OJTSR

DIY Homemade Sunscreen and Bug Repellent

2015-07-14T08:01:00.002-06:00

by Carla Ludington

OK, so this will be a quick and short post, just to let you know how this went and where to find more info!

With two family reunions and a mini vacation in the middle, we were going to be in the southern part of New Mexico, pretty much outdoors and/or camping, in July (100 degrees + kind of weather). I have 5 kiddos ages 2-11, and didn’t want our vacation marred by miserable sunburns (and away from home). I thought I could pick up zinc oxide at one of the natural grocery stores in town, but found NO ONE carried zinc oxide, and I would have to order it. Huge bummer, because I waited too long to make it, and didn’t have time to have it shipped and get it before we left :0( I posted on my Facebook for any local friends that may have some, and found someone on our travel route that was super generous to let me pick some up (shout out to Cathy, you’re awesome!!!).

So, here is the skinny on what I did. I didn’t have a scale on me while traveling, lol, so I used a rough estimate on measurements and compared quantities with a few other recipes.

1/8 c (1/2 oz) beeswax

1/4 c (2 oz) shea butter

1/4 c (2 oz) coconut oil

2 Tbsp (1 oz) zinc oxide powder, NON NANO

1/2 tsp vitamin E oil

Melt the beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil in a double boiler (I just used a glass bowl on top of a pan). After it is melted completely, add the zinc oxide and vitamin E oil. Stir until dissolved and mixed thoroughly. Transfer to another container for storage. (Glass won't be a great option if you are going pool side. I considered reusing an empty plastic sunscreen tube, but as it was last minute, I ended up reusing another container instead.)

I wanted to make this sunscreen and bug repellent all in one, so I added essential oils, but right after I did this, I decided it was really dumb, because I didn't want to put it on the kids faces so it wouldn't get in their eyes, argh :-\

(we ended up using it everywhere except on their faces). Guess I will be trying a spray on bug repellent next! (BTW, the essential oils I used were lavender, clove, eucalyptus, rosemary, and lemongrass. I find citronella is one of the most referenced, but 1. I can't stand the smell and 2. I didn't bring it anyways)

My DIY sunscreen worked GREAT, but you definitely need to REAPPLY OFTEN. All of my research and reading has said that as well, so this may not be a great option for everyone. I personally think we need more exposure to vitamin D than what is recommended, so we rarely if ever use sunscreen at our house, but ALL DAY outdoors activities is another matter all together!

This page was a very informative (and fascinating) read with info about SPF. A few important tidbits I learned there:
* Adding twice the zinc doesn't make it twice as effective. (SPF of 15 always seemed low to me, but I found it blocks 93% of UVB rays. Going higher in SPF is NOT proportional to the amount of zinc added, doubling to an SPF 30 only gives you another 4% of protection).
* Being skimpy in your sunscreen application can really kill the effectiveness since it doesn't just decrease by the amount you skip, it decreases by the square root - a 1/2 application of SPF 30 will yield an SPF of 5.5!!
* It is recommended you use 1 oz of SPF 15 for full body coverage every 2 hours.

Here is the other page I found most helpful in my research, PLUS you can purchase homemade sunscreen in her shop for those who don't (want to/have the supplies/have the time) to make it yourself! My out of pocket expenses for this were just for the zinc oxide, as I had everything else already on hand from several projects, but primarily from making lotion bars a few years ago (which I LOVE and will have to post about!)

Well, hope this was helpful and saves you some time and research.

Enjoy your time in the sun!!

Edgewood Community Self Reliance Fair

2014-05-04T22:52:00.000-06:00

Homemade Home & Personal Care Products
by Carla Ludington

A Big Shout Out to everyone who came to the Self Reliance Fair. It was fun to chat with everyone who came by the booth :0) I hope you learned a lot and found a lot of great resources. I was bummed I didn't get to go to the classes, I heard they had some great info they shared!

Here are links and info for all the items on my table yesterday. I hope you found something you would like to try, it is great to be able to make them myself when I am running low, especially when it saves money and the ingredient list is small and known!!

You could probably find most of the ingredients at any type of health food store, i.e. Vitamin Cottage (store and online), Whole Foods, Vita Cost, or Bulk Apothecary. Some of the items can also be found at your local grocery store.

Don't feel like you have to do them all!!!! It is so easy to get overwhelmed, just start where you are and do a little bit at a time. I started several years ago, and have really only done 1 things every couple months. Now, several years later, I have a lot under my belt lots but more to go!!

One last note, if you are using essential oils, it is best to store them in glass bottles, as the essential oils can deteriorate plastic, however re-purposing / recycling plastic bottles is a great way to keep them out of the landfill, and once they start deteriorating, you can consider another container.

If you have questions or suggestions, we'd love to hear about them in the comments, we are all learning together. Best of wishes on your journey, hope to see you again soon!!

Thanks again for stopping by!!

Tooth Soap is one of my favorite homemade finds. It is easy to put together, short ingredient list, and super healthy for your teeth. For more info you can check out "The Perfect Prescription for your Teeth" by K. "V" Van Cleef, or check out the Dr. Weston A. Price Foundation

Tooth Soap

2 Tbsp HOT water

4 tsp liquid castile soap

½ c melted coconut oil

2 tsp xylitol

20-30 drops essential oils (Oil of Oregano is super powerful, Clove helps with gingivitis and sensitivity, or kids really like Sweet Orange)

Boil a small amount of water. In a glass bowl, glass jar, food processor, or blender, dissolve sugar in hot water. Add coconut oil, soap, and essential oils. Blend until frothy. Scoop into an airtight container (can put in a quart sized Ziploc bag, snip one of the bottom corners off, and just “pipe” the tooth soap into a pump bottle).

Source: http://homesteadwannabes.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-tooth-soap-recipe-healthy.html

Deodorant

3 T Coconut Oil

3 T Baking Soda

2 T Shea Butter

2 T Arrowroot (optional)

Essential Oils (optional)

Combine shea butter and coconut oil in a double boiler (or a quart size glass mason jar with a lid and place this in a small saucepan of water) until melted. Add essential oils. Remove from heat and add baking soda and arrowroot powder (can use cornstarch or more baking soda instead of arrowroot powder). Mix well. Pour into a glass container for storage. It does not need to be stored in the fridge. You can let it cool completely and put it into an old deodorant stick for easier use, however if it begins to melt, it will come out of the bottom of the deodorant stick container (hypothetically, lol).

Don’t want to use shea butter? (it helps keep it firm in warmer weather) try using 6 Tbsp coconut oil, 4 Tbsp baking soda, and 4 Tbsp arrowroot powder, (also essential oils are still optional). Mixdry ingredients together, then “cut in” or mash coconut oil int until well mixed. Add oils if desired. Store in same manner as above.

Source: http://wellnessmama.com/1523/how-to-make-natural-deodorant/

The hand sanitizer is one of my favorite items (after the tooth soap!). My favorite scent is the combination of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary. I keep it in my purse for times when we are out and about and need a little cleaning, changing diapers, public bathrooms, meals in public, zoo trips, etc. Hope you enjoy it too!

Hand Sanitizer Spritz/Spray

4 oz glass spray bottle

2 tsp aloe vera gel

8-10 drops vitamin E oil (optional)

30 drops total of essential oils

(8 drops each of Lemon, Lime, Eucalyptus, and 6 drops Lavender OR 10 drops Clove, 9 drops Lemon, 5 drops Cinnamon, 4 drops Eucalyptus, 2 drops Rosemary)

Fill your glass bottle half-full with water. Add aloe vera gel, vitamin E oil, and essential oils. Fill any remaining space in bottle with water and shake well. To use: spray liberally on hands and rub together.

Source: http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/02/homemade-hand-sanitizer-with-essential-oils.html#sthash.tpiPj64s.0IDPWkoK.dpbs

Hand Sanitizer Gel

1 c pure aloe vera gel

1-2 tsp witch hazel (add until the desired consistency is reached)

25 drops tea tree oil (NOT for pregnant or nursing women or children under 1)

OR safe for families: lavender and pine (round out with citrus or rosemary)

Combine mixture in a glass bowl, shake or stir to combine. Can re-use a small plastic hand sanitizer bottle . Shake before use to distribute the oils.

Source: http://www.noordinaryhomestead.com/making-homemade-hand-sanitizer/

This is another favorite at our house. Easy and inexpensive! **I will confess the initial outlay for the liquid castile soap seems pricey (I bought the large bottle on sale for $10) but it lasts, literally, FOREVER.

Foaming Hand Soap

1 c water

2 Tbsp liquid castile soap (4 Tbsp for thicker soap)

8-12 drops of essential oils. (Our family loved lemon-grass)

Foaming hand soap bottle (recycled)

Add water, soap and essential oils to the foaming hand soap bottle. Mix gently, and enjoy. If you have very hard water, the soap can suspend in the water and will look cloudy (this didn’t seem to affect usability).

Source: right here!!! well, on this post here to be exact: http://ourjourneytoselfreliance.blogspot.com/2012/04/homemade-foaming-hand-soap.html

Laundry Spot Remover

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup liquid castile soap

¼ cup liquid vegetable glycerin

5-10 drops of lemon essential oil

Glass (or plastic) spray bottle

Mix all ingredients together. To use: shake well and apply liberally to spots and stains. Lightly rub mixture into fabric with fingertips. Works best if you treat spot immediately and allow to soak before washing.

Source:http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/03/diy-laundry-spot-remover.html#sthash.vfzAHK88.2ibOLhay.dpbs

Another favorite at our house. (Please be careful not to leave this one down where little hands can get it as it does contain rubbing alcohol, even if it is in small amounts).

Alvin Corn Glass Cleaner

¹/₈ c rubbing alcohol

¹/₈ c white vinegar

½ Tbsp cornstarch

1 c hot water, filtered preferred

Boil your water and let it cool just a bit. Add cornstarch to your spray bottle, and then the hot water. Shake well to dissolve. Add the rubbing alcohol and vinegar, and shake again. Every time you use this, you’ll want to shake it up to avoid clogging the spray nozzle with un-dissolved cornstarch. Use liberally and happily. Smile.

Source: http://www.crunchybetty.com/your-winning-homemade-glass-cleaner-now-with-video

All-Purpose Orange Power Cleaner

1 quart sized mason jar

Repurposed spray bottle

1 quart White Vinegar

Orange, grapefruit, lemon, or lime peels (or any combination of these)

Optional: 3-4 drops lemon, grapefruit, or orange essential oil

Place 3-4 citrus rinds in a quart jar about half full of citrus peels. Fill the rest of the way up with white vinegar. Cover tightly with a lid and shake. Steep peels and vinegar 2-3 weeks (the longer it sits, the more potent it will get!) Remove peels and strain through a fine strainer. Dilute 1:1 with water (one part citrus vinegar to one part water) and place in a spray bottle. Optional: add 3-4 drops essential oil to boost it’s cleaning power. Use as you would your plain vinegar cleaner: on sinks, countertops, bathtubs, toilets, floors, etc., and as the rinse aid in your dishwasher. (not recommended for wood floors, granite, or marble)

Source: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2013/02/05/how-to-make-homemade-orange-power-cleaner/

Bathtub & Shower Cleaning Gel

1 cup white vinegar (hot)

½-1 cup blue Dawn dish detergent

Place both in a squirt bottle (or an empty shampoo bottle). Shake to create a gel. Squirt the solution all over your tub, and allow to sit for a few minutes (you can let it sit overnight if you have some really hard to clean spots). Wipe off with a sponge or rag, then rinse. Works great with hard water :0)

Source: http://newlifeonahomestead.com/2012/07/homemade-showertub-cleaner-gel-recipe/

Awesome Christmas gifts for the prepper

2012-12-07T12:06:00.002-07:00

It can be tricky to get just the right gift for someone. I do think I am a good gift-giver all it really takes is thinking about the person in minds interests and listening to them and you will know just what to get. Though it does seem to take longer to come up with the right gift for some more then others.There is great satisfaction in giving gifts that are thoughtful and meaningful. My father in law is hard to get the right gift for so as I was thinking about what to get him I figured I would share some ideas not just for the hard to buy for men on your list but the prepper on your list too. These will make great gifts or stocking stuffers.

