To Do List: Try New Things: Violet Jelly and Dandelion Syrup

Patty at Morning Ramble has a recipe for Dandelion syrup on her blog. I have plenty of Dandelions so I thought I would give it a try. The soaking Dandelions didn't look so appetizing. I wasn't too confident about how it was going to turn out. I kept a positive attitude and continued on.

After following the directions I had a nice thick golden colored syrup. That taste like...well...syrup. I can't say that I taste something that taste like Dandelion. All I know is that it is good.

After success with the Dandelions I was fired up to try something else. I have been wanting to try Violet Jelly for a couple of years. I found a great recipe and tutorial at Prairieland Herbs.

I picked Violets out of our yard. It took about 20 minutes or so. I just plopped down in the middle of a patch and cleared them out. I followed the recipe and because it was late after I soaked the flowers, I refrigerated the liquid from the violets overnight. Making the jelly only took about 45 minutes total. I think it is delicious. It has a light floral taste to it. It is delicious on toast with butter. Here are the results. Isn't it beautiful? I love the lavender color. The tall bottle is the Dandelion Syrup.

Finally, inspired by my success I decided to use some fruit I had that I was afraid would spoil. So I made some Pear and Pecan Conserve and Plum preserves. I just had enough for a jar or two so I just threw them in the water bath with the jelly.

I put some extra in a decorative jar I had and we have been enjoying it with some buttered biscuits.

This has been fun. Who would have thought weeds from my yard would taste so good!

Technorati tags: violet, jelly, frugal living, homemaking, violet jelly<

Sticking To My Budget

I've made it a goal to stick to my $14 or less decorating budget again this year. I'll admit it would be easier if it were $20! But it is fun though to try and do it for as little as possible. My ornaments from my previous post came to less than a dollar or free depending on how you look at it because I didn't buy anything. I had everything in my stash of craft items.

My hubby brought home a Poinsettia as a present. The only thing I have bought were a couple of red checked tablecloths for $3 and a green cross stitch pillow from the thrift store for .50. I'm using these items to decorate my porch. The arrangement on the table I already had. (I found that table on the curb btw. Gotta love it!) I made a wreath for the door from a couple of garlands and ornaments I had and added a velvet bow I bought for .20 on clearance last year. I think the results are festive and I have only spent $8.70. I still have $5 left for supplies for our traditional "Gingerbread" houses. I have spent so much money in the past for Holiday decorations. Most of them bit the dust years ago after 4 kids. It is such a good feeling to be able to make things look nice for pennies. If and when I do decide to spend money on decorations I won't feel like I've been wasteful.

Lavender Air Freshner

I like my house to smell nice. I've found that many artificial fragrances bother both my husband and me. I've found an easy and natural way to add fragrance to our home and it only cost pennies.

I take a jar and fill it about one half to three quarters full of Epsom salt. I want to leave room in the jar to shake it and mix the ingredients. To this I add the leaves and flowers and the chopped up stalks from lavender plants.

The Epsom salts leach the moisture out of the plant material and smells wonderful. When I want fragrance I just shake the jar and remove the lid.

I add plant material through out the growing season. In the winter if I need to refresh the scent I add a few drops of essential oil. For more tips check out Crystal's site.

Soft Soap

I've noticed the past few years that cleaning products have started to bother me. After cleaning the bathroom or kitchen I would be coughing and my eyes would itch. I discovered the recipe for homemade laundry detergent online and decided to make a version of it for cleaning.

I have been using the pink Zote soap in mine simply because that is what I have found at a good price. My soap consist of only 3 ingredients: A half bar of Zote soap, grated, about a half cup of Washing Soda and about a gallon of hot water. I don't bother to add the Borax called for in the laundry soap recipe because it is for whitening and odor removal and I don't think I need that in this recipe. I melt the soap in a pan on the stove and then stir in the Washing Soda, (the mixture starts to thicken when the washing soda is added) simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat, allow to cool enough to transfer to storage containers. Soap will thicken as it cools. Mine is fairly thick. The more water you add the softer it will be. Experiment until you get a consistency you like.

Before I transfer it to the storage containers I add essential oils for fragrance. I added Lavender and Peppermint to mine. The Zote soap has a light floral fragrance that blends well with it.

I use this soap for cleaning almost anything. I have found it works well for floors, bathroom fixtures, to pre-treat laundry and even to wash dishes (It cuts grease well). I just mix in about a third of a cup with about a gallon or so of water. I use more, or sometimes even straight, if it is a tough cleaning job.

As I run out of cleaners I have on hand, I am replacing them with natural products such as vinegar and baking soda. I also use micro fiber cloths. I get mine in the auto department at Wal Mart. I use them on my Swiffer for mopping as well as regular cleaning. Using natural products not only helps me, but it helps the environment as well.

Less Becomes More

If you want the honest spiritual truth, my prayer is this:

Dear God, get me out of this mess.

Rita Mae Brown

It has been a busy week around here. We worked in the business everyday, including the 4th. Work, combined with the extremely hot weather, has left me feeling tired, physically and emotionally.

