DIY | The Lone Rager

Showing posts with label DIY. Show all postsShowing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Saturday, March 22, 2014

3 uses for citrus peel {that you can start doing now}

Long lists intimidate me. I’m skeptical of their fancy promises. 101 places you can hide your elf on the shelf! 500 uses for dryer lint! 28 ways you can improve your routines!

More like 28 ways you didn’t know you were doing it wrong all along.

A few years back, I heard I wasn’t supposed to put many citrus peels in the compost. I’ve since learned that old rule isn’t true, but it sparked my interest in finding other ways to use the peels. I looked for how-tos on the interwebs. One suggested I should keep my peels in a giant bag in the chest freezer. Good idea! But wait, she wasn’t finished. Then, when the bag was full, I should put all the peels on a baking sheet and dehydrate them in a warm oven for many hours. THEN, I should grind those dehydrated peels into powder, and only after all those steps could I turn them into a scouring scrub. Ain’t nobody got time for all that.

I’m not making any promises or offering long lists today. I’ll just tell you the three ways I store my leftover citrus peels right when I’m cutting up the fruit. It will take you thirty seconds longer than tossing them in the garbage, and I promise (okay, one promise) you’ll be glad you have them on hand.
Read more »at2:19 PM 7 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Cleaning,DIY,Gardening,Real Food,The Three Rs,Top 5 list

Thursday, May 09, 2013

did you ever know that you’re my hero? {Updated}

I’ve been coming up with lots of ideas for what I could write about, but I am actually more interested to know what you’re doing. Did you know that, when I write “So, what’s going on with you?” I actually want to know what’s happening with you? Like, for real. Even if I don’t know you in person, I would like to have a chat. So if you’re cleaning your refrigerator or petting your cat while you read, I am genuinely interested in finding that out. This means you, Dad.

Update: Ask and you shall receive! I got quite a few messages this morning that Disqus is not working right. Geez, you guys, thanks so much for letting me know. I still don’t like Blogger comments, but for now it will be what I’m using. Try it out for me? Thanks!

Moving on from begging, I will share a bit of what’s we’re up to today. A shipment of two giant boxes arrived in our mudroom. They are waiting for Grandpa Dave’s arrival tomorrow so he and Nate can assemble a backyard cedar playhouse for the girls. Meanwhile, our entryway smells delightfully of a cedar chest. I suggested to Vivi that they girls could color the outside of the boxes with crayons, and she enthusiastically replied, “Let’s design some plans for this art project.” Future engineer?

In other tales of household heroism, Mom and I planned and hung a gallery wall in our stairwell when she was in town. I am quite pleased with how it turned out. Care to take a gander?

The wall on the right is going to have some of its photos swapped, but even empty frames are a huge upgrade from what was there (i.e. nothing). Some of these shots I will leave, though, like the ones professionally taken and all the B&Ws. Others, like the flowers (left over from a years-ago failed nursery project) will be swapped with more chic landscapes. More of England, perhaps? Here, have a closer look:

Right now it has a funky mixture of B&W, sepia, and colors. I’d prefer B&W with red accents, but maybe this is one of those projects where you step back and chew on some hay for a minute before you make changes. Do you have any first impressions to share?

My favorite is the opposite wall, with its mostly symmetrical layout and matching colors.

I need to get a magic eraser for those pencil marks. And where’s that personal assistant I ordered?

Mom laid the whole planned display on the floor first, which helped tremendously with placement. Is this a well known decorating trick? I have tried it before, but she added the element of snapping a photo, which was key in avoiding confusion once half the frames were hung.

At one point as I was standing on the old rickety wood ladder, precariously nailing hardware, I noticed a sign on the ladder that reads “This unit is not meant to be used separately.” Ha. Fear of heights aside, I found the whole experience completely fulfilling. Productivity provides its own brand of endorphins, I suppose. I just wish I could be as productive all the time as I am when visitors are around, especially my mom, who is the doer of all doers. Therein lies the rub, since most of our visitors probably want to do other things than assist my home improvement exploits.

Perhaps I can lure you over with a glass of white wine. You can sit on the stairs and direct where and how my photo swapping should occur, and I’ll do the labor. Deal?at7:30 AM 4 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Aimless Digression,Design,DIY

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

homemade room and linen spray

We are moving in a few weeks. I don’t want to get into too much about it now, lest I jinx the process, but sufficed to say there are lots of cleaning and arranging movements happening around here. Hence all the talk of purging. I’ve also been getting this house ready round the clock for new potential renters to come check it out.

Saturday, September 01, 2012

spicy pickled carrots: {UFH challenge update}

This year is roaring by at top speed; I daresay it’s the fastet-moving year of my life, and the omniscient they say that life only starts moving more quickly the older you get. Sheesh. I love that this blog gives me a chance to document all that happens around here, as these days I can’t be relied on to remember it all, and I suspect (ala the wisdom and wit of Nora Ephron) that my memory will only get worse too. While conducting my mid-year time-flying assessment, it occurred to me how long it’s been since I updated y’all on my Urban Farm Handbook challenge. Not since March?! Whoa baby.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

guest post at CityKids Homeschooling + my series this week

I am honored that Kerry of City Kids Homeschooling–a fellow Bostonian!–asked me to be a part of her DIY homesteading and natural family living series. My guest post is up today, and in it I discuss my ‘Made from Scratch’ Life. Among other things I never thought I’d do, I’ve been making crackers, y’all! I hope you’ll go check it out, and while you’re there, you can read the other fantastic posts in the series.

Speaking of guest posts, I am hosting my own {Simple and Healthy Living} series starting on Monday and running the whole week. Seven brilliant bloggers will be coming here to share their tips and tricks with you. I hope you’ll join me in reading their stories. I’m excited about all that I’ll learn from them!at9:27 AM 1 comment: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:DIY,Guest Post,Home ranging

Monday, March 05, 2012

DIY reading nook: my first guest post {squeal!}

Y’all probably know by now I’m not a squealer, so my news today must mean a great deal to me because I can’t stop squealing when I see it: my first guest post on another blog! I was so pleased that Emily from S.A.H.M. i AM asked me to return the favor she did for me a few weeks back. Emily is a great friend, and she shares the unique distinction of being the only virtual-world bestie of mine; I’ve never met her in person but we’ve gabbed by phone, e-mail, and gobs of blog comments. I was drawn to her blog the first time I participated in NaBloPoMo, so I emailed her to tell her how much I loved it, and the rest is history. And get this…we even share a birthday!
Read more »at7:30 AM 7 comments: Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestLabels:Design,DIY,Frugality,Guest Post Older Posts HomeSubscribe to:Posts (Atom)

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