tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28342360661924810262012-02-01T13:49:39.578-08:00Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.comBlogger2141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-14446985163022311172012-02-01T13:48:00.000-08:002012-02-01T13:49:39.583-08:00

I just found out that MEN published a comment I sent in. Yay! It's so great to participate and feel apart of such a great, diverse, and educational environment! Check it out! http://www.motherearthnews.com/modern-homesteading/dear-mother-february-march-2012-zm0z12fmzhun.aspx

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-46695572221612723602012-02-01T06:03:00.000-08:002012-02-01T06:05:06.466-08:00

Are you as surprised and thrilled as I am to find out you can cure and can your own bacon?? I love bacon. A lot. But to get the good kind without junk in it like MSG is kind of difficult unless you live near a health food store that sells bacon or Trader Joe's. And it's expensive! It's actually one of my dreams to raise my own free-range hog for our very own endless supply of bacon. Oh yeah!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-14402478331514550352012-01-22T08:03:00.000-08:002012-01-22T08:04:26.238-08:00

I've come across some new homemade toiletries blog posts and recipes that I thought I'd share. Natural Beauty: Clean Skin, Teeth, and Lips (see recipe below) The Oil Cleansing Method How to Clean Your Hair Without Using Shampoo Homemade Soaps and Body Care Basic Homemade Toothpaste 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil 2 to 3 Tablespoons of baking soda 1/4 teaspoon of Stevia powder a few

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-53451099633311810892012-01-15T06:36:00.000-08:002012-01-15T06:37:25.681-08:00

I came across this really cool article about reusing glass bottles and dehydrating - frozen vegetables!! The work is done for you because the veggies are already washed, peeled, chopped and blanched. I can't believe the genius of that! I haven't used my dehydrator for a while, but this might be a great way to bust it out again. I get my frozen vegetables in bulk at Costco (and they're organic -

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-91770810563141298382012-01-08T07:32:00.000-08:002012-01-08T07:32:31.321-08:00

I was doing a search for the shelf life of taco shells and came across this really cool site: Still Tasty: Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide Check it out!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-54973876823903884882011-12-27T11:01:00.000-08:002011-12-27T11:01:44.749-08:00

Ever heard of Farm Dreams? It's a one-stop place for like-minded people to connect on things like gardening, homesteading, animal husbandry, farming, etc. It's a cool new homesteading mecca! Trying to get away from using plastic? Here's an interesting article on how to freeze food without using plastics. Ever wonder if your favorite cold-fighting stand-bys really work? Check out this article

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-41398820408862750632011-12-27T10:47:00.000-08:002011-12-27T10:47:35.046-08:00

Just a quick update on going no-shampoo. Things have been going much better than I expected. For the first couple weeks my hair was totally normal and felt and looked clean. In fact, a friend of mine, after finding out I was only washing my hair with baking soda, looked at my hair and said, "Your hair looks clean to me!" haha! These past couple weeks my hair has been a little more greasy than

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-15995611020822037492011-12-10T06:31:00.001-08:002011-12-10T06:39:34.261-08:00

Thanks to Tsh over at Simplemom.net I am giving no shampoo a try again. She's been using baking soda and vinegar to clean her hair for 2 years! Here are her articles that I read: http://simplemom.net/how-to-clean-your-hair-without-shampoo/ http://simplemom.net/the-oh-so-important-hair-update/ After reading her blog posts, I realized what I think I did wrong before. I was measuring out the

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-88090489139908947952011-12-10T06:17:00.001-08:002011-12-10T06:30:20.305-08:00

Yesterday I made a 2-loaf batch of bread. We've been out of town and then I was sick, so it's been almost 2 months since I last made bread! I was so excited to use this dough whisk and a little skeptical too. How could a funky-looking thing like that make mixing dough by hand easier? Well, let me tell you, folks, it DOES! I was totally amazed! Those super sturdy wires just cut through the

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-78079385110656473842011-12-02T11:06:00.001-08:002011-12-02T11:07:04.712-08:00

I just added pictures to my turkey post below! Check them out!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-60393069985781212542011-12-02T10:17:00.001-08:002011-12-02T10:27:05.686-08:00

I really love the all-natural peanut butter made of straight up peanuts and salt. The flavor is just so pure and delicious! The downside is, yes, the stirring to reincorporate the oil. Those darn peanut oils! Sure, they've come up with no-stir natural peanut butters, but do you know how they're non-stir? It's because of the extra cottonseed/palm oil they add to it. Yuck!  Well, if you're

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-605717697670295962011-11-22T11:32:00.001-08:002011-12-02T10:17:14.573-08:00

I have been decluttering most of my house and getting rid of a lot of stuff. Unfortunately, the kitchen is a bit harder for me. I love cool kitchen gadgets that aren't one-trick ponies, but have a variety of uses. I thought I'd list my top 5 favorites that just might find their way onto your own wish list. But don't put them on your Christmas list. You don't want kitchen stuff for Christmas. It's

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-76516648734236861892011-11-21T13:20:00.001-08:002011-12-02T11:06:12.159-08:00

Right now there are thousands of "new and improved" turkey recipes floating around on blogs and throughout the internet telling you how to make the most perfect, moist turkey. However, how many of those recipes are stress-free? How many require the turkey to be perfectly timed or executed with the stress hanging over your head that you may have dried out your bird and there will be no way

