Thursday, August 18, 2011

Organized

O - Organized, I like to be organized. I feel much calmer in a space if it is cleaned an organized. Here are a few tips to organize your life!

Coupons
 I use a three ring binder and baseball card plastic sleeves to keep everything organized. I also break the coupons into sections by type and location in my store. Here is what I use.

You will need at least 25 sheets to get started. I use twice that.
Any three ring binder will do, just make sure it is big enough. I like the kind that has pockets on the inside, so I can put my list for the day there and the coupons I'm going to use.









Clothing 
I use space bags to store our clothes that are not in use or clothes that the baby grows out of. They really do work and keep dust and dirt off of everything. Then I can just slide the bags under the bed and out of the way. I do not recommend the kind that you can roll and use for traveling to use in long term storage, they let air in after a few weeks.

I also use the kind that are shaped like a cube just make sure it will fit under the bed or wherever you plan to store it. Also the bags can get heavy so make sure you can lift them.




Storage Cubes 
I use collapsible storage cubes for everything. Toys, clothes, books, winter stuff, we have one with an emergency kit for tornado weather, and one for camping. I got most of mine at Ikea and we use this bookshelf system with the cubes as a dresser in our master bedroom. We are able to put a lot more clothes in a small space by doing this. 




Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Big N, Little N, What Begins With N?

N – Intuition I know not an N, but for some reason I am an ENFJ so we are going to go with it. Intuition is preferred to sensing: ENFJs tend to be more abstract than concrete. They focus their attention on the big picture rather than the details, and on future possibilities rather than immediate realities.

N - Nosy, yes I can admit it I am nosy. Not because I want to gossip but I like to know what people are up to. My husband has to stop me from going to open houses in our neighborhood just because I want to see the inside of the house. I do not, however, like much reality TV. It's not real and just bugs me.

Here are some N's from Etsy follow the links below to find out more about them! 

Paperdoll
RingFling
Jack Dolan Woodcraft

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

J, K, L,M...

Being sick is still kicking my butt! I feel like I have been sick all of August... I am finally feeling better I think LOL.

Letters Letters Everywere!
Here we go!


J – Judgment I am an ENFJ (although I think I'm more of an I not an E, but more on that another day) Judgment sounds awful by the well known definition but in Myers Briggs terminology, "Judging" means preferring a structure over a "go with the flow" approach. Js tend to plan their activities and make decisions early. They derive a sense of control through predictability. That is me! Here is a little more about ENFJ personalities:

ENFJs focus on others, feeling a glow when those around them are happy, and troubled when something is amiss. They are natural cheerleaders, often expressing support, gratitude, and encouragement, and heaping praise onto those they appreciate. They take note of what is being done and what needs doing, offering their assistance wherever necessary.

ENFJs enjoy organizing group activities and tend to take their commitments seriously. In general, they are reliable and do not like to disappoint others. As team players and project leaders, they have a gift for rallying their players, focusing on what is being done right and each member's strengths. They are loyal and they expect loyalty. They carry conversations well, finding common ground with their speaker. They tend to find the correct and gracious way to respond in any given situation, no matter how tense or uncomfortable it is.

This makes me giggle
Yeah, this is true also...

 K - Kindness as the above pictures states I am very kind but that is not a weakness. Sometimes those two traits are put together and I do not think that is always the case.

L - Living, I try be to grateful for every day and live it to the fullest I can.  

M - Mother, I am a mother. Being a mother changes who you are and how you view the world and I would not change that for anything. I truly love being a mama and am thankful for the opportunity to share in my son's life

Thursday, August 11, 2011

G, H, I ......

So I have been sick....
My husband has been sick...
My son has been sick...
So that leaves mama without time to even be sick herself...

So I am a little behind on my alphabet. I'm going to a quick catch up post with one tidbit for each letter!

G - Generous - I try to be generous with my time, my resources and even my thoughts. People deserve generosity in any form it takes.

This G can be found here

H - Happy - I am happy! Truly happy, I like my life, my home, my family and friends... I have a very good life.

This H can be found here


I - Instinctive - I trust my gut instincts whenever I get that feeling I go with and so far it has never been wrong. I think that this is the way I use my faith and show my trust the most.

This I can be found here

Monday, August 8, 2011

F is for Fulton Farms

F is for Fulton Farms where I bought five dozen ears of corn to put in my freezer today!!


If you live anywhere near the Troy, Ohio area you should check them out! The corn is so sweet and the ears are huge!

I was able to put more then a dozen bags in the freezer for the long Ohio winter and it only took me two hours while the baby took his nap to clean, blanch, and cut the corn.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Today is E


About me
Eating - I love to eat.... good food makes me happy and trying new food is exciting!

Experiences- I am always looking for new experiences. A new park, new restaurant (see eating), a movie I have never seen.


And in other news
Edible Landscape - Wilmington College, where I when to school and then worked, used Edible Landscaping. It was fun to see peppers being grown next to the library. I am beginning to do research into how I can incorporate that philosophy into my own yard.

A few days ago I talked about blueberry bushes and later today my hubby and I will be pulling out the scraggly bushes to make way for them but I want to take it a few steps farther.

This is a picture of cabbage worked into a flower garden
Snap peas (and blossoms), mustard greens, poppies,
lettuce, kale and parsley. Photo by Marion Owen
I love that you can put vegetables and herbs in your flower beds and still have beautiful landscaping. This method of gardening will also allow me to take advantage of some sunny spots in my yard of which there are very few!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Today's Letter of the Day is D


First and foremost I must use:
Determined - I am determined to be happy and enjoy life. I am determined to make choices that result in a happy and fulfilled life.

Disney - I love Disney, I love the themes, the food, the rides, it is one of my favorite places to be!


One of my favorite attractions in WDW is Living with the Land in Epcot. Here are some fun facts about it.

The Preshow

Living with the Land is actually two rides in one. The first part of the ride takes you on a slow boat ride through a rain forest in the middle of a thunderstorm, a desert scene, and the American prairie. What this has to do with the rest of the ride is really never explored.

There are some interesting effects in this area. You get to feel heat, wind, mist, and experience lightning all used to simulate the actual conditions you are seeing.

The Attraction

After leaving the preshow, the boat and drifts through the five different areas of The Land's Living Laboratory. These areas showcase how agriculture will change in the future. Each area shows a different way to grow a "crop."
  • The Tropics Greenhouse shows crops from tropical areas including bananas, vanilla, pineapple, and papaya along with some more exotic plants.
  • The Temperate Greenhouse shows plants from more dry regions of the world. These include giant pumpkins, sunflowers, beets, and cotton.
  • The String Greenhouse grows plants using vertical growing techniques. The famous tomato tree along with lettuce, cucumbers, and eggplant are grown here. Disney has found a way to make pumpkins in the "Mickey Mouse" form. Some of the produce from this area is used in The Garden Grill and Sunshine Seasons restaurants.
  • The Creative Greenhouse shows some unusual ways to grow plants. Using aeroponics, Disney grows plants by spraying water and nutrients directly onto the roots of plants which are planted in air. There is also an exhibit by NASA showing hydroponics units that are being developed for long space journeys.
  • The Aquacell is where fish are grown. Yes, fish are a crop. They are grown and harvested. The Aquacell grows alligators, shrimp, bass and more in both high density and low density tanks and tubes.
A Tomato Tree

 The Postshow

Before getting off the boat, you see photos of people from all over the world and how they produce food.
  • More than 30 tons of fruits and vegetables grown at The Land Pavilion at Epcot are served in Walt Disney World restaurants
  • The dog in the farm scene of Epcot's The Land boat ride is the same dog as the one in Epcot's Horizons, Magic Kingdom's Carousel of Progress and the one holding the keys in Magic Kingdom's Pirates of the Caribbean. It was Walt Disney's dog.
  • The "dark-portion" of the ride is remnants of the Western River Expansion ride that was created for the Magic Kingdom but never built
  • There are 35 audio-animatronics in the attraction
  • The "Tomato Tree" produces over 32,000 tomatoes over a 16 month period
I also have to mention that D is for:
Dad - I happen to have a great one that also loves Disney. Hi Dad!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

C is for Cookie

C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me, Cookie Cookie Cookie starts with C.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes


AND...

Cooking - I really love to cook and I have a very strong food heritage that I hope to pass down to my son.

Cucumbers - I am growing them, pickling them, and eating them on a regular basis right now!

Church - Church and cooking go together for me. I enjoy cooking for others and do so often for my church.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Letter of the Day is B, and in Other News: Blueberries!

Today is being brought to us by the letter B

Bold and Bashful... I know that is kind of an oxymoron but so am I! 



Bold - When I really believe in something or I see someone that cannot stand up for themselves I become very bold. I also can give presentations and run workshops with confidence as long as I am comfortable with the material.

You can buy this cute little girl here


Bashful- I can be very bashful in social situations. I'm not very good at being a social butterfly and tend to be quiet when faced with parties and new social settings.

While we are on the topic of B, let's talk about blueberries!

I am thinking about ripping out some scraggly bushes in my front yard (one of the few places that receives full sun in my yard) and planting blueberry bushes.

I have been reading "Back Yard Homestead" by Carleen Madigan
and have been inspired to try and replace some of my not-so-cute ornamental plants with cuter and more functional fruiting plants.

I have been looking at a few types of blueberry bushes online and am leaning towards Toro Blueberry and Sweetheart Blueberry bushes; both work well in my zone (5) and make a lot of fruit. Another bonus is these bushes are very pretty in the fall when the leaves change.

The Sweetheart has two crops of berries each year! The first one is in summer and a second one in fall--yielding around 15 pounds more than the average blueberry bush per year.

Even after an extremely cold winter, Toros will produce tons of sweet berries in mid-July. Fantastic as a border or privacy hedge… the Toro boasts delicate white to hot pink flowers in the spring and fiery red foliage in the fall. It's even self fertile! It is not necessary to provide a pollinator for the Toro. However, planting another variety of blueberry alongside the Toro will increase berry production.

So maybe I will plant one of each?


The sad front bed
Do you have blueberry bushes? Do you have any other suggestions for my sad front bed?

Monday, August 1, 2011

The Alphabet in August

Its hard to believe that it is already August! This summer has been going at light speed. I am going to be participating in "The Alphabet in August" series originating on a blog called Chiot's Run. This is one of my favorite blogs and I thought it would be fun to participate in this challenge. The goal is to come up with words or ideas to describe yourself for each letter of the alphabet.

Photo From Chiot's Run

Today's Letter is A - Active. 

I am a very active person. I like to do things, see things, and have new experiences whenever possible. I Think the best example of this is my favorite vacation, Disney. Disney is an extremely active vacation but it is my favorite place to be. I love to go places for anniversaries and birthdays. Rather than be given things, I like to be given experiences, like visiting a new town, seeing a theater production, or going to the zoo.

Although I will admit now that I am a mom, the thought of sitting on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean for a few days does not sound too bad....

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

I Like You (by Sandol Stoddard Warburg)

I Like You (by Sandol Stoddard Warburg)

Someone in my family used this poem in their wedding recently and I really liked it so I thought I would share. 

I like you and I know why.
I like you because you are a good person to like.
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special
And you remember it a long, long time.
You say, "Remember when you told me something special?"
And both of us remember

When I think something is important
you think it's important too
We have good ideas
When I say something funny, you laugh
I think I'm funny and you think I'm funny too
Hah-hah!

I like you because you know where I'm ticklish
And you don't tickle me there except just a little tiny bit sometimes
But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too

You know how to be silly
That's why I like you
Boy are you ever silly
I never met anybody sillier than me till I met you
I like you because you know when it's time to stop being silly
Maybe day after tomorrow
Maybe never
Too late, it's a quarter past silly!

Sometimes we don't say a word
We snurkle under fences
We spy secret places
If I am a goofus on the roofus hollering my head off
You are one too
If I pretend I am drowning, you pretend you are saving me
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,
then you are getting ready to jump
HOORAY!

That's because you really like me
You really like me, don't you?
And I really like you back
And you like me back and I like you back
And that's the way we keep on going every day

If you go away, then I go away too
or if I stay home, you send me a postcard
You don't just say "Well see you around sometime, bye"
I like you a lot because of that
If I go away, I send you a postcard too
And I like you because if we go away together
And if we are in Grand Central Station
And if I get lost
Then you are the one that is yelling for me

And I like you because when I am feeling sad
You don't always cheer me up right away
Sometimes it is better to be sad
You can't stand the others being so googly and gaggly every single minute
You want to think about things
It takes time
I like you because if I am mad at you
Then you are mad at me too
It's awful when the other person isn't
They are so nice and hoo-hoo you could just about punch them in the nose

I like you because if I think I am going to throw up
then you are really sorry
You don't just pretend you are busy looking at the birdies and all that
You say, maybe it was something you ate
You say, the same thing happened to me one time
And the same thing did

If you find two four-leaf clovers, you give me one
If I find four, I give you two
If we only find three, we keep on looking
Sometimes we have good luck, and sometimes we don't
If I break my arm, and if you break your arm too
Then it's fun to have a broken arm
I tell you about mine, you tell me about yours
We are both sorry
We write our names and draw pictures
We show everybody and they wish they had a broken arm too

I like you because I don't know why but
Everything that happens is nicer with you
I can't remember when I didn't like you
It must have been lonesome then
I like you because because because
I forget why I like you but I do

So many reasons
On the 4th of July I like you because it's the 4th of July
On the fifth of July, I like you too
If you and I had some drums and some horns and some horses
If we had some hats and some flags and some fire engines
We could be a HOLIDAY
We could be a CELEBRATION
We could be a WHOLE PARADE

See what I mean?
Even if it was the 999th of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November
Even if it was no place particular in January
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again

That's how it would happen every time
I don't know why
I guess I don't know why I really like you
Why do I like you
I guess I just like you
I guess I just like you because I like you.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

My Growing Garden

Despite all of my bug and critter issues, my garden is growing! Here are some pictures I took yesterday.
Little tomatoes

YAY, I see canning in my future!


Onions

Potato, I covered him up after the picture!

Brussels sprouts


Peppers


Cucumbers

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Halushki Recipe

Halushki is a cabbage and noodle dish. It is very popular in Slavic and Polish cooking. Every family makes it a little differently. This is my Great Grandma Baba’s recipe that was given to me by my Grandmother Mema - that makes this recipe at least 100 years old, maybe more.  It will always remind me of family events and although some people think that fried cabbage smells funny, to me it smells like home.

Prepare Ahead (If you want to, you can make everything the same day)
1 medium head of cabbage, chopped into small pieces. Fry in skillet with 1 stick of butter covered, until transparent. Remove cover and continue frying until cabbage has become slightly brown then put it in your crockpot. (May be done a few days earlier and kept in the refrigerator until needed).
This is a huge cabbage, look at it compared to the bowl behind it!  Because it was so big I only used half.


4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into cubes. Cooked until done, I boil them until fork tender (this can also be done early and refrigerated until needed). Add those to the crockpot.


Make day you are serving
Prepare 16oz of Kuluski noodles according to package directions then add them to the crockpot. I cheat sometimes and cook the potatoes and noodles together, they seem to do fine and make fewer dirty dishes, YAY.
These are what I used but you can use the ones that come in a bag dried or make your own!
Brown ½ pound of bacon, drain some of the drippings off but leave at least two tablespoons in the pan. Take bacon out of pan and brown 1 medium onion, chopped. After onion is browned, crumble bacon and add back into the pan.

Mix bacon and onion together then dump the whole thing (including the drippings used to brown the onions) into your crock pot.



Mix together well and add 1 cup of chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Cook this mixture on low until ready to serve. Cook at least an hour in the crockpot but can be left on low most of the day if needed. If you will be leaving it in the crockpot for a long time you might need to add more chicken broth.

If you do not have a crockpot you can still make this dish, just combine all of the ingredients in a big pot on the stove and cook it on a low temperature until ready to serve.

Baba's Halushki
1 medium head of cabbage
4 medium potatoes
16oz thick noodles
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 pound bacon
1 stick butter
1-2 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Crockpot

Prepare Ahead
1 medium head cabbage, chopped into small pieces. Fry in skillet with 1 stick of butter covered, until transparent. Remove cover and continue frying until cabbage has become slightly brown then put it in your crockpot. (May be done a few days earlier and kept in the refrigerator until needed).

4 medium potatoes peeled and diced into cubes. Cooked until done, I boil them until fork tender (this can also be done early and refrigerated until needed). Add those to the crockpot.
Prepare 16oz of Kuluski noodles according to package directions then add them to the crockpot.
Brown ½ pound of bacon drain some of the drippings off but leave at least two table spoons in the pan. Take Bacon out of pan and brown 1 medium onion, chopped. After onion is browned, crumble bacon and add back into the pan.

Mix bacon and onion together then dump the whole thing (including the drippings used to brown the onions) into your crockpot.

Mix together well and add 1 cup of chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Cook this mixture on low until ready to serve. Cook at least an hour in the crockpot but can be left on low most of the day if needed. If you will be leaving it in the crockpot for a long time you might need to add more chicken broth. 
 Have you ever had Halushki? Do you like it?

Friday, July 15, 2011

Giving Used Coffee Grounds A Second Life

I drink a lot of coffee... iced coffee to be precise. Not the fluffy blended stuff, just ice, coffee, cream and Splenda.

