Current Web Readings

Paper soliders
Paper dolls - FOR BOYS! SOLDIERS!

Paper Toy Soldiers
These are more for the younger crowd (3yr+)

Civil War Paper Dolls and Toy Soldiers

Grass Fed Recipes

Crockpot Leg of Lamb - this was SOOOO YUMMY!

How Public School Cripples Our Kids

Vegetable Planting Guide

Grow It Yourself Series
an easy series on growing your own food.

Planning your garden online

It was BUGGING me WHERE this site that I used last year was. I did not blog about it so I am blogging about it right now so I will be able to find this again in the future.

This is PERFECT for the square foot garden (SFG) or any garden really.

Kitchen Garden Designer


-=-=-=-=-
Side note:
Here are two more MUST have sites when planning a SFG:

Square Foot Garden is a lady who tells you ALL about how to do your own and plan it and even how to save money and make your own Mel's Mix! :D

The second is Skippy's Planting Calendar which well tell you planting dates according to your frost date. :D

Current Web Readings

Make Your Own Herbal First Aid Kit

Donna's Square Foot Gardening
REALLY good set of videos on SFG!

How To Build a Square Foot Garden by frugal dad
I LOVED his irrigation system! I had not seen this before. Truly worth a looksee!

Current Web Readings

Growing In Strawberry Pots
I LOVE the water tips here!!!

How Mothers Survived Poverty
How did mothers do it back then?? I knew most of the stuff in this article, but it is a good reminder (and a fabulous blog!). And imagine my surprise when I read about a little book called MAKE DO AND MEND. My fabulous SIL got me a copy of this book for Christmas!!! I have been reading through it here and there as time allows and I LOVE IT!

Nature Study with Children

MORE hair style sites, this time for little girls! Thankful to Sonflower Sisters for sharing!
Shaunells Hair - I REALLY like this one. LOTS of pictures and VIDEOS to show you HOW! :D Wonderfully done.
Princess Hairstyles
Cute Girls Hairstyles - this one is REALLY nice too. Seems to have a video with most each style.
Fun Frills and More
Cute 2 Try Hairdo's
Piggies n Ponies

Current Web Readings

Remove Fluoride from Water
I was under the impression that carbon based water filters (like Pur) remove fluoride from the water. The other morning on FB, I read Dr. Mercola's daily tip which said that they don't, and how difficult it is to remove fluoride form water. So I found this link.

Graft Your Own Designer Fruit Trees

Pallet Chicken Coop
This is GREAT! How to make a chicken coop from free pallets!!! :D

Bookin It in 2010
Money Saving Mom, Crystal Paine, shares her reading list for 2010.

FDA Admits BPA dangers but can't regulate it
No, but another government agency can force thrift stores to stop selling "lead" laden children's toys and books?!?! Bah Hum Bug!

Dangerous Stuff For Boys
Fun stuff!

Rice Cooker
I have a friend who makes everything in her rice cooker - omelets, chicken and rice ... just about EVERYTHING her fmaily eats. LOL!! So I went looking for a rice cooker and found THIS one which has a GABA setting - in other words, if you are into Nourishing Traditions, this will soak and sprout the rice and then cook it for you!! :D HOW AWESOME is that?? And especially with this gluten free and JJ allergic to everything family, we do eat a bit of rice. It would be so nice to have something which does everything for me.

Christian Bluegrass Radio Station
Oh EE is in heaven. She LOVES this type of music! This is really nice!

List of Mountain Music Songs
Lyrics with short sample of the tune

Current Web Readings

Single Serving Pie In A Jar
OH MY WORD!! These are SO CUTE!! What a great way to use up those little canning jars that you think you will always get around to using, but never do. ;) I gained ten pounds just looking around on this blog. YUMMO!!!

We Need All The Help We Can Get
LOVE this idea for cold frames.

Low Cost DIY Build Your Own Greenhouses

Weston Price Book

Math
Free math book from the 1800's! WAY COOL!!!

