Garden Notes

I have been busy the last 2 weeks working in the backyard and garden. I don't know if you remember the raised bed vegetable garden we started last year or not, but you may have noticed that there was not much mention of it after that first post. Why? Because it was an epic fail. Let's just say that my thumb is a little more brown than green. But I am DETERMINED to master this, so I approached the garden with a lot more planning and intention this year.

I started a little gardening journal, where I keeping all of my planting dates and notes on specific care and harvest instructions. I started out by doing some yard measurements and tracking the amount of sunlight each part of the backyard gets each day. Then I tested the pH levels of my soil, which all tested pretty neutral.

I opted to plant a Square Foot Garden this year, and planned mine out using this free online planner. After working in about 9 bags of mushroom compost, I used twine to mark off my squares. My garden is 5' x 10', so I had 50 squares to work with. Because the garden is 5' wide instead of the typical 4', I placed two stepping stones in the very center so that I will be able to reach the middle plants easier.

On the left end of the garden, Phillip will be building me trellis, so I planted 1 square of watermelon, 2 of cantelopes, and 2 of cucumbers. The next row is squash, zuchinni, thyme, and peppers. Next is more squash and zuchinni, tomatoes and peppers. In the middle of the garden are onions, garlic, carrots, and red potatoes. Heading toward the right are the rest of my herbs: basil, cilantro, parsley, and oregano. Then I planted a row of marigolds to help deter pests, leaving the last 2 rows for the spreading of my 5 strawberry plants.

Here are the strawberry plants up close. Because strawberries prefer a more acidic soil, the garden expert at Lowe's recommended pine straw for mulch because she said as it breaks down, it will naturally make the soil more acidic.

Here's a closer shot of my peppers and tomatoes. I will stake the tomatoes when I get back from my trip.

I planted 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, and 1 jalapeno pepper. For the tomatoes, I planted 2 Better Boys, 1 Bonnie Grape, and I can't remember the other one. (I have it written in my notebook is at home.) Everything else I planted by seed.

When I was digging up the garden and adding in the compost, I found that some weeds had grown up under the garden border, so I dug up all the grass and weeds about a foot around the bed and added mulch to help prevent regrowth. And because the boys LOVED digging in the garden during the fall and winter, I thought I better give them a new place to dig, so they wouldn't be digging up my seeds. My father-in-law was getting rid a wooden step base last year, and I asked him if I could have it for a potential future little garden. This year, it will just be for digging.

I found this adorable bean teepee idea, so I decided to add one of those as well. 

I planted pole beans, garden peas, and Black-eyed Susans around the teepee, and I hope it will provide a fun hiding place for the boys later this summer.

In addition to the vegetable garden, we worked on some other backyard projects...

Phillip worked on rebuilding the doors on the shed we bought for $100 on Craigslist last year. He did a fantastic  job! I am trying to choose paint colors now. What do you think about this shed's color scheme?

I also worked on the landscaping around the sun porch. Here is the back where it is nice and shady. I had dug up a bunch of huge roots from this area last year, and then just planted wildflowers. This year, I dug those up and edged the area with some old bricks before planting Hostas and a Hydrangea. 

The other side of the porch looked like this...

But I dug it up and planted a Rhododendron, a Hawthorne, and another Hydrangea. I also planted a few small Lily Turf plants and added some mulch. I can't wait until they grow big and beautiful!

I have plans to add a lot of other perennials, but I wanted to start them indoors and then transplant in a few weeks.

This little greenhouse has 72 pods and I started some Delphinium, Fox Gloves, Purple Coneflowers, Calendula, more Black Eyed Susans, Columbine, and Sunflowers. In another container, I started 72 Hollyhocks that I plan to plant along the back of the privacy fence at the back of our yard. But first, I have to finish digging up all of the weeds and brush already along the fence. 

The last area I worked on is in the back corner of our yard near the playset. It was an area I had been putting off because I didn't have the strength to dig up the huge roots back there. I ended up paying a teenage boy from our youth group to come over for a few hours and dig for me. He worked hard and accomplished much more than I ever could have!

After he was finished, I planted some Azaleas and added mulch. I also dug up all the weeds along the playset and added mulch. It's looks much cleaner now. 

All that digging, planting, and mulching was a ton of work and every bone and muscle in my body ached all week long! BUT, it was so worth it. After living here almost 2 1/2 years, the backyard is really starting to take shape. The boys and I spend a lot of time out there, and I want it to be nice and peaceful back there. 

I will keep you posted on how everything grows and progresses. My fingers are crossed that this will be my year for the green thumb to kick in!

