Trimming a Tomato Tree

What do you make when you have a tomato cage, a spent pot of Mums and two lengths of artificial Christmas garland? A Christmas tree of course! Isn't it obvious?

Well okay maybe not that obvious. Look what I have been cooking up this afternoon.



I really wanted to change up my outside decorations for Christmas this year but I did not want to spend a mint. I started thinking about what I had lying around. I always have too much garland and not enough places to put it so I was conjuring images of a wood tripod thing to go on top of my many planters. Then it hit me. I have over twenty tomato cages in my shed. So here is what I did.





I would say these pots are about 10 or 12 inches wide and my cages when inverted sit just inside the lip. I was able to push them down far enough that they are nice and secure. And then I wrapped around the garland, using the wires in the branches to hide the metal of the cage as well as to insure nothing moves. After a bit of fluffing it turned out rather nice. I even fooled my neighbour who was quite impressed when I told her it was a tomato cage.

I used two lengths of garland. And I would recommend taking the cage off the pot, making the tree and then placing the cage tree back on the pot. It just makes it easier to turn around and fluff when you don't have to worry about the heavy pot.

In the stores I see trees like this for $50 and up but even if I had bought each piece (instead of scavenging the house) it would have only cost me $10 to $15 for the garland, $2 for the cage and $7 for the pot. But since I only use the pot and cage in summer, the real cost would be the garland and lights which only come out at Christmas. All in all, a good frugal creation if I do say so myself.

Book: Unplug the Christmas Machine

Unplug the Christmas Machine, by Jo Robinson



I read this book for the first time two years ago. Recommended by the Frugal Zealot Amy Dacyczyn in her book The Tightwad Gazette, I finally did a search at my local library and was delighted to discover a copy. A very old copy and one that probably has not left the shelves in quite some time.

After reading it I was even more baffled as to why this book wasn't being handed out for free to everyone who wanted a copy. This book talks about the conscience decision by industry and marketing professionals to commercialize Christmas. This commercialization was only exacerbated by the advent of the credit card and then the Two-Income family.

Snow outside our house last December

Step by step this book will guide readers through the process of scaling down Christmas and making the holiday season less about gifts and more about family and traditions. Check your library but if it doesn't have a copy buy it. I don't usually recommend spending money but this time is an exception. And do it before you get your Christmas shopping underway.

Simplicity: aka doing things the hard way

I guess you could say I like doing things the hard way. I make bread. I cook nearly every meal from scratch. I make many homemade Christmas gifts each year. If we need something I am always thinking of how to make it rather than buy it. That's doing things the hard way. And when things are going as planned it really doesn't feel hard or difficult at all.

I have been doing these things for so long I hardly notice it. Now that I am an established cook and baker it takes no time at all for me to whip up a batch of muffins. Bread making has been such a regular part of my routine that I hardly notice how different it is.

I suppose when a new baker looks at a recipe for bread and they see total preparation time 2 1/2 hours, a novice would be scared off. That is A LOT of time to make something that is readily available down the road at the supermarket. Most people laugh, close the recipe book (or click off the website) and say forget it then reach for their car keys.

The simple life is not simple because it takes time to nurture and time to grow. I am not even close to being as self sufficient as I want to be. My efforts are never ending. While I can make bread in a morning between home school lessons with my kids, I still struggle with other things I wish to learn like quilting, soap making, organization and the dreaded vegetable garden. But I try. I keep going thinking one day these things will become second nature like my work in the kitchen. These things will have become so much of a routine that I won't notice that other people buy their soap or vegetables.

And sometimes life gets crazy. My efforts become more of a hindrance and I need to back off a bit. After a stressful week recently I reluctantly gave myself permission to buy some pre-made dinner items. No one is standing over my shoulder telling me I have to make everything from scratch or that I have to do everything the self sufficient way. So I eased up on my self-imposed limitations and bought some convenience. I used some prepackaged food and used my dryer to expedite a few loads of laundry. When I did this I feared I was allowing myself to take the easy way. I was worried I would become use to Easy Street and become lax in other areas that I once thought were important to simplicity.

Apparently I had no need to worry. That stressful week has passed. I am back to doing things the hard way; making bread and hanging up my clothes on the drying racks. I am just as frugally minded as I ever was and it feels good. I learned a valuable lesson. Simplicity is what you make of it. There is no authority on what is or is not self sufficient.

There will probably be many more stressful weeks in my future. Stressful weeks that force me to eat the odd meal at a fast food restaurant or feed my family from a box. I may end up taking the easy way for sanity's sake but in the end I will always find myself coming home again.

Rail Fence Quilt Sneak Peak

I am working delegently on a new quilt that I intend to give my nephew for Christmas. He is 18 months old and I hardly get to see him but I think of him often while I am working on my quilt... er...I mean his quilt. I picked out the fabric months ago and have been just giddy looking at them.

I am not quite done the quilt but I wanted to share a sneak peak of what it will look like in the end.



First each colour was cut in to 1 1/2 inch strips. And sewn together lengthwise, using a 1/4 inch seam. After pressing, I cut 7 1/2 inch squares from the strips.





When side by side, one block is horizontal while the other is vertical.



Placed in a pattern like this you create the Rail Fence Quilt Pattern. I am finding this pattern very easy for a newbie quilter like me.

Using 7 1/2 inch blocks, I need 9 sewn together (side by side) to make a row (width of the quilt). I will need 10 or 11 of these rows and in the end I will sew them together to finish the quilt top.

Passing on the Passion

Photo taken by Sophia. I had put some books and yarn up for display for the 'students' to see.

I held a workshop at my house yesterday, sharing my passion for spinning with a small group of homeschoolers who wanted to learn. I taught them a bit about sheep, wool and the each got to use a drop spindle. I forgot to take pictures (silly me) but the day was a success. I am forever fascinated at how young people got straight ahead not caring if they make mistakes, not worrying about goofing up. By the end of the session all children had made good progress.

Despite being filled wall to wall with people, the house was almost completely silent as everyone concentrated hard. No one spoke. They all sat, concentrating with eyes on their drop spindles trying to work out the complexities of spinning. Once a person becomes better at eye/hand coordination spinning can be quite relaxing and enjoyable. For me there is nothing quite like working something with your hands and then enjoying the finished product. Whether it be bread, yarn, a newly sewn garment, something toiled over passionately can be worth more than gold.