Browsing Tag

simplicity

A Week on The Farm

We lost a goat last week.

farm

Corky, our “special” wether, died sometime during the night and Ryan found him in the barn.

His mama had a heart defect and we knew this was a possibility when we got him so not a HUGE surprise, but still slightly sad to not see his awkward, happy face around the farm anymore.

We had planned on butchering him for meat this past fall, but after we got Kosher (our breeding buck), we decided to keep Corky around a little bit longer to be a companion to Kosher.

Corky and Lilly also had a cute relationship. Even when we separated the boys from the girls, Lilly and Corky would always “talk” to each other.

goats homestead

So now, we’ve had to figure out what to do with a dead animal on the farm. (Ryan mostly because my pregnant, queasy stomach can’t handle too much these days) We’ve lost chickens in the past few months at various stages of development, and we have 6 acres and LOTS of birds and small rodents in the area, so we’ve opted to use the disposal by natural compost method. So, we did the same with Corky. Ryan skinned him, as he had a very soft, beautiful pelt and we plan on hanging it in our living room.

If feels weird and at the same time, normal, to be having to deal with things like this. After all, we do live on a farm and this is definitely part of what we signed up for.

“Pretty sure they won’t find me here….”

goat

This week we also had an egg bound duck (although we had no idea what was going on at first).

The first day we found the hen unable to get up in the chicken coop, squirming uncomfortably. At first, we thought that she was just laying an egg, as we had yet to actually SEE a duck lay. The next morning, she was running around with all the other ducks, just fine. Then we found her again, at the same time of day, in the same position (unable to move). After calling our neighbor and doing some research we thought that she might either be (A) be egg bound, (B) broken back from the drakes mounting her outside of water.

duck

We took her inside, let her sit in a warm bath, injected olive oil in her mouth and duct, and set her in a box in the living room.

In the morning, she had passed the egg and was good as new! At least, that’s what we’re hoping…We also plan to purchase a swimming pool of some kind so that the ducks have more room to be in water. They currently have a large watering bucket that 2-3 of them can fit in, but after learning that they mate in water, we’d like them to have more space to do this so that the hens backs don’t break from them attempting to mate on land.

My sister and her friend from TX came to visit this week also. It was great to see her and visit for a bit. She’s studying Early Childhood Ed. at UUTyler and also runs track there.

sister

Ryan was also in a car accident this week that could have been horrible. Another truck hit his work truck going 75mph. Luckly, he only has a strained shoulder and sprained finger, as has doctor’s orders to take it easy for awhile. Guess that means I’ll be getting the chicken feed this week, huh? ;-) I’m just so thankful that he’s still around.

We also found out this week that we’re having a SON!

baby corson

He’s since decided to up his motion in utero and has started kicking me constantly. I don’t mind :)

& that was our week. Here’s to the weekend and sunny, warm weather!

March 11, 2016

Life with Goats

When we closed on our house at the end of June, we had no idea we were going to have goats by the end of the week.

Well, sort of.

We had been looking for some male goats to eat our 6.5 acres of very high brush (since we didn’t have and didn’t plan on getting a lawn mower). But when a local goat expert said she was selling some of her milking goats, we were super interested.

Now, just so you have a good idea about the level of experience we are talking about; before this photo, I’d never milked anything in my life.

I was a little nervous about potentially having goats because there was just SO much unknown for this city girl. However, after getting some brief milking lessons, tips on how to save money on goat feed (post to come on details of this, if you’re interested), and where to buy hay – we felt much more confident. I think that much of this was because our goat mentor made it seem super attainable. She didn’t have a huge list of organic materials that the goats just needed to have to enjoy a long, healthy life. She didn’t have a whole list of criticisms of what “other goat owners do”… you know the kind of criticism that makes you feel like you’ll never be able to do anything right?

Nope. Instead she shared money saving techniques and tricks, and contacts for buying hay – and most importantly, encouragement: “You got this!” Which was the biggest thing that we both (me especially) needed to hear; that this thing we were just jumping into blindly, that it was totally do-able. That doesn’t mean we’ve done everything perfectly, but we’re learning (reading books, listening to podcasts, & asking a lot of questions) and the goats are still alive and milking!

