Homemaking Mondays: Cheese and Deep Cleaning

Hello! 
How is your Monday going? 

Today it started off overcast and rainy 

and has turned into a 

brilliant sunny day.

I had a some milk that was on the edge

so cheese it was. 

I only make cream cheese.

The kind where you add lemon juice to hot milk.

One day I would love to learn how to make 

other kinds of cheese.

I strained out the milk and then 

propped it up on a pitcher to drip some more.

This time I'm going to mix in some herbs 

and then it can go nicely on some buns.

I'm going to make some buns with the leftover whey.

I love how nothing needs to be wasted.

This past weekend we got to participate in our 

communities fall harvest market.

It was super fun and a lot of people came out to buy things

and eat some delicious food and enjoy some of the games.

There were bubble balls, a bouncy castle, and sumo suits.

My kids tried them all!

The best part of all was seeing people we knew 

and taking time to chat 

and catch up on life.

As the leaves are falling outside

creating a soft carpet in the forest

I think of fall cleaning.

Like spring cleaning I have this urge each year

to do some of those deep cleaning projects

that I avoid on a regular basis.

Yes, avoid is the key word because

I am all too aware they need to be done

but I procrastinate at getting them done.

One of them is washing under my kitchen sink.

I did that this weekend with some lemon vinegar that I 

made and strained out.  I added some tea tree and lemon grass 

to it and it looks and smells so much better. 

I put my compost bin under the sink so yeah...

it needs a good freshening up.

Then also there are the stove vent filters that need washing.

As you can see below they were in desperate need of a cleanse.

I love how easy it is to just toss some borax and hot water in a bag 

with the filters, wait a half hour and ta da it all comes off.

Just rinse and put back in the place to collect more

from future cooking.

Next on my list are the outside windows.

The snow is coming and I'd like to have them sparkling clean

for the winter. 

Do you like to deep clean in the fall? 

If so what are some of your jobs that you 

relegate to the last resort cleaning?

Or maybe it's just me that leaves some things

until they are of project proportions. 

Thanks for dropping by! 
Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Preserving and Keeping our Home

Hello! 

It's been a really nice day 

of preserving food for winter here. 

The fall colours are all a glow and the ducks are 

starting to congregate on our lake in larger numbers. 

One other getting ready for winter activity 

that our family did this past week 

was to join our community centre in some tasks. 

There were door prizes this year for people that came out

and our family won a mix for chocolate chip cookies

from a local company. 

I don't buy mixes, but this one was a real treat!

It was made with barley flour.

As the days are growing darker I have decided

to take on a habit that I've seen others do.

Lighting a candle in the dark of the morning as 

I prepare for the day.

It really is a gentle comfort 

that is added to the kitchen.

I had found this pottery at the free store

and bought a nice small pillar candle that 

fits in it perfectly. 

I got an unscented candle as I didn't want anything

mixing with the smells of what I was cooking.

This week we also picked all of our carrots.

Well what was left after snitching for the past month. 

Most were very small I realize

but that doesn't stem our excitement

as they taste so much better then what the store provides.

The flavour of food keeps me gardening.

Each year I try new things and I'm always learning.

These will stay in the fridge until they're eaten.

One thing I did for decorating in the home recently 

was this basket that is hanging in the bathroom. 

There has been this empty space for the past couple years

that has been needing something. 

I wanted something practical and pretty.

At a garage sale this summer I found this lovely basket

and it hung there empty for a bit. 

Then I started adding soaps to it for it's usefulness.

Then came some silk flowers...yes something I don't usually go for

but in truth I've not been able to keep plants alive in the bathroom.

Then came the doily

and finally some eucalyptus that I dried.

So a bit old fashioned in style...but it suits the space 

and the peach roses compliment the roses 

that are on the shower curtain. 

I do love flowers and the geraniums on the heater

are in all their glory this fall.

It seems as soon as some flower heads fade

that new ones spring up to take their place.

For me it's special to have these plants as they are 

all taken from slips that my dear friend now gone had given me.

Today was a busy day of canning. 

It was actually our homeschool activity.

The boys helped me peel, chop, and fill jars.

We talked about the math of how many pounds of 

potatoes it takes to fill just a single jar. 

We talked about preservation and the blessing 

of having extra food to set aside for those times 

when it's not as plenty. 

Even if they never in their adult lives use this skill 

I want them to know the value of it.

The next step will be to use the canned 

potatoes in a recipe.

There is just some kale left in the garden and a few 

springs of broccoli.

Then the garden will be put to bed.

We will add compost to the top of the garden space 

to help protect the microbes and to

add fertilizer to the soil for the next season.

This week I made some 

sausage kale soup

and it was delicious!

It was a great way to use up 

some of those little bitty leaves

that are left at this time of year.

A new recipe to store away 

in my homemaking binder.

Time to start turning to other things 

to occupy our time. 

More exploring and last of the season canoeing.

It's fun to see the birds that come to our little lake 

preparing to head south. 

There are those two otters that we saw 

while cranberry picking 

that swim by as well.

Thank you so much for dropping by 

to visit me! 

Praying you have a beautiful day 

keeping your home! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Re-Creating Things We Love

 

Hello! 
How is your day going?
It's a lovely day here and homeschool lessons are over.

The boys are out into the fresh crisp air to play.

It was very frosty here and all along 

the far side of the lake was brilliant white.

One of our homeschool assignments

has been to take a picture we see and to re-create it.

I found the picture below on Pinterest

and thought it resembled my kitchen stove so

the picture above was my re-creation of this picture.

There  is something about cozy kitchens that have 

homemade touches to them that draw me in.

On the stove I put out my buttermilk and yogurt that I had 

although soon I'll have kefir culturing on the counter as well.

I think that in all our homes we 

all re-create things we love.

Like special spaces that we have always wanted to have.

Things that remind us of childhood, 

or just special things that bring us comfort and have for years.

The weather has been so lovely as of late.

Cool but sunny and just a bit of rain here and there.

Perfect days to sit for awhile in the hammock and enjoy.

There are more ducks coming to the lake and 

soon they'll be gathering in earnest to head south.

I've got most of the garden taken care of and will be 

pulling the last of it in the next couple days.

A bittersweet end to the summer.

One other little touch I gave the kitchen is a new basket 

that I've hung up on little cup hooks 

to hold the oven mitts off the counter.

Nothing fancy but it's been really helpful!

The new oven we have is bigger then the last

and I'm so happy that I can proof more bread in it. 

No, you can't bake it like this or the bottoms burn

but it does help things along on bread day.

One other thing I've done this fall 

is to bring in these three geraniums from

the summer garden bed.

I thought the plain green pots were a bit dark.

So...I pulled out these cute little wooden baskets I had.

I gave them a couple coats of chalk paint 

and now it is nice and bright and cheery next to the table.

Inside the one pot it crackled really well and I thought it was pretty.

Too bad it had to be covered up.  

Oh, and I lined the baskets with heavy ziploc bags cut down to 

size so that we don't have to worry about any spills on top of the stove.

Thanks for dropping by! 
I hope you have a wonderful day in your

homemaking!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Dehydrating and Winter Prep

 

Hello! 
How is your week going? 

It's been a mix of cloud and rain here

with glorious sunshine and then bouts of frost.

A couple nights ago we got a beautiful show 

of northern lights and it was lovely

to stand out in the cold 

with a blanket wrapped around the shoulders 

 bare feet in the sand

watching the lights dance and swirl and change colours. 

A beauty of having darkness at night again.

As fall is full upon us I'm working to get 

food squirrelled away here and there.

We've been lent a couple dehydrators with 9 shelves.

I've been doing bits of this and that. 

Herbs from the garden, rose hips, flower petals.

Then I did a big batch of onions and carrots.

It was recommended to grate the carrots first 

and they dried very nicely and will be perfect for soups.

I haven't gotten to making fruit leather... but it's on my list.

I have done banana chips and apple slices to....

but they are all gone already.

I finished the cowl I was making as a set to match my new hat.

I just did a half double crochet in the front loop

instead of following the other pattern. 

It's nice and thick and warm.

With the bits of rain and freezing temps at night

I'm thinking it won't be long till there is snow on the mountains.

I was coming inside a couple days ago and thought how nice 

the flowers have been at the top of the stairs.

The snapdragons and lobelia have done so well

the stocks not so well.

It's nicely sheltered up against the house and have faired better 

on our cold nights then the flowers out in the garden.

After freshening up the storm entry with some paint 

this summer I thought it needed 

some new hooks as well. 

They were just cheep ones from the dollar store

but they'll hold the ice pick 

and the dustpan nicely behind the outside door.

I went ahead and picked all the rest of the bigger green 

tomatoes and a nice bunch of the cherry ones.

They're inside and starting to ripen 

with light from the window.

There wasn't a lot of big green ones left. 

A successful year for ripening tomatoes! 

I've been able to stash some away in the freezer 

for soups this winter.

All the yellow and orange cherry tomatoes we've had

have been enjoyed fresh.

I saw on a post someone made that marigolds were eatable.

I'm sure I've heard it before 

but it just struck me this time and I thought

I had to do something about that before the frost took them all.

I went out and picked a bunch of them 

and dehydrated the petals. 

They are supposed to be great in tea

so knowing me that is what perked my interest. 

They have lots of benefits I guess...and I'll be learning 

about them as time goes by.

They do have a very distinct smell

one that makes me smile as my mother always had them growing

all along the house to keep the ants out.

One of the only flowers we had growing up.

Outside the squirrels are storing up for the winter to.

They are tossing down spruce cones from the trees

and if you're not careful you'll get brained! 

It is incredible the aim they have when they want to hit a target!

The mushrooms are layered in amongst branches drying

and they have been visiting the feeder for sunflower seeds often.

Not just the squirrel that is closest to the feeder either...

they all are at separate times of the day. 

They are very entertaining from the kitchen window. 

My daughter and I picked our first cranberries this week.

We were down by the lake and saw a couple of otters swim by.

They seemed very interested in us as we were in them.

I need to make more room in the freezer for cranberries so

I'll need to be canning up some more things.

Rhubarb syrup is on my list of things to do first.

I hope you are having a beautiful day! 
Thanks for dropping by! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer