On Books, Food, and Being Intentional

Pickled Beets

There are a bunch of things I should be doing right now, but my immense talent for procrastination is flexing it's muscle.

It's a cold and rainy day here in So Cal, which is rare and I'm enjoying it so much. I love hearing the sound of the rain pattering right outside the window. I think it's a good day for blueberry muffins.

The last time I went to the library I picked up two books by Sharon Astyk - Making Home, and Independence Days. I devoured Making Home and now I'm doing the same with Independence Days. Two wonderful books that talk about being a less consuming household, more intentional in how you live and your place on the earth, and preparing for emergencies, but not in a doomsday sort of way. Very practical, a little snarky, and delightful.

While Making Home is more about living lightly and intentionally, with a small focus on emergencies and preparedness, Independence Day is all about being prepared (at least food-wise) for whatever life may throw at you. And even though the whole message is "be prepared", she offers it up in a way that makes sense - Don't stock MREs for "the Big Crash", just change the way you buy and cook food to accommodate storing it and having it available if something happens. It makes no sense to just have dry beans on hand. You have to change your cooking to include those beans on a regular basis.

These books have been such a nice reminder for me, and have kind of kicked my butt back to where I was a few years ago as far as buying storable foods in bulk and cooking from the pantry, rather than my fridge (or fast food).

Trying to bet back to making all of our bread.

I'm now working on getting an inventory of what we have, what it would take to feed us for an extended period of time if something happened, and researching my options for buying in bulk again, but this time from more sustainable & local sources.

I began doing this at the beginning of last year a bit, and I'm so thankful I did because we had stores when Ben lost his job. Now it's a matter of using what we already have, and filling in the gaps.

I know it sounds weird, but I've really enjoyed Ben being without a "formal" job. It's been so fun to see how creative I can get again. And it has helped discipline me to get out of the laziness I had adopted so easily. Life is more complicated in some ways - mainly in that more work is required when it comes to growing, cooking, preserving, etc. -  but it also seems a lot more simple now. And I love when life is simple.

The Road To Here

It's been 13 months since last January (duh.). That's a long time since I last blogged, and a lot has happened.

In the past 13 months we acquired chickens, rebooted our garden after a year of not caring, had a whole lot of discussions about how frustrated we were with things, and how life had been so much more fun when we were "poor" (by society's standards) and we made everything count.

 

... Aaaaand then Ben lost his job in October. We are currently in what we have affectionately called "Operation: Plot Twist".  And the funny thing is... I have been so excited about it.

Ben has been without a job these past 4 months. Part of it by choice - we wanted to take some time off for family and refocusing. And now, as he has been looking and his industry is all but dead in this town right now, it's not quite as "by choice" anymore, but we're rolling with it.

I love seeing how all these things were put in place to help us through this stage.

 

Those chickens provide wonderful little orbs of (mostly) free protein.

The garden has given us a small amount of fresh veggies, and hopefully will give more this summer.

And our attitudes of wanting to "go back to the way things were" kind of prepped us for this, mentally.

I am loving the challenge. The challenge to not consume as much, to make things work again, to not just run to the store because I had become SO lazy about... Well pretty much everything. To get my entertainment from yarn and the library again, rather than going out. To cook from scratch again with what we have, and not eat out as much (again with the lazy. Oy.).

 

And my favorite part is seeing the little blessings, how God is providing. Like an unexpected tax return. Like Ben being called by his former boss to help finish shutting down the shop for a week. Like the little orders for Bumblewood that trickle in. Like our sweet, wonderful older neighbor who showed up with pounds of potatoes, beets, cabbages and turnips just because he loves our boys and likes to feed us.

The bounty is amazing, despite the lack of normal employment. And I'm so thankful for this little adventure.

Revisiting the Household Management Binder

 
Well, this is a few weeks later than I meant it to be. But oh well! As I said before, this is the year of Not Worrying About Being Perfect. And hey, it's still January, right?

Part of this year's goal is to get reorganized and back on track with management of time, expenses, and general house-y things. I've let my binder and printables (and consequently, my household management) slip a LOT over the past year and a half, so it's time to get back on track. I thought I would go over how I do mine, in case anyone is looking to start one, or redo a current one. I get stupid-excited about this kind of stuff, so this post is really long.


First things first: Get a binder. Mine is a 1 1/2" three ring, in a pretty light blue color that I liked. Get at least a 1". That will do nicely for the general printables and pages you'll need. Bigger will be better if you plan on holding lots of gardening/homestead notes and pages, which I will. You'll also need one or two packages of tabbed dividers.

Second thing: I printed the super cute cover sheet and spine from this post at Laura's Crafty Life that I found on Pinterest. Goes awesomely with the blue color, and since there are many colors on the page, you could pick one of them to coordinate! Because looking like you know what you're doing is the first step to getting stuff done. ;) (A little hint - print the spine piece on card stock, it makes it easier to slide into the spine pocket.)

Now, we fill!

In the very front of my binder, right as I open it, I have all of my weekly To Do pages. I print about two months of pages at a time and keep them here so they are ready to go. At the beginning of the week I grab a fresh one and put it on my clip board that travels with me around the house.

I have searched and searched for the perfect To Do printable for me, but none of them were exactly what I wanted. So, I just decided to make one. I've made some others before, but I actually wanted to limit myself on daily to do's since I am trying to reduce the chances of feeling overwhelmed. This one seems to be working nicely so far.

The main part is the big to do list on the side. I fill that in with all the things I need/want to accomplish in the week. If I have more things than will fit on the list, that is TOO MUCH to have for the week and I need to rethink it. The Errands section is for places & appointments for the week.

From there, I put those to do's on certain days in whichever section it pertains to. See that both Home and Work sections only have four lines each? Because I'm not allowing myself to get bogged down. Four things for each section is plenty to worry about for one day. Again, if I'm trying to put more than that for a day, it is TOO MUCH and needs to be moved. Breathe. Simplify.

I've added my daily chores to the top of each day just to keep me reminded of what needs to be done to keep my house reasonably tidy. I tried to break them up to one or two a day. Some days are good and I can go on a cleaning spree. Other days, I only get the two chores done (or, honestly, none at all) and that's ok! As long as SOMETHING gets done for the week.

After the weekly To Do pages I have my menu calendars. I thought about making up something really cute and frilly... And then I remembered that it gets nuts around here and I have no time or patience to fill in the days on a blank calendar. So I took pity upon myself and just printed each month from my email program's calendar. This one was Windows Live Mail. You could use Google calendar or what have you. Make it easy on yourself. Then I quickly went through and marked down birthdays and big events that will affect meal times. I plan for two weeks at a time, and the calendar goes on the fridge.

Third section is my grocery list printables. I made this list up a while ago in Word. It's changed a bit since this version - added and removed things as needed. I print up a handful at a time and put them in the binder for when I need them. I keep a fresh one on the fridge that we mark as needed during the week, then I add the things I need for the two week meal plan right before we go to the store.

After that I have a few blank pages for Pantry/Freezer Inventory. I'll take inventory a few times a year to see what we have, what needs to be eaten, what I'd like to stock more of. 

After the general household sections I am adding garden & homesteading sections.  They're pretty skimpy right now but I have plans, like the planting schedule & times, egg laying production, etc.

At the back I have a page for emergency contacts & info. We keep our budget information in an excel sheet on the computer, but you could also add a section for family budget if you wanted. Either a monthly one page summary of each category and what you've spent so far, or a few pages for individual category break downs. Whatever floats your boat!

And that's it! Now, go forth and make your own Household Management Binder!

2015 Here I Come

I am so excited for this new year, I can't even tell you. Last year, I pretty much missed the start of the year, and kind of half-assed some goals somewhere near the middle of January.

This year, totally different. I have so many goals and personal desires for this year. I want to make it so much better than the last two years. First, I have picked my "theme words" for 2015:

Grow & Simplify. 

I know, that kind of sounds like an oxymoron, but I can explain! I want to Grow in my knowledge and skills, but Simplify my schedule and how I do things so I don't go crazy. Because I'm tired of feeling crazy.

So! Here's what I'd like to accomplish for us as a household, and my personal goals for this year.

Household:

• Get Chickens
• Get Rabbit(s)
• Payoff Truck (we broke down and finally bought one that will actually fit us all. Yes, it meant going back into debt, but we felt it was needed, and have a goal of paying it off in a year.)
• Eat as much from the Garden as possible
• Successfully grow potatoes
• Put up as much food as possible
• Lower grocery budget to as small as comfortably possible

Personal:

• Paint & Decorate Kitchen (this is a personal goal, since it's more of a desire than a need-to)
• Spin all the fiber that I have right now
• Finish the knits I have half-started and waiting
• Redo current knitting patterns (change name & layout)
• Design more/Write up current knitting designs
• Watch the Creative Live classes I bought 
• Cook through the Essential Pepin book
• Make decent sourdough bread
• Read through my 2015 book list (more on that later)
• Simplify our schedule & routine (includes redoing and utilizing Household Management Binder and creating a work flow schedule for Bumblewood)

Did you guys see that first one? That one that says GET CHICKENS? YES! Ben approved getting chickens, and I am so excited!! I will finally have my own flock of chickens! Our goal for chickens is mostly egg laying, but also a source of meat as well. Not our only source, obviously, but we're trying it out here before we go to a bigger scale on our someday-farm. The rabbit was his idea, we're trying out one for meat as well.

