Gardening in Zone 7- January

(photo April 2007)

Here in north Alabama we have a very long growing season. I hope to learn more this year on how to extend the season with hoop houses and plastic so that I can grow some lettuces and other things year round.

In January in zone 7 you can plant:

1. spinach
2. Irish potatoes
3. letttuce
4. onion
5. English peas
6. sugar snap peas
7. asparagus
8. cabbage
9. carrots
   

In February we can plant:

1. broccoli
2. kale

We have had so much snow that it was impossible to get out and plant anything. This week is nice and sunny in the 50's so it will be a great time to get out and plant some things. I will direct seed the peas, carrots, and potato eyes and start seeds in cotainers for lettuce, spinach and broccoli. I will let those seedlings grow a little before putting them in the garden.

I am excited to get the garden going again. It is so much fun to see things grow and have fresh food to eat.

Valentine Card Idea

Money Saving Mom is sharing a special deal on having cards printed right now. I thought the cards were the coolest thing ever and had to share it. You take a photo of your kid with their hand outstretched and then cut a slit and insert the suckers. Awesome idea!

Decorating the frugal way

This is how my family room looks now. Well, minus the Christmas tree and stockings since it is the end of January! I bought the couch and loveseat in 2002 when we moved into our house in Florida. My dad owned La-Z-Boy so my sofas, recliners, end tables and coffee tables are all from La-Z-Boy. Everything else is garage sale ro thrift store. The courtains are tapestry panels, four of them, that were in a box I picked up off the side of the road. Yes, they were someone's trash. The rug is a $10 garage sale find. The globes and books and decorative pieces are all garage sale. I am so tired of it!

When I bought it all, the Tuscan look was very popular. Everything was beige, brown, and blah. I am finding that I really like some color. I want this room to be fresher, more fun. I was looking on Craigslist and found the picture below. I think it looks very Ballard or Pottery Barnish. The pricetag is still on it for $200 from Kirklands and she said she paid $129.00. I got it for $30.00.

I actually bought it for my foyer, which is another room in deep need of some decorating. It is too big for the wall. I was not expecting it to be this large. This photo shows just how big it is, my fireplace is pretty big in itself. I have been living with it to make sure it is "right" for the room and am loving it! It makes me happy to look at it. If the kids are very very quiet I can imagine sitting in a comfy chair outside with a glass of tea and a good book. Oh, and I am eating gluten, too since it is my dream.

I am going to make some off white slipcovers for the couch and loveseat to freshen them up until I can afford new ones. I also want to make some new curtains and pillows. I will keep my eye out for a new rug, but they are awefully expensive so will have to keep my fingers crossed. I am also thinking of repainting my lamps a fresh color. I have already redone them once here.

De

Eating from the pantry

I looked in my freezers and made a list of what all I had. I am working on getting more food stored when I find sales so I would like to clean out and inventory what I have. I would like to use up some of the older items so that I can start fresh with new meat and vegetables. I am going to try to use up all I can through the end of the month, but I will continue to buy all the almost free coupon deals through the month. I don't plan on purchasing any meat or vegetables unless I see a really good deal. I hope that I can get by with buying eggs, milk, fruit, and bread.

This is my meals that I have planned using what I have:

I have 7 lbs of hamburger

1. spaghetti


2. tater tot casserole


3. hamburger goulash


4. burgers


5. hamburger helper


6. hamburger vegetable soup


7. spaghetti

I have 8 bags of cooked chicken

1. chicken and white bean soup


2. chicken taco


3. chicken pot pie


4. chicken and rice soup


5. tortilla chicken casserole


6. king ranch chicken casserole


7. chicken and rice bake


8. chicken taco

I have two bags of chicken breasts- each with 7 breasts

1. chicken marsala


2. bbq chicken

One whole turkey

1. baked turkey


2. turkey shepherds pie


3. turkey tetrizinni


4. turkey noodle soup with white beans

Miscellaneous items I have

1. bag roast beef- make a stew over rice


2. 2 burritos/1/4 bags of fajita meat, 2 corndogs- pull out all of these and eat it up one meal


3. bag meatballs- make Wedding meatball soup


4. lentil burritos


5. butterbeans and cornbread- add any other vegetables that are left overs


6. quiche- add in any leftovers

So, this meal plan will take me through February 14th. I may go further if we have leftovers or cereal nights. So, my goal is to only spend $50 through the end of the month on groceries.

Reversible Nursing Cover

One of my high school friends asked me to make her a nursing cover. The beautiful part of this story is that she was unable to have children so she has adopted two very beautiful girls from China. After all this time she came up pregnant and will be giving birth to her third girl very soon. I am so excited for them and can't wait to see their new addition.

I used this tutorial to make the cover. What I hate is that I had to use my old machine and the darn thing is not feeding the material through. I cleaned it and it was better, but still not right. I had to tug from behind to get the fabric to move and not bunch up. So, my stitches were wonky on the top where the boning goes and the boning kept pushing my fabric to the side while I tugged from behind and tried to get it straight. I sewed another row and tried to pick out the very wonky seam line, but it was too small of stitches and I couldn't get them out. Other than MY machine problems this was very easy to make and took about two hours to do.

I hope my friend has many many enjoyable moments relaxing in a chair nursing her baby. There is nothing better than just watching their sweet little faces and cuddling with them as they nurse.

Laundry Room Before and After

Beware! It was really bad!!! Look at your own risk. (before)
(after) I use the racks for drying clothes

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(after)

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my shoe bag for organizing different items

the battery organizer behind the door

Bloom

Facebook is a wonderful thing. It has brought people into my life and let me get to know them on a more personal level. You can learn more about a person in one week of Facebook posts than sitting beside them in church for a year. Funny how that is. One thing that has really bugged me is how negative people are. There are many that go from one crisis to another. It is always too hot, too cold, too wet, too boring, too stressful..... it goes on and on from one thing to another. It touches me in a place deep down and I want to just grab them and shake them and wake them from mindless way they walk through life.

I remember the topic of one of my first women's retreats was being either a balcony person or a basement person. The meaning was that you are one or the other, you either bring people down or you lift them up. Some people so naturally lighten your day when you see them. The others can make a good day seem awful. I hope that I am a balcony person, I really try anyway. One of the things people tell me often is that I am always cheerful and happy. One friend even said I reminder her of Champaign- she explained that it is associated with happy occasions, it is bubbly, it tickles. I love that comparison! Thank goodness it wasn't that I needed to be corked or that I was ready to explode or something.

My life has not always been easy. I have some things that I have been through that hurt very much. The one thing I never let happen was for any one of them to define who I am, to immobilize me, or to rob me of my joy. In the midst of the storm you can still find joy- not for the storm, but because you believe the storm will end. I knew each time I had to take what I had and move forward. Thank goodness for my Jesus and knowing He was my hope and had a plan for my future. I believed that I would grow and be a little more like Him on the other side.

My point is that we all have choices to make every day and very few are going to be perfect days. What can you do today to take what you have been given and make something of it? When it rains find some fun inside activity to do or get out there and stomp in the puddles. You know the saying When life gives you lemons make lemonade- well it is so true. I always look at road blocks as a challenge. When the electricity goes out don't sit and complain, get out games and fire up the grill. When we've moved I search the new area and make a list of fun things to do in that area. I look at it as an adventure. We once went on a business trip with my husband. We booked a hotel suite months in advance but arrived in Michigan to find a new owner and no room. We spent six weeks in a hotel room so small it had two beds, a dresser, a microwave, and a table with two chairs. We had them bring in two cribs and you couldn't walk around the beds. I took it as a challenge to cook meals in there using our crock pot and the microwave. We had 7 people in that room and I was home schooling during the trip. I could complain or I could do what I could to make it work. Whereever God takes you and whatever circumstances you have... bloom... bloom where you are planted!

Emergency Preparedness

We have had two snow storms in Alabama in the last month which is just amazing! Anytime we get any snow it is such a treat. Because it is so rare people in our area aren't always the best at being prepared to handle being stuck at home a few days. I grew up along the Alabama coast so we had hurricanes and tropical storms every year. It was normal to keep some food and supplies stocked up for power outages. In north Alabama we have a lot of tornados so we really need to keep supplies to weather these storms also. So what do we need to have ready?

