We may have guests come stay with us this weekend which means our 19 year old son will be moving out of his room for the weekend. We don't have a dedicated guest room - instead the child with the room with the nicest bed (we bought a nice queen sized bed for guests) knows that the "cost " of having the nice room all by themselves is that every few months they have to move out of it for a few days while we have guests. Since I don't have a guest room I have come up with ways to easily change the room a bit to make it more guest friendly. I bought guest only sheets and I use an antique bedspread on the bed. I bring in extra pillows, two of which are nice soft down and spread a throw over the end of the bed for extra warmth if it's an especially cold night. I've also bought some nice towels that I keep hidden away from general use since our guests have to share the upstairs bath with the four kids we still have at home.
I also keep a basket that I like to think of as my portable guest room. It has travel sized toiletries including ibuprofen and tums. I try to pick these things up when I see them on sale so I can keep the basket well stocked. I provide a snack basket too w/ fresh fruit, granola bars and chocolates. This, placed on the dresser w/ a carafe of water and some cups, keeps guests from feeling awkward about asking for a small snack to tide them through a time change adjustment.
I know our guest situation is not ideal and frankly I'm excited about someday having a bedroom dedicated to being a wonderful place for guest to stay, but in the mean time I am sure that I still need to be extending hospitality and hope that the warmth of our welcome makes up for the gaming posters and stacks of art supplies in the corner of the room.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Prepping for the Holidays
It is not too early to spend some time thinking about and planning for the holidays. I sat down last night and looked at my November and December Calendar. November will bring two family birthdays as well as a Samaritan's Purse Shoe Box Party and of course Thanksgiving, I have a Women's Ministry Tea, two events at my home as well as two weddings during the month so my "to do" list is already growing in length. I enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas and love having people over for dinner and parties, but only when I take some time before hand to both plan and prep for those dinners and parties. Here's my list of things I will do in the next few weeks. I hope it helps you to free yourself from the stress that the holidays can bring and lets you better enjoy being creative and reaching out in love to your family, friends and neighbors.
1. Go over the calendar and mark important cannot be moved or ignored event dates.
2. Plan how many times you want to host people in your home. If you don't want to host any parties, have anyone over a meal or will be going to visit family for Thanksgiving and Christmas think about how you can make the holidays special for your family or the people you will be visiting.
3. Create a guest list and menu for each event. Think about how and when you want invitations to go out and write it on your calendar.
4. Think through what decorations you want to use and check on the condition of Thanksgiving tablecloths and decorations now so you won't be surprised if you pull out you favorites the day before the big feast to find damage and stains.
5. Do fall cleaning. Like spring cleaning, fall cleaning is a deeper type of cleaning and also a time to put away all of the summers stuff like beach towels, patio furniture, and decor. I pay my kids to help me do jobs like washing baseboards and walls, checking ceilings for cob webs and cleaning fans. We also vacuum behind and under couches and chairs, wipe out light fixtures and clean blinds.
6. Create a time line plan for each event you've decided on. This should include plans to prebake and make food for the event, any cleaning or errands needed, etc. You can do this in a family meeting and assign tasks to each member who will be participating. Do as much food prep before the day of the event as possible. Pick foods with this in mind. Some desserts and breads can be made as much as a month ahead. Pies can be made a day or two ahead and even tasks like cooking rice and cutting up vegetables can be done before the day of your event (store in a bag or container with a tight fitting lid). Sweet potatoes and squash can be roasted the day before too.
7. Don't forget to plan what you and your family will wear. I have done this and it's not fun to realize about thirty minutes before your guests come that you don't have a clean pair of jeans or that your daughter's party dress needs to be ironed.
8. Think about what you guests will see as the come up to your house or apartment. Sweep off the front porch and clean the front door. Decorating with pots of live plants is easy and will give you weeks of color to enjoy.
9. Someday when you have been away from home for a few hours take the time to stop at your front door. When you open the door use your senses to "experience" your home. What do you see, is it welcoming? What do you smell? What do you hear? Think about how you can create a welcome for your guests by making sure that clutter is banished and off putting smells are dealt with (wet dog, kitty litter box, stinky trash cans, running shoes stored near the front entrance, etc.) there are many ways to scent a home for very little money - just placing bowls of lemons and oranges around will help as well as recharging old potpourri with essential oils. Simmering a mixture of cinnamon, orange peels, cloves and water can scent a whole house quickly too. Just make sure you keep the heat on low and replace water as needed. What mood are you going for at the gathering you are hosting? Music will help set the tone.
10. When you have planned and prepped, cleaned and dressed remember that hospitality is not about how good you are at hosting, but rather how you can bless those who have come to your home. Don't freak out over mistakes or accidents. You set the emotional tone of the gathering. Laugh at yourself and give yourself grace to flub something up and give others grace to spill a drink or drop cranberry sauce on your rug. peroxide and Oxiclean can work wonders.
1. Go over the calendar and mark important cannot be moved or ignored event dates.
2. Plan how many times you want to host people in your home. If you don't want to host any parties, have anyone over a meal or will be going to visit family for Thanksgiving and Christmas think about how you can make the holidays special for your family or the people you will be visiting.
3. Create a guest list and menu for each event. Think about how and when you want invitations to go out and write it on your calendar.
4. Think through what decorations you want to use and check on the condition of Thanksgiving tablecloths and decorations now so you won't be surprised if you pull out you favorites the day before the big feast to find damage and stains.
5. Do fall cleaning. Like spring cleaning, fall cleaning is a deeper type of cleaning and also a time to put away all of the summers stuff like beach towels, patio furniture, and decor. I pay my kids to help me do jobs like washing baseboards and walls, checking ceilings for cob webs and cleaning fans. We also vacuum behind and under couches and chairs, wipe out light fixtures and clean blinds.
6. Create a time line plan for each event you've decided on. This should include plans to prebake and make food for the event, any cleaning or errands needed, etc. You can do this in a family meeting and assign tasks to each member who will be participating. Do as much food prep before the day of the event as possible. Pick foods with this in mind. Some desserts and breads can be made as much as a month ahead. Pies can be made a day or two ahead and even tasks like cooking rice and cutting up vegetables can be done before the day of your event (store in a bag or container with a tight fitting lid). Sweet potatoes and squash can be roasted the day before too.
7. Don't forget to plan what you and your family will wear. I have done this and it's not fun to realize about thirty minutes before your guests come that you don't have a clean pair of jeans or that your daughter's party dress needs to be ironed.
8. Think about what you guests will see as the come up to your house or apartment. Sweep off the front porch and clean the front door. Decorating with pots of live plants is easy and will give you weeks of color to enjoy.
9. Someday when you have been away from home for a few hours take the time to stop at your front door. When you open the door use your senses to "experience" your home. What do you see, is it welcoming? What do you smell? What do you hear? Think about how you can create a welcome for your guests by making sure that clutter is banished and off putting smells are dealt with (wet dog, kitty litter box, stinky trash cans, running shoes stored near the front entrance, etc.) there are many ways to scent a home for very little money - just placing bowls of lemons and oranges around will help as well as recharging old potpourri with essential oils. Simmering a mixture of cinnamon, orange peels, cloves and water can scent a whole house quickly too. Just make sure you keep the heat on low and replace water as needed. What mood are you going for at the gathering you are hosting? Music will help set the tone.
10. When you have planned and prepped, cleaned and dressed remember that hospitality is not about how good you are at hosting, but rather how you can bless those who have come to your home. Don't freak out over mistakes or accidents. You set the emotional tone of the gathering. Laugh at yourself and give yourself grace to flub something up and give others grace to spill a drink or drop cranberry sauce on your rug. peroxide and Oxiclean can work wonders.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Fall is Somewhat in the Air
I realized the other day that I have not posted on this blog for a very long time. It's interesting how life runs sometimes. I've been doing more writing that I have for years but it has been a bit different from the short, practical pieces I am use to with blogging.
Homekeeping is an art. If you don't think of it as a creative and even artistic process it can become drudgery. OK, I know cleaning a bathroom or mopping a floor is not very creative. Just like kneading clay before making a pot or prepping a canvas before painting takes no creativity either, but if you look at the larger picture of creating a home that you, your family and friends enjoy, it's the prep work that makes the finished product possible. Imagine a beautifully decorated room w/ a dirty floor and smears from little hands across the walls or a table w/ great food served on dirty dishes. Yuck.
Hopefully I'll start blogging here a bit more regularly. In the meantime you might be interested in checking out my daughters' Sarah and Kristin's new blogs. Sarah has started a cooking blog potsnplans.blogspot.com and Kristin has two; a product review site kristinsreview.com and a site about her experiences as a mom and homemaker purposefulhomemaker.com.
Homekeeping is an art. If you don't think of it as a creative and even artistic process it can become drudgery. OK, I know cleaning a bathroom or mopping a floor is not very creative. Just like kneading clay before making a pot or prepping a canvas before painting takes no creativity either, but if you look at the larger picture of creating a home that you, your family and friends enjoy, it's the prep work that makes the finished product possible. Imagine a beautifully decorated room w/ a dirty floor and smears from little hands across the walls or a table w/ great food served on dirty dishes. Yuck.
Hopefully I'll start blogging here a bit more regularly. In the meantime you might be interested in checking out my daughters' Sarah and Kristin's new blogs. Sarah has started a cooking blog potsnplans.blogspot.com and Kristin has two; a product review site kristinsreview.com and a site about her experiences as a mom and homemaker purposefulhomemaker.com.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Spring Cleaning - Part 1
I started spring cleaning this week. I know that it is sort of an old fashioned concept, but I like knowing that every drawer and closet is going to be gone through twice a year and all those little cleaning jobs that just keep getting put off like cleaning light fixtures will be taken care of. I do my deep cleaning in May and October. In May I usually have to force myself to come inside and work through the list that resides in my head after all of these years of doing the same thing, but I find it is well worth it not to have out of control clutter and dust. Here's what I do.
I start in the kitchen and taking just 15 to 20 minutes a day some days I work through every drawer and then through every cabinet. When I do a drawer or cabinet shelf I pull everything out and wash down the interior. I also wash any drawer dividers or lazy-susans and set them aside to dry. When I have everything clean and I'm putting it all back I look through what was in the drawer or cabinet. Do I have too many of something, are they in good condition are they in the right space, do I actually use what ever it is? Those are the questions I ask myself. If I find I have too many of something or don't really use it it gets tossed into a give away box. Broken things head straight to trash.
The refrigerator also gets a through cleaning at this time w/ everything taken out, the interior washed down and the front bottom grill removed - to be cleaned but also so I can vacuum the coils underneath. Keeping the coils vacuumed helps the refrigerator run more efficiently saving you money on electricity. Another trick for an efficient refrigerator is to keep it filled w/ water jugs if it's not full of food. Cold is stored in the jugs keeping the temp even and reducing energy use.
I start in the kitchen and taking just 15 to 20 minutes a day some days I work through every drawer and then through every cabinet. When I do a drawer or cabinet shelf I pull everything out and wash down the interior. I also wash any drawer dividers or lazy-susans and set them aside to dry. When I have everything clean and I'm putting it all back I look through what was in the drawer or cabinet. Do I have too many of something, are they in good condition are they in the right space, do I actually use what ever it is? Those are the questions I ask myself. If I find I have too many of something or don't really use it it gets tossed into a give away box. Broken things head straight to trash.
The refrigerator also gets a through cleaning at this time w/ everything taken out, the interior washed down and the front bottom grill removed - to be cleaned but also so I can vacuum the coils underneath. Keeping the coils vacuumed helps the refrigerator run more efficiently saving you money on electricity. Another trick for an efficient refrigerator is to keep it filled w/ water jugs if it's not full of food. Cold is stored in the jugs keeping the temp even and reducing energy use.
Monday, May 10, 2010
May Already!
I love gardening. There is something about experiencing the cycles of the year and watching the miracle of rebirth that makes my heart sing w/ worship towards our incredibly creative God.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Bits and Pieces
I've been pretty busy and haven't posted as much as I would like to. I'm still testing out the liquid detergent I made about a month ago. It does pretty well with our clothing, but I've passed it off to my daughter Rebekah to test on her laundry which includes the clothing of an 11 month and 3 year old. One thing I've noticed is that things come out of the dryer nice and soft w/o the use of dryer sheets or liquid fabric softener.
Rebekah also passed on a recipe for energy bars that I really like. I can't seem to keep myself from tweaking things so I replaced 1/4 of the crispy brown rice cereal w/ the granola I make as well as adding 1/2 cup coconut and 1/2 cup sliced almonds. I've also added chocolate chips which got rave reviews from my boys. I've been wrapping the cooled and cut bars in aluminum foil and leaving them in a bowl for the kids to grab for on the go snacks. Here's the basic recipe;
Crispy Peanut Butter Rice Bars
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup brown rice syrup
4 cups crispy brown rice
In small sauce pan over medium low heat stir brown rice syrup and peanut butter until smooth. Pour over crispy brown rice and stir gently. Pour into 9x13 well greased pan and allow to cool. Cut to desired size.
Rebekah also passed on a recipe for energy bars that I really like. I can't seem to keep myself from tweaking things so I replaced 1/4 of the crispy brown rice cereal w/ the granola I make as well as adding 1/2 cup coconut and 1/2 cup sliced almonds. I've also added chocolate chips which got rave reviews from my boys. I've been wrapping the cooled and cut bars in aluminum foil and leaving them in a bowl for the kids to grab for on the go snacks. Here's the basic recipe;
Crispy Peanut Butter Rice Bars
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup brown rice syrup
4 cups crispy brown rice
In small sauce pan over medium low heat stir brown rice syrup and peanut butter until smooth. Pour over crispy brown rice and stir gently. Pour into 9x13 well greased pan and allow to cool. Cut to desired size.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Mushrooms, Laundry Soap Update
Well I've been a mushroom farmer for just under two weeks and have harvested my first crop of wonderful, heavy shiitake mushrooms. The mushrooms started appearing about two days after I received my mushroom block from mushroompeople.com and started watering it. I harvested the first mushrooms 4 days after receiving the block. Tonight I am going to soak the block to start the next harvest. The mushroom have been much heavier than the bulk mushroom I buy in the store and after leaving a mushroom on the counter over night I was amazed at how much weight it had lost as it quickly started drying out. I've enjoyed the process of "mushroom farming" enough to sign up for a local how to clinic at the end of the month where I will learn how to inoculate a block (or log) myself.
Making my own laundry soap has also been an adventure mainly because I have a tendency to look at the recipe or formula for something and start wondering how I can "tweak" it. When I looked at the laundry detergent recipes I was most interested in the liquid ones since I have a front loader and do most of my laundry using cold water. When I've used powder in the past I have have had a problem getting the powder to dissolve and go from the detergent cup to the washer unless it is very concentrated like Charlie's Soap. What I ended up doing was taking the Duggar's liquid soap recipe since that had been recommended to me and tweaking it by making a half batch, making it more concentrated and also by using a vegetable based soap instead of the Fels Naptha they use since it is made w/ petroleum products. I've been using the detergent for over a week now and after a bit more consumer testing (handing it off to my daughter Rebekah to use in a top loader and w/ baby items in the laundry) I'll share the recipe.
I have one other new thing (or maybe I should say old thing rediscovered) I've been playing with this week. I just bought a pressure cooker. I grew up with my mom's pressure cooker being used to make wonderful soups and tender roasts so I'm excited about my experimentation. So far I've made an incredible chicken vegetable soup, an equally good bean soup and tonight I'm making black beans to serve w/ tacos. Crazy thing cooked them in about 1/2 hour from start to finish. I'm hunting for a good grass fed piece of chuck roast to see if I can duplicate the roasts I remember from my youth...
Making my own laundry soap has also been an adventure mainly because I have a tendency to look at the recipe or formula for something and start wondering how I can "tweak" it. When I looked at the laundry detergent recipes I was most interested in the liquid ones since I have a front loader and do most of my laundry using cold water. When I've used powder in the past I have have had a problem getting the powder to dissolve and go from the detergent cup to the washer unless it is very concentrated like Charlie's Soap. What I ended up doing was taking the Duggar's liquid soap recipe since that had been recommended to me and tweaking it by making a half batch, making it more concentrated and also by using a vegetable based soap instead of the Fels Naptha they use since it is made w/ petroleum products. I've been using the detergent for over a week now and after a bit more consumer testing (handing it off to my daughter Rebekah to use in a top loader and w/ baby items in the laundry) I'll share the recipe.
I have one other new thing (or maybe I should say old thing rediscovered) I've been playing with this week. I just bought a pressure cooker. I grew up with my mom's pressure cooker being used to make wonderful soups and tender roasts so I'm excited about my experimentation. So far I've made an incredible chicken vegetable soup, an equally good bean soup and tonight I'm making black beans to serve w/ tacos. Crazy thing cooked them in about 1/2 hour from start to finish. I'm hunting for a good grass fed piece of chuck roast to see if I can duplicate the roasts I remember from my youth...
Friday, February 19, 2010
Laundry and Taxes
A lot of my time over the last few weeks has been filled by working to get everything ready for our accountant to do our business taxes. I switched accounting programs mid-year so it has been quite task to check and double check everything. To add to it all when I updated the new program in December it changed all entered checks to one payee and budget category. Finally, I have finished and have delivered the files to our accountant. Whew!
During this time period with all of the extra work I've been doing I have had little time to do much more than surface clean and do laundry basics. I'm still looking into the make your own laundry soap vs. well made plant based soaps. I bought all the ingredients for making my own laundry detergent this week except for the bar soap I need. I may just settle for a some from Trader Joe's but wanted to look around a bit first. I'm also considering adding some essential oils - just need to do a bit more research first.
My eldest daughter Kristin has decided to try blogging and her first blog entry happens to be about the challenges of a mom w/ lots of little ones being motivated to do the laundry. Her blog is located at http://purposefulhomemaker.blogspot.com/
One other sort of odd tidbit of note, I ordered a grow your own mushroom kit from http://everythingmushrooms.com and it arrived yesterday. We are attempting shitake mushrooms on a grow block in our kitchen. I'll post some pictures as they appear (that is a statement of faith!).
During this time period with all of the extra work I've been doing I have had little time to do much more than surface clean and do laundry basics. I'm still looking into the make your own laundry soap vs. well made plant based soaps. I bought all the ingredients for making my own laundry detergent this week except for the bar soap I need. I may just settle for a some from Trader Joe's but wanted to look around a bit first. I'm also considering adding some essential oils - just need to do a bit more research first.
My eldest daughter Kristin has decided to try blogging and her first blog entry happens to be about the challenges of a mom w/ lots of little ones being motivated to do the laundry. Her blog is located at http://purposefulhomemaker.blogspot.com/
One other sort of odd tidbit of note, I ordered a grow your own mushroom kit from http://everythingmushrooms.com and it arrived yesterday. We are attempting shitake mushrooms on a grow block in our kitchen. I'll post some pictures as they appear (that is a statement of faith!).
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Easy Ways to Freshen Up a Room for Very Little or No Money, Part 2
I wanted to mention some other ways I've found to freshen the look/ feel of a room over the years.
1. I know I have mentioned the smell of a room or home before, but I really believe it is an important element of creating a home. It can also be done for very little money and in a green way that does not put petroleum based artificial scents in the air. My favorite way to scent my home is w/ essential oils. You can buy small vials of essential oils at Whole Foods or any health food store. These oils can be mixed into old potpourri and placed in interesting containers or used in many other ways to release scent over time. http://www.repair-home.com/home_decor_scents.html is a site with some good ideas on creating a well scented home.
2. Rotate accessories according to season. Change out accessories as the seasons or holidays come up. Keep off season accessories in labeled storage containers in a closet storage room.
3. Change out artwork and pictures. Don't let you home get stuck in a time warp. Change out photos and make sure your art work is either classic or gets updated every once in awhile too. If your frames are out of date try spray painting them black to update them w/o buying new ones.
4. Use live plants w/ seasonal flowers to bring freshness to a room. Bulbs and branches can be forced by placing them in water and keeping them indoors for an inexpensive spot of color and sometimes scent.
1. I know I have mentioned the smell of a room or home before, but I really believe it is an important element of creating a home. It can also be done for very little money and in a green way that does not put petroleum based artificial scents in the air. My favorite way to scent my home is w/ essential oils. You can buy small vials of essential oils at Whole Foods or any health food store. These oils can be mixed into old potpourri and placed in interesting containers or used in many other ways to release scent over time. http://www.repair-home.com/home_decor_scents.html is a site with some good ideas on creating a well scented home.
2. Rotate accessories according to season. Change out accessories as the seasons or holidays come up. Keep off season accessories in labeled storage containers in a closet storage room.
3. Change out artwork and pictures. Don't let you home get stuck in a time warp. Change out photos and make sure your art work is either classic or gets updated every once in awhile too. If your frames are out of date try spray painting them black to update them w/o buying new ones.
4. Use live plants w/ seasonal flowers to bring freshness to a room. Bulbs and branches can be forced by placing them in water and keeping them indoors for an inexpensive spot of color and sometimes scent.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Easy Ways to Freshen Up a Room for Very Little or No Money, Part 1
When I have worked w/ friends by going into their homes and helping them take what they have and use it to redo the room there are several decorating mistakes or missed opportunities that I commonly see. Just by tweaking, a room can be given a facelift that costs very little, if anything.
1. De clutter you space! Take everything off the walls and all small objects and books off of shelves. Remove all toys, magazines, pillows etc. Pile them in the middle of the room if you have to. Then decided what goes back into the space. Only put back in the space what you truely use, like and enjoy. If you have too many books (my constant problem) go through and see what you can part with and what might be able to be stored in labeled boxes in a closet (old textbooks you haven't looked at in five years, double copies of your favorite classics, paperbacks you read but now years later know you're not likely to reread). If toys are taking over you living space allow only what will fit neatly into a nice basket or two to be in the living space and store the rest in bedrooms (more on toys later!). Store these out of plain view so the room can become a grown up space in the evenings. Of course, if you have a new baby there will probably be a swing or jumper/play center somewhere in the room for the first 8 months or so, but try not to store too much baby paraphernalia in plain sight. A basket for diapers, wipes and toys tucked to the side of a couch looks much better than having things stacked on a coffee table. It's really not about how things look so much as the emotions you experience when entering an uncluttered, visually pleasing room versus a cluttered, unappealing one.
2. If painting is an option, it gives the most bang for you buck. A gallon of low VOC paint is about 30.00 and the average living/family room should take about two gallons if you are not dramatically changing colors. If you've never painted before there are online tutorials. Painting is not difficult but does need to be dome with care and precision.
3. With all pictures off your walls rethink how you have them hung. The rule of thumb is that the middle of the picture or print should be at the average persons eye height which can range from about 5 feet to 5 feet 5 inches (remember it's eye height not head height). Over a couch you can place prints or painting where the bottom of the frame is about a foot from the frame of the couch - unless the couch is very low ( sit on the couch and check head clearance). The top of the frame/s should still be about eye height or a bit above. Many people hang picture way too high on their walls so they look disconnected to the furniture. Arrange the pieces on the floor to get a sense of how a grouping will look or take the time to cut newspaper or brown wrapping paper into the size and shape of your pieces and play with their placement on the wall w/ tape to play with arrangements.
4. Play with furniture placement and also evaluate whether you have too much furniture stuffed in a space or too little for your needs.
5. Look around the rest of the house to bring in new elements. Swap pictures around, re purpose a small table or chest. Switch out lamps, etc.
6. Use new pillows and throws for a pop of new color at a reasonable price.
1. De clutter you space! Take everything off the walls and all small objects and books off of shelves. Remove all toys, magazines, pillows etc. Pile them in the middle of the room if you have to. Then decided what goes back into the space. Only put back in the space what you truely use, like and enjoy. If you have too many books (my constant problem) go through and see what you can part with and what might be able to be stored in labeled boxes in a closet (old textbooks you haven't looked at in five years, double copies of your favorite classics, paperbacks you read but now years later know you're not likely to reread). If toys are taking over you living space allow only what will fit neatly into a nice basket or two to be in the living space and store the rest in bedrooms (more on toys later!). Store these out of plain view so the room can become a grown up space in the evenings. Of course, if you have a new baby there will probably be a swing or jumper/play center somewhere in the room for the first 8 months or so, but try not to store too much baby paraphernalia in plain sight. A basket for diapers, wipes and toys tucked to the side of a couch looks much better than having things stacked on a coffee table. It's really not about how things look so much as the emotions you experience when entering an uncluttered, visually pleasing room versus a cluttered, unappealing one.
2. If painting is an option, it gives the most bang for you buck. A gallon of low VOC paint is about 30.00 and the average living/family room should take about two gallons if you are not dramatically changing colors. If you've never painted before there are online tutorials. Painting is not difficult but does need to be dome with care and precision.
3. With all pictures off your walls rethink how you have them hung. The rule of thumb is that the middle of the picture or print should be at the average persons eye height which can range from about 5 feet to 5 feet 5 inches (remember it's eye height not head height). Over a couch you can place prints or painting where the bottom of the frame is about a foot from the frame of the couch - unless the couch is very low ( sit on the couch and check head clearance). The top of the frame/s should still be about eye height or a bit above. Many people hang picture way too high on their walls so they look disconnected to the furniture. Arrange the pieces on the floor to get a sense of how a grouping will look or take the time to cut newspaper or brown wrapping paper into the size and shape of your pieces and play with their placement on the wall w/ tape to play with arrangements.
4. Play with furniture placement and also evaluate whether you have too much furniture stuffed in a space or too little for your needs.
5. Look around the rest of the house to bring in new elements. Swap pictures around, re purpose a small table or chest. Switch out lamps, etc.
6. Use new pillows and throws for a pop of new color at a reasonable price.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Laundry Day .2
I got back from a trip last night which always means I have laundry to catch up on which made me think about a few emails from friends I've gotten and some facebook posts I've seen about making your own laundry detergent. The recipe is pretty simple and I tried it once years ago. It worked ok but gathering the washing soda, borax, large air tight container and the soap I wanted to use took several trips to different stores. I only did it once. As it seems to be making a resurgance in popularity I wondering if anyone has done a load to load cost comparison between homemade and Charlie's Soap? Charlie's Soap a NC company so for those of us in NC it's buying local and at Whole Foods an 80 load bag of powder is right at 10.00. if you add NC sales tax (I approximated at 8 cents per dollar) it's 13.5 cents a load. It works well and clothing comes out soft. Another thing I've noticed is lack of static cling this winter. It might be the Charlies Soap or it might be that fewer of our clothes are synthetic. They also sell a liquid soap.
If you've made your own detergent and have noted the price per load please comment w/ how much per load your detergent cost.
If you've made your own detergent and have noted the price per load please comment w/ how much per load your detergent cost.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Real Texas Chili for a Cold Night
It was supposed to be 17 degrees here last night. That's about 15 degrees lower than the average winter night temp for this part of NC. When it's cold like this I always like to make Chili. Between the temperature of the food and the heat of the chilies it is very warming. Since my husband is Texas born and bred I make Texas chili. When we lived in TX if you went to any kind of chili contest or casual chili supper there are two things you didn't find in a native Texan's chili - beans and chicken. That's not to say that Texan's don't make a white bean chicken chili - they just don't bring it to a chili cook off event unless they have a very thick skin.
Back in the 80's when we still lived in our hometown of Longview, Texas an elderly man at our church decided that I needed a lesson in chili making (maybe because I was a transplant from New York). He proceeded to verbally describe a chili recipe quite different that the typical ground beef, tomato and spices. He told me that real Texas chili not only never had beans in it but it shouldn't have ground beef either. He described a recipe that had me running to the store after ingredients as soon as possible. That's why I call this Real Texas Chili. Another thing about chili is that it is fun to play with. Over the years I've tried some pretty funky spices and chilies. When you get this chili made it has far less tomato presence and more of a beefy, meaty flavor than regular chili recipes.
Real Texas Chili
2 pounds of chuck roast or already cut up stew meat (I use low fat grass fed beef), cut into bite sized pieces
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 good size cloves of garlic, diced
4 cups of chicken stock (you may use water, but stock does add to the richness of flavor)
In large stock pan brown the beef in oil, add onion when meat is about halfway browned and garlic when it is almost browned on both sides. Add stock cover and simmer on medium low for about an hour (or place in crock pot with all ingredients except cornmeal and cook on low for 6 hours). Check beef to see if it is starting to break apart easily when pushed with a fork, if not give it a few more minutes. Add;
1 large can of crushed tomatos
1 can of Rotel tomatos
1 teaspoon of chili powder (add more to taste if desired AFTER tasting chili. Chili powder can vary widely in hotness and flavor)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, optional (this is my secret ingredient)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons salt
You might also want to add;
extra green chilies, hot sauce or diced jalapeños just be sure to go slowly and taste between additions. I make my chili medium hot and place bowls of chopped jalapeños and bottles of hot sauce on the table for those who really like it flaming hot.
Simmer chili for about 30 minutes on low to combine flavors. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cornmeal over the top of the chili and then stir it in. If using a crockpot this should be done about 15 to 20 minutes before it will be served to give cornmeal time to expand. Stir well breaking up any clumps w/ back of spoon. This is the thickener that takes the chili from a soup to a chili. Add more cornmeal if you'd like it even thicker.
Serve w/ cheese to sprinkle on top and either tortilla chips or cornbread on the side.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
To Paint Apple or Heath
I've been looking at paint samples for the last few months trying to decide what color green to paint my kitchen. It has been green for the last five years or so and I really like the color, but since we are taking the popcorn insulation off of the ceiling in the kitchen and breakfast room I need to repaint. I like to paint. It's the quickest, cheapest way to change and freshen a room and there is something therapeutic to me about rolling this fresh, new color over the old (or over a coat of primer if the color is very different). This kitchen has taken me forever (well at least since October) to decide. I like to bring the paint samples home and tape them to the wall to see how the light at different times of day effects the color. Then when I've narrowed my choices down or if I think I've found THE one I go buy a sample of the color and paint it on a strip of the wall. I then walk around looking at it for a few days and usually know very quickly whether I want to commit. Not this time. For some reason I am vacillating between the very popular greens that have quite a bit of yellow in them and a more neutral green. I brought a color card home called jalapeño and even went so far as to try it as a sample and then go buy a gallon. I really like the color, but for some reason I just couldn't use it in the kitchen. So now our upstairs bath is jalapeño green and it is very becoming with the white bead board we have up to chair rail height. This of course means I'm back to looking for the perfect green. I picked up more samples this week, apple and heath, hmmmm.
One thing for sure when I do pick a paint it will be a low or no VOC. VOC is short for volatile organic compound and a paint that is formulated not to have VOCs or be very low in VOCs makes painting a much more pleasant experience; no more strong smell that lasts for days and of course that means it is much healthier for you. So far I have used both Home Depot and Lowe's with good results. I painted my bedroom this last summer and was very pleased with being able to sleep in the room that night, after a day of painting, with no detectable paint odor.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Some Lessons Learned
The first few days if 2010 have got me in both a look back and look forward mode. When I looked back over the last year I thought about some of the things I have discovered or tried sometime in the last twelve months and thought I'd list a few of my favorites in no particular order.
1. maryjanesfarm.org This is a wonderful site that I found after discovering the magazine Mary Jane's Farm back in October. This could keep me occupied for hours and I've only had a chance to mine a little of the information.
2. I can live w/o paper towels (although I'm not sure all of my family member can). I tried not using paper towel and found it really wasn't very difficult to make the switch to using more cloth kitchen towels. I tried to figure out how much money I could save and in this family of six and buying in bulk, I figure I was still spending over 150.00 - just on paper towels. I also was not recycling them so they were just going to the landfill. I have not totally changed out the paper towel habit. We still have them, but I personally have cut way back and we will be easing into an almost paper towel free life soon.
3. Shepherds Pie. Somehow I missed the whole shepherds pie debate of the last few years (whether it's authentic shepherds pie if you use cheese). My daughter Kristin introduced us to the dish last winter. I actually made it tonight. It's got to be close to the top on the comfort foods list. You can find all kinds of recipes for it. I've opted for a low fat ground beef version made with only beef, onion, celery, carrots, stock, potato starch to thicken and then mashed potatoes. I did make my daughter Alyssa (who's a vegetarian) a broccoli, cauliflower, carrot version w/ cheese on the mashed potato topping. Here are several recipes http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-00,shepherds_pie,FF.html
4.You can plant a garden in a bag of dirt. In looking through gardening information I ran across a plan to lay a bag of soil on the ground, slit the top in a cross pattern and plant seedings or seed right there w/o the work of digging up anything. My daughter Rebekah and I opted for a slightly different version of this at her house when we built 2 wooden frames 4 feet by 8 feet w/ 2 x6's, laid 5 layers of newspapers in the bottom and filled them with a mix of compost and topsoil. We planted all kinds of things and then mulched heavily for an almost instant garden.
5. Alyssa is not only a vegetarian but also has both corn and wheat allergies that were discovered last spring after repeated trips to the Dr. for rib pain. I've been discovering how to bake and cook w/o these two ingredients that are in almost everything. It's caused me to think about food in different ways. I've been experimenting with baking and also w/ using grains and vegetables. It's been a challenge and I'll share some of the recipes I've found or have converted this year.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
One of my daughters requested that I send her my scone recipe so I thought I'd post it here. I owned a coffee/tea shop a few years ago and developed this recipe for my tea room. We served an English Tea when requested and the scones were popular both in the tea room and in front in the coffee shop. The dough refrigerates and even freezes well when made into rounds, wrapped and then frozen. Let it come to room temp, cut the scones and bake. Use cream for special occasions, but half 'n half makes a nice product too.
Sips English Cream Tea Scones
375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes
(This recipe doubles easily)
2 cups unbleached flour
¼ cup sugar (I use raw)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into chucks
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup cream or half ‘n half
If using food processor; place flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in bowl. Add cut up butter and process until well blended. Remove to bowl. In 2 cup measuring cup measure cream, add egg and vanilla and blend w/ whisk or fork. Pour over flour and mix gently. Knead in bowl just two or three times. Half dough for smaller scones or make one large round for large scones. One well floured board shape and flatten dough into a circle about 1/2 to ¾ inches thick. Cut circle into eighths. Brush tops w/ left over cream, egg mixture (or cream alone). Sprinkle tops w/ raw sugar if making sweet scones or just cream for savory. Repeat w/ other half of dough. Place scones on cookie sheet (parchment paper under is nice but not necessary. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Add Currants, chocolate chips, cranberries, nuts, or cheese to dough after mixing in liquids for flavored scones.
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