End of Fall/Early Winter - October/November/December 2021 Homemaking Newsletter

“A household has to be tended if it is to flourish and grow. Housework is never 'done' in the same sense that gardening is never done or that God's providential involvement in the world is never done. Housework and gardening and God's providence itself are exercises not in futility but in faithfulness - faithfulness to the work itself, to the people whose needs that work serves, and to the God whose own faithfulness invites our faithful response.” 

~ Margaret Kim Peterson, Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life

“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much…”

~ Luke 16:10

I'm not sure how it happened but time flew and I forgot about these monthly newsletters! It's been an interesting time for many of us and so I do hope you pardon my tardiness? I have corralled the last of the three months into one newsletter so it may be a bit long (and for that I apologize!). And I've also included some thoughts behind each picture which will make it even longer (and for that I apologize again!). Without further adieu, here is another (tri)monthly update in which we chat about homemaking happenings and any other ponderings which do not fit into its own post. It is simply an old-fashioned, nurturing, homemaking newsletter. 

Inspired from last year’s “Fall Printable Homemaking Checklist", I have baked some "apple and pumpkin treats” for autumn. This list is a lovely way to breathe creativity into your home. The recipe for the healthy but delicious “Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins" can be found HERE.

“But unless we are creators we are not fully alive. What do I mean by creators? Not only artists, whose acts of creation are the obvious ones of working with paint of clay or words. Creativity is a way of living life, no matter our vocation or how we earn our living. Creativity is not limited to the arts, or having some kind of important career.” 

~ Madeleine L'Engle

Creativity is turning a house into a home. Turning a pumpkin into a pie. Turning a table into a beautiful landscape. Turning a basket of fruit into sweet syrupy jam. Turning a bedroom into a retreat. Turning a living room into a cozy nest. Turning a life into a little piece of luxury through your tending, your skills, your love. 

Creative living brings beauty into the daily rituals of life, keeps your mind and heart busy on the good things and turns the home into a productive and joyful living space. It is never stagnant and is a lovely way for the homemaker to live a rich and fulfilling life of faith.

🤎🧺🕯 

“Let all that you do be done with love.”

~ 1 Corinthians 16:14

I have created a "Little cabinet on the prairie"… 

Once upon a time, when the homemaker needed a change of pace, she would take a stroll along a lovely path in a peaceful setting or hop in the car for a little outing. But lately these things have lost its luster. She doesn’t have the same feelings of enjoyment when she enters the outside world. 

And thus, she begins more nesting in the inside world… Her home.

For her new refreshment, she begins to embellish on a smaller scale to bring a bit of whimsy for all those in her care. When they open a certain cabinet or drawer, it may reveal a little surprise. A little lace perhaps, a bit of pretty paper, a display of organization but always a hearty dose of cozy love.

🧺🤍🍂

I’ve decorated a small section of our kitchen cabinet which stores our everyday dishes (the ones I transformed for fall here). I’ve hung a little white curtain in the background using a spring rod & tacked in a strip of old fashioned lace. I’ve also included a small jar of decaf coffee in the corner. We often speak (we’re weird) of how the pioneers would come home to a late cup of coffee in the evening & how it sounded so comforting & cozy. Now we can enjoy that same warmth in our night time ritual should we choose. I’ve also included our autumn serving dishes in this area as a reminder to use them as well as a few pitchers & creamers in brown & gold for additional table charm. It took but a few pleasant minutes to create this area but my daughter says she smiles every time she opens the doors. It may seem silly to some (to create this humble little space), but if you have just a tad of that nostalgic homemaking heart, I think you’ll understand.

For some, to ponder on the future brings such strong feelings of dimness and darkness… but as I bring these hot cheesy loaves from the oven I am reminded of the Lord’s Prayer.

It is a prayer that teaches us to be obedient to the day. Yes we are to be aware of current events (but not obsessed with them), we are to find strength from the Word and be mindful of the future (through the revelations of the Scriptures). But we also have a Christian obligation to see the blessings of the day.

