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.

My Crafty Side

has been showing itself lately.

I keep my calendars and daily notes in a standard one-subject notebook that I bought at WalMart. But the covers are usually not my taste.

I found this gorgeous fabric on sale at JoAnn's and sewed a notebook cover. Now I can buy the cheapest ugliest notebook and it will be beautiful!

On the Dave Ramsey plan, we're supposed to shop with cash only, and keep said cash in envelopes. After 18 months on the plan, I still have not implemented the envelope system because I fear losing cash and coins from the envelopes. I needed a zipper! So I took an old shirt that my Nan (grandmother) had given me and made a really cute change purse. It's wide enough for the bills to lay flat (this was very important to my "Monica Geller" side). And my pennies are safe.

Beach Cheap tip-

(adapted from Dave Ramsey)

When you spend cash rather than swiping your debit card, you spend less. Yes, I know, I doubted, too. But when I finally implemented Dave Ramsey's envelope system, I spent less money. At the beginning of the month, take your monthly grocery budget in cash. Put it in your envelope/change purse. When you run out of money, stop spending. So simple. But it really works- because it hurts to spend cash. It is actually painful to part with cash money. Try it. It'll totally change your spending.

My Garden

My two raised beds. I lined the ground with wet newspaper, then filled with soil. I reused the wood from a broken fence panel. On the right are squash, zuchinni, onions and garlic. In the left box are peppers, tomatoes, brussels sprouts, onions and garlic. The cinderblocks are filled with basil, peppermint, dill, chives, and oregano.

My box-o-lettuce. I planted romaine, buttercrunch, bibb, red leaf, and lakeshead along with some swiss chard. YUMMY! Ben frequently requests "the best salad in the world."
I'm planning to move the box indoors when the weather heats up, hopefully keeping the lettuces from bolting.

Here's a better view of the oregano and brussels sprouts. They're doing fantastic. I'm really excited, ya'll; this is the first time I haven't killed everything I've planted! WooHoo!

Love at First Sight

I saw this darling parked in front of Goodwill on Saturday evening. We were on our way to my Mother-In-Law's birthday party, and I squealed when I saw her. My wonderful husband immediately turned into the Goodwill parking lot so that I could take a picture. This is my dream car. Except that I want the camper-van with the pop-top.

;D

Isn't she beautiful?