Brighten whites naturally

A friend of mine recently shared this blog with me for a better-than-Oxiclean recipe.  I've tried it twice now with good results.  It's simple and since we make our own laundry soap we already have the ingredients on hand.

Toss 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide into a load of whites with your regular laundry soap.  Let it sit overnight (or at least for a couple of hours) and run your load normally.  I thought my whites were noticeably whiter.

If you haven't tried making your own laundry soap yet, you are missing out on huge savings.  Pop over here to see the recipe we use.

If you try the whitener recipe, let me know how it works for you.

~Katrina

P.S.  So... I always love sharing book ideas and hearing some from you.  The boys (now 9 and almost 6... what happened?!) have just finished The Wright Brothers by Quentin Reynolds.  They very much enjoyed this book.  It encourages the reader to be inventive and work hard.  Inspirational really.  I wanted to go out and build something every time we read another chapter.  Some days they colored in this book while we read which details the history of flight.  The coloring book was delightfully informative for my fact-seeking 9-year-old and contained well-drawn aircraft that was fun to color for my almost 6-year-old.

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Natural Teething Paddle

Christian made a couple of teethers out of maple and cherry wood for our little man and people have been asking about them.

Now they are officially for sale.  $7 apiece (plus shipping).  We used flax seed oil (a.k.a. linseed oil, which is a food-safe finish for bowls, butcher blocks, etc.) to seal ours.

Yours will not have teeth marks in them. :)

Email for bulk discounts or more info.
~ Katrina

P.S.  Christian also makes rings similar to this one found on Amazon.  We've found the paddle is easier for infants to hold.  Either ring or paddle is functional for a toddler.

P.P.S.  It's almost September, which puts me in a chili-eating mood... whether it's warm outside or not.  If you like chili, try this recipe.  It's one of our favorites from last fall.

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Homemade Crackers

I got a dehydrator for Christmas!  I am super stoked. You might think that's a goofy thing to get excited about. Welcome to my husband's world.

I'm really looking forward to dehydrating produce from my garden in the summer.  But, in the meantime, I just can't let this baby sit around doing nothing...

So I made my first batch of flax seed crackers.  The first batch came out a little more like fruit leather.  I turned up the dial for the second batch.  Not bad, but still less crunchy than I hoped.  This may take a couple of tries to perfect.

I combined 1 cup of milled flax seed to 2 cups of water and let it sit an hour or two.  Then I added some honey for sweetness.  Next time, I think I'll add some sunflower and sesame seeds.  I plan to use these for snacks, sandwiches, and chips.  This is an inexpensive gluten-free "cracker".

If you'd like to give this a try, I found my recipe here.  She's got me super interested in making kale chips.  But that's another post.

Go dehydrate something!
~ Katrina

P.S.  What are you reading?  The boys and I are reading Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.  We read 7 chapters today.  They just kept begging for more.  I love when they do that.

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Snowflake Break...(that rhymes!)

I get pretty wrapped up in busyness about this time of year.  I can't seem to keep up with the house and my boys, much less our blog! Besides the shopping and usual housework and food preparation, a lot of it is fun Christmas stuff... like making homemade rock candy, caramel corn, ornaments...

When all the madness stops being fun, I have to take a break. Yesterday we made snowflakes.  It was such fun!  I found a cute idea in a fun little book I received as an early Christmas present.

If you'd like to make some easy snowflakes of your own, here's how:

1. Trace around a mug on white paper and cut out your circle.
2. Fold in half.  Then in half again.
3. Cut triangles of different sizes from each edge of the folded shape, including the pointed tip.  
4. Unfold the circle.  If you'd like, glue sequins and glitter on it.
5. If you want to be really fancy (for those of you with girls), trace around the mug again on colored tissue paper, cut out and use dabs of glue to paste it to the snowflake.

Doing this smaller version of snowflakes turned out to be a LOT easier than what we tried last year. We just made simple snowflakes with some glitter and taped them all over half of our patio door. The boys are pretty proud of their work.  It kept us busy for over an hour. They asked to do it again today. :)

I'd say this activity is fun for ages 5 and up.   My boys wanted me to trace and cut out the circles.  Then my six-year-old made snowflakes and my three-year-old put glue and glitter on them. 

Yeah, we made a real mess in the kitchen.  But it was worth it.

Merry Christmas!

~ Katrina

P.S. Haven't tried it yet, but if you are looking for a great gluten-free gingerbread man recipe, try this one!

P.P.S. Another nice break has been reading together.  We started Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White last week.  Beautifully written and a breath of fresh air.  The boys are fascinated.

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'Tis the Season: Homemade Gifts

I'm hoping to make a lot of gifts this year.  Christmas is a time for secrets, my mother-in-law always says.  So I will be careful about what I tell you.

We've given tons of homemade gifts in the past, but I don't think we will repeat any this year.  We've made granola, jam, hot chocolate mix, ornaments (beaded, clay, clothespin reindeer, yarn sheep), stationery, cross-stitched items, hand prints on cards and in clay, hand-painted birdhouses, photo scrapbooks, whittled and wooden gifts by my woodworking husband, etc.

I have some gifts I've purchased supplies to make in years past and have recently rediscovered them in the move...  That will work for some last-minute crafts this year.  I also plan to make little purses out of recycled old jean pockets.

Here are a few crafty websites to look at for inspiration:
allfreecrafts.com
betterbudgeting.com
BHG.com
familyfun.go.com
food.com
homemade-gifts-come-true.com
marthastewart.com
notmadeofmoney.com
the-best-homemade-gift-ideas.com
tipnut.com

I often find ideas on Disney's Family Fun website.  Check out some of their Christmas ideas here.  Last year we made these cute little puffy sheep ornaments.  Sweet and well-received.

Last minute, I'd love a couple of homemade gift ideas from our readers.  Help me out by posting your favorite homemade gift in the comments section below.

Merry Christmas!
~ Katrina

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A New Family Tradition

Have you heard of a Jesse Tree?  I wanted to start this as new Christmas tradition in my home last year and, due to lack of planning, never got there.  I'd like my children to think about the true meaning of Christmas a little more and about what new toy they are going to receive a little less.  Too ambitious?

A Jesse Tree is a unique advent tree that teaches about the Bible at Christmas.  The name comes from Isaiah 11:1 "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit."  Each day of advent, an ornament is added to the tree and a corresponding devotional is read from scripture.  I hope to focus on the meaning of Christmas each day and hope to teach my children some biblical history, as well.

Looking for a template, I came across this post at simplemom which gives some great tips and resources.  You can also buy a neat Jesse Tree kit at Christian Books or Amazon.

Because I'm getting a late start, I plan to use this simple template I found here or maybe this one here.  We'll start on it this Sunday after Thanksgiving and just use a naked tree branch in a pot on the kitchen table.  You can get pretty creative with this:  make your own tree, buy a little tabletop tree, make a poster for the wall or just use a branch.

Perhaps next year we can make our own ornaments to save them to use each year... like those crafty moms out there who have it together...

~ Katrina

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