Using Egg Shells in the Garden

Backyard chickens provide so much for us and for the garden but don't forget their eggs.

When you boil eggs, don't toss the water. Save it and once it is cool, pour around your plants as a calcium boost for the garden.

And as for the shells, I always save mine. I have an old bowl I keep in the oven and I take all the eggs shells, give them a quick rinse and then toss them in the bowl in the oven. They get good and dried out and then I place them in my mini chopper and grind them up. You can sprinkle in the garden to add calcium but they are also good to put around the perimeter to keep snails and slugs at bay. The hard shells are not nice to their slimy bodies. You can also feed the ground up shells back to your chickens for added calcium to produce strong egg shells.

Feminism...Um Not!

Sometimes you just have to write what you feel. Yesterday, my older girls and I had a wonderful, as in my kids are smarter than I ever was, kind of discussion over feminism. None of us, we decided firmly, want that label for all the causes we feel it does not take up. We feel very strongly that some things are worth fighting for and sadly feminism has left women in the lurch and flailing for their place in today's world.

We decided we are for women's rights:
The right to walk to your car without fear.
The right to not have your head smacked by an abusive boyfriend in an elevator and somehow he does not land in jail.
The right to have women held high in society and not put in their half naked underwear and sold all over the media as your only means to promote yourself.
The right to not be viewed as sexual objects in every facet of society except when you breastfeed in public and then you are in the wrong.
The right to work or stay home and not be bashed by other women for your choice.

Frankly, why more men aren't up in arms over what is happening to women in society stumps me. Every man had a mother and possibly sisters, daughters, a wife. But you know until we women as a group demand respect for ourselves, society will not give it.

If you disagree with me, I am sorry but this is my blog and my thoughts and we have to start standing up for the rights women really deserve.

Pre-Holiday Room by Room Cleaning Plan - The Dining Room

Okay, onto the dining room in my pre-holiday room by room cleaning plan. I am a bit behind with the start of school and a camping trip but I am going to try and quickly clean through the rest of the house making that a priority. Today is the dining room.

Holiday Cleaning Plan For The Dining Room:

1. Dust all crown molding and use swiffer duster to swipe walls of any cobwebs
2. Clean tops of high furniture 
3. Wipe tops of door jams
4. Dust and wipe down all hanging decor 
5. Remove plates from walls and wash
6. Dust hanging light fixture and clean bulbs
7. Wipe down all door and doorways of grime and fingerprints
8. Go around room cleaning marks on paint or touch up with fresh paint
9. Remove all nick knacks and dust and clean each piece of furniture as I do this
10. Tuck away summer decor for next year
11. Wipe down dining room chairs ( if you have upholstery then clean as needed)
12. Dust dining room table and legs
13. Clean wood floor of dining room (I have no rugs in here)
14. *If you have rugs then vacuum and flip over area rugs to vacuum other side

  I do have a china cabinet in here. I will not be taking everything out and cleaning inside because I do this once a year in spring and it seems to stay dust free fairly well.

Having a holiday grand plan will relieve stress and keep you on track to an organized Christmas.

Cheesy Summer Squash

This time of year you may have lots of squash from the garden or farmer's market so I will share out absolute favorite way to cook up a batch of squash into cheesy summer squash.

Take any summer squash and dice into junks. This is a good time to clean out your crisper drawer of any thing good to saute. I use mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers. Saute all veggies until tender to your liking in olive oil and a little bit of butter. Season with pepper and salt. Just as the sauted vegetables are near done, sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top and turn off flame. Let vegetables sit without stirring until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Sharing here.

Fall Sunflower Decorating Ideas

I love sunflowers and working them into late summer early fall decor is perfect this time of year. Maybe it is a little too early for pumpkins but warm colors of burlap and yellows and golds, are perfect September decor. Here are a few of my decorating ideas for September or fall.

I found a strand of lighted sunflowers and knew I wanted to use them on my seasonal kitchen shelf display.

Hubby wound them around a fall garland and we tucked in some burlap sunflowers. Add a few pumpkins in October and we are set for fall.

Here I did a simple back to school centerpiece with silk sunflowers.

Sunflowers tucked in with other fall colored flowers are perfect this time of year.

And if you have fall colored sunflowers growing in the garden, all the better for fall display or autumn decor.

I bought my lights at a local shop but I found the same ones on Amazon. Link below.

Pre-Holiday Room by Room Cleaning Plan - Living Room

As fall approaches, I like to start deep cleaning the house for the holidays before decor comes out. It's no fun decorating a dirty house and by Christmas you will be so happy that your house is clean for company. I will share what I do in each room and you can use it as a checklist or guide for your home customizing for your rooms. Maybe this will inspire you to spend a little extra time getting the house shiny and bright before we get all those holiday plans going.

Cleaning the Living Room for the Holidays
My first room I started with was the Front Room/Piano Room: (I clean in small spurts each day I have a chance. I think I have cleaning ADD. This keeps me on track but does not overwhelm me)
Start by clearing the room you are on of any items that do not belong in there.

1. I use a long handled Swiffer duster to go around walls and dust any cobwebs and swipe over crown molding
2. Dust and wipe down ceiling fan light fixture
3. Wipe all doorways down and dust the top of door jams
4. Wipe down any doors in the room
5. Dust top of furniture
6. Dust and clean shutters
7. Clean window and sill
8. Move all furniture away from walls and clean behind and underneath
9. Wipe baseboards as I go around the room
10. Clean wood floors in area I am cleaning that day
11. As I move a piece of furniture to clean behind that day I wipe it down and dust all nick knacks on it.
12. Clean pictures and shelves on wall dusting as needed
13. Flip area rug over and vacuum the wood floor underneath and then vacuum the underside of the rug.

**You could also touch up any chipped paint or marks on the wall. I love the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for this job.

Next, onto the dining room. See you there.