Have you ever tried eating healthier and failed? Have you tried getting up early and failed? Have you set goals for yourself and failed? It's time you knew about structural change.

Chances are that you have tried to meet goals and fix your life through behavioral change. I will eat less, I will study more, I will work harder, I will not get mad at people and yell. The problem with these resolutions is that everything depends on yourself. These promises you make to yourself don't take into account outside factors like birthday parties, busy days, the powerful pull of Facebook, or WHY you get mad. The sad truth is, you are not self-disciplined enough to tackle all of that stuff on your own all at once. You might be able to make behavioral changes very slowly over time, but NEVER quickly and hardly ever without outside influence.

Enter Structural Change
Instead of depending solely on your own self-discipline, why don't you arrange your surroundings to encourage better behavior? I used to resolve to read more books, but the reality was I only BOUGHT books, and I would never have time to read all of my books at the rate I was buying them. I was setting myself up for failure. I was spending FAR more time on Facebook than I was reading, yet I told myself I "didn't have time" to read. After I got married and quit my job, I didn't feel so free to buy every book I wanted. Facebook paled in comparison to my new exciting life. Consequently, I started actually reading my books instead of just buying more.

Likewise, I can't believe how many people trying to lose weight keep chocolate and marshmallows in their home. Then they try to find the closest parking spot at Walmart, take the elevator instead of the stairs, and choose to watch TV instead of enjoying fresh air on a walk or bike ride. A few simple changes, and this fat guy could be a skinny guy!

If you find yourself getting upset at certain times, could there be a way to prevent it? A few months ago, I realized every Sunday before church I would get ticked off. Why? Because Hubs expected to leave at least 30 minutes beforehand at 9:30 and get there "on time". My expectation was that it takes 15 minutes to get there; we could leave at 9:50 and still get there "on time". Hubs would ask me, "Are you ready to go?" at 9:15, when I did not even have breakfast on the table. Obviously, this was frustrating. But instead of getting mad every Sunday morning, I now plan a short, easy breakfast. I feed my goats while he is sometimes still in bed, and make sure I am ready plentyyy early enough. Instead of relying on my own internal goodness to "not get mad", I just did Sunday mornings a little different* so now there is no reason to get mad.

What goals do you have for this year? Are there any simple structural changes you could make to your lifestyle? Could you make a few tweaks to your grocery list, change up your schedule, add a new habit? Or maybe drop a bad habit? Maybe this year is calling for some structural change- some boundaries, some rules.

Lifestyle design- structural change- is something I think will be discussed a lot on this blog in 2015. I'm currently working on a new tool for myself that will save me time and money, and improve my health...effortlessly. Hopefully I'll be able to share it next month, around the time that everyone's self-discipline fails. :)

*Now clearly I am not perfect and not every Sunday morning is perfect. But if things go wrong, I simply make last-minute structural changes (like a simpler hairstyle or easier breakfast) instead of getting mad. 

What structural changes have you made and benefited from? 
What changes do you want to make happen this year?

It's that time of year again! I hope all you housewives are feeling ambitious about the upcoming year and what it may bring. 

Unlike some people, I really look forward to January and New Years resolutions. Since I was in high school, it has been a time when I dig out my goals from last year and feel satisfied in what I accomplished and learned.* Here are two fun exercises to do with yourself.  

1. Write down someday/maybe goals.

It's okay if you think you'll never accomplish them. This is just a brainstorming exercise if you are one of those people who "don't have any goals". Write down anything you've ever wanted to do, be, or have. Places you'd like to go, people you'd like to meet, things you'd like to learn... pretty much anything. It's okay if these things don't "go together" or "make sense" in light of your current circumstances. Keep these in a folder to reflect on every year. When you need some direction on smaller, one-year goals, pull out your Someday/Maybe list. Would you like to have your own business? Write down three business books you could read in 2015, or think of one skill related to your dream business that you could learn. OR, think of a short term micro-business that could give you the credentials or experience to start your own "real" business.

