My Husband Helps The Homestead!

I'm trying to keep my blogs separate as they focus on 2 different things but this past weekend my husband scored big on the frugal gardening front! Head on over to find out how!

If Sotheby's Can Buy Secondhand So Can You

I'm a reader. I read everyday. I have a lot of books in the house. Some are mine, many belong to the local library. I rarely feel the need to own a book any more. When I do buy a book, it's usually from the independent seller section of Amazon. Sometimes they are new, but most often, gently used. Mostly what I buy would be garden books, cookbooks, or some other technical tome that I would need to keep referring to. My daughter has many many books, many from garage sales, gifts and library sales. Why do these things need to be new? Why create more books when there are people who don't want the one you are looking for? Why not support the little guy?

I also occasionally sell books on Amazon. Usually my own books that I don't want/need anymore or some that I pick up at the library for $1. I'm not getting rich off it, but I am paying for my daughter's pre-school & dance tuition this way!

Anyway, today, I actually shipped a book that I sold to Sotheby's Art Department!!! Seriously! This was not a rare or expensive book. It's currently in stock at Amazon and can be bought for under $20. My copy was in excellent like new condition and sold for $6. I was so tickled that Sotheby's was saving money this way I needed to share it. If it's good enough for them, it ought to be good enough for you!

Palm Oil-What You Need to Know!!!

Ok, I'm sitting here, curled up in a chair in front of probably one of the last cosy fires of the season. Everyone else is in bed. I've actually turned the chair all the way in front of the fire so it's just me and my fireplace. I just threw another log on and I'm planning on reading a book...

Oh what? What about the title of this post?

Palm Oil.

Don't use it!!! Don't buy products that include it.

Why?

Well , since I'm all cosy and ready to read I think I'll let my friend Karley, over at Chic And Green tell you about it!

Seriously, I'm not just dropping the ball on this one and letting someone else write my post this evening. I've know about some of the negative aspects of palm oil for a little while now, but Karley has done an excellent job of laying it all out for you. EVERYTHING you need to know about this subject is in her latest post!

While you are over there, check out the rest of her blog-It's an awesome mix of natural living, indie shopping, and a little bit of everything else! She also has a WONDERFUL, and I mean WONDERFUL line of facial care products and cosmetics that she creates, HERSELF!!! They are all natural, great for your skin, and very affordable! She also lives in my town and we became coffee buddies after she bought a bowl from me on eBay! What a bargain!

Check Out My New Digs

For a while now I've toyed with the idea of starting a new blog journaling the progress of my garden efforts, If only for my own personal record. My very next thought was that possibly no one else wants to read about growing peas. I however, want to write about that!

I have, of course, been blogging about gardening in this blog, but lately I feel a push to do more, grow more, produce more. That push has led me to my new blog,

A Homestead Life.

Please hop on over and join me as I grow veggies, fight deer and make my own butter!!!

I plan to keep both blogs for now as they both serve a different purpose. However, if I can't keep up or one seems to be more important than the other to me, then I may possibly combine the two.

Here I am!!!

Well folks, my one reader, Cath, complained again that I haven't posted in a while. (Hi Cath!)

Since that last post you probably thought I ran off to join the Kalahari Bushmen of Africa. In truth our house was a hotbed of sickness last week where we were all sick! I am only now feeling like I am back into the swing of things! (and it's already Thursday!!) While sick I had a number of great blog ideas but no real inclination towards posting!

I'm back and there will be more to follow!

Thoughts While Making Tea

Last night I was making myself some tea and turned on the small TV we have in the kitchen (used mainly for news and Yankees!) As the water boils I'm flipping through channels and stop briefly at the vain, vapid and profoundly stupid Kardashians. I'll admit I've never seen an entire episode but I'm betting NO ONE gets up after watching that show feeling better about themselves, the world, or life in general.

In sharp contrast was an African tribal show a few channels down on the travel channel. There were these men who had just sacrificed a goat. Then they were reading the goat's entrails in some kind of tea leaf fashion. Apparently what they saw did NOT please them. They were really worried about what the entrails meant for their tribe. There was a lot of gathering and discussion and worried looks.

Whose reality was really correct, those tribal men or the Kardashians????

It got me thinking. Wouldn't it be crazy if reading goat entrails really held all the answers for us.

Seriously, have you ever tried it???

I haven't.

Do we really know where all the answers come from? The REAL answers? The Truth?

Follow me for a minute. We normally look at those people with a kind of quaint, "Oh isn't that prehistoric?" fascination, while we rely on TV and News and reporters and pundits to tells us about life and how it's going. Who is conjuring more??? I can't really say.....

It made me think. They showed some women and their babies and they loved those children just like I love my girl. No different.

The difference:
No Mortgage payment
No redecorating wants
No one needed new shoes (no one was wearing shoes)
No declining 401K
No wondering about their parents in old age
No day jobs. Living was their day job. And I'll tell you what, none of them seemed to miss the big house, clothing, social competition, play dates, etc..... Good lord, the concept of "play date"-when in history have children ever needed an appointment to play????????

For a few minutes I was kind of jealous of them all.

Oh they had that goat thing to deal with of course.

We all have our crosses to bear I guess.

What kind of tea was I brewing?

African Red Bush! Kind of appropriate don't ya think?

The Obamas Eat The View!

You may remember when I posted back in January about eattheview.org. This website and online petition urged the Obamas to plant a Victory Garden on the White House lawn. In doing so, encouraging eating locally, fresh, homegrown & organic food. (not trucked in from thousands of miles away!)

Well it looks like the petition worked!

From The Washington Post: (click link for complete story)

Today, first lady Michelle Obama will host a groundbreaking for a White House kitchen garden on the South Lawn. She will be joined by students from Bancroft Elementary in Northwest Washington, , whose participation in the project will continue past today, as they help with planting in the coming weeks and harvesting later this year.

The 1,100-square-foot garden will include 55 kinds of vegetables, including peppers, spinach and, yes, arugula. (The selection is a wish list put together by White House chefs.) There will also be berries, herbs and two hives for honey that will be tended by a White House carpenter who is also a beekeeper. The chefs will use the produce to feed the first family, as well as for state dinners and other official events.

The White House will use organic seedlings, as well as organic fertilizers and organic insect repellents. The garden will be near the tennis courts and be visible to passersby on the street. The whole Obama family will be involved in tending the garden, White House spokeswoman Katie McCormick Lelyveld said.

How neat this is!! I hope they really make a big deal out of this and become an example to millions of people across the country in growing & eating locally and sustainably!