Simple Things

Life goes so much easier for us when I stick with simple things. 

First "simple" thing is the garden beds.  I sat down weeks ago and planned them out.  Each bed has at least 3 crops growing in it.  Generally an underground, low ground, and climbing crop.  So a few weeks ago I started cleaning and planting seeds.  Three of the garden beds are done.  Cleaned, seeds in, and frost covers on.  In those beds I've already got plants popping.  It's a wonderful sight!

A fourth bed is now cleaned and waiting for it's seeds which will most likely go in next week.  Then on to the rest of them.  And fingers crossed that the gardens do well this year.

Second "simple" thing was insulating a leaking hole in the wall.  When the cable guys ran new line for the internet they ended up knocking loose the insulation that I had surrounded the wire with.  Since I was being dense I didn't realize that was the source of the new cold draft through the living room for a couple of weeks.  The brainstorm hit this past Tuesday.  Wednesday I bought a can of spray foam insulation.  Today I moved everything out of the way and refilled the hole in the wall, and put a bunch on the surface as well.  It looks ugly but no one can see it so I don't care.  What I do care about is that the room felt warmer very quickly.  Within an hour I was turning down the thermostat which will do wonders for our electric bill.

Third "simple" thing (for now) was the couch cover.  I've been using woven cotton blankets as couch covers and they do well.  Unfortunately my son likes to pull them off and curl up under them, along with the half dozen other blankets he finds and pulls to the couch.  He's got a real blanket fixation.  Originally I tried to stop this by using the elastic clips used to secure sheets to beds.  One of my blankets now has two big holes from where he kept pulling until he popped them off.  Not good.  So today I took the other blanket and attached ties made out of 1" grosgrain ribbon at each end and again at approximately every foot in between.  It was six ties per side in all.  Each is very securely stitched to the reinforced edge seam.  This should do the job.  Now I just have to pick up the materials to fix the other blanket. 

I've truly found the woven blankets to be a reasonable couch cover for us since the couch frame is wood.  And because of child accidents I can use another trick to protect the cushions.  I put a shower curtain under the blanket on the bottom and then slightly up the back.  It keeps liquid accidents out of the cushions.  And it's not visible at all.

Well I'm off to the kitchen because I've got beans getting ready to go in the pressure canner.  I hope you have simple things that help make life easier!