Glowing Outdoor Orbs DIY for less than $5.00

This is really an amazing idea.  They look just like fairy lights glowing in your garden. I am definitely doing this one come spring.  And best of all this is incredibly easy to do!

Use this link for the instructions

http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/glowing-orbs/

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Is there anything better than peanut butter cookies with a tall glass of ice cold milk? Here is a great little site and a great recipe. They turn out perfect!

Polish The Stars: Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies: I'm sure most of you already have a peanut butter cookie recipe but if you are on the search for a new one you should really try the...

Food Storage made simple, or at least simpler - food storage analyzer review

Food storage for emergencies can be overwhelming to the beginner.  I know because I was once a beginner myself.  But I didn't start emergency food storage overnight or because of some fearful prediction like the Mayan 2012 thing.  It all started for me after 9/11.  My husbands job hit a brick wall and we were bringing in little money.  I took a night job and had to go to the local food bank because we were so strapped.  After that fun experience I vowed to never again have to beg for food. 

The nature of my husbands job is unfortunately rather unpredictable so I fell into stocking up on foods when there were great sales and always keeping at least a months worth at home.  After we moved to Wyoming this food storage idea  became even more important in the winter when blizzards cut me off from the grocery store that was a 15 mile trip into town.  I learned to bake my own bread out of necessity and kept probably 2 months of foods in our root cellar.

As the economic outlook looks worse and worse and the drums of war are beating louder and louder many people are looking at ways to safeguard their families through hard times.  Hey our grandparents did it so why shouldn't we? Food and water is our most basic necessity so having a good stock of foods you eat is not only common sense but wise too.  Last years inflation of food was 30% and this years is estimated to go up by at least that much.  So by stocking non perishable foods you know you will use you are saving money in the long run.  We have saved quite a bit this way.

I wont make this a long post because food storage doesn't have to be complicated or hard.  Just follow these few rules and you'll do fine.

1.  Most important!  Store what you eat and eat what you store.  Do not buy foods you have never eaten or don't like just because some prepper "expert" recommends it.  It's OK to broaden our horizons food wise but not in an emergency.  You want stuff you know how to prepare and know you will eat without gagging.  Also you want to stock food you will actually eat because you will need to cycle the food in and out occasionally.

2.  Buy on sale a little at a time.  If you have the money to spend on a deluxe dehydrated food package go ahead but for those of us on a budget buying a little at a time is the most realistic.  When something goes on a great sale I stock up not only for my normal use but for my emergency store as well.

3.  Buy in bulk.  Bulk is so much cheaper for things like flour, rice, beans, sugar that it make sense to buy the 50 lb bag rather than the 5 lb one.

4.  Start with a plan.  Not everyone wants a full years supply of food but what about a month?  Or three months?  You would be surprised at how easy it is to store that much food.

Now that you've got the basics down maybe you want to plan how much you need for a real SHTF emergency.  This doesn't mean the world ending kind of thing, but what about job loss or illness?  So here is a nifty food storage calculator I found.  It's the best I've found because it lets you put in grocery store items as well as the freeze dried canned stuff.  It's a good guide on what your going to need.


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A Baking Day

Here is my weekly baking day.  I do this for three reasons.  First it's much healthier to eat homemade breads that contain good ingredients and no preservatives.  Second it saves us tons of money which is a huge consideration for us.  And third I'm a hearth keeper so I might as well bake good foods for my family. 

Back in the good old days women had a day of the week they did all their baking.  I'm trying to bring back the tradition.  It makes sense because it saves us so much money.  I try to bake enough rolls and bread to get us through a week, and also some treats like cookies and such.  Today I baked my usual Old Fashioned Potato Rolls which always turn out perfect.  And I made Rich Bread, Hide it Cake, and cookies.  I didn't make any quick breads like coffee cake, but I think I'll make those today.  I really wish I had a double oven on baking day.  On a side note when the children came home from school they saw all the breads on the table cooling and were so funny.  Mama baked!  Mama baked! And then for snack they had fresh bread with butter and honey and my eldest son (who is a picky eater) said, "Momma this is the best bread  (it's whole wheat I try to sneak it in there), it is delicious!"  That makes it all worth while.

My Supplies

My Favorite Roll Recipe

Hide It Cake, because you have to hide it from the men folk!

A finished baking day! Now we have all the rolls and bread for a week.

