Queen's Edge Farm: Are you on speed?

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Are you on speed?

It's funny....I get a lot of comments from people after they meet me about all my energy. I feel tired ALL the time so this strikes me as odd. I get questions asking what drugs I take, etc....

I am very high energy, talk really fast, and always have something going. I get really nervous if I have to do nothing, and had a really difficult time when we were on vacation to Disney World a couple of weeks ago. I kept feeling like I needed to do....something.....

When I worked outside the home I was very organized on my desk, which those of you that actually know me would find funny, due to my previously disorganized house, and tendency to lose my keys. I also suffer from Arthritis and Firbromyalgia, and due to stress my memory is getting really bad, so I write things down all the time. I have electronic calendars, reminders, notes on my cell phone and computer in order to get things done.

It sounds pathetic, but I even subscribe to a mailing list/group that reminds me to clean my house, hug my kids, etc. This is at Large Family Logistics (google it). I don't have a really large family, but I find the reminders in the email (I keep my email up all day) very useful, and I check off each item as I do it.

I also have set routines and days to do certain things set as reminders in my email too. Also listed on the side of my blog. If I didn't have these reminders I would probably sit and read all day or stay on the computer.

I had post partum depression for two years after having my last child, and have just got "back in the saddle" again with regards to my energy level the past year. So, those of you asking for advice on how I get everything done, and about how much I do...first "Bless You" I always feel like I am doing the bare minimum, and my husband thinks I don't do anything at all, and for the advice.

1) Make a list on paper or in Word of those things that have to get done every week.

2) Subscribe to Large Family Logistics and adapt those reminders to what you need to get done.

3) Set daily routines (see mine to the left for an example).

4) Using Yahoo (if you have yahoo mail) Calendar to send yourself reminders to your cell phone. This really helped me get back on track.

I schedule all my appointments and tasks and have the settings set to send each entry to my cell phone, which then goes off with an alarm at the time I need to do something.

5) Turn off that TV and computer, get off your fanny and move it! Don't sit down at all if you can help it. Once I sit down, that's it.

I clean my house in a circle. I start at the front door and do each room (front porch, foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry (throw a load in), hall (vacuum and shut kids doors), bathroom, bedroom. In my house each room leads into the next and goes in a circuit. I primarily do surface cleaning every day. My exact breakdown (just for an example) is this...

Every day:

1) sweep foyer floor, vacuum oriental rug, damp mop, hang up jackets, light candle

2) all cups out of living room, vacuum, all toys in bin, open windows, turn on fan, light candle

3) clear table in dining room, sweep, light candle

4) wash dishes, clear cabinets, sweep, damp mop, take out dinner or start crockpot, light candle 5) put load in washer, load in dryer, fold clothes from dryer, put away, check puppy's water/food

have kids clean rooms, vacuum hall

6) put all items away from counter in bath, clean sink, clean toilet, sweep floor, mop with bleach or pine sol, hang up clean towel, all dirty clothes in hamper, close shower curtain, light candle

7) pick up clothes from floor put in hamper, make bed, open windows, turn on fan

With the exception of the kitchen, I spend only 5 minutes in each room, and I don't clean my kids rooms. I do also have a pile of clutter in my bedroom that is for a future yard sale, so my room is not spotless, but just picking up the dirty clothes and making my bed gives me a feeling of accomplishment. All this takes me less than 2 hours.

My entire day looks like this:

Get up

Get dressed

Tea/Toast

Devotional

Chores

Lunch

Read, Garden, Computer

Quiet Time/Nap with kids

Dinner prep

Garden, Rest, Watch TV (sometimes)

Computer, Baking, Bed

During the school year, I homeschool between the chores and lunch, normally from 10 am to 12 noon. I wake up around 8 am and go to bed around midnight. That's it...maybe someone can glean something from my crazy schedule and use a piece...hope this helps.....if not...be kind in the comments.....thanks!

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Grandma's Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

2 pkgs active dry yeast or 5 tsps if using bulk yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not too hot)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening, butter, margarine
2 tsps salt
2 cups milk, scalded
1 1/2 cups cold water
10 to 12 cups flour (white or whole wheat)

Yield: 4 loaves

Soften yeast in warm water, springkle in a tsp of the sugar
In LARGE mixing bowl blend sugar, shortening, salt and milk until shortening is melted. Add cold water, cool to luke-warm. Stir in yeast. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and satiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover with foil or damp towel. Let rise in warm place (85 to 90 deg) until light and doubled in volume about two hours. Punch dough down by plunging fist in center. Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Roll out one fourth of dough to a 16 X 12 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 TBSP of melted butter. Combine 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (or more to taste). Sprinkle mixture over dough. Starting with 16 inch side, roll jellyroll fashion. Either cut into 16 1 inch slices or leave as a whole loaf. Place on a greased pan, cover and let rise in warm place until light, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix one box 10X sugar with 2 tbsps water. If too stiff, add more water until icing consistency, add a drop of vanilla too. Spread on baked bread while bread is still warm.

2010 Homestead Stats

Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder
~You will also need a small washpan or bowl that holds about 2 gallons.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the washpan. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Transfer soap (using a funnel if necessary) into empty plastic laundry holders, milk containers (I use my empty glass milk bottles and old Fab containers) Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

5 cups grape juice (about 3 1/2 pounds of ripe grapes)1 (1 3/4 ounce) box of sure-jel pectin7 cups sugarBefore getting started it is best to clean the entire kitchen, making sure the sink is empty. Bleach the sink and all utensils used in making jelly (I do this as I sell my grape jelly as part of my homesteading business.)

Wash the canning jars in warm soapy water, and rinse well. Set off to side.

Place a large pan of water on the stove to heat. Once it starts steaming, place lids and rings in the bottom, and 2-3 jars (depending on if you use actual jelly jars or pints) to sterilize.

Next make the grape juice using clean washed grapes (make sure you use rubber gloves when picking or washing wild grapes)To 3 1/2 pounds of clean grapes (6 cups of grapes) add 1 1/2 cups water.Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes.Strain and squeeze out all of the juice with cheese cloth (see paragraph below)
I didn't have cheese cloth, so I poured the grape mixture into a large spaghetti strainer with a large pan underneath. I had to stir it around some as the skins and seeds would sink to the bottom, and clog the colander up. Stirring allowed the liquid to drain out. I then used a large metal spoon and squished it some to get more of the juice out.

In a very big pan, put 5 cups of the juice (it’s okay to add no more than ½ cup water to even out amount)Add the fruit pectin to the juice.Mix well.On high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.Stir in sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil, again boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Remove jelly from heat, skim off foam
Use a large spoon inserted inside the jar to lift CAREFULLY out of the water. DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF THE JAR OR THE RIM WITH YOUR HANDS.
Ladle jelly into hot jars, place a lid and ring onto jar (do not tighten yet).
Set jars to the side. After a while you should start hearing “pings” as the jar seals.
When jars are completely cool, tighten rings and store on pantry shelf.**SIDE NOTE: Wild Mustang Grapes are normally ready the end of June, so be prepared. Keep an eye open for vines on the side of the road, or any that friends and family may have growing in their yard. Many people just let them grow and don’t do anything with them, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a good supply. Also, the more you pick off the vine, the more the vine produces new grapes, so you probably won’t EVER run out of grapes to use until the vine dies or you get sick of making jelly. Good luck and feel free to contact me at queensedgefarm@yahoo.com for questions.