Powered by Blogger.

The Hippie Moose

Simple, Spiritual, and Sustainable Living.

I remember when suet cakes were less than a dollar each.  I realize I sound like some old woman complaining about the price of gas, but seriously!

If you are cheap like me here are a few easy steps to feed those ravenous winged creatures outside.  The ones who even now are making enough noise to wake the dead because my suet is chilling in the fridge...

All you need is some fat ~ I use bacon fat.  I never throw out bacon drippings, it's something I learned from my grandmother and I could never shake it. I let them cool a bit and spoon them into a mason jar that is always in the back of my fridge.

Where were we?  Right, suet for pig-birds.

3/4 cup bacon fat (approx.)
1/2 cup peanut butter (anything you have, they are NOT picky)

~Melt these together.  (I often just use the big fry pan I used for the bacon, that way I only have to wash it once.)

6 cups wild bird seed (approx.)

~Mix in enough wild bird seed to fill the pan but you can still see a fine layer of liquid over the top.


Use a big spoon to put into containers.

I kept all my old suet containers so I just re-use those.

If you don't have anything that shape you could cut off the bottoms of old milk cartons and fill those. They are waxed and pop out easy once the suet is chilled.

When looking online for a recipe with more precise amounts I came across this one:

Suet Cake

  • 2 parts melted fat (bacon fat, suet, or lard)
  • 2 parts yellow cornmeal
  • 1 part peanut butter
Mix all ingredients together and cook for a few minutes. Pour into small containers (tuna fish cans are good), and refrigerate or freeze until needed. Mixture can also be stuffed into 1-inch holes drilled in small logs to hang from trees. The recipe can be made all year long as long as you accumulate fat. Fasten containers securely to trees or feeders.


Follow my blog with Bloglovin
March 30, 2014 No comments
I have ants.... at least I did.

A few days ago I put out cotton balls on my kitchen counter with a mixture of water, borax, and sugar.  I have to tell you, I haven't seen an ant in DAYS!  SO HAPPY! And it cost almost nothing to make.  I already use borax in my laundry as a deodorizer because I don't use fabric softener. 


Here is a video of  Greg the Gardner with the instructions on how to make it.  I didn't put it in a spray bottle. I just soaked cotton balls in the solution and places them on little lids where I had problem areas.  Every morning I re-soaked the cotton.  It TOTALLY WORKED. 

May 05, 2013 No comments
I'm pretty sure what you think I'm talking about... is NOT what I'm talking about.

My mending pile was HUGE.  Meaning all the articles of clothing that had rips, holes, wear, blow-outs.  So today I spent the day fixing everything.  It took most of the day but I'm done.  And I feel awesome.  I can't explain it, but there is this huge weight lifted! 

Here are just SOME of the jeans I fixed today:


Here are my thoughts on the matter... whether you care to hear them or not.  I think the reason that mending is such a pain in the rump-roast is that there is no creativity to it.  It's just taking old crap and giving it a little extra time before it hits the rag pile.

BUT getting that pile out of the way clears the way for creativity... doing something new.  Making something cool, something that didn't exist before.  SO.  I'm excited because I can see the bottom of my mending basket. There are a few items left that need some specialized attention, but for the most part I'm moving into a more creative sewing time.  At least until someone blows out their knee or their crotch again.  "sigh"
April 28, 2013 No comments
Had some garlic to use up...

 Wrapped it in some foil with a drizzle of olive oil.  Baked for about an hour at 350 degrees.



Mash it up and add it to a jar of mayo...



Mmmmmm, Garlic Mayo!
April 26, 2013 2 comments
Did you catch this on facebook?  It was circulating recently and a good friend posted it to me.  Well, I had to give it a go now didn't I?!?  You can click on the picture below for the original posting...

Basically you pack a jar with orange peels and fill it with white vinegar.  Place it in a window for 2 weeks to "brew".  


Here is a picture of mine...

you might notice a slight difference in colour.  This is because I didn't have any oranges... I only had grapefruits!

I love the smell... I love how it works... I love that I know what's in it!!  Try it, you won't be sorry!
April 24, 2013 No comments
I have a new kitchen table!! I'm so excited! 

For a long time we have had a round white table that was a hand-me-down from our neighbors from 4 years ago. We also have a hand-me-down table from some good friends that I actually stole out of the dining area for my sewing machine.  So we were stuck with the round white table that only seats 4 and the one leg kept falling off which made dinner more exciting because you never knew when that puppy was going to start to tilt! 

Anyway.  I looked into new tables and I have got to tell you, I'm not sure what these people are thinking.  Slapping 4 legs onto a piece of laminated particle board should NOT cost me in the hundreds of dollars.  Maybe it's just me.  SO enter Super Husband.  I made my little drawing, dragged him to Home Hardware, and went to work.  (I know, I'm a little demanding).  I was a LITTLE worried about this unsupervised activity.  Compounded by the fact that the boys were helping with it.  Here are some of the things that flew threw my mind during my more doubtful moments....

Not what I had in mind...

It's bad enough I step on it, I shouldn't have to eat off it.

I should never have doubted.  This is my NEW table and I'm in love with it!  It seats 8!  We have already had people over for dinner which has not happened in a long time!

I LOVE it!

 
We spent $70 on wood but I got my table AND a storage bench which I still need to take a picture of.  Take THAT, overpriced particle board with legs, I don't think so!

For those wondering I kept the white table of doom and put it in the greenhouse to hold my pots and trays.  If I come up with a more creative use for it I will let you know.
April 04, 2013 2 comments
OK, maybe not bliss. More like, "stink I'm glad that's done!".  I just finished our budget for 2013.  Yes I realize it's Feb.  Yes, I realize I'm late, but let's look at the bright side, I don't have to do it again until Feb 2014!!  Silver Lining Baby!



If you are interested in doing a budget for the year and discovering where your money disappears to in a puff of smoke... trust me it's not ACTUALLY flying out the front door every time you open it like your Dad used to tell you. And now that the Canadian money is all plastic it really DOESN'T grow on trees!!

Anyway.  A few great resources for budget starting:

Dave Ramsey has got some great downloadable forms to use: http://www.daveramsey.com/tools/budget-forms/

I LOVE Gail!!  She doesn't sugar-coat it!! :
Here is an article on how to go about doing  a budget: http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/resources/guide_to_building_budget.html
Here are a bunch of online forms etc. to help you:
http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/resources.html

Good Luck! 
February 07, 2013 2 comments
When I saw this on Pinterest I really didn't think it would work.  How can something be so simple, and SO exciting.  I love popcorn.  Love It.  I tried this with 1/4 cup of popcorn & 2 minutes in a lunch size paper bag. Presto, pop-o!!  I'm not sure how much money this could save in microwave popcorn but I'm guessing I might be able to afford some new moccasins a lot sooner than anticipated!

Source: supermommoments.com via Stephanie on Pinterest
February 03, 2013 No comments
Fresh leaves in oil.

I had a nice crop of lavender this year but I got very few flowers.  I didn't want it to go to waste so I'm trying to make my own lavender oil.  It's brewing for the next week... I will let you know how it turns out.

Here is where I got my instructions:
http://everything-lavender.com/how-to-make-lavender-oil.html

After 2 days out in the sun.


September 21, 2012 No comments


No Frills had their onions on sale recently.  The 10 lb bags were $1.49.  I bought 2 bags.  What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good sale and I like to buy things while they are in season.

The problem then presented itself... what I'm I going to do with all these blessed things!

I chopped them.  All of them.  Then I backed them in bags and froze them all.  This was not my first choice but I don't have a pressure cooker so I couldn't can them.

In case you are the proud owner of a pressure cooker, and you have onions abounding in your garden/market here is the recipe I really WANTED to do...

http://canninggranny.blogspot.ca/2011/05/canning-caramelized-onions.html

Caramelized onions are my favorite!!  Maybe I will ask for a pressure cooker for Christmas.

I think my husband is happy that's all over.... I guess the fumes were getting to everybody!

September 20, 2012 1 comments
I’m out to deliver some yoga bags I just completed.  Here are a few images.  It’s amazing what you can do with recycled jeans!
_MG_0016_MG_0010_MG_0019_MG_0025_MG_0028_MG_0027
These are made with jean legs.  You have to open one of the seams to apply the fabric designs and then stitch it back up again. (All of my appliques are made from quilting scraps and leftovers from other projects.)  Add a round bottom, a strap and fold over the top and make a channel for a string to tie the whole thing closed!  Happy downward facing dog!
April 02, 2011 1 comments

Last night my children were a little put out that there had been no dessert for quite a while.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have much to work with to change our sugarless streak.  I did however have a HEAP of left-over rice from dinner.  So…. into the oven it went with a few additions.  One such addition was the contents of two chai tea bags.  Let me tell ya… it was yummy.  Here is a brief outline:

1 can of light coconut milk
2 eggs
3 tbsp. sugar
2 chai tea bags or about 1 tbsp. loose chai tea blend
1 cup raisins
1 cup flaked coconut
2 cups of leftover sticky rice
Beat the eggs, mix everything together, dump it into a baking dish.  Place this into a larger pan and add a enough water to reach half way up your baking dish.  Bake for 45 min. at 325 degrees.  The kids loved it once I convinced them to try it.
January 18, 2011 2 comments
My son just celebrated a birthday and when asked what kind of cake he wanted he didn’t come up with an answer until the night before the big event.  His answer was that he wanted a Star Wars cake…. no other details were given. 
I decided to make a light-sabre.  The reason I’m sharing this with you is that is was so easy it was scary, it looked pretty cool, and you can adapt the idea.  Here’s a picture:_MG_0009
I simply made a 9x14 sized cake, cut it into long strips, pieced it together on a big tray and iced it.  What made the kids love it is the addition of glow sticks along the sides.  I already have an order for another one in November.  (I’m not sure why it looks so crooked in the picture?!?!)
If a light-sabre is not something your birthday person would be into, you could transfer the same idea to a princess wand, fairy wand, change the shape of the cake and you could do a lava lamp, a glowing retro diner clock, any neon sign you want to reproduce in sugar….. you get the idea! 
Any other suggestions I’ve missed?
October 13, 2010 No comments
My kids are not the most gentle creatures when entering and exiting a vehicle.  So it came as no surprise to find my thin cotton seat covers ripped to shreds.  It was just a matter of time.  So when I started looking around for replacements I knew I had to go much more heavy duty.  Do you know how much those things cost to buy??  I mean REALLY.  So I was going over some old posts here on the ol’ blog and fond memories stirred when reading THIS ONE.  So I put the same idea to use and came up with these ……..
September 2010 009

Overall I would rate these as a pretty easy project.  I had to run out a few times to make sure they fit and pin them for adjustments.  My old seat covers only covered the back and not the butt, so these go that extra mile by adding a flap of material to cover the seat as well.  The great thing about using jean is I just cut around objects like the seat belt hardware and didn’t bother to finish the seams. I didn’t attach the two seat covers together but I might do this at a later date to make sure they don’t shift around. I did a bit of a his & hers theme by appliquéing some elements on each one.  I got some flowers, hearts and patches.  HE got a big sun, waves, and a barefoot print.
September 2010 008 September 2010 006 September 2010 003
September 25, 2010 No comments
My friend Wendy sent this to me and I have to say I'm lovin it... try it out, it works, and we can all use more bags to lug our mommy stuff around in, I mean really.

July 15, 2010 2 comments
For all those coming to visit... I have some excellent news.  Our outdoor shower is set up, so no fears of spotting naked bathers on the driveway if we don't know you're coming.  The local wildlife is also pleased with our new found modesty!
Here it is..

You might be asking yourself... where do you get a shower curtain that big.... well, I'm glad you asked.  It's actually a canvas painting tarp that we got at the hardware store.  I had to cut in half and sew it back together to make it skinny and long, instead of a huge square.  Then I added big grommets to the top to put hooks through.  The poles are obviously from the property and we had the rope lying around.  Overall I think the whole thing cost about $20.
So grab your favorite biodegradable soap (or borrow some of ours)  cause' there's nothing like showering with the birds chirping and the sun shining.
June 28, 2010 3 comments
Well the back window of our pick-up cap is finally fixed.  I'm not going to point any fingers but SOMEBODY was driving the truck with the window up and smashed it out.  The sound could be heard for miles and was akin to a grenade going off.  Needless to say.... no more window.

We looked into buying a replacement window.... and looked at the guy at Truck World as if he had just lost his mind.....  You want HOW MUCH for a piece of glass?  Did you blow it yourself?

We looked at getting a new cap on Kijiji (where we found our current one) and found some nice deals but I would have to REPAINT, and WASTE the one we have.... that seemed pretty wrong.

SO..... we made one.  Perfect...it is not.  Functional... yes.  Funky.... FOR SURE!

