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Showing posts from August, 2007

Improvements with a purpose

Of course improvements always have a purpose, but the improvements I'm talking about has the semi-sneaky purpose of helping to convince hubby to let us keep some animals. There's a shed on our property that sits where an old shed used to be. That old shed is a scattered heap around the new shed. It's a semi-shady area in an away part of the yard that would be perfect for critters. I've decided to slowly start cleaning it out in hopes to make it a suitable area for any animal my fancy may desire. I've kicked around the idea of having: Pheasants (for eggs and meat) Those chickens that lay pastel colored eggs Milking goats Miniature milking cow Donkey My efforts may not yeild the desired results of animal-ownership, but at least that area would be cleaned out and safer for Bubby and the dog.

Reading and a Trial

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First of all, I wanted to share a picture I took this morning of dawn's earliest light. This is out my bedroom window. I did modify the picture by using the watercolor setting on my photo editor. It was the colors I wanted to capture anyway. I just love being able to enjoy the sunrises and sunsets nearly every day. I saw a study somewhere that said something like 1 in 4 Americans hasn't read a book in a year. Or maybe it was only 1 in 4 Americans has read a book in a year. It's not often that I get to sit down and pour through a book. I've been blaming my busy-ness as a mother, but to be honest, I need to get back into the habit because a homeschooling mother should be up on her reading. So, I pulled a book off the shelf recently. It's an original 1907 copy of the book SUSAN by Ernest Oldmeadow. It's a really easy read, kind of like one of those laze in the shade on a summer's day reads. It is definately not high literature. But, it's cute and it'

3 Recipes To Share

Here are three recipes I used for recent dinners that got rave reviews from hubby. Two are my own creations, but the hash is a recipe from friends of ours. SWISS AND BACON STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded flat 4 strips of uncooked bacon 2 slices swiss cheese (these are deli slices...you'll have to improvise if you use block cheese) fresh herbs (I used oregano, thyme, chives and scallions) salt and pepper 2 pads of butter Lay 2 strips of bacon and 1 slice of cheese per breast on the rough side. Carefully and tightly roll of each breast and place them in a baking dish, seam side down. Top each breast with the herbs and a pad of butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake, loosely covered in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or an hour or until chicken is done. SHAFFER HASH 1 lb bulk breakfast sausage (do not use a sweet-flavored sausage like maple flavored. A sage sausage works well) Several red potatoes, sliced fairly thickly (but not too thic

My New Hutch

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Here's a picture of my new hutch in my kitchen. Just please ignore the bag on top of the hutch. It contains a can of spray paint and hubby put it up there, so I don't dare move it. :b The purple folder on top of the hutch contains recipes I cut from magazines that I'm gluing onto stiff paper and organizing into one of the binders on the top shelf. The top shelf contains my recipe binder, my home management binder and a box of recipe cards that I might reorganize into one of the little drawers on the bottom of the hutch. The second shelf holds tea...well...mostly herbal infusions. The drawer on the left has a hole drilled in the back of it and out the back of the hutch. It's wired so hubby's iPod and cell phone can be charged. The second drawer contains other adapters for things that need recharging. The third drawer is currently empty as are the other two drawers towards the bottom. I keep the bottom shelf empty so I can work on it, or lay out my HMB. The two c

Pantry and Linen Closet

When hubby and I put the second storey on our house (by the grace of God), there are a couple of things I'd like to add to more greatly organize our home. One is a pantry in the kitchen and the second is a linen closet. I'd kind of like the pantry to be built in, but it would be ok with me if the linen closet was a stand-alone cabinet. A pantry would keep all dried and canned foods together rather than divided at this current time into 3 cabinets. It would also eliminate the need for overhead cabinets which can brighten up a kitchen and be a life saver for the vertically challenged. A linen closet would get Bubby's extra bedding out from in a basket under his crib and hubby and I'd bedding from being jammed into a storage bench in our bedroom. Still, I can wait for these items. :) It's just nice to make plans.

Having Fun with DIY

I'm really having fun with this DIY house make-over! Now that hubby and I have started, we don't want to stop! Today, he mentioned the kitchen! I'm happy just to have a new hutch in the kitchen that actually helped me organize and declutter the house even more! Now, our house is a totally different color than it was before! Hubby's hard work really paid off. It looks so much nicer. Other visions we have include an armoire for the bedroom, and I'd like floor to ceiling bookcases in the living room, but I'd settle for taller, narrower bookcases. I'm also looking into building a root cellar on our property. Behind the garage is a steep slope that could easily be built up into a root cellar, but I'd have to look into the logistics and science behind it. It might not stay cool enough right there, although it's greatly shaded. Our neighbor volunteered to help me expand, till and manure my garden this fall. Oh, the excitement!!! Yes, stuff like this

Hazy, Hot and Humid Saturday

Today was so muggy! I got up at 6:30 am and got hubby's coffee on and fixed myself breakfast. While eating, I spent some time with the Lord and afterwards browsed through Nourishing Traditions. I have my own copy now. Then, I got washed up and dressed, did dishes, fixed the bed, sent hubby off to work and went online. I started the day off tired, so I figured I'd ease into it. Bubby woke up at 8:30 and I got him breakfast and tidied up the house while he ate (my house is very small and I can go in every single room and not be too far from view from Bubby in case he chokes). Then, I got him washed up and dressed and set with a Bob the Builder video. He still looked sleepy and worn out and it was already hot. I figured a nice, easy day would be best for him, too. While he watched, I folded and put away laundry, stripped and fixed his crib, and made two batches of laundry detergent. When that was done, Bubby and I walked up to the farm to visit the animals and hubby. We

The guys have fun, the girls.....

Yesterday, hubby, Bubby and I went to one of his friend's house for a lobster and clam cook-out. I spent the time keeping an eye on Bubby and playing with him and making sure hubby got his food since he was manning the grill. It was just so uncomfortable being a woman there and it had nothing to do with the men. The men were having a great time. They chatted, laughed, joked, teased and discussed at length how to get the lobster water boiling sooner. The women immediately formed cliques with those they knew best and spent the evening eyeing the other women. A few of them actually made an effort to chat with me beyond asking one question that was, "how old is he" about Bubby or remarking how cute he is. This morning, I told hubby about this. The men were having a grand ol' time and the women just looked at me and would barely say two words. Hubby said that this is because I'm a threat. I'm the new girl in town. Sheesh, it feels like middle school all o

Frantic Friday

I'm typing my Chronicle early because I'm using my computer time to unwind a little. Besides, it's hot today, so I want to do some of the work on the house in the evening when it's cooler and Bubby's to bed. I got up at 6:30 am and set hubby's coffee to perk and took a shower and dressed. After my shower, I had breakfast and spent some time with the Lord and then put my dining room back together after finishing the walls last night and started laundry. Then, I got Bubby out of his crib for breakfast and hubby and I had a chat about the house. I asked him about a hutch for the kitchen and he agreed that I should get the one I saw on craigslist. After Bubby ate and hubby left for work, I let Bubby watch his Firetruck video and I scrambled around the house to get the bed fixed, a phone number off the internet for the hutch (and a newspaper peek and few peeks at some blogs and e-mails), get laundry hung up, wash dishes and call the lady about the hutch. Then, B

Errand/Computer Thursday

Thursday is the day I try to set aside for my major errands and computer time. 5 am, I woke up as usual and started the day as usual. At 6 am, I hopped online to work on my business http://reenactorclassifieds.homestead.com/ and get some other stuff done online. Then, I popped off the computer and started some housework. Bubby woke up and we had breakfast of fried eggs, bread and butter and homemade yogurt with dried dates mixed in. Yum! Then I got Bubby cleaned up and dressed and we left to start our errands: Lowes: paint chips Big Lots: floor tiles and green tea bags Home Depot: paint chips (actually bought paint) Walmart: return paint Bank: cash checks, withdraw money Parents' house: discuss Christmas gifts with my mom Convenient store: milk and bread When we got home, I got the mail, made lunch (salmon pasties, applesauce with raisins and cinnamon), put Bubby down for a nap, tidied up and did dishes, painted a sample swatch on the house, and hopped back online to look into exp

Project Wednesday

I should be titling my posts as follows: Housework Monday, Sewing Tuesday, Project Wednesday and Errands/Computer Thursday. Friday and Saturday are left open for what hubby would like me to accomplish. Sundays, of course, are my God and family days. Today, I got up at 5 am and followed my usual morning routine. At 6am, I skipped exercise because I wanted to make yogurt dough to sit for later, and make yogurt. After that, I showerd, dressed, went on the computer, put canned goods away, tidied the kitchen, set butter to melt for breakfast and got Bubby up. For breakfast, we had cornbread, fruit and yogurt again. This time, I put butter and maple syrup on the cornbread. Bubby prefered it this way. He's going through a phase now where he refuses milk and yogurt. I've upped his butter and cheese intake to keep his calcium up. After breakfast, I got Bubby dressed and cleaned up and his teeth brushed. Then we had playtime and I washed the dishes, counters and table. At 8:30 a

