Majesty!

On the way to church this morning, I was blessed to encounter an eagle. This is the third time in my life I've seen an eagle in a wild setting. It's awe inspiring to see this creation. Our Heavenly Father blesses us so abundantly! The beauty He surrounds us with is breathtaking. If we will only take the time to notice.

Homemade Toothpaste

I'm working to eliminate synthetic chemicals from my personal care products and household cleaners. Abut a month ago, I decided I'd had it with commercial toothpaste. It was the day I could not find a single tube that wasn't "tartar control," which causes the entire lining of my mouth to shed each time I use it, and also causes me to get canker sores. I have used baking soda in a pinch or when I wanted to whiten, swishing with peroxide afterward, but after this escapade, I made the leap. I've used nothing but baking soda for these weeks. I've missed the minty or cinnamon-y flavor much more than I thought I would. So I was thrilled when I stumbled across another blog whose author shares her homemade toothpaste recipe today: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_toothpaste#comment-21383

Here is her recipe:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons baking soda
1/2 small packet of stevia powder
20-25 drops of peppermint oil*

1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, using a fork.

*Add about half of the amount of peppermint oil to start, and test the toothpaste to see how much you want/like. I used NOW brand peppermint oil, and ended up stopping at 25 drops which is still not as strong as I am used to, though it does taste nice and minty! Julie noted in her instructions that using part spearmint oil will make the toothpaste not as "hot" as using all peppermint oil.

I can NOT WAIT to try this!!!

Decorating

The cats felt decorating for Christmas was one big adventure. The job took my darling husband and I about four and a half hours. They pounced and prowled though all the stuff, finally settling in to what seemed like a good place to them. I just had to share:

Ornery especially liked her vantage point so that she could attack each ornament as it was placed. My darling husband is about to hang an authentic "safety pin" that was made for me (from a wire clothes hanger) by one of my great uncles about ten years ago. He said they used them frequently around the farm when he was a kid. Using a heavier gauge of wire would enable them to substitute these "safety pins" for the expensive Cotter pins available at the farm implement store.

The Bachelor Pad

Necessity is the mother of invention, right? One of my favorite things on our property is this outhouse. I think it's the coolest thing ever! It's the nicest outhouse I've ever seen. The base of the seat is formed concrete, there is a coat hook and a dowel to hang the toilet paper roll on! There is a vent pipe as well as vents on the east and west sides of the outhouse that have latches so you can open them in warm weather and close them during the cold times. I was remiss to deface this wonderful, but almost useless, structure. However, need won over sentiment. This spring we purchased Buff Orpington cockerels from a local hatchery. We raised these chickens for meat. They needed a place to live! We didn't want to invest in building a chicken house large enough to host so many chickens because we don't intend to deal with mass quantities of chickens again. The logical conclusion was to (temporarily) renovate the outhouse into a chicken house. It's only a roost and shelter, but it meets the need. The boys are thrilled with it, as you can see:

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx
I am CRAZY over this recipe. It starts out like any homemade bread, and over the course of two weeks it develops into this wonderful sourdough richness that rivals Schlotzsky's! It makes consistently yummy bread with virtually NO effort! You mix up the dough in a loosely covered container, let it rise for three hours, stash it in the 'fridge, and any time you want bread, you pull out a hunk of dough, let it rise, and bake it. It's really that easy!

These cinnamon rolls were made with the same dough. They were SO scrumptious!!! Just press the dough out on the counter in a rectangular shape, sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar, and roll. After the dough is formed into a roll, cut into slices. I used my kitchen scissors to help keep the pinwheels in their proper shape as best I could. Place them in a well greased cast iron skillet, let rise for about an hour, and bake. That's it. So simple, and SO delicious!!!