Compost Tea Anyone?

I was given this piece from my wonderful sister Lynn Simpson  to add after she read "magic compost".  She wrote a piece for the  "Oshawa This Week" newspaper on composte tea a few years back, so this is her info:


The holes in the bottom also let the little worms crawl in. You know you have good compost when the worms take up residence. I did discover though that eggshells do not compost worth a darn. Every time I took dirt out of the compost bucket to put in the garden -- or to make my compost tea -- I had to take out large clumps of un-dissolved eggshell. When you put the eggshell in make sure you crush it very small to start with, but put them in because crushed eggshell helps to keep the smell down.
Once you have your compost you can make Compost Tea to use on your houseplants.
The simplest method is to combine 1 part of mature compost [almost black and crumbles when rubbed between your fingers. Shouldn't smell bad] to 5 parts of rainwater (or water that has been sitting to allow the chlorine to evaporate if you are in the city), stir together and then let it “steep” for about 3 days. Strain the tea and add the used compost to your garden or back in the compost pile. The liquid (tea) is what you use. You can spray it on the leaves of plants or add it directly to the soil. You can apply compost tea every two weeks. Remember, the same rule applies here as applies to compost – if it smells bad don’t use it. Return it to the compost pile. Mature compost should smell earthy and fresh, not bad.
You can add it to your blog or not. Up to you.

...... Thank you Lynn.  Wonderful information

Magic Compost

Is anybody getting a head start on some of those spring projects?

My goal here at the new place is to live a simpler ,greener more prepared lifestyle. This is my way of getting started on that. I did a little research on the net and I think this is the easiest way (for me anyway) to get composting. I started saving a few of the compostable items from my kitchen this winter. I just got a big bucket with a lid. I used one of the big square buckets that kitty litter comes in. I put all my used coffee grounds and eggshells into it. I wasn't trecking out to some far corner of the yard to dump them every day so the bucket was fine. I didn't realize we drank so much coffee. Its a good thing its decalf or we would be bouncing all over the house here. I also saved newspapers, and cardboard boxes. There were quite a few of them from the unpacking.

A couple of weeks ago we had a fabulous sunny weekend. It felt like spring was in the air. Birds were singing. My spirits were high and I got the gardening urge. It was just a false start, but it sure felt good. I explained to my wonderful husband how I had found the trash can composters on pinterest,   and gave him the instructions. We had two large black Rubbermaid bins we were no longer using. They were perfect and all it took was a bin, a half hour and a drill. I love it when he gets on board with one of my projects.  I guess this one didn't sound as silly as some.  He drilled holes into the bottom first, this is important because it allows for drainage.  The holes were drilled all around the sides right to the top.  Add a few holes in the lid and there should be plenty of ventilation.  Lots of air  helps the compost process.  For a little extra circulation and to help with the "turning" of the compost I decided we should put a piece of fencing rolled into a tube down the center on the inside. 




This is my inspiration found here  

I had some fun in the afternoon tearing up cardboard and newspaper with my four year old granddaughter  Bethie.  I explained to her how we were going to put the paper and the kitchen scraps into the bin, and tiny little bugs that were too small to see would eat it all up and turn it into dirt. Her response was "is it magic dirt?"  Now my compost bin will forever be known as the magic dirt maker. I love it.











 We layered the paper, (brown material) and the coffee grains and eggshells (green material) in the can the way the instructions said. If I had been thinking ahead last fall, I would have saved some bags of the dried leaves hubby raked up in the yard. They are the very best brown material you can use, but unfortunately they are all in a pile under a few feet of snow. I guess they aren't going anywhere.
I am now keeping all my compostable kitchen scraps, the coffee grinds and eggshells along with all those vegie and fruit scraps from prep.


 Here  is a  great list of what and what not to put in your compost bin.
I can't believe some of the things I no loger have to toss.

I love the simplicity of composting like this is. I don't have to go out every couple of weeks and shovel the pile from one bin to another. All I have to do is put a good bungie cord over the lid to make sure its secure, then lay the can on its side and roll it back and forth a few times to mix the material. Keep it slightly moist and nature does all the rest. The trash bin has wheels so in the winter I can move it closer to the house and no trecks through deep snow to the farthest reaches of my "kingdom"....  Making your own compost really is magic.

I plan on using the other trash bin as well once this one is full and ready to go.    I'll keep you posted on how  it turns out.
Here is my bin, just waiting for the snow to melt


Have a great day everyone

Character with Shutters.

We've been in the new place for 6 months now and I'd like to share a couple of the things I've been able to do with no cash. Which is exactly what my budget is right now $0.

When we first moved in there were shutter doors on both the closets in the laundry room. It's a nice enough room but both the doors opened into the room. When they were open it was very hard to access the closets. My solution.. remove the doors. I'll have to decide what to do with the closets at another time, maybe some nice curtains.

So I have 2 sets of shutter doors and I never throw anything away. This is where I head to pinterest for some inspiration. There are so many things to do when you are decorating with shutters..Here are a few of my favorite pics.

A great  shelf  with coat hooks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This headboard is fabulous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Hall Tree is great and I love the chippy corbels.

　

This is what I did with mine. I painted both sets a light aqua. I had this can of paint on hand. It was left by the previous owners. It's a  vintage aqua colour and I  love  it.    My grandaughter Amber was helping so it was a fun day for both of us. Then I attached both sets onto the dining room wall with just a few screws  and added the shelf above. Then all I had  to do was unpack a few  items and put them on the shelf.  I added some of my favorite family photos. Some  very old ones and some  a little more recent.

I really love this look.

I'm quite happy with the results. It really adds  character to what was a huge blank space.  If you would like to see more shutter ideas here is a link to some great pics on pinterest.  Have some fun looking at these great ideas and enjoy your day.

Fun in a playpen

 

I first saw this on pinterest, and with the kids getting a bit of cabin fever I decided I needed to give them something new to do for a bit.. The little ones I care for are quite tiny still and it is very hard for them to get around outside in the deep snow.

 

 

Pack n play repurposed on pinterest.

   This is what I did with the damaged playpen I had. There was a large tear in the side of it so I cut the netting out on that side.  I positioned it in the corner where there was a ceiling hook above.  I hung the mosquito netting canopy I had from another time over the playpen and just pulled the netting through the corners and  knotted it . I added a butterfly to the net and a few blankets and stuffed toys and the kids had a ton of fun all week playing in the finished result.

What I loved about this project is how easy it was.  The whole thing took about 30 minutes total and was totally fun.  I can take it down when the kids get bored with it and just put everything away. All the items can be reused again and the playpen can be covered with a different top for a whole new adventure. 

Welcome to my "Everyday Life"

About 6 months ago we had to make some hard decisions about where we were living. My knees had become less than likeable because of years of wear and tear. The house we were living in was full of stairs. There was a set at the front to the basement, a set at the back to the family room, and another half set to the upper level to bedrooms and bath. I loved the unique style and characther when we purchased it. And we put a lot of work into it, fixing up tons of damage from being a rental home for many years. Like most of lifes projects we got it just the way we wanted it only to find that living there was causing tons of damage to my knees. It was like living on a constant stairstepper.

The logical solution to this problem was to list the house and look for something smaller and all on one level. That part was easy. It was the begining of summer of 2012 and Within days the pictures were taken and the realtor had listed the house and we were in moving mode. Now here comes our dilema... We live in the wonderful Haliburton Highlands of Onatario. We started looking at houses and realized, most of the homes in our area were two story homes. Our only option for a small compact home, all on one level, and in our price range was the mobile home park and that never had anything listed for sale. And we really weren't that interested.Everything we looked at was either too big, needed too much work, was out of the area  or was way over our budget. We really wanted to downsizebut couldn't find anything. At this point we were still thinking our house would sell fast, but no one was even looking at it. I guess I didn't realize what they meant when they told us the market was reall slow.  I didn't think they meant it was standing still.

Front yard of our house for sale.

 

 

Fast forward the story to July. Our house was still sitting on the market, nothing much was happening and we had quit looking. Kind of. I was looking online. Everyday I checked the real estate map of our area to see if anything new was posted. Then I found something. A small home, just listed, in our price range. Well of course we needed to go see it so I called to set up a visit as soon as posible. And I fell in love with this house. It was in the mobile home park I wasn't interested in. I didn't want to live in a trailer. But it was exactly what I was looking for. It was nestled in the trees at the very back of the park at the bottom of a huge hill. No neighbors on one side , and a privacy fence between us and the house on the other side. The neighborhood is very family friendly. Good for someone who has kids "visiting" every day. It was so cute on the inside. Had a couple of additions added to the original trailer so it didn't feel like a trailer. More like a cute little cottage in the woods. It fit me very well. It wasnt perfect, but oh I could see the potential to be exactly what I wanted it to be. So we put an offer in. Of course it was conditional, because we had to sell our house first. And then we started to wait... And then we got the answer.. they turned us down. They needed to sell quickly for health reasons... And I really loved this place.
 
Moving ahead we decided to put another offer in on the place I loved. No conditions this time. The price was so right we just didn't want to lose it. It was accepted this time, and we were going to own two houses come mid September if the first house didn't sell soon. I was still confident it would. It was priced right, was a comfortabe family place and had all the features that made it convenient... who wouldnt want to live there. Besides, we would be using all our reserves to keep two houses going if it didn't. It needed to sell.

There isn't much left to say. We had numerous yard sales throughout the summer. I packed a lot and waited. Before we knew it, it was the middle of September, the purchase closed with no hitches and move we did.

Anyone who has moved knows this, I never want to do that again. I am done. I will live out my years here with my wonderful husband, and be blissfully happy.

And we are landlords now as well. The other house has not sold. No one is looking at any realestate right now. But the family we rented to seems to be enjoying it there. I am sure they are hoping it doesnt sell. I'll keep you posted.

What I am excited about it the new start we are makeing. Living here is much like I thought it would be. My daycare business is slow right now. I do have a few children, and they are delightful to spend my days with. Funny how they keep you feeling young. Things are so convenient here that I have more time now. Time to think about the quality of life insteady of just the fast pace of it. I've been pondering the years gone by, when things were simpler, and slower. I am thinking about gardens, and home decorating. Making things myself instead of buying them. Of reusing the old and making it new again. Of sharing these things with my grandchildren the way my granparents shared their lives with myself as a child. Maybe a little of it will stay with them and one day they will share it with their grandchildren, who knows.

So these are the things that my blog will be about. About all the simple things I (and maybe you?) do day to day. I would love if you followed along on my daily wanderings.   I can't promise it will be over exciting, after all "It's an Everyday Life"