Books, Bedlam, and A Lively Hope
In and Around the Home this Week
All the planning in the world hasn't helped us to get all of our vegetables planted yet, as we had substantial rain last week which completely washed out our gardening plans. Unfortunately, some of our seedlings got caught in the flood and were washed away on our back deck where they were hardening. If you can picture it, my wonderful husband and I were crawling around in the dead of night with flashlights after the rain had stopped performing "seedling rescue" and rehab. We managed to find and save most of them! All but a few are still hearty and resilient.
Severe weather two nights ago managed to knock out our power for most of yesterday. It was inconvenient, but no harm was done. I am utterly convinced we would have had greater damage if not for those arborvitae trees we have recently planted around the property. It seems they did a good job protecting us from blowing debris.
On the Table: Strawberry rhubarb pie, lasagna roll-ups, garlic bread, green salad, homemade granola, and lots of fresh, local strawberries.
In the Home: That rain sure gave us an opportunity to get things done inside. Drywall is going up in the kitchen, and our "housewares" room (things that are stored while we are renovating) was the target of a reorganization. Canning supplies are being gathered, and it is exciting to finally have my own canning equipment. Out of the many wonderful and useful wedding presents we received, few pertained to canning, so it is fun to shop for these necessary items. Last week I was blessed by finding a $50 kitchen scale marked down to half the price because it had been a display item.
Making Plans: If the weather holds, to meet up with a friend for some shopping at the farmer's market in Ephrata. That ought to help start us on some early season canning.
Just wondering: Why our white clothes turn so dingy and yellowish after a few washes, and what your favorite products are that help restore them?
In and Around the Home this Week
There is still a lot of work to do in establishing our back garden. Taking a sandy weed-ridden lot and turning it into a productive vegetable bed is a project full of ongoing challenges. Our garden fence posts are up and the top soil is in place, but we still need one more rototill before things really take off. In our front and side flower beds, the irises have buds and sweet peas are sprouting.
On the table: Rhubarb, and plenty of it. Pie, pudding, and of course I'll freeze or can whatever is left. Also for this week, nachos, vegetable stir-fry, pizza casserole, and roasted edamame.
In the garden: Seedlings so big you wouldn't recognize them, several flats of marigolds, and cilantro. Most of those arborvitae trees are planted now, and it has really made a difference as far as buffering us from the busy road. My husband is working on irrigating them. As it stands now, we water 62 trees every night!
In the home: Sewing two dresses, and hand-stitching torn dog toys.
On the nightstand: Galatians 5 and also The Truth About Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why.
Just wondering: Of those who do not have photos of themselves on their profile, do you imagine what they might look like? I do. (And you are all an extremely attractive group of women!)
Encouragement for Homemakers: A Look Back at the Way We Aren't
As I mentioned in a very early post on this blog, I actually have a small collection of antique homemaking books. My favorites are the educational instruction-type books used in public schools from the 1950's and 60's. The first time I came across one, it really had an impression on my young mind. All those young women in a-lined shaped skirts over fluffy crinoline slips that flared out from impossibly small waists! (And I do mean impossibly small waists- according to the pattern size charts in these books, a Misses' size ten measurements are 31-24-33.) They looked so polished and happy, their shiny bobbed hair flipped up at the very ends as they measured flour in their home economics classroom, readying themselves for their world. They looked so glamorous to me, and it saddened me to know I would never be one of them.
Now, a little older and critical, these books fill me with gratitude. And many, many laughs.
Although my husband is a great sport who will eat almost anything, it is with a degree of certainty that he would much prefer the meals I cook today instead of some of the meal plans in these old texts. No, we don't want to eat broiled grapefruit, meat and gelatin salad, or the ambiguously titled "dinner loaf" which is an entire dinner shaped into a loaf and baked. We don't want "frosted sandwich loaf" either. And what exactly would "stuffed hamburgers" be stuffed with? We have such a higher quality of food and so much more variety today.
