, Author at Summers Acres

Establishing a New Herb Garden

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Since moving to our new home we have been working hard to get our plants established. We were quite blessed at our last home and had accomplished a lot. So in some ways it depressed me to have to start over. However, we learned a lot during that time. We learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t. We are able to apply what we have learned as we establish our plants at our new home. Our herb garden must be near the kitchen and easily accessible. We decided to start our herb garden around the well house which is to the side of the house close to the back door at the kitchen.

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Overcome the Challenges of Growing Peaches

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Few fruit say summer quite like a tree-ripe peach, dripping juice down your chin and hands all the way to your elbows. Although you are unlikely to find this perfect peach at the grocery store – peaches do not continue to ripen more once picked — you can enjoy this treat if you grow your own. Growing top quality peaches is not without its challenges. If you are prepared, however, you can conquer them with a little bit of knowledge and regular attention.

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Our 1940 Farmhouse – Upstairs Guest Bedroom Makeover

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We have been living in our new home for three months. We have been super busy with all of our projects and moving. We left the last upstairs bedroom untouched for sometime as it was not needed immediately. This is a rectangular upstairs bedroom with a closet built into the attic space that was mentioned in an earlier post. This will be our guest bedroom which will not be used often, except when Jon’s son stays with us during the summer. It was a relief that we did not have the pressure to fix it right away as this room was in the worst shape of all rooms in the entire house. But we had the realization a few weeks ago that Nolan would be here in a month and we had not done anything but close the door!

1940's Farmhouse Upstairs Guest Bedroom Makeover — 1940’s Farmhouse Upstairs Guest Bedroom Makeover

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DIY: Pine Floor Cleaner Recipe

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Here is a simple easy recipe to make your own natural, non-toxic pine floor cleaner with just a few basic ingredients and essential oils.

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Arborvitae Thuja plicata (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Arborvitae (Thuja plicata) Essential Oil

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Known as the “tree of life”, Arborvitae is majestic in size and abundant in unique benefits. Arborvitae essential oil is concentrated in tropolones, such as hinokitiol, which are a group of chemical compounds that protect against environmental and seasonal threats and have powerful purifying properties. These compounds also contribute to Arborvitae’s natural insect repellent properties. Thujic acid, another tropolone found in Arborvitae, has been studied for its ability to protect against common threats in the environment. Native to Canada, all parts of the Arborvitae tree were used extensively by Native Americans for health benefits and for building vessels, totem poles, baskets, and clothing. Because of its natural preserving properties, Arborvitae prevents wood from rotting, which makes it popular in woodcraft and for preserving natural wood surfaces.

PRIMARY BENEFITS

Protects against environmental and seasonal threats*
Powerful cleansing and purifying agent
Natural insect repellent and wood preservative

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Nigerian Dwarf Goats Kidding Process

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Although we have had 3 Nigerian Dwarf does for a couple of years now, this year was our first experience with kidding goats. In the early morning hours of February 22nd, we welcomed our first newborn doeling and buckling into our world. We only “participated” shortly after Strawberry, the mama goat, had already delivered both. Exactly one week later on February 29th, we were blessed with our second and last batch of baby goats for this kidding season. This time two of our pregnant does began birthing within just a few minutes of each other while I was home by myself. I had a brief “mini panic attack” because Jon was supposed to be here and I was NOT supposed to be here by myself! I quickly called him to get home from work, gathered my wits, and proceeded.

Mulberry (Buckling) Resting After All of the Excitement

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Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) or “Tea Tree” Essential Oil

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Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) essential oil, also known by its more common name “tea tree” has been esteemed by cultures around the world for ages. Melaleuca is comprised of over 92 different compounds. Melaleuca is renowned for its cleansing effect of the skin. The leaves of the Melaleuca tree were used by the Aborigines of Australia for centuries. They would crush the leaves and inhale the oil to promote feelings of clear breathing and apply the leaves directly to the skin for a cooling effect. Melaleuca is best known for its purifying properties. It can be used to cleanse and purify the skin and nails and to support a healthy complexion. Melaleuca can be used on surfaces throughout the home to protect against environmental threats. Melaleuca is frequently used on occasional skin irritations to soothe the skin. Diffusing Melaleuca will help purify and freshen the air. Taken internally, Melaleuca promotes healthy immune function*

PRIMARY BENEFITS

Cleansing and rejuvenating effect on the skin
Promotes healthy immune function*
Protects against environmental and seasonal threats*

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DIY Kitchen Cleaner Recipes

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The kitchen is the most important room in every household, and as such it must be taken good care of. The kitchen is the place where the entire family gathers every day and spends most of its time there. That is why the kitchen needs to always be perfectly cleaned and disinfected so that it is a good environment for your family. But even the cleaning can sometimes be dangerous. Using a bunch of chemically induced cleaning products will not make your kitchen any healthier or safer, than being dirty. The trick is to clean it in a way that you do not do even more harm. That is why this article will tell you how to clean and disinfect your kitchen in a way that it really is cleaned, not just from dirt and bacteria but from dangerous chemicals as well.

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Newborn Doeling and Buckling

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We would like to introduce the newest members of the family that were born this morning. Strawberry, the mama and both newborn kids are doing well. Mama was quite hungry and thirsty, quite strong. Both babies are walking (wobbly at first) and nursed. We have a doeling and a buckling. We will post more later. I just wanted to share our news!

Mama Goat and Newborn Kids

Mama Goat Eating and Newborn Kids Nuzzling

Our 1940 Farmhouse – Upstairs Bedroom Makeover

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The upstairs of our 1940’s farmhouse has not seen many (if any) updates to it. The upstairs has three small bedrooms. Two bedrooms are rectangular and have closets that are built into the attic space. The third bedroom in the middle has no attic space to utilize for closets and is square. We only have our youngest who is 14 that still lives with us. We let her choose which bedroom she wanted. Not surprising, she chose one of the rectangular bedrooms that had a closet and had the best window view overlooking one of the hay fields. The bedrooms are a little small. Adding to the challenge, she currently has an excessively large bedroom at our current house. To compensate for the space, her bedroom will be the one she chose and the square middle room with no closets will be a game room. Today, we will discuss the updates to the bedroom so that it functions well and suits a 14 year old teenage girl.

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