Busy Mom's Lasagna

Hello, Friends! I just had to share this idea/recipe with you all, it is so amazing. Back a couple of weeks ago when our friend Chris came over to fix the computer, his sweet wife Mandy came with him. While Chris was working on the computer, we swapped recipes and talked about kids, cooking, school and husbands. Somehow we got on the topic of lasagna. My dear hubby and Teddy Bear really like lasagna, but I never really make it because I don't care for the ricotta cheese layer and I don't really want to fuss with the noodles. If we want pasta I just make spaghetti or baked ziti. Mandy said she didn't know why you couldn't just use cheese ravioli for the noodle and cheese layer. I agreed that that sounded like a good idea. And then I didn't think about it again, until this past Sunday when I saw the sales paper for one of our local grocery stores. They had cheese ravioli's on sale for buy one, get one free. And I remembered the lasagna conversation. So on Monday, which is my shopping day, I picked up some ravioli and also scored some sweet Italian sausage on sale.

I put down a little bit of sauce and then a layer of raviolis. Over this layer I added the Italian sausage  mixed with sauce and some sauteed onions.

This is the top of layer #1. After the sauce and meat mixture, I sprinkled some mozzarella on top. Repeat the process for layer #2, making the mozzarella thicker on top if you like. We like!

This isn't a very pretty picture, but this is all that was left after Teddy Bear, Princess, Daddy and I were done with it. It was so yummy! And it was definitely way easier than futzing with lasagna noodles and ricotta cheese. 

Now, if you wanted to streamline the process even more, you could keep precooked hamburger or Italian sausage in the freezer. If you have a day where you do some kitchen prep or cook ahead, you could cook the frozen ravioli's a couple of days ahead of time, too. You could even assemble the whole thing a day or two ahead of time so you could just pop it in the oven to bake while you get a salad or other vegetable together for dinner.

This is definitely a keeper of a recipe at our house! Thank you so much, Mandy, for the awesome idea!!! And I hope that you, Friends, find this as much of a blessing as I did.

Many Blessings,
Kelly

Homemade Peppermint Mocha Syrup

Peppermint Mocha seems to be THE flavor this winter. And for good reason, too; it's yummy! I was seriously mourning when the last of my half pound of peppermint mocha coffee dribbled into my mug last week. It had been a gift and I'm just too cheap thrifty to buy more. What's a Mama to do? After a couple days of bumming, I came up with a solution. I made my own syrup to flavor coffee, hot chocolate and even milk. Peppermint Mocha Syrup is soooo good and easy to make.

Peppermint Mocha Syrup

1 Cup of cocoa powder

1 C. sugar

2 C. brewed coffee (I used decaf)

4 candy canes, crushed

In a medium sauce pan combine all ingredients with a whisk over medium-high heat. 

Stir occasionally until it comes to a boil. Turn down heat and let simmer until all of the candy pieces have dissolved. Store in the fridge until needed!

See, simple to make and great to enjoy. It would also be great over ice cream or in milk shakes. Hope you like this and have a great day!

Many Blessings,

Kelly

Thrifty Thursday: Christmas Decor & More!

I know it's Friday! I meant to write this yesterday, but my trip into town lasted much longer than I had planned, so I ran out of time. It's been a while since I have done a "Thrifty Thursday" post, not for lack of things to share though! I just don't know how these ladies that blog daily have the time on top of everything else!

Anywho, I thought I would share a few tips for Christmas decor and my latest sewing project that will help with both our budget and our goal to be better stewards of this planet.

TAA DAAAA! Cloth "paper" towels! I've seen this idea before online, but the last time I saw it was a post that was linked up to Homestead Revival's Barn Hop. So Saturday I used the last of the paper towels, and thought that I hated to have to buy more. We're rather crunched for money this month and I'm cutting as many things from our budget as I can. So I looked at my dear hubby and said "What would you think of using cloth paper towels? I'm pretty sure I have all the material I need to make them." He thought for a moment and, to my surprise and joy, answered, "Sure. Can we keep a roll of regular paper towels for in case the cats get sick, though?" I agreed that that was a good idea, but they have to stay under the kitchen sink. And then I got busy hunting down some terry cloth I was pretty sure I had squirreled away.

Now, the terry cloth is not my choice of colors, but it was what I have, and I have YARDS of it! I decided to make some Christmas ones because I also have about 3 yards of that as well from years ago. I used the tutorial from My Healthy Green Family. I didn't do snaps, nor do I plan to. I just re purposed a small basket to hold them and set it right where the paper towel holder sat on the counter.

 If you are wiping up something that might stain and you want to keep them looking as nice as possible, rinse them in cool water immediately! Our first major spill was pizza sauce, and I figured that I'd have a stained one, but after wiping up the initial mess, I rinsed it out will cool water to finish cleaning up and there was hardly any discoloration. I was also surprised at the whole incident because it was Wheels that spilled the sauce and as he reached for a paper towel and realized it was a cloth one, I thought he'd sputter about it, but he just went with it without a complaint. I think it helps that they are on the same spot as the paper ones! Now I just need to make a wet bag for the dirties!

