A few months ago something amazing happened!

My children and I cooked together! (My son is the oldest at 10 and my daughter is 4.)

They’ve helped a little by stirring or being taste testers, but never really stuck it out till we were finished.

We made Kim Chi (from Nourishing Traditions) and had so much fun.

My daughter tore the cabbages leaves….

…and my son cut the carrots up.

The food processor did most of the work, for which I am grateful.

Here is the recipe we used:

Easy Kimchi
(makes 2 quarts)

1 head Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup Daikon radish, grated
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey* (or use additional 1 T salt instead)

Place vegetables, ginger, red chili flakes, salt and whey in a bowl and pound it with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer to release juices. Place them in two quart sized glass jars and press down firmly until all the juices come up to the top and cover the vegetables. The top of the vegetables should be at least an inch from the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days at which time you can put it in the fridge or cold storage.

*You can get whey by straining plain yogurt through a large napkin or cheesecloth.  The solids will stay in the cloth and the liquid that drips down is the whey.

(Note: I didn’t use any Daikon radish and went really light on the chili flakes. )

The first time I made this, I used a quart jar. The next time I made a whole gallon!

Can you tell I REALLY like this?  It’s so fresh tasting…crunchy, sweet, sour…..simply addictive!

This was really easy, please try it for yourself….you’ll be glad you did.

Find more wonderful recipes and projects at Fight Back Friday.

As you can tell from the infrequent posting here, we have been enjoying our summer!
My husband and I have been working hard in the yard and on our house. We’ve been cutting down trees, chipping branches and turning our wooden shed into a chicken coop.

Summer is the best time for simplicity. After a long school year and busy holiday season, I’m ready for some down time.
Here are a few ideas to get you started in simply enjoying your summer….

Turn off your cell phone and limit computer time. (I know, its painful. At least turn it off for a few hours a day.)Go to bed early.Plan easy meals full of garden fresh veggies.Get rid of the clutter in your head and in your home.

Make time for your friends.

Ask for experiences, not things for birthday and Christmas gifts. This really helps to cut down on the clutter and will give you fun memories to boot! Try tickets to your local zoo, movies, plays, museums…the list is endless.

Keep a bag for garbage in your car. (And a zip top bag for upset tummies. Need I say more?)

Unsubscribe from emails, newsletters or RSS feeds that don’t provide value anymore.

Enjoy each moment.

Reduce the amount of TV you watch, or cut if off altogether. (Ours has been off for years and we haven’t missed it.)

Get outside.

Only keep clothes you like and wear often.

Start a gratitude journal; a happy heart is a thankful heart.

Here’s another great giveaway! This time it’s being hosted by Amy of Homestead Revival.

I’m going to start canning this year and the idea of not having to buy new canning jar lids every year really appeals to me.

And they are BPA free, can it get any better?

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I have been so busy getting my garden going, cleaning out clutter and taking care of my family, that my sweet blog has been suffering severe neglect.  (This reminds me, I need to show you all my garden’s progress!)

I’ll try to post more often.

And I’ve got some great things in the works for you….

A new store

Great Ebooks

And more!

So stay tuned!

You may want to sign up for the emails or RSS feed so you won’t miss any exciting announcements!

Our winner, courtesy of a random number generator, is…..

Maria D. @ Downright Domesticity

She said…

“Oh my gosh! There are too many awesome bars to choose from! I think I’d try either the hair and scalp shampoo bar or the pet coat bar. I really don’t like using the commercial pet shampoos, so the natural bar soap sounds intriguing!”

So happy for you Maria!

Even if you didn’t win, you can still have some wonderful soap. Head over to Eco Natural Soap and have fun shopping, you won’t be disappointed!

Want to save more of this?

I’ve found a great resource for organic coupons!

There are coupons for food and also for body care.  Just click the coupon to add it to your print page, click print on your computer and save lots of money at the store!

Katie, from Kitchen Stewardship, has done a great post about the new Dirty Dozen food list. This is a printable list naming the top 12 foods you should try to buy organic.  These fruits and veggies are the ones with the highest pesticide residues at the grocery.

Make your organic purchases really count by using this list.  You can download it at Katie’s.

Further Reading:

The Daily Green: Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

Go to Fight Back Friday for more great info!

Just wanted to say a quick hello. The garden and spring cleaning has been taking up a lot of my time in the last few weeks. I’m expanding my garden (pictures to come) and because of that, I have more to plant and double dig.

The great thing about that is…I’ll have more produce this year than ever before.

We’ve already planted peas, carrots and radishes in pots.  My 4 year old daughter helped me plant them and she is giddy with excitement about seeing her plants come up! It’s adorable.

Talk to you soon!

Are you doing gardening this year?

Coming up tomorrow!

L.Herbert Designs is giving away some great prizes.

More info to come….

Here are some fun projects to do!

photo by Denise

Denise from Living Life Creatively has a tutorial showing how to make these birds.

Cassi at The Crafty Crow told how Molly at The Purl Bee made these adorable sheep pillows.

photo by Karen

Karen from the Graphics Fairy shows how to make your own decorative sticker tape.

Due to some other yard/landscape projects, my raised bed garden will have to wait until next year.

But, that’s okay because I have an area even larger than last year to work with.

As I’m planning my garden I’ll leave you with this very true quote….

“Gardening requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration.  ~Lou Erickson”