Wednesday, October 28, 2009

First snow of the season!!


Ok, so there isn't much, but the important thing is that when I woke up this morning, there was snow falling! My son JUMPED out of bed when I told him the news, and now he is very excited about snowballs and snowmen. I'm pretty sure Robert is gonna get pelted by a snowball or two this year.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Home improvements!!!

My wonderful husband had to listen to me whine all last winter about how I had no light in my kitchen. He decided that he wasn't going to listen to it again, now that it is getting much darker outside. So, last weekend, he fixed the problem!!!





This is my newly updated kitchen! If you look at the ceiling on the right, that one little recessed light is the only light I had! It was horrible! We added a few cheap under-the-cabinet lights last year, but, you get what you pay for! They sucked, and didn't last very long. Last weekend he installed a range hood with 4 lights, the 3 red pendant lights above the bar, and the track lighting in front of the cabinets. I can see!!! I have such a wonderful husband!


And just because she is so darned cute... here is a picture of Lily that I took this morning. 4 months old already, can you believe it?!




We still haven't gotten the first snow of the season... it has been raining a lot, but it just isn't cold enough yet. I really am wishing for snow now that the leaves have all fallen from the trees. Patience is difficult this time of year.

I am officially never buying store-bought laundry detergent again. I am so happy with my homemade detergent, it even works well in my High Efficiency washing machine! The clothes feel softer and cleaner than with regular detergent, and I can take comfort in the fact that I'm not loading up my family with all those unnecessary chemicals. I haven't tried the vinegar as a fabric softener yet, because with this soap the clothes are already really soft, but I will give it a try with the next load of towels I wash, just because I am curious. I am still doing my cleaning with vinegar and baking soda, and I am really happy with the change. Are any of you using natural cleaning products, or do you have any recipes for them that you want to share?

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Fall seems to be taking its time this year...

What a beautiful fall we have had this year. I can't believe how long it has taken for all the leaves to drop. The colder weather came on rather quickly, but the last week or so has actually warmed back up a bit, with the temperatures staying in the 40s. It has been raining a lot, and I'm a bit worried that its going to be another year where it rains until December. That is NO fun. I've mostly given up on the fall garden preparation for the year. I got one of the weedy beds tilled under to try and kill the weeds, but I'll have to wait until next spring to add the compost and steer manure. Oh well, you do what you can. I have lots of ambitions, but truth be told, my 4 month old is just taking most of my time, and those ambitions will just have to wait a bit.

We broke down and finally got a dehumidifier for the house, and I'm so glad we did! The average indoor humidity was a whopping 77% and the windows were all starting to grow mold. The dehumidifier has been running for 3 days now, and I've already pulled about 6 gallons of water out of the air. Amazing! The less humid air feels so much warmer, and even my husband commented on what a difference it was.

I have been starting to expand my homemaking skills some more. This week, I successfully learned to make laundry detergent, and have switched to vinegar solutions for cleaning, rather than the normal chemicals you find in the cleaning supply isle. What a difference! I think that the diluted vinegar actually works better, and doesn't leave a lingering smell like most commercial products do. This winter I want to really focus on getting the chemicals out of my home. I don't want them in my food, so why would I want them in my air?

Lily is getting big... its hard to believe she is 4 months old already. She is still nursing exclusively right now, but she'll be starting solid foods in a few months. I need to start learning to make baby food, as I don't want to feed her the preservative-laden baby food you find at the stores. Our veggies that we get from our CSA (which I LOVE) are strictly organic, so we are off to a good start. I think I will invest a little money in a good quality baby food mill. I'm sure that in the long run, I'll be glad I did.