LOL Tuesday -Thank God for The Dollar Store

LOL Tuesday Things you don't say to your wife

Pics around and about

Viking boy with a baby rabbit

Pics of some Koi at a local garden center

They are as long as my arm

One of our windows

A window going up our stairs

Making Rice Bags - solutions for keeping warm

Well winter has finally decided to arrive, and it's making up for lost time by coming in with a bang.  Two feet of snow and its still snowing.  So I decided to make some new rice bags for our family.  The last two we have are starting to smell funny and really we need one for each person and beds.  The kids just love having their cold beds warmed before they get tucked in and a hot rice bag is great when you've just come in from two hours in the freezing cold.  They cuddle up on the couch wrapped in a blanket with a rice bag in their lap.

These are so ridiculously easy to make I cant see how anyone bothers buying them.  They are cheap too.  You could even use old t-shirts or pillowcases to make them.  It only took me 1/2 hour to make 6 with both my 14 and 6 year old daughters helping me.  You can add some drops of essential oils to make them even more soothing.  Lavender, rose, lemon, ceder, or balsam fir would be good.  All you do is heat them in your microwave for 4 to 6 minutes depending on how hot you want them.  Make sure to make them small enough to fit in your microwave!  I put them in the kids beds while they are bathing so that their beds will be nice and warm by the time they get in.  Remember that we heat with wood so the upstairs is much cooler than the downstairs.  These are also great for sore muscles and sore bellies.  You can also freeze them for headaches and burns.

Sewing the bag leaving a small opening to pour the rice into

The ready to fill bag

pouring the rice in, just use the cheapest rice you can find (but jasmine rice lets off the nicest smell)

After filling the ricebags 3/4 full I sew up the hole and ready to go!  Now we have six so no more fighting over them.

The Worth of a Good Dog

We have had many dogs in our lives.  Stupid dogs, destructive dogs, hysterically energetic dogs.  But we have only had two really Good Dogs.  Now I love dogs, love their personalities, their loyalty, their simplicity.  But I also am pragmatic.  This is a dog, not a person.  As the famous dog trainer Cesar Millan has said "When people say a dog is a human they insult the dog".   Dogs have the potential to be all the good that we humans aspire to.  They can be heroically selfless, brave, loyal, kind, loving, and simple.  And for all their love and self sacrifice they only ask for food and kindness in return.

Growing up my dad always had black lab hunting dogs.  We kids loved them of course.  They were our playmates, our guardians,  an understanding furry shoulder to sob out your woes to.  But my dad constantly pounded into our heads that these were DOGS, not people.  He taught us the pack mentality, he taught us about the instinctive dominance hierarchy that all dogs operate under.  We learned how to be higher in that hierarchy and the dogs always loved us for it.  They were secure in the knowledge of their "place" in the pack.  But as my dad said "If a big dog thinks its dominant over a child bad things are going to happen".  We never had to beat our dogs or treat them mean to accomplish this.  And all my dads dogs were Good Dogs.

We all know what a bad dog looks like.  It never obeys its owner, or only when it wants too.  It barks all the time, jumps on people, is aggressive, destructive, and in the worst case it is dangerous to humans.

But what is a Good Dog?  Well that does depend on who you talk to but I think most Good Dogs share  common traits.  They are obedient, they are loyal, they are loving.  They are not destructive or aggressive with humans unless the human threatens them or their "pack".  Most dogs can become this way if the human owner trains them properly with an understanding of what makes up a dog.  But some dogs are just Good for no other reason than that is what they are.  You can see it in their eyes, these special dogs.  Those eyes say that there is nothing but love and loyalty in the dog.

We have had two dogs like that.  Both golden retrievers, a breed known for its outstanding personalities.  The first was our dog Ginger.  We found her at a rescue agency.  She had been starved and abused and abandoned but still she gave off this calm love for everyone she saw, especially children.  I knew I had to take her home.  She turned out to be one of the best dogs I have ever owned.  She was gentle, loving, obedient, and non destructive.  We could trust her even with babies (which is saying something because I do not trust any dog no matter how good with a baby) and no matter what the child did to her she wouldn't even growl.

Gingers only flaw, if you could call it that, is that she was a real "people" dog.  She hated to be left alone for any amount of time. She didn't do anything bad, you could just tell she hated it. I remember one time we went on a day trip and left her at home for 18 hours.  When we got home we found her laying in her corner ringed by our daughter stuffed animals.  No she hadn't been chewing on them or destroying them.  They wernt wet from licking or gnawing.  We were mystified as she had never done this before, never even shown interest in our daughters stuffed animals before.  But she did it twice more when we left her for extended time alone.  We would come home and find a carefully arranged ring of animals around her.  Finally it dawned on me that she was lonely!  And that these animals was her way of comforting herself.  Talk about  a heartbreak moment!

After six years with our family where Ginger gave her love and devotion she died suddenly of a tumor.  We didn't even know she was sick until it was too late.  She was so stoic  I only noticed a slight change in her eating.  It was a very sad time and our children still talk of her.  Is there any friend to a child quite like a big friendly dog?  They are like no other friend.  They are always understanding, never want your toys, and are happy with any plan for play you have.  My best friends from childhood were two dogs.  My dads dog Lance, who although a very nice black lab was also a complete goofball.  He would follows us on our many explores along creeks and streams, wallowing, as all labs love to do, in the water.  He would eat and roll in the most repulsive stuff, he would fetch rocks from the bottom of the stream, but for all that he was a great playmate and we always felt safe with him beside us.

The second friend I had was my great grandmothers black lab Bremmer.  He and I had an interesting relationship and we both knew who was in charge of our explores on my grandmas farm.  HE was!  My great grandmother let me play in the fields by myself only if I took Bremmer with me.  She told me he would protect me and that was true.  Bremmer was a farm dog and if he didn't recognize you he let you know that you were only on HIS farm by permission.  As I ran around the farm pastures Bremmer would follow watching me play, but then there would come a point when he decided we had had enough outside time and  it was prudent to head back to the farmhouse.  No matter how much I would call him he would just trot along and I would have to follow because if I was caught playing without him I would get in big trouble.

Samson with the kittens

Now comes to our current dog Samson.  He too is a golden retriever which I think is one of the best breeds for having with kids.  He's big enough to take all the "love" four children plus assorted friends can dish out, but has the typical golden disposition.  He is sweet, loving, obedient and very easily trained.  We have never had to spank him, only a firm NO is what he needs, and even that makes him act like you just beat him.  About six months after Ginger died we decided it was time to get a new dog, but we knew we wanted another golden.  So I posted on Craigslist looking for a Golden Retriever, not a puppy!  I got six calls from people needing find a good home for their dogs for one reason or another.  All were fixed, shotted, and pure bred and free.  I decided on one and went up to meet him and the owner.  The moment Samson came out I knew he was one of those special dogs that was just GOOD.  I could see it in his eyes.  I had Viking boy with me who was two at the time.  Viking boy had been missing Ginger and when he saw Samson he ran over and threw himself on the dog before I could grab him.  The dog didn't even flinch and gave Viking boy a big kiss as a thank you for the "love".  I knew right then he would be perfect. 

Best Buds

My mind hasn't changed since then.  Samson is a good dog.  He doesn't dig, chew, act aggressive, or mess in the house.  He loves to be petted, walked, and play fetch.  While I put Viking boy down for nap Samson lays next to the bed, and when I leave to go downstairs he lays outside the door "guarding" the little pup sleeping.  When our kids go out so does Samson and he posts guard over them, following them around as they play.  If a stranger goes by he goes on alert and growls until they leave although I don't know what he would do if they came up to him as he just falls all over himself with strangers to be petted.  In the house if strangers he doesn't recognize go by on the street or come to the door he barks to let me know, just the kind of alert dog I want as that's the only time he barks.  He doesn't bother the chickens except to try and steal the scraps we toss to them.  And he tries to groom the kittens and rabbits as if they were puppies.  When I was so sick over the summer Samson stayed near me at all times knowing something was wrong. We have had several people tell us that if we don't want him anymore to please give him to them.  Fat chance we know when we've struck gold!

Recently we took Samson on his first trip to the mountains to go fishing.  The people who owned him before never took him anywhere, not even on walks.  And the only place I have taken him in the car is the Vet.  So Samson does not like car rides since they always end in shots.  When we let him out in the Blue Mountains I saw  a magical change come over him.  You could almost hear his thoughts.  "What is this place Heaven?"  I was a little worried because from previous experience dogs can get a little overexcited in the woods and take off, especially hunting dog breeds which Golden's are part of.  But here again Samson's sterling qualities shone through.  He did explore but never out of eyesight of us.  He loved the river, the smells, he even loved to sniff the fish we caught, but he stuck close to us and the kids.  Now whenever I go to get in the van he comes up with a hopeful look in his eyes as if to say "Can we go again?".

