Laundry Room Redo!

I have been updating everyone on Facebook as we have been redoing our laundry room, but do to requests ;), I'm going to do a blog post.

Our before. Blah and plain. Plus, a dryer that barely worked! Bonus! hahaha

First, I painted it a bright and cheery yellow. LOVE!

Bought a roll of contact paper for $7.99 and went to town! I already had two of the black shelves that are beside the window, and the boards I used for the shelf under the window and sock sign, as well as the jars! Curtain was $5.99

As you can see, we also got a new washer and dryer which I am in love with! We needed the upgrade.

 Alright, so here is the finial cost breakdown for the laundry room.

• Roll of contact paper $7.99
• Pack of two L brackets $3.99
• Curtain for the window $5.99
• White baskets $2.99 x3 = $8.97
• Laundry room sign bought from Amazon $7.79
• Total : $34.73 + washer and dryer

I'm super happy with it and the room is so much brighter now! And, I'm staying on top of the laundry room, which is just a bonus, hahaha.

Homemade Animal Crackers

So along with making my own gold fish crackers, I have started making our animal crackers as well. These are so much better then store bought! My kids love them, my husband loves them, and I love them! (And how rare is it that everyone in the family likes the same thing?)

*Pictures to come later*

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat flour from hard white wheat as that is what I had available)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar (You can use white or brown sugar, I usually use brown)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Over a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and mace. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, slowly add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, stopping the mixer once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed. Add the remaining flour and beat until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal balls. Shape each into a disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
5. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. If the dough cracks while rolling, let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes more.
6. Preheat an oven to 350°F.
7. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Dip cookie cutters into flour just before using and cut out the shapes. Gather up the left over dough, reroll, and cut out more cookies.
8. Bake the cookies until very light golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool to room temperature.
9.  To store, once completely cooled, I just put in a covered container on the counter. :-)

Homemade Gold Fish

Recently, I have been making our gold fish crackers instead of buying them from the store. Why you might ask, well, it's simple. They are way yummier and they are better for you! So here you go, here's the recipe:

This is the cookie cutter I use. Now, you can use any cookie cutter you want, don't feel trapped in that it must be a small fish. A circle will work just as well. :)

6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* I just use all whole wheat flour (from hard white wheat) as that is what I keep in the house. If all you have is all-purpose, then use that and they will still turn out great!
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, running the machine until the dough forms a ball, about two minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. Use the cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time to ensure a clean cut. Gently transfer crackers to an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet with a 1/2 inch between them. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are barely browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

Look at all those cut out fish! Just mix the dough back up and roll it back out and use your cookie cutter to make more fish!

Finished product. They really are yummy and a favorite around here.

To store, I keep them in a sealed container on the counter, if they last that long. :-)

Canning Green Beans

Fred Meyer had a good price on fresh green beans, so I picked up about 10lbs of them the other day and thought it would be good to can them. I asked you guys on facebook if you wanted me to blog how to can them and the number of private messages I got of you all wanting to see, with pictures, was great! (Went back and counted and it was 7 of you!) But, you guys don't have to be shy, you can post and let others know you want see how to do it. ;)

Alright, first off fill one side of your sink with water (Left side above) and one side has the beans (right side). Rinse the beans on the right as you move them over to the water on the left. This will get them clean and the leaves, etc. off of them.

While working at the sink (or you could sit down at the table if you wanted to), I got two bowls, one for the good beans and one for the broken ends. So, pull your beans out of the water and break them. Easy right? Yes, but does take time, especially if you have a lot to do. Thank you so much Jen for coming and helping me today! I appreciate it so much!

After you have broken you beans, move them to a pot of water, bring it to a boil, and boil your beans for about 10 minutes blanching them.

Fill your jars with your hot beans and hot water. Leave a one inch head space and be sure to get those bubbles out!

Place into your pressure canner and can them. 10lbs pressure for 25 minutes. 

 

 

I'm so excited to have fresh green beans, especially this winter! I bought 10lbs green beans and got 6 quarts and 1 pint out of the bunch. This number could vary though depending on your beans and if you get any bad ones you have to toss. I think I am going to go back and get more beans. Anyone up for a green bean canning party?

**Thank you Momma for the refresher course the other night when I called!**

NEW: Pizza Crust Recipe

So, the last pizza crust recipe was great, but this one is better! It's full proof and so easy to work with.