Here are some photos from the past few months

Here are some things that we & neighbors have made from the goats milk so far:

Mozzarella cheese (plain, garlic & onion, and pepperjack)
Yogurt
Cardamom ICE CREAM (so.good.)
Ricotta
Cajeta carmel
Homemade Fudge
Feed for chickens (super high protein is great for our little pullets)
Used it in baking in place of cow milk

Something slightly magical (yes, I said magical) happened when I first milked these animals. I got SO pumped about having our own homestead, taking large steps towards being self-sustaining. There is something so invigorating about taking care of your animals, and they in turn take care of you. Whether that is through milk, meat, or fiber. I’m learning so much through taking care of these animals.

September 3, 2015

Country Living, Simple Living, Tiny Living

Westcliffe CO: And Back Again

You people aren’t going to believe this. Some of you are going to think we are nuts.

And you’re definitely correct about that.

We’re moving back to Westcliffe – the land flowing with milk and honey.

Well not quite. At least about the honey part.

We’ve had quite the adventure over the past 2 years of marriage. We got married and started building a tiny house and lived it in for a few months, we moved to Westcliffe CO after dreaming about it for a couple years. We attempted to make it work (financially) in the small town – and figured out in order for us to get anywhere in life, we needed to make some substantial money first (otherwise, we’d end up living in cycles of poverty for quite awhile) – we moved to Brighton CO because Ryan got a job working in the oil fields in Northern Colorado.

Well, as you’ve all noticed gas prices are way down from what they used to be.

And while this is wonderful for lots of people, this has put his job at risk. In fact, he was pretty much guaranteed a lay off in the next few weeks/months. Since we are young and used to change, this hasn’t exactly shaken us too much. On the contrary – it feels like freedom to us in a lot of ways.

Most people know someone who works on the oil field, and you know that their work hours are unreal. Ryan has been averaging at 110 hours per week that he works (2 week on, 1 week off rotations). There are 336 hours in 14 days. 220 hours he has been working, 116 (58 a week or 8 hours a day – which always ends up being closer to 6) hours are spent sleeping, eating, showering, traveling to and from work, and anything else that comes up in life: like spending time with your wife.

Needless to say, we’re kind of DONE with oil field lifestyle.

So while this bring a tad of uncertainty back into our life, being the oldest children that we are, we both find some excitement in that.

Which brings me to the title of this post:

We are moving back to Westcliffe!!!

LOL

I’m sorry, I can’t help but laugh and roll my eyes at us. So its totally ok if you are too :)

Our goal in moving away to Brighton was to save some money so that we could *someday* move back, buy some land, and live simply. Well, this move back is certainly quicker than we thought it would be, but I suppose that’s life.

We are in the process of purchasing a piece of land in a beautiful valley (a couple lots over from this picture), with amazing neighbors who are already well on their way to living the homesteading lifestyle that we’re interested in. On the land and what we will live in is an…. (get ready to laugh and roll your eyes again)….

UNFINISHED TRAILER!

LOL! (Maybe I should have named this blog post “Déjà vu“…)

I couldn’t really believe it either when we started looking at this lovely piece of mess (sorry, no pics yet). I told Ry, “I’m really not sure I can do this again…”

I remembered last time we lived in a shed(tiny house), without electricity, without water, without a kitchen or bathroom… I mean, HELLO: I wrote an entire blog on it!! But before we saw the inside of this creature, we went through the things that were needed in order to make it livable:

Water
Electricity
Warmth
Functioning Kitchen & Bathroom

When we finally got into the tiny shack, we realized: it’s not as bad as we thought it was!! While it definitely needs some TLC, and a couple of major changes (like digging a well), overall, we don’t feel overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done. And that’s saying something.

Another question we’ve wrestled with: “can we/should we finish the tiny house?” And this is something we are still wrestling with. Because at this point where we are at with it is still: unfinished. Is it better to put money into tiny house or another unfinished housing project? Well, “what one requires less cash & stress?” is going to be the winning answer.

I haven’t found very many other tiny house people with a similar story to ours: except Casey and Jessica Friday (recently had their tiny house stolen). I empathize so much with this blog that Jessica recently wrote about why they won’t be living in their tiny house. While we do have several of the things that the Fridays no longer have at their disposal (land, lifestyle..etc), I totally get the basis of what she’s getting at here. The whole point of the tiny house movement is what? SIMPLICITY. So that’s our focus moving forward: do the simple thing.

