Makin' it over, wearin' it out...

Felted pink sweater

Makin' do, or doin' without....

This will be another one of our "handmade/homemade" Christmas's, and I have a few ideas up my sleeve!
I am taking this felted sweater and cutting out some mittens and possibly a hat from the hoodie part for our granddaughter, Trena.
I even found a way to make the wool waterproof by using some lanolin, but not sure if she will need that.
She's not quite 2, and for now, all she needs is something to keep her patties warm from the house to the car!

Free toddler apron pattern with beautiful Ralph Lauren sheets from Goodwill.

I spend a few minutes googling free apron patterns and came up with what I pray will be the simplest one out there!
Trena is just now getting to the age where she likes to be a mama's helper, and a sweet, full-coverage apron will help keep her clean and dry!
I cut the pattern out of old newspaper and will begin the sewing later this afternoon.

Pray for me.

Anyone who was reading my blog back about 1 year ago, might remember the apron fiasco.
Okay...I have a very difficult time reading/understanding your typical patterns and have accused the pattern companies
(Simplicity? I think not...)
of being outright liars when they state that a certain pattern is "Easy-Peasy".
Am I alone out there?
I need someone to S.P.E.L.L. it out for me, then actually S.H.O.W. me how to do it.

I'll be back when I get the projects finished.
If you don't hear from me till after the New Year, you'll know why.
Just sayin'....

xoxo,
Cindy

P.S.
I DO have some wonderful handmade/homemade bar soaps available for purchase!
Made in small batches right here in my farmhouse kitchen!

FARMHOUSE FRESH™

Lavender, PURE (fragrance free), Citrus Cilantro, P.S. I Love You, Autumn Lodge (a nice manly fragrance), and Frosted Snowdrops.
Each bar weighs approximately 4oz, and sells for $3.50 each plus s&h.
Let me know quick, as supplies are limited!

Gave Thanks...

Most of the kids...
Warren, Avery, Gina (on floor), Krystal, Sam, and Austin
Giselle, Jon, and Trena are in Montana :(

Most of the kids, hamming it up!

Sam, doin' most of the dishes last night.
It's what he does...
And no, he does not feel the need to dress up or shave for Thanksgiving.
(Sam was "blessed" with my naturally curly hair)

Austin, with the cream puff cake dessert he helped create.
He didn't have any....he's funny that way.

At dinner he had turkey and 2 rolls. (with honey)
That's it...

Austin and his uncle Sam,
roughhousing,
cause that's what uncle's do best...

We had an awesome time of food and family yesterday.
I have been cooking Thanksgiving dinners for more years than I care to admit, and this, by FAR, was the best turkey I have ever pulled out of the oven.
I followed Alton Brown's (of Food Network fame) brining/baking instructions, and let me tell you, there is no turning back.
It was the moistest turkey EVER.
The breast was juicy and tender, and the skin crispy and browned.
Tried a couple other new recipes, too.
An awesome sweet potato/apple casserole and a delicious creamed spinach. (light on the cream, heavy on the spinach/parmesan)

Today I am going to rest.
And read.
And rest some more.
And eat leftovers.

xoxo,
Cindy

Giving thanks with a grateful heart...

Austin, my helper

Busy, busy here in the farmette kitchen preparing for the family tomorrow.
Austin didn't have school today so he came over and "helped" me with dessert and shaping the rolls.
I love that boy!

I try to prep as much as possible the day before so Thanksgiving doesn't find me running willy nilly all over the place.
Truth be told, I think the floor will get mopped in the morning, and most definitely the toilets will get a good scrubbing.
I can't do it all!
At least not in one day....

In spite of the year we have had, it is STILL
(and always will be)
a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.

As we gather together tomorrow with family, friends, and loved ones, let us always remember the One to whom we owe ALL things.

His grace is always sufficient for me...
xoxo,
Cindy

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Good Monday morning everyone!

I was so excited to host this amazing Real Food Basics e-book giveaway and, just like I promised, it's Monday and I have picked a winner!

Megan Jenelle @
A Blossoming Homestead!

Megan, you need to get a hold of me asap so I can give Kate your e-mail address!
Contact me at:
cindy50@altelco.net

And to all the rest who were interested, don't forget...
Kate has generously given 25% off if you would still like to order!
But hurry!
That offer is only good till 11:59 pm, Nov. 25.
Code is:
cindy25
Get right on over to Modern Alternative Mama and order yours today!

xoxo,
Cindy

Book review and a GIVEAWAY!

REAL FOOD BASICS

Have I got a deal for you!

