I got a Compost Bin for Christmas!!

This is exactly what I wanted.  I actually pick out a snap-together, plastic version at Big Lots for $60. (Thanks Mom and Dad!!!!!) Real easy to put together and I did it while Steve was at work - no tools, light weight.

 

Composting is the next phase to my domestic kingdom.  It all started slowly and methodically.

Year One - Summer Garden, water bath canning

Year Two - Spring and Summer Garden, first child born September,

Year Three - Added three apple trees, spring, summer, and fall garden, got a pressure canner

Year Four - Still waiting on my apples, spring, summer, and fall garden and a second child born

Year Five - Still waiting on my apples, spring, summer, and fall garden and now I'm adding my own compost to the mix.  I'm hoping I'll have some ready before the year six summer garden!

Where to place a compost bin:
Somewhere that you will never want to move it.  Full sun so it can "bake."  Far away so you don't smell anything.

What to place in the compost bin:
eggshells, coffee grounds, banana peels, old bread, kitchen scraps, dead garden plants, raked leaves, grass clippings

What NOT to compost:
meat, dairy, other animal based products, weeds

Layer for a Hot Fast Compost:
Create a lasagna alternating between green and brown.  Green (grass, plants, kitchen scraps) and Brown (fallen leaves, twigs, wood chips, shredded paper) layers that you can turn with a pitch fork every other week will result in compost within three to six months.

How to start:
Start with a bottom layer of twigs or stems to allow air to flow up from beneath (I also trimmed back my rose bushes yesterday to start my bottom layer of old twigs). Keep it covered.  This plastic bin from Big Lots has a snapping lid that has slits in it to allow air and rain in but keeps out the raccoons and the neighbor's cat.

And the blessings continue.....

Most people don't know that about two weeks ago, Camilla (3 years-old) threw up in her car seat while we were searching for a parking spot at the YMCA.  I had to pull the car by the front door, yell at two women in the parking lot whom I knew to watch my car, and run into the front desk to announce that the spin class I teach was CANCELED!  Horrible night.

Well, I can now beat it.

This past weekend we loaded up the entire family and drove 3.5 hours to visit Steve's grandmother in Conway, SC (Myrtle Beach area).  We had a wonderful visit.  On Sunday, we pushed the kids all morning till about 1 o'clock with no nap to make for an easy ride home. We were about one hour out of Myrtle Beach when Rex woke up.  (For all of you who know that ride from Myrtle Beach out 501, once you leave the commercial areas, you are now in the sand hills of South Carolina.)

Rex (20 months-old) woke up and started throwing up all over himself.  Recalling the weather on Sunday, December 8th, it was raining, misting, and cold all day.  I can't get Steve to pull over fast enough into the only pull-off area possible - a private drive that leads off to three mobile homes in a field.  There we were, stripping Rex of all his clothes, in the misting, cold weather at someone's private street.  Fortunately since we were traveling, I had extra clothes for him.  But, all I had for cleaning supplies was a small, travel size pack of wipes.  We remove the car seat and use the wipes to "knock" the chunks into the road and wipe down the seat to the best of our ability.  Unfortunately this car seat doesn't have a removable cover (which is going to become a problem later when we try to clean it). We have a beach towel in the trunk to lay over the seat, thread the straps through, and buckle him back into his smelly car seat.  Away we go for another two and a half hours home.

As we are pulling into Kannapolis, Steve and I start putting together a game plan on how to clean and disinfect.  He is going to take the car seat into the driveway and wash while I take Rex straight to the bathroom. "Ready - Break." I stop by the washing machine on my way to the bathroom to strip him again.  Although they WERE clean clothes he has been sitting in vomit for two hours.  We go to the bathroom and start the water.  I make it a bubble bath so he would want to play for a while, getting water in every crack of his body.  As the tub fills, I take his diaper off, and he pees on the floor.  Well, that's nothing at this point!!  I'll clean that up any day!  Into the bubble bath he goes and I clean the floor.  Camilla walks by and sees a huge bubble bath, "Can I get in?"  "Sure."  So, with the two of them playing I move back and forth between the rooms cleaning and starting the laundry when I hear...
     "Here you go mommy," and she hands me a small brown rock.
     "What's this?"
     "Um, poop."
     "Oh really? Where did you get that from."
     "From the water."  I started to push the bubbles away so I could see the water....and yes....it was full of poop floating around.
     "Steve?????? Are you available???"
I grabbed Rex and he grabbed Camilla and we ran them both into our shower to be rewashed, and good ol' Steve who had just finished washing the car seat and placed it by the fire to dry, was now bleaching the shower.  "For life's bleach-able moments...."
Rex officially gave us the Triple Threat Sunday evening all within four hours - puke, pee, and poop.
But, if that is what it means to be blessed with wonderful, healthy children, well then bring on the poop, or pee, but I'd prefer to be done with my puke blessings. 

