Lenten Cleaning Update: Week One

The Lenten Cleaning is going well, so far I've been able to stay on track and keep up with everything else! Breaking the cleaning down into more manageable jobs has been helpful. I washed walls on Friday when the older two were at their homeschool co-op and the little one napped. It felt great to get rid of cobwebs and dust and food (ahh, life with babies!) from the walls. We did the floors, which entailed moving furniture and area rugs, on Saturday and my sweet husband did the bulk of the work. 

For cleaning the walls I used 1 gallon of hot water with 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/4 cup of baking soda. I found the recipe (though I omitted the ammonia) and other great tips at "How to Clean Walls."

Monday I worked on the fridge and the oven. I chose today for these two since I don't usually bake on Mondays and it's my grocery shopping day, so the fridge is fairly empty anyway.

Tuesday and Wednesday I've done smaller jobs like cleaning out the microwave, dishwasher, washer and dryer, work that I usually only do if catastrophe strikes! Overall I have found the work rewarding; the house has begun to feel deep-down clean. The rest of the week the de-cluttering of the kitchen will begin; I'll try to take pictures as I go. The pictures of the cleaning were quite boring--no one really wants to see my fridge!

The time dedicated to "work with my hands" has given me space to think more about the work of managing a home--it's higher and lower purposes--which I hope to write more on soon.

Cleaning in light of Lent has also led me to pray more while I work which I hope will continue after this season ends. 

And at the times when I haven't prayed, I've tried to just focus on the cleaning itself, working quietly and well as an attempt to worship the Creator and Giver of all of these good things, pushing out worries, those little conversations I have in my head, attempts to compose a blog post while I work! And as a result, I've often felt very blessed that I have whatever it is I'm cleaning. There have been small moments where I've been filled with gratitude for areas I usually grumble about (laundry, dishes). As I take the time to slowly and carefully clean, things shine again, their purpose is made more clear, and my work seems more important. This is very different then my  usual "throw yet another load of laundry in, notice how dirty the washer is getting, and give it a half-hearted wipe down." During those hurried times, I often feel annoyed, grumble about the effects of the Fall, and pine for fancier appliances and a maid. And so in trying to clean as part of a rhythm of work and rest, with goals of simplicity and proper care of His gifts, the work and I become more redeemed.

May His Work continue on my affections, my attachments, my will, and my ambitions as I make our home shine so we may live in His Abundance, capable of appreciating His good gifts.

I pray again,

"Teach me your way, O LORD...give me an undivided heart..." (Psalm 86:11 NIV)

An Undivided Heart.

A Heart that wills one thing.

A Heart detached from vain comforts that do not satisfy.

A Heart Uncluttered. Body and Soul. Our home. Our routine. Our affections.

All United to His will.

P.S. I also wanted to add an idea from my friend Christina, who has decided to not tackle a huge cleaning project right now, but liked the idea of the 40 days/40 bags on a smaller yet still meaningful scale. She writes,

"We are all, even A. [her almost 2 yr old], picking one thing a day to put in a bag that will be given away. Some days we will devote to a specific family and give things they need or might like, but most days we are just trying to clear out and such." What a great plan!

P.S.S. I've also kept the children entertained while I cleaned with The Chronicles of Narnia on CD:

They love this, listening over and over and over again. This edition is a dramatic reading of the books with some sound effects and the parts of the characters done by different actors which has really made the story come alive for them.

Anyone else attempting the 40 bags or 40 areas for Lent? Or have any other insights you've gained in your first week of Lent?

Happiness Production: our garden the second week of June

From an article on the economist Wilhelm Ropke in the Spring 2009 Intercollegiate Review:

Indeed, Ropke held an almost religious faith in the transformative power of the private garden. As he wrote, the keeping of a family garden "was not only 'the purists of human pleasures' but also offers the indispensable natural foundation for family life and the bringing up of children."

Ropke tells the story of a laissez-faire liberal who saw the family gardens of several workers. Ropke continued,

"on seeing these happy people spending their free evening in their garden, the laissez-faire liberal "could think of nothing better than the cool remark this was an irrational form of vegetable production."