So what is the worth of a good dog? 

Priceless

Scary Bedtime Prayers we tell our kids

This one always kind of freaked me out as a kid! LOL

Creepy Weird Eggs Our Chickens Have Layed

As of late we've been getting some weird eggs including a shell less egg.  I've seen them before but usually they are burst in the laying box from the chickens sitting them.  It was really creepy! lol  But believe it or not this is normal to find once in a while.

EEWWWW!

The White Egg is store bought and then you can see how big the average eggs are and then we had one really small one.

only two inches long

How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden

This is an amazing idea that has so much potential for the homesteader, gardener, or beginning gardener.  Think of using it to grow cucumbers or small melons and squash, notorious space hogs! This is also a big help to those with limited space. You could do one in annual herbs and do each tier in a different herb with several varieties.  Like several different basil's in one row.  You could do flowers to cover an ugly wall.  The possibilities are endless.  I personally am going to use it for an annual herb garden so I can devote more of my herb garden space to my perennials.  I'm also going to use it for cucumbers, small melons, and small winter squash.  I'm so excited about this idea and will post pics when we put them together.

Here is the link to the site I found it at.  Have fun with this! http://lifeonthebalcony.com/how-to-turn-a-pallet-into-a-garden/

DIY Mason Jar Light Cover

After seeing all these cool DIY mason jar light ideas I had a brainstorm for our enclosed porch.  We have a light in there but it is just a bare bulb and pretty ugly.  It's too low of a ceiling to put most fixtures in there so I came up with the idea of using a mason jar to cover it with a clear light bulb.  It looks so much better.  Husband did the necessary drilling and such and then we just screwed it on!  Instantly pretty and free!

A Great Idea For Organizing Stored Canned Food

8I found this and now I am really wanting to get one.  One of the biggest problems for us is cycling our stored food so nothing goes bad.  This idea instantly takes care of that problem.  I love it!  Remember when storing food for emergencies- Store what you eat, eat what you store!  If you have the space like we do for lots of shelves and canned foods they can be your best buy.  The company that makes these is actually geared towards emergency food storage which I find very interesting.  Here's a link to their site. 

http://www.pantrymaid.com/index.html

Source: google.com via Kristina on Pinterest

A Baking Day

I felt all happy and baky today so I cooked up a coffee cake, dinner rolls, an almond bread loaf, and scones for when the kids got home.  Yummy!

Coffee Cake

Scones

Sweet Bread with almond filling

Dinner rolls

Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks - Wonderfull ideas for great food and homemaking

I'm a connoisseur of cookbooks, I like to just read them.  But the ones that I actually use are a little special.  They have to be more than pretty pictures of  impossible to produce food.  And my absolute favorite cookbooks are the ones that have more than just recipes.  I like cookbooks that tell a story, or have historical notes, helpful hints, etc.

So here is a series of books that I love to read through and has amazing recipes that actually work and taste amazing!  Many of the recipes I have posted here on my blog have come from these books.Really there is a book in this series for everyone. But its not just cooking, under each recipe there is helpful hints, decorating ideas, or family fun ideas. I have these three but now am wanting to get many more, especially the dinners on a dime one.







I put a link to the side if you want to get them for yourself, they really are fun cookbooks that have tasty and easy recipes.

Hope for our Future

Source: nbp.org via Molly on Pinterest

There is so much doom and gloom out there right now.  Many people are feeling hopeless and frightened.  And I don't blame them.  Things are coming to a head fast now.  I wont preach on, just read the above and remember.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Ideas to turn a yard into a fun food producing garden that looks good

Now that spring is in my thoughts I am trying to come up with ideas to turn the rest of our yard into useful garden.  I want raised beds but I also want them to look good.  Here are some great pics of ideas to have a useful kitchen garden that wont annoy the neighbors (and might make them jealous) and is easy to plant and maintain.  My plan is to have half the yard in garden, fruit trees, and berries and the other half in grass for the kids to play.  We don't need allot of grass because right up the street is a lovely shaded park with nice new toys and a pool.  Bonus!  We dont have to maintain it. 

Source: flickr.com via Jen on Pinterest

Source: gardenplansireland.com via Jen on Pinterest

Both of these are attractive and will provide enough space to plant a good amount of veggies.

For all the Homeschoolers out there about to "start" school back up - Home School Blues