Disaster Area: My Desk

Hello, Friends! It's a chilly Monday here, on our hill and I have Wheels home with a cough and upset tummy.  My schedule is a bit off for today, but in a good way. I usually do my weekly shopping on Mondays, and then head into town for Women's Bible Study, but I did the shopping yesterday afternoon, so now I'm a free agent. (Well, sort of!) I've been busy getting some work done on the computer, printing out forms for Teddy Bear's school year next year and just generally trying to get myself a bit more organized.

Speaking of which, I had promised to share pictures of my before and after disaster area, a.k.a. my desk. It's not 100% where I would like it to be, but is a vast improvement, which I think you will agree to once you've seen the pictures. I weeded out 3 paper shopping bags worth of papers, not to mention some garbage and some organization bins, etc. that just weren't working for me.I was able to pass on the bins to a friend, who assured me that it was a blessing. I would hate to burden another Mama with stuff she doesn't really need! And so, with out further ado, I present Area 96, in photos!

Before:

I'm ashamed to admit that this is actually after an initial clean up. You couldn't even see the computer before. I hadn't used my desk since last April, before all of my surgeries.

Stacks and stacks! Very messy and disorganized. The desk had become a drop zone for papers and school supplies.

My desk was so bad, that I have our bill paying binder and other important papers around the corner, taking up the hutch, which has also become an Area 96. With my desk being cleared and getting better organized, I will be working on getting all the files, paper work and binders off of the hutch and in a proper place on my desk. Now, as you look at the After pictures, keep in mind I'm not completely finished with this project.

TAAADAAAA! Much better, no? I flipped some things around, got rid of TONS of papers, passed on what didn't work for me and made a few small purchases to achieve how I wanted my desk to look. I would really like a shelved top built for my desk so that things would look and fir better, but it's just not in my dear Hubby's time budget right now.

I took down the bulletin board that had been up on the wall. I bought some frames at the Dollar Tree and printed out some cute sayings. 

I bought the photo boxes at Michael's on sale, they were only $1.40 each! I was able to get 3 drawers cleaned out to use for things I need to get to more often. The wicker paper sorter was left over from the previous tenant of the building our church is currently leasing. We needed to get rid of some of the things left behind, so I snagged this baby. 

As I get more accomplished, I plan on sharing more. If you would like to see where I got the inspiration for my desk, you can follow me on Pinterest, where I have a board called "Home Office Organization & Printables". I'm working on setting up binders for home management, finances, homeschooling, emergency preparedness and homesteading. There are lots of pins for these on my board, and I'll share my binders once I'm done.

Well, I hope you all have a great day today!

Many Blessings,
Kelly

linked up to 

Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Pinterest Inspiration Tuesday: In the Bathroom

O.k., confession time. If I spent nearly as much time actually making the things I pin on Pinterest, I'd be the envy of every crafter, baker, gardener, chicken keeper, mom, wife, homemaker, etc. But I spend too much time "pinning", so I'm the envy of exactly..... no one!

I have actually put some of my pins to good use, so I thought that I would share some of them on a regular basis. I have many boards dedicated to crafts (a mish-mash of sewing crocheting and just general crafts), gardening, chickens, home office organization/printables, recipes, holiday things, kid things, homeschooling, and some that are just funny and inspirational.

Today I thought I would share some things I've done to spruce up our bathroom. I've had the same framed prints in there for a loooong time, and I saw a cute idea for keeping the kids' toothbrushes neat & tidy.

from On the Banks of Squaw Creek

I thought this was just so cute, and a nice reminder for the kiddos (and Mama & Daddy) that we aren't alone, even when we're washing our hands! Now, you can use the link above to go right to the post a download the PDF to print, or you can make your own. I went with the make it yourself option, it's just how I roll!

Now on to more practical matters. My kiddos toothbrush/toothpaste mess on the counter. It seems like every morning and evening I'm hearing "So-and-so used too much toothpaste, so there isn't any more!" or "Hey, that's where MY toothbrush goes!" I saw this lovely solution while perusing the Pinterest boards.

from Ugly Duckling Transformations

I loved how each kiddo has a holder for their own toothbrush and paste. I liked the idea of using mason jars, but I don't really like the look of the pipe fitting metal band thingy, plus I don't have the wall space to mount them to anyway. But I still made it work for my kiddos.

That is SO much better then before! Each child has their own toothpaste, so no more squabbles over who is using too much or what flavor to have. And I can just wash the mason jars out if (when) they get yucky. And they are placed in order of oldest to youngest, so no arguments over which spot is "theirs"!

If you are on Pinterest, you can follow me. Just search for Kelly Boynton and look for the picture of the sap bucket, that's me!

I gotta go now and check on my maple almond granola in the oven. Have a wonderful day, Friends!

Many Blessings,
Kelly

Thrifty Thursday: Christmas Decor & More!

