Little Girls Room Makeover

We've lived in our current home for over 2 years and finally got around to re-doing our little girls room. {The bright side to a few days of  freezing weather so Abe could be home long enough to work on it!} Three of our little girls share a fairly small bedroom. We have a beautiful Pottery Barn trundle bed and armoire, but these both took up the majority of the room with little room for them to play. The walls were painted a dark brown and the paint was textured showing up every little scuff mark. Yup, this room really needed a face lift! With the help of my very handy husband and a day trip to IKEA (complete with Swedish meatballs) the new room turned out beautiful!

Our long term plans are to add a second story to our house. This room will eventually house the stairs leading to the second story, with this room possibly becoming a craft/sewing room. But for now it will need to continue to be the bedroom for our little girls, ages 3, 5 and 6. Since they are small enough, I decided to give them more space by giving them all toddler beds (which we already had). 

The new room is so bright and cheerful!

I had Abe put up wood bead-board 6 feet up the wall which he painted white to brighten up the room and make it feel much bigger. He added a ledge all the way around the room giving us lots of room to put knick-knacks and pictures, well out of reach of little hands. We painted the top part of the wall a light beige color. We hung a canopy tent in the corner with tie-backs that serves both as decoration as well as imaginary play. PJs are stored in bins under each of their beds.

I found these cute wicker chairs, little stools and table at IKEA, perfect for little girl's tea parties.

These fun alphabet cards were a present from my mother-in-law several years ago, and were my inspiration for adding a ledge to the room. Aren't they fun?

 Stuffed toys, photos and the kids' artwork decorate the ledge as well...

The bedding and curtains have a strawberry theme which the girls copied for these pictures. I love to decorate with homemade art work!

Stacking bins keep toys neat and organized and make clean-up super easy.

I found these duvet covers and pillow cases in coordinating prints at IKEA in bright, fresh colors.

The girls LOVE their new room!

Tower Garden

I bought a Tower Garden last summer and it is quickly becoming my favorite way of gardening. The Tower Garden is a vertical aeroponic growing system in which you can grow a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers. It is easier than growing in dirt- no kneeling, bending, tilling, pulling weeds or dirt to wash off your produce. There are also a whole lot less bugs to contend with (my favorite part!) You can grow a whole lot of produce in very little space. Although you can place it anywhere, its ideal for decks and patios.

I have my TG on my front porch where it gets both sun and shade, the perfect place to grow lettuce greens which we eat a lot of...

You start your seeds in rock fiber starter plugs, which come with your Tower Garden purchase. When the roots show through the end of the plug you can place the seedling into the net pot inside your tower garden. These lettuce plants are just 6 days old and ready to be added to the tower.

The plants below are several weeks old. We pick leaves daily for our salads. As plants get older and begin to bolt, I replace them with new seedlings. During these hot summer months I am using heat tolerant lettuce like Butercrunch and Summer Crisp. Mesclun varieties also do really well in the TG...

Maintenance is easy- just make sure the reservoir is filled during hot weather and test and maintain the pH levels twice a week.

To learn more about the Tower Garden, visit my website here.
(My tower garden is on a dolly built by my son so I can move it around easily. This accessory is also available to purchase.)

Life on the Farm

Summer is here. School is over for a few months. Back to a somewhat slower pace (if that's even possible with 10 children!). Lots of dirty feet, daily baths and tick checks.

I was excited to finally put in a garden again. We didn't get it started until Memorial Day. My hubby came home from a trip up north with a truck bed full of plants from his family's greenhouse. My 2 men worked hard to put in raised beds, and now 4 weeks later the garden is big and beautiful. We use only fish emulsion to fertilize our plants- it works wonders!

We use food grade diatomaceous earth as a natural pesticide. DE is made from fossilized water plants and looks and feels much like flour. To insects, DE is a lethal powder that has microscopic sharp edges that cut through their outer shell causing them to dry out and die. Some of the pests affected by DE are ants, fireants, caterpillars, spiders, fleas, ticks, snails, termites, earwigs, slugs, centipedes, silver fish, lice, scorpions, Japanese beetles, fruit flies, cucumber beetles, squash vine borers, thrips, loopers and more.DE doesn't harm earthworms and won't harm bees if  you avoid putting it on the blossoms in your garden. DE also helps aerate the soil and adds many beneficial minerals. Although you can mix it with water to make a wash or spray, I prefer to just sprinkle it onto my plants. I buy it in bulk from here. We also use it for our animals (horse, chickens, dog and kitten) as a natural de-wormer.

I'm experimenting with a new way of growing tomatoes this year- vertical growing in 5-gallon buckets. My idea is to trellis the growing tomatoes onto the pipe we have hanging up...

                                      

                                     

While  working in the yard with his skidsteer machine, my husband came upon a nest of baby bunnies. We didn't think the mother would return to them, but she did. Only one of the bunnies didn't make it.

We also got 15 new layers. Now if they would just start laying eggs! There is nothing like fresh eggs...

This is Cali, our new kitten. The kids have been having a lot of fun playing with her. Her home is in our barn, where, hopefully, she will keep down the mouse population.

A few weeks ago, we also had a baby deer in the yard. The kids heard her crying behind the barn where she was stuck in our hog panels. Apparently her mother couldn't get her free and thus abandoned her. We set her free in our pasture, but  unfortunately, she was too weak to survive on her own yet. She was a beautiful little fawn. Elise got this adorable shot of her while she was checking out our beagle!

Cooking Day

I have found it very helpful to have a kitchen or cooking day once or twice a month. I try to shop at Costco once a month and buy my meats in bulk there, as well as bulk veggies, canned tomato products and things like oats and cheese. Instead of coming home and freezing everything, I take a day to cook chickens and brown meat and form meatballs, cook beans, chop some veggies and make homemade granola. This helps stock up the pantry and also makes it easier to put together meals the rest of the month. I make at least 14 meals or meal-starts to place in the freezer to help out on busy days. This also comes in handy now that we are expecting another baby. The older kids have the ability to put together simple meals with the ingredients I have available both in the freezer and the pantry.

I know there are families, even large families, that cook complete meals and freeze them so that they have a freezer stocked for a month worth of meals. My hat is off to them! Although I have a few meals ready to go, I have found it more doable to have a few things pre-cooked and build meals from there. I also don't have the freezer space to keep that many meals for my size family.

This is a typical "cooking day" for our family... different kids help with different aspects of the day, from cutting and stirring to doing dishes and cleaning up the mess!

Starting the night before, I load up the crockpots (I have 3 large ones) with dried beans and let them soak overnight. We do different varieties; our favorites and most eaten beans include pintos, black beans and red kidney beans. The next morning I drain the beans and cover them with fresh water. Cover and cook on low in the crockpot for the majority of the day. You will smell when they are done! Unplug and allow to cool; then drain and place in smaller freezer containers for future meals. Don't forget to label!

Next I begin to cook whole chickens. I like to cook about 4, but currently only have the room to do 2 at a time, so I save 2 for the following day. Start early in the morning (1 per pot), add water to cover as well as baby carrots, a large chopped onion, some celery and  fresh garlic. Simmer until late morning; take chicken out with large tongs and allow to cool. After lunch, debone chickens and add bones back to the pot; continue to simmer until mid to late afternoon. I shred the cooked chicken and place in freezer containers (1 chicken per container) and label.

When broth is cooled, strain and place this in containers as well to freeze. Homemade chicken stock is so much healthier than store bought, and tastes better too. Use this for soups and when broth or stock is called for in recipes.

While the chickens are cooking, I make a batch of granola in the oven. See recipe below. When this cools, I also place this in a large plastic container or glass jar to display.

I usually buy about 12-14 pounds of ground beef. I take about half of the beef and roll into meatballs. I add a little salt, pepper, minced onion and a generous dash of curry powder and shape into one-inch meatballs. I freeze these between wax paper in freezer containers. These can be cooked from frozen in a single layer on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes in the oven set for 375. The rest of the beef I brown and freeze in 1 to 2 pound increments to be used in recipes. Again, don't forget to label!

I also buy about 6-7 pounds of ground turkey. I mix this to either the beef or brown on its own, and label.

I also try to make 2 large batches of soup to freeze, especially in the winter. I made my mom's tomato beef soup this time around. See recipe below.

