tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13141199494141347062024-03-13T06:42:45.106-05:00Larson Farm NaturalsDebbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-74104351643620526282012-02-23T07:05:00.001-06:002012-02-23T07:05:06.316-06:00Special Offer - 20% off Coupon CodeGood Morning! So today is my birthday...I will not share how many this is heehee! BUT! I will share a coupon code because of this occasion :) Use code "LFN201" at checkout to recieve 20% off your order. Good until Feb. 29th. <br/><br/><a href='http://www.etsy.com/shop/larsonfarmnaturals' title='My Etsy SHop'>Click Here to Visit My Etsy Shop!</a>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-18702409439175603972012-02-13T06:12:00.001-06:002012-02-13T06:12:03.179-06:00Special Offer - FREE Shipping Coupon CodeValentine's special this week only. Use coupon code "FREESHIP11" and get free shipping on any items in my shop! Feb. 13th-17th. Domestic shipping only.<br/><br/><a href='http://www.etsy.com/shop/larsonfarmnaturals' title='My Etsy SHop'>Click Here to Visit My Etsy Shop!</a>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-35338985692505938042012-02-08T11:38:00.000-06:002012-02-08T11:47:46.391-06:00A trip to the City / Chocolaterie StamSo it's that blah time of year here in the midwest. We were spoiled by an unseasonably warm January, some days almost to the 70's! And now that the REAL winter is here I am getting cabin fever. <br />
So I have been keeping busy with creating some new products. And the highlight of my February so far was a quick trip to the city yesterday. A trip to see my sister and to take her some wonderful soap and lip balm geft sets I made to sell in her shop, Chocolaterie Stam. <br />
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The gorgeous gift set that I designed specifically for my sister's chocolate store. Chocolaterie Stam is located in Papillion, NE in the Shadow Lake shopping center. <br />
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My sister Suzi and I.</div>
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My sister and her family spent 5 years living in Germany and during that time fell in love with the European chocolates. Stam chocolates originated in Amsterdam in the early 1900's at the hand of Jacobus Stam. Jocobus's great-grandson, Ton Stam, decided American would appreciate these fine chocolates. I think he was right :) They are the most wonderful chocolates I could have ever dreamed of! Fresh cream and nut filled bonbons is something that American chocolate companies just don't make. <br />
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My soaps on display. I searched high and low for just the right packaging to be worthy of this splendid store.</div>
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Not only is this store elegant, but it has such a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. </div>
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A full case of decadent bonbons!</div>
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These chocolate mice are a favorite in my family. They come in white, milk, and dark chocolate. So cute and yummy :)</div>
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Aahhhh Gelato!! What is gelato you say? It's the Italian's version of ice cream. I wouldn't even call it ice cream, it's in a league of it's own. Gelato has less butterfat, therefore is less solidly frozen and melts in the mouth faster. Gelato has a much higher density than ice cream, no air is whipped into gelato like traditional ice creams. And lastly, because it is less solidly frozen, gelato’s taste is further enhanced as it melts in the mouth. And with flavors like "Turtle Cheesecake", "Coffee Crunch", and "Yellow Cake Batter" (my favorite) you don't want to miss a bit that glorious taste!</div>
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So if you happen to be in the Omaha area, be sure to stop in to Chocolaterie Stam. Your Valentine will be "yours" forever with a gift from this shop. You will thank me, I promise!!</div>
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<br /></div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-84752106484933170342012-01-30T09:39:00.001-06:002012-01-30T09:45:55.627-06:00Soap Making 101 - Part 3Welcome to the last post of my Soap Making 101 series.<br />
If you missed my last two posts, here they are:<br />
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<a href="http://larsonfarmnaturals.blogspot.com/2012/01/soap-making-101-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> - Supplies / Ingredients<br />
<a href="http://larsonfarmnaturals.blogspot.com/2012/01/soap-making-101-part-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a> - Recipe and instructions for Unscented Soap<br />
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Today I would like to give you a small summary of:<br />
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<li>How to use natural ingredients to color and scent you soap</li>
<li>How to use a Lye calculator to make your own recipes</li>
<li>Links to sites with many recipes / tips and tricks </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXDS3cJkoSRVsbkREtMkfc-VZNZAT2e4BmlhZj0XL3UPc7gAqSAQO92peo07dgwVHSJM5_rdUifJQTNM9mKIB3qLUVTHf38VC_hWRY06FxPDv9VBRzPsKyKbtHXqhZgCC-mVP2PfzObXG/s1600/New+carrot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXDS3cJkoSRVsbkREtMkfc-VZNZAT2e4BmlhZj0XL3UPc7gAqSAQO92peo07dgwVHSJM5_rdUifJQTNM9mKIB3qLUVTHf38VC_hWRY06FxPDv9VBRzPsKyKbtHXqhZgCC-mVP2PfzObXG/s400/New+carrot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/68795701/carrot-soap-handmade-soap-with-carrots">http://www.etsy.com/listing/68795701/carrot-soap-handmade-soap-with-carrots</a></div>
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<strong>Coloring and Scenting the natural way:</strong><br />
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I started my soap journey just as a hobby, so I didn't really want to sink too much money into it. But after my first batch was such a success, I wanted to try the different kinds I had seen. So instead of buying all sorts of coloring and fragrance oils I found the recipes that used all natural ingredients. It was later on that I learned how much better these options are for you. <br />
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I love this list of natural coloring options. These types of natural dyes have been used for centuries. Mostly from dark colored vegetables and leaves, these are all gentle with no harmful effects.<br />
Some of these are added in as juice (like carrot juice in my soap above) in place of the water in your recipe, some are powdered that is added in toward the end (like cocoa powder).<br />
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A list of natural ingredients to color you soaps.<br />
<a href="http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/soapcolors.html#sandalwoodcolor">http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/soapcolors.html#sandalwoodcolor</a><br />
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So onto scenting your soap. There is something about stepping into the shower with a really good smelling soap! So my next goal was to find a natural way to scent my soap. <br />
Most of the oils have rich earthy smell, and that is good on it's own. And Using cocoa butter will give your soap a chocolate smell. But if you are wanting stronger and more exotic smells to your soap, you will need to use some kind of fragrance. I try to only use essential oils as they are all natural. <br />
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Generally you will use scent at 2% of your ounces of oils in your soap. <br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">For example: The soap recipe I have given you is 44 oz of oils. 2% of that is .88 ounces (weighed). Around 2 Tbs.</span><br />
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Here is a great link to calculate how much essential oil to use in your soap recipe. Just plug in the numbers and it will do the rest. Wonderful to have!<br />
Essential oil/ fragrance oil Calculator<br />
<a href="http://www.thesage.com/calcs/fragcalc.html">http://www.thesage.com/calcs/fragcalc.html</a><br />
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Here is a site with some wonderful articles outlining just what essential oils are and how to safely use them.<br />
<a href="http://www.aromaweb.com/essentialoils/default.asp#essentialoilguides">http://www.aromaweb.com/essentialoils/default.asp#essentialoilguides</a><br />
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But mostly, don't be afraid to be inventive. So many natural things can made wonderful add ins to your soaps. Spices, flowers, oatmeal, coffee grounds, just to name a few.<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/68860482/green-tea-soap-handmade-soap-with">http://www.etsy.com/listing/68860482/green-tea-soap-handmade-soap-with</a></div>
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<strong>Start making your own recipes:</strong><br />
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There is a HUGE amount of info that I could share with you here. I will just summarize a bit. <br />
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SOAPONIFICATION: <span style="color: #336666; font-family: inherit;"> <span style="color: black;">is the name given to the chemical reaction that occurs when a oil or fat is mixed with a strong alkali ( in our case is lye). The products of the reaction are two: soap and glycerin</span></span><br />
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Each kind of oil or fat has what is called a SAP (saponification)value. This SAP value tells you how much lye to use to completely soaponify the fat. This calculation leads to a balanced reaction and will produce a mild soap with no lye left over. Whew!!!<br />
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I am not going to share all the SAP values of all the oils/fats or the calculation to use. If you are a beginner I'm sure you won't want to do it that way yet. <br />
So, here is a link to a fool proof way to make your own recipes. Just like the fragrance calculator above, just plug in how much oils/fats you want to use and it will give you the amount of water and lye you will need. <br />
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I also use this when trying out someone else's recipe just to check and make sure the calculations where done correctly. <br />
<strong>Lye calculator</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php">http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72402079/lavender-soap-handmade-soap-with-organic">http://www.etsy.com/listing/72402079/lavender-soap-handmade-soap-with-organic</a></div>
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<strong>List of helpful links:</strong></div>
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Recipes</div>
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<a href="http://www.thesage.com/recipes/recipes.php?.State=ListRecipes&cat=Bar_Soaps">http://www.thesage.com/recipes/recipes.php?.State=ListRecipes&cat=Bar_Soaps</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.millersoap.com/soapallveg.html">http://www.millersoap.com/soapallveg.html</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thesoapdish.com/formulary.htm">http://www.thesoapdish.com/formulary.htm</a> soaps and other easy bath and body products<br />
<a href="http://www.teachsoap.com/easycpsoap.html">http://www.teachsoap.com/easycpsoap.html</a></div>