Milk Kefir Grains (Make sure to get the plastic strainer) Carla got this for me last Christmas and I thought it was a great gift, it was thoughtful too, she knew I wanted to start making Kefir on my own.

Gun Ball Bouncing Target
We got this for my FIL for his B-day and he loves it.

Para-cord bracelet. Always there if you need it para-cord can handle up to 550lbs of weight, it has a ton of uses check out the site to see them all.

Fire Hose Work Pants. My FIL and husband LOVE them. My hubby wears out pants fast and these have really held up amazingly. They are comfortable according to him and they look good on him so that doesn't hurt either;)

X-treme Tape. It can stretch 3x it's length, doesn't melt until 550F , insulates up to 800 volts, and forms air and water tight seals. A good thing to have around and a great stocking stuffer for the home improvement person in your life.

Juicer.

Re-usable canning lids

Dissolvable canning labels

Well hope this helps and if nothing else triggers ideas for other gifts!

Merry Christmas!

Free Presentation on the 6 Facets of Health

2012-09-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share some information on a presentation coming up in Los Lunas, NM being presented by Dr. Michael James from the Health and Weight Loss Clinic out of Laguna, NM.

They will be discussing the 6 facets of health.

What you should eat to be healthy.
Food is not the enemy, food products are.
Avoid colors, preservatives and excitotoxins.
Good fats and oils are essential.
Exercise should be for the entire body and not single muscle groups.
Our body's pH is of paramount importance.

The lecture will be at the Los Lunas Transportation Building, 101 Courthouse Road on October 2, 2012 at 6:00 pm. For more information you can call the clinic at 888-388-4413.

I know this is a local event and short notice, but it would be fun to see you! I will try to update this post with a summary of information from the event. I have been to some of his presentations before, and have always felt I learned a ton.

If you can't attend the lecture, you can also check out their website at drugfreehelp.com

'Modern Harvest' Canning Jar Labels

2012-09-04T23:52:00.003-06:00

Canning Jar Labels
Source: Modern Harvest

by Carla Ludington

I have a dear friend that is so diligent in so many ways, home canning being one of them. She was frustrated with how to label her canned goods. At one point, she put on sticky labels, but then the next year when she had to try to get them all off of the glass jars, she was not so enamored with the idea.

Fast forward a few years, and their family has started a new business, Modern Harvest, pioneering a new patent-pending way to make canning easier. They designed shrink-wrap type labels for canning jars, that have a place for you to write in what you have canned, and a place on the back that you check off when you canned it, as well as when you opened it so you can know if it is still good. To put the labels on the jars, you just dip them in hot water, and *presto!*. When you are ready to reuse the jars, you simply slip a knife or pair of scissors underneath the label (and do a little bit of wiggling, remember they ARE shrink-wrapped onto the jars) and ta-da: a jar with a clean surface, ready to be re-used.

back panel of Modern Harvest canning jar label

Seriously, sometimes you just look at something and go, "Why did it take so long for someone to invent this???" I am so excited for them, and think it is such an AWESOME idea. I hope you will find a design you like and try it out, and I wish their business all the best!

We have had a bit of a complicated summer around here, so I have not canned a thing yet this year (although we have dehydrated quite a bit), so you will have to test out the product for me, ha-ha! I asked about coordinating shipping to a separate address for a giveaway, and they have graciously offered to ship a free trial package to one of our lucky blog readers :0)

To enter, please send me one jar of your most recent canned goods, lol, just kidding!! Earn an entry for each question you answer in the comments. A winner will be randomly picked on September 14th, just in time to try it out while you re-stock your pantry with your bounteous harvests! (or for labeling home canned Christmas gifts :0)

1) What you most look forward to with this product or what you look for in this type of product in general
2) Your most frustrating experience with labeling your canned goods (share your experienced canners "DON'T do this" tip for anyone not using these labels yet)
3) Your favorite design / what you would like to try out
4) The biggest reason you would likely NOT want to try this out (is there one?)
5) What would make it easier to use this product (for me, I don't always plan ahead very well, so I would have to order these for my canning for next year so they would be handy :p )
6) Share this on Facebook (make sure you like us on Fb so we can find your link! :0)
7) Share this on Pinterest (share your Pinterest link in the comments section)

How to make your own body butter

2012-07-30T16:39:00.000-06:00

(Not Victoria Secret's Love Spell body butter in the container)

Home made body butter.
I have been using up my cache of body butter and not re-stocking it, knowing that I was going to make my own after it was all used up. However it took me a week or so to actually get around to making it after it all ran out. I can't remember when I started slathering body butter on after I got out of the shower it's been a ritual for so long I don't remember when it started. So for the past week I have smelled like baby magic, I hope no one has noticed but thats all I had left. Now I can trow it away. Why am I making my own body butter? Well I am tired of the laundry list of chemicals that are in most body butter and lotions and I don't want to pay big bucks for the kind of lotion I want if I can just make it myself, why not?

Ingredient list for body butter

1. Container. I saved an empty body butter lotion tub. You could use a mason jar, tuber-ware etc.

2. Coconut oil.(purchased at Tropical Traditions) I used about 6oz.
3. Shea butter (purchased on Amazon) or Cocoa butter. I used 8oz of Shea butter.
4. Essential oils of your choice.

Shea butter is firmer then coconut oil. I didn't have a recipe for this, I just threw it together. You can't mess it up. I know of people who just use coconut oil as their moisturizer. The body butter I made has the consistency of frosting. It has a few tiny Shea butter beads in it but once you start rubbing it on it melts fast. You can melt it all together first and then beat it when it's completely cooled down. I think it's an unnecessary step since you will melt it down the rest of the way when you rub it into your skin.

Sorry I don't have a picture of it blended together in the mixer but I had a little helper and got distracted.

Russel smelling the body butter.

Carla made some hard lotion bars and gave me one a few months ago. It was love at first use. But that's another post! Since then I have realized that keeping the ingredient list simple is the way to go. Not only is it simpler but I love the results! Since we have moved back to New Mexico about a year ago from Tulsa where it's humid my skin seems to have aged or something I don't' know but needless to say I don't like it! I have never had lotion make my skin look and feel this good. Why not put pure goodness on your skin, it feels so good knowing that what I am using is something I made and knowing exactly what's in it. I normally get my lotions from Bath and Body Works when there lotion went on sale. Or from Marshall's I would just read the labels and find the ones with the most goodness in them. Now I don't have to! It cost me about $8 dollars to fill up 2.5 containers (third container not picuted) It would have easily cost me $15+ for the amount I made.

I have been wanting to go through the ingredient list that is found in most lotions for some time now. A lot of the ingredients are questionable and while they may be cheaper (just guessing) to use but can be done away with when using truly natural products. My home made lotion has 3 ingredients versuses the 10 found in the commercial product. If there was a nominal diffenece between my homemade body butter and commercial products I wouldn't bother to gather my own ingredients and make it. However after using a hard lotion bar and just the pureness of the ingredients I knew I had to make my own body butter and it's phenomenal! I will never buy store bought body butter or lotion again!

Now let's look at the ingredient list ...

This is the ingredient list for Equate's Daily Moisturizing Lotion (Victoria Secret's body butter label was on the bottom but reads right to left and I just couldn't do it with such tiny crammed print).

The first ingredient -
Allantoin which I know to be good since it's found in Comfrey and helps to speed recovery through cell proliferation. Read more here.
Avina Sativa or oat kernel helps - It can reduce dry skin and inflammation. Oat straw's silicon is the reason why Avena sativa has anti-inflammatory properties. Read more here.
This site called Skin Deep rates skin care products etc. Benzyl Alcohol - Neurotoxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs). Source.

Cetyl Alcohol - "Today, cetyl is obtained from other sources of fats, such as petroleum, palm, coconut or vegetable oil" (used to be obtained from whale fat)."Because of its unique binding and emollient action, cetyl alcohol is a great binder for moisturizing. Why? Water and oil do not mix, so moisturizers containing a fat such as cetyl alcohol lock moisture into the skin and form a protective barrier that water can't penetrate, preventing dry and parched skin." *Read more here. I think it's an unnecessary ingredient in my lotion, I didn't add any water to it. K.I.S.S Keep it simple stupid and I question it's safety.

Distearyldimonium Chloride - "may be found as an ingredient in fabric softeners, cosmetics, and hair conditioners in which it is added primarily for its antistatic effects." Not finding this to be a necessary ingredient in my body lotion. Read more here *and here it makes skin feel smooth but it's safety is questioned. Glycerin - "Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin" However the reasoning for having it in lotions doesn't make me want to put it in my lotion. Read more here."

"Unless the humidity of air is over 65%, glycerin draws moisture from the lower layers of the skin and holds it on the surface, drying the skin from the inside out." Hmmm...doesn't sound good does it?! Read more here. Isopropyl palmitate - It's an astringent emollient that is sometimes used to reduce the feeling of greasiness. It also used to help active ingredients to diffuse into the skin better." Certain hazards have been connected to the use of isopropyl palmitate" source. Petrolatum - " Right now, petrolatum is cheap, plentiful and generally safe, and it mixes up easily in the lab to create the products we use every day—it’s not going anywhere soon." Read more here. After reading about it I am indifferent to it but don't see a need to add any to my home made body butter. Sodium chloride - It can be used to increase the thickness of the aqueous (water) portion of cosmetics and personal care products. Source. Not seeing the benefit to adding it to my body butter since I don't have any water and the thickness is fine. *Water - follow the link to get the full picture as to why water is used in lotion, this is a really good article!

Home made body butter ingredients -

Coconut oil - Coconut oil is excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. Coconut oil is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of various body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its antioxidant properties. Source. Just put coconut oil in a Google search and see for yourself. There is a lot of hype about it right now but I believe most of it. I have seen the difference it's made in my skin and it's been wonderful.

Shea butter - What makes Shea butter an extraordinary skin care and an amazing body healer is its richness in precious constituents, which include unsaturated fats with a large proportion of "unsaponifiables" components, essential fatty acids, phytosterols, vitamin E and D, provitamin A and allantoin. All these are natural and make Shea butter a superfood for your skin (and hair), but that is not all it can do for you because it is:

Wrinkles, fine lines and scars repairing
Antioxidant
Anti-inflammatory
Deeply moisturizing
Stimulating for the superficial microcirculation
Skin strengthening
Skin protecting
UV protecting
Skin regenerating
Collagen production stimulating (makes the skin stronger, more supple and younger)
Minor cuts and burns healing
Muscle ache healing
Physical endurance enhancer
Source

Essential oils is a whole other post(s).

Yep, I will be making my own body butter from now on :) Do you make your own body butter? I would love to hear about your experiences with it? What ingredients do you add that I didn't and why? Thanks for stopping by! Also if you do start making your own I would love to hear about the results!