I get into a kind of depression this time of year. We are so busy with our business that everything else goes to the wayside, especially my house.

I had planned to have a yard sale this year. There were boxes crammed with books, clothes, knickknacks and whatnots under my garage. Every time I would carry another box out to the pile I felt this felling of chaos and confusion engulf me. I began to look at that pile of stuff with such a feeling of despair.

It became a pressure that I felt stuck or mired in. A distressing situation that I couldn't find the time to change. I knew I had enough for a very good yard sale, but it became more important to me to just get rid of the stuff. In doing so I hoped to clear my mind as well as my garage.

I guess I'll always be a messy person. I don't always make my bed. I don't always hang up things after I wear them. I've been known to leave a towel laying in the floor. Being messy causes small miseries to pile up as well. Things get lost or broken. I get embarrassed when people come over and everything isn't like I want it to be. I've found that when my house is messy, my life is usually messy as well.

When everything gets to the point where I can't stand it anymore, the only thing to do is purge and clean. Reach for the broom and the garbage bags and boxes and clean it all up. That is what I have been doing. I took two truck loads to Goodwill and the dump and two truck loads of weight off my mind and spirit.

In some cases always holding on to items "in case we need them", or making a decision that may save or make us a few dollars, but requires a lot of effort on our part, may feel like the most frugal thing to do. In reality it can bind us and keep us from receiving a much greater blessing or prevent us from using our time and effort where it is most needed. Being frugal isn't just about stuff or money. It is also about being wise with our greatest resource... our enegry and our own peace of mind.

"Prayer and housekeeping---they go together. They have always gone together. We simply know that our daily round is how we live. When we clean and order our homes, we are somehow also cleaning and ordering ourselves." Gunilla Norris

Links To Plants in a Bag And Other Cool Stuff!

This first link is mostly for my friend Angie. (She is a new blogger at Simple Living through God and a much better gardener than me! Everybody stop by and say "Hi".)

I think others will like it too . You Grow Girl has a great post about growing plants in plastic bags. Check it out. Too cool!

Gracious Hospitality has great pictures and instructions on making Lavender baskets. I'll have to try one of those.

Teri's Paper Dolls is a site I found awhile back. If you like paper dolls you will love the site. Check it out.

Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management was published back in 1861. An interesting read. Women took the art of homemaking very seriously. We are so blessed to have so many conveniences today.

If you take part in the Walgreens rebate programs, here is a website that list their rebates by month.

Pic: Lavender in my yard. The only thing growing well in this drought.

WFMW: Dishpans Rock!

I love dishpans. In fact, if I wasn't married, I would marry a dishpan. They are that good! I mean it. They are versatile, very useful, cheap( I get mine for a dollar), they help you clean up and they don't talk back!

I use dishpans in so many ways that the original post I wrote turned into something akin to a thesis, so I decided to cut to the chase and just list someways I use dishpans in my home.

* Carry dishes, silverware and condiments to and from the table.

* As a homeschooler we use them in many ways; as schoolwork In/Out boxes, to hold items we need to take to classes or lessons, for science experiments and craft projects and so on.

* I keep one under the bathroom sink with all the items needed for a good foot soak and pedicure.

* One for each child to hold clean laundry to be put away and items found in their pockets.

* To corral small jars and items such as butter on one shelf in the refrigerator. No more getting lost in the back.

* I also keep one to put small Tupperware or baggies that hold leftovers and items like onion halves.

* To hold cleaning items in bathroom and under kitchen sink.

* Storage containers on open shelving to hold items such as the dog leash, umbrellas, small toys, small kids books.

* Great for quick pick up of items to be put away. They are just the right size for kids to handle easily.

* Store parts to small appliances such as attachments for the vacuum. Keep all the baking items together: the beaters for the mixer, blades for the food processor, measuring spoons.

* Use a dishpan to soak and hand wash delicate laundry.

* Though not the most attractive option, in a pinch a NEW dishpan can be used as a large serving bowl for items such as potato salad, green salad or any other cold dish. Hmmm....I have visions of an enormous Holy Smoke Pie!

* To wash dishes. Gasp! I know, how UNoriginal but you know it really does help save water.

These are just a few of the ways we use dishpans around our home. Works for Me. I would love to hear any ideas that others might want to share. Dishpans holding my craft paint by color. Click here for the NEW WFMW!

Patience pays

I've had these silhouettes of my kids displayed on a shelf for years, just waiting until I could find the perfect frames to put them in. I finally did! I got both these frames at the thrift store for $2 each! I didn't go to the expense of getting a mat cut for them. I took black acid free paper, scrapbooking actually, and placed the pics on top of it with pieces of archival tape. When they were put in the frames you can hardly tell that they aren't framed. I am really wanting the warm weather back and am feeling the need for spring cleaning and rearranging. I picked up some silk African Violets at the wholesale florist, put them in regular terra cota pots and sat them in my dining room window; then I hung my new pictures. It cheered me up and brought a little spring in, even if it is still pretty cool outside. Now I just need the sun to shine.

