Only a Grandma - or Nana in my case, would delight in walking through Barnes and Nobles with a cute little girl wearing her Minnie Mouse hat. By the way - B&N is having a kids ale with up to 40% off. Go here to see the deals.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Zane's Lane Pics
Give a five year old your camera and this is what happens.
The Eye's Have It.
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Zane's Photo Ops
Gardening Girl Married to Gardening Guy
Michael and I are busy researching, talking, planning and doing some more researching our garden and patio projects. Thanks to Stephanie at Keeper of the Home (new blog/name coming) we're inspired and challenged to be better stewards of the "land" God's given us. Rather than watering grass (and weeds), we're going to make our land more productive and edible. Stephanie's the Canadian Garden Girl - go check her great post on her new seeds.
Michael watched her suggested Home Grown Revolution on U-Tube and now he's got vision for his "garden." So, I'm married to a King, a Philosopher, a Pastor, a Musician, the Father of my children and now Garden Guy. This should indeed be a fun and interesting experience.
He's finishing this tree project that started here and next, because we live in the desert and our dirt isn't the greatest, he's going to build three raised beds. He found these instructions (with video too) from the Garden Girl in Boston.
How To Build a Raised Bed
There are many different ways and materials you can choose to build your raised bed. Personally I use regular old dimensional lumber. There are advantages and disadvantages to this material.
The advantages are that it is relatively inexpensive, easy to cut and screw together. The disadvantages are that because the lumber is in contact with the soil, will eventually rot away. If I get seven years out of a bed then I am happy.
I extend the life of my beds by painting them with milk paint after they have been outside for one year. I have also treated some lumber with linseed oil with pretty decent results. Never use pressure treated wood. It has been chemically treated and those chemicals can leach out into your soil and poison you slowly. I am dying to try recycled plastic lumber for my beds at some point, recycled plastic lumber, although more expensive it can last virtually forever.
The tools you will need are a Screw gun and a saw. I personally get the people at the home supply store to precut my lumber for me, it is easier to transport that way and saves me lots of time.
The raised beds I build are based on four foot beds and eight foot beds; this is also the general standard for lumber. Lumber comes in 8, 10, and 12' + lengths, so this allows less cutting, which means less waste. I use 2x10x8' lumber for the construction of my raised beds.
To build one 4x4 raised bed I buy four pieces of 8' lumber and have the store cut them into 8-4’ pieces. They’re now lighter and you’ll be able to transport them home easily in your car. Don’t forget to buy 4”galvanized screws to assemble the raised beds.
If you’ll be rotating and housing chickens or rabbits in them, make sure you fasten galvanized wire to the bottom with screws and washers so your chickens will be safe from predators. Each four foot bed requires about 32 cubic feet of soil. Today you can buy highly enriched organic soil at your garden center, but I prefer to make my own with my livestock and other compostable materials that would normally be hauled away. Check out the video for more information.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Lylah's Best Chicken or Steak Marinade
This is my best marinade....called Lylah's Best Chicken or Steak Marinade (actually, it was from a friend while we lived in Portland). You've got to try it - it's truly fabulous! And, I always triple it and freeze what’s left over.
Combine in a large bowl: 4 T oil, 4 T soy sauce, 2 T lemon, 1 T brown sugar, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 T basil leaves.
Mix this as best you can and if barbequing chicken stick a whole clove into each boneless skinless chicken breast and then soak your meat pieces in this marinade. Add a dash of pepper to each chicken piece.
This is best prepared the day before or at least the morning of so your meat can soak up the spices. Hmmm. Let me know how you like it!
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From my kitchen
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Simple Home - Add a Little Wow To Coffee and Cake Time
Add a little "wow" to coffee and cake time. These dynamic black and white espresso cups will not only stir the conversation but hold 3 ounces of espresso atop a matching saucer. Set of 6, each measures 2-1/2"H x 4-3/4"D. At Macy's - Bodum Paula Espresso Cup & Saucer, Set of 6 $29.99
Ideas, Ideas and More Ideas
Our breakfast (steel cut oats, blueberries, ground flax seed & sesame seeds) topped off with cinnamon and then a bit of cream is in process. French press too.
So, I'm peeking in on some mom blogs and this u-TUBE Home Grown Revolution (thanks Stephanie - my musical hubs is jazzed - really jazzed) while nutrition is in process.
Of course, I'm in love with table dresser Nora Fleming and her creative table touches of color. She makes the Simple Home philosophy come alive. Speaking of bright and beautiful - I love this too.
Indoor ideas for kids such as making an indoor picnic packing a basket with paper plates, utensils and cups. Make sandwiches, pack fresh fruit, etc. Making collages by saving old magazines and catalogs and store them in a cabinet just for this purpose and a few more can be seen at Luca Blue.
Vicki has a family night idea and shared what her and hubs did with their family. Then go to her Warm Biscuit Bedding Co - she's got THE cutest clothes for little kiddos. Oh, there are some Easter Specials going on too.
MMM has some gift card ideas too.
Got a wedding coming up? Very chic ideas for invitations at Wedding Paper Divas.
Interested in Asian design? Home Rejuvenation offers you that design trend with cool before and after pics - which us women always love to see. Right?
Gabriela gives you ideas on how to make your gift packages beautiful.
Very cute mom blog - houses, couches and babies has a give away for a stay-dry bath apron and towel. Hurry click over there....time's almost up. And she touts finding the best gas prices in your area by going to gasbuddy.com. Who doesn't need that link?
Design Mom links you up with Blog Book that turns your blog into a book. Hmmm...I like that one.
Hostess with the Mostess mom blog has the cutest idea with brights and lights.
And, of course more ideas can be found at this mom's blog.
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Ideas
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Simple Home - Table Touches by Nora Fleming
Because I love to open the doors of my home and serve, I've been evaluating my serving dishes and have come to the conclusion that I'd be less frantic trying to mix and match this or that with my dishes of many colors - that it'd be a good choice to slowly begin to acquire more white serving dishes. I just got a new piece from my friend Nora. I love her white dishes and am eyeing this one (below) next for cupcakes that Zane and I Make. But, anyway, today received my two little color touches. And, I'm so stink'n excited.
Because I love to open the doors of my home and serve, I've been evaluating my serving dishes and have come to the conclusion that I'd be less frantic trying to mix and match this or that will my dishes of many colors - that it'd be a good choice to slowly begin to acquire more white serving dishes. I just got a new piece from my friend Nora. And I also received my two little color touches. And, I'm so stink'n excited.
I'm thinking . . . thinking. . . about having an Easter brunch (Easter can be crazy for a Pastor's wife - so that's why I'm thinking - you have to think first and then plan) and guess what will be on my buffet table - should my thinking move to planning and executing? Yup. This dish. Go check out Nora's other fun stuff and while you're at it...she invites you in to take a tour of her home!
The Simple Home - Memory Wall
My mom is a very creative woman. This is a sweet pic of her memory wall. The pictures are of her as a little girl - Mrs. Leary's foster daughter. This display is in her sanctuary - master bedroom. The little pic is when she came into Mrs. Leary's home - about three years old. My mom lived in three different foster homes. These are things she loves - roses and victorian style.
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The Simple Home
The Simple Home - Cute Bathroom Idea
The Simple Home - Bathroom Idea from my mom. Cute idea for the bathroom - let your guests use wash clothes - then have them toss it in a little basket. Keeps a sense of "healthy."
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The Simple Home
Monday, February 25, 2008
I Met a Woman Today at TJ-Max
After an interesting morning with a missed appointment (I had the wrong day), I was able to get more of my Monday errands done: Trader Joes, garden shop for new flowers, etc. And since, I am in desperate need of new knives I decided to test the market over at my local TJ Max and to my utter delight I found two Henckels knives. Glory! Not the total best, but will do with our budget as I'm working on re-equipping my kitchen.
While there, I meandered through all the pretties and ended up chatting with an older woman in one of the pretties isles. She'd bought a set of mugs with a sweet looking pattern and was inquiring of the sales girl if there were any more of those dishes.
Since I'm always looking for an opportunity to chat and build a bridge (it's easy to do if you just speak "woman") I imitated a little conversation over the beautiful pattern on the dish. Her comment to me, "I have five sets of dishes and it's just me at home" threw me. Not literally, but emotionally.
I couldn't help but think how lonely this woman must be to have five sets of dishes and it be "only her" at her table. I wanted to ask about hospitality and opening her home to international students and I wanted to ask her if she's ever though about becoming a bridge builder with those five sets of dishes, but for some reason I just couldn't.
So, that brings me to a question for my readers, "Who else eats at your table and off your dishes?"
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Building Bridges
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Staying Un-Cluttered for February
I originally posted this in the beginning of the year....thought it'd be good to share - along with what other women are doing.
In spite of being a very random person, I love to be organized. If I'm organized and clutter free, I find that I have more energy, time with friends and are those creative ideas of mine don't fly out into the deep dark blue. I also gave attention to our master bedroom, because I live by the Simple Home principles.
I actually started getting organized a few weeks ago. And, today, I'm entering into a serious de-clutter drive where simplicity, elimination, and concentration are my organizational mantras.
Both of my daughters have both been influential in my life where it comes to getting rid of the stuff. I attribute their encouragement to my NEW MOTTO:
If I'm going to live as an on-purpose woman, create sanctuary in my home, being a good steward of what I've been given (managing it well, not stock piling it), then I've got to minimize and eliminate on a regular basis - so that I can concentrate - concentrate on what's important in life - people.
Organization is a process and it's one that I must continually revisit. In light of that I thought I'd start posting what I'm doing to get organized and remain true to my MOTTO.
Today, I pretended that I was the energizer bunny and put away our very minimal Christmas decorations, and after bringing order to my kitchen, I moved to our Master Bedroom. Isn't that the space that tends to get the overflow of junk and stuff? Lately, mine has, so I started there. Knowing that my kitchen and our master bedroom are de-cluttered and ordered gives me peace of mind an energy to move to the next space that needs attention.
To get organized, I first step up my Three Organizing Bags: Give Away, Put Away, Recycle. This time, I did NOT have a garbage bag, just the three. I kept my bags in the kitchen and walked back and forth (the little walking trip to the kitchen helped me have a quick minute to think about which bag the item was going into).
I began with de-cluttering closets: minimizing and eliminating and then reorganizing. I actually have been investing in wooden hangars replacing the wire and plastic ones. Clothes hang better and the closet looks neater. I also put shirts with shirts (by color) and pants with pants and faced everything in the same direction.
The rule is: if it's not something you need, you haven't work within the past 6 months to a year) then it needs to be eliminated. Often guilt of how much we've spent on something is our rational as to why it's still in the closet. If I'm in question if something stays or goes, then I give it a value of 1 - 10. Only a ten stays in the closet. I like to think that there is someone else who can use this more than I can.
What do you think?
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Getting Organized for 2008
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