Saturday: Baking Day

Doesn't "Baking Day" sound nice? The promise of all sorts of treats and hearty breads full of lovely flavor and even health?

The problem with having a Saturday baking day is that Saturday is our family day. We're usually not home.

Therefore, my way of making this happen is to bake during the week. I try to save money by combining oven meals with the baking. I've also realized that long-baking items should be done in the winter and short-timers should be done in the summer. (Sometimes I'm not very quick to figure things out.)

One thing I am DETERMINED to do is bake our own bread. I bought the book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day (posted about it HERE), but I'm having trouble. Trouble with a capital "T." There's something wrong with my oven. The bread rises beautifully. The outside tastes great. The inside, however, is never cooked. Recently I had a roast that overcooked on the outside and was raw on the inside. Something is definitely up with my oven.

Once I get my oven situation under control, though, I plan to bake bread every other week and freeze the loaves. I am SO tired of paying $3-$5 a loaf!!!

My plan (when the oven is in order) will be to plan to bake something any time I need to use the oven for other dishes, and to bake our supply of bread twice a month.

But not on Saturday.

Friday: Cleaning Day

(It feels like I've been away from the blog forever-- I missed the interaction, y'all . . .)

Ah. Cleaning Day. According to the poem, Cleaning Day is best done on Friday. It makes a lot of sense, actually. It prepares the home for the weekend and it doesn't interfere with the tasks that need to be accomplished earlier in the week. Since everyone used to have their largest meal on Sunday (see HERE for our discussion on Sunday Dinner), having the house clean and in order made the Sunday dinner experience even nicer.

Cleaning Day for us looks a whole lot different than in the old days. We don't have the same level of continuous dirt coming into our homes, thought it's still a challenge to keep up with it. It's easier, mainly, because we have better conveniences.

Vacuum cleaners, for example.

This is my vacuum. It's a Bissell Momentum Cyclonic. It was a love-match.

I've owned three other vacuum cleaners in my life. (Four if you count the Kirby my dad bought in his bachelor days that is STILL working. That puppy sounded like a jet engine and it sucked up dirt like nobody's business.)

After marriage, the first vacuum I owned was bought for us by the congregation when my husband and I moved into our first parsonage. It had bags. Back then, they all did. The suction was mediocre at best.

The second vacuum came from my FIL's "estate." It was loud, had bags, and had a large stick lodged in the suction tube. (He was a bachelor living on 10 acres. I have NO idea how that stick got there. The repairman found it when I couldn't get the vacuum to work properly.)

About two years ago, that vacuum died. Hallelujah! I was FINALLY going to get to choose my own vacuum cleaner! We high-tailed it to Home Depot.

We stood in the (large) aisle and perused the selection. There was no way I was going to pay more than $100, so that narrowed our choices down to about 4. A Home Depot guy came along to help. He and my husband were talking amps and suction and other things that caused my eyes to glaze over. After about 20 minutes, he was aggressively promoting one that embodied all that they had discussed. I think he noticed my bland expression.

A bit deflated, he said the magic words: "Well, this one over here is the one my wife chose."

I came to life and asked, "WHY did she choose that one?" He said, "It's quiet, lightweight, and has a large dirt cup that is easy to remove and put back." I eagerly pulled it out to the concrete. He quietly put back the beast he and my husband had been discussing. There was a smile on my face when we checked out.

I put it together when I got home (I love assembly.) It has worked perfectly since that day. Not only is it easier-than-easy to empty the dirt cup, the vacuum has a little "turbo brush" that is great for stairs and cleaning out the car.

Mrs. Home Depot lady, bless you!

(This has been an unpaid testimonial. Bissell Co.--if you see this, you can send a check.)

Thursday: Market Day

Now I'm on a day that I've had quite a bit of success with in the past. When we first moved up north 12 years ago, all the grocery stores were allowing double coupons, even triple coupons. There were weeks when I was able to combine the loss leaders with the coupons and saved between 75 and 90% off my grocery bill! It was quite the adrenaline rush.

Since then, I've moved away from using coupons very much and I don't see that kind of savings any more. A lot of the coupons that are available in our area are for processed foods which I'm *trying* to be more vigilent about. The stores here also don't allow coupons printed from the internet. It's like they don't want me to pay less.

There are many, many, many websites that offer fantastic advice on saving money on groceries while eating well, though. (One of my very favorites is Farm Home Life.) I won't address that level.