Ropke retorted, "He could not get it into his head that [the garden] was a very rational form of 'happiness production' which surely is what matters most."

I thought I'd showcase our vertical frames that we built to grow as much as we can in small spaces and keep produce out of the dirt. They were inexpensive, especially compared to large tomato cages, easy to make and a means of happiness production for us!

Here they are and it's only the second week of June:

Summer Squash and 4 cucumber plants in just 4 squares

32 pea plants in 4 squares

Indeterminate Tomatoes, grow 1 per square

Pole Beans growing up our homemade tee-pee made from an old curtain rod and twine

Other newcomers:

Our Nasturtium has started to blossom. These edible flowers look lovely in a salad:

And we have replanted 8 squares with more radishes, bush beans, lettuce and spinach and they are already sprouting. The sprouts make it feel like April again:

a defense of home food preservation and how to start with a bunch of little ones underfoot!

This is the time of year for good eats. Vegetables and fruit are plentiful in the garden, at the farmer's market, and on sale at the grocery store. The time of year when many of our great-grandmothers and their mothers and their mothers (the first frugal, simple, green-living mommas--thanks, Allie!) began preserving the harvest.

But then we were persuaded that this sort of work was drudgery. We were convinced that what came from the grocery store was more convenient and more sophisticated...That faster was better...

But after reading books about eating a local, sustainable diet (Nabhan, Pollan, Kingsolver, Berry, Slow Food Movement) it's hard to not want to lock up as much of the summer goodness as you can. And it's hard not to question thin promises of convenience, efficiency, and freedom. I've had all kinds of work that I could label at times as drudgery--sales clerk, teaching, writing, grading, even when I was a travel director. I've waited in line at the fast food restaurant and no matter how fast it comes, do we really think it's worth it? We're beginning to hear more of the costs of this type of eating for our health and our environment.

And yet, for me, trying to preserve our food myself is a challenge. First, I don't know what I'm doing! Second, I've got 3 children under 5. Isn't it enough to spend my time caring for them? Why learn this new time-consuming task?

It's a way to be frugal by stocking up on fresh fruit and vegetables at their cheapest (though there is the initial cost of jars and other equipment).

It's a way to eat well--produce is at the peak of its freshness and tastiness, packed with sunshine and vitamins. No additives, high-fructose corn syrup and other things we can't pronounce.

It's a way to become self-sufficient and productive. Most household economies produce nothing. We consume and consume and consume with little to show for it. We grow so tired consuming that we need to stop at the fast food store on the way home to cope; we complain of the drudgery.That's not the way it always was. And women's lives were filled with the knowledge and effort of real work for the good of their household. Work which brings delight to a family when a jar of homemade strawberry syrup is cracked open on a wintery morning.

And for these reasons and more, it's a way to eat sacramentally. In chapter one of his book, Living the Sabbath, Norman Wirzba explains that sacramental eating affirms the grace and beneficence of God made concrete: "we can learn to grow food and eat in a way that reflects thanksgiving and praise to God" (p. 27). As an illustration, he describes his grandfather, a small-time chicken farmer, who ate with a "realistic and palpable sense of the goodness and the costliness of creation--after all these chickens had died so he could eat. Their death could not be taken lightly, nor could their living. And so [the chicken's] very being demanded [the family's] respect and care. His eating was a sacramental eating, because it affirmed the grace and beneficence of God made concrete in the midst of his living. It was a Sabbath eating, permeated by his thanksgiving and praise to God" (p. 28).

And so, in this light, my small attempts to seek out good, healthy, sustainable, (yet affordable) food and then to preserve it for our family's use becomes a way for me to move toward more grateful and worshipful ways of being.

But how do we begin? Though I suggested some of these possibilities in this post, I'd like to suggest that preserving food through canning, freezing and drying is another place for sacramental eating to start.

And so here are a few ways that I have begun my attempts at food preservation over the last few years even when pregnant or with a new baby or little ones underfoot.


1. Learn from those who know. While I am a book person and I turn to the Internet for the littlest questions, there is nothing better than getting to watch up close and ask questions from someone of experience. Back in Wisconsin, I showed no shame and asked the women in my church who I heard put up their own tomato sauce if I could come over on one of their canning days. I asked a pie baker and a pesto maker to give me lessons. I was surprised when they seemed flattered and graciously shared advice and techniques. I enjoyed their company and hope I even helped. Space was created for fellowship as our conversations floated to topics such as house management, schooling, discipline, and God's work in our lives. "Work Bees" aren't part of most communities anymore and we wonder why it is so difficult to naturally create the kind of nurturing that Titus 2 describes.

If you don't know of anyone, ask a like-minded friend who also wants to learn. My sister-in-law has been great for this as I posted about here. With a friend, someone can hold the fort down, while the other nurses the baby or changes a diaper; children are occupied with a friend to play with.

2. Start with a clean work station. Tidy your house the night before, clear off lots of space on your counter tops. Wash all your jars and lids ahead of time.


3. Check and prep as much as possible the night before. Reread the directions and ingredients list. In a busy household, nothing can set you back more than a sink of dirty dishes or missing 1 tablespoon of lemon juice!


4. Plan ahead for meals that day. This is your morning for cold cereal and a banana and an even easier lunch. Have dinner ready to go in the crockpot or use up meals in the freezer. Nothing is more frustrating that to have worked for hours in the kitchen to then realize its supper time and you have nothing to show for it.

5. Plan what you'll do with your little ones. Maybe you can swap babysitting with a girlfriend--what an incentive to preserve--a morning to yourself?! But otherwise, have coloring books, playdough, or a new book on tape ready to go. And though we try to limit all screen time in our house, we're all about letting them watch an online classic sesame street video or an old Disney opera from the 1930s here and there.

But best of all, try to incorporate them into your activities.

Even preschoolers can fill the measuring cup with berries, be in charge of the mashing, cut off stems. In doing so, they get time with you. They learn all sorts of skills-measuring, counting, volume, following directions, fine motor skills. You also start instilling a culture of work and good habits into their life which can turn into their own experiences of delight.


6. But since your household is a busy one, minimize as many distractions as possible. Like the telephone! Use a timer; I never used one before kids but now I can stick something in the broiler for 3 minutes and then head off to change a diaper and completely forget the oven. Canning has lots of directions like boil for 15 minutes or simmer for 3 so I use a timer.



7. Start with easy stuff. Try one new thing each week or month or year!
For those of you who have never canned before, freezing your fresh herbs and vegetables is a simple start. Freezer jam is another great way to cheat at canning for the first timer. It requires little effort and is so delicious. Then build your repertoire slowly. Conquer your favorite fruit, put up your prized tomatoes.

Well, like I said, I have much to learn in this area and for much of my life I would have been resistant to the idea, but my hope is that "as our sensitivities expand and as our appreciation for the complex, gracious ways of God grows, we will gradually find that gratitude and praise are irrepressible. To experience God's hesed or covenantal love in the midst of our practical living is to enter God's domain of blessing and joy...As we learn to attend and respond to the creative, vivifying action of God among us, we will learn to participate in a Sabbath singing that is now attuned to and extends God's rhythms of delight and peace" (Weirzba p. 29).

All that from a jar of tomato sauce? Sign me up!

Our Square Foot Garden: The first week of June

Well, it is the first week of June and my, how our garden grows.

We are continuing to eat 5 types of lettuce, kale, chard, spinach, green onions, and radishes. I also have used our herbs quite a bit too.

And the newcomers, Alaska and sugar snap peas!






We were excited to see our Pole Beans heading up our homemade Teepee:





And the strawberries, squash, peppers, tomatoes and bush beans are flowering too!



What's new in your garden?

