Memory Lane

Today, we took the kids out to the lake since the base's Powers That Be decided housing should have NO power from 7am-6pm while the pool gets power. Yeah, stupid right? Anyway. I digress. While taking pics, Kaitlyn and Hayden were having a moment. Yes, a peaceful moment. One of those moments that make parents go awww! As I snapped the pics, I had a moment of deja vu. I've taken this pics before. Well, after digging around FB and photobucket, I found it.












Every once in a while, she's a good Big Sister

Crock Pot Recipe: Creamy Sweet Potato &Butternut Squash Soup

Servings: 4-6

Prep time: 20min

High: 4hrs

Ingredients

1lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups total)

1lb butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups total)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth, divided

1/2 cup (1stick) butter, diced

1 can (13 1/2 ounces) coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper, or more to taste

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

3 to 4 green onions, green and white parts, finely chopped (opt)

Combine Sweet potatoes, squash, onion, half of chicken broth and butter in 4 1/2 quart Crock Pot slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 hrs or until vegetables are tender.\

Puree until smooth in blender 1 cup at a time, returning batches to Crock Pot slow cooker. Stir in remaining broth, cocnut milk, ground cumin, ground red pepper and salt. To serve, ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

This soup was so yum, the kids were asking for seconds! Jeremy says it also tasted good over the turkey dish I made with it. It also tasted great mixed with rice. It kinda had a slight curry taste to it. Yum!

A little bit crunchy

Everyone knows I'm a bit crunchy and love natural things. When I cloth diapered, I used natural soaps and made my own wipe solutions and whatnot. Well, I couldn't pass this one up. One of my good friends passed me these recipes for homemade laundry soap and fabric softener. The benefits are not only financial. Using natural soaps like these eliminate the build up retail soaps leave in your clothes. These build ups and residues can cause your towels to not be as absorbant, odors to linger, and stains to be difficult. They can also cause clothes to look dull. When I cloth diapered, we had to "strip" the diapers to get that build up off. After a few washes with natural soaps, you will definitely notice the difference.



Laundry Detergent


Speaking of laundry detergent, that's easy, too. You'll need:

• 4 cups of water

• ⅓ bar of cheap soap, grated

• ½ cup washing soda (not baking soda)

• ½ cup of Borax (20 Mule Team)

• 5-gallon bucket for mixing

• 3 gallons of water

First, mix the grated soap in a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and heat on low until the soap is completely dissolved. Add hot water/soap mixture to 3 gallons of water in the 5-gallon bucket, stir in the washing soda and Borax, and continue stirring until thickened. Let the mix sit for 24 hours, and voila! Homemade laundry detergent







•

o Fabric softener:  Instructions

Things You'll Need



Plastic container

2 cups water

1 cup baking soda

Spoon

1 cup white vinegar

Empty bottle





Mix 2 cups of water and 1 cup of baking soda in the plastic container. Stir to dissolve baking soda, although it might not completely dissolve.


Slowly add 1 cup of vinegar to the bottle while stirring. Expect a chemical reaction with a fizzing sound.

Place fabric softener in an empty bottle for storage.

Use 1/3 cup for each laundry load. Shake bottle gently to dissolve baking soda before using.



With either of these, you can add scents with oils. Enjoy!