For today we are warm and well fed. Today we are comfortable and cozy. Today we are safe and sound in our home sweet home. 

It is so easy to feel overwhelmed and distressed but we need to remember that we serve the God of tomorrow too. He is there for us. We need only to be obedient to him in THIS moment and be thankful for the beauty of NOW. If we have our loaf on the table, we have much.

“In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.”

~ Matthew 6:9-11

🧺 🥖 🕯 

This cheesy garlic bread twist is an absolute favorite in our house. Use your favorite bread dough recipe to make this delicious loaf. The tutorial is featured HERE if you are interested.

Here is another little project! It is a thrifted curtain panel which I repurposed into a prairie-style apron with some humble sewing skills... 

“The kitchen is your natural setting as a woman and you should look beautiful, not bedraggled, in it. Whether you go to work or work at home- or both- take advantage of the opportunity the kitchen offers for expressing your wifely qualities in what you wear. Pinafores, organdies, and aprons look wonderful, as do gay cotton wrap-arounds that slip on over your dress while you make breakfast. 

Too much attention is paid to kitchen equipment and decor; too little to what is worn in this setting. Why look like Cinderella's crotchety stepmother when you can be a lyrical embodiment of all that a home and hearth means!” 

~ Anne Fogarty, Wife Dressing: The Fine Art of Being a Well-Dressed Wife (1959)

Every time I see rose-printed lace, I am in love . Though I had other plans in mind when I first found this piece, I kept imagining it as a beautiful old fashioned apron, one that may be ornamental in nature but a bit symbolic. I hope the late Ms. Fogarty would have approved!

In a world that is tragically 😢 trying to re-define what a woman is, I feel this romantic apron is a sweet testimony to traditional biblical femininity.

I think it says, "I am being worn simply because I am pretty and delicate and romantic but with a productive, hard-working spirit, just like the gentle but strong women that have come before me” and just like I desire daily to be.

What about you, are you feeling that old fashioned feminine spirit?

🧺

“She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.”

~ Proverbs 31:17

I also made and developed this recipe for an "autumn crazy cake". You will find this seasonal treat HERE. The beauty of this cake is that all the ingredients will be found in your pantry (there is no butter, eggs or milk in it) and it is deliciously moist!

I have been tackling my autumn sewing basket and couldn’t wait to bring in my “new” fall collection of un-paper towels made with repurposed thrifted flannel. They are very absorbent as they are “double-ply” flannel and wash extremely well. You can keep a stack in a basket under or on the kitchen sink for easy access. When made with pretty fabric, they are also attractive decoration and a lot more appealing than a roll of commercialized paper towels.

I haven’t purchased paper towels in over 10 years and to think of the savings brings me immense joy! I would estimate $1000 thus far (based off buying them in bulk 4 times a year at $25 a pop - so $100 a year by 10 years gives me $1000).

I made a fresh batch for our home and a batch was bundled up in remnant lace for my daughter’s hope chest. She loves these kinds of things and will be all set with a money saving mentality when she has a home of her own.

This is the beautiful part of a God-honoring traditional marriage. The husband works hard to provide the means to support his family and the wife stays home and works hard to preserve it. 

“The heart of her husband safely trusts her;

So he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good and not evil

All the days of her life.”

~ Proverbs 31:11-12

🌾🧺✂

A step-by-step tutorial is shared HERE if you are interested in making your own reusable paper towels. And of course, you are always welcome to just cut up a stack of absorbable fabric into squares and use them in the same way without sewing anything. They just won’t be as pretty but it will still save you money (which is “pretty” in itself!).

Last October’s visit to the Farmers Market had me preserving 25 pounds of local, organic apples. A true treat! And so many goodies were made from them!