I know it's Friday! I meant to write this yesterday, but my trip into town lasted much longer than I had planned, so I ran out of time. It's been a while since I have done a "Thrifty Thursday" post, not for lack of things to share though! I just don't know how these ladies that blog daily have the time on top of everything else!

Anywho, I thought I would share a few tips for Christmas decor and my latest sewing project that will help with both our budget and our goal to be better stewards of this planet.

TAA DAAAA! Cloth "paper" towels! I've seen this idea before online, but the last time I saw it was a post that was linked up to Homestead Revival's Barn Hop. So Saturday I used the last of the paper towels, and thought that I hated to have to buy more. We're rather crunched for money this month and I'm cutting as many things from our budget as I can. So I looked at my dear hubby and said "What would you think of using cloth paper towels? I'm pretty sure I have all the material I need to make them." He thought for a moment and, to my surprise and joy, answered, "Sure. Can we keep a roll of regular paper towels for in case the cats get sick, though?" I agreed that that was a good idea, but they have to stay under the kitchen sink. And then I got busy hunting down some terry cloth I was pretty sure I had squirreled away.

Now, the terry cloth is not my choice of colors, but it was what I have, and I have YARDS of it! I decided to make some Christmas ones because I also have about 3 yards of that as well from years ago. I used the tutorial from My Healthy Green Family. I didn't do snaps, nor do I plan to. I just re purposed a small basket to hold them and set it right where the paper towel holder sat on the counter.

 If you are wiping up something that might stain and you want to keep them looking as nice as possible, rinse them in cool water immediately! Our first major spill was pizza sauce, and I figured that I'd have a stained one, but after wiping up the initial mess, I rinsed it out will cool water to finish cleaning up and there was hardly any discoloration. I was also surprised at the whole incident because it was Wheels that spilled the sauce and as he reached for a paper towel and realized it was a cloth one, I thought he'd sputter about it, but he just went with it without a complaint. I think it helps that they are on the same spot as the paper ones! Now I just need to make a wet bag for the dirties!

Here is another thrifty tip; tie your cupboards shut so your hubby and kiddos can't get to the food!!! Just kidding! This is a bow on the cabinet door that I made from some homespun fabric. This was a curtain that I had made years ago and haven't used in a long time, so I just cut a little notch and tore the hems off, then continued to tear strips off of. I've always wanted to do the bows on the cabinet doors, but have always been too cheap thrifty to buy the amount of ribbon I would need. Even if I hadn't re purposed this material and had bought it new, 1 yard would have cost less than a spool of ribbon and have been more than enough to do the job!

All of the cupboards along one wall. I think it looks so pretty and festive!

A bow in the middle of my DIY lighted garland in the living room. Our living room, dining room and kitchen are all open to one another, so using the same material through each "room" helps tie things together.



I used another strip of cloth around my canning jar caddy, which is also my utensil caddy. You can use what you have to add some festive flare to your home, too! The cream colored bowl is the usual bowl I use to hold our fresh fruit in, but I put it on top of the red cake stand to add some zip. And the egg basket is in it's usual place on the counter. I had the food processor on the counter, but decided to move it to clear some of the counter.

This isn't the best picture thanks to the glare, but this is a Christmas hymn/carol subway art. I've seen some on Pinterest, and there are some free printable ones, but I wanted to make my own. I used the Word Art in Microsoft Works on my laptop and added a bit of clip art as well. I printed it on some off white card stock. I made 2 subway art prints for our bedroom with the names of Jesus. They came out beautiful, if I may say so myself. And I made yet one more, in the living room.

The dinner menu board even got a Christmas makeover! This is just some computer paper I have. I was going to do a subway art print with all of the Christmas goodies we like and I make, but I didn't want to spend the time. And believe me, you can waste spend lots of time on this project. Of course, it wasn't until after I made the prints that I thought to look up free fonts in Pinterest. And I found many, but then I hit the mother load! Dafont.com has TONS of free fonts!! I even found fonts that look like the writing in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Ring series!! My geeky heart swelled with joy at the thought of making my own nerd subway art. (I totally admit to being a huge fan of the Tolkien books and movies. I even named one of our chickens Arwen and I dressed up as Frodo this past Halloween for the kids Book Character Parade at school. Never would have figured me for suck a wacko, huh?)

I hope this gives you some ideas!

Many Blessings,
Kelly

 

Thrifty Thursday #2: Re-purposing Towels

Hello, Friends! Hope you have all been well. We've had some coughs and sniffles around the house, and today Wheels is home from school. He has a chesty cough and had a hard time getting to sleep last night, so we thought it best that he stay home where he can rest and I can make sure that he has plenty of fluids.

It is Thursday again, so it's another post on being thrifty. Before I get started, though, I just wanted to say that some of these posts will require sewing and a sewing machine. (Unless you are extremely talented with hand sewing!) Now, a sewing machine can be quite an investment, especially when you are living paycheck to paycheck. But it is an investment. You don't need a fancy one with lots of bells and whistles, just a basic sewing machine. And it will save you money. You will be able to mend and hem clothing, re-purpose or "up-cycle" clothing (see Thrifty Thursday #1) and make many things for your family and for gifts. Don't have sewing skills? I'm sure you can find someone in your circle of friends and family that will be willing to teach you. That being said, let's move along to Thrifty Thursday #2!!!!

Today is a two-fer! (Wow, really yucking it up with the hyphens today, huh?) The first idea is not my own, but from another blogger that has a lovely blog, complete with music! Over at Blissfully Content she shows us how to make some lovely cleaning cloths. Mine are not that pretty, and I won't horrify you with the results. I was rather slap-dash making mine, but they get the job done and have helped me to cut down on the paper towel usage. That, my friends, is a very nice thing for both the pocket book and the landfill! I even color coded mine according to what color towel I used. Blue for the bathroom and pink for the kitchen. Then I don't need to worry about cross contamination.

So, I made some cleaning cloths ans had some smaller strips of old towel left over. What to do with them? LIGHT BULB! I'll make my own reusable cotton squares for applying my ACV toner! Instead of using cotton balls or those round cotton pads, I now use these terry cotton squares and just toss them into the laundry when I'm done using it. Again, it saves money and the earth. They are easy to make and would make a great project for a beginning sewer, or if you have a little one that wants to see what you are doing and insists on being in your lap. Believe it or not, I snapped some pics for a tutorial! Not that I don't think that y'all can't figure it out on your own, but I have a "technique" that saves time and thread. Here goes!

Cut any banding off of your towel scraps, then cut into the width that you want.
Keep your fabric in strips!

Sew a straight stitch close to the edge of your fabric strip, all the way around.

Now sew stitches across the width of you fabric like pictured above. I sewed my
stitch, then picked up the presser foot WITH OUT cutting the thread, turn your fabric and sew in the other direction, leaving a bit of a margin between your stitching, all the way to the end of your strip.

When you are done sewing, cut between your lines of stitches.

Now you have a lovely pile of reusable cotton squares!

I hope that my "tutorial" wasn't too confusing. I thought that I could do it, but then the words got all screwy in my head and I think I muddled it all up, but the pics should help. Or you can sew them however you want. It's not like I'm going to come to your house and check up on you. (Unless you have some chocolate cookies or something! ;D)

There you go, a two-fer Thrifty Thursday! Let me know if you use these ideas, I'd love to hear from you! And if you have any ideas that you would like to share, let me know. And now, because it's been a long time since the gratuitous pic of my kitty or my kids, another two-fer:

I just love this picture! It loos like Teddy Bear is praying with Merlin. It was so cute that I had to grab my camera. Hope you have a lovely Thursday!
Blessings,
Kelly

The Fridge: Cleaning & Organizing

The BEFORE picture- scary, messy, cluttered, gross!

A close up; happy to say that the top is so full because we have 3 gallon sized bags filled with green beans from the garden!

Teddy Bear wasn't happy about me taking pictures of the messy fridge!

TA-DA!! The after picture; clean, organized, completely edible food!

A close up of the fresh fruit and veggie shelf. (I have to clean & cut the celery up!)

Some links for inspiration:
Organizing Your Fridge- from YouTube.com
a video from HGTV

So, this wasn't on the agenda originally, but after picking beans in the garden and gathering some hidden zucchini and cucmbers, I decided it was time to tackle the mess in the fridge. And then that got me thinking that there must be other wives and mamas who are facing the same predicament: a messy fridge full of wonderfully fresh produce and some scary "science projects"! I admit I wasn't exactly thrilled with the thought of hauling everything out of there, especially since I have have an extremely sore back, so I looked up some articles online for some inspiration. The 2 video clips I shared above really helped. (BTW, the containers featured in the HGTV clip are from Tupperware and they were "new" about 8 years ago! I know this because I was a TW consultant at the time!)

As I was cleaning out, I was thinking how keeping up with the fridge inventory is an important part of menu planning and pantry keeping. (I'm sure this is not revolutionary to some of you, but I can be slow to implement sometimes!) Our fridge looks rather barren right now, except for the fresh fruit and veggie shelf, but for this time of year it's fine with me! I'm trying to eat what we have in the fresh area to save on the pantry items, and it's also healthier. For example, instead of having a potato or pasta for a side dish, I like having 2 veggies instead. (I didn't mention rice because Princess and I are the only ones that like it, so I don't make it very often.)