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-3182306015886150232011-11-16T07:03:00.001-08:002011-11-16T07:21:39.199-08:00

This year I really wanted to commit to buying a local turkey - one from our neighborhood, where I could take my kids to the farm and they could see where their Thanksgiving turkey came from. I picked Weber's Cider Mill Farm up the road about 20 minutes. Choosing a local bird is one step closer to being more aware of our food and the truth of where it comes from. A lot of kids grow up thinking

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-89082418708998864652011-11-06T16:04:00.000-08:002011-11-16T07:21:18.443-08:00

                                        Knowing which produce items to buy organic and which ones don't matter as much can be confusing and sometimes frustrating. We want to eat the most healthy we can with the best foods we can find. Does it really matter if we buy organic strawberries or apples? Can't we just wash them and get the pesticides off? I came across this list a few years ago and

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-21380867907769675982011-11-04T16:53:00.000-07:002012-01-22T07:57:02.206-08:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. October was a crazy month. I know everyone says stuff like that, but no. Really. (My family and I went on a 2 week vacation which turned into a 4 week vacation because I had to get my appendix out and couldn't fly for 2 weeks.) But we're back home now! Whew! And you know what I found out? October 5th is National Cinnamon Roll day in Denmark. Or was it Sweden?

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-72746992885205106652011-10-04T11:41:00.000-07:002011-10-04T11:41:23.583-07:00

Okay, maybe it's not that dramatic, but I just made this bread last night, and the following recipe really changed the way I think about homemade bread. Of course, I love homemade bread, but after a day or two, it starts to get dry and crumbly, and that makes it hard to compete with soft-for-weeks store-bought bread. Believe me, I try to fight those thoughts, but they come unbidden! Well, this

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-40550232141266929592011-10-04T11:30:00.000-07:002011-10-04T11:30:53.906-07:00

I just spent a couple hours at the Days End Horse Rescue farm this morning. Today I curried a beautiful chestnut horse and learned how to push him around (to get to his other side), and I mucked out two stalls. I really enjoyed these chores, lost in my own thoughts and enjoying the feel of my hand running across the horse's coarse hair as I brushed him. I even enjoyed the heft of the shovel

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-64781099098837411002011-10-04T05:57:00.000-07:002011-10-04T06:04:21.051-07:00

Happy October everyone! I'm a few days late, but that's okay! October 1st for us was cold and cloud-covered - the perfect autumn weather! Just today on the radio I heard that in Sweden it's National Cinnamon Roll day. Hello! That's a day I'd like to celebrate. :-) Speaking of bread, I'll be posting an amazing bread recipe I just found in a bit. But right now, I'm off to the Days End Horse

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-82359542423534202772011-09-29T10:59:00.001-07:002011-09-29T10:59:15.775-07:00

I stumbled on this site when I was looking for corn syrup alternatives in recipes and they have a lot of "DIY " recipes. I am totally stoked! I can't wait to give a few of them a try. The site is called The Kitchn. Here's the link: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/diy-recipes-from-the-kitchn-076706 And here's an article called "To Bake or Not to Bake". Have fun!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-68859587674435489052011-09-29T09:26:00.000-07:002011-09-29T09:35:23.562-07:00

I am totally appalled that tomato season completely passed me by and I didn't even notice. I didn't hear anything about it, I was just clueless. Maybe it was because my own tomatoes were sad failures. I really have no idea I could be so out there that I could forget about tomatoes. And now, I am frantic about what to do! For the past 2 years I've canned my own salsa. I don't even want to go

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-12332715775567966992011-09-26T11:16:00.000-07:002011-09-26T11:28:54.673-07:00

We got back late Saturday night from this year's Mother Earth News Fair in PA. We left our kids with some friends, which was a very good decision. Everyone was much happier all around that way! This was actually kind of an early anniversary trip for my hubby and me. We were married in December, but it's hard to go anywhere if you don't like skiing. (I do want to go snow shoeing this year though..

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-36620734526829555362011-09-22T10:37:00.000-07:002011-09-22T10:40:28.698-07:00

Whoa, it's been awhile! Sorry about that. I was able to arrange it to have a babysitter come and watch the kids once a week so that I could get out of the house. (It's nice not to go crazy!) And I wanted to spend the time either volunteering for the park where I'm on the museum committee, at a horse rescue farm, or sitting in a coffee shop working on my writing. (I'm in a writers group! Yay!)

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-46806222816278500682011-09-03T07:36:00.000-07:002011-09-03T07:44:32.066-07:00

Have you ever noticed that some houses look like a big eye sore, no matter how beautiful the house itself, just because it doesn't fit with the land around it? I've noticed that there is a difference between working with the land and forcing the land to submit to your use. Usually, the first option always turns out well. The second option not so well. For instance, take this example: Down by

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-46492865952298466042011-09-03T07:16:00.000-07:002011-09-03T07:21:04.413-07:00

After the panicked peach pitting party (don't you love alliterations?!), I've gotten the canning bug again. Thank goodness! The peak of the season is in full swing and will soon be waning. And I've been a busy little bee. I was doing the buying for my produce co-op and the produce company had a great deal on local pickling cucumbers. So, I got together with 2 other ladies from church and we

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-43631944732523793252011-08-28T11:49:00.000-07:002011-08-28T11:49:53.548-07:00

