Time to check-in

Early this year I posted my goals:

New goals

1. This years garden will be fabulous.
2. I will have chickens.
3. Learn to compost.
4. Read more
5. Run more.
6. Reduce house hold clutter by 50%
7. Take family to the snow.
8. Visit 3 state/national parks with the kids.
9. Keep strong with eating and feeding my family healthy.
10. Get Sonny to sleep in his own bed.

Here's my after birthday check-in without my list of why I didn't.

1. We had a fabulous garden. Spinach, corn, tomatoes, squash, kale, carrots, peppers, egg plant, soy beans, bush beans, apples. I grew a lawn my kids played on all year!

2. My chickens names are Sally and buff brahma and Blacky a black Cochin. I love my girls.

3. I can compost! I tried multiple ways and finally stuck with worm composting. It's stink free! Highly recommended. My compost also breads mealworms that are my chickens favorite treat.

4. Read more only happened on-line. I have read up on company after company to make sure what I'm offering in on-line shop my conscious can live with. This year I'll still have this goal.

5. Run more only happened once. That was more than the year before. This year run will change to bike more. I think it's easier maybe????

6. I have rid my house of so much to make it look like I have never touched it. This is my #1 goal for 2012.

7. I officially took the kids to the snow. I wont be doing it again. I hate snow!

8. We went to zero national parks. Still high on the list for 2012.

9. We still eat home cooked food. I just added a second crock pot to the line up and got silicone pans that allow us to do more with our roaster. Still lots of room for improvements.

10. Sonny sleeps with me and I move him. Does that count?

My personal opinion of this year. I can do better and I will. There's a whole new list of goals for 2012 I can't wait to start.

Happy New Year!

Garden dreaming

I think I have a true sickness. My yard looks sad in the fall and winter. A lot of my hard work has ended season and I have cardboard all across my beds to help prevent too much unwanted vegetation growing. My chickens do have half as many grubs to dig up and all my cloth diaper laundry is being hung inside unless a good sun bleach is needed. Then I may even hang them in the fog and rain.

I have six pots on my front step where the sun hits these short winter days. I have greens, spinach and kale seedling growing away. My lights I hang in my garage are in my sons room keeping his turtle warm this winter and I have high hopes of a new house and yard for this years summer garden.

I find my self paging throw Territorial Seed Company's Spring 2012 catalog with an areal shot of my dream homes back yard. Reading ideas, planning a shed with a desk for Lovely Eco Chic to work from while out in the yard with my children, my chickens and my garden. A place where I can even sew.

The yard extends beyond the picket fence.

I should be cleaning my current home. Sending out resumes so I can work for someone? Oh well.... Dreams for now.

Watch "Attack the Chrismas tree" on YouTube

Where have I been?

We first should celebrate soccer season is over. Marysa and Joey added their fourth trophy and Sonny his first  to our crowded fire place mantel. This usually means more time for family and the family blog.


After a series of falls and a year of numbness I blew up at my doctor. I told them I'd take my chances with the pain. I needed to have a reason and not be treated for the symptoms any longer. Off the meds I'm a little emotional. I can feel the right side of my body again. Surprised my issue is with my bladder. Close to complete paralysis cause by my nerves not communicating out of the injured area of my back. Good news is I don't have to jump in to more meds. My body can take up to six months to self rehab and there is a remote control device they can add to my bladder to improve my quality of life if we need to go down that road.

My little on-line shop is fun. Not an over night success and I'm patient. I'd rather see the cloth diaper service side take off. Me trying to help instead of taking. Warren of coarse reminds me no one goes in to business not to make money. I hear my sisters voice saying to him before we got married. Because of her heart......it's so big and she's a giver. Don't hurt her. So who knows I may make it or not in business. I can tell you I feel successful I have made some great friends.

Now all the blah, blah blah is over.............

Cool blogs I want to write.

• Mountain View Sanitation District is super cool.
• There are vegetable gardens popping up EVERYWHERE!
• Meet Turtle 10
• For a change I like what Contra Costa County has been using my tax dollars for.
• Are  the birthday parties ever going to stop?!

Twitter Potty training Party

Come share with all us parents what works for your little one in the first step closer to being a big kid.

This is our first party ever. Hopefully it will grow in popularity to weekly.

I have Three great prizes for this chat. Ecoposh trainer, Flip trainer & Fuzzibunz Ticklefree Trainer.

The "offical" event page is found on Lovely Eco Chic Facebook page to RSVP how ever leaving a comment here you'll be there willalso enter you in the drawing.

Event time is Wednesday 7pm PST

Where:Twitter
hashtag #pottylearners

Ruby's Red Wash Review & Giveaway

This product is amazing and the brains behind it is wonderful too. Ruby's Red Wash gets the blood out. It's the bleen' truth.

With that said let me tell you I experiment with everything. I have a need to know. This is what I know about RWW.

• First people are scared to try it..... I can't understand why? Anything that makes my life easier I'm all for it.  The microwave, washing machine, toilet paper.
• It's great for all blood stains not just menstruation. It works on blood on sports uniforms, blood from nose bleeds, from the fluke accident were you slice your thumb open cutting while cooking. Saving what ever you bled on. Towel, shirts, under ware, sports uniforms.
• It's not bleach or even OxyClean. It's not going to change the color of the cloth the stain is on. RWW is micro organisms.  Like in yogurt only the kind that attach themselves to blood and only blood. Completely biodegradable. Eco-friendly.
• It's easy to use now or later. Rinse, saturate stain, soak and rinse. You don't even need hot water.

Our tests were on postpartum bleeding, premenopausal bleeding, bloody nose on a cotton t-shirt. It came clean every time. The only problem we came across was old blood stains that have been washed and dried already a few times.

As a mother of five, three who are rough boys and love to take me into the ER with cuts, keep me fully aware of the amount and size of bandages I have on stalk all the time. I am trilled to have a product where at least I don't have to buy new cloth because the old close the stain didn't come out after soaking in OxyClean.  I have two girls that will be changing really soon as well. Believe me they already have favorite jeans and panties. I sure would like for them to keep them and their pride.

You may not run out and by a bottle today for what ever reason is holding you back even though you really might think about changing your mind. Let's have a giveaway.

The rules:
You must comment each of your entries.

1. You must follow on Google Friend Connect so I can tell you you're the winner. +1 Entry
2. follow @rubysredwash on twitter +1 entry
3. follow me on twitter @pinkradish +1 entry
4. Become Ruby's Red Wash friend on Facebook +2 entries
5. Tweet about it. No more than 4 times a day 2 hours between tweets +2 per tweet
6. Post it to Facebook +4 entries

Bonus entries

• Buy something at Lovely Eco Chic and leave a comment on your check out you'd like a free sample. + 10 entries
• Tell us how the sample worked for you on LovelyEcoChic.blogspot.com Ruby's Red Wash informational page +15 entries

With that said..........

Dates of the Giveaway are 11/4/11 - 12/9/11 Winner will be posted here and contacted by e-mail. I use random.org to choose winners.  12-9-11 9 PST you will be notified who won. You have 48 hours to respond.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Eggs-- Which comes first?

If you been following along. I have chickens. They are now laying hens. Today it's official I have my first dozen eggs that are truly farm fresh. That is of coarse if farm fresh and backyard fresh are the same.

This is my fun experiment I did with a few eggs and a few kids.



First the eggs. One if from my girls and one is labeled "Farm Fresh" These eggs were gathered or bought at approximately the same time

The store bought egg outside is larger. I have no face to match with this egg.

This is Blacky's egg.

This is Blacky

The store baught egg insdide is thinner.

Than Blacky's free range grain feed egg shell.

Ok I am in love with my hen. This is where you'll get some cold hard scientific evidence what egg tastes better.

These are my testers.

Declan I will eat everything including hand sanitizer.

Sonny.... Can I have a treat. No not grapes...How about a cookie?

 

Joey's that's disgusting do I have to eat it ?

Marysa .. It's good but it would be better with garlic.

This is the test. My perfect microwave eggs.

The egg to the left is Blacky's eggs. The egg on the right is from a faceless Donner.

This is Blacky's egg yoke beat with a splash of 2% milk. Nice and smooth.

This is the faceless yoke beat with a splash of 2% milk. Notice the glob of yuck.

Blacky's egg after 40 seconds in the microwave tasted by each kid except Joey who backed out at the last minute.

Declan, Marysa and Sonny loved this egg. Marysa thought this had to be store bought.

The faceless egg after 40 seconds bubbles and fizzed and tasted good but it was no Blacky.


So I am happy to say my girls lay eggs tasty enough for my children and I know what they girls egg and know it's healthy enough for this Mama of 5 to approve.

Next test will be baking..... No clue when but a good idea. :-)