YOUNG GARDENER VIDEO 3: Hardening off

So you've successfully started your seeds inside, now watch this video on how to bring them outside without killing them!

My First Gardening Tutorial Video: Choosing Your Garden's Location

Homemade Brow Gel

The secret to a nice eyebrow is undoubtedly the use of brow gel. It sets the shape and keeps everything neat.

But, it often contains weirdo ingredients that are definitely not of natural origin. Just read this list of ingredients from a popular brow gel:

WATER/EAU/AQUA, VP/VA COPOLYMER, ALCOHOL DENAT., PROPYLENE GLYCOL, TRIETHANOLAMINE, CARBOMER, GLYCERIN, HYDROLYZED GLYCOSAMINOGLYCANS, CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA (MATRICARIA) EXTRACT, SODIUM HYALURONATE, TETRASODIUM EDTA, PHENOXYETHANOL, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, ETHYLPARABEN, BUTYLPARABEN, ISOBUTYLPARABEN, MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR: TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), MICA, IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), CARMINE (CI 75470), BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE (CI 77163), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007)

There are 8 ingredients that it "may contain"? No thanks.

After scouring the internet for a homemade brow gel recipe ("DIY brow gel" just tells you to use clear mascara... same problem) I finally have a solution.

Ready?




Plain aloe vera.

I refilled an old E.L.F. brow gel container which is double-sided and only cost me $1. I'll admit I used, and liked, the product. But if you want to be really strict with how natural your cosmetics are, and need a case for your aloe vera, you could just buy this and empty it out. That would be cheaper than buying an empty container. A mascara tube would work too.

So I filled the empty container, carefully, with aloe vera gel on both sides. Then I simply apply it to clean brows by combing through. I apply brow pencil after the gel (as per a suggestion by my should-be-a-supermodel friend, Jac) and I love the result.

Aloe vera as brow gel stays all day, does a great job, and ultimately leaves your face is better shape than it was before! What an awesome solution! At about $6-8 for a huge jar, it's a steal.

Try my idea today!

Eco Friendly Play Dough

Oliver likes to play with play dough. No, that's not accurate. Olives likes to reenact terrible animal slaughters and brutal war zones, using play dough. My mom tells me that my sisters and I used to make cats and dogs with it - so she crafted up a few for Oliver to play with. He grabbed each of them and squeezed them to their death, then walked the misshapen blobs up the staircase and threw them down to a second death. So, he's a boy.

If you want to buy a great all-natural play dough we love this one. Clementine also makes awesome natural crayons. They're our go to craft supply-supplier.

But if you'd like to make your own and avoid the artificial dyes that usually come along with the recipe, you should try this tutorial that was posted by awesome Mommy-blogger Mommypotamus:

Basic Play Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup of naturally colored water (see below) OR 1 cup water and natural food coloring

Instructions: 

1. Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar in a medium-sized pot
2. Add oil and colored water and stir until ingredients are well blended.
3. Place pot on the stove over low/medium heat. Cook the dough – stirring often – until begins to pull away from the sides of the pot (about 3-5 minutes)
4. Allow the dough to cool a little and then knead for a minute or so.
5. Store in an airtight container

Or, try this gluten free version:
 
Gluten-Free Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup non-GMO cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup of naturally colored water (see below) OR 1 cup water and natural food coloring

Instructions: 

1. Mix flour, cornstarch/arrowroot, salt and cream of tartar in a medium-sized pot
2. Add oil and colored water and stir until ingredients are well blended.
3. Place pot on the stove over low/medium heat. Cook the dough – stirring often – until begins to pull away from the sides of the pot (about 3-5 minutes)
4. Allow the dough to cool a little and then knead for a minute or so.
5. Store in an airtight container

And the recipes for the natural colours:

Pink

I used: 2 cups water +1 cup shredded beets for the intense pink
3 cups water, 1 cup tightly packed purple cabbage simmered for 20 minutes for the light pink
Other possibilities: cranberries/ cranberry juice, raspberries, strawberries, red grape juice or beet kvass

Yellow

I used: 2 cups water + 1 cup packed onion skins
Other possibilities: grapefruit, orange or lemon peels, carrots, chamomile tea, celery seed, green tea, saffron

Yellow/Orange

I used: 1 cup water + 3/4 tsp turmeric for the bright yellow
1 cup water + 1 ½ cups shredded carrots for the orange
Other possibilities: carrots and paprika

Blue

I used: 3 cups water + 1 cup tightly packed purple cabbage + baking soda*
Other possibilities: blueberries
* To make the cabbage water blue rather than purple, simply add small amounts of baking soda until you get a color you like!

Green

I used: 1/2 cup of spinach + 1 ½ cups of water.
Other possibilities: kale, asparagus

Purple

I think blackberries would work. You could also try mixing red and blue.

Homemade Yogurt - 2 Ingredients, 3 Steps

Homemade yogurt is a money saver but what you might not know is that it's also much more delicious. The tang is more mellow and it's always creamy, never goopy. If you follow my lead you can make it using only 2 ingredients and 3 easy steps. Oh and once you've made a batch, that yogurt gets used to make your next batch, so you'll be making it with only one ingredient. Now that's easy.

You'll need:

• 2 cups of milk
• 2 Tablespoons of natural yogurt*

* Use something with minimal ingredients: cream, milk, bacterial culture. Next time you make it, use your homemade yogurt as the 2nd ingredient.

Step one:

Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat until it reads 185 degrees F. Keep it there for 20 minutes.

Step two:

Put the saucepan into ice water so that you can bring the temperature down to 110 degrees F. At this point you can stir in the 2 Tablespoons of yogurt.

Step three:

Pour into a mason jar and keep slightly warmer than room temperature for about 10 hours. This can be in the oven with the light on, or the microwave with the light on. Or on top of your fridge if it's warm up there. Or in a sun room during a summer day. To keep your jar warm you can wrap it in a kitchen towel.

There you have it! At this point you can put it in the fridge and it's ready to eat. Feel free to add your favourite sweetener. Just remember to save 2 Tablespoons for your next batch.

This will cost you about 75 cents in milk. Not bad compared to $2.99 for yogurt!

  

Homemade Granola - Oh The Possibilities

You can't argue with me: granola is pretty freaking delicious. If I have a carton of almond milk chilling in the fridge it has no chance at surviving me and my trusty cereal bowl. I would eat granola for breakfast every day (if it wasn't for my love affair with toast - sigh.)

Granola is really easy to make and I'm very sad if you buy it prepackaged unless you have a valid reason like you're preoccupied with 15 children or you have no arms or you can't afford a baking sheet.

Here's my bare bones method.

Preheat your oven to ANYTHING. I suggest 375 or 400F but let's not get technical.

Line a baking sheet (the kind you make cookies on) with butter or coconut oil or tin foil or parchment paper.

Warm up a mix of butter (or coconut oil) and honey (or maple syrup). Maybe a 1/2 cup of each - don't worry about it.

Now fill a mixing bowl with a whole bunch of stuff. Go on. I would suggest oats but this isn't a dictatorship. It's granola making, lighten up. A recent favourite that I made contained dried blueberries, pepitas (that's hulled pumpkin seeds), shredded coconut, salted pretzels and dark chocolate chips. You can put nuts, seeds, spices, other cereal. Try granola crumbs. The sky's the limit but I wouldn't suggest ground beef or grape popsicles. At this point I add a pinch of salt but it's very naughty and I can't condone you doing it to your batch.

Go back to that butter-honey you warmed up. (It wasn't in the microwave was it? Use a pot on the stove you high-tech clown.) Pour the mixture over the bowl of odds and ends. Use a wooden spoon to toss it all together then spread it on your sheet.

