Confession #5: Homemade yogurt in your sleep

You want a homemade breakfast that is truly homemade?

Well, you better said yes, otherwise just close this window now!
Making yogurt is much more simpler than you would first think. If you have a slow cooker, 8 cups of whole milk, and 1/2 cup store bought yogurt...well, you can make yogurt. I followed this recipe:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html

And what's better with yogurt than homemade granola? Pretty much nothing. So here is my favorite recipe for pumpkin granola.
http://realmomkitchen.com/3809/pumpkin-granola/
But I take it a step further and roast my own pumpkin, puree the pulp and roast the seeds. This way my granola is a little more homemade. You could even make your own cranzins, but that would be just showing off.

 Add some fruit of your choice and enjoy! Yum!

And since you are making your own yogurt you might want to go ahead and make your own vanilla extract so you can flavor that yogurt. I went ahead and did vanilla, orange, lemon, peppermint, and almond. It seriously will take you five minutes. Just buy the biggest container of vodka Costco will sell you! I think that I might use these as gifts next year so the little baby food jars are going to be perfect!
Check out sbcannings website for extract recipes http://www.sbcanning.com/search/label/Extract

Confession #4: I haven't bought paper towels in over a year

Do you have any old t-shirts lying around? Than you are ten minutes away from a cloth t-shirt rag.
Save your money, a tree and the landfill with these pretty much free tee rags.
 Ok, take a t-shirt and cut off the top all the way across, starting at the armpit. This will leave you with a tube.

 I went ahead and cut a whole bunch of t-shirts. So this way I can sew them all at the same time.

 Make sure your tee is inside out when you sew it. Unless you want a outside out look.

 Sew the bottom of your shirt leaving about 5 inches on one end. And  skip the next 3 inches and sew the last 2 inches closed. (see photo below). This gap is where you will pull your shirt right side out. I like to not leave a corner with a whole because I find it easier to sew if you leave a straight edge open.

 Make sure you back stitch so it wont fall apart when you flip it. So ahead and sew the other side all the way. Now slip it right side out. Use a chop stick to push the corners all the way out.

Now just sew the opening shut. Since this is a rag it doesn't really matter if it is perfect looking or not. But if you want a "pretty" look, you can sew all the way around the rag so that this little stitch wont stand out. But I didn't bother this time around.

 Guess what? Your done!

 I did nine rags in under an hour. And even though it may seem weird to sew without shoes, you can!

Confession #3: You don't need to buy a fancy card holder.

Well, I took down my Christmas decorations today (I know, it's only the 28th) and I decided to share with you my frugal way of displaying our Christmas cards with year.

 As you can see all I did was take a piece of ribbon and nail each end across my door frame (it would also look good above the fireplace). I took the clothes pins that I am not using right now because it's too cold to line dry in the winter and pinned up the cards. It took like 5 minutes.

As I was taking the cards down I realized that I could keep the ribbon up all year and replace the cards with family photos. I think that I might move it to a different spot in my house. But you get the idea. As aways, no shoes required. Enjoy!

Confession #2: You don't need the whole apple to make cider

Making apple cider is much easier than you might think. And better yet, it's free if you can find a tree to pick apples from. This summer I discovered the joy of canning and through that I made my first batch of applesauce (also really simple to make). But making applesauce leaves you with a whole lot of peels and cores. I didn't want them to go to waste. So I found a use for them! That's right this apple cider is made just with the leftovers from making applesauce.

First off wash, peel, and slice your apples. Put the apple slices in a bowl of water with lemon juice. You can either make the slices into an apple crisp, apples sauce, or whatever else you can think of. For this cider recipe, all I care about it the peels and cores. Dump them all into a pot and fill 3/4 full with water. Add in mulling spices of your choice (or leave them out if you just want apple juice). Bring to a bowl, reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer covered for 2-4 hours.

 Once the water has darkened, you now have to taste test it (I know, but somebodies got to do it). If you like the flavor, then it's done. Line a strainer with cheese cloth and put it in a bowl. Dump the cider and peels in the strainer. Use a wooden spoon to mash all the liquid out of the peels.

You now have cider! And your house smells awesome. I poor mine directly into a glass jar and let it cool. It's that simple. You can enjoy it right than without letting it cool or you can wait and enjoy it on a cold evening in front of the fire.
and the best part is that it doesn't have any sugar added, it's super kid friendly.

 I saved the peel pulp and added more water and put it on the stove again. Just to see if it will make some more cider for me. I'll keep you posted.
And to think, I did this all without shoes. Enjoy!

