One of my favorite local history spots: where some of the first pioneers in our county settled.
It's beginning to look a lot like FALL around here! Leaves are changing and it's beginning to get colder. We had our first hard frost a few nights ago.
1. Food: We ate greens, longbeans and a few other things from the garden. I also used up some apples and pears in the orchard. I made a good amount of apple chips for this winter. Lastly, I made bread. Here’s a picture of my main grocery haul:
1. Food: We ate greens, longbeans and a few other things from the garden. I also used up some apples and pears in the orchard. I made a good amount of apple chips for this winter. Lastly, I made bread. Here’s a picture of my main grocery haul:
It was $27.87. We also spent $10.00 on winter squash at a local produce stand, and $2.00 at the Dollar General for my favorite fall treat (Little Debbies Pumpkin Delights). I didn’t mention it in the last post, but several weeks ago my brother-in-law shot a deer and let us keep it (he didn’t have time to do the processing). We were able to put about 40 lbs. of meat in the freezer for free!
I’m continuously amazed at how much I can get done (or, have the motivation to do) with the help of the dishwasher, microwave, etc. Even the oven has tools like a timer, that help me accomplish more, faster and easier. I made at least three meals this week that were time-intensive, but with the help of my kitchen tools—new ones, and ones I’ve had for years—I felt like I could tackle them and still have time to do other things during the day. With so many new possibilities, and especially with my new fall and spring gardens, I feel like going back to the $10.00/week plan just for fun.
2. Kids’ stuff: I read a popular parenting book and also a preschool homeschooling book. I wasn’t too excited about the parenting book so I won’t share the title, but I feel like I got a lot out of the other book; Early Years; a Charlotte Mason Preschool Handbook. I found it at a garage sale last month.
For those interested in homeschooling on a budget, I feel like Charlotte Mason is a good option. There is a heavy emphasis on nature and reading, which is pretty much free, as opposed to video or text-based curriculum (used is always cheaper, but many homeschool parents pay hundreds of dollars per child, per year for basic curriculum). Some of the other aspects of CM (fine art, classical music) can get expensive if you chose to take your child to lessons. For the preschool years, they recommend establishing routines, obedience to parents, nature walks, free play, and other easy-to-implement activities. I love that many of those things make my life as a parent easier, too. Even the music and art isn’t too expensive at this point; classical music is free to listen to on Pandora, Youtube, Amazon Music, etc. And I’ve been collecting small art prints (mostly from cheap books and postcards) to display in our daughter’s room or look at with her.
The other frugal thing I did this week was cover our old world map with contact paper, so I can use it as a kind of floor mat for our toddler. I got it years ago at a garage sale for 10 cents. Since then, the edges have developed tears and spots, so we’ll probably buy a new one for the wall at some point.
3. Momentos: At 90 years old, my grandpa is finally at the point where he needs round-the-clock care, and went to live in a nursing home. He left a little house full of things that needed to be cleaned out for new tenants. I picked out a few delightful little treasures:
I’m continuously amazed at how much I can get done (or, have the motivation to do) with the help of the dishwasher, microwave, etc. Even the oven has tools like a timer, that help me accomplish more, faster and easier. I made at least three meals this week that were time-intensive, but with the help of my kitchen tools—new ones, and ones I’ve had for years—I felt like I could tackle them and still have time to do other things during the day. With so many new possibilities, and especially with my new fall and spring gardens, I feel like going back to the $10.00/week plan just for fun.
2. Kids’ stuff: I read a popular parenting book and also a preschool homeschooling book. I wasn’t too excited about the parenting book so I won’t share the title, but I feel like I got a lot out of the other book; Early Years; a Charlotte Mason Preschool Handbook. I found it at a garage sale last month.
For those interested in homeschooling on a budget, I feel like Charlotte Mason is a good option. There is a heavy emphasis on nature and reading, which is pretty much free, as opposed to video or text-based curriculum (used is always cheaper, but many homeschool parents pay hundreds of dollars per child, per year for basic curriculum). Some of the other aspects of CM (fine art, classical music) can get expensive if you chose to take your child to lessons. For the preschool years, they recommend establishing routines, obedience to parents, nature walks, free play, and other easy-to-implement activities. I love that many of those things make my life as a parent easier, too. Even the music and art isn’t too expensive at this point; classical music is free to listen to on Pandora, Youtube, Amazon Music, etc. And I’ve been collecting small art prints (mostly from cheap books and postcards) to display in our daughter’s room or look at with her.
The other frugal thing I did this week was cover our old world map with contact paper, so I can use it as a kind of floor mat for our toddler. I got it years ago at a garage sale for 10 cents. Since then, the edges have developed tears and spots, so we’ll probably buy a new one for the wall at some point.
3. Momentos: At 90 years old, my grandpa is finally at the point where he needs round-the-clock care, and went to live in a nursing home. He left a little house full of things that needed to be cleaned out for new tenants. I picked out a few delightful little treasures:
The boy in the photo is my dad!
Looking over all of the glassware, trinkets, games, books and pictures, I thought about how many years it took to collect those things. Now, fifty-plus years later, my grandparents’ home is being dissembled and taken away, piece by piece. This eventually happens to every home*. A housewife spends decades getting her house “just right”, painting, organizing, crafting, collecting trinkets, only to have that work undone, eventually. I hope that, as a homemaker, I can spend my time building memories and improving the lives of others, storing up “treasures in heaven” that won’t be taken away piece by piece when I pass on.
Til next time,
-Bethany
*Unless it’s Biltmore. Or some Presidents’ home that has to be reassembled for the sake of museum-loving folks like myself. ;)
Til next time,
-Bethany
*Unless it’s Biltmore. Or some Presidents’ home that has to be reassembled for the sake of museum-loving folks like myself. ;)
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