One Truth in Our Home

Never let a day go by without doing at least some laundry lest it eat you alive.

DIY forever

I love this book by Raleigh Briggs. It's about making and doing things yourself around your home. From cleaning to composting (which I'm completely inspired to start doing... just a little unsure about with the whole freezing much of the year thing) to first aid and personal care products and an intro to gardening, it's so inspiring. I've had it for a month or so and it brings me such joy because of its beauty in content as well as form. It's completely hand written and illustrated. Very cool. I haven't tried any of the medicinal tinctures etc. yet, but I'm sure I will when I get my hands on some essential oils in the future. That is a little intimidating for me. But the book is full of practical things that you can do to make your home a simpler place by buying less and making more, and by working with fruits of the earth rather than abusing them.

In fact, Microcosm has a bunch of awesome things. Some crazy thing, but some awesome things. Check them out. I got some fantastic patches to put on some baby tees I'm going to make. I'm sure I'll show you when I finish. :)

Tutu Time

There aren't many things that embody happiness like a tutu. I found this idea over at Plumtickled. She's got a simple tutorial to make the tutu. Maybe every little girl should have one of these. This is for Corbin's friend who is having a birthday party today. She's going to be 4... I can't believe it! These kids around me are growing much too quickly.

It took me a matter of minutes to make, it was SO simple. My son absolutely refused to try it on for size, however, so here's hoping it fits well. "I'm NOT a princess, mom. I'm not going to put it on." He shook his head furiously at me. I pleaded with him, but he wasn't about to let me put that tutu on him. He then proceeded to go get one of his ties, put it on, and tell me how he was a man and NOT a princess. Good for him.

You should make one of these for the little girl in your life. It's so simple, and so much fun. No little girl? Maybe you should be a ballerina for Halloween. :)

Canning like MAD

A little while ago, a friend showed up at my door and asked if I was interested in taking on a large and time consuming project.... like NOW. Well, sure... what kind of a project might that be? This friend was in the midst of a move and had harvested her garden but had no kitchen in which to preserve and enjoy the fruits of her labor. So, in to my house were brought the many bags of tomatoes and peppers and onions. The tomatoes needed to be used immediately, they were super ripe and ready and could not wait to be used, so bright and early the next morning, there was canning in my kitchen. I've never canned anything in my life. I had no idea what I was getting into. I borrowed all of my mother in law's canning supplies and set out to work with the help of my lovely mother, without whom we would never have finished, and my friend whose vegetables we were canning. I didn't realize that canning was something that needed to be organized, thought out, and done in um... smaller batches. We made two dozen jars of stewed tomatoes and some cilantro-lime salsa that turned out to be more of a cooking sauce/marinade because of the accidental extreme amount of lime that I used. Whoops. But it's perfect for making some Cuban food with some black beans. Mmm.

This canning stuff is a massive amount of work and I now have an enlightened sense of admiration and appreciation for those who do it regularly. Also, my kitchen might be the worst kitchen for the canning process. Noted. Never again in my kitchen.

In the aftermath of the canning ordeal, I got a flat of organic strawberries and a mass of honey in my order from the lovely Azure Standard (my new favorite way to grocery shop... love it. Bulk organic foods that are extremely cost effective and delivered right to my town? Yes, please!) and made some jam. Some freezer jam. It turned out beautifully, so yummy. No more canning for me. :)

Newborn Gown from a Band Tee

My sister-in-law just had a baby girl. I made the baby a sleeping gown out of a shirt from the mama's favorite band, Showbread. It was super simple, and I found the pattern over at This Mama Makes Stuff. I added an extra band of about two inches to the bottom after I cut out the pattern because it just didn't seem long enough. The project was a success, and my sister-in-law loved it. I'm sure baby will, too. :)