Free Pond Building Classes

When I bought my land I knew there was no pond on it. There is a seasonal creek that runs through the forest that skirts around the side of the property, but no year-round pond. Recently at a Meet Up group I run (Oklahoma Tiny House Meet Up) one of our members revealed she is employed by a pond company and they offer classes on pond building. The entire group was excited at the opportunity to pick the mind of someone who knew the ins and outs of creating and maintaining a water feature. This weekend is the first class our Meet Up group will be participating in and you are invited too.

Pond Pro

7901 N. Kickapoo Street

Shawnee, OK 74804

http://www.pondproshop.com/

Class begins at 10 am

Have I piqued your interest? Here is some further information directly from their website about classes and the order in which they will be presenting:

We'll cover pond and waterfall design, choosing the correct pump and filter for your desired water feature, proper techniques to make your pond and stream look natural, and we'll teach you how to care for it once it’s up and running. Topics include: site selection, design, materials, pumps, filters, fish, plants, and much more. Attendees will have the opportunity to puchase items after the class session so they can take their new found knowledge home to improve on their out-door living area.

Classes are approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours in duration and held on Saturdays from March to October. Please see the schedule below for more information. We will be happy to have you join us.

Schedule of Upcoming 2015 Classes
All our classes are on Saturdays. See start time below, all classes are free and open to the public. Classes may be held in our indoor training facility.

 = Completed Class
 

	Date	Time	Class Title
	March 7	10:00 am	Spring Start Up
	March 28	10:00 am	Pond Filtration
	April 11	10:00 am	Pond Build
	April 25	10:00 am	Pondless Build
	May 16	10:00 am	Plants/Fish/Algae
	June 6	10:00 am	Pond Build
	June 27	10:00 am	Pondless Build
	July 11	10:00 am	Controlling Algae
	July 25	10:00 am	Other Water Features
	August 15	10:00 am	Waterfalls and Streams
	September 12	10:00 am	Pond Build
	September 26	10:00 am	Pondless Build
	October 10	10:00 am	Pond Build
	October 24	10:00 am	Winterizing Your Pond

Pond Pro also offers a free monthly newsletter you can sign up for here. 

I am excited at the opportunity to participate in FREE classes that help me learn a homesteading skill. Being able to have water on your property only increases its value and usability, not to mention how attractive and serene a pond can be. I hope to see you there!

Fall Leaf Flower Power

I found this awesome tutorial to make Fall Leaf Roses and wanted to share it here. These awesome flowers combine my love of fall leaves and all their magnificent colors, with my love for a floral centerpiece on my table. Imagine the possibilities with these clever flowers. I plan to try making some from artificial silk fall leaves from the craft store so that I can use them for years to come, but I know I will make some from all the beautiful ones here on my property, I adore fall!

Did you try making one? Share your thoughts or Fall Leaf Roses below!

Photo Credit: I was given this photo by a "share" on Facebook. Credit needs to go to Nicole Duke for this photo array, however I  attempted to find Nicole via Google, without success. I have no idea how locate her to let her know I am using her photo. If you know Nicole Duke and/or how I can find her, please let me know. I would love to tell her "Thank you!"

DIY: Build a Bullet Bucket to Access Water in Your Well Manually

I have a well on my property. I was told it is a 300 ft perforated well. I know nothing of wells except that it is going to be about $1200 to put a pump, pressure tank, and switch on, in addition to having to build a pump house. Without power on my property yet, I am waiting to install the well pump. I hate having to go to town to fill up water containers, so my ever-so-clever neighbor, Terry, told me about his bullet bucket, aka torpedo bucket.

Rewiring an Antique Lamp - Saving an Heirloom

Over the holidays, my bf and I went to visit with his mother. While there she asked me if I would be interested in a lamp she wanted to get rid of. I was shocked when she showed it to me because it is absolutely beautiful and I think it is worth much more than free. I told her so, encouraging her to hold on to it. She insisted she didn't want it any longer adding she had listed it for sale on Craigslist, but had no takers because it didn't work right; Sometimes it turned on and sometimes it didn't. I knew instantly she was having a shorting-out issue and it was a really easy fix. Despite assuring her I could fix it, she said she didn't want it any longer and if I wanted it, I could take it.

My bf picked it up to put it in the car and the lamp revealed it was not very stable. The spider that is responsible for holding up the shade had much too much free movement, which caused the lamp to wobble quite freely. I made a mental note to take a look at the assembly to see if I could tighten it up somewhat.

$5 fix - New Socket

Old Socket Being Removed

Reassembled Properly

Today I took a run to my local DIY store and purchased a new bulb socket. I took out the bulb, pulled out the socket cover, pulled up the old socket, and undid the wiring. I had examined the lamp cord and found no issues with it, so I just figured for under $5 I could confirm my guess it was just the socket portion. After I secured the wires to the new socket I realized that the lamp was assembled improperly. My guess is that someone rewired this lamp way back in the day (based on the cord the late 1940's) and put it back together incorrectly. This accounted for the spinning and wobbliness overall. I took some time to take it apart and reassemble it, tightening each section as I went along. I could tell I was successful once I put the very heavy glass shade back on. The lamp is solid and turns on and off with ease.

Standing back, I cannot help but admire the craftsmanship of the early 1900's. This lamp is beautiful and highly detailed. I noticed there are small holes in each of the leaves, which means there was most likely crystals that hung from it at one time. I bet this was a sight to behold in the window of a store.

Hand-painted Repousse Glass Shade

Detailed Crown

Repousse Glass Section Mimics Glass Shade

Small Holes Where Crystals Likely Hung At One Time

I am thrilled to be the new owner of this extraordinary lamp. I think it will look fantastic in the Shouse. What do you think? 

Before

After

Mason Jar Monday - Easy Mason Jar Time Capsule - Scrapbook in a Jar

A Year of Memories

Today's Mason Jar Monday DIY is an easy-peasy time capsule. Also called a scrapbook jar, Mason jars make a great way to preserve memories in addition to food.

Limited space in my tiny house means I don't want a ton of scrapbooks hanging around. You can read my post about using a digital photo frame to store and display thousands of photos in a small footprint, however memories are not limited to photographs. Many of my best memories are tangible. That seashell you found on the beach, the heart-shaped rock your special someone gave you, and the homemade Mother's Day card from your kindergartner are all precious memories you want to save. How, in a tiny house or in a small home, can you store these without them taking over your limited space making it looked cluttered or sloppy. An easy way to store and display these memories is by using a mason jar to create a time capsule scrapbook jar and then store and display it neatly on a shelf.

Dusty on Top

I have been doing this for two years now and I just love it. Throughout the year I collect trinkets such as squished pennies, ticket stubs, shells, pine cones, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other memorable bits I find interesting along the way. I write important dates such as the birth of a friends baby on a scrap of paper and I drop it into the jar. On New Years Eve I empty out the jar on the table and go through the "memories" from the year. I add a letter to myself in the future that talks about the past year and hopes for the upcoming one. Once I am done traveling down Nostalgia Lane, I put everything back in the jar and seal it up. I add it to the shelf as a decorative piece. Anytime I want to reflect on a particular memory, I can simply open the jar and "touch" history. I figure at the end of five years, I will consolidate each year into its own resealable bag and fit all five into a single gallon size jar to save space.

I am thinking this would be neat for a "Baby's First Year" time capsule too. You could add things like the birth announcement newspaper clipping, a pair of booties or baby socks, a tiny diaper, hospital bracelets, diaper pins, a favorite onesie, pacifier, lock of hair, etc. Jot down firsts (sits up, sleeps through night, smile, etc.) on a piece of scrap paper and drop it in. By the end of baby's first year you will have a nice record of their growth from birth on that is stress free compared to trying to remember to update a baby book. In fact, you could just empty the jar on a table, arrange it all in order from oldest to newest and then create a physical scrapbook or fill in a baby book.

This and That's Inside

For those who are planning a wedding, why not place a jar and some pretty scraps of paper on a table with pens? Invite your guests to leave you messages of love and advice for a happy marriage. On your first anniversary sit down over a glass of wine and read them together.

Pet owners may just want to create a jar for each of their pets. Every vet visit just drop in information about vaccines and treatments. Keep expired or updated tags too.

To label your jar, you can slip a paper printed with the information between the ring and the lid, as shown in my picture. If you have a Cricket machine or something similar you could cut out and stick on vinyl lettering/numbers to label your jar. Creating a label from a canning jar label would be nice as well.

Mason jars make a fantastic impromptu time capsule that are economical and practical. What would you include in your time capsule?

Beginnings of the Kitchen Cabinets

Rev-A-Shelf Slide Out

This weekend is a 3 day weekend and I only have 1.5 days of school left to teach! I am really looking forward to the summer. I have put roughly 25 hours into the planning of the kitchen area of my tiny house. In studying what everyone else has incorporated into their kitchens vs what I think I will need, I have come up with some very clever ways to improve kitchen use and storage. One of the best and most efficient storage ideas for in the kitchen I found are pull outs.

Kitchen Spices, Tiny House Style

In my pantry I have many, many spices. I have spent a good deal of money acquiring all the different spices that allow me to be a diverse and creative cook and parting with them would be a sad affair indeed. However, living in a tiny house does not have to mean Goulash, soups, or stews every night for dinner. However storing large jars of spices just will not be practical. I do not want to sacrifice the spice variety or the precious storage space so I searched for the perfect compromise. After poking around on Pinterest and the web, I think I found a clever and practical solution. I will continue to cook great and tasty meals in the cozy comfort of my hand-built paradise.

What?? No Toilet Paper??

Team Over vs Team Under

Sustainability. I hear this word thrown around a ton, but I am not convinced that people really can define just what sustainability is, let alone living a lifestyle that supports long-term sustainability. There are so many aspects of everyday life that have to be considered before sustainability can be a reality. I came across a post some time ago on another blog I follow that talked about Family Cloth. The blog was written by a lovely young lady who is into holistic health and sustainable living. I find it to be a real eye opener. What she blogged about on this particular day has resonated with me and made me consider an aspect of sustainability that I hadn't even considered before.