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Supplies / ingredients</div>
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<a href="http://www.thesage.com/catalog/index.html">http://www.thesage.com/catalog/index.html</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.brambleberry.com/">http://www.brambleberry.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/Default.aspx">http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/Default.aspx</a><br />
<a href="http://www.pureandnaturalsoaps.com/">http://www.pureandnaturalsoaps.com/</a><br />
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So there we have it! I hope that you all enjoy my 101 series this month. <br />
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I am working on beginner crochet tutorials for next month's series! I will also have more simple home cooking posts as well. <br />
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See you then!<br />
Debbie</div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-15682038768205050592012-01-20T09:50:00.000-06:002012-01-30T09:45:17.543-06:00Soap Making 101 - Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome back everyone! This is part 2 in my soap making series. </div>
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If you missed part 1 click <a href="http://larsonfarmnaturals.blogspot.com/2012/01/soap-making-101-part-1.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. I went over what supplies/ ingredients you need and where to find them.</div>
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So today I will have the recipe again and show you the magic of soap making!<br />
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This is a basic soap recipe that is great for any member of the family, especially those with sensitive skin.<br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><u>UNSCENTED SOAP</u></strong></span></span></div>
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<strong>18 oz Olive Oil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>11 oz Coconut<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Oil</span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>11 oz<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Palm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Oil </span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>4 oz Shea Butter<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>13 oz water</strong></div>
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<strong>6.2 oz Lye </strong></div>
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One of the most important things you need to remember is that the recipe is in weighed ounces, not measured. A digital scale with an ounces options is necessary here. Postal scales work perfectly.</div>
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The scale should also have a TARE button for easier weighing. The tare button cancels out the weight of your container before you add your ingredient so you get a true reading. </div>
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For example: My glass measuring cup weighs 18.6, I push the TARE button and it zeros it out. I usually put my stainless steel pan right on here and push the TARE button each time I add a new ingredient. <br />
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Here are my oils and shea butter all weighed and warming on the stove. All of the more solid ingredients need to be completely melted down. Slow and low will keep it from overheating and reduces the time needed to cool it back down.</div>
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I weighed my lye and COLD water in two SEPARATE containers. </div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">Always add your lye to your water! </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Never water to the lye. I should be mixing as I add but I only had two hands at the time :) Mix until your lye is dissolved. It will look a little cloudy at first. </span></div>
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Both have their thermometers and are ready to sit and cool. My water/lye solution usually heats up to around 150 degrees or so. I try to keep my oils from getting too warm, right now it's at 125 degrees.</div>
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Both need to cool down to around 100-110 degrees. Some people say lower, but I have never had a problem with these temperatures on this recipe. </div>
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Ready to mix!</div>
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Slowly add the lye water to the oils. Again, I should have the mixer on but still missing that 3rd arm today- not where did I put that!?! You can see how the mixture is getting combined and turning opaque.</div>
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I mix on low speed to start. Then go from high to low intermittently. </div>
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This is after about 5 min. of mixing. It's starting to look like pudding but still isn't thick enough yet.</div>
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One of the things that I used to worry about is a little thing called TRACE. </div>
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<span style="color: blue;">TRACE-</span> Your soap is ready to pour in your mold when you see this. A trace in your soap means you can see the line left behind when moving your blender around in the mixture. I also take it to mean that when you lift your blender out you can heap up your soap into thick piles. A little like making meringue. </div>
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<span style="color: blue;">FALSE TRACE- </span>Be careful of the false trace. If you think your soap is ready, take a little time and stir the soap without the blender on. Sometimes is only looks ready until you stir it down a bit. Keep mixing until it is continually thick. This can be anywhere from 10-30 min.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwLhotbfAuoxE7zfvDn3EH8b2cJ9qEC8dOqPK474Orbxj7o5m_gneMMtGSJmRLPKHEbLUqYaTpXn1xllLg9ug' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Here is a video of what trace will look like. My first time posting a video by the way, I hope I don't make you too dizzy. OH, and please excuse BARNEY in the background, I didn't realize my camera would pick up sounds so easily! haha!!</div>
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Alright! Now the hard part is done and your almost there :) Pour your soap into your prepared mold. For a look at how to line a mold like this just click <a href="http://larsonfarmnaturals.blogspot.com/p/line-soap-mold.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </div>
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Smooth out the top. I like to add a little bit of pretty to the top of my soaps with a knife. </div>
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Lid on. If you mold doesn't have a lid you should find something to cover it that won't touch the soap. I then cover up my soap with about 3-4 old thick towels. Store in a safe place where is won't be disturbed.</div>
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You will need to keep a watch on your soap for the next step. This is the time where your soap will heat up and go through the GEL phase. . The soap will start to heat up in the middle first and turn a bit more translucent and gel like. It will slowly spread to the edges. (I wish I would have caught a picture sooner) The picture on the left shows that the gel has almost spread all the way. The last picture shows the finished gel all the way to the edges. </div>
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Uncover after this and sit it in a safe place to cool. I usually leave it overnight. </div>
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The next day you can tear off the freezer paper. If you soap is still a little soft I would wait another day or so. It will get harder. </div>
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Cut your soap with a knife or other sharp utensil into your desired thickness. I get around 13-14 (4 oz) bars with this recipe. </div>
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Your soap IS NOT ready to use yet. There is still too much lye present in the soap and will irritate your skin. Soap should sit and dry, or CURE, for at least 4-5 weeks. </div>
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Some soap makers use the "tongue test" when they suspect their soap might be ready. Take a wet finger to the soap and then touch the tip of your tongue. If it burns at all, the soap is not ready yet and needs to dry longer. </div>
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SO! There we have it. I hope my instructions are easy to follow. And I do hope that if you have been wanting to try your hand at soap making that this gets you going. </div>
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If you have and questions or concerns I would be more than happy to try and help.</div>
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I would love to hear your stories and see pictures of your soaps too!</div>
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Next week I will have info for you on how to use natural colors and scents in your soaps, how to use a lye calculator to invent your own recipes, and maybe some other goodies thrown in there. </div>
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~Debbie<br />
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Are you ready for Part 3? Click <a href="http://larsonfarmnaturals.blogspot.com/2012/01/soap-making-101-part-3.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> :)</div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-81442602397657380962012-01-12T12:00:00.000-06:002012-01-20T10:12:21.143-06:00Soap Making 101 - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am so excited to be finally getting to this series! Like I said in my "New Year" post, I will be posting a 101 tutorial series each month. These posts will be a series of in depth tutorials, usually having to do with self sufficient living. <br />
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So onto my first series. <strong>Soap Making 101</strong>! I aim to show you just how easy it is to make a basic soap that you and your family will love!<br />
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In the next 3 weeks I will break it down into 3 separate posts:<br />
<ol>
<li>What supplies and ingredients you will need. Where you can find them, maybe at home, in your nearest stores and/or websites where you can order them. I will go over safety information as well. </li>
<li>A basic recipe for unscented soap. Step by step instructions on how to make your soap complete with pictures. </li>
<li>Here I will go more in depth on different ingredients can be used for you soaps like: oils, butters, fragrances, essential oils, and other add ins. I will also give you links to many useful soap making sites. Tips, recipes, and a lye calculator to be able to make your own recipes.</li>
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First lets go over the<u> <strong>SUPPLIES</strong></u> you will need. I'm sure you can find most of these in your kitchen. Some people don't like to use the same items for cooking that they do for soap making. And you can have your own separate stash for this, but most will be fine if you wash them. I will warn you about the ones that shouldn't be used for both. <br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">* Never use aluminum items, lye reacts violently with it. Glass, ceramic, and stainless steel are the best choices for all supplies. </span><br />
