So my wonderful hubby gets me a drawing pad, some pencils, and some color pencils the other day. Now I have been drawing out our property, the house, and the fence that is currently up. I have ideas for where I want to put some flowers (this deciding what flowers), where I want to put some fruit trees, and other trees. But we also want an out door grill (not one you buy at home depot), a clay oven, and a place for my solar oven.
We have decided that we will remove the shed that is currently to the left of our house over to the right side and make it into the girls club house. We will be building my hubby a garage that will run east to west of the north side of the house.
We are also still trying to decided where to put the goats pen up.
So any and all ideas are welcome!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Using Baking Soda
Today I was catching up on one of my favorite blogs and came across some uses for baking soda. I love using baking soda and vinegar when cleaning around the house so I thought it was so cool when I saw this and all of the different ways it can be used.
So just click here to go to the blog....
Or you can look below at the list. I want to say thank you to Lindsey C @ The Housewifes Weekly Journal for posting these.
Health Uses
1. Use it as an antacid. (Hmm... I've got to try this in addition to my Star Anise tea)
2. Use it as underarm deodorant by applying it with a powder puff
3. Mix half a teaspoon with peroxide paste and use it as toothpaste. (This sounds like a great alternative to regular toothpaste that contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate)
4. Use it as a face and body scrub.
5. Add a cup to bathwater to soften your skin.
6. Relieve skin itch from insect bites and pain from sunburn.
7. Remove strong odors from your hands by rubbing them with baking soda and water. (Love it!)
8. Put two tablespoons in your baby’s bathwater to help relieve diaper rash.
9. Apply it on rashes, insect bites, and poison ivy irritations.
10. Take a baking soda bath to relieve skin irritations.
11. Heartburn? Take a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with one-half glass of water.
12. Freshen your mouth by gargling half a teaspoon of baking soda mixed water.
13. Relieve canker sore pain by using it as mouthwash.
14. Use it to relieve bee stings.
15. Use it to relieve windburn.
16. Apply it on jellyfish sting to draw out the venom.
17. Unblock stuffy nose by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to your vaporizer.
In the Home
18. Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon to the water in the vase. (I guess Fabian will have to go buy me some flowers, to try this one!)
19. Put out small fires on rugs, upholstery, clothing, and wood. (Glad I haven't had to use this one!)
20. Put an open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb the odors.
21. Sprinkle it on your ashtrays to reduce bad odor and prevent smoldering.
22. Sprinkle it on your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to eliminate foul odor.
23. Turn baking soda into modeling clay by combining it with one and 1/4 cups of water and one cup of cornstarch.
24. After feeding your baby, wipe his shirt with a moist cloth sprinkled with baking soda to remove the odor.
25. Wipe your windshield with it to repel rain. (Great idea for Floridians)
26. Improve the smell of dishrags by soaking them in baking soda and water.
27. Suck it in with your vacuum cleaner to remove the odor.
28. Freshen the air by mixing baking soda with your favorite perfumed bath salts. Put the mixture in small sachet bags.
29. Restore stiff brushes by boiling them in a solution of 1/2 gallon of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and a cup of baking soda.
30. Put it under sinks and along basement windows to repel cockroaches and ants.
31. Scatter baking soda around flowerbeds to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies.
32. Sweeten your tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants.
33. Sprinkle it onto your cat’s litter box to absorb the bad odor.
34. Sprinkle it on your pet’s comb or brush to deodorize their fur and skin.
In Cooking
35. Use it as a substitute for baking powder by mixing with it with cream of tartar or vinegar.
36. Wash fruits and vegetables with it. (This supposedly helps remove pesticides!)
37. When boiling a chicken, add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water. Feathers will come off easier, and the flesh will be clean and white.
38. Soak dried beans to a baking soda solution to make them more digestible.
39. Remove the distinctive taste of wild game by soaking it in a baking soda solution.
40. Make a sports drink by mixing it with boiled water, salt, and Kool-Aid. (I don't know about the Kool-Aid)
41. Remove the fishy smell from your fillets by soaking the raw fish in a baking soda solution for an hour inside the fridge.
42. Make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.
43. Reduce the acid content of your tomato-based recipes by sprinkling them with a pinch of baking soda. (Got to try this one)
Cleaning Purposes
44. Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.
45. Use it to scrub sinks, showers, plastic and porcelain tubs
46. Spray it on walls, mirrors, and counter tops.
47. Add a spoonful to your dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier.
48. Remove grease from pots and pans.
49. Dry clean carpets and upholstered furniture by sprinkling baking soda over the fabric and gently brushing it. Leave it for an hour or overnight, then vacuum.
