Just A Regular Day at the Homestead....(and Challenge: Day 15)

I just realized how short and unsatisfying my last few posts have been.  But they kind of reflect how I've been feeling, so I guess I'll live with them.  But this one will be different, I promise.

I got a good night's sleep last night, my presentation went well yesterday, all the kids and grandkids are snug and safe, and I have no huge responsibilities for this weekend, so there is no reason not to be happy.  I got up early, I'm enjoying a cup of coffee (not a great cup of coffee, I've mentioned my struggles with coffee-making, but it'll do), I've been checking some stuff out on Pinterest, and doing laundry.  I'll putter around this morning, read a little, knit a little, maybe sew a little, then take a nap.  Saturday is the only day I allow myself a nap because if I nap on Sunday, I can't fall asleep at night, then I'm tired on Monday.  No bueno.  

I think I'll make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight.  That sounds good.  

I have to do my lesson plan for this week.  It's actually pretty much done, I just have to organize my thoughts onto the actual plan.  My class is doing something really cool to reinforce colors, while I am at the same time assessing who needs more support in this area.  We are making a color portfolio, with different art each day.  For example, on Monday (red day), we mixed red paint with black and white and painted with it.  On Tuesday (blue day), we sponge painted with blue paint.  On Wednesday (yellow day), we made yellow collages with all yellow materials.  Etc.  I think you get the picture.  Different color and medium each day.  Will post pics when they are finished.  The children are really enjoying it too, as the art is finished we are putting it into their own personal portfolios.  On the last day, we will use the Salad Spinner (best $1.99 I ever spent at Goodwill!) and  use all the colors to make a rainbow painting for the cover. 

I've been thinking about what to make for gifts for Christmas this year.  I've already started knitting some market bags.  They take a little time, but they are really pretty and stretch like crazy--they are perfect for the farmer's market.  The key is getting the cotton yarn at half price, or they aren't really cost effective.  I like a lot of bang for my buck.  (Or, in other words, I'm pretty frugal--or cheap.)

My daughter admired a headband made with buttons sewn to wide elastic, so I'm making one of those for her--it's looking really pretty.  I'm infusing it with positive thoughts and love for her.  The Hawaiians have some superstitions about quilting for others--one of them is that as you work on a quilt for someone else, you stitch all of your feelings into the quilt and they go to the person you give the finished quilt to.  Love this idea!  However, you have to be sure you only work on the quilt when you feel happy and loving or you send bad feelings to the person.  I like to think that this is true of all gifts that you make.

For my good thing today, I'm going to work on Christmas presents for the people I love. 

Have  a wonderful day yourself.   

Later that same day....

I just spent a lovely couple of hours, working out in the garden--I picked a bowlfull of  green beans, watered everything, admired my cucumber plants in the pot (they look really good), picked a meyer lemon from my tree, and filled some small pots with potting mix.  I'm propagating Christmas cactus to give as gifts--probably next year-- and I cut the segments from the parent plant.  They need to harden off for 24  hours, so they are resting comfortably on top of my microwave.  I will plant them tomorrow--11 new little baby plants.  For practically free.  

Once I came in, I decided to make some pickled vegetables.  I prepared my green beans, got the jars ready (clean and hot), and made the brine.  This is what I did.  These go in the refrigerator so they aren't water processed, and they last 3 weeks in the fridge.  What I really love about this recipe is that it's good for any kind of vegetables--I did green beans, and a cucumber I had in the fridge, but you could add carrots, green tomatoes, really anything.  I hate wasting food, so this is a good way to use up a couple of carrots or a half a cucumber you have left over that's not enough for something else.  You can also make a jar or two at a time while things are getting ripe.

1 Tbsp. pickling salt, sea salt, or kosher salt--NO IODIZED TABLE SALT.
1 C. Vinegar
1 C. Water
1 head dill or a small bunch of leaves (I used 1 tsp. dried dill weed per jar)
1 clove garlic per jar, smashed and peeled
3 peppercorns per jar
(I also added 2 Tbsp. sugar to the vinegar mixture--sometimes I don't do this)

Put salt, vinegar, and water into a small pan and heat until salt and sugar (if used) are dissolved.  While vinegar mixture heats, place a smashed garlic clove, dill, and peppercorns into each jar.  Cut up vegetables (I like long narrow pickle shapes) and place into jars.  Pour hot vinegar mixture over vegetables.  Screw on lids tightly and shake to mix up flavors.  Allow to cool, then put into refrigerator.  

I have pictures, but I seem to be having a computer glitch so I can't upload--will solve that problem today with my IT Department.... Kaleigh.

If you have any interest at all in canning, I would recommend that you try it.  I enjoy it a lot, although I suspect that would be because I'm not a farmer and don't have to spend days and days at it.  I do it at my leisure a little at a time.  

Stewing in the New Year. . .

I suck as a blogger.  It's a good thing I'm making my living elsewhere.  I do love to write, but I don't remember sometimes.  Sue me. 

Okay, that wasn't much of an apology, but since I only have one follower anyway, I don't think it matters too much--I know she'll forgive me for my bad behavior.  

On to the real information. . .
       It's Valentine's Day and I'm very happy today.  My little valentines were so sweet, all telling me how much they love me and it was a lovely day.  We even had a healthy snack that they made themselves--Valentine's Trail Mix.  Heart Healthy.  I got LOTS of chocolate, which I don't need, and LOTS of hugs, which I do need.  Kaleigh is out with friends so I'm spending V-Day with the person I love most in the world--ME!  (Not sure this is really true, but poetic license and all that.)

I've been thinking about this year, and what it means to me, and I think it's going to be my lucky year.  It is the year of the snake, and I was born the year of the snake, so that means it's lucky for me.  I need to wear red a lot.  I also had a ladybug land on my shirt yesterday on the playground and it stayed there for a long time and then flew away, so that is good luck too.  Also, I am going to MAKE it my lucky year.  I just have to decide what that looks like.  

I have been hand quilting for the last week or so, and I forgot how relaxing it is and how much I love it.  I'm not going to do that again.  I also forgot that when I hand quilt, I don't have to feel bad about watching trashy tv (Honey Boo Boo) because I am actually accomplishing something.  I'm all about the win-win.  My fingers are pleasantly sore, and my thimble finger is discolored from my favorite brass thimble.  (Yes, I do have a very expensive, fancy silver one with the fingernail area cut out, but the cheap brass one is my most favorite--the heart wants what the heart wants.)

