yogurt update.

Well, I made my first two quarts of homemade vanilla yogurt yesterday, and they turned out fairly well. Actually, judging from how fast the first quart disappeared, they turned out very well! The yogurt didn't turn out thick enough for me, but Mr. Gardner and the boys enjoyed drinking theirs (this first batch would be perfect for smoothies!) When we lived overseas, we actually bought yogurt with exactly the same consistency, it was sold in a cup and you drank it...so Mr. Gardner and I were having flashbacks!

Anyway, next time I make it, I will let the yogurt sit longer in the cooler and see if that helps the jars set up better. I think I'll try another batch soon (first I need to get a bigger stockpot to boil my canning jars), and post some pictures when I finally get it the way I want it...if there's any left!

make you own...

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With three sons, I've been going through baby wipes like there's no tomorrow, and they're not cheap. Lately, several of my friends have been making their own (and raving about how great they are), so I thought I'd find a recipe and try them out soon. I need to run to the natural food store to get some of the ingredients (I think I might try some organic baby wash and essential oil in mine...either lavender or tea tree oil). And here's a link to a tutorial on how to make the lovely wipe case cover shown above...to put your homemade wipes in...

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I also ran across this recipe for home-made deodorant on a great little blog I just discovered. I've (unsuccessfully) tried several all-natural deodorants before because I've heard the aluminum that is in EVERY anti-perspirant is not good for you. So I think I will whip this up and see if it works. It's made with coconut oil, so it has to smell pretty good...