BS Shampoo

Did that title get your attention?   Apparently, in homesteading circles baking soda and other frequently used items go by their initials.  As in, I've been washing my hair with BS and ACV.  Yep, baking soda and apple cider vinegar. 

You've probably heard of this increasingly popular "No Poo" concept.  The idea is that traditional shampoos strip our hair of their natural oils, requiring heavy-duty conditioners to try to restore needed moisture.  The idea here, is that you don't really wash your hair.  The baking soda absorbs and removes excess oil from the scalp without stripping the hair shaft of its natural oils.  Supposedly, you can go much longer between washes once your hair adjusts to this new process.

According to my research, you should expect a 2-week adjustment period while your hair figures out how much oil it needs to be producing with this new system.  Most users cite frequent ponytails during this period (not an option for this short-haired chica).  Nevertheless, I pressed on for 3 and a half weeks before throwing in the towel. Yep. That's right -- I gave up.

Last night, I washed my hair with actual shampoo and conditioner and now I just can't stop touching it.  It actually feels like hair again instead of the straw I've been wearing around on my head for the better part of a month.

I'm sure that it's a great option for some people, and I may even give it a go again sometime.  But, for now, it's just not worth it.  The good news is that I tried it (at least I didn't just dismiss it without giving it a go) and, in the process, I learned about a great,all-natural deep conditioning techinique (you'll have to check back tomorrow!).

I attribute my BS failure to the following:
1. My hair is color-treated and thus tends to be drier than the average hair.
2.  I run (and sweat) at least every other day.  The sweat adds increased oil and requires me to wash after every run.  Therefore, I was never able to enjoy the supposed prolonged period between washes that so many BS users enjoy and was having to make use of the drying baking soda more frequently than is recommended.
3.  My hair is short.  Perhaps if my hair were longer and I could have swept it up into and out-of-sight-is-out-of-mind ponytail, I might've eventually found a balance and made it out of the weird straw-hair phase.  I don't know.
If the No Poo method sounds intriguing to you, despite reading about my failure with it, check out this blogger that I read to see how she went about it. 

As for me, I plan to take a stroll through the all-natural hair care section of Whole Foods on my next trek to the big city and see if I can't find a better option.  Does anyone else use an all-natural shampoo/conditioner that you'd recommend?

It's Springtime in the Guest Room

Let me first say, that if any of you are considering a visit to our little homestead, you are very welcome, as always.  And, the coming weeks and months ought to be pretty exciting around here with the promise of goat kids soon.  But, be warned, you may just find yourself bunking in the kids' rooms.  The guest room is currently occupied.

Friday, (the same day Copper died -- see, the circle of life!) the seeds for our new spring garden arrived!  This may very well be the highlight of my winter!  The process of mapping out the garden (deciding how many of each plant we need and where they will be located in our garden grid system) and planning planting dates based on predicted last frost dates presents an organizational challenge that provides me hours of delight!

Here's my mid-process mess.  It basically took over the living room!

The process revealed the need for 3 additional garden beds, so construction will begin on those soon. 

Also, among other things, we plan to add Eggplant to the garden this year.  At 8 to 12 weeks before the last frost date, these seeds start sooner than any other we will grow.  Counting backward, I soon realized that I should have started the Eggplant seeds . . . last week or earlier!

I then dedicated no small amount of the weekend to cleaning up the guest room and turning it into the grow room.

Here are the basics needed for starting seeds indoors.

1.  The brown tub is filled with our homegrown compost mix (brown gold!).

2. The basket holds our newspaper pots (man, can Girl 2 churn these out fast!).  For directions on how to make your own using only a soup can and old newspaper, check out this link. 

3.  Sphagnum moss, added to the top of the soil in each pot, helps keep moisture in check.

4.  A water-filled spray bottle helps water the young seedlings without knocking them over.

BROWN GOLD!

Rather than the popsicle stick markers I used last year, I opted to just write in red Sharpie directly on the pots.

To create a grow space, I cover the queen-sized bed with a tarp.  I use an under-the-bed box to hold the pots.  (Though not pictured here, I will actually leave the lid on most of the time to help retain moisture until the seeds have sprouted.)  Then, I hang my fluorescent shop light from the hooks I keep in the ceiling for this purpose.  Because our lights are suspended by chains, I can easily raise them as plants grow to maintain the recommended 2 inches or so from the plants.

Interesting, huh?  Well, Blossom seems to think so.  :)

Chubby's New Home

For those of you who read the Tale of Chubby the Chicken,  you'll be happy to know that he's now moved on to a new home (and it's not my stock pot).

