Getting There

Goodbye, dear friends.

Well, what can I say?

I started this blog almost two years ago now, in order to chronicle my journey towards a more simple and beautiful life. And it's been so enjoyable for me to share my triumphs and failures in my posts, and to read the lovely comments by all my wonderful readers.

I feel that in this space of time, I have gotten somewhere...maybe not the place I thought I was going. We do not yet live on a homestead where chickens wander through the garden...rather, we are still living in a decidedly urban environment, in a house so ugly I am embarassed to let you see photos of it. I am not sure when we will make it to the country home we have been dreaming of. I hope it won't be too long. But in the meantime, I have grown and changed in so many good ways that I do not feel disappointed.

In the last two years, I've completed a handful of sewing projects (and started a few that have not yet been completed!). This is a big deal for someone who for years was terrified of sewing machines. I've learned to can homemade jam and applesauce. I've learned a bit about gardening (mostly, what not to do), and tinkered with homemade herbal medicine and healing balms. I've improved my cooking skills, and learned to make a loaf of bread which is actually rather palatable.

Aside from all skills though, I have learned something more important - to slow down more, to step away from the screen more, to be more present in my children's lives. Many times I have experimented with turning off the computer, and every single time I have been pleasantly surprised how much I could get accomplished when this darn thing wasn't dragging me in. I have discovered that real life is where it's at.

Therefore, I have decided it would be best for me to stop blogging alogether. Yes, I know I could continue posting only every once in while (as I have been doing) but I feel that if I can't really put a good effort into this blog, I don't want to do it at all.

There is another thing. It feels wrong to me to keep posting here when I keep coming to the same conclusion over and over - that we would all benefit from less time talking about life on the computer, and more time actually living life. So maybe this sounds strange, but I feel that I am doing my readers a service by giving them one less blog to read every week.

Thank you so much for joining me on my journey. I love you all. :)

Please note that since Typepad is a paid service, and I have only paid up till the end of March, after that time this blog will revert to a Typepad "microblog." I have been told that my posts will still exist - but they may be difficult to navigate. And the banner and all the sidebar stuff will disappear.

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?

 

Trying to pace myself.

I love our home-centered life of family togetherness, I truly love the old-fashioned domestic work I do each day, I love schooling the children at home...yet although this lifestyle might be reminiscent of a simpler time, some days it feels anything but simple!

Some days, if I am not careful to pace myself, I just run around in circles going crazy, not knowing what to do next.

Today is pretty typical. The house is messy, of course. Everywhere I walk, crumbs and random floor debris and sometimes even bits of oatmeal stick to my socks (which have holes in them, but I don't have time to go shopping for new ones). The laundry is piling up to a veritable mountain because I didn't do it for one day. I have five packages for customers I need to get ready for shipping, that are sitting there waiting for me. I tried to get them done this morning, but Amy wouldn't stop crying--I believe she is teething right now and is much fussier than usual--so I paused to nurse her and put her down for a nap, and then I grabbed a quick shower and then it was time to give the other children lunch, and then we returned to lessons, which didn't go very well because Amy was awake again, and not happy.

Once lessons were somewhat finished I put Amy down for another nap, left the children with Kira (who is almost 13) for a few minutes and took a brisk walk to the nearby dollar store to pick up a few little things we needed. When I got back, I made up a batch of pumpkin muffins, which was accomplished because the boys were both playing video games...an activity I try to keep under control, but sometimes it's so useful to keep them quiet and out of trouble for a little while!

Now, I am sitting down for a few minutes to write this post and enjoy a muffin and cup of tea. The boys are playing outside, Kira and the baby are watching Kiki's Delivery Service, and things seem calm for now. Yet, there is still laundry I need to do. The garbage needs to be taken out. There is bread to go into the oven. Chris will be home from work very soon and I will need to start making supper. After supper, although we normally like to relax and have family time, I know I will need to get those packages wrapped up--our customers mean a great deal to us and I don't want to keep them waiting! This will take a big chunk of the evening. By the time I do that, and get the supper dishes cleared away, and if I am lucky, find time to sweep these dirty floors, it will be time to start the bedtime routine, which is lengthy because I stubbornly insist on reading each boy a bedtime story, no matter how busy or tired I am. After everyone is in bed I will fold the laundry, organize school materials, and write my 'to do' list for tomorrow. Maybe Chris and I will watch something funny on Youtube for a few minutes before bedtime.

I will get a fair amount accomplished today, but there is so much more I need to do. I have not yet started the quilt I want to make Jasper for Christmas. Every day I write on my list "cut quilt squares" and every day I don't get around to it. I need to start work on other Christmas gifts too, but have done nothing! I also wanted to make Christmas stockings for the children this year from some holiday fabric I was given, but I know I will probably never get to it. (If I had been smart, I would have started that project back in the summer when I had time!)

All week I have wanted to make it to Sears to buy us all some much-needed new pajamas and slippers, since all sleepwear and slippers were 40% off this week. I haven't had a single chance to drive all the way out to the mall and I know now I am going to miss the sale. Poor Kira, her pajama pants are halfway up to her knees!

There are several letters I'd like to write to friends, but they remain unwritten day after day.

And need I mention that the bathtub has needed to be scrubbed for over a month? Or that the wall next to the front door has been covered by some kind of reddish sticky fingerprints (jam, maybe?) for weeks and I haven't cleaned it yet?

Sometimes I feel so sad that I just can't do everything that I want to. Why, oh why can't I just have another hour or two per day? Or maybe a maid! But this type of thinking doesn't help. The only thing that helps I find, is to try to pace myself. Instead of fretting and running around, I have to force myself to take a deep breath, and move slowly and deliberately through each task. I try to take the time to do each thing properly, because tasks rushed through don't feel really completed at all, and then I feel even worse. For example, I have to force myself to properly brush my teeth and not rush, I have to force myself to sip my tea instead of gulp, I have to force myself to stay and cuddle with the baby for a while after she has fallen asleep because I know I need a rest too...even though I want to rush away and have a look at my 'to do' list. Forcing myself to slow down requires a great deal of self control, but I have learned it's the only way to get anything properly done and not feel like I'm losing my marbles.

Does anyone else notice this same phenomenon? I mean, that rushing and multitasking really don't work in the long run, that the only way to stay sane is to slow down, even if things don't get done?

By the way, sorry there are no pictures today...I tried taking pictures of the laundry piles waiting to be done and the toys waiting to be shipped, but my camera died...because I keep forgetting to recharge the batteries! One more thing on my 'to do' list! ;)

Thinking about thrifting.

Buying needed items second hand fits into my philosophy of living a simple, frugal lifestyle, and I try to do it whenever possible. I am currently in need of fall clothes, so I betook myself yesterday to the biggest Value Village in town. The one I went to is quite huge and I hoped I'd get some great deals.

I hoped I'd get some deals even though, I have noticed over the past couple of years that the prices in thrift stores have been rising alarmingly. Granted, the only stores near me are part of this particular chain. Maybe I need to shop around more. But still, there it is. I did buy myself 3 long sleeved shirts, and they were $8 each. In fact, all of the reasonably decent women's shirts were that price. This seems kind of high to me for someone else's half-worn-out shirts, especially once you add in the 13% sales tax, but it's still a little bit cheaper than getting a new shirt for $12 at Walmart, so I paid it, although not without qualms. (There was one sweater I really liked that was $15, which I refused to pay.)

I also got a few other things: a hairdryer for $5, some pajama pants for $5, and a cake plate for $3, since I am planning on making a pumpkin cake for Thanksgiving and I don't even own a plate large enough to put a cake on! I actually wanted to get one of those ones with a glass dome, and they did have one--but the store wanted $10 for it. That seems silly when they are $15 brand new.

One thing I got which seemed like a good deal was two sewing patterns for 69 cents each. One is for a blouse, and the other is for a long skirt, since I can never find nice, plain long skirts in any store, thrift store or otherwise. The skirt pattern envelope says the original price was $14.95. Is that really how much sewing patterns cost new? That seems outrageous, when the fabric and notions still have to be purchased after that! (I don't feel bad now about charging $5 for vintage patterns in my Etsy shop.)

I am planning on making some quilts for my boys for Christmas, and I picked up a navy blue flat sheet for $5 to use as the backing for at least one of them. But after I bought it I realized that it was 50% polyester and the tag says no ironing. I guess I can't use something in a sewing project that can't be ironed, right? I will have to think of some other use for the sheet then, and keep a lookout for something else I can use for the quilts.

My favourite purchase was a sturdy square basket for $3, which I am using to store Jasper's bedtime story books in. Before, they were scattered all over the boys' room and quite messy. Baskets are good for containing mess, I have learned!

So I did make some decent purchases, but long gone are the days when I could leave Value Village with a bag full of clothes for $20. I was thinking on the drive home, is it really worth it to shop there anymore? Because as a homeschooling mother of four, my time is in high demand. Is it worth it to drive there, and then search through endless racks of shrunken and misshapen (and often bad smelling) clothes to find those few nice looking pieces? The line ups are always long too, and the customer service stinks. Maybe it is just not the best use of my time.

(And by the way, the cynical part of me can't help but wonder if stores like Value Village have doubled their prices in the last couple of years--and yes, they have because I have always shopped there often and I remember what things used to be priced at--I wonder if they have doubled their prices because they know that a large part of the population today is really counting their pennies, and needs to buy things second hand because it's all they can afford? And so the stores are taking advantage of this, and pricing things as high as they can and still be less than retail? Although in many cases, things there are higher than retail at a sale price!)

Coincidentally, yesterday evening I read a blog post about thrifting, and the writer mentioned something called "flea market style." When I looked it up I realized that that is my style...I like comfortably old, mismatched things in my house. Even on my back, for that matter. New, perfectly matched things look glaringly...new to me! Also yesterday, at Homesense (do they have that store in the US?) I bought a brand new set of stainless steel salt and pepper mills. I've wanted some of those for a while, and they're nice, but they look so out of place sitting on my diningroom table, since the table came from a garage sale, the plates are mismatched and second hand, the tablecloth was a handmedown, the silverware is thrifted, we use mason jars for glasses...you get the idea.

So after thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that yes, it is worth it to continue shopping at thrift stores even if sometimes the deals aren't that great. Because sometimes I do find good deals, and it's important for me to use our limited funds wisely.  I like the look of previously used things, and I like owning things that are unique. Getting things secondhand is good for the environment. And lastly, it is rather fun searching through all the junk looking for a treasure. I just think that I need to find other places to buy secondhand things--Value Village is too expensive anymore.

Where do others like to buy secondhand things? Do tell...

Apple Picking.

I've been itching to take the children apple picking lately. Last year, we didn't go until mid-October and it was disappointing trying to find decent apples on the well-picked trees. But throughout September I have been hesitating because we've been having so much rain. Every day I keep thinking either that it will rain, or that it will be too wet from the rain we had the day before.

Then yesterday I was reading in Mrs. Sharp's Traditions (a lovely book about creating family traditions and memories, which I will review soon) a page on family outings. The author was talking about how important it is to sometimes surprise children with a spontaneous outing, and I thought to myself, enough worrying already, let's just go!

Chris was agreeable, since worrying about the weather is just not something he does (I could learn a few lessons from that man). So this morning we were off...and wouldn't you know, that the day was just about perfect! Cool but not cold, breezy, mostly sunny...it started to sprinkle just as we were heading towards the van for the return trip. And the orchard itself was quite dry.

The farm we went to is a bit of a drive away, but it's so nice there.

They have a hayloft absolutely stuffed with straw where the kids can play...

And a little shop selling caramel apples, muffins, sausages and of course, apple fritters.

The trees were very heavily laden--we certainly had no problem finding enough apples this year!

 
Amy slept soundly the whole time. Have I mentioned that she is a whole six months old already? She looks huge to me, sleeping there in the stroller...times goes too fast.

It was a beautiful day and a lovely outing. I'm so glad we went, and made some new memories, and I didn't listen to my silly fears about mud puddles. As a bonus, when we got to the farm we met another homeschooling family, also with four children, who were just leaving, and we chatted with them a few minutes. It's always fun to meet other homeschoolers.

I have to say, having our children home with us all the time provides such a great opportunity to beat the crowds and do outings like this when all the other kids are in school. We have been to this same farm before on the weekend and it was rather crazy...but today it was downright tranquil.

Next to the eating area there was a bin filled up with cut apple wood, which I assume was going to be used for somebody's wood stove or fireplace. As I passed by it, I got a sort of shivery feeling all over...I know, it sounds a bit melodramatic, but--that bin of firewood seemed to represent country life to me, and for an instant I pretended that I was in our own yard and that bin of firewood was for us. And I thought of how right that would feel, to be storing up fuel for the coming winter.

Living in the city, having only one vehicle and limited funds, I don't get out into the country nearly as often as I'd like. But each time I do, I am reminded that yes, that is the life that I want. Someday....

The joy of paper mail.

I did something crazy today--I poured a glass of pink lemonade, located a fairly ancient pack of stickers, sat down and started to write a letter to a friend. A letter on real paper, with a real pen! I had to laugh at myself as I did it, because I felt so strange doing something which was completely normal for all of us until only about 10 years ago. How quickly things change. I honestly can't remember the last time I sent a letter (not a card, but an actual letter) by mail.

I was also laughing at myself because after writing one page, my hand was completely cramping up!

I have been feeling lately that I want to be free of the computer more often. And I have also been wishing that people communicated with pen and paper a little more often than we do. Then I realized that I was being ridiculous. What on earth is stopping me from writing a letter to anyone, whenever I want to? Just because email is quicker and more convenient doesn't mean I am required by law to use it!

There was an email I have been meaning to answer for ages, a long one from from a new friend. So today instead of writing her back online, I printed off her email for reference,  pulled a few sheets of paper from the printer and sat down to write. Why not?

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who loves getting something in the mailbox besides bills and advertisements. I truly believe more of us should send a real letter or card to a friend more often--I have a feeling it would bring a bigger smile to her face than an email or e-card could. There is something special about seeing the handwriting of someone you care about, and knowing that the paper you are holding they also held, before it was sent across the miles. And of course, it's nice to know that someone took the time to write to you, and then bring the letter to the mailbox, too.

I wonder if I can even buy pretty stationary anywhere, anymore? I guess the kind intended for computer printers would work. :)

I challenge all my readers to consider writing a real letter this week to someone dear--even if it's just a few lines. I think you might enjoy it!

Basic white bread: A tutorial.

In my online travels, I have noticed that a lot of folks consider baking your own bread as an almost essential ingredient to living "the simple life." While I would certainly not say it's essential, I do understand this sentiment. Baking your own bread is a deliberate step away from the predominant culture of consumerism and instant gratification. For those with large families to feed, baking bread can really save money. And it must be one of life's simplest pleasures to enjoy the yeasty aroma of freshly baked bread filling your home. This is a pleasure that people have enjoyed for many centuries.

It's a pleasure I think everyone should enjoy at least now and then. So I decided to do a basic bread making tutorial. Of course, most of my readers already know how to make bread...but perhaps there are a few out there who aren't sure how to go about it. If you are one of those timid souls, this post is for you. :)

I am by no means an expert, and in fact I have only been making my family's bread for a few months. So I am only sharing how I do it. There are infinite variations on baking bread, and many of them are probably better than my own method! But here we go:

 

Basic White Bread: A Tutorial in 10 Easy Steps

1. First, I take the yeast--I use the traditional kind, not quick rising--and stir it into 1/2 cup of warm water until it is dissolved. I have found the the amount of yeast needed varies according to how warm the house is. On a warm summer day, 2 tsp is enough. In the winter, 4 tsp is a good idea. I know this is less yeast than most recipes use, but I find this amount works just fine. Honestly, I don't think it matters much how much yeast you use, unless you want to be able to time things exactly. If you don't use quite enough, you'll just have to wait a bit longer for it to rise. So I prefer to use a smaller amount most of the time, since it saves money.

2. In a large bowl, I mix 2 cups of unbleached flour, 2 tbsp wheat gluten (optional; this makes the loaves more chewy), 2 tbsp sweetener (I use organic cane sugar, but honey would work too), and 2 tsp sea salt.

3. I measure out 2 cups of warm liquid--it can be milk, water, or half of each. What I normally do is measure out 1 cup of cold homo milk, and then add 1 cup of boiling water. This gives a nice warm temperature without being hot (temperatures too hot will kill the yeast). I have found that the coconut milk you buy in cartons at the grocery store works nicely for making bread too, but it is sweetened, so if I use that I leave the sugar out in the second step.

Milk obviously makes a slightly richer tasting loaf. Bread made with only water is still good, just lighter.

I add some melted butter to this liquid. Or sometimes olive oil. I never measure, but I guess I'm using around 2 tbsp.

4. I pour this liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir it up. Then I add in the yeast and water, and stir it up again.

5. I add scoops of flour one by one (not measuring), until it gets too difficult to stir. Then I dump it out on the clean countertop and start to knead. I scrape the bits out of the bowl with a butter knife.

6. I knead the dough for around 10 minutes, sprinkling it with flour as needed to keep it from being sticky. This is a nice time do some daydreaming. When the dough looks and feels smooth and springy, it's done. If you aren't sure how to tell if it's done, just keep an eye on the clock. 10 minutes will usually do it.

7. I cover this lump of dough with butter or oil, and place it back in the bowl. I cover it with a damp dish towel and let it sit until it looks about doubled in size. This takes around an hour, or less if the house is really warm.

8. I punch down the dough, divide it into three parts (using a sharp knife), form these chunks into rough loaf shapes, and place them into greased bread pans. This will make 3 small loaves. Or you could make 2 larger loaves, it's up to you.

I have done some experimenting over time, and I found that butter is by far the best thing to grease pans with. It's the only thing that works perfectly every time.

9. Once the dough has doubled in size again (it should be at the top of the pan), I bake it at 345 degrees for 30 minutes. (I used to bake it at a higher temperature, until Melanie shared that you have to bake bread at a lower temperature if you want a soft crust.)

10. As long as the bread looks nicely browned, I take it out, put a towel over the loaves, and let them cool at least somewhat before slicing into one. Very hot bread does not slice very well. But don't let it cool down all the way! Fresh, warm bread spread with soft butter is one of the tastiest things I know.

I hope this little tutorial will encourage a few people who have never baked bread before to give it a try. It really isn't difficult. As long as you don't kill the yeast with too much heat (something I did the first time I made bread, or rather bricks), I guarantee you'll end up with something that your family will enjoy. Happy baking!

Turning it off.

I have been feeling lately more and more the need to slow down, and do less.

With homeschooling about to start again, and the Christmas season for our Etsy shop looming, I know that I am going to have to be careful if I am not to be overwhelmed in the coming months.

I have gotten better organized this year, with schedules, calendars, and meal plans, and I get up earlier than the kids every day now, so I can shower, get dressed, and have breakfast before they even get up. I have cut out all extra-curricular activities save swimming lessons. But somehow, I still feel rushed, and I don't seem to have any free time.

Granted, I have four children, and one of them is only 5 months old! The baby takes up a lot of my time, and also sleep. I'm not beating myself up. I work hard, and I have lingering health issues as well that lower my energy levels.

It seems to me that right now, I need to try harder to simplify my life. I saw a quote once that said basically, simple living is deciding what is really important in one's life--and then discarding everything else. That makes sense to me, and yet it is tough, because I have already discarded so much from our lives. In many ways I am already very simple and old-fashioned. (Recently, my credit card was used fraudulently for a large purchase at the Apples iTunes store. When I called Visa, the woman asked me if I had an iPhone or iPod...I couldn't help laughing out loud. She obviously didn't know me at all.)

But I do, I admit, spend a fair amount of time on the computer. Okay, a lot of time. There are two things I mostly do: read simple living, homeschooling, and homemaking blogs, and research just about anything. I never, ever play a game (I haven't done so in many years) but I am addicted to something else--the acquisition of information. Seriously!

So lately, as I have been feeling flustered and busy and like there is just too much on my plate, and it is getting hard to concentrate--I have decided to cut way back on my computer time. Because it's not just an issue of time--it's an issue of information overload. With all the stuff I read online, combined with the number of books I read, it's just too much to assimilate.

I will continue to write my blog, because I love to do it, and because it provides an outlet for my thoughts. It doesn't even really matter if anyone reads it or not, as long as I can write my posts and get them out there. But I am no longer going to read any but a very small handful of blogs, and after I have breakfast in the morning, I'm going to turn the computer off for the day. I really, really love all the wonderful women I have met in the blogging community...Many of them have been more inspirational to me than they know. But it's time for me to step back. I only have so much time and more importantly, so much mental energy, to go around.

You know, often when I am out doing errands I get this overwhelming feeling that everyone around me is in a huge rush. People sometimes honk at me because I am driving "too slow--" as if I should be speeding with my babies in the back seat! And I have to wonder: Why is everyone in such a rush? Modern life has so many time saving conveniences. A lot of folks don't even cook their own food these days, so why doesn't anyone, seemingly, have any time?

All I can figure is that although some modern technology saves us time, other technologies use up more time. Maybe the people who honk at me are rushing home to play World of Warcraft or update their Facebook status or research hotel prices online or watch their favourite tv show. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong...I just get a sense that as a whole, the entire human race would do well to take a deep breath and step away from those screens for maybe a few days, or even a few weeks.

I originally wrote this post in a cheap spiral notebook at my diningroom table on a sunny Saturday morning in August. The pleasant drone of cicadas filled my ears, along with the occasional chirp of birds. The remains of breakfast--oatmeal and jam--were scattered across the table, and I felt serenely happy. It felt really nice to write my thoughts down on paper, instead of the computer screen.

I am very grateful that the wonder of modern technology will allow me to share the pages of my notebook with friends all over the world. But I'm also grateful that once I type the words and hit "publish," I can turn the machine off and turn my attention to other things.

Which is exactly what I will do. Is anyone else out there trying, like me, to step away from the screen more often?

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.

A satisfying day.

Yesterday was a busy day, filled with doctor's appointments and shopping. That type of busyness, I can do without. I greatly dislike crowds, and I especially dislike driving when traffic is heavy. But today was a busy day of a different sort; today was filled with activity at home. And those are the days I love!

This morning after breakfast, I left the children with Chris for a few moments and ducked over to my mom's house (she lives only a few blocks away) to go through her box of vintage patterns. She kindly let me take home some patterns for children and babies, which I can't wait to try out!

She also gave me some kits for designing my own patterns, for children's clothes, and women's skirts and shirts. I'm really looking forward to examining these more closely. Because while I love the idea of designing my own clothes, I think at least for now I need a bit of assistance in this area!

Our dryer broke down today, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it forced me to hang the laundry outside. Normally I feel like I don't have the time, and besides, I don't have much line and it's hard to cram everything on--but today I did hang all the laundry, and it was wonderful! It was so hot today that even towels were bone dry in about an hour and a half. So I was able to dry two loads this afternoon in our very small yard.

In the kitchen this afternoon, I made some homemade granola bars which are just delicious--I plan on sharing the recipe here once I perfect it. And I made up another batch of homemade bread. After that, I whipped up some chocolate pudding for dessert, some chocolate popsicles for tomorrow, and put a chicken in the oven to roast. (Let me tell you, our house smelled awesome with bread, and chicken stuffed with onions and fresh rosemary in the oven!)

After supper (and a delicious one it was), Kira took her brothers to the park while I cleaned up the dishes. Then I put Amy in the stroller (it was too hot for the wrap) and went for a walk myself. I have to say, I enjoy walking with a baby in the stroller...because I get to look at those tiny baby toes all the way!

(Don't worry, she wasn't chewing on the daisy, she was chewing on her fingers.)

I went over to the far corner of the park, where last year I picked some black raspberries growing wild, and sure enough they are still there. And still, all the mosquitoes in this part of town are seemingly congregating on those bushes! So I picked as many as I dared, and then joined my other children over at the play structure so we could munch on the berries together.

On days like this, filled with baking, fun with the children, and domestic tasks, I feel so happy and blessed to be living the life I am. Dedicating my days to being a good wife, mother, and homemaker is deeply satisfying to my soul. Like the poem in my sidebar says: "Very close to home the great joys are."