Summer Garden Photos

It is as hot as can be outside. I love the summer, and I love working in the yard, but I don't love it when its over 100 degrees, and I have yardwork that needs to be done. Ugh. I think I melted.

Anyway, there are lots of beautiful flowers and things to see this time of the year. As hot as it is, some of the spring flowers have bowed out for the year, but there are some that thrive in the heat, and seem to love it all the more!

Apple pears just starting to grow. They have some growing to do before harvest time!

The pansies have either completely given their all, and need to be pulled out, or they have restarted, and are beautiful with their bright colors...

I mentioned before that I'm going to be taking pond photos this summer, since this is the last year that we'll have it.

Another clematis vine climbing up an old piece of picket fence that we found at the side of the road...

I love this rose. It has a little stripe in it that somehow reminds me of candy!

There's something about this old cart that I just love...

This planter is an old bathtub from Romania. This year I had pansies in it for the spring, and when they were done, I found a hanging planter that was perfect for the tub. I pulled the plants out of the planter pot, and set them in the dirt in the bathtub. I didn't mess with the plants at all or try to pull them apart. I just plopped the whole deal right into the dirt. It seems to love its new home!

June Week 4: Miscellaneous Gear - nylon cord, eye hooks, wire, duct tape, etc.

Okay, okay. I got ahead of myself a bit two weeks ago. I clumped a couple of weeks together, so if you completed June Week 1, then you won't have much to do this week. If not, stick with me -- it is spread out now into two different weeks, so it should be easier to do.

I have gone back and changed June Week 1 to show the correct items. This week's items are:

June Week 4: Miscellaneous Gear - nylon cord, eye hooks, clothespins, 20-22 gauge wire, wire cutters, duct tape, bungee cords

Easy enough, right? These will definitely be items that you will keep in your storage for emergency situations. You will be able to use the nylon cord and the eye hooks for a clothes line or to form a make shift tent, or about a zillion other uses. The wire and wire cutters will also have many different uses. The duct tape, as we all know, can be used for so many things it will make your head spin. I threw in the bungee cords because I saw them at Home Depot and thought that they could also come in handy.

The secret is to keep these items in a bin on your shelves in the storage room. If you have them, but they are scattered around the house or garage, they won't be readily accessible in case of emergency, and you also may run out of the items and not realize it. Gather them, check them off on your inventory sheet, and get them on your shelves for sometime in the future when you may really find it necessary to have some or all of them.

If you would like the full info on the Week-By-Week Food Storage Plan, just click on the tab at the top of the page. It also has the information as to how you can get a copy of the weekly schedule as well as the complete inventory sheets.

And for some extra information on how useful duct tape can be in an emergency, I found this list of 25 survival uses on line. Pretty impressive...

If there ever was a miracle product better than spray-on-hair or the ShamWow, it is duct tape. Over the past 70 years of its existence, this staple product of fix-it-yourselfers has been used by virtually every walk of life, for jobs that I’m sure the duct tape developers never imagined. So how can we use it for survival?

Here are my top 25 survival uses for duct tape, in no order whatsoever.

1. Repairing a cracked water bottle or a pierced hydration bladder. A little strip of DT is the next best thing to a bandage for an ailing water vessel. Just dry the surface before you try to tape your patch in place, most forms of duct tape don’t stick to wet surfaces.

2. Survival arrow fletching. Tear off a few 5-inch pieces, and a long edge of one piece to the arrow shaft, fold the tape lengthwise, and stick the other long edge of that piece to the arrow. Repeat this process one or two more times; trim the vanes to shape with your knife; and you will have a serviceable arrow fletching.

3. Butterfly bandage strips. Cut two small strips of DT, and add a smaller strip across their centers (sticky side to sticky side) to create a makeshift butterfly suture.

4. Make cordage. Twist one or several lengths of duct tape into a cord or rope.

5. Patch a hole in canoe. I wouldn’t trust my life to this one, but it’s been done more than once.

6. Fashion a belt. When you are starving in the wild, and your pants start falling down, run a piece of DT through your belt loops and stick it to itself in the front. Overlap it about 4 or 5 inches and you’ll still be able to peel the belt apart when nature calls.

7. First aid sling. Fold a length of DT down the middle, so that it is half the original width and no longer exposing a sticky side. Use the strap to make a sling for a busted arm.

