A New Screen for our Front Door

What's the best thing about spring

after your house has been cooped up all winter long?

Why, opening up the windows, of course!

And being able to have a fresh breeze

flow through your house is even better!

Our front door came with a removable glass window

but no screen replacement.

Ugh.

So my wonderful husband discovered

that you can make your own screen door replacement

for less than $20!

Amazing!

{HERE'S WHAT WE NEEDED}

screen material

(we went with a roll of the thicker stuff

because we have a cat and a dog in the house)

a screen repair tool

(it looks like a double-sided pizza cutter)

spline (black rubbery string that holds the screen inside the frame)

(the size spline you need depends on the frame you get)

3 pieces of frame

they look like this (except longer)

a pack of 4 corner pieces

they look like this:

a tape measurer

saw (something that will cut through metal)

a flat-head screw driver

a utility knife

{1} Measure the frame to figure out the final dimensions of the frame.

Before you make any cuts, make sure you measure

the corner pieces--ours added 3/4 " on each end.

{2} Cut the frame pieces accordingly.

Two of the metal frame pieces will be for the two long sides,

the last metal frame piece will give you both of the shorter sides.

{3} Put your frame together.

Lay it face down on a flat surface

so that the ridge for the spline is facing up.

{4} Roll out your screen.

We cut it so there was a little hanging over both the top and bottom.

Make sure it's straight!

{5} Using the convex (cuved out) side of the screen repair tool,

carve a path for the spline along the top short edge of the screen .

{6} Starting in a corner, lay the spline along the path

and use the concave (curved in) side of the screen repair tool

to push in the spline. It will take several attempts to get it in all the way,

especially if you use a thick screen like we did.

Go until you reach the next corner.

{7} To do the corners, the screen repair tool doesn't fit quite right,

so pull out the flat head screwdriver to shove

the spline into the corner.

{8} Repeat convex roll, spline with concave roll, corner

until you get back to the beginning.

When you turn the corners,

be sure to help pull it as tight as you can so the screen

will lay flat.

{9} To finish, measure how much spline you need

to reach the corner, cut it with a utility knife (or scissors)

and finish putting it in with the flat head screwdriver.

{10} Cut away the extra screen with your utility knife.

Be careful!

{11} Install screen in door and

enjoy the cool breeze!

Wondering what Mezuzah means

and why we have it hanging above our door?

We have this explanation framed for all of our guests to read:

(click image to enlarge)

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Homemade Horseradish

I have been waiting for this day for a long time.

I finally learned how to make homemade horseradish from my grandma and grandpa.

I grew up thinking it was the nastiest stuff.

Ever.

I mean my grandpa ate it.

And he also ate pickled herring

and sour kraut

and cow's tongue

and rabbit

and snapping turtle...

So it had to be bad...

But I think it's safe to say my tastes have matured.

My husband and I will eat spicy horseradish on just about anything.

And there's just nothing like homemade, right?!

To make the whole thing better,

I have these pictures as precious treasures

to remind me of the quiet wisdom

dedicated love

and down-on-the farm goodness

of my grandma and grandpa.

Because there was rain in the forecast,

my grandpa dug up the roots before we got there.

He grows them amidst my grandma's flowers.

It was funny to listen to her scold him

for stepping on them.

I'm kind of surprised they found their way

in her garden in the first place.

And now they're starting to take over...

I guess I'll just have to help

them get rid of some of those plants.

:)

Anyway, we showed up just in time for

cleaning the roots...

And after they're washed three times,

they get peeled.

My grandpa and grandma are hard-core.

They just use a knife.

I'm pretty sure we'll try a peeler for our first time.

:)

This is what the roots look like

after just 2 washings...

Don't be fooled by all the pictures of my grandparents.

We helped with every process except the digging!

This is what the roots look like after they're peeled.

Then you chop them up in small pieces.

Now you can start to smell it.

Delicious.

After everything is ready to go,

head on outside

and clear the immediate area of all small children.

Mine didn't want to clear out.

They wanted to help.

But Great Grandma was insistent.

Clear out.

And now for the real work.

Time to grind.

This is tiring work.

We all took turns!

All ground up and ready for the next step...

time to add some salt, sugar, and white vinegar...

Haven was having a hard time

standing up against the strong winds.

It's probably going to take us a few years

before we know just the right amounts... :)

Then it's time to put it in jars.

And as my grandma said, it just needs time to sit until supper. :)

This is a picture of my grandpa's horseradish

among my grandma's flowers.

After we were all done with the horseradish,

grandma rewarded the kids' patience with a trip

to see the new baby calf.

I just love this picture of Grandma and Evan...

