I need followers on Twitter! Join Brian's Twitter Challenge!

Twitter, perhaps the world's most effective marketing tool was one of the most used words in 2009. In 2010, I want to establish a decent Twitter presence. It's like one of those resolutions that you REALLY want to happen.

My Twitter page is devoted to homekeeping tips, and really as an addition to this blog, which is terribly lacking, and to my facebook page.

I've decided to entice future followers by throwing a contest. I don't really think there are legal restrictions or guidelines?? I don't know, but I figure I'll use this post as a 'Contest Rules' page for Brian's Twitter Challenge.

So Brian's Twitter Challenge is this... for EVERY 500 followers there will be a pretty spectacular prize! The first prize will be the ENTIRE LINE of the new Martha Stewart Clean Cleaning Products as well as a cleaning caddy to house them all! This is about a $100.00 value!

It's my way of saying THANK YOU to all of my followers on all of my social networking platforms. I've been using this line of all natural, entirely green, and very effective cleaners in the home since November, and I swear by them.

Being that my Twitter IS DEVOTED to homekeeping and everything else domestic I thought this would be a great gift.

I have 72 followers on Twitter, so I have a way to go. The contest WILL NOT expire. It may take 6 days, 6 weeks, or maybe even 6 months, but I am determined to get there.

AND IT'S EVERY 500... so there's more than one chance to win! I can't guarantee that it will be the same prize every time, but definitely something worth winning! My favorite Homekeeping Books, Cookbooks, A day out in the gardens with me, an invite to a dinner party that I host??

The prize pack for the "Brian's Twitter Challenge" will include

The entire line of the Martha Stewart Clean Cleaning Line (available online and at home depot stores)

the line includes:
-All Purpose Cleaner
-Window and Glass Cleaner
-Wood Floor Cleaner
-Bathroom Cleaner
-Toilet Cleaner
-Dishwashing Detergent
-Liquid Hand/Dish Soap
-Carpet Stain Cleaner
-Laundry Detergent
-Fabric Softener

and I'll throw in a cleaning caddy that you can tote around your new Martha Stewart Clean products!

I think that's a pretty fabulous prize pack. It may even be worth following me on Twitter for a chance to win.

You must live in the United States to win... that's the only rule, and the winner will be selected at random!

I will contact the winner through a direct message on Twitter promptly following the contest.

AND now that you know the rules, follow me on Twitter and get a clean home at www.twitter.com/The_Clean_Home

#Shamelss. haha

Another year has gone by...

Well 2009 was definitely a wonderful and blessed year for me! I met my idol, Martha Stewart, and made many new friends in the process. She's such an inspiration to my family and myself, and I can't wait to see what exciting products, publications, and ideas MSLO will bring to the world!

2009 marked a lot of smaller accomplishments for me; I learned about Twitter, and actually got a Twitter account! It's now my guilty pleasure and almost ONLY news source I reference to.

I also found and reconnected with a lot of friends from High School, College, and other social events that I've been privileged to attend via the powers of Facebook.

Also, this year brought us Apple's iPhone 3Gs... which I now own, and am convinced, I could NEVER live without!

On the home front, since this IS a blog about Homemaking, I finally constructed, started, and grew an Organic, edible vegetable and herb garden... right in my back yard! I had a great yield in my first year! This gives me promising motivation to continue growing, building, and harvesting my edible garden in years to come.

As a gardener, homemaker, cook, baker, and crafter... it's amazing to me how our skills in our areas of expertise are constantly building and improving while we continuously "Master" our trade.

And every Christmas season I evaluate my successes and accomplishments in the past year, and focus on what I want to bring with me in the new year. I rarely have a regret, but this is because of my ongoing and relentless optimism in life.

So I've constructed a list of things I want to improve on in the new decade... I think it's always fun and motivating creating resolutions! I don't make them too hard or inconceivable... I create resolutions that interest me in participating in, therefore, I'll have continuous motivation to continue on my new tasks!

So here goes:

1. Drink more Juice from locally grown, or organic produce as much as possible to start the day
2. Overcome fear of the public's germs and join a yoga class.
3. Start documenting birds that visit the homestead, and take pictures of the birds.
4. Continue Podcasting, Blogging, and tweeting
5. Build more raised beds in the vegetable garden and fence in area.
6. Plant 1200 MORE bulbs in the spring.
7. Create a cutting garden for Gladiolus.
8. Master the art of sewing
9. Learn how-to's on Knitting and Purling.
10. Read more books, instead of listening to them.
11. Become less dependent on Starbucks, and start relying on my Italian Saeco Espresso Machine for good quality, more affordable lattes and cappuccinos!
12. Extend my collection of Tinsel Feather Trees.
13. Go antiquing more, and become educated on the history and periods of American Furniture.
14. Visit nurseries and farms in search of alternatives to distance driven produce.
15. Use re-usable bags, and do away with plastic bags.
16. Visit historic homes.
17. Strive to cook more meals to take to work instead of going out for lunch.

This list are all things I WANT to change, and hopefully most or all of these items will be focused on more and accomplished in the new year!

Have the happiest new year!

Let it snow, Let it snow...

Well the weather was certainly frightful here in south central, PA! We have accumulated a little over 2 feet of snow... 25.5 inches!

Actually, this marks the most snow for the month of December here in our area. We've already had 2 minor snow storms previously this month!

I'm not the snow's biggest fan... I don't suffer from cabin fever, I just like to shop and my car goes on strike during winter weather conditions!! Although I don't driving in the snow, I do love admiring it during calm winter walks around the area!

Here are some of the pictures I took this morning.

Window Boxes for the Holidays!

Like any avid gardener, the constant questions we have in and around the garden seem to be endless. What to buy, what to plant, why is there a bare spot in my perennial border are all questions we're faced with as gardeners.

Having window boxes in many ways is a blessing. Having beautiful cosmos and nasturtiums cascading down from windowsills is absolutely stunning if maintained and cared for properly.

However, during the months between October and late April, they begin to look somewhat bland, uninspiring, and worst of all... vacant.

Instead of filling them with faux garland and lights, we did something different this year. My mother came up with the idea to use our prunings from everywhere else in the garden to create a visual masterpiece. With a couple of spotlights, these arrangements beautify our property, our home, and serve almost as a centerpiece would for a table!

We started out with empty planters at first, we filled them with leftover potting soil which served almost as floral foam would for an indoor arrangement; Offering support and moisture to the cuttings.

First we started in the back with prunings from our pine trees. We then intermixed small branches that fell from our trees here. In between the branches we mixed in fresh cuttings from our holly bushes here. For some flora and color, we put in the last of the hydrangea blooms as the forefront and center of these arrangements. Beneath them we layered fresh cypress cuttings , and the end result is really stunning. You can not add hydrangea blooms and actually put fresh or faux glittered fruit as a cute substitute.

We eventually did add a string of lights to these pretty window boxes.

Good luck with all of your winter window box creations! Send me pictures of your creations!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Over the years, we've collected a lot of ornaments here at the Homestead. The ornaments are always very representative of the family's interests. Ornaments of tea cups, favorite sports teams, homemade ornaments, and even ones that my siblings and I crafted in grade school all adorn our family tree.

This year we selected a Fraser Fir tree. This tree began growing in the Mountains of North Carolina. Over the years, it has become quite a popular tree to have around the holidays in North America. This cousin of the balsam fir, is quite noticeably less fragrant, but has longer, sturdier needles. It also has a very nice silvery underside!

We run a green multiple outlet extension cord down the trunk of the tree and affix it with black zip-ties. If the zip tie is too small, you can simply attach it to another zip-tie to elongate the length of your zip-tie! A small pouch of 20 black zip-ties from Lowe's was $1.74, and I had plenty left over! The multiple outlet extension cord was 12 feet long and was $4.97. The nice thing about this cord is that it has a "Power" button, so you don't have to worry about knocking over your tree by plugging it in and out of its power source. I used a green extension cord and black zip ties to simply be inconspicuous. Don't invest in a white colored one because this will stand out through any gaps in between the branches in your tree. To see a video version of this go to iTunes and download the Martha Stewart Podcast. This month, she features holiday videos and the "Setting up the Tree" episode helped create this beautiful tree!

The first is an ornament that my little sister made in her elementary school art class about 15 years ago! So cute. The last picture is one of our tree. Adorned with all of our family's heirloom ornaments that we've collected over the years, it's always fun looking back and reliving all those family memories we've created together!

We have other trees here at the homestead. I like to decorate by color and theme, so we've set up other trees doing just that! On our dining room table there is a White Feather tree adorned with pink ornaments and a silver tree topper! The tree is very feminine and festive, without being too much of an overstatement. It's subtle hues shine when the first rays of sunshine come up over the horizon located in the back of our property.

Another tree, that I love having here is our "First Snowfall" tree. It's very representative of the memories we've shared as a family. All of us kids celebrating our first Christmas always is a joy for our Mother. When you think about it, each "First Snowfall" is sort of like that first Christmas. That 'landmark' letting you know that the Holiday season is officially here!
Each season we add ornaments to it from Martha Stewart's Everyday line at KMart. Hanging on it are glass icicles, glittered acrylic snowflakes, glass balls, shatterproof ornaments (Which are a Godsend,) and oversized silver sequined orbs that we bought at Macy's in 2007.

Welcome to the Stepford Life!!

My friends call me a "Stepford Wife." I frankly hate this (because I'm not even married, or currently dating anyone.) They call me "The Male Martha." I happen to love this phrase, because Martha Stewart is who I look up to. She's a constant source of inspiration in all of my projects. I always say, "If Martha can do it, so can I."

For years, I've been crafting projects, perfecting my perennial borders in the garden, cooking homemade meals, baking delicious treats, and keeping after our home the way a fashionista does her wardrobe. Homemaking has become somewhat of a passionate obsession for me.

For months, I've been tweeting homekeeping tips and posting "Seasonal Tips" as my status updates on my Facebook page. As fun as it is for me, I can't imagine that my hobby for taking care of the home is the forefront of interest in the age group of my friends (20 somethings in college.) I've decided to go "Public" with my tips in the form of this blog and eventually too with a weekly podcast!

I want to share with all of you the same tips I give out to my friends on facebook! Tips by the homemaker for the homemaker!

Often, I use Martha's ideas because they typically and usually are the best! No worries though, I always will link where I've gotten my information from. I give credit when credit is due! A lot of the ideas, tips, and stories are those of my own, and from my own past and present experiences.

I hope you'll stop by often here at "The Stepford Life." I plan to post a lot, and it seems that homemaking and homekeeping is a never ending task! There will always be something to talk about!

I called this "The Stepford Life" simply because life isn't perfect, but you can try to make it as perfect as possible! For perfectionists, traditionalists, and realists... they can certainly relate to that!

So go out and enjoy your day and live your "Stepford Life."