Farm-fresh Friday: Fabulous farm girls...

Don't these ladies make you think that standing in pig plops could almost be glamorous?

Source: emersonmade.com

Source: dustjacketattic.blogspot.com

Source: by nina leen from the life magazine archives

Unknown source.  Found on Pintrest.  Just thought this was a really cool shot.  Neat perspective.  And I can only hope to look even half this good in mud boots and an apron.   

Thanks for stopping by,

-Lindsey

Talk-it-out Tuesday: Book review

While everyone else on the planet is reading The Hunger Games right now, I'm reading this...

Source: Amazon.com

I have to admit, I'm a tiny bit jealous right now of this author, Raleigh Briggs.  First of all, she lives in Seattle, which is my if-we-won-the-lottery dream.  But also because, if I were to have gotten my act together, done tons of research, and written a book, I'd have wished for it to turn out a lot like this one.  Maybe not so much in exact subject matter (that's why I'm reading her book...she knows about stuff that I don't), but definitely in writing style, humor, and aesthetics.  Since I'm pretty new to the whole Urban Farming movement, and am now becoming an active participant in it, I'm quite interested in how different folks approach their homesteading, DIY, gardening, homemaking, and natural-alternative-to-chemical-crap conundrums.  I  also greatly appreciate it when I find someone who will teach me about this stuff without making me feel like I'm the dull tool in the shed.  This chick was able to write a book about being a homemaker, using sustainable practices (without getting all in-you-face-Peace-rally about it), teach me some really helpful new tricks (which, in the age of Internet, is pretty hard to show anyone anything they haven't already seen before), and do it all in a writing style that was fun to read and didn't make me feel like she was talking down to me.  This one is definitely staying on my bookshelf, and will be forever saved from the Barnes & Noble resale pile.

PS:  When my husband puts down The Hunger games for 5 seconds, I'll steal it, and be able to review that one for you also...Oh wait, I don't need to, because everyone but my husband and I have already seen the movie.

PPS:  Just realized that my husband and I should probably put down our books for a minute or two and venture out into public... Nah!

Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey            

Manic Monday: Establishing a routine...

Source: Urban Outfitters

I think there's a huge difference between a routine and a schedule.  In my opinion, a routine is series of regular events that happen throughout the day, and a schedule is something strictly adhered to where specific actions take place at designated times.  I have a bit of OCD, and I married a former Marine.  So you'd think I'd be all for the structure of a schedule, but I'm not.  For my family, scheduling just flat out sucks when it comes to everyday activities.  Something always comes up and the next activity has to be pushed, and then the next, and the next, and then someone (me) is pissed that the day fell apart.

This is how my routine functions like a schedule to avoid chaos taking over, but doesn't get anyone's panties in a bunch if it doesn't go perfectly;  I think of it kind of like a school day.  At school, The Kid has specific blocks of time for each subject, but each day the lesson is different.  So I treat my day the same way.  It usually looks something like this...

~Scramble Block...make coffee, make lunch, check backpack for things that shouldn't go to school, then either walk The Kid to school, or on bonus days my mom comes over and walks him to school, and I have an extra 5 seconds to wear pajama pants.
~Chill Block...if mom came over then we have coffee for a while once The Kid is at school, then I have computer time to blog, check on my Etsy shops, and cruise Pintrest for new project ideas.  If Mom didn't stop by that day, then not much changes other than me drinking the whole pot of coffee myself and getting up to pee a lot more while having computer time.
~Go-See Block...ever watch America's Next Top Model?  If not, you're probably better off because you're not addicted to the senseless babble like I am.  But anyway, the contestants are often sent out on what they call in the modelling world, a Go-See.  It's where they run around like crazy trying to find little fashion houses in big cities to go see prospective employers (fashion designers) and try to get hired to walk in shows or be in one of their ad campaigns.  I'm not trying to get hired for any modelling gigs, but it does make going to the grocery store a hell of a lot more fun when you pretend to be doing something way more fabulous.  In short, this is my go-see the public block. 
~Project and Fitness Block...I lumped them together because sometimes the project is strenuous enough to be considered fitness, and sometimes it's boring, and it's nice to take off outside for a brisk walk when I'm done.
~Study Hall...there's a floating block of time in the afternoons because some days The Kid gets picked up early in the afternoon, and some days he stays for the after-school program.  On the days he gets picked up early, this is the time that we hang out and do homework.  If it's a late pick-up day then I can choose a project that takes longer, or spend more time on my go-sees.
~Evening Block...game time (if homework is done), dinner, shower, bedtime for The Kid.
~Grown-up Block...hang out with the husband, watch Dexter, or South Park, or CSI, and talk about all the crazy, stupid, and really interesting stuff we each heard during different time-slots on NPR (basically anything that we know isn't appropriate to watch or talk about when The Kid is in the room, so it totally cements the fact that it's grown-up-only time).
~Sleep Block.