So here’s to many more future blog posts about building chicken coops, milking goats, making cheese, and sharing life (and cows) with neighbors in our precious lil mountain town. Here’s to not many more moves, but an acknowledgement of “that’s where we are in life”.

Here’s to the kind of simple living that is sometimes more… complicated :)

(linking up with Leigh Kramer– because what I’m up to these days is moving and living the nomad’s life)

March 4, 2015

Country Living, Simple Living, The Year in Books

The Year in Books: Off On Our Own (Ted Carns)

Two words to describe this book: inspiring and entertaining.

Since I met husband, his passion for simple living has easily infected me. Probably because I’ve become slightly knowledgeable about tiny houses since meeting him, folks that live off the grid capture my attention a lot these days. I recently read Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America, by Nick Rosen. And will soon be starting The Good Life: Helen and Scott Nearing’s Sixty Years of Self-Sufficient Living. I supposed its safe to say I’m nearing obsession.

But I really just like the stories that are found in all of these books. And this one by Ted Carns was no different.

Towards the end of it, I found myself writing lists of things that I want to work on either learning or creating to make our lives more sustainable. And I really want to make this someday…

Ted Carns appears to be slightly brilliant, although (like many folks who live off the grid) – slightly odd. This makes him endearing to me, and possibly just cooky to others who are less inclined to enjoy crazy people.

I say brilliant, because of all the various systems he’s concocted in his compound over the years. To start out, he has around 15 or so buildings on his property – all with very specific purposes.

He goes into LOTS of details (although not nearly enough to recreate it) with his various systems. Like their water filtration system (which passes through somewhere around 10 different filters before their grey water is deposited into the garden. They have MANY power sources at the “Stone Camp”: wind, solar, ethanol, thermoelectricity, methane, wood gasification, human power (bike with 12 volt alternator), hydrogen cell, steam generation, hydropower, and biodeisel. They make their own wine and maple syrup by the gallons. They are aspiring to make buildings made out of their trash from the past year.

Other impressive features to “Stone Camp”:
– a homemade, 40 ft windmill tower (which he CLIMBS in the middle of a blizzard)
– a “sugar shack” where he and he wife Kathy collect sap and create syrup
– His library which is described like a hobbit hole that I want to go snuggle in.
– I can’t remember what right now, but he makes something useful from hunter’s cigarette butts he finds while hiking. #nastyyetresourceful

I found myself wishing there were more pictures in the book. THANK GOODNESS I decided to visit their website, although I was quite surprised after reading their book to discover that they had a website.

Like most off-the-gridders, Ted Carns has really strong opinions about most things, and is also a deep thinker, and communicates his life philosophies in an overall inspiring way. He is super passionate about preserving nature, and mentions a little bit from lots of religions that support his deep roots with all things green, organic, and untouched by humans evil desire to conquer the world.

Overall, its a great and entertaining read that will have you wanting to go start digging a hole in your front yard with a backhoe and calling it a greenhouse…. that might have happened in this book…

Here’s a quote to either throw you off the scent of this book or get you completely hooked (I don’t see there being much middle ground):

“You can buy out a company and increase your net worth 20-fold, but that kind of shit pales besides getting up at 5am, firing up a the tractor and going out in the woods to gather sap.”

Also: this documentary-style video, made by some Buddhists missionaries, really paints a good picture of Stone Camp with Ted and Kathy Carns. In fact, if you watch this video, you might not even need to read the book.

(All pictures, unless otherwise noted, are from Ted and Kathy’s website)

January 30, 2015

City Living, Country Living, Simple Living, Tiny Living

Simple Living Part Five: Interview and Freebies with Shalom Mama (Nina Nelson)

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned several folks and their blogs that I enjoy following on my journey of experimenting with simple living. One of them was Nina Nelson with Shalom Mama. I got a hold of Nina last week and had a few questions that I wanted to ask this veteran of simple and natural living.

How did you get into natural living? What made you want to start living differently? Or has this always been a way of life for you?

“I actually grew up on an herb farm but didn’t get interested in natural living until my early twenties when my husband and I decided to get out of debt. We were determine to cut costs wherever we could so I started researching and kept coming across recipes and tips that suggested natural living would save money. I made a few things and was hooked. Since then, I’ve become the “family hippie” and have embraced a simple, natural lifestyle.”

What is your favorite recipe of something that makes your life easier?