Life Lessons of a Barefoot Housewife

Some words of wisdom from a first time mom, take it or leave it!
Life Lesson #1: God is should be the first and last thing on your mind everyday.
Life Lesson #2: Being a good listener is the most important quality when it comes to true friendship.
Life Lesson #3: One truly doesn't understand love until they know the love of their child.
Life Lesson #4: Being responsible for another persons development is a little nerve racking.
Life Lesson #5: Seeing family only makes you realize how much you miss them
Life Lesson #6: It's amazing just how much spit can come out of such a little mouth.
Life Lesson #7: Who needs to buy an Ipod when you can get Pandora Radio for free?
Life Lesson #8: If you have children, work with children, live near children, or will ever see a child in your life, you should get your Basic First Aid and CPR cert. Because that six hour class could just save a life.
Life Lesson #9: Registor for a Bumbo for your baby shower. They are a great invention.
Life lesson #10: Save money on a waterproof mat for your baby by using a yoga mat.
Life lesson #11: Just because people say "third times a charm" doesn't mean it will be.
Life Lesson #12: Just because the tag says "machine wash, tumble dry" doesn't always mean that it can be mashine washined and tumble dried.
Life Lesson #13: There are some benefits from only having an income for the last four months of the year. And $5,000 in school grants is one of them.
Life Lesson #14: If you give a baby an elepant, she may put the trunk in her mouth. And if she puts the trunk in her mouth, she may hit her gag reflex and puke all over herself and you. And if she pukes all over, she may sneaze. And if she sneazes, milk might come out of her nose. And if milk comes out of her nose she may laugh and reach for the elepant.
Life Lesson #15: Your once perfect baby starts to look less perfect at two in the morning.
Life Lesson # 16: Whoever decided teeth were a good idea, didn't like sleep.e
Life Lesson #17: She's only 19 weeks but yet she could already be the next Tony Hawk. She is pulling tricks even in her sleep. A full turn spin. A 360 flip. A Caballerial. An Ollie. Ok, well, maybe not yet. But she can rollover a full 360 degrees!
Life Lesson #18: The best part of the Superbowl is not the game, the commercials, the half-time show, or even the food. It's the people you spend the evening with.
Life Lesson #19: The music you let your baby hear today will effect her tomorrow. Oasis: check. Mercy Me: check. Frank Sinatra: check. The Fray: check. Lady GaGa: Not in this lifetime. Let the molding begin.
Life Lesson #20: Your four month old may not be able to crawl, but she can do a mean crab walk.
Life Lesson #21: When the computer breaks, the other is bound to follow.
Life Lesson #22: You will cry the first time your baby sits up on her own
Life Lesson #23: Sometimes medicine is the best medicine!
Life Leson #24: No need to brush your hair when it's short!
Life Lesson #25: Airlines have done us all a favor by charging for luggage. Now this family of three is traveling light. six days, five nights, two adults, one baby, one backpack and a diaper bag. Nada mas.
Life Lesson #26: Sometimes the only thing that will calm your baby down is nursing.
Life Lesson #27: When it rains it doesn't always pour, sometimes it's just a light sprinker.
Life lesson #28: face time with family is way more important than Facebook.
Life lesson #29: Fat babies are cute, but they are harder to clean. Due to their many fat rolls acting as hiding spots for dirt.
Life Lesson #30: There is no good place to change a blow-out on an airplane.
Life Lesson #31: Theres no need to pay for guitar lessons when you can learn the basics online.
Life Lesson #32: You should always make time to be silly
Life Lesson #33: Sundays were made for family picnics.
Life Lesson #34: When you need surgury, you migt want to look into India.
Life Lesson #35: God never promised it would be easy, He just said He would never leave you.
Life Lesson #36: You might have heard of kids "practicing" kissing with their pillows or stuffed animals. But what no one tells you is that your baby will do it too.
Life Lesson #37: Just because you have lived in three states and two countries, travelied all over the US and 37 different countries, stepped foot on four different contenates, have two degrees, been an adult for just shy of ten years, been married for almost 6 and reproduced, doesn't mean you wont be treated like a kid still.
Life Lesson #38: One can only hope that thier daughtor will someday be a world travelier like her parents.
Life Lesson #39: If you think you have the worlds best parents, you haven't met Rocky and Susan Knickerbocker.
Life Lesson #40: You may put her to sleep on her back but that wont stop her from rolling onto her side.
Life Lesson #41: If your husband keeps loosing his wedding ring, it might just be time for a tatoo.
Life Lesson #42: You're never too old to experiment.
Life Lesson # 43: Parents say they can't wait to get out of the house without their kids. But once they are out, all they can think about it their children.
Life Lesson #44: Your baby will be the cutest baby you have ever seen.
Life lesson #45: No matter how hard you try, they will find a way to get those socks off.
Life Lesson #46: It's ok if yo married your best friend, as long as you like kissing him.
Life Lesson #47: Babies put everything in thier mouths, and I do mean everything. hands, feet, toys, hair, your nose, the bug they found on the ground, everything!
Life Lesson #48: It's ok, if it's five pm and you still haven't got dressed. You'll save on laundry!
ife Lesson $49: Your breastfeed baby poop will be a really weird color.
Life Lesson $50: Even perfect babies cetch colds. Just hope temperature stays down.
Life Lesson # 51: Going to the library to take a proctored exam that is due on Monday, only to find out that the password that your proctor has doesn't work and the help desk for exams isn't open on the weekends and the library is closed on Monday and your teacher wont pick up his phone or answer your emails makes for a rather frustrating Saturday! Grrr....
Life Lesson #52: Moms don't get sick days.
Life Lesson #53: You shouldn't eat 100% canned food and neither should your baby.
Life lesson #54: If you're gonna hold a babies mouth near your ear, expect to get an ear full of spit-up.
Life Lesson #55: It is pointless to put your shirt back on when your breastfeeding a newborn. Cause just as soon as you get it on, she's going to be hungry again.
Life Lesson #56: As a new mother you will realise just how much you can get done using only one hand.
Life Lesson #57: Calling your baby "perfect" isn't really bragging when your doctor agrees. It's just stating a fact.
Life Lesson #58: Getting your baby to hold still long enough to get her footprint/handprint for an ornament is not as easy as it first looks. But it will be worth it.
Life Lesson #59: There is no point in paying for cable when you have Netflix.
Life Lesson #60: You will discover really early on what type of mother you are. The kind that calls the doctor every five seconds because your baby sqeazed funny or the kind that says "Hey, your still breathing, your fine."
Life Lesson #61: Take the time to read to and play with your child everyday.
Life Lesson #62: Just when you thought your baby couldn't get any better, she behaves like a dream on the plane ride.
Life Lesson #63: You know your baby looks a lot like you when even facebook wants to tag a picture of your baby as you.
Life lesson #64: Smiling by one month, head control by two, rolling over both ways by three, sitting up by four, what's next? Crawling by five months? Talking by six? And walking by seven?
Life lesson #65: Never give up, cause when you finally set that video camera down, your baby is going to roll over.
Life Lesson #66: Who cares if you have no idea how to play the guitar if your daughter loves it.
Life Lesson #67: Just when you finish decorating, it turns out it's time to move again.
Life Lesson #68: Having a baby, going to school and being a missionary all in one year means over $5,000 on your tax refund!
Life Lesson #69: Cloth diapers are really not that much work and they will save you thousands of dollars!
Life Lesson #70: Taking a nap with your baby may sound like fun but in reality she will pull your hair, poke you in the eye, pick your nose, scratch your arm, punch you in the nose, and even spit up on you. But, hey, atleast she got to sleep.

Confession #1: Timing is everything

So if you know me than you know that I like, no love, crafts. I see something at the store, and instead of wanting to buy it, I instead take a closer look and see if I can make it. So this is the start of me sharing what I love and how I do it. A lot of my ideas come from my head, stores, other peoples blogs, or just images I see online. And if you know me than you know my daughter, Liana, a 14 month old, rather energetic toddler who likes to take up most of my time. So most of these crafts and recipes are done during in the morning (when Liana is the most independent), at nap time, or in the evening after Liana goes to bed. This is my latest nap time creation. It took me two afternoons. well worth it because Liana played with it long enough for me to cook dinner, make yogurt, granola and bread (more on that to come).
So thank you for checking out my new blog. And I hope that you get inspired to create something yourself. But always remember, that shoes are not required.

How to make your own wall hanging:

This ABC wall hanging was made with 100% recycled felt. I cut out a large piece of green (but you can use whatever color you wish) felt (note: buying felt by the yard is cheaper). You want to cut it out so that it is twice as big as you would like it because you are going to fold the whole thing in half. I than cut our 26
2 x 2 1/2 rectangles (again which ever colors you would like). I chose black for the letters only because I wanted my daughter to be able to see them well. And I machine sewed all the letters onto the rectangles. Than I sewed the rectangles to the large felt sheet, making sure the top is left open. I folded the large sheet in half and made bias tape out of blue felt strips to give the whole thing a crisp clean look. I already had all the shapes but you could make your own. I am working on making some for an advent calender (more on this coming soon).
I didn't think about it until now that it would have been a good idea to do something on the back side of the hanging. Maybe felt tic tac toe or numbers. Oh, well there's always next time.