Bake it for 10 minutes then take it out and stir it with the spoon. Keep doing this every 10 minutes until it looks toasty. Then let it cool and store it in a large glass mason jar.

Mmmm, see aren't  you glad you didn't follow a MarthaStewart recipe or anything like that? You go granola-maker!

Make it Monday: Mascarpone

Recently I posted about my friend Rob and his adventures in homemades. He sent me home with a recipe for mascarpone and it wasn't 24 hours until I had my skillet on the stove ready to go.

It comes from the now-concluded make it from scratch blog, originally from baking obsession.

Mascarpone Cheese
Makes 12 oz

2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Bring 1 inch of water to the boil in a wide skillet. Reduce heat to medium low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium sized heat resistant bowl, then place bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, till it reaches 190F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.

It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating to reach this temperature. Then add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. It will coat the back of your wooden spoon thickly, and you will see a few whey streaks when you stir.

Remove the bowl from the water and let cool about 20 minutes. Line a sieve with 4 layers of dampened cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Transfer the cream mixture to the lined sieve. Do not squeeze or press on the cheese.

Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate in the sieve, overnight or up to 24 hours. It will firm up and become thick and creamy. Keep refrigerated and use within 5 days.

 

I used my cheese to make mini tiramisus with cookie bottoms, soaked in espresso, with mascarpone (whipped with vanilla & sugar) and topped with cocoa powder, served in mini glass dishes.

Drool Scarf

Oliver is approaching his four month birthday, and with that milestone comes many joys: He is now fully conversational (although I haven't figured out the language he speaks), he can sit up on his own (it usually ends up with him doubled over on his face, but it's cute), he attempts to crawl, he plays with toys very purposefully and he can roll over front to back and back to front. The only hiccup that this age brings is... the symptoms of teething! He doesn't seem bothered so I assume we're not far into it, but he is drooling like a leaky faucet.

In hopes of sparing his shirts I set out to make him some drool scarves. Some moms also use these for spit up, but I'm happy to say that's almost a nonexistent problem for my little guy. The idea came from a friend and fellow mom, Kayla in Alberta, and it was easy to find a pattern online.

I started by cutting an old soft blanket into triangles - 12" x 12" x 17". It made 8 pieces. Then I cut Calvin's old cotton t-shirts into the same size - 4 of them to line the double-sided scarves that the 8 pieces of blanket would make. When you choose fabric, make sure at least one is absorbent. I had my mom fold the pieces into a mock-hem, and sew around the edges, with the blanket fabric on the outsides, nice side facing out, and the t-shirt in the middle for thickness and absorbency. After sewing all 3 sides, on all 4 scarves, we also added velcro on the front top left and back top right so the scarves are easy to secure around his neck.

It's important that babies don't sleep with a drool scarf on.

Homemades To Do

I just got home from my friend Rob's house and, boy, have I met my match! He threw on a expert batch of moka stovetop coffee as he told me about a from-scratch tiramasu he'd just whipped up and had me try his latest batch of habanero sauce and new method of fat-sealing pesto. If I am anything in the homemade world - he is king.

So it got me to thinking about what neat homemades I've done:

• yogurt
• maple syrup
• soap
• grape juice
• salsa
• pickles, pickles, pickles
• red pepper jelly
• tomato sauce
• buns

And ones I still hope to do (probably with his help!):

• hot sauce
• beer
• wine
• mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, paneer

It's amazing how many things in this life are readily available in a ready-made form. If we want a quick dinner we pull out premade and dried pasta noodles and a jarred sauce, we spoon some premade pre-grated parmesan cheese on top and bust open a can of ginger ale. We're saving money and time in the short run at the expense of losing money and life in the long run. As I continue to figure out time- and money- management I want to move closer to being someone who makes homemade pasta noodles, and sauce, and cheese, and ginger ale. I've actually done two of those things - noodles too if you count a failed attempt; and cheese as of noon today.

What homemade things have you attempted?

