Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes

Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes These would make a quick but yummy lunch or supper!

Lettuce grows so well here this time of year. The weather is just right temp wise as well as plenty of moisture and humidity. Since lettuce is nearly all water, there is a good reason for making sure the soil does not get too dry or you will see brown edges around the leaves, which is not attractive.

I love to grow the loose leaf lettuces both green and red as they are very easy and make such a pretty salad. I even share with my fish in the fishing pond. They love greens too!

ANH Feature: Nature's answer to the blues

ANH Feature: Nature's answer to the blues

I am a big supporter of "less is more" when it comes to worrying about germs in my home. Clean yes, sanitized, NO! This article will help you to understand just one ofo the reasons that all these sanitizers used in today's homes need to GO!

Useful Herb Scissors

Useful Herb Scissors

Chopping herbs can be a real pain, but these scissors make it easy peasy!

Useful Herb Scissors

Useful Herb Scissors

Chopping herbs can be a real pain, but these scissors make it easy peasy!

You Must Read This Book!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Trailersteading-Voluntary-Simplicity-Mobile-ebook/dp/B00AR0T8DI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

My readers know that my husband and I semi-retired to our ten acre homestead and bought a single wide mobile home to do so. We also run our respective business from here and love our life.

If you have ever thought of doing something similar then this book I just read today is a must read!!! I loved it and it would be such a boon to those who are contemplating such a move. At this ridiculously low price, you can't go wrong. *I have no connection to the author what-so-ever.

http://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250

http://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250 This Spartan is absolutely beautiful! Check it out if you love classic RV's like I do.

Turn a Trampoline Into a Greenhouse! | How Does She...

Turn a Trampoline Into a Greenhouse! | How Does She...

Got an old trampoline and a yen for a greenhouse? Are you thrifty and willing to DIY? Then check this out!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE JUNGLE!

Today was one of those gorgeous, warm, days that you get in the deep south during the late fall/winter quite regularly. It gives you a lot of energy to do things outside as well as inside.

Today was spent raking some leaves up for my compost piles. We don't worry about "getting rid of leaves" on our property because to us it is pure "gold". As the leaves decompose they make all the ground more fertile as every year passes. 

This is the time of year that I spray an organic horticultural oil on my fruit trees to smother any over-wintering bugs. I will spray again in the spring once the leaves are out as this spray can be used all year round.

Stay busy till God calls you. That is my motto!

PEPPER JOES HOT PEPPERS!!!!

If you are a hot pepper nut like me you will want to check out this site. They have every pepper out there.

An Awesome Artist!

Please check out these awesome Christmas cards from my dear friend, Cathe in Tennessee who is almost totally blind. She lives alone on her mountain and visits her husband who resides in a Veterans home because of an incurable brain injury called, Frontal Lobe Dementia. I really admire her for many reasons.

Christmas Cards by Artist Cathe

Our Bamboo News from Lewis Bamboo

Our Bamboo News from Lewis Bamboo

Do you love bamboo but not sure where to purchase? Lewis Bamboo is highly recommended by me. Check out their marvelous website with more pics and information than you will find at any other bamboo nursery that I am aware of. They have been around for a long time and can be trusted to do right by all their customers.

Why Do Some Cats Give "Love Bites?" | The Smart Living Network

Why Do Some Cats Give "Love Bites?" | The Smart Living Network

I have had more cats than I can count over the years. I've had cat rescues with up to 30 cats to care for and I've also fostered cats for others when they were unable to care for their cat. During this time I have learned a lot about cats but this one was always a puzzle for me since not all cats do this. Interesting read!

backyard cottage blog: backyard cottage workshop next week

backyard cottage blog: backyard cottage workshop next week: Would you like to learn more about backyard cottages, meet others thinking about building a backyard cottage and talk to experts in the desi...

A very good thing for those with aging parents or to rent out for extra income. You could get your own home paid for this way!!!! 

PANSY PLANTING TIME!

It's that time of year when I plant Pansies to get us through the boring days of winter. Having  a short winter is nice, but still...winter is winter.

Since I need to stay away from germs this time of year, Db went to Lowes and bought me three flats of mixed colors for all the pots and hanging baskets I need to replace. From late spring to this time of year I grow Impatiens in those pots and baskets. We haven't had a frost yet so they are still blooming but are straggly looking from being so rootbound. You can see how they looked in earlier posts after I had them planted up in spring.

Yesterday I planted up ten containers but I have at least another ten to do today. I always re-use most of the potting soil by taking a bulb planter and cutting out three holes in the rootbound potting soil. I then take a sharp knife and slice through all the roots left to help in the decompostiton. This saves me a lot of expensive potting soil which I buy in 50# bags from our local feed and seed store.

After the pansies are planted I water them well with lukewarm water with Bach Rescue Remedy added to help them recover from the shock. I always gently rip the roots apart before I plant them as well as remove all flowers and buds so that they will immediately start to spread out into the potting soil. A bit new soil is added to the holes and all over the top.

A week after planting, I water them once a week with my "Magic Elixir" and they begin to take off like a rocke!. If the temps are going to fall into the twenties I will cover all of them with a small piece of frost blanet and take it off after the sun rises. 

These will grow on till mid April when I replace them with Impatiens once again. I used to switch off every year by using Wax Begonias which also do well down here all through the spring/summer, but I have found that the Impatiens give a much bigger "punch" for the money.

I will add some pictures later tonight or tomorrow after I have finished with the planting.

50 Crafts and Projects Using Recycled, Repurposed, & Upcycled Cans {Saturday Inspiration & Ideas}

50 Crafts and Projects Using Recycled, Repurposed, & Upcycled Cans {Saturday Inspiration & Ideas} 

This is something I am always looking for...what to do with my emtpy tin cans. I use them for many things but always looking for more. I hope you will enjoy checking them out as much as I did.

Austin's Tiny Open House

Austin's Tiny Open House This young mans hard work and determination are a good example for all American youth. Kudo's Austin!!!

Chocolate Babka « Relishing It

Chocolate Babka « Relishing It

I had to to send this to y'all! I've been looking for a recipe like this for years and I bet you would like it too!

FALL PLANTING IN SOUTH ALABAMA

This is the time of year when I start thinking of planting a lot of lettuce. My son and I are big salad eaters so I try and plant as many different varieties as I can find and have room for. I always plant in pots so I can easily cover with some landscape fabric if a hard freeze is expected and have never lost a pot of lettuce yet with this technique. I am sure it would not work in the north, but it will in the deep south.

Lettuce really detests hot weather so October is a great time for me to grow. I start seeds from middle Sept. throughout the fall, winter, up till March when I finally stop till fall again,. 

I use a good potting soil mixed with my own compost and a bit of sand to give a loose, free-flowing mix that will stay damp but not water logged. I never pull the plants but instead just cut enough leaves for a salad with my scissors. The lettuce will keep growing this way for months. 

If there is one thing I never run out of in the cool months it is leaf lettuce!

GROWING ONIONS FROM CASTOFFS

There really is nothing more frustrating that beginning dinner and discovering that you are out of onions! UGH! Onion powder or onion salt just doesn't always cut it when it comes to the flavor you want for certain dishes.

I live quite far from any supermarket and certain times of year I have no onions growing. I have no good place to store them here in the deep south where it stays warm much of the year so I had to think of a way to have some on hand when I needed them no matter what.

That is when I came upon the idea to sprout my own onion tops from the root end that I was always throwing into the compost bucket. 

It is so easy to do that you are going to be asking yourself, "now why didn't I think of that?"

I save a few of my tin cans for starting seeds and cuttings and this is what I use although you could use a pretty pot if you want. Just fill with a good, loose, potting soil, water well and then place a root end of any onion on top of the soil and press down. Allow the slice to dry out for a day or two before doing this.

In about a week or less you see some green shoots pushing their way out of the center of the slice of onion. You can use these as you would any scallions or chives in your recipes. Have fun with it!