Too cheap to buy a screen!!!!

I didn't want to buy a sprouting screen. Not to mention it would be at least a couple of weeks before I rec'd one anyway & since I was so anxious to start sprouting, I was going to go for a sprouting bag (make my own with those dreadful sheers I mentioned awhile back). As I was looking through my craft stash for the sheers fabric, I came across some 10-gauge plastic canvas..... OOO OOO, yes, you can imagine what happened next, as I re-purposed an item on hand.....








And I tell you it seems to be working quite well. See the itty bitty sprouts already?!

When life hands you leftover chicken.....

Make chicken salad!!!

Hubba made some awesome chicken tenders fried in a pan. The next day I was craving chicken salad. How convenient, huh?

So I diced up the chicken, & threw it in a bowl.

Even scraped in the goo at the bottom (for flavour, ya know)

Added some mayo, diced celery, mustard and spices. Voila!! We enjoyed chicken salad sandwiches. YUMMY!

My coop update!!!

As of Thursday, the 7th, this is how far along the coop is. Let me share a little secret. Most of the posts I make are about a week behind. I typically unload my camera on weekends, and then I schedule posts for the whole following week (M-F). By the time you read this, I pray I have already had the animal control officer out & that she has approved my chicken dwelling & I am shopping for day old chicks!!!

Anyhoo, again, as I mentioned before, it's a cramped space & not easy to take pics in.




The door formerly known as the doggie door. I removed the rubbery flappy thingie, and added a hefty door on the outside. I kept the sliding door thingie though, as added protection from prey-seeking vermin.



Here's the nesting box made from an old kitchen cabinet. I still have to slope the roof. As soon as they *hopefully start laying, I'll remove the door & add straw.




Oo, oo, what's THAT?!? That, right there!!!!


PEEK A BOO!!! It's my handsome little helper!!!




Whoops, I guess I should have aimed my rear a little better.....


OK, there ya go. My butt moved over so you can view the door in all of it's wonderful & unshadowed glory ;)


Left to do- "de-gravel" the run, pray, add roosts, pray, slope nest box, pray, chicken wire the top of the coop, pray, finish covering the run, pray. Apply for permit, pray, get permit, pray, get chickens. Thank God.

By the time winter gets here, we'll have insulated the coop as well, hopefully with re-purposed styrofoam! So far the only things I've bought have been hardware, 2X4's & a piece of plywood. I tried to do as much of this project with re-purposed/used/trash stuff.

Re-usable produce bags!!!

When we moved into this house, there were some awful sheers & draperies at the window. I sent them to the shed to go on Freecycle or thrift. I thought Hubba had taken them off, so I was disappointed when I found this tutorial on making re-usable produce bags. So I decided as I perused the thrift store & yard sales (hopefully coming up) I'd keep an eye out for sheers.

Imagine my delighted surprise when I was sorting through the shed and found THOSE AWFUL SHEERS!!!

Today I made 4 re-usable produce bags, loosely following the above tute. I'm not as patient, so I didn't do the double fold seams & all that junk. Besides I wanted to be sure I could even do them with some semblance of utilitarianism.






Now that I know how to make them & they seem to work (I used some apple in the fruit bowl to test them), I'll be sure to seam them properly & take pics next time I make them!!!

WIP finished.... er, sorta

I was making a crazy quilt from miscellaneous scraps of denim. I knew it was going anywhere & it was just not looking right. So today I was about to throw it away, when it dawned on me I could re-purpose it for the boy's bean bag chair...

Into a.....

PILLOW!!! Keenan loves it!

The Queen of Repurpose strikes again

I'm cheap. There, I said it. Oh wait, no, I've always said that. And I'm proud of it too. Yeah, what's it to ya? *grin*

I couldn't justify spending money to buy plastic strainers for my water kefir (speaking of which, I need to check them again to see if my "brew" is brewed, LOL). So I improvised. I have LOTS.of.sets.of measuring cups. I figured I could drill holes into one cup. This not only gives me a free strainer, but it also lets me measure my grains, so I know when they've multiplied, YAY!!!

I've also taken to making a LOT of yoghurt cheese. But using my yellow strainer & a coffee filter got annoying. Every time you'd go into the fridge, you'd knock the handle. A disaster or 3 struck, so it dawned on me that I could make a strainer from a bowl that would fit into my large pyrex measuring cup and had a WIDE flower shaped lip on it.

YAY for repurposing!!!