I have a big desire to get back into gardening and putting up food this year. For a few reasons - it's cheaper, it's healthier, and I think it's good for my soul. Hopefully we will be able to grow a decent enough amount to lower our grocery bill, which has climbed a lot the last two years. Four hungry boys means lots of food. I will also be looking for other sources for bulk items, as well as revisiting the price list to get the best prices again.

This is the first time I've made such an extensive personal goals list. I figured this year I should just write down all the things I want to do so that I don't forget, and see how it goes. Since my goal is to Grow & Simplify, writing these down will allow me to schedule these activities throughout the year so that I can make time to accomplish them.

The other big one for the year is to read through my 2015 book list. I'm still adding books to it, but I have a ton of homesteading how-to & lifestyle books, some herbal medicine books, and a few others. I'm sure I'll add more as I find goodies at the library.

I think that's a pretty good list for now, and I'll probably be adding a few more as the year goes on and I think of things.

Do you have any goals or desires for the year? Do you pick a theme for the year?

The "How We Homestead" Series

I'm so excited to tell you about a project I am going to be a part of!

Staci from Life at Cobble Hill Farm had the idea for a little series on Homesteading and I will be joining her and 3 other women in sharing our journey, how we do it, and where we are hoping to be in the future.

We are starting next Wednesday, the 15th, and will post each Wednesday for the next five weeks.

The other wonderful women who are a part of it are

Daisy from Maple Hill 101
Tammy from Our Neck Of The Woods 
and
Amber from Making A Home 

I'm so honored to be a part of this and I can't wait to learn about the others and their stories!

Meg 

New Blog Name! And Why

Our oh-so-slow growing peas.

I've been thinking about renaming the blog for awhile. I am a creature of change, always evolving and growing, at least I think of myself that way. I love to learn and try new things as often as I can. My life has taken many different turns in the last few years, and my focus has changed. I felt it was time for something that reflected where I am in my life now, and while Little Bit of Life did encompass that, it felt like it didn't quite... fit. So, I've decided to rename the blog to

Little Homestead

with the new blog address being www.our-littlehomestead.blogspot.com. I think it should auto update all your feeds, but if not be sure to make the change!The www.bitoflife.com will bring you here as well.

 Now, I'm not sure if I should technically call our little patch of earth a homestead considering we don't have animals, and probably won't while we are here. But I believe homesteading includes all manner of subjects, from growing your own food, making your own clothes, preserving said food, living debt free and frugally, and being as self-sufficient and sustainable as possible. Knowing the skills of life, should the zombie apocalypse arrive and you need them..

Plus I just like to consider myself a Homesteader. ;) As Mary Jane Butters puts it, "Farm girl is a state of mind." Well, so is homesteading!

As a lot of you know our ultimate goal is to buy a fairly good sized chunk of dirt, grow and raise most of our food, and see just how self sufficient we can be. Why?

Well, why not, for one! It sounds like fun (albeit a lot of work, but I'm not scared of work). Second, we strongly feel it is better for our health as GMOs and chemically enhanced/farmed foods become more prevalent in the market. And in addition to that, I think it's very wise to be as independent as possible. I don't consider myself a "prepper" or "survivalist", but I do think you can't really go wrong with relying on one's own abilities and resources more than relying on others.

That being said, we're still far off from that point of buying land and I have been getting the message lately to "Bloom where you are planted." Why should I wait until I have ample space to do the things I believe in? In fact, it's better to learn on a small scale and fail miserably with a smaller investment. I can still do a lot of things here, in my growing space of 260 square feet and my little home that I love.

Thus, the Little Homestead.

Deodorant Update & A Lip Balm Recipe

The homemade deodorant post was surprisingly popular! My beeswax came and I've tried using it in my latest batch of deodorant. It works great! The wax made it solidify enough that it's not runny anymore and will hold it's shape nicely in my recycled container. Be very, very sparing when applying this. It doesn't take much at all!

Deodorant
3 Tbs Coconut Oil
1 Tbs Beeswax
2 Tbs Cornstarch
2 Tbs Baking Soda
10 - 15 drops Tea Tree essential oil
15 - 20 drops Peppermint essential (or scent of your choice)

Melt the oil and wax together in a double boiler*.
Mix together the cornstarch and baking soda in a separate bowl.

Once the oil and wax are melted, stir in the essential oils, then mix the cornstarch and baking soda into the oil/wax mix, stirring with a pair of chopsticks. Remove from heat and stir occasionally until the mixture thickens but is still pourable. Pour into an empty and clean deodorant tube. Refrigerate until hardened, then you can store at room temperature.

This recipe generously filled a 2.6 oz deodorant tube with just a bit leftover. 

I tried making some lip balm the other day with a 1:1 mix of coconut oil and beeswax. It was a trial run and I was testing out the ratios. While it was still a decent lip balm (it worked just fine on my chapped lips) it wasn't as silky and glossy as I prefer my lip balms to be, so I remelted everything and added more coconut oil. The new batch is perfect - silky and smooth and just a bit glossy to add some sheen to dry lips.

