Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

Well it's beginning. I'm calling it PSP and it's exciting. Purging, Selling, and Packing. Actually it's been going on for quite some time, but it's more real now. If you follow my blog you'll know that we've been working towards a permanent move away from rented apartments and stress producing neighbors. We pinched and saved and have done everything needed so that my eldest daughter can purchase a home. This has been going on for four and a half years now. The financial process really began after the first of the year when she met with the banks to see what she could do. All went well and the search began. We looked, and liked, and lost out on properties that we knew we could work with. Then...last week she found a property that said coming soon on the computer. Her determination to find what she wanted led her to contact the listing agent and he said that he would be listing it that afternoon. She was able to see it that afternoon and it was that same evening that she put an offer on it and they accepted. To let you know how quickly this is moving, within the next two days it has been inspected and all paper work is in the hands of the lawyers and yesterday was a holiday. Next step actually applying for her mortgage. 

She's posted this picture so all her friends can see it. It's a three bedroom ranch with a full basement, sun room and two car garage. It's a flip by the listing agent and still needs love, but the inside has been completely renovated and updated. 

This is the front side yard. Gazebo included. Needs new paint but is sheltered by wonderful trees. Do you notice the space? Lots of iced tea, lemonade, wine and some great beer going to be consumed out there.

This is the back yard. Again, notice the space. That's a shed on the right and a garden that has been cut already and waiting for us to clean up and put to immediate use if this all goes well. This will be the view out the kitchen window over the sink. Total lot is .51 acres. Room for bees, fruit trees and berry plants, along with vegetables. This is not a country piece of property. It is just a lot on a quiet side street, off a busy street not far from a full busy city with a mall shortly down the road and stores, restaurants and hotels withing a couple of miles, but it is quiet and peaceful. So here's hoping that all goes well and the pre approval turns into a finished process and in less than three months we'll be moving in. 

Meanwhile in the townhouse kitchen I continue putting food up. This is barbecue sauce. Already canned is the root beer sauce and ready to be canned is the cherry coke sauce. This is a continuance of my waste, not want not, try anything attitude to use what comes my way. The question I am asked most is "do you use what you put up" or are you just hoarding food. Well we use it and have cut our expenses to a minimum and are actually eating better and having fun with meals. This is the eleven jars that came out of the dish washer yesterday. I even used an 8 oz jar of canned cheese for macaroni and cheese that I put up at the end of 2013 and it was out of this world. 

That's what's been happening for us so far in 2016. Thank you for stopping by for a visit and please send out good vibes for us. As the process moves forward I will share more pictures and ramblings of the adventure. 

Thrift finds

So much happening and so little thrift hunting, but we found a couple of items. We've started the house search and process and are making it as much fun as possible. A couple of weeks ago we did a little thrift hunting, but we left so much behind. 

Just couldn't leave behind this half dozen of wide mouth quart jars and three new, never used Raggedy Ann and Andy pillow cases. Not much, but useful and items that can go on the store. Thank you for stopping by and have a great week. 

Thrift finds.

In this new year with a move lurking in the next few months, and the hunt for a new home to shelter in, we have spent a lot of time purging and packing in preparation for this event. There are a couple other reasons also, but we won't go there. We are in a position where we are having to protect from two intrusions from a neighbor. When renting you have to be prepared for many things, but these were something we thought of, but never expected. So naive of us. This past week we filled a few more bags with donations and went to drop them off. In doing so we  were given a 30% off coupon to use on our next purchase. With time to spare before our next errand we decided to look around. There were good purchases and we were very selective knowing it would have to be packed to move or quickly listed for sale on line.

We found several vintage sheets, some vintage salt and pepper shakers, some collectible plates and a wall plaque for our new home. 

There were a dozen wide mouth quart size canning jars that we eagerly scooped up and after the 30% off coupon they ended up being free. I've already filled a few and the rest are waiting for my creativity in the kitchen. It feels good knowing that when I have the room to work in a larger kitchen and a space for storage everything I need will be at hand. Thank you universe and thank you for stopping by for a visit. Have a great week and wonderful weekend. 

Thrift finds.

Here we go again buying what we really don't need, but oh such great finds. Some more after Christmas shopping lead us to these finds.

This collection is full of vintage Santa's. There's the planter, a set of Hallmark salt and pepper shakers, a vintage elf, a Santa ornament picture frame, some candle sticks and a holly leaf bowl. 

This is a vintage Mikasa serving plate. It's named Susan. My daughter likes to decorate her walls with Mikasa plates.

This group include a small book, a pink Pyrex loaf pan, a stacking doll, a pair of fawn salt and pepper shakers and a straw hot pad. 

We found a salad bowl set and weaving looms 

The best thrifting ever came when we found a junk spot that had a "FILL A BOX, ANY BOX", for $5.

