It's a two post kind of day. Next post is on my Friendship bread.
My compost worms came in today! They are from Uncle Jim's Worm Farm. These little dudes whom I have now dubbed Earth Worm Jim(s), came in a little burlap sack of peat moss. Since they've been traveling without food or water for the past week I immediately had to get their home ready to go, and I had to give them water asap!
First thing I did was shred up some paper to put in their bin. It is their bedding. I than added a cup of water to get the bedding moist. I think I did one and half cups of water.
Next, I added the compost that was hanging out underneath my sink for the past week. After that, my little dudes went on top of the compost and I put one sheet of wet newspaper over top of that to get the worms moist. After that, I snapped the lid on. Make sure there are air holes in your lid so the worms don't suffocate! Also, keep up on the balance of your compost, if it's too dry, add moisture into it by getting some newspaper wet and layering it with your food waste. Do NOT add any meat. This is a fruit and vegetable composting bin!
This is the sack the worms came in. Adorable, isn't it? I'm going to find something to do with it!
Can't wait for my fertilizer. :) Questions are welcome. Answers will be given!
This wouldn't be a homemaker's blog if I didn't mention baking soda. Baking soda packs some awesome powers. It cooks, it cleans, it does the dishes and the laundry, removes odors and stains (true story. I had a month old stain in my carpet that I totally put off cleaning up. Yikes! I should have taken pictures.) It's like having a maid in a box, and I don't even have to pay them! Wait, purchasing it counts towards paying "them"...whoever them is (are? Oh grammar...). Sodium bicarbo-ception. >_>
Here's a small list of what baking soda can do and is used for:
Baking - I cook a lot. Many baking recipes I have used call for baking soda.
Deodorize your refrigerator - Works like a charm. There's always something gross lurking in my 'fridge that I just don't feel like pulling out of the back corner just yet. Never said I was a perfect housewife. ;-)
Dishwasher - I add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to my dishwasher, along with only 1/2 of the dish washing soap recommended. Cleans my dishes much better. My dish washer is ancient. (Not even going to get started on my ghetto dishwasher)
No "poo"method - Washing your hair with baking soda and rinsing with vinegar. It's all the rage on natural/organic forums. I use to do it, and it does works well. I think I will do it again and post results. Works best for the naturally curly haired gentleman and ladies out there.
Laundry soap - Creating your own laundry soap! I haven't adventured into this yet, but I've read mostly good results about making your own laundry soap. Of course, it involves baking soda. I will research more into it.
You can also just add a 1/2 cup to your washer before loading the clothes. Out comes sparkly fresh, and bright, clothing! :) I just spent the last half hour away from this post, separating the mountain of clothing I have to wash today. I'm going to test this out on my whites as they aren't too white anymore.
Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet - Let it sit overnight. Vacuum in the morning. Works great with a house filled with crazy animals. (aka: husbands, children, cats, birds, dogs,)
Spray cleaners- Mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup baking soda into 1/2 gallon or 2 quarts of water. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice if you'd like a scent. Store in a spray bottle. Works like a charm.
As I've read into other uses, apparently baking soda also can slow down the process of kidney disease, helps heartburn and acid indigestion. Cool. My husband suffers from heartburn and indigestion. More research to do! I love being my own teacher. :D
This is just a small number of things that baking soda can do. As I progress through the list later on, I'll take pictures, perform little experiments to show the awesomeness that is sodium bicarbonate!
Salek
I'm going to post a song for you to enjoy after every post you read. A word of warning: I listen to everything!!! God bless y'all!
Next on the plate: Starter for Amish Friendship bread. I don't have friends out in Pittsburgh just yet, but I'll make this any way and show you how to as well so you can share it with your friends!
Today, I'm going to talk about vermicomposting. What in the world is that? You might ask that question of me. I'll save you from googling it, and we shall get down to the nitty gritty on composting in your apartment. I know a lot of people do not have the time, space or money to watch over a compost heap for their gardens, nor do they understand composting. I have plenty of time to compost, but I'm just as clueless as your average Joe Schmoe about the science of dirt. I wish I could tell you the molecular structure, but if it weren't for constant help from the teacher in high school, I probably would have failed chemistry miserably.
Vermicomposting is basically allowing worms to break down your food waste into nutrient rich organic fertilizer. These little dudes will munch away at your left overs and produce what is known as castings (worm poop). No pesticides, no man made chemicals; just rich earthy smelling fertilizer created by our wiggly slime covered friends. I've also just learned that vermicompost is vital in protecting your germinating seeds from diseases. I love research! Who needs school when you have YouTube and Wikipedia!? (NOTE: As a college graduate, I prefer to use credible resources for most of my postings. Although Wikipedia may seem credible, the information can be changed by your average asshat troll. With YouTube, it's a matter of experimenting/experience and research.)
Wasn't that educational? I was seriously pleased to have found that video. I learned a bit more about vermicompost just researching for this blog. I love that I will have a ecosystem right in my kitchen. It will be like having an ant farm that some people had as children, but more geared towards SCIENCE! FOR SCIENCE! I'm getting excited just thinking about this.
I think I need to calm down.
Anyway, the most common used worms for composting is the red wiggler or the European nightcrawler. I ordered the red wiggler from recommendations at a prepping forum I am a part of. Most of the folks on my forum are experienced gardeners, and I'm definitely glad that I have their help! Since I ordered the red wigglers today, I can't give you the fine tuned results of an apartment compost yet, but I can show you what I've done so far to prepare for my new little family.
SUPPLIES FOR WORM COMPOST BIN
3 ten gallon bins. (You'll only need one lid, but I took all three. I'm sure I'll find use for the other two lids)
Newspaper or other dry bedding. (ie: Paper towels, paper plates, etc. I will get away from them eventually!)
Water (to moisten the bedding)
Drill or means of punching holes in the bins (I don't have a drill. I used a lot of different sized screw drivers to get the holes in my bins to a size I think the worms will fit through. I need to invest in a hand-drill.)
Soil (other means of maintaining moisture balance of the compost)
A bowl you don't use from your kitchen, or a dog/cat bowl. (This will be for the bin without holes that holds the compost tea. Don't want the other bins sitting in the tea.)
ALL OF THESE SUPPLIES COST ME: $18.00 at Dollar General. I already had water, a bowl and means of punching holes into my bins.
Since I don't have a drill, I punched holes into TWO of my bins. The holes need to be 3/16" large on the bottom so that worms can pass through. I got a little nuts with the holes. I don't know off hand as to how big the holes really are since I don't have my drill, but if the worms cannot pass through one of the holes, I will just switch out bins and make the holes bigger with my hand tools, and repeat. The video I followed recommended the holes be 2 inches apart. on the bottom around the edges of the bin and in the middle. No specific amount either. My holes look to be about 1 inch apart. Oops.
See what I did? That's what I'm doing with two bins. On the top part of the bin, I punched smaller holes to allow oxygen through to the worms. Also, make sure you punch some holes in the lid that will be snapped onto the compost bin.
For the bedding, I get a lot of junk mail in my mail box. I'm using the junk mail paper that is non-waxy or shiny, tearing it into strips, and making it moist with water. I will show you what that looks like once I get the worms. I started my compost bucket before I learned that it would be easier to break down the left over fruits and vegetables if you make a slurry out of it with a blender or food processor. I'm not going to blend up already rotting food, but for now on, the compost bucket will be emptied, shredded up and slathered into compost bin to make breaking down much easier.
To see the three tiered vermicomposting system that I created, go to Simple living skills how to video. If it weren't for their video, I probably would have sat on my butt and played some video games instead of building my awesome worm bin. More pictures and results to come later!
You know, blogging is fun. I adore it a lot, but the last two years of attempting to blog has proven to not be very successful whatsoever. Since my last post, I moved out of that God forsaken apartment. (Didn't last long, the party animal made me want to punch things...mostly her, but I'm better than that.) graduated the police academy, got married two weeks later, and moved three days after that. Phew! Can you say BUSY? My entire year of 2011 consisted of working, the police academy and planning my wedding. I'm so glad that's done and over with. I've honestly needed a vacation for quite sometime now.
