Natural and Frugal Traveling

So we are in Colorado for six weeks. That's too short of a time to bring the whole world. That's too long of a time to live out of suitcases and eat off of disposables.

So my many years of diligent practice in thrift stores are paying off. The entire table set here has been purchased from Goodwill (no Salvation Army Family Store in Fort Collins) and yard sales. The tablecloth is actually a fabric shower curtain! I did purchase the food at a real grocery store LOL!  My top five favorite finds have been:
 5. The cool green napkins I found at Goodwill (I plan to take these home)
 4. A tiny lamp that works as a nightlight that has a little brown elephant on it (also coming home with us)
 3. Several long sleeved t-shirts that I just found a t Walmart for $2 each for the girls (organic cotton no less)
 2. A VCR at a yard sale for $4 and a TV at Goodwill (27 inch behemoth) for $7 (cable is included no extra charge)
 1. An "under the bed" plastic bin *filled* with clothes hangers (enough for all our clothes) for $1!

I miss blogging!  I would say I was committing to blogging more frequently again, but I don't want to make promises I can't keep.  I do have huge intentions of sharing lots of stuff.  I still need to share about my natural make up, immune boosters, and what we are learning about lately.  Thanks for visiting your sporadic blog poster!

Love, Carra

Ready to Drink Deeply

We are getting ready to spend several weeks out in Colorado at the National Staff Conference.  I realize spend a lot of my life thinking about feeding... feeding our family, feeding our staff, feeding our students (organic muffins, regular muffins and boxed brownies respectively LOL).  I enjoy planning events and programs, mentoring young women and much of the other various activities of ministry.  One think I don't spend much time doing is reflecting.  I spend time reading my Bible and prayer journaling, but not a significant time examining and reflecting.

One thing I love about the conference (every other year) is the opportunity of be fed myself. To drink deeply of Christ and challenged to think deeply about Him. 

One of the speakers coming is Francis Chan.  I knew the name but never read any of his books or heard his talks.  I just watched this video and it just reminded me of what I'm headed for. 

It's a curious phenomenon.. to be really challenged and yet refreshed. But that is exactly what it is.



I'm thirsty. Bring it on.

Love, Carra

Dangerously Yummy Concoction

I have been known to enjoy a good drink now and then... a coffee drink.  I have a friend who drinks coffee black.  Personally I prefer a little coffee in my cream and sugar.  I remember even as a young girl (pre-age 11 but I can't remember any closer than that), I liked the taste of coffee.

Hardly a connoisseur, I would mix the decaf instant coffee with hot water, then add ridiculous amounts of sugar and milk.  In my "library life" where I worked for almost 10 years, coffee became a part of my (every) week.  There was this awesome, cooler than you coffee shop called Coffee Underground.  It was literally under the street level under an Italian restaurant.  They had a delicious ham and brie sandwich that was truly unparalleled. But I digress. CU introduced me to the dangerous concept of the flavored iced latte.

So years later, at least the "ham" part of ham and brie sandwiches are behind me. But a girl needs some yumminess in her life :-) That's where this concoction comes in.

Cream so thick and rich that it pours like syrup. ...ahhhh yum. Well if you take some decaf coffee (brewed, not instant anymore LOL) and you add real cream (about one part coffee to two parts cream) you get a "milk latte."  But the beautiful taste of the iced flavored lattes of Coffee Underground is the flavored part.  My favorite flavor is vanilla. But I just can't do the pre-made syrups like they put in at coffee shops - corn syrup at the vary least are in those.  So what's a latte-loving (yet granola-natural) girl to do?  Make my own!

Natural Vanilla Syrup

• Sweetener (one cup of honey or natural sugar)
• Water (about 1/2 a cup)
• Pure vanilla extract (tablespoon or so)
• Vanilla bean specks (see below)

I'm currently soaking some vanilla beans to make extract.  This will be my second time around so I happen to have vanilla beans around the house soaking in vodka tucked in the back of the pantry (needs to be dark).  So I took a bean and opened it up and gently scraped out the vanilla specks from it into my syrup.  It is so cool to look into your coffee and see the specks of real vanilla.

Anyway, bring the first three ingredients to a very low boil for about two minutes. Watch it carefully.  Once it's all smooth, add the specks and vanilla extract..  Add to your latte and enjoy!  I introduced my drink concoction to my staff team last week.  Seems to be a hit.  Bet you'll like it too!


Love, Carra

Taking things apart...naturally

I know this may not seem very "natural" in terms of soaking grains, cloth diapering or wrapping mattresses.  However, I want to make a case of the granola-ness of taking things apart.

Personal example: We have two vacuum cleaners.  One we recently bought with a hepa filter for all the lead dust we are likely putting into the air as we remodel our 1962 house.  The other we have had for 10 years (wedding gift from my parents).

The other week I was using the 10 year old vacuum when this horrible noise came out.  I admit, it startled me and I screamed.  When Pete came home I described the horrible noise to him.  He went to investigate, turning the vaccum back on.  I know I should have been prepared, but it scared me again (yes, I screamed again). Thought you might appreciate that :-)

Well, the vacuum seemed quite dead.... But then Pete took it apart. Though the vacuum is old after a bit of investigating, Pete was able to locate the broken part, ordered it, put it back together....all for under $20. See the cool chunk missing from the wheel of suction?  I don't know the technical term, but wheel of suction just sounded cool.

I love what can be learned from taking things apart.  Not everything can be fixed of course, but there's all kinds of options for repairing things that save us money, let us learn something and keep our landfills a little less "full."

And when things cannot be repaired (such as a broken cassette tape), we give them to Grace with a set of precision screwdrivers.  She is diligent to take every bit apart and not let any of it go to waste...for example, here's what Zade would look like as a brunette.

Love, Carra