Creating a Window Sill Herb Garden Using Mason Jars

I told you before that I am the worst gardener on the planet.  I somehow manage to kill everything.  The herb garden we planted outside last summer was no exception.  Between the hot, hot sun and the flooding downpours of rain, my little garden didn't stand a chance...and having me as the gardener wasn't any help for the poor plants.

For dinner one night this week, I am planning to make One Pot Spaghetti so I needed to pick up some fresh basil since we haven't picked up plants for our vegetable and herb gardens.  While at the market, I grabbed 2 bundles of basil.  One for myself and one for my mom.

I was in a hurry and didn't read the package, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that what I thought was simply a bunch of cut basil actually turned out to be a live plant with roots and an ice cube sized mound of dirt.  Following the directions on the bag, I filled a vase or cup-in my case a mason jar- with an inch of water and the plant. I then placed it in a sunny window.  I chose to place it on the windowsill next to our kitchen table as the window near my kitchen sink tends to get a bit cluttered.

The jar pictured above is my mom's, I didn't take a picture of mine yet.  I love how simple and pretty it looks in the window and can't wait to get back to the store to pick up a few more herb plants to add to my simple little herb garden.  I sure hope that they can survive my black thumb!


I'm sharing this post with the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Making a Home 
• Wednesday's Garden, Week #2
• Homemaking Link-Up!  
• Inspire Me Wednesday

Our Dry Sink ~ From Changing Table to Coffee Station

When I was pregnant with Grace, I wasn't sure if I wanted a changing table or not.  I remember my mom telling me that I fell of mine when I was a baby.  Yes, that's probably what's wrong with me now.  Anyway, I just really didn't think we'd want or need one.  I figured the changing pad on the sofa or bed would do fine.

Then one day, we were at the thrift shop and Joe saw a gorgeous dry sink and commented how he thought that would make a great changing table.  I stopped dead in my tracks because many months earlier, I had said the same thing about a different dry sink in a different second hand shop!

Either way, I still wasn't certain that I liked the idea of a changing table...but any time Joe shows any interest in vintage furniture, I jump at the chance before he changes his mind!  Sadly, that particular piece had a sold sign stuck to it.

Then one morning while Joe was working on the nursery, I was looking for a vintage dresser for the nursery. That's when I saw an Ethan Allen dry sink listed for $100.  That was a bit out of our price range since we still needed to furnish the rest of her room.  I called the number in the listing and explained to voicemail that we were putting together the nursery on a tight budget and that we planned to use it as a changing table for our baby girl, would she take less than $100.

I wasn't even expecting a call back.  But, call back she did!  She asked what price I was thinking.  Joe told me to ask if she'd take $50, figuring she'd make the counter offer of $75.  Rather than offer $75 only to be counter offered at $85.  Well, I was super-shocked when she took our offer of $50!  Especially, since she had just listed it that morning!  Turns out, she used it as a changing table for her two sons!  We picked it up that day!

Sadly, I don't have a photo of it in use as a changing table.  All of our pictures from when Grace was an infant are trapped in our other computer that is no longer working...I really need to get that looked at and see if we can save those pics!

But, after she was too big for the changing table, we moved it into our kitchen and used it for additional storage.  You can see it in the background of the photo below.

I've also used it in my dining room as a buffet or side table, but our dining room is so tiny that it didn't really work in there.  So, it's back in the kitchen again.  I love the way it looks in the photo above, holding dinner plates, a crock of silverware and an enamel bowl filled with napkins.  But it does tend to get cluttered up with mail, coupons, or toys that Grace decides to leave there.  So, it doesn't look as pretty as often as I like.

Last month, with a new appliance added to the kitchen in the form of a Keurig Vue brewer and very little counter space, I needed to find a spot for the machine where it would be easily accessible, but not in the way while I try prepare meals.

I thought of the dry sink, but really didn't like the way it looked with the sunken top.  I asked Joe if he could build a frame with a top to raise it up.  We didn't want to spend any money on this project, so Joe checked to see what he had in the garage and shed. He found what he needed, took a few measurements and got right to work!

Here's what the top looked like before:

In this photo, you can see that Joe just built a frame using some scrap wood he had in the garage.  After building the frame, he just placed it inside the sunken top.

Joe also had a scrap piece of shelving or something that was almost the perfect size for the new top for our dry sink.  He only had to cut an inch or two off of it.  That was just placed right on top of the frame.

It's completely temporary, but still sturdy enough to hold our new Keurig Vue!

I love that we worked with what we had and found a solution and new home for our brewer.  In the past, I would have suggested we go out and buy something new (or at least new to us) to use.  But with a few adjustments and a little time, Joe was able to make something we already owned, just a bit more useful than it was before.  In recent months, we've definitely making do with what we have rather than spending money on something new.

Eventually, I want to redo the entire dry sink.  You know, a coat of paint and some new hardware.  I'm just having trouble deciding.  I'm thinking we may have to repaint the kitchen first...then choose a color for the dry sink!

Check back later in the week to see it all decked out for our Keurig Vue House Party!

500 Item Decluttering Challenge

I know, it's Tuesday and I normally have a recipe to share on Tuesdays, but as I mentioned yesterday, I haven't been cooking too much the past couple of weeks.  Instead, I've been working on getting rid of some clutter from around the house.

You may remember that I challenged myself to remove 500 items from my home this past Spring.  While I failed to follow up on the blog for the final 2 weeks of my challenge, I was successful in the challenge itself!
At the end of the month, I managed to sell, donate or throw away more than 500 items!  That's what really matters, right?

I wish I could say that after those 500 items were gone from the house, that this place was spotless and immaculate (with the occasional goldfish cracker between the sofa cushions and fruit snack on the floor) but sadly, it's still looking like the makings of a Hoarder's episode in my basement.

With Grace now being the perfect age for arts and crafts, I need to toddler proof our basement so we can crack out the finger paints, markers, glitter...all of that messy stuff I don't want in my living room or kitchen!  Currently, we do that stuff outside, but when the weather turns cold we'll need to do that stuff inside.

In addition to an arts and crafts station for Grace, I need to clear out some space for me to "work".  When we first moved into this house, Joe set up a wonderful craft area for me downstairs.  And, for about a year, I really enjoyed working in that space.  When I was pregnant with Grace, I had really bad morning sickness that prevented me from venturing too far from the bathroom.  By the time the morning sickness was over, there were other issues that prevented me from spending much time on my feet.  Fast forward to now, my craft area is filled with stuff I just don't know what to do with.  Stuff that should be packed away in the attic, sold on ebay, or just needs to be thrown away.  That is my goal now.

By the end of August, I'd like to have another 500+ items removed from the house!  I'll keep y'all posted on my progress each week...on Tuesdays.  My goal is 100 items per week.  If y'all want to join in, I can set up a linky and we can all share photos of our 100 items before they leave the house!  Let me know!