A whole lot of nothing

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There has been very little going on at our house as of late. We are just plugging along.

I am getting ready for the “big dig”. Around these parts we are at little to no danger of having a hard frost, so it is time to get the gardens going. My springtime efforts were a major failure. This spring was very cold with only a few warm days here and there. Then when things started to be consistently warm the cutter worms made short work of my peas, cabbage and lettuce. (That is why you haven’t seen any pictures of them for a while) So with a quick prayer of thanks that my family doesn’t depend on my gardening efforts for food I am digging in for the summer. I already planted my onions and potatoes, which are new to me this year, and yesterday I got carrots, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, boc choi, broccoli and beets planted. I am waiting for bean, cucumber and basil seeds to come in the mail, and I will be picking up tomato plants at the nursery tomorrow. I am hoping that Saturday I will be able to get the squash in too, I am planting two types of summer squash and a bunch of winter squash that I should be able to store in my basement. I will be planting cheese squash, Butternut squash, Queensland squash, and two types of pumpkin and orange and white variety. If I can just keep the critters away from my crops I think this will be a fun year for gardening.

My very favorite part is about to begin too. I love, love, love my flower gardens. Tomorrow I am going to the nursery to buy tons of flowers. My flower gardens are my pride and joy and I can hardly wait to get everything planted. I will be posting pictures, when I have pictures to post!

Something to think about

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This is a quote from a book I am reading called “Tending Rose” by Lisa Wingate. The main character is thinking back on her childhood and contemplating the next move in her life.
“I wondered if they considered their lives successful. Certainly we had all the trappings-expensive cars and homes, good schools, nice clothes. But is life a success when it doesn’t include time for after-school talks, and curling up to read books on a winters night, and weaving daisy chains in the summer? Is it a success when you have all the big things but none of the small ones? Is it as it should be when everybody grows up and moves to the opposite coasts and doesn’t care if they ever see each other?”

This post is dedicated to a dear friend of mine who just took a big leap of faith and quit her job to be a full time mommy! I am so happy for you and your family!

Favorite Things

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One of my newest favorite things is homemade scouring powder.
I really, really love this stuff, and it is super easy and cheap to make.

Here goes the recipe, you ready?

1 part Borax
1 part washing soda
1-2 drops essential oil.

I know! Simple and oh so easy!


The Borax and Washing Soda cost me 4.00$ and this amount lasts me about 6 months, depending on what I use it for.


I only make small batches, I like to change the scent often.

(I am currently working on adding to my collection of essential oils, you can use them for so many things)



I will mix it in the container I am going to keep it in (well labeled) and after I have added everything I just shake it really well. I smells wonderful, the oils mix in easily.

This mixture can also be used as laundry soap. I find that it creates too many suds in my HE front loader so I don’t use it for laundry anymore. Some ladies also use it for detergent in their dishwashers, I found that it left a film and I didn’t like it so well for that. Speaking of dish washers, instead of buying the expensive rinse aids, put white vinegar and a drop of essential oil in your rinse aid dispenser. It is a lot cheaper and your dishes still come out sparkling.

I use this scouring powder in my sinks (kitchen sink too, it is stainless steal and it makes it shine) bathtubs and toilets. They come out so clean and sparkling. One of the nice things about adding oil (it isn’t necessary, I only do it for the smell) is that is creates a thin film so the water beads up on the shower and sinks and they seem to stay cleaner longer. Also my hands are softer when I use this formula instead of dry and icky, like they are when you use other stuff that had a lot of harsh chemicals.

So there you go, one of my favortie things!

The Quiet Art of "Being There"

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The quiet art of being there.

It isn’t expensive, it isn’t loud. It takes a lot of time, with very little preparation. It doesn’t require a grocery store, mall, or gas station. You don’t have to wash it, scrub it, shine it or dry it. It comes without parts, instructions or power tools.

It is a whisper, a kiss, a pat on the head. It is blowing bubbles on a sunny afternoon. It is a band-aid on a skinned knee, a tissue on tears, and a hug when the world seems out to get you. It is a feverish baby and a rocking chair in the middle of the night. It is sidewalk chalk and a welcome home message for Daddy. It is a sticky fist full of dandelions and running through the sprinklers on a hot afternoon. It is a stocking hat, gloves and a scarf on a cold morning and hot chocolate when you get home. It is that special dress washed and ironed for that special day. It is a story book at bed time and sugar sprinkled on cheerios. It is waving at the bus as it pulls away, cutting the crusts off of PB&Js and finding the first flower of spring. It is sunsets, and sunrises and a pile of ants. It is a silly dance, a silly song and learning your ABC’s. It is a warm bed after a bad dream and soft arms pulling you close. It is a smile, a cheer, it is a safe place.

It is a Mother.

The quiet art of being there.

Swing on over to Biblical Womanhood and see what others are doing to make their home a haven.

The ‘ol Homestead

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It has been a busy few days down on the old homestead, with the spring work and all..

Not that I live on a homestead….

or a farm

or a ranch…..

or even a bit of land that is zoned for any of that stuff….

So I guess if I am going to be honest I would have to say….it has been a busy few days in our little slice of suburbia. (I wish I could stay homestead, or farm or ranch or a bit of land that is zoned agricultural)


We worked our little tails off this Saturday, I was cracking the whip! We aren’t going to have another Saturday that we can do yard work until the 24th, so there were a lot of things that needed to get done. Dadzoo built my final box garden, and we planted 64 potatoes, I am hoping for a nice crop this year. He also fixed sprinklers, sprayed dandelions, edged flowerbeds, planted an apple tree (my mothers day gift) and a half a dozen other odd jobs. Anyway, I am so thankful for a good hardworking husband!

On another note, about 6 weeks ago we bought 10 chickens, they were all suppose to be hens. Well, 4 of my hens started crowing. They were really quiet crows at first, kind of funny really, like a teenage boy trying to get his voice. Then they got louder and louder and finally yesterday morning they woke me up at 6 am. Yes, 6 am! Now if we lived on that homestead, I wouldn’t worry about it so much, but we live in a very suburban neighborhood and I am sure the neighbors wouldn’t appreciate a rooster crowing at 6 am. So yesterday evening Dadzoo and a fellow homesteading neighbor dispatched the 4 roosters. And you know something, chickens really do run around with their head cut off, kind of crazy!