Happy New Year!
Wishing you all joy and love as we leave 2022 behind and forge ahead into 2023! Here’s to a year of new projects, ideas, and living a fabulously creative life!
Consider adding planning and journaling to your life in 2023! They are powerful tools for me in my own journey, and I know they can be transformational for you, too. Thinking about getting started? Check out these resources:
Christmas Resources
For many of you who celebrate Christmas, we are entering a very busy time of year. I have pulled together links which may assist you as you plan, bake, buy, and celebrate. Wishing you all the best in this busy season!
Budget-friendly gift suggestions for everyone on your list! Lists include:
My Favorite Gifts | Gifts Under $15 | Gifts for Mid Modern Lovers | Gifts for Children | Books to Give Gifts to Make | Wines to Give | Bubbles for the New Year
The Best Holiday Gifts
I have gathered all of my best holiday gift ideas and put them in one place! They are here to make your holiday shopping easier and your gift giving even more thoughtful.
So click the link and enjoy! And thank you for supporting Mid Modern Mama.
Thanksgiving Resources
Everything you need for a lovely Thanksgiving — except the turkey!
Thanksgiving is just over a week away, and I have all kinds of resources which may be helpful as you prepare for the holiday. I hope these help to make yours happier and simpler!
And don’t forget: it’s time to order your copy of The Nice List for this year, too!
Here’s to a wonderful start to the holiday season!
Cheers!
Angela
Welcome Fall!
a late September update from Mid Modern Mama
Friends, here we are in that wobbly part as summer ends and fall begins. It’s been such a busy few weeks. I’m sure that’s true for you, too! I’ve been doing a lot of gardening, preparing new content and ideas for the coming months, and we just launched our 7th One Room Challenge project, too!
I am almost ready for fall to come, but my garden is so lovely right now, and I’m just reveling in the beauty of dahlias and salvia, zinnias and cosmos and sunflowers. We haven’t had our first frost yet, but I know it is coming soon.
As you are moving from one season to the next, I have some project ideas and news for you!
Gardening
I created a new tutorial for our super-cheap steel barrel planters which I have used all over our backyard. For us, these cost less than $7 each to make, and they are a great size for all kinds of plants. We also spent a lot of time this summer creating shade in our backyard, and I have a guide with 9 different ideas — as well as a peek into one of our current projects, our Shade House which I LOVE!
Seasons Change
If you are ready to bring fall into your home, I also have a variety of fall projects which will help transition into the new season. And if the front of your home could use a transition, I have some easy and inexpensive ideas to dress up your home this fall.
I hope you are all doing well!
Cheers!
Angela
Review: My Sutro Smart Pool Monitor
a review of the new My Sutro pool monitor
My Sutro Pool Water Monitor
We have had our stock tank pool for three summers now. And for the first two years, I used a pHin water monitor to keep the pool balanced and in good shape. However, pHin was aquired by another company which discontinued the service, so I had to recycle my pHin and look for an alternative. Of course, I could have turned to manual pool testing kits. But I love the convenience of an automatic monitor and an app that tells me what to do. Enter: My Sutro. My Sutro is a pool water monitor that uses a different technology, but it is a great alternative to the pHin — and has some advantages, too.
Disclosure: My Sutro sent me their product, but all ideas and opinions are my own.
This post contains affiliate links. AKN
My Sutro claims to be: “The world's leading water testing device. The easiest way to actually measure your pool chemistry and keep your pool and spa crystal clear.” And that is an interesting difference. Each Sutro monitor utilizes a cartridge to conduct testing. This cartridge of reagents is housed in the monitor and must be changed out about once per month. My Sutro is actually testing the water using the reagents inside the cartridge.
And I have seen the difference!
How does My Sutro work?
In the past, I used far more chlorine and other chemicals. With My Sutro, my stock tank pool is cleaner, clearer, and more comfortable with far less intervention. According to My Sutro, this is because their device is taking actual measurements rather than using a method of extrapolation called ORP (the tech used by pHin and other monitors). This testing means, however, that the device is somewhat larger and requires monthly maintenance. That’s not terrible, and frankly, the improved functionality makes such things feel trivial.
Each day I open the app and check the report on our water quality. The app also tells me what, when, and how much to add to adjust the water. It also tells me the water temperature and provides weekly and monthly reports so I can see trends as they develop. The app is easy to set up, it stores the exact products that I use, and you can adjust the notifications and their frequency. It makes maintaining my pool very simple and straightforward, frankly. And I don’t have to worry about it.
My Sutro at work in our stock tank pool
My Sutro works with chlorine, salt water, mineral sanitizers, and bromide pools. I may switch from chlorine next summer, and that’s not a problem with My Sutro either.
But here’s the best part: you only have to pay for the months that you’ll be using My Sutro. Once you purchase the device, there is a monthly fee. But if you live in a place where you can’t swim year-round like I do, you only pay when your pool is open. That means I won’t be paying for the 7-8 months of the year when we have our pool shut down. That saves a lot of money over time!
Having used My Sutro for several months now, I am truly pleased with how it works and with the resulting clean water and sparkling pool. It’s an investment for a stock tank pool, but I think it is a worthy one. And I look forward to years of clean water to come!
Want to know more?
Click the link to learn more!
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Looking for a pool monitor to keep your pool clean? I've been using the My Sutro pool chemistry monitor for a few months, and here is my review. A pool monitoring system will help you figure out why your pool is cloudy and fix it quicly. It's one of the best pool monitoring systems, and I'll tell you why and what it costs, too. Also: how to keep a pool clean, how to keep a stock tank pool clean
Barebones: Must Have Gardening Tools
Beautiful gardening tools crafted for generations of use
Beautiful Garden Tools that also Work Hard
My New Favorite Gardening Tool is…
You ask, and I answer! One of the most frequent questions I get about my One Room Challenge Greenhouse is: what gardening tools are your favorites?
I have the answer: my tools from Barebones Living. These garden tools are gorgeous — and tough! When I opened the box that they sent me, I was shocked! Usually pretty garden tools are pretty terrible. These are amazeballs! The handles are walnut with copper trim. The tools are steel and feel like they were hand-forged. They are comfortably heavy. The gloves are buttery.
My sister asked me a few weeks ago what to get my mom for her birthday; I immediately sent her to Barebones Living. Yes, they sent me a box full of their tools, but I have zero reservations about recommending them. They are beautiful — and more importantly, they are really functional.
The Garden Scoop from Barebones Living
The garden scoop is my personal favorite! I didn’t even know I needed a soil scoop, but it does the job so much better than a trowel. Who knew!
Next on my list to get: their shears and scissors which look substantial. And the Harvesting and Gathering bag for carrying all these beautiful tools around in the garden!
Lanterns: Solve Gardening in the Dark
It’s hard to get it all done! With so many balls in the air, nighttime has to be a productive time, but until recently I couldn’t do any gardening after dark, because I don’t have electricity in the Greenhouse.
Enter Barebones Living. Barebones sent me some of their fabulous lanterns to use in the Greenhouse, and now I can garden after hours — or just escape with a glass of wine. Either way!
The larger Forest Lantern recharges with a USB, and the smaller Edison Mini Lanterns run either off of a USB charger or batteries. They have a LONG battery life, too. I put cup hooks under the shelves in the greenhouse, so I can hang the lanterns where I need them, and move them depending on where I am working. I love being able to go out there at night! Barebones has other outdoor lighting solutions, too — all with a vintage look and high-quality feel. They are great for all kinds of outdoor activities.
Whether you are looking for garden tools for yourself or a lovely gift for someone you love, I genuinely recommend Barebones Living. The quality of their products is impressive, and they represent a rare kind of craftsmanship. I suspect my Barebones tools will be used for decades.
Note: If you purchase something through a link posted on this site, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting Mid Modern Mama!
April: New Blooms, New Collection, and New Leaks
April: New Blooms, New Collection, and New Leaks
Happy Spring, friends! Read on for flowers, discounts, and leaky toilets…
I hope you are well, staying safe, and are enjoying some sunshine — especially my Northern Hemisphere friends as we emerge from our hibernation!
New Blooms
I am immersed in my Colorado Master Gardener coursework and find myself focused on all things gardening. As my own garden wakes up bit by bit this is such a welcome obsession, too! Last fall I planted several hundred bulbs including lots of tulips, daffodils, alliums, and camassia. I haven’t planted bulbs since I lived in Minnesota — a long time ago. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but so far I am thrilled! The tulips are coming up, and this week the daffodils are putting on a show! I also have Chionodoxa sardensis and Chionodoxa luciliae alba, commonly known as Glory of the Snow as well as crocus blooming.
If you have the gardening bug, too, here are a few recent pieces which might inspire you!
New Collection
Spring Collection Launches Now!
Spring Collection Launches Now!
In other exciting news, Owl & Ember, the planner publisher and paper goods store where I am a partner, is launching our Spring Collection! We have new watercolored stickers and paper packs — perfect for scrapbooking, art journaling, and making. We are also excited to launch The Rambler — a new kind of blank book filled with blank pages and a few surprises, too. The Rambler is handmade. I’ve been using for my daily journaling for several months, and I absolutely love it! We also have our all new Everyday Inserts — blank books that come with dotted, lined, or blank pages — all printed on our Risograph printer.
Use the discount code SPRING2022 to get 10% off any purchase of $20 or more NOW through Thursday, April 7, 2022!
Garden Notes, our gardening journal, is available in the Owl and Ember shop, too. And I’ve written about how I use it to keep my gardening practice on track. Check it out:
New Leaks
The One Room Challenge starts this week, but I will be sitting out this round and cheering for my friends. We have a bunch of fun projects planned for this spring and summer, but this morning water came pouring through the ceiling of our downstairs bathroom from upstairs. So, replacing toilets and drywall are on the agenda. No ORC for me! But if you are thinking about making some changes around your home, I have two new posts which may offer some inspiration:
So I will leave you with the first rose of summer — opening tomorrow in The Greenhouse! Much better than soggy ceilings!
Happy April and happy Spring!
XOXO
Angela
