Monday 26 September 2022

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

Monday 19 September 2022

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 
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

Monday 12 September 2022

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


Monday 5 September 2022

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