I definitely do not want to sweep my floors with a canister vacuum carried by a shoulder strap (which someone no doubt thought would make it easy and portable) while wearing high-heeled dress shoes. In fact, when people talk about longing for a simpler time, that time surely was not fifty years ago. Judging from the extreme beauty-pageant appearance of all of the women in the pictures, simplicity never existed for them. As for home life, an overall feeling of caring what the neighbors think and having the right shade of orange-colored furniture were also prominent themes.
Sometimes it seems as if our lives today are so complicated, but in comparison, homemaking today has never been easier or simpler. Perhaps we just look for ways to complicate things.
In and Around the Home This Week
This week my husband was hard at work continuing to dig post holes for our fence, pouring concrete, and setting the posts. He also brought over the tractor to even out some dips and swells in our land, and to finally turn up the soil for our garden. I've written before about what an archaeological excavation it always is here, turning up bits and pieces of junk whenever we dig more than a few inches into the ground. My husband has continued to uncover bits and pieces of automotive components, flattened beer cans, and has even come across what is either an upholstered chair or car seat buried about eighteen inches in the ground. There was also the surprise discovery of a square concrete pad, which we think was once the foundation of a flag pole.So you must be thinking, well, her husband's sure busy, but what is she doing?? Oh don't mind me, I just manage the rest of our lives so that he can do what needs to be done around here. I'm not complaining one bit. I knew what I was in for when I answered this ad:
On the table: Fruit salad with walnuts, garlicky peppers and shrimp, Mom's cheese and pepperoni bread, and I have a prepared pie crust ready to go but no plan on what to put in it yet.
In the garden: When my husband and I travel, he buys magnets and postcards, and I buy locally made food items and seeds. It's about six weeks before our last frost now, and I'll be looking to plant some of these seeds for late Spring-early Summer blooming. So hopefully this weekend I can start my sweet peas and wild flower butterfly garden. We have enough wildflower seeds to start our own prairie.
Raisin Pie
My Grandparent's generation called it "funeral pie" since it always appeared at funerals, likely because it can be made on a moment's notice since it uses things common to a lot of pantries. Since it was always appearing at funerals, no one bothered to make it at any other time. You knew two things in life were certain: Death, and raisin pie at the funeral.
1/2 cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup sorghum or molasses
1 T lemon juice
2 tsp. butter
1 and 1/2 cup raisins
Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in water, corn syrup, and molasses or sorghum until blended. Add raisins. Bring to a boil, then cook while stirring for just a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and butter. Add filling to unbaked pie shell, and cover with top crust. Don't forget to cut vents in your top crust. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 for about 30 minutes. Let cool.
At Home this week
On the table: Slow-cooked black beans and pork, cabbage slaw with toasted sesame seeds, raisin pie.
In the garden: My irises look lean, like onion grass. It's making me nervous. In other news, we've been discussing locations for the vegetable garden, and it may end up being where the soil is least moist due to the presence of an enormous black walnut tree which casts its bounty on all of the good soil. In case you didn't know, those black walnuts (which we'll harvest next October) will blight your garden and pollute your soil. So...we may just have to put the garden in the desert portion of our property and irrigate like crazy.
Around the house: I've given up. Okay, not completely, but I have given up on treating this property as our future dream home and planning on how to one day decorate it and make it livable for our family. With our plans for the future in mind, this home is simply a commodity to be renovated and resold in about five years, and our real hope lies in turning a profit. This has been an incredibly freeing adjustment in attitude. I no longer fret about the future placement of every little thing, or bother to spend money for things the house will need at some theoretical future time. Basically, I just want to keep the living area clean, grow, cook, and store some food, plant some flowers, and focus on the daily tasks of living. It's just about getting by day-to-day, and it's very, very simple.
On the nightstand: A terribly torn and misshapen letter chewed by our puppy. Oh, and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, which contains some very interesting and economical recipes.
