Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Third Week of January

 

Saturday:   How is it even possible that we're starting our third week of January?  It is my hope that we won't fly through this year.   I would much prefer to meander slowly along, window shopping and being a tourist of the year, in no great hurry to get anywhere much...Sort of the way we act when we are in St. Augustine and we are parked where there is no timed meter ticking away our visit.   We stop and rest and we get up and wander down interesting little streets and we sort of savor the whole thing.  Now I do realize that '21 might not be all that savory.  But it might be and I don't want to rush headlong through the month.  

We woke this morning to the wind roaring overhead.  It only does this in winter and it's usually well above the house and tree tops.  We might note a breeze on the ground but the volume of the wind, both sound and quantity, are always well over head.   I could hear it in the tops of the tall pines but it was not rattling branches and leaves on the ground.    It makes such a lot of noise and can be unsettling when it goes on for days on end as it has done occasionally, but this just started this morning and by afternoon had settled down to a normal ground level winter breeze.  I wore my winter coat when we went out and it was very welcome.  It was COLD!

Katie's household succumbed to what is called The Daycare Crud.  Caleb's been in daycare two weeks and has had double ear infections (non-contagious) and this daycare crud which he shared with his parents.  Katie called this morning and asked for Mama's Chicken Soup.   I hadn't planned to make Chicken Soup today but it's the one thing that she wants when she's truly sick and I know she's sick if she asks for it.  She sounded hoarse and stuffy this morning when she called.  

I had to dig broth out of my freezer which meant going clear to the bottom of it.  I found chicken and I gathered my trinity of vegetables: carrot, onions, celery.   

I've made up my mind that in future, when I'm making broth, I shall gift her a container or two of each batch as that is the first thing she wants when she's really sick, is my homemade broth turned into soup.  Even the broth alone, well seasoned would do a sick body a world of good and she always has seasonings on hand.   My personal stock of broth is running a bit low.   Fortunately I have a whole chicken to roast some day soon and I will cook up another batch.   

I figured if I was going to make chicken soup this morning, I might as well make a stock pot full so I could gift her a lot and have a meal for ourselves.   It  is good soup...So good that John volunteered we have more of it tonight for supper. 

She got a big gallon jar of soup about midday.   I made a huge pot of it, with lots of garlic and parsley and turmeric and lemon pepper and the  aromatic vegetables that makes savory soups and stews and roasts so good and so especially nourishing.  I also included a big old peanut butter jar (29 ounce) size of homemade chili and a can of pineapple.  I know there are good healing qualities in all those things.   

 Katie wants to push through the worst of this cold between now and tomorrow evening.  She's started a new job and is taking tests this next week to get her license for the position, a license she's talked about for two years now.   She doesn't want to have to postpone the opportunity now that she's so close to having it.

I am grateful for the beautifully sunny day, even if it is cold.   We slept late this morning.  My two days of pain are gone, for which I am deeply thankful.  I've read, colored in my Bible, and given myself a fresh mani/pedi.   I've stood in a sunny spot on the carpet and soaked up the warmth and light flowing in through the window.  Even my toes soaked up warmth from the carpet.   It's been a lovely, restful day.  

Meals:  Peanut Butter Toast, Cereal

Chicken Soup

Chicken Soup, Pimento Cheese Sandwich

Sunday:  We went to church this morning, attending the early service as always.  Afterwards we headed around the corner to the bread store and picked up organic bread for our freezer.   Then we went over to Aldi to do our small grocery shop.  This shop was meant for right now use: eggs, produce, chips, cheese, dairy items were about all we got.  It wasn't the biggest grocery haul we've had and we were buying for a shorter period than we typically do but somehow the cost was higher than I expected.  There were no splurge items or impulse purchases either.  We didn't go down most aisles, just walked the perimeter of the store.  

We came home and I made lunch while I unpacked our foods and put them away.   After lunch, I put a heating pad on my aching hip and knee which had kept me awake the night before.  The moment that heat began to seep into my aching bones, I went right off to sleep.  John woke me but not fully, when he put a pillow behind my head.  I think I slept nearly two hours and it was much needed.

