Big Changes!

Sorry I haven't been around for a LONG time, but we have had some very major things happening in our lives lately.  I'll do some future posts about some of it.  For now, I want to talk about the place we call home, as most of us spend a majority of our time there. 

We ended up moving a couple of years ago and I have been struggling to make our new house into a home for us since then; to gain my life balance and harmony back.  Funny, but I'm not even sure when I lost them.  Sometimes it takes falling down lower than the lowest low you can possibly imagine to find the way back to your life's path.  You know when you get so wrapped up in following a trail you don't even realize that you took a wrong turn?  Yup, that's me. 

While living in the last home, we came to the realization that we wanted to homestead.  Not just the gardens and canning that we had started to do there, but the freedom of choosing what to do on your own land when you want to do it.  Where we were became kind of stifling for me.  So many rules about what you can and can't do!  There were restrictions on paint colors, what you could consider pets, how many pets, how many vehicles, what kind of fence you could put in, what size shed you could build, what the pitch of the roof had to be...  I mean, yeah it was a nice house, nice location, nice neighbors, but I began to feel trapped.

I truly appreciate life and all that it takes to create a home.  Living in disharmony is hard, and not something I am willing to do anymore.  I'm not talking about the people (though that can be a cause for disharmony in some homes!), but the circumstances of life that make everything come crashing down.  Losing a job, losing your health, losing mobility, having too many demands that stretch you way too thin.  Stop the madness!  It's time to try to create harmony instead of just being the nice guy everyone takes advantage of.  Sometimes the harmony in your home can be fixed right where you are, unfortunately ours couldn't.  So, even though we knew we would probably take a loss since we bought at the height of the market, we sold our once dream home and prepared for a new adventure.

If your home contributes to health issues, it's time to leave!  I'm talking about directly, right now.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200 now!  These health issues can be from the stress of not being able to afford the house, to the leaky roof contributing to mold that you are allergic to, not having the money to fix the things that are wrong with your house, having neighbors who created a junkyard after you moved in, living next to a toxic waste dump, to any other variety of things.  If your home is making you or your family members unhealthy, it is time to leave now.  Claim harmony again in your home.

I am working on claiming my harmony back for my life.  I love our new home even though no one else could see the potential in it.  It's affordable and has all of the requirements for becoming everything we ever wanted.  Gardens take time, kitchens take time, but I'm slowly regaining the equilibrium I lost.  Things are now more in tune than they have been in a long time and I am going to continue fighting to bring that sweet and perfect harmony back into our lives.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

A Gardener's Work is Never Done

Last summer was a rough and busy year not only physically and mentally for the people, but the landscape and gardens too.  We didn't have much time or money with all of the running to job interviews, doctor visits, helping MIL, and all of that to keep anything close to what I normally like to so.  You can really tell the toll the relative neglect has played on our landscaping, on our raised vegetable beds especially.

I wasn't around enough to keep them as weed free as I normally do, and now the grasses have claimed my wonderful soil and sent their tendrils to take over entire beds.  I have wished many times that I had gotten all of them mulched that lay dormant last year, but with all of the chaos and confusion I guess I wasn't really thinking of future gardening here.  We got the place ready to sell, convinced that we would never be able to stay in the place we had called home for 8 years at that point.

So now ahead of me lays the task of getting the beds weed free, dividing perennials to fill in gaps in the landscaping (I'm pretty sure the critters dug up and ran off with some of my plants), moving bushes and shrubs (that must have been planted in the wrong places because of labelling issues), and a long list of other maintenance issues.  It's almost like we moved to a new place as long as my list has become once again! I'm sure there are some out there who can relate.

So, in the coming weeks I will be posting some before and after pictures as I work my way around the garden (again).  I love to chronicle my yard with pictures so I can look back at how it has changed over time, don't you?  My memory isn't as great as it used to be.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Preparing for the Upcoming Gardening Season

Many of my non-gardening friends think that we gardeners have nothing to do in the off season gardening months, but they couldn't be more wrong.  Actually I think the off season is busier for some than the regular season depending on your gardening style.

This is the time of year that we research new techniques we have yet to try and make tweaks on things we have tried but want to change.  There are so many excellent ideas out there right now that there is no way that anyone can have tried them all successfully.  Each year I hear about something new, be it hydroponics, square foot gardening, lasagna style beds, composting, vertical gardens, beds for small spaces, companion plantings, integrated pest management, I could go on and on.  Even as a more experienced gardener  I am still trying something different each year.  I am not sure that any gardener ever gets everything completely down to perfection.

It is a time that we gather our information of what worked and what didn't work last year.  Some gardeners are actually organized enough to take notes about their gardens as the season progresses.  When they started their seeds, what they used to feed their plants, how they amended their soil, when they hardened and transplanted their seedlings, how often they watered, how often they weeded, what kind of harvest they got,...  Maybe someday I will be organized enough to do that, but I do write down what I remember though.  I am thinking my blog would be the best place for me to take those notes.  It's rather easy to lose a notebook, but how could anyone misplace a blog?

At this time we plan what we will do this year.  We don't always plant the same things every year.  For example, if I have a bumper crop of green beans and have a 3 years' supply then I don't need to plant that particular item.  Likewise, if I ran out of tomatoes 7 weeks into winter then I need to plan to grow more tomatoes.  If we know we have a major event or trips planned we may chose to plant differently than if we are staying close to home all summer.

Many of us figure out a plan of what we will plant where this year.   Anyone who has grown plants knows that they need to rotate crops if they want the best performance and the least problems.  I like to create a map from one year to the next as to what seeds I planted in which plots.  Some seeds followed by a different one the following year gets more benefit from the soil, while others should not be planted in the same plot as a veggie from the same family because they have similar nutrient requirements as well as similar pest problems.

Pouring through seed catalogs is a favorite pastime of many gardeners.  The descriptions of plants are just dreamy.  It's almost like reading a romantic novel really.  Just thinking about sinking your teeth into a large, ripe, purple tomato is enough to get some gardener's toes curling.  The hardest part is limiting the number of seed packets you buy.  I mean, these things are SO tempting who can blame anyone for buying twice as many seeds as they actually need?

If we start our own seeds, we also need to plan when to plant those so they are ready for planting to get the earliest possible start.  I know there are many who think it is just way easier to just buy their plants from a nursery, but in my experience it is much more satisfying to plant my own.  I mean, if you buy seedlings from someone else you are limited to growing whatever they decided to plant for you.  Planting your own seeds opens the possibilities to just about anything you might want to grow.  You would also know of they are GMO, if they are organic, and all of those other buzz words that people worry about.

As you can see, there are plenty of activities to keep us busy even when the snow is on the ground and the dirt is frozen solid.  Most of all though, I think we dream of the sun warming our faces, butterflies and bees flitting from flower to flower, and picking basket after basket of produce to nourish our families with.  Think spring!

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

My Newest Hero

I have been researching my family tree since my father died in 2006.  Family has always been very important to him, and what greater tribute could I make to him than to find out about our relatives and share their stories with future generations?

My grandma Sylvia Ronan
and her Aunty Olson
by her home in Duluth

Over the years I have discovered a wide variety of interesting people in my history.  Many had jobs that anyone would be proud to tell others their relatives have held.  Firemen, teachers, school principals, police officers, military personnel, farmers, I could really go on and on about all kinds of honorable professions.  I have never felt the rush that I felt today as I was finding facts though.  I think that is due to the fact that I found online news articles that tell me about the part that my relatives have played in actual events.

