Getting There

Looking back, looking forward.

2011 was a great year for our family. We welcomed a new member of our family (who, I might add, is growing cuter and sweeter every day) and Chris was blessed with a good job (as an industrial machine builder) that he enjoys. 

And how did I do in my journey towards a simpler life? Despite our tiny, shaded, soggy backyard, I did manage to grow some herbs and make some healing salve, as well as dry some herbs for use in the kitchen. (Interestingly though, I found that even the rosemary and sage were weak on flavour - I am guessing this is a direct result of not getting enough sun.)

I made herbal tinctures for the first time this year - dandelion and lemon balm - and have not used them. I found the alcohol was just too strong for me (I don't drink at all, not for moral reasons but just because I don't like it). I think in the future I will stick to herbal teas.

Our green bean harvest was decent, but our tomatoes were a stunning failure. And just to prove that our back yard is cursed - I planted several zucchini plants and only got a single zucchini! Who ever heard of such a thing...

I didn't do some of the things I had planned for 2011--I decided not to buy a pressure canner because I really don't have room to store it here. And I actually canned less fruit this summer than the last year, not more. No pickles either. But I have continued to learn the skills required to cook from scratch, and improve my homemaking in general. I now make all of our bread by hand, which is a big step I suppose.

My sewing machine has not been very busy. I've sewn nothing of note all year (just a few baby bibs, a hat, some napkins, and I upcycled an old shirt into preschooler pajamas), even though I wanted to sew some long skirts for myself after the baby was born. Of course, it's probably not realistic to be planning new projects with a newborn babe around...

The first part of the year we were living only off our Etsy business, which hasn't really been bumping in 2011. This meant we were not able to save up very much towards our future home in the country. But that's okay, because now that Chris has a good job, with the chance to work overtime, and we feel confident that by the end of 2012 we will be able to purchase a place of our own--nothing fancy, but some place outside the city limits with a nice big yard so we can have chickens, lots of gardens, and of course, a tree house for lazy summer afternoons.

Perhaps most importantly in 2011, I learned to step away from the screen more often, slow down, relax and enjoy life. Our family started having Unplugged Sundays - no computer, video games, or tv all day every Sunday -  which is a tradition I have come to love. I started writing paper letters to friends, instead of emails, which has been enjoyable as well.

So for 2012, our main goal is to save up a down payment for a house. And for a personal resolution, I am going to try much harder than I have been to exercise. In past years, I have not been taking care of myself and it's starting to show. I have realized I can't properly take care of my family if I don't take care of myself, too.

For his part, Chris is quitting smoking this month. Good vibes are appreciated! :)

Since it is possible we will be moving this year, I think I am going to give up trying to coax a productive garden out of the yard here. But I will continue sewing when I get the chance, and I will be trying to improve my ability to feed my family on a strict budget.

I'm really looking forward to 2012 and all it will bring for us.

Does anyone else have any plans for the coming year they want to share?

 

Time for another giveaway!

Now that it's September, Chris is working on stockpiling as many wooden toys and dishes as he can so that we will be able to meet the demand of the Christmas shopping season in our Etsy shop. It worked out well that he has had a lay off of a few weeks from his regular job, so he can spend some serious time in his workshop.

Our shelves are quickly filling with my husband's lovely work. And seeing all those good things stacked up, made me want to give something away!

I decided to give away a baby spoon and bowl set. The bowls are made of sugar maple (the hardest kind of maple), hand turned by Chris on his lathe. The spoons are also made of maple and hand carved. You can read more about the set here.

To enter, just leave a comment. Open to everyone, worldwide. For an additional entry, mention this giveaway on your blog, Twitter, or Facebook, and leave another comment here. I will use a random number generator to pick a winner on Monday, September 12th. Thanks for entering, and Good luck!

Comments Closed! And the lucky winner is...

Sonja, who commented "Oh, I love your work. Thanks for the opportunity!."

I'll be in touch with you shortly, Sonja. :)

Jam and bread.

Last weekend my dear husband carved some time out of his busy day and drove out to the county to pick some strawberries for me, for this year's supply of jam. By the time he finally got back home, I was starting to get worried! Apparently because of the heavy rain we had this spring, many of the strawberry plants rotted in the fields and the local crop was very poor. Chris had to pick for several hours to bring home a decent quantity of berries, and they weren't the best looking ones we've ever gotten either.

I set to work right away to make jam, and I did get one batch done. It was delicious! I love the brilliant red colour of strawberry jam.

There weren't enough berries leftover to make a second batch, only for us to eat a few, and to freeze some for making smoothies.

I noticed that there are Ontario berries in the grocery store this weekend. They're more expensive than pick-your-own, but not too bad. Maybe I will pick some up to make more jam, I haven't decided yet. I do love homemade strawberry jam on top of oatmeal on a cold winter morning!

Also this past week, I made two loaves of regular white bread, because we were out of bread and I knew there was none on sale at the grocery store. (I refuse to pay $3.50 or even more for a single loaf!) I accidentally left the loaves to rise a bit too long, and they turned out huge!