50. Boost your laundry detergent’s cleaning power by sprinkling a handful on dirty clothes.
51. Combine it with water to make a paste for polishing stainless steel and chrome.
52. Remove scratches and crayon marks from vinyl floors and walls.
53. Clean your shoes with it.
54. Clean garbage cans with it.
55. Use it to wash diapers.
56. Clean the fridge with it.
57. Soak brushes and combs in a baking soda solution.
58. Mix it with water to wash food and drink containers.
59. Put three tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of warm water, then use the mixture to wash marble-topped furniture.
60. Absorb it with a damp sponge, then clean Formica counter tops with the sponge.
61. Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles.
62. Run your coffee maker with a baking soda solution, then rinse.
63. Combine with hot water to clean baby bottles.
64. Sprinkle it on barbecue grills, then rinse it off.
65. Scatter it on your greasy garage floor, scrub the floor, and rinse.
66. Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing. (I tried this one the other day to remove burnt milk from the bottom of a pan. I boiled it with about 2 tsp baking soda and all the burnt mess floated to the top!)
67. Clean your ashtrays with a baking soda solution.
68. Keep your drains clean by putting four tablespoons of baking soda in them each week. Flush it down with hot water. (This works and is so much more environmentally friendly than chemical drain cleaners)
69. Clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water.
70. Put it on a small brush to rub canvas handbags clean.
71. Use it to remove melted plastic bread wrapper from a toaster. Sprinkle baking soda on a damp rug, then use the rag to clean the toaster. (Does everyone do that?!)
72. Use it to clean your retainers and dentures.
73. Make a thick paste of baking soda and water, and used it to scrub enameled cast iron and stainless steel.
74. Mix four tablespoons of baking soda with a quart of warm water, and use it to clean the inside part of an oven.
75. Use it to unclog gas stoves.
So just click here to go to the blog....
Or you can look below at the list. I want to say thank you to Lindsey C @ The Housewifes Weekly Journal for posting these.
Health Uses
1. Use it as an antacid. (Hmm... I've got to try this in addition to my Star Anise tea)
2. Use it as underarm deodorant by applying it with a powder puff
3. Mix half a teaspoon with peroxide paste and use it as toothpaste. (This sounds like a great alternative to regular toothpaste that contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate)
4. Use it as a face and body scrub.
5. Add a cup to bathwater to soften your skin.
6. Relieve skin itch from insect bites and pain from sunburn.
7. Remove strong odors from your hands by rubbing them with baking soda and water. (Love it!)
8. Put two tablespoons in your baby’s bathwater to help relieve diaper rash.
9. Apply it on rashes, insect bites, and poison ivy irritations.
10. Take a baking soda bath to relieve skin irritations.
11. Heartburn? Take a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with one-half glass of water.
12. Freshen your mouth by gargling half a teaspoon of baking soda mixed water.
13. Relieve canker sore pain by using it as mouthwash.
14. Use it to relieve bee stings.
15. Use it to relieve windburn.
16. Apply it on jellyfish sting to draw out the venom.
17. Unblock stuffy nose by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to your vaporizer.
In the Home
18. Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon to the water in the vase. (I guess Fabian will have to go buy me some flowers, to try this one!)
19. Put out small fires on rugs, upholstery, clothing, and wood. (Glad I haven't had to use this one!)
20. Put an open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb the odors.
21. Sprinkle it on your ashtrays to reduce bad odor and prevent smoldering.
22. Sprinkle it on your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to eliminate foul odor.
23. Turn baking soda into modeling clay by combining it with one and 1/4 cups of water and one cup of cornstarch.
24. After feeding your baby, wipe his shirt with a moist cloth sprinkled with baking soda to remove the odor.
25. Wipe your windshield with it to repel rain. (Great idea for Floridians)
26. Improve the smell of dishrags by soaking them in baking soda and water.
27. Suck it in with your vacuum cleaner to remove the odor.
28. Freshen the air by mixing baking soda with your favorite perfumed bath salts. Put the mixture in small sachet bags.
29. Restore stiff brushes by boiling them in a solution of 1/2 gallon of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and a cup of baking soda.
30. Put it under sinks and along basement windows to repel cockroaches and ants.
31. Scatter baking soda around flowerbeds to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies.
32. Sweeten your tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants.
33. Sprinkle it onto your cat’s litter box to absorb the bad odor.
34. Sprinkle it on your pet’s comb or brush to deodorize their fur and skin.
In Cooking
35. Use it as a substitute for baking powder by mixing with it with cream of tartar or vinegar.
36. Wash fruits and vegetables with it. (This supposedly helps remove pesticides!)
37. When boiling a chicken, add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water. Feathers will come off easier, and the flesh will be clean and white.
38. Soak dried beans to a baking soda solution to make them more digestible.
39. Remove the distinctive taste of wild game by soaking it in a baking soda solution.
40. Make a sports drink by mixing it with boiled water, salt, and Kool-Aid. (I don't know about the Kool-Aid)
41. Remove the fishy smell from your fillets by soaking the raw fish in a baking soda solution for an hour inside the fridge.
42. Make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.
43. Reduce the acid content of your tomato-based recipes by sprinkling them with a pinch of baking soda. (Got to try this one)
Cleaning Purposes
44. Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.
45. Use it to scrub sinks, showers, plastic and porcelain tubs
46. Spray it on walls, mirrors, and counter tops.
47. Add a spoonful to your dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier.
48. Remove grease from pots and pans.
49. Dry clean carpets and upholstered furniture by sprinkling baking soda over the fabric and gently brushing it. Leave it for an hour or overnight, then vacuum.
50. Boost your laundry detergent’s cleaning power by sprinkling a handful on dirty clothes.
51. Combine it with water to make a paste for polishing stainless steel and chrome.
52. Remove scratches and crayon marks from vinyl floors and walls.
53. Clean your shoes with it.
54. Clean garbage cans with it.
55. Use it to wash diapers.
56. Clean the fridge with it.
57. Soak brushes and combs in a baking soda solution.
58. Mix it with water to wash food and drink containers.
59. Put three tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of warm water, then use the mixture to wash marble-topped furniture.
60. Absorb it with a damp sponge, then clean Formica counter tops with the sponge.
61. Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles.
62. Run your coffee maker with a baking soda solution, then rinse.
63. Combine with hot water to clean baby bottles.
64. Sprinkle it on barbecue grills, then rinse it off.
65. Scatter it on your greasy garage floor, scrub the floor, and rinse.
66. Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing. (I tried this one the other day to remove burnt milk from the bottom of a pan. I boiled it with about 2 tsp baking soda and all the burnt mess floated to the top!)
67. Clean your ashtrays with a baking soda solution.
68. Keep your drains clean by putting four tablespoons of baking soda in them each week. Flush it down with hot water. (This works and is so much more environmentally friendly than chemical drain cleaners)
69. Clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water.
70. Put it on a small brush to rub canvas handbags clean.
71. Use it to remove melted plastic bread wrapper from a toaster. Sprinkle baking soda on a damp rug, then use the rag to clean the toaster. (Does everyone do that?!)
72. Use it to clean your retainers and dentures.
73. Make a thick paste of baking soda and water, and used it to scrub enameled cast iron and stainless steel.
74. Mix four tablespoons of baking soda with a quart of warm water, and use it to clean the inside part of an oven.
75. Use it to unclog gas stoves.
Green Sites and Apps
So while the hunny and I have been working around the house here in Fl and packing and moving some more stuff into the trailer I have been looking on the web for more green sites. I love reading other peoples blogs so I have a lot of sites that I read daily on my google reader. I love my google reader and wish that I had app to easily bring it up on my nook, but until one is made I will keep going to the website. Anyways so if you come across any blogs about homesteading, sustainable living, or green living, be sure to drop me a line so I am enjoy them also. I plan on adding the blogs I read to my site here but think I am going to have to move the box that they go in since it is kind of small and I read a lot lol.
Now on to the sites and app's...
I will do the apps first as I have only come across a few that I really like and plus I only get the free ones.
The Treehugger app brings you news of green things, ways to go green and other people and places that are going green and how they are doing it.
The Go Green app gives you tip on how you can go green. Every time you close the app and open back up it gives you a new tip.
The Locavore app helps you eat in season and local to where you are. Based on your phone’s GPS location, Locavore will make searching for in-season, local food a breeze by pinpointing farms and farmers’ markets nearest you.
As for some of the sites that I love to read. Instead of listing them on here. I will be adding them to my page so that others can see as they are updated.
Now on to the sites and app's...
I will do the apps first as I have only come across a few that I really like and plus I only get the free ones.
The Treehugger app brings you news of green things, ways to go green and other people and places that are going green and how they are doing it.
The Go Green app gives you tip on how you can go green. Every time you close the app and open back up it gives you a new tip.
The Locavore app helps you eat in season and local to where you are. Based on your phone’s GPS location, Locavore will make searching for in-season, local food a breeze by pinpointing farms and farmers’ markets nearest you.
As for some of the sites that I love to read. Instead of listing them on here. I will be adding them to my page so that others can see as they are updated.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thinking
Well we are still in Florida, but hopefully we will be leaving soon. We are thinking we might be able to get out of here around the middle of the week during Sept 4th-10th. It would be nice as we are missing our girls and ready to start on our new life.
I have been reading a bit here and there between moving boxes and stuff and working. We know that when we get out there and start working on our new home in Az we want to do it as green as possible. We know that we will not get to do everything right away as some ways of going green does cost green but what we can make happen in the beginning will happen and the other stuff will be put on a list to be work on each year.
I have also been thinking about my garden and how I want it. We talked to a few people at Home Depot and they said it would be cooling off soon. So I made the decision to plan the garden while we are working on the house and then start actually planting next spring. So doing a search on google it says that spring normally starts around early March like everywhere else in the USA but I have found some people that say it can start in February. So we will have to see how it goes and watch the weather so I know when to start my seeds indoors.
I know I would also like to have a solar oven and a clay oven so that is also things I am reading about. We will also be putting in a wind turbine and we already have the stuff to set to toilets up on low flow. I also believe we will be setting up a gray water system.
First thing first...getting out there....
I have been reading a bit here and there between moving boxes and stuff and working. We know that when we get out there and start working on our new home in Az we want to do it as green as possible. We know that we will not get to do everything right away as some ways of going green does cost green but what we can make happen in the beginning will happen and the other stuff will be put on a list to be work on each year.
I have also been thinking about my garden and how I want it. We talked to a few people at Home Depot and they said it would be cooling off soon. So I made the decision to plan the garden while we are working on the house and then start actually planting next spring. So doing a search on google it says that spring normally starts around early March like everywhere else in the USA but I have found some people that say it can start in February. So we will have to see how it goes and watch the weather so I know when to start my seeds indoors.
I know I would also like to have a solar oven and a clay oven so that is also things I am reading about. We will also be putting in a wind turbine and we already have the stuff to set to toilets up on low flow. I also believe we will be setting up a gray water system.
First thing first...getting out there....
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Got here
Well we got to the Las Vegas airport on time this time with about an hour to spare so going to work for a bit and eat some lunch.
Next stop Houston Texas.
Next stop Houston Texas.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Try Again
So we missed our flight on Monday morning by 2 minutes. So here we go again lol. Tomorrow morning we will try again.
Wish us luck!
These 2 extra days here did give us a chance to work more on the house. My wonderful hubby changed out one of our toilet systems. We are going from a regular water system to a more eco friendly system. It is called the dual flush system. We are hoping to change this house around so that it is more eco friendly, but with that thought comes work and up front money.
Wish us luck again!
lol
Wish us luck!
These 2 extra days here did give us a chance to work more on the house. My wonderful hubby changed out one of our toilet systems. We are going from a regular water system to a more eco friendly system. It is called the dual flush system. We are hoping to change this house around so that it is more eco friendly, but with that thought comes work and up front money.
Wish us luck again!
lol
Friday, August 12, 2011
Made It
So we left Florida on Sunday morning at around 10am est and arrived in Golden Valley Az on Tuesday at 11pm pst. It was a nice but long trip. Glad to be out of the car.
We will be out here in Az for the next 6 days, flying out on monday afternoon. Then we will be coming back in a few weeks for good.
As you can see by the posting date of this blog I am now writing this on Friday the 12th. So far we have gotten the water and electrical turned on. We have gotten Az drivers licenses and tags for our trucks. We also got us a post office box. The kids are in school now and have their supplies and doing good. The dogs are doing good and today we brought a new refrigerate. It will be delivered tomorrow. Just have to get the rest of the stuff out here.
We will be working on the house tomorrow and some on Sunday and then spending some time with our girls on Sunday before getting ready to fly out.
We will be out here in Az for the next 6 days, flying out on monday afternoon. Then we will be coming back in a few weeks for good.
As you can see by the posting date of this blog I am now writing this on Friday the 12th. So far we have gotten the water and electrical turned on. We have gotten Az drivers licenses and tags for our trucks. We also got us a post office box. The kids are in school now and have their supplies and doing good. The dogs are doing good and today we brought a new refrigerate. It will be delivered tomorrow. Just have to get the rest of the stuff out here.
We will be working on the house tomorrow and some on Sunday and then spending some time with our girls on Sunday before getting ready to fly out.
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