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Overabundance of Lettuce

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This is our second year of serious gardening. I have always had tomato plants (even back when we lived in an apartment, on our balcony), but last year, Mr. Handsome stepped up our game by building two large raised beds.

In our big beds, we planted lettuce, sugar snap peas, spinach, and kale from seed at the very end of March. We also put broccoli seeds in a pot. At the end of April, we bought small tomato plants from Home Depot and planted those in our smaller raised beds.

So far, everything is doing great. Our lettuce is going wild, so we have been eating salads twice a day. We are considering taking out a couple rows and planting green beans, just because we have so much.

The kale is also starting to grow quickly, so we have added sauteed kale to our dinners most nights. For that, I saute two minced garlic cloves in a little bit of oil, in a cast iron pan. Then I add the kale and another splash of oil. Once it shrinks down (about a minute) I add a half cup of chicken broth and let it cook for about five minutes. Then I season it with a dash of salt. I think it’s delicious. Mr. Handsome thinks it’s decent, but he’s hoping to find a better kale recipe. If you have any to share, let us know.

Another Year of Maple Syrup Making

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From Mr. Handsome:

Last winter went down in family history as our first year making maple syrup from the trees on our property. You may remember our blog post about it. We had much success and even more fun that we decided to give it another try this year. The first weekend gave us our purest and tastiest syrup yet.

We upped our game in a few different ways. First, we actually bought equipment from an authentic maple syrup supply company, instead of using metal pipe and plastic tubing from Home Depot. We were able to get a tighter seal all the way from the tree to collection bucket so no bugs or rainwater can contaminate the sap. We also upgraded our filters to remove more of the sediment and create a more pure syrup.

What didn’t change was how much time it took to make the syrup. It takes something like 50 gallons of sap to yield one gallon of syrup. I spent all day boiling sap over a fire just to get about a quart and a half of syrup. It is obviously not a cost effective or time efficient way to get syrup, but the experience is what matters. For a lot of the time, Little Buddy sat with me.

An added benefit was that boiling maple syrup turned out to be a great science lesson for Little Buddy. We had just read a book about how matter can move from solid to liquid to gas. Little Buddy was literally able to watch a solid turn into a liquid and then a gas when he saw the chunks of frozen sap melt and then boil off into steam.

He then asked, “Daddy why does hot air rise?” I was dumbfounded that a four-year-old had the mental capacity to see the hot steam rise and wonder why it happened. It turned out to be a very difficult question to answer in an age appropriate way. I tried to explain how the molecules move faster, which causes them to expand, making the air less dense. This was unfortunately over his head, but I assured him he will learn all about it when he is older.

The day spent boiling maple syrup turned out to be a sweet success!

Our Garden Part 1

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We had some readers ask if we garden. The answer is yes! In past years, I have grown a few tomato and pepper plants, but this year, we decided to expand our garden and try out hand at growing a variety of vegetables.

Our initial hope was to save money by growing our own vegetables. With inflation, this seemed like a good idea. Unfortunately, we have now spent close to $1000 on lumber, soil, plants, fertilizer, and other supplies.

But it’s not all about the money. We are excited about providing pesticide-free vegetables for our family, as well as teaching Little Buddy the value of hard work and giving him a basic science lesson. Mr. Handsome also hopes that growing his own vegetables will help him eat more salads. And the beds can be used in future years, so perhaps one day we will be at a point where our garden saves us money on groceries.

We started preparing everything in early spring. Mr. Handsome spent hours building the raised beds (three smaller ones and two bigger ones). There are a lot of deer in the area, so we knew we needed to make a solid plan to protect our plants. We also have a lot of tall trees on the property, so placing the beds in the sunniest spot was a must.

With the price of wood so high, Mr. Handsome used two logs for one of the beds. He and Little Buddy picked up a bulk load of dirt, and Little Buddy thought it was so cool to watch the big tractor dump the mud into the back of our truck.

The three smaller beds sit on a retaining wall, but to keep the deer out of the two larger ones, which sit on the ground, we had to get creative. For one, we ordered heavy duty, nylon netting made for golf courses, and Mr. Handsome built a PVC frame. For the other, he used fence posts and chicken wire.

We will continue to update you on our garden progress. How many readers are gardening this year? Is it going well?

30-Day Minimalist Challenge

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As most wives know, the best way to get your husband to do something is to make him think it was his idea in the first place. Many of you know that I am big fan of de-cluttering, but Mr. Handsome has always been reluctant to get on board with the idea. He just has a hard time letting go of stuff.

A few weeks ago, Mr. Handsome stayed up late with the baby while I got some much needed rest (he does this quite a bit, which is lovely). Right before heading to bed, I programmed Netflix to a show called “Minimalists: Less is Now.”

The next morning, I awoke to Mr. Handsome rummaging through the closet. “What are you doing, Honey?” I asked. “Oh nothing,” he replied. “I just watched this show last night on minimalism and am trying out the 30-day challenge. I am going to get rid of at least one item every day for the next month, and this sweater is looking like a great candidate to be removed.”

My plan had worked! I was shocked to see my husband showing excitement about de-cluttering.

What exactly is a minimalist? A minimalist is someone who doesn’t derive their self-worth from their material possessions. They try to live simply and only keep the possessions they either truly need or derive joy from. (I personally don’t get any joy from my toilet plunger, but it’s certainly a needed item.)

Minimalism is a response to the over-consumerism that is rampant in our society. We are constantly being pushed to spend more money to buy things we can’t afford to impress people we don’t like.

One rule of thumb when deciding whether to keep or get rid of something is “Have you used it in the past 90 days, or do you plan to use it in the next 90 days?” If the answer is no, then you can probably get rid of it. Of course, seasonal items and emergency supplies are an exception to this rule.

What are your views on minimalism?

Mr. Handsome and I are by no means true minimalists. One look at our toy collection or our garage will tell you that. But like most people, we could use to de-clutter, especially after the holidays. So for the next thirty days, Mr. Handsome and I will try to get rid of at least one item every day and see what happens. Would any of you like to join in the challenge with us?

Fulfilling a 20-Year Dream

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A couple weeks ago, I shared a picture of Mr. Handsome’s newest hobby and asked you all to guess what it is. Some of you were correct…He just started making his own maple syrup! Here is a post from him:

As a child, I was constantly trying small business ideas, and apparently Ellie did the same thing. Unfortunately, none of my ideas ever made money, but Ellie claims that some of hers did pretty well. (We will do a follow-up post about that.)

Out of all my small business ideas, my biggest flop was maple syrup production. One of my favorite book series was Little House on the Prairie (so was Ellie’s) and I loved the part where they made maple syrup in the Big Woods. I decided this would be the perfect business idea, as we had many maple trees in the yard.

Being only 11, I did not have a lot of money, but I invested my entire savings into maple syrup equipment. I blissfully drilled small holes into my family’s maple trees to gather the syrup, which I assumed would just start pouring out into my buckets. No such luck. My buckets remained empty for weeks. Finally, when the weather began to warm up, I went out to check my trees, and my buckets were full! I stuck my finger into the liquid and sampled it, expecting syrupy goodness. To my horror, it tasted like plain water.

I finally figured out that the sap has to be boiled down into syrup. Unfazed, I promptly set up a pot over a fire and watched as it boiled. I waited, waited, waited, and waited, and after about 6 hours, I decided to try a sip. It tasted awful, like soot-flavored water. I continued boiling the sap for several days and had nothing but problems. I spilled sap, burned sap, and contaminated it with ashes. Discouraged, I gave up.

My brothers and sisters, of course, have never let this go. Every time I talk about my hobbies, someone chimes in, “Sounds like another version of the maple sap business.”

More than two decades later, I am thrilled beyond belief to be enjoying the maple syrup that I created myself. And I’m even more thrilled to share it with Ellie and Little Buddy. I will tell you exactly how I made the syrup in another post.

Revitalizing Our Vows

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A couple months after our wedding in 2015, I posted our vows. A few months after that, I shared a photo of how we chose to display them above our bed.

In general, when I look back at the decor we had when we got married almost six years ago, I sometimes cringe. My styles have definitely changed, and I now enjoy spending more time making our house “homey” than I did back then. Mr. Handsome has returned to his old hobby of woodworking and has created some beautiful pieces. (Did you see the animals he made for Little Buddy’s bedroom?) And about three years into our marriage, I invested dozens of hours into refinishing and staining our solid wood kitchen/dining room table and coffee table. (All the work was done at our two-bedroom apartment, I must add.) Mr. Handsome also built a custom bookshelf.

Back to our vow: For quite some time, both of us have been looking at the cheap, store-bought picture frames and the blue cardstock we used for the background and thinking that our vows deserved a fancier display. A few weeks ago, Mr. Handsome built (out of old barn wood from a family farm) two identical picture frames.

Then he printed our vows on stationary paper and soaked the paper in a tea and coffee mixture for a few minutes. After letting the paper dry, he burned the edges. We both love how they turned out!

