Backyard Veggies!

I have decided to try my hand at a little backyard gardening. My friend, Jen inspired me to grow enough vegetables to can and freeze so that I would not have to buy them through the winter. Well...we'll see. I would love to get enough but, since this is my first attempt...I will be happy with enough to make one great supper. :)

It all started with a few seeds:

These are the tomato plants I just started. I need to plant about 4 more. There's nothing better than homemade tomato sauce from homegrown tomatoes. I also LOVE tomato sandwiches in the summer time. A little mayo...a little black pepper...I am in heaven.


I planted some bell peppers in one of my raised gardens (I must pause here to give my husband much credit for building the beds.) I love bell peppers on the grill. Yummy!


And finally...what I hope will soon be brimming with green bean bushes and a couple squash vines. I have a couple more beds, but you get the idea. How much fun is it to look at a box full of dirt, really? I will keep you updated.

You know, there is something very wonderful and fulfilling about digging in the earth to cultivate something that will eventually bare fruit for my family. If you haven't tried it before, you should give it a shot this summer. Who knows what we could grow! :)


I think I need to go make something to eat...all this veggie talk is giving me an appetite. Bye for now!

Birthdays and Godiva chocolate

Happy Birthday to me! That's right...today is my 10,220th day on the earth (you do the math). This weekend I was able to enjoy a lunch out with some of my favorite ladies. Here are just a few of them:


They are so funny. When I arrived there was a pink and purple feather boa and matching light-up "birthday princess" tiara for me to wear. This picture is a little fuzzy, but you get the idea. :)


Best of all I got to eat my FAVORITE indulgence...Godiva chocolate cheesecake. YUMMY!! They even made it all cute, and sang as the lights on my head danced around. (Do you like the Splenda beside the sugar-ridden slice of "next size up" on a plate??)


Thanks, girls, for making my day out so special! I loved every minute of it.

"Here Mommy!"

Before I had children, I had always dreamed of a little boy picking flowers in the yard, and bringing them to me, lovingly saying, "Here, Mommy! I picked these just for you." Last week my dream finally came true. Well, it wasn't exactly the picture-perfect garden I had envisioned nor the beautiful flowers that were in my dreams. Rather, it was dandelion weeds straight from my crabgrass-ridden lawn. Nonetheless, it was a "perfect moment."


Evan and Gideon found something that was beautiful to them, and their first thoughts were to share it with me. Priceless!


How wonderful to look around and realize God has done exactly the same. His thoughts toward me are so gracious that he has shared his most precious creations with me. My boys continually express the graciousness of God to me! I pray I can be this same expression to others.

My Un-Shopping List

I am really working hard to be more frugal. I was reading one of my favorite blogs, "The Pleasures of Homemaking," where I learned about the un-shopping lists of the depression. Apparently, women used to make lists of things they were making from scratch and did not have to buy.

It really does something great to my brain when I look at a list of things I do not have to worry about buying at the store. You should try it!

I am looking for things to add to my list. If you have any ideas of things that I could make from scratch, I would be HAPPY to hear about them. :)

Happy Un-Shopping!

1. Bread
2. Tortillas
3. Soft Scrub
4. Windex
5. Tide
6. Downey

Homemade Laundry Soap

A lot of people have asked me for the recipe for the laundry soap I have been using. It is great, and has saved me so much money. Yes, it cleans our clothes just like the detergent I was buying at the store. I used a bar of Ivory soap for mine. I can't find Fels-Naptha in the Seattle area. Also, I found the "washing soda" in the pool supply aisle at Wal-Mart. Look for "sodium carbonate."

I have also been using 1/2 cup of white vinegar for fabric softener. I love it!

I actually saw this on an episode of "17 Kids and Counting," and got the recipe off the Duggar family website. Here it is, directly from their site:

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

ENJOY!! Let me know how yours turns out. :)