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Friday Five: Pioneer essentials

March 14, 2014 by Jana 8 Comments

The theme of this blog is “helping you be more self-sufficient no matter where you live”. Because I do believe that, even in you’re living in a tiny studio apartment, there are tasks you can do, projects you can complete, and skills you can learn that can bring you up a rung or two on the self-sufficiency ladders.

To do that, though, you’re going to need supplies. The supplies don’t have to cost a lot and you can even buy many of them at the dollar store. Which is nice and means you’re not going to be out a lot of cash if your project or attempt at self-sufficiency doesn’t turn out the way you hoped. And since I don’t want you to waste money or time (or be annoyed with me that I even recommended this in the first place), I’ve identified 5 supplies you need to get you started and that you can use no matter what you’re living situation:

Needle and thread. I know I mention sewing a lot but it really is an essential pioneer skill. It’s how they had clothes, blankets, curtains, napkins, and basically everything that kept them clothed, clean, and warm. Plus, knowing how to mend those items saves money over time. I recommend getting one of those little travel sewing kits and just practice stitching on random scraps of fabric or taking some of those extra buttons you have around and work on sewing those onto the scraps of fabric.
Clothespins. Air drying your clothes is a little more time consuming than a dryer but if the power goes out, at least you can still have clean clothes. If you live in a neighborhood like I do, you probably can’t hang a clothesline in your backyard. But you can do it in your bathroom or some other space that doesn’t get used that often (tip: if you’re hanging clothes over carpet, put a tarp down. No one needs funky wet carpet smell). Clothespins are necessary to make this work. Also, you can use them for fun kids crafts.
Canning jars. Or some other mechanism for reusable food storage. This is particularly helpful if you buy foods like dry beans, pasta, sugar, and flour in bulk. Having storage containers allows you to buy large bags/boxes and split them with a friend or neighbor (which helps prevent food waste) and let’s face it, sometimes spending a few extra dollars on storage jars saves a lot of space. If you have limited living or storage space, this is a way to maximize what you have.
Food storage essentials.
Curtains. Windows. Love to have them, hate to clean them. Almost as much as I hate to clean their terrible friend, blinds. The pioneers didn’t have blinds but they did have curtains. Curtains serve a number of functions–the provide privacy, they can insulate your house with hot and cold, they’re decorative, and they’re easy to clean. Take them down, give ’em a quick wash, and they’re good as new. Plus, they’re way easier to install. Hanging curtains will make your place look pretty and provide a certain functional pioneer element.
Seeds. Pioneers mostly ate what they grew, hunted, caught, and baked. That means, if you’re going to try to be more self-sufficient, you’re going to need to grow some of your own food. You can do this even if you live in an apartment or somewhere that doesn’t allow you to plant (container gardening FTW!). To do that, you’re going to need seeds. Seeds are inexpensive and can be bought pretty much anywhere. My husband even took some close to rotting potatoes and planted those.
From a set of 12 heirloom seeds packages, found on Amazon.

If you don’t have access to a dollar store or big box store like Walmart or Target, everything on this list can be purchased through Amazon instead. I believe that if you’re going to live a more pioneer lifestyle, you should easily be able to find what you need. No walking 28 miles in the snow on this prairie!

What items would you add to this list? Any you’d take off?

Linking up (for my very first time!) with Northeast Bloggers

Bucket list: Pioneer style

March 13, 2014 by Jana 11 Comments

Bucket lists have never been my thing. I don’t like to think about death and dying and creating a bucket list makes me confront that. I don’t want to dwell on all the shit I’d like to do before I die and also, if I don’t accomplish them, how will that make me feel? Probably pretty crappy and if I’m on my deathbed, is that really something I need hanging over me? No. So I opt to leave bucket lists alone.

However, when it comes to this project, it has a shelf life. While the skills acquired and lessons learned will stick with me, and I don’t intend on leetting them go once I’m done with the project, the project itself will end. Die, if you will. And there are some items I’d like to accomplish before that happens. A pioneer project bucket list.

