"Mom! He's looking at me!"
Some people may not know what off-the-grid or off-grid means, so here it is --- The term off-the-grid or off-grid refers to living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. Off-grid living is no longer a one room log cabin in the woods. It's energy independency. You don't have to rely on utility companies, you create your own power. Today, there are more than 180,000 off-grid homes in the US.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Sponge Water Bombs...
10:35 am - 55 degrees - raining...
I’m getting ready for summer even though looking out the windows today it’s just another cold rainy day. Summer is on its way and should be here any day now... the weatherman said so!
I’m getting ready for summer even though looking out the windows today it’s just another cold rainy day. Summer is on its way and should be here any day now... the weatherman said so!
When I
think of summer, I think of two things:
BBQ’s and water fights! So when I
found these sponge water bombs on Pinterest I just had to make them!
Step 1
– Cut all sponges into fourths length-wise.
Step 2
– Stack 2 layers of 4 sponges. Tie
fishing line around sponges as tightly as possible.
Step 3
- Soak. Squish. Throw.
Play. It’s that easy!
Sponge Water Bombs + Buckets of Water = Summer Fun for Kids! |
Even
cleanup is easy. Just stuff them in a
mesh bad and hand them out to dry. And
if by chance they get dirty, just wash them in the washing machine and hang
them out to dry.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Swedish Torch...
10:28 am - 63 degrees - overcast...
Imagine a real log fire you can take with you anywhere, light instantly – then enjoy its flames, heat and magic for hours; well that’s what a Swedish Torch is all about!
Our Swedish Torch was 14" wide by 30" tall. Because of the size, Tony made four top cuts, that went three quarters of the way down the log.
The tinder we used to start the initial fire was the left over shavings from cutting the log planters {click here}.
Once the tinder starts to burn, the hot embers drop down into the cuts on the log, igniting the inside. The picture above was taken about 15 minutes after lighting the tinder.
The above picture was taken about 2 hours after we lit the Swedish Torch. You can see why its called a torch - it gave off quite a bit of light.
This morning, this is what was left of our Swedish Torch... and a little buck stopped by to check it out.
Imagine a real log fire you can take with you anywhere, light instantly – then enjoy its flames, heat and magic for hours; well that’s what a Swedish Torch is all about!
The Schwedenfackel
or Schwedenfeuer, when roughly translated means “Sweden Fire,” is also know by other names including Swedish Fire
Torch, Swedish Log Candle, Swedish Log Stove, Canadian Candle, Norwegian Fire
Torch...and the list goes on.
The
Swedish Torch gets its name from the Thirty Years’ War in Europe between 1618
and 1648. During this war the torches
were used by the Swedish soldiers.
Through
a specially developed sawing process the soldiers were able to use fresh
pinewood for a source of heat. This way
they didn’t have to travel great distances for firewood at camp, especially in
snowy or swampy conditions.
These
days the Swedish Torch is mainly used for leisure activities. It also makes an excellent elevated cooking
fire or a signal fire.
There
are a few different designs that we have seen based on this idea. Basically the Swedish Torch is a rocket
stove. It concentrates air and heat in a
confined area and produces an incredible concentration of energy in the form of
fire. It is unique because it uses only
one piece of fairly decent sized wood as its fuel.
The
log is either cut (usually only three quarters of the way down, but other
variants do include totally splitting) and then set upright (ideally, the log
needs to be cut evenly and on a level surface for stability). Tinder and kindling are added to the top to
start the initial fire. Eventually, the
fire is self-feeding. The flat, circular
top provides a surface to place a kettle, or pan for cooking, boiling liquids,
etc. The elevated position of the fire
also serves as a better beacon than the typical ground based campfire in some
instances.
The Swedish
Torch, made from a single log, can burn for several hours under good
conditions. Of course burn times will
vary, due to factors such as log size, type of wood, moisture content, and wind
and weather conditions.
Our Swedish Torch was 14" wide by 30" tall. Because of the size, Tony made four top cuts, that went three quarters of the way down the log.
The tinder we used to start the initial fire was the left over shavings from cutting the log planters {click here}.
Once the tinder starts to burn, the hot embers drop down into the cuts on the log, igniting the inside. The picture above was taken about 15 minutes after lighting the tinder.
The above picture was taken about 2 hours after we lit the Swedish Torch. You can see why its called a torch - it gave off quite a bit of light.
