Thrifty and I Know It

So, I've been pretty motivated recently as far as making things from scratch goes. I'm working hard on making a braided rug for our sun-room. Who really wants to go out and spend a whole bunch of money on a floor covering when you can just make one? The process is really simple as well, especially for someone like me who has very little sewing skill (and I mean very little...)

When uncoiled, its about four of my hands wide. I'm pretty excited about it. Since I've started doing this, I've been thinking -- what else can I make myself? The DIY-er in me is beginning to come out.

I've been pretty thrifty in the kitchen...I make all of our food from scratch. This summer I grew most of it. I even make my own chocolate chips to go in our cookies (and they taste so much better too.)

Of course, I took to Google to see what other kinds of things I could add to my project list...and lo, and behold...I found something on making your own mattress!

Essentially, its make of straw. I know, right? A straw mattress! You take about a bale of hay and stuff it inside of a mattress cover (or make your own). And there you have it...and comfy mattress. For about 30 dollars.

Here's the link to the website: http://small-scale.net/yearofmud/2009/09/11/how-to-make-your-own-35-straw-mattress/

There really is so much we can do on our own -- why rely on a flawed system to have what we need? Do you really need a several thousand dollar mattress? 

This is the kind of mentality I'm trying to instill in myself and eventually, by my example, in our children. :)

Preparing for Shabbat

A Simple Shabbat: How I Prepare

August 9th, 2012 - 5th Day

Hello. :) Today is the day before Preparation Day...just wanted to write a little bit about how I prepare for the weekly Sabbath.

First things first, I try to wake up at least a few minutes before dear husband. As a follower of the FlyLady system of keeping your house in order, I start my Morning Routine which includes:

• Making the bed -- provided your husband isn't still in it...lol.
• Getting dressed -- down to your shoes.
• Wiping down the bathroom while you're in there -- it really helps when you've got at least one thing "clean" before you get on with your day.
• And taking your laundry basket into the laundry room to put it in the washer. 

The breakfast routine ensues with unloading the dishwasher, starting breakfast and coffee, as well as feeding the chickens. Dear Husband goes off to work and so do I...to the front porch to water the ferns, sweep, and wipe down the rocking chairs. It really does help to have the outside clean before the inside, it gives a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day when you sit down to watch the sun set and you find that the porch is clean!

After a bit of yoga and taking a little bit of time on the computer (blogging, uploading pics, etc) its time to get the Preparation Day work started!

Since we should "bake what you bake, and cook what you will cook" the day before the Sabbath, I cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the Sabbath on Preparation Day. It takes a long time, but I really try to keep it simple.

• Breakfast - Cereal, Bananas, Pre-made Biscuts or Pre-made Blueberry Pancakes
• Lunch - Sandwiches, Home-made Triscuts, Cookies (it's a feast day, remember?), Pasta Salad, etc.
• Dinner - This is usually something that can be re-heated easily, maybe leftovers from the Sabbath Meal. Soups are easy, as are casseroles. Crockpot meals are excellent too. 
• Snacks - Lots of easy things like carrots and ranch, grapes, and challah! It wouldn't be Shabbat without challah!

My menorah happens to be broken at the moment, so I try to have six small tealight candles on the table at dinner with one larger candle in the middle. I'm about to start a "make your own menorah" project out of clay...we'll see how that goes!

I like to watch the sun go down as it signals the beginning of the Sabbath day. Here's a pretty good article explaining why a day actually starts at sunset: http://www.eliyah.com/sabbathbegin.html

I hope this helped some understand what goes into preparing for the Sabbath. It truly is a special day and we should welcome it as such! :)

Shalom!

- Mrs. Sloan