Since I no longer use many coupons, I have to do things a bit differently. How did they do things in the past, before coupons and loss leaders and major competition? For me, here's how I've worked things out.

• In the "old" days, they cooked from their supplies until they ran low.
• So, I "shop from my pantry." Everything in the freezers and pantries are listed on my private blog. As I use things, I delete them. It's easier than standing in front of the cold freezer and digging around! The Modern Retro Woman gave a great piece of advice regarding this: shop the loss leaders for this week and then use them in NEXT week's menu planning! (I highly recommend her 30 days of money management tips emails. They're free!)
• In the "old" days, the ladies had standard meals that they served regularly. Variety was NOT nearly as much of an option as it is today. When they went into town, they took a list of items they knew they needed to have on hand for those meals.
• So, after I've completed my menus for the week, I use a grocery chart to write down what I need to buy. (Click HERE to see.) It's grouped by general areas rather than store layout as I don't always go to the same stores. I DO use different colors for different stores if I'm planning on stopping at more than one.
• In the "old" days, most everyone lived within a budget. There were no credit cards. They did have charge accounts, but those usually had to be paid by a certain time or the credit would be cut off. Knowing this, the ladies made sure to keep their purchases well in their allotted amounts.
• So, since I'm trying very hard to budget, I add up what I need to buy and see if I can keep it under a set amount. If it goes over, I look through and see what I can change or do without. Then I go to the bank and withdraw a rounded figure. I have my debit card with me in case there's a "must" purchase that needs to be bought, but that is now rare.
• In the "old" days, (in this particular I'm talking about when *I* was young!), the shoppers used a little tally calculator to keep track as they went. My mom used one, and so did I when I first moved out on my own. It looked like this (anyone remember?):

• So, at the "market" I keep a running total of the actual figures. I've tried to use a calculator, but I always end up bumping it and losing the info. I've also noted on my list a sort of running total (son does this for me), which is good for both of us. I do, though, really, really want one of those tally thingys! One day I'll break down and buy one.

I have to say that I've always hated grocery shopping. It's quite the drawn out process. It's a necessary one, though, so the more efficient I can make it, the better I'll like it.

Next time: Cleaning Day

Click HERE for all the days.

Wednesday: Sewing Day

I must say that examining the "Days of the Week" chore poem has been an eye-opener for me. I have gotten some revelation about the details of caring for my home that have eluded me until now. One of those gems has to do with sewing.

I have always sort of figured that the "Sewing Day" of the poem meant darning, mending, quilting, etc.. As I began to ponder it, though, I realized that the ladies of the past were doing darning and mending, etc. ALL the time. If they were sitting, there was some sort of needlework in their hands. That made me think about what having a dedicated day for sewing could have been. I realized that clothing CONSTRUCTION would have been an ongoing process as well due to the lack of the mall. Since it was a larger task (involving pattern making, cutting, piecing, fitting, and then sewing and finishing), then a chunk of time needed to be set aside.

Here's where personal revelation part came in: I have projects up the wazoo that have never been started. I have the material, the pattern, and the dream. There are also projects that managed to get themselves begun, but never finished. Could having a dedicated chunk of time each week for sewing be the answer?

I tested my theory. Last Wednesday as I was finally finishing up swapping my son's room from upstairs to the first floor (click HERE to see the post about that), I decided to honor the poem and go ahead and make the window curtain and stage curtain for his room, too.

Glory be! It happened. A project was finished very shortly after I envisioned it! Son's room is a "wild kingdom" theme with zebras being the special focus. Below is his loft bed with a zebra theater curtain. I even got fancy and made the rod pocket out of leopard!



The rest of the leopard was put to work as window curtains. The tiebacks? Zebra, of course.

With this new-found understanding of "Sewing Day," I predict that I may be posting more about FINISHED projects!

Do you have UFOs (Un-Finished Objects) lurking in the recesses of your home? Do you have plans for fabric that have gotten you only as far as storing the fabric? Incorporate "Sewing Day!" I believe it just might work for me!

Next time: Market Day

Click HERE for all the days.

Ironing Addendum

I've collected the comments from those who have achieved "Ironing Bliss" (like the lady in the picture above has). I thought I'd put them together as a sort of inspiration to those of use who are still struggling in this area:

Mary R

I'm one of those nuts who loves to iron! I find it relaxing.

Weenie Elise

I love ironing... it's so soothing and quite zen-like...