8. Leave a note. Write on it with a Sharpie, or use strips to form letters.

9. Handcuff alternative. If someone is acting up during a survival emergency, you can duct tape their hands together around a tree to prevent them from becoming a danger to themselves or others.

10. Mend shoes and clothing. You can skip the sewing class, if you have enough duct tape.

11. Repair your glasses. The tape on your glasses my look a little nerdy, but at least you’ll still be able to see.

12. Attach shelter elements. Just a few trash bags and some duct tape, and you have a survival shelter roof, or a sleeping bag cover, or a wind break, or…

13. Attach survival gear. Tape a spark rod to the side of your knife sheath, and you’ll always have a back-up fire source.

14. Make a hat. If you believe what you see on TV, the “Mythbusters” guys made a pretty nice looking hat out of duct tape on a recent episode.

15. Affix bandages. Place a sterile dressing over your wound, and strap it in place with DT. Hopefully you’re not too hairy where you got injured.

16. Fix your rain gear. Keep the dry stuff dry, and keep the water out, by mending your ripped rain gear with a few strips.

17. Make a drinking cup. Some creative folding and sticking can result in a cup you can drink from.

18. Make a spear. Strap your knife to a pole and you have a trusty spear to fend off beasts, or make one into your dinner.

19. Blister care. Cover the blistered area with a bit of cotton gauze, and tape over the cotton. Make sure that the duct tape fully covers the cotton and doesn’t touch the blister at all.

20. Mark a Trail. Use it to blaze a trail or signal for rescue, especially if your DT is brightly colored or reflective.

21. Make emergency repairs on your Bug Out Vehicle. Leaking hoses and windows that won’t stay up don’t stand a chance against the mending powers of duct tape.

22. Keep the feathers in your sleeping bag. If you have a hole in your down sleeping bag, the feathers will pour out faster than excuses from a politician. Patch the hole with DT.

23. Keep your tent closed. A damaged zipper could leave your tent door flapping in the wind. Stick the door shut, and keep the bugs and critters out.

24. Splint a leg. A broken ankle or leg can be stabilized with ample splint material, padding and duct tape. Pad the crotch of a forked branch with some cloth and duct tape to fashion a quick crutch to go with your splint.

25. Splint a broken tent pole or fishing pole. By taping a stick to the broken area of your tent pole or fishing rod, you might just get one last adventure out of it.

Blooming Clematis Vines

Oh how I love clematis vines! This time of year, they all seem to be at their peak, and I can't get enough of them. I have them all along my vinyl fence, in between the apple-pear trees, just to soften the fence a bit.

This is the one that is climbing the metal "climbing stakes" that Bob made and attached to the vinyl fence. This particular clematis is a show-off. Last year for Lindsay's wedding reception, this one was blooming in all her glory, and seemed to want to steal the show. As everyone walked into the yard, the first thing they saw was this vine, covered in hundreds of gorgeous purple blooms.

More Wood Signs: Love Is Spoken Here

I've just finished another small batch of wedding gifts. We get invited to quite a few weddings (since lovey is the bishop of our ward), and I wanted to find a personal, but simple gift to make for each of the couples. We give the sign along with a card and a little cash to help start them off.

I love to make these signs, and have made them with all different quotes and for different occasions and holidays. This one is a sweet little saying to display in the home, and may be particularly nice to have as the couple begins their new life together.

First, I paint the boards with a solid color of paint. These signs are done in pale blue and also pale green. I then made a vinyl stencil with my Silhouette machine, and painted the words using the stencil. So, the words are painted and aren't just a vinyl stuck on that might begin to peel at some point.

After the lettering has dried, I sand the boards to give it a bit of character. You can see the sanding on this sign below.

The next step is to wipe them all down carefully so that they are clean from all the sanding dust. Then, I spray them with a non-yellowing clear coat -- usually a satin finish.

These signs below are all drying after the clear coat. I have a stack of cups that I keep with my spray paints so that I can set the boards on the cups and they won't stick to the drop cloth.

After they have completely dried, I back them with decorative paper (to hide the paint mess that can sometimes collect on the backs). I do it in a patchwork fashion, and sometimes will use book pages, or maps, or song book pages... whatever I have on hand that seems to go with the fronts.