Both of my daughters enjoyed filling a good sized box. To begin with there were canning jars, wax and lids. I was happy.

They found books, vintage post cards, a spice shelf, a large cocktail mixer, a vintage velvet rabbit, a darning egg and some Beaba brand baby food storage containers.

They found NIP green planters, vintage linens, a small Russian wooden box, a French espresso cup and more straw hot pads.

They also found a vintage kitchen prayer plate and plastic rose wall hangings. This was only half of what was in the box, but all that came home with my eldest daughter. My younger daughter found more items, but I didn't get pictures. Some items will be and are listed for sale on line, while others will be kept for future use. Thank you for stopping by to visit and may your thrift hunting be as much fun.

Thrift finds

After Christmas Thrift Shopping.

Okay, so we're not supposed to be buying anything that will eventually have to be moved in a few months, but once bitten by the bug it's hard to stop. We had to catch up with family members who also love the thrill of the hunt, so we took a day between the holidays to head out. We have gone out again since this trip to thrift shop, so I guess the bug is permanent.

We enjoyed going through the marked down Christmas shelves loaded with filled bags. Here are some metal, miniature cookie cutters, candles, two boxes of canning jar lids and a tiny Japanese candle holding figurine.

We found a gingerbread house themed holiday cookie jar, some Holley print glasses, a vintage tablecloth that is new and the darling cardboard Japanese Angel that is my daughter's favorite color. She will most likely put on the top of her next Christmas tree. 

We found holiday linens, napkins, sheets, NIP pillow forms, elastic and slippers too. The gingerbread boy is a bowl.

There were vintage sheets, more ornaments to add to her collection and this fun and bright vintage plastic tray made in Japan.

There were boxes of vintage sewing patterns to rummage through too. We got a few so we can use up some fabric in our stashes, but we were selective and left so many more behind. Okay so we shouldn't be shopping, but the bug was biting hard and we still feel the hunting urge. Thank you for stopping by for a visit and have a wonderful new year hunting. 

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

My eldest daughter and I had a very wonderful and quiet Christmas day together. Christmas Eve Day we spent with my younger daughter and my wonderful grandsons. It had been a while since we'd been together and we shared a simple breakfast, gifts, and many, many hugs. The boys are growing so fast and at 13 and 16 it still feels good to get those hugs. The discussions were more colorful and their opinions are getting to be a little more adult, but we got caught up with music and sports and their busy lives. 

We kept the holiday simple. Our table held this wonderful Poinsettia plant that was so large we called it our tree and it was just enough to put our gifts under. 

As promised to ourselves we kept breakfast simple too. Just coffee with home made donut holes and fresh fruit. It was a day of relaxation and shutting out the world. Christmas dinner was left over Thanksgiving turkey that I vacuum sealed and froze. The only cooking was a pot of potatoes and a fresh vegetable and  we promised that we would continue to celebrate simply from here on. We hope you all had a wonderful holiday and thank you for stopping by for a visit. May 2016 bring good times and many blessing to all. 

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

Happy Holidays!

It's been very quiet and relaxed here at the townhouse. Ya sure, who am I kidding? Well we've been trying to make it that way. It seems like there will always be stress mixed into the plan. 

So, in keeping this post light, there is a lovely young lady who is still gardening here in upstate NY. This past week she gifted me some fresh rosemary and parsley. Two of my favorites. Being a farm girl at heart I took the chance and started to propagate a couple of very healthy sprigs. I'm trying a green house method and sealed it in a plastic bag because my reputation with propagating rosemary has been challenging to say the least. I am drying a bit for future use, and I made this wonderful loaf of rosemary olive oil bread. It is so good. The parsley has been added to some smoothies and of course this lovely white garlic pizza with tomatoes. I love fresh herbs and I always manage to add fresh vegetables.

Remember this fine collection of thrift store bottles? Well, in my search for pour spouts so I could use them to hold creamers for my holiday coffee, I was led to the Dollar Tree store where I purchased packages of them at 2 for $1 keeping them in my budget. It pays to read reviews on line and get the information we need to stay economically stable and still have nice things.

Here they are all decked out with our vintage tray, Mikasa sugar and creamer, and mugs for Christmas morning. The green holly fabric are home made napkins and I'm sure once I bake some breakfast items, or simply take some out of the freezer, we'll have a simple and relaxing holiday. It is well earned and deserved. We are wishing everyone a great holiday season and thank you for stopping by for a visit. 

Thrift finds

The mission was to go to the thrift store and find one item to be used in an up cycle project. Many dollars and more than a few minutes later, the words from my daughter were "It's like Gramma's house got delivered to the thrift store and I couldn't resist". She was right and we left plenty behind for others but what wonderful fun and finds.