2. Create your "ideal day".

This is one of my favorites. Write down 5-10 things you would like to do every day. Things that would make your day feel like a real winner. My ideal day has things like, "1 hour writing" and "a bike ride". I also include some weekly items that I don't have to do every day like "going to garage sales" or "selling things on Ebay". Keep this list to review every day. Make it a game to see how close each day comes to being "ideal". A few years ago, I went through a whole year listing what activities I did every day, which "next steps" I had taken, and how close I had gotten to bigger goals. I accomplished SO MUCH that year, mostly due to keeping myself accountable. Now I don't make time for journaling every day, but that year helped me memorize and solidify my long-term goals. 

Don't Broadcast Your Goals
Only share your goals with people who can and will help you accomplish them. If you want to save money, don't go telling your spendthrift best friend about how you are going to hang laundry on the line. She will probably just laugh at you, 1) because she doesn't understand why you would want stiff pants, or 2) because she tried being frugal before and failed, and wants to justify her current lifestyle. Besides my husband, I don't really share my goals with anyone. 

Many popular motivational speakers will encourage you to shut "negative" people out of your life that don't agree with you and have the same goals. I don't think this is a great idea. In real life, you can't just shut out your family, people you work with, or anyone who disagrees with you. It is to your best advantage to be friends with everyone as much as possible. In a conversation, just focus on the other person instead of tooting your own horn. They might find out through the grapevine that you line-dry, but it will not come across as a personal insult to them.

Reflecting on Last Year's Goals
Instead of feeling discouraged at the goals you didn't reach in 2014, simply roll them into next year's goals. For example, I have been wanting to grow mushrooms for years. It was once again on my list for 2014, and once again I didn't grow a single mushroom. I didn't even TRY to grow a single mushroom. But I don't feel bad about it, because I did plenty of other new things this year.

If you do feel bad about an item that didn't get done, there are two possible reasons: 

1) You really should have got it done, but you procrastinated and let other things get in the way.

2) It's not that important to you, BUT it's been on your list for years. 

In the first case, this item (for a lot of people it is 'losing weight') really needs to be your top priority, above small things like growing mushrooms. Chances are that you have tried at this goal before and failed- something I will address in a future article.

In the second case, it is okay to just give up on something, even if it has been on your list so long it feels like an old friend. Maybe it doesn't align with your current circumstances or goals. No matter how much I want to be an Olympic athlete, 2015 is not the time, and my little apartment is not the place. :)

What you must understand about goal-setting is: NOT EVERYTHING WILL HAPPEN LIKE YOU WRITE IT DOWN. This is why you should not be afraid to write down goals because "I might not get them done". The important thing, and the real goal of goal-setting as I see it, is that

AT LEAST SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN.

Even if you only get one thing done this year, that's something to celebrate!

Did you accomplish anything this year? Big or small?

Next time we'll be talking about structural change vs. behavioral change, and how you can better reach your goals.

Hey friends and family! Today I thought I'd introduce to you a new discovery I've made. It's a wonderful frosting recipe that hardens up fairly quick and only has three ingredients. It's commonly used in cake decorating, but it can make all of your Christmas cookies more beautiful as well.

***
Royal Icing (Stiff Consistency)

3 TB meringue powder (available at Walmart by the cake decorating stuff)
1 lb. powdered sugar
5-6 TB lukewarm water

All you have to do is mix the sugar and meringue powder, and then add the water. Blend this mixture together for 7-10 minutes at a medium low speed until the icing loses its sheen.

***
The great thing about royal icing is that it dries so fast. The bad thing about royal icing is that it dries so fast. You'll want to put a damp cloth over the mixing bowl or store the icing in an airtight container. It should keep a while this way.

Icing in general can be pretty messy, so you'll want a game plan before you start. To load the piping bag, put it pointy-end-down in a mason jar or water glass. Then fold the wide end over the rim of the glass as pictured.

After you've filled the bag, I recommend closing the end with a rubber band. This is so 1) the bag is airtight and the icing won't dry out, and 2) if you push too hard, the icing won't come back out at you. Now THAT'S a mess (don't ask me how I know). 

Every so often when you are decorating, and if you have let the piping bag sit for a while, clean off the tip with your fingers and gently push out the "plug" of dried icing. If you let icing dry around the tip, it will make your designs lumpy and inconsistent, as more and more icing piles up on the end. The plug is great for storage purposes (no icing leaks out!) but not so great for decorating purposes.

Happy icing!
-Bethany

You remember Fermentation Friday? That thing I started before we left for Guatemala? Well, it's time to start again. The fact that it's winter only increases the need for extra nutrients that fermentation supplies.

Today we're going to do something pretty easy. Yogurt can be 'fermented' in one night. It's packed with probiotics- good for your gut! And last but not least, DIY yogurt is only $1 per quart to make. A great way to start saving money and eating healthier. All you need to start is a small container of yogurt that contains live active cultures (it will say this on the container), one half or one whole gallon of milk, and a candy thermometer.

Instructions:

1. Heat milk to 180 degrees F. Just FYI: I have forgotten to check the milk and accidentally let it boil. If this happens, not all is lost. Just turn off the heat and move on to the next step.
2. Let cool to 105-116 degrees F. For a half-gallon of milk, this usually takes a half hour.
3. Add yogurt starter. Use a wire whisk (or fork, or whatever) to mix in your container of live active culture yogurt.
4. Incubate. This can be done several ways. 
A) Since our family is just Hubs and I, I use a half-gallon Yogourmet yogurt maker to incubate. This works very well for us, especially if I let it incubate 18-24 hours. The extra incubation time makes it extra thick and creamy. 
B) When I lived with my parents (and lots of siblings), I used mason jars in a cooler of hot tap water, with boiling water to top it off with. I let this sit overnight, with varying results. 
C) Recently my mom started using a gas stove, and she said it works well to simply set the jars in the oven and let the pilot light incubate the yogurt overnight. This is very economical since the pilot light would be on anyway. 
D) A fourth way to incubate would be with a crock pot. Personally I have not seen great success with a crock pot.

Troubleshooting: If your yogurt comes out watery or "chunky", never fear. Use a cheesecloth to strain out the whey and make "yogurt cheese". When it has all drained, whip a little bit of the whey back into the yogurt cheese, with some jelly or honey if desired. This makes an excellent texture and taste.

The type of milk, amount of starter, and length of incubation time might have an effect on the success of the yogurt. When I first started making yogurt, I used raw, non-homogenized milk. I was stingy with the starter, using only a few tablespoons for a whole gallon. This produced watery, often runny yogurt, but I figured that was just how homemade yogurt was.

After we got married I started using pasteurized, homogenized milk from the store. I only need to make two quarts of yogurt per week, and use a whole single-serving container of starter instead of a few tablespoons. Now oftentimes I make yogurt in the morning so it has a day and a half to incubate, whereas at my parents' house I would make the yogurt late at night, so it would get maybe 8 hours of incubation time. Using my new methods, I haven't had a failed or runny batch of yogurt in months.

Happy yogurt-making!

-Bethany 

This summer, we raised some meat chickens. Given the costs and time involved, I wonder sometimes if it is worth it to raise your own chickens.

Cost of chicks and feed: $70
Number of chickens: 15
Cost per chicken: $4.67
Cost per grocery-store chicken: $5
Savings: $4.95

Now I realize that bargain chicken from Walmart is probably not as high quality as chickens raised on grass in your own backyard. However, I did not include any labor in my cost analysis; feeding, watering, or even butchering (which is not a small task). Including the cost of labor would completely eliminate all savings.

I don't mind the feeding, watering, or even the butchering. What disturbs me here is the cost of chicken feed- corn, soybean, and some other ingredients that are not organic or even all natural. Just run-of-the-mill farmer's elevator feed. There's got to be a better way.

This summer (after we had butchered the chickens, unfortunately) I did some research on chicken feed alternatives. I found some pretty cool ideas, including but not limited to:

DIY Composter & Automatic Chicken Feeder 

Building a Maggot Farm

Raising Meal Worms

The Chicken Scavenging System

Eliminate the Cost of Chicken Feed

Given my new knowledge, I believe next year I might do some experimenting- maybe one group raised as before (mostly on elevator feed) and another group raised with these alternatives (and less feed). The experimental group would probably go in a chicken tractor, put in the orchard or in the horse pasture where there are mulberry trees.

What do your chickens eat? Have you found any cost-effective alternatives to elevator chicken feed?

I don't know about you, but I'm not really a fan of inflatables. Inflatable snowmen, inflatable Santas, reindeer and/or Christmas trees. I am also not really a fan of flashing neon Christmas lights. Tacky Christmases are just not for me.

Everyone has their own style; I get it. My style is a more subdued, classic, old-fashioned all-natural Christmas. The very first church I ever attended as a little girl was a little Methodist church down the road. Every year at Christmas the building was decorated in fresh greenery. The smell was so... Christmas-y. Not old and stale like some decorations used by other churches. Those plastic garlands- the kind that keep losing "feathers" until they look like a cat's wet tail. Now, there is a place for vintage decorations, but I really like the classiness of fresh greenery.

And why not make your own wreaths, centerpieces and garlands? Most of the materials are free, and how much fun to go tromping through the woods looking for supplies! You don't have to be a florist to make your own fresh, creative and professional-looking wreath. I made one this year with a reusable metal wreath form ($1.77 at Walmart) and some wire ($0.25 at Walmart). Walmart was selling ugly, plain little fresh wreaths for $7 each. My wreath was a fraction of the cost, but so much prettier. 

When we were in Guatemala, I watched a few Youtube videos on wreath-making. This was my favorite one, and I used the same method to make my wreath at home. It took about 30 minutes to assemble.

Before I made the wreath, I went out to the woods and found some pine trees and also picked up some pinecones, sumac berries, and hickory nuts for decoration. Then I came back up to the house and found another different evergreen tree and took some cuttings from that. When I got back, I had three different kinds of greens and some decorations for my wreath. When I got done the wreath, I made a bow out of some ribbon and added that as well. Then Hubs helped me hang it on our door outside.

Why stop at only a wreath? After I was done, I took some more greenery and made a candle centerpiece for our kitchen table. Now something like this takes a bit more skill than a wreath, but not much. Besides, flower arranging takes practice, and what better time to practice than when your "flowers" are free? 

After three weeks, we're finally back home. It's good to be drinking water from the tap again, and our availability and consistency in toilet paper is wonderful. Not to mention being able to flush it down the toilet.

My goats are doing very well- it looks like Adi's pregnancy is coming along nicely. I'm so excited to see her baby (or babies!) and start milking her. This week I plan on doing a hoof trim and upping her grain ration. I was watching some goat birthing videos on Youtube, and it reminded me of home. Part of me thinks, "Hey, this is your first time doing goats EVER- you should be scared!" But I think growing up around animals- especially dairy animals- has made the journey less daunting. The other day Adi's previous owner dropped off her "paperwork". I told Hubs that this is the first time I've ever owned a registered animal. We are really moving up in the world. ;)

My plants in our mudroom did very well, even without being watered for three weeks. The herbs in my pallet garden died (as expected, and as they would have outside anyway), but my orange, jade, and avocado trees are still doing okay. I was very happy at the success of my hydroponics system while we were gone. The lettuce, though it lost some color due to lack of nutrients, still grew. The pepper plant I pulled from the garden is still holding its own as well. 

Before we left, Hubs helped me build three raised beds. I put "lasagna" layers in each bed, and hopefully next spring the layers will have turned to compost. Another idea I'm going to try is a "three sisters" garden- planting squash and beans with my corn. I saw some of this in Guatemala. Next year, if all goes according to plan, I'll grow just as many vegetables but with a plot half the size that I had this year. Less weeding, less tilling... yay.

Next week I look forward to sharing some Christmas projects I've been working on.

Til then,
-Bethany