My Addiction

My name is Julie, and I'm addicted to spray paint.  No, no...  not huffing it, just using it on anything possible.  Spray paint offers those of us with limited budgets (both financially and artistically) to produce something pretty cool.  

It started when I found out you can spray paint shoes.  What?!  How awesome is that?  So when I decided I had nothing to wear my brown shoes with anymore, I just spray painted them silver.  Problem solved...  a "new" pair of shoes.  (Note: do not try this on real leather shoes).

If you don't want to become aware of the countless ways you can use spray paint to transform your surroundings, do not go on Pinterest and enter "spray paint" in the search box.  You've been warned.  Spray paint old metal folding chairs pretty colors?  Never would've thought, and yet now it haunts my thoughts because I have 4 ugly ones.  

My recent obsession started with this lovely product.

I actually bought this about 2 years ago to touch up some spots on a horse trailer.  It never got done, and we no longer own it.  What we do own are quite a few items the previous owner of this house left behind.  Many outdated and ugly, but free nevertheless, so here they have stayed.  Then I had an inspiration.  What if I took that can of Hammered Bronze spray paint to the very outdated brass lamp?  What if?  

I'm in love with the way this lamp turned out!  It now looks like a lamp I'd actually pay money for, but don't have to...because my friend spray paint came to the rescue.  Since then I have done 2 more lamps.  And a few heat registers.  And the cold air return vent.  I spend my days wondering what else I can spray with Hammered Bronze.  I have a few light fixtures that aren't bad, except for the gold accents.  Well their golden days are numbered.  I also have very old kitchen cabinets I cannot replace yet, but the hardware?  I see Hammered Bronze in their near future!  

I have also found that spray paint of any color turns canning jars into things of beauty that can be used as vases, candle holders, etc.* 

It also transforms ugly picture frames in just seconds.  I had a collection of family photos in a total mishmash of frame types and colors all together in one spot on the wall.  Now the frames are all a black matte color and look like they belong together.  It was about an hour of work including putting the photos back in and cleaning the glass.  

We also took a large, brown framed wall mirror that had been left in Alyssa's pink and black bedroom and painted the frame black with an overlay of glitter.  Fabulous!  

*Just a quick tip for those who would like to try spray painting.  I'm lazy and impatient and hate taking any extra steps so for the lamps, picture frames, shoes, and most items, I have not used any primer first.  I did find that the glass jars don't work well without a thin coat of primer. And of course if painting a light color over a dark finish, primer would be helpful. When in doubt you could always prime.  You can buy a paint and primer in one but I think you get a better value for your money with separate primer since it isn't always needed. 

What I've Been Up To

Wow, I haven't blogged in a while!  Things have been crazy busy...  aren't they for everyone?  So here's what I've been up to.  Prepare yourself..   it's a little boring.  But then no one ever accused me of having an audacious life!  Yet. (I can still hope!)


1.  Exercising.  Hate doing it, like how I feel afterwards.  This is the most consistent I've been in a long while, and it took over my early morning blogging time.


2.  Making bread.  After years of not doing it regularly...  I started again.  I love homemade bread (though with the exercise efforts, I shouldn't be eating much of it).  


3.  Trying to find a hotel room in Salmon, ID. (or something to do while I'm there).  Finding a hotel room.  Easy.  In Salmon, ID.  Well now, that's a whole other story.  


4.  Planning my garden.  Square foot gardening is wonderful!  Bermuda grass bites though.  It's my mission to conquer it once and for all this spring.  And I'm already behind.  Story of my life.


5.  Choosing a new cell phone.  This should also be easy.  But I get stuck deciding between what I want, what I need, and how much one plan will cost compared to another and researching coverage maps, and reading reviews of various phones, and....    well no one can beat an issue to death like I can.  (I envy people who just DECIDE.  Fast).  I've finally decided.  I think.


6.  Washing laundry.  


7.  Reading a great book.  "Eat, Pray, Love".  I don't love the couple of "choice" words in there...   but I bleeped them out and am really enjoying her self discovery through 3 countries.  It's a soul feeding book.


8.  Getting serious about stepping up to the plate, building my business, and finding myself in the process.  The self that I think was voted "most likely to succeed" in high school, then spent the next 25 years not having the self confidence to even start a conversation or the self esteem to think I mattered, isn't the real me.  Somewhere in there, I'm confident, fearless, and successful.  And I'm getting closer to her every day.  


9.  Of course, running kids everywhere.  It's hard to imagine that will ever end.  


10.  Staring blankly at a wall for the few minutes in the day that I do have a break...  because my brain is fried by then and I feel catatonic.  

