Well I must say, the the milder temperatures were nice while they lasted. Today starts a long streak of colder snowy days, but work continues. Now that we've taken some time off, (inserting laugh here), we are starting new projects and getting back to the homestead things that need to be done while we are shut up inside, or at work.
The only one happy with this windfall of snow is Hunter, but he's learned to come in when he gets cold without being summoned by a treat, so this is progress. It took him long enough to learn how to be out by himself, so it's great to see him adjust. He's one year old this week and his birthday present is going to be doggy day care. Just so I can work a day here and there around the house. He also needs to socialize with other dogs.
I love that my friends and family know me well enough to give me gifts of meaning. These are some vintage cooking and canning items I got for Christmas.
It was my goal to finish this queen size scrap quilt before the end of January. I completed it a week ahead of schedule and it is now on my bed and keeping me warm. It's taken almost three years to complete.
My daughter's house, our home, is sixty years old this year and she got it as a flipped house. It was not done well at all and a lot of things we knew we would be fixing. This was the condition behind the bathroom sink. Not even any grout in the floor tiles they put in, and pitiful painting around the sink if any. No one would see it I guess, but they don't know us.
We are do it yourself kind of gals and in one week, working a little here and a little there, it's looking better than the original pink.
We are working on fixing the grout and sealing things so that the sink can go back, but since my daughter is ahead of schedule with the renovation, she is going to complete this nook of the bathroom before it does. Yes this is slowing down to us, but it's the best time of year to work indoors.
While she's been working on the bathroom, I have been catching up on some canning. It started with orange juice and apple cider that had to be put up before they were lost.I had a good stash of vegetable scraps in the freezer and for the past four mornings have been busy boiling them into stock and canning it. I ended up with twenty six quarts of stock for the deep pantry and all of the boiled vegetable that were strained out, are now in the compost bin.
Today there are canning jars on every counter in the kitchen in every stage of canning. From empty and new to fresh from the dishwasher or waiting for a label, or to come out of the canner itself. I live a canning jar life and it has cut down on our use of plastics and waste. I use my jars to vacuum seal dry goods and hold spices too. It's great to buy items on sale and know they can be kept for a while.
These are some older jars that I keep on the counter for my garlic and shallots. The jars can't be used for canning any more, so I use them for storage.
And finally last week I received this in the mail. It's a wall mounted plug in heater. I won it in a Face Book contest. I enter those on occasion, but this one was just a share and I did it because other's were. I was surprised for sure, but skeptical because I have been told I won things before and never received the prize. Well it came and I am so excited. Some time soon the insulation goes in and I am going to mount it in my seed starting room so they will be warm and I may have more success this year. I was going to buy heat pads for the shelves, but this will save me from spending. We'll see what happens.
That's what's been going on here at the Town House Homestead. Thank you for stopping by for a visit and have a great week. Remember to share your abundance and love. Doing for others always brings it's rewards.
