A dream come true

This baby had double yolks.

a little time makes a big difference

our little chickens

happy weekend

I know, I already talked about my canning fun, but I think they are very pleasant to look at. Here are some of my favorites this week.

I really do like sesame street.

We loved watching this story unfold live.

I stopped using plastic produce bags a long time ago. But these seems to be a much better option than my apples and squash rolling around on the belt.

I am certain this magazine will be nice to read. ( I'm still not over Domino's crash)

We went to a local flower picking garden last week. it was vast and beautiful. Besides, the dead mice that the farm owners cat had dropped in various rows and walk ways.
We all love being outdoors and my love of flower goes way deep. It was a treat for everyone involved. I picked this bouquet that made me keep saying moulin rouge. I think that actually may have been the name of these sunflowers.

modern playhouse

If this isn't one of the best playhouse designs I've ever seen.
I think this can go on the list of things to make for our children. Perhaps one for each room even?

farmers market goodness

We like to go down to our local farmers market on Saturday mornings for meet with folks and buy the goods all around us. I haven't really gotten a full grasp on eating local,( I love Costco) or organic.


Don't get me wrong, I love getting our milk eggs bread and produce and even body care locally, but there are still a few staples that I get elsewhere. I'm very happy with the balance. And so are our bodies and wallets.


Do you guys go for organics? How about local goods?

love these soaps

Orchard Farm soaps is a company run out of Idaho. They make soaps, candles, lip balms and lotion bars. The soaps smell delicious, and use only the best ingredients. Here is her Etsy shop.

we plant flowers

Indoors. Because the kids can't wait for spring.

wooly

Here's my first attempt at knitting a diaper cover. I used this pattern, and I like the way it fits. And I imagine it's softer and more comfy to wear than what I currently have on him.
I have yet to lanolize it, and I'm scared because I don't really know what I'm doing.
So wish me luck.

making stuff

I still use, and am very happy with my homemade deodorant. I started adding essential oil in the fragrance of my choice to really spruce things up. I've never smelled better.

Anyhow, we used trader Joes all natural toothpaste until they decided it would be a good idea to discontinue the line. :/ So as a replacement, I thought it might be fun to try to make some. The other all natural brands are at least twice the price. So I used this recipe:

1/3 cup baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable glycerin
12 drops of spearmint food grade essential oil

and just tried it for the first time, and I like.

organic raw milk

Straight from the farm to our table. This stuff is good. I mean really good. We are spoiled because it is unbelievably easy to get here. Part of the joys of living in the boonies.
These are actually black angus cows. Not the ones who give us milk. It's the same farm that we get our beef from. I couldn't find the milking cows anywhere. There are only two of them and they must have been hiding. I couldn't find them for a picture. By the way, it's 35 degrees at nine in the morning. It is still October. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

cloth diapering

Check these out!
We love cloth over here. But the coming of this new baby has got me researching. Again. We use these. And they work fine. But I'm like the idea of switching to all natural fibers. I think they might come up fresher for a longer period of time. Anybody have any experience with wool and cotton?

summer bounty

We spent the day picking fresh produce at the Jones farm today. It was awesome fun. I"m pretty sure it will taste awesome too.

so good

We have wonderful neighbors. They picked and hand delivered two bowls of bing cherries straight from their tree, to our backdoor. I keep running across yummy looking recipes to use them in, but they never stick around long enough. Oh well.

we actually like this weather

I just finished the last of our jelly bean stash. :( I'm slightly saddened.
Even though it's a good thing.
I know everyone is tired of the rain, but there is something so clean and satisfying about the freshly wash outdoors.
We are going to try to see this movie in about a half hour.
We have an actual moving date.
We also have a lot of packing to do in a relatively short amount of time.

thinking this might be the best pet

I really like animals. This is a genetic trait gained from my father. I would have loved to live in a zoo as a child. But now that house keeping, and child rearing are some of my main focuses, a menagerie to clean and care for is a lot less appealing. We have been thinking about keeping chickens for a bit now and I stumbled upon this wonderful website Omlet. They make it look oh so easy. And fun yeah?

deodorizer for those of us

I made myself some deodorant last night. I had been using this stuff. I love the smell to pieces. But the first ingredient was propylene glycol. I was given this recipe by my sister. And dang does it work.

all natural deodorant for real

1/4 C virgin coconut oil
1/4 C baking soda
1 1/2 ts cornstarch

My coconut oil was soft enough to mix the other ingredients in with heating it first. So after I mixed them completely, I stuffed it into an old deodorant container that I had saved and washed. Then I put it in the freezer over night just to speed up the hardening process.

I really don't think this is regrettable. I mean these are all food grade ingredients. Which is nice for nursing. Babies come pretty close to whatever you put on. That used to stress me out.

last minute,

I finished! With little to no time to spare. I had this idea to make a toy mouse for Phoebe. I had seen one in a catalog online, and almost bought it but thought it would be so much cuter handmade. I think I was right. Even with all its crazy stitching, and lopsidedness. I stuffed a bell inside for added jingling, and filled it with old plastic shopping bags needing to be recycled. This lil' gal with definitely be getting some friends just like her real soon. For now, she is waiting in Phoebe's stocking to get some kitty hugging.

I hope you all found the time and will to finish all you last minute preparations. Merry Christmas, and may you all enjoy this awesome season given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ!