This last weekend I bought a Cucina Pro Tortilla Press and Maker. It was a rather expensive investment but I'm hoping it will be worth it! Instead of having to roll out dozens and dozens of homemade tortillas now I can use this press. So far I really like it but I'm not very good at using it so I think I need a little more practice!

After investigating the ingredients in a regular shaving razor last week I decided to pick up and try out one of these Schick Intuition Naturals. Amazon has a clippable coupon for $1 off both the razor and the extra cartridges. Plus I noticed the cartridges are on Subscribe and Save  so you can get an additional 5% off. After receiving it I found out that it had a few more ingredients than I hoped so I think next time I'm going to try out these Preserve Razors. (They also are 5% off right now) But I really do like it, especially since I don't have to use any extra shaving cream with it!

Tropical Traditions has their coconut oil Foaming Liquid Soap on sale right now for $17.99 for a 32 ounce bottle. I use this in old foaming soap containers I have from purchasing other soap and I refill them with this foaming soap. We really like it because it actually makes out hands clean and I love that. Plus it has only one ingredient!

Today only (5/17), you can subscribe to Country Living Magazine for only $4.99 per year and you can order up to 3 years at this price. Just enter coupon code LITTLEHOUSE. This offer expires at Friday 05/18/12 07:59 AM MST. That makes this magazine only $0.42 per issue! Watch for LHL in an upcoming article!

I grabbed a box of Chocolate Chip Clif Bars on Amazon this week as well since hubby loves those for snacks. Azure sells them for $13.80 per box but with Subscribe and Save on Amazon they are just $11.89 for a box of 12.

What have you been shopping for this week?

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!

I sat in my living room the other night and just took a look around. My living room is pretty small and also is my kitchen, dining room, laundry room, and entry way. I actually love having it all in one room because it makes it feel a little bigger.

Of course I've sat in my living room many many times before but this time I just sat and looked around. I thought about what I had in each of my cupboards in the kitchen. I looked at the things on the counter top and on the table. (My coffee table and side tables only hold a lamp and a vase of flowers so not much to look at in the living room. )

The next thing you know I had everything in my kitchen pulled out from my cupboards and drawers. One full box of get rid of and 3 ( yes 3!) bags of garbage later I looked around at my much more empty cupboards with a better feeling.

Right now we are going through our upcoming house plans that we will be building this fall or later this summer. Building a house forces you to look at your home in a whole new light. Going over things you think you need then going over them again and again adjusting what you think and what you want.

During all this process I've been forced to take a closer look at what simple really means to  me. I think that everyone interprets this word differently but here's how I see it:

Simple living is having (or at least trying to have!) and organized lifestyle. To clear out the clutter and have the rest of your stuff organized so it's easy to use or to find.

Simple living is being unplugged. Not totally unplugged but maybe being more so than the rest of the world. To me this means not always feeling like we need to have the latest and greatest inventions.

Simple living means working hard for the good things in life. Having chickens isn't the easiest thing ever but they are so rewarding! Having a garden is a lot of work and so is preserving in any form but it's more than worth it.

Simple living is be thankful for what you have, even if it's little. Sometimes changing your situation just means looking at it differently. Instead of always seeing the glass half empty I try to see the glass half full.

Simple living means stopping to smell the roses. People that have embraced simple living know that life can getting going on dizzying speeds and sometimes we have to remember to stop and take a break. Make time for a break, enjoy the color of the sky or the simplicity of the birds' songs.

There are so many different ways to describe simple living and like I said above, I think simple living means something different to everyone. What does simple living mean to you?

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!

I recently acquired 2 new kitchen appliances. My sweet new Wondermill Grain Mill and a tortilla press. I decided to put both to the test and create a new version of my homemade flour tortilla recipe. This version uses freshly ground wheat. If you only have store boughten wheat flour on hand you will use a little less flour. This version isn't whole wheat, it's half wheat and half white. If you want you could do a full wheat version, my hubby wasn't too thrilled with the taste of those though so we compromised and made half and half.

Wheat Tortillas

What You Need:

• 1 c. wheat flour (+ a little more if you are using freshly ground)
• 1 c. white flour
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 c. warm milk
• 1 T oil (your choice, I used olive)
• 1 t. salt

I ground my wheat on the bread setting. That seems to pretty much be my go-to setting right now. It's been working great for everything I tried it in!

Mix together the flours, oil, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.

Add in the milk and mix. You may need to add more flour. Just depends on the flour used.

Knead the dough for a few minutes.

The ideally kneaded tortilla dough is what I call "post it note sticky" Very slightly sticky to the touch but not too sticky that it will stick to your hands or the table. Roll out thin and fry on a griddle or large frying pan. You can see my full step by step rolling out the dough for tortillas picture tutorial HERE. I used my new tortilla press for these so I didn't have to roll them out at all!

I like to make at least a double or triple batch of these so I can freeze them for future use. They do take a little bit of work to make so I don't like having to make them too often but they are so worth it!

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!

So over the last year as we scooted further into our journey of buying more organics I noticed I was gravitating further away from using coupons. We first switched over to buying organic foods so we still used coupons on health and beauty products but now we've been switching those over as well or making them ourselves.

So after thinking about this I wondered...is there a place in organic and natural shopping for coupons? My answer is yes and no.

There are plenty of coupons for organic products out there, don't get me wrong. However the problem is the same as you run into with regular couponing, many of the products that coupons are offered for are what I consider "organic junk food". I don't think these have to be avoided at all costs BUT much of it is still processed even though it's made from organic items.

Then again, there are organic products I will buy with coupons. Even some of the items I talked about above. My hubby loves to take various bars or snack mixes to work and I don't always have the time to make them. So I settle for the next best thing...organic packaged food.

I also know that occasionally we can find coupons for organic produce. If they happen to make produce for cheaper than what I can normally get it for, then I'm all for that!

I really believe that if you are into "frugal organic shopping" you probably stick more to buying in bulk and raising produce instead but like I said above, I do think that couponing can still play a part in buying organic. It all just depends on your individual needs!

For further reading you might want to check out: Making the Switch.

What about you, do you buy organic groceries with coupons? Do you ever use coupons?

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!

I love discovering new recipes as I’m sure most of my readers do. So if you posted an awesome recipe on your blog this week, link it up here! If you have a recipe to share and you don’t have a blog just post it for us in the comments! I’ll be hosting this exchange every Tuesday so don’t forget to mark your calendars! Here’s the rules:

• The link posted must go directly to the recipe  or weekly meal plans not to a homepage or a search category. All incorrect submissions will be deleted.
• And please link back to the recipe linky so everyone can join in the fun!
• In your linky please post a pic of the food(or something pretty) and the name of the recipe.
• Link up as many recipes or posts related to food as you like!

I will be featuring my favorite recipe that's linked up the following week! So make sure you link up lots of recipes and let your friends know so they can too!

My favorite recipe shared last week was this Bonnie Butter Cake. Cute! I want that teacup cake dish!

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!

I don't know about you but I am constantly looking for grab -n- go breakfast recipes. I like having fresh fruit but I always know I need a protein burst to kick start my day. This muffin has 2 sources of protein (sausage and dairy) and you can whip it up quickly. As an added bonus this recipe freezes great so mix up a double batch, stick them in the freezer and enjoy for the next week!

Breakfast Muffins

What you need:

• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1lb sausage
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1 1/4 c. milk

Brown up your sausage. I used my homemade beef sausage made from the lean grass fed beef we buy but note that you may have to drain your sausage if it's not as lean.

While the sausage browns you can shred up the cheese into a large bowl.

Add in the baking powder, flour, salt, and sugar.

Then add in the softened butter. Cut the butter into the mixture. It will look chunky.

Add in the sausage and milk. Mix.

Drop by tablespoon full into a greased or lined muffin pan. Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops begin the brown slightly.

Like I said above, these freeze nicely so make extras and freeze for future meals on the go!

Linked to Frugal Days

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!

So we've dug into the scaries that are lurking in our facial tissue and in our toilet paper so far. A few weeks ago I was informed of something I never thought about before....

Ingredients in Razors.

Am I the only one that was shocked to find this out? I never even thought of razors "having ingredients" before!

Here are the ingredients from a regular Schick Intuition Razor.

Oh boy, deep breath! Here we go....

Sodium Palmitate:

Palmitic acid has been shown to alter the beta cells in the pancreas that are responsible for the secretion of insulin, and to suppress the body's natural appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin -- the key hormones involved in weight regulation. Wikipedia

Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Isostearate, Water, Potassium Palmitate, Glycerin, Sodium Isostearoyl Lactylate, Sodium Coco Glyceryl Ether Sulfonate:

PG Chemicals

Do I really need to continue?

As I went through and looked at other razors I found that even the most basic ones had some kind of "moisturizing layer" on them. Which sounds great for shaving but not so great when you check out what the ingredients could potentially do to your body!

So if all the razors aren't great what are we supposed to use? Because I'm definately not going to be one to promote that extra layer of fuzzy...(I don't think your hubbies would like me much for that!)

My suggestion is to look around and try to find razors without any extra moisture strip. You can always add that in by using a little more shaving cream(and there are plenty or organic and natural brands or shaving cream out there to try). I also found this Schick Intuition Naturals razor. I know just because it says naturals doesn't mean there aren't scaries in it but it does say no added dyes or fragrances, or colors and made with 100% Aloe and Vitamin E. So I'd say that if you still want to go with a razor with build in lotion that might be your best bet!

What should I investigate next?

Linked to Frugal Days

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!

I pinned a recipe a couple weeks ago that I was dying to try for Banana Bars. When I discovered this morning my bananas on the counter top were turning overripe I thought, "Today is my lucky day! It's time for Banana Bars!" Here's the recipe!

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Mix together the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and banana. Then add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Put half of the mixture into a separate bowl and add the cocoa. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 or smaller bar pan and pour the cocoa mixture in. Put the rest of the mixture on top of that. Sprinkle with chocolate chips(I did less than 1 c.) Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until the top is browned and a toothpick comes out clean. I'm going to cut these up and store them in the freezer for snacks!

Recipe from Tammy's Recipes and linked to Tasty Tuesday

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!

Little House Living readers please welcome Cindy, our guest poster for today!

Last month I got pressed back into using my clothesline when my dryer malfunctioned and needed some repair. I’m no stranger to a clothesline; I’ve always been blessed with having a line in the back yard wherever I’ve lived. I’ve used the line off and on, mostly in the summertime. But the last couple of years got a lot busier and the clothesline got neglected except for an occasional bedding washing day.

The first day, as I started hanging clothes, I began remembering all I liked about hanging clothes: warm sunshine, a fresh March breeze, birds singing and flitting in the trees nearby, and a few peaceful moments to reflect, pray, and generally soak in the quiet while still getting my to-do list done. That afternoon, I remembered the other thing I loved, the smell of clothes fresh off the line, and at least
one thing I didn’t like as much – stiff towels!

Since our budget wasn’t prepared for a dryer repair and the weather was being extra helpful, I decided to find out just how much the convenience of my dryer was costing me and whether it was worth it. When I opened the new electric bill, I was glad to see my bill was lower. So I did some more research. I found a handy online calculator here which told me that with our local rate of about $0.10 per kWh of electricity and drying 15 loads a week for an hour each, I could save $0.44 a load or about $343 a year. For a stay-at-home mom, that is a pretty decent savings for about 20 to 30 additional minutes daily work.

So this led me to the question of whether we should repair the dryer or not. Well, as much as I admire the pioneer women who had no choice but to not only hang their clothes but heat the water and scrub them by hand, I can’t say I want to be like them totally. I’m not fond of freezing my fingers on below zero days in the winter, and with 7 children, there are days when I just don’t have that extra time or need something dry quicker than the rainy day will allow. So we’ll definitely be putting that electric bill savings into repairing the dryer (it helps to have a brother who is an appliance repairman). But I’ll also be using my clothesline a lot more when the weather allows now that I realize just what it is saving me. (I think I found a new summer job for some bored kids, too.)

Try it for yourself and see! This time of year is generally good for clothes drying. If, like me, you enjoy the fresh air and time to reflect, you may just enjoy the excuse to soak up the sun and enjoy the peace knowing at the same time you’re saving a bit of money.

Merissa's Note:

I know some of you out there are like me and would love to line dry your clothes but your allergies prevent it from happening. My in-the-middle solution is to get an indoor drying rack! This may not work as well if you live in an area with high humidity but otherwise you can at least get the savings from line drying clothes...even in the winter time!

Do you line or dryer dry?

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!

So I've been back on forth on the best way to share deals with my lovely LHL readers for a while now. Right now I've decided to share my favorite natural and kitchen deals I've spotted this week in a round up post. If you like this idea and would like me to continue sharing deals I spot (or am buying!) I would be happy to...just let me know! Be sure and check out the Special Deals page for exclusive LHL deals as well.

Right now Amazon has 12 packs of Newman's Own Pretzel Rods for only $12.92 ($1.08 per bag)Update: Price dropped to $0.60 per bag! I think that's an excellent deal for organic pretzels and I'm envisioning chocolate dipped rods for treats or just pretzels to take along for playing in the park snacks! To get the Warehouse pricing, just go to the Newman's Pretzel page and click on the little link that says "10 New From $12.92" scroll down the page that comes up and you will see the Warehouse Deal.

Odwalla Bars are on Subscribe and Save this month with Amazon. We just bought a 15 pack of Berries Go Mega. My hubby loves these to take to work! He says they are the best "bars" he's ever tasted. Subscribe and Saves puts them down to only $0.91 a bar with free shipping.

Green Forest Tissue is the only thing I've actually keep my Subscribe and Save shipment option on! I was sent out another case this week. I just love this stuff! Right now I'm giving away a half a case HERE and you can also read about Why I Don't Buy Kleenex and buy this brand! Right now the price on Amazon is at $2.01 per box which isn't too bad.

This book is on my Wish List right now. I found it advertised on another site and I think it looks pretty good. Anyone own it already?

A few weeks ago I picked up a new cutting board made by Preserve. It's plastic (I don't like the glass ones!) but BPA free and made from recycled materials. I loved it so much that I purchased these sweet reusable dishes also made by Preserve to have out in our new camper. We got to use them this past weekend and I just love them! They travel well because they are unbreakable and I don't have to buy paper plates! Amazon sells the whole set for about $20 but they are actually cheaper on Vitacost when you buy them individually. Plus sign up through THIS link and get $10 free at Vitacost to help off set the cost!

What have you been shopping for this week?

Be sure and like Little House on the Prairie Living on Facebook!