organizing round-up - bathroom

Posted on Monday, August 4, 2008 at 11:20

I am participating in Org-junkies organizing round-up for the month of july.  The theme was bathrooms.  I did my half bath and moved all bathroom supplies from the extra pantry shelf in the laundry/craft (soon to be dining room) room to the linnen closet upstairs.

here is the before of the bathroom cabinet:

and here is the after:

one container is for hair things and one for feminine things and the big basket is the catch all basket.  The spare toilet paper is stacked up in the back corner.  Also in the back is the walpaper border for the room that I will put up someday.  It has a real cute celestial theme on it.

Much better, I sure like the containers better than the throw things in and slam the door real quick so nothing falls out thing I had going before.

Here is the rest of the room.  I bought a new rug and waste can the other day at kohls and target for the room. 

There is no before pic for the linnen/bathroom closet cause there was nothing there before but some old bedding and clothes that are now bagged up and ready to go to goodwill when I go in to town next.  I love to stock up at cvs and thats where most of this comes from, that and the grocery game.

joyful homemaker

goodies from the garden - pics

Posted on Friday, August 1, 2008 at 09:11

We have really been enjoying meals from the gardens this summer.  My squash, lettuce and herbs have all done so well.  I am also trying to do better about canning and freezing all of the surpluss this year.  So far I have frozen dill, cilantro, basil and green beans.  I also froze some sliced peaches but they weren't from my garden, I got them at the farm market last saturday.  Here are a few recent pics of things from the garden:

Squash and salad

cilantro, dill and basil

joyful homemaker

a day at the park - pictures

Posted on Friday, August 1, 2008 at 08:57

Wow, its been a while since I last posted.  It has been such a busy summer.  This is my oldests first year in 4H.  Lately they have been having their meetings at the park and I have been taking the two youngest kiddos down to the playground durring the meeting.  This park has the nicest playground, the kids love it here

joyful homemaker

organizing round-up - playroom

Posted on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 02:11

This is my first month participating in org junkies organization round up.  This months theme was the playroom which was a good thing cause ours was getting pretty ugly.  As embarassing as they are here are the befores:

and  here are the afters:

much better!

joyful homemaker

We have a baby! - pic

Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 04:09

We have our first baby chick. 

 I was just going to leave the hen out in the coup with her but, Im too nervouse.  We tried to move the rest of the hens from her coup to the big coup but the older hens were really fighting them.  We are going to move mama, her chick, and her two remaining eggs to a brooder in the garage.  I think that will be less stressful to everyone.  Mama is a very tiny timid hen and the others are pecking at her and sitting on her.  I think she will be more relaxed in her own pen.  Also if something happens and she tries to abandon them, I can just turn on the heat lamp and put her back out in the pen with the others. 

This is so fun, I am considering buying some fertilized eggs from the hatchery to put under my other broody hen.

joyful homemaker

hatching my first chick - pics!

Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 02:10

One little chick is on its way out of the shell.  Here is a pic of mama setting

and here is a pic of the egg hatching

I was just told not to take the egg out from under the hen anymore or it could hurt the chick.  I had no clue, I was just so excited.  This is my first hatch.  I will resist the urge to peek anymore and leave them alone till this evening.  I will try to get more pics when they are hatched.

joyful homemaker

I have a chick hatching

Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 11:11

One of the eggs my broody hen is setting on is starting to hatch.  I pulled the eggs out from under the hen this morning to check them and one is moving, one nothing and one has a little hole on one end that wasnt there last nite. I removed all the other hens from the coup. If all goes well, I will take pics and post.

joyful homemaker

question about hatching chicks

Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 at 08:35

I have a broody hen who is setting on eggs we got on vacation memorial day weekend.  I dont know what day she started setting and thought the eggs were rotten.  The other day one egg broke and to our suprise there was a fully developed chick with the yolk attached by a tube to its stomach.  It didn't make it but made me think maybe the others have a chance.  One of the eggs actually moves.  This started yesterday.  How long should it be till we have chicks?  She is up in a nest box about two and a half feet off the ground, should I move her before they hatch or after?

thanks

joyful homemaker

the gardens are in!

Posted on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 07:05

I have planted two gardens this year.  I normally only plant one, but this year I got a little more adventurous.

Dh and I planted the front garden two weeks ago.  We planted:  tomatoes - yellow and cherry, yellow and white onions, jalepenos, chives, raddishes, lettuce, cilantro, dill, cantelope, summer squash, marigolds, wild flowers and pansies.

This afternoon I planted the the garden in our backyard.  I planted:  pumkins, watermellons, sphagetti squash, patty pan squash, zucchini, cucumber, green beans, onions, lettuce, dill, cilantro, banana peppers, yellow peppers, sunflowers and wildflowers and tomorrow I will add two rows of sweet corn.

joyful homemaker

Posted on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 07:04

Posted on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 07:04

my day today

Posted on Monday, June 9, 2008 at 09:37

This morning I tried to get caught up on the housework.  I was behind from having such a busy weekend.  I got done about half of what I wanted to.  Ali had kindergarten camp this afternoon.  She goes each afternoon this week.  On the way to pick her up, I saw a box turtle in the middle of the road.  I put him into a containter on my front seat and we set him free when we got home.The school had a table set up with some freebies on it.  It was leftover classroom stuff.  We got some markers, colored pencils, books, etc.  One thing the kids really enjoyed was a box of tanograms and books with patterns for them.For dinner I made pizza.  this is the first time I made my own crust from scratch.  It turned out very well.  I topped the pizza with some sauce I canned last summer, motzerella, sliced mushrooms, onions, banana pepper rings I canned last year and parmasean cheese.  YUM!

joyful homemaker

busy weekend -pictures!

