How to Build a Rain Barrel

The Problem:
A garden, which requires daily watering in the summer.

A gutter that creates a waterfall to the ground, and the water has gouged an 8-inch hole in the ground.

The Solution:
A rain barrel! A rain barrel will catch the falling water, and save it for when we need it.

We looked around to buy a barrel, but they're fairly expensive. We really had no idea how large a barrel we needed. We checked out YouTube for videos of how to make one ourselves. It turns out that it was a project that was fairly inexpensive and simple, so off we went to Home Depot.

Supplies:

• Irrigation tube: $5.41
• 32 gal. trash can: $9.88
• 3/4" spigot: $5.33
• Auto/Marine sealant: $4.57
• 8 cement blocks: $$1.39 each, $11.12 total
• 4 cement caps: $1.09 each, $4.36 total
• 2 1" Spring Clamps: $2.09 each, $4.18 total
• Things around the house: Knife, scissors, x-acto knife, Sharpie, length of old water hose, dirt

Total Price: $44.85

Let's get started!

The Base:

1. Arrange four cement blocks in a square, leaving a square hole in the middle (see the photos below)
2. We filled the spaces with dirt for extra stability
3. Start with the next layer of cement blocks. Fill with dirt.
4. Top off with the cement caps

Tada!

The Spigot:

1. Trace around the spigot onto the side of the trash can. Cut out inside the traced hole.
2. Apply glue
3. More glue
4. Work the spigot into the hole

Tada!

The Overflow Hose:

1. Trace around the hose and cut a hole a few inches from the top of the trash can.
2. Cut the hose to length long enough to send the overflow water where you want it (Ours was just long enough to make it to the ground and a foot or so away. We already had the water pounding into the ground, so a softer flow of water onto the same place seemed like it would be fine. You could use a longer hose to direct to a flower bed or wherever.)
3. Insert the hose into the cut hole. Make sure the metal attachment is on the inside of the trash can, to help the hose stay in place
4. Glue

The Drain Pipe:

1. Cut slits in the rim to accommodate the larger gutter.
2. Slide over gutter and measure length to trash can.
3. Cut off excess pipe
4. Trace and cut hole in trash can lid 
5. Clamp pipe to gutter, and put other end of pipe in trash can

Tada! You're done! Now just wait for the rain! It only took one night of good rain to fill up our barrel! I'll be interested to see how much water it takes to water the garden.

Notes:

1. If you're an observant kind of person, you'll notice that in the pictures, our rain barrel moved from directly under the window to a few feet to the right. Let's just say, test out your pipe and how it connects to the gutter before deciding where to put the base.
2. I suppose, if 32gal doesn't end up being enough, that we could add a second barrel using the same technique, only connecting it to the first barrel with the overflow hose, so it will fill up after the first is full.
3. I'm hoping that having a lid for the barrel will prevent mosquitoes, but I will definitely be checking occasionally. A friend suggesting adding Mosquito Dunkers to the water to prevent mosquitoes. They're donut-shaped things that float on the water and kill mosquito larva.

After last night's rain, it looks like we'll need to add a little more sealant around the spigot. Other than that, I'm completely satisfied with my new rain barrel. I can't wait to start using it, and I really hopes it helps with our water usage this summer! 

How to Cut an Angled Bob Haircut

Now you have cut your bangs all by yourself...how about giving yourself an entire haircut?

I've cut my hair for almost ten years now. That has included long hair, pixie cuts, and everything in between. Some haircuts have been huge fails, but you know what? I've paid for haircuts that have been huge fails before, too, so it happens to the best of us, I guess. While I've had stints in this time where I've paid for my haircuts, these days I mainly stick to cutting my hair myself. I can make the decision for the cut at the spur of the moment, I don't have to make an appointment, and I don't have to make sure someone else can watch the boys. It's free, and if it goes horribly wrong, I can always go the salon if needed.

So, not to say you need to give up your weekly/monthly/bimonthly appointment, but if you're interested in trying out a haircut on yourself, here's a good one to try. The Angled (or Wedged) Bob haircut. It's like a bob, only it angles up at the back.

Start with wet hair and pull it straight back into a tight pony tail. The higher your pony tail, the more layers you will have.

Pull the pony tail out away from your head to desired length. (If you want a very short wedge, and don't pull it out at all, this method will probably not work for you. It will cut too much off.)

Now cut off all the hair beyond the pony tail! Exciting!

Pull the holder out and admire your work so far. The hair at the back of my neck is usually a bit thick, so I hold the hair in my fingers (which are perpendicular to the ground) and trim. This would have been a good time for a picture, but it didn't happen.

It's almost right, but I've found that it helps to then cut off another inch or so straight off the bottom. I'm grabbing my chip clip from when I clipped my bangs to do this task. Clip and cut!

The chip clip wouldn't hold some of the hair up front, so I just pull that down with my fingers and snip it off.

Here it is air dried. Crazy hair and all it's flippy-ness.

And now I've told it who's boss. The flat-iron, THAT's who's boss!

From the side (that chunk of hair over my right shoulder is a reflection in the mirror, NOT an overlook on my part!).

You can see at the nape of my neck where the hair is still a bit thick and could use a little more trimming, but I've got to head out, so this is what it is for today. I can mess with it later, or just let it grow out a bit and no one will notice. *wink*

Obviously you can personalize this to your own taste! Leave it longer in front where I decided to cut it. Pull the ponytail higher for more layers in the back, or lower for less. Or, for an overall layered look with no angle, pull the hair up directly on top of your head! That's how my mom did it in college, which is where I got the idea in the first place to try it with an angle.

Have fun with it, and let me know if you try it!

How to Cut Bangs

Cutting bangs has always been a bit of a hassle to me. And considering I keep my bangs pretty long, I have to cut them often to keep them out of my eyes. A while back I saw an interesting idea about cutting hair using a special tool that looked a lot like a chip clip, and I thought it would be perfect for bangs! So...here it is! How to cut your bangs with a Pampered Chef chip clip.

The before:

Tools Needed: comb, sharp scissors, and a swing-arm chip clip (Pampered Chef was the first place I saw this kind, but they're at Kroger and other places now)

 Use the comb to section off the hair you want to cut. I sort of part mine in a wedge (think of the opposite of a widow's peak). Then clip your bangs with the chip clip. Slide the clip down the hair to the desired length. Clip with scissors.

Tada!

Church Banners

By the way, I had the privilege of designing Advent banners for our church this year. I kept forgetting to take a picture, but someone else did.

Initially, way back in August, I was approached to help make fabric banners. My main job was to work on the concept. It took quite awhile for us to decide on colors, fabrics, all the special bits and baubles that go onto banners, etc. Suddenly, it was November, one of the ladies bowed out of the project, and I figured out I was supposed to be sewing it all together, as well. Now, I like to sew, but it's time-consuming for things I'm familiar with. I had no idea how long it would take for something like this. There was no way it would be done in time for Advent.

So, I suggested we scrap the plan.

"Let me do what I'm good at. I can design the banners and have them printed. They'll look great, won't cost us any more, and best of all, will be up on the wall for the first week of Advent."

The music director (the one coordinating this) was a little hesitant at first. She is very aware of the traditional nature of our church, and not having fabric banners might be a shift some people weren't ready for. Plus, she really had her heart set on fabric banners and felt she wouldn't be happy with anything else.

"Just let me see what I can do. I'll give you a call when I'm ready."

With that, I got busy. I really love designing. It's so much fun to choose fonts and colors, then carefully piece it all together. I enjoyed adding meaning through text in the background, for those who would care to look (verses referencing the attribute of that particular banner). And I added in some light flares reminiscent of Advent candle flames. I kept a traditional font and hoped the sunburst wouldn't be too wild for our church.

When our director saw it, she loved it. She had some reservations about the initial color choices, and I immediately saw that she was right. My choices (aqua, orange, pink) were too contemporary and not related to Advent. I think I chose them because they worked well with the Advent purple background. Muting them to red, green, and gold made much more sense. After that change, it was final! I made the order, we stayed under budget, and the banners were up for the first Sunday after Thanksgiving. They were on curtain rods that were held up by Command strips!

The response was great. Everyone really enjoyed the burst of color it gave our sanctuary, and many commented that we should have something similar up all the time. I had fun doing it, and it's always gratifying to be "in one's element." I'm grateful that I can use my knowledge for such purposes.

It's a New Year

It's January second, and people all over the world are making resolutions...or resolving to make none. Some people have already broken their resolutions, and some will wait to March to get around to making any.

My resolutions actually started a few weeks back. I have gotten into a lazy pattern at home, allowing a cycle of chaos to roll on to the point where it seems that things seem to have hit critical mass around here, and something has to change. So...resolutions.

• Become an early bird. James has settled into a 6am schedule. Usually I do all I can to fight it--or remain as asleep as possible while allowing him to babble next to me in bed--but when it's time to really get up (the last possible minute), it's my schedule that controls me, instead of the other way around.
• Set the alarm for 6am. Rise earlier if James gets up earlier.
• Get ready for bed at 10pm
• Take my shower at night, so I'm ready to hit the ground running
• Be in control of my house.
  
• Use My Simpler Life's declutter schedule as a guide through the year to help me declutter
• Use Time-Warp Wife's house cleaning schedule as a guide for cleaning my house
• Take weekly photos of my house, since I'm more aware of clutter when I see it in 2D. Weird? Maybe.
• Have my mom and others keep me accountable and encourage me often.
• Read two books about organizing/decluttering
• Bring my photography business to a more professional level.
  
• Finalize design for pricing brochure, and find an inexpensive way to have it printed/folded
• Create client information sheets and order forms
• Attend at least one photography seminar this year
• Research and finalize decision about new camera body, and start saving!
• Blog more
• Done!

On a health kick...for three days

Awhile back, Jon and I saw the compelling documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead." (Check it out on Netflix.) The premise is that our bodies have the ability to heal themselves if given the chance. However, we clog up the process with processed foods, meats, and other things. So, this guy went on a juice diet for 60 days. He ate only juiced fruits and vegetables, and his health improved dramatically. The juicing condenses the food, and makes digestion a lot easier. So, we were due a health kick, and decided this one sounded fun, so we decided to go for it. This was our daily fare.

 

And this is how we ate it.

 I gotta tell you the fruit juices were pretty great, and the "green" juices were pretty nasty. I realize a lot of it was mental, but I had to do some serious breath-holding, chugging, and chasing with water.

The first couple of days were miserable. Jon and I were in a fog of hunger, and supposedly dealing with all the detoxifying that was going on. We felt gross. By day three, though, I was starting to feel a little better. Jon, however, was not. Which makes sense. I mean, he's twice my size, and consuming the same amount of calories I was (which was very little, by the way). He was actually starting to feel ill, so we called it. I said at that point, though, that I would not be going through those first few days ever again. It was an interesting experiment, but...nah....

Juice fasts still intrigue me, though. From what I've read about them, the idea of flushing your system with micronutrients  seems to be somewhat of a cure-all. There have been dramatic results from people with severe allergies, cancer and other illnesses. One of my friends, in fact, staved off cancer and got rid of her allergies by juicing. The theory--giving your body a break from cruddy foods, and allowing it to do its job--makes sense to me. But the practice--drinking kale from a straw--does not.

The Knitted Sock

So I took up knitting awhile back, and I've really enjoyed it! It's very portable and usually pretty easy to stop when needed. The downside is getting a good collection of needles for all the different projects I'd like to do! When I started, I thought knitting socks would be a very economical thing to do. Cool, and economical. Well, there's nothing much economical about it. It would cost about $6 per pair, plus the hours and hours of labor. However, when you're finished, you have a great pair of wool socks that you can say you made yourself! So...not economical, but still cool in my book.

Did I mention I've only made it through my first sock?

Lazy Meme

The instructions with this are to bold the ones you’ve done, leave the others in normal type. So here goes. (I got it here.)

1. Started your own blog (clearly…)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (we had a garden as a child)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41 Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45 Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60 Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66 Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67 Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (well, it was probably going the speed limit)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (outside it)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Your turn!

Crafting Getaway

While it seems like most things these days are focused on my kids and family in general, I've gotten some craft projects done lately that I'm really happy about. A few weekends back I got to join my mom, Karen, some friends from my town and a few other girls on a craft retreat. Most everyone was scrapbooking, but I decided to take my sewing things, and it worked out perfectly! I have had a couple projects on my mind (one for over a year), and I finally got them done!
First, I made a birthday banner. I am super-excited about it because I can put it up every birthday, and it will become part of our family's traditions. Plus it's very cute with just the right colors. It just makes me happy.

The second project I had was a purse like the ones I made for the women in my family a couple years back. At the time I had bought some fabric I loved, but like most projects around my house, by the time I got around to making it for myself, I ran out of time or motivation. So this weekend was the weekend! Out came the beautiful fabric, and my purse turned out just like I had imagined. I love it.

 

I can't believe how much I got accomplished over the weekend. Plus my friend Adrienne and I took full advantage of the "big city" to get plenty of shopping in! It was a great time.

Happy Valentine's Day

Jon and I have known each other for 10 years (though we can't agree on exactly when we met). We were friends for a year, dated for 6 months or so, engaged for 10 months (9 years ago tomorrow), and married for 8 years! We've taught Sunday School together, led worship in nursing homes, gone on mission trips with groups and by ourselves, gone camping, enjoyed road trips, written letters, been silly, been serious, had fights, made up, grown up. We've had two beautiful boys together, learned that parenting is hard, leaned on each other, depended on God, prayed together, worshiped together.

Every big event that warrants a post like this,  I cringe to write it. When I think of how much I love Jon, and *how much* he loves me, there are no words. I can't describe to you the daily self-sacrifice that Jon does for me, and how he shows me that he loves me every day. I can't describe to you what security he gives me, how much I lean upon his steadfastness. Besides some killer eyes and that whole tall/dark/handsome combination, Jon's love for the Lord is what attracted me to him in the first place, and it has never faltered.

Jon, you are my sexy man of God, and I love you! Happy Valentine's Day.

Clyde

I love how kitties drape their tails over their feet. Isn't Clyde handsome?

In case you're wondering, this was a photo from the archives, taken when we were packing up our old house getting ready to move here.

Best Friends

My best friend took this picture of me:

But then I got her back by taking this picture of her:

(You know, maybe these things wouldn't happen if we weren't such hams in front of the camera....)

But because I love her, I suppose I'll put this photo up of her beautiful family.