At home sick

I have been home sick for three days now and I'm sick of being sick. Really bad congestion with fever and coughing...

I went to work this morning, started coughing, turned off the lights and went home. Just didn't think that working with food and coughing was a good idea.

Did I mention that while I was sick the weather was brilliantly beautiful? Do you know how wrong it is to be shivering under several blankets with fever when it's 25C outside? Or how is this for wrong...my son, his family, his friend and his family were up at my cabin with my boat swimming, and all the while I was shivering.

Anyway, enough of that, I'm feeling better and I think I might be able to open the restaurant tomorrow. I took a walk around the garden today and I think I might have about 20 artichokes ready to go. Any good salad recipes that include artichokes out there? Let me know if you have one.

Goodbye cleaning lady

I'm sad to say that I no longer have someone helping me clean my house. You might think that the issue lies with the cleaning lady but you would be very much mistaken.

The problem is actually with me....did I tell you that I'm an idiot? Well let me tell you now...I'm an idiot. Why?

Because...I feel compelled to clean up my house the night before the cleaning lady comes. And to make it even worse, I only seem to remember about the big cleaning event just when my eyes are closing. I jump out of bed and run around the house, like a madwoman, making sure all is clean and tidy for the cleaning lady....

The stress was killing me. Honestly it was.

Baking soda

I have been using baking soda as my shampoo and underarm deodorant for some time now. I have not used commercial shampoo for about a year and commercial antiperspirant for about 6 months. I switched to a healthier, greener and cheaper option...baking soda.

I use baking soda and water as my shampoo. My best guesstimate for the mixture is about 1 part baking soda to 6 parts water, I place the liquid in a bottle and when I take a shower I give the bottle a shake, pour some on my hair and gently massage my scalp for a minute or two. I end up with clean, shiny, soft hair.

Now for the deodorant, I use straight baking soda that I place in a salt shaker. I shake some baking soda in my hand and lightly rub my underarm with it. If you have sensitive skin you might want to cut the baking soda with some corn starch. Start with a fifty fifty ratio of baking soda and corn starch and increase or decrease each as it suits.

Just remember that the baking soda does not stop your body from sweating, it just stops the odor, it's really quite amazing.

The downstairs pantry...

The food I processed last year is almost done, a few jars to go but for the most part the 2009 bounty is done. I had cherries and pears in syrup that we enjoyed over ice cream and in our baking. The jam was used at home and at my diner and all the frozen tomatoes, Swiss chard and plums are gone. Time to plan for next winter...

Lots of empty spaces on shelves that were packed full of goodies.

And an empty freezer that also needs to be cleaned out.

I received a gift today

Don't you just love receiving unexpected packages in the mail? Well it happened to me today.

My sisters came for a working holiday a few weeks ago and with that visit came some much needed opinions and observations to make my diner work a little more efficiently. My sister Liz absolutely wanted teapots, I was just using mugs. A butter scoop for pancakes and French toast, I was filling little paper cups, and an icing sugar duster, I've been using a small sieve which I store in a bowl and continually tip over getting icing sugar everywhere...not good when I'm busy.

We looked all over Powell River for these three items but only managed to buy teapots and I quickly forgot about the scoop and the icing sugar duster ( probably has a proper name but I don't know it) until yesterday.

Thanks Liz, I love them.

Out and about in the back yard

My much anticipated day off was full from morning until night. I started with breakfast by scoping out my competitor. It was a very nice breakfast but they used process cheese...yikes...I honestly did not think anyone used process cheese anymore. Then off to the animal store for farm fencing, diatomaceous earth for the chicken house, dog and cat food. Back home Art is clearing and burning debris from the veggie garden, I finally plant my blueberry bushes that I won last year and a small weeping willow type tree that my mom gave me. Scared my weeds into submission, they were quivering as I went up and down the flower bed pulling, digging and raking. I cleaned out the chicken house, Art put up the fence between the chicken run and the veggie garden and went over it with the rototiller. What a glorious day!!!!

Art rototilling

The two blueberry plants...the rest will be strawberries.

And this is the weeping type willow tree...anyone know the name?

The last day off...

Tomorrow Art and I head back to the diner after four days off. I bet you're wondering why we took 4 days off when we just started the business....



