My first sale!

So, as you know…I became a real estate agent recently. I stupidly took an online course (FYI-I do not learn well this way), studied my butt off for months and passed my state exam.

And then I made these.

I got some flack for the picture:
“It’s not normal.”
“It doesn’t have a boring brown backdrop with backlighting that makes my hair glow.”
I am not pretend popping my collar.
I don’t have a huge cheesy grin.
And, it’s the same one I use for my blog.

Guess what?! It’s me. In all my weird glory. And it seems to work for me.

This couple didn’t mind the picture on my biz card when it came to helping them buy their first house-granted this is my brother and sis-in-law.

Maybe they’re more forgiving of my weirdness than the average bear. They do have a lot of bear experience…

At any rate, my brother and his wife were determined to have me as their agent when they purchased their next home. They even waited on me to get my license and wanted to be my first sale!

I owe them big time. And, since they bought another fixer-upper, I’m sure they’ll find a way to allow me to repay them.

(Check out the last house they remodeled. It’s so cool, it was featured in the online magazine Prairie Hive.)

Do you know your father’s voice?

Dear Readers:

Do you have that one friend that you may not hear from for a year, but you know their voice instantly when you pick up the phone? It has a familiar timbre-that familiar pitch-and you are back in conversation as if no time has passed at all.

I feel that way each time a storm rolls in. Growing up in Kansas, thunderstorms came with a fury and intensity I have yet to see in Oklahoma. Within a moments notice, the blue sky would turn a sickly green and then a deep black. It would rip open as lightening splintered across the sky, and a piercing crack would echo throughout the plains.

Thunder would fester from within the earth, grumbling all the way to the surface until it finally would scream into the atmosphere, shaking the paintings on our walls.

As a child, the storms fascinated me, scared me, humbled me and intoxicated me.

The older I got, my love affair with storms grew. I found covering outside to watch as the storm brewed over the field in my backyard. I loved the stillness right before the storm. The birds became silent and found shelter. The hay stopped swaying and the earth grew quiet for a moment. Suddenly, a loud clap would wake everything up and rain would pour down on me.

I heard the voice of my Father calling to me through those storms, reminding me of who He is. And as the hot rain fell on my skin, I would feel the cleansing power of water-of baptism.

My Father speaks to me in many ways-but my favorite is through a storm. A storm is unpredictable, beautifully dangerous, radically different and fiercely chaotic. But in the end, the earth has been cleansed and a sweet peace falls as the storm moves on.

It reminds me of my God. He will shake me to the core, He will cleanse me and He will bring me peace. I know the Father’s voice so intimately that I not only hear it in every storm, but throughout every day as I keep in constant communication with Him.

Do you know your Father’s voice?

My Naked Garden

Alright. I’m dying here. What’s the deal? It was 71 yesterday and it’s going to be near freezing again on Tuesday? By this time last year, I had my entire garden planted.

By May of last year, my garden looked like this. I had already envisioned salads full of goodness, nights of canning the booty and grilling anything grill-able.

Even my winter squash was discovering the topside of soil. Pretty, little dainty leaves smiled back at me each morning.

Biceps and I were eating spinach salads like nobodies business.

And my tiny, green tomatoes were just starting to ripen.

I’m hoping it won’t be too late to get my plants in the ground before the Okie weather shoots from a balmy 65 degrees to 104 degrees.

However, this is what is staring back at me each time I look through the french doors. Naked dirt. Void of anything green or edible. I’m trying to be patient, but it isn’t happening.

Has anyone else been impatient and planted already? Should I continue to wait? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

LIVE on Fox23-Get rid of those Garden Pests-in a nice way.

This morning, I will be LIVE on Fox23’s “Great Day, Green Country” showing how to make non-toxic pest deterrent’s for the garden, including:

Non-Toxic Homemade Insecticide Spray,
Non-Toxic Bunny and Critter Deterrent,
Non-Toxic Ant and Gnat Deterrent.

You now will get to see on Hi-Def just how sweaty a little girl can get.

Here are all of the recipes to rid your garden of pests-the Non-Toxic way!  These recipes are so simple, I just know you’re going to love them.

The first is a Non-Toxic Insecticide Spray for the Garden-which is cheap and easy to make.

Here’s all that you’ll need to make your very own Non-Toxic Insecticide Spray:

3 C Warm Water
6-8 Cloves Garlic, Peeled
1 TBS Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Medium Onion, quartered
1/2 tsp Liquid Castille Soap, fragrance free

Throw all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a spray bottle and lightly mist the offended plants.

Next, is my Non-Toxic Ant and Gnat Remover (basically, this is made for small, spastic bugs that evade your every move).

Here’s all that you’ll need to make your very own Non-Toxic Ant & Gnat Remover:
1 tsp Dish Soap (choose something very mild-I prefer Dawn or Melaleuca’s Lemon Bright)
3 C Water

Using a funnel, add both ingredients to your spray bottle. Shake, spray and smile as the ants go slip-sliding off of your precious leaves.

Make your very own Bunny Deterrent by filling up a shaker canister with Cayenne pepper. Sprinkle around the edge of your garden, flower beds, etc. The bunnies don’t like to sniff it up, so they run off for greener pastures.

Use Garlic Salt in a shaker canister to deter almost any critter. Squirrels hate the smell, slugs can’t stand it and dogs quit relieving themselves on your squash plants when you carefully sprinkle this around.

*NOTE-Do not sprinkle on the leaves of the plant. This will actually kill them. Not that I’ve ever done that….nope.

I hope you enjoyed these Non-Toxic Garden Pest Deterrent Recipes. Scroll down below to see my other sweaty tv appearances and more recipes!

♥ ♥ ♥

Here are the links to my other LIVE TV appearances on Fox23’s Great Day Green Country:

•  Skinny Orange Julius
• Homemade Cleaning Products
• Homemade Beauty Products 
• Homemade Laundry Items
• Homemade Dental Care
• Homemade Crockpot Applesauce

Here are links to my Homemade Household Cleansers and Beauty Products:

• Homemade Hygiene Products
• Non-Toxic Beauty Products
• Non-Toxic Cooking Spray
• Anti-Bacterial Spray
• Easy Laundry Soap
• DIY Brass Cleaner
• Organic Vegetable/Produce Cleaner
• Homemade Household Cleaners

And here are a few Homemade Food Items to easily replace store-bought items:

• Simple, Tasty Granola
• Easy Crockpot Yogurt
• Simple, Homemade Butter
• Cooking and Freezing Beans, avoiding BPA
• Homemade Hummus
• Garden Fresh Salsa

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending time with such a weirdo. Make sure you become a Facebook Fan or a Linky Follower to keep up to date with what this weirdo comes up with next. Have a great day!