Everyday Notions

Monkey Bread

2012-02-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Before I begin mixing ingredients, I turn the oven on to 350, put half a stick of butter or 1/4 cup coconut oil in my cast iron skillet, and set in the oven to melt. I also start topping in a sauce pan on low heat using: 1 stick of butter 3 T. brown sugar ~Stir occasionally while the mixture melts. While the oil is melting in the oven and the caramel sauce is cooking on the stove, I mix: 1

One Hundred Jars of Baby Food on the Wall......

2012-02-24T09:12:00.002-06:00

.....One hundred jars of baby food. Take one down, pass it around. Ninety-nine jars of baby food .... Vintage Ad from Cruzine What does one do when a friend drops off ONE HUNDRED jars of baby food? It's time to get creative. As you may have gathered by past postings, I love free stuff. I also love the challenge of making free stuff useful. I'm already dreaming of the things I'll use the

Quick as a Cricket Lesson

2012-02-22T13:55:00.001-06:00

Lessons on the fly, because that's how I do things. I start every fall with big dreams of structured, daily lesson plans for my preschool kiddos. And every year around mid-October I realize that daily life creates many more opportunities for learning. I like to talk (I know, most of you are shocked at this), so we talk. We talk a LOT at Laurie's Little Sprouts. We talk about colors when we're

The Power of FIZZ

2012-02-21T09:37:00.003-06:00

Have you ever made a model volcano erupt? The kids LOVE it. Even The Boy, who has seen many mom-made volcanic eruptions, still loves the excitement of waiting for the fizz. The simple concoction of baking soda and vinegar is also a magical cleaning combo. A couple of weeks ago I was rushing around the kitchen (like that's a surprise) and accidentally dropped the coffee filter basket (full

Heart Candy

2012-02-15T18:18:00.000-06:00

So easy and amazingly yummy......and probably full of high fructose corn syrup (I have purposely avoided reading the ingredient list on the back of the sweetheart package). I used my silicone heart "muffin" pan (I've gotten my use out of that thing!) for this treat. Measurements are approximate since I didn't measure. 1c. of Sweetheart Conversation Hearts (I crushed about 1/2 of them) 5 oz

Food Love

2012-02-15T11:15:00.000-06:00

I show my love with food. I don't know if people appreciate this kind of lovin' but I sure enjoy cooking for those I care about. Valentines Menu: Homemade Wheat Bread Roasted Red Potatoes with Mushrooms Roasted Asparagus Baked Salmon in an Orange Sauce Brownie with Ice Cream and Homemade Chocolate Sauce My new favorite bread recipe is from Gwen's-Nest, the only thing I

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T15:37:00.000-06:00

The ultimate Valentines gift, the ultimate gift EVER is Jesus Christ, a gift from our loving, heavenly Father. I know that Valentines "stinks" for a lot of people. You may be alone - widowed, divorced, never wed. You may feel unloved. You maybe in a marriage that leaves you feeling alone and unloved. Wherever you are in your life know this, YOU ARE LOVED! Your heavenly Father loves you so

Valentine Schmalintine

2012-02-13T14:11:00.000-06:00

How does one handle special days such as Valentines while still maintaining frugal and minimalism ideals? I'm really stumped. February and March are usually the months when I'm at my cheapest. I've begun saving up for the taxes that will need to be paid in April, I'm tightening my money belt after spending too generously over Christmas, not to mention that I'm still focusing on my financial

Time Savers

2012-02-11T07:13:00.002-06:00

Last fall I realized that it was time for a new computer. My old computer was too slow for blogging and surfing for new ideas. After much debate, I settled on a laptop, and I'm so glad that I did. I love the mobility. Now when I find a recipe the computer goes with me. No more running back to the computer in the other room to see what step comes next. No more wasting paper to print up

LESS in 2012 ~ Less Commitments

2012-02-10T13:00:00.000-06:00

A game of Dominion. One year ago I was overwhelmed with commitments. I was a Cub Scout leader, Women's Bible study co-leader, I was also involved in two different bible studies, and I was trying to fill my calendar with home parties to promote my Wildtree business. At night I'd rush out the door as soon as the last daycare kiddo were picked up. Later I'd rush home after my activities,

CHEESE

2012-02-08T14:48:00.001-06:00

I've attempted mozzarella on two separate occasions and both times I experienced failure. After the second failed attempt I put my rennet tablets away and hadn't thought about making another attempt. Until now. FINALLY! SUCCESS! And I can now share with you how I did it. Also this becomes a permanent record for ME in attempts that I can once again replicate yesterday's cheese success (this is

Valentine Crayons

2012-02-07T14:31:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I bought a heart shaped silicone mold at Hobby Lobby. My intentions were to use it in making Valentine candies......... and then I saw this great idea on a crafting blog. I started at the bottom of our crayon bucket, that's were all the broken, misfit crayons hide, dug out the misfits and if any labels was left, I peeled it off. The crayons were too

Frugal Cleaning

2012-02-06T09:55:00.000-06:00

Basket of cleaning supplies BAKING SODA (mega bag!)WASHING SODABORAXFELS NAPTHAVINEGARRUBBING ALCOHOLHYDROGEN PEROXIDEAdd another bar of Fels Naptha and a few more gallons of vinegar and I'm covered for the year. Cost of cleaning supplies (including laundry soap): Less that $40 a year The borax, washing soda and fels naptha, until now, have been used exclusively for laundry soap.

