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C'est Fini

2012-01-30T09:31:00.001-08:00

After months of deliberation I have decided to end my blog here. It's been fun having this corner of the web to myself for these past few years. I love sharing pictures of my garden, details of my latest projects and recipes I find but all good things must come to an end. This blog had grown from a handful or followers to nearing 60 and it pleases me to think you all wanted to read what I have to say.

I am no longer the same person I was when I started this blog in the fall of 2008. My life has taken a different path and my interests have changed dramatically. I am kick starting a new career and a new path for myself. Homesteading and homemaking no longer hold the same appeal. While I still believe in simplicity, I no longer feel the kinship I once felt with the homesteading, homemaking community at large. I am but one person amongst many doing what I feel is right. Sharing these thoughts and ideas with the world is no longer one of my passions. Perhaps I wish for more autonomy, perhaps I am jaded, perhaps I am just tired.

In any case, this blog is done. Perhaps I will see some of you at my writer's blog, Corsets & Cadavers. It's been a pleasure getting to know some of you and I wish everyone all the best. Adieu.

Aw Puppy!

2012-01-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

Meet Watson everyone! My new urban homestead guard dog! Watch out or he'll lick you to death!

Two Dog Beds for 5 Bucks!

2012-01-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made two sizeable dog beds for only $5. Why do I have a need for a two dog beds when I only have one dog, you ask? Well because tomorrow the family and I go to pick up our new PUPPY! It is all very exciting. We haven't had a puppy in the house since my son was 1 year old (he's turning 9 in a few months). It will be a playmate for our dog Katie and a late Christmas present for me who is the "dog person" of this family. My husband is more of a cat man.

In preparation for the puppy the kids and I hit the shops, in that standard "let's go to the pet store and get supplies" kind of way. Right now our dog Katie eats her morning meal off an old, chipped plate and the cats all have matching glass plates. She has a plastic bowl for kibble and our plastic ice cream tub turned water dish was in need of replacing. But the prices are astronimical! I couldn't get over it. If I had bought a new dish for the puppy, one for Katie, and a water bowl it would have cost nearly $30. I am sad to say, I was seriously thinking about it. I even had the dishes in my hand but I just couldn't do it. I put them back, bought just the puppy food and decided to go to Goodwill around the corner.

Goodwill didn't have any "dog" dishes but they did have a nice, small ceramic dish that would be perfect for the puppy, and it was 99 cents. I found an old casserole dish, with a flat bottom for $3 and got it for a water dish. I also found a nice, fleecy blanket for $4 and instantly thought, Dog Bed.

As soon as I got home I went to work. I cut the fringe off and decided to use it. I cut the blanket into four pieces, pinned the fringe to the inside, right sides together and sewed all around the rectangle, leaving a space to put it right side out and to stuff.

Using left over stuffing from another project and quilt batting ends, I stuffed the beds and sewed the hole. Done. One hour of work and $5 of materials. And it matches my decor, looks like I spent $24 a piece and no one will ever know.

Yes!

Basement Woes

2012-01-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

We are under construction...actually we are over construction. Our unfinished basement will soon be finished and I am excited to watch the transformation. The renovations come with their own set of headaches though, the noise, the dust, and the bills, oy!

The bathroom is on the left, and a small storage closet on the right. We discovered that not only is our basement ready for a toilet and vanity sink, but we also have plumbing for a shower. This was a surprise to us but of course we want to maximize our value, so we are increasing our budget a bit to pay for added shower.

The project is not going to be cheap and we knew this going into it. We worked out a payment schedule with our bank that has us paying off the entire 2000 sq foot project in three years. At the time I thought I was okay with this but then I saw the checks going out and the construction materials coming in and I realized I need it paid off NOW! My own personal psychology makes me hate any form of debt, even debt that increases our property value. To me an increase of property value is not realized until the property is sold, and I have no immediate desire to sell this place. So to me, the debt is the same as any other. I am beholden to someone and I hate it!

So I convinced my husband that we need to be aggressive with our budget. Utilizing my previous tightwaddery skills, I have reworked our budget and plan to put every last extra dime and penny toward this nagging debt. It will take work. It will take adjustment. It will be just like things were a few years ago when my husband went back to school and our income was reduced by 35 per cent. It will also be so very worth it.

Plant Project

2012-01-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

I experienced some success last year with my indoor vegetable plants. We had yummy lettuces for ages from those plants. This fall I bought two potted herbs, Basil and Rosemary. I potted them and put them in my sunniest window. It faces south west so it gets about 5 hours of direct sun light during this time of year.

The middle plant is a Money Tree given to me as a birthday present by a friend.

Last night I found a parsley plant at my grocery store and bought it to expand my window garden. I also found some lettuce seeds in my stash and am going to start a potted lettuce bed.

I did plant radishes last year but they never did bulk up in the root but the greens looked good.

One day I would like to expand into some hydroponic growing and try tomatoes, or cucumber, maybe peppers. But ultimately I would like to use a system that runs on solar, storing the energy for use at night. Here in Canada, the northern hemisphere we are only getting 8 hours of sunlight, IF it's not overcast, which our winters usually are. Because of the location of my window I am lucky to get as much sunlight as I do for my herbs.

I use the herbs on chicken, in soups and the parsley is a must have for a gluten free Shepard's Pie recipe I use to make all the time. Maybe I will try drying some herbs for longer storage.

Big Publishing Announcement!

2012-01-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

I just made a big announcement at my other blog, Corsets and Cadavers, regarding my novel. If you like mysteries or historicals I am sure you will find this interesting.

http://gothicmysterywriter.blogspot.com/2012/01/big-announcement.html

Gluten Free Graham Crackers

2011-12-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

Can't make gluten free cheesecake or nanimo bars or smores without graham crackers. It's far more economical to make them than buy them at $6 a box, yikes!

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup of milk (low fat okay, non fat not okay)
1 1/2 cup all purpose Gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add honey, vanilla and milk, mixing after each addition. Add flour, Xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, baking powder until well combined.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Roll out between two pieces of plastic wrap (may need to separate into two batches). Rechill in fridge for another 20 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares, and poke tops with a fork. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crackers are crisp. They puff up a bit but don't spread out too much. All them to cool completely before handling.

Cheesecake!

2011-12-22T07:25:00.001-08:00

(Anything this good deserves an exclamation point)

I made a batch of gluten free mini cheesecakes for Christmas. It all started with the graham crackers. I had to make gluten free graham crackers, which didn't turn out too bad but sadly I did not get a picture of them. I borrowed a food processor from a friend (yay for communal sharing) and made the crackers into crumbs. I will post the graham cracker recipe after this post.

Cheesecake

3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp of soft butter

Mix in a large bowl. Line mini cupcake pans with paper liners, not using the liners will result in the cakes sticking to the sides. Spoon a bit of graham crumbs into the bottoms and press down to make it flat.

In a mixing bowl, soften;

two 250gr packages of plain cream cheese

Add:

1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix and then add:

2 eggs

Mix until smooth. This is when I divided the mixture into three separate bowls and added food colouring. Spoon into lined cupcake pan. These do not expand much so no need to worry about them overflowing while baking.

Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes, for mini cakes, 40 minutes for a whole pie-sized cheesecake.

Refrigerated for minimum 3 hours before serving. You can add a berry sauce on top before serving or keep them plain like I do for easy entertaining.

Staying Active

2011-12-13T13:15:00.000-08:00

This winter I have resolved to stay active. I plan to walk or hike whenever I can and have signed up for Yoga classes at a local studio. Today I intended to take my kids to city hall for a skate around the circular rink they have out front. In summer it's a beautiful water fountain, the perfect back drop for the farmer's market. We drove by yesterday on the way to the library and saw people skating. The kids begged me to go so since we already had skates, all we needed was for them to be sharpened. Well I decided to buy a pair for myself.

My kids were very excited. I was very nervous. I had visions of epic falls with bones cracking and people crying (me). But no, I did fine. Like getting on a bicycle. I wasn't fast or very pretty but I did it. And my legs are feeling funny, good, but funny.

We plan to go every week now until the ice melts. It should be a great way to keep moving even when the snow threatens to keep us inside.

Natural Attitude

2011-12-12T07:43:00.000-08:00

Since I began this long journey to live more naturally, I have noticed a phenomenon amongst like minded people and I must say I am not pleased about it. When I started I expected that when I met an individual with similar goals and aspirations that they would be supportive and helpful. I thought we were all there to help each other understand things and start making progress toward a more sustainable life. I actually thought I could find a community of people that I could bounce ideas off and garner support.

What I found was vastly different.

The economic downturn has brought urban homesteading to the forefront or mainstream and now it seems everyone is doing it. On one level this could be very good. Canning supplies are flying off the shelves. There are tonnes of new books being published on the subject. These are all great things for the most part but I also think it's created a new sense of competition. Instead of vying for the best gadgets or biggest house, now we are comparing pantries and garden plots.

Every time I meet like minded individuals the conversation quickly devolves into who has a bigger garden, how much jars have been put by and how natural a person's life is.

"Oh my kids NEVER eat sugar!"

"I would die if I had to live in the suburbs!"

"We NEVER exchange gifts during the holidays."

"That's not the best way. I do it this way..."

No support, just judgement. I don't even think people realize they are doing it. It's not only the things people say directly, but there seems to be an air of arrogance in a lot of people when it comes to living naturally. They know the way. They are better read on the subject, more experienced and better equipped than most. They are in essence more self sufficient.

I must say I have been flabbergasted at the number of conversations I have had recently that have left me feeling grossly inadequate and more or less the equivalent of a faker. It doesn't matter what I accomplish, someone has done better. Someone has a bigger garden, a more stocked pantry and a more simply life. Or at least they pretend to. Sigh.

This would all be very discouraging if it weren't for the simple fact that I am not doing this to impress people. I am not living simply and naturally so I can show everyone else up and act as if I am better. I am doing it for my family's health and the health of the planet. I have been on this simplicity journey for over three years and love it. Each year I learn more and get closer to my goals, as fluid as they are.

If homesteading is in the mainstream to stay then I would hope things will settle down and people will stop being so competitive about it. We need to just live and be a source of encouragement for others who are trying to do the same.

Snowballs- Gluten Free Naturally

2011-12-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

Snowballs

2.5 cups white chocolate chips
2/3 cups of whipping cream

Place in a bowl over boiling water (or double boiler) and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of almond pieces. Stir until combined.

Pour in a greased 8x8 pan and place in the fridge for an hour.

Here's a homemade Christmas chocolate recipe that is always a hit.

Once cooled, and somewhat solid, scoop out with a spoon and roll into a ball with your hands. Roll the ball in coconut and set on wax paper. Once all the balls are completed place in fridge or freezer. These chocolates are so good when frozen but you could leave them on a tray for guests and they will be a hit.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2011-12-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

I am a planner, but I wasn't always this way. I use to get by (barely) by just throwing in some of this, a sprinkle of that and pray that everything turns out. I wasted a lot of time and A LOT of money doing this in my early days of homemaking. Christmas was especially bad but over the years I have tweaked a system for Christmas, especially for the huge amount of baking I do.

I do A LOT of entertaining over the holidays. We are invited to lots of potlucks and special activities but I don't always have the time to make homemade christmas treats for all these occasions. A few years ago I started the season with one big bake. I do all my cookies and squares and freeze them. If I need a quick tray of treats for a party I just pull them out and dethaw. The big bake doesn`t all happen in one day. I start with one thing one day and another thing the next. Sometimes recipes lend themselves to pairing so I do them together. I

The baking season begins when I sit down with my recipe books, and a notepad and decide which goodies I want to make. This year was especially interesting because I wanted to focus on recipes that were naturally gluten free. I did not want the added expense of tonnes of gluten free flour, especially for people who aren't necessarily gluten free. I needed recipes that would be good for my celiac husband and kids and yummy for our guests.

This year I decided to make:

Mint Fudge

Snowballs (White chocolate, almonds and coconut)

Nanimo Bars (with homemade, gluten free graham cracker crumbs)

Magic Bars (more GF graham crackers)

Mini Cheesecake (and again more graham crackers)

Sugar cutout cookies (our one and only recipe that requires flour. I will probably make two batches, a gluten free one and a regular one)

I also plan to make Christmas Cookies in a Jar for quick gifts for my daughter's Girl Guide Leaders, my son's Aikido instructors and the neighbours.

So with this list I wrote out all the ingredients I needed using tally marks to indicate the number of cups I need for each item. I'll need 5 cups of sugar, 6 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 4 cups of coconut and so on. This makes my page look super messy so before I go shopping I write out the entire list with a price beside it, indicating how much money I should spend on each item.

Then, I hit the shops. I am heading out this afternoon so when I get back I will debrief you on the success of my mission.

Making a Wreath

2011-11-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

I made a new wreath for my door and I am quite pleased with the results. I used a newer product called "Poly Resin Deco Mesh". It's a plastic type of mesh-like fabric that comes in all sorts of colours and styles. I found some reasonably priced rolls at my local green house that also specializes in greenery for the holiday season.

Using a 50 per cent off coupon for Michael's, I bought a wire wreath form and some floral wire.

You start by bunching the mesh and tying to the wire wreath with the floral wire. Billow the mesh and tie another bunch to the wire wreath making sure it is very close to the first tie. This makes a nice tight billow of fabric. As you go around the wreath try to make sure the billows are consistent so the wreath looks even.

I also bought some Christmas balls and tied them together with wire. I placed these throughout the wreath.

The store also sold pre-made ones for $30 or more, but mine only cost $12 because I did it myself. There are some Youtube videos put out by the companies that make the product and I found these visual tutorials very helpful.

Pressure Canning Workshop

2011-11-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago I attended at Pressure Canning Workshop at my favourite organic farm, Everdale. I found out that I am totally screwed in the canning department. While I had fun and could see myself attempting some concoctions at home to compliment my water-bath canning and freezing preservation techniques, I am not sure I can participate.

Meet my nemisis:

A glass top range that came with the house. I never had any particular liking to glass top but would take it if it was here. This is not good. Not if I want to pressure can. I learned that glass tops are not sturdy enough to handle the weight of the canner and filled jars. Pooh!

I could purchase a hot plate, but I am afriad even that would damage my glass top or counter tops. The instructor suggested I use a concret garden stone to place the hot plate on but again I am worried about my countertops.

Had I known I would have saved our oven/range from the old house (instead of selling it) and stored it in the garage for use when I am pressure canning. Hindsight is always 20/20. So this project must go on the back burner (ha!) until I can figure out an alternative.

In the meantime I have this lovely soup as a reminder of my class. It looks almost too good to eat...almost.

Around The House

2011-10-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Everything is packed away in preparation for winter's inevitable arrival. We spent time last weekend putting the garden to bed. Today we stashed all the outdoor patio furniture in the garage. The only thing left out are the two bird feeders I plan to keep stocked this winter now that the birds have discovered we are giving away perfectly good food. Last winter I saw no birds which led me to believe perhaps the suburbs are not bird friendly. We have quite a few large trees so their absence baffled me. Maybe now they will come more often since we have been feeding them all summer.

We made our last trip to the farm stand for the season. We picked up a 50lb bag of potatoes, some pumpkins, peppers, and apples. I had hoped they had broccoli or cauliflower but no. I'd love to do some more blanching but I am afraid my freezer is jam packed. This predicament has brought the need for another freezer to the fore front of my mind. I'd like an upright one, the ones that are like fridges but are all freezer space. It would take up less floor space and be a bit more accessible for me to find what I need.

After some research I found out the least expensive upright is about $500. A savings plan is now in order. Even though I know appliances usually go on sale during the Christmas season, I have promised myself to hold off. No doubt there will be another good appliance sale in February or March, and that will give me more time to save the cash. In the meantime I will research and window shop for the right make and model.

My birthday is on Wednesday so I hope to get in some fun stuff to enjoy the day. Friends are gathering here on Saturday to celebrate both my husband's and my birthdays because his birthday is exactly seven days after mine. I shall have to find a gluten free cake recipe for the party.

Halloween is creeping up on me though. I plan to spend tomorrow morning sewing my daughters Alice in Wonderland costume. The pieces are all cut so now I get to do the fun part. This may be my last year making her a costume. She is getting older now, and needs more and more fabric each year. This is getting expensive. I told her next year she may want to consider making the costumer herself. And surprisingly she thought it was a great idea.

Other than that things are pretty much same old, same old. I am having a hard time finding things to write about that I think you all would be interested in. Is this the beginning of the end for this blog?

*** pictures were taken during a recent visit to a heritage village we visited on Thanksgiving weekend.

Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

2011-10-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get back to my old kitchen tricks which hasn't been easy since finding out 3/4 of my family has Celiac Disease. I had success with a loaf of bread last week so yesterday I took a stab at muffins. Apples are all over my kitchen at present so they were a natural flavour to use right now.

These muffins have a nice nutty sugar topping which also makes them lovely to behold. This recipe would also work for regular bakers, and not just gluten free ones. Simply use your own flour and exclude the Xanthan gum.

Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Muffin Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tsp of cinnamon
3/4 tsp of Xanthan Gum

Mix.

1/4 cup of shortening

Cut in the shortening until none of the pieces are larger than a pea.
Add;

2 eggs
2/3 cups of milk

and mix. If the dough is really thick just add in a bit more milk.

1 cup of apple pieces

Spoon into muffin cups until 2/3 full.

Topping
1/4 cups of brown sugar
1/8 cup of almond slices
2 tbsp of oats (if you can tolerate them, oats are on the fence for Celiacs)
2 tbsp of butter, soften to mix

Sprinkle topping over unbaked muffins and place in the oven at 350 degrees F. bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

First Loaf of Gluten-Free Bread

2011-10-16T06:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Thanksgiving and I was desperate to still have turkey with homemade stuffing. As convenient as buying bread off the shelf is right now, paying $6 a loaf for gluten free bread is not my idea of a good buy so I decided to finally take a crack at making my own gluten free loaf.

It worked! There was this amazing freshly baked smell, something I had been missing and it actually seemed a bit easier to make than regular bread, just with a few extra ingredients. The stuffing turned out wonderfully and we had our regular Thanksgiving dinner. I used cornstarch in the gravy instead of flour. The only thing missing was a apple dessert of some sort. We opted for ice cream because I just didn't have time that weekend for dessert making.

Not Quite the Same

2011-09-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Apple season lacks that bit of spark this year. In years past I would take over the kitchen with my bushel of freshly picked apples and endeavor to make apple crisps and unbaked pies for the freezer. One year I made 10 of each and that entire winter we were in baked apple heaven. I won't be doing that this year and it makes me very sad.

Remember this summer when I stopped eating wheat after a holistic friend recommended it to me? I worked wonders for my energy and weight. My husband was impressed and joined me. He soon found out, after years of elimination diets, food journals and excruciating pain that he has Celiac Disease. He has suffered (not so silently) for 16 years with major stomach pain, frequent bathroom visits and doctor visit after doctor visit. He was erroneously diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Sydrone a few years ago but never found relief from his symptoms until now. It's confirmed. Gluten is out.

Slowly but surely I am adapting. I am discovering new family favourites and converting old favourites if I can. It has been a big change for me who is used to baking bread and treats without much thought to anything but cost. Now these things, baking from scratch, are no longer cost effective and have, for the most part, not found a new place in our diet. A batch of rice flour cookies won't be on our menu any time soon because 1) it costs too much and 2) it's not the healthiest anyway.

That means those oddles of pies and crisps are out of my seasonal routine. As is bread baking, muffin making and most methods of stretching our budget with regard to home baking. I just don't do it anymore. I have however rev'd up my processing of fruits and veggies knowing that our diet consists mainly of this food group.

We went apple picking today but it just wasn't the same. We purchased half a bushel which will last a few weeks until we head out for another batch. I am getting used to this but it feels like all those years of getting into a homestead routine are for not, because I will have to rely on imported rice flour, potato flour and the like just to make a loaf of bread. I am hoping one day I won't notice the change, and that it will become second nature but for now I am finding it difficult.

Tomato Season

2011-09-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

I came home from a 10 day vacation expecting my garden to be toast. I had canned 8 jars of tomatoes before we left so I figured I would be lucky to be able to do a few more once I got back. The plants looked a little worse for ware, all limp and brown with only a few tomatoes left on the vines but once I started rooting though and picking good (as in non-squishy, non-rotting) tomatoes I filled basket after basket. All the baskets were full and I had only gone through half of the garden.

So the last 5 days have been a flurry of blanching and canning. I processed 10 more jars of tomatoes and then I made 13 jars of salsa.I also picked another wicker basket full but I ran out of canning jars. I think I probably have enough for 15 or more jars.

This is very exciting. I have never had such a prosperous garden. Some things went wrong this year but a fair number of things went right. I still lost a fair amount when we went away and those tomatoes are waiting to be worked right into the soil for next year. I still need to harvest my carrots and parsnips. I am also happy to report 6 smallish pumpkins have turned orange.

My New Glasses

2011-09-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got glasses. It took me a while to find the right frames and even when I found these and paid for them, I still was not sure. I think they suit me now that I have them.

My son said, "Mom, you look really smart."

Can It!

2011-08-30T17:47:00.001-07:00

This post is long overdue but hey, better late than never. In July I attended a canning workshop at my most favourite organic farm, Everdale. I have taken a bee keeping course there, a soap making course and now I can add canning to my list. I have been canning at home for a few years now but wanted to take the course to pick up a few pointers I might not have already known. This water bath canning course is a pre-requisite for the Pressure Canning workshop they are offering in November so it's a win-win.

During the day we canned Garlic Scapes. I have never tried these before, hadn't even heard of them before and I must admit I am a little scared to try them. They look lovely in the jar though. The process of these is similar to pickles, with raw food going in the jars and then adding a brine.

We also made rhubarb strawberry jam which tasted de-lish during our end of session taste testing, so I can not wait to open the jar I was allowed to take home.

The workshop was exactly what I needed to jump start my canning season and get me back into my canning. I am gearing up to do some tomatoes before we leave on our vacation in a week. I am headed to the States for a writers retreat which we have tacked on a family vacation. I am fairly busy right now with writing critiques and working on my novel. I hadn't accomplished as much canning as I would have liked and I have sadly neglected my garden beds. There is always next year.

Me on a diet

2011-08-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not actually on a diet, just changed my diet. You may remember a few posts ago where I explained my new raw food kick. It's been nearly two months now and I have to say I am feeling pretty good about myself. I have more energy than every before. I sleep better. I perform household tasks with more interest. I have never felt so good, so energetic, so alive.

I have pretty much been able to avoid wheat, a stance which has morphed into avoiding gluten. Sugar as well, though this is harder to avoid for a chocoholic like me. The hardest part of my dietary change is visiting others. I never know what is going to be available to eat and it's been a challenge to remember to bring my own sustenance. For instance, I went to a child's birthday party recently and heard the dinner was to be take out pizza. Red flags went off in my brain. I knew if I ate the pizza, even a single slice that I would be passed out on the couch either sleeping or in complete agony with my stomach rolling and turning. I was able to run out and grab a store prepared salad but I felt awkward, different, maybe even a bit like a "difficult person". No one wants to be difficult. I certainly don't but I also don't want to keep gaining weight like I have been or be in constant agony because of wheat.

After learning I had lost 11 lbs a friend asked what I eat because from her stance wheat is in everything. And she's right... well almost everything.

I have a smoothie for breakfast most mornings and have been known to whip one up and take it with me in a travel mug if I need to be out the door in a hurry. These smoothies are pure energy with four servings of fruit and sometimes yogurt. I don't drink coffee, or tea. Ever. I had cereal once a few weeks ago to try to break up my routine which had turned into a rut and I will never do that again. My stomach does not like it and my blood sugar gets all goofy so I learned my lesson quick. I guess I had been so use to the pain and discomfort when I eat wheat every day that now that I am off wheat I can really notice how my body responds.

For lunch I will have a baked potato, or leftovers from the night before. I am always snacking on carrots, grapes, cheese, milk as the day goes on that some days I don't eat a lunch. For dinner we'll have burgers (no bun for me) and a salad, or rice pasta with salad. I can have shepard's pie, chicken ceasar salad, chicken and rice etc. With the cold weather coming we will have more soups and chilies. After dinner I might have ice cream, or popcorn, or rice cakes or fruit.

That's pretty much it. I try to walk or do some physical activity in the garden every day. Now that I feel like I have my energy back it is easy for me to accomplish my task lists whereas before it felt like I had lead in my feet. I can't express to you the difference I have felt. I no longer feel lethargic or sleepy. I feel good for the first time in years. Next I want to lower my consumption of meat but in the meantime I am content with changing one aspect of my diet, that way I don't overwhelm myself with too much change.

Corn on the Cob

2011-08-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats fresh from the farm corn on the cob but blanching and freezing that corn is a good second best. I started blanching and freezing locally grown corn a few summers ago. Once I figured out the technique I was blanching everything I could find.

Blanching is like semi-cooking food, halting enzyme production which ultimately spoil food over the long run. It is a better technique than just washing vegetables and throwing them in the freezer. Blanching creates a nicer texture while simply freezing vegetables can make them stringy, too soft and just not palatable.

So here's what I do:

De-husk corn and remove silks. Wash and set aside.

Boil a large pot of water on the stove. Once at a rolling boil add as many corn as you can fit. Let corn sit in the boiling water for 2 minutes, no more. Then immediately removed and plunge in ice cold water to stop the cooking process.

Now you may cut the corn into niblets or leave on cobs and freeze whole. I use to use individual bags but found it very wasteful so now I use larger freezer bags.

These two bags equal approximately 18 cobs of corn. I did the math last summer and found this to be very cost effective vs the frozen corn purchased from a store.

When Good Tomatoes Go Bad: Round Two

2011-08-15T20:47:00.001-07:00

I have made an unpleasant discovery among my tomato plants this week. The ones which turned orange first have an unmistakable rotting spot on the bottom. I picked nearly an entire basket of rotten tomatoes from my 30 plants and just about cried. I still have more ripening as I type and upon inspection they all seem to be doing fine, so what the heck happened to this first round of tomatoes.

Apparently I have a crop suffering from Blossom Rot, which is a condition brought about by lack of calcium in the plant and surrounding soil. This can also be an issue for plants experiencing a higher than normal dry spell because moisture helps the plant soak up calcium.

I don't think my problem was the soil, more than likely the root of the cause (no pun intended) was the three week period when we had a municipally imposed watering ban. For nearly four weeks in July we experienced less than 2 inches of rain fall. This would not have been an issue had I installed rain barrels but as it is, rain barrels are on my extremely long list of household needs and I simply had not gotten there yet.

As I was canning pickles and jams, I let my canning "bath water" cool before spreading it over my plants. I did whatever I could to keep them alive and prayed for rain lest I loose my whole crop. It seemed to work because the plants are alive but the fruit is lacking calcium.

A suggested cure is sprinkling Epsom salts while planting next spring. Another source suggested egg shells. I shall have to try this in the future and see how my tomatoes fair. For now I shall watch and wait, hoping I get enough to can whole or even mix in to make salsa. Only time will tell.

In other news I harvested some more goodies from the garden; a cantaloupe (musk melon), three green peppers and some more onions hiding in the dirt. Not all is lost. It's still been a great year.

Thrifty Find

2011-08-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

I bought this lovely soft yellow stock pot at Goodwill last week during the 50 per cent off sale. This had got to be the most beautiful pot I have ever seen. I have been using it to cook and blanch corn but I also plan to use it as a secondary canning pot. It cost me $5.

The wooden spoons were also a nice find at fifty cents. They are decorative since I am not sure they are food grade but they will fit in nicely with my primitive decorating scheme.

My Cats

2011-08-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

We have four cats...they were all strays at one point and either showed up at our door or begged us to take them home with us. They have been a great source of entertainment all these years. I love them dearly.

Augutus "Sneezer"

Ember

10 foot drop...this is his favourite hang out.

Mortal enemies. Ember behind the chair, Theadora sleeping unaware...this can not turn out well.

"No cats on the table!"..."I'm not on the table. I'm in the basket!"

Garden of Eatin'

2011-08-05T11:23:00.001-07:00

I am amazed at how much food my garden has provided me this summer. I spent a number of hours in the spring building raised beds, hauling soil and planting but after that, harvesting is the easy part.

This is a basket I brought to my sister with homegrown potatoes, onions, and carrots. I included some jars of homegrown, home canned pickles and jams.

Last week I harvested my onions. The tops fell over signalling their finished state. I let them dry on my deck at first but then brought them inside because of threatening rain.

The tomatoes are almost ready and the melons too. Corn is nice and tall but I think I planted them too close together so next year I will spread them out more.

Pumpkins

cantaloupe

The potatoes have finished as well. I waited for them to flower but they never did. The green tops just fell over so I dug them up. They are very tasty and ever so easy! I am definitely planting more next year.

I also found a fully grown apple tree in my backyard. This was a delight to find. We planted three trees in the front (and two pear trees) but currently we only have two apples on one of the trees. They will take a while to produce. This one in the backyard is bending under the weight of the apples. The apples are small and I think the tree needs to be pruned but it's still a young tree, no more than 7 years so I should be able to bring it back to life.

All in all, my new garden at my new house is doing excellent!

Apple Chips

2011-07-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Slice two Granny Smith apples with a mandoline or other tool that will provide consistent thickness.

Spread out on parchment paper on cookies sheets in a single layer. Set oven to the lowest temperature. 115 degrees F is ideal but mine only goes down to 170, so I do that.

Flip the slices once after an hour or so and replace in the oven. Should be done within 4 to 6 hours depending on thickness.

Ultimately a raw food is any food not cooked above 115 degrees F, this includes dehydrated food. A commercially bought or home built solar dehydrator is best for these types of recipes. I plan to continue experimenting before plunking down $130 bucks for one.

They taste like sweet apple-ly chips... how else can I describe them? My daughter and I devoured them in 5 minutes so now I have to make some more!

Smoothies

2011-07-15T10:54:00.001-07:00

I bought a blender recently and have been making smoothies non-stop. This recipe is my favourite.

2 cups frozen strawberries
2 cups of orange juice
2 bananas
1/2 cup of yogurt (if desired)

Blend.

This makes enough for my two kids and I. I usually take my portion out before adding the yogurt, since I am avoiding diary products. The orange juice I have been using is calcium fortified so it make up for the loss in calcium. This is the perfect, most complete breakfast I have ever had!

