Awesome Christmas gifts for the prepper

 It can be tricky to get just the right gift for someone. I do think I am a good gift-giver all it really takes is thinking about the person in minds interests and listening to them and you will know just what to get. Though it does seem to take longer to come up with the right gift for some more then others.There is great satisfaction in giving gifts that are thoughtful and meaningful. My father in law is hard to get the right gift for so as I was thinking about what to get him I figured I would share some ideas not just for the hard to buy for men on your list but the prepper on your list too. These will make great gifts or stocking stuffers.

Milk Kefir Grains (Make sure to get the plastic strainer) Carla got this for me last Christmas and I thought it was a great gift, it was thoughtful too, she knew I wanted to start making Kefir on my own.

Gun Ball Bouncing Target 
We got this for my FIL for his B-day and he loves it.

Para-cord bracelet. Always there if you need it para-cord can handle up to 550lbs of weight, it has a ton of uses check out the site to see them all.

Fire Hose Work Pants. My FIL and husband LOVE them. My hubby wears out pants fast and these have really held up amazingly. They are comfortable according to him and they look good on him so that doesn't hurt either;)

X-treme Tape. It can stretch 3x it's length, doesn't melt until 550F , insulates up to 800 volts, and forms air and water tight seals. A good thing to have around and a great stocking stuffer for the home improvement person in your life.

Juicer. 

Re-usable canning lids

Dissolvable canning labels






Well hope this helps and if nothing else triggers ideas for other gifts!

Merry Christmas!

Free Presentation on the 6 Facets of Health

Just wanted to share some information on a presentation coming up in Los Lunas, NM being presented by Dr. Michael James from the Health and Weight Loss Clinic out of Laguna, NM.

They will be discussing the 6 facets of health.

1. What you should eat to be healthy.
2. Food is not the enemy, food products are. 
3. Avoid colors, preservatives and excitotoxins.
4. Good fats and oils are essential.
5. Exercise should be for the entire body and not single muscle groups. 
6. Our body's pH is of paramount importance.

The lecture will be at the Los Lunas Transportation Building, 101 Courthouse Road on October 2, 2012 at 6:00 pm.  For more information you can call the clinic at 888-388-4413.

I know this is a local event and short notice, but it would be fun to see you!  I will try to update this post with a summary of information from the event.  I have been to some of his presentations before, and have always felt I learned a ton.

If you can't attend the lecture, you can also check out their website at drugfreehelp.com

'Modern Harvest' Canning Jar Labels

Canning Jar Labels
Source: Modern Harvest

by Carla Ludington

I have a dear friend that is so diligent in so many ways, home canning being one of them.  She was frustrated with how to label her canned goods. At one point, she put on sticky labels, but then the next year when she had to try to get them all off of the glass jars, she was not so enamored with the idea.

Fast forward a few years, and their family has started a new business, Modern Harvest, pioneering a new patent-pending way to make canning easier.  They designed shrink-wrap type labels for canning jars, that have a place for you to write in what you have canned, and a place on the back that you check off when you canned it, as well as when you opened it so you can know if it is still good.  To put the labels on the jars, you just dip them in hot water, and *presto!*.  When you are ready to reuse the jars, you simply slip a knife or pair of scissors underneath the label (and do a little bit of wiggling, remember they ARE shrink-wrapped onto the jars) and ta-da:  a jar with a clean surface, ready to be re-used.

back panel of Modern Harvest canning jar label

Seriously, sometimes you just look at something and go, "Why did it take so long for someone to invent this???"   I am so excited for them, and think it is such an AWESOME idea.  I hope you will find a design you like and try it out, and I wish their business all the best!

We have had a bit of a complicated summer around here, so I have not canned a thing yet this year (although we have dehydrated quite a bit), so you will have to test out the product for me, ha-ha!  I asked about coordinating shipping to a separate address for a giveaway, and they have graciously offered to ship a free trial package to one of our lucky blog readers :0)

To enter, please send me one jar of your most recent canned goods, lol, just kidding!! Earn an entry for each question you answer in the comments.  A winner will be randomly picked on September 14th, just in time to try it out while you re-stock your pantry with your bounteous harvests! (or for labeling home canned Christmas gifts :0)

1) What you most look forward to with this product or what you look for in this type of product in general
2) Your most frustrating experience with labeling your canned goods (share your experienced canners "DON'T do this" tip for anyone not using these labels yet)
3) Your favorite design / what you would like to try out
4) The biggest reason you would likely NOT want to try this out (is there one?)
5) What would make it easier to use this product (for me, I don't always plan ahead very well, so I would have to order these for my canning for next year so they would be handy :p )
6) Share this on Facebook (make sure you like us on Fb so we can find your link! :0)
7) Share this on Pinterest (share your Pinterest link in the comments section)

How to make your own body butter

    (Not Victoria Secret's Love Spell body butter in the container)

Home made body butter. 
I have been using up my cache of body butter and not re-stocking it, knowing that I was going to make my own after it was all used up. However it took me a week or so to actually get around to making it after it all ran out. I can't remember when I started slathering body butter on after I got out of the shower it's been a ritual for so long I don't remember when it started. So for the past week I have smelled like baby magic, I hope no one has noticed but thats all I had left. Now I can trow it away. Why am I making my own body butter? Well I am tired of the laundry list of chemicals that are in most body butter and lotions and I don't want to pay big bucks for the kind of lotion I want if I can just make it myself, why not?

