This Week In My Home: Home Economics

A family dinner at home, compared with either giving or going to a dinner-party is, of course, of much more frequent occurrence, and many will say, of much greater importance.  Both, however, have to be considered with a view to their nicety and enjoyment and the latter more particularly with reference to economy.  ~Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management

This week in my home, I am looking at the economics of homelife.  I'll not say I've been lavish in living, but there are things which I might do to be a better steward of what is in my home and that's the truth.  There are seasons for serious economy and seasons for purposeful economy and seasons when we simply must pick and choose why and where we are economical because we can only juggle just so many things at once.   I'm in the season of 'purposeful economy'.    

John made it plain, when I suggested I would like to lower my grocery budget, that he does not want me to risk my pantry supplies because we are eating them and not replenishing.  I've compromised and decreased it by only half as much as I suggested I might.  However, I want to make a real hard effort to use only what I'd originally suggested I might.  If there's an obvious lack of things, then I can supplement with the extra.  If, however, I manage well enough, then all of that money will go directly towards those two new chairs we desperately need.

In the meantime, the new kitchen island arrived this morning in all its many pieces.  The box is 100 pounds and we had quite a time getting it indoors.  I don't know just when it will be all put together but I'm not rushing John on this project.  I'm sure he'll tackle it as soon as he's able.  I will be awfully glad to have all those pots and pans off my kitchen counter though!

Work:

I'm going to be concentrating on zone 1 this week which I've determined shall be the kitchen.  Last week I puttered about on the porches and in the bathroom and sewing and it was all very pleasant puttering but now I want to putter with a purpose.  

I have a goal to empty out the contents of three cupboards and more or less figure out how all can go into two.  Does it seem foolish to remove things from a cupboard and leave it empty?  It's meant, once I can begin work on my kitchen that we'll remove that cupboard entirely.  If it's empty, then it has no purpose and that means it can go.  If I can't manage, then we'll need to reconfigure our plans and I'd rather know now than later when we've removed it.  I've ample cupboard space, however frustrating dimensions are, to organize afresh and I mean to do just that.

Things I've mentioned more than once: pot up the rooted plants on the kitchen window shelf.  Weed the corner flower bed and when that is complete work my way up the front of the back porch.  Garden area prep/measurements.  Mulch for town house and for here.  Drop off donations.  Visit Mama. 

Start list of things I see I must do outdoors this year, like painting and cleaning porches, painting porch furniture, putting out some sort of border along two flower beds, etc.  It's spring here with blooming hawthorne, peaches, oaks and the dust of pollen clouds the air like smoke already but it's the season to start this outdoor work as well.  

And start a list of things to do indoors, work on the schedule for day/week/zone.  Winter's restful time is over and it's time to start getting busy!

I'll have the children tomorrow for the afternoon at their request.  I won't plan any work for that day as I know too well, they will suddenly need my attention if I try to start anything, lol.  Some things never change.

Kitchen:

I mentioned lists above...Well I want to start a few lists where the kitchen is concerned as well.  Of things I can do to begin to get my feet under my kitchen economies, rearranging, cleaning, etc.  My brain keeps spinning with ideas and lists, but I forget what was on one mental list as my thoughts scurry over to start a new list on another topic.  I do best with paper where I can scratch out ideas and then plan on another sheet the steps required in each project.

Make Bagels, English Muffins, freezer biscuits, yogurt.  

The weather has definitely warmed here.  Time to think seriously about warmer weather menu options.  I know that we'll have cool spells here and there but it's time to look at my pantry to see what I require for warmer weather meal plans and insure I'm stocking those things.

Over the last week or two it's become obvious that some of the new recipes I've tried have not been put into my recipe files.  Taco pasta for instance couldn't be found anywhere.  I had a hard time finding a similar recipe to the Russian Cabbage rolls I made often enough in years past but where did that one end up?  I very much want to have a comprehensive recipe file with recipes we use repeatedly so I can find them easily. 

 

Meals:  

This is my second or third time through planning meals for this week.  I had no less than four pasta dishes on the first go and two rice...Seriously, what was I thinking?! 

Then I did a second round but was still stymied.  There's one ingredient I haven't on hand and that one was tossing me about. 

I was thinking of the lack of potatoes, but I do have potatoes, just not fresh ones. I have instant mashed, canned whole and a packet of dehydrated au gratin potatoes and frozen French fries.  Now we shall try again.  Perhaps third time is the charm?

Pizza, boys request

Tuna Pasta Salad, Saltines, Fruit

Steak, Au Gratin Potatoes, Green Beans

Turkey Pot Pie, Cranberry Sauce/ Pear Salad

Veggie Lasagna, Salad, Rolls, Tiramisu

Kielbasa Rice Skillet, Orange Gelatin with Peaches

????up for inspiration

Personal/Leisure:

I promised myself a bit of genealogy work this week.  It's been ages upon since I last touched that work and I'd like to devote a little of my time each week to getting caught up on entering previously made notes, working out the family story, etc.

Reading.  I'm currently deep into Mary Stewart's The Hollow Hills, the second in the five-part Merlin/King Arthur series.  I have any number of books on the bookshelf including the last Harry Potter book from that series.  

I have skipped manicures for the past two weeks, but I am attending to my hands and feet.  This is one habit I most definitely want to keep up.  I wear makeup most days but occasionally skip one.  I think I finally discovered the culprit for the spot of psoriasis on my eyelid, the lash lengthening formula used prior to mascara.  The healing has also been aided by routine moisturizing which prompts me to wash my face twice a day as I ought to have been doing all along.   Now to try and remember to spread lotion on my damp skin daily so that my arms and legs don't look such a sight. 

I haven't done a thing towards setting up a wardrobe for March.  I should really attend to that today as I expect that we shall be returning to more frequent outings now that John's improved.