I'd like to make homemade bread more often to replace store bread for sandwiches, but I am confused about a few things. For one, how can I make the crust softer? Whenever I bake bread the crust is downright hard, which makes it difficult to slice evenly, and isn't very nice to eat sideways in a sandwich. Also, is it possible to get loaf pans that are longer, like the length of a loaf of Wonderbread? I just have regular small loaf pans, and my loaves always end up so tall that the slices look silly, like slices of a giant mushroom. Two such slices make an enormous and strangely shaped peanut butter sandwich.

If anyone has the answers to those questions, or even just any general bread-baking tips, please do share. :)

Change of topic: Currently, Canada Post is having a labour dispute, which means we haven't had any mail service in Canada for two weeks. That means that we have had to shut down our Etsy shop. Thank goodness that right before the strike started, Chris got another job, as an industrial mechanic. It isn't quite full time but it's been such a blessing for us. This past week they sent him out of town, down to Tennessee. He brought me back this lovely plate from Cracker Barrel (a restaurant we don't have in Canada).

He knows I love songbirds, and it matches our livingroom walls perfectly. I can't wait to hang it up. Our nest is blessed indeed. :)

Check it out!

Today our family business has been featured on the Etsy blog. Check it out!

For all those who are visiting here from Etsy, Welcome! Here is a post that will tell you some more about us if you're interested.

A family portrait.

Our family business is soon going to be featured on the Etsy blog, and we didn't have a family picture to submit, so I asked my sister to snap some pictures of us at a local nature trail. The weather was actually hot! The first hot day this year. The boys had a great time running around and exploring, and they stayed still long enough for us to get some good pictures too. This is the best one, I think:

It so nice to get out for a walk and actually see green again...I love this time of year.

My poor neglected sewing machine...

I am finding it challenging to adjust to life with a brand new babe, whilst still homeschooling, running a busy Etsy shop, and trying to get a wee bit of housework done now and then. Most days, if everyone gets three meals, is dressed in relatively clean clothing by noon, and gets to bed on time, I'm happy!

I haven't had time to really think about this year's garden, although I did get some herb seeds planted. They are all lined up on my ironing board in the back window, like last year. I just stuck the seeds in some dirt in some styrofoam meat trays, and it seems to have worked very well.  Although I know it is getting late--and my ironing board is full!--I also planted some heirloom tomato seeds and some parsley seeds today, and when I get another few minutes I'm going to plant some red pepper and zucchini seeds. I don't know where I'm going to put the plants (or even the seedlings for that matter) but I'll think about that later!

The calendula seeds (seen below) sprouted very quickly.

Has anyone ever planted calendula? The seeds are just freaky looking! At first when I opened the packet, I thought there was some mistake. But no, this is what the seeds look like!

Although caring for my family is my main activity every day, I have been quite busy with our family business as well. The job we thought Chris was going to start back in March seems to have fallen through, which is disappointing but perhaps a blessing in disguise, because he's been working full time on his toys anyway. I don't know how he could manage two full time jobs. We've also had some custom work to do on top of the Etsy shop--for example, just a few days ago we sold a large order of spinning tops to our local farmer's market, who hands them out to children in the summer.

With all the general busy-ness around here, my sewing machine has been sorely neglected. I look at it longingly when I go into our back room to do up shipments of toys, or to do laundry, but somehow I never get around to using it. In fact, the thread got all jammed up before the baby was born (which is over a month ago now) and I still haven't untangled it. The entire area is so messy too. It doesn't help that when I am back there wrapping up packages, Jasper follows and starts rummaging around through my things!

I know what I need to do is become more competent with the baby wrap I have, so I can wear Amy around the house while I get things done. But I can't seem to get it right--that piece of fabric is just so LONG, and I don't seem to be coordinated enough to arrange it properly. I tried looking on Youtube, but every video shows a different technique and most of them are not for newborns. Well I will keep at it! It would be super convenient if I could nurse the baby while she is in the wrap, too. My sister kindly loaned me a couple of simple slings (the kind that are not adjustable) and unfortunately they are too small for me, since my sister is petite and I--ahem--am not. :)

And speaking of the baby...she is hungry, and so I must away...

Earth Day Giveaway.

I know yesterday was Earth Day, but what can I say? I'm not really on top of things these days...I wanted to mention to everybody however that the Etsy Natural Kids Team (which we belong to) is having a nice big giveaway in honour of Earth Day. You can have a chance to win this lovely collection of children's goodies by going to this Etsy treasury and leaving a comment. (You have to have an Etsy account to be able to comment.) A winner will be chosen on Easter Monday.

Our snow has melted, and it's actually quite warm today. I can hear birds twittering outside. I hope I'll have a chance this afternoon to go for a stroll with my little munchkin.

It feels so good to be exercising again after a long period of rest. What a blessing that it's also springtime--it makes my walks all the more enjoyable.

Good luck with the giveaway, and I hope everyone is having a lovely Easter weekend. :)

 

I feel a change in the air...

We're well into March now, and perhaps it is purely psychological, but the air feels different to me.

With less than a month to go to my due date, my energy is returning, and I suddenly feel an urgent need to organize the house even more than before! I have already washed and sorted all the baby clothes, and I have even laid out an outfit for either a girl or a boy. (We are expecting a girl, but hey, you never know.) It's nice that we have a collection of newborn clothes and receiving blanekts stored away for either gender, so I don't have to buy anything new for this baby.

Seeing those little clothes sitting there on the change table, I can't wait to meet our new little one.

I've gotten extra organized with homeschooling, so that things won't fall apart when the baby arrives. I have been working hard planning out the reading schedules for the rest of the school year (we use a literature based curriculum), and I have even planned out the booklists for next school year, so I won't have to do this in the summer. Yesterday, I popped into my favourite used book store, Juniper Books, and picked up a stack of children's books for a good price to add into our studies--some Newberry books, a lovely old illustrated book of Bible stories, and a bunch of science books. (I also got myself a really cool old cookbook, but I'm saving that for another post!).

Owen has already read all of these science books over and over. I wish now I had gotten more, they were so cheap. He's just a little sponge and soaks up all the science facts he can. It's so much fun to watch him grow into such an inquisitive little fellow.

Another thing I've done is ordered some herb seeds from Mountain Rose Herbs. I can't wait to get them and start some seedlings in our back window like last year. I'm ready to see some greenery!

It is not only the impending arrival of spring and of a new baby that has put a change in the air around our house. I haven't talked about it much, but we've really been struggling financially lately. And we cannot qualify for government benefits because we own a small business (I guess they figure that makes you wealthy, har har). But earlier this week, just when we were feeling that our situation was truly hopeless and that we might have to just shut down our beloved family business in order to qualify for assistance, a phone call arrived that changed everything. Chris is going to be starting a new job on Monday! After months of looking for employment with no luck, this is wonderful for us. Not only is it a job, but it's with a growing company that we know has excellent benefits, so if he does end up getting hired permanently it could be so good for our family. Please everyone, keep your fingers crossed for us that it works out.

I'm sure we'll get more snow, and spring isn't quite here yet. But today a gentle rain is falling, and I feel content about all the changes that are coming.

Rattle and teether giveaway.

I thought I'd mention here, in case anyone is interested, that there is a giveaway for one of our rattles and teething rings over at the Etsy Natural Kids Team Blog running until Friday. If you have a baby in your life, head on over there and enter! :)

Thinking about this year's herb garden.

Amazingly, that time of year has come around again when it's time to start thinking about this year's garden. As I mentioned in this post, laying out my goals for the year, I would like to try growing herbs in our tiny urban backyard this year instead of vegetables. My vegetable gardening didn't go so well in 2010, so I'd like to try something different. I know that most herbs are fairly easy to grow, which is an advantage for me this year when I will be busy all summer with a new baby. As well, growing and using herbs is simply something I've always been interested in but have never pursued.

Although life has been so busy and crazy lately for a variety of reasons, I have made an effort to sit down and read through the Richter's catalogue of herb seeds and plants--they have every herb I've ever heard of in there, as well as many I haven't--as well as an old book I picked up at a library sale a few years back, The Harrowsmith Illustrated Book of Herbs.

I think the general conclusion I have come to after researching is that I'm going to focus mostly on culinary herbs for now. I love using herbs to dress up a dish in a simple way. Fresh herbs like rosemary, basil and even humble parsley are delicious, and this year what I want to do is grow enough of the ones I use often, to dry some for winter. Dried herbs in the grocery store are so expensive, and I find the ones at the bulk store are lacking in quality and freshness.

Probably I will get most of my herbs from the local garden centre rather than start them from seed, since I have limited space and don't need multiples of each plant. Right now I'm planning on parsley, rosemary, thyme, dill, and basil. I expect the chives I grew last year will come up again as they usually do.

Spearmint and lemon balm are already in the garden for adding to cold drinks or for tea.

And, I also plan on planting lavender and chamomile, for making potpurri and baby powder. I hope I get enough chamomile to dry for tea as well, since I find it very helpful for heartburn and indigestion.

I might not have room after planting all the above, but I'd like to grow two or three medicinal herbs as well. Something I have always wanted to do is make my own healing salve for the skinned knees and scraped elbows that inevitably happen to children who spend the summer playing outside. So I'm going to get a few packets of seeds from Richter's for this purpose. Calendula for certain, perhaps chickweed. I know comfrey is highly valued for healing wounds, but I'm not sure about adding it to the garden as my Harrowsmith book indicates it can take over.

Perhaps when it comes time to make my salve, I'll remember to harvest some plantain from around my neighbourhood, where it is the most common weed. Did you know that fresh plantain leaves are supposed to remove the pain and stinging of insect bites?

Well, those are my tentative gardening plans for this year. When I get the chance I'll try to do up some sketches of plant placement in my gardening journal. It's so pleasant to think about all this greenery in early February, when the view from my window is decidedly lacking in green. :)

P.S. For those of you who expressed an interest in the perogy cutter Chris made for me a few weeks ago, they are now in our Etsy shop. :)