Posted on Monday, June 9, 2008 at 10:31

We had such a busy weekend!  It was fun, but I am ready for things to slow down a bit now. 

Friday the kids played outside and I helped DH load two truckloads of metal scrap to haul.  Afterward we went to the lake to cool off and swim.  The lake was still too cold so we went to the pool instead.

Saturday was family fun day at the park.  DH helps run a casting kids booth for his bass fishing club.  The kids entered the casting contest, did archery and took a canoe ride.

 Sunday afternoon we planted the smaller front garden.  We also went to my cousins graduation party.

Today I have to catch up on the housework I completely neglected over the weekend!)

joyful homemaker

what I did with a carton of whipping cream - pics!

Posted on Friday, June 6, 2008 at 01:34

The other day my grandmother sent down a basket of strawberries from her garden.  Normally when she does this I run to the store and buy shortcakes and cool whip.  Lately though due to the rising grocery and gas prices I have been trying to just be more creative and use up what I have at home.  I went online and looked up  this recipe for whipped cream and made it with my kitchen aid mixer.  It turned our really good!  I also made some shortcakes from bisquick.  They were kind of gross though, way too salty.  I wont make them from that recipe again!

I had half a carton of whipping cream left so I decided to make butter.  I have made it before by putting the cream into a mason jar and shaking it forever until it became butter.  I didn't want to do it this way again so I put it into my kitchen aid and it really went very fast!  It made perfect butter and I saved the buttermilk for pancakes and biscuts. 

joyful homemaker

great bloggy giveaway!

Posted on Thursday, June 5, 2008 at 02:53

Susan is having a great giveaway over at her blog .   Make sure you check it out!  I love the prize for the 1st give away.  I would love to win it because then my apron would match my soap bottle's apron :)

joyful homemaker

first time using my Nutramill - pictures!

Posted on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 12:50

I got my nutramill at lehmans hardware on memorial day weekend.  I was so excited to try it when we got home, but didn't get around to it till yesterday (2yo took an unexpected long afternoon nap:))  Here is my mill

I ground up 8 cups of wheat berries into flour, it made alot more than I thought it would!

 I tried a recipe that said it makes 50 rolls, for some reason it took alot more flour than it called for.  Apparently there is a difference in how much to use of fresh milled flour compared to store bought.  It made 54 rolls and I still had dough left over so I put it in to a loaf pan for bread.  The rolls came out great, but the bread came out all hollow in the middle so it will become apple cinamon bread pudding tonite!

I am going to grind more flour today and try to make whole wheat tortillas for tonites soft taco dinner.  I will try to remember to take pictures and post if it turns out.

joyful homemaker   

Our weekend trip to Amish Country - Pictures!

Posted on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 02:04

On memorial day weekend we took a trip to Berlin Ohio.  It is only about an hour away from our home.  We stayed in a very nice little hotel called the Berlin village inn friday and saturday night.  The first night we picked our oldest dd up from school and checked into our hotel. 

We drove around and got an idea of where we wanted to go the next day and we shopped a little.  Saturday morning we went to Lehmans and bought this

I also picked up a new 7quart canner and a yogurt maker and some other odds and ends.  We then went to Heinis cheese to see how cheese is made, but they werent giving tours that day.  We did sample alot of cheese though.  We stopped at a bulk food store and picked up some wheat berries, lentils and other miscelanious things.  After lunch we went to tour the Yoders Amish farm.  It was a great tour, you start out in the gift shop

Then you move on to an older 1800's style house and garden

Then we moved on to the next part of the tour which was a modern style Amish home

When we left the second house we went to see the animals in the barn.  We got sidetracked by the chickens and got to talking with the gentleman who takes care of them.  He gave us 6 eggs for our hens to set on from these chickens

We finished up the tour of the barn and the school house and then took a buggy ride.  I did not take pictures out of respect to the Amish ladies and gentlemen running these parts of the tour.

Sunday we left our hotel and went to roscoe village for the day.  I didn't take too many pictures there because we just went there in september and I took a ton of pictures then.  I did get a few though

We had a great time and plan to go back in the fall!

joyful homemaker

anyone ever start garden plants indoors - need advice

Posted on Sunday, February 3, 2008 at 04:52

I only have a moment to post, but I am thinking about starting my garden plants from seeds indoors this winter instead of buying them at the greenhouse.  I have never done this before, so if anyone else has please give me some advice on how and when to get started.

joyful homemaker

working on my new years resolutions

Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 06:54

I have been working on some of my new years resolutions.  I had a major coffee/caffine addiction.  10 to 12 cups a day.  I am now down to one cup or two a day.  I got a new coffee pot for christmas.  It is one of those senseo pots that uses the pods.  One pod = one cup of coffee.  This helps because it is too easy to make way too much in a regular coffee pot.

I have also been trying to lose weight.  I am using slimfast peanut butter bars for breakfast and slimfast shakes for lunch (strawberry is my favorite).  I am also serving salad each nite with dinner.  So far I am down 6 lbs.  The next step will be adding in excersize.  I want to alternate between the excersize bike and yoga and the firm and taebo tapes.  I have been having a small medical issue right now so I havnt been able to start the exersize yet, but that should be resolved soon.

Off to do dishes and vaccume and fold laundry and .............

joyful homemaker

a great contest

Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 09:47

There is a great contest going on over at the simply susan blog.  She has been with out internet for a while, but is now back online.  She is giving away a great selection of her ebooks.  Please click here to visit her and welcome her back.

have a great day!

joyful homemaker