Well it's a bit complicated. I suspected my job was about to end quite some time before it actually did and in an effort to protect myself I committed to a part time job. It's a work from home job as an emergency travel consultant which can sometimes be very stressful. Anyway, I was scheduled to work this past weekend, hence the reason for the diner closure. Now, I know, some of you may think that was crazy but I made a commitment and I stand by my commitments so I worked Dec. 26 and 27th but considering the trouble surrounding travel my shifts were uneventful. I'm so very thankful for that.



Which now brings me to today. Monday is a regular off day at the diner and I was not scheduled to work at the other job so it was a true day off and what did I do??? I cooked.. a real home cooked meal.



Now we have have all heard the "simple living" and the "cook from scratch" and save, save, save...I am one of those folks..but I'm telling you right now...when you work full time, outside of your home, in stressful jobs, cooking from scratch and doing daily household chores yourself is very difficult. How did I ever do it when my kids were small because although for very different reasons, mainly financial, that is what I did, worked full time, commuted by bus and all the while cooked from scratch, baked from scratch, attended school meeting and functions, kids games ect...I'm exhausted just thinking about it.



All this time...it was easy for me to preach this lifestyle, while working from home, with a good salary in a job that allowed me to put on a stew in the morning, to simmer slowly all day, stir every so often, to enjoy that night with a home baked roll and side salad. I forgot what it was like..how stressful life can be, how difficult it is not to buy ease...



Tonight I made a home cooked meal just like I did prior to the diner... pork chops, mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, broccoli and salad, we sat at the kitchen table, and ate slowly, savouring every bite, it was wonderful, one of my best nights ever.



So what does it all mean??? Is all this simple living a lie? Are we doomed?



Not at all. Take it one step at a time, start slowly and savour every moment you get to spend with your family. It does not have to be pork chops and the works every night, but just start with one night, it can be toast and scrambled eggs, just make it yourself, it will turn into two homemade meals, which will then be three....

The quiet days of Christmas

I've always liked the days between Christmas and New Year's. I call them the quiet days of Christmas. The craziness of Christmas is done and the New Year's party is still a few days away, but in my case, the party never really happens as I like to have a quite New Year's. Usually there are lots of leftovers, chocolates and cookies to munch on and back when the kids were small, their new toys would keep them busy. I was never a Boxing Day shopper so the "quiet days" were always mine to do with as I pleased. Reading books, sewing, puzzles, movies...today I'm working on a cotton dishcloth and tomorrow I'm off to the yarn store to buy sock yarn. Yup...I'm going to try it. I found, what I think, is a great tutorial, Kelly's Sock Class, but only time will tell. If in a few weeks I have something that resembles knitted socks then it was indeed a successful tutorial. And stay tuned kids...if my venture into knitting socks is successful, guess what you are all getting next Christmas?

Hanging laundry

My mom used to hang laundry year round, outside in the summer and inside in the winter. For a very long time I didn't. Seemed to me like I was going backwards. I mean civilization moves forward, it progresses with each generation, new inventions, jobs get easier blah, blah, blah...


What was I thinking? What are we all thinking? Clothes dry, naturally, on their own, it just happens, for free and with very little effort on my part. Why oh why was I paying and using more electricity for something that happens for free?


No I don't have 5 kids at home, but you know my mom did, all girls, and she managed. We wined, sulked, I mean in the 70s those jeans had to be super tight, and nothing would tighten a pair of jeans like the drier. But..my mom held fast.


And now here I am, hanging my laundry, saving money but even more important than saving money, I'm doing my small bit to save this great, big world of ours and you can to.

Just try changing one small thing in your daily life that will help you go green and save the earth and some money. Turn the lights off when you leave the room, grow some lettuce and herbs in a container outside your backdoor, buy a drying rack and start hanging your dedicates, take transit, recycle as much as you can...change one or two of your not so green habits and before you know it you will be changing some of your bigger not so green habits.

laundry hanging in my unfinished basement

Cleaning without chemicals

How do you clean your house? Are you still using toxic harsh chemicals?

____________________________________________________________________

"Household cleansers are the major source of home toxins. Approximately 500,000 tons of liquid cleaners are washed down U.S. drains annually. Most of these products rely on petroleum-based surfactants, solvents and other chemicals, some of which are known to be acutely toxic in large doses. Others have been linked to reproductive illnesses and cancer. Most of these chemicals have not been tested for their impact on human health. Many household cleansers contain substances such as glycol ether, Stoddard solvent, naphtha, and kerosene, which are neurotoxins and central nervous system depressants. These substances can cause confusion, headaches, lack of concentration, and symptoms of mental illness."

- Judy Morgan, environmentalist & instructor of Saving the Planet Starts at Home

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And not only are these chemicals extremely toxic but they cost a small fortune.

Why don't you try vinegar and baking soda? It's much less expensive, it works, and it's much healthier.

This is how I clean the bathroom:

The first thing I do is pour about a 1/2 cup of vinegar and a 1/4 cup of baking soda in the toilet bowl. It will bubble to start, let it sit in the bowl while you clean the rest of the bathroom.

I have straight vinegar in a spray bottle and I use it to wash the shower/bath walls. Then I sprinkle baking soda in the tub and scrub. It's a soft scrub and will likely not scratch your tub and it rinses away very easily. Tub done.

Onto the bathroom sink. I sprinkle with baking soda and scrub just like the bathtub, rinse and then I spray the sink, the taps and counter with with vinegar. Leave it a few minutes then rinse. I just use the same rag but rinse it out with warm clean water.

At this point I wipe the cupboards, moldings and the glass again I just spray the surfaces lightly with vinegar and rinse with a clean water.

To the toilet. I spray the outside and the lid with vinegar and wipe. Then scrub the bowl, it will bubble a little more, flush. Rinse your cloth and give the toilet a final wipe.

I wash the floor with hot water, vinegar and some liquid dish soap. And that's it.

You might think that the bathroom will not smell clean or even worse smell like vinegar but that's not what happens. The bathroom has a fresh clean smell and the vinegar evaporates very quickly and you don't smell it at all.

Do not use vinegar on marble. For more information on using vinegar click here: http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/cleaning-with-vinegar.html .

A walk to the farm

On my way to the farm for milk, chicken and veggies.
Taking the long scenic route.

Sunset Park

I teeny, tiny piece of the Sunshine Coast Trail.

Does a hobbit live here?

Hatch-a-Bird Farm

45 minutes walk from my house - as the crow flies.

one mile by car but how much fun is that?

Comfort in my craft room

It's a cold and rainy day today and I'm happy to be indoors. I don't have to worry about the vegetable garden. I let the chickens loose in there and they are happy scratching around, helping with the weeds and getting it ready for spring. Lettuce, chicory and cole veggies are in the greenhouses and they are doing just fine without to much fussing around.

I'm thrilled to spend most of my time in my craft/office room working with my stash of fabric, ribbons, buttons and yarns to create and sew items for Christmas, for my online shop and well just because...

The radio is tuned in to CBC Radio One, a totally Canadian broadcast, which talks about all sorts of things, I love listening to it while sewing. Right now I'm making flannel PJs for my son and his family in St. John's, NL. Soon I'll have to start thinking about the new grandchild arriving in mid January, what can I make him? her? I can hardly wait.

I'm really excited to attend tonight's Kale Force Meeting, for the first time. The group is looking for ways to improve regional food security, here is their website http://prfoodsecurity.org/projects/. It starts with a potluck dinner, giving me a chance to meet new people as well as getting involved in my community on projects that are very important.

A home made Christmas

You know Christmas is just around the corner right? Any thoughts on how much you will spend on gifts? Do you have a budget?

Why don't you try a home made Christmas. This year challenge yourself to make as many gifts and foods as you can.

Although not for Christmas I sewed a pair of "lazy pants" for my husband. A super easy pajama pattern, http://www.simplicitynewlook.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6626. I made these pants in one day. A perfect gift for the beginner sewer.

Scarfs and hats are easy to knit, crochet or sew. And gingerbread men and popcorn garlands will look lovely on your tree. Sew Mama Sew has lots of Christmas sewing and it's all free.

When I was a child putting up the Nativity scene was really special. We would go out into the woods to collect moss and tree bark from which we would make the scenery. We would crumple up paper and then cover the paper with moss which would give us hills and valleys. The bark would be used for the stable, blue cloth would be used for the sky.

And then there is baking, so much baking. Check out Robin Hood recipes here http://www.robinhood.ca/specialoccasions/so.detail.asp?soid=86.

Or how about some of your homemade preserves? They will be very much appreciated.