We were very blessed and have come through the storm unscathed. We fell asleep to the wind and rain beating our house (which strangely reminded me of the winter time...) and woke up to more rain and wind, but less of it and also someone else's aluminum siding in our yard. We did not lose electricity and our basement stayed nice and dry. Yay! We were on the outer edge and so it wasn't nearly as

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-44292518007988813562011-08-26T20:31:00.000-07:002011-08-26T20:34:42.300-07:00

For us here in Maryland, Hurricane Irene won't hit until late Saturday evening. Today I went to the store to see if I could maybe get some extra butane fuel for our camp stove and some more D flashlight batteries and some extra C batteries for our radio (even though we have a solar-powered/hand cranked radio too.) I'm sure you've all heard or experienced what happens to stores when people are

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-65951310779891282972011-08-25T10:21:00.000-07:002011-08-25T10:22:03.351-07:00

So, we had no water from a water main break over a week ago, we had that earthquake hit, and now we've got a hurricane on it's way! I feel very lucky that the water main break was a minor blip in our lives. The earthquake I totally missed because we were driving back from picking peaches at Larriland Farms and our house was as we left it. Funny, huh!? But a great blessing that it wasn't worse.

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-51902262284938744572011-08-16T07:21:00.000-07:002011-08-16T07:23:53.413-07:00

The past few days we've had a lot of rain. Well, last night there were two water main breaks within a mile of our house. We had super low water pressure all last night and then this morning, no water at all. So, the city must have shut off the water at some point. You might be wondering why I'm not completely freaking out. I'm not too worried at all, because we have a lot of 2-liters of

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-7132536436822258532011-08-12T06:27:00.000-07:002011-08-12T06:44:10.517-07:00

The real name for this recipe is: Coconut-Cherry-Carrot-Zucchini Muffins. Quite a mouthful! But I changed the name because my favorite thing about these muffins is... it's like biting into a rainbow! Who wouldn't want to do that?!? I love these muffins. They're soft and moist, even when they're a couple days old! You have to make these babies. Even just to be able to say you've eaten a rainbow

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-53706851619541348832011-08-10T05:31:00.000-07:002011-08-10T05:35:21.587-07:00

  Oh yeah! This is way better without the green squares, don't you think? I absolutely love it and I am so glad I ripped out those yucky green squares! However, I was left with the problem of my blanket being too short on the sides. So, my solution was to use my extra cut quilt pieces to piece together a super sweet border. I think it really ties the blanket together.  Ta da! It's

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-68188709424342857722011-07-31T12:44:00.000-07:002011-07-31T12:44:15.522-07:00

Bye bye, green fabric! (Thanks, Casey, for the push towards what I was already thinking of doing!) Yes, I just couldn't take those green squares any more. So while watching Season 1 of HGTVs Design Star (love that show!), I ripped it all out. Yippeee!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-49848358441921377992011-07-31T12:38:00.001-07:002011-07-31T12:38:26.386-07:00

http://preparednesspantry.blogspot.com/2011/07/mobile-washer-customer-review.html

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-36997962297496533532011-07-26T06:40:00.000-07:002011-07-26T06:45:37.132-07:00

Today I finished the window pane quilt top. Hooray! I am a little miffed about those stupid green squares, but I didn't really have a choice. I just didn't buy enough of the other fabric. I'm slightly tempted to go back and see if I could get some more and redo those squares.... The perfectionist in me is screaming to be heard! But, oh well. I'll just ignore that side of me and be happy that I

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-80381442493397675362011-07-24T16:48:00.000-07:002011-07-24T16:49:54.606-07:00

Lightning Bugs Love My Little Flowers! We've been hit with a massive heat wave. It's not only been hard on me and my family, but on my plants as well. They're struggling along in their containers the best that they can. I have been a lot better with watering them every day than I was last season. With the heat wave we've also had a bit of a dry spell. I try to be conscious of my water usage, 

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-75629999268300882352011-07-16T11:18:00.000-07:002011-07-16T11:21:50.852-07:00

Awhile ago I mentioned to my dad that I was thinking of learning to play the banjo. And he said, "Oh. I have a banjo." I was really surprised! I mean, I know my dad and step-mom combined have a lot of stringed instruments including an upright bass, a harpsichord, a mandolin, and a few guitars. But I seriously had no clue about the banjo. It turns out that my great great Uncle Amos (my

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-75142209087654385222011-07-14T07:15:00.000-07:002011-07-14T07:17:48.540-07:00

Do you love root beer? Do you love ice cream? Do you love root beer floats? If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then you have to make this stuff. Yes, you have to! We tried making this in our ice cream maker and since it was our first time using our ice cream maker, somehow it didn't turn out. Undaunted, we just poured the mix into a baggie, froze it and then scraped it out.