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<li> 2 cooking <strong>thermometers</strong>. I use the metal one for the oils and the glass one for the lye solution. </li>
<li>Two or three <strong>mixing utensils</strong>. Stainless steel spoons are the best. You can use wooden, but <span style="color: #cc0000;">reserve it just for soap making,</span> it can absorb lye and not be completely cleaned. Rubber spatulas are the same way, they will also be slowly eaten away by the lye so they won't last long. </li>
<li><strong>Glass measuring cups</strong>. I have two, one to weigh water and one to weigh out the lye. </li>
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I would think all of these items can be either found in your home or at your local stores.<br />
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<li>One <strong>STAINLESS STEEL PAN</strong>. No aluminum, Teflon coated or anything that doesn't have the words "stainless steel" on the bottom just to be safe. Your big chain store will have them. An average size sauce pan will be sufficient for this recipe. </li>
<li><strong>DIGITAL</strong> scale. All ingredients will be weighed not measured. I found this one in the postal section of Walmart for about $15-$20. Here are some more that are a bit pricey and one that that is $28.50. <a href="http://www.thesage.com/catalog/Scales.html">http://www.thesage.com/catalog/Scales.html</a></li>
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<strong>STICK BLENDER.</strong> <span style="color: #cc0000;">Another item you should reserve just for soap making.</span> Your best friend in your modern soap making adventure. Hand stirring can take 3 hours or longer, a stick blender cuts it down to about 20-30 min. So with that in mind you need a stick blender that can last that long. I have gone through a few (blew fuses with cheap ones) and found the best one is this model. Hamilton Beach 59780R. This one is around $35 found at Walmart or online <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hamilton+beach+59780R" target="_blank">here on Amazon</a>. If you can't find this one, you can try others. It should be one that has a least 2 speeds (these will be higher wattage) and try to find one that has a sealed shaft. Ones that aren't sealed will whip air into your soap, you don't want that!</div>
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<strong>SOAP MOLD</strong> - this is the kind I use. You can do a search for "wooden soap mold" and find many many kinds. I would show you a link to where I got mine but he no longer makes them. Mine is 3" deep, 13" long and 3 1/2" wide. You can also you many household containers around this size, just line them with freezer paper. </div>
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<strong>FREEZER PAPER</strong> - not wax paper, it needs to be thick</div>
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Tape and scissors to cut and tape your paper into your mold</div>
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Follow this link for an <a href="http://larsonfarmnaturals.blogspot.com/p/line-soap-mold.html" target="_blank">easy way to line your soap mold.</a></div>
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Last but not least would be <strong>SAFETY GEAR.</strong> Working with lye can be risky. It is a very strong base that will burn you on contact. Here are some safety precautions and gear you should have.</div>
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Rubber gloves </div>
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Goggles</div>
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Long sleeve shirt, apron</div>
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Vinegar - is an acid that will help neutralize lye on skin and surfaces</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">*If you are working at home you are probably going to be in the kitchen. Start with a clean kitchen, (hard for me sometimes haha!) no food or other items you could possibly contaminate unknowingly. I also never let my kids in the kitchen when I am making soap. Even a small splatter in an eye could have terrible consequences. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I hope all that didn't scare you. Really it is not that terrible. I have gotten lye granules and the raw soap on my hands numerous time and it just itched and burned a little. I put a little vinegar on it and it was fine. </span></div>
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So now onto the <strong><u>INGREDIENTS.</u></strong></div>
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Your basic soap recipe will be as follows: </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I will have this again in the next part of the series)</span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>UNSCENTED SOAP</u></strong></span></span></div>
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<strong>18 oz Olive Oil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>11 oz Coconut<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Oil</span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>11 oz<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Palm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Oil </span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>4 oz Shea Butter<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>13 oz water</strong></div>
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<strong>6.2 oz Lye </strong></div>
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<strong>Where to find your ingredients</strong></div>
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<strong>OLIVE OIL</strong></div>
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The only ingredient I have been able to find in my local big chain stores is the Olive oil. They have many kinds to choose from. If you are wanting a higher quality, keep in mind you are going to get what you pay for, but they will all work nicely for your soap.</div>
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<strong>COCONUT OIL</strong></div>
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You may be able to find this in you local store, it comes under the name <a href="http://www.louana.com/" target="_blank">LouAna</a>. I have not been able to find it here in Iowa. Health food stores may also have virgin coconut oil that will be more expensive. Here are two soap making sites that sell Coconut oil. <a href="http://www.thesage.com/catalog/FixedOil.html" target="_blank">MMS</a> and <a href="http://www.thesoapdish.com/oils.htm" target="_blank">The Soap Dish</a> .</div>
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<strong>PALM OIL</strong></div>
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I have never heard of anyone finding this in a store. I have to buy these online. <a href="http://www.thesage.com/catalog/FixedOil.html" target="_blank">MMS</a> and <a href="http://www.thesoapdish.com/oils.htm" target="_blank">The Soap Dish</a> also have Palm oil under the same section as the coconut oil.</div>
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<strong>SHEA BUTTER</strong></div>
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This is the same senario as the Palm oil, see above.</div>
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<strong>WATER</strong></div>
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Distilled/softened water is best. If you have hard water I advise using distilled water as the lye does not dissolve as easily in hard water. </div>
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<strong>LYE</strong></div>
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A few years back you could by lye in any store. It was marketed as a drain cleaner. People also use lye to make Meth so all lye has been taken off of most store's shelves. I get my lye from a local Amish store, don't ask me why they can sell it, but I'm glad they are able to. You may be able to ask a local store if they can order it for you. For the rest of you, you will have to go online. Most soap supply sites will sell it, but you have to buy other soap making ingredients at the same time. <a href="http://www.thesoapdish.com/caustics.htm" target="_blank"> The soap dish</a> is a great site as you can buy you palm, coconut and shea butter there too. They have small quantity options which I loved when I was just starting out. </div>
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Those are just a few options. Go ahead and do a search online and you may find better prices, there are MANY site out there. Fun to look through too :)</div>
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So there is the very beginning folks. I thought I would give you this up front so you may have time to gather your supplies before the soap making tutorial.</div>
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Ready for Part 2? Click <a href="http://larsonfarmnaturals.blogspot.com/2012/01/soap-making-101-part-2.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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~Debbie</div>
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<a href="http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/search/label/Homestead%20Barn%20Hop" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmdk81kDQ521k2NDBU8lPw8_gtYA-m0PWdXrWR6eDFOz9FVbUXMmmfUZyiXTkitvR0lZZ3BHW9DYpQEi9ZIaqET99QHGwkGWlOST-lykRNON5417C0BA27okROhHUnBSUV5pv6qnIXXVT/s200/Barn-Hop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-29714217166008911992012-01-03T11:06:00.000-06:002012-01-05T06:41:44.869-06:00New Year, New Focus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/creative_stock/6603724951/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Happy New Year 2012! by Creativity103, on Flickr"><img alt="Happy New Year 2012!" height="353" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6603724951_7b352bda71.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/creative_stock/6603724951/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">creativity103</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy New Year to you all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always get so excited for the new year, don’t you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see it as a wonderful opportunity to start anew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t always have great big resolutions like some may, but I still like the feeling of a fresh new year with endless possibilities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also see it as a good time to reflect on the past year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so thrilled that I finally have found a good opportunity to create and share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two things that I love to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love creating my soaps, lip balms and other new products that will be coming soon. Do what you love and you never work a day in your life, right? So far so good :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so thrilled to be sharing my products and my lifestyle experiences with you all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t see myself as a schooled expert in any field, but actual know-how beats any book smart person in my world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(book knowledge will always have a pertinent place however, I am just referring to those who only regurgitate knowledge that has been feed to them)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I worry that our world is headed in a terrible direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People without any actual “hands on experience” in taking care of themselves and their families are going to be in dire straights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that is a whole other can of worms that I won’t delve into today <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So on a more positive note,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like to share with you my more focused direction of my blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the past year I have posted tips, tutorials, family moments, and info on my products.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly all in the healthy/green style of living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing too in depth, just a few tidbits here and there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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I want my blog to be more about simple, back to basics living. I have found if I get too many ideas running around in my head I tend to shut down. Ever happen to you? haha! I am going to have a more laid out plan for the blog, for my whole online life really, to be able to streamline my thoughts and stay sane!<br />
