Some people applaud the use of flooring materials that "hide dirt". I used to pretend I was one of them. But, friends? You've officially lost me. Why in the world would I want a floor that might be dirty, but doesn't actually look dirty so that I know that I should clean it?
And also, as a mom of people who have recently learned to use the potty and still sometimes, you know, forget or don't quite make it in time - the experience of locating puddles with my feet is not a welcome one. Was that warm or cold? Like, body temperature warm? Judging from the quantity, was it a splash from an exuberant hand-washing or the contents of a preschool-sized bladder? Or perhaps an apple juice spill that nobody bothered to tell mom about? Did the tall, handsome gentleman who sometimes helps with the baby leave the diaper sprayer on by accident?
So a floor that is mottled and textured and hides all that great information from my eyes so that my feet may stumble upon it unannounced...not my cup of tea. Which might also be spilled and stepped in on any given morning.
I'm not saying I want a white ceramic tile running through the house. Lord have mercy, no. But my kitchen floor, beige with shades of off-white and...other beige...that is a death trap or at least a gross trap for my bare feet. Show me your dirt and I will mop you. Stick to my feet and I will curse you under my breath and get cranky with my kids. Dirt camouflage is dumb.
Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. And for the record, I've steam mopped twice in the past four days because that kind of clean is addictive. I've been walking around with confident steps, allowing the full flat of my foot to make contact with the floor instead of doing the toe-heel foot-arching thing when the floor gets gross. Too bad I have to return the Shark to my sister-in-law. Although she just had a baby. I wonder how long it would take her to realize it's still at my place?
Showing posts with label Homemaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homemaking. Show all posts
Cast Iron Clean-Up
You might recall that I posted awhile back about steps I used for seasoning my cast iron pan. Food-grade flaxseed oil, oven at 500 degrees, six times over and boom, a gorgeous finish. Since then I've been, you know, using the pan, and it so happens that I sometimes burn food onto it. It's not like I have time to stand there and watch my food closely. Whatever, man.
The result was some ugly marks on the bottom of my pan, and I honestly wasn't sure whether it was food burned on, or my seasoning flaking off. I hoped it wasn't the latter, obvs, but it wasn't getting much better when I scrubbed. Scouring with coarse Kosher salt was a help, and yes I even used water to rinse before and after the scouring, and then warmed it in the oven to make sure it dried thoroughly. I would also put another thin layer of the flaxseed oil on from time to time, since it's a relatively new seasoning. When I cooked with oil or grease, I tried to just wipe it out if I could rather than scouring, to add to the cure.
Last night, though, I cooked Italian sausage in there to go with mac 'n cheese because Thursday is kids' menu night, a.k.a. the one night of the week that my priority is not fighting with the kids about eating their dinner. And it may have gotten a little bit burned onto the bottom. I don't know how that happened, it's not like I had an eleven-month-old trying to escape down the basement stairs, or squawking like a velociraptor about wanting his dinner. And the big kids were totally chill and waiting patiently while I cooked.
Bahahaha.
And also, after dinner I had to run to ShopRite (read: got out of the house for an hour to preserve my sanity) while Joel got the kiddos ready for bed soooooo my poor cast iron pan sat and cooled, and the cooked-on gunk became cold, crustified, cooked-on brown gunk. It was so awesome, I did a little dance when I arrived back in the kitchen to finally clean it.
Kosher salt scrub - fail. Pan on a low burner followed by Kosher salt scrub - more fail.
A quick Google search, which I've found is always the best way to expand my repertoire of domesticity, suggested that I boil a small amount of water for a few minutes to loosen the gunk, and then drain, salt scrub as usual, and heat in the oven to dry thoroughly. I also added a little flaxseed oil and heated further, just to be safe. At 500 degrees. At noon on an 80 degree day. I always think through my plans very thoroughly and never have any regrets.
Guys, my pan looks flawless again! I would show you the difference, but I SERIOUSLY have a problem remembering "before" pictures.
The result was some ugly marks on the bottom of my pan, and I honestly wasn't sure whether it was food burned on, or my seasoning flaking off. I hoped it wasn't the latter, obvs, but it wasn't getting much better when I scrubbed. Scouring with coarse Kosher salt was a help, and yes I even used water to rinse before and after the scouring, and then warmed it in the oven to make sure it dried thoroughly. I would also put another thin layer of the flaxseed oil on from time to time, since it's a relatively new seasoning. When I cooked with oil or grease, I tried to just wipe it out if I could rather than scouring, to add to the cure.
Last night, though, I cooked Italian sausage in there to go with mac 'n cheese because Thursday is kids' menu night, a.k.a. the one night of the week that my priority is not fighting with the kids about eating their dinner. And it may have gotten a little bit burned onto the bottom. I don't know how that happened, it's not like I had an eleven-month-old trying to escape down the basement stairs, or squawking like a velociraptor about wanting his dinner. And the big kids were totally chill and waiting patiently while I cooked.
Bahahaha.
And also, after dinner I had to run to ShopRite (read: got out of the house for an hour to preserve my sanity) while Joel got the kiddos ready for bed soooooo my poor cast iron pan sat and cooled, and the cooked-on gunk became cold, crustified, cooked-on brown gunk. It was so awesome, I did a little dance when I arrived back in the kitchen to finally clean it.
Kosher salt scrub - fail. Pan on a low burner followed by Kosher salt scrub - more fail.
A quick Google search, which I've found is always the best way to expand my repertoire of domesticity, suggested that I boil a small amount of water for a few minutes to loosen the gunk, and then drain, salt scrub as usual, and heat in the oven to dry thoroughly. I also added a little flaxseed oil and heated further, just to be safe. At 500 degrees. At noon on an 80 degree day. I always think through my plans very thoroughly and never have any regrets.
Guys, my pan looks flawless again! I would show you the difference, but I SERIOUSLY have a problem remembering "before" pictures.
Resolved: Today's Wardrobe Dilemma
Today was one of those days when I sincerely believed I had NOTHING to wear. And by nothing I didn't mean it was all in the wash, or all my clothing literally burned in a spontaneous blaze limited to my closet (I wonder if homeowner's insurance would cover that?). What I meant was the following two perceptions:
1) Nothing that fit appropriately - possibly due to my wearing as pajamas lounge pants a size too large because I bought them two pregnancies ago for postpartum comfort. (I finally just figured out the word for these. Yoga pants? Nope. Sweat pants? Not exactly. Hi, I'm a grown up.) Also, one of Joel's old thermal shirts that is SO BAGGY and the sleeves constantly slide down over my hands so that I can't do anything. ANYTHING. This shirt is in my wardrobe as a result of third trimester pregnancy when I hate wearing anything because it all looks stupid but alas, that would get me arrested. Note that I have not been third-trimester-pregnant for a solid seven months. So this "outfit" was what I did slept in, spent the morning in, and did yoga in today (that's how I knew they were NOT yoga pants, btw). This attire did nothing for my optimism about either my wardrobe or my figure. Or, come to think of it, my form for Downward Dog and Warrior 2.
2) Nothing was seasonally appropriate - it seemed like everything in my closet and dresser was short-sleeved for some reason. Or too dressy for everyday wear. Well, once I mentally crossed off the ill-fitting man shirts. So the clothing at my fingertips was all lame and not-right in every way.
Obviously, my next move was to go shopping on Amazon and add a ton of long-sleeved tunic tops to a new wish list titled "THINGS ELIZABETH NEEDS", not in all caps, but the drama was real.
Feeding the kids lunch has a way of grounding me though, because I'm good at finding my inner calm in the midst of songs-at-the-top-of-lungs (yes I give the "inside voices" reminder ad nauseum) and PBJ being ripped apart and devoured in the slowest, most stroke-inducingly messiest ways possible. It's a good time for pondering what's really important, which might be a less-concerning way of saying
So I came out of lunchtime realizing that my first move should be to go through my closet and purge, re-organize, and get a handle on what I actually have and need. This was a good idea because while I was ruthless and have a nice pile of clothes to sell or donate, I also spent a fair amount of time going, "Oh yeah, that!!"
As an aside, seven months post partum is a good time to wardrobe-purge, since I think you probably have a good idea how things have shifted around and spaced out, and things are in their new permanent home, barring any sudden interests in yoga and pilates (which can feel free to seize me at any time, please, btw).
It's so hard to know how to organize a closet when you first move into a place, you know? I had sweatshirts and sweaters stacked on a shelf, and tank tops/camisoles stacked on a second shelf. Everything else was hanging up. As I purged, though, I discovered a handful of sweaters that I didn't even remember I had because they were at the bottom of a stack behind my sweatshirts. Real efficient, huh?
And my hanging clothes were organized generally in color order, with long, 3/4, and short sleeved shirts in that order within color. It wasn't nearly as OCD as you're imagining. Well, maybe. But what it definitely WASN'T was user-friendly. I was missing clothing because I automatically skipped over sections of my closet when trying to decide what to wear. Too cool, too dressy, too ew.
Another factor is my staying at home full time now, which mean that a certain subset of my wardrobe isn't really needed for the professional setting anymore. Sure, I wear those things for church, but that's less than 1/14 of my time if you think about it. I doubt my dressier things need to take up prime real estate in my closet. Oh, and I'm nursing, which means a number of pieces (especially dresses) that are just dead to me until Oliver is weaned. They don't have to go out the door, necessarily, but could be rotated out to our spare closet in Oliver's room so as not to distract me from the good options on a Sunday morning.
The end result? I hung my (fewer, more appealing) clothes by season, then by color - short-sleeved clothes at the periphery on one end, then 3/4 sleeve, then heaviest long-sleeved shirts and sweaters right in front of my face. Scarves and cardigans, then pants, skirts, and finally my "aspirational" clothing (I permit myself a few "I hope I can wear this again" pieces because it's motivation, and it's also fodder for my "I can alter my own clothes!" impulsive sewing sprees. Which, no I can't. Not yet, anyway. But these are things that don't fit anyway and I would otherwise get rid of, so they make for good practice material.)
(Maybe this would change if I got the dress form I've got my eye on? Or at least if I came to believe that measuring is important. Sewing and baking, I'm telling you.)
So now I can walk right up to my closet and instantly see what I actually own that fits, that I like, and is warm enough for January. Or I could if I were seven feet tall, but the whole clothes bar height thing is something that Joel and I are working out between the two of us. We had plans for a second lower bar at some point but at the rate I keep purging clothes, one is just plenty...if I could reach it.
(Taking this photo made me acutely aware that that back wall isn't painted. I literally never notice that in real life, but looking at it via an iPhone screen? Hideous! Also can you tell how far back I had to stand to even get the top of the clothes bar in the shot? )
Yes, my wardrobe is smaller now, and you won't suddenly confuse me with a fashion plate, but I think I'll actually wear and enjoy more pieces now that I know they exist. Funny how that works. It's closely related to the practice of contentment: Sometimes the Lord provides for our needs by dropping something into our lives at the right time. But other times, and more often I might argue, He provides for our needs by resizing them, and helping us see what we already have with a little more gratitude and enjoyment.
What a relatively easy way to boost self-esteem and improve your wardrobe all in one shot, eh?
(This is mundane, I know. I'm sharing because the promise of writing it up into a blog post was a big motivation for actually DOING the dang thing!)
1) Nothing that fit appropriately - possibly due to my wearing as pajamas lounge pants a size too large because I bought them two pregnancies ago for postpartum comfort. (I finally just figured out the word for these. Yoga pants? Nope. Sweat pants? Not exactly. Hi, I'm a grown up.) Also, one of Joel's old thermal shirts that is SO BAGGY and the sleeves constantly slide down over my hands so that I can't do anything. ANYTHING. This shirt is in my wardrobe as a result of third trimester pregnancy when I hate wearing anything because it all looks stupid but alas, that would get me arrested. Note that I have not been third-trimester-pregnant for a solid seven months. So this "outfit" was what I did slept in, spent the morning in, and did yoga in today (that's how I knew they were NOT yoga pants, btw). This attire did nothing for my optimism about either my wardrobe or my figure. Or, come to think of it, my form for Downward Dog and Warrior 2.
2) Nothing was seasonally appropriate - it seemed like everything in my closet and dresser was short-sleeved for some reason. Or too dressy for everyday wear. Well, once I mentally crossed off the ill-fitting man shirts. So the clothing at my fingertips was all lame and not-right in every way.
Obviously, my next move was to go shopping on Amazon and add a ton of long-sleeved tunic tops to a new wish list titled "THINGS ELIZABETH NEEDS", not in all caps, but the drama was real.
Feeding the kids lunch has a way of grounding me though, because I'm good at finding my inner calm in the midst of songs-at-the-top-of-lungs (yes I give the "inside voices" reminder ad nauseum) and PBJ being ripped apart and devoured in the slowest, most stroke-inducingly messiest ways possible. It's a good time for pondering what's really important, which might be a less-concerning way of saying
So I came out of lunchtime realizing that my first move should be to go through my closet and purge, re-organize, and get a handle on what I actually have and need. This was a good idea because while I was ruthless and have a nice pile of clothes to sell or donate, I also spent a fair amount of time going, "Oh yeah, that!!"
As an aside, seven months post partum is a good time to wardrobe-purge, since I think you probably have a good idea how things have shifted around and spaced out, and things are in their new permanent home, barring any sudden interests in yoga and pilates (which can feel free to seize me at any time, please, btw).
It's so hard to know how to organize a closet when you first move into a place, you know? I had sweatshirts and sweaters stacked on a shelf, and tank tops/camisoles stacked on a second shelf. Everything else was hanging up. As I purged, though, I discovered a handful of sweaters that I didn't even remember I had because they were at the bottom of a stack behind my sweatshirts. Real efficient, huh?
And my hanging clothes were organized generally in color order, with long, 3/4, and short sleeved shirts in that order within color. It wasn't nearly as OCD as you're imagining. Well, maybe. But what it definitely WASN'T was user-friendly. I was missing clothing because I automatically skipped over sections of my closet when trying to decide what to wear. Too cool, too dressy, too ew.
Another factor is my staying at home full time now, which mean that a certain subset of my wardrobe isn't really needed for the professional setting anymore. Sure, I wear those things for church, but that's less than 1/14 of my time if you think about it. I doubt my dressier things need to take up prime real estate in my closet. Oh, and I'm nursing, which means a number of pieces (especially dresses) that are just dead to me until Oliver is weaned. They don't have to go out the door, necessarily, but could be rotated out to our spare closet in Oliver's room so as not to distract me from the good options on a Sunday morning.
The end result? I hung my (fewer, more appealing) clothes by season, then by color - short-sleeved clothes at the periphery on one end, then 3/4 sleeve, then heaviest long-sleeved shirts and sweaters right in front of my face. Scarves and cardigans, then pants, skirts, and finally my "aspirational" clothing (I permit myself a few "I hope I can wear this again" pieces because it's motivation, and it's also fodder for my "I can alter my own clothes!" impulsive sewing sprees. Which, no I can't. Not yet, anyway. But these are things that don't fit anyway and I would otherwise get rid of, so they make for good practice material.)
(Maybe this would change if I got the dress form I've got my eye on? Or at least if I came to believe that measuring is important. Sewing and baking, I'm telling you.)
So now I can walk right up to my closet and instantly see what I actually own that fits, that I like, and is warm enough for January. Or I could if I were seven feet tall, but the whole clothes bar height thing is something that Joel and I are working out between the two of us. We had plans for a second lower bar at some point but at the rate I keep purging clothes, one is just plenty...if I could reach it.
(Taking this photo made me acutely aware that that back wall isn't painted. I literally never notice that in real life, but looking at it via an iPhone screen? Hideous! Also can you tell how far back I had to stand to even get the top of the clothes bar in the shot? )
Yes, my wardrobe is smaller now, and you won't suddenly confuse me with a fashion plate, but I think I'll actually wear and enjoy more pieces now that I know they exist. Funny how that works. It's closely related to the practice of contentment: Sometimes the Lord provides for our needs by dropping something into our lives at the right time. But other times, and more often I might argue, He provides for our needs by resizing them, and helping us see what we already have with a little more gratitude and enjoyment.
What a relatively easy way to boost self-esteem and improve your wardrobe all in one shot, eh?
(This is mundane, I know. I'm sharing because the promise of writing it up into a blog post was a big motivation for actually DOING the dang thing!)
Cast Iron Before-and-After Roundup
This is a quick photo round-up showing some before and afters of my two cast iron pans. The original post with step by step instructions, and link back to the tutorial I used, is here.
Since I forgot a before of my regular skillet, here's a before of my grilling pan:
Unseasoned grill pan on the left, regular skillet with three coats of seasoning on the right. This basically compares what the regular skillet looked like before and after the three coats, since they were in similar shape.
And here I had pulled both pans out from a round of seasoning, so the grill pan has just one coat (look at the difference already!!) and the regular skillet now has four coats:
The grill pan a little closer up:
Final photo of both pans with the full six coats of seasoning, sitting next to some granola:
And you know what's cool? My little 8oz bottle of oil, after six coats on both pans plus two thin coats on my wooden cutting boards (I have two) is still almost half full. That makes me feel a little better about the cost, because it will definitely last me for more maintenance on the cutting boards.
And my main motivation for seasoning the cast iron: scrubbing scrambled eggs out of the multi-clad stainless pan. Ugh. Eggs are like the nemesis of stainless steel, if you ask me. Or maybe the eggs team up with stainless steel to be my arch-nemesis. I might be devoting too much thought to this. Either way, how fun does this look like it would be to clean? We have scrambled eggs at least twice a week so, while I might miss the upper body workout, I would love a better way to cook them. My stainless is superb for cooking basically everything else - who even needs non-stick? - but eggs. For the love. There is no avoiding the awfulness, no matter how much butter you use.
This was obviously a major re-season of my rusted pans after they were in storage. But I'm interested to hear your tips for maintenance - what do you do between uses, if anything, to maintain the seasoning on your cast iron?
**Bonus tip because I care about you so much: Nobody ever told me about oiling wooden cutting boards and wooden spoons, but mine are starting to look dry and sad. If you look closely, I've also got some wee little cracks/splits starting to happen. All this fun with flaxseed oil prompted me to Google "oiling wooden cutting boards" and it turns out that food-grade flaxseed oil is also a good choice for oiling your wooden kitchen ware. This is a thing you should do, apparently. If you knew this already, celebrate in your head because you win this round of domesticity.
To oil a cutting board or spoon, rub your oil on with a soft cloth or paper towel and let it sit for four hours to overnight, then wipe with a clean, soft cloth to buff if it feels sticky/like there is residue. Depending on how often you use your cutting boards, and how they look to you, repeat once a month to a couple times a year. There are other formulations for this like mineral oil combined with beeswax, but this is a post about flaxseed oil, so oh well.
**Bonus tip #2 on your choice of flaxseed oil: This also goes by the name of linseed oil, apparently, and can be used in woodworking. DO NOT use woodworking linseed or flaxseed oil for cast iron or wooden kitchen items. This has some other chemicals added in or something, and can affect rancidity and put things onto your items that you wouldn't want to ingest. I bought my flaxseed oil at the grocery store with the other food oils, so it is food-grade and fine to use. Be thorough when you shop, especially if you order online, is all I'm saying. We wouldn't want to start preserving your insides with a coating of varnish, for heaven's sake.
Since I forgot a before of my regular skillet, here's a before of my grilling pan:
Ugh, right? It was such a delight to scrub between those ridges to get the rust off, until it looked like this, raw and unseasoned and possibly still slightly rusty, so don't look too closely:
Unseasoned grill pan on the left, regular skillet with three coats of seasoning on the right. This basically compares what the regular skillet looked like before and after the three coats, since they were in similar shape.
And here I had pulled both pans out from a round of seasoning, so the grill pan has just one coat (look at the difference already!!) and the regular skillet now has four coats:
The grill pan a little closer up:
Final photo of both pans with the full six coats of seasoning, sitting next to some granola:
And you know what's cool? My little 8oz bottle of oil, after six coats on both pans plus two thin coats on my wooden cutting boards (I have two) is still almost half full. That makes me feel a little better about the cost, because it will definitely last me for more maintenance on the cutting boards.
And my main motivation for seasoning the cast iron: scrubbing scrambled eggs out of the multi-clad stainless pan. Ugh. Eggs are like the nemesis of stainless steel, if you ask me. Or maybe the eggs team up with stainless steel to be my arch-nemesis. I might be devoting too much thought to this. Either way, how fun does this look like it would be to clean? We have scrambled eggs at least twice a week so, while I might miss the upper body workout, I would love a better way to cook them. My stainless is superb for cooking basically everything else - who even needs non-stick? - but eggs. For the love. There is no avoiding the awfulness, no matter how much butter you use.
This was obviously a major re-season of my rusted pans after they were in storage. But I'm interested to hear your tips for maintenance - what do you do between uses, if anything, to maintain the seasoning on your cast iron?
**Bonus tip because I care about you so much: Nobody ever told me about oiling wooden cutting boards and wooden spoons, but mine are starting to look dry and sad. If you look closely, I've also got some wee little cracks/splits starting to happen. All this fun with flaxseed oil prompted me to Google "oiling wooden cutting boards" and it turns out that food-grade flaxseed oil is also a good choice for oiling your wooden kitchen ware. This is a thing you should do, apparently. If you knew this already, celebrate in your head because you win this round of domesticity.
To oil a cutting board or spoon, rub your oil on with a soft cloth or paper towel and let it sit for four hours to overnight, then wipe with a clean, soft cloth to buff if it feels sticky/like there is residue. Depending on how often you use your cutting boards, and how they look to you, repeat once a month to a couple times a year. There are other formulations for this like mineral oil combined with beeswax, but this is a post about flaxseed oil, so oh well.
**Bonus tip #2 on your choice of flaxseed oil: This also goes by the name of linseed oil, apparently, and can be used in woodworking. DO NOT use woodworking linseed or flaxseed oil for cast iron or wooden kitchen items. This has some other chemicals added in or something, and can affect rancidity and put things onto your items that you wouldn't want to ingest. I bought my flaxseed oil at the grocery store with the other food oils, so it is food-grade and fine to use. Be thorough when you shop, especially if you order online, is all I'm saying. We wouldn't want to start preserving your insides with a coating of varnish, for heaven's sake.
Season Your Cast Iron with Flaxseed Oil, I Really Really Mean It
I know what you're thinking: I haven't written in forever and my big comeback is a scintillating post on cast iron pans. Elizabeth is a big lame-o. My kids would agree, but for vastly different reasons. Mainly involving my strict requirement of pants every time we leave the house, but also at times due to my overbearing rules about flushing the toilet. NOBODY HAS ANY FUN AROUND HERE.
But back to talking about food. (Motherhood is full of such extremes, amiright? Start dinner, POOP EVERYWHERE, finish the cheese sauce. Or so I've heard.)
I thought I'd post because this has come up a few times recently. I solicited input on how to clean my beloved cast iron pan that grew rust during its five months in storage, and a few friends have asked here and there (not me directly, but I've added my two cents) about seasoning and re-seasoning cast iron. Maybe this link and testimonial will help you. And yes, I am just now seasoning my cast iron that I de-rusted back in early October. Life comes at you fast.
A Science Based Technique for Seasoning Cast Iron
This was written by a chemist who provides helpful details on the seasoning process, and the rationale for using flaxseed oil. It's been at least a decade since I last meaningfully studied chemistry, but polymers and smoking point and yadda yadda yadda. Spring for the flaxseed oil. It's pricier than olive oil, but it has a higher smoking point or something and that means seasoning it at 500 degrees will make it polymerize and harden, and then cooking at lower temperatures it'll just be that smooth, glossy, non-stick surface you've fantasized about. Seriously, anything factual from this paragraph was plagiarized from the link above, so read there for more details. Any errors up to this point are straight out of my own brain, no extra charge.
Now for the testimonial part. I forgot to take a "before" picture because I don't sleep at night and at the time I decided to finally start the seasoning process this morning, I was also emptying the dishwasher, making fudge, and trying to block out a (well-fed) fussy baby. So, surprise of surprises, I forgot to snap a photo. This actually shouldn't surprise you because Oliver's monthly photo updates tend to come two weeks late. (I got out his teddy bear two days ago because he had turned seven months; the bear has been mercilessly beaten and kicked around the living room by little people but no photo has yet been taken. So much for visual cues. And yes I am posting about a skillet before writing my son's seven month update.)
The skillet, fresh from storage, looked kind of like this, but with the thin layer of rust over the entire bottom of the pan: (photo credit www.macheesmo.com)
I scoured it with steel wool (three and a half months ago) to remove the rust and, sadly, the seasoning, so that it looked more like the pan on the right here (ish). No rust, but also not a smooth black finish AT ALL. Still kind of brown and dry looking: (photo credit www.tommcmahon.com)
At this point, I had added a layer of olive oil, put it in a warm oven, and tried to use it for scrambled eggs but they stuck SO BAD. It was like trying to remove wall paper with water and my fingernails. Not good. Enter the tutorial linked above.
Here's the basic process:
1. Purchase flaxseed oil. Cringe at the price, but tell yourself it will be worth it. It was $11 and change for 8 oz at my grocery store which isn't like caviar or truffles, but more than I'd usually spend on a small bottle of oil.
2. Heat your (clean, unrusted) cast iron in a 200 degree oven briefly, enough to make sure it is dry and to open the pores a bit. (Cast iron has pores? Who knew we had so much in common!) You might have to wait a little bit til you can pick it up and do the next step.
3. Put a roll of paper towels next to you on the counter (trust me). Shake the bottle of flaxseed oil. Pour a little (about a tablespoon and a half was good for me) onto your palm and rub between your hands. Pick up your cast iron pan and rub the good stuff all over it, working into every nook and cranny, inside and out. You will feel very oily and possibly very emotionally close with your cast iron, but this is normal. I think. This is actually not mentioned on in the tutorial but I've never been up to my wrists in oil with my favorite cookware before.
4. The paper towels in close proximity should be making sense about now. Grab one and try to wipe off all the oil you just meticulously and lovingly rubbed into your pan. You want to leave the thinnest layer ever, and you don't want any drips in your oven when you heat it. It's also a nice way to wipe off some of the oil on your hands as you turn it over and wipe all around.
5. Place pan upside down in oven, and turn it on to 500 degrees. You can put a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any drips, if you would like. But if you did it right, you shouldn't have drips. Leave it in there for an hour. It might smell a little smokey. It's either the oil or last night's dinner that cooked over, I'm not sure, but it shouldn't be an issue.
6. After an hour, turn off the oven and leave for a couple hours til it's cool enough to handle again. Pro tip: cast iron hangs onto heat (wait, what?), especially 500 degrees of it. Mine looked like this after just once through this process:
That is my skillet. It is beautiful and shiny and one color all over. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. It was at this point that I decided to obviously take a picture, and then tell the world, or at least the six people who read my blog. I have never, ever seen this kind of transformation with any other kind of oil or other method for seasoning.
The tutorial calls for six total coats, so this will take you 18 hours (not necessarily in a row) to complete if you go whole-hog. I plan to do all six and will let you know how it goes. It's in the oven on round two right now, and I should be able to do another once or twice today/this evening.
*Due to unforeseen circumstances, i.e. wildly fluctuating emotional states in our home, I was not able to publish this right away. As a result, I now have a photo of the skillet with two coats of flaxseed oil. Note the slight sheen; it is still quite warm from the oven. As an experiment, I ran a paper towel over the inside surface to see if it was damp-oily like it appears, but I got no residue on the paper towel AT ALL. It is a hard dry surface as promised, but appears very oily and non-stick. Win!
You are welcome. Just four coats to go and then I will invite you all over for scrambled eggs and yorkshire pudding, my two favorite things to make in this bad boy.
But back to talking about food. (Motherhood is full of such extremes, amiright? Start dinner, POOP EVERYWHERE, finish the cheese sauce. Or so I've heard.)
I thought I'd post because this has come up a few times recently. I solicited input on how to clean my beloved cast iron pan that grew rust during its five months in storage, and a few friends have asked here and there (not me directly, but I've added my two cents) about seasoning and re-seasoning cast iron. Maybe this link and testimonial will help you. And yes, I am just now seasoning my cast iron that I de-rusted back in early October. Life comes at you fast.
A Science Based Technique for Seasoning Cast Iron
This was written by a chemist who provides helpful details on the seasoning process, and the rationale for using flaxseed oil. It's been at least a decade since I last meaningfully studied chemistry, but polymers and smoking point and yadda yadda yadda. Spring for the flaxseed oil. It's pricier than olive oil, but it has a higher smoking point or something and that means seasoning it at 500 degrees will make it polymerize and harden, and then cooking at lower temperatures it'll just be that smooth, glossy, non-stick surface you've fantasized about. Seriously, anything factual from this paragraph was plagiarized from the link above, so read there for more details. Any errors up to this point are straight out of my own brain, no extra charge.
Now for the testimonial part. I forgot to take a "before" picture because I don't sleep at night and at the time I decided to finally start the seasoning process this morning, I was also emptying the dishwasher, making fudge, and trying to block out a (well-fed) fussy baby. So, surprise of surprises, I forgot to snap a photo. This actually shouldn't surprise you because Oliver's monthly photo updates tend to come two weeks late. (I got out his teddy bear two days ago because he had turned seven months; the bear has been mercilessly beaten and kicked around the living room by little people but no photo has yet been taken. So much for visual cues. And yes I am posting about a skillet before writing my son's seven month update.)
The skillet, fresh from storage, looked kind of like this, but with the thin layer of rust over the entire bottom of the pan: (photo credit www.macheesmo.com)
I scoured it with steel wool (three and a half months ago) to remove the rust and, sadly, the seasoning, so that it looked more like the pan on the right here (ish). No rust, but also not a smooth black finish AT ALL. Still kind of brown and dry looking: (photo credit www.tommcmahon.com)
At this point, I had added a layer of olive oil, put it in a warm oven, and tried to use it for scrambled eggs but they stuck SO BAD. It was like trying to remove wall paper with water and my fingernails. Not good. Enter the tutorial linked above.
Here's the basic process:
1. Purchase flaxseed oil. Cringe at the price, but tell yourself it will be worth it. It was $11 and change for 8 oz at my grocery store which isn't like caviar or truffles, but more than I'd usually spend on a small bottle of oil.
2. Heat your (clean, unrusted) cast iron in a 200 degree oven briefly, enough to make sure it is dry and to open the pores a bit. (Cast iron has pores? Who knew we had so much in common!) You might have to wait a little bit til you can pick it up and do the next step.
3. Put a roll of paper towels next to you on the counter (trust me). Shake the bottle of flaxseed oil. Pour a little (about a tablespoon and a half was good for me) onto your palm and rub between your hands. Pick up your cast iron pan and rub the good stuff all over it, working into every nook and cranny, inside and out. You will feel very oily and possibly very emotionally close with your cast iron, but this is normal. I think. This is actually not mentioned on in the tutorial but I've never been up to my wrists in oil with my favorite cookware before.
4. The paper towels in close proximity should be making sense about now. Grab one and try to wipe off all the oil you just meticulously and lovingly rubbed into your pan. You want to leave the thinnest layer ever, and you don't want any drips in your oven when you heat it. It's also a nice way to wipe off some of the oil on your hands as you turn it over and wipe all around.
5. Place pan upside down in oven, and turn it on to 500 degrees. You can put a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any drips, if you would like. But if you did it right, you shouldn't have drips. Leave it in there for an hour. It might smell a little smokey. It's either the oil or last night's dinner that cooked over, I'm not sure, but it shouldn't be an issue.
6. After an hour, turn off the oven and leave for a couple hours til it's cool enough to handle again. Pro tip: cast iron hangs onto heat (wait, what?), especially 500 degrees of it. Mine looked like this after just once through this process:
That is my skillet. It is beautiful and shiny and one color all over. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. It was at this point that I decided to obviously take a picture, and then tell the world, or at least the six people who read my blog. I have never, ever seen this kind of transformation with any other kind of oil or other method for seasoning.
The tutorial calls for six total coats, so this will take you 18 hours (not necessarily in a row) to complete if you go whole-hog. I plan to do all six and will let you know how it goes. It's in the oven on round two right now, and I should be able to do another once or twice today/this evening.
*Due to unforeseen circumstances, i.e. wildly fluctuating emotional states in our home, I was not able to publish this right away. As a result, I now have a photo of the skillet with two coats of flaxseed oil. Note the slight sheen; it is still quite warm from the oven. As an experiment, I ran a paper towel over the inside surface to see if it was damp-oily like it appears, but I got no residue on the paper towel AT ALL. It is a hard dry surface as promised, but appears very oily and non-stick. Win!
You are welcome. Just four coats to go and then I will invite you all over for scrambled eggs and yorkshire pudding, my two favorite things to make in this bad boy.
Coming Soon: New Digs!
Hi, me again! So as I doorknob-confessed at the end of my last blog post, we bought a house. Are buying a house. When does it officially become past-tense? Our closing date is in September. (Do you like to lift heavy things and possibly excel at visuo-spatial tasks such as Tetris? I may have a truck for you to help load in a month and a half.)
Do you have any ideas or suggestions for what I can do while staying at my in-laws' house, with fewer than 10% of my belongings, to organize and prepare for moving into our new house at the end of September? I already bought a banana hook and created wall art for the library. The banana hook is for the kitchen, not the library. That might have been unclear. The point is that I'm going stir-crazy and the anticipation is killing me and blah blah blah, it helps me feel better to do things for the house. Other than drive past it a rather creepy number of times throughout the week to monitor progress on the new septic system and, you know, just be with it. Kum ba ya.
Joel should be thankful I am not doing the same with my piano, because that is 45 minutes away. But oh how I look forward to its warmth and beauty greeting me each morning as I descend the stairs in my new home. I might hire a babysitter just to sit in my own home and play, and play, and play, and play. Or install a complicated baby gate at the top of the stairs and confine the kids upstairs with all their toys and a box of Goldfish. I'm pretty sure it would be worth it, even if I later discover my bed completely torn apart and possibly peed in.
Here is just a teensy sneak peek of the new place that isn't perfect, but is perfect for us. It is so cute. That little porch will be home to the glider bench and table that my parents gave us in their recent downsize, and I am just itching to sit out there with a cup of tea watching my first rain storm in our new house. And pull my car into that big, beautiful garage so that I can vacuum it out (maybe there is even a central vac hookup in the garage? Too much to ask?) and stay warm and dry while strapping my brood into their many and various car seats.
This post may have been a huge mistake, because I basically just shot myself in the patootie with regard to patience and contentment and the Lord's timing. Blarg. Hopefully a child will start crying somewhere and break me from this reverie. (At my house, this is neither an unreasonable request nor a long shot in any sense.)
Ok but seriously. I only have side dish and dessert recipes left to organize into my recipe binder (which I have owned for probably two years and am just now sorting out. I must be getting desperate.). After that, it's curtains for my sanity unless I come up with something more to add to my little box of "for the house" stuff. New cutting boards and a banana hook will only sustain me for so long. Ooooh I know, a trip to Lowes for paint colors! Because it makes total sense to select colors for rooms when I haven't even seen my rugs and curtains and furniture in three months. This won't be a crapshoot in the least!
As I go to select tags for this post, it doesn't really fit anywhere but I'm going to label it under "Homemaking" because what is more relevant to the category than actually having a home, right? Suffice it to say, God is so much more generous with us than we deserve. Guaranteed. In no way have I earned the right to find a beautiful home in our price range, in exactly the time frame we were hoping for, to exactly accommodate us and our belongings. It is just the balance between comfortable and modest. I love it. Eight years of marriage, six (about to be seven) places of residence, and three children testify to the Lord's continuous provision. The lines have fallen for us in pleasant places [Psalm 16:6].
Do you have any ideas or suggestions for what I can do while staying at my in-laws' house, with fewer than 10% of my belongings, to organize and prepare for moving into our new house at the end of September? I already bought a banana hook and created wall art for the library. The banana hook is for the kitchen, not the library. That might have been unclear. The point is that I'm going stir-crazy and the anticipation is killing me and blah blah blah, it helps me feel better to do things for the house. Other than drive past it a rather creepy number of times throughout the week to monitor progress on the new septic system and, you know, just be with it. Kum ba ya.
Joel should be thankful I am not doing the same with my piano, because that is 45 minutes away. But oh how I look forward to its warmth and beauty greeting me each morning as I descend the stairs in my new home. I might hire a babysitter just to sit in my own home and play, and play, and play, and play. Or install a complicated baby gate at the top of the stairs and confine the kids upstairs with all their toys and a box of Goldfish. I'm pretty sure it would be worth it, even if I later discover my bed completely torn apart and possibly peed in.
Here is just a teensy sneak peek of the new place that isn't perfect, but is perfect for us. It is so cute. That little porch will be home to the glider bench and table that my parents gave us in their recent downsize, and I am just itching to sit out there with a cup of tea watching my first rain storm in our new house. And pull my car into that big, beautiful garage so that I can vacuum it out (maybe there is even a central vac hookup in the garage? Too much to ask?) and stay warm and dry while strapping my brood into their many and various car seats.
This post may have been a huge mistake, because I basically just shot myself in the patootie with regard to patience and contentment and the Lord's timing. Blarg. Hopefully a child will start crying somewhere and break me from this reverie. (At my house, this is neither an unreasonable request nor a long shot in any sense.)
Ok but seriously. I only have side dish and dessert recipes left to organize into my recipe binder (which I have owned for probably two years and am just now sorting out. I must be getting desperate.). After that, it's curtains for my sanity unless I come up with something more to add to my little box of "for the house" stuff. New cutting boards and a banana hook will only sustain me for so long. Ooooh I know, a trip to Lowes for paint colors! Because it makes total sense to select colors for rooms when I haven't even seen my rugs and curtains and furniture in three months. This won't be a crapshoot in the least!
As I go to select tags for this post, it doesn't really fit anywhere but I'm going to label it under "Homemaking" because what is more relevant to the category than actually having a home, right? Suffice it to say, God is so much more generous with us than we deserve. Guaranteed. In no way have I earned the right to find a beautiful home in our price range, in exactly the time frame we were hoping for, to exactly accommodate us and our belongings. It is just the balance between comfortable and modest. I love it. Eight years of marriage, six (about to be seven) places of residence, and three children testify to the Lord's continuous provision. The lines have fallen for us in pleasant places [Psalm 16:6].
Momma's Back on the Blog!
So it turns out that having three kids under four years old keeps you kind of busy, especially during the first six weeks. Opening up a blog post at this point feels a bit like stepping tentatively into the creepy old house that's been abandoned for ten years. Cobwebs, creaky floors, and wondering if there's anyone still in here.
HELLO?? Hello....hello....
Great. Well, I just won't check out my Google analytics for awhile as you all look at each other wondering what that noise was from this decrepit corner of the internets.
Obviously I'm going to open with a Pinterest-style half-truth. This morning, I had peanut butter banana granola bars in the oven before 9:00 a.m. If I stopped there, you would be terribly impressed that I had gotten the baby back to sleep by 8:30 and was upstairs with coherent thoughts and even a GOAL. The kids stood on chairs to help add and mix ingredients, it was all very HGTV of me. Shoot, I could even count it as homeschool time.
I, however, am not one to do polished up half-truths. In addition to telling you that I added wheat bran, coconut, and chopped walnuts to my super healthy homemade treats, I'd like to also disclose that I sent my three year old to take care of the baby, who started screaming as I was spreading my granola bars into a perfectly even, aesthetically-pleasing layer in a skillfully parchment paper-lined pan. When that didn't work, the two year old took a turn offering the Nuk.
Also, my children at some point lost interest in stirring and began disagreeing loudly over possession of the new talking hamster toy Isaac received yesterday.
And when I returned to the living room after popping the granola bars into the oven, Mikayla was playing with little dogs and making them cower in their house, hiding from the big voice in the sky. I thought she was recreating Horton Hears a Who, which we watched recently, until she proceeded to inform me that I am the big scary voice of the mean monster coming from the sky. She either missed some significant plot points, or this is a sad commentary on my parenting style of late.
All that to say, I'm emerging from the newborn fog and starting to do actual things and have sequential thoughts. I hope to start sharing some of them with you, and record for my own sake some of the fun, exciting things that are going on at our house.
Birth story coming soon - only six weeks after the fact. Every time I sit down to work on it, my eyelids suddenly become so heavy...weird that the thought of labor and delivery makes me tired, eh? Spoiler: we had a really, really cute baby.
And a picture to reward all your patience and helping me dust off the blog:
I love this photo because nobody is crying, nobody is hitting or kicking, and nobody is even squashing the baby's head. We're happy! We love each other! Quick, take a picture! (They really are crazy about each other; even Oliver is starting to enjoy when his siblings get in his face to talk to him and give kisses.)
Totally unrelated, but I just deleted literally 105 photos from my phone courtesy of my youngest shutterbug (thanks, Isaac). There's something amusing about having seven identical screen shots of "iPhone is disabled, try again in 5 minutes". He knows how to take pictures and screen shots (and prevent me from surfing Facebook for a spell) but at least he can't unlock my phone.
And if you're interested, the granola bar recipe:
http://thechicbrulee.com/2012/02/07/the-best-homemade-granola-bars-ever/
HELLO?? Hello....hello....
Great. Well, I just won't check out my Google analytics for awhile as you all look at each other wondering what that noise was from this decrepit corner of the internets.
Obviously I'm going to open with a Pinterest-style half-truth. This morning, I had peanut butter banana granola bars in the oven before 9:00 a.m. If I stopped there, you would be terribly impressed that I had gotten the baby back to sleep by 8:30 and was upstairs with coherent thoughts and even a GOAL. The kids stood on chairs to help add and mix ingredients, it was all very HGTV of me. Shoot, I could even count it as homeschool time.
I, however, am not one to do polished up half-truths. In addition to telling you that I added wheat bran, coconut, and chopped walnuts to my super healthy homemade treats, I'd like to also disclose that I sent my three year old to take care of the baby, who started screaming as I was spreading my granola bars into a perfectly even, aesthetically-pleasing layer in a skillfully parchment paper-lined pan. When that didn't work, the two year old took a turn offering the Nuk.
Also, my children at some point lost interest in stirring and began disagreeing loudly over possession of the new talking hamster toy Isaac received yesterday.
And when I returned to the living room after popping the granola bars into the oven, Mikayla was playing with little dogs and making them cower in their house, hiding from the big voice in the sky. I thought she was recreating Horton Hears a Who, which we watched recently, until she proceeded to inform me that I am the big scary voice of the mean monster coming from the sky. She either missed some significant plot points, or this is a sad commentary on my parenting style of late.
All that to say, I'm emerging from the newborn fog and starting to do actual things and have sequential thoughts. I hope to start sharing some of them with you, and record for my own sake some of the fun, exciting things that are going on at our house.
Birth story coming soon - only six weeks after the fact. Every time I sit down to work on it, my eyelids suddenly become so heavy...weird that the thought of labor and delivery makes me tired, eh? Spoiler: we had a really, really cute baby.
And a picture to reward all your patience and helping me dust off the blog:
I love this photo because nobody is crying, nobody is hitting or kicking, and nobody is even squashing the baby's head. We're happy! We love each other! Quick, take a picture! (They really are crazy about each other; even Oliver is starting to enjoy when his siblings get in his face to talk to him and give kisses.)
Totally unrelated, but I just deleted literally 105 photos from my phone courtesy of my youngest shutterbug (thanks, Isaac). There's something amusing about having seven identical screen shots of "iPhone is disabled, try again in 5 minutes". He knows how to take pictures and screen shots (and prevent me from surfing Facebook for a spell) but at least he can't unlock my phone.
And if you're interested, the granola bar recipe:
http://thechicbrulee.com/2012/02/07/the-best-homemade-granola-bars-ever/
I Might Vacuum Every Day
This post is not illustrated because I want you to be able to sleep tonight, safe in your ignorance of what was previously living in my bedroom carpet.
I bet you are SO. CURIOUS. now about what in the world this is all about. Fear not, your curiosity is about to be sated.
If you are Facebook friends with yours truly, you probably recall a recent focus group/market survey conducted to determine the best under-$200 vacuum cleaner available. The consensus was the Shark Navigator Pro, based on friends and family who either own or covet this machine.
Since we'repoor on a budget, we opted for the non-Pro version which, frankly, based on Amazon descriptions it is rather difficult to know what comes in the box. Based on the reviews, we concluded we'd be able to at least vacuum carpet and bare floor and probably reach the ceiling fans with some manner of extension wand/hose. Ok, fine. Beggars/choosers and all that.
We usually get our Amazon Prime orders in two business days but APPARENTLY large items "might" take longer. And even a "lightweight" Shark qualifies as large which...actually yeah. But understanding doesn't magically breed patience so it has been like a month (ok, five days) of waiting with dirt and toe lint and goldfish crackers continuing to build up in the carpets. Our navy blue bedroom carpet is particularly fond of showcasing EVERYTHING that falls onto it so I could practically count down to delivery by marking the layers as they inched up the baseboard.
I don't know where my daughter gets her propensity for drama and exaggeration.
Anyway, Joel arrived home from work today with a gigantic box and promptly incited all manner of excitement in our children for the new vacuum cleaner. It's amazing how saying anything with enough enthusiasm makes them think candy and unicorns are raining down from heaven. We pulled our basic Navigator out of the box only to find, instead of the lavender Shark Navigator, the white Shark Navigator Pro! And of course only the basic non-Pro attachments. I am still trying to figure out who ordered both and returned just the parts they didn't want. We've got the FrankenSweeper.
But holy moly, does it work like a charm!! Swivel steering, HEPA filtration, and a canister that opens with the push of a button. And it is practically self-propelling AND the canister and handle lift away to vacuum the stairs with a small attachment. I vacuumed the entire. house. including the hardwood dining room. I even "made" Mikayla stay up an extra fifteen minutes late so that I could vacuum the playroom underneath her bedroom. (It was a real sacrifice, I'm telling you. She struggled through one final episode of Daniel Tiger in her purple kitty hat, with naught but her Candyland cards to keep her company. So, basically two-year-old heaven.)
The part I won't show you, because I love you, is how appallingly, shockingly full and disgusting that canister was after every room I vacuumed. The worst was our dark blue bedroom carpet. Double ugh. Apparently our Dirt Devil had been on the slow decline for QUITE awhile, or else we are truly slovenly people who roll in dirt and then grind it into our carpets. Actually that is really quite an apt description of at least two of us.
On the bright side, it scratched an OCD itch that has been hovering just below my conscious because I am feeling so stinkin' "aaaaahhhhhhh" about it all.
Unfortunately, I also quite overdid it and am now suffering from Vacuum Cleaner Wrist. Please excuse me while I apply ice and inspect the parallel-ness of my carpet lines.
I bet you are SO. CURIOUS. now about what in the world this is all about. Fear not, your curiosity is about to be sated.
If you are Facebook friends with yours truly, you probably recall a recent focus group/market survey conducted to determine the best under-$200 vacuum cleaner available. The consensus was the Shark Navigator Pro, based on friends and family who either own or covet this machine.
Since we're
We usually get our Amazon Prime orders in two business days but APPARENTLY large items "might" take longer. And even a "lightweight" Shark qualifies as large which...actually yeah. But understanding doesn't magically breed patience so it has been like a month (ok, five days) of waiting with dirt and toe lint and goldfish crackers continuing to build up in the carpets. Our navy blue bedroom carpet is particularly fond of showcasing EVERYTHING that falls onto it so I could practically count down to delivery by marking the layers as they inched up the baseboard.
I don't know where my daughter gets her propensity for drama and exaggeration.
Anyway, Joel arrived home from work today with a gigantic box and promptly incited all manner of excitement in our children for the new vacuum cleaner. It's amazing how saying anything with enough enthusiasm makes them think candy and unicorns are raining down from heaven. We pulled our basic Navigator out of the box only to find, instead of the lavender Shark Navigator, the white Shark Navigator Pro! And of course only the basic non-Pro attachments. I am still trying to figure out who ordered both and returned just the parts they didn't want. We've got the FrankenSweeper.
But holy moly, does it work like a charm!! Swivel steering, HEPA filtration, and a canister that opens with the push of a button. And it is practically self-propelling AND the canister and handle lift away to vacuum the stairs with a small attachment. I vacuumed the entire. house. including the hardwood dining room. I even "made" Mikayla stay up an extra fifteen minutes late so that I could vacuum the playroom underneath her bedroom. (It was a real sacrifice, I'm telling you. She struggled through one final episode of Daniel Tiger in her purple kitty hat, with naught but her Candyland cards to keep her company. So, basically two-year-old heaven.)
The part I won't show you, because I love you, is how appallingly, shockingly full and disgusting that canister was after every room I vacuumed. The worst was our dark blue bedroom carpet. Double ugh. Apparently our Dirt Devil had been on the slow decline for QUITE awhile, or else we are truly slovenly people who roll in dirt and then grind it into our carpets. Actually that is really quite an apt description of at least two of us.
On the bright side, it scratched an OCD itch that has been hovering just below my conscious because I am feeling so stinkin' "aaaaahhhhhhh" about it all.
Unfortunately, I also quite overdid it and am now suffering from Vacuum Cleaner Wrist. Please excuse me while I apply ice and inspect the parallel-ness of my carpet lines.
Beet Canning, Part Deux
Today, I'm canning beets. I know, that's totally what you expected after Thursday's post detailing our upcoming surprise vacation. Why would I be doing something relevant like packing? No, this summer I'm learning that produce waits for no man. The gardener picks the beets when they're ready, and they will be no good if they are left in either garden or refrigerator for an extra week while we frolic about New Jersey. So, regardless of when that hotel room is booked, a-canning I shall go.
If you had told me ten years, five years...or even two or three years ago...that I'd be canning the produce that my husband harvested from our backyard garden, I would have chuckled and possibly made you feel insulted for saying so. My knowledge of canning comprised opening a few jars of something at some point and wondering what manner of witchcraft was at work in there. I figured I'd avoid the whole mystery altogether, if only to spare my family the risk of botulism, which I've heard is unpleasant.
But to date, I've apprenticed under a good friend as we canned applesauce, peaches, and beets. I've canned 24 quarts of applesauce completely solo, and have done beets twice this summer. I've also blanched and frozen green beans, but I don't take quite as much credit for that since it involves much less chemistry and prayer.
I hope this doesn't sound like boasting...far from it, I am marveling at how the Lord has taught me about the beauty and simplicity of local produce, even experiencing the hard work and blessing of reaping what we sow from our own plot of earth. We've known firsthand the wonder of burying a few tiny dead things, and being caught by surprise when the first tender shoots poke their green heads into the sunlight.
(As accomplished as I feel conquering the mystery of canning, God alone is master of the greater mystery of growing living things from dead ones.)
And I use the term "conquering" somewhat loosely. It's not so much, "I expertly preserve delicious homegrown food," as it is, "Nobody has died yet." Here's today's setup, which as usual involves heating my canner over two burners so that it will actually reach a boil. Also note the fun that awaits me on that left front burner, where my canning liquid bubbled over as I was cutting and packing beets. Beet juice, vinegar, and sugar create a nice caramelized effect as they bond over medium heat. Delicious, and possibly useful as an adhesive or sealant (see also: alkyd paint).
FYI, I cleverly cropped this photo so as to avoid the stacks of dirty bowls and other dishes lining the sink and counter. Because that's what we do when we self-promote on social-media, right? Leave out all the parts that make us actually look human and normal.
