Unity works

By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall. ~ John Dickinson - The Liberty Song

Interest rates 5-28-08

Rates are higher again today. Durable goods orders were down .5% in April; excluding transportation orders were actually up 2.5%. Both figures beat economist’s expectations.

LOAN PROGRAM RATE FEE

30 Yr Fixed (Conforming) 6.250% 0.125

Conforming/Jumbo Fixed 6.500% 0.000

15 Yr Fixed (Conforming) 5.875% 0.000

Second 8.750% 0.000

Six ways to thwart those slugs and snails!

Adapted from Yankee Magazine's Panty Hose, Hot Peppers, Tea Bags, and more for the Garden: 1,001 Ingenious Ways to Use Common Household Items to Control Weeds, Beat Pests, Cook Compost, Solve Problems, Make Tricky Jobs Easy, and Save Time (Yankee Books, 2005). Slugs and snails are a huge problem in many gardens, especially those with tender-leafed plants that have lots of folds or large sheltering leaves low to the ground, such as lettuce, hostas and tender seedlings. Luckily, there are many ways to stop these critters.

1. Ammonia and water. Mix equal parts non-sudsing ammonia and water in a spray bottle. Visit the garden on a rainy morning or cool evening and spray the slugs as they feed. This technique is most effective on baby slugs, which thrive in the crowns of hostas and daylilies. As an added bonus, the ammonia converts to nitrogen and acts as a foliar food for the plants. (Note: Some ferns and seedlings may suffer leaf burn from this spray. Test on a single leaf first.)

2. Vinegar and water. Mix two parts vinegar and one part water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture directly on slugs you see or as you find them under boards or in the crevices of rock gardens. Be careful not to let the spray come in contact with plant foliage.

3. Wood ashes. A ring of wood ashes from your fireplace will discourage slugs from climbing up the stems of plants. Sprinkle the ashes in a band a few inches wide, but don’t let them actually touch the stem of the plant. Caution: If your soil is alkaline, as it is in many parts of the West and Southwest, avoid putting ashes on your soil or in your compost heap. They can raise the pH even higher.

4. A window screen. Cut an old window screen into long strips at least 6 inches wide. Sink the strips 3 inches into the soil so that a fence surrounds your most vulnerable plants.

5. Clay pots. Lure slugs away from your plants to where you can find and destroy them. Set out small clay flowerpots turned upside down and propped up on one side with a flat rock. These traps are attractive enough to use in container plantings.

6. Damp cardboard, rolled-up newspaper, grapefruit rinds or damp burlap. Position these materials around your garden to collect slugs. Gather the items each morning and destroy the slugs. Or move the slugs, “hotels” and all, to your compost pile.

Welcome to the new Green Living newsletter!

Try making these small changes to your spring cleaning routine:

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs. They cost a few bucks more than traditional bulbs, but they can last ten times longer and use up to 75% less energy!

Open your windows rather than use toxic air fresheners. Phthalates (often listed as "fragrance" on ingredient labels) are found in many air fresheners and have been linked to asthma and allergies. Americans spend more time in their homes than ever before, so fresh air is important.

Make your own all purpose cleaner by mixing equal parts white vinegar and water. There will be no toxic chemicals to pollute your home and vinegar is a natural deodorizer (that leaves no odor behind once it dries).

Buy recycled paper towels that haven't been bleached with chlorine. Better yet, switch to reusable polyester or microfiber cloths that you can toss in the washing machine.

If you have a Green Living tip that you'd like to share, please email it to: robbin.stedman@gmail.com.

Exhausted and weighing in at about 1,000 pounds!

This is how I feel! Exhausted! After last week I have had my share of overwhelming stress. Some things have been coming to a head and it is wiping me out.

Then this last weekend Mike went out of town for a "guys" weekend in Chelan with 14-15 other guys. Hanging out, eatng pizza, playing poker, fishing, riding, lounging at the pool and golfing! I am glad that he had the opportunity to go and hand out with his friends and that he actually went! I kind of almost had to force him to go!

He always thinks that I up to something and that when he gets home things will somehow look different. What do you have planned already? (Me...I am innocent, this time, and had no plans for fun and games at all!) Or something will be missing. I did give him cause for that last thought. He went out of town a few years ago and I went through his closet and took out 2 GIANT black garbage bags full of stuff! But come on how long do men have to wait to clean out the closet? I had taken some items that he wanted to keep and since then he is wary of going out of town. You would think that he would be pleased to have the space but apparently not.:)

I was home with the kids, early Sat - Mon. night, and Chloe had a friend stay over all weekend. While the kids are not the hard part for me they do take some energy. I did manage to accomplish a great many tasks but I still fell short on energy and spunk. Usually I have a great deal of energy and don't poop out until late in the evening but I have just been feeling like this.