This morning, this is what was left of our Swedish Torch... and a little buck stopped by to check it out.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Working On The Mountain...
6:19 pm - 57 degrees - scattered clouds...
We have been very busy these past few weeks – both on and off the mountain.
We have been very busy these past few weeks – both on and off the mountain.
On the
mountain, Tony has stayed busy cleaning up {click here}. Here is a photo recap of what’s been
happening...
dragging logs to the staging area to get them out of the way |
stacking logs |
stopping to smell the flowers and catch butterflies |
"staging area" - somewhere to keep all the good logs out of the way so we can get to the underbrush and stack it into burn piles. |
cutting off rounds to firewood length - easier to haul this way |
getting a rough measurement of the tree |
moving kindling around |
Log Planters...
5:13 pm - 58 degrees - cloudy...
My sister-in-law sent me this picture of stump planters saying I should add these to Tony’s to-do-list (not that he doesn't already have enough to do around here)... but these are really neat!
So this is what he came up with...
My sister-in-law sent me this picture of stump planters saying I should add these to Tony’s to-do-list (not that he doesn't already have enough to do around here)... but these are really neat!
So this is what he came up with...
Tony had cut rounds off of some trees that he had previously felled and that's what he used to make the planters with. |
These make a huge mess but they are so neat! I wonder what I can use all these shavings for... hmmm maybe the chickens would like it. |
Kindling! |
This finished product... a log round planter! I love these... |
...and so does Jack! Now I have to figure out what to plant it in and where to put it. |
Samoa Cupcakes...
2:58 pm - 57 degrees - cloudy...
Our daughter wanted to try out Girl Scouts - so I started a troop with girls from her school {click here}. Our first year as a troop has been a blast and tomorrow is our final badge ceremony and end of the year family picnic... and I’m bringing Samoa Cupcakes!
Our daughter wanted to try out Girl Scouts - so I started a troop with girls from her school {click here}. Our first year as a troop has been a blast and tomorrow is our final badge ceremony and end of the year family picnic... and I’m bringing Samoa Cupcakes!
During
our first Girl Scout cookies season (which was absolutely crazy by the way), I
looked up recipes that use Girl Scout cookies and I found this one {click here}
for Samoa Cupcakes. They looked really
good so I bought 4 extra boxes of Samoa Girl Scout cookies just so I could try
this recipe out... and !WOW! are they tasty!
I am extremely tempted to buy an entire case of Samoa cookies next year
just so I can make more of these cupcakes!
They are that good!
I know
that you’ll have to wait a few months before Girl Scout cookies are available
but I just couldn’t wait to share this recipe... save it, print it out, pin it,
add it to your favorite’s list – this is definitely a must try recipe. If you like Samoa Girl Scout cookies then you
will love these cupcakes!
~SAMOA CUPCAKES~
1 ½ cup
(3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp.
1 ½ cups
light brown sugar, packed
4
large eggs at room temp.
1 ½ tsp
coconut extract
2 2/3 cups
all-purpose flour
1 tsp
baking powder
1 tsp
baking soda
¼ tsp
salt
1 cup
coconut milk
1 box
Samoa Girl Scout Cookies - cut in half
1 box Samoa Girl Scout Cookies - chopped up
Preheat
oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans
with 24 liners. Whisk together flour,
baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Measure out the coconut milk and set aside.
In a
mixer, beat butter on high until soft.
Slowly add sugar and beat until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to beat
well after each egg. Add the coconut
extract and mix until incorporated.
Add
about ¼ of the flour mixture followed by 1/3 of the coconut milk and mix until
incorporated. Repeat this step until you
end with the flour mixture. Mix just
until incorporated. Fold in the chopped
up Samoa cookies.
Fill
cupcake liners with batter about ¾ full.
Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cupcakes are golden brown. Let cool in pan for at least 5 minutes before
transferring to cooling rack to completely cool before frosting.
Frost with the caramel coconut frosting, drizzle with melted chocolate (optional) and top off with ½ a Samoa cookie.
Frost with the caramel coconut frosting, drizzle with melted chocolate (optional) and top off with ½ a Samoa cookie.