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-40934758576351705722011-07-14T07:04:00.000-07:002011-07-14T07:04:11.547-07:00

We've been out of town for my brother's wedding and the summer has been a little crazy, so I haven't posted in awhile. Right before we left I used some of our budgeted "emergency preparedness" money and got a FoodSaver vacuum sealer. I found a fairly inexpensive one on amazon and am super happy! My 4-year-old son and I have had lots of fun sealing up jars of nuts, raisins, grains, etc. This

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-82033688175676731282011-07-14T06:52:00.000-07:002011-07-14T06:52:49.229-07:00

Peacock Blue! I love this fabric. It reminds me of looking into deep space and seeing a beautiful galaxy. It's even got gold flecks in it. Thanks for voting!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-22580524752959502142011-06-22T06:25:00.000-07:002011-06-22T06:46:49.039-07:00

Hooray!!You'll be nice and ignore the non-matching corners, right? I used a rotary cutter and ruler and everything.Don't even ask me how the corners didn't match up, because I don't have a clue!I didn't have enough of my gorgeous floral fabric, so I had to improvise and add some green squares on each side.Now all I have to decide is what my border color should be: bright orange, peacock blue,

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-9502782605801782982011-06-19T16:30:00.000-07:002011-06-19T16:30:25.670-07:00

I've been working to eliminate corn syrup from our diet. The movie King Corn helped this desire along. They have a section in the movie where the two guys who are hosts of the documentary try to duplicate the process it takes to make corn syrup. It's a tricky food science feat with obscure chemicals added to succeed; chemicals that I personally have never heard of before. And yet corn syrup, now

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-69040579924396624552011-06-12T17:59:00.000-07:002011-06-12T17:59:27.665-07:00

My happy dill is growing tall!  My garden is going fairly well these days. My only insect problem so far is the black flea beetles which seem to adore my potato plants. I've tried a garlic tea, but I'm not sure it worked so well because it rained the next day and washed away all the garlic smell. I've heard planting radishes draw them away, but I have planter boxes, not a whole garden in the

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-19770972334653269492011-06-12T17:33:00.000-07:002011-06-12T17:33:39.589-07:00

My 4-year-old son loves birds, so I thought he'd like a bird on our chicken pot pie for dinner. I had no idea that he'd get upset about cutting the bird in 8 pieces! Oh well. No one said creativity was painless.

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-26700329364542176672011-06-06T10:01:00.000-07:002011-06-06T10:01:14.386-07:00

Two rows done in this picture My quilt is coming along. I've almost got all the rows sewed together. Then I'll need to find some fabric for the back and get some light batting as it's going to be our spring quilt. (I'm borrowing the idea from my friend Holly to have a different quilt for every season. Doesn't that just sound so happy?) :-) Our container garden is coming along nicely. Most of

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-18498864826900146852011-05-25T08:33:00.000-07:002011-05-25T12:45:10.926-07:00

Here's a sneak peek at my next project:My husband saw me downstairs cutting fabric and he said, "I thought you were going to take a break from quilting." I smiled up at him and said, "I did! It was like 2 days."haha! Once you're on a roll, it's hard to stop. So, now I'm working on a window pane quilt (completely ignoring the other quilts that are ahead of it in line). Ha!It's that center fabric

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-26054320304428475992011-05-24T08:01:00.000-07:002011-05-24T08:01:35.135-07:00

There was an interesting story on NPR about bees today. It's called "Nature's Secret: Why Honey Bees Are Better Politicians Than Humans". (Click to listen.) Who knew bees could teach us so much? haha! You can check out Thomas D. Seeley's book Honeybee Democracy to learn more.

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-75124866273600632232011-05-21T07:06:00.000-07:002011-05-25T12:44:03.550-07:00

I finally finished my log cabin quilt (I designed myself!) that I started 9 years ago in 2002! It was one of my New Year's Resolutions, so I feel pretty stinkin' proud that I accomplished it before half the year was even out. Yipee! My son is the lucky kid that gets to have it on his bed. :-)13 stars for the 13 original colonies. This quilt was kind of an homage to the old flag quilts women used

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-9939501693385828922011-05-21T06:55:00.000-07:002011-05-21T06:55:29.803-07:00

I just updated my "The Storm Cellar" tab that you see above. Now included are pdf documents of things I used to teach an emergency preparedness workshop for my church. I've also added new links for food storage. Check it out!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-85787062600479473582011-05-20T05:37:00.000-07:002011-05-20T05:37:43.629-07:00

Strawberries, lettuce, acorn squash, maybe a cucumber?, dill,  rosemary, thyme, and basil. And potatoes that haven't sprouted yet. Well, folks, here it is! My garden for this year. I've got some slightly high hopes for this one. I'm just hoping the birds don't make off with our berries before we get to enjoy a nibble. Not pictured is my hanging planter of Tumbling Tom tomatoes. It already had

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-2018471129184928052011-05-20T05:31:00.000-07:002011-05-20T05:33:21.668-07:00

This recipe is the best late-spring recipe! I was excited to get some rhubarb at the farmer's market and remembered this as my favorite recipe to use it in. I was short on rhubarb and frozen blueberries, so the rest of the fruit I added were strawberries I had taking up room in the freezer. Boy, was it yummy! Experiment with your favorite seasonal fruit on this one!Blueberry-Rhubarb Crumble*6 c.

