Ann Leach

.... packing (waste-free) lunches. Waste-free lunches is an idea we picked up from the kindy (preschool) our daughter attended over in Australia. The day ran from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm which, obviously, includes lunch time. But contrary to most preschools here in the US, there was no hot lunch served. The children were expected to bring a packed lunch from home. And it was to contain no throw-away waste. No plastic wrap. No paper napkins. No pre-packaged chips. Or cookies. Or string cheese. Or throw-away yogurt containers. Or juice boxes.  A long way from most packed lunches here in the US. And we adapted. I browsed the thrift stores to pick up a few plastic containers with lids; as well as a lunch box and a stainless steel water bottle, which she still has. Once we adopted the mindset, it wasn't hard at all. And our lunches are still packed this way now.  Fresh foods are packed in washable containers. Forks and spoons from the drawer are included (usually). An...

Planning the Garden The Baker Creek Seed catalog came in the mail!!! And yes, I've been page-turning, dreaming about all the seeds I'd like to order and putting out a garden again. Kenn and I went for a walk and talked about where we'd like to put the garden. We've had it behind the barn, which was good for water access, but not so good for weeding. Out of sight, out of mind and all that. This year, we're going to put it out kind of in the space between the house and the chicken coop. It will require a long hose for watering, but unless we're up to installing a new water line (which we're not), almost anywhere will require a water hose. I'm dreaming of tomatoes, green beans, lettuces, and so many other fresh veggies. Maybe we'll even get out some fruit trees. In a perfect world, we'd get a couple of bee hives and plant a special bee garden. Oh! And a butterfly garden. It's so easy and fun to dream. It's so easy to get in...

Maple Fest 2016 Our county parks department puts on a Maple Fest in the even numbered years. And so, out we went. This is a modern tapping system - plastic spilees, plastic tubes, and a plastic collection bag. Not a typical collection bucket, but it let us see the sap dripping out of the tree. Sap can run for as little as 6 days or as much as 6 weeks. It all depends on the temperatures. Trees are typically tapped in late winter or early spring, but it isn't the date they go by, but the temperatures. To make the sap run, temps must be below freezing at night and above freezing during the day. Maple trees (ash, dogwood and one other) grow branches directly opposite each other. That plus the 5-pronged leaf make them easy to identify. Native americans were the first to collect maple sap and cook it down to sugar which was easily stored. They heated the sap by heating rocks by the fire and setting the hot rocks into a container (hollowed log, tightly...

Books The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith -- a book put together by a blogger about decorating - it doesn't have to be perfect. Why We Get Fat  by Gary Taubess -- a book about the science behind why carbohydrates are a larger part of the problem than fats and calories. When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning -- the best book I read this week, and I highly recommend it! "W hen America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned 100 million books. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. In 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks for troops to carry in their pockets and rucksacks in every theater of war. These Armed Services Editions were beloved by the troops and are still fondly remembered today. Soldiers read them while waiting to land a...

In another post, I mentioned joining a book discussion group, which has to be one of the best decisions I've made in a while. I am having so much fun meeting the other members and talking about books. It's adding a whole layer to reading that I haven't ever had before. And I'm inspired to kick off another discussion group (or two). One on sustainable living, much like the one I started back in Australia. And another on parenting. Although I'm not sure I really want to take on two at the same time. I have asked the adult program coordinator at the library about these topics and am still waiting to hear back. But both of these topics are passions for me and to meet with like-minded folks, share ideas, and talk about books on the topics would be wonderful! For the sustainable living, of course it would be driven by the members, focusing on topics the group is asking about and suggesting. But that's not to say I don't have ideas and books o...

Aside from the scarf I'll share below, I have been doing no crafts, no sewing for the last couple of months. Oh, I have lots of plans and even a few false starts, but nothing has come through. And it shows. I've been grumpy, distracted, and (dare I say it) bored. Kenn wants to snuggle and watch tv, which sounds like a nice offer, but truly it drives me crazy to sit and do nothing while watching tv. I'm not a watcher. I'm a doer. For the past few weeks, I've been kicking around an idea in my mind of a cross stitch sampler to hang just inside our door, welcoming friends into our home. And with that general idea in mind, I ordered a book off  paperbackswap  and a couple more from the library. I paged through those and set them aside...  until yesterday when it hit me that it was time to create.      This is my first sketch, pulling together the ideas of what I wanted to create -- a landscape oriented cross stitch sampler and welcoming fra...

WHO has time to read? I mean really.. between running the children here and there, work, errands, meeting with friends, cleaning, and everything else...  who has time to read??!! You do. And I believe reading, whether it is for enjoyment or education, work or pleasure, is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. And your children. By taking just 30 minutes to read every day, in one year, you will read 182 hours. How many books can you read in 182 hours? 40? Probably. How much could you learn? How many times would you LOL? (Wait maybe I'm the only one who LOL when reading.) How much more relaxed might you be? Take the time. Every day. And read. Books Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen -- a stand-by that I always enjoy diving back into for some escapism Talkers, Watchers, & Doers  by Cheri Fuller - a talk about learning styles, how to identify them, and the strengths & weaknesses of each How to Teach Your Child: Simple Tools for Homesch...

Choosing what to wear can be so difficult. Nothing matches. I have too much to choose from. I have nothing to wear. There has to be a better, simpler way. Am I right? I've decided to go the capsule wardrobe route and finally, I am very happy with what I'm wearing. Although it was a rocky road getting here. I've had WAY too many clothes. And I've had (in my own mind) not enough clothes, clothes that don't match, clothes which were bought randomly, and clothes others told me look great. I've even tried the "I'll just wear scrubs at home since I'm a sahm" collection. And finally, I've put together a collection of clothes that are me. I love my capsule wardrobe. Last autumn, I took $30 and headed out to the thrift stores with an idea of the look I wanted to create for myself, in a word - layers. And came home with these 4 outfits that I rotate through each week. Boring? No, not me! This is a simple raspberry short-sleeve tshirt und...

Supper for March... time to change things up a bit as pizza every Friday is boring. Since we love spaghetti, I am going to alternate between chicken and beef spaghetti on Fridays, add in a soup meal each week, and make sure we have a slow cooker meal every Wednesday as that's a busy day for us, coming and going. So here we go with suppers for March.... 1 - Creamy potato & vegetable soup 2 - chicken, rice, & vegetables in chicken broth in the slow cooker 3 - pork steak, roasted veg 4 - beef spaghetti 5 - shepherd pie 6 - chicken breast w/alfredo sauce, asparagus 7 - beef sausage, hash browns, green beans & bacon 8 - beef & vegetable soup 9 - pork roast & vegetables in the slow cooker 10 - beef gravy over toast & peas 11 - chicken spaghetti 12 - leftovers 13 - fish w/lemon butter sauce, brussel sprouts 14 - beef sausage, hash browns, green beans & bacon 15- lentil soup 16 - chicken ala king in the slow cooker 17 - pork steak, roasted ve...