Homemade Vanilla

2012-07-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

A Deliciously Aromatic Tutorial

by Carla Ludington

A 3 month old bottle of homemade vanilla extract

I love real vanilla, but I can hardly bring myself to pay full price for the good stuff, which is unfortunate because I do quite a bit of baking and cooking. I finally could not bare the thought of purchasing it, so the next best alternative is to try to make it myself!!

The site I found most helpful was Vanilla Review. Ian has a ton of information, and the comments were also helpful to browse through and see people's different experiences.

Having never ordered vanilla beans before, and not sure what to expect, $20 seems like a bit to drop for an experiment. Far more awkward was dropping the $ for the alcohol! There is lots of advice out there about what makes 'the best vanilla extract', but really, it all seems to boil down to vanilla beans and vodka, so don't stress. Want proof? (ha-ha, get it? :0) Read on to learn about my stressed out adventure.

While there are many places to choose from, I ordered a pound of vanilla beans from Saffron Imports. Specifically, I ordered 1/2 a pound of Planifolia beans, and 1/2 a pound of Tahitian beans. The bonus was for orders over $20 you get a free 2 oz bottle of vanilla extract or a 5 bean sample. Note that 'extract quality' beans are drier than 'gourmet quality' beans. Extract beans have a lower water content, which is ideal for vanilla extract. You will also get more bang for your buck, since by weight there will be less water content. Really, either should work just fine.

Packaged Tahitian Vanilla Beans.

Purchasing the alcohol ended up being an even bigger part of the experiment. Vodka, rum, and bourbon were all recommended as the extract medium. I had heard that the best vanilla extract was made from Bourbon, so we tried our first batch using Bourbon Whiskey. To me personally, the smell of the alcohol was overwhelmingly sickening. Perhaps it was that my nose is inexperienced in the aroma of alcohol or that my alcoholic choice was an inexpensive selection, (is there Bourbon that is not Whiskey?) but whatever the reason, it smelled AWFUL to me. There was not much of a vanilla smell to it, but an overwhelmingly sickening smell of whiskey. While you can use Bourbon, (so I've seen at least), It turns out the Bourbon vanilla being referred to was from one of the islands vanilla beans come from. Who knew??

For the second try, my husband & I had a conversation about what makes the extract work. We discussed using Vodka (which is the most commonly used alcohol), but after conversations he had with co-workers, he wanted to try Everclear, as it has the highest percentage of alcohol content - it is a grain alcohol, made from corn, that is 190 proof (95% alcohol). Initially this seemed like it was working well, however in comparison to other batches we have made, this still smells like rubbing alcohol (duh, it is 95% alcohol), and has not extracted as much vanilla as we would have expected. I have considered adding distilled water to it to hopefully improve the probability of extracting more vanilla.

Well, third time is a charm, right? We used, drum roll please, vodka - which is what was suggested from the get go by many. We aimed for a mid-level Vodka, picking up an Absolut Vodka on the first trip to try it out, and then getting a Svedka on a trip to Sam's Club to get it in bulk, which was by far the cheapest option, even considering the many discount liquor stores in "wet" ol' New Mexico.

The Caviar is very small, soft and grainy.

To prepare the extract, we sliced the beans lengthwise four times, and then scraped out the "caviar" (the inside of the bean). The bean and caviar were then scraped into a glass bottle. A dark glass bottle is recommended, but we had easy and inexpensive access to clear glass bottles with a re-sealable rubber stopper, and plan to keep them in the closet out of sunlight.

Our vanilla extract assembly process.

The 'recipe' I used, if you can call it that, was: 30 grams vanilla beans for 250 mL alcohol, which is about 8 vanilla beans. Therefore, for 1750 mL you will use approximately 56 beans, or about 1/2 lb. vanilla beans.

It is important that the vanilla beans in the bottle are constantly covered up by the alcohol, no ends or points sticking out. On one of the batches we made, we got lazy and just sliced the beans length wise once or twice and then put it in the blender and pulsed it a few times. It did make very quick work of

the slicing / scraping. My only reservation is that after the extract is complete, this precludes you from being able to remove the pieces, dry them, and then add them to a container of sugar to make vanilla sugar. However, the bonus is that the vanilla bean pieces stay submerged in the alcohol, even if I am siphoning off a little bit at a time to stock my pantry.

Extract in vodka after processing

For best results, the recommended extract time is approximately 6 months. Shake the extract every day the first week, then once a week for 6 months, or really, just when you see them and think about it. It is supposed to age like wine, and will get better as time passes.

Within a week, the color between the Everclear and Vodka was noticeably different. The Everclear looks slightly pale, while the Vodka is very dark and rich in color. It still smells very strongly of alcohol, but after being made, aside from a weekly shaking, it needs to sit for about six months.

Left: vodka @ 3 months;
Center: Vodka @ 1 month;
Right: Everclear @ 3 months

After about 3 months, it has a beautiful vanilla aroma to accompany the slight alcohol smell. When I was in the middle of cooking and used up the last of my store bought vanilla and was in a pinch, I tried it out, and it was just fine. I refilled my store bought bottle, but left the rest of the extract-in-process in the closet in the pantry to let it sit a few more months.

For me, this is a keeper!! Definitely easy to do, inexpensive (if you don't buy the wrong alcohol first!!!), and the smell is A-MAZING!! The wait time is kind of annoying, but the old saying that necessity is the mother of invention (or motivation) is so true in my case. I finally just DID IT and now I have awesome vanilla to use for the next long while. Hypothetically, I made a little extra for small Christmas gifts, but I don't know who reads this blog, so if it is you, just act surprised and enjoy :0)

So, ready to try your hand at it? I saved a few extra beans to pass on in a double giveaway - yeah!!! To enter to win, comment here or on our Facebook page and reveal what you have tried (or want to try) from any of the different posts we have done on Our Journey to Self Reliance thus far. For a second chance to win, tell us something you would like to learn more about or try to do, but need someone else to do first to give you the motivation to start or try. If you are new to the journey, become a follower or like us on our Facebook page (and message us so we know to look for you!)

Just for kicks, tell us what you have enjoyed the most about sharing our journey - we would love to hear from you!! TWO winners will be picked August 9th by a random number generator, announced in the comments, and messaged to obtain mailing info. Good luck and thanks for sharing a little about your journey! :0)

Horno = Adobe Oven. There is no horno in orno.

2012-06-16T15:06:00.000-06:00

via

On May 17th some of our ward gathered at our Bishops house to ~~make~~ watch and learn as a few people helped in part of the process of building the Horno. I am the Provident Living Specialist, it's my calling in our ward. I organize 4-5 activities a year to do stuff like this :) I am grateful that him and his wonderful wife were up for us all descending on their house (a house they built of adobe 20yrs ago).

Barbie took video and I took a ton of pics with my camera. Barbie shot the whole process and is making a video out of it which will be shared on You Tube and I will of course be sharing it here.

My hubs in the white shirt and brown work pants. Hubba, hubba ;)

I thought it was super cute that my son was the only kid there interested in what the adults were doing. Luckily he was in helping and observing mode not destruct-o mode.

Part of the video was shown at the Self-Reliance Fair by the Bishop at his booth. My parents came to the very successful fair and now my dad really wants to build one and since me and Jake were present for part of the Horno building he is enlisting our help. Which is fine by me since I didn't get to get my hands dirty in this one since I was taking pictures the whole time. Of course my dad wanted to know how much money it takes to build an Horno. Well here in NM it's about $1 an adobe brick. You need about 200 bricks so there you go. This is a large one but you can build them smaller of course.

The picture below is probably what you picture in our mind when your hear the word Horno...maybe or you may be saying it with the H which conjures up pictures of? Well let's not go there. The H is silent hince there are no hornos in ornos ;) I heard people say "what's an horno" about 1,000 times and it's funny, but it's pronounced orno. Picute of an Horno in a Pueblo in Taos New Mexico.

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Love the creativity.

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Peachy pink stuccoed Horno. I like the shelter it's in too but wonder how the smoke is, do they have a hole in the roof? I also think I would extend it out further. Also the Bishop was telling my dad that you can somehow build it into your home which would be highly beneficial in the winter. I know super vague but if you are thinking about building house then I am just dropping a bug in your ear.

via

At the fair I put up a sign up sheet for people to leave their e-mail address if they wanted to be notified of the first meeting for the East Mountains Community Homesteading Group. What is a Community Homesteading Group? Read this post. The jest of it is you have a group in a close geographic location, (ours will be around 15 square miles, I think) there to help each other out and to learn from each other. Need help building that chicken tractor? Send an e-mail out via the group e-mail list and see if anyone responds. Want to teach a few classes on how to build an Horno send the word out via the e-mail group to let people know. The group can meet together a few times a year and have a potluck. The first meeting is when to discuss how you want to organize it all. It's a great opportunity to build community and share your skills and learn some new ones. I am looking forward to getting it going with the help of a new friend that I met through organizing the fair.

Hope you enjoyed the post. If you have any questions I would love to try and answer them, or get them answered for you.

Have you seen these posts?

Make homemade foaming hand soap

Straw bale gardening

Spice it up!

How NOT to make homemade laundry soap.....

2012-06-02T18:34:00.000-06:00

My own batch of homemade laundry soap

Or Alternately, "Trial & Error With Homemade Laundry Soap"
by Carla Ludington

Well, I am constantly learning just as much from things that turn out great as I do from things that don't turn out so great.  Case in point: Homemade Laundry Detergent.

It seems there are all sorts of posts about it, pinterest pins, a few variations of the recipes, mixed experiences with it, etc.

Who wouldn't love to spend their cash on something besides laundry detergent? Cool bonus to know exactly what is in it (and what is NOT in it, ie all the sulfates and other chemicals). I was finally motivated to try it since we were setting up an activity to make it as part of our ladies night out / activity night for the womens group at our church.

Check on pinterest or anywhere else, and there are a zillion posts and recipes for how to do it, and they are all pretty much the same.


                                                    Source: ourjourneywestward.com

         1 bar laundry soap (1 bar will make 1 batch)
          1 cup Borax (@ $6, will make @ 9 batches)
          1 cup Washing Soda (@ $4, will make @ 6 batches)

Here is where the trial and error part come in. These are the things I learned in this experiment that weren't in the recipes online. Be sure to read my conclusions on your choices for the laundry detergent bar (points 3-5) before you get started...

Finely grated soap

Ben helping grate the soap in the Bosch

#1   Grate the soap with a ~~hand grater~~. I grated the soap with the fine grate attachment on my Bosch food processor. It was super efficient and effective. (This was a time saver and easy on the hands).

#2   ~~Stir, Stir, Stir~~! That part, while easy, took forever! My arm was sore, and it was still rather lumpy at that point. Instead, for my second batch I poured the shredded soap and other ingredients into my blender and pulsed 8-10 times. This was also a SERIOUS TIME SAVER. 30 seconds later I had super-fine powdery laundry detergent.

after 10 minutes of stirring

version 2: a quick mix from my helper

#3 I WOULD NOT use Fels-Naptha. According to the OSHA Materials Safety Data Sheet, while this soap is designated as ok for consumer / household use, it does contains petrol products that should not be in contact with skin or eyes, and specifically says it aggravates pre-existing skin conditions. That was particularly problematic for us, as my husband has really sensitive skin / severe eczema, so he had a pretty immediate reaction to it (he had no idea I had switched detergent and couldn't figure out why he seemed to develop ants in his pants over-night, lol. The poor guy went a week scratching his skin off his entire body before we had a conversation that put it all together). I will caution that while OSHA and the FDA indicate a product is safe, there are times when really the products are simply grandfathered in as safe / declared safe because there isn't any scientific studies proving to what extent they are harmful, whilst they simultaneously don't have any definitive or scientific information showing that it is actually safe.