Ingredient list for body butter

1. Container. I saved an empty body butter lotion tub. You could use a mason jar, tuber-ware etc.

2. Coconut oil.(purchased at Tropical Traditions) I used about 6oz.
3. Shea butter (purchased on Amazon) or Cocoa butter. I used 8oz of Shea butter.
4. Essential oils of your choice.

Shea butter is firmer then coconut oil. I didn't have a recipe for this, I just threw it together. You can't mess it up. I know of people who just use coconut oil as their moisturizer. The body butter I made has the consistency of frosting. It has a few tiny Shea butter beads in it but once you start rubbing it on it melts fast. You can melt it all together first and then beat it when it's completely cooled down. I think it's an unnecessary step since you will melt it down the rest of the way when you rub it into your skin.

Sorry I don't have a picture of it blended together in the mixer but I had a little helper and got distracted. 

Russel smelling the body butter.

 Carla made some hard lotion bars and gave me one a few months ago. It was love at first use. But that's another post! Since then I have realized that keeping the ingredient list simple is the way to go. Not only is it simpler but I love the results! Since we have moved back to New Mexico about a year ago from Tulsa where it's humid my skin seems to have aged or something I don't' know but needless to say I don't like it! I have never had lotion make my skin look and feel this good. Why not put pure goodness on your skin, it feels so good knowing that what I am using is something I made and knowing exactly what's in it. I normally get my lotions from Bath and Body Works when there lotion went on sale. Or from Marshall's I would just read the labels and find the ones with the most goodness in them. Now I don't have to! It cost me about $8 dollars to fill up 2.5 containers (third container not picuted) It would have easily cost me $15+ for the amount I made.

I have been wanting to go through the ingredient list that is found in most lotions for some time now. A lot of the ingredients are questionable and while they may be cheaper (just guessing) to use but can be done away with when using truly natural products. My home made lotion has 3 ingredients versuses the 10 found in the commercial product. If there was a nominal diffenece between my homemade body butter and commercial products I wouldn't bother to gather my own ingredients and make it. However after using a hard lotion bar and just the pureness of the ingredients I knew I had to make my own body butter and it's phenomenal! I will never buy store bought body butter or lotion again!

Now let's look at the ingredient list ...

This is the ingredient list for Equate's Daily Moisturizing Lotion (Victoria Secret's body butter label was on the bottom but reads right to left and I just couldn't do it with such tiny crammed print).

The first ingredient -
Allantoin which I know to be good since it's found in Comfrey and helps to speed recovery through cell proliferation. Read more here.
Avina Sativa or oat kernel helps - It can reduce dry skin and inflammation. Oat straw's silicon is the reason why Avena sativa has anti-inflammatory properties. Read more here. 
This site called Skin Deep rates skin care products etc. Benzyl Alcohol -  Neurotoxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs). Source.

Cetyl Alcohol - "Today, cetyl is obtained from other sources of fats, such as petroleum, palm, coconut or vegetable oil" (used to be obtained from whale fat)."Because of its unique binding and emollient action, cetyl alcohol is a great binder for moisturizing. Why? Water and oil do not mix, so moisturizers containing a fat such as cetyl alcohol lock moisture into the skin and form a protective barrier that water can't penetrate, preventing dry and parched skin." *Read more here. I think it's an unnecessary ingredient in my lotion, I didn't add any water to it. K.I.S.S Keep it simple stupid and I question it's safety. 

Distearyldimonium Chloride - "may be found as an ingredient in fabric softeners, cosmetics, and hair conditioners in which it is added primarily for its antistatic effects." Not finding this to be a necessary ingredient in my body lotion. Read more here *and here it makes skin feel smooth but it's safety is questioned. Glycerin - "Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin" However the reasoning for having it in lotions doesn't make me want to put it in my lotion.  Read more here."

"Unless the humidity of air is over 65%, glycerin draws moisture from the lower layers of the skin and holds it on the surface, drying the skin from the inside out." Hmmm...doesn't sound good does it?! Read more here.  Isopropyl palmitate - It's an astringent emollient that is sometimes used to reduce the feeling of greasiness. It also used to help active ingredients to diffuse into the skin better." Certain hazards have been connected to the use of isopropyl palmitate" source. Petrolatum - " Right now, petrolatum is cheap, plentiful and generally safe, and it mixes up easily in the lab to create the products we use every day—it’s not going anywhere soon." Read more here. After reading about it I am indifferent to it but don't see a need to add any to my home made body butter. Sodium chloride - It can be used to increase the thickness of the aqueous (water) portion of cosmetics and personal care products. Source. Not seeing the benefit to adding it to my body butter since I don't have any water and the thickness is fine. *Water - follow the link to get the full picture as to why water is used in lotion, this is a really good article! 

Home made body butter ingredients -

Coconut oil - Coconut oil is excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. Coconut oil is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of various body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its antioxidant properties. Source. Just put coconut oil in a Google search and see for yourself. There is a lot of hype about it right now but I believe most of it. I have seen the difference it's made in my skin and it's been wonderful. 

Shea butter -  What makes Shea butter an extraordinary skin care and an amazing body healer is its richness in precious constituents, which include unsaturated fats with a large proportion of "unsaponifiables" components, essential fatty acids, phytosterols, vitamin E and D, provitamin A and allantoin. All these are natural and make Shea butter a superfood for your skin (and hair), but that is not all it can do for you because it is:

• Wrinkles, fine lines and scars repairing
• Antioxidant
• Anti-inflammatory
• Deeply moisturizing
• Stimulating for the superficial microcirculation
• Skin strengthening
• Skin protecting
• UV protecting
• Skin regenerating
• Collagen production stimulating (makes the skin stronger, more supple and younger)
• Minor cuts and burns healing
• Muscle ache healing
• Physical endurance enhancer
• Source

Essential oils is a whole other post(s).

Yep, I will be making my own body butter from now on :) Do you make your own body butter? I would love to hear about your experiences with it? What ingredients do you add that I didn't and why? Thanks for stopping by! Also if you do start making your own I would love to hear about the results!

 

Homemade Vanilla

A Deliciously Aromatic Tutorial

by Carla Ludington

A 3 month old bottle of homemade vanilla extract

I love real vanilla, but I can hardly bring myself to pay full price for the good stuff, which is unfortunate because I do quite a bit of baking and cooking. I finally could not bare the thought of purchasing it, so the next best alternative is to try to make it myself!!

The site I found most helpful was Vanilla Review.  Ian has a ton of information, and the comments were also helpful to browse through and see people's different experiences.

Having never ordered vanilla beans before, and not sure what to expect, $20 seems like a bit to drop for an experiment.  Far more awkward was dropping the $ for the alcohol!  There is lots of advice out there about what makes 'the best vanilla extract', but really, it all seems to boil down to vanilla beans and vodka, so don't stress.  Want proof? (ha-ha, get it? :0)  Read on to learn about my stressed out adventure.

While there are many places to choose from, I ordered a pound of vanilla beans from Saffron Imports.  Specifically, I ordered 1/2 a pound of Planifolia beans, and 1/2 a pound of Tahitian beans. The bonus was for orders over $20 you get a free 2 oz bottle of vanilla extract or a 5 bean sample.  Note that 'extract quality' beans are drier than 'gourmet quality' beans.  Extract beans have a lower water content, which is ideal for vanilla extract.  You will also get more bang for your buck, since by weight there will be less water content.  Really, either should work just fine.

Packaged Tahitian Vanilla Beans. 

Purchasing the alcohol ended up being an even bigger part of the experiment.  Vodka, rum, and bourbon were all recommended as the extract medium.  I had heard that the best vanilla extract was made from Bourbon, so we tried our first batch using Bourbon Whiskey.  To me personally, the smell of the alcohol was overwhelmingly sickening.  Perhaps it was that my nose is inexperienced in the aroma of alcohol or that my alcoholic choice was an inexpensive selection, (is there Bourbon that is not Whiskey?) but whatever the reason, it smelled AWFUL to me.  There was not much of a vanilla smell to it, but an overwhelmingly sickening smell of whiskey. While you can use Bourbon, (so I've seen at least), It turns out the Bourbon vanilla being referred to was from one of the islands vanilla beans come from.  Who knew??

For the second try, my husband & I had a conversation about what makes the extract work.  We discussed using Vodka (which is the most commonly used alcohol), but after conversations he had with co-workers, he wanted to try Everclear, as it has the highest percentage of alcohol content - it is a grain alcohol, made from corn, that is 190 proof (95% alcohol).  Initially this seemed like it was working well, however in comparison to other batches we have made, this still smells like rubbing alcohol (duh, it is 95% alcohol), and has not extracted as much vanilla as we would have expected.  I have considered adding distilled water to it to hopefully improve the probability of extracting more vanilla.

Well, third time is a charm, right?  We used, drum roll please, vodka - which is what was suggested from the get go by many.  We aimed for a mid-level Vodka, picking up an Absolut Vodka on the first trip to try it out, and then getting a Svedka on a trip to Sam's Club to get it in bulk, which was by far the cheapest option, even considering the many discount liquor stores in "wet" ol' New Mexico.

The Caviar is very small, soft and grainy. 

To prepare the extract, we sliced the beans lengthwise four times, and then scraped out the "caviar" (the inside of the bean). The bean and caviar were then scraped into a glass bottle.  A dark glass bottle is recommended, but we had easy and inexpensive access to clear glass bottles with a re-sealable rubber stopper, and plan to keep them in the closet out of sunlight.

Our vanilla extract assembly process.

The 'recipe' I used, if you can call it that, was:  30 grams vanilla beans for 250 mL alcohol, which is about 8 vanilla beans.  Therefore, for 1750 mL you will use approximately 56 beans, or about 1/2 lb. vanilla beans.

                                              

It is important that the vanilla beans in the bottle are constantly covered up by the alcohol, no ends or points sticking out.   On one of the batches we made, we got lazy and just sliced the beans length wise once or twice and then put it in the blender and pulsed it a few times. It did make very quick work of

the slicing / scraping.  My only reservation is that after the extract is complete, this precludes you from being able to remove the pieces, dry them, and then add them to a container of sugar to make vanilla sugar.  However, the bonus is that the vanilla bean pieces stay submerged in the alcohol, even if I am siphoning off a little bit at a time to stock my pantry.

               

Extract in vodka after processing

For best results, the recommended extract time is approximately 6 months.  Shake the extract every day the first week, then once a week for 6 months, or really, just when you see them and think about it.  It is supposed to age like wine, and will get better as time passes.

Within a week, the color between the Everclear and Vodka was noticeably different.  The Everclear looks slightly pale, while the Vodka is very dark and rich in color.  It still smells very strongly of alcohol, but after being made, aside from a weekly shaking, it needs to sit for about six months.

Left: vodka @ 3 months;
Center: Vodka @ 1 month;
Right: Everclear @ 3 months

After about 3 months, it has a beautiful vanilla aroma to accompany the slight alcohol smell.  When I was in the middle of cooking and used up the last of my store bought vanilla and was in a pinch, I tried it out, and it was just fine.  I refilled my store bought bottle, but left the rest of the extract-in-process in the closet in the pantry to let it sit a few more months.




