Nope. Well, maybe. :)
It's that time of year again... kids going back to school, hunting for warmer clothes in the attic... anticipating the warmth from the gas logs in the early morning hours.... and the view of the river from my windows (which is hidden when the trees are all in full leaf). But it's also time to check the stockpile of home-canned goods to see what else I need and what I can get from the farmer's markets or produce to put up for the colder months when local produce dwindles.
What do you put up in your pantry? I really try to take into consideration what we eat a lot of and try to stockpile that stuff but to be honest usually the jelly and sauerkraut are the only things we will all eat. No one in our house is overly crazy about pickles yet I always make them, every year. I actually started fermenting them so I won't be making the "regular" kind anymore. I really LOVE fermenting stuff! I've been making sauerkraut, ginger carrots, ketchup, kimchi, kombucha and fruity kombucha for a while now and LOVE.IT.
So, what type of things are kept in your pantry at any given time? We always have rice, canned and dried beans, potatoes, onions, flours, sugar, sweet pickles, dill pickles, multiple flavors of jams and jellies, relishes I've made and bread.
So, what's been going on in our neck of the woods? Well, we are slowly getting things finished around the house, bit by bit. Hanging up tp holders, working in the yard (still cleaning up from construction and destruction<--my kiddos), working to try and fix the leak in the basement so we can start building down there, mourning the loss of our Great Pyrenees and all of my chickens, target practice with raccoons and The Dude's new rifle... just to name a few things.
Life is definitely different with just myself and the Cupie Doll at home every day. I still can't believe we have 5 kids in school this year! I will say, though, that it's allowed me to get back into my cleaning groove. For those of you that know me IRL (as my son would say) and have known me for a few years know about my OCDish behavior with cleaning. I used to clean my entire house, top to bottom (yes, including baseboards but not windows) every Friday. However, we lived with my MIL for a year and a half and then moved into a brand-new home that I'm not quite used to. I've been trying to get back on-board with Flylady but most days I've already done what the daily chore is and so I end up getting bored with it. I have been trying to keep the kitchen and living room/dining room area clean and shining my sink before bed every night although I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not perfect (Flylady preaches against using that word!) and maybe 1/3-1/2 the time it doesn't get done before bed. I've been making beds daily and trying to keep one step ahead of the laundry and it seems to be working. Or it was until Cupie Doll's diapers started repelling and leaking everywhere. Listen, if you're going to be sleeping with me in my bed you canNOT have leaky diapers! So I've tried stripping them (unsuccessfully so far) and today I'm trying some other method. Hopefully it works.
I'm trying to be more frugal and also make healthier meals/snacks for my kids. I can't afford to pay for 5 kids school lunches every day and also send snack money for the 2 youngest! I'm pretty sure I'd come out a lot cheaper by making my own. Today my oldset daughter took the remaining pumkin bread/cake as her snack. She LOVES that stuff! I just finished making some basic granola bars with what I had on-hand but I've yet to cut them or try one. I also made the No-Bake Energy Bites that everyone has seen floating around on Pinterest, but I put a few extras in them to make them into a type of no-bake lactation/energy bites! WOOOO!
I'd like to know some of your favorite fall/winter meals. I'm thinking of starting some OAMC again for some of the more common meals we eat.
Are you a meal-planner? What kinds of meals do you prepare for your family? Do you go more towards easy and simple or healthy and hearty? I'd really like to know. Share or link to the recipes in the comments!
I've also created a small crafty-biz called Green Fern Goods. Find me on Facebook! It's just for the random things I feel like making. I've made some small taggie blankies and listed them but will be adding more things soon. I have a quilt project in mind along with some other fibery goodness. Stay tuned!
Comment and let me know you're alive and paying attention.
xoxoxo
