Reader Request: Where To Get An Orchard Rack

The other day someone asked me where to get an orchard rack like the one I showed in this post about storing things in my "root cellar".

Years ago, people stored "keeper" crops such as apples, winter squash, onions and potatoes on rustic wooden racks like this one. The drawers are slatted to ensure good air circulation, and they slide out for easy access. For best results, the rack should be located in a cool, dark cellar or shed.

You can get them from

Gardener's Supply Company

as a

6 Drawer Orchard Rack

or a

9 Drawer Orchard Rack

You could also use baskets like these 

from Ikea that attach underneath a shelf:

I like these especially for apples.  Apples need to be stored in shallow layers so that they don't bruise each other plus it makes it easier to check on them this way. That's why I like the above two options, but half bushel baskets and slatted crates work well too.

They like nice cold temperatures, as low as 32 degrees, but can also be kept a little warmer, they just won't last quite as long. So depending on the temperature they're kept at you could possibly have fresh apples clear til spring. Wouldn't that be lovely?

But if they become softer than you'd like for fresh eating you can always serve them as baked apples or applesauce. Mmmm!

P.S.   Don't keep your stored apples near your potatoes. They don't play well together at all!

Root Storage For Winter Fresh Veggies!

So the other day we decided to run out and shoot a video!

I needed to grab a few things to stock my "root cellar"

before the farmer's markets closed for the season

and thought it might be fun to show

a few of the things I like to get.

My "root cellar" is really just a few shelves in
my basement.  It's not an official one dug into the ground. 
I showed pictures of it here with a list of some
of the other things I like to put in it.

These are the kinds of fresh foods
your ancestors used to eat before
there were ginormous grocery stores
bringing you food from near and far
at any time of year!

But making that video was kind of fun!

It was the first official one I have done
and I have a bit of learning to do
to improve the sound and picture quality!

That means I need to practice
and make more videos!

Yippee!

I wonder what my next video should be of! 

 Hmmm....

thinking...thinking...

Any suggestions?

Special thanks to my niece and nephew who helped with filming and editing!

Hands On Night!

Two weeks ago I attended Hands On night ~ a night intended for those who have gone through the Dressing Your Truth course to learn more in depth and specific things about our specific types.  This is something free you are offered once you have signed up for the course.  They are taped so that those who can't attend, or don't live nearby can still see it.

I was so surprised to be called up and to be on camera again with Carol Tuttle!  They showed off my hairstyle which bumps up at the crown.  It's funny because I have been doing my hair like that since junior high and I have met a lot of Type 1's in person who ask me how I do it! 

So guess what!  

I'm going to give you a quick tutorial!

With a bonus of how I do my hair 

the next day after I bump it up like that!

{you will probably need to click

the picture to enlarge it!}

I can usually get a better bump in my hair when I pull it back on the second day.  Trust me, a ponytail looks better on me this way than if I just pulled it back into a slick, straight and tight ponytail without any height.  So there you go!  A quick tutorial {of sorts}!  :)

We also laughed that if your necklace looks like its candy ~ and it looks like you can eat your necklace and it would taste really yummy, then it's a good thing!  LOL!

The colors in these pictures look a little off.  The necklace actually does tend to look a little bit like candy.  It was the souvenir necklace I bought in Washington DC and showed you here.

The evening was lots of fun and I met some fabulous ladies!  Hi gals!  You made my  night!  :D  If you ever get the chance to meet me, please do!  Come say hi to me!  It was so fun to meet and make new friends!

Inspiring Interiors: Way To Be in the Kitchen!

So I stink at doing things on a schedule apparently and forgot to post a new Inspiring Interior on Sunday!  Oops!  So here you go!

{click to enlarge}

I told you the Way To Be theme had multiple design ideas, so this time I am showing you another kitchen design, this one a little more cutesy.    I envisioned it in a cute black, white and green type of kitchen sort of like the inspiration picture shows, but I wanted the walls painted in a fun green color.  I would keep the black and white tiled floor just because it is so fun and then I would obviously pair all this with white cabinetry and furniture.   I would actually place vinyl decals of the 9 Be's somewhere prominent on a wall and then bring in some fun bee accessories in on things like dishware, hand towels or some other cute little bee decals randomly placed on the walls even. 

To me this would be a fun, playful reminder of how to live your life!

Refashioning Fun!

Remember this?

Well, I went crazy with some spray paint

and got these:

and these:

My old black shoes are

GONE!!!

Black is firmly out of my life.

