Naturally inspired living for homemakers
Who knew the weather forecasters were right when they said that our cold, rainy and gray June would turn into a scorching hot and dry summer as we neared July? With temperatures that suddenly hit the 30’s starting on Friday, it is definitely summer now! I’m actually relieved, as I’ve been so worried about my …
Hot, hot heat (or why I didn’t post my menu this morning)Read More
Would;you rather buy;these for $16.50, plus tax and shipping… …or all of this, for $15.50 total? ; In a couple hours of garage saling this morning, I purchased 6 pairs of pants (khaki, cord and jeans), 2 knit sweaters, 2 knit winter hats, 1 sweater vest, 6 warm sleepers, 3 long sleeved button up shirts, …
When you’re on a tight grocery budget, just how far can you stretch one little chicken? I decided to track exactly what I did with a my last free-range chicken, because I wanted to know the ultimate value derived from it. I started with a box of Whole Chicken Fryers, from Shelton Natural Poultry. They …
Mmm… the first salad of the season, made with a lettuce blend from my backyard! I'm using a nice heirloom lettuce blend, as well as a romaine called Olga and some oriental greens called Mizuna. Is there anything more satisfying than eating what you've grown? (Okay, the answer is yes, but it sure does rank …
Inspired by the recent rise in grocery costs, and our ever-present desire to cook whole, nourishing food for our families (and encourage you to do the same!), I will be collaborating with Kimi of The Nourishing Gourmet to bring you a carnival that we are really excited about! Actually, it was all Kimi’s brilliant idea… …
This week's baby step is: To introduce one new cultured or fermented food to yourself (and your family, if you can)! Why this step is important: Though they made not sound all that appealing initially, and I know that this may be a bigger Baby Step than some of the previous ones, cultured and fermented …
I just love a good book and our family has a book budget that is continually being used to the max! However (quite sadly), with all of the site problems and transfers I've had to focus on in the past few months, reading has mostly gone by the wayside. So how excited was I to …
In conversations of late between my husband and I, one of the resounding themes that keeps coming is that we just have too much "stuff"! Now, I don't think that most people who visited my home would feel that it was terribly cluttered or knick-knacky, or that we were bursting at the seams. However, it …
Does anyone else find it hard to even think of cooking when you're sweating glowing away in a roasting hot house? About the only thing sounding good to me right now is an ice cold fruit smoothie! And I suppose, I can't really make that for dinner for the next 7 nights in a row …
"When are we going to do Learning Time, Mama?" This is almost a daily question in our home, from my eager 3 1/2 year old daughter. She just adores the time that we spend each afternoon, reading, studying, discussing, creating, learning, and most of all, enjoying! I received the sage advice early on to not …
Did you know that you have some incredible garden fertilizers, right in your very own kitchen? As I am trying to keep my garden costs low, I have been so blessed this year to discover a few very simple, yet very effective ways to boost my garden! It all started on a short date with …
There is a lot of bad news out there. Sometimes, being on the internet so much, I can tend to feel overwhelmed by all that I read and see. One site in particular has really been getting to me lately, with what I feel is a particularly negative, hopeless and humanistic approach. If I were …
This week’s baby step is: Very simple. It is to grow something edible, anything at all, this summer. And eat it! Why this step is important: I think there is something crucial about connecting with the seasons and the way that food grows. Though I find it difficult to express in words, there is something …
…that Biblical Womanhood has all of their ebooks on sale for only $3.00 each, just for the month of June? Neither did I! Go check them out! (I have their entire ebook collection, and among my favorites are Momma's Guide to Growing your Groceries, Thriving on One Income, Simple Tips for Successful Home Management, and …
This time, though, it's a giveaway for everyone! Here's the scoop: See, I have this friend named Lylah, who I met through blogging. Lylah is just about the sweetest lady ever, wife to a pastor-husband whom she adores, and Nana to 5 adorable grandkiddos. She is funny, articulate, has delectable soup recipes (I've dubbed her …
I stumbled upon a rather serendipitous find last weekend, while visiting with my sister-in-law. I suppose I made for a rather rude house guest, as I temporarily lost myself in this intriguing read, a magazine all about local food in Vancouver! The magazine not only had some interesting articles on local food, composting, sustainability (though …
Shopping for my groceries on Saturday left me feeling literally a bit sick to my stomach. None of the things that I had hoped to find on discount were on sale at all, and in fact, more items on my usual list had gone up in price. I wanted to cry. How can I keep …
(…that was what we put on the inside of the iPod card the kids and I made for our iPod-loving, musician Daddy, as well as a Best Daddy award ribbon colored by Abbie, a French Toast breakfast in bed, and a trip to somewhere fun after church for a gelato treat, in case you were …
Gray, cloudy days. No hint of sunshine or blue sky. 11 degrees (52 F). Sigh… so much for summer weather! I suppose I'm being a little bit pessimistic. It's only June 14, and summer technically doesn't begin for another 7 days, but it is usually lovely out by this time of year. I remember last …
Here is my continued list of strategies for keeping my grocery costs low (while keeping healthy foods a priority), in the midst of the rising grocery costs: (If you missed the first post, which also explains why I'm going through all of these ideas, you can find it here.) 9) Shopping with a detailed list— …
I've tried working on other posts today. In fact, I spent too much time on the computer this morning, and accomplished very little. And yet this is the only post that I feel that I can write today with any integrity. I woke up feeling quite ill today, I had a bad sleep last night, …
Can you believe this? A pair of pajamas has just been recalled due to a violation of lead standards in the screen print on the shirt!!! It's appalling! This is the offending pair of pj's, made by Children's Place: Honestly, sometimes I just don't know what I can do to protect my kids. I can't …
Just a reminder– If you haven’t done it yet, make sure that you visit last week’s recipe carnival to find some inspiration for completing the last Baby Step! So far in this Baby Steps series, we’ve talked a bit about toiletries (toothpaste), food preparation (using dry beans), and cooking nutritious food (making a list of …
Baby Steps: Going More Natural, One Cleaner at a TimeRead More
I did it! I finally tried serving a raw meat dish to my family at the birthday dinner for my son last night (of course, he didn't have any!). I decided to put it out as an appetizer, in addition to the main meal, so that they could feel free to try it or not. …