So now that we're past the #!$@:! Frigging pool noodle lollipops, I have some relaxing projects to round out a candy themed Christmas display. First are the super simple candy cane straws. You can make canes with a bunch of PVC elbows but I think those look way more like a PVC pipe creation rather … Continue reading Candy Cane Straws and Ice Cream Sundae Outdoor Decorations
This tutorial shows you how to make the best looking pool noodle lollipops out there. Don't mess with the dollar store noodles. I decided to add some Christmas tutorials for my decorations outside. I'm creating a candy background for some characters from the Nutcracker Ballet. My first task was making some candy. I decided on … Continue reading Big Beefy Pool Noodle Lollipop Decorations
I joined Duolingo about ten years ago but never really messed with it. Then when my husband was working out of state for two years, I got serious about learning languages. It was my way to wind down. Being in charge of my two boys without any help was difficult. My older boy was in … Continue reading Language Learning
So. I know better than to try and grow a large scale "defiance garden". That's what I call growing things that your climate and soil won't support. But, I'm a gardener. The whole point of gardening is to place plant matter in places that didn't have them before. Basically anything you purposefully put in the … Continue reading What If It’s Too Hot? Growing Fruit Trees In Texas.
Hmmm. Super long, snake bean. Usually when I am deep diving into large seed catalogs and I see "like ____, but better" I roll my eyes and think OK, I'm game. Prove it. This is what happened when I saw and then purchased seed for the Indian Python Snake Bean at rareseeds.com (AKA Python Snake … Continue reading Like Green Beans… But Better?
I saw this and I had to make one! All of my Halloween decorations are cheap, but some require a little planning. If you want to make this you will need to find the pieces and order them so that this is done before Halloween! Get my new e-book on Amazon! It’s free with Kindle … Continue reading Cousin It… Oh Yeah!
Here we go! It's Halloween time on my blog again! I hope you enjoy the tutorials! I love making Halloween decorations! I also love to make CHEAP decorations. I don't think I can find a good reason to buy a lot of what I see in the stores. I am pretty happy with a lot … Continue reading Milk Jug Spider
I made my original dead body bag about 4 or 5 years ago and I've learned some things about how to make these after having to repair it a few times. Get my new e-book on Amazon! It’s free with Kindle Unlimited or $3.99 to purchase. There are projects in this e-book that you won’t … Continue reading How To Make A Bagged Dead Body For Halloween
I had two main projects I wanted to accomplish this Halloween. One project was my Silver Faceless Aliens and the second was some posts with masks, or: Haunted Heads! I decided to do these after I saw a pin. But unfortunately, no matter which pin I opened I couldn't find the instructions to make these. … Continue reading Haunted Heads
I love making Halloween decorations, but I think they should be nearly free. Most of the things in our yard are homemade (with the exception of a couple of blow up displays and some skeletons.) I need my display to make a big impact (because we are trying to get people to walk down a … Continue reading Trash Bag Witch Circle/Ghost ring
It's Halloween time again! I'm trying something new this year! Silver Faceless Aliens! They are human height and shape and creep everyone out! I instantly had the idea after looking at this mask. So much fun! Like all of my projects: it's super cheap and has a big impact. I'm making four. Here are the … Continue reading Silver Faceless Aliens
Here we go again! It's time for my Halloween tutorials! I'm always working on our Halloween display. This year I decided I needed jellyfish! I love spooky stuff but the creepy, gory, sicko type stuff just doesn't light my fire. However, glowing awesome jellyfish sounded way too cool to pass up! I got this idea … Continue reading Glowing Jellyfish: Outdoor Halloween
Both of my grandmother's had cast iron collections. These were things they either purchased in Kansas or are my family's heirlooms. My mom's family on a road trip to Washington DC. My granny on my mom's side married a jerk, (to say it mildly) after my grandpa died. He made her get rid of her … Continue reading How I Restored My Antique Iron: Two Methods
I am currently featured on one of Raintree Nursery's videos on YouTube. Laura and Raintree's Ambassadors have some excellent tips. You can see it here: https://youtu.be/qtfuw9u1_f8 For anyone interested in the hugelkulter bed I use in the video (my information starts at these three times 8:58, 20:26, 24:38 and are pretty quick) the instructions... and … Continue reading Hugelkulter High Density Fruit Tree Bed (Or Heather’s Humor Odyssey)
There are three ingredients and four steps to making your own yogurt: ultra pasturized half and half (for those of you who live outside of the United States, it's half milk/half heavy cream), a bacteria, and inulin. You add these all together and heat the mix for 36 hours. The rest of this article is … Continue reading L. Gasseri, L. Reuteri or BC30 Bacillus Coagulans Yogurt Making-The Ultimate Guide
Hugelkultur The most expensive part of my garden is the city water that we're on. Our city water is piped in. The aquifer that our land is over does not have good water. We're near an air force base, started in the 1930's and I wonder if over the years, that aquifer has been polluted … Continue reading Watering In High Heat
The things I grow in summer are things that I don't have to baby. Today our "feel like" temperature was 103 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm not interested in doing manual labor in that sort of heat (Although, I did. I was out in that heat for about an hour and a half yesterday weeding and pulling … Continue reading Low Maintenance, Highly Productive, Summer Vegetables.
One of my family's favorite summer foods are often called either "quick" or "refrigerator" pickles. These make the crunchiest pickles because they aren't cooked. I grow Armenian cucumbers, which are actually melons. They taste like cucumbers and they don't get bitter in our high heat like actual cucumbers do. So, I always have fresh additions … Continue reading Quick/Refrigerator Pickles
Summer is officially bearing down on us down here in South Texas. Boy, is it hot! If you garden: you sure don't want to do it in the middle of the day when it's over 100°F! However, all the things down here that I choose to plant will usually sail through the heat as long … Continue reading Summer Sun And The Fruits Of My Labor
This is the most reflective paint I've ever seen! I'm at it again! My mom came to visit me and it's been crazy! We cut down two trees with a chainsaw. It was the above ground growth on an incense bush and a pomegranate, that died back during our horrible freeze. My 20 year old … Continue reading Fine Paints of Europe: Dutch Door Kit
Crazy Green Thumbs 