“Hmmmm, that’s a tough one. I’d have to choose two. First is my healing balm (recipe here). We use it all the time for all sorts of things. With four kids someone is always getting an owie of some sort (plus I’m super clumsy), so it comes to my rescue quite a bit. Also, my calming balm. This is a godsend at night when everyone needs to simmer down (myself included) and get some restful sleep. You can find the recipe in my free ebook, Simple Family Wellness.”

If you could summarize your passion in a few sentences, what would you say?

“I’m passionate about living a pure & simple life and helping other people do the same. To me that means getting rid of the excess in life so you can focus on what really matters, while living as naturally as possible.”

What does a “day in the life of Nina” look like?

Hmmm, a bit scattered. :) I’ve struggled for years to create a schedule that works for us, but what I finally realized is that I just can’t do that. I buck anything that feels constricting, so instead a loose routine works best. And we definitely leave plenty of room for interruptions (friends dropping in, invitations to hang out, etc.) because that’s why we simplified our lives in the first place. Also, my husband is very involved and has an odd schedule (he’s a paramedic that gets to respond from home every other shift) so he’s super helpful with what can sometimes feel like complete chaos.

So here’s what it usually looks like:

– Wakeup, read devotions, figure out my top 3 things to do for the day

– Breakfast and Cleanup

– Get kids started with school (we home school)

– Check email and do some admin stuff for my biz while they’re working independently

– Lunch prep & lunch

– My work time (kids will have quiet time, continue school they’ve not done yet, go play at our awesome neighbor’s house or hang out with my husband if he’s home.

– Tea time (very important for me to take some time in the day to rest)

– Dinner prep, dinner, clean up

– Hang out with the family

– At some point in the evening I’ll do yoga, depending on what we’re doing

– Kid bed time (Woo hoo!!!)

– Watch Downton Abbey or something with my husband or play a game

– Bedtime”

What are some resources you would suggest for someone just starting out on a “natural” journey?

“First off, I’d say keep it as simple as possible. Choose one or two areas in your life you want to focus on and work on those for at least six weeks. So, for instance, you want to switch to a whole food diet, find a good resource and start implementing a few changes at a time. Once you’re comfortable with those, try some more. This is the best way to make a sustainable change that will last.

For me, the most helpful resources were blogs, but I have some favorite books as well:

Blogs

Books

Your Real Food Journey by Trina Holden
Simple Natural Health (this one’s mine – I’m a little biased)
DIY Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes by Heather of Mommypotamus

And here are my top 40 recipes for natural living.”

You lived in a bus with 5 other people for a time: tell us about that and where are you now?

I loved it and still long for it now. We had a lot more time to spend together, it was much easier to clean and my bath tub was amazing. :) However, now that we’re in a house again (we had to move closer to my husband’s work after he got a full-time job), I’m loving the opportunities we’ve had for hospitality.

Though my word of the year is sustainability, I easily could have chosen hospitality. Relationships have been an important part of our journey. And while I love the bus and living small, I feel so drawn to embrace the opportunity we have right now to easily welcome people into our space.

If people want to contact/follow you, where are you?

I have a few favorite places I like to hang out. First is my blog, which you can find here. Aside from that, I’m on Facebook, Pinterest and my favorite, Instagram.

In case you happened to miss several of these listed about, here’s a list of FREEBIES on this lady’s site:

Also a few very affordable e-books

(or click here to buy them all in a bundle together)

Village wise woman

I’ll leave you with this excerpt from Nina’s free e-book Simple Family Wellness:

…I’ve secretly always wanted to be the village wise woman.

That woman who nurtures and heals her family and teaches other women how to do the same. The woman who encourages others to learn and experiment but is always available as a resource. The woman who whips up a remedy or pours a cup of tea or lends a listening ear to the friend in need.

This world needs more wise women. More nurturers and healers spreading their love to their families and communities. All that love and wisdom, just spreading and spreading. And so, that is my mission. To call forth the family healers. To be an empowering resource. To listen and love. To create a community of wise women.”

(This blog contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you)

All pictures are from Shalommama.com

January 29, 2015

City Living, Simple Living

Simple Living Part Four: Homemade Face Wash

Here is one of my favorite experiments so far: homemade face wash!!