In reading over my blog, I realize that I use a lot of parentheses for things I want to comment on--why do I do that?  I could just comment, it IS my blog, after all.  

The rain outside sounds so peaceful and lovely, there is no noise going on in the house except for Lucy licking her lips,  she is truly disgusting.  

I know this was a short post, but I just want to go take a bath, read and maybe drink a little wine.   Lovely.

Merry Christmas to All. . .

I'm a very happy girl tonight.  It's Christmas night, and Kaleigh and I have had a perfectly LOVELY Christmas.  We ended up having our family Christmas party at our house--Mom just wasn't ready for that kind of crazy yet--and it turned out very nice. 

My big girl got married on Friday, December 21.  She looked gorgeous.  I wish I could have been there, but I can't dwell on that too much.  Brett and her dad were there, so that's good, I guess.  And Bianca, who spent the day telling her how pretty she looked.  I'm so proud of her. 

I still have a week off work, and I'm going to do some serious purging and organizing.  Maybe a room a day.  Tomorrow is my bathroom.  I really need to pare down the amount of makeup I hoard... I mean keep on my counter.  It's kind of ridick.  I also need to weed out my old yucky towels and maybe I'll go crazy and buy some nice new ones. 

I'm also going to wash my new flannel sheets that my mom (a woman after my heart) got me for Christmas and get my nice, clean, fresh-smelling new ones on my bed.  Yea! 

Last year was the year of embracing the Amie, what will next year be?  What will be different?  What do I want to keep doing?  I've been thinking about this, but the thoughts just roll around.  I can't make them gel.  I guess I still have a few days to think and process my ideas. 

Creative Satisfaction and Being Thankful. . .

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted.  Forgive me.  I have lots to say about Kaleigh and her trials and tribulations, but not today. 

It's the end of Thanksgiving weekend, and my lovely week off from work ( and it was LOVELY!), and I'm ready to get back to my regular life. 

This week didn't really work out the way I intended, I started out by ALLOWING MYSELF to get all stressed about Christmas and what I DON'T have (an unlimited amount of money) instead of what I DO have (a huge stockpile of fabric, quilt tops, yarn and general craft know-how).  I was unhappy that I couldn't go out and shop on Black Friday, of all things.  I do this to myself every year, stress over the gifts and how I can't visit my ducklings, etc., and every year I swear this year will be different.  So I was very disappointed with myself for letting myself do this and not putting a stop to it earlier. This is not what Thanksgiving and Christmas should be about.   

So around Tuesday or so I decided that I needed an attitude adjustment, and I would spend some time in my sewing room making things for presents.  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!  I'm feeling so much better--let me give you a run-down of all that I have piled in front of me here.  I'm not a materialistic person, so I don't know why the holidays stress me this way, but it's stopping now. 

I've already been knitting stockings (smallish ones for my work study students), and I will add spa things to them.  (My idea is fluffy socks, nail polish, bath teas, and maybe some peppermint foot scrub.)  They are pink and sparkly at the top--truly fabulous.  My camera isn't really working right now, I think I need a new battery so I will try to take some pictures tomorrow at work and put them on here then.  The bath teas are already made with herbs--lavender and rosemary--that I dried earlier in the season (with no idea what I would use them for), and sewn into little fabric pocket bags.  You just throw them into the bath and take them out when you are finished. 

I kept knitting the stockings since they are so easy and now I have a whole set for my nieces and nephews to fill with dollar store stuff--they will be thrilled.  

While my mom was sick, I've been working on a quilt for her, it's hearts and snowballs, and it just needs to be quilted, and it's ready.  She swears she's hosting the Christmas Eve party as per usual, so I will have it ready then.  No picture until quilted.

I had already made some fabric alphabet letter sets for my grandchildren, so I will send those out along with a few little other things for them. 

Hillarie requested a Christmas tree skirt in 30's fabrics, so I whipped one up for her with a pink ruffle as requested.  It's truly gorgeous.  I asked daughter in law if she had a nice tree skirt and she said she had a cheap store-bought one, which will never do.  They all (Brett's family, Hillarie's family and Tristan) already have quilted stockings from me from last year, so I am making her a tree skirt with plaids.  The top is done, I just need to quilt it.  This one will be so much easier since it has no ruffle (I HATE RUFFLES!). 

I found a crap-ton of antique quilt blocks that I am really never going to use, and a few other not-so-antique blocks so I decided to make potholders out of them.  They are so cute.  I will give these to my friends, my assistant and my sister, along with some homemade treats that Kaleigh and I like to make and maybe a small cookbook or kitchen towels.   

In addition, I have a bunch of bags that I made from vintage (not sure about the statute of limitations on vintage, I'm using the term more for descriptive purposes) pillowcases that I've found at Goodwill.  They are adorable. 

I promised my oldest grandson a gift card from Barnes & Noble for Christmas after he told me how much he likes to read--far be it for me to argue with that! 

I am also working on knitting some market bags for gifts, but I need to figure out how to finish them--they are pretty cute, if I do say so myself.  Below is a partially knitted bag.

So I'm feeling pretty good tonight, I will continue to work on little things, and I'd like to find something that I can make for Kaleigh, but she wants so little that I can't come up with anything--maybe pajamas.

My house smells awesome, I'm making turkey stock with the turkey carcass (such a lovely word) and a ton of vegetables, and I have some of William Sonoma scent simmering on the stove too.  The tree is up, and Christmas music is playing quietly in the background.  Am I a lucky girl or what?   Now THAT, my friends, is an attitude adjustment.  I think I'll go knit for awhile, and think about how thankful I am that I didn't have to go out on Black Friday.   

A Saturday All Alone. . . a wonderful thing.

Again, Super-K is staying with a friend this weekend, and I know it probably seems like she's always gone, we pretty much alternate weekends with her and her best friend.  Our house one weekend, their house the next.  And I know it might seem like I would get lonely after having a houseful all my adult life--after all, I did raise FOUR kids!-- I adore having the house and my time to myself sometimes.  I can cook whatever I want, which usually means not cooking.  I like to eat raw vegetables, fruit and cheese when I'm alone.  And read.  And on occasion, drink a glass of wine.  It's not that I can't do these things with K. here, I just don't. 