An Easel ...
Check out the easel frame (and the AWESOME pictures in it)!! It makes me totally want to declutter the whole house so I can paint and put up an easel frame like that! :D

Petal Poppers - Gardening Fun

Every one loves Christmas crackers and party poppers. Did you know
that you can make petals pop as well! It's lots of fun and you don't
need to spoil the flowers because the petals that drop to the ground
when the flowers are finished are perfect to use. Christmas crackers
and party poppers use a mini explosion to make the pop, but this
works on compressed air like a popgun does.

You will need: Rose or camellia petals. Other types of petals may
work as well. They need to be fairly round in shape and curved in
the middle, like rose petals.
1. Choose petals that have no tears or holes in them.
2. Make a fist, but don't clench your hand tightly. You should be
able to see a narrow little hole right through to the other side.
3. Place the petal over the hole making sure the curve of the petal
sits downwards making a shallow cup.
4. Bring your other hand down quickly and make an open-handed slap
on top of your fist.
5. The air is compressed and makes the petal break with a loud pop.
You will see the hole in the middle of the petal.

You might need to try a few times to get the hang of it, but it
won't take long to become an expert popper!

http://www.global-garden.com.au/gardenkids_learn1.htm#Petal%20Poppers

Victory Garden Video

Watch Victory Garden Movie USA  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

GREAT idea for a bookmark

Combine you love of gardening with you love for reading!

Seed Packet Bookmarks

I Got An Itch

I am SOOOOOOOOO in the mood to start my gardening! Ever since I saw this printable spring garden planner I have got gardening on the brain. I have pulled out ALL my gardening books and am trying to get everything ready. I know, I know, I really just need to JUMP IN AND DO IT! But I have too much of a planner in me. Who knows! Maybe the time comes and I do just jump in, even though I think I need more research. :)

Look at how CUTE (and FREE and easy to make) these biodegradable see starter pots are!!! Seeing this gives me one of those smack-yourself-upside-the-head-now-why-didn't-I-think-of-that feeling. :) I have to wonder if maybe we were to make some time of paper that had good food in it to help the plant. We could roll it into a paper towel roll. :) That way as it degraded, it would be feeding the plant as it grew.

I also have to wonder about how many chemicals are in the rolls, especially if you are wanting to grow an organic garden. Now why can't there be a housewives myth busters type show where stuff like THAT is tested? Stuff **I** want to know?!?! I mean, I like stuff being blowing up as much as the next homeschooling mom, but I want stuff that I can use too, ya know?!?! :D

So, if I were in charge of a housewives myth busters show, I would test things like:
*do chemicals leech out from a toilet paper roll into the soil (what about the final food product) during it's degration?
*can the average homemaker build her own solar panel for under $200 (and how much "electricity" does it REALLY provide)? and then share the direction with everyone for FREE
*does hanging your clothes in the sun really save energy? and just how much bacteria does it prevent/kill??

What kind of things would you want to know?

Current Web Readings

Homeschooling With A Large Family
I really liked reading this. VERY simple, yet encouraging!!

Creating Contentment
This is a REALLY good post (as is most EVERYTHING on this blog!) that will help your children when "that's not fair!". :D

Candy Cane Hearts
This is SO FUN AND EASY! My soon to be nine year old daughter squealed "so THAT'S how you do it!". Fun fun FUN idea!

Frugal Nourishment
Healthy eating, homeschooling AND MOTH follower! :) I have been having fun reading current and pasts posts on this blog which is now added to the sidebar on the left (Blogs with Heart) :) (Which means it is in my RSS feed reader) :)

Free Download 2009 Spring Garden
GREAT post with link for a free help for when to plant your spring garden. ALSO, take a look around on this blog!! IT IS WONDERFUL!!!

Make Dinner Every Day And Like It
Great post about menu planning. So simple and yet, I never thought of it! :)
HTL Like Merchant Ships - I am TOTALLY loving this new blog you shared with us!

100 tips for 2009
100 tips for ways to save money in the upcoming year.

Our Grocery Bill, Cut In Half

I was about to title this "How I cut my grocery bill in half" but then I thought about it. Did **I** really cut it in half? Or was it by the grace of God being faithful to His servant when she seeked Him? You bet it was!

So how did God guide me in cutting our grocery bill in half?

We buy only organic (unless we just cannot find it and am craving it). We do not do dairy (because of allergies) so I make my own fake milk or we go without. When I was buying milk, it was raw goat or cow milk and through an inexpensive source my friend had. I buy only hormone free, free range meat and eggs (though I would LOVE to do grass fed only, I just cannot find it around here).

