Simple Lives Thursday #54

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Thank you for coming by and linking up your post for Simple Lives Thursday blog hop!


Twitter Chat Fun!
Thank you so much to everyone that attended our first twitter chat! We had so much fun that we are talking about making this a regular event. How often? We’re not sure yet… once a month, once every other month? We also talked about a time that works best for everyone and it seems it might be best to hold it later in the evening when families have settled in for the night.


What are your thoughts? Tell us, what would you like to see. Once a month, once every other month? What time works best for you and your family?


Please leave a reply in the comments below. That will helps us out!


Back to the hop. Check out our top 5 and I can’t wait to see what everybody shares this week!

Top Five Featured Posts From Last Week's Submissions!

For our featured posts, please grab the badge above and display it on your site! Link it to one of the host blogs' posts for that specific week that you were featured.

1. Harvesting Native Pennycress by Tools for Kitchens.
How to pennycress seeds for culinary uses which the author compares to bold garlicky spices in salami. Fantastic information!

2. Herbal Tea, Infusion, Decoction by THE WOODWIFE'S JOURNAL.
It’s so simple to grow herbal teas in your garden and saves on packaging and transportation over tea bags from a store. You can personalize it to suit your mood and ailment. Woodwife shows you just how simple it can be.

3. An Herbal Experience by Peaceful Acres Farm.
A great homemade shampoo recipe for dry curly hair.

4. Cooking for Beginners: GARLIC by Ruth's Real Food.
A real food kitchen begins with garlic!

5. For the Love of Horns and Hooves: Part 1 by Got Goats.
A heartwarming journey to farming begins.

Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop
Woohoo! Congrats to those five! So, today is Simple Lives Thursday... A fun blog hop dedicated to anything and everything about simple living. Please share with us how are you living your life simply... we all want to know!


There is so much to learn about living simply these days... making lacto-ferments, raising animals, living off-grid, cooking with real food, gardening, raising family, homeschooling, homemade body products, natural cleaners, frugal ways, creating art with recycled materials, homesteading, homeopathy, growing herbs for health and much more!


Simply hosted by:

• Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
• Diana @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
• Annette @ Sustainable Eats
• Alicia @ Culinary Bliss
• And me... the Noisy Mama  :o)

Be Simple and Share Your Post!

Make your "Simple Lives Thursday" post on your blog and come back here. Below you will find the Linky box where you can post your simple ideas, tips & recipes. Please add a link to this post at the end of your blog post entry and share with your readers that it is part of this week's Simple Lives Thursday. Feel free to download the badge above and upload it to your post!

Also, when you link here... your post will appear on all five blogs!

For those who don't have blogs... Please share your ideas, tips and recipes about simple living below in my noisy comments area. Don't get left out!

Everybody, take the time to visit the linked blogs. Sharing your favorites on Facebook or Tweet would be awesome! Spread the wealth of simple living!

Please Read & Follow the Rules

Since Simple Lives Thursday is growing, as a group, the five hosts have decided to set some ground rules in order to keep the integrity of the blog hop.

1. If linking real, traditional and simple recipes, please make sure all ingredients used are whole. Such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, meats, even sugar. In order to keep the integrity of "nourishing" food, we will delete any recipes that utilize processed, boxed foods. We are definitely not going to be ingredient policeman, however, please note that this is a hop hosted by advocates of the real, local and sustainable food movements.

2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This is a common blog hop courtesy. This link helps build the Simple Lives Thursday community by sending your readers to all of the other participants posts. We all end up sharing and learning from each other.

Hugs!

Review & Giveaway: NaturoKits

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I am thrilled to be introducing all of you to NaturoKits... founded in 2009 by 2 mamas and licensed naturopathic physicians, Julie & Padeen. They are dedicated to helping parents meet the needs of their families simply and naturally with just a handful of first aid tools.


These mamas have thoughtfully and carefully created a wonderful first aid kit, the Basic First Aid NaturoKit, using a small, canvas travel pack filled with natural remedies for everyday use and common accidents. Giving parents the confidence and resources to care for their families at home and while traveling.

Why You Should Own a NaturoKit
Here's a blurb from the company:

• NaturoKits are the first and only Naturopathic Care Packages.
• We have many years of personal and clinical experience with the remedies in our naturopathic first aid kids and can testify to their quality and effectiveness.
• We have written the instructions so you can be assured of dependable information that is easy to understand and use.
• Our health kits are competitively-priced and include a cute, compact bag and full instructions on use.
• Refills are available and all remedies can be purchased individually.
• The remedies, if stored and used properly, should last many seasons.

Tuck NaturoKits® into your purse, your backpack, your glove box, your suitcase, your medicine cabinet, your desk drawer and your workshop. You will have peace of mind and assurance that relief is at hand. When exploring the world of alternative medicine for naturopathic treatments for you or your loved ones, you may have come across "natural cures" which seemed a bit dubious. Be assured that we at NaturoKits have worked hard to develope first aid packages which contain simple and easy information and resources for you to safely and effectively manage minor injuries and complaints on your own (often while approprate medical care is being sought).


Our aim is to educate and empower you in your healthcare choices. And that is why we created NaturoKits: Naturopathic Care Packages.


My Personal Experience
About a month ago, I received the Basic First Aid NaturoKit to try with my family. I love it! The canvas bag looks cute, instructions are easy and simple to follow, the remedies are neatly in place and I even had enough room to include my Chamomilla homeopathic remedy for Tobi (going through teething). I've used the Crisis Calm with my kids a few times already and noticed the change after they've taken a couple bad falls on our concrete floor. I am pleased with how effective the Calendula Succus tincture was on my daughter's, Tabi, cut that she got from our cat. It cleared up quickly with no pain or infection! You know how cat scratches can be painful and dirty!


I am very familiar with homeopathy, herbal medicine and I've been using to prevent & cure my family of different ailments ever since Naomi was born. I love knowing that I can care for my family with confident and knowledge without a doctor. Out here in the "wild west" of Honduras... I am basically the doctor! I look back over the years and truly believe that God put that desire within me to learn & know how to care for my family naturally. I have learned much since Naomi was born and the only time we've been to a doctor was for broken bones (my hubby... fell off a horse & later a bike) and blood tests. I have treated my family for sprains, stomach aches, bites, cuts, infections, coughs, loose stools, burns and more with natural remedies (homeopathy, herbal medicine & essential oils) and wholesome food. From my personal experience... natural remedies DO WORK! It takes patience and consistency to see results. So often we expect it to work quickly like conventional medicine, but you have to remember... they are bandages covering the root of the problem. Natural remedies dig deep to the root of the problem and help the body to restore order & bring about long-term healing.


Homeopathy is known to work fairly quickly. I have personal experience with using Arnica after each of my 3 births. I am amazed at how good I feel when I take it every 30 minutes, but when I forget to take a dose... oh, I am sore! But what I love about Arnica (and homeopathy in general) is not only does it take the pain away, but it also promotes healing of the area that is sore! I have found myself feeling almost normal within 24 hours after my births! Common over the counter painkillers take away the pain temporarily, but don't promote long-term healing. That is the beauty and power of homeopathy!


Even though I love this simple kit... it would be even better if they could add into their kits arnica rub for immediate external relief. We have a tub of it and use it on stubbed toes, smashed fingers, bruises and sore muscles. I also included in my kit liquid arnica drops for my little man, Tobi. The little tabs don't dissolve quickly and he often gags on them. I know you can dissolve the tabs in water and give it to him with a dropper, but that takes too long. It is best to have it now and ready to go when needed. He's had some contact with our concrete floor one too many times and it is so nice to have this little canvas NaturoKit on hand ready to meet his needs of pain relief, calming and healing!


The Basic First Aid NaturoKit is a "must-have" in every family (especially missionary families!) who desire to meet the health needs of their kids in a natural, healthy and simple manner! Along with clear instructions... it includes 5 homeopathic remedies (Apis, Arnica, Cantharis & Hypericum), 2 herbal medicine (Calendula Succus & Wild Weed Salve), 1 bottle Crisis Calm flower essence and 1 bottle Activated Charcoal. These natural remedies addresses over 40 first aid situations - burns, cuts, bites, sunburn, hives, food poisoning, indigestion, anxiety, bruising, allergic reactions and more!


Want this kit for your family? Head over and buy yourself one! NaturoKits is offering $5 off the Basic kits with code (good through August 10th): DCMAKENOISE.

Would you rather have a chance to win one? Read on!


The Giveaway...
The First Aid MiniKit (a value of $20) to one noisy follower!


How to Enter...
First, check out the list of items included in the Basic First Aid Kit. Share, in a comment below, which remedy you would find most useful for your family OR share why you would like a kit as a whole. That's one entry... please read on for more entries to increase your chance of winning!


Extra Entries...
You must do the main entry above first before doing the extra entries. Remember that each entry is a separate comment! Thanks and have fun!

• Sign up to receive the NaturoKit newletter (1 entry)
• "Like" my blog on Babble, I am #57 right now! (1 entry)
• Follow my blog (1 entry)
• "Like" NaturoKits on Facebook and share on your wall (1 entry)
• "Like" Just Making Noise on Facebook and share on your wall (1 entry)
• Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway (tag me @marebeard)! (1 entry)
• Email your friends about the giveaway and leave a comment for each friend you emailed! (1 entry for EACH friend you email!)

Remember, if you've already done most of the above... you automatically get those entries. Please post a separate comment for EACH entry. You can have a total of 8 entries or more!


The Rules...
Every comment must have an email address. You can comment with your blog as long as I can contact you through there! The giveaway ends August 5th and is open to anybody in the USA. The winner will be chosen via random.org


No purchase is necessary to enter. I am not an affiliate of NaturoKits. I received a sample of their product to review. Everything I wrote here are my own opinions.


Have a great week and thank you for spreading the news about this giveaway! Hugs!

Simple Lives Thursday #53

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Thank you for coming by and linking up your post for Simple Lives Thursday blog hop!


Save The Date: SLT Twitter Chat!

There's a lot of great things in plan for our first twitter chat to celebrate one year of Simple Lives Thurday! Please save the date: 


Tuesday, July 26th at 2:30-3:30 Pacific Time / 4:30-5:30 Central Time


The hashtag for the event will be #simplelives. We've got some awesome giveaways lined up for the chat: a poster from Annette, homemade granola from Alicia, "The Herbal Kitchen" book by Kami McBride, a Punk Domestics t-shirt and the grand prize is a 6-month membership to the classes at GNOWGFLINS eCourse.


Make sure you follow us on Twitter to stay in the loop!


Alicia - @culinarybliss
Annette - @SustainableEat
Diana - @dianabauman
Mare - @marebeard
Wardeh - @WardenHarmon


After our Twitter chat, the hosts of SLT will be committed to one giveaway a month to our featured posts bloggers! So link up and share your inspirations with us for another year to come!

Top Five Featured Posts From Last Week's Submissions!

For our featured posts, please grab the badge above and display it on your site! Link it to one of the host blogs' posts for that specific week that you were featured. Thank you everybody for the awesome submissions... the posts that caught our attentions last week are:

1. Cooking With Heritage Breed Chickens by Homemade Alaska. This is a great guide on raising heritage breed chickens for meat as people did in days past.

2. Lavender Vinegar by The Purposed Heart. At least one of us, and probably more, can't wait to try this as a rinse for laundry AND hair. So simple and easy!

3. Canning CSA & Zucchini Relish by Little Blog on the Prairie. A great recipe and fantastic concept!

4. Homemade Bag Balm by Prairie Sunrise. Marg decided to make her own bag balm to save money and avoid petroleum based commercial bag balms. She says it was easy and cheap and we believe it!

5. Varicose Veins -- What To Do Naturally by Jo's Health Corner. Jo covers a broad range of natural treatments for mild to severe varicose veins.

Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop
Woohoo! Congrats to those five! So, today is Simple Lives Thursday... A fun blog hop dedicated to anything and everything about simple living. Please share with us how are you living your life simply... we all want to know!


There is so much to learn about living simply these days... making lacto-ferments, raising animals, living off-grid, cooking with real food, gardening, raising family, homeschooling, homemade body products, natural cleaners, frugal ways, creating art with recycled materials, homesteading, homeopathy, growing herbs for health and much more!


Simply hosted by:

• Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
• Diana @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
• Annette @ Sustainable Eats
• Alicia @ Culinary Bliss
• And me... the Noisy Mama  :o)

Be Simple and Share Your Post!

Make your "Simple Lives Thursday" post on your blog and come back here. Below you will find the Linky box where you can post your simple ideas, tips & recipes. Please add a link to this post at the end of your blog post entry and share with your readers that it is part of this week's Simple Lives Thursday. Feel free to download the badge above and upload it to your post!

Also, when you link here... your post will appear on all five blogs!

For those who don't have blogs... Please share your ideas, tips and recipes about simple living below in my noisy comments area. Don't get left out!

Everybody, take the time to visit the linked blogs. Sharing your favorites on Facebook or Tweet would be awesome! Spread the wealth of simple living!

Please Read & Follow the Rules

Since Simple Lives Thursday is growing, as a group, the five hosts have decided to set some ground rules in order to keep the integrity of the blog hop.

1. If linking real, traditional and simple recipes, please make sure all ingredients used are whole. Such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, meats, even sugar. In order to keep the integrity of "nourishing" food, we will delete any recipes that utilize processed, boxed foods. We are definitely not going to be ingredient policeman, however, please note that this is a hop hosted by advocates of the real, local and sustainable food movements.

2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This is a common blog hop courtesy. This link helps build the Simple Lives Thursday community by sending your readers to all of the other participants posts. We all end up sharing and learning from each other.

Hugs!

Sourdough Journal #11: Buttery Sourdough Biscuits

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Sweet, buttery biscuits... oh so good! I've already made this three times now and we never have leftovers. Simply delicious slathered with butter, but take it a step further and add some honey or jam makes it a delicious dessert... well, at least for me it does! LOL!


I can't believe how much I've been using my Honduran sourdough buddy and having good successes! The only failure I've had so far is the pasta. I didn't follow the recipe very well and ended up with soggy noodles. Will try again later!


I've been trying different ways to care for my sourdough buddy and find that I enjoy just having him out on my kitchen table. I use him almost every other day, so I figured it was easier to have him out instead of in the fridge. I feed him only once a day and he is thriving! I'm sure it would be even better if I fed him twice, even three times, a day! I figure if he's doing well with only one feeding a day... why give him more? Everybody's sourdough is different and mine seems to be pretty laid back  ;o)

I would love to try making cobbler and drop biscuits with this recipe! What else could you do with biscuit dough? I've already made Chile Beef Pot Pie and used the dough as the crust... it was fantastic, my hubby devoured his portion and couldn't stop moaning how good it was!


Anyway, with these biscuits... I pretty much followed the recipe from GNOWFGLINS Sourdough eCourse, but I used 8 Tbsp of butter instead of 6. Mostly because it is easier to put a whole stick of butter in then trying to measure it out. The butter I get doesn't have those lines marked on the paper to let you cut out a tablespoon at a time. So, I figure... what's the harm to adding more butter?! Plus, I used whole wheat instead of pastry wheat and they came out light with a dense flavor. Delicious!

Buttery Sourdough Biscuits

8 Tbsp cold butter
2 1/2 cups whole wheat, plus more if needed
1/2 cup sourdough starter, fed within the previous 12 hours
3/4 - 1 cup whole milk
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda


Cut fat into the flour. Mix in the starter and whole milk until just wet enough to hold together. Cover and let it sour for 5 to 8 hours. If the temperature in your kitchen is very warm, put the dough in the fridge.


Preheat over to 450 F. Mix in sea salt, baking powder and baking soda. Don't overmix. Flour the counter or cutting board. Roll the dough out into a 1/2" rectangle. Cut into squares or circles (using a glass). Put on baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.