In your mixer, add:
1 1/2 C warm water
2 tsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Let sit for a few minutes so the yeast can work. Add in:
4 C flour and start mixing with your dough hook
2 tsp. salt (add in after flour has started mixing in so you don't kill your yeast)
Knead for 10 minutes
Get a clean bowl and pour in some olive oil. Roll your dough in the oil, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes.
Divide in half and stretch to fit two pizza pans.
Top with you toppings
Cook 10-15 minutes at 500*

This really is the best pizza. The next time I make it, I'll take some pics for you guys and add them in.

I'm back!

So, I apparently have dropped off the Earth and haven't been posting! Sorry guys. Things have really gotten busy this summer!

Elijah has been doing soccer and has been LOVING it! His last game is Thursday.

Rozalynn is almost potty trained! Great news right? She has the peeing down, but the pooping, well, needs work. :/

I have gotten involved with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and I'm loving it. If you are local, we would love for you to join us. If you are not local, then check one out near you! I have also been going to a Bible study that is on spiritual gifts. I'm LOVING it and I'm learning so much! This study is really helping me figure out who I am as a person while I'm trying to figure out my gift. (which I have a good idea on what it is, but I won't say just yet ;) I want to get more into the study first. ) 

So with all these activities, plus playgroups and other gatherings, my days have been busy. I'm hoping I can get back on here and post more. If you guys want me to blog about anything specific, please let me know. :)

Everyone enjoy the summer as winter isn't to far off. God Bless! 

Homemade Yogurt!

Does your family love yogurt as much as mine? Is it hard to keep stocked up on it? It is around here! Seems like we are always running out. So, in an effort to learn how to make more things from scratch and to help my family stay stocked up on their yummy yogurt, I decided to start making it here at home.

Items you will need:

• 1 Crockpot
• 1/2 C of a good yogurt. I use Mountain High because it contains five types of active live cultures.
• 2-quarts (64 oz/8C) pasteurized milk — I used powdered milk. So, I used 2 quarts of water, and 3C instant powdered milk. If you are using a non-instant powdered milk you will need, 1 1/2C powdered milk and 2 quarts water.
• If you want your yogurt thicker, add an additional 2 2/3C instant powdered milk or 1 1/3 C non-instant powdered milk.
• Blender or a hand blender if you are using powdered milk.

Once you get your milk poured in, leave the crockpot on "low" for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug and let the crockpot sit for 3 1/2 hours.

You will wrap up the crockpot and let it sit for 6 1/2 - 8 1/2 hours. Until it is at the desired thickness. If you want it a bit thicker, you can strain it with a cheese cloth and it will make a more Greek style yogurt.

That's it. It is very easy and you are easily do it and walk away without having to worry about it. I'm curious to hear how it goes for you guys!

Canning Chicken!

Want to learn how to can meats? Well you have come to the right place! There are great advantages to canning your meat instead of freezing them. 1. You save on valuable freezer space. 2. If the powder goes out, your meat won't spoil! 3. It's already cooked, so dinner time prep is so fast!

My favorite things to can are chicken, turkey, and beef. They can be diced, sliced, or ground. This post is going to show you how to can cubed chicken. Please keep in mind, I followed the directions for my pressure canning book. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, follow the directions that came with your pressure canner!!! They are all different.

What you will need:

Raw chicken (slice it up anyway you want to)

Canning jars (I use pint sized jars for my meats) and lids

Canning bubble remover

Water in a cup or teapot

Rag/paper towel

Canning jar lifter

Pressure canner and your instruction book!

Timer (I used my stove timer)

What to do:

Dice up your chicken (make sure you use a cutting board and clean up well after you finish!) and pack it into clean canning jars.

**Sorry the videos aren't that great. I was filming myself while trying to show you guys what to do :-p **

 

I did not burn myself, please use two hands and lift the lid away from you so you don't get steam right in your face. 

That's it. Not difficult at all! If you guys need any help, please feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer your questions and I also recommend getting the blue ball canning book. It's a great resource!

Getting Our Feet Wet...

So, we have decided to homeschool Elijah for preschool. I dived right in by doing tons and tons of research into what would be the best route for him (and me) to teach him all he needs to know. We decided to go with the Weaver Interlock program and the Horizon Phonics and Reading program. I got everything in the mail yesterday and it all looks wonderful. Everything is supplied except for basics (craft paper, glue, child scissors, etc.) After going through everything last night, I sat down this morning and wrote down the next three weeks worth of lessons into my Busy Body Book. I'm in LOVE with this book and here's why.

