traditional homemaking: a homemade winter! - Page 5

[~*max*~]

IntuitiveJamie, I think that sounds like a fantastic idea w/the decorations. I know a lot of kids (and their parents!) who would love that idea.

We are still recovering from the holidays here, even though it was a very nice, peaceful time for us. The kids are in total PJ mode, not wanting to get dressed or leave the house, just snuggle in & enjoy their new toys and time off from school. Dh and I are going to a dinner party tonight (a real treat for us, as we never get out). I am making chocolate dipped macaroons & strawberries to bring. I hope everyone likes chocolate!!

It seems like there are a lot of knitters here, so I was wondering if I might ask a question? I have a lot of leftover yarn from numerous projects, a skein here & there of various kinds. Does anyone have any good projects for using up your leftover yarn? I have already made a bunch of hats, mittens, scarves & cowls for the holidays.

Oh, and I'm a yoga lover too! can't wait to start practicing again now that life is slowing down.

[PNCTink]

Ack, I haven't been getting email updates!

I started sewing two years ago and had never seen a machine IRL before then. A very wonderful woman on Freecycle answered a wanted I posted and I've been sewing up a storm ever since. I did take a beginner's class, but I found the lady taught me everything I had taught myself from this book. She did start us with paper and following along a pattern on there first to get comfortable with the machine. Good luck to all of those getting ready to learn!

DH got me a KitchenAid for Christmas. Oh the possibilites of making my own flour and pasta! Now, I just need those attachments.

I just finished making up our January 2010 schedule for cleaning and activities. I've also made myself a daily routine. I know we have a slight routine happening, but I need to get back into the full swing of it. DD thrives with one (as do I) and since having DS and moving to a new home it has all fallen apart.

[Pinoikoi]

I reupholstered my chairs today! Does that count?

I hope this works!

damage on chairs (before) worn/stained fabric and chipped paint

Check out the monkeys on the new fabric!

I have to admit, I have had the fabric sitting around for quite some time, and I somehow thought the leaves/foliage were greener than they are, but I love it as is!

Before/After

I hope all those links work!

[jillyofthevalley]

Pinoikoi - Your chairs look great! I love the fabric.

I got the Christmas decorations put away yesterday and the tree is out on the curb awaiting compost pick-up tomorrow. The only things I left out were the non-christmas specific winter stuff like my berry wreath above the fireplace and the dishes/baskets of cinnamon scented pinecones. Those get to stay out for the season. My house feels so much tidier and uncluttered now.

I have split pea soup simmering on the stove and that will be tomorrow's lunch, except for me because I despise split pea soup. I can't even stand the smell of it. My family better appreciate my efforts.

Tonight's dinner consisted of a variety of cheeses, cold cuts, veggies and dip, pickles and crackers. The kids loved it and I quite enjoyed it as well. It was all leftovers from Christmas that needed to get eaten up anyway and it was yummy and filled us up. Who needs meat and potatoes for dinner anyway?

I think I may tackle the very large rubbermaid bin of papers and misc computer stuff tonight. I have a feeling most of it is garbage since I haven't really looked in there for over 6 months. After that I need to tackle my computer desk....again. Then I need to organize my household binder so I can actually use it again and keep track of my life.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by SunflowerMommy

Pinoikoi - Your chairs look great! I love the fabric.

Thanks so much!

When I saw the fabric it was a leftover partial bolt that had been donated to a thrift store, and I HAD to have it. I think the whole thing cost me about $5. My mother was a little unsure about me putting "monkeys" in my kitchen, but the red/gold theme goes REALLY well with my earth tone countertops in the kitchen and red couch and gold curtains in the living room. I think it was the perfect tye in and they look like such perfect little Philippine monkeys to me! Really fits in with my Asian theme I think.

I spent about $50 in materials total. I bought "carpet padding" to beef up the cushions as they were feeling a bit saggy, paint, sand paper, staples, wood glue, and fabric protector (the spray on kind). I think it made a world of difference, although my arms are sore from all the sanding!

[jenfl]

Well, today's our first day of post-Christmas/pre-baby preparations. To keep myself accountable, here's my list:

- bake bread (currently rising on the counter)
- mow lawn (DH is heading outside now)
- pack up ornaments/decorations and move furniture back to pre-holiday locations
- packed decorations out of future baby room and into attic
- empty out nook for homeschooling preparations

and, of course, the normal toddler care, lunch and dinner preparations, etc.

We'll see how this goes....

[Pariah]

Originally Posted by ~*max*~

It seems like there are a lot of knitters here, so I was wondering if I might ask a question? I have a lot of leftover yarn from numerous projects, a skein here & there of various kinds. Does anyone have any good projects for using up your leftover yarn? I have already made a bunch of hats, mittens, scarves & cowls for the holidays.

I have some acrylic yarn that I don't want to use for clothing items, or anything anymore really (switching to all natural fibers now), so I started making those knit dish cloths last night. I had one quite awhile ago and I really loved it, much better than sponges and more environmentally friendly and a great way to use up the yarn that's just sitting there.

[jillyofthevalley]

Well my cleaning out project got cut short last night. Ds2 had a little mishap that took us to emergency. They were playing Piggie in the Middle and apparently dd1 who is 9 figured part of the game was to tackle ds2 who is 4. He hurt his wrist quite badly. He cried for at least a half hour without stopping (which is very unusual for him. He's the kind of kid who just dusts himself off and gets right back to playing) and wouldn't move his arm. Then his poor little hand started swelling up. They couldn't see anything obvious on the x-ray but of course there was no radiologist actually there to read the xrays and I find doctors don't always catch everything. I'm hoping it's just a bad sprain and doesn't need a cast. They wrapped it and we're treating it with ice and Motrin. If it doesn't improve in the next few days though we'll have to go back. Poor little man.

[artparent]

great projects + plans

i'm nearly finished the cowl and now i probably should clean our utterly neglected house

my sweetheart is leaving for london, so we have goodbye-for-a-while plans. i'm going past a knitting shop and may have to go in i'd like to make socks for my parents' birthdays, and my sweet has requested that i keep him in socks for life

i am thinking of making leg warmers to warm up cold legs in thin tights, my girls love to wear dresses but they do get chilly! i have yet to find wooly tights for them. has anyone done this?

it is time for routines around here, too. and for much simpler food.

*

[AngeliqueW]

I like the idea for reusable party decorations.
Don't be scared of your sewing machines ladies! Find a project that gets you excited and figure it out as you go. If you mess up, that's good because you're learning. Basic sewing is much easier than people think.
I'm getting jealous of all you knitters. Not jealous enough to knit... some day. I do have a sweater I'd like to crochet that I need to pick up yarn for.
I need to do another top to bottom cleaning around here. That means getting off the internet and getting it done! DS has a playdate thursday, so that's a good motivator.
I am in a dinner funk. I just don't want to deal with it anymore. All of the restrictions of this anti-allergy diet are paralyzing me and have sucked all the fun out of cooking. I'd rather clean the bathroom than cook. Wah.
I'm way behind on my studying right now and I feel guilty. I'm hoping I can cram enough time in to be sufficiently prepared for my next class on Jan 10.
Thank goodness the holidays are almost over and life can go back to normal-ish.

[Theloose]

Originally Posted by AngeliqueW

I am in a dinner funk. I just don't want to deal with it anymore. All of the restrictions of this anti-allergy diet are paralyzing me and have sucked all the fun out of cooking. I'd rather clean the bathroom than cook. Wah.

That's part of why I don't post (much). I miss things like making bread/pizza/cookies/etc, and all my energy is drained by food/reactions and I haven't figured out yet how to do much else. Last night I made soy-free miso soup which was , and yesterday I finished the kitchen sink mat - very basic, made from old jeans and towels.

I have trouble making goals/plans, cause then I get attached to them and dd has other ideas. On the to do list is to finish decluttering (stuff is all in boxes from getting floors redone, it's a matter of sorting/parting, and actually getting rid of it) then paint the second bedroom so we can turn it into a kids room for dd well before the baby gets here at the end of march. I also want organize the kitchen, make refrigerator magnets of dd to mail out as holiday cards, make dh some of the fingerless gloves you all keep talking about, and finish a scarf for dd. That should keep me plenty busy for the next 6 months or so

[IntuitiveJamie]

Thanks for all the input ladies. I am well into making the decorations. I don't know that I could sell them after all as they are not perfect. But I do hope to pass them onto a local friend or something.

Pinkoi-Great job on the reupholstry of the chairs. Isn't that such a fabulous feeling..the before and after. I just love redoing things and improving upon what they were. So rewarding!

artparent-please post pics of the cowl. That is on my to do list of projects.

Sunflower-I hope your baby is okay!

Did I mention I got a new bread machine for Xmas? I would love to say that I make bread from scratch by hand, but I don't. But I do make it from scratch in the breadmachine. I received an old one on freecycle two years ago. It worked well for awhile, but only make small white bread and white/wheat loaves. I've been tired of it for awhile. My mil got me a nice Panasonic one that makes up to 2 lbs loaves and I can finally make whole grain bread and all sorts of things. I have not had time to use it yet, but I am very excited about it. I got so tired of the old one that I started buying our bread again. I cant wait to get back into making it fresh.

Hope everyones week is moving along. anyone have great New Years plans? We never do anything anymore, but New Years day is always special, b/c that is my first sons birthday!

[_ktg_]

Originally Posted by AngeliqueW

I like the idea for reusable party decorations.
Don't be scared of your sewing machines ladies! Find a project that gets you excited and figure it out as you go. If you mess up, that's good because you're learning. Basic sewing is much easier than people think.
I'm getting jealous of all you knitters. Not jealous enough to knit... some day.

Did I say scared... I meant terrified Angelique too bad you didn't live closer as I would take sewing lessons from you in a heartbeat!

Originally Posted by whoMe

That's part of why I don't post (much). I miss things like making bread/pizza/cookies/etc, and all my energy is drained by food/reactions and I haven't figured out yet how to do much else. Last night I made soy-free miso soup which was

Please post any recipes you have find etc... I'm trying to plot how to go gf without impacting my family too much as I have a sneaky feeling that's a factor in some of my health problems lately. I love to try any yummy foods, (df, sf, gf, corn-free), so if you need a buddy for meal ideas or a tester/taster. I'm in!

All is calm on the homefront currently. Project Granola was a huge hit with friends, co-workers & of course the family. Everyone loves it and it was a super easy recipe to do. If anyone wants it I'll post here if you'd like, please be aware though its not healthy and has dairy in it (butter).

I'm shopping for my supplies for candlemaking (whee!) and working on compling recipes for DH on how to make basic cleaning supplies at home, so I don't have to cram it all into a weekend to avoid him complaining and then running out to buy something. We just made basic dishsoap (to wash the dishes) with the Dr. B's I have. 1/5 Dr. Bs to 4/5 h2o with a 1/4 c lemon juice. DH is nervous its not working as it doesn't suds up like our old 7th generation stuff, but I showed him how it was working since all the dishes didn't have a greasy film, no food stuck on 'em and the water smelled heavenly (I did a blend of lavendar & peppermint ). So now I'm waiting for the rest of the cleaners to be used up and then replace those, the foaming handsoaps, and create a facewash/soap for me. It would be nice to find recipes for dishwasher soap as that is getting expensive for us (we buy the non-phos. type) UGH.

[lizzylou]

Hi, I'm a new lurker trying to incorporate more homemade goodness into my life.

I saw awhile back that someone mentioned making a bathrobe out of old towels. I really would like a bathrobe for DS and I happen to have a bunch of old towels. Any tips on how to make this? I googled for directions but they seem to only apply to adult-sized robes. I have a machine and basic sewing skills.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by lizzylou

Hi, I'm a new lurker trying to incorporate more homemade goodness into my life.

I saw awhile back that someone mentioned making a bathrobe out of old towels. I really would like a bathrobe for DS and I happen to have a bunch of old towels. Any tips on how to make this? I googled for directions but they seem to only apply to adult-sized robes. I have a machine and basic sewing skills.

I think if you follow these directions

http://www.ez-fit.com/bath_towel_robe.cfm

but use handtowels you would make a kid size one.

[Pinoikoi]

Today Dp wiped down all the walls/doorways upstairs and cleaned the bathrooms. I scrubbed the shower base (as flecks of my paint from my project were stuck in the soap scum!)

I started putting away the Christmas ornaments, ran some errands and then came home to make some meals for the freezer.

I made Mexican chicken tortilla soup (I cheated by chopping up the leftover chicken enchiladas, adding some chicken broth and black beans). It is cooked and chilling now, I think it might make 3 quarts for the freezer.

My third meatloaf is in the oven! Two are wrapped up and chilling for the freezer as well!

I don't know if this squeaks anyone out, but I CANNOT put hot food directly in the freezer. I have to chill the hot food, then freeze it. Am I weird?

[Callimom]

Originally Posted by Krisis

Oh my WORD, and she's sold out of the patterns now. NOOOO!!!! DS absolutely adores horses with all his tiny-almost-two-year-old heart and I am trying to figure out how to sew him a stuffed one. Maybe would you be willing to share the pattern love? I promise not to sell any, it's just for DS's birthday next month.

There's a free pattern/tutorial here.


And now that I've posted I should introduce myself.

I'm a sah/homeschooling mama to 4 kids. Over the past couple of years I've been focusing more and more on healthy, frugal and sustainable living which has led me to learn to do things like canning, baking our own bread, making yogurt (cheese is next on my list) sewing, knitting, soapmaking, making our own cleaning products etc. (When I look at that list the 25 year old Bay Street Banker in my laughs and wonders how things changed so much ). I still generally suck at cleaning though - lol.

I often wish I could talk to my grandmother who raised a family of 4 through the depression. I didn't pay much attention to what she tried to pass on and now I wish I had.

Projects I am working on for this winter:
~ wool socks for me and all my kids (I manged 3 pair in time for Christmas and need to finish the last kid pair this week.)
~ patchwork duvet cover for our bed
~ heavy curtains for the boy's room - a branch smashed their storm window in mid December and I don't know if we will have a warm spell that we can get it down to get it fixed. Until then I did draft snakes but I really need to do curtains soon.
~ canning more applesauce using seconds from our apple guy at the market

This year I'd like to work on learning to make a rag rug and collecting fabrics for it, learn to make cheese, make candles, delve more into making more of our own home remedies and helping DH with more of the outdoor fix-ups - which seems never ending unfortunately but I figure that building/woodworking isn't much different than sewing right??

[artparent]

welcome lizzylou + karen
lots of interesting things to do!

i *finally* found a proper wooly winter coat for myself, now we are all duffled. it is so nice to be really warm! of course, it is a different colour than i've been wearing, and my wooly things don't look good with it, so *shucks*, must make myself a cowl + fingerless cabley gloves to suit. and this is how my knitting projects quadruple

a friend on here on another thread mentioned cleaning the house top to bottom to welcome in the new year. we've been in such chaos over the holidays, and now my sweet has departed for london i think i will take the day to bring some serious order. a good way to deal with us feeling bereft! i'm finding it tricky to have any kind of routine when we're visiting canada, and it really shows

my tall girl would like to sew clothes for her doll, and now that she hasn't got quite so much around to be busy with, it seems like we can get started. anyone else sewing with children?

*

[_ktg_]

Originally Posted by PNCTink

I did take a beginner's class, but I found the lady taught me everything I had taught myself from this book. She did start us with paper and following along a pattern on there first to get comfortable with the machine. Good luck to all of those getting ready to learn!

PNCTink - that looks like a lovely book for starters. I'm bookmarking now!

Anyone have fabulous plans for this blue moon new years eve? I wanted to make for this evening & for future years a set of party hats for all of us in the family to wear (like a top hat, princess crown, hat with ear flaps, pointed cone hat etc) and have the kids help me decorate them with beads, jewels, ribbons, feathers etc. Think of the movie ya-ya sisterhood and the crowns they had made for themselves.... that's my inspiration as my family had hats for us to wear as kids on new years eve since we didn't go out to parties. It was fun to fight over which one would get which.

Does anyone else do this?

[Theloose]

Originally Posted by lizzylou

I saw awhile back that someone mentioned making a bathrobe out of old towels. I really would like a bathrobe for DS and I happen to have a bunch of old towels. Any tips on how to make this? I googled for directions but they seem to only apply to adult-sized robes. I have a machine and basic sewing skills.

That might have been me. I used our adult robes as a pattern, and basically folded a normal size towel to wrap around and open in the front, cut off the extra, then cut out arm holes and shaped the shoulders. Then added sleeves, hems, pockets and belt loops. I took some pictures I'll try to post soon - it came out really cute, but there was some awkwardness around the armpits and the neckline, and an older towel might have been even better cause it's kind of stiff. But dd's 3 and now can wear a robe just like mommy and daddy, and loves it

Angelique, have you seen there's an allergen-free recipes and meal ideas thread in the allergies forum? I think it's linked in the resources sticky. Lots of great ideas in there!

After spending the day in the city yesterday, and dealing with food reactions the first part of the week, I'm hoping today I can make some headway on converting the kids room. The painting I want to do will take several days (it's lots of layered washes) so if I can just clear and prime the walls, that would be awesome!

I'm also trying to figure out how to block the light that comes in through the upper windows at night. It's a peaked roof, and there are two trapazoidal windows that are hard to figure out... I'm thinking horizontal wooden slats, but don't know if that's even possible with the angled side.