Visit and a little DIY

Saturday my parents stopped by for a quick visit on their way to Grammie's from GA. They gave the boys some fresh peaches. (I dont like peaches but all of my boys loved them) Thanks Mom❤❤

Tuesday I plan on going up and visiting them before they head back Wednesday.
Today I made dishwasher tablets for the first time and they worked really well!

I am so impressed that I made these. Silly as it sounds, I do not have to worry about running out and can even make some for gifts.
I plan on making laundry soap as soon as I get a covered pail big enough to mix it in. Thanks Mom for the recipe and explaining how to make it! 

Wednesday my blueberry order will be in so I will be busy making jam, pie mix and freezing some.
Im hoping this week a lot of my tomatoes ripen so I can begin canning sauces. I have a few that have ripened but not enough to begin canning.
Our pumpkins are turning orange! I plan on canning some pumpkin and making pumpkin pie over the colder months.
I have wanted to farm/homestead for years but I really didnt care about the self-sufficiency part of homesteading. I guess I never thought about how the two go hand in hand. My next big goal for myself is essential oils.
Enjoy your night and I will post pics of my laundry soap when I make it.

Cool Maine Temps

It's getting a little cooler here in the northeast. I made Chili in the crockpot for supper and will be making homemade biscuits to go with it.
We have to keep chasing the chickens around because they love to go to the neighbors and eat sunflower seeds.
Our dog is not impressed with his muzzle he has to keep on his face but hopefully soon he will learn to leave it alone.
I pulled the rest of the plants up out of the garden today and set the corn stalks off to the side so they will dry out.
I'm finally getting myself onto a cleaning routine which seems to be working out great. Everything except laundry is usually done by 8:30 am. That's quite an accomplishment for me.
Here are some fall pics, a few pis of our animals and what we have done on our chicken coop this far.

Fingers crossed..

This is my first time starting plants from seeds inside.  I will keep you updated with progress.

16 different herbs planted. 2 need to be directly sown in the ground. I'm hoping they will grow well. I have not decided if I will leave some plants inside to have year round or not.
I'm most excited about the cilantro. I love homemade salsa and making it fresh out of our garden will be amazing later on this year.
I see why my family all gardens, it truly is relaxing.
We had some visitors at our bird feeders. (Due to all the snow melting here they sit on the ground until the ground thaws enough to put the shepherd hook in the ground).

Room is finished

Master Bedroom is finished with the exception of my closet.
Instead of real candles in some of our candles we bought battery operated ones. The candles we attached to the repurposed glass door are real though. This weekend I plan on painting a quote on the glass door with a marriage theme to it. I will posts pics of it as soon as I finish it.
(I really need to get a new SD card for my ohine as everytime I try to posts new pics it says my phone doesn't have enough memory. It's obviously telling me I need to start printing pics! !)

Hubby built me a new piece of furniture out of old doors that I had wanted to make into barn doors. (Doors were too heavy and wide for where I originally wanted them).
Here is the bench he made instead.

We need to finish the entryway/mudroom but I can not decide on how I want the walls. I have been watching a lot of 'Fixer Upper' on HGTV and I love the look of shiplap.  On the other hand I love the white wainscoting with a chair rail. On top I would paint the walls a soft buttery yellow. I'm torn between the 2 looks and can't make up my mind so it is on hold for a bit.
We have been keeping an eye out in the Uncle Henry's and on Craigslist for a claw foot tub that we would love to add to the master bathroom this summer.
This summer we will build 1 more bedroom in the basement for our boys. Then most important cost for our own fixer upper will be replacing the current fuse box for one that is up to code. We have the old know fuses but feel it's time and safer to put in circuit breakers. (Plus insurance companies demand an update.)
I have slowly been crafting again. This week has been pure insanity with 2 different trips to the er for 2 of my children but I have decided to use a Christmas Tree I had in our master bedroom before we moved to this house and use it year round.
Each month I have decided to put a different theme of ornaments on the tree. January's theme is snowmen.
Here are the ornaments I made. This weekend I will be making felt ornaments to put on it as well.

Here is the tree decorated and sits in my kitchen on top of an old wooden high chair. (We found this green beauty sitting beside the road waiting for the garbage truck 4 or 5 years ago)

Running towards final stages

We now have a bedroom door, built in shelves near our future window. Thsee shelves are where my grandmother's desk will be sitting. To the right I am going to make a message board out of an old window we have here.
Mudding is being put up and flooring is being laid down as well.
Hubby made his own chair rail.

A little more done

About half way done now!!

Hubby just needs to finish putting sheet rock up around the closets. Finish sheet rocking the entryway. The ceiling just needs the rest of the "beams" added. The door put in. Tape and mudding, paint then voila it is finished! !!

New room pics

Here are some more pics of the room.  Hubby has put a bathroom door in from master bedroom. He also put up some of the bead board on the ceiling with the beams.
Closets are framed in and barn boards in it to match the bedroom.

Hubby measuring to cut out spot for bathroom door.

Looking from inside of bathroom to master bedroom.

Voila bathroom door installed!!

Closet's framed in and boards put in.

Top picture beams being created.

2nd pic faux beams.

Last pic hubby staining threshold to match.

We will keep u updated via pics of this diy!!

Newest Project

All of you know how much I love pinterest. Here is hubby's newest project.....pinterest inspired. Master Bedroom

U see in these pics the faux barn board walls and faux hardwood flooring. We bough several sheets of plywood from Lowe's and had them cut them to the sizes that we need. I wanted the boards to be gray like the lockers hubby made but the stain we used do not come in a Gallon bucket. I ended up choosing another gray shade with hints of blue.  The floors we are staining Antique Maple.
We will be taking the old farm doors below cutting them to turn them into barn door closet doors. The glass door if it can't fit where my pantry is will be hung sideways on our wall above the bed with a quote hand written on the glass.

I'm going to keep the doorknobs on them.
Here is our new to us entryway light fixture we got at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

I will post more pics as hubby makes more progress. :)