Here is another thrifty tip; tie your cupboards shut so your hubby and kiddos can't get to the food!!! Just kidding! This is a bow on the cabinet door that I made from some homespun fabric. This was a curtain that I had made years ago and haven't used in a long time, so I just cut a little notch and tore the hems off, then continued to tear strips off of. I've always wanted to do the bows on the cabinet doors, but have always been too cheap thrifty to buy the amount of ribbon I would need. Even if I hadn't re purposed this material and had bought it new, 1 yard would have cost less than a spool of ribbon and have been more than enough to do the job!

All of the cupboards along one wall. I think it looks so pretty and festive!

A bow in the middle of my DIY lighted garland in the living room. Our living room, dining room and kitchen are all open to one another, so using the same material through each "room" helps tie things together.



I used another strip of cloth around my canning jar caddy, which is also my utensil caddy. You can use what you have to add some festive flare to your home, too! The cream colored bowl is the usual bowl I use to hold our fresh fruit in, but I put it on top of the red cake stand to add some zip. And the egg basket is in it's usual place on the counter. I had the food processor on the counter, but decided to move it to clear some of the counter.

This isn't the best picture thanks to the glare, but this is a Christmas hymn/carol subway art. I've seen some on Pinterest, and there are some free printable ones, but I wanted to make my own. I used the Word Art in Microsoft Works on my laptop and added a bit of clip art as well. I printed it on some off white card stock. I made 2 subway art prints for our bedroom with the names of Jesus. They came out beautiful, if I may say so myself. And I made yet one more, in the living room.

The dinner menu board even got a Christmas makeover! This is just some computer paper I have. I was going to do a subway art print with all of the Christmas goodies we like and I make, but I didn't want to spend the time. And believe me, you can waste spend lots of time on this project. Of course, it wasn't until after I made the prints that I thought to look up free fonts in Pinterest. And I found many, but then I hit the mother load! Dafont.com has TONS of free fonts!! I even found fonts that look like the writing in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Ring series!! My geeky heart swelled with joy at the thought of making my own nerd subway art. (I totally admit to being a huge fan of the Tolkien books and movies. I even named one of our chickens Arwen and I dressed up as Frodo this past Halloween for the kids Book Character Parade at school. Never would have figured me for suck a wacko, huh?)

I hope this gives you some ideas!

Many Blessings,
Kelly

 

Preparedness for August 2012

One of three bags of cooked, ground beef/venison that I put up in the freezer.

It's been a doozy of a month around here! I haven't been able to get much of anything done in the way of emergency preparedness, but I have done quite a bit in the food storage, sustainable living and self reliance fronts. Through the blessings of friends and family, I have learned so much about food preservation and received some items to achieve my self reliance and culinary goals.

• For my birthday my Mom gave me a food dehydrator. So far I have dried some zucchini discs, and as I write this I have sage, catnip and sweet mint drying.
• I canned 7 quarts of green beans. I plan on buying more from a local farm stand. Actually, I'm thinking of asking to trade some of our eggs for the beans.
• A friend from church hosted a class on soaking and using whole grains and lacto-fermentation. Not only did I learn these techniques, but I also learned that I actually like hot oatmeal! I've made quinoa twice now and have 1 quart of sauerkraut fermenting now.
• Another friend from church invited me to her house to show me how to can tomatoes. I'm so thankful to her for this knowledge. In watching someone actually process and can, I was able to make a plan on how to set up my kitchen while I process my tomatoes. She also gave me a shopping bag full of tomatoes!
• Using my above knowledge (and gift of tomatoes!), Princess and I skinned, cut and seeded tomatoes for sauce which is simmering down right now.
• My DH and Wheels have set out 5 gallon buckets and some plastic totes outside under the eaves to collect rain water. This isn't as practical as a rain barrel, but this "system" has come in handy many times of the past few dry weeks. The garden has been watered without fear of draining the well.
• I processed 2 more large zucchini to freeze for zucchini bread. The zucchini can also be successfully hidden in meat sauce when it has bee shredded and sauteed before being added.
• We have been blessed by a friend that gave me a box of quart jars. We will also be getting another chest freezer from my tomato canning friend and her husband. My DH just has to have some time to clean up the cellar a bit!
• Though the garden is still yielding it's bounty, I have learned many lessons and started planning for next year! I had the boys lay down some old feed bags to prepare the ground for some new raspberry bushes next spring. They also weeded a patch of the garden so that I can plant some lettuce and spinach. Our pumpkin and zucchini yields were heartbreaking, so I will be clearing those plants to make room for carrots.

I think I maybe missing a thing or two, but I don't think that's bad! I'm hoping that with the kids heading back to school and the fact that I have been feeling so much better the last2 weeks, that I will be able to work on the emergency preparedness front some more, and keep adding to the food storage.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Many Blessings,
Kelly

*I'm linking up to Homestead Revival's Preparedness Challenge

Back To School 2012: Making Meals Part 2

Reusable Snack Bags

I'm sorry I haven't had more posts on getting ready for the school year- I've just been so busy doing that there has been no time to post on it! We've gotten every one's bureaus or amoires sorted and cleared out so that we know what is needed and not. (Blessedly, hardly anything!) Yesterday we divided up the school supplies, labeled them and got them packed away in every one's backpack. Today I cooked up a large amount of ground beef and venison to freeze for future dinners. I have 3 quart sized bags labeled and filled with the meat so that next time I need a quick meal, I'm prepared!

Last time I wrote about dinner time and meal planning, shortcuts, etc. Today I'd like to share a bit about lunch time. On weekends and (admittedly) during the summer, lunch can be a "Gee, it's noon and everyone is hungry. What should we do?" sort of affair. We always have bread and peanut butter, sometimes cold cuts and left overs. But come the school week, I like to remember lunch so that A). my kids don't starve at school, and B) I don't have to shell out for them to buy a school lunch. Now, this does not mean I have some sort of elaborate meal plan for the kids' packed lunches, or even that they get fancy theme-type lunches like you see on Pinterest. But I like to have options for the "entree" and for the snacks.

For the "entree" or sandwich, peanut butter is usually a good choice. My boys like peanut butter, hold the jelly. (I have NO idea how they choke it down, but no one has needed the Heimlich so far!) My daughter likes peanut butter and Fluff (I know, not healthy, but it's not an everyday lunch choice.) Teddybear will take a salad or even what we call a wrap, which is just a flour tortilla with lettuce and some dressing, cheese and steak or chicken from leftovers. I try to have healthy options, and am very grateful for a cookbook I bought a few years ago called Disney's The Magic Kitchen Cook Book.

I was desperate when I bought this book! Teddybear would only take a salami sandwich to school. And I had (and still do!) another fussy eater with Wheels. I was hoping that their favorite movie characters would inspire them to try new foods. And it did. Teddybear couldn't wait to take a wrap to school! This was only one "recipe" that we have used with great success! For more ideas, pop on over to Pinterest and type in "lunch box ideas". They have some nice choices and ways to pack them. Some are cutesy, with shaped sandwiches, etc., but there are some very good ideas, too. (Not that gussying up your kiddos' sandwich from time to time is o.k., but really, who has time for the everyday?)

Now, if the thought of packing lunches every morning for the next 9 to 10 months doesn't appeal, here are some tips to make it easier.

• Talk to your kids about what they would like for lunch. I know, seems silly, but they might have a great idea. This doesn't mean they are going to get what they want, but it's a starting point.
• Have a cupboard, shelf, drawer or some other place devoted to just lunch box foods. I keep all of the "kids'" food in one cupboard, along with snack cups, plastic silverware (which we reuse, but is less heartbreaking if someone throws it out or forgets it!), etc.
• Start the night before. I try to remember to have the kids bring their lunch boxes to the kitchen so I don't have to hunt them down the next morning. Then I get out the bread, crackers, fruit, and other non-perishable items and their packaging. When I get up in the morning I don't have to go all over the place to get what I need, just a trip to the fridge for anything that could spoil.
• If you want to send carrot or celery sticks, cut them up all at once at the beginning of the week, then you aren't trying to get them done while fighting with your 6 year old to get their clothes on and teeth brushed!
• Have the kids do as much as they can on their own! This isn't always a good option for us because Daddy is usually in the kitchen packing his lunch (I'm not allowed to. He says he doesn't get enough to eat when I pack his lunch!), so it's best if it's just Mama and Daddy in the kitchen. Do what is best for your family.

These are just a few ideas to get you going. I'd like to do a post soon with more specifics and maybe even pics of what we do exactly. Hope you have a marvelous day!

Many Blessings,
Kelly

• Just a note to let you know that I do not receive any compensation for any of the books I mention in my posts or featured on the side of the blog. I just like to share what I have enjoyed and think others might, too!

Back to School 2012: Making Meals Part 1

 

Dinner. We all have to eat it at some point in the day! Some of us know what we're having for dinner a week in advance. Some of us wait until 3p.m. to plan it. And some of us find ourselves making a phone call for takeout for dinner. This school year, I do not want to be one of those making a mad dash to the local pizza joint 30 minutes before my family expects dinner on the table. It's unhealthy for both our bodies and our bank account. So this year, I will menu plan and have emergency meal plans waiting in the wings!

Now, I am not going to go into a long post on how to menu plan. There are many other bloggers that have done a much better job of explaining it, but I will give some you some ideas to keep in mind. And at the end of this I will share links to blogs and sites that I have found helpful.

