pooping Is An Expensive Habit...

and since no one around here seems like their gonna stop this habit anytime soon..."We CD"! (cloth diaper, that is!)

I *LOVE* (yes, LOVE) cloth diapering!

I'll admit, I'm kinda addicted to it!  But still, we've only spent probably $200-$250 on cloth diapers & accessories (that is for all sizes/stages).  And they've already gone through two boys and now Liberty is using them! 

Plus, I just love seeing my kiddos in cloth diapers!  It's cute and it makes me feel frugal and old-fashioned--which, yes, I like feeling!)

When we were first looking into cloth diapers, about 2.5 years ago, I looked ENDLESSLY for the perfect fit (pun intended) for us.  There is SO much out there and the search was overwhelming!

I like anything that is practical, simple and cheap so that limited my search immediately!  There are lots of fancy choices out there, but I get so lost with all the mention of inserts, AIO's, pulling, etc.  And I'm not willing to pay a big upfront cost...

So after researching for about 3 months, we found the perfect thing for us.

We use Bummis Whisper Wraps that velcro on just like a disposable diaper and they need an old-fashioned 'prefold' in the middle. --->
For diaper changes, the prefolds can be switched out and the wrap can stay on (as long as there wasn't a leak!)


<---I also have Dappi Covers (these go on like pants) I use, but they are not as easy to change, since they go on like pants...but they work and they are cheap!  They also hold in moisture a little better for longer periods of time.  They are a soft plastic that go over a fastened prefold.  For fasteners, we use Snappi's which are super easy and pain free (unlike diaper pins)!  (Dappi's with Snappi's and prefolds are definitely the cheapest solution in CDing!)

When I'm using a prefold with a Snappi (and a Dappi cover), this is my favorite way to put it on...

So, once we decided on the cloth diaper that was best for us, we had to then choose which website to order from...that was JUST as exhausting!

I made an excel spread sheet of prices (I LOVE spread sheets!) to pick the best deal.  So, we now order all our cloth diapers from either Cotton Babies or Little Lions (*be sure to look at their clearance!)

Also, we keep an eye on Ebay for better deals on Snappi's!

Besides prefolds, Bummis Wraps, Dappis,and fasteners, I've collected a few fleece soakers from generous MOMYS that I'm starting to love using! 

They go on like pants too but are cute, soft and wonderful for heavy wetters!

(***Upcoming post: The Lies Women Believe about Cloth Diapering!)

 

Homemade Laundry Soap

By popular demand, I'm posting my recipes for laundry soap (or laundry "soup" as Trusten calls it).

Original Liquid Laundry Soap (this is what I used to do):
~5 gallon bucket
~5 gallon paint stir stick
~3-4 gallons Hot water
~1 cup "Washing Soda" (also called "sodium carbonate" or "pH increaser")
~1 cup Borax
~Plain Ivory soap bar (we buy them in bulk at Wal-Mart on bottom shelf)
**or if you want to use this on Cloth Diapers, use Fels Naptha (sold at WalMart), Ivory causes build up on cloth dipes, so DO NOT use it!

--Grate Ivory soap bar (or Fels Naptha bar) into small non-coated pan. Put just enough water in pan to cover the soap flakes. Heat on low until dissolved.
--While soap is cooking, fill 5 gallon bucket with 3-4 gallons of hot water.
--Add to the bucket of hot water, 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of Washing Soda.
--When the Ivory flakes are dissolved, add those to the bucket as well. Stir.

*If possible, stir every hour as it cools, thickens and "gels up". If you leave this over night, it will be solid and very hard to "break up".
*Store in bucket or pour into old detergent containers for easier access. Use 1 or 2 cups for a full load of laundry.
*Washing Soda can be found in the laundry aisle or by pool accessories.
*Recipe may need to be adapted to hard/soft water by adding less/more of the Borax and Washing Soda.

Powder Laundry Detergent (this is what I currently use):
~1 Ivory soap bar or Fels Naptha soap bar
~1 cup Borax
~1 cup Washing Soda

--Grate soap bar.
--Add grated soap bar, Borax and Washing Soda to a container.
--Mix up and use 1-2 Tablespoons per load.

*Optional~Add 1 cup of Oxi Clean to mixture
*Optional~Use a jar to premix solution in water, before adding to wash
*Again, you can use this on cloth diapers if you use only Fels Naptha


More "homemade" recipes to come!!!

Updates

How's it going? Well, let's see...

Eating Out of the Pantry Challenge: It's been...well, challenging. But, it feels really good to be saving so much money and to be eating what we already have.

At the beginning of the challenge, I thought we'd make it maybe 2 weeks before having to do some serious grocery shopping, but I was so wrong! In fact, now we're almost at the end of 4 weeks and I bet I still have enough food to last us another month! I had no clue we had so much food on-hand!

For me, one aspect that has been hard in this challenge is a bit on the mental side. Watching the pantry and fridge empty makes me feel like we're running out of food and makes me want to run to the store. But I know that a lot of this food we're using up would just sit and sit and eventually have to be thrown away because I'd either put off using it because I'd be buying different flavors that we use more often or staples for my "usual" recipes. Instead, I'm using items I don't typically use...and we're enjoying the adventure!

The other challenging part has been eating all my ready-made boxed dinners. I had more than I knew! First, I just enjoy cooking from scratch, so boxed dinners just aren't as fun. But also, I like having some on hand "just in case". Obviously I've had these dinners for a loooong time, so there hasn't been a "just in case" yet, so I'm not sure what I've been expecting, but again, it's just mental comfort. I'll keep a few for the future, but we're trying to eat through the majority of them now.

