you might have seen julia rothman’s latest work,  farm anatomy bouncing around the web, but i only thought it appropriate to share it here as well. in fact, she could have titled it ‘for going home to roost’ and it would have felt just right! julia is one of my long time favorite illustrators, and to see the curious parts and pieces of country life illustrated by her gets me so excited!

as you can see, in 224 pages she’s covered just about everything! you’ll learn the difference between a weanling and a yearling and a farrow and a barrow. she covers everything from tractors to pigs and fences to farm tools. you’ll see the different varieties of squash and all the parts of a goat; learn about how a barn is constructed to what makes up a beehive. all beautifully illustrated by julia rothman- yes, please!

wrap up: {country} {farm} {farm anatomy} {illustrated} {julia rothman} {living}

Homemade dried apples are such an easy and inexpensive way to sneak more fruit into your diet. Of course, nothing beats a fresh, juicy apple, but I like dried apples for their portability and versatility. A little bag of apples can be slipped into a small purse for an anytime-snack, and they make a great topping for salads. They’re also a fantastic way to preserve a large bounty of apples through the winter. The idea came from the book How to Sew a Button by Erin Bried, and I modified the directions to fit my needs.

Ingredients

 
- apples
- lemons
- water

Directions

Slice as many apples as you would like into pieces 1/4″ thick or less. They can be as wide or long as you like. You may also peel them, or leave the peel on. I chose to leave the peel on and they came out great.

Soak the apples in a mixture of equal-parts lemon juice and water. The lemon juice not only preserves the color of the apple, but it creates depth to the apple flavor without having to add sugar.

After soaking, place the apples on a cake rack on top of a cookie sheet. If you don’t have a cake rack (I don’t!), then just place the slices directly on the cookie sheet. I did not need to grease the pan – the apples came off fine on their own.

The oven should be preheated to 140 degrees F, and the apples should remain in the oven for five hours. If your apples aren’t on a rack, flip them half-way through. I found that my apples really needed about 6 hours.

The apples should be flexible and bendy. You can eat some immediately, or all of them if you just used a couple of apples. If you’re looking for long term storage, then after they have cooled, place them in a sealed jar for a few days.

Shake the jars every so often. Pasteurize them by freezing them in bags for two days, and keep them for up to 6-12 months in a cool, dry place.

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {diy} {dried apples} {food} {fruit} {living} {preserve} {simple} {snack} {winter}

this month, it will be one year since my husband and i became a couple of veg-headed vegans. i know it can be a controversial issue, and so i encourage you to read the reasons on why we decided to make the switch in the first place. today though, i only want to share with you why it’s been the best decision of our lives. the results that we’ve experienced from the change is undeniable. tomorrow, i plan to share with you why i believe it is also incredibly easy. stay tuned!

{sweet cherries}

you can read the reasons why we decided to become vegan, but in short, here’s our story. we decided to be vegetarians about 7 years ago, a decision we made in efforts to avoid the antibiotics and hormones found in meat, for promised health benefits and to do something to alleviate the horrid practices of factory farming and environmental distress. several years later, we realized that we were relying heavily on cheese, milk and eggs, especially when we ate out. in our case, that meant that about 90% of the dairy we were consuming was not organic and came from who knew where. there we were, still eating antibiotics and hormones, being unhealthy and supporting the factory farming business of dairy cows and laying hens (which are absolutely terrifying, ask if you want more info!). so we made the switch, here’s why it was the best decision i ever made!

just to clarify, we don’t take supplements and don’t believe you should need to. we eat a well rounded, balanced diet full of incredibly tasty and nutritious things

1) i haven’t gotten sick now for the longest period of my life. it’s been one year with no sickness, woo hoo!
2) i feel better than ever. my energy is up and my eyes are bright.
3) i’m more eager to wake up and get going in the morning. seriously! i have felt a decrease in my ‘sluggishness’.
4) i’m more focused. i have found a noticeable difference in how focused i am and how much more productive as well.
5) my skin has finally cleared up, completely. i’m off all of the creams my dermatologist had me on and use no particularly special routine for my skin for the first time in my life.
6) my fitness has improved. i feel better when i run and have seen quicker results in my endurance than ever.
7) my body odor has decreased. not sure how to explain this one, but it’s true. better breath and no need for deoderant.
8) my nails and hair haven gotten stronger and prettier.
9) i have a sense of responsible about my lifestyle. like i’m making a difference in my health, my future health and the health of our planet.
10) i’ve lost weight. not much, but 7-8 pounds, effortlessly.
11) i love cooking vegan! no spoiled dairy, no germy meat. i haven’t had to disinfect my kitchen in a very long time.
12) my digestion is better and noticeably healthier than it was before.
13) i love being a part of the community. it’s (mostly) filled with inspiring, supportinve and truly lovely people.
14) i have less headaches. i used to get frequent headaches and occasional migraines, and haven’t had hardly any at all this year.
15) as soon as we cut out all the fillers (meat, cheese, eggs) our diet expanded tremendously. there are so many grains, beans, fruits, veggies, nuts, sea veggies and seeds that we never had tried before!
16) my allergies have gotten better. again i can’t really explain this but studies agree that cutting out dairy and meat can help alleviate allergy symptoms.
17) we save money. we don’t waste as much money on eating out (though it is easy to eat out if we want, i’ll tell you why tomorrow!). and we don’t buy as many snacks and unhealthy filler foods at the store.
18) reduced PMS symptoms. something about eliminating dairy does this!
19) i’m not as sleepy in the afternoons. i haven’t felt the need for an afternoon nap in months and months.
20) we’ve increased our awareness of the foods we put into our body. each food makes us feel a certain way, and we’ve become much more aware of it.

i will say that many of these benefits weren’t noticeable right away. it’s something you have to stick with. i lost the weight after 6 months, my skin cleared up after 10 months. but, i started feeling better almost instantly. give it a try, but be prepared to stick with it for amazing health benefits down the road.

tomorrow i plan to share with you why i also believe that it’s incredibly easy. stay tuned!

gotta question? comment? are you a vegan? do you have any benefits you’ve experienced? please share them with us in the comments section! i’ll ‘meat’ you there. :)

wrap up: {best} {decisions} {diet} {lifestyle} {living} {reasons} {simple} {vegan}

Making handmade liquid soap from natural soap bars is not only better for the environment, but it is a huge money saver as well. While the prospect of making your own hand soap might seem like a huge time investment, it is a very simple project.

ingredients

4 ounce bar of natural soap

2 quarts of water

tools

1 metal grater

large pot

hand mixer or whisk

container for storage

directions

Grate your soap into a fine pile.

Heat the water; when water begins to simmer, add grated soap. Mix well, and remove from heat.

Allow mixture to sit for 15 minutes, and mix well with a hand mixer or whisk.

Allow mixture to sit over night. Stir soap mixture to test its consistency. If it is too thin, you may reheat and add more soap; of it is too thick, you may reheat, add more water, and mix well again. Remember to let soap set again if you adjust the consistency.

Pour soap into your favorite reusable container, or reuse disposable plastic containers. Store your extra liquid hand soap in air-tight container.

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

wrap up: {at home} {cleaning} {dish} {diy} {handmade} {liquid} {living} {project} {simple} {soap}

i love this. love. love. love.

when pastels and neutral bases hit a blank canvas i think the beginnings of a home are made. ivy nassopoulos is a home stylist from frankurt germany, and her love and passion for beautiful living, unique interiors and pretty homes is so apparent in her work at new ivy style. her photography will inspire you and her cards, garland and wire letters will help you make your house a home.

wrap up: {domestic} {handmade} {home} {interiors} {ivy nassopoulos} {living} {pastels} {pretty} {stylist}

happy friday lovelies!  i spent most of last weekend making over our last-on-the-to-do-list back porch, and i’m to share with you the before and after’s!  with some serious thriftiness and diy projects, i was able to do the entire makeover for under $300.  there are lots of little projects that i’ll be sharing with you over the next few weeks, but here is the big picture of our back porch makeover:

before

after

before

after

this table, fan, tic tac toe game and vase were all thrifted, for under $20!

so, this is pretty much where you’ll find me this weekend! do you have any plans for the weekend?

wrap up: {back porch} {before and after makeovers} {deck} {diy} {living} {makever} {outdoor} {thrift}

happy monday everyone!  how was your weekend?  mine was a rather low key, but very nice.  some of you know that my hubba is in law enforcement school, and he worked for the first time saturday and sunday!  it’s kinda uncharted territory for both of us, but so far so good.  i spent most of the weekend working on something new that i’ll hopefully share with you soon (hehe!).  what did you do this weekend?

you might have noticed, i’ve added a new weekly tip over there in the left column! do you see it?  i’ve been giving going home to roost quite a bit of thought lately, and really want to focus on some new things that i’ve always been passionate about.  one of those things, is living a simpler life. and, living a simpler life to me, means living more sustainably.  so, every week, you’ll find a new green living tip right over there in the column.  they are only meant to be a friendly reminder of the small things we can do that really can make a difference.  and hopefully as the weeks go on, i’ll be able to give you some new ideas you maybe haven’t thought about!  this week’s is easy- who doesn’t love to do a little thrifting?

“that which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself has changed, but that our power to do is increased.” – ralph waldo emerson

wrap up: {eco friendly} {green} {living} {simpler} {sustainability} {tip}