Thursday, November 19, 2015

More Than Cooking and Cleaning


Image result for pioneer woman 1800s


I have spoken about my cleaning schedule.  I really should have called it my homekeeping schedule, for more than just cleaning goes on, and I need to keep track of my time or it will get away from me.   Yes, time is like a child in that it requires constant, vigil attention.

I know I bake, but it's nice to have a specific day planned and in advance for baking bread, and a day for baking desserts.  In this way, I bake on a day where I'm not inundated with cleaning work.  I've planned this bread baking day, so I'm not going to be rushed or stressed out about it.  If I check my schedule the night before I now have the freedom to choose.  Perhaps I'll choose one in which a sponge needs to set overnight, so the next morning I can need and give it a couple of risings without stress.

I crochet and sew a little.  I've set aside two days a week specifically for this type of work.  Sure, I can still work on my crocheted blanket or sewn apron at night or on other days, but having two days set aside ensures I'll have time to do these tasks.  If I schedule it, then I will more than likely have the time to do it.  It's written down and so I have planned.  As long as I don't wind up taking someone to the Emergency Room or some such, I will be able to sit down and work with my yarn or sewing machine.

Image result for pioneer woman 1800s gardening

A word on this kind of work.  Yes, it is work.  I know it's joyful and you may feel like it's a guilty pleasure because you like it so much, but it is work.  We choose to live a simpler life, and in so doing we require more handmade items because they are of better quality for the money.  Yeah, I can spend $30.00 on a comforter, but if I crochet one (using the $30.00 in yarn), I have a better product.  It will stand the test of time and be much, much warmer.  If you embroider patterns on throw pillows for your couch, if you sew up a purse, if you make a macrame a plant hanger...remember these things are necessary and are work.  Joyful work, I grant you, but work all the same.  It's also important work.  This is your home and you are in charge of it's environment.  Are embroidered pillows necessary?  Not for living, but I think they are for living in a peaceful and happy environment.  You are making a home.  Not living quarters.

It's also a good idea to schedule monthly or seasonal duties as well.  If you have a garden, then you probably know all about canning season.  Perhaps you have a large garden and know you will be in the kitchen from sun up to sun down for at least a couple of months putting up food.  Or maybe you butcher a cow every year and make candles or soap.  Schedule your housework around this activity accordingly around this time.  Give the house a good cleaning prior to and directly after, and make sure your cleaning schedule is fairly light during busy times.

All of this to say, don't forget to schedule in yourself time to sew, embroider, garden, crochet, or knit.  Christmas is coming, ladies!  And soon!  Perhaps our children need new slippers or maybe our husbands need a new wool hat.  Maybe we could put together a basket of home-canned salsa and pasta sauce for our in-laws.  Or maybe you are tired of sewing, and what you could really use is a gift to yourself, like a new apron to rekindle your interest in the craft.

Image result for pioneer woman 1800s knitting

7 comments:

  1. I find your homemaking posts so cosy! I seldom comment on blogs but I do read everything. Handmade things are great, if only more ladies would take up some craft. Unfortunately, too many think it's for grannies. Personally I prefer knitting to crochet though, but it's just a matter of taste:)

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  2. Thank you so much! I appreciate you coming over and leaving a comment! Yeah, I go in spurts. Sometimes I have time to comment and sometimes I don't. I am having a hard time learning to knit. I just need to have more patience. I get frustrated with it, but one of these days I'll just sit down and learn.

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  3. Yes Michelle, 'homekeeping schedule' probably suits better because there IS so much more than cleaning to art of keeping a home. I love the statement - "You're making a home. Not living quarters." :)

    (It's great to hear from you here Sanne. I love it when other blogging ladies encourage each in their good and worthwhile efforts.)

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    1. I remember my first week at home. I wasn't sure what my job was other than keeping the house clean and cooking dinner, LoL! My understanding slowly grew and is still growing!

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  4. You could start with knitting dishcloths:
    http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/dishcloths.php

    The site went dormant, but some of the patterns are still online.

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  5. Thank you for the link. And that's probably just what I'll do. I crochet my own from time to time and I like using the things I make. I'll check it out. My problem is, the yarn keeps falling off the needle, lol. I need to just sit down for a few hours and practice.

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  6. You are welcome! They also have a mirror site Crochet Pattern Central, with free crochet patterns. As for the yarn, you just have to keep pushing it back on the needles, all the time. I know it's a bother..:)

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