Amazing, and I Want...

Wow! Is all I can say. Works from Jun Tsunoda have shown up on two of the blogs I read in the last 3 weeks. After seeing this series from the 2005-2009 collection, I seriously want a piece for my living room. They are so mesmerizing in their beauty and simplicity. So, who is going to get me one??

 

A Benefiting Day

                                  

Whewey! This morning was(IS) my PREP morning in the kitchen. Onions, Green Peppers, and Vine Tomatoes were super cheap at the Farmer's Market, and I had some I bought from the grocery when they were on sale as well - so needless to say.. I have A LOT to do while Miss K naps today.
Are you wondering how this is a benefiting day besides the fact that I won't have to cut Onions or Green Peppers for at least the next three months? I love Prep days because they (will) provide a much needed bulk addition of veggies to the Compost Bin. It's a new adventure for us, but I think we'll pick it up in no time. There are a lot of great websites to get you started, if you'd like to start your own compost.

I enjoyed this site for information:
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/building.html

The boys (A & D) planted my husbands veggie tray of seedlings while they were here for Spring Break. The tiny garden that we thought was planted too early, has strongly developed. We have successful Tomatoes, Carrots, Broccoli, Jalapenos, and Green Beans. Chris has what could have been the biggest compost pile ever going in the back yard, and that got me thinking.....I couldn't help but think how great it would be to have my own Organic compost to add to the garden mix next year. I mean, come-on! I have all the materials needed (With the exception of the "optional" manure, but a quick post asking for grain fed animal manure on FB has me a big bag of HORSE POOOO waiting for me to pick up. (Thank you Sherill)



My first task was to learn more about compost.

Next, I needed wanted a bin. We already have this huge pile of yard waste, and it is a major eye sore. We went to Menards looking for a compost bin. You can one like this for less than $40. (Or they had them as expensive as $200)

We weren't ready to buy, but just wanted to feed my new obsession with some more knowledge. Check.



I was ready to get this going, but I didn't want to invest ANY new money into it.
I found a site showing us a cheap starter bin using a plastic storage bin: http://organicgardening.about.com/od/compost/ht/storagecompost.htm

Storage bins can be pricey, and I really don't have any empty ones just hanging around. BUT, we do have Bojacks (RIP) old dog crate, and we have NO PLANS for a new dog anytime soon. (New dog would get a new crate anyway.) So, this thing is just hanging around on the garage beams anyway, my cheap bin is found.

BONUS #1: No stirring, just flip the bin a few times.
BONUS #2: No Drilling - Ventilation already provided.

My compost is ready to get started, and hopefully I'll have a positive follow-up post in the Spring.

July 21 is National Tug of War Tournament Day!

Get up and PLAY a few rounds of good ole' Tug-of-War with your children. Invite the neighbors or a small group of your children's friends, because July 21st is National Tug-of-War Tournament Day. Not only is the game fun, but it can be a valuable tool to teaching your children and their friends about teamwork.

- Happy Tugging!

Here are some links to help get your motivation (and your imagination) excited: 

Tug of War - Wikipedia (Did you know Tug-Of-War was an Olympic Sport from 1900 - 1920?)

How to Play - eHow  (Basic and Formal)

Stumps Tug of War - Spoonful (Not so sure I'm comfortable with this one.)

4-Way Tug of War - Livestrong (I'm sure we've done something similar, but Nice twist on the game.)

Toilet Paper Tug of War - Deep Fun (Not as 'dirty' as it sounds - Fir the actors of the group.)

London Bridge - Fun Indoor Outdoor Games (Seems LONG, may need to get some butcher paper and have it hung on a tree or wall with the words…)

Buy a Rope if you don't have something else you can use:

Rope to Play - Oriental Trading

Get the children excited by awarding them their very own certificates:

Printable Certificate - Free Printable Certificates

Spread the time out, and build the excitement with more fun:

Coloring Page - Free Kids Coloring

DIY - Cheap, Easy Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Are you tired of wasting your money on Laundry Detergent? Are you tired of having to waste so much plastic with each new tub you buy of it? Even though you recycle it, does it still feels like a gigantic waste of resources? You're feeling that way because it's true. It's a waste of resources and a waste of your money.

If you have $20 (initial investment- don't run away!), 15 minutes, and a little extra spare time the next day you can save big-time on your Laundry detergent by making it at home. A friend of mine got this from a lady at church and passed it on to me awhile back. I've found that most sites follow the same guidelines.

 

Here's what you need: (With the cost I paid)

5 Gallon Pail            - $2.60 (Menards)

Lid for Pail               - $1.70 (Menards)

Potato Masher       - $0.97 (Walmart)

Grater                      - $2.97 (Walmart)

Stir Spoon               - $1.97 (Walmart)

FELS Naptha bar    - $0.97 (Walmart)

Washing Soda        - $3.24 (Walmart)

Borax                       - $3.38 (Walmart)

Funnel                     - $2.09 (Walmart)

--------------------------------------------------------

Total Investment: $19.89 

**You will also need WATER, a large cooking pot,  and some rinsed detergent containers - or- rinsed milk gallons -or- any containers with lids.**

(I used old detergent containers, a 1/2 gallon milk jug, and a Tomato Soup jug, but you can always leave in Pail and mix and scoop from it if needed.)

 Now- Here are the simple steps to this money saving DIY detergent:

Step 1: Gather your Materials.

**The only item you have to purchase for each batch is the FELS Naptha bar.**

2 Quarts Water

1 Bar FELS Naptha Soap

1 Cup Washing Soda

1 Cup Borax

2 Gallons Water

1 Gallon Water

 Step 2: Start 2 quarts of water over the stove, and grate your bar of soap. **The finer it is the quicker it will melt in the boiling water. You see I started with the second finest grate, but moved to the larger one.** Yes, I grated it on the pail lid. Why dirty a dish?

Add to boiling water and stir until dissolved.

Step 3: Add Washing Soda and Borax. (Stir till smooth - Not that I would know anything about this *hehe- don't look at the edge of my pot!*, but if it boils, it boils quickly- so watch closely and reduce the heat.)

Step 4: Pour into 5 Gallon Pail, and ADD 2 Gallons of Water. (For quarts and gallons I used the pitcher that I make the Kool-Aid in. Otherwise: 1 quart = 4 cups. 1 gal. = 4 quarts or 16 cups)

Step 5: Take a break and let the solution sit over night.

Step 6: Take your potato masher and stir your solution till it is smooth. (I actually JUST discovered a fun way to do this- pull on my super-long rubber scrubbing gloves and dig in.)

Step 7: Add another Gallon of water and funnel into containers.

Poof! You're done! Now just give those containers a little shake before adding a 1/2 cup to your machine.

You can add vinegar or oxyclean to the wash for heavy soiled laundry.  (I.E. - Cloth Diapers)

Got a H/E Machine? So do I. While not "recommended"- this is a LOW SUD soap, and my machine actually looks and smells cleaner than it did when I was using commercial detergents. If you'd like- Check out the links of information below.

Ingredient Information:
 Borax - Wikipedia
Washing Soda - Wikipedia
Fels-Naptha - Wikipedia

Review: "Grave Sight"

      I've recently started reading Charlaine Harris's "Harper Connelly" Series. The first book in the series (Grave Sight) was first published in October of 2005 by Penguin Group.  

      I'm sorry, did you just get all bug-eyed and gasp at 2005? Yes, you read it right, 2005! I know it is going to seem down-right strange to some of you that I am writing a review on a book not recently released. But, let me defend myself…  

      I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Charlaine Harris's "Sookie Stackhouse" series. (You know, that one True Blood is based off of.) I missed her writing style. So, I found book 1 of this series available at the library after hitting up  Story Time with my daughter. But, I actually enjoy reading older, less popular books anyway. Partly because there is NEVER a wait at the library. I can read the entire series at my leisure. (And find them when they are super cheap in Hardback on the clearance table.) I also enjoy reading what's not popular at the moment sometimes. Who likes to follow the in-crowd anyways? I won't say I never follow the crowd, but I am my own person. Sometimes it just feels so invigorating to go against the grain of the popular society.  (Hence, I won't be reading 50 Shades of Grey anytime soon.)  I hope you find my reviews to be pleasant and concise.

Clean Diapers are good… Dirty Diapers are (obviously) bad.

Clean Diapers: 2/5

Dirty Diapers: 2/3 

      Harper Connelly is a young woman who survived being struck by lightening and was "blessed" with the ability to 'feel' what bones of dead people have to say. She gets visions of the person's last moments before their death, sharing their emotions, but is unable to identify the killer. Her body pays it's toll to ride this wild emotional- roller coaster, but she works hard for the money, and banks it faster than a sprinter in the Olympics. Harper and her step-brother Tolliver work together in this quirky (slightly creepy) mystery to find and reveal the truth in a small town murder.  

    This story gave me an unnerving sense. I kept feeling like the introduction was just that... an introduction, but it kept going, and going. Once it sank in that this is where the entire story takes place - I was able to enjoy it better, but not completely. Lots of information about the main characters gets repeated time-and-time again (to the point where I rolled my eyes as I sarcastically read the lines over and over). The plot is fairly interesting in itself, but it lacked a viable reason for keeping us in this town. (Hence, the continuing feeling that Harper and Tolliver should be moving on.)  A lot of words were wasted on providing non-essential details about the characters that didn't make me feel connected to most of them. (With an exception to Nell.)

    The thrilling ending got exciting and made it worth the repetitiveness though.However, I never give up on a series. Look for my thoughts on Book 2 of the Harper Connelly Series in the future.

Cutting A Watermelon

      I always flip through the weekly sales flyer for the local grocery before I make my lunch and dinner menus for the week.   I was excited to see that watermelons were on-sale! I didn't realize I wanted watermelon so badly until I saw it on-sale and then it was game-on.

    Once I got it home and got the groceries away, I wanted to start cutting it. I'm not having a party- just wanting it to snack on in this heat wave we got going on, so I didn't want to cut it in fancy style, just cubes. I watch a lot of Food Network T.V. and have noticed they cut it differently than how I normally cut my melons. Well, I tried two (and a half) of the different styles, because I wanted to find the easiest way to get bite-sized chunks.

Method 1: Cutting the Rind off all the way around.

I started by cutting the melon in half, and then cutting the rind off in chunks as you see above. I then sliced the fruit down into the width I wanted my pieces. I paid a couple "strips" down, and chopped them making  the square sizes I wanted. POOF! Almost a complete half of perfect watermelon bites, with very little wasted on the rind.

Method 2: Halve the Half

Halve each half of the watermelon (haha!) Glide your knife all-the-way through the melon as close to the rind as possible. (Be careful, and try going half way and then start from the other end to meet in the middle.)

Thatseemed to waste a lot more of the perfectly good fruit, so I tried halving it again, and "skinning" it that way.

Method 2.5: Same as above, just thinner halfs.

 It appears to have gotten more of the fruit, but if these were my only options I'd go with Method 1 every time. It allowed me to waste only the bare minimum amount fruit, so I get to enjoy that much more of it!

**************

I wish I could tell you (and show you) that I am an expert watermelon cutter, (clearly) I'm not...so check out these blogs for other easy Watermelon Cutting tips:

Pink Suede Shoe - Method 1 Above.
Fab Food - Cutting in Cubes or Wedges
Iowa Girl Eats - Slices to Cubes

Ah, Engorged at 9 Months Post Delivery

         Did anyone else just see that "milkfall" in my living room? I can't believe that I am 9 months post delivery and I am still having days when my breasts are ENGORGED! I love nursing my daughter, but I'm having second thoughts about weaning her...ever! j/k

           Although she still does not have any teeth, we have expanded her daily "solid" feeding to twice a day last month. I haven't noticed a problem before because she still nurses regularly even with the feedings. Or at least so I thought! It seems to be catching up with me just about every morning. I wake up in a puddle of milk-soaked sheets with my breasts as hard and heavy as rocks that I think I may just topple over from being top-heavy as I toss my legs over the side of the bed. (I always seem to stay straight up thank-goodness.)

          My original goal was to nurse her for three weeks. I told my husband that if I can nurse her for three weeks that would be better than her not getting any super-awesome breast milk. I survived, and she gained the right amount of weight. So, I had started to get the hang of that breast-feeding thing and wanted to continue. I told my husband that if I can nurse her for three months she should have a good start at building a super-awesome immune system. I survived, and she continued to gain the right amount of weight. Now, I thought I was a pro at this breast-feeding thing and wanted to continue. I told my husband that if I can nurse her for six months she will have the healthiest super-awesome start in life that we could have ever given her. I survived, and she continued to gain the right amount of weight. At six months we started introducing solids two times a week. At seven months we picked up the pace to once a day. At eight months we started her eating twice a day.

         Here we are now. Nine months. My new goal is to nurse her till she is one-or till she gets teeth and bites. (Fool me once…I've heard that tales.) Which brings ma back to the original reason for this post...I'm engorged at nine months. I don't want to bad-mouth my milk supply (I'm glad I have it,) but ENGORGED, really? I have found that sleeping on my stomach actually increases this result contrary to posted reports stating it actually helps ease engorgement. If I sleep on my back I wake up feeling fine most of the time, but I'm a tummy sleeper who likes to bounce her foot off the edge of the bed. That's not the real problem.

        The problem I'm having is that I seem to be the only one facing this engorgement at this stage. I'm not trying to wean her yet, so I don't want to do anything drastic to slow the supply down too much. I searched the internet as a whole. I searched message boards. I searched blogs, and no one really seemed to be complaining about it unless they were trying to wean. I have found one solution that helps me to throw out there. I have found that pumping for just a few minutes in the morning before she wakes release enough of the supply that I can be comfortable. It's not really enough milk to do anything with, so I usually just toss it. (We're trying to skip the bottles altogether.) That is my only sure fire way to hit comfort in the morning to start my day.