Always, 

Amanda

What Inspires Me As a Homemaker

I find inspiration for my home in the very words of Jesus, when He said...

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."   Matthew 11:28

I have this scripture taped to the kitchen window over my sink, so I will be reminded daily of my mission as a homemaker. I long for my home to be a place of rest. A place of peace. A place where my children and my husband, my family and my friends will feel nurtured. 

...continue reading at The Andrews Update

Always, 

Amanda

Clean Enough

My house is clean enough. I wouldn't boast that you could eat off my floors and you might see the occasional dust bunny peeking out from under the sofa, but it is pretty organized and clutter free.

I always enjoy reading "behind the scenes" or "day in the life of" posts of other moms, so I thought I would share my cleaning routine with you.

Daily:

I try to do at least one load of laundry each day. That way it doesn't pile up too bad. Also, I hang most of my clothes up to dry on indoor drying racks, and there is only so much room to hang things.

I also try to keep up with the kitchen during the day. I can't stand a dirty table or cluttered counter tops, so my kitchen gets cleaned throughout the day. But I don't mind dishes in the sink, and I constantly break the fly lady's #1 rule. Oh well!

Dirty floors drive me crazy, so I am constantly sweeping the kitchen and anywhere I see those pesky dust bunnies.

Weekly:

Each week I write the following things down on the dry erase board in my office:

• Sinks and Toilets
• Showers
• Mirrors/Glass or Dusting (I rotate these...)
• Vacuuming/Mopping

Each day I try to do one item on the list, until they are all erased. If I don't get to them all that week, I just start the next week off with that item. I like spreading my cleaning out through the week, rather than doing it all in one day. This way, it only takes my about 15 minutes a day, and the thought of cleaning isn't too overwhelming. 

Now some of you may gasp that I only mop once a week or only dust every other week. Like I said, my motto is "clean enough." Don't get me wrong, if I walk by a dresser and see a layer of dust, I will grab a rag a dust it right then. The same with my floors. If there is a spot on my kitchen floor, I will grab a rag and wipe it up. 

Deep Clean: 

Here is where a little more organization comes in. I have a Deep Cleaning Checklist that I work off of every Spring and Fall. Each week, I try to do one to two items off of the list. Most items will only take about 10-15 minutes, so I am never hit by that overwhelming feeling of "spring cleaning". And this list helps me to not forget anything that should be cleaned regularly. Some of the things I do more than twice a year, like cleaning my stove and microwave, but I still have them on the list just in case.

Here are my categories and then they are broken down into rooms. If you would like to download my actual cleaning checklist, click here. 

• Ceiling Fans
• Baseboards
• Windows/Blinds
• Kitchen (Cabinets, Appliances, etc.)
• Bathroom Tile
• Curtains
• Rugs/Upholstery
• Closets

********

Do I always follow my cleaning lists and schedules perfectly? Of course not! But they do help me stay on track and have a house that is clean enough for me.

How about you? 

Leave a comment and tell me about your cleaning routine or leave a link to a blog post where you have written about it before. 

Always, 

Amanda

Organizing My Junk

Did you ever see that episode of "Friends" where Chandler discovers Monica's secret closet of junk? If you haven't, here is a short clip of that scene. (Try to ignore the poor sound synchronization.)

Every super-organized control freak like Monica (and myself) has a secret junk stash somewhere of "all of the stuff that doesn't fit into any category." And if you are of the creative sort, your junk stash is even worse because you keep all of those things that you could potentially use on a hypothetical creative project in your future.

Unfortunately, the limited closet space in my house plus not having a garage has forced me to keep my secret stash of junk out in the open. In my guest room to be exact.

Want to come over and stay a couple of days? Do you mind sleeping next to my junk?

Not very hospitable if you ask me. Thankfully, we have slowly been working on the room and have made some nice improvements. But, the two sets of shelves full of junk still remained and kind of ruined all of the other prettiness in the room. I wasn't quite sure what to do until I saw this pin on Pinterest.

I immediately asked Phillip to pick me up some boxes from the office store on his way home from work and got to work organizing my junk. As usual, I forgot to take a picture before I got started, but here is a pic I snapped halfway through the process.

























What you see on the left is my not-so-pretty fabric stash. I envy those mamas with beautifully folded and color coordinated fabric stashes, but I can't seem to keep mine that way.

After a little more organizing...ta da!

Goodbye junk! Well, not really goodbye. More like "see you later!" So here are the categories that I ended up with...