Big thanks to Joel, who spent much of his Saturday helping and occupying the kids while I did this. I just started to write more about that, but it kind of wandered off-topic and could be its own post on headship and submission, so...I'll just let you know that I've got a gem of a husband who constantly serves me and makes my job of helpmeet and homemaker so much easier. It could be he just enjoys the fruit of the labor: the small improvements in organization and aesthetics of our home, and yummy or at least non-fatal things to eat from the kitchen. But I feel blessed to have a thankful, supportive husband who values my work. I know that not all of us are so fortunate, and that marriages have different phases and seasons, so I don't take him for granted.
What I am apparently taking for granted is that I'll have time to pack between the Lord's Day, working eleven hours on Monday, and leaving Tuesday morning. I definitely have time to spare for a blog post. I like to procrastinate and thus give the Lord ample opportunity to "be in the details" and make everything fall into place "in His time". (I know this is what Scripture teaches about Providence, right? My theological and hermeneutical acumen is to be envied.)
Hungry kiddos mean blogging time is over. Have a blessed Lord's Day, and I'll catch you after vacation, with lots of photos, I'm sure!
If you had told me ten years, five years...or even two or three years ago...that I'd be canning the produce that my husband harvested from our backyard garden, I would have chuckled and possibly made you feel insulted for saying so. My knowledge of canning comprised opening a few jars of something at some point and wondering what manner of witchcraft was at work in there. I figured I'd avoid the whole mystery altogether, if only to spare my family the risk of botulism, which I've heard is unpleasant.
But to date, I've apprenticed under a good friend as we canned applesauce, peaches, and beets. I've canned 24 quarts of applesauce completely solo, and have done beets twice this summer. I've also blanched and frozen green beans, but I don't take quite as much credit for that since it involves much less chemistry and prayer.
I hope this doesn't sound like boasting...far from it, I am marveling at how the Lord has taught me about the beauty and simplicity of local produce, even experiencing the hard work and blessing of reaping what we sow from our own plot of earth. We've known firsthand the wonder of burying a few tiny dead things, and being caught by surprise when the first tender shoots poke their green heads into the sunlight.
(As accomplished as I feel conquering the mystery of canning, God alone is master of the greater mystery of growing living things from dead ones.)
And I use the term "conquering" somewhat loosely. It's not so much, "I expertly preserve delicious homegrown food," as it is, "Nobody has died yet." Here's today's setup, which as usual involves heating my canner over two burners so that it will actually reach a boil. Also note the fun that awaits me on that left front burner, where my canning liquid bubbled over as I was cutting and packing beets. Beet juice, vinegar, and sugar create a nice caramelized effect as they bond over medium heat. Delicious, and possibly useful as an adhesive or sealant (see also: alkyd paint).
FYI, I cleverly cropped this photo so as to avoid the stacks of dirty bowls and other dishes lining the sink and counter. Because that's what we do when we self-promote on social-media, right? Leave out all the parts that make us actually look human and normal.
Big thanks to Joel, who spent much of his Saturday helping and occupying the kids while I did this. I just started to write more about that, but it kind of wandered off-topic and could be its own post on headship and submission, so...I'll just let you know that I've got a gem of a husband who constantly serves me and makes my job of helpmeet and homemaker so much easier. It could be he just enjoys the fruit of the labor: the small improvements in organization and aesthetics of our home, and yummy or at least non-fatal things to eat from the kitchen. But I feel blessed to have a thankful, supportive husband who values my work. I know that not all of us are so fortunate, and that marriages have different phases and seasons, so I don't take him for granted.
What I am apparently taking for granted is that I'll have time to pack between the Lord's Day, working eleven hours on Monday, and leaving Tuesday morning. I definitely have time to spare for a blog post. I like to procrastinate and thus give the Lord ample opportunity to "be in the details" and make everything fall into place "in His time". (I know this is what Scripture teaches about Providence, right? My theological and hermeneutical acumen is to be envied.)
Hungry kiddos mean blogging time is over. Have a blessed Lord's Day, and I'll catch you after vacation, with lots of photos, I'm sure!
Natural Cleaners Revisit
You know how those makeover TV shows often do a re-visit? I'm thinking Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Nanny 911, Hoarders, etc. (this may or may not be a Who's Who of my recent Netflix queue, but that's irrelevant).
Consider this the day that we go knocking on my door to find out whether the natural cleaners are living up to the reviews they earned in the first week of use. Just like a TV revisit only with more honesty and less feigned shock (Seriously, you already have half the camera crew inside your house to capture the stunned look on your face. That and you are not wearing sweatpants. Does anybody hang out at home, not expecting company, and not wear sweatpants? Am I tipping my hand too much here?)
With no ado whatsoever:
Laundry detergent - 5/5, love this!
Ingredients: borax, washing soda, ivory soap, oxy clean
Comments: Still takes everything out of my laundry with no need for fabric softener. I might add a few drops of essential oil to a few loads to give it a fragrance, i.e. on sheets and colds. I like that I can use the same detergent on diapers and everything else because it is so basic and gentle.
Special thanks to Pam H. for your comment on stain removal tricks! I just spotted it not long ago on the original natural cleaner post. I can't wait for an opportunity to try them; and with the way things go around here, it shan't be long.
Dish soap - 4.5/5
Ingredients: ivory soap grated and melted with boiling water, borax
Comments: It's still hard to tell where the soap is because it doesn't suds like store-bought dish soap, but it cuts through everything, and fast. A little dab of this soaking in a pot will have it clean in no time.
Dishwasher detergent - 1/5
Ingredients: borax, washing soda, citric acid, kosher salt
Comments: This continued to leave the glasses filmy no matter what proportions and rinse aids we tried. It has been pulled from the rotation and replaced with a store-bought powder detergent. Maybe we'll try a different recipe sometime.
All-Purpose Cleaner: 5/5
Ingredients: vinegar, water, tea tree oil
Comments: Continues to clean like a breeze. I add a sprinkle of baking soda beforehand when cleaning sinks or other grimy spots like the bottom of my kids' bath mat. Cuts through soap scum and hard water deposits pretty well, too.
Glass Cleaner: 5/5
Ingredients: grain alcohol (vodka), vinegar, dab of dish soap, water
Comments: Great on mirrors or any place you'd want a streak-free surface cleaner.
Toilet cleaner: 4.5/5
Ingredients: vinegar, tea tree oil
Comments: Still cleans sparkling clean all over the commode; generous sprinkle of baking soda inside first guarantees a gentle scrubbing power that leaves the bowl crystal clean.
So the dishwasher detergent is the only one we've decided not to use anymore. Overall that's a pretty good success rate! I'm amazed at how effectively I can clean using mainly vinegar and baking soda. If one doesn't do the trick, combine them. Even in laundry - a vinegar soak or rinse does wonders on my dish rags.
I just made my first batch of face wash using grapeseed oil, castile soap, and a few essential oils. I'm excited and slightly nervous to try it out. Also in the queue are a face moisturizer and hair gel. I've read good reviews on all of these recipes but as always, the proof is in the pudding. We'll see how they work!
There you have it. Hope you found this at least somewhat interesting. I felt it was my duty as a responsible blogger to get back to you and let you know at least that the dishwasher detergent was a bomb. Because you have all been struggling to sleep at night wondering how that was working out. I just always hate trying something that I've found online and has great reviews, only to end up wondering if I have remedial instruction-following skills because mine is nothing like what is described or pictured. If you tried the dishwashing detergent but became frustrated with the results, you are not alone.
1995 called; it wants its pop culture reference back. Anyone else spot it?
Have a great Friday, everyone! Check back again soon, I am hoping to keep up with much more frequent posting. Of course, saying that is like the kiss of death but I figure if I put it out there, I might feel some modicum of accountability to follow through.
In fact, I already have my next post planned: The kids modeling their new aprons, courtesy of our dear friends the Kornmans, who graciously hosted us when we passed through Virginia Beach last week. You won't want to miss the cuteness!
Consider this the day that we go knocking on my door to find out whether the natural cleaners are living up to the reviews they earned in the first week of use. Just like a TV revisit only with more honesty and less feigned shock (Seriously, you already have half the camera crew inside your house to capture the stunned look on your face. That and you are not wearing sweatpants. Does anybody hang out at home, not expecting company, and not wear sweatpants? Am I tipping my hand too much here?)
With no ado whatsoever:
Laundry detergent - 5/5, love this!
Ingredients: borax, washing soda, ivory soap, oxy clean
Comments: Still takes everything out of my laundry with no need for fabric softener. I might add a few drops of essential oil to a few loads to give it a fragrance, i.e. on sheets and colds. I like that I can use the same detergent on diapers and everything else because it is so basic and gentle.
Special thanks to Pam H. for your comment on stain removal tricks! I just spotted it not long ago on the original natural cleaner post. I can't wait for an opportunity to try them; and with the way things go around here, it shan't be long.
Dish soap - 4.5/5
Ingredients: ivory soap grated and melted with boiling water, borax
Comments: It's still hard to tell where the soap is because it doesn't suds like store-bought dish soap, but it cuts through everything, and fast. A little dab of this soaking in a pot will have it clean in no time.
Dishwasher detergent - 1/5
Ingredients: borax, washing soda, citric acid, kosher salt
Comments: This continued to leave the glasses filmy no matter what proportions and rinse aids we tried. It has been pulled from the rotation and replaced with a store-bought powder detergent. Maybe we'll try a different recipe sometime.
All-Purpose Cleaner: 5/5
Ingredients: vinegar, water, tea tree oil
Comments: Continues to clean like a breeze. I add a sprinkle of baking soda beforehand when cleaning sinks or other grimy spots like the bottom of my kids' bath mat. Cuts through soap scum and hard water deposits pretty well, too.
Glass Cleaner: 5/5
Ingredients: grain alcohol (vodka), vinegar, dab of dish soap, water
Comments: Great on mirrors or any place you'd want a streak-free surface cleaner.
Toilet cleaner: 4.5/5
Ingredients: vinegar, tea tree oil
Comments: Still cleans sparkling clean all over the commode; generous sprinkle of baking soda inside first guarantees a gentle scrubbing power that leaves the bowl crystal clean.
So the dishwasher detergent is the only one we've decided not to use anymore. Overall that's a pretty good success rate! I'm amazed at how effectively I can clean using mainly vinegar and baking soda. If one doesn't do the trick, combine them. Even in laundry - a vinegar soak or rinse does wonders on my dish rags.
I just made my first batch of face wash using grapeseed oil, castile soap, and a few essential oils. I'm excited and slightly nervous to try it out. Also in the queue are a face moisturizer and hair gel. I've read good reviews on all of these recipes but as always, the proof is in the pudding. We'll see how they work!
There you have it. Hope you found this at least somewhat interesting. I felt it was my duty as a responsible blogger to get back to you and let you know at least that the dishwasher detergent was a bomb. Because you have all been struggling to sleep at night wondering how that was working out. I just always hate trying something that I've found online and has great reviews, only to end up wondering if I have remedial instruction-following skills because mine is nothing like what is described or pictured. If you tried the dishwashing detergent but became frustrated with the results, you are not alone.
1995 called; it wants its pop culture reference back. Anyone else spot it?
Have a great Friday, everyone! Check back again soon, I am hoping to keep up with much more frequent posting. Of course, saying that is like the kiss of death but I figure if I put it out there, I might feel some modicum of accountability to follow through.
In fact, I already have my next post planned: The kids modeling their new aprons, courtesy of our dear friends the Kornmans, who graciously hosted us when we passed through Virginia Beach last week. You won't want to miss the cuteness!
Cheap and Easy (Cleaning, That Is)
Not usually the two adjectives most associated with the refined lady, but in this case, they fit. My new cleaning regimen, that is. Or at least the one I am trying out with great optimism tempered with some trepidation because I SO want to be committed to it. Imagine a world without chemicals, without labels whereupon are listed ingredients that are unpronounceable and probably undigestible, yet we lather them around the rooms and places most likely to transmit those chemicals right into our bodies. My children spend most of their time very close to the floor (and, too often, toilets) so it seemed worthwhile to me to explore some natural cleaning options that would be safe for them to splash and lick and spill.
But I confess, I have been skeptical. My heart is saying, "Let's go!", but my mind is saying, "No, no." Oops, late 90's moment. (But stay tuned to read about cleaners that really are like a genie in a bottle! *zing!*) More accurately, my mind is saying, "I'm sorry, but there's no way common ingredients already in my kitchen will sufficiently clean my bathroom to a fresh, disinfected sparkle."
I read those blogs where hardy homemakers spread fantastic claims about their homemade, DIY ways of doing things. I thought, yeah, right. I've tried the baking soda and apple cider vinegar thing in my hair and was underwhelmed (until I came back to it with a few tweaks and have since been liking it much better...go figure). Natural products must be, like, meh. Better living through chemistry, as the saying goes. But I simultaneously have been feeling more and more convicted about the amount of chemicals and, just, waste that goes on in our house. Bleach and ammonia, paper napkins and paper towels galore. We're clean, but at what cost to our health and bank account?
(You're all "Get on with it already! I'm starting to fear scrolling down because I might find a "buy the book for $32.99!" And you're right. This is supposed to be more documentary than sermon. But the rationale might be helpful, no?)
The Strategy:
Make and replace one cleaning product per week. I am impatient, however, and it made sense since I was using so few ingredients to just mix everything up at one time. I did make my laundry detergent at least six months ago, so that's old news (but will still be reviewed here). We implemented the dishwasher detergent and dish soap the day after this big flurry of production. The glass cleaner I waited on because I needed Joel to visit the liquor store (more on that below) so bathroom cleaning was only tested today. So while I haven't kept to the one-per-week schedule very strictly, I also haven't undertaken too much at once. If you think you might try some of this, I will reiterate what I've read on countless other blogs, don't overwhelm yourself. Everyone is in a different place with the amount of time and resources and motivation they have to make these kinds of changes. I just happen to have a bit of the ADHD and OCD which combine to make me a bit of a productivity pinball machine at times. Different strokes, people, different strokes.
In case you're curious, the detergents are more time-consuming because of the food processing involved, while the liquid cleaners you just pour and shake in five minutes. But by "time-consuming", I mean I made all these within a couple of hours max one evening. And I was also taking pictures and getting organized. I should have been more attentive to the time. It won't be much of a time commitment to refill these when the time comes, though. These cleaners are easier to mix up and fewer steps than cake from a box.
A few websites/blogs that contributed to my recipes and motivation:
www.diynatural.com (this is my primary go-to site right now - SO much info and recipes!)
www.wellnessmama.com (stain treatment guide is handy)
www.theecofriendlyfamily.com (my laundry detergent; I use the one with soap for diapers and clothing alike)
The Process:
First, a look at my typical all-American kitchen, laundry, and bathroom cupboards. As Mikayla would say, I am "being brave, I am not afraid" to show you these humble areas of my home. Judge all you like, I bet yours don't look all Pinteresty either.
Master bath: Glass cleaner with ammonia, bathroom cleaner with bleach, soft scrub probably with bleach, toilet bowl cleaner with who knows what crazy acid, powder with bleach sink cleaner.
Laundry: Bleach, fabric softener, standard commercial laundry detergent, OxiClean, and spray stain remover, as well as a couple stain remover pens.
I couldn't tell you what I paid for everything because Joel does the grocery and liquor shopping. The vinegar was $1.99 for the gallon which I know because there's a sticker on it, and I paid around $30 at Wal-Mart (I know, throw tomatoes at me) for everything else except the Vodka and kosher salt, and that also included all my spray bottles. Oh, I forgot to put my Ivory and Fels-Naptha bar soaps in this picture.
My kitchen the night I made my cleaners:
The products and reviews:
Ok, actually THIS is the part you were waiting for. "After" photos and brief reviews of the products!
Rating system:
1 star = Will never use this again
2 stars = Meh; tempted to go back to my commercial cleaner
3 stars = It cleaned better than water, but I'm not convinced of its effectiveness
4 stars = Worked well, may require some tweaking to be fully satisfied
5 stars = Could tell no difference from my commercial cleaner, A+!
This dish soap uses grated bar soap, borax, and boiling water. And a little essential oil, which I have not yet purchased but will add next time around. Essential oil adds some disinfecting power and a little fragrance; I will probably use orange or tea tree in here. And remember the "Cheap and Easy" title above? I ordered my oils from a seller on Amazon. Better prices than our local health food store, and decent reviews, so I figured I'd try them out. This soap does NOT suds up like commercial dish soap, which the recipe warns you about ahead of time, because it doesn't have sudsing agents in there. So it can be hard to tell where exactly the soap is and how much you're using, but let me tell you, this cuts through food on my dishes and pots like a BOSS. Also it comes out of the bottle looking a little gross, not all smooth, but in little clumpy spurts. Shake up the bottle before you use it, and it will look a lot smoother. Structural viscosity and all that (special mention of my late Papa, who taught me about viscosity over a ketchup bottle at Hoss's forever ago).
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars, only because the texture and lack of suds will make other people go, "hmmm"; but functionally it works awesome so far.
This is my laundry cupboard now:
Laundry Detergent: Recipe at The Eco Friendly Family
I made up the large batch in my five gallon bucket, sans soap because I wanted to try it that way first on our cloth diapers, but I found myself questioning the cleaning power on my diapers. I have been grating in the appropriate amount of bar soap when I refill my jars now, and use this on diapers and clothing alike. You only use one tablespoon per load, increasing to two tablespoons for a heavily soiled load (but I only use one generous tablespoon on my diapers and it works stellar). So I have only refilled once, and when I mixed it up with a bar of soap it made two jars' worth. I literally cannot tell a difference in laundering power between this and my commercial detergent. I have been using this six months and am completely satisfied. I no longer use fabric softener. I do have dryer balls in the dryer to help fluff clothes, but only got those a few months ago and was happy with my laundry far before that. There is no fragrance apart from a very mild scent from the bar soap (I used Ivory) so your clothes don't get all mountainy sweet smelling. But frankly, I recently smelled someone else's laundry and was somewhat surprised at how artificially fragrant it was. I don't miss it on my laundry. Totally not judging those of you who will provide me with Spring Breeze sheets to sleep on next time I visit; it's just part of the review process to comment on the fragrance aspect.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Fels-Naptha soap:
Rub directly on stains to pretreat. I'm still trialling this; it worked better than not treating at all, but didn't help my tomato-based stain come out completely. Using the spray bottle, which contains a 1:1 vinegar and water solution, helps more with those greasy or tomato based stains. I would also mention using corn starch to soak up excess oil before laundering, and then pretreating with some dish soap on oil or grease stains. That worked when I dripped straight up olive oil onto my jeans at a staff meeting. Can't take me anywhere.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars on the Fels-Naptha; 4 out of stars on the vinegar spray used in conjunction with the Fels-Naptha and/or dish soap pretreat. This site has a strain treating guide to know what to use on what kind of stain. Too soon to review all of them.
Bathroom cupboard:
Glass cleaner: Recipe at DIY Natural
This glass cleaner is a vinegar and water solution with a high-proof grain alcohol added to eliminate streaks. Also a dab of dish soap to cut through whatever you spray your mirrors with at your house (around here, baby snot and toothpaste). I was most pleasantly surprised by this cleaner. I have no streaks whatsoever on my mirrors. Next time, I would add a bit more dish soap than this called for to add cleaning power. As it was, it just took a little extra wiping. Shake the bottle before using to make sure the ingredients are all represented in your mist. No stabilizers or preservatives added to keep it homogeneous, don't you know. Will your bathroom smell a little like vinegar and alcohol? I didn't smell the alcohol at all because it's so diluted. I smelled vinegar, mostly because I used several products that contained it, but only for a short time. And I'd rather have a brief salad-bar smell than a lingering synthetic-lemon-at-a-chemical-waste-plant smell.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars, even without extra dish soap added. I am in love.
All-Purpose cleaner:
This is just a 1:1 white vinegar and water solution with a little tea tree oil added, except I don't have the TTO yet. The recipe is available at DIY Natural but...it's hardly a recipe, right? I used this on my counters, fixtures, bathtub. It's a little hard to know how well it's working. Vinegar is a natural mild disinfectant and it did cut through a decent amount of soap scum and whatnot immediately as I wiped it. On stubborn spots, I used my sprinkler of baking soda too for a little scouring power and that wonderful fizzing action. And I didn't even have to worry about my children splashing and "helping momma" and climbing into the tub while I cleaned.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars on the vinegar cleaner; 5 out of 5 using in combination with baking soda. This took everything off my shower, counters, and the plastic mat my kids use to keep their hineys from sliding around in the tub. It had a little mildew growing around the suction cups - GONE.
Toilet cleaner: Recipe on DIY Natural
DIY Natural has a few different options depending on your cleaning needs. I used the Tea Tree Toilet Bowl Scrub, which is funny because as I mentioned, I don't have the TTO yet. So I basically just used a more concentrated version of the baking soda and vinegar treatment described above. I will re-clean my toilets when my TTO arrives but I was itching to test this out, even if it was shy a few degrees of disinfecting power. Full disclosure: I was really looking forward to the science-project volcano that was going to happen in my toilet. The children were gathered around to watch. It wasn't nearly what I had hoped it would be, so don't worry about your toilet fizzing over. Next time I am going to be a lot more generous with my baking soda sprinkle. But this did an impressive job of immediately cleaning the toilet bowl and rim. I noticed no difference from my commercial cleaner in terms of speed and thoroughness of cleaning, and effectiveness as I scrubbed with the brush. The only difference was that I didn't have a coronary when I later discovered Isaac and Mikayla scooping water from the toilet onto the floor, and filling the bowl with bits of toilet paper to flush. No bleach! No germ-eating acid! The vinegar spray did a nice job de-gunking the outside of the commode too.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars, because it would be silly to rate it a 5 when the recipe is incomplete and I know it didn't disinfect the way it should. But I was impressed with just the aesthetic cleaning ability of this combo.
I think that concludes my reviews. I believe I linked to all of the recipes, which also provide more background info on the products and how/why they work. I did my best to be honest in my reviews, which can be a challenge when you are on a kick to MAKE something work. Admittedly, I would accept 4 and 4.5 star performance, maybe even down to a 3.5, simply because I know these cleaners are pure and not going to poison my children when they inevitably "help" me clean and either inhale the vapors or lick and drink everything in sight. My son has an astounding ability to be up to his armpits in something before I even realize he's left my side. And he knows how to open the "child proof" bathroom cabinets. Frankly they are more difficult to close than to open. What I'm saying is, if you try these and would rate them differently, don't blame me. But I would say all of these cleaners are worth a try because of the simplicity, frugality, and purity they will bring to your home. I will stick with it and let you know if my opinion changes!
If you've read this far, please help yourself to a cookie and a sticker because that took some stamina. Please comment below with any thoughts or questions because I'd love to interact with you as I continue to explore and refine our use of natural cleaners. Have a cleaner you love? Skeptical about one of my reviews? I would really appreciate hearing from you.
Still to come: natural beauty products. I'm testing these waters too. Interested in a review post on hair care, facial cleanser, and natural deodorant?
In closing, a thought just came to me. These are cleaning materials that have been probably used for eons by people who had no concept of modern "conveniences". How wise and generous is our God to provide naturally-occurring compounds and oils that have these cleansing, antibacterial properties? He has blessed us with ways to clean ourselves and our environment in order to care for our health and well-being. This just stirs an attitude of thankfulness in me, as well as awe. I feel closer to the Lord when I use simple materials He has given to take care of my home and family (not to imply that you are any further from Him when you Lysol the playroom). And I recognize the limitations to being "all-natural" and don't jump at things just because they boast this claim...poison ivy is natural, no? But a wise and careful approach is likely to yield great benefit, in my view. Again, thanks for reading; I've been excited to share these endeavors with you and perhaps learn from you in return.
Soli deo gloria!!
But I confess, I have been skeptical. My heart is saying, "Let's go!", but my mind is saying, "No, no." Oops, late 90's moment. (But stay tuned to read about cleaners that really are like a genie in a bottle! *zing!*) More accurately, my mind is saying, "I'm sorry, but there's no way common ingredients already in my kitchen will sufficiently clean my bathroom to a fresh, disinfected sparkle."
I read those blogs where hardy homemakers spread fantastic claims about their homemade, DIY ways of doing things. I thought, yeah, right. I've tried the baking soda and apple cider vinegar thing in my hair and was underwhelmed (until I came back to it with a few tweaks and have since been liking it much better...go figure). Natural products must be, like, meh. Better living through chemistry, as the saying goes. But I simultaneously have been feeling more and more convicted about the amount of chemicals and, just, waste that goes on in our house. Bleach and ammonia, paper napkins and paper towels galore. We're clean, but at what cost to our health and bank account?
(You're all "Get on with it already! I'm starting to fear scrolling down because I might find a "buy the book for $32.99!" And you're right. This is supposed to be more documentary than sermon. But the rationale might be helpful, no?)
The Strategy:
Make and replace one cleaning product per week. I am impatient, however, and it made sense since I was using so few ingredients to just mix everything up at one time. I did make my laundry detergent at least six months ago, so that's old news (but will still be reviewed here). We implemented the dishwasher detergent and dish soap the day after this big flurry of production. The glass cleaner I waited on because I needed Joel to visit the liquor store (more on that below) so bathroom cleaning was only tested today. So while I haven't kept to the one-per-week schedule very strictly, I also haven't undertaken too much at once. If you think you might try some of this, I will reiterate what I've read on countless other blogs, don't overwhelm yourself. Everyone is in a different place with the amount of time and resources and motivation they have to make these kinds of changes. I just happen to have a bit of the ADHD and OCD which combine to make me a bit of a productivity pinball machine at times. Different strokes, people, different strokes.
In case you're curious, the detergents are more time-consuming because of the food processing involved, while the liquid cleaners you just pour and shake in five minutes. But by "time-consuming", I mean I made all these within a couple of hours max one evening. And I was also taking pictures and getting organized. I should have been more attentive to the time. It won't be much of a time commitment to refill these when the time comes, though. These cleaners are easier to mix up and fewer steps than cake from a box.
A few websites/blogs that contributed to my recipes and motivation:
www.diynatural.com (this is my primary go-to site right now - SO much info and recipes!)
www.wellnessmama.com (stain treatment guide is handy)
www.theecofriendlyfamily.com (my laundry detergent; I use the one with soap for diapers and clothing alike)
The Process:
First, a look at my typical all-American kitchen, laundry, and bathroom cupboards. As Mikayla would say, I am "being brave, I am not afraid" to show you these humble areas of my home. Judge all you like, I bet yours don't look all Pinteresty either.
Kitchen: The usual ammonia floor cleaner, powder with bleach sink cleaner, dishwasher detergent, disinfecting wipes, some stove top cleaners and Murphy's oil soap.
And now, all of my cleaners relegated to Cleaning Product Purgatory in the blue bathroom closet, because I am chicken and not going to throw these in the outside trash until I'm certain I am satisfied with the new arsenal:
You can see my giant 5-gallon bucket of laundry detergent down there. I keep a couple glass jars full in my laundry cupboard for regular use and refill from here. Just thought I'd point that out while we're in here!
And here's what you've all been waiting for, the ingredient list:
My kitchen the night I made my cleaners:
I won't even try to caption this photo in any detail. Note the ingredients strewn about and my food processor at the far left, which is what I used to grate bar soap and mix the powder detergents (like a CHARM). It wasn't as chaotic as it looks.
The products and reviews:
Ok, actually THIS is the part you were waiting for. "After" photos and brief reviews of the products!
Rating system:
1 star = Will never use this again
2 stars = Meh; tempted to go back to my commercial cleaner
3 stars = It cleaned better than water, but I'm not convinced of its effectiveness
4 stars = Worked well, may require some tweaking to be fully satisfied
5 stars = Could tell no difference from my commercial cleaner, A+!
The products I'll note and review here are the dishwasher detergent, far right in the mason jar, and dish soap, middle left in an old dish soap bottle. The general cleaners in spray bottles are reviewed further down in the bathroom.
Dishwasher detergent: Recipe at DIY Natural
This detergent uses borax, washing soda, citric acid, and kosher salt. Click through to the recipe at DIY Natural for explanation of the recipe and what each ingredient does. Note that you should only use one tablespoon per load to start, and vary it from there depending on your results. I dumped it in there like I was using regular powder detergent the first time, and had a horrible film on my top-rack dishes. The next time I added white vinegar to the rinse aid compartment and still had the residue. Then I actually re-read the instructions and scaled way back on my detergent usage. This last time, Joel ran the dishwasher and everything looks awesome. Not sure if he used the vinegar, but he did verify the detergent amount with me so I know he used that. And to be clear, the dishes got clean of food even when they had the film remaining on them; there was just obviously way too much detergent in there to be thoroughly rinsed.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars; may increase to 5 star rating if results replicate.
Dish soap: Recipe at DIY Natural
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars, only because the texture and lack of suds will make other people go, "hmmm"; but functionally it works awesome so far.
This is my laundry cupboard now:
Laundry Detergent: Recipe at The Eco Friendly Family
I made up the large batch in my five gallon bucket, sans soap because I wanted to try it that way first on our cloth diapers, but I found myself questioning the cleaning power on my diapers. I have been grating in the appropriate amount of bar soap when I refill my jars now, and use this on diapers and clothing alike. You only use one tablespoon per load, increasing to two tablespoons for a heavily soiled load (but I only use one generous tablespoon on my diapers and it works stellar). So I have only refilled once, and when I mixed it up with a bar of soap it made two jars' worth. I literally cannot tell a difference in laundering power between this and my commercial detergent. I have been using this six months and am completely satisfied. I no longer use fabric softener. I do have dryer balls in the dryer to help fluff clothes, but only got those a few months ago and was happy with my laundry far before that. There is no fragrance apart from a very mild scent from the bar soap (I used Ivory) so your clothes don't get all mountainy sweet smelling. But frankly, I recently smelled someone else's laundry and was somewhat surprised at how artificially fragrant it was. I don't miss it on my laundry. Totally not judging those of you who will provide me with Spring Breeze sheets to sleep on next time I visit; it's just part of the review process to comment on the fragrance aspect.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Fels-Naptha soap:
Rub directly on stains to pretreat. I'm still trialling this; it worked better than not treating at all, but didn't help my tomato-based stain come out completely. Using the spray bottle, which contains a 1:1 vinegar and water solution, helps more with those greasy or tomato based stains. I would also mention using corn starch to soak up excess oil before laundering, and then pretreating with some dish soap on oil or grease stains. That worked when I dripped straight up olive oil onto my jeans at a staff meeting. Can't take me anywhere.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars on the Fels-Naptha; 4 out of stars on the vinegar spray used in conjunction with the Fels-Naptha and/or dish soap pretreat. This site has a strain treating guide to know what to use on what kind of stain. Too soon to review all of them.
Bathroom cupboard:
Glass cleaner: Recipe at DIY Natural
This glass cleaner is a vinegar and water solution with a high-proof grain alcohol added to eliminate streaks. Also a dab of dish soap to cut through whatever you spray your mirrors with at your house (around here, baby snot and toothpaste). I was most pleasantly surprised by this cleaner. I have no streaks whatsoever on my mirrors. Next time, I would add a bit more dish soap than this called for to add cleaning power. As it was, it just took a little extra wiping. Shake the bottle before using to make sure the ingredients are all represented in your mist. No stabilizers or preservatives added to keep it homogeneous, don't you know. Will your bathroom smell a little like vinegar and alcohol? I didn't smell the alcohol at all because it's so diluted. I smelled vinegar, mostly because I used several products that contained it, but only for a short time. And I'd rather have a brief salad-bar smell than a lingering synthetic-lemon-at-a-chemical-waste-plant smell.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars, even without extra dish soap added. I am in love.
All-Purpose cleaner:
This is just a 1:1 white vinegar and water solution with a little tea tree oil added, except I don't have the TTO yet. The recipe is available at DIY Natural but...it's hardly a recipe, right? I used this on my counters, fixtures, bathtub. It's a little hard to know how well it's working. Vinegar is a natural mild disinfectant and it did cut through a decent amount of soap scum and whatnot immediately as I wiped it. On stubborn spots, I used my sprinkler of baking soda too for a little scouring power and that wonderful fizzing action. And I didn't even have to worry about my children splashing and "helping momma" and climbing into the tub while I cleaned.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars on the vinegar cleaner; 5 out of 5 using in combination with baking soda. This took everything off my shower, counters, and the plastic mat my kids use to keep their hineys from sliding around in the tub. It had a little mildew growing around the suction cups - GONE.
Toilet cleaner: Recipe on DIY Natural
DIY Natural has a few different options depending on your cleaning needs. I used the Tea Tree Toilet Bowl Scrub, which is funny because as I mentioned, I don't have the TTO yet. So I basically just used a more concentrated version of the baking soda and vinegar treatment described above. I will re-clean my toilets when my TTO arrives but I was itching to test this out, even if it was shy a few degrees of disinfecting power. Full disclosure: I was really looking forward to the science-project volcano that was going to happen in my toilet. The children were gathered around to watch. It wasn't nearly what I had hoped it would be, so don't worry about your toilet fizzing over. Next time I am going to be a lot more generous with my baking soda sprinkle. But this did an impressive job of immediately cleaning the toilet bowl and rim. I noticed no difference from my commercial cleaner in terms of speed and thoroughness of cleaning, and effectiveness as I scrubbed with the brush. The only difference was that I didn't have a coronary when I later discovered Isaac and Mikayla scooping water from the toilet onto the floor, and filling the bowl with bits of toilet paper to flush. No bleach! No germ-eating acid! The vinegar spray did a nice job de-gunking the outside of the commode too.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars, because it would be silly to rate it a 5 when the recipe is incomplete and I know it didn't disinfect the way it should. But I was impressed with just the aesthetic cleaning ability of this combo.
I think that concludes my reviews. I believe I linked to all of the recipes, which also provide more background info on the products and how/why they work. I did my best to be honest in my reviews, which can be a challenge when you are on a kick to MAKE something work. Admittedly, I would accept 4 and 4.5 star performance, maybe even down to a 3.5, simply because I know these cleaners are pure and not going to poison my children when they inevitably "help" me clean and either inhale the vapors or lick and drink everything in sight. My son has an astounding ability to be up to his armpits in something before I even realize he's left my side. And he knows how to open the "child proof" bathroom cabinets. Frankly they are more difficult to close than to open. What I'm saying is, if you try these and would rate them differently, don't blame me. But I would say all of these cleaners are worth a try because of the simplicity, frugality, and purity they will bring to your home. I will stick with it and let you know if my opinion changes!
If you've read this far, please help yourself to a cookie and a sticker because that took some stamina. Please comment below with any thoughts or questions because I'd love to interact with you as I continue to explore and refine our use of natural cleaners. Have a cleaner you love? Skeptical about one of my reviews? I would really appreciate hearing from you.
Still to come: natural beauty products. I'm testing these waters too. Interested in a review post on hair care, facial cleanser, and natural deodorant?
In closing, a thought just came to me. These are cleaning materials that have been probably used for eons by people who had no concept of modern "conveniences". How wise and generous is our God to provide naturally-occurring compounds and oils that have these cleansing, antibacterial properties? He has blessed us with ways to clean ourselves and our environment in order to care for our health and well-being. This just stirs an attitude of thankfulness in me, as well as awe. I feel closer to the Lord when I use simple materials He has given to take care of my home and family (not to imply that you are any further from Him when you Lysol the playroom). And I recognize the limitations to being "all-natural" and don't jump at things just because they boast this claim...poison ivy is natural, no? But a wise and careful approach is likely to yield great benefit, in my view. Again, thanks for reading; I've been excited to share these endeavors with you and perhaps learn from you in return.
Soli deo gloria!!
And Then I Dreamed About Apples
Last year, my domestic mentor and one of my best friends invited me to make and can applesauce at her house. It was such an intimidating process and took all day, with the two of us manually slicing each apple with a corer/slicer and juggling childcare duties. Mikayla would have been eight or nine months old, and I honestly have no idea what she did the whole time (but I guarantee she wasn't sleeping. The memories I have of listening to Mikayla cry and wail upstairs in the pack n play at Laurie's house...).
This year, Laurie and I are each heavier one baby boy, and it didn't seem feasible for us to sauce together again. But as I watched my apple sauce supply dwindle (as it did quickly the day the shelf fell), I began to wonder what I would feed my children, or use to bribe my little boy to eat his chicken. There seemed no other option but to undertake a saucing and canning day of my own.
My dear sister in law Becca summed it up well when she commented recently, "When you take on a project, you go all out!" Yes, yes I do. A la my first knitting project, a blanket that I enlarged from the pattern because if I was going to knit a blanket, it was going to be the biggest, most coziest blanket ever. Five panels of the blanket are sitting knitted in my attic, waiting for me to finish the border. It has been at least three years. (Optimistically, I am thinking that since I am not pregnant this winter, I might finally get to finishing it!)
In true form, then, when I decided to sauce, I knew it would be enough applesauce for the year. A bushel of apples, I said, and then impulsively sprang for an extra half-bushel at the farm stand. I didn't count them until later, as I processed them in batches of 24. If I had, I might not have loaded them all into my trunk quite as eagerly.
I bought a canner and some extra jars. With the new jars and another package of lids, I was set up for 24 jars total to can, plus extra jars and plastic lids if I had more sauce to contain. The jars went through the dishwasher the night before, and I googled the Ball canning website for tips on making and canning applesauce. I was so ready.
The festivities began at 8:30 a.m. on the dot. The kids and I had breakfasted and I had set up a few stations around the kitchen and dining room. Knowing this would be just me and the apples, I prepared myself for a relatively inefficient day. With Laurie, we processed all the apples and got them into several big pots to cook. We sauced a gigantic bowl, and then canned more then 30 quarts in shifts, keeping the canner hot the whole time. On my own, however, and without the gigantic bowls and pots we had used together, I had to move about 36 apples through the whole process at a time to make room for prepping, saucing, and canning the next batch. Why 36? Initially, because that's about how many would fit into my sink to wash at one time. Scientific, I know.
So at 8:30, I loaded my first apple onto my Pampered Chef corer/peeler/slicer. Or tried to. One unanswered phone call to my mother and a YouTube search later, I learned how to work the darn thing. Wouldn't you know, it is actually pretty slick! Turns out one of my apple varieties was just a little too soft to work properly on the corer, so I had to slice many of those by hand. But overall, that little gadget made my day move twice as fast. A gigantic thank-you to my sweet mom, who thoughtfully gave it to me about a year ago. I have been waiting all year to put it to good use, and it did not disappoint! A thank-you as well to my dad for sharing his expertise in maximizing stability and efficiency (he is the designated corer/slicer when my mom sauces).
See what a pretty ribbon of peel it gives you? I wish there were some crafty purpose for long ribbons of red and gold apple peel, but I doubt it would stand up to the rigors of hot glue.