I have yet to get a menu plan for this week down on paper yet, but I have a pretty good idea in my head for the next few days. Menu planning is important for saving money, time and sanity! It can be a saving grace when you have a crazy day (or week) looming ahead of you, or even if your day ends up being that way. Instead of standing in the kitchen wondering what in the world you're going to make, you know ahead of time (and hopefully remembered to take out the pork chops to thaw the day before!) and can get going. I also like to plan because I tend not to have as many of those "I don't want to make dinner, can't we just get a pizza?!?!?!!" nights.

I am hoping to have more posts on pantry keeping and menu planning, as well as how they go hand in hand. For now though, I'm looking forward to that little thrill of seeing a clean (inside!) fridge every time I get creamer for my coffee!
Blessings,
Kelly

P.S. You can "friend" me on facebook now! Just look up Homespun Inspirations and send a friend request. Also, I'd love to hear from you in the comments section. Just click at the end of the post where it says "comments" and it should bring something up for you to add your comment. Thanks!

Reader Request: Part 2

Happy Friday! It seems as if the heat and humidity have left town for today, atleast. The perfect day to get some cleaning done.(If there is such a thing as a perfect day for cleaning!) I didn't get to post all of my homemade cleaners and soaps this past Saturday, so here are the rest of them. Before I get started, I'd like to give you a couple of links that are very informative, and where you can look up some cleaners that you may need for your home, that I don't have.

Tipnut.com's Homemade Cleaner Tips and Recipes

The Queen of Clean's Top 5 Must-Have Cleaning Products

>Laundry Soap Jelly for Stain Removal<

you can find the original recipe at tipnut.com for this, but i think my way is a bit easier. I used Fels Naptha because that is what I have, but you could use Ivory or another laundry soap. It's pretty simple to make and works well on stains. You'll need:

glass jar (I used a quart mason jar)

bar of soap

hot water

grater, pot and spoon (I have a set that I use just for making soaps, etc.)

Grate enough soap to fill half of the jar, then fill the rest of the way with hot water. Now pour the soap/water mix into your pot and on medium heat, stir often until the soap is completely dissolved. pour back into jar (if your using a mason jar. If you're not sure about how much heat your jar can take, you can let cool a bit) Every 15 minutes or so, you'll want to stir it, as it will seperate. I did this while I was in the kitchen attending to other chores. I do not know if the jelly would have set up if I hadn't stirred like this. One it is set and cool, put on a lid and store in the laundry room. Next time you have a stain, use a soft brush (I use a toothbrush) to scrub the jelly in gently. Wash as usual.

>Homemade Liquid Hand Soap<

For me, this type of soap was a real albor of love! Or perhaps it was just that I wasn't going to let this deafeat me. It took me 4 (!!!) batches to finally get the consistency right. I will warn you that this will not foam up like commercial soaps. I'm thinking that this doesn't really matter-who knows what soet of chemicals are used to give us that cloud of bubbly foam?  Anyway, again you can refernce Tipnut.com for more recipes, but this is what worked for me. Unfortunately I can't give measurements on how much water I used-it's something that you have to determine by consistency and patience. What you need:

one bar soap of your choice

2 Tbsp. glycerine

2Tbsp. honey

about 4 C. hot water, depending on the size of your pot.

grater, pot, spoon, bucket, funnel and plenty of jugs to hold your soap

Grate your soap and add into your pot, then add the water. Over medium heat, stir often until soap is completely dissolved. Add in glycerin and honey. Pour into bucket and add another 2 pots full of hot water and stir well. Put up where little ones and pets can't get into. Now you need to be patient and wait for the soap to set up. It will thicken, it really will, it just takes some time. When soap has thickened (about 12-24 hours later), add  more water until the right consistency. Use the funnel to pour into jugs and soap pumps. I had about 4 gallons of soap, which will last quite a while. The money saved is well worth the time to make it.

That's all for now, but I promise to post more soon. There's much to do today, including a trip to the Rec. Have a wonderful Friday!

Blessings,

Kelly

Reader Requests: Homemade Cleaner Recipes

Happy Saturday! It's been a crazy week with the holiday weekend, Teddy Bear starting the Summer Academy at his school and a mid week bout of tummy issues for Mama. But we're raring to go for the weekend! While visiting with some friends at the Rec, we started talking about our livestock, etc., and a friend said she liked my blog. Somehow we got to talking about all the homemade cleaners that I make and everyone asked me to post my "recipes". So here they are! For some I'm going to give the link to the page where I found the recipe because there's more information than I feel up to (or capable of articulating!) writing.

Before I start, though, I wanted to let you know about my foray into homemade cleaners. For me, the first reason for making my own cleaners has honestly been a matter of finances. The detergents and cleaners I make at home are more cost effective than commercial products, even with coupons, sales, etc. I've never really done the math for some of my cleaners, but as most of them have the same ingredients, I'm not buying a lot of "ingredients". For instance, the homemade laundry detergent I make has borax and washing soda in it, which I also need for my dishwasher detergent, sink & tub scrub and multi-purpose spray cleaner. (By the way, tha laundry detergent is one of the BIGGEST money savers! Ive only made it 3 times in the last year and a half for a grand total of about $2 a batch!!!)