On the shelf to the left is all of my fabric and crafting supplies. Starting from the top going from left to right:

• Fabric Scraps (1/2 Yard or Less)
• Fabric (1/2 Yard or More)
• Miscellaneous Fabric/Creative - This is stuff like fleece, terry cloth, plain burp cloths and onesies for embellishing, blank handkerchiefs for embroidery, etc.
• Mending - Blah!
• Vintage Sheets and Pillowcases - Yay!
• Batting & Notions - Interfacing, Iron On, Elastic, etc.

On the shelf to the right is the true junk. Starting from the top going from left to right:

• Gift - Or more appropriately "Re-Gift". You know those things you or your kids get that you don't necessarily love or want them to have, but they would make the perfect gift for someone else. :)
• Thrift - All of those things that tend to pile up that need to be taken to Goodwill, now have a nice little holding place. When it gets full, we can simply put the box by the door to take.
• Yard Sale/Craigslist - These are things I no longer want, but don't necessarily want to donate just yet. I'll try to sell them first.
• Potential Decor - These are those things that I might possibly want to use to decorate with in the future. Plate display holders, candles sticks, etc.
• Duck, Denim, Canvas, Upholstery - This box really should be on the left shelf because it is full of my heavyweight sewing fabrics.
• Gift Basket/Goody Bags - This box contains plastic to cover gift baskets, raffia for fillers, some small baskets, etc.

I really like this new organization system! I think that it will help keep my craft stash from growing out of control because if it won't fit in the box, then it will force me to get rid of something. Or better yet, join up with Crunchy Catholic Momma's Stash Bash!

If you are curious as to what the rest of the guest room looks like, here is a view from the door.

The chair to the left there is for my husband's desk. That wall holds his desk and bookcase, which I will share a picture of soon. We are still working on getting his bookcase organized (and accessorized.) 

Isn't he great for letting me hang a chandelier in his office? Well, I did let him hang his Dave Matthews Band print above his desk. It's black and white and sort of looks vintage, so it wasn't that hard of a compromise. 

Always, 

Amanda

Our First Garden

This weekend, some good friends of ours helped us plant our first garden. 

First, the guys dug up the grass for our plot.

.

While they did this, Little Man snacked on some Ritz Crackers around the garden box my husband built.

When the plot was ready, they leveled the box and filled it up with soil and composted manure. Then we started planting. 


Laura showed Buddy how to plant "baby" seeds.

I made temporary garden markers out of Home Depot paint sticks and a Sharpie until I can come up with something cuter. I would love to buy a metal stamping kit to make garden spoons like these.

When we were finished planting, we gave it a nice light watering. 

I can't wait to see the first signs of growth! Here is what we planted...

Herbs

Parsley

Mint

Dill

Lemon Basil

Italian Basil

Cilantro

Chamomile

Vegetables

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Okra

Carrots

Squash

Zucchini

Eggplant

Peppers

I want to buy some seeds to plant Baby Lima Beans (Butter Beans), Cherry Tomatoes, and Calendula flowers to make salve.

Are you planting a garden this year? Do you have any gardening tips for us?

Always, 

Amanda

Homemade Lavender Laundry Detergent

A little while back, I mentioned that I would soon be trying out some homemade laundry detergent based on a  recipe I found here. Well, I am already on my second batch and I love it! It's easy to make and does a great job at getting our clothes clean.

Here's the recipe...(For a printable version, click here.)

Homemade Lavender Laundry Detergent
(Makes approximately 5 cups)

2 cups finely grated lavender castile soap*
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda

*I use Dr. Bronner's lavendar soap. It smells so good!

I wanted to make some type of spot treatment as well. I did a little "Googling" and found this idea. I've used it a couple of times and it works well. You basically take the soap bits leftover from making your detergent, place them in a small jar (I reuse a baby food jar), add boiling water, and allow the soap to melt. 

I put the lid on and shook it up a little to help speed the process. After a few hours, it will turn into a mousse-like soap jelly. If you get a little spot on your clothes, just dab a bit of the soap jelly on the spot and rub in. This works as a good concentrated pre-wash treatment. If you get something on your carpet or furniture, just take a bit of the soap jelly and rub it onto the spot with a rag and a little bit of water. It should come right out. For extra stubborn stains, use a little baking soda mixed with hydrogen peroxide. 

Note: I still continue to use Charlie's Soap for my cloth diapers. Click here for more information on selecting the right detergent for your cloth diapers.

Always, 

Amanda

No More Paper Towels!