Pictures....ok:

In process....

Glue is drying....


Installed and painted.

I don't know how long it will last, but for now it works.
May 22, 2010 6 comments


Every night at bedtime three dogs jockey for position in our room for the best dog bed. When they were younger they didn't seem to care where they slept, but as they age everyone wants the soft bed. I can relate.




On a seemingly different topic, I had a garbage bag full of old pillows that I was debating on what to do with. I had replaced a bunch of old pillows at Christmas time but was having a really hard time sending them to a landfill. So there they sat, waiting for inspiration to strike.



Yesterday it struck.



I pulled out my sewing machine, stitched two pillows together, grabbed a bunch of fleece I had sitting around (also waiting for inspiration to strike) and made some really big pillow cases!



I also made drawstring bags out of unbleached cotton. Why? To fill with cedar chips. The bag will get shoved inside the "pillow case" to keep the beds smelling nice and more importantly... repel fleas. Fleas hate cedar.


Ginger has claimed the cow print one for herself and has been spotted dragging it around the room. I'm guessing she's trying to break it in. Boda Zapha is looking pretty regal on his new red bed. And Zeke is still trying to sneak onto our bed at every opportunity but is still satisfied with his big jean bed.
Don't they look well rested......




March 10, 2010 3 comments

For the past few years the kids and I have been making our own Chrismas crackers. We have a blast picking out a toy for each person and packing it into a toilet paper tube with some chocolate and other assorted goodies. We include a question in every cracker and we take turns throughout the evening asking our question to the group. Some of the ones we have used are: "If you could meet anybody, who would it be?", "What is the best book you read this past year?", "What 1 new thing do you want to try in the coming year?". We have found that we learn a lot about each other through this simple exercise plus it's usually pretty funny.


To cover the tubes we just roll them in some left over fabric I had and tie them with strips of cloth. We even label them so we know who gets which toy/gift inside. The best thing is you can just gather up the fabric and put it away for next year. If you have boys like I do, you can purchase the "fire-sticks" for inside the crackers from craft stores in December. They are also known as poppers, my boys are just dramatic.

December 09, 2009 1 comments
On Tuesday I had to go to the dump. I did not come away empty handed. Some poor soul actually got rid of this....



I know.... I couldn't believe it either. His nose was almost severed and something bit a chunk out of his ear but otherwise, nothing a little love can't fix. In case you haven't recognized him... his name is Nipper and he is the RCA dog. After giving him a bath, which included vinegar and sandpaper here is Nipper after his big makeover....





You should note that this thing is taller than my real dogs and made all three of them growl the first time they saw him. SO... the next time you go to the dump keep your eyes open... you just might go home with a new member of the family!

September 17, 2009 6 comments
Older Posts

About Me

The Hippie Moose
View my complete profile

Follow Us

The Hippie Moose

Labels

about us art art truck books cake Camping canning cooking crafts Creativity crochet December Photo Project decluttering diy dreadlocks family finances food gardening gluten free green cleaning Health homeschooling inspiration kids Kingston 4 paws knitting live life outside me music Native off-grid our property painting path to minimalism pets photography pictures Pirate Day Powwow PTDS quilting service dog sewing simple living stuff I LOVE sustainability tattoos thrifty stuff upcoming events vegetarian water

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2019 (1)
    • ▼  March (1)
      • No He's Not Blind, And Other Random Questions
  • ►  2017 (4)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2016 (1)
    • ►  July (1)
  • ►  2015 (3)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2014 (17)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  April (2)
    • ►  March (4)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (4)
  • ►  2013 (47)
    • ►  December (21)
    • ►  September (3)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ►  April (5)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (5)
    • ►  January (7)
  • ►  2012 (23)
    • ►  October (2)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (6)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  January (3)
  • ►  2011 (18)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (2)
    • ►  January (7)
  • ►  2010 (68)
    • ►  December (17)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (6)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (6)
    • ►  June (5)
    • ►  May (5)
    • ►  April (3)
    • ►  March (5)
    • ►  February (2)
    • ►  January (7)
  • ►  2009 (79)
    • ►  December (27)
    • ►  November (9)
    • ►  October (5)
    • ►  September (5)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (6)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  May (8)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (5)
    • ►  February (1)

Sitemeter

FOLLOW ME @INSTAGRAM

Created with by ThemeXpose | Distributed By Gooyaabi Templates