At the Cottage ~ November 4, 2023

    Cool weather is finally here in South Texas!  I know I have said it before, but fall is my favorite season.  It is such a respite from the brutal heat of our summers.  I am a little surprised at how early in the year it has come, though.  It is not unusual for us to still be sweating well into December.

    We have not had a freeze yet, but it did get close a couple nights.  I'm relieved because my garden is still going strong.  My zucchini plants are huge and I am getting zucchini from them!

    John's zinnias are beautiful- the star of the show.  We have been cutting them for bouquets to adorn the house.  John is so pleased.

    I had been worried that many of the seeds I had planted weren't viable.  Turns out that they just needed a little cold snap to germinate.  I have carrots coming up.

    And cabbage.

    My little chicks aren't chicks anymore!  I've introduced them to the big girls and they all seem to be getting along.

    Inside, I have been doing a lot of baking.  It is such a cozy feeling to have something delicious in the oven or on the stove when it is cold outside.  The coffee pot is used multiple times a day.  

    I made apple cake for when we had company one evening.

    Blueberry muffins with streusel topping...

    Caramel pecan cookies...

    And finally something healthy: soup!  I love soup and that is going to be my game plan for healthy meal prep during the fall and winter months.  This one was sausage, potato, and kale.

    I know that planning and having something convenient to grab when I am hungry can make or break any efforts towards my dietary goals.  One morning I made a large batch of sausage, egg, and cheese "muffins" for something quick during the week.  They are not pretty but they taste good!

    I have not done much crafting, but I did manage to finish the cleaning cloths I had started.  I ended up with fifteen.  

    I am doing what I can to switch to more reusable things, both for economical and preparedness reasons.

    I am also working towards opening my Etsy shop back up!  I had been praying about it, and then out of the blue, I had a returning customer contact me to tell me how much she loved my work and ask if she could buy some more cards from me.  My shop has not been open in over two years, so this was amazing!  I have some things made- it is just a matter of getting them listed and sorting out some tax things.  To give you a sneak peak, these are the cards she wants...

    What have you been up to?  

    I hope everyone has a good, productive week building up their homes and caring for their loved ones. 💕

At the Cottage ~ August 4, 2023

    This post might end up to be somewhat lengthy, as it was a very full week here at the cottage!  Overall it was a good one, except for one trial, which I am happy to report is finally over. 

    A couple weeks ago, John came to me in tears.  "Heidi pulled up all my flowers out of the pot!" he cried.  I looked out the window and, sure enough, one of our dogs had pulled up the flowers that he bought and planted as his own little project using some of the money he had saved.  I quickly went to try and salvage them, seeing that two still had roots.  When I got outside, I saw all the bushes I had just planted strewn all over the yard in bits.

    Truthfully, Heidi had been getting into trouble almost since she got here.  She chased our chickens (even killed a couple) and barked and ran at the livestock when they came near our fence, which is an obvious problem on a ranch.  I hate to confess, as I know this won't sit well with many, but I had been considering rehoming her for some time.  Her friendliness was a redeeming quality, but she was so overwhelmingly full of energy that the boys didn't even want to play in the yard because she would be all over them.  This really didn't seem fair to the boys or to Heidi, both of whom just wanted to play!  When the boys played outside of the yard, riding their bikes and scooters, she barked at them the whole time.  We got her to be a good family guard dog, but she loved strangers and hid from snakes- the complete opposite of what we wanted.  

    I never liked the idea of rehoming a pet, and I kept thinking she'd eventually outgrow some of her habits, as she was still very young.  Throwing in the towel just didn't seem fair to her, even though it increasingly felt like she wasn't a good fit for our family.  "I'll just give her another chance," I kept saying.  I felt as though it was more my fault than hers for not knowing how to train her or funnel her energy, and I really felt sorry for her for that.