So I kind of forgot to post a change for September, but now I am back on track. For those of you that don't know, One Small Change is basically a challenge to make one environmentally friendly change per month to reduce your carbon footprint.

We have recently made the switch to using cloth napkins and rags in place of paper towels. It was a change I had been planning to make for a while, but for some reason it seemed like a lot of work. A few weeks ago I was rummaging around in a bin at the thrift store and found a bag full of cloth napkins for $2. Granted, some of the colors are very mid-80's, but those are great for the extra messy dinners that cause more staining. I also found a great deal on some adorable dish towels at IKEA (pictured above), and I just cut them in half and hemmed the edge to make a set of 6 napkins that match my kitchen. That switch was easy!

Now switching from paper towels to rags for household cleaning was a little bit harder for me because of the "gross" factor. I bought a set of colorful rags from Wal-Mart, and use them according to color. The yellow rags are for the dirtiest jobs like toilets and the cloth diaper pail. I wash those with the cloth diapers. I know they get clean, but for some reason I feel better knowing I'm not wiping the mirror with a rag that was previously used on the toilet.

So here is my "un-paper towel" system:

• Cloth napkins for meals
• The dish cloths we have had since we got married for wiping tables, counters and faces
• The dish cloths I knit for washing dishes
• Blue, green or white rags for bathroom counters, mirrors, shower walls, and floor messes
• Yellow rags for toilets and the cloth diaper pail

I do keep an emergency roll of paper towels in the pantry for cleaning up the occasional nasty bug because I have major bug-a-phobia! But as long as they are out of sight, I never think to reach for them for the other stuff.

Making the switch was much easier than I thought. I'd love to hear about any changes you are making in the effort to be more environmentally friendly. Please leave a comment to share with the rest of us!


Always, 

Amanda

Homemade Dryer Balls

If you want soft clothes without using the chemicals found in fabric softener and dryer sheets, I recommend that you switch to using dryer balls. Not only do they soften your clothes without harsh chemicals, they can be used over and over again. So your saving money and saving the planet. Sounds good to me!

It's easy to make your own. Here's all you need...

• 1 skein of 100% wool yarn (Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool works great and is available at Jo-Ann's, Hobby Lobby)
• 1 large blunt needle
• 1 pair of pantyhose

Wind the yarn around two fingers a few times...

Remove the yarn from your fingers and continue to wind over the center 1-2 times...

Fold this in half to use as the base of your ball...

Start winding the yarn to form a tight ball, switching directions regularly...

Continue to do this until they are about the size of golf balls...

Use the large blunt needle to hide the yarn tail inside the ball (see below). Tie some pantyhose tightly around each ball to hold it together during the felting process. To felt, simply throw them in with your laundry to wash and dry on hot a few times.

Remove pantyhose and begin to add yarn to increase the size of your dryer balls until they are about the size of baseballs.

Secure the tail of your yarn by threading it through the eye of your large blunt needle and pushing it through the ball. Trim the tail to be level with the edge of the ball.

Once again, tie pantyhose around the balls and felt by washing and drying several times on hot. 

Remove the pantyhose and they are ready to go!

To use, simple toss them in the dryer with your load of laundry and run as usual. I keep mind in the dryer in between loads so I don't forget to use them. And so Buddy won't play with them...he thinks Mama made him toy balls. :) 

The dryer balls bounce around, "beating" the clothes to keep them soft. If you miss the scent of fabric softener, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to your dryer balls to make your laundry smell nice.

Always, 

Amanda

Household Recipes Printout

I thought it would be a good idea to make a printable version of my favorite household recipes to hang on the inside of my pantry door for easy reference. Click here to print one for yourself.

Happy Housekeeping!


Always, 

Amanda

Goodbye Dishwasher!

There's a great blog called One Small Change that encourages people to make one environmentally friendly change per month. My change for August is to stop using my dishwasher. I'm one of those people that pretty much wash the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher anyway, so it's not that big of a deal. I actually enjoy washing dishes, I just hate having to dry them. So I am going to use my dishwasher as a huge hidden drying rack! To make washing dishes more fun, I knit up some fun cotton dishcloths and a jute scouring pad.

The dishcloths were knit using Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn and this pattern. The scouring pad was knit with jute "rope" from the hardware section of Wal-Mart. I cast-on about 12 stitches onto size 7 needles and knit garter stitch (knit every row) until it was the length of a sponge.

Join me in making one small change each month to live more naturally!


Always, 

Amanda

Wash Wednesdays and the Amazing Sun

I've been waiting to participate in Wash Wednesdays on Garden Mama's blog. So even though as I'm writing this it is officially Thursday, I'll still join in the fun!

I got into "line drying" when I started cloth diapering. That is when I discovered the amazing bleaching power of the sun. My first batch of diapers came out of the wash looking a lot like they did when I put them in. I was so discouraged. A lot of mamas on Diaper Swappers talked about sunning their diapers to bleach out the stains. I was skeptical, but tried it. In just a few hours, the diapers looked brand new. Amazing!!!

I would say that up until last week, I was an average line dryer. I used two drying racks from IKEA to hang diapers and nicer clothing. Well, last week I became a official line dryer. The heating element on our dryer went out and we have not been able to get the part. Line drying was on my Spring "Greening" Checklist, I just needed a little push. My hubby hung an old-fashioned clothesline across our yard and now I'm a pro! Next up on my sewing list is this adorable clothespin apron.

I already had my first line drying mishap as well. I made a quick run to the store the other day, and while I was gone, a summer storm popped up. When I arrived home, my laundry was not only soaked, but was strewn across the yard in the mud. My hubby said, "It's hard being country/crunchy, isn't it." I've learned my lesson. If leaving the house, never leave your laundry on the line if there are any clouds in the sky. Not even one!

One last thought on my new clothesline, and then I promise I'll go to bed. This might sound a bit silly, but when I'm out in the hot sun, hanging up my laundry, I feel incredibly connected to my great-grandmother, Mama Stacy. I always remember her having a beautiful clothesline in her backyard. It's one of my many fond memories of her and a small way to carry on her legacy.

I know, enough about the clothesline. Good Night!


Always, 

Amanda

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

We ran out of dishwasher detergent so I thought I would try to find a natural homemade alternative and check another item off my "Spring Greening" Checklist. I found an awesome website called www.diynatural.com. (If you are into natural homemade products, I suggest you check out this blog. It's a great resource!) They had a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent made with natural ingredients, most of which I already had. 

Here's the recipe...(for a printable version, click here)

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

1/2 cup borax

1/2 cup washing soda

1/4 cup kosher salt 

10 packets of unsweeted lemonade Kool-Aid

Shake well to mix. Use 1 tsp of detergent per load. Fill rinse compartment with white vinegar in place of rinse-aid. (Note: Clumping in detergent is normal.)

It smells so good! I made up a double batch of the recipe and put it in a glass jar from IKEA.

I am running my first load of dishes, so I'll let you know how they turn out!

Always, 

Amanda

UPDATE: The dishes turned out great! They were squeaky clean with no spots. My hubby said they felt cleaner than ever. It's a keeper!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

 Use them to clean with! Lemons are a great natural cleaner. Here are a couple of my favorite uses for them...

• After you are done squeezing the juice from a lemon, use it to wipe the counter tops. This is a great way to clean and freshen the counters while you are cooking.
• Don't throw away lemons after you are finished with them, grind them in your garbage disposal. This acts as a natural deodorizer!
• Add a little bit of lemon juice to your vinegar based homemade cleaners to neutralize the smell.

For more great tips on using lemons around the house, click here.


Always,

Amanda

Greener is Cleaner

I can now check one major thing off of my Spring Greening Checklist. I have made the switch to all natural household cleaning products! I kept putting it off until I ran out of what I had, but that was never going to happen. So I just went and bought what I needed (which was a lot cheaper than chemical cleaners by the way) and boxed up my old stuff to give to the church daycare. That way I don't have to throw it away but can recycle/reuse it.

Here is just some of the stuff I got rid of. (I'm actually going to keep the Swiffer, but only use it with microfiber cloths to pick up dust on my hardwood floors.)

 And here is what I bought....

• Baking Soda
• White Vinegar
• Club Soda
• Borax
• Lemon Juice
• Dr. Woods Pure Peppermint Castile Soap (Smells great!)
• The O'Dell Echo Clean Enviro Mop made from recycled plastic bottles (It was actually the cheapest mop at Wal-Mart!)
• An empty spray bottle for my All-Purpose Cleaner

Here's the recipe...(for a printable version, click here)

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

2 Tablespoons Vinegar

1 teaspoon Borax

1/3 cup liquid castile soap 

(I prefer Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap in Lavender)

Combine vinegar and borax in a 16oz spray bottle. Fill with hot water and shake until borax is dissolved. Add castile soap and shake to mix. Spray will keep indefinitely.

I need to get a few more things like a bucket, some reusable cleaning rags, a scrub brush for the tub, corn meal and hydrogen peroxide. I can't wait to go clean the house!!!


Always,

Amanda