• Know what you have in the freezer and pantry. Now might be a good time to take inventory and write it down. It doesn't have to be an elaborate inventory system, just find out what you have and try to make note of what you have added and used.
• Keep staples on hand. These might be different things for every family. We usually have pasta at least 2 times a week, whether as the main meal or a side dish. So I make sure that we always have it in the cupboard.
• Have one or two quick and easy meals that your family likes. Spaghetti with marinara sauce is my go to meal when it's been a crazy day.
• Keep your schedule in mind when planning your meals. Tuesday is not a good day to try out that new recipe for stuffed chicken breasts when you know that that is the day that your son has sports practice and your daughter has a music lesson. Try to plan easier meals for days and evenings that are hectic.
• Rely on your crock pot. One of my favorite things to do is to put a whole chicken in in the morning on high, then walk away. All I have to do then is decide how we want our potatoes and make the gravy from the juices in the crock pot. In fact, next time I do this I'm thinking of adding the potatoes to the crock a couple hours before dinner. I'll let you know how it goes!
• Cook once, eat twice. Whether you plan on eating the leftovers or you cook double the rice, pasta or meat needed for a recipe later in the week, you'll save time if you cook everything at once. And make sure to let your family know that you are planning on those leftovers!!
• Have a meal or two that's ready to go in the freezer. Not only will this benefit you, but if a friend or family member has an emergency, you can have a meal for them.
• Do as much prep work all at once, ahead of time. For a while I used to get home from the grocery store and cut up the carrots and celery for snacks, wash the grapes and take them off the stems, etc. Why not do this for dinner? Cut up your onions, shred your cheese, measure out your ingredients for the week. Then label them with freezer tape.
• Be flexible. One method of cooking and/or menu planning may work for one Mama and her family, but not for yours. Find what works for you and stick with it!

The other day I got a cook book on my Kindle called Fix, Freeze, Feast:The Delicious, Money Saving Way to Feed Your Family for only $2.51.* The basic premise is to but meat in bulk and cook one recipe using that meat, then dividing it up into meals that you freeze in 1gallon freezer bags, pulling them out when needed. I don't know if I will be using many of the recipes, but it gave me some ideas of how to do this with meals that I make now, as well as doing this for crock pot meals. 

One site I stumbled upon abut 2 years ago was A Year of Slow Cooking. It's an amazing blog full of crock pot recipes for things I didn't even KNOW you could make in a crock pot! A good friend of mine that is our Pastor's wife, an art teacher and home schooling Mama of 4 (among many other things!) has used quite a few of these recipes. And you can go to Tipnut for crock pot cooking tips.

For menu planning, check out Organized Home for more information. You can also search online for make ahead meals, freezer cooking, etc. to learn more and get ideas. I'll be sharing more on this as the weeks go by.

Have a lovely day, Friends!

Many Blessings,

Kelly



Thrifty Thursday #3: Scratch That Off Your List!

Could you tell I was working hard on that title?

Hello, Friends! I know it's been a while, but, as usual, I've just been too plumb busy or tuckered out to compose a coherent post. Believe me, it's better that way. I ramble enough as it is with out me rushing or being semi-conscious during blogging!

So, it is another Thrifty Thursday, and today I'm getting out from behind the sewing machine and into the kitchen. One of the best (and tastiest!) ways to save money is to make your own baked goods from scratch. This is also the healthiest way to enjoy your cakes, cookies, muffins and other treats. Now, I know that for somethings, it may seem cheaper to buy some items ready made, or even from a mix. In the long run, though, I think that once you get into the habit of making things from scratch everything will even out. And you might find that you can give up some things because you have replaced it with something homemade.

Now, if you have been reading my blog for a length of time, you know that I bake just about every Saturday. Sometimes I only get to make the kiddo's breakfast item and snack item, but that is a huge help. I like to do a majority of my baking on one day because I do not like firing up the oven for only one thing. This way I can run my oven all at once and bake more than one thing at a time. This saves money by conserving electricity.

I think I'm going to revert to my bullet structure here, cause I can sense some rambling and backing up in the near future!

• Baking from scratch saves money because you are buying 1 ingredient with multiple uses. Yes, you may be able to buy a chocolate cake mix for around a $1 a box, but if you buy a can of baking cocoa for about $2.75 you can make a chocolate cake, chocolate zucchini bread, hot chocolate (made with actual milk, not boiling water!) and chocolate syrup for ice cream or chocolate milk. Talk about more bang for your buck!
• Baking from scratch gives you more versatility and can be adjusted to your family's preferences. You could buy a loaf of bread for sandwhiches and then a bag of rolls for dinner. But if you make a batch of bread dough, you can have both!  Or, maybe Timmy likes plain chocolate chip cookies but Betty Sue like walnuts in hers. You can make one batch of cookie dough and split it in half for them both to take to school with their lunches.
• Baking from scratch is healthier. YOU control what you put into your food. You can add whole wheat flour to your cookies, substitute some of your butter or oil with unsweetened applesauce, and eliminate corn syrup, food dyes, additives and preservatives.

Now, I could go on. (And you know how I can go on!) But I have the feeling that you can all get my point. If you are not use to baking and don't have baking materials, or you really want to embrace making more things from scratch, you may need to invest in some things. You will find that investing is and will be a recurring theme in these posts. You may cringe at the price of a rolling pin, but that is really a one time purchase, whereas refrigerated ready made pie crusts are only good for one or two pies. That rolling pin will make you pies for practically your entire life time, and maybe even your daughter's lifetime. That is an investment worth making and money well spent!

Before I get to the recipes, I would like to tell you about some of the items I have in my kitchen that I find invaluable to have. I am by no means Julia Child or the Cake Boss, so don't feel that you have to have them, or even agree with me! And by all means, if you have something you would like to share, I'd love to know about it!