#4 I also WOULD NOT use a body bar, as it is too oily to use on clothes (see savingdogs post of 7/31/11), as well as the fact that most body soaps are super-fatted (meaning they use additional oils to react with the lye in the soap so there is no lye remaining, but that leaves extra oil in the soap - great for skin, not so great for your clothes). Before I discovered this, I did try a few, and would concur with the information highlighted in the discussion.

#5 I have heard mixed reviews on Ivory soap (soap doesn't dissolve in wash, clothes come out dingy, doesn't remove stains that well) so if you are going to stick with it as a super inexpensive option, I would suggest only using Ivory soap with the liquid homemade laundry detergent version so that you can melt it completely and not have chunks of it left undissolved in your laundry. (Recipes and instructions here).  Overall, I would say I still would not recommend Ivory soap since it is a body bar (see point #2 above).

Overall, making your own laundry soap is super easy, fast, and inexpensive to make. For us, the laundry detergent bar seems to be the crux of our failure - the Fels-Naptha fell short of my expectations, and the body bars don't seem to be as viable of an alternative.

Ultimately, if this is something you want to try, I would recommend you try a small amount of different grated soaps to find something you are happy with. As for me,I haven't been able to commit to making any more yet, but I don't think I can quite call it quits, so maybe I will just have to keep trying. Perhaps this summer we will check out Zote, or perhaps Dr. Bronner's Citrus Orange Pure Castile Soap (I like Dr. Bronner's for my foaming handsoap).  I still have several zip-loc bags of shredded soap on top of my washer that I feel wasteful throwing away, but I can't bring myself to use, so they remain on my washer in this limbo of 'this didn't work like I thought it might'. 64 loads of cheap laundry soap isn't so great if you won't (or can't) actually use it.

If you do forge ahead, one of the sites I checked out suggested that a 32 oz yogurt tub was a perfect size to store a batch of the detergent.

On the plus side, this was HE washing machine friendly, so it won't take much. The recommended guide is 1 Tbsp/load for a regular wash or 2 Tbsp/load for heavily soiled items.


This was a chance for me to learn how sensitive my husband's skin really is and how not everything homemade is the best choice or right fit for every family, as this didn't work out so great for us. Maybe I should re-name this post: "Things I never knew I would love about Biokleen". As I mentioned earlier, so much soap, so little opportunity for it to be used at our house ever again..... so if anyone is looking to try it out for free, I have several versions to choose from :0)

Kreative Blogger award...

2012-05-16T10:08:00.005-06:00

Yep that's a blogger award :) So excited to have it given to us by Kendra of Our Homemade Happiness. She is super sweet and excited about making what she can at home, a rather good combination I'd say.

7 interesting facts:

1. I am the Fair Coordinator for a Self-Reliance fair that will be held in the East Mountains 30 miles outside of Albuquerque, NM. It has been a fun and interesting experience.
2. I used to have bright red hair, and purple and orange and blue. I dyed my hair enough for my whole life time. I haven't dyed my hair in nearly 10 years and I love my natural color.
3. I love the band The Civil Wars. I love old timey folky blues grassy music I can't listen to it constantly I love me some variety! But sometimes I think I was supposed to live in a different era...but not really cause that would have sucked, you know what I am talking about ladies. -DeAnn

Now to pass the torch onto Carla to answer some questions...

1. My husband and I have a constant running conversation about where we want to move to "someday". It entails many things we like about our current location, but infuses dreams of the actual presence of water and greenery. As much as I dream of homesteading, I worry I am too much of a city girl. For example, I love the IDEA of fresh eggs, but not so much the REALITY of chickens that peck at you or chicken poop. Sigh.
2. At our house we jokingly say we are "85% vegetarian" (we officially have "that" kind of house; some of the girls that babysit for us have no idea what in the heck to feed the kids because there is NO FOOD IN THE HOUSE - meaning lots of grains and veggies but not much in the way of processed foods. There are days when even my husband says this, haha!)
3. While I love sewing and quilting, most of my time is spent researching / trying out different things about self reliance and natural living, . Maybe that is more practical for the day to day grind of life with four small children and homeschooling :0)
4. I think I might have a mild case of ADD - I go to the library and can't help but bring home 30 different books on at least 15 different subjects that seem utterly fascinating. I think this has spilled into my interests in hobbies and would explain my (many) pile of projects around the house. Not sure there is a way to possibly do all the things I would love to do in this lifetime.

Carla :0)

We are passing on this award to these 7 other blogs...

New life on a homestead Another Kendra, also super sweet...must be a requirement. Her and her cute little family of homesteaders are always cooking up something fun. The post I linked to from her blog caught my attention, I would love to have one but I guess I should have stuff to put in it first.

Natalie from Prepping with NatSprat, we actually became blog friends through both of our other blogs. She started her prepping blog very recently and is off to a great start. If you think you have to spend big bucks to be prepared then you need to see her posts on Dollar Tree 72 hour kits.

I found Becky's post on Canning potatoes well because my dad bought and gave me 100lbs of potatoes and I don't want them to go bad! I have a pressure caner so it's time to start canning...potatoes anyone? :) She has a lot of neat posts go check her out at Simply Self Sufficiency.
- DeAnn

Karen Lynn at Lil' Suburban Homestead has a variety of subjects she blogs about. I have particularly enjoyed her homesteading posts on beekeeping, herbology, and especially her apothecary post for making homemade crystallized ginger that I am dying to try out - yum!

I was very inspired by so many posts from Chele at Seriously, that's my life..., she is an amazing lady that has been through some crazy and difficult challenges, and has leaned on the Lord to get her through with grace and a humble heart. She is a great example of starting where you are and taking small steps to make a huge impact.

While this is a little more than we are ready for right now, it has been wonderful to share in the experiences of life off grid. Glo doesn't sugar coat it, and shares the harshness of her challenges, the beauty of nature, and the reality of life on a homestead at Off the Grid at -30.

Last but not least, I love Cari's messages of motherhood, real food, faith, and homeschooling. Check out some awesome messages as she shares her families journey at An Intentional Life.
-Carla :0)

Here are the rules for those nominated by us:

1.Copy the Kreativ Blogger Award logo and place it in your post.
2.Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.
3.List 7 things about you that people might find interesting.
4.Nominate 7 other bloggers for their own Kreativ Blogger Award.
5.Leave a comment on the blogs you nominate to let them know about the award.

Thank you Kendra!

No poo for my hair, thanks

2012-05-09T02:10:00.000-06:00

An Alternative to Sham-poo

by Carla Ludington

What shampoo do you use to wash your hair?

I don't use poo.

Sounds deceptive, and a little frightening, don't you think?

Apple Cider Vinegar

Baking Soda

That's what I thought too, when I first heard of no poo shampoo. It sounded like someone had fallen off the crazy wagon - why wouldn't you use shampoo??? That's a little too crunchy for me, thank you very much. However, after hearing the details,

I confess I have been converted.

Shampoos are (typically) detergents with chemicals such as mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, and sodium laureth sulfate, just to name a few. Sulfate detergents act as foaming agents and degreasers, and were originally designed to clean machinery. When shampooing in a warm shower, the hot steam opens the pores on your scalp, allowing your body to absorb even more of the chemicals than they would otherwise. This can be especially harmful for younger children, as the sulfates can affect their eye development. (See here, here, and here).

My previous shampoo was "Sulfate-free", but still contained disodium laureth sulfuconate.
While is only half as toxic and irritating and irritating to the skin as SLS, that is only one ingredient in a list of many...

In the process of cleaning your hair, shampoo strips your hair of its natural oil, which is why most people add conditioner (to re-oil your hair). With all the sebum (the natural oils from your hair) being stripped away, your hair produces even more oil, which ends up sort of over producing, leaving your hair even greasier. Which is why it feels like you need to wash it every day (and with that routine, you do). Hhhmmmmmm.......

Besides avoiding all the unfamiliar and unpronounceable chemicals in shampoo, here are a few other reasons someone might choose to try the no poo method:
- very inexpensive (the ingredients are water, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar)
- simple / easy to use
- healthier hair (it will revert to a more natural state)
- can save time and water (only need to shampoo every few days)
- (usually) eliminates the need for additional hair products

Here's the skinny:

For washing your hair, use 1 Tbsp baking soda per cup of water. This usually lasts me a couple of days. If you have longer hair, just double or triple the recipe, but keep the proportions the same. Too much baking soda will dry out your hair and leave residue. The theory on this is the baking soda mixture is a base and cleans your hair and scalp. You can recycle almost anything to store this in (I use a picnic style ketchup or mustard type bottle from the kitchen section at the grocers since it has a pointed tip with a lid that just slips on and off). Apply to your scalp, let it sit for a minute, then scrub into your scalp with a circular motion, just like you would shampoo. Rinse with warm water. (For those who prefer a visual run-through, Stephanie at Keeper of the Home shared a video blog.)

To detangle and clarify your hair, rinse your hair with a mixture of 1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (ACV) per cup of water. I use another picnic type bottle, but some people use a spray bottle. Ideally you would rinse your scalp in cold water for this one, but I admit I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold water in the shower (or anywhere else, for that matter!). The ACV rinse helps neutralize the pH of your hair after the baking soda mixture.

Can you say detox?

So here's the catch - remember when I said your hair will produce oil to counteract the oils being stripped by the shampoo? Well, when you switch over to no poo, it may take your hair awhile to realize it is not being stripped anymore. In the meantime, expect anywhere from 2 weeks to 8 weeks for your hair to adjust and revert to a healthier version of itself. Emily at Live Renewed suggested a shampoo bar or decreasing your shampoo routine to every few days to try to decrease the amount of oil produced from shampoo stripping your scalp. (She also mentioned that since the ACV rinse is not so much for your scalp as it is for the ends of your hair, it can actually encourage the natural oil production of your scalp, so when first starting out you may want to limit the ACV to just the ends of your hair.) Katie at Kitchen Stewardship found that if things weren't going so well with her hair, sometimes the recipe just needed a little tweak.

I wasn't ready to go crunchy cold turkey, so I initially tried a shampoo bar (which lathers like shampoo). It left my hair feeling a little weird, dried out and frizzy, but I think it was just going through the de-tox. Once I ran out of the shampoo bar I switched to no poo, which was about the same initially, but got better fairly quickly, but again, I think that a lot of that was the detox for my hair. Whatever the reasons, my hair was pretty gross for what felt like forever. I was ready to give up on several occasions. Living with hair that felt thick, greasy, and dirty was not so pleasant. Thank goodness it didn't last forever! Now I am so happy with it. It feels softer and has better body to it, and it just feels good to know I am taking care of it in a way that is easy, inexpensive, and earth friendly. My husband misses the flower-y smells of my previous shampoo, but ironically his favorite ones were advertised as having herbal types of smells like 'rosemary-mint'. I am thinking I will try adding some essential oil to my ACV.

A few tips:

After the de-tox phase, if your hair is still too oily, try decreasing the amount of vinegar in the rinse, or switch to using lemon juice instead of ACV.

For hair that is too dry (i.e. from winter weather), add 2-3 drop vitamin e oil to the ACV rinse.

For hair that is too dry (not from winter weather), try using less baking soda or using honey in the clarifying rinse instead of ACV.

For an extensive list of suggestions on how to tweak the recipe for your hair type (i.e. greasy, frizzy, dry, itchy scalp, dandruff, etc.) and a list of herbs you can add to improve the health of your hair, see here.

Have you tried no poo before? How did it work for you? What factors make it more or less likely for you to try it out now or in the future, or to stick with it? If you aren't quite ready to leave the poo, how about trying a shampoo bar , using a greener option, or maybe just using your traditional shampoo 1 day less a week?

Bug out!!! A guest post from NatSprat!

2012-04-30T07:17:00.000-06:00

I am so excited that Natalie is here today I have gotten to know her from my other blog The SIP project and her first blog NatSprat and when I found out she was into self-reliance and just started a new blog called Prepping Up with NatSprat I had to have her guest post...still following me? She did this fabulous post on 72 hour kits and I wanted to share it with YOU. I haven't seen a better post for a 72 hour kit. If you didn't know what to put in your 72 hour kit...now you do!

Hi! I'm Nat from over at NatSprat.blogspot.com and I am SOOOO incredibly excited to be guest posting here at OJTSR! These women are absolutely incredible and I am just so honored to be here! I was asked to share a post I did on putting together my 72 hour kit, or as I call it, my Bug Out Bag!

Basically, it's a 72 hour kit, which if necessary, can be thrown on and carried if there is some sort of emergency. We live in Colorado, so I have packed this bag according to things I might need in Colorado. If you live in, say, Florida or Hawaii you might pack differently. Also, if you have babies, you'll need to pack accordingly for that: diapers, baby food, etc. However, I think most things I have will apply to pretty much anywhere. So, what do I have in my Bug Out Bag? Let's take a peek, shall we?

First, let's go over some of the basic tools that I have in my bag.

Basics

1. Binoculars so you can see over the river and through the woods, of course...

2. Gerber Multi-tool. Basically...a pocket knife which also folds into pliers and has other "accessories" such as screw drivers, mini saw, various other blades, etc. I made sure it was a good brand, because if my life depended on this knife, I sure as heck wouldn't want it to break on me.

3. A knife sharpener...don't want a dull blade!

4. A compass with magnifying glass (also included with this but not pictured is a Colorado map, so include one from wherever you live!) Um...and know how to read a map. ;)

5. Extra Batteries (for the walkie talkie and flash light)

6. LED Flashlight: I recommend LED flashlights because the bulbs last about 100,000 hours, whereas an incandescent bulb will burn out around 40 hours. LED flashlights are also more rugged and drain batteries 3 to 5 times slower than regular incandescent flashlights. They cost more, but it's worth it. I know I sure as heck don't want my flashlight going out in the middle of the night while trying to find camp. We all know that this is when Bigfoot attacks. *shudder*

7. Walkie talkie. My husband has the other one in his bag, so we will be able to communicate with each other in case we get separated. Make sure you have your stations set right and you know how to use them."Marco!"....."Polo!".....

8. Waterproof/windproof matches

9. Flint firestarter...just in case the matches don't work or I run out.

More camp basics:

1. Roll of toilet paper and Germ-ex wipes: Because...well...when you gotta go, you gotta go.

2. Camp cookware and utensils

3. Folding camp stove

4. Portable cooking fuel (Sterno). So, basically, you unfold the stove, light the fuel, put it in the stove, and cook on top of it. And you don't have to worry about building a fire or anything.

*Here's a link to a folding camp stove with cooking fuel on Amazon.


See? Easy Peasy.

5. Work gloves.

6. Gerber camp axe: because the mini saw in my multi-tool just isn't going to cut it. Literally.

7. Tarp: can be made into a shelter (I'm still searching for a good tube tent that isn't the same thickness of Saran Wrap!!!)

8. Rope: a necessity!

9. Winter hat because as much as 45% of your body heat is lost through your head!

Personal Care Items

1. Mascara. Because even if I'm in the woods, I at least have to have mascara on to feel like a human being.

2. Travel size shampoo, conditioner and lotion.

3. Travel size soap. Because I don't want to stink.

4. Kleenex

5. Body powder: also helps if you are chafing!

6. Diaper wipes: These are for if you need to freshen up and no water is available.

7. Feminine products. Because Mother Nature doesn't care where the heck you are.

8. Chapstick because I would die without it.

9. Bug Spray

10. Sunscreen

11. Travel size deodorant

12. Travel toothbrush and toothpaste.

13. Mini sewing kit. You know one of your kids is going to get their shirt ripped on a tree. It is inevitable.

14. Folding hairbrush/mirror and hair ties.

Keeping Warm and Dry

1. Emergency blankets...I got the more durable kind. Hopefully they will hold up to wiggly little kids better!

2. Hooded poncho: never know when it may rain.

3. Marker, paper and tape: leave notes to help people find you, etc. And duct tape is just flipping awesome and you should ALWAYS have some with you. ;)

4. Trash bags: these are all kinds of useful. Use them as back up ponchos, use them to keep your stuff dry, use them as extra liner to sleep on. You can even use them to collect rain water or make a solar still.

*What's a solar still? It's a great way to collect water in emergencies. Click HERE to learn more!

Drinking Water

*Just because most people can live from 3-5 days without water doesn't mean we should!

1. Actual ready to drink water bottles. Can you believe it!?! Now, remember that a gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds. While water is very important in a survival situation, so is being able to actually stand up and walk.

2. Flavored drink packets just in case I have to use the water purification tablets and the water tastes funky.

3. Water bottle with built in water filter. This water bottle filters out 99.9 % of Giardia Lamblia and Cryptosporidium cysts. VERY IMPORTANT!!! Never drink out of rivers, lakes or streams. Unless you want to be vomiting out of one end and more unpleasant things coming out of the other end.

*want one? Here's a link to them!

4. Water purification tablets: another good thing to always have with you, just in case.

Food

Food seemed to be the most stressful part of packing my Bug Out Bag. Especially because I have 3 little kids. I wanted foods that were portable, had a long shelf life, and actually EDIBLE. I found that there were actually a lot of options for food. Here are a few!

Mountain House Freeze Dried Food

One bag of these runs around $6 and has 2 servings. They last a looong time. If water isn't an issue, these are great. They are super light weight and don't take up a whole lot of space. But if you aren't planning on having much water with you, I'd look at the other options. You have to add 2 cups of boiling water to these pouches. I think these sound pretty yummy!

Another very popular option is MRE's, or Meals Ready to Eat. These have a shelf life of about 5-7 years. (or longer, depending on the temperature they are stored at). I have a Brother-In-Law who was a Marine, and he said that these are actually pretty good. These run about $2.50 each, and each meal is 1 serving. You don't have to add water, just heat up the pouch, open it up and chow down. There are lots of different meals to chose from, as well as snacks, side dishes, and desserts! I got mine from

BePrepared.com
(I seriously love that place.)

Another option is just finding things at your local grocery store! This is an example of breakfast: Instant oatmeal, cereal bars, and hot chocolate. I got all of these things from Walmart! Keep an eye on the expiration dates, though.

These are more grocery store foods. (One of my lunches, to be exact!)

Tuna salad with crackers, granola bar, applesauce, fruit snack, and a crystal light energy water pack.

These Compleats are good, too! The shelf life is about a year, and they have lots of really yummy flavors! I'm planning on just dumping mine into my cookware and heating it up. I can only imagine how wonderful this would taste after a long day of surviving in the woods. :)

This is one of Kate's lunches. Mac & Cheese, applesauce and fruit snacks. Things I know she'll actually eat! And again, no water needed, and the Chef Boyardee things have a pretty good shelf life.

Medical Supplies

1. General First Aid Kit:

* Band-aids of various sizes

* antibiotic ointment

* thermometer

* triangular bandage

* eye rinse

*antiseptic wipes

*Calamine lotion (anti itch cream)

* medical tape

* Sterile gauze bandages various sizes

*Sterile gauze wrap

* acetaminophen and ibuprofen

*antacid tabs

* non-latex gloves (2 pairs)

* burn cream

*tweezers

*scissors

2. Snake bite kit (sure hope we don't have to use it...)

3. Blister Care Band-aids

4. Masks

5. Various commonly used OTC medicines at our house: children's Tylenol, Mucinex packets, my Zoloft (yes...I need my happy pills!) and Whitney's inhaler. Ohhh...it would be such a bad thing if we didn't have it with us!

6. ACE elastic bandage

7. First Aid Guide: In case I freak out and can't remember how to put on a Band-aid.

A few other things to put in your bag (I didn't take pictures of these...sorry!)

*an extra change of clothing
*important documents
*cash!!!
*a portable handheld radio (the kind you can wind up by hand)
*folding camp shovel
* fun things for the kids: coloring books, card games, etc.

*scriptures and journal

Can you believe that all of those things are crammed into that backpack? ROCK ON. If I forget anything or add things I'll update as I go. Also, my kids each have their own Bug Out Bags, and they just carry the very basics. Otherwise, they would fall over and cry and we would never get anywhere. The end.

If you have any questions or suggestions, leave a comment and let me know! Hopefully you found this helpful. You don't have to get everything all at once, just little by little! I made a goal to get at least ONE thing for my pack every time I went to the store. Baby steps, my friends, baby steps. Baby steps to Walmart....baby steps to the back pack isle....baby steps to the camping section....hahah. :)

Annnd, that about covers it! Thank you SOOO much for having me here, ladies! It's been a pleasure!

Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

2012-04-24T00:33:00.000-06:00

Handmade Foaming Hand Soap
by Carla Ludington

Currently we have two kids that are mostly potty trained (meaning mostly potty trained, most of the time, lol) & a baby in diapers. No joke, I feel like I am washing my hands ALL. THE. TIME. And I don't just mean that figuratively!

I have been thinking a lot about the chemicals I am exposed to on a routine basis, and how many of them I bring into my own home. How crazy is that?? I follow Katie on Kitchen Stewardship, and I always come away with something that makes me think for a good long while about how we do things and consider what is in my life and how earth friendly things are as well as how healthy / safe for my family they are.

We (meaning I) have been switching over to more natural products in our home as things run out and need to be replaced. In the shower I have been trying out hand made bar soaps with a limited number of ingredients (that are easy to pronounce and traditional / well known). However, at the sink is the standard soft soap bottle with a huge refill jug in the garage. It is close to the last little bit of it, and I was wondering, what is out there for the sink besides a bar of soap? Bar soaps are not super kid friendly at the sink in our house unless you really like goopy soggy bars of soap that get played with in the water X number of times a day to wash Littlest Pet Shop cats, barbie hair, and even the mirror via toothbrush on occasion (hypothetically my sons favorite, lol :0) ! I had heard of homemade foaming hand soap, and was ready to try another 'make it at home' product and hopefully find a toxic free way to do it.

Supplies I used to make my soap:
Water
Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap
Foaming hand soap dispenser bottle
Aura Cacia Lemongrass essential oil

I was surprised how many YouTube videos and blogs had instructions for homemade foaming hand soap. There was a divergence on the recipe, half insisted the soap to water ration was 10 or 15% soap to 90-85% water (respectively), and half indicated the ratio was closer to 25% soap to 75% water. I am sure it is flexible as it is not at the same level as rocket science.

Recipe:

~ 1 cup water
~ Approximately 2Tbsp (for @ 10% soap) to 1/4 cup (for 25% soap) liquid soap (I used Dr. Bronner's
liquid castile almond soap)
~ 8-12 drops essential oil. I would go easy with it to start; this could go either way depending on the oil/
concentration. My family LOVED the Lemongrass scent - especially, (SHOCKER!!), my husband. He
even had complimentary remarks about it that he shared voluntarily!!!

