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I am so sorry that many of you were not able to leave comments. I think I fixed that problem. Also, I fixed all the links within the blog and in the sidebar. Enjoy!

Homemade All-Purpose Household Cleaner

A couple days ago I made my first bottle of all-purpose household cleaner. (Here is the link to the how-to video)I followed the recipe exactly. I used 2 cups of water, 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide. I don't have any essential oils so I didn't use any. I already had a spray bottle (be SURE it's 32 oz.). The spray bottle I had was clear thought. So, I got creative. I got one of my husband's black sock that had lost it's mate long ago and I used that to cover the bottle. (See pics). The first place I used the cleaner was in the kitchen. I was happy with the results but my kitchen wasn't that dirty. I didn't have any greasy spots to try it on. So, we'll have to wait and see about that later. Then I took it upstairs. I noticed a spot on the wall in my kids' bedroom. I think it was chocolate plus lots of grimy hand dirt. So, I sprayed the wall with the cleaner. It came off splendidly! The darker spots I had to spray twice and it I let it sit on the spot for a couple of seconds it seemed easier to wipe.

Next stop, the bathroom. Now, as many of you know, how clean my bathroom is means a great deal to me! This is the true test! My bathroom was not all that messy since I tend to clean it very regularly. However, the children had all taken baths, the sink had little bits of makeup powder in it and basic dirt. First off, the sink. It cleaned well but it didn't shine like I like. So I rinsed it with water and dried it with a towel and voila - there was the shine! I also used it on the mirror. I wondered if the hydrogen peroxide would make it streak. Nope. It looked at first like it might streak but after it dried it looked great. Next, toilet. The cleaner did a fine job on the outside of the toilet. I did not use it on the inside because I still have a Clorox wand and I used that. Then, the shower. I did not do an extensive test on how it handles the grout grime. I just did a basic surface clean. I sprayed the whole shower and tub and wiped it with a cloth. As I got to the tub I was skeptical. I sprayed it and let it sit for a couple seconds. I took the cloth and started scrubbing. I quickly realized it was going to take some serious elbow grease to get the tub clean. I think I might need to get a bristle scrub brush of some kind. As I was scrubbing, thick dark grime was coming off but it had to be scrubbed and scrubbed. I was wondering if what I heard on t.v. might be right- that the cleaners containing bleach just bleach the dirt and they don't actually remove it? Hmmm. I don't know but I think I will have to try it again and see if it gets easier. Eventually, I got all the grime off and rinsed the whole shower and tub and dried it with a towel and it sparkled. I even sprayed and wiped the tile floor. My bathroom looked and felt clean.

In summary, I think I'll keep using the cleaner for most everything. I might eventually try to find a better cleaner for the tub. And for sure I WILL get some essential oils to add. My house smelled of vinegar for a while after cleaning. I admit, I would rather smell vinegar than harsh chemical fumes but vinegar is not a light, happy smell. I think lavender or lemongrass may be in order for the future.

More about bread

After posting the short story of how I came to making my own homemade whole wheat bread, I received a few questions. So, this is an attempt to go into a bit more detail on how it all works.

First of all, I do own some very nice and very expensive machines. However, you do not need to own the specific machines that I do. I own a Nutrimill grain grinder. There are several types and brand names of grain grinders out there. I have never used anything else but I know others who have. From the research my husband and I did we believed that the Nutrimill was the best value. Nutrimill is sold by individual distributers and I'm not sure what the price is but you can always do some price comparison or look for a used machine at yard sales or on craigslist. The grain grinder is an integral part to making wholesome whole grain recipes. You can certainly buy whole wheat flour at the store (which is better than bleached white flour) but it looses much of it's nutrients by just sitting on the shelf. The fresh flour contains much more of the healthy nutrients our bodies need. Plus you can always use your grinder to grind other types of grains as well.

I also use a Bosch Universal mixer. This is very expensive piece of machinery. Like I said yesterday, we scrimped and saved in order to buy ours brand new. But, again, you wouldn't need to have the exact same machine. A Kitchenaid or other type of mixer would do just fine. The Bosh is the sturdiest and probably the longest lasting mixer. They have an excellent warranty and they can handle large quantities of dough. I do have friends that use other types of mixers though. You will just have to experiment with mixing times and amounts of liquids that you will need. The thing I love about the Bosch is that I can mix enough dough for five loaves of bread in just five minutes. I don't know how that compares to other mixers.

This is the website for the woman whom we took our class with. You really don't need to take a class. However, her cookbook called Healthy Recipes from the Heart of Our Homes is really great. All the recipes are designed to work with the Bosch mixer. (It also includes pressure cooker recipes). Click here for her recipe for Foolproof Bread (this is the recipe we use for bread, cinnamon rolls, pizza etc.) Her website also has information about why to grind your own grains and other great informational articles, schedules of classes (for those in Colorado Springs) and product information. If you do purchase your products through her please tell her that you heard about it from me.

Other items you may need in order to start your venture into homemade bread are: several bread pans, yeast, honey, dough enhancer (which can be purchased at a health food store) and lots of oil (veg. oil). We began with glass bread pans purchased at Wal-Mart and they worked just fine. But, we wanted a longer loaf so we ended up purchase 12 inch loaf pans found here. We also purchased yeast in bulk here. We purchase our wheat from a local health food store or from Phyllis. We use Wheat Montana white wheat. It makes a very light wheat flour.

One more quick note. Phyllis recommends using oil on your counter instead of flour when you are making the dough into loaves. The extra flour on can make the bread dryer. The oil doesn't hurt anything and keeps it from sticking.

I hope this has answered some of your questions about starting to make your own flour and your own bread. If you have any other questions please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer those questions. Also check the links section for all the websites I have referred to in this article.

Whole Wheat Bread

I have been grinding my own wheat and baking bread for over a year now. I love it and will never quit! This is that story. One day I went to a friend's house and she said, "I'm nearly out of bread so I need to make some. Wanna join me in the kitchen?" So, off we went. I watched as she ground the wheat and made the bread and then about an hour later we tasted the best bread I had ever eaten! I couldn't believe it was whole wheat! I couldn't believe it was so easy! I couldn't believe my children were asking for seconds. I asked how she got started and she told me of a local woman who teaches cooking classes in her home. In the meantime, due to our expressed interest, we were given a Nutrimill grinder for Christmas. I looked at it. I loved it. But I didn't really know what to do with it. So, off we went to the cooking class. There we learned how to make bread, focaccia and even cinnamon rolls with our whole wheat flour. We scrimped and saved and scoured the furniture for all the cash we could find and purchased on of my most favorite machines in the house! The Bosch Universal mixer! Whoo hoo! Now I had all the machines, I just had to bite the bullet and do it. So, we bought some bread pans, yeast, and wheat and began our experiment.

Really all it took was doing it! Truly, I grind the wheat in the grinder, put all the ingredients in the mixer and mix it up for about 5 minutes. I separate it into about 5 loaves (a little over 1 lb each) and let it rise for about 20 minutes. No punching, kneading, etc. Once it rises I put it in the oven for about 20 minutes and we have the best tasting, super nutritious bread for less than you pay at the store for something comparable. You can get creative. You can add other grains such as millet, spelt, etc. We are sort of "plain jane" around here so we don't do any add ins. We do, however, make cinnamon rolls and pizza out of our whole wheat dough. I also make whole wheat pancakes and waffles. I have made numerous breads and desserts with the whole wheat flour.

I said before I will never go back. I was afraid that if we spent all that money I would try it and get tired of it and go back to buying the white nastiness off the shelf at the store. But, because this is truly so easy, I will never give it up! I make several loaves at a time and put them in the freezer for later. I've even sold a few to friends. the only thing I regret is not finding out about it sooner.

Am I insane or just weird?

I have had more interest and response to this blog than anything else I have done. So, I figured I'd let you in on why I am doing this in the first place. Well, the reasons are many. But most of them all boil down to making the best life I can for my family (the pic above is one of my sons). First of all, I truly believe that what God created HAS to be better than what man makes. I am thankful for the intelligence and creativity that God has given to man and I do believe that the innovations and technology that we have come up with has had a dramatic and beneficial impact on our world and society. However, I also believe there are many damaging side effects of these innovations as well. I wonder if using harsh chemicals in our homes and on our bodies has caused some of the sicknesses and diseases we see today. I wonder if cutting those out of our lives could help prevent some tragic, long term problems. I do not have proof of this but I'll just say, I feel better knowing that I am not exposing my family to the harsh unknown substances that come in some of the products I have bought in the past.

