Who's going to tell them...
Who's going to tell him...
Who's going to tell it...
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Who's Going to Tell Them?
Who's going to tell them...
...that it's still February?
Who's going to tell them...
...that if they don't stop getting through the fence and dust-bathing in my flower beds (before I start to care) they may end up in soup?
Who's going to tell him...
...that we might have enough wood (even though it sure is pretty)?
Who's going to tell it...
...that if it doesn't get cold enough soon so it dies, we might be growing oats in our garden this summer instead of vegetables?
Pin It
Who's going to tell them...
Who's going to tell him...
Who's going to tell it...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
{Price-less} Kitchen Cabinet Organization
If you're lucky, you're able to buy in bulk. I'm not talking Costco-bulk, I'm talking items like oats, grains, and flours bought in bulk and then repackaged by your store into relatively smaller bags so the (bulk) savings is passed on to you. Our local grocery store as a pretty good bulk section and I make good use of it.
This poses a problem for my kitchen organization. All these bulk bags stuffed into a standard cabinet causes some angst. All this was shoved in the bottom left shelf of the cabinet behind. No joke.
Not only is it a pain to find what you need when you need it, but it doesn't allow you to see what you really have (without pulling everything out) so sometimes I'd end up buying more oats when I had a couple bags hidden in the back. Bags with only a little left in them would get lost in the mess and I'd end up having three small bags of popping corn and five bags with only a cup or so of oats in each (true, true).
To purchase one of those nice cabinet bins/drawers, would have cost me at least $50 or a lot of time and effort (and some cost) if Jamey used his precious time to make one for me. I decided to take matters into my own hands. We are women and we are resourceful! Hear me howl!
I don't why I chose to howl instead of roar. I just did.
I went to our stash of boxes ready to be recycled and found a few that suited me. I trimmed off the lids and made a hole in the side for a handle where needed. I pulled everything out of the cabinet, wiped it clean and combined all my duplicate bags. Container lids are in the right side of this cabinet and I had been using a large shoe box for them (which worked great, but needed replacing after a couple years of use), so I found a new box to house them, too.
Next, I divided up the goods putting the items we use most in the most convenient box to slide out and the items we don't use as often in the middle box. There was some space left in the back, so I stuck a few back-up items back there. I know they're back there. Really. I do.
Now when we need a bulk item, we just slide out the box (or boxes, if we need to get to the center one) and we have a full visual to locate the item we want and survey our supplies.
No more frustration getting to the bulk items I need? Price-less.
Pin It
This poses a problem for my kitchen organization. All these bulk bags stuffed into a standard cabinet causes some angst. All this was shoved in the bottom left shelf of the cabinet behind. No joke.
Not only is it a pain to find what you need when you need it, but it doesn't allow you to see what you really have (without pulling everything out) so sometimes I'd end up buying more oats when I had a couple bags hidden in the back. Bags with only a little left in them would get lost in the mess and I'd end up having three small bags of popping corn and five bags with only a cup or so of oats in each (true, true).
To purchase one of those nice cabinet bins/drawers, would have cost me at least $50 or a lot of time and effort (and some cost) if Jamey used his precious time to make one for me. I decided to take matters into my own hands. We are women and we are resourceful! Hear me howl!
I don't why I chose to howl instead of roar. I just did.
I went to our stash of boxes ready to be recycled and found a few that suited me. I trimmed off the lids and made a hole in the side for a handle where needed. I pulled everything out of the cabinet, wiped it clean and combined all my duplicate bags. Container lids are in the right side of this cabinet and I had been using a large shoe box for them (which worked great, but needed replacing after a couple years of use), so I found a new box to house them, too.
Next, I divided up the goods putting the items we use most in the most convenient box to slide out and the items we don't use as often in the middle box. There was some space left in the back, so I stuck a few back-up items back there. I know they're back there. Really. I do.
Now when we need a bulk item, we just slide out the box (or boxes, if we need to get to the center one) and we have a full visual to locate the item we want and survey our supplies.
No more frustration getting to the bulk items I need? Price-less.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Savory Squash Bread Pudding {Swoon}
I certainly hope, for your sake, that you have a small to medium butternut squash still hanging out in your cold cellar or storage area because this recipe is delicious. And this is obviously an exception to me cutting back on eggs and dairy. Obviously.
Roasted, is one of my favorite ways to eat squash and this is another great recipe that helps use up some of your bread crusts (heels of the loaf), too. It;s also hardy enough to be the main dish, just add a green veggie or salad on the side and you're ready to go. The original recipe called for cubed, day old french bread, but I used whole wheat bread crusts and it worked out great. You are saving them and not throwing them away, right??
Savory Squash Bread Pudding (adapted from Simply In Season)
Serves 4-6
3-4 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2 cubes
cooking spray
1 tbsp. butter or oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for the top
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
9 cups cubed whole wheat bread (I used crusts I had thawed from the freezer)
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread the cubed butternut squash in a single layer on the sheet. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until a knife inserted into the cubes glides in easily (about 10-15 minutes). In the meantime, saute the onion and garlic in the butter or oil until tender and set aside. In a medium size bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, milk, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix together using a fork. In a large bowl, combine the roasted squash, the bread cubes, the onion and garlic and the egg mixture, stirring to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray and sprinkle the top with more parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the custard has set and the top is nicely browned. Pin It
Roasted, is one of my favorite ways to eat squash and this is another great recipe that helps use up some of your bread crusts (heels of the loaf), too. It;s also hardy enough to be the main dish, just add a green veggie or salad on the side and you're ready to go. The original recipe called for cubed, day old french bread, but I used whole wheat bread crusts and it worked out great. You are saving them and not throwing them away, right??
Savory Squash Bread Pudding (adapted from Simply In Season)
Serves 4-6
3-4 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2 cubes
cooking spray
1 tbsp. butter or oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for the top
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
9 cups cubed whole wheat bread (I used crusts I had thawed from the freezer)
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread the cubed butternut squash in a single layer on the sheet. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until a knife inserted into the cubes glides in easily (about 10-15 minutes). In the meantime, saute the onion and garlic in the butter or oil until tender and set aside. In a medium size bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, milk, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix together using a fork. In a large bowl, combine the roasted squash, the bread cubes, the onion and garlic and the egg mixture, stirring to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray and sprinkle the top with more parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the custard has set and the top is nicely browned. Pin It
Thursday, February 23, 2012
And so it Begins
First off, I wanted to tell you all that I appreciated your comments and emails regarding yesterday's post.
I was a vegetarian for about eight years (during college and the years following). While I was strict when I had a say about what went into my mouth, it was always very important to me that I didn't offend any one with my choice. If we went to someone's house for dinner who didn't know I (or we, Jamey didn't eat meat for a portion of this time) was a vegetarian, I kept quiet and ate what I was served. I didn't want to, but I felt the relationship was more important than my dietary preference.
"Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall". 1 Corinthians 8:13
Here Paul is talking about not leading a brother (or sister) into sin or guilt based on our food choices. Barnes' Notes on the Bible interprets Paul's intention, "My eating meat is a matter of comparative unimportance. I can dispense with it. It is of much less importance to me than happiness, a good conscience, and salvation are to my brother. And the law of love therefore to him requires me to deny myself rather than to be the occasion of leading him into sin. This is a noble resolution; and marks a great, disinterested, and magnanimous spirit. It is a spirit that seeks the good of all; that can deny itself; that is supremely anxious for the glory of God and the salvation of man, and that can make personal comfort and gratification subservient to the good of others. It was the principle on which Paul always acted; and is the very spirit of the self-denying Son of God."
And I believe this should go both ways. We shouldn't let our food preferences hinder our relationships with anyone (vegetarian, vegan or meat-eater:-)).
So, with all that said, I wanted to be clear that Forks Over Knives impacted my thinking about food and I wanted to share it with you. I did NOT mean to cause anyone to doubt or feel guilty about their eating choices. Our sisterhood and fellowship is much more important:-).
We've just entered Lent. While Lent is often considered a time when we give something up, I think there is great importance in adding something as well. Just like fasting is not merely not eating, it's to free us up to spend the time we would be eating in prayer.
I imagine many of you are giving something up for Lent or adding something to your Lenten experience and I would love for us to share these things with each other. If you've taken something away, I'd love to challenge you to add something beneficial as well.
I'll go first. For the past couple years, I've given up sweets to Lent. Recently, I feel I have a good handle on sweets. My new vice seems to be TV show series' I can watch instantly on Netflix (when the children and Jamey are off to bed). Downton Abbey, for example. SO. This year for Lent, I'm not watching any TV shows or movies (except my Bible Study video segments and family watching of Little House on the Prairie). In it's place I am super excited about having more quiet time, time to read and quality time with Jamey (and getting to bed earlier).