It all started when I was looking through my mom's pictures.  She told me the story of how Aunty (her grandpa's sister) and Uncle Olson put her mom through college in Superior.  It distressed me that I did not know their first names, but mom did know that Uncle Olson was a police chief, she figured probably in Duluth.  Having a little bit of knowledge, I set out to find out their names if possible to honor them for the help they had directly lent to my grandma and her family.  I imagine they wanted to help the family after her brother died.  It was the Great Depression and without the main wage earner to support the family they would need some way to get through.

After looking through some pictures and articles online, I decided that his uniform  matched the look of the other uniforms that I saw on Duluth's website .

Superior Police Captain Ole T Olson 

Next, I did a google search to find out some of the police chief's names.

Before I got to his name though I found out about the 1920 Duluth lynchings.  I had no idea that they happened, nor did my mom.  I was so excited when I read about Oscar Olson the jailer trying to protect the prisoners from a mob of 10,000 people only using a fire hose because they were ordered to holster their guns so they wouldn't hurt any white people.  I wasn't 100% sure that he was the police chief I was looking for, but I was captivated by his heroism.  I have always believed in doing the right thing even if it isn't the most popular choice.  You can read about the event  here.

The third page of the article said the police chief's name was O.G. Olson.  I sent a link to contact the city of Duluth to find out if the museum curator may be able to add any more to the stories that I had already discovered.

Just to try my curiosity, I clicked on a link to find out which police officers in Duluth died in the line of duty.
Sadly, I discovered that he was among the 8 who have died on the job. He was shot by a suspect who had holed himself up in his home that he was trying to arrest peacefully.  Here is a short excerpt tribute .

Sadly, his death was also unknown to my mom as was the fact that they had children.  I was able, through finding his death record, to then find census records that contained both his wife's and child's names.  Through his tragedy, I was able to pin a name on someone who was my hero before I even knew he was also anyone else's hero.  Hopefully I will yet be able to find someone of his lineage remaining whom I can thank for his bravery and sacrifice.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Update 6/22/2015:  Upon further exploration, Oscar Olson is not related to me, but he is still a wonderful hero.  I saw that he (or another man the same age and name) lived with Ole Olson in Superior in 1910, so I am wondering if he is possibly related that way?  The man in this picture is Ole T Olson who was a police captain in Superior, WI.  Many thanks to the people in Duluth public library who helped me find out the true identity of the man and woman in the photos.

I have also since been able to find his census records and found that his wife's name was Selena.  I found the census record in which my grandmother lived with her in Superior as well.  I went there this spring and found out both of their parents' names thanks to their marriage records I found there.  I also saw that they had no children of their own, but adopted one that I am still hoping to find though I do not know what became of him.  I have found where they were laid to rest, when they died, and have created find a grave memorials for them so others may find the story of the quiet heroes who are buried there.

Loosing of Half of our Income: The Journey Back Begins

With all of the financial issues people are having these days I decided to share our story.

For almost 16 years my husband dedicated himself to building a career in a big box store.  He gave, and gave, and gave and never got anything back from them.  They put us through more hardships than you can shake a stick at including not giving him time off when his dad died, forced relocations without compensation, always having to work the overnight remodels, a forced commute when we couldn't sell the house, bankruptcy, foreclosure, and they turned him down for a promotion because of their own stupid rules even though.  He really deserved it, was requested, he would have done well at it too and they were ready to give it to him before they realized his store hadn't made profit sharing 11 months before that. You didn't dare say anything to them because of a fear of losing your job, they fired people for really stupid reasons.  (And then they wonder why they can't find employees willing to do into management with them?)  Talk about stress!

His job paid well and he doesn't like to start over all the time.  He liked the job for the most part until the latest boss arrived and made his life a living hell.  After several years of the same treatment and no changes occurring even when he told their untrained personnel manager (who didn't report this to corporate), he couldn't take it anymore and he quit without having another job in place.  It was such a hostile work environment I really couldn't blame him, though it would have been nice to have a plan in place before it happened.

Since it was ruled that he quit (even though we tried for hostile work environment) there was no unemployment either. Because his job paid well I didn't need to have a job prior to this happening.  (Except for when they made our tenant move from the home he was renting from us, or the time they made us pay hundreds more in commuting when he was "promoted" with no pay raise, or the time they didn't make profit sharing so we had no way to pay off the credit cards we had been relying on to pay for his commuting expenses.)  That made it really hard to struggle through several months of having no income at all.  Thankfully, we had finally gotten enough of a handle on our budget because of our past trials that we had been able to save some money which got us through the jobless period.  I applied for food stamps and badge care right away even though they had treated me extremely rudely the last time I had been in the office.  Our mortgage company set us up on a forebearance plan that allowed us to pay $25 each for both our first and our second mortgages so our main expenses were paying for gas (to see his mom who was failing in health as well as driving for interviews and such) and my car payment.

Now, we need to adjust to living on less than half of what he made last year.  This is where the real struggle begins.  With a couple of months of work at his new employer in place we are really hitting the budget juggle hard.  We have a brand new car that I bought a little over a year ago, a house payment, 2 kids, 2 cats, and we live in the country about 12 miles from town.

So far his new employers have agreed to pay for his gas, we have applied for a loan modification, and are getting the food stamps and medical assistance that we were getting over the summer though we get much less in food this month and now have to pay a monthly payment for our insurance.  We have many more changes to try to do too in order to come up with a balanced budget as well.  Hopefully we will be able to refinance the car to bring that payment down, I am praying that our mortgage company works with us so we can keep our home with a much more affordable payment, we found a less expensive phone plan, and I will be looking around for cheaper insurance.  I also applied for energy assistance though I have yet to hear back about that.

We have already cut WAY back on energy usage, we rarely ever eat out, we don't exchange gifts with adults so we only have the 2 kids to buy for, we don't attend away sporting events unless we can hitch a ride with someone else who is going, we never go anywhere except to buy groceries or the occassional splurge allowed because we sold something, we never buy anything unless it is either used, practically free (those mail in rebates can come in handy sometimes!), or off the 90% off clearance rack (Man, I have had to wear some very ugly clothes because of that one!).

I will fill you in on some other changes we do as time progresses.  Right now I guess we are still on the forebearance program at the bank until they tell me what my loan modification payment is going to be.  I have been through this process before.  You have to pay EXACTLY what they tell you to (not a penny more or a penny less) by the due date or they will kick you right off the program.  It can be extremely stressful for sure!

Wish us luck and prayers for us would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Unexpected Benefits from Tough Circumstances

My husband has never not worked since he was 16 years old.  After he graduated from college he worked even harder.  We got married when he was 23 and he has worked very hard ever since to be the provider for our family.  He started out working 40 hours a week, but most jobs require more than that.  With the recent job situation his employers had decided not to give him a raise in ten years, so he began working more and more each year to give us enough money to live on.

Well, as we all know, working more and more every year is only sustainable for so long.  He had been working the equivalent of 2 full time jobs at one employer, between the hours he put in at work and his commuting time and it just wasn't worth it any more.  We never got to see him, he had to take care of everything at his work because his boss was lazy, he wasn't able to get a decent night's sleep, he was usually so busy he skipped meals eating once per day, he was getting scheduled so he only had 4 hours to sleep between shifts, and it was just getting out of hand.

Lately we have been exhibiting some health issues.  While they don't sound incredibly serious and most people just write off things like fatigue and sleeplessness as aging, I think it is something more.   I am convinced that he has adrenal fatigue, I have hashimotos, my son is pre-diabetic, and so far our daughter seems unaffected.  It is amazing that my research points to all of these issues having the same root causes and treatments for these issues.

I think quitting his job is a way to get him out of an impossible situation that he would have never left if his boss hadn't been such a total and complete ass.  That is the biggest benefit I can see from this situation.  If you add to that the fact that we now feel free to cut back in so many areas we never felt completely comfortable giving up before, we are doubly blessed.  Having so little has taught us to do without so many things that we refused to let go of.