Pink Eye: Brahm's eye is much better today! I faithfully applied his drops yesterday, gave him some benadryl last night and he woke up with no ooze, no swelling, just a little redness!

Thankfully, no one else has shown signs of getting pink eye. So I'm praying we'll be out of the woods soon!

Weekend Plans: Snow storm! Pink eye! Runny noses! This is Ryan and I's anniversary weekend, so we were hoping to go on a date...but it looks like it'll be delayed until the weather and the wellness of our children change their status!

It's a good thing we love being with our kids!!! Still, the kids know that mommy and daddy sometimes need time to ourselves so that we can continue being a good mommy and daddy.

After all, we believe that the best thing we can give our children, is peace of mind that mommy and daddy love each other more than anyone else in the world!

I'm taking the challenge!

At the beginning of the year, I decided we needed to give this challenge a try!

I haven't documented the experience yet, ( because honestly I didn't know if I could do it!) but it's gone really well so far!

We've made minor purchases weekly for things like milk, eggs, bread, produce etc but haven't spent any money on other items for meal prep because we're trying to use up what's in our pantry!

It's been about 3 weeks now and we've spent somewhere around $70 on food and groceries total!

So far I haven't had to get too terribly creative...but I know that day is coming!

We've had cheesy crockpot chicken with rice, chicken fingers (Bisquick!), homemade biscuits, bean & cheese burritos, homemade mac & cheese, pancakes (Bisquick!), BBQ chicken, chicken burritos, turkey meatballs...and that's all I can think of right now!

(Can you tell we have little meat and LOTS of chicken?!)

On the menu this week? Well, for Breakfast, I have lots of quick oats, so we'll continue having oatmeal (creatively flavored by me). Lunch will be the usual sandwiches and fruit. Snacks will be more pretzels and Cheese-It's (from our trip to Sam's Club!)

For dinner...

Tonight: Crockpot Lasagna
Tuesday: Tacos & Tostadas
Wednesday: Chili (with canned soup base)
Thursday: Baked Ziti
Friday: Chicken Fajitas
Saturday: leftovers?
Sunday: we try to take it easy, so probably sandwiches and maybe some Taco Johns (::fingers crossed::)

So it looks like I'm gonna need to buy some cheese this week! But not just any cheese--a block of cheese...much cheaper than already grated!

And we have plenty of canned goods for veggies thanks to the CCA staff! (For Christmas they got us about 15 sacks of groceries!!! We also have them to thank for our Bisquick, and MUCH more!) So we're set there!

(my hubby just walked in with surprise breakfast sandwiches, so let's take that total up to $80 total!) :)

The most helpful thing to me has been writing down the items in our cabinets and making my menu from those things.

Now I just need to figure out what I can do with a sack of corn meal...Tamale Casserole?!?!

I'll let you know how this week goes!

We're in the business of making Men!

The city asked to take down a tree in our front yard (because of interference with power lines), so after I struck a deal with them--that we could keep the tree to use for firewood (they usually don't do this)--we gladly accepted the offer!

We rely on wood in the winter because we heat our house with a wood-burning stove, so this was such a blessing!

So after Ryan got home from work, he suited up for tree-cutting! And before I could even find T-Man to tell him Daddy needed help, I saw T-Man already in the front yard, suited up and carrying logs to his wagon.

Ryan cut...

And T-Man hauled...

We've been teaching T-Manabout hard work, perseverance and the responsibility of being a man, husband and dad.

So when he was getting tired of hauling the logs, he came to the front door and said...

T: "Momma, I'm getting a little tired."
G: "Yeah, you sure are working hard. Do you want to take a rest?"

T: "No, my Daddy needs me. But will you get me a drink?"

G: "Sure and you know what else girls do for men when their working hard?...They cook them a big dinner, so that's what I'm doing for you and Daddy!"

T: "OOOoooohhh...Spaghetti?!?!"

G: "Sure! Spaghetti it is!"

Making Laundry "Soup"

We made our own laundry soap! It's super easy and cheap, cheap, cheap!

First we shredded up a bar of Ivory soap and boiled it in a little water...

And while it boiled, we added 3 gallons of hot water to 5 gallon bucket.

Then we poured the dissolved Ivory soap into the bucket of hot water and also added Borax and "pH increaser" (also known as washing soda, soda ash or sodium carbonate).

We stirred it every hour and then when it cooled, we had homemade laundry soap!

T-Man enjoyed having the job of "stirring the soup" as he called it!

I have to say thanks to Angie, who I've never met, but she blessed me with all her advice on making my new money-saver a possibility!

Home-made Wipes and my new Diapers!!!

I am SO excited about the new wipes I made! I took some receiving blankets I got on super-sale, cut them into 5x8 rectangles. Each blanket made about 15-20 wipes!

I made a cardboard cut-out of a wipe, so I could easily cut around it:

All my wipes cut up (pre-sewing)
Sewed up the edges:
Made my wipes solution and put it in a flip-lid container:
Ahhhhh...Samuel's diapers! I LOVE THE WAY THIS LOOKS...and how it makes me feel!Fresh diapers (but not for long!)

I love not worrying about having to buy more diaper and wipes every month! Plus, it just feels good (in some weird quirky old-fashioned way)!