For me, this is a keeper!!  Definitely easy to do, inexpensive (if you don't buy the wrong alcohol first!!!), and the smell is A-MAZING!!  The wait time is kind of annoying, but the old saying that necessity is the mother of invention (or motivation) is so true in my case.  I finally just DID IT and now I have awesome vanilla to use for the next long while.  Hypothetically, I made a little extra for small Christmas gifts, but I don't know who reads this blog, so if it is you, just act surprised and enjoy :0)

So, ready to try your hand at it?  I saved a few extra beans to pass on in a double giveaway - yeah!!!  To enter to win, comment here or on our Facebook page and reveal what you have tried (or want to try) from any of the different posts we have done on Our Journey to Self Reliance thus far.  For a second chance to win, tell us something you would like to learn more about or try to do, but need someone else to do first to give you the motivation to start or try.  If you are new to the journey, become a follower or like us on our Facebook page (and message us so we know to look for you!)

Just for kicks, tell us what you have enjoyed the most about sharing our journey - we would love to hear from you!!  TWO winners will be picked August 9th by a random number generator, announced in the comments, and messaged to obtain mailing info.  Good luck and thanks for sharing a little about your journey!   :0)

Horno = Adobe Oven. There is no horno in orno.

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 On May 17th some of our ward gathered at our Bishops house to make watch and learn as a few people helped in part of the process of building the Horno. I am the Provident Living Specialist, it's my calling in our ward. I organize 4-5 activities a year to do stuff like this :) I am grateful that him and his wonderful wife were up for us all descending on their house (a house they built of adobe 20yrs ago).

Barbie took video and I took a ton of pics with my camera. Barbie shot the whole process and is making a video out of it which will be shared on You Tube and I will of course be sharing it here.

 My hubs in the white shirt and brown work pants. Hubba, hubba ;)

I thought it was super cute that my son was the only kid there interested in what the adults were doing. Luckily he was in helping and observing mode not destruct-o mode.

Part of the video was shown at the Self-Reliance Fair by the Bishop at his booth. My parents came to the very successful fair and now my dad really wants to build one and since me and Jake were present for part of the Horno building he is enlisting our help. Which is fine by me since I didn't get to get my hands dirty in this one since I was taking pictures the whole time. Of course my dad wanted to know how much money it takes to build an Horno. Well here in NM it's about $1 an adobe brick. You need about 200 bricks so there you go. This is a large one but you can build them smaller of course.

The picture below is probably what you picture in our mind when your hear the word Horno...maybe or you may be saying it with the H which conjures up pictures of? Well let's not go there. The H is silent hince there are no hornos in ornos ;) I heard people say "what's an horno" about 1,000 times and it's funny, but it's pronounced orno.  Picute of an Horno in a Pueblo in Taos New Mexico.

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Love the creativity.

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Peachy pink stuccoed Horno. I like the shelter it's in too but wonder how the smoke is, do they have a hole in the roof? I also think I would extend it out further. Also the Bishop was telling my dad that you can somehow build it into your home which would be highly beneficial in the winter. I know super vague but if you are thinking about building house then I am just dropping a bug in your ear.

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At the fair I put up a sign up sheet for people to leave their e-mail address if they wanted to be notified of the first meeting for the East Mountains Community Homesteading Group. What is a Community Homesteading Group? Read this post. The jest of it is you have a group in a close geographic location, (ours will be around 15 square miles, I think) there to help each other out and to learn from each other. Need help building that chicken tractor? Send an e-mail out via the group e-mail list and see if anyone responds. Want to teach a few classes on how to build an Horno send the word out via the e-mail group to let people know. The group can meet together a few times a year and have a potluck. The first meeting is when to discuss how you want to organize it all. It's a great opportunity to build community and share your skills and learn some new ones. I am looking forward to getting it going with the help of a new friend that I met through organizing the fair.

Hope you enjoyed the post. If you have any questions I would love to try and answer them, or get them answered for you.



Have you seen these posts?



Make homemade foaming hand soap



Straw bale gardening


Spice it up!

How NOT to make homemade laundry soap.....

My own batch of homemade laundry soap

Or Alternately, "Trial & Error With Homemade Laundry Soap"
by Carla Ludington

Well, I am constantly learning just as much from things that turn out great as I do from things that don't turn out so great.  Case in point:  Homemade Laundry Detergent.

It seems there are all sorts of posts about it, pinterest pins, a few variations of the recipes, mixed experiences with it, etc.

Who wouldn't love to spend their cash on something besides laundry detergent?  Cool bonus to know exactly what is in it (and what is NOT in it, ie all the sulfates and other chemicals). I was finally motivated to try it since we were setting up an activity to make it as part of our ladies night out / activity night for the womens group at our church.

Check on pinterest or anywhere else, and there are a zillion posts and recipes for how to do it, and they are all pretty much the same.

                                                       
                                                    Source: ourjourneywestward.com

          1 bar laundry soap (1 bar will make 1 batch)
          1 cup Borax (@ $6, will make @ 9 batches)
          1 cup Washing Soda (@ $4, will make @ 6 batches)

Here is where the trial and error part come in.  These are the things I learned in this experiment that weren't in the recipes online.  Be sure to read my conclusions on your choices for the laundry detergent bar (points 3-5) before you get started...

Finely grated soap

Ben helping grate the soap in the Bosch

       



















#1     Grate the soap with a hand grater.  I grated the soap with the fine grate attachment on my Bosch food processor.  It was super efficient and effective. (This was a time saver and easy on the hands).