• Large Pyrex mixing bowls: I have 2 large and one really big one. And every Saturday all 3 of them get used at least once, if not more! I like Pyrex (or Anchor Hocking) because they are sturdy, easy to clean, and you can mix and bake in them.
• standard size muffin pan: good for (obviously!) muffins, cupcakes, mini meat loafs, stuffin' muffins and cloverleaf yeast rolls. My pan has a dozen cavities, so my basic muffin recipe can be made in one batch.
• 2 to 3 bread loaf pans: or even more! I like to make quick breads and yeast breads, and if you are inclined to make homemade bread for your family's weekly supply, it is a very sound investment. And they can stack together so that they don't take up much space.
• a 13x9 oblong pan: I have 2 Pyrex, and 3 metal ones. And I have used each and every one on certain Saturdays. I make the kiddo's breakfast cookies, cakes, casseroles and brownies in them. And all but one of the Pyrex pans have lids, so I can store in them as well. Now, this may be a lot for some people, but I also make snack for our church refreshments on a regular basis, as well as making birthday cakes for my DH and children. I can make the cake for our family party, the children's friends party and the goody to bring in to school to share for a treat. These pans to not sit in the cupboard in neglect!
• a glass 4 cup measuring cup: This, too, is a recent purchase. I wondered if I really would use it as I stood looking over the Pyrex/Anchor Hocking shelves at my local Kmart, $1 off coupon in hand. But, like the sheet pans, I do. I use it for measuring and mixing my wet ingredients for homemade bread and other recipes. And I have even used it for the DH's and mine scrambled eggs.
• a glass 8 cup (2 qt.) measuring cup: I have a Tupperware version of this that I used for about 7 years before I started to become a bit leery at the thought of there being Tupperware scrapings in my muffins, pancakes and waffles. Then I purchased an Anchor Hocking one and gave the Tupperware one to Hubby for a sap dipper. This is the perfect size for a batch of muffins, chocolate chip bread, or homemade waffles. It is also used for pouring off the juices of a turkey or when straining homemade stock.
• rubber or silicone spatulas: I have 4 of these. One is a very large one from Tupperware that I use for mixing up snack mix, granola or sauteing with. It doesn't really get the job done when it comes to scraping the sides of mixing bowls, so that is where 2 others come in. And then there is the double ended one that is more narrow for scooping out of jars with. You will never waste a drop when using one of these, and scraping the bowl clean is handy when it's time for clean up.

I'm pretty sure I'm missing a dozen things, but those can be for another post. It's time to get onto the fun part: recipes! I have posted these recipes before, so I will only be adding the links, but I'll be giving some hints and tips for each. And as I'm writing this, I'm thinking that this is going to be part one of a series because I have so many more basic recipes to share!

Boynton Breakfast Cookie Bars I make these just about every week for my kiddos! You can add what ever stir-ins that you and your family like. These have replaced the white bread toast and cheerios that the kids used to eat for about 2 1/2 years now. I would really like to figure out how to soak the oatmeal for this recipe, but just haven't had the time to experiment. If I figure it out, I'll be letting you know!
Chocolate Zucchini Bread While going over this post, I realized that I didn't include the sugar!! I feel like such a big goober. If you tried to make this, I SOOOO apologize! The sugar is now included in the recipe. Another note on this is that I no longer use canola or vegetable oil, I use olive oil. This is great for a snack or for breakfast. It's yummy with cream cheese, too! I use my food processor to shred the zukes, and take out the big seeds. I'm going to have to make a batch of this Saturday, I froze shredded zucchini for this purpose!
Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies I make these every week for the kids to put in their lunch boxes. I have taken to making these in the sheet cake pan and substituting 1/2 to 1/3 cup of the butter to unsweetened applesauce. I also do not use margarine or shortening any more. You could use coconut oil in place of butter, too. This recipe is really just your basic chocolate chip cookie recipe that I tweaked. If you don't have oat and wheat flour, you can use all purpose flour. By using the sheet cake pan I can save time and I have enough for the entire week for both the kids and my DH. (O.k., o.k., and I can filch a couple for myself!) They also seem to stay more moist in bar form, too.

Well, I was going to post a couple more recipes, but this has been long enough! Have a wonderful rest of your Thursday.
Blessings,
Kelly

St. Patrick's Day 2012

I thought I'd just share a couple of pics from our St. Patrick's Day dinner last year. Here is a link from last year's list of St. Patrick's Day ideas. Hope you have a lovely evening!

Blessings,

Kelly

Homemade Salves and Lip Balm

Hello, Friends! Did ya miss me? Sorry I've been out of the loop for a while, but I've had quite a bit going on and to deal with, so blogging had to take a back seat. (Actually, forget the back seat, blogging had to stay home!) I'll give some quick updates before I get into the salves and lip balm.

