Lewis Plain and Simple

Garden update

4:35 PM by Lewis Plain and Simple

I just wanted to share a few pictures of the growing garden and my totals so far!

Okra-0

Tomatoes-0

Onions-0

Potatoes-0

Sweet potatoes-0

Bell peppers-0

Jalepenos-0

Strawberries-0

Watermelon-0

Spaghetti squash-0

Zucchini-3

Yellow squash-2

Cucumbers-0

Canteloupe-0

Pumpkin-0

My Yellow Squash babies!

Spaghetti Squash

One of the Strawberry plants. I have moved them out of the garden since my watermelon plant was taking them over!

I planted 4 pepper plants and I am now down to 2

My onion patch!

So ready for tomatoes!

Pumpkin Patch

Vanilla extract

9:35 AM by Lewis Plain and Simple

I made my own vanilla extract a few weeks ago Here are the directions:

In each quart jar, I split 3 vanilla beans.

I filled one of the jars with vodka and the other one with bourbon.

You seal the jars and let it sit for 3 months!

I will give you an update in 3 months after I try it!

Garden 2012

9:00 PM by Lewis Plain and Simple

I planted my garden a few weeks ago. Here is a picture of the garden

Not the best picture!

Each week I plan on updating my blog with weekly totals.
Here is what I have planted:
Okra
Tomatoes
Onions
Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Bell peppers
Jalepenos
Strawberries
Watermelon
Spaghetti squash
Zucchini
Yellow squash
Cucumbers
Canteloupe
Pumpkin

Duchess loves to work in the garden!

I'm Not Lost

3:13 PM by Lewis Plain and Simple

Hi!
I know it has been a while since I have posted anything. I have not forgotten about my blog....life has just been really busy lately! Once I get caught up with things at home I will post some projects that I have done!

Dish Soap

2:06 PM by Lewis Plain and Simple

Once again Sarah and I decided that we were going to save money! We decided to make our own dishwasher soap. I was really excited because the recipe we found claimed that it worked great with well water. It seemed like an answer to my prayer since I hate the hard water spots on my dishes! I washed a load of dishes but I could not see a difference. I continued to use the soap since I did not want to be wasteful. After about 5 washes, I started to notice a difference. The hard water stains on the dishwasher were disappearing and my drinking glasses were looking clearer. Sarah has decided to not use the soap any more since it did not get the baby bottles clean.

Here is the recipe:
* 2 cups of borax

* 2 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

* 2 cups Lemi Shine. The next time I make this, I will not add this to the mixture. It made the powder one solid, rock. I will just sprinkle a little in each load.

* 1 cup Kosher Salt

Mix it all together and it is ready to go. It takes 1 Tbsp/load. I also add vinegar to the rinse aid spot.

Diaper Shower Invites

8:02 PM by Lewis Plain and Simple

My friend Erin is pregnant so Sarah and I are throwing her a diaper shower. As I was looking online for cute invitations, I found the perfect ones! Problem was, they were $3/piece. That was just way too expensive for me! I decided I would just make them myself. I have a wonderful friend that helped me bring this creation to life! I am pretty proud of them...pictures below. And also they ended up being about $1.40 each.

Laundry Soap

11:32 AM by Lewis Plain and Simple

My friend Sarah and I decided to make laundry soap a few weeks ago. I haven't posted about it on my blog until now because I could not get the lid off and my husband was never home when I needed it opened!

This is the website Laundry Soap where we found the recipe for the soap. I have really liked it so far and it was REALLY cheap! I found everything at Dillon's. Since I did not take pictures while we made it, I only have the finished product. The next time I make it I will probably add some scent since that it is the only thing that I miss about this soap.

Finished Product- this is a 5 gallon bucket.