#2     Stir, Stir, Stir!  That part, while easy, took forever!  My arm was sore, and it was still rather lumpy at that point.  Instead, for my second batch I poured the shredded soap and other ingredients into my blender and pulsed 8-10 times.  This was also a SERIOUS TIME SAVER. 30 seconds later I had super-fine powdery laundry detergent.

after 10 minutes of stirring

version 2: a quick mix from my helper

#3     I WOULD NOT use Fels-Naptha.  According to the OSHA Materials Safety Data Sheet, while this soap is designated as ok for consumer / household use, it does contains petrol products that should not be in contact with skin or eyes, and specifically says it aggravates pre-existing skin conditions.  That was particularly problematic for us, as my husband has really sensitive skin / severe eczema, so he had a pretty immediate reaction to it (he had no idea I had switched detergent and couldn't figure out why he seemed to develop ants in his pants over-night, lol. The poor guy went a week scratching his skin off his entire body before we had a conversation that put it all together). I will caution that while OSHA and the FDA indicate a product is safe, there are times when really the products are simply grandfathered in as safe / declared safe because there isn't any scientific studies proving to what extent they are harmful, whilst they simultaneously don't have any definitive or scientific information showing that it is actually safe.

#4     I also WOULD NOT use a body bar, as it is too oily to use on clothes (see savingdogs post of 7/31/11), as well as the fact that most body soaps are super-fatted (meaning they use additional oils to react with the lye in the soap so there is no lye remaining, but that leaves extra oil in the soap - great for skin, not so great for your clothes).  Before I discovered this, I did try a few, and would concur with the information highlighted in the discussion.



#5     I have heard mixed reviews on Ivory soap (soap doesn't dissolve in wash, clothes come out dingy, doesn't remove stains that well) so if you are going to stick with it as a super inexpensive option, I would suggest only using Ivory soap with the liquid homemade laundry detergent version so that you can melt it completely and not have chunks of it left undissolved in your laundry. (Recipes and instructions here).  Overall, I would say I still would not recommend Ivory soap since it is a body bar (see point #2 above).


Overall, making your own laundry soap is super easy, fast, and inexpensive to make. For us, the laundry detergent bar seems to be the crux of our failure - the Fels-Naptha fell short of my expectations, and the body bars don't seem to be as viable of an alternative.


Ultimately, if this is something you want to try, I would recommend you try a small amount of different grated soaps to find something you are happy with.  As for me,I haven't been able to commit to making any more yet, but I don't think I can quite call it quits, so maybe I will just have to keep trying.  Perhaps this summer we will check out Zote, or perhaps Dr. Bronner's Citrus Orange Pure Castile Soap (I like Dr. Bronner's for my foaming handsoap).  I still have several zip-loc bags of shredded soap on top of my washer that I feel wasteful throwing away, but I can't bring myself to use, so they remain on my washer in this limbo of 'this didn't work like I thought it might'.  64 loads of cheap laundry soap isn't so great if you won't (or can't) actually use it. 




If you do forge ahead, one of the sites I checked out suggested that a 32 oz yogurt tub was a perfect size to store a batch of the detergent.


On the plus side, this was HE washing machine friendly, so it won't take much.  The recommended guide is 1 Tbsp/load for a regular wash or 2 Tbsp/load for heavily soiled items.

                                         
This was a chance for me to learn how sensitive my husband's skin really is and how not everything homemade is the best choice or right fit for every family, as this didn't work out so great for us.  Maybe I should re-name this post:  "Things I never knew I would love about Biokleen".  As I mentioned earlier, so much soap, so little opportunity for it to be used at our house ever again..... so if anyone is looking to try it out for free, I have several versions to choose from  :0)

Kreative Blogger award...

Yep that's a blogger award :) So excited to have it given to us by Kendra of Our Homemade Happiness. She is super sweet and excited about making what she can at home, a rather good combination I'd say.


7 interesting facts:


1. I am the Fair Coordinator for a Self-Reliance fair that will be held in the East Mountains 30 miles outside of Albuquerque, NM. It has been a fun and interesting experience.
2. I used to have bright red hair, and purple and orange and blue. I dyed my hair enough for my whole life time. I haven't dyed my hair in nearly 10 years and I love my natural color. 
3. I love the band The Civil Wars. I love old timey folky blues grassy music I can't listen to it constantly I love me some variety! But sometimes I think I was supposed to live in a different era...but not really cause that would have sucked, you know what I am talking about ladies. -DeAnn


Now to pass the torch onto Carla to answer some questions...


1. My husband and I have a constant running conversation about where we want to move to "someday".  It entails many things we like about our current location, but infuses dreams of the actual presence of water and greenery.  As much as I dream of homesteading, I worry I am too much of a city girl.  For example, I love the IDEA of fresh eggs, but not so much the REALITY of chickens that peck at you or chicken poop.  Sigh.
2.  At our house we jokingly say we are "85% vegetarian" (we officially have "that" kind of house; some of the girls that babysit for us have no idea what in the heck to feed the kids  because there is NO FOOD IN THE HOUSE - meaning lots of grains and veggies but not much in the way of processed foods.  There are days when even my husband says this, haha!)
3. While I love sewing and quilting, most of my time is spent researching / trying out different things about self reliance and natural living, .  Maybe that is more practical for the day to day grind of life with four small children and homeschooling  :0)
4. I think I might have a mild case of ADD - I go to the library and can't help but bring home 30 different books on at least 15 different subjects that seem utterly fascinating.  I think this has spilled into my interests in hobbies and would explain my (many) pile of projects around the house. Not sure there is a way to possibly do all the things I would love to do in this lifetime.