Cheesehead is slowly recovering after changing some long standing bad health habits that he picked up because of his hectic work schedule and the unrealistic expectations that he put upon himself.  I am glad to help him to become the person he was meant to be. I will use all of my years of study and knowledge to help our family along this path to better health.  I will keep you informed of what we do and the progress that we make.

Our first steps are to cut back further on drinking soda, eat less simple sugars and processed foods including gluten containing foods, and keep to regular schedules including meals and sleep times.  We have also been visiting a chiropractor as well.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Pay Down your Debt and Live a More Fulfilling Life

Years ago I used to shop for my entertainment.  We went to movies and ate out, hired a babysitter, the whole 9 yards.  I bought new clothes because I wanted to impress people with my good looks and I wanted my kids to dress nice so they could make friends.  I bought foods made by other people because I didn't ever have the energy to cook anything myself and it was a fast and easy alternative.  While that stuff was nice I always felt unfulfilled.  I mean, I was working all the time, I had no energy for my family, we never had any money, what was the point?

The last several months have been rocky while my husband has been unemployed, but it really has given me a lot to think about.  It has helped me to think about everything I have done to help us to save money, to hone the skills I have developed over the last eleven years.  Would it have been nice to have another income to fall back on?  Sure!  But we're making it, and you can too.

Eleven years ago I quit my full time job and I've never looked back.  Yes, ocassionally I look at my friends who live the kind of life I used to live and feel a tinge of jealousy.  Really most of them say they envy me, and why wouldn't they?  I set my own schedule, I never have to miss one of my kids' performances during the school day, we have plenty of food, I have time to pursue my hobbies, and we were even able to save some money for a rainy day.  How did I do all of this you ask?  I had to give up a lot, but I think it was worth it.  Read on to hear some of the things I did.

1.  Cut the cable.  Seriously, who needs to pay $100 a month to have shows to watch all of the time when there are plenty of free things to watch.  There are only so many new shows anyway, do you need to pay all of that money to watch reruns?  As an added bonus I have a lot more free time than I ever did before since I had to get my money's worth.

2.  Eat in.  Really it's not hard to throw a few things in a crock pot or roasting pan and just let it cook.  Make extra when you prepare meals and package them in freezer containers or can them for a quick meal when something unexpected comes up.  I know there are places I could take my family of 4 and easily plunk down $50 for one meal.  Do you know how many groceries I could buy with that same amount of money?

3.  Have a staycation.  Sure, it is fun to go exotic places and brag about your trip to Disney land but it costs a lot of money to fly to your destination, eat out, rent a car, plus the hotel stay.  Think about all of the money you could save by checking out places close to home, some of them may even be free!  All of the memories with money to spare!

4.  Lose the home phone.  With the prevalence of cell phones think about how many phone calls you get at home anyway.  Does it make sense to pay $40 per month for another phone when you always have one in your pocket anyway?

5.  Forget the data plan for your cell phone.  Yes, I know it's hard not to check facebook while you're out and about, but is it honestly worth the extra expense when you can just use wi-fi to do the same thing?  Money saved $100 per month.  Apparently smart phones "require" you to have data so I had to take the $15 package but that still saves me $85/month.

6.  Check your phone usage.   Unlimited talk and text? Wow, those plans sure are expensive aren't they?  Why pay $45 per month to have a smart phone with unlimited talk when you only use 300 minutes?  I'd rather add a line to an existing plan for $10 a month.  That's a potential savings of $35 per month!

7.  Quit buying frozen and prepackaged foods.  I'm not going to say this isn't a tough one.  It's great to just go to the freezer and zap up a dinner in the microwave, but you pay a lot for that convenience.  With a little planning you could make your own and consume less chemicals and preservatives at the same time.  (Have you ever looked at those ingredient lists?  Yikes!)  Next time you cook something make twice as much and freeze half of it for next time.  Don't forget to label it!  How much you save depends on how many of these you buy, but I know a family lasagna costs about $10 at Walmart compared to a little bit of flour, milk, and salt to make noodles, (or even $1 to buy noodles) a few tomatoes and herbs out of the garden, and some shredded cheese so the same meal would cost us about $8 less.  Not too shabby.

8.  Make your own home remedies.  I'd be lying if I said I have never struggled with this one, the family took a lot of convincing to get on board.  Obviously there are still going to be times when going to the doctor is a must.  Essential oils can be spendy, but they last a long time, a little goes a long way.  You can use them to make your own cleaning products, soaps, lotions, scented candles, and aroma therapy products too.

9.  Turn down (or up?) the thermostat.  Really a few degrees don't make a big difference in your comfort, but it can really help your wallet save a lot.  Usually we run our air all summer, this summer we have only used it for the hot and humid days choosing to use ceiling fans most often instead.  That has saved us about $50 per month.

10.  Grow your own.  Yes, I realize we can't grow our own oranges here in WI but if you can grow something that is normally an expensive part of your grocery budget you can end up spending pennies for things that can end up costing several dollars at the store.  Buy the rest when it goes on sale.

11.  Take advantage of the sales.  We love bacon in our house.  Who doesn't?  But at $5 per package we couldn't afford it very often.  That's a one pound package.  So it cost $5 for one meals' worth of bacon.  Then I learned that there is a butcher who sells their ends and pieces of uncut bacon for $1 a pound when it goes on sale.  So we could buy 10 pounds for what we could buy 2 pounds worth of packaged bacon for?  Sign me up!  Good thing I got the meat slicer for Christmas a few years ago.  We stock up on our favorite products when they go one sale and freeze, can, or dehydrate the extras for future use.

12.  Buy generic.  I used to be a big coupon shopper, but these days I find even with coupons it is way less expensive most of the time to just buy the store brand.  Most of them are just as good as the brand name, except Pepsi.

13.  Make your own.  Yup, you can.  Recipes abound from making your own soap, deodorant,  lotion, shampoo, body wash, face cream, moisturizer, laundry soap, toilet bowl cleaner, you name it you can find it on the internet.  Of course some of them require more work than others, but start slow and find others who make the same things you do.  Compare notes to find the best recipes.  Instead of paying $5 for one bar of soap you can spend that much for enough olive oil to make a couple of batches of soap.  If you don't want to store it all they also make great gifts, which you also won't need to buy!  Double bonus!!

14.  Fix your clothes or repurpose them.  A pair of pants is expensive.  I have seen many people throw them away because the got a hole in them when a simple repair job could have saved you from having to pay another $20 (or more!) on a new pair.  Grease stains can easily be brushed away if you cover them in baby powder, pants that are too short can become great shorts or even bags.  There is so much you can do with this "garbage"!

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Gluten Free Bread Products and Flour

First, I would like to welcome anyone who may have been directed here through Heather's blog.  I didn't know that you would necessarily be interested in my back story since you don't know me, but feel free to browse around.  My blog is an eclectic mish mash of gardening things, cooking, family stuff, crafts,...  Whatever I feel like writing about.  You can see by the dates of some of my posts I don't keep up on my posts as regularly as Heather does.  I hope that you find my information useful.  I share my knowledge randomly with no real order or thought to it really, but I think that may partly me a function of my lack of clarity in thought recently.  It is my goal to be more purposeful in my posts and share my journey back to health and wellness.

 In the Wheat Belly book Dr. Davis says to eliminate pretty much ALL grains.  Well, judging by my list from Wednesday's post I am sure that you can see that would be a near impossibility.  There is NO way I could get the rest of the family to abandon ALL grains in favor of veggies and meats almost exclusively so we are taking a baby step by eliminating wheat.

I have greatly reduced the wheat we have been consuming over the course of the last month or so.  While I haven't seen a significant drop in weight the needle on the scale has budged a little so it has given me hope that the more I do toward that end, the more the scale will go down for me.

What are some of the things we have done so far?

1.  I have begun coating our baked boneless skinless chicken breasts in potato chip crumbs or rice flour instead of the usual flour, bread, cereal, or crackers I have used in the past.  It is similar to fried chicken, very tender and oh so good.  I even use chicken that is boneless and skinless and it is still tender and juicy with a crispy coating.

2.  My battered fish has used my own home made gluten free flour mixture in place of the regular flour that I would have used before.  This flour has also been used in place of many other recipes I already used in the past without making any other adjustments.

3.  I also use my gluten free flour to make my own gluten free bread.  The flavor lacks nothing, but it is a bit more dense than flour I have used before.  I am still working on tweaking it to make the best bread possible, but aside from the bread seeming like it should raise a bit more I have been very happy with the loaves I have produced

4.  I have made pizza crust from cauliflower.

I plan on doing more in the coming days and weeks, but sometimes our busy schedule prevents me from experimenting much.  That, and someone else likes to cook too (though I suspect that this person is just trying to avoid me making too many healthy dishes).

Now, on to the recipes!!!!

Baked Chicken Breasts-  Soak chicken in milk (I like to use milk kefir as well which imparts a slightly tangy flavor) to make it more tender using a baggie to allow meat to be immersed in milk.  Several hours is ideal but at least 30 minutes.  Mix 1 c flour alternative (if you are using potato chip crumbs you may need more than that) with 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1/2 t Italian seasoning and mix well.  Remove chicken from milk and dredge in flour mixture, them place in a greased baking dish.  Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until juices run clear.  Bone in takes a bit longer, boneless takes less time.  It also varies depending on the thickness of your meat.

Beer Battered Fish-  2 eggs, 6 oz beer (allow to go flat), 1 c flour substitute,1 t baking powder, 2 t baking soda, 1 t salt, 1 T oil (whatever type you are frying it in), 1/2 t pepper, a splash of lemon juice, and a sprinkle of milled flax seeds.  Combine all ingredients together.  Dip fish into batter mixture and cook in  fryer preheated to 350.  Fry about 5 minutes until golden brown.

Gluten Free White Bread-  use 1 1/4 c water/milk/milk kefir, 3 c flour substitute, 1 1/2 t salt, 3 T sugar, 2 T butter, 1 1/2 T dry milk, 1 1/2 t yeast, sprinkle flax seeds.  Mix, knead, let rise, and bake as you would any other bread.  This will not rise like the gluten filled flours do

Pizza crust- Use a head of cauliflower, cut florets off and grind cauliflower in food processor, steam until soft, and allow to cool.  Place in a towel and then squeeze the liquid out of the cauliflower until it is dry.  (This is the step I missed last time and it turned out a bit soft and mooshy, and stuck to the pizza pan.)

Measure out 3 c (or close to it) and place the cauliflower into a mixing bowl. Add cheese.  1/4 c parmesan, 1/4 c cheddar cheese (or any cheese you want really but at least 2 types really enhances the flavor of the crust), 1/2 t each salt, dried crushed oregano, dried crushed rosemary, garlic powder, and onion powder, mix then add an egg to hold it all together.

Once your crust is mixed you are ready to bake it!  I think I will try to use my baking stone next time, but whatever you do, make sure to grease the pan or you will loose some of your yummy pizza to the pan.  Spread out your crust evenly on your pizza pan or baking sheet.  Try to have it about 1/4 of an inch thick if possible.  Bake at 450 for approximately 10 minute, until golden brown.

Top your pizza with desired ingredients )I made my own from tomato paste, but we'll talk about that another time! Bake an additional 5-8 minutes (or until your cheese is melted to your desired color) then serve.

Now, for the flour substitute I've been using.  It is really delicious and hard to tell it isn't regular flour though you need to be careful when making rising crust items.  I'd suggest reading some gluten free baking books if this is something you want to learn more about.  When just used in place of flour for coating meats I don't think it matters much.

I used my wondermill to make my own flour from products I had on hand since the gluten free flour is so expensive to purchase.  I think I will do a cost comparison post in the future...

1 c rice flour
1 c oat flour
1 c potato flakes
1 c tapioca flour
1/4 c cornstarch
3 1/2 t guar gum

Use cup for cup the way you would use your normal flour possibly adding a small amount of extra fat in your recipe.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Why try Gluten Free?

Earlier I wrote a post about doing a gluten free trial and some of my thoughts as well as a few things I have read about gluten from various sources that all had a very similar message.  Cut the wheat to improve your health.  It will allow your body to do what it was built to do which is to heal itself when things go wrong with it.  I told you I would discuss with you the reasons for our gluten free trial later this week, so here it is.

We actually have many contributing factors that I think reflect much of what is going on in the rest of America as well.  Brain fog, inability to loose weight, joint pain, hypothyroidism, prediabetic, IBS, low energy levels, bladder issues, ADD, headaches, acid reflux, depression, I could go on and on.

I have been trying to lose weight for years, but I haven't successfully been able to do so since 13 years ago before my daughter was born.  Did I suddenly forget how to exercise and eat healthy?  Well, if you listen to the medical community that is the obvious fact.  I have been told to quit eating so many cookies, to be more active, eat healthier foods, and on and on.  I don't know about you, but I hate being lectured about things I already know.  It's even worse when you are trying to do these things but no one believes you and judges you to be a fat, lazy slob.  They have looked at my food journals and basically said I was lying and I must have forgotten to write down a bunch of food.  Seriously.  Then the medical community wonders why WE have so little faith in THEM?

My son has been a 3 sport athlete for 4 years.  At first the weight just fell off.  Being so active and lifting weights brought about a bit transformation in him.  But he totally stalled out when it came to weight loss for wrestling season this year.  None of our prior weight loss ideas has helped him a bit this year either.  What happened?

I could go on and on giving the back stories behind all of the symptoms listed above, but I think you get the point here.  I have been thinking and thinking about this and it just doesn't add up.  Is it the chemicals and preservatives in processed foods?  Overuse of prescription medications?  What gives?

Several years ago I began by cutting out the ready to eat processed foods that we used to buy from the store.  I began canning, dehydrating, and freezing foods that I grew myself or bought on sale and in season from farmers and grocery stores alike.  It does make more work for me, but it has helped some with things like ADD, but it hasn't completely solved all of our issues.  I continued to search for answers to our health dilemmas.

While studying natural remedies to replace some of the prescription and OTC medications we have been taking I kept coming up with the same information.  Our bodies have natural abilities to heal themselves.  Not that we will ever be able to stop everything completely, but it is a nice goal to wish for.  I began to wonder though, what was stopping my body from reaching it's full potential to heal itself?  The search continued.  I began seeing a chiropractor which has helped to increase my energy levels and clear the brain fog, but I still haven't been able to achieve much in the way of weight loss.

Now comes in the gluten free option.  I read the book Wheat Belly which I saw both on Dr. Oz and a few of my friends were trying it and seeing great results.  That book dealt with EVERYTHING on our list, plus others that weren't even on there.  Wow.  I think it's worth a try.  I mean, after examining our regular diet I noticed that we ate ALL of the no-no foods on a regular basis.  ESPECIALLY wheat.  Really.  Wow.  I never imagined that could cause so many issues, but it really does make sense.  When you overload so much on one particular category of foods, I suppose that is what you get.  I just can't help but wonder why wheat is in everything we eat.  I guess I'll be making MORE of our own stuff.

So, what did we like to eat before going gluten free?  Well, some of our favorite meals include burgers, chicken dumpling soup with a loaf of bread, grilled cheese and tomato soup, spaghetti, pizza, brats, breaded chicken baked in the oven, battered fish, ...  Notice what they all have in common?  Yup.  Wheat in every item there.  Guess who's in for a total meal make over?  Yup.  That's my next post.  So far we have tried a few items that I want to share with you.  I did manage to lose a couple of pounds so far so things are moving in the right direction for me.  Once I can get the rest of the family to jump on the bandwagon it won't be so hard to resist the temptations they keep presenting.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Gluten Reduction Trials

It seems no matter where we look these days, we are being bombarded with all kinds of health messages from a variety of different sources. Among the loudest of messages is how bad the present day genetically modified wheat products are.

You see, back 65 years ago wheat was taller and had less of an effect of blood sugar.  It didn't have things in it that caused you body to attack itself and it didn't contribute so many difficulties with our autoimmune systems.  Our health agencies did studies on the old wheat showing us how healthy it is for us and promoted it's use in our food products.  At the same time, more companies started making more and more quick and easy products for us to eat on the run.

As more and more manufacturers have vied to add wheat products to their food lines, they looked to make it less expensive and easier to grow.  This scientific manipulation to make plants more productive, less susceptible to diseases, and the injection of pesticides into the DNA of these wheat seeds has changed the structure of this once good for you food.  It has been made into something that many people are either afraid to eat or they simply can't eat because of all of the health consequences they get from consumption of modern day wheat.

I find it strangely coincidental that there has been a sharp rise in autoimmune disorders such as type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, and celiac disease since the increased use of manipulated wheat in our food products.  What happened to increase cancer rates?  I have a hunch that it is a combination of several factors including (but not limited to): more processed foods, less home made goods, less food variety available because of the increased usage of wheat, more greed from corporations willing to poison us in order to make a profit, and more corruption in the political climate of our country.

What should we do to lessen the impact of wheat?  Eat less of it!  I know it is hard when you look in the center of the grocery store and all you see are food products loaded with wheat but with a little effort and label reading you can find products that do not contain it.

The hardest part for me has been having to give up so many of my favorite foods.  Doughnuts, cereals, bagels, noodles, creamy soups, cookies, cakes, burgers, sandwiches, pancakes, breaded meats,...  Should we eat the same thing at every meal without thinking about it?  How many of us would sit down for every meal and eat the same thing over and over?  Would you?  I mean if you were supposed to eat beets at every meal how long would it last?  Wheat is so easily disguised and blended into all that we eat.  It could almost be considered an invasion into our food supply if you think about it.

In the coming days I will share with you our reasons for cutting back on our wheat consumption as well as some recipes that we have tried.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Making your own Extracts

Last fall I made some killer vanilla extract.  Not only was it easy, but way cheaper than the pure vanilla extract.  $9.08 for 2 oz of Watkins pure vanilla extract?  Are you kidding me?

I know what you're saying, the materials needed costs more than the extract does, but really it's just barely more expensive.  My bottle of vodka was $9.99.  Those materials can be used to make so many things as well, like more extracts.  As an added bonus, I knew what was in it too.

After my easy success how could I not try to make other extracts?  After all, I already had the vodka and so many other ones can be made with stuff you already have in your home.  Some of which most people even consider trash!

I did several different experiments using this so called garbage.  I used lemon peels to make lemon extract, grapefruit peels to make grapefruit extract, orange peels to make orange extract, and the pineapple skin to make pineapple extract.  I also made walnut and coconut extracts.  Following are the procedures I used to make them.

For my citrus extracts I placed about 1/4 cup of peels (minus the bitter white pith) into a half pint canning jar.  Added a 1/2 cup of 80 proof vodka and let sit in a dark place (in my kitchen cabinet) for a couple of months.  Don't forget to shake daily.

I had WAY more pineapple than I needed so I just filled the jar loosely with pineapple skin scraps and topped with vodka and followed the same procedure.

The nuts I used 1/4 cup of nuts cut finely chopped and 1/2 cup vodka.  Same procedure as above.

I think my next experiments are going to be almond and mint extract!

My friends have also asked me how I use these extracts.  I use them mostly in baked goods such as pies, cakes, pudding, flavoring frosting and ice cream, etc.  I bet they would also be great in a drink like coffee, tea, cocoa, or home made soda or in jellies.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Dressing your Family for Less

As hard as the times are these days, the kids seem to just keep on growing.  How is a family supposed to stay clothed when you can barely afford to put food on your table every day?  I have a few ideas I thought I might share with you that maybe you never thought about before.

Fancy hem add a touch of flair

Shop the clearance racks.  I often shop off the clearance racks these days.  You can find lots of great clothes at Walmart on the $1 rack. That is where I have gotten most on my clothes recently.  While they may not be the most stylish clothes, they will give you something to wear that is not ripped, worn, too small, and will keep you warm.

I'm usually not to discriminating when it comes to sizes.  Most things can be altered fairly easily.  Like the plain jeans that were way too long.  I added a designer touch at the hem.  One of a kind!
 Use gift cards. I just recently received a $10 gift card to our local Kohl's.  What a blessing!   If only we had still lived in MN I wouldn't have even had to pay the sales tax.  I got these 4 great shirts for my daughter for exactly $10 off the 90% off rack.  3 shirts were $1.60, and one was $5.20.  I think they're rather cute.  Hopefully the preteen daughter won't be too choosy to wear them!








Don't be afraid of accepting hand-me-downs.  Seriously that is all  I really seemed to wear when I was a kid and I survived.  Pass the ones your kids won't wear on to other kids.  Share the love, we can all use a little help these days!


Reuse old clothes.  Quit throwing them away, you can make them into something new!  Stained clothes can be dyed, drawn on, disguised, remade, or otherwise altered.  (But that is a post for another time!)  Pants that are too short can be made into capris, shorts, or even skirts. Shirts that fit well around, but show a bit more skin than you would like can be lengthened by adding some fabric to the bottom, the layered look is in these days anyway.

Shop thrift stores and garage sales.  I have shopped these for years.  They have clearance racks as well!  They also do 50% off certain color tickets each week at Goodwill.  I don't know if the Salvation Army still does it, but they always ran great back to school sales back when I lived in MN.  Despite what you may know about these places, they do get new clothing donations that have never been worn.  My husband does not like these stores because he claims they have a musty smell.  Apparently he hasn't discovered that these clothes can get washed and so they don't smell like that anymore.

Make your own clothes.  Yeah, I know, I know.  This one requires a lot more skill than any other idea, but if you have a pattern and some fabric you are good to go.  You would not believe all of the patterns and fabric I have seen at these places.  It isn't as hard as you might think, really.  (Seems I have all kinds of new post ideas today, huh???)



Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Living on One Income

It is hard to believe in this day and age that it can be done, but it has been.  By many people.  How do we do it?  And  why would we want to?

Ever since I could remember I had worked.  When I was 11 I got my first job, a paper route.  I helped my parents clean and paint the apartments we managed after we moved and I could no longer have a paper route. I babysat the neighbor's kids and I helped teach tae kwon do classes.  When I was 16 I got a job at the local Holiday station store.  I worked my way through college working 32 hour work weeks and some quarters I carried 18-20 credits when a full load was 12-16.  I have always worked hard and enjoyed having money to buy things I wanted, why would I want to change the way I lived?

As soon as I graduated from college I found out I was pregnant and went full time where I had worked my way through college.  When my son was born, I only got to spend 6 weeks at home with him.  It broke my heart.  Between all of the hours he worked and never being able to spend much time together as a family, it really started to get to me.  He stayed with his grandparents while I worked, so it was somewhat of a comfort to me that he was cared for my people who loved him so I soldiered on in my full time career.

When he was almost 2 I had to take over paying for the care of my son while I was at work because   his grandparents weren't available any more.  Between having an educational background and the discount I would get on child care I decided there would be nothing better than working at a day care.  I was even the teacher in his room and I got paid to spend the day with him.  What could be better than working with your kids???

I proceeded to have another child and would have probably been content to stay there but for the fact that I wasn't appreciated and my son was going to be starting kindergarten in the next town over in a few months.  I didn't get the pay raise I was expecting so I decided to stop paying all that money to drive where I wasn't appreciated when I would earn a whole weeks' worth of income in 2 days using my teaching license to sub.  So I put in my notice and quit my full time job.

At first I started finding ways to save money since teachers don't work during the summer.  I mean, I had already made my daughter's solid baby foods, finding new ways to save money was intriguing.  Growing our own veggies, making bread, sewing clothes, it was an adventure every day.  The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn.

The more ways I found to save, the more I started to wonder if I could really afford to stay at home with my kids.  I mean, as a stay at home mom the kids would always have someone who could come to watch their concerts, volunteer for their field trips, attend all of their sporting events, there was no end to the amount of time a SAHM could spend with her children.

We quit buying expensive Christmas gifts, we started making gifts for others instead of buying them, didn't spend large amounts of money sending kids to camp, less eating out, stock up on bargains to save future money,...   Yes, we made some major sacrifices, but I really don't think that we missed out on much.

I keep coming back to the  same questions.  Do we need all of the latest clothing styles?  Will my kids suffer if they can't go to art camp?  Are name brands and impressing people worth the extra effort and the time away from family?  The more I think about it, the less I think I am really giving up.  After all, if people just like us for what we wear then they are not worth knowing if you ask me.

The more I think about it, the more I think working outside the home costs a family.  As a working mom, you need nice work clothes, you are tired from working all day so you buy a bunch of convenience foods and dinners out that a SAHM doesn't need to buy, you feel guilty for not having time to spend with your children so many compensate with material possessions which really teaches kids the wrong message.

As an added bonus cutting out the dinners out and prepackaged foods has done so much for our health saving us trips to the doctors too.  Now I just can, freeze, and dehydrate all my own stuff.  After all, I only use recognizable ingredients that I know how to pronounce and it's still fast and easy for those busy nights.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Making my First Quilt

I have been talking to my hubby for years about wanting to be more self sufficient.  At first it started out as just wanting to do my own crafty things.  I mean really, no one made any palm tree quilts and I had all of these grand ideas of decorating my whole house in all home made items.  It couldn't be that, hard, right?

I am not relating this tale to make myself look like a bumbling fool (though I'm pretty certain I also do an excellent job of that as well), rather I am trying to prevent you from making the same mistakes I made.

Back in 8th grade home ec we were taught how to use a sewing machine to make a class sweatshirt.   Never mind that I had sewn the stripe on upside down in an over-locking stitch then proceeded to have to tear out all of that thread, I still wanted to sew my own pillows, curtains, and such.  My mom generously bought me a basic sewing machine for my birthday in 2005, almost 20 years after my first sewing lessons.

Over the next year, I began to hone my sewing skills with some simple projects.  I went to work right away making pretty purple curtains (complete with glitter) for my daughter's princess room, pillow covers for our couch pillows in the living room, a swag and some curtains for the living room, shortening pants for our short family.  It was going great!  I even started making some clothes.  I was really proud of my accomplishments and wanted to keep on learning to do more.

Thread tension wasn't right

I bought the fabric I wanted, got it all cut into squares and rectangles using a cutting mat and rotary cutter.  I wasn't going to use a pattern because the last time I used one I messed up and had to undo what I had done then do it right.  No patterns, no problems, right??

Wrong!  The first problem I hit was that we had to pack up and move because Cheesehead got a job transfer.  These beautiful squares stayed locked up in a box for 7 years until they were rediscovered!

4 block squares

Once I found them and felt adequately motivated enough to get going, I started sewing the squares together into my first quilt I ever made.  Well, when the thread tension isn't set correctly it begins to make the material pucker and not lay flat so I needed to adjust that.  Um, I didn't...

I sewed the smaller squares into blocks of 4 alternating the material and reorienting the fabric from the palm fronds into different directions to give the quilt some added interest.  Except apparently I didn't really cut them into all exactly the same size squares...  Note to self, measure twice, cut once, write some notes if you are going to put it away for a while.  Seriously.

Well I was feeling pretty darn good about myself and how wonderfully the quilt was coming together.  I got all of the 4 blocks together, sewed the rectangles into a line that would go down the center or the quilt, and then discovered a couple of other little problems with my process.

Ironing

I washed the fabric when I first bought it, but didn't iron.  I hate ironing because usually when I iron something I iron more wrinkles into the fabric than I get out and it ends up looking terrible.  Well, washing the fabric checks for fraying, but when it's not ironed it doesn't lay quite right, so it can make your pattern go awry.  Plus, you need to iron to make the seams lay flat.  I learned this from some friends I met online who have actually made quilts before.  Well, I ironed to give the quilt a nicer look, see?

I didn't watch my seam allowances closely when I was putting the quilt together AND I didn't make sure the raw edges were completely lined up all the way up and down the entire square so there were some sewing misses that I had to go back and fix.  Bad, this was very, very bad.

Now, when I put the center strip in and started matching up the 4 blocks to be put together the fabric didn't line up right.  Rather than doing what I should have and ripping it apart and beginning again keeping the exact same seam allowance and trimming the squares to be exact matches, cutting extra fabric from the rectangles, I pressed on and did some improvisation.  All to save myself from extra work.

I found this great brown fabric in my fabric stash, isn't it great?  I trimmed it up (thinking I had already washed to check for fraying) and set it in among my mismatched fabric.  Feeling pretty darn proud I showed it to my husband who said he couldn't wait to use it.   Isn't the color combination stunning???   I even found this great sheet at a thrift shop that made for a beautiful backing material, see on the bottom right corner?  I also bought an unopened bag of batting from there. (Or so I thought...)

Mostly finished quilt

Now I was excited to get the two sides put together!  I know this quilt wasn't the queen size that the back sheet was, so I knew I would need to do some trimming.  I laid out the top and laid the backing material over it and carefully pinned it together.  This is when my sloppiness would really shine through.  First I pinned the wrong sides together, when I should have pinned the right sides together so I had to repin.  I also did the batting at that time to save myself an extra step.  I pinned it to the sheet and started trimming.

The pieces I cut from the sheet came off lopsided.  I mean, not even slightly uneven, but majorly so.  I'm thinking I should have gathered up my measuring tape and verified sizes of everything because I obviously didn't remember from one time to the next.  Did that stop me?  Nope, I just kept right on going!

I got the 3 side sewed together, turned it right side out, and finished the last seam.  Then it was time to tack the 2 sides and the batting together.  It was already wonderful, as it sat on my lap I felt so warm!  I decided to just tie the sides together as opposed to really quilting it because I really didn't know the first thing about making a quilt and I didn't want it to look bad.  (A little late to worry about that now, huh? lol)

I decided to use a nice green yarn that I got at a thrift store because if would really stand out against the tan sheet backing. As I worked through I placed a tie at each corner along the row of squares.  The first edge looked great, but the further I went, the tackier it looked.  Places that lined up when flattened together from one way bulged and buckled when viewed from another way.  I don't know how many ties I had to remove to make it look decent again.

Then, came the worst piece of information.  As I proudly viewed my "completed" quilt, I saw some edges coming apart along the brown fabric.  Apparently I hadn't checked it for fraying.  So now this fragile beauty will end up hanging on a quilt rack not to be used, but as a gentle reminder of my failings and of my lack of humility.

Lessons I took from this experience.

1.  If you take a break for any length of time, get back in slowly so you don't make mistakes.
2.  Measure twice (or even more!), cut once.
3.  If it doubt, check it out.  (EX. Meaning rewash if you don't know if you did or not!)
4.  When getting things second hand, check the size BEFORE you do the project.
5.  Follow the correct seam allowances even if you DON'T have a pattern because you obviously had something in mind when you cut the fabric in the first place.
6.  Do it right the first time, even if it isn't the easiest path.
7.  Ask an expert.  Really, there are processes for a reason.  At least use a book for Pete's sake!
8.  Pride cometh before the fall.



Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Storing up For the Winter

All summer our gardens are usually bursting with more produce than we can keep up with.  It is easy to imagine being wrapped in a warm celestial embrace in the bright summer sunshine.   I can almost hear whispered voices blowing through the pine trees surrounding my house when the breeze is blowing.  Abundant flowers, fruits and vegetables adorn the plants in my yard providing all of the senses with more stimulation than my favorite scented lotions and candles.  All summer long it is easy to feel loved and appreciated in my imagination because I am surrounded by so many wonderful things.

Rather than letting that overflowing of God's blessings spoil, we can, dehydrate, and freeze the excess in our household.  I know that some of these things may sound scary to the inexperienced readers, especially the canning, but it really isn't as scary as it may seem if you follow all of the instructions and precautions I promise!  When we still have more left we give them to friends and neighbors because that is one great way to show His love for us in how He takes care of us.

Canning and preserving His goodness from the summer helps to remind me of His love daily while the winds are angrily howling and the cold biting winds bite you to the core.  It makes me feel so not alone.  It has helped me to climb from the depression I had sunk into when the times got tough.  I got a sense of empowerment because I was more in control of our expenses, the only thing that limited me was my creativity.

This summer was not as kind as past seasons have been so we were forced to buy more produce than usual which ends up being more expensive.  It's not the end of the world of course, you can still live frugally if you have to buy the items you can stock up when the items are on sale.  Not everyone has the time or ability to garden anyway, God gifted each of us with different talents.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

It's Back to School Time!

I can't believe how quickly the summer just flew by.  It's almost as if we didn't have one really, well it didn't FEEL like we had one anyway except for maybe a week here or there.

Did the usual back to school sales to stock up on supplies for school as inexpensively as possible.  I may have went a tad overboard.  Of course Cheesehead called me a hoarder, but I think it's better to pay 25 cents for pencils and stock up now rather than spending a couple of bucks in January for more.  But maybe it's just me who likes to do that...

I always thought back to school time was fun as a kid.  Fresh pencils, erasers, new bags, shoes,...  I didn't get a whole lot of new stuff so it was exciting when I did.  I guess the kids don't like it quite so much though.

When they were little I used to take a first day of school every year.  They posed for me and everything.  I'd get pictures of them getting on the bus, holding their backpacks and all the fun stuff.  Apparently they don't seem to like it anymore.  Last year I could barely get a picture as they ran and dodged the camera.  Seeing me at the bus stop with them?  Well, it seems that they think that's almost worse than a death sentence.  So I did what any mother would do, I bribed them.  With a ride to school.  Yup, now I am resorting to bribery.  Oh well, at least I got my pictures.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Don't Throw Away that Hose!

I cut the hose end off to
be able to measure
the hose size.

It seems most people these days would rather throw something away than fix it when it breaks or gets damaged, but why?  I would venture to guess that most people do it because repairing things is either too complicated, it takes too much time and effort, or it may not even occur to them that things can be fixed.  I just repaired a hose the other day and I wanted to show you just how easy the process is!

As you can see, my hose end was crushed so I could no longer connect it to another hose or a sprayer or anything.  I attempted to bend it back into place with little success.  Luckily they sell replacement parts so instead of shelling out a huge bundle of cash for a brand new hose, I just needed to buy a new end for a couple of bucks.

What's the process?  I'll walk you through it.

The collar inside the hose
is also crushed.  No
wonder why I couldn't
bend it back!

1.  Determine the size of your hose.  In my area it seems that 5/8" is the most common size.
You can determine the size by measuring  the actual hose from edge to edge.  I have mostly seen 1/2" and 5/8" hoses in my local home improvement stores.

2.  Buy the part you need to repair your problem.
In my case, I needed a hose end.  While I could have purchased the parts separately I decided to buy a complete set because I found a better deal to get all of the pieces I needed in one kit.  Besides, as accident prone as I am I am sure to need the "extra" pieces at some point...

My not quite perfect flat
hose edge.

3.  Gather materials needed to replace/repair the damaged part.
A sharp knife, a flat head screw driver, and the repair pieces were all that I needed.

4.  Start the repair.
 
A.  Cut the hose leaving as straight of an edge as possible.
This hose cut easily, some of them are reinforced so just be aware.  You will need firm pressure and a steady hand for this task.  While it doesn't need to be perfect it should be as close as you can muster as a firmly fit  cut will help prevent  any future incidents or leaks.

B.  Firmly seat the piece into the hose.
You'll need to seat it into place as tightly as possible.  This one slipped right into place.  Do make sure that you remember to put the hose clamp onto the hose BEFORE seating the hose end onto the hose.

C.  Tighten the hose clamp as tightly as possible.

Our almost completed
hose repair

This will keep the water in the hose where it belongs instead of spraying all over you and your shoes.

Other hose repair suggestions:

If your hose spray handle leaks all over you try replacing the rubber oring seated inside the metal component where the hose comes in contact with the handle.

A bent hose or a hole in the hose:

The damaged portion can be cut out and either spliced back together or make 2 separate hoses using the procedure listed above.

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

The Robin Family

Baby Robins Awaiting their Mom's Instructions

I have had a family of robins nesting here since I can remember moving in.  I recall at removing at least 4 nests from the exact same location it seen wrapped up in there.ms that it has been the same robins returning every year.  Those nests are usually compromised of twigs, grasses, and leaves though on occasion I have noticed things I would consider garbage wrapped in there too.  The mother has always tolerated my presence reasonably well as long as I didn't venture too close to the nest.  We have always watched each other and kept a respectful distance in years past.  It must have been at least 5 years now, because one year they nested out front in my crab apple tree.

This must be a prime nesting location.  Many times robins will look for a sheltered nesting spot if they can find one.  Ideally predators would not have access to the back side of the nest and the front side would have an open view to any looming dangers.  They should have a clean water source nearby, it should provide camouflage to the birds, predators should be deterred from getting to the nest should they find it's location, the nest to allow them to blend into the surroundings, and offer an ample supply of food in the surrounding area as well.

Mother Robin 

Well this year I don't know if the original robins died or what (I have heard they live 5-6 years though I am not certain how accurate that claim is), but this mother is constantly swooping at me even when I am much further away than I have been any previous year.  Now it seems if I am anywhere even close to the back yard she dive bombs me!  She wasn't this bad at first, but the last several days she has gotten progressively worse.  I think it is because the babies are almost ready to fledge (leave) though because they are looking quite bit these days.  I did read online somewhere that robins usually spend about 13 days in the nest from the time they hatch to the time the fledge.

I must have popped out the door at the perfect time because they were all looking at their mom in the tree nearby.  I managed to stay in the doorway by the house so I couldn't get "scolded" and swooped by her.  She seems to sound a bit "angry" when I am too close and her call is closer to a "yelling" sort of "tone".  It is quite possible that is all in my imagination though as I seem to give animals attributes that they don't really display.

She is constantly standing guard over them in nearby trees as are usually several other robins, ever watchful over the young birds in her nest.  You don't see their presence as much when the babies first hatch.  I believe it must be because the other robins are on a constant hunt for food to feed either themselves or their young.  I understand that the siblings help the parents to take care of the young birds often times if they don't have a mate and nest of their own.

That is certainly understandable as raising these quickly growing babies would require vast quantities of food.  I have seen them capture a wide variety of food for the babies.  Mostly it seems that they bring insects and worms to the young birds.  I imagine the protein must be necessary to sustain such rapid growth.  Though I have seen robins eat various berries in years past.

Thank  you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd  love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Our New Tomato Hangers

One stack of buckets

Over the past several years I have been growing tomatoes in those topsy turvy planters that I've been hanging on my grape arbor for the last several years with mixed results for various reasons.  They have done well for the most part, they do well enough for me to keep wanting to do more.  I mean they do take up less room and they don't require cages or stakes when they're in those planters so I keep coming back for more.  I guess the biggest problem I have though is the flimsy material they are made from, it doesn't last very long, rips easily once it has aged a bit and has been exposed to the elements, not to mention the ugly color they fade to when they have been exposed to sunlight.  Usually I can squeak out up the 3 years from each planter, but I don't like living a disposable lifestyle so I thought I'd look into a more permanent solutions.    I am tired of replacing and/or repairing them as the material ripped when handled.  Worry not, I have plans for the "trash".

We made our own containers this year.  (Note to self, remember to come back and share results.)

During my search for a solution to the never ending parade of garbage, I considered many different things. It has taken some time to find the right container.  I thought about using some of those car washing buckets, but the plastic was flimsy and I wasn't so sure that the handles would hold up.  Most of them ended up holding less soil too, so I didn't want my containers to dry out.  The largest size I found in those was a 2 gallon bucket anyway.  In years past, I have also used 2 liter bottle planters wrapped with duct tape to block out the sunlight, but those would be WAY too small for tomatoes anyway.  We finally settled on the 5 gallon buckets.

Drilled buckets 

 I found most internet resources recommend a container that is 5 gallon or larger for tomatoes.  That got the wheels turning.  Usually those containers are pretty sturdy, weather well, can handle heavy use and they are inexpensive.  They are already set up to hang because they have a heavy duty handle.  I could even set them on the ground if I wanted to (unless of course there is a plant coming out the hole in the bottom), unlike the topsy turvy which has no wall or floor structure built into it.  The larger buckets will hold more soil which will hopefully help to keep it more evenly moist.  They will also allow for deeper roots.  These buckets are also inexpensive, costing basically half as much as the other planters I used to use cost.  I am excited to see how this turns out!

We drilled a larger central hole that the plant could be placed into as well as several drainage holes.   Personally, I would  have loved to have had more holes around the edges and I would have also drilled them smaller, but please don't tell hubby.  I was happy to have the help so the planting process could be much quicker.  I was filling these almost as fast as he could go hang them up.

The planting hole needs to be smaller than the root ball of the plant you are putting in there or it may fall out.  I added more support by placing several layers of newspaper in between the bottom of the planter.  This also helps to prevent the soil from washing out of the container.  The entire bottom of the bucket was covered with newspaper with only a small hole ripped into the center to put the root ball through.

Planting the tomato

Once the plant was placed in the bucket, it was time to add soil.  Some of them I planted deeper to allow more roots to grow along the buried stem.  I did not mark them, so it will be too hard to track which ones I did that way, but I suspect those may produce better than the ones that have a smaller root system.   Maybe I will keep track of which ones I get the most tomatoes from and check their roots when I pull them later.  Pack the soil firmly and continue filling until the roots are completely covered by dirt by at least a couple inches.  I didn't want to completely fill the containers until they are put in place, because seriously 5 gallons of dirt can get very heavy.

 At that point, hubby toted my planters to their home for the summer.  Once they were all hung, I threw in a hand full of shredded leaves and grass into each bucket, then filled the container to within a couple of inches from the top with finished compost.

We put the same tomato type (Box Car Willie) into each of these hanging planters, so there won't be a variation other than which side of the arbor they were on or how deep they were planted.

I have also planted some tomatoes in the ground, in our garden, and in containers that will be firmly planted on the ground so we can compare those factors as well.  We planted  over 30 tomato plants in various locations.  I can't wait until I get to start picking fresh tomatoes off the vine!

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy

Practical Container Plants

Onions replaced the spikes in
my whiskey barrel

If you've known me for any amount of time, you would know that I just love to have containers of flowers everywhere you look.   Flowers attract beneficial insects to the garden needed for pollination, I view them as an essential part of any garden.  You can also eat many of the flowers or use them for craft projects or medicines

In the past I have used spikes, sweet potato vine, and other items as accent pieces in my flower pots.  The foliage is striking and interesting and it gives a nice contrast to the flowers.  It can be rather expensive to buy these though.  6 packs are much more reasonably priced, but they don't seem to sell these accent plants in 6 packs. Over the last couple of years I have replaced those items with other, more useful items.

Over the last several years I have used many items such as mint, rosemary, onions, fennel, basil, and parsley, but this year I am expanding my repetoire into more new and different things such as cucumbers, mustard and collard greens, and kale.

Shed planter

 My husband built these great boxes for me that sit in front of our shed.  In the past they have been filled with 3 rows of different kinds of flowers.  Last year the back row was made of curly leaf parsley, but I had more parsley than I knew what to do with so this year I am doing something different.  This box shows an alernated back row of both basil and parsley.  The middle row of flowers has been replaces with flowering kale of varying colors.  I asked at the garden store since I have never raised kale before and she told me that this would be a great idea and should last all summer as long as I kept them well watered.

Hanging baskets

My hanging baskets have held strawberries in the past.  Since they have been taken and planted in our berry patch, I will be trying come cucumbers in them.  Of course I will still have the ones out front as well, but they will hold a wildly varied bunch of plants.  Next year I will plant more varieties of basil such as red ruffles because of the interesting looking foliage.  When you limit yourself to what the garden centers grow and have available it makes the selections a bit boring.  One can never have too much basil.

You may recall my hanging tomato planters that I have had in years past.  I have done it with a plant in the top and the bottom.  This won't change, but those bags are rather cheaply made and are falling apart and getting filled with holes.  This year I will be making my own out of 5 gallon buckets.  More on that in a future post.

Ground planter

Planters also abound on the ground around here.  I have grown spinach, lettuce, and herbs in these.  It actually worked really well for me to put the cool season crops into planters last year because when the sun got too hot for them it was easy to move them to a shadier location.

My stevia and patchouli plants did well in containers all summer last year, until they came inside for the winter and my cats mutilated them...  Most of the time you can overwinter tender plants indoors to ensure they come back again next year.  If they are tropicals they would need a warm location, but I think next winter I may try my luck at sheltering them in my garage instead.

This year more tomatoes and peppers followed me home than I have room for in the veggie gardens out back, so some of those will also find homes in those giant pots that you buy trees in from the nursery.

A word of caution about container plants:  They do dry out faster than plants would in they were in the ground because of the added air circulation around the soil, so check them regularly.  That is one reason I won't buy the hanging baskets from the nurseries, they use inferior soils with no water retaining ingredients mixed in.  I like to make my own potting mix and top it off with mulch so the plants stay evenly moist.  This is especially true for the hanging baskets because air circulates all around them.

There, now you can combine both beauty AND utility all around your garden.  Don't be afraid to experiment, just because you've never heard of anyone else trying it out doesn't mean it won't work!

Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cindy