BOOK: Jane Austen's Guide to Thrift

This book, JANE AUSTEN'S GUIDE TO THRIFT, is on my night stand right now. I am a huge fan of the well crafted, entertaining non-fiction read and I have been delighted by this unique look into Jane Austen's famous novels.

Anyone who has read most of Austen's books (and really who hasn't) will know money plays an important role in the characters lives. Either the revenue abounds or there is a complete lack thereof. An independent female at a time in history when females were not valued or protected by law, Austen had her own small nest egg to handle and handle it she did. She did well to stay within her means and left a tidy sums for her family upon her passing.

Austen's opinions regarding prudent spending and careful penny pinching abound in her books. Men who gambled their money away were painted as rogues, the types of men who could not be trusted. The men and women who were careful with their expenses came across as wise and organized.

This book has a different take on thrift than others I have read (and believe me I have read many, many books on the subject) and that makes it entertaining, fascinating and fun. Halfway through the pages I have yet to stumble upon any nugget of information that I had not come across before but that is not where this book gets it's value. The value is in the comparison between what Austen's characters would do, how they would perceive a situation and how Austen imparted her own opinions on the subject through the deeds and misdeeds of her characters. Call it a wake up call from two centuries prior. Debt was still debt in the Regency era with the only major difference between then and now being society's willingness (dare I say eagerness) to take it out.

All in all, it's an interesting book for fans of Austen and anyone looking for a recharge to their financial health. But I would charge you not to buy it, rather check your local library first and Jane Austen would approve.

Thrifty Find

I bought this lovely soft yellow stock pot at Goodwill last week during the 50 per cent off sale. This had got to be the most beautiful pot I have ever seen. I have been using it to cook and blanch corn but I also plan to use it as a secondary canning pot. It cost me $5.









The wooden spoons were also a nice find at fifty cents. They are decorative since I am not sure they are food grade but they will fit in nicely with my primitive decorating scheme.

Baked Fries

Potatoes are abundant in my neck of the woods. In the fall I can buy 50lbs for $15 from a local farmer, as opposed to $3.99 for 7lbs this time of year in the grocery store. Potatoes are local, cheap and store well over winter.

I never understood why people would buy potatoes in a can. Or mashed potatoes from a plastic bag (heat & serve). Or frozen potatoes in the form of french fries, hash browns and any other number of potato fare. Don't even get me started on potato flakes.

There's a commercial that airs here that shows a business woman cutting potatoes all day at her desk, in a business meeting and at various work situations. An annoucer says "why slave away all day to make a meal? Buy such and such potatoes..." you get the picture. It takes me less than ten minutes to prepare potatoes. It's interesting how as a society we have convinced ourselves that these things are hard. That they take too much time and we deserve to be pampered.

I like real food, with real flavours and real vitamins. In stead of fries I make homemade baked fries. Here's my super easy recipe.



Baked Fries Or Potato Wedges

3 to 4 lbs of potatoes, peeled and cut in wedges

2 to 3 tbsp of olive oil
1 minced garlic clove
tsp of parsley dried
salt
pepper

Take your poatoes, wash them and let them soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain. Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle on all other ingredients on potatoes and toss until they are evenly coated. Place on a baking tray and put in the oven. Bake until potatoes are soft and browning on the edges.



I like crispy potatoes wedges. Serve with homemade chicken fingers, fish or burgers. Easy, cheap and good. It's simple but you'd be surprised at the number of shocked faces when I admit to making our food from scratch. "Oh I would do that but sometimes I just want some fries."

"I make those."

It's not rocket science but mass media, marketing and manufacturing has made it seem that way.

A Duvet Cover

After a few weeks of searching for the perfect duvet cover for our bed I finally gave up. Everything I saw was ultra modern and simply not my style. I wanted a solid colour, not stripes or florals. I wanted to reserve my patterning for the throw pillows and room accents. I also wanted something with a soft tone to create a feeling of calm relaxation. I found nothing to satisfy me so I decided to make my own.

In my search I found a 3 sheet set. In all there were 6 sheets, 2 fitted and 2 flat for each colour and 6 pillow shams. I don't use the flat sheets on our beds, just the fitted ones so the flat sheets were the perfect size.

Here's how I made my duvet cover. I made an extra wide hem on the bottom of each sheet where I could fasten snaps or ties to slip the duvet in and out. Then placing the sheets right side in, I sewed all around the outside of the sheets being careful to leave an opening on the bottom hem. This opening is about a third of the total width, so I can fold the duvet lengthwise in thirds and feed it in and unfold it in the cover.