The second reason I like making my own cleaners is that they are better for my family and the environment. I don't have a lot of harsh chemicals, and I'm saving on packaging. For laundry detergent, i'm reusing 2 bottles for commercial brands, and I use a 5 gallon bucket to hold it in. I re-use sprayer bottles and for my sink scrub I washed out a parmesan shaker. For my dishwasher detergent I use a canning jar, and I've been saving my liquid dish soap containers for when I make my own.

So, now on to the recipes!

$Laundry Detergent from the Duggar Family$

Homemade liquid laundry soap
Ingredients:
4 cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 cup washing soda
½ cup Borax

• Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
  
• Fill a five-gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
  
• Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (It will gel.)
  
• Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per two gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons. Top-load machine: 5/8 cup per load (approximately 180 loads). Front-load machine: ¼ cup per load (approx. 640 loads).

Powdered laundry detergent

Ingredients:
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 cup washing soda
½ cup Borax

• Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use one tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 tablespoons. Yields: three cups detergent (approximately 40 loads).

Inexpensive fabric softener recipes
Recipe No. 1: Add one cup white vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.

Visit TheDuggarFamily.com for more tips like these, or TLCfor more info on the family. Michelle and Jim Bob’s book, “The Duggars: 20 and Counting,” is out now on Howard Books.

Personal note: I use the liquid detergent. Use 1/2 to 1 cap full for every load, depending on how big the cap is. I've tried adding the essential oils and I didn't feel that the scent stayed on the clothes, so I don't bother.

$Dishwasher Detergent$

There is A LOT of controversy on the web about homemade detergents, how well they work, concerns about the machine and septic systems. As far as how well it works, you may need to tweak your recipe depending on how hard or soft your water is, and what type of dishes you put in the dishwasher. We have few glasses, using mostly Tupperware Tumblers. Here is the recipe that I use, slightly tweaked for our water needs. I'll copy and paste it from the blog I got it from, then add the link so you can read more yourself. She has a wonderful post about keeping your dishwasher clean and running properly.

Homemade Dishwasher Soap

{soft water recipe}

1/2 cup borax ($.18)

1/2 cup washing soda ($.33)

1/4 cup food grade citric acid ($.66)

* for hard water, try increasing the amount of borax or add 1/4 cup course kosher salt, not regular salt! Read more here and scroll to middle of the page where it says "Dishwasher Salt".

Combine ingredients and use sparingly. I use only about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. per load. (For hard water, you may need more.) Keep in a handy container near your appliance.

 

From Amy over at Homestead Revival

Personal note: For the citric acid component, I used 4 packets of Koolaid Lemonade. (the kind you have to add sugar to.) Because we have so much Tupperware going through, I put a small squirt of liquid dishwashing soap in to help cut grease. I use 1 1nd 1/2 teaspoons in each dispenser and pour in about 1/4 cup of either lemon juice or white vinegar into the washer before running. I also use white vinegar in the rinse agent dispenser.

 

$Sink and Tub Scrub$

This is great for both a staineless steel sink, porcelain sinks and fiberglass tubs/showers. This recipe is actually a combination of 2 found in Linda Cobb's (aka the Queen of Clean) book How the Queen Cleans Everything.

4 parts baking soda

1 part borax

1 part washing soda

 

mix and store in a shaker container. It cuts grease and disinfects. I sprinkle it onto a wet sink/shower/tub and use a wet cloth to scub. Let sit for a minute or two and rinse with hot water.

 

 

$Homemade All-Purpose Spray Cleaner$

Again from Linda Cobb's book. I use this in the kitchen and bathroom. For genral counter cleaning in the kitchen, I spray, let sit and then wipe with a microfiber cloth that I use with only this cleaner. If I'm cleaning up from meat, then I use paper towels.

 

2 C. water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. borax

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. liquid dish soap

mix and store in a spray bottle. Shake well to mix and shake before each use.

 

 

Well, there are some of my recipes. I have more, I'm just worn out! And I'm sure this post has gone on long enough! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I'll post more cleaner recipes next week!

Blessings,

Kelly

 

 

 



What's Up?

Yes, we have 6 more chickens!

Hello all! I know I've been absent lately, and I thought I would share why. Before I do, though, I want to make sure that no one mistakes my intention, which is not to whine or complain, but merely to explain what's been going on here on our hill.

First, there is baseball. All 3 of our kiddos are playing every Tues. and Thurs. evening. This means a very hurried dinner and sometimes a parent taking the boys to one place, the other taking Princess to another. The kiddos don't get to bed until about 9 (an hour and a half past their usual bedtime), so Mama and Daddy don't get to bed until about 10 or even later. Then I can't get my butt up in the morning to get my shower, and I start the day behind already! It only takes one or two mornings of this to get me really behind in house work before I start to feel VERY overwhelmed. Blogging just isn't on the to-do list!

The other is an issue I haven't wanted to share because, well, I just felt it wasn't important. However, to fully understand our family, you have to know. (Are you in suspense, wondering what bomb I'll drop?!) It's not that big of a deal, but it does affect our family life. I have a herniated disc that pinches the nerves in my left leg. I can't lift too much, be on my feet for very long or sit for too long. I often have to take breaks from daily chores, and some days I can't do much at all. Unfortunately, the usual epidural injections that I received in the past are not effective now. Fortunately, I have been blessed with an incredibly understanding and caring husband that is willing to pick up the slack when needed. And I have 3 wonderful children that are very caring, understanding and helpful, as well. They even make our bed for me on mornings that I just hurt too much to do it!  I've had a few days where it's been a struggle to get work done, and again, blogging has had to take a backseat.

Now, on to more pleasant topics! We have 6 more chicks! It amazes me how my darling husband has gone from an adamant no chicken policy, to the owner of 16 chickens! The 6 new additions were an unplanned addition, but certainly not unwelcome. Friends of ours that own a large flock of chickens had given some eggs to a local preschool to hatch. After about a week after hatching, the new chicks needed a home, and our friends asked us if we were interested in taking them in. Without batting an eye, my hubby answered "Sure!". These little ones are staying in the cellar for now, until they have a chance to grow some more. (After moving Stella and Katherine out, I will never have chicks in the living room again!) Unfortunately, we don't know the sex of the birds and one of the little ones is not well. She (I'm assuming) was born deformed. We were going to keep her, however, after observing her, we think it's best to put her down. Her one good leg is unable to support her body weight now, and she has a hard time getting around. We hate to see her suffer, so it's the most humane option.

The garden is doing well. We could use some rain, but we keep it watered with the hose. The pumpkins and zucchinis have sprouted and I hope to see some green bean and pea plants up soon. I just planted cucumbers last night, as I had forgotten all about them Memorial Day weekend! We're hoping to get the raised bed for our herbs done soon. My mouth waters at the thought of grilled zucchini with fresh thyme and oregano, or homemade pesto! I've put the extra catnip plants to use in decorative planters, as they have beautiful light purple blossoms.

I plan on sharing some more homemade household cleaners soon, as well as some more of our summer plans. This week is full of field trips and other end of school events, so it may not be this week, but soon!  I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!

Blessings,
Kelly

Homemade Cleaners and What They Have to Do With Holy Weekend

Ingredients for Soap Jelly (taken yesterday, as you can see the sunshine on the bowl!)

Ingredients for homemade dishwasher detergent

Greetings on this cold, rainy/snowy Holy Saturday. Although I don't care for this weather, it seems a bit appropriate for the day, at least to my way of thinking. I can't help but wonder how the apostles and followers of Jesus must have felt that Saturday so many years ago. Aren't we blessed to know that tomorrow there will be rejoicing?!

So, you're probably wondering what in the world I mean by the title of today's post. (Then again, perhaps some of you are already familiar with the following concept!) In the past, Lent has been a time of Spring cleaning for both the soul and the home. (I couldn't find the specific sites about this, but if you Google "spring cleaning and Lent" you'll find some more info. there.) That being said, don't feel guilty or panicked if you haven't or don't plan on spring cleaning your home. You are in good company! I'm still playing catch up from when I worked nearly a month ago! However, with yesterday's sunshine, an impressive amount of money going out for the kiddo's baseball, and an urge to be more self sufficient, I looked up some recipes for homemade cleaners and detergents. 

I've been making my own laundry detergent for about a year now, and am very happy with the results. I got the recipe from the Duggar Family's site. I've only had to make it twice in the last year, and with it costing only about $2 to make a batch, it is well worth it! I ran out of stain remover, and rather than paying at least $2 for it at the store, I remembered the link to a recipe for homemade soap jelly for laundry stains. It's super easy and cheap to make! I used a one quart canning jar and it took about 3/4 of a bar. The one thing it didn't mention in the recipe is that you may want to stir it a few times as it cools. It separated into a bright yellow liquid with a cloudy white layer at the bottom, and I don't know if it would have jelled properly if I hadn't stirred it. I've yet to use it, but I'm confident!

I had also run out of dishwasher tabs. We use Cascade tabs with Dawn and bleach. After reading this, I returned the unopened bag I had bought and picked up a pack of pink lemonade. (I had the rest of the ingredients already). I doubled the recipe to nearly fill a 1 qt. canning jar. I added 4 packs of  pink lemonade Kool-Aid for the citric acid, and kept one out to clean the dishwasher. (Read this article to learn more about cleaning your dishwasher) Again, I haven't used it yet, but I've had to use borax and baking soda before when we'd run out of tabs, and was fine with the result. I think the addition of citric acid and kosher salt will "pump up" the results! I think I will also add a small squirt of Dawn to help cut grease because we use Tupperware plates and tumblers.  I'll let you all know how it works when I've used it!