• So far my dear hubby has made 1/2 gallon of syrup, and 1 quart of it has already been consumed!
• DH has about 5 more quarts that are nearly finished to syrup, with more out on our "arch".
• I finally bought a magazine about the different chicken breeds and have made my final decision about what kind of chicks we are going to buy. (I'm keeping it secret for now, just in case I change my mind!)
• I've made some plans for the garden, deciding to put the annual herbs in containers and not in one of our raised beds. Then I'll transfer the perennial herbs into 1 bed by them selves, making more room for veggies.
• Also in gardening, I've decided to plant carrots this year, despite vowing that I never would again. Then I learned that carrots have been on the "Dirty Dozen" produce list in the past. Potatoes have been, too, so I'm giving them serious consideration as well.
• I'm getting all of my seed starting paraphernalia together so that I can get them planted SOON. At least the bell peppers!

And now for the moment you've been waiting for!!!!!!! Salves and lip balm! (By the way, I can't seem to locate the cord that connects the camera to the computer, so I don't have pics, but as soon as I do, I will!!!;o))

If you've been reading my blog for a little while now, you know that I have committed my self to getting rid of chemicals in my family's toiletries/personal hygiene. A few weeks ago I actually hoed out a closet in my bathroom and filled a garbage can of tubes and bottles that contained sulfates and parabens. (Most of the products were old or nearly gone.) Now I am trying to replace these things with all natural products from the store (be sure to read the ingredients, some products labeled "natural" can still contain chemicals) or even better, make my own.

So back a Sunday or two ago, I got home from church and shoo-ed everyone out of the house, because I was going to make the kiddo's body wash, some lip balm and salves. I grated like a maniac, and heated, poured, and stirred as well. The only thing I really had a recipe for was the lip balm.

Here is the link. for that. Now, I don't now what I did wrong, but the honey did not mix well with the other ingredients. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't allow the mixture to heat long enough together or not, but the honey was left on the bottom of my measuring cup. And this recipe make more than 1/2 an ounce as the recipe states. Make sure to have plenty of little lip balm jars! I used a drop of peppermint oil, but it wasn't necessary. I keep a jar of this on my night stand and (try!) to use it every night before bed. I gave the other jar to Princess, who is a lip gloss/balm collector. She was super-dee dooper psyched when I gave it to her.

For the kids' body wash, I grated a bar of Kirk's Natural castile soap and added it to about 2 cups of hot water, heating it on medium over the stove until the soap flakes were dissolved. I added more hot water and let it cool a bit before pouring it into a couple of mason jars. Unfortunately I didn't dilute it enough, so I had to reheat it and add more water a couple of days after because it had turned back to a solid. I have to work on the correct water/soap ratio for this, but it was a start.

For the salves, again I didn't measure, but I used a combination of olive, sweet almond and Castor oils. I used about 1 cup of oil in all, pouring it into a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup that sat in a medium sized bot of water over medium heat. I added my grated beeswax and stirred until the beeswax was completely liquefied. Then I removed the measuring cup and added lavender essential oil. I poured this all into 2 small mason jars and let the salve cool before putting the lids on. I (again, try!!) rub this on my hands every night before bed, slipping on some cotton gloves after. I've also used it before heading out when it's been quite cold and I'll be wearing gloves. This salve is a bit greasy, but it works well on keeping my hands soft and free of cracks and dry skin.

The next salve I want to make is a calendula salve that I have read is good for eczema. I've developed to patches of it on my face, on either side of my chin. I look like a little baby that is chapped from drooling! And, although I can't find the exact place that I read it, I'm going to give it a try. I even bought a package of seeds so I can grow my own calendula this year.

Well, Friends, I now this post seems rushed, but I still have lots more to get to up here on my hill, including taking a shower before I head to town. If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free to leave one below, email me at HomespunInspirations@gmail.com or "like" my face book page. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to visit me.

Blessings,
Kelly

Pancake Tuesday, Mardi Gras and/or Shrove Tuesday

Our morning started with chocolate chip pancakes.

The kiddos and I sat down to these lovelies and added some butter and, of course, Daddy's homemade syrup.

After chores we had craft time. We made crowns and masks for Mardi Gras.

These are the boys' crowns.

Mimi got in on the action when she dropped of our King's Cake that we're having for dessert. I'll share pics of that later, she did a beautiful job of it!

This is a cat toy for Miss Merlin. I did some sewing in the afternoon. I'll show the fruits of that labor in a very near future post. Prissy cat didn't even care for her toy. It's stuffed with our last sprig of homegrown catnip. I put pretty, tantalizing ribbons on it. Humph!

This was our table for dinner. I got the coins and center piece at the dollar store. The table runner was one of the fruits of labor mentioned above.

I also took some time to work on our family faith wall for Lent. I got the Alleluia out so that we can bury it tomorrow, for Ash Wednesday. I'll post more about our family faith wall and preparing for Lent.

Well, that's our day! I'm off to have some King's Cake with my family. Have a lovely evening, Friends.
Blessings,
Kelly

Our Valentine's Day

The cards I made for the kiddos.

Yes, I still have evergreen garland up! But on dreary winter
evenings, it's nice to turn on the lights. I dressed it up for today
with some sparkly toille and doilies.

Our dinner table. Not too fancy, but special for the day.