The Legacy of Strong Women

I posted a while ago about the struggle I'm having concerning what to be when I grow up.  I feel torn between the opportunity to build a small business from home.  That I already have.  But never intended to be in charge of.  Yet it's brilliant, and so maybe I should stretch myself.  Or then again, I could run with the business idea I've had (forever) that would be totally different and allow me to indulge my creative side, and that is more in my comfort zone.  I really felt I had to choose.  Why?  Well, frankly, I feel I do a poor enough job of juggling a family of 9, home schooling, life in general with the daily fires to put out, volunteer commitments,  miles on the road, etc.   If I split my focus yet one more way, won't I just break into pieces too tiny to matter?  Won't everything I do, if I do too much, just suffer from lack of care?


I'm wondering now if that's wrong.  Is there a way to do it all, and do it well?  If so, can *I* do it?  So here's what got me questioning.

We're studying American History with A History of Us, by Joy Hakim.  

Cannot say enough how much we love these books!  We're in book 2, "From Colonies to Country" and we came to a story that so impressed and fascinated me about a strong woman.  The chapter is titled "The Girl Who Always Did Her Best".  Well, that's an understatement!  Eliza Pinckney moved with her family from the Carribean to South Carolina when she was 16.  Her father almost immediately went off to war and her mother became seriously ill.  

photo from A History of Us

She's well noted for her intelligence; speaking three languages, playing instruments, and studying.  She also took over all business operations for her father's three large plantations.  At 16.  She experimented with new crops, growing the first successful indigo in the colonies.  She rose up early each day and read for a couple of hours, then took some exercise while checking on the plantations.  She studied her music, and reviewed things she was learning (like French and shorthand).  At 22 she chose a husband for herself who was 45.  She had three children, and then her husband died.  So, she ran her three plantations along with her husband's SEVEN.  According to history she did this and raised her family outstandingly.  


And I can't seem to fit it all in.  Yes, life today is different.  We have places to be, phone calls to make, meetings to attend, emails to answer... and she undoubtedly had servants to help.  But so do we.  They're called dishwashers, washing machines, and microwaves.  Right?






I'm about ready to read a book to learn a lot more about Abigail Adams. Impressive woman. Wife of John Adams, mother of six children in 10 years, two of whom were buried young.  John had long absences from home and Abigail ran home and farm while he was  away.  Their well preserved letters show a woman who was his intellectual equal (at least), always studying and learning, eloquent in speech, and independent.  She made financial decisions and investments while he was away.  She was often referred to as "Mrs. President" while he was in the White House because she was so politically active.  

photo from A History of Us

I love the passage in Proverbs (31: 10-31) that I hadn't taken much notice of until recently.  It describes a good and virtuous woman.  Her husband's heart is safe with her.  She works willingly with her hands, and brings her food from afar.  She rises early, before anyone else, to feed her family.  She transacts business, buying a field and planting the vineyard with her own hands.  She strengthens herself and sees that what she produces is good. She cares for the needy.  Her family is richly and warmly clothed, and she makes and sells extra linen. She speaks with wisdom and kindness and is not idle.  There's more if you want to read the whole thing (and more beautifully than my paraphrasing).


To be honest, until recently that would have probably made me a bit...  well, defensive.  I don't know about you, but I often feel my to-do list and the expectations of others for me are plenty long.  As I often tell my family, "I am only one woman".  Yet look at what one good woman can do.  Think of all the powerful and strong women throughout history.  Think of the ones you know today!  What have they done? I now see that rather than a list of things to do, that passage in Proverbs simply outlines all that I have the power to be!  Good women do much because we CAN.  


This week I think we'll have a short home school holiday. Monday and Tuesday off.   We haven't really taken any days off, and this woman needs some time to ponder and plan the possibilities.  Home and family must be preserved.. yes.  Some things in life are more important than others..  true.  But if these women could do it, can't I find a way to be more and do more and still be true to myself and my priorities?  Am I capable of more than I think I am?  Do I have more power than I realize?  Life is a choice.  It's all a choice.  And I have some choices to make.  

The Womanly Art of Breadmaking

Today seemed like a good day to teach the little girls the womanly art of bread making.  Bread making is fun.  Especially for kids.  You get to dump lots of stuff into the mixer.  Yeast is fun to smell (not!).  Plus the idea of yeast "eating" the sugar and flour and then "burping" gas to make it grow...   you get a little gross out humor too.   It's also kind of cool that from a lump of flour, water, yeast and a few minor things, you can make FOOD!   


It today's fast paced world, where so many people don't even cook or share meals together, I think there are some valuable skills that need preserving.  You may not choose to make all your own bread all the time.  But it's good to know you can if you need to (store's closed, car won't start, lost your debit card....).  It's a good feeling to know in today's wacky economy and uncertain times, that you CAN control something.  You can rise above that mess a little bit and be self sufficient.  

We started with some wheat grinding today.  Our wheat grinder is ancient!  I mean, really, look at it!  It weighs a ton and everyone is deafened for the time it's running.   Fun, fun, fun though.  If you're a kid, the more noise the better, right?   

After all, Rapunzel must have made her own bread up in that tower, don't you think?   So now we have a nice batch of whole wheat flour (half red and half white...   because I'm in love with the white wheat, but can't bear to just waste the red).  Anyone out there want to trade me some hard white wheat for my hard red wheat?  *sigh*   I didn't think so. 




Natalie and Chloe both wanted to help and asked a lot of questions.  I have to admit...   I am not good at sharing my kitchen.  I'm usually short on time, I know exactly what I want to do and how I want it done, and I don't always have the patience to slow down and endure bigger messes so my kids can learn.  Especially in the kitchen. I know, terrible isn't it?  I'm trying though!  

They didn't even fight (much) over who got to dump what into the mixer.  I have to remember that even young kids are capable of SO much.  After one cupful of flour, I left Chloe alone to put on the lid and start the mixer while I was in another room.  Which she did.  With no problem.  

After all the mixing...   we're just waiting for the bread to rise....   
































and we're back!  Ok, so the girls had a good time kneading the bread (which we failed to get photos of).  

But this is the face of a girl who got to pummel some bread dough.

"You did not just touch my dough!"

"I am a force to be reckoned with!"  (and don't we all know it).  

So we got the bread into the pans.  I LOVE these long loaf pans.  They're shaped like the store-bought bread that most kids are familiar with (unless they've only known homemade).  I make at least 4 at a time and freeze them, which lasts for a week or two.  

I wish you could smell this....  mmmmmm......  it smells lovely in here!  Fresh baked bread.  YUM.  You know you want some  :)

Cleaning -- Green and Thrifty

As far as the environmental war goes, I'm somewhere in the middle (think of me as Switzerland).  I'm not in a panic over global warming (or even convinced there IS global warming...  I can hear the anguished cries already), nor do I feel it right to be wasteful or polluting of the resources God has given us.  Raising a large family has meant putting thriftiness into action.  I've done this is countless ways over the years.  

I got this book a couple of years ago as a freebie with something else.  I didn't find it preachy at all, but a great resource for having a cleaner and healthier home and family.  When Ken lost his job earlier this year, expenses were cut to the bare minimum.  As any mom knows, you can spend a good deal of money on cleaning products for your home!  I immediately pulled this off the shelf.  It's got great tips for cleaning in general.  


What I like about it the most is that in the case of home care, green = cheaper.  Who doesn't like that?  If cheaper doesn't excite you, think about less toxic.  I have been using several of her formulas for a while with great results.  Then recently, I decided maybe our floors needed "real" cleaner.  So I got some.  I forgot how much regular cleaning products irritate me.  Literally.  Coughing.  Choking.  Unpleasant fumes up my nose.  How good can that be?  Have you read the warning labels on some of the commercial stuff?  If you have anyone at home with asthma, allergies, sensitive skin, etc....  give green a try.


Here's a list of inexpensive and readily available products that will be a great help.  

liquid soap...  I like Dr. Bronner's liquid Castile soap.  You can buy it at a local health food store, and some grocery stores carry it as well.  It even comes in some various scented varieties...   scented with essential oils, not perfumes.  

baking soda...  SO many uses.  Make a little paste with this and liquid soap and it's a great cleanser.

washing soda...  hadn't heard of this before.  It's more caustic than baking soda, and makes a good abrasive cleaner and laundry booster.

white vinegar...  it's a mild acid so it disinfects and is great on glass.






oxygen bleach... I haven't used this much but it's a great alternative to chlorine bleach and  
more environmentally friendly.  Find one without all the added colors and stuff though.

essential oils... I keep these on hand for soap making and medicinal purposes, and some make great disinfectants while others can make your cleaners small lovely without harsh perfumes.


I'll share a few "recipes" for cleaners that I've adapted from Green Up Your Clean Up.  


All purpose spray


16 oz hot water
1 Tbs borax powder
1/4 tsp liquid Castile soap


I use a lavendar Castile, so it's automatically scented.  Put this in a spray bottle and you're good to go. The borax adds some disinfecting properties.  I use this in kitchens and bathrooms.  


Large job cleaner


For washing floors, cars, or other large areas you can mix this in a 1 gallon bucket


1 Tbs baking soda
2 Tbs Castile or detergent
hot water


You can add 1 Tbs of washing soda for heavy grease, or 1 Tbs borax to disinfect.


Glass Cleaner


1 cup each water and white vinegar.  I like to add 1/2 tsp of Castile.  You can also add 3-10 drops of essential oils to help with the vinegar smell.  Peppermint and lavender work well.  


Tea tree and lavender oils have antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties, so adding some to plain water and spraying on shower and bath surfaces is great and smells SO much better than regular bathroom cleaners.  


Buying that floor cleaner reminded me that this isn't just about saving money.  I find I've lost my tolerance for expensive and/or harsh cleaners.  These make me happier, and my house is just as clean.