Last night Hurricane Sandy visited us and all night the trees outside were banging on my house.  No damage or anything, just some branches that look a little beat up.  I want to see if any large ones are around in my yard or the neighbors' yard so I can build a big weaving loom for our playground.  I think it can lean against a tree.  The kids can then weave anything they find on the playground in there, and I might donate some pretty colorful yarn to add in too.  Once it's finished, I want to display it in my classroom.  I saw it during one of my "research" modes on Pinterest.  Yea me!

Actually I'm not alone all day, I'm going over to stay with my mom today so Joe can go and take care of some stuff at their other house in Leesburg, I will be there at least a few hours, I don't know how long exactly so I need to pack a bag of stuff to do.  It's hard to be around my mom because she's so confused and gets mad at me when I "don't believe her".  For example, she thinks Joe did something to the house while she's been sick, making it a two-story house.  She is very  upset by this, and INSISTS that there are two bedrooms upstairs with beds in them.  She even invited me to come and stay with her.  When I remind her that she's lived in this house for 22 years and there is no upstairs, she gets mad and tries to get up and prove it to me.  And every time she gets up she falls and hurts herself.  I'll just do my best.  Maybe we can watch a movie or something.

Not much else to report.  Everyone is doing fine, and I talked to my Brett last night for a long time. I'm so glad that all my kids are so funny!  They just crack me up. 

I have come to a stunning conclusion.  Although I'm not somebody who cares about having a lot of money, I have decided that doing whatever I can so that I can keep MORE of my money for fun stuff is a good idea.  It's not that I haven't had this idea before, but I just didn't think about it enough to make any changes to help it happen.  Kaleigh and I have been cooking almost everything from scratch lately, which is nice to spend that time together, and we do save a lot of money on food.  This also means buying more raw ingredients, so I am feeling better too.  I looked up my electric company's peak usage hours, and I have deemed that we will no longer be washing clothes or using the dishwasher during those times, which doesn't turn out to be too hard after all--the peak times are 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Weekends are fine anytime, but I could stick to that anyway.  I will also make a point to push my thermostat up when the dryer or dishwasher is running.  This means that my electric bill WILL GO DOWN.   Yea me, again!  I also set up my drying racks in a corner of my living room and will start to use those again--probably not for everything, but for my clothes at least.  And my sheets.  Every little bit helps. 

This week has been a lot better for me in terms of my classroom.  I think I'm just going to have to be more structured in the way we teach things this year because of the mix of children we have.  For example, Friday I set up specific stations and granted, we had a LOT of help, but I think that can work on a smaller scale daily.  My goal is now to figure out some good attention-getters, change the cleanup song to something people can't dance to, and work our way into more formal groupings by the Christmas break.  I can do it, I have superpowers!  Yea for me THRICE!  (Do you like the way I worked thrice into my post?)

More on Compost (Didn't think there was so much to say on the subject, huh?)

I'm taking tomorrow off (from my responsibilities).  I'm going to do nothing but rest my foot and maybe take a bath in the huge bathtub that I don't use nearly enough, and maybe stir up my compost.  Maybe. 

Today my school went on a field trip to Leu Gardens--what a beautiful day for such a thing--it was cool and sunny, and just perfect.  I always enjoy field trips with my families, I think it's interesting to see them in different setting.

Yesterday, I took Kaleigh to the dump (I call it that to mortify her, of course, it's really the landfill) to get four huge bins full of compost FOR FREE!!  Yea!  Now I have a lovely pile of finished compost next to my very slow-working compost bin.  Have I mentioned how much I love compost?  I think so.  Anyway, I made Kaleigh go with me, which was a fate worse than death to her, and she sat and glared at me while I shoveled four huge bins of compost into my car, smiling the whole time.  She told me that she doesn't think she should have to go to the dump with me at all, since it's disgusting.  I pointed out that the compost is NOWHERE near any garbage, and it's a nice grassy area with a pile of dirt on it.  She remains unconvinced.  Maybe I'll make her go again tomorrow. 

Does rotted garbage make everyone this happy? 

I'm going to read tonight and just relax.  My foot hurts from walking, and think I will work on a few small Christmas presents for my grandkids tonight.  Maybe knitting or sewing. 

Dirt Therapy. . .

I sit here at my computer this morning feeling sweaty and super-duper awesome, which is nice for a change.  My week has been rough.  Not awful, just not satisfying.  My class feels chaotic and out of control, I'm not feeling like I'm getting things done at home much, I've had a terrible gout attack this week, and I just feel a little out of it.  Not Amie at all.

So last night when I got home (Super-K is spending the weekend with a friend so I can be as self-centered as I want for a couple of days) I went out into the "garden" (it's really just a tiny part of my yard, so I was considering not calling it a garden anymore, but I changed my mind--more on that later) and started weeding, which led to watering and when I went over to turn on the water, I noticed some old concrete garden borders --not sure if that's what they are called-- behind some bushes that I've never paid any attention to.  I started pulling them out, and I remembered that I stored some more of the same kind behind the compost bin when I built that and I pulled them out too.  A disgusting job, since bugs were all over the bottom of them and they were partially buried in the dirt.  I hosed them off and they look just fine, even though one was broken, I gorilla-glued it back together.  I was feeling very resourceful at that point, so I laid them out at the end of my front walkway where there is an awkward square turn, and dug out a little area, partially buried them, and added compost and planting medium into the little bed.  Mind you, it's only about 24" x 12" in a half-moon shape, but it looks so cute.  

I've been reading a lot of homesteading and permaculture blogs (RESEARCH, PEOPLE!) and one that I read--sorry, I don't remember which one--said that if you wait for the perfect situation, you will never do anything--"start where you are".  

So I started thinking, I am lucky enough to live in a house that my parents own, so I can pretty much plant what I want, dig where I want, and I'm pretty secure in staying here awhile, if not forever, so why not just go ahead and do what I can now.  Meaning, I've been waiting until I can afford to build "several" (no specific number here) raised beds to start my little experiment, while working with the two beds and several pots I have going now, but why not plant some stuff in the ground now.  By the way, the raised beds aren't expensive, it's the planting mix that I make that is, but it will last a lifetime, all I have to do is add compost when I pull something out and replant, according to Mel Bartholomew (sp?) of Square Foot Gardening fame.  

