Water-Damaged Bedroom Ceiling Repair

When we moved in, one of the kid's bedrooms had some damage to the ceiling. It was hard and had a bit of a lump. With my amazing cleaning skills upon move-in, I decided to vacuum the ceilings (cobwebs!) and very unluckily sucked off part of the ceiling: This particular damage is beneath a bathtub…

Sealing Gaps in Baseboard Trim

We have a bug problem. We live built into a hill, so our finished basement is halfway underground. Awesome for HVAC, not awesome for vermin. The first fall we lived here, we saw SO MANY SPIDERS. We got used to it, but, honestly -- we shouldn't have to, right? The most glaring issue is our…

Installing an Automatic Chicken Coop Door

We did it. We broke down and splurged on an automatic chicken coop door. This decision didn't come lightly, as these little ladies are becoming more and more expensive. BUT we have a lot of predators around here: raccoons, foxes, coyotes, hawks, and probably other things too. We lost our only chicken last year in…

Hardy Orange Pruning

Welp, the kids are off to school. This is a day for the history books. For the first time in over 9 years, there were only adults in the house. I'll be honest - it was a little anticlimactic. Since I'm a stay-at-home-mom, everyone kept asking me, "What are you going to do?" Anyone who…

How to Air Fry Frozen Eggplant Cutlets

I love these eggplant cutlets from Aldi. They're cheap, add more veggies to our diets, and way easier to prep than actually making breaded eggplant cutlets. Unfortunately, the only cooking options on the box are frying or baking. As we're making a concerted effort to eat healthier, frying is no longer an option. And the…

Meal Plan: July 25-31

Lots of veggies (using ONE GIANT zucchini that was gifted to us). And a couple of seafood dishes to balance out last weeks' deliciously unhealthy rehearsal dinner, wedding, best ice cream stop, and a house guest. Source: nutritioninthekitch.comsource: handletheheat.comsource: http://www.maebells.comtheviewfromgreatislandSource: realsimple.comSource: Photos from recipe-creators. Links below for recipes! I found all of these recipes either…

Clearing the Chicken Coop Path: Part 2 – Water Run-off and Tick Rehab

Last summer, I cleaned up the path from the driveway to the chicken coop. I mostly weeded the heck out of it. It made the path more attractive, both in looks and function. I hate when plants brush up against me when I'm walking outside, so that was pretty much the only goal. This is…

Island update: Refinished butcher block, installed sink & faucet

This weekend we tackled the butcher block countertop. It wasn't in terrible shape, but it wasn't in great shape. We discovered our love for large single-basin sinks at our last house, and made it a priority to have one here. So, we searched the internet for the best deal, also purchased our old faucet again,…

Garden Island Weeding: Section 1

In my effort to continue our landscaping clean-up, I tackled the weeds in our "garden island." It took two days to do a small section, but it's definitely helped. Over the winter, I left the leaves that fell here in hopes that it would prevent weeds from coming up. It's very leafy: I think there…

Trimming the Cherry Laurel

Spring is here! We have a crazy amount of plants (and weeds) and I am intent on keeping them looking spiffy. I'm assuming if I do a little each day, it won't be overwhelming, and still might work. Yesterday, I trimmed the Cherry Laurel. It falls about a foot over the driveway, which has led…