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Published on: July 13, 2008December 30, 2015 by catballou24 Category:Farm Life, Gardening 2 Comments

I’m sure some of you are wondering why I’m posting a picture of dirt today. Well, that’s not just any dirt, no way. That is dirt that J and I worked on mixing most of yesterday (Saturday). That dirt is a mixture of the bottom of our compost (which we sifted), and the dirt in the chicken run. We’ve been working on this project for a year now, turning the dirt in the run every month or so (thank you to J for that!), moving around the compost piles and gathering the goodness that is made. We are very excited about this as it’s our first successful composting project! We have a few different piles going, one for dirt, one that’s new stuff and one that we use as mulch which has more hay from the chicken coop mixed in with it. The chicken run dirt has big fat earthworms in it too, so we know alot of good organic matter is in there! We feed the chickens alot of our kitchen scraps so what they don’t eat (which usually there is nothing left anyway), composts into their run along with their droppings. We replaced the dirt we removed with more composting hay, lawn trimmings, oak leaves, and dirt that needs to be reworked. We now have several piles of this goodness in different parts of the yard where we are planting.

It is so funny to get excited about dirt, but when you’ve actually created it yourself, it makes it much more rewarding! Thanks for indulging me! Peace!

Jill’s Experiment

Published on: July 8, 2008December 30, 2015 by catballou24 Category:Family, Frugal Living Comment

Another frugal posting. My friend Jill came across this experiment while looking for good deals and coupons online: The $39 Experiment. Basically, this guy spent $39 in stamps and mailed all his favorite companies asking for samples and coupons. Well Jill decided to save the $39 and just email people. So a group of us are doing this now and what is happening? That’s right! We are receiving not only coupons and samples, but coupons for free products as well! It is so much fun and doesn’t take much time. Just come up with a generic email and then personalize it with one sentence for every company. Then take a few minutes to email those companies you like. We try to buy as locally as possible, and eventually want to be producing the bulk of our food. But some things we just can’t find locally, or are too expensive for us right now. So this is helping out alot! The other day I went to the grocery store and rang up $56 worth of items but only paid $22! It works. Here is a list of organic and natural food companies that you can try for yourself (I’m sorry I didn’t post urls with this list, it’s long!):

* Amy’s Kitchen
* Barbara’s Bakery
* Kashi
* Pacific Foods
* Hansen’s Natural Beverages
* Brown Cow Yogurt
* Cape Cod Snacks
* Bigelow Teas
* Boomi Bars
* Kagome
* FruitaBu
* Zatarain’s
* Wallaby yogurts
* Arizona Iced Tea
* Alexia Foods
* Odwalla
* Ian’s
* Arrowhead Mills
* Blue Diamond
* Bob’s Red Mill
* Casbah
* Cascadian Farm
* Celestial Seasonings
* Cherrybrook Kitchen
* DeBoles Pasta
* Eden Foods
* Garden of Eatin’
* Health Valley
* Imagine Foods
* Westbrae Natural Foods
* Lundberg
* MaraNatha
* Muir Glen
* Near East
* Van’s Waffles
* Yogi Tea
* Horizon Organic
* Organic Valley
* Stonyfield Farm
* Santa Cruz Organic
* Knudsen Juices
* Sunspire
* Apple & Eve
* Ecover
* Seventh Generation
* Method
* Coleman’s Natural Meats
* Tazo Tea
* Kind Fruit/Nut Bar
* Rachel’s Yogurts
* Riceland
* Attune Bar
* Earth Friendly, Ecos
* Robert’s American Gourmet

I am about half way through that list and am receiving things almost everyday now. The picture above was our first arrivals.

It is always better in my mind to buy locally and organic, or grow it yourself. But if you can’t do that because of space, money, etc., then this can help keep you stocked with the foods you want and still be buying as responsibly as you can even with bigger companies. One day we’ll reach our goal of self sufficiency. My major inspiration is Karl. Check out what he’s doing with his place! It’s just wonderful!

Happy shopping, planting and eating! And here’s to Jill’s Experiment!

It’s Been Awhile!

Published on: July 8, 2008 by catballou24 Category:Declutter Comment

Sorry for the lapse in posting. We’ve been so busy with the kids and life that I just haven’t had a moment to sit down and really post.

So the subject for today is: Decluttering!

We’ve been going through things, cleaning out all those boxes that we trek from one move to the other, thinking we’ll use them in time, etc.. I’m tired of hauling them around, so we are in the middle of The Great Purge for 2008! Haha! So far I’ve managed to give away/sell/donate 1211 out of 2008 items! The Challenge is to get rid of 2008 items in this year. You’d be surprised at how many things pile up that you really have no use for. My darling friend Nicole has inspired me along with several other mamas we know, to meet this challenge. Now I’m challenging you too! I know it’s already July, but even if you can just do half, it is so freeing! Here’s a list to help you get started (again from Nicole):

Good Rules of Thumb:
* get rid of anything that requires you to purchase some kind of organization item for it. chances are, you don’t need that crap to begin with.
* anything that ends up covered in dust–if you really loved it that much, it would get more attention.
* anything you can always find at goodwill for under a buck that you hardly ever use anyway.
* Get rid of duplicate things you have that you thought you’d keep both of in case one broke
* Get rid of that box of stuff you might try to sell someday.
* get rid of stuff that just never seems to find a “home”.
* get rid of “some day” things, as in “SOME DAY I’ll use this for xyz”.
* Get rid of things you would NOT want to pack up and have to move if you were moving to a different home.
* get rid of all of the boxes that haven’t been unpacked yet from the last time you moved.
* things that “can be fixed” -if you haven’t fixed it by now, it’s probably not going to happen.

EMOTIONAL/SENTIMENTAL:
* Consider taking a photograph of a momento then getting rid of the actual momento.
* Get rid of ANYTHING that does not bring you some joy when you see it or use it.
* Get rid of gifts you don’t like and things you keep out of guilt or obligation
* Get rid of anything that reminds you of someone who doesn’t make your life joyful
* Get rid of thank you cards, birthday cards…that don’t really have special meaning
* Get rid of things that make you feel like you’re not the person you want to be (those reminders of things you’d love to do but never have time to and that only drain your spirit/energy)
* Get Rid of Anything You Don’t Need or Love, things that aren’t “you”.
* If you pick something up and wonder whether you need it, you don’t.
The things you truly need and love – you know that without hesitation.
* Ditch all your dried flowers.
* Get rid of balloons that no longer stay afloat

KITCHEN
* Get rid of kitchen appliances you use less than, say, once a month
* Anything in the kitchen cupboard (dishes, canned goods, utensils, you name it) that haven’t been used in a year. (Other than the forspecial china and silver).
* Get rid of all but four pot holders
* all the extra measuring spoons and cups
* All those knives that don’t really do it. you only really need 2.
* the cookie cutters that are never used.
* Get rid of food in the pantry that has sat there for a yr (find a new owner or toss it with an expired date)
* most of the tupperware can go

CLOTHING/LINENS:
* Get rid of clothes you don’t look good in, don’t fit right, or you don’t love.
* Ugly, stained, ill-fitting, maybe someday I’ll wear it again, itchy clothes. (keep one set for painting and crud)
* Get rid of clothing I won’t wear or haven’t worn in 2 yrs
* Get rid of the orphan socks and pairs of socks with holes in them – they’re useless!
* Undies with holes even if they will last another year
*Get rid of all towels that are holy or frayed or excess (keep enough for 2 per person and 1 for the pets)
*Get rid of all bedding sets (keep 1 for myself and 2 per child)
* Get rid of your fat clothes, your skinny clothes … dress the body you have and love it
*Get rid of hand-me-down clothes that you don’t even like!
* Get rid of the 8 or 9 boxes of fancy baby clothes that will never be used

HOBBIES/MEDIA:
* Get rid of books/magazines you don’t read all the time, will never read again, or no longer interest you (what’s a library for after all?)
* Get rid of outdated reference materials
* Get rid of pictures and artwork you have no place to put – if you like it, then find a place for it – take something you like less down, but if it doesn’t have a place what good is it?
* decorations you don’t love
* craft supplies you aren’t using
* Get rid of scrap wood from that last project, unless you have an actual plan in mind for it.
* Get rid of scrap fabric.

