When it comes to things to do this month...I have a lot to do. The weather is growing colder, quickly, and we're getting rain on top of rain, so trying to forage at any given moment to get more rose hips and other things for the pantry is going to be a race against the weather this year. On top of that I've got embroidery to get done, sewing to do, canning to do...the list goes on.
One of the things that I ended up having to add to my "to do" list this month is getting some canning of fruit from the freezer done. I was going to hold off until the weather got cold to can the raspberries, peach juice, blueberries (that I have left from last year) and cherries, but my standing freezer in the laundry room is starting to have freezing up problems on the bottom shelf where it turns everything into a solid ice brick down there. My husband wants to defrost the freezer to see if there's a chunk of ice blocking something (since it's a frostless freezer), so the best thing to do to make sure the quality of the fruit doesn't get lost (or freeze into a solid brick on refreezing it) is to just can it. While the freezer is defrosting I am hoping to also clean the coils and things on the freezer and give the weatherstripping the once over on it as it's getting to be about ten years old now and might need some TLC. I CAN'T have the freezer die on me as I can't replace it and I NEED the extra freezer room to be able to stock up on things like meat when it is super cheap, so trying to keep it in good running order is important right now.
So, let's get down to what I want to get done this month (and in some cases NEED to get done this month).
Canning Goals (To-Do):
- Can applesauce (I managed to get a good deal on reduced apples at Fred Meyer yesterday so this is a "NEED TO DO" this week)
- Can apple pie filling (if I have enough apples)
- Can cherries from freezer
- Can blueberries from freezer
- Can sauerkraut (if done fermenting at the end of the month)
- Can peach jelly
- Can rose hip jelly
- Can raspberry jelly and jam
Sewing Goals:
- Make sleep pants for son
- Make training bras for daughter (luckily she's been able to wear some undershirts I got her a while ago in the meantime)
- Make some skirts for daughter (some for Christmas and some to wear around the house...she HATES wearing pants at home because she gets hot, so she's found she loves to wear skirts. Unfortunately she only has like three and one of those KIND OF fits her at this point, so I need to make her some more)
- Make nightgowns for daughter
- Finish second set of unpaper towels (I LOVE these things! I definitely recommend to those who are used to using paper towels to go through the extra trouble and put them on a paper towel roll and tear them off just like paper towels. It really does add that extra convenience and you don't forget they are there like you might a drawer full of rags or something :).
- Make potato basket liner (more on this little mental light bulb later)
- Start work on fall themed quilt (more on this later if I ever get around to it *sigh*)
- Work on comforter salvage operations (I have like four comforters that just need to be scrapped and rebuilt at this point...I REALLY need to get on this).
Embroidery Goals:
- Work on tote bag
- Work on pillow cases for Christmas Gifts (I want to embroider and send pillow cases for my family back East for Christmas as they are so good to us when it comes to Christmas every year and I've had to really punt when it came to giving them anything for YEARS)
- Work on embroidery ideas for kids
Other Goals:
- Start work reupholstering love seat (it's in BAD shape and I need to do something with it).
- Redo the pantry (I am hoping to scab some book cases from storage to help me out with this idea somehow, but I DESPERATELY need to find a better system for food storage. I'm just getting too old to constantly crawl around on concrete when I need something. My knees are definitely protesting. I also want to try and keep the back of the pantry where I keep my canned goods currently more dark for home canned goods and produce, like potatoes, to keep things fresher longer).
- Deep clean room heaters in preparation for colder weather.
- Clean and organize closets better to put up summer weight blankets and things and pull down winter weight items.
- Start work on new pot holder for kitchen.
- Darn some socks.
- Fix holes in the knee of daughter's pants (I need to figure out where my patches ended up when my sewing shelf, which is still broken by the way, fell apart).
"Unpaper towels"? I've never heard of these. Could you tell us more?
ReplyDeleteYour list makes me exhausted just reading it. You are one heck of a productive woman!
Sure! Unpaper towels are just cloth towels that you make like paper towels. I'll link to the tutorial I referenced when making some here. Instead of snaps I used sew on velcro strips and just cut off small tab types of size from them and put on three velcro areas per towel. I used white bleached muslin on one side of the first set I did (is actually really absorbent and makes good bar towel type of material) and then a pretty yellow cotton print on the other.