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So here are my ideas I have been scratching down on bits of paper lately. <br />
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First off, I am going to go by a monthly schedule rather than weekly. Here is a few things that you can expect to see each month.<br />
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<li><strong>A 101 series.</strong> By that I mean a series of tutorials for the month focusing on one big topic. For example: This month will be "Soap Making 101". I will break down the process of making your own soap into a few blog posts all month long. (It's already the 4th I should get that up soon huh?)</li>
<li><strong>Simple Foods Tutorials. </strong>Homecooking at it's most simple. You will be able to find tutorials on basics cooking that many of us were never taught growing up. Nothing fancy...no Bananas Foster here (although it is really good!) For example: Making your own bread, noodles, yogurt, granola bars, ect. </li>
<li><strong>Sewing Tutorials. </strong>I will have a 101 series on this as well. But mostly you will find easy to follow sewing posts. I will have a main focus of reusing to create new in this section. Say maybe, turning an old pair of jeans into a purse. I did that recently, so cute! </li>
<li><strong>Simply Clean. </strong>Info on my most studied category! I will have all posts about natural products, mine and others, to show you and to tell you about my research. Whether it be soaps and such for the bath or for sanitizing your kitchen counters, I hope to show you how just a few natural ingredients can do it all. </li>
<li><strong>Frugal Living. </strong>I love thrift stores, garage sales, or even finding new uses for things in my own home! We live in a very fragile economy and a more "basics" type lifestyle could help anyone these days. I am not so much of an expert on budgets, so you won't find much about cash flow here, but more of how to spend less and still have your needs filled. </li>
<li><strong>Self Sufficient How To. </strong>I don't claim to know it all about self sufficient living, but I think I have a few things up my sleeve that could help you all. I would include topics that don't have a place in say the sewing or cooking sections. Topics like: canning and preserving foods, gardening, fruit trees, raising animals, butchering chickens/rabbits, cleaning fish ect. I am learning more all the time so I should be able to have much to share!</li>
<li><strong>Farm Life. </strong>Posts about my family and our everyday experiences of raising 4 kids and farm life. I realize that most people have never visited a real farm. No, I'm not talking about a pumpkin patch at Halloween or Christmas tree farm. A real Midwest farm complete with dirt, mud (which usually contains some kind of animal in it) and sweat. No charming cute little farm house with a white picket fence, although I do think my house is nice and I would LOVE some white fence! I like to post how we really live and share some work, fun times and otherwise with you all. </li>
<li><strong>Etsy Items. </strong>Last but not least. I never wanted this blog to be only about promoting my etsy shop and the things I sell. That is for my facebook page. But I want to share my sales and such on here too. I also will be highlighting the ingredients in my products and the benefits to your health. I can have more "in depth" posts here on a blog. Also will be comparisons to commercial products, like soaps, shampoos, ect. And what their ingredients are and how they affect you. No biases, just facts gathered from research. </li>
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I have a new look for my product line so I will be changing my banner here to match. I should have new category labels in my sidebar and at the top soon as well. Hopefully all will result in a more organized and user friendly blog for you to read. <br />
So there we have it. It's not set in stone however, I may tweak it here and there. I would like to post once or twice a week with an in depth post on these subjects. I hope you enjoy your time here and find something useful on my blog. And don't be shy, join right in an give some comments or ask questions! I always love to read what you are thinking :)<br />
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Wishing you all a happy and healthy NEW YEAR!<br />
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~Debbie</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P_vjq-yz0kQ/TwWaZkKqAuI/AAAAAAAAAaY/eXCZNJ0lYM8/s1600/125x125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P_vjq-yz0kQ/TwWaZkKqAuI/AAAAAAAAAaY/eXCZNJ0lYM8/s1600/125x125.jpg" /></a></div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-79828057860190081622011-12-10T10:38:00.001-06:002011-12-10T11:06:22.990-06:00YEAR END SALE<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow! What a great year this has been. Not only for our family but for Larson Farm Naturals as well! I have found something that I love to do and that is a wonderful thing! I have BIG plans for 2012 and I hope you all check back to see what I have in store :)</div>
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I am going to put my shop on vacation mode after the 19th until the end of the year. It's time to spend more time AWAY from the computer :) This is the last week to be able to receive your items before Christmas as well, so no more procrastinating haha!!</div>
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Now how about a big Ol' SALE! Get in on a sale in time to give my items as gifts.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Coupon Code: YEARENDSALE</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">35% off!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Soaps that are $5 are now $3.25. Lip balms are now $1.95. My fabulous gift box collections are now $16.25 instead of $25!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These are just a few items on sale. Check out my shop:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.larsonfarmnaturals.com/"><span style="font-size: x-large;">www.larsonfarmnaturals.com</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The coupon is good for everything in my shop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Want it sent as a gift?</span></div>
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Let me know at checkout and I will add a special note with TO and FROM and a special message if you would like!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and wonderful and safe New Year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Debbie Larson</span></div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-17101632745374571992011-11-30T10:04:00.001-06:002011-11-30T10:36:27.553-06:00Christmas Wreath DIYs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I spent many a Christmas without any kind of festive wreath. Well, without many decorations at all really! My husband and I had a 3 week old baby on our first Christmas as a married couple. So needless to say, decorations weren't really a priority for us. </div>
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So my search was on for economical and/or homemade decorations. This year I wanted to get to that wreath, but not just any wreath. One I could make from things we already had here at home. </div>
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I found these and I just LOVE them! My first is going to be the paper holly leaf one in the middle. It is made from recyled old Christmas cards, brilliant! And Although my husband really isn't a tie guy ( i think he owns one for weddings and funerals!) I thought that one was so so creative and had to share it!</div>
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So the three above can all be seen on the Good Housekeeping <a href="http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/christmas-wreath-projects#slide-2" target="_blank">Eco-Friendly Christmas Wreath Ideas</a> .</div>
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There are seven total to browse through. </div>
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Four more cute wreaths can be found on the <a href="http://alphamom.com/family-fun/holidays/diy-holiday-wreaths/" target="_blank">Alphamom</a> site. These are more kid oriented. Cute and easy to make, made from toilet paper rolls, foam balls and milk jugs to name a few items.</div>
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Hope you have fun with these. I would love to hear back how they turned out for you!</div>
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<br /></div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-10062405931172002042011-11-30T08:49:00.001-06:002011-11-30T09:16:07.257-06:00Holiday Collection Giveaway Winner<br />
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I want to start by saying a great big <span style="font-size: large;">Thank You</span> to all of you who participated in the giveaway and joined my FB and blog this past week. My numbers have grown larger than I could have imagined and I am so excited to have you all here! I hope you stay and grow with me. I have so many exciting ideas to share with you all! For example - I am working on a soap making series that I will debut after the first of the year :) I also recently learned that giveaways are not permitted on Facebook anymore so I will be only using my blog for those in the future.<br />
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And of course a huge Thank You to Sonya from the <a href="http://blog.kanelstrand.com/" target="_blank">Kanelstrand Blog</a>!! Truly an amazing lady! I check daily for new posts on her blog, that's how much I enjoy her and her articles :)<br />
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And the winner is Danielle. She has a wonderful blog that features product reviews especially cosmetics and skin care. I see some giveaways too, I am happily following her now!</div>
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<a href="http://seeshoplove.blogspot.com/" title="My Crazy Life"><img ?="" alt="See, Shop, Love!" border="0" src="http://i42.tinypic.com/2j5cbw4.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Conratulations Danielle, I so hope you enjoy them!</span></div>
<br />Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-25475953593190068192011-11-28T08:27:00.001-06:002011-11-28T09:15:56.440-06:00Cyber Monday Sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Good Monday morning everyone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What better way to start of this week than a HUGE sale! I am so excited to have so many new followers this past week, and to say a big thank you I have some deals just for you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For my FB and blog followers I am offering free domestic shipping today. Just enter coupon code: FREESHIPMON </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjqyANn2fFPcPU0cGbK_zqYQo0hyphenhyphenIqtySM4tj2OTT7oBkwTm_pwHmOOgxrDiEt6Foy78WIJTUA99cRtc04bK2yHh8Vhe8Vp5On5kRvlwYJeI5OP3p2BJ5fbz-Ew-cB-Ot3w026ETHo1uV/s1600/cybermonday2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjqyANn2fFPcPU0cGbK_zqYQo0hyphenhyphenIqtySM4tj2OTT7oBkwTm_pwHmOOgxrDiEt6Foy78WIJTUA99cRtc04bK2yHh8Vhe8Vp5On5kRvlwYJeI5OP3p2BJ5fbz-Ew-cB-Ot3w026ETHo1uV/s1600/cybermonday2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now pair that with my soap sale and you have a deal like no other! If you have been wanting to try my soaps, today is the day :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All these deals are today only!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.larsonfarmnaturals.com/" target="_blank">SHOP</a></span></div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-27429381943657403762011-11-25T09:07:00.001-06:002011-11-25T09:13:47.254-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUaCDuTxeEuh5JtqmlTLR1Sj-JQ84SQS2Mre-KHpt05Zg93gR4h6TK1pjdlsRxRUGNl2ugk1FplzKArV4kQ-xQb-VwQgkBJGTDsNE4JO3s-Vo_WQ0cGBscgNSVTBgeZPOMc21E61YVGrj/s1600/bf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUaCDuTxeEuh5JtqmlTLR1Sj-JQ84SQS2Mre-KHpt05Zg93gR4h6TK1pjdlsRxRUGNl2ugk1FplzKArV4kQ-xQb-VwQgkBJGTDsNE4JO3s-Vo_WQ0cGBscgNSVTBgeZPOMc21E61YVGrj/s1600/bf.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let the shopping begin! I will have a few specials in my Etsy shop this weekend and even on Cyber Monday. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">First up! Coupon Code: BLACKFRIDAY will give you 20% off anything in my shop. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.larsonfarmnaturals.com/">Larson Farm Naturals</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Check back to see my other deals through the weekend :)</span></div>
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</div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-85949015627103212422011-11-23T08:33:00.001-06:002011-11-23T08:54:03.557-06:00Giveaway on Kanelstrand Organic Living<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Holiday Collection Giveaway!</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xYvrZOh0U4ef8ofwxtuM5-P7LM1aC2T8Qx-jfAR21HYbMMReETh5ngzFhfBIsxsFyP2XdZ376UV_7jFc4V16Ubf2mI6DGbCxz2BxB8Pnk6OCmM2xg3L4ZG-eVZV7yRT6Ju0th3RmqerC/s1600/hoiday+collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xYvrZOh0U4ef8ofwxtuM5-P7LM1aC2T8Qx-jfAR21HYbMMReETh5ngzFhfBIsxsFyP2XdZ376UV_7jFc4V16Ubf2mI6DGbCxz2BxB8Pnk6OCmM2xg3L4ZG-eVZV7yRT6Ju0th3RmqerC/s640/hoiday+collection.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Good morning everyone! How about a giveaway this week! My friend Sonya is hosting this giveaway featuring the collection shown above. My four Christmas scents could be yours! Just follow this link to <a href="http://blog.kanelstrand.com/2011/11/larson-farm-giveaway.html">Kanelstrand Organic Living</a></div>
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and see how to enter. You get four chances to enter your name, great odds!!</div>
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Good Luck to everyone and hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!</div>
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<a href="http://blog.kanelstrand.com/"><img border="0" src="https://sites.google.com/site/kanelstrand/_/rsrc/1302728655272/home/button_150.png" /></a></div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-68549250342241477162011-11-18T08:32:00.001-06:002012-01-05T06:22:09.467-06:00Homemade Egg Noodles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfOkkGdPOCKLdC9DX1I30Qy2nYelj3MLpPpwDSsPL5bTZgJQu9DGYaqwL60cdCdTv-NyBD_PJukGEO5qLLcQNrtPAfeA810QEB3S5nOqHgb9c6ONoIZJDGu8vvk0eQSTC7OI7kLniwSpu/s1600/noodlesA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfOkkGdPOCKLdC9DX1I30Qy2nYelj3MLpPpwDSsPL5bTZgJQu9DGYaqwL60cdCdTv-NyBD_PJukGEO5qLLcQNrtPAfeA810QEB3S5nOqHgb9c6ONoIZJDGu8vvk0eQSTC7OI7kLniwSpu/s640/noodlesA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My grandma, "Grams", was one the most influential people in my life growing up. She had a calm and loving nature like no one I have ever known and I still get sad when I think about her being gone now. I can still hear her voice and how she had a bit of a German accent. Her parents were both of German families, her mother of German immigrants and her father immigrating to the U.S. in his 20's. Names of Trost and Notz, it is very common to find German lineage here in the Midwest. I have many family descendants within just a few miles from here, on both mine and my husbands side.</div>
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With so much family staying close over the years, we have strong family traditions that are passed down to each generation. And I can't think of one family dinner that my Grams didn't make her famous noodles. Usually she cooked her noodles in beef broth and bits of roast, YUM!. </div>
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She started with a simple egg noodle recipe that anyone can make. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlc6vLh-2onS3PmdrUdlAXnXydZc4wbl9zSszuD_Z6TyryPTbvykicupS3lEzoUpmZGud41Giq68rw4ruIqi52fhTCV2ip4LwY3r19e82Llj3XHVN_TzqwS3pH8NsO_yvDHyutQyFira5/s1600/noodles1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlc6vLh-2onS3PmdrUdlAXnXydZc4wbl9zSszuD_Z6TyryPTbvykicupS3lEzoUpmZGud41Giq68rw4ruIqi52fhTCV2ip4LwY3r19e82Llj3XHVN_TzqwS3pH8NsO_yvDHyutQyFira5/s640/noodles1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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1 egg (beaten)</div>
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1 tsp salt</div>
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2 Tbs milk</div>
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1 cup flour (less or more to make a stiff dough)</div>
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I am making a double recipe today, the more noodles the better!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhlmHALNRh14EnUs-hLBQ6yTNmKgucw6vXdf9f5ijpsX3h4mBElFLL84WYIW_EOqFhMeHmnvpkAGxyfdjkYhqfjiYKQzECbxtsW1L5AZC8PNfKyS6ib8A3pDSKfWVqQ5B-WsuNJp3eC0n/s1600/noodles2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhlmHALNRh14EnUs-hLBQ6yTNmKgucw6vXdf9f5ijpsX3h4mBElFLL84WYIW_EOqFhMeHmnvpkAGxyfdjkYhqfjiYKQzECbxtsW1L5AZC8PNfKyS6ib8A3pDSKfWVqQ5B-WsuNJp3eC0n/s640/noodles2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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2 eggs and 4Tbs of milk. One of the wonderful benefits of our free range chickens is that we get a double yolk sometimes!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowMv-5ynBfITC11zQ8Lc18lfLzttKL-jW1dN22OTbTxaWpHizyRYklaKbPu-LFwYj11ayOLg6zHQaS4voMjZz6KxigByOzfsDq8Lt4bWbTgs1Jlni-MAJnD0JLg06Ty2rE_x8CMnBSls_/s1600/noodles3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowMv-5ynBfITC11zQ8Lc18lfLzttKL-jW1dN22OTbTxaWpHizyRYklaKbPu-LFwYj11ayOLg6zHQaS4voMjZz6KxigByOzfsDq8Lt4bWbTgs1Jlni-MAJnD0JLg06Ty2rE_x8CMnBSls_/s640/noodles3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Wisk together. I add the salt at this point as well. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReiI02HCl3ZT-BvS6Rcyxiz-8SFaE_7KDRmF4S05V4aC3XYGWkrfOfhL1LXdrSaAG26GSBVY31Nv57PQAa_KMmiLago7KW_VslvakTrkUkPBSS9P2l0NdnOiYe-S-yo4PGrYeauLv1b6y/s1600/noodles4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReiI02HCl3ZT-BvS6Rcyxiz-8SFaE_7KDRmF4S05V4aC3XYGWkrfOfhL1LXdrSaAG26GSBVY31Nv57PQAa_KMmiLago7KW_VslvakTrkUkPBSS9P2l0NdnOiYe-S-yo4PGrYeauLv1b6y/s640/noodles4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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2 cups flour (more or less) in this doubled recipe.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtelIhexeJG0M1AS4QjvYOIvc8Eipjtabwz7lMDblhqrB82ZFxRHXshsWBMUXbYqm5-cPn1fDPujt5AS_fE-OTSozwMcdgHu8O4u0995D0gWJpkO91QjoW87rafPbUDGelL-8R7P-3jdF6/s1600/noodles5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="515" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtelIhexeJG0M1AS4QjvYOIvc8Eipjtabwz7lMDblhqrB82ZFxRHXshsWBMUXbYqm5-cPn1fDPujt5AS_fE-OTSozwMcdgHu8O4u0995D0gWJpkO91QjoW87rafPbUDGelL-8R7P-3jdF6/s640/noodles5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Stir in your flour until you get a nice stiff dough ball.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzuMQqgRZIxauw2w1VixJr-yTGvOfDYdTxWdhbX7MTE9anAw5SM1CnZ8aCQ0rlBQV78-MZ3Uqe1cANO53htXXaTzFzj1VI7ml_uTW_JMQ7aIAS2Ncz4aB_g5pL4PZ97uL1GA1jM5wd7Fr/s1600/noodles8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzuMQqgRZIxauw2w1VixJr-yTGvOfDYdTxWdhbX7MTE9anAw5SM1CnZ8aCQ0rlBQV78-MZ3Uqe1cANO53htXXaTzFzj1VI7ml_uTW_JMQ7aIAS2Ncz4aB_g5pL4PZ97uL1GA1jM5wd7Fr/s640/noodles8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Lay out a nice floured surface to roll on. See <a href="http://larsonfarmnaturals.blogspot.com/2011/11/quick-tip-tuesday-pie-crust-helper.html">HERE</a> for a quick tip for flouring your surface. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQj-Q-KjL0hmxHgaxWopM7Ly2u4Pd6tXVazLPEgeJrqv44KaQeYhXhbRTDjYNg9f9f4MvTDzIHNCF2dEVhugEXtRY2AdDPD4-Z82mePKCx6ysH3o4lY_XD3sSeSqr8oK_nxmw3ipRcg2w/s1600/noodles6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQj-Q-KjL0hmxHgaxWopM7Ly2u4Pd6tXVazLPEgeJrqv44KaQeYhXhbRTDjYNg9f9f4MvTDzIHNCF2dEVhugEXtRY2AdDPD4-Z82mePKCx6ysH3o4lY_XD3sSeSqr8oK_nxmw3ipRcg2w/s640/noodles6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Roll out to your desired thickness. I rolled my a bit thinner than my Grams usally did. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaOxhUQTClEcI7NMKLSSLQ_pFZVswjT7ohl91GWYsb9MwIh8tfSmJqcltLqpqV4rRU2flWLflnAthkdDhoLcFuqqQ1hm2AtGGKJy1BIGg7AtEk5zpQgmlrK9lU_DVWkEiCvYJnxtgibEZ/s1600/noodles7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaOxhUQTClEcI7NMKLSSLQ_pFZVswjT7ohl91GWYsb9MwIh8tfSmJqcltLqpqV4rRU2flWLflnAthkdDhoLcFuqqQ1hm2AtGGKJy1BIGg7AtEk5zpQgmlrK9lU_DVWkEiCvYJnxtgibEZ/s640/noodles7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Cut to what ever size noodle you would like. I used a pizza cutter, works really slick!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5ckC_LjXlJkvSj4Rw7aBU1LE7R7UuC3VkFXtsxM-oc4W6M3AO71J_5du7DYil9dGYbTt83VkAofNk_a-Tajq-pmTyUnWm3GrUz9MSNnUJoc5gZcOGN31CsMBkGEmWzcrEOnq1JR4fgkD/s1600/noodles9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5ckC_LjXlJkvSj4Rw7aBU1LE7R7UuC3VkFXtsxM-oc4W6M3AO71J_5du7DYil9dGYbTt83VkAofNk_a-Tajq-pmTyUnWm3GrUz9MSNnUJoc5gZcOGN31CsMBkGEmWzcrEOnq1JR4fgkD/s640/noodles9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Lay out your noodles on a clean towel to let dry. About 2 hours if you are wanting to use cook them right away. Drop them in your boiling broth and cook for about 10 min. or until tender. Easy peasy!</div>
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You can also dry them down all the way and store them. I let these sit for 2-3 days on my counter and will package them in a bag or glass jar to use later. You can also lay them out in a dehydrator for quicker drying. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhr8gO-t2z_rSvWayDYKMMqps5n6Y7PU9qUPKlBsHJRGZSooYs1PDsd6xEWtm2K4atP3UBo9ITeinWa4ZdkzDj-cgKuuquYl-vm05t-7WiYNbQMoVMJlSPI98ZLyF7BQwtesVx7EGk67yy/s1600/noodlesD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhr8gO-t2z_rSvWayDYKMMqps5n6Y7PU9qUPKlBsHJRGZSooYs1PDsd6xEWtm2K4atP3UBo9ITeinWa4ZdkzDj-cgKuuquYl-vm05t-7WiYNbQMoVMJlSPI98ZLyF7BQwtesVx7EGk67yy/s320/noodlesD.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLzxodQE2JFlnqUKdJNbVDd2FMRAIPDpF-WvB2oYtag8Zzyy578s-olDIEIGtEX1CcyRgXZWiDgRXcMQB_Ik866xJtSeKUrFT6Y_GOgmMzB5VevK6M7WSmZ-qWoh-hCOb4UBkA7q_O9rL/s1600/noodlesC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLzxodQE2JFlnqUKdJNbVDd2FMRAIPDpF-WvB2oYtag8Zzyy578s-olDIEIGtEX1CcyRgXZWiDgRXcMQB_Ik866xJtSeKUrFT6Y_GOgmMzB5VevK6M7WSmZ-qWoh-hCOb4UBkA7q_O9rL/s320/noodlesC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anther quick tip for cleanup! Just wash down after you scrape up. </div>
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My Grams would be happy to know I shared this with you :) </div>
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Hope you enjoy some homemade eggs noodles this holiday season!<br />
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<a href="http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2011/11/preparedness-challenge-30.html"><img border="0" hda="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsB6uXgJqsEnhGiX5N6NeU928H0NyA9xA_SmdNTw6lF_tFl2VB8qJJ3SRtwm2RZBdDvZjMIYTpWJNMantxDDQOj0gy7lAgc5k8TYYd8XEeBigM76V37pgeG_W-W4PdPDmAy9BAnCM4hzUL/s200/Preparedness-Challenge-Button.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2011/11/preparedness-challenge-30.html">http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2011/11/preparedness-challenge-30.html</a></div>
</div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-63020104188226283552011-11-16T09:57:00.001-06:002012-01-05T06:22:09.454-06:00Quick Tip Tuesday - Pie Crust Helper<br />
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<a href="http://www.5dollardinners.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/pumpkin-pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="320" src="http://www.5dollardinners.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/pumpkin-pie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/10/is-the-pumpkin-shortage-of-2009-over.html">photo source</a></div>
A really "quick" Quick Tip today. My head is spinning with holiday... uhhhh... cheer ya that's it! I have no pictures to go with this as my camera screen has gone to....heck ;)<br />
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So your getting ready to roll out your pie crust and you don't have one of those fancy no-stick pads to roll it on? And rolling on you floured table only works until you roll outside of your floured area?<br />
Fear not pie bakers! Lightly sprinkle water on an area of a clean table. Spread the water around in a large circle (larger than your pie circle will be). Sprinkle flour on the wet area and lightly spread out. Your flour will stick to your table and create a base for your crust rolling. Add a bit more flour and spread that too. Place your crust dough down and do your thing! <br />
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Happy pie baking everyone!!<br />Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-61171109473672260952011-11-10T09:40:00.001-06:002011-11-10T09:45:39.191-06:00<a href="http://cooklovecraft.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="YourSiteTitle" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_5Auv5giOyOfKvN49W-acGAg1Pbi5xmigI7lECEPIdl3G5THQvn8YZwu6JL2gV0gHAZktkOgnMFDjZGzFvaA2n3kGtfRJ1hSRQOejViQHRAujSeCUIrG_nWXTG9LsAMc1fbVLAHkiRCF/s120/BlogLogoDone.JPG" width="125" /></a> <br />
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AlishaMichelle from Cook~Love~Craft is featuring me today on her blog. Click on over to check it out along with some other great Etsy sellers :)<br />
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Thanks so much AlishaMichelle!<br />
<a href="http://cooklovecraft.blogspot.com/2011/11/etsy-shops-i-love.html">http://cooklovecraft.blogspot.com/2011/11/etsy-shops-i-love.html</a><br />
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Have a great Wednesday everyone!Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-71876642233337588882011-11-08T09:25:00.000-06:002012-01-05T06:18:42.402-06:00An Unexpected Discovery<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Animals. We love them all here at our house. No farm is complete without animals, it would be quite boring around here without them. And boy do we have plenty.</div>
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At the moment we have:</div>
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195 cows,calves,bulls</div>
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3 horses</div>
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9 chickens</div>
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3 dogs</div>
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8 cats...and 3 babies</div>
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WHEW!</div>
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Others call our farm home at different times of the year as well. I sometimes have up to 200 meat chickens through the summer. 4 sheep came to live here during 4-H season last year. And there is always a few little "pets" kept in an old aquarium...the last being a baby snake (shudder!)</div>
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So a bit about the cats who live here.</div>
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Our cats are not only pets but play a very important role on our farm. Mice and rats are a fact of life on a farm, especially when there is a plethora of grain for them to munch on. Fields of corn and beans surround our house and grain bins are in our back yard. Pair this smorgasbord with a couple of old sheds for them to hang out in and we could have a rodent explosion! The best way to control the vermin population is with cats. Everyone knows that cats love to chase mice. And boy are they good at it!</div>
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But even though the cats are pets, we don't spoil them. They make their home outside wherever is comfortable and warm. They do get store bought food but not everyday. It may sound bad, but if they are always full, they would never go hunting. And believe me, our cats are not malnourished!</div>
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We also made a rule a few years back after a bad spring of dead kittens. We saw that a mother was just starting into labor and made her a bed in the garage. We thought this was a nice idea at the time. But this led to very tame kittens that didn't know to be scared of the pickups that pulled in and out of the driveway each day :( Ya, like I said, a bad spring that year. So we leave those pregnant mamas alone now to choose where she would like to have her babies. They eventually will warm up to us but not being around us 24/7 will help them to have that healthy fear engraved in them. </div>
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So here is a few pics of where we found the latest bunch of babies. Very unexpected since it's November and not the best choice of month to be having babies. We found them the day before and decided to surpise our youngest who hadn't seen them yet. </div>
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Hmmm, what's in here?</div>
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Oh my, she's in heaven now. What little girl doesn't love baby kitties? There are 2 more gray fuzzballs in the box. </div>
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They are just starting to open their eyes. This tells me they went undiscovered for about a week. How that happened I don't know. We usually notice right away when a mama kitty is running around with a saggy belly. The kids are then right on her trail to see where she has hidden her new family. We were even lucky enough to watch a mama give birth one year. That was an amazing thing to see and a wonderful way to teach my kids about just how animals are born. It's so much easier just to see it than explain HA!<br />
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<a href="http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2011/11/barn-hop-35.html"><img border="0" height="200" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdInXODuIxCQT9PdZ7cRi-NrjSjCf1Yu1CwDKaBJDzig34k0fUNo8tDB8NWwAII_OQV8nV6G45HvopqKy0Opk5hNhiBPcXljYBSXDwyzv6P7rwnFpAFfWNZAZN6rmEbJyJ-ZtXiV8ybbsF/s200/Barn-Hop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-9145282944733672242011-11-08T08:07:00.000-06:002011-11-11T08:23:37.247-06:00Saving Open-Pollinated Tomato Seeds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I like to save my tomato seeds each year. These seeds aren't from just any tomato plant bought from the local big chain stores though. I purchased my original seeds from a website that specializes in heirloom and open-pollinated seeds. </div>
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<strong>So what is heirloom and open pollinated seeds?</strong></div>
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The seeds and vegetable plants you buy in the stores are almost always going to be a hybrid. They have been crossed with different varieties. This will create a good crop the first time around. However when you try to plant the seeds from that crop you may or may not get the same result in your second generation. You may get a lot of the variable characteristics that are undesirable.</div>
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<strong>Open pollinated seeds</strong> are like the pure-breds of the plant world. They haven't been crossed and should produce true replicates each year. </div>
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<strong>Heirloom seeds</strong> are an open pollinated variety that is at least fifty years or older. Most are passed down in families. </div>
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Here is were I purchased my open pollinated seeds. <a href="http://www.heirloomacresseeds.com/default.asp">http://www.heirloomacresseeds.com/default.asp</a></div>
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<strong>Growing</strong></div>
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Growing your open pollinated seeds takes a little care though. You need to be careful that your plants do not cross with other varieties. Tomatoes have been said to not cross pollinate very well due it's retracted style and are mostly self pollinating. There are a few varieties that do however. The currant tomato types and any tomato formed from double blossoms, like the beefstake types, have protruding styles making insect cross pollination possible.</div>
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I only grow one type of tomato in my garden so I don't worry about that. And I don't have any neighbors nearby that could be growing different varieties that could contaminate my seeds. </div>
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There are tricks to manage this if you do want to grow more than one variety of any type of plant. A great book for growing open pollinated seeds and then saving these seeds is "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581">http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581</a></div>
