I'm So Excited

My guest column printed today in The Beaches Leader. I am so excited. My very first publication!

Of course, now that I've seen it in print, I'm second guessing myself and wishing I had edited it a few more times. You guys should have no problem understanding me, since you've read my blog. But for all the other Leader readers... I'll just have to hope for the best.

It's a little bittersweet since they misspelled my name. Laine Fekula is a Jacksonville Beach resident. Laine Fekula lives the Beach Cheap life and loves it. Laine Fekula is wondering if maybe she should have chosen an easy-to-spell pen name. Heather? Kelly? Amber?
Ah, well, for better or for worse, I am Lainie Fekula.

And if you locals read The Beaches Leader, be sure to write a short note to Editor Kathleen Feindt Bailey letting her know how much you LOVE my column. Maybe she'll let me write more.

She can be reached at: editor@beachesleader.com

Farmer's Markets!

I adore food. I love it. And I really really love buying it on the cheap.

Sweet Vidalia onions. I am blessed to live close to Georgia.

Yummy peaches. 20 pounds for $6. Yep, that's right. $6.

And my tomatoes. I have a confession-- I am a tomato freak. Always have been. Probably always will be. I love them. I eat them like apples, halved and salted, broiled, sun-dried, boiled in a soup, juiced, in salsa and in sauce.

I bought 75 pounds of tomatoes (I washed them all and had to use the dishwasher as a drying rack!) at the Jacksonville Farmer's Market on Beaver Street for $36. Of course, I spent three days processing them and cooking the sauce. Then I canned it all. Well, all that I could get away from my family.

I also visited the Beaches Green Market.

The "beach" in me loves the Beaches market; live hippy-esque music, organic foods and natural soaps, fresh-baked bread and homemade granola. Yum!

But the "cheap" in me couldn't stand it. I was amazed to see people buying the expensive produce. It's overpriced because the vendors travel to bring their goods to the beach and the venue charges rent for booths. I understand this, but, for me, it just isn't worth it. You'd be better off to shop in air-conditioned Publix.

I have heard of another beaches market that is starting up in Atlantic Beach. They are not charging booth rent, so the atmosphere should be more grass-roots. When I get more information, I'll report back.

So, if I was Beach Chic, I would ride my bike (or drive my future Prius) to the Beaches Green Market. And the downtown Farmer's Market is certainly cheap. To make it Beach Cheap, carpool with some friends. The 30-minute drive will be more fun, and you can buy in bulk to get the best deal and then split everything up later. Make sure you take a minivan to haul all that loot away.

Happy farmer's marketing!

Beach Cheap

I decided that since we no longer live in the efficiency, I needed to change the name of my blog. "Life in the Efficiency" just doesn't fit anymore.

A few weeks ago, The Beaches Leader advertised for guest columnists. I was terrified almost to the point of not even trying. But I did. I wrote three sample columns. The editor, Kathleen Feindt Bailey, agreed to publish one. WooHoo! I will post again when it prints. Believe me, I'll let everyone know!

The one she liked was titled "Beach Cheap." I happen to know a few things about living cheap. Just ask my husband- I can make a penny scream. And I hope to one day achieve "Beach Chic" status. But for now, I am simply and contentedly Beach Cheap, and I have lots of tips to share with the readers of The Beaches Leader. Hmm, maybe the editor will allow me to submit another column.

In the Beach Cheap spirit, I have gone over all my previous posts and pointed out the Beach Cheap tips. Please "follow" my blog for more tips. If you'd like to share my blog, you can click on the share buttons below, or give your friends the link: http://beachcheap.blogspot.com/

HomeMade Play-Dough

Beach Cheap tip-

Make your own chemical-free Play-Dough. It's so easy.

We poured 2 cups of white flour, 1 cup of salt, 2 cups of warm water, 2 tablespoons of canola oil, and 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar in a pot and stirred it up. Then we heated it on low. I stirred it until it was cooked all the way through. When it pulls away from the sides of the pot and forms a lumpy ball in the middle, it's done. Just dump it out on the countertop and let it cool. Then you knead it until it becomes silky soft. Lyliana and I kneaded it together. We had a blast rolling the dough into a ball and punching it flat again.

Divide the dough into 4 or 5 balls. Spread one ball flat and squeeze some color on it. Then gently rub it in.

By the time I finished with the blue, Lyli had squished all the rest together.

We had a great time!

By the time she made it to the table, she had worked all the colors into one big blob of green.

3 AM Musings

I've been reading more of Linda Lael Miller's McKettrick books.

And I was musing, "I wonder, if I practiced enough, if maybe I could learn to concoct a tale that rouses such emotion. Or if I could start a business that would grow into a successful company. I wish I had a family legacy that would tell me what I'm capable of.
McKettrick-tough. McKettrick-true.

But I don't... Well, of course I do!

I am the daughter of the King. I am part of the most thoroughly researched family of all time. The Bible contains my family history. God is my Father. Jesus Christ, Lord of all creation, is my Brother. The Holy Spirit is my guide and comforter.

'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' "

And so can you.

Amen!

And blessings to you all.

-Lainie

Garden Update {part 2}

My Bag Garden. From the left- corn, zuchinni, watermelon, cucumbers. Some were purchased, but most were traded or given.

From the top-- mulberry tree (a gift from a neighbor), watermelons in the bag (gift from a friend), cherry tomatoes (gift from my Aunt who is also a neighbor), sweet potatoes and golden potatoes that sprouted in my kitchen while waiting for me to eat them. I planted them instead.

Beach Cheap tip-

Restaurants buy their food in bulk, and sometimes this leaves them with an abundance of 5-gallon buckets. The green buckets above once held dill pickles. I asked the restaurant manager if I could get the buckets before they were tossed into the dumpster (for free, of course). I not only saved money, I also reduced the amount of garbage going into our landfills.

I drilled some holes into the bottoms before filling with soil and planting.

Some zuchinni.

Some squash.


My garden. Complete with little black squirrel repeller!

Garden Update {part 1}

Here it is. My Beach Cheap Garden. I ran out of room in my raised beds and started adding pots and buckets. In addition to my concrete-block herbs, I now have rosemary and thyme in the clay pots. Aloe in the white pot.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of my dill and peppermint. I love them both.

An up-close look at a gorgeous chives bloom.

My tomatoes, which are currently being attacked by hornworms. Every day, I transform myself into Lainie the Hornworm Killer, at least once, sometimes twice.

And my yummy-to-the-tummy Box-O-Lettuces. We've been harvesting and eating the outer leaves since we got these guys in February. You can see that by the super-long stems. We lost the red leaf a couple of weeks ago. So sad. The sap has started running now, and I expect they'll bolt soon. But we've had months of delicious salads, so I'm not complaining.

Beach Cheap tip-

Grow foods that you already eat. And if you're limited on space, choose the veggies that are pricier in the store. That's why I chose to grow bell peppers and tomatoes. We love them, and they're quite expensive.