Ironing is calm and peaceful and you can just focus on the white shirts and the smell of fresh linen and steam... like a zen rock garden or something :)

Packrat

Ironing is okay if I'm not in a panic. There is nothing so satisfying as
seeing nicely ironed shirts, pillowcases, etc.

Tess

Ironing. I LOVE to iron!

I had a great-grandmother who worked as a laundress, and who WAS a teacher, so the secrets of ironing have been passed down for several generations (though diluted in each generation.)

My boyfriend doesn't understand why the sheets need to be ironed since they'll
eventually end up on the bed anyway, but he definitely takes advantage of my
mad skillz in ironing men's shirts!

Do the words above inspire you to embrace ironing? They've certainly encouraged me to look at ironing in a fresh way with all those soothing words. Thank you, ladies!

Next time--Wednesday: Sewing Day

Tuesday: Ironing Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

Since we're still talking about laundry, this sheet music cover seemed appropriate. Obviously all women of all nationalities have done the wash, but the Irish women had a song written for them!

Ok, the subject at hand: Ironing. Sigh.

Evidently, some of you are ironing aficionados. If you are, you may now move on to another blog for today. This post might make you sad. If you're still willing to read, please try not to swoon when you read what's below. For those of you, like me, who have not embraced the wonder that is (apparently) ironing, read on.

First the hall of shame stories:

• I have ironed only the front of a blouse because I knew that I wouldn't take my jacket off.
• I have ironed only the collar of my husband's shirts and encouraged him to wear sweaters over them.
• Several times in my life I've had MONTHS of ironing piled up. I would just pull from the pile on a need-to-wear basis.
• When my sister and her husband lived with us for 3 months when they first moved here (trying to find housing), I bargained with her to do my ironing for me. (Thanks, sis!)
• I've been known to mutter ominously when I ironed a wrinkle INto the fabric. It frightened my dog.

About 18 months ago I decided that I needed to do something about this. Here's what I did:

• I sorted the ironing pile, pulling out my husband's clothes. I hung all of my and my son's (wrinkled) clothes in the closet. I quietly closed the doors.
• I sorted my husband's clothes into dress shirts, casual shirts, and pants.
• I set myself to iron for 30 minutes each weekday until everything was done. I had my son read his history lessons to me. Multi-tasking!
• Upon reaching the end of that mountain, I vowed to iron his clothes WEEKLY. My ironing day is Friday.

I'm happy to say that I've maintained my accomplishment. Unfortunately, the clothes in my and my son's closets are still ironed on a need-to-wear basis! I've gotten my husband's clothes under control, it may be time to tackle the rest in the same way.

Folks in the comments have thrown out words like "peaceful," "calm," and "zen-like" when describing their ironing experiences. I'm determined that I want to reach that same level. I have, at times, dabbled on that plain, but have not reached the point of that being my own description of completing the task. Here's how I'm working at making ironing a task that approaches (at least!) delight:

• I have a lavender linen spray that gives me an aromatherapy session when I iron. I doesn't linger, so my husband hasn't complained.
• I pray for my husband as I iron his clothes. I like that I'm blessing him TWO ways during the activity.
• I make sure that I admire my finished work. Sometimes I call my son in to admire with me. I feed him the proper lines of "Great work!" and "Look at how crisp those are!" He humors me.
• I have to admit that I LOVE to iron flat things. Flat, small things. Napkins and placemats and runners--satisfying. I've ironed large pieces of fabric and tablecloths which I find more annoying than satisfying as they keep sliding off the board. Sheets? We'll see.
• I got an over-the-door ironing board that stays on our closet door. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Hauling out the ironing board was part of the reason the ironing never got done before!

I've pleaded with the commenters who have arrived at Ironing Bliss to write posts. I want to experience that bliss, too. Is there something I'm missing, or is it just a state of mind?

Next time: Sewing Day

Click HERE for all the days.

New Poll: What Are You Best At? (On the Sidebar)

I've been pondering about Tuesday's chore (Ironing Day), letting it roll around in my mind to see what I come up with.

During that pondering I have let my mind wander to the chores for the rest of the week. At each day I lingered and thought about how I felt about the chore, my level of competency, and my level of enjoyment. I noticed something: The better I am at the chore, the more I like it. I noticed something else: I'm not very good at any of the chores!

My grandmother on my mother's side was born in 1905. She lived a very hard life, full of poverty and a lot of bitterness. The man she married was her parent's choice for her. She (from what I've heard) was actually in love with someone else with red hair. She married my grandfather when she was 18. "Red" was no where to be seen, and perhaps never heard from again.

My grandfather was an alcoholic and, apparently, a mean one. Despite what must have been a pretty loveless marriage, that woman could cook, sew, garden, and keep a clean house like nobody's business. She lived in some pretty severe poverty. Until 1955, she did all of her cooking on a wood heated stove. She sewed ALL of her clothing and the clothing of her four girls. She made her own patterns. All that even though she was so very unhappy.

Then she moved into a house in the 50s that had electricity and indoor plumbing. That's the house I remember. It was ALWAYS spotless. Her bedroom (my grandfather divorced her some time in the 50s) was floral and feminine. Her gardens were amazing. The food was fantastic, good ol' southern cooking, and she continued to sew and crochet until she had a stroke in her late 70s.

My mother? Apparently she learned absolutely nothing, therefore, I learned absolutely nothing. My grandmother was NOT a teacher. My mom and I did take a few sewing classes together when I was a teenager, but I didn't learn much beyond a beginner level.

With that background, you will understand when I say that I had to teach myself how to do nearly everything.

Which brings me back to the days of the week and my levels of competency.

Wash Day? I don't know HOW it happens, but spots show up on my clothes and I have no idea from where. They just appear. It's the most amazing thing. It's also usually within one week of a new purchase, too. Very frustrating.

Ironing Day? I inevitably iron IN wrinkles. Again, the most amazing thing. I'm ironing along and the fabric does a tiny little bend that I go over with the iron. The wrinkles I'm trying to get out are still there and now this new, giant wrinkle mocks me. Sigh.

Sewing Day? I have never gone beyond the basics. I can sew a straight seam, fairly well, but even that surprises me when I've been ultra careful, take it out of the machine and it's CROOKED!

Marketing Day? I used to shine here. I was the coupon queen. I could fill the pantry for a buck-ninety-nine (practically!). Then I had a baby and I apparently lost this ability. I'm still looking for it.

Cleaning Day? Now this area has gotten tremendously better over the years. In my cleaning day post I'll relate a horror story that will curl your toes. My biggest change came when I realized I was trying to clean around too much stuff. I have now become the decluttering queen.

Baking Day? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! My poor bread making attempts have been just this side of disappointing. The bread tastes good but it keeps coming out looking like cow patties. Not visually appetizing, that's for sure. I'm determined not to give up yet!

Cooking? That's an every day thing, but I'm also pretty inept at that as well.

Well, that was pathetic! Why didn't Granny pass along these talents? The least she could have done was pass them along genetically!

So, here's my poll question:

From The Poem, at which task would you consider yourself most accomplished? On which day do you shine? Do you find that you enjoy that task the most because it's your best effort?

The poll is up on the sidebar--please go and vote!

After reading my own experiences, I may have to say "none of the above!"

Monday: Wash Day

For decades (longer?) women generally did their housework according to the order of a particular poem:

Monday: Wash Day

Tuesday: Ironing Day

Wednesday: Sewing Day

Thursday: Marketing Day

Friday: Cleaning Day

Saturday: Baking Day

Sunday: Day of Rest

For several years I've actually followed a modified version of this. The reason? The order was based on common sense that still works for today! I don't think that I have much "wisdom" to share about this, but I think it could be somewhat interesting to share together about how we go about the necessary work to take care of a home. This is my interpretation of the poem.

At the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, there is a house that was moved from Massachusetts to the museum. It tells the story of five families who lived in that house over a span of 200 years. (Click HERE to see more details.) The Lynch family, Irish immigrants, lived there in the late 1800s and took in washing. They did all the washing . . . by hand. Here are the steps for washing whites:

• Step 1: Soak overnight.
• Step 2: Scrub in hot lye suds.
• Step 3: Boil white linens and cottons.
• Step 4: Rinse.
• Step 5: Rinse again with bluing powder.
• Step 6: Dip in starch and hang to dry.
  

Oy! Now, as a modern woman, I am about to share with you the steps I take to wash whites. I'll wait while you go and get a pencil and paper.

• Step 1: Start washing machine, using hot water.
• Step 2: Add detergent to water. Mine is homemade, y'all!
• Step 3: Spot treat anything suspicious.
• Step 4: Put clothes in washer.
• Step 5: Wander off until washer is finished.
• Step 6: Take out of washer and either put in dryer or hang to dry.

