Garden (and life) updates!

Hello!

Life certainly gets crazy at times.  What started as a kitchen refresh since we had to address a plumbing problem turned into a full gut downstairs remodel.  There were a couple of structural issues found that resulted in removing almost all the walls on our first floor.  I keep telling myself that it's going to be beautiful when it's done...we just have to get to 'done'.  

We ended up having to stay at our lake place for almost a month.  Normally, I have no issue with staying at the lake but when you're well over an hour from home and your home has serious issues, it's a tad stressful!  And all I could do in the garden was watch it via the cameras!

My poor gardens!  Thankfully, we did put down weed barrier fabric so the weeds are just crazy at the edges.  Although it rained for days, we have great drainage in this garden as we're on a hill causing it to dry out a bit at times.  Even so, the garden is doing amazing!  

Check out these tomatoes!  I am almost 5'6" tall, that tomato plant is about TWO FEET taller than I am!  The tomatoes this year are so big and loaded with fruit that some of them are actually bending the larger tomato cages over!  I think next year I am going to plant them right up on the fence to help support the cages that are supporting the tomatoes!  LOL

Here are a few more random pictures from the garden!

Zuchinni

Tomatoes

Sugar Baby Watermelon - the squirrel let this one get big...he better continue to leave it alone too! 

Eggplants

Corn - a new variety I'm trying, it's designed to grow shorter and can even be grown in containers on porches...or so they say!

Cabbage, I used a row cover and am pretty impressed with the results. 

Beets

Cantaloupe, or the start of one

Peppers.  My garden book got packed, I must find it to see which variety these are, I planted several!  Note, it got so big that I had to put a tomato cage on it.

Tomatoes.  Hiding in the shade.

Acorn Squash, the first time growing it.

Cantaloupe, can't wait to see these ripen!

Cucumbers!  The first time growing them on the cow panels.

Green Beans, we're about to be overrun!

Spaghetti Squash.  A great substitute for spaghetti and it gets additional vitamins and nutrients in too!

You'll notice some of the leaves aren't perfect, but what garden doesn't have a bug or two? I've also planned some things to encourage the good bugs and bees too!  I intentionally moved some oregano to the openings in the cinder blocks of my raised beds away from the other herbs, and let it go to seed for the bees.

I even planted some flowers to attract bees in little pockets in the garden where plants didn't quite fill in.

So even though it was neglected for a few weeks, the garden is still doing well.  I am experimenting with cow panel trellis, MI Gardener has a great YouTube video on making one here.  We got the panels and T posts at Tractor Supply, they were very reasonable to purchase.  We were able to put six cucumber plants in an area that is roughly 5' x 6', the area where we would have had one *maybe* two plants vining on the ground.  This year we have these trellises for the Acorn squash, Butternut squash, Spaghetti squash and cucumbers.    Here's your laugh of the day, I have another one...I planted yellow squash around it.  Yellow squash does NOT vine.  I'll call it a blonde moment.  Next year that trellis will be for the pickling cucumbers.  LOL

The Eagle scout project was great in that all the infrastructure was put into place for the handicap garden.  We found a couple of issues that we will adjust.  The raised beds weren't built deep enough so we'll take those apart and correct that.  Minor in the big picture.  

It's about time to start our second round of planting.  Once we pull the rest of the beets and carrots, we'll plant another round in those raised beds.  We have one raised bed that is currently empty and I'll be planting more salad greens in that one.

So far, we've had 2 minor and 2 larger harvests and our donation amounts are up to 164 pounds of fresh produce and herbs.  We look forward to being able to do more.  

Remember to check on your neighbors! I know it's not winter time but when it's as hot as it has been, we should still check in on them to ensure they're ok!

What a crazy time we are in right now!

Hello everyone!  I hope you are all safe amid the COVID-19 crisis!  Please follow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) guidelines for your safety!  More information on COVID-19 from the CDC is here

PLEASE, check on your elderly neighbors or those that are shut ins.  Don't go inside and expose anyone but call them or ask through the door, find out if they need anything...you can always get it and leave it on their porch.  We are all in this together!

Please take the social distancing seriously as well.  This will protect those with compromised systems and the elderly.  

Here are some suggestions from a Professor at Ball State University for getting through social distancing:

Practicing social distancing to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic may sound scary or impossible to do, but there are ways to appropriately handle the process.

“Social distancing can be tough on people and disrupt the social and economic fibers of our society,” Jagdish Khubchandani, a professor at Ball State said. “Given the existing crisis of isolation in societies—with probably the loneliest young generation that we have today—social distancing can also take a personal health toll on people, causing psychological problems, among many others.”