When done, take them out and let them cool a bit. Serve slathered with butter and jam!

Winner of Lacto-Fermeneted eCourse!

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Thank you, Wardeh, for offering the 6 month membership to your awesome eCourse... I know this person will be VERY happy.  Also, thank you everybody for spreading the news about the giveaway!


Now, the winner of this fantastic eCourse is...................

Corinne (tballfam@-----.com)!!

Congratulations Corinne! Hope you will enjoy yourself and have great results!

For those who didn't win... don't walk away discouraged! You can still sign up for the Lacto-Fermentation eCourse for only $8 a month (includes other classes too!). If you haven't... please read my suggestions (last paragraph) on how you can easily and quickly save up money! Plus, you can sign up any time... the classes are open year round.

Simple Lives Thursday #52

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Thank you for coming by and linking up your post for Simple Lives Thursday blog hop!


Save The Date: SLT Twitter Chat!

There's a lot of great things in plan for our first twitter chat to celebrate one year of Simple Lives Thurday! Please save the date:  Tuesday, July 26th at 2:30-3:30 Pacific Time / 4:30-5:30 Central Time


The hashtag for the event will be #simplelives


For those participating in the chat, we already have some fun giveaways lined up and collaborators to make this event fun for everyone! In the meantime, follow us on Twitter to stay in the loop!


Alicia - @culinarybliss
Annette - @SustainableEat
Diana - @dianabauman
Mare - @marebeard
Wardeh - @WardenHarmon


After our Twitter chat, the hosts of SLT will be committed to one giveaway a month to our featured posts bloggers! So link up and share your inspirations with us for another year to come!

Top Five Featured Posts From Last Week's Submissions!

For our featured posts, please grab the badge above and display it on your site! Link it to one of the host blogs' posts for that specific week that you were featured. Thank you everybody for the awesome submissions... the posts that caught our attentions last week are:

1. Cleaning Fresh Grain at Home by Joy Filled Living.
This low-tech method of threshing means anyone with a patch of garden can grow some grains at home. It may not supply all your grain needs but it’s a wonderful experiment in self-sufficiency that gives you some appreciation for the effort that our forefathers put into their harvest.

2. Canning Outside by Home Shalom.
Canning in the heat of summer can make your kitchen the last place you want to be, so why not move outdoors?!

3. About Cherries, In Which Ill Gross You Out by Improves with Age.
How frugal do you think you are? We love this gal's honesty and humor over saving her freshly picked cherries.

4. Grape leaf wrapped camembert by cookblog.
This author knows what he's doing when it comes to to the "basics" of aging, drying, fermenting and curing.

5. Winter Garden Planning Series by Lizard's Hollow.
A great place to start to learn about extending your harvests into Winter.

Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop
Woohoo! Congrats to those five! So, today is Simple Lives Thursday... A fun blog hop dedicated to anything and everything about simple living. Please share with us how are you living your life simply... we all want to know!


There is so much to learn about living simply these days... making lacto-ferments, raising animals, living off-grid, cooking with real food, gardening, raising family, homeschooling, homemade body products, natural cleaners, frugal ways, creating art with recycled materials, homesteading, homeopathy, growing herbs for health and much more!


Simply hosted by:

• Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
• Diana @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
• Annette @ Sustainable Eats
• Alicia @ Culinary Bliss
• And me... the Noisy Mama  :o)

Be Simple and Share Your Post!

Make your "Simple Lives Thursday" post on your blog and come back here. Below you will find the Linky box where you can post your simple ideas, tips & recipes. Please add a link to this post at the end of your blog post entry and share with your readers that it is part of this week's Simple Lives Thursday. Feel free to download the badge above and upload it to your post!

Also, when you link here... your post will appear on all five blogs!

For those who don't have blogs... Please share your ideas, tips and recipes about simple living below in my noisy comments area. Don't get left out!

Everybody, take the time to visit the linked blogs. Sharing your favorites on Facebook or Tweet would be awesome! Spread the wealth of simple living!

Please Read & Follow the Rules

Since Simple Lives Thursday is growing, as a group, the five hosts have decided to set some ground rules in order to keep the integrity of the blog hop.

1. If linking real, traditional and simple recipes, please make sure all ingredients used are whole. Such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, meats, even sugar. In order to keep the integrity of "nourishing" food, we will delete any recipes that utilize processed, boxed foods. We are definitely not going to be ingredient policeman, however, please note that this is a hop hosted by advocates of the real, local and sustainable food movements.

2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This is a common blog hop courtesy. This link helps build the Simple Lives Thursday community by sending your readers to all of the other participants posts. We all end up sharing and learning from each other.

Hugs!

FREE GNOWFGLINS Webinar "5 Myths of Fermenting Food" & GIVEAWAY!

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Whenever I mention fermented foods, I often hear from people who are not familiar with lacto-fermentation... "You are eating rotten food?!"


Um, no... I'm eating living food with higher amounts of vitamins/minerals and shock-full of probiotics! Yeah, fermenting your food actually makes them more superior!


Last week I shared about the new Lacto-Fermentation eCourse that has started up over at GNOWFGLINS and I am really excited about it!


Why?


Because I LOVE lacto-fermenting! That was the first "mountain" I tackled when I first start my journey into traditional, wholesome food. To this day, I am still making and eating my favorite style of kraut: Cortido.  But I recently have started to explore with different herbs and veggies for my kraut and I hope to share them with you someday  :o)


Now, About the Free Webinar...
My good friend, Wardeh, from GNOWFGLINS is hosting her 2nd webinar and will be setting the record straight about our beloved lacto-fermented foods. 


For too long, lacto-ferments have not been truly appreciated for their abilities to increase nutritional value and preserve food naturally. There are 5 myths that are the most common, but I can't share them with you here!


If you want to know, you need sign up to join Wardeh and many others to find out what they are!

What You Will Learn

• The versatile flavors of fermented foods
• What equipment is really required to successfully ferment foods
• How to distinguish health fermented foods from not-so-healthy ones
• How not all pickles are made equal
• What skills you need to ferment foods yourself (don't worry, its not much!)
• And most likely more!

When & Where

Monday, July 25th @ 11am PDT

Once you've register you will receive details via email.

What is a Webinar?

I know this is a new word here... even I didn't know till Wardeh told me! LOL! It is "web" + "seminar" = "webinar". It is basically a place on the web where you gather with others to discuss a certain subject. The focus will be myth-busting some common misconceptions about fermented foods.

Join Today!

This webinar is time-sentitive because it is first-come, first-served. Not all who register will attend and space is limited. Register now, not tomorrow!

Now, the Giveaway...

I am thrilled to share that Wardeh is generously offering one of my readers a 6 month basic membership of her class! This is a $48.00 value!

The Basic Membership offers:

• Access to the Lacto-Fermentation eCourse as well as the Fundamentals eCourse, Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese eCourse and Sourdough eCourse (which I am going through right now!)
• Lesson materials for each class that you can easily download (text & audio)
• Videos for those who learn better by watching how it is done

How to Enter...
First, leave a comment here on this post. That's one mandatory entry... please read on for more entries to increase your chance of winning!


Extra Entries...
You must do the main entry above first before doing the extra entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each one! Thanks and have fun!

1. Subscribe to Just Making Noise receive posts via email (1 entry)
2. Follow my blog (1 entry)
3. "Like" GNOWFGLINS on Facebook and share on your wall (1 entry)
4. "Like" Just Making Noise on Facebook and share on your wall (1 entry)
5. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway! (1 entry)
6. Email your friends about the giveaway and leave a comment for each friend you emailed! (1 entry for EACH friend you email!)

Remember, if you've already done most of the above... you automatically get those entries. Please post a separate comment for EACH entry. You can have a total of 7 entries or more!


The Rules...
Every comment must have an email address. You can comment with your blog as long as I can contact you through there! The giveaway ends July 18th and is open to anybody in the world! The winner will be chosen via random.org

Thanks for participating and spreading the word about the giveaway. Hugs!