Building a Raised Bed Garden

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Jill English Johnston

Last year we grew some tomatoes and peppers in our butterfly garden. The plants produced will into December. Even though we like to travel quite a bit (meaning we’re not always here to harvest), I’ve been wanting a raised bed vegetable garden. I’ll consider it a community garden to be shared with neighbors during the times we’re away.

We have quite a few live oaks shading much of our yard (what a blessing in the Texas summer heat) so we picked a small area behind the butterfly garden that receives a lot of summer sun from morning to early afternoon.

I’ve been planning to write about the building process for my Practical Living category and have been taking a few pictures to share. We thought we’d be through with everything except the planting by now. Little did we know the interesting events that would interrupt our project.

During our mild Texas winter weather earlier this month, Jon and our youngest, Jonny, started the garden. Jon put down road base to help level the slope in the area and used bricks for further leveling. He purchased 2X6 for the bottom frame and 4X4 for the uprights.

The uprights are 6 feet tall because of our hoofed friends who like to eat just about everything. We plan to install fencing and a door to enter, to let us in and keep them out.

Jon and Jonny finished framing it with wood we had left over from the house. The total area is 8X8 with about 2 foot wide planter boxes and a walk-in area to access all the planters.

Then it was my turn. I treated inside the planter boxes with linseed oil since they would come in contact with the soil. And on the outside I used our Cider Mill outdoor stain we had left over from our patio.

We had hoped to fill it with dirt from the local rock and soil place before forecasted rain and cold moved in. We didn’t quite make it and this week the weather has definitely brought our project to a screeching halt.

Before Texas fell to the grip of what is typically northern winter weather (I moved to central Texas to escape the northwest Pennsylvania winters!), I brought every potted plant inside and Jon and I mulched and covered as many of our plants as we could in our butterfly garden. However, we’re afraid they may have succumbed to the elements during 0ur week of below freezing temperatures (and a night down to 6F). Our plants are meant to be heat and drought tolerant. Not freezing temperatures tolerant.

I have the sinking feeling that along with purchasing vegetables for the raised bed garden, we may also be replacing many of the plants in the butterfly garden. Hoping for the best, but also trying to manage my expectations. Spring will tell.

Until our beloved mild Texas winter weather returns, we’re hunkering down, dealing with power and water outages, dreaming of spring planting, and sort of enjoying the unexpected winter wonderland that’s come to visit.

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DIY Sea Salt Spray

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Jill English Johnston

Years ago I set up a page on this site called Cleaning, under the All Natural heading. It contains many DIY (do it yourself) recipes for various cleaning supplies for the home. Some I still use, such as vinegar and water on my tiled floor areas and a soap scum remover for tiled showers. Some I’ve reverted back to store bought (because truthfully, I became a bit lazy about it).

But I do like knowing what goes into my products, whether cleaning supplies or foods we cook (I think I mentioned one of the things I love about Whole 30 is the cooking with fresh ingredients rather than processed, albeit some are convenience purchases such as cauliflower already riced or butternut squash already cubed, or canned tomatoes or green beans).

I also tried the natural thing for my hair, baking soda scrub and apple cider vinegar rinse and I found that it really didn’t do much for my hair. So I’ve gone back to shampoos and conditioners, although I look for sulfate free brands.

I have fine, thin, wavy hair. Which, if you have this kind of hair, you know is a huge challenge. It’s incredibly hard to find hair products that don’t either dry my hair out or weigh it down, or both. With the trend of sea salt products to “texturize” and create that “beach hair” look, I wanted to give it a try.

I reviewed quite a few products, from the cheaper brands to the more expensive lines, checking out their ingredients and the comments users made about them. But couldn’t find one I felt comfortable trying or wanted to shell out money for.

Therefore, I decided to google and see if anyone happened to have recipes to make my own sea salt spray (of course there are, because we can find a plethora of recipes for just about anything and everything online).

I’m a week into using the product I made and so far so good. I may add a bit more sea salt in the next batch, just to see if it can give a bit more texture. But it does give the “beach hair” look, provides some texture (which translates for thin hair as some body/lift) and doesn’t dry my hair out.

If you’d like to try it, here’s the recipe I found at diynatural.com

  • 1 cup warm water (warm enough to dissolve the salt and the coconut oil)
  • 1 Tbsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp Epsom salt
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 Tbsp pure aloe vera gel
  • 5 drops essential oil (for a nice smell)
  • Add each ingredient one at a time to the warm water, stirring until dissolved.
  • Pour into a spray bottle and use on damp hair, scrunching as applied.
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Whole 30 – Final countdown

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Jill English Johnston

Only six more days and we’ll have completed our Whole 30. It’s been good. Although frustrating at times because it takes a little extra time for meal planning. But everything is fresh and seasoned well. Our energy levels are higher, Some of those pants that weren’t fitting so well are back to being comfortable. Yay!