Valentine Crayon Art

2012-02-05T09:24:00.002-06:00

I was hoping that my painters tape would hold up to leave a cool heart in the midst of the melted crayon. Unfortunately I think the tape lost some of it's sticky factor and didn't hold up. Next time I will try contact paper. I used a "pancake mold" to make the template. Crayons were glued to the top of the canvas with a hot glue gun. We used an assortment of reds, pinks and purple.

Valentine Wreath

2012-02-04T09:41:00.001-06:00

Last week I was contemplating what to do with all my tulle. After making eleven tutus for Christmas gifts, I am a little tutu'd out. Hmmm......all these pinks. AHA! A Valentine wreath! I used a straw form, which I use for the Christmas wreathes I make, for the base. Christmas wreath transformed for Valentines. Greens went into the compost bin, bow and bell saved for next year, straw form

Apples and Carrots

2012-02-03T07:18:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I made apple/carrot muffins with a couple of my girls (daycare kiddos). Everyone LOVED the muffins. My only complaint is that they get eaten too quickly. Next time I will double the recipe. I found the recipe on motherearthnews.com My helpers. Look at those cute little toes! Carrot Apple Muffins 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (although I would have loved the nut, I

Venison Roast

2012-02-02T09:09:00.002-06:00

A daycare parent, who is an avid hunter, blessed me with some of his venison this past fall. Venison Roast Couple handfuls of potatoes Couple handfuls of carrots 1/4 c. Wildtree Absolutely Onion Blend Top all this with water and cook on low for 6 hours. Yummy, tender and EASY. And I like easy.

Cuz' I Eats My Spinach......

2012-01-31T08:57:00.002-06:00

"I'm Popeye the Sailor Man, I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. I'm strong to the finich cuz I eats my spinach! I'm Popeye the Sailor Man!" I've been able to get a few kiddos to try spinach just by singing Popeye's song. I haven't met a boy yet who wouldn't like to have bulging muscles like Popeye. I love spinach so I am glad that it is full of nutrients. Here is what can be found in spinach:

My Hero

2012-01-30T08:54:00.000-06:00

I am the daughter of a great man. 7 month old me with my daddy (isn't he handsome??) While I was growing up I thought my dad knew EVERYTHING. I still do. I can almost hear the squeal of a happy baby when I look at this picture...and I can hear the very familar sound of my dad's laughter (more of a chuckle) When my daughter was born, I would watch my father stare

Chicken Nuggets and Pizza

2012-01-26T20:37:00.002-06:00

This is the year that I am plunging into the effort to only (ok, let's be realistic here. MOSTLY) serve GOOD food in my home. I pledge to serve real food to not only myself but to my family and my daycare family. I've always tried to feed the kiddos well. We have always eaten lots of fruits and vegetables. However, a couple times a week I'd serve kid-friendly meals in order to appease the kids.

Super Duper Power Smoothie on Traditional Tuesdays

2012-01-24T07:48:00.001-06:00

Part of my less in 2012 is eating and serving my family and extended family (meaning my daycare family) less processed foods. I have a few favorite blogs which I subscribe to that provide not only recipes but also motivation in obtaining this goal. Delicious Obsessions is one such blog that educates, motivates and inspires me to eat REAL food. Delicious Obsessions also hosts a blog party

Felted Toys

2012-01-23T12:46:00.000-06:00

In my hopes to give homemade gifts this year, I contemplated what I could possibly make for the birthday of a one-year old boy. Since he loves throwing things, usually toys not meant for throwing, I decided to make him felted balls. These balls are great in that they bounce and even better......they don't hurt when one bonks you in the head! I used wool to form the ball and then added wool

Homemade Furniture Polish is Not Just for Furniture

2012-01-22T20:51:00.000-06:00

Last week I was "detailing" my dining room. As part of my "LESS in 2012", my goal is to get every room (even the laundry room) detailed clean and clutter free. Last week I picked the easiest room in the house. It's always good to feel a little success when the project before you seems a bit overwhelming. While cleaning, I pulled out my homemade polish to shine up my pie safe/craft cupboard, my

Gratitude for New Tricks

2012-01-19T12:24:00.000-06:00

I grate soap to use in laundry soap, liquid hand soap and shampoo. Usually I give this dreaded job to The Boy and take over when he tires of it. Today, as I was grating cheese in my Salad Shooter, I was eyeing my soap which was "curing" on the counter. As the cheese shredded and shot out onto the chips (Nachos were requested for lunch today), I was thinking about the dreaded task of grating

What was that word?

2012-01-18T13:06:00.002-06:00

Today, as I was reading one of my favorite blogs (I have many), An Oregon Cottage, I was excited to read that she too had a "word" and so do several others who have joined a link party dedicated to Words for 2012. Jami's word was eliminate which seemed vaguely familiar. What was my word? I was completely stumped. I had to go back to my blog post to find out. Simple? Abundance? What was it? It