Next, the apples went into my stock pot. My 36 apples didn't quite fit into my pot, so I texted my next-door neighbor Laura to see if she had one I could borrow. She is such a gem - she messaged me back to say she was washing hers out and would bring it over in a few minutes! What a blessing, without which I would surely still be saucing today. I used one of the more helpful aspects of my OCD to ensure that each pot of apples had the same blend of apple varieties to give me maximum consistency in my final product. (A dozen of each type in the big pot, half dozen of each in the smaller pot. All of it into the big pot for saucing once they had cooked down. Bam.)
Turns out I don't have a photo of my saucing station, probably because there lots of splattering and very little waiting going on, so no opportunity to grab my phone to snap a shot. I used the Cuisinart stick blender (should they pay me for the advertising plug?) that Joel's mom gave me to sauce the whole big pot at once. It gave me such a lovely, smooth sauce, even with the little bits of peel that made it in with my apples. So much easier than putting all my apples through a saucer or blender!
Next came the jar prep. Out of the dishwasher, swirled with hot water to warm them up, and filled with apple sauce. A hot canning lid out of a saucepan for each jar, secured with a canning ring and into the canner rack. I quickly discovered the challenge of getting that huge canning pot to reach, and maintain, a rolling boil on my cooktop stove. Just when it sounded like it was getting there, the burner would turn back off the way electric burners do. Argh! I finally moved the pot so that it was on both the front and back burners. It wasted some heat because neither burner was fully covered, but at least one of them was on all the time as they flipped off and on. It still took a sweet forever, but I got that thing to boil!
The final product. The lids all sealed within about three minutes of coming out of the canner, every time. I felt like such a rock star hearing all those little pops. Channeling my inner Mennonite diva, that's me. Per my count, I processed about 180 apples and ended up with 24 quarts of applesauce on the nose. And the last jars came out of the canner at 8:30 p.m. almost on the dot - an even twelve hours, including a two-hour break to rally the troops for dinner. I don't remember the last time I felt so exhausted! I helped myself to a cold malt beverage and handful of Ibuprofen, because my lower back swapped out for a hundred red-hot pokers after being on my feet for the first six hours. Channeling my inner 70-year-old Mennonite diva, apparently.
Highlights of the day include Isaac motoring around the entire first floor on his belly while I worked, more ground than he's ever covered before, and Mikayla's initial response to fresh homemade applesauce. At one point, Isaac located the garbage can lid on the dining room floor. It is one of those swinging lids, and he delighted himself for a solid eight minutes flapping it mercilessly against the wall. I came out to see what the ruckus was, and didn't he just beam up at me with that toothless grin, and those eyelashes! Look mom, I've got a skill!
And for lunch, I offered Mikayla what I thought surely would be a huge treat: applesauce, which she had "helped" to make (hey, she rolled a few apples around on the floor), fresh from the pot! I kid you not, she took one look at the bowl and said, "No! Away!" I even offered to put it into a *pink* bowl, to which she agreed at first, but then continued to turn up her nose. Granted, she is accustomed to taking her applesauce cold rather than piping lukewarm, but seriously?! Can you picture the look on my face and the chagrin in my heart as my daughter refused the applesauce of which I was about to process 24 quarts? Oh good, Mikayla can snub my hard work every day for the next year!
She did eventually have some for dinner, but only because it came from the general direction of the refrigerator. That girl certainly knows her own mind!
In the end, the applesaucing was kind of like childbirth for me. Tons of work with more payoff than pain, and I'm glad it only comes round once a year!
**This project made possible by the expert tutelage of one Laurie T., the generous pot-lending of Laura H., the thoughtful gift-giving of two wonderful mothers, and the unfailing distraction of the Wonder Pets. Truly a collaborative effort. Soli deo gloria!
This year, Laurie and I are each heavier one baby boy, and it didn't seem feasible for us to sauce together again. But as I watched my apple sauce supply dwindle (as it did quickly the day the shelf fell), I began to wonder what I would feed my children, or use to bribe my little boy to eat his chicken. There seemed no other option but to undertake a saucing and canning day of my own.
My dear sister in law Becca summed it up well when she commented recently, "When you take on a project, you go all out!" Yes, yes I do. A la my first knitting project, a blanket that I enlarged from the pattern because if I was going to knit a blanket, it was going to be the biggest, most coziest blanket ever. Five panels of the blanket are sitting knitted in my attic, waiting for me to finish the border. It has been at least three years. (Optimistically, I am thinking that since I am not pregnant this winter, I might finally get to finishing it!)
In true form, then, when I decided to sauce, I knew it would be enough applesauce for the year. A bushel of apples, I said, and then impulsively sprang for an extra half-bushel at the farm stand. I didn't count them until later, as I processed them in batches of 24. If I had, I might not have loaded them all into my trunk quite as eagerly.
I bought a canner and some extra jars. With the new jars and another package of lids, I was set up for 24 jars total to can, plus extra jars and plastic lids if I had more sauce to contain. The jars went through the dishwasher the night before, and I googled the Ball canning website for tips on making and canning applesauce. I was so ready.
The festivities began at 8:30 a.m. on the dot. The kids and I had breakfasted and I had set up a few stations around the kitchen and dining room. Knowing this would be just me and the apples, I prepared myself for a relatively inefficient day. With Laurie, we processed all the apples and got them into several big pots to cook. We sauced a gigantic bowl, and then canned more then 30 quarts in shifts, keeping the canner hot the whole time. On my own, however, and without the gigantic bowls and pots we had used together, I had to move about 36 apples through the whole process at a time to make room for prepping, saucing, and canning the next batch. Why 36? Initially, because that's about how many would fit into my sink to wash at one time. Scientific, I know.
So at 8:30, I loaded my first apple onto my Pampered Chef corer/peeler/slicer. Or tried to. One unanswered phone call to my mother and a YouTube search later, I learned how to work the darn thing. Wouldn't you know, it is actually pretty slick! Turns out one of my apple varieties was just a little too soft to work properly on the corer, so I had to slice many of those by hand. But overall, that little gadget made my day move twice as fast. A gigantic thank-you to my sweet mom, who thoughtfully gave it to me about a year ago. I have been waiting all year to put it to good use, and it did not disappoint! A thank-you as well to my dad for sharing his expertise in maximizing stability and efficiency (he is the designated corer/slicer when my mom sauces).
See what a pretty ribbon of peel it gives you? I wish there were some crafty purpose for long ribbons of red and gold apple peel, but I doubt it would stand up to the rigors of hot glue.
Next, the apples went into my stock pot. My 36 apples didn't quite fit into my pot, so I texted my next-door neighbor Laura to see if she had one I could borrow. She is such a gem - she messaged me back to say she was washing hers out and would bring it over in a few minutes! What a blessing, without which I would surely still be saucing today. I used one of the more helpful aspects of my OCD to ensure that each pot of apples had the same blend of apple varieties to give me maximum consistency in my final product. (A dozen of each type in the big pot, half dozen of each in the smaller pot. All of it into the big pot for saucing once they had cooked down. Bam.)
Turns out I don't have a photo of my saucing station, probably because there lots of splattering and very little waiting going on, so no opportunity to grab my phone to snap a shot. I used the Cuisinart stick blender (should they pay me for the advertising plug?) that Joel's mom gave me to sauce the whole big pot at once. It gave me such a lovely, smooth sauce, even with the little bits of peel that made it in with my apples. So much easier than putting all my apples through a saucer or blender!
Next came the jar prep. Out of the dishwasher, swirled with hot water to warm them up, and filled with apple sauce. A hot canning lid out of a saucepan for each jar, secured with a canning ring and into the canner rack. I quickly discovered the challenge of getting that huge canning pot to reach, and maintain, a rolling boil on my cooktop stove. Just when it sounded like it was getting there, the burner would turn back off the way electric burners do. Argh! I finally moved the pot so that it was on both the front and back burners. It wasted some heat because neither burner was fully covered, but at least one of them was on all the time as they flipped off and on. It still took a sweet forever, but I got that thing to boil!
The final product. The lids all sealed within about three minutes of coming out of the canner, every time. I felt like such a rock star hearing all those little pops. Channeling my inner Mennonite diva, that's me. Per my count, I processed about 180 apples and ended up with 24 quarts of applesauce on the nose. And the last jars came out of the canner at 8:30 p.m. almost on the dot - an even twelve hours, including a two-hour break to rally the troops for dinner. I don't remember the last time I felt so exhausted! I helped myself to a cold malt beverage and handful of Ibuprofen, because my lower back swapped out for a hundred red-hot pokers after being on my feet for the first six hours. Channeling my inner 70-year-old Mennonite diva, apparently.
Highlights of the day include Isaac motoring around the entire first floor on his belly while I worked, more ground than he's ever covered before, and Mikayla's initial response to fresh homemade applesauce. At one point, Isaac located the garbage can lid on the dining room floor. It is one of those swinging lids, and he delighted himself for a solid eight minutes flapping it mercilessly against the wall. I came out to see what the ruckus was, and didn't he just beam up at me with that toothless grin, and those eyelashes! Look mom, I've got a skill!
And for lunch, I offered Mikayla what I thought surely would be a huge treat: applesauce, which she had "helped" to make (hey, she rolled a few apples around on the floor), fresh from the pot! I kid you not, she took one look at the bowl and said, "No! Away!" I even offered to put it into a *pink* bowl, to which she agreed at first, but then continued to turn up her nose. Granted, she is accustomed to taking her applesauce cold rather than piping lukewarm, but seriously?! Can you picture the look on my face and the chagrin in my heart as my daughter refused the applesauce of which I was about to process 24 quarts? Oh good, Mikayla can snub my hard work every day for the next year!
She did eventually have some for dinner, but only because it came from the general direction of the refrigerator. That girl certainly knows her own mind!
In the end, the applesaucing was kind of like childbirth for me. Tons of work with more payoff than pain, and I'm glad it only comes round once a year!
**This project made possible by the expert tutelage of one Laurie T., the generous pot-lending of Laura H., the thoughtful gift-giving of two wonderful mothers, and the unfailing distraction of the Wonder Pets. Truly a collaborative effort. Soli deo gloria!
Magic Erasers: Yes, They Are
Mr.
Clean Magic Erasers are a fine example of marketing at its shining
best. Gleaming, in fact. Not at all dissimilar to the walls I spent two
hours scrubbing today with this product. My spirit is soaring, my heart
is rejoicing, at the transformation!
Never mind the fact that I won't be able to move tomorrow morning after the gymnastics involved in scrubbing the walls and baseboards up and down our stairs. It was totally worth skipping lunch and a shower in order to suck the marrow out of naptime for this project. The C and D in OCD stand for Carpe Diem, right?
So you want to see before and after photos, I just know it. To those who share in the OCD: brace yourselves, this will not help your condition. In fact, the following photos may induce compulsive purchase of cleaning products including, but not limited to, bulk packages of Magic Erasers. The following took four Extra Power Magic Erasers, and I will need the other two of my first half-dozen to finish the upstairs hallway. The lighting isn't great; you can see the worst marks, but not the smudges that were over most of the lower walls.
Top of the stairs at the landing:
Bottom of stairs going up from the landing:
Corner hallway going to our room:
Outside our bedroom door:
Pro tip: If these don't impress you, then you might need to clean your computer screen. Watch for marks that don't move as you scroll up and down; those are filth on your screen, not on my walls. Not that I learned the hard way while uploading these.
Next project: All the other walls, door and window frames, doors, and baseboards in the house. I'm guessing the previous residents had a child about two and a half feet tall and perhaps a pet or two. Which I am not judging at all, because I can see this being a regular part of spring (or fall, really) cleaning when Mikayla and Isaac are big enough to play outside all summer!
Never mind the fact that I won't be able to move tomorrow morning after the gymnastics involved in scrubbing the walls and baseboards up and down our stairs. It was totally worth skipping lunch and a shower in order to suck the marrow out of naptime for this project. The C and D in OCD stand for Carpe Diem, right?
So you want to see before and after photos, I just know it. To those who share in the OCD: brace yourselves, this will not help your condition. In fact, the following photos may induce compulsive purchase of cleaning products including, but not limited to, bulk packages of Magic Erasers. The following took four Extra Power Magic Erasers, and I will need the other two of my first half-dozen to finish the upstairs hallway. The lighting isn't great; you can see the worst marks, but not the smudges that were over most of the lower walls.
Top of the stairs at the landing:
Bottom of stairs going up from the landing:
Corner hallway going to our room:
Outside our bedroom door:
Pro tip: If these don't impress you, then you might need to clean your computer screen. Watch for marks that don't move as you scroll up and down; those are filth on your screen, not on my walls. Not that I learned the hard way while uploading these.
Next project: All the other walls, door and window frames, doors, and baseboards in the house. I'm guessing the previous residents had a child about two and a half feet tall and perhaps a pet or two. Which I am not judging at all, because I can see this being a regular part of spring (or fall, really) cleaning when Mikayla and Isaac are big enough to play outside all summer!
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