Getting There

What I've been up to.

Thank you sincerely to everyone who offered their encouraging comments on my lost post. Obviously I've been feeling a wee bit frazzled lately. A teething baby will throw off the schedule in just about any home, I suppose. And Chris has started a new job where he is away for long hours every day. Yet, I am learning to manage this new life with four children. I am learning to pace myself, to take time to recharge myself, and most importantly to engage the children in the work that needs to be done.

I decided to declare a no-school week this week--instead we are having a Life Skills Week. The time I would normally spend "doing school" with the children--about 2 hours per day, usually--I will dedicate to teaching the children how to help me more around the house. Today I worked with the boys for a while ensuring they knew how to put their own laundry away and tidy their room. Later today I will teach Kira how to do laundry. And the week will continue like that. I hope that this will be a good investment of time and that things will go at least a little bit smoother in the future.

Yesterday too, when I planted some garlic in the back yard which I had sprouted, I made sure Owen helped me. (I know, it's rather late to be planting garlic in Canada, but I had a whole bag full that was going to go bad before I could use it so I figured, might as well give it a shot! I put some cloves in a container with wet paper towel, and almost every clove sprouted within 24 hours.)

I pulled out the few straggly chamomile plants I had to make room for the garlic. There were a few blossoms on the chamomile, which strangely were the nicest and largest blossoms I've had so far. But there were only a few, not even enough for a good cup of tea, so out they came. I am sure the chamomile didn't grow very well because of the lack of sun in my back yard--for that same reason, I'm sure the garlic won't grow well either, but it's fun to experiment anyway.

I am going to try my best from now on to involve the children in my daily tasks. There is just no way I can comfortably manage our family business, take proper care of the home, cook all our food from scratch, tend to the baby, and facilitate the children's education besides, all by myself. I need to learn to delegate jobs, and ensure everyone in the house is resposible for their own messes.

But enough about that. I also wanted to mention a small sewing project I did for Halloween. Owen wanted to be Toad, who is character in the Super Mario universe who looks like a toadstool. I was rather proud of myself that I whipped up the right kind of hat at the last minute with some scrap fabric, although since I was making it about 5 pm on Halloween I had to glue on the red dots instead of sewing them by hand. Here is Amy modeling the hat:

In other news, I harvested my humble herb garden a little while ago, and some bunches of sage, lemon balm, rosemary and oregano have been drying on my clothes line in the back hall. It makes me so happy to see bunches of herbs drying! I'm not sure why, but it's just a happy sight. (No basil; my plant was huge, but it all withered away after a light frost we had one night. That's what I get for procrastinating.)

Remember my post on Unplugged Sunday? Well, we have been continuing this, and I must say it has been wonderful. I really enjoy having a day free from electronics. The house is so quiet and peaceful, and we have been doing some really fun activities in place of television and computer. My husband, for example, helped the children make their own board game. It's based on the video game MarioKart, which is ironic I know, but they have all been working hard on the game and it's such a joy to see the whole family work together on a project. (And fun to play together, as well).

Of course, with a seven month old girl around here, a lot of cuddling has been going on. Amy's older siblings all adore her and sometimes fights break out over who gets to cuddle with her! I guess there are worse things children could argue about. And I guess I understand. She's pretty darn cute.

(That's milkweek fluff on her shoulder--we had just gotten back from a walk!)

Life is full and good. :)

Making Brown Sugar.

I apologize for the pause in posts--I had planned on posting on Monday, but on that morning I got the news that my father had had a heart attack. He is fine now! The hospital has taken excellent care of him, and he expects to fully recover. We are so happy and relieved. However, needless to say, I was shaken by this event and forgot about my blog for a while.

I was in such a worried, fretful state on that day. I knew I had to pull myself together for the children, so I did two things. The sun was shining brightly, so I went outside with the baby and harvested some herbs from the garden. Nothing is more soothing to me than working in the garden.

It's also so pleasing to see bunches of herbs I grew myself hanging to dry.

And then of course, I did what most women do in a time of distress--made food. In this case, chocolate chip cookies. I almost used up all the brown sugar, and instead of adding it to the shopping list this morning, I decided to try making some of my own.

Did you know the brown sugar you buy in the grocery store is in fact refined white sugar that has had some molasses added back into it? I found this info on Wikepedia:

Brown sugar is often produced by adding cane molasses to completely refined white sugar crystals in order to more carefully control the ratio of molasses to sugar crystals and to reduce manufacturing costs.^[1] This also allows the production of brown sugars to be based predominantly on beet sugar.

I don't know if the brands sold in my area are made from beet sugar or cane sugar. I hope not beet sugar, since most sugar beets grown are genetically modified varieties. However, even if the sugar I normally buy comes from sugar cane, it still has been refined, and I much prefer to use organic, unbleached sugar in all my baking.

I have been buying organic "white" sugar for some time, but I have never seen organic brown sugar anywhere for sale. So, time to try it myself! I took two cups of organic sugar and mixed in 1 tablespoon of dark organic molasses. I was suprised that the resulting sugar was so dark and rich tasting.

In the photo, the homemade sugar is on the left, the store bought "dark" brown sugar is on the right:

I think this sugar will be lovely for baking, although I might have to add more white sugar to get a product my children will eat on their oatmeal. Since it is so easy to do, I will certainly continue to make my own brown sugar. I know that any kind of sugar isn't healthy--but I know that if I am going to make cookies anyway, it's healthier to use only organic sugar that has never been bleached. And I think that the cost of this organic brown sugar is about the same as the small bags of processed brown sugar in the grocery store.

Has anyone else ever tried making brown sugar?

Raspberry jam.

I haven't been able to think of anything to post lately. Life has been moving along, quietly and well. Amy is 3 and a half months old now, getting chubby, and has started to laugh! Few things are more delightful than a baby's first belly laugh. :)

Today was noteworthy, because although my husband is working a 12-hour shift tonight, he got up early this morning and drove out to the country to pick a whole slew of raspberries for us. We go through a lot, because Chris loves to make his own raspberry lemonade all summer long, and the children and I go through a lot of raspberry jam.

I made 2 batches of jam this afternoon, which went very nicely with the batch of fresh bread I made this morning.

I am continuing to make all of our bread. Because I knead it by hand--and because we go through a lot of bread!--it's rather a time consuming chore. I do enjoy it, but I can see right now that I am not going to be able to manage this during busy times, such as in the autumn when we will resume our regular homeschool lessons, and our toy shop will start getting busy. But when I can, I'm going to do it. I like knowing that my kids are eating bread free of preservatives and other undesireables. And of course, the taste is rather an improvement over Wonderbread. :)

I do wonder though, how some people can manage to make all their family's bread by hand all year round? Mothers with large families must have to make several loaves every day. That's a lot of kneading!

I was pretty enthusiastic about hanging our laundry outside since our dryer broke a little while ago. But today I had to bring everything in still damp because it started raining. I was able to hang two loads inside, but that is the most I can manage. I also have been wondering, how do some of you ladies manage it who don't have or who choose not to use a dryer? I imagine we're going to be calling our landlord to fix our dryer very soon. Because if it rains for the next few days (as the forecast indicates), the laundry is going to start backing up, since we average about 3 loads every 2 days. I just can't fit that much laundry into our back room to dry when things like blue jeans take 2 days to dry indoors.

Well, that pretty much sums up what I've been up to lately. Caring for a baby, and baking bread, and doing lots of laundry. The regular stuff. I did stay up late last night with Chris to watch a funny movie, which was nice. I can't remember the last time I had a chance to watch a movie all the way through. I'm glad I did, even though I was a bit tired today, and after the second batch of jam was done I had to take a nap, when what I really wanted to do was make another batch of granola bars and reorganize the toy cupboard. I love the life of a homemaker, but it's a constant frustration for me that I don't have endless energy to do all the things I'd like to do in a day.

Making homemade napkins.

