I love a loose-fitting cotton nightgown for summer. Winter wanted a summer nightgown, and so she set forth to make one using a pillow case we had. It was a hand-me-down from my mother (the sheets had worn out) and was rather long, being a king-sized pillow case. It wasn’t a vintage-embroidered pillowcase, but she…
I’ve been seeking new ways to save money all month, as our finances are particularly tight at the current time with a lower income, increasing expenses, and an emergency trip to the hospital earlier this month. I have found that if I look closely, there’s always another way or two to save money in addition…
Twelve years ago, after our third child was born, we sold both of our vehicles and bought a single vehicle for our family. We needed something that would fit three car seats and have rear air conditioning and tinted windows. In our heat, it can easily get to 140º in a car in the summer,…
We harvested grapes, peaches, tomatoes, chives, basil, chocolate mint, New Zealand Spinach, arugula (which had self-seeded!) and apples from the garden. I made a turkey salad (aka chicken salad, but with turkey I cooked last week) using apple and grapes from the garden, a few pecans, two stalks of celery, and some homemade Greek yogurt…
We harvested red and green seedless grapes, peaches, tomatoes, and apples from the garden. I cut chocolate mint for a large batch of herbal tea. I went to the Joann’s on the 3rd of July to buy a few items on sale, including some broadcloth in black, white, and navy at 50% off at $2.49 a yard…
My budget for food and toiletries for our family of 10 for this month is $200. July is one of our highest utility months, as we are using more water in the garden and using the air conditioners (our house has 2 units, plus a window unit in our pantry) and ceiling fans all…
Pavlova with peaches and blackberries from the garden (that I froze) and the strawberries I bought on sale and froze earlier this year. Recipe here. I picked more apples from our tree and canned applesauce, using resuable canning lids. (I shared a few photos on Instagram). I harvested Swiss chard, basil, garlic chives, chocolate mint,…
It’s incredibly hot here this week. We started on Sunday with a high of 112º, and the thermometer just kept going up. I picked tomatoes and basil from the garden for a caprese salad. I cooked a ham, which we sliced for sandwiches using my meat slicer. I cut grapes from the garden, which we…
I cut flowers from the garden for the house and put them in some garage sale vases. I picked the last of the blackberries from the garden. I picked apples, lettuce, basil, tomatoes , and three zucchini from the garden. I cut and dried parsley from the garden. I sowed seeds in the garden for zinnias and…
I cut flowers from the garden for the house for several arrangements. I picked 1 basketful of figs, two and a half colanders full of blackberries, and apples from the garden. We’ve never had such a large blackberry harvest. I will be covering our bushes with sheets every year from now on to protect…
I harvested 3 colanders full of blackberries and 6 baskets full of Mission figs from the garden. I canned fig jam with figs from the garden. I froze blackberries and figs to use late in the year. I harvested New Zealand Spinach, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, garlic chives, oregano, lemon verbena, and a couple of tiny bell…
It’s been a busy year–so busy, in fact, that a lot of my goals have been put on the back burner while I work to keep up with my regular everyday chores (you can see my daily schedule here). I’ll be picking and processing fruit from the garden this month, organizing, and sewing every chance…