I just can’t decide which I like better – the zinnias or the cosmos. So I brought some of both into the house to enjoy!
“A home is for functionality. Not a show place.”
I read these words today and they resonated with me. Now, I would never say my home is a show place. It’s just a simple, little, very old house. It has rooms and they all have four walls – no open floor plan here. It has cracked plaster and worn floors. It’s been added onto and I have to be honest, the addition was not done well. The original part of the house, the over 100 year old part, is built to last. The addition, which was put on long before we bought it, was not. The floorplan is wonky. When we had it appraised years ago, the appraiser said the floorplan was odd but works. When we bought this place, 31 years ago, I didn’t really want it. The only positive for me was it was in the country. And it wasn’t going to be our forever home. And yet, 31 years later, here we are. And this is home. I’ve grown to love this little house.
Drew had been gone visiting my sister for a few days so my little kitchen table was pretty and neat with a vase of flowers sitting in the center. He was home for maybe a 1/2 hour and this is what it looks like now! He did leave the vase of flowers for me to enjoy too!
I’ve raised four kids in this little three bedroom/one bathroom house. We’ve eaten countless meals and played countless games at the dining room table. We’ve spent countless hours sitting in the living room talking and just being. I’d hate to guess how much time I’ve spent in the kitchen cooking and doing dishes. When you live in a little house with that many people, if you’re truly living, you really can’t have a showplace in the sense that you have a beautiful, spotless home with everything perfectly in place. Just the opposite. Even when you’ve spent hours cleaning and picking up, there will still be a mound of shoes at the backdoor, eggs in a basket on the kitchen counter, piles of books and toys scattered here and there, a project started and not yet finished on the dining room table. And that is how it should be. A comfortable place to just be. To live. To function.
My dining room table right now. They just keep coming! And I just keep trying to keep up!
We used to entertain here quite a bit. When the older kids were younger and our group of friends also had kids, we would have people out. The kids would play together in the bedrooms and the adults would play games and cards at the dining room table. We had lots of fun. That slowly changed over the years. As the kids got older and involved in extracurricular things, our time was spent with our friends at these functions. Then the kids grew up and moved out. Now entertaining means the kids come over to visit. And bring the grandkids. And this little house pretty much stays the same. We’ve done some improvements here and there and there’s many more that need to be done. But for the most part, it’s stayed the same. It’s home. It’s lived in and loved. It functions. Not as a showplace but as a home. And that makes me happy.
After days of hot and humid weather, the kind that make it miserable to be outside for any length of time, we finally got a break today! I even have the windows open! Perfect weather for hanging laundry on the line. Joe braved the heat last evening to finish up my clothesline for me – bless his heart! After I finished up the supper dishes I went out and helped. And I went to bed last night knowing I was going to get to hang clothes outside in the morning. I get excited about such crazy things! And today the sky is overcast, there’s a beautiful breeze, the temp is down and the humidity is gone. The chickens are even happy!
And I get to look out the open window and see my laundry dancing in the breeze! I get excited over open windows too. I hate having the house shut up – any chance I get the air gets turned off and the windows get opened. I love hearing the birds chirping and the trees rustling and Gilbert (in the picture above) and Matthew perfecting their cock a doodle doo!
I had wanted to learn to can for years and last summer I finally decided to jump in with both feet and teach myself. I asked for the Bell Canning Book for Christmas, purchased my canning supplies and next thing I knew I had jelly, salsa, applesauce and tomato juice all in jars waiting for winter meals! And now it’s canning season again!
The beginning of the tomato harvest. Now my table is covered with bright red tomatoes!
This year I’m finding that it has already become more “natural” to me. I don’t have to read before doing every step. I’m a lot calmer and I’m really enjoying the process. Last week I put up Canndied Jalapenos. I made them last year and Joe and I loved them. So this year, I’m planning to can a lot more of them. So far I’ve put up 8 jars using my tried and true recipe. But I’ve discovered a different recipe that is Trim Healthy Mama approved so I’m hoping to have enough jalapenos to give it a try. We’re working on eating healthier and we’re really loving the THM plan.
This week it’s been salsa. Abby came over Tuesday and we put up 11 pints. She took half and I kept half. Yesterday I put up 9 more. And it looks like I’ll have enough tomatoes and peppers to hopefully do that many more again! We like to eat salsa plain but I also put it in chili and other things so it’s nice to have it canned and ready. Canning for me is another way of living a more simple life. And there is just so much satisfaction in it. Yes, it’s time consuming. It takes a lot of time to harvest, prep and go through the actual canning process. But at the end of the day, you have all these beautiful jars full of summer goodness just waiting to be opened and enjoyed! And I never get tired of listening to that ping that says all is good! Homegrown, healthy ingredients – we know exactly where everything came from. Another step towards living simple!
And I pulled my onions today. My Mom says to never let the August sun touch your onions so no August sun for these guys! Last year I pulled them, chopped them up and put them in the freezer. This year I’m going to try and dry them and keep them in the basement. I’ve got them in the pergola right now drying. There’s lots of shade here so hopefully they will dry alright. I’ll keep an eye on them. Then when they’re dry, I’ll clean them up. Cut the greens off, trim the roots and dust off the dirt that’s left. Then I’ll put them in an old milk crate and store them in the basement and see how it goes. I want to keep freezer space open for our sweet corn so I’m hoping this will work out fine. It stays cool and dark in the basement during the winter so I’m hoping for good results. Again, another step towards that simple living. And the more I can put away for the winter, the less running to town I’ll have to do and less chance for worry when a winter storm hits!
I’ve been thinking a lot about the word simple. I want to live a more simple life. But when I really think about it, simple might mean something totally different to me than it does to others. By simplifying I want to do things more like those before me did. But this will have to be a balancing act as others in the family might not want to go as far as I would like to! As I was snapping beans today for lunch I was thinking about this and I realized that simplifying for me certainly doesn’t mean making things simple or easy. I could have easily opened up a can of green beans, dumped them in a bowl, stuck them in the microwave and served them. Simple. Instead, I walked out to the garden, picked the beans, snapped them, washed them, put them on the stove and steamed them with a little bit of water, butter and pepper and then put them on the table. Definitely not simple. But, they tasted so delicious. Drew commented on how good the beans were. And I know exactly what was in them and where they came from. After all, I did all the work to get them on the table. Well, almost all the work. Joe tilled up the garden for me this spring. Then I planted the seeds, weeded (sometimes) the garden, kept an eye on them as they grew, picked them, etc., etc. And this wasn’t the first time. I have picked beans several times and have put several quarts in the freezer for winter. That is what simple means to me. The simple act of gardening is so very fulfilling. Lots of work, yes, but so fulfilling knowing where your food is coming from and filling your larder for winter. And it’s what my grandmother did to feed her family. And her mother before her. And what makes the most sense to me.
Not only did we have fresh green beans from the garden for lunch, we had leftover jalapeno popper chicken using jalapenos from the garden, along with cherry tomatoes from the garden, pickles made from last year’s cucumbers from the garden made earlier using Grandma’s recipe and cucumbers and onions using cucumbers from the garden. A very simple meal but oh so fresh and yummy.
Simple. For the past two years I have not had a clothesline. We had a clothesline for years and had struggled with it for years. It was made of metal poles and no matter what we did, we could never keep it so the lines were taught. They would constantly sag. Still usable but not always easy to use. Then Drew drove through it one day with the Mule and took out the lines. I asked Joe if we could get it put back together as I really miss my clothesline. I was thinking we were going to piece the original line back together and it would take a little part of a day and I’d have a usable clothesline again. He had another idea.
Yesterday morning he started digging a couple of holes. Then he sent me to Dad’s to borrow the posthole digger. So I gathered up the garbage, ran it to town to the recycling center, dropped off a dozen eggs to an older friend and past coworker who lives in town and then to Dad’s before heading home. When I got there Dad had me come out back because they had company he knew I would want to see. My Uncle Jerry and Cousin Todd had stopped by for a visit! I was more than glad to spend a few minutes chatting as I never pass up a chance to visit with them. Such a simple thing, spending a few minutes on a Saturday morning visiting with loved ones. Then home with the posthole digger. The holes got dug and next come the poles. We used two poles that were originally part of the old building we tore down last year. To that Joe connected the boards to hold the lines. Again using wood from the old building. After getting the poles all put together, he sanded everything down and painted them. This took all day. Definitely not what I had in mind. But, recycling parts of the old building – that I love! That old building is all over our property now! We are definitely putting the salvaged lumber to use!
Then the next morning we sunk the poles. I added dirt while Joe tamped, and tamped and tamped some more. It took most of the morning to get those two clothesline poles in the ground and secure. Now to let them sit for a few days and really get set. Next we’ll add the hardware and the lines. And I will have a clothesline that should last for ages! We will have to purchase the bolts to hold the lines but everything else will be salvaged. Definitely not a simple project. And if we had done it the way I was thinking it would have been a pretty simple project but it would have been something I would have fought constantly. So, I think Joe is starting to look at things a little differently too. He’s starting to think the same way. No more doing something quickly and easily just to get it done. We’re going to take our time, do it right and have something that will last.
Which brings me back to simple. I am so excited to have a working clothesline again. There’s nothing better than bedding that has been line dried. Oh that smell! And I just enjoy hanging out the laundry. And taking it off the line and folding it as I go. Such a simple thing. Does it save time? Absolutely not. Throwing wet laundry from the washing machine to the dryer and pushing a button to start the drying process. Simple. Carrying wet laundry out to the line, hanging each and every piece up, waiting for it to dry, taking each and every piece off the line, folding it all, carrying it in. Definitely not saving time. But for me, it’s a simple and fulfilling process. And, it saves on electricity and saves on wear and tear on the dryer. For me, this is simplifying. Hanging clothes on the line takes me back to my grandma. I’m not willing to get rid of the washing machine yet, and probably never will. And I can’t see myself out hanging up laundry in the dead of winter when it’s freezing cold and blowing snow. But I always think of all the women before me who hung out their laundry because they had to. Because they didn’t know anything else. You can really slow down and think when you’re outside hanging clothes on the line. It’s another fulfilling home keeping chore. For me, another way to add simple to my days. And going for a walk down to the corn patch is a nice way to end a day of hard work and simple living!
Joe asked if we wanted to go for a drive last evening and we ended up at Lake Darling. It’s a beautiful state park. They have done some major improvements over the past few years and cement paths are one of them. We had never walked on this one and Drew wanted to walk across the bridge so even though we weren’t really dressed for a hike, or dressed for being out in public!, we went ahead and took off. It was a beautiful evening, the heat and humidity had died down and there were very few people around on a Tuesday evening. Even though we hadn’t planned on going anywhere to begin with and we certainly hadn’t planned on going for a hike, it was just what we needed. Family time outdoors.
My dad grew up in a small town just down the road from Lake Darling. It’s a manmade lake and he remembers when it was made. He talks about going to the dedication ceremony that they had. Mom moved to town when they were in high school and she always tells the story of how when they were dating, after a long hot day of making hay, Dad would come pick her up and they’d head out to the lake to go to the beach so Dad could cool off and clean off! I don’t know that the young kids today will ever understand what it meant to make hay. It was a hot, dirty, itchy, hard job. I can remember trying to help when I was younger but I could never manage to haul those bales around.
I can remember when I was little camping here and swimming at the beach. Then when I got married, we camped here many times with our kids. We’ve met here many times over the years for picnics with family. The last time I saw my Grandpa Houseal alive was at an outing here. There are so many memories associated with this beautiful place.
Now I’m ready for another camping trip to Lake Darling. Hopefully this fall. We’ll bring our bikes and hit those trails and see what more Lake Darling has to offer!
Drew and I harvested dandelions earlier this spring when they first started popping up. Most people I know think of dandelions as weeds but after sketching them in our Nature Journals and doing some research we decided to make some useful items out of them. We have so so many dandelions in our yard and I love them. They remind me of little drops of sunshine all over the ground! And the bees and the chickens enjoy them too.
I decided to make some dandelion lotion bars out of the fresh blooms. And Drew wanted to try frying some blossoms. The lotion bars turned out so sweet and they work wonderfully. Drew wasn’t a huge fan of the fried blossoms. I kind of winged it and they could have used a little more flavor in the breading but it was still fun to try. We harvested quite a few extra blooms to dry for later use. I want to slowly start adding to my stash of dried naturals to have on hand.
Making use of dandelions was fun and a great way to get outside even though it was still an early chilly spring day. And now Drew will pick me little dandelion bouquets now and then when he’s outside playing!
I’ve been doing a lot of stitching lately. I had orders come in after our vacation and it feels like it has taken me forever to get them all done. I’m working on the last one now. Yeah! Then I have an embroidery order to get designed and done. Then I can start all over again. During this time I finished up one just for me, something I rarely do anymore, and I ran across a couple of finished pieces from long ago that I wanted to display. I just fell in love with the mushroom and rabbits after I stitched it as an order and just had to do one for me. I’ve fallen in love with mushrooms this spring for some odd reason. And the Fresh Eggs and Tomato Harvest were begging to be framed. I don’t know how to frame, and this is something I really should learn to do, but in the meantime I just stick them in frames and enjoy them. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t stitch and rarely does a day go by that I don’t pick up my needle and thread. I feel so blessed to have people all over who want my finished products. It enables me to support my hobby and sometimes even have a little extra money coming in. And once in awhile I finish something for me too.
I have rarely traveled. Unless there is a reason to go somewhere, I would just rather stay home. I’ve been to South Dakota when my oldest son competed there in the Nationals with his 4-H Shooting Sports Club. We had so much fun. I’ve been to Kentucky to visit my brother-in-law and sister-in-law when they lived there and we then went onto Memphis and met more of his family there and went to Graceland. (They are huge Elvis fans!). I’ve been to St. Louis to visit the Arch and to Hannibal, MO to camp with friends. That is as far away from my little Midwest Iowa town I’ve ventured. Until two weeks ago.
Joe came home a awhile back from a business trip to Florida and told me we were taking a vacation to Florida so I could see the ocean. He didn’t ask, he told. He knew if he asked, my answer would be no. I’ve always wanted to see the ocean and last summer for our 30th anniversary we were going to go on a trip but thanks to Covid we canceled it. Well, this time around he wasn’t going to take no for an answer and two weeks later the car was loaded up and we were Florida bound!
We took a cooler of food so we wouldn’t have to eat out much and we didn’t plan to do anything big, just see some country as we drove and visit the Atlantic and the Gulf. Oh, and I have an Uncle and Aunt who just happen to live in The Villages who were thrilled that we were coming down and were so gracious in taking us to their favorite beaches and then we spent a day in The Villages tootling around on golf carts seeing all there is to offer there.
We had a great time. They joked that I was bad luck as we didn’t see the sun until our last day there so my beach visits were all overcast with wind and lots of waves. But I didn’t care, I was fascinated with the ocean! We collected lots and lots of shells, wandered the beaches, drove down Daytona Beach and drove across the Skyway. We stopped in Nashville on the way there and on the way back and got to visit Broadway Street and see The Grand Ole Opry. We drove through the mountains, which were beautiful and my next travel adventure is going to be in the mountains somewhere. Joe says the Rockies!
It was such a fun week. I might be willing to actually go again sometime!
Life lesson for Drew: The Mule doesn’t work in snow, the 4-wheeler can also get stuck, and Dad doesn’t like to stop what he is doing to help dig you out! After a lot of shoveling and some pulling, Drew now knows how to get things unstuck!
It’s hard to believe February is almost over. It always amazes me how quickly time flies. We decided to do our phenology wheel journaling for February today. It’s fun to see what each of remembers most from the month. We pulled out our nature journals too and went through them to remind us what we observed and what we studied on those days we couldn’t get outside. (Which was most of the February as there was just too much snow and too many cold cold days.) We are starting to really enjoy these phenology wheels now that we have two months filled in. Our nature year all in one picture!
It really hit home today that spring is on its way. Along with a wonderful warmer week, today Drew spied our resident chipmunk out running around. Hibernation must be over! We noticed him last year living around the oak trees and today he was out running all over the cave and around the yard and trees. Drew and Possum would go from one dining room window to the other watching him run around. Drew was entertained and Possum was wanting to eat him. It’s a good thing there was a window between them! And he was a great addition to our nature journals!
I am loving these two samplers and the story behind them. They are the first two samplers in a 12-month series of samplers by the very talented Beth Twist of Heartstring Samplery and the series is called Sunday Stitches. Each sampler is inspired by one of Beth’s favorite hymns. The first in the series is titled Amazing Grace, a hymn I love. February’s is titled Be Thou My Vision. I wasn’t familiar with this hymn but I listened to it on YouTube and it’s such a beautiful song. I’m so looking forward to getting to know the hymns I’m not familiar with, listen again to the ones I do know, and to stitch them in sampler form.
Yesterday was my dad’s birthday! We made him a German chocolate cake, his favorite, and had supper with him and mom. We went to their house so they didn’t have to be out in the cold in the dark. It’s just too cold for that. We are blessed that both Dad and Mom are in good health. They still live on their acreage and although they rent out their farm ground and only have two goats as far as livestock, they stay active keeping the timber going and keeping the place up. It takes a lot of work to live on an acreage and I can’t imagine Dad living anywhere else. He wouldn’t know what to do with himself! The two pictures above are of Dad, Ronnie Rae, and his twin sister, Konnie Kae. We lost Aunt Konnie to cancer a few years ago and miss her greatly. I am so thankful my Grandpa and Grandma had so many pictures taken of them. They are a treasure to have!