I use a cold brewing method (which I can talk about another day) and this process leaves me with a lot of used coffee grounds. I hated just throwing them out so I started putting them on my compost pile. That is a great use for them but I wanted to know what else they are good for and to my surprise all kinds of stuff! Here are some ways to give your coffee a second life!
  • Put coffee grounds in your compost bin. As noted above, they are a valuable source of nitrogen.
  • Create a slug and snail barrier. Coffee grounds are both abrasive and acidic, so a barrier of grounds placed near slug-prone plants may just save them from these garden pests. 
  • Deodorizer. Dry them out on a cookie sheet and then put them in a bowl in your refrigerator or freezer, or rub them on your hands to get rid of food prep smells.  
  • Dye. By steeping grounds in hot water, you can make brown dye for fabric, paper and even Easter eggs.
  • Make homemade tattoos (temporary) with henna and coffee grounds.
  • Happy worm home. Keep bait worms alive by mixing coffee grounds into the soil before you add worms.
  • Mushrooms. Grow mushrooms on old coffee grounds.
  • Ant repellent. Sprinkle coffee grounds near cracks to keep ants at bay.
  • Squirrel repellent. Keep squirrels from digging in your beds.
  • Dust inhibitor. Before you clean out the fireplace, toss wet coffee grounds over the ashes to keep the ash dust under control.
  • Flea dip. Follow up Fido’s shampoo with a coffee ground rub down, working them down to his skin. Not only are the fleas suppose to vamoose, but puppy’s hair will feel soft too.
  • Kitty repellent. To keep kitty from using the garden as her personal powder room, sprinkle grounds mixed with orange peels around your plants.
  • Cleaning product. As they’re slightly abrasive, grounds can be used as a scouring agent for greasy and grimy stain-resistant objects but be careful if they are white.
  • Furniture scratch cover-up. Steep grounds and apply a bit of the liquid to furniture scratches with a Q-tip.



The uses I found that were strange but intriguing…
  • Cellulite reducer. Mix 1/4 cup warm, used coffee grounds and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. While standing over an old towel or newspaper, apply the mixture to your "problem areas." Next, wrap the areas with shrink wrap and leave on for several minutes. Unwind the wrap, brush loose grounds off your skin and then shower with warm water. For best results, it is recommended to repeat this procedure twice a week. A little weird to be sure, but as high priced cellulite creams have coffee in them, it just might work.
  •  Soften and add shine to hair. When washing your hair, rub coffee grounds through wet hair and rinse. For brown hair, coffee grounds add highlights
  • Face mask. Mix coffee grounds with egg whites to make a mask for your face. Slather it on and let it dry then rinse it off with water.
  • Carpet Cleaner? Sprinkle them on your carpet and then vacuum up to remove funky odors (I'm not so sure about this one…)

Even something for the kids!

Treasure Stone Craft 

By S herri Osborn About.com Guide

Materials Needed:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup used coffee grounds
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup sand
  • 1 cup water
Instructions:
Mix all dry ingredients together. Slowly add the water to make a stiff dough; you might end up using only half the water - add it slowly or your dough will be too runny!!
Knead on a floured surface until fairly smooth. Break the dough into desired rock sizes. Hide toys and surprises in the center of a ball of dough. Set in a safe place until totally dry. Atleast 3 - 4 days.
Once it is dry, the dough will look and feel like a rock. You can carefully break open the home-made rocks with a hammer to reveal the hidden treasures inside.

  




Hee hee hee!
 

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Homemade Pesto

Homemade pesto is super easy and can be a great gift! Here is a link to the blog were I found the recipe I use: giverslog. She also has great label printouts for the jars. I have a lot of basil in my garden and this is a great use for it but you can always buy basil in big bunches at the store. A little goes along way for me so I keep most of what I make in the freezer. It can keep for up to a year. Here is the recipe

Ingredients
4 cups packed basil leaves
5 cloves garlic
½ cup butter
2 cups Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
A handful of pine nuts or walnuts


Put first four ingredients into the food processor in order given: mash as many basil leaves in as you can, just as long as you leave a few inches of space at the top of the bowl, then add garlic (the Trader Joe’s pre-peeled stuff is great), slice up the butter on top, and dump the cheese on top of that. Pulse and gradually add olive oil until mixture is the consistency of thick paste. Taste it at this point and see if it needs more of anything, I will warn you that tasting pesto strait up from the bowl is a bit much for me, so if you think it tastes very strong don't worry it will mellow when you put it in as an ingredient. Add nuts and continue to blend. Once done, spoon into jars and keep in fridge or freezer until ready to enjoy. Yields about two cups.


Four cups of basil

Into the food processor
The finished product - isn't it pretty!
 

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