Homemade pizza night! I let the kiddos top
their own heart-shaped crusts.

Finished pizzas.

Gotta have chocolate on Valentine's Day, so
heart shaped browniesare called
for. Of course, they're not complete without.....

pink homemade whipped cream!


Hoping you have had a lovely day!
Blessings,
Kelly

Flock Block Take 2 and A Craft

Sweet chicken ecstasy- nothing but feathers and dirt when the girls and
James get down and dirty taking dust baths! I felt almost like a Peeping
Thomasina!

Remember my homemade flock block? Well, the temperature dipped down last night, so I figured the JIC's (Jerks in The Coop) would be holed up in the coop today. I do NOT want any more boarders in the basement, so last night I made another flock block. This time I had a lovely assistant.

I don't know why the picture is blurry. Hope no one has motion
sickness that views this!

When making the flock block this time, I didn't add any apple, and I used 3 whole eggs. I think the addition of 2 more eggs helped in holding it together better. I also put all of the recipe into just one loaf pan. It baked at 200* for about an hour, then turned the temp up to 300* for about another 2 hours. I took it out and let it cool on a wrack. I tried to get it out of the pan and learned a valuable lesson: use Crisco or butter to grease the pan, not just canola oil. Last time they came right out of the pans. This time my Darling Hubby got it out of the pan after I had given up. (I just love that man!) the block sat out over night to dry out a little bit more.

Flock block baking right along while our waffles and bacon stay warm
for dinner. Told you I hate to run the oven for just one thing!

My DH put the block out in the coop this morning. When I checked on the chickees after lunch, only a little corner was pecked at. {sigh} No one looked injured, so that's good.

Earlier this afternoon I took a break from housework and culinary efforts for the animals to make a Valentine's Day craft. I don't have very many Valentine's decorations because I'm rather fussy. It's been hard to find decorations that go with my country decor and that I'm willing to shell money out for. So I looked on Tipnut.com's Valentine's Day page for inspiration. While perusing the pages, I thought of my own craft to make that would be cheap and easy to make. Here it is:

Finished product! Whaddya think?

It was soooo easy, and only took a little bit of time. What took the longest was getting just the right heart shape for templates. I used scrap paper to make my templates, but you could use a manila folder or card stock. I plan on making more of these in the future. Here is what you need:

I wasn't sure which buttons to use!!

2 sheets of felt
4 heart templates in small, medium, large and extra large
hot glue gun
marker for tracing
2 fabric scraps
twine or ribbon
decorative buttons or other doo-dads
scissors (you could use pinking shears for an even fancier look- I was too lazy to dig for mine!)

Here is what to cut: 1 small heart, 2 medium hearts, 2 large hearts and 1 extra large heart
I cut my hearts out free form, but if you want them to all be alike, you could find a template and increase or decrease the size using a scanner and printer. When I went to cut them out, I folded the felt in half and traced the template with a marker.

Then I laid out my hearts and used a glue gun to glue them together. I flipped over the hearts and spaced them out to where I wanted them. Next, I took a length of twine twice as long as I wanted it to be and made a knot at the top to hang this from. Using the glue gun, I attached the twine to all three sets of hearts.

I took the 2 scraps of homespun fabric and tied a single knot in the middle of each. I then glued these between the hearts. After letting the glue cool and dry I flipped everything over. Play time! I took out different buttons and trims to find the perfect look. Here's what I selected for the top and bottom hearts:

Chickee buttons of course!!!!! I just couldn't resist ;0)

This would be a really great craft for kids. If younger kiddos are making these, you could use good ol' Elmer's glue, though it would take longer for things to dry. I'm thinking you can do lots of different shapes for the holidays, or even for year round.

Well, I'm one tired and sore Mama with a busy day tomorrow. Have a lovely evening, Friends!
Blessings,
Kelly

This Week's Menu Plan

Menu Plan for November 27 to December 3

Sunday Homemade mac and cheese with ham, homemade bread, corn and green salad, brownies for dessert

Monday  BBQ ribs, baked potatoes, green beans, applesauce, salad, brownies for dessert

Tuesday   Breakfast for Dinner: waffles, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit

Wednesday   Roast turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, carrots, fresh fruit, homemade cranberry sauce

Thursday   Spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, fresh fruit, salad

Friday    Turkey casserole with left over turkey, gravy and stuffing; corn, fresh fruit, homemade cranberry sauce

Saturday    Chicken and dumplings in the crock pot, fresh fruit

A Birthday, Thanksgiving Plans and More

HAPPY 11TH  BIRTHDAY TEDDY BEAR!!!

Yes, it is our Teddy Bear's birthday today. Unfortunately, he's home from school with a cold. I'm not so sure if he feels that it is unfortunate or not, though, because he gets to play the video games that he got! We had a family party for him yesterday, and tomorrow after school we are going to the movies with a friend to celebrate. Tonight we will have a small cake after a spaghetti dinner and keep things low-key.

