Keeping Hearth and Home

My eldest won't stop growing!!  We recently had to buy him new jeans, money we are willing to pay for extra durability because this boy is ROUGH on his clothes (I highly recommend Wranglers, they have worn better than any other brand we have tried, and you can get them at a deep discount from  VF Outlet , especially on clearance).  While we were shopping to for jeans I looked at pajamas as well because they were also getting short on him.  OUCH!! I forget how expensive PJs can be every time until I go looking.  Sometimes we get a good deal at Costco, but they have already stocked their spring/summer wear and the nights are still cold here, so that was a no go. I was considering just letting him wear PJ pants a few inches short (nobody will ever know.....) until the weather warmed up.  But then I saw them: two perfectly good long-sleeve shirts that my husband had put in the donation pile, one was even made of thermal fabric.  "Light Bulb!" So out of...

Okay guys, I gotta admit that I have discovered something I am super stoked about, so I thought I would share!  Before I get to the nitty gritty, let me back up a bit and give you some history on this discovery. We have problems at our house. Skin problems, sinus problems , fertility problems...you get the idea. Many of these problems are what led me to start making my own cleaning and beauty products. Commercially available household cleaners are chocked full of harmful chemicals known to cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, cancer, and even reproductive problems. I don't have proof, but I have a sneaky suspicion that many of our modern illnesses and health concerns have their roots in what we put in, on, and around our bodies. I have been using vinegar and baking soda to clean with, and I have also been making my own laundry detergent for at least 5 years.  Both are great options for cutting down on suspicious chemicals in your home, but I could never get my mir...

This post part of the  Homestead Barn Hop #163 We have been so blessed to be able to live where we do.  My in-laws have a double-wide on the back of their property that they let us rent out from them for dirt cheap, which has really helped us with our financial goals while allowing me to stay home with our boys.  Ma-in-law plants a huge garden every year, and always allows me to plant whatever I want.  She also plants extra for us, too, in exchange for help weeding and harvesting.  My in-laws also raise beef and eggs, and they have been generous in allowing us to raise a beef any time we have been interested in doing so.  This year, through a series of very unfortunate events, we had to replace some of their laying hens. Since we would be raising a new flock (the rest of the hens are ready to "retire"), we asked if they would mind if we doubled the small flock and split the cost of feed and then shared the eggs.  We also asked them if we could raise...

This post can be found on the Homestead Barn Hop #163 I am not a doctor, nor do I claim any medical training or knowledge.   I just want to share a story about some success that we had with essential oils a few weeks ago.   The information in this post is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Let me just start by saying that his post is not a plug for one brand of essential oils or another. I totally respect the products of many oil companies, but I also feel that it is okay to use products from more than one company.    I may mention what brand I use simply because of the particular blend that I used, but I in no way want to contribute to the "essential oil wars." There, now that that is out of the way, let us move on…. I was introduced to Essential Oils (EOs from here on) by a friend of mine about 2 years ago.   She was trying to convince me to buy a membership or start a business, and I was a total skeptic from the get-go b...

Yesterday was Mothers’ Day, and oh what a Mothers’ Day it was: I got a Blendtec blender for my Mothers’ Day gift.   I have been pining over a high-powered blender for a couple of years now, and scrimping and saving all the while.   So when I saw the Blendtec on sale on Costco’s website a week before Mothers’ Day, Hubster and I talked it over and decided that we could use part of our gift budget to make up the difference between what we had saved and the cost of the blender and take the plunge as a happy Moms’ Day for me!! Don’t I have an awesome husband?   And the kids are not complaining.   We opened it a couple of days early, and we have had smoothies four time since it has come.   In honor of the newest member of our family, I would like to share a recipe!   Now, this recipe can be made using any old blender, but I think the Blendtec definitely made it smoother.   So, without further ado: Homemade BBQ Sauce This BBQ sauce uses ca...

 There are two things a homemaker knows will never be “done:” dishes and laundry.   No matter how much you wash, you always create more that needs washing.   Yesterday I threw a load of laundry in the dryer on the sensor cycle, only to realize four hours later that the dryer was still running.   I opened the door to find the clothes warm, but still wet.   In the spring, summer, or fall, this wouldn’t have been a huge issue, unless the forecast said rain, because I would have hung the clothing outside on the clothesline to dry.   But its winter, and threatening snow (which we desperately need, so no complaints about that), so outside wasn’t an option.   So, I got creative, which made me think it might be a good time for a post about air-drying clothing.   This is not my first time getting creative with my clothes drying.   When hubster and I were in college we would air-dry most of our clothing in (or outside of) our apart...