Combine and mix gently. This should literally take all of about 8 minutes, and that is only if at least 7 minutes of that is cleaning out the soap dispenser if it has been sitting under your counter for the last 2 years while you empty your jug of soft soap refill.

I recycled a previously purchased / used foaming hand soap container. If you care to clean it out before you put in the new soap, (see above comment) it takes quite a few "squirts" to get the previous soap out. That being said, give your new soap scent some time to get through the straw and pump mechanism before you add more essential oil, since it does take awhile before it will work its way out and exhibit the 'true' scent in some cases.

That's it. It's not like it was top secret, but I did have to look it up. Why did I wait so long? How could something so yummy smelling and good for me (toxic free) be so easy and inexpensive?And I LOVE the smell, every time I wash my hands. LOVE. IT. The only way it could get any better would be if I didn't have to do it a billion times a day.....

Since I can remember the last time I refilled it, it is nice to know we are only using 2-3 Tbsp of soap per 'batch' of soap. For future batches, I think I might try some different essential oils. I am curious what other scents my family might love. What is your favorite?

So, to sum this all up: I love the smell of this stuff every time I wash my hands. This was super easy and cheap, and I will totally keep doing it. Did I mention how much I LOVED IT ???

You need to check these out:

Straw bale gardening Making rolled oats The best jerky - How to

Give away winner! Steve Solomon's Gardening When it Counts.

2012-03-30T20:16:00.000-06:00

Whoops!!! I said I would announce the winner of the giveaway Thursday at 6pm? Well it's Friday and it's 8pm so I guess that makes me a day late and a dollar short?
Well you still win Mrs. Diedre Mower!!!
Just e-mail paynelessphoto@gmail.com your address and the book will be in the mail via Amazon. You have 48 hours to get it to me or I have to redraw! Oh...and you could post on Facebook that you won a give away on our blog...just a suggestion though ;)

Thank you all for your entries!!!

This book is AMAZING!!! I highly recommend it!

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway!!! Well, sort of...

2012-03-28T21:40:00.000-06:00

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil

Carla here, and the big news is: my computer has gone the way of all the earth. Hopefully we will be getting a new one sooner, rather than later. Blogging without your laptop isn't so fun / easy.

That being said, this will be another short & sweet post.

Technically, this is not a giveaway, since we are not the ones giving it away, but there IS a giveaway, and I AM posting it on here, hence the 'sort of' in the title, haha.

We are running low on coconut oil at our house, so I have been checking out the tropical traditions website, contemplating what to pick up for our pantry when I saw a giveaway on captain fussy bucket for a GALLON of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil. Now THAT is some GOOD STUFF! So I thought I should get myself over there to enter the giveaway. The tricky part was, I get extra entries for posting it on my blog, but that also decreases my odds of winning, hmmm, well, I guess you can tell what I decided, this stuff is just too good to keep it secret, and sharing the good stuff IS the whole point, right? :0)

The giveaway ends THIS FRIDAY the 30th, so don't delay!! Best of luck!! :0)

Here's the link to go to the giveaway! - Troical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway on Captain Fussy Buckets

Straw bale gardening plus Gardening when it counts giveaway!

2012-03-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

Here's the deal, last spring me and my husband dug up/turned 450 sq ft of grass...which we should have done the previous fall...lesson learned. Which doesn't matter now that we are back in New Mexico and we don't have to worry about our garden being over taken by crab grass...cause grass doesn't grow here like it does in Tulsa.

Here are my reasons for trying straw bale gardening:

1) We have lots of plans for the 5 acres we are living on assuming things go as we hope they will. We just don't want to put in the work of digging up a spot only to want to move it somewhere the next year or two.

2) Not having to bend over and weed a garden in the heat sounds lovely! It won't be as big a problem here but in Tulsa it was since it could be crazy humid and HOT at 5am.

3) I don't like square foot gardening after reading Gardening when it counts Steve Solomon explains in depth how hard it can be on plants and limit their growth. I understand the appeal and I am sure there are many that are shaking there heads in disagreement with me but Steve Solomon was just too convincing. Straw bale gardening seems like a cousin to square foot gardening but the roots are able to go a lot deeper.

4) It just seems absurdly easy! I don't know if it will be work but if it works like I hope it will then it will be awesome!

wenatcheeworld.com

Here is a good link to a video explaining straw bale gardening. There
doesn't seem to be much literature as far as books go, all I have seen is this e-book. His site also includes other info about Straw bale gardening not just the e-book. I also couldn't find any books on Straw bale gardening on Amazon, my go to for books. I think the reason for the lack of literature is because it's so simple. You simply lay some chicken wire down if you are worried about gofers and such, get straw bales NOT hay bales since hay includes seeds. Put about a bag of compost on each bale and plant your garden. Put a souker (plus you don't bury the hose = a lot less work) hose if you want and boom! I would also like to put some kind of trellis behind the straw bales for squash, beans, bell pepper and such...grow up not out!

Here's the rest of the deal...I am no master gardener! We learned a lot about how little we know about gardening with the garden we had in Tulsa. Every state has it's advantages and disadvantages. There is a huge learning curve if you have never had a garden or have only been gardening for a few years and I would rather learn now then when in a time of great need. I'm not an extremist when it comes to preparedness but I don't know the future holds...my crystal ball isn't working at the moment. Gas prices are going up which means food prices will continue to rise and I would like to be able to provide a significant portion of my families produce from our garden.

I don't know if this helps you or not, or where you are as far as gardening ability goes but I would just encourage you to keep going, keep learning. For instance does the lunar cycle really effect when you should plant?

One other thing I WILL be doing this year with our garden is keeping a garden journal because as much as you think you will remember things you won't...at least I won't.

I will do a follow up post when I get my straw bale garden going!

This is the first give away on our blog but I love this book and want to share it with you :)

Here's how to enter:

1) You must like our FB page and leave a comment so we know you stopped by and "liked" us.

2) If you really like us you should just commit and follow us :) But you don't have to, I only want people to follow our blog if they want to.

The giveaway ends on the Thursday the 29th, winner will be announced at 6pm. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me via paynelessphoto@gmail.com or by leaving a comment with contact info or a new winner will be drawn.

Stayin' Alive with hard & fast CPR

2012-03-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

My computer has died (again) and will be gone for the next 2-3 weeks. So, this post will be short and sweet since it is giving me carpal thumb from typing it out on my phone. :0) CPR has recently changed. If someone collapses, you should : #1 ask someone to call 911. #2 push hard & fast in the center of the chest. While there are still times that you might do traditional CPR (30 compressions to 2 breaths) FOR THE MOST PART you would perform hands only CPR. As Vinnie Jones quoted on the UK version of the video, "ya ain't kissin' your girl". The long version is that there is 16% oxygen in their lungs on collapse, and when mouth to mouth is performed we replace it with 13% oxygen (at least that is the explanation my husband, an ER nurse, gave me about it). My favorite part of this video was the way he put his hands through his hair, then pointed to the crowd disco style to find someone to call 911. If nothing else, this spoof video will help you remember what to do :0) Hopefully you will never actually NEED to know this. For more information go to: http://handsonlycpr.org/

Turn unused space into useful storage for prepardness

2012-03-02T10:47:00.001-07:00

This picture makes these jars look smaller but they're 2 gallons each, I got them at Wally world for $10 a pop.

Well the whole point of the post is I used this space above our garden bath tub which otherwise had been empty to artfully display and store some preparedness items. It's a large space and these jars look nice and neat sitting there. Groupings of three are pleasing to the eye and there size fills the space nicely. I mean, what else would I put there that's water proof...my kids do a lot of splish-splashing when taking a bath. Somehow they haven't been messed with yet by my two little turkeys. Notice I said yet. There is a space just like it on the other side of the bath tub as well that I would like to store more items like this in. They really do hold a lot. All that soap in it's packaging took up a lot of space in my sons closest now it's on display and stands as a reminder to consistently stock up on items like this. If you are into making your own soaps etc then you could store those items in these jars. Now a previously unused space is turned into prettily displayed well used space. The first jar has toothpaste, floss etc. I don't have it full because I am going to start making our own toothpaste. So I will buy those items and store them in the jars. The third jar has very little Epsom salt in it now but I am going to work on filling it up.

Why store so much Epsom salt? It's pretty handy stuff. For preparedness I want to make sure I have stored plenty of medicinal things as well.

Well there you have it! Now take a walk around you house and try and see areas in your home that could be put to better use. It doesn't have to be unsightly, put things in new containers to disguise them or to put on open display like soap.Things grouped together in large quantities can look pretty smart.

If you have done something similar I would love to hear about it!!!

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

2012-02-12T07:29:00.003-07:00

My family doesn't just love these things, they literally DEVOUR them. I think I will have to start making a batch and a half soon!   These are the muffins I referred to in my post on the oat roller mill. If you were not so enamored by that post, let me just say that an accumulation of stress and sleep deprivation affects my speech filter and editing skills (thank you baby #4!). So, after several weeks of sleep training said baby, hopefully this post will sit a little sweeter. Here is the recipe with my baking notes included. Enjoy!

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
from the Jan/Feb 2007 Cooking Light Magazine

1 2/3   cups rolled oats
2/3     cup all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat flour)
1/2      cup whole wheat flour (I use another flour like spelt or millet)
3/4     cup packed light brown sugar
2         tsp ground cinnamon
1          tsp baking powder
1          tsp baking soda
3/4     tsp salt
1 1/2    cups buttermilk (I sometimes use heavy whipping cream 'soured' with
           lemon juice)
1/4      cup canola oil (I use coconut oil)
2         tsp grated lemon rind (I use dehydrated lemon rind from the bulk
           herbs section at our local Vitamin Cottage)
2         large eggs, lightly beaten
2         cups frozen blueberries
2         Tbsp all-purposed flour
2         Tbsp granulated sugar

1.     Preheat oven to 400°.

2.     Place oats in a food processor; pulse 5 or 6 times until oats resemble
        coarse meal. Place in a large bowl.

3.    Lightly spoon 2/3 cup all-purpose flour and wheat flour into dry
        measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flours and next 5 ingredients to
        oats in bowl; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

4.     Combine buttermilk, oil, rind, and eggs in a small bowl; stir well with a
        whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

5.     Toss berries with 2 Tbsp flour and gently fold into batter.

6.     Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups lined with paper liners; sprinkle with 2
        Tbsp granulated sugar.  Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until muffins
        spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pans
        immediately. Place on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I should clarify that in addition to the changes I noted above in the ingredient listing, I also don't strictly follow all the directions above. If I am using my oat roller mill, I actually use the flour setting (since it is a really course flour) and then I can skip pulsing them in the food processor. Then I just throw all the ingredients together in a bowl, stir it until just combined, and put the batter into 24 muffin cups. I don't add any sugar to the top of the muffins. Most of the time, I also skip flouring the blueberries and just let my kids put a couple on the top of each muffin and poke them in. Even with all those changes, I have to stay they are still DELICIOUS!!

Natural Toothpaste

2012-02-04T12:13:00.002-07:00

My daughter after she lost her first tooth!

There are some people that through heredity or good luck have always had great teeth. I am not one of those people. I have always had sensitive teeth, and every visit is dreaded with the thought of how many cavities I might have.

My first visit this year was even more dreaded. After having a baby last spring, I experienced some post-partum depression (wait, can I say that on here? As women, aren't we supposed to be perfect and hide THOSE sorts of things as not happening to ME?). Well, truth is, I had some pretty severe post-partum depression. So what do you do when you have 4 kids, your husband is out of the country for 5 weeks doing humanitarian aid, all the kids take turns having the stomach flu, one kid has strep throat and then a reaction to the antibiotics, your baby won't nurse, etc. etc.? Let's just say it involves a lot of movies and caramel popcorn after the kids go to bed so you can decompress. Yeah, last summer I was not at my best. (Thank goodness for family and friends, or it would have been much worse! A huge shout out to my mom for staying a week with us and taking us home with her for another 2 weeks and another one for my sis-in-law DeAnn for taking us in for a couple days as well.)
Combine a crazy summer with horrible teeth, lots of caramel popcorn, not much dental hygiene (at least I was showering on occasion, right?), and I was NOT looking forward to my dental visit this month. Turns out I had to call and go in 3 weeks early because I had a tooth that was bothering me horribly. Chewing on a piece of bread was excruciating. Another sign that things were not looking good for me.

Oil of Oregano

Add to all this a switch to a natural toothpaste last year. A friend of mine said she had a lot of teeth that had cavities developing and was going to need a lot of work done. She started brushing her teeth with just a drop or two of Oil of Oregano, and when she went back 6 months later, the dentist was a bit surprised about how much better her teeth were looking.

I am at times skeptical of natural types of remedies, probably because I did not grow up with any natural remedies or products, and have always grown up hearing about (and using) the standard pharmaceuticals for hygiene and health care. My husband is even more skeptical than I am, wanting a scientific study published in a peer-reviewed journal before he will even consider entering into a discussion about how skeptical he is about it. He is a nurse by trade, so I can't blame him for being a good one!

My friend had sent me home with a small batch of coconut oil mixed with oil of oregano to try out. So here I was, trying out a natural toothpaste, where the stakes were high: if this doesn't work, I am going to have to pay on a dentist bill for the next couple years. The last 6+ months I have been worried about my "new toothpaste" and if it would work, or if I would be getting dentures prematurely. Plus I would feel bad enough about it by myself, so my husband wouldn't even have to say "I told you so", since he is very accommodating of my weird natural remedies and is generous enough to let me try and fail at these sorts of things on my own.

I read some interesting things on my favorite homeschool site that I would like to research more. One thing imparticular that I have learned is that our teeth can be re-mineralized to repair damage caused by cavities. For this to happen, the teeth need to be clean, not covered in a film of toothpaste. From some of the other research I have done, it seems that toothpaste has a lot of things that are not ideal.

Here are the things I have tried and liked this year:

Coconut Oil combined with Oil of Oregano

Coconut oil is said to have anti-bacterial qualities. Oil of Oregano is a little on the strong side for some (my husband doesn't think it has the same qualities as say peppermint flavor!), so I also added a little bit of Clove Oil to give it a little fresher aroma. When using coconut oil, I would sometimes wonder if it was doing anything, since it does not foam or suds like normal toothpaste. As a society we are used to feeling lots of suds to "prove" it is cleaning, but that is not the case all the time. Also, I try to start brushing before I get into the shower and keep swishing to get a little bit of the effects of oil pulling, but that doesn't happen very often - our house tends to be a busy place!

Tooth Soap - soap shredded into small bite size pieces
This one is Orange Cinnamon with Neem Bark & Xylitol
Sold by Rose of Sharon Acres

Toothsoap is more on the expensive side, but it does leave my teeth feeling squeaky clean (albeit with a small bit of soap taste before you rinse) - the orange cinnamon flavor is nice, and I think the xylitol helps a bit).

Here is another one I would like to try soon. As I mentioned above, I read about this on one of my favorite homeschool sites.

Tooth Chips "Spritz" in peppermint
Sold by Rose of Sharon Acres

I warned my dental hygienist that it wasn't going to be pretty. However, as she got to work, she said she could hardly find anything. Turns out my severely aching tooth had a crack in the filling, and the cavity was really deep, so brushing wasn't getting to it anyways. Report card: Clean teeth, have the filling re-done. Yeah!!!!! Who would have thought???

Do you use something besides the usual toothpaste? What alternative hygiene products have you tried or would you recommend?

How to make the best jerky

2012-01-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome, welcome! I am so EXCITED to finally be able to share with you how to make jerky! I have been wanting to learn how to make jerky for some time now. Here I am sharing it with you but in honesty I didn't want to learn how to do it from a blog or off You Tube. I am weird like that sometimes. I don't like eating leftovers in the fridge after 2-3 days either. What does that have to do with anything? Well I am just paranoid when it comes to doing things with meat like canning it or making it into jerky, I don't want to do it wrong and get sick from it. So I wanted my father-in-law and his brother to show me, I trust them and know they are both incredibly knowledgeable. I kept hearing about uncle Lloyd's jerky from my husband how amazing it tasted and how good it looked...is that his way of saying it was pretty? I think so..hehehe. Last weekend we made a trip down to Southern NM and I ~~made~~ helped make a batch of Hamburger Jerky I had never heard of it before but it's dang good! Don't take my word for it make some yourself! Wouldn't this be good with part sausage? Have you ever heard of it before? We also made some venison jerky from a deer my brother-in-law shot a month or so ago.

It's easy! After helping once I feel totally confident that I can make my own.

Step one: Gather your supplies

This is the recipe for the hamburger jerky we made.

My father in laws modeling debut...with some of the ingredients, he could be the next Vanna White, watch out Vanna. Or maybe he could be a Price Is Right model???

Step two: Put all your ingredients into your mixing bowl. We used a Bosh there but I have a kitchen aide mixer that I imagine that will work just fine. You could also mix it by hand. Of course if you like things spicy like me then add more red pepper or red or green chile etc.

With the venison jerky we seasoned it with garlic powder, salt and pepper...generously.

Nope we totally didn't have fun making jerky ;)

What it should look like when it's done mixing

Lloyd likes to get as much air out as possible so he told me to really make sure I pack it in good especially into the corners. The reason; air left in the bag won't hurt anything but it will leave indentations in the meat keeping it from being perfectly smooth and pretty.

Step 3: Put meat into gallon bag and push all the air out that you can.

Like my nail polish? It's called Tangerine Crush :)

Step 4: Put your bag of meat in the freezer it will take about 7ish hours to freeze through.

Step 5: Cut your frozen bag of meat into 4 parts.

Step 6: Use a meat/deli slicer, electric knife or the hardest way do it with just a regular knife to slice your meat into the thickness you prefer. I personally like it pretty thin. TIP: it will not be the same thickness that it is raw after it's been dehydrated.

Tip : We also cut the venison when it was partially thawed out. We tried to cut it when it was totally frozen and the meat slicer had a tough time with it so we thawed it partially and it worked great.

Another option for doing hamburger jerky is to use this tool that my father in law is holding.

Step 7: Put your jerky in a dehydrator for about 24hours give or take a little. You will have a nice pool of liquid fat at the bottom or your dehydrator when it's done. Store your jerky in paper bags. Moisture is jerky's enemy like all other foods that you want stored for long periods of time.

I asked my my father and law and Lloyd how long jerky will last, they said oh...about two days depending on how many people you have eating it.

I really had a great time down there visiting and learning to make some delicious jerky, did I mention it's one of my favorite snacks?

Next on the list: learn how to make jerky with out a dehydrator and learn to make Pemmican, which his uncle told us about while we were there. All this talk about jerky, I think I will have to grab some...if there's any left ;)

The finished product.

Making Rolled Oats from Oat Groats

2012-01-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

Oats coming through the Marga Marcato Roller Mill

I was wanting to find a way to truly make homemade rolled oats, as in from my 25# supply of oat groats I have in the pantry. You can't use a regular mill / wheat grinder to make rolled oats. I have heard that you can possibly put them in a plastic bag and take a rolling pin to them, but hadn't tried it, and was dubious about the amount of time that would have to be invested and what the results would be. I guess I should have at least tried it, since that would have been free. I have also heard that it is best to have the oats lightly steamed when rolling them, instead of scalding all the nutrients out of them to make processed rolled oats.

I have a recipe for oatmeal muffins that I lovingly claimed from Cooking Light several years ago. I am not a big fan of oatmeal, so muffins is one of the few ways I eat oats and these muffins are AWESOME. My husband loves them dearly, ("devours" would be the appropriate term), but he jokingly calls them 'roto-rooter muffins', and unfortunately the name has kind of stuck. Let's just say they are high in fiber! :0)

The idea of rolling our own cereal flakes and making our own cereal intrigued me (the question of sweetening that cereal has not been fully thought out, lol!). One of the companies had a cereal with rice flakes, wheat flakes, dried strawberries, and dried blueberries that we thought was super yummy. However, aside from the fact that it had 12 grams of whole grains but only 3 grams of fiber (exactly how much of that whole grain is still whole or considered a grain by that point?), it also had quite a bit of sugar (especially for a "healthy" whole grain cereal!). Thus, I was on the prowl to find a mill that would be able to make rolled outs and cereal flakes. I am not sure where I first saw it / heard of it, but I found the Marcato Marga Roller Mill. My husband suprised me with one for Christmas :0) I felt a little bad because of the price, but considering its long term use, considered it more an investment and decided to just be happy about it and enjoy it!

There are 3 settings, one for flour, one for course ground grains (kind of like cracked wheat maybe?) and then one for rolled oats. The instructions indicate that you can roll the items back through a second time to make a finer grind, but getting the oat flour to go back through a second time proved difficult, so I would probably stick with a flour grinder if you are wanting flour. The bottom tray is removable, and plastic, yet to be proven, however in a family with 4 small children, plastic is not ideal, so we will see how long it lasts. The top hopper is also plastic but does not seem to be easily removed, if at all.

Different outcomes for setting '#2'

The first setting was a coarse flour. The second setting had three different settings (within the second setting) to adjust for a coarser or finer product (see picture at left). The third setting was the one for rolled oats. They were not a uniform shape like you might expect from a canister of Quaker Quick Oats; there were lots of shapes and sizes, and "roller" marks where you could see how they went through the roller.

The bowls in the picture above were to highlight the differences coming through the roller mill: From left to right: Quaker Quick Rolled Oats, Marcato Marga Roller Mill rolled oats (setting 3), rolled / cracked oats (setting 2), oat flour (setting 1). The Quaker rolled oats and homemade rolled oats looked pretty similar! My kids like to eat oats and peanut butter together, and sometimes just plain oats. My son kept eating the oats out of the bowls as fast as I could roll them. I had to refill one of them twice - I guess there are worse things to happen, and worse things for him to snack on, lol! He did tell me "Yesterday I hated oats, but today I LOVE oats!" Kids - so funny!

Compared to a hand wheat grinder, the oats went through really quickly and easily. My kids were anxious about who was going to get the first turn and whose turn would be the longest, and they all had fun trying it out!

The real test was to see how they would turn out in our favorite blueberry oatmeal muffins recipe.
Answer: Delicious!!!!

I guess I will be looking for a cereal recipe next, as well as some additional uses for the roller mill :0)

What yummy recipes do you have using oat groats or rolled oats?

Ug99???

2011-12-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

I was watching the BBC news, you know because it actually tells us more about what's going on in this country then watching the Nightly News with Brian Williams. I tried to find the news segment they showed on Wheat stem rust on their website again just now but it's not on there, lame. So I went to You Tube to see what I could find and this was one of many videos. I am not an alarmist. However if you needed another reason to get your food storage together or to start learning some homesteading/preparedness skills, here it is. Watch the video and you will understand the threat of Wheat stem rust. On the BBC news segment that I saw they interviewed a long time farmer and he said "we wouldn't have wheat if we didn't use fungicide" ick...so lets pop open a tube of athletes foot cream with our next bowl of cereal... umm. I saw on some of the You Tube videos that supposedly a resistant strain of wheat to Ug99 had been engineered. But on the recent BBC segment that I saw, it said it was still being worked on. One other point that was brought up during the news segment was that if there is a wheat crises say in Russia and the US it would cause some serious global shortages...causing the price of wheat to go sky HIGH. So everything wheat is in would also skyrocket.

Take it with a grain of salt. I just thought it was interesting and worth sharing. I don't know what the days a head bring I just know I want to be prepared.

Something else interesting that I saw...

Plant pests: The biggest threats to food security?

The threat posed to crop production by plant pests and diseases is one the key factors that could lead to "a perfect storm" that threatens to destabilise global food security.

Already, the biological threat accounts for about a 40% loss in global production and the problem is forecast to get worse, scientists warn.

BBC News has asked Dr Matthew Cock, chief scientist for Cabi, a UK-based agri-environment research organisation, to compile a list of the worst plant pests threatening crops around the world.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15623490

I realize we haven't been posting very much but we are getting our act together and have been planning out whats coming up. Like how to make Ezekiel bread, one of the best Jerky making tutorials and recipes ever, kefir grains for water and milk etc, etc :)

Homeschool Part II: Curriculum

2011-11-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back for part II in my series on Homeschool!

My middle two kids 'playing' sequencing from Family Math :0)

In my first post on homeschooling I shared a little about how I got started homeschooling, and some general information about some of the different homeschooling philosophies. For this post the plan was to highlight some of our curriculum choices, talk a little bit about scheduling, and answer some of the questions I am most frequently asked. However, the post was getting REALLY LONG, (which explains why it has taken me so long to post, sorry!), so I will break it up a bit more and post them in sequence :0)

As I mentioned in my previous post, it is common among those that homeschool to worry (incessantly, perhaps), about whether or not they have the right curriculum. I think this is due to the fact that we worry about our children lacking in their academic skills, more specifically, are we teaching our children enough to be competent in college, and more broadly, society? It is a bit ironic, since the parents that are actually worrying about it are usually doing enough for it to be fine, lol! Instead of worrying about ‘keeping up with the public school system’, it seems it would be more appropriate to identify your goals in homeschooling. For example, are you wanting to present advanced academia, alternate materials (creationism vs. the big band theory), or have a specific influence (such as including moral instruction)? Whatever curriculum you decide on, i.e. purchasing a complete curriculum set, compiling an assortment of styles and brands, or something in between, it is interesting to note that one-on-one tutoring is still the most effective tool for learning (see this golden quote on schooling). While I love the ideas of Charlotte Mason and classical education, I find myself having a more relaxed approach to homeschooling than I would have expected, since I think of myself as having more of a Type A personality. I guess I have a little bit of a love-hate relationship with organized chaos, ha-ha!

My major emphasis is on the 4 R’s: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic and Religion. In theory we also cover science, social studies / history, government / U.S. Constitution, Spanish (foreign language), art, music, P.E., and “life skills” (which can range anywhere from computer literacy, cooking classes, field trips, cleaning, etc.). I say in theory because we do not have a formal schedule for these subjects, but rather we cover them more periodically: some weekly, some bi-weekly, some as time permits, and some as the occasion arises. For the most part I don’t stress out too much about not covering all of these subjects too intensely, since for the most part they are not all covered intensely in public school until at least 4^th grade, if at all. Even so, ideally we would have a routine schedule for these subjects, but for the last few months since we have had the baby we have been a bit more relaxed in these areas. While I do look forward to a bit more consistency in covering these areas after the holidays, I confess that I am enjoying the flexibility that homeschool offers for now :0)

A few ways you can approach homeschool:

· Check out your state’s homeschool convention (it can be exciting, but don’t get overwhelmed!!) There are usually lots of vendors and you get the opportunity to check out the materials first hand, plus there are sometimes promotional offers for those attending the convention.

· It is good to have a homeschooling mentor. Find someone ahead of the game from you that you can ask a zillion questions and get reassurance that you are not crazy, and have fun doing things together, even if it is just school stuff with all the kids.

· Likewise, a partner in crime can also be helpful, as you can be a support for one another. I have a few moms that are in the trenches just like me that I get together with on occasion just to brain storm, exchange ideas with, and just get some moral support. We get together for activities, field trips, and to swap ideas. I also have a few moms who are down the trail so to speak, with kids a couple years older than mine, so I can pick their brains when I am in need of a different type of help and support.

· While some parents worry about not being a “professional teacher”, it is important to see that you are a teacher – your kids are constantly learning from you!! Charlotte Mason, as well as Dorothy and Raymond Moore, indicate that the best learning is when the child finds that subject come to life for them (my daughter’s math amazingly improves astronomically when M&M’s are used for the integers!!!). If there is something you are not as confident in teaching, you can always seek mentors and tutors from different fields to inspire and teach your children. Enlisting the help of others in a co-op setting or other venue can also be beneficial. Identifying learning and teaching styles for you and your children can also enhance your teaching abilities.

At the end of the day, it is important that my children are learning what is necessary, but spending time together bonding, making meaningful memories and teaching them what is truly important in this life, about God, family, and character, is my highest goal. Having said that, here is a summary of what we are currently using the most in our homeschool for our daily academics, as well as the resources for those areas we cover less periodically (weekly, bi-weekly, special occasions, etc). We tentatively schedule curriculum materials so that we can ‘pace our work’, however I allow my children to go through them as quickly as they are ready.

· Math: Math-U-See and math games (i.e. Monopoly Jr., Skip Bo, Sum Swamp, Family Math for the pre-schoolers, etc.)

· Phonics: Explode the Code and phonics games

· Journal Writing (until the student can write, the student dictates while I write, then they draw a picture to go with it)

· Handwriting: Handwriting Without Tears and A Reason for Writing

· Five in A Row – Books / reading list that integrates science, social studies, math, art, & language arts activities

· Reading - mom (or sibling) reads to student

· Once a week Co-Op or homeschool Group

· Science: Real Science 4 Kids, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, & Astronomy by Dr. Rebecca Keller.

· History: Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer

· Creating your own Handwriting Worksheets

· US Constitution: I Love America, by Julianne Skousen Kimber (this is sold through and recommended by Love to Learn, one of my all-time favorite homeschool websites!)

· Art: Drawing with Children: a creative method for adult beginners too by Mona Brooks

· Foreign Language: Complete Book of Spanish, Grades 1-3 by American Education Publishers - can be found online from Amazon or Target :0)

Additionally, here are some programs, homeschool resources and ideas I am really excited to learn

more about but have not fully implemented into our homeschool:

· Better Late than Early by Dorothy Moore and Raymond S. Moore, (the Moore Formula for

Homeschooling)

· A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille

· Homeschool Series by Charlotte Mason (all 6 books can be found online here)

· All About Spelling

· Reading A-Z

Do you have a favorite curriculum or something special you use to cover a particular subject?

In the next edition, Scheduling!!

Spice it up!

2011-10-29T08:42:00.000-06:00

My reasoning for putting this on the blog is; to be as self-reliant as you can means taking care of yourself so you don't have to depend on a Dr. and medications because you made poor health decisions in the past (I'm not saying you will never have to go to a Dr. if you use herbs and spices but it can't hurt.) One preventive measure you can take is to use herbs and spices in your cooking. They really help our whole body but the biggest perk I think is how much they aide in proper digestion. Since so much of our immune system comes form our digestive system...better health all around. While the history of spices is fascinating, I will encourage you to read about it on your own. Lets just say we are truly blessed to have access to such a variety, cooking would be bland without them and a lot less healthful...so spice it up to your health!
(story time...hehehe the meat starts after this paragraph in case you want to skip it) Since were on the topic of herbs and spices let me share a little story...he he he. Herbs and spices can also be made into useful teas, for instance Cinnamon can help stop diarrhea. So when me and my husband were engaged he was complaining of tummy troubles so I said to make some Cinnamon tea...I had been living with my BFF for several years so I just assumed (and you know what assuming does it makes an a** out of you and me) she had picked up enough of my herbal ways that she could easily make him some Cinnamon tea since I needed to hop in the shower. Well she made it all right, with like a pound of Cinnamon, and he drank it! You use about three teaspoon per cup of tea, boil the water, put the Cinnamon in let is steep 15mins and then strain it through a paper towel and then drink. Needless to say there was no straining and he drank almost the whole cup. The result... him in the fetal position on the couch cursing tea for a few hours. Needless to say it took me several years to let me persuade him to drink herbal tea for any ailments again. We still laugh about the Cinnamon tea incident...well I do.

We can go more in depth later but this is a good place to start.

10 essential tips for storing your herbs and spices.

1. Whole spices and herbs will maintain their freshness way longer than ground ones...meaning quality.

2. Coffee grinders are cheap and make a great spice grinder for whole seeds, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. It's faster than a mortar and pestle but there fun to use, and a good way to get kids involved they will love it! Fresh-ground spices are especially pungent and flavorful.

3. Spices and herbs store best in airtight bottles...and I am a glass bottle snob. The shelf life of properly stored spices and herbs is approximately 4 years for whole spices, 2-3 years for ground spices and 1-3 years for leafy herbs. Depending on the source the times may be different but this is what I go by.

4. They aren't going to mold and spoil on you, but spices and herbs do lose their strength. Old and weak seasonings will not deliver the taste that they once were capable of. This also means that the properties that are beneficial for our health aren't as strong.

5. There are three things to check when verifying freshness: look, smell, and taste.

If the color has faded it is a good indicator of flavor loss. Taste and smell your spices and herbs: if they don't deliver a punch when you taste them or are hard to smell, they need to be replaced.

6. Don't sprinkle...what a cutsie word... spices and herbs directly from the bottle over a steaming pot. Steam introduced into the bottle will result in the the loss of flavor and aroma :( Steam will also result in caking of your precious herbs and spices.

7. This should be common sense... but make sure your measuring spoon is completely dry when you dip it into the any herb or spice container. Any moisture in the bottle will result in caking and flavor loss.

8. The red pepper family think there special and like to be stored in the fridge; for instance paprika and chili powder. This will help them retain their color and freshness.

9. Replace bottle lids tightly and immediately after each use.

10. Herbs and spices don't like the sun...vampires?...what? it's Halloween what can I say...moving on...Keep spices and herbs away from heat, moisture, and direct sunlight. Avoid storing spices and herbs over the stove or near a window.

Here is my easy kitchen spice re-do. It's nothing fancy but it's better then it was. There are better options but it's not at the top of my priority list. I guess my family wanted to stay warm this winter...whiners..sheesh so we had to fill up the propane tank.

I had some of my spices by the stove which I knew was a big no, no, but we moved in recently so I am cutting myself some slack. I have all my herbs stored in a cute storage box in my closet, it will stay cooler and darker then most the house. I will get some small glass containers to put them in soon so I can put some small amounts in the kitchen, they will keep better that way.

Now I have more counter space :)

Storage options

I really like this one but check out these options too and here are some more ideas and last but not least...whew!!!

Interlocking spice jars

Need more help in the organizing department check out this link

Where to buy spices online, here and here is where I get my herbs from.

Want a more 'cultured' (and I'm not talking fermentation) and in-depth look into world of spices

Cooking with herbs

Do you have some different ideas on how effectively store herbs and spices? Let us know, we would love to hear from you!