One more shout out...

to my father-in-law, brother-in-law and husband!  We finally purchased a storage building to help with our crowding issues.  See, this old house came with zero storage.  So we have had to make due with an attic and the garage.  Oh the garage.  It is a nightmare.


So the same brave men who tackled the wall also did the back-breaking work of pulling up a fence to allow the movers to bring the building into our backyard.

The day we moved the building was the one day out of the entire month that it rained.  Those poor guys got soaked!

The hard work is done.  Time to drop the building.

Careful!

Whew!

And he's stuck.  The guy was a bit of a crazy driver.  He nearly ran over the guys a few times.  Here he is spinning his wheels in our backyard.

Levi strapped on a hat and ran out to see the action.

"Looks alright to me mom!"

And here she sits.  We have to let it settle before we put a ton of weight in it.  But we are so happy to have a place for our junk! 

Of course Matt has plans for shelves and storage on the walls so we still have some work to do.  But it's a start!

Updates...

I wanted to update you all on how much we are loving our homemade laundry soap and deodorant.  I was not sure what to expect.  I thought that maybe the laundry soap would stay with us but I was pretty sure that I would end up not liking the deodorant.  It turns out that I really love both! 

The laundry soap has been wonderful.  It cleans thoroughly and smells great.  It even removed some stains that had been left behind by my other detergent!  I have been pleased.  I have also started using vinegar in a Downy ball instead of chemical fabric softener.  It softens and freshens the clothes without leaving the slick, highly-fragranced coating.  I hated that every time I folded clothes, I was left with that on my hands and I didn't like that my kids were wearing that on their bodies every time they put on clean clothes.  I am converted.  The soap is easy and cheap to make.  It's a keeper. 

The deodorant was my biggest surprise.  It is so easy to make.  It takes me less than 5 minutes to mix everything up and pack it into old deodorant containers.  It is a bit different than using the store-bought stuff.  For one, it melts easily.  I found that out on a trip.  I opened the stick of deodorant to find that it had melted into the the lid.  It was an easy fix and I know better for next time. As for how it works, I have not been stinky since I started using it.  It is awesome!  Now remember, this is not an antiperspirant so you will sweat.  I am kind of a sweaty person and end up with pit stains even when I use antiperspirant.  So I sweat but I don't stink.  I smell like lovely lavender and roman chamomile.  Matt has even started using it and loves it too.

I have had a few days where the under wire of my bra rubs at the bottom of my arm pit and makes a tender spot.  It hasn't happened in awhile so I am guessing my skin had to get used to the abrasiveness of the baking soda.  I did read that you can use arrowroot powder instead if it bothers you.  Other than that, I have been happy with it.  I am extremely happy that we are not slathering our bodies with aluminum anymore. 

Hope some of you are inspired to get back to basics.  We don't need to use all of the modern chemicals that are in most store-bought products.  There are great alternatives that are often cheaper!  If you don't like these, research and find something that appeals to you.  You will be thankful and feel good about taking away one more unknown out of your family's life!

Prepare your pits!!

I know it sounds crazy and difficult but making your own deodorant is possible!  Now I am talking deodorant, for the smell factor.  This is not anti-persperant which keeps you from sweating, in theory.  I am not the type of person to see a monster around every corner but I have been concerned for awhile about slathering my armpits with aluminum.  For you sweet friends who don't know, that is the active ingredient in antiperspirant.  This has been connected with risk for breast cancer, Alzheimer's and is not safe for people with kidney disease.

Now this homemade deodorant will not keep you from sweating.  It is simply meant to keep you from stinking.  Our bodies were meant to sweat.  It's part of how we thermoregulate and release toxins.  Sweat is not the enemy.  Bacterial growth in the warm moisture of your armpit is.  So this homemade product is great for controlling BO. 

I do notice a bit of dampness but nothing extreme.  I  LOVE my new stuff!  And there is no stink.  Even the next day.  I think this would be great for those of us who have children who are starting to wear deodorant.  They surely don't need the yucky stuff and can start off right using a product that is healthy for them. 

Are you ready?  These are all of the ingredients.  I am not kidding.  That's it.  Coconut oil, corn starch, baking soda and essential oil.  I got the recipe from Homestead Revival!  Love that blog!

5-6 tablespoons of coconut oil.

1/4 cup of baking soda and cornstarch.  I used my mixer to blend it all together until it was smooth. 

Homestead called for optional tea tree oil.  I opted for this oil blend.  It's great because I need a chill pill at least 3 to 600 times a day.  Now I carry one with me wherever I go!  I used about 7-10 drops of this yummy stuff.

