"Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away?"

Author: Unknown

Friday, January 25, 2013

Seed Orders For 2013......phew! Glad That's done.

       I have been researching what seeds I want to order for weeks now. Reading online reviews and recommendation based on taste and productivity.  That was hard sometimes as what one person raved about, another may have poor results. These pics however, are based on many,many comments. Most of these are new to me. This list is just my new seed orders, I also have a  list of seeds I already have (mostly tomatoes) that I still havent narrowed down yet.

So here ya go, todays order list for 2013:


Pinetree Garden Seeds
PO Box 300
New Gloucester, ME  04260

Product #: 42-PREMIUM CROP BROC (F1 hybrid 6
Price: $1.75
 

Product #: 5802-PRIMERO CABBAGE (F1 72 days)
Price: $1.65
 

Product #: 5701-EARLY JERSEY WAKEFIELD (60-75 
Price: $1.25
 

Product #: 8001-AMAZING CAULIFLOWER (71 days)
Price: $1.65
 

Product #: 123-BON APPETIT CORN (hybrid 71 da
Price: $2.25
 

Product #: 141-HOMEMADE PICKLES CUCUMBER (54 
Price: $1.75
 

Product #: 24301-AILSA CRAIG 
Price: $1.65
 

Product #: W128-EMERITE POLE BEAN (58 days)
Price: $1.75
 

Product Total: $13.70
Discounts Applied: $0.00
Tax: $0.00
Shipping: $3.95
Special_Handling: $0.00
Order_Total: $17.65

 Totally Tomatoes
Dear tammy,
Thank you for your order on Totally Tomatoes.  Below are the details:
Order Date:1/25/2013 8:41:51 AM
Confirmation Number:
Product Total:$9.85
Standard Shipping:$4.95
Tax:$0.00
Order Total:$14.80
 Gift Card Adjustment: 0.00
 Coupon Savings (if applicable): $0.00
 Amount Billed To Credit Card: $14.80

Products Ordered
00524AOmars Lebanese Tomato1 @ $2.35$2.35
03161AGourmet Pepper1 @ $2.50$2.50
00068ABetter Boy Hybrid Tomato1 @ $2.55$2.55
00526AOpalka Tomato1 @ $2.45$2.45

Osborne Seed Order

Shopping Cart

ItemQtyPrice Per UnitTotal
Bean, Fortex
1/2 M (SOLD OUT)
1$13.05$13.05
Bean, Lewis (HMX 7112)
2 M
1$8.80$8.80
Bean, Stringless Blue Lake S-7
1 lb
1$7.70$7.70
Sub Total:$29.55
Shipping for Myself (Best Available):To Be Determined
Total:$29.55
I am very excited about my bean orders. I have read so mnay rave reviews and recommnedations for all but Lewis. I cant find much about them, but they sure sounded good.
Fortex pole bean, is raved about in many forums. I first read about this one on gardenweb.


A lot of these seeds (except for the beans) will do me for more than one year. Now to plan out "WHERE" I am planting these.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Hide Those Pipes!

    For the past few weeks, I have been cleaning and re-organizing my cabinets. I am going to get pictures of these soon. Anyway, the last one I worked on was under the kitchen sink. Admittedly it has been awhile. Actually, a LONG while. This cabinet seems to be a catch-all.
    As my bath towels are worn out, I cut them up into rags for cleaning. I have been throwing quite a few of these in this cabinet. I really need to divide them up and place some in the bathrooms, but thats another day. There was multiple cleaning supplies, etc.
    I also store my bag of onions under there as well. Guess what i found while cleaning? Yep, a bag shoved to the back with 3-4 rotted, watery onions in it. They had leaked out of the back into the cabinet in one corner as well. Now  I realize my choice of shelf liner was a mistake. I had used that open, waffle weave type plastic liner. This allowed that leaky mess to run onto the wood cabinet floor, staining it.

TIP # 1: USE a waterproof shelf liner! You never know when pipes or something else is going to leak.