The first find was several cases of canning jars. We kept the pint size jars and my daughter's co-worker wanted the half pints. The timing of this find was perfect. These are two of the vintage table cloths that we chose. The blue with flowers was in almost perfect condition. The gingerbread print one needed, and still needs soaking, but the stains are coming out. 

We found two new vintage Vera table cloths and a vintage terry towel. It was hard choosing some items, but we've already sold one tablecloth.

Here we found some vintage 70s double knit fabric and some Christmas yard good. The bright pink and purple fabric is another tablecloth. There were boxes and boxes of fabric on bolts and yarn, but the baby yarn is all we got and it was only 99 cents. Not shown were some aqua soup/cereal bowls that immediately were cleaned and put to use in the kitchen and of course the original item we went for we did find plus a few more. We had promised ourselves not to bring a lot more home, but it was a great shopping trip and the items were fabulous. Thank you for stopping by for a visit and have a wonderful week. If you need some last minute items for holiday gift giving my daughter's store is having a 40% off sale so stop by and check it out. Here's the link and you can find the shop on my side bar. 

poetcharms.etsy.com

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

Holiday Farmer's Market

My younger daughter and I have visited the farmer's market for the past two Sundays to enjoy the holiday celebrations. The weather has been more than wonderful for the northeast, but we sure would have loved a few snowflakes for our visits. 

Oh, the fresh air and the aroma of fresh cut evergreens. There were trees, wreaths, swags, and home made decorations of all kinds for sale. There were vendors selling vintage Christmas, vendors selling roasted nuts, festive foods, cookie waffles made on antique pie irons, apple cider donuts and festive anything you could think of. 

People were dressed in holiday colors to shop and this woman was checking out a farmer's livestock. There were chickens, rabbits, and goats for sale. 

Santa rode in a horse drawn carriage with parents and children expressing their wishes for holiday gifts. Santa was very attentive, but he took a minute to wave to everyone and wish them happy holidays. Children could also decorate a sugar cookie for free as part of the festivities.

This young elf was working her hardest to help sell the family trees. She was in the spirit although she admitted to being quite cold. Her selling spot was shaded, but she hung in there with youthful enthusiasm. This coming Sunday is the final day for this holiday event and I'm not sure we'll be going, but it was so much fun to be out enjoying the holiday at the market before they build all enclosed structures. I will miss the outdoor market, but progress is what it is. Thank you for stopping by and visiting. I hope this brought you a bit of holiday cheer.

Thrift Finds

Well it's getting closer. After the first of the year my daughter will begin her search for a home and stability. We have gone to thrift stores and come home with very little if anything. We have begun packing and labelling boxes and realizing that the last five years of paying off debt and saving will have us in a home in nine months or less. With the Christmas holiday approaching we have decided to decorate very little. We are choosing instead to attend tree lightings and small holiday events. It's sort of if we feel like it we will, if not then we'll relax and craft. The next couple of Sundays at the farmers market the vendors are selling trees, wreaths, vintage Christmas items, specialty foods and there are even horse and carriage rides. It's free to walk around and get into the spirit. The only purchase I made were these vintage bottles. I got them for $1 each. After a few days of soaking and scrubbing I got them clean and am thrilled with the find. 

There is a snowman with a cork stopper, a Gingerbread man, and a Penguin. They were too cute to leave behind. This is my plan for them.

I will add them to my holiday counter Christmas morning with my coffee and hot chocolate. This snowman will hold my French vanilla creamer.

The Gingerbread man will hold...yes gingerbread creamer or ginger syrup.

The Penguin will hold either butter pecan creamer or peppermint syrup. Earlier this year I found a Honey Bee shaped jar that I'll put honey in. This will be our holiday treat to start our day and make it special while keeping it simple. Thank you for stopping by to visit and have a wonderful week. Happy thrifting. 

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

Happy Thanksgiving

We will be taking some time to enjoy family, friends, and the blessings of this past year. It is our busiest sewing weekend of the year and we hope to create as many pairs of mittens for donation as we can. We wish you all the best and hope that you help someone who is in need too.

Thrift finds

It's been a couple of weeks of quick stops and being very selective with thrifting. We've been looking mostly at small items so it's easy to move and store. 

Here we found two yellow Glasbake soup mugs/bowls, some vintage wooden tree ornaments, and just above the word lemons on the vintage 1978 screen print is the head of an elf. My daughter is giving it new life. The screen print came with a wooden frame.

The cute cat is a bank. It was made in Japan. We found photo corners, vintage Easter cards, a glass sleigh that  is a candle holder, but the vintage stained glass Santa found happiness sitting in his new mode of transportation.

In addition we found a set of six silicone Christmas tree molds that will be used to make holiday lotions or something with beeswax. There was a bright funky two yard piece of fabric, some hand made crochet dresser scarfs and a Christmas print clutch.