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<strong>Saving</strong></div>
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Here is the way to save tomato seeds:</div>
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Start by selecting your best tomatoes from your best plants. You want more of the best right? Cut them open and squeeze out as much of the juice and seeds into a bowl or container. </div>
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Let them sit for 2-3 days. This fermentation breaks down the jelly like substance that covers the seeds. The gel contains a chemical that inhibits germination to prevent seed sprouting inside the tomato. </div>
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*You may want to keep this outside to ferment. This gets very very smelly! You can't see it well in my picture, but there is a white layer of scum on top. </div>
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Rinse off the seeds. I use a small stainer and spoon to mix it around under a stream of water. </div>
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Keep going until all of the tomato scum is rinsed off. </div>
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All clean!</div>
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Let you seeds dry before you store them. I let mine sit for about 3 days just to be sure. Don't try to dry them on soft cloth or paper or they will become super stuck and hard to remove! I use a coffee filter and it works very well. It helps to wick away moisture and they don't stick. </div>
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Be sure to stir them around a couple of times a day to keep them from sticking together. </div>
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Package them in a zip bag or sealed jar with the name of your plant variety and year. </div>
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Tomato seeds will remain good for 4-10 years depending on your variety and the way you store them. They should be completely dry, sealed in an air tight container and stored in a cool, dry area. They can also be frozen for long term storage. </div>
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<br /></div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-26984317636653289852011-11-04T09:13:00.003-05:002011-11-04T09:14:01.910-05:00Friday Favorites #5Welcome FRIDAY!! This week my favorites are just a sample of some awesome local finds. And to me local would be all Iowa sellers. You can find your local on Etsy too. Just go to the Etsy home page and click on the "Shop Local" button. You can put in city name, state name and/or zip code to find many treasures made near you. <br />
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My search for IOWA brought up over 58,000 different items! Here are just a few finds from some very talented Iowans!<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/73351594/blue-white-rolled-fabric-flower-necklace">http://www.etsy.com/listing/73351594/blue-white-rolled-fabric-flower-necklace</a></div>
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So pretty. And very unique, I really like the fabric choices!</div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/62404316/vintage-blend-2-a-custom-holiday-photo">http://www.etsy.com/listing/62404316/vintage-blend-2-a-custom-holiday-photo</a></div>
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I love how creative Christmas cards have become over the last few years. This one caught my eye with the sepia tones...and the little farm kids of course. I am a bit partial to cowboy hats ;)</div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/33099088/ready-to-ship-2t-boy-gobble-gobble">http://www.etsy.com/listing/33099088/ready-to-ship-2t-boy-gobble-gobble</a></div>
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I love applique shirts. Wouldn't this be just adorable on turkey day!</div>
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<a href="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.278682988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="530" ida="true" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.278682988.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65041216/tooled-mens-leather-billfold-wallet">http://www.etsy.com/listing/65041216/tooled-mens-leather-billfold-wallet</a></div>
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Leather work has always amazed me. Love this one! My Friday Favorites are becoming my Christmas shopping list. </div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/62229856/custom-baby-name-photo-album-scrapbook">http://www.etsy.com/listing/62229856/custom-baby-name-photo-album-scrapbook</a></div>
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These have got to be some of the most creative scrapbooks I have every seen! </div>
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I hope you enjoyed my finds this week. Have a great weekend everyone!Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-11958603639410804752011-11-03T07:17:00.000-05:002012-01-05T06:18:42.386-06:00Putting the Garden to Bed - Recycling Old Tires<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Gardening is over for us here in the Midwest. Well, for me anyway :) I decided enough was enough and pulled all the big plants out and tilled it up. </div>
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The one last thing on my list was to spread a layer of fertilizer over the bed. And the fertilizer in this case would be chicken poo. One of THE best fertilizers, I have used it for about 3 years now and am just thrilled with the results. Everything has grown just wonderful year after year. </div>
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We raise our own fertilizer you might say. Our laying hens and broiler chickens give us plenty! Through the year I clean out our layer coop and the pen we keep our broilers in. It's quite a bit of wood chips, hay and poo by the time I am done. But I can't just throw the fresh droppings on the plants. There is too much nitrogen in the fresh stuff and that would burn the plants. Also not good idea because you wouldn't want to contaminate your produce with the fresh manure.</div>
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So it's needs a place to sit for about a year. Similar to composting, but I don't babysit it . I just store it and forget it. That brings me to my next eco friendly idea. I store all of this in old tractor tires I found behind an old shed here at our house. They weren't sitting all pretty and lined up when I found them. Luckily they were upright and I could just role them to my spot. Still rolling them was quite a chore! </div>
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I will clean out 2 of these for this fall. The third batch will be used for spring fertilizing. It will also make a good mulch around seedlings. </div>
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This tire has been sitting since last summer/fall. Something already decided to grow here!</div>
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Now I know that most of you don't have gigantic tractor tires just sitting around in your backyard. But I bet you can get your hands on some old car tires pretty easy. This method can easily be put to use with those smaller tires. You can even stack them to be more space friendly.<br />
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No chickens either? The regular method of composting (grass, leaves, kitchen scraps) can be used with the tires as well. </div>
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<strong>A Little Bit About Tires</strong></div>
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Did you know that Americans discarded nearly 281 million tires, weighing some 5.7 million tons. That's a whole lotta rubber!!</div>
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A few more ideas for <strong>USED</strong> tires. New tires are full of chemicals and heavy metals- and that defeats the recycle purpose now doesn't it??</div>
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Raised beds-fill them up with soil and plant away </div>
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Tire swings</div>
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Stabilize buckets and trash cans</div>
</li>
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Retaining walls</div>
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Use as a bumper in you garage</div>
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Sand box - the bigger the better for this one! </div>
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</ul>
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I found a site with some of the most AMAZING things to make from tires. I would never guess that some of these are actually tires!</div>
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<a href="http://www.tirecrafting.com/index.html">http://www.tirecrafting.com/index.html</a></div>
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Check out this article about how one New Mexico community used their old tires. Bales of tires, each bale containing 100 used tires, where placed in wet cement to create a base for erosion control along a river. In the end they used 250,000 old tires!</div>
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<a href="http://www.americanrecycler.com/creativetires.html">http://www.americanrecycler.com/creativetires.html</a></div>
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Ok, so back to work now! We scooped 2 tires out- about 4 trips to the garden. I wish I had access to some sort of a front loader with a scoop. That would be just too easy now wouldn't it!</div>
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I tried to make a bunch of little piles throughout so the spreading would be easier.</div>
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A little bit a raking and she's all ready for bed now. Nighty night garden, see you next spring :)</div>
<a href="http://savedbylovecreations.com/"><img alt="ThriftyThurs Thrifty Thursday Week 47" height="125" src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q304/johnnie231/ThriftyThurs.png" title="Thrifty Thursday Week 47" width="125" /></a> <br />
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<center><a href="http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt108/valentinestudio123/Client%20Blog%20Design/dividers%20buttons%20etc/Dandelion-House-150.png" /></a> </center>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-10094569038361148812011-11-01T09:55:00.000-05:002011-11-01T09:55:56.262-05:00Quick tip Tuesday - Unstick Your Kitchen StickiesNothing bugs me more than sticky messes. And the kitchen if where I find them most any day.<br />
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Syrup, honey, juices, molasses, you name it. Sooner or later these culprits are going to lead to a bit of snarls, growls, or maybe even a few 4 letter words. (whispered quietly of course haha!)<br />
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I have some tips today on how to deal with a couple of these kitchen frustrations. <br />
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<u>Stuck lids:</u><br />
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I know each of you have had those days when that lid just won't budge. I would start by gently tapping the lids on the counter...no luck. I tapped harder....and harder...then they were bent and really stuck! Grrrrr. I ran them under warm water. Then I hit them on the counter some more. In the end I would always get them open, but MAN what a pain! <br />
