Fairy and Gnome Festival 2014

(the girls plus one of their homeschooling friends)

suncatcher project

So simple! Layer cheap plastic beads in cake pans (no lining required), melt at 400F (200°C) for 20 minutes,let cool, & then just flip them out. Drill a hole in it to make it a suncatcher! Great "craft" for kids (choose the colors, arrange them in the pans) to make as gifts for grandparents or teachers. Oooh - could small ones be used as coasters? Look like glass but not breakable!

Fairy Girl makes a purchase:)

She really wanted a scooter.
We said no.
So, she saved her money, researched Amazon, read the reviews, and told us she's going to make a purchase.
So (with our help), she did:)



She's VERY happy!

and I'm very proud of her:)

throw back thursday AND national siblings' day:)

I think I give my girls too much freedom....they just don't know how to occupy themselves :)

Fairy Girl: "I built a kingdom."

fairy girl's getting into mischief again:

girls' day out

Nothing screams "girls' day out" like shopping for two pair of ballet slippers, mailing out a custom bracelet order, and lunch with the little ladies at Panera ....to be followed by a chocolate run for dessert 

Tofu Mayonnaise

from the "Starch Solution"

Tofu Mayonnaise
1 pkg of (12.3 oz) silken tofu, drained in a fine-mesh strainer
1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/8 ground white pepper 

combine drained tofu, lemon juice, sugar, salt, mustard, and pepper in a food processor and process until the mixture is completely smooth (I just mash and stir:).  Transfer to an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to one week.

Chickpea (mock tuna) sandwiches (these are incredibly delicious!)

(I adapted from original recipes from: The Starch Solution)


Not-tuna Spread
2 cans (15 oz) of chicpeas, drained and rinsed
full amount of Tofu Mayo (see recipe below)
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion (or just use onion powder for quick version)
1/4 cup of diced kosher dill pickles (or diced celery)
1/4 cup of scallions
1 tbsp of lemon juice
a dash of sea salt
a dash of organic seasoning salt

Place chickpeas in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped, or mash with a bean masher.  Do NOT over process to a smooth consistency.  Place in a bowl, add the remaining ingrredients, and mix well.  Chill at least 1 hour; keeping for up to four days.

Serve on wraps, crackers, bread or celery

Tofu Mayonnaise
1 pkg of (12.3 oz) silken tofu, drained in a fine-mesh strainer
1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/8 ground white pepper

combine drained tofu, lemon juice, sugar, salt, mustard, and pepper in a food processor and process until the mixture is completely smooth (I just mash and stir:).  Transfer to an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to one week.

rainy Sunday creative day:

Fairy Girl's painting

Little Angel's painting

custom order request; (mothers' day gift) .... see link below if you are interested in a custom three wrap bracelet!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/127193850/create-it-your-way-custom-request-three?ref=shop_home_active_1

South Carolina Spring is back, and we hit the island for the beach and the final day of the week-long seafood festival!

(the girls and I had cheese pizza :D )

 




 
and as if the day weren't perfect enough....my sweet Fairy Girl give me this sweet little flower today:)

kale butter recipe

vegan iron sources (for my reference)

signs of spring in South Carolina (my yard is becoming very colorful!)

I have a thing for clothes line photos and colorful blankets:)

Liquid Castile Soap Recipe

We started using Dr. Bronner's about 14 years ago.  We used to have it special ordered into the Vitamin Shoppe by the gallon, and then we'd pick it up.  It's good stuff, but of course it's not easy on the piggy bank:)  About a year ago, after one year of resisiting, I caved and opened up a Pinterest account.  I now have almost 5000 Pinterest stalkers, which doesn't say a whole lot about my habits:)  The good news is, I've cut WAY back on my e-life time....and it's been a beautiful thing:)  Anyway, I digress.....I found some liquid castile soap recipes on Pinterest, played with them, and tweaked, to find my perfect formula:)  We use this as body wash and liquid hand soap....and it's perfect!!

**note: you'll want to save a few smaller, sturdy containers, such as your Dr. Bronner's, for refills.  You'll also probably need two gallon size plastic containers for the bulk soap.  (I just washed out plastic orange juice containers...since they are under our sinks, they don't have to be pretty:)***

and....here's the recipe!

--4 cups (about 3 bars) of shaved castile soap bars (I use Kirk's brand, that I just find at Target or Walmart; Dr. Bronner's also offers castile soap in bars as well). 

--16 cups of water (I use reverse osmosis water)

--8 tbsp of  liquid glycerin (I had trouble finding this in my small-townish neck of the woods, so I ordered this off amazon

--essential oils, optional

Bring your water to a boil and slowly add glycerin, and soap shavings.  The soap shavings wil probably clump together, no matter how slowly you add them.  Stir (I use a silicone spoon, so nothing sticks), and heat until the ingredients are completely dissolived.

Let cool on stove top.  It may start out watery, but will gel up as it cools.  Transfer to large and smaller containers as desired.

***I use essential oils in mine....lavender is my favorite to use, or sometimes peppermint oil.  I add the desired amount of drops to the smaller containers and not in the big batch, because I love the smell:)***

***Your liquid castile soap will gel up in the smaller containers over time.  This is a beautiful thing, as you just thin it out with warm water, shake it up to mix, and you wouldn't believe how long you can stretch one batch of soap!***

***Liquid castile soap is great for cleaning too***

Enjoy your home-made soap, and the unbelieveable cost savings!  (We used to spend $45 for a gallon of this, now we spend about $5 for 1.5 gallons!)

my heart will....go on

currently on my bookshelf....

I'm sure it will be very confirming of our free and creative life-style.
I'm also certain it will be very inspiring!