Just wondering: When you add up your monthly food costs to see what you spent on groceries, do you or don't you count non-grocery items?
All things in moderation
And so it came to pass that a celebratory Easter was had, with salads and casseroles made and devoured at family gatherings, and loaves of bread (banana and whole wheat) were baked for our church's fellowship breakfast on Sunday morning. Anyone who stopped what they were doing long enough to tell me that the bread was good or to complain that their's "never turns out like that" were sent home with extra.
Actually, I can't stand brown bread. Yes, I know whole wheat is better for you, and white flour is bad, etc. etc. but I'm a bit of a reactionary who spent her childhood longing to bite into a piece of fluffy, pillowy Wonder Bread, an item that was on the seemingly endless list of foods that would never in a billion years be purchased and eaten at our home. It was with much delight that at some point, having earned my own money, that cakey Wonder Bread in its cheerful primary-colored wrapper could be bought and smothered with peanut butter for a satisfying snack. It was with greater delight that I married another food reactionary. Much like things were at our house, soft drinks (that's "pop" to you mid-westerners, "soda" to us in the east) were forbidden in my husband's youth, in addition to his mother's belief that eating bacon might give a child a heart attack at any moment. Today, my husband is hooked up to a permanent IV that feeds soda into his bloodstream continuously, and bacon is eaten freely and frequently.
Parents, beware of labeling foods "good" or "bad" or "off limits". Behold the monsters you may create!
In other news, after buying (for the third time!) a spice that it turned out I already owned and had barely used, I made a spice list last week to tape to the inside of my cabinet door. It lists all of my spices alphabetically, followed by three columns telling me if the jar of each spice is at full, half, or empty. I can check off each column as the items are used so I know what I have or when I am out of something. This way, when preparing my grocery list, I only need to open the cabinet door for a quick glance to see what I already own that will be needed for certain recipes.
Coincidentally, I was doing some reading on the health benefits of certain herbs and spices, as well. Although much more complete studies need to be done on the effectiveness of these spices, there is some proof that...
Ginger alleviates nausea and lowers blood pressure.
Turmeric is both an anti-inflammatory and an anti-oxidant, and is currently being studied to figure out to what degree it helps fight Alzheimer's.
Saffron has been used to treat depression.
Chili Peppers are being looked at for their cancer fighting abilities.
And finally, chocolate just plain tastes good. But, you know, all things in moderation.
At Home this Week
On the Table: Baked Corn, Hamburger Pie, Cinnamon Buns, raw Broccoli and Lettuce salad, and leftover Pumpkin Pie.In the Garden: My husband is bringing the tractor over later this week to start the garden, and even out some ruts in the back property. Honestly, our patch of land isn't that big, and my husband insists this is the fastest way to get things started here. The alternative would be to hand me a shovel and let me go to town, which would result in a garden about one-foot long by one-foot wide. Fence posts are still going up. My husband also informed me that he would be moving some lilac bushes on the edge of our property closer to where the fence will be.
"What lilac bushes? We have lilac bushes? Where? I didn't smell any lilacs blooming last year."
"Well, they bloomed, but it was pitiful."
Around the House: Continued carpentry touches on the kitchen, plans being made for a summer work frolic, and how to best use a ten-foot by six-foot carpet remnant we purchased from a neighbor for six dollars. Don't get me wrong- we can put it to use! We just want to get the most out of it.
On the Nightstand: Taste of Home's Casserole cookbook, the new issue of Keepers at Home.
Just wondering: Once in a while someone will say to me "I'm just not a reader" or "I can't sit still long enough to read a book" or "I have ADD when it comes to reading." How do those people read their Bibles???? Or don't they?
The Saga of the “good” dress.
Every year or so, I like to pay to have a dress made that will serve as my "good" dress; one made by a professional. Something made by a seamstress who is neat with her sewing, and who can serge the seams with an industrial serger. Last year’s attempt at having a good dress made was catastrophic.
Some of you asked back at this post to see what it was I was working on, and here it is- my new "good" dress!
Of Pigs and Pests
I don't know if you can appreciate by this scant photo just how big these pigs are, but trust me, they are huge. These pigs live across the road from us, and are always a subject that comes up when we meet up with other neighbors. The monstrous size of these animals is a suitable topic of conversation around here. It wouldn't surprise me if they have caused one or two vehicles to drive off of the road because the driver got scared at first glance. The first time we saw them, we looked twice, too.
People always ask me if we get much of an odor living so close to a pig farm, and the truth is, only on a still night. A farmer at church who has some pigs always says that if you farm pigs right, there shouldn't be a smell, and I have found that to be fairly accurate. If you want to talk about stench, I lived near a dairy farm for several years and THAT really smelled.
No, the worst thing about a pig farm is the swarm of flies that infest your property and live far too long into the winter. It can be the first week in January and there you are, reaching for a fly swatter, thinking "How is this thing still living?" There comes a time of the year here when almost every move you make is motivated by killing flies, and trying to keep flies out of the house. You tie obscure contraptions filed with nauseating concoctions to trees in hopes that the flies will land in them and drown. You place a moratorium on opening the front door. You worry about the cleanliness of every surface in your kitchen. You put your toothbrushes away. You actually start to save flies that you have swatted to prove to your husband that yes, they can grow to the size of quarters.
So, short of filling my garden with venus fly-traps, I'll be open to suggestions on fly management as the weather warms up. But for right now, we are experiencing a few mice wandering back after a long absence. They seem to love getting into the large storage drawer under the oven and rattling the cookie sheets in there. In fact, it woke me up last night. Yuck!
Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep mice from getting into that handy storage drawer under the oven?
Home happenings and a small dilemma
I was displaced!This weekend past my kitchen was invaded by a husband wielding multiple tools and levels, as he is in the process of finishing up some carpentry work so we can soon begin the process of adding drywall to our skeletal walls and ceiling. I did miss the cooking and baking I usually do on the weekend, but somehow we got by. In fact, it did wonders in the laundry department as all of the ironing got done. That never happens!
It also gave me the opportunity to work on a few side projects. For instance, I have been experimenting with freezing herbs and having some success. Of course, we all know we can dry herbs and grind them up, but there are some in their fresh, green form that can't be beat, such as basil, chives, and cilantro. When we get the herb garden in this summer, I want that bounty to last and to make our meals tasty for months to come, so I am figuring out the process now to be prepared. So far, so good.
Yesterday was the day the appliance repairman was supposed to return to fix the dryer. During the week we received some parts in the mail that he would need in order to accomplish this. Fulfilling the widespread prophecy that so many others have been enlightened with when their GE repairman never returned, our guy was a no show-no call, as well.
Finally, maybe you ladies can help me out with something. This is an antique sewing stand I purchased many months ago with the intent on using it solely for storing my current quilting project, or maybe for holding some quilting supplies. It arrived broken, but finally, my husband has done an expert repair job on it, and it is ready for service. The problem is, I vastly underestimated the size of my current quilting project, and it is much too small to be used for that. In fact, this stand is so petite that few of my quilting supplies would even fit inside of it. Even a large spool of thread could not sit comfortably in the slots of that little tray. And it's dark in there! You'd be excavating forever to find something. Also, as it is quite old and repaired, it is not the sturdiest of pieces, which would make it non-functional for storing books or magazines.
So what could I use it for?
I spoke too soon!
I just went shopping last night and was surprised when, after coming home and adding up the figures, my grocery bill has not gone down at all this month, but up. WAY up! In fact, at the store I actually had to revise my menu plan right then and there after seeing the price of some things I had planned to buy for meals. It was a menu plan bail-out due to sticker shock.
What accounts for this? Who can be held responsible? Who can I complain to? Well, probably just you all, since you are a sympathetic bunch who are going through the same thing.
Of course I sat at my desk later analyzing the receipt. What could I have done differently? Bought smaller peppers? Foregone bathroom tissue? Then, later on, my puppy Buddy was found eating the receipt. I think that says it all.
To quote a wise woman (my mother): the thing about rising prices is, they never go down again. Also, I keep hearing how high the price of corn is (largely due to demand for ethanol). Really? At my market, corn is still 25 cents a can. If we ate nothing but corn our grocery budget would be in great shape.
I don't know, but what's done is done. Now I just want to focus on making this food supply stretch. If this trip combined with my inventory provides enough for two weeks, then that would be great. To be fair, this trip did include several stock-up items such as flour, sugar, etc. that I don't buy on an average visit to the store.
And to think I didn't buy that one jar of spice because it seemed too expensive.
I love lemons
Don’t you just love lemons? So fresh, so wholesome, so clean.
Oh, stop. Now I never would have thought of that.
3 ½ T cornstarch
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks
Grated rind of one lemon
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup butter
1 cup sour cream
A day of planned sewing
No, that's not a picture of my fabric scraps, but it sure felt like I was inundated with a whole lot of forgotten sewing remnants today when I headed to my mother's for a planned day of sewing. It's so nice when you set aside time for a whole day of tending to a certain task, whatever it may be. And in this case it was long overdue, as a dress that I cut out back in June has been languishing, folded and forgotten, next to my dusty sewing machine. I shouldn't even mention the lap quilt that I've been working on for two years now! That quilt was really starting to see progress up until we announced our engagement and the focus shifted to bridal fabric.
So it was with good intentions that I started out bright and early (with only a quick stop at the fabric shop for some buttons ) and my lunch packed to take along. But then I got to the sewing store and realized that it had been so long since I had been there, and there were so many new things to see! So that ate away at a little bit of time. Then I arrived at mom's and everything took so much longer than I thought it would because it had been so long since I sewed that I could not recall where anything was, what I had did with it last, or where in the world anything went. When that forgotten dress in it's lovely floral fabric was unfolded, it was creased terribly and the bodice needed a good pressing before I could even work on it. That launched a search for the ironing board, which had apparently moved from its old location and could not be found. So a phone call had to be made so that could be located.
Sewing at mom's is not with out its own set of challenges. I always tell her it's "the authentic Amish sewing experience" because no matter what you do, there is not enough light to see what you are doing. Even with the sewing machine parked at the south window, you still need to turn on the light in every nearby room to get proper lighting. And if it's a gray day, like today was, you still might be squinting. It was like sewing at my Aunt Dorcas' where you had every oil light in creation going and still, you were just feeling your way through the dark. Also at my mom's, there are cats who come by and want to take off with your notions and sleep in your fabric bin. Okay, they are my cats, but they live there and not here where we really could use them for mice control. It's complicated.
Eventually, some sewing got done. And it brought back a sweet feeling because the last time I sat sewing in mom's house, I was sewing my wedding dress. Which at the time was really hard and frustrating, but in the end, worthwhile. Just like today.
A great time to be alive
I really admire you ladies who can plan for three meals a day, several weeks at a time. There is no way it could happen over here as I barely have enough time to do a week's worth of shopping, and certainly don't have the freezer space to store more than ten days worth of ingredients. Small living sometimes means small sacrifices. On the other hand, when I'm in the store and see something on sale (unadvertised!) or spot a fabulous cookbook, with a tasty recipe I'd like to make this weekend on the return cart, it's easy to incorporate some flexibility into our eating schedule.And I'm tremendously fortunate in another way: My husband doesn't eat breakfast or lunch. It's hard to believe, but other than a glass of juice first thing in the morning, he's just not interested in eating prior to supper. He thinks lunch is a waste of time! Why would he climb down from the bowels of our attic to have a sandwich when he's this close to finishing some wiring job?
"Aren't you hungry?"
"Not really."
I don't get it.
Since I usually bake a couple batches of muffins throughout the week, a muffin and coffee works for me in the morning. A mid-day snack, if I'm not too busy to eat one, can take any fast and easy form. That just leaves supper to worry about, and it has to be a substantial one for the man outside the kitchen window carrying a bag of concrete who won't stop for a snack. Really, I have seen menu plans where someone is serving soup and crusty bread for their big meal, and that's all well and fine for them. But soup with bread is either a supplement or a starter at our house. My husband (who has the metabolism of a thousand caffeinated monkeys and thus, doesn't put on too much weight) likes what I call the mini-buffet approach to our main meals. A salad, maybe some bread, a jar of olives or pickled relish, leftovers from the day before, whatever complete meal I cooked, the neighbor's pig, etc. It really befuddled me when we first got married and I would be serving our meal and there he was, pulling even more food out of the refrigerator. Now it seems hilarious.
Still, I do plan for about a week ahead, and feel extremely fortunate that there are so many delicious options to add variety to our meals. I love to make traditional dishes and also find ways to add some of the interesting ingredients now available that our mothers didn't have. Maybe things really are getting better all of the time?
Fired up over low heat cooking
Wow...you ladies love your crock pots! Thank you for all the comments and encouragement, and especially for the recipes.It makes me wonder what other tricks all of you know that I have yet to learn...
An ode to the crock pot
This past Christmas, I won something very useful at a Christmas party. A slow cooker! Yes, I know you homemaking veterans out there have ones with lots of mileage on them, but this was a very new innovation for me.My husband had suggested getting one, and I was actually unenthusiastic about the idea. Part of it was, I'm just an old fashioned pain-in-the-neck who likes things pan-fried and oven-roasted, and every crock pot meal I ever experienced seemed uninspiring, at best. Sure, those saucy stews would cure your hunger, but they never struck me as particularly tasty. My husband, on the other hand, had nothing but fond memories of tender meat falling off the bone all thanks to his mother's crock pot. So it was with much gratitude and a little weariness that I brought home my newly won slow cooker, or should I say, hauled it home, as it is a big 5 and 1/2 quart model. Far more than needed for two people, but at least you can put a turkey in it.
It sat in the "housewares" room with the rest of our belongings for a couple of weeks while I asked around for ideas and studied the owner's manual. My mind was full of questions and suspicions: Was this thing really going to cook a meal while I was at work all day? Really? Are you sure? How? Yes, I know it seems silly, especially when you consider how many of these I've seen lined up at church fellowship suppers, not to mention cooking away in people's homes. You would think I would "get it."
So like the research librarian I am, I launched my project on crock pot investigations, asking people what they cooked with their own, and reading recipes and cook books for ideas. When I finally put my first roast in it (just last week) and reluctantly walked away after turning the knob, I couldn't resist going back and feeling it to see if it really would get warm. In a final act of faith, I left it alone. And the results were quite pleasing.
Now, I am devoted.
I can't wait to make delicious soups, hearty rice and bean dishes, and maybe even dessert. All this meal-making power in such an efficient machine! Now there's a simple pleasure.
Christmas bells and whistles
Our church has a rather odd Christmas tradition of giving out fruit after the Christmas service, usually an apple or orange. This year, I was designated to procure a case of oranges, which was somewhat inconvenient. All of the farm markets out here in the country are closed for the season, and I had to venture into an unfamiliar city in order to pick up a case of oranges at a "produce outlet." And as usual, there would be limited time to accomplish this.I was anxious to complete this task in one hour or less this morning because I had pears baking in the oven. I didn't want the oven timer to go off and wake up my sleeping husband while I wasn't there!
One thing that I really liked about our house when we first bought it was the appliances: There weren't any. Well, there was a small (new) dishwasher, but that was it. It gave us the freedom to select and purchase whatever stove, refrigerator, and laundry appliances we might want. It was wonderful! So we set out researching, and measuring, and visiting appliance stores, and ultimately selecting and procuring our chosen machines. We bought the good, such as our range which was a Consumer Reports "Best Value" winner. We bought the bad, such as our washer which is a high-efficiency model and a complete nightmare. And we bought the space-efficient in the form of our refrigerator, a model with two side-by-side doors because you just could not open the door of a regular refrigerator in our tiny kitchen without taking out a wall.
But the one question I never thought to ask any salesman was "How many literal bells and whistles does it have?" Because every one of our appliances can produce a solo if not a symphony of annoying beeps and chimes that could send even the most charitable Christian over the edge.
Both the washer and dryer beep repeatedly at the end of a cycle until you either open their doors or turn them off completely. This happens even if it is not convenient for you to go and do that right at that moment, and even if you yell at it and try to explain that you will be there in just another minute. The stove timer does the same, but will continue doing it even after you have opened the oven door, removed your food, and are in fact eating it. It will only quiet after you specifically turn off the timer function. But the worst is the refrigerator. After a few seconds with the doors open, the fridge "thinks" you have neglected to fully close the doors and tries to warn you of this by chiming constantly. So any time the refrigerator door is open just a little too long, like when you are putting away groceries or cleaning the shelves, the "alarm" will sound. Oh, it's annoying.
I am very sensitive to noise, and the irony is, my hearing isn't even all that great.
As it turned out, I got home with time to spare before the hour was over, and there are 72 navel oranges in the trunk of my car.
I'd love to hear from anyone else who belongs to a church that has this tradition and where it might have come from.
Weekend notes
This past weekend we started measuring out the backyard fence my husband plans to build, and inserting some preliminary stakes. Although the six foot fence we are planning will obscure some of the beautiful view we have now, it will also give us more privacy from those driving by along the main road. It will also be a big treat to let the dogs run freely in the back without having to get them on a leash and stand out in the cold with them. We don't let them out without a leash because the road out front can be very busy.Last night, after a haystack supper, I rolled out the dough for gingerbread men. My husband was in charge of putting the raisins on as eyes.
He was also in charge of protecting them from the dogs while I put new batches in the oven. Our pets found the smell irresistible, and so did we! Thank you to stitchnchick at SimpleFolk for the recipe. Our house agrees- it's a winner.
Weeding: It’s not just for gardens
If my last post inspired you to be more vigilant when it comes to organizing and ridding your home of clutter, I thought it might be fun to list some of the ways I try to keep from accumulating things that have long outlived their use. In library school, we are taught how to weed a collection of books. Weeding simply means to get rid of books that no longer contain current or accurate information, books that aren’t being checked out because no one is interested in reading them anymore, or getting rid of items (like old magazines) that are in poor condition and are now available in a new space-saving format. At home I like to weed more than just the garden.
In the closet: If it hasn’t been worn in two years, I seriously reconsider whether it has a place in the wardrobe. If it has holes, is faded, or unrepairable, it might be something that serves better cut up for another sewing project, or as a cleaning rag.
In the bookcase: Once a year my books are reevaluated for usefulness. If it’s something that has information that I need for reference and can’t get anywhere else, some degree of sentimental value, or is a particularly valuable book, it likely stays. Novels and books with information I no longer need are either passed on to others or donated to our library’s book sale. Valuable books are sold.
In the cupboard: If you have read my previous posts, then you know I am a stickler for keeping food items current. Also, we don’t have the space for “pantry stocking” or any other such thing. With Christmas upon us, it’s a wonderful opportunity to clean out cupboards and give away what we don’t need to those who have less and could use it now. Personally, we need the space more than a dozen industrial-sized canned goods that may expire before we can get to them.
If you have a junk drawer: Consider getting rid of it. Anything you cannot identify in it is junk. Anything else might find a suitable and convenient place elsewhere in your home while freeing up an entire drawer.
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