Roses

I am pretty darn far from a master gardener.  As a matter of fact, Nick does most gardening because I KILL PLANTS.  But, one thing that is my task around here is pruning all of our trees and the raspberry and rose bushes.  Growing up, my parents had this really old, hardy rose bush  and every "dormant season" (late fall to early spring) my dad would cut the thing to the ground, nothing left of it.  And every year, it would grow back just as healthy as before and it would blossom all summer and well into the fall.

We moved in the winter and in the spring, upon seeing a rose bush, I dutifully cut it down to nothing.  It grew lovely, tall stalks... too tall to support their own weight, but there was not one blossom.  The next year, I refrained from cutting it and it blossomed beautifully, but it looked like this:

Preserving Eggs

In the fall, when our girls had just started laying, it was all we could do to get enough eggs to not have to buy more.  Once they finally started to pick up the pace, the cold weather settled in and their laying stayed on at a very reasonable pace.  we only had 3 or 4 extra dozen eggs all winter long.  But our girls are young and now that the weather is steadily warm, it takes less than 2 days for them to put together a dozen eggs.  We are swimming in them.

More Frugal than Green

Nick's work Christmas party is this coming weekend,and I didn't have a thing to wear...so I had to go shopping, darn.  I tried on my new outfit and was feelin' all sexy in it... but my hair was lookin' really scraggly.  That's understandable...it hasn't had so much asa trim for a year and a half (shame on me).

Sometimes blogger insists on sideways pictures.  You can only resist so much.  

This is What Happens When I Forget My Smartphone

Yesterday, I was talking to a neighbor who told me that there was a winesap apple tree at the park down the street, and that it still had some apples on it.

I know that I said I was done canning, but who listens to me anyways?  And winesap apples are great for canned pie filling.  So off to the park I tread.

I picked about a peck, which was all that was in reach.  I'll hafta come back another day to get the higher up ones.  On my way back, I walked by a tree absolutely overflowing with yellow-orange goodness.  I know from talking to that same neighbor that it's an American Persimmon tree and that you shouldn't eat them 'till you've cooked them. 

To Dye For

(ah hah ha) corny, I know

With our beach week quickly approaching, we've been doing an awful lot of packing and stuff-gathering.  Amongst those items is my beach cover-up.  It's seen better days.  It was a hand-me-down from my mum and It's been to numerous camps with me and is a little dingy and even had a few rust spots.  The thing is though, structurally there was nothing wrong with it.  My bath robe had a similar story, but i've even singed it's sleeves once or twice while making Sunday morning breakfast.

Sorry 'bout the particularly mangy look, they'd just come out of the washer.  

Why We Got A Real Christmas Tree

I want to share why we get real Christmas trees with ya'll because at the least, I do think it's a decision that requires some thought.  Of course, it's a personal decision and there are ok reasons to get a fake one (like a pine allergy, e.g.).

1.  My Health: I have an extreme dust allergy and a weak respiratory system.  So much so that when I was in college, the (admittedly less than competent) doctor I was seeing sent me to be tested for lymphoma (yup. cancer!).  When in college, I noticed that unpacking our decorations made me quite ill.  Now that I have my own place, I combat that with air-tight storage containers and ABSOLUTELY NO GARLAND.  Garland is basically a duster that glitters and I have never figured out a way to hang or store it that dust wasn't an issue.  And, what is an artificial tree, but an enormous piece of garland?

2. Tradition: It's true.  Real trees have always been tradition in my family, and they smell great :)

3. PVC: Fake trees are made of PVC, which is notoriously difficult/impossible to recycle and can sometimes contain lead.  Thats a concern to me cuz pretty much anything below waist height is at risk of being chewed on in my house.  PVC is also made from Fossil Fuels.  I'm not ready to freak out about anything made or that runs on fossil fuels, I would pretty much have to go back to a time before plastic at the very least.  BUT, I feel that this is one plastic item that is easily avoided.  

4. INTAKE OF FOSSIL FUELS: Not only is PVC made from them, but most trees travel from China on it, if not just elsewhere in our rather large country.  Our real tree came from closer to our house than any grocery store or gas station.  Hows that for less fuel?

5. RENEWABLE RESOURCE: If you get a live tree, like with the roots still attached, you have never wasted the oxygen-producing beauty that is a tree.  Cut trees almost exclusively come from Christmas Tree Farms and rest assured, for every tree that is cut, another will be planted.  It is to the benefit of the farmer, in addition to the environment, for them to do so.  

6. RECYCLABILITY: Unlike PVC trees, which are almost impossible to recycle, there are lots of ways to recycle real trees.  You can have them chipped and either used for landscaping or compost them.  You can also burn them.  I know that doesn't sound good but burning natural things (like wood) is as carbon-neutral as decomposition, but it's a lot quicker when it comes to a whole tree.

