Tackle it Tuesday *Laundry tips*

 Doing Laundry is a chore most of us do weekly

As you may know I make our own laundry soap

Here is a GREAT TIP!

Owning a front loader saves water yes but they get a funky stink in them.

If you own one you know what I mean. Musky yuck in your clothing as well.

Forbid you should wait too long to change loads.

TEA TREE OIL

Just a few drops in the jug kills the funk in the machine.

It actually has many uses.

This week the kids rooms were gutted and put back together with ONLY things that fit.

Under Doves bed made her look more a Pack Rat then a dove.

:)

This is all the laundry I got finished on Monday and Tuesday. 

I got a bit behind.

So this is today's tackle with a few good tips.

One of the tips finally implemented after years of desire is a porch sink.

See my new wash tub, I found it when I played hooky on Monday.

This not only save me time and energy but also uses the water to gift the plants a drink.

Now you'll have to use your imagination.

The hand wash done and hung within feet of the process.

Note the nice large plastic clothes pens I found at Wally world.

No more snagging from those wooden ones.

Now the wooden ones are used in the sun for they can survive the heat.

Once all the large stuff is folded and the clothing sorted, each child has their own corner of the sofa.

The stacks are started with an item or two to give them direction. 

They then finish out the job on their own.

This is what they found when they got home from school

Makes it more manageable for them and less overwhelming.

Now those Darn Socks!

Who darns socks?

Our Great Grand Mothers, and those who knew the value of a dollar.

Too much ease to just go buy more and trough them out.

My sweet son does not get this one yet.

I made him stand there and watch me do one.

POINT MADE

I use an egg shaped paper weight.
Once thy actually had wooden hand types.

Now thanks to modernism this will do. Sometimes shopping at antique malls or the goodwill type thing old tools get stumbled upon.

The actual fabric is a woven with dense fibers within to hake padding.

The thick fibers get worn out and off so that the warp is thin.

Using a needle and cotton thread catch the warp by pulling the sock tight on the ball.

one of the warp is under and one is over the fibers naturally. 

Using that to your advantage holding it just so sliding the needle over the ball catches the warp.

Do not use a whip stitch at the end. Using one will give an uncomfortable lump.

Turn the ball over and weave going the other way back and forth.

Some socks are fixable

some are not

This is a great task if you need to get off your legs awhile.

After walking the antique mall the injection sites began to bruise.

Doing a task keeps me sitting otherwise it would just be really hard to sit around.

Now remember NOT A WHIP STITCH

Watch the ball

Back

Then turn the ball forth

and so on 

Little bulk.

While others toss a torn sheet be different.

MEND IT

All of 5 minutes later good as new.

Meal Plan Monday * butcher your own Meat*

A day late but saving the  short dollar

Saving on your meat purchases can easily be accomplished.

Purchase top round or bottom round when it is on sale.

Mine was on sale for $1.50 pound.

Start with the roast and use toweling under the cutting board.

By cutting across the grain the meat is tender cut. If your direction is wrong the meat is tough because in essence your eating it stringy. Now trim down the extra marble (good fat) save for your grind.

There is nothing like a good sharp knife

check this out click on image

By setting your scale to tare with the saucer you have it on zero with plate on it. We cut a 1/4 steak for we eat a lot of veggie and grain.
The meat off the tail of the roast is then ground. It is tender adding the marble here in the grind is important. We are looking at maybe 98% lean beef, if no marble is added the flavor and texture will be negatively effected

Well the yeast was happy today and after the kids were off to the bus I got my upper body work out :)

Love that towel.
My sister gave it to me. Fits well to cover the dough while it rises.

Baking before 1 p.m.

We saved $65. on electric this month using the time of use plan.

Power down the house at 1 p.m.

Also we added extra dark tenting on all south and west facing windows, and glass doors.

Thanks for comming by for a visit

55,555

visitors

Just happened to look at that moment

Spiritual Sunday

  Last night as we were making our bed after a full long day of wonderful accomplishments we sat in front of the open window as an unexpected monsoon storm dumped two inches.