My plans for Holy Week did not go as, well, planned! I was gone every evening this week either for a church activity or baseball practice. It seemed as though time flew by and there wasn't any extra to work on crafts or put an effort into special meals that would just get wolfed down before heading off the the field. Next year I won't hold off on the crafts until the end, and try to not book so much during the week. Of course, Lent and Easter were late this year, so baseball shouldn't be a factor for 2012. I'm obviously much better at planning than executing said plans!

Blessing for a Happy and Meaningful Resurrection Sunday friends. May it be filled with joy, love, family and His presence.
Blessings,
Kelly

New Additions, Visitors and Some Plans!

"The Girls' Stella and Katherine

Merlin checking out the chickees.

Good morning! I hope you've been enjoying your April vacation (if your kids go to school) and if you home school, then I hope it's been a good week! We've had a busy few days, but in a good way. As you can see from the pics above, we have 2 new additions! Friday evening I picked up "The Girls" from a friend. It's been feathery fun every day since! This has to be a short post, so I'll "talk" more about the chickees another time, but it's fun and they are so adorable!

The boys are in Connecticut with Gramma and Grampa, checking out Cabela's and eating dinner at Chuck E. Cheese. We got Gramma & Grampa's border collie, Pepper, in exchange. So I have a dog, a cat and 2 chickens in the living room this morning! For some reason Sandra Boynton's Barnyard Dance comes to mind!

For today, Princess and I are going to work on her bedroom. She is a paper hound just like her mother, so her desk drawers are spilling out all over the place. If we get done in time, I would like to start working on a Princess lap book for her. It will be from a Biblical perspective, so it will be fun and meaningful. I'll post more on that later!

I have some Easter crafts in the works for when the boys are home and I'll be sure to share those. I'm hoping they'll be enthused when they see what we'll be doing. I am!

Well, have a great day!
Many Blessings,
Kelly

A New Week, a New Beginning

I know it's a bit early to see bees buzzing around flowers, but I just had to choose this picture for today's post. You see, it's a very busy week for Mama! I'm working at the kids' school, have 2 Four Winds classes, the first of ten sessions of our church's Alpha Course, and the way this week's weather is looking, the sap will be running! Despite all of this busy-ness, I am determined to not get frantic, overwhelmed, grumpy or resentful. Of course, this is not a goal that I can attain on my own. It will take planning, preparation, teamwork on behalf of my family and some rest, peace and quiet with my Lord.

O.k., planning, preparation, rest, peace and quiet with my Lord? How does that help? I know you're asking (or maybe you're not if you're in my women's Bible study:) )how? You see, there are things I am called to do as a child of God, as a wife, as a mother, etc. There may be times when I am called to be very busy, and times when perhaps, not so much. The key to being calm, peaceful, enjoyable to be around, and dare I say, joyful, isn't always in paring down our schedules. This may be needed if you feel chronically overwhelmed, weary and burdened, but more importantly it is how we go about our busy lives. When we take the time to sit at Jesus' feet, to rest in His presence, allow him to carry our burdens and to guide and strengthen us, we need not be the crazy lady that has overtaken your home! If we let our to-do lists and calendars get the best of us, there is nothing left for the Lord, our husbands, our children, our loved ones.

In Joanna Weaver's Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, she helps us understand how to deal with the craziness that our lives can become and how to take the time to sit at Jesus' feet. I truly recommend reading this book and doing the study guide at the back of the book. Even more helpful is doing it with a group. I have read through it twice before on my own, once without doing the accompanying study guide and once with doing it; however, being with a group of other ladies has been much more enlightening and fruitful for me. This is not a plug to gain any monetary benefit for myself or anyone else. This is an honest to goodness, heartfelt suggestion to any woman feeling overwhelmed, over-anxious and tired.

Along with the recommendation to read the book, I also am a huge believer in planning and prepping. Plan what you can, prepare your family and yourself and allow flexibility. For this week, I planned all of this weeks meals on Sunday after having a look in the freezer Saturday. Then I sat down and charted out the week for myself. I have a sheet that I made up on my computer, but there are other pre-made sheets you can download and print. I have to have everything there right in front of me, or I can get even more panicky! After putting in the definite "have to's", that have a definite time, (work, appointments, volunteer work, etc.) I can schedule in housework, errands and grocery shopping. And of course there are the things we'd like to do; crafts, hobbies, coffee with friends, bubble bath, sleep!