Finally we found a couple of cookie cutters, a wooden reindeer ornament, a sweet charity key chain and a white opal Pyrex pie plate. Even though we do not need to bring anything else home we can't stop looking and shopping. Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week. Keep on thrifting.

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

It's been all about pumpkins.

Are we tired of pumpkins yet? Not at all. It's been a wonderful pumpkin season and although I've got to do the work, to me it's well worth it. I processed the pie pumpkin and have been enjoying it, and last week a co-worker of my younger daughter gifted me another pumpkin. We had been to a few farm stands, but they were mostly out, but this gentleman had grown a few and wasn't quite sure what he would do with them. 

Yesterday I began putting this large pumpkin up. I cut it and cleaned it and started dehydrating it. My five racks held one quarter of the shredded pumpkin. I guess I'm going to be busy for the rest of the week. It took my old dehydrator eight hours to dry the pumpkin, but I'm fine with that. When the whole pumpkin is done I will make powder and vacuum seal it in a canning jar for future use. I also retrieved two cups of seeds, so I roasted one cup of lightly salted and one cup roasted with sirarcha sauce. 

Autumn is a fun time of year with all the harvests and holiday celebrations and what would be better than pumpkin goodies. I tried for the first time pumpkin empanadas and they are delicious and easy to make. I am going to use some of the leftover filling in a regular pie crust. I've made hand pies all of my life using pie crust and I think these would be awesome in a flakier crust. Here's the recipe I used.

http://www.muybuenocookbook.com/2010/10/pumpkin-empanadas/

I'm not tired of pumpkins yet and if more came my way they would be put to good use and preserved and enjoyed with love. That's just the way it is. Thank you for stopping by and visiting. I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy your pumpkins. 

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

Well, another long and busy week is behind us and the learning continues along with confusion and wonder as to why things are the way they are. 

I finally found time to enjoy the process of baking my pie pumpkin last week. It's one of my favorite vegetables to put up and it makes the townhouse smell so wonderful. I roasted the seeds and can not wait to start cooking this week. My $2 pie pumpkin yielded six cups of puree and one cup of seeds. 

It's coming up on the holiday season and I'm always looking for home made things to do. I enjoy working with textiles and have been learning more knitting stitches and making more ornaments. This is the first time ever that I have knit with five needles at once and this star is the result. I was intimidated at first, but it is really easy once you are familiar with the pattern.

Here they are in red. It uses so little yarn and I am using the leftover from my knitted sock adventure.

I also found a few minutes this week to work on a Christmas fabric ornament. I have a personal collection of red, white, and green folded fabric ornaments. These are three inches square and are the Cathedral window quilt design. I will add a bead to the middle and attach a hanger. I love folding and manipulating fabric and this is using up a lot of my scrap holiday fabric.

Isn't this the most beautiful picture of fruit, vegetables, and snacks? There are 2 large heads of cauliflower, 15 cucumbers, 5 oranges, 4 bags of baby carrots, 4 snack packs of graham crackers, 6 yogurts, 25 apples, and a large container of guacamole. Well, this was all rescued. Headed for the landfill. Yes, this is what makes me wonder why things are the way they are. It is a liability to give this food away. I am grateful that it was rescued and given to us. There's been cooking going on, sharing going on, and healthier eating going on. It can only do good if we overlook the liability. I find that as I'm maturing there are fewer things physically that I can do, but if I can be gifted food because people know I won't waste and will put it all to good use, then that will be the direction I take. From the townhouse, a great big thank you for stopping by to visit and please have a wonderful week. 

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

This is going to be a short post today. I want to find time to get to my sewing room and it might look like I've been a bit lazy because I have so little to post, but this is absolutely not the truth. I always have something to do and there are a few changes coming in the next ten months that I am preparing for. 

We are looking forward to our Thanksgiving holiday. There is so much to be grateful for this year. My pilgrims and turkey have not fallen victim to the packing I've been doing so I did a little counter decorating so we feel the holiday goodness. I did make cookies so that I could fill the thrifted pumpkin jar I got this past weekend. It helped that it was 50% off.

I have been blessed with vegetables as gifts. Yesterday it was this five pound bag of snap peas that were headed to the garbage. Perfectly good snap peas. This morning I cleaned and blanched enough of them to load the dehydrator. I will freeze some for stir fries and clean some just to snack on. I spent some time this past weekend putting vegetables up in the freezer that I was given or purchased at the farm market. I put up diced and sliced peppers, sweet potatoes in one cup portions, broccoli, and sauteed cabbage that was given to me in olive oil and butter for my winter lunches. I also put up my cooked celery and onions in poultry seasoning as starter for my holiday stuffing. I think that this winter will be easier than past winters because I have a full freezer and pantry to prepare meals with. We have also been quite successful at eating less meat and sticking to creating a meal plan. Small successes, but great ones. Thank you for stopping by for a visit. I hope all is well with everyone and that you all have a wonderful week.