The MAIN reason I started this blog was to chronicle the adventures of our life on the farm. Beginning with the purchase of the land, moving in the house, setting up shop and everything in between. Seems I've slacked a bit and posted more to Crackbook than to my blog!
So, a couple weeks ago we closed on our land. A nice 4-acre wooded area on a bluff. We love it! Since then we have begun to clear out the "drive-way" so we can pull up into the property as opposed to parking in the ditch on the road. Well, in doing that we've basically determined that we need a culvert in the driveway because even in my big truck I bottom out bigger than life. Too many humongous roots to just transfer dirt around... we tried, hence the broken shovel post on Crackbook.
We also have marked several trees as our corners for the goat pen. Boy, if they get that area cleared out Mama will be VEDDY happy! We also determined quite a few trees need to be felled and even MORE trees need to be cut up that have fallen naturally and made into smaller pieces that are easily carried and stacked in some area that will be later decided upon until which time we decide to purchase a shredder. There are a couple of nice little clearings where we thought would be a perfect place for our garden and for our small orchard. We've picked places for the small barn and another inside the goat pen for goats and the pyr.
I have a local supplier for purebred chickens and will get those maybe this weekend... we will be discussing that later and will be getting the pen put together BEFORE that... of course. I think the same supplier probably has goats too and we might pick out a couple just for experience and then get the dairy goats later.
I think that's about all the updates I have for now but tomorrow is another day. :o)
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Simple Woman's Daybook
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
FOR TODAY
Outside my window... the poplar leaves are blowing in the breeze.
I am thinking... I hope I'm not getting sick. :o/
I am thankful... that I have a lovely "future-farm" to go walk on today, but still have a place to live with people I love, until time comes to move to the farm.
From the learning rooms...my children are thriving here at school and I've only seen one B since the beginning!
In the kitchen... the beef stew Mama made smells wonderful and I can't wait for everyone to get home so we can all dive in!
I am wearing...one of my new favorites: my long, tiered, denim skirt, tie-dyed t-shirt and my Sketcher sandals that I love love love.
I am creating... a legacy for my children.
I am going... to go stake out the goats pen on the farm this afternoon. I hope! <3
I am wondering...if we should / could keep animals there before we move there ourselves?
I am reading... Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace. I am hoping... we will get a LOT done at the farm today.
I am looking forward to... just getting over there with a tummy still warm and full of home made beef stew!
I am hearing...the distant sound of a truck engine and wondering if it might be my tribe.
Around the house... there is always much to do- PILES of washing and folding to be done.
I am pondering... planting the orchard this next week and wondering if it's still a bit soon.
One of my favorite things... the smell of freshly cut hardwood.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Off to do birthy stuff tomorrow, then home to make more home-made laundry soap and probably more laundry. ;o)
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
Friday, September 23, 2011
Let's talk kitchen stuff !
What are the things in your kitchen you cannot LIVE without?
The first thing I thought of was my bamboo wooden spoons. I really don't like using metal or plastic. Plastic because, yes.... it does melt. Metal, I guess, because it will scrape pans. And I'm not really even talking about scratching off Teflon. I am referring to the scraping SOUND that I really don't like. But I don't like Teflon either. Just sayin'.
Anyway, I love cooking with those! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
However...
I would have to say that I love my bread machine the most. I love home-made bread.
There, I said it. Still really warm after baking and with butter just melting right down into it.... *drool*
*Ahem*
I know it's hard to believe but there it is. And I love baking to share too. I have this really AWESOME friend that keeps my kids for me and likes my goodies. LOVE YOU CATHY!!! <3 <3 <3 BUT... I also love my Kitchen-Aid mixer.
So I guess there is a 3 way tie. The thing I thought of FIRST is kind of funny because if you know anything about me at all you would know that me and stirrin' just don't jive well together. Whereas the other two, ya see, are justified LOVES! Because they do all the kneading and stirring for me.
Then there are all the things you can do with either of those 2 appliances. Man... good thing I just ate or I might be drooling in my lap right now thinking of all the possibilities.
So... what is YOUR favorite kitchen accessory, appliance or thing? Oh come on... who cares if it's a vegetable peeler, garlic press or even a cupcake pan. Share your fave and tell us WHY! That's the most important part here.
The first thing I thought of was my bamboo wooden spoons. I really don't like using metal or plastic. Plastic because, yes.... it does melt. Metal, I guess, because it will scrape pans. And I'm not really even talking about scratching off Teflon. I am referring to the scraping SOUND that I really don't like. But I don't like Teflon either. Just sayin'.
Anyway, I love cooking with those! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
However...
I would have to say that I love my bread machine the most. I love home-made bread.
There, I said it. Still really warm after baking and with butter just melting right down into it.... *drool*
*Ahem*
I know it's hard to believe but there it is. And I love baking to share too. I have this really AWESOME friend that keeps my kids for me and likes my goodies. LOVE YOU CATHY!!! <3 <3 <3 BUT... I also love my Kitchen-Aid mixer.
So I guess there is a 3 way tie. The thing I thought of FIRST is kind of funny because if you know anything about me at all you would know that me and stirrin' just don't jive well together. Whereas the other two, ya see, are justified LOVES! Because they do all the kneading and stirring for me.
Then there are all the things you can do with either of those 2 appliances. Man... good thing I just ate or I might be drooling in my lap right now thinking of all the possibilities.
So... what is YOUR favorite kitchen accessory, appliance or thing? Oh come on... who cares if it's a vegetable peeler, garlic press or even a cupcake pan. Share your fave and tell us WHY! That's the most important part here.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Why are we doing this?
A lot of people probably look at us funny when they hear we've bought a few acres and are going to start a small farm. Okay, maybe they just WANT to look at us funny. At any rate- it's quite a change, I must admit, and really... Why ARE we doing this? It might be a good idea to chronicle how I feel today, before it all really begins to get hairy, and then I can re-read it when I have one of those days where people ask others... remind me WHY I'M DOING THIS!!!! I expect there will be quite a few of those days ahead of us. :o) So let's first start out with WHAT we want, then I can break each of those down and explain the "why" part of it. At least from MY standpoint. The Dude might have something else to say about it on his own bloggy.
1. A farm. As general as that is, we just want one. I mean, we live in the country and why not? It would be a lot of work-yes, but also a lot of FUN! Especially for the kids, don't you think? Another reason is that we want to be as self-sufficient as possible. This means being able to produce enough food to feed our family, winter time included, however, we won't be getting any meat from our farm unless we decide to do that in the future. I can't tell you how warm and fuzzy I feel inside just knowing that one day I will be able to walk our farm and pick an apple off the tree and just eat it, knowing that there were no pesticides used and that WE grew it! Another BIG reason for the farm is that when we are old enough to retire we can already have a farm and know how to run it and what it takes to maintain it, barring any changes like a decision to start keeping cows or like/such-as (I love saying that!) One thing I know my parents enjoy about their own farm is the ability to share what they've grown with their family and friends. I look forward to a lot of that too. :o)
2. Goats. Well, they are just way too cute not to want about 10 of them. I mean, go look for yourself!
And you HAVE to watch the whole video!
These are dairy goats, yet smaller ones and adorable! I want to be able to provide milk for my family that comes from a source that I know without a shadow of a doubt what they were fed and treated with medically. Why wouldn't I? And besides, it would be FUN!
3. Chickens. Same reason as the goats. I want to be able to provide enough eggs for my family PLUS enough to sell to others because a LOT of people prefer farm-fresh eggs. And again... fun. Also, if you looked into the video I posted "here while back" about Back to Eden then you will remember how Paul gave all green (meaning grass too) and veggie scraps to his chickens who in turn make great compost/top soil for his gardens.
I already have people wanting eggs AND chickens from me and I haven't even build a coop yet!
4. Tractor. Oh wait... I will let someone else post about that but... why would I have a farm without a tractor??? That's like having a farm without a barn to me. Why, it's bad form, old boy!
5. A Great Pyrenees PUPPY!
And yes, I do want a dog that big and I believe they are the best ones for the job they do.
I want my children to grow up outside like we *zee Dude and I* did. I want them to know responsibility by helping to take care of the animals. I want them to have respect for the animals yet love them as one would a pet. I want my children to really appreciate that warm and fuzzy feeling they will get knowing that they helped to plant, water, maintain, harvest, clean and cook (or not, says the nappy-headed person who is working to convert to a mostly-raw diet) all, or most, of the food they are putting in their mouths.
My dream is to wake up before the sun, start making a good breakfast of fresh eggs, sprouted grain breads and fresh fruits, or even biscuits, pancakes or muffins from stuff I MADE while the kids are out milking and gathering those eggs. Then after they go off to school I can do other jobs that need to be done or make time to get my craft on. I look forward to baking more bread and hopefully one day prep food for the dehydrator and tend to other things that are in the works, like kefir and sprouting... etc. All these things I want to do. I have so many IDEAS!!!!!!!
And slowly the dream becomes reality.
1. A farm. As general as that is, we just want one. I mean, we live in the country and why not? It would be a lot of work-yes, but also a lot of FUN! Especially for the kids, don't you think? Another reason is that we want to be as self-sufficient as possible. This means being able to produce enough food to feed our family, winter time included, however, we won't be getting any meat from our farm unless we decide to do that in the future. I can't tell you how warm and fuzzy I feel inside just knowing that one day I will be able to walk our farm and pick an apple off the tree and just eat it, knowing that there were no pesticides used and that WE grew it! Another BIG reason for the farm is that when we are old enough to retire we can already have a farm and know how to run it and what it takes to maintain it, barring any changes like a decision to start keeping cows or like/such-as (I love saying that!) One thing I know my parents enjoy about their own farm is the ability to share what they've grown with their family and friends. I look forward to a lot of that too. :o)
2. Goats. Well, they are just way too cute not to want about 10 of them. I mean, go look for yourself!
And you HAVE to watch the whole video!
These are dairy goats, yet smaller ones and adorable! I want to be able to provide milk for my family that comes from a source that I know without a shadow of a doubt what they were fed and treated with medically. Why wouldn't I? And besides, it would be FUN!
3. Chickens. Same reason as the goats. I want to be able to provide enough eggs for my family PLUS enough to sell to others because a LOT of people prefer farm-fresh eggs. And again... fun. Also, if you looked into the video I posted "here while back" about Back to Eden then you will remember how Paul gave all green (meaning grass too) and veggie scraps to his chickens who in turn make great compost/top soil for his gardens.
I already have people wanting eggs AND chickens from me and I haven't even build a coop yet!
4. Tractor. Oh wait... I will let someone else post about that but... why would I have a farm without a tractor??? That's like having a farm without a barn to me. Why, it's bad form, old boy!
5. A Great Pyrenees PUPPY!
And yes, I do want a dog that big and I believe they are the best ones for the job they do.
I want my children to grow up outside like we *zee Dude and I* did. I want them to know responsibility by helping to take care of the animals. I want them to have respect for the animals yet love them as one would a pet. I want my children to really appreciate that warm and fuzzy feeling they will get knowing that they helped to plant, water, maintain, harvest, clean and cook (or not, says the nappy-headed person who is working to convert to a mostly-raw diet) all, or most, of the food they are putting in their mouths.
My dream is to wake up before the sun, start making a good breakfast of fresh eggs, sprouted grain breads and fresh fruits, or even biscuits, pancakes or muffins from stuff I MADE while the kids are out milking and gathering those eggs. Then after they go off to school I can do other jobs that need to be done or make time to get my craft on. I look forward to baking more bread and hopefully one day prep food for the dehydrator and tend to other things that are in the works, like kefir and sprouting... etc. All these things I want to do. I have so many IDEAS!!!!!!!
And slowly the dream becomes reality.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
New post ideas...
I'm kinda brainstorming LIVE, I guess you could say, some ideas for future posts so I won't forget them. Feel free to comment with anything you would personally like to learn more or read more about. :o)
1. fermented foods - "Fermented vegetables are rich in nutrients, fiber and digestion-enhancing enzymes. They also help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of flora by increasing beneficial bacteria."
Read more: HERE on the benefits of eating fermented foods. I will be doing some of this in the next few days. Maybe as early as tonight!~
2. Getting started with chickens and raising them for eggs both for self-consumption and for sale and DIY chicken coops and pens.
3. Bread baking! (This one is for you, Linda!)
4. Choosing the right goats to raise and all about housing them, DIY stuff!
5. Recipes for children's head to toe wash and also deoderant and other bath-related products.
Stay tuned!
1. fermented foods - "Fermented vegetables are rich in nutrients, fiber and digestion-enhancing enzymes. They also help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of flora by increasing beneficial bacteria."
Read more: HERE on the benefits of eating fermented foods. I will be doing some of this in the next few days. Maybe as early as tonight!~
2. Getting started with chickens and raising them for eggs both for self-consumption and for sale and DIY chicken coops and pens.
3. Bread baking! (This one is for you, Linda!)
4. Choosing the right goats to raise and all about housing them, DIY stuff!
5. Recipes for children's head to toe wash and also deoderant and other bath-related products.
Stay tuned!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Cleaning is a passion of mine...
Ummm, okay, maybe not a "passion" but I am a bit OCD about it. I just like stuff to be clean. That's all. But over the last "little while" (yep, I'm southern) I've been more concerned about what I was cleaning WITH!
These days it seems every label you read says its energy-efficient, good for the environment, or one of my favorites "all natural"! Between you and me-they put that there because they know that's the "IN" thing these days and you will therefore buy it. Have you ever read the requirements of a product to put that on their label? It's a joke, but one that's not funny at all. It's very deceptive and misleading to consumers. And just what ARE all those things on the label we can't even pronounce anyway? How do you really know what you're putting on your body or into the air that you and your babies are breathing?
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to pick up a product and look at the label and it have only a handful of ingredients? And they were things you knew were safe for you AND your environment? Doesn't that sound nice? Well guess what?
It's possible! And you get to pick your packaging too! That's right! And pick your own scent, according to what smell YOU like! I know, I know, you're thinking I've gone off my rocker, right? Nope. Hear me out...
Baking soda.
White vinegar.
Essential oils.
WATER.
Castile soap(I use Dr Bronners)
Do you realize what all you can do with these wonderful things? Well, here are just a few things I USED to use when I cleaned... ready?
Hair- whatever shampoo I was in the mood for, conditioner, hair gel or mousse. For the kids I used a kids tear-free head-to-toe wash and because Punkin's hair is long and Muffy's hair is tight curls I used a detangler also. The Dude uses Head and Shoulders, plus hair gel.
Body- I used to use Neutrogena Body Wash, Dude uses Irish Spring ORIGINAL (everything else leaves him oily) and the kids used the same tear-free head-to-toe stuff.
Toilets-Comet for the bowl, Clorox Wipes for wiping down the whole toilet.
Tubs- either Comet or a "spray and walk away", "come back later and wipe off" kinda thing like Tilex or the scrubbing bubbles... you know what I'm talking about.
Mirrors and windows- Windex of course!
Carpets- a long time ago I used to use carpet fresh all the time because I loved how it would smell up the entire house! Now I have a hubby and a daughter who have allergies and Punkin's allergies are both respiratory and eczema. I have to be very careful using products on her because she can flare and be covered in hives and scratch until she bleeds. Sound fun? Nope. And as miserable as it is to watch her going through it I know she is 100x as miserable.
Counter tops- I had off-white counter tops that seemed to stain very easily so bleach had to be in the product. Windex sometimes. Sometimes just a multi-purpose cleaner.
WOW. That's a lot of stuff, isn't it? Why do we need all that stuff? Especially when we can use the alternatives I mentioned and get the same results but with a lot less fumes and money spent!
So what do I use now? Well.... going back through the same list:
Hair- I cut out a LOT of washings... I was always one of these people that had to wash my hair before I went anywhere. A lot of that had to do with the fact that I "HAD" to put my hair up when it was wet. If I didn't, it was really fuzzy. NOW... I wash once a week. Sometimes twice, lately though it's been LESS than once a week. What do I use? I wash with baking soda and water. WHAT? Yep. And I rinse with apple cider vinegar and water. I usually alternate the baking soda wash with a Dr Bronners wash diluted heavily in water. How is my hair? It's awesome! And when I go out I just use a spray bottle of water with Essential oil of Lemongrass in it to feel fresh. I was thinking of adding some peppermint or rosemary essential oil for a bit of a tingle. That's stimulating and refreshing. :o)
Body- Dr Bronners, heavily diluted in water. :o) Love it!
Toilets- baking soda to use as a scouring agent (if you need it) and for maintaining use equal parts water and vinegar and spray in the bowl.
Tubs- white vinegar and water.
Mirrors- Equal parts white vinegar and water.
Carpets- Nothing. yep. When we bought our house we had to rip up all the carpet and when we did we saw what was left underneath the pad. Guess what it was... dirt, of course, and carpet fresh. Yep. Your vacuum doesn't get it all... even if it's a Dyson or Oreck.
Counter tops- Guess... yep. white vinegar and water.
Are we seeing a trend here? You can use this stuff on everything! There are other recipes for home made cleaners out there and I use them from time to time as well. There is a multi-purpose cleaner that I like... I'm not positive of the ratios of the ingredients but I will find out... the ingredients are water, borax (that's interesting stuff right there!), Dr Bronners soap, and Essential oils of choice. I think that's all.
HERE is a good website for some home made cleaning recipes... I will have my own list up soon enough for a quick and easy reference.
Another HUGE thing that I make my own of is..... tada!!!! Laundry soap. For those of you who don't know us personally, we are a family of 7. We have 3 boys and 2 girls. Every one of those 5 like to get nasty outside and this stuff cleans it all.
4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)
*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!
For those of you who are not familiar with Fels Naptha soap, it is a time-tested stain remover and pre-treater working especially well on oil-based stains. Know what else it's good for?
Poison ivy resin can remain on your clothes for over 1 year. Washing with Fels-Naptha® will eliminate the dangerous resin from your clothing. Thoroughly wash all of your exposed clothing including hats, gloves, coats and pants in shaved or grated Fels-Naptha® (about 1/16th of the bar). This will effectively remove the poison ivy resin and prevent further outbreak.
No wonder millions of people for over 100 years have been saying, "Nothing can take the place of my Fels-Naptha®!
WOW. And guess what we have around here a-plenty? Yep. Poison Ivy.
So, like I said, I will be sharing recipes for home made cleaning products and organizing them all with Labels so they are easy to locate here on the blog.
I'd love to hear from you... Leave me a comment and share a recipe you've tried and loved or any other tip or trick for cleaning that you've learned.
Also, how about some comments with post ideas?
These days it seems every label you read says its energy-efficient, good for the environment, or one of my favorites "all natural"! Between you and me-they put that there because they know that's the "IN" thing these days and you will therefore buy it. Have you ever read the requirements of a product to put that on their label? It's a joke, but one that's not funny at all. It's very deceptive and misleading to consumers. And just what ARE all those things on the label we can't even pronounce anyway? How do you really know what you're putting on your body or into the air that you and your babies are breathing?
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to pick up a product and look at the label and it have only a handful of ingredients? And they were things you knew were safe for you AND your environment? Doesn't that sound nice? Well guess what?
It's possible! And you get to pick your packaging too! That's right! And pick your own scent, according to what smell YOU like! I know, I know, you're thinking I've gone off my rocker, right? Nope. Hear me out...
Baking soda.
White vinegar.
Essential oils.
WATER.
Castile soap(I use Dr Bronners)
Do you realize what all you can do with these wonderful things? Well, here are just a few things I USED to use when I cleaned... ready?
Hair- whatever shampoo I was in the mood for, conditioner, hair gel or mousse. For the kids I used a kids tear-free head-to-toe wash and because Punkin's hair is long and Muffy's hair is tight curls I used a detangler also. The Dude uses Head and Shoulders, plus hair gel.
Body- I used to use Neutrogena Body Wash, Dude uses Irish Spring ORIGINAL (everything else leaves him oily) and the kids used the same tear-free head-to-toe stuff.
Toilets-Comet for the bowl, Clorox Wipes for wiping down the whole toilet.
Tubs- either Comet or a "spray and walk away", "come back later and wipe off" kinda thing like Tilex or the scrubbing bubbles... you know what I'm talking about.
Mirrors and windows- Windex of course!
Carpets- a long time ago I used to use carpet fresh all the time because I loved how it would smell up the entire house! Now I have a hubby and a daughter who have allergies and Punkin's allergies are both respiratory and eczema. I have to be very careful using products on her because she can flare and be covered in hives and scratch until she bleeds. Sound fun? Nope. And as miserable as it is to watch her going through it I know she is 100x as miserable.
Counter tops- I had off-white counter tops that seemed to stain very easily so bleach had to be in the product. Windex sometimes. Sometimes just a multi-purpose cleaner.
WOW. That's a lot of stuff, isn't it? Why do we need all that stuff? Especially when we can use the alternatives I mentioned and get the same results but with a lot less fumes and money spent!
So what do I use now? Well.... going back through the same list:
Hair- I cut out a LOT of washings... I was always one of these people that had to wash my hair before I went anywhere. A lot of that had to do with the fact that I "HAD" to put my hair up when it was wet. If I didn't, it was really fuzzy. NOW... I wash once a week. Sometimes twice, lately though it's been LESS than once a week. What do I use? I wash with baking soda and water. WHAT? Yep. And I rinse with apple cider vinegar and water. I usually alternate the baking soda wash with a Dr Bronners wash diluted heavily in water. How is my hair? It's awesome! And when I go out I just use a spray bottle of water with Essential oil of Lemongrass in it to feel fresh. I was thinking of adding some peppermint or rosemary essential oil for a bit of a tingle. That's stimulating and refreshing. :o)
Body- Dr Bronners, heavily diluted in water. :o) Love it!
Toilets- baking soda to use as a scouring agent (if you need it) and for maintaining use equal parts water and vinegar and spray in the bowl.
Tubs- white vinegar and water.
Mirrors- Equal parts white vinegar and water.
Carpets- Nothing. yep. When we bought our house we had to rip up all the carpet and when we did we saw what was left underneath the pad. Guess what it was... dirt, of course, and carpet fresh. Yep. Your vacuum doesn't get it all... even if it's a Dyson or Oreck.
Counter tops- Guess... yep. white vinegar and water.
Are we seeing a trend here? You can use this stuff on everything! There are other recipes for home made cleaners out there and I use them from time to time as well. There is a multi-purpose cleaner that I like... I'm not positive of the ratios of the ingredients but I will find out... the ingredients are water, borax (that's interesting stuff right there!), Dr Bronners soap, and Essential oils of choice. I think that's all.
HERE is a good website for some home made cleaning recipes... I will have my own list up soon enough for a quick and easy reference.
Another HUGE thing that I make my own of is..... tada!!!! Laundry soap. For those of you who don't know us personally, we are a family of 7. We have 3 boys and 2 girls. Every one of those 5 like to get nasty outside and this stuff cleans it all.
4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)
*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!
For those of you who are not familiar with Fels Naptha soap, it is a time-tested stain remover and pre-treater working especially well on oil-based stains. Know what else it's good for?
Poison ivy resin can remain on your clothes for over 1 year. Washing with Fels-Naptha® will eliminate the dangerous resin from your clothing. Thoroughly wash all of your exposed clothing including hats, gloves, coats and pants in shaved or grated Fels-Naptha® (about 1/16th of the bar). This will effectively remove the poison ivy resin and prevent further outbreak.
No wonder millions of people for over 100 years have been saying, "Nothing can take the place of my Fels-Naptha®!
WOW. And guess what we have around here a-plenty? Yep. Poison Ivy.
So, like I said, I will be sharing recipes for home made cleaning products and organizing them all with Labels so they are easy to locate here on the blog.
I'd love to hear from you... Leave me a comment and share a recipe you've tried and loved or any other tip or trick for cleaning that you've learned.
Also, how about some comments with post ideas?
Friday, September 16, 2011
Getting "Back to Eden"
http://www.backtoedenfilm.com/
"The Dude" and I (I have decided not to use real names here in case for some reason LOTS of people from all around somehow stumble across this bloggy they won't learn too much about me and the tribe... so until further notice, the hubs will be hereinafter known as "The Dude". Cool? Good. So, like I said... The Dude and I ... we watched this film last night. I had to tell ya'll about it.
A pal of mine sent me the link to this film on Crackbook and we were immediately in agreement that THIS was how we wanted to start our farm. THIS is how we need to garden.
Basically the gist of it is that we work and work and work at bettering the soil because it's too dry and too acidic and too basic and not enough phosphorus and blah blah blah... but the Earth in and of itself grows. It lives, survives... THRIVES, and does it wonderfully! WITHOUT added compost, bloodmeal, frequent waterings (other than naturally provided rainwater) and tilling....
If we were to walk into a forest right now, you and I, we would find WHAT on the ground? LOTS of stuff, right? Like what? Well, fallen pine needles, leaves, grass... and also wood mulch too. So this dude in this film, Paul, he goes and says that he doesn't till... doesn't compost... doesn't WATER any of this orchards, gardens or ANY of it, other than after the initial planting, I believe. His reasoning is that wood mulch acts like a sponge or blanket that holds in all the rain water and then creates it's own compost and topsoil underneath.
NATURALLY. Without help from any man.
How AMAZING is that?
By the way... this is Paul.
Paul Gautschi. Say "HI", Paul.
So he prunes his trees and takes those cuttings and has them chipped up into the most awesome looking stuff and spreads it over the ground in all of his gardens. He has layers upon layers of this same material and he just keeps adding to it. Another thing he does is takes all the green garden waste, i.e. wilted plants, grass clippings, stuff that didn't get used in the kitchen, etc, and feeds those to his chickens. The chickens are fed awesomely healthy foods rich in all KINDS of vitamins and minerals and then guess what they do? Yep. They poop. Then Paul takes a screen he made and lays it over his wheelbarrow and shovels the dirt/poop from the chicken yard/pen onto the screen. Then he sifts it. All that is left on top are rocks and other things that one wouldn't want in their garden and what he was left with in the wheelbarrow was the darkest, richest, healthiest looking topsoil/compost mixture that I have ever seen!
Guess what he does with it?
He does NOT turn it into the existing soil. That's what you or I would do, right? Yep.
Well, not Paul. He simply spread on top of the existing ground.
I remember hearing him state that his only garden tool used was his garden rake. To spread the wood chips and this soil/compost mixture like stuffidge.
WOW.
So, what about weeds? Well, yes, he gets a few here and there but says that it's probably from where others are cultivating and scattering seeds into the wind and they are then blown his way and germinate in his awesome soil. You can pull them up almost so easy it was like they weren't even rooted in, but they were. The stuff is so moist and LIGHT that it doesn't dry up and solidify, per se like the plain ol' dirt stuff does.
LIGHT? Yes, light. However... not so light to where it will just blow away in the wind. You can drive over it and everything and it stays in place. At one point in the video they showed a close-up of his feet walking over the wood chips and The Dude noticed how it sprang back up after he stepped off of it. Like a sponge that you squeeze and then release. Can you picture it? Good. Just making sure everyone in class was paying attention.
There is so much more that I could say and add but I have forgotten so many of the details. ((This is one very good reason to have your own Dude. They remember what we cannot and vice versa.)) Let me state, though, that all I've listed here already? ...Came from watching less than half the film. Imagine what I will post next after I finish watching it!!!! The Dude has already finished it and is so super pumped about getting started on our property. I am too, of course! Absosmurfly!
This is a picture of one part of Paul's gardens.
Look.At.That.Topsoil.
Wow.
So, go check out that film and see for yourself. And just an FYI he quotes a LOT of scripture....
Okay, so go watch it... And buy stock in a good chipper. ;o)
Well, I'm off to finish watching it.... Until next time!
"The Dude" and I (I have decided not to use real names here in case for some reason LOTS of people from all around somehow stumble across this bloggy they won't learn too much about me and the tribe... so until further notice, the hubs will be hereinafter known as "The Dude". Cool? Good. So, like I said... The Dude and I ... we watched this film last night. I had to tell ya'll about it.
A pal of mine sent me the link to this film on Crackbook and we were immediately in agreement that THIS was how we wanted to start our farm. THIS is how we need to garden.
Basically the gist of it is that we work and work and work at bettering the soil because it's too dry and too acidic and too basic and not enough phosphorus and blah blah blah... but the Earth in and of itself grows. It lives, survives... THRIVES, and does it wonderfully! WITHOUT added compost, bloodmeal, frequent waterings (other than naturally provided rainwater) and tilling....