So confession: I don’t always wash my face. Especially if I don’t wear make-up that day. It’s just a pain. Call me lazy or unhygienic – whatever. ALSO, I hate buying face wash because it can get expensive (I am super cheap, have I mentioned this??).
But, I’m not going to lie… Once I made this stuff, I wash my face almost everyday. MOSTLY because it has natural oils that remove makeup AND it’s all natural ingredients (not to mention cheap and lasts a long time).

This recipe comes from a very productive play date a friend and I had a month ago to make some amazing natural goods. SO, I’ve been using the face wash since then, and I really like it. It’s different than a face wash you would buy from the store because there is no lather, which I’ll admit was weird at first. But because the base is coconut oil, it can also be used as a makeup remover.

1 cup coconut oil

1 tbsp baking soda

5 drops lavender essential oil

5 drops frankincense essential oil

5 drops lemon essential oil

Glass jar

Directions:

1. Melt the coconut oil in a pan over low heat

2. Once melted, remove from heat and add in the remaining ingredients.

3. Store in a glass jar and keep it in a cool place.

See? Super easy!

(Hint: when I use it, I normally just scrap a little bit off and rub all over my face, then rinse.)

Simple Living Philosophy

Ok, now I just have to share some simple living philosophy that’s been bouncing around in my head for a few weeks now… mostly because if I don’t write it down, it will just disappear into my brain.

So, I really enjoy learning about living simply.

If I’m completely honest, is mostly because I’m a woman and I need something to control :) Better this than my husband’s schedule, am I right??

Just kidding (mostly). But really, making something useful from scratch, that you can make again and again, with very little ingredients…. doesn’t that just feel nice to you?? It makes me feel empowered and happy – like if for some reason grocery stores stopped carrying face wash (drastic I know, but whatever), than I would be OK.

However, I don’t want to fall into the trap that if I can make everything from scratch that my life will automatically be different/better. We all know I’m not actually in control of a whole lot in life by creating these products from scratch. In the end, it won’t really matter if I use store bought face wash or I make my own to avoid chemicals: I will still get sick every once in awhile, and the possibility for major illness is still there, despite all my attempts to thwart it. Life is bigger than that and there have been so many people before me that have already done what I am doing, and they didn’t solve the meaning to life, or find a “cure all” for all sickness.

Makes me think of those super encouraging words in Ecclesiastes,

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

I say that sarcastically, and yet I think I mean it. There is something comforting about the fact that everything I am doing (philosophically) has already been done. I’m not inserting anything new into this time and place that hasn’t been done before. I feel like that should be depressing, but it’s not. At least not right now. I’ll take it :)

Anyways, I would love to hear your “simple living philosophy”, even if it differs from my own. Teach me something new people!

Also, let me know if you make the homemade face wash, I want to know how it works with other skin types!

* I am not super partial to a specific brand of essential oils. I tend to lean towards using Eden’s Garden because of the affordable pricing. (I get nothing for recommending them, just a warm heart knowing that more people know about affordable essential oils)

(homemade face wash recipe is from Dr. Axe)

January 23, 2015

City Living, Simple Living

Simple Living Part Two: Homemade Mouthwash

As I mentioned in the previous blog, I’ve really enjoyed learning about how to make simple and cheaper versions of things I use all the time. I don’t think that there is anything morally wrong with just using whatever you buy at the store – I’m not one of those organic evangelists who thinks that if you feed your child Cheerios you are a horrible parent (I buy my 31 year old baby Cheerios. I DO roll my eyes because he works in the OIL FIELD people! Don’t you need more energy than those lil round things to work 16 hours a day?! Whatever. He loves them).

I think that sometimes “living simply” can mean so many different things for people. For example, for someone who is working a demanding job, perhaps living simply looks like whatever can get them relaxing with their family as much as possible. Or if things are tight financially, living simply looks like purchasing/making whatever allows there to be more free room in the bank account. Does this make sense?

I am super curious about experimenting with various methods of making my own products (fill in the blank: toothpaste, shampoo, tomato sauce, candles…etc.).

ALL this to say, the next month or so I am going to do a series, titled Simple Living, documenting my experiments and reviews of specific recipes, as well as interviewing several natural living experts. Just like any other blogger, I love to get feedback. If you have a recipe for something YOU make around the house that simplifies you and your family’s life, I want to hear about it! I would love to feature YOUR recipes here :)

Email me at restoringsimple@gmail.com or fill out the form below to share a recipe, story, or experience you had creating something to simplify your life.