I feel lighter and more free.

And I got some cute new shoes out of it!

And I think these look cuter in color 

than they ever did in black!

Now I just need to get some new shoe inserts

since the insides sort of got sprayed a little too.

Inspiring Interiors! goes to Provence

I really liked the name Vanessa from Luxuria came up with for this new little series of mine.  She said she wasn't creative with that sort of stuff but I beg to differ!  She really came up with some great options for me!  Thanks Vanessa!  You are a sweetheart!  I really appreciate it!  Now  I know a lot of my readers already know Vanessa, but if you don't,  then please get to know her and check out her lovely blog!  I think you will enjoy her as much as I do!

So in this little series I am showing you design ideas I have come up with that are either centered around gospel themes, scriptures or positive thoughts, so this time I thought I would do one that is focused on the nine Be's that I try to govern my life by and have even named my blog after.  They are taken from a darling little book that really encourages you to be a better person!

This one is easy to jump off with different ideas from ~ in fact, I have several different design ideas and styles to show you for this theme alone.  When I think of Way To Be!  it is easy to jump into a theme with bee's, which for some reason reminds me of Provence, so that is where this particular board will take us.  

Click on picture to enlarge

The dining room on my inspiration board evokes the sort of feeling I would try to achieve for a kitchen or dining room. I like the rustic, old world mix with beautiful fabrics that seems to welcome and envelope you in the imagery of a beautiful French country home.  I would bring in the Bee reminders through small elegant touches like the lampshade, on the glassware or a decorative bee skep.  To me, the bees are rather subtle reminders in this particular style instead of the main design feature.  A French Country or Provencal theme can be a very beautiful way to remind yourself of the nine Be's to govern your life by.

Stay tuned until next Sunday

for my next design idea for  you!

Au revoir!

Weird start to the day!

I had grand plans yesterday.

I woke up bright and early.

Thought about putting in an AM workout dvd.

Decided to stay in bed just a wee bit longer.
{It was deliciously warm and cozy!}

Finally got up to get the kids going for school.

Made breakfast.

Packed lunches.

Kissed them goodbye!
{and "have a fabulous day at school!"}

Started sorting laundry.

Then things started getting crazy.

The school bus forgot to pick them up.

So we quickly piled them into the car and sped off.

Got to school about 15 minutes after it started.
{Luckily, excused tardies were in order for the whole busload of kids!}

But I ran over a grasshopper on the way out the driveway.

Three more were waiting for me when I got home.

Staring me down.

Ready to jump on me.

Everywhere I went there was a grasshopper.

Waiting for me.

The sidewalk into the gym.

The porch at my friends house.

Yep.

Grasshoppers.

They are out to get me!

 The day just got weirder from there.  You don't need to know all the details {some of it includes cleaning up children's poopy accidents!  I wish I didn't need to know that hydrogen peroxide works wonders for getting poop out of carpets in such a quick and awesome way!}, but by the end of it all I just needed to go peace out a bit, clear my mind and relax.  PM Qi Gong did just that and now I'm in a much better frame of mind.  The laundry never did get started though.  ~sigh~

Those grasshoppers may be out to get me,

but they aren't going to get me down!

I am going to channel some of my inner Chumbawamba!

Take that grasshoppers!

Here's to a better day!

Need something catchy for this new series...

A few months ago I taught a class of women at my church about creating a Christ centered home.  One of the things I thought about from that lesson was how we choose to decorate our homes.  Do we decorate them so that our children know what we believe?  Are there subtle / sneaky / subliminal {or not so sneaky} reminders throughout our homes so that our families "do not doubt what we know"? 

A few years ago I started coming up with ideas to decorate around gospel centered themes or scriptures.  It all started with the following scripture. . .

"Fear not little flock; 

for it is your Father's 

good pleasure to 

give you the kingdom". 

~Luke 12:32

And a nursery idea was born!

I love the imagery this scripture gives me, and that we are called his little flock.  So the theme I came up with was a darling little nursery decorated in creamy pinks and greens with sheep accessories and pictures of  The Good Shepherd on the wall.  It seems like such a comforting theme for a baby.

So each Sunday I will post one of my idea boards for you until I run out of ideas.  Now I just need a catchy series name.  So help a girl out and give me some ideas!   Ready...set...and GO!

Inspiring words from an inspiring man

What true words.  

It is something we should all remember and internalize.  

 It is also a concept I am learning more and more to trust.
And a concept I wish for my kids to learn and trust.