Again with the theme of the year, "Never Underestimate the Power of Humans to Complicate Simple Things".  Plants have been growing in the ground for millions of years (no specific number on that either).  So I've been planning on building a raised bed just for herbs, but this little spot--the half moon--is so cute, all I could think of was a bunch of herbs growing there and seeing them and smelling them every time I come home and walk up to the door.  What is wrong with me?  Why do I get so hung up on how I want things to be "ideally" that I can't see what's right in front of my face?  So I have been rooting some adorable herbs in water on my kitchen window, and I'm planting them there.  There were also some little tiny basil plants that came from my old plant when it went to seed earlier than I anticipated, so I transplanted those in there.  

"Start where you are."  Valuable advice. 

So I came in last night, feeling a lot better about life in general, and this morning I decided to go out and work a little more.  Two hours later my compost bin is full of stuff that has been just hanging out waiting for me to put it in there, the coffee grounds that I get from Starbucks is spread into the garden and the compost bin, the invasive vine that my neighbors love so much and grows into my side yard like a tidal wave is cut back to their fence, I raked a crap-ton of leaves from under the oak tree and mulched the tomatoes, beans and cucumbers, and dug into my compost bin to see how my compost is doing.  This always makes me feel better.  Weird, I know.  I have also been "planning" (which I think we all know means looking at pretty pictures on the internet) to lay down layers of newspaper next to my raised beds and mulching over them for pretty paths (I guess technically that would be A PATH since my beds sit next to each other and are next to the front steps).  I picked a space where I want my potting bench to be--next to the compost bin--and dug out all the stuff that was there, and it's kind of where I've been throwing large sticks that I don't want to put into the compost bin, so it was kind of a mess.  I pulled out the sticks and stuff, cut the plants and vines back, layered on a bunch (at least 10 sheets deep) of newspaper, and covered all of it with free mulch, which is the leaves from the oak tree out front.  Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.  I wet everything down and walked around on it a little to compress it and I think it will stay put.  The area is not big--maybe 6' x 6', but it looks pretty good, and I have a place to put my potting table when I get it built. 

Which brings me to why I am sitting at my computer blogging while I'm still sweaty and dirty.  This all felt so good to me, getting out there and DOING SOMETHING, even though it didn't really change what is going on in my life right now, I feel better.  So in the spirit of starting where I am, I decided that my little garden is a garden, and I'm calling it that.  Now I have an herb garden too.  And a compost pile,  and a place for a potting bench.  I'm official.  I've planted stuff from seeds. which is my personal definition of official.  I'm sweaty, and happy and dirty.  (Although I will take a shower as soon as I finish writing this)

In doing my "research" last night, I found out that I can get free compost at the landfill, which isn't very far from where I live.  I'm going to empty out a couple of big bins that I have, and head over there with a shovel.  I wish I had a truck.  I also found out that some people around the corner raise rabbits for meat and give away free rabbit manure, so I'm going to try to connect with them too.  Good for the garden. 

I'm embracing my inner hippie.  Peace, love, and compost. 

Everything Rots Eventually, and other life lessons.

So much to say, so little time. . . . 

My plants are looking so happy out in the garden, the beans have reached the fence and are starting to grow UP it now.  The lettuce looks cute, and the tomatoes are okay, I guess.  There are a bunch of baby tomatoes on there, I guess I can't really expect them to perform like summer tomatoes. 

Last night I was reading a homesteading blog, and I decided to take another go at sourdough starter.  Kaleigh and I are making bread pretty regularly now, so I want to give it another try.  After reading this particular book and recipe, I realized I was trying to do too complicated a process.  It's kind of like compost.  Once I got over the idea that it had to be complicated, I had a revelation--EVERYTHING ROTS EVENTUALLY.  Without my help.  This is a fundamental truth of the universe.  So pile crap up in a corner of the yard and it will happen.  And guess what?  It happened.  Without my help.  Never underestimate a human's capacity for making something natural complicated.  But I digress.  My point is, all I REALLY have to do is mix flour and warm water and feed it every day, and wait.  It will happen.  Without my help. 

Last night our cable went out for what I assume was most of the evening, and I had to resort to figuring something else out to do.  I think it was the last straw in the cable's back, so to speak.  I had such a pleasant evening after I figured out what to do.  AND I GOT A LOT DONE.  Figures.  I think the time has come for me to part ways with cable.  I will miss Sons of Anarchy, though.  I ended up taking out the remainder of the English paper piecing hexagons out of the back of my Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt.  It's ready to hand quilt.  I think I will machine baste it this weekend, and start hand quilting it.  It will definitely be gorgeous when it's finished.  Picture below. 

No comments about my name over my bed, please.  Unless you absolutely have to tell me how much you love it.  My bedroom is very self-centric these days.  I spent a lot of years with a bedroom that I hated in muted non-gender-specific colors, so I like a little me in there now.  Sue me.  I'm embracing the Amie. 

I also spent a lot of time reading last night, which I enjoyed so much that I am going to do it again tonight.  I got a new book called "A Homemade Life", which is a woman's story about how food and her life are intertwined and everything good in her life happens with food around.  Her life story with food.  And it has recipes.  Looking forward to it. 



The stupid dog threw herself through a window on Monday, which really pisses me off since she doesn't have a checkbook to reimburse me for the $130.00 I'm out now to fix it.  Bitch.  i also had to take Tuesday off since nobody could come fix it until then, so I decided I could spend the day crying--again--or I could do something productive.  So I opened up my etsy shop.  Nothing has come of it yet, but somebody marked me as their favorite.  That's awesome.  Considering that I kind of feel worthwhile when people re-pin my pins on Pinterest, this is like the holy grail.  (Geek Reference).

Embracing the Amie. . .

At the beginning of the year, I made a commitment to embrace the Amie.  To stop fighting who I am and be more accepting of myself.  How am I doing?  Well. . . I"m not.  It's fall, a new school year, and I'm thinking a lot lately that I'm not doing a very good job of it, which is making me a stressed out, unsatisfied, restless person.  I feel a little overwhelmed by the enormity of doing this, so I'm doing nothing, which is very stressfull to me.

