A fun project

AH is a pesto lover. Has been since he was 3. It didn't matter that it was green...he loved it! He still does. Tortellini and Pesto is his favorite dinner in the entire universe. I love to make homemade pesto using our own basil. I grow basil every year, but it just doesn't get as big as I want it to. A while back I bought the book, The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City by Kelly Coyne and Eric Knutzen . I find stories of homesteading a fascinating read, and I was not disappointed by this one. The fun aspect of this book is that it has projects you can do. I've been looking forward to doing one in particular and have been collecting materials to accomplish it. Today AH and I built ourselves a self watering container(or, as they call it now, a sub-irrigated planter) for a basil plant. According the the authors, basil needs even amounts of water. I am really not known as being the most organized of gardeners and my plants usually have to deal with a bit of dryness between the times I remember to water. So it was with pleasure I had AH help with this project. He is an enthusiastic gardener, is thrilled at the prospect of more pesto, and, besides, he got to use the electric drill!! Of course I have pictures:

AH with the finished project and the book that inspired it

AH filling the reservoir with water (that's Solvay, our Samoyed, making sure he's doing it right!)

What is the deal between boys and electric tools?!

The authors have a website called Homegrown Evolution. Check it out!

"Hey Mom, I have an Idea..."

Those were the words I heard one morning about two weeks ago. I should have known those words were going to mean work for me!! I don't mind work, but usually AH's projects have me doing the grunt work and this was no exception.

"I want to sell stuff on e-bay and make some money!

"Okay," I replied. "What stuff do you have that you can sell?"

He thought for a moment and then was gone. He came back 5 minutes later with 3 books. Good choices, too. They were books that were given to him that were WAY over his reading level. He had given them a good try, but they were too much work to read to have any fun.

We were off to the computer to list our items on e-bay. Since it was easier to just use my account instead of setting up a new one with a cool name (which he couldn't decide on, anyway!) we got right into it. We found the stock photo. We researched prices, we guessed on postage and then listed our items. For 4 days, there was nothing. He lost interest. I had to keep checking! He thought it was cool that he finally had a bid after 6 days. After the 7 day auction he had sold one item. We learned not to guess on the postage...I thought I had guessed high, but I was short $.45. Oh well, not a horrible mistake. AH is just happy to have made about US$4.00. (I paid for the envelope, mailed it in a timely manner and pretty much handled everything.) He is pumped for his next sale and to become the next mega retailer on e-bay!! I think I'll let him do the work from now on...