The famous painter Gustave Flaubert once said, “you don’t make art out of good intentions”. And I’ll add that you can’t build up a pantry with them either… I’m reminded of this as I’ve prepared 7 quart jars of organic apple pie filling… a true labor of love with washing, peeling, coring, slicing, blanching, simmering and finally, the crowning glory, the moment of preserving. But when I think of how I “halfway prepared” 7 pies (or turnovers, apple crisps, crumbles and cobblers!!!) for this chilly cozy season, then I am elated!

“In all labor there is profit,

But idle chatter leads only to poverty.”

~ Proverbs 14:23

Of course the first thing one must make is a "shabby chic" apple pie (I used this cookie cutter to make it). Though it is not perfect, I still think it pretty...

You see, perfection is not always pretty. 

It can hinder the gratefulness and thankfulness in one’s life… because things are never going to be “perfect” on this earth. If we wait for that moment to be “happy” then we may be waiting forever to experience joy.

If we can see, like this little apple pie, that although it isn’t perfect in every way, it is still beautiful in its own right… It will still be just as enjoyable to eat despite its shortcomings. 

It is the same in our lives… nothing on this earth or in our family or in our relationships will ever be picture perfect (until the coming kingdom) but we can be content and enjoy what we do have - for there is some beauty in it if there is LOVE.

A grateful heart creates a happy home. 

“be thankful.”

~ Colossians 3:15b

“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies;

but the thankful heart will find,

in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” 

~ Henry Ward Beecher

Dehydrating has become a favorite way to preserve because it is quite useful (it’s simply shrunken food!), space efficient and requires little effort. I have prepared 5 trays of these apple rings for my autumn pantry and am delighted!

I envision a chilly fall evening…gathered cozily on our couches, with our coffee-table laden with baskets of all my dried fruits, a big bowl of salty, buttery popcorn and a cup of hot chocolate in each hand.

So no… the homemaker doesn’t just stay home, she enhances the home.

She is a life enhancer.

Like the One who made her, she too, makes “every thing beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

- Gifted persimmons have been sliced and dehydrated as an autumn treat for us (nature’s version of “candy corn”). I’ve also read that when thoroughly dried, they can be ground into a natural sugar!

- Apple peels leftover from my pie filling were dehydrated and crumbled and mixed with loose black tea to make a seasonal artisan tea blend. These are expensive to buy but simple to make and would be a lovely gift when wrapped attractively.

- The remainder of the dried apple peels will be ground into a homemade fiber powder for smoothies, added to cinnamon oatmeal and eaten as “chips” (more ideas utilizing fruit peels are found in our ebook- 100+ DIY Projects to Make with Fruit Scraps).

“Laura felt a warmth inside her. It was very small, but it was strong. It was steady, like a tiny light in the dark, and it burned very low but no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up.” 

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Long Winter

This is the way I feel toward our home and all who inhabit it. Though it can be challenging, taking much effort, lots of prayer, mixed with many tears and is needful of a steadfast, enduring spirit, “no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up…”

“And the rain descended, and the floods came,

and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;

and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”

~ Matthew 7:25

It’s such a warm and cozy feeling.

🔥🧺🕯 

Pictured: Apple syrup made with the remaining apple scraps I collected throughout autumn from all of these projects and then froze for this very project. I share this recipe concept HERE.

And finally, though I am finished homeschooling, I have been thinking of you who still are or you who have just begun. If you are struggling and feeling unfruitful, please visit this vintage post of mine to see how one wacky event changed my whole perspective and taught me my time wasn’t spent in vain and that neither is yours! This little autumn scene in this picture book reminded me of it.

 

And now enters WINTER...

Winter 🤍  hibernation…

I’ve gathered all my homemaking goodies in whites, reds, browns and greens.  I will infuse these colors into my home to make my own version of a winter wonderland. It’s rather quite simple but brings a lovely change which keeps the seasons special. Plus, the world isn’t that interesting of a place for me right now, I plan to hibernate much at home! I will be inviting all my loved ones to join me. It’s going to be a cozy winter here because I’m determined to create one. Homemakers are environment-makers!