I did before and I do now. These things have not changed.

What has changed? We buy a lot more unprocessed (yes, it sounds silly to buy organic processed foods), we make our own cleaning supplies, and we use a deep freezer now. We also eat cheaper. $5 Mom is a GREAT place to start (and she shows you how to modify the recipe to be GF, YEAH!!!). We do a lot of beans and rice meals (we change it up a bit like having cajun or Mexican, it is never just plain). :)

We also stopped eating fake foods (like the soy substitutes for meat). If my husband (who does not really like to eat meat) wants a veggie burger, I make it from scratch (no soy and not fake and not processed).

I was spending over $$$ a month to feed our family of 5 (at the time, we are now 6). NOW, we are a family of six and slowly whittled it down to half that a month! It depends on if I find good enough deals to stock up on or if I have to pay full price for something.

What did God show me?? I was led to three discount grocery stores (one is ALL organic and the other two carry some organic). Ask around. They are there, I promise you, but I never would have found them had I not asked around. I no longer shop at Whole Foods (that was the most expensive). I shop those discount stores and I shop Kroger (King Soopers in my area). Kroger has a LOT of organic products including produce AND I get coupons all the time from them specifically for organic products (even like $2 off $10 of produce). Costco is also great because they sell a lot of organic products too as well as produce. Just yesterday I got organic apples for 62 cents a pound! On sale I am lucky to get them at a dollar a pound!

I shop the farmer's markets in the summer and freeze my food (I have not had to buy onions since July! and I still have lots of organic corn on the cob in the freezer as well as peaches I plan to make a peach pie with soon). I am hoping to do salsa this year (we love salsa).

I also stockpile our food. When there is a great sale (on beans, organic meats, etc.), I buy a LOT and shove it in the freezer (meats) or the pantry. Places like Walmart and Target will give away their frosting buckets in the bakery area for free, just for the asking. These are GREAT for storing grains and dry beans in!!

I think the best thing about all of this is my children. The older ones have been there at Whole Foods and now, whenever we do go in there, they are SHOCKED at the prices! :D They get so excited going to the bargain stores and helping me find GOOD wholesome food. They know how to read labels, and they know which brands to get. Through it all, they are learning to be good stewards! AND they are learning how to provide for their family. Even if it is produce they grow themselves (which we are totally gonna try to do this year)! I love seeing how they are learning and they will have a better start in this area than I did.

Current Web Readings

Cast Iron info
This site has GREAT info on caring for and using cast iron. There is even info AND a video about how to cook eggs in cast iron!!! AND THEY DON'T STICK!!! :)

Ringlets in Long hair:
Curl Hair
Bun and Hair Ringlets
Bobby Pins and Rags

Winter Composting

50 Must Read Blogs for the Conscientious Organic Shopper (this blog is liberal, just a warning).

Buy Nothing Christmas - Gift Ideas
While I have not had a chance to review the WHOLE site, what I have seen so far, I really like!!

What Would You Like To Give
Looking for a last minute gift idea that keeps on giving? This is a WONDERFUL idea!

How TO Eat Better And Avoid The Industrial Diet, by MIchael Pollan
This is an author you will want to read every one of his books. Do a search on You Tube for him and watch and learn some good stuff. And this article is just as good!

Current Web Readings

Kids Gardening
GREAT newsletter and site with great ideas for kids and gardening.

Chica and Jo
If you LOVE crafts and tips you will love this site. I need to stop reading past issues and just DO some of this AWESOME stuff!

Paper Weaving Tutorial
Who knew weaved paper could be so pretty!

How Would Jesus Teach
An awesome post on how to use the example of Jesus in our homeschoolin

Every Day Learning LInks
for the young and old alike. This is a GREAT list of links!!!

Buddying
OK, so the first part of this post kinda grossed me out (I cannot stand broken bones EEK!), and I almost skipped over the post. BUT I AM SO GLAD I DIDN'T!! This post is amazing! I LOVE how God uses our children to teach us!!

