Knittlebits

In order to keep Mr B (and me) better on track, I’ve created a few forms. We’re giving them some trial runs right now but they seem to be working out wonderfully.

The first important piece is the Knittlebits Planner. It covers for as long as I’ve gotten planned out. I write Mr. B’s name at the top, the subject this sheet will cover and the approximate dates this planning will take us. On the Book(s) and Website(s) section, I list those that I know we’ll be using. Each resource gets a capital letter after its name. Example: Going Places (A). That letter is then used in the Key column below. Read the rest of this entry »

While squeezing lemons would a bit much for Miss Chief, she does enjoy herself a tall glass of lemonade.

Classic Lemonade

• 1 1/2 c organic lemon juice
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 c hot water
• 5 c cold water
• Mint for garnish
• Ice

Combine the lemon juice, sugar and hot water in a large pitcher. (Be careful on the water temp if your pitcher is glass.) Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the cold water, a few mint leaves to garnish. Add ice to your glass, pour and enjoy.

Other additions to try:

• organic pineapple juice
• peach nectar
• organic apple juice
• pureed organic cherries

post inspired by: RealSimple.com

Remember, if you can’t get organic then buy local.

The kids and I drove down to pick up a load of straw bales for the garden. I found them for $4.75 each. We were able to get 30 loaded into the trailer and then my dh unloaded them that afternoon. 12 bales for a raised bed near the children’s playplace. The placement was questioned by dh until I reminded him that I’m developing the property via Permaculture principles. Thus, the often-used play area is a perfect neighbor to the beds. We practically live out there during the summer, so picking an apple from the tree or tomatoes off the vine sounds wonderful. Now if I could only convince dh that chickens would be a good idea. Oh, and Beeze thought the baby ducks would make a great addition to our family. (They would need a pond…)

Anyway, the bales are arranged 4 on a side along an east-west line. Then there are 2 on each end. This gives me more southern facing exposure for the plants. I also called a few places for some topsoil mixes. My fav place will price match, so I’ll be ordering up several yards soon. I’ve also got several APS units started with tomatoes and several more (like 30) units coming from Gardener’s Supply. They’re on spring sale right now, so go take a look.