And then I add a sawtooth hanger, and voila! Done! Easy and pretty inexpensive. I have seen these types of board signs online for $60 to $70, and these cost much less than that!

June Week 3: Burger Week - mustard, ketchup, mayo, pickles, olives, etc.

This week's food storage items are:

June Week 3: Burger Week -- mustard, ketchup, mayo, Worcestershire, pickles, olives, soy sauce, salad dressings

There are several items this week, and many of them wouldn't be entirely necessary for an long-term emergency situation. But, these are still items that you may use frequently throughout the year. And that is reason enough to stock up and be sure you have all that you might use of each item up on your food storage shelves. It takes a lot of stress out of life to be able to go to your own shelves when you run out of an item, instead of having to run to the store. Love it!

So, think about what you will use this coming year of these items: mustard (all kinds), ketchup, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, pickles, olives, soy sauce, and any salad dressings your family likes to eat. Write down what you think you'll need to have a year's supply. Then, get to the grocery store sometime this week and get the items on your shelves. Don't forget to update the inventory sheets to reflect the items you have added to your food storage. There. Now doesn't that feel good? Rest on your laurels til next week.

If you would like the full info on the Week-By-Week Food Storage Plan, just click on the tab at the top of the page. It also has the information as to how you can get a copy of the weekly schedule as well as the complete inventory sheets.

Computer Glitches

I'm working on getting today's post up. My main computer is down, so I'm trying to find a way to get things together another way.

So sorry, and please stay posted....

Happy Father's Day!

I have been so blessed by wonderful men in my life. My own father, my husband, and my sons. Oh, how I dearly love that group of men!

And while I am deeply grateful of each one of them all throughout this day celebrating fathers (and future fathers!), I can't help but spend a minute here on the father of my children. It makes me smile to make a list of his great qualities:

-He is an extraordinary man, a renaissance man. There isn't any project or idea that I come up with that he can't figure out how to do. And better than that, he usually volunteers himself to do it before I can even ask. I literally come to him with a magazine picture and he can build me the same thing. Its been done over and over again in our household, and I have yet to find the project that will stump him!

-He loves being a father. He loves our children and their spouses. He is happy when surrounded by all of them. He is so proud of each of them and who they are and where they are going in life.

-He adores being a grandfather. The world stops when our grand baby comes over, and I know it will continue to be that way with each additional grand child. As they grow and become involved in life, I know they will always know that he loves them and cares deeply for them and about them. He will stop at nothing to get to their important events (whether a spelling bee, a graduation, or a wedding!)

-He is always willing to help. If he is aware of a need, and can be there to help, he'll be there!

-He is a proficient tractor driver. He loves tractors, and has a couple of his own, and has become very adept at maneuvering them and working with them. And time on the tractor doesn't equate to "work" in his mind.

-He is a love, caring, father of our ward. He spends countless hours tending to the needs of the people in our ward. It keeps him busy, and at times weighed down with worry and the seriousness of others' challenges in life, but he gives 110% to try his best at being a bishop. And our ward members know of his love and concern. Oftentimes they will stop by to talk to him at work, (which happens to be a mile or two from home) because they know he is very accessible and willing to drop whatever he is doing to help.

-He loves to say funny things. Many times, because of his dry sense of humor, I am interpreting to others that "he's only joking".

-He treats me like a queen. I'm not really exaggerating that, either. I feel like there is nothing I could express a want or need for that he wouldn't find a way to do. Ever since we had our first baby many, many years ago, he was very intent on making sure that I could be home with the kids instead of working outside of the home. He even took two jobs many years ago to insure that there would be enough income. And now that the kids are all adults, he still recognizes and respects my desire and love of being a homemaker.

-He's not afraid of anything. And if there is something he's squeamish or uncertain of, you would never know it. He just plows right through even the most intimidating of circumstances.

-I've mentioned before that he is the strongest man in the world. I mean that literally. He is the strongest man that I have ever known. He has the strength and endurance of an ox. And he doesn't go to the gym to lift weights. His strength comes naturally, and is honed through hard work. He can just keep on going and going and going. When we go on our extreme hiking or snowshoeing adventures, he just heads straight up a mountain, (not bothering to find a trail) climbing over fallen trees, up steep inclines, without even stopping to think about it. On pioneer trek, he can pull that loaded handcart up a hill like it was a toy. And his strength goes far beyond the physical. He has an inner strength and determination and drive like nothing I've ever seen before.

-He is the hardest worker I know. Literally. Out of everyone I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, I've never seen the likes of him. He leaves early in the morning (yes, before I am out of bed), and goes to work. He comes home no earlier than 6:00pm, but often later than that. He has created and built a business from scratch (when I say scratch, I mean it in the most definitive way).

-He has taken the examples he has seen in his life, and pieced together the man and the father that he wants to try to be. He has painstakingly sifted through his life experiences and used both the good and the bad to learn from.

-He is smart. Really, really smart. He has never been to a day of college in his life (unless you count the one day he went -- truthfully one day). Yet he has the ability to store knowledge and use it in an amazing way. He has worked and moved his way through positions and companies until he reached the point of starting his own business. And its a pretty technical business. They build complicated cable and wire harnesses for airplanes (commercial and military). He can read a detailed blueprint like its a comic strip. Easy peasy.

-He will do anything to assure that I am happy and safe. For a big instance, I have texted him when I've spotted yet another snake in the yard, and he literally has dropped everything at work and come home to try to "dispatch" the snake. (movie line from Princess Bride: "Shall I dispatch him for you?")

-He loves life and gets just about everything he can squeeze from each and every day. Very little of it is wasted, because even the time at the very end of the day that we have to spend together watching something like Perry Mason, could never be considered wasted time.

He is the man of my dreams. When I was a teenager, and I dreamt of who I would marry and what my life would be like as a grown-up, I know I dreamt of him and the life I have now. Even when things have been hard, we have rolled our sleeves up and experienced them together, side-by-side. I'll take it all -- the good and the bad, the happy and the sad. Its all a part of the whole beautiful picture, and I'll take it all.

Happy Father's Day, love!

"Noble fatherhood gives us a glimpse of the divine"  

- James E. Faust

Canvas Outdoor Curtains

I finally got around to making the outdoor curtains that I've been thinking about for years! We have a deck that spans the back of our home, and sits above our patio. I love being able to see out our windows to the wisteria, trees, and also to our daughter's apartment adjoining our back fence (hey there, Linds). But, sometimes when we're up on the deck, we feel like it would be nice to have a little more privacy from the neighbors on either side of us. 

I mulled the idea around in my head, and didn't love the idea of spending hundreds of dollars on outdoor fabric, and then having to make complicated curtains. I even thought about having someone else make them for me, which sounded way, way too expensive. So, what fabric could I use that wasn't too expensive, and was already in large pieces? Canvas drop cloths! Plus, I still had my Mother's Day Home Depot gift card with plenty to cover the cost of four of them.

I needed four panels for the deck: two on each end. And in measuring, they would have to drop about 9-1/2 feet from the pole, so I decided that this size would offer the least amount of cutting and hemming.

The first step was to wash all of the drop cloths in hot water, dry them in the dryer, wash them again, then lay them out in the warm sun to dry. I found that this big of a piece of fabric didn't dry well in the dryer. It was too much fabric for it to dry without tons of wrinkles. So, by laying them out in the sun, they ended up with the least amount of wrinkles. You really do have to wash and dry the drop cloths to shrink them. They do shrink considerably!

While the fabric was drying, the love of my life was busy fashioning brackets and poles to hang the curtains from. I had thought maybe I could buy the hardware, but he said he could make better and stronger brackets in less time than it would take me to go to the store and buy them. And he was right. It took about 30 minutes from beginning to end.

Here he is cutting the poles to size.

He welded little u-shaped boxes onto metal plates, and then painted them all black. When he asked if I wanted the screws to be black to match, I couldn't think of anything more tedious and messy than trying to paint each screw black. But, he had a clever plan in his head and punched the screws through cardboard.

And them gave them all a good coat of black spray. Clever, clever man.

And this is what his bracket looks like in place. Awesome!

The hardware is sturdy and not going anywhere, but easy for me to lift off the pole if I need to change things or wash the curtains. If you don't have a husband who welds as a hobby :), then I know you can find good hardware online or at stores everywhere.

I bought the clip rings from Joann's.

The rings clip easily to the provided hem of the drop cloth and they hold the heavy fabric tightly.

After we hung the curtains, I needed to pin them up so that I could hem them to a good size. I had thought I might like them to "pool" along the deck, but there was way too much fabric, and after I thought about the rain and weather they might get, I figured it would be good for them to be off of the deck so that they wouldn't sit in the wet and dirt that might accumulate there. Interestingly enough, the drop cloths come with a seam right across the middle of the panels. That was the exact spot that I pinned them up to, so it was really easy for me to keep that line straight.

I hemmed them up along the bottom edge, and then with the fabric that I cut off, had plenty of extra to make ties with. I attached the ties to the curtain panels at each bottom corner (to tie to the deck rails if it gets very windy) and then three down the center where the two panels meet so that I could tie the to panels together if wanted.

The ties also serve as something to tie them back with when they're not in use.

Its amazing how it makes it seem like more of a private space when the curtains are closed. And its SO much cooler out there in the afternoon. Also, one benefit that I hadn't counted on is it totally blocks the late afternoon sun from shining into our family room and kitchen windows and cools down those rooms considerably. Yay!

I love, love, love these curtains, and I really love that they were inexpensive, easy to make, and easy to care for!

June Week 2: Cheese

This week's food storage item is:

June Week 2: Cheese. Buy a large quantity of what you use, and freeze the grated cheese in baggies. Don't forget Parmesan!

For this week's items, I will buy Parmesan Cheese to get me through a year (or as long as the expiration date will allow). I use cream cheese often, so I'll buy what I need to get me through several months (again, depending on the expiration dates). As far as grated cheeses, I always keep extra bags in the freezer as back up, and I use them as I run out.

I don't think of cheese as a particularly necessary item in an extreme emergency, so I just store what I can fit in my refrigerator and freezer, and what I will use up in the coming few months. I do love having a good supply on hand, because it seems like more often than not, I use recipes that call for some kind of cheese. Its nice to know that I always have some on hand without having to make a trip to the store just for that!

So, decide what cheese you use most, and what you will benefit by having extras of. Add those items to your grocery list, and get them bought and in your freezer or refrigerator. The only cheese I have on the inventory sheets is Parmesan cheese, since that can be stored on the shelves until it has been opened.

If you would like the full info on the Week-By-Week Food Storage Plan, just click on the tab at the top of the page. It also has the information as to how you can get a copy of the weekly schedule as well as the complete inventory sheets

Wild Rose Infiltrator

I'm in a quandary. I have an infiltrator in my garden. It appears to be a wild red rose, which in and of itself isn't all that terrible, except that it is growing in the same space as my other rose bush, which I happen to love. 

Another of the very same infiltrator is popping up in my climbing rose, which is another one that I quite like.

I'm not sure what to do about this. It is a strange looking combination of roses. It wouldn't be all bad, except that I don't want the wild rose to choke out the other two rose bushes. I'm going to have to give this some thought...

Re-Painting the Dresser

When I was in the midst of re-doing my son's bedroom (click here to see finished bedroom post), I was in a quandary. There was a dresser already in his room, but in the wrong finish. His new room was gray, blue and black. Not a lot of room for a large dresser with a natural wood finish. I didn't really want to buy a new dresser. This kid has never loved dressers. He has been known to move his dresser out of his room into the guest room, just to be rid of it. Honestly. And then he'll proceed to have his socks (and everything else that should be in a dresser) in little neat stacks on his closet shelves. So, I wasn't really wanting to buy a new dresser just to see it get shoved into another room.

But, I was hopeful that being 21 and a mature adult, perhaps he might see the benefits of storing clothes in a dresser now. So I decided to take his old dresser and re-finish it. 

First, I took all the drawers out and numbered them on the bottom as to where they belonged in the dresser.

I then covered and taped them off because I only wanted to paint the fronts of the drawers. I also covered the rails inside the dresser so that spray wouldn't get in those and muck them all up. I sprayed the drawers and dresser with a spray primer. So easy!

And then (no photo for this step) I sprayed everything in a semi-gloss black. I sprayed a few coats to get the coverage and finish I was looking for. And here is the finished product. And I might add, I believe he is using it to store clothing in. Go figure.

Spray-painting furniture is so much faster than brushing on paint. There are pros and cons to both methods, and I switch off according to what the project is. One thing that I don't love about spray paint is that its much more limited in color choices. If you love one of the colors offered at the hardware or craft store, then you're in luck.

June Week 1: Safety Supplies

This week's food storage/emergency supply items are:

June Week 1: Safety supplies: dust masks,  flashlight and extra dated batteries, fly swatter

This is another of those weeks where once you have these items in storage, you shouldn't have to replace any of it (except for the batteries when they are ready to expire). Years ago, when I started gathering my emergency supplies, I stored just a portion of these items, but have added to my list through the years. You can decide what will be needed and useful to your own family in an emergency situation.

Dust masks will prove extremely useful in an extreme emergency situation when the air isn't so fresh and sweet-smelling. They also would be great if you were cleaning up after an emergency. Construction dust and debris dust is not so great to breath in.

Flashlight and batteries. SOOOOO crucial to have these two items, and to be sure that the batteries are not outdated. Keep a good supply of extra batteries with the flashlight.

Flyswatter. I just imagine that these could come in handy, and also keep a bored child busy with a job to do. :)

Keep all of these items in a bin somewhere on your shelves. They should be together so that you will know exactly where to go if you ever need them. Decide which items your family will need in an emergency situation, add them to your shopping list, and in the next day or two, head out to the local hardware store or WalMart, and pick up the items. Once you have them on your shelves, update your inventory sheets, and sit back feeling assured that you are getting another week closer to being ready for that emergency situation that may come when we all least expect it.

If you would like the full info on the Week-By-Week Food Storage Plan, just click on the tab at the top of the page. It also has the information as to how you can get a copy of the weekly schedule as well as the complete inventory sheets

A perfect day in the yard

Yesterday was a day full of yard work for me. Bob and Wils had gone to work on a project in Provo and were gone for the day. So, I had the whole day to putter around in the yard. And putter I did. The temperature was in the upper 70's, which to me is the perfect day in the yard. And to make things even more perfect, there was not one sighting of a snake. Yippee! Could it be that the four that were caught (and dispatched) in the past few weeks were the last of them? Probably not, but at least I know there are four less than when we started. At any rate, I didn't see a single one yesterday, and I was all over the yard!

The wildlife I did see, however, was more than pleasant. Birds were chirping all around me and tending to nests. I think they are starting another round of nesting, because they are scurrying to and from the birdhouses and nests they have built in the lamps on the back of our home.

This little bird doesn't seem to mind that his
home is showing a little wear and tear

And the fish... boy were they ever hungry. They gobbled up whatever food I threw out in the pond. This will be their last summer in our pond. They'll be transplanted into ponds elsewhere (once we find them good homes) next spring so that we can drain the pond, fill it in with dirt, and do something clever and lovely with the space. The reasons for getting rid of the pond are as follows:

1. Grandbabies. I don't think I need to say more, but I will. I wouldn't sleep a wink with grandbabies in my home and a pond that is fascinating to them. Enough said.

2. Snakes. Ugh. They are SOOOOOO drawn to the stream and pond. That seems to be the gathering place for snakes in all of our town, so I think I'll do myself a favor and force them to gather elsewhere.

3. Maintenance. It really isn't too terrible to maintain the pond, but we're thinking a few years down the road, when Bob and I want to serve a mission. I don't want it to be a bother for anyone else to have to do the cleaning and fish feeding. I am doing my best to simplify, and this will be a great step in that direction.

4. Grandbabies. Even if the other reasons weren't on the list, this would be the only reason I need to get rid of the pond. Its been wonderful for the past 13 years to have it and to watch our tiny 3-6" fish grow to be up to 18". But we have lots of photos and memories, and that will be plenty!

As I was weeding and tending to the yard, every where I turned, there were so many beautiful perennials blooming in all their glory. I haven't planted any annuals yet in my backyard, so its up to the perennials to give a spectacular show.

These bright and cheerful Columbines reseed and pop up here
and there around the yard. I love them!

Might look like an odd birdfeeder, but a chicken
feeder works great hanging from a tree if you
have just the right spot!

A bathtub full of pansies!

Another perfect day. I may or may not have needed more sunscreen, but that's another story.