Vehicle Safety Hack

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A few months ago, Mr. Handsome read an article about vehicle safety kits. The article talked about the importance of having a seatbelt cutter and window hammer on hand, in case of an emergency. It explained that the seatbelt cutter could be used if the seatbelts were jammed in a collision and the window hammer would come in handy if the doors and windows were unable to be opened.

We purchased a tool that can both cut a seatbelt and break a window (from the brand Resqme), but the hardest part was finding a place to store it. My initial idea was to place it in the console between the seats, or perhaps in the glove compartment, but when I thought about it, I realized the tool would need to be in a place where it was both secured and within arms reach (considering that the entire seatbelt could be jammed and preventing you from moving your upper body away from the seat).

I ended up zip-tying it to the part of the seatbelt system that attaches to the wall. I put one on the driver side and one on the passenger side. And for additional safety, I bought a slightly larger larger window hammer tool and put it in the glove compartment. Since this vehicle safety hack took me so long to figure out, I thought I would share it, in hopes of making your life easier.

Little Buddy’s Bedroom Decorations

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Since Little Buddy was born (two years ago), I have wanted decorations for his bedroom. You know, cute pictures that make it feel like a young child’s room. When Little Buddy was out of the infant state, I finally decided to do something about the lack of decor.

When I announced a trip to Hobby Lobby, Mr. Handsome’s was horrified. “We can’t decorate our son’s room with decorations from Hobby Lobby!” he exclaimed.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because I can make him something,” Mr. H replied. “And I don’t love the idea of buying mass-produced art that doesn’t support local artisans.”

I admit that I did go to Hobby Lobby and buy a wooden sign that said, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,” just to have something to put on the walls while we waited. And I hung up a couple of Mr. Handsome’s paintings, too. They weren’t very childish, but at least they added a pop of color.

Mr. Handsome got around to building some 3D woodland animals over Christmas. The process took many hours, and his little work station reminded me of Santa’s Workshop. He borrowed a scroll saw and then painted all the little pieces before assembling them. He glued the finished animals onto white plywood and then framed them using wood from an old family barn that was recently demolished.

The decorations are now up on Little Buddy’s walls. Homemade by Mr. Handsome, but they look professional. Our theme is woodland animals.

Building our Bathroom

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A few days ago, I shared photos of the bathroom renovation that we completed during the COVID-19 lockdown. I have had several questions about the process, so I thought I would post the details.

The countertop is a birch butcher block from Home Depot that cost less than $200. We had a few small pieces left over that we plan to use for other projects. To prevent humidity damage, Mr. Handsome added epoxy from a company called Stone Coat Countertops. We know two people who used the product previously and loved the results. Apparently butcher block countertops are all the rage right now, so I feel very “in.”

Our first step was painting the walls. That way, it didn’t matter if we dripped on the counter or floor. We used Behr semi-gloss enamel in repose gray.

The medicine cabinet has sentimental value to me, as it was handmade by Mr. Handsome as an anniversary present. We had nowhere to put our toothbrushes, and it really bothered me to have them on the counter for everyone to see and touch, but this beautiful DIY medicine cabinet solves the problem wonderfully. I love it!

The cabinets were sanded and pained with a few coats of Behr semi-gloss enamel in van deusen blue.

The floor is Duttonwood Ash from Home Depot. It looks like wood but is actually ceramic.

Mr. Handsome ordered pieces of glass (less than $40 each) and made the wood mirror frames by hand. They are hung like pictures, rather than glued to the wall like our previous mirror was.

The faucets are Delta Porter oil rubbed bronze. The other fixtures are Delta Porter brushed nickle. The sinks are Kohler Pennington from Home Depot.

We did not redo the tub, although we added a new trim kit (faucet and spout) and shower head. Finding a replacement trim kit that didn’t require a costly plumbing fix was very difficult, but when we finally picked up the phone and called Delta, they solved our problem in minutes. (This is not an ad or sponsored post, I was simply impressed by their customer service.)

How to Keep Flowers Fresh

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keep flowers from dying in heatSummer is the season of backyard BBQs and gatherings with family and friends. Fresh cut flowers make the perfect hostess gift–whether you pick them from your garden or purchase them from a grocery store or florist. But how do you keep your flowers from dying in the heat as you transport them? My mother taught me a simple trick that works wonders when your destination requires a bit of travel and you don’t want your flowers to wilt before they reach the arms of the hostess.

Just grab a few paper towels, and saturate them with water. Trim the stems slightly, and wrap the wet paper towels around them. If you are traveling especially far, add another few teaspoons of water to the bottom of the bag so the paper towels don’t dry out. Then, place a plastic baggie around the paper towels, and secure with a rubber band. Now you’re ready for the party!