I had a empty Toms container that I packed the blended product into.  It works great!  I did have to stick it in the fridge for a few minutes to let it set.  Now I keep it in my bathroom cabinet.  I put it on like regular deodorant.  I am converted.  And I feel good about the fact that it is so natural that you could eat it!  Not that I would, but I could.  I have seen many antiperspirant alternatives but this one beats any I have tried.  I know it's a strange concept but if you can get past the idea of sweating a little, it's worth it!



My little Earth-child

Asher's 1st grade had been studying how to take care of the Earth.  Reduce, reuse and recycle!  They had created a compost pile to use in the spring.  They had also learned about how things are recycled and how we can make an impact with very little effort.  Then, a few weeks ago, Asher came home with an assignment.  He had to make something useful out of material he could find here in our home.  No buying stuff. 
He immediately had the idea to make a car out of a milk jug.  We had a brainstorm about what materials we could use for wheels and how we could make the car go faster.  Asher had his plan and was waiting for his daddy to have a day off of work to help him make the car. 
In the process of waiting, Asher came up with a new plan.  He wanted to make flip-flops.  Don't know why he ditched the car idea but he did.  (He is the middle child so we stopped trying to figure him out long ago!)  The flip-flop idea took off!  He began experimenting with different things he had found.  He first decided to use some old composite edging that we had from a flower-bed we put in this summer.  He figured out that he could twist plastic bags together to make straps for the shoes.  He and his daddy tried out the idea and it failed.  The edging was just too hard to cut.
Round two was just genius in my mind! Asher and his daddy found an old tire in the back of Matt's pick-up. So they, with much trouble, cut out a sole for the shoe. (Those steel-belts are not easy to cut!) They Asher and I came up with the idea to use strips of his old shirt to make the straps. We had a lesson in braiding so Asher could make the braided straps. Then they put it all together and this is what we had...

He was so proud of his hard work!

Classmates checking things out.

The close-up

Some of the other inventions we pretty ingenious!

Cute piggy bank

I've done this!

Brilliant!

Sometimes we just need a little beauty!

One of the administrators who came to see the display commented that Asher could probably sell the flip-flops as a business.  Then the expert that they had come talk to the kids said that people in other countries make the same thing except they use the tubing inside the tire for straps!  So cool.  We are proud of our little boy and know that this type of learning is right up his alley! 

Garden update and new goodies!

We have been busy here! The garden in in full harvest mode. Everything is ripening quickly and tasting so yummy! We have been eating a ton but saving some too. Here are the latest pics!

Purple bell peppers!


Lots of apples means lots of pies!


These carrots were so sweet.


Cucumbers ready to be pickled!


Cucumbers fulfilling their destiny.


Green Zebra Tomatoes are my favorite next to Cherokee Purple.


Ugly little eggplant.


More bell peppers.


Garden view!


Wild grape jelly that my SIL and I made with juice that my MIL juiced! It's a family affair.


Sweet corn from the farmer's market.

Crafty much?

Nope! But this is a craft designed to make my life easier and give my kids responsibility! I love this craft. You won't catch me saying that very often. So enjoy my friends.
I read a story in a magazine about what one mom did to resolve the problem of having a constant sink of dirty dishes. This mom had 6 kids and decided to make them take some ownership in the whole dishes fiasco. Instead of using a new cup or bowl for every meal, she decided to give each child their own set of dishes to keep up with! Brilliant! She got a set of clear glass dishes and some acrylic for glass paints and had each child personalize his or her set. The premise is that if the dish is not clean, then you don't eat until it is. It eliminates a ton of extra dishes and provides a way for the kids to understand what a job it is to keep things clean.

We did this little craft and have LOVED having our hand-painted dishes at every meal. It really has helped with the amount of washing I have to do. Also, the kids are really proud of their art and want to use their dishes.
Here are the pics...

The bowls





The cups




The plates




The finished product
Zaddok's

Asher's

Jolie's

Update on garden, chickens and the coop.

Things are changing quickly here! The garden is growing like crazy, the chicks are mini-chickens and the coop is complete!!! Well, minus the painting but complete enough to hold some chickens. Here are some pics to prove it!
GARDEN...

Onions that didn't get to finish growing thanks to some unnamed children.

Green beans. I love how they twist and climb. I love how they taste too!

We didn't get to do our drip system this year so we are trying a more, elementary approach. I'll let you know if it works. (the milk jugs are a primitive drip system that also allows us to feed and water at the same time!)
Squash and lots of it!

Eggplant. Can't wait to grill it!

Day lilies. Not food but too pretty to resist.

This is the coop!!!

This is a chicken that we stuffed into the coop.

These are the chickens that refuse to go into the coop.
I really love it and am so proud to have it. My husband is THE BEST!!


My son decided to spontaneously give up all of his teeth.

This one decided to make the sweetest eyes at his daddy.


I love my life! Thank you Adonai for blessings.