My big boy:)

Today was a busy day! Spent it celebrating our baby boys post-bday :) This year flew by! 

Thank you mother nature for stopping with the pouring rain right in time for the bbq. What a great day! 

This mama is too tired for a post, so for now, how cute is that guy? Haha.

Xo

Recipe Post!!

Hey everyone! With the plethora of wonderful vegetables in season right now, I have decided I wanted to try some canning! I have only made pickles once a long time ago and they were not canned. My cucumbers are not doing so well right now, I am not sure if it is because they were planted on a day where we got freak hail, (remember that post?! crazy!) or if it is because they are not getting enough sun. Either way it is a bummer, I hope they find their groove! Luckily for us, my neighbor/husbands cousin has a beautiful and large garden and gives us all sorts of veggies. They are gone this week to the family house on Martha s Vineyard and while they are away they asked if we could pick to keep things growing. Umm, heck yes!!! So I found a yummy looking recipe on pinterest for pickles, which I will share. I also bought some organic green beans from a Facebook "friend" and did a couple jars of Dilly Beans! It is going to be such a long 10 days until we can eat them!! Anyways, here are the recipes and their sources, plus some photos I took while I went to it.

HERE IS THE PIN for Garlic and Spice Refrigerator Pickles Original Recipe

 What you need: (My Tweaked Version)


*6 Cups cucumbers, sliced ¼" thick
*1 Large Vidalia onion, chopped (or sliced)
* 2 Cups water, warm
* 1¾ Cups apple cider vinegar
* 1 Cup fresh dill, chopped
*  ½ Cup Sugar 
*  12 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
*  2 Tablespoons pickling salt (used evaporated sea)
*  1½ teaspoon dill seed
* 1 Tablespoon pickling spice 
*  1 teaspoon red pepper flakes(if you don't want the spice you can leave them out...

To make the Brine, you mix all ingredients except the onions and cucumbers. Stir well and let sit for 5-10 minutes to get a good soak. Stir again.

Combine sliced cukes and onions, pour brine over them.

Brine all good and stirred

Combined with the veggies. Now let them sit in the bowl like this for a good hour and a half to two hours. After it has set, its time to can. What I did was use a slotted spoon and scoop the cucumbers and onions out to put in the jars first. Then I used a ladle and added the brine over them. I left about a 1/2 inch from the lid.

Secure the lid good an tight and now they sit. Directions said ten days so that is what I am going with. I hope they taste as good as they look!!!

HERE IS THE PIN for the original Spicy Pickled Green Beans


So, I apologize for not taking many photos here. I will explain it, it was a very simple and similar recipe to do...

What you need: (Tweaked a few things here)

* 2 Cups water
* 2 Cups apple cider vinegar
* 3 TB Salt ( I used evaporated sea salt)
* 1 1/2 TB sugar
* 8 Cloves thin sliced garlic
* 8 Fresh Dill sprigs
* Red pepper flakes to taste
* 1 1/2 LB green beans rinsed and trimmed

Directions: 

Combine first 4 ingreidents in a large soup pan and bring to a boil. 

Remove from heat and add garlic, red pepper and dill. Give it a minute to stand.

Now the original directions do this part differently. refer to link if you want that recipe. What I did, was pour a little brine into the jars, then added my beans. Once I couldn't fit any more I added the rest of my brine to the jars.

Seal the lids and give these babies a minimum of a week.




I cannot wait to try canning something new!! I need to purchase a ton more jars and organic veggies. Once our tomatoes start turning red I will post some recipes with those. I created a whole board dedicated to canning on my pinterest page, so if you want to follow a long head on over!!! Repin!!

I will let you all know in 10 days how these came out and if I would change anything for a future batch:)

Have a great night!!!

xo













                                                                           