KIDS STUFF:
* all the extra markers and crayons. keep one set of new.
* Get rid of dried up play dough.
* Get rid of toys that are overflowing out of the toy bins, toys the kids don’t even know they have, noise-making toys that require batteries!
* all but 25 favorite toys for each kid (sets count as one thing). This one is hard.
* Stuffed animals. They are nasty and collect dust. Keep one or two special loves. but not 50.
* Get rid of poorly written, insanely annoying or duplicate kids books.
* Get rid of broken crayons (yes, I know you can melt them to make block crayons. If you were going to do that, wouldn’t you have done it already?).
* Get rid of things you have been collecting to do “recycled art” with your kids, unless you actually plan to do it this week. There will always be more.

JUNK EVERYONE SEEMS TO HAVE:* that bunch of random floating pens–give em to the grocery store clerk
* All those screws and nails that are leftover from everything. Can never find the one you want anyway.
* Get rid of blurry or bad photos (especially if they’re duplicate prints), unless it’s the one shot you have of a momentous event.
* Get rid of at least one rubbermaid of the Christmas decorations you don’t like that have been heaped upon you because your inlaws can’t imagine that maybe you want a simple Christmas.
* Get rid of the 9 extra cameras that haven’t been touched since the digital camera was purchased.
* Get rid of the two “spare” computers that barely work, take 10 minutes to boot up, and sound like jet engines when they run.
* Get rid of the “spare” furniture (that entertainment center) that has been sitting in the garage and storage area since move in day, extra furniture, the ugly chair in my bedroom
* Get rid of junk mail!!
*Get rid of all outdated toiletries and make-up, products (cleaning and body) that are unsafe and lotions and potions you no longer use
* Get boxes loaded with books, DVD’s, cd’s and clothes OUT of here, before I start going through them and “finding” things I “need” to keep.
*Get rid of stuff you hang onto just because you spent a lot of money for those things, or someone else spent a lot of money for those things. If it doesn’t work for you, get rid of it, even if it was expensive. Keep the lesson but not the item.

Think you can find 1004 items to declutter your house of? I dare you…I double dare you! Good luck, and Peace!

Blessings…

Published on: June 18, 2008December 30, 2015 by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized 1 Comment

Sometimes things come to us in the craziest of ways, and sometimes in the knick of time. Jason was able to get this beauty for us from a remodel. It was going to be donated, so they gave it to us. We’ve been living with a little tiny fridge that wasn’t much taller than me (I’m only 5′ 3″). We freeze alot of our vegies, and have been wanting to do meat chickens again but had no space for all that. We were going to just get a freezer, but then this came along and we decided this was way better. Haha! So here it is, the newest addition to the farm…Jason calls it Darth (totally reminds us of something from Star Wars!)

You can see a part of the little fridge in this pic. We are going to move that down to our studio and use it for overflow and beverages when we get our “beer garden” built someday.

I keep hearing Darth Vader’s theme song in my head when I walk in the kitchen, wonder how long that will last?

Peace!

I Was Tagged!

Published on: June 12, 2008 by catballou24 Category:Friends, Life 3 Comments

My darling friend Michelle has tagged me! So here are 5 things about me that you didn’t know.

