Goodbye...

The bad news is that this will be my last post on this blog. It has been fun sharing by life through pictures and stories on here, but it is time to move on. The good news is this is not the end. You can still follow my crazy adventures over on my farm blog. It  has simply become too complicated to keep up two separate blogs. I was making the mistake of double posting both here and there and now I have a big mess. So now I am going to work towards integrating both blogs into one, possibly moving to a new blogging platform, and hopefully making it easy for you to subscribe to either my more personal posts, my more farm related posts, or both. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you will enjoy the farm blog just as well.  Come visit it at: http://engells-simplegiftsfarm.blogspot.com/

My little boys helping plant hazelnut bushes this spring.

Simple Safe Household Cleaner

Having children has made me reevaluate many of the things I do around the house. When it comes to cleaning my house I only want to use products that are safe and non-toxic. I don't want my kids or even myself around all the harsh and toxic chemicals that are in conventional cleaning products. I have been pleasantly surprised by how simple and easy it can be to make many cleansers myself. White vinegar is one of my favorite all purpose household products. Recently I discovered the idea of soaking leftover citrus peels in it and using that as an all purpose cleaner. It works great in the kitchen or the bathroom. It cleans up my greasy stove nicely and is great on my cabinets, mirrors, etc. I have made it with orange, lime or lemon peels, and they have all turned out great. They each add a pleasing scent to the vinegar plus they have great antibacterial properties and help cut grease. The last batch I made with lemon peels and added a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. I think you could make several combinations of citrus and herbs depending on what you wanted. Many herbs have their own antibacterial properties and with a little research you could decide which ones you wanted to use. The process to create this cleaner is so simple!

What you will need: glass jar, any size you want distilled white vinegar citrus peels of your choice a few branches of fresh herbs if desired spray bottle strainer and funnel

Method: Simply place leftover citrus peels in the jar. Gently press down and cover with vinegar. Screw on a lid and let sit for about 3 weeks. Strain vinegar into an empty spray bottle. Use full strength on surfaces such as greasy stovetops or dilute with half water for cleaning mirrors.

Here are a few herbs you might like to add:
Thyme - has antibiotic and disinfectant properties
Sage - effective on germs and also has many anti-fungal properties
Rosemary - anti-microbial properties
Lavender – disinfectant, antiseptic, natural antibiotic properties
Peppermint - antibacterial properties
Cinnamon Sticks - anti-fungal and anti-microbial

Lemon peels and fresh rosemary in white vinegar

After sitting for 3 weeks simply strain into a spray bottle

The finished product!

Pretty WinteryThings

My New Weekly Routine

Recently I have been working on getting organized. Part of that process has been to create a regular daily and weekly routine for getting chores and projects done. So far it has been working pretty well. It is not super strict, just a basic guideline. I have my week divided up into days for certain household chores. So for example Monday is kitchen day. That means making bread, making yogurt, kitchen cleaning, etc. If for some reason something else comes up on Monday like an appointment in town I can simply switch and do the kitchen work on Tuesday, then Tuesday’s work moves to Wednesday and then I am caught up because Wednesday is town day, but if I go to town on Monday then I will do my errands then and not go in again on Wednesday. It will not be quite as flexible in the summer because we have to go to town on Wednesday for the Farmer’s Market, so I won’t have a catch up day. But the other nice thing about this routine is that if I just can’t do everything on Monday’s schedule this week then the next Monday comes around and it is time to clean the kitchen again.

Here is the basic breakdown of my days of the week:

Monday- Kitchen Day, Planting Day, Sewing Day

Tuesday- Laundry Day, Weed/Harvest Day, Soap Day

Wednesday- Town Day/ Farmer’s Market

Thursday- Cleaning Day, Weed/Harvest Day, Paper Day

Friday- Project Day, Farmer’s Market

Saturday- Office Day, Sunday meal prep day

Sunday- Church, Fellowship, Rest Day

I have tried to keep it simple and also versatile enough to use year round with our changing seasons on the farm. That is why most days have several titles. As the season changes so do the main areas of focus. The household chores are supposed to get done year round (although probably cut back a little in the summer), and the other options vary with winter and summer. For example on Mondays during the winter/ early spring I will work on sewing projects, in the summer I will be busy planting in the garden. I have found that each days household chores take about two hours. I will post more details on the daily routines soon. I got some of these ideas from the book "Large Family Logistics" and simply made them fit better into my lifestyle.

