Town House Homestead Tuesday

Progress

Progress is becoming my favorite word and experience. We have been in our new home for just shy of five months. We have worked and grown, grown gardens and made a lot of progress bringing her back up to the fine place she should be. This past holiday weekend was by no means one of relaxation. It began with my daughter joining forces with the owner of the bees she's been attending. Early Saturday morning they inspected the hive and harvested honey and talked over plans for winterizing the hive. They were joined by a family that wanted the children to experience working with bees. I don't have pictures because I stayed behind to get caught up on some household chores. 

This past week I took advantage of the farm market. We bought half a bushel of tomatoes and I put up fourteen quarts of tomatoes. It equaled the same price as canned at the super market except that we know what is in the tomatoes and feel better about what we are eating. 

I also put up eight pints of peaches for winter use. They are so delicious and I have the skins and pits steeping to see if it will be strong enough for peach pit jelly. 

My daughter brought me home these beauties. She purchased them from a co-worker whose daughter raises chickens. I am thrilled and will be cooking and baking with them this week.

I've made some progress with the cast iron dutch oven. I have scrubbed it several times and heated it well and so far the progress has been good. I hope I can devote some more time to it this week and maybe cook a meal in it. 

After finishing with the bees Saturday and getting some what caught up with house chores we headed for the basement to resume working. It required patching holes in the cement, stapling wires up so they didn't hang, brushing down the walls and the removal of all the wood along the crown of the room that was left from the lowered ceiling. We worked late Saturday, but were right back at it to be ready for painting Sunday morning. 

Before we started painting we realized we needed to get more windows opened. In the 58 years this house has existed the windows were rarely opened and the original screens were rotted out so we took the time to tape new screen in the windows for a temporary fix so we could ventilate the basement. We worked until after dark Sunday to get this quarter of the basement covered and primed so we can keep going. What a difference and how thrilled and exhausted we were. Progress comes with hard work and burning muscles. The paint for the floor is being delivered today. What is next with the walls is still up in the air, but they are ready for whatever my daughter decides. It will be her sewing and work studio so it's up to her. We will be working on another quarter of the basement this week to make a food storage pantry that is clean and organized that will house a work table and possible freezer. For Monday the work went outside. There was another large amount of trash to prepare for pickup today and the back yard needed mowing. We went as far as we could before we both were ready to collapse. It was time to quit and relax and just see the progress we had made. That's what's been happening this past week at the New Town House Homestead. Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week. Be Happy!

Town House Homestead Tuesday

We are still going strong here at our new home. We still unpack a box here and there, but until we finish deconstructing the basement, and making it a little more finished, a lot of unpacking will be done a couple months down the road. Being an old 1950's home it needs a lot of work yet to bring it up to where it should be. The basement is keeping us busy. It had a drop ceiling with Styrofoam glued to the walls and Styrofoam used as the ceiling panels. We have torn it all out and this week we are having some one come and pick up the mound of scrap metal and we have almost hauled all of the old floor out for collection. As you can see we are close to a clean room to start washing it down and painting. 

This is only one quarter of the basement that will house my daughter's sewing and craft studio. This week we have been fighting yellow jackets that are coming in and dying, but one stung her on the back of her neck while she was working. We'll pull all the old smelly insulation out and seal holes to prevent this in the future.

We are starting to get back to thrift store shopping and checking out flea markets to find some tools and items we need for the house. I found this vintage tablecloth. I love this pattern. A few years ago my daughter gave me one that was so badly stained that I could only use it as a cutter. I was excited to find this one and although it has a few stains that stubbornly won't come out it is in very usable condition. From the cutter I made place mats, pan handle pot holders, napkins, and hot pads, and still have pieces left that I was saving to make a table cloth that I can use for pot holders and oven mitts. It's been a fun sewing project.

Some other thrift finds were books. I can't wait to have time to read Solar Power Your Home for Dummies. 

We found a few more holiday items. Easter egg plates, made in Japan Christmas choir singers, a glass Valentines day jar, an aqua planter and a set of vintage Ball salt and pepper shakers.

We found some vintage linens. Some are sold already, some will be sold, and some will be used for sewing. All are in great shape and I can't wait to sew more.

The best find ever was this 5 quart Wagner cast iron dutch oven. They have become very expensive at thrift stores and flea markets and are usually in much worse condition. We got this one for $19.99 and I am already starting to clean it and season it. It is looking much better, but has a way to go before I'm comfortable cooking in it. I have wanted one for so long, so I can be patient. The container garden is slowing down. A few more tomatoes to go and maybe a few peppers and beans, but now it will be all farm market vegetables. Thank goodness that option is available and it's always nice to shop local. That's what's be happening this past week at the Town House Homestead. Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week.