Essentially you can use whatever fruits you like, and the juice can be milk or another type. Get creative.

Experimenting with Raw Food

2011-07-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

Tired of feeling sick and tired? Yeah, me too. I decided recently that I can make a few small changes every day and it will do wonders in helping me feel more energetic and alive. I have been lurking on Raw Food forums, websites and youtube channels collecting data and experiences. I have a few friends within the homeschooling community who participate in the Raw Food Lifestyle and they all look amazing. Women with two, three and seven kids who are attentive to their bodies and the nourishment they need. Now why can't I be like that?

Making the switch to a diet prominent in raw food takes a bit of warming up to. I have been stalling and procrastinating for sometime even though I know the benefits are worth the discomfort. It's only uncomfortable because it's not what I am use to. I crave sweets without realizing it. I am never full and always lethargic. Here's how I have started my journey to healthier eating.

I bought a blender and eat a fruit smoothie every morning (recipe to follow). I plan to change it up and try new ingredients. All in all, this is a great energy boost with lots of good fiber and just the right amount of sweetness. Last year at about this time I was making juice concentrate and canning it. Never again. Even then I knew all the goodness was being stripped and all I was left with was coloured sugar water. I am going to be taking that recipe down off my blog.

I have ready fruits and veggies in the fridge that have been washed and slice. It's easy to grab a handful when I have the nibblies.

The most important thing I have done is swear off bread products and severely limited my diary intake. At some point I may just do away with dairy all together but we shall see. I am truly just listening to my body, recognizing how it feels after eating certain foods. I am not counting calories or fat grams. I am, however, keeping a food journal. I can tell you already I feel amazing! I have energy to spare. I am getting more done in my day. I can think clearly and love that I am not struggling like I used to to get through the day.

I can't say I will go 100 per cent raw, of course it depends how my body responds. I can say that there is enough inspiration out there to keep me motivated.

Community & Homeschool

2011-07-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

There is this prevailing belief that homeschooled children do not partake in community. It is believed that my children and I stay home in our humble bubble with no care of the community that exists outside our walls. This is not true. We are highly active in our community participating in both homeschool events and non-homeschool events. I strive to keep a balance and am assisted along the way by other like-minded homeschool mothers.

By in large, we function as a community. Each mom organizes an event, class or what have you and invites others to join in. We plan things we think our kids would enjoy and benefit from a reduced price since we take the time to organize a group, collect payment, book the event, send out email etc. We take turns. I may only plan one or two events a year but as long as people are stepping up to the plate there is never any shortage of stuff to do. For the most part, this works.

Trouble arises when one mom proclaims that her quoted price for an activity includes a handling fee, a small profit for the organizer. Her time is precious (as is mine) and she can not afford to organize her plethora of activities without receiving some remuneration. On the surface this seems reasonable but I object for many reasons.

As a homeschool community we all partake in some planning and organizing. For example: My kids want to do skydiving, I want them to have a discounted rate so I organize a group of 20 or more, get a percentage off for all of us. Another mom organizes something, we partake without the hassle to organize and so on. We all organize something and the kids get an opportunity to do everything. The community thrives because everyone is doing something and no one is burdened with all the planning.

When one person expects to be paid, it drives the cost up for those activities and more. Why should I offer an activity at my house for free for your kids if you are doing your activities for profit. I know I 'could' ask for payment but I won't because it's not what this community is about.

I expressed my concerns to this mother but I doubt much will be done. As a society we all speak in dollars and cents. Suddenly everything that was once benevolent is tainted. My attempts to keep our homeschooling community healthy is all for naught because someone has decided it is not enough to do it for the kids, she must get paid for it too.

I am afraid "community" has gone the way of the dinosaur. Today the idea of doing things for personal reasons outweighs the need to function as a village thus creating an isolating existence where each person is only in it for themselves. I want to be proven wrong but each day my hopes diminish and I am reminded that personal profit is the new god.

ARCHIVED: Freezing Summer Fruits

2011-07-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Busy time of year. Here's a refresher on how I freeze fruits for my family in the summer to enjoy them all year long. The process is the same for all summer berries.

Enjoy!

Archived Post:

We've been busy the last few weeks, picking, canning and freezing strawberries and raspberries. Blueberries will be ready soon.

By August my freezer is always packed with numerous frozen summer berries. We use them in cereals, yogurt, pies and my personal fave, smoothies!

I use the flash freeze method for berries. Using a cookie sheet you pile on the berries in a single layer and place in freezer uncovered. Once frozen, pull out the cookie sheet and place all the berries in a large freezer bag. This method keeps the berries from clumping together allowing me to remove only as much as I need at one time.

Be very gentle with the berries, raspberries especially are highly delicate. Next up, blueberries!

Book: On A Dollar A Day

2011-07-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

I recently finished On A Dollar A Day, a book by Kerri Leonard and Christopher Greenslate, two teachers in California who embarked on a journey to live like the majority of people in the world. They decided for a month they would live on a $1 a day food budget per person. Their experiment was eye-opening and led the way to two other food related projects: one to sustain themselves on the monthly allowance for those receiving food stamp benefits in the U.S. and the other to eat healthfully while keeping their budget in check.

At first I thought I picked up a book on frugality, one of my favourite subjects and then I realized it was a book about another of my pet projects, studying the state of our current food system and all it's failures.

This book is packed with great insight and thought provoking conundrums. It asks questions pertaining to the poor, their ability to access good, wholesome food and how this relates to other food issues like obesity. As full time teachers, they struggle with making even simple meals from scratch but only because they are counting every penny.

I remember the days when the food dollars never seemed to stretch as far as they should and I remember the lethargic, hazy feeling that coincides with extended periods of hunger. In this book they talk about their minds not functioning optimally. Their tempers flare and the stress mounts. This is the reality for many in our world.

While moving into the Food Stamp experiment (they calculated the average amount of dollar value given in food stamps for a childless couple and used their own funds for this experiment) they thought going from $1 a day to nearly $4.13 was going to be fair bit better. However the increase in available funds did little to provide wholesome meals and they struggled with this experiment as well.

I don't believe there could be a better couple to have written this book. Alternating chapters, Christopher and Kerri reveal their experience with whit, wisdom and passion. It was an very enjoyable read and reminded me of the many people living in North America who still do not have enough to eat.

Now, I am reading The Moneyless Man, written by Marc Boyle who ventures to live a whole year without using money for ANYTHING. I think he's nuts but I'm only two chapters in so I will let you know once I am finished.

My Writer's Blog

2011-06-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

For anyone interested, I started a blog to chronicle my writing life.

Corsets & Cadavers

The address is : www.gothicmysterywriter.blogspot.com

If you are into mysteries or historicals you will most likely find my posts interesting. I am diligently working on my manuscript and have a self imposed deadline to be finished the first draft before end of summer.

Sensational Summer

2011-06-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

I am already feeling really good about my garden this year. I have never harvested so much in so little time. Every day I head out to the gardens I am floored by the progress. The greens are flourishing and I have already had many salads. It's great to be able to take my bowl out and fill it up with nutritional goodness.

The radishes are divine. I planted them for my husband who eats them like a carrot. I, on the other hand, slice them up for salads and force them down because I know they are good for me. I planted my radishes between my rows of onions. By the time the onions really take off these radishes will be eaten. I am going to plant another small patch of radishes and try to keep the supply lines moving all summer. Radishes only take 20 days to reach maturity so they are a very fast and easy addition to the summer garden.

The broccoli has been threatening to flower so I cut them off and I am now searching for recipes to use them in. There is not enough to freeze. I will have to try my hand for a fall crop and see if I can get some more.

Things are moving along tickety-boo. Going out to my garden is not a chore. It revives me and makes me happy.

The Kid vs. Poison Ivy

2011-06-14T06:30:00.001-07:00

Sometime last week, during one of our three hikes in the woods, my son came in contact with poison ivy. I think I have narrowed it down to one specific area since it was on that hike in which he deviated from the path and spent more time romping in the woods than his sister or I. He also wore sandals that day (not my choice of hiking wear but he is 8 and more or less in charge of his own attire), where as my daughter and I wore running shoes and socks.

Poison Ivy symptoms, small blistery, oozing bumps or welts, can take up to 72 hours to show up, which gives the persistent plant oils plenty of time to rub off on hands, clothes, bedding, you name it. My son's condition has been complicated by a handful of mosquito bites he also had, which became itchy. And being a kid, he scratched them all over and spread the oils to 75 per cent of his body. He was completely covered before we knew there was anything wrong.

We have been using Benadryl to dampen the itching and After Ivy cleansing lotion to get rid of the remaining oil. His bed has been stripped and the bedding washed numerous times. The last few nights have been a haze of medication, cool baths and hugs. He has been in a tonne of pain and there is very little I can do to help.

He has a prescribed medicated ointment now and seems to be doing better. I, on the other hand, am exhausted. Please tell me this is a lesson learned and my kids will be more careful the next time we are in the woods.

Quiet Time

2011-06-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

I am weary of people who always look busy, or those who constantly remind me how busy they are. As a society we tend to equate busy with important, as if being busy meant our lives carry meaning and worth. We see a busy person as productive and assign a value or level of worth to that person. We dismiss those who take on a slower pace. We honk horns at the slow drivers. We cut corners to get the job done faster. We place a greater value on speed and activity than we do on mindfulness and solitude.

The fact that one is constantly moving, creating, accomplishing does little to distinguish them from another slower paced person. Often times this projection of perpetual motion is a play produced for the rest of us. It creates an illusion of importance, a mask of meaning.

My life is busy but I do not mean 'in motion'. My mind is busy and I don't use my outer world and its schedules, organized groups and endless movement to dampen the progress of the mind. When I am alone and remain quiet, my thoughts invade my space. They remind me of uncomfortable things sometimes. Words I have said and now regret. Actions I now wish I could undo. In those quiet hours when my body is still and my lips silent, I am made uncomfortable by the ceaseless internal chatter which dissects my life and the world around me. The choices, good and bad, that I have made become highlighted in my mind. When I try to force myself to think of other things, happier things, I fail. Squelching these patterns of thought gives me a fleeting peace that will once again become disturbed. I may become saddened, worried or regretful and this can be uncomfortable.

For some reason, people avoid things that make them uncomfortable. Society has taught us distraction is okay, that escapism is ideal.

Life can be uncomfortable. This is what separates the strong from the weak. We are strong when we can face our demons, our shadow personalities, and recognize the faults within us. We can hush this part of life with television, media, hundreds of friends on our facebook friends list, but this noise will do nothing to advance our internal selves. The noise detracts from our internal processes and we can become stagnant, unmoved, unchanged. We become inanimate and robotic, living our lives as dictated to us by society as a whole.

But when we clear our calendars and excuse ourselves from the constant barrage of obligation, our lives take on greater meaning. Once we walk the uneasy walk, meet our shadows head on, we become quiet in mind and body. Stress is reduced. Things start to become accomplished and we begin to see a peak in productivity. When we are no longer made numb by screens, noise and chatter that is when we truly become free.

Giving Worms Another Go

2011-05-26T09:30:00.001-07:00

I tried Vermiposting (composting with worms) once before but they died. Last month the kids were able to participate in a workshop for Earth Day where they were given a few worms. We brought them home, bought a bin, drilled holes etc. Each week I feed the worms and put in more bedding, making sure to sprinkle with a bit of water to keep it all moist.

I think they died again.

The worms we were given were small so they may just be eluding detection. The food is being eaten by something so who knows maybe I am just being weird. I think I may just bite the bullet and buy a pound of red wigglers from a local lady we sells them by the pound. I can just add them in. Even if the original worms did survive the new worms won't harm them and I can use more of my kitchen scraps for compost.

I like worms. They don't take much time at all. Once a week I give them some love (food scraps, newspaper bedding and sprinkles of water) and for the rest of it they remain to themselves.

I will keep trying. There must be something I am not doing right, or maybe just some worms I am not seeing.

TV Culture

2011-05-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

My morning started with a 8 year old boy reduced to tears and clutching his ear. He and his sister have had a doozy of a head cold for the last four days so it didn't surprise me that he had developed an ear infection. I tried drops that we had here at the house but judging from his cries they were not working so off to the walk in clinic we went.

The wait was long, over an hour but for the forty or so chairs that were filled with bodies the wait wasn't so bad. They had their television. A large screen tv was mounted to the wall, locked on a particular channel (not even a Canadian one) and everyone was content to stare up at it for hours on end, not matter what ridiculous day time program was running. I also noticed most of the people were middle aged and younger.

The same was true for the waiting room at the hospital when I went in for my surgery last week. That time I did watch, but who could blame me, my favourite show Road To Avonlea was on. Not as many people paid attention in that waiting room though. The average age must have been over 55 (myself the only exception). I wonder if it's a generational thing. Because anyone in the forties or under would have grown up with television, even raised their own kids with the devise as babysitter.

I love movies, and the odd program and for 4 years we lived without cable preferring to search out certain shows on the internet. Over recent years our rooster of preferred shows kept getting longer and longer. Television stations were adding innumerable programs to their websites allowing us to watch what we wanted, when we wanted and our daily average kept getting higher and higher. When we moved here we caved under the pressure of climbing bandwidth charges from our internet provider and ordered cable.

I try to keep TV watching at bay but admit I am weak. I could do better. In some ways I wish I could go back to four years ago when we ditched cable with defiance and gave the kids a book when they said they were bored. To be honest, I like TV but it concerns me that doctors waiting rooms, restaurants and mini vans are becoming acceptable places for screen time. What happened to the good old game of "I spy" while waiting for the doctor? Or pre-planning and bringing a book? Maybe, just maybe we could also become better at talking to each other, instead of looking up in the corner slack-jawed and bug-eyed.

We are one step closer to turning into that Wall-E movie, cruising around on hovering chairs, illumiinated screens two inches from our faces and a gigantic soda at our side. When will enough be enough?

Housekeeping

2011-05-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

This post is a routine housekeeping, or in other words cleaning bits of this and that to make everything look tidy and clean. Here is my life all tidy and clean.

I am going to the hospital on Wednesday for a long awaited surgery. I have been suffering with a rather large kidney stone for over a year now. It is not 'long awaited' because of lack of medical care available but rather my own stubbornness for not looking into the source of my pain. I pushed passed it, moved on and ignored the symptoms for many months. I wanted to see a doctor in the fall but so much of our time was taken up in house hunting, packing and other home related matters. It was shortly after we moved that I realized I could not postpone it any longer.

Since I found out surgery was eminent, I went to great pains to get the garden beds in and planted. I may be out of commission for a week or so, depending on recovery so I don't need to worry about the gardens and planting schedules. This week I am also focusing on house chores, and some of the tasks I don't get to often (like vacuuming the couch) so that I can leave them for weeks until I feel energetic enough to take them on.

Things might be rather quiet here on the blog front as well. I have joined an online writer's critique group where all five of us are actively writing and posting an critiquing each other's work-in-progress. This is a huge undertaking which require a lot of commitment on my part but it is something I see as worth while. I have been working on this recent novel (a mystery) since August and consider myself about half way through. Too often I push my writing to the side for the sake of home stuff that need tending to. I am hoping that this critique group will keep me on track, focused and goal oriented.

I still plan to blog and do my other homesteading stuff but for the next bit I am focusing on my recovery and my book.

