How to get rid of tiny ants!

 Okay....for the first time ever, we had an ant issue by the dishwasher and sink.  I've never seen this happen, so I did some research. 

First, I sprayed down the areas with vinegar/water solution. It killed the ones on the counter, but more would show up.  I noticed they were coming in by the dishwasher area, so I did more research.

I made a solution of:

1/2 sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Borax
1 cup warm water

I then soaked cotton balls in the solution and put them all over the counter tops near the sink/dishwasher.  I left them there for 24 hours.  

The next morning, I did not see one live ant.  The sugar draws them to eat the solution, and the borax kills them.  Problem solved, but you have to be patient and let those cotton balls sit for at least 24 hours.

Toss those cotton balls and sanitize you counter tops.  Of course if you have little kids or pets, be sure than cannot access those cotton balls while they are sitting on the counter.

Rainy Day Baking and Cleaning ~ Homegrown Asparagus

 I told my husband that I am, despite the work, having fun getting the house the way we want it (and stay that way for once).

I was sort of just going around getting side tracked, but things are going forward.  As I opened a cupboard, I just decided to empty them both and re-organize.  It's been sort of like a "sigh" moment along the way.

Our friend who repairs cars, came over and did an oil change on the truck for us.  We are thankful for that.  You never now how long you have to wait in town for one anymore.  We buy the supplies and he charges way less than in the "big city."

The chickens are laying great right now, so I baked us an angel food cake.  I haven't baked one of these in many years.  We just eat it plain for a snack, and sometimes add a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

It's raining again today, but warmer than yesterday.  I checked on the asparagus and I have a few shoots up about halfway. It won't be long now, after this rain, to harvest some.

Doing odd jobs while in stuck mode

 

While we wait on a day when the bathroom can be gutted and drywall repaired (cheap shower they installed leaked and ruined the drywall), I'm doing odd cleaning/purging jobs around the house.  My upper cupboards have these cubbies.  Only 3 baskets remain.  I have 30 cubbies in the just the upper cabinets.  I do not like them.  They are a waste of space.  With all the other repairs needed this year, we cannot replace all of the cabinets, so I came up with an idea.

I'm cleaning them out, dusting them and putting these cuties in every other one on one side of the kitchen.  They however, are wrapped up and put away for now.  I don't want to display them until the bathroom and living room repairs are done. They are the mini hen in a nest glass dishes.

The waiting part is the most difficult now.  I have the pie safe, armoire and hutch up for sale, and need to leave the house to start ripping out living room carpet.  

In the meantime, I have much I can do in the way of purging, re-organizing and cleaning.  I have yet to get paint swatches for the living room, but I am also playing the waiting game on the guy we hired to come out and do an oil change on the truck.

Daughter K left the upstairs a complete mess, so I also have that to deal with while I wait for the big projects. It's been pretty cold here, but we are warming up this weekend.  I should wander out and check on the asparagus in the garden.

Spring Blooms ~ The Great Purge

 

The daffodils are in bloom right now.  I decided not to can wild violet jelly this year, and concentrate on low sugar jams.  Our biker friend we hire now to mow, has already mowed anyway (and then there was snow).  I brought the daffodils in just before the snow arrived.

I decided, as I was cleaning out my hutch, that it was time to pass on the Wilton cake decorating books and cake pans.  An old neighbor, who used to babysit for us way back in the day (another town) is now considering buying them.  All the kids are moved out and the pans are for kids birthday cakes.  Oh, and this person actually decorates cakes and sells them from her home, so it will go to a good home and to good use.

Funny story, while in High School, I used one of the pans to bake a cake for Biology class.  It was a bacteria cell!  Ha ha!  My husband got a laugh out of that.  I'm sure I have a picture of it in one of my photo albums (somewhere).

I also used the same cake pan to make and decorate it for one of my sister's birthdays.  It was decorated like a pack of gum.  Yeah, I did a lot of cake decorating over the years.  I taught the kids the talent as well, but they have zero room to store it all.

I didn't finish cleaning out the pie safe, so today is the day.  I also need to clean two more kitchen chairs and put them back in the kitchen.

Daughter K visited and packed up her car.  I gave her one of my 3 crock pots.  Yes, that is right, I had 3 of them.  We used to entertain for my husband's side of the family, but now that his family is growing and buying houses, they started offering gatherings at their places.  It was time to let go of one.  

It will be a while before we have people over.  We still have a lot to do at the homestead.

It's another chilly day here today, but I'll be staying warm with all this work to do, ha ha!

Happy Homemaker Monday

 I hope your Easter was a nice day with friends and family, or just a nice weekend.   I was whisked away last minute, by my husband.  We went to our favorite Amish area almost 3 hours away.  I wasn't really looking for anything while we perused the antique stores, but I found a chicken cookie jar for $8.00!  What a find.  I have that wrapped up safe until the half bath and living room work is done.  I will share a photo when it's out of it's packaging.

I'm glad we did.  We were recharged, and arriving home on Easter Sunday, we got right back to work and hooked the kitchen heater back up, cleaned more floor glue (urgh) off the floor, moved the hutch, kitchen table and most of the chairs back into the kitchen.

My husband pre-ordered a take out meal (smart thinking), and we went to pick that up.  Daughter E was the only kiddo that could come over and we met her new boyfriend (very nice kid, has a nice truck and works and went to the same school with her).

While chatting out in the driveway, I mentioned the truck bed cover that has been sitting there for 2 years.  I talked my husband into giving it to daughter's boyfriend.  Wha-la!  One more thing out of the house we are not using.

They left, and we went into the "big city" to pick up supplies to change the oil in the truck, see if the feed store was open (was closed), and to pick up supplies at Home Depot.

It will be a real treat to cook in my own kitchen again, but we are considering sanding down and staining our table, and painting parts of it, and the chairs white.  We actually got information for a guy in the Amish area that does it, but I'm sure the cost will be high going that route.  We were very impressed with his work however.

Today I am back to joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  I guess now you could call me a Homemaker.

The Weather . . .

Snow!  Can you believe that?  1 inch or less, and then they are predicting 82°F next Sunday.  Crazy!

As I look out my window . . .

Spring flowers are blooming, birds are singing despite snow in the forecast.

Right now I am . . .

Getting ready to make a breakfast casserole.

Thinking and pondering . . .

I have a few boxes to donate yet, but thankful that Daughter E took those two orange/brown afghans.  I have much to do, but it's a bit too chilly yet to do any painting, so I haven't gotten a plan for the day/week yet.  We will start tearing out living room carpet this week (after I figure a way to get the treadmill moved upstairs).

-I need to get to town to get paint swatches for the living room 

-considering painting the kitchen hutch as well as the table

-considering adding valances to living room windows after the floor issues are repaired and re-floored

-emptying the pie safe to downsize/purge and selling the pie safe

How I am feeling . . .

Rejuvenated from a weekend away from our "hot mess."  I'm also happy that Daughter K will be here again to load up more of her stuff.  She still has boxes in my living room.  We are happy to also have someone willing to help gut the bathroom, but he will be having a hernia surgery later this week, so it may be me doing it, or delayed (or finding other help).

On the breakfast plate . . .

I need to make a casserole.

On my reading pile . . .

I actually got some of this read on the drive to our weekend getaway.

On my TV this week . . .

CSI

On the menu . . .

-leftovers

-roast, and veggies

-lasagna stuffed chicken (new recipe to try)

On the to do list . . .

-purge cookbooks

-laundry

-purge cake decorating books/supplies

-clean out pie safe

-clean TV armoire and put it up for sale

-purge tablecloths

Looking around the house . . .

It's still a hot mess, but the kitchen is looking much better, as we put it back together.

From the camera . . .

Had to take a photo of this and chuckle!  My husband said we need to do this at our house ha ha!  Feed the chickens via a vending machine for a quarter!.  Cute set up for the chickens at a handmade leather goods store.

After so many trips to Amish country, we finally toured the Victorian home in one town.

Prayers . . .

Us - to find someone reasonable to do the most difficult joist/sub floor/under layment work for the living room.  It's still in the works.

Old Crocheted Blankets

 

Here are the two blankets that my sister sent home with our Daughter K.  Of course she tells me to take care of them.  Urgh.  I'm sure that my Grandma on my Dad's side crocheted them.  I have no use for them, so I guess they will be donated.  The colors!!

I cleaned out the walkway from garage door to garage.  Daughter K left a box of flavored waters in there from 2 years ago.  Sheesh.  Now I have room to store flooring for the living room.

I also went upstairs to fetch packing tape, and found dishes in her old room.  She has a lot to clean out yet.

Snail Mail ~ Kitchen Updates and Jibber Jabber

 

I kept flowers from Mom's funeral (casket flowers), and dried them.  I sent the petals to an Etsy seller and had these made.  I also got a necklace for the two younger girls.  I am so pleased on how they turned out.  I'm so glad I did it too.  

I ordered myself a bracelet from another store, that I absolutely fell in love with, and wanted to wear it in memory of Mom.  It popped up on social media one day, and it's from a store in FL, where they hold bike week, so I figured the sale would be legit.

This is what they shipped me.  Ugly to me.  Not what I ordered.  I sent emails back and forth, and they told me it was one of a kind, and already sold, but yet it was on their site and he description clearly stated what I ordered.  

On a good note, and I won't believe until I receive it, they are having the person make another one and shipping it directly to me.  It is handmade.  I'm waiting on a shipping label to return this one.

Although I nearly broke my back, I got all the vinyl flooring glue off, but two places.  I'll work on that later today, or pick up a different remover.

We still need to screw in the desk supports, install the kitchen heater back in (painting is done there), and move the hutch and table/chairs back to the kitchen.  

Daughter K finally made a trip home to pack up another load.  However, she left an entire box of things from Mom's house she didn't want (or didn't have room for), and a few very old afghans for me to deal with (photos on another day when I can unbury them from the living room.

I did however save this for me. It's for grating garlic or ginger.  I grate a lot of both.  I will most likely only use it for ginger though.  I have a mincer for my garlic.

In the meantime, I am purging my pie safe.  Due to limited space in my kitchen cabinets, I was using a pie safe to store my mixer, food processer, jam maker, platter plates etc. 

I have two boxes of stuff already boxed up to donate somewhere (nothing that was of my Mom's).  I'm giving a food processer to my best friend (I had two), and some books.

The pie safe will be sold. and if not, we'll look into an antique store and remove it completely from the living room.