I made a double batch of cupcakes so I used four boxes of Samoas. Half of the cookies get chopped up and folded into the batter, the other half get cut into half and get top off the cupcakes. |
I know that you're not supposed to eat the batter... but I just cannot help it - even the batter was yummy! |
The finished product (minus the chocolate drizzle on top). |
~CARAMEL COCONUT FROSTING~
2
sticks unsalted butter
2 cups
packed dark brown sugar
2/3
cup coconut milk + 2 Tbsp more
1 ½ tsp
coconut extract
2 lbs
sifted powdered sugar
In a
small sauce pan, melt the butter on medium high heat. Stir in the coconut milk and coconut
extract. Slowly add the brown sugar and
stir until completely dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. {Do not let the mixture boil!}
Remove
from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl.
Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time and mix with a hand mixer. Scrape the sides of the bowl after each
addition. {If necessary, add up to 2
Tbsp more coconut milk to create the consistency you want.} Mix on high about 2 minutes, scraping sides
making sure all the sugar is incorporated.
While
the frosting is still warm, work quickly to frost the cupcakes. {Before you make the frosting make sure you’re
ready to frost your cupcakes as soon as the frosting is ready! Once it cools, it will set up and harden,
making any piping or spreading more difficult to do.}
~Enjoy!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Tiny Twin Fawns...
9:08 pm - 61 degrees - calm night with a few scattered clouds...
We are very fortunate to live in an area where this is a daily sight this time of year. We had to wait for these cute tiny twins to make up their minds (took about 10 minutes) to move off the driveway so we could go to town.
We are very fortunate to live in an area where this is a daily sight this time of year. We had to wait for these cute tiny twins to make up their minds (took about 10 minutes) to move off the driveway so we could go to town.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Backyard Fire Pit Ideas...
12:34 pm - 67 degrees - partly cloudy...
This past week the weather has been just gorgeous and last night was the perfect night for roasting hot dogs over a backyard campfire.
This past week the weather has been just gorgeous and last night was the perfect night for roasting hot dogs over a backyard campfire.
More
than nearly any other outdoor feature I can think of, a fire pit (or backyard
campfire area) instantly makes the yard the place where everyone wants to
be. It easily becomes the focal point of
a space, drawing friends and family together around its warm glow. Whether your ideal vision includes kids roasting
marshmallows, or just sitting back and relaxing with a cold beer, there is just
nothing better than sitting around a fire in your own backyard.
Currently
we have a small metal fire pit surrounded by a few slab benches that Tony has
recently made. It’s a temporary thing
because we want to make an actual campfire area in a different location – and we
think we have finally picked out the perfect location!
Now
that we have finally picked out the location, we need to decide on the type of
fire pit we want to make. There are so
many ways to make your own fire pit and so many different designs... above
ground or flush with the ground; surrounded by built-in benches or leave it
open for chairs; leave it open or surround the fire pit in a 16x16 screened in
gazebo...and the list goes on.
Here
are a few photos that are inspiring our perfect backyard fire pit area...
{photo source: www.feeltheambiance.com} |
{photo source: www.martysplace.com} |
{photo source: www.popularmechanics.com} |
{photo source: www.portlandmonthlymag.com} |
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Hand Milled Timber Bench...
6:00 pm - 60 degrees - mostly cloudy...
Last weekend Tony got out his Alaskan Chainsaw Mill and started cutting on a storm damaged Douglas Fir tree {click here}. He continued to work on that same tree all week, milling out several live edge and slab style benches and is getting pretty good at it. The benches look great!
Last weekend Tony got out his Alaskan Chainsaw Mill and started cutting on a storm damaged Douglas Fir tree {click here}. He continued to work on that same tree all week, milling out several live edge and slab style benches and is getting pretty good at it. The benches look great!
Here
are some pictures of what he’s done...
4' and 5' unfinished Douglas Fir slab benches |
the Alaskan Chainsaw Mill creates a lot of sawdust |
Start to finish... one storm damaged Douglas fir tree turns into a 10' unfinished Douglas fir slab bench. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
2:34 pm - 37 degrees - scattered clouds... This Crock-Pot Salsa Chicken is very simple to put together and produces amazing results! I...
-
12:13 pm - 48 degrees - light rain and fog... You stroll out in to the garden, picking ripe fruits and vegetables, knowing that come F...
-
1:20 pm - 69 degrees - blue sky and sunshine... Log reindeer are not only a fairly easy project to do, they are also cheap to make, and lo...