This evening we went to the senior adult supper and service.  I am still on the fence about this group.   True, I do fit into it age wise but I don't feel I do.  I'm trying hard to make connections with others and get to know them.   It was lovely to be invited to sit with another couple near our age and then joined by another couple in the same group, too.  I enjoyed the sermon.  The meal was fine but nothing to rave over.   

I'm afraid I was terribly distracted by the young mother with four children and her mother/mother-in-law who sat in front of us.   Four children are quite a handful and the grandmother had one while the mother had three to deal with.  The mother wanted the one to stop doing something and the grandmother kept encouraging her in it.  It made me feel tense and anxious but then I decided it was none of my business and I purposely focused on the pastor who was speaking.  It was hard to ignore the family thing right in front of my nose but I did get something from the sermon once I stopped following the actions of the family.

On the way home, John asked what I thought about the young mother in front of us and I bit my tongue because it's easy to say something damning first.  "I think she was having a very hard time..." I said.  "Yeah, me too.  I decided to just stop being a daddy and go into Grampa mode and I found it whole lot easier to ignore after that."   My husband is often a wiser and kinder man than I am a woman.  I'm afraid going into Gramma mode would only mean I was the one dealing out the reprimands and punishments!  I told him I struggled because the woman seemed to have a hard time following up and the grandmother seemed to abet the child who was being reprimanded but I too had finally found it was best to ignore it all.

I didn't get much done in the house today and I don't think much will be done tomorrow.  I sure needed that nap this afternoon though and I've no regrets about taking it.  I think I shall head off to bed just a wee bit early tonight but first, I'm going to enjoy this vlog, "A Life Full of Meaning" that John and I enjoy watching each Sunday evening.

Meals:  Eggs, Toast

Fried Chicken, Dressing, Steamed Broccoli

At church

Monday:  If ever a day started in an inauspicious way it was today.  I jumped out of bed when I woke in full daylight.  My alarm was meant to have gone off at 6am but it had not.  When I checked to see what time it was the phone was dead.  This has become a more and more common occurrence with my phone and I'm afraid even the new battery hasn't helped a bit at holding a charge.  I am trying to remove all unnecessary apps and anything else that might drain the battery life.   In the meantime, I had a very late start to my day, which wasn't my plan at all.  I'd meant to have time to shower and dress and to have a hot tea or two before Caleb arrived.  As it was, I barely got the first sips of my first cup of tea and no shower at all.

Caleb was in a good mood, his mommy announced as they came in the back door and indeed his smile at me was sweet as could be.  We had roped off areas where we didn't want him with chairs and closed doors to other areas so he had a big open playing space.  I made breakfast as soon as Katie left and cooked Caleb an egg while our own breakfast was cooking.  It must have been good and he must have been hungry because he kept shoving great handfuls of egg into his mouth.

He played with his little box of toys and watched me clear up breakfast dishes and started a load of dishes.  He played just fine during this time but then he sat down on the floor and started grousing a bit.  I took this as a sign that he was as tired as he looked and put him to bed with a bottle.  He slept for about an hour and a half.

While he was asleep I was determined to Get Things Done.  I was stripping our bed so I might start a load of laundry when I heard a tap on the back door.  Weeks ago we'd told our son he could use our home on Mondays to do his video meetings for work.   He'd said he'd start at the first of the year but we hadn't seen him and assumed he'd made other arrangements at home.  Well he hadn't...and this morning he'd realized that he really needed to leave home and come here to work.  I'd promised him the guest room but Caleb was asleep and I was not about to disturb that baby boy!  I told Sam he could use my desk in the kitchen, then checked to see if the noise of the washer would disturb him.  He said "No" so I went right on to finish my bed and put on a load of clothes to wash in hot water.

I forgot I'd just done dishes and went to take a shower which proved to be a chilly one, sigh...It was at this exact point I decided I could have a cruddy day or a good one and only my attitude was going to determine it.  I decided the adjustment to attitude was the better part and briefly told John to wait before taking his shower and let the water heat.  Then I sat down and did Bible study in my kitchen sitting area, just a foot from my son who was on meeting calls.  I kept quiet and didn't bother him just did my reading.

Caleb got up about 11 and I opened the toy box for him to peer into and reach what he could.  He can't reach much.  I'm afraid the toy box comes up to his little chest but he could reach enough to keep himself occupied.   I went out to hang out clothes, returned to pull what I felt were appropriate toys for him to play with from the box and went to prepare our lunch.   Sam walked home across the field when I started lunch.  As I walked him go, I said to John that likely that walk over and back was going to do him as much good as having a quieter place to work on meetings day.

I started supper while lunch was heating and got a casserole made up to put in the oven this evening.  I could not find pesto nor basil in my freezer, both of which I knew full well I had.  I dug about until I was frustrated.  I'm afraid on Saturday when we were digging down to the broth containers that we really un-did the freezer organization.  I had to try four times to rearrange things so I could get it to shut properly.  

About 1:30 Caleb started grousing again.  He doesn't cry hard nor fuss hard.  He just sort of grumbles about things and that's him being tired.  I put him back to bed with a bottle and he played in the crib until 3pm.   During that time, I had a hot cup of tea and sipped it leisurely.   Sam was between meetings and came into the living room to work, sitting in a chair in the sun.  Again, I think that likely will do him a world of good.  Caleb never slept but talked to himself quietly the whole while.  

When he got up, I put away all the toys he hadn't touched, and restacked those he had played with.  He immediately attacked each neat stack and undid them.  I didn't complain.  I expected no less.  He and I played and I taught him to put his hand to his mouth and do the 'woo woo woo' sound we used to do as kids when we were playing Cowboys and Indians.  His little starfish hand and plump fingers were so sweet spread over his mouth.  

I went out to get the clothes off the line and he was interested in unfolding all I could fold.   I loved watching him pick up a pillowcase and rub the cool smooth fabric across his little cheek.  I was enjoying the feel of the fabric on the palms of my hands as I folded and smoothed, too and it was good to see that he appreciated it, as well, even at his tender age.  But it did mean he kept unfolding clothes! lol

I finally dumped clothes on the floor and put him in the clothesbasket.  This pleased him immensely but kept me on edge because I had to hold onto it to keep him from tumbling over.  Hard to fold clothes and monitor the basket at the same time.

Once clothes were folded I took him out and thought he would be happy but he had liked it a lot and wanted to get back in.  I turned it on it's side and he crawled in and lay down but I could tell it wasn't as much fun to him.  I'll have to bring out the clothes basket another day when he's here.

When it came time to feed him supper, I had John bring his highchair into the kitchen and while he ate his supper, I sorted out the freezer.  I found my basil leaves and pesto down at the bottom naturally.   I was happy to find them though because basil is a key ingredient in this particular casserole and I wanted it in the dish.   

Caleb and I finished up at about the same time.  I put him in the dishpan to bathe him.  I won't be able to do that any longer.  The dishpan shall have to go into the bathtub next time.  There was too much within easy reach for him to grab.  The sink is a lot easier on my back but I'll switch to tub because that will be a lot easier on my ability to hold onto him!

The dressing of this boy after his bath was hilarious.  It takes John and I both to get a diaper change done because he makes all former squirmy babies look like amateurs compared to his strong twists and turns and gyrations.   I put his onesie on three times.  It was backwards every darned time I got it on...I told John breathlessly to just leave it the third time around.  We were both panting like wrestlers by the time we got him into his pants.  Caleb was just grinning and breathing normally and sat up happily as if he was waiting on round two or an easily won match.

What I haven't shared is that all day long he'd been taking an increasing number of steps between dropping down on knees and crawling.  When Katie came in, I asked her why she hadn't shared that he was practicing more and more.  I knew immediately from her face that she hadn't know it and I could have bitten out my tongue!  I vowed long ago I'd never tell a parent a baby had done something in my presence he hadn't done already in theirs but he was so confident that I was sure she'd seen him walking on his own.  

We did all we could to entice him to walk for her.  Finally John offered him the TV remote, the one item that Caleb had persistently and intently focused on reaching and holding.  Each time John had told him "No..." and Caleb would finally go away and come back in a little while to try to grab it again.   So John held out the remote and said "Come here Caleb..." and Caleb, the little stinker, looked at John and shook his head and shouted "NO!"     

Meals:  Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

Chicken Noodle Soup, Smoked Turkey Sandwich

Beefy Pasta Bake, Green Beans, Salad, Rolls

Tuesday:  My alarm failed to go off this morning, too, but Bess started texting me about 7:15 so I was up on time all the same.    I don't think John was ready to get up but I'm determined to be up early enough that when I can feel I've accomplished things in the morning hours, not dragging myself about and then crashing again in the afternoon.

I made breakfast and then started work on my bedroom and bath.  I started in the bedroom dusting.  That's about all that room really needed but the bath...Now that needed far more work.  

Do you dust your bathroom?  I seldom have to do this in the guest bath but in our bathroom I have to dust it often, at least once a week!  If the wind has blown a lot as it did this weekend it needs it more than on a still week.  

I scrubbed all along the edges of the floor.   When the floor dried I cleaned the sink cabinet and sorted out the other cabinet in the room.  I had said I didn't have much to declutter, but don't you believe me.  I removed items that rattled in big multiple item packages.  I tossed old conditioners (I never use hair conditioner) and skin care products.  I set aside unopened lotion, soap and foot soak to give to others or donate.   I filled our little trash can in our bathroom and had to empty it.

One cabinet is dedicated to paint and painting supplies which I prefer to keep indoors. I feel paint lasts longer in the more even temperatures inside.   I found we had a lot more supplies on hand than we'd thought.  I also discovered a three pack of plastic drop cloths.  I told John those would do nicely under high chairs for the babies and we put those in the kitchen utility cupboard where we keep other such things.   I'm willing to bet when it was all done, that I'd tossed or set aside 54 items instead of the 27 I'd said I'd try to find.  And I haven't done a thing in the bedroom yet, nor the guest room and bathroom.

I was whipped after doing our bathroom and declared today's work done.  I settled to do Bible study in the kitchen.  I'm finding more and more that if I haven't done it before I start work I will find a stopping point to rest and study but if I do it before I work, I tend to over do the work and end up feeling too worn out to accomplish much else the rest of the day.

I made lunch today and it was a bigger lunch than we'd normally have.  But it sure was good.  However, supper will be lighter fare tonight. 

I've taken it easy this afternoon.  I've done some writing and read some in my book, Pilgrim's Inn, and the afternoon has passed peacefully.  While I'm puttering in the kitchen making supper (light meal) I will also be packing non-perishables for our picnic lunch tomorrow.  I want to give myself a fresh manicure.   Little things to do, nothing hard or difficult.  

Meals:  Sausage and Bacon Biscuits John and I indulged in some of the really good Goodshall's Turkey Bacon at the end of last year.  I bought two packets and I've still got two slices left of the first packet after this morning's meal.  These are not thick slices but they are broad as two pieces of the other brands, so one slice each is more than enough for us.  I had just enough sausage left in this packet to make two small patties.

Loaded Nachos  I made taco meat with a half pound packet of ground beef. I had refried beans (from the freezer*) as well as 1/2 can of tomato sauce* left from making pizza on Friday) to top our nachos. (*Gathered Fragment)   Gathering Fragments:  I mixed leftover taco meat with a little leftover refried beans and those two mixed with rice will fill a couple of burritos for another lunch.

Chicken Tenders, Oven Fries

Wednesday:  I woke with the alarm this morning and had no desire to go back to sleep.  I  was excited for our day out and looking forward to it.  It was such a sweet thing to lie in bed and wait for John to wake fully and know that we had a special day out planned.

I'd made some preparations last night, making lemonade with Splenda and a fruit salad.   I have a lovely big picnic basket but I felt like we didn't need to cart it along with an insulated bag, too.  I've got lots of big insulated bags but would like a smaller insulated one to carry in my picnic basket for cold things.  I decided to just pack the insulated bag with picnic things in the meantime.   

We were ready earlier than I thought we might be this morning and left home well before our usual leaving time.    We were going to the mountain and I think John was as pleased as I.  We'd wanted to do this January 1 and it had poured rain.   This has been our first opportunity to go since then.  

It was just lovely.  We sat in the car atop our mountain in our favorite spot and prayed.   It's been ten years since our first accidental trip to that spot and it's just as powerful as ever.  We were broken people then with heartaches galore and we've fled there many times in troubles but this time we went thankful.  We told God way back then that we simply couldn't go on under our own power and we were just going to have to trust him in every thing.   We've learned over and over and over again what 'every thing' means.   So many places we'd never even considered we might need to trust God were testing grounds until we knelt and said "We trust YOU," and turned it loose.   

Today we were thankful.  And we renewed our commitment to trust him in every thing all over again.  

Our picnic was chill bump worthy.  The only tables we could find that were quiet and peaceful were in the shade.   With a chill breeze blowing and a cold meal...Yep we were icicles once we got back into the car.   But during the meal as we zipped up jackets and huddled under our hoodies, John looked up at one point, caught my eye and we both burst out laughing.  This was so typical of our picnics...It either rains or sleets or freezes us or burns us to a crisp.

It was lovely.  A lovely day.

Meals:  Boiled Egg, Toast

Sub Sandwich, Fruit Salad

Beefy Ravioli (leftovers), Salad, Garlic Toast

Thursday:  Today has been gloomy and gray and sprinkling rain occasionally drips off the roof.  I've been watching the birds fly about the feeder and the suet block I placed in the crotch of the pecan tree.  The feeder isn't quite low enough to see from the window if I'm sitting.  I have to either bend down or stretch my neck and peer over the divider of the upper and lower windows.  I'm going to make it my goal to buy another foot of chain and lower it a little.

And I've decided that I shall buy peanuts to put in the suet block holder, in the hopes I'll attract blue jays, too.  We shall see.

After breakfast this morning, I went into the bedroom to load up the donations from my closet.  That turned out to be quite a big black trash bag...It's too heavily loaded and I'll have to either double bag or separate into two bags in order to get it out the door, but for now it's all piled into the one, now torn, bag.   It didn't look like so much sitting on the floor at the back of the closet!

I sorted out my dresser drawers and tossed a pair of jeans that are too large which I loathe wearing, and a paint stained t-shirt.  Then I went through the bottom drawer and took out two plastic Christmas tumblers leftover from two Christmases ago.

And what happened next was totally unplanned and took up a full day.  I wanted to find our tag receipts from last year.  I didn't.  But in looking through the files, I started putting out piles for trash and shredding.  I was hard it when John came out of the music room and taking one look at the piled up bed, he brought in the shredder and starting working on the shredding pile.  One big trash bag later we stopped but only because John said it was 1pm and time to stop.

I threw together lunch from some Gathered Fragments.  After eating, I cleared up the kitchen then settled to do Bible Study and at 2:30, I decided to have tea.

I set my warm cup of tea down and decided to run to the bathroom for just a minute, but when I came out there was the pile of tax documents from years past and I thought of all the many pages of paperwork in that file box, where we'd hopefully added in receipts for donations thinking we'd get a better tax return...Sigh.  So years and years of paper work there to go into the shredding pile.  I forgot all about my cup of tea, until John asked if I'd like one.   When I glanced at the clock I'd been working another hour.  

The pile for shredding is daunting to say the least but it feels good to have things sorted out and down to just the basics.  However, with each bag of stuff removed from just my bed and bath this week (we're at THREE in case you've lost count and that big pile of shredding still to be done), I remember that I said last week there wasn't much to sort out.  Ha!   I've worked so long and hard on just our room and bath that I don't know if I'll actually finish in the guest room tomorrow but I did work on it earlier this summer.  Hopefully I've reduced enough in that room that I shall not have to revisit decluttering it next week.

It's time for me to start our supper.  I'd meant to do prep work earlier but I kept getting distracted by all my work in the bedroom so I'll start from scratch now and work on dinner.  I don't have almonds so have adjusted my plan accordingly.   I'm making a variation on a recipe I accidentally came up with 40 years ago when I was out of an ingredient and made a substitution.  I need to jot the recipe down to remind me to add it to my meal rotation.  

Meals:  Cereal, Banana, Toast (Aware that I have high blood pressure, I dug around and found my hemp hearts and flax seed meal and added those to my cereal along with some walnuts).

Chicken and Rice Burrito, Beef and Bean Burrito These used up a skinned and deboned fried chicken thigh*,  refried beans and taco meat*, on expired  tortillas*)

Sherried Chicken Stir Fry, Rice, Steamed Broccoli, Ambrosia  This chicken dish was originally a soy based stir fry with a little cooking sherry as flavoring.  I didn't have as much soy as the recipe called for only about a tablespoon, but I had a full bottle of sherry so I switched the two.  It has a lovely delicate flavor and is really delicious.   

I found the videos below a few weeks ago and meant to share them in an earlier post.  I found the links again today and thought I'd just include them here.   I found these old films really interesting and thought you all would enjoy seeing the kitchens, too.

Pt 1 1941 kitchen

Pt 2 1941 kitchen

1935 General Electric kitchen

Friday:  I planned most of my work today out last night, or at least the basics of what would be one.  What actually gets done is another thing.   I've done pretty well this time with my plans.

I started bread after breakfast and then I allowed myself a mini spa day in the shower while the bread machine did the work of kneading and raising the bread dough.  When I came out there was still 44 minutes left on the timer, so I headed into the guest bath and cleaned that room nicely.  It doesn't need decluttering.  

That is one room that has just one tiny storage space and I keep only a handful of items under it.  There's a blow dryer and a tiny basket of necessities for guests, a stack of clean wash cloths, Isaac's potty seat and a step stool for him to reach the faucet.   I looked just to make sure I wasn't fooling myself and I wasn't.   

Then I went into the guest room.  I dusted and looked about at the room and decided that I wanted to hang some pictures in place of the ones I'd taken down.  I also wanted to hang the framed old pattern pages from vintage magazines above my sewing table.   

Of course it doesn't stop there.  I removed the pictures from the guest bath and then moved a picture from our bathroom into the room.   Then back to reframe two pictures I'd taken from the bathroom.  I'd like those to go in the living room but I'm not keen on the frames they are in.   The pictures I like a lot, but the frames have been painted many times over the years and it's time I think to start with something fresher.   I set those aside and contemplated how to hang the pattern pages.

I decided that rearranging the entire segment of the room was necessary.  Of course, I did, because everyone rearranges a room just to hang new pictures on the wall, don't they?  I shifted some heavy boxes, moved some bulky items and now the table is in a good position for the pictures above it.   Also there is more leg room under the table for Samuel to come work his meetings if need be.  He's a big tall man and needs more than the scrunched up little bit of room I'd allowed myself.

My only concern is that there is no place to put the antique doll bed with the china doll in it.  I've contemplated this many times and I've shifted it about quite a few but there's really not a suitable place for her.  I'd like to get  a dresser or chest of drawers to go in the room for storage which would oddly enough free of some floor space and quite possibly allow me to set the doll bed and doll on the top of it for display.

After I'd puttered myself out in the guest room, I realized I'd not even attempted to declutter the room.  I don't doubt I could have done so but I was out of energy at that point.   

I went to the kitchen and set bread to rise in pans while the oven heated, emptied the dishwasher, noted the damp rug in front of the dishwasher.   Again.  John keeps assuring me that dishwashers don't have slow leaks an perhaps he's right.  The past four loads there's not been a damp spot there at all, but it was there this morning.  And it's a mystery to me where it's coming from.  Did he spill something or splash water there in retrieving something from the dishwasher this morning?  Did I dribble water there from the kettle?  No clue.  It's either one of us at fault of the dishwasher and I'm in a worrying mood this week so naturally it's the dishwasher.

I took up the rug and swept the floor then shredded a big stack of statements and put bread in to bake. I loaded the dishwasher and settled in my chair to read from my book, then took out the bread and started lunch.  After lunch I loaded the dishwasher and hand washed a few dishes and did some more shredding.   

There's a LOT of shredding still to be done.  I've told John if this runs true to course, by the time I get through all the shredding, the shredder is going to give up and quit on us and we'll have to replace it all over again.    We go through shredders at the rate of about every three years and the volume of paper we're shredding right now is equal to about three year's worth.

We've just run the trash over to the dumpsters.  We took the scenic route over rather than ride up our dirt road to the nearer entrance to the main road.  It was a nice ride.  

And from here it's all winding down to Shabat for us.  It's almost time for our afternoon coffee/tea break, so I shall end here.  Please share how your week went and what you did to save money, live well, gathered a few fragments of food to make another meal, etc.

Also for the commenter who said onions didn't care for her, I understand completely.  Watermelon and cucumbers do not care for me, either.  I found this recipe which I'm making tonight and it has no onions in it.  Perhaps you'd like to give it a try as well.   Mexican Pot Pie, recipe here.