DaySpring is hosting the Win Your Wish List Giveaway. It's easy to enter in three (3) quick steps.
1. Create an Account or Sign in using the banner below on DaySpring's website
2. Create a Wish List or Add Items to your Existing List up to a $300 value
3. Then, you're Automatically Entered to Win!
This giveaway ends: Tuesday, November 2, at 11:59 p.m. CST
Happy Halloween! I visited Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Farm in Redlands, California. I made it through the corn maze, ate funnel cake and kettle corn, played games, and purchased some pumpkins to dress up the front yard. It was a pleasant, spring-feeling, day in October here in California. The food was pricey, but if you want to go and have a good time and enjoy the season with family and friends that doesn't matter. If you can't make it to the Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Farm here is a video look at some of my experiences for you to enjoy. Hopefully, you will visit your local pumpkin farm or pumpkin path to bring in the start of the holiday season. Stay safe and be well.
Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Farm website: https://liveoakcanyon.comRecently, I purchased an Adjust-A-Gate frame kit from Home Depot. I wanted to make my job easier than actually building a gate so I thought that I would give one of these kits a try. Since I used galvanized posts instead of wood posts, I had to use a different j-bolt setup, which I share below where I purchased that unit if you're interested. I also installed a 2-side lockable latch instead of the basic latch included with this kit. That information is below as well. Overall, after those basic modifications, I took my time and figured out how to get this gate frame kit installed. It comes with instructions, but I realized that it was still a bit of trial and error and learning as I went along. Fyi, the frame was shaky until I screwed the 2x4s on the frame, which tightened the extension I needed for the frame to reach the 5ft 7in. length I needed. I do recommend installing this frame kit and the fence pickets before you install your latch to ensure proper alignment and placement with your newly installed gate. While you are installing the j-bolts you can use the latch to get an idea of how far out you need to screw the j-bolts so you reach your key latch. Overall, I got it set up and the kit saved me time from building a wood gate. I would recommend it if you're not big on building an entire wood gate yourself.
I completely finished building a new wood fence for the backyard. I'm super happy about it because the neighbor's old fence took a beating in these California winds and it was very decayed as well. In a future video, I will share with you how I installed the wooden gate and a double-sided key lock, but for now, hopefully, you can get an idea of this process.
I believe if I can do it, you can do it too. Be patient with yourself, ask for help when needed, and learn from others by watching others, to complete any task. The previous video and resources below will help you also if you're wondering how I built the fence panels and the brackets I used from Amazon. Enjoy!
Additional Resources for You
How to Build Fence Panels: https://youtu.be/Ilu8BsB1FoE
Vlog | Fence Teardown and Setting Metal Posts in Backyard: https://youtu.be/eFImnbwiz0s
WAP-OZ Steel to Wood Fence Brackets (12PK) can be purchased on Amazon here
Wagner Control Stainer on Amazon here
Disclaimer: Some products listed are Amazon affiliate links. I am able to earn a small commission for products purchased or links used above. I use these products in my daily life and that's why I recommend them. I hope you like them too.
The DaySpring Friends and Family Sale is going on now! Get 25% off sitewide in hospitality, Fall decor, Thanksgiving, and of course, Christmas gifts. This is also the perfect time to purchase The Living Table by Abby Turner. It is bundled with a FREE "Serve One Another" Wooden Spoon. The best time to shop for seasonal gifts is now. Use the code FAMILY.
On October 1st, we celebrated International Day of Older Persons. It's a holiday to recognize the contributions of senior citizens and their well-being. For many years I had the opportunity to care for older adults during my career as an in-home caregiver. I helped many seniors continue to live an independent life in their homes and it was important to have a daily tracker to keep a record of their rehabilitation, activities of daily living, meals, and medical appointments. I feel that seniors should be celebrated every day because of their contributions to society and continual wisdom. To ensure that they are living their best life, there are daily logbooks available for caregivers. Use these books for recording and tracking the care provided to senior clients. Below, are just some logbooks available on Amazon, with a couple designed by Selena Thinking Out Loud.
Even if you are in a tiny space and have a balcony or patio, you can still create your own garden oasis. You would just build your raised bed smaller or use the container gardening method. Last week, I shared with you my first summer garden tour so I thought that I would back up and give you a look at how I built the raised beds. I would recommend getting the best quality wood you can afford like cedar or redwood and ensure that it's thick wood because over time your raised bed will have a lot of soil in it and get exposure to watering and the environment (sun, heavy winds, and debris). I did use a water-based stain on the outside of my raised beds to slow down the time I will have to replace them again. So far so good! I'm in Southern California so we have a longer growing season and I'm currently planting my radishes, carrots, peas, lettuce, cabbage, and other leafy vegetables as the weather becomes cooler. This heatwave happened earlier than usual this year, but hopefully, it's settling down now and I can get some cooler crops growing. I will be building two more garden beds closer to next spring to grow a lot more warmer vegetables. The video is below and if you have any questions or suggestions leave them in the comments below. Stay safe and be well.
Additional Resources
Christmas has arrived early on DaySpring! Get Free Shipping on your U.S. Christmas orders with the code, CHRISTMAS. There are so many items to choose from in the Christmas Shop including holiday cards, Advent calendars, family activities, gifts, Holiday Helper Sets, and much more. The Free Shipping offer ends Monday, October 11, 2021, so get a headstart on the Christmas savings now!
National Book Month is celebrated in October. It's the perfect time of year to reiterate the importance of reading. Not only is reading necessary for daily life, but it is another opportunity to learn and discover new things, new places, and different viewpoints from people of various cultures and backgrounds. Reading is one of the best pastime activities to relax and enjoy a good book without television, social media, and other distractions. Many kids receive required reading lists, which help to advance their reading skills and keeps them busy throughout the year. Other children may have a more flexible curriculum and reading journals and reading logs are helpful for organizing all of the books they read during the year.
In the reading journals for kids below, there is a table of contents, open-ended questions directed towards the books they are reading, and space to write down more recommended books from teachers, friends, and family. Some of the books were created by Selena Thinking Out Loud and others are favorites on Amazon. At the end of the year, a child can see all of the books they have read and feel proud of such a great accomplishment. Happy reading!
National Ergonomics Month is celebrated each year in October. It was created by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society in 2003 to improve people's efficiency through wellness and productivity in the workplace. Now, more than ever there are computers and other products and accessories, geared towards helping people work more comfortably. Slant-ruled notebooks are one of those products used to assist in writing comfort for right-handed and left-handed individuals. Being a left-handed writer myself, I normally turn the pad of paper or notebook in a more convenient position for my wrist to begin writing. I also notice that some pens cause my words to smear as my hand moves along the page so having the lines in the correct position makes writing a lot easier. A slant-ruled notebook is convenient and a clever solution to writing discomfort. The solution is available for right-handed writing as well, but the writing lines are slanted in the opposite direction.
Below, you will find some slant-ruled notebooks designed by Selena Thinking Out Loud. They are all available now on Amazon. Purchase them for yourself, coworkers, friends, and family who would appreciate this ergonomic tool for writing. Each book comes with 120 pages of comfortable writing space. It's a perfect anytime gift throughout the year. Happy National Ergonomics Month and stay safe and well.
Slant Ruled Left-Handed Notebook: Ergonomic Writing. Floral Design. Paperback
Slant Ruled Left-Handed Notebook for The Handyman: Ergonomic Writing Aid Paperback
Hello everyone! I hope you have been well. I have been working on my first-year garden a lot this summer during this intense heatwave. Southern California hit 100 degrees in June. I don't know where Spring came and went, but I'm glad that I was still able to learn and apply some gardening knowledge so far this year. In the video below, I invite you into my first-year garden. This is my first summer garden tour and I'm excited to share everything that's been growing. I have been growing beautiful, gigantic, sunflowers, green peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, grapevines, a cherry tree, squash, and more.
I have learned SO much from many gardeners on Youtube and reading books and articles. I have been doing my research y'all...lol. Now that it's about a week since the first day of Fall, I have also started three varieties of peas that I show you while on the summer tour as well. I recommend following the Farmer's Almanac, entering your zip code, and it will give you its historical recommendations on when to start your seeds, plant in the ground or raised bed soil, and transplant new crops. I am very surprised by the results I have been having so I mention "thrive" quite a bit throughout the video...lol. I started off dealing with the aphids, whiteflies, and earwigs galore. That wasn't fun and it wasn't easy at first, but I learned what they all looked like and their habits of destruction and eventually figured it out, using Diatomaceous Earth and Insecticidal soap. It's never too late to start a garden and since I'm in Southern California I'm gearing up for my Fall garden and looking forward to showing you my first-year Fall garden tour for 2021. Stay tuned, thanks for watching, and happy gardening!
Recommended Resources
HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, 10lb with Powder Duster Included in The Bag