Carla :0)

We are passing on this award to these 7 other blogs...




New life on a homestead   Another Kendra, also super sweet...must be a requirement. Her and her cute little family of homesteaders are always cooking up something fun. The post I linked to from her blog caught my attention, I would love to have one but I guess I should have stuff to put in it first.


Natalie from Prepping with NatSprat,  we actually became blog friends through both of our other blogs. She started her prepping blog very recently and is off to a great start. If you think you have to spend big bucks to be prepared then you need to see her posts on Dollar Tree 72 hour kits. 


I found Becky's post on Canning potatoes well because my dad bought and gave me 100lbs of potatoes and I don't want them to go bad! I have a pressure caner so it's time to start canning...potatoes anyone? :) She has a lot of neat posts go check her out at Simply Self Sufficiency. 
 - DeAnn


Karen Lynn at Lil' Suburban Homestead has a variety of subjects she blogs about. I have particularly enjoyed her homesteading posts on beekeeping, herbology, and especially her apothecary post for making homemade crystallized ginger that I am dying to try out - yum!


I was very inspired by so many posts from Chele at Seriously, that's my life..., she is an amazing lady that has been through some crazy and difficult challenges, and has leaned on the Lord to get her through with grace and a humble heart.  She is a great example of starting where you are and taking small steps to make a huge impact.  


While this is a little more than we are ready for right now, it has been wonderful to share in the experiences of life off grid.  Glo doesn't sugar coat it, and shares the harshness of her challenges, the beauty of nature, and the reality of life on a homestead at Off the Grid at -30.


Last but not least, I love Cari's messages of motherhood, real food, faith, and homeschooling.  Check out some awesome messages as she shares her families journey at An Intentional Life.
-Carla :0)

Here are the rules for those nominated by us:

1.Copy the Kreativ Blogger Award logo and place it in your post.
2.Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog. 
3.List 7 things about you that people might find interesting.
4.Nominate 7 other bloggers for their own Kreativ Blogger Award.
5.Leave a comment on the blogs you nominate to let them know about the award.


Thank you Kendra!

No poo for my hair, thanks

An Alternative to Sham-poo

by Carla Ludington

What shampoo do you use to wash your hair?

I don't use poo.

Sounds deceptive, and a little frightening, don't you think?

Apple Cider Vinegar

Baking Soda

That's what I thought too, when I first heard of no poo shampoo.  It sounded like someone had fallen off the crazy wagon - why wouldn't you use shampoo???  That's a little too crunchy for me, thank you very much. However, after hearing the details,

I confess I have been converted.

Shampoos are (typically) detergents with chemicals such as mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, and sodium laureth sulfate, just to name a few.  Sulfate detergents act as foaming agents and degreasers, and were originally designed to clean machinery.  When shampooing in a warm shower, the hot steam opens the pores on your scalp, allowing your body to absorb even more of the chemicals than they would otherwise.  This can be especially harmful for younger children, as the sulfates can affect their eye development.  (See here, here, and here).

My previous shampoo was "Sulfate-free", but still contained disodium laureth sulfuconate.
While is only half as toxic and irritating and irritating to the skin as SLS, that is only one ingredient in a list of many...

In the process of cleaning your hair, shampoo strips your hair of its natural oil, which is why most people add conditioner (to re-oil your hair).  With all the sebum (the natural oils from your hair) being stripped away, your hair produces even more oil, which ends up sort of over producing, leaving your hair even greasier.  Which is why it feels like you need to wash it every day (and with that routine, you do).  Hhhmmmmmm.......

Besides avoiding all the unfamiliar and unpronounceable chemicals in shampoo, here are a few other reasons someone might choose to try the no poo method:
      - very inexpensive (the ingredients are water, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar)
      - simple / easy to use
      - healthier hair (it will revert to a more natural state)
      - can save time and water (only need to shampoo every few days)
      - (usually) eliminates the need for additional hair products



Here's the skinny:

For washing your hair, use 1 Tbsp baking soda per cup of water.   This usually lasts me a couple of days.  If you have longer hair, just double or triple the recipe, but keep the proportions the same.  Too much baking soda will dry out your hair and leave residue. The theory on this is the baking soda mixture is a base and cleans your hair and scalp. You can recycle almost anything to store this in (I use a picnic style ketchup or mustard type bottle from the kitchen section at the grocers since it has a pointed tip with a lid that just slips on and off).  Apply to your scalp, let it sit for a minute, then scrub into your scalp with a circular motion, just like you would shampoo.  Rinse with warm water. (For those who prefer a visual run-through, Stephanie at Keeper of the Home shared a video blog.)

To detangle and clarify your hair, rinse your hair with a mixture of 1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (ACV) per cup of water. I use another picnic type bottle, but some people use a spray bottle.  Ideally you would rinse your scalp in cold water for this one, but I admit I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold water in the shower (or anywhere else, for that matter!).  The ACV rinse helps neutralize the pH of your hair after the baking soda mixture.

Can you say detox?

So here's the catch - remember when I said your hair will produce oil to counteract the oils being stripped by the shampoo?  Well, when you switch over to no poo, it may take your hair awhile to realize it is not being stripped anymore.  In the meantime, expect anywhere from 2 weeks to 8 weeks for your hair to adjust and revert to a healthier version of itself.  Emily at Live Renewed suggested a shampoo bar or decreasing your shampoo routine to every few days to try to decrease the amount of oil produced from shampoo stripping your scalp.  (She also mentioned that since the ACV rinse is not so much for your scalp as it is for the ends of your hair, it can actually encourage the natural oil production of your scalp, so when first starting out you may want to limit the ACV to just the ends of your hair.)  Katie at Kitchen Stewardship found that if things weren't going so well with her hair, sometimes the recipe just needed a little tweak.