Lip Balm
2 parts coconut oil
1 part beeswax
10-20 drops essential oil of choice

Melt oil and wax in a double boiler*.
Add essential oils and stir.
Pour into small tins or lip balm tubes (clean out your old ones and use them!). Allow to cool before using.

*My "double boiler" for these has consisted of a empty and clean tin can from crushed tomatoes placed into an inch or so of boiling water. Works great!  

Happy Tuesday!
Meg

The Dishwasher

Bye Bye

Ugh. What a pain in the arse that dishwasher was.

We got the dishwasher and Ben installed in on Mother's Day Sunday.

On Tuesday I noticed it was flashing "PF" (for power failure) and was making a weird noise. So I pushed the start button, which is supposed to reset it. I thought it was a bit weird, but our kitchen lights were a bit flickery a few weeks before that, so I figured maybe it was a power hiccup.

The Wednesday night, after we're in bed and the cycle from dinner dishes is long done, I was laying there and I hear this weird thumping sound.

Creeped. Me. Out. But then it didn't go away and I realized it was not a man made noise, so I went to investigate.

It was the dishwasher. The noise it was making was a gurgly thumping noise. It's hard to explain, but it was annoying. I open the door and it stops. Ok, cool. I close the door, and it starts up again.

Great. A few minutes of Ben and I opening and closing the door and trying to figure out what the heck is going on leave me completely enraged. We go to bed. By morning it's not doing it anymore. All is well?

Thursday, the latch breaks.

Friday I call the company and they give me numbers of repair people.

Saturday someone comes to fix the latch under warranty. FOR SOME STUPID REASON I don't mention the noise, because it hadn't done it anymore so I figured it was fine and please just fix the latch so I can wash my dishes.

Saturday night, after we get back from our anniversary dinner, it is doing the noise again. At this point I call it the "zombie noise" because it sounds like they are trying to get out of our dishwasher.

A few days later, I think Tuesday, I notice that there is water in the bottom of the stupid thing and my dishes are still wet.

For the love of sheep! This is getting ridiculous.

Come Thursday, I am so annoyed, but still so in love with the fact that I can get a machine to wash my dishes rather than by hand, that I keep using it. Well that afternoon I was making that jam, so I had put my jars into the washer on the sani-cycle to get them ready.

I waited an hour and a half, and when I came back into the kitchen the display was black, but it was still running. Having never used the sani-cycle until this point, I thought perhaps that was normal. So I waited another half hour. Still running. Waited awhile after that. Still running. I open the door a bit and it is just spraying water around, and around, and around.

I finally had to unplug the stupid thing to turn it off and leave it unplugged for an hour to reset it.

This is apparently what we get for using a brand we've never had before. And if they ever tell you, when you go to buy a dishwasher, that the model on the floor isn't in stock anymore, but they have the "new and updated" version in the back... RUN AWAY. DO NOT GET THE NEW VERSION. 

I told Ben about all this and he says we are taking it back! So on Friday we took it back to the store, got a refund, and went to a different store that sells the brand to match our other appliances (GE. I've been very happy with our stove and microwave, so hopefully the dishwasher will be wonderful as well).

Unfortunately, they don't carry anything but "the basic white appliances" in stock and it had to be ordered. Fine. So it is supposed to be here Saturday.

I've been washing dishes by hand again.

I am very much looking forward to Saturday, and I desperately hope this new washer works.

Weekend!

Mother's Day flowers from my Father-in-love! They're called "Orange Star"

Holy smokes what a weekend!

Between a Mother's Day lunch (on Friday), grocery shopping, other shopping, dinner with my sister and her husband, a morning birthday party, a delicious brisket and a wee babe who thinks the middle of the night is the Best Time To Be Awake.... I am absolutely wiped. I slept (interruptedly) til 9:30 this morning. 

But it was a lovely weekend.

Saturday shopping landed me this bad boy:

My Mother's Day present from Ben. Huzzah!

A DISHWASHER.

Now, before y'all are like "Ok, woo. New dishwasher, that's cool but not that exciting." Let me explain.

I have been hand washing our dishes for the last 6 years. First place: No dishwasher. Second place: Dishwasher that didn't wash. This place: No dishwasher.

But now... Now I have a dishwasher! YAY!! SUPER YAY!

I have NO idea what to do with myself now. I'm so used to spending at least 30 minutes after dinner washing dishes and cleaning up. Last night I just kind of wandered around in a daze feeling like I was supposed to be doing something. Ben even thought I had decided not to do the dishes when I came out in the backyard so soon, but then he remembered. It's kind of weird.

I love that now I don't have to be afraid of making a big giant mess.

