Low Carb Zucchini Fries

We are always on the look out for great, low carb recipes and so when I was craving french fries the other day… I knew I needed a better option! With just a little searching, I found this recipe and decided to give it a go. The ingredients are pantry staples; eggs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and with the abundance of zucchini from the summer garden, chances are either you grew some yourself or can find some locally at your farmer’s market or grocery store, which makes this recipe not only low carb but low cost too!

Watch along as I make Low Carb Zucchini Fries!

doTERRA Monthly Subscription Box

September will mark my 2 year anniversary with doTERRA! I love incorporating their products into my daily wellness routine. Not only are essential oils super versatile for our home, they are also great to use on the farm. Watch the video below to see what I ordered this month!

Interested in learning more about doTERRA’s subscription program? Click HERE! If you’re ready to receive a box of your very own, I would love to help you. Click on the ‘Contact Us’ tab and send me a message!

No Pre-Rinse! Putting our Home-Made Dishwasher Detergent to the TEST!

In case you had any doubts - see for yourself how well our home-made dishwasher detergent works!

Make your own dishwasher detergent

With a frugal mindset and looking to swap chemical cleaners for more natural alternatives in our housekeeping/cleaning, I was on the hunt for a simple, low cost, non-toxic dishwasher detergent.  I had tried a few recipes in the past; some didn’t fit the simple requirement I was looking for, one worked for a time but due to hard water issues began leaving a terrible film.  Others simply just didn’t work, that is until I found THIS recipe.  Thank you doTERRA for creating an affordable, yet effective, non-toxic recipe that you can literally just throw together!  I have been using this home-made dishwasher detergent for over a year and I am just as pleased with it now as I was when I first tried it.  My dishes come out sparkling clean with no nasty residue.  (And by the way, we still have hard water issues.)  Are you curious if it really is as easy and effective as I say it is?  Follow along with me as I walk you through it step by step.  But first, a little calculating!

Ingredient and Price List:

Baking Soda 4 lb - $2.24 ($0.14 per cup)

Citric Acid 7.5 oz - $2.97 ($0.79 per ¼ cup)

doTERRA OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate 12 fl oz - Retail: $19.33 Wholesale: $14.50 ($0.81 per tablespoon)

doTERRA Grapefruit Essential Oil 15 ml - Retail: $24 Wholesale: 18.00 ($0.10 per drop)

 Total cost per batch - $1.84 

Approximately 10 loads per batch (1/4 cup)

Grand total per load of dirty dishes: $0.184

Whew, enough of that math stuff (my head is spinning), I am about 99% confident that those numbers are pretty accurate ;) Please don’t fault me too much if I am off.  You get the picture though, this recipe is definitely low cost, which I LOVE!

The Baking Soda and Citric Acid, I buy from Walmart and the OnGuard and Grapefruit I purchase from doTERRA.  I am a Wellness Advocate so I receive the wholesale prices, which makes it cost even less for me!  If you would like to find out how you can get the wholesale prices too, click on the ‘Contact Us’ tab and send me a message for more information.

Now on to the fun stuff!  It really is almost like a science experiment in the kitchen!

 You will notice that the mixture will expand as you are waiting.  Don’t get too freaked out, it will fall back down but it can catch you a little off guard the first time or so.  Just make sure you choose a large enough bowl.  doTERRA’s recipe calls for molds to make tabs… while tabs may be more aesthetically pleasing because of the expansion, I really didn’t think it worked well and I don’t have the patience to continually flatten the molds for 4 hours, SO this is the lazy man’s version and I think it works just as well.  After waiting the 4 hours you will want to break apart what is left in the bowl until it is a powder consistency.  Lastly pour into a glass storage container, I like mason jars, and you are ready to go!

We pre-rinse all of our dishes and we also use distilled white vinegar as our rinse aid.  I put the detergent in the wash and pre-wash compartments in my dishwasher.  And that’s it; super simple, super inexpensive and super effective.  I just can’t say enough, HOW MUCH I LOVE this recipe!  I hope you will too!!

Free! First Day of School 2019-2020 Printable

We plan to start our 2019-2020 school year on Monday! Like most, we have a tradition of taking ‘first day’ pictures. I am a one and done, simple kind of gal, so I wanted something that would work for all of my children. If you find yourself looking for the same thing, I have 2 different options to pick from. Click the link below the one you like for a FREE, first day of school 2019-2020 printable!

Line - Click Here

Chalk - Click Here

Day in the Life - Making Hay

One of the small ways we are able to help support ourselves here on the farm is by using what God has already provided for us, an abundance of pasture! By harvesting what we have, we are able to produce enough hay for our horses and other livestock and sell a portion to other people too!

Ever wonder what it takes to make a bale of hay? Watch as we; cut, rake, bale and load our small square bales!

Day in the Life - First Horse Show

One of our hopes in moving to the farm was to be able to expose our children to the many different opportunities that country life affords and horses were definitely on that list.  We had dabbled a little previously but knew that to truly cultivate something, they would need more exposure.  Since acquiring our horses last fall, the dedication and passion that our oldest has for them is so apparent. 

She expressed some interest in showing this summer and so when our closest Saddle Club hosted a youth fun show a few weekends ago, we thought this would be a great way to introduce our horse enthusiast to the world of showing. 

Follow along this ‘Day in the Life’ with my oldest, as she prepares for and shows in, her first horse show!

Let us introduce ourselves!

Willy's Chalkboard

I feel like Willy’s Chalkboard needs a proper introduction… but what exactly do you say about your 4 year old’s random chalk drawings?  There is just something really special however about those first ‘real’ pictures.  Don’t get me wrong, every parent is beyond thrilled when their child draws an assisted line on the page.  We frame it or put it on the refrigerator and revere it as though it was one of Picasso’s legendary works of art.  But when their random lines start taking on form and you are actually able to distinguish their mastery into a recognizable image, NOW THAT IS REALLY SOMETHING! 

So in an effort to capture these quickly fading moments of precious youngness, we are documenting his inspirations and sharing them with all of you.  We hope you enjoy – Willy’s Chalkboard!

Where on the farm is Scarth Vader?

My youngest has had a passion for all things Power Rangers, Transformers, Superheros and Villains for quite some time.  At Christmas he received a Darth Vader costume.  Just like most things, he loved it for a week and then nothing, followed by a few little play spouts here and there.

Well this week, his Darth Vader costume has taken on a whole new life!  Last night after visiting with my parents, he came home talking about building a DV statue with Grampy tomorrow.  “Ok”, my husband and I thought.  We’ve heard crazier things come out of his mouth before… this seemed to fall somewhere in the middle.

By 8:00 am this morning, he was already down to the apartment (my parent’s house) to discuss this whole statue thing and by mid-day, DV came to life before our very eyes!

His first appearance was by the garden, hence the name “Scarth”.  We jokingly thought he had taken on a scarecrow role here on the farm.  Well next thing we know, HE MOVED! 

I wonder where we will find Scarth Vader next!?!