Cleaning the Bathroom

David enjoys helping me with whatever I am doing. I even let him help clean the bathroom. I try not to use any chemical cleaners so we aren't breathing any toxic fumes. On the mirrors I use white vinegar and wipe with a clean floursack towel. Of course I had to wipe the fingerprints off when he was done, and I made sure to wait to clean out the sink until after he was was done standing in it.

Snowmen

Finally the snow was just right. David had been wanting to build a snowman for so long and we either didn't have any snow or it was too soft and powdery. So when it was finally perfect we all bundled up and headed outside to have fun. We started by building one snowman. Then David told me that the big snowman was Mommy and Daddy's snowman and that he needed a little snowman. So I helped him build a baby snowman too. It was such fun and he was very pleased. Everyday he looked out the window and said "I see big snowman, I see baby snowman."

My Birthday

David loves birthday parties, so when my birthday came around he was very excited. Andrew was going to bring home pizza and a little cake that night after his EMT class and David kept asking when Daddy was coming home and bringing the birthday party. He also was very excited to help Daddy wrap presents and then give them to Mommy. He did get a little impatient while I opened them and wanted to open some himself! I had a very special birthday and was so blessed by my special family.

Studying

David is fascinated by Andrew's EMT book and loves to look at it with him. It can make studying difficult for Andrew sometimes. But at least David knows about the "heart pumping red blood ou and blue blood in" now!

Home

We have been home from California for over a month now but I have not posted a single thing on my blog. My poor blog has been sadly neglected. It all comes from not getting into town much lately and not having much library time when I do. Today Andrew is at a Farmer's Market board meeting, so David and I are at the library. David is enjoying playing with toys and looking at books while I am getting some much needed internet time; checking e-mail, and facebook, making a seed order, and updating my blog. This past month Andrew has been building a chicken house, we celebrated my birthday, finally got some snow, and Andrew has been quite busy with an EMT class and all the homework that goes along with that. I have been trying to bring some order to certain rooms of the house, which sometimes seems hopeless, at least until spring when all the garden and farmers market stuff will move back outside. David has been wanting to build a snowman but the snow we finally have is too powdery, but hopefully we will get a chance to later. I have some pictures on my camera that I wanted to post but I can't find the cable with me today. I was sure it was either in my purse or the computer case but it must be somewhere at home.

David's Birthday Party

David Turns Two

Sunday Afternoon

I like to paint. I haven't painted in a long time. It is hard to find the time. Last Sunday David was sick so we stayed home from church. It was such a relaxing day. And I even found some time to do a little painting in the afternoon.

Sunny Sunflowers

I love sunflowers! They are so cheerful and summery. This year I have to rows of them one along the potato patch and one below the squash patch.

Foccocia Bread

Summer Squash Rolls

The fun bread I made this weak was summer squash rolls. It is a great way to use all the zucchini in the garden right now. My mom made these when I was young, it was one of the few ways I liked summer squash. Now I love squashe multiple ways but these are still one of my favorites. The original recipe came from the Whole Foods for the Whole Family cook book but I have changed it a little bit.

3 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dillweed
1/4 cup oil
1 cup grated zucchini or yellow squash
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 flour, yeast, sugar, salt, garlic, onion and dill. In a suacepan heat oil, squash, and milk to 120 degrees. Add to flour mixture. Add egg and stir. Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Knead about five minutes. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and divide into16 balls. Place in two greased round cake pans. Let rise until nearly double, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden

Bird's Nest

Andrew found a little nest when he went out to move the tractor. It is so adorable. I took it off the tractor and have it sitting on my hutch. I didn't know what else to do with it, because Andrew moved and was going to pressure wash the tractor so it couldn't stay there, and I figured the mama bird wouldn't be able to find it anyway. But I feel bad for the little bird.

Helper in the Kitchen

I have a little helper in the kitchen. It means there are two whisks to wash instead of one, it means flour all over the floor and little fingers in the batter. But I wouldn't trade the smiles, giggles, hugs and love we share for a cleaner kitchen.

Lemon Curd

We have lots of eggs right now and we got a bag of lemons in Spokane... so I made lemon curd, and of course scones to go with it.

New Paint

The living room and dining room is getting afresh coat of paint in time for spring!

Red Wagon

David loves his new red wagon!