Thursday, May 28, 2009

My Newest babies!


These are my new babies!
They are names Annebelle and Abbegail
They are So cute and So much fun!
I am so excited about my new baby chicks that I can barely Contain myself!
They are "arucana"(sp?) But I dont think they are True arucanas Because they dont have the Long feathers at the side of their faces.
I believe they are Just an "easter Egger" chicken....they lay teal or blue eggs and will be at laying age in about 5-6 months!
They are vary friendly and are easy to hand and quite cheap to feed!
I will keep updates about my new little Chicks!

A better day in bread making!


So My bread Making went MUCH better now that I have a Good Recipe!


Their is nothing as wonderful as a home Filled with the aroma of Fresh Baked Bread!



I am going to make it once a week (maybe more if I need to)

So we wont have to buy Bread anymore!

Here is the recipe!

3 cups warm water ( about 100 degrees)
2 packs of Dry active yeast
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
1/3 cup honey
3 tbs. butter melted
1 tbs. salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbs melted butter

In large bowl mix warm water yeast and 1/3 cup honey. Then add 5 cups bread flour mix lightly let stand for 30 minutes or bubbley (Mine never got bubbly...so I did just the 30 min.)
Then mix in 3tbs, melted butter and 1/3 cup honey and salt, stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour.
Kneed on floured surface until it JUST pulls from the counter (You may need to add 2-4 cups of WW flour while kneading)
Place in greased bowl (Rolling dough to coat) allow to rise until doubled in size.
Punch down devide into three loaves (Or you can make dinner rolls of you wish) Let dough rise till 1 inch above rim of pan
Bake at 350 for 25-30 Min.
Lightly brush top of bread with butter to prevent hard top crust...Let Cool and Eat!

(This is another Great recipe to use the Homemade Butter with!)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A cool Rainy day

My garden is enjoying the weather yet I am not.

Its cloudy and Gray, And I want nothing more then to have something to do today.

I guess today I will do some baking and some sewing I need to start a New Blanket for our room and I am looking into making cloth pads (For My Moon Cycle) and sewing the Girls some new clothing.

Usually to me that is the perfect day, But Today I just want to be in the sun working in the Garden and Playing with My Girls...and we have 2-3 more days of this grayness ahead.

But I will suck it up and make the best of this gloomy day!

My home is my paradise and I am not letting some stormy weather rain on my good time!

Rainy day Ideas

Bake

Sew

knit

Crochet

Play board games

CLEAN ( that Always needs done LOL)

Cook

Crafts

Be creative!

Bread making

So last night I set out to make home-made Bread.

It was OK but nothing fab and I was Proud yet sadly Disapointed!

The Good thing was it did Rise and did Look and smell like bread but it was a bit Dry and bland.

I am going to take a Crack at it again today and hope it goes better!

Anyone out there in Cyber Space have good Recipes for bread ?

Monday, May 25, 2009

BlueBerries!

Mmmm I cant wait till I can eat them!

I bought 4 Older B.B. Bushes that are starting to fruit and then 2 "starter" plants!
I finished putting them is this morning!

I love not having to go to the store for Blueberries (OMG 5$ a SMALL pack right now!) they just are not the same and tend to be bland, but fresh off the bush BBs cant be beat!

My little urban homestead is moving along beautifully!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

My garden

So its done!

My garden is Planted (Woooo!)

We have tomatoes, Peas, Green beans, Brussels, cabbage, Zuccini, Cauliflower, Bluebarries, Onions, Cucumbers, bell peppers and we will plant the pumpkins in a few weeks!

Not to mention all my herbs!

Its so nice to have it done! Now all I have to do is get a few rain barrels and we wont have to use city water to take care of them!

I bought canning stuff last year but was afraid to start canning, so we gave lots of food away...But not this year! We are going to can, Freeze, and dry it!

Its so Nice to produce your own food! You know EXACTLY where is comes from and have the Joy of fresh, Healthy food!

Oh and I got my clothes line back up as well! ahhh they joys of life are so simple!

Being Oldfashioned

I wasn't always "Old fashioned" I used to Love the "Modern" Life everyone seems to follow today...I use Sposies, Ate Processed Foods (I still drink Soda) and Loved my Chemical cleaners.

My first daughter Got the "mainstream" treatment...

She was born in the hospital with drugs, wore sposies, Got all her shots, Ate Jar babyfood, the list goes on and on!

But when I get Pregnant with My second Child Things just changed, I started wondering what I was doing, and why I was doing it. What was In the Baby shampoo? What Chemicals where Sprayed on our food? What was My family breathing when I cleaned the house? What was I dong to us? To our Home? and to the Planet we ALL live on?

and so it began, My quest to know what is REALLY going on when I take care of my family and home.

I started Small, I was pregnant and worried about Birth. I had issues with the Epidural when I had my first so that was a big NO WAY for me, But what about the Other drugs they offer?
Where they good for me? More importantly where they good for My baby?
The answer was no, Drugs effect the baby the same way they effect mom, should My baby be forced to take medications that make us feel wacked out? To me the answer was Clear, NO!

So I found a doctor and stuck with him for awhile, Until I talked to him about wanting to walk around and use a Birthing ball and a Bath tube for pain relief...He told me NO, that women ALWAYS give birth on their back and that I wouldn't be allowed to get up and Move!
So I set out for something else, I found a Midwife My Prayers where answered!

I gave birth To a healthy baby girl in a hotel room In WI (Homebirth with a Midwife is Illegal In my state so No "homeBirth") After 47 Hours of labor and 1 hour of pushing.

I found alternatives to Mainstream Chemical babybath products after learning about the Chemicals they put in them...NO THANKS!

We chose to eat Organics, Because if I wouldn't spray and apple with raid then rinse it and eat it why would I buy something that basically has been?

We chose Cloth Diapers. I know, I know sounds scary doesn't it?
Well its not, and Really its easy! No late night trips to the store, No Chemicals on my baby!

Then Home-made Cleaners! Its Cheaper and YES it cleans JUST as well (I will make a post later Of how to make your own!

so that's where it began (I do allot more now LOL).

Getting started in old fashioned life starts with the basic need to know whats going into making your family healthy!

Friday, May 15, 2009

baking day!

Wondering what you could do on a Rainy day? Maybe your tired of feeding Your family Store Bought Snacks that are filled with Bad stuff? Or even Just wanting to save money!

Have a Baking day!
When you bake it yourself You are avoiding the Unknown Ingredients and the risk of contaminated Products, You can choose if it 100% Organic and best of all You know Your family will love the effort you put into it (Hey and kids are GREAT at Mixing!)

In my home we have "baking day" once a week (Sometimes More!)

It great family fun, and You can make your snack foods healthy if you chose!

Dont know what to make? Well If your reading this you have access to MILLIONS of Recipes!
But here is a good one anyways!

Mommies Favorite Pumpkin Puff cookies

1/2 cup butter
I cup packed Brn. Sugar
1 cup Sugar
1 1/2 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1tsp. Vanilla
2 1/4 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp. Grd. Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Grd. nutmeg
Prheat Oven to 375
Beat Butter and Sugars in large bowl till creamy Beat in Pumpkin, egg, and Vanilla until light and somwwhat fluffy.
Mix in flour, Cinn., Baking Powder /soda, and nutmeg till blended Drop heaping Tablespoons onto and ungreased cookie sheet bake Until tooth pick comes out clean!...I think it was about13-14 minutes
Eat warm or cold!

another staple for us on baking day is Home-made Butter! (You cant have Blueberry Muffins without it!)

You need a Mason jar

whole cream

3 marbles.

Put Cream and Marbles in the jar, cap and shake! It will first become whip Cream, then will feel Like its not doing anything...Keep shaking (Or sit on the couch and Bang it on SOFT cushions) Soon the butter will sperate from the Buttermilk! pour off the butter milk and store (You Will want the butter milk for Baking later..Buttermilk buscuts, buttermilk pancakes....)

Put butter in a butter dish or Just put in a bowl and leave on the counter (Not for Long, only if you plan to use it SOON!) then Refigerater like normal butter!

Mushroom Hunting


Our family has SO much fun going Morrel Hunting and Morrels are SUCH a Treat for us!

Since we live in the City we Go to out friends home where there is a large Forested area or to the Local state park! Its fun and easy...and with Morrels it REALLY safe!
Anyone can go Morrel hunting! There is Nothing better then fresh picked wild Morrels.
One mushroom we got is the Size of my hand!

My first Time blogging

Yep a 21 Year old who has never really Blogged before!

My name is Heather and I am a Wife to shawn and a Mother to two Girls and Hoping to be adding a 3rd child soon (If My body lets me).

I am a Hombirthing, Breastfeeding, AP, Gardening, Crafting, Cloth diapering, Midwife loving, Married, Semi-Urban homesteading, Mushroom Hunting, Baby wearing, Tattooed,Clothes line useing, Veggie loving, old fashioned, Pink haired, Mother and Wife!