Ok, grit your teeth, and be ready to run, here is my cabinet BEFORE:

I warned you,lol. Admittedly, it could be worse. Now I get to another thing bugging me. Those ugly pipes! They have been there since the kitchen was remodeled about 10 yrs ago. While under there, I did clean them, but I still hated the way they look. Ugggg! There has to be some way to hide them.
     Then it dawned on me, what about a wrap? Yea thats it! I measured how big around my pipes were in the large areas, then measured how long the side "Y" leg was from just under the sink to the center connection before it goes to the bottom leg. I added roughly 6" to length, and about 2" to width. I cut a rectangle, and hemmed the long edges. I then  made a small cuff in the bottom and top to hold a small piece of 1/4" elastic. Threaded the elastic thru and stitched the ends to hold in place. I then sewed on velcro pieces along the long edge, placing one on each end over the elastic. Make two of these.
       Now make same measurements to the lower leg of the "Y". Make another piece in the same manner. Now cut a rectangle about 8" wide x 12" long. Hem all edges.
      Now slip one section around the left leg, and velcro in place, slip the right leg piece over and velcro in place. Lay the small rectangle you made last over the join to cover where the two upper pieces meet. Pull it down on front and back and slip the ends under the lower wrap to hold in place.
     There you go.... pipes are pretty, and the piece can easily be pulled off quick if there is a leak.
I know your probably thinking, "that lady has too much time on her hands", lol.  Well,.....they do look better, right?
    Now for the organization part. On the left door, I wanted a small rack to hold dish soap etc. I did not want to screw through my beautiful solid oak , custom made cabinets. I read somewhere on the web that someone used command strips to hold it on the door. So I gave it a try. Its been about 4 days, and it's still hanging. 
     I bought 2 green baskets from the Dollar Tree to use under here, but unfortunately it only fit on the left side. The right side, i am having hubby make me a narrow bin type thing to hold potatoes and onions in it on the right.  On the left I would love one of those side mounted drawers that pull out, but gotta wait till hubby gets "round to it",lol.
    The box on the left is a temporary holder for my rags. Here is a closeup of the wrap:
I know ... a little "cutesy", but its clean  :)
That's what happens when I am home alone a little too much!

    


Thursday, January 10, 2013

Woo Hoo... My 20,000 Visit Today!

      You might say I am excited! I just checked my blog stats, and I just had my 20,000 visitor!

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

I Have My First Blog Award!

     

Today, January 9, 2013, I have been honored with the Liebster Award!. My first first blog award. I must thank Garden Chef from  Garden Chef's Needle and Pen Blog for granting me this award. I recently found her blog, and have enjoyed it a great deal. Please take the time to visit when you can. There are lots of great recipes and more to enjoy.
http://gardenchefsneedleandpen.blogspot.com/2013/01/gardenchef-gets-liebster-blog-award.html

Hey! A week later, and I just realized I was given this award on my 4th blogaversary!

Rules For The  Liebster Blog Award: 
  1. Answer the 11 questions posed by the person who nominated you
  2. Give 11 facts about yourself
  3. Nominate 11 other bloggers for the award
  4. Post 11 questions for your nominees to answer
  5. Tell them you have tagged them and pay it forward

 11 questions I was asked to  answer by Garden Chef:
  1. If you were a Miss Universe finalist and one of the judges asks the question, "What is the greatest challenge in your life?" what will be your answer? Raising my children to be happy, healthy, productive adults. The most difficult, is holding my protective instincts in check to allow my adult children to  learn from their on mistakes.
  2. What was your favorite subject in grade school? English
  3. Favorite quotation? 

    "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away?"

  4. If you have a husband or boyfriend, your theme song? Otherwise, your favorite song. Dont know.
  5. How did you become a blogger? I had been trying to start a written journal about my plants and garden. In attempt to remember what I plant from year to year, but never seem to keep track of it or to remember to write in it. So I decided to start this blog in attempt to record things going on in the garden, and it kind of grew from there to entail all my interests.
  6. Have you ever written a poem or lyrics of a song? Could you write a stanza or two? Don't think I ever have. My interest in school was more to writing stories.
  7. Your favorite craft website and why? Ravelry. It is loaded with crochet  and knit patterns from very talented artists.
  8. Your fairy godmother gave you a crown that you should pass on to a person you admire most. Who would that person be? This is a tough one. 
  9. Given funds for a new wardrobe, what design or style would you collect? (e.g., executive, casual, sporty, formal, etc.) casual
  10. Name an award you received in high school . None, I was too quiet and backward
  11. If you have enough savings to build a house, where would you prefer to build it --- in the city, along the beach, in the valley, top of the hill, mountain top, lake shore, etc.? I love the beach, but storm season would scare me. I love living in the country, walking in the woods, and room to breath. So my choice would be a lake shore.

