Summer Gardening Part 2

Fertilizing and weeding

Well its been 14 days since my first gardening post.  I thought I'd share our progress using the Mittleider Gardening Method.  Everything is going great so far we re-tilled the rows and re-packed the raised bed rows and weeded.  I have seen signs of squash bugs already though, so I heavily applied Diatomaceous Earth* to the base and stems.  I'll let you know how that works I really don't want to use poisons in my garden............ 

My HE Washer Stinks!

A Greener Home Part 4 

About a year ago  we purchased a new front load high efficiency washer.  And It stinks!  The laundry smells sour as you can plainly see by the look on Jacks face.....I bought the EXPENSIVE tablets to use monthly but they don't work.  I also noticed that my washer acts like its about to take off for outer-space every time it gets to the final spin cycle.  I found out that they do that when the pumps get clogged.  The main reason they get clogged.......fabric softener and detergent build up.  So I set out to find a Homemade Detergent and softener ............

Link and Greet #19 Features

Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Nancy W. @ PrudentlyLiving she has won the Mountain Rose Herbs Giveaway from last weeks party.....Which was full of awesomeness, it is always so hard to just feature five of ya'll.  

This week and next I will not be hosting a party.  We are going to see the Grand-Parents and I just want to relax and not be on the computer the whole time.  So if you are one of the top 2 you will get an extra few weeks of free advertising : )   And now for the Top Five from last week.......

K5 Learning Program Review

Summer Learning

Well summer is here and school is finally wrapping up.  Now what?  May I suggest you keep those little minds sharp this summer with a great online program called K5.  I received a free trial to write this review and  I  we love it.  As a homeschool mom I have  used other online programs.  They were tedious, it was like pullin' teeth to keep my son on task.  This program is unlike any other out there.  Here's how............

Button Swap

Featured Blogs

  CountryMommaCooks is having a blog button swap.  I am looking for four blogs to swap buttons with each month.  The buttons will be placed under the featured blogs tab in the side-bar.  I am also placing two buttons each week from the Saturday Link and Greet party entries.  If you are interested in participating click here for more info and the criteria.  In the spotlight for this months Blog button swap are two amazing ladies.  Kara from PetalsToPicots and Adrianne from HappyHourProjects.....

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Baking Class

Baking blueberry muffins can be a challenge.  Sometimes the cake part comes out with a greenish-blue tint.  And sometimes the berries all sink to the bottom.    The way to keep this from happening is simple, always use frozen berries and don't over stir them into the batter.  The batter also needs to be rather thick to keep the berries from sinking to the bottom.  This recipe has easy to follow steps for the perfect blueberry muffins topped with a streusel crumb topping.  

Link and Greet #19

Mountain Rose Herb 

Review & Giveaway

Hi ya'll I hope you had a great week, thanks for droppin' by to link up. I am so excited to be hosting my very first giveaway today.  And  extra excited that its from my favorite herb company.   I started ordering herbs and spices online because I couldn't find what I wanted in the mega-marts.  But the main reason is because the quality is better and the prices are amazing.  I can order a big bag of spices for the price of a small jar at the market........

Link and Greet

Party Features

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week.  There were so many great ideas, tips, crafts and recipes.  I can't wait to see what ya'll have been up to this past week.  

Free Advertising

Each week I have been choosing 2 blogs to feature in the side bar for one week of free advertising.  To qualify you need to be in the top 5 and have a grab button.   Last weeks top five links were.............. 

Pizza 101

Tips and Recipes 

In the fall my husband built us a brick oven.  He is very handy.....We can prepare, cook and eat the entire meal outside.  Although the first few times we attempted it we had scrambled pizza.  I takes a little practice to get it right.  One thing I have noticed is that the dough makes a difference.  It needs to be really sturdy.  Here are a few recipes for my favorite dough, sauce and some tips for getting a brick oven style pizza from your home oven....

Homemade Herbal Shampoo

No more itchy scalp

I decided to make my own shampoo not just to save money but because I could not find a shampoo that didn't make my head itch.  I have extremely sensitive skin.  I can't wear perfume or even use hair spray.  This recipe has saved my hair and scalp.  Store bought shampoo is full of dyes, perfumes and even alcohol which is sure to dry your scalp and make it itch.  Even if you don't have an itchy scalp this is a great shampoo and you can adjust it to your hair type.

Summer Gardening Part 1

Planting and Pruning 

Last fall my husband ordered a gardening book. We tried it out on our fall lettuce garden and loved it.  So for the summer garden we are using this new method on the entire garden.   Its referred to as the Poor mans hydroponics created by Dr. Jacob Mittleider.   The concept is that you can grow food in any soil type or climate with the right nutrients and watering techniques.  It uses a raised bed system with no wood involved................ 

Link and Greet #18

Happy Mothers Day!

  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend with your Moms, children and grandchildren.  My Mom is very special to me she has taught me so much....not just about cookin' and sewin' but out life and how to be a good mom to my kids.  She's 900 miles away and I'm missin' her big time.  Love you Mom :)
  Thanks so much for coming to link up all your wonderful posts.  Last week was full of awesome ideas. Its so hard to just pick five...................

Organic Herbal Bath Tea

Relax

At the end of a long stressful day all I want to do is lock the bathroom door and enjoy a long soak in the tub.  Adding Herbs to your baths can relax the body, stimulate blood flow, calm the emotions.  The following post has instructions for how to make Herbal tea-bags and where to find the ingredients.  Treat yourself to a luxurious herbal bath and make some extra for gifts........ 

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Dessert Classic 

What could be better in the morning or the evening for that matter than a big 'ol slice of coffee cake.  This recipe is super moist and buttery with apples baked inside and a wonderful cinnamon streusel topping.  I almost forgot to mention the cream cheese icing.  The only thing you'll need  is a hot cup of coffee to go with it.  Hope you enjoy this recipe!

White Spider Lilies

Swamp Beauty

Imagine my surprise to find this exotic flower growing on the banks of the Pascagoula River.

Hymenocallis liriosome is a native Mississippi flower found growing in boggy areas with huge, tantalizing-fragrant white flowers that are nearly 7 inches wide. While these are found in wet areas, they will do fine in well-prepared, upland soils.  There are probably 40 Spider Lily species around the world with many found in the West Indies and South America. 

Link and Greet # 17

Look who's the hit of the Party!

Last weeks party had so many wonderful links...Thanks to everyone who participated it was my biggest party so far....Yea!  Remember I am featuring 2 of the top 5 blogs in my side-bar for 1 week....to be eligible you must have a grab button for me to use.  And now on with the party and the top five links from last week..........   

Bulk Cornbread Mix

Save Time And Money

I make a lot of cornbread and this mix has been a real time saver for me.  It is adapted from my "Best Ever Cornbread" recipe.      Its sweet moist and cake-like.  Cornbread is such an easy bread to make and you can make so many other recipes using it.  I use the leftover cornbread to make "Cornbread Salad" and "Squash Dressing".  And I'm working on a Corn Souffle' recipe that will include cornbread mix as an ingredient.....so stay tuned because it is amazing......... 

No Knead Ciabatta Bread

Super Easy Recipe

Artisan Ciabatta Bread can be really intimidating, I tried several recipes and techniques before I finally got it.  The key is in the name "No Knead" that means not at all.  Which was really hard for me to understand.  The perfect Ciabatta bread should be crusty on the outside and full of holes in the middle.  Allowing the dough to rise for 18 hours increases the holy texture and the flavor.  This recipe is easy but it takes a little planning............