DeleteHere's the tutorial...
https://www.mommypotamus.com/diy-unpaper-towels-without-a-sewing-machine/
And here's a link with a shot of the ones I did...
http://makedohomemaker.blogspot.com/2017/07/frugal-friday-money-saving-weekly-recap_15.html
I'm still working on a second green set and just need to sew the velcro on the last four or so towels :).
You have a lot to get done!!! lol I'm with your daughter, I prefer skirts these days too. She'll be excited to have new ones to wear. I've never heard of anyone making training bras before. Do you have a pattern? I need to get busy doing some prep for the cooler weather, too.
ReplyDeleteThat is certainly quite the list! I find transitioning from one season to another, especially from summer to fall/winter, is rather daunting because there's always the harvest to finish canning, freezing or dehydrating...and some of the produce seems to be ready at the same time, so it's go go go to get it put up. Then, of course, throw in school time and getting back into the "new" old routine (if you've already got kids that were in school), then it's trying to get your house winter-ready, and that means finishing the harvest as well as switching over to winter clothes, mending coats, mitts, blankets etc. It's a big season of the year that does seem to take up a large chunk of time to get it all done. Then throw in stocking up on pantry items, buying Christmas presents now so it's not so difficult to stretch those dollars in December...Yikes! Can I bury my head in the sand and just wait for January to come? Lol. No? Then I guess I have to put my big-girl pants on, and just get-er-done. Here's wishing luck to both you and me, and anyone else out there in the same position. :)
ReplyDeletePat
My list seemed simple enough until I wrote it down. Yikes!! Like you, I'm getting the garden picked and preserved, then need to pull up old vines, etc. and hopefully spread compost over all.
ReplyDeleteWe need to take several trips to move our woodpile from my sister's house to our house, before the rain starts here.
I need to get home school going on a schedule, including getting several books I don't have yet, mostly from the library, but it all takes time.
Then....the garage needs cleaning. It's a tv/wii room for the girls, a pantry, all my bookcases are out there, and has become a general dropping place for junk....you get the idea.
I'll keep my fingers crossed on your freezer! I know how important they are!
ReplyDeleteThis month there is so much to do. The house is always a disaster, and we've always got more to do job and calling wise than time in the day. I'm all nervous though, the Bishop wants to talk to me sunday, and I've a feeling he's going to end my time in Primary. I've been there 4 years. I talked to the Primary President, she doesn't know what's going on, but isn't too happy, because after a year, just finally got enough teachers. I've never had a problem saying NO to a calling, I turned down Scouts last week, and YM President a few months back, (I have boys, what do I know about girls?! I'm too opinionated anyway, they don't want me!) so a mix between being nervous, and being sad, and being anxious. I'm hoping for a good outcome, but not sure that will happen. I have taught my kids for 2 years each, so not sure they will still be going to Primary unless I'm there. Anyway!! Rambling! But found out last night before bed, so it's been on my mind. First time I've ever wished the weekend would hurry up and be over lol!
It's gotten cold here the last few days, remnants of Harvey, and now Irma, but at least it's got my in the fall mood. I bought a Christmas gift for one of my kids today, and I'll start slowly buying more as I run across it over the next few months, so hopefully I'm all done by mid November.
A goal I do have though, is to get at least 5 more boxes of stuff for a yard sale day. The elementry school is doing one in November, but they charge $20 to set up, I might just wait til May and do it here, I've always done well, but we do need a massive clean before Christmas. You can't even get into the playroom, I'm not joking. The floor must be 6 inches down, and other parts of the house are bad off too, because everyone figures Mom will do it, even my husband. Sigh.
It's not colds down here in Georgia but allergies that are kicking our butts. Usually this is a spring occurrence so beats me why it is hitting so many now. Not fun at all. We are having a early sale on sugar at our Kroger-99 cents for 4 lb bag. I've never seen this cheap a price til around Christmas, so stocking up on sugar. I have a closet that is a disaster. It is my stockpile/catch all--plan to take everything out and do in depth cleaning. This means hubby helping out, if I can get some of his time away from hunting. Goal to do it this month- fingers crossed. Good luck on your list- hope you get to mark everything off as achieved.
ReplyDeleteClean the coils on the freezer????? When was the last time I did that?????? I think I need to stop reading blogs, get up and get busy. Oh dear.
ReplyDeleteJeannie @ GetMeToTheCountry.Blogspot.com