Birds, Deer and More Spring Cleaning updates

I saw a deer today about noon, walking around the woods beyond the field out front.  Last night my husband and one of the girls saw 3 deer walking into our property from the back woods.  They were all female.  Today I saw small birds coming from the largest barn. It looked liked a finch but I was too far away to see for sure.  Speaking of birds,  I sure hope to we get to see our summer hummingbird again.

There is still a chill in the air, but it's perfect for weeding flower beds.  I got yelled at last night for having "too much" green onion.  I am trying to locate a food pantry to donate some too, but not many have refrigerators.  It sells pretty cheap in the stores this week (2 for $1.00) so not many people mess with growing it.  Either way, I pulled a bunch to cook with this week.  We've added it to eggs, potatoes, potato salad, and even mixed it with cooked black beans and cheese for a dip.  I was lucky to have cooked up a batch of dry beans and had them all ready in the freezer.  I will have a bean baking and freezing day soon.


Today's spring cleaning updates:
-washing 3 bed quilts
-scrubbing out a few kitchen cupboards and decluttering and organizing them

Sunday Gardening

I am trying to instill Sunday as a "rest" day around this homestead, but my husband is going nuts with my flower beds.  Since we already had the natural rocks from the property, and the dirt from last year that was brought in, we expanded my herb garden.  Now there is room to plant flowers in front of the herbs.  We already have seeds started for planting next month.  Around here we cannot plant until about Mother's Day.

After that was finished I had a sinus headache that needed tending.  I still have not purchased my masks, but plan to on the next trip into town.  I cooled my forehead with a wash cloth and recovered.

I relaxed by finishing a book, Tall Cedars Homestead by Carrie Bender, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.  It's fiction, but sounds so realistic.  It's about an Amish couple who just married, and are renting a cabin in Montana.  The book is written in journal form, but I loved reading every bit of it.  I may have to write a review for this series.

Spring Clean ~ Bathroom First Aid Drawer

This is the bathroom first aid drawer.  Very messy and band-aids are always everywhere.  Nothing stays in a box.  I dumped everything onto the floor and washed out the drawer. Here is the "after" picture.

Band-aids are sorted by size and all of the tubes of medications are in one container.  Phew!  One more thing cleaned, decluttered and organized.

We found another 31 new spiral notebooks and several packages of loose notebook paper.  I'm not even done decluttering the clothes and a few other shelves in my closet.  It's about the size of a mini-bedroom with poor shelving in it.  Anyway, I must start writing by hand with all of these notebooks around here.

I also found several handmade Christmas cards that got buried in a box.  They are now where I can view them and use them for next seasons gift giving.

Spring Clean ~ More Stuff!

I just found 11 more pairs of unfinished flip flops (groan).  I guess I will add "decorated flip flops" to my "Mom's Boredom Buster Projects" list on the desktop.  It will be a way to use up my extra fabric I have also located.

I also had a basket that held misc. baskets for gift giving.  One basket I had purchased from a SCRAP store, before the move, must have been wet on the bottom from a plant.  As I went through each basket, this particular one had a layer of mildew on it!  Gross!  Just one more reminder that cleaning is always a good thing.

Now that I know where my flour sack towels and hankies are, I must add that craft project to my "boredom" list also.  They are hope chest projects, which are all stowed into one tote and labeled for each child. 

Spring Clean ~ More Stuff!

Over the days of decluttering, organizing and cleaning, I have found 25 new spiral notebooks in the utility room storage area, found 4 more in my bedroom closet along with 16 new writing tablets, and I believe I will find more.  Any writer will find this hilarious.  I guess I'm not doing enough writing by hand.

I believe the kids will be set for those school supplies for next year anyway. Ha ha ha!

I washed 2 more floor rugs also. 

Spring Clean - Bedroom closet/craft storage room

AAACK!  Hidden behind items on a shelf,

Rain, Gardening and a Spring Clean Update

The rain is coming down in light short spurts and are just long enough to get the top of the gardens soft, but not enough to get the weed's roots out easily.  As soon as it stops raining I get out my tools and start to dig, and about 5 minutes later it starts to rain again.  However, I have been successful in transplanting extra green onion.  It is growing so fast this spring I need give some away and spread it out.  I love the smell of it when I'm gardening too.

I came across this herb gardening newsletter.  I'm not sure if I will learn anything more, but here is the Web site in case you want to start a home grown herb garden, Herb Gardening

Spring Clean Update:
-Utility room is finished (took an entire day including washing rugs).
-Washed 2 door curtains
-Cleaned 2 more areas of carpet
-Started another van load of items for Goodwill or where ever
-Cleaned off the tops, and organized, night stands (my husband's too).
-Washed up old ripped blankets and rugs, stored in totes for the barn cats next winter (and labeled it)
-Emptied another tote of crafts, condensed them etc.
-Sorted all my extra (and there were a bunch) handmade Christmas ornaments and labeled boxes for each kid for their hope chests.
-Donated jewelry displays, for craft sales, to a dear friend.

-Gave my Mom the last pair of flip flops I had made.


I should have started earlier in the year with my spring cleaning.  With gardening and flower beds to start working in, I have to choose between cleaning inside or out most days.