Secondly, I am trying to be a good steward of not only my family and their health but of our finances as well. I found, so far, that the things I am trying are by far less expensive than the store bought versions and believe it or not, are SUPER easy to make!

Thirdly, I know that reusing items is better for the planet. So, as a bonus, by not purchasing so many disposable bottles and containers I am decreasing the waste that comes out of my home and the harmful effects they could have on our beautiful Earth.

Lastly, something that I didn't expect has happened! I get this feeling of accomplishment and pride. I love feeling like what I'm doing is helpful, healthy, frugal, creative and it's something I made! It's a great feeling.

I know there are those out there that are rolling their eyes at me like I'm crazy. And, that's okay with me! I invite you all to join me in these experiments and find out for yourself if you might actually enjoy being a little weird too!

Later today I will talk about homemade bread and wheat grinding and tomorrow I will let you know how my homemade cleaner did on my grimy bathroom surfaces!

Day 7- Poo free and OCM

Day 7- One week! Well, last night I used the oil on my face and steamed it off with a hot cloth and them hopped into the shower. When I got out my face felt dry and I didn't do anything to it. This morning my face felt dry too and I could see dryness on it. Eventually, throughout the day it gets a little of it's natural moisture back. By the time I put my make up on this afternoon it wasn't really too dry anymore. However, I have discovered that if I'm going to cleanse my face with oil and take a shower at night I should just let it steam out in the shower. The less water the better I guess. Today I bought sunflower oil to try instead of EVOO. I'm going to finish out the EVOO mixture I made so I'm not sure when I'll try the sunflower oil. But, I'm wondering if it will be better for the dryness. I'll let you know.

I washed my hair last night with the baking soda mixture. I used a full cup of it (1 TBL of baking soda dissolved in water). I also rinsed with the ACV (I used about 3 TBL apple cider vinegar and 1 1/2 TBL honey in one cup of water. ) I used about 2/3 of the cup for the rinse. My hair is feeling dry to me these days and from what I've read it feels like maybe I'm using too much baking soda. So, I think I'm going to try using just 1/2 cup next time. I wonder if using more ACV rinse will help the itching. I am also considering using coconut oil or maybe even a little sunflower oil on my scalp once a week to see if it helps. I'll let you know what I try and how it works. One thing I am happy with is that the baking soda does get the mousse out very well and the rinse does not stink! I keep worrying that my hair is going to smell like vinegar but it doesn't.

If you have been trying this too and have found out anything you'd like to share - please feel free to leave a comment.

Now, since it's been a week I've decided to only update on the OCM and poo free topic whenever I make a change or find something new. The next items I will be talking about will be homemade flour and bread (that won't take long) and homemade all purpose household cleaner. I will be making that tomorrow.

Lastly, feel free to check out the links in the right hand column of this page. As I find helpful information I will post the link there.

Day 6 - OCM and "Poo free"

Had a party today!! Whoop Dee Doo! So, better late than never with the update I suppose.

Day 6- Didn't wash with oil last night. Woke up this morning feeling a little dry. I didn't do anything except put my make up on. So, I have felt a little dry all day. I do have a new blemish although, I must say, it is that time of the month (sorry if that is TMI for any of you). I usually break out really bad around this time of the month but so far this has been the least amount of break out in months! Yippee! But, due to the dryness I may be experimenting with new oils and amounts in the coming weeks. I'll keep you updated.

Also, I didn't wash my hair last night or this morning. It felt clean. I wet it this morning and slathered mousse in it. By the end of this day my head is ITCHING like CRAZY! So, back to the Internet to find out the problem and a possible solution. I'll let you know tomorrow what I find out! I did give my daughter a shower today but I had forgotten to make a new batch of "baking soda shampoo" and I was in a hurry so I grabbed the Pert. I liked it a lot better than our last experience with the baking soda but, I'm not going to give up. I'm going back to the internet for more information and will try again soon.

I am by no means an expert on any of this and I am simply chronicling my experience but if you have any questions let me know, I'll do what I can to answer them. Also, watch for links to helpful websites coming soon. I will also be making my first batch of laundry soap sometime soon, hopefully in the next week.