1. What I was doing 10 years ago?
Let’s see…10 years ago I was living in the forests of Humboldt County, California as a single mom. I worked in a record store – a real record store with real records and home-made bins to hold them in…hehe, and I had a music promotion business called Creep Productions. We’d book bands at local venues from all over the world really. Small band but were getting into bigger events before I finally gave up the business. It was so exciting, wonderful and stressful. And in order for it to really grow, we would have needed way more capital than a single mom could afford at the time. I was also waiting for my prince charming who arrived about a year later…;)

2. What 5 things are on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?
Take care of children.
Finish the price labels for the yard sale this weekend.
Feed the animals.
Water my tomatoes.
Continual cleaning up after children.

3. What snacks do I enjoy?
I like both salty and sweet, but am staying away from sweet lately. So right now, crunchy and salty are on the list. I am loving rice cakes with fake cream cheese right now actually. I use the Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and it’s fabulous!

4. What would I do if I was a billionaire?
I would pay off my house, and then buy property in the Pacific Northwest and build a totally self sufficient home, complete with alpacas, chickens, goats and cows. I’d help out our parents with finances so they wouldn’t have to worry, as well as my siblings and sisters in law. I’d make sure to donate, as Michelle said she would, to politicians who I felt would really make a change in this country. I’d also donate to causes that help children, both in this country and overseas. I would set up trusts for my children for when they are adults and teach them about selfless money practices, but I’d also make them work the property and help them develop good work ethics as well. I’d buy a hydrogen fuel car for both Jason and myself and probably donate money toward alternative fuel research as well. I’d get out of debt…

5. Where have I lived?
I grew up all over Southern California, then lived in the Pacific Northwest (Humboldt County, California) where I attended Humboldt State University and also met Jason. We moved from there to Hawaii, living on both Oahu and The Big Island. We are currently living in Austin, Texas.

I’m returning the tag and giving it to Lelo, Nicole, Shell, Niki and Jill. Have fun kids!

And A New Showgirl Joins The Flock

Published on: June 1, 2008December 30, 2015 by catballou24 Category:Farm Life 1 Comment

So after discovering that our “hen” was really a rooster, we called our wonderful friend Cindy down at Paleface Feed – she is the one we bought June from and who we got the original Showgirl chicks from. We explained our dilemma and she immediately got on the phone with other local Showgirl people and within an hour found a hen for us to trade our roo for! I cannot tell you how much help Cindy has been. She is just wonderful and obviously loves all animals. It is good to know we have her on our side.

So without further adu, here is our newest lady in the flock. Sorry these aren’t the best pictures, I will take more tomorrow when the lighting is better and I can actually get in the coop with her. The other gals were getting ready for bed and I didn’t want to go in and disturb their routine too much.

2 Roosters?! What?!

Published on: May 31, 2008 by catballou24 Category:Farm Life Comment

Well, our ignorance in identifying male and female Showgirl chickens really showed up this past couple weeks. We kept hearing a chicken trying to crow but couldn’t figure out which one it was. We thought maybe a hen had learned to crow! But in the last couple of weeks, one of our Showgirls (the original one) started looking a bit rooish. Then today, there he was crowing in full glory. Fortunately the gal we got them from is wonderful to work with and is looking around for another hen so we can just swap the older roo (the one we had traded for) with that. Part of the learning curve I suppose! Doh!

Oh The Thrill Of The Harvest

Published on: May 24, 2008December 30, 2015 by catballou24 Category:Family, Farm Life, Gardening Comment

We are starting to get some really yummy things out of our gardens. Here is a couple pics of this morning’s haul! YUM!

We are averaging 8 eggs a day – the neighbor’s love us! Haha! There are still plenty of potatoes growing, now with more room after this morning’s take. Plenty of green beans, both pole and bush. Our peas just got anhiliated in the sudden heat though…the girls were able to get a few before they just burned up. We’ve got several volunteer tomato plants with green fruit on them, so that will be fun! I have no idea how big they will get, but they are organic and homegrown so I’m not complaining. We are still pulling onions, although we lost one whole patch due to bad dirt I think. One area of our larger garden still has too much kalichi dirt in it, so we are going to be working on really making that area better. But the rest of our onions are just going crazy. We’ve never been successful with onions before and I realize why now, we were planting them too deep! This year we went much shallower and are much, much more successful. We have a ton of lettuce and chard that I just clip the leaves off when needed rather than pull the entire plants. And our cukes are starting to really take off, so hopefully should do well!

We are also going to experiment with watering by the moon. My sister was explaining to me her friend’s garden, which she says is an organic masterpiece. Apparently her friend waters deeply – 3 to 4 hours – everytime the moon is in one of the astrological water signs. From what we could deduce, you water deeply the first day the moon is in the sign and again the last day, then wait 5 or 6 days until it moves into the next water sign. After much research, the novice gardener that I am, discovered that this way of watering promotes much healthier and deeper root growth. It also means you water less, thus conserving at the same time. We are having such hot hot days now, that we are watering every other day already. So we figure we’ll try the deep watering method and see how it goes! I like the idea of gardening by the moon, feels very traditional.

We will be adding some new life to our little homestead in June. We are getting 10 baby broiler chicks from Barnison Farm. Jeremy, who owns the farm along with his lovely wife Alison, is going to help us when the time comes to process them. We did it on our own with 5 birds, but could definitely do it better. So we’ll take a trip to the farm when the chicks arrive and get a lesson from Jeremy on what NOT to do mainly. I’m hoping we can sweet talk him into allowing us to bring the birds out there when the time comes! We’ll see. We are looking on Craigslist for a freezer and will hopefully be buying a side of beef cuts at one point as well.

Our zukes haven’t fared well however. The squash vine borers pretty much attacked them right away. I’m going to replant as we did manage to get several fruits off each plant, and they grow so fast that maybe we can get another harvest in, wish us luck with that!

So that’s the garden update for now. Hope your Memorial Day Weekend is a good one!

Peace!!

Summertime Is Almost Upon Us

Published on: May 18, 2008December 30, 2015 by catballou24 Category:Farm Life, Gardening, Photos 1 Comment

The Texas heat is starting to set in, the plants are growing like crazy, and our water bill is rising. But life is feeling alright. We are learning, growing, changing and loving our world more and more. With everything this last month, I’d gotten out of my normal habits of eating as healthy as we can, creating new things, and just enjoying our environment here to its fullest. Back to cooking with our own vegies, working hard in the yard and home, and just being. Our goal right now is to continue improving the soil down in the far back property – we have alot of kalichi rock and dirt; expanding our produce base and improving aspects of the house that we can afford right now. We are starting from the outside in…so the front yard is continuing to evolve. It’s nice to feel motivated again…

Our new table on the front porch, courtesy of Mom and Dad:

Pole beans!:

Remember those tomato sprouts from a couple months ago? Here are some of the ones which made it, all heirloom:

Flower children!:

More Goings On At The Farm

Published on: May 8, 2008December 30, 2015 by catballou24 Category:Farm Life, Gardening, Photos 1 Comment

A few days ago you got some blooms…today you get more farm pics. Things are growing like crazy now that the weather is warm. We are starting to enjoy some of the bounty on our dinner plates too! Oh, and I made the Minestrone Soup that I posted a few weeks back…one word, YUM!!! I used chard instead of spinach (we have huge chard plants growing now). I’d say about 75% of it was from our garden…can’t wait until we are consistently cooking 100% of our own homegrown.

So back to the pictures, these are just some of what’s growing, it’s very fulfilling…

Peace!

Potatoes:

Zukes!:
Radishes all in a row:

Is that a tiny bell pepper I spy?:

And the first tomato! We have about 25 volunteer tomato plants, plus another 20 or so heirlooms (the heirlooms are just now taking off, so we should see fruit in a few weeks on those). We have no idea what type of tomatoes these are: