Burning Brush & a Bonfire

We’ve been collecting brush. 

For several years.  The pile is wide & tall.

The family discussion is where to put more garden space and one solution is to get rid of the pile & in this area.

My oldest is a fire bug.  The little brother seems to enjoy it too. 

     

They are so much a like.  I love that Michael teaches Joshua & is patient with all of his wiggly chattering.  Joshua adores time spent working on a project with his big brother.

Yesterday there was no wind so they were out early.  So they burned all morning.  But the fun began after supper. 

 

We had some friends coming over for a movie but we had a bonfire for a while and roasted s’mores!

Can some one explain to me why we’ve lived here 11 years ago and this is the first time that we’ve done this!  It was a fun way to enjoy the mild weather.

It was a truly fine way to enjoy a cool spring(almost) evening!

Simple Scrapbooking

I have been accused by friends of being a minimalist.

I like it basic.

I seldom sticker.

I never ribbon.

If I can design a page & get it put together in less than 10 minutes then I am a very happy woman.

One of my favorite layouts uses up scraps of paper like this.  It is simple, easy & uses up something I feel bad throwing away!

That is probably why I haven’t switched to digital scrapbooking.  I like to make fast easy layouts.  Learning to digital scrapbook seems like an overwhelming task.  So for now I am sticking to what I know & using what I have.  Simple & frugal.

Every October & Mar/April I go to a Scrapbook Getaway.  It is a blast & I usually get a lot done. 

This time when I returned I didn’t repack my supplies.  Instead I took them downstairs & set up a couple of folding tables.  Now I have no excuse because it is all set up. 

 

Now I just need to sneak away for a few minutes. 

A small thing but hard to do.

I was able to find 30 minutes last week.  I made 2 titles with my Cricut for pages that I already had put pictures on. 

It doesn’t seem like much but it is more than I had done in the past 5 months.  I am shooting to do more than that this week since we will be home more.  I love days at home.  I would love to complete this album and put it on the shelf!  Here is some of what I’ve been working on—just because!

 

   

Just hanging out together

We’ve told our kids over and over that they are best friends.  I am seeing it now when the oldest comes home from college but it is fun to see how their friendship has grown and changed over the years.  I need to dig out 35mm pictures and get some really old ones.

2006

2008

 

2011

 

Freezer Meal: Beef or Chicken Chimichangas

I love to have a batch or two of these in the freezer for days I don’t have time to make lunch.  Everyone in our house LOVES these & I have a hard time keeping them on hand.  I need to make a double, triple, or quadruple batch in the near future!

Beef or Chicken Chimichangas

8 oz cooked chicken or beef(approx. 1 1/2 cups)

8 oz jar salsa

16 oz can refried beans

4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded(1 cup)

8 tortillas(8 or 9 inch)

Optional:  Brown rice, Sour cream

Cook meat (& shred chicken)  Cook & stir over medium heat:  meat, salsa, beans.   Stir in cheese. (Sometimes I add a bit of brown rice to this also) Warm tortillas.  Spoon 1/2 cup meat mix on each tortilla, fold in sides(top & bottom;  left & right)  Place in 9 x 13 pan.  Bake uncovered on 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and brown.

To freeze:  Freeze unbaked.  Wrap chimis individually in foil.  Bake at 350 degrees 50 minutes if frozen, or 30 minutes if thawed.  Remove foil & bake additional 10 minutes—until crisp & brown.

Two other ways we eat this.

1.  We often place these in a crockpot for 3-4 hours on low.  They aren’t crispy but nice and warm and ready to eat as soon as we are ready.

2.  My children claim that they don’t “need” the tortilla so sometimes I just make up the filling and serve it over rice with sour cream & chips.  A very fast lunch!

Need more freezer meals?  Look through my recipes in the menus above or check out my favorite freezer recipes.

  

 

Home for Spring Break

The college boy is home for a week.  I got a huge hug first thing. 

He has a list of to do’s so he is in an out of the house.  But it is nice to see his smile, hear the piano play & enjoy his ?sweet? face. 

Maturity or laziness?  What do you think?

I don’t care how much facial hair he has because I am still thankful he’s home.

Removing hard water deposits

We have hard water.   It is just a fact of life.  We don’t have a water softener for various reasons but it creates problems with cleaning.

Things seem to get cemented on and I cannot “clean” them off with normal human effort. 

I had a “Duh!” moment yesterday.  I was looking at the spill catch underneath the water dispenser on the front of our refrigerator.  It was “GROSS” and I wasn’t looking forward to spending an hour scrubbing it with baking soda to get the discoloration and build up off of it.  However I couldn’t ignore it any more. 

Then I had a thought.  Steve used vinegar to clean out the humidifier that we use in the kids rooms when they are sick.  It seems to collect those hard water crystals super fast—probably the process it goes through to cause the water vapor.

So I went out to get the big jug of vinegar out of the garage.  I filled up the spill catch & walked away for a few minutes to do something.  When I returned—WOW!  I couldn’t believe it.  The scum was gone almost gone & I was kicking myself because I didn’t take a “before” picture.  Anyway you’ll have to take my word for it.

However there is one other place that was developing a bit of a sick look.  It is around the drain in our main bathroom—where I shower.  ICK!  I convinced Elizabeth to go and try out my cure for hard water deposits!  I went with camera in hand to check it out a few minutes later.  Here is what I found.

Kinda gross huh?

But after my magic(ha!) cure?  Here is what I had to look at.

Sometimes it is the small things in life that make me happy.  I don’t like using chemicals around the house so using something this simple just made my day!  Not to mention that vinegar is SO much cheaper than any other cleaner I have tried on yucky water deposits!

What other “homemade solutions” do you use?  Please share!

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