He Giveth, and Giveth, and Giveth Again!

I didn't do it. My mom said "No, Kathy, what are you thinking?" And as the piles of laundry mounted, I thought the charm of the wringer washer might be a little overrated at this point in my life.

And then God, who is rich in mercy, sent us $540 dollars through the generous giving of a beloved family....and I found a beautiful new washing machine for almost the exact amount!!! I thought it would have been fun if I could have found something for the amount the check was written in, but this is wonderfully close, and once again we are living the tender hand of provision from the Lord.  Doing laundry is surprisingly delightful again.

We are almost recovered from Josh's performance of Meet Me In St. Louis at the end of January. This was his first major production, and it was amazing. The 89 person cast and directors were fantastic, as was the set, choreography, and Josh! Some may think I go a bit overboard, but I am one very proud momma!

On the farm, amidst the spilled milk, sticky honey dribbles, and snapping mouse traps, my sweet four year old informs me that she would like a tiny diamond nose-ring and wonders...

"How old will you be when I am 61?"

"Oh dear, I'll be 102...let's not talk about it..."

Enjoy the February sunshine tomorrow, and thank you all for your sweet comments...I love hearing from you!

Bringing Back the Wash Tub

 

A bit of blue sky, a gentle breeze, springtime on the farm...ahhh, fresh laundry. In reality, under an overcast winter sky I have PILES and PILES of freshly washed laundry that I did at the laundry mat this morning. During the height of craziness last week with show preparations, my washing machine died. All the way. I thought I could try my hand at going off grid for a bit while I researched machines, but this morning I gave up when faced with a week's worth of dirty laundry from ten people. It's not that I'm against off-grid, I'm just not prepared. Jabbing at the clothes in the sink was a brief attempt at laundry the old-fashioned way, and now I just need to sit down and figure out what will work for us. Has anyone out there (with a large family and maybe even a farm) transitioned to the old wash basin way?

Weekend on the Farm

I just love this picture. When I saw the children from afar, I had to have shot of this...this is summer! Actually, this is more than summer, it's a bit of what I'd like right now...some of that carefree ease and pleasure. Do I hear any "amen's" out there? I'm draggin' bottom over here on the farm, and would like to just lay down in the grass and let someone else take over. It's Biblical, isn't it?

"He makes me lie down in green pastures...He restoreth my soul..."

Should be guilt-free, but when you're production oriented (and I am), laying down is just plain hard to do. So this weekend, I got my sorry self off ground zero and scrubbed the Porch (again...once per season just isn't enough), then weeded an ugly flowerbed smack in the front of my house. It holds no charms for me, but until I move the Echinachea and Bleeding Heart out of there, it remains. And guess what? That helped somewhat. Just getting something done can often soothe the irritations a bit.

Saturday was a good day to take the comforter from my bed to the laundry mat (what is that, anyway??), and finally clean the over-sized sleeping bag that some little one (who shall remain nameless) had an accident on several nights ago. Getting that out of my walkway feels like a million bucks. Guess what else felt good?

At midnight last night, when that angelic little three year old battled her intestinal issues and lost, I threw away the pajama pants that would never have come clean no matter what I would have tried. PJ's, undies and all, in a plastic bag, and in the trash.

My husband often says, 

"Time is money..."

A slightly different take on the economcs of simplifying :)

Friday on the Farm, Budgeting and A Farmhouse Recipe

Just for a few minutes I'm going to ignore the pressing needs around here! With kidding season, our mess takes on a whole new dimension, which requires supernatural patience on my part! I can tell what my pre-meno emotions are doing just by how I handle the mess and clutter. Most of it just can't be avoided...and the excitement of kidding carries us through much of the chaos, but today, it is CLEANING day, and the sun is shining brightly!!! WOO HOO! At this time of year, every ray of sunshine brings a feeling of hope, and today I'm feeling it.The door was left open and a lovely freshness was in the air...





One thing I am aiming to do is organize my life into a not-so-glamorous-binder-of-sorts. A friend showed me her version, and if I can get it together, it will go with me everywhere. Included will be a section for meals and groceries, and I'm going to make a huge effort to budget. I would define myself as consciencious and careful with spending already, but I'd like to keep track and take it to a new level. I feel so blessed to be able to stay at home to raise our children, but there are days when I feel that I am doing NOTHING to contribute to the financial needs of the home. My sweet husband reminds me that staying home and caring for the children, educating them, making wise and careful purchases, repurposing and reusing...all the these things DO contribute and help relieve him greatly. So, with that in mind, I'd like to improve in whatever way I can.




Making my own laundry soap this past year has been a step in the right direction, hanging my laundry is a beauty all it's own that saves over time, and making our own food reaps nutritional and financial benefits. We've received multiple bags of rolled oats which we use for home-made granola. My kiddos are loving it, (I'm always encouraged when they like something I make!) so I'm passing on another farmhouse favorite. It's inexpensive, easy, and has no preservatives.

Farmhouse Granola

1 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. honey

Melt in a large pan in the oven at 350. Add:

2 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

Stir together, then add:

12 c. oats

1 1/2 c. coconut

1 1/2 c. almonds (or any nut of your choice)

1-2 c. graham cracker crumbs

(a new secret ingredient that isn't necessary, but is good)

Stir well, then bake 15-20 minutes, depending on how brown you like it. I stir it every 5-7 minutes, and we don't let it get too brown. Enjoy!

Laundry Soap - Take 2

I've modified my laundry soap recipe. There are many to choose from online, but this one is so simple to make, and very inexpensive.

4c. hot water

1 bar of soap (goats' milk, or Kirk's castille-coconut based)

1c. washing soda (I used Arm & Hammer)

1/2c. Borax

Grate bar of soap into pan with 4c. water. Stir on low/medium heat until soap melts. Fill a five gallon bucket 1/2 full with water. Add melted soap, soda and Borax, stirring until all is dissolved. Fill bucket to the top with more hot water, stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. Add essential oil to the cooled gel. I used one teaspoon of lavender.

The original recipe: After the gel cools, fill a used laundry dispenser 1/2 full with the liquid soap the fill the rest with more water. I think that is too much water. By not diluting the gel again, I know I reduce the total savings, but I really didn't think I was cleaning the clothes well enough.

Domesticity

"Mama cooked everything from scratch, hung her wash outside in the fresh air, and she still starched and ironed her sheets and pillowcases; Miss Patterson and her fancy friends contracted out most of their domesticity"
~Patty Pinner,"Sweety Pies"

I love this quote, and I love that domesticity is honorable and rewarding and deeply satisfying...

Simplify!

How did you do last week with simplifying? Did you find any way to make your life or lifestyle more simple? We retrieved the wooden clothes rack in an effort to save on electricity. There is a certain charm mixed with a decided look of clutter :) as I have it in our kitchen/great room. Another problem...we wash faster than the clothes dry!

Success?

Could it be this simple? Following the homemade laundry soap recipe was very easy to do...I'll be trying it soon and will be very pleased if it also cleans well! If I did the math correctly (!) this could be at least a $50 savings for the same number of loads.

Here I Go!

This is a great time of year! We're resting with the winter snow and beginning the irresistible planning for the year ahead with animals, gardening, and projects that I dream of and haven't quite accomplished. The first thing on the list is learning how to make homemade laundry soap for my HE machine. But more important, learning contentment.