Traditional Homemaking Fall/Spring 2009! - Page 7

[Hollysmom]

This is an amazing thread! Going back to read some more

[Dr.Worm]

Originally Posted by artparent

(((dr.worm!))) i sometimes struggle a LOT and certainly did when i wasn't feeling well, due to sleep deprivation or mild depression...i've been able to overcome a lot with creating routines and being gentle with myself. not easy. also with taking a natural vit d cod liver oil regularly and eating lots of good fat like butter and coconut oil! it sounds like you are handling a lot already. when i have support of various kinds i can do so much more. also keep in mind that lots of us here may do wonderful things you speak of - but not constantly!! or in just in bursts. things definitely do fall apart around here. my older child is almost nine, and it really is just the beginning of sewing, knitting, cooking for us...and she is very interested. i'm home with her, we homeschool, so this is *what we do* as opposed to fitting it in after all the other things, that is MUCH easier. good health and good support are critical, to be doing many extra things. take it easy on yourself. early in this thread i posted my routines, keep reading and you'll find that and others. you may be amazed at what you can do if you just take flylady's advice of creating a very abbreviated routine for yourself, doing that for a few weeks, and s l o w l y adding things to it. i used to live in pure chaos - passports stacked between papers that were clearly garbage, huge piles of clean and dirty mixed up on the floor in the bedroom, piles of dishes in the sink and the counters, nothing in the fridge and had to order pizza, financial chaos, no wonder i couldn't get out of bed!! it is a fine line at first, but once you start to get rituals established, it gives you more energy.
try to use this thread to inspire rather than to criticize. it is full of ideas and i think we are all aspiring, that certainly doesn't mean success all of the time. for example right now i am spending a ton of time reading about all of this, but very, very little time actually doing. i finished knitting something yesterday, had a visit with friends and then family, and read a huge amount. i certainly didn't sit down and teach my children anything aside from a conversation we had about heating houses, caring for the earth, and other ways we could keep warm - so we all went and put on sweaters! that was lovely! took 5 minutes! but they played hard with lots of people. when i'm back in london i won't have all of that, no doubt i will be tired!
enjoy your mother's participation! i wish i still had my grandmother. it is contributing if you can give your mother the time to be with your daughter, and you can even suggest passing on any other skills she might have, or learning together.
take it easy on yourself. joyful inspiration will give you more energy than punitive demanding.
here's what gets me out of bed, when i cannot seem to. i am very visual, so i vividly picture the kitchen the way i'd like it cleaned up, then either put on some music, the timer, or phone a friend on my cordless phone, and get down to making that image reality. usually what i think will take 4 hours takes only 1/2 an hour. or less.

i hope something here is useful to you.

today is the day to go digging in the crawlspace for the canner, and see if i can bring it with me to england

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Thank you soo much also!! And it helps to know that your dd is nine and only starting to do this stuff...yay! Yes, the clutter and chaos is the worst and I get myself all upset over it. If I could just get that taken care of I think my life would be so much easier. I wish I had a time machine and I could go back and not clutter up my house. Where is Doc Brown these days?? LOL Oh and sorry I mean she spends time with her dad's mom...she doesn't get to do much with my mom who lives with us either cause of my disorganization. I will keep trying..yes, you guys are such an inspiration. I am trying to add little things to my day and start a routine but it is so hard.

Thanks again...I love you guys!!!

[Katico]

What counts is that you know these skills are important for your kids to learn. I am a Girl Guide leader working with girls aged 9-11 and you would be AMAZED at how many of them have never peeled a carrot, baked cookies, been allowed to touch a paring knife....and then we wonder why people grow up without basic skills and common sense!

On the topic of depression and housekeeping, I am just now starting to come to terms with some very long term depression and anxiety and mine manifests in the opposite form - I obsessively clean, organize, arrange, make from scratch....and it is just as hard - your house and STUFF feel like an endless task. My house is pretty pin neat and I still feel overwhelmed by 'how much there is to do' Hang in there!

And yes, noone here is Martha Stewart (even Martha isn't Martha..,). Nobody eats nothing but their own preserved vegetables and handmade cheese from their own purebred cows...my fridge is desperate for a good scrubbing, there has been a pile of sheets sitting on my couch for 3 days and I ate chocolate for breakfast...so,...yknow......cut yourself some slack

One thing I will say is that creating is very cathartic for me. Making something with my own hands, with my own creativity goes a long way to soothing my self doubt and feelings of helplessness. The process of making is relaxing (knitting or baking or quilting) and I am proud of the accomplishment when it is done. It slows me down, makes me feel capable and independant, and quiets that little voice in my head that says I can't do anything right.

[Dr.Worm]

Originally Posted by Katico

What counts is that you know these skills are important for your kids to learn. I am a Girl Guide leader working with girls aged 9-11 and you would be AMAZED at how many of them have never peeled a carrot, baked cookies, been allowed to touch a paring knife....and then we wonder why people grow up without basic skills and common sense!

On the topic of depression and housekeeping, I am just now starting to come to terms with some very long term depression and anxiety and mine manifests in the opposite form - I obsessively clean, organize, arrange, make from scratch....and it is just as hard - your house and STUFF feel like an endless task. My house is pretty pin neat and I still feel overwhelmed by 'how much there is to do' Hang in there!

And yes, noone here is Martha Stewart (even Martha isn't Martha..,). Nobody eats nothing but their own preserved vegetables and handmade cheese from their own purebred cows...my fridge is desperate for a good scrubbing, there has been a pile of sheets sitting on my couch for 3 days and I ate chocolate for breakfast...so,...yknow......cut yourself some slack

One thing I will say is that creating is very cathartic for me. Making something with my own hands, with my own creativity goes a long way to soothing my self doubt and feelings of helplessness. The process of making is relaxing (knitting or baking or quilting) and I am proud of the accomplishment when it is done. It slows me down, makes me feel capable and independant, and quiets that little voice in my head that says I can't do anything right.

Thanks Katico! Yeah, I guess you have a point there..at least I realize she needs these skills and I have figured it out now and not when she is married with her own kids and struggling to do things. I'm glad she is interested in these things too so she is easy to teach!

Yeah, I have to just chill and try to take it one day at a time and I loove to bake when I actually take the time...I did bake DD some chocolate chip cookies from scratch a few weeks ago...

[1jooj]

Everything the PPs have said is so true.

I keep getting sidelined by one thing or another, and I am just happy to get anything done at all, keep the livestock fed, and have a nutritious meal to feed the family by bedtime.

I also supplement Vit D. Lots of fresh foods, especially salads, and daily cardio exercise are what save me from myself. When I had one child and a home in town, I was a little obsessive about the house. Floors were scrubbed twice weekly, vacuumed daily. Dishes were never on the counter or in the sink. Laundry never accumulated more than two days.

Those days are gone, thank the Lord!

OK. Lunch break is over. Time to get some work done.

[Dr.Worm]

Originally Posted by 1jooj

Everything the PPs have said is so true.

I keep getting sidelined by one thing or another, and I am just happy to get anything done at all, keep the livestock fed, and have a nutritious meal to feed the family by bedtime.

I also supplement Vit D. Lots of fresh foods, especially salads, and daily cardio exercise are what save me from myself. When I had one child and a home in town, I was a little obsessive about the house. Floors were scrubbed twice weekly, vacuumed daily. Dishes were never on the counter or in the sink. Laundry never accumulated more than two days.

Those days are gone, thank the Lord!

OK. Lunch break is over. Time to get some work done.

1j00j...wow!! I couldn't imagine having livestock too! Wow!! Yes I need to start eating better and exercising because I am sooo exhausted and anxious all the time..and I could stand to lose about 10 pounds I drink too much coffee and don't sleep well so I need to work on that too.

[artparent]

1jooj you do SO much. clearly you always did. i tend to do a lot when there's a lot to do...and when there is less to do i am less efficient. partly why i keep huge numbers of ideas in my bank!

well, that was a pleasure, i cut the bad spots, my little one lifted them carefully into boiling water with a ladle, my tall one lifted them out of the boiling water into ice water and popped them out of their skins. when the little one had enough we took over. and i ran around getting more ice water, tossing the warmed water into the garden, and starting sauce + paste. we've just had tomato soup for lunch, by pulling off the more liquid bits of the sauce and the paste...we've got two huge pots full of blanched tomatoes which must live overnight in the fridge and hopefully be canned in the morning - do you think that's alright? good to put lemon juice on them now?

i'm hoping my mum will check on the cooking pots over the next few hours, i'd really like them to cook down - as we have to go out now.

my children first pretended the romas were babies going for a hot sauna and then a swim, then taking off their swimsuits and jumping into bed. then my tall one just pretended that we live in the olden days and i was rushing to get more cold water from the well

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[Dr.Worm]

Originally Posted by artparent

1jooj you do SO much. clearly you always did. i tend to do a lot when there's a lot to do...and when there is less to do i am less efficient. partly why i keep huge numbers of ideas in my bank!

well, that was a pleasure, i cut the bad spots, my little one lifted them carefully into boiling water with a ladle, my tall one lifted them out of the boiling water into ice water and popped them out of their skins. when the little one had enough we took over. and i ran around getting more ice water, tossing the warmed water into the garden, and starting sauce + paste. we've just had tomato soup for lunch, by pulling off the more liquid bits of the sauce and the paste...we've got two huge pots full of blanched tomatoes which must live overnight in the fridge and hopefully be canned in the morning - do you think that's alright? good to put lemon juice on them now?

i'm hoping my mum will check on the cooking pots over the next few hours, i'd really like them to cook down - as we have to go out now.

my children first pretended the romas were babies going for a hot sauna and then a swim, then taking off their swimsuits and jumping into bed. then my tall one just pretended that we live in the olden days and i was rushing to get more cold water from the well

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AWWW your kids have a great imagination!!

[Dr.Worm]

Done hijacking...want to hear some more great ideas from you wise women!!!

[Dr.Worm]

OMG please tell me I didn't kill the new thread!

[simplespirit]

Originally Posted by artparent

well, that was a pleasure, i cut the bad spots, my little one lifted them carefully into boiling water with a ladle, my tall one lifted them out of the boiling water into ice water and popped them out of their skins. when the little one had enough we took over. and i ran around getting more ice water, tossing the warmed water into the garden, and starting sauce + paste. we've just had tomato soup for lunch, by pulling off the more liquid bits of the sauce and the paste...we've got two huge pots full of blanched tomatoes which must live overnight in the fridge and hopefully be canned in the morning - do you think that's alright? good to put lemon juice on them now?*

I often prepare one day and can the next day. I think it breaks the task of canning into more do-able. Dinner still needs to be made, dishes washed, lunches made... Today, I picked my garden clean, washed the tomatoes, blanched, skined, seeded and chopped them and then; pop! into the fridge. I had to get some laundry folded, dinner made and the kitchen cleaned. If I had tried to make the salsa and can the salsa, I would still be in there and the kids would have had pb&j for dinner. Tomorrow is another day and I will pull the tomatoes out, chop the peppers, onions and cook 'em up.

[AFWife]

Question:

So many times I see people say "got veggies (on sale in bulk, from garden, etc...) prepared them, and froze them" and that's it...but I need to know what you do to "prepare" them???


I would love to be able to take advantage of veggie sales...but I have no idea how to prep them so they don't go bad in the freezer!

[1jooj]

Cut, blanch and bag for the freezer.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by 1jooj

Cut, blanch and bag for the freezer.

blanch?

[simplespirit]

Originally Posted by AFWife

blanch?

Blanching (also spelled blenching) is a cooking term that describes a process of food preparation wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process.

[MamaFern]

blanching..that's my extra job for today! i have heaps of rainbow chard that i want to preserve for winter well as as green&yellow beans..

has anyone ever blanched and frozen carrots? or is it better to just cold-store theM?

[artparent]

i thought it was blanche, but maybe i'm being romantic.

does anyone use wide pillar candles? i got a beautiful wide beeswax pillar for my birthday, and now that it has burned down a bit it is flickering in the most maddening way. strobing, frankly. is there something i can do? i tried pouring off some wax, which didn't help...but i did get some beeswax to mix with my coconut oil, shea + essential oil mix, i LOVE IT

i wanted to can today, but haven't had luck getting lids yet. that might be because i am truly meant to get glass lids with rubber lids hopefully this evening i didn't find the pressure canner yet, but i found not one but TWO regular canners down there!! with jars in them, with glass lids. i've sterilised jars, but i'm not sure i have enough. any thoughts on how many i would need for 50 lbs of tomatoes? i have 14 ready.

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[1jooj]

I don't do well with measuring, especially by weight. I like to squeeze out and cook off some of the water. I think I may be getting close to done with canning. I'm tired. Found a two-and-a-half-foot zucchini today. And it was all I could do to not pull out all the cherry tomato plants.

Dh was scheduled for a long business trip to Asia in a couple weeks...now he's scheduled for an even longer trip to the Middle East, sooner, instead. So we have about two weeks to get a lot of stuff taken care of, since he'll be off again until more or less November.

So he's going to work on a fence this weekend and I am going to just do my best to keep a clean house, keep the barn nice, maybe rake some leaves and keep home relaxed and nice while he is here. Tomorrow will be a quiet day on my own: a little laundry, a little cleaning, a workout and a good dinner.

[MamaFern]

i learned how to make chutney today! it was really fun tomorrow i make some with pears from my tree.. this batch was with apples.

1jooj:sounds like a stressful time. its hard when everything needs taking care of at once. i feel like that as well, and i dont even have a garden! just what i have been getting in trade for my help..and the fruit trees in my yard. ak.
could you get some help? maybe trade some food for a helper? i have been so in love with helping my friend om her farm..and it makes it more fun for her to have someone to chat with and make the time go faster. just a thought!

On another note, i have been asked if i will be on the community garden board, so im looking forward to getting my hands into that!

[artparent]

a clean house?

well, i have rings for my glass lids now, i hope they fit, and regular snap lids, not even pretty steel ones, those were the wrong size don't they know aesthetics come first? i will have to look around online for glass lids, i'm in love tomorrow is canning day. i hope!

chutney, ooo!

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