Having TB home this morning skewed my grocery shopping plans a bit, but thankfully my Mom was able to watch him so I could zip down and back quickly before it got too crazy at the stores in town. And she even (Thank you so much, Mom!!!) blessedly, washed the dishes and folded laundry for me. I can't thank the Lord enough for blessing me with such a helping and caring mother! So, now I have more time to sit down and plan for the week. The kiddos will be home from school starting on Wednesday, so I want to have some crafts, goodies and activities to do with them during the week. Also, I am making bread and rolls to bring to my sister's on Thursday. Friday I will be having my DH's family over for appetizers and desserts in the early afternoon, so I need to finalize my menu for that.

Tomorrow I will be doing the majority of the baking that needs to be done for Thanksgiving get togethers. This is what my plan looks like so far:

• make 2 loaves of bread and a batch of rolls for my sister's on Thursday
• make a pan of choc. chip cookie bars for Friday
• finish the Thanksgiving lap book
• clean the bathroom
• get some laundry done (seems like this is always on the list!)

 

Wednesday I will have the children help me make the cranberry sauce, Watergate salad, and a batch of individual pizza crusts. We'll also work on getting the house set for Friday, and they love to make napkin rings and place cards for the table. I usually just set out crayons, stickers and index cards for them. I'll talk to them more about what they would like to make on Wednesday.

I tried to get my holiday planner sheets into PDF format so that I could post them here for you, but it didn't work. And I'm just not technically savvy, so I have no idea what to do! I haven't been able to keep up on the "Don't Wing It Wednesdays" for before Thanksgiving, but I will be keeping up for Advent and Christmas.

I have my Advent wreath pulled out for Sunday, I just need to pick up my candles for it. I'm thinking of having a cardinal theme for Christmas decorations this year (I have plenty of cardinal things already!) so I would like to find a ribbon to decorate the wreath with, too. I also need to make up my mind about how to approach the Jesse tree; do I want to make ornaments, try to find ornaments, do an actual tree or make a poster? I'll have time on the drive Saturday to think this over.

Have a lovely Monday, Friends!
Blessings,
Kelly

A Menu Plan, Lap Book and Family Faith Wall To Share

Happy Monday, dear Friends! We had a long weekend with the children being home on Friday. Princess was able to go to her friend's house to play and the boys ping-ponged between Gramma and Grampa's house and home. Saturday was the first day of rifle deer season, so my DH and I headed out to the woods to take our rifles for their yearly walk. I actually played hide n' seek with a large doe, and then had a staring contest with her before she quietly bounded away. It was right in the same spot where Teddy Bear took his shot last week! At first I couldn't see if it was a buck or doe because all I could see was a back side, so I waited patiently (and very quietly) for the deer to move from behind a tree. When the wind picked up, I slooooooooowly creeped ahead, only to discover that it was a doe. I'm thinking of heading out early Wednesday morning to the spot to see if I can find a buck there!

I've done my grocery shopping for the week already and finally got a chance to take stock of the freezer last Thursday. So that means I have a menu plan for the week! Last week I sort of winged it, and Sunday became a takeout pizza night because I was not feeling well at all and my DH had a back ache that kept him down for the count most of the afternoon. I've really got to get to work on freezing some meals for occasions such as this, as well as getting an extra batch of cookies in the freezer, too. I wasn't able to bake Saturday due to being out hunting and then yesterday there was just no way I could be up on my feet for any length of time. (I know, I sound rather whiny, don't I? Sorry!) The kiddos were not happy for having to settle for a breakfast cookieless breakfast!

~Menu for Monday Nov. 14 to Sunday Nov. 20~

~Monday: grilled baby back ribs, baked potatoes, salad, applesauce, corn and banana
~Tuesday: homemade shake n' bake chicken cutlets, stuffin' muffins, carrots, fruit
~Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner bacon, scrambled eggs, waffles and fruit
~Thursday: turkey smoked sausage, roasted potatoes, green beans, fruit
~Friday: Baked ziti, corn, fruit
~Saturday: venison stew with carrots and potatoes
~Sunday: leftovers, veggies and fruit

A prayer for one side and Scripture verses for the other. I added some stickers to make them look prettier!

Well, I finally got my Scripture verses typed, printed and framed for our Family Faith wall, and have some seasonal decorations added as well.

And here is a peek at our Thanksgiving lap book: (It's still a work in progress!)

I covered a standard size manila file folder with wrapping paper.

I added a flap of dark red card stock.

The front. I "laminated" the title with clear packing tape, glued it to one side of the cover
 and added a hook and loop closure on the other side.

A Blessings Tree (I have to add the hook and loop pieces so that the blessing leaves can be stuck on)
 and a print out of Bible verses.

A pocket for the mini books and Bible memory verse cards.

*I keep forgetting to mention a wonderful resource for families, and one that I used for the lap book. Scripture Adventures make wonderful holiday resources filled with recipes, crafts and Scripture. We have both the Easter and the Thanksgiving ones. I think I'll be ordering the Christmas one as well. The best part is that you print it out from your computer, so you don't have to wait for it to be delivered. Just make sure you have plenty of paper and ink!

Well, that's all for now! Have a wonderful day.
Blessings,
Kelly


*This is not a paid endorsement, just my opinion, plain and simple!