- I’ll be using my thrift-store collection of white ironstone plates and tea cups. I love the winter white look.

- I also thrifted a few restaurant style mugs (.50) with a printed red pine design. These will be for our evening hot chocolates.

- The snowy schoolhouse scene will replace the autumn cottage plate I have hanging on the wall. This will bring a cozy quietness into the kitchen. I have shared the update picture below. 

- I’ve collected a few second hand baking dishes at thrift stores in browns which I used for fall. I will still be using these to serve our meals. One is a vintage Pyrex & the other is a brown glass dish which came in it’s own sweet custom-sized wicker serving basket! I ended up finding another one of those so now I have two.

- I have brought out my fancy European candlestick holders to enjoy once again (these were a gift from a faraway friend and I cherish them greatly). The flicker of a candle is so soothing.

- I’ve foraged some pinecones with my daughter which will make for some lovely seasonal decoration. As we find more natural elements we will bring them in.

- I’ve pulled out my bundle of home dried red roses. I love the way they look in vases when there isn’t any fresh flowers growing in our yard.

- I also brought out my dried citrus slices from last year to use up as they make pretty and fragrant displays as well.

- And lastly, I placed all my winter inspired (thrifted) fabrics in a basket in order to prepare some projects for the home. This will be my new seasonal sewing basket.

Here is the new winter kitchen scene (as described in my "hibernation" list above).

I’ve also repurposed some of that thrifted fabric into a set of “winter prairie” napkins (without sewing) from my "winter sewing basket". I’m still in love with this “snip-and-rip” process! I’ve made a set for summer and autumn and have used them constantly. As the savings keep growing each month I implement cloth instead of paper (10 years+), how could I deny winter her time in the limelight? 

This set of napkins took me five minutes to measure and rip-to-size along with a slow evening spent pulling off excess threads. 

HERE is the link to my step-by-step tutorial if you’re interested. Wouldn’t a set of these make a sweet gift?

There is something so gratifying to make something usable and lovely for your home. Especially when it is so economical! It’s these little things that make daily homemaking an absolute joy.

♥️ 

“Whether it means producing a piece of art, writing a short story, or simply bringing beauty into our home or into the lives of others, consider for a moment that we each have the capacity to be creative. The masterpiece, then, is not something we create to hang on our wall but something in ourselves as we fulfill our God-given potential, utilizing the talents He gave us.” 

~ Mary Potter Kenyon, Called to Be Creative

Here is the updated version of my "little cabinet on the prairie" for winter… I’ve re-decorated the small section of our kitchen cabinet with the dishes I gathered for my "winter hibernation" shared above. I’ve also removed the lace and tacked in a strip of old fashioned fabric ribbon for cheerful beauty. It took but a few minutes to arrange this area but I find it fun to delight in the little things.

🥀

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might..”

~ Ecclesiastes 9:10

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life

which are the real ones after all.” 

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

We were given a bag of organic pomegranates from a friend’s tree. They yielded 7 jars of delicious Pom jelly. It is indeed the “sweet, simple things of life” which bring the homemaker gentle moments of joy. Other lovely things include waking up to a clean kitchen, brewing coffee anytime you please and placing your homemade preserves upon the pantry shelves.

Can you think of more?

I can think of a million more.

“The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.” 

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

I also pressure canned 7 quart jars of chicken stock for the winter pantry (and froze many more)… truly a “simple pleasure“ as this is a glorious way “to make the most of what you can” by using up vegetable scraps, bones and unsavory cuts of meat. Bone broth in itself is a “real thing” which gently heals and nourishes the body. 

As the homemaker prepares such sustenance for her loved ones, she is also functioning as the country doctor (apothecary), herbalist and/or nutritionist… Just like our ancestors before us who understood the responsibility of taking care of those in their home. The more we can do in our four walls, the better. 

The old fashioned ways are still the most beautiful.