What's in Season: Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard is ready to be picked in our garden. Chard is a rich in nutrient vegetable


It has been an easy veggie, grown four plants to 1 square foot. Ready in just 4 weeks, it is a prolific grower, tolerates poor soil, inattention, and even withstands frost and mild freezes.




Because they are extremely perishable, just pick a few outer leaves as you need them. As with most lettuce type plants, it is better to harvest them early rather than late!




Aren't those red stalks beautiful?! You can eat both the stalk and leaves! Chard does have a bit of a bitter flavor which you can minimize by making sure it gets plenty of water.


To make sure we eat them, I did some searching for new recipes. We most often saute the chard and eat it as a side dish or over pasta. I often add it to a beef stew or soup.


Sauteed Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

(4 slices of bacon or pancetta would be great a great addition!)

Swiss Chard with Beans and Goat Cheese

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch Swiss chard - rinsed, stems removed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons goat cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add Swiss chard, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Uncover and mix in the pinto beans, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. Cover and continue cooking until the chard is wilted, about 4 more minutes.
3. Transfer the chard to the baking dish and dot with goat cheese, pushing it down into the dish.
4. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the goat cheese is warmed.

Vertical Frames-Growing more in less space.

Another idea I love about our raised square foot beds is that we can grow more in less space by growing up rather than out using Vertical Frames. The Square Foot Gardening Book says that this trellis will even hold heavy plants like watermelon, pumpkins and winter squash! You can grow 9 pea plants or 2 cucumbers or 1 tomato plant in a 1' square. Plus don't you think the kids will love seeing big vegetables growing above their heads!

Since we finally got our Vertical Frames put up today and I've had a few questions about them, I thought I'd post pictures.

What you need from the Hardware Store:
2-1/2" Rebar-2' long ($1.38 each)
2-1/2" steel electrical conduit 10' long ($1.97 each)
2-1/2" pull elbow connectors 90 degree angle ($4.61 each; there were cheaper ones but these were easiest to use with screws attached)
Nylon Garden Netting- ($3.97 each-2 bags will do 3 beds)


Tools:
Pipe Cutter
Hammer
Scissors

Directions:
Hammer Rebar about 1 foot into the ground outside your vegetable box.




With pipe cutter, cut electrical conduit into 2-5 feet sections.



Place electrical conduit over rebar.


With pipe cutter, cut electrical conduit 4-feet (or however long your bed is). Attach Elbows to 4 foot post and then to the vertical 5-foot posts.



Cut Nylon Trellis and tie to the top and sides of the pipe. Work growing vines through the trellis.



Unfortunately, the baby woke up before I was able to get a picture of the finished product. But really, it was so quick and easy--even a philosophy professor did it (with a little instruction from his wife!).

Homemade Natural Cleaning Products: Air Freshener/Clean Hands Spritz

Air Freshener
1 cup water
5 drops of Essential Oil

Put into a small spritzer bottle. So simple!

Clean Hands Spritz

2 Tbsp Witch Hazel
1/8 tsp tea tree oil
24 drops of essential oil (2 different kinds)
4 drops of grape seed extract

Put in small plastic spray bottle that can close or has lid to keep in purse or baby bag.

Homemade Natural Cleaning Products: All-Purpose Cleaner

I use this everywhere and have made enough spray bottles for each bathroom and the kitchen. It beats grime, neutralizes odor, lifts stains and soap scum. If you add 3% hydrogen peroxide, it disinfects too.

All-Purpose Citrus Spray.

1/2 cup White Distilled Vinegar
1/2 cup 3% hydrogen peroxide (optional)
1/2 tsp. castile soap
1 1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp antiseptic essential oil (one or two flavors--we did lemon and orange)
5 drops of Grape Seed Extract (optional)

Shake well. Spray and wipe.

Another recipe

All Purpose Cleaner/disinfectant
2 cups water
4 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp of borax or washing soda
1/4 cup castile soap
1 tsp tea tree oil (optional)

Homemade Natural Cleaning Products: The Kitchen

Drain Cleaner.

Dissolve 1/2 cup Baking Soda and 1 cup of vinegar in boiling water. Pour down the drain. Then flush with hot tap water.

Sink Cleaner.

Spread baking soda over sink. Let stand 5-10 minutes pour on vinegar and watch it fizz! Scrub and rinse.

Cutting Boards/Counter-tops Disinfectant.
1/4 cup 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved as a sanitizer; stronger than chlorine)
1/4 Vinegar
4 drops of Essential Oil (Oregano)
4 Drops of Grape Seed Extract

Mix together and put in spray bottle.

Sprinkle cutting board with 1 Tbsp of baking soda and then spray. Let sit and then wipe and rinse.

Homemade Natural Cleaning Products: Mopping the Floor

Mopping has always been my husband's job. I didn't mop a floor our first 6 years of marriage. It's not so much that he enjoys it and I don't. But even more if it is dirty, it drives him crazy. I've never quite understood it but if it's clean, he feels the whole house is clean!

It's always the first thing he'll do if we're having guests. So here's the recipe I created for him/

1/4 cup Castile Soap
1/4 cup white vinegar
20 drops of essential oil (no he doesn't add this!)
2 gallons of hot water.

Homemade Natural Cleaning Products: Wood Dusting Aid

This is for your wood furniture and floors. Please test before use!!

Murphy's Oil is Pure Vegetable Oil Soap, so it is Biodegradable and Phosphate Free. It cleans with no residue or build-up. Natural, non-toxic and earth-friendly. Shines and brings out the grain in wood.

Use as bottle recommends or try the following recipe. I love the way it makes our house smell.

Wood Dusting Aid

1/2 cup Murphy's Oil
3/4 cup Water
5 Drops of Sweet Orange Oil essential oil
15-20 drops of cedar essential oil (I changed this to Rosemary EO but the cedar would be nice for your wood!)

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray onto wood and wipe clean with a soft dry cloth.

You'll be whistling the song from their commercials, "The work is finished and the finish is fine."

Homemade Natural Cleaning Products: The Bathroom Continued

More for the bathroom. This creamy soft scrubber works better than Soft Scrub or Ajax. It shines up stainless steel or chrome faucets. It's great for porcelain tubs and sinks because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit. It smells delicious and looks just like Vanilla Frosting so keep it far away from little ones.

CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER
Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough Castile Soap (or liquid detergent) to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface.

Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.

WINDOW/MIRROR CLEANER
1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake before use. The soap cuts any wax residue. The smell of vinegar will disappear once it dries.

Homemade Natural Cleaning Products: The Bathroom

Three years ago a dear friend gushed about the wonders of homemade organic cleaners: "safe, cheap, effective"!! I wasn't so sure until she made me my very own spray bottle of toilet cleaner and an all-purpose spray.

I was a convert. Gone was that nasty chemical smell. It worked and I could make it myself, for less??? I had to research this one.

And so I read Green Clean, The Naturally Clean Home, and Easy Green Living, created my own little recipe book, and convinced my sister-in-law to come over for a day of making natural cleaners.

Now I am the one who gushes! I don't even know I do it, but my husband clues me in with "And if there ever is a national disaster and we're left without water or food, we could live on the stuff." Okay, that's not exactly true...

But I thought while we're on the road I'd post some of my favorite recipes and you could see for yourself.

We found it easiest to stockpile all of the necessary ingredients, essential oils and containers (the spray bottles from the Dollar Store worked great) and do it all in one day. Though you have to put all your money out at once to buy, they last and it has saved us so much.

But maybe you just want to try the original recipe that convinced me:

Amazing Amber's Amazing Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Mix together

• 2 cups water,
  

• 1/4 cup castile soap, (soap made from olive oil rather than animal fat . You can find Dr. Bronner's at Vitamin Shops, some Targets, Health food stores, and, of course, online.)
  

• 1 tablespoon tea tree essential oil (natural antibacterial, even against staphylococcus aureus including MRSA,)

• and 10 drops eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil (natural disinfectants).