Laundry update!

My last post was about what I was going to do with the laundry room. I  have decided! I'm going to go with YELLOW! Exciting! I'm going to go with a shade that is called "Hint of Honey" My computer makes it look a shade lighter then it really is, so yours might too. We are going to wait until it's summer here to paint, since it's such a small room and the window really needs to be opened while painting. So, snow melt so I can paint!!! I did some cleaning up in there and here is an updated photo.

Not to different, but as you can see, I  was not able to turn the washer/dryer, as the plug is to short! Oh well. I did get this nifty new laundry sorter though. I'm LOVING it! The sorters are the perfect size for one load of laundry.Now when it's full  it's time to wash a load of laundry. Easy. The top is an ironing board and it also folds up for easy access to the sorters. I'm thinking of getting another one to replace my old one that is conveniently hiding and not in the photo. It's held together by bungee cords...so sad :(

Laundry Room...

...Sorting through life one load at a time

I love that saying! I'm needing everyone's input. I have decided that the laundry room needs a makeover and I have narrowed it down to two colors and can't decided which one! This is where you all come in. Here are my idea photos and  you let me know which you like. First, photos of my current laundry room. Ignore the mess, this is why it needs a makeover! 

Messy...clean clothes that need to be put away...I'm thinking of turning the washer/dryer and then getting a white desk/table to go under the shelving (which will be gone or raised up higher). Under the desk/table will have our three mesh clothes sorter.

And here is this strange cubby in the laundry room. It's 38 1/2" deep and 22" wide. I'm at a loss at what I want to do here, other then some sort of shelves is a must, oh and white. Can you tell the accent in this room is white?

I found this pantry photo and I love the gray with the white detail. I'm thinking if I go with the gray, I'll do a similar print on the back wall where the window is.

And here is the yellow. Very pretty and bright. Once again, print on the back wall with the window.

Which would you do? I think both would do a good job of brightening up the laundry room. Decisions, decisions. Also, any ideas for that weird cubby I have?

Red or White?

We have talked about the different types of wheat grinders and the types of wheat, now I'm going to give you some visuals on on the difference between hard red and hard white wheat.

On the left is the hard red wheat and on the right is the hard white wheat.

I ground the wheat and here is the flour. Hard red on the left and hard white on the right. As you can see, you hardly tell a difference.

And here are the loaves of bread (I used this recipe). Once again, hard red on the left and hard white on the right.

Can you see the difference?

I let Michelle be the taste tester. We agreed that the hard red had a definite wheat taste to it and the hard white tastes more like a regular white bread. The great thing is, if you don't like wheat bread, you can use the hard white wheat and get all the great nutrients that you would get from the hard red wheat without the wheat taste. Great huh? So, that's basically it. If you all have any other questions or what to see anything else on the blog, let me know!

Get into the Grind!

This post is all about grinding your own wheat into flour. One of the best things I ever invested in! I love it and there is nothing like slicing off a piece of homemade bread that came from wheat your ground yourself. Very rewarding and the flour is out of this world! Not to mention all the nutrients you get!


So, let's just jump right in shall we? I'll be linking the models to Amazon just so you can see what they look like and their prices.

Manuals:

Pros: 

1. Easy to store

2. No noise

3. Cheaper

4. Can use if the powder is out

5. You can do nuts to make nut butters!

Cons:

1. Slow! It will only go as fast as you do.

2. They do not get as fine of a mill as electric ones can

3. Can only do a small amount of wheat at one time

Models:

The only one I can vouch for is the wondermill junior deluxe hand mill, as I own it. It's an excellent hand mill. I used it for about 8 months before I bought an electric one. I had to run the wheat through it twice to get the wheat as fine as I like it for bread, but I must say my arms got into great shape! hahaha I still have it and keep it with our food storage supplies in case the power does go out or our electric mill breaks and I need some flour.

Electric:

Pros:

1. Super fast!

2. Can do a large amount of wheat at one time

3. They have a settings dial that you can set the mill for how fine or coarse you want the wheat to be.

4. Clean up (I'm putting it in pros because it's minimal, which you might not think when you are first looking at mills)

Cons:

1. Price! They can be extrememly coastly, but most good quality ones have a lifetime guarenty on them

2. Loud! Don't run it when little ones are sleeping.

3. You can not do nuts in them, so no fresh nut butters.

4. They are larger and take up more storage space.

Models:

1. Kitchen Aid attachment - I have heard good and bad about this attachment. Good things are that it's cheaper and your flour will go right into your KA bowl. Cons, is that you will have to run it twice through to get a fine flour and some people have said it burned out the motor in their machine. I have never used it so I can't say if that would happen or not, so if you are looking at getting this attachment, be sure to do a lot of research first!

2. Ktec - I had this wheat grinder and it does the job great! This one you do have more cleanup then other models, but it's not to bad. Also, you can flip the motor/hopper upside down and put it into the clear flour container and it takes up little space stored this way!

3. Wondermill - This mill is awesome. Wonderful reviews! *My newest wheat grinder! I'm in love with it! Hardly any cleanup at all and a lot quieter then the Ktec.

4. Nutrimill - Another awesome mill with great reviews! There isn't much difference between the wondermill and nutrimill. Except the nutrimill container can hold more flour at one time then the wondermill, so you can grind more wheat at one time without emptying it.

5. Vitamix - Now, don't quote me on this, but I have read/heard that a vitamix will grind wheat. I have no idea how fine it can get or anything but if you are looking for a top of the line blender that can also grind wheat, then this is for you.

There are other models out there in both manual and electric, but these are just some of the more popular models that I know about and they have great reviews. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer. Also, if you get any of these mills, be sure to read your instruction booklet first! You don't want to mess up your mill because you didn't read it!

Wheat

Alright, so you got your wheat grinder and now you need some wheat. What kind should you get? Hard or soft? Red or white? Here is some information to help you decide. 

Hard or soft?

Hard: Has a higher protein level then soft and is better for breads, pastas, pancakes, etc.

Soft: Has a lower protein level then hard and is better suited for pastries.

Red or white?

Red: Has a stronger flavor then white and will make a denser bread. I always use dough enhancers to help it out when I use red wheat. It also had a darker color.

White: Lighter in color and has a milder flavor then the red.

* Red is typically a hard variety and white is typically a soft variety. You can find them as soft red and hard white though. In fact, I mainly use hard white wheat in my home and use it for everything (breads, cakes, pancakes, etc.). :-)

* If you are not sure what you and your family would like, buy a little of each and try them out. There isn't much difference nutritionally, especially since it's ground fresh, so just use what you and your family like the best.

Ok, so to help those of you need a visual, I'm going to take some hard red and hard white and make two loaves of bread. I'll post pictures when they are done so you can see the difference in the two. :-)

The Best Bread Ever!

So, I made some bread and thought I would share the recipe and some techniques with you all. This bread really is the best and we use it for sandwiches, buns, and rolls!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C warm water

2 Tbsp. yeast

1/2 C honey or 2/3 C brown sugar

5 1/2 C flour

1/2 C gluten

2 tsp. salt

1/4 C powdered milk

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 C potato flakes

2 Tbsp. vinegar

Add your water, yeast, and honey/brown sugar into your mixing bowl. Let it sit for a bit and proof.

Next, add all the ingredients on top of the water/yeast/sugar mixture. Mix on low for about 10 minutes.

It should look something like this once it is all mixed.

Cover with a towel and let sit for about and hour, until doubled in size.

Once it has risen, punch and put on a floured surface. Knead for a few minutes and then cut in half for two loaves. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough.

Roll up.

Pinch your seams together.

And round out the ends.

Place into your greased loaf pans and cover with the towel again and let rise for 1/2 hour.

Looking good right? Now place into the oven for 20-25 minutes at 375*.

Once you pull it out, tap it on the bottom to make sure it is done. It should sound hollow.

And here you go, nice yummy bread! That wasn't to hard was it?

New Coupon Organizer!

So to keep with the theme of me getting more organized (#3 of my new years resolutions) I got a new coupon organizer. I still have my gorgeous binder which I love, but I needed something easier to take into the store, especially when the kids are with me. I can not take credit for finding this little organizer, Ben actually spotted it at the check out at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day. For $5, I will say that this is a great buy!

(stock photo from amazon) It came with tabs and stickers you can put on the tabs to label with things like: produce, dairy, frozen, etc. As you can see, the top will wrap around the handle bar of the shopping cart, which I really like, as I know Roz is tired of holding my binder for me, lol. :-p

As you can see, I did my own labels: Store names, refile, and checkout. I thought this would be easier on me. I plan to load it up with the coupons I plan to use on that shopping trip(s) and I will keep my coupon binder in the car in case there is clearance items I want to pick up that I have coupons for.

New Calendar

I am always looking for news way to make my life more organized, so I went on a hunt for a new dry erase board that I could do a weekly plan on for our schedules and our menus. I searched online first (as I personally would much rather just find it online and order it, as it usually comes out cheaper to do so for most things up here in Alaska, especially if I can get free shipping and www.ebates.com on top of that) So I searched and searched and was not finding what I wanted at all and had it set that I would just have to make what I wanted. I went to Target to get just a plan, large sized dry erase board and look what I found! A weekly dry erase board that is plenty big enough for what I was wanting to put on it! Go figure right? After hours of searching online and not seeing this board at all it was just sitting on the shelf calling my name. The only down side to this board is that is wasn't magnetic, but not a biggie at all. I had some extra magnetic strips left over from another project, so I just added it to the back and hung it up! All has been great!

On the left: I have a place for notes and color key (picture below) On the right: Days of the week starting at Monday (which I love!) I have more then enough space to write our our menus and schedules.

As you can see, here is a close up of the color code system I use. Makes things easier on me and that is the goal!

And here is the plastic drawers I keep next to the fridge for our dry erase markers, pens/sharpies, and batteries. This could easily be hidden in a cabinet, but we just don't have the space since we don't have a pantry, so on the counter it sits.

I'm LOVING this new calendar. It's nice that I now have gone from three separate calenders down to just two (my little $1 planner that I keep my diaper bag and this one)

Laundry Detergent!

I had to make some laundry detergent today and thought I would share how easy and wonderful it is. It really is the easiest thing in the word to do and I have been using it for a year and half now. All of our clothes come clean, even if they have been threw up on, soiled, or covered in dirt!

**I use the same recipe that the Duggar family uses, so giving props to them for sharing it.**

Powdered Detergent:
1 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap (or you can use Ivory, but I personally like the Fels-Naptha better)
1 Cup of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 Cup Borax

First, chop up the soap into small pieces.

Second, place into a good food processor and run until the soap has become a powder. The magic bullet works great, so if you have one, use it!

Add all your ingredients together into some sort of container with a lid. I use an old number 10 can. For a light load, use 1 Tbsp. and for a heavy or soiled load, use 2 Tbsp. You can get about 40 loads out of one batch. 

I have used both liquid and powdered laundry soap. I have no favorite and frequently go back and forth between the two. Also, I have found this detergent (I like the liquid better for the cloth) works great for cloth diapers, so big bonus!

Liquid Detergent: (Direct Copy from the Duggar Family website)

4  Cups Hot Water
1  Bar of Fels-Naptha
1 Cup Arm and Hammer 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)

Super easy huh? If you have never used homemade detergent before, you definitely need to!

Homemade Pizza.....Yummm!!!

Tonight we had homemade pizza and boy was it yummy! One of our favorite meals around here! So, I thought I would share the recipe and technique I use.

First, the ingredients.

3 C Flour

3/4 tsp. Salt

2 1/4 tsp. Yeast

2 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Tbsp. Oil

1 C Water

1. In a large mixer, mix all the dry ingredients.

2. Gradually add in water and oil and let it mix for about 8 minutes or so.

3. Preheat oven to 500*.

4. Divide your dough into 2-3 balls, roll out, place parchment paper, poke with a fork. 
5. Bake for 4 minutes.
 The parchment paper allows a quick and easy transfer of the pizza (put pizza and parchment in the oven) if you don't have one of those pizza paddle things. I have a round stone that I put into the oven and heat up while the oven is preheating.

6. Take out of the oven and top with cheese, let melt, and add sauce and toppings. Bake at 500* for 10-15 minutes. 

Now enjoy!

 If you want, you can even freeze the pizza or crust for later for those nights you don't feel like cooking. After you bake the dough for 4 minutes, let cool and wrap up in plastic wrap twice and place into the freezer. For an already made pizza, just make like usual, but before you bake it (with your toppings on it) just wrap it up twice in plastic wrap and freeze. When you pull your pizza out to bake, don't defrost it. Just put it in the oven at 500* for 15-20 minutes and it will be great! Your crust should not be soggy at all because it has been partially bakes already. I hope you all enjoy this easy pizza as much as we do!