And now: HOMEMADE MOUTHWASH!

I recently got together with a good friend and we cranked out 6 different recipes that we wanted to try, including deodorant, face wash, make-up remover, shampoo, conditioner, and mouthwash.

Homemade Mouthwash: big thumbs up.

Slightly cinnamon-y, minty, and refreshing. Doesn’t have that crazy burn that most mouthwash has. I had a painful mouth sore when I started using it and the next day after using this mouth it was significantly less painful, and by day 2 it was gone completely. My husband thinks that the mouth sore had just run its course, while I think the essential oils did the trick – this is an on-going debate we have about success of EOs. He thinks its in my head, I partially think it is too, but I still LOVE essential oils and am convinced that they do their job. But more about that later…

I like this recipe because it uses the essential oils that it does, so you get the added benefit of having the Thieves, Peppermint, and Lemon swished around in your mouth.

Plus, I kind of feel like there is a Christmas-y cleaning party going on in my mouth. It’s very pleasant.

Try it out and let me know how you like it, or don’t.

Here is the recipe that my friend provided (she originally found it here, but tweaked a few things):

2 tsp calcium carbonate powder

10 drops of trace minerals

10 drops of peppermint

5 drops of lemon

5 drops of thieves

2 cups of filtered water

Store in the fridge for up to two weeks (precaution).

Now, I’ve had it now for four days, and I haven’t yet put in the fridge… mostly because I keep forgetting :)

So try it out and let me know what you think!

And if you have a recipe or homemade product that you’ve made before (doesn’t have to be an original recipe) and want to share it, please fill out the form below and you’ll be hearing from me shortly :)

December 13, 2014

City Living, Country Living, Simple Living

Homemade Cleaning Products: Laundry Soap, Glass Cleaner, and Dish Soap

It is so much easier than you think to make your own homemade cleaning products.

For real. Like it took me a few minutes to make these cleaning solutions for laundry soap, glass cleaner, and dish washing soap.

I really enjoy learning about how to make a simple version of things we use all the time. AND CHEAPER. And so many of these recipes I’m finding all use the same ingredients. Now, that just makes sense to me. There will be more recipes coming in future blogs, I promise. I’m way too obsessed to stop now. For now, I’ll start with these THREE recipes for homemade cleaning products I’ve made over the past few months and LOVE them.

Ok. Go to the grocery store, (or your pantry) and grab these items:

– Washing Soda and Borax (both typically right next to each other on the laundry supplies aisle at the grocery store)

– Bar of Soap

– Citric Acid (I’ve never used this before, and after searching the store for 30 minutes and googling, “where to find citric acid in a grocery store”, I finally found it near the canning supplies on the baking aisle. You’re welcome.)

– White Vinegar

– Spray Bottle

– Corn Starch

These recipes came from Wellness Mama’s blog – which I highly recommend if you are a DIYer or lover of all things natural. ::thumbs up:::

Use 1/8-1/4 cup per load

Laundry Soap

– 1 parts soap (grated into fine pieces. We love the smell of Dr. Bonner’s Lavender) mixed with

– 2 parts borax and

– 2 parts washing soda.

That’s it.

Use about 1/8-1/4 cup for each load. Our clothes always smell super fresh.

Super crispy clean, no streaks

Glass Cleaner

– Mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with

– 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol

– 1 TBSP of corn starch and

– 2 cups of warm water

Mix ingredients and you’re good to go. While I’m cleaning the bathroom mirror, I go ahead and use this cleaning mixture to clean the sink, bathtub, and toilet. Easy Peasy.

(Hint: shake the bottle or jar before each use to get the corn starch mixed evenly)

Not bad!

Dish Washing Soap

– Mix 1 part citric acid with

– 1 part salt

– 2 parts borax and

– 2 parts washing soda

Keep in an airtight container or the mixture will harden into a solid mass. Learned this lesson the hard way after the first batch. Still cleaned the dishes amazingly, but I just had to work for it (think hammer and chisel). Another option for this, as my brilliant husband suggested, is to store the citric acid (as this is what causes the mixture to harden and stick together) separately and then add to the mix when starting a load of dishes. This may vary depending on how hard/soft your water is, so just experiment until you find something that works :)

(Hint: we use about 1/2 cup of vinegar as the rinsing agent)

Let me know how these recipes work for you!

