Category Archives: projects

Aug 22 2016

The week before school Goal 1 & 2

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We have had a great summer and it’s hard to see it gone but alas summer is almost over. My kids start school one week from today. The week before school starts I like to prep my kids so I know they are ready. My first goal for the week is waking my kids up at the time they would get up for school. That is 6:30 am for my elementary age kids and 7 am for my oldest. During the summer our sleep hours become lax. Bedtime gets pushed back and I let my kids sleep as long as they want in the morning. If I waited until the first day of school to start waking my kids up their bodies would not be used to the deprived sleep. They would be grumpy at school and want to sleep. I can’t do that to the teachers who work so hard to give my children their all. clip-art-sleeping-840170That is why we prep them for school. That way the first day isn’t a shock to their system and they are ready to learn. This morning was tough. My alarm went off at 6:30 and automatically my hand flies up to push the snooze. I’m usually up at 6:30 for my morning walks but I’ve taken a little break and it’s already tough to wake up. Once I was up I went and woke the little ones. My 3rd grader had an easier time getting up. She is really a morning person. She will wake up all year round with a song and a smile. My 6th grader is a different story. He took a little longer and usually I pay for it later when tempers flair and he isn’t quite awake. It’s now 7:30 am and my two oldest are already arguing. My 9th grader who has been a morning child before has crept into that teenage cycle of wanting to sleep all the time. He gets to sleep in an extra half hour than the others because his school starts later. I woke him up at 7:05 this morning and didn’t see him until 7:20. Hopefully this gets better during the week.

The second goal for today is cleaning out my children’s dresser drawers. We will at some point need to go get new school clothes this week. So today we have to make room for those clothes. We will remove anything that isn’t being worn or is too small or worn out. We will fill a bag of slightly used clothing and take it to the DI (Deseret Industries). This is a must. I let my 6th grader hang on to too many shirts last year and now his drawers have a difficult time closing. He doesn’t even wear half of the shirts in there.

Jun 12 2016

Old fence boards

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IMG_20160509_133253976Back in May we had a major wind storm that blew a big portion of our fence down breaking some of the fence boards.  Instead of throwing them out I wanted to use them somehow. I asked my husband to make me a flat plank out of them so I could make it into a flag.

This is what he gave me. He even sanded it down for me.

This is what he gave me. He even sanded it down for me.

This is the back of the plank. You can see what the fence boards looked like before sanding.

This is the back of the plank. You can see what the fence boards looked like before sanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was perfect. I’ve seen the flags made out of pallets and I think they are cute but a little tacky with all the spaces and only a few stars on them. I’m not trying to offend anyone this is just my personal preference. I wanted something that looked closer to a real flag.

I started with white washing the whole board. I chose a white wash because I really liked the look of the grain of wood and wanted it to show through a little. We had some extra paint from the chicken coop my husband build a few months ago so that is the paint I used.

paint from the coop

paint from the coop

White wash. 1 part paint and 2 parts water.

White wash. 1 part paint and 2 parts water.

paint the board and then wipe with paper towel.

paint the board and then wipe with paper towel.

finished white washed board.

finished white washed board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I cut out stars out of contact paper. I have a slice machine which made this easy. You could use a die cutter too. If you’re really dedicated you could cut them out by hand. I’ve also seen people stamp them on. I laid the stars out how I wanted them and then tediously peeled the backs off and stuck them to the board. I used a big craft stick to press them firmly on the board.

Stars cut out of contact paper

Stars cut out of contact paper

Star lay out

Star lay out

after they are applied I taped a boarder.

After they are applied I taped a boarder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I went to home depot and got a sample can of dark blue paint for under $3. I did a wash on this paint too. 1 part paint to 2 parts water. I then applied it and wiped it off with a paper towel. I did this a couple of times until I got the look I wanted. I then waited for it to dry and took the stars off and the tape.

After I applied the blue paint.

After I applied the blue paint.

After I took the boarder tape off.

After I took the boarder tape off.

After I took the stars off.

After I took the stars off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The blue paint bled a little into the white so I touched up a little with some white paint. My son thought I should leave a little of the blue paint on the stars because it gave it a rustic look so I did. Next I had to tape the border around the blue again to allow the red stripes to touch the blue. I measured and taped the 13 stripes. My planks height was 19 1/2 inches which made a nice 1 1/2 inch stripe for 13 stripes.

I used a wash on the red paint too. Again 1 part paint to 2 parts water.

I used a wash on the red paint too. Again 1 part paint to 2 parts water. I did a couple of coats.

After it dried I took the tape off and Voila it was done. The red bled somewhat into the white. I left it because I wasn’t that picky about it. It kind of left it looking a little rough. Over all I like how it turned out. Now I have a little decoration for the 4th of July!

After I took all the tape off.

After I took all the tape off.

Finished flag.

Finished flag.

What a great use out of old fence boards!

What a great use out of old fence boards!

Sep 24 2014

So much time!

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Now that all my kids are in school I’ve had time to finish some projects that have been on my to do list.  A couple of years ago I made Sophia a couple of skirts to wear to church.  Recently I’ve noticed she has gotten much bigger and the skirts are now above her knees.  I’ve been meaning to make her some new ones and now with some extra time I was able to make her not just one but 4! I went to the local fabric store and looked in their scraps and discount bins.  I was able to find some pretty cute material. Then I looked up on Pintrest the link to the pattern.  Here it is if you are interested in trying one yourself. http://www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com/2012/03/simple-skirt-tutorial-with-3-options.html

This is a very simple pattern and it only took me about an hour for each skirt.  I love how quickly they came together.  Now Sophia will have a skirt to wear for every week (unless there are 5 Sundays).  She is supper excited about them. I think they are so cute I need to figure out how to make one for me.

IMG_20140924_095314809

Aug 3 2012

The Case of the Missing Containers

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Before

I woke up this morning and started to empty the dishwasher.  As I was doing so I noticed that I was missing a lot of plastic containers.  Where might they have gone?  I opened the fridge to get the milk for my cereal and this is what I saw.  This fridge is so full of who knows what and how long it’s been in there is a mystery.  So now I’m on the hunt for the missing containers my bet is that they are in this fridge somewhere.  So guess what?  Yep, it’s time to clean out the dreaded fridge.

I decided to look at cleaning the fridge in a who new way. I usually take out the rubber gloves, nose plug, and ten foot pole. This time, however, I decided to be grateful. I know, I know “be grateful?” how is that supposed to help??? As I was taking stuff out of the fridge I began to feel blessed. My family and I have been blessed to have an over flowing fridge. We have been blessed to have so much food that we can’t even keep up with it. There are so many people who struggle to make ends meet. They often end up wondering what they are going to feed their children if anything at all. My family may not have fancy things but I’ve never had to worry about what my kids will eat. By changing my attitude I was able to look at cleaning the fridge in a who new light. Of course that doesn’t get rid of the containers growing green fuzzies that make you gag as you open them. It sure does help you appreciate everything. So now I have a clean fridge and a grateful heart. It’s a really nice way to start your day. Oh, and I did eventually find my missing containers.

There they are!

After

Nov 1 2011

Pumpkin follow-up

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Our Three Pumpkins

I told you I would give an update on the pumpkins that we grew in the garden.  That’s right I said pumpkins.  Last time you saw one of these it was just a blossom.  I hand pollinated 3 more for a total of 4.  One pumpkin got the size of a baseball and then shriveled up and died.  These pumpkins kept growing and growing and growing.  I had to pluck them off the vine while they were still green.  I then put them on my porch and let them turn orange.  They all still have green on them but the kids didn’t mind.  They are  27lbs, 24lbs, and 19lbs.  These were the biggest pumpkins our family has ever carved.  Definitely going to try growing pumpkins again next year.  I just hope we get some blossoms about a month earlier than we did this year.

I let each kid design their own pumpkin.  Preston decided he was going to name his count pumpkinstein.  Corey had a little trouble with all the teeth Levi wanted on his.  Sophia likes the circle (hers was nice and easy to carve).  They turned out pretty cute and the kids had tons of fun scraping out the guts.

So being the forgetful person that I am I forgot to take pictures of the kids in their costumes 🙁  Preston’s was the most creative.  He wanted to be an ice cream man and unfortunately I don’t have a picture of him.  Sophia wanted to be a fairy.  Levi wanted to be Dracula. There was one day last week that Levi had a School Program and we got pictures of him and Sophia dressed up.  We went trunk or treating at our church and then Corey took  Sophia and Levi around the block some more.  Preston is getting so big, he wanted to go with his friends this year.  One of the other parents went with them and they really scored on the candy.  Pretty soon he is going to be too old to go trick or treating and I ‘m having a hard time coming to that realization.  When did he start getting so old?  I haven’t aged any so what happened here?

Corey Carving and Levi being a goof while Preston watches intently.

The kids in front of their pumkins

Three little pumpkins sitting on a bench.

Pumpkins all lit up

 

Levi and Sophia in Costume. Levi is sad because his dracula teeth hurt his mouth.

Sep 16 2011

Apples

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Honey Crisp Apples

Apple season is finally here.  We planted this honey crisp apple tree about 5 years ago. This is the first year that we have had a good crop of apples.  We bought the tree bare root.  It was practically a little stick with roots.  After planting it in the fall we didn’t expect blossoms on the tree in the spring but there were.  No apples developed that year.  The next year there were no blossoms at all.  The third time a few blossoms and a couple of wormy apples.  The fourth year we were optimistic but because of a late frost that killed all the blossoms there were no apples.  This year has been good to us.  The tree blossomed and we had an abundance of fruit growth.  My husband was continually out there thinning them.  We have had to put braces up to keep the trees branches from falling and breaking with the weight.   I’ve sprayed it twice to try and keep the worms down.  Although we now see that I needed to either do it earlier or more often.  There are a number of apples with little worm holes in them.  Other than that there haven’t been to many things I’ve had to worry about.  Well that’s not true there is one pest that is causing my apples to disappear. They’re about 15 years old and one of them lives next door.  Yep that’s right it’s the pesky teenager.  For a couple of weeks we have been getting after our kids for eating the apples and leaving the cores in the road.  They denied ever doing it but we knew the apples weren’t eating themselves.  Well today I was cleaning my kitchen and heard a ruckus outside.  I turned around just in time to see three teenage boys eating apples and throwing the core into the street.  That’s right MY APPLES.  This pest wouldn’t be so bad had they come and got my permission but no they just take.  Well I guess I can’t blame them the apples look delicious and if I don’t say so myself are delicious.  It’s hard to pass by without wanting a taste.  I do like to make applesauce and pie filling every year.  Maybe this year I won’t have to beg my neighbors for apples.  I’ve made two apple pies so far and they have been the best apple pies.  Next time I’ll share with you a step by step apple pie recipe.

our little apple tree

 

 

Sep 12 2011

Cantaloupe

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Cantaloupe

If you look at the first post about me starting to blog about the garden there’s a list about what I planted.  You may notice that cantaloupe was not one of them.  When we planted our watermelon we waited and waited and it did nothing so we decided to go get another plant and got a cantaloupe.  I didn’t know that cantaloupe did so well here.  I wish we had bought it instead of wasting time on the watermelon first.  We so far have three cantaloupes and one is almost ready.  They are about the size of a soft ball, smaller than your normal grocery store cantaloupe.  I can’t wait to get my first taste of fresh garden cantaloupe I hear it’s really good.  As for the watermelon we left it in the garden and as soon as the cantaloupe started to take off so did the watermelon.  We now have a watermelon the size of a base ball.  The sad thing is there is definitely not enough time for it to ripen before the first frost.

 

Watermelon on the left in the shade. Cantaloupe on the right

 

Sep 8 2011

Grapes

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Concord Grapes

We planted Concord Grapes 3 years ago and this is the first year we have had grapes.  Grapes usually have one season that they establish themselves and then produce the next.  Why did it take us 3 seasons?  We had an early frost last year that killed all the growth and the plant had to grow back from the roots.  We now know that grapes are very sensitive and need a lot of tender care if you want any grapes.  Last fall we mulched heavily around the vine and coved it in the spring if there was any chance of frost.  We only have 6 clumps of grapes this year but we are happy to just have grapes.  I don’t mind.  I need a juicer first so I can make jelly and juice.  This gives me at least another season to acquire the equipment before a big crop.  We haven’t picked them yet because you’re supposed to wait until the first frost for the sugars to set like you do for apples.  Plus they have just barely started to turn purple.

Sep 6 2011

Pumpkin

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Pumpkin Blossom

Pumkins, are the bane of my gardening skills.  I have tried for many years now to grow pumpkins. I’ve tried many different varieties including the great giant, jack-o-lantern, and now Howden.  I’ve searched the internet to see what I’ve possibly been doing wrong only to hear that pumpkins are really easy to grow. Urrrrgh! So not helping.  All I wanted was at least one sizable pumpkin to carve for Halloween.  Most years the pumpkin plant has barely grown.  Last year I got a soft ball size pumpkin.  This year all plant and no pumpkin.  I know it’s not the area I live in. Friends in my neighborhood grow pumpkins just fine.  One even had nearly 20 pumpkins growing in her garden last year.  I’ve eagerly awaited thinking this year was going to be different.  The plant took off and has been doing great.  Lots of male blossoms but no female blossoms.  We would see the female blossoms start to develop only to see it wither away before it even had a chance to blossom.  Until this morning.  Yes!  I quickly went out there and hand pollinated the blossom to ensure pollination.  It was in the 30s last night and not a lot of bees were buzzing around this morning.  So I took a q-tip and rubbed some pollen from the male blossom and transfered it to the female blossom.  I wonder if it’s too little too late.  It’s already starting to get chilly.  I hope this pumpkin takes and grows big enough for Halloween.  Obviously something I’ll be updating on later.  I do have a great recipe for pumpkin pie filling so maybe I’ll try a sweet pumpkin next year.  Any suggestions on what variety to choose from?

The pumpkin plant taking over my garden

Sep 4 2011

Tomatoes

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Early Girl Tomato

Tomatoes are an essential part of my garden.  I can whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, and spaghetti sauce.  So I have to have tomatoes growing in my garden.  We planted  8 tomato plants.  Two of the plants are a cherry tomato.  So far my favorite has been the early girl variety.  It’s a smaller tomato but ripens pretty early which is necessary for this climate.  Every year I’m on the search for a new favorite variety.  I would like the tomato to be a little bigger.  I planted 5 varieties.  There are 4 early girls, 1 super fantastic, 1 Sophie’s choice (heirloom), 1 currant cherry tomato, and 1 sungold cherry tomato.

Currant Cherry Tomato

First I’ll discuss the cherry tomatoes.  I plant at least one cherry every year because I like these in salads.   This way I don’t have to use my bigger tomatoes for my salads.  They also produce a lot sooner and you are able to have them during the summer.  I usually plant a sweet 100 cherry tomato.  I thought I would try something different this year.  Wrong idea.  I got the currant cherry tomato.  These are super small and don’t have a lot of flavor.  They are also difficult to pick.  They grow like a currant in big clusters and really close to the center of the plant.  The tomatoes on the bottom of the plant were the first to ripen.  In order to get to them I had to crawl on my hands and knees and stick my hand all the way in the plant to pick.  Even then you couldn’t tell if you were getting the right tomato because they were so closely clumped together.  Many times I would end up picking a green tomato instead of the red one.  So frustrating.  I’ve gotten to the point that I don’t even care if they get picked or not.

The other cherry tomato that I picked is called Sungold. This is a small orange cherry

Sungold Cherry Tomato

tomato.  We love this one.  It is so sweet.  This is the variety that we got a few years ago when we first started gardening and it single handedly convinced my husband that tomatoes aren’t gross. Sophia, my three year old, loves this one and we have to act quickly if we want any before she picks them all.  Definitely one we’ll do again.

The Super Fantastic variety was a mothers day gift from church.  I actually like this one.  It produces a lot of large tomatoes and taste terrific.  The only problem I have with this one is that it splits easily.  I think all the tomatoes that I’ve pulled off of there so far have split.  That’s okay if you’re using it for salsa but not okay for whole tomatoes.  This might be a variety I’ll try again since I do like salsa.

Sophie’s Choice variety I got on a whim.  I was looking for just one more tomato to plant and one that produces early and is larger than the early girl.  Saw this one and got it.  It was a little more expensive because it’s an heirloom tomato but so far it has done great.  The tomatoes are larger and don’t seem to have any splits but they are taking longer to ripen then my other tomatoes.  I just hope they ripen before the first frost in a couple of weeks.

Tomatoes are pretty easy to plant.  They are very frost tender so if you live in a cooler climate like I do you’ll need to have your tarp ready to cover them.  Tomatoes are also very easy to can and great to have in the pantry.  We use our whole tomatoes in soups, stews, casseroles, and even chili.  The key is to find the right variety that works for you.