I wasn't ready to go crunchy cold turkey, so I initially tried a shampoo bar (which lathers like shampoo).   It left my hair feeling a little weird, dried out and frizzy, but I think it was just going through the de-tox.  Once I ran out of the shampoo bar I switched to no poo, which was about the same initially, but got better fairly quickly, but again, I think that a lot of that was the detox for my hair. Whatever the reasons, my hair was pretty gross for what felt like forever.  I was ready to give up on several occasions.  Living with hair that felt thick, greasy, and dirty was not so pleasant.  Thank goodness it didn't last forever!  Now I am so happy with it.  It feels softer and has better body to it, and it just feels good to know I am taking care of it in a way that is easy, inexpensive, and earth friendly. My husband misses the flower-y smells of my previous shampoo, but ironically his favorite ones were advertised as having herbal types of smells like 'rosemary-mint'.  I am thinking I will try adding some essential oil to my ACV.

A few tips:

After the de-tox phase, if your hair is still too oily, try decreasing the amount of vinegar in the rinse, or switch to using lemon juice instead of ACV.

For hair that is too dry (i.e. from winter weather), add 2-3 drop vitamin e oil to the ACV rinse.

For hair that is too dry (not from winter weather), try using less baking soda or using honey in the clarifying rinse instead of ACV.

For an extensive list of suggestions on how to tweak the recipe for your hair type (i.e. greasy, frizzy, dry, itchy scalp, dandruff, etc.) and a list of herbs you can add to improve the health of your hair, see here.

Have you tried no poo before? How did it work for you? What factors make it more or less likely for you to try it out now or in the future, or to stick with it? If you aren't quite ready to leave the poo, how about trying a shampoo bar , using a greener option, or maybe just using your traditional shampoo 1 day less a week?

Bug out!!! A guest post from NatSprat!

I am so excited that Natalie is here today I have gotten to know her from my other blog The SIP project and her first blog NatSprat and when I found out she was into self-reliance and just started a new blog called Prepping Up with NatSprat I had to have her guest post...still following me? She did this fabulous post on 72 hour kits and I wanted to share it with YOU. I haven't seen a better post for a 72 hour kit. If you didn't know what to put in your 72 hour kit...now you do!

Hi! I'm Nat from over at NatSprat.blogspot.com and I am SOOOO incredibly excited to be guest posting here at OJTSR! These women are absolutely incredible and I am just so honored to be here! I was asked to share a post I did on putting together my 72 hour kit, or as I call it, my Bug Out Bag!

Basically, it's a 72 hour kit, which if necessary, can be thrown on and carried if there is some sort of emergency. We live in Colorado, so I have packed this bag according to things I might need in Colorado. If you live in, say, Florida or Hawaii you might pack differently. Also, if you have babies, you'll need to pack accordingly for that: diapers, baby food, etc. However, I think most things I have will apply to pretty much anywhere. So, what do I have in my Bug Out Bag? Let's take a peek, shall we?

First, let's go over some of the basic tools that I have in my bag.

Basics

1. Binoculars so you can see over the river and through the woods, of course...

2. Gerber Multi-tool. Basically...a pocket knife which also folds into pliers and has other "accessories" such as screw drivers, mini saw, various other blades, etc. I made sure it was a good brand, because if my life depended on this knife, I sure as heck wouldn't want it to break on me.

3. A knife sharpener...don't want a dull blade!

4. A compass with magnifying glass (also included with this but not pictured is a Colorado map, so include one from wherever you live!) Um...and know how to read a map. ;)

5. Extra Batteries (for the walkie talkie and flash light)

6. LED Flashlight: I recommend LED flashlights because the bulbs last about 100,000 hours, whereas an incandescent bulb will burn out around 40 hours. LED flashlights are also more rugged and drain batteries 3 to 5 times slower than regular incandescent flashlights. They cost more, but it's worth it. I know I sure as heck don't want my flashlight going out in the middle of the night while trying to find camp. We all know that this is when Bigfoot attacks. *shudder*

7. Walkie talkie. My husband has the other one in his bag, so we will be able to communicate with each other in case we get separated. Make sure you have your stations set right and you know how to use them."Marco!"....."Polo!".....

8. Waterproof/windproof matches

9. Flint firestarter...just in case the matches don't work or I run out.

More camp basics:

1. Roll of toilet paper and Germ-ex wipes: Because...well...when you gotta go, you gotta go.

2. Camp cookware and utensils

3. Folding camp stove

4. Portable cooking fuel (Sterno). So, basically, you unfold the stove, light the fuel, put it in the stove, and cook on top of it. And you don't have to worry about building a fire or anything.

*Here's a link to a folding camp stove with cooking fuel on Amazon.

See? Easy Peasy.

5. Work gloves.

6. Gerber camp axe: because the mini saw in my multi-tool just isn't going to cut it. Literally.

7. Tarp: can be made into a shelter (I'm still searching for a good tube tent that isn't the same thickness of Saran Wrap!!!)

8. Rope: a necessity!

9. Winter hat because as much as 45% of your body heat is lost through your head!

Personal Care Items

1. Mascara. Because even if I'm in the woods, I at least have to have mascara on to feel like a human being.

2. Travel size shampoo, conditioner and lotion.

3. Travel size soap. Because I don't want to stink.

4. Kleenex

5. Body powder: also helps if you are chafing!

6. Diaper wipes: These are for if you need to freshen up and no water is available.

7. Feminine products. Because Mother Nature doesn't care where the heck you are.

8. Chapstick because I would die without it.

9. Bug Spray

10. Sunscreen

11. Travel size deodorant

12. Travel toothbrush and toothpaste.

13. Mini sewing kit. You know one of your kids is going to get their shirt ripped on a tree. It is inevitable.

14. Folding hairbrush/mirror and hair ties.

Keeping Warm and Dry

1. Emergency blankets...I got the more durable kind. Hopefully they will hold up to wiggly little kids better!

2. Hooded poncho: never know when it may rain.

3. Marker, paper and tape: leave notes to help people find you, etc. And duct tape is just flipping awesome and you should ALWAYS have some with you. ;)

4. Trash bags: these are all kinds of useful. Use them as back up ponchos, use them to keep your stuff dry, use them as extra liner to sleep on. You can even use them to collect rain water or make a solar still.

*What's a solar still? It's a great way to collect water in emergencies. Click HERE to learn more!

Drinking Water

*Just because most people can live from 3-5 days without water doesn't mean we should!

1. Actual ready to drink water bottles. Can you believe it!?! Now, remember that a gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds. While water is very important in a survival situation, so is being able to actually stand up and walk.

2. Flavored drink packets just in case I have to use the water purification tablets and the water tastes funky.

3. Water bottle with built in water filter. This water bottle filters out 99.9 % of Giardia Lamblia and Cryptosporidium cysts. VERY IMPORTANT!!! Never drink out of rivers, lakes or streams. Unless you want to be vomiting out of one end and more unpleasant things coming out of the other end.

*want one? Here's a link to them!

4. Water purification tablets: another good thing to always have with you, just in case.

Food

Food seemed to be the most stressful part of packing my Bug Out Bag. Especially because I have 3 little kids. I wanted foods that were portable, had a long shelf life, and actually EDIBLE. I found that there were actually a lot of options for food. Here are a few!

Mountain House Freeze Dried Food

One bag of these runs around $6 and has 2 servings. They last a looong time. If water isn't an issue, these are great. They are super light weight and don't take up a whole lot of space. But if you aren't planning on having much water with you, I'd look at the other options. You have to add 2 cups of boiling water to these pouches. I think these sound pretty yummy!

Another very popular option is MRE's, or Meals Ready to Eat. These have a shelf life of about 5-7 years. (or longer, depending on the temperature they are stored at). I have a Brother-In-Law who was a Marine, and he said that these are actually pretty good. These run about $2.50 each, and each meal is 1 serving. You don't have to add water, just heat up the pouch, open it up and chow down. There are lots of different meals to chose from, as well as snacks, side dishes, and desserts! I got mine from

BePrepared.com
(I seriously love that place.)

Another option is just finding things at your local grocery store! This is an example of breakfast: Instant oatmeal, cereal bars, and hot chocolate. I got all of these things from Walmart! Keep an eye on the expiration dates, though.

These are more grocery store foods. (One of my lunches, to be exact!)

Tuna salad with crackers, granola bar, applesauce, fruit snack, and a crystal light energy water pack.

These Compleats are good, too! The shelf life is about a year, and they have lots of really yummy flavors! I'm planning on just dumping mine into my cookware and heating it up. I can only imagine how wonderful this would taste after a long day of surviving in the woods. :)

This is one of Kate's lunches. Mac & Cheese, applesauce and fruit snacks. Things I know she'll actually eat! And again, no water needed, and the Chef Boyardee things have a pretty good shelf life.

Medical Supplies

1. General First Aid Kit:

* Band-aids of various sizes

* antibiotic ointment

* thermometer

* triangular bandage

* eye rinse

*antiseptic wipes

*Calamine lotion (anti itch cream)

* medical tape

* Sterile gauze bandages various sizes

*Sterile gauze wrap

* acetaminophen and ibuprofen

*antacid tabs

* non-latex gloves (2 pairs)

* burn cream

*tweezers

*scissors

2. Snake bite kit (sure hope we don't have to use it...)

3. Blister Care Band-aids

4. Masks

5. Various commonly used OTC medicines at our house: children's Tylenol, Mucinex packets, my Zoloft (yes...I need my happy pills!) and Whitney's inhaler. Ohhh...it would be such a bad thing if we didn't have it with us!

6. ACE elastic bandage

7. First Aid Guide: In case I freak out and can't remember how to put on a Band-aid.

A few other things to put in your bag (I didn't take pictures of these...sorry!)

*an extra change of clothing
*important documents
*cash!!!
*a portable handheld radio (the kind you can wind up by hand)
*folding camp shovel
* fun things for the kids: coloring books, card games, etc.

*scriptures and journal

 Can you believe that all of those things are crammed into that backpack? ROCK ON. If I forget anything or add things I'll update as I go. Also, my kids each have their own Bug Out Bags, and they just carry the very basics. Otherwise, they would fall over and cry and we would never get anywhere. The end.

If you have any questions or suggestions, leave a comment and let me know! Hopefully you found this helpful. You don't have to get everything all at once, just little by little! I made a goal to get at least ONE thing for my pack every time I went to the store. Baby steps, my friends, baby steps. Baby steps to Walmart....baby steps to the back pack isle....baby steps to the camping section....hahah. :)

Annnd, that about covers it! Thank you SOOO much for having me here, ladies! It's been a pleasure!