Almost 4 years to the day since my last post...

Here I am again. Lots of changes in my little life since I last posted. We added a beautiful boy to our family almost 3 years ago. We made a move to another small town last year. Our new home is a brick ranch so it doesn't have the beauty & character of our old craftsman style home but it's comfortable & it's on 2 acres. So lots of room for the children to run & play & to have a big garden. I absolutely love the area we live in now! We've had a lot of ups & downs & twists & turns. We let go of a long held dream which made way for our current path. A path that was never in the plans but I'm sure it was the right one to take. It's amazing what happens when you open yourself up to other possibilities...But that is life, always full of surprises! Anyways, I'm hoping to revive my blog. We'll see ;)

Hydrangea Love...

I was able to cut these beautiful hydrangeas from my neighbor's yard. I love hydrangeas! They have no scent but they are so beautiful to me. So lush, so summer...

Summer....

Summer here has consisted of quite a lot of gardening & yard work. I try to get outside early before it gets too hot. We planted a larger garden this year. Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, corn, peppers, beans, okra, cantaloupe & of course lettuce. We actually wanted to plant more but didn't get around to it. But we are planning for our Fall Garden. Trying to freeze/preserve as much as possible. Actually we really want to work towards having a very well stocked pantry in general. We really need a separate freezer. My freezer in my refrigerator is stuffed full at the moment. I cannot fit another thing in there! I also want to can more in the future to free up freezer space & also not be so dependent on electricity. We are lucky that we have never really lost power here, at least not for long. But how terrible would it be to lose power for days?! You would lose your stockpile if you didn't have a generator! Georgia has been the best little helper in the garden. I love that we can share this together.

I'm back....

So it's been quite a long time. Not sure exactly why I haven't been blogging. Too much going on, feeling ambivalent about it all etc, etc. I don't know. But for now I'm ready to add to my special place.

~Homemade Laundry Soap~

Friday I made my second batch of Homemade Laundry Soap. My first batch was a success. My husband was extremely skeptical & even I had my reservations but I knew people who had made it & were very happy with the results. It seems to clean our clothing just as well if not better than what I had been using previously which was either ALL Free & Clear or Arm & Hammer Sensitive. This is the recipe I followed but my cousin Wildwood Mama has a wonderful tutorial as well. I used Dove soap which was not my first choice but that is what I had & I was desperate. But it worked! It is extremely easy to make too! Next time I want to use Dr. Bronner's Castile Bar Soap in Lavender. I love the smell of Lavender & have always wanted my laundry to smell of it! I am very sensitive to scents & most scents if they are not from essential oils are way too much for me. I usually use Dr. Bronner's Lavender liquid soap to bathe with & love it but have been out for a while. I haven't had a chance to go to the Health Food Store. I recommend making it because it will save you money & it's better for you & the environment!

Weekly Menu Plan

I'm going to try to follow my dear cousin's lead & post my weekly menu plan. It's not complete but here's what I have so far...

Sunday~Pork Loin Chops, Baked Acorn Squash, Salad

Monday~Roast Chicken, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Kale

Tuesday~(Left-overs made over a little)Chicken & Gravy, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Salad

Wednesday~Butter Peas, Rice, Salad (make chicken broth from chicken carcass to flavor peas)

Thurday~Left-Overs

Friday & Saturday~Who Knows???

Just wanted to say that when I cook I try to make enough for at least 2 meals. We don't mind eating the same thing 2 nights in a row. My sister & her husband hate left-overs though. So to each their own, but it makes things a little easier on me.

Autumn Greetings....

I cannot believe it is already the middle of November! Next week is Thanksgiving! Where has Autumn gone? We've had a busy season working on house projects, cleaning & organizing. I'm happy to say one of our biggest projects is done! We have the front porch done finally! This isn't any front porch it's truly a verandah. It was a huge project.
After some rainy & windy days this past weekend most of the leaves have fallen, leaving bare branches. So sad...I've really enjoyed the beautiful colors though. Only wish we made a trip to the mountains a week or so ago to see the leaves at their peak! Now on to raking & piling the leaves this week.