Are you lookin' to eat more "real foods", but are afraid to dive in and make big changes?
Worried that you might have to purchase unfamiliar ingredients and put something on the table that in no way, shape, or form resembles anything your family might want to eat?
Look no further.... this e-book is meant for YOU!
Heck!
Kate even has a chapter entitled "Baby Steps"!
Kate Tietje takes familiar recipes and shows us how to prepare them with healthy ingredients without forfeiting familiar tastes.
She shows you "why you need to make changes, what changes to make, and how to re-stock your kitchen to reflect these changes."
Here's the table of contents and the recipe index to give you an idea of what you'd be getting....

Introduction
Our story
Fat’s real story
Real dairy
Grains and the Food Pyramid
A healthy diet, healthy lifestyle
Kitchen Tips and Procedures
Making stock
Sprouting grains
Making butter
Fermented foods
Sweeteners
Handy Kitchen Tools
Baby Steps
Shopping guide
Local resources
Recipes
Introduction
Main Dishes
Sides
Breads
Desserts
The End

What about the recipes?

• Chicken Marinade
• Roasted Chicken
• Fried Chicken
• Meatballs
• Tomato Sauce
• Chili
• Potato Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Roast Beef
• Mexican Chicken Soup
• Cheese Sauce
• Caesar Salad
• Cheesy Potatoes
• French Fries
• Salsa
• Sausage Gravy
• Buttermilk Pancakes
• Whole Grain Bread
• Pizza Dough
• Muffins
• Coffee Cake
• Biscuits
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Ice Cream
• Super Food Smoothies

Kate has generously offered one copy of her downloadable e-book to one of my readers.
It could be YOU!
Here's how to enter...

1. Leave me a comment telling me why you'd like to win this
2. If you are not already a "follower" of my blog, then please become one!

That's it!

You don't have to "tell a friend". (tho that would be nice)

You don't have to post the giveaway on your Facebook page, (but you certainly could)

your blog, ( if you really want to, I wouldn't stop you)

or your church newsletter. (I think that would be going a bit too far, don't you?)

Contest will end at midnight Sunday, November 21, with he winner being announced on Monday.

Click HERE to visit Modern Alternative Mama and see for yourself!

And....for those of you not fortunate enough to be the winner, Kate has a coupon code worth 25% off her regular price of $6.95!
Her discount offer is good until November 25 @ 11:59pm
Just enter CINDY25 in the discount box.

xoxo,
Cindy

Just so ya know....Kate has generously given me a copy of her e-book for review. But if she hadn't, I'd have figured out a way to get one for myself!

Sourdough Coconut Chocolate Cake!

Cake!

Remember the "Snackin' Cakes" from Betty Crocker back in the 70's?
Well, I do!

This is similar in texture, but that's about where the similarity ends.

This cake is not very sweet, which is perfect for me.

You could frost it with a chocolate ganache, but I prefer some real whipped cream.

Found the recipe HERE, which is very similar to the one found in the free/pay-what-you-can e-course offered at GNOWFGLINS.
Sign up today...it's easy-peasy!

I cut the recipe in 1/2 as I don't need a 9x13 pan of ANYTHING sweet hangin' around...
know what I mean?

xoxo,
Cindy

His grace is sufficient....

SOURDOUGH IN THE KITCHEN...

Sourdough starter mixed with water and flour the night before...
aka...the sponge

Many, many years ago I attempted to make a sourdough starter.
Back then there were just a couple of cookbooks I got my ideas from, and let's just say my experimenting didn't bode well.
Can you say "lead bread"?

After a slow rise overnight in the dehydrator, and a firm kneading in the heavy duty mixer, the gluten is formed. See how stretchy the dough is? That tells you the gluten is there!

This summer I signed up for the free/pay what you can Sourdough e-course offered at GNOWFGLINS.
(You can sign up...it's easy-peasy!)
And after keeping my starter healthy and flourishing for weeks and weeks, I let it die.

R.I.P. sourdough starter.

About 3 weeks ago, to keep my mind off of all the things going on here, I began again.

2nd rise...It's a beautiful thing

I've had lots of success with sourdough pancakes, and sourdough english muffins, but it was time to bring out the big guns and try some bread.

Sweet victory!

Ooh, it felt so good to bring those loaves out of the oven, smelling their slight soury smells.
Even better was the tasting.
Not too sour, not too heavy.
Just right.
Bread...the staff of life.

xoxo,
Cindy

PICKLED BEETS...

