My New Best Friend is a Vacuum

Happy brings happiness into our lives...

... and LOTS of hair.

I could vacuum every day and still have white hair covering the floor. Therein lies the problem: if vacuuming were quick and easy, I would do it every day and everything would be a little less hairy. But draping the vacuum hose over my arm to bring it downstairs every day along with the attachments is too much work. Even though I have a central vacuum system, the hose takes up too much space to have one upstairs and downstairs, so I "share" between floors. Which means vacuuming downstairs - where the dog lives - is burdensome enough that I don't want it to be an everyday task.

So here's my savior:

A super small and lightweight stick vacuum - with removable handheld vacuum - for the first floor. Plugged into the wall, this Electrolux Ergorapido is so light I can vacuum with one hand. It swivels around so I can reach in all sorts of (hairy) places and makes my chores so much faster. Now I can bring out the big guns once per week and use this quick, "lick and a promise" solution daily.

The instructions say it should "only be used by adults." Bologna. Hogwash. Nonsense. It fits perfectly into the hand of my 11-year-old.

Perfectomundo!

I'd highly recommend this product.*

Love,
TCB

*No one paid me anything to say this. That's too bad.

A Lick and a Promise

Perfection is not something I cling to around the house anymore. Perfection is a synonym of procrastination. I've written about this topic in a business blog. If you're interested, here's the link to Being a Perfectionist.

With a long-haired golden retriever in the house every day (as well as a nightly visiting American long-hair cat), it can get quite hairy downstairs. I'm talking mucho hairo. I used to fret that my house was never clean. I'm a busy person and kind of a neat freak - I run a business from home, help out at my husband's company, homeschool my son, run my son to every Boy Scout/swim team function in town, take care of pets and chickens, the garden, the house, and the cooking. I used to wait until I had the luxury of time to tackle an onerous chore such as vacuuming. Then I discovered my house became fantastically dirty because there was never a large enough cache to time to get it done "perfectly" and there was always someone or something waiting for my attention.

So I decided to listen to my Mama. Mama, did you hear that?

I decided that giving the downstairs floor "a lick and a promise" was really all that was needed every couple of days. Mama always said just getting something done OK - a lick (at the job) and a promise (to do it better and more complete next time) - was the way to achieve something sometimes. So I quickly vacuumed all the flyaway hairs and promised in a few days when I had time to do it again, I'd clean the baseboards and mop really good, too.

Sometimes GOOD is better than PERFECT.

So give your dusty furniture a lick and a promise and go outside on the deck and have a cold iced tea.

Love,
TCB

Save Money on Family Night

We are on a mission to pay off our house mortgage. We're pretty close, so we're being extra frugal. It's our habit to eat out on Friday nights, but we're mixing it up a little now. Sometimes, we will just eat in and save lots of cash. Haven't you noticed how expensive restaurant meals have gotten?

More infrequent dining out can save some serious cash over the course of a year. We aren't cutting out restaurants altogether, of course. To keep me out of the kitchen on Friday nights, I sometimes resort to pizza. Most frozen pizza is not that tasty, however, and we live far enough out that no pizza delivery guy will make the trip. Plus, delivery is kind of cheating, and that doesn't save very much money.

You all have read about my good experiences shopping at Aldi and the grocery dollars I am able to stretch because of it. I have mostly enjoyed my purchases from the store, but there is one thing I buy at Aldi my family loves.

Pizza!

Aldi's brand of refrigerated pizza from the deli case is very good. In fact, we like it better than many restaurants' versions. I can walk out of the store with two huge pizzas, feed my family for pizza/movie night, have leftovers for lunch the next day, and spend only $10.

Pizza is a special treat food - I admit it's not the healthiest choice out there - but it makes for an inexpensive, fun family night.

When I pay off the mortgage, I'll invite y'all to a big party on the deck.

Love,
TCB

Trading Housework Duties

Housework has gotten a bad name. We lump every household chore into that category - and turn our noses up at it. Is housework really the bane of our existence?

I realize I'm treading into the quicksand here, but bear with me.

Do you really hate every single household chore you're tasked with each week?

I despise DESPISE dusting. I will clean my entire house and "forget" to dust.

My friend likes dusting. She says it's the only chore where you can see progress. I secretly think she's crazy.

So, I would like to propose a swap. I'll do your laundry and grocery shopping, and you dust my house and clean the showers. Deal?

Then you can spend your time watching the grass grow.

Or listening to The Rolling Stones.

Tell me in the Comments section below to which household chore you would like to say "hasta la vista?" (If you are reading this in email, click on the link at the bottom where you will be taken to the blog and can comment.)

Have a wonderful, work(free) day!

TCB

How I'm Saving Money this Month

Saving money is always important, but especially right now for my family.

In the last 30 days, we have: installed a new well pump, replaced a no-go refrigerator/freezer, and paid for major repairs on my SUV.

I'm feeling poor.

But I always say a little creativity goes a super long way.

So this month, I'm saving money at the store by not buying any beauty products.

But I won't be ugly in February. I promise.

If you're like me, you've collected quite a few versions of wrinkle creams, serums, and lotions in your bathroom cabinet. Did I mention eye cream?

So this month, I'm burying my brand loyalty and using up everything I have. I won't spend a dime, and I'll clean out the cabinets at the same time. Sounds like a plan, right?

If I have to sneak, I can always pick up my trusty Aldi brand facial cleanser (hey, it's European!!) at the store for a little more than $2.

Using what you already have is economical and always eco-friendly!

Love,
TCB

Born a Pack Rat

My son was born a pack rat.

He doesn't look like it, does he?

Or maybe he does.

Actually, I don't think he's alone. Almost every mom I've talked with says their kids are hoarders, too.

I tried for many years to break him of the habit of keeping every little thing he has ever laid his skinny fingers on.

I gave up in 2006.

I gave it another go in 2012 and finally broke through (a little).

I learned money always talks, even with children. I offered to let him keep all the cold hard cash he could earn by cleaning out and selling his toys that received no attention whatsoever anymore. He bit.

We sold a few on the web. We sold some at a kids consignment shop. We donated the leftovers to charity.

My house is cleaner (yea!), I can walk in his room (hooray!), and he has the money to buy more ammunition for airsoft guns.

Our initial stab at decluttering actually convinced him to clean out the purely messy insides of his desk drawers, too. He filled up the trash cans and Mama took the trash out. Score!

Now go tell your children to clean out because there's money in their rooms. (Or bribe them with candy - whatever works).

Happy 2013!
TCB

Freezing Broccoli

I have been away from The Country Belle blog for some time, and let me tell you, I was the laziest person over the holidays. Once I slipped into non-work mode, all bets were off. I managed to vacuum the dog hair from the floor and that, ladies and gentlemen, was the extent of my Christmas cleaning.

I did manage to slide myself off the couch and out of my "Storage Wars" TV-induced coma to make a little trip around the corner to a local farmer's produce stand. I've never had much luck with growing broccoli, but this man produces some outstanding broccoli every winter - nice and tender. I've never found anything like it in the grocery store.

So I bought him out one day - I think it was 13 bags of broccoli. I washed it all and let it dry thoroughly. Drying well is important to minimize ice crystals on the broccoli when you freeze it.

Then I cut each head into florets and packaged them in freezer bags. My chickens love the leftover stumps!

Now my family can enjoy the taste for many months to come. It's one vegetable everyone in my house seems to enjoy.

Using the freezer to keep a supply of locally grown produce ensures you are still eating well (and in this case, organically) when the vegetable (or fruit) is out of season. I similarly freeze strawberries in May and blueberries in June to enjoy all year long in pancakes and smoothies.

Happy New Year and happy homesteading!

Love,
TCB

Related Posts:
Why does my freezer look like this?

If a Tree Falls in the Forest...

....does anyone hear it?

If someone decorates on a rural road, does anyone see it?

Well, do it anyway.

Hear ye, hear ye!

Here comes Santa!

We are enjoying the Christmas season. Please enjoy it, too, whether anyone is looking or not.

Merry Christmas!
Love,
TCB

You'd be Surprised What You Can Buy Locally

Rural living provides an easy opportunity to "go green." Living sustainably is eco-friendly and fiscally responsible. I'm not even mentioning the convenience. If you don't live in town, sometimes it's very time consuming to travel to all the stores you need to complete your shopping list.

When I'm not growing or making it myself, I really like to support the local farmers and craftsmen that live in my rural area.

On a recent Saturday afternoon full of errands (I group them for less driving), I purchased from three neighbor vendors who had exactly what I needed at exactly the right price.

Homegrown tomatoes from the farm stand. I didn't plant a second round, so my supply was long gone.

Chicken feed pellets produced locally from another community right down the road. It was sold by a family-owned feed-and-seed supplier 5 minutes from my house. (I love going there for good conversation and a Coke).

A flat of pansies hauled home in the back of my SUV from a grower 10 minutes from home. You can't beat 24 plants for $10 (and I didn't have to exhibit any patience growing my own flowers from seeds).

Buy local! Support your neighbors and create a better life for your family. Knowing who made what you consume each day is one important step we all can take to be environmentally and safety conscious.

Happy day!
TCB

Life in the Country

I'm feeling a little sentimental today. My son is away for a few days, it's raining outside, and I'm pulling together the finishing touches on the homeschool curriculum and realizing there's only a few days left before the school year starts.

So I'm thinking about what I'm grateful for - and that includes living in the country with all the great opportunities and natural elements that affords me and my family. So today, you get a rural rendezvous of what I love most about summer in the Southern South (is that enough alliteration for you?).

Rare spider lilies grow in the river behind our house. Not many people in the world get to see these live!

Fishing.

No, I'm not thankful for copperheads. I'm thankful for weed-whackers that can get copperheads before they can get Mr. Country Belle.

Flower gardens.

Vegetable gardens.

Our chickens. First, because they give us fresh, organic eggs every day. Second, because they are such great stress relievers. Ever watch chickens take a dust bath or try to peck insects out of each other's mouths? Hilarious!

Blackberry Cobbler.

Make your own list of what you're thankful for - just for today.

Love,
TCB

My Favorite "Green" Cleaning Tool

I'm always a fan of "green," or sustainable, cleaning products. Many of these you can make at home. Google such products and you'll find bathroom cleaners and laundry detergents and much more made from simple ingredients usually on hand at home.

My new favorite green cleaner is actually a tool I picked up at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

It's called a bath stone. It has a yellow sponge on one end, perfect for gripping, and a pumice-like stone on the other that literally erases mineral buildup and hard water stains. (By the way, no manufacturer is paying me to tell you how great this product is. It is just great. And enviro-friendly.)

I have struggled for years to find a cleaner that would remove the hard water buildup caused by our super-mineralized well water. No cleaners are needed with this tool. You just scrub with it until it disappears.

Now that I know how excellently it works, I have to travel back to the store and buy another one for the toilets. (No way am I using this on my sinks and toilets at the same time. Gross!)

Give it a try. At $5.99, I thought the price was pretty affordable. The amount you see missing from the stone is how much it took to clean one of my bathroom sinks.

Hope you like it as much as I do! It has erased one of my household problems.

Love,
TCB

Summertime Vegging

Vegging out sounds pretty good for the summer months, and by that I mean "doing nothing for three whole months straight."

Unfortunately, that doesn't happen around here.

I have a small garden. And my dad has a small garden. Add those together, and you have a mildly large garden with vegetables that need eating or putting up in the freezer for the winter months.

Now, I could get my Italian on and can a nice marinara sauce for future months. Or I could can a few tomatoes for wintertime vegetable soup.

But that's not the route I like to go with homegrown tomatoes. Instead, I gorge myself on them for lunch and supper every day. As far as I'm concerned, June and July tomatoes from my garden or my family's garden are the best food on the face of the earth. People should just stop growing tomatoes in the other three seasons. Really, what is the point?

If you don't live in the country and can't grow your own or you don't have the ability to buy some farm-grown tomatoes in the summer, I am sorry. I am truly sorry for you.

Tomatoes aren't the only bounty.

Thank goodness my son likes to shuck and silk corn. That's because it's the first year I've let him do it. I am willing to let him do it every summer from now on. But my guess is that he will not be too enthusiastic about it next summer. I am making the most of it this summer, that's all I'm sayin'. (Do you like his creative setup - trash can on top of the step stool on top of the box to make it even with his seat? Whatever it takes, baby.)

Happy, happy summertime.
Love,
TCB

Country Photo of the Day

Photo of the day

I think I need to clarify one point: KFC stands for Kids for Christ.

We are not plumping up Henny Penny and Lucy for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Love,
TCB

Been Fishin'

This photo is an apt description of my home right now. Things pop up in unexpected places - always where they do not quite belong.

My grocery shopping basket is left on the breakfast nook floor. And my son's fishing rod is propped against the chair. He's not gone fishin'; he has BEEN FISHIN'.

Sometimes it's too much trouble to put every little item away. SpongeBob called my son's name when he walked in the door from fishing at the river. My cell phone gave its well-known ring to announce the next call. Where I dropped the basket a few days ago still sits today. We don't worry about these things too much. One advantage of living a little bit out in the country - No one "drops by" for a visit without calling first. They don't want to drive all that way and find you're not home. So you always have time to sweep up those floating items and ferry them back to their proper homes.

One day, I will take the time to put away the basket and a litter of other small things scattered in different rooms. And when I'm finished - after only 2 minutes of expended energy - I'll wonder why I didn't do this earlier.

Do you have nagging little things around your home like this? Take 2 minutes today and put a few things away. Doesn't that feel better? If you do that every day, imagine how much easier it will be on "cleaning day." (Do you have one of those? I put those away 10 years ago. Funny how that's the exact age of my precious-wecious son).

Have a happy day!
TCB

Can Groceries Get More Expensive?

Look at this bag.

It's my shopping bag from a recent quick trip to Publix to pick up a few food items. It looks deceptively empty, but it contains my grocery items. As you can see, it is not especially full.

Here's a picture of the contents. (Sorry for my out-of-focus skills on this shot).

Here's the point to this story. I want you to guess the price of these few food items.

I shop all the time, and yet I was still blown away by the amount the cashier told me.

Wait for it................

$40.97.

What??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll say it again. Get yourself to an ALDI. You can find a store on their site. There are 19 in my state.

Load up on as many food items as you can. It's the most affordable way to shop, supplementing with the items you can't find at your local grocery store. I put together a comparison post last year on this subject.

At this grocery rate, I'm afraid all of us will be very hungry soon. Unless we win the jackpot. Or at least land the six-figure job offer.

Have a happy day. (And eat light).

TCB

My Secret to Easy-Does-It Spring Gardening

After many years of gardening as a hobby, I have learned that simpler is more beautiful. I've admired plenty of colorfully packed flower gardens in Southern Living and Better Homes & Gardens.

While in the past I've tried to replicate the perennial and annual flower beds that grace the pages of those magazines and many others, I find by the end of the season they are a bedraggled mess and never really grow together the way they should. You see, I have a job as a writer, PR consultant, blogger, homeschool teacher, mom, and wife and all the extra duties that come with those titles. While my intentions are good (and I truly love gardening), I never have enough time to create the master gardener look, which takes plenty of weeding, moving around flowers, and filling in bare spots continuously throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons.

I have refused to give up the dream, so through experimentation I've come to realize the most wonderful gardens can be a profusion of just a few colors from a few, trusted, hardy plants. Not including the perennials I have as "foundation" plants in my garden beds, each year I rely on the addition of a few annuals and perennials to fill in the bare spots and make my gardens look like I've spent lots of time on them. In fact, my time is mostly spent at my keyboard or driving to swim team or housecleaning.

Each year, I rely on a formula for the four cast iron urns on top of pillars surrounding my patio.

Plant Spike Dracaena in the middle for height. Surround it with a filler and a trailing plant. This year it's Dusty Miller and Salmon Petunias. This planting is just one week old. Within three weeks, the urns will look like a professional planted them and last throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons (providing they get water each day during our scorching South Carolina summers).

Planting pots of annuals here and there around the patio and to fill bare spots in my perennial beds works wonders to pull the entire look together. Just two or three plants used throughout the garden make as big a statement as a hodgepodge of plants that may or may not be acclimated to the area.

My tried and true include:

Creeping Jenny as a trailer.

Petunias as fillers and trailers, depending on the type. The red and white ones here are some of my favorite and are called "Red Picotee."

Impatiens to fill the shady planters on my backyard deck, well out of the reach of deer.

Clematis as a climber on my arbor.

Hosta as filler. They are perennials and grow larger each year. There are so many different varieties, they can be a show all on their own in a small bed. Mine are backed by Mountain Laurel up against the back of my home in one small bed.

And Lantana, which now comes in a wide range of colors.

I use these plants over and over each year. Since I have narrowed down the types of flowers I consistently use, I am happy with the results throughout our three warm seasons. I can focus my attention on the other tasks and people that need me (and on sitting by the pool).

Happy gardening,
TCB

Quick-for-Mom Penne Pasta & Roasted Vegetable Dish

I'm a busy mom - a freelance writer from my home office, tackling an occasional PR consulting assignment, homeschooling my son, handling the books for my husband's consulting business, and general cook/housekeeper/chauffeur (you know the mom-drill).

I insist on cooking a homemade meal (or "semi-homemade" in the words of Sandra Lee) most nights, but sometimes I have little time for preparation of ingredients. And sometimes I haven't had a chance to even go to the grocery store (it's not super close to my country home), so I must cook creatively. Unsurprisingly, I needed a healthy dose of creativity the other evening when pantry staples were running a little scarce. I had plenty of variety on hand; it's just that there was only a little of this and a little of that. Hard to feed BIG BOY appetites with the pickins'.

I created this recipe on the fly, and everyone in the household loved it. It will make our meal rotation. I thought you busy moms out there may like to give it a try.

Penne Pasta & Roasted Vegetables

For this one-dish wonder, you will need:

assorted vegetables (whatever you have on hand) - button mushrooms, zucchini, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, edamame, bell peppers, etc. Note: the sweet potatoes taste especially good in this recipe.
sea salt
ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
dried rosemary or thyme (or both)
a box of penne pasta
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

First, make my Roasted Vegetables recipe. During the last half hour of cooking the vegetables, boil the pasta per package instructions. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain off the water and lightly pour a little olive oil over it (to keep it from clumping together). Toss well. Next, season the pasta with a little sea salt and black pepper. Stir together and add the grated cheese (as much as you like). Stir the pasta once more and then add the cooked roasted vegetables to the pasta mixture. Mix all well and serve with grilled chicken (if you want meat) and/or crusty garlic bread.

Hope you enjoy!
Love,
TCB

Multitasking, Mama Style

I'm trying to count all the things I did at once this morning:

1. taught my son how to multiply mixed numbers and fractions
2. found some cold medicine for Mr. Country Belle
3. brewed tea for supper
4. marinated a pork tenderloin (supper again)
5. took a phone call
6. interviewed a couple about their home renovation project for a magazine article
7. wrote another magazine article about fireplace mantels
8. edited an article prior to publication
9. began writing another article on home construction
10. helped the dog, Molly, out to potty (remember, she's 16 1/2 years old)
11. gave Molly her medicine and eye drops (we almost lost her this week, but she's good as can be except for the eyesight loss in her right eye)
12. fed the cat
13. helped the dog out to potty (see #10 above)
14. taught my son how to spot a verb-transitive and direct object in a sentence

Whew! Mamas have their hands full. Now it's off to the afternoon.

I need a "ladysitter" like Beverly Hills Real Housewife Kyle.

I think I'll ask for one for my birthday.

Chin up!
TCB

Weekend in the Country

If the title of this post has you thinking of leisurely walks down woodsy lanes, I feel sorry to bust your bubble. Weekends in the country are usually about work. At least on Saturdays.

And especially when one tree loosens its roots from the soil on the bank of the river, falling and taking down two other trees with it.

We have been looking at the mess for eight months. But let's face it - the job couldn't be tackled until winter weather arrived. Who wants to wade into the grassy, weedy mess that surrounds fallen trees when it's snake season on the banks of the river? In case this one stumps you - ABSOLUTELY NO ONE.

A particular boy believes it is better to play "king of the hill" on the bonfire pile than to actually haul limbs to it.

See how precious-wecious my little one is on his four-wheeler pulling a trailer-full of limbs? Don't tell him I said precious-wecious. No self-respecting 9-year-old boy wants to be called precious-wecious by his mama.

Meanwhile, back at the homestead....

Miss Pitty Pat was working, too. (No animals were hurt in the production of this post. Well, that's not absolutely true. But if you want a truckload of field mice, I can deliver them to you.)

Thanks for all the hard work, everyone.

Love,
TCB

I Haven't Been to the Grocery Store in Two Weeks

When I get busy with schooling, work projects, and just plain runnin' around, I can't find one minute to go to the grocery store. Sound crazy? If you're a homeschooling or professional work-at-home-office mom like me, I bet you understand 100%.

That's why when I get a slow week, I stock the freezer with grocery store and Sam's Wholesale Club items to beat the "what is there to eat around here" blues. Plus, you know I have one of my freezers insanely stocked with venison, one of the healthiest meats around.

So up this week was:

Cubed venison steak
brown rice & gravy
Lima beans
biscuits ya'll

Deviled chicken wings
red potatoes with butter and chives
celery & ranch dressing

Corned beef brisket
cabbage

corn bread

My family was not even aware I had not visited the store. Thumbs up for smart provisioning.

I'll share the deviled chicken wings recipe in the next post. I so wanted to share a photo of them with you, but my husband eats too darned fast.

Happy day!
TCB