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Happy Monday!
First, a few things:
If you missed my giveaway for garden seeds for your garden, be sure to enter! The contest runs through Friday.
I found a great tutorial on making your own pattern (from a knit shirt) on Sweet Verbena. I like the way she did the sleeves.
Last week:
I pruned a ton of stuff last week and managed to fill all the trash cans. I even did a massive pruning on the rosemary bush (much overdue). I pulled out all of the larkspur as well. I cut the branches off of the Liberty apple tree that were small enough to cut with the large pruning shears, but by then, I had filled the trash cans. This week I’ll get out the saw and attempt to finish the job of removing the tree and putting an apricot tree in its place.
I did get the currant bushes planted. I hope those do well here. I am excited that they can grow in dappled sun under the trees, which makes that tricky spot (hopefully) more productive. In fact, I was so hopeful, I went to the nursery and purchased three more currants on clearance and planted those too.
I read a fabulous book last week called Stowaway, a historical fiction piece based largely on journals from James Cook’s first voyage around the world.
This week is going to be a busy week. I have something church related going on every night Tuesday through Friday. On top of that, I didn’t finish several things from last week, so they are back on the list this week. Hopefully I’ll make good progress on these, though my evenings will be full.
Organization:
1. Help Winter pack for camp
Gardening: (The new weather report for this week tell me it should only be 107º this week, instead of the 111º they said it would be)
1. Saw large branches and dig out Liberty apple tree.
2. Plant Katy apricot
3. Continue to collect seeds from cilantro (coriander), lettuce, Swiss chard, green onions, larkspur, spinach, kale, primroses, delphinium, foxglove, poppies
4. Plant seeds for green onion seeds, more zinnias, vincas, Swiss chard, and artichokes
5. Dig garlic
6. Deadhead roses
7. Cut the yellow dusty miller flowers (visible in the photo above!) and bring them in. Dusty miller has white leaves, but it flowers once a year, and the flowers are yellow. We’ll enjoy them in the house.
Also, the trees in the white garden need to be staked, but I don’t forsee getting to that this week!
Sewing:
1. Finish sewing purse
2. Make and embroider lavender sachet (I made good progress on the embroidery on this last week).
3. Finish making hot pads (I made progress on these last week but they are still not done).
4. Mend and alter as many items as possible from the mending/alteration pile that is overtaking my sewing room. This includes shortening the sleeves on several shirts.
5. Make more mop covers from old towels
Canning:
1. Can plum sauce–or slice and freeze the plums
Service:
1. Visit teach the other sister on my route this week and bring her the chaste tree bush that I potted for her.
2. Package and send seeds to two readers.
3. Go teaching with the full-time missionaries
Blogging:
1. Photograph and write two blog posts, including one on collecting garden seeds.
2. Work on updating the website into the new program. If this works, it should make the drop down menus visible on mobile devices. If there’s a recipe you’re planning to make this week, print it ahead of time in case we end up being down while updating. (My husband and I are still working on this; when he tried updating last week his entire site disappeared, so he had to pull up a backup and restore it).
Busy week! thankfully my mending pile only includes various stuffed animals with boo boo’s (but I still need to get them done) http://ithinkicansquared.blogspot.com/2014/06/weekly-goals_23.html
Thank you so much for the links! I entered the give-away and was so happy to share the printables. I’ve used chore charts to keep my kids on track of their jobs for years but it is always terrific to change up the format!We had a hugely expensive week this past week but it was expected and I was actually excited to spend the money so that I could…start being frugal again!! We had a very expensive boat repair and a roof to put on a family cottage. I recognize the luxury of both of those and we strive, every day, to remind our children how fortunate they are. Most times they remember…sometimes not! Anyway, that’s done and I can now get back to the serious, fun business of saving money and resources again.One amazing money saving thing that happened was the notice from our electric supplier that we had reduced our usage by exactly 10 kwH per DAY as compared to this month last year! Wow! I think it’s because I’ve been severely limiting the number of hours I allow the dehumidifier to run in our lower level. I’m finding that just letting it run on rainy days for a few hours is keeping the musty smell down and I’m hopeful that means the mold is not getting a chance to grow. We burn a woodstove for about nine months of the year in that lower level and during that time there is zero mold growth because it’s so incredibly dry. It’s just during the spring and summer months that it is able to get started. Anyway, between that reduction and my constant haranguing the children to turn everything off all the time, we’ve reduced our electrical usage. Hooray! That should, in turn, cause our bill to go down! This week I will:Cut my husband and son’s hairHarvest all of the vegetables that we eat from the gardenGo strawberry picking for our yearly supply of berriesReturn our library books and movies before the due dates (This is an ongoing issue in spite of the library to be returned box we have by our garage door…)Refrain from grocery shopping another week, I haven’t been for two weeks, and make all meals here at home. Make bread.Limit our driving. We tend to drive more in the summe,r on weekends to see family and go on vacation, so I need to stay home during the week.Continue to reduce our electrical usage.Hang all laundry as weather permits.Plant some fall vegetables, like kale and collards, for September harvest.Have a great week everyone!Heidi
Oh yes, Stowaway! It was part of my daughter’s (middle school) curriculum last year through Sonlight. 🙂 I love reading about both your goals and accomplishments, though I don’t often comment. You have given me hope for my garden and back yard, since your climate is even a bit hotter than ours but with similar winters. My husband and I got quite a bit done this past weekend on a couple of specific areas (he is building me concrete block planting beds around two edges of the yard along the fence).Goals for this week include some planting in a small formal garden area we updated this weekend, hopefully cleaning out the coat closet, ordering our homeschool curriculum for the upcoming year, and seeing what seeds (if any) I need to order for our fall/winter garden.
Hi – I always enjoy all your frugal ideas. You inspire me to try and do more with less. Have a great week!
got a busy week planned. finish a quilt, a christmas present. cut out two more. finish up a doll quilt and a dress for my great great granddaughter, make pesto, tend the garden, set out some more tomato plants, plant more beets. clean some cabinets out, organize. now, we will see how much i accomplish. i really enjoy your posts. thanks for being there. you are such an encouragement to me.
Brandy, have you considered saving some of the branches from your apple tree to use when grilling? The applewood smoke is a wonderful flavor for many meats, and the branches can just be laid over the hot coals.
I would save the branches to burn in a backyard fire pit or for a campfire in the mountains. If you can’t use them, maybe the scouts have a use for them? We burn a lot of small branches in the summer on family nights…they burn so much quicker than big logs!
I did not know that dusty miller flowers (!), as it is grown as an annual here. The “silverdust” variety is commonly sold at nurseries, but your plant has much different leaves. Did you grow it from seed?
Brandy, Hope you share some more pics of your sewing projects on here when you are done. They are all ways interesting. Does enchinacea grow good there? White Cone flowers are so beautiful to me. They will be beautiful in your white garden (if you don’t have them already). Also, I have seen a number of Deb’s in your comments – I don’t mean to sound dumb but I can’t find the place to edit how my name appears in my Google acct! I am looking into it.Sincerely, Debra from NC
There is a wide-leafed type and a skinny, almost lace-like leafed type. Our nursery carries both; I chose the wider-leafed one. I bought plants. They were little tiny plants in the 4 inch pots last year. I put three plants at the base of the trees (apricot and peach). Not knowing how big they get, I had at first put 4 plants that size in the urn along with 4 penta plants. Know I know that 1 duty miller plant will fill the urn in less than a year’s time! I’m so glad I moved the plants!Because it gets so big, I have been cutting leaves for flower arrangements to keep it in check.
This week my “to do” list is pretty ambitious. Our schedule is really crazy and I suspect I will not get to all of it. In any event here are the things I hope to get accomplished:1. Work on decorating the tote for our 25 Days of Christmas Books. The tote was gifted to us.2. Cut fabric circles for a wreath. The fabric is from my mothers stash that she has had for years.3. Work on day one of our 25 Days of Christmas plans4. Purchase an outdoor storage container and organize the outside toys. They are very expensive and we have put off this purchase for some time. We found one we like at Sam’s for $99 that will easily hold everything we need it to.5. Paint 2 planters.6. Plant some flowers in the painted planters for the front porch steps.7. Bake bread, muffins, and cookies. The cookies are for my niece as a babysitting payment.8. Clear out bathroom clutter.9. Sort through tub toys. Some have gotten yucky. Repurpose some for outdoor water table. 10. Hang pictures in boy’s bedroom.11. Make ice cream using some candy canes I found in the pantry.12. Sign up myself and boys for the summer reading program at the library.13. Watch some free videos on the You Need a Budget website. We are currently using a trial of their software and are trying to determine if we will make the purchase.
Hello Miss Brandy and readers!Here is my detailed and ambitious goals for the week (and probably next week too).Make a weekly cleaning list and put on calendarPlan dinners for each day of the weekDelutter school items from garageMove 21 blue and gold scarves to gift closetPraise children for good choicesListen activelyReview spending planReview snowball debt planPut cash in envelopes for July 6/27Select one bill to pay off for JulyWork on surveys, Swag Bucks, and extra jobsGo to the libraryGet a video for family to watchGo to free movie at local theaterComplete on-line courseRemove old clothes and move to clothes binMend clothesReview fall wardrobes and make list for back to schoolPrice match to WalmartDeclutter expired couponsUse coupons to stockpile paper productsServe dinner for underprivileged Serve dinner at local homeless shelterEmbroider 4 hankiesSew 2 pillow casesCrochet 6 squares for bedspreadCrochet 7 squares for school colored afghanMake fleece throw for daughter’s dorm roomCross-stitch back-to-school ornamentsWalk 4 miles/day over walking bridgeStretch 20 minutes/dayRecord exercise progressMake a list price of needed dorm itemsMake a budget for overall college costsHarvest garden produceTake photos of garden for garden journalRepot plantsTake BPWork on AM/PM routinesMake daily to-do-listPlan weekMake arrangements for visiting relatives for summer vacationEvaluate cash funds for new carLook at listings and car shop in JulyMake a menu planLimit grocery shoppingVisit Farmers Market and local farm for produceMake ice Make list for freezer cooking for JulyRecord blessing in gratitude journalBest wishes for a happy and productive summer as you meet your goals,Anna
I would plant Jasmine!!
Thank you! The lace one is probably silverdust. I am off to Google the other, as I think they would be beautiful together in my garden.
I have been canning cherries this week. My first crop here in Illinois.