Product Review Monday: Seventh Generation

It has been a few weeks since my last product review, (I have not yet received the Well Beginnings Diapers) so I decided to promote another brand that I love. I have mentioned them in my posts before, but today I am specifically writing about one product in particular. Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent, Blue Eucalyptus Lavender. MY FAVORITE. Now lets back up just a bit, before SG I was buying Tide. Why? It is what I grew up using and it is what my now husband also used before we ever got together. Eventually after a while I noticed my hubs coming out of the shower stuffy, sneezing and red eyed. I suggested he stop using regular soap brands and find a natural alternative. Free of synthetic perfumes etc.Once he got rid of those soaps, he got rid of the allergies. We did the same with our laundry detergents. We nixed the Tide. I went right to the Seventh Generation products because I was already buying the dish detergent and various surface cleaners. It gets a little overwhelming with all of the "Organic/Natural" brands on the market now, and you really have to do your research to see which ones really are what they claim to be, and which ones just want to make a buck. I have tried many different brands, but ultimately I wanted to pick a brand and stick with it. So here is my number one laundry choice and I will not purchase any other brand. Seventh Generations Natural Detergent cleans our clothing just as well as Tide ever did, but it does not contain chemically made perfumes/fragrances or dyes. I was buying the Free and Clear but I will admit...I do love the smell of cleaned laundry, especially after being on the line all day in the fresh air. There is obviously no smell with the Free and Clear so I began buying this one, the Lavender/Eucalyptus. The wonderful thing about this, is that the smells are from natural ingredients like essential oils. If you make your own body care products, or know someone who does, then you know essential oils are a must! You can sniff and breathe deep on an article of clothing and take relief in knowing you are not huffing something toxic into your body...just natural lavender and pine oils.  There is another scented detergent, "Fresh Citrus Breeze" for those that enjoy a more fruitful smell, or if you prefer NO smell at all...then Free and Clear is your baby. For me, it will always be the Lavender. 

One thing this company is passionate about is reducing and eliminating toxic chemicals from products we use everyday. If you recall my post a while back from the Healthy Baby Party. One of the things we did was watch a short video about toxins and then sign a petition. It was a great thing to be a part of and I am so proud of this company for all they do regarding the topic. Read Seventh Generations Mission here.

Back to the detergent. Not only does this kind SMELL amazing. It has worked wonderfully on our clothing. I am not nor have I ever been a bleach user. That is not to say I look down on anyone who does use it, I know that it does work! (and please remember that my blog posts are merely my own opinions) I just have never been able to tolerate the smell. I have noticed that if I have a white piece of clothing with a stain on it, and I can catch it quick enough, (even after a few days of it sitting there) if I pre treat with the SG detergent then proceed to wash it, the stain will disappear. If you go to the SG website it tells you exactly how to pre treat fabric. I have never had an issue washing clothes with this detergent. I wash our entire families clothing and that includes my one year old son. My husband has not had any type of reaction to it, nor the baby.

Another thing I love is that you can go right onto the website and click to see the ingredients and every single one is listed there! They even tell you what each ingredient is for. Example, "sodium citrate (plant-derived water softener".  CLICK HERE  for the complete list. I went on over to Tides website just to see how they showed their ingredients, it is not as in depth, and there is barely an explanation. Example, "sodium alkyl sulfate, use = (surfactant) Talk about vague.  CLICK HERE  for the Tide Free and Gentle list. Something else wonderful about SG detergent is that it does not contain any "brighteners". Most detergent brands add these to their ingredients and all they do is make your laundry more pleasing to the eye. It does not mean that your clothing is cleaner. UGH! One more chemical we do not need. I noticed that one of the ingredients listed on Tides Free and Gentle is " disodium diaminostilbene disulfonate". All it says next to it is "BRIGHTENER" That is a large word for brightener! Now I am not writing this post to single out Tide. They just happen to be the only other detergent brand I ever bought. I am sure I could Google other brands like ALL or CHEER and find similarities. I just really love Seventh Generation products. This is a blog where I focus on all things natural or organic because that is what I am passionate about. I understand it is not for everyone, and not everyone may have the same experiences that I do. I will just consider myself lucky.

I usually purchase the 100 fluid ounce container, like the photo above. It states that it washes up to about 66 loads of laundry. I believe it does just that! If I were to run normal amounts of laundry in our machine, using the appropriately measured detergent, I honestly believe that we could reach that amount, or at least close to. I will be honest and say I probably wash bigger loads then I should at one time. However, it does not mean that I use more detergent either. I typically fill to the second line. Clothing comes out clean every time. The 100 fl oz. lasts a very long time in my house, even when washing large loads. You just do not need a lot. Now mind you, it IS only myself, my husband and my son. If you have a large family you will obviously go through more detergent a year than we do. I do feel that if you were to compare it to other types, you would still find you use less actual detergent over time. That's a money saver in my book.

Speaking of money, for as wonderful a product and NATURAL a product, it is not over priced. Right now on the Seventh Generation website, if you were to order 100oz of this detergent, it will cost you 13.99. If you go to Soap.com (as it does not show a way to order off TIDES website) 100oz of Tide Free and Gentle will run you about 19.99. That is a pretty decent difference in price. Sometimes in store it is even cheaper. If you search around online, you may even be able to find coupons. If you go to the Seventh Generation website and enter your email, they will send you coupons every so often. If you have questions about anything they are pretty good via Facebook as well. I wrote to them a few days ago and within a day I had a response. 