Now for my 11 questions to the blogs that are well deserving of this award:
    1. What is your favorite summer time activity?
    2. Why did you start blogging?
    3. What is your favorite movie?
    4. If you grow a vegetable or flower garden, what is your favorite to grow...which vegetable, flower, or both?
    5. If you were suddenly awarded an all expense trip to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    6. If you are a crafter, what is your favorite craft?
    7. Do you have plans to learn something new over the next yr?
    8. What are your top three New Year's Resolutions for 2013?
    9. What nationality are your favorite foods, ex. Mexican, Italian, etc?
  10. Do you can foods and why?
  11. If you could live just one day over again, what day would that be and why?

Another part of this award is to list 11 facts about myself. Here ya go:
  1. I am a quiet, introspective type of individual.
  2. I don't anger easily, but I am a very protective mother.
 3. I love living in the country. I love being able to feel safe in my home. Growing my own vegetables, fruits
      and flowers. There is no more satisfying life.
 4. I am a nurse. I graduated from nursing school in 1984. I have been retired from it since 1984 due to
      fibromyalgia. The most satisfying thing about nursing is helping others, by teaching , or hands on care.
 5. I have 5 children. Ages: 32, 30, 26,23,23. The last were twins weighing 8.6, and 8.3
 6. I married my soul-mate. We will be married  35 yrs this summer.
 7. I love learning new things, to try and challenge myself sometimes. Last winter, I learned to knit socks. 
     I recently started on my 3rd pair. 
 8. I absolutely love the beach. Listening to the crash of waves is so relaxing.
 9. My husband and I bought our first camper about 16 years ago after a weekend trip to an amusement
    park.when our kids were little. It costs $700. We figured we could invest in a camper, and take the kids
    camping with friends and family every other weekend for lots of mini vacations and one long one this way
  . The kids loved camping, fishing, and boating over the years. we recently traded up to a toy hauler so we
     can take our motorcycle with us now.  We still frequently go with kids, but now its grandkids,lol.
10. I enjoy a variety of skills. We built and designed our own home (which includes knowing lots of different
    skills), I am a nurse, I knit, crochet, embroidery by machine and hand, I digitize machine embroidery 
      designs, sewing,
    gardening, starting plants from seeds and cuttings, saving seeds, cooking, canning and more.
11. We built our own home in 1979. Neither of us had built anything more than a doghouse before that. He
      was 21 and I was 18. We
    bought property, and used it for collateral for a small home loan of $25,000. Small home town bank, that
    worked with us, allowing us to build it ourselves. Now you cant do that.  There just doesnt seem to be the
  "hometown" feel anymore. You know....Mayberry! We started with a 28x40 ranch, then added on over the
    years to now have about a 4000 sq ft home, with a huge covered porch on the front, and 6 bedrooms in
    the country on 2 acres. We just planted 2 apple trees and a peach tree last year.

Like  the song by Rascal Flats : " I miss Mayberry, sittin on the front porch, drinking ice cold....cherry... coke."
                           "Where people pass by and you call them by their first name"

   Now for the awards! Below are the 11 blogs that I think are deserving of being honored:
1. Lulabelle's View:  I just love laura's blog. She has a wonderfully sweet way in which she views life, and it comes out in her writing. She shares her love of gardening, and quilting , and healthy eating. What first attracted me to her blog a few years ago, was her gorgeous potager, or kitchen garden. You have got to see this.
 2. Heirloom Gardener  , a wonderful blog with lots of gardening info, and beautiful pictures.  I loved her post on starting a garden journal. 
3. Hocking Hill's Garden, Lona's  blog is absolutely stunning. Beautiful, professional looking photo's of plants and places. If you love gardening, dont miss her blog. 
4.Beloved Knits, Katie has a fantastic collection of knit patterns. You have to see the beautiful designs there.
5. BeppyCat & co., A Homemade Life ; Is a sweet blog about raised bed gardening, crafts, canning and more. Right up my alley.
6. Throwback Road, Julia has a wonderful blog about gardening, cooking, and just getting back to the basics. she also has a fantastic writing style that is easily enjoyed.
7. Read Between The Limes, I recently found Carrie's wonderful blog when following a link about  her seed starting rack. What a wonderful idea!
8. Stitchin' The day Away. An adorable blog full of ideas for crafting with fabrics, and quilting. Lots of fabulous fun ideas.
9.Dimples and Delights, April has some fabulous recipes that i can't wait to try. First being her Mock Girl's Scouts Thin mints.
10. Gardening 4 life, This Texas Master Gardener has done a wonderful job on her blog. Lots of ideas, and information, and photo's  put together to form a very interesting read. 
11. The Worm Girl News, I just found this blog when researching irrigating raised beds. She has a wonderful article on this and other things.

Pass it on fellow bloggers.

Monday, January 07, 2013

Coconut Oil For Healthy Lashes and to Stop Loss

  For many years, 38 yrs to be more exact, I have used  petroleum jelly to remove my waterproof mascara. For most of these years my lashes have been okay. I have never had exceptionally long or thick lashes. Just average. I spoke with a young woman in Lowes once who had gorgeous lashes. She told me her's were so long that she had to trim them to keep them from dragging her glasses. Oh to be so lucky.
   Anyway, for the past 3 yrs or so, I have been having a great deal of problem with sections of my lashes falling out. You can use mascara to thicken lashes or make them look longer, but not much can be done when their missing. This baldness can't even be corrected by a comb-over ,lol.  They would no more than grow back on one eye, then fall out on the other, or the same eye again. Never all of them from one lid, just 3/8" to 1/2" sections. Bad enough though. I have fought this for years. Trying regular store bought stuff made specifically to remove the lashes. This stuff, made it a little more difficult to remove tho. I tried non waterproof mascara, but hated the raccoon look if I cried, or my eyes watered. I tried tea tree oil since it is supposed to have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Still no relief.  I even tried Olive oil, it made removal easy, but after months I was still losing my lashes. it is great stuff, but just didnt help my lash problem. I also bought stuff called Talika, that was supposed cause similar benefits as the prescription stuff. Still no help.
    Then one day, while researching on the internet, i came upon info about the benefits of coconut oil. It was supposed to be great for skin, hair, and over-all health. Check out the info on Dr. Oz HERE. I couldn't believe all the good this stuff was supposed to do. Always a little skeptical, I decided to give it a try. I had nothing to lose, since I already had a partial bucket of this from soap making. Still, I figured if olive oil did nothing, I had little hope this oil would work.
    Coconut oil, is a solid at room temperature, but softens very quickly with the heat of your hands. So about 8 months ago, I took a small container and poured some warm coconut oil into a small container and took it to my bedroom. My usual routine is to remove my mascara after my shower before bed. So after my shower, i would rub my finger over the top of the oil a few times, to soften . then I would gently rub over my lashes a few times to soften the mascara, then gently wipe with a tissue. I would get more oil on my finger if needed. It only takes a few swipes. Much less than the traditional removers. I didnt try to remove all the oil from around my eyes. Sometimes i would also smear a little more on and leave it. I never have any burning, or irritation. I have now noticed that I havent had any lash loss for several months. I hesitated to post this, because I figured if i just wait a little longer, they will fall out again. but they havent. I still dont have extremely thick or long lashes, but they are NORMAL again! I can be happy with that.
   Maybe if I am lucky they will even keep the crows feet at bay. At 52, my eyes still dont look too bad. If you already have decent lashes, maybe you will get more lushness. Who knows. Its not too expensive to try, and I have even seen the oil at Walmart. If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know how it goes.