So what’s next?

We’ve talked about that a lot and are trying to figure it out. We want to keep the momentum going. The Whole 30 program takes an additional week or so to slowly reintroduce food items to isolate and identify any that may cause problems. We’ll start with reintroducing dairy. Confession. We miss cheese. A lot. And it’ll feel so indulgent to have it again. Then add the lentils. But I’ll hold off on the starches. I occasionally miss a good flour tortilla but I’m surviving without the breads and pastas. And the sugar monster.  Oh the sugar monster. I definitely have to keep it in its place so it doesn’t rear it’s ugly head and take over again.

My husband talked about maybe keto to follow, but its diet is so restrictive and really not very healthy. Our goal is healthy eating along with reaching a healthy weight for both of us. I think after we reintroduce the food items, we’ll continue to make the whole 30 meals through the end of February. By doing so, maybe it will establish the food choices a bit more solidly in our meal planning.

One month at a time toward a healthy life.

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Becoming by Michelle Obama

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Jill English Johnston

If 2020 taught me anything, it was to listen. First, to press in with Jesus, ask questions and to listen for his answers. Second, to begin exploring and hearing the voices that are different than mine.

After participating in a reading group for the book Oneness Embraced by Tony Evans, one of the women encouraged me to read Becoming by Michelle Obama.

During the Obama administration, I didn’t pay too much attention his presidency (I’ve never had an activist heart or been too concerned with politics) but I must confess, the voices I did listen to told me how evil they were, or how unqualified they were, or how they were going to take away our christian freedoms, or how they were going to destroy America. That’s the way of it, isn’t it? Us and them?

But 2020 prepared me to question what I’d been told and start taking a look for myself. To be intentional in my search. It’s a lot of work and even as I write this, I’m overwhelmed by the amount and availability of information to digest. Intentionality becomes even more critical.

All this to say. I read Michelle Obama’s book and have been blown away. Like me, she grew up in the north (she on the shores of Lake Michigan, I on the shores of Lake Erie). Like me, she grew up in a blue collar family, working dad and a mom who mostly stayed at home to raise two children. I realized how much more like my story is her story when compared to the many voices I had been listening to. Unlike me, she grew up in the city; I grew up in the country. And off course we also have different skin color.

I’m still processing all the book has given me. But I definitely want to included it as one of my Featured Books and encourage you to read Becoming.

As you do, you’ll find yourself drawn into her story. A story she shares with honesty and transparency, a story filled with both her awkwardness and grace, a story capturing her journey from the neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago to the White House. She invites us along as she fights her way through college then law school, launches her professional career, falls in love with Barrack, is swept up in his passion and vision to make the world around him a better place, experience her feeling overwhelmed by the political stage she is thrust into, and then feel her awe and humility as she takes on the role of First Lady.

Regardless of your political affiliation, I think you’ll find her story inspiring and promising. Along with the other books I’m reading, and being encouraged by the same friend, I’m now picking up Kamala Harris’ book, The Truths We Hold.

 

 

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Whole 30 – Over Halfway There

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Jill English Johnston

When coconut milk tastes sweet, I realize the sugar dragon has been maimed. I can’t say slain, because it wouldn’t take much to revive it to rear its fiery head again. I use the coconut milk in my coffee. No sweetener. Just enough to take the bitter edge off (about a tablespoon). After eighteen days of Whole30, the cravings for sugar/sweets have subsided. And I can feel that my sugar levels have stabilized. I don’t have the crash between meals that I have from my typical eating habits. My meals stick with me longer. Which keeps my moods steadier as well.

Just one of the many benefits we’ve had so far.

I think Jon and I both agree, we don’t feel “cheated” or “deprived” in any way. Because we feel full and satisfied after a meal. The meals take a bit more planning. But in some ways they’re not as elaborate. Toss some protein on the grill, roast up some favorite veggies in the oven, toss a salad, and there’s dinner.

We’ve been experimenting and discovering some new keepers. Shepherds pie with sweet potatoes. Comfort food but without the heavy starches. And who knew chopped cabbage with a warm apple cider vinegar drizzle would make for a great side to pork ribs? I didn’t. But now I do. And I actually like it. Homemade mayonnaise with olive oil, eggs, and lemon juice is amazing. It doesn’t even compare to the product we buy in the stores. It tastes creamy, rich and a bit decadent.

Over halfway there.

 

 

 

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