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-30749398409828889782011-05-16T09:06:00.000-07:002011-05-16T09:06:05.338-07:00

You may have read before of my failed attempt to turn sour milk into yogurt. Well, I had some more sour milk on my hands. It seems the wonderful grass-fed organic cows milk we buy goes sour if we don't drink it fast enough. (Since my son is now lactose-intolerant, we don't go through milk as fast as we used to.) This is a good thing, actually, because I never buy buttermilk. I'm too lazy, I guess

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-82509224874867714352011-05-14T05:47:00.000-07:002011-05-14T05:47:50.762-07:00

Awhile back I had posted that I had inherited a mountain dulcimer from my step-mom. I finally got around to becoming more familiar with it and actually learning a song. One of my favorite songs is "Shady Grove" so I found some tablature online and went at it. I now feel like I'm fairly proficient at it. Now all I need is a digital recorder so I can put it on here! Wouldn't that be fun?Growing up,

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-34174560913061037342011-05-11T13:19:00.000-07:002011-05-11T13:24:32.147-07:00

Our farmer's market started last week. Hooray! It was cold and rainy, though, so the kids and I didn't stay long. I was very excited to bring home a large dill plant (for making pickles) and four strawberry plants that are supposed to bear all summer long. I am very excited for that!We went again today and I couldn't help but buy a hanging cherry tomato plant called Tumbling Tom to hang from our

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-59535756881113559692011-05-03T14:09:00.000-07:002011-05-03T14:10:26.614-07:00

Our family back home in Utah and Montana reported 2" of snow last weekend and here we are in Maryland with everything in bloom and leaf. It's green and wonderful! The humidity is back (hooray!) which is welcome to me after a dry winter. It's amazing how comforting a little humidity is to me. My husband would say otherwise who is from the dry, dry west. :-)Last week we went on a family walk. We

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-2157912007535029412011-04-28T08:52:00.000-07:002011-04-28T09:44:03.286-07:00

A couple weekends ago I taught an Emergency Preparedness class at my church. My father-in-law gave us this great emergency candle that is simple to make and very inexpensive which I featured during my class. I had a request for a tutorial, so I thought I'd post it here, because everyone needs an emergency heat/light/cooking source!Emergency Candle TutorialThis is what you need for the emergency

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-8154025740749126922011-04-27T05:25:00.000-07:002011-04-27T05:25:36.420-07:00

Ooooh, I am so excited! The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is coming up this May 7-8, 2011. A whole day of wool, yarn, baaing sheep and lots of crazy people who love that stuff! Yipee! I can't think of a more fun way to spend a spring Saturday. Not only that, it's only a 15 minute drive, lucky me! They are even looking for volunteers, so what do you think I did? ;-) If you're anywhere close,

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-53039014398861216912011-04-26T05:18:00.000-07:002011-04-26T13:35:43.878-07:00

Ricotta Cheese My daughter doesn't drink her whole milk fast enough. I noticed the other day that it had gone sour. It didn't smell bad, so I set it in the back of the fridge trying to think of something to do with it. When milk is old, it does one of two things from my experience: bad bacteria wins the battle inside the jug and makes the milk go rotten or the good bacteria wins out and makes

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-40862336674712085252011-04-22T11:30:00.000-07:002011-04-22T11:33:46.257-07:00

Today I decided to finally do some landscaping in the front of our house. The flower beds on either side of our steps (if you can call them flower beds) had only two oddly-placed evergreen bushes and nothing else when we moved in. We weeded it sometimes, but it mostly looked pretty pathetic.The Spring bug bites me every year, and so I just couldn't take the bare ugliness of those beds anymore. So

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-58427600565975413662011-04-09T12:41:00.000-07:002011-04-09T15:25:46.771-07:00

We've got this fake wood laminate in our kitchen. It's really smooth and a broom doesn't help very much when it comes to cleaning up hair and dust. Our landlords left their Swiffer broom when they moved out. I told myself I would never buy one of those - it only promotes the disposable mindset in our country. But there it was, waiting to be used and I didn't have a regular broom. So I used it,

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-63972468088083901132011-04-02T18:50:00.000-07:002011-04-02T18:50:46.456-07:00

Okay, so I just used the shampoo and the "foam poo" is a no go! It took a lot just to feel like it was doing something. I doubt that it was. Another few notes: - I was slightly suspicious of having bar soap in my shampoo. I was right, because it left this funky, unpleasant sticky feel to my hair. I had to immediately follow shampooing with my apple cider vinegar rinse just to get my hair feeling

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-90509383971050491462011-04-02T17:42:00.000-07:002011-04-02T17:44:20.278-07:00

I've had this recipe for Chamomile Shampoo that I've been wanting to try for a long time. The recipe is from the Homemade book that I've reviewed in the past. I finally decided to buckle down and make it. It's not as fast to make as other shampoos I've made, but it wasn't bad. It smelled lovely as I was making it too.Here's the recipe:Chamomile Shampoo1 handful fresh or dried chamomile flowers1 1

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-32743217758495257742011-03-26T07:56:00.000-07:002011-03-26T07:56:26.557-07:00

I couldn't take the hideous curtains in our living room anymore. They were there when we moved in and made the whole front room dark since they covered the only window at this end of our townhouse. So, I bought this gorgeous paisley-esque fabric plus a little extra in case I should happen to want to use some for a quilt or something...  Well, then we decided we should reward ourselves for paying

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-28774816594286441512011-03-14T10:16:00.000-07:002011-03-14T10:17:03.265-07:00

Flowers emerging from the leaves.Mt. Vernon, VASpring is in the air, robins are hopping around, and crocuses and daffodils are showing their faces! Hooray! I've tried to ignore the growing itch, but I couldn't. Every spring I get that urge to plant something that is so hard to ignore. But we've got some challenges this year.1. We rent our townhouse.2. The yard is slightly sloped.3. Drainage is

