Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Chicken Pot Pie

This is a favorite in my house. The recipe yields two 9" pies. I always cook one up and put the filling for the rest in a bag and freeze it for later. When I thaw it out, I warm it up in a skillet with some milk to make it creamy again.


2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1 3/4 cups sliced carrots
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 pastry for a 9" pie

1. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp tender. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat.

2. Fill one 9" pie plate with half the chicken mixture. Reserve rest for freezing. Roll out pastry to fit top of the pie, trim.

3. Bake one potpie at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Land stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Matt's Chore Chart

I have always tried different ways to gently remind my kids to do their chores. Matt is the one who loves lists. Like mother, like son. So I found, for free mind you, a chore chart system from Notebooking Nook that I love.

I printed out the sheets I would be using and used my handy laminator to laminate each sheet. After I did that, I cut out the cards and put velcro on the backs of each card (I didn't use all cards that were given like the tithes and prayer cards) and on the blank chart.


 



Then every night, after he has gone to bed, I add the chores he needs to do the next day. Each day is something different.


 



When he does a chore, he puts them in this cute little box I got. When I originally posted this over at Homesteadblogger, I was using money to get him to do his chores. At the time he hardly ever used the computer or other gaming systems that we have. Now, he is always on my computer when I am not, so I need to update it to earning time to use my computer. Probably like 10 minutes earned for every chore done.

 

 

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Why I love thrift shops

We have this wonderful little thrift shop in town that I go to a lot. Either to donate or to buy clothes for Matt. The other day, I was going through all Matt's winter clothes (it has been getting chilly here in NH) and I noticed that he had hardly any long sleeve shirts. So I headed out to the thrift shop to see what they have.

Let's see if you can pick out which picture of clothes came from the thrift shop. Top picture has 2 polo's, 2 thermal shirts and a fleece sweatshirt. Second picture has a pair of thick camo pants, a sweater and 2 long sleeve t-shirts.








Cost of picture number one was $38.40. It is Walmart brand clothes except the fleece shirt. That is by Starter. Bottom picture cost me $8.00 and consists of L.L.Bean pants, a Walmart brand shirt and two named brand. As you can tell the thrift shop clothes are still in perfect condition and have no stains on them. Matt even noticed that the camo print on the pants is actually paw prints. I had no idea until I really looked at it. hehe.

I have no problem buying from thrift shops and even prefer it to a regular store. I hate spending a ton of money on clothes for Matt when he is going to grow out of them in a few months. I have also bought myself some really nice things at thrift shops too. Not to mention the money I spend there goes back into the community and helps other people.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Apple Crisp

So after picking a ton of fresh apples, I had to make some apple crisp. Here is the recipe that I use. Warning, it makes a TON of the crumble. I love a ton so this recipe is perfect for me. I got the recipe here.






  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups butter
  • 2 quarts peeled, cored and sliced apples

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Cut butter into mixture until crumbly.
  3. Take half of the mixture and pat it into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  4. Cover crumb mixture with apple slices, then sprinkle apple slices with remaining crumb mixture.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender.


One thing I noticed is that cooking for this long tends to make the apples more like a chunky sauce (see my picture). It is still good, but the apples are a bit over cooked. I would do it for about 30 minutes and then check it from there to see if the crumble is nice and crisp. 

Applecrest 2011

Every year growing up we always went apple picking at Applecrest in Hampton Falls, NH. I have kept the tradition going and have been taking my kids there every year too. Now I live down the street and tend to go at least once a week in the summer. They have the best homemade maple nut ice cream.



                                      Looking for that perfect tree


                                          Sampling the goods

  
                                Feeding some future socks perhaps?


                   Love this odd looking pumpkin. I couldn't stop touching it. LOL

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Cub Scout Bike Rodeo Round Up

This past Saturday Matt's Cub Scout troop gathered to recruit more kids to join Scouts by having a bike rodeo.



We had a Police Officer from out town come and talk to the kids about bike safety. We also had a station set up for bike check-ups and to talk about required gear for biking.




There were also some obstacle courses set up. One was where the kids had to weave in and out of cones to practice control and not speed. Another one was to stay in between two lines that get more narrow as it goes down. Of course Matt had to show off and go super fast while weaving between all the cones. He didn't miss any cones and one parent commented how he must ride his bike a lot. Matt lives on his bike.



Oh and I also got a picture of what looked like a butterfly on crack flying. It ended up being a Praying Mantis. Cool looking guy or girl more than likely. (the guys tend to loose their heads, literally, during mating.)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Happy Birthday Matt

Okay so his birthday was over a week ago now, but I have been busy and have had no time to blog. Anyway, for Matt's birthday I took him out mini golfing. It was a beautiful day. It was at a place near us called Captain's Cove. I even got a hole in one on a par 4! hehe. I took him to lunch at Friendly's (all meals were chosen by the birthday boy) and after we went home where he played video games for the rest of the day while I napped.






Friday, September 9, 2011

Paper that Matt's teacher sent home with him today

Student's should not spend more than ninety minutes per night on homework. The time should be budgeted in the following manner:

Looking for assignment....................................................................15 minutes
Calling a friend for the assignment.....................................................11 minutes
Explaining why the teacher is mean and just does not like children......23 minutes
Going to the bathroom......................................................................8 minutes
Getting a snack.................................................................................10 minutes
Checking the TV Guide.....................................................................7 minutes
Telling parents that the teacher never explained the assignment............6 minutes
Waiting for Mom or Dad to do the assignment....................................10 minutes

Thought it was cute.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

First day of school 2011

Yesterday was Matt's first day of fifth grade. He was suppose to go back to school Monday, but it was canceled because of Irene which hit us Sunday. (we lucked out during that storm and the only damage we have is our broken tomato plants and a lone blue bucket in our yard).

We head off to the bus stop 15 minutes before 8. The bus is suppose to pick up the kids at 8. Didn't happen. She was 20 minutes late. Ya I know, it was the first day of school, but honestly she was late every single day last year and even forgot to pick up the kids one day. Many phone calls to the bus company last year didn't help either.




He said that he had a great day, but was not happy with having homework on the first day. I will have to give the teacher a call because from what I have herd through the rumor mill, is that his teacher tends to let the kids do what they want and get away with things. Matt tends to be an instigator and loves to get other kids going. It is part of his disability that he can not control at times. He needs a nice firm teacher who will put a quick stop to his little quirks, so I am afraid this teacher won't do that.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Games for Matt's Birthday Party

Matt's birthday is coming up and after last years hit of having an outside party with a slip n' slide and other outside things, we decided to do it again, but with some new games. The slip n' slide will be there as well as the tug of war (it was funny watching the little kids kick the asses of the big kids last year). We will set up a volley ball/badminton net, have lots of water guns and water balloons for the water balloon toss.


I did a search online for some new ideas for water/wet games to play with the kids. Here are a couple that we will be doing:



Sponge Relay Race

  1. Divide the kid into two teams and give each team a sponge.
  2. Mark both ends of the course with the rope. Place a bucket filled with water at the start line and an empty bucket at the other end for each team.
  3. On the word, “Go!,” the first player on each team must dunk their sponge into the bucket of water, run to the empty bucket at the other end, wring it out, run back to the start and pass the sponge of to the next kid in line.
  4. The game continues like this until each kid has completed the course.
  5. The team with the most water in their bucket wins.
 For a really hot day have the kids carry the sponge on the head as they race for the bucket at the other end of the course. This can be done with hands or without hands! For the without hands option any kid who drops the sponge has to start over again and re-dunk the sponge.


Water Bucket Brigade

  1. Mark both ends of the course with the rope (about 25 feet apart).
  2. Divide the kid into two teams and give each kid a bucket.
  3. Have each team line up in a straight line from the start line to the finish line.
  4. On the word, “Go!,” the player on each team who’s closest to the water source scoops up a bucketful of water, turns to the kid next in line and pours the water into his bucket. Then this player turns and does the same, and so on down the line.
  5. Until the last kid pours whatever water is left into the team’s bucket at the finish line.
  6. The game continues like this until one team fills their bucket.
  7. The first team to fill their bucket wins.

These ideas came from Awesome-Kids-Birthday-Parties.com .


My not so normal ride home

My ride home from work started out like any normal ride home.

I was running late because I got stuck on the phone with someone who wanted to spend exactly 100.00 with shipping (didn't happen buddy), so it was like 11:20 when I left. I drove Cindy to her exit where we met up with her husband, then I got back onto the highway, set my cruise control to 65 (yes I go the speed limit, I am all set with going through more gas than I already do), and call my hubby.

I talk to Steve every night which helps me stay awake on my long ass ride home. So we are chatting about stuff and I am driving along checking out the few vehicles I am passing or that are passing me. I like to see what states other drivers are from. I have seen a ton of different states recently like Louisiana and Missouri.

So anyway, I come up to this driver from Maine in a white SUV. It was a little bigger than an Ford Explorer. Other than that, I didn't really pay attention. I was in the second lane and this person was in the third lane. By now I was already 30-35 minutes into my drive home but not tired for once. Steve and I were chatting up a storm about something (well I was LOL).

I was passing the Maine driver when I happened to see a blinking yellow light out of the corner of my left eye. I look over and the asshole Maine driver had his blinker on and was moving into my lane. The blinking light I saw was the one that is on the side of the vehicle near the front tire which meant I was a little bit passed this car but not all the way there yet, so I was not in his blind spot. Yes my car is black but I have my lights and my fog lights on so you can see me. I hit my horn and didn't let it go (I never ever use my horn cause it sounds like a dog's chew toy IMO. LOL). Did this stop the driver? NOOOO! The moron kept on moving over. I tell Steve to hold on, I put my window down and started screaming lots of bad words at this person. I had to swerve into the first lane and then I gunned it to 80 to get past him.

Oh and did I mention that I was on the bridge that goes over the Merrimack River? Of course we were talking about this bridge as I was leaving work last night and how stupid drivers like to slam on their breaks while going over it.

Now I am really pissed off. I honestly don't remember being anything but pissed during the whole thing which lasted like 2 minutes, if that. I tell Steve what just happened really fast cause my adrenaline was going nuts and he goes "Welcome to my world". I honestly don't know how he can drive the mixer and deal with people like this every freaking day. I would go nuts. This guy was either drunk or falling asleep. I am thinking sleepy. He wasn't swerving or anything. Eventually I get back into the second lane and go to my normal cruise speed and I am keeping an eye on this guy who is now behind me. He never did catch up with me and eventually he was well behind, so he had to have been going much slower than my 65.

Of course when I get home, I am no longer tired (I was hoping for a normal falling asleep time for once) and I stay up reading till like 2am.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Pease Air Force Show August 2011

This past weekend we went to the air show at Pease International Tradeport in Newington, NH. It was like a dream come true for Matt to see everything military up close and very personal. It was a blast, even though I burned up a ton. So here is a little picture montage of our day.













Wednesday, August 10, 2011

New School Binder

It's that time of year again to start gathering all the school supplies for the school year. Of course there is nothing that we can find that Matt likes. Well, he found some car folders, but what he really wants is everything military themed or camo print. I have looked, but have had no luck at all.He needs a binder to put all the folders in and we have a ton of those white binders with the clear pockets on the front and back covers.

Soooo, Matt and I hit Michael's Craft Store to see if we could find some camo printed scrapbook paper. We found plenty of stickers that were geared towards specific branches in the military (Matt picked out the Army and Air Force) , but nothing military related for paper. Off to Joann's Fabrics to see what they might have. I was also on the look out for camp fabric to make him a pencil pouch (will do a post on that later). Well, they did not have much when it comes to scrapbooking stuff, but we did find some camo paper.


                        Sorry for the yellow light, but it was 1am after all


Last night (or this morning because it was 1am when I did this LOL), I could not sleep so I decided to make his binder. I cut two of the sheets to fit inside the front and back pockets. Then I used the Army stickers on the front cover paper and the Air force on the back cover paper. I am going to use the uniform stickers to make a tag for Matt's backpack instead of writing his name on it. (Will do a post on this too).


                             Matt showing the Army side of the binder


                         And showing off the Air Force side of the binder



Tuesday, August 9, 2011

My Gracie

A few weeks ago the vet found a mass in the colon of my baby, Gracie. She had just turned 5 years old back in June, so for her to get sick this young upset me. I have had many cats over the years, but they all have lived for a very long time. Mama Cat was 26 when she passed and her daughter, Pumpkin was 22 when she passed.

The vet of course wanted to either do surgery or chemo. I love my cat, but I can not afford this. I spent a fortune for them to tell me she had the mass that "might" be cancer. I decided to not do anything and just keep an eye on her. There are days when I think I should put her down, but then the next day, she acts like her normal self.

When we got her, she was an abandoned kitten and use to spending all her time outside. When we moved to our current location, the mobile park owners made us sign a paper saying that Gracie will remain indoors. They claimed that they were trying to get rid of all the stray cats out of the neighborhood. Not sure how that is possible seeing how we have other houses outside the park that could have outdoor cats. Not to mention a bunch of our neighbors in the park have cats and they are always outside doing what cats do.

So now that she was diagnosed, we decided to say screw it to the paper we signed and have been letting her outside. We figured she might as well enjoy her time doing what she enjoys the most while she has sometime left. She is gone literally all day long. I let her out in the morning and she is waiting on the porch for me when I get home from work at midnight. Last night she was out all night long thanks to the butt load of rain we have. So when she came home this afternoon, she actually ate a ton of food. Something she hasn't been doing a lot of recently.

Here are a few pictures that I love of her.

                                      Hiding in the water bottle box

                          Checking out what is in the heater/ac vent

                                          Helping me homeschool Matt




Sunday, July 31, 2011

Getting back into Blogging

During my 6 years of homeschooling, I blogged everyday. This past year was my first year with no homeschooling and I tended to slack off in the blog department. Going to get back into the swing of things.

Things have been crazy here, like every summer. As of today the boys are off to Boy Scout Resident camp until Thursday and my goal is to deep clean the house. One thing I have noticed about being the only girl here is my house never seems to get clean. The boys sure do mess it up a lot and fast. So everyday I will take one room and get it sparkling. All except Matt's room and Steve's side of the bedroom. They can do those themselves. It may take a couple to get the living room cleaned up because we emptied out our storage unit a couple of months ago (ya I know but the RA slows me down a ton) and so it is full of boxes and crap.

So today's goal is to get the kitchen cleaned up. It won't take long cause I hate a messy kitchen to begin with. Allegra (the rabbit) and Gracie (the cat) will get their areas cleaned up as well. I will post another blog all about what has been going on with my baby Gracie. Oh and laundry. I did a bunch over the weekend to get the clothes for camp packed. Not that they are far from me. They are only on the other side of NH about 40 minutes away.

I will be back. Going to go wash up last night's dishes. Had take out, so not much there. hehe

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Weekly Menu 5/15 - 5/21

Sunday

B - Waffles
L - Italian Chicken on the grill, Potato Salad, Hotdogs
D - Barb-b-que Chicken on the grill, Potato Salad, Green Beans


Monday

D - Tuna Noodle Casserole


Tuesday

D - Fish & Chips


Wednesday

D - Pasta & Salad

Thursday

D - Sloppy Joes & Salad

Friday

D - Swiss Steak in Crockpot & Green Beans

Saturday

B - Bacon & Eggs
L - Hotdogs & Baked Beans
D - Baked Macaroni & Cheese & Salad

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Been busy

Not been doing much recently other than getting the yard and garden ready. We bought a tiller attachment for the weed wacker  and let me tell you, it works wonders. Going to add two more raised beds and then the compost. I have 10 tomato plants already going strong and ready to be planted, but it is still chilly here at night up here in NH, so I need to cover them up. I will post pictures of the garden once I get everything planted. Everything gets done from seeds. It takes forever, but it is soooo worth it in the end.


I am now on Methotrexate for my RA. I am afraid of taking it because of the mile long list of side effects. I also have to get blood work done every month because it causes liver damage. I think I just knocked off 10 years of my life when I went on these meds. I was joking to Steve the other day, saying that now we will die together. He is 15 years older than me and until recently, the age difference has never bothered me. I am afraid of him going before me, but doubt that will be an issue now hehe.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Living with RA

For the past few months, the joints in my shoulders have been hurting me. I finally went and saw my DR. and she gave me some muscle relaxers and some exercises to do. Didn't really work. Then my hands started to hurt and swell up a ton.

After 2 months of that pain (I hate to see DR's, can't ya tell? hehe), I went back to her and she ordered a bunch of blood work because of my family history of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The very next day, she called me and said it was positive for RA. She referred me to a specialist and I called and set up an appointment to see him. (this all happened last week btw). The so called earliest appointment I could get was at the end of April on a freaking Saturday. Talk about inconvenient. The drive is 45 minutes away too.

So while I wait for this first appointment with the RA guy, I have been reading up about it online. I have all the symptoms that it lists, which I always thought were for something else. Like for instance, I am always tired. But I just thought it was because I get home from work at midnight and fall asleep around 2am or so only to wake up a million times a night because I am so sore. I know that didn't help and probably added to my fatigue.

I am also not sure if I even want to take any of the medications that are used to treat RA. The side effects alone are scary. Hopefully this doctor I see is open to a more natural treatment. I take enough medication for my asthma and rather not have any more chemicals in my body that will damage my liver.

I know that exercise is suppose to help, but honestly it hurts to move. My feet (well mostly my toes) hurt a ton every morning. I shuffle around the house like a little old lady (I am only 34 damn it!) and it takes a few hours to actually get them to bend so I can do anything that requires me on my feet.

Everyday chores take me forever. Shopping wears me out and driving hurts my hands and neck. I work 45 minutes away from where I live, so that drive is getting to me. The hubby thinks that I will be going out on disability soon. I highly doubt that. Come the end of the night, I can move better and my hands aren't so sore. Typing actually seems to make it better, if I do it in moderation.

Well, I am off to do some errands and chores.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Home Made Detergent







I have been reading everywhere about making your own detergent. So I decided to give it a try. It took alittle time to find all the ingredients for the powder detergent, but I found them eventually. I have seen a ton for a liquid form of it, but it looks too lumpy and I have no place to store that much of it, so I opted for the powder form.

I got the Fels Naptha at Shaws grocery store, the washing soda at Stop & Shop grocery store and the Borax at Walmart. Two of the stores are near my house, but Walmart is 25 minutes away. I haven't been able to find the Borox any closer. *

*Edit** Now I have 3 major grocery stores all within a 2 mile radius and I am able to find all the ingredients there**

Here is the recipe that I am using:

2 cups (almost one full bar) of Fels  Naptha finely grated
1 cup Wasing Soda
1 cup Borox
Mix all together
Use 2 tbs per load of wash

For a test load, I washed my sons and hubby's socks. My sons socks can get black very fast (he likes to run around outside in just socks). I use to use All and a ton of bleach and they never got very white. This is one reason why I wanted to try this home made soap. Another is the cost. Well, the cost is the number one reason.

Well, after the wash was done, I took them outside to dry (we don't own a dryer). The sun shinning on the clean socks make me blink. Thankfully I have transition lenses on my glasses because I needed sunglasses the socks were so clean. They even smelled clean.

Normally after air drying in the sun, the socks would get all hard and crusty with the All detergent. Not with this home made soap. The socks stayed soft even after drying.

I have some All detergent I will be using up on my sheets, blankets and towels, but all our clothes will be washed in this new home made soap. Then once the All is gone, it will be home made soap all the way.

Here are some websites to find home made detergent recipes:

The Family Homestead
Tip Nut ~This is where I got my recipe. It is #4 on the list~
The Frugal Shopper
Modern Cottage ~This site even has a nice fabric softener recipe. I may have to try this one out too~
Video on how to make your laundry soap on You Tube

Green Cleaning Recipes

Clean & Green

Excellent nontoxic alternatives exist for those harsh chemical cleaners and many of them are already sitting on your kitchen shelf. 

Baking soda works well for cleaning glassware, especially coffee pots, and removes red wine stains from carpeting. 

A baking soda and water paste removes tea stains from ceramics and polishes silver and stainless steel.

Use coarse salt to scour copper pots and other cookware. It will also help clean up fresh spills in the oven.

Lemon juice removes grease from stove tops and other kitchen surfaces.

Olive oil (3 to 1 with vinegar or 2 to 1 with lemon juice) makes a great wood furniture polish.

Here are some specific recipes for a clean — and healthy — home:

Air Freshener
4 oz. distilled water, 2 oz. rubbing alcohol, 30 drops of essential oil of choice (can blend fragrances. For example, 15 drops of orange and 15 drops of clove can be combined for a winter holiday air freshener)
Combine in a carefully labeled spray bottle and enjoy!

Carpet Freshener
In a container with a tight-fitting lid, combine 1 cup crushed dried herbs (such as lavender or rosemary) with 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 2 teaspoons baking soda. Shake well to blend. Sprinkle the mixture on carpet and let sit for one hour. Vacuum.

Copper Cleaner
With a rag or sponge, coat dirty copper with an even layer of ketchup. Allow ketchup to penetrate the tarnished metal for approximately 20 minutes. Rinse with warm or hot water and buff to a shine.

Disinfectant — Heavy-Duty
Combine 1/4 cup powdered laundry detergent, 1-tablespoon borax, 3/4 cup hot water and 1/4 pine oil. Slowly stir the detergent and borax into the water to dissolve. Add the pine oil (available at hardware stores and supermarkets) and mix well. For bathrooms, use the mixture full strength. For kitchens, dilute with water.

Drain Clearing Agent
Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda in and around the drain opening. Follow with 1 cup of white vinegar. Repeat if necessary and flush with hot water.

Glass Cleaner
Combine 1/4 cup vinegar and one quart of water. Plain club soda also works!

Grease Stain Remover
Cover stain with a mixture of borax and water. Rub in and wipe off. Rinse well after applying stain remover.

Kitchen Disposal Freshener
Just drop in a few lemon wedges and flip the switch.

Laundry Bleach
The only ingredients are 1/4 cup of lemon juice and some sunshine! Use the lemon juice in the washing machine's rinse cycle. After clothes have spun, hang in the sun to dry.

Multipurpose cleaner:
Combine 1-teaspoon borax, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 cups hot water.

Mold Remover
Saturate a sponge with full-strength vinegar and scrub the moldy area. Rinse well.

Oven Cleaner
Make a paste of equal parts salt, baking soda and water. First, wipe away any grease and scratch off burnt spots with a scouring brush or steel wool. Finally, apply the paste, let stand five minutes and wipe clean with a damp rug. Scrub if necessary. Do not allow baking soda to touch heating elements or wiring.

Rust remover:
Sprinkle salt on the rust and then squeeze a lime over the salt until it is soaked in juice. Let the mixture sit for up to three hours. The leftover lime rind can be used as a handy scrubber to remove the rust. Another option is to rub the rust with balled-up aluminum foil after wetting it with water. Use caution as aluminum foil will scratch chrome.

Silver Cleaner
Rub the silver with toothpaste; wipe off tarnish and then rinse. Dry with a soft cloth.

Tile floor cleaners:
Mop floor with solution of 1 to 2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap dissolved in 3 gallons of warm water. Rinse with 1 cup of white vinegar in 3 gallons of cool water.

Toilet bowl cleaner:
Combine 1-cup borax with 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice to make a paste. Apply it to the inside of the toilet bowl and let it sit for one to two hours before scrubbing.

Wall and wallpaper cleaner:
Dissolve 1/4 cup borax in 1-gallon hot water. Stir to blend. Use a sponge or rag.

Window Cleaner
Mix 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Add 5 drops lemon oil or, if you like suds, 5 drops favorite all-natural dishwashing liquid.

Use to wash windows, other glass or mirrors. This mixture can also be kept in a covered container with a rag submerged in the liquid. For damp dusting, simply wring the rag out and wipe surfaces clean.

Wood floor polish:
Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Rub on floor and buff with a clean, dry cloth.

These cane be found here at the Whole Foods Market Website.

Cloth Pads !! Yippy !!

This post was done a few years ago, but I still rave about them, so I had to post it here.  :o)

After hearing many good things about cloth pads, I decided to try them. I couldn't bear paying the amount for only a few pads that some companies wanted, so I made my own. I made two of each color here and have many more cut out ready to sew.




This is the pantyliner pad found at Adahy's Cloth Pad Patterns. They also have an 11 inch pad pattern and a circle pad pattern. For those of you who like the Luna Pads, she has a multi layer pad pattern as well.
The panty liner one was plenty big for me. The 11 inch one looks way to huge, but might work for an overnight pad. I may have to make the multi layer pad. I made mine without  the PUL, as I couldn't find it in my fabric store locally. I did find a few places online to buy it, but at nearly 9.00 a yard + shipping, I figured it was too much.



I just made mine with two layers of terry and two layers of flannel. I leaked through only once, but my periods tend to be very light and with using these, I swear it was even lighter than normal. So silly to be excited about using these, but they are so nice and soft and I will never go back to disposables. I am so tired of the rashes the chemicals that the  disposables gave me.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Moving over from HomesteadBlogger

I am going to be slowly moving over from HomesteadBlogger to here. I Haven't enjoyed the changes made to the site and because of it, my blog has not been updated in months. I use to blog almost every day. Blogging has always been something I enjoyed. Helping others, sharing ideas with others and new friendships.

So, over the next few weeks, I am going to be posting lots of my posts from my old blog then taking it down.
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