7. SUPPORT LOCAL FARMERS & ECONOMY:  I would venture to say that everyone in this country who lives where pine trees naturally grow lives within an hour of a Christmas Tree Farm.  We are fortunate enough to have 3 in less than 10 minutes (the joys of living in the country).  If you don't know where your local farms are, you can use internet tree finders like the Christmas Tree Network, which is a national finder.  There are also more state or region specific ones, which probably have more smaller listings.  

Also, for anyone out there who is concerned about the "fire hazard" that a real tree might be, I have a couple tips:

1.  Cut the tree yourself & take it straight home & put it in water.  It will stay much fresher for much longer.  

2.  Cut a disc off the end of the trunk right before you put it in the water.  

3.  Put a couple of spoonfuls of sugar in the water.  

4.  Use low-heat lights & use your common sense: only have them on when you're home.  

5.  If you're still worried, get a Fire Alarm ornament.  You hang it high on the tree (because smoke rises) and should your tree begin to smoke in anyway (or a casserole if it's too close to the kitchen) it will emit the same deafening chirp as the alarms on your wall.  Remember to check it's battery every year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Etsy Shop

Well folks, I'm stuck here without my beloved laptop (typing to you today from my ancient and tiny Grove City TC1100) BUT I finally got my Etsy shop up and running. I'm starting really small and easing in to it, so i know it isn't very impressive right now, but maybe someday it will be.

Some Ideas for House Guests

We've got quite a bit of extra space in my house (room to grow, I like to think of it).  Until our fam does some of that growing, I've been putting together three guest rooms.  I know it's silly for people who live so far from anything interesting, but it makes me feel like that space has purpose (and I LOVE guests).  This past weekend, we had our first official, pre-planned house guest.  I'm not gonna lie, I spent 2 weeks scouring the Internet for ideas on things you can do to make your guests comfortable that applied to our situation and budget.  Here are some of the small touches I came up with. 

 

I left out a full set of towels (which match my bathroom, if not the guest room), a travel-size bar of my homemade grapefruit soap, a basket of mini travel toiletries i'd been collecting and some dog treats.  The dog treats my sound a little nuts but I have a young, big dog who can be a bit overwhelming.  She is friendly as can be, but doesn't understand that knocking you over in her rush to see you won't always be perceived as friendly.  Luckily, she is also extremely food motivated and I thought treats would be a helpful survival tool. 

 

I left a glass and a pitcher of water for her.  Ironically, she didn't notice it while she got settled and asked me for it before she turned in.  I felt so prepared to inform her that her room was already stocked, and she felt less weird.  Apparently, other people she had stayed with thought it odd. 

Beside the bedside table, I left an EASY-TO-USE alarm clock, Bible, Devotional, and some current magazines.  I also left a light close enough to the bed that it could be turned off without tripping over things. 

 

I draped an extra blanket over the foot of the bed, incase she got cold.  I also left some candied almonds and a note on the bed.  The note was a short survival guide to my house.  Most of it had to do with my dog, but it also included where to find extra toilet paper, how to work the window... anything I could think of that she'd want. 

I moved a dining room chair upstairs.  I know it isn't exactly a cushy reading chair, but we sort of have a shortage of those in my house.  I also left out tissues and a pen and paper for my guest. 

Unfortunately, this was a very short visit, she left at 5am.  Typically, I would make breakfast for my guest but that was just a little too early for me.  Instead, I made a batch of Pancake & Sausage Muffins inspired by Heavenly homemakers, though instead of their intricate pancake recipe I used my whole-wheat bisquick pancake recipe.  That way, she could reheat them in the am and top with agave and/or syrup and I didn't feel bad about not cooking.  

Hope these tips help!

Making a More Efficient Toilet

Here in the Starosta household, we have a lovely, ancient, throne.  It is by no means an efficient flusher, but it has served us well and a new commode would run at least $100.  This morning, I went on a mission to conserve water and our Water & sewage bills. 

Step #1: Overcoming my fear of the toilet tank. 

 

Isn't it gross? Of course, it's gross from a build up of minerals from SWPA's lovely hard water and nothing more.  Grit my teeth and carry on. 

Step #2: Get an idea of how much water it is currently using. 

As I Understand it, there is no good (free) way to do this.  Instead, to measure my improvements, I will time how long each flush takes.  From the moment I pull the handle until the water stops running is 1 min. 28 sec.

Step #3: Adjust the Spring Clip on the Refill Valve

 

At the very left of the tank is an arm with a wire on it.  On that arm is a clip.  The farther down on the wire that clip is, the less water will enter the tank at each refill.  Mine didn't go easily, but it did go down. 