"Science validates what our grandmothers knew. Rich homemade chicken broths help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain."

~ Sally Fallon Morell, Author of Nourishing Traditions

My “pretend” pioneer pantry has grown over the last three months! I call it my “pretend pantry” as I imagined myself to be a pioneering woman preparing for the winter as I filled it. It inspired me to do that extra bit of work. Although I am currently surrounded by the convenience of grocery stores, I don’t want to lose sight of the old ways of providing for our family.

As I took inventory over our homemade provisions for the winter, I am in awe that most preserves were either created with produce which was homegrown, gifted from friends or foraged. This made it quite the economical endeavor! Every time a bag of fruit came along, I thought of Ma Ingalls and made something from it. I dehydrated bits of vegetables for savory soups, canned our excess garden tomatoes for seasonal stews and made jams from anything sweet that came our way. I strung up peppers to dry and even used the fruity peels in various projects. For an extra bit of nostalgia, I placed my handmade candles inside along with our seasonal dishes and linens. It has made for an enjoyable little homemaking hobby.

And after all that hard work, I look forward to enjoying the fruits of our labor this winter! I’m thinking of utilizing many of the dried fruits and jellies to prepare some of those beautiful charcuterie boards I’m seeing out there. Methinks I’ll be starting a new Sunday night food tradition.

♥️ 

"The little house was fairly bursting with good food stored away for the long winter. The pantry and the shed and the cellar were full, and so was the attic."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Big Woods

I've also put to use the sweet tangerines growing in my brother’s backyard. I made two of these darlings. One for my family now and one for my “hospitality pantry”. The recipe to this buttery, citrusy “tangerine drizzle cake” will be found HERE.

Homemakers have the ability to make every moment a celebration. To bring a burst of sunshine to a dreary day. To bake a smile onto everyone’s faces, fashioning little testimonies of love with her two willing hands.

🍊

“… keep cheerful as well as busy, for you are the sunshine-maker of the family,

and if you get dismal there is no fair weather.”

~ Louisa May Alcott

Cranberry Vanilla Granola on a rainy day... Some for you and some for me!

I make a large 28-cup batch at a time as it’s a beautiful addition to the pantry and makes a lovely hostess gift. Make sure you decant it when it is completely cool and store it in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 6 months (if it lasts that long). A portion can also be frozen for the future prior to baking it (should you like an even longer shelf life).

My recipe is very versatile. This time I used dried cranberries in lieu of raisins (for a seasonal treat). I also used coconut sugar instead of honey for a lower glycemic version. Choose your favorite oil (I used coconut oil). Add in your favorite nuts, unsweetened coconut, sunflower seeds, flax-meal (or wheat germ), chia seeds and/or sesame seeds if you like.

This is much more healthier than the (sugar-loaded) store bought versions, more tastier and much more economical.

Plus it’s beautiful in jars 🤓

I love to see the glass vessels all lined up, glistening and full of hearty and healthy provisions tucked away for our family to enjoy. The aroma of this delicious treat is just an added pleasure.

🤎

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."

~ Henry ward Beecher

I had also made this feminine floral salve... shared here.

What are you creating right now? Cakes, bakes, quilts, gardens, preserves, pies, or are you in the young family stage of creating memories, scholars or babies? It all counts as beautiful Titus-2 keeping of the home!

Vanilla cranberry orange loaves... this healthier recipe is shared here.

And alas...

Breakfast muffins, loaves and granola have been prepared. Cookies have been baked by the dozens. Chicken stock is preserved in jars making the way for hot nourishing soups. Candles are abundant and lit extravagantly. Gentle music is playing in the background.

This mama bear is truly ready to hibernate with her loved ones.

“Such hours are beautiful to live, but hard to describe, so I will leave it to the imagination of my readers, merely saying that the house was full of genuine happiness.” 

~ Louisa May Alcott

“The Lord has done great things for us,

And we are glad.”

~ Psalm 126:3