Toothless grin

It seems to me, compared to other children their age, that our children lose their baby teeth later than most. Meghan is 7 and 1/2 and is just now losing her third tooth.  I am perfectly okay with this, unless one of them has a rotten tooth that I wish would fall out so we can get a second chance at taking better care of these pearly whites!

Meghan has been wiggling this thing for quite some time and finally it became loose enough that she pulled it out herself.

Thankful for this cute toothless grin,

 Nichole

Making Butter

When we lived in Waycross I was fortunate to be a part of a food co-op where I ordered everything online (from dairy to produce to dry goods to meat) and drove an hour and 20 minutes to go and pick it up. I did this once a month. It was quite an undertaking, but well worth it to me. I saved significantly on groceries and it was almost all organic. It would be crazy when we got home to unload and figure out a place to store 16 gallons of milk! Along with this milk, I would occasionally splurge and buy a pint or so of cream.

We looked up how to make your own butter. For some reason I thought it was some sort of complicated ordeal when in reality it is the easiest thing ever. Especially if you have a mixer. Maybe not so easy on the arms if you decide to churn it yourself. Cream can be expensive, unless you have your own cow :)  I wish. So, this may be something you decide to do when you can sacrifice in another area to provide the couple extra bucks to purchase some cream and give it a shot for yourself. The results are very tasty, sweet butter and some great buttermilk for baking.

This is great to do with the kiddos. We have split the cream up and poured into little tiny jars and let each kid shake away. They will think that nothing is ever going to happen, but after a few minutes the cream will thicken. A few more minutes and all of a sudden the cream will separate and wahlah....they will be excited that they actually made their own butter!

I have opted out of the sore arm from shaking butter all day and used my electric mixer. It takes about 10 minutes on a medium high speed before the magic of separation begins. You will have to rinse the butter carefully with very cold water and squeeze all buttermilk out until it is clear. This will keep the butter from going bad too quickly. Make sure you reserve the other liquid, which is your buttermilk, and save it for any recipe that calls for milk.

It is great on freshly baked bread or whole wheat toast!

Thankful for simple homesteading techniques like making your own butter...something that those who have gone before us did all the time,

Nichole

A Bad Hair Day?!

A couple of weeks ago little Mercy began to break out with little red bumps on her face. Over the course of a few days they multiplied and went down her neck and some on her arms. They also covered her scalp. I didn't know if this was hormonal or an allergy. I cautiously used our lotion bar and a green salve made from herbs to treat her face. These bumps began to clear but her skin was soooo dry and her scalp had gotten scaly looking as well. Since the lotion bar ( made from organic coconut oil and shea butter) and the salve did not cause any irritation I began to put it on her with every feeding. Every few hours. I used the lotion bar mostly and the salve once or twice a day.

The skin began to look great and is almost clear. But, what about that scalp? Hence, the bad hair. We gave Mercy her first hair conditioning treatment. I took the lotion bar and rubbed plenty on the tips of my fingers and then I began to work it into her hair. The dry skin on her scalp almost immediately began to soften and became easy to remove. This morning we will rinse it out and do it again later if we need to.

I was so thankful to be able to use something natural and nonirritating on her precious little head.

At times she wasn't so sure about it, though. Her big sister came to the rescue as her mean mommy made her pose for the camera. Morgan consoled her with a kiss and I quit taking pictures :)

Our lotion bars are still available for purchase. I believe you will enjoy them! Take a look over at the store for pricing.

Thankful that Mercy's skin is clearing,

Nichole

Finally!

When we lived in Augusta, Ga our girls were able to take horse riding lessons. The horses were only a couple of miles down the road. It was perfect. The girls have always loved horses. Ever since they were toddlers they have asked for toy horses for Christmas. They have played with those for hours. When the opportunity to take lessons came up, they were thrilled. At the time it was only Madison, Morgan, and Mallory. The trainer would ride Joshua and Meghan for a few minutes after every lesson, so no one felt left out. That was over 3 years ago.

Until now...our Sunday School class gave each of our four oldest girls four lessons! It was such a blessing and they have been very excited. Finally, yesterday they were able to take the first lesson. Since it was their first lesson, it lasted for almost 2 hours. The trainer taught them how to brush the horse, check the hooves, facts about the horse, scooping up the poop :( , etc. After that, they walked the horses out to the corral and went over some safety issues and finally got to ride. Exactly what they had been waiting for.

In the meantime, with Mercy cuddled up in a wrap on me, I made sure these 3 little munchkins didn't fall in the creek!

The area was absolutely gorgeous and we all can't wait to go back.  I hope to get better pictures next time.