So I have decided to embrace my mid-life crisis (my sustainability obsession), and just accept it.  I've already made a lot of changes, so I will continue to do those, and add small things until I feel I'm there.  So to start off my new attitude, I'm going to make a little list of the things I've already done.

• I made raised beds and planted a small garden
• Made a compost bin and started REALLY composting
• Made reusable lunch bags (to replace plastic zip-lock bags)
• Recycled men's shirts to make plaid quilts
• Made cloth napkins
• Turned the airconditioning up a few degrees (saving me substantially on my electric bill)
• Line dry laundry (sometimes--not really consistently)
• Make laundry detergent
• Make dishwasher soap
• Make salad dressing (more for taste than anything else)
• Make brownie mix
• Make makeup remover

I've also decided that I need to do ONE SMALL THING at a time, and when I get a handle on that, then I can do another small thing.  Hopefully this will keep me from feeling so overwhelmed with the work of it, since I really only have to work on one thing at a time. 

On that note, my one small thing for now is going to be making sure to use reusable bags, although I need to find a pattern and MAKE some fabric bags.  I'm not sure the reusable bags (that are plastic) from the store are much better than the cheapy plastic bags. 

And. . . because I'm an overachiever, I'm going to  be working on my next small thing too, which is going to be planting a fall garden.  More tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and herbs.  Right now I'm doing research (mostly consisting of looking pretty gardens up on Pinterest--lol), so I really won't work on that for a week or two yet. 

Will check in again soon.

Holiday Weekends. . .

Holiday weekends--who doesn't love them?  There is just nothing like having an extra day to do whatever you want.  Kaleigh has been at a friends for two nights, so I've had some really quiet "me time".  I think I needed it.  I ran a few errands, and worked on my quilt, made some plans,and just generally sat with my thoughts for awhile.  Very nice.  I've been thinking about some changes I want to make in my life, and this is difficult for me.  Last night I made some roasted vegetables for my dinner, they were really good, I think I should eat that kind of thing more often. 

I've decided to move some things around the house, mainly in my bedroom.  I need to clean out my closet, and move a chair in there.  Get rid of some clothes, and generally organize stuff.  Wow, I'm even boring myself. 

I think I'll cook a nice meatloaf and mashed potatoes today for Kaleigh and me.  Also, I need to go to the fabric store and get some yellow 30's reproduction fabric for my quilt.  Kaleigh will want to go with me to get that, and maybe we can stop at the bookstore for a frappe. 

Playing with an idea. . .

I am seriously thinking of opening up my blog to the universe--how can I know if I have anything of interest to say for the masses if they never see it?  The one thing that stops me is... let's face it, we all know my stalker will be all over this.  I have so enjoyed the abjurring (sp?) that I'm finding it hard to think of opening myself up to this.  Of course, I know she monitors my facebook account carefully, but that is different, as this is so PERSONAL.

I've been destressing (which is not easy these days) by hand piecing a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.  So far I have four completed blocks put together, and several partial blocks.  Pictures below.  Not sure if this is really helping my stress, but I enjoy it.  It will probably take me a year to finish.

Whenever my life feels a little out of control, I kind of return to simple, quiet things that I love to settle myself down.  Quilting, reading, working in my garden, etc. always work.  The sale of my quilting machine apparently is not going to go through, after screwing around with this woman since January!  JANUARY!  This is May, for god's sake.  Financially, this is bad for me, and Kaleigh and I have been planning what to do with this extra room, so that's out the window too.  Maybe I should just start up my quilting business again.  Will think about this. 

Work is crazy, as usual.  I keep asking myself if I'm EVER going to feel like I've got it all together.  Like I can relax.  Add to that, I have to start thinking about going back and finishing my Master's Degree, and I'm having trouble with that, since it doesn't really mean a raise or promotion or anything.  It will make me more marketable somewhere else if my life comes to that.  I really can't imagine adding one more thing to my day, though.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day.  I guess I'll go to bed early and read awhile, and get up early and putter around for awhile before we go have dinner with Mom and the fam.  I need to go to the store tonight and get the stuff I need to cook for tomorrow. 

This Week in Review. . .

This past week was kind of a bust up until yesterday.  My foot started hurting on Monday--I have gout, which is an OLD MAN'S disease, for god's sake--90% of cases are in men--why do I have to be so special?  Anyway, it flares up every now and then, and I'm still trying to figure out what is causing it to happen.  I don't really eat the things that they say cause it, but I know I don't drink enough water because it's hard for me to always be leaving my classroom to pee.  Anyway, it just got worse and worse, and on Friday, I mostly stayed off it.  Also, on Friday, my two work study girls, who are two of my favorite people in the world, got really upset with me, and I would NEVER do anything on purpose to hurt their feelings, so that was super-unpleasant.  We had a tear-fest in my classroom on Friday.

My identity has been stolen AGAIN.  This time someone used my debit card numbers (not the actual card) to charge $700, which caused a bunch of my own charges to overdraw my account.  It will get sorted out, but it takes time, and meanwhile I have no cash, and no access to cash.  Sucks.

Yesterday (Saturday), my class planned a field trip to Leu Gardens, which was wonderful, and we will definitely plan another one next year. It was so gorgeous there, and reasonably priced.

This is a picture of the vegetable garden.  I immediately threated to squat (by that, I mean move into) in the garden house, and just live with that garden in my front yard.  Then I thought, wait a minute, I HAVE a front yard--couldn't I just do that in my front yard, and save all the packing?  It was all I could do to refrain from picking the cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash.  The only thing that stopped me was the little sign that said that they donate all the vegetables to local food banks, so I couldn't feel good about picking things.  The herb garden was pretty spectacular too.  And. . . look at that beautiful composter next to the porch.  Need I say more?

