A Review of My Progress

If it wasn't for the internet, I think I would feel like a bit of an oddity. I sew and knit, have done since I was a little girl. More recently I've taken up quilting, collecting doileys and household linens, am happy to be a stay at home mum and am trying to make things from scratch. The simple fact is that very few of my real-life friends and family members, particularly around my age, do any of those things. I can think of one friend- she can't sew or do any craft but she does live frugally and makes food from scratch. That's all. My once a month craft group is mostly made up of women older than me. That doesn't bother me, we have a good time regardless. When I browse the net and especially when I read blogs, I forget for a while that the people in my immediate circle just aren't into the same things that I'm into. I'd love to talk to them the way I write here but you know how it is; the conversation reaches a certain point and their eyes glaze over and you can tell they're thinking of how to change the subject. There are several standard responses-

" I wouldn't have the time or the patience."
"Its easier for me just to buy it."
"I can't sew...cook...knit..."
"You are so weird" Yes, someone actually said that to me when I told her I wasn't 'into' any T.V. programs at the moment.
"Oh, you'll have to dye your hair," (I plan to grey naturally), "You'll change your mind the first time someone says 'Is that your grandson' when you're with one of your boys."

So thank goodness for the internet. :-)

I've been thinking about when I started this blog. I had great plans for it but many things have been put to the side while I deal with family issues and my own limitations. Reading back over past posts, I see that I promised to keep readers advised of the outcome of certain trials and endeavours. So I will update you now on some progress.

My very first post was about freezing food. I've used the Freezer book several times; its a great reference for deciding what to do with surplus food. My celery crop was frozen in small batches and goes well in soups and stews. I think I've only tried one of the recipes- and avocado dip which I liked but the kids didn't- something about the texture.

In this post on old clothes and manchester, I was beginning to think about refashioning and embellishing clothing to refresh and get more life from it. I haven't done much with this; still have the items in the bottomless to-do pile. Just this week, I did use some found doiley lace to jazz up a t-shirt for a '70's night. To go with it, I made a fake wrap-around skirt from some sheets that were in my fabric stash. So I have done a little re-fashioning.

Dishcloths. I love them! Some of my first ones are wearing out; becoming frayed around the edges. I'll downgrade them to laundry rags and then compost them as soon as I make a few more to replace them. Dishcloths are so quick and easy; I like to do them as instant-gratification projects when I finish a huge item like a quilt. I've got a brightly coloured bamboo/soy blend taking shape on the needles at the moment.

Also in the handy everyday item department are the grocery bags. These get commented on frequently when I'm shopping. I made 5 to start with and that's not enough. I need to make more soon.

Ah, the ant plague. I remember it well. I didn't end up finding a natural remedy so I paid a pest-controller. I did choose one that uses a natural ingredient that is supposedly not harmful to pets or wild birds. Occasionally we still get a trail but the man left small containers of the green goo called "Ant Cafes". I put a container on the trail and they're gone again in a day or two. It is a great relief not to be dealing with the pestiferous critters on a daily basis.

I still haven't found the perfect pot scrubber.

Aussie Farmers Direct are in town now but as yet I haven't tried them. I've had a little trouble signing up and placing an order and need to phone them to find out what I'm doing wrong. One of these days....

How dreadful! I still haven't used my nut loaf tin. But its not all bad news, I did find a lovely recipe for nut loaf. When I mixed it all up, it was way too big for the nut loaf tin so I cooked it in another pan. My MIL remembers having two of the round tins and splitting most recipes between the two. So I'm on the lookout for its twin!

I blogged about perspective. All good there; I still believe in what I'm doing and I don't need a lot of affirmation from other people anymore. Having a clean kitchen or a new dishcloth that I made myself gives me a little spark of happiness. Giving away cucumbers that I've grown or slicing still-warm homemade bread and putting together an outfit for a fancy-dress night from my stash makes me positively glow!

Homeschooling is going well. There is a fair bit of work involved; I'm sure I spend more hours on it than my son does. It's worth it, though, to see him regain his confidence. Rather than becoming totally withdrawn and unsocialised, he is able to handle situations, even crowds often with no signs of anxiety. I'm loving homeschool for its own sake now and hoping my younger son wants to join us some day. He is in his last year of primary school.

So, there's a bit of a review of some older posts. A few hits, a few misses and some still in the pipeline. Slow and steady- in the race of life I'm definitely more tortoise than hare!