    Then this week, "Mom, Heidi pulled up my flowers again!  And Daddy's fern!"  Then a few mornings later, "Mom, Heidi pulled up your lantanas and another pot of flowers!"  By this point I had really had enough.  I decided that for all our sakes, including Heidi's, she needed to go to a home where she would be loved and appreciated, not just tolerated and put up with.  I advertised her, and within about three hours, someone wanted her and arranged to pick her up the next day.  Immediately, I felt a weight lifted, but I still wondered if it was the right thing to do.  I prayed that the deal would fall through if it was God's will for us to keep her.  

    The next morning, Heidi's new owner messaged me to say that he was so excited to get her and that his little boy was going to love her!  He asked if she liked canned food because that's what his older dog likes.  She never got anything like that at our house!  So really I'm just overjoyed that she is with someone who is going to give her the love and attention she needs, and she will have a better, happier life with them than she would have with us.  It was a bittersweet ending to a stressful situation.

    Besides all of that, our week was full of good things.  One day, we took a trip to the next town over to do some shopping and run some errands.  I packed drinks and snacks for the children, as I knew we were going to make a day of it.  Buying those types of foods when you are out and about is getting too expensive!  

    First we went to the grocery store, as all of their school and office supplies were on sale, plus I had a coupon for $5 off of $25 for items in those categories.  I got lots of things we needed for the year and beyond, with a total savings of $8.  I still lack a few things (I was trying to get my total as close to $25 as I could), but those things are on sale at Walmart too, so I will wait until Tax Free Weekend to pick those up.  Of course we bought groceries there, as well.  I saved $11.47 on food by shopping the sales and using coupons.

    Out in the parking lot, there was a pallet of clearance plants.  A closer look revealed that some of them were Texas everbearing fig trees!  I bought two of them.  They looked a little poorly from being in the parking lot in 100+°F, but with a little TLC they perked back up.  See the fresh growth?

    The real excitement came at our next stop.  We needed to go to Tractor Supply to pick up some dog food, and when we got inside, we heard chicks!  The Tractor Supply in our town only gets chicks in the spring and fall, so this was a surprise.  Colton and I had just discussed getting more, as many of ours are getting older and none of our hens went broody this year (which was odd).

    "Can we please get some chicks?" John pleaded.  The answer was an easy "yes".  We decided on six Salmon Faverolle pullets (females).  I had never heard of them before, but when I Googled them and saw that they were a specialty French breed on the "watch" list, I knew I wanted them.  They grow to look so fluffy and beautiful and are supposedly one of the most docile breeds.  Here they are on their way to their new home:

    This particular Tractor Supply also has a garden center, and all of their plants were 50% off!  I felt like a kid in a candy store.  I got another rosemary plant, several bushes, and three peach trees.  We are well on our way to getting a little orchard set up.  All of these plants had been struggling too, but I've nursed them back to health.  Some of the bushes now have blooms.

    Once we got back home and unloaded everything, Colton and I decided to see if our local Tractor Supply was running any sales.  There were no plants, but we found gopher traps and bait in the clearance section (we are still fighting that war), as well as a shirt in Colton's new size and a hummingbird feeder that I will save for next year.  We even found some stain blocking primer in the brand we need for the inside of our garden shed, which is something else we had just talked about.  It was half price.

    Up in the loft, I got some crafting done.  The boys have been wanting some handkerchiefs like Colton's, so I made them some out of James's old crib sheets.   John used these sheets too, so by now they are nice and soft, gentle enough for little noses.  Cut into twelve inch squares, I ended up with eleven of them.  I serged the edges to keep it simple.

    I made some "un-paper" towels in the same way using some flannel I had.  The sticker shock the last time I purchased paper towels was motivation enough for me to make my own.  So far I only have fourteen, but I plan to make more.  I keep them in a basket on the kitchen counter.  

    John watched me as I sewed and got the giggles.  I asked him what was so funny, and he said it looked like the needle on the machine was dancing!  Wouldn't it do us a heap of good if we looked at the world through children's eyes sometimes?