I also suggest that you schedule in time for prayer and Bible study. If you don't have this time for the grounding of your soul and spirit, you're more likely to be knocked over by the demands of life. I try to remember to send up a prayer for patience, wisdom, grace and guidance before I even get out of bed in the morning. Mornings seem to run much smoother when I've taken that time. And when I am starting to stress too much, I meditate on Psalm 23. It never fails to calm and revive me.

Well, it's getting time to put the kiddos to bed. That means Mama gets her "down time"! Many blessings for the evening,
Kelly

A Lovely (if frantic!) Friday!

Happy Friday! So far it is clear skies, and despite the light dusting of snow, it feels more like spring! The birds are singing and some of our feathered friends have returned from their trip south. Monday morning I saw a red winged black bird in one of our trees, Wednesday Princess pointed out 2 robins on the front yard and this morning we saw a small wedge of geese! Winter may still have it's grasp on us, but it's loosening by the day.

Well, Friday at our house means clean bedrooms! The kids strip their beds before going to school  and the washer gets started shortly after so that there are clean linens to put back on! The kiddos also have to have everything picked up off the floor (and hopefully put in the proper place!) so that Mama can dust and vacuum. Some Fridays I spend a few minutes tidying up their bureau drawers, but for the most part, I'm letting them take on the putting away of their own laundry. I usually set the timer for about 15-20 minutes for me to be in each bedroom (the boys share a room) or else I'd spend the whole day upstairs cleaning and organizing! The upstairs hall gets dusted and vacuumed as well. Then on to Mama and Daddy's room. I'm looking forward to warmer temperatures so that pillows and comforters can be aired out on the deck. There is nothing like slipping between sweet smelling sheets on a Friday night, after a long and hectic week.  Unless of course you have a pint of Ben & Jerry's before sleeping off the peaceful sleep!

So, has anyone else put any thought into spring cleaning? I've been thinking of it often, making a mental list of things that need to be done (it would be easier to make a list of things that don't need to done!) and working on revamping my planning system. I was going to dedicate this week to evaluating and planning spring cleaning, but that seemed to get shoved aside when we came under attack of the stomach virus again!

Speaking of revamping my planning system, I've been meaning to finish up my posts on my home keeping notebook, but I have been working on it and re-evaluating it. As soon as it is done, I'll post it. The trick to keeping a home keeping notebook ( or any organization system) is finding what works for you. If it doesn't work, you won't use it and things will fall to chaos once more! Research, put some time into planning and be flexible when it comes to an organization/planning system.

Time to get going! There's laundry to wash, floors to vacuum and errand to run! Wishing you a lovely Friday full of sunshine and birdsong!
Blessings,
Kelly

Tuesday's Tips and To-Dos

Good Tuesday to all! This post has been rumbling around in my head since Monday morning! Despite what it says on the calendar, Spring was in hiding yesterday. Despite the snow and wind, (or perhaps due to) my thoughts were turned to spring cleaning, meal preparation, and menu making.

The spring cleaning was due in part to this blog post. So in between cleaning the kitchen and switching laundry over, I decided to search out some more spring cleaning/organizing tips for my self and I wasn't disapointed! Here are some of the links and sites:

^How to Oraganize Spring Cleaning

^10 Easy ways to be more organized by Monday morning

^Tipnut's Guide to Spring Cleaning

You can also check out the links to the right, under "Helpful Links for Moms".  You could search topics on Tipnut that you need help on, and recipes for homemade cleaners, linen sprays and even laundry detergent! ( I make my own, and it is well worth the little bit of time to make!) Flylady also has some great tips and ideas, although I haven't subscribed to her way of doing things.

Now, Mondays are my Women's Bible Study days, but I was home with Wheels, because he was recooperating from an attack of the stomach bug. Monday is also the day that I get the kitchen ready for Tuesday, which is grocery shopping/errand day That got me thinking about the kitchen, food prep. and meal planning. I need to seriously reconsider how I have things stored in the kitchen and pantry. And I REALLY need to be better about planning a weekly menu. So again I went to the internet and found these links:

 8 Meal Prep. Tips

Menu Planning: Saving Time in the Kitchen

Menu Planning M,ade Easy

Organized Pantry:Beginner Guide to Pantry Pride



 This got me thinking about my weekly menu. Here's what I have so far:

• Monday: We won't talk about that night's dinner!
• Tuesday: baked garlic & herb chicken breasts, baked potatoes, canned corn, grapes and blueberries for fruit
• Wednesda: Italian sausage, spaghetti, broccoli, strawberries and grapes for fruit, tossed salad
• Thursday: pulled BBQ pork sandwiches on garlic bread, fruit salad, green beans and tossed salad (the BBQ pork will be cooking in the crock pot)

Well, that's it for today! I nearly forgot about parent'teacher conferences tonight, so it's a short night for blogging! Have a great evening and many blessings!

Kelly