Did you see that? I have six steps, too! Maybe things haven't progressed as much as I thought . . .

Notice that I gave two options for Step 6. I have a clothes dryer. It runs on a combination of electricity and propane. I do use it, but try my best not to for a couple of reasons: It saves money and I LIKE to hang clothes on a clothesline! I call it "laundry euphoria." I've talked about it before HERE.

When I think of laundry billowing on a line, this image comes to mind:

That is not my clothes line and not my clothes. This is what I actually have. (Since it's winter, I couldn't take a picture of my actual line, so this is someone else's yard, and clothesline, and fence, and clothes.) Though it has been known to go airborne when filled with sheets on a gusty day, I must say that I like it's compactness.

What about winter, you say? (I could hear you as you laid your pencil down to get a sip of your coffee.) I really wanted to take advantage of the fact that we have a basement and that we NEED more moisture in the air in the winter. My husband rigged me up a way to use my rotary dryer down there! (This IS my actual dryer, with my actual clothes, actual unused exercise equipment, and actual messy basement.)

Isn't that cool? It works for us really, really well. The reason it works so well is this: I have strayed from the Monday Wash Day pattern. I wash ONE load of laundry each weekday. Ma Ingalls, please forgive me.

For us, washing one load a day has worked so well that I've been following it for years. I used to do all the laundry in one day, but I have found that what I do now takes so little effort that it doesn't seem so daunting. (Don't forget: There are only THREE of us.)

• Monday: Whites
• Tuesday: Sheets, towels, and misc. items
• Wednesday: My clothes
• Thursday: Son's clothes
• Friday: Husband's clothes

I load the washer first thing in the morning. Then I take the wet clothes to the clothesline and hang them. In the winter I let them dry until the next morning. I remove them from the line and put them in the dryer for 15 minutes on "no heat" to make them less stiff. Fold, put away.

Wait. That's more steps than the Lynchs had. Cool!

That's my take on Monday Wash Day. We've got it SO much easier, but it's still a task that has to be done regularly, so we might as well enjoy it.

Do you have any tips to share regarding laundry?

Next time: Ironing Day

Click HERE for all the days.

Days of Homekeeping: The Challenge

My last post linked to another site that described how women in the past interpreted this poem:

Monday: Wash Day
Tuesday: Ironing Day
Wednesday: Sewing Day
Thursday: Market Day
Friday: Cleaning Day
Saturday: Baking Day
Sunday: Day of Rest

I decided to challenge myself to give MY interpretation. I'm even going to break it down into seven separate posts. It's so very important that I do this as it's good to get a modern woman's take on making the week happen.

Of course, it may not be enlightening. It may be old hat to you. But, it may also be new hat to someone. Whatever hat it is, I'm going to do it anyway because, well, because it looked like fun!

I'll do my best to give my "spin" on Wash Day, "iron out" my ideas about Ironing Day, "piece together" some thoughts about Sewing Day, "compare" useful tips about Market Day, "clear the dust" on what I know about Cleaning Day, "proof" some ideas for Baking Day, and then attempt to define "rest."

Did you like that? I was clever, wasn't I? No? (Oh, you did too like it! Admit it.) Well, anyway, I'm excited about the prospect!

The Days of Homekeeping

Does this look familiar?

Monday: Wash Day
Tuesday: Ironing Day
Wednesday: Sewing Day
Thursday: Market Day
Friday: Cleaning Day
Saturday: Baking Day
Sunday: Day of Rest

This poem gave guidance to many generations of women. Since nearly all followed it, they all knew what one another was doing each day! Labor-saving devices brought enough change (among other reasons) to enable us to create a schedule that works for our individual family--that may look nothing like the above order.

It's still interesting to me, though, to realize that without SOME sort of schedule, things just don't get done. Yes, I have lots of machines, but I still have to regularly use them for our benefit.

Vintage Homemaking has begun a series detailing each of the days. I've linked them below the banner (click to go to the site), and will add the rest as they are posted. I've been enjoying the articles about keeping the home in days gone by for quite a while and wanted to pass them along to anyone who didn't already know about this site.

• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
• Sunday

If you're feeling especially overwhelmed with the housework, go over to THIS website that talks about how pioneer women, specifically Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother, accomplished the tasks on their assigned days.

You'll kiss your washing machine and hug many other appliances when you've finished reading that!