Homemade dog treats

The holidays are just about passed and we can move on to our hopes for 2013! I love Christmas and New Year celebrations. The family and fun and warmth that comes with everyone gathering together to eat and fellowship is something I always look forward to.
This year I made it a goal of mine to try to make most of my gifts to save money. Gifts are so much more personal if you make them to suit the person receiving them. Along with my gifts to family, this year, I decided to include the pooches in the family. I made bone shaped cutout biscuits and sent them off with a little toy. I had trouble finding a recipe I liked( I wanted a recipe without peanut butter) so, I just threw something together.
  Here is the recipe I used:
3 cups flour
1 cup quick oats
1 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp baking powder
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Cup hot water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese3
1 egg

Dissolve the bouillon cubes the the hot water.
Mix dry ingredients.
Add water and egg and cheese.
Mix until combined.
Turn out onto floured counter and knead until smooth dough comes together.
Roll out to desired thickness and cut out.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake in pre heated oven at 325· for about 20 minutes (depending on thickness and how crunchy you want them to be)
*I baked mine for 18 minutes and they were about 1/4 inch thick and they came out a little crunchy.
Enjoy!

Speaking of pooches, check out Helping Hands pet rescue. They work hard to save pets lives! (:

Emu In The Incubator

 Of all the pets we have now or have had in the past(we've had lots!), my favorites Will have to be our emu. We've had them since they were hatchlings, and have bonded with them so much since then(2 years)!



Hubby Playing with Our Emu

  Our dogs love them to as they were raised with them from pups. Originally we bought 2 emu hatchlings as a pair, Male and female, with intentions to breed them and incubate the eggs. 2 years later, we have come to the conclusion that we have 2 males! (Male emus make a grunting noise when they are matured and females make a deep drumming noise. We have 2 grunters!)
 This week we found 2 female emu for sale and had to get them. Now our boys finally have mates!



Emu Playing

  I'm Thrilled to be able to start incubating emu eggs. Emu are by far the cutest chicks in my opinion.
We've done our reading (and googling!) and found out the exact temps and humidity levels needed in order to hatch healthy chicks. If you think you may want to incubate emu eggs in the future, read on!(:
 The Ideal Temperature for incubating emu eggs is 96.5 to 97.0 degrees Fahrenheit.(The Temperature needs to stay at a steady temp. Not like chicken eggs that can have a successful hatch rate at varying temps)
 The Humidity level should be around 70-75 degrees. (Keep a small bowl of water in the incubator for humidity)
 Turn the eggs 2-3 times every day.(you can mark an X with a pencil on one side of the egg so you can remember which eggs have been turned)
With chicken eggs, you could continue to turn the eggs until they begin to hatch. Emu eggs on the other hand Should not be rotated after day 41 or so. The chicks are preparing to emerge from their shells during this time!After 43-50 days in the incubator, your emu chicks should be here!
 I am so excited to see our chicks hatch. We only just put them in the incubator, and I already cant wait!

Powder Laundry Detergent

 A few days ago I had sorted my laundry and had everything ready for a load ready to wash. I started the water and began adding the clothes. When I grabbed my detergent jug, it was empty! Nooo! I didn't have time to make my good ole' liquid laundry detergent so, I had to manage. I pulled out my box of washing soda, borax and a couple bars of Ivory soap and started grating..

 I've always been skeptical when it comes to powder laundry detergent. Will it clean my clothes? Does it all dissolve without leaving residue on my laundry?
 All Skepticism aside, I mixed 2 grated bars Ivory soap, 2 cups Borax, 2 cups Washing soda and 2 cups Purex Tropical Splash Crystals in a bowl and poured the mixture into a jar. That's it! I used 2 Tablespoons for a large load and the clothes were clean and smelled  fantastic! This will last me a while (:

More Pallet Creations

We finally finished our coffee table and dog house made from repurposed pallets. These both cost us $0!
I hope these inspire you to create upcycled treasures of your own!(:

Freezer Portions Bags

 So, the other day I was talking with my Mom about these neat perfect portions freezer bags that I had been wanting to try. I mean, it's a great idea!
 While trying to describe them to my Mom I said, " you know, they're just like those sandwich baggies" . DING! A little light bulb illuminated above my head. Why pay $7 for 45 baggies from the store with a fancy label when I can pay $2 for 150 sandwich baggies?

    They work GREAT! It's so nice to be able to freeze lots of chicken thighs or whatever needs freezing in one big freezer bag. Whenever I need to thaw them out they thaw MUCH faster when they can be separated. I love this idea and hope you will too!(:

{Simply}Humidify

 Aaahhhhh...There's nothing better to bring you into Fall like the aroma of Oranges and Cinnamon in the air. I remember as a kid this smell gave me the urge to curl up by the fireplace all day!

 This cooler weather has had us running our heater some nights. It's nice to stay warm, but the dry air takes a tole on us! Sure, we could buy a fancy schmancy air humidifier, but I like this trick better, and I think you will too. (:
 My Mom always had a small pot of water with orange peel and a cinnamon stick simmering on the stove at home during the fall and winter. As a kid, I thought she did this to make the entire house smell yummy and cozy! Those two are a huge plus, but it really helps to put moisture back into the air. It wasn't until I had my own place and went an entire winter without our "humidifier" that I realized how great this little trick works.Now, I've made it sort of a tradition to simmer orange or apple peel and a cinnamon stick and sometimes a few whole cloves when fall comes around. Try it! You might find that you love it too. (:

Be Re purposful!

 OK, I'll admit it....I've gone a little overboard with up cycling nowadays. But I just can't help myself. The thought of using something that has retired from its original purpose for something new is so exciting!
 Because re purposing is becoming such a popular trend, it's so much fun to share ideas. With Pinterest and Google, it makes it so easy to find great tutorials and recipes for neat things just by typing in one word. The ideas people come up with are amazing! My most recent obsession is with wooden pallets. My husband gets them for free from his work, so there's no money being wasted on my experiments if they turn out to be a flop.
 So far, I've had a few successful creations!
A spice rack


Pallet Garden


Garden Boxes


Our Tortoise Pen



I'm working on a coffee table now. {When I say "I'm", I mean MY vision and my Husbands handy work) (:

There is so much you can do with wooden pallets. Just use your imagination!