Well by 11:30 it slowed as we, relaxed and refreshed by almost an hour in the calm of the storm. We then went in to go to bed. We had to make the bed first for I had laundered the sheets and they were awaiting us in the dryer. Not three minutes after we entered the bedroom we heard a strange noise from the master bath.

Now mind you we had just interred the master suite. 

We were each holding a side of the sheet as we were spreading it out.  Comes bed time at 11:30 p.m. (yes we are bone heads) and another task presented itself. So entered the closet Steve was astonished to find the closet light fixture hanging from the ceiling by a wire or two. Within a two minute time span (just in time) he was on the ladder securing it to the shelf before it arced and pulled self apart at the
connection. 

The ceiling was wet!

Funny though to every storm there is a silver lining.

Only a moment later...

I went to the rest room where upon a shriek of pain ... 

an unexpected UTI can you say och!

After I held my low tummy while showering, I went into the computer while he showered. There I learned a lot about UTI"s and looked into the medication cupboard. I knew we had a RX for an antibiotic that hit me bad some time back when I had phenomena.

Folks it was the EXACT one I needed as per the many things I read! 

So knowing Sunday would last long in pain I took it. By 2 a.m. up and was up all night. Drinking and reliving myself the bacteria so painfully attacking me.

By morning I WON!

Had a wonderful time visiting many of you.

So this morning on our day of rest we found our self's with several more tasks to do.  My husband and I are pure through and through do it yourself folks. So up onto the roof he went.

Pulled several tile. 

HE found the exact spot

that the tile were leaking, or better  said the slat under it. Stupid roof design just moronic!  HE tared and designed a drain line so that the water would not gather behind the wooden slat.

 It was just 6 a.m. Somehow his alarm went off unexpectedly and he found me sitting here. I was so happy to be able to go get dressed and go out to enjoy the cool (all things relative) of the morning.
So off to the garden to tend to the long neglected earth. Summers here have a way of that until fall.

By the end of the morning we turned the back porch from this mess 

to this joy

After a good hose off with my new hose real so hand it was sweet. We both found ourselves resting and enjoying a few nice sweaty moments together. We reviewed the tasks accomplished independently. 

The sink that fellow gave me was perfect here and the dogs are now in house so the dog house is gone.
Steve got a new 6 foot hose to fix the real that was given to me. He could only buy a 6ft one. Way too long but perfect for the sink and the sink...had the perfect two foot hose for the real.

This is going to be great for hand wash and for the garden harvest we look so forward too. No more soil in the kitchen sink. No more mud to wipe off the counters. My back will not even have to suffer bending down to wash off the produce.

Now speaking of the gardening.

I know where in the heavens all this energy. 

Little man Dash found me in the garden laying straw on the path. You know boys have to climb and hide gnomes . 

Gotta have a gnome hunt.

I sorted out the wood stakes and fulfilled an idea from last year.

See how I use the straw for a path. Over the fall it breaks down nicely. Keeps the mud off the feet and shoes. Steve removed my improvised tomato stakes. ie the old trellis. Love that thing but to weld it we would have to buy a gas tank to wield it and do a lot of work on it. I let it go. Craigs list here it comes.

Look at the water tank good lesson here. Even though it was full it kept filling in the rain and popped its frame. You can click to enlarge. So I let a good 200 liters go. The new hose that fellow gave me was laid under the straw path to the back of the garden where the new compost will be set up.

Now last year I felt a bit of whimsy when I saw the bed frames for free. 

I love it!

I made my bed

covered my tracks

Har har

Even has flowers on it.

:)

Gotta lie down (sow) some seed on it over the next few weeks.

My last knee injections are next Thursday followed by the next infusion the following Tuesday.
Boy howdy just try and hold me down.
I am so full of energy and zest for living.

Was studying Ecclesiastes last week.

Ya know it is in the tasks at our hands to find pleasure that this life is all about.

To Love others and learn to better love our own self.

So this weekend I have found much pleasure at the work of my hands.

All else is just vanity.

van·i·ty

 /ˈvænɪti/ Show Spelled [van-i-tee] Show IPA noun, plural -ties, adjective

–noun

1.

excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain; conceit: Failure to be elected was a great blow to his vanity.

2.

an instance or display of this quality or feeling.

3.

something about which one is vain.

4.

lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessness: the vanity of a selfish life.

5.

something worthless, trivial, or pointless.

I found this one personally interesting. 

Its what we all do ya know.

Our blogs.

11.

produced as a showcase for one's own talents, esp. as a writer, actor, singer, or composer: a vanity production.

Wow clean rooms x3

What ever got into me left three bedrooms clean! The kids rooms looked like a war zone. Each kid went through all of their clothing and each filled a large lawn and leaf bag FULL! This is something that I have wanted to do . It was today that I felt well enough to do it. My Master suite was well cleaned two weeks ago but was beginning to slip. So it was not too hard to do. Just wiping down the bathroom and vacuuming and dusting it.
But the kids oh oh oh oh!
Dash got on board when he saw me getting set to help him. I could tell he really wanted to be with me. He had come into my room ( after I was all but finished) and asked if he could help. We finished up and headed to the combat zone. MERCY! I do not think that there was a toy in it's place. All toys were set off floor into a big box. He did all of that, then the papers and trash. He had to empty the recycle can two times! We went through all of the clothing he had in his closet set to grow into. We have been so blessed with hand me downs or overs for the kids. Now he fit into several of the things. New to him he was having a pretty good time for a boy trying on clothing. He is VERY conservative and shy so I set the closet up as a dressing room. It was like we were in a store trying on clothing. Only two pair of pants were too large and set again aside for him to grow into. The rest JOY he found another pair of jeans. This may sound strange with him being 10 but this is the first year his little hands can manage a jeans button. Now the snaps he can not work yet. But a boy in jeans for the first time...he is growing up and his hands are working better for him. Fine motor is one of Dash's special needs. They have always given him trouble. So with his sheets changed we were set and I rested some.
It was then while resting I realized that Dove was longing for me. She will need to be 'fished' out. I have learned to read the signs. It is a little tag and then quickly goes to start something else as if she did not really need me. After going in to her at the computer and saying to her  "I want to be with you, I waaaant to be with youooo...
She took the hook, but did not move. Going into her room was overwhelming. Thinking of her heart the work began. As I was working something caught my eye under her bed. You see Dove is so good about cleaning her room...so I thought. As I grabbed the thing under her bed along came 10 other things one dangling...then grabbing it it just kept coming! So gently very gently (I just had the second set of knee injections Thursday) managing to get down on the floor I laid on my back reaching behind the under the bed drawers...well by the time I hit about half way I called Steve in. We called her in and gave her the 'what for about deception. He took off the mattress and the base board only to find so much more including Steve's bible that had gone missing. Then began the hard work and together we spent the late afternoon well into the evening sorting and cleaning. Needless to say the laundry will be mass Monday morning.
Well now understanding about all the missing stuff. 'She rat holes' stashing things weird things. Its the reactive thing in part that she will keep things that are important to us. It makes her feel connected some how. She is not malicious with it, just makes her feel good. Sorta cool it was our bibles.  Daddy man had her open the tupperware container ") haahaa try to pull that old trick and you can puke after the smell. So with clean sheets on both beds all the things in the rooms that are really wanted. The things that are finished being of use in the garage sit I with my leg elevated and a contentment that is like a great balm.

Now tomorrow 

'A day of rest' 

iced with mission competently accomplished!

Friday Funnies

"Mom you make the best egg salad sandwiches"

"oh"

"ya, everyone thinks so"

"everyone?"

"ya mom, Mark from the other night said it was awesome, and Brendon was so amazed how good it was too"

"Dash what did you eat for lunch?"

"Well I got to have half of it cause I shared a quarter with each of them."

(mind you it was one slice of bread with the egg salad in it)

"Mom, can I have another one for tomorrow? 

Could you use two bread slices each folded in half?"

Today I cut those two folded single slices in half.

Now he has four little sandwiches. I wonder how much of it he will get to eat.

He is such a giving kid.

He was so hungry after school yesterday that he ate a man size plate of spaghetti and sauce.

Hundreds believed sickened by tainted eggs!

A total of 380 million eggs have been recalled since last week because of concerns they may be tainted with the potentially deadly salmonella bacteria, the Egg Safety Center said.

Salmonella, which is generally contracted from contaminated poultry, meat, eggs, or water, impacts the intestinal track.

Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, which typically begin within 12 to 72 hours, according to the CDC. Vomiting, chills, headache and muscle pains may also occur, according to the Mayo Clinic. These symptoms last about four to seven days, and then go away without specific treatment in healthy people. Antidiarrheal medications may help with cramps, but they may also prolong the diarrhea, the Mayo Clinic said.

To Read More about it click here

So anyone else want to have a few chickens?
Mass production creates mass epidemics. The old agrarian culture has a lot to say for itself. The indulgence of ease can often place us in a dependent position to our own harm. We have 5 chickens was six but lost one. We have had almost 1200 eggs over two years. Do I need to purchase feed? Yes at $14. a bag for a month. They also eat kitchen scrap, fertilize my garden, entertain and educate my children. They are pets that produce. We need no rooster for the girls lay without. The only need for rooster is if chicks are desired. In the city we can not have one. They tend to be ornery things anyhow. Some folks like to eat fertile eggs. Well not I. The eggs are a deep yellow almost orange yoke. Although my little bantam (breed) chickens lay eggs that are only half size they are so nutrient dense it is like eating two eggs. They are filling. The hutch was a bit of an investment. We have a tractor hutch now under a canopy. The girls are not free range due to the hawks. One sat on the hutch one day not 3 feet away on the outside of the widow I was sitting near. Good warning.

So learn more about having your own chickens. Gain some independence . Begin to be more dependable toward your own needs. Who can you trust more? If there is not a way to do this then be sure to get farm eggs if your able. If this is yet not an option take your health into account and perhaps just use a powdered egg product for cooking and baking.

What does LOVE look like in your home?

heat beads 

glisten 

corners into pearls

peaceful face

greetings 

dawn

see me

feed me

love me

out the door

silence

fur against me

ball in mouth

feathered

egg in hand

stoppin' by

saying hi

washing cleaning

beauty

life in pots

kissed by rain

ding ding next

fabrics warmth

illuminated eyes 

forward

braced

words 

within without

fondness

resting

creating 

concepts

living

thrill of day

ever flowing 

growing

content

knowing

pleasure 

work play 

day dream

cooled

present

captured 

clarity

here

now

Sunshine award

Thank you E-Mom
:)








You all go visiting her over here at Chrysalis
And join us all for Marriage Monday.

Tackle it Tuesday *education*

~Join us here~

A huge part of homemaking for me is continued education. Today there is the opportunity for me to learn about a new appliance. For several years this uncommon kitchen has longed for a food dehydrator. Or better said this woman has. With a garden and the desire for ease in the kitchen I began to study dehydration for food stores last year. This is not the top of the line unit but it was FREE!

Yes free. The fellow who blessed me with so many many things this month also gifted me with his food dehydrator. It was set for the thrift shop, "if you can make use of it" said he

OH YEA!

So today's tackle is to research this unit and learn about it.

The internet is an awesome tool for such things. By identifying the unit and setting to search for it often the manual can be found on line. We have found even one for my 1950's sewing machine. It is really amazing what you can find. So never decline something just because you do not have an instruction manual for it.

Today is also a day of data entry and check writing for bill payments. I do not believe in letting ANY institution EVER into my checking accounts. Well I do let the mail order pharmacy automatically refill and bill me. However they DO NOT HAVE AUTOMATIC access to the funds.

Writing checks seams to be a lost art. However it is like holding cash, in that you are very aware of how much you are spending. It is a 'in you face' accountability (in so many ways) of all of your funds. What are you spending this month on utilities on a  daily basis? Do you know? If it is auto deducted do you ever really stop and look at the bill? Who is the person working for that utility? Do you know them personally? Then why do you let them have their hands on your funds? 

Convenience?

At what cost?

With identity theft at an all time high think about it.

Hand writing can really be a wonderful artistic art. On your bills when you send a check write the account number on the memo. I have a little smiley stamp that I use. A paid in full stamp is used on the bill ONLY after I have reviewed it. That is how I know how much is spent daily for a utility. Keeps the habit of lights off. Think of it, if you are aware of just how many dollars your shelling out a day wouldn't you stop someones hand from taking your money out of your pocket.

By...say... 'turning the lights off'?

On the outside of the envelope use a sticker offer that poor old discouraged employee who is opening hundreds of envelops a day at minimum wage a little beauty in their day.
Your kindness will be remembered.
Often it has caused favor to come upon me.

Well happy day to ya!

Meal Plan Monday

Happy Monday

I hope everyone had a nice weekend

This week for meal plan Monday

A simple easy week due to three days labor four days rest.
Each Thursday for 2 more weeks knee injections  (synvisk) will put me on my fanny for a few days rest. It is really a few days out of a whole year not too bad really to avoid a knee replacement.

Last week found us with a good 6 dozen quality eggs. The date on them nearing the end makes them perfect for boiled eggs. Tip here never use NEW eggs to boil. The shell is set to membrane inside the shell. So as they age the air is escaped (eggs are porous except those that are covered in wax as in store bought commercially grown). So farm fresh or organic eggs are the exception. The other eggs sit so long it makes no matter.

So for you who raise chickens let your eggs set at least a week before using them as boiled.

With this find menu was set over egg dishes. Deviled eggs, egg salad (kids love it) a high protein after school snack with crackers. Also a Egg based breakfast with bacon and fruit.
Speaking of breakfast the cookies were due. Each day Beloved eats these with an Orange Juice on the way to work.

click here for a former post of on Breakfast Cookies
B
Breakfast Cookies

By cooking up sausage patties breakfast muffing are an early morning sinch

Morning prep done for the week

Hope you all have a wonderful week

Craigslist Reduce~ Reuse~Recycle for free

Every Morning first thing and also throughout the day we check the Craigslist adds for FREE listings.

Looking for the East Valley or at least a reasonable drive and calling if it is something we can well make use of.

Last night Steve came in to ask me about a portable neutralizer if we were interested I jumped on it. Dash and I both have Asthma. Now Traveling will be a 'breeze' ha pun intended. Now mind you this was free it is a rather costly thing to purchase. Note also it had been requested some time back with a "hay God it would be cool if..." .

Having new gardens The need for good planting and potting soils is a constant. Last week we got a garden sink and several hoses, a pork roast, a whole turkey and this...a long bed pick up fill of  quality soil. Now this is soil that the fellow got while working at a home store. It is all Miracle Grow. High end stuff. The man was moving and had to get the rental back into original state. He had four raised beds full of it. We made friends and his darling four year old wheel chair bound child and my kids really hit it off. With my knee injections there was a concern I would miss out on it. This kind soul had it all loaded including the big black pots. ALL FREE  More wonderful was the interactive humanity.
His wife was already in Texas so I sent along two pair of earrings for her that I had made.

There was enough potting soil to fill this pot. I had been wanting to do that but was low on the list to purchase potting soil.

All three of these large black pots were full of potting soil and then some.

That bald spot in the yard is calling for a tree.

He gave me this bench last week and the broken pot is a gift many many years ago from my SILove and her family as a house warming gift.

It is also filled with the potting soil.

The soil also filled the arbor bed a good 4 inches more. 

Now that flower bed is a good 6 inches deep of high end miracle grow.

Think of the cost if we purchased it.

Just one black pot is a good 50 pound bag.

Ready now to be leveled and planted in 3 weeks.

In three weeks it will be perfect time my knee shots will be done for another year, and the next infusion will be over as well. I will be set just in time to plant the fall crops.

This bed has settled by half. It was straw based last year and I had to fill it to use it this fall. Look at that it is all but ready once we add the compost. Now that is some happy soil.

We were also able to fill the Iris bed. 

Craigs list Look under free

I also look under wanted and find things that might be bartered.
Looking under wanted you might just find something another needs that you now longer have need of.
Reduce~ Reuse ~Recycle

Fearless Friday

 

 Today I could sure use your prayers and thankful hearts for I know I am blessed. Every trial is a blessing and a gift to gain a greater capacity to love my self so that maturity to be able to love others likewise might develop.I know this .Praise is coming hard when pain and sorrow come to challenge me.  I saw a shooting star this morning. It had been my prayer to get to see the meteor shower. At 5 a.m. I awoke and thought to get outside. No easy task for I can barley walk.I was standing out in the grass. Felt so wobbly and my lab kept leaning on me and doing my best to steady myself I stood and watched.  You see even in that moment I knew that it was that my desire was heard and I awoke in time to see one last shooting star before the dawn. 
but...I sat on the sofa and nodded off for a very few moments to a dog (the golden) barking at the doggy door too unwilling to push the flap. I had to get up twice and by then I was angry, pained so that it frustrated me. I did not want the dogs to disturb my beloveds last few minutes of sleep.
Counting it all joy has not meant being happy, or unafraid, or not even being angry. I know I am so blessed to have the interventions of all these needles piercing my body. I know that there are so so many who suffer, truly suffer daily with the bones that hold us in this rheum.In this gratitude I am sad not really feeling sorry for myself but sad for my family, children my beloved husband. He stands beside me watched me cringe as needles once again caused a pain before the gain. I am told by a relative that it is to be stoic a matter of not entering into self indulgence. Yet I am not a woman of masks. As ugly as it might be freely said this is lonely.I know I am not alone.
This morning unable to help the kids much even in that I can see that independence is a good thing for them. Thinking though of life in their shoes so to speak again sorrow touched me. Counting it in all things that God is for me, us.  It is coming harder today as I sit here. Sit and enjoy a cool home, a full belly and the privilege of a nice computer and those who are around me both physical and in the midst of the shadows surrounding me. 
It is that my heart desires to hold fast to gratitude and praise fondly embracing He who is embracing me. I want to cry I want to be sad yet I do not. The suffering around the world is fierce and tremendous. This my meager pains pale but yet they are mine to experience. Just sorta wish they were not.
Please stand with me as it is my heart not to crumble but to stand within my heart for this is only a tempary pain. This whole of life is only temparary. I wish it could be longer than that. That time were a vacant threat. Children grow so quickly.
Today my son said..."I wonder what heaven looks like"?
"it is I believe not only a place to go but a place within me" was my reply.Please support me in this that the place within me remains a heaven in His presence as I struggle to simply abide.

 

Thankful Thursday

In the month of October of last year I was just returning from Florida. Now eight months later here we are again. How blessed I am. The lame walk well at least set at a computer tonight Ha!

Today I had the first of another series of three Synvisk injections on my knees.

Just a glutton for punishment!

These images are from last year see all the chigger bites from walking in Florida with the most wonderful women I have ever met.

So today My sweet heart of a husband actually took off work and drove me.

Such a sweet sweet friend. 

So only two more Thursdays of this to go.

I am thankful that I am not giving in to the temptations to be overwhelmed.

I am slowed , grateful for the 'temporary' halting of motion. How blessed am I that this is an option to keep me from not fully living and having such great motion. In a few weeks it will be as if nothing happened or was the matter with my knees. Now ya know that makes me really blessed. Yep it hurt and still does. However tonight I am able after a day of ice and elevation to sit here and visit many of you.

I have been re reading the novel I wrote in 2005 and doing a bit of editing it has long needed. It is a novel based on a woman who is clergy in a large hospital. A woman with a mystery of life that sets her on a course to her true self. Reading it is fun. I have forgotten so much of it. Someday yes Michelle (see her here)  I must self publish like you. Inch by inch.