This is what it looks like:

Sew a complete set of cloth napkins along with a matching tablecloth. I love the idea of having a tablecloth on my dining table for so many reasons, the least of which is that my table has tile and grout that are a pain the ass to clean. It’ll also make the room like so much nicer and cleaner. Plus, the cloth napkins are less wasteful.
Found this on Amazon. If sewing one doesn’t work, this is my backup plan.
Open an Etsy store. Pioneer women tended to the home but at times, they also had to help contribute financially to the family. I’m no different. I have a few ways in mind to do this and one of them is to open an Etsy store. I have the idea, the name, and the list of products to sell. Now I just have to get to work.
Fill my freezer and shelves in my garage with food I canned. Not going to lie. Canning intimidates the hell out of me. I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m terrified that I’m going to ruin the food. This is even more daunting because I plan on canning what we grow (following in true pioneer fashion) and if I mess up, it’s gone. I can’t just instantly regrow more. Scary stuff.
For more than just crafts.
Quilt a lap blanket. I have no problem taking a shortcut and making no sew blankets (in fact, I think I prefer this. Quicker, and I can actually do it). But the pioneers used quilts. Which means I need to try to sew one. I am almost as awful with a sewing machine as I am with knitting needles which is why I’m opting for a lap quilt instead of a bed-sized one. I figure it’ll be decidedly less stressful (and more doable) if I’m focused on a smaller quilt.

Items you will not see on my list: shoot a gun. Ride a horse. Milk a cow. Raise chickens. Use an outhouse.

It’s not that I’m opposed to the concept of those things. (Well, that’s a lie. I’m opposed to outhouses and their modern brethern, the port-a-potty. Because ew. And majorly unsanitary.) It’s that I have aversions to all of them and this is honestly why I realize I’d most likely be a terrible pioneer. Then again, if I were a real pioneer, I’d have no choice but to do all of them and I’d probably get over myself. I also wouldn’t know any different. So, really, I’m thankful that I’m not living 150 years ago.

As for my bucket list, I wanted to make it projects that are achievable yet complicated enough that I’ll feel like I did something truly pioneer-esque. Because those guys did not have it easy. I want to pay homage to them as best I can without making myself uncomfortable.

Do you have a bucket list? What items are on it?

Bring on spring! 9 ways to eliminate the winter blues

March 4, 2014 by Jana 11 Comments

My favorite book in the Little House series is The Long Winter. I love the determined and resilient spirit, as well as the resourcefulness they demonstrate throughout the story. It’s also, for me, the most realistic book in the series. Reading this one, it’s as if she forgot to make everything polished and shiny and idealistic. It showed some of the realness of their life as settlers, and I connected with that.

Living on the East Coast, this winter has certainly given me a new appreciation for everything Laura and her family went through during that long winter. Because this one feels just like that. I swear, it’s been winter since October and if I never see snow again, that’s really fine with me. I’m tired of being cold, I’m tired of wearing 97 layers when I go outside, I’m tired of gray, drab, and dreary everything, and I’m seriously tired of not knowing whether my child has to go to school or not. I would also like to be able to open my windows to air out all the sick germs that have taken up residence in my house because really, enough is enough with this sickness bullshit. Also, it’s March. Let’s move on already.

someecards.com - It's so cold I can barely stand the four minutes I'm outdoors every day.

Now that that’s off my chest, I can say that I’m officially protesting winter from here on out. Well, protesting it as much as I can. I won’t put on flip flops because I enjoy having all my toes and really, who has time for frostbite. But that doesn’t mean I can’t start bringing a little bit of spring into my life even though it’s about 20 degrees outside. Here’s how I’m doing it:

Planning my garden. From what I understand, it’s best to start some of your plants inside so I’m doing that. My family and I sat down, drafted what we’re planting, and we’ve started getting to work. We’ve been working on the compost pile all winter and now it’s time to put it into action.
Following spring training. Baseball starting up again is to spring what Memorial Day is to summer–the unofficial start. Knowing that it’s there makes everthing feel more spring-like. And getting the score updates on my phone reminds me that spring is just around the corner. (Note: this probably won’t work for you if you don’t like baseball.)
Getting rid of winter smells. That means putting away winter scented candles and bringing out the spring scented ones. Just having the different smells in the house makes a difference.
Putting away the winter decor. See you later, snowmen and winter colors. I don’t want to look at you anymore. I’m bringing out the spring colored placemats, napkins, flowers, and all the other springtime decorations. It might be cold outside but it looks like spring in my house.
Changing my nail polish. I typically wear seasonally colored nail polish. However, if I look at another dark brown or red, I might scream. Instead, I’m using my springy, pastely colors on my hands. Just changing the look is an instant mood lifter.
Creating spring menus. I love a hearty soup or a casserole as much as the next person. But adding a salad or something from the grill to my weekly menu makes it feel a little less…heavy and a lot more springy.
Analyzing winter and spring wardrobes. Working from home, I wear approximately 9 items of clothing every week. At this point, I’m getting ready to put the rest of my winter clothes away and start focusing on the spring ones. Putting away the bulky, warm clothes is a relief and makes it feel like winter is almost gone.
Looking at outdoor activities. Many places near my home are starting to put out their spring schedules. This means outdoor activities, day trips to the beach, and afternoons at the park. Starting to factor those into our weekends is taking one step towards getting rid of our severe cabin fever.
Making spring crafts. It’s fine to paint winter scenes and bake cookies for Santa. But I’m so over that. Instead, I’m starting to do spring crafts with my daughter like popsicle stick bird feeders and writing stories about going to the beach. Total mindset shift and it works to alleviate the misery of winter.

I can’t say that this winter has been completely terrible. My outdoor cat has learned to come inside, we figured out just how bad our gas and electric bills will be in our new house, and we became way more creative with our time indoors. And this is the first time in years I didn’t put on winter weight. HUGE victory there.

Those small wins aside, I’m ready for spring. Because winter can suck it.

someecards.com - May your devastating winter blues finally give way to your debilitating spring allergies

How about you? Are you starting to get ready for spring despite the still way too freezing weather?

Start living like a pioneer today, part 1

February 27, 2014 by Jana 7 Comments

Remember that old Heinz ketchup slogan “good things come to those who wait”? In case you’re not as old as I am, it was popular when ketchup was still regularly sold in glass bottles and you had to hit the 57 on the bottle in order to make the ketchup pour out without waiting until everyone else was finished eating before you started because it was so damn slow.

I think they could have simplified it by saying “be patient, asshole. The fries can wait and so can you” but perhaps that’s why I’m not in marketing.

Anyway.

Getting started on your pioneer project is just like waiting for the ketchup to come out of the bottle. It’s a slow, arduous process that makes you want to throw something. You have to exercise a tremendous amount of patience, even when you hit the 57 to make it go faster. You can’t rush it because the reward at the end is so worth it.

You do not have to shoot anything to feel more like a pioneer.

I read somewhere that it took the pioneers who traveled the Oregon Trail roughly a year to save up the money and supplies they needed to travel. A year! That’s a long time, especially when you’re waiting to move–literally–on with your life. It’s necessary, though, because you need to make sure you have everything in place to make the transition as quick and with as little pain as possible. You need to be prepared for all the emergencies and situations, and when you get there, you want to reap the rewards as soon as you can.

I’m sure that for those guys, that year moved like an eternity. Like it was never going to be the time to go. At least that’s how I felt starting this project. It took me months before I had the scope and nature of the project outlined, gathered most of the supplies I needed (I still don’t have them all), and it was the right time to start. However, unlike traveling the Oregon Trail, you don’t need to wait for the perfect time. You can start your pioneer project at any time–today, even–by doing a few of these things:

Use natural light. Don’t get me wrong. I love my electricity. I do not, however, love high electric bills. Besides, pioneers didn’t have electricity in their homes. You can practice living like a pioneer by opening blinds, curtains, window shades, or whatever you have and allowing the natural light to come into your home during the day rather than turning on the lights.
Air dry your clothes. Again, without electricity, pioneers couldn’t use washers and dryers. So they air dried their clothes. You can do this, too, by hanging a clothing line in your backyard or, if you don’t want to freak out the neighbors with your underwear, set one up in your house (preferably in a room without carpeting. That will just cause a dreadful smell). You can use a drying rack, too.
Make your own butter. Pioneers churned their own butter. I don’t really know where to get a butter churn so I went searching for more modern directions. Although I haven’t done this yet but based on the instructions I found, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be too difficult. I will not be doing it by hand, however. I will use my stand-up mixer. But if you do this and do it by hand, let me know. I’d love to hear how it went.
Bake your own bread. Pioneers also made their own bread (probably to go along with their churned butter), and they did so often. So you can spend an afternoon making some loaves of bread. If you don’t have a bread machine–I don’t–there are dozens of recipes for making bread in your oven. Or, if you’re too scared of starting with a loaf of bread, you can follow the recipe below for drop biscuits. It’s a start!
Sew something. If you’ve read a Little House book, then you know how much time the Ingalls women spent sewing things. Curtains, doll clothes, dresses, quilts, shirts…they sewed it all. Which is why learning to sew is high on my list of skills to tackle for this project. But making the aforementioned items takes a skill level I don’t have. So I’ve been practicing by making napkins, sewing ripped seams and missing buttons, and working on 9 square quilts for my daughter’s dolls. If that’s not your speed, you can always go to the craft store and pick out a cross stitch to work on.

