May Goals

I was so pleased with how my April goals turned out - making goals for the month helped me purposefully plan for trying new things, I did them, and most of them turned out really well! Because of my success, I'm making some new goals for the month of May. This month I'll be: making strawberry jam, spinach pesto, trying my hand at growing sprouts, and trying out the baking soda/vinegar shampoo method! We'll see how it goes!

Re-Usies

My sister-in-law saw my post a while ago where I said that I had started washing and reusing baggies. When she saw these reusable cloth baggies, she got a few for me! It was so thoughtful of her, and I'm excited to try them out! They are so cute, and it will make packing snacks so much more fun!

English Muffins and Deodorant

So I was able to make both the English Muffins and Deodorant this week.

I made the English Muffin recipe from my More With Less cookbook, and they turned out delicious! They did get a little too brown on the outside, so I probably will try cooking them on lower heat next time, but we loved them! They were a little bit time consuming; I would recommend starting them earlier in the day so you're not trying to finish them at the same time you're trying to get dinner made, and if you have little kids you may not want to make them the same day you're trying to get a bunch of grocery shopping done! If I follow those ideas next time, I don't think they'll be as big of a deal!

As for my deodorant, I used this recipe. I thought I had purchased enough arrowroot powder, but I didn't, so I ended up using some of that and some cornstarch. I used 6 Tbsp. coconut oil, and it seemed a little too wet, so I ended up adding about 2 extra Tbsp. of cornstarch. The next day, though, it seemed maybe a little too dry, so I probably wouldn't add quite that much next time. Before trying this, I had my doubts about it, especially after my sister told me she had made it and didn't like it. However, after using it for a few days, I am sold! I love that it is completely safe and natural and I think it works great. I asked Seth to try it, too, and he thought it worked well (and he is often pretty skeptical of some of the natural body products). I did try putting some in an old deodorant container, but I found that worked better to rub it in with your fingers, which defeats the purpose, so just putting it in a small jar or container works well.

I am so glad to have found two new recipes that I love!

April Goal Updates

I tried making onion powder a couple of weeks ago. I sliced onions and put them in the dehydrator. Once they were crispy, I smashed them up with the bottom of a cup. Unfortunately, I couldn't get powder, just flakes. I've used them in a couple of soups, which has worked well. I might have to try to experiment a little more with this.


This week I still have to make the English Muffins and deodorant. I tried making the English Muffins last week, but I think my yeast was no good, as they didn't rise. So I'll be trying them again!

I have used my crock pot quite a few times this month, which has been nice. I tried several new recipes, but I will probably only make one or two of them again. The crock pot lasagna turned out well, and the stroganoff was pretty good, so I'll probably add them to my recipe list!
I was also able to do several baking projects this month, so overall it has been pretty productive!

We'll see how the rest of my projects planned for this week turn out!

Kiddos...

I haven't posted in so long, it's time for an update on what the little people have been up to...

Joanna is flashing us more and more of her adorable smiles...



Benjamin is getting to be such a helper - he loves to help me load the laundry in the washer!


We went to the park recently, and Benjamin was quite confused as to why Joanna was put in "his" stroller...so he decided he had to at least help push it.


Apparently Joanna isn't a thumb-sucker like her big brother; she's decided she likes her first two fingers instead!


Benjamin got his first "real" haircut (more than just a trim)! He's looking like such a big boy!

Success!

I tried the Crock-Pot Yogurt this week and it worked great! I am so happy with how it turned out! This was pretty much the easiest thing I have ever made. It takes about 13 1/2 hours total to make, but there's only about 5 minutes of hands-on time. I made some homemade granola, too, and together they've made a great breakfast or snack. If you like yogurt, or would like to eat it more often, I highly recommend trying this! I used this recipe. I found that adding a little maple syrup is a great way to sweeten it.

Easter Pictures

We had a nice Easter spent with our families and Benjamin got to do his first Easter Egg hunts (He got two - how fun is that!)