Week 23, 24, 25

I can't believe we are almost half way through the year!!! Time flies when you are having fun.  Its been a busy couple weeks. We had friends come stay with us for a couple days, so we had a house full! 

 My friend Amy and her boys came to visit us for a couple days. The boys got schooled by my girls! It was fun! 

Brittany wrestling with Josh

Adyson schooling Zach! 

At the CMA Fest in Nashville I got to stand next to the beautiful Clydesdale!!! 

 GARDENING-  It was time to put poles up for the beans. So I put the kids to work! They all did a great job. I tried the "Sisters planting" this year and it didn't work out very well. I planted corn, squash and beans together. I got the idea from Pinterest. The idea is that the bean will grow up the corn, the squash will protect the corn and beans (and you also shouldn't have to put poles up for your beans) but some corn didn't come up so I had beans running a muck in my garden. 

 

The cardboard worked extremely well in the garden except next year I need to remember to weight them down. Until the cardboard got good and wet/pounded down in the ground it kept blowing all over the yard. The cardboard was an EXCELLENT weed barrier for the garden! So we had to put some plastic down to prevent weeds in the bigger spots of the garden. I have already had a little harvest of squash and zucchini this year!

FAMILY TIME- it was great having good old fashioned fun. We actually bought water guns and the kids and Daddy had a ball!!!  The fun lasted almost 2 hours! 

 

Then we went on vacation to Florida and had a blast! We did go to the Ponce Lighthouse, the Marine Science Center and LOTS OF BEACH TIME!!! 

 

 

READING- Thanks to my WONDERFUL husband who bought me the NOOK Simple touch I was able to read to my hearts content on the beach! I was in the "murder/mystery" mood so I read....
 Malice by Lisa Jackson, AWESOME

Suspicions by Christine Kersey- this was OK, written for ALL reading levels (in my opinion) little too simple for me. 

Swim by Jennifer Weiner VERY SHORT e-book, not worth the time, only 40 pages

EATING HEALTHY- Well when I went to Florida that went out the window, especially after I found Salt Water Taffy..... My favorite! When we came home from vacation I couldn't find my paddle to the bread maker! So I have ordered another, hopefully it will come soon, my dying for homemade bread again. 

FARM HAPPENINGS- We have found out that Rella, the spotted cow LOVES to play in the sprinkler! it was so funny to watch her. I had turned the sprinkler on the garden and she walked the fence following the sprinkler! 

Then my husband built a fence for the Pigs!!!! We have 2, a male and female! So lets Welcome Hammy (the little girl) and Bacon to the Appleby Farm!!! 

NO CHEMICALS- I am glad to be home from the beach, I actually missed having a full schedule during the day, gardening, dealing with the animals, etc. What I missed most was my homemade face wipes!!! I forgot them when we left, and after using all that sunscreen on my face and the poor diet down there my face is punishing me for it! So I made my toner and wipes as soon as I got home! 
Link for face wipes
Link for toner

I'm feeling very blessed the last couple weeks. I can't wait to see what else comes up! Until next time! 

Week 20, 21, 22

I know I have gotten lazy about posting every week. I am going to get better about this. I PROMISE! Time flies on a small farm. The animals need attention, the kids need attention. You get caught up in projects around the house. Crafts the kids want to do. This past week was a special week in our house. My oldest daughter graduated the 8th grade. We ARE SO PROUD OF HER. Time flies when you are having fun!

FARM HAPPENINGS- this past week Tessa went down. My neighbor & I FINALLY got her back up and to the water bucket. She has milky mucus coming from her nose and the scours really bad. The vet determined she probably ate something that didn't agree with her. Both girls are doing fine and the horns are healing nicely.

I have had flies REALLY bad on all the animals and the "summer" is just starting! So I went to TSC (Tractor Supply Co) and bought Permethrin 10. Its great for all animals and their living spaces/kennels/stalls. You mix according to directions and spray on animals/living areas.

My poor husband, every time he comes home there is always something for him to do. This time he had to put up a fence for the pigs pen.

Adyson's chicken finally laid an egg!!!!! She was so excited.

I was able to rescue a hummingbird from my garage. It was really weird. The little guy was caught between the blinds and window in the garage. He couldn't figure out how to get out. So I GENTLY used a broom to trap him. It was so cool to hold him. I couldn't feel him on my arm.

 

GARDENING- I saw on Pinterest (somewhere) a gardening tip using cardboard. Basically you use all you old cereal boxes, etc and lay them around your garden as a "barrier" for weeds. So this week me and the kids got out there and made a "pathway" of cardboard in the garden. As the cardboard decomposes it also provides some nutrients! Less waste in the garbage, less weeding for me! I'll let you know throughout the season how this works out!

NO CHEMICALS- So this past week I ran out of facial toner. I searched and searched for the "hoemmade" version and found several recipes. My "standards" for making homemade toner weren't easy to come by.
#1- I had to have all the ingredients. As you slowly make the transition to homemade products it gets a little frustrating because of all the stuff you have to buy, but if you make the change slowly/as you run out of the "chemical version" its not too bad. I have been chemical free since I made a COMMITMENT to switch my family over to homemade/chemical free products at the beginning of the year. I love knowing whats in ALL of my stuff.

#2- can't be too drying. I have combination skin. I do not want more steps in my routines (putting on lotion, rinsing my face, etc). When I apply toner to my face I shouldn't have to rinse it off, or apply lotion afterward.

#3- simple to make. I don't want something that takes days to "set up". I want to be able to use it by the next day, not 2 weeks from now. I also don't want to cook it! Some recipes I found you actually had to warm/cook it, NOT ME!!!

So here is what I have found for a homemade facial toner

3/4 cup green tea - take 2 green tea bags & steep in hot water, until the water cools down to room temp
1/4 cup witch hazel
10 drops tea tree oil

Mix all ingredients together. Apply toner to cotton ball and then to your face. No need to rinse. No lotion needed afterward. I have been using this for almost 2 weeks and LOVE IT!

HOMEMADE- I was searching Pinterest for side dishes for dinner. Since I am not purchasing packaged stuff anymore I had to find a "break down" of the stuff that's in the "Pasta/rice & sauce" packets. I found a wonderful pin on Pinterest, from Suzanne her website she writes wonderful recipes and everything. I check her out at least once a week. So on her website/Pinterest I found a wonderful Herb & Butter recipe for rice/pasta. I tried it on the family and it was a HIT!!!! It tastes so much better then the package junk! I can't wait to try another flavor.

UPDATE FACIAL WIPES- I love the face wipes I made during week 13 & 14 they take off the make up. They are gentle, they don't dry out my face, best of all I know whats in them!

UPDATE ON DRYER- During week 15 & 16 I was having "air flow" issues with the dryer vents. The dryer is still working FABULOUS!!!

Hope everyone has a great week and I'll see you next time!

Rella LOVES the camera! 

Week 17, 18 19..

I know its been 3 weeks!!! I'm so sorry!!! Its been a busy couple of weeks. (Well except for the RELAXING weekend I had after week 16) Adyson has finally opened her mouth for the dentist, after going every 6 months for 3 years she finally opened her mouth! I am so proud of her!

FARM HAPPENINGS- The vet came out and checked the cows over again and dehorned them. Both of my girls are doing wonderful and finally have all their shots


UPDATE-----
From week 15 & 16  when I had the issue with my dryer, I am happy to say that my dryer is still running fine and I was able to save myself about $200! 

CRAFTS- I found at Hobby Lobby what is called a "Melt & Pour" soap. This means the soap has already been made & cured. It also means its a softer soap so you can melt it and pour it into your own molds and make cute little soaps. I bought a Goat's Milk soap ($ 8.50 for 2 pounds) and Glycerin (the clear soap, $17.50 for 5 pounds) a 3 pack of soap coloring ( $4 for 3 pack red, blue, yellow) and 2 different fragrances( $2 each). The kids and I came home and had a BLAST melting the soap chunks in the microwave and adding dye, fragrance and pouring them into the different molds. For the molds I went to the Dollar Tree and bought the "travel" soap holders, and small/snack size tupperware. Now that Adyson has her own soap it takes her FOREVER to wash her hands, or take a bath. Not to mention the soap at Hobby Lobby has less ingredients in them!

I added a few sharks to the mix! 

 

I bought the rubber duck at the dollar store, and melted goat's milk soap and stuck the duck on top of the soap. This is my nephews birthday present! 

 



FAMILY TIME-  has been going great! Even simple things bring a family closer together. Dad decided to bust it out "old school" with the coloring books!

 

Then Dad figured out to hook Adyson's powerwheels Jeep to her wagon & had a "tractor & jeep" race through the front yard! 

 


HOMEMADE- When I got the bright idea to make my own laundry soap see week 6 I never thought it would work out so well. I paid about $10 for all the stuff and it makes 10 gallons! And after some TOUGH testing I will never buy commercial stuff again. As you can see from the pictures I let Adyson put it to the test! I must admit I did rinse off the big mud clumps with the hose, then threw them in the washer right away. There was NO "pre-treatment" used.

 

After the HOMEMADE laundry soap! 

NO CHEMICALS- I am very proud to say that since JANUARY, I have NOT BOUGHT STORE BREAD!! I love the way my house smells when my bread is cooking! I'm not trying to take all the credit, I do use a bread maker, but all the different types of bread you can make. I have a dough setting on my bread maker, so I can make pretzel bites, pizza dough and many other things. For Mother's Day my husband and kids got me a KITCHENAID stand mixer! I was so excited, I 'll let you know what I create as I go along. 

GARDENING- remember the African violets that I planted in January.How I grew African Violet shoots I was DETERMINED to grow more African violets and succeeded!!! It took longer then the 6-8 weeks to get the shoots to come up BUT they still came up. I planted the leaf cuttings in African Violet soil, then put the little planter in a gallon size ziplock bag to create a "greenhouse" effect. I planted 6 leaves. 2 have rotted away, 2 are still green, 1 looks like its trying and the final 1 SPROUTED!!! ( top middle plant, see the little leaves?)

My African Violet shoots!! about 12 weeks after planting!

We have 1/2 of our little garden planted. I already see the squash coming up. The tomato & green pepper plants have survived all the rain we have gotten the last couple weeks! Still waiting for corn to pop up! My strawberries have started blooming! I can't wait for my strawberries, so I can make jam.

I started a bunch of herbs inside, tarragon, rosemary,parsley, sage, basil, oregano, thyme. All have sprouted & transplanted into bigger pots. Now I have lavender, dill, & mint.

MOVIES-

Argo- it's a great movie, a little slow but based on a true story!
Hope Springs- funny, loved all the characters!

Did I miss anything? It always feels like I am forgetting to tell you guys something. Leave me a comment and let me know. In the meantime have a great weekend

HAPPY GARDENING!

Week 15 & 16

This week has been a little crazy. We have had great weather this week in the 70's and 80's. We have been outside enjoying the weather a lot!

I decided last weekend would be MY LAZY WEEKEND. I didn't do anything but RELAX! I had my movie line up and snacks ready! I'm got my "chores" done early so I had nothing to do!

Since I decided to do all my chores early I wanted to make sure all the laundry was done. As I put the load in the dryer it started blinking "AF" on the screen. After some research online I found out it meant "air flow". So I pulled the dryer out cleaned the wall vent. Restarted the dryer. It still showed AF. So... I researched some more online and found out there could be dust clogging up the inside of the dryer . So I decided to take apart my dryer!!! Took off the top & front. And to my surprise it was filled with dust/lint everywhere. So I swept it out. Then took the back off ( I forgot to take a pic of this), same thing dust/lint everywhere. I put everything back together and IT WORKS!!! No more error code!!!!

Top of the dryer off

front of the dryer off! 

Putting the front back on! 

All the dust that was INSIDE my dryer! 

* UPDATE- The dryer is still running great no error codes!

MOVIES- all 10 of the Ma & Pa Kettle movies! All 5 twilight movies!

MORE READING- Read some GREAT books the last 2 weeks.

The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegal-Maier This is an awesome book, I went out and BOUGHT it! Lots of homemade "recipes" for all the cleaning supplies needed to clean your home.

Soapmaking for the first time by Linda Ortin- This is a simple starter book for those looking to make your own soap. Its for "first time" soap makers and a great book! Its on my "buy list" but I can't find it anywhere.

The Complete book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood- BOUGHT THIS BOOK! This is a "natural" book of 600 + "recipes" for most health issues, common cold, upset stomach etc.

The best of Top Secrets Recipes by Todd Wilbur- Who doesn't like to make their own McDonalds Big Mac, Taco Bell Nachos, KFC Fried Chicken, at least this way you KNOW whats in your food! Love this book and BOUGHT IT!

CRAFTS- Now that I have gotten Soapmaking for the first time by Linda Ortin from the library I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up a few things I needed. So hopefully over the next week I will be making soap! I bought 1 soap mold and fragrance oil, goat milk soap, shea butter soap, glycerine. I would like to make Adsyon a fun soap.

GARDENING- I've been very lazy about this. I need to get myself up and going and get my plants and seeds in the ground! I have corn, beans, squash, tomato plants, green pepper plants. Oh and lettuce, spinach!

NO CHEMICALS-  This has been going great! I LOVE the make-up wipes and baby wipes I made a couple weeks ago! (Click Here for the wipes recipes) With all the family members I had "try" my homemade laundry soap it was already time to make more! If you need the recipe Click Here and read week 6. I also made what I thought was a small batch of DISH SOAP (the small 1/2 gallon) but after it sat overnight, it gelled up so I had to add some water and move it to a GALLON milk jug! So I made a gallon of dish soap for a $1.

DISH SOAP- to hand wash dishes.

 1 BAR GRATED Kirks Castile Soap
3 tbl WASHING soda (NOT baking soda)
4 cups water plus extra
3-4 drops Essential oil (for smell, this is optional)

Bring water to ALMOST boiling, add grated soap and mix until its dissolved. The smaller the soap pieces the faster it will melt/dissolve. Once the soap is melted/dissolved you can add washing soda. Stir until dissolved.
DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO BOIL. Once everything has dissolved allow to cool for about 1-2 hours. Fill your gallon jug about 1/2 full with water and add the soap mix. shake well. At this point you can add your essential oils. You can not add them in the beginning because the essential oil will evaporate in/with the steam.
I have noticed with this recipe my dishes are clean. Sometimes I do see a "cloudy" buildup on my glasses. To solve this use 1 sink for soaping up dishes, use your other sink as a rinse sink. Fill your rinse sink with water and add 1/2 cup vinegar. The vinegar acts as its own "rinse agent". Your soap still might gel up from time to time, all you have to do is shake it before you use it! Remember this is a homemade recipe, it will not bubble like the store bought stuff. It will also make your "wash" water a little cloudy, this is the soap WORKING!

Most of this week Adyson has had some coughing spells(nasal drainage due to allergies/season change), I tried the OTC crap and nothing worked. So I scoured the net. Looking for a homemade anything to help her coughing at night. I came across multiple websites that suggested putting Eucalyptus oil on your child's feet. You only use 2-3 drops per foot, massage it in. Put socks over their feet (so you don't get the oil all over the sheets) it WORKED!!!! I was so pleased that she had a peaceful night sleep! PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH ABOUT ESSENTIAL OILS, they are toxic if ingested just like the OTC stuff.

Oh did I mention that Adyson's eczema is doing wonderful! Its almost gone! The homemade stuff is working great! Click here for week 10!

I have found a replacement for my Swiffer pads for mopping the floor! I found some awesome dish clothes with a scrubber patch (for the muddy days) on them & I also bought the new Handi-Wipes (reusable/washable for the lighter days) at Walmart! Now I have the Swiffer Vacuum. So I can attach my own pad and mop and vacuum at the same time! Since mine is the vacuum my "pads" are smaller than the actual Swiffer wet jet and other similar products.So I was able to cut these in 1/2 and get 12 pads from them! I run these over my floors all the time!

Now for the solution to clean the floor. I wanted something that would CLEAN and not leave a film/sticky floor! I bought a rectangular container (cause like a dummy I threw away the Swiffer container) that fit the wipes/pads in it!
FLOOR SOLUTION

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
2-3 squirts dish soap
3-4 drops essential oil (for smell purposes)

Mix it all up and add to container, fold your pads and place in the container. Let it sit for 10 minutes, flip the container over( so the top pads get wet) and they are ready to use! If you don't use essential oils, the vinegar smell goes away once the floor are dry.

Well its off to cleaning I go! Let me know if you have any questions!  Have a great weekend!

Week 13 &14

Farm happenings- the vet came out to see the cows... The girls got their wormer, vaccinations, and exam. We were told that Hamburgerella has week lungs probably from pneumonia when she was born, and She shouldn't be bred, don't want to pass the "week lung" trait on to the next generation. But Steaktessa would be great for breeding. And they both got a clean bill of health!!!! Yippie!

SMOKING- I fell off the wagon about 2-3 weeks ago, but as the old saying goes "try, try, again!" Its harder then I thought it would be! 


ORGANIZING- So proud of myself! Took ALL those "rewards/store/perk" cards, registered them all online. Threw out what I don't use, and registered all the cards with the apps on my phone AND got a spare key ring and put them all together on 1 ring in the pocket of my purse!

Adysons room is still under a little construction but  as soon as its done I promise I will post before and after pictures. I'm LOVING it so far. 

CRAFTS- I found the idea from Pinterest. I was getting tired of always wearing black bobby pins in my hair. So Brittany and I had fun painting some! We lined the bobby pins up on cardboard (we used a cereal box) and used nail polish and created the colors we wanted!

I also found an idea on Pinterest about room decorating. I bought Adsyon 2 bookcases for her room. I didnt like the "all white" look. So I started looking for ideas, I didn't want to paint so the challenge was even bigger to find something different. I ran across an idea. I went to the store and found a KING size sheet set. I took the "fitted" sheet and cut them to fit the back of the bookcase! I stapled the fabric to the backboard, then nailed the back board to the bookcase! 

fabric stapled to the back of bookcase!

My Aunt wanted to make matching curtains for the window & the closet opening! It worked out perfect! We had enough fabric to do BOTH bookcases, window and closet opening and still have some left over! Best part is it all MATCHES!!!! So for  $10 for KING size sheet set, and got basically 2 sets of curtains, and extra fabric for the bookcases..... NOT BAD!

curtains! 

closet opening!

NO CHEMICALS- Update- Adysons eczema is doing great!! The homemade ointment from a few weeks ago! Her patches have gone from red and cracked to pale pink! They are no longer cracked! I have been doing the ointment about every other day. 

I a FEW new things over the last couple weeks, and so far LOVE them! 

Make Up Wipes- You heard me! I am tired of paying $6+ for 32 little make up wipe removers! So I scoured the internet and found a "recipe" that I LOVE. It works for MY combination skin type! 

 1.5 tbl  of Coconut oil   (Walmart for 14 oz $6.50)

1.5 cups of DISTILLED water- (distilled water prevents molding/mildew cost $2.50 gallon)

2-4 pumps of your favorite face wash

3 drops tea tree oil  (Walmart 2 oz $ 6)

1 roll of BOUNTY paper towels (the cheaper ones do NOT work) $2

SHARP not serrated Knife.

container large enough to hold the paper towels, I found a 2 quart pitcher works! cost $3)

Lay the roll of paper towels down and cut them in half. This takes a minute! Pour all your   ingredients into a cup and microwave about 30 seconds to a minute, just enough to melt the coconut oil. Stir well. Put 1 of your cut halves in the container CUT SIDE DOWN. Slowly pour the liquid over the paper towels let it sit 3-5 minutes. Then you can pull out the middle cardboard section and start using.  You should get about 70 wipes, (depending on the size of your paper towel roll) WARNING- keep out of direct light, heat this will cause mold/mildew. 

These cleaned all the make up off my face, and left it feeling clean and moisturized. There was no need for me to "wash" my face or use lotion afterward! I also made a batch for my aunt and daughter, they love them too! 

I'm working on dish soap, a replacement for my Swiffer wipes, Lysol wipes so check back and see what I make! I must admit I am loving making my own stuff. The best part is I know whats in everything!

See everyone in about a week! Hope you have a great week! 

Our newest Kid, Adyson named her "Poopey", who knows why.......

Week 11 & 12

Sorry it's been so long for an update, but my husband was home for a WEEK this time. We had a great time redoing my daughters room. I still need to buy some bookcases and shelves but we got the room painted, and closet redone while my husband was home. He worked his tail off this time.




MOVIES-
Friends with kids- was funny but some bad language.
One for the money- FUNNY
SAVAGES- was not the funny movie that everyone said. However I do recommend people of my generation watch this movie. It's about a brother & sister who make tough decisions about their elderly father.

Taken 2- awesome!
Tooth fairy 2- who doesn't like Larry the cable guy?? It was funny!
New Year's Eve- funny
The lucky one- great story!
Act of valor- gives meaning to ALL our military & what they do for us! GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS & the sacrifices they make!
Lincoln lawyer- was a little drawn out & a little slow but a good movie!


NO CHEMICALS- I woke up saturday morning and had a cold sore coming on. You know that itchy bubbly feeling on your lip, just a few days before the volcano explodes on your lip?? So I researched and read a lot of information and guess what I found... TEA TREE OIL helps with cold sores. Since I already had some ( 2 oz bottle for $7 at Walmart) I took a cotton swab and dipped it in the tea tree oil and swabbed my lip (only where I felt the cold sore) and by Sunday afternoon it was GONE!!!

I also decided when I cleaned my floors to use vinegar and water, and they came out looking just as clean! I do get down on my hands and knees and scrub my floors. The vinegar didn't "eat up" my hands like other cleaners typically do. The vinegar smell didn't stick around either, when the floors were dry the smell was gone! I used about 16 oz of vinegar to a 1/2 gallon bucket.

GARDENING- hasn't been going well. We didn't get the garden going this week. So I tried to transplant some of my tomato plants into bigger containers. They seemed to do alright UNTIL my husband accidentally left them outside in the frost. I still have a few plants that remain in good health! HOPEFULLY they will survive! I did manage to shovel three small trailer loads of dirt to the garden, and I raked it all around.

EXERCISING -In my opinion you have three different sets of shoulder/back muscles. There is a set of muscles for shoveling, a set of muscles for raking, and a set of muscles for cleaning the floor on your hands and knees! And if you try to do shoveling, raking, and cleaning the floor all in one day plan to take the next day off!!! I was SO SORE.

Week 10

This week has gone great! A little slower pace then normal.

EATING HEALTHY- been loving making my own bread. Granted I have a bread maker/machine so I put all the stuff in & turn it on & 4 hours later I have bread! The house smells great for the rest if the day!

NO CHEMICALS- Adyson's eczema is doing great! The ointment I made last week is working beautifully. She had a check up at the doctors this week & I told the doctor what I made & the doctor said " the best creams & ointment are homemade!" I was shocked! The doctor complimented me for taking the time to research & make an ointment.

Adyson's eczema recipe-

1 oz of A&D ointment ($3 for 4oz)
3-4 drops tea tree oil ($7 for 2oz)
1 oz Olive oil (same stuff you cook with)
1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil ($3.50 for 2oz)

Pour/squeeze all ingredients into small bottle. (Pump bottles don't work well because the mix is too thick to pump.) put bottle with ingredients in it, into microwave for 45 seconds? Just enough to melt everything. Shake bottle well to mix everything together. Let sit for a couple hours to harden up a bit & it's ready to use.
It doesn't smell the best, but to me it doesn't smell the worst either, BUT IT WORKS for Adyson!!

READING- tried to read Warm Bodies by Issac Marion, it didn't work out so well. To me it read like a diary with a couple funny parts, and some weird gruesome parts. It wasn't my type of book.
I have moved on to Split Second by Catherine Coulter!

Exercise- trying a new app called MapMyWalk from the App Store. Dr Oz recommended it. It's supposed to track your steps & you can set goals. Still learning how to work it. I did have to set up a few things online. I have a few "bugs" to iron out but, I will give you an update next week!

Hope you all had a good week!