Growing my own garden

Yes, I know what you are thinking, "but it's still winter". Yes it is, especially here in Northern Ontario where the snow is still waist high. Oh, how my dogs do love catching snowballs!

However growing vegetables indoors isn't really all that hard. I started my celery and lettuce a week ago already. They are one of the few that only need water to regrow.

Than of course, I went to walmart yesterday and obtained some sort of seed starter. So, why not?
I planted everything from corn and watermelon to turnip and onions. I even did double rows of peas and carrots. Carrots are used most in this house ( I have a pet rabbit, remember?) and peas well because I just love raw peas. Have eaten them with my mom and sister right from my parents garden for as long as I could remember!

Labelled everything with little popsicle sticks because my memory with things like this sucks lol and hopefully they'll start growing.

When spring rolls around and they start selling dirt at the stores. I'm going to build some raised garden boxes and then I'll transfer them outside.

I can't wait to not have to buy vegetables anymore :)

I also want to plant my own apple and lemon trees. I'll be saving my own seeds and drying them out to use.

Check me out being all self-sufficient and all :D

Butter

Yep! you read the title right.... Butter... not just any butter, but HOMEMADE butter!!! I actually just literally made my very own homemade butter, and I will NOT tell a lie.... It was awesome!!

I was making more bread this morning when I noticed I had no more butter or margarine. Since I am trying to be all frugal and stuff and remembered This pin and had all the ingredients, why not?

The taste isn't bad either....
So you start with your ingredients in the bowl of your mixer...
Literally just heavy cream and salt

Then you mix, and mix and mix even some more...
eventually you will get to the whipped cream stage..

And of course you can do whatever you want while you wait because it's a stand mixer and is doing all the work for you. Leave that awesome machine on for a little, actually a little is an understatement... this next part seems to have taken forever maybe like 20 or so minutes.... but once the cream gets all grainy in stuff you feel like you are a success!!

Oh btw you may want to cover it when it starts to separate, I had buttermilk flying in all directions when it started.

Look at all that buttermilk!!

It was tasty and spread nicely and was just plain fun to make!

Saving Money

According to Pinterest there are a lot of ways to save money, So I did my research.

These days you can basically make anything you want from toothpaste, to laundry soap and bread, to regrowing your own vegetables. I think they call it living "frugally".

I'm not sure how long I can last making my own stuff, well actually I think I'd do quite good, I might even stop buying dog treats and make my own. Andy on the other hand I'm not so sure he'd want to use homemade toothpaste. He does however love my homemade bread, and is totally on board with me growing/regrowing our own veggies. Since it's the middle of winter, I can't really do an out door garden... but there are plenty of foods you can just grow with water and sunlight from inside the house... such as green onions, celery, lettuce etc. I have some celery and lettuce that I am going to regrow.

I'm also going to start the garlic I have inside and then move it outside when the snow disappears.

Today I made bread, we ran out and instead of going to the store and paying like 4 dollars a loaf I decided making my own would help save money. Since my recipe makes like 7 loaves (I used to own a bakery so baking in bulk comes naturally) and since valentines day is coming up I decided on making 2 loaves of bread, 24 mini (like really MINI) rolls and about 6 heart shaped buns!

I'll post my very large recipe below. I ended up freezing one loaf and 12 of the rolls.

7 Loaves of Bread

Add to a large bowl 1 and a half tbsp of yeast, half a cup of warm water and 2 tsp of sugar. Let that sit for 5 mins till it gets all frothy.

Then add 4 cups warm water, 4 and a half tbsp of lard (I use Tenderflake), 2 tsp salt, 3/4 sugar, 2 eggs and mix until everything is melted and what not. then add 11 cups of flour 4 cups at a time until incorporated. (you may end up adding 12 if it's too sticky) Knead for a few minuted on a floured surface and then let rise until doubled in size, punch down and then rise again. Than you would mold into whatever you want to make. Loaves of bread cooks for 1 hour at 350 degrees, and my little rolls and hearts cooked for about 20-30 mins.

IT'S ALL IN T BOX

So finalllly I got my online store set up! you can buy boxes that are different themes and have different activities for you and your family and friends!

These boxes range from movies and books to craft time for children and everything in between!

I'm just starting out, so I just have a few different ones on the site, but I'm constantly coming up with more ideas and adding them. So come check it out and help spread the word.

IT'S ALL IN THE BOX

Just a few of the boxes you can buy at 1 month or 6 month or even1 year subscriptions.