The laundry list of items that needs done around the house are huge this year with the remodel and digging up the ground to do it. The yard work is, I think, insurmountable this summer! It is so time intensive and money hogging also. I just keep picking away a few minutes here and there but by the time I am done weeding one flower bed the others are overgrown and screaming at me to weed them!!!

I absolutely love to garden and weed and plant. I just wish that the amount of time that it took was less or even better...that I had the time to spend on it that I would like to.

Success

To climb steep hills

Requires slow pace at first. ~ Henry VIII I am so proud to able to be included in the great group of families that all helped to put on the Carninval last Friday! I think that our Cottage Lake school community if growing in relationships and growing closer. I know that my family had a great time and I enjoyed seeing all of the kids running around having a blast. Cudos to all of the volunteers and planners who put so much time and energy into that event!

Our newest memeber of the family!

Well after several years of no pets, the kids have finally gotten their way, and I broke down and got a new pet this last Saturday. This was our third trip to the pet store, communication of all the information proved harder to attain than I would have thought. So when we arrived and they said that the animals weren't ready to be sold yet I was getting a bit miffed! After talking with the associate she agreed to let us pick out the one that we wanted and allow us to purchase it since it was our third trip down there and she felt bad looking at 3 sad and down cast kid faces. They walked out with happy faces and taking to decide whos turn it was to hold the carrier.

So here is our newest memeber of the family. Hickory The Guinea Pig

Recession in housing prices?

See what msnnbc has to say about the "housing recession" that we are being told we are in. There are a lot of areas that are still doing well. It isn't all gloom and doom out there.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24486207/

We are number 8 out of a list of 10 recession proof cities in the country.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/29/cities-recession-places-forbeslife-cx_jz_0429realestate_slide_4.html?thisSpeed=15000

Can you believe these plaid pants?

Do these plaid pants rock or what? My sister cracked up when she saw this photo. Go ahead and laugh at my expense...:)

My cousin came across this picture of me with him and his brothers. I totally remember wearing outfits like this growing up. And loving them! Now I dress Chloe is outfits like this. Plaid is back and I love it still.

Oh, BOY...I'm in trouble

You want your children to listen to what you say but how do you get them to realize that some of the things said are for adults or parents to say and not good for them to say? Hudson is definitely that kid. He can be a bit bossy to Chloe telling her what she can and can't do that sometimes, I just have to leave the room to laugh. Of course most of the time Chloe isn't to appreciative of Hudson's' observations and comments. When asked if going through the drive thru was okay, his response to Christina was "No, I don't think that's a good idea." I hear myself coming out of him every day and it is so wrong but yet I can't help but laugh, at least most of the time. They seem to grow up to fast no matter how hard we try to keep them little.

Irises are wonderful for spring

Grown for centuries and eh emblem of many kings, irises offer a wide range of blooming times, colors and sizes for the garden and cut flowers for the home. Irises bloom in every color but true red. Flowers may be bicolored, with the petal edges frilled, ruffled or a different color.

Growing Guide

Full sun, with partial shade tolerated. Humus rich, moist but well drained soil. Deadhead. pests include iris borer, bacterial soft rot, aphids and thrips. To reduce problems with borers, remove and destroy infected rhizomes at any time and old foliage and litter in teh fall prevent overwintering borer eggs.

Rates, quarterly earnings, cost of oil 5-5-08

Rates are for the most part unchanged to trending down. FNMA reported a $2.2 billion loss last quarter and D.R. Horton, a national builder, also reported a quarterly loss of $1.3 billion. Meanwhile, oil is $121.49 a barrel. LOAN PROGRAM RATE FEE 30 Yr Fixed (Conforming) 6.000% 0.125 Fixed Jumbo 7.000% 0.125 15 Yr Fixed (Conforming) 5.625% 0.000 Second 8.750% 0.000

Jump rope fever

Chloe has been jumping rope every waking second for months now. I don't know which is louder her constant tapping or her continual jump roping? Both are things that she absolutely LOVES to do. She is improving by great strides every week. I love to see how she sticks with something and keeps working onit until she gets it down pat then she moves on to another step or trick and does the same routine all over again.