First of all, let me say thank you so much for all the lovely and encouraging comments I received on yesterday's post. I really, truly appreciate it, and you all made me feel much better about where I am right now. :)

So today I was in the mood to do something self-sufficient-ish. I decided on making homemade napkins. I have wanted to make some cloth napkins for a while now, but I couldn't find any that were affordable at the thrift store (really, the Value Village near me is ridiculously expensive), and I wasn't sure what I could make them out of. I knew I wanted it to be something soft and absorbent, and preferably free.

Finally I figured out what to do. I had an old cotton tablecloth that my grandmother had given me. It was already quite old when she gave it to me, and at our house it's been washed and used so many times that it had developed a few holes (see picture below). And it had some pretty bad stains, too. But I was able to cut 5 good sized squares out of the good areas.

That part was easy. After that, the frustrations began. First of all, this fabric was so old and worn and soft that it was very hard to work with! It was difficult even to press the hems, it just kept rolling all over the place. And while I was doing that, I accidentally melted my new seam gauge with the iron. I was trying to make mitered corners, using these instructions, but I accidentally cut way too much fabric off the first corner...No big deal I thought, on to the sewing, which is the fun part! But then when I was trying to fold over the messed up corner and sew it, my needle broke. I put in a larger size of needle, and then that one immediately broke! (I'm not sure why...are the really cheap needles really not able to go through several layers of fabric?) I put in one more needle and that one allowed me to finish the first napkin, but alas, by then the baby was crying...so after about an hour of work, I only had one napkin complete.

Well, at least it's a start!

(Before taking this picture, I carefully hid the one mutilated looking corner!)

I thought making napkins out of such an old tablecloth was a great idea, but I think next time, I won't bother doing this with something so very old, because such worn and thin fabric is so challenging to work with. Lesson learned.

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

One of my goals for 2011 is to become a better homemaker--to make our home a more cheerful, inviting place. I have never done a very good job of keeping house, I can admit--and I feel that it's important for a family like us, who are living a simple life together at home almost all the time, to have a home which is at least tidy and comfortable.

My husband has already painted over the drab, dirty grey walls in our livingroom and front hall way with a fresh, cheerful colour of blue. This is a big improvement already, and it will look even better once I get around to making some kind of window covering for the large window in the livingroom. I also want to make a quilted wall hanging and throw cushions, but I probably won't get around to that for quite some time!

This picture of my two girls shows the new colour in the background:

Kira is such a good big sister!

Really though, the biggest obstacle to this house feeling like a cozy home is the non-stop mess and clutter. Those of you with young children probably know what I'm talking about. The very worst room is that of my two boys (who are 2 and 6). My blood pressure rises every time I step into that room and have to kick a path for myself to walk. And believe me, I do clean it regularly, and engage the children to help too...it seems to only take about half a day for it to get completely trashed again.

Here is a picture I snapped this morning of the area in front of the boys' closet:

This is typical, although to be honest some days (the ones where the toy box is dumped out, the drawers emptied and the shelves overturned) it's much worse, and the carpet is not even visible.

This situation has been making me unhappy for quite some time. So I finally decided to do something drastic. Desperate times call for deserate measures. I'm going to remove all the toys from this room, and store them away for now (I don't know where yet but I'll use the trunk of the car if I have to). I'm only going to leave behind their clothes, blankets, books, and wooden blocks. Then I will encourage them to keep their room clean, with my help. If they can keep a smaller amount of belongings reasonably tidy for a full week, then I will add back one other toy or group of toys. If they can keep those clean, I'll add more. If not, I'll take those things away again. And so on. I'm hoping that with fewer things in the room, it won't be so overwhelming for them to keep it tidy (with a bit of help from me).

As you might guess, probably some of their toys will never make it back. I am always trying my best to reduce the number of excess belongings we have in our home--with a family of 6 (and a business) living in a small townhouse, it's the only way to keep our home from becoming a disaster! Besides, this is not our permanent home, and I don't want to be packing up and transporting endless amounts of toys when the time does arrive for us to move to the country.

I am determined, I am going to win the war against mess and clutter! Our home is going to be a pleasant place to be. Wish me luck...

(Here is another post I did last year about decluttering the house.)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Since making an effort to move our lives away from consumer culture, and towards a simpler way of doing things, I find I enjoy holidays and celebrations more. For example, we made this past Christmas a "Handmade Holiday" and it was the most enjoyable we'd had in many years.

Valentine's Day, humble holiday though it is, is no exception. I used to go out and buy cards and chocolates and plastic decorations for my husband and children, but this year instead of buying decorations we made a mobile out of hearts we had cut out of watercolour paper. I also put up a hand-crocheted banner I bought from an Etsy shop called Sugar Yarn, which is owned by another homeschooling mom of 4. This sweet little banner makes me smile every time I look up at it and think that someone far away made it with their own hands.

(You can just see our mobile in the background.)

For dessert tonight, we have a very yummy New York style cheesecake awaiting us. I made two kinds of brilliantly red fruit sauce to go on top: cherry and raspberry, made from the very last of our local frozen fruit from last summer.

I'm happy that the last of our fruit is being used for a special occasion, but I'm also very sorry that it's all gone! We've decided that next summer we need to freeze and can a lot more fruit.

I am thinking now that the kids would have loved it if we had made heart-shaped sugar cookies. Next year I'll have to remember to do that. I love creating new family traditions. Next year as well, when I am not feeling so largely pregnant and fuzzy-brained, perhaps I'll find the energy to write a little romantic verse for my love. I usually write poems for everyone in my family on their birthdays--it's really quite a fun thing to do if you have a moment to sit down and think. I don't know why I never wrote one for Valentine's Day before.

Well, that's my post for today. Nothing grand. I hope all my readers have a day filled with love!

A wee little project, and some thrifty finds.

A kind friend recently gave me a variety of quilting fabric, and the other night I decided to use a few bits to make the mousepad project from Amanda Soule's Handmade Home, which I currently have out from the library.

Although my fabric store didn't have heavy interfacing as the instructions required, leaving the pad rather floppy, I think it worked well. It gave me a chance to practice using the zig zag stitch on my machine, as well as an opportunity to try using fusible interfacing for the first time (and hey, it's much easier than I thought it would be). I like the colourful fabric too--it brightens up our old, tired looking computer desk.

Yesterday I went shopping, intending to find some more fabric for the baby quilt I'm going to make. I couldn't find any (at least, not any on sale) but I did make some nice finds at the thrift store.

The two bedsheets are in great condition--I'm not sure what I'll make with them yet but I couldn't leave that much cute fabric there for the price. The vintage apron (for a mere 99 cents) is a necessity for me now, since I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and my pregnant belly tends to pick up a lot of splatters! And the nightgown pattern is from 1952. Isn't it lovely? In a few years when my as yet unborn babe is a little girl, and my sewing skills have improved, I plan on giving it a try.

It's enjoyable to think about doing crafty things indoors while the weather is so cold outside...in a few months I know I'll be yearing to get into the garden (newborn strapped on) but for now, I'm having a great time thinking about things I'm going to sew.

A fun little decorating idea.

Our budget for holiday decorating is pretty small this year--I suppose we used it all up on buying our Christmas tree. But I really wanted to do something to brighten up the drab grey walls of this rental house. So I decided to make some paper garlands cut from old Christmas cards, of which I had a large stack (most of them were given to me for the very purpose of making crafts).

I originally got this idea from this post on the blog Like Mother, Like Daughter. All I did was cut a bunch of circles from the fronts of the old cards, string them together using needle and thread, and then tape them up to the wall. Yes, it would have been better to wrap the thread around a tack or a nail but what can I say, I was feeling a bit tired (lazy?) today so I just taped the garlands up.

Here's the smallest one I made:

(Whatever you do, don't notice the state of that switchplate, please!)

I also put a garland above the kitchen sink (no, you are not going to get a photo of my cluttered and dirty sink area), one above the bathroom sink (ditto), and one along the stairs going up to the bedrooms.

I know this probably looks silly and shabby to some people, but I am pleased with the results. We're not fancy people, and our house is anything but stylish...I don't care if our holiday decorations look cheap and homemade, I like it that way. I like it that I was able to cheer up our main floor a bit at absolutely no cost. And this project is fun and easy. Children could definitely do this! I have more Christmas cards around (I think I have an endless supply) so perhaps if I have more time over the next few days I'll make some more garlands. At the very least, it's a relaxing activity to do when all I feel like doing is sitting on the couch...unfortunately I've reached the third trimester of my pregnancy now, so I'm starting to feel my energy levels wavering, and the couch is looking better and better all the time. I hope I can keep up my energy long enough to get all the gifts finished and all my cookies baked...it's only 10 days till Christmas!

The rhythm of home life.

It's amazing how I have changed. When I was younger, I craved adventure and world travel. Now, at the "ripe old age" of 32, I find that my perspective has changed completely. Theoretically, I would still like to visit many places in this big world, but for the most part, I am happiest at home.

I truly love going about my daily routine of childcare, homeschooling, laundry, cooking, crafting, and working on the family business...it's all here, all at home, in this house filled with love, where we are together. It's comforting and familiar and I feel that I am right where I belong.

The children "doing school" in the morning.

Lately, especially, since our family business has been very busy with the holiday season, I have felt so grateful to have a daily rhythm to our home life. I find it immensely helpful to have a routine to our days. I never sat down and wrote down a schedule; it's just a pattern that gradually developed over time. I enjoy following the same routine every day, trying my best to weave the unexpected happenings into our regular domestic activities. Without a routine to start with, I imagine our days would quickly get very chaotic.

Vegetable soup and grilled cheese for lunch.

I really never thought when I was a young thing filled with wanderlust, that tasks such as hanging laundry, cooking food, adding and subtracting apples with a 5 year old, or even sweeping the floor could bring me such satisfaction. But most days, as long as I can manage to stay on track with my tasks, I do feel satisfied in my work.

Jasper playing in Daddy's sawdust.

What I like the most about our home life is that with Chris currently working full time on our family business, and with the children being homeschooled, we are always together. I feel so blessed that when the children are young, we have this time to be with each other. Although  we are living in the city, and not on our dream homestead, I still feel that we have a very good life, and it's getting better all the time. Because really, nothing matters so much as being together.

Two little projects.

Well, I admit I haven't exactly thrown myself into sewing new projects this fall the way I had intended. I guess I am short on time, materials, and inspiration all. However, I did manage to get one simple thing done recently. There was an ugly gap at the back of our dishwasher where there was no wall (because basically, we stuck the dishwasher in an extra doorway). Rather than going through the bother of actually drywalling up the area, I decided to just make a little curtain to cover it. Chris picked up a tension curtain rod for me, and I raided my grandmother's fabric stash (Thank you, Grandma) and found some pretty flannel with yellow roses that matched the dining room quite nicely. I know, I know, flannel is not a good choice for the kitchen or diningroom, but it was pretty, and I'm a sucker for fabric with roses on it.

The curtain took me about 5 minutes to do up (thankfully, the fabric was already the right width so basically I just had to hem it). At first I was frustrated because one of the seams was completely screwed up and weird looking. Then when I rethreaded the machine it sewed perfectly, and a lightbulb went off in my head (ultra newbie that I am)...the machine must be threaded perfectly every time or it will not sew correctly! I know, pretty obvious right? But as I said, I am such a neophyte to the world of sewing that I didn't fully realize that every tiny hook and hole the thread must go through really does make a difference! Who would have thought?

Although my crafty projects are fairly few and far between, my husband on the other hand is always making something, even if it's just toys for our Etsy shop. Recently he acquired a new attachment for his lathe that allows him to make plates and bowls. He's going to be making play sets of dishes for our shop, but first, he made one sweet little bowl out of maple that we're going to put aside for the upcoming addition to our family.

Sorry for the poor lighting, maybe you can't see it very well--it's such a cute little bowl, so smooth and round and just fits perfectly in my hand. I love it! It's so nice having a husband who is a woodworker...

Have a lovely weekend everyone! :)