I have 5 more suggestions that you can do to start living more like a pioneer today, so look for those next week!

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The Pioneer Kitchen Diaries: Sesame noodles with broccoli

February 24, 2014 by Jana 7 Comments

As I get deeper into this project, and the more research I do, the more I learn that there’s a pretty distinct set of pioneer values. And, as I learn more about those values (or, at the very least, create what I think are those values), the more I try to incorporate them into my daily life. Because at the end of this, I hope not only become more self-sufficient but change some of my ways of thinking.

One of the areas I’m working on a lot is food waste. Overall, my family does a decent job of not wasting food. Sure, there’s the occasional cucumber that might liquify or a container of leftover pasta sauce that sprouts some fuzzy friends or maybe a bottle of salad dressing that lives longer than it should. But for the most part, we’re good about not wasting food. When it does happen, and I have to do a major cleaning of my fridge and I throw out more food than I should, it bothers me.

That happened this past weekend. And there was absolutely no reason it should have. And now I’m on a mission to make sure it doesn’t happen again (at least in the volume it did).

Because the pioneers didn’t have the option of food waste. They had to find a use for everything they had. There was no excess to just toss into the trash. They had what they needed, used it all in some way, and that was that. To start incorporating that into my life, I’ve established three ways to put our food to use and reduce food waste in my kitchen:

Leftovers
Composting
Repurposing

Recycling is its own entity and we do recycle everything we possibly can. My tree hugging, renewable energy field working husband wouldn’t have it any other way.

As far as the list, I’ll explain each one in detail in its own post (particularly the repurposing, which I know sounds strange. But think of it along the lines of popsicle stick crafts, macaroni art, or noise makers out of dried beans), and for this post, we’re going to talk about leftovers.

My family is big into leftovers. Not only does it reduce food waste but it saves money so there’s a double bonus to them. My husband and I eat leftovers for lunch most days and if there’s a big batch of something like rice, I’ll find a way to incorporate them into another recipe. That’s what I did with pasta.

I don’t know about you, but when I make pasta, I usually wind up making enough for 87 people. As we are a family of 3, we don’t need that much. So I typically find at least 2 recipes to make with a box of pasta or I leave the leftovers in the event that my daughter refuses to eat what I cook (the rule used to be if she didn’t like it, she got pb&j but she brings that for lunch every day. So now it’s pasta). Last week, however, I wanted to do something different that adding the noodles to soup or making two dishes to accompany the pasta. So I went through my trusty recipe binder (pics are forthcoming but it needs a major overhaul first) and landed on sesame noodles.

You seriously cannot go wrong with cold noodles in a peanut butter sauce. And I had a lot of noodles.

Looks are deceiving. There's a lot of pasta in there. — Looks are deceiving. There’s a lot of pasta in there.

Then I pulled the rest of the ingredients out of the pantry.

And I mixed a few of the ingredients with the peanut butter.

photo (1) — Peanut butter, soy sauce, and broth.

Then I added the rest and it looks a little gross but looks are deceiving.

photo (3) — Pay no attention to the burner that needs to be cleaned.

When the sauce thickened a bit and was smooth, I poured the peanut buttery goodness over the noodles.

For more efficient mixing and less dishes, use the container the pasta already sits in.

Wait about 3 hours for the noodles to chill and spoon into bowl (you can also eat directly from the container. No judging). I added broccoli for some extra nutrition and flavor. And also to not waste the broccoli in the fridge.

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Friday Five: Pioneer essentials

Bucket list: Pioneer style

Bring on spring! 9 ways to eliminate the winter blues

Start living like a pioneer today, part 1

The Pioneer Kitchen Diaries: Sesame noodles with broccoli

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