My own personal product reviews

I am elbow deep in spring cleaning so I thought I would try a few new things.  Proviso:  I am not getting any special perks from any company.  This is just one mama's honest opinion about a product I've just tried.

So I tried these cleaners under the brand of Method.  They are environmentally sound and tout their "greenness" so I decided to get these three.  There are a few others in the line, but I only got these.  Here's what I think.

This is the glass and surface cleaner.  I loved this product.  It has a lovely smell of mint and did a fine job on the mirrors.  The scent is very pleasant and refreshing.  I would definitely buy this again.

This is the all-purpose cleaner.  It has the scent of French lavender.  If you like lavender, this is very nice.  Again, it cleaned well and I liked it.  

This is the anti-bacterial kitchen cleaner.  I used it on my counters and it did clean  nicely.  However, the so-called lemon verbena scent was appalling.  It smells like lemon mixed with tea tree oil (maybe?) and mothballs(?).  My daughter described it as "bad breath."  I used it once and I really don't think I would ever use it again because I live my life through smell and this just did not appeal to me.  It did clean and I am sure it would knock out any germs.  I just can't have my space smelling like that.  Smell is subjective so if you like it, God bless you.  It just isn't for me.

I also found a new (to me) organizer.  Having my own backyard flock, I need lots of egg cartons and they can get quite messy and gross.  I found these bad boys at Target and I think I will love them.  They can be washed and reused.  I will probably get a few more, plus they look so nice.  Another problem I have with regular cardboard egg cartons is that sometimes my chickens lay huge eggs and they don't quite fit.  This organizer can hold any size egg.  I'm sold!

I hope you are doing well.  Have you started spring cleaning?  We are on day two and I'm miserable...oh well!  And we have a blizzard going on outside.  Enjoy your day!  Blessings!

Lots of green here and some mishaps...

It's St. Patrick's Day and I hope everyone is enjoying it!  We've already had our meal of corned beef and cabbage.  Goodness, it's so good!!!!  I let mine cook overnight in the crockpot and it is just effortless!!! Yum!

We have had a few mishaps here.  My first round of seedlings with lettuce and spinach was sabotaged...we have cats.  I brought the tray out from under my lights and upstairs to our main floor.  It was left out overnight and the cats ATE all the spinach.  I think they are really needing some greens, but goodness sakes, leave my plant babies alone, LOL!!!  So that tray was done.  I've been hardening off my cabbages and mustards under the hoophouses outside and they are going gangbusters out there.  I really need to get them into the ground, but I am just so pressed for time.  I've been helping a friend all month with her home daycare because she went on vacation to Australia.  Needless to say, I prefer the plants right now because I am so excited for spring and I have so many new things going on and *sigh*, a gardener just wants to get her hands in the dirt.  But I am really happy for my friend because this home daycare business is A LOT of work and I am exhausted by the time the weekend rolls around.

Here is our green project for the day:  we transplanted 25 tomato seedlings into much bigger pots.  I am going to conduct my own growth and taste tests this year with San Marzano tomatoes vs. Amish Paste.  Does anyone have a preference out there on which one you like to grow/eat???  I've never grown either one before so I am anxious for summer to see the results.  I am super excited to can all the summer goodness as well.  I was so busy canning last summer that I never posted my production results.  I know I canned over 70 jars of jam (we go through a lot of it--plus it's great for gifts).  Hopefully, I can be more on top of it as far as posting what I'm preserving this year.  I will try!

My sweet little helper!

I hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick's day and a very blessed Sunday!

Spring is starting to spring!

It's warmed up a bit here.  I've seen the robin for a couple of weeks now.  My irises are coming up.  I guess spring has sprung!  I hope you can feel it, too, wherever you are. Here are my plant babies from the last post.

These are the Japanese Giant Red Mustard.  I started them on February 4th.  They have come along nicely.

My lettuces can seriously be harvested and they haven't been in the ground yet!  I have several tiered starts of seedlings for my lettuces.  They are just so lovely and they really do take away the cabin fever--nothing is alive--will winter ever be done feeling!

These are the cabbages and cauliflowers.  It's only been one month and they are almost ready to go out.  I have covered hoop houses in my backyard so I have been putting them out there in their trays to get acclimated.  We've been in the 50's for daytime temps and the hoop houses are even warmer than that.  I will be transplanting these in bigger containers (probably large paper towel rolls) and then putting them in the ground, depending on how warm it stays (or not).  I've never done anything for spring around here because it's a Russian roulette game as far as weather.  I think it will be a mild spring and I have my hoop houses with a layer of row cover...I'm hoping my gamble pays off!  I also have tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers going.  It's taking the eggplants forever to germinate, but I see they are about to sprout.  I've never started with seeds before for eggplants.  I have lots of new varieties...all heirlooms and I'm hoping I can fit everything in.  How is seedling starting going for you?   I have a simple set up of shoplights set up in my basement.  If you have any questions, please let me know!  I will do my best to answer them.  I will also be doing a tutorial about my chicken tunnel soon.  I have to sit my husband down and get all the measurements again...I wrote them down, but they got up and walked away like most things in this house, LOL!!!  Have a great week everyone!!!  Blessings!!!

Seedlings

It's cold here in Colorado, but I have to say it has been so mild that I fear a horrific summer of fires is on the horizon because we are in desperate need of moisture. With that said, I think we will have a mild spring.  I'm jumping on that opportunity because my first born child graduates high school in May.  I have planned the spring garden and have my fingers crossed because we are having the party at our house and I really, really, really would like to have a beautiful spring garden.  I have never really tried too much outside of greens, but this year, I've got a whole slew of beauties.