Place into spray bottle. Shake before use. Spray on surfaces, wipe clean.

I've also used it on the sink and tile with great results!

First Fruits of the Garden

Tonight we tried our first samples from the garden.

A Garden Salad with Buttercrunch and Red Leaf Lettuces and a few baby Spinach Greens. It was so sweet, tender and full of flavor.

Then Spaghetti Puttanesca with Fresh Basil, Oregano and Parsley from the garden.

I can't wait to make it with our own tomatoes!

Making Square Foot Beds and this week in our garden

Well, I can't take much credit for the building of our Square Foot Beds in the back yard since I was hit with a terrible stomach flu the day they were made! We were blessed to have some of RJ's students over to help and I vaguely remembering wandering out once to mutter something about keeping the soil moist as they mixed it, getting strange looks, and going back to bed.

But I can tell you the book (All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew) has very detailed instructions on making the beds, the right soil, seed sowing, plant spacing and more.

The Boxes:

We bought 2 pine 2x6 lumber boards for each bed, sawed them in half, and used a drill to attach them with wood screws. We then laid down Weed Block so we didn't have to dig out the grass. The beds were filled with our own version of Mel's Mix.

Here is one cost-comparison for making the boxes. For those who think just planting seeds is ambitious, you can buy the boxes here.

The Soil Mel recommends:
* 1/3 Peat Moss – available at any garden center or supermarket. It expands to double its size in the bag
* 1/3 Vermiculite – Buy the coarse grade in large 4 cubic-foot bags at any garden center.
* 1/3 Compost – Buy bags of it at the garden center to get started, but make your own as soon as possible.

We decided to skip the Vermiculite after talking with our local gardening center expert. It was expensive and he said it really wasn't necessary. For compost, we did purchase a few bags of different types of compost/manure since Mel recommends using 5 different types, but we mainly used free compost from our local county, which saved us a bunch of money. We hope to stock up so that for the rest of the season we won't have to buy compost. And maybe, just maybe, by the end of the summer, we will have our compost heap going!

The book explains that such rich soil should not need any fertilizer so we will wait and see. But we will use organic fertilizer if we have too.
I like Organic!

The Grid:

The beds are then divided into square feet. We used Wood Lathe Board (they come 4 feet long!) and followed the plant spacing guide in the book and found on one easy page on Emily's site at My Square Foot Garden. (What I also loved about Emily's site this Spring was getting her emails about when to plant. After you determine your color based on your hardiness zone, she will send you weekly emails about what to plant when!)

Lettuce and Spinach-4 to a square!

Plant Spacing:

Emily explains plant spacing in this way:

"To calculate how many plants per square, look on the back of the seed packet–totally ignore the row spacing, just look at the plant spacing:

• 3″ apart (or less), plant 16 per square
• 4″ apart, plant 9 per square
• 6″ apart, plant 4 per square
• 12″ apart, plant 1 per square"

Chard seedlings, 4 to a square

Peas, 9 to a square

The Cages:

The cages were made with 1x2 inch pine lumber boards, cut and attached in the same way as the boxes. We used our staple gun to attach the chicken wire to the frame. We bought 1" chicken wire which was difficult to work with, but we figured it only had to be done once and would ensure that even the tiniest of bunnies couldn't get in!

The cages were sturdy enough that on frosty nights I could throw a blanket over to protect the seedlings.

Location of boxes:

1. Close to the house for convenience.
2. Pick an area that gets 6-8 hours of sunshine a day.
3. Stay clear of trees or other structures that may shade the bed.
4. The area shouldn't puddle after a heavy rain.

Vertical Frames:
One last catch to growing lots of vegetables in one 4x4 plot is growing plants up. We still don't have our vertical frames but our peas are so big that we need them soon. I'm not exactly sure if we will try to build our own, just use trellis or purchase frames. I'll update next week!

So I hope that shows that even if you have a small backyard like us you can still grow lots of veggies!! It's not too late to start now!