I also chop up some stirfry vegetables (zucchini, onions and colored bell peppers) and place them in freezer bags, ready for an Island Chicken dish we make. (See recipe below)

If time allows, or I have extra helpers, I often make homemade spaghetti sauce and freeze. One or two of the kids also make 2 batches of bean and cheese burritos to put in the freezer (that's 32 burritos for our family). I have tried to make my own refried beans, but we really like Trader Joe's salsa style refried beans, and since they aren't that expensive, they save a lot of extra work! The kids shred cheese and add  refried beans to different flavored tortillas, that we also buy at TJ's. We freeze these in ziploc
bags and warm up in oven and eat with salsa and sour cream- a family favorite!

Homemade Granola:

2/3 cup raw honey
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
4 tsp. vanilla extract
10 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups sliced almonds
2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
1 cup pumpkin seeds or pepitas
4 cups organic raisins

In small saucepan, combine honey and oil and heat over medium heat until blended. Remove from heat and add vanilla. In large bowl mix oats, almonds, coconut and pumpkin seeds. Add honey mixture and stir until evenly coated. Place on 2 large cookie sheets and bake at 300 for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in raisins and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks, stirring occasionally until cooled. Store in airtight container. We love this with homemade yogurt and fresh fruit! (Makes about 20 cups)

Tomato Beef Soup:

12 cups water
lean beef cubes (large tray from Costco)
2 pounds of ground beef, add salt and roll into mini meatballs
beef bouillon
large can (105 oz) of crushed tomatoes
8 stalks of celery
6 large leeks, sliced and washed carefully
2 bay leaves
1 small can tomato paste
fresh parsley, chopped
1 pound orzo, cooked, if desired

Cut beef cubes into small bite sized pieces and simmer in water for 1 1/2 hours. Add mini meatballs and bouillon to taste. Also add crushed tomatoes, celery, leeks and bay leaf. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes until veggies are tender. Add tomato paste and cooked orzo. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. If not eating immediately, allow to cool and place in freezer containers. (This makes enough for 2 meals for our size family)

Island Chicken Dish:
This is a homemade version of a dish that I like at an asian bistro restaurant nearby. The recipe is really a mango-chicken dish made with fresh mango. I sometimes make it with fresh sliced mango, but it also tastes good with fresh pineapple chunks. This version is easier because it uses canned pineapple, which is easy to stock in the pantry. With the veggies pre-cut in the freezer and the chicken cooked ahead, this becomes a meal that is ready to put together with pineapple, sauce and rice from the pantry...

2-3 zucchini, sliced
3 colored bell peppers, sliced
1 large sweet onion, sliced
(the above can be chopped and frozen ahead)
1 cooked chicken, chopped and thawed, if frozen (can also use cooked chicken breast)
1 20-oz can pineapple chunks
1 20-oz bottle Trader Joe's Island Soyaki or your favorite teriyaki sauce

Stirfry vegetables in a little olive oil in large frying pan until tender. Add cooked chicken, pineapple and  stirfry sauce and stir until heated through. Serve over cooked rice.

Cleaning Day

I used to do school five days a week and spent Saturday frantically cleaning the house, running errands and foodshopping (which for several years was a 45 mile drive, one way!). Abe began working away from home during the week and would return home for the weekend. I quickly realized that this hectic Saturday schedule could not last, and was hardly conducive to a happy family reunion. If I left the housework undone, I would quickly become irritated. I grew up with a mother who could be Martha Stewart's twin- she is very clean and very organized, so being messy wasn't in my psyche!

Thus, our Cleaning Day was born. We picked Friday as our day of choice. We could finish all of our school work between Monday and Thursday, and spend Friday cleaning the house before daddy came home. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace knowing that the house was getting cleaned well each week and I could enjoy my weekends so much more. Now that Abe no longer works away from home, I still prefer Fridays to be cleaning day as we tend to entertain most on the weekends...

The kids didn't mind condensing their schooling into 4 days. This often meant having to do extra work to stay on schedule, but it was very doable. When our cleaning was complete on Friday, they could have some "down-time" to play a computer game or watch a movie. (And for the record, we count Fridays as Home Economics- what they are learning is invaluable!)

After having a Cleaning Day in place for over 9 years now, I couldn't imagine doing it any other way. In fact, our little children pray on Thursdays for the Lord to help us as tomorrow is cleaning day; it is ingrained in them as if it were the Sabbath!