Crayon Tinting Your Embroidery
OH MY GOODNESS WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!!! HT: Whip Up

Showing Growth
Oh the idea of this little girl in 16 years makes me want to cry (happy beautiful tears of course). What a WONDERFUL way to capture the memory of your little girl growing up.

Current Web Readings

Gospel Quiet Book
This can easily be adapted for a Christian or even Jewish quiet book!

More Quiet Book Links
These are such a great idea for the younger ones to keep them busy in church or even the ride to the car. Not only that, you are teaching your children about God.

Indiana Jones Birthday Cake
So beloved (and I admit I am too) is a HUGE Indiana Jones fan. I even bought him Indiana JOnes pop tarts for his birthday! LOL!! I am SOOOO gonna have to make this cake for him next year for his birthday!

Doing Things Isn't Enough
A WONDERFUL read for those who feel they have to do. A quote from the article:

I propose that we are absolutely guaranteed to waste our lives if we live solely with the goal of accomplishing things. Yep, you read that right. If you learn Chinese before the age of twenty, move to China by age twenty-one, and become a full-time missionary in record time, what of it? Why would that matter at all? If you learn how to cook gourmet dinners with whole foods, graduate from with honors and start your own business, what would you have accomplished?

The accomplishments themselves are empty. They’re useless, and what’s more—they’re a waste of time and energy. That is, unless those actions are propelled forward by something deeper.

Bowl of Berries
Oh these cookies look so YUMMO!!! Gotta check it out!

Ribbon Hair Clips
These are so simple that it would be SO FUN to have kids make these at a birthday party as take home favors!

Hollyhock Doll Tutorial
The best I have seen yet!! THANK YOU FOR THIS!!

Dandelion Daisy Chain Tutorial
WONDERFULLY DONE!! This looks like so much fun!

As We Walk
Walking in faith and home schooling. I am so loving this blog!

Current Web Readings

Add Grace To Your Budget
I can TOTALLY attest to this! We had no "blow money, as Dave Ramsey calls it, and boy did we stink the first month of our budget. Then we gave ourselves some blow money, and had a much easier time sticking to the budget. Now we not only have blow money, but money we set aside every month in a non-ER fund. This account is for things like needing new tires, going on vacation, great find on a big money need (like a couch), etc.). That was it is like a PRE-ER fund, and can be gotten into for things that are not TRULY emergencies.

Budgeting
This is a GREAT pep-talk about how to simplify your life by utilizing a budget.

Pictures from the Passionate Housewives Tea
OK, so I like to look at pretty things just for fun! Not EVERYTHING has to be educational, right? SOOOOoooo wish I could have been there.

Curriculum for National Parks
HOW COOL!! We LOVE going to National Parks! How great to have premade lessons to go with it!!! :)

Teaching Home Newsletters
I LOVED this magazine. I have several of their back issues. I thought they had gone away, but a lady from my homeschool support group just forwarded me this link! FREE ONLINE NEWSLETTERS!! This magazine is such a great encouragement!

What The Bible Says About Children

Fruit of the Spirit
a beginning collection of ideas for teaching children about the fruits of the Spirit

How To Make Compost
I don't get to read this wonderful blog as much anymore since she changed her feed read to partial instead of full and I miss her posts. But I got a chance to read a few today in catching up. This is a GREAT post!!

Feeling Funky?
A GREAT article for those who are in a "funk." Uses Scripture to refocus! WONDERFULL!!

Scripture Sleuth
A friend told me about these books. These are RIGHT up AA's alley. She LOVES mysteries (like Encyclopedia Brown). There is a sample chapter (each chapter is a mystery to solve and you have to look up scripture to solve it!), I am printing out right now for AA. I hope to get all 5 books in the series. These would be GREAT for car trips!!!

Current Web Readings

How To Make Butter With Kids 

so FUN!!! WONDERFUL thing to do while reading the Little House on the Prairie books! I know in ONE of them it talks about making butter. :)

How To Make a One Pot Herb Garden
I LOVE this idea!!! :)

The Family Together In God's Presence
A really good and convicting read.

Creating Closet Bliss
I really like this way of cleaning out the closet! HT: Small Notebook

Grocery Shopping In Simplicity

Homeschooling - less is more
OH THIS IS THE PERFECT POST for EVERY homeschooling mom to read. ESPECIALLY those who are just about to begin homeschooling.