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-86182221165986561872011-03-13T07:06:00.000-07:002011-03-14T11:18:41.925-07:00

I found this amazing, springy, happy drink on the Progressive Pioneer. It's strawberry grapefruit juice and it is wonderful. I've never been a huge fan of grapefruits, but having it in this form is very nice.It's a simple recipe too:1 grapefruitRipe strawberriesSweetener (I used a couple tablespoons of sugar, but you could use honey or something else.)IcePeel and de-seed the grapefruit. Throw it

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-1899109469137394082011-03-05T13:54:00.000-08:002011-03-05T13:56:41.435-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a bit. I was down with a really bad cold and then my mother-in-law was in town and we've had birthdays... Whew! It's been a bit crazy, but things are winding down now.I had an idea for an easy "granola" bar that's a spin-off of rice krispy treats. There is something in a rice krispy treat that satisfies something deep down in my soul. There's just something so

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-28220239745123863332011-02-18T11:06:00.000-08:002011-02-18T11:06:44.959-08:00

We had a beautiful sunrise this morning and we've had constant flocks of crows lately. This is a shot of a crow in a tree behind our home.

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-5025226408569550112011-02-11T16:10:00.000-08:002011-02-11T16:19:52.219-08:00

You know, I think this is my first real tutorial!I got one request for it (Thanks, Holly!), and one is enough for me, so here we go!The first part is making a felt ball using roving. Using roving makes felting go much, much faster. But if you'd don't have roving, that's ok. Just skip on down to Part 2 where I show how to do it using wool yarn.Part 1 - Felted Ball Using Roving1. Start with your

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-37732959902621128232011-02-10T11:33:00.000-08:002011-02-10T11:34:40.349-08:00

Finally, some of the apples are on the stove, simmering down to soon become applesauce. It's a good thing too, because we've gone through half our applesauce from the last canning adventure. It's giving me a really realistic picture of the volume of applesauce I would have to can in order to feed our applesauce appetite around here. I truly think an entire wall of our basement would be dedicated

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-29610989978893802372011-02-07T10:17:00.000-08:002011-02-07T10:17:37.013-08:00

I think it's a little strange that apples keep finding me. Right now I've got a case box full of bruised apples that came my way and they're waiting to be turned into applesauce and apple pie filling. Or maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment? I held a canning class for some ladies from my church last Saturday. It went really well! We canned most of the cranberries I had sitting in my freezer

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-87382759808444948102011-02-03T04:34:00.000-08:002011-02-03T04:34:40.467-08:00

As my daughter has gotten older I've been wanting to expand my homemade baby food repitoire from purees to baby snacks like teething cookies. And since her 1st birthday is coming up in two weeks (already!), I wanted to research out some baby-friendly birthday cakes that didn't have a lot or any sugar in it at all. I stumbled on this great website that has a lot of homemade recipes for baby foods

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-89878956451278037692011-01-27T08:40:00.000-08:002011-01-27T08:41:24.941-08:00

I'm a little picky about my homemade mac & cheese. I've tried a couple recipes and haven't liked them. I guess my goal is to make a good mac & cheese without the use of Velveeta or any other store-bought shelf-stable cheese. Last Sunday my sweet husband made dinner. He found and cooked this recipe himself and I was thrilled with how yummy it was! It's a great comfort food on a snowy day like

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-38218933710227234892011-01-27T05:54:00.000-08:002011-01-27T05:54:12.893-08:00

So, I guess it was our turn for a big snow. Miraculously, throughout these past few storms that have pummeled the east coast, our area of Maryland got away with only a skiff of snow. But last night we totally got dumped on! I'd say we got between 4-6". In some places the drifts are a foot deep. Snowmen, here we come! In a week from now, I'm going to be teaching a group of women how to can

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-57090950268084073932011-01-20T09:58:00.000-08:002011-01-20T10:00:20.840-08:00

I found this interesting article through Earth911.com that showcases a family in Arizona that has made the commitment to only buy locally for an entire year . (I think they're mainly focusing on local businesses.) Their local commitment not only includes food, but everything they consume including office supplies and even gasoline. The experiment started January 1, 2011 and you can follow the

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-46451542986348058462011-01-18T11:00:00.000-08:002011-01-18T11:03:07.071-08:00

I took a couple hours last Saturday to go by myself to an antique store in nearby Ellicott City, Maryland. It was wonderful to be able to take my time and not have to worry if my sweet little son was roaming around with curious fingers! The last time I was there I saw these awesome vintage Pyrex refrigerator dishes. I thought one would be perfect for storing homemade butter in. So I got it!I just

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-85364027686760686912011-01-13T08:06:00.000-08:002011-01-13T08:06:05.224-08:00

You might notice a new widget thing on the side bar from RedBubble. I'm a little hesitant about selling or advertising, but I was trying to think of a way to help us save money toward our future homestead from home and one of the only things I can think of right now is my photography. So, feel free to browse, and if you feel so inclined, to purchase a print or some cards. If not, that's okay!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-77032933870757066492011-01-07T08:32:00.000-08:002011-01-07T08:32:12.467-08:00

This is a potholder I crocheted from some light brown wool yarn I got for Christmas and some gold yarn I got when I worked at Conner Prairie and was learning to knit. That yarn is from their own sheep that the staff spun themselves. It's special yarn to me, so I had to use it in my first ever attempt at felting! I started out by mashing the pot holder in hot, soapy water in a bowl. Out wafted

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-11455065891723811162011-01-04T05:54:00.000-08:002011-01-04T10:59:06.961-08:00

Photo by Annie Jones One thing I love about winter is that cranberries are easy to get. It's one of those seasonal fruits that actually stays relatively seasonal, even at the stores. That makes it a little easier for someone like me who is trying to eat more seasonally. I watched a show a couple weeks ago that showed how they wet-harvested the cranberries. It was really fascinating, but those

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-5390464606824662642011-01-03T06:15:00.001-08:002011-01-03T06:15:10.287-08:00

Are you a left-handed knitter? I just thought I'd share my friend, Sarah's, blog The Crafty Hooker which is a blog about.... being a left-handed knitter. :-) Enjoy!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-14616006960358883302011-01-02T10:58:00.000-08:002011-01-03T06:12:35.488-08:00

Loch Scotland Today's cool, rainy weather reminds me a little of Scotland. Today in Maryland it's rainy and cool in the lower 50s. I love weather like this. It brings strong memories of sweaters, wood smoke, and splashing in puddles with my rain boots on. Weather like this makes me feel like I could tramp across miles of hillsides and through acres of woods. It's strongly invigorating, as if I

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-19359105645739218952011-01-01T05:37:00.000-08:002011-01-07T08:33:01.646-08:00

I am really interested in felting lately. It sounds super easy and a great craft to do with my 3-year-old son. I got some beautiful wool yarn for Christmas and I went on a 100% wool sweater shopping spree at the thrift store. And I've still got a tub of dyed roving. So now... I'm just trying to figure out what to make! I'd like to make some felted balls for the baby. I've read that you can save

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-39816763207763032122010-12-31T11:27:00.001-08:002010-12-31T11:27:37.793-08:00

I've finally got stuff under my "The Storm Cellar" tab up at the top of the page. I'll be adding to is as I find things, but it's a start. Enjoy!

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-52507274756323888662010-12-30T06:15:00.000-08:002010-12-30T06:19:30.498-08:00

I did an independent study on museums and museum work when I was in college. Strangely, one of the books my professor required me to read was Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz. What did that have to do with museums? It's a book about the author's journey to discover the exploding interest and allure of the American Civil War, why people are obsessed with reenacting it and why it's being

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-89629512292611477582010-12-27T13:50:00.000-08:002010-12-27T13:51:24.418-08:00

You may have noticed my new (or not so new) tabs up near the top of the page. I've recently just updated the "The Old Cookstove" tab. There is now a complete list of links to all the recipes I've posted here on Knotty Oak Homestead. Hopefully, this will make it easier for all of you (and for me) to find the recipes you want.Also, check out the "Not So Dusty Tomes" tab for a list of nifty books,

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-73761137632496941422010-12-26T11:26:00.000-08:002010-12-26T11:26:11.786-08:00

I was feeling sad that I had hardly done any Christmas cookie baking this season, so the other day I whipped out my favorite Gingersnap recipe and made some. These are so tasty and zingy and make a great pair with some creamy egg nog. Ginger Snaps Preheat oven to 350º F. ¾ cups shortening1 cup sugar¼ cup molasses1 egg Cream together. In a separate bowl combine: 1 ¾ cups flour2 tsp. baking

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-66471582809544421682010-12-22T06:45:00.000-08:002010-12-22T06:53:34.399-08:00

We have been seriously decluttering lately. We've been giving away books, movies, clothes, and anything else we feel we don't need. It has been wonderfully liberating! We've got a ways to go and sometimes it's just finding the right home for something - like my old Civil War reenacting clothes that I sewed myself. You can't just give that to Goodwill! As I unpacked our artificial Christmas tree

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-40033603625260713732010-12-21T18:23:00.000-08:002010-12-22T11:15:41.011-08:00

I've been wondering if I would ever find a solution to replacing our ziplocs and plastic wrap. I am a big fan of Press 'n' Seal, just because it actually sticks, you know? Well, I was browsing on Progressive Pioneer and found this link on how to make your own reusable food wrap, replacing plastic wrap forever! It's made using fabric and beeswax. Wow! I'd like to give it a try. It looks really

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-5855318648309600512010-12-11T11:50:00.000-08:002010-12-11T11:50:57.253-08:00

This time of year there are thousands of recipes floating around out there on the internet about how to use all your leftover turkey. I'm a simple gal. I'll try a fancy recipe every now and then, but mostly my food is simple. I just thought I'd share with you a small list of what I've done with my leftover turkey. (A note: I cook my turkey in a bag, debone it and then reheat the meat in all its

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-42861475112568368372010-12-10T12:40:00.000-08:002010-12-10T12:40:44.382-08:00

My whole life I've considered myself a writer. I started writing in 1st grade and since then had ambitions to be published and whatnot. I wrote my first "book" in 7th grade - at least the first draft. It was terrible, of course. I haven't finished a long story since then. I'm beginning to see that I might not be cut out for long term projects. I just have a hard time envisioning the long term

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-7758879932231305212010-11-30T19:35:00.000-08:002010-11-30T19:36:22.776-08:00

