Ice Cream Cone Cozies Tutorial

I first saw this tutorial in my FaveCrafts newsletter. Then I clicked on the link to the tutorial designer Leigh Ann Tennant's Blog The Object Project  All I can say is this is one of my must do's for the grand kids. Come to think it, I'm going to make a bunch to keep in the cars, You never know when the immediate need for an ice cream fix will hit ya ☻
Click here for the Tutorial and check out her blog while your there. She has lots of other great ideas.

How to Make Your Own Olive Oil Lamp

OK, I know I'm going thru the change and besides being very crabby this week I also can get a little forgetful. I just keep getting this nagging feeling that I posted about these Olive Oil Lamps before. But I looked thru my past posts and didn't see one so I'm posting this now. I first saw this idea over at Rhonda Jean's Blog Down to Earth. She posted some great instructions on  How to make an oil lamp Here and in today's email my Mother Earth Simple Living & Country Skills newsletter had another great tutorial for making them with a slightly different design Here. I really like Rhonda's version because it incorporates the jar lid which would help keep it from spilling if it got knocked over. While Mother's version teaches you how to salt your homemade wicks so they burn longer. And i was thinking that I would like to this with the Mod Podge Lanterns from my previous post Here. So I think Mother's version would be better for this because the flame burns inside the jar and would be more wind proof.

If you can find lampante oil (olive oil not suitable for eating, but for burning), you can save money by buying that instead of culinary olive oil.

How to Make Your Own Kitchen Compost Pail

I really wanted one of those Kitchen Compost Pails, but right now I just can't justify buying one. While I was drooling over the picture it dawned on me, Hey that looks like an ice bucket! I found an ice bucket at the Thrift Store fo $2.50. And bought a Cat Litter Box Charcoal Filter at the store for $1.22. Throw in my drill and glue gun and 123 I had a  Kitchen Compost Pail made from scratch.

Here's my How To's

1. The lid for my ice bucket is clear acrylic and I really didn't want to see what's in my pail. So I unscrewed the knob off the lid. Traced the lid onto a cheap foil cookie sheet. Cut the circle out with scissors and glued it onto the bottom of the lid. Then I put the knob back on.

2. I marked out a small circle of holes around the center of the lid and drilled them.

3. Useing the glue gun I then glued the filter to the inside of the lid. Try to use only enough glue to attach it so you can easily remove and replace the filter in several months.

I'm very happy with my $3.72 Compost Pail. It fills all my needs and I got to reduce, reuse and recycle ☻

Pics from the Week

Happy Earth Day

Today is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Let's Celebrate!

Take Action

PICK 5 by choosing at least 5 actions you’ll commit to. Use less water and electricity, commute without polluting, reuse and recycle, and more:

Great Depression Cooking - Dandelion Salad

Another great video from 94 year old Clara.

Great Depression Cooking

Peppers and Eggs with Fresh Bread
Part 1


Part 2

I have fallen in love with Clara's Videos. YouTube has her videos. Just click on this post title to go to the You Tube Page.
I also found her book on Amazon. It's #1 on my wish list.

#### Happens

It's just us, these things usually happen, to us me. We had our 1st meal of the year with an item from the garden, asparagus. Only a few spears but enough for my hubby and me to have for dinner. Boy did they taste good to. Sure wet my appetite for eating every spear that comes from that little endangered spot in the garden. I didn't pick the area very well for the asparagus in the garden when I planted the bed last year. It was the bottom left hand corner of the garden last year, but this year with the garden size increased it is not closer to the middle. When DS disked the garden a few weeks ago, I had to practically stand in the middle of the asparagus bed so he didn't disk it to. He had a lot of mumbling and muttering at me as he maneuvered that big tractor and disk around me and the asparagus. I even remember apologizing to him for it's placement. He then replied "It's fine Mom, I can get around it, your just going to listen to a lot of complaining while I do it." Today before the birthday dinner he borrowed a tiller and tilled the garden. As I walked out to check on the progress I was just in time to stop his second pass with the tiller, Yep You Guessed It, thru the middle of my asparagus bed. And they tasted so good this year to :(

Chili Video

This is an awful cell phone video that I took of me feeding Chili while I work with her to allow me to touch and pet her. So sorry for the video quality.

Birthday's, What's Up and a Tutorial for Mod Podge Lanterns

Well my husband earned the first quarter of the year for spotting the first lightening bug. Things have been really hectic around here, Yesterday was the Grand Daughters 6th birthday and today is our Son's birthday. I've been sewing like crazy for my DGD's summer wardrobe for her Birthday present. Will post pictures soon. Tonight it's out to dinner to celebrate the birthdays. Last night was my first Master Gardner Class and boy do I feel out of my league, but that's another post. My Nephew is getting married next month and I'm crocheting my Birdseed Wedding Roses like a mad women.

I did want to post the links for this fantastic tutorial that I found over at Gingerbread Snowflakes. With some Outdoor Mod Podge, Food Coloring and some old bottles she'll show you how to make some beautiful hanging outdoor lanterns.

Click here for the How To

and here for her Tutorial for hanging your Mod Podge Lanterns

How To Darn A Sock

Sewing:
How To Darn A Sock

Our House

Our house is over a hundred years old. Living in it has many interesting aspects. This photo is of the original Linoleum floor that we found at the bottom of other layers of Linoleum and Vinyl floors when we tiled the kitchen floor. I really like that square of Linoleum, I have it framed and hanging in my Kitchen. It would be neat to have that Linoleum on the floor now, well without the cracks and stains and a bit more shinny. Very Retro, not what I usually choose I tend to go more neutral, but deep down I would love it.
For the first few years that we lived here a lovely old man and his family would stop by every summer to visit our house. He was born in this house and would tell us all about it's history. Things like the beautiful rock wall was built by his brother when he was punished for something or other. Our back porch was added on when his father had TB and he lived for a year there. The porch was built in the 30's out of supplies stolen scavenged from the rail yard, which explains the floor joists being made from railroad ties. I miss that old man. Over the years I think of many things I should of asked him about our house's history. But every time we find a square nail or a piece of the rail yard here, I smile and hope he knows that we love it too.

I've been Un- Hermited

I think my parents think I've turned into a hermit. And my Mom has decided to un-hermit me. Since I've taken a sabbatical from working and my husbands disability retirement we've been staying close to home. Well Mom figured out a way to un-hermit me, Mom and I were talking about the garden when she mentioned a neighbor who had taken a lot of gardening classes, I had mentioned that the University of Missouri had a Master Gardener Certification program starting in mid April, thinking her friend might be interested. Guess what I start April 14th? Thank you again Mom and Dad. I'm actually very excited. The course is a 30 hour classroom Core Course training. Covering, Insects and pesticides, Lawn Care, Rain Gardens, Worm Farming, Weed Control, Plant growth and Anatomy, Trees and Shrubs, Plant Disease, Landscaping, Vegetable Gardening, Flowering Plants, Soil Anatomy, Tree Identification, and Bee Keeping.

After the training we are then required to give 30 hours of volunteer service back to the community in approved activities such as extension hot lines or answer services, workshops, speaker’s bureaus, garden show booths, demonstration projects, assisting with grounds maintenance at local Garden Preserves, volunteering at Missouri State Parks, etc... OK I guess I can now say I've been officially un-hermited.

Magnolia Bush and Cherry Bush, Springs Here