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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Homemade chocolate syrup

I had to post this website as soon as I had made this syrup. It's from the website Kelly the kitchen kop.

1/2 c. organic cocoa powder
2/3 c. Rapadura (An unrefined sugar, you could also use palm sugar.)
1 c. water
1/2 t. sea salt
1 t. vanilla
3 T. butter

Mix everything together in a small saucepan and keep whisking on medium heat as the sugar dissolves and it gets smooth. This comes out thin, and you could add 2 t. of arrowroot flour to thicken a little, but then it doesn’t stir into the milk as easily. Makes 2 cups. Store covered in the fridge. Use 1 or 2 teaspoons per cup of milk.

This is frugal living at it's yummiest!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Dr. Bronner


Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps are synonymous with Old-World quality and time-honored simplicity, which can be traced back to the family’s German-Jewish soapmaking tradition. Born in 1908 to a Jewish family that had been making soap since 1858, Emanuel Bronner was the third generation certified as a master-soapmaker under the guild system of the time. In 1929, he brought his formulas for high-quality liquid and bar soaps to America, starting Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps in its current form in 1948.  (Borrowed from the Dr.Bronners website).

Dr Bronners is a welcome in our household. You are literally able to use it for any cleaning needed in your home! From laundry, to dishes, to cleaning the bathroom, but it doesn't end there. It is also a body wash and shampoo! Example, the other day I was scrubbing and cleaning the bathtub. Maddie, my four year old wanted to help me. Had I been using Ajax or something like it, I would not have let her in the bathroom for fear of the chemical smell. But because I was using Dr. Bronners I said sure I would love the help. She scrubbed and scrubbed, but she couldn't reach the far wall with her little arms, so I told her she could step in the tub. The tub at that point had soap smeared all over the bottom, but I wasn't worried because it's the same exact soap she uses for body wash! I was not afraid of Maddie breathing in harmful chemicals, I wasn't afraid it would burn her skin, I wasn't afraid of Maddie taking a bath right after I cleaned the tub.

By the way! Dr. Bronners didn't even flinch at the soap scum on the walls of the tub, it looked at it and took care of it. There was not much elbow grease needed and it had been a long time since I had scrubbed my bathtub walls! A pinch of the soap goes a long ways, so use sparingly and add more as needed!



Happy Scrubbing!

Easy Homemade Deoderant

Ingredients: The only thing missing is the arrowroot powder 


The mixture poured into a plastic container

The deoderant after it has sat in the fridge.

Deoderant
8 TBLS (also 1/2 cup) coconut oil, warmed
1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1/4 cup baking soda

Stir together and store in a container in a cool place (under 70 degrees). We store ours in the refrigerator.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Be Still My Heart!

Mark Enjoying his sandwhich he concocted, be still my heart! 


 Mark with the sauerkraut that has done his body good!


 Marks clean plate...he polished that last bit of chicken on his plate right after this shot.


Mark licking his fingers after his declicious sandwhich.

Mark, my husband, was looking in the fridge trying to figure out what he was going to make himself for lunch. As I walked by I noticed he had my homemade sourdough bread out, the leftover chicken, and our homemade sauerkraut .  He spread some butter on the bread, then he put some scoops of sauerkraut on, after which he put the chicken on, topping it off with the other piece of sourdough bread. This was his lunch! My nourishing wife's heart was so impressed and I was so excited for his digestive system!

Let me give you a bit of history on Mark. Mark has always struggled with stomach stuff and it has been a great source of frustration and pain for him. Sarah, my cousin and best friend had started fermenting, culturing, and experimenting in her kitchen. At first I would smile and join in with her because I love making things from scratch, then as I began to read about the healing and helpful properties of sauerkraut I began to get more interested. My first thought when I heard the helpful properities of sauerkraut was Mark.

I made my first batch of sauerkraut and we put Mark's stomach to the test. After he had eatten the sauerkraut for a few days, I mentioned to him that I had not notice him burping as much (not normal guy burping, but painful burping from the gut). Next, we really put it to the test. Marks stomach's arch enemy is green peppers, he will usually suffer days from eatting a dish with some of this veggie in it. To put sauerkraut to the test I made faijtas and I put green peppers in it and then we waited. We waited an hour and no burping, no pain. Mark is able to eat things that normally would have given him great stomach pain, but since he's eatten sauerkraut daily, it seems his stomach bugs are a thing of the past! He does occasionally still get stomach cramps, but usually, it's because he hasn't had his daily does of sauerkraut!

I truly have a mighy fine man! I am so thankful that Mark supports and finds value in my/our journey of finding and investing in whole nourishing foods. 

Friday, April 15, 2011

Naomi and Titus


I have been told that usually there is a dominant twin. With this insight, I have been watching omi and Ti interact to see if I could spot the "bossy" one. Yesturday as I was watching them I realized something. They both have dominant personalities, but it comes out in different ways. It comes out in the male and female roles. If Naomi wants something Titus has or wants Titus to do something, she screams and sqwacks, and will sometimes resort to wacking him if screaming or sqwacks do not work. On the other hand, if Titus wants something Naomi has or wants her to move he man handles her. He sits on her, wraps his arms around her and trys to grab what she has. I do think Omi being the girl, will natural try and control Ti, that's natural women sin, part of the curse of the fall of creation. But that's not to say that Ti doesn't have his own way of controling the situation. This may change and reverse as the twins often do, but for now, that's the perspective of watchful mama.

Naomi is a cuddle bug, she loves playing but will come back and get lovin often and then go back and play. She is very talkative when she gets comfortable with the people shes around. She is adventureous, the faster, higher, and wild the better. She is super ticklish, stubborn, and strongwilled. She's not quite ready to walk, but she will stand by herself now and then. She has the kind of personaltiy where she will do things when she's good and ready and not before then.

Titus will usually be found on, in, around, under anything he can climb. He is laid back but loves a good snuggle too. However, unlike Omi he will not be found staying long for snuggles in your arms. He's way to busy for snuggling too long. He loves playing with trucks and trains, and banging anything together. You will also find him toddling around, using his new walking legs, which at times are still really tricky.

They are so different and we are thankful and excited to help them culitvate their different personalities!

Satisfied

I have been encouraged and reminded this week by a good friend, Barbara Jones. She posted on her blog,

"The first being this: How different would my life be if I hungered for God's Word (and expressed that hunger) as desperately as my toddler expresses his hunger for food? Imagine not being able to walk by your Bible without immediately grasping it up and abiding in it. Imagine not being able to feed your flesh's hunger until you had satisfied your spiritual hunger. To have a daily, urgent, hunger for abiding in Him would drastically alter my day, my plans, my thoughts, my life".  From http://myunplannedblessings.blogspot.com/

this has me thinking! What am I craving in my life more than God? There are so many things that I have put before God. I would rather eat than go running to God, I would rather find comfort in Mark rather than run to God. I have had to stop myself this week, ask for forgiveness for putting things in front of God (which in the bible God calls these things idols).  When I look at the bible do I think I have to have it, I have to spend my time with God or do I do what I usuall do and think hmmm...I'll get to that later. Why, oh why do I learn the had way. Depriving myself of the most important nutrient! A nutrient more important than calcium, vitamin d, or anything else! I have gone to Jesus and asked forgiveness and I have also asked him to increase my desire for Him! I want to be desprite for God, desperate to need him, want him. I want to want Him more than anything else in my life!

Thank you Barbara for this very much needed reminder!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Crazy or Frugal...I'll let you decide




Crazy or frugal? Well that depends on who you talk to, it depends on where you are at in life with your budget, or maybe even if your family struggles with allergies. If you walk into any grocery store or a store like target you will fnd rows upon rows of laundry detergent. With all these options why would I want to make my own? One because I want to control as much as possible what is on, in, and around my family. Two because my husband and kids all struggle with allergies, mostly environmental. If I can decrease some of that by making my own...awesome. I am also trying to live as frugally as possible. Lastly, I think it's just plain cool! I can make batch after batch from these three ingredients that will last us a long time (I haven't done the math yet but when I do I'll let you know!) Thus it's cheaper, it's healthier for our family, and it's plain ole fun! In case you ever get the urg to make your own, here's the recipe. :)

Homemade soap:
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
1/3 cup Dr. Bronner's unscented liquid castile soap
1. In a large pot, heat (not boil) 6 cups of water. Add the
castile soap, washing soda, and borax. Stir until powder is
dissolved, then remove from heat.
2.In a 2 gallon pail, pour 1 quart of hot water and add the
heated soap mixture. Top pail with cold water and stir well.
use 1/2 cup per load; stirring before each use (will gel)

My cousin is a genious who happens to live in an apt. like I do and needs to conserve space. She adds the amount listed for the ingedients but adds only half the water. She then uses 1/4 cup per load instead of 1/2 cup it lists! This way I only need to store a gallon, not two gallons.

Happy soap making!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Swimming the Opposite direction

Maybe it's my rebellious nature, but lately as I pull a shirt off a rack at a department store, I look at the ten other shirts that look EXACTLY like the one I just looked at and think, I don't want to look like ten other women who will be wearing this shirt. Then I think I don't want to see another woman looking way more amazing than I in the shirt I just bought. I want to be different, I want to be unique, I want to be the one and only me in this world. I want to swim against the tide, attempt things that make other people look at me werid, and I want to do things that dare other people to think outside the box. To realize that we are all sinners, we are all lost, and the only reason we have any worth is because Jesus died a painful brutal death, that allows me to stand in front of God with confidence. With Jesus, without his death a resurrection, I would be doomed to hell.

I have been born with a punk/hippy/natural loving peronsality. I like piercings and tattoos. I like my man and son with long hair, I like wearing scarves in my hair. If I had my own yard I would love to have a herb graden and a veggie garden. I would love to have my own goats, chickens (even though chickens freak me out!). I would love to be self sustaining. I would love to have well water, water that hasn't been sent through 25 processes and sent to my focet to give me water that really isn't all that great for my consumption.

This new fetish of mine has me craving my own sewing machine to make my girls matching unique dresses and outfits. Who knows maybe I'll start making my families clothes! If that's the case I'm going to need to pray for a sewing machine.

Jesus often swam against the tide of popular public opinion, Jesus did things that others thought was werid too. So it doesn't really bother me when I'm skipping happily down the sidewalk(without my four year old with me) and seeing others look at me strangely. I often wish they would stop and ask me why I'm doing what I'm doing! I would love to tell them it's because as the childrens song goes, "I have the love of jesus, love of Jesus down in my heart, down in my heart to stay!" Jesus gives me a joy I cannot contain, Jesus gives me the ablity to be werid. :)