They have a blog for those that want a little more information about who they are. They also post recipes, tips and other useful information. I'm telling you, this is such a wonderful company and I have no problem supporting them both in writing and out of my wallet.

So, if you are looking to lessen the amount of chemicals in your life, put a halt to lingering allergies, or take a step into living a more naturally conscience life, then please...take a few minutes and research the company. Go to the website, read reviews, check the blog and Facebook. Ask me any questions. Purchase a small container of detergent and do your own test run.You may be surprised at how much you end up loving them right away.


That is all for now!  Have a positively peaceful night!

xo

Deal of the week share

Hey Guys! I have been a little busy with the kitchen painting etc going on, so I havn't had time to sit and post. I just wanted to share something that came in my email today. Its a good deal if you are Seventh Generation fans. 

Expires July 23 so be sure to get to it as soon as you can!!

CLICK HERE

Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!!! Their wipes are the best I have ever used!!!

I will be doing a product review for Seventh Generations laundry detergent tomorrow. I should have more time to sit at the computer since I did most of the hard stuff in the kitchen today.

Have a great night!!!

xoxo

Upcoming product review!

Happy Thursday all! I hope that everyones week is going by fast for them! Unless you are on some awesome vacation! In that case...I hope just the opposite!! 

I have a couple fun things I'd like to share with you all!

 First off, I just received a nice little gift in the mail from our friends over at Beechnut Baby Foods. I knew I liked them! If you read my product review on them from a month ago, you'd see why they are so great. How cute is the packaging on this? It came with a nice card, HAND written in (not something pre-typed/printed) and four yummy flavors of their jarred foods. Thanks so much Beechnut for being such a wonderful company to have dealings with!

Second, I am so excited to say that I was selected for another product review by Moms Meet. This time I will be reviewing Walgreens Well Beginnings Diapers. I am super pumped to have been chosen to do this. I am a Huggies girl at heart, and usually only buy those for my son. I just feel like they are thicker and more secure on him. I have tried Pampers but the part where they stick is thinner than the Huggies and for whatever reason my son wets through them. This has not happened with the Huggies yet. I prefer the Pure and Natural Huggies but they are hard to find in his size now that he is wearing the larger. The Pure and Naturals I feel are even thicker than the regular and they are 100% cotton with aloe. I am hoping that these Well Beginning Diapers will be similar to those and perhaps more affordable for customers. The kit should be here within the next two weeks and as soon as it arrives I will share what I receive. 

I know that I am still semi new to the blogging experience, but I have to say with just the few product reviews I have been a part of, the companies have been wonderful.  The first two baby food brands were products I chose, because I both use and love them, and I wanted to share positive words about them to others. These diapers will be the first product I was picked to review,  and one that I have not used yet. So I am going into this with no bias. I will give my 100% absolute honest opinion when reviewing them. 

Other than those two items, I would like to mention that if you have checked my Facebook page at all, I apologize for what it looks like at the moment. I am still going back and forth as to weather it is even worth it to have a page. When I think maybe I shouldn't, I then remember that most the blogs I follow all have their own social media pages. They probably started out the way I am and just built their audience. So I will continue for now to try and do so. I know that part of my problem with it, is simply that I have an almost 12 month old son who, when he is awake keeps me busy basically all day. He is trying to walk, gets into everything, is teething, whiny sometimes for no reason I swear, etc...If you are a mom or dad then you know what I am talking about. Also, I have taken on a kitchen project in between dealing with baby boy. I have been wanting to pain the ugly dark wood trim around the doors and windows in our kitchen. I posted a few months ago when I painted the walls this adorable pale yellow. Hawthorne Yellow to be exact. During the day it looks very nice, but when the lights are on I do not like it as much because it looks like a darker yellow against the wood. So, I decided to paint the trim white. I want my kitchen to have a bit of a vintage/cottagey look to it. The white trim against the yellow looks so much better, and helps give off the vibe that I am going for. It has been a slow process because I cannot spend tons of money on house hold things with only one income. So little by little I do what I can. I just ordered this adorable greenish spice rack off Etsy (complete with 12 glass spice jars!) It will be the first item of decor to go on the walls. I can't wait! I have been searching for months for one, and this one was exactly what I wanted, and could not pass it up. Once it is on the wall, I will share a photo. 

Sorry for the tangent!! My main point that I was trying to make is that if I can at least keep up with blog posting I think that is the most important. Pinterest, Facebook updates and Insta photos can be more for convenience. I will still do them though!! 

Have a terrific rest of your day!! I will leave you all with this saying...just because It is something I am striving to do more of in my own home and in my life. Great words.

 xoxo

Happy Post Fourth!!!!/Weekend Round Up

I hope everyone had an excellent holiday weekend! I cannot remember the last time the fourth was on a Friday!!! Well, we had a blast. My hubs decided last minute that we would head to Marthas Vineyard for a few days. His grandfather owns some nice property out there in Chilmark. Every year around this time, and in November my in laws get a week of vacation out there. Usually we cannot make it during the summer b/c of work, but with the 4th being on the wknd, we decided to go! The top photo is of the baby checking out the waves on top of the ferry:) He has been out to the vineyard before, but was only 4 months old then.

Right down the road from the house is a beach called Stonewall. It was the babys first time at the ocean and he loved it! It did not surprise me though because he loves the bath. My husband would carry him towards the water and then bring him in a bit and put him on the sand, Cam would turn right around and crawl back out. He had us running all around the beach for over an hour. He slept awesome that night!

One thing you look forward to when you travel to a place like this is the food. I am not much of a seafood lover, but my husband sure is. There is a place that he goes to whenever we are up called Menempsha Fish Market. The owner is long time friends with the family and usually gives real good deals whenever we stop in. The hubs and my father in law came home with a huge bag full of oysters, a large piece of Striper, Cherry Stones, Lobster and other yummies. The photo above is one of my husbands creations. Ill share the make up below. Its a fish wrap...and if I ate fish...I would definitely try that!

My kid napped really well while we were out there. I was kind of nervous because he was not in his own crib, rather the pack and play we brought. Both days he napped no less than two hours each day. The last day he even slept over three! I am sure part of this has to do with the fact he is finally popping his first teeth. (only took 11.5 months haha) I took advantage of that nap time and sat outside on the deck with my mother in law catching some beautiful sun! I never ever take pictures of my self (I am not a selfie person) but I thought I would share how relaxed I was at that particular time. Tannin those legs! 

My mother in law is pretty good at making mixed drinks too. Ever since I became pregnant my taste for alcohol has diminished. Obviously I did not drink while pregnant and breastfeeding...but even after I just haven't really wanted a drink. Perhaps it was because of where we were, or how relaxed I was, I don't know...but I let her talk me into one of her Bloody Marys...and it was dee-lish!

The only sad thing about this weekend, was that for the first time in years we did not see any fireworks. Not until we were in the car on the ride home and we drove through town as they were lighting them off. I suppose we would have stayed if we did not have the baby with us. Last year when we went it was so awesome, because I was pregnant and when it was time for the finale, the baby was kicking me like crazy in the belly. Sometime I miss that.

That is how we spent our holiday weekend! What a perfect three days. Now back to reality...grocery shopping, cleaning, etc. Enjoy your day!!

Recipe for Ben's Fish Wrap
Main: Any type of white fish you prefer, cooked the way you like
Veggies: Diced cucumber, onion, tomato, chopped lettuce and avocado
Dressing: (can try all sorts) oil/vinegar, Italian, or just use a bit of tarter sauce

Wrap it all up and chow down!!

xo

4th of July Hiatus

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! I will be out of town for the next three days and will not be near a computer. I look forward to spending time with my husband and my son. 

Happy 4th to ya!!

Xo

Happy mid week!

Oh my stars will these allergies subside? I wonder if anyone else is having issues. I am having a hard time finding motivation to get much done. Aside from sitting at the computer printing pretty photos to hang on my walls, not much productivity in this house. I did make a really good macaroni and cheese last night however. I can't get around cooking dinner haha, the hubs has to eat or he gets "hangry"!

So I guess the only thing worth writing about today is something I am contemplating. This may go no where, but I am considering trying to make and sell all natural products! The more I learn about them and how simple it is, I think I may be able to do it. I will start small, I'm thinking bug sprays, body scrubs, and an all purpose cleaner to start. Since I enjoy talking about subjects like that, and using all natural products I believe it could be fun. I'll of course test things out first and use the ingredients I feel work the best. I don't need it to turn into anything gigantic...I don't know if I wanna get into dealing with licenses or anything like that.  It could a nice side job/ hobby though! Etsy is also a good place for selling stuff like that. I don't know, we will see! 

Ok, so I know this is a short non interesting post...I will fix that for the next one. Some days the inspiration just isn't there. 

I'm going to ponder my product ideas in the meantime!!

Enjoy your evenings :)

I'll be back!

I hope everyone is having a great start to their week...I have been out of commission due to some horrible allergies. AGAIN. I am lacking in the motivation department, therefore I have not taken any time to sit down and post. I promise to have something truly interesting for you all tomorrow.

For now, its a cold shower and bed for this mama. 

Til Tomorrow!!