By having "Blocks" I can insert different activities into them, and not be totally bent out of shape when something doesn't get done at the exact right time.  It also allows me to not totally lose my shit during school vacations, because the routine can accommodate changes for when The Kid is home all day.

Do you have  a routine, or a schedule, or are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of gal?  I'd love to hear how different folks manage their time.

Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey    

Farm-Fresh Friday: Fresh new art...

So last week around this time, Vermont was experiencing some unseasonably mild weather, and I was able to get a big jump on my chicken coop construction.  But it seems as though we're back to pretty typical March temperatures here now with a fresh new dusting of snow on the ground.  Needless to say, I've stalled construction for a little bit until things dry back up.

In the mean time, I want to share with you some wicked fun paintings that my totally awesome cousin, Hailey, sent me pictures of last night.  You may have already seen the one she posted on my facebook page.  At the time neither of us knew who the artist was, but the images were way too fun not to find out and give credit where credit is due.  After doing a bit of some homework, I discovered that the fantastic artist behind these paintings is named Kelly Reemsten.  There's a link to the artist's website (with even more breathtaking paintings to view!) in the photo source info at the bottom of this post.  ENJOY!
   

Source for all images:  kellyreemtsen.com

Thanks for stopping by,

-Lindsey

Thrifty Thursday: Getting rid of paper towel...

Since we always seem to be mid-project in some room or another, I made a discovery while we were rearranging some furniture.  Somehow, in a tiny house with precious little storage space, we had an entire bureau full of towels, rags, washcloths, and other such absorbent things.  I have a 7-year-old boy, a husband, and 2 dogs.  I have messes.  

You know when you have one of those why-on-Earth-didn't-I-think-of-this-sooner moments?  Well, finding all of this absorbent material was one of those moments.  Paper towels are disposable, rather than reusable, and do exactly the same thing as all these things that I have for free and can wash and use over and over again.  Why should I keep paying for disposable paper products then?  I shouldn't.  So I don't.  Now this (pictured above) bin in our kitchen exists solely for the purpose of collecting cleaner-upper materials, and they're used in place of paper products for everything from shining up the bathroom sink to mopping up dog puke.

PS:  It helps if you have a utility sink somewhere in your house to rinse out particularly nasty substances before your washing machine is forced to battle with regurgitated kibble.  

Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey      

Make-it-work Wednesday: Home "improvement"

I'm pretty well aware that our "After" kitchen is most people's version of a "Before."  But we pride ourselves on being able to do pretty awesomely eco-fabulous renovations to our home, and we pulled this one off like nobody's business.  And when I say "Eco-Fabulous," I mean not only eco-friendly, but amazingly eco-nomic also.

Let me take you on a little pictorial journey of how we upgraded our cabinet doors, and put new hardware on them for free...

Our kitchen Before (kind of)

This is what our kitchen had looked like for the last 3 years.  We took the cabinet doors off when we first moved in, knowing that refinishing them was going to be a future project (not knowing that it was going to be quite so far into the future).

 In a fit of motivation last Summer, my husband primed all the cabinet doors, and I panted the insides of them the same funky green that we pained our counter tops.  Yes, we have super classy, painted counter tops, and trust me, it's leaps and bounds better than what was there when we moved in.  But there the doors sat in the basement for almost another year.

Then a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to buckle down and get this project finished.  So I brought them back upstairs and got to work on their cosmetic surgery.  The doors used to have a design carved into them that wasn't offensive in any way, but wasn't done with the highest quality craftsmanship either (you can see it in the photo above).  So I filled them in with joint compound (it took 4 coats), sanded them down, re-primed them, and painted them in the same color we used 3 years ago to paint the cabinet frames.  Save your paint, folks.  It comes in wicked handy later on for procrastinator projects.

To get our cabinet door hardware for free, we poached them from another renovation project we're currently working on in our bedroom.

Hubby taking a final look at the construction of the built-in before the smashing and bashing of it took place.