Lacto-Fermented Beets

Two weeks ago, at our last (sob) CSA pick-up I was fortunate enough to take home a bag of organic beets.
Now beets on their own are just OK.
But pickled beets are a horse of a different color!
I usually only buy them around the holidays as they are fairly pricey at the grocers,
but this year (my fermentation year!) I wanted to try my hand at making my own.

So...I scrubbed off my beets and roasted them in a low oven (around 300F) for 3 hours.
I then let them cool enough to peel them.
They were way too difficult to peel like this, but I did what I could.
I then went out to what remains of the garden and dug up another batch of beets.
This time I scrubbed them, then boiled them for about 1 hour (low boil) till tender.
MUCH easier to peel!
The peels just slide right off....
Following the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, I washed 8 wide mouth pint jars and put the seeds from a cardamom pod in each one.
I cut the beets into thick julienned slices and put them in the jar, pressing down firmly.
I then mixed 1 cup of water, 1 TBL sea salt, and 4 TBL of raw whey and covered the beets.
Each pint needed approximately the full 1 cup of water/salt/whey mixture.
Now they will set on the counter for 3 days then go into the already too full basement fridge to slow down the fermentation process.
By Thanksgiving they should be nice and pickled!
YIKES!
Thanksgiving is just 2 weeks from today!
How the heck did THAT happen?
And could somebody please tell me where September and October took off to this year?
Cause I don't much remember them....

xoxo,
Cindy

This entry is a part of Simple Lives Thursday

EASY-PEASY BOURSIN CHEESE

Homemade, easy-peasy Boursin Cheese

I cam across THIS recipe for homemade Boursin cheese, and wanted to give it a try before the holiday get-togethers started.
A trial run, if you will!
So....Last Sunday when we had most of the kids over was my test.

Oh. My. Word.
So delicious!
So easy.

The ONLY changes I made to the original recipe was to cut the butter down.
I actually doubled the recipe for our family, so the doubled recipe called for 2 sticks of butter and I used 1 1/2.

I happened to have some homemade fromage blanc cheese I had made from some of our extra raw milk the week before, so this made it uber-tasty!
The original calls for cream cheese, which is available to anyone, so there is NO excuse!

I also used 2 HUGE cloves of garlic, which gave it QUITE the garlic bite.
Fine for me, but you might want to re-think the huge thing, and just go for regular sized garlic.
This would be a perfect veggie dip, as well as a sandwich spread, or a dip for crackers.


It is well with my soul.....

Cindy

I will carry you....

There were photographs I wanted to take
Things I wanted to show you
Sing sweet lullabies, wipe your teary eyes
Who could love you like this?
people say that I am brave but I`m not
Truth is I`m barely hanging on
But there`s a greater story
Written long before me
Because HE loves you like this

So I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All my life
And I will praise the one who`s chosen me
To carry you

Such a short time
Such a long road
All this madness
But I know
That the silence
Has brought me to HIS voice

And HE says...

"I`ve shown her photographs of time beginning
Walked her through the parted seas
Angel lullabies, no more teary eyes
Who could love her like this?"

I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All your life
And I will praise the one who`s chosen me

To carry you

Please turn the sound off at the bottom of my blog so you can hear this amazing, very personal song by Selah.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank each and every one of you who has been lifting us up in prayer.
I cannot even imagine how others go thru trials in life without knowing Him.

I am trying to go about my "normal" wifey duties....cleaning, cooking, cleaning some more....

And, if no one minds, I will get back to my usual blogging tomorrow.

I have some awesome things to share with you...new recipes, book reviews, etc...

On Sunday we will be having a memorial service for our grandson, Alex.
Mixed feelings there....
We want to celebrate the short time he was here with us, but we know it will be difficult.
How much easier this all is to bear, knowing that one day we will see his little face in heaven.

"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

xoxo,
Cindy

Alex is home now....

Alexander Lee Young
Born:7-26-10
Died: 11-2-10

Alex went home to heaven this morning around 11:30.
Krystal had fed him and lay down with him for a morning nap and when she woke up an hour later, he was gone.

Pete and I are SO thankful for the few weeks we had with Alex.

Poolside for a family gathering, Alex is center stage!

In his Pepere's arms....

This past Friday Pete and I babysat while Krystal went out with Warren and their other sons.
He just stared and stared at Pete, at times almost laughing while his pepere made faces at him!

Our hearts are heavy with grief, tho we know Alex is in a much better place.
Please remember us in prayer over the next few days....

This is the hardest thing we have ever been thru....and we've been thru a lot.

His grace is made perfect in our weakness.

xoxo,
Cindy