Homemade Bread

It is so easy to run to the store and buy a loaf of bread.  But it's also easy to make your own!

I have been making bread for the local farmers market.  I happened to have one left over from Saturday, so I sliced it up so we could use it.
 

Now I'm not allowed to buy store bought bread again!

I have to admit, it does taste amazing.  There are no preservatives and it can be made as natural or organic as you want.

If you haven't made bread before, I would recommend that you get a bread machine.  It is really hard to screw up bread when the machine knows exactly what it is supposed to do!

I bought mine at a garage sale.  My dad knew I was wanting one and he happened to see one at a garage sale for $5!  Steal I know!  So after he called me, I ran down there and purchased it.  It was awhile before I used it because I was just afraid. I really had no idea how simple it really was.

So here is my guide to making bread in a bread machine.  It is really simple!  Once you have a machine, just find some good recipes that people say work great.  I searched pinterest for bread machine recipes and found so many!  Check the comments for positive ones.  If there is a bunch of negative Nancys, don't try it.  Then put the ingredients in the order listed.  I like to let my yeast, water and sugar set a bit before I start adding to it to give it a jump start...  Then close the lid and hit the right button.  It is seriously that easy...  ENJOY!!

Drink Your Water

I know I have written about drinking water before.  It is super important to drink water.  Your body is over 60% water and if you are not giving it what it needs, it is not going to function right!

Josh and I started a gallon challenge.  No we aren't chugging a gallon of milk. We are chugging a gallon of water.  Chugging throughout the day that is.

You should drink half your weight in water up to 150 oz.  So lets say you weight 200 lbs.  You would drink 100 oz of water a day.  This not only keeps you healthy but also promotes weightloss too!

I am always looking for creative ways to get my water in and this seemed easy and doable.  I have seen lots of examples on pinterest.  My favorite had inspirations written on every hour mark to keep you going.  So far my bottle is boring and only has the times written.

Josh actually jumped on board (He HATES water) and has stuck with it for a week now.  I always fall behind during the day due to running the kids around or baking pies, but I catch up at the end of the day.  That is why I like having it end at 5.  It gives me a chance to make up for it at night.  Although the later I finish in the day means more trips to the bathroom when I should be sleeping!

I am also taking doTERRA's lifelong vitality pack along with drinking my water.  I am hoping that together I can get my body the things it needs.  If you are interested in doTERRAs line of vitamins, shoot me a message.  I would love to tell you more about them.

Pies, Pies, Everywhere Are Pies!

Blackberry pie before it went into
the oven.

Something new is going on at the Vogele Homestead and when I say new, I mean BRAND NEW.

PIES.

I have never ever in my life made a pie.  Let me repeat.  NEVER.

Just like everyone else I know, when I needed a pie, or anything baked that needed to be edible, I called dear ol' Mum and begged her to do it for me.  She is pretty good.  Awesome.  Baking goddess.  Well, you get the idea.

Yummy insides to the peach pie crumble.

Strawberry pie crumble and blueberry/cherry American
flag pie after they came out of the oven.

So when we got the idea to bake pies at the local farmers market one cold Saturday, naturally I was like uhhhh..... Ok, I will try!  So the first place I went was to my mom's to learn how to make pie crust.  Homemade pie crust is so much better than store bought, so I knew if I was going to make pies, they would have to be as fresh and homemade as I could make them!

Next problem was figuring out what kinds to make.  After reading all the rules and regulations on farmers markets in the wonderful state of Kansas, I narrowed my choices down to fruit pies.  We choose to make a Strawberry crumb pie, a cherry pie with a lattice top, an apple pie with a lattice top, and a strawberry and Blueberry mixed pie with a star crust.

Strawberry and strawberry/blueberry pies before the oven.

I posted pictures of the pies on the local buy same trade Facebook page and had lots of comments, likes and shares.  We were excited to have the 4 pies at the farmers market with several loafs of bread (potato, raisin, and honey oat), mini loafs of sweet breads (banana and chocolate chip zucchini) and several dozen eggs from our lovely backyard chickens.

When Josh arrived at the farmers market, people were waiting on PIES!  He couldn't believe it.  People were helping him unload the items so that they would have first choice!

Strawberry/blueberry pie baked to  perfection!

By 9:30 we were completely sold out!   Of everything!

This last week we have been taking orders on pies since so many came and didn't get one.  The response has been awesome.  It allows me to make a little bit extra during the summer and gives me something to do with the kids.

I must say, I am not sure why I have never tried baking pies before.  They are not quite the rabid monster I expected them to be!

Cherry pie.  Looks so yummy!

If you would like for me to bake you a pie, please visit our Facebook page and send me a message with your order.  I can make you just about any type of fruit pie you are wanting as long as I can get the fruit!

Happy eating!

Homemade Dryer Sheets?? Who knew!

I am always looking for new cool ways to use essential oils to make my family healthier, my life easier, or to give me an excuse to buy more oils!  I have heard of people using them in laundry and really haven't put my thought to it.  I wash my clothes to get oils out of them right??  But, it kept popping up in my research that this was a great way to use oils to help keep us healthier.

I think EVERYONE loves the smell of clean clothes.  I think everyone LOVES soft fluffy towels.  We use dryer sheets to help make this joyful occurrence happen.  But, did you know that dryer sheets are FULL of nasty chemicals?  Not only do these chemicals get on your clothes and then transfer to your skin, but they also break down the mechanical parts of your dryer!  So, not only are you keeping your body healthier, your dryer will last longer.  You can thank me later.