Waste Not, Want Not, pt. 3

In my last post, I shared the recipe for cowboy beans. The corn was leftover from dinner a week before that I tossed into the freezer. I didn't want it to go bad. You can do this with so many recipes & leftovers. I always try to revamp leftovers.

Here are some ideas:

Save all your veggies & freeze them in one container. Just keep adding to it each time there are leftovers, no matter how few. A teaspoon or 1/4c at a time, will add up to a soup's worth, in just a matter of a few weeks. You can make a basic veggie soup with broth or stock, or throw in a diced leftover chicken breast.

Save your ground beef, 1 tablespoon at a time. Each time you brown your hamburger meat, take a tablespoon or 2 from the pan & add it to another container in the freezer. In 8 days of doing 1 T, you'll have 1/2 cup of browned meat to add to beans for burritos or tacos, make a soup with, hamburger gravy, etc. Whatever application you choose, you won't miss the meat in the first round & no one will taste a difference!

I like to save bread ends if no one wants then, or bread that is about to go bad. I cube them up & pop them in the oven. I preheat the oven at 350º for about 10m or so, then stick the pan of bread cubes in. Turn the oven off & walk away. Just be sure you don't forget they're in there & preheat the oven for something else!!! Some of them stay as cubes for stuffing or croutons, some get whirled in the food processor to use as bread crumbs. Bread crumbs are amazing little pieces of food. You can add them to stuffing, use them as a filler for meatloaf & bread items like chicken & pork chops for frying or "oven-fried."

Mashed taters make a yummy potato soup, potato (pan)cakes or yet another filler for meatloaf or pierogies. Shepherd's Pie isn't picky about the taters that we dollop on top, either.

Before you throw something away, look at the possibilities it may have.

The less you waste, the less you have to buy again.

Have a blessed day!!!

Waste Not, Want Not- Pt. 2

Remember the tea bag post? Oftentimes I buy things that no one will touch with a 10-foot pole. These green tea bags were a definite no-no. So I re-purposed them:



I must say, it was a lovely smelling bath & easy cleanup. Want to know where my bags went after the tubby? You got it, the compost heap! YAY for reduce, re-use, re-purpose!!!

Waste Not, Want Not... Part 1

This is an area so many struggle with- finances. Visits to the supermarket can be so disheartening as prices continue to rise. Our family has recently started switching to a more natural diet. A diet that does not include additive- preservatives, food dyes, etc. Needless to say, our grocery budget has been expanding. We're shying away from pesticide laden foods, foods that are GMO (as in most corn products), etc.

I wanted to start this "series" to help show some of the things we buy can be made from things we re-purpose, re-use & recycle. I'll start with a few of my favourites today, as my health hasn't been great & energy is at a low point. I'm so excited to share these things with you, though!!

Composting

this is defined as

com·post

(kŏm'pōst') Pronunciation Key n. A mixture of decaying organic matter, as from leaves and manure, used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients. A composition; a mixture. tr.v. com·post·ed, com·post·ing, com·posts To fertilize with a mixture of decaying organic matter. To convert (vegetable matter) to compost.

from Dictionary dot com
Composting is actually fairly easy. You begin a pile or a wire or wood cage & start dropping any of your vegetative wastes into. Rather than fill your landfill with paper shreddings, carrot peels & nut shells, you keep them for your own use in..... GARDENING!
If you want to really get nifty, try vermicomposting, aka- worm bin. I'll get to that later! Right now, let google be your friend.


Bones & discard & broth, OH MY!

What yummy stuff can become of things like shrimp shells, turkey & chicken bones/carcass & leftovers like veggies & bits & pieces of meat. Throw them into a large stock pot with lots of filtered water & boil. Lower to a simmer & simmer for an hour or 3. Strain all the chunky stuff out & freeze can, or use your broth. Yummy stuff. If you choose to refrigerate this yummy stuff, then do so, but freeze, use or discard within a few days.

Plastic bottles, jugs, jars-

I've recently been turned on to Winter Sowing and can't wait to try it!!! Even if you don't plan on doing this, you can still cut the bottoms off of the containers & use them as mini greenhouses (you ARE gardening to soften the financial blow, right?!? *grin*).

Another thing you can use plastic bottles & jugs for is storing your grains (rice, flour, wheat, etc). This keeps bugs & dust & other yucky stuff out. Be sure the containers are absolutely dry if you use them for dry storage.

Here's a small start on how to use everything you bring into your household. Waste Not, Want Not. It's been my motto for a little while now, & I am continuing my quest to live this way.