So right now, I'm a housewife. I LOVE IT. If I didn't have a desire for being out on the streets and wanting to help people, I would happily stay a housewife for the rest of my time on God's green earth. During my time staying home, I've learned a few things about myself:
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
The Good Lord's plans are perfect, no matter the circumstances you may go through. He put me through many trials over the last year and a half, and I have become a stronger Christian woman because of it. I will never doubt my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am incredibly blessed with the people that have entered and have left my life- They have all molded and shaped me into the person I am, and will become.
I love my kitchen. It is my haven. I love to cook food for my husband, stock up my pantry, and find awesome new recipes to try out. Don't love my oven though.
I absolutely hate doing laundry. - I need to find myself a system with doing laundry because there just seems to be an endless pile of clothes, and for only two people, it gets pretty ridiculous!
I love learning about, and practicing frugality - Cheap is good! Free is better! :D With one income coming in, we need to learn to handle our money better. Any idea that I may procure during my adventures in blog land, will most likely wind up as a post.
I prefer the woods and no neighbors- Being stuck out in the Pittsburgh area calls for one crabby Salek.
I'm a total night owl. I'm pretty sure working night shift won't bother me at all. Dear Husband (D.H.) doesn't seem to understand.
I'm craving a garden - Yep, totally posting progress pictures on my container garden. I live in an apartment, and I have a huge porch to grow fruits and vegetables on. Excited to start!
Just a few random thoughts about what I've learned about myself the last four months as a housewife. I think things are going quite well. My D.H. is my best friend, and I love that I married him. <3 I look forward to a long and healthy marriage with my noob.
Oooo, homemaking ideas just keep popping up in my head. I think it's time to call it a day and get breakfast on the table for my husband. I'll write down ideas for this blog while we eat. God bless anyone who happens to find this blog. Look forward to all comments and ideas thrown my way! :)
Salek
Whoo. I'm back! My attitude is adjusted and I have come to realize that I can't help the entire world. I don't have time for that nor the endless resources. Since the last time I posted, many things have changed in my life. I moved out of my family's home into a quiet small town about twenty minutes from my home town. I live in a third floor apartment with a party animal, a cat and two birds. I recently passed my physical exam and registered at a police academy.
I also developed this scary gut feeling of impending doom. After what has happened recently with the BP oil spill, Haiti, and the bloody earthquake in Washington, D.C., things just aren't getting any better.
Seriously. They aren't.
I had a dream so severe about the world coming to an end that I actually woke up crying. I don't cry and I also don't remember any of my dreams.
I spoke to several people about what is going on and they all seem to be on the same mindset I am: Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
I consider myself a prepper now, even if I haven't been doing it for very long. I have become very aware of the possibility of different SHTF (sh*t hitting the fan) scenarios. So instead of taking my chances and being completely unprepared, I have started prepping. I don't have much yet considering I'm extremely poor but I'm working on it!
Site review!
I found this contest today while browsing my favorite prepper forum, preparedsociety.com. I figured I would give a mini site review on top of entering myself in the contest for those seeds. :-)
ModernSurvivalOnline.com is very thorough and very educational to read. I browsed the pdf downloads available and was pleased at the variety of information available. The first link is first aid information ranging from treating an animal bite to more serious complications such as performing CPR. There are also books and videos available in that section.
That was only one pdf section. There is so much more to read! Civil defense, evacuation (or what is also called bugging out for my non- survivalist friends out there.), gardening, food/water storage, and so much more.
On top of the pdf files, Rourke, the site creator, writes about his experiences as a survivalist/prepper. He posts about a variety of current projects and what he had learned from the experiences. He also posts reviews on products and seems to hold contests for free products all the time. Oh yes, and he has an amazon store set up for your browsing pleasure. I plan on going there next. I'm still working on my bug out bags and prepping. I hope I find something of use to add to my supplies and gear.
The contest
ModernSurvivalOnline’s Survival Seed’s Giveaway!
Mr. Rourke suggests that I can post about the chance to win non-hybrid seeds in my blog or forum. Considering I'm unsure of the rules on my forum, I will just blog about it.
If you would like to enter, go to ModernSurvivalOnline.com read the contest rules and also post a link to the website and to his fellow website bepreparednow.net whom have made the contest possible!
The author of Bonzai Aphrodite has this fantastic reader activity that she starts every monday of each month. It's called MMM or Monday Monthly Mission. I always try to take part in these missions as they are ways to improve ourselves as people; be it a social, personal, or environmental change, Sayward asks you to participate and to give your opinion on the matter at hand. I thorougly enjoy taking part in her missions.
This month, we're focusing on bad habits. We choose a bad habit and attempt to change it for the better of ourselves, our family, and/or our community. At the end of the month, we return to said MMM and explain our thoughts on how we did and whether we will continue to stay away from that bad habit.
My choice of a bad habit is a compulsion called Chronic Skin Picking. I have had the compulsion for many years, well over twenty (and to think I'm twenty-two years old!). It began as hair pulling and than moved into picking at my skin. It has always been a high source of stress for me, even though the reason I skin pick is because of anxiety and stress. Imagine that! I explained to Sayward what habit I plan on changing, and the lovely lady found a website for me on Trichotillomania and Chronic Skin Picking! Bless her!
I'm just so glad to know I am not the only out in the world who deals with the constant urges to pick at my skin or pull my hair out. I requested information on both Trichotillomania and CSP; sometimes I return to pulling my hair out over picking at my skin. I hope that I can find at home remedies to help me cope with my urges. I do not have health insurance at the moment so if I can solve this on my own, great! If not, I better start saving up for the Doctor. Boo.
So to begin my part of the MMM, I took pictures of my face. My face is where I do the brunt of the damage. I always dreamed of having perfect skin. I will have scars after I stop my habit but at least I will know I can control my urges if everything works out by the end of the month. It WILL work out! I will post my before and after pictures after the MMM is over. We'll see how I well I fought my urges!
I am going to try a few methods. First, I need to keep my fingers constantly busy. What is the best way for me to keep busy? Exercise, writing, crocheting, or knitting. I could always search for other activties...perhaps cooking as well. I smoke, but that doesn't bloody count. First off, UNHEALTHY! Second, I still pick at my skin even when I smoke! So that does not count in any way. Such a nasty habit...tsk. I think I know what I'm going to kick after my CSP!
Folks, what else do you think I could do to keep myself occupied and away from my face!? I love opinions!
If you want to participate in the MMM, head on over to Bonzai Aphrodite. You won't regret it. The community is immensly supportive! I do not think I could do what I am doing now with my CSP without the help of the Bonzai community and its beautiful Creator, Sayward! You guys ROCK!
Salek
There is nothing that pulls at my heart more than knowing that the oil spill that began on April 20th, 2010 is still continuing after 39 days of what seems to be very little action between BP, the U.S. government and from other organizations. Sadly, it seems that from President Obama's speech yesterday on the BP oil spill, people are already comparing the spill to the likes of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. I believe what is being compared is the government's response efforts on disasters as large as what we have seen in the last few years. Although I am not happy that the issue has not been resolved, at least President Obama is taking responsibility and attempting to fix BP's bloody mess.
Many times the word Boom has popped up in the news. I had never heard of it so I decided to research it. It is a type of oil containment equipment which apparently is the best way for the BP oil spill to be contained but it isn't the greatest deterrent. According to the Huffington Post, "It's not a fail-safe method of keeping the oil from washing ashore" and that the oil has reached the shorelines of Alabama and Louisiana and already is making its way into the marshlands.
I am deeply saddened knowing that the coastal ecosystem is being effected so profusively. This disaster is why I am, according to my fiance, a "Hippie". I have been VERY concerned about what we are doing to our planet and to ourselves as human beings. I could rant and rant and rant about everything that is going on but honestly, what would that get me!? Nothing! Action over whining I always say! So therefore, what could YOU and I do in our effort to help out with this oil spill? I for one, can not drop everything I am doing in my life to go down there to volunteer. I may be environmentally concious but I do have to work to survive.
Well, I found out that you can donate to the National Wildlife Federation, which I have already done! The NWF also has other options you can do to help out such as volunteering to help clean the spill, speak up for alternative energy sources by calling your State Senators, and by helping spread the message online via twitter or you can text SAVE to 20222 to donate $10 to the National Wildlife Federation.
These are only a few options that I have found. I am sure there are many more out there! I hope others out there see this and are willing to donate too!