On Cleaning Day we try to get an early start. I write everyone's jobs on the black board in the kitchen. Jobs get crossed off as they are completed. I have found it best to give the same children the same jobs weekly, although I do alternate them occasionally. Everyone is responsible for their own room (or in our case, section of the room) as well as closet space (again, everyone shares a closet).Then each child cleans their designated room or area. Older ones help with vacuuming and mopping. One child is assigned cleaning appliances which involves cleaning the toaster oven, wiping the outside of the fridge, oven, microwave and dishwasher. Another child has to touch up windows, as little children make lots of smudges! When needed, I also assign younger children to wiping trim and magic sponging away marks on the walls. These are jobs that young children are perfectly capable of doing and keep them involved in the cleaning process. My main job is to tackle the bathrooms, as I really like these to be done well. We also take this day to wash all of the towels and sheets.

Why clean the whole house in one day? I know moms who do a little each day- say dusting one day, vacuuming on another day, cleaning the bathrooms on yet another day... I just really like the feeling of a whole clean house all at one time. It also makes it easier to ignore the little messes that bother me throughout the week, because I know that it will get done on Friday. I can also jot down things that I notice throughout the week that need to get added to our Friday schedule- for example, toys that have collected under the sofa that need to be retrieved, or a cabinet that needs organizing.

I have heard so many moms complain that they just don't have time to clean their homes and homeschool at the same time. There just isn't enough time to get it all done. And having a clean, orderly home is important. It helps bring a sense of peace to our homes, and it helps others feel welcome...

Gardening Day

One of the advantages (okay, there are a few) to living in North Carolina compared to Montana is that Spring comes so much earlier.  It's my favorite time of the year!  Living in a new place that was occupied for the past 7 years by a bachelor leaves our yard wide open for some color and creativity.  So this past Saturday we got to work.  The children love to help me do yard work and it is so much fun to work together.  Hey, they even get excited to pull weeds!  (Of course it was hard to explain to Evie which were weeds and which weren't). We planted a few tulips and daffodils in our front yard and snuck a few lily of the valley in a shady spot next to the back porch.  It will be fun to add to our collection little bit by little bit and add beauty in the process...

"This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise. This is my Father's world; He shines in all that's fair; in the rustling grass I hear him pass, He speaks to me everywhere."

M. Babcock, 1901

Chores

Every family needs to come up with a way to deal with chores.  I admit that I have purchased and tried many different chore charts over the years.  They always seemed to include chores that we didn't do and omitted chores that I wanted to include. We've also tried  skipping charts altogether with mom simply requesting what needed to be done.  Hmm, that seemed to produce only grumbling and complaining! If your kids are anything like mine, they like to know what is expected of them. So I came up with my own chore system...

Each child of working age has an envelope with their name on it.  We post ours on the fridge.  I have 2 other envelopes, one with all the chore cards and one for completed chore cards to be placed into.  The chores to be done are written on index cards with a sharpie.  Each child has chores placed in their envelope each day, and when completed they take the card out and place it in the completed chore envelope.  I update the chores each evening before going to bed or early in the morning before the kids get up.  I can add and delete chore cards as necessary, as chores and seasons change.  This method has been easy, cheap and has really worked for our family.

Be creative in your chores.  Jot down the many little things that need to get done and begin to add them to your chore list.  We include things like start yogurt, juice lemons, match socks, wipe trim, touch-up windows, clean closet slot, watch baby during dinner prep, straighten books on shelf, collect eggs,wash eggs, collects sheets, collect towels, put laundry away, water outside plants, sweep patio... Certain chores that need to get done daily get rotated through the children, like setting the table and straightening certain rooms.  This system has helped us keep on top of the workload that comes with a big, and often messy, household...

Making An Art Gallery

Moving into a new house just a few months ago, my mom had the wonderful idea of making one of the hallways our children's art gallery. (Thanks, Mom!) I had always wanted to display some of the children's art work but had never gotten around to it. We found some really inexpensive frames at Walmart, all matching black metal frames in different sizes.  The children picked their favorite pieces to display and we continue to add to our collection. Guests love to look at the VW Art Gallery!