    The new construction sheets I had bought for the boys' beds came in cloth bags made out of the same fabric.  They were awkwardly shaped with huge tags sewn onto the fronts and backs, so I couldn't use them as is, but because we use every part of the buffalo in this household, I took them apart and salvaged what I could.  I got two sets of velcro strips and several construction vehicles cut out.  I can use the construction vehicles as appliques, patches, or in paper crafting.  I played around with some ideas: 

    A plain gift bag embellished with a dump truck and tied with a strip of thrifted curtain "ribbon"...

    ...or a brown Kraft package tied up with twine and a dump truck gift tag for a little boy gift.

    Which is your favorite?  I think I like the tag the best.

    With all of the stress surrounding the Heidi situation this week, I got some deep cleaning done in the bedroom.  Setting things in order and taming the chaos in the form of cleaning is what I tend to do when "I am quite put out", as Lady Catherine would say.  I feel much more calm in tidy spaces and it gives me a productive way to use my energy.  I made up some dusting spray, which is similar to the wood polish I make, but diluted with water.  Most of the recipes for this online were about the same, so I just combined what I had to make my own version.

DIY Dusting Spray

1 cup distilled water
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
*10 - 15 drops essential oil of choice (orange, lemon, lavender, tea tree, and lemongrass are good choices for scent and cleaning ability)

Combine all the ingredients into a spray bottle and give it a good shake before spraying onto wood surfaces.  Wipe clean with a soft cloth.

*If you don't have essential oils, you can submerge orange or lemon peels in white vinegar and store in a dark place for a couple weeks to make infused, scented vinegar with extra cleaning properties.  Just give the jar a good shake every few days.

    I used 15 drops of orange and 5 drops of cinnamon (yes, I used some extra drops) for a fall-scented spray.  I don't usually jump ahead to seasons before they get here, but this summer's heat and humidity have been so brutal, I needed just a taste of my favorite season!  I used a label from JES at Mistress of the House on Etsy.  My dusting cloth was one of James's old, plain white crib sheets cut into large squares.

    I put on Homemaker's Radio and tackled my nightstand first, which is really a little bookshelf that holds all of my "girly books"- the ones on homemaking, decorating, motherhood, biblical womanhood, and marriage.  My ever-growing collection had gotten out of hand, with books piled on top and stacked sideways in the gaps.  I took everything off the shelves, dusted, and put back my favorites.  The rest will be moved to other bookshelves in the home. 

    Some of my favorites:

    The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

    The Lifegiving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson

    The Nesting Place by Myquillin Smith (I have her set of three and like them all!)

    My collection of Emilie Barnes books

    Cottage style decorating books, mostly vintage, but including my new Hill House Vintage by Paula Sutton.  I used to follow her when I was active on Instagram and it fed my inner cottage-loving, Anglophile heart.

    There are others that I still haven't read, but I am working on that!  I recently enjoyed both of Dana K. White's books: Decluttering at the Speed of Life and How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind.  Her advice was practical and she wrote with such humor (if you can't tell by her titles) that I laughed out loud several times.

    I limited the top of my nightstand to my one current read so I wouldn't feel overwhelmed by that "silent to-do list", as the Minimal Mom calls it.  I've chosen Mother Culture for a Happy Homeschool by Karen Andreola. 

    Have you read any of these books?  What are your recommendations in the homemaking/biblical womanhood genre?

    By the end of my cleaning spree, I had cleaned my books and nightstand, swept underneath it and behind, laundered the curtains, cleaned the inside of the windows, and wiped down the walls and baseboards on either side of the bed.  It smelled wonderful and fresh.  I didn't finish the entire room, but there is always next week.

    How was your week?  As always, I hope you enjoy a lovely weekend.

Notebook Makeovers

    As promised, I'm sharing a closer look at my Shopping Book, as well as some other notebooks I have made over in a similar way.  Be warned: I took lots of pictures!

    I have a weakness for pretty journals and stationery, but they can be so pricey in the stores.  My simple solution is to start with a basic, inexpensive notebook and decorate it myself.  I read about Annabel doing this years ago, and I have done it ever since! 

