new year projects

to do:

raising ty
leaving my job- done
building a greenhouse
build a compost bin
starting a raised bed garden
get worms to create organic fertilizer
living as frugal as possible on one income.
pay off our credit cards and run them through the shredder
plan tim and danille's baby shower

continue:

making our bread
making our own soap

the lucy bag

this is my lucy ball bag. it's a knitted bag that you then felt. i recommend not using the washing machine, i broke ours felting my bag and had to call the not so friendly repairman. that of course is a different story. anyway the bag is knitted in the round knitting every row untill you get to the straps. there is a little one and a longer strap. the long strap is threadded though the short one to create the closure. for this bag i used alpaca yarn that i spun myself it was a single ply white. i love this project because i was able to practice my spinning and it didn't matter really how the yarn came out because i felted the project. so when you felt wool or alpaca yarn in a project the yarn becomes one fabric. the loops of the knitting shrink and the individual fibers mesh together thus becoming one piece of fabric.

what have you been up to?

baby surprise jacket. it really does work.

scrubbie dish cloth

frilly round dish cloth

a hat for a fashion diva i know

scarf

more dish clothes.

socks for ty. i'm goong to put them on him with his christmas outfit.



socks to be knitted for a friend and my father-in-law.

stockings for the mantel. i'm still working on daddy's and haven't started mine.

i should be ashamed of my self

i have so much yarn mostly of the acrylic variety. i should be ashamed of my shelf. i must have 6 banana boxes full. i'm going to use this on some projects but, i'm thinking of switching completely over to organic cotton for dish clothes and other natural animal fibers. i have a good supply of alpaca yarn and roving right now. some of the people on my Christmas list are getting homemade socks.

tubbie time

tyler at five months in the tub. what a great time, he loves the water and just discovered while in this bath that you can splash in the water. also discovered a new bath time game, i call it water fountain. where ty pretends he is a water fountain. by peeing in the water, it makes a splashing noise. which he really enjoyes.





i wish i had a camera. i love the look on his face when he discovers something new. like when he was rolling over for the first time, he looked terrified, and then laughed when he was done and it didn't hurt. but it is so alarming to him when he is doing something new.

busy with nothing

i have felt so busy these last days, that i haven't even had time to post my thoughts. but now that i look back on these days i can't really figure out what i was so busy with.

i mean besides digging a trench to the garage that is under construction.

getting new windows put in the new to us house. oh yeah and i never know when the builders/insallers will show up.

i'm thinking of using the old windows to hopefully build a greenhouse next year. for starting seedlings. the next growing season i'm going to be purchasing starter plants.

i have to get concrete block or lumber to build some raised planting beds.

i have to get the tulip bulbs and egyption walking onions in the ground befor too long.

possibly clean up the side property line shared with walt. it's an eye sore i'm sure at one time it was nice with trees all planted in a row. but now the under brush has taken over for sometime.

take pictures of the yard now and in the spring, to be used as before and after shots.

and take care of a 5 month old in the process no small task. as all you other wonder moms know.

roll over red rover

12:23 on sunday ty rolled from his stomach to his back. he was very happy with his accomplishment until auntie ica rolled him back over on his stomach so he could do it again. he never did. the first time rolling over for him was quite shocking and he wasn't up for a repeat performance. i think it is so funny to watch ty do something that he has never done before. ty always has such an allarmed look on his face. and when he has accomplished what ever he looks so releaved. i guess it would be terrifing to do something that you didn't even know you were doing, and i also guess that when you where finished that it would be quite a releaf that no one got hurt.

tabouli

tabouli i tried it and i love it. its a side dish i would say. a little goes a long way.

1 tbls olive oil
3 tbls fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup bulgur wheat
1 cup boiling water.
tomatoes
kalamata olives
cilantro
feta cheese
salt and pepper

put bulgur in a heat resistant bowl. boil water. pour water over bulgur. let stand 10 to 15 min. chop remaining ingredients. set aside. drain water off of bulgur. add chopped ingredients and oil and lemon juice. serve warm or cold.

talk about bang for your buck

i made a batch of this the other day a baked it today.. what a time saver when you only have 10 minutes, because that seems to be the longest that ty will sleep these days. what a blessing to have the little guy in our lives. everyday i try to eat better, be a more patient person and all because of him.


5 minute bread recipe

makes 4 small loaves

1 1/2 tbls yeast
1 1/2 tbls salt
6 1/2 cups flour
3 cups water

combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. add water mix until not dry spots remain in the flour. let rise 2 to 5 hours. at this point you can bake or refrigerate the mixture for up to 2 weeks.

baking day cut a grapefruit size dough ball off the main batch. shape into a round. put on a cornmeal coated cookie sheet. let rise for 40 minutes. or longer depending on you kitchen temp. my tends to be cool this time of year.

bake 30 minutes on 450 degrees. with a hot water pan on the bottom shelf.

sorry about my writing slump. i guess i have just been doing more living that writing. i went to visit my grandmother. for a week and then we bought our house. and moved in. and all that jazz.

roll over red rover

at 6:48 this morning. the most wonderful feet was managed. tyler rolled from his back to his stomach and then back again.

tomatoes in a jar

for the first time since i left my mothers house i've started canning. tomatoes. i think it went well. but really only time will tell. until then i'm still buying tomatoe sauce from the store. i only buy it in reusable jars. just another way to recycle. i did wait a little too long to start the process. and the tomatoes where hard to find. but not next year. next year i will have all the tomatoes i can handle, just out the back door. if everything goes right.

apple sauce

i never knew how good real apple sauce tasted, until i attempted to make it at home. i just got a recipe off the internet and made some adjustments to it, because i seem to like a tarter apple sauce. this is what i did,

jen"s apple sauce

3-4lbs apples

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

peal and slice apples in to medium sauce pan. add other ingredients. boil for 15 to 20 minutes or until desired doneness. i also like a chunky sauce. use a potato masher and mash. serve warm or cold its great either way. pictures to follow.

a homemade scubbie dish cloth

i love making my own dish clothes, but something is lacking now in my more sustainable dish duties. the scrubbing factor. i wanted a more powerful scrub. so i got on the net and did a little research. this is what i came up with. tulle. you can get tulle from any fabric store, and what you want is the super stiff tulle, they have a shinny, sparkly, small mesh tulle, this will work, but the courcer stuff is really what works. if you are like me and want more power from your dish cloth. use this stiff stuff.

so get your tulle. just 1/4 of a yard will do for this small square. i cut 1 inch strips back and forth, not cutting all the way to the end so that you have one continuous strip. and yes you'll have corners, but they don't matter they will just blend-in.

you will also need a 100% cotton yarn.

with your size 6 needles cast on 16 stiches with the cotton yarn.

row 1 add the tullle strip and knit together with the cotton yarn.

i like a small square for this scrubbie but you can make this as large as you like.

just keep knitting back and forth. untill desired length.

cast off and weave in ends.

nappy soaker

now that i have all the fiber i want i'm spinning yarn for a nappy soaker, for ty. it's a diaper cover. it's breathable, fast drying, and you never need to wash it. well let me explain, you lanolise it, use it for a week and then rinse, re-lanolise and let dry.

i'll let you know how it goes.

pics to follow.

home ownership

we were supposed to close on the 1st of October.


I'm sad to say that the home owner ship has been put on hold. the seller didn't get some survey done. so no house yet. the bank is saying friday by the earliest. and maybe next friday.

so let me talk a bit about all the plans i have for the new house. and of course we have 1.5 acres out back. the property is shaped like a T.

some new problem is holding up the purchase. i'm starting to wonder if it will ever happen. when the seller put up the fence he had an agreement with the neighbor that they were going to purchase a small wedge shaped piece of land. but that deal fell though but now the neighbor is saying that the wedge was given to her by the seller. it's a whole big mess. and with all the drama i'm wondering if it isn't a mistake living next to these people.


i'm going to have raised planting beds, to eliminate the need for a tiller. i never liked those noisy things anyway. they took the peacefulness that i got from gardening and destroyed it. i never thought gasoline powered machines should be a part of the same project of a small family garden. it's just too much gas, too close to my food source.



to add to the scenery behind my little garden, there is a pasture of grass grazing cow. and maybe in my yard there will be free roaming chickens. this little fact is still up in the air.

October 28

we signed the papers and everything has been a big push to get moved in to the new house. we had the walls insulated, we ordered new windows, the old ones i think i can use to make a green house for my garden, we are having a garage built. and we still haven't fully moved in yet.

the husband is working 11 hour days and still driving an hour to and from work. and he is doing this 6 days a week. so very little is getting moved. thankfully we have all the time in the world to move out of the old apartment. well maybe not all the time in the world. but there isn't any pressure to be out.

spinning

i've started playing with my fiber that i just got back from the mill. look at all those bags of fiber. i'm so excited, the yarn that i'm spinning is so nice and by no means am i a expert spinner so the yarn is still lumpy. but it's the best yarn i've spun to date. and that means at least i'm getting better.

this is an empty bobbin

this is a full bobbin, and now i'm going to make a alpaca diaper cover for ty. and he will have a nice warm, wolly butt this winter.

fiber

white/ cream roving from 2008 season sheared in april
from sid.

i've just gotten some of my 2008 fiber back from the mill. oh and it is gorgious. now i can spin my little heart out. if anyone would like some roving or yarn, please post your desire in the comments. the yarn is $6/ounce and the roving is $3/ounce, the skeins have been coming out to 3.5 ounces ruffly. the colors i have are white/ cream, brown/cream, and a dark red brown. all the colors are the natural color of the animal no dies were used, i just don't think it looks right.


i have been practicing my spinning.


i can't wait to start using it for a diaper cover i have been dieing to make. it will be great after i lanionize it. so ty will have a nice dry cozy bottom and i will have less wash to do, i think 3 pair will do.

grandma's old fashion soap

old fashions soap like grandma used to make. i'm not sure is my grand mother made her own soap but i am sure that my grandma durfee did. grandma and grandpa durfee were the ultimate homesteaders. i remember a vast garden, with the biggest pear tree right in the middle of it, and chickens. as a child i loved that place, i think because it was so much different then what was "normal" for me at my house. still somehow i knew that it made more sense to me even way back then. even if i didn't fully under stand what was going on.

we always went there for all the holidays. and everything there just felt right.




my grandma's old fashion soap recipe.

3 pounds of tallow.
water and lye.
add essential oil flavor of your choice


disclamer run any recipes for soap thru soapcalc.com before you attempt at home.

sour dough recipe

sour dough.. now that you caught those little wild beastlys, what do you do with them? well make bread. remember the older the starter the better sour taste you will get so save a little.

keeping the wild things alive is easy, put them in the fridge, and once a week take out the wild things and feed them a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of water and stir. leave out for about 10 to 12 hours. and then put them back in the fridge.

when you use some. replace it with the same amount of flour and water. leave out 10 to 12 hours and then stick them back in the fridge.

sour dough

1 1/2 cup starter
4 to 5 1/2 cups bread flour, all purpose will work
1pkg or 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup very warm water 120 to 130 degrees
2 tablespoons cornmeal optional

Instructions

measure out 1 1/2 cup cold starter. set aside and let warm to room temp.

start with 2 cups of flour, yeast, salt in a bowl, stir.

add room temp. starter and the warm water, mix.

add remaining flour as needed to form a soft dough.

sprinkle remaining flour on counter, and kneed dough for 8 to 10 minutes.

coat with oil, or shortening. let rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled.

grease two bread pans with shortening and sprinkle in a tablespoon of cornmeal.

divide into two, shape in to loaf. place one in each pan and let rise again 30 to 45 min.

bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

bread is done when golden brown and sounds hollow.

a day at the pumpkin patch

scrubbing bubbles

scrubbing bubbles dish cloth

using size 6 needles

cast on 30 stitches
row 1 k1, p1 across row
row 2 p1, k1 across row
row 3 repeat row 1

row 4 k1, p1, k1, * (k1,p1,k1) in same st, P3tog rep from * across row end withp1,k1,p1

row 5 p1, k1, p1, purl across to last 3 st, k1, p1, k1

row 6 k1, p1, k1 * p3tog, (k1, p1, k1)in same st rep from* across row end with p1, k1, p1.

row 7 p1, k1, p1, purl across to last 3 st k1, p1, k1.

repeat rows 4-7 till desired length.

repeat rows 1-3

cast off. weave in ends. done.

grandma's october picnic

today grandma had a picnic. we had ham, and we ate inside. it was fun to get away from my everyday life. we took Ty and the dog with us. i had a great time, just what i needed i didn't have to cook or any thing else, like frantically clean my house in anticipation of the move to the new house. Ty and i had a great time all we did was play all day i guess i really didn't let anyone hold him but everyone got a brief turn.

i worry about the drive i realize that we don't have the most gas efficient vehicle. so for the planet it wasn't such a great move. i guess it makes more sense to drive three hours when we could stay longer. maybe that would make me feel better about the trip.

but where is that line in the sand? where is the balance? I've heard people say that they try to never go anywhere in the car. but that doesn't really answer the question for the rest of us, that have to use the car. maybe someday my answer will be that i don't use the car but for right now, it's not my reallity.

home at last

i've stopped working for the season, even though the store is still open and i still have to over see the day to day happenings. i'm not taking anymore of the shifts.



i have spent the time getting reacquainted with my son. my husband and i are attachment parenting and it is a lot of work, i think it is the hardest thing i have ever done. spending just a month back to work really damaged our relationship. i was able to take him to work with me, but this still wasn't the same as being at home. because at home everything is about and for him.

just when i thought things where looking up. and i thought that the house deal was finally going though. the stock market has a server down turn. these are hard enough times already and the stock market just adds to the tension we all are already feeling. now of course i'm thinking is it really a good time to even be buying a house?

but it does make me glad terry and i have spent so much time paying off out debt. neither of us has credit card debt, we paid off the car loan and now we are just paying for the truck, and i suppose if times really got bad we could sell one.

i can't wait for this house deal to go though. i'm planning my garden and my new simple life all around the new house, it's hard to plant a garden when you live in an apartment but i have managed to have a potted tomatoe plant every year we have lived here. i'm just ready for a proper garden. i have such fond memories of my childhood garden that my sister and mother used to tend. we had a neighbor that had a hugh garden and a small green house that he would start working in in january. he would plant tomatoes and cover them with plastic milk jugs so they where in their own little green houses. it was amazing to watch. and we would ask him for help with our little endevers. which when i was a kid seem like the whole world. i remember having tomatoes for dinner that where still hot from the sun, it was great.

apron

keeping it simple. i just finished a apron i started last night and you wouldn't think this was a big feet or anything but when you factor in a ten week old, a dog, a husband. yeah i'm suprised it's done. the pattern is from frog creek cottage. it's so cute and i'm looking for more pattern on line. i think i'm hooked.

a wild yeast trap

I've made sour dough before, everyone knows how you have to make the starter a week before you want bread. if your really lucky you have a starter that was made 100 years ago by your great grandmother. but for those of us that aren't that lucky. we make ours the week before and hope for the best.

so i made the traditional starter and a week later i made the bread. with out any satisfaction it tasted like white bread. so to the web i went looking for a different recipe; sure as the day is long that the recipe was the problem. Low and behold, San Francisco sour dough with the native wild yeast. so i thought to my self how do i get a hold of some of that wild yeast from my neck of the woods?

so back to the web i go looking for some way to collect, harvest, or trap some wild yeast that i was sure now was the problem to my tasteless dilemma.

So here is my trap, all you need is equal parts flour and water, i used a table spoon. and an open window. the really great part is that the wild beasts are all around and all you have to do is provide some food and they come running. Wait 8 hours add another table spoon of each and stir. wait another 8 hours add an 1/4 cup of each wait 8 more hours. Keep up this way until you have enough starter for your recipe. and the starter starts to smell sour. You don't have to worry about anything bad getting into your starter because the wild yeast make it uninhabitable for any thing else to live.


So after my 3 additions and 24 hours i had starter. I mixed it with the first so i had enough for my recipe and I'm pleasantly surprised there is a difference, a slightly more sour result. Not maybe it's because of the wild yeast or the age of the first starter. But I'm willing to keep experimenting to find out. I love sour dough. I've only had good sour dough once before but I'll never forget it and I've been trying to hunt down a good loaf for years. with out any success, so now I'm just going to make it myself.

soap

yesterday i made a batch of lavender soap and to my surprise the stick blender worked marvelously. the soap made it to trace in just a few short minutes. this is way quicker that i am used to and was glad i prepared my mold a head of time.



today it was ready to cut. my last batches took almost a week before they were ready and they are still soft. this batch is amazing and hard to cut. it should be ready to use in a matter of weeks not days like i fear the previous batches will take.

now that i have had a batch of soap turn out satisfactory it is time to experiment with scents. and maybe some other additives like oatmeal.

day to day

i just spent the most wonderful day at home with my husband, tyler and jake (the dog). just cooking, cleaning and knitting. i lined my soap mold and thought about making another batch, but i just wanted to concentrated on centering the family. spending time taking care of each other.

i made almost everything for the meals from scratch. except these instant augrotten potatoes that my husband likes. i honestly have never tried to make them from scratch, but next time he wants them, i will try it.

i'm trying to find recipes that have a sour dough starter base. i started a new member of the family, this sour dough starter and now i want to find recipes. i read how you can just use water, flour and you can catch wild yeast to make a sour dough starter i'm trying it with another batch. so i got a recipe off the net of sour dough pancakes, i tried them. i'm not a fan i'm still looking for a pancake recipe. you have to kiss a couple of frogs. that one was definely a frog at my table.
also in this book i'm reading about nursing and breast feeding one of the ladies in there used her breastmilk to start a sour dough starter. to celabrate the end of her and her childs nursing relationship. that may not be up everyones ally but people have to do what works for them and forget everyone else.

i made meatballs last night for pasta. and i used the left-over to day for lunch- open faced meatball subs on thick cut garlic toast and melted mozzarilla chesse over them just a few minutes in the broiler and they where perfect. we eat well today.

last night i also checked out my carbon foot print. i was shocked. when we move and start growing our garden it will improve. i was suprised at the things they consider and i never thaught of before.

so for to nights dinner we went to the local famers mrket and bought locally grown corn for dinner. it was way better that the frozen i would have fixed if i wasn't thinking about it.

Tyler

just chillen on the couch in the outfit that Amy and Andy picked out for me.

what did you say?

rapped up cozy and warm in the blanket great grandma Joyce made me

sleeping in his bassinet. floating on a cloud.

Tyler's first hoodie, that aunt Diane got for him

Tyler

new born Tyler first day. still at the hospital.

Tyler days old, playing with mom on the couch.

Tyler hours after getting home, sleep on dad.

idiots dish cloth

I'm starting to knit dish cloths. i remember a pattern my mother taught me. i have no idea where she got this pattern or if she made it up her self i just remember using it as a child. and it is as follows:

used size 6 needles

cast on 4 stitches

knit 4 rows

pattern stitches

row 1: k2, yo knit to end, every row for 40 rows

row 41: k1, k2tog, yo, k2tog, knit to end until you have 4 stitches left

knit 4 rows, cast off, weave in ends.

these knit up really fast. they make nice dish cloths, with a simple detail. they are so easy i used to make them when i was learning to knit. so for all the young knitters, there is something they can work on and it's still functional if they don't get it exactly right. something you can use around the house, and every time you do they can be proud of themselves.

soap

I cut my soap today a recipe i came up with all by my self and the soap calculator of course. the first batch was a olive oil soap. i made it and stirred it by hand. I poured it when i thought i had trace but now i don't think i did. when i cut it it was like cutting mozzarella cheese on a very hot day, you know when it sticks to the knife and you have to scrape it off with your finger and you never get it all off the knife. my batch was olive oil based but had some other added oils as well. the trick with soap i discovered is stirring and not just stirring, whisking or beating. A stick blender would have came in handy. I'm not making another batch with out one. i tried to use this old beater we had and never used it worked slightly better that hand mixing but not much i think more power is the key. that is the batch i cut today. the consistency was a lot better. it actually cut and not smooched like the first. when i washed the residue off my hands it actually felt like soap, bubbles and everything.

soap

Soap. i made it today and it should be ready to unmold tomorrow morning. it was easier than i thought it would be. i did most of it before terry and tyler were out of bed. terry expressed concern about the lye aspect of the soap. and he gets so nervous about the unknown so i just yet him sleep until i was done with that part. without a stick blender it took a long time to trace. i will be on the look out for this item. i have tried to busy myself with other things. but i have peeked twice and the soap does seem to be getting thicker. i will cut it tomorrow and sadly find a place for it to cure for 4 to 8 weeks. it just seems like such a long time. but it is only my first batch. i want to see how long this batch is going to last so i can schedule my next batch so i don't run out or have to much setting around.

i also took it upon my self to construct a soap box. i priced them on line and they were so expensive. i went to the local hardware store and bought myself a 1x6x8 and i'm happy to say that i made two boxes for a third of the price of one online. they aren't very pretty, but they will be functional.

i think i'll make soap this year for Christmas. i think hand made gifts are the best. a few years back i made strawberry wine. i drank it i don't know if anyone else drank theirs. but that's not really the point.

pile of wood-soap

While i was waiting for the batch of soap i made myself a soap box i shopped for them online and was amazed at the price. So i went and got the supplies. i was able to make 2 boxes for way less than the price of one. i put a second batch in this box I'm still waiting. for the time to unveil my master piece.

Tyler

This is Tyler in the sleeper that his grandma got for him. he is 2 months old in this picture. wow i can't believe how fast he is growing, where does all the time go.

He has developed this habit of sucking on his hand and staring at the ceiling fan. well as long as he's happy i guess.

day to day

I got up early this morning. i made bread yesterday and used it this morning for breakfast. i have to work at my paid job today, i manage a seasonal ice cream shoppe. we are open from April to November, i realize this maybe a problem in regards to my simply life. because i seems that i will be busiest during these months with a garden, worms, preserving, and my family and then I'm off all winter when it would seem there is less to do, in new york anyway.

my corn bread recipe

This is also known as Yankee corn bread

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tblsp. baking power
1- 8 oz. can whole kernel corn

preheat oven to 400 degrees.grease bottom and side of round pan 9"x 1 1/2 " with shortening

beat milk, 1/4 cup butter, and egg in a large bowl. stir in remaining ingredients except the remaining butter. stir until flour is moist. there will be lumps. pour into pan.

bake 20 to 25 min. until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

remove from oven and use remaining butter on the top of the bread.

i made this last night. it was delicious. some times i forget what i can make from scratch and how good it can be. just another step in becoming self sufficient.

little steps to a big change

I want to start off by introducing my self. my name is Jen. this year i got married to a wonderful man named terry, had a baby boy named Tyler, and am in the process of buying a house. with all this excitement i have been searching for a calmer and more peaceful way of life. i wanted to move to the country and have some sort of hobby farm. but instead we found the perfect house right in town with 2 acres. this will be just small enough to keep me from getting carried away and hopefully big enough to provide a good source of vegetables for my family.

I have been doing alot of research on the topic of living simpler and i'm going to start.

Little steps to a big change. i have been baking, sewing, knitting, and crocheting all my life so i guess i have a head start in that department. what will be the hardest thing for me is de-cluttering. i have lots of stuff and i'm emotionally attached to my stuff. i always think i'll need it what ever it is someday and i better not part with it.

i have a plan to make soap for the first time on Sunday. i have been using homemade soap i got from the health food store. but i realize i still really don't know what's in it. so i have decided my first step simpler is homemade soap. i've read some articles about the chemicals in the things we use every day and how harmful they are. with a new baby at home i don't want to do anything to harm him.

when i cut back on the chemicals in my life i was suprised to reallize how stinky the world around me is. i really notice other peoples soaps,shampoos, and parfumes. my husband still isn't on board with the change. so i really smell him when he gets out of the shower, but i'm sure he will come around after all we are married. and in his words that's forever.