Weekly Roundup 1-5-2020
Welcome to 2020! That sounds like that TV news show doesn't it?!?! It's a new year, a new decade, a new dawn. That reminds me of a song. I'm writing you from the early morning hours as the cats fight behind me, the electric fireplace warms my feet, and I'm watching it snow out the window, dreading having to go out there today. But, it's our first weekly roundup of 2020 and there's been a lot happening around here! Let's get to it, shall we?
The past few weeks I've been nesting. Big time. We're redecorating, pulling up some carpets (not yet, but it's on the to-do list), painting (chalkboard wall is complete, now for the other rooms I want to paint), hanging pictures and such. We're pretty much done with the picture hanging, at least until we paint the rooms we want to paint. We've rearranged the craft room slightly. You can see that in the pictures above. The Christmas decorations came down and the mantle got a makeover too. The Mister has always wanted the tuna canvas over the mantle so he finally got his wish! HAHA. I don't mind. It looks good and I've added some interesting driftwood pieces, some shells collected along our travels, and various other things. Like that quilt book above. And all three of my diplomas!! That was exciting!
We finished hanging all the fish pictures. We utilized the stairwell for the biggest pictures. You can see that in the above photo. That was interesting hanging the top one on the right. I was hanging over the side of the railing on the side, holding the hook. The Mister was hanging over the front of the rail using the hammer! But we got it done. And no one got hurt in the process. I got my 50 pounds of flour in from the Webstaurant Store. I ended up ordering this flour. And I bought a container with lid to store it in but it wasn't big enough. Thankfully there's a restaurant supply store not too far from me so I can buy another one. Did I tell you guys about the flour dilemma? I just checked and I think I only put it on instagram. Although I did mention something about it briefly here. Sigh. Anyway, with all this homesteading I've been doing lately I thought I needed to try to purchase flour in bulk. I use a lot of flour for pies and breads and other baking that I like to do. And I like using King Arthur flour (eventually I'd like to find NY or PA made flour, but that's for some time in the future when I have the extra funds for it). So I was looking to source King Arthur All Purpose flour. I found it online via the Webstaurant store but shipping is a killer! Shipping is almost as much as the flour. I get it. Not everything is going to have free shipping. But I can't afford to pay $40-$50 for flour. So I went to the 'gram to ask all my fellow homesteaders if they purchase in bulk and where they purchase from. I had some really good conversations. Most of them via the message feature since I asked the questions on my stories. But what I decided was that I needed to check out the local Mennonite store. I mentioned it here. They sell 50 pounds of flour and one of them is King Arthur. It's not the AP one but rather their 'special' flour. So with some research and some kind comments from instagrammers, I've decided to purchase that particular version of King Arthur and try it. Well, I actually purchased a small bag so I can play around with it. But if it doesn't work for my pie crusts (it has a higher protein content than what is normally good for pie crusts) I'll just cut it with something else. This excites me. I've been wanting to experiment with baking using different flours. And now I get the chance, out of necessity. I'm also thinking I want to make a starter. I just read Ashley's post. She is the queen of baking and sourdough as far as I'm concerned.
We've been outside a lot too. New Year's day we had some friends over. My friend wanted to learn to can and since I was making venison stock, I invited her and her husband and their dog over. We all had a playdate that day! We canned 6 quarts of venison stock, the Mister fixed some monster sandwiches for lunch, and we ended our day with a walk through the woods. It was good. I canned 3 more pints of stock the next day along with 5 pounds of coriander pickled beets (I ended up with 5 pints of pickled beets). The recipe is from this book, which I highly recommend. It's now on my Amazon Wishlist for future purchase. I also discovered I had a bag of figs in the freezer so those turned into 5 half-pints of Fig Preserves with Thyme and Balsamic. Recipe is from the same book. I'm telling you, that book is wonderful!
I received the loveliest note and gift from a dear Instagram friend. I've known Brianna for a while now. I don't remember exactly when we met but I do remember how. She made a rope basket (with yarn she hand dyed!!) from instructions in Taproot Magazine. They shared it on their instagram (post or story, I can't remember). So I looked her up. She is so talented. And so very nice. She and I hit it off almost immediately. We have a lot in common, although she is way more talented than I. But what I love about this is it's not a competition. We learn from each other. We inspire each other. Not just Brianna and me. But all of us. Anyway, she sent me the loveliest handwritten note and that super cute hand sewn bag. I don't think she was aware of my love of all things pouches. I have a ton of them. A hoarder, you could say. I use them all the time. And the ones that are handmade by friends are my most favorites. Please show Brianna some love. She is truly wonderful.
In other news, I'm nearly finished with Chapters 1-5 of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and should be on track for our first discussion on Tuesday! I'll admit I've been listening to it. I've been so busy in the kitchen and around the house that I downloaded it and have been thoroughly enjoying it. I listened to it years ago and since it's read by the author I really enjoyed listening to it then, as I'm enjoying it now. You can find all the details of our book discussion here. I really hope you will join me on Tuesday. I'm very excited about this book and the ensuing discussion!
I haven't started back on the business yet. I actually have some major changes I'm working on over the next few months. I'll give you more details as they emerge. It's exciting. It feels right. It feels like me. It feels like coming home, so-to-speak. We've had a lot of discussion about meat here on the homestead. I made a really yummy venison stew from this book that I received as a Christmas present. We've been pheasant hunting a couple of times. Oh! That picture above? It's got a good story. The Mister wanted to go 'drive the road' and look for pheasants. If we saw one, we would stop and stalk it to see if we could shoot it. I was wearing a dress and wellies and a handknit scarf, so I asked if I needed to change. He said, 'nah. We won't really see anything'. So I didn't change. Then we get to the gamelands and he says, 'let's just take a quick 5 minute walk'. I looked at him dubiously. Ummm...you told me I didn't need to change! Of course our 5 minute walk turned into a 30 minute walk. But the pheasants were safe that day. At least from us. They call it hunting. I call it walking through the woods wearing orange, carrying a gun. Either one works. We've been back since but went a different direction. This time we went down along the river. It was so pretty. The PA Game Commission does a really nice job of keeping the habitat nice and the trails maintained. But not all hunters do their part. There were spent shells everywhere. I started to pick them up. Each time we go back I'll make sure to load my pockets with them. That kills me. They're right on the trail. Whoever made the shot had to know full well where their shell(s) went. It's disgusting. And it gives hunters a bad name. If you do this and you're reading this, please stop. Pick up your trash-this includes your spent shells.
This weekend and next week, I've got some things on my to-do list to take care of. I need to make soap. I have about 5 kinds that I would like to make over the next several days: avocado; oat, milk, honey; rose; lavender; ditch daisy; and pumpkin (if I have any pumpkin puree left in the freezer). That should last us for at least 6 months. We're hanging posted signs along the river. We'll stop by Home Depot this week to pick up some needed items to finish some projects. I have a trip to TN planned. My parents are giving us their old truck. I'll fly down, spend some time with the family, and then drive the truck back. That will be the Mister's fishing vehicle but we'll also use it to haul things around. It's very exciting! And knowing my Dad and how he takes care of his vehicles, it's sure to be in better shape than my Subaru! I've been living in my lined Carhartt overalls. I was totally feelin' myself yesterday! I'll leave you with this. 'Til next time friends!