Cooking Clubs
My mom used to do something similar when I was a child. Only they would meet to EAT and not cook for each other. LOL!! I love this idea, but with JJ's health issues, something like this would only be an option with other moms of kids with terrible food allergies.

Blogs For Homeschool Dads
GREAT list of links for blogs for dads to read by a well trusted blogging Momma.

Gardening: Tomatoes -- From harvesting seeds, to seedlings, to transplanting

While it is a bit late in the season for some of this, I am including here for NEXT season.

You can start harvesting your seeds as soon as you have good healthy ripe tomatoes!

This is THE EASIEST way to save your heirloom tomato seeds! And it is a GREAT way to save money rather than buying them! You can do this with the organic ones you get from the farmer's market if you are not already growing your own!! :) But be sure to buy a GOOD one as you want to grow your plants next summer from good stock.

Pick a GOOD HEALTHY RIPE tomato to harvest your seeds from.. Cut off the bottom part and SQUEEZE the tomato to get the seeds out. You want some of the juice with it. A little bit of pulp is OK, but if you have a lot of pulp, you will want to remove it before continuing.

Put into a container (like a canning jar) and lightly cover. Put on the counter or out into the sun for a week to FERMENT. You want some mold (or what's called "the mother") to grow on it. Sounds gross, I know. But it really is a GOOD thing. It will kill off any seed borne diseases that might be in the seed.

Rinse off the seeds. Pour the seeds into a glass of water. The good seeds will sink to the bottom. Scrape off the bad seeds from the top, and drain the water and remaining good seeds. Dry the seeds well.

Store in freezer or a dry cool place until next spring. :D

A good video as well as a GREAT tip in here about planting seedlings:


Banana peels are GREAT for tomato plants! They contain phosphorus and potash which are valuable to the tomato plant. Especially before they are flowering. So chop a few up and bury in the soil when you transplant your seedlings! :) You can do it throughout the growing season as well.

Tomatoes that ripen in full sun have more vitamin C than those grown in the shade of their leaves. An easy way to remember that when pruning is to ask yourself "Are you growing leaves or are you growing tomatoes?" :D It might not look very pretty, but you will have some of the sweetest tasting tomatoes!

Continuing With Our Food

I have LOVED teaching my children what REAL food is. There used to be a law that was instituted in the 1930's that said that if you made anything like a real food, you HAD to call it IMITATION. But in the early 1970's, food companies want to "improve" on foods. So they convinced the FDA to get rid of that law, so now, even though a food is NOTHING like the original and so totally twisted from the original and very BAD for you health wise, they can call it the name of the REAL food, so you THINK you are eating REAL food.

My kids know what real foods are. I like the fact that they know that fake foods are not healthy for you. Although the more fake foods they eat, the more their tastes change towards wanting MORE of that food than real food. With more and more fake and unhealthy foods coming out on the market, I feel it is SO IMPORTANT to teach our children what real foods are. Taking them to the farmer's market, allowing them to help in the kitchen, and gardening with the children are all GREAT ways to help them to see, touch, smell and taste real foods. Getting a good knowledge of real foods.

Here is another seminar by Michael Pollan on The Omnivore's Dilemma. It is an hour long.

Being Good Steward Saves You Money On TRASH!

I just got our newest bill for trash service. It went up $2 a month. Understandable as the price of fuel is going up. I noticed that I am paying for two cans and two bags of trash to be picked up.

At the time we signed up for the trash service, I was going through a LOT of trash. But as we have become better stewards (use it up, make it do, etc.), as well as more cooking for scratch. I have a LOT less trash. And once we start composting, we will have even less trash.

So I called just to make sure that the rising cost was fuel related. It was. I then asked if there was a cheaper plan I could get on. She mentioned that they do have a 1 can trash pick up and asked my address.

She then laughed and said that I was getting such a great discount that if I were to switch to the 1 can, I would actually be paying MORE! :) Well THAT made me feel GOOD! It pays to be a loyal customer!

But for those of you shopping around for a trash service, or think you might be able to get away with just a trash can instead of two, you might try asking your trash company if there is a cheaper plan for you!