I have a variety of cabbages.  I vowed never to try growing cabbage again, but I think my problem was that I never started them early enough.  I am also trying green macerata cauliflower and purple of sicily cauliflower.  Oooohhhh, I hope they do well!!!!  Have you seen inside the cover of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog?  The Gettles (founders of the company) are among a sea of gorgeous giant Japanese mustard...it looks like a glorious bed that I just want to lay on.  The picture was so enticing that I ordered the seed and there it is in the picture on the right half.  It's a beautiful purple and green.  Oh, it is so exciting.  I have had great luck with mustard so that should do great in my garden.  I have also seeded up many different lettuces; I have my tomatoes started because you have to start early here (plus eggplant--still waiting on some seeds I ordered).  I should get my peppers going, too.  ACK!  So much to plant!  I am quickly running out of room under my lights. I have spinach and herbs as well.  I'm trying to stay ahead of the season.  What great things are you growing this season???  Stay warm and hold onto the thought that spring is just around the corner!
Blessings!

Super Bowl and...farmers!?

I am a football fanatic.  I may be a woman, but I love football!!!!  I watch the pre-game specials, I like to hear every word of the national anthem, the half-time show is only there for spectacle (and shaking around in a swimsuit is not my cup of tea--I'd rather watch Downton Abbey), and the game itself is AWESOME!  Some people only like to watch the game for commercials.  I love the whole experience and this year, there was one commercial that just blessed my heart.  Paul Harvey spoke on how on the eighth day, God created the farmer.  It was a beautiful commercial that honored farmers.  Although it was for Dodge trucks, it spoke so much more about what a farmer is and it was so well done.  By far it was the best commercial out there! For all the farmers out there...on hundreds of acres in the country, on tiny plots in the city, to backyard farms in the suburbs...thank you Dodge for remembering those who truly are the backbone of this country!  If you haven't seen it, here it is from YouTube.

Advent Calendars

I saw these in a magazine last year and decided I was going to make some for this year.  I bought the fabric and it really turned out nicely...except I have four children, but only had enough fabric to make three.

I stamped these with the numbers for each day.  I hung them with care (which was quite the ordeal because we couldn't get the Command hooks to work so we just put nails in the wall, argggghhh).

I had to figure out what to do for my son.  I am a hoarder of jeans...I have finished a picnic quilt, and I have many more to do so jeans are aplenty at my house.  My oldest daughter had a brilliant idea.  I actually had a ton of old jeans from my son when he was little, so we cut out 25 pockets and here's what we came up with.

They are all of his back pockets!!!

We glittered up some tags and stamped them.  We may throw in a couple of red ribbons to jazz it up a little more, but it really turned out fun.  I hope this gives you some ideas for next year.  What kind of advent calendar do you use?  I've seen tons of different ones on pinterest...be creative!!!!!
Blessings!!!!!!!!

Gingerbread Creations!!!

It's that time of year where we are entrenched in cookie dough and Christmas goodies.  I have finally found a great gingerbread recipe that holds up well and tastes great.  On this search, I have also encountered some fantastic cookie cutters that make life even more joyful around here!

I have searched high and low for this certain set of cookie cutters.  My name is Ginger; my nickname is Ginja the Ninja (hello, best nickname EVER!, hahahaha).  Anyways, there are these cookie cutters I have spied online, but I'm too cheap to pay for shipping, so I have been biding my time, waiting to find these little gems and BOOM, I was walking through Target one day and they were magically there.  I cried out in the store, "No way!" and bought a set on the spot.  May I introduce my Ginga the Ninjabread men cookies!!

Aren't they adorable????  But wait, there's more gingerbread madness.  Walking through said Target, I spied another cookie cutter next to my ninjas that had my creative cogs moving...hmmmm, what could I do with these.  Let me show you...

They are called "gingerdead men" which didn't seem very festive to me for Christmas (more for Halloween) so I figured a way to make these little guys funny.  Enter a handcrafted outlet and voila, I entitle it, "What happens to naughty gingerbread men."  I entered this picture in a contest on a blog I follow (Frills in the Hills) and I won a $95 Puremelt chocolate kit!  I couldn't believe it!  I don't win anything!  But this is how we do funny and festive at my house!!!

This last gingerbread configuration is one I have been doing for years.  I have a stoneware mold from Pampered Chef that I bought 14 years ago.  It's a train...you can do gingerbread in it, chocolate, regular cookie mix.  It's been a staple around here for a long time.

I hope you are having a wonderful time with your creations out of cookie dough!  I am sending you gingerbread dreams!!!!  The recipe follows if you're interested. Blessings to you and your family!

Here's the recipe I used:

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger (this is mild; if you like it spicy, add 1 TBSP)
1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
6 TBSP unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until it's well blended. Add your molasses and vanilla until well blended.  Gradually stir in dry ingredients until all is blended and smooth.  Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic.  You can leave at room temp. for two hours, or do as I do and put it in the fridge for at least an hour.  Roll out your dough using two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper. Flour your cookie cutters and cut out your shapes.  I bake my cookies on a cookie sheet with parchment for 7 - 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Note: I actually mix my ingredients in my food processor.  It's fast and easy.  Just don't overwork it!