How to Bake Fresh Buns

November 17th is National Bread Baking Day and what better way to celebrate than by whipping up a batch of these yummy buns. Maybe you can even share with your scruffy-faced husband a la No-Shave November.

Ingredients:
1 cup warm milk
2 T water
2 T sugar or honey (stevia won't work - it does not provide food for yeast)
2 T margarine, butter or oil
1 pkg yeast
3 c flour
1 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Mix together first 5 ingrefients and let sit.
2. After 5 minutes, mix flour and salt together and mix in with other, wet ingredients forming a ball of dough.
3. Divide into how many buns you'd like to make (I recommend 6 or if you're doing mini-buns for sliders than 8 - 10). Put these smaller balls onto a cookie sheet.
4. Let rise for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly golden.

I like to add extra ingredients like sesame seeds on top for a burger bun or caraway seeds for a sandwich bun. You could also top with olive oil and rosemary, or try mixing shredded cheese into the dough.

Enjoy your National Bread Baking Day!

How to make & use a moby wrap for baby - DIY!

31 Days: Day 5

Alright, this is impossible. Some how unless my day involves very significant events I lose all ability to remember how I spent my hours by the next morning.

Yesterday... I know I made cranberry oatmeal for breakfast. I went for a long walk with Calvin and Oliver. Somewhere along the line we had tuna wraps for lunch. We checked the mail*. I drove Calvin to work and stopped at the police station for a criminal records check (I am going to be volunteering as a nutrition educator at the YMCA and would also like to start volunteering in my church's nursery). Then I hung out at my friend Megan's place, on Wortley Rd. Her son Kelan is 2 weeks older than Oliver so they became friends.

We had chai tea and bonded over countless similar experiences. I'm really glad to have her in my life. We walked down to Quarter Master because I had forgotten a bottle of mint chlorophyll in the staff fridge (Iron Man reminded me of this) and I got to visit with the old staff, plus some customers. Upon leaving to try and find my friend Alla I ran into her son who was also looking for her, and we began a journey of searching for her together. Once we did find her I went to the library (Canadian Living: Create, Update, Remake - DIY Projects for You, Your Family and Your Home) walked back to Megan's to get my car - ran into 3 friends working at burger joint extraordinaire, Relish - and then drove to get Cal. Then we went to East Side Mario's for my friend Ashley's 25th birthday. We chatted about mushrooms and baseball and buying condoms in a wheelchair. We forced Ashley to allow a Happy Birthday singing so that we could eat her cake. And I gave her a homemade present - 2 wood log coasters, tied in a grey yarn bracelet. With a homemade card that used rosemary as a tree in the design. After that we went to Calvin's parents' house to pick up a second hand breast pump that Jeff procured for me. (Was so hoping that his receptionist would blast JEFF YOUR BREAST PUMP IS HERE over the PA system - but no luck). Then I got really tired so we came home. I fell asleep reading "The Thrive Diet".

* In the mail was a free infant formula sample from Similac. Not only do I not know how they got my information, but I don't believe it's right to send unwanted samples to new moms. Dr. Sears says you're much more likely to "give up" breastfeeding if you have formula in the house. Think of the nursing relationships that could be saved if we met challenge with support instead of a way out. I understand that some people need formula and it saves lives, but it needs to be a last resort and not an easy decision. I plan to contact them about my discomfort with the situation and I might even drink the stuff myself since it's probably a decent meal replacement and I'm all for saving money :) What do you think?

It's Creating Time!

The last days of summer are absolutely made for my favourite things: gardening, canning and crocheting (because you'll need some new scarves, mitts and hats soon!) I could probably include coffee brewin' in there too when the mornings are chilly. Just out of curiosity, does it offend anyone that I drink a mug of coffee every day despite breastfeeding? I would love to know how people feel.

So in honour of this glorious time of year, I have a challenge for my readers. Read through this list of creative ventures and do at least one of them before the autumn equinox on Sept 23rd. Heck, do more than one. I plan to do all of them if my little Ollie Wolfe's sleeping habits will allow.

1. Do some end of summer maintenance to your garden. If you're really ambitious this could include attempting seed saving.
2. Make something DIY instead of buying it. Like these wood coasters (see photo) that my coffee table desperately needs.
3. Learn a new song on your instrument of choice. I suggest Iron & Wine.
4. Crochet a fall scarf. Charcoal grey is particularly satisfying.
5. Host a pickling party. Have friends bring their own jars and pay a buck or two for your supplies (pickling cucumbers, vinegar, salt, maybe sugar and other spices). Or let everyone bring a unque veg to pickle (think asparagus, carrots, pearl onions..)
6. Donate your rarely worn summer clothes. Commit to going new-clothes free all autumn. If you really need something get it second hand.
7. Write a thank you card. Lately I've realized gratitude is one of life's sweetest virtues. Recognize the people in your life that bless you.
8. Brew some joe (or tea!) in a french press. If you're near a specialty coffee shop, a thrift store or an Italian family home, try using a Moka stove top pot.
9. Go on a library binge. It's free!
10. Read myideaofhappiness regularly ;)

Soap Making!

Mom and I have been wanting to make handmade soap for a long time. RockyTopSoapCompany was featured on Etsy.com last week and his incredible soaps really put me over the top - we instantly set sail for stores that were selling the supplies we'd need (which, by the way, are really hard to find.)

Here's what we came up with. Let me know if you'd like to buy a bar.

 Measuring the liquid fats.

 Measuring the solid fats.

Measuring the lye.

Melting and heating the fats.

Dissolving the lye.

 

 

Scent and texture agents.

Whipping to "trace point".

Molding.

Making labels.

 After setting for 24 hours. Now I need to let the cut slabs saponify for 4 weeks!

DIY Maple Syrup

Be a Canadian. Make your own maple syrup.

Here's my Mom's blog from last year:
http://rosesunread.blogspot.com/2009/03/first-we-get-our-equipment-set-up-5.html

How to Make a Homemade Crocheted Slouch Hat!

I learned to knit and crochet when I was young. For some reason I always thought that knitting was much more legit so I did the majority of my projects with the double needles of death. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that everything I tried to make would take weeks and some things would never even be completed. This became evident a few nights ago when I had to call my mom on speaker phone and have her remind me how to finish your last row, because I hadn't actually completed anything I'd started knitting in so long. And that about sealed my fate to forever be a crocheter. It is quicker, easier, a breeze to transport and it is the way that I throw together the hat I'm about to explain.

You will need yarn and a crochet hook. Please learn to chain, double crochet, increase and decrease.

Hi Bethany! (Photo by: Ashley Long)

Chain on about 60 or however many it takes to loop around the circumference of your head or the head of who will be wearing this hat.

Double crochet a second row, beginning at the first chain loop, thus connecting the two ends and making a circle. You will be crocheting in a circle from now on.

Double crochet rows continuously until you've achieved a nice inch-or-so long band. At this point you could tie off and have a nice headband. Or,

Increase by adding a stitch every 10 loops. I do this by picking up the front stitch, double crocheting it, then picking up the counterpart back stitch and double crocheting it. Some people do this by adding a chain loop after the double crochet which you'll pick up next row. Either way, do this for about the same length as the band you've just completed. This will give the hat its token slouch. For a slouchier hat continue for longer, making the hat nice and large.

Double crochet, neither increasing nor decreasing, until your hat is reaching the size you'd like it at. This might translate to 30 odd rows, or more, or less.

Decrease by double crocheting two loops together, every 10 stitches. If this doesn't appear to be finishing the hat off at the rate you'd like, you can decrease every 8 stitches or even every 5, whatever appears to be creating the shape you're going for. I often begin at decreasing every 10, then end up decreasing much more often - every 4 or 5 usually. Continue until you have only 10 stitches left.

Draw string your last 10 stitches together by cutting your string off (leave half a foot for good measure) and pulling it through each loop, from top to bottom, then pulling the string tight. This will close your hat. Tie off and re-tie off just to be careful. Hat complete!

Did something go wrong? Common problems include making the original circumference too big or small. If this is the case, give the hat away as a gift and next time pay extra attention to the stretch and flexibility of your yarn of choice. Also sometimes the hat's inner volume is too small for your head, next time add many more rows and you won't have this problem. I've also run out of yarn before the hat is complete - Tie a piece of similarly coloured (or heck - totally differently coloured) yarn and continue on as usual.

Canadian winters are cold. Don't be caught without a homemade crocheted slouch hat!

Easy-Peasy Laundry Soap

Guest blogger: Ashley Long

After my sister-in-law had raved about her homemade laundry soap, she gave me the recipe she found online and told me to give it a try. I finally did and love it! It makes your clothes soft, and whites whiter. Also, I can wash my clothes in cold water as long as i dissolve the detergent in a little bit of hot water first.

So here it is...

1 cup Borax

1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

Some shaved up natural plain soap

Use one - two tablespoons per load. (Heavier or dirtier loads need two.)

You can also add any preferred scented oils, as long as they won't stain. Haven't tried that myself, but I've heard you can do it. Just be careful. :)

Some amazing facts I learned while working on this project.

1. The first two ingredients were found in the laundry isle in the Superstore

2. The soap I bought at the market and it smells ten times better than soaps with harsh bad stuff in them... uh you get what I'm saying I hope

3. The lady selling the soap is really nice and gave me a discount when I told her what the soap was for

4. Putting the ingredients together took 5 minutes... tops

5. I am saving money

How to Quit Smoking with DIY Flavoured Toothpicks

I have met so many people lately who have quit smoking with the use of flavoured toothpicks that I simply can't pass up the opportunity to share my method.

Procure a small, thin jar, preferably with a lid. If said jar currently contains a delicious blend of spiced rooibos tea - drink it.

Place 5 - 10 natural wood toothpicks in the jar. Fill with pure vodka, leaving a 1/4" headroom. Add 10 drops of any essential oil(s) you desire. I did tea tree-peppermint.

Leave overnight. In the morning, drain (depending on the oil you could... well, you get my drift) and let dry.

And there you have it, now toss your cigarettes and thank me later.

The friend I know who have had success with this method kept a hefty pack of toothpicks on them at all times. When the craving hits simply chew on the end of one to get you through. 

How to Weave a Basket

I have no idea: I've never done it! But here's a wonderful tutorial that I plan on following in the near future:

http://www.bushcraft.ridgeonnet.com/basicbasket.htm

Yarn Slippers

Everyone loves yarn slippers. You know, the handmade looking ones your grandma offers you to wear on her hardwood floor? I recently went on a crocheting binge and realized that a pair of these take only a few hours to throw together. I had a ball of recycled grey medium wide so I went to town!
Here's how:

1. Learn to crochet.


Never been a fan of witches, but this is the best youtube I've seen: http://www.youtube.com/user/theknitwitch
For this "pattern" you'll need to master the chain & the double crochet.

2. Chain roughly an inch longer than your foot, or the foot of the friend you're gifting these slippers to. Flip back and double crochet for the full length. This would be considered row 2. Continue until you have enough rows to make a rectangular piece about an inch wider than your (/the other person's) foot. Tie off. You will have a rectangle that is slightly bigger than the base of your foot. Repeat so you have two pieces.

3. With each piece separately, fold the rectangle in half width wise, and double crochet from the base of one side all the way up, then down the longest open side 2/3 of the way, grabbing both the loop from the front piece and back, thus connecting them, then stop! Tie off. Do the same on the opposite short side.

I am fully aware that a video or even some non-laughable photos would make this tutorial one that is possible to follow.