bills

This is a small finish.  Every year I set up a set of cards that summarize the bills I need to pay each month.  Most of the monthly bills are done online but I like to have a prompt when they need to be paid (and not have them all on automatic, which would make me nervous).  I write the amount and when I set it up to be paid and the confirmation number.  I put the odd bills (property taxes, auto insurance, etc.) on the bottom of each card.  Each year has a different color.  I am using 4x6 cards I bought from the college bookstore for student teaching-- in 1979.  That might be frugal or it might be hoarding.  Through the years, especially with the advent of online bill paying, I've tried to streamline the process of paperwork.  I still have some bills sent to me but others are just online.  I try to keep a hard copy of all the passwords and urls and somewhat regularly tell Nate where they are and why he needs to know.  I am using an online checkbook register now instead of my old Quicken.  I can and do access it as needed from any computer, at least when I remember the password/login info.  Besides church and the Amish store I almost never use checks, which is too bad since I bought 4 boxes just before I quit writing most checks.  A life time supply I suppose?
Anyway, doing figures has always been pleasant to me.  I "get" numbers in a way that I don't always "get" other challenges :)

Venison

the smallest bit of the venison

It took all week to accomplish but it's all in the freezer.  I'm counting it done though the bone broth has a few more hours to simmer.  I had Nate cut the big bones in half.  I am whipped but happy it's done!

the boys always enjoy reading

baby playing with vintage toy

Entertained 3/5 of the kids, as well as a son in law and 3 grandsons and of course Nate for Thanksgiving.  Nice peaceful day though we cooked/prepared all day.  House was tolerable for the kids, not unsafe, though I kept a good eye on the baby walking near the cookstove.
Nothing else really getting done, especially off my list.  Did buy a gift for my kid to give his sweetie (since he's deployed) and got a gift for Nate for his birthday.  Also researched a replacement KitchenAid mixer as mine is grumbly.  Nate wants to fix it again and I haven't mentioned that it didn't grind the meat....thank goodness my daughter brought hers down for a short term borrow.
Eh, I am quite boring.

Kefir

I've had milk kefir going for a year or so.  I'm not very consistent with it though I did charge it up after I got out of the hospital.  My gut is a mess after all those antibiotics :)
Recently I decided I wanted to try water kefir.  The idea of the fermented sugar is hard to work around.  Don't they call that wine? Ha.  Well, the purported health benefits are many and varied and I like that you can flavor it with bits of fruit.  I found many bits when I moved the freezer contents upstairs.  I also found that many think maple syrup (in part because of the minerals) is an ideal sugar for the first ferment (I've got gallons), and egg shells from pastured chickens are a great addition for calcium (again, got them), and well water is preferable (lack of chlorine, etc.).  Putting the new town water lines from the road to the cellar and then not using them was an expensive choice but for water kefir it's all worth it I suppose?
So, first batch is in the second ferment tonight.  It has regular cane sugar (had to remember where I stashed that) and a bit of blackstrap molasses in the first ferment, then some blackcaps and coconut bits in the second.  The second batch is in it's first ferment, using the egg shells and the maple syrup.  Neither is terribly bubbly but it is working slowly.  I think that I read that the first batches are slower as the grains adjust.
Getting this "done" followed my typical pattern of doing mountains of research for a pretty simple job.  I tend to work this way when I don't have alone time in the morning at home.  When I am at home without interruptions I can usually do many jobs and feel successful about the day.  Today we had to get out early, all of us together, and by the time I came home most of my vigor is used up.  There was progress in areas (garden cardboard, groceries, dishes, venison packaging) but not much in the "done" category.

Chicken and soap

Since Sunday I've had 2 chickens cooked and in the refrigerator.  I can't tell you why this has bothered me so much, nor what the hold up was in getting them de-boned and rejoined with the excellent nutritious broth.  Today I gave the broth to the animals (painful but though it didn't smell bad I was not completely confident that it was okay) and boned the chicken (which was half frozen on the top shelf of the fridge - a malfunction that worked for my benefit).  It took so little time.  I hate it when little things plug up the works.  Getting that item done made it so that I finally made a couple of batches of soap.  That's been on my to do list for a couple years, and I am very nearly out of laundry soap so the timing is good. 
I used both sheep and deer tallow of which I have plenty.  Completing a plan that has been in process for so long is particularly nice.  My older son got 2 deer today (first day of gun season) so I'll be adding more fat to my stockpile probably.