(here's the flower that the horseradish plan produces)

Haven is so lovey lately. :)

Lots of hugs to give!

This is the best shot we could get of the calf.

He was curled up in a corner

and wouldn't pose for a picture. :)

Oh well.

Saying goodbye to Grandma.

This is such a sweet picture too!

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Travel Zippered Wet Bag Tutorial

As promised, here is my tutorial

for the small, diaper-bag sized zippered wet bag.

Gotta say that I LOVE this one

even more than my big one.

I wish I would have not been so scared of zippers

two years ago when we first started my

son with cloth diapers!

Scratch that.

I wish I would have had this bag

right after I had my oldest

to have a place to put in all those spit up clothes

and burp rags and all of the other

kinds of messes such small babies make.

You know what I'm talking about!

The zippered wet bag has all the seams

hidden neatly inside so you can't see them.

I got a little lazy on this one.

You can see the seams,

but it was a LOT faster to make!

For this bag, I tried out the plasticy side of the PUL.

Gotta admit I wish I would have used the other side.

So plan accordingly when you make your own.

{MATERIALS}

A zipper--I chose invisible because I think it looks prettier for just a few cents more

choose the length based on how big you want your bag to be

I chose 7-9 inch

thread

sewing machine with zipper foot attachment

cutting mat and scissors

pins

iron (not optional this time!)

leftover material from the drawstring diaper bag

OR

enough material for:

2 rectangles of cotton fabric

2 rectangles of PUL

You'll want the size to be as long as the full length of the zipper you choose.

And you can make it as deep as you want.

Mine were 12 inches by 12 inches.

I wanted a bag big enough to hold at least 3 wet diapers for longer outings.

{1} cut out your fabric, 2 rectangles each of

This should be the length of your zipper by the depth you want.

Or if you want to be difficult like me,

you can make it a 12 x 12 square

and have to fix up the ends by the zipper later. :)

{2} Place one square of the outer cotton fabric face up,

add the zipper on top, face down

then the PUL face down.

If you made your fabric longer than the zipper like I did,

center the zipper in the fabric.

You'll line them up.

I just wanted to show you what it was going to look like.

I pinned the zipper end together so it wouldn't go anywhere.

{3} Before you start sewing, attach the zipper foot to your sewing machine.

If you're like me, you'll probably have to pull out your book

to figure out how to use it.

But I'm giving myself some grace...this was my first zipper!

So for all you zipper newbies, don't be intimidated!

It looks much harder than it really is!

{4} Pin the sides together with as few pins as you can.

Each time you poke the PUL you make holes...

while this bag wouldn't hold a quart of water,

it still works just fine to keep in all those

dirty diapers or messy clothes.

Then start to sew, remembering to back stitch on both ends.

{5} When you're done sewing, pull back both sides of the cloth

to admire your handiwork. :)

Then repeat with the other side of the zipper

and the remaining pieces of fabric.

When both sides are done, it will look like this:

{6} Iron the seams along the zipper.

Be careful not to have your iron set too hot

or leave the iron on the fabric too long.

PUL does melt!

{7} Top stitch along the zipper.

{8} Open the zipper half way.

Don't forget this step

or you won't have any way to turn

your bag right side out

when you're all done!

{9} Lay your bag completely inside out

(both right sides of cotton fabric facing each other as shown in pic above)

Find where your zipper ends and where it starts.

Use your sewing machine to make a stitch

through all four pieces of fabric

just for that small little length

to help make sure your zipper won't come off

It's just an extra stitch on the same line as the top stitch you just added.

Here's another view from the other side...

{10} Leaving the bag lined up as before, sew around the three edges

but not the edge with the zipper.

I didn't pin it down.

Probably should have...

(Side note: If you want to hide the seams, there is a simple solution I overlooked.

Instead of sewing through all four pieces of fabric at once,

open up the fabric so the same pieces of fabric are touching on each side.

then sew around that entire thing but leaving yourself a

2-3 inch opening on the bottom side of the PUL.

The zipper will be in the middle, so you won't have the chance to sew it down. :))

{11} This is what it should look like when you're done:

(unless you decided to hide the seams)

Clip the corners to help make them lay better.

(If you hid the seams, pull it right side out through the

2-3 inch opening you left in the PUL fabric.

Once it's right side out, stitch up the 2-3 inch opening

with your sewing machine...it's the inside of the bag.

No one cares if it's perfect!)

Now all you have left to do is pull it right side out through

the opening of the zipper!

All done!

This project took me less than an hour.

Simple awesomeness.

I'd love to see some pictures of your finished products.

Leave me a link!

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