Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Cooler Days......at last

I enjoy summer, but the heat is something that I have always struggled with.  What a blessing that the past couple of days have been cooler temps!  I have ben able to do without the air conditioner in the bedrooms for 2 days now.  Just using the fans have provided plently of cool air.

Today, I am making more laundry soap.  I still have to buy the Arm & Hammer type soap for Abigail's cloth diapers.  I found that using other soap gave her a diaper rash.  Poor girl had a bad rash for the first time in months.  The last time she had it was with a cheap brand of disposible diapers that I had bought to wear on her until I could get more cloth diapers after she had out-grown her other ones. 

With the cooler days arriving, I am working on the beginnings of the fall preparations for winter.  When Joe is home, he is going to be moving the heavier things from the front porch so that we can prepare it for storing our winter firewood supply.  Last year, the ice storm got the firewood wet and made it difficult to keep the house warm.  The front porch wraps around part of the south side of the house.  We are putting up tarps on that side to prevent the firewood from getting wet.  On the smaller porch behind the kitchen on the north side of the house, we will place wood pallets & make a box-type frame to store the kitchen cookstove's wood in.  It will make it more convenient for me and give more space to store the wood.  The wood boxes will be covered in tarps also.

I have been taking down the drapes and cleaning them.  I am also preparing the windows for putting up window quilts.  These will help tremendously in keeping the house warmer.  We already have the blankets up in the doorways as they have helped to keep the main areas of the house cooler. 

It is amazing how many times the topic of holiday preparations has come up already.   I am so grateful that we don't get all caught up in the insanity of holiday excess.  Joe and I do believe in celebrating Christmas, but we keep the celebration focused on the birth of our Lord.   We usually have just a couple of gifts, mostly homemade.  We have the holiday decorations, but most are Nativity themed.  Last month, I found a pretty printed panel of pieces to make a Nativity set.  The manger & stable are made like a little quilt, with batting inside to help them to stand up when put together.  The figures are all made like little stuffed dolls.  It is great for little hands to play with!  I have been wanting a Nativity set for Abigail.  This one will work beautifully.  As we read her stories about the birth of our Lord, she can play with the set. 

I am working right now to start getting my autumn linens made.  I bought fabric last year when it went on clearance and have been saving it until now.  I am making quilted placemats with coordinating cloth napkins.  I have found a cute little wall quilt to make & hang up.  It is a turkey.  The pattern is at:  http://craftandfabriclinks.com .  In their quilting area, they have many other great ideas for the holidays.   Another favorite website for quilting is:  http://www.quilterscache.com .  Quilters Cache has both patterns that you can purchase and a database of well over 1000 free quilt block patterns.  You can find free patterns by searching either the quilt block size or alphabetically.  It is amazing the variety that she has put onto that site.  The website also has tutorials available that you can print out.   One of the quick items that you can make from these blocks is to choose one block pattern and make it into a potholder.  You can take the smaller blocks and put together 6 of them to make a nice quilted placemat.

I hope that you all are enjoying your Labor Day holiday and the beginnings of autumn.

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10:16, Tuesday, September 4, 2007 .. Posted by Sara

Today was a beautiful day in OK. We had a picnic in the park for dinner and it was wonderful. I too am looking forward to the cooler days of fall. I understand that summer is a necessary cycle in the seasons, but it is most definately not my favorite. Have a blessed evening.

Sara

P.S. Did you get a package from me yet?

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07:55, Thursday, September 6, 2007 .. Posted by meme21713

Sounds like your days are busy....how are you feeling lately? Getting ready for the up coming seasons are welcomed here, we wait for the cooler air but that is still at least 6 or 8 weeks away here in the south...Debbie

greetings

07:41, Thursday, September 6, 2007 .. Posted by deedee06

Hi Paula. It sounds like you're industrious as usual. According to the radio, we should anticipate a cold front coming in during the weekend. It might mean the end of the gardening season, except for the tomatoes in my cold frame. Like you, we are thinking about adding to our wood supply. Right now the forests are still too fragile, with many forest fires still burning. Archery season began on Sept. 1, but there hasn't been much hunting yet due to the dryness.
We have recently acquired a hydraulic woodsplitter, but have no tractor to power it. David talked to a friend who has a farm about borrowing his tractor so we can split our wood and then they would take the whole unit to their house to get theirs split. That sounds like a great plan to me.
Maria is having a fantastic time at the Bible college in Bozeman. She enjoys all three roommates and they have done a variety of fun activities.
Better go for now. I'm at the library and will have to open the doors and get to work soon. ............Denise (prairiemom)