***TANGENT ALERT***   Okay, so I'm at Leu Gardens and I'm really considering this vegetable garden, and we all know I have hippie tendencies as I'm "maturing", so I'm really thinking about having a garden like this.  Can I do it?  It's a lot of work, and I'm intrinsically lazy, but this is really PULLING me.  And most of the work is up front.  Some of you know that my dream is a to live on a hobby farm, and this would be an interesting start.  Living a sustainable life (within reason) really appeals to me.  Of course, if I did do this, I would need to get a really bitching rocking chair (or two) so I can sit outside and look at my work.  ****Thank you for attending this tangent--it's now over.***

My gorgeous work study girls came on Saturday too, and Mrs. Jones so we took this picture together.  I am so going to miss Rachel, who is on the right, she is graduating.  Of course, I'll miss Trina too, but she will at least still be with us in the fall.  I can't believe how emotional I am over this.  It's kind of stupid.

Naturally, my foot took a beating walking all over Leu Gardens, so I'm in a lot of pain again today, but it was totally worth it.  Kaleigh and I will be visiting Leu Gardens again.  Maybe even volunteering there would be good.

I'm sitting at my computer listening to my dumb dog snore on the couch.  She misses Kaleigh so much when she spends the night with a friend.  My coffee this morning is really good, which is weird for me because my coffee usually sucks.  I'm using the word sucks a lot lately. 

This is a picture of Kaleigh on a bench at the gardens.  She looks so cute!  I am so proud of my kids.  Not sure if I've said that lately.  They are all such amazing people, and not just because they are mine.  I include my beautiful daughter-in-law in the group too.  I wish I could spend more time in the same room with them. 

Last night I had a little anxiety, probably over my bank account, but I was thinking about a lot of things. I did get a good night's sleep, and I have a very relaxing day planned, so I'm feeling better this morning.



Books, etc.

It's Sunday, which has become my unofficial blogging day, I guess.  This weekend has been absolutely nuts, so tonight I am going to take it easy, make a nice dinner for my daughter, niece, and nephew, maybe read a little bit, and just relax.  Dinner is actually already made (lasagne, salad from our garden, homemade salad dressing, garlic bread), and ready to throw in the oven, so no work there.  Lesson plans done for this week, laundry done and outfits laid out ready to go for the week. 

I am working on an article for an early childhood magazine about the importance of outdoor play, connecting curriculum with outdoor play, and how our school does this now.  I'm not usually a procrastinator, but I do need to stew about stuff for awhile before it gels in my head, so I've been thinking for awhile about it.  Wrote a kick-ass outline today at lunch.  Inspiration struck over tableside guac at Amigos--what can I say?

This week is the Week of the Young Child, so we have a lot of special activities going on at school.  We also had our Spring Carnival on Friday, and I won two prizes--admission for four to Congo River Mini-Golf, and a $25 gift certificate for Outback Steakhouse.  Yea Me!  I haven't won ANYTHING in 8 years, so I was due.  And as we all know, I am cursed with a competitiveness that defies reason, so I always feel a need to win.  Something. 

I bought two books today at the bookstore--A Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball.  I think I will love them both.  Book reviews to come. 

I read a book a while back that was really interesting to me, and I keep meaning to share it, but it hasn't seemed like the right time, but since we are discussing books, here you go.  The book is  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  For a year, she did all the things that are rumored to make you happy, i.e. make more money, take time to smell the roses, and anything else she heard about.  She then analyzed if these things actually do make a person happier.  Interesting concept.  The book itself is very interesting, and the methods she used to keep track of what she was doing and how it made her feel are fascinating. 

I know I haven't blogged in awhile, I've been sick and also, I've never seen any sense in writing just to put words down.  I like to have something to say (NOT necessarily something important). 

Over the last couple of weeks, some things have been going on that are not really earth shattering, but are life-shifting at the least.  Will get to those in a minute.  I'm feeling a little better today after a nasty bout with the flu, it really knocked me off my feet.  I'm still really weak but I feel worlds better. 

My mom called last week when I was sick and asked me if I wanted to go see Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks in August for my birthday--I actually thought I was delirious until last night when she called and said she got the tickets.  I do love me some Rod Stewart, and Stevie Nicks. . . well, do I even need to say it?  She has the right mix of hippie and cool.  My mom kind of rocks.  And when I was seventeen, my life plan was to quit school, go on the road and marry Rod Stewart--I still think it could happen.  Maybe this summer is my opportunity.

The sale of my quilting machine almost fell through, but it looks like it's going to happen after all.  This has almost been too much of an up and down emotional roller coaster for me.  Anyway, things are looking good. 

The other thing is more of an attitude shift (not sure that's the right word), but I've thought since my divorce--no, really it was earlier than that--that I would not get married again.  I really have felt that it's not for me, and it was just not something I would ever do again.  This is even to the point of not being open to the possibility at all.  I just felt like I could never trust another person that way again after what happened.  Well, I find myself being a little more open to the idea again.  This is pretty much out of the blue as I am not seeing anybody at this time or anything like that, but the idea isn't making me nauseated.  That's definite improvement. 

I forgot to write about the results of my dryer-less month.  I went the entire billing month of January without using my dryer for any laundry--I hung everything up, which was a little inconvenient, but not nearly as much as you would think.  So at the end of the month, I compared the bill with last January's bill and the year before that, and I saved over $70.  Some of that may be due to the mild winter, the heat wasn't on much at all this year, but I really feel that at least $60 of that was due to not using the dryer.  So, I have gone back to a modified dryer usage, with the idea that if I decide I need to cut back, that is do-able.  I only dry towels, sheets and things I need quickly.  (I know, not exactly an earth-friendly attitude, but I'm human!)

So, it looks like this weekend I will be preparing my machine for it's trip across country.  And cashing my huge check.

Family, Anti-Superbowl Sunday, Garden Centers--this weekend!

What happened to my edict of Simple Sundays where I just putter around my little house, watering plants, admiring my homekeeping skills, maybe sewing, reading a little, etc?  I had such lovely vision of myself floating around in a flowy white dress with bare feet (pedi, of course) singing to the birds and bees landing on my windowsills and . . . well, you get the picture.  The reality isn't very close to that. 

NEXT WEEKEND I VOW TO DO VERY LITTLE ALL WEEKEND. 

This weekend has been crazy.  Yesterday I got up early, and made the rounds of the gardening centers in my area, bought the wood for my garden boxes, as well as all the stuff for the planting mix.  I also bought a couple of packets of lettuce seeds just for good measure.   After that I met my old friend Alexis at the bookstore for coffee and to catch up.  She is going through a rough time (divorce), and a huge life change.  It was really nice--we haven't seen each other in years.  Then I spent a couple of hours watching movies with Kaleigh.  I've watched more movies over the last month or so than I have in the last two years.  Sigh.