These Hands

2011-05-09T07:00:00.001-07:00

I spend a lot of time working with my hands and this passed weekend was no different. I received 6 cubic yards of top soil to fill my raised garden beds with. That's a lot of shoveling, pulling and dumping. Each section of garden (10 ft by 4 feet) took 6 to 8 trips to fill. Each trip with the wagon took about 15 shovelfuls to prepare and one big push to get the container to spill over into the garden beds. That's 120 shovelfuls for each raised bed, and 1320 shovelfuls for the whole garden.

I received some help from the kids and hubby but I think even they knew, this was my baby. I did the lioness' share. I kept going when my legs begged me to stop. I kept shoveling when the blister formed on my palm. I needed to get this done. I need to plant roots at this house or it will never feel like a home.

I did it. I filled the beds with topsoil to spare and now I can start planting. It feels good to be so 'accomplished'.

This whole time, after the blister formed and I still kept pushing on, I was thinking about my hands and how much they have helped me accomplish. I've held my babies in these hands and showed them they were loved. I've held my husband's hand when he was in a coma and encourage him to come back to us. I've planted tiny seeds and gave them room and water so they could flourish and provide us with food. I have hugged friends in need, and wiped away the tears I cried for those I could not hug. I've touched trees in the forest, pick up someone else' litter and rushed spiders outside.

My hands wash dishes, prepare food, fold laundry and clean floors. My hands help me write this blog and my novel, which are both huge sources of pride for me. My hands hold books and turn pages so that I may learn and grow as a person. Right now I have a cat curled up in my arms with one hand petting her and the other typing away.

I am proud of these hands, each line and future callous, each dry patch and wrinkle. These hands do many things and they are a testament to how much I have truly lived.

On My Mind...

2011-05-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

Some days it's two steps forward one step back and that is the way it has been for us lately, until yesterday.

Yesterday was so beautiful and warm that when my husband came home from work he asked if I wanted to finish building our raised beds. That is exactly what I was hoping he'd say. We have been trying to get these raised beds together for weeks but our efforts have been thwarted by rain, holidays, prior commitments and equipment failure. We did manage to get the 3 8x4 beds done and painted but that was it.

Yesterday we hit a grove. We finished the other 8 beds (10x4). I drilled holes while my husband transported the boards outside. At about the same time the drilling was done, he had finished constructing one of the beds, so we moved it into place and I started painting them while he kept building them. Took us about two hours and they are done.

This picture is roughly the formation I want them in. 4 L brackets around 3 tightly spaced beds in the middle. There will be enough room for a wheelbarrow to get through and I will be able to reach all sides. It's 416 sq ft of garden space. It's HUGE! Can't wait to get my fingernails dirty. I have seedlings that are just itching to get outside.

I am not sure I want them in this particular spot. I will probably have to move them farther back into the yard. We plan to reconfigure the deck and patio in a year or two so I would hate to go through all this work just to have to move them next year. A little bit of planning now with save me a gigantic headache later.

That's what's on my mind...

Apple and Pear Trees

2011-04-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today we planted our three apple and two pear trees. About two weeks ago my local garden store had these trees on sale. The first thing I did was scope out which trees they had in stock and then came home to research whether those trees would fit my needs. Most fruit trees need a pollinator, another tree of the same species (apple to apple, pear to pear) and they must bloom at the same time. However you may also want to make sure your trees give you early season apples, mid-season apples or late season apples.

Making sure you have the same blooming times and the right harvesting time can be tricky. I did however find some useful info in my book, The Farmer's Wife Guide to Fabulous Berries and Fruits. I also found a few websites that helped to chart which blooms when and which trees they would be compatible with. In the end, I choose Granny Smith for their good baking and ability to store over winter, Spartan for their excellent eating and Cortland, another good baking and storage apple.

My husband and children love pears so they twisted my arm into getting two pear trees. We got a Barlett and Bosc variety. I plan to use some for storage and can the rest.

Trees need to be placed at least 10 feet apart but no more that 100 feet since they need each other for cross pollination. We can help the bees along by keeping them fairly close to each other. We spaced them out in their pots to visualize and measure. Once we decided where everything should go we got to digging.

To plant an apple tree you must dig a hole as deep as your pot but twice as wide. Loosen your tree from the pot and break away some of the dirt around the base of the tree. After you refill the soil around the planted tree, water the base of the tree with at least a watering can full of water.

John Seymour, author of "The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It" said the best way to ensure a tree reaches it's maximum potential is to "bury a dead dog underneath". I can see the use for good decomposing matter but I just didn't have one on hand. So barring that, I used some plant food supplied by my garden nursery who would guarantee the tree would live for an extra year (over their standard 1 year warranty) if I used it. What the heck? They'd give me a new tree if these ones ever died.

I also added a layer of mulch to the base of the trees to keep the moisture in the soil since moisture is essential this first year.

Here's some tips for Planting Apple and Pear Trees:

- plant in spring to give the trees a full 3 seasons to mature before winter.
- Apples do best in colder climates because they need a bit of winter chill to ripen correctly.
-do not plant them near a pond or wooded area as these places attract frost which will cling to your young apple trees and kill the blossoms.
- do not plant at the bottom of a hill. It is best to plant in high ground as frost tends to go to the lowest part of the landscape.
- add compost to the base of the tree in the fall.
-water each week if you have not received at least an inch of rain.
- prune in fall when required.

Before planting you must contact your local utilities to get what's called a "Locate" this is where they go around your yard and mark where the water, gas, hydro, phone lines are so you don't accidentally damage something. You could be held liable if you dig without doing this homework. It also gives you an accurate picture of where your plants will flourish and not get it's roots tangled in anything down below. Most areas have a One Call company that handles this for all the utilities. You can see in my one picture where there is red spray paint (water-based, lead free). I had to wait a week before I knew where the power lines were but it was worth it because in the end I did not have to worry.

Chocolate Spring Nests

2011-04-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

These are yummy with or without the chocolate eggs on top. You can make them year round or as a special Easter/spring treat.

Chocolate Nests (aka haystacks)

3 cups of rolled oats
3/4 cups of shredded coconut
6 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Mix in a large bowl and set aside.

In a sauce pan, over medium heat combine:

2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
2/3 cup of butter

Bring to a boil slowly. Once large bubbles form, pour over oats mixture and mix well. Let stand for a minute to cool.

Place wax paper over flat cookie sheet or pan.

Using a spoon, drop enough to form a small nest and place a chocolate egg inside (Hershey's Eggies or Cadbury Mini Eggs work great). Continue until all dough is gone. Place cookie sheets in fridge or freezer to let them set. After an hour or so, Enjoy!

Catastrophe!

2011-04-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

Silly me, silly me. You'd think I would have more foresight. You'd think I would have known better. I proved to myself I am human, after all.

Last week the kids and I diligently planted seeds, labeled them and put them safely in our 4 shelf greenhouse which I typically keep indoors at our sunniest window. We were having such a beautiful string of good weather I saw no harm in pulling the greenhouse out onto the back deck where our precious seedling would have a bit more direct sun. I figured an afternoon of sun would be good and that I would bring them in again before night fall, just so they don't get too cold.

My kids had swimming that day and we were only gone an hour and a half. In that time the wind picked up and I am not yet accustomed to the amount of wind we receive here as opposed to our woodland sheltered former abode. We came home that day to a fallen over greenhouse and a mangled mess of potting soil, seeds and seedlings on the deck. It was a chore to clean it up and set it to rights. I figured I'd have to restart and was glad I had not used all my heirloom seeds in the first go.

So now we are truly late in getting our seedlings off the ground but it's okay. We live, we learn.

Making Do

2011-04-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen the television show "Till Debt Do Us Part." I enjoyed it while my husband and I were struggling to make end meet and I enjoy it now that we have some better fortune. It's a show about a married couple who are usually deep in debt because of consumer spending and bad financial habits. Gayle, the shows host and financial expert, assesses the situation, identified cracks in the couples budgets and shines a blaring spotlight on why these couples can't seem to make ends meet. These families usually have healthy incomes but for some reason their spending is out of control.

For the show it usually means the couple must do a few things. Write up a budget, learn to communicate and learn to live within their means. There's no fancy formula, no get rich quick scheme. It's just plain old work and reality.

I think it's the reality part that most people struggle with. We see commercials and magazine articles with glossy pictures that give the impression that most people live like this or should aspire to live like this. The reality is most people don't live with all the bells and whistles but nor should we be made to think we have to. We can have a fulfilling life without a brand new kitchen or professionally designed home.

In reality making do and living within our means often translates into waiting to purchase something, even if we think we need to have it now. I was a professional photographer for a few years doing weddings and family portraits. The equipment is expensive so I concentrated on using available light and natural landscapes. When I became a homeschooler I kind of phased that activity out of my life at about the same time digital cameras were becoming more and more advanced.

I was still using film until two years ago when my Single Lens Reflex camera batteries were becoming harder and harder to find. I shifted to digital but at the time, with my husband in college, I could only afford a rudimentary point and shoot. It was a hard adjustment. I knew I could create better shots with a real camera but also knew in reality a digital SLR was out of reach. I had to make do. I have known other professionals who have said "once you go SLR, you can never go back." Had I subscribed to this I would have amassed more debt than I was willing to be responsible for. I would have paid twice as much for the camera by the time I paid off my credit card only now the camera would be old and I would still be on the debt treadmill. Sometimes you have to live within your means and make do so you can reap the benefits later.

I bought a new digital SLR a few weeks ago and I am falling in love with photography all over again. A little patience paid off because now I have exactly what I want and didn't have to pay extra in interest to get it.

It takes work and perseverance to stay within your means. But the rewards are far greater than simply buying on a whim. This applies to so many other areas of life; dieting, education and many others. A little work now will mean a big difference later.

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Next Order of Business

2011-04-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

My indoor radish experiment was a flop. The radish leaves did great but the actual radish was nonexistent. The lettuce on the other hand has done rather well. I am harvesting baby greens right now using the "cut and come again" method. This is a method of snapping off leaves but leaving the main plant intact so it can continue to grow and flourish throughout the season.

Today the kids and I planted some more seeds. Each of them chose some seeds a few weeks ago to plant in their own square foot garden. I think it's interesting that my daughter has chosen flowers (morning glories and corn flowers) to grow while my son went for the vegetables. He wants peas, carrots and cucumber, with sunflowers mixed in.

Because my daughter wants morning glories we have to soak them for 24 hours before planting. We dampened some paper towel and placed the seeds inside. We planted the cucumber and sunflowers. I also started my broccoli and tomato plants.

I know I am a bit behind. I should have planted them a few weeks ago but I don't even have my raised beds constructed yet. The lumber has been purchased and is sitting in garage waiting for a sunny weekend to piece them together. I decided to paint the outsides of my boxes, not the insides that touch the soil that touches our food, just the outside to keep the wood from rotting and looking dingy over time. The paint is also waiting patiently in the garage.

Fruit trees are on sale this week at my favourite garden store. I went yesterday to see what varieties they had and came home to hit the books. One of my favourite resources is The Farmer's Wife's Guide to Fabulous Fruits and Berries. I picked it up last summer at a second hand store for three bucks! It's an excellent reference book with how-to's and recipes. Covers everything from choosing varieties, planting, maintaining, harvesting and preparing and/or freezing.

I used this book and a few others to determine the best varieties of apples for my needs. Not all apples are created equal. Tonight I head back to purchase the varieties I chose but I will post about that another time, once I have some pictures.

So far so good on my little homestead in the suburbs.

ADELE 'Rolling In The Deep' (Studio Footage)

2011-04-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

This is my newest favourite artist. I bought the album off iTunes after a friend posted this video on Facebook and now I am addicted. I have this alum on in the background while I am writing and while the kids and I are doing chores.

On my mind...

2011-04-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in on a "On my mind" photo feature hosted by Down to Earth. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

On my mind this week was my garden. Where to put it, how big to make it, what to grow and how on earth am I going to get everything done? I should have constructed my raised beds last weekend when the weather was gorgeous but we were elbow deep in green paint doing up my son's room (post to come soon). This past week I have been kicking myself for not making my gardens a priority but right now I very much feel like I am being pulled in so many directions.

I need composters and rain barrels and cold frames (oh my!). Slow and steady it will all come together but you know me I am a very impatient type of gal.

The juncos have been making quick work of our yard and sent out a grid pattern search party...what they are searching for I have no idea but it was neat to watch them fan out. In the picture you can see them all around the willow tree.

Building a Nest... literally

2011-04-01T16:31:00.001-07:00

Today the kids and I hung out with some homeschooling friends. One mom in the group brought a nest building activity for all the kids. In teams, the kids were given a folded up piece of paper that displayed a local bird name (Robin, Chickadee, Hawk, Crow), their nest building facts and a list of materials the birds would use for their nests.

It was up to the kids to work as a team to find some of each item and construct a nest. We soon discovered that birds have "mad skills" when it comes to nest building.

This is a Chickadee's nest, a joint effort between myself and my 8 year old son. He did very well padding the inside with moss and pine needles to make the nest very soft.

My daughter worked with her friend and some younger girls making a Hawk's nest. The nest is very large compared to the chickadee's and Blue Jay's nests.

The nice weather is here and we are trying to enjoy every minute of it.

Baked Fries

2011-03-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Potatoes are abundant in my neck of the woods. In the fall I can buy 50lbs for $15 from a local farmer, as opposed to $3.99 for 7lbs this time of year in the grocery store. Potatoes are local, cheap and store well over winter.

I never understood why people would buy potatoes in a can. Or mashed potatoes from a plastic bag (heat & serve). Or frozen potatoes in the form of french fries, hash browns and any other number of potato fare. Don't even get me started on potato flakes.

There's a commercial that airs here that shows a business woman cutting potatoes all day at her desk, in a business meeting and at various work situations. An annoucer says "why slave away all day to make a meal? Buy such and such potatoes..." you get the picture. It takes me less than ten minutes to prepare potatoes. It's interesting how as a society we have convinced ourselves that these things are hard. That they take too much time and we deserve to be pampered.

I like real food, with real flavours and real vitamins. In stead of fries I make homemade baked fries. Here's my super easy recipe.

Baked Fries Or Potato Wedges

3 to 4 lbs of potatoes, peeled and cut in wedges

2 to 3 tbsp of olive oil
1 minced garlic clove
tsp of parsley dried
salt
pepper

Take your poatoes, wash them and let them soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain. Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle on all other ingredients on potatoes and toss until they are evenly coated. Place on a baking tray and put in the oven. Bake until potatoes are soft and browning on the edges.

I like crispy potatoes wedges. Serve with homemade chicken fingers, fish or burgers. Easy, cheap and good. It's simple but you'd be surprised at the number of shocked faces when I admit to making our food from scratch. "Oh I would do that but sometimes I just want some fries."

"I make those."

It's not rocket science but mass media, marketing and manufacturing has made it seem that way.

Earth Hour Flop

2011-03-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

I had every intention of participating this year. Instead I powered up in a big way and felt like crud while doing it. It all started with my son's birthday cake. I figured I could bake it before Earth Hour began and let it cool over night so I could ice it in the morning prior to having 22 people over for a party. Good plan.

That was until the cake decided to stick to the pan, fall out in bits and pieces before crumbling onto the serving tray. Looking at the mess, I wondered if any could be salvaged. We munched on it a bit and made the conclusion that I needed a "do over".

In an attempt to cover all my bases I made a 9 x 13 white cake AND 24 chocolate cupcakes. The cupcakes were my back up in case the cake Round 2 flopped too. So there I was when all other environmentally conscious and earth-minded people were playing cards and board games by candle light, I was power baking two rounds of sugary goodness... with the kitchen light on.

Cake Round 2 threatened to fall apart as well, and even split down the middle after I placed it on the tray. Nothing a bit of icing couldn't cover but I figure it was a way for the cake gods to remind me just who was in charge.

So Far So Good

2011-03-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

A week and a half ago, I planted some lettuce and radish seeds with plans to keep them indoors until maturity. I used large compostable pots, potting soil and compost. So far so good. I water every other day as needed. And keep them tucked away in a portable greenhouse which is currently in my living room. Within another week or so I should have a few radishes and lettuce leaves to munch on.

I will need to add some fertilizer or compost tea to keep the soil nutrient level up.

I am currently looking for a book on exclusive greenhouse growing, My plan is to attempt to grow lettuce and other plants that require little sunlight in the house throughout winter, without the aid of hydroponics.

So far my little experiment is going well though time will tell if these adorable baby plants actually deliver the goods.

Almost 50

2011-03-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

I need one more follower to make my number a clean 50 people, who read regularly, enjoy my articles and perhaps feel the way I do about living life.

I started this blog at the tail end of 2008 and wondered exactly who would give a crud about what I write and share. Followers are a nice reminder that people are interested. Comments let me know that people are reading.

There have been over 7,000 page views since Blogger started tracking stats for me.

One person told me that blogs are merely brag-fests with pictures. Perhaps they are right. But perhaps not. I write because I have so much to say and I think there might be others trying the same things, attacking the same problems or enjoying the same simple life.

I don't mean to brag. I know I lead a pretty blessed life. Perhaps this blog is less about bragging and more about sharing. What I plant, how I bake, the short cuts I have found. I read other blogs for those reasons, not to hit myself in the head because someone has it better than me or comes up with better ideas.

I almost ended this blog recently. After the move, I wasn't feeling it anymore. My life has changed so dramatically from the vision I had set out to achieve (in 2008)when I started. Part of me felt I wasn't being truthful. That I was hiding something. The truth is, I have evolved. Slowly but surely. Little by little. Day by day. I have changed. My goals, dreams and aspirations change, like everyone else and the blog is a mere reflection of those evolving projects and ideas.

I am glad I didn't do away with this blog. I am glad I can continue to share my journey with you all.

Now...how do I go about getting one more follower?

Pasta Sausage Casserole

2011-03-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

This is a nice, quick, healthy casserole that uses fresh veggies, pasta and sausage.

300 grams cooked macaroni noodles

2lbs of cooked and sliced sausage
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 bell pepper chopped
6 tomatoes chopped or 1 can of tomato sauce (or both)
1 medium onion chopped
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

Cook sausage in a skillet and slice. Add garlic with a splash of olive oil and simmer a bit. Add 1/2 cup of water and toss in pepper and onion. Add tomatoes last.

Let simmer. Add some chopped fresh parsely (or dried), salt and pepper.

Place macaroni in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Pour sausage and tomato sauce mixture over top and stir. Top with Parmesan and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with a side salad. De-lish!

Let'tuce Grow

2011-03-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

I started an experiment a few weeks ago to see if I can grow lettuce and radishes in the house during winter. I bought a small greenhouse to protect my plants from curious cats. I have not invested in a hydroponics apparatus. I'm waiting to see if it is necessary. So far so good. We'll see what a few weeks brings.

Playing House

2011-03-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

My kids are in day camp this week learning about theatre productions, acting, set design, script writing and I get some much needed time to run errands and look for things for the new house. On Monday I went straight to the fabric store to find some fabric for swag curtains for the living room. I also found some discounted fabric that would make perfect pillows and table runners. For $5 a meter regularly $18 per meter, I think I did pretty good.

On the weekend we went out antiquing for a bit. There's this one place, The Antique Mall near our house and I love browsing. I haven't bought anything until this weekend when I found this lovely table. I placed it in our foyer and it's simply perfect in this spot.

Egg Your House

2011-03-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

Easter is a-comin'! I saw something like this Easter Egg Display in a design magazine and I knew I could make my own.

You need:

1 large pot base
1 small pot base
1 small pot

Arcylic paints
Crackle Paint effect stuff
Brushes
A bit of Patience

I painted the pot and base with a base coat of the colour I wanted to see through the cracks. Then I painted the crackle stuff (available at craft stores). Between each coat I waited a few hours to make sure it was dry and then I applied the final coat.

When dry, simply invert the pot onto the base, and then lay your small base on the top. Decorate with paper grass or more real looking stuff. As you decorate you eggs, put them on display. These eggs are paper mache with acrylic paint.

I Heart the Library

2011-03-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

Look what I found at my local library!

I know my review of Homestead Blessings was scathing. Because for the price I paid I felt bamboozled, taken in by the growing phenomenon that is homesteading. The two videos I bought (Dairy Delights and Quilting) were very primary, novice and far too basic for me and I regretted buying them.

But now I don't have to buy them and if they do not satisfy my needs it is no matter because I did not pay $20 a pop of them. Yea!

Slumber Party

2011-03-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

This is what my life is like with four cats...everyday is an opportunity to have a good laugh! This is our cat Augustus who is unable to fit his large frame in the cat condo but he seems to have worked out a good compromise.

Book: Thrifty by Majorie Harris

2011-03-05T13:42:00.001-08:00

I just finished this book called Thrifty by Majorie Harris. It's written by a Canadian author who apparently is rather well known as a gardening writer (I've never heard of her). At first I was intrigued. I am always on the look out for refreshing material that keeps me on the frugal track and helps me reassessed my priorities. I am a very frugal person by nature but I find reading and re-reading certain books on frugality to be a good recharge for my batteries. The Tightwad Gazette complete series is one I often return to again and again.

This book started off with the author praising Margaret Atwood for her frugalness. I am not an Atwood fan but I didn't want to judge the book off of that and continued reading. There are the standard tips and hints on finding the best deals, doing research before purchasing a high ticket item and how to attack garage sales. All in all, they were the usual comments that anyone with a slim wallet would inherently know only this writer presented them as if they were the greatest secret this century.

She warned against second hand stores but promoted higher priced consignment shops. She bragged about buying artwork and only ever purchasing organic. As much as she wanted to be thrifty and imagined her self to be thrifty I could tell she was just a normal consumer doing a few things to save some bucks. She believes she is more thrifty than she is, that much was obvious. Her way of promoting thrift with style is a stark contrast to Amy Dacyzyn's how-to's on dumpster diving and making meals for pennies.

It's all about perspective. If you have money saving money becomes less important. Everyone wants to save money but if you are truly hard up for cash, truly one paycheck away from ruin organic vegetables would be too much of a luxury to contemplate. However if you have money, and have a comfortable living then thrift takes on a whole new meaning.

The English language should invent two separate words for thrift with money and thrift because you have to make ends meet...but then if we did that one would take on a derogatory meaning and no one would admit to being in that circumstance. No matter. In the end, thrift is thrift and there is no true way to be thrifty, only degrees therein and who are we to judge?

Everybody Loves Cake

2011-03-04T09:30:00.001-08:00

Today is my daughter's 11th Birthday. She is having a few friends over tonight for a sleepover. It's fairly low key but should be lots of fun. Anybody who knows me knows that I ALWAYS do my kids cakes. It started years ago when they were little and we had no money. Every kid deserves a special cake and so I started to get creative by making cakes that would match whatever theme we were doing for the party.

After years of doing it out of necessity, I feel like it's something I could never give up. I love doing it. I get a thrill out of planning out what I am going to do and how. I love baking but I also love creating edible artwork.

My daughter is into fairies and so her cake is a fairy house. I started with a gingerbread bundt pan I bought at 50 per cent off before Christmas (we don't eat gingerbread but we do eat cake and love decorating them with candies so I fell in love with it the minute I saw it). I used paste food colouring I had on hand as well as piping bags and Wilton tips I have from previous years.

All I had to buy was lots of icing and a small bag of chocolate rocks I found at the bulk food store. The base is my big wood cutting board covered in tin foil.

All in all I think it came together well and probably only cost $4 or $5 including hydro to bake the cake. Whoo!

And now for the clean up... hop to it Birthday Girl!! I don't think she's impressed!

Thrifty Finds

2011-03-01T15:18:00.000-08:00

I enjoy the treasure hunt of second hand stores. I haven't been to any second hand stores since before Christmas and I think the withdrawl was getting to me. Today my fix was acquired and here's some of my best finds.

A pair of sparkly sandals for me and a fairly practical pair for my son. Both look practically brand new.

My daughter spotted this cute St. Patrick's Day Angel for 99 cents and I snagged a box of three Thomas Kincade puzzles for $4. My husband and kids love board games but me... I like a good puzzle. This style of puzzle is my favourite but are so expensive in stores. A single puzzle can be $15. For $4, I figure I could live with it if there were a few pieces missing. With adult puzzles though that is rarely the case. If you do puzzles as an adult you are fairly careful about putting everything away.

Have you found anything lately?

Seed-sational!

2011-03-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have been eying seed packages for a while now and just today put in my first order. I am trying something new this year and deciding to use only local, certified organic, heirloom seeds.

Heirloom varieties are plants and seeds that are original, traditional and unmodified. They have not been genetically engineered or altered like hydrid seeds, the standard seed found in garden stores. Those commonly found hybrid seeds are the result of years of engineering by seed companies to produce a mono-cultured plant. These plants do not produce viable seeds. You simply eat the resulting fruit/veg and buy more seeds next year. This keeps gardeners coming back year after year.

Heirloom seeds are varieties that were used by our ancestors centuries ago. There is far greater variety in colours and flavours of the resulting fruit. They tend to be hardier, better suited for natural gardens. By planting heirloom seeds we are encouraging genetic diversity and protecting our seed resources for generations to come. If we only ever planted one variety of corn and then a disease developed targeting that variety we as a nation would be in a hard place to produce enough food for the hungry. By planting a genetic variety we are diversifying our success.

The genetic diversity of the world's food crops is eroding at an unprecedented and accelerating rate. The vegetables and fruits currently being lost are the result of thousands of years of adaptation and selection in diverse ecological niches around the world. Each variety is genetically unique and has developed resistance to the diseases and pests with which it evolved.

-Seed Savers Exhange

I found an Ontario-based heirloom seed company called The Cottage Gardener. They have such an array of choices it was truly hard to choose. For my first foray into heirloom seeds I decided to keep to the basics.

Broccoli
Carrots
Melon
Peas
Pumpkin
Paste Tomato
Tomato
Parsnip

I also will be getting lettuces, corn, cucumber, radish, spinach, beans, onions and peppers from another local source.

A Duvet Cover

2011-03-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

After a few weeks of searching for the perfect duvet cover for our bed I finally gave up. Everything I saw was ultra modern and simply not my style. I wanted a solid colour, not stripes or florals. I wanted to reserve my patterning for the throw pillows and room accents. I also wanted something with a soft tone to create a feeling of calm relaxation. I found nothing to satisfy me so I decided to make my own.

In my search I found a 3 sheet set. In all there were 6 sheets, 2 fitted and 2 flat for each colour and 6 pillow shams. I don't use the flat sheets on our beds, just the fitted ones so the flat sheets were the perfect size.

Here's how I made my duvet cover. I made an extra wide hem on the bottom of each sheet where I could fasten snaps or ties to slip the duvet in and out. Then placing the sheets right side in, I sewed all around the outside of the sheets being careful to leave an opening on the bottom hem. This opening is about a third of the total width, so I can fold the duvet lengthwise in thirds and feed it in and unfold it in the cover.

Then you add your snaps, and make it right side out.

I gave it a quick wash and dry to get rid of the wrinkles and voila! a duvet cover for under $20.

I plan to use the flat cream sheet to create accent pillows with ties, ribbon, buttons and all manner of fun sewing. I will update with pictures as my bedroom takes shape.

Urban Homestead Day of Action

2011-02-21T08:09:00.001-08:00

Show the Dervaes that we won't be bullied and told that our way of life is copyrighted.

Urban Homestead Diaries

"Show your Urban Homesteading pride and unity by tweet, blog, and update with the words urban homestead and urban homesteading in the title.
Be sure to put the words in the title of your post so they show up on google searches."

Tis a Gift to be Simple

Becoming an Urban Homesteader

2011-02-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a few years since I embarked on this journey and this spring has got me truly excited. I have so much more sunny land to work with. There are so many more possibilities.

I want to concentrate on Organic Heirloom Vegetables and Herbs. I want to start seed saving and conduct experiments within my little suburban farm. We have an acre of land with a sprinkling of trees. I need to remain mindful of our septic tank. All in all though I have an excellent blank canvas for living work of art.

I started planning out my raised bed. I plan to construct 10 inch high borders and fill them with compost, peat moss and soil. I wanted to make the configuration of my raised beds interesting, unique yet functional.

The three rectangled beds in the centre will be permenate installments for plants like strawberries and herbs. The outer L-shaped beds will operate on a rotating basis. There are 3 foot aisles all around, but that may change depending on the width of my wheel barrow or wagon that I want to use.

This design has over 400 square feet of gardening space. But I am not finished there. I would like to construct another set of raised beds at the back of the property for vine plants like pumpkin, cantaloupe and maybe watermelon (one of my planned experiments). And I would like to make a larger herb garden for things like Chamomile and other medicinal type plants on the opposite side of the deck.

All in good time, all in good time. The trick will be to slow myself down at this point. Watch out...I'm an urban homesteader!

Can Someone Own URBAN HOMESTEADING?

2011-02-17T06:38:00.000-08:00

The Dervaes family is Pasadena, CA have quite a following. At one time, I was a self-professed groupie. Not anymore. This family, who works their suburban plot of land to generate food for themselves and their community has gone way beyond my threshold of tolerance. They have professed to claim the right to the words: Urban Homesteading, Urban Homesteader. They hold the registered rights to the business name Pathways to Freedom, and Little Homestead in the City. These I do not contest. They are a trademark like any other business.

Here is a link to their open letter stating how they own the rights and everyone should cite them before using their owned words.

Here is a response from Gustavo Arellano.

Trademarking an entire environmental movement, and claiming it as your own sole creation is a bit much. Scott and Helen Nearing we advocates of the lifestyle long before the Dervaes were on the scene. Thoreau himself dabbled with the experience briefly. I can bet there have been many more who have been less likely to seek their five minutes of fave as vehemently as this family.

Homesteading is not a lifestyle you can expect to get rich off of. It is not something that can be owned and marketed, packaged and shrink wrapped. Homesteading is a way in which you can express yourself, your true beliefs on the world and how we all interconnect. Homesteading is a philosophy, a lifestyle, a reflective practice. It is not an invention like the light bulb or vacuum. It is the culmination and evolution of the journeys of many people. It can not be own by a single source or marketed for a single gain.

What the Dervaes are attempting to do is own a piece of the green movement because it is proving to be profitable and lucrative. And to me, that is just wrong. As far as I am concerned their website and all the information therein has been green washed and rendered useless.

It's Cheap Because It's CHEAP!

2011-02-02T17:18:00.001-08:00

I have discovered that when moving there is often a fair bit of shopping involved with getting settled. I am not a big shopper. I honestly think that in my old house and old routine I was okay with heading to the shops maybe once a week and it was usually for groceries. But all that changed when we bought this house and it feels like I am always looking for the next opportunity to head out. My 'To Buy' list is the longest it has ever been, especially for this DIY Diva who'd rather create what I need than hand over hard earned money for the convenience of having someone else do it. This DIY mentality can only get you so far. I can make a lot of things but a couch is not one of them!

It all started with living room furniture to replace the aged couch that should have been in the dump years ago. Of course that's a big thing but there are plenty of little things that I was not expecting. Like waste baskets for the extra bathroom, entrance mats for doorways and a vacuum (a few rooms have carpets now).

A normal person would be excited at the prospect of shopping around looking for that perfect 'whatever' to go with the paint in the bathroom. But I'm not normal so it's no surprise that I haven't been too excited about hitting the shops.

I think part of my trepidation is the fact that I stress about every dollar, nay every penny. Why waste a dime on something that is a short term solution or minor luxury? I have also developed this obsession with steering clear of cheap stuff. I know as a frugal person I should be looking for the cheap stuff but it's cheap for a reason. It's cheap because it's CHEAP. Instead I am on the look out for the best deal, or in other words, the most bang for my buck and sometimes that means buying something a little more high end with a better warranty and a longer life span.

But of course this way of shopping prolongs the already excruciating process. Instead of one overly busy store now I must got to two or three or more to make sure the thing I saw at the first store was really the best 'bang for my buck'. This leaves little time for the still unpacked boxes or the mountain of empty boxes hibernating in the garage waiting to be recycled.

It feels like I am not getting much done but I think I have resigned myself to the fact that this is the way it has to be for now. Like sucking it up and eating my gruel, I must use more than just impulse to get what I need. If that takes more time and effort so be it. It will save me the aggravation of replacing a broken item in a year or so when a cheap impulse purchase comes around to bite me in the butt.

Least Likely to Succeed

2011-01-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

My house came with a few built in luxuries. Luxuries I would never have sought out. Things that were never deal breakers if the house did not have them. One luxury I wanted was space both inside and out. I think we succeeded in that. I also wanted one more bathroom for a total of two, at least while the kids are still at home. Low and behold we ended up buying a house with three. The third bathroom is a complete luxury that I would never have sought out, or missed had we bought a home with only two.

Another luxury is my dishwasher. When we first moved in I was keen to try it out. See what all the fuss was about. I have to be honest and say at first the lovely built-in device seemed like a dream. When everything was crazy busy I loved not having to hand wash my dishes. I just put them in the dishwasher. My sink was always empty and my counter tops were always clean. It allowed me to focus on other things. I seriously had to doubt whether I would revert back to my simple ways...or if I was doomed to be sucked in by the convenience of it all.

The honeymoon didn't last long. After a week of using my dishwasher I realized how much extra work it really was. I had to rinse each dish before putting them in the appliance. If this step wasn't done properly I would find caked on bits that were terribly hard to get off even by hand. The style of my dishes as well are not dishwasher friendly. Water pools in the recesses of my mugs and I always end up wiping them dry anyway. I was also put off by the cost of buying special detergent. And I had to wonder whether or not reports that using a dishwasher used less water than hand washing. That just doesn't make sense to me. Here I was giving my dishes a pre-wash before actually washing them. It felt like I was adding extra steps and that some how this was to make my housekeeping easier.

I could see the advantage of a dishwasher if I had guests over, a large family or if we were truly pressed for time and not at home all that much. But as an everyday device the usefulness eludes me. Of course this does not take into account the cost of buying a dishwasher, paying for the energy to run it and the water to sustain it. The cost of the dishwasher is huge compared to the convenience it provides. Very high cost for very little pay back.

I don't see myself using the dishwasher very often. It's been relegated to one of those luxuries that just came with the house. My dishwasher has been nominated for "Least Likely to Succeed". We may have a winner here folks!

A Room with a View

2011-01-09T07:39:00.001-08:00

Things are settling down here. We are almost finished dealing with the old house. We are trying to find new homes for the appliances since our new house came with newer appliances. I still have a tonne of cleaning to do here and at the old place. For the most part this move has been pretty stressful but I am glad to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Our new routine is taking shape as we discover the many benefits of our new abode. One of my favourite spots in this new house is the kitchen. It's quite roomy, with a fair amount of cupboard space. Since I spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen, canning, baking and the like, the kitchen was huge on my priority list. My favourite feature is the view of this century old farm house.

My former home was quite cramped. I never really noticed while we were living there but now going back and forth between homes really shines a spotlight on it. We made do. We were comfortable. I am going to miss the old house. My old routines. My old views.

But at the same time I am enjoying the changes. We have new places to walk, bike and garden. Once the snow melts, look out! I will become Garden Girl once again, only now I have an acre to play with!

All Houses Deserve A Name

2011-01-01T17:24:00.001-08:00

If you are a Lucy Maud Montgomery fan like I am, you know that a house is more than a house. A house has personality, character and charm. A house with all these attributes deserves an appropriate name. Montgomery gave many places names in both her fiction and her real life. Most people will know the infamous Green Gables, and perhaps Silver Bush. She aptly named the house that her husband and she retired to as "Journey's End", the house in which she later died. There are many famous houses with names. Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House. Nathaniel Hawthorne's House of the Seven Gables.

A house needs a name if only for it's sentimentality but I have always known that my house will have a name. So now that I am more or less "Home Sweet Home" I have dubbed my house Willow Hill. The house itself sits on a slight hill and there is a large willow tree in the backyard. It's an older styled home with three bedrooms, a library (formerly known as the dining room) and 1 acre to boot. While there are still many boxes to unpack and a few loose ends to tidy up, we are more or less settled and glad to be home.

MIA

2010-12-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

We are Missing In Action...or should I say Missing But Very Active. Our offer on a house was accepted and we are taking possession on Wednesday! Yes, Wednesday...three days before Christmas and needless to say I am headless fowl from the barnyard with so much to do. Try as we might to create Christmas as usual, this will be anything but a usual Christmas.

I will post soon as to our progress and give a few sneak peaks at our new abode! I am so happy and excited to be on this brave new adventure!

Homemade Holiday

2010-12-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

I recently learned to make soap at Everdale. And when I got home I put all I had learned to the test. A few weeks ago I made two double batches of soap, one peppermint, the other Vanilla-Tangerine. Both turned out wonderfully and tonight I bundled them up in preparation to hand them out to some friends over the next week as our paths cross.

I may not be making many gifts this year, or baking as many cookies but it's the few simple things that make me happy.

For What It's Worth

2010-12-10T15:48:00.001-08:00

Sometimes a little goal writing is just what the therapist ordered...in this case my Realtor. At least it's what she would order if I told her why I am having such a hard time committing to buying a house. I have been in a period of transition this past summer. A time when everything I thought I knew, cared about and dreamed up started to morph and change and mutate into completely different and highly unexpected things.

A year ago I would have told you very clearly about my dream to homestead, to live completely 100 per cent off the land, with a small herd of sheep, a thousand miles away from everyone and anyone. A year ago I could dream anything I wanted because dreams are just dreams. My reality is completely different.

I have decided to write down my priorities in order of importance so that I may better understand my life path and where I should go from here.

What Matters Most

1. Financial Independence. I want to owe as little money as possible. Neither borrower nor lender be. No credit cards, no loans, only the most minimal borrowing required to secure a solid home investment with the quickest possible payment schedule. This will require some frugal finesse of course but I am up for the challenge.

2. My Passion. I have a passion for creative writing that has taken a backseat for many years. I have dabbled and flirted a bit with the idea of being a writer, a real novelist who actually finishes a book to near perfection and gets it published. There is a fire inside me that truly must be fed. I can not deny this part of me any longer.

3. Natural living. I want to live close the nature. I want to see birds at my windows and flowers in my garden. I want to eat from my backyard, literally and figuratively. I want to eat local when possible and preserve my harvest. I want to learn all I can about cooking with the seasons and extending the growing season.

4. Family and Friends. Realistically family is my absolute number one, without question. However that seems more a of given. I am a woman who is greatly dedicated to my family. Friends however is something I want to encourage more of. I want to have people over. Develop close friendships. I want to create roots in my community and begin to feel like I belong here instead of thinking it's a way station until we get to where we are really headed. This is integral to creating a home.

5. Green Living. I want to lessen my foot print. I want to make environmental choices because it's the right thing to do. I want to consume less, grow more and really examine my needs as opposed to wants.

What Matters Least (...to me anyways)

1. Raising Animals. I no longer desire to keep animals. The benefit of raising animals for meat is greatly outweighed by the cost to house, feed and care for their upkeep. It is far more efficient for me to pay an expert, local farmer for his/her expertise because that is their job, livelihood and most likely their passion.

2. Growing Absolutely Everything. In this day and age, this is not necessary. Technology has made it so that individually we need not toil independently but work collectively. I can trade my skills for money which I can use in turn to pay another person for their skills. This is where self-sufficiency gets taken off my list of goals.

3. Rural Homesteading. I have decided I don't want to homestead in the traditional sense. Urban homesteading, if it really qualifies as that (which I highly doubt) is much more my style whether I live in the country or not, I am not seeking a self sufficient farm.

This process of looking for a house, holding hard and fast to dreams that no longer hold a flame in me, has been very much a learning experience. I have learned that by letting go of certain dreams and moving on towards others is very liberating. Buying a home is a huge step but it's one that I never thought would teach me so much.

Now would someone please tell me which house I should buy so I can get this show on the road? If only it were that easy.

Under the Microscope

2010-12-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

If you follow Rhonda's blog at Down to Earth, you would have read her most recent post about taking her as she is. She talked about criticism that often comes when we write blogs. How opening up our homes and hearts to share this journey with others can end up with our hands wrapped. It's happened to me and it can be very jarring.

I have been loosing my stamina lately with this blog and with simple and green living in general. I feel I am under close scrutiny, that my opinions and actions are under close watch by those eager to point out any inconsistencies.

I started the process toward a simpler way of life a few years ago. Since then my ideas have grown and then tapered off a bit depending on certain outcomes and life circumstances. I think given that the process is a journey and not a fixed destination, there is no finishing line and that my goals in homesteading and green living will be in constant flux. However more than once I have I been on the receiving end of reprimands for my seemingly lack luster efforts. Some purists are more than happy to point out my flaws with the way I define homesteading or living an environmentally conscious life. Because of this, more than once have I thought of closing the blog and walking away from the blogging community.

Because I don't have a farm (nor do I see myself obtaining one in the future) I am seen as a wanna be, a pretender, and psuedo homesteader but one that should not be taken seriously. Sometimes I am able to laugh off these comments but other times not so much. We all approach our homes in different ways. We all do our best for the situations we find ourselves in. No one is perfect, nor should we expect them to be.

I try my best but it is discouraging when my best does not seem good enough. When my efforts bring about negative comments instead of encouraging ones. On one hand I am glad to see, after reading Rhonda's post, that I am not alone in feeling somewhat dejected but on the other I am disappointed that those people expecting perfection are so quick to point out where others fall short. It shouldn't be that way. Shouldn't we be ever encouraging and truly supportive of any efforts? I have never claimed to be an expert. I have never said I have it all figured out.

When I decided to live simply, if I had looked at all the changes needed and expected them to be made at once I would never have started this journey. I would have been too discouraged to even begin and what a shame that would have been. Some parts of the journey move fast and furious while others are slow and calculated. Others still are not moving at all. In the end, I need to move at my own pace, changing the things I can while accepting the things I can't.

Snow, Snow and Yes, Even More Snow

2010-12-06T06:16:00.001-08:00

We got dumped on yesterday and it continued through the the night. Reports show more snow going into tonight and all day tomorrow. We've already seen 45 cm of snow in the last 36 hours. Usually we get to ease into winter. A little here, a little more there. Not this year. We had one snowfall a few weeks back but it melted within a day. This stuff falling outside my window will probably not melt until spring. Mind you, we have had some strange winters where ski resorts were closed and we had a very green Christmas. But those years are few and not nearly as much fun.

Sometime I wonder if I should move to British Columbia (or even Australia). I like snow but it makes me anxious. Even if I am inside, cozy, warm and safe, I worry about what's happening on the roads. I worry about my husband who has to drive or friends and family who have not learned to stay off the roads on days like these. I learned 8 years ago not to trust Mother Nature and we are still paying the price.

The first snowfall is always the worst for me but as winter progresses I usually get more relaxed. Every year I receive the same chorus of teasing "What the heck do you think? This IS Canada" or "This is not that bad!" These remarks are down right insulting for someone like me who has been through what I have been through. Some people just don't get it and probably won't until they have been through my worst nightmare but I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

I grew up south of here where we never got close to the amount of snow we get up here. Sometimes I wish I could move back just so I won't be reminded of that bad winter I had 8 years ago. But I have to move on and be strong for my family. I don't want my kids to see how terrified I am.

The snow is very beautiful though and I try to enjoy it while it's here. It will melt soon enough and I will be back to my regular self.

imPRESSive Chocolate Christmas Cookies

2010-12-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Do you have a cookie press? Up until a few years ago I had no idea such a thing even existed. I volunteered with the local resource centre to create and promote a fundraising Craft Show which ended up raising about $3,000 a year for the centre's programs. The show featured over 80 local craft vendors but the Centre also ran a table of our own creations. One of the recipes we used that first year was for Whipped Shortbread. Those cookies were divine. They practically melted in our mouths.

While volunteering I met a dear friend, who remains so today, and bless her she was the one with the Whipped Shortbread recipe. That Christmas she gifted me with a cookie press, the same kind we used for the craft show. Many Christmases have passed and each year I try to replicate her recipe but always fall short. I suppose I could just call her up and ask, but really, what's the fun in that?

In my search for the perfect pressed cookie recipe I created this one. They are not as divine as the whipped shortbread but they are pretty dang awesome if I do say so myself.

Pressed Chocolate Cookies

3/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp milk
2 cup flour
6 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp salt

Add one ingredient at a time and keep mixing. The just fill your cookie press and go to town. Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes. They freeze well too. Enjoy!

Trimming the Tree

2010-12-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

We headed to the tree farm today to select our tree. About four years ago we decided to forgo the standard faux tree and opt for a greener solution using real trees. When it came to my attention that faux trees create many chemical toxins both during manufacturing and while they break down over time, I decided a sustainably grown tree is much better option.

I have also found myself gravitating toward other natural means of decorating. I use trimmed boughs and sprigs to decorate table tops and shelves. I spend less and less on Christmas decorations each year and I still manage to pare down my collection.

One commercially found item that I enjoy now is my lighted village. Last year I bought three small houses, and my husband bought me one for Christmas. This year I probably will not buy one, but maybe if I can after Christmas for 50 per cent off, I might consider one new item.

It feels like Christmas now and everyone is very excited. I still have some chopping to do and there are a few hand made items I need to put the finishing touches on.

Little Balls of Chaos

2010-11-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

From the very moment I found out I was expecting for the first time my head was kept spinning day in and day out. Even then before Sophia was born, I really had no idea just how things would change. Over the years hubby and I look back at our life before kids and see the fascinating changes that have taken place. Life has become more amusing, more joyous and let's face it, a bit more hectic too.

Last week after a comical home inspection my husband referred to the kids as little balls of chaos and made no apologies for what we have come to accept and even love about our two munchkins. As part of the deal for the house, the owners reluctantly agreed to a home inspection, something that was a must have for us and we didn't see as being 'that big of a deal'. Apparently to the current owners it was and they insisted on being home and following around my husband and the inspector.

The kids were with me and were relatively occupied in my charge, save for a few moments when Caleb decided to run circles around the senior home owners. Kids will be kids and had the owners not been there I doubt I would have said anything to him. Because they were there and we were 'guests' I felt I needed to keep them in relative control. These people made a fuss about opening the windows, every window as our inspector insisted must be done. They didn't want the dish washer turned on even after our inspector said, "If it comes with the house we have to check it." They did not want us going in the attic. I don't think they were trying to be devious. They were just control freaks and a tad over bearing.

The best part of the night came when Caleb pressed his body against the sliding glass door to the backyard. Looking out the window, he began rubbing his hands and face all over the glass leaving numerous smudges and marks on the otherwise perfectly clean glass. It took all my strength not the laugh since this little act of chaos was very much Caleb. Wherever he goes, he leaves a trail of destruction only akin to pig pen. The lady homeowner was perturbed. She said "You're going to come back tomorrow and clean that with Windex." I knew we wouldn't have to come back, she was such a neat freak that she'd have all the windows in the house clear of our fingerprints within 20 minutes after we left. She really did make me feel like my presence was a stain on her existence. She kept saying she doesn't need to sell and that she didn't know we'd be ripping her house apart.

My husband and I had to laugh. She had been child-free for so many years perhaps she forgot the delight in having them around. "Kids are little balls of chaos," my husband said, and I have to agree. Here at home my kids are comfortable. The house gets messed up during the day and sometimes it even gets put back to rights before bed.... sometimes. It doesn't matter. I know one day they will be gone and I will miss picking up after them. I will miss their jelly-smudged faces and their dirty finger prints on the walls. Today I don't care about the chaos or the disapproving stares of people who think we should be better put together. I love my little balls of chaos, they are a million times better than perfectly washed windows.

** In other news, husband and I have backed out of that home that we adored. A few things came up in the inspection that gave the house a fail and the home owners were not willing to make the necessary fixes. We were even less inclined to spend the money to have the fixes done ourselves. To make a long and crazy story short, we are back to the drawing board as far as house hunting goes. Sigh. It was a lovely house though.

Pizza Purses

2010-11-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

Pizza is quick, easy and usually a family favourite. About a year ago I wanted to find a way to make those frozen pizza foods found in the grocer's freezer. I wanted to make them ahead of time and freeze them so my husband could take them to work for lunches or the kids and I could have a quick but home cooked midday meal.

Pizza Dough

1 cup of warm water
3 tsp of yeast
2 tbsp of olive or vegetable oil

Set aside.

In a bowl add 1 3/4 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of sugar.

Add water/yeast to flour and mix until it forms a dough like bread dough. It will be slightly more wet than bread dough. Place in a warm draft free place (off oven with light on works wonders) and let rise for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Assemble ingredients, tomato sauce, cheese, meats (if using) and lots of veggies. Cut dough into fist sized portions and roll out into circles. Fill one side of dough with toppings and then fold over the other side. Pinch the edges together to form a purse or pocket shape.

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes. If you plan to freeze them, bake until just turning brown (10 to 15 mins), remove from oven, let cool and freeze. When you want to cook the frozen pizza purses, place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or use a microwave.

For a large batch, you may want to double the above recipe. When I make these I usually plan to have them for dinner and make sure there are about 6 or more left over for freezing.

Kirstie's Handmade Home

2010-11-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

I love all things Britian including the laid back yet professional approach they take to television shows. Kirstie Allsop is one of my favourite hosts and I enjoy her and Phil's funny banter on Location, Location, Location. It's a property hunter show which airs here in Canada and I often watch at HGTV.ca. I have also recently discovered another show featuring Kirstie, called Kirstie's Homemade Home.

In it she travels from Antique shop to artisan studio to road side dump looking for things she can create or reclaim. She is trying to restore an old cottage that hasn't been lived in for 40 years. I must say, her vision astounds me. She is not one of those classic, chic designers who goes ga-ga for everything new and coordinated. She truly is unique in her approach to home decor, at least to me here in Canada. Her sense of eclectic style and home grown design is a complete departure from the very rigid and formal expectations that are rampant here. I like her style and I really like this program.

Now that I am getting ready for my first 'real' home I find myself drawn to different decorating shows and this one has simply stolen my heart. Kirstie makes the task of decorating and making a house into a home so much easier than I anticipated. She really does preach that if you like it, it works. And decorating shouldn't be much more than that. It's the personal stamp on a house that makes it a home.

We're Packing!

2010-11-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

We signed papers Friday for our dream house. The agreement was reached only after some nail biting negotiations. I almost thought it would never happen. The house of my dreams seemed so close yet just out of reach. The home was hugely overpriced and I felt it would be a struggle to get the sellers realize that the market just isn't what it use to be. With winter fast approaching and the real estate market near a deep freeze in this area, our offer may just have been the only one they got for a long while.

It's a beautiful home and I understand why they didn't want to sell it. We found out they HAD to...it's what my realtor calls a 'marriage realignment' aka divorce. No one wins in that scenario except family lawyers and listing agents. For this reason I can understand their trepidation to accept a cheeky offer, even if it was the only offer they had seen since listing their home.

Now, the fact that we had walked away from the negotiating table once only to be called back again with a very tempting counter offer, means this whole journey has not been smooth. And it's not over yet. We still have inspections to pass and there is a 7 day window when either party can rip the contract to shreds. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Putting all that aside, it's safe to say now that we have bought ourselves our very first home! There is 1.5 acres with trees and hopefully enough area to plant a sizable organic veggie garden. I may need to resign myself to chopping down some trees to do this. I hate to do it so for the first summer I will plant sparingly and see where the sunlight is in the yard to find the best place for vegetables. I will only chop trees in the most advantageous of spots.

We did have an opportunity to purchase a large 33 acre hobby farm. The house needed tonnes of work and to be honest the land intimidated me. This is our first home and we have little to no experience with renovations and maintenance. Given all the work we could see, I could only image the work needed once we ripped everything up. We decided the smaller piece of land would be better for us in the long run.

Less really is more

This house spoke to me and I was grinning from ear to ear after viewing it. This house reminds me of the colonial homes we saw in Salem, Massachusetts and other parts of New England and Maritime Canada. One of my daydreams during these last few years of recovery has been to move to Prince Edward Island. However, my husband wanted to stay here in this area to pursue his career. In some ways this house represents my dreams of going out east. I will bloom where I am planted, which won't be hard at all now that I have found my dream home.

The day after hearing that our offer was accepted, my daughter and I went to a local Christmas Craft Show for the day and I found this lovely mini "portrait" of our new home. There are sheep in the foreground and the saying, It's Good to be Home. And I couldn't agree more. This will be my mantra for the foreseeable future. It IS good to be home and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Halloween!

2010-10-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

Treat or Treat countdown is on! The kids are all ready and had a chance to try out the costumes for the homeschoolers Halloween Party.

Sophia wanted to be a 50s Girl and I found a pattern in the Fabricland discount bin for $1. I pulled the fabric from my stash and only had to buy rick-rack for the dog leash and a $1 zipper. It's probably one of the most inexpensive costumes I have made.

Caleb wanted to be a Zombie from his favourite computer game, Plants Vs Zombies. We took some nearly outgrown pants with holes in the knees and cuts them to shreds. And found a stained white shirt as well. We added a little face paint, hair gel and spray on colour. And voila! Instant Zombie!

After they were all dressed and I was taking pictures in the front yard, I realized I have my own Thriller video.

My husband went to work today as the Pied Piper of Hamelin. We sewed plastic rats to his dress shirt and bought a cheap cowboy-type hat and stuck some rats on. We also put a little piece of paper beside on of the rats that said, HAMELIN OR BUST. It's cute and he can still move around and do his work.

I love Halloween!

Age before Beauty

2010-10-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday and I turn 30. It's always interesting when my birthday rolls around. I don't feel 30, at least not in the typical sense. My life is established far beyond that of a typical 30 year old. I have two kids ages 10 and 7. My husband and I have been together for 14 years, that's nearly half my life. As a young family, we've had a crazy life changing crisis and many more mini life altering circumstances since. It's been a wild ride and I'm still looked at as a young 'un, still wet behind the ears.

Many people still treat me like I am a new mom or new wife. Last year when I told a group of moms my age they laughed. "Oh yeah, I'm 29 too," one said as if she didn't believe me. She acted as if I was pretending to be 29, like women do when they don't want to admit their real age. I have never lied about my age. I don't worry about getting older. I embrace it. I find grey hairs, have for a long time. No big deal.

I recently watched a movie called The Countess, a German film about the infamous Elizabeth Bathory who reportedly killed young virgin girls and bathed in their blood. It was in an effort to sustain her youthful beauty. Traumatized by the apparent desertion of her lover for a younger woman, Elizabeth became obsessed with looking young and would do anything to achieve the life long appearance of youth. She was said to have killed up to 600 girls but was only called up on charges for 80 of them. She is an extreme example of the female obsession with youth and beauty, a phenomenon that still continues in this modern age.

Today women go to great lengths to preserve their youthful look. Plastic surgery, Botox and lypo-suction are some of the greater extremes women of the modern age will go to to achieve long lasting youth. As a western culture we are obsessed with the numbers of our age, the laugh lines on our face and the number of grey hairs we have. We obsess over the numbers on the scale, the numbers that indicate the size of our pants and the number of friends on our Facebook account. These obsessions only serve to distract us from our lives, never allowing us to truly live it. We are so obsessed with growing old, we fail to see how truly youthful we are.

I hope I never become so preoccupied with growing old that I forget to live. I hope that the youthful acceptance I have today will remain with me for the rest of my days. As each year passes, may I always see the blessing that new age presents. May I always see the real beauty in being young at heart.

Chocolate Skeleton Cookies

2010-10-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

These were a hit last week at our homeschool Halloween Party, although I think a few people shied away from them because they look like gingerbread. Let's face it, most kids don't like gingerbread when there's chocolate to be had. That just means more for me! These cookies, that I found at Taste of Home, are easy-peasy and oh-so-good!

Chocolate Skeleton Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup of cocoa
1 tsp baking soda

Cream Butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl combine flour, cocoa and baking soda. Add to butter mixture.

Refrigerate for about an hour (or more) to make it easier to work with.

Roll out and use a gingerbread boy cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Once completely cooled, use icing sugar and a piping bag to pipe on skeleton bones.

If you can draw a stick person, you can make these cookies!

This recipe was found at the Taste Of Home website.

Love, Belonging, Shame & Fear

2010-10-21T06:53:00.001-07:00

Found this posted on Eat At Dixie's blog and thought I would share.

Raspberry Muffins

2010-10-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

So just what do I do with all the fruit I freeze in summer? Well, aside from making smoothies and frozen popsicle treats, I make muffins. This morning I whipped up a batch of raspberry muffins and they are Mmmm-Mmmm good!

Raspberry Muffins

1 cup of butter or margarine
1 1/4 cup of sugar

Cream together in large bowl.

2 eggs

Add one at a time and mix well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, mix:

2 cups of flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt

Add flour mix to large bowl of butter, sugar and egg mixture. Add:

1/4 cup of milk
2 1/2 cups of raspberries

Fold

Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 18 muffins or 24 small muffins.

Chicks in the City

2010-10-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

I decided to contact the local townships to see what was permissable on certain land with specific zoning. We have been looking at properties in four different townships, all with various sizes from 3/4 of an acre to 33 acres. Obviously the size of our plot with determine the operations we can undertake. Laws seem to vary from township to township without much rhyme or reason.

In one township I was told chickens, even just three or four, are only permissable on land zoned agricultural. Agricultural land around here is hard to find for under $1 million, and that's just slightly out of our price range... okay fine, that's TOTALLY out of our price range! I asked about clothes lines as well, just double checking what I already thought to be law, that townships in Ontario could not regulate whether certain neighbourhoods have clotheslines, apparently I was wrong.

After laughing at me (literally) over my chicken request, the lady on the phone said "clotheslines are a concern for health and safety."

What?!

"The township has valid fears about decapitations."

Excuse me? What did she just say?

"It can happen. That's where the term 'clothes lined' comes from."

You have got to be kidding me!

On to the next, hopefully more sane, township. This township will allow chickens and other agricultural uses on rurally zoned properties over 5 acres or more. Good. Now I am getting some where. How hard can it be to find 5 acres with a house that isn't falling down and/or needing $1 million in renovations?...hard, apparently, really, really hard.

Methinks I shall be getting acquainted with local authorities, and short of begging on hands and knees, I shall have to make them see things my way. Chickens are a wonderful addition to organic gardens by keeping down pests and raising the nutrients in the soil. Not to mention the added bonus of eggs from happy chickens. Lordy, lordy, I really hope I don't have a big fight on my hands because man if I get ticked, feathers are gonna fly!

Thanksgiving

2010-10-12T05:59:00.001-07:00

It was Thanksgiving this passed weekend. If anything I am so thankful for a couple days of rest. We have been going full tilt lately looking for a house and spent Saturday viewing seven more. All in all we have seen 20 houses so far. I am trying not to think about it but the process seems all in compassing. It's a very stressful time and this process has consumed me.

Photo from a Harvest Festival at St. Marie Among The Hurons, Midland

My house seems almost void of celebration. I have done minimal decorations and despite my best efforts, botched a pair of pumpkin pies. We did enjoy a good, relaxed meal with the standard fare. We went for a rather lovely walk in the woods, in which Daniel and I spoke nearly nonstop about possible homesteads. I am grateful that this time is here. It has been a long time coming. We are in the final stages of moving into our very own home but at the same time I will be even more grateful when it is all over. This process is maddening, necessary but maddening.

I apologize for not being more 'present' with this blog for the time being. Once this is all done, I will have tonnes of lovely things to blog about but for now, finding the right homestead is all I can think about.

At Home

2010-10-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying my home the last few days. When not going to see houses for sale, the kids and I have been enjoying lots of down time at home. Aside from school work, we bake, I clean, we read (sometimes together), we walk and talk and enjoying just being here on earth and in each others lives.

It's a great feeling. Fall is such a great time of year with crisp autumn leaves, invigoratingly cool breezes and lush cleansing rains. Apple pie is a fall treat I adore. I'd still like to learn how to make pumpkin pie one day. Maybe this weekend I will give it ago, since it is Thanksgiving.

K.I.S.S. Me!

2010-10-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! We viewed 7 houses and I was nearly in love a few times. But now I am back to square one. Each house has it's own pros and cons. Everything must be considered from the age of the furnace, to the type of flooring to the neighbours. Oh this is so daunting! And we've barely begun.

I think the process has helped solidify my needs and wants, dreams vs. reality. We looked at one hobby farm yesterday. It had 33 acres, with 6 acres cleared for house and pasture. There's a barn and fencing. I left after walking through the house twice and felt for sure we would put in an offer. Then at home reality set in. The house is huge but it needs work. It needs a new furnace, new windows and half a roof. The upstairs bathroom needs to be redone and the light fixtures need to be replaced in all rooms. Add this to the fact that the house was already stretching our limited budget.

Those cons aside, the 27 acres of bush is another bone of contention. The forest is protected from development (yea!) and we can remove as much as we would like for firewood (bonus!) but that means extra equipment, sweat equity on weekends and hard work for my husband who does not function well on his leg for three seasons out of the year. I fear if we bought the place the pasture and barn would sit empty for years and I would be in over my head as far as everything else goes.

The other houses we viewed were a mix and match of needs. One house had okay land and a decent house but the kids bedrooms were small with no closets. We could put in closets but that would reduce the bedroom sizes even more.

Another house had a unique layout with tonnes of potential inside, but almost no sun or clearing for a garden of any kind. I need a moderately sized garden, that is a deal breaker.

The house on the top of my list is the same floor plan as the farm house but on two acres in an estate subdivision...er...not my idea of country freedom. We have to check rule book at the Township Office. Hey, maybe they will allow chicken, who knows?

And it seemed all the houses were over priced for the market, according to our Real Estate Agent. She and I seem to be in agreement over that. I have seen numerous houses sit on the market all summer with nary a price reduction. Some people just refuse to admit that the money they could have made two years ago is not the case right now.

After viewing all the homes and going through slight heart break over the hobby farm, I have adopted a new motto when viewing houses.

Keep.It.Simple.Sweetie.

There is no point biting off more than I can chew. Feeling overwhelmed by my property and house is not my idea of simplicity. I can live simply without living on a hundred or even ten acres. This is my firm conclusion after looking at a few houses and trying to envision my life there. The search continues...

House Hunting!

2010-10-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

It's time! The family and I are heading out tomorrow to look at some possible homesteads. It's both exciting and nerve racking. There are so many things to consider and so many possibilities for our future. After years of renting I am so chomping at the bit to get in to a home of our own.

In our area, property prices are fairly high. We need to find the right balance between house and land without breaking the budget. We want to be fiscally responsible and that may mean opting for less land in the end. I am not sure how I feel about that. I definitely see chickens in our future and bees as well. I want fruit trees and a large, large, large vegetable garden. These are all things that I think can be squeezed on to an acre but of course it depends how the house and environs are laid out.

The internet search engine, MLS, can be deceiving. What looks like tonnes of land is actually...er...not so much. However I don't want to get too much land that we can't keep up. My husband has physical limitations and I am often busy with the kids and my own school work.

In the end, I know we will find the right house for us. Something in the country, surrounded by nature and the very best part, it will be ours!

Everdale Organic Farm

2010-10-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Recently I arranged a field trip for our local homeschool group to visit Everdale Organic Farm. It was a Farmer For A Day program where kids harvested vegetables (some they have probably never tried before) for their own soup and salad.

We were a bit soggy but it was nothing a good warm wood stove couldn't cure.

They learned about sheep and wool, eggs and chickens and then had a chance to romp around the fields for a while. The most popular sport was chasing down a chicken to hold, without running or causing chaos of course.

It took some practice but in the end every child got a chicken.

I loved seeing the sheep. Sheep are one of my most favourite farm animals. I wish we could have sheep at our farm but at this point I am not sure. It was just nice to hang out, talk with some experienced farmers and get my feet wet!

This is also the farm where I took my bee keeping and soap making courses this summer. This place is all about sustainability with strawbale homes, solar power and biodiesel. I feel at home when I visit there and wish that one day I could have an Everdale of my own.

Little House at My House

2010-09-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

This is purely a 'Look what I made' post. I came up with an idea to make a peg people playset for kids and my niece and nephew for Christmas. This is the first one, a Little House on the Prairie set for my daughter who loves the books and anything pioneer.

I really enjoyed making this and have even been thinking of selling a few at my Etsy Store.

I think I will make another for my niece for Christmas and include a copy of the book. It's sweet to think of her playing away with her little house while her mom reads the book to her.

I have some other ideas brewing in my head. Eventually I want to make little tables and maybe a bed. I plan to take a woodworking course in November and I am really looking forward to it.

Tally Ho!

2010-09-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

Each year I try to do a bit more than last year. Although this year I must say my efforts were a bit lack luster. I did a bit but not as much as I would have liked. I have a lot on my mind lately when it comes to simplicity, my life style and how I feel about this whole thing. I tend to be pretty philosophical about things. I make myself crazy thinking too much and I guess that's what happened this year. Philosophically I am in a rut but none the less I did manage to put some things up this summer.

Here's the current tally.

Canning

9 jars of Homemade Strawberry Juice
16 jars of Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
10 jars of dill pickles
8 jars of raspberry jam (we have a few jars left over from last year)

Freezing

30L of strawberries
20L of blueberries
20L of raspberries
10 lbs of corn
10 lbs carrots
6 lbs of broccoli
2lbs of tomatoes

Storage

10lbs of onions

To do:

More broccoli, lots of cauliflower, carrots and tomatoes. I would also like to try salsa again before October. I need to buy potatoes for storage, apples as well. We do not have a cold storage or basement or anything at this point so we really are limited in that regard.

I am not going to be freezing apple crisps or pies this year. We did not go through them all last year. I may just make a few as the winter goes by with the bushel of apples in storage.

Maybe next year I will have found my 'umph' again, because this year I have been completely lacking in motivation, definitely down in the dumps and not feeling myself lately.

Yogurt Pops

2010-09-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of summer I ordered two sets of BPA free popsicle molds from Amazon.com, made by Tovolo. I love, love, love these molds. I bought the star molds and the space ship molds. When they arrived, the kids and I never looked at summer treats the same way.

Aside from juice, we experimented all summer seeing what concoction we could dream up. I had a batch of ice cream that wouldn't set and we needed to leave. I couldn't just keep the ice cream maker going so I poured the semi-ice cream into the molds and shoved them in the freezer. It was great! The handles did slide off and we needed to eat them with a spoon but I figured out they just needed more time to de-thaw and pull away from the sides of the mold.

I also developed this recipe, a simple but very healthy popsicle. Yogurt pops.

You will need:

1 cup of frozen or fresh strawberries,
1 to 1 1/2 cups of yogurt (any flavour)
Popsicle mold

Place your strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree. Add your yogurt and mix. You can sweeten with honey but we don't bother. Pour your yogurt fruit into the molds and place in freezer to set. Remember to leave a bit of head space because they will expand when frozen.

Easy, healthy and oh-so-good!

Since buying my popsicle molds I have not bought popsicles, freezes or any treat this summer. We simply just make our own. I am so glad I found an alternative to all those freezie wrappers, or plastic wrap on store bought treats. These molds are easy to clean, easy to make and better for the environment. Love it!

Blanching and Freezing

2010-09-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

I have been busy getting our school year going while trying to put as much up for winter as I can. One of my favourite methods of preservation is freezing. Unlike canning, freezing fruits and veggies does not detract from the foods original form. You don't need copious amounts of sugar, lemon juice or vinegar to keep the foods safe for winter. Canning is very time consuming and can be expensive when buying additional ingredients. Freezing keeps the food in it's natural state until you are ready to eat it.

Here's an archived post from a previous year describing the process of blanching, a must-do step in order to make the best of your vegetables.

Blanching & Freezing Vegetables and Fruits

Summer's bounty is all well and good but what do you do with all that sustenance once it's brought in from the elements. Scientists say that food enzymes begin to break down the minute items are detached from their mother plant. Food can decline quickly if not stored properly.

Certain foods can hold their own if conditions are right. Potatoes, rutabaga, and apples** can all 'over winter' well enough in cold storage but what to do with the rest.

I like freezing a certain amount. I preserve by canning when I can. Storing canned items takes no extra electricity to sit on a shelf, not like frozen food that needs a near constant supply of energy to stay frozen. But you can not can everything. And so freezing becomes a great advantage in our day and age.

Almost all food can be frozen but most need to be put through a process called BLANCHING, a quick boil process that stops the enzymes from progressing and subsequently spoiling food. Without blanching a certain food's texture will become... well let's just say undesirable and leave it at that.

Blanching and freezing the harvest seems to be this long hidden secret. A secret that forces everyone who is not 'in the know' to buy commercially frozen produce at astronomically high prices, never knowing how much they are being ripped off. It doesn't take much time either, and when you think about it, it saves oodles of time in mid-winter when making a soup and all you have to do is pull these frozen garden delights from the freezer all washed, sliced and ready to go.

Blanching works well for lots of foods. My favourites are carrots, corn, brocoli, cauliflower, and sometimes tomatoes.

Here's how to blanch: wash and cut your vegetables while having a pot of water coming to a boil on the stove. Once the pot reaches a rolling boil, fill it with your vegetables and start the timer. It usually takes 2 to 4 minutes depending on what you are blanching. Time varies depending on the variety of produce so make sure you check below. At the end of the allotted time, drain veggies in a strainer and then submerge in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Once the veggies are cool to the touch, you can pull them out of the water, let them dry for a few minutes and then pack in freezer bags or storage containers. Freeze right away.

Blanched veggies are good for soups, stews, casseroles, and as steamed side dishes. And researches say that frozen veggies are so similar to their fresh state that they contain the same amount of nutrients as those found in fresh veggies. And compared to how much food needs to be altered to can it, that's a pretty good deal. They should be consumed in 1 year.

Here's a list of various food that can be frozen and their blanching times.

Asparagus: small 2 minutes/ medium 3 minutes/ large 4 minutes

Beans (Green and Wax): cut 2 to 3 minutes/ whole 3 to 4 minutes

Beans (Lima): small 2 minutes/ Large 4 minutes

Brocoli: small to medium 3 minutes/ large 4 minutes

Carrots: 2 to 3 minutes

Cauliflower: 4 minutes

Corn (Cut, whole kernel or cream style): 4 minutes

Corn on the Cob: small 7 minutes/ large 11 minutes

Parsnips: 2 minutes

Peas: 2 minutes

Rutabaga (turnip): Blanching not required

Summer Squash (Zucchini): 3 minutes best for soups

Winter Squash (Pumpkin): Bake at 350F for 40 to 60 minutes. Boil 15 to 20 minutes. Steam 30 to 60 minutes. Cool in refrigerator.

Tomato (Whole or diced): cut an X on the bottom, scald for 1 to 2 minutes because it helps to remove the peel.

** Apples and Potatoes should never be stored over winter in the same room as each other... apparently apples don't like their earthly cousin (the pomme de terre, literally translated as apple of the earth). Actually apples omit a gas as they continue to ripen which causes potatoes to spoil.

Any Anne Fans Out There?

2010-09-05T08:47:00.001-07:00

I adore Anne of Green Gables, Road to Avonlea and anything related to Lucy Maud Montgomery. For years I have been collecting books, visiting sites and stumbling upon historic places related to one of my heroines. I was fortunate enough to be born in Southern Ontario, a place where L.M. Montgomery herself lived for the majority of her life. Ontario is just rife with places related to her, her books and all movies produced by Kevin Sullivan.

In 2007 my family and I visit Prince Edward Island, our 'Anne Trip' where we took in everything authentically Anne. I felt no guilt while dragging my family around visiting Maud's old haunts and places that inspired her beloved stories.

Much of the movies were not filmed in PEI but were actually filmed in Ontario at various historic sites. The White Sands in a historic restaurant in PEI but usually the shots in the Road to Avonlea series were body doubles, much cheaper than flying actors from Toronto to the site.

This past summer the kids and I have been visiting historic pioneer villages, not only to haunt some sites related to Everything Anne, but also to learn more about our ancestors in the hopes it will inspire me to continue my journey to simplicity.

We live 30 minutes from the Museum which houses the blue school house used in the second Anne movie. This is also the museum I volunteer at while demonstrating spinning. I have no digital pictures of this site so I will have to snag one the next time I am there.

In Toronto there is Black Creek Pioneer Village where a lot of filming for the Avonlea television show took place. We first visited last year but enjoyed it so much we wanted an encore this summer. My daughter is also convinced that part of the American Girl Felicity movie was filmed here. This fact I can not substantiate so I am not sure.

The actual Road to Avonlea main street were just building facades built in a field in Uxbridge, Ontario which were dismantled after taping ceased. L.M. Montgomery lived in Uxbridge before moving to Toronto when her husband retired. Citizens in Uxbridge are still working on a museum commemorating one of their most famous residents.

Maud also lived in Norval, Ontario. I stumbled upon a garden and plaque erected there in her honor while driving through one day. There's a big sign that says Lucy Maud Montgomery Garden, so of course I had to stop and take a stroll through it.

This past week we went to Doon Heritage Crossroads, in Kitchener. Two major scenes were filmed here including one with Rachel Lynd sitting on her porch watching Matthew Cuthbert driving by in a buggy, wear a suit! "He's not going fast enough for a doctor." This is the porch. The house was yellow and white back then.

There is also a scene filmed here for the Anne Sequel movie, where Anne comes out of the Post Office, Gilbert Blythe and her walk through the main part of town and then ride bikes through this covered bridge. It's a lovely scene.

L.M. Montgomery wrote one book, The Blue Castle, set outside Prince Edward Island. It was set in her second most beloved locale, Muskoka only a short drive from here. In the next week or so we plan to visit the Bala Museum with Memories of Lucy Maud Montgomery.

There is another Museum near Hamilton, Ontario that hosted the movie crew. The Westfield Heritage Village has the train station, the Hammond Sawmill and the Hammond's home and stairwell where Anne heard she would be sent back to the orphanage.

There is so much here at my fingertips, I feel blessed to be 'a part of it'. I can visit as often as I like and get a real feel for the places from our not so distant past. I find these historical sites just dripping with history and inspiration. I could go back again and again.

Is that a Show Garden?

2010-09-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

Discovered two cantaloupe shells this morning, with no melon left. Something with small hands, most likely a raccoon, made a small hole in the shell and scraped out all the insides. This is getting to the point of ludicrousness. Since the corn scandal I have been thinking very pensively about crop protection. I had thought a fence would work for the deer, when I believed they were my only real threat but now I see the problem is so much deeper. So now I have begun to contemplate a solar-powered electric fence.

When taking my bee keeping course, the bee keeper had solar electric fences around both his chicken runs which were movable around the yard. At the time I had thought that would be a good solution for chicken predators, but now I see its use as a crop protector as well.

Three years ago I started my little garden. I was tired of putting it off while saying 'we're not going to be here that long anyway'. We live in rental housing at the moment while we search out our homestead. I had (and still have) all these lofty ideas of the size and yields of my 'real' garden all the while trying to be satisfied with what I have here. I have come to realize how satisfying this mini garden is for me, even if I don't get to enjoy all the bounty. My little garden has taught me so much like:

Don't let your broccoli go to flower.

Don't over crowd.

Don't let the weeds get too bad because there IS a point of no return.

Don't trust the garden center tags, especially if they say you can grow red peppers in Zone 5.

Don't let your four year old help you 'pull weeds' unless they understand what a weed is.

And last but not least, when something is ripe pick it because it's not a show garden for goodness sake.

Life lessons learned and now I am so much better prepared for my 'real' garden... and perhaps the real house that goes along with it.