Thankful for a very giving Sunday School class,

Nichole

Eggnog...a winter drink?

A week or so ago a good friend of mine gave me some of her nutmeg that she had bought from the Breadbeckers. It smelled up the kitchen and the pantry and made me think of eggnog.

I have never been a big eggnog drinker, but for some reason the smell of that nutmeg had me craving it. Fortunately for me I had seen a recipe some time earlier on deliciously organics website.

I sort of felt silly for making it. It was a Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's drink, right? Well, who said you had to drink it only during those times. As a matter of fact, the stores will keep it in stock during the winter season. That says to me that it is good year round...I mean, at least for 3 months :)

Since making it (yum, yum) the kids have begged for it. I was surprised since it was thick and frothy. But, they loved it and wanted more. You could definitely make this lower in fat by using skim or a lower percent of milk. For us, we went for all the fat. We are blessed to be able to use raw milk, although you will notice the recipe calls for heating it slowly until 160 degrees.  We are also blessed to be able to use organic eggs produced by our beloved hens that we gave to my parents when we moved. They try to supply us with many of them every time we get to see each other.

I remembered a story out of Laura Ingall's "Farmer Boy" that confirmed my notion that eggnog is good year round. This book is dedicated to the life of her husband, Almanzo Wilder, as a young boy growing up on a farm. It is a great read and your kids would love it. During the early harvest when the sun was hot and the days were long they worked nonstop to make sure every thing was harvested and not wasted. Long, tiring days kept them in need of nourishing food to keep up their energy. On one particular day Almanzo's mother called him in to take all the workers a special treat made up by herself. Eggnog. Full of rich milk and cream, eggs and sugar. To that she added some wonderful spices. As they drank it down, it was ice-cold and delicious. Back to work they went with full bellies and renewed strength. Yum. Well, here is an healthier version using maple syrup. Give it a try. You will love it.

Eggnog


6 large eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup maple syrup
5 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg (this is a little heavy, which we liked, but you may want to start with lesser amt.)
1/2 cup heavy cream whipped into soft peaks (optional)

Whisk eggs, yolks, and maple syrup in large saucepan until well combined. Whisk in milk, one cup at a time, mixing well. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until candy thermometer reaches 160 degrees or mixture coats the back of the spoon (about 20 -25 minutes). (This is where the kids would come in handy, give 5 minute turns of stirring the custard). Pour through a sieve into large bowl or glass pitcher. Whisk in vanilla and nutmeg. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.

When serving you can add some whipped cream to the top and sprinkle a little extra nutmeg.

Thankful that we don't always have to follow the "rules",

Nichole

Bless her heart

Barely a month old and little Mercy is getting her hair styled already. I don't know if the purpose behind it is to actually make her look cute or to get a few laughs.  Either way, when you are born with as much hair as she has and you have five older sisters, you better get used to it :)

She didn't even cry. She must not be tender-headed.

Bless her heart......

Thankful for my precious hair dressers,

Nichole



The Dentist...friend or foe??

Do these look scary or what? Dental instruments. I know I have had every dental instrument invented in my mouth at some point.

A couple of days ago our family made a 45 minute trip to go see the dentist.....again. It has been my life story since being married. I tease and say that Keith has spent more money on my teeth than all of our babies combined. The sad part of that, is its true!

As I was laying there getting a broken molar prepared for a crown I decided to actually look at the instruments going into my mouth. After going cross-eyed (It is hard to focus in on something that close to your face) by looking at them I decided it wasn't worth the effort. Oh, and that drilling noise....surely someone can invent a silent drill. It is terrible. I can see how people have a fear of going to the dentist.  And, those shots in your gum....those have hurt very badly in the past. BUT, there was a new numbing medicine applied to my gums first and it worked amazingly. I wouldn't mind having some of that stuff on hand for digging out splinters, pulling children's loose teeth, etc....

You know, come to think of it, I have had fillings, root canals, crowns, a bridge, and even pulled teeth. The last pulled tooth felt like half my face was coming off with it.

I hope none of you have any of these scheduled in the near future. This is not an encouraging post.  Just a simple reflection :)

I do have to say that we have been blessed with some fantastic dentists. In Augusta my dentist was a high school graduate of Keith's. He was good to us. We had no dental insurance and I had so many problems. Thousands of dollars worth of work. He worked with us and we finally paid for all of it.

My dentist here is super nice and efficient.  I do hate going, but if I have to go, may it be to a good one, right?!

As my mouth was numb and I was probably biting my tongue and not realizing it, I said in a distorted voice, "Kids take care of your teeth. Learn this lesson from your Mama!" I don't know if they understood what I said or not :)

Thankful for great dentists....I mean it,

Nichole