The Gourmet Cupboard Mixes Review

I have a dear friend who recently introduced me to an amazing company The Gourmet Cupboard.

I am pretty sure it is because she knows I am not a great cooker and probably feels sorry for my family. I am an “always on the go” type person, so I knew when I saw how easy these kits were, I was down to try it.

After my first few mixes, I was immediately hooked! These are the best things that have come along since the microwave! In my opinion of course! The flavors are amazing and super easy to make!

Here is a little about The Gourmet Cupboard and of course check out their variety of mixes!!

We are super excited to share our quick and easy gourmet mixes with you! Each mix is handmade using only the finest gourmet ingredients at just the right proportions. Each mix includes all the dry ingredients, and you simply add one or two other ingredients such as sour cream, water, cream cheese, ground meat, etc. Our products are individually handmade in Southeast Texas and most contain no msg or preservatives.

We offer an excellent home business opportunity with low product purchase requirements and great training! It is a wonderful opportunity for a work at home business for moms, retirees, or anyone wanting to make some extra money and enjoy our tasty mixes!

 

Deluxe Chicken Coop, the Pioneer Lifestyle

Our goals of country life continue…

Of course you can not live in the country and have a pioneer life without a chicken coop!

We decided we needed one to add to our farm life, so the family got supplies together around the farm and started working on a deluxe chicken coop, I call it my Martha Stewart Chicken Coop Imitation!

We brought the chicken house from our old property, I found it on Craigslist over 10 years ago for $100.00.   The other supplies we used mostly from around the Ranch.  The wood from the fence we took down and we bought the wire. We are so excited with the way it turned out and saved a ton of money!

We had chickens years ago, and I always knew I wanted more once we bought more land, so this is so exciting to me.

This time I wanted different color eggs, blues, greens, browns and white, so I ordered a bunch of different chickens. Of course they won’t be ready for another month, this will give us time to finish the chicken coop and run the water. I am also going with these hanging feeders this time to keep everything cleaner!

Meanwhile on the farm, the pool got a waterfall and the house plat is framed, we are expecting the foundation to be poured this week!!

 

For the pool we are still waiting on the slide and the cool decking to be complete. It is so exciting to watch it come together.

The closer we get to our Pioneer Life the more excited I get. Stay tuned to see what adventures we have in store next!!

Dreams coming true… Our Pioneer Life on the Ranch!!

We are getting closer to our dream life and I couldn’t be more happy. Right before Christmas our pool was started. We also signed the contract to start on our home February 1st. We decided to go with a fiberglass pool since we wanted a saltwater pool.

Each of our three grandsons picked out a must have they wanted. One wanted a slide, the other a waterfall and our youngest wanted a jacuzzi, the pool we picked will have all of these.

We are getting so close to our dreams coming true, we knew when we sold both of our homes and moved out to the ranch we would need patience, we love this life and have really enjoyed every step along the way.

Stay tuned for the next steps as every day our pioneer life is coming true!

Here is a sneak peak at our future home!

My Pioneer Life… Or midlife crisis!!

I would have never imagined after our kids moved out and we started to become grandparents we would do something crazy. After all my husband has been with the same company for 30+ years. We have owned our beautiful 4 bedrooms, 3 bath brick home for over 13+ years and in 2016 bought a condo in Rockport, Texas on the water. We had it made, then Covid happened…..

My husband nor I lost our jobs during covid, fortunately, nor did our income suffer due to Covid, but what it did do was make us realize we wanted land and to be away from people. So our adventure started.

Our Outhouse

We loaded up everything we owned and bought an 82 acre ranch….. Well sorta!  This ranch consisted of a bunkhouse, barn kitchen and an outhouse.  Nothing like the comforts we were use to and everything like a pioneer life. Our intentions were to sell both homes and build on our property in middle of no where.

Swimming Pool Site

Then Covid continued to happen and prices of lumber began to rise. We then decided, to save money, to self build so this is the beginning of our new chapter. We ordered an inground pool that will be installed in the next couple of months and will begin the process of building our dream home.

Our Dream Home Site

Our first step is to find an architect that can take our plans and make them the blue prints needed to begin building. We were told this cost usually around $3500.00, so of course we want to find the best deal we can and still get everything we need.

I will be sharing the process and pictures along the way!

Life of a #officermom

I hate what is going on in this world.

I hate that my son, an officer, has to fear for his life daily and put himself in the way of danger everyday for people who do not even appreciate it.

I hate all of the hate in the world.

I hate that people can not see how the media is causing a majority of the problem.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/auto-automobile-blur-buildings-532001/

I will never understand what makes someone want to be an officer in the world we live in now. It is the most underappreciated, life threatening job. I spend evenings praying and worrying because my son had to work a demonstration or a march.

This is a sad time we live in and we need to come together no apart. I pray for everyone to learn and understand each other. We must come together and stop the violence. Everyone has the right to peacefully stand up for what they believe in.

But please remember, my son’s life matters too!

5 Easy Ways to Use Light for Home Security

5 Easy Ways to Use Light for Home Security

https://pixabay.com/ro/illustrations/becuri-bec-lumina-energie-lamp%C4%83-1125016/

Home security is a priority for many homeowners. No one wants an intruder to gain access to their loved ones and belongings. While you can’t eliminate the risk, you can greatly reduce it. One of the biggest tools you have is lighting.

Most thieves are opportunists. That means it’s not that they are personally targeting you, but rather you look like an easy mark. They want minimal hassle so they can break in and leave with less chance of getting caught. You can use this to your advantage. When you understand what a criminal looks for in a potential target, you can make your home as unappealing as possible.

  • Light Up All Sides of Your Home

This is one of the most important things Connect Electric can recommend homeowners do for security. The more light there is around your home, the harder it will be for someone to get close without being noticed. While many families have lights on their front or back porches, it’s important to make sure all sides are covered.

There also needs to be enough light to see things in the area. Powerful floodlights are the best choice for this application. You can buy fixtures with dual flood lights to cover more area.

This can also bring peace of mind in case you hear strange noises at night. It will be much easier to identify a stray cat or raccoon without going outside with a flashlight and putting yourself at risk.

  • Keep Landscape Lights on All Night Long

It’s best to leave your landscape lights on all night. This creates more illumination, making it easier to see what’s outside. If you’re concerned about utility bill costs, use solar lights. They have a cell, usually on top, that gathers sunlight during the day. Then they turn on at night so you can easily see.

Most models are designed to automatically come on at dusk. This is great because you don’t have to worry about forgetting to turn on your landscape lights. Use them along pathways but also arrange them in out-of-the-way places for extra illumination.

  • Install Motion Sensors as an Early Alert

Motion sensors are a great way to frighten would-be thieves. They also serve as an early alert system for you and your family. Even if you have a security system on your home, it may not detect someone until they try a window or door.

Motion sensor lights catch movement before they reach your house. When the light pops on, you know that someone or something is moving out there.

  • Place Lights in Out-of-Reach Places

Criminals don’t like lights, and they will remove them if they can access them. That’s why you need bright lights placed in out-of-reach places, like high up on your home just under the roof. If they can’t reach the bulbs, then they can’t easily darken your property without you noticing.

  • Use Timers When You Aren’t Home

Timers are a must-have, especially if you plan to be away from home. These devices can be plugged into a lamp or light and then set up to switch on and off at a set time. You can use them on interior and exterior lights to create the illusion that someone is there.

Make sure your family is safe by assessing your lighting. A few simple additions can significantly increase your home security.

Restoring Life To A Long Abandoned Garden

Perhaps you’re moving into a new home and you find that the garden clearly hasn’t been tended to for a long time. Or perhaps you’ve simply let it slip, whether due to not knowing what to do or simply not having enough time to handle it. Whatever the cause, now is the time to start fighting back and bringing some life back to a garden that’s long been left to suffer.

 

Photo Link – Pixabay License

 

Get equipped with the right tools

If you’re taking care of the garden, then you should commit to taking care of it in the long term, not simply fixing it up now to let it slip back into dilapidation later. As such, it’s wise to invest in the right tools for a beginner gardener, including gardening gloves, a soil knife, and a trowel. Otherwise, when it comes to dealing with weeds, clipping plants, and tending the soil, it’s all going to take a lot more time.

 

Tackle the weeds bit by bit

By far one of the most challenging aspects of taking care of a neglected garden is the sheer number of weeds you have to deal with. These will be a barrier between you and anything you want to grow, so you have to deal with them first. Small Foot Print Family shows a variety of ways to deal with weeds in a way that won’t affect the rest of your garden and, more importantly, help you keep any pets that you might own, safe. You don’t have to go with the toxic options to get rid of weeds.

 

Watch out for unwanted guests

The garden can serve as a boon to the local ecosystem, but you want to make sure that it’s not being used as a sanctuary for pests like aphids and slugs that will eat anything you want to plant. Furthermore, it can also play a role in home infestations from creatures like termites, rats, and so on. With the help of teams like 000 Pest Control, ensure that your home and garden are free from pests. The health of you, your family, and your pets could all depend on it.

 

Check in with the soil

If it has been a long time since you planted anything, all sorts of effects from heavy rain to weed growth could have changed the soil. It might not be able to sustain enough moisture or it may have a pH level that is unable to support new life. Lawn Solutions services may be necessary to help you get it back in the right condition.

 

Get into landscaping

If you want to bring more life and beauty to a garden, then dividing it into neat, attractive spaces is certainly an effective option. You don’t need to hire a landscaper, either, you can learn how to create your own raised bed, using rich soil to act as a home for new plants without worrying about how it will affect the rest of the garden.

 

Rejuvenating a long-neglected garden might seem like a major job, but if you split it into minor tasks each and every day, you will start to see the changes before very long, indeed.

How To Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Image by PIRO4D from Pixabay 

 

Are you a person who cares about the environment? Have you been looking for ways that you can be more environmentally friendly? From eating more plant-based foods to reducing your use of single-use plastic to using more natural cleaning products, there are so many ways that you can do your part to help the environment. If you want more ideas about how you can do your part to help the environment, then here are some suggestions for things you can do that to help our wonderful planet.

 

Water Tank

A product that you may want to consider buying for your home that can be good for the environment is a water tank. A water tank is something that collects water and stores it for you. You can then use the water that was collected for your household needs. Collecting water is a great way to help the environment. You will be saving water that you can then use for things such as watering your garden.

 

If you purchase a water tank for your home and you plan on being able to get the water into your house, then you are going to need to purchase a water tank pump. There are different pumps that you can consider getting. One is an external water pump, and the other is a submersible pump. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of pumps, so when deciding on which type to buy with your water tank, make sure to do some research. If a huge concern of yours is the environment, though, then investing in a submersible pump may be the one that you want to choose because they are more energy-efficient.

 

Other than purchasing a water tank because it will help you be more environmentally friendly, some other reasons why purchasing a water tank can be beneficial include that it can help you save money and that by conserving water, you can use it for different things.

 

Start Composting

People throw away so much garbage, but you can create less garbage by beginning to compost. Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of garbage that you produce because you will be putting food scraps into the compost instead of in your garbage bin. So, start doing some research on how to compost and start doing it. You can feel better knowing that you are helping the environment, and it doesn’t have to be that difficult. 

 

Do you know why composting is better for the environment? The reason that composting is good for the environment has to do with the fact that when food sits in a landfill, it ends up releasing methane, which is a harmful chemical for the environment. One study found that “food waste in landfills is one of the leading causes of methane.” However, by not putting your food into your garbage, you can divert it from landfills, which means that there will be less food waste producing methane in landfills. So, get a compost bin and start composting today.

 

Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

Making your home more eco-friendly doesn’t have to be that difficult. A simple step, such as purchasing and installing energy-efficient light bulbs, can help you use less electricity, which will help the environment. Energy-efficient light bulbs also last longer, which can also be great for the environment because you will use less and therefore make less waste. By using fewer light bulbs, you will also be saving money since you won’t have to purchase them as frequently. So, investing in energy-efficient light bulbs is an easy and affordable way for you to make your home environmentally friendly.

 

Start Using Natural Cleaning Products In Your Home

Many of the cleaning products that people use in their homes have harmful chemicals that are bad for the environment. So, put down those harmful cleaning products and look into natural products. You can make your own cleaning products to use for cleaning your home, or there are many options now for cleaning products that you can buy. There are even companies that are trying to reduce the plastic bottles that are used because many cleaning products do come in plastic bottles. So, do your research, and you will see that you have many options for natural cleaning products that you can use that are not bad for the environment. You can have a clean house and not be causing the environment any harm.

 

Reduce The Single-Use Plastic Products You Buy

Single-use plastics are very bad for the environment. The amount of single-use plastic products that people use can be a lot because so many of the products we purchase for our homes come wrapped in plastic or come in a plastic bottle that we end up getting rid of. A solution to this is to stop buying unnecessary items like plastic water bottles. If you want to bring water with you somewhere, then bring a reusable water bottle.

 

 There are also bulk food stores that can help with reducing your waste, but don’t use the plastic bags they provide; remember to bring reusable containers with you. Also, there are now stores that promote zero-waste living, and that promote that you use reusable containers to purchase things such as cleaning products or food, etc. In order to help the environment, you have to stop buying things that are just producing a lot of waste. Start finding the ways that you can be more environmentally friendly, such as by using reusable containers, bags, etc.

Making your house more environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be that difficult. There are so many ways that you can do things that are better for the environment. These are only some of the ways that you can make your home more environmentally friendly, but there are so many other things that you can do as well. If you are looking for more ideas, then you can read this article on excellent eco-friendly hacks for a happier home. There are also many other ideas online. So, just do some research, and you can find loads of ways to help the environment.

The Best Ways to Protect Your Home from Pests

Image credit – Pixabay

 

No matter how much care you take, pests can become a problem for the best of us. Whilst you might normally think animals are cute – especially small fluffy ones – you tend to think differently when they’re sniffing around your kitchen, and digging little noses into your trash. Rats, bugs, and even cute mice, can carry disease and turn a beautiful home into an unhygienic nightmare. Getting rid of them can be just as traumatic, especially if you don’t want to set traps and then deal with disposing of the bodies. Instead, here are some smart ways to deter pests without resorting to killing methods, and make your home as resistant to invasions as possible – stopping the problem before it even occurs.

Ultrasonic Repellents

A high-tech approach to pest-repellent, these little devices plug straight into your wall sockets, and emit a tone far too high-pitched for the human ear to hear, but which scares little pests away with remarkable efficiency. Rather than having to clean up after pests and find ways to dispose of them, this is a brilliant way to deter them in the first place.

Structural Safeguarding

Mice have the ability to squeeze through the smallest of gaps, and if you have old flooring or skirting boards, they could be getting into your properly through tiny holes you may not even have noticed. One way to help prevent infestations – as well as having a host of other benefits – is to upgrade and replace any damaged or aged areas. Good flooring companies will know the best installation methods and floors to use that will fit snugly into your home and help prevent any unwelcome visitors.

Sprays

Another way to deter pests is by smell. Now, this conjures immediate associations with horrible odors, just as likely to drive you or your guests out of your home as any animal. However, there are now some good options for smells which will act against pests without making your home smell quite so nasty. Peppermint oil has been well-documented as acting against mice; you can DIY your own treatments, or buy particularly concentrated sprays for a more intensive treatment.

A House cat

It’s the oldest trick in the book, but one way to get rid of an animal is to use another. Cats have been utilized since Egyptian times as pest control, and it is how they have spread across the globe; brought to England by the Romans, and then to the Americas by European settlers – all in aid of controlling rat populations on ships, and in new lands. Quite apart from companionship and a heated cushion for when you’re watching TV, cats will instinctively catch any pests that have already entered your property, and act as a great deterrent for those who haven’t.

Food Waste

Finally, and perhaps most obviously, the best way to guard against pests is to take good care of your food waste. Never leave waste open to the air – always keep it covered and sealed in bin bags, and take your trash out regularly to avoid the build up of enticing odors. If you have a food waste bin, it’s even a smart idea to keep it in the bottom drawer of your freezer, to completely prevent food from decaying until you are ready to throw it all out. This, along with the other solutions, should minimize any risk of pests and help you live in a clean, relaxing environment.

Safe As Houses – Defending Your Home Against Common Threats

For many of us, our home is a calm and peaceful refuge. One that stands between us and the hustle and bustle, and stress of the outside world. However, that peace can be so easily disrupted if our homes come under threat. Sadly, there are numerous threats to defend our homes against. Although the good news is there are tactics you can use to keep your home, as safe as houses! Read on to find out what they are. 

 

Security

 

One of the most prominent threats to your home is security breaches from the outside. In fact, these can take physical form from burglars, or a virtual way from hackers. Fortunately, there are strategies that you can use to minimize the risk from either. 

Firstly when it comes to physical threats such as people breaking into your home, ensuring you have secure door and window locks is vital. Also installing security systems such as CCTV and alarms, a topic you can find out about at https://reolink.com/how-to-install-a-home-surveillance-system/ can help a great deal as well.

 

Alternatively, when dealing with threats of a virtual nature, IT security is critical. That means the network you are on is a secure one and that you use end to end encryption for anything private. Something you can read more about at https://www.thesslstore.com/blog/end-to-end-encryption-the-good-the-bad-and-the-politics/.  The use of firewalls and antivirus software can also help you keep your virtual home life as safe as your physical one. 

Weather

 

Bad weather can sometimes be an extreme threat to your home. With storms causing untold amounts of wind and water damage to the outer structure and often the inside of properties. Happily, there are some steps you can follow that will help to protect your home. 

 

The first is to make sure that you invest in a roof like the ones on offer at ddroofing.com/services/residential-roofing/ as they are made from the very best quality materials. Something that means they will be a robust first line of defense when the weather does turn. 

 

Additionally, having a plan in place for what to do if you are expecting extreme weather in the location in which you live is vital. Something that should, of course, first prioritize human well being. Then also include additional actions like boarding up windows to minimize the risk of them smashing, as well as blocking up gaps under doors with sandbags to prevent water from getting in. 

 

Germs

 

Finally, one of the most significant risks to your home can come from germs. Especially as most of the world find themselves in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis! Of course, the key here is to make sure that your home is as clean and hygienic as possible.

 

One way of doing this is to use advanced cleaning products such as antibacterial sprays and wipes, which are as the post at https://www.lbc.co.uk/hot-topics/coronavirus/which are effective against viruses as well as bacteria. Additionally, taking special care to wash your hand whenever you have come in from the outside is also vital. While regularly cleaning off high-use items like doorknobs, and tabletops can help to prevent illness from spreading. Thus keeping your home as safe from germs as possible. 

 

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