Traditional Homemaking Summer 2009! - Page 3

[SAHDS]

Originally Posted by nathansmum

Malinda, LOL, I have always wondered what your username stands for whenever I see you post!

Yeah, I've been mistaken for a man quite a bit. I chose the name before I knew the "lingo".

Anyhoo, what are you ladies up to today?

[vermontmomma]

[QUOTE=nathansmum;13912186
Vermontmama, how funny! What pattern are you using? I'm not really loving the colours I am using, so I think this will be my test rug and see how I go for making another. Are you doing a round? What diameter?

It's pretty freeform right now, a bunch of different sized circles joined together with some extra flourishes thrown in. It should end up a good size for standing on in front of the kitchen sink but a rounded cluster of abstraction. The BFA degree in Fine Art finds some use at last.

[vermontmomma]

Originally Posted by nerdymom

vtmama - There is a lot of info about sourdough starters in this thread: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=438763. As for "exotic" parts of the animal, I think the meatloaf is a great idea. I also love fried chicken livers, I bread and fry them like chicken nuggets, make some sweet potato fries, and yum yum! so good! You could do that with beef liver, just cut it in strips. or use it to make a nice thick gravy for potatos or a shepherds pie.

I'll have to try that chicken liver trick this summer when the first batch of cornish giants are "done." Last year DH gave them to the dog!
I'll try doing some lamb liver strips later this week perhaps. Tonight I need to use some ground beef in something. Ideas? DH is working LATE tonight, a 12 hour shift so I want to have something nice ready. We've been eating pasta for many days now and I can't bear it another night.

homesteading new momma : : green mountains : aspiring novelist and children's book author
***U.S. OUT OF V.T.***

[vm9799]

good afternoon ladies! i really enjoyed reading the old thread, so i'm subbing to this one!

my name is vicki. i'm a 35 year old SAHM to 2.....dd is 12 and ds is almost 10. i currently own a small design business that i run part-time out of my home studio, and my background/education is in interior design. my dh works in IT/IS for a major healthcare network. we live in the middle of a large city in a historic district in town......so some aspects of traditional homemaking aren't possible for us.

Why does traditional homemaking speak to you?

because of my background in the design field, i've always been attracted to the home arts (as i like to call them), and creating a home for my family has always been a part of who i am. it's a priority to me. we also lead a very simple life full of wonderful friends/family to share it with.

What traditional homemaking skills are you looking to learn or improve on currently?

hmmm, let's see......i currently have an organic garden (which dh and i work on together), i LOVE to cook/bake from scratch and do this 7 days a week, i enjoy working on my home....everything from organizing it to decorating it.

i'd like to learn how to knit and i'd love to improve on my sewing skills.

How do you find joy in traditional homemaking?

honestly, i find joy in knowing that i'm present for my family....especially my kids as they grow. i love cooking together with them and hope to teach them some of the things that many of my generation were not taught by our own parents.

i just enjoy being home. in the past i've tried to take some outside work and my house (and family) always suffer......which is just not worth it to me. i know that my place is at home.....atleast in this stage of my life.

[velochic]

I really liked the old thread, so I'll be watching this one, too.

[nerdymom]

Ground beef recipe - tonight I made "too tasty for my bun burgers". My own little concoction. I used a mix of ground turkey and beef, but you can use straight gb, I just used what we had on hand. I saute'd a fine dice of onion, carrot and celery until they were soft. then i added medium chopped mushrooms and cookedc tol they were done. season lightly w salt. make very thin but large hamburger patties, sprinkle w cheese, add a small handful of veg, put another patty on top, seal it up, bake in the oven til beef is cooked. serve without a bun, with a salad or sweet potato fries or steamed veg or whatever you like.

[SAHDS]

Okay ladies, hit me with your BEST potluck main dish (I always bring salads or desserts!).

Thanks.

[marimara]

I always do Bowtie Salad and it's ALWAYS a hit, and ALWAYS gone when I go to leave. The usual comments are along the lines of "that was delicious" "it's nice to have a pasta salad not smothered in mayo" etc.

Bowtie pasta
feta cheese
olives (black, pitted)
sliced and quartered cucumbers
tomatoes (any kind, cut bite size)
diced red onion
dressed in vinaigrette
(sometimes I put cold cuts of meat in there, though not for vegetarians)
=------------------------------------------------------------------

ok I just realized you asked for MAIN DISH, doh! hmm, well for vegetarians that could be a main dish!

Spinach Lasagna (always a hit too) (even with meat eaters)

I use Barilla lasagna no bake noodles (follow the recipe on the back) except instead of meat I use loose frozen spinach, I add fresh garlic and olive oil. You can prep the night before, put in fridge overnight, then bake right before event. Use an aluminum baking dish that is disposable for easy clean up (unless you are hosting event at home). Also if you use a glass casserole dish, you can't go directly from fridge to oven.

[mommathea]

Originally Posted by marimara

I always do Bowtie Salad and it's ALWAYS a hit, and ALWAYS gone when I go to leave. The usual comments are along the lines of "that was delicious" "it's nice to have a pasta salad not smothered in mayo" etc.

Bowtie pasta
feta cheese
olives (black, pitted)
sliced and quartered cucumbers
tomatoes (any kind, cut bite size)
diced red onion
dressed in vinaigrette
(sometimes I put cold cuts of meat in there, though not for vegetarians)
=------------------------------------------------------------------

ok I just realized you asked for MAIN DISH, doh! hmm, well for vegetarians that could be a main dish!

Spinach Lasagna (always a hit too) (even with meat eaters)

I use Barilla lasagna no bake noodles (follow the recipe on the back) except instead of meat I use loose frozen spinach, I add fresh garlic and olive oil. You can prep the night before, put in fridge overnight, then bake right before event. Use an aluminum baking dish that is disposable for easy clean up (unless you are hosting event at home). Also if you use a glass casserole dish, you can't go directly from fridge to oven.

The pasta salad may not be a main dish but THANK YOU!!! I have an anniversary party for my Grandparents to go to this weekend,and I'm supposed to bring a cold pasta. I have all those things already on hand!

[mommathea]

Ugh, do you feel like a traditional homemaker failure sometimes?
For some reason having to use the dryer makes me feel like a failure. I needed the some clothes cleaned but it has been rainy and humid for 3 days in a row now. It is driving me crazy. In our tiny house we're not set up very well to hang inside. I guess I could figure something out.

We just bought a new deep freeze so I'm working on cooking up meals and such to have on hand. I have 6 loaves of bread in the freezer, along with 4dz homemade hamburger and hotdog buns in the freezer, along with bags of cooked beans for soups and mexican dishes.

[momof2kiddos]

Hello I am Megan mom of of K who is 4 and J who is 8. I am also married to my husband of 10 years. I am new to the simple life and working on impoving my homemaking/homsteading skills as a working mom. I am starting slow by cleaning out the clutter and learning to embrase our 900 sqf of rental with our 2 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog, 2 frogs and a few fish to boot. I am just starting to follow the digging in the earth thread as I have a small garden in the back yard (I think it is bigger the entire house) and I am working towards eatting at home more and making dinner from scratch which leads me into stocking up and cooking ahead because right now I have a typical 9 - 5 Job but that looks to be changing soon to being a preschool teach which is my passion. I hope to learn a lot from you all and also be able to share as I learn.

[nerdymom]

Originally Posted by mommathea

Ugh, do you feel like a traditional homemaker failure sometimes?
For some reason having to use the dryer makes me feel like a failure. I needed the some clothes cleaned but it has been rainy and humid for 3 days in a row now. It is driving me crazy. In our tiny house we're not set up very well to hang inside. I guess I could figure something out.

We just bought a new deep freeze so I'm working on cooking up meals and such to have on hand. I have 6 loaves of bread in the freezer, along with 4dz homemade hamburger and hotdog buns in the freezer, along with bags of cooked beans for soups and mexican dishes.

: I feel like a failure since we ate McD's tonight. Not to mention a weeks worth of laundry that will have to wait until after the move to get washed. And dried. in a dryer, because I don't have a line set up yet. I hope that helps you put yourself in perspective mama. It sounds like you are doing a lot! Doesn't sound like a failure to me!

[marimara]

I don't have a line set up right now either and it does irk me. I had to take it down because our house is up for sale and technically we aren't even allowed to have one in this neighborhood. (One of the many reasons we want to sell.) So, yeah I use the dryer and it uses more electricity than I want to. But what can I do, but hope the house sells soon!

Also, my garden tended to be a flop this year. It got so hot so fast that all my container plants kind of shriveled up. I didn't plant beds because I knew we were moving. I'm not baking bread anymore because it's so freakin hot and the oven heats up the house. I'm not actually doing a whole lot of anything TH lately since the house is up for sale. It takes all my effort just to keep it clean and presentable that I don't want to mess it up with a huge sewing project all over the house, yk? So, a lot of my TH stuff has to wait until we can move. I have been picking and preserving berries though, and cooking of course. I hemmed dh's jeans. A little here and little there. We all have our ebbs and flows, so don't beat yourself up about it, it'll get back to normal sooner or later

[bstandlee]

Since we seem to be talking about clothes lines...I have to confess I, too, have stopped using mine.: But I stopped using it because our clothes were all so stiff. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean, our clothes were basically unwearable without throwing them in the dryer to soften them up with a damp towel, but then I figured I might as well just dry them in there to begin with! We live in a pretty hot area, so maybe the clothes are just drying to quickly? Does anyone else get really hard clothes?

[marimara]

Originally Posted by bstandlee

Since we seem to be talking about clothes lines...I have to confess I, too, have stopped using mine.: But I stopped using it because our clothes were all so stiff. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean, our clothes were basically unwearable without throwing them in the dryer to soften them up with a damp towel, but then I figured I might as well just dry them in there to begin with! We live in a pretty hot area, so maybe the clothes are just drying to quickly? Does anyone else get really hard clothes?

I use a downy ball half filled with vinegar in the rinse cycle and it softens them quite a bit. If they are still too stiff after being on the line, I would fluff them for about 10 minutes using dryer balls. It doesn't use as much electricity to fluff them for 10 min compared to running for 30-40 min on high heat to completely dry.

[mommathea]

Originally Posted by marimara

I use a downy ball half filled with vinegar in the rinse cycle and it softens them quite a bit. If they are still too stiff after being on the line, I would fluff them for about 10 minutes using dryer balls. It doesn't use as much electricity to fluff them for 10 min compared to running for 30-40 min on high heat to completely dry.

That and - it seems that clothes get more crunchy if they dry fast, so don't streatch the clothes on the line but let them hang loose and closer together. That will make more bulk of the clothes and make them dry faster =softer clothing.

[vermontmomma]

i had to use the dryer today...but as soon as it finished the rain stopped! i have problems with these ant-sized black flies that are attracted to wet laundry in the spring and die on the clothes, i call them dankflies for lack of a real name. then later in the summer grasshopper poop stains everything and i have to rewash.

homesteading new momma : : green mountains : aspiring novelist and children's book author
***U.S. OUT OF V.T.***

[bstandlee]

Originally Posted by mommathea

That and - it seems that clothes get more crunchy if they dry fast, so don't streatch the clothes on the line but let them hang loose and closer together. That will make more bulk of the clothes and make them dry faster =softer clothing.

Good tip, I'll try that. I do use vinegar for fabric softener, but we must have pretty hard water. Maybe I should have DH put up a clothes line in the shade for the hot summer to help slow the drying time too.

[artparent]

oh definitely, enjoy traditional homemaking, don't hurt yourself with it!! it is something great to do, but it isn't always practical. for example, i am in paris and being entirely glamourous. traditional glamour, you know patisseries, museums, gardens, window-shopping. why bake your own bread with a seriously gifted artisan boulanger next door?
i do look forward to a simpler life at home. i'm dying to get a line put up, i shall have to see if the owner might help me attach one outside a big window. i cannot wait to start making things again, i've almost finished a sweater i've been picking up and putting down for a couple of years now, and i'd love to make things for the house. i have a beautiful natural flax kitchen wash cloth, and i'd love to knit a few if i can get my hands on some flax yarn. i am plotting a rectangular rag rug now that i have an idea how to do it, thank you!! i love to be able to pick up colours in our home and repeat them.

and i need to figure out how to change the light bulb in our oven, as it was a crucial part of drying the beef jerky we seem to be back eating yogurt again, so i may start making that once again, and possibly sourdough, too.

*

[alison_in_oh]

Hi, all! I participated a bit in the old thread, so when I had a homemaking question I came straight here and was happy to find a new thread.

So many would find these questions ridiculous but perhaps I'm not the only one who contemplates the minutiae of housekeeping. Tradition and superstition dictate that, when I move to a new house at the end of the month, I get a new broom. So, I ponder.

What kind of broom do you prefer and why?

I've always had corn straw brooms, and enjoyed the added benefit of pulling off a straw for testing baked goods. But my new house has pine floors and I wonder if a synthetic broom might be gentler on them. I do plan to dust mop most of the house, but the kitchen will probably need to be swept frequently.

Where do you get a high-quality broom?

I'd like to have this tool for quite a while, so "the cheapest at the grocery store" isn't quite what I'm going for. I'm just not sure if any place but a big box store will have a broom selection? I've seen some janitorial tools at my local hardware store here; is that typical? Should I check hardware stores at my new location, or just head to Walmart?

Thank you to anyone who indulges my ridiculous ponderings, LOL!

Oh, and I just had to mention...my new home is a dream come true. It's a refurbished 1911 farmhouse on nearly a half acre, with a huge kitchen, walk-in pantry, gorgeous laundry room, and the aforementioned wood floors. I am getting SO DARNED EXCITED to get in there and make that house a home!