We have started eating delicious things from our garden. In addition to the artichokes, we've had radishes, a handful of blueberries and I'm trying not to eat all the boysenberries as they ripen so I can get a decent sized picking for jam. The cherries should be ready in a month or so, the tomato plants are growing nicely and everything else is coming. I'm so excited! Ben had a friend over to pick up some compost last night and he said "This is awesome, you just walk around the yard eating stuff!"

No new knitting as of yet. All zombies, all the time. ;) But, there is a finished Babylove Blanket in the shop for anyone looking for baby things!

Happy Monday y'all!
Meg

The Big Huge Giant Thing

Spring, 2010

It's time to reveal The Big Huge Giant Thing!

Are you excited?

Can you guess what it is??

Above is a picture of our little house in early 2010. The end of that year and the beginning of this one were very, very wet. We had so many leaks and even a scary spot where the water was coming through the fan in our bedroom.

You can see that the roof is just made of wood shakes, and it was the original one placed on the house 25 years ago. The poor thing was so full of holes that any time Ben went into the attic, you could see daylight so easily through most of it.

At the beginning of the year one of our goals was the pay off the car. And then the roof started leaking and we thought we would try for a new roof instead. Well, in the end we figured we might as well keep with paying off the car so we could have that payment freed up and we would shoot for a new roof hopefully next year.

And then we paid off the car in June (yay! debt free but our house payment!). And the overtime that Ben has been working since March hasn't stopped... It's barely even slowed down.

So, we kept our budget fairly tight and put our heads down and in three months we had enough to purchase a new roof, with cash!

In November we started shopping around, found the company to go with, and last Wednesday they started ripping down our old, dilapidated roof.

The tear down crew was here at 7 and was done in 3 hours. By noon the roofers had shown up and started putting plywood sheets down.

Friday we had them blow in some extra insulation and it has kept the house so much warmer.

By Saturday they were over half way done with the papering and shingles. By last night (Monday) they had all but a teeny bit finished before they ran out of light.

And today, just about an hour ago, they finished and cleaned up!

We are so, so, SO excited to have a new roof. And I'm not sure which is more exciting - that we have a new roof, or that we paid for it with cash. No loans needed. It's such a nice, adult feeling.

It started raining yesterday afternoon and even though I knew they weren't done yet (poor guys worked through the rain), it was still nice to know that there was enough up there to keep us dry and we didn't have to worry about leaks.

And now that they're done completely - LET IT POUR!! :D

~Meg

The Living Room!

No, this has nothing to do with the living room. But what better way to start the week than with piles of yarn? These came Monday and I'm very excited to have a few new skeins of the Foliage - 2 in fingering weight and 2 in worsted weight.

Now, on to the living room! I know y'all have been waiting for this. The pictures aren't great because it's still cloudy and dark, but I did the best I could. I love this weather for knitting, but not so much for taking pictures.

We must start at the beginning of course, so first - The Befores!

I had already started taping off before I remembered to take before pictures.

When we moved in we painted the entire house a pale shade of yellow. It was terrible. Horrible. Gross.

In the store it was a lovely shade. In our house, which gets a LOT of yellow tinted light it was... just not good. While the whole house felt warm, it was a sickly shade of yellow.
 
So, first we did the bedroom. Then I painted the kitchen with the leftovers. And over the past few weeks we did the living room!

It's AMAZING what a little bit of paint and some trim will do. And my mantle. My gorgeous, wonderful, beautiful mantle. (Thanks Dad! :D)

Have I mentioned we love chair rail? We really love chair rail. Especially since our bedroom and living room have vaulted ceilings - it really helps to break up the massive expanses of wall.

I love my living room so much now. I feel so comfortable and relaxed in it.

Eventually we'll be getting a new couch, entertainment center and some tables & lamps. But just the paint makes our existing furniture look a little better than it did. See what I meant by "sexy"?

And in case you're wondering just what that picture over the mantle is...

Sheep!

Of course. ;)

Happy Wednesday,
Meg

Mantle Update

I thought I would post a mantle update. We've had The Sick running through our house since Monday, and while I thought I had caught the bug earlier in the week, I realize now that Friday's bought of "Let's Stain The Mantle!" was my white blood cell high. I was down by yesterday afternoon and it tried to kick my butt during the night.

But I did get it stained, and my sister brought by the little pieces of trim for the sides of the tile which I will get stained, and then we can give it a bit of varnish and we're good to go!

I also ordered this print from my sister, who says it should be in soon and it will be replacing the hideously ugly flower picture. I'm so very excited for that picture to get here, you have no idea. Hahaha.

Happy Weekend! Hope y'all aren't sick,
Meg

My New Favorite Thing

Sorry the pictures aren't great, I was in a hurry.

The benefits of having a Dad that owns a cabinetry shop.

If y'all remember, my husband ripped out and redid the fireplace tile when we moved into this house two and a half years ago. (Gosh, has it really been that long?) And since then we have been waiting for a mantle, going back and forth between making our own or having my dad do it.

Those nails you see are where I hung stockings last Christmas, heh.

So as soon as we paid off our last consumer debt, I asked Ben if I could please get a mantle this year. He's been wanting one just as badly, so Go for it was his answer. In June we set the money aside and I told dad we were ready to go!

He's been crazy swamped and busy so Tuesday was the first chance he had to get out here to install it.

Tada! Isn't it wonderful? As you can see, I've already started decorating it. We just need to slap a coat of stain on it and some varnish and I can decorate to my little heart's content - something I've been dieing to do for so long now. And the best part is this year I don't have to hang stockings on the wall!

I am so very excited to have this newest piece of furniture.

Except now I want to repaint, put up moulding and get new furniture to replace our "college student" borrowed stuff. ;) I'm ready for a "Big People" living room.


Happy Thursday,
Meg

Apples, Apples, Apples!

Oh gosh, never mind the Campbell's. I bought them and never used them and am ashamed to have over-sodiumed canned soup in my pantry.

On the very first day of October I joined my mom and grandmother on their trip to go get apples from a neighboring town.

What I came back with was about 32 pounds of apples - A big box of Empires, a large bag of Jonagolds and a small bag of Braeburns.

The following Thursday we canned apples and my one box made 12 quart jars of beautiful appley-goodness to put up.

We have been enjoying apples for snacks, stewed apples with dinner (apples simmered in a bit of butter and spices) and of course....

Apple Pie!! I don't know why, but I was so scared to make a pie this year. I haven't made an apple pie in over two years. I've made plenty of chicken pot pie, so it didn't make sense. But my crust never turns out quite right and for some reason Apple Pie just needed to be perfect.

Well. I'm just gonna toot my own horn here for a second and tell you this crust turned out AMAZING. Hehe. I knew it was good when Ben started cutting into it and it made the most delicious, crispy, flaky sound I've ever heard. We both kind of stopped and giggled about it.

The trick I finally found? Once you cut in your fats you add the water in while fluffing the dough with a fork. Not a spoon, like I've done. Not mixing it with your hands, like I've done. Fluff with a fork so there's as little smushing as possible. Now, the sad part is the Betty Crocker recipe I've been using for years actually says this, but since when do I listen, eh? Teach me... Do it like it says next time. Turned. Out. Perfect.

The only problem with the trip is I wish Ben could have gone (working) and I had gotten more to put up (trying not to be greedy/overwhelm myself). But I think I might just go back and get more.... ;)

Happy Tuesday,
Meg

Monday Morning

How about some random for today, hmm?

Today is August 22nd and around here that means the start of school! Normally, this wouldn't mean anything to me at all. But this year I'm super excited because our neighbor has been babysitting her obnoxious, rude, bratty, out of control, fowl mouthed nieces and nephews all summer and I'm SO SO GLAD they won't be here anymore. So bad to the point I would need to bring my children inside from our own backyard because the hellions would be cussing and throwing things over the fence at them. Totally not cool.

Today is breezy and slightly overcast and it's beautiful. I woke up and immediately opened every single door and window possible to let in the wonderful smell. The world around us is cooling and I hope it means an early fall and a deliciously cold and wet winter.

The top picture is how our garden looks now, after a fit of cleaning yesterday afternoon. It's gotten so out of hand this year. With Ben working so much by the time Sunday rolls around (his only day off, if at all) we just want to sit and enjoy each other rather than pull weeds. But standing looking at it yesterday after Ben mowed the lawn... I couldn't take it anymore. Half the plants were done and brown, the other half still alive but not producing, and the tomato plants... I was just sick of picking tomatoes. I've been having this thought that if the plants weren't going to earn their keep by giving us food, they couldn't stay anymore. So I ripped out the squash, cantaloupe, the green beans (or the sad excuse for them) and picked the last of the red tomatoes and the largest green ones and ripped out those plants too. And now I feel so much better. I am very excited for next year since we are going to compost the heck of the beds this winter and now we know what we need to do as far as trellising and staking.

We made a trip to Goodwill yesterday to find Ben a clock for work. I've been wanting to find a percolator and figured I would look for one, but if you know anything about thrift shopping... Well that doesn't usually work. It's not like you're going to Target, which will for sure have your item. So we perused the isles (Ben says we're developing a Goodwill addiction), found Ben a clock, and went to check out. I figured I wouldn't be so lucky. But as I was standing in line, looking around, I saw in a corner on the very top shelf a kettle. I thought "Cool, that would work instead" and walked over to look at it. Pulled off the lid and there are all the guts... it was a percolator! I was so excited! And it works wonderfully. We made a pot of decaf last night and it tasted so good. Fresh, boiled-water coffee is wonderful. I had a cup, then put the rest in the fridge to make iced coffee this week and I'm enjoying a delicious glass now. (By the way, Staci - the fudge you sent me goes wonderfully in coffee. Just saying. )

I have been thinking more and more about the Craft Show, and reading your encouraging comments and suggestions. Sandra suggested I do a pro/con list and run some numbers, which I had actually started doing already! (Great minds? Hehe.) I figure I will only need to sell three or four items (depending on what they are) to break even. I suggested to my sister that she sell some of her photos if I were to get a booth, and she was down for that. I am going to call the coordinator and ask some questions (expected crowd, years running, promotion of event, set up/take down times, etc.) to help make up my mind. Ben said that even if I am not a vendor then I should at least go as a shopper to get a feel for it, which I think I will do. The idea is less scary now the more I think of it, but I am not sure how much I could get done in three months and that is the biggest thing keeping me from jumping in.

Now, I really should stop rambling and go start chores.

Happy Monday,
Meg

Confessions of a Homekeeper

My kitchen actually looks like this a lot.

So for some reason I feel like I should share this today.

I think I've done a good job fooling you all into thinking I'm some amazing June-Cleaver-esque type of person who's house is always wonderful and clean and perfect, even with 3 small boys running around.

But now I have to tell you the truth - the secrets to keeping my sanity while keeping the house.

1. I usually don't wash the breakfast dishes until after lunch. They idea of doing dishes that many times in one day makes me feel ill.

2. I don't sweep up the kitchen floor until after lunch (or sometimes dinner), and even then it's usually right before Ben gets home.

3. I can't believe I'm putting this one out where my mother-in-law can see it... Most days when the table cloth is dirty I just shake it out and flip it over to the clean side. I get two to three meals/days out of it this way before I need to wash it again. (I've tried vinyl tablecloths and I really just prefer fabric.) I do freshly wash it for company though.

4. I don't do it all by myself. I make my kids dust and (try to) sweep and mop floors and make their beds and they always clean up their toys. I mean... that's why we give birth to the little minions, isn't it?

5. Some weeks the bathroom just don't get cleaned.

6. While most Mondays are pretty good, sometimes the laundry doesn't get folded until Tuesday (or Wednesday *cough*).

7. Unspeakable things have been found growing in my fridge.

8. I've had "wash windows" on my to do list for 4 months and just now got around to doing it.

See? No where near June Cleaver. But my family gets fed and everyone's reasonably clean and usually wearing clothes. If I can do it, so can you! ;)

Happy Almost-Weekend-Thursday,

Meg

Spinning And Things

My little un-helper

Debbie has been talking about spinning, and it was just the bump I needed to pull out my wheel. I was finally able to finish putting the merino into singles. The merino that has been half spun up for I believe a year now... Tomorrow I will be able to ply it, then the next day I can wash and thwack it and see my final product.

It has been so nice spinning. I forget how relaxing it is and how I get into a trance. The rhythmic motion of the wheel, the back and forth motion of my hands... The wonderfully delicious smell of the wool. Thanks for the reminder Debbie! :)

Ben order a cord of wood Monday and when I got home from grocery shopping yesterday there was a pile sitting in our driveway. Ben surprised me by coming home early and we got the whole thing moved into the backyard - Mostly on the wood rack he built and the rest that didn't fit is stacked behind the shed.

A whole cord is a lot of moving. Especially for just two people and one wheel barrow. But now we are set for BBQing for a long time and our favorite activity of sitting outside in front of the fire during the winter. I'm very excited to have so much wood. He got apple and almond which should make very good eats.

I went out this morning to inspect plants and I saw that our biggest flower is almost through producing seeds. Don't they look wonderfully plump? I bet they will be really tasty!

Happy Wednesday,

Meg

Can-A-Palooza!

On Friday I acquired 19 pounds of plums from my mom-in-love. Yerp. 19. So in a fit of panic genius inspiration, I asked my mom if her and Mimi (my grandma) would want to come help me pit and can the delicious purple orbs.

Luckily enough, they said yes. And today we spent 6 hours pitting, chopping, jamming, chutney-ing and canning and it was SO MUCH FUN. (Well, you know. Aside from the heat.)

It made short work of pitting - seriously about 5 minutes. And it was so nice to have people to talk to and hang out with while the work was getting done.

We stopped in the middle to have a wonderful lunch of sandwiches on homemade french bread full of homemade pesto, tomatoes fresh from Mimi's garden (oh my goodness, best tomatoes ever) and mozzarella (not home made, sadly).  Delicious.

Today produced two batches of jam which gave us 7 pints, 12 4 ouncers and 1 6 ounch jar. And 8 pints of chutney.

We've already talked about doing this again for peaches I have in the freezer and the upcoming crop of tomatoes for sauces.

I think it would be an awesome thing to do with women from the other half of my family, since it was such a nice way to be together while still getting something done.

And now I feel like I can enjoy the weekend without the fruit hanging over my head.

Happy Upcoming 4th!
Meg

Culling Of The Clothes

It's that time of year again. Spring cleaning. And over this winter I noticed something.

I washed way more clothing than I should have. And every time I open the boys' closet I see way more clothing than they actual wear.

I love purging things. I always feel so much better when I've gotten rid of extra clutter. But I have a hard time with clothes. Especially those stinkin' cute baby clothes (even though we have 5 jillion articles of baby clothing). Always thinking "Oh, they'll wear it someday" or "That shirt is cute (even though it cuts off the circulation to my arms)" or "Hey, it's good to have extras". But I read this post about laundry on Like Mother, Like Daughter and now I know what I must do.

Get rid of the clothes.

Well, not all of them, since nudity is frowned upon in modern society. But a lot of them. Even I, who has purged our closet a few times since we moved here (and that was only 2 years ago!), still have more clothes than I wear. And since I aim for a simpler, less-stuff lifestyle, they've gotta go!

Since I leave Ben's clothing alone because he's a big boy and can make his own choices, this will be for the kids and I. Mostly the kids. I'll try to make it happen over the next few weeks.

My goal for each person is
- 1 week's worth of shirts (maybe a week each of short and long sleeve)
- 2 long pants, 2-3 shorts
- 2-3 skirts (for me, obviously)
- 2 weeks worth of underwear
- 2 weeks worth of socks (less for me, since I don't wear them as much)
- 1 to 2 nice "Sunday" outfits for going out
- 1 light jacket
- 1 heavy jacket
- For me: 3-5 dresses, because I'm finding I love them greatly
- 1 to 2 sets of pajamas

Clothes that are clean do not need to be washed. Meaning my children tend to wear shirts and shorts for 3-4 days, unless they're outside a lot in the dirt. Or Duder, who likes to use his shirt as a serving dish. When they're dirty they go in the basket. You can avoid doing copious amounts of laundry by just putting away things that aren't heavily soiled. This will also make them last longer, as constant machine washing and drying will wear clothes out.

Now! How to purge one's closet (or at least how I do it):

1. Make four piles - Keep, Donate, Storage, Trash. Fairly self explanatory.
Keep is things that will go back in the dresser/closet.
Donate will go to Goodwill/Salvation Army/etc. If you can be especially picky, you can save things for use as fabric. I'll save shirts and jeans to use for repairing other items sometimes.
Storage is for those items that you know will be used later (like children's clothes for hand-me downs, sizes not needed yet or out-of-season things). Not ones you hope you might fit into again. There will always be a chance to buy new clothes if needed in the future.
Trash is for those things that are not good enough for donations and can't be salvaged for material. Like stretched out underwear.

2. We're going to work in waves here. The first wave is to go through and just separate out the things that you'd like to keep (don't worry about size or anything yet) and things you want to get rid of. Place the things you're getting rid of in the appropriate pile (donate or trash).

3. Wave two is going through the Keep pile of the first wave and see what fits or is in season. Keep the appropriate things, store the others, and donate or trash the rest accordingly. You can do it quickly, as we'll be going through things one more time.

4. Now we have wave three, which is the hardest. Really, honestly, look at what you've kept (this means the storage pile too!).
Have you worn it in the past year? No? Get rid of it. Even if you feel it holds sentimental value, just get rid of it!
Can you (or your child) honestly fit into that?
Do you have work clothes, but are a stay-at-home-momma? You can get new clothes if you return to the work force. Someone who needs them can use them if you donate it to a thrift store.
Is it grotesquely out of style? I'm not one for following trends, but nobody wears shoulder pads or leather pants anymore. 
Are you keeping those jeans that now have a big hole on the left butt cheek just because your now-husband told you at 17 they looked good on you? Throw them away.
Be honest, be brutal. Take no prisoners!

5. Now, quickly, and without looking at it too closely, bag or box up the storage pile, label it if you can, and put it away. Place the donation pile in a bag or box and go put it in your car. Take the trash pile to the trash. Don't take things out of those piles to put back in the closet! Stick with your first instinct!

Aaaah, doesn't that feel better?

We've gone through things 3 different times to hopefully make it less painful. First, the quick and dirty, easy decisions. Then, the more careful, but still easy decisions. And lastly, the honest decisions that deal with a smaller pile.

Now you can go about your merry way, doing less laundry and not suffocating every time you walk into the closet. Your children will be easier to dress when you/they have less options to deal with, and your storage areas will feel less crazy when you don't have boxes and boxes of clothing that won't be worn.

The question of getting new clothes arises: The kids get new things for Christmas/Birthdays, or you buy a new sweater. Swap them for something you already have. Take something out before you put something else in. Donate it, or if it's kid clothes that can be worn by younger ones, go put it in storage. Just try not to let the accumulation of mountains of clothing happen again!

Happy Purging,
Meg