Every year for Christmas we encourage our children to make gifts for their gift giving needs. It’s really fun to see what each one comes up with. This year Gabriel made cribbage boards for each family in our extended family – and us, of course. I’m going to share how he made the boards in …
The other day Josiah was “mentioning” that we didn’t have any food in the house…only things to make food with. He was right, I’ve been a little preoccupied with things like tiling a floor and haven’t done a good job of keeping of our homemade snacks in the house. So Saturday I set out to …
If you’re looking for a simple, natural alternative to commercial cleaners, a lemon vinegar cleaner is one of the easiest DIY sprays you can make at home. Made with citrus peels and white vinegar, this non-toxic cleaner cuts through grease, removes dirt, and leaves a fresh scent behind — without artificial fragrances or harsh chemicals. …
Yesterday, I made a batch of lemon extract in my attempt to use as much of the lemons as I can. This was super easy, the hardest part was getting up the courage to go into the local liquor store. I did take the “clergy” hanging sign off my rear view mirror, you know, just …
Every Christmas we make a family favorite cookie from Carl’s childhood. We call it a cookie, but really it’s a candy. It’s so fun to see Carl’s parents and brother oooh and aaah over them and hear the stories that get told about Christmases long past. My children have stories of their own pertaining to this …
I used to think it was silly to preserve lemons because they were available year round at the store whenever I happened to need one. Then I tried my first Meyer lemon and preserving lemons became a necessity. We have an amazing lemon tree that gives us several hundred pounds of lemons each year. So, …
A few weeks ago, I was in the house, minding my own business, when I felt our house shake. Now, we have a brick house, so a shaking house is no small feat. A moment later, Benjamin’s friend came in the house saying that Benjamin was hurt. Apparently, the two of them were racing bikes …
Protein bars can be quite pricey and most are filled with ingredients that would not be considered “real food”. By contrast, homemade protein bars can be customized based on what flavors your family likes and are filled with real food ingredients. Years ago I read High Protein, No Powder by Tiffany Crumbs which is a …
We have a Meyer lemon tree in our yard that gives us more lemons than we can possibly use fresh. Most years that means hundreds of pounds of lemons coming off the tree over the course of a few months. I’ve learned to preserve them every way I can – freezing, fermenting, and dehydrating – …
Yesterday I made homemade caramels. I’ve made caramel sauce before but never caramel candy. oh, my, it was fabulous!
Can you freeze lemons? Yes – and it’s one of the most useful things you can do when you have more lemons than you can use fresh. We have a Meyer lemon tree that produces hundreds of pounds of lemons most years, so I’ve been freezing them in every form imaginable for over a decade. …
Tomorrow is my children’s favorite day of the year. There’s been so much talk about Thanksgiving that Esther is waking up each morning this week saying “Today’s Thanksgiving” and going to bed each night saying, “Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving”. Won’t she be excited tonight when we say “yes” instead of “not yet”. And why are they so excited? Food, …
During the winter months, my kids love to make hot cocoa. Actually, they would probably drink it all year long. So, I created a healthier hot cocoa recipe that feel good serving them whenever they want a hot treat. Tip: Keep Milk From Scorching This recipe uses real liquid milk and is a stove top …
This is our second to last week of Handmade Christmas, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it? We’ve had some great ideas posted, so make sure and look over the last few weeks. We are a game loving family. We love hanging out and playing cards or board games, especially during the longer winter nights. Last …
I have a confession to make, during the school year I get into a rut with cooking. Now, my family is great and they never complain about eating the same things over and over. But there was more than one “yay” when they found out I was trying this new Ranch Roasted Chicken, and no, …
As I flipped the calendar over to November last week, I felt it….pressure. Pressure to make the next 8 weeks amazing. Pressure to find just the right gift for everyone on my Christmas list. Pressure to make sure that all my I’s are dotted and my T’s are crossed for all of the events that …
If you’ve been hanging around our little spot on the internet for very long, you’ve probably guessed that I love all things old, vintage and thrifted. I love giving new life to someone else’s cast off items. Monogrammed coffee cups are just the craft to give new life to all those lovely .50 cups at your …
ok, I know that apples are amazing by themselves. There is so much variety in flavor that I believe there is an apple to please everyone. But occasionally we make a dip for our apples, usually it’s when we’re having a party or I make something lame for dinner and I need a quick dessert to make …
Roasted Potato and Onions is a dish that we have at least once a week at our home. It’s super versatile and really, really easy. I have a 24″ cast iron skillet that I usually use in the oven because we like the “crispies”. But you can do this in a baking dish in the …
The beauty of decoupage is that you can quickly and cheaply turn old things into new things with just paper and glue. Decoupaged Christmas ornaments are a great example. You can always find old Christmas ball ornaments at garage sale and thrift stores and give them new life. To make decoupaged Christmas ornaments you just …