 

Note the difference in the water lines?  It went from a flush time of 1:28 to a fill time of 1:07, a 24% decrease. 

Step #3: Take up the Space:

I was reading about a week ago about putting a jar of rocks in the tank to take up room and making it think its fuller than it is.  Then, when researching more closely I read about putting a half gallon full of water in the tank.  It is bigger and no glass to worry about. 

It looked like it might have enough room to hold a gallon, but I tried and it was just a tad too big.  I'm gonna keep looking for something bigger, but in the mean time, this will do.  New Flush time: 57 seconds, 64% of the old time. 

Mission: Accomplished.  Happy flushing!

For more suggestions, look here. 

Free Organic Shampoo & Conditioner

(Don't you just love the chibby bottles?)

 

Renpure organic shampoo is offering a free trial to those who buy it.  All you do is save your receipt and send it in with the tag on the bottle.  The form doesn't say anything about a limit, but I got separate receipts just to be on the safe side.  I found these guys at the Giant Eagle in Dry Tavern, PA of all places.  The renpure website has a list of retailers, but it doesn't seem difficult to locate it.  

My Weekend, the FAIL Blog

Well, I had a handful of things I thought could be cool to tell ya'll about this weekend, and they all either flopped or were completely unremarkable.  As such, I was compelled not to share, but we learn from failure, so watch me fail! 

CUCUMBER MELON?

Apparently when left on the vine too long, cucumbers turn orange and resemble a small watermelon. 

QUILT PATCH

If there's one thing I stink at most seriously, it's sewing.  (Thank the Good Lord for my Mother-In-Law for the important things.) 

Less than a week before vacay, my little angel chewed a hole in the quilt in the master bedroom, which we just redecorated around the basic color scheme of that quilt.  I take some of the responsibility for the mishap, because I broke my strict "I'm higher on the food chain, therefore I get to go on the furniture and you don't" rule. 

Luckily, when we registered for the bedroom set, we also bought a matching valance which we no longer use.  I had hoped to make it look like there was never a hole at all, but one of the two fabrics she chewed through wasn't featured on the valance, so big ugly patch it is. 

LIQUID CASTILE SOAP

In anticipation of making regular bar soap later this week, and because its useful stuff, I thought I'd give it a try.  Silly me though, picked the recipe that looked the easiest instead of the one with good reviews.  I wound up with what looked like the fat floating on top of refrigerated chicken broth. 

FWIW, the floating globs are soap, which left my hands nice and silky. 

ZUCCHINI GAZPACHO

Let's just say i don't recommend it. 

Waterspots in my Sand

I am a Craigslist queen.  I don't pay full price for anything, but when we realized that our dining room set had the potential to seat twelve, but only 8 seats (combo of benches & chairs) I was seriously considering paying the Amish to copy the chairs we already had.  Then, out of nowhere, just as we were about to close on our house, the Craigslist fairy provided and I found a set of 5 almost identical chairs, which came with a table with two leaves, for under $100.  So my dining set was more than complete, but i had an extra table.  This table has been everything.  It is sometimes a circle, sometimes an oval, sometimes the workspace in my work-in-progress basement kitchen and sometimes a picnic table in our sapling of an orchard. 

Last weekend, it was a s'more-prep table by our fire pit.  But it was getting dark when our guests left, and we're seriously lazy sometimes, and we left the obviously-meant-for-indoors table outside all night.  Then two.  And then all week, afterall, it was dry right? Well, apparently it hadn't been so dry on Thursday night and this is what we found at 6am Friday morning (aka: t-minus 24 hrs till vacation departure):

The entire surface was a (thankfully still wet: read, tacky) waterspot!  I was instantly devastated.  I think everyone needs an all purpose table, and now mine was at best going to be doomed to wear a tablecloth for the remainder of its existence, and at worst going to end up as the tabletop for my new outdoor tree-table, after having been stripped and outdoor-ized.  Instantly, I hit the Internet  (it's my way). 

I learned a lot about table finishes, but the #1 tip for ridding yourself of waterspots was mayonnaise.  When a table gets wet, the oils in the varnish (which is what makes it clear, as opposed to filmy) escape, and if they are not replenished before it dries, the filminess stays (and is considerably more difficult to deal with).  Only one little problem, I was out of mayo.  I was going to the store on my way home from work and it was on the list, but all night was going to have to be car packing time, and besides, the table probably would have dried by the time i got home with it.  I decided that my allergen-reducing pledge was probably oil based and definitely made for furniture, so i, without touching the gooey varnish, covered it in copious ammounts of pledge, crossed my fingers, begged God to have mercy on my table, and left for work.  I came home to this:

Definitely not exactly as it had been before, but DARN close and no nasty filmy stuff.  And so, i could leave for the beach in peace.  :)