He leaves behind quite a legacy because of it.  

Watch the inspiring words and commencement address here.
There are so many gems within ~ it is definitely worth watching!

The world lost a true innovator 

that changed our generation 

and the way we do things.

Thank you Steve Jobs.

Extending the tomato season

Today it rained.

It is supposed to rain even more 

over the next few days.

But tomorrow, the temperature 

 is supposed to plummet.

Highs of 45 degrees.

Brrr!

Time to hurry and bring in 

the rest of the garden produce

before the first hard frost

and freezing temps.

 

So today I hurried and picked

all the green tomatoes.

 Picking tomatoes in the rain.  My hands froze!

If stored properly

and taken care of,

they will continue to ripen

for quite a while.

This means, I still won't

have to go to the grocery store

for tomatoes for a while!

Hip, hip!!!

So how do you extend the tomato season?

Method 1:

Pick and lay out in a cool place.

Spread them out in shallow layers.

This is not a shallow layer!  

Shallow layers will prevent them from crushing each other

and will allow you to see which ones are ripening faster

than the others.  Be sure to check on them periodically.

Method 2:

Pull the whole plant

and hang upside down from the rafters

{or however you can get them to hang}.
Pick as they ripen.

Whichever method you choose:

Be sure to store in a cool, dry place

like a root cellar, basement or garage.

Some of my tomatoes in various stages of ripeness in  December 2007.

Using methods like these,

I have had tomatoes last clear

into December before.

It's a brilliant way to extend
your garden produce I tell you!

Fun with fashion!

I haven't played around much on Polyvore lately, but I got on the other day and found someone who is having a lot of fun over there!  Check these out:

Fun fashions inspired by your favorite Disney characters!

Daisy Duck

Daisy Duck by lalakay featuring ruffle tops

Goofy

Goofy by lalakay featuring a button cardigan

Donald Duck

Donald Duck by lalakay featuring ripped skinny jeans

Classic Minnie Mouse!

Minnie Mouse by lalakay featuring wide heels

But it's not just your classic Disney characters! 

There are also more modern Disney fashions like these:

Pocahontas

Pocahontas by lalakay featuring black glitter heels

What about this Elephant Graveyard 

idea from Lion King?

It is soo cool!

Elephant Graveyard by lalakay featuring metal earrings

Or the little feather duster 

from Beauty and the Beast! 

Adorbs! 

Babette by lalakay featuring long earrings

You should seriously check it out! There are so many ideas that go on and on and on...There is even some inspiration for Phineas and Ferb!   Now if you were wondering what you should be for Halloween {or you're traveling to Disney, or just want some cute ideas to wear}, you can let this be your guide!

Portuguese lessons

While in DC we met two Brazillians that were also attending the conference my husband was at.  We spent a delightful evening with them one night practicing our portuguese, and they practicing their english.

Our Brazillian friends are on both ends.

I was pleasantly surprised that I remembered so much of my portuguese after nearly 20 years.  There were times during the conversation when I understood every single thing.  Then there would be times when I all of a sudden couldn't understand what they were saying at all, but I was encouraged when they told me my accent sounded like a native Brazillian, thank you very much!  I'm sure once I get back to Brazil that I will pick it up again quickly.

One of my favorite parts of the evening was exchanging texting acronyms in our respective languages.  You know, lol and brb etc.  I kept seeing a bunch on my Brazillian friends FB conversations that I hadn't been able to figure out yet and now I know!  Hooray!   We also gave each other tongue twisters!

We gave them:

Peter Piper picked 

a peck of pickled peppers.

And they gave us:

O rato roeuo 

a roupa do rei de Roma.

Click here to see the translation and hear how it sounds.

Just click on the little megaphone icon in the lower right hand corner

of the portuguese box.

It's hard, but I'm working on it!

By the way,

if you ever meet a Brazillian and want to give them

a fun but tough phrase to say, give them ...

World War Three

but be prepared...

they will probably want you to say

geladeira

and 

paralelepípedo

And this concludes your 

portuguese lessons for the day!  

:D

Tchau meus amigos!

My home away from home!

In my last post you could see a tiny bit of the room I stayed in.

So today I thought I would show you

where I stayed while I was gone.

I loved our room!

It was so totally my style!

I loved the simple chocolate, white and 

creamy yellow color scheme

with its hip and graphic 

trellis wallpapered wall and 

white drum shades.

A beautiful little sitting area

and a small kitchenette finished off the space.

It was a nice place to come home to every night!