How Do You Bring It Everyday?

There is always a challenge in each day.  But, for some unknown reason...I wake up and face the challenges of education every morning with a new zeal and a fresh smile.  I BRING IT EVERYDAY!!!!

Why?  How? 
I have a couple of ideas for what works for me:

Drink a whole lot of coffee, read a little Kid President (@iamkidpresident), and listen to a little KLove.

Or maybe its just knowing that at the end of the day I have an employer who is greater than Rowan-Salisbury Schools and that is who I am trying to "work" for.


How do you bring it????


Leave your comments below.  

How to Cut a Pumpkin...or How to Cook with your Halloween and Thanksgiving Decorations

I can always justify spending $20-$30 on pumpkins at the beginning of October by using them in October, November, and then eating them in December.

This year I bought three smaller pumpkins and painted BOO (a Pintrest idea) and a larger pumpkin for my planter at the beginning of October.

Then, on November 1st, I turned the letters around and stacked them like a pyramid for Thanksgiving Decorations.

Today, I'm ready to decorate for Christmas and say goodbye to the pumpkins...but not really.  Now, I'll be eating them over the next two months.  But, the big challenge is not finding the best recipes, but rather, how to cut the pumpkin for cooking.  I already published a blog with recipes:
http://thesuburbanchallenge.blogspot.com/search?q=pumpkin

Now, I enlisted my 3 year-old photographer Camilla to help me demonstrate cutting a pumpkin.  Warning - PHOTOS MAY BE A LITTLE BLURRY!

1. Cut off the top and bottom with a large chef's knife.

2. Then, carve off the sides with the same knife.

3. Then Cut the pumpkin in half.  Using a high tech cook's tool - an ice cream scoop - remove the seeds.

4. Slice the pumpkin longways into wedges like you would see a cantaloupe.  Then cube the slices for storage.





5.  Done.  Measure off for your recipes.  Steam or roast if you need to puree it.

The Creamy Pumpkin Soup recipe calls for 2 pounds of chopped pumpkin.  One of the letter 'O's was exactly 2 pounds:

 I doubled the recipe and cut up both 'O's: Dinner for tonight and two batches packaged up for later.  I like to scatter it out and thaw one in December and one in January so it doesn't feel like we ate Pumpkin Soup for two weeks straight. 



So, unless Steve reads this blog (which is highly unlikely) he will never know that tonight's fancy dinner came from decorations he has seen for the past two months! (The roasted Acorn Squash came from my center piece in the front room.)

The Journey of Two Whole Chickens from Sams Culb for $10.37: How to pressure cook a whole chicken.

The secret, and the key, to The Suburban Challenge is planning ahead - no doubt about it.  Cooking for a busy family while working full or part time often suffers from quick pre-made entrees full of preservatives, sugar, and enriched products - not healthy!  Yet, there is that burning desire to offer home made, nutritious, and budget friendly options that please the crowd.  "If only I had the time..." No one has the time, so I'm not even suggesting how to find the time - DON'T EVEN PLAY. I like to simply find ways to plan ahead, in order to make it work.
Objective: Casseroles and Soups with homemade chicken stock and roasted chicken.

Plan: I purchased two whole chickens at Sam's for $10.37.  Then I planned some menus for the fall: two batches of sweet potato soup that uses 8 cups of broth and 4 cups of chicken each, three chicken pot pies using 2 cups of chicken each, two chicken casseroles using 2 cups each, and two meals of chicken tostadas using 2 cups each. 
All I did was look through my favorite fall dishes and totaled up the chicken and chicken broth, then tried to get an idea of how many times I would want to eat that this fall.  Grand Total: 16 cups of broth, and 22 cups of shredded cooked chicken.  Written like that I might need more than two whole chickens.  But, we'll try.....