So today I went to the last uncharted garden center in my area to get landscape fabric for  under my garden boxes, and we went to my aunt's house (an hour away) for dinner and to visit with Sharon and Fran (my mom's cousin and her husband) who are visiting from upstate New York.  I really adore them, and one of my favorite childhood memories is when my sister, brother and I went to stay with them the summer after my father died.  We did so many fun things, and they have a son, Greg, a year or so older than me, and it was just a great time.  We went to the fair, Greg drove us around on the mountain in an old jeep, and we hung out with Greg's friends, it was just wonderful.  I wish every kid could have such a great vacation at some time or another.  I was 13 at the time.  I should tell Sharon and Fran how wonderful that vacation was for me.  Anyway, I made bean salad with a vinaigrette that is really great, and I have to say, my family sure can rock a repast. 

We came home, and I've been doing laundry ever since.  Not that I mind laundry, there is something very satisfying about clean, fresh laundry, all folded and ready to wear, but I want to build my boxes and PLANT STUFF! 

I spent a little time looking around on Pinterest, which I find fascinating.  I've actually gotten some good ideas for unusual artsy things to do.  Will try them out and let you know how things go.  I wish I had something fabulous to sew.  Tonight I will fold clothes and do some lesson planning and generally get ready for the week.  No superbowl for me. 

Simple Sunday--Revisited

I really need to rethink the whole Simple Sunday idea.  The plan is to try to get everything I need done on Saturday (or preferrably earlier) so I can just relax and putter around my little house on Sunday.  Maybe take a nap if I want to.  Unfortunately, I don't hold myself to this most weeks, and I end up running all over the place, trying to grocery shop, and get a haircut (which looks pretty good, if I do say so myself), and other crap that could have been done earlier.  I did get to spend an hour dreaming and planning and drawing a diagram of my future raised-bed garden.  I will probably go to Lowe's this week and get the wood and other stuff I need for them.  I'm looking forward to this year's garden.  I've had on and off success with gardening, but I do love to have plants and tomatoes off the vine are my VERY FAVORITE!  Can't wait to get going this year. 

My cousin Kerri made nanny bread for her husband's work buddies--he's in the coast guard.  Nanny bread is something my great-grandmother made, it's essentially oatmeal bread, and there is a huge controversy about whether you should put it in a cold oven to bake, or let it rise twice.  Very polarizing.  Most of us are of the cold oven camp, but the second-risers are very vocal.  I haven't made it in a long time, and the truth is, I'm not very good at it--my sister is really the better cook in our family, but I like to feel a connection with women from the past.  I'm not sure that's exactly what I mean, but it's the best way I can put it.  I think that's why I love quilting so much.  Anyway, I think I will make some nanny bread this week.  It's awesome toasted. 

I've been sitting here at my new computer, watching funny Youtube videos, and I'm wondering WHY the hell I do that.  What a colossal  (sp?) waste of time.  I guess maybe it's mindless and my mind sometimes needs to rest from all the deep thoughts I am always fighting off. 

Simple Sunday...actually, it's Monday.

I have renamed Sunday to be Simple Sunday.  I forgot that this was a long weekend, so it's actually Monday, but I did have a simple Sunday yesterday.  I plan on having a simple Monday too.  Then it's back to work. . . and kids . . . and worms. 

I got up early today so I thought I would write a little before the day really begins.  Today is my baby girl's birthday.  I can't believe that she's been in the world for seventeen years.  That seems just crazy.  So seventeen years ago, I was in the military hospital that she was born in, and a midwife had delivered my 10 1/2 pound baby girl.  I highly recommend a midwife, by the way.  She's been high maintenance ever since, but I love the heck out of her.  Today she has an appointment, then we are going to Lake Eola and walk around the lake.  The replica of the Vietnam Memorial is going to be there, which is not birthday celebration material, but we've never seen it and want to.  We already had her celebration anyway, over the weekend.  She's pretty easy to please.

I've been doing a lot of reading--as per my New Year's Wish List (not sure if I put that on the list I posted here, but it's on the list in my journal).  I'm on my fourth book of the year, and it's only January 16.  Pretty pleased about that.  The book I'm reading now is basically a list of projects to do around the house.  Pretty interesting.  Everything from making homemade mead (fermented alcoholic honey), to canning, to gardening, and anything else you can think of.  Even how to make your own composting toilet, which I will never do, but I know how in case anyone else needs one now.  Not sure why I find this stuff so interesting, but I sure am enjoying this book.  It's called "Making It--Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World" by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen.  They are homesteaders in Los Angeles.  I find that an interesting concept.

Yesterday I worked on organizing my sewing area a little bit.  I think I have a LOT of extraneous stuff that could go live somewhere else, so I'm sorting and trying to edit.  NOT easy.  But I know that if I want to spend time sewing, I need to have a pleasant place to go to do it.  And my sewing area is not very pleasant right now.  It's too crowded.  So I will continue working on that this afternoon when we get home. 

The house is cleaned up, and I think I'm going to go make myself a cup of coffee.  I hope my "fans" (all two of you) have a great day. 

My daughter and I have had a really wonderful weekend.  My weekends aren't usually relaxing at all, I spend them shopping, running errands, doing laundry, cleaning, and lesson planning.  In other words----NOT SIMPLE.   To be honest, I am usually glad to get back to my regular routine on Mondays, which is sad, isn't it?

So this weekend, I made it a point not to make any plans.  I got home on Friday, and did some laundry, but since my no-dryer edict, I wash it, hang it up in the spare bedroom on the wooden rack, and I'm kind of finished until the next day.  So I just puttered around, read a little, and went to bed early.  We went to the bookstore on Saturday and had lunch at Panera, which we love.  After we got home, my daughter's boyfriend came over and we had dinner together, and then they worked on a jigsaw puzzle for the rest of the evening, while I watched a terrible movie (Blue Valentine--yuck!). 

Today when I got up, I went and did my usual Sunday thing, which is go to 7-11 for blueberry cream coffee and a newspaper or two, depending on the coupons.  When I get home, I look through the ads to see if there's anything I need on sale anywhere, and match any coupons to sales in the grocery stores.  I love free (and nearly free) stuff.  I made my list, and went out to get a few things that we needed, and then I took my daughter to her volunteer job working with a pet adoption group.  While she did that, I went to the bookstore and did some reading and generally thinking my thoughts. 

Right now I am reading a book called Cabin, written by a man who built his own cabin in Maine, along with his brother and a few friends, during a time of upheaval in his life.  I am really absorbed into this book, it has always appealed to me to make things, build things, etc.  I've always been crazy about the idea of a cabin or a getaway of some kind--ANY kind.   My dream is to someday buy an Airstream trailer and travel around camping and visiting my grandkids.  Maybe not all the time, but at least on vacations.  For the record, I do not enjoy camping and sleeping on the ground, but in a camper or hotel room, I'm fine. 

Tonight, Kaleigh and I played a little Cribbage--she's just learning, so we only played one game, and then we decided to have a reading night.  I really feel like this weekend I actually had time off and wasn't rushing to get things done the whole time.  It's nice.  I need to make this happen more often.

Happy New Year!

I stopped at the little vegetable store this morning, and tomatoes were cheap so I bought a LOT and I am now making tomato sauce in my crock pot, as per my new favorite book, The Feast Nearby by Robin Mather.  It's a year long biography with musings (and recipes) during a time of huge change for her.  It's a great book and I highly recommend it.   Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about tomatoes (they are probably the love of my life), so I am in heaven. 

This being New Year's Day and all, I can't help but think about what I want for the next year, as I've mentioned--peace and calm in my life.  Along those lines I am choosing not to react to my ex-husband's wife who took my daughter to get her nose pierced while she was there on vacation.   I have nothing against nose-piercing, and I would have said yes if she had asked me, but the fact is, she didn't.  I personally think step-mom overstepped in a huge way, and this is not the first time.  However, if I react, it always ends up to be a ridiculous scene, which is not productive, and she's never going to change.  I suspect she does these things to get a reaction from me.  So I'm not playing.  This is an ongoing struggle for me, because I feel like being true to myself would be standing up for what I believe, especially as it pertains to my own children, but at the same time. . . is it worth it when I would have said yes anyway? 

I'm feeling very self-righteous about my laundry today.  I washed a quilt that I made for my daughter a long time ago (yes, it's pink and white), and some towels and they are hanging on my drying racks on my little back porch.  I can't wait to wash my sheets and hang them out there--THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE SMELL OF SHEETS DRIED OUTSIDE.  I cannot stress that enough.  Besides tomatoes, one of the other great loves of my life is my bed.  I love soft sheets, the perfect quilt that snuggles you but isn't too heavy, the right fluffy pillows, the perfect lamp next to the bed, a lovely pile of books on the nightstand, a clean fresh nightgown, and I'm a happy girl.  I got my love of my bed from my mom, who is the same way.  The rule at my house (and my mom's) is that you cannot even sit on my bed without an invitation, except for grandchildren.  They are always allowed, until they turn 16.  Are there any other boudoir-philes out there or are we crazy?   

I worked really hard to add the word "boudoir-phile"!

Making Do...

I'm feeling pretty good about the things that I have done during my long break from work.  My 16 year old daughter (the last one left at home) has been visiting dad and step-mom, so I've had lots of Me Time. 

There have been a lot of things I've been thinking of doing around here, but I've been waiting until I had enough time, money, etc.  After the last couple of weeks, I realized that there is a good feeling about making do, not spending money to solve a simple problem around the house, and just generally making things work. 

One thing is a small desk in my bedroom.  I used to write regularly, but being a mom and teacher and just living has conspired to make me feel like I have no time or place.  I am convinced that if I just had a small place of my own with my pens and notebooks, I would take a few minutes each day and write something.  My sister has a small desk (exactly the distressed white country look that would be perfect) that she is going to give me, but she needs to get a replacement first, and that will be in a couple of months.  So I've spent the last couple of months longing for that desk, daydreaming about the day I have a space to write, and even visiting the desk at my sister's house.  Yesterday, while doing laundry, I noticed some plywood that is in the laundry room that I've been saving for something, exactly the size of a small desk.  My wheels started turning, and now I have a makeshift small desk in the corner of my room, made from that plywood laid across two small side tables from around the house.  It's not going to win any beauty contests, but it is not ugly by any means, and will do the job nicely until my sister's desk comes to my house to live.  And---BONUS--I've even done some writing. 

Time and time again, I've found that anything I really need in life shows up, maybe not in the way I envision, but in a way that works, sometimes better than how I envisioned.

Another thing I've been coveting is a pretty ceramic kitchen compost container to keep my kitchen scraps in until I dump them into the almost-existent compost pile out back.  I've done lots of research and looked at them everywhere, but it seems kind of ridiculous to spend a lot of money on something that will live under the sink and essentially hold trash.  Today, while cleaning out the refrigerator, I pulled out a nearly-empty plastic ice cream container, the kind with a handle (thanks, Kaleigh!).  As I was cleaning it out, I was contemplating what to do with it as it seems like a waste to throw it out, and POW!!!  Kitchen composter!!  FREE!!!  Again, not beautiful, but it will get the job done.  I spent the afternoon giggling at my ugly little composter.   

I recently read somewhere that as much as 40% of a household's electric bill is from drying clothes.  I'm not sure that can be true in Florida, where we use the air conditioner 10 months out of the year, but I've officially started my month-long experiment on the subject.  For the next month (starting with the load of laundry I did today), I will not dry any of it, I have gotten two wooden clothes racks and they are set up in my spare bedroom and can be moved to my tiny back porch as necessary.  I will see how this impacts my electric bill (and lifestyle), and may invest in an umbrella-type clothes line for my side yard if the results indicate that it's worth it.  I will let you know how that is going.  It will be interesting to see how Kaleigh deals with this mandate. 

During my time off, I've spent my time however I wanted to, eating when I'm hungry, sleeping when I'm tired, watching the occasional movie, puttering around my house, doing whatever needs to be done, and I've really enjoyed it.  It's almost over, as I have to go back to work on Tuesday, but it's been nice, and it will be nice to get back to my regular routine, and see my preschoolers again.  I've missed them for sure.