This year we have decided to try a small herb garden and by small I mean microscopic. I’m going to use basically a window sill flowering pot. We have two herbs to try – tarragon and chives. I’ve consulted the almanac and it appears the next day optimal day to plant seeds is Thursday, April 30th. I may pick up some more herbs before then.

I’ve never had success keeping house plants or flower beds. I did have an aloe vera that lasted for years. But they are very low maintenance. I’m hoping that I will get to cook with some fresh herbs from the garden. It might inspire me to plant more. I need to pick up some fertilizer to mix with my potting soil. Or maybe I will just use some of our compost since it makes a good fertilizer.

So that is the plan for Thursday. Let’s hope it all goes well.

Today is Earth Day although I think everyday should be Earth Day. Here is what we’ve done today for Mother Earth:

Took last night’s leftovers to compost

“Upcycled” the leftover biscuits into chicken feed for the chickens.

Holding off on drying the laundry until later in the day.

Open the windows instead of running the air conditioner.

Of course, these are things we do everyday and not just for Earth Day. So what are you doing for Earth Day?

Last month we, well mostly my husband, made our little girl a sandbox. Well technically it’s more like a pit. After debating different ideas we finally decided on one and to dig down a few inches to keep the sand from blowing away. Here is the the ‘beach’ before -

We had placed some sand in this area that was naturally sandy. My little one started calling it the ‘beach.’ Here is the finished sandbox -

She loves it and is having a great time playing it in. We can use a little more sand but other than that we are very pleased with it.

On more than one occasion, I’ve been given the adivce to use hot water to make ice because it freezes faster than cold water.  I’m not sure of the reasoning but I would believe it might have to do with energy. Maybe that the hot water uses more energy so it freezes faster?

The tray on the right is the cold water and the tray on the left is the hot water. I’m guessing it takes a few hours to make ice, so to see how well hot water freezes as compared to cold water, I checked on both ice trays after about an hour 15 minutes. (I was going to check back after an hour but got distracted by the cat who caught a baby bunny! Bunny is safe)

After one hour I picked up both trays and have to say that it seemed the cold water was freezing faster. I’m not sure if that was because it was closest to the freezer wall or if cold water does freeze faster.

After three hours. I can now see solid ice in each tray. The tray with the hot water has six solid ice cubes while the tray with the cold water has four. I really thought there would be more from the cold water since it seemed after the first hour that it was more frozen. But it looks like the hot water caught up and surpassed it.

So by using hot water you may have more ice cubes faster. As far as clearer ice, I can’t see any difference between the two.

I have to admit that I love home remedies. The crazier the better. Some of these get passed down and become old wives tales. You know what I’m talking about. How Grandma swears that rubbing a potato and burying it in the backyard under a full moon will get rid of warts. Or have you ever been given the advice feed a cold, starve a fever?

What I plan to do is put some of these old wives’ tale to the test as they pertain to the household. Think of it as Mythbusters but from a housewife perspective.

My first experiment will be around the tale that hot water freezes faster than cold water when making ice cubes. I tried this earlier but want to do it again to freeze both the hot and cold water at the same time. My husband says no that it won’t freeze faster but will freeze clearer. I guess I will be looking for 2 things when I conduct this experiment later today.

Spring is definitely in the air. Soon summer will be here and so will the warm weather. Now is the time get your feet ready for sandals. I have already found the pair of sandals I want from Zappos. Now I just need to get my feet ready to wear these gorgeous sandals. My feet need a lot of TLC after a winter stuck in socks and sneakers.

I love using my pumice rock to help with callouses and dead skin on my feet. It doesn’t hurt to use it and works fast. I can tell a major difference just after using it once.

Twice a day I use emu oil on my feet. Emu oil is good for cracked feet. It’s also inexpensive at only $3 a jar at the drug store. A little goes a long way so the emu oil will last for a while. It also works well even though it takes a few days to notice any difference. That’s why it’s important to begin now to get your feet in shape for summer. It’ll take time.

Now that I’ve found a pair of sandals, I have the motivation to keep at a beauty routine for my feet. Hopefully my feet will look good by the time summer gets here.

So how are you getting your feet ready for sandal season? Share your tips by leaving a comment.

You know when your kids are playing and it becomes a little too quiet. You know they are doing something they shouldn’t but still you hesitate to stop them because you are enjoying the peace?

Raegan loves to paint. In fact, since we have introduced her to finger paint, she likes to paint her fingers, hands, and legs more than she like painting on paper. Apparently she also has a fondness for the walls, doors, and furniture.

The good news is that finger paint usually cleans up easily with a wet dish cloth. The key is to take a picture of the artwork for prosperity and then to clean up the paint as soon as possible.

When the water doesn’t work, I use my general cleaner – Clorox Cleanup that works really well. I do have to use some elbow grease and scrub like crazy. But that’s when I’ve let the paint dry.

At least the finger paint is easy to clean. I dread when she outgrows it but hopefully by then she won’t paint on the walls.