Then you add your snaps, and make it right side out.




I gave it a quick wash and dry to get rid of the wrinkles and voila! a duvet cover for under $20.

I plan to use the flat cream sheet to create accent pillows with ties, ribbon, buttons and all manner of fun sewing. I will update with pictures as my bedroom takes shape.

Homemade Holiday

I recently learned to make soap at Everdale. And when I got home I put all I had learned to the test. A few weeks ago I made two double batches of soap, one peppermint, the other Vanilla-Tangerine. Both turned out wonderfully and tonight I bundled them up in preparation to hand them out to some friends over the next week as our paths cross.

I may not be making many gifts this year, or baking as many cookies but it's the few simple things that make me happy.

imPRESSive Chocolate Christmas Cookies

Do you have a cookie press? Up until a few years ago I had no idea such a thing even existed. I volunteered with the local resource centre to create and promote a fundraising Craft Show which ended up raising about $3,000 a year for the centre's programs. The show featured over 80 local craft vendors but the Centre also ran a table of our own creations. One of the recipes we used that first year was for Whipped Shortbread. Those cookies were divine. They practically melted in our mouths.

While volunteering I met a dear friend, who remains so today, and bless her she was the one with the Whipped Shortbread recipe. That Christmas she gifted me with a cookie press, the same kind we used for the craft show. Many Christmases have passed and each year I try to replicate her recipe but always fall short. I suppose I could just call her up and ask, but really, what's the fun in that?

In my search for the perfect pressed cookie recipe I created this one. They are not as divine as the whipped shortbread but they are pretty dang awesome if I do say so myself.



Pressed Chocolate Cookies

3/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp milk
2 cup flour
6 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp salt

Add one ingredient at a time and keep mixing. The just fill your cookie press and go to town. Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes. They freeze well too. Enjoy!

Kirstie's Handmade Home

I love all things Britian including the laid back yet professional approach they take to television shows. Kirstie Allsop is one of my favourite hosts and I enjoy her and Phil's funny banter on Location, Location, Location. It's a property hunter show which airs here in Canada and I often watch at HGTV.ca. I have also recently discovered another show featuring Kirstie, called Kirstie's Homemade Home.

In it she travels from Antique shop to artisan studio to road side dump looking for things she can create or reclaim. She is trying to restore an old cottage that hasn't been lived in for 40 years. I must say, her vision astounds me. She is not one of those classic, chic designers who goes ga-ga for everything new and coordinated. She truly is unique in her approach to home decor, at least to me here in Canada. Her sense of eclectic style and home grown design is a complete departure from the very rigid and formal expectations that are rampant here. I like her style and I really like this program.

Now that I am getting ready for my first 'real' home I find myself drawn to different decorating shows and this one has simply stolen my heart. Kirstie makes the task of decorating and making a house into a home so much easier than I anticipated. She really does preach that if you like it, it works. And decorating shouldn't be much more than that. It's the personal stamp on a house that makes it a home.

Playing Cat and Mouse

For weeks we have been plagued by an ever-elusive mouse who has made his home above our kitchen cupboards. Despite have more cats than kids, our felines have been unable to capture the menace. Often at night, I would wander into the kitchen to find one of the cats, (or two or three) perched on counter tops staring up into the cupboards. They often chase flies around the house (causing much amusement and destruction) so I thought nothing of this, until I found tiny holes in my dried pasta bags, and bits of food all over our otherwise organized cupboard. Strange. Where was this critter coming from and how had he eluded the claws and jaws of our pets?

As a result of nibbled bags of food I was forced to place all our dry goods in 1L mason jars or plastic containers, a quick, inexpensive fix since I already had the supplies. Anything that wasn't in cans was placed in a safe place away from gnawing teeth. I had hoped to starve him out.



He had become good at avoiding capture. My husband even heard him once in the cupboard at night. Once I removed all food items from the cupboards and left all cupboard doors open to give our cats easy access. The noose was tightening and I think the mouse must have knew his days were numbered.

Then late last night, while attending my sick daughter, we heard Augustus pawing at something on her shelf. She and I both thought it must be a string, he is known to make a play thing out stationary objects. And then all the ruckus was over and he showed us his quarry... the Mouse! My husband chased down the cat and chucked the dead thing outside which our other cat promptly ran out for. It was like she was saying, "Don't throw that out, it's still fresh!" and out she ran.

I am so glad to have the whole ordeal over with, though I don't mind having all my dry goods in glass jars. I think I will keep it that way.

Hectic Summer Daze

Summer brings a big to do list. Everything from prep and plant the gardens. Weed. Can. Freeze. Take Kids to Park. Go to Beach. Take Kids to Soccer Practice. Plan Camping Trip. Go to the Drive In... summer has it share of hectic days and lazy days, sometimes a day can be both lazy AND hectic.

As a family we do more in summer. Living in the northern hemisphere means we are not guaranteed a whole lot of summer. There's a radio commercial on all the time that states we have 95 days of summer, and 270 days of winter! That's not entirely true, however after a seemingly long March filled with blizzards and freezing rain we often wonder if spring will ever arrive.


Canada is usually perceived as being this northern tundra way up there. I have heard of southern tourists arriving in the Toronto airport with skis...in JULY!! This maybe an exaggeration but I was once in the United States in August when someone from New York state said to me, "Well, you have snow in your country right now..." Ummm, what?! No...it's August, my dear. You live about 300 miles from me and you can't figure out how our shared climate works. The Canadian border is not some magic line that separates the barren hinterland from the balmy south.

However winters can feel extremely long. I do not do much driving or traveling or much of anything away from the home in winter. Not because I can't but simply because I don't want to. Winter is my calm time. My time in the home where I am warm and toasty.

Summer is my running time. In addition to my gardening and preserving, I make it a point to do many, many day trips with the kids. We are in the park at least once a week, the beach as well. Sometimes both in the same day. I usually spend a lot more time in my car visiting farmer's markets and farm stands, collecting fruit and veggies to put by for the winter. My son's sport is soccer and this year he is on a traveling team. We may not do much in the way of "book work" for homeschooling but there are still homeschool friends to meet up with, play dates to go on and of course the slue of birthday parties and barbecues.



Summer is a wonderful time of year. I enjoy it's hectic days. After a seemingly long winter at home summer is a welcome change of pace. By October I am ready for a reprieve. I like to slow things down. The kids hunker down at the books. I get working on Christmas plans and complete the final touches on the pantry. In the fall I may even find myself in a more creative mood than any other time of year. Each season has it's own pace and style.

Some days in summer I'd like to call "Uncle!". Those are the days when I am pulled in multiple directions and wondering why in the heck do I do this to myself? Why do I need to can 24 jars of tomatoes? Then I remember, I actually don't need to can 24 jars of tomatoes but I want to. Being busy in summer does not mean I am not living simply. My priorities are still in tact. Simplicity does not mean in activity. It means concentrating your time, energy and resources to the things that truly matter to you. Those things will change throughout the year but it doesn't need to change your priorities. It's just the way of the seasons. I will have my rest soon enough.

Homestead Blessings

I order this today from Homestead Blessings and I simply can not wait for it to arrive. I also ordered, the Art of Quilting.



I came across these neat looking videos about a year ago. I have been biding my time, contemplating which ones to buy first. I was at a homeschool curriculum fair a week ago and one of the vendors actually had the whole set of DVDs for sale. I waffled, returned to the table a few times before ultimately walking away. The next day I regretted it.

It always seems to be the way. The times when I buy impulsively I almost always regret it before I even hit the parking lot. The times when I talk myself out of it are the times when I wish I had behaved impulsively.

I will write a prompt review once I watch them.

Book: Plain & Simple, A Woman's Journey to the Amish

This book, Plain and Simple by Sue Bender, has two elements that make it one of my favourites. First: it advocates Simplicity as an enriching lifestyle of choice. Second: it has quilts. 'nough said!

It's a auto-biographical journey of a woman, living and working in California who is suddenly called toward the Amish through their simple patchwork quilts. At first she wants to touch and feel the art, then she wants to learn how to make them before finally she decides she must learn who the artists are behind them.

My life was like a crazy quilt, a pattern I hated. Hundreds of scattered, unrelated, stimulating fragments, each going off in its own direction, creating a lot of frantic energy. There was no overall structure to hold the pieces together. The crazy quilt was a perfect metaphor for my life.

-Sue Bender

This is not a new book. It was released in 1989. It is still very relative. Of course the 80s were a harried time for feminism which out and out scorned homemaking and servitude of any form. Now there seems to be a renaissance of homemaking, and keepers of the home. Sue Bender seemed to be a product of her generation. Pushy and driven to work yet drawn to the home and not understanding why.

I found this book wonderfully written, hugely entertaining and very easy to get lost in. It's a short book, a very quick and simple read. Just what I was looking for.