DIY Chocolate and Peanut Butter Dipped Pretzels

I found on clearance at the store a few days ago, a double boiler!  So, of course, I HAVE to use it.  When I brought home the double boiler, I also brought home chocolate and pretzels...  do you see where this is going???  It is SO, SO easy to dip pretzels and you can make all kinds of delicious combinations. 

For this, I used the square pretzels that have a grid kind of thing in the center of them.  I dipped a whole bunch with just chocolate and then while the chocolate was still drying, I sprinkled them with festive Fall sprinkles.  I found the Fall sprinkles at Target in the dollar bins.

DIY Fleece Blanket

Full size fleece blanket with travel size blanket. 

I have made so many of these blankets, that I have since lost count.  I love them because they are so versatile for people of any age.  When my kids are infants, I can lay one of these on the ground and put them on the floor.  As they get older, they snuggle up with them in bed.  During story time in the evenings, they wrap themselves up in them to stay warm.  And for a few of our kids, they have since taken to them as security blankets and have become inseparable.   I actually had to start making smaller sized blankets so that the younger kids who still insist on having “blankie” in the car with them, don’t have to take a full sized blanket.  Those have been a hit as well. 

They are really easy to make.  No sewing machine required, so anybody can do this.  It takes a little time, but they are definitely worth it.  It takes me about 45 minutes to get a full size one finished, and about 25 minutes to get a travel size blankie made. 

Graham Cracker Crust Recipe

It will be crumbly once mixed completely

Basic crust recipe.  MUCH better than the store bought crusts and very easy to make!  Use it with any pie just for a little something extra!   Besides, this way you can brag you made it from scratch.

1 ½ cups of finely crushed graham cracker

1/3 cups of sugar

6 tablespoons of melted butter

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Natural Cold Remedies and Care

Out of everyone in my family, I am the only one that ever gets knocked off my feet kind of sick.  It is almost guaranteed that at some point in time when the weather starts cooling down that Mom will get deathly ill.  Okay, not really DEATHLY ill (although, it feels like it to me in a very dramatic way), but in a way that surely keeps me from my true potential.  It could be that I am pregnant right now, which means my immune system is already weakened.  Whatever the case, I feel terrible. 

Lessons from a Homesteader and an Herb Garden Plan

Today we did a lot of work.  Well, Keith (my husband) did a lot of work.  I did a lot of managing and complaining.  You know, I realized very early on, that even a backyard farm was A LOT of work.  We don’t have much space.  Everything we do is strictly limited to a backyard space.  I like to think of it as a farm (although the definition might vary for people) because this is the way I see it…  We grow food, we have the opportunity for fresh milk, eggs, and meat…  so in my mind, that makes us a farm. Right?  Everybody nod your head in unison.  Thanks.  I have learned a lot of lessons on a small space that someday I hope to take to a large space.