Happy Cleaning!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

December 8, 2014

City Living, Simple Living

Homemade Energy Balls: Make in 15 Minutes!

I’ve never really been a huge fan of energy or power bars. I mean, I’ve really tried to be, especially the ones that have a ton of protein. To get a whole meal’s worth of nutrients in one bar – that’s super convenient! If you don’t have time to make a lunch, or just want to save money, I feel like power bars are a reasonable choice. There are some pretty healthy options actually.

But the taste… ::shudder:::

I typically thrive in denial : Let me be ignorantly bliss please. But I cannot ignore the fact that most power bars taste like cardboard. No matter how much I try to tell myself, “Hannah, this is good for you. These ingredients are natural, and you are getting the protein that you didn’t pack in a lunch today”, I CAN’T DO IT!

Well, sound the Hallelujah chorus now please: I’ve found a great energy ball recipe!

Several years ago after a hike, my friend pulled some funny looking balls from her freezer. These energy balls were SO much better than any power bar I’ve ever had.

I finally made my own batch last weekend – and they taste like cookie dough. Chocolaty-chocolate chip cookie dough energy balls. Yet, I’d still consider them a healthy snack. Or meal. I had a bowl of them for dinner last night. #dontmindifido

I think I really enjoy these because you can put whatever you want in them. If you want to use organic, all natural ingredients, you can. If you just want to use whatever you have in your pantry, you can.

Ok. So here’s how the magic happens.

Side note: I don’t have a food processor, so I kind of used a blender (I say kind of because a food processor would have worked MUCH better). If you have a food processor, or even a good blender, you could do all the steps below in the machines. Since mine sucks, I adjust.

(measurements are approximate)

– 1-2 cups almonds (demolished them in a blender)

– 1-2 TBSP cocoa powder (add to the almonds before it turns to butter)

– 1-2 TBSP wheat bran (add to mix)

– 10-15 dates (soak for an hour or more in water, then mash in a bowl with a fork. Add the wheat bran, almond, cocoa powder mix)

– 1-2 TBSP chia seeds (stir into mix)

– 1-2 TBSP unsweetened coconut (stir into mix)

– 1-2 TBSP mini chocolate chips (stir into mix)

The mixture should be somewhat sticky as you roll into small balls and then roll through some more chia seeds, OR chocolate chips, OR coconut… and then pop them in the freezer for a snack.

Some suggestions I’ve had and seen for other ingredients were:

– peanut butter (thanks Emma girl!)

– flax seed

– sesame seed

– macha powder

– cinnamon

– oatmeal

– honey

– cacao nibs

– other kinds of nuts (pecans, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts…etc)

– NUTELLA! (goodlord that’s a great idea)

– pretzels

– the list goes on…

I stored them in these lil containers and a few more in ziplock bags for Ryan to grab and take to work (because let’s be honest, if he takes that tupperware, I’m never going to see them again).

I’ll let you do your own research on what benefits each of those ingredients has, but all I know is that they tasted amazing.

ENJOY and let me know if you have more ideas for additional ingredients or another energy balls recipe!

September 19, 2014

Country Living

Westcliffe, CO

If you know anything about Ryan and I its… (1) that we enjoy watching the thrilling nineties show, Northern Exposure (yeah, go ahead. watch it. you won’t be able to stop. and you won’t have a clue why), (2) that our Tiny House has taken much longer than we thought…. (3) and that we’re slightly obsessed with a lil town called Westcliffe. How to describe Westcliffe… – elevation is just under 8,000 in town – population is around 800 – there’s a movie theater in town that plays movies on Friday and Saturday nights. – on Halloween, the kids Trick-or-Treat in the downtown businesses. – there are about 10 churches in town. – when you get finger-printed at the sheriff’s office, there is a jail cell in the next room. – there is a strong Mennonite and Amish presence (there is also a bakery). – there are no building codes in Custer County (:cough: more.tiny.houses.coming. also more details from Ryan, because I’m sure that statement is more complicated than I just made it sound). – the elementary, middle, and high school are all in one building. – the only chains are: Subway, Family Dollar and The Post Office. Anyways. More posts to come about this magical place because long story made short/even longer by other blog posts later on…. We’re moving there :)

November 27, 2013

Older Posts