Ladyscott's Tuesday

For some reason, the volume on my clock radio was turned way down, so I didn't get up until 5:04 this morning. As usual, I started hubby's coffee in the stovetop perk and did my morning devotionals and prayers until it was time for hubby to get up. I woke hubby up and served him his coffee. Then, I fixed the bed and tidied up a little while chatting with hubby. At 5:55, hubby had left for a work with a kiss from me and I exercised while watching the news, then showered, rinsed out the tub, dressed and had computer time until Bubby woke up. 7:20 am, Bubby and I had breakfast. Bubby had cornbread and molasses, which he promptly fed to the dog (he liked it last night!) fruit and yogurt. I had cornbread and maple syrup and yogurt with natural apple butter. Yum! Then, I vacuumed, got Bubby dressed, woped down the counters and table, did dishes and washed the sink. 8:30 am, chores continue as I decide to wash the dog's bedding and any other darks that would fit in the machine. I

Ladyscott's Chronicles Monday

I've joined Candy at www.myblessedhome.blogspot.com for a chronicle of my week. Monday: I was up at 5 am, a bit bleary-eyed, but that soon passed. I started the coffee perking on the stove and put together hubby's lunch. Then, I spent time with the Lord until the coffee was ready and then I woke hubby up. While hubby got ready for work, I started a few chores, including fixing the bed and dusting. 6 am, I started a new work-out program. It's a belly dance program, but I found that I didn't get the aerobic workout I wanted from it. So, I washed up, dressed and scrubbed the bathroom. 7am, I had computer time until Bubby woke up. Then it was breakfast, get Bubby set for the day, and start my chores: vacuum, shampoo carpet and sofa, dishes, brine pickles, work on dining room wall (painting accents), two loads of laundry, prepping for dinner. By 10:30 am, I packed up Bubby and we went to renew Nourishing Traditions at the library. Then we went to Lowes and bought a

Joseph Budget, Nourishing Traditions, Day-to-day

Have you ever heard of theJoseph Budget? It's based on the story of Joseph in Genesis when he was appointed Pharoh's right hand man in charge of overseeing Egypt through the famine. Joseph ordered that during the time of plenty, a fifth goes into storage. Therefore, 20% of our income should go into our storehouses (savings). With 10% going to the Lord in tithe, that leaves us with a working budget of 70%. I'm still trying to figure out how to work this budget, but it's one I'd like to attain to. Then, when the car needs repair or a medical bill comes in, we have the money in our savings to pay it rather than relying on those stupid credit cards. I'm really liking this Nourishing Traditions lifestyle. Hubby's beginning to notice the difference, too. Hubby: doesn't feel like he needs to eat as much anymore to keep his strength up in his heavy labor job. Me: I've lost weight and gained muscle. I don't look flabby or sickly. Even my skin

Modern Me

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By request, here is a picture of me in modern clothing. This picture is a few month old. I was 11 weeks pregnant and I miscarried the next day, so I don't exactly look my best. My face is really pale and drawn and my eyes a bit sunken, but, it's the most recent pic I have.

Yogurt Success!

Thank you, Candy for your recipe!! I made yogurt for the first time today. I was going to do it earlier this week, but when I looked at the recipe, I didn't realize the 5.5 hours between start to towel. So, I got my ducks in a row yesterday and voila! Yogurt! It smells SO good. It needs to cool yet, so I'll eat some this afternoon. Also, I do have Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready and The Well Trained Mind. Great books! I'm so eager to homeschool! There's so much I want to teach my son, especially our rich local history. Well, it's time to go start my day. Laundry today, and since it's a nice day, I'll take my son up to the farm.

Sleepy, but Satisfied

After a good morning, I'm exhausted. Bubby has given up his morning nap in favor of sleeping in an hour and taking a nap after lunch. Thankfully, he spent the morning occupying himself and not getting into too much mischief while I put up the majority of the produce I had picked. After lunch, I tucked him into his crib without a fuss and laid down on my bed. I was laying there in prayer and thinking about Augusts in my youth when I'd lay out on the almost too-warm porch, surrounded by Victoria Magazines........Suddenly, I woke up with a coughing fit (residual cold symptoms). It felt good to nap, and I could have gone longer, but I wanted to get online and check out a few things (cloth diapers, plumbing question). I'm hoping to run out to the farmer's market this afternoon. Plus, I need to go to the bank and pull out money for hubby. For dinner, we're having steak florentine, fried potatoes and scallions, and corn on the cob.

"School"

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Knowing who I am, I feel that I need to start "schooling" my son "officially" come September. I need to be able to get into a routine, tweak things, and ease him into a lifestyle of learning before I actually do start homeschooling. Today, I came up with a small curriculum of sorts appropriate for my 1 1/2 year old. It'll only be a few minutes a day, but I feel best for the both of us. Even if it does nothing but establish a routine of learning and accomplish together-time, it'll be a positive experience. Here's what I've come up with: Language: Reading stories, Alphabet Math: Counting, Patterns Art: Scribbling, Shapes, Colors Music: Songs, Sounds, Instruments Other: Picture exploration, flash cards, imitation, naming games, Slow and Steady Well, I'm off to search for more cloth diapers!

August Musings

Despite the heat of the afternoons, the mornings have a crispness that reminds me that autumn, and subsequently winter, is coming. I have this strange urge to stock up and hunker down. Hubby does too, as he comes home from work with loads of wood for our outdoor furnace. I look forward to the apple harvest which will be starting shortly. Now that I'm working on a Nourishing Traditions lifestyle, my kitchen must reflect that. By that I mean I need to clear off counter space so I have room to work without looking or feeling cluttered. Microwaves are no-nos in Nourishing Traditions, but I don't think hubby would go for disposing of our microwave. I'm not ready to let go, either. I think I'll wait until it breaks down on it's own. Already, half the buttons don't work. I thought of putting it on top of the fridge, but the idea of retrieving hot foods from overhead just doesn't sound safe. I already put the coffee maker away because I percolate coffee on

Recovery

I was sick all weekend and still recovering. I had a cold. (Don't you dislike summer colds?) My ears are plugged up and the inflammation is throwing me into dizzy spells. The medication I have to take for the dizziness makes me sleepy. Today, I'm doing what I can and taking it easy otherwise. Still, I can't take too long because my garden is pouring forth it's blessed bounty! I also have more butter and buttermilk to make, as well as cream cheese and whey and I'm going to try my hand at yoghurt-making as well. I got the recipe from Candy at: www.myblessedhome.blogspot.com . I have to make bread for Bubby, too. For now, I better go change the bathroom garbage pail. I smell old poopy diaper.

Beautiful Day!

The sun is shining, the temperature is perfect and I'm ahead of schedule! I even cleaned my kitchen sink (and it really needed it, too). I love days like these. I just want to bask in them. The only thing wrong about today is that I have a sore throat. Thankfully, it's not bad, but enough to irk me. I really detest sore throats. I've been lozenge-sucking, and gargling with listerine, warm salt water and hydrogen peroxide. Well, I was going to browse online with my spare time, but I think I'll make better use of it by cleaning out that desk!

Less-stress prep

There has GOT to be a less-stressful and less involved way to prep for a re-enactment. Every time one comes up, I spend a week prepping and otherwise going insane to make sure everything is ready. Although, I will say I'm doing a bit better this time around. Still, I feel all zany. There's just SO MUCH to remember and plan. 3 people to pack for, 13 to feed, two meals I'm responsible for.... Every event, I seem to get a little more organized. One day, I'd love to just pack the food and go. I think it would be wise that as I clean up from one event, I prepare for the next. Although, I don't know when we'll be re-enacting again this year.

Refreshing whey drink and To Do

I made this drink yesterday based on the recipe in Nourishing Traditions and it's quite good and refreshing: 1/4 cup whey (buy Stonyfield organic whole milk yogurt and place in a towel-lined seive and let the whey drip into a bowl for several hours...what's left in the towel is delicious cream cheese) juice of one lemon (2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice) 1 cup water 1 stevia packet Mix and enjoy! TO DO: Time with the Lord-Done Exercise-Done Finish laundry (too muggy for it all to dry yesterday) bake bread for Bubby pack re-enacting boxes sew a new shift for Bubby sew hubby's caftan put up broccoli and perhaps start saurkraut splash in the pool with Bubby Dinner tonight is either going to be salmon spread with crackers and celery or keilbasa with baked beans and saurkraut. It depends on how hot it gets. If it's too hot to turn on the stove, then I'll do the salmon spread.

Blessings from the farm

I just got back from going to that farm. I took my mom with me and we had such a fun little time driving out to the farm. I spent a grand total of $14.95 and got: Bushel of broccoli Bushel of red potatoes 3 cabbages 6oz dill seed 4 oz pickling spice 3 oz mustard seed 2 oz. celery seed 1.9 oz. tumeric Not bad! My mom picked up 3 cabbages. We're going back in a few weeks to get more potatoes! I'm going to be checking out some other farms, too. It's nice to support local farmers, get something organic and locally grown, and save money!

The Ant and not the grasshopper

I think a LOT of ladies are busy this time of year. Many of the blogs and message boards I visit have been dead. There's just so much to do. I, myself am the "Ant" rather than the "Grasshopper." (I believe Aesop) I've been putting up some more produce and really pouring over Nourishing Traditions! I made my own cultured butter and buttermilk the other day! There's just something cool about it! Thanks to my FIL, I know about a farm several towns over that has bushels of broccoli for $7.00, cabbages and red potatoes. Hubby's eyes lit up when red potatoes were mentioned. This afternoon, I think I'm taking a ride up to make some purchases. A discount grocer about 15 minutes from my house has 4 lbs of strawberries for $4.99. That's pretty cheap for around here. Well, Bubby's awake and it's time for lunch and to hang another load of clothes out. I'm late on clothes today because it was raining this morning.

I Found One!

There is a Nourishing Traditions discussion group. You can join at: groups.yahoo.com/group/discussingnt Today, I'm going to try cultured buttermilk and butter. With the buttermilk, I'm going to make bread for Bubby.

Groceries and Nourishing Traditions

My grocery bill was a bit steep this month, but I had a lot of expensive stocking up and starting up to do. After all, coconut oil alone was $7.19! Yogurt is well over $3.00. I found out that I don't digest whole pasteurized homogenized milk very well. Weird, because I can digest skim milk just fine. However, I think it might be where I get the milk. The milk from local farms doesn't seem to bother me as badly as milk from Aldi. So, I'm going to lay off of it for a while and try some other stuff, including evaporated goats milk that's reconstituted and almond milk. My search for milks and creams that aren't ultra-pasteurized has come up quite short. I did find a heavy cream at a local gas station that's just regular pasteurized and it didn't say that it was homogenized, although it probably is. I have one more local resource, and then it's off to the Amish or the co-op. I also discovered that white flour may have contributed to my impacted wisdom

Nourishing Traditions Diet Month

August is the month I'm trying the Nourishing Traditions Diet. I have organic whole plain yogurt to make whey and cream cheese with. I found coconut oil to cook with. The only thing I can't find is organic milk that's non-ultra pasturized and non homogenized. Not even goat's milk. Raw milk is virtually impossible to get in NY State. One family even had their children taken away from them because they fed them raw milk (which is just stupid because what farm kid hasn't had raw milk and what Amish family doesn't drink it?). I found rapadura-type sweetener and stevia. I cannot find adequate bread, though. I'll have to make bread for Bubby, but hubby doesn't like my homemade bread. It's too dense for his taste. He's a wonder-bread kind of guy, so I'll buy him wheat bread and pitas. I have been using NT techniques for nearly 2 weeks now and I haven't blow up into a fat blob. In fact, I'm more toned and muscular (but not lumpy-mu

Discontent and seeing things from hubby's point of view

There comes in time in I'll dare to say every marriage that things become routine and the wife feels unappreciated and would love a compliment. This is the time when instead of focusing on herself, she could fish for compliments by focusing on her hubby. This involves being open minded enough to not nit-pick about the logistics or fairness of the matter, but to just joyfully go forth and do what needs to be done. What I mean is, how many can raise their hands and say that their husband doesn't seem to notice that they keep his closet in perfect order, but he certainly notices when a few catalogs have been left on the chair by the door for a week. A wife expects an appreciative husband because she spent an hour organizing his closet just the way he likes it and instead he mutters about the catalogs on the chair. Well, why can't he pick them up? Why doesn't he see the hard work I put into his closet? Open your mind and joyfully and without question dispose of the ca