 

    This is how my notebooks started out:

    The one on the left is just a basic composition notebook.  The one on the right was actually from a promotion that one of the local businesses did for a school.  They had boxes of these left over and were just going to throw them in the trash!!!  Thankfully a friend who works for the business rescued them and I ended up with a free box.  

    Any type or size of notepad, journal, or notebook will do.  In the US, now is the time to buy these types of supplies, as we are in our back-to-school season.  I saw the composition notebooks on sale for .50 each the other day.  I plan to restock a few.

    For the outer cover of my shopping book, I used photos that I liked from a Martha Stewart gardening book that I had picked up from the thrift store for $1.  I always look at books when I go thrifting, not only for reading content, but to see if there are any that are full of lovely pictures that I might be able to use for crafting.  Again, I have to credit Annabel with this!  

    Anything can be used- magazines, calendars, catalogs, maps, and product packaging or labels that are appealing are all suitable.  Anytime I see anything pretty on paper, I will cut it out and save it for a project.  I've ended up with lots of creative material for cheap this way.

    I keep my small cut-outs in plastic sleeves (plastic zippered bags would work too).  For larger images, I just tear the whole page out if I'm not keeping the book or magazine that it's in.  Either way, I find it very relaxing to just look through all of the beautiful pictures.  

       My work station was filled with pretty things through the whole process:

    After I found pages I liked from the Martha Stewart book, I glued them onto the cover of my notebook using Scotch permanent roller dots.  I find this works better than a glue stick for keeping slick pages in place.  I covered the seam along the spine with washi tape.  I had trouble getting that to stick, so I reaffixed it with Mod Podge and that did the trick.  I used stamps and scrap cardstock to make my "Shopping List" label.

    For the inside covers, which were also previously school-themed, I used some coordinating scrapbook paper that I had on hand and embellished it with some washi tape.  I always wait for a good sale or coupon when buying these types of supplies.

    I used stamps and cut-outs to embellish the pages inside.  Stickers would work, too.  I just made sure everything was thin or flat to keep from adding too much bulk to the book.  

    The categories in my Shopping book are: Books, Home, Garden, Homesteading and Preparedness, Homeschool, Beauty (clothes, self-care, etc.), and Miscellaneous.  Colton, John, and James each have a section, as well.  I allotted ten pages for each category and that filled the journal.

    I tried to find images and words that went with each category.  

    For some of the pages, I used cut-outs from an old, thrifted dictionary.

home, n. one's abode or residence; dwelling-place of a man and his family...

beauty, n. an assemblage of graces or properties which command the approbation of the senses...

    In the "Homeschool" section, I used a library book card and part of an old travel atlas.

    Some of the pages have Bible verses written out:

"Home" Section

"Homesteading and Preparedness" Section

    This is the type of project that is a work-in-progress.  As I fill pages, I will decorate more.  The whole process is very leisurely for me.

    In my last post, I also shared the journal I plan to use for my boys.  Due to the sheer exhaustion that comes with having a baby, I failed miserably at writing things in their baby books.  This is my redemptive effort to start recording the special milestones they reach and the little things they say and do.  For the cover, I used a picture from a Norman Rockwell calendar layered over some scrapbook paper.

"Timeless Memories"

    The inside covers are embellished with scrapbook paper and a tag that Annabel sent me as part of a set she made for me when I was pregnant with John.  I used these tags to label baskets in the nursery that held diapers, blankets, burp cloths, nursing supplies, etc.  So they are very special.  The first page has a Bible verse:

Psalm 127:3-4

 

    For the composition books, I decorated the covers but left the insides blank for writing.  The one with lace is where I record the craft projects I want to do and the supplies I need for each one.  The floral one lists my weekly savings and homemaking accomplishments.  I have had both of these for several years and they have held up well.

    I hope this gives you some ideas of how you can turn inexpensive materials into something useful and beautiful.  Any of these would also make great personalized gifts!  Kids could even decorate their own notebooks for school- they would have something unique this way.  The possibilities are endless and once you start, you'll begin seeing potential materials everywhere.  

    Let me know if you decide to make over your own notebook or journal!

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...