If that isn't enough to get you running to find fabric scraps, think about giving back to the earth.  Dryer sheets have to go somewhere when they are worn out and used up after every load.  So what do you do with them?  In the trash they go!  So this is an eco-friendly alternative!  Also, since they are reusable and the ingredients are cheap, it is a frugal alternative to buying pricey dryer sheets.  Last, you can pick your sent!  You can add what ever smells you want.  Maybe you like lavender or lemon or both!  You can play with your sent until you find your favorite.  HOW MUCH FUN IS THAT?!

First let me show you how to make these simple dryer sheets.

First you need to find old towels, tshirts, or raid your fabric scrap bin.  (I went and raided my mom's as I do not have one of my own.)  Cut what ever fabric you find into squares.  I cut mine into 8 inch squares.  Seemed to be about the size of a normal dryer sheet.

You have several options to finish the edges of the fabric.  You can either leave them as is and let them fray and replace when needed.  You can cut the edges with pinking shears to keep fraying to a minimum.  You can also zig zag stitch the edges and then also cut them with pinking shears.  That's what we did!

This is a great time to get kids sewing.  It doesn't matter if they don't sew straight, unless you are OCD.  My kiddo loves to sew with his Granny.

Once you have your "dryer sheets" made, next you need to mix up the concoction that they will soak in.  To do this you need simple ingredients that, if you are an oily like me, you already have.

You need:
-1/2 cup of vinegar
-10 drops of your favorite essential oils  (I used elevation.)

Pretty easy right??

Mix all of that together and then pour into a container that you can seal.  This can be a canning jar, a pretty glass container, basically anything glass you can put a top on.  You can even put a pretty label on the front.  What ever floats your boat.

You can mix it up if you want to use them right away like I did.  Depending on the load you might want to use a couple.  All you have to do is grab a corner, wring it out, and toss in the dryer with your clothes.  Then when you are done toss them back in the jar and repeat the steps for the next load.  SO SIMPLE.


You might be wondering why this works...

Well, vinegar is a natural fabric softener and static reducer.  You can also use it to eliminate odors in clothes when you wash them.  There are a ton of uses for vinegar.  Google it!

I hope you enjoy making your dryer sheets.  I know we enjoyed making ours!  Let me know how you like them or if there is a favorite "flavor" of sent you like to use.  I would love to try it.  I am ready to experiment with our next smells once the liquid is all used up in the current one.

Reading List

I love to read.  Problem is, the past three years, all I had time to read were text books!  Now that my Masters is completed, I can read what ever I want!  It's so exciting!

Although I have lots of books on the list to read, the first one I am tackling is Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge.

Once we head down to the library for our weekly trips for the kids summer reading, I will add to my list.

Do you have any good books you would recomend?  Josh and I are always looking for good reads.

May the rains bring blessings and provide you with more time to grab a book and read!  I know it has us.

Zit Away Spray

I love my doTERRA oils.  I try to use them for everything from healing to baking to lifting my spirits.  Pinterest is full of fun possibilities for essential oils.

One thing that I found was a zit away spray.  I hate to admit it, but I have problematic skin.  I am always looking for ways to make it clearer, and more lovely.  When I saw this Zit Away Spray, I wanted to try it.  So I made some last night and want to share the recipe with you.

It is really simple to make.

All you need is:
- Witch Hazel
Melaleuca
Lavender
2 oz spray bottle

I purchased my witch hazel from the Natural Grocers in Wichita.  The oils are of course doTERRA.  If you don't know about doTERRA oils message me.  I would love to talk to you about them.

Anyway, take your spray bottle and fill it with 10 drops of each oil and then top the bottle off with the witch hazel.  Hard, I know!  Give it a good shake and you are ready to go.

You can use this two ways.  You can spray directly on your cleansed face or you can spray on a cotton ball or pad and wipe in an upward motion on your face.

Let me know what you think.

**Disclosure: I am a doTERRA Wellness Advocate and receive commissions and/or bonuses from doTERRA.  Also, I am not a medical professional. The statements and suggestions given here have not been evaluated by the FDA. I am simply sharing ideas and suggestions on how to use essential oils in everyday life. I assume no liability for the way you choose to use essential oils. Use your good judgment and act responsibly.

DIY Essential Oil Shaving Cream

So, I decided that shaving cream was expensive and full of chemicals that I didn't want to slather on my legs.  I found a recipe online that would use coconut oil, aloe vera, vitamin E, and doTERRA essential oils.  I thought it sounded easy enough to try.

All you need is:

1/4 of coconut oil

3/4 of aloe vera

a couple vitamin E capsules

10-15 drops of your favorite oil

Heat the coconut oil up if it isn't already in liquid form.  Then add the aloe vera.  Mix well.  Take the vitamin E capsules and poke a hole in it and squeeze.  I used a tooth pick and it worked well.  Then put drops of your favorite oil in and mix well.  I found that shaking everything seemed to mix it up better than stirring.

Once you have everything stirred up, pour it into a pretty pump bottle and stick in your shower!  Let me know how you like it!

PS:  I love doTERRA's shampoo and conditioner too.

**Disclosure: I am a doTERRA Wellness Advocate and receive commissions and/or bonuses from doTERRA.  Also, I am not a medical professional. The statements and suggestions given here have not been evaluated by the FDA. I am simply sharing ideas and suggestions on how to use essential oils in everyday life. I assume no liability for the way you choose to use essential oils. Use your good judgment and act responsibly.