The Simple Life: Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've had a few friends ask for my homemade laundry detergent recipe so I thought I'd post it here to share with everyone. It's just another small step to being frugal, healthy, and self-sufficient. It's fun to make with kids too. They like to watch the soap melt and then see it gel as it sits.

I've used this recipe for about 6 months now and it's been great. Clothes come out clean and smelling fresh. And it's so cheap--it calculates to less than $.01 a load! You also know that it's free from the chemicals and toxins that are store-brand detergents, even the supposed "free and clear" kinds.

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of pure soap, such as Ivory.

½ cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder

~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

I found the original recipe with detailed directions, pictures and tips at the bottom. I used an Ivory Soap bar and my hand blender to mix it all up after it had gelled. I mix it and keep it in 5 gallon paint bucket with a lid.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if you give it a try!

Our Square Foot Gardens

I was delighted to receive an email from a friend requesting more information about our raised garden beds! Though my husband grew up on a farm, it was huge with at times over 1000 head of cattle and 4000-5000 acres of grain. If you grew up in Jersey, it's hard to imagine that magnitude. They always had a vegetable plot with potatoes, cabbage, and onions but he was out with the animals or out with his gun hunting gophers (but most likely, out with a book!!). So the little plots we've had over the years have been mostly trial and error.

After reading All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew, I realized we were trying to garden for one family like farmers do to feed hundreds and there was so much wasted in the process--seed, soil, water, time and money.

So I hope this answers some of your questions, Melissa!

RJ and a few of his college students put our boxes together! They were inexpensively and quickly made. We didn't want to invest too much money because we don't have that much and weren't sure this was how we'd always want to use the space.

The boxes are wonderful for those who don't have a huge yard but even if we ever have a larger yard the boxes still make sense. Here's why:

1. Being only 4x4, you can easily sow and tend from any spot rather than walking up and down long rows. You never walk on the soil! This is especially nice with little children. The raised beds keep kids out of the garden but they can also reach all spots if you do want them to help. G. is in charge of watering! We give her a big bucket of water and a little cup (recommended in the book) and she diligently waters every square!

2. There is little wasted space, thus you don't need all that wasted water, seed, soil, and fertilizer with long rows. You save money on all those things too.

3. Since it is so compacted with no rows, there is very little weeding! Something I hate to do, I can get the motivation to plant and water, but weed--ugh!

4. We could put time and money into making our own soil mix b/c it wasn't such a huge plot. It took us years at our old house to improve the soil and we started right on the very first day, so we hope that this will help us keep our garden organic!

5. My mind works well in the grid. It was fun to plan what would go in each square and when it is harvested what vegetable will go next.

6. I hope they will look pretty:-)With a mix of flowers, lettuces, pepper plants all together blooming and growing at different rates, especially since a normal garden with rows would take up half the yard.

7. We're also using them to create a sense of enclosure for a sitting area/fire pit. Though they are still pretty bare now so we'll have to wait a few more weeks to show you what we're going for!


8. Our neighbors have had problems with rabbits and especially squirrels who can jump and climb over fences and destroy all their harvest. With small beds, we could easily create cages which we hope will keep out even the smartest pests! And the cages double as weather protection. One frosty night, I covered them with sheets to keep them nice and warm. For hail, you can cover them with a tarp. But then when they aren't needed, the cages are light weight and easy to store.

9. No digging or using herbicide to kill existing grass/weeds! With beds raised above ground, we just laid down a weed cloth and filled the dirt in on top. The book now recommends that the beds only be 6 inches deep, anything else will be wasted.

10. Well, I can't think of a 10th reason! But I'll post more on how to create the beds and how to grow so much in such little space.

If you want more info, Mel has his own site. And here's a YouTube clip:

Hanging Cloths to Dry

Now that it is so warm out, I've been motivated to hang clothes on the line to dry. We don't have that great of a system but the savings of money and energy make it worth it to me. (I've read estimates that the dryer can cost around $.50 an hour to run.)

The other great perk to line-drying is that the sun is a natural bleaching agent to whiten up your cloth diapers and wipes!

It's also a lovely reason for me to get outside with the kids and somehow my busyness keeps them occupied on a task too. Today they were spiders creating a huge web (mess of rope)! And hopefully, we will all nap better too!

Our Garden-week 2

Today the high is 88 degrees and we could see the garden growing right before our eyes. I sent this to the great-grandparents and thought I'd share it with you too!

We still are working on our Tomato and Raspberry beds which we won't start for another two weeks. And I didn't take any shots of our Pole Beans or much of the Herb bed but you'll see photos of our three main 4x4 beds. It's amazing what you can pack into a little place!

In the first box we're growing onions, spinach, a mesculin mix, bibb lettuces onions, red and yellow peppers, swiss chard, nasturtiums, coreopsis, yellow squash and cucumbers.

In the second box, we're growing radishes, carrots, sugar snap peas, alaska peas, 6 types of lettuces, and spinach.

In the third box, we're growing Bush Beans, Zucchini, Kale, more lettuce and eventually strawberries and winter squash.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Good Earth

Reflections on Earth Day

There was a time when I believed that our commands in Genesis 1 to care for the earth merely meant to use it for our purposes. I allowed arguments like "recycling doesn't really work" or "caring for endangered owls costs jobs" to get me off the hook of my own stewardship of God's good gifts to us.

Now I feel the weight of the command enough to attempt even small ways to conserve and uses resources rightly. We try to avoid a disposable lifestyle, buy in ways that produce a sustainable, healthy land and cultivate the small plot of a yard we've been blessed with. When did this change occur? Well, it was obviously brought on with the birth of my children. I wanted them to live healthy lives free of harmful chemicals and toxins. I wanted them to be able to enjoy the beauty of God's creation without pollution. But really this attitudinal change began much earlier than my will to follow through with it. A change that began with our prayers Sunday morning in church.

Sadly, most of my church experience on a Sunday morning had little time set aside for corporate prayer. Yes, we sang praise songs, we heard His Word and good teaching, we prayed for our souls and our sins and those of the lost. But there was not time for much else.

Praying the "Prayers of the People" from the Prayer Book during our Sunday service then was a big shock to my system.

At first, I was attracted to the beauty of the prayers but at the same time a bit frightened. Isn't this "the vain and repetitious prayer" warned of in Scripture? Slowly, I realized what was most often vain and repetitious were my own prayers. When I prayed, I focused on what popped into my head, often blinded by own sin. Being led in prayer actually allowed the Holy Spirit to break through these walls to convict and open my eyes to others' needs, as well as my own. And when I was convicted of these needs, sins, desires, praise, or adoration, the prayer book also gave me the language to express them.

One of the first examples of this was the inclusion of prayers for God's creation. I remember wondering if these prayers were just for those crazy environmentalists in the crowd! But week after week of praying for the earth (along with our work, the work of our church and our missionaries, the work of our country; our sins, the sins of the church and our country, for those sick, in danger, suffering from hurt, loss, poverty), I began to love God's earth more, to be convicted of my careless waste, to see ways my indulgences hurt others.

And so, while many of us, are a bit skeptical of movements like "Earth Day," now extended to "Earth Week," where we get to pay Disney lots of money to see a movie and feel good about their effort to plant a few trees or spend $20 for a cool t-shirt and save the world. The prayers below have taught me that doesn't mean that I am off the hook. As Christians, we are called to "reverence the earth as [His] creation," ask him for "the wisdom and will to conserve it," to realize our right use can free others from "poverty, famine, and disaster."

These prayers are worthy of our consideration on Sunday mornings as a community and each day as individuals. Not just one day of the year, but until we are brought into the fullness of His Kingdom.


...Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
From Form IV (BCP, p. 388)

...For the good earth which God has given us, and for the
wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
From Form I (BCP, p. 384)

... For a blessing upon all human labor, and for the right use
of the riches of creation, that the world may be freed from
poverty, famine, and disaster, we pray to you, O Lord...
From Form V (BCP, p. 390)