Several successes in the home!

#1: I finally mastered homemade yogurt!
#2: I made a baby wrap and learned how to make soap
#3: I cooked more meals for the freezer
#4: I finished canning and freezing my stocks

I've been getting busy around the home over the past week. Actually, we've been out of the home for much of this past week with helping my grandma set up her new computer, visiting a friend and learning how to make soap and wrap babies on, grocery shopping and other misc. errands.

I think the more I am out of the home, the more I'm able to complete. I'm not burnt out or overwhelmed by all there is to do all day.

So homemade yogurt... I've tried making yogurt several times and each batch failed. Not liking to add anything that isn't necessary, healthy, or something I know about, I didn't want to add pectin. I don't know what it is or if it's healthy (and if I make something from scratch, I want it to be as healthy as possible!). Finally I found a new recipe here about making yogurt in the crockpot. In the directions it mentions not using ultra-pasturized milk. I had been! I was buying a organic whole milk from the store that turned out to be ultra-pasturized. I used a non ultra pasturized whole milk with an organic whole milk yogurt starer and voila! I had yogurt! I am so thrilled! Just milk and yogurt.

Then earlier this week I learned how to make soap. This looks like it'll be a new hobby for me. I have nearly everything I need to get started - just gotta get the oils. My husband LOVES the soap my friend makes and she shared her recipe with me, so maybe (maybe?) we'll switch from storebought soaps to all homemade soaps. Now I just gotta learn what herbs to grow so I can use them in the soaps and learn how to make my own essential oils from them!

And the baby wrap. Essentially, a wrap is a peice of fabric 5 yards long and about 30 inches wide. You tie your baby to your body through a variety of twists, loops and ties (it's really easy). I was a ring sling lover but now i'm a baby wrap lover. Kaitlyn is so comfortable snug against me, and she doesn't move when I do. I used a lightweight, stretchy material so she's snug as a bug, but comfortable. I am going to start selling them - possibly on the go - and offer free babywearing classes with them. You wouldn't believe how man ypeople asked where they could get a sling when I wore my ring sling (which I am now going to start making also). My friend said the baby wraps get a lot of attention also so I thought what the heck, I'll make a few and keep them in my diaper bag. If someone asks where they can get one, I'll offer it to them and let them know it comes with a free class so they can have some one on one learning time. These are sooo great for keeping your baby on you and still being able to get stuff done around the house. Right now as I write this, Kaitlyn was super tired but didn't want to be rocked. I tied her to me and she is sound asleep. I can sit and type, or i've been up to fold laundry and do dishes. This thing rocks!

I'm preparing our family cookbook as an ebook sometime within the next few months. Including all of my recipes for home made meals, including home-made ingredients that you might normally just buy from the store. Most of these ingredients freeze or can well, so you'll never have to buy canned goods, soups, bases or anything else again :-) You'll be able to take a realistic look into my master cookbook and also see helpful charts, tips, diagrams, lists and all of the helpful stuff I keep in mine!

Poor Alexis and Andrew got sick last night - Lexi had a upset tummy most of the evening and ended up throwing up around 2am. Andrew threw up also, for the first time in his life. Just once though. Thankfully, because he was sleeping on our bed. Lexi has since thrown up a couple of times but was really perked up this evening. I hope that's all done and I'm praying the rest of us don't get sick!