Monday after work: The First Chicken in the Pressure Cooker.
1.Clean the chicken, discarding the "middles" and cut into 4 large pieces. Lightly salt and pepper each side.
2. Brown each piece first. If using an electric pressure cooker, use the browning setting and work in batches.  I also cut the skins off of the chicken. If you leave the skins on, increase the cook time by 2 minutes.
3. Place all of the browned chicken back into the pressure cooker stacking the breast pieces on top.

 

 

4. Add 1 cup of water.

5. Cook on high pressure for 28 minutes.

6. Quick Release the pressure. (I then left the lid on and went to the YMCA for a spin class and the pressure cooker remains on the warm function.)

7. Remove the chicken and separate it from the bones.  The chicken falls of the bones making it difficult, but very fast.

8. This one chicken yielded 6 cups of shredded chicken. (I did this after I got home from spin class and then started the stock.)  So, I packaged it and labeled it for chicken pot pie, pre-measured into 2 cup servings.  Menu planning for the season, not just week, allows you to know the quantities you will need. Package the way you want to cook.

 ****Begin the way you want to end to make this whole process work.****

Stock:
1. Place the remaining fat pieces and bones into a large stock pot with 18 cups of water.  I also dumped in the leftover juices and water from the pressure cooker. Throw in some fresh herbs and leave them whole so that its easier to remove from the liquid when done. I love to use my stock pot with the steamer insert in the photo below.  When its all done, just pull out the insert and the stock is ready to package.

2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncover for 1 hour.
3. Package up in measured amounts to yield easy cooking.  I measured off 1 eight cup container for my soup recipe and then packaged the rest in two cup containers.

In one night: 1 chicken - 2 hours - 6 cups of shredded chicken - 18 cups of broth.  Cost $5.16

Repeat tomorrow night with the other chicken.

It's Over!!!!

Lets recap: The goal was to create a better flowing family area with sight lines from the kitchen sink to where the children are playing at all times.  Working within the limits of a 1800 square foot house with no option of going up or out, reworking our given spaces was the key.  We shrinked the size of the TV area, got rid of an unused and separate dining room, took down two walls......and created one large open area with kitchen, dining, and living area.

The painting finished up on Labor Day and we were able to finally bring back all of the furniture and hang the curtains.  So....here are the before and after pictures!

Standing at the Garage Door BEFORE....

and AFTER.  The wall came completely down so the kitchen could be bigger.

 

Standing from the middle of the house (laundry area) looking out BEFORE:

 

 

 

AFTER: You can see right out and can tell which two walls came down to open the area.

 

The large living area BEFORE:

 

 

After: Now is split into TV and dinning areas open to kitchen.

One more angle from the living room BEFORE:



 and AFTER:

 

 

MY FAVORITE DETAILS.

Some of the little stuff is not as noticeable as two missing walls and a large L shaped island, but it is what makes this small house feel large and functional for a wild family.

No room for a home office, but with custom cabinetry we were able to design a wall unit adjacent to the bar at the same counter height.  So, just pull over a bar stool and work on the computer while cooking or watching the kids play.

Before, there was a small door to enter the front living.  Opening it to a 48 inch French door lets in more light.  I plan on using the front formal living (that is never used) as a play area with train table, piano, and craft area.

No room for a mud room.  In fact our garage door opens right into the kitchen.  So, just steps away from the garage door I also designed a "mud closed" to house lunch boxes, shoes, coats, bags, broom, etc...  This was one of my strangest request to the cabinet man, but best ideas.  This is what makes custom cabinetry worth the extra money.  Much more expensive than stock cabinetry, but much less when you consider I was able to offset the need for two new rooms added on (home office and mud room) but working them into the cabinets.

I am so excited about having a new garage door that actually shuts when pulled!!! I found this vinyl sticker at the Dollar Tree.  This is the view from the garage.  Why not decorate the view from the garage that my family and I see 8 times a day? You can also have a little fun with this area since it is only seen by family members.  Maybe when I get around to it I'll recover the carpeted stairs up to it in a fun color and hand more hooks to the left for book bags.

Previously this was a single patio door.  I love my view out now with the double doors. From the sink I can see Camilla and Rex dumping potting soil all over the pavers.

 

BUDGET SAVING TIPS:

I sold many of the old materials on craigslist (old cabinets, old floor).

 

I was able to reuse my fridge, stove, and dishwasher.

 

I found porcelain tile for $1.98 a square foot that looks like wood.

 

Painted cabinets are more expensive than stained. So, I went half and half so I could afford my favorite - white cabinets.

 

Bought a floor model dinning room table for $199 and then found 6 chairs on Craigslist for $300.

 

Installed an expensive ceiling fan in the back living area ($150) with uplighting and downlighting to offset the need for new lighting above the dining area.  That would have gotten expensive and probably would have required some new wiring.

 

I got lucky at one of Queen City Appliance's sales.  We had budgeted $250 for a new faucet and found one for $75.  We had budgeted $250 for a new, basic microwave and found an upgraded model for $225.  We had budgeted $250-300 for a new stainless, undermount sink and found one for $100.  All in the same shopping trip to Queen City's warehouse in Charlotte.

 



Canning Recipe: Gumbo Starter Makes 4 pints

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 chopped onions
2 tablespoon minced garlic
small bunch of chopped parsley
2 diced green bell peppers
4 ribs of celery diced
1  quart water
1 tablespoon Tabasco
1 tablespoon each salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 quart of sliced okra or 3 lbs.
10 large tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped

1.  In a large stock pot heat garlic in olive oil. Add chopped onions, celery, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes stirring often.
2.  Add water and bring to a boil.
3. Add seasonings, okra, and tomatoes.
4. Bring to a low boil and simmer for one hour uncovered.
5. Transfer to hot, sterilized jars. Process at 11 pounds pressure for 40 minutes.

To serve:
Make a Roux with 1/4 cup oil and 1/2 cup flour.  Add a pint of starter and bring to a boil (you can add1cup of water in you want a thinner Gumbo).  Add meat and boil until the meat is tender or fish is cooked. Remove from heat, add 1/2 teaspoon file and serve over hot rice. Serves 4-6.

Garden Picture of the Week

Out with the lettuces and in with the Sweet Potatoes!!



Two full weeks without a kitchen....

It has been a test of patience, no doubt.  Especially when there is no room for a one year-old to run around in.  But, it has been a week of the "unseeables."  The electric under the house, leveling ceilings, moving beams, framing doors, etc.....  Just waiting for the eye candy to start to arrive.

OH....and I have to can in the garage!  I was able to get 7 quarts of green beans and potatoes canned Wednesday evening.  (In the hot garage, with mosquitoes, and nothing but apps on my phone to keep me busy.)

 

Making Money during the Remodeling.

I told Steve the other night, I felt like we had a laceration and the money was just bleeding out!  Well, I have found a couple of ways to stop the bleeding and have brought a little money back home.

1. I sold our old flooring.  Rather than just tossing the old flooring in the dump, I had Steve lift it carefully about three weeks before the remodel actually began.  I boxed it up and took pictures of it still in the room and then boxed up in the garage ready to walk off. I was able to sale it on Craigslist for $100. It was a total of 310 square feet of parquet wood flooring.

2. I had some furniture that is no longer going to fit into the new floor plan.  I sold my breakfast table and 5 chairs for $125 and my computer armoire for $90.

3. My cabinets were in great shape, I just though the color was a little dated.  Also, they were not going to be reusable in the new layout. I sold them to my painter for an $800 credit of painting.

4. The counter tops normally just go in the trash.  But, a friend from work is building a studio apartment on his parents property for he and his new fiance to move into while they save money for a house.  I traded the use of a counter top microwave to use during the remodel and some fresh organic eggs from his dad's farm for the old counters.

5.  I found a warehouse sale in Charlotte two months ago and scored on my appliances.  I bought our over the range microwave for $225(compared to the $400s), an under mount stainless sink for $100 (compared to about $275), and a stainless faucet to match for $75 (compared to $250).  All brand new Kitchen Aid that had been used in their show room. 

6.  The new floor tile was the biggest headache.  Everything I was pricing out was at least $3.00 a square foot.  The stuff I dreamed about was $5.00 a square foot.  I tried looking on Craigslist but could not find enough.  We needed 720 square feet for the new space.  Lowes got in a new shipment of designer tile that was in stock (not special order).  I really liked one that was $2.48.  Since we needed so much, we asked for the manager and were able to negotiate a pallet price of $1.90 a square foot.  I am so excited and its beautiful.  It is the new style of porcelain that is made to look like hardwood.  Stay tuned for the installed picture!!

The Kitchen Project

Well.....HERE WE GO!

I'll try to post weekly pictures of the kitchen transformation.

The goal: To update the early 90's kitchen while creating a better flow from the back of the house and better site lines into the living room where the kids are always playing.

 

Before: The view from the garage door.



Week One

 

Week Three....same view.  The oven is now in the garage and the fridge is in the front living room.  Good Times!!

 

 

Before: The view from the fridge.  This is the site line I'm trying to improve.

 

Week One...you can kinda see the fireplace start to peak through.

 

                 

Before: The view from the living room into the kitchen.

 

Week Three...it is all gone.  But, what a large playroom the kids now have!

 

Week Three from the fireplace looking back.



Garden Pic of the Week

Staking the Tomatoes.  

Thanks Dad for suggesting to use newspaper covers to tie up the tomato vine. They are easy to tie and stretch a little.  Also the plastic doesn't bruise the branch.  

Camilla also found a big green tomato.

The Suburban Challenge's Journey of a $5.86 Whole Chicken

Who has time to make chicken stock from scratch and who doesn't love fresh chicken salad this time of the year?  Well, if I had time to do all of that, this would not be called The Suburban Challenge.  In true fashion....I'm too busy for any of that.  So here is how I did it anyway with a whole, raw chicken from Aldi purchased for $5.86.  (I forgot to look at the pounds, sorry.)

1. I bought a whole chicken Friday afternoon during my weekly (and only once a week) trip to the grocery store. Saturday morning while Camilla (who woke up at 5AM) watched cartoons and Rex was still sleeping I cut the legs and wings off, ripped some of the skin off by hand, and sprinkled the meat with salt and pepper.

2. Then, I browned the meat on the stove top on all sides (about 8 minutes each side on medium high).  The Al Clad slow cooker in the picture is my favorite cooking appliance. The slow cooker insert can go on the stove top for browning the meat preventing having to use and dirty two pots. Also, the slow cooker is programmable. I can set it for 8 hours and it will automatically go to a warm setting once done. This is a great feature since I don't know when I'll be home tonight from a Mother's Day party at Aunt Cathy's.

3. I placed the insert back into the slow cooker and set on low for 8 hours.

4. Packed the kids up and drove to Hickory for the day.

5. Once I got home the slow cooker had been on low for 2 hours.  I turned it off so that it would start cooling.

6. I then fed Rex and Camilla dinner and got them ready for baths and bed.

7. Once everyone was asleep, I separated the meat from the bones.  This was so easy that I was afraid bones were sneaking into the meat.  It took me less than five minutes. I placed the meat into a bowl for salad and the bones into a stock pot for boiling.

8. To the bones I added about 8 cups of water and herbs off my patio (Rosemary, Thyme, and Chives) and brought it to a boil. I find it easiest to use my stock pot that has a steamer insert because after boiling, all I have to do is pull out the insert and the mix is already separated. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour.  Completely cool before freezing.

9. Meanwhile, in a food processor, for each 2 cups of chicken add 1/4  cup of your favorite pickle and pulse 15 times.  Pack it into containers and freeze.  Add the mayo (and mustard) once it is thawed and ready to eat.

10.I then package cooled broth in 2 cup containers measured out.  Most soup recipes call for either 2,4,6, or 8 cups of broth. This way you know how much to easily thaw.

Total Summary: Cost $5.86. 
Yield: 2 pints of chicken salad valued at $10 and 8 cups of Chicken Broth valued at $8-10 dollars.  So, being gone all day, I still managed to profit about $12-$15.