Khubchandani, a health science professor at Ball State University, has recommended 15 ways to counterbalance the effects of social distancing:

1. Maintain a routine. As much as possible, social distancing should not disrupt your sleep-wake cycle, working hours, and daily activities.
2. Make social distancing a positive by taking the time to focus on your personality and personal health, reassessing your work, training, diet patterns, physical activity levels, and health habits.
3. Carve time to cook for yourself and others in need.
4. Go for a walk or exercise at home.
5. Do not let anxiety lead you to indulge in binge eating or alcohol and drug use. Don’t oversleep, but do sleep at least 7 hours. A recent study found that more than a third of Americans sleep less than 7 hours.
6. Think forward and try to make best use of technology to finish your work, attend meetings, and engage with coworkers with the same frequency that is required during active office hours.
7. Small breaks due to social distancing are also times to reassess your skill and training- think of an online course, certification, training, personality development or new language to learn.
8. Engage in spring cleaning, clear that clutter, and donate non-junk household stuff.
9. Pay attention to you social media habits. While you can certainly become a victim of myths, misinformation, anxiety, and fear mongering, you may also inadvertently become a perpetrator, creating more trouble for communities.
10. Based on American Time Use Survey and leisure related time-spending patterns worldwide, we spend too much time on screen. Limit your screen time, but watch national news for general consumption and local news to check spread of COVID-19 in your own community, you are likely over-consuming information and taking away time from yourself and friends and family.
11. Reach out to people and offer help. Consider providing for and helping those at risk or marginalized (e.g. the elderly, disabled, and homeless; survivors of natural disasters; and those living in shelters). You will certainly find someone in the neighborhood who needs some help, this can be done from a distance, on phone, or by online activities and giving.
12. Check your list of contacts on email and phone.
13. Engage in alternative activities to keep your mind and body active such as: listening to music and singing, trying dancing or biking, yoga or meditation, taking virtual tours of museums and places of interest, sketching and painting, reading books or novels, solving puzzles or engaging in board games, trying new recipes and learning about other cultures, etc.
14. Do not isolate yourself totally (physical distancing should not become social isolation). Don’t be afraid, don’t panic, and do keep communicating with others.

Here are some links for blogs I've posted in the past concerning meals and stretching them, and a bonus one for cleaners.

Magic Chicken

Stretching the Chicken

Baking on Snow Days

Freezing

Leftovers

Homemade Cleaners

Again, please check on your neighbors...safely.  We need to work together to get through this.  Check on them...maybe call someone just to chat for a minute.  You don't know the change you could make.

Fix it don't replace it!

It's no secret, I'm a tight ass....ummmm, I mean frugal, very frugal!  I love bargain hunting.  A while back, I found this great Wilson's Leathers laptop bag, it is actually called an "Icon Motorsports" Tote Purse and Laptop bag.  I love this bag!  I found it at a Goodwill half-price day sale and bought it for about $4.00.  Here is a picture of it I found on the Internet of how it looked when new.  

It's big enough to carry my normal "purse junk" and I can tuck a notebook and text book in or my tablet to take to class with me.  I won't lie, I carry a lot of "purse junk", my friend Peggy has said more than once she just wants to turn my bag upside down and empty it just to see what is actually in it...LOL.

Anyway, carrying all that junk put some major wear and tear on the handles.  Not only do they not make this bag anymore but the company is listed as being 'defunct' now so matching the straps to have it professionally repaired more than likely was NOT happening!  A couple of weeks ago, while in Lowe's with my husband, I got a brilliant idea.  My husband has learned to kinda hear me out on these ideas and will actually help me with the less hair-brained ones...LOL.  I was going to fix this rather than to try to find another bag I loved.  We found some screws that matched the rivets on the bag pretty closely.  

Forgive the dust, I didn't think to take a picture until after we'd drilled the first hole.  But this is what happens with it being loaded heavy and tossed around by the handles.

After actually emptying it, that took a while as I figured I'd clean it out while I did so...LOL.  Then my little Dremel tool was small enough and powerful enough to do the job in the confined interior of my bag.  We drilled a new hole in the leather, through the handle and the bag itself.  Sorry, there is no picture of the drilling as it took both of us to hold the bag open, the strap straight and actually drill the hole.

After drilling the hole, my hubby put the screw through and put a cheap nut on it.  

He did this so that he could use the Dremel cut off wheel to cut the extra length off the screw.  He said that doing it with a cheap nut on it would allow him to smooth down any little burr on the screw as he took the cheap nut off making it easier to put the permanent one on.

Yup, sparks flying out of my purse!  LOL.  After he cut the excess length off the screw, he took the cheap nut off and put the finish nut on.

I chose this nut because since it is rounded, I won't scratch myself or snag anything as I reach in and out of it.

I have added a little more life to my favorite bag!  To replace a leather laptop bag could be up to $300, I fixed my old one for under $7.00.  Is it perfect?  No but I am more than happy with it.  And I'm confident that it will last me at least until I finish college in a year!

Christmas is almost here!

In these last few days before Christmas, we're baking and wrapping and putting those final touches on everything.  I've decided that I'm enlisting help this year and the kids will be wrapping most of what is not for them.  It's not about how nicely it's wrapped but in the love that is put into the effort.  Yea, I'm going with that!

We're baking cookies as well.  Not just for munchies around here but we're also putting together little boxes for some neighbors.  We are going to help again this month with putting together bags for the homeless that we pass out and we're making extra cookies to put in those.  

We're adding something different too.  My son learned about a Yule Log at school, the cake not firewood.  I keep teasing him because I knew it as Buche de Noel and call it that.  He tried a store bought one at school and I told him the homemade ones are way better.  So we're going to make one.  I made one years ago and it's yummy but time consuming.  But he wants to make one so we're going to make one.  It'll be fun!  Here is the recipe we'll be using to make Buche de Noel.  This would be a fun gift for someone too!

Another thing that I have done to put together a fairly inexpensive gift is what I call a "dinner in a box".  I include homemade egg noodles.  Since I'm a little rushed today, I'm copying this recipe from another blogger but this is the recipe I use that is in the Joy of Cooking.  I like that this blogger includes the techniques in making the noodles.  I usually make large batches of these and I take my wooden clothes dryer and cover the dowels with plastic wrap and drape the noodles over that to dry.  Once they are dry, you can store them in a Tupperware type container or, as I do, one of those popcorn tins that everyone seems to get during the holidays!

In the dinner box, I'll include enough noodles in a large Ziploc bag.  I'll also include a can of chicken and a large chicken broth (If it is someone close by that this won't be waiting to be opened, I'll include frozen chicken and frozen homemade chicken broth).  I'll throw in some homemade dinner rolls that are par-baked that way when they are warmed up they won't over cook.  (Par-baked means almost done, if a dinner roll says to cook 11 minutes, I'll cook it for 7)  I will also include some type of dessert, cookies, a cake, pie, whatever I have time to make.  This is a gift that you might take to an older person who would enjoy a home cooked meal that might not be able to make for themselves.  This is also a good box to take to someone who's been ill.

Regardless of what you do or how you do it, try to include something homemade in your Christmas celebration.  Even if you just get a roll of pre-made cookie dough and bake them with your kids, it's still doing something together.  And being together is one of the best things about the holidays.  Enjoy your family and if, like us, you're going to try to make a Yule Log with a 9 year old, just remember, it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done together and with love!

Christmas Ornaments

December is here!  Christmas isn't far away.  It's too early to start baking but it's not too early to get in on some holiday fun.  

The ornaments on my Christmas tree are a mix of things my children have made over the years and the "new" ornament we get each year.  That is a tradition that my dear Mother always did.  Each year there was a new set or ornaments, one for each of those in the house and if not matching exactly then obviously part of a set.  

In the lean years, we made ornaments.  One year, she got some little plastic figures from the manger scene, like the biggest plastic person was about an inch tall.  We took the tops and bottoms out of tuna fish cans and covered the can with felt and brick-a-brack from her sewing box.  We then tied a string around it so it would hang in such a way that you were looking at a circle.  I hope that makes sense.  We'd glue cotton balls where the bottom of the circle was and the glue the little plastic characters on the cotton.  I wish I had a picture of those to share.

There are ornaments you can make with your children rather inexpensively.

The picture here shows some of the ornaments that my kids have made over the years.  Some of these were made through school and some through Girl Scouts and some just because there was boredom in the house. 

The one on the upper left is great for little kids.  It is just a clear glass bulb that we removed the hanger out of the top.  Then covered the entire bulb in Elmer's glue, just plain white school glue.  I put glitter on a paper plate and let the kids roll the bulb in it, they also used their hands to sprinkle it on.  This is not a non-messy project but they sure do have fun with it.  You can spray a clear sealer over it if you'd like but we didn't and this one in the picture is at least 15 years old.

The one on the upper right is so easy.  It is just a colored bulb that you can use paint or a colored sharpie to write their name on it.  Then you glue it to an ice cream cone.  Again, with Elmer's school glue.  Easy.

The lower left is a little more challenging.  Start with the same clear glass bulb and remove the topper that it hangs from.  Break up potpourri and carefully put it down inside of the bulb until it is full.  Put the top back on the ornament.  Then take some lace that has some holes in it that you can weave a thin ribbon through.  Use the ribbon to bunch up the lace and tie it around the top of the ornament.  We make the ribbon match the color of the potpourri but you can use whatever you like.  These smell fabulous too!

Finally, the one on the lower right is easy but requires some patience.  Again, start with clear glass bulbs.  Remove the top and put a little paint inside.  Not a lot and roll it around to get the paint down in it.  Wait a bit and add some more and do the same thing.  You don't want to use too much paint at a time as it will pool in the bottom of the ornament, too little and it won't cover all the glass on the inside.  It really works well if you can let it sit for 10-15 minutes between colors to allow it to tack up so that when you add more paint, it won't become a muddled mess.  I have one or two that ended up that way and they're on the tree too!

These are just a few ideas of things that we've done over the years.  The best part isn't in what ornament you decide to make or how beautiful it is, it's about having fun with your family.  Making something together.  That years from now, you will look at your Christmas tree and think "I remember how much fun we had making that one!"