Fix it up Friday -Patching Pants

I have some boys that are pretty adept at putting holes in the knees of their pants. Well to be honest I can do it pretty well myself. Anyway that means I have a fair amount of patching to do. A lot of times the jeans are in pretty good shape except for the knee holes. As I like to make things last as long as possible patching is definitely my choice of action to take.

 Normally with patching I would just take a piece of denim, from a sacrifice pair of jeans, that was bigger than the hole and I would stick it in the inside of the leg underneath the hole, pin it in place and then zig zag around the edges of the hole. That worked but it didn't look that great (the pants automatically became everyday pants) and they very easily got a hole again, just above or below the patch.

After the boys got some new pants that came with doubled knees (they looked like they had big square patches already) I decided that I maybe should try patching that way. It is a more durable patch as it covers more of the leg and it also looks nice enough that they can still wear them places other than at home.

 To do it I cut big rectangles from some other old jeans, turned under the edges and then pinned them in place. Next came the time of wrestling them around on my sewing machine, double sewing down each side. They sewing is a challenge but I was quite happy with the finished results! And really... It didn't take that long. The time was certainly worth a pair of decent jeans for my boys.

Jonathan thinks they are as good as new!

I am linking this to Fix it up Friday over at Blessings Overflowing.

Tropical Traditions Dish Liquid {Review and Giveaway}

Not long ago I received a box in the mail with the above 1 whole gallon of Dish Liquid (I tend to call it dish soap but that isn't it's accurate name)! I was quite excited. For one thing it is natural and the more we can get away from chemicals, unnatural fragrances and the like the more I like it, for another thing there is a ton of it- I won't have to buy more for a long time! The question that remained was: "Does it work?"

 I have used it several times and then my sister came and stayed with me and she tried it out too. We were both quite happy with it. It cuts grease, dishes come clean and it keeps its suds longer that the normal stuff that I had before. I like it! I guess this review is short and sweet but when you have a simple product that does it's job what more to say than simply "it works!"?

Here is some more information if you like the details:

 Household Traditions Dish Liquid is free of:

• Fragrances
• Dyes
• Petroleum Solvents
• Respiratory and Skin irritants

Household Traditions Dish Liquid is an effective and concentrated dish soap developed by and for people with allergies, asthma and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.* Household Traditions Dish Liquid is a coconut-based product—it contains nature’s versatile, renewable harvest. With coconut’s natural moisturizing qualities, washing dishes is even soothing to your hands. Household Traditions Dish Liquid is safe for you but tough on dirty, greasy dishes. It breaks down safely and rapidly making it safer for the environment. It is also low sudsing, making it ideal for camping or other outdoor uses. Household Traditions Dish Liquid is free of fragrances, phosphates, petroleum solvents, chlorine, dyes and other common triggers for respiratory or skin irritations.


I bet you would like this soap too....

If you would like to buy it you can find it at Tropical Traditions. The gallon is on sale right now for $29.50.

One person will also get to win it! To enter to win please leave a comment with your best dish washing tip. (Or maybe the excuse you use most for avoiding dishes.)

For a second entry you can subscribe to Tropical Traditions e-mail newsletter and leave me another comment to say that you did.

This giveaway will end on August 2nd at which time I will draw one name as the winner. Please make sure that you leave a way for me to contact you when you comment or you will not be able to win.

The giveaway is open to those in the US and Canada, though for those in Canada Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Finding food

 This time of year it seems I start focusing a lot on food. The garden is starting to produce, the berries are ripening and their are wild foods to be had. I love finding the blessings that God has all over for us! I find Gardening, Berry Picking and Wild food foraging to be rather addictive so we have spent the last two mornings doing those things. Here are some pictures of our excursions in finding food....

 Radishes from our garden. They are still producing beautifully. We have been eating a lot and having fun sharing some as well. I keep finding out more on how really good they are for you. Today I checked to be sure and yes you can eat the radish greens as well. I think we will try that soon.

Yesterday we went to some state forest and looked for June berries. We didn't find many of them but we did find..

 ~Wild Bergamont. Good for making tea. I picked some to dry. Megan also picked some to put in a vase and it looks beautiful there.

 ~ Wild Strawberries. We picked enough to put in our muffins for breakfast.

 We looked for fish but didn't have anything to catch them with anyway.

Today we took a walk down to the swamp behind our house. I was hoping to find immature cattails that we could cook like corn on the cob and eat. I have read about that but never found them at the right time and tried it yet. I also was hoping to collect some cattail pollen to put in baked goods. I had found a tiny bit the day before but hoped to find more. We weren't successful with finding either of those things but we did pull up some cattails and were able to get the low stem part for eating.

 Here are Mara and Jonathan trying to pull up some stubborn cattails.

 Here are the stem portions after they have been cut off and then had the outer part peeled off. This is the very lowest portion of the cattails stem. We did save the rushes that we cut off and we are going to dry them and hopefully make a basket out of them.

 We ate the cattails for lunch. Some we ate raw (the white sticks in the bowl) and some I cooked in bacon grease along with sliced radishes, garlic tops, purslane (another wild food), basil and salt and pepper. Mara and Jonathan and I really liked the stir fry but Aaron preferred the raw cattail. I didn't get Megan's opinion.

When we were out and about on Tuesday we went to our health food store (which just moved to a new, much bigger and lovely location) and they had really ripe bananas on sale for 49 cents a pound. I bought several bunches and have been having fun baking with them.

Today I made Strawberry banana muffins, Banana Zucchini Bread, Banana Upside Down Cake. Bananas are very yummy!

Our "finding food" yesterday included an evening family bike ride to town and a stop at Dairy Queen. We had some coupons that the kids had been given at the parade and they were "burning a hole" in our wallet. It was a beautiful night for a bike ride and the ice cream was yummy.

Do you like to find food? What have you been eating and enjoying lately?

Herbs and Berries

 This sure is a fun time of year with plants growing like crazy and the rush to stay ahead of the weeding and the picking. Berry picking has started for sure here. Strawberries were first. The last two Saturdays we have made a batch of Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. The Strawberries we picked from our garden and we even got some wild ones (my first time using them for jam but it was fun!) from the clearings and ditches around our place. The rhubarb came from a friends house. Mara loves picking berries and is excited that berry picking season has begun. She is also old enough to be a huge help with the cleaning of them.

It is time to collect herbs and get them drying as well. Actually I should have started doing this weeks ago but I didn't so I am doing it now.  I was collecting herbs and trying to figure out where I would hang them (as I didn't feel like pulling out the dehydrator just now) and my sister suggested hanging them above my kitchen sink. I really like the way it looks- old fashioned and back to earth. Ken has enjoyed teasing me about my weeds hanging up.

What I am drying just now are:

• Oregano
• Yarrow
• Peppermint
• Dill weed
• Parsley
• Lavender
• Anise Hyssop
• Catnip

 Have you dried any herbs (or otherwise preserved them) this year? I would love to hear what you are doing!

"Better is a dish of herbs where love is than a fattened ox served with hatred." Proverbs 15:17

I linking to Homestead Revival

I'm Back...Did you miss me?

 

It's summer and life is busy! I hadn't intended to do so little blogging but that's what happens when life gets busy. I would guess many of you are pretty busy too!

 Here is some of what has been keeping us on our toes lately:

~2 weeks ago on Saturday the kids and I headed down to my sister Anna's and stayed the night at their house ready to head to Iowa on Sunday.

~After traveling to South Eastern Iowa we stopped to see my Grandma who lives in a nursing home. We surprised her with our visit and she was happy to see us and we loved seeing her. The picture below shows all of us except Anna. (Grandma, Anna's children and my kids and I).

~Next we headed to Sharon Bluff Bible Camp- Junior Week. Of Anna and my kids the 6 oldest were campers (though Aaron and Beatrice were attending a little young) , The youngest 2 children were just tagging along and Anna and I went to camp to help out however we could.

~The kids had a fun week at camp. There were 47 campers ages 7 (supposed to be eight but they allowed several 7 year olds to come) to 12. They were divided into 4 teams. Their day was busy with:

• Devotions and Prayer.
• Chapel (morning and evening)
• 3 Bible Classes
• Bible Drills
• Eating yummy meals.
• Memory verses.
• Sports
• Canteen (a fun thing for my kids as it was so unusual for them to buy treats like that. I am glad to have them eating healthier foods again now however!)
• Swimming
• Music, Drama and Games.
• Other special Activities.
• Sleeping.

Anna and I were fairly busy too. Between us we:

• Were dorm moms for the girls dorm.
• Worked in the kitchen.
• Did laundry
• Helped with the children
• Did a little life guarding
• Anna was camp nurse.

It was really fun to work and visit with the others there. We enjoyed being with old and new friends. I had a lot of fun seeing the different personalities in all the kids there and looking for the ways each of them excelled.

Kitchen workers- I think it is a ton of fun (though hot!) to work in here.

~On Friday  at noon camp was over and we headed north. We spent the night at Anna's (and I was able to throw in a quick wedding flower consultation with a daughter of some friends there) and then headed even further North. We had some slow traffic and so it took longer than we hoped but we made it eventually. It was so nice to be home and see Ken again! I don't like being gone from him so long but sometimes that seems to be what works out.

~On Sunday we went to church and then we went to walk in our town's Independence Day parade (they always have it on the nearest Sunday to the 4th.) Right after I got to the float (for the local Republican party) a friend who was going to be with us fell through the hay wagon and hurt her leg. I ended up taking her to the emergency room while Ken and the kids walked in the parade.

~For the 4th of July we stayed around home for the most part. There was tons of laundry to do, a weedy garden to work on and some bees that I needed to check (I was able to put on the 3rd honey super). We all worked hard much of the day and then that evening we went and saw the fireworks. It was rather stormy too (though the rain stopped here at the time of the fireworks) and we had an awesome display of fireworks in one section of the sky and lightening just across from it.

A patriotic fruit salad.



Strawberries I had fun picking and turning into Jam on the 4th.




















~On Tuesday we had company come! My Aunt  and Uncle and two of my cousins with their families and my sister Anna and her family came up to visit. Some stayed at my parents but Anna and family and my cousin Shelly and her kids stayed at our house. We had a lot of fun being together. We spent a lot of the daytime over at my parents.


My Mom and Aunt Merna with their Grandkids

Pam, Shelly, Rowan and Anna enjoying a taco made with bark and other natural ingredients. (by Rowan and friends)

~Last night (Friday) we had everybody over here for Supper. My sisters and all the younger girls (8 of them) came and helped me prepare a "fancy" sit down meal. The girls all dressed up and were servers. We fixed up the tables complete with name tags. We had 33 people here for supper and it went well.

The adults ate inside.

The children (including these lovely servers) enjoyed outdoor dining.

~This morning our guests all left. I had a fairly lazy day though I did pick strawberries and make another batch of jam. We have had a busy two weeks but it has been a fun blessing as well!

Lead me in Your truth!

 "Make me know Your way, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

For You I wait all the day."

Psalm 25:4 & 5

We have a God who can teach us- because He knows everything! He can lead us in the right way- show us the right path. Our God is one of Truth- Absolute Truth. There are no questions with God, no fuzzy grey areas. He knows all things and He wants to teach us through His word. I want to read it more, to be ready to follow, ready to learn. I want to always wait on Him- I hope you do too!