At the Cottage ~ July 21, 2023

    This month has seen some changes here at the cottage.  My aunt kindly offered us a set of wood framed beds for the boys.  They are very special, as they are the ones my cousins slept in.  We felt James was finally big enough to transition into a regular bed, so last week we picked them up.  They had been in storage for about 20 years, so I gave them a good cleaning and polished them up with my homemade wood polish: equal parts vinegar and olive oil with a few drops of orange essential oil for scent.  They came up beautifully.  I also got the construction themed sheets washed up that I bought on clearance.

    We'd had one of those mattress-in-a-box mattresses in their closet for a good year or so just waiting for this occasion.  We found it on Craigslist, new and sealed up in the box, for $100 (tax free).  This one became John's.  It is high quality and when we finally took it out of the package and it started to unroll, we found that it came with two pillows!  I have them stored away for guests until the boys' pillows need replacing.  In addition to this, I was able to find a mattress protector on sale for 20% off, so we really saved in the bedding area.

    All of this had sort of a ripple effect in their room.  As we moved things around, I cleaned smudges off the walls (Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are a new tool in my cleaning arsenal), cleaned the floors and baseboards, and washed the windows.  It looked and smelled so fresh.  The boys were thrilled to see their room all made over, especially James, as this was a milestone for him.

    John had his share of milestones, too.  He turned six and lost his first tooth!  We have been watching a children's baking competition lately, which he is really interested in.  I promised I would let him help me bake cupcakes for his birthday.  I frosted, as it was getting close to bedtime by the time the cakes cooled, but I let him lick the beaters, so he wasn't too upset.

    Can you believe I didn't eat a single cupcake?!  I am on week 5 of 13 in my gut healing program.  I hated to miss out on something for John's birthday, but this program has really helped me.  I am seeing improvements that I really did not think could be possible.  Among a host of other things, my energy levels have greatly improved.  As someone who has struggled with fatigue since my teenage years, this is huge.  I have been able to get so much done, and that without feeling stressed or worn out.  It's a big deal, friends.

    My father-in-law gave me a stack of newspapers that he had been saving for me.  I use these along with vinegar to clean my mirrors and windows.  I made up another batch of my shower cleaner this week, which is 2 tablespoons of citric acid for every cup of hot water put into a spray bottle.  This works wonders.  It is the only thing that worked on our glass shower doors- homemade or commercial- when we had them.  Now I use it to clean my shower because it cuts through hard water spots so well.  I wouldn't use this on stone or marble, as it would have an etching effect like vinegar, and I think it has a bleaching effect too, so I'd be careful on colored grout.  We have white ceramic tile with white grout, so it comes out like new after a good scrub.  A friend has used this successfully on widows, as well, which get hard water spots from the sprinkler.  Just be sure to test in a small spot first. 

    I am happy to say that my washer and dryer have been hooked back up!  The laundry room is still just a shell, but my dad came over and helped Colton rewire some of the electricity and move the plumbing, so now it is at least operational.  It is so nice to be able to do laundry at home again- the things we take for granted!  

    I have picked up crafting again, and as it usually happens after neglecting it, I was surprised by how much I had missed it.  I made over some free notebooks we got.  One is the shopping book I showed on Thursday, and the other one I plan to use as a journal to record little things the boys do and say, little milestones they reach, and things of that nature. 

    A few jokes they have been telling me lately:

What do you call a snoring bull?

A bulldozer!

What do you call a cow with no legs?

Ground beef!

    { Italics and exclamation marks are necessary because the answers are shouted with enthusiasm every single time. }

    Outside, most things are struggling to survive the heat, including me when I'm out there!  My plants on the patio that I have in pots are doing well, though, especially the ones that are partly shaded.  There is new growth on the foxtail fern...

    My lantanas have a few blooms.  I love the purple variety...

    The post you see in the middle of the barrel holds up string lights.  I have three of these barrels on the patio, so the lights stretch across.  We get to enjoy these more in the cooler months.  It gets dark so late in the summer.

    In March, we added some guineas to our flock of chickens.  We have started getting little eggs from them!  Cooked up, they are bite size.

    John has declared them "the best bird ever."  We'd like to get some more, as a snake got into the guinea pen when they were small and only two survived. They will have to go in my shopping book under the "Homesteading" section until the budget allows for their purchase.

    Despite the heat, I got some bushes planted in the front flower beds.  I've had them a while and they were starting to suffer in their nursery pots.  I finally realized it was because the pots kept getting knocked over and the dirt was spilling out!  So I figured it was time to plant them.  This is the culprit responsible for knocking my pots over.  

    Isn't she cute, though?  She's our little Ginger Kitten.  Of course, she helped me plant the bushes.

    As you can see from the photo, the bushes are yellowed and look a bit poorly.  Hopefully they perk up once they get settled in their new home.  If they do, I'll share some photos.

    I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and feels rested and renewed for the week to come. I will be back with a craft post soon...