Upcycled jean purse

In addition to eating, eating and more eating, I finally finished the jean purse I made from a pair of my husband's old jeans. I embroidered swirly designs on the front, used lots of buttons, lined it with left over cotton I had laying around and used the jean legs to make the strap which I attached with buttons.

And now back to eating. I made another loaf of bread, it is so good. Excellent for turkey sandwiches. I still need practice in shaping the dough but the funny shape in no way affects the taste of the bread.

Preparing for Thanksgiving

I have been busy all day baking dessert for tomorrow's big Thanksgiving dinner, a loaf of bread from http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/ and while the oven was hot, roasting beets I purchased from a farm that's only about 15 minute walk from me and some chicken. And now I get to sit down for a little while.

This is an apple and cranberry crostada. A mix of Ina Garten's crostada and Joy of Baking's French Apple Tart. But I don't have a tart pan that the Joy of Baking recipe required, but I already made the pastry. And I used Ina Garten's crostada assembly and added cranberries.

And this is my pumpkin pie made with my homegrown pumpkin. I cut into it to see if it was done. The crack grew bigger as I tried to fix it by poking it again with the knife. And then tried again to fix it with my fingers....Sheesh!! But I have lots of whipping cream, and everybody knows that whipping cream fixes everything...

And my little one pound misshapen loaf. Next time I"ll just have to take a little more time when I shape it. All in all this five minute bread thing is super easy but I'll have to let you know how it tastes. The bread is cooling as I speak. But it smell delicious, it's crunchy, and it looks Artisan. I'm trying not to eat white flour but I wanted to start with this and then will graduate to whole wheat next week.

I will report on Monday how all this tasted and if it tastes any good I'll be happy to share the recipes but for now I'm still in the testing stages.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Margaret

Kitchen towel

In the shop today.

Thanksgiving

Canada will be celebrating Thanksgiving on Monday, Oct 12. This year I have so many reasons to be thankful that I can't wait until Monday. I want to give thanks today, and every day, for everything that is good in my life. Even the not so good days deserve thanks because that's when I learn, grow and become stronger and even more importantly when the good days show up, and they always do, I appreciate them that much more.

I'm thankful to have my husband by side.

I'm thankful to have a beautiful and healthy family.

And the family continues to grow with a new little on due in Jan 2010.

I am thankful that my cantina is full of food my husband and I grew, made and processed.

And of course I'm thankful I have a turkey in the freezer.

God has indeed been very good to me and I am so thankful.

Switchback trail at Wildwood hill

I took a walk today, just me and my pal Seiko on the Switchback trail just minutes from my house.

Getting close to Powell Lake

Powell Lake

Baking soda and vinegar

The super duo.

I've written about using baking soda as shampoo and with the addition of vinegar as a green cleaner in my home already. But since then I've used it for many other little jobs. I now use baking soda and vinegar exclusively for cleaning. I add vinegar and baking soda to the toilet bowl and let it bubble away for about 20 minutes, then wipe, no more bleach. I sanitize my cutting board with straight vinegar, even after I cup meat on it. I sprinkle baking powder on the carpet as a deodorizer.

And now I use baking soda as my under arm deodorant. I was looking for a natural deodorant alternative but everything I saw was quite complicated until I happened upon this website http://1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/.

I use 1 part baking soda to 4 parts corn starch. Put the mixture into a container, I used a salt shaker and shake well.

After my shower I sprinkle a little on my hand and gently rub it under my arm. It feels wonderful and works extremely well. Even after a day of gardening in the hot sun...

This of course save a lot of money but even more important than money is the effect it has on our environment...Very little. It's a safe, green option.

Margaret

Ending the week

Well Friday has arrived, and none too soon. My husband has gone up North to the Dease Lake area hunting for moose and well..when the cat is away the mouse will play. Which for me means sushi for dinner tonight with my son and daughter in law.

I'll be making another batch of dog food but this time with pork. I minced a pork roast in my food processor and then followed the dog food recipe I posted here. I purchased three pork roasts for $12.50, which makes this dog food very inexpensive. My dog has never been food driven, he likes his food and treats but it never really excites him, except for raw beef bones and this homemade dog food. Well worth the effort.

I also started a batch of ginger beer, again from the Down to Earth blog I read on a daily basis.

I'll let you know how it turns out and fingers crossed there will be no explosions..

And tomorrow I'll be going to the Powell River Fall Fair, a real down home country fair with lots of food, crafts and local produce for sale, should be fun.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Margaret