If we were to walk into a forest right now, you and I, we would find WHAT on the ground? LOTS of stuff, right? Like what? Well, fallen pine needles, leaves, grass... and also wood mulch too. So this dude in this film, Paul, he goes and says that he doesn't till... doesn't compost... doesn't WATER any of this orchards, gardens or ANY of it, other than after the initial planting, I believe. His reasoning is that wood mulch acts like a sponge or blanket that holds in all the rain water and then creates it's own compost and topsoil underneath.
NATURALLY. Without help from any man.
How AMAZING is that?
By the way... this is Paul.
Paul Gautschi. Say "HI", Paul.
So he prunes his trees and takes those cuttings and has them chipped up into the most awesome looking stuff and spreads it over the ground in all of his gardens. He has layers upon layers of this same material and he just keeps adding to it. Another thing he does is takes all the green garden waste, i.e. wilted plants, grass clippings, stuff that didn't get used in the kitchen, etc, and feeds those to his chickens. The chickens are fed awesomely healthy foods rich in all KINDS of vitamins and minerals and then guess what they do? Yep. They poop. Then Paul takes a screen he made and lays it over his wheelbarrow and shovels the dirt/poop from the chicken yard/pen onto the screen. Then he sifts it. All that is left on top are rocks and other things that one wouldn't want in their garden and what he was left with in the wheelbarrow was the darkest, richest, healthiest looking topsoil/compost mixture that I have ever seen!
Guess what he does with it?
He does NOT turn it into the existing soil. That's what you or I would do, right? Yep.
Well, not Paul. He simply spread on top of the existing ground.
I remember hearing him state that his only garden tool used was his garden rake. To spread the wood chips and this soil/compost mixture like stuffidge.
WOW.
So, what about weeds? Well, yes, he gets a few here and there but says that it's probably from where others are cultivating and scattering seeds into the wind and they are then blown his way and germinate in his awesome soil. You can pull them up almost so easy it was like they weren't even rooted in, but they were. The stuff is so moist and LIGHT that it doesn't dry up and solidify, per se like the plain ol' dirt stuff does.
LIGHT? Yes, light. However... not so light to where it will just blow away in the wind. You can drive over it and everything and it stays in place. At one point in the video they showed a close-up of his feet walking over the wood chips and The Dude noticed how it sprang back up after he stepped off of it. Like a sponge that you squeeze and then release. Can you picture it? Good. Just making sure everyone in class was paying attention.
There is so much more that I could say and add but I have forgotten so many of the details. ((This is one very good reason to have your own Dude. They remember what we cannot and vice versa.)) Let me state, though, that all I've listed here already? ...Came from watching less than half the film. Imagine what I will post next after I finish watching it!!!! The Dude has already finished it and is so super pumped about getting started on our property. I am too, of course! Absosmurfly!
This is a picture of one part of Paul's gardens.
Look.At.That.Topsoil.
Wow.
So, go check out that film and see for yourself. And just an FYI he quotes a LOT of scripture....
Okay, so go watch it... And buy stock in a good chipper. ;o)
Well, I'm off to finish watching it.... Until next time!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
New Beginnings
Happy rainy day to everyone.... I wanted to take a minute to introduce you to my new blog.
This is going to contain all of the fun-ness of our tribe and our new life on a real homestead! We recently purchased 4 acres in the country on a lovely bluff and hope to build a home there soon. There will be chickens and goats and dogs and cats and who knows what else! I will post recipes, tips and tricks, crafty stuffs, etc. Basically just every day life stuff. So I hope you will tune in and learn about the homesteader's life as we do.
Namaste and Welcome! I hope you will subscribe while you're here! :o)
This is going to contain all of the fun-ness of our tribe and our new life on a real homestead! We recently purchased 4 acres in the country on a lovely bluff and hope to build a home there soon. There will be chickens and goats and dogs and cats and who knows what else! I will post recipes, tips and tricks, crafty stuffs, etc. Basically just every day life stuff. So I hope you will tune in and learn about the homesteader's life as we do.
Namaste and Welcome! I hope you will subscribe while you're here! :o)
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