The Great Ant War Part 2

I'm killing 2 birds with one stone here. I've made great progress in my battle against the dreaded invading ants AND I'm counting this as a step toward breaking my bad habits (what in the name of sanity was I thinking of when I wrote that post?) I would say working on the pantry qualifies toward getting organized. That will be a topic for another day.

Here is a before shot of my pantry. I'm really lucky to have such a large space for a pantry. You can't see from these shots but there is also shelves to the right of the door. That is where all the canned goods are. I tried to find inexpensive containers and managed to locate some at yard sales these past few weekends. I've also utilized leftover coffee creamer containers. The outer layer of plastic peels right off leaving a nice white outside that you can label. The lids also have a pouring spout that is really easy to use. I have oatmeal, sliced almonds, and other things you can pour easily in mine.

I took all my cake mixes and put them into a large plastic container. Everything is labeled so it is easy to find. I still need to pick up a few large containers to put things like the pop tarts into. I still want to line all the shelves with paper . Best of all...I haven't found a single ant inside of anything! Yeah Baby!

The Great Ant War

Ants...I hate them. The word ant leaves a bad taste in my mouth. They scamper, crawl and creep into every crack and crevice. No matter how hard we try, short of poisoning the entire neighborhood, we cannot get rid of the disgusting little buggers. This year, much to my utter dismay, they have already started to invade my kitchen. Usually I have a reprieve from them until around May but not this year. I realize that I have to get started early if I want to stave off an all out invasion. I've decided to repackage every item in my kitchen that they might even consider leaving their nasty little footprints in. I have found them in almost everything that is boxed or bagged so my intent is to repackage everything that comes in a those containers. The key being that each item I use to repackage into must be free or almost free. The added benefit being that my cabinets and pantry should be much neater and nicer in appearance. I chose to start with my cabinet right next to my stove where I keep the most used items in my kitchen. Here is my before: And here is the after:

Granted, most of those items are not often bothered by ants, except for salt for some weird reason, but I wanted to start out with an easy to accomplish reorganization. I need some motivation to keep going, so I will try to post pictures of each area as I finish. My pantry is going to take awhile because it is a full closet size.

One tip I will pass on from all this that I find really helps. Sometimes ants are able to crawl along the grooves in the lid of a jar and get in even if the lid is on tight. To solve this problem I place a small piece of plastic wrap over the top of the jar before I screw the lid on. This adds an extra barrier to them.

Cheap containers are fairly easy to find. I repurposed a few, picked up a few at Goodwill, and put the word out to my friends that I'm looking for gallon, half gallon and quart size containers. I've already received a few. I printed out labels with my computer on regular paper and used clear tape to apply them. They are easy to replace when I need to. I hope to be able to finish my pantry and cabinets for very little money.

I can't believe I'm posting this picture...w/ Update....

During the summer months our business takes almost all of my free time. Things around here sometimes get totally out of control to put it mildly. I manage the public areas of my home pretty well. But far in the back corner, where I wouldn't dare let anyone in is...The Room from H-e-double toothpicks! My art and craft area. This is what I have... And this from Martha Stewart.com is what I want... So for the next couple of weeks my goal is to organize the before and make it look as much like the after as possible. I'm starting today by purchasing some photo storage boxes and a couple of file boxes. So if you don't hear from me for awhile, send out the rescue dogs. I'll probably be buried somewhere under all that junk. UPDATE Progress has been made. Getting a little more Martha like. Instead of buying new, I've covered some shoe boxes in white to match the boxes I already have. I've cleaned out a bag of garbage. I'm sorting and organizing my art supplies. I'm feeling much better about the situation. Another day or two should get most of the work done. I chose white because I find white and soft greens to be the most calming colors. They help me clear my mind of mental clutter and focus on my projects. I'm looking forward to creating in a orderly space for a change.

The Great Frugal Fall Fix Up Part 1

The temperature dropped below 85 and the Fall Fix Up Bug bit us. We have been patching, painting, sewing, mulching and planting. The most satisfying project by far for me is my "This Old Couch" fix up. As you can tell in the before picture it was seriously in need of a make over. Our dearly departed dog, Toby, did a number on the cushions. It was dirty, torn and just all around objectionable. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/Scatrodee/before.jpg I knew I couldn't afford a new sofa, and if I messed it up really bad I would just have to invest in slipcovers. So, with nothing much to lose, my daughter Laura and I set out to make it over. We found the matching material for a total of $20. Laura used her imprssive sewing skills and made new covers for the cushions. I set about recovering the arms and washing and restuffing the back pillows. Now you don't sink into the back of the sofa, it actually supports you. The pictures don't do it justice. I am so happy how it turned out, especially considering the fact that neither of us had never tried to recover anything before. I remember now why I picked it in the first place. I love the colors. click to enlarge So I have a "new" sofa for around $35 total plus labor. I'm happy and Randy is VERY happy! LOL. Hopefully it will last at least another 10 or more years. Truly a frugal makeover.