It's a dog eat jello world...

Yes, I did a jello post last time. I can do more than one, it's my blog. :)

This jello isn't for you though, it's for your pooch. You could eat it if you really wanted, but I don't think it would taste that great. :/

Why make jello for your dog? That's silly, and weird... 

But did you know gelatin is really good for your dogs? It contains an amino acid called glycine that has anti-inflammatory and brain protecting abilities. It has been shown to be helpful to dogs with hip dysplasia, arthritis and even epilepsy.

Super yummy jello cups? Yes please!

My kids love jello. I love jello. Wiggly jiggly yumminess. :)

What does jello cost now a days? I don't even know I haven't bought it in so long, but I do know it's full of artificial-ness.

I have a box of raspberry jello in my pantry that expired May of 2013. Oops. Oh well. I read the ingredients list, here is what I found.
Lots of sugar, acids for tartness and sodium citrate for acid control. That seems silly... and no raspberry anything anywhere. It's all fake stuff.

If you don't mind eating that, that's fine. I just don't like to. If I'm eating raspberry jello I want at least a little bit of raspberry to be in there. Is that too much to ask?

8 Years People!

Justin and I have been married 8 years today! So guess what?! You get to see wedding photos. :)

But first a little background story.

Justin and I grew up together. We met in Sunday School, I think that's awesome. I have known him since as far back as I can remember. I have no idea how old we were when we first met, but I don't really remember not knowing him so I count it as all my life. :)

The Land of Toothpaste...

I have gone off the deep end people. I have entered a new level of slightly crazy...

I make my own toothpaste!

Don't be expecting before and after tooth pictures. For one, those are guross. For two, I don't have nice teeth. I have never had nice teeth. They are crooked and forever yellow. I do love my coffee you know, and there is no way I can talk myself into spending huge amounts of money for a whitening kit. Nope. Not gonna happen.

But I do LOVE my homemade toothpaste. I used to have really bad sensitivity issues. Cold, bad. Sweet, bad. Not anymore. My teeth feel so much cleaner and just all around more wonderful with this paste.

The Homeschool Life

   I was not going to homeschool our kids. Not. going. to. happen. Saying something like that is the sure fire way to make it happen, am I right?

   Yep, I homeschool.

   But I never had any intention to. I didn't want to, it sounded like the worst thing in the world to me. Why? I wanted my freedom. Thinking of the days when all the kids would be at school and I would have 8 hours to do whatever I pleased. I could go ride my horse, or take the goats for a hike, or go the grocery store, alone. Wonderful thoughts.

Oh. My. Lands.

   That pretty much sums up this past week.

   We had 2 different sicknesses sweep through the house. I of course caught them both, at the same time. Ridiculously horrible cold and stomach flu, not a good combination if you ask me. Between the sore throats and puking kids Mr. Wonderful and I got very little sleep and the house went to the dogs.

   And cats apparently. Lucy drug this fella in this morning and started plucking him in the laundry room. Cats and I have a love/hate relationship. Mostly hate.

    You have to forgive my "after" photo. I'm new to the blogging world and my first reaction isn't to grab my camera, yet.

Pumpkin Puree and Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

   Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is on it's way. Time to get those pumpkins ready for pie!

   Last year was my first time ever making pumpkin puree. I have no idea why I didn't do it sooner. The taste is great, and it's pretty cheap and simple.

   Take your pumpkin and pop the stem off. Place it on a cookie sheet, whole, unless it's too big for your oven then you can cut it in half and bake cut side down.

   Bake your pumpkin at 325° for about an hour depending on the size of your pumpkin. I place the pumpkin in a cold oven then let it warm up from there. When the time is up I shut off the oven and leave the pumpkin in there to cool.

Caramel Apple Pie

   We didn't have anything we needed to do this past Saturday. Those types of Saturdays are few and far between for us. It was wonderful! After our traditional Saturday morning donuts we headed off to the big city, AKA LaGrande, for the grand opening of the Coney Island Hot Dog Company. If you haven't had one of their hot dogs yet, you need to get one, SO good.

   After we got home I remembered we had Potluck at church the next day. So I pulled out a super simple, incredibly yummy recipe for apple pie. It is my all time favorite apple pie. After you're done reading this you should go make one, right away.

   On to pie!

Why We Have Goats

   I have always wanted goats. Ever since I was kid. So when we moved to our small property, it wasn't long before I found and purchased a pair of bottle baby wethers.

   Why did I get bottle babies? Doesn't that make for a lot of work and money? Yes, yes it does. However bottle raised goats develop a strong bond and that strong bond is what you need when hiking with goats. Formula for goats is expensive ($60 for a 5 gallon bucket. We used 2 buckets for our 2 goats) and there is a lot of debate about the safety of goat milk replacer. 

Homemade Brown Sugar

   I typically don't buy food items, I buy ingredients. Normally this is cheaper, and if all goes well, tastes WAY better. If I can make it myself without too much work (there are 3 kids running around here you know) I do. I make all of our bread, our pasta, chips, blah blah blah, on and on it goes. 
   Anyways, I want to share with you how incredibly easy it is to make fresh, soft brown sugar. 
   
   All you need is sugar and molasses. That's it.

In the beginning there was a word...

   And that word turned into more words, and more words, and more words... You may be sorry you ever started reading this. It's like the song that never ends, it goes on and on my friend. Honestly, I hope it does go on and on. I think blogging could be something I really enjoy. We shall see...

   I have been debating about what my very FIRST blog post should be. It seems to set the tone for the rest of the blog, that's a big deal! Should it be about food? About goats and all their awesomeness? Housework? HA, no. Horses maybe, kids? The more I thought, I figured, the blog is an extension of my life, my passions, my family, me. So let's start there. A little about me. :)