The built-in dresser was cool, but we needed room to bump out the wall on the other side of the room to make way for a small master bathroom (squeal!).  Housing 16 drawers with 2 handles on each one, plus those extra wall cabinets, there was more than enough hardware on there to outfit our kitchen.  So we tore out the dresser, saved all the drawer-pulls from it, and they found their new lease on life as kitchen cabinet hardware.

Our kitchen After (almost)

Wallah!  Kitchen reno done for cheap!  Hubby still has a lighting project to complete for over the pass-through area (not quite visible on the left), and I still have to put the door on the lower corner cabinet by the stove and fashion a curtain or something for the other lower cabinet (not pictured) next to the fridge.  Somehow the doors to that one have gone missing.  But all in all, I'm happy with the result.

Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey

Talk-it-out Tuesday: 10 ideas for 10-minute time-outs for Moms

Ever catch yourself having an out-of-body experience mid-melt-down, and realize that you've just totally lost your shit and are military-style screaming at a 7-year-old because he's not tying his shoes correctly?   Please say yes, so I can know that I'm not the only asshole out there...

Here's the deal... As a mom, it's really, super-duper, mega, wildly important that one of the bazillion tasks you have to complete every day is "Mommy's time-out time."  It doesn't mean that you're a sucky Mom because you need a break.  It makes you a forward-thinking pioneer (stay with me here).  If you were a State employee, you'd have mandatory 10-minute breaks every 2 hours to keep your mind and your work fresh, and you'd get a lunch break in the middle of your 8-hour shift whether you were hungry or not.  When your job is to be a mom, you work 24 hours a day, and you're the boss, the janitor, the human resource department, the taxi driver, the personal shopper, and the daycare provider.  You deserve a few breaks.  Fact:  You will feel a whole ton worse for having a temper tantrum in front of your kids than you will about taking a break for a few minutes.

Here are 10 things you can do for 10 minutes to take a breather:
1.  Workout.  Ugh, I know, right?  But, yes, seriously.  You can do jumping jacks or lift 5lb weights in the kids' playroom, or even go for a jog on your hamster wheel if it's within earshot of your kiddos.  Do any of you remember this scene from Legally Blonde?  "Exercise releases endorphins.  Endorphins make you happy!  Happy people just don't shoot their husbands.  They just don't!"
2.  If you're lucky enough to still have kids who nap, spend the first 10 minutes of their nap painting your nails.  Anything else that needs to get done can wait until your nails are dry and you feel pretty.
3.  Find an episode of Sponge Bob online, plunk the kiddos on a beanbag chair in front of the computer, and go have a cup of coffee.  Outside.
4.  Make folding laundry work to your advantage.  I used to hate folding laundry.  With a passion.  Then I realized that it was the perfect excuse to take some time away.  Your husband will be thrilled to watch the kiddos for a few minutes, thinking you're just taking an enthusiastic new approach to your Susie-Homemaker status, and you'll have some time to yourself completing a methodical task to clear your mind.  Maybe it's because I have a tiny bit of OCD, but I find it very comforting to just stand there next to my pile of clothing, fold one thing at a time, and watch a mass of crumpled chaos transform into neatly sorted piles.
5.  Send your kids to play the who-gets-their-room-the-cleanest-in-10-minutes-wins game and read a few of your favorite blogs (like this one!*).  *fingers are crossed.
6.  Take the kids to the bookstore or library (this breaks up the regular routine, as an added bonus), let them pick out their own book, and don't let them read it in the car on the way home.  When you get home, send everyone to their own quiet reading nook (including you).
7.  Buy yourself flowers when you're at the grocery store.  OK, this takes way less than 10 minutes, but when you get them home, spend a few minutes arranging them in a pretty vase, and put them where you can see them from the room where your kids are often the most insane.  When you feel that your blood's about to boil, look over at the flowers that you bought to remind yourself how much you rock.
8.  Change your clothes.  Why?  Because I said so.  Go hide in your closet, pick out something different, put it on, and come back out with a different attitude also.
9.  Go on Pintrest and search "iPhone auto-correct."  Get a great ab workout and some laugh therapy by reading all the funny, unintentional, and wildly embarrassing things that people have accidentally texted to their moms, bosses, boyfriends, etc.  
10.  Offer to go pick up take-out for your husband.  You'll get to listen to whatever you want as loud as you want in your car on the way there because...wait for it...You'll be the only one in it!  Unless you take the dog too.  PS:  the dog needs a break sometimes also.  Maybe take the dog with you...

Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey