Home Maid Simple

Day: February 1, 2012

  • Gardening Compost

    I’ve seen that some of my friends, the lucky ones in warm climates, have begun their gardening. Since I don’t live in a very warm climate, and we had a late winter this year, I’ve resorted to just planning and dreaming about our garden this spring. I’ve got the space marked out I want to use, plans for Mark to build some raised square foot beds, and the veggies I want to grow.
    What I really want though is to be able to save more money, and waste less inside our home to help our garden grow. I’ve been thinking a lot about composting. I remember growing up my mom kept an old ice cream bucket under the sink where we scraped our plates. When it would get full we had to haul it out into the woods to out compost area. Besides being pretty stinky, it was so fun to see different things start sprouting in the compost from thrown out seeds – watermelon, cucumbers, and more. We periodically would catch a glimpse of some white tailed deer hanging out near the pile as well.

    The problem I’ve run into is that I no longer live in the middle of the woods. I’ve got neighbors that probably wouldn’t appreciate the stench from an outside compost dump. So I’m trying to find any laws, and ways I can successfully compost with neighbors. So far I’ve had no luck.  I did however find this CUTE compost bucket though

    You can purchase this particular compost bucket at The Foundary on sale through tomorrow. It’s 1.5 gallon square ceramic. It comes with charcoal filters, which I am assuming help with the smell.

    If you have any tips for composting please share!

    I’ve also come across this brilliant idea to recycle rain water.

    Why let all that rain go to waste, when I can save our water bill by using the rain to water my garden? Really it’s brilliant! 
    As much as I do love the winter, I’m ready for spring and gardening!

  • Book Review: The Worldwide Dessert Contest: Enhanced Multimedia Edition

    The Worldwide Dessert Contest: Enhanced Multimedia Edition by Dan Elish

    About the Author: (From his website) 
    – Dan Elish is the author of the novel Nine Wives (St. Martins Press, 2005) and The Misadventures of Justin Hearnfeld (2008), both published by St. Martins Press. Dan is also the author of Born Too Short, Confessions of an 8th Grade Basket Case, which was picked as a Book for the Teenage 2003 by the New York Public Library and won a 2004 International Reading Association Students’ Choice Award. He has also written several other novels for young adults including, The Attack of the Frozen Woodchucks, 13, The Worldwide Dessert Contest, Jason and the Baseball Bear, and The Great Squirrel Uprising. “13,” the musical for which he co-wrote the book with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown ran on Broadway from September 16, 2008 through January 4, 2009. In his career, Dan has also written non-fiction books for young adults, scripts for kids’ TV shows (in particular Cyberchase (PBS)), music and lyrics for six musicals, funny corporate videos, and played piano for various Off-Broadway productions. He has received fellowships and scholarships to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and is a member of the Dramatist Guild. Dan lives in New York City with his wife, daughter and son.

    About the Book:
    – “Publishers Weekly” raves: A little bit of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with a dash of Homer Price’s donut maker, this novel pays homage to the longstanding rapport between children and sweets. John Apple longs to win the Worldwide Dessert Contest, but all his delicious desserts have a penchant for changing into something else at the last minute. The way he overcomes this difficulty and takes first place involves a search for the greatest chef in the world, the defeat of the thieving title-holder of the contest and a run-in with a judge who has, thanks to John, a caramel apple bonded to his cheek from their last encounter. Elish writes with a sure hand of this sugary world, his tongue squarely in the area of his sweet tooth. For his ability to praise desserts in an endlessly original fashion, he deserves a blue ribbon

    My Thoughts:
    – I loved this book. I rarely read books on the computer, but this one you must read on the computer, or reading device, like the Kindle (of which I don’t own).  The music is upbeat, fun and takes me back to my high school musical days. As Applefeller tries hard to create the best dessert worldwide, he constantly makes something else. Finally with the help of Ragoon, who speaks in iambic rhymes, he is able to create a non-changing dessert. The end will surprise you though!  Not only does this book bring the story to life with music and lyrics, but it teaches a lesson as well.

    You can purchase the book for Kindle on Amazon for $9.99

  • The Secret World Of Arrietty

    The Secret World Of Arrietty

    The Secret World Of Arrietty
    Coming to theaters February 17th
    Have you seen the trailers for this?  It looks like such a fun movie. We’re big fans of Disney and Studio Ghibli over here.
    Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered, where the smallest may stand tallest of all.  From the legendary Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away,” “Ponyo”) comes “The Secret World of Arrietty,” an animated adventure based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.”
    Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger. The English language version of “The Secret World of Arrietty” was executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and directed by Gary Rydstrom. The film hits theaters Feb. 17, 2012.
    Notes:
    Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most influential and admired filmmakers working in animation today and is a major figure in the Japanese cinematic landscape. His films have inspired moviegoers and colleagues around the world, from Pixar’s John Lasseter to fantasist Guillermo del Toro to Chinese director Tsui Hark, and consistently top the box office in his native Japan.
    Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a top animator at Studio Ghibli, was responsible for the animation in a signature scene in “Ponyo,” in which Ponyo runs atop ocean waves.
    English language voice talent director Gary Rydstrom is a seven-time Academy AwardÒ winning sound designer/mixer (“Terminator 2: Judgment Day”). He joined Pixar Animation Studios as an animation film director in 2003.  His directorial debut for the studio was the Academy Award®-nominated short film “Lifted,” and he directed the short film “Hawaiian Vacation,” which was released with “Cars 2” in June 2011.
    Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are highly successful producing partners whose films, separately and together, include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “E.T.,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” the Indiana Jones films and the Jurassic Park films. In total, Kennedy and Marshall have earned 11 Oscar® nominations.
    English language screenplay writer Karey Kilpatrick’s credits include “Spiderwick Chronicles” and “Over the Hedge,” which he also directed (with Tim Johnson).