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About

At We Like Making Our Own Stuff, we believe:


  • In helping others to become more self-sufficient, and less reliant on big corporations and government organizations.
  • In doing what we can to clean up our planet and keep it that way.  Upcycling, recycling, avoiding chemicals, and being frugal are cornerstones of our philosophy.
  • Homemade is best.

By subscribing to this blog, you will be signing up to receive recipes and tutorials, information related to food processing and animal husbandry, and a glimpse of a family's trials and tribulations as they learn to "make their own stuff" in a society that tells us to buy it, throw it away, and then buy another one.
 

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About Me


Hi, my name is Kristie, and I enjoy making my own stuff and then sharing with you fine people just how I did it. 

I feel that it is important to be a self-sufficient individual for many reasons.  For one, the more you do and make yourself, the more money you will save.  Or rather, the less important money will become--at least that's how I feel about it.  If I am producing my own food or making my own soap, then I won't need to worry about buying it.  In that way, it doesn't matter what job you have or how many figures your salary is.  You begin to realize that you can get by on very little, and that simplicity is freeing!

Speaking of freeing, it is very liberating knowing that if we were to fall on hard times (such as a job loss, tornado, illness, fire, or heaven forbid economic collapse), my family would be prepared.  We would have the skills to get by if for some reason the stores weren't open or there was a shortage of some kind.  Knowing how to grow your own food, preserve it, and properly prepare it is a skill I think no one should be without.

Less frightening than the idea of some kind of emergency, I enjoy making my own food and products because it is healthier and less wasteful than buying commercially made things.  I know exactly what is being put into it, and the process by which it is made.  I can reuse my containers over and over again for the cleaners and beauty products I make myself.  By making my own products, I am eliminating some of the fuel it takes for a semi truck to deliver its load to the grocery store.  I am eliminating that extra plastic package that would end up in a landfill.  And on and on the list goes of the waste I can eliminate by making things myself at home. 

That's just the tip of the iceberg so to speak, but they are, I suppose, the most prominent reasons in my mind to live a self-sufficient life--not to mention that I find it to be just plain fun.  I love trying new recipes, and I especially love that feeling when one of them actually works! :)

Now that you have a better idea as to what this blog is about (being self-sufficient and making your own stuff, in case you hadn't gleaned that from my scattered writing), I will tell you a little about myself and what got me interested in being so self-reliant.

This is me (with my oldest son):


I have two sons from a previous relationship.  In 2007, I got married to the most wonderful man:


Thus completing our family:


And expanding it even more:




Yeah, we're a weird bunch.


Fast forward to a couple years later:  we decided to get some chickens....


And then, we got into trouble :(


Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic.  But not much.  Our city objected to us having chickens for some reason, but we weren't going to just give up our girls, so we fought them.  In truth, my husband did most of the work, but I was his trusty assistant!  During this chicken battle, we learned a lot--not only about chickens, but other things too.  Like our food system (I highly recommend watching The Future of Food and King Corn), genetically modified foods, pesticides, and the way modern food is processed. 

We didn't like many of the things we learned.  So, we decided to make some changes.  Which is where this blog comes in.  It began as a way for me to keep track of my recipes and the trials and tribulations of making things from scratch.  But then, a weird thing happened.  People actually started to read it.  So, I have been making an effort to post more.  I do my best, but I do work full-time, so sometimes the blog has to go on the back burner.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy my blog!  If you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to connect, please feel free to drop me an email!

Email me


P.S.  We got to keep our chickens, which just goes to show that you should never give up on something you believe in!



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Comments

  1. Love to see a homemade household cleaner made with lemon. In fact, I love anything with lemon, the scent is so invigorating and energizing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree! Citrus is a wonderful thing. It almost makes me wish I lived in a climate warm enough to grow my own. Though, I have thought of trying to grow a mini lemon tree indoors.

      Delete
  2. I made some infused calendula out in the sun, with fresh plant. I did not notice any mold, I squeezed out the plant with cheese cloth. Some deep red drops came out along with the golden color. What are those drops? Also in the jar now after 6 months in a dark cool place, is a whitish swishy looking cloud....do you know what that could be???

    Need help.....Is this oil any good... it doesn't stink.
    Thank you....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The color of calendula petals can range from yellow to orange to red. This coloring is caused by the high level of carotenoids found in the plant. When you squeezed the flowers out, the red drops you saw were probably due to the high level of carotenoids found in the petals--and carotenoids are good since they are wonderful antioxidants (which is why calendula is so good for the skin). In my opinion, I would not be concerned about the red drops.

      As for the whitish swishy looking cloud... I can't say that I have ever had that happen with any of my oils, so I had to do some research on that one. The fact that there is no bad odor is a good sign. One possible explanation for the cloudiness: if olive oil is stored at temperatures of 50 degrees or below, it tends to cloud up. It will clear up when warmed to room temperature if this is the case.

      Another possible explanation for the cloudiness is that some plant material was left behind when straining. Try straining the oil again through a coffee filter, the let it sit for a day to see if the cloudiness is gone.

      Delete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

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