Iced Tea Chat: I Need a Break

 

                                  If only I might have such a calm, cool appearance on these summer days!

Hello loves.  Come on in and have some tea.  I have lemonade which I can garnish with a bit of mint if you'd like.  I also have coffee that we can serve over ice.  The main point of drinks just now is that they must be cold.  And then I suggest we take our glasses, settle into a comfortable chair and have a nice long talk.  I have been saving up conversation because there are difficult days behind me.  I'm a bit apprehensive facing August.  What shall August bring us?  Besides the usual deep heat...

In June, Katie was no longer employed.  This was completely unexpected.  Admittedly we were all a bit cavalier because after all doesn't just everyone have a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window?  Indeed, they might, but the caveat is that they don't want just any help.  If you're overqualified, they won't even consider you.  If you're underqualified, they won't consider you.  You must stick right in the area of work where you are qualified and then go through a multiple interview process.

Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Briefly

 

Saturday:  Remember the restaurant I thought I was going to eat at on Wednesday with Mama?  Well, John took me there today.  I know it was his way of saying he was on my side, and I really appreciated it.  Thankfully the restaurant proved to be quite good.  I had a Birria Taco that was awesome and Green Enchiladas as my main entree.

I spent my afternoon strolling through a variety of vlogs on YouTube, looking for new sites to interest me, some of which have to do with gardening and preserving, some that are simply lifestyle, but simplified lifestyles.  It made me think long and hard about what I want to change in my life at present.  

July Musings: Patriot

A few weeks ago, Caleb and I were sitting in the breakfast area one morning and he motioned to the flag hanging outside the window.  It was unfurling in the breeze and I felt my heart swell. I do love to see our national Flag waving in a breeze!   Instinctively, I put my hand on my heart and said The Pledge of Allegiance.  Caleb paid attention.

The next morning, he came along and put his hand on his heart and said "Fwag".  So he and I did the Pledge of Allegiance together.  We did it for several mornings running.  John commented one morning, "I was surprised that you started teaching him that."  I said, "Don't you think it's important that he know it?  I don't know if they even teach it to children anymore, but I can remember standing before the flag at school each morning and I learned to respect and admire what our flag stood for.  It meant something to me at that time and it means something to me still."  John nodded.  "I know it.  It means something to me, too.  I just didn't expect he could be taught that so young."

The Homemaker Saves Money: Little Harvests

 

Thursday:  Yesterday at the grocery, I noted that 12 packs of Activia yogurt were just $3.28.  I thought this would be a perfect breakfast for the kids with toast this morning and they all seemed to enjoy it.  I had to give Caleb his dairy free yogurt of course, but it was a whole lot cheaper to feed the others regular dairy milk yogurts.

The children went outdoors to play this morning.  They pulled the wagons about the yard, set up bowling and played with that.  I walked around the garden area and harvest two more tomatoes and the seed head off a bit of dill.

Bootcamp: Living on a Little by Caroline French Benton

 

Living on a Little by Caroline French Benton was my first selection for reading for this Bootcamp session.  I initially took it up because I was just about to start Bootcamp when I found the book again, after mislaying it some months ago.  I found it on the very bottom of my magazine basket next to my chair.

The Homemaker Plans Her Week: Cool Spell?

 

In my home this week, we're going to take advantage of this 'cool spell' over the weekend and enjoy ourselves.  Truth, it is July and we're smack in the 90's but for two days we're supposed to experience 90F and not 98F...So yeah, a 'cool spell'.  

I'm not kidding myself in the least.  It's hot.  It's supposed to be hot.  It's going to stay hot.  It's July and then it will be August and it's going to be just as hot.  I'm not complaining.  I'm just sayin'.  

The Homemaker Plans Her Meals: Hot Weather Cookery

The most refreshing thing ever just now is a cool mandarin orange or a bowl of frozen grapes.  That said, I don't want to eat cold foods all the time.  I want hot meals but not heavy ones.  Finding the balance is the clue.  Contrasts in temperature is just as important as contrast in textures and colors to make a meal appeal to the taste buds.  

Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Stay Inside!

 

Saturday:  We stayed home today.  All the weather sites swore it would rain for the next seven days, that today we'd have heavy showers, etc. and John decided he simply had to go on and mow Sam's yard before it all set in.  

Of course, once he was home again the sun shone to beat the band.  The heat was unbearable.  The skies super clear.  He offered to go out anyway, but I had no desire.  I hunkered down in my chair, and I spent the day coloring, playing games, reading blogs and emails.   I stirred long enough to put meals on the table and that was all I did.  

The Homemaker's Week of Savings: Third Week of July

 

Thursday:  Well, it shall be the third week of July by the time this one is posted, so I'll just leave that there.

This morning, I did three things right away.  Mixed up pancake batter, laid out bacon on a baking sheet for the oven and mixed Jello for afternoon snack.  

I knew I had no syrup on the shelf and not much to speak of in the fridge.  I took some frozen blueberries, about 3 cups of water, the juice of one whole lemon and 1/3 cup of sugar and boiled that hard on the stove to reduce the water.  Then I added in a small amount of cornstarch slurry to just slightly thicken it.  That was very good!  The lemon made that syrup taste sooo good!

Homesick

                                  My great grandmother Della Stewart and my father as a boy.

There's an old hymn called Beulah Land with a line that always tugs at my heart.  "I'm kind of homesick for a country...To which, I've never been before..."  Well lately, I've been feeling homesick.  I was shaken to the core the other day when I realized the extent of my deep homesickness.

I am homesick for much, not the least of which is my spirit's feeling of longing for, 'a country, to which I've never been before.'  More and more these days, as John listens to his news clips and political debates, I feel disenchanted and weary of this world in which we live, where the limits of how vile things can be is constantly being proven an ever-moving line to still more vileness.  

The Homemaker Plans Meals: Use it Up

 

After I dug out what I thought was a small package of bell pepper and tossed it in the spaghetti sauce last week, I realized while eating that it was tiny, diced bits of broccoli.  I had neither marked the bag to indicate what I had in it, nor memory of setting it aside.  That's made me determine I shall dig about in the freezer today and see just what I have in there that we could use up over the week or so ahead.  Not sure how that inventory will affect my tentatively planned menu.  You all know, that is subject to change anyway depending on what is leftover and what I find along the way or am given.  

The Homemaker Plans Her Week: July Fleeting

 

In my home this week, as I am writing out this post it is July 15.  This month is half done...And how quickly it seems to have gone!  

Our weather this year has been hot enough but mild, too.  We've had plenty of rain, enough to keep thing looking green and lush and keep John mowing lawns at least once a week and sometimes twice.  We admired the greenness of it all the other day as we returned home from an errand.  My little patio garden, while not producing much of anything at present (the tomatoes appear to be done), still looks lush and lovely.  The gardenia keeps pushing out just one or two more blooms, something it's never done before.  The hydrangea is a pale blue sea of flowers.  I really ought to cut some of those to bring indoors.  They last very well if I take care with them.  Roses are blooming away in all sorts of coral colors.  I didn't realize I had such an affinity for coral roses...

Diary of a Homemaker's Week: And It Was

 

Saturday:  Grand plans for planting this morning went right out the window though it would have been ideal since all the plants got soaked really well with rain yesterday.  I, however, did not sleep at all until 7am this morning and was up around 9am.  

We've had a bit of upset here in the household. Just married folk sort of upsets but it was very tense at times.  I was not well the past two days and probably more upset than I ought to have been over a variety of things.  John and I could barely be civil to one another because he was upset over the same issues.  Not saying he was wrong nor that I was right.  We were both acting badly, and it made for a tense evening yesterday and an equally tense morning and afternoon.  Adults behaving badly are ridiculous.

The Homemaker's Week of Savings: It's Not Always Easy

 

Thursday:  I had a brief idea of what I might make for breakfast in the middle of the night last night and then I went to sleep. I woke not feeling well...Sam and Katie woke not feeling well either.  Sam provided an easy quick breakfast for his kiddos with Poptarts.  I realized I had some of the same in the cabinet.  These are not full sized Poptarts but single packets that are narrower than the Poptarts that we'd buy in the market.   I was going to cut the children a chunk of cheese and give them fruit to go with it but then Caleb's Almond Yogurt that was about to expire was sitting right in front and I grabbed that.  I chopped strawberries to put on top and presented the kids with breakfast.  Easy enough.

The Homemaker Plans Her Meals: July 9-14

 

I asked the family what they wanted this week and pasta dishes came up four times.  I told them I'd make two of their requests and the others would have to wait for a different week.  I must point out though that John's first request was for an item I haven't got on hand.  That first request did not include pasta.  However, I plan from what I have right now, not what I might buy later in the week because there are weeks that I don't make it to the store after all.  Besides we've got tons of food here already.  

This weekend we did not go out for a meal. I made steak salad for lunch yesterday and then we ate frozen pizza slices (school lunch program).  Today, I picked up a pound of fresh chuck at the grocery store and made sliders for lunch today.  I'm not sure what I'll make for supper just at the moment, but possibly one of the suggestions from the family.  Let me run check the freezer...Nope I don't have what I'd hoped so I'll have to rethink that idea...

Now on to the meals I'll make in the coming week:

Tuna Pasta Salad, Sliced tomatoes or Homemade Pickles, Saltines/Crackers.  I knew this would come up as a possibility since it's now officially hot weather. No problem!  I've got plenty of elbow macaroni and loads of tuna on hand.  I will use two cans now that I know the cans have been reduced to 4 ounces.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Rice.  John will be out on Monday night.  I'll make this for Katie, Caleb and me for our supper.  

Roast with Baby Carrots, Potatoes, Onions, Green Bean Casserole.   This is not a large cut.  It's basically a small end that the butcher hopefully packaged up and prayed someone would purchase. John answered that prayer.  I think I can get just enough from it to serve us four.  P.S.  decided this would be Sunday evening meal.

Glazed Ham, Potatoes au Gratin, Pineapple Salad.  I'll serve kids ham sandwiches tomorrow from the leftovers.  I'm undecided if I want to make the au gratin Potatoes in the slow cooker or the ham...I could do either. I'll probably end up doing the ham in the slow cooker and yes, leftovers will be sandwiches for the children tomorrow.

Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad.  I'll most likely get two or three meal sized portions of sauce from whatever I make.  I'll try to get the vegetables diced up on Wednesday, then dump all this in the slow cooker and let it go all day long.  I'll want an easy meal after having the children for the day.

Chicken Wings, Fried Rice, Eggrolls. I'll probably end up buying this or Cole slaw mix.  My cabbage was DONE the other day when I pulled it out to make slaw...But by the same token if I don't buy egg rolls or slaw mix, I'll just skip it and call the wings and rice, which will be loaded with vegetables anyway, enough and let it be an easy end of the week meal.

Other cooking this week:  I'm going to bake bread, make bagels, and probably make up at least one batch of muffins of some sort.  I've got blueberries and strawberries in the freezer, just bought some peaches (hope they turn out good), so we'll see what flavor I decide upon.

I said I'd make Jello for the children's lunch on Thursday.  I might make a double batch, so there's enough for John and Caleb and I, too.

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The Homemaker Plans Her Week: On Time

 

In my home this week, we have meetings, deliveries, services, children, interviews all scheduled and waiting on our calendar.  It's promising to be a busy week.  Let's do this!

Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Family Days

Saturday:  Family matters this morning that had to be attended to.  None of us enjoy these things but sometimes, you just need to clear the tables.  It went well enough and yes, tables got cleared and hopefully we can go on quite well for the next month or so until we are due another round.

John and I went out to lunch.  We chose to go to our favorite steak house restaurant today.  We talked over things as we drove and were satisfied on all fronts.  I had put my heels in, and John had put his in and we needed to come to some sort of compromise and save face at the same time.  I think we managed that nicely and, in the end, we are agreed. 

A Homemaker's Week of Savings: New Month of Savings

Thursday:  I followed John's urging finally and went to look for a new slow cooker.  I found out two things.  A crockpot, though the name was branded, is a metal liner with a crockery insert and glass lid.  A slow cooker is a base with a metal pot and glass lid.

I mentioned that one of my favorite and first slow cookers was a metal pot on a hot plate base.  I think the reason I finally stopped using it was that someone gave me a crock pot for Christmas one year, and then my metal pot was dropped and bent.  It worked just fine, but the lid no longer fit snugly.  Every slow cooker I've had since my second has been a crock pot.  

Lessons I've Learned Along the Way

 

The other morning as I made my bed, I thought of a homemaker's account I follow on Instagram.  She is a young woman, with young children.  She has chosen to be a fulltime homemaker, a calling that I seem to see more and more young women answering rather than choosing a job outside the home.  I thought of what she posts of her daily routines and then I began to think of all the things I learned over the years that have eased my passage.  Some are tips and tricks, and some were life lessons.  I thought I'd share them with you in random order.

1.  Daily tasks make all the difference in how clean our home appears.  I have certain routines I generally follow.  Daily tasks are the backbone of how neat my home appears on the average day.  They are easy tasks, and I can usually accomplish them even if I am feeling ill or rundown from lack of sleep.  These are my daily five:

June Musings: Just Peachy

 

It's peach season.  Typically, I wait until after July 4 to even consider buying peaches but this year I bought my first half peck of peaches on June 3.  I decided last year that I was cheating myself of a whole additional five or six weeks of peach season.  And now I discover that peaches generally can be had until mid-September instead of the first week of August.  So, I'm planning to eat more peaches this year.  later:  or maybe not.  I've just been reading that only 10% of the peach crop survived that late freezing spell we had in March.  Where the orchards were bringing in 400 bushels or more daily for weeks on end, they are bringing in less than 40.  I'll eat peaches but I did note I was paying dearly for them and I just can't justify fruit that comes dearly.

The Homemaker Plans Her Meals: It's HOT

You'll note that I'm simply planning five meals.  It's not that we're not eating, but I'm finding that on weekends especially it's nice to clear the fridge of things.  We generally have enough of something for one full meal to feed everyone the same thing and then enough odds and ends to piece out another meal on Sunday.  Sort of a Catch Can meal as we used to call them.  This also will eliminate a goodly portion of the Gathered Fragments, but not quite all.

The Homemaker Plans Her Week: Keep Cool

In my home this week, my goal is to keep my cool and to keep the house cool, as well.    It's HOT.  Full on summer has arrived with high temperatures and high humidity.  All week long the 'feels like' temps are well over 100F.  

Goals for July- Waste Not

 

I can't believe that I am sitting here planning the seventh month of this year...How June has flown by!  I am always amazed at those who seem to have no sense at all of passing time.  I mean those who say, "Well that's not until next month..." and I'm looking at them saying, "You know next month starts on Saturday..."  I mean the new month is right there practically staring us in the face.