I know I haven't posted much in awhile. Sorry about that. My daughter's been having a lot of doctor appointments and my weeks get busy without me even trying! I really need to slow down a little. I've been reading on the Progressive Pioneer blog and she has started to physically write her blog posts to a friend who then scans them and posts them onto the blog. I really admire that.I do love to

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-55688585433827224612010-11-30T13:31:00.000-08:002010-11-30T13:31:15.412-08:00

Oh joy! I finally got my camera in the mail after a nightmare of it being defective and the seller not sending it back to me and refusing to communicate and finally getting my money back and buying another camera and waiting and waiting for it to come in the mail... Whew! I'm so excited! Beautiful pictures, here I come!!! :-)

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-89560684614291921712010-11-23T07:03:00.000-08:002010-11-23T07:07:14.815-08:00

I got a sweet deal on beets at the farmer's market a couple weeks ago. I finally got around to canning them yesterday. There is something so beautiful about a jar of pickled beets sitting there sparkling in their fuchsia-colored juice. It makes me happy. :-)On a different topic...I am a big fan of taking my kids' milestone pictures myself. Not only is it free to take the picture yourself (no

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-15291307279262397992010-11-06T09:20:00.000-07:002010-11-06T09:22:01.190-07:00

Okay, so maybe you already make Spanish Rice at home. But I have to admit something. For a long time I was dependent on Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice. It was easy, tasted fairly good, and it was convenient. We always added black beans and diced tomatoes to dress it up. Well, finally, finally I decided to branch out and make it from scratch. (I'm doing it one recipe at a time.)As soon as it was cooking

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-20688997330641731002010-11-02T12:47:00.000-07:002010-11-02T12:55:41.075-07:00

Back in September I tried going shampoo free by using only baking soda and vinegar for about a month. Here is my report:1. Baking soda did seem to clean, and it left my natural oils in my hair. The problem is, is that my hair is naturally oily, so this oil built up until it was a bit ridiculous and kinda gross. I washed my hair about every 3 days. This might have been part of the problem? Not

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-30503642853416333212010-11-02T06:53:00.000-07:002010-11-02T12:51:32.049-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't been as diligent in posting lately. My life just got a whole lot busier as now I'm in charge of activities at my church. In 2 weeks we've had a Trunk or Treat, a service activity and coming up this Friday we have a talent night. On top of that my kids have had a few unexpected doctors appointments and with only one car, we've gotten stretched pretty thin! Whew! I have some new

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-44133481654172709962010-10-29T09:37:00.000-07:002010-10-29T09:37:37.482-07:00

Put 'Em Up: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook was another awesome find at the Mother Earth News Fair. Yes, it's a canning book, but it's nothing like your average Ball Blue Book. The book is filled with beautiful photos of canned food with endearing hand-labeled tags. And the recipes are interesting and unique. Vinton covers the canning basics at the beginning of the

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-57644662803628873032010-10-25T15:31:00.000-07:002010-11-02T07:14:51.910-07:00

Oh heavenly almonds, chocolate, and coconut!If you like Almond Joy candy bars, then these are for YOU! I was eating a piece of my son's Halloween candy, an Almond Joy, and as I was thoroughly enjoying it I was thinking, "Hmm. I wonder if I could make these." I did a search online and Bingo! I found a recipe. The next day I whipped up a batch and WOW. Well, do yourself a yummy favor! You just have

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-26925258120837033832010-10-19T10:29:00.000-07:002010-12-27T06:55:15.719-08:00

I made ricotta cheese for the first time last week. I was amazed, AMAZED, at how easy it was. Why haven't I been doing this all along? I used the ricotta for some lasagna which I made using 7 noodles. It was awesome and so tasty. Why buy ricotta - which is really expensive - when you can make it in under an hour yourself?How to make Fresh Ricotta Cheese:(From chickens in the road)1 gallon fresh

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-42636322932071148312010-10-11T17:49:00.000-07:002010-10-12T07:40:58.122-07:00

My husband and I are picky about our pizza sauce. It has to be thick, rich, and immensely flavorful. After all, the sauce is what sets off the flavors of everything else on the pizza. The following recipe fits the bill for us. I found it on Pioneer Woman's food blog posted by ericalea. I've added a few of my own adjustments. I wonder if I'm able to can this stuff....(Amazing) Homemade Pizza

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-35392558073647256062010-10-11T06:49:00.000-07:002010-10-11T06:50:34.705-07:00

My whole life I've eaten tomato soup from a can (the condensed kind). My mom would usually add milk, but I never liked it much. My husband makes it using water, which I like much better. Tomato soup was never really been my favorite. Usually, I'm not much of a "soup" person because I have this weird thing against liquid food. It just makes me gag after a bit.Then came the wonderful day when we

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834236066192481026.post-58738436514629927612010-10-04T10:16:00.000-07:002010-10-04T10:20:58.415-07:00

When I was looking around at books for sale at the MEN Fair, this book just sucked me in. It was the quirkiest, weirdest book about growing that I'd ever seen. I had to get it, especially with the fun growing potential with my kids.This book teaches you how to grow everything from peanuts to pomagranates to pineapples all from the seeds and roots and tops that you would normally throw away. (Did

Sarah Rachellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11382393726526824838noreply@blogger.com0