As Chubby continued to perfect his crow and practice it at all hours of the day (and night) in our backyard, we continued to ask around to see who might like to add him to their flock.  Several weeks in to this process, we finally found him a home!  Interestingly, he went to live on the farm where we got our very first laying hens.  There, he'll be free to range the wide open spaces and enjoy country life!

Here, Girls 1 and 2 say farewell to Chubby before delivering him to his new home.

DIY Almond Milk

I realize that there are lots of folks who are crazy for almond milk.  I, personally, had never tried it until I found yesterday's recipe for Banana Oatmeal Muffins.  And, I wanted to make them.  Right then.  Not after I'd been to the store to buy my first-ever carton of almond milk.  So, I looked up how to make it from fresh almonds and proceeded.  Maybe patience doesn't always win out.  If I'd been patient and just added almond milk to the grocery list, I'd have never known how easy it is to make!

Don't know about almond milk?  Livestrong.com (I know, I know, but they have some great healthy eating articles) says, "Almond milk . . . is an alternative to cow's milk. This fortified beverage, made from almonds, has a surprisingly rich and creamy taste. Lower in calories and fat than regular cow's milk, it is high in vitamins, such as vitamin E. Like cow's milk and fortified soy milk, almond milk boasts an impressive dose of bone-building calcium."

Yep, it has even fewer calories than skim milk!

Measure out 200 grams of raw almonds.  Soak them in 3 cups of filtered water for at least 8 hours ( or overnight).

Throw almonds and water into the blender and process until smooth (2-3 minutes).

Pour mixture into a bowl topped by a strainer.  Press the almond pulp around to get all the liquid to fall through to the bowl.  Save almond pulp to use in another healthy recipe (I wish I could help you out here, but I've tried 2 so far that have been AWFUL!). 

Strain your milk through a butter muslin or cheesecloth (or maybe coffee filter).

Store your milk in a mason jar in the fridge for use within 3 days. Shake well before pouring.

To make vanilla almond milk, add some sweetener (your choice -- I used agave nectar) and a splash of vanilla.

Follow-up Notes:

Now, you know I've recently gone through a major kitchen purge.  But, two items used here will have a home in my kitchen forever:  butter muslin and a kitchen scale. 

I got my scale for use in soapmaking, but since then I've come to wonder how I ever did without it.  If you're trying to do away with processed foods and canned goods, you need a good scale.  How else are you going to sub in your own tomatoes for the 12 oz. can the recipe calls for? 

I bought butter muslin (a tighter weave than cheesecloth) to use in cheesemaking.  But, I've also used it to strain chicken broth, yogurt, juice for making jelly, and now almond milk. 

These two simple tools can be added to your kitchen aresenal for less than $15. 

Mourning Our Beloved Copper

For those who were eagerly awaiting the Almond Milk recipe, I apologize.  You'll have to wait until Monday.  This news is just too big to put off.

This lovable fella is no longer with us.  Yep, it's Copper, our little buckling that you readers helped name so many months ago.  Yesterday morning, John found him lying dead in the goat pen. 

He was a scrawny little guy, and we'd actually had the vet out to take a look at him just a couple weeks ago.  He'd been spending most of the day in the goat shed and rarely eating.  Still, we don't know exactly what caused his death.  We're left with lots of questions . . . and lots of sadness.

Here he is in one of his favorite spots, playing king of the rock.

After breakfast, we broke the news to the kids and asked them if they'd like to go out and say goodbye.  They all wanted to, so we huddled together in the cold around our little goat's lifeless body and cried and prayed a prayer together.

As John explained to them, we are so blessed on our little farm to be surrounded by so much life.  But, with that comes death.

After they'd said their goodbyes, I rushed back inside with them to throw Girl 1's hair into a ponytail before carting the girls to school.  "My ponytail is all wrong!" she cried.  "It's bouncy, but I'm not."

I tried to encourage the girls before I dropped them at school by reminding them that we will still have some piece of Copper with us because he's the daddy to the goat kids we are expecting in a matter of weeks.  Who knows -- we may even have a kid that looks a bit like him.  Also, his death means that we'll be needing another buck for the farm, so we'll have the addition of yet another animal to look forward to. 

Once the girls were dropped at school, John, Little Boy, and I hauled Copper's body over to MeeMee's farm to deposit on the "bone pile" burial area where deer carcasses and such are placed. 

Here, Little Boy holds Copper's collar in his lap as we drive away.  He just kept wanting to know why.  "Why Copper is dead, Momma? Why?"  Copper was, after all, his goat.  Girl 2 promised to share her goat with him from now on.

We've been keeping the boys separate from the gals lately.  So, Copper's only companion has been this guy, Dallas.  Goats can't stand to be alone, though, so we had to turn Dallas out into the field with the girls this morning.

John and I both managed to hold it together pretty well in front of the kids.  But, when I saw Dallas wandering the field this morning by himself, as if he were looking for his buddy, I just lost it. 

He did eventually come back up to see me and eat some hay.  But, the loss of his friend will be an adjustment for him.

So, even as I go out daily and press on the Momma goat's swollen bellies in hopes of feeling a kick from inside and eagerly await the joy of birth, here we are -- mourning death. 

Such is farm life, I suppose -- an up-close and personal view of the cycle.   

So, yesterday was a hard day.  But, I don't wish away the sorrow.  I'll gladly bear it, as infrequently as it comes, in exchange for the extreme happiness this farm life brings us everyday.

Thank you, God, for the lessons that you teach us all through your beautiful creation.  We are humbled that you have entrusted it to our care.  With your help, may we ever be faithful to that calling. 

Amen.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

This is a recipe I found on Pinterest.  My kids don't generally like oatmeal, so when I saw the ratio of oatmeal to everything else, I was skeptical about how it would be received at our house.  I turned out to be very pleasantly surprised!

These are super easy to whip up.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Then, mix together the following:

3 mashed bananas (the more ripe the better)

1 c. vanilla Almond milk

2 eggs

1 Tbs. baking powder

3 c. oats

1 tsp. vanilla

Let batter sit while you prepare the muffin pans with liners or by spraying the pan with non-stick spray.

Stir 3 Tbs. chocolate chips into the batter.

Divide between 15 muffin cups.  You can fill them pretty full; these won't rise much.

Bake 20-30 minutes, until the edges are starting to brown.  They may stick while hot but will be easily removed once cool.

Some follow-up notes:

1.  These are super-healthy and not artificially sweetened.  Remember that when you're taking a bite and have realistic expectations.  Also, warming them up a bit makes them yummier.

2..  I pretty much always have ripe bananas on hand.  Once they've gotten too mushy to enjoy fresh, I'll throw them into the freezer to use for recipes like this or banana bread.

3.  You could possibly sub in some skim milk for the vanilla almond milk, but you may want to add a little sweetener.  Making your own almond milk is surprisingly easy.  Check back in tomorrow to see how it's done!  ;)

4.  That said. . . I've already made these a second time (Little Boy LOVES them!).  I prepped the almond milk a day ahead of time and stored it in the fridge.  I made the muffins the next day.  I noticed that they were a bit drier than the last batch, but they were still good.  It wasn't until I opened the fridge this morning and saw the almond milk still sitting there, staring at me, and rolling it's eyes, that I realized I'd completely left it out!

Oh, well.  Little Boy's not complaining. 

5.  Yes, I realize that my muffin pan is terribly dirty.  If you're standing in judgment, then I'm glad I could make you feel better about yourself and your kitchen with it's sparkling pans.  If you're thinking "I'm so glad her pans look as bad as mine do,"  I LOVE you.  Listen, life happens.  Who has the time?  I'm using baking cups, after all.  And, if you're my Mom and thinking "I really need to go visit Ashley and clean her muffin pan for her,"  what are you waiting for?  Maybe that's why I put the pics on here in the first place.  ;)

Goat Kidding Prep

To prepare for our first-ever backyard goat kidding, we had a few items we needed to order.  Those items (along with things we'd need for kid care and milking) have arrived!

We are approximately one month from kidding now.  All supplies are in.  I've tested the baby monitor to be sure that it will reach from the house to the goat barn (apparently, they'll "thrash" around, making a bed of hay to use for kidding.  This should alert us that it's almost time).  We've purchased a separate tool box to hold all our kidding supplies, so that we'll have them at-the-ready.  We probably still need to clean the barn up a bit as it's been virtually unused during the last couple of months since we've not been milking.

I've been reading up on the goat kidding process, but I had to stop doing it just before bed as it was causing me to have all kinds of dreams about baby goats (some of them rather disturbing).  Most of the time, goats can manage delivery okay without assistance, but it's still a good idea for us to be present in the event that we need to intervene (kid is in an abnormal position) or the delivery is not progressing as it should. 

For now, I keep going out and pressing my hand to the right side of their belly.  Any day now, I should be able to feel kicks!   Can't you just feel the excitement?!  Don't worry -- I'll keep you in the loop on how things are going -- wouldn't want you to miss a thing!