Bread, turkeys, chickens, and the freezer

 Seemed like a good time to try it out.  I've thought about making bread in a cookstove many times (probably since reading the Little House books).  Making bread was again eased by having the cabinet tidy, as well as having my pans in the pantry accessible.  It looks pretty good for a first time, and tastes good, and slices good for Carolyn to take to school.

Earlier in the day we took 8 turkeys to be "processed".  They are pretty small, 7-11 pounds.  Somewhat disappointing but not too bad.    We emptied the downstairs freezer and defrosted and cleaned it up.  I put the rendered deer fat, 2 turkeys from last year (one a regular store bird, a gift), and this year's roosters in it.  Nate will put the turkeys from today there when he gets home.  I moved all the stuff from that freezer upstairs to the upright freezer.  I did a rough sort (vegs, fruit, etc.) but I need to do some serious sorting and using!  I think it will be a lot easier with it upstairs.  That's my theory and I'm sticking to it :)  Very hard for me to be wasteful so I hope I can use all that invested time and money.
Yesterday felt overwhelming and I got very little "done".  The task I really thought I ought to do, take care of 4 biddies that Nate butchered, I didn't do and they are still in the fridge.  This isn't a food quality problem as they should age at least a day or two before freezing but I don't like them hanging over me.  I also have 2 cooked chickens and their broth I need to attend tomorrow.  I'm thinking more about these 6 chickens than the freezer, turkeys, and bread.

Learning new things

It’s late Saturday (despite the posting date—internet challenges).  My daughter came with the boys for an overnight, the first since they moved back from Italy 2 years ago.  Nate worked on the cookstove most of the day, and last night, and hunted late.  My SIL hunted all day after sleeping there overnight. 

I have not much enjoyed company in the past years.  That is a sad admission.  I always feel like the house isn’t clean enough and the food isn’t enough. Enough? Not sure what that means.  I guess quantity and variety and quality.  Not enough of an occasion, just kind of crowded in and not special.  I cringe when I see those hospitality of good Christian women articles.  I’m not a particularly fun person for adults I think.  I don’t really want to entertain but maybe I could do a better job at providing a comfortable place for people to be entertained.

This week I accomplished just a few little goals, some beyond these entries, and I think that in some way this made me just a little more willing to give up the time that I could be resting or getting little things done and just have a bit of faith that I could have company and possibly enjoy it. 

This is a big thing.  I don’t give up semi-alone time easily.  There are a lot of reasons for this that are slow to change or maybe impossible.  Yet, feeling a little success this week, really helped.  The dishes were done regularly, the pantry was safe for the baby, the lower cupboard was organized and I knew what was in there, and the unfinished bedroom was at least equipped with beds and was clean.  I had adequate and appropriate groceries for the real food diet I am trying to follow, and a few plans for what to cook when the cookstove came “online”.

I am still feeling sick and I was able to take a rest in the middle of the day.  My daughter worked through several attic boxes and found treasures for the boys, organized some spaces up there, and brought down a very tolerable amount of stuff for me to go through, which I would have not ever done (allergies and asthma).  That is a blessing to me.

So, chalk up many encouragements following doing “just one thing” regularly.

Also, though I am in the learning curve stage, cooking a full meal using the cookstove top and oven after years of small preparations was pretty cool.

I fussed with this entry for awhile.  Learning the stove is one thing (just enjoyed the sweet potato oven fries from yesterday-- better the second day!) but blogging is another.  Tried 2 ways to do some pictures.  Luckily both appear to have worked, as I just deleted the rest somehow from iphoto.

Easy jobs

Today I decided to get the easiest thing done ever, changing a battery in my wall clock.  I had previously charged the battery so how hard could it be??  It didn't work.  So I looked up how to remove battery corrosion from the clock, as it seemed like that might be the problem.  I took a picture or two of the compartment, the cleaning solution (vinegar), and dusted the clock clean while I was at it.  Still no success.  So I got out another clock, checked battery life on it, and then just hung that one instead.  It is not quite the right clock for the space but it keeps time.  (though I forgot to set it to the ACTUAL time, so it keeps the wrong time currently)   Then I looked up replacement movements for AA cell clocks online.  Cheap but not sure how you know for sure it will work until you get the product and install it correctly.  This is why things don't get done.... easy item turned bigger problem, needs research and parts, clutters house still...
So, then I cleaned out an entire large cupboard.  I now know what baking items and staples are in what container, and the containers are clean, and it was a job I should have done awhile ago but for now it is perfect.