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Now some people may say to just clean off the jars an lids each time before you put them away. Sure, I guess I could. But most days I'm not thinking that clearly. And to teach the 5 others in the house a new rule.... well I just would rather use this trick here.<br />
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This can work for any lid to keep it clean. I have used foil, saran wrap, and even cheese cloth. A quick swipe of some butter or oil will also help keep your lids opening with ease. <br />
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<u>Measuring and pouring your stickies.</u></div>
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I cook with honey a lot. But it is very hard to get it all back out of the measuring cup. Quite a bit can be left behind even after you pour and scrape it out. </div>
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Just take a bit of butter and slather up the sides. Or a quick spritz of spray will do the trick. It pours out like magic!</div>
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I hope these were helpful. Do you have more unsticky tips? Go ahead and share them in the comments. I would love to hear them!Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-24962594516199888312011-10-31T13:16:00.001-05:002011-10-31T13:16:49.840-05:00Autumn Soap CollectionHappy Halloween everyone! I love Autumn and all it has to offer. Especially the colors and the scents of this time of year. So I decided that I would try some seasonal soaps that capture my love of fall. <br />
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I have 4 different scents to tickle your Fall fancy.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Autumn Apple</li>
<li>Pumpkin Pie</li>
<li>Harvest Spice</li>
<li>Vanilla Hazelnut</li>
</ul>
I really can't tell you "witch" one is my favorite :) I love them all!!<br />
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You can purchase these individually or I have an awesome box set that includes all four of them.<br />
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Hurry and grab them up now, these are here for only a short time!<br />
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Autmn Apple</div>
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<a href="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.278189773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" ida="true" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.278189773.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/83859650/handmade-soap-fall-soap-thanksgiving">http://www.etsy.com/listing/83859650/handmade-soap-fall-soap-thanksgiving</a></div>
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Pumpkin Pie</div>
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<a href="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.278188741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" ida="true" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.278188741.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/83858697/handmade-soap-vegan-soap-fall-soap">http://www.etsy.com/listing/83858697/handmade-soap-vegan-soap-fall-soap</a></div>
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Harvest Spice</div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/83860962/fall-soap-handmade-soap-thanksgiving">http://www.etsy.com/listing/83860962/fall-soap-handmade-soap-thanksgiving</a></div>
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Vanilla Hazelnut</div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/83860321/handmade-soap-fall-soap-thanksgiving">http://www.etsy.com/listing/83860321/handmade-soap-fall-soap-thanksgiving</a></div>
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Havest Collection Gift Box</div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/85043758/handmade-soap-harvest-collection-soap">http://www.etsy.com/listing/85043758/handmade-soap-harvest-collection-soap</a></div>
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</div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-61259431486970365782011-10-28T10:37:00.002-05:002011-10-28T10:37:54.261-05:00Friday Favorites #4Just a couple of quick favs today. I am spending the day getting ready for my son's sleep over tonight. 10 of them...ooooh the things we do for our children!<br />
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<a href="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.233496024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.233496024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/71561995/sassy-glass-girl-fused-glass-suncatcher">http://www.etsy.com/listing/71561995/sassy-glass-girl-fused-glass-suncatcher</a> </div>
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In my quick search of some goodies, this one caught my eye right away. How cute is she??</div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/84846323/tortoise-and-hare-mug">http://www.etsy.com/listing/84846323/tortoise-and-hare-mug</a></div>
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Hey there cute little tortoise! I love the texture effects on this mug.</div>
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So just a couple of really neat finds for you to check out today. Hope you enjoyed them. I will try to make it back here some more this weekend.... If I can still function after tonight that is!</div>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-16220158279451816702011-10-27T09:14:00.001-05:002011-10-27T09:23:40.863-05:00Two Steps Forward - One Step BackI normally try to keep my blog posts positive. I want to try to share all the good things people are doing to help make our world a better place. There are so many good changes being made over the last few years and it has been wonderful to see! But I have been noticing a commercial lately that really has me wondering how far have we really come and is there going to be a backward trend in our future.<br />
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The commercial I am referring to is for <a href="http://www.kleenex.com/handtowels/AboutAtHomeViews.aspx">Kleenex</a> hand towels. PAPER HAND TOWELS. IN YOUR HOME BATHROOM. Really?? When I first saw the commercial a few months ago, I was just astonished. How could anyone really want to feel like they were in a public restroom. (and it's just plain ugly too i think) Are people so afraid of their family they would go to these lengths? Is this company grossly misjudging the public or am I that naive to think that most people wouldn't want to be that anal about drying their hands at home? I just think of how many time a day my family is in our bathroom washing our hands. It could easily lead to a full trash can (overflowing to be exact) everyday!<br />
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<a href="http://www.kleenex.com/handtowels/AboutAtHomeViews.aspx">photo source</a></div>
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I can't believe that a home towel, made from fabric, made to be reused, could be that awful and scary dirty. (actually our hand towel does look that bad sometimes!! But I take it down and put it in the dirty clothes basket, geesh!) The commercial portrays home towels as nasty filthy and should be banned from your home. MAYBE the people in that commercial should WASH their dirty towels! What a thought hahaha! I think most people have access to a washing machine nowadays ;) <br />
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So there is my quick rant. I will try not to make it a habit. But darn it this one just really has me irked. <br />
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So what do you all think? Is this something that may catch on? Am I totally off on thinking these are ridiculous?Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1314119949414134706.post-733115079446074272011-10-25T10:25:00.000-05:002012-01-05T06:22:09.485-06:00Quick Tip Tuesday - Cutting BiscuitsAfter my last post on an <a href="http://larsonfarmnaturals.blogspot.com/2011/10/cooking-bacon-easy-way.html">easy way to cook bacon</a>, I decided I have some more quick tips to share. So... VOILA! Quick Tip Tuesday has now been born. <br />
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My mom always used a small drinking glass to cut out those perfect little biscuit circles. But there was always those left over scraps. And by the last cutting, those scraps had been handled to death. And anyone who knows a good biscuit knows that the less you roll and handle the dough, the lighter and flakier they will be. <br />
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I was making sausage gravy and biscuits the other day and snapped some quick pics of the no fuss way that I cut my biscuits.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqvPtPGIfL33MY_YYHZEoAuYoW_JAywtzLaOIqdezZFuIUP-zLhWlRyX6x2RoWgdox1pAQoxWsUIp2yfNSqhXTCdHgFuFzsyCOWL2vibOI0-gOEvuPb7HJ-vvYfW0JaM9NjSNueyMm4pP/s1600/bis3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqvPtPGIfL33MY_YYHZEoAuYoW_JAywtzLaOIqdezZFuIUP-zLhWlRyX6x2RoWgdox1pAQoxWsUIp2yfNSqhXTCdHgFuFzsyCOWL2vibOI0-gOEvuPb7HJ-vvYfW0JaM9NjSNueyMm4pP/s640/bis3.jpg" width="564" /></a></div>
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Shape your dough into a rectangle. Not perfect, but it will do :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT1p67Y8K_3I5faTTDSDjX7GlL7-Q9l1Y91CLFXvP3eZSt51rVFlyMzVUfF8UfqiWlLEw8eu39SmAZyegiKrqIAOaBDs-_vOTCDDDB1MAB9vN5upPBwSQ7z-rYXyySkNUimIvCZRiQq3U/s1600/bis4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT1p67Y8K_3I5faTTDSDjX7GlL7-Q9l1Y91CLFXvP3eZSt51rVFlyMzVUfF8UfqiWlLEw8eu39SmAZyegiKrqIAOaBDs-_vOTCDDDB1MAB9vN5upPBwSQ7z-rYXyySkNUimIvCZRiQq3U/s640/bis4.jpg" width="490" /></a></div>
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Cut your dough into even rows. A sharp knife would do as well, but a pizza cutter is just so darn easy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJASFl7jOwB7oL4aMGlo1X-02TS-CLi5GmFgtTK5Y0E-qTn9ZW_HdAcUuK3eu1ewA9wWcEp34Z41ki9YS41N4fk7xv815u2H4EWb8noGJfi5l98rqUjF1qruVZFTmao-7mHmBRNBc61kHv/s1600/bis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJASFl7jOwB7oL4aMGlo1X-02TS-CLi5GmFgtTK5Y0E-qTn9ZW_HdAcUuK3eu1ewA9wWcEp34Z41ki9YS41N4fk7xv815u2H4EWb8noGJfi5l98rqUjF1qruVZFTmao-7mHmBRNBc61kHv/s640/bis2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can make your squares as big or as little as you like. No left over pieces!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6F8yxQ6Lx8rsW2BNdnUp9WNJO-Zwmo3lMzwctLRZkvEWMLJTCsx8WW2-QU8z9ka7C9JmPactv2Kg0mVAOwnkP5-EUJKMbgWjCItXjmP38sa_jlc8TPw_0QW1Aoab6E2A6up9afnL-6hkE/s1600/bis1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6F8yxQ6Lx8rsW2BNdnUp9WNJO-Zwmo3lMzwctLRZkvEWMLJTCsx8WW2-QU8z9ka7C9JmPactv2Kg0mVAOwnkP5-EUJKMbgWjCItXjmP38sa_jlc8TPw_0QW1Aoab6E2A6up9afnL-6hkE/s640/bis1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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They cook up just the same. I think they may even rise up better being cut with a sharp cutter. Who needs circles anyway :)</div>
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<a href="http://tipjunkie.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Tip Junkie handmade projects" border="0" src="http://www.tipjunkie.com/images/TipMeTuesdayButton1.png" /></a>Debbie @ Larson Farm Naturalshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09035195229335755530noreply@blogger.com9