1. flashlights and batteries- I have a wind up flashlight in the car and rechargeable batteries for the inside flashlights.
2. lanterns- mine has full light or a night light setting
3. oil lamps- oil, extra wicks
4. lighters and matches
5. wood
6. tarps
7. duct tape
8. extra gas tank for the grill
9. campstove and fuel
10. battery operated radio
11. phone that plugs in the wall- not a cordless phone
12. charcoal
13. water- when we know a storm is approaching we fill every container we can find with water. This time I filled my large crock pot also. Fill a bathtub for washing water. You can use the water from your water heater in an emergency.
14. canned food
15. snacks- granola bars, chips, crackers, peanuts- everyone gets the munchies
16. a can opener
17. blankets/sleeping bags
18. candles- I pick up all candles at garage sales usually for 10-50 cents. I really like the large pillar candles. You can set them on small plates or in glass cups.
19. coffee purculator for campstove
20. ski bibs, ski boots or at least rubber rain boots- I put our stuff in the attic that we used on a trip to Michigan in 1998. What fit my oldest in 1998 was floodwaters on my youngest this year. My husband had two sets of boots and pants so my 18 yr old son was able to use a pair of those. I will be keeping my eyes out for stuff at garage sales and thrift stores to store away.
21. knit caps, knit gloves, ski gloves, scarves, ear warmers
22. snow shovel
23. rock salt to melt ice
24. all prescription medicines- don't let them get too low
25. cash
26. rubbermaid box and toilet plunger- if you need to wash clothes make a hole in the top of the lid and insert plunger. Aggitate the plunger to wash the clothes.
27. keep your gas tank at least half full, top it off when you know a storm is coming
28. copies of important papers
29. pet food

In your car:

1. blanket(s)
2. space blankets
3. flashlight and batteries
4. maps- our GPS would not work most of the way home from our trip to Georgia
5. cell phone charger
6. First aid Kit with medicines
7. cash- including some change
8. extra socks, knit caps, knit gloves
9. ponchos
10. work gloves
11. Leatherman type knife
12. folding shovel
13. jumper cables
14. tow rope
15. tire flat fix in a can
16. duct tape
17. flares
18. window chalk- you can write "Need Help" on the window
19. notebook and pen/pencil
20. handwarmers
21. coffee can with candle and lighter
22. snacks: Peanut butter crackers, trail mix, water, granola bars, protein bars, gum
23. umbrella
24. ALWAYS take a jacket, even if it is only mildly cold. It gets very cold when standing on the side of the road or walking when cars pass you by.

When you know a storm is coming:

1. Get gas
2. Get any non parishable foods you are low on
3. Fill containers with water
4. Everyone bathe- may not be able to for a few days
5. Wash clothes, sheets, towels
6. Clean up- make sure your bathrooms and kitchen are clean, vacuum
7. Put up items in the yard- pots, bikes, etc.
8. Get cash
9. Get out a flashlight or lantern so you know where it is

The more you have prepared ahead of time the less you have to do. If you have food, cash, and emergency supplies ready in a special place you won't be the one in the store fighting for the last loaf of bread or sitting in a gas line.

Snowcream Recipe

We put out large bowls to catch fresh snow and made icecream with the snow. It was so good.

8 cups snow

1 - 5 oz can evaporated milk, then fill the measuring cup up the rest of the way with regular milk until it reached a cup

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

I blended together with a whisk until it was the right consistency. Add more snow if it is not thick enough, more milk if it is too thick.

Snow Day

We got 8.5 inches of snow on our patio table. I have heard people in our area with measurements up to 10 inches, so I don't know the official reading, but we got some good snow! Out of school, out of work. We used our knee board and tube from our boat and went to the hill next to our house for some tubing and kneeboard sledding. Lots of fun!

It is in times like these when I am overwhelmed with just how wonderful my life is!

The assignment: Show your top 10 photos of 2010 on I Should be Folding Laundry. Our computer crashed and all I have is photos from October, but I want to join in so I will use those. One of my New Year's Goals is to better my photography skills, so I hope to join in and learn more each week.
We went to Helen, GA after Christmas and my dad was able to come for the day to visit with us. So, I am including a photo that has included him in it.

Christmas morning we woke up to a white Christmas! The big deal... it is in Alabama. Such a wonderful Christmas gift.

The view out my front window of my Japanese Maple tree covered in snow.

Two great nieces all ready for Christmas. Little Emma on the right will not smile for a picture and I kindof got a smile!

These two Down Syndrome people have acted out a skit at the last two Women's Banquet at our church. They are just awesome and you can see the joy of God flow out of them as they act out the song. If you don't cry you are hardened.

My candy tree that I did with the boys for the Women's Banquet. It was such a hit with everyone. Definitely have to do this again.

I took a bunch of photos of my kids. I love the lighting of this one where the light was more on one side and kind of clouded the left side. I am sure pure photographers cringe and would tell you all the equipment or techniques I need, but for now I love it. Let me live in denial or stupidity for awhile longer.

These are our first ever carved pumpkins. We don't celebrate Halloween so it has never happened. They had a good time getting the goo out and creating what they wanted.

I caught he working the Fall Festival.

Homecoming photo of Cameron and his date. I embarrassed my whole family by lying on the ground for this. The things we do to get a shot.

Check out more photos at I Should Be Folding Laundry. If you are interested in improving your photo skills she has a weekly link up with different assignments.