Okay, it's your turn, dearies. What is helping you orient your lives towards what's important this season? Pin It
I was a vegetarian for about eight years (during college and the years following). While I was strict when I had a say about what went into my mouth, it was always very important to me that I didn't offend any one with my choice. If we went to someone's house for dinner who didn't know I (or we, Jamey didn't eat meat for a portion of this time) was a vegetarian, I kept quiet and ate what I was served. I didn't want to, but I felt the relationship was more important than my dietary preference.
"Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall". 1 Corinthians 8:13
Here Paul is talking about not leading a brother (or sister) into sin or guilt based on our food choices. Barnes' Notes on the Bible interprets Paul's intention, "My eating meat is a matter of comparative unimportance. I can dispense with it. It is of much less importance to me than happiness, a good conscience, and salvation are to my brother. And the law of love therefore to him requires me to deny myself rather than to be the occasion of leading him into sin. This is a noble resolution; and marks a great, disinterested, and magnanimous spirit. It is a spirit that seeks the good of all; that can deny itself; that is supremely anxious for the glory of God and the salvation of man, and that can make personal comfort and gratification subservient to the good of others. It was the principle on which Paul always acted; and is the very spirit of the self-denying Son of God."
And I believe this should go both ways. We shouldn't let our food preferences hinder our relationships with anyone (vegetarian, vegan or meat-eater:-)).
So, with all that said, I wanted to be clear that Forks Over Knives impacted my thinking about food and I wanted to share it with you. I did NOT mean to cause anyone to doubt or feel guilty about their eating choices. Our sisterhood and fellowship is much more important:-).
***************************
We've just entered Lent. While Lent is often considered a time when we give something up, I think there is great importance in adding something as well. Just like fasting is not merely not eating, it's to free us up to spend the time we would be eating in prayer.
I imagine many of you are giving something up for Lent or adding something to your Lenten experience and I would love for us to share these things with each other. If you've taken something away, I'd love to challenge you to add something beneficial as well.
I'll go first. For the past couple years, I've given up sweets to Lent. Recently, I feel I have a good handle on sweets. My new vice seems to be TV show series' I can watch instantly on Netflix (when the children and Jamey are off to bed). Downton Abbey, for example. SO. This year for Lent, I'm not watching any TV shows or movies (except my Bible Study video segments and family watching of Little House on the Prairie). In it's place I am super excited about having more quiet time, time to read and quality time with Jamey (and getting to bed earlier).
Okay, it's your turn, dearies. What is helping you orient your lives towards what's important this season? Pin It
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Chasing Life & Sharing Some Good Stuff
I've been feeling a little frazzled. Not in a bad way really. It just seems I'm constantly chasing down things that need checking off.
Feed the little people their breakfast. Check.
Start laundry. Check.
Do school with Sadie. Check.
Hang up laundry. Check.
Thaw or prep for dinner. Check.
Make the little people their lunch. Check.
Wrestle Miriam up for her nap. Check.
Do school with Sam. Check.
Do Bible Study homework.
Make dinner.
Pay bills.
Vacuum.
Clean toilet. AGAIN.
Return emails and phone calls.
Think of something I want to write about.
Fold laundry.
Fold laundry.
Fold laundry.
Forget what it was I wanted to write about.
Fold laundry.
Load the stove.
Send children to time out.
Shower (on special occasions).
Hold some type of meaningful conversation with my husband before we fall asleep.
And tomorrow? I'll do it all over again.
None of you know what that's like, do you?
Goodness, that took longer to say than I intended. Anyway, in the midst of all that I have these things I want to tell you. They don't always fit into neat little posts, so today I'm just going to spit it out. Please bear with me. If you haven't noticed, proof-reading and editing are often a luxury my life doesn't allow for.
Saving Ahead (at no cost to you)
Okay, folks. It's already mid February. I hope you have your Christmas lists started (practical ideas for gifts, if you have to give them, come up naturally through daily living- not when you have to give someone an idea within a few days).
Now that you've started your list, I need to know this: have you started saving for Christmas yet? {And, did I use that colon correctly in that sentence? I'm feeling like I didn't and we haven't studied colons yet in grammar.}
If you homeschool, have you started saving for next year's curriculum? Setting aside extra money can be hard when finances are tight or when you're trying to throw every extra penny at existing debt (credit card, car payments, or school loans).
One way I've found to sock away some cash is to make use of two online websites, Swagbucks and Ebates. They are easy to use and it's super easy to ignore the incentives they offer to get you to buy/shop more. We are trying to SAVE money, remember? The key to both is spreading the word (like I'm doing now). And, don't worry. Spreading the word is guilt-free because you're not trying to sell your friends anything. It costs nothing to join up and start earning money with either.
With swagbucks, you earn e-cards to your choice of online stores (I only use my swagbucks for Amazon credit). With Ebates, they send you a check when you earn cash back from online purchases (use it only for purchases you would make anyway!) and referrals. As you know, Amazon has just about everything, so I use those gift cards for Christmas gifts, needed household items (my most recent purchase was a $14 new mattress cover- ours was 14 years old!), and any school books I might need. The Ebates cash supplements what Amazon doesn't carry.
But, here's the thing. It takes time to let these little earnings build into a helpful sum. So, if you're wanting to start saving for Christmas awhile, you need to start now and set aside those e-cards and that cash (and then don't touch it!). You also need to start spreading the word about both the sites and give out your own personal link for them to sign up with so you get credit for signing up a friend (I don't get anything from your friends signing up- it's all you). Share about it on facebook, send an email to your family and help your spouses sign up.
Just think how nice it will be to have a little bit (or a lot) set aside for when you need it later in the year. And, if you don't buy gifts or need school books, take that money (and the off-set cost for household items bought through Amazon) and give it away. And, you thought you couldn't give:-).
If you've signed up for either of these and have been slacking, get back at it. Even an extra $20 would help, right? Learn more about both here.
What Forks Over Knives Did to Me
I've watched many of the "food" documentaries over the past years- Super Size Me, The Future of Food, Food Inc., etc. They're very popular, you know. Each makes a good case for making better food choices- eating organic, eating local, eating diets higher in fruits and vegetables. It's all good stuff.
Then, I watched Forks Over Knives. It impacted me more than any of the other food-related films I've
watched.
Currently, you can watch it instantly on Netflix (or request the DVD, of course). The film uses research and case studies to present the position that animal products (meat, AND eggs, milk, cheese) contribute and actually increase your chances of having heart disease and getting cancer.
Whoa.
That's a pretty big claim, but Jamey (scientist turned pharmacist) was impressed with the research they present. It hit me hard. We eat meat maybe once a week (and that means small pieces of meat in a dish of mostly other ingredients), so I thought we were doing pretty good. I mean, most people know now that a lot of meat isn't good for you and that you can get protein elsewhere. I wasn't considering that the eggs and cheese and milk we eat often could be having a negative effect on our health as well.
Now. Before I receive a boatload of comments and questions from you fellow chicken-raising, milk-and-cheese loving folks, watch the documentary, please. To view the trailer, go here (and scroll down slightly to hit play).
So. What did it do to me?
1) I promptly ordered the DVD and sent it to a loved one to watch and pass around. I just had/ have to share the information I learned.
2) The next day, I went to the store and bought fresh fruits and vegetables (something you KNOW I don't do in the off season!!). We eat TONS of fresh fruits and vegetables in the spring, summer and fall but come winter, we rely on the frozen and canned varieties. I have always been pleased with our ability to eat and preserve in season this way.
The only hang up with this method is that (if I'm being honest) frozen and canned veggies and fruits can become less appealing than their real, fresh counterparts. Pulling in some fresh fruits and veggies allow us to get more excited about dishes full of veggies (like stir-fry).
This does not mean we won't be eating everything we've put up. It just means I will start mixing in fresh with preserved to maximize our love from fruits and vegetables so dairy and meat aren't as tempting to rely on.
3) I started limiting (but not cutting out entirely- yet) my cheese, meat, egg and milk intake- choosing nuts, raw veggies and hummus and fresh fruit when I feel hungry and giving my kids more raw fruit and veggie options over the standard yogurt and cheese they're so used to.
What did it do to a friend of mine? She was so inspired after watching the documentary that she stopped eating animal products for a month. She lost 30 pounds.
Now, I am not encouraging you to watch Forks Over Knives to help you lose weight. I want you to take a look at some information that we don't always hear when it comes to healthy living and eating.
So, go on. Be brave. Rent this documentary. Use your critical-thinking minds and evaluate this for yourselves. And then plan that vegetable garden ASAP. It's more important than ever:-).
Update 2/27/12:
In light of the excellent discussion below, I wanted to make clear my position. I want to assure you all that local, home-grown, grass-fed, free-range is still our preference and goal. The points made in the documentary have caused us to look at the quantity of animal products we eat. We're not cutting them out, just cutting back. I've chosen to purchase a few fresh items during winter to offset some of the egg/cheese dishes we eat and bolster our veggie intake. Come spring, there will be no need for purchases like these. I'm just want to be super transparent here:-).
No one asked me to say any of the things I said in this post. As always, if I like something, I can't help but share it. It's a little problem I have. Pin It
Feed the little people their breakfast. Check.
Start laundry. Check.
Do school with Sadie. Check.
Hang up laundry. Check.
Thaw or prep for dinner. Check.
Make the little people their lunch. Check.
Wrestle Miriam up for her nap. Check.
Do school with Sam. Check.
Do Bible Study homework.
Make dinner.
Pay bills.
Vacuum.
Clean toilet. AGAIN.
Return emails and phone calls.
Think of something I want to write about.
Fold laundry.
Fold laundry.
Fold laundry.
Forget what it was I wanted to write about.
Fold laundry.
Load the stove.
Send children to time out.
Shower (on special occasions).
Hold some type of meaningful conversation with my husband before we fall asleep.
And tomorrow? I'll do it all over again.
None of you know what that's like, do you?
Goodness, that took longer to say than I intended. Anyway, in the midst of all that I have these things I want to tell you. They don't always fit into neat little posts, so today I'm just going to spit it out. Please bear with me. If you haven't noticed, proof-reading and editing are often a luxury my life doesn't allow for.
Saving Ahead (at no cost to you)
Okay, folks. It's already mid February. I hope you have your Christmas lists started (practical ideas for gifts, if you have to give them, come up naturally through daily living- not when you have to give someone an idea within a few days).
Now that you've started your list, I need to know this: have you started saving for Christmas yet? {And, did I use that colon correctly in that sentence? I'm feeling like I didn't and we haven't studied colons yet in grammar.}
If you homeschool, have you started saving for next year's curriculum? Setting aside extra money can be hard when finances are tight or when you're trying to throw every extra penny at existing debt (credit card, car payments, or school loans).
One way I've found to sock away some cash is to make use of two online websites, Swagbucks and Ebates. They are easy to use and it's super easy to ignore the incentives they offer to get you to buy/shop more. We are trying to SAVE money, remember? The key to both is spreading the word (like I'm doing now). And, don't worry. Spreading the word is guilt-free because you're not trying to sell your friends anything. It costs nothing to join up and start earning money with either.
With swagbucks, you earn e-cards to your choice of online stores (I only use my swagbucks for Amazon credit). With Ebates, they send you a check when you earn cash back from online purchases (use it only for purchases you would make anyway!) and referrals. As you know, Amazon has just about everything, so I use those gift cards for Christmas gifts, needed household items (my most recent purchase was a $14 new mattress cover- ours was 14 years old!), and any school books I might need. The Ebates cash supplements what Amazon doesn't carry.
But, here's the thing. It takes time to let these little earnings build into a helpful sum. So, if you're wanting to start saving for Christmas awhile, you need to start now and set aside those e-cards and that cash (and then don't touch it!). You also need to start spreading the word about both the sites and give out your own personal link for them to sign up with so you get credit for signing up a friend (I don't get anything from your friends signing up- it's all you). Share about it on facebook, send an email to your family and help your spouses sign up.
Just think how nice it will be to have a little bit (or a lot) set aside for when you need it later in the year. And, if you don't buy gifts or need school books, take that money (and the off-set cost for household items bought through Amazon) and give it away. And, you thought you couldn't give:-).
If you've signed up for either of these and have been slacking, get back at it. Even an extra $20 would help, right? Learn more about both here.
What Forks Over Knives Did to Me
I've watched many of the "food" documentaries over the past years- Super Size Me, The Future of Food, Food Inc., etc. They're very popular, you know. Each makes a good case for making better food choices- eating organic, eating local, eating diets higher in fruits and vegetables. It's all good stuff.
Then, I watched Forks Over Knives. It impacted me more than any of the other food-related films I've
watched.
Whoa.
That's a pretty big claim, but Jamey (scientist turned pharmacist) was impressed with the research they present. It hit me hard. We eat meat maybe once a week (and that means small pieces of meat in a dish of mostly other ingredients), so I thought we were doing pretty good. I mean, most people know now that a lot of meat isn't good for you and that you can get protein elsewhere. I wasn't considering that the eggs and cheese and milk we eat often could be having a negative effect on our health as well.
Now. Before I receive a boatload of comments and questions from you fellow chicken-raising, milk-and-cheese loving folks, watch the documentary, please. To view the trailer, go here (and scroll down slightly to hit play).
So. What did it do to me?
1) I promptly ordered the DVD and sent it to a loved one to watch and pass around. I just had/ have to share the information I learned.
2) The next day, I went to the store and bought fresh fruits and vegetables (something you KNOW I don't do in the off season!!). We eat TONS of fresh fruits and vegetables in the spring, summer and fall but come winter, we rely on the frozen and canned varieties. I have always been pleased with our ability to eat and preserve in season this way.
The only hang up with this method is that (if I'm being honest) frozen and canned veggies and fruits can become less appealing than their real, fresh counterparts. Pulling in some fresh fruits and veggies allow us to get more excited about dishes full of veggies (like stir-fry).
This does not mean we won't be eating everything we've put up. It just means I will start mixing in fresh with preserved to maximize our love from fruits and vegetables so dairy and meat aren't as tempting to rely on.
3) I started limiting (but not cutting out entirely- yet) my cheese, meat, egg and milk intake- choosing nuts, raw veggies and hummus and fresh fruit when I feel hungry and giving my kids more raw fruit and veggie options over the standard yogurt and cheese they're so used to.
What did it do to a friend of mine? She was so inspired after watching the documentary that she stopped eating animal products for a month. She lost 30 pounds.
Now, I am not encouraging you to watch Forks Over Knives to help you lose weight. I want you to take a look at some information that we don't always hear when it comes to healthy living and eating.
So, go on. Be brave. Rent this documentary. Use your critical-thinking minds and evaluate this for yourselves. And then plan that vegetable garden ASAP. It's more important than ever:-).
Update 2/27/12:
In light of the excellent discussion below, I wanted to make clear my position. I want to assure you all that local, home-grown, grass-fed, free-range is still our preference and goal. The points made in the documentary have caused us to look at the quantity of animal products we eat. We're not cutting them out, just cutting back. I've chosen to purchase a few fresh items during winter to offset some of the egg/cheese dishes we eat and bolster our veggie intake. Come spring, there will be no need for purchases like these. I'm just want to be super transparent here:-).
No one asked me to say any of the things I said in this post. As always, if I like something, I can't help but share it. It's a little problem I have. Pin It
Monday, February 20, 2012
How to Plant & Grow Cut Sunflowers to Sell
The past two summers, we've planted sunflowers in our yard and sold them at the end of our driveway. The first year, it was my brother who ran the little operation. But then he moved away and we were left to decide what we wanted in that used plot of yard. After weighing our options, we decided to plant sunflowers again. And, we've decided to plant them again this year.
A sunflower bed obviously needs sun and while the flowers are fairly tolerant of short dry spells, they do need water to germinate and get a good start. A rainier summer leads to larger sunflowers, a dry one to smaller ones- both are pretty. Staggering the plantings of the seeds spreads out the harvest so you have flowers to sell throughout the summer. A couple signs along a well-traveled road bring the buyers to you (and the occasional event planner, as we've discovered).
All that said, below you'll find details about what WE did. If this is a project your family would like to take on this summer, you can adapt our plan to fit your situation. As our children get older, we hope to turn it over to them, teaching them more about business and responsibility.
Planning
The planning involves looking at your allotted space/plot (relatively flat with full sun is ideal) and determining how many sunflowers you can plant and then ordering the seeds. On both sides of our house are good-sized flat lawns that we are happy not to mow. The plot on the south side of our house that we devote to growing sunflowers is 40 by 70 feet. Last year, we decided to plant 5 plantings, but only planted 4 in the end because we ran out of steam and seeds. In each of the 4 plantings there were 15 rows. In each row we planted 80 seeds (6 inches apart). We left one foot of space between each row with two feet of space between each planting. This summer, we will divide the plot into more, smaller plantings so they will be staggered more evenly throughout the summer.
The last two summers, we chose to order our seeds from Johnny's Selected Seeds. Last year, we bought 3500 Sunrich Orange Summer (F1) seeds (to add to some we had left over from the year before), a sunflower that is meant to be cut for arrangements, thus it doesn't drop pollen- something people appreciate not having all over their tables. The one drawback of this particular variety is that the stems excrete a sticky substance that is a bit of a pain to wash off if you get it on your hands. We use gardening gloves when working with the flowers and sometimes leave wipes at our road side stand for people to use to pick up their bunches.
Planting
The first stage in planting is preparing the soil. How you want to get rid of your lawn or weeds is up to you. You can kill the grass in the manner you prefer. The nice thing about growing sunflowers is that you really only have to keep the weeds down while the plants are just starting to come up. Soon, the flowers will outgrow the weeds, so weeds in between the rows are okay and there is no weeding to be bothered with (unless you love weeding, of course). For us, we determined that preparing the soil in batches as we plant in stages works best. If you rid the whole plot of weeds at the beginning, you might have weeds growing again by the time you're planting later plantings. If you don't want to put in the work twice, only work just ahead of yourself.
We plant our first planting when the danger of frost has past. This first group was ready to cut and sell in mid July. We sold our last bunch on September 24th to an on-duty sheriff (I thought one of the kids called 911) who needed flowers for his wife for their anniversary (THAT day). He said the only flower she likes are sunflowers. Needless to say, I searched high and low and mustered up a pretty decent last bouquet for him.
Giving the sunflowers a proper start is really important. If it's super dry, they won't germinate and you might end up with your next planting coming up at the same time. This doesn't sound so bad, but in our case it meant we had too many flowers ready to be cut at the same time and the demand couldn't keep up with the supply. If you are able, watering them regularly just for the first week may help with the germination process and get them started. Once they're started, they take pretty good care of themselves unless you run into a severe drought. We had some really dry spells last summer and didn't water (our area was too large and we needed to save cistern water for our vegetable garden) and they did fine although some were on the small-side.
Waiting
This period entails watching and praying that the rabbits and chickens stay out of the plot to give your little plants time to get established.
During this time you'll also want to make your signs and stand for out by the road. An umbrella is a good idea as it will help your cut flowers stay nicer, longer. This is all pretty obvious, but I'll say it anyway...signs facing both directions are helpful and they should give your buyers time to slow down before they have to pull over. Placing your stand near a pull-off or driveway may make some buyers feel safer than if they have to pull over right along the road. Make your lettering large enough to be seen and neat so they can be read easily.
Cutting
We use small, hand held pruning shears to cut through the (sometimes rather thick, but easy to cut) stalks. We found that cutting the sunflowers as soon as we could see yellow worked well when it was practical to do so. Within a few days, the flower would open, giving our buyers a chance to get their full enjoyment out of the flowers. Mixing one or two open sunflowers in with some that were showing only a little yellow gave folks a teaser as to what to expect from the rest of the bunch.
We choose to put anywhere from 5-10 sunflowers in a bunch depending on the size of the flowers. If one particular planting produced really large heads, we'd put 5 in a bunch. If a dryer spell yielded smaller ones, we'd make bouquets of 10. Often, Jamey would collect the ready flowers, leaving the stems very long, and then stripping off the leaves by grabbing the stem gently just under the head of the flower and then sliding his hand down the stem. They come off easily and quickly this way. He'd place the cut flowers in 5 gallon buckets with water in the bottom and bring them up to me at the back of the house.
I would then form the bunches being careful to arrange them so that the flowers would have room to open and wouldn't be opening up into each other and therefore getting smooshed (that's official sunflower-growing terminology). I then used green garden twisty ties (to hold the bunches together) a few inches from the head and a foot lower. Then, I trimmed the ends so that they were long enough to still fit in the 5-gallon bucket (without the actual flower heads leaning on the bucket side) and to make them the same length. We'd add more water if needed and Jamey or I would carry the buckets out to our stand.
Selling
We chose to sell our bunches for $5 each. According to a family member who has worked for a florist, large sunflowers can be sold for $5 a piece. We wanted to make a profit, but also want everyone to be able to afford to enjoy them, so we're sticking with our price.
We also choose to trust our customers. Instead of making a lock-box where payment can be left, we use a cool whip container with a rock in it (so it doesn't blow away). This way, we can leave some change in it if someone needs to break a twenty dollar bill so they don't need to come knocking at the house. We've only lost a total of maybe $40 over the past two years with this method and very few customers came to our door needing help. Bringing the money container in every evening (and setting the buckets of flowers back) each night takes some of the temptation to steal away.
If a bunch or two sat out fully opened for more than several days, we'd bring them inside to enjoy them ourselves or share them with friends and neighbors. You do not want to sell someone flowers that will start dropping petals two days after they take them home.
When we did have an over-abundance of sunflowers all at once and we knew we couldn't sell them all at the end of our lane, we took bunches to local florists and sold some to them. This lead to several orders from event planners, who were recommended by florists who wouldn't have known about us if we hadn't stopped by.
It's close to impossible to promise a certain number for an exact time, so be careful and make sure the buyer understands. For example, a woman asked for 60 sunflowers for a certain event. She would need to pick up the flowers the evening before. She asked for them weeks in advance. At the time, we had a general idea when the next planting would be ready to cut, but I had to ask her (feeling a bit like Abraham), "What if we don't have 60 then. What if we only have 50?" She said that would be fine. I went on, "What if we only have 40 at that time- would that be okay?" Again, she said it would. I even went further and asked about 30- she hesitated here, but again, said she would understand. I ended up having 59 sunflowers for her. You bet I praised the Lord that day!
Cleaning Up
When the sunflowers are finished you'll have a strange looking plot of stalks left to deal with. Sam enjoys stomping and chopping them down. Clearing the plot in the fall gives you a fresh start in the spring and makes for a nicer looking yard for your neighbors (Hi, Marie!).
So, there you have it. That's what we did and how we did it. Feel free to ask any questions you might have and we'll do our best to answer them. Please note: Questions about your growing zone would be best asked of the seed company folks. We only have experience growing them in our zone (zone 7) so we are not knowledgeable about how sunflowers would grow in other areas. Otherwise, ask away and happy planning and planting!
Pin It
All that said, below you'll find details about what WE did. If this is a project your family would like to take on this summer, you can adapt our plan to fit your situation. As our children get older, we hope to turn it over to them, teaching them more about business and responsibility.
Planning
The planning involves looking at your allotted space/plot (relatively flat with full sun is ideal) and determining how many sunflowers you can plant and then ordering the seeds. On both sides of our house are good-sized flat lawns that we are happy not to mow. The plot on the south side of our house that we devote to growing sunflowers is 40 by 70 feet. Last year, we decided to plant 5 plantings, but only planted 4 in the end because we ran out of steam and seeds. In each of the 4 plantings there were 15 rows. In each row we planted 80 seeds (6 inches apart). We left one foot of space between each row with two feet of space between each planting. This summer, we will divide the plot into more, smaller plantings so they will be staggered more evenly throughout the summer.
Our side yard before it turned into the sunflower plot.
Planting
The first stage in planting is preparing the soil. How you want to get rid of your lawn or weeds is up to you. You can kill the grass in the manner you prefer. The nice thing about growing sunflowers is that you really only have to keep the weeds down while the plants are just starting to come up. Soon, the flowers will outgrow the weeds, so weeds in between the rows are okay and there is no weeding to be bothered with (unless you love weeding, of course). For us, we determined that preparing the soil in batches as we plant in stages works best. If you rid the whole plot of weeds at the beginning, you might have weeds growing again by the time you're planting later plantings. If you don't want to put in the work twice, only work just ahead of yourself.
Preparing the soil for the next planting (you can see earlier plantings coming up in the background).
Last year, Jamey experimented with the best way to till the soil just prior to planting. The methods he used (all during the same planting so rain amounts were the same) were a) just shoving the seed into the earth (hey, if it worked, it would certainly be the easiest!), b) punching a narrow PVC pipe into the ground a couple inches and dropping a seed down the pipe and kicking the dirt over, and c) using my Grandpa's old wheel hoe (pictured above). The rows that yielded the most germinated seeds were the wheel hoe rows, so that's how we planted the rest of the spring. Staking the ends of the rows and tying a string, marked every six inches, between the two made for straight rows and proper seed spacing.We plant our first planting when the danger of frost has past. This first group was ready to cut and sell in mid July. We sold our last bunch on September 24th to an on-duty sheriff (I thought one of the kids called 911) who needed flowers for his wife for their anniversary (THAT day). He said the only flower she likes are sunflowers. Needless to say, I searched high and low and mustered up a pretty decent last bouquet for him.
Waiting
This period entails watching and praying that the rabbits and chickens stay out of the plot to give your little plants time to get established.
We use small, hand held pruning shears to cut through the (sometimes rather thick, but easy to cut) stalks. We found that cutting the sunflowers as soon as we could see yellow worked well when it was practical to do so. Within a few days, the flower would open, giving our buyers a chance to get their full enjoyment out of the flowers. Mixing one or two open sunflowers in with some that were showing only a little yellow gave folks a teaser as to what to expect from the rest of the bunch.
I would then form the bunches being careful to arrange them so that the flowers would have room to open and wouldn't be opening up into each other and therefore getting smooshed (that's official sunflower-growing terminology). I then used green garden twisty ties (to hold the bunches together) a few inches from the head and a foot lower. Then, I trimmed the ends so that they were long enough to still fit in the 5-gallon bucket (without the actual flower heads leaning on the bucket side) and to make them the same length. We'd add more water if needed and Jamey or I would carry the buckets out to our stand.
We chose to sell our bunches for $5 each. According to a family member who has worked for a florist, large sunflowers can be sold for $5 a piece. We wanted to make a profit, but also want everyone to be able to afford to enjoy them, so we're sticking with our price.
We also choose to trust our customers. Instead of making a lock-box where payment can be left, we use a cool whip container with a rock in it (so it doesn't blow away). This way, we can leave some change in it if someone needs to break a twenty dollar bill so they don't need to come knocking at the house. We've only lost a total of maybe $40 over the past two years with this method and very few customers came to our door needing help. Bringing the money container in every evening (and setting the buckets of flowers back) each night takes some of the temptation to steal away.
Our sunflowers at a wedding.
When we did have an over-abundance of sunflowers all at once and we knew we couldn't sell them all at the end of our lane, we took bunches to local florists and sold some to them. This lead to several orders from event planners, who were recommended by florists who wouldn't have known about us if we hadn't stopped by.
It's close to impossible to promise a certain number for an exact time, so be careful and make sure the buyer understands. For example, a woman asked for 60 sunflowers for a certain event. She would need to pick up the flowers the evening before. She asked for them weeks in advance. At the time, we had a general idea when the next planting would be ready to cut, but I had to ask her (feeling a bit like Abraham), "What if we don't have 60 then. What if we only have 50?" She said that would be fine. I went on, "What if we only have 40 at that time- would that be okay?" Again, she said it would. I even went further and asked about 30- she hesitated here, but again, said she would understand. I ended up having 59 sunflowers for her. You bet I praised the Lord that day!
Cleaning Up
When the sunflowers are finished you'll have a strange looking plot of stalks left to deal with. Sam enjoys stomping and chopping them down. Clearing the plot in the fall gives you a fresh start in the spring and makes for a nicer looking yard for your neighbors (Hi, Marie!).
Thursday, February 16, 2012
On Why I Don't Listen to Music
The other day I was thinking hard on the subject. There was a time when music was practically my life. Now I find myself avoiding it mostly. It almost always leaves me unnerved in some way. Secular music is hollow. Christian music, despite it's sincere message, leaves me wanting. Occasionally a praise song will break through. Hymns sung in church almost always do, but that's because they're in a league of their own as are the two singer-songwriters we discovered in Mexico. This league is untouched and, thankfully, unaffected by what I can only describe as an addiction I had to music years ago.
It may seem really strange to call one's interest in music an addiction but after many years I can look back, detached from it all, and see it for what I really think it was. Music was my world. It consumed me. There were countless hours spent listening to lyrics and instruments that very effectively lured me away from spending time with God and learning what God might want for my life, what His plan for me might have been. Other areas of my life were left malnourished and this makes me incredibly sad.
I realized this past month that I needed to talk about it here. Maybe because I think it might help someone else. I'm not exactly sure. What I do know is that this was/is a fairly large part of me and my story and I need to look at it head on. I need to acknowledge it's power and call it what it is instead of poo-pooing it away as understandable and excusable teenage behavior. If I do that, I'm not taking responsibility. I must admit that while, in many other ways, I'm pretty quick to bare my soul here, this issue leaves me feeling pretty vulnerable. It's taking some courage to write about it (especially in front of family), so please be gentle.
My first memory of music was getting a dark pink (very boxy-looking) boom box for my birthday when I was 11 or 12. My parents have a photograph of me holding it, grinning widely with my boy-ish haircut and pink and grey striped dress, complete with a bow at the neck. My next memory is of figuring out that when I recorded a song off the radio everyone in the room didn't have to be completely quiet. Wasn't that a relief? I had been freaking out when someone knocked at my door or a sibling barged in. A couple years later a girlfriend of mine and I started keeping a list of all the songs played on one of the local pop stations. Can you imagine?? We listed the title of the song and the artist and kept a meticulous list. I even alphabetized my list a time or two. It was pages and pages and pages long. If a song was on the radio, it was on out list.
Memorizing lyrics came next. If I could memorize Bible verses like I did lyrics I might possibly know whole books of the Bible by heart. Just the other day, out of the blue, the lyrics to LL Cool J's "I Need Love" jumped into my head and I was off, still remembering almost every single word of that ridiculous song (rap it- "When I'm alone in my room, sometimes I stare at the wall and in the back of my mind I hear my conscience call, telling me I need a girl whose as sweet as a dove. For the first time in my life, I see I need love. There I was..." ) As you can tell, I only memorized winning lyrics. At this point, I only recorded songs off the radio onto blank tapes. If I owned any real tapes, I can't remember them.
Around this time my friend base changed. I started hanging out with some of the greatest and most fun fellow middle-schoolers in the world (at a small, Christian school). They happened to be mostly boys. My best (girl) friend and I had the privilege of hanging out with some hilarious and amazing individuals, most of which were skaters. They donned the skater hair cuts, shoes, clothes and often the attitudes which got them into trouble with our teachers fairly often. Through them and some older skater friends of theirs at our school, one of which I had a herculine crush on, I was introduced to alternative and punk music.
Fast forward a few years and you'd find me in public high school spending every waking moment (other than church, work and school) living and breathing it. If it wasn't playing in my tape deck, I was in a record store (remember those?), in a car with the base literally willing my body to respond, in a friend's room hanging out (always with music playing), or (my all-time favorite) at a concert taking it all in live. My friends and boy friend during this time loved almost all the same music. If they hadn't, would they have been my friends? Thinking back, the memories wash over me. They were times that I still treasure because those friends of mine were the most incredible people. Sure, they dressed a little weird and often acted pretty strange, but we were all trying to figure out where we belonged and somehow that music tied us all together. 7 Seconds, Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, Sonic Youth, Ride, Stone Roses, Ministry (not the good kind, unfortunately), Jane's Addiction, Beastie Boys, Dead Can Dance, The Pixies, The Ramones, Social Distortion, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Love and Rockets, The Stone Roses, Bad Brains, The Clash, Descendents...just to name a few.
There was a time when my hair was bleached blond (and later, dyed deep auburn) and the bottom half was shaved with the top half chin length. I wore thrift store clothes, a lot of black, including long skirts, trench coats and combat boots. Steel-toed boots were very practical at concerts where your feet inevitably got stepped on. I did wear bright red lipstick in case you were worried that I was completely devoid of color.
This music drew me to places I knew I probably shouldn't have been, namely concerts. For awhile I kept a list of all the concerts I attended but at some point I stopped writing them down and the list is gone. Our favorite place to go was City Gardens in Trenton, N.J. Somehow even the look of the place didn't dissuade me because I was about to see a band that I nearly worshiped. It was a block building with no windows (red flag number one) that looked as if it had been abandoned. Inside there was a bar at one end (I honestly never hung out at that end- I was underage and didn't drink anyway. Jon Stewart bar tended there a little bit before my time.). At the other end was the stage.
The best "seat" in the house was right up against the stage as long as you didn't get pushed too hard into it. My boyfriend, in an act of appropriate chivalry for this occasion, would brace his arms against the stage behind me so I wouldn't get crushed. I was pretty tiny then. Many popular bands debuted at City Gardens. The agent that signed the Beastie Boys saw them first perform there. Depending on the band, the crowd would look pretty frightening to most people, but I had friends that looked like a lot of them and, hey, if they were there to see the band (like me) they must be okay. There were several rules: no slam dancing, no stage diving, and no spikes. Generally these rules were adhered to, but there were times when the mosh pit got unruly and some people (often skin heads) were escorted outside. In addition to concerts at City Gardens, the highlights of my summers from 1991-1994 were the first four Lollapaloozas. Think Woodstock for funky kids without the nudity and slightly less drugs.
None of this dissuaded me. I felt such a strong attachment to the music and held the band members in too high esteem. The night Thurston Moore dripped sweat on me...well...I was thrilled. And, despite a broken vertebrae (due to a sledding accident of all things), there I was, in my back brace, planted out of harm's way on top of a speaker by two guy friends, in Philadelphia at a Pearl Jam concert. Who was I??
If you've been reading me for very long, you know this doesn't really sound like me. And that is the point I am trying to make. My involvement with this music blinded me to good judgement. Being a teenager didn't help. But I must say that the music (and most secular music in general) made me feel invincible and it was this, I believe, that lead me into situations and circumstances that an otherwise good, Christian girl would not have put herself into.
If you're wondering about my parents, I will tell you (and them) that I never lied about where I was going. I may have withheld information about a place that might worry them because I didn't want them to worry. *I* would be fine. They walked a fine line with me and did so very well. If they would have pushed harder against me, my music and friends, I might have rebelled in different ways. And I knew, without a doubt, that they were praying for me. Those prayers were heard and answered. Prayers are always heard, but not always answered in the fashion we request. I thank God that my parents' prayers were.
Jamey asked me the other night (while we were looking up pictures of City Gardens online) how I came through it all unscathed. I truly believe that God was shielding my heart and my body. I became a Christian at 8 or 9 years of age. God was protecting me despite my disobedience, despite my turning away from Him and choosing a music (that was often flat out evil) and it's culture over time spent with Him and for Him. And I did it all right in His face.
Oh, Lord, forgive me. Your grace is all too sufficient for me.
How did I come out of it all? Well, I chose a Christian University where I couldn't find anyone who held the same music interests as I. My high school boyfriend broke up with me the summer after my freshman year. God started working on me big time and introduced me to Jamey, a strong Christian who just came away from a profoundly spiritual experience serving at a Christian wilderness camp over the summer. If someone would have told me a year before that I would end up marrying somewhat of a jock with short cropped hair who would later become a pharmacist, I would have howled. He does play guitar. I think God gave me that as a joke.
In response to God's leading and a very real experience with an evil presence (a story for another time), one day I chucked almost my entire (huge) music collection down the trash chute in my dorm. It brought incredible relief.
So this is why I don't listen to music. I've been there, done that.
And it all leads me to wonder. What's my current addiction? What I am throwing my time and energy into now that isn't all about Him? While may not be as blatant and obvious as music was for me in the past, I have my issues. Like music, I'm working on kicking them to the curb.
Sometimes it really needs to be all or nothing. Don't let our society or culture tell you otherwise. It's lying. Pin It
It may seem really strange to call one's interest in music an addiction but after many years I can look back, detached from it all, and see it for what I really think it was. Music was my world. It consumed me. There were countless hours spent listening to lyrics and instruments that very effectively lured me away from spending time with God and learning what God might want for my life, what His plan for me might have been. Other areas of my life were left malnourished and this makes me incredibly sad.
I realized this past month that I needed to talk about it here. Maybe because I think it might help someone else. I'm not exactly sure. What I do know is that this was/is a fairly large part of me and my story and I need to look at it head on. I need to acknowledge it's power and call it what it is instead of poo-pooing it away as understandable and excusable teenage behavior. If I do that, I'm not taking responsibility. I must admit that while, in many other ways, I'm pretty quick to bare my soul here, this issue leaves me feeling pretty vulnerable. It's taking some courage to write about it (especially in front of family), so please be gentle.
My first memory of music was getting a dark pink (very boxy-looking) boom box for my birthday when I was 11 or 12. My parents have a photograph of me holding it, grinning widely with my boy-ish haircut and pink and grey striped dress, complete with a bow at the neck. My next memory is of figuring out that when I recorded a song off the radio everyone in the room didn't have to be completely quiet. Wasn't that a relief? I had been freaking out when someone knocked at my door or a sibling barged in. A couple years later a girlfriend of mine and I started keeping a list of all the songs played on one of the local pop stations. Can you imagine?? We listed the title of the song and the artist and kept a meticulous list. I even alphabetized my list a time or two. It was pages and pages and pages long. If a song was on the radio, it was on out list.
Memorizing lyrics came next. If I could memorize Bible verses like I did lyrics I might possibly know whole books of the Bible by heart. Just the other day, out of the blue, the lyrics to LL Cool J's "I Need Love" jumped into my head and I was off, still remembering almost every single word of that ridiculous song (rap it- "When I'm alone in my room, sometimes I stare at the wall and in the back of my mind I hear my conscience call, telling me I need a girl whose as sweet as a dove. For the first time in my life, I see I need love. There I was..." ) As you can tell, I only memorized winning lyrics. At this point, I only recorded songs off the radio onto blank tapes. If I owned any real tapes, I can't remember them.
Around this time my friend base changed. I started hanging out with some of the greatest and most fun fellow middle-schoolers in the world (at a small, Christian school). They happened to be mostly boys. My best (girl) friend and I had the privilege of hanging out with some hilarious and amazing individuals, most of which were skaters. They donned the skater hair cuts, shoes, clothes and often the attitudes which got them into trouble with our teachers fairly often. Through them and some older skater friends of theirs at our school, one of which I had a herculine crush on, I was introduced to alternative and punk music.
Fast forward a few years and you'd find me in public high school spending every waking moment (other than church, work and school) living and breathing it. If it wasn't playing in my tape deck, I was in a record store (remember those?), in a car with the base literally willing my body to respond, in a friend's room hanging out (always with music playing), or (my all-time favorite) at a concert taking it all in live. My friends and boy friend during this time loved almost all the same music. If they hadn't, would they have been my friends? Thinking back, the memories wash over me. They were times that I still treasure because those friends of mine were the most incredible people. Sure, they dressed a little weird and often acted pretty strange, but we were all trying to figure out where we belonged and somehow that music tied us all together. 7 Seconds, Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, Sonic Youth, Ride, Stone Roses, Ministry (not the good kind, unfortunately), Jane's Addiction, Beastie Boys, Dead Can Dance, The Pixies, The Ramones, Social Distortion, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Love and Rockets, The Stone Roses, Bad Brains, The Clash, Descendents...just to name a few.
There was a time when my hair was bleached blond (and later, dyed deep auburn) and the bottom half was shaved with the top half chin length. I wore thrift store clothes, a lot of black, including long skirts, trench coats and combat boots. Steel-toed boots were very practical at concerts where your feet inevitably got stepped on. I did wear bright red lipstick in case you were worried that I was completely devoid of color.
This music drew me to places I knew I probably shouldn't have been, namely concerts. For awhile I kept a list of all the concerts I attended but at some point I stopped writing them down and the list is gone. Our favorite place to go was City Gardens in Trenton, N.J. Somehow even the look of the place didn't dissuade me because I was about to see a band that I nearly worshiped. It was a block building with no windows (red flag number one) that looked as if it had been abandoned. Inside there was a bar at one end (I honestly never hung out at that end- I was underage and didn't drink anyway. Jon Stewart bar tended there a little bit before my time.). At the other end was the stage.
The best "seat" in the house was right up against the stage as long as you didn't get pushed too hard into it. My boyfriend, in an act of appropriate chivalry for this occasion, would brace his arms against the stage behind me so I wouldn't get crushed. I was pretty tiny then. Many popular bands debuted at City Gardens. The agent that signed the Beastie Boys saw them first perform there. Depending on the band, the crowd would look pretty frightening to most people, but I had friends that looked like a lot of them and, hey, if they were there to see the band (like me) they must be okay. There were several rules: no slam dancing, no stage diving, and no spikes. Generally these rules were adhered to, but there were times when the mosh pit got unruly and some people (often skin heads) were escorted outside. In addition to concerts at City Gardens, the highlights of my summers from 1991-1994 were the first four Lollapaloozas. Think Woodstock for funky kids without the nudity and slightly less drugs.
None of this dissuaded me. I felt such a strong attachment to the music and held the band members in too high esteem. The night Thurston Moore dripped sweat on me...well...I was thrilled. And, despite a broken vertebrae (due to a sledding accident of all things), there I was, in my back brace, planted out of harm's way on top of a speaker by two guy friends, in Philadelphia at a Pearl Jam concert. Who was I??
If you've been reading me for very long, you know this doesn't really sound like me. And that is the point I am trying to make. My involvement with this music blinded me to good judgement. Being a teenager didn't help. But I must say that the music (and most secular music in general) made me feel invincible and it was this, I believe, that lead me into situations and circumstances that an otherwise good, Christian girl would not have put herself into.
If you're wondering about my parents, I will tell you (and them) that I never lied about where I was going. I may have withheld information about a place that might worry them because I didn't want them to worry. *I* would be fine. They walked a fine line with me and did so very well. If they would have pushed harder against me, my music and friends, I might have rebelled in different ways. And I knew, without a doubt, that they were praying for me. Those prayers were heard and answered. Prayers are always heard, but not always answered in the fashion we request. I thank God that my parents' prayers were.
Jamey asked me the other night (while we were looking up pictures of City Gardens online) how I came through it all unscathed. I truly believe that God was shielding my heart and my body. I became a Christian at 8 or 9 years of age. God was protecting me despite my disobedience, despite my turning away from Him and choosing a music (that was often flat out evil) and it's culture over time spent with Him and for Him. And I did it all right in His face.
Oh, Lord, forgive me. Your grace is all too sufficient for me.
How did I come out of it all? Well, I chose a Christian University where I couldn't find anyone who held the same music interests as I. My high school boyfriend broke up with me the summer after my freshman year. God started working on me big time and introduced me to Jamey, a strong Christian who just came away from a profoundly spiritual experience serving at a Christian wilderness camp over the summer. If someone would have told me a year before that I would end up marrying somewhat of a jock with short cropped hair who would later become a pharmacist, I would have howled. He does play guitar. I think God gave me that as a joke.
In response to God's leading and a very real experience with an evil presence (a story for another time), one day I chucked almost my entire (huge) music collection down the trash chute in my dorm. It brought incredible relief.
So this is why I don't listen to music. I've been there, done that.
And it all leads me to wonder. What's my current addiction? What I am throwing my time and energy into now that isn't all about Him? While may not be as blatant and obvious as music was for me in the past, I have my issues. Like music, I'm working on kicking them to the curb.
Sometimes it really needs to be all or nothing. Don't let our society or culture tell you otherwise. It's lying. Pin It
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Natural Cleaners
I've never written about natural cleaners before and I won't today, either. Today, I am going to let one of your fellow readers, Amber, share her experience and knowledge with you. I do use several natural cleaners and think their cost-saving and non-toxic properties are totally worth the few minutes it takes to mix them up.
Let me just say that I love learning about you all, particularly about your passions and how you spend your days. Don't forget to read Amber's bio at the bottom. You all are amazing.
Amber, take it away...
Let me just say that I love learning about you all, particularly about your passions and how you spend your days. Don't forget to read Amber's bio at the bottom. You all are amazing.
Amber, take it away...
***********************************
Useful Natural Cleaners
Natural cleaners are a great alternative to chemical cleaners for two reasons. First, they are less harmful to both you and the environment. Second, they are a less expensive to make yourself than buying traditional cleaners at the store. I personally got interested in alternative, natural cleaners in college when I realized that while we clean, we are inhaling and absorbing chemicals; I also was looking for easy ways to save money, and using homemade cleaners is one of the easiest ways to do this. Below you’ll find some useful natural cleaners I’ve successfully made and used that will be beneficial both to your health and finances.All Purpose Cleaner
- 1 part white vinegar
- 4 parts water
After mixing 4 parts water and 1 part white vinegar in a spray bottle, use the concoction with a reusable rag to clean surfaces, such as:
- Kitchen counters, fixtures, and eating surfaces.
- Bathroom sink, tub, and shower fixtures.
- Bathroom counters and toilets.
- Floors.
- Windows and mirrors.
- Floors.
Vinegar is acidic, and due to this quality it disinfects as well as eliminates grease, odors in fabrics, and lime deposits. For especially difficult messes, such as tough sink stains or sticky counters, I’ve add salt and/or baking soda to the cleaner; both substances provide you with a more abrasive substance for those hard-to-clean messes.
Cleaner for Stinky & Clogged Sink Drains
- 1 part vinegar
- 1 part baking soda
- 1 rag
- Boiling water
- Lemon skins
Pour baking soda down your sink or bathroom drain; usually ½ of a cup is sufficient. Next pour an equal amount of vinegar down the drain and immediately place a rag that will completely clog the hole to your sink; this is imperative, because as anyone remembers from grade school science class volcanoes, vinegar and baking cause a big, foamy reaction.
Leave the concoction in the sink and begin boiling your water. After 30 minutes, slowly pour the boiling water down the sink drain. For particularly clogged sinks, you may need to go through this process a few more times to get it fully unclogged. Once unclogged, put a few lemon skins down the drain and run the disposal to freshen up your sink. I’ve used this recipe a few times and have been happy with the results each time; not to mention I love the citrus smell from the lemon skins!
Easy Microwave Cleaner
- 2 tablespoons of baking soda or lemon juice.
- 1 cup of water
- 1 microwave-safe bowl
Combine the water and baking soda or lemon juice into the microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the water combination begins to boil; this may take 5 minutes or more. After the entire microwave is covered with condensation, wipe the condensation from the microwave; repeat for really difficult spills. I use this recipe all the time. Cleaning microwaves is a huge pain, and this recipe loosens up all of the mess and allows you to easily wipe it away.
Amber Paley is a writer who has devoted her life to educating the public about the problems of elder abuse in the United States. Though she does guest posts regularly, she also spends much of her time writing to educate about Nursing Home Abuse here.
Pin It
Monday, February 13, 2012
Heating Our House: The Decision
Heating Our House: The Problems
Heating Our House: The Inspection & Results
Heating Our House: Wood Stove or Outdoor Furnace?
Well, folks. Not only did we decide but once the decision was made, we couldn't wait until summer to stop paying for oil and start heating with wood. The comments you all left regarding your experiences were so interesting and helpful. We were already burning wood when I published that post, but we really wanted to hear your experiences and have you share them with each other. I hope you aren't offended. We honestly weren't trying to be misleading, we had just gotten ahead of ourselves (and my ability to post instantaneously).
When it came down to it, we realized that we are more "wood stove people" than we are "outdoor furnace people". I really have no idea what "outdoor furnace people" are like, but we did know that we would love having the stove inside. Friends and family (and commenters) warned us of the mess that having wood indoors can make, but after burning wood inside now for a month, I can honestly say there is very little mess and what little is there doesn't bother us at all. Jamey is very conscientious when he hauls it in and the ash out, the wood box contains mess well and only an occasional use of the little stove brush and shovel is required every day or so to keep it looking tidy. There is more dust in the room where the stove is and it decorates the cobwebs nicely, making them more visible. But this is a plus! Now I can actually see them:-).
We bought a new stove (for efficiency purposes). The size was recommended based on our 1900 square foot home. We had it professionally installed for peace of mind. Our chimneys would have required rebuilding, so we opted to have a stove pipe go up through the house. Above the living room, the stove pipe runs up through a closet and then up through the attic and out the roof. The stove is positioned on the first floor, in the living room, right beside the play/school room door which is where we spend most of our time in the winter (doing school). These two rooms stay very comfortable (between 70 and 76 on the coldest days, up to 80 if the weather is mild and we let it) while the other rooms downstairs are on the cool side (low to mid 60s in the morning, climbing to 70 on sunny days-- way better than mid 50s with oil heat). Heat rises nicely up the stairs at the other end of the living room, keeping the kids rooms comfortable. Our bedroom, which is back a hallway upstairs is cooler, but perfect
sleeping temperature.
Reversing the ceiling fan in the living room helps to spread out the heat into the kitchen and dining room on days we want to spend more time in those rooms. In those rooms, I'm more comfortable with a sweatshirt on, but the wood heat still feels significantly warmer than the oil. In the living room and school room, just long sleeves or even short sleeves (!) are most comfortable.
With newer stoves, more attention is required to keeping your fire in the temperature zone that will allow the smoke in the stove to be burned as well (secondary combustion) so creosote levels are kept to a minimum. A magnetic stove thermometer that clings to the stove pipe or stove top allows us to watch this. This takes practice and we're learning that building smaller, hot fires allows us to keep it in the zone without having to cut back on the air. Burning a larger fire leads to a fire that's too hot. This requires you to cut back on the air and you end up with more of a smoldering fire (which does happen overnight when you can't watch it) but which can keep your fire from being hot enough to burn off the creosote.
There's an art to it all for sure, but it's a really fun art that is rewarding both in knowing we are off oil and can keep our family warm and toasty even if the lights go out. The smell of wood burning when the door is opened makes it seem like we're living with a camp fire (which we love). At this point, we're choosing to buy our wood, happy to help out local farmers and construction folks who need the extra money over the winter.
I wondered about having the kids around the fire. I knew Sam (9) and Sadie (6) would keep their distance, but even Miriam (2 and a half) has done great. She ignores the stove, while the other two cozy up to it to read books or to get warm in the morning while the rest of the house is cool. The screen helps them keep their distance and we have a no running/wrestling in the living room rule. A baby gate is placed in the doorway between the play room and living room when we have company with toddlers or excitable kids that may not yet be used to us having a stove just inside the living room.
Jamey is an early riser (naturally and due to his work schedule) so he builds the first fire in the morning, making sure it's not too hot (and therefore requires watching). By the time we come downstairs, it's warming up nicely. I usually put more wood on around 10:30 or so and again around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. When he gets home around 4 or 5, it's ready for another helping. Often, in the evenings, we build it up again to keep us toasty in that room, then larger logs are placed on the fire and the air is cut back to let it burn overnight (without the risk of it getting too hot). In the morning, there are always plenty of hot coals and new logs ignite quickly.
We are so happy about our decision. In the past, we've, in many ways, dreaded winter. It meant being cold and still having to pay large oil bills (last winter we spent $1900 on oil). Now, winter is pretty fun. We enjoy building fires, being warm and stacking wood. And we don't miss the oil truck one bit.
Sometimes we just look at each other and grin (all goofy-like) because the house is warm, because we are warm, because we're heating with wood, and because it just feels like us.
Speaking of houses and heating them, remember my friend who was building a green (not the color, sillies) house in New Hampshire? Well, she wrote an excellent post about life two years in. (Don't forget to check out the back posts about the building process). Pin It
Heating Our House: The Inspection & Results
Heating Our House: Wood Stove or Outdoor Furnace?
Well, folks. Not only did we decide but once the decision was made, we couldn't wait until summer to stop paying for oil and start heating with wood. The comments you all left regarding your experiences were so interesting and helpful. We were already burning wood when I published that post, but we really wanted to hear your experiences and have you share them with each other. I hope you aren't offended. We honestly weren't trying to be misleading, we had just gotten ahead of ourselves (and my ability to post instantaneously).
When it came down to it, we realized that we are more "wood stove people" than we are "outdoor furnace people". I really have no idea what "outdoor furnace people" are like, but we did know that we would love having the stove inside. Friends and family (and commenters) warned us of the mess that having wood indoors can make, but after burning wood inside now for a month, I can honestly say there is very little mess and what little is there doesn't bother us at all. Jamey is very conscientious when he hauls it in and the ash out, the wood box contains mess well and only an occasional use of the little stove brush and shovel is required every day or so to keep it looking tidy. There is more dust in the room where the stove is and it decorates the cobwebs nicely, making them more visible. But this is a plus! Now I can actually see them:-).
Jamey re-purposed an old hog shed into our wood shed. Sam stacked much of this wood with Jamey.
We bought a new stove (for efficiency purposes). The size was recommended based on our 1900 square foot home. We had it professionally installed for peace of mind. Our chimneys would have required rebuilding, so we opted to have a stove pipe go up through the house. Above the living room, the stove pipe runs up through a closet and then up through the attic and out the roof. The stove is positioned on the first floor, in the living room, right beside the play/school room door which is where we spend most of our time in the winter (doing school). These two rooms stay very comfortable (between 70 and 76 on the coldest days, up to 80 if the weather is mild and we let it) while the other rooms downstairs are on the cool side (low to mid 60s in the morning, climbing to 70 on sunny days-- way better than mid 50s with oil heat). Heat rises nicely up the stairs at the other end of the living room, keeping the kids rooms comfortable. Our bedroom, which is back a hallway upstairs is cooler, but perfect
sleeping temperature.
The shiny, new stove pipe and two of our ancient chimneys (the openings of which are the size of a single brick).
Reversing the ceiling fan in the living room helps to spread out the heat into the kitchen and dining room on days we want to spend more time in those rooms. In those rooms, I'm more comfortable with a sweatshirt on, but the wood heat still feels significantly warmer than the oil. In the living room and school room, just long sleeves or even short sleeves (!) are most comfortable.
Preparing the location (just between the play/school room and living room).
With newer stoves, more attention is required to keeping your fire in the temperature zone that will allow the smoke in the stove to be burned as well (secondary combustion) so creosote levels are kept to a minimum. A magnetic stove thermometer that clings to the stove pipe or stove top allows us to watch this. This takes practice and we're learning that building smaller, hot fires allows us to keep it in the zone without having to cut back on the air. Burning a larger fire leads to a fire that's too hot. This requires you to cut back on the air and you end up with more of a smoldering fire (which does happen overnight when you can't watch it) but which can keep your fire from being hot enough to burn off the creosote.
I wondered about having the kids around the fire. I knew Sam (9) and Sadie (6) would keep their distance, but even Miriam (2 and a half) has done great. She ignores the stove, while the other two cozy up to it to read books or to get warm in the morning while the rest of the house is cool. The screen helps them keep their distance and we have a no running/wrestling in the living room rule. A baby gate is placed in the doorway between the play room and living room when we have company with toddlers or excitable kids that may not yet be used to us having a stove just inside the living room.
Sometimes we just look at each other and grin (all goofy-like) because the house is warm, because we are warm, because we're heating with wood, and because it just feels like us.
Speaking of houses and heating them, remember my friend who was building a green (not the color, sillies) house in New Hampshire? Well, she wrote an excellent post about life two years in. (Don't forget to check out the back posts about the building process). Pin It
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Oh, the irony.
So my post on Monday might have made it appear as if everything here is serene and lovely with children obediently doing their school work and playing nicely. It's like that sometimes but then there are the moments I didn't photograph.
Let me just tell you that we are like any other family. We have issues. Lately it's been about obeying. We say, "Please stay out of other people's things." They somehow hear, "Get into, use and ruin whatever you please no matter whose it is." Funny how that happens.
It's no longer about the offense itself, although it drives us batty to have our things gone through, lost and often ruined. It has become all about the disobedience. The repetitive disobedience makes me so frustrated, so upset, sad and angry. I rack my brain trying to think of consequences that will be meaningful to them, ones that will deter this ridiculous behavior, but often it has been in vain. They do it again. And again.
Now, before you feel sorry for my children, let me assure you that I am not being unreasonable here. Their behavior is unacceptable and they know it. And, if you think I am not being patient enough, let me assure that I can be patient and I have been patient. I've also yelled and cried (just so you have the whole story).
While all that seems problematic enough, the real issue for me lies in the forgiveness and grace department. It is so easy for me to hold on to my frustration and anger even after they've apologized. On the outside, I may appear back to normal, but on the inside I'm still furious with those little buggers.
And so, I complain to God about it. He knows all about me, so He's never surprised by what I bring to Him. In my mind, though, I imagine Him thinking, "Here she comes again. Can you believe this one? This woman who thinks *she* has it so bad? The one who ignores *my* directions? The one who says she's sorry over and over but keeps coming back giving me the same old line? She's complaining to *me* about *her* kids? Oh, the irony."
Instead, this almighty, immortal, all loving, gracious, forgiving God says, "I forgive you and I love you and I will remember your sin no more."
Are you kidding me? Who is this God I worship?
Well, He's God, that's who. He's not one of us. He doesn't make mistakes. He knows what He's doing even when we don't understand it. Even when we don't like it. Even when we think it should be done another way. Even when we would prefer to believe in a god who acts differently.
If we believe in the God who created the world with all it's creatures and bounty, knit our amazing bodies together (have you ever studied anatomy?), gave up His Child to torture and death, and has the supernatural ability to forgive us when we mess up over and over and over, then let's let Him be God. Let's let Him carry on with his almighty plan and His mysterious ways and let us trust Him and believe Him when He says we should forgive because, Lord have mercy, He forgives us.
And we are called to forgive others.
And boy, do I want to do want He wants me to do. I whole-heartedly do. So, I blink back the tears, I swallow the frustration, I say a prayer as if my life depended on it (and it does), dole out a reasonable consequence, and do my very best to forgive my children. I choose to love them and allow them to start over with a clean slate even though it hurts like the dickens.
Because that's what He does for me.
(The most important things we need to know about forgiveness, from the Expert.) Pin It
Let me just tell you that we are like any other family. We have issues. Lately it's been about obeying. We say, "Please stay out of other people's things." They somehow hear, "Get into, use and ruin whatever you please no matter whose it is." Funny how that happens.
It's no longer about the offense itself, although it drives us batty to have our things gone through, lost and often ruined. It has become all about the disobedience. The repetitive disobedience makes me so frustrated, so upset, sad and angry. I rack my brain trying to think of consequences that will be meaningful to them, ones that will deter this ridiculous behavior, but often it has been in vain. They do it again. And again.
Now, before you feel sorry for my children, let me assure you that I am not being unreasonable here. Their behavior is unacceptable and they know it. And, if you think I am not being patient enough, let me assure that I can be patient and I have been patient. I've also yelled and cried (just so you have the whole story).
While all that seems problematic enough, the real issue for me lies in the forgiveness and grace department. It is so easy for me to hold on to my frustration and anger even after they've apologized. On the outside, I may appear back to normal, but on the inside I'm still furious with those little buggers.
And so, I complain to God about it. He knows all about me, so He's never surprised by what I bring to Him. In my mind, though, I imagine Him thinking, "Here she comes again. Can you believe this one? This woman who thinks *she* has it so bad? The one who ignores *my* directions? The one who says she's sorry over and over but keeps coming back giving me the same old line? She's complaining to *me* about *her* kids? Oh, the irony."
Instead, this almighty, immortal, all loving, gracious, forgiving God says, "I forgive you and I love you and I will remember your sin no more."
Are you kidding me? Who is this God I worship?
Well, He's God, that's who. He's not one of us. He doesn't make mistakes. He knows what He's doing even when we don't understand it. Even when we don't like it. Even when we think it should be done another way. Even when we would prefer to believe in a god who acts differently.
If we believe in the God who created the world with all it's creatures and bounty, knit our amazing bodies together (have you ever studied anatomy?), gave up His Child to torture and death, and has the supernatural ability to forgive us when we mess up over and over and over, then let's let Him be God. Let's let Him carry on with his almighty plan and His mysterious ways and let us trust Him and believe Him when He says we should forgive because, Lord have mercy, He forgives us.
And we are called to forgive others.
And boy, do I want to do want He wants me to do. I whole-heartedly do. So, I blink back the tears, I swallow the frustration, I say a prayer as if my life depended on it (and it does), dole out a reasonable consequence, and do my very best to forgive my children. I choose to